《Mastery》


 Intro

    Jace stood there for a moment pondering his predicament. Here he was on his way to get some junkfood after a particularly tiresome day. He walked through the dark alley shortcut as he always did and turned the corner when snap. Just like that he found himself in the middle of a forest. Not even a regional one, He knew those like the back of his hand. He enjoyed his jogs through nature after all.


    No this particular forest was off, the trees larger, the leaves slightly off colour. Even the smell just felt off. That was when he spotted one of the birds, a songbird larger than any he had ever heard of. That¡¯s when it hit him, he definitely wasn¡¯t in kansas no more. He liked to read books and kept an eye on recent trends, these dropped into a new world fictions were a favourite of his. He had to admit he was a bit disappointed that he didn¡¯t get a boosted start or some fancy ability to over-power his way through this new life.


    But aah well, that would have made it boring. He started a light jog, making his way through the forest. He could keep a slow jog up for hours, he kept himself fit by running a half marathon every day. twenty kilometers in an hour, sometimes a little faster sometimes a little slower but always the same twenty kilometers.


    He heard the sound of a river and headed over, this was something he was familiar with. He¡¯d spent two years of his life in the scout division. Logic told him that following the flow downriver would give him the most chance of encountering civilisation. So that is what he did. He kept up his jog through the forest, occasionally hearing an animal¡¯s screech or a howl that sounded unfamiliar.


    To his surprise the run was uneventful, in stories the protagonist almost always gets attacked somewhere early on. A wolf maybe, or a few goblins. The ones with sucky luck ran into a dragon or something. Although they always got something fancy from it so maybe they weren¡¯t that unlucky after all.


    Soon enough He saw a palisade in the distance, judging by the circumference he estimated that it was a small village, couple hundred inhabitants at most. He knocked on a tree, a knock on wood for goodluck. He hoped his starter village wasn¡¯t hostile.


    As he closed in on the village he was spotted by the guard in the watchtower who shouted something down into the village. He was too far away to clearly hear what was said so he had no idea if he knew the language. Soon enough he saw the gate open and a couple of guards jogged out in light leather armour. They hadn¡¯t drawn their weapons and did not seem particularly hostile, he did see a man in robes with a bandolier slung across his chest. He had a satchel on his hip as well, a healer of sorts if he were to guess.


    Jace was touched, if he were a betting man he¡¯d say they were worried he was injured. The man in the lead shouted something, Jace couldn¡¯t understand him. A shame, he¡¯d learned six languages in his twenty-five years. He liked picking up languages in between things. It kept his brain working and it never hurt to learn new stuff. But what they spoke was neither English nor German. Neither was it Chinese, Japanese, Russian or Arabic. He was also pretty sure it wasn¡¯t Spanish since that was the language he had been working on at home.


    Well nothing to be done about that, Jace told them he didn¡¯t understand them in english. Just to get the foreign words out to them so they knew he had no idea what they were saying. The leading man blinked in surprise but they remained friendly. A lucky thing for him , he pointed to his body and gave the healer a thumbs up to let him know he was fine. They seemed to get the message and slowed down.


    Funny how some parts of body language are nearly universal. Although facial expression are probably a big part of that. The lead guard pointed to him and motioned him to follow. They lead him back to the village and he swept his gaze over the buildings. Nearly all of them were made of wood, planks, not full logs. He could see from the equipment of the guards and the build of the houses that they were somewhat decently advanced. Still he would put their technology level at the medieval or the roman era.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Downside of that meant that nearly all of his weapon training was now useless. The knife he wasn¡¯t that well versed in although he could still use his expertise in hand to hand combat. He slowed his jog down and that is when he froze.


    [Endurance has increased by one due to continued exercise]


    Well snap, He was so surprised by the message that he¡¯d stopped jogging for a second. The guards paused and lifted a questioning eyebrow. He shook off his surprise and picked the jog back up. They headed to the biggest building placed unimaginatively in the center of the village.


    Jace entered after one of the guards waved him in,He was guided to a table and asked to sit down. On the other end of the table sat an elderly lady, her hair in a long grey braid. She seemed fit for her age, her muscles well defined and a few barely visible scars decorated her tanned arms. She said something, Jace shook his head pointed to her mouth and shrugged. She nodded and scratched at her chin.


    She started making various gestures, not all of which he got, he would respond with a few of his own and after some time they could somewhat understand each other. Nowhere near enough to hold a proper conversation of course, but it was a start. She asked him where he came from and he gestured with a wave off into the distance and stretched his arms as far as they would go. It got the point across.


    Jace was pretty sure the next question was how he had gotten here, he couldn¡¯t really make out most of the gestures for this part but he figured it was a pretty good guess based on her previous question. He made a gesture of himself walking and then did a poof with his hands and pointed to forest. Then made a surprised expression to show her he had no idea how he¡¯d actually gotten in the forest.


    This got the woman to frown but she nodded, she motioned to one of the guards and the man left. Only to return later with a middle-aged lady and a meal for both him and the elder. He nodded and smiled to the woman in appreciation, to which she dipped her head.


    Jace took a bite of the food and gasped,He stared at the food with wide eyes. This was impossibly delicious. When the middle-aged woman looked at him with her eyebrows raised, He pointed at the dishes and made his feelings for them apparent with a lot of wild flailing and thumbs up. He dove into the dishes ravenously and the food vanished from the table in a flash. The woman had a small pleased smile on her face and gave him a small nod before she left the room.


    The elder grinned at him as she calmly ate her food. Jace had already had his fill so he patiently waited for her to finish. The elder ate a steady pace and a couple of minutes later they were back to their sign guessing game, that had a name back home. Was it called charades? He wasn¡¯t sure¡­ It didn¡¯t matter, more to the point the elder was asking if he needed a place to sleep for the night Jace made it clear that it would be very much appreciated.


    She asked him a few more questions, for instance what he did back home. This particular question was a true pain for him to understand, only after she took him for a small walk outside and pointed out various people and their jobs and then gestured to him with a raised eyebrow did he understand what she was asking for. He pointed to one of the guards and made a shake with his hand indicating that he did something kinda like they did.


    She must have understood what he meant because next thing he knew he was standing outside a wooden dirt ring, a small combat practice arena. He glanced at her then shrugged and entered the ring. She motioned him back out and brought him to a wooden building, he glanced around and saw that it was an armoury. Not a very big one, there were only a few sets of weapons and armour present. To be honest he was surprised they had an armoury at all for such a small village.


    She brought him to a stand for wooden weapons and gestured at him to take one. He picked up various weapons and gave them an awkward swing. He smirked, he had absolutely no experience with a sword, or spear or whatever this thing was. He picked it up and glared at it. What WAS this, he had never even heard of such a thing. It was a glove with the blade attached, not just a glove but an armored monstrosity that covered even the shoulder.


    This thing could not be easy to use, He put it down and noticed a dagger on the edge of the stand. He grabbed it and shrugged, at least he was familiar with a knife. He turned around and looked at the elder. She glanced at the dagger and frowned, then shrugged and headed back to the arena.


    The elder easily leaped the chest high fence and jumped into the arena. He stared at her with a dropped jaw and clambered into the arena across from her. He grabbed his knife in a reverse grip and held out one open hand towards her, He lowered his stance and waited for her to make a move. She muttered something in an appreciating tone as she eyed his stance. Then she raised her fists and settled into her own stance. He blinked only now noticing that the elder was unarmed.


    Regardless, Jace readied himself and then he was on the floor. What in the blazes just happened.

 Chapter 1

    Jace stared up at the sky above him and let it sink in that he just had his ass handed to him by a sixty year old-ish lady. Within a split second even, he still hadn''t processed what exactly happened. Well if she was the standard of strength in this world he was royally screwed. But he doubted everyone was THAT strong, she must be in charge for a reason right? He saw a suntanned face appear in view with a cheeky grin. Damn granny, she''s making fun of him for sure. She stuck out her hand, he took it and she pulled him to his feet.


    The guards and other passerby''s who had been watching were chuckling. He rolled his eyes, making fun of the new guy. A time on honored tradition even in entirely new worlds it seemed. The elder tapped his shoulder to get his attention and made some odd gestures, then she started holding up fingers for numbers and asked a question. He just stared at her blankly, he had no idea what she was talking about. The elder tapped her chin for a second before she made some movements with her hand.


    [Trishla Hillmorr has asked for permission to view your character sheet, grant it? Y/N]


    Jace shrugged, he was pretty sure letting someone access your sheet was a huge sign of trust. It was filled with all your personal information,strengths and weaknesses. Well he needed information and this woman seemed a likely source. Go big or go home, He pressed yes and watched as the character sheet unfolded before his eyes.


    [Jace Shimmer


    [Age : 25


    [Class : None


    [Profession : None


    [Titles : None


    [Strength : 10 Agility : 10 Dexterity : 10


    [Endurance : 11 Vitality : 10 Constitution : 10


    [Wisdom : 10 Intelligence : 10 Charisma : 10


    [Luck : 10


    [Skills :


    [Mastery :


    Well his sheet was blank for sure, he kept his eyes on the Elder. He got anxious for a bit when a deep frown appeared on her face. These stats and lack of anything substantial must really stand out in a world like this. If people had been working on stats, skills, levels and mastery since birth then he was behind by miles.


    The Elder nodded to herself and then shouted something to the guards, they seemed surprised, but ran off to do her bidding regardless. A few minutes later they returned with a girl in tow. The girl had a sullen look on her face and while the people around her did not treat her differently there was a slight air of pity permeating the air. Something must be wrong with the girl, the elder approached her and told her something. The girl''s eyes widened as she glanced at him and then at the ring. She raised an eyebrow at the Elder who nodded to her. The girl showed a small smile and climbed in the ring.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Jace understood what they wanted so he settled into position across from her. He studied the girl, she was taller than he had at first thought, six feet if he was guessing right. That was an inch taller than he was. She worked out a great deal as well, her muscles were well defined. She had her dirty blond hair in a braid. Her hair and her musculature painted the picture of a viking woman in his head. Even though he was pretty sure she wasn''t one.


    Jace readied his stance as the girl did the same. She raised her fists and like the Elder before her was unarmed. He hesitated briefly before he discarded his knife and settled into his own stance. He shuffled forwards, keeping his stance grounded and center of gravity low. The girl let him approach her, her eyes following him and her stance subtly shifting to prepare for his engagement. He felt no confidence in overpowering her, not in a world of stats. Honestly based purely on her build he wouldn''t even feel confident in a world without them.


    In a sudden burst of movement he dove forward, one of the girls fists snapped towards his head, he tilted it to the side, narrowly dodging. He slipped inside her range and sent a short punch towards her liver. A fist descended towards his temple, he ducked beneath it but had to cancel his own punch to do so. He slipped a foot behind hers and shoved his shoulder into her in an attempt to knock her down. She took the chance to grab hold, He slithered out of her grasp and sent a quick kick into the back of her knee. Only to be tackled into the dirt, they wrestled for a few tense minutes. It occurred to him that the girl was not at all used of having equal or greater strength than her opponent, she kept contesting with him in skill instead of raw strength.


    Jace tried to use it to his advantage but she was more skilled and more experienced in close quarters combat than he was. It still took her awhile to get the better of him but once she did she was sitting on top of him breathing heavily and grinning. He rolled his eyes and then smiled. He made a shooing motion to get her off him. He let her help him to his feet and rolled his shoulders. He congratulated her on her victory, she might not understand the words but he was sure his meaning got across. She grinned widely and said something in return. I''m pretty sure it meant something like good fight. He nodded and grinned back.


    The elder walked up to us and spoke a few words to her then turned to Jace. Asking to see his sheet again. He agreed and blinked when he saw a few additions, he got unarmed combat mastery up to intermediate and a couple of stats. The elders brows scrunched together before she shrugged and motioned him to follow. She showed him the way to a bed inside that big house of hers and made a series of motions that he took as this bed is yours, use it when you want. The viking girl had followed us inside and seemed to be the resident of the room next to him, she winked at him playfully before she entered her own room.

 Chapter 2

    The next few days were spent learning the language, something that would take a while even with Jace''s experience. Anyone can tell you that the best way to learn a language is to be stranded somewhere with people who speak nothing but the language you are trying to learn. Although he was nowhere near fluent Jace was starting to pick up some small things, such as greetings or saying his thanks.


    Most of his time was spent sparring with the young woman who he had fought yesterday. Her name was Weira and she was not the granddaughter of the elder as he first expected. Or so he gathered from the few things he could understand. One of the most interesting things that happened over the last few days was when he chose his weapon. There was a surprising variety of weapons in the armory, the elder even made it clear to him that if he was looking for something else she would have it made for him.


    As honored as he was by the request he was sure that the smiths here would be unable to create a gun for him. For a while he thought about using a cestus as weapon. Cestus was basically a glove with hardened steel caps or spikes over your knuckles. A brawlers weapon, in the end he decided against it, most of his technique was all about holds and grips. Something he was not willing to use against monsters that may exist in this world. He tried out a variety of weapons, an axe was decent but in the end it was only truly useful when trying to slash something. He wanted something with a bit more flexibility in its use.


    Next up he tried a halberd, Weira''s preferred weapon. It was a difficult weapon to use well, those fancy flourishes you would see in movies or shows were impractical. It was a heavy weapon and would require a lot of practice before he would trust himself to be able to use it with any true mastery. He disregarded bows and crossbows, although they were viable, after using a gun it just felt. Weak, slow. They were undeniably powerful in their own right. But their true strength lay in their silence, they were great ambush weapons. Again not something he wanted to stake his life on. He was good in the woods but against people who literally lived in them, as did many of the people in this world. He''d be even more behind.


    In the end the first thing he decided on was using a shield. It was such a versatile weapon, although many might not consider the shield a weapon. Jace thought otherwise, a well-placed bash could open someone up for a swift strike, the edge could be slammed into the softer parts of an enemy. Then of course its primary purpose, defence. Getting around a shield with pure skill was intensely difficult. There was a reason special weapons were invented to get around shields, such as the khopesh. Now that he had decided on the shield he had to decide on the weapon, in the end he settled with a shortsword. A longsword was too long to use properly with a shield, a bastard sword was a bit too heavy for his taste. The claymore, well, it wasn''t even possible to use one with a shield. Not properly at least. So he settled on a short sword, in the Jian style.


    His blade was simple but practical. Just as he would have preferred it. His first fight against Weira went as expected, he was obliterated. He range and skill far outstripped his own, even if she had trouble getting around his shield. In the end of their first match she simply hooked her halberd behind his shield and pulled which he automatically resisted, and then she pushed ramming her, dulled, point into his chest. Jace cursed as he was smashed into the dirt. Many of the fights after the first went similarly but he was learning, albeit slowly.


    He also learned about the various proficiency levels. From lowest to highest they were ranked as. Beginner, Novice, Apprentice, Intermediate, Advanced, Veteran, Expert and Master. Each rank had ten sublevels, so if you reached beginner level nine your next level up would send you to the novice rank.


    Another thing he figured out in the past few days he spent in the village was the reason why this air of pity seemed to follow Weira. She was born a mute, which for some utterly strange reason had an effect on her accessing the status sheet. Trishla explained to him that one had to access the sheet for the first time with their voice, and you couldn''t change your options if you were a mute. If there was a mage or a system manager profession you could head to one of those to get that changed. But they lived in a small village in the middle of nowhere and were self reliant. They had left the various kingdoms they hailed from and settled out here in the ass end of nowhere so they could live the way they wanted to.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Another thing of note was that there were both classes and professions. For instance the guards could have the class warrior and the profession guard. Most of the inhabitants of the village had a fighter class of sorts accompanied with their profession. A few like the blacksmith picked a class that was similar to their profession. Their fighting ability would drop which out here could be deadly but their ability in their profession would get a sharp increase.


    These professions where not permanent choices, you could change your profession once every six months. Any progress you made in your profession would remain. Skills in profession where almost always passive. For instance guards would have a weaker version of detect truth, they could somewhat notice when someone was lying. Farmers had an increase in yield, merchants would have an decrease in caravan travel time, blacksmiths could create higher level items. The list was endless, this also made sure that each of the people in this world was more skilled and produced better than most people in his own.


    Jace frowned as he thought of this, he had thought the wooden palisade that surrounded the village simple but upon inspection he discovered them to be anything but. Attacks on the village happened regularly, usually the elder would let the guard handle it and merely watch over them, letting them gain experience. If anything became difficult or if the opponent was too strong from the get-go she would step in. He learned that gran was indeed a lot stronger than the average person in this world. The people here nearly idolised her, he could tell from some of the older villagers that there was quite a past hiding behind the elder. But he had not asked as to what it was. It seemed rude to pry into his benefactors background.


    He shook his head as it wandered from the palisade he was currently inspecting. It was a lot tougher than wood had any right to be, he had been experimenting on it for a while now, a full swing from his sword would hardly make a dent in the wood. It was also fireproof. The wood was stronger from both the skills of the lumberjack who cut the wood and the builder who had made the palisade itself.


    Jace could already imagine the walls around cities or fortresses, high level professions combined with magic would make these walls extremely hard to penetrate. He wondered what war was like in this world, he was sure it would be massively different from the ones back home. Although a true high level warrior might have a similar deterring function as a nuke. Comparing people to a tactical missile , the thought terrified him. He briefly thought what war between the worlds would be like. How much could technology live up to magic and the sheer breaking of the laws of physics.


    He wasn''t a physicist but he was sure that the speed at which the elder had moved before was beyond the possible limits according to physics. Perhaps the presence of magic and whatever was behind it altered the laws. Maybe the laws of physics were different here, although he had heard that the presence of a new element could alter the laws and that the laws back home were nowhere near figured out. Jace sighed as he tried to wrap his head around the possibilities of his new home.


    He didn''t have much of a reason to go back home, he was an orphan. He joined the army as soon as he could, but was discharged. Unlike in the movies he did not punch an amoral superior officer. He was simply found unfit for duty, why you might ask. Nope, he''d banged his captain. They found out and he had claimed he had taken advantage of the captain because she had been drunk and he had put something in his drink. She had chosen not charge him with assault but he had been fire.


    Of course he hadn''t spiked her drink or taken advantage of her when she was drunk. He had loved her and he was pretty sure the feeling was mutual. But he was a mere private and she was a captain, he did not want to ruin her hardwon career. Of course once he was discharged and tried to continue the relationship he found out that the captain he was so smitten with was in fact married. That had been quite the blow, but well, he had always had a thing for the crazies.


    First girlfriend stabbed him during sex, simply because she was excited. Second girlfriend had a restraining order against him after she had broken into his house and stolen his laundry to¡­ use. Third girlfriend had mixed crushed medicine into his food that made him irritable so she could piss him of and get him to be overly aggressive during sex. Seriously compared to them the captain had been tame.


    He suddenly paled, what would happen if he had a similar girlfriend but in this world. What if he dated a mage that wanted to turn him into an animal because she was into bestiality. Or if she tried to genderbend him! What if he dated a warrior much stronger than himself that had sadistic tendencies. What if he dated someone so skilled in illusion spells that he was dating a man without even noticing it. He sagged, this world was gonna be even more dangerous than the previous one for his dating life. Then he cheered up, on the plus side, nonhumans! Elvin ladies, dwarven broads, beastwomen. Interesting¡­


    He sat there sinking into his own delusions with a spaced out smile, perhaps this world would hold more in store for him than the last.

 Chapter 3

    There were a few culture clashes as he got used to life in the village. One of them being shared bathing, there was only one large bath-house in the village that everyone used. Male and female alike, it had shocked him when he first saw it but he had quickly gotten used to it. Even back home there had been something similar in spas and the like. Seeing Weira strip in front of him still made him stutter however, he was not at all prepared at the time.


    This world was a lot more open-minded about nudity. Polygamy was also more common than back home. Not that he wanted anything to do with the practice, trying to keep up with one woman was more than enough trouble. Especially the type he favoured, he didn''t just happen to ''find'' the crazier types, he was attracted to them. He had this strange urge to help them improve, even if they did not need it. It was part of who they were after all. He knew that in his head but he could not help himself.


    He glanced at Weira who was currently lying in the grass next to the palisade. Weira despite her muteness was normal. Well.. sort of. She had a playful streak and made a lot of sarcastic comments. How did one make these sarcastic comments when mute you ask? Well the power of a wiggling eyebrow and a grin could do wonders.


    Jace opened his stat sheet, he''d been in the village for five days and had some progress for his effort. He had gained some points in endurance, strength and agility from the training he did. His Sword mastery as well as his Shield mastery had already reached the novice level. His shield mastery was growing faster than his sword mastery, he focused a lot more on his shield. It felt more natural to him than the sword did, he had a bit of a talent for it according to gran.


    The rest of the day was spent the same as the last, training, eating and relaxing. The days melded into weeks and then months, his skills were growing slowly but steadily. He had asked everyone he could a lot of pointed questions once he figured out the language and got more fluent. The way levels and tiers worked and such.


    One of the most important features in his mind was how classes evolved, a class at the first tier warrior for instance could become sword-fighter once you reached level 100. It would increase the bonus stats received per level up to the relevant stats as well as improve the quality of skills both passive and active. Another thing of note was that passive skills were not called passive skills as he expected, they were called traits. It made sense to him but it would still take some getting used to it.


    Then he realised he may have figured out a way to gain strength and stats without leveling up as all the others did. Something that would help Weira as well, he glanced at her. They were both on guard duty and were sitting on the chairs in one of the watchtowers. He opened his mouth, prepared to explain his plan and bring her into it. They had grown close over the last few months and he would hate to lose her.


    "So the elder told us about how your mastery level increases much faster in combat and even faster when your fighting with something stronger than yourself right?"


    A nod


    "And the fact that there are titles for killing creatures above your level and titles for clearing dungeons above your level that give you stats."


    Another nod.


    "So what if instead of leveling up like the others we focus on gathering those titles, as I hear it clearing a dungeon ten levels higher than your own would give you two titles. One for beating the boss which would give you ten stats in each attribute. Another for beating the dungeon giving you another ten stat points in all attributes."


    Weira glanced at him curiously an eyebrow raised.


    "This title according to gran can upgrade, if you beat a dungeon and kill the boss when they are twenty levels above your own you get twenty stat points per title. Sure a level up would give someone five points, not including the bonus of their class. So fourty stat points for beating something twenty levels over yours would only equal eight levels worth of points."Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Weira was interested now and considering his idea, she tilted her head. Then her eyes widened.


    "Yep you got the key point." He grinned at her, "Our mastery will rise exponentially the further we get in the title progression. Where others fight with skills and levels, we fight with mastery. We train until we are more skilled than any of our opponents and we get the stats from the titles. Most importantly you don''t need to access the sheets for getting a title, which means you can grow."


    I smiled as her face started glowing and she got all excited. Well at least for now he had a plan. But gods knows how long it would take to put to fruition.


    Our guard shift had ended and we were jogging back to the central house. He thought it would have a name of sorts but everyone simply referred to it as the central house. He glanced at Weira, she was easily keeping pace with her halberd slung over her shoulder.


    The two spent so much time together that he could generally pick up on her mood and what she wished to say with a simple glance. The conversations as one sided as they might seem to outsiders were a full-out argument in truth. The things this girl could tell him with a sarcastic raise of an eyebrow was depressing.


    As for why they headed to their current destination it was to ask permission to head into the closest dungeon. One of the reasons the villagers had chosen to settle in this particular spot was a dungeon that had five layers. The inhabitants started at around level ten and then moved up into level sixty. A perfect dungeon for them to train their children and make sure everyone in the village had some fighting experience. Both Jace and Weira had not been allowed to enter the dungeon, the reason being. They were level zero, they had no class to call their own as these were only received at level ten.


    But today he planned to either convince the elder or sneak of and enter it ourselves. They had waited long enough and both of were skilled fighters. Even among the other guards in pure skill few could beat them now. He stared at the center building and felt his stomach flutter slightly. Yes, he had to admit that he was nervous, the Elder was a scary woman. Even if in general she had become something of a grandmother to him. More of a mother really with her vitality. Which reminded him of one of the most surprising and game changing things he had learned over the months. Vitality is a key point here, each point in vitality increases the lifespan by a year. Although that differed per race, elves would recieve an extra fifteen years per points, and dwarves received five. However you can only put a hundred points in the attribute till it locked.


    If you wanted more vitality then you would have to get them from the class bonuses or titles. Another reason why he thought his title farming plan was worth the effort. They could add years to their lives simply by farming the dungeon. When he had first excitedly told his plan to Gran she had eyed him with amusement. Asking him if she thought that he was truly the first to come up with the idea. Honestly Jace thought he had been, different perspective from another world maybe? But nope it was a strategy that many had tried. The risk was high, the lack of skills was what truly made it so difficult.


    Mastery is great and all but what good is skill against a Skill that sends a wave of energy from the blade of your sword strong enough to cut through stone. Mastery of your weapon won''t save you from that. He realised the problem but he had a solution of his own, magic! In a world where mana and magic existed you needed stats to grow your supply of mana. Intelligence grew your raw magic power and the amount of magic you had while Wisdom was your control of magic and the speed it regenerated at. If they could farm stats like he expected they we could become spellblades of sorts.


    Make up for that gap with spells they created themselves. Creating your own spells however, was no simple thing. You needed at least thirty intelligence to even acces your mana. A bridge he would cross when he reached it. He looked up at the building then at Weira, he stared into her icy blue eyes before nodding to myself, taking a deep breath and stepping inside.


    The following discussion surprised him, gran had agreed easier than he had expected. As if she had been prepared for it to come. However unwilling she still was, she did however make a point that she would be going with them for the first dive just in case. She wanted to watch out for them and would not take no for an answer. Honestly Jace didn''t mind in the least, having someone experienced watch over you for your first foray into danger was something he had come to appreciate from his army days.

 Chapter 4

    ace stood before the entrance to the dungeon both he and Weira armed with their chosen weapons. A shortsword and a round wooden shield reinforced with metal for him and a halberd for Weira. Light leather armour for both. He looked at the entrance and swiveled his gaze to Gran.


    "So what kind of monsters are in this dungeon?"


    She looked at him and smirked, "I''m not telling you, you''ll just have to adapt."


    Weira simply shrugged and started walking into the dungeon, Jace sighed and followed with Gran trailing along behind them. He rolled his shoulder and kept his shield in front of him as he took the lead. Weira was slightly to the right and behind him, the halberd was a long weapon so even if he was engaged in combat in front of her she could reach over and attack whatever he was fighting. Although the hall was wide enough for them to stand side by side, he thought this was a better option.


    As he warily walked deeper in he kept his eyes peeled till he spotted one of the monsters. It was a goblin, except it wasn''t. It had scales for some reason, but it was small and green and had elven like ears and lots of pointed teeth.


    The creature wielded a rusty sword of sorts, it saw him, released an ear piercing screech and charged. It swung its blade, Jace deflected it with his shield then rammed the other edge into its throat, a quick follow up stab and it was dead. He glanced at the creature and stabbed it again to make sure it was dead. It wasn''t his first kill, He''d seen battle back home so killing something so decidedly unhuman didn''t bother him in the slightest. What did bother him was how easy it had been. He glanced at the pop-up message.


    [You killed Gruffling lvl 8 and received 89 experience.]


    Jace glanced at Gran and then at Weira, He shrugged at her ,rolled his shoulder and shield and continued. After about another minute he ran into two of the Grufflings at once. He let them charge him and this time focused on pure defence, keeping their weapons at bay with his shield and sword. After a few hits a halberd descended to his right and cleaved into the head of one of them, the other Gruffling flinched and he used the opportunity for a quick stab to its throat.


    He received another message for killing two of the things, both of them level eight like the other. As they headed deeper they ran into a few solo Grufflings and a pair of them here and there, after another twenty or so minutes they finally ran into a larger group. Five of them were sitting around a campfire. The cavern they were in was wider than the hallway, the hallway wasn''t wide enough to let more than three of them through side-by-side.


    Jace tapped his shield against the wall to catch their attention and then retreated to hold a spot just beyond the entrance. The creatures snarled something in their odd language and charged, one of the things threw a spear at him which he caught on his shield. He wasn''t willing to sidestep it with people behind me. He quickly sheathed his sword and yanked out the spear then tossed it at the oncoming grufflings, He hit one in the stomach and watched it fall.


    Jace quickly unsheathed his sword again and prepared for a fight. Two of them swung at nearly the same time, he blocked both swings with his shield, a few splinters breaking of as the metal crashed into the reinforced wood. Another swung at him with a rusty axe from the side, he guided the strike up and away from him with his sword. A halberd swung down to his left ending the life of one of the creatures. It was now three on one. One of the Grufflings overswung and a quick slice across its legs put it out of the fight. The halberd shot forward and the tip pierced the chest of another, he pushed the last one to the ground with his shield and pierced its skull with his sword. Weira walked up next to him and finished off the wounded Gruffling.


    Jace looked around the cavern before nodding to himself.


    "I think we''re getting the hang of this, but don''t let your guard down. Arrogance is the mother of all fuck-ups."


    Gran Pov


    I watched as the two of them tore through the Grufflings. I had long since known they were ready and they were proving it before my eyes. It had always pained me that I was unable to fix Weira''s voice. Jace''s idea may have merit and allow her to gain strength without the crutch of the system. It had been nearly too late for me to realise the weakness of skills. Especially active ones, still the path of mastery was one of thorns.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Jace spoke up, calling arrogance the mother of all fuck-ups. The saying made me smile. How right he was, even if it was uncouthly worded. The young man had come out of nowhere, from the unsettled eastern forest. To my knowledge nothing was settled further east than our little village ,yet that''s where he suddenly appeared from. Without levels, not speaking our language. A stranger in all aspects. Yet he took to our ways like a fish to water. He learned the language within a month. He wasn''t fluent by then by all means, but he could hold a conversation.


    Then his fighting, I had been training Weira for years. Yet he could hold his own against her without even a single rank in mastery. I shook my head, he truly came from somewhere far away. A world without levels if I guessed correctly. I had heard of other worlds before, but none like that. I watched him smash his shield and push down another of the Grufflings. No hesitation at all, sometimes he would knock the first Gruffling down without finishing it of then proceed to the next one. Complete faith in Weira, my eyes glimmered as I saw the pride and joy in Weira.


    Not that the daft boy would notice, men never noticed these things. He had complete faith in someone without a class or even a single level. This was something unthinkable to all. He was the first who did not treat her like a handicap. Even I, to my shame, have at times been unable to hide the pity I had for the girl. Yet the gods have dropped us a man who while so similar to us is so very strange.


    They took down another group of three grufflings with ease. I shook my head, the first layer would be no challenge to them. Even the Greater Gruffling, the layer boss, was not their match. I had long since known they were ready, but had delayed as much as I could. Prepare them a bit longer, keep them near me for a little longer¡­ I hate to feel like an old woman but the two felt like my own children. I had never been able to have my own, and because of my¡­ reputation back in the kingdoms, finding a lover had been hard. Not since that crazy lumberjack who had punched the local lord for calling me a hag.


    I chuckled at the memory, that bloody insane man. Strong as an ox, yet he died like any other. Of old age while I kept standing. My strength was unknown to any in the village, they fought I was simply an old retired adventurer, well they weren''t exactly wrong. I was one, about two-thousand years ago. Unlocking your vitality stat would do that to you, now I was looking at the those who would walk a similar path. Yet they stepped on it so much earlier than I had done.


    The 7th Tier Class Holder, The Slow March of Death, Trishla Hillmorr. Stood and watched her students blaze their way through the dungeon.


    Weira POV


    I kept pace behind Jace, he kept eyeing every shadow as if he expected something to pop out from them. He was wary, cautious. All it did was make me feel even more at ease, Gran at my back and Jace in front. If anything even managed to get to me I would die from shock before they could attack. Jace was such a strange man, a good one by any stretch. Helping kids, petting any dog he could find, spending his paycheck on others. Terrible money management honestly and a true scatterbrain to match.


    In fact after only the second month I''d had enough of the way he used money and told him to give me two-thirds of his money. Which I kept and managed for him. Idiot didn''t even hesitate, trusted me with his money just like that. He pushed down yet another gruffling without finishing it off, immediately moving on to the next. I felt a smile try to make its way to my lips but kept my face straight. The wonderful idiot didn''t even think for moment I wouldn''t have his back. I have no idea what I did to earn this much trust. Honestly it''s probably just his weird way of thinking that makes it possible.


    I speared the gruffling and stepped back behind him. Honestly I''d expected a love to develop here, in swoops a guy out of nowhere. Changes my life, trusts me with his money and his life. Takes a girl like me on a grand adventure and tells her everything others told her was impossible was but a mere inconvenience. I''ve read romantic stories you know, this is where the girl falls in love with the guy, gets close to him and then gets killed so he can go on a vengeance killing spree.


    I watched him cut down another two grufflings. I don''t think he needs vengeance to go on a killing spree though, I smirked. But seriously I don''t love him, not romantically at least. I''m also sure that he doesn''t love me. I wonder if this is what siblings feel like, Trishla sure feels like a mother. A strict, scarily strong, but secretly caring mother.


    I was honestly bored, the dungeon wasn''t nearly as hard as I had expected it to be. The hardest fight we had so far was that group of five. They had been dismantled with ease so these smaller groups were a cakewalk as Jace called it. I have no clue what walking on cakes has to do with anything but stick around him for long enough and you start picking things up. So I had a bit of a strange sibling now, I could live with that, gladly even. We took down yet another small patrol of grufflings but this time I saw good news on the horizon. The main cave, it was time for the boss fight and deities above was I looking forward to it!

 Chapter 5

    Jace peeked into the cave and saw there was a larger gruffling crouched near a campfire in the middle, he had four lackeys lounging around. He said larger gruffling but the thing was still a head smaller than him. The other grufflings barely reached his chest, He tapped his chin for a moment before He walked back a bit and gathered some spears.He handed one to Weira who raised an eyebrow.


    "We throw these at the smaller ones, hopefully we finish them all off before we fight the bigger one. Pretty sure these ones are of a higher level. Ten at the least, they might have classes so we should minimize our risk."


    Weira nodded and grabbed three spears herself. He grabbed his own and snuck back to the cave opening. He grabbed a spear in his hand and glanced over at Weira, He nodded held up a hand and counted down. Five, four , three ,two. He didn''t make a motion for the one and the go and simply raised his spear and threw it. Weira matched his timing and two spears sailed through the air. Weira''s spear hit a gruffling right in the head and it went down instantly. Jace''s spear clattered against the ground, He cursed, a miss. He grabbed another spear as the group of monsters turned and charged, shrieking.


    They threw another spear, this one taking on the smaller ones in the arm. It staggered but ripped the spear out and continued. Weira hit another one straight in the chest with a spear. Yup she had much better aim than he did. He threw his last spear and managed to get the last gruffling in the leg. Weira finished the one with the wounded arm off with her own last spear. Jace was not jealous of her aim, not jealous. Nope definitely not.


    Then the bigger one was in front of me, it slashed at me. His speed was a good bit faster than those of the smaller grufflings. Not enough to make up for the difference of skill though, Jace guided away the blow and kicked at its knee, it buckled and that was exactly when a halberd swung over his shoulder and smashed its blade into its head. He watched as the greater gruffling went down. He frowned, well that was anticlimactic. He was honestly disappointed at how easy this was.


    [Greater Gruffling slain, 203 experience gained.]


    Jace waited for the title to appear but it never did, He glanced over at Trishla with a raised eyebrow.


    "How come I didn''t get the title for defeating a monster ten levels higher than me?"


    She blinked at him in surprise then guffawed. "Cuz Weira and I are here you idiot, you''ll have to clear the dungeon layer by yourself to get that title!"


    Jace blanched, well damn. He hadn''t thought this through enough after all.


    The next two weeks were spent with him and Weira clearing the dungeon together. Although this time as practice we did it alone, with the other staying near to help as needed. It took awhile for us to be able to truly handle the dungeon alone, it took the entire two weeks in fact before we were confident enough in giving it an attempt. He would have liked to say that things went wrong or were difficult when they did finally do it without company, but nope. As the gamers back home said easy peasy lemon squeezy.


    In the end the most important thing they got was those titles.


    [The bigger they are the harder they fall : Beat a dungeon boss ten levels or higher than you by yourself. Gain 10 stat points per attribute.]


    [Alone in the dark : Beat a dungeon ten levels or higher than your own by yourself. Gain 10 stat points per attribute.]This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    As the stat points rushed into his body it felt great, like a sugar rush. He wondered if this was what drugs were like. Some of his attributes doubled like strength and endurance. He had earned a few points in the months he''d been training. Other attributes like wisdom, charisma and luck tripled. He still had no clue what charisma and luck did exactly. They had an effect for sure, luck had a visible effect on loot droop, and charisma made you slightly more appealing. But unlike the other stats there were no numerical differences that could be measured.


    Which brought him to another point, doubling your stat points in strength did not double your strength. Doubling it gave perhaps a twenty percent increase. Agility increased your speed and flexibility but by smaller amounts per stat than strength. After all a twenty percent increase in speed made a huge difference. Endurance affected your stamina, Constitution your toughness, and Dexterity your hand-eye co?rdination and for some reason had an effect on your perception as well. He wondered why there wasn''t just a perception stat.


    Thoughts for another day.


    Well both him and Weira cleared the dungeon without too much difficulty and Weira was ecstatic by her progress. She hasn''t been able to stop smiling since. It warmed the heart to see his big mute barbarian radiant like a glow stick.


    They headed back towards the central building to meet gran, both of them proud of themselves.


    He smiled, "Guess our new plan works huh, since we have thirty intelligence now the next step would be to figure out how use magic. I think our first priority should be something that enhances the edge of our sword. Mana Edge."


    Jace glanced at Trishla, "I assume there is such a spell?"


    She nodded, "There is, it''s a good spell to start off with, it has a lot of potential and you can keep improving it as you grow. Another vital one would be barrier, it throws up a simple mana based shield that can block or deflect a hit. I can help you with neither however, I''m not capable of any magic. We do have a few mages however."


    "Anyone you would advise us to go to?"


    Trishla tapped a scarred finger to her chin. "I would advise asking the professor, he studied a bunch of magical theory. He knows his stuff and would be a lot of help to developing your own spells. He''s already a teacher at the local school so he should have no issue in teaching you two the ropes."


    Jace switched his gaze to Weira, "He teach you as well?"


    She nodded and motioned for him to follow. He waved gran goodbye and followed her into the village. He greeted and nodded to the villagers he saw on the way. He knew a good deal of them. Being a guard let you interact with the people you protected regularly. Being a guard was something like a police officer and a soldier in one. You fought against invaders and anything dangerous, but you also broke apart brawls, captured criminals and investigated crimes.


    Even though in reality not a single crime had happened in the village since he had arrived. The most he had to do was break apart and settle an argument and the occasional brawl. There had not been any attacks recently either, although the villagers stated that there were at least a few attacks a year. They lived in the ass end of nowhere so there was a strong monster presence in the area.


    Jace smiled at the various children playing in the street, he liked kids. The feeling was often returned in kind, he was used to the rambunctious little buggers. Back in the orphanage once he was a little older he was the big brother to an entire horde of the little creepers. He missed them, sadness creeped in as he thought back to all the little brothers and sisters he had left behind. He wished there was an orphanage in the village that he could support or drop by, although he realised wishing for an orphanage was¡­ not really a good thing.


    Weira tapped him on the shoulder and looked at him with a frown. He smiled to her, "Sorry just thinking of the people back home."


    She made a gesture, he shook his head. Then paused and nodded, "I suppose they would count as family, like you I''m an orphan but I grew up in an orphanage. It was like having a whole swaddle of siblings. Honestly I was pretty lucky, you hear a lot of horror stories about terrible orphanages or kids who keep getting kicked from family to family. Our place was run by an elderly woman and her son and two daughters. They had a ranch and they really cared about everyone. It was a great home."


    She nodded in understanding and gave him a fierce hug, one strong enough that it lifted him of the floor. He chuckled, "Yup I suppose I''ll just have to adopt you as me newest little sister."


    She glared at him, pointedly looking down on him. "I don''t care that your taller! I''m still four year olders than you and that counts!"


    She sniffed in disbelief.

 Chapter 6

    They once more headed through the village, heading towards the school. In all honesty Jace hadn''t even realised there was a school. Oddly progressive to have a school in a village out in the boondocks that had no connection with any type of government. So he thought untill he asked what they actually taught at the school. It was a Combat school, they taught kids to fight and kill monsters, taught them how to better defend themselves and taught them how the system worked and ways to take proper advantage of it.


    That made a lot more sense than the school he had in mind himself, although teaching kids at such a young age how to kill still rattled his modern sensibilities even if he realised the logic behind it. The Professor they were going to meet evidently had no name and was simply referred to by others as the professor. Like many others in the village he seemed to have a mysterious past that he had left behind to live a new life. Jace expected to find more outlaws and runaway criminals in a village this far out. But so far everyone seemed to be a decent person.


    He started hearing the sounds of kids screaming and realised they were drawing close to the school. It was not a large building by all accounts, but it had a pretty large backyard. One that was filled by children of both genders who were being taught how to fight with weapons and without by a grizzled man with a scarred face. Scarring almost seemed to be in fashion around here, everyone had quite the collection. He followed weira as she led him into the two storied building and headed up the stairs into a room that was a combination of a lab and an office.


    Behind the desk sat what anywhere else Jace would have called a salary man. He had the look and feel of an accountant but the way the papers in the office were ordering themselves betrayed the man''s magical background. He glanced up and smiled when he saw Weira, he stood up and walked over and grabbed her in a tight hug. To Jace''s surprise she let him, he even spotted a small smile on her face.


    Well colour me surprised. Jace thought.


    "Weira I did not expect to see you today, did you change your mind and finally accept that a mind as sharp as yours should be used for the study of magic!"


    She smirked and shook her head and flicked a finger in Jace''s direction.


    "Aha! You must be the mysterious young man that popped up out of nowhere, Trishla told me about you and she shared with me her suspicions that you came from another world or plane, fascinating! Truly fascinating, tell me. Does the air you breath feel different? How about gravity, a truly marvelous new finding that by the way. Although the specifics slip my mind."


    Jace stared at the man with wide eyes, Trishla knew he came from a different world?! More importantly she shared that fact with others and no one had decided to capture him for experiments! The novels had lied to him!


    "Well gravity as I understand it depends on the mass of the planet we are standing on, perhaps this one is the same size as my own planet or magic somehow interferes with it''s effects. I''m not proficient in the area myself, and magic goes against anything scientific that I know of."


    The professor''s eyes sparkled as he listened. "So gravity is caused by the mass of an object, that is interesting. But most importantly you tell me that not only does your home planet not have a system it does not even have magic?!"


    Jace nodded, "Not even a little, there are a few stories about witches and people who claimed to have magical abilities but none of that has been proven and most of it has been proven to be fake, a simple sleight of hand trick more often than not."Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    The professor pushed his glasses up, then tapped his chin. "That begs the question how the people on your planet manage to survive the wilderness and monsters. Do you have some inborn trait that helps you handle them."


    Jace shook his head, "We rely on technology to survive nature, as for monsters. We don''t have any, we only have normal animals. Some stronger than humans, but none a match for our wit and technology."


    The man perked up, "You say humans, are there no other races other than humanity where you come from."


    Jace nodded in affirmation.


    "Fascinating! Well how abou-"


    Weira stepped between the two and looked at them in exasperation. She tapped Jace on the head a few times.


    Jace coughed in embarrassment he had to admit he had lost himself a bit there. "My apologies professor, we are actually here to ask you about magic and how to construct our own spells."


    He told the professor how he and Weira had tackled the dungeon and how they planned to use magic to make up for their lack of skills but how they would need to create all their spells themselves.


    The professor was excited by the prospect of teaching his favourite pupil how to construct magic of her own. Also teaching someone who had no knowledge or experience with magic and came from another world also got the man''s inquisitive blood pumping. They spent the next few hours going into depth about magical theory and magicule particles. All of that went over Jace''s head but Weira was right at home. He was stunned that she had such a scientific mindset. He thought she was more of a muscle-for-brains type.


    The two got into a discussion about the effects of magicules on someones respiratory system and how monsters absorbed those same magicules as a manner of growth instead of the combat focused way that most sentient species adopted. In all honesty most of the discussion was way outside his speciality and he let the two of them geek out for a while before they remembered why they originally came here.


    So the prof taught them how to harness their magic. He pushed his own magic into their bodies and let them feel were the magic was stored, Jace felt odd. It was like having an organ you never had before, something that stored energy that your body could acces when you put your mind to it. He had no trouble finding and feeling the magical pool of energy but manipulating it was an entire different story.


    Weira annoying little magical genius that she was picked it up within seconds. She already had a small ball of pure magic dancing to her whims, she then tried applying it to the edge of her halberd. Jace saw the edge shimmer and knew she had already succeeded. Jace tried as he might but had an issue with getting the magic to leave his body. He was getting frustrated but the prof on the other hand only got more excited. Talking about out of world experiences and the natural abilities of people born in a world of magic and those who like Jace were mundane.


    Getting called mundane was oddly grating, he focused harder. Sweat was starting to drip from his forehead but finally he felt movement, the magic was moving and he managed to get a few particles to leave the palm of his hand. He grinned in excitement and tried to turn them into a ball as Weira had done. This was a lot more difficult but another hour of practice and he succeeded.


    Weira in the meantime was doing all kinds of neat tricks with her limited mana reserves, she was currently focusing on making her already sharp mana edge even sharper. Jace stopped pushing the magic through his veins and took a breather, he told Weira about an idea he had of infusing the mana into his muscles for bursts of power. Perhaps at later levels when their reserves had grown they could keep it up permanently. Or they could layer their skin with the stuff and use it defensively. All such applications were for now far off in the future as he could not even properly form a ball yet.


    But this did lead to another discussion between the two eggheads of ways they could enhance weapons, armour and themselves for combat. Jace had already realised that he would be focusing more on the physical aspect of battle than the magical one. He was not talented and he realised it would take a lot of effort to be able to use it properly. By all means he was NOT going to stop trying to use it. It was magic after all, the stuff was super cool. But it would not become his primary focus, his focus remained unchanged. Master the weapons he wielded until they melded with his mind and became his own limbs.


    The shield would be his focus and he would wield it like no other. This was his goal, and if he could enhance that shield and his abilities with magic than all the better. But the more complicated magic that involved entire rituals.Those he would leave to his egghead sister.

 Chapter 7

    The next few weeks were more of the same, the duo did their guard shifts, practiced their magic and sparred as much as they could. They were improving, albeit slowly. They decided that for each layer they planned to challenge they would take a month to get used to the changes and train their abilities. The rest of the time was spent gathering intel about the opponents. The second layer of the dungeon was much like the first. The main difference being that the smaller grufflings would be replaced by their larger brethren the greater grufflings.


    They entered the dungeon and once again, beat the layer rather easily. They upgraded their titles. The following months they fell into a rhythm, for every layer they would take two months to prepare and train before they would enter the layer. Within eight months they had beaten all the layers of the ¡®starter¡¯ dungeon. Jace had massively improved his mastery and his magical prowess. Both he and Weira had already managed to reach the advanced level in mastery. Jace had his shield upto level three in advanced and his sword mastery to one in advanced. Weira had her polearm mastery at advanced level six.


    Both had improved upon their mana blade magical skill. The trick was to keep thinning out the blade so it could cut better. Jace had the advantage in this surprisingly, because of the image he used to imprint on his blade his was sharper than Weira¡¯s. It made sense in a way he had based his image on a monomolecular blade. Something he had read of in a sci-fi fiction, it was a blade whose edge as advertised consisted of a singular molecule. Of course he was not even close to that level of sharpness yet. But he could make his blade sharp enough that he could cut into stone, although it would take a good deal of effort. Getting their titles upto the sixty had done miracles on their strength. All his attributes were at a minimum of a hundred-twenty.


    That together with their mastery and their spells made them competent in combat, stronger even than the level they tackled would suggest. While Jace had only managed to learn and use two spells, the mana blade and barrier, a spell he used to enhance his shield and enlarge the cover area, Weira on the other hand had built an entire arsenal. She had become an extremely effective backline fighter. One of her favourite spells were what she called Arcane needles. She had turned the basic magic missile extremely thin and had elongated it. This would have maken them weak if not for her control, she could make the needles extremely dense and guide them right into the softspots. Her favourite target? The eyes.


    She had also been creating sigils and glyphs. A magic that a symbol based language which they used to create a large variety of effects. Something so far out of his reach that Jace didn¡¯t even think about using it.


    The both of them were once more on guard duty on the walls, Jace glanced to the side at his partner. Someone who he had basically been glued to for the past year. A year that had flashed before his eyes. It had gone by way faster than he had expected, he had quickly gotten used to life here.


    ¡°You know I¡¯m starting to get bored.¡±


    Weira glanced at him and raised her eyebrow.


    ¡°Yea I know we have a few more dungeons that we could do around here, but I¡¯m already getting sick of it, it¡¯s just more of the same the entire time. I wanna go places, it¡¯s a new world for me, I want to explore it!¡±


    She shrugged and then motioned outside.


    ¡°What do you mean lets go, you just wanna poof leave?¡±


    A nod


    ¡°I doubt gran would appreciate us just leaving.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    She rolled her eyes and looked at him exasperated.


    ¡°Ah.. yea of course we would say goodbye first and gather supplies. Yea that would be smart.¡±


    He heard her sigh and saw a small smirk on her face.


    ¡°So how close is the nearest village from here anyway.¡±


    She shrugged.


    ¡°Whatcha mean you never left the village. You never went to the neighbouring village or something?¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°Fine then lets ask gran.¡±


    He turned to jump off and she grabbed his collar and dragged him back.


    ¡°hguhsgh.¡± He coughed as he nearly chokes. ¡°What the hell was that for!¡±


    She pointed to him and then the wall.


    He coughed and blushed, ¡°Yea good plan, we should finish guard duty first.¡±


    She rolled her eyes.


    They finished their guard duty and once finished headed back to the central building, a building that had become home to him. A building that he would likely not be seeing for a long time after today. He entered and walked his way to gran, he knocked on the door to her office and entered. The decorations were spartan and the furniture simple. Just the way gran liked it. She glanced up to him and he stared into her icey blue eyes.


    She sighed deeply and put her chin onto her folded fingers. ¡°So the two of you have decided to move on, fine. Head west for about two weeks and you¡¯ll enter the Kringva kingdom. They are relatively open to outsiders.¡±


    Jace blinked, ¡°Your letting us go? Just like that?¡±


    She stared at him, ¡°I¡¯m not your bloody babysitter. It surprised me the two of you actually stayed long enough to finish the damn dungeon. I can almost feel the stircrazy thats driving you crazy¡¯.¡±


    He smirked at her play on words, ¡°Welp then I guess we¡¯ll get the supplies and leave, might as well start now.¡±


    She nodded, ¡°Might aswell.¡±


    He nodded, then glanced at her for a bit. He stepped forward and hugged her quickly before turning red and dashing off.


    ¡°Bloody younglings, what¡¯s with the fuzzy cuddly stuff.¡± The elderly warrior said with a slight flush to her face. ¡°Bleh stop worrying about it you old hag, they¡¯ll be fine. You trained them after all.¡±


    Jace rushed outside to meet Weira he pointed behind him and waited for her to go in and say her own goodbyes to gran. Once she came back they headed to the supplies to stack up on the essentials. They got some camping gear, basically a tent that could fit the both of them, sleeping bags, flint and tools. They got three weeks supply of food. Better safe than sorry after all, with their enhanced strength carrying that amount was peanuts. Once they stacked up they said their goodbyes to the other people they hung around with. The other guards waved them off without any fancy goodbyes and the professor was somewhat grumpy and teary eyed about having his genius pupil leaving from his care.


    They left the village and made their way west. The travel was not nearly as eventful as he had expected. He had gotten used to the mediterranean type nature he was surrounded with. Even if the colour and size was off about everything, it no longer bothered him. More to the point he didn¡¯t even notice it anymore. He glanced in the distance and grinned, finally he saw the first signs of civilisation. He grinned at Weira and pointed forward, the two of them took off towards the village at a slight jog. His not as full as it used to be backpack bouncing on his shoulders. His shield as always on his left arm, most people slung it on their back or hung it on their backpacks. Jace had gotten used to having it on his arm and almost never took it off. A habit that although rather strange would no doubt prove useful someday.


    The village they were approaching was quaint little hamlet. Smaller even than the one they had just left. Both villages had a palisade and manned watch towers however. Out here in the middle of nowhere to be attacked by monsters was par for the course. The guards around these small villages usually had higher levels than the ones in major cities simply because of the amount of attacks they had to deal with.


    They jogged up to the gate and gave the man on the watchtower a wave. The guard waved back and let them through the gate. He didn¡¯t even asked why they were here or who they were. Jace frowned and asked the guard why he wasn¡¯t worried about strangers.


    The guard blinked, ¡°Well ye be human, why would I be worried about ya. Are you plannin to burn down the village?¡±


    ¡°Well no.¡±


    ¡°Well there ya go then, we get strangers out here more than ya¡¯d expect. It¡¯s the frontier into the wilderness after all, lotsa exotic stuff to be found out there in the wild. And the adventurers know it. We get a lot of warrior types like yous around here. Nothin new an nothin to be worried about.¡± The guard told them, nodding sagely.


    Jace smirked and thanked the man, the guard waved them off into the village.


    ¡°So what do you wanna do?¡± He asked as he glanced at Weira, she shrugged and pointed to a building.


    Jace blinked and then a grin appeared on his face. ¡°You wanna register as adventurers, now that right there sounds interesting. Lets a go!¡±

 Chapter 8

    After asking for some directions they soon found their way to the adventurers guild. It was built somewhat on the outskirts of the village, adventurers were known troublemakers so the village did not want the building in the center. The building itself was nothing out of the ordinary, a two story wooden building, the same size as any of the nearby houses or stores. Jace entered the building and glanced around, it wasn''t hard to find the stereo typical notice board with all the requests pinned on them. Unlike he read in most isekai novels the building itself did not come with a bar attached. It made more sense this way, after a little asking around he found out that the adventurers guild did have its own line in attached inns. Where adventurers could hole up and get a drink after they risked their lives on whatever request they decided to accept.


    After he was done studying the building he glanced around at its inhabitants. There were a few armed and armoured individuals hanging around the board and a few were talking with the receptionists. He saw a noticeable lack of robes however. Maybe mages weren¡¯t as common as he thought they were. He walked up to the receptionist, Weira trailing slightly behind him as usual. He smiled at the young woman, she was attractive. A modest village type beauty.


    ¡°So I have a few questions, first of all and this is mostly personal curiousity. Are mages a rarity? I haven¡¯t seen many people walking around with robes or staves.¡±


    The receptionist blinked with her brown eyes. She stared at him for a few moments. ¡°Why in the name of the twelve gods wouldn''t they wear armour?¡±


    Jace went slack-jawed. He tapped his chin and thought for a second. ¡°Because metal interferes¡­ with¡­ maaaggggiiiic???¡± He answered with a hopeful tone.


    She smirked, ¡°Never heard anything about metal interfering with magic. Most mages don¡¯t have much in the way of protection so they tend to wear armour that is on the heavier side. A single surprise attack would catch them off guard otherwise. There are a few who indeed wear lighter armour or even robes. But most of them are specialised around speed or simply aren¡¯t combat oriented.¡±


    Jace stroked his chin, ¡°That makes sense, guess things aren¡¯t all the same. Thanks for the answer!¡± The receptionist nodded politely. ¡°As for my next question me and tall, blond and scary over here wanted to sign up as adventurers. I was wondering how that worked and what we needed to do to get accepted.¡±


    The receptionist started talking with a somewhat bored look in her eyes, she¡¯d probably done this hundreds of times before.¡°The procedures are rather simple, you give me your name and we put you into our system. The system will save your information and will add it to a couple of tags that you will receive upon registration. You will have to pay for registration, a modest fee of five silver. You will be granted the standard starting tags.¡±


    Jace nodded along but interrupted for a quick question, ¡°You say standard tags, do they differ per person?¡±


    ¡°Yup, there are different ranks of adventurers, the guild is a continent wide spread organization and we need rankings to determine if our people are up to the request they are trying to take, this minimizes casualties. The ranks go from, iron, copper , bronze, steel, silver, gold, platinum, mithril, adamantium and finally white steel.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of ranks. How does one improve their ranks and how powerful are these white steel adventurers.¡±


    The receptionist smiled and leaned forward, ¡°First the answer to the more boring of the two questions. You come back to this here building or any other Adventurers Guild establishment and ask to take the promotion test, you need to have accrued, that means gathered.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°I know what accrued means.¡±


    ¡°Right, well, after you have accrued the necessary merits you can get yourself promoted. You can go for promotion after you have completed five requests of the rank you currently hold.¡±


    ¡°Understood, and now you get to do the fun part.


    The receptionist grinned, her eyes started gleaming. ¡°And now I get to do the fun part, White Steel adventurers are in an entirely different league. They are more powerful than a dozen adamantium adventurers put together. Unlike the other ranks you cannot simply be promoted by the guild after a simple test. You have to earn the reputation to be a white steel adventurer. Take Orgavard the Slayer of Dragons for instance. You can tell how he got the white steel rank by his very title. Most of the White Steel adventurers have earned titles and that sets them apart from the others.¡±


    ¡°How many white steel ranked people are there currently?¡±


    She smiled and started counting them off on her fingers. ¡°There is Orgavard the Slayer of Dragons, who I mentioned before. Then we have Animal Emperor Emirala, who unlike how easy the name flows is a huge man. Furthermore we have The White Maiden, no one knows what her real name is. Sword Saint Tollo, Bulwark Grommli, The Pyre of Flames, weird title that. Then we have two of them who people aren¡¯t sure are still alive. The Wandering Traveller, another weird name but I guess people like that. Then last but not least, Trishla Hillmorr The Slow March of Death.¡±


    Jace almost choked as he heard the last name, he heard the clatter of a dropped halberd behind him. The receptionist stared at them with narrowed eyes.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Jace did his best to regain composure, ¡°Uuuuh nothing, I was just surprised by the title of last one.¡±


    The receptionist nodded sagely, ¡°Trishla is on another level even compared to the other white steel adventurers. This one time, she had heard that a king publicly denounced her as an evil and demented woman who was not worthy of her rank. Trishla, I lie to you not, simple walked into the city at a leisurely pace and slaughtered her way through the guards, royal guards and anyone else who tried to stop her and cut of his head. She then took the head with her and said, ¡®Demented woman that I am, I guess i¡¯ll need an extra head so I can remember things better.¡¯ She is my IDOL, she is soooooo cool. No one messes with the Slow March of Death and lives to tell the tale.¡±


    Jace glanced at Weira who was as bug eyed as he was.


    ¡°Well uhh¡­ thanks for all the information. Could you sign us up? I¡¯m Jace, don¡¯t really have a last name and this is.. Weira uuuhhh .. Hillmorr?¡±


    The receptionist froze and stared over his shoulder at the woman behind him. Weira punched him in the shoulder and glared at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that, I¡¯m not lying about this, you took gran¡¯s last name I know you did! Your mom was her adopted daughter or someshit.¡±


    Weira punched him again, the receptionist was still staring at her with jaw wide open. Jace gently put a finger under her jaw and pushed it closed. ¡°Sooooo, could we get those tags?¡±


    The woman''s eyes zapped from him to Weira and back. ¡°Yea uh sure, just give me a second.¡±


    The woman staggered back behind the counter and pulled out two tags. Both of them iron, she carved his name into the tag and then with shaking hands started carving Weira¡¯s name. She took extra care on her last name to make sure it was done beautifully.


    She handed Jace his card and then reverently handed Weira hers.


    Jace frowned and scratched at his beard. ¡°What makes you so sure that it¡¯s the same Hillmorr? Could be someone with the same name.¡±


    She glared at him and folded her arms, ¡°As if anyone has the balls to use her name, a noble family even changed their last name so they wouldn¡¯t offend her. Or be associated with her, she made quite a few enemies after all.¡± She sniffed, ¡°If you uhhh¡­ see her sometime could I trouble you for a souvenir of sorts.¡±


    Jace shrugged and dug around in his backpack, he pulled out a small piece of parchment. On it was written,


    Jace,


    Don¡¯t forget to bring the eggs for dinner!


    Trishla Hillmorr.


    He handed it to her and she stared at hit with wide eyes. ¡°Why does she sign these notes?¡±


    He shrugged, ¡°Haven¡¯t the foggiest, she leaves these notes all the time when she needs something done.¡±


    He saw the receptionist stare at the paper and heard a barely audible murmer. ¡°I want to someday get one of these saying, dear Amira, please don¡¯t forget to slaughter the orc horde before you come home for dinner. How cool would that be.¡± Jace heard a soft squee and left the receptionist with her fantasy. He walked over to the request board and glanced at Weira, ¡°What do you think we should pick?¡±

 Chapter 9

    They glanced over the various requests posted on the board, most of them were simple fetch and retrieve quests nothing he was particularly interested in, a escort request caught his eye. It asked bronze rank adventurers to accompany a merchants group to the capital city. They would leave in three weeks. That seemed like plenty of time to make it to bronze rank. He told his thoughts to Weira who agreed, she didn¡¯t want to spend more than a month in a hamlet like this. It wasn¡¯t that different from home after all.


    In the end they decided to grab five requests that needed them to travel into the forest to the south, they needed to gather some boar skins. Regular boars, not even some strange monstrous version. Two other requests asked for various herbs, which Weira told him she know what they were like so he grabbed those as well. The fourth asked them to get some bark of one sort or the other. Only the last request was something more interesting, it was a herbalist apprentice asking for guards to go with her deeper into the forest for reagents. Since that request took them through the area they needed to travel for the others they hoped to do it all in a single run.


    They went to the receptionist and showed them which requests they had accepted, she nodded and told them she would inform the herbalist that they would depart first thing in the morning. They nodded their thanks and made their way to the inn, they booked a room for nine coppers and went to sleep. Weira woke him up once morning arrived, they headed back to the adventurer¡¯s guild and saw a young man with a bandolier, various pouches and a rather large backpack.


    Jace walked up to him, ¡°You¡¯re the herbalist? I have to admit I expected a girl.¡±


    The young man almost jumped out of his shoes, ¡°WAH, owh lord of the forest save me, you scared me.¡±


    Jace¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°My apologies, I did not mean to frighten you, me and tall and looming over there accepted the request for escorting you deeper into the village. I¡¯m Jace and she¡¯s Weira. A pleasure!¡±


    The young man stroked his clothes and nodded, ¡°I¡¯m Norm, sorry about that I am truly nervous about venturing deep into the woods, I need a specific magical plant for my research and that requires me personally traveling deeper into the woods. I¡­ don¡¯t get out much.¡±


    Jace nodded and patted Norm on the shoulder. ¡°Well both myself and Weira here are plenty experienced in traveling through the woods. You got yourself nothing to worry about.¡±


    Norm glanced at him and narrowed his eyes, ¡°Yet you remain copper rank adventurers?¡±


    Jace shrugged, ¡°We only joined yesterday, we lived a good distance away from civilisation and simply got bored by life in a single village so we decided to travel. Weira here has been a member of the guard for six years was it?¡±


    He glanced at Weira for confirmation, she nodded. ¡°And I myself have been a soldier for six years and a guard for the past one. In all honesty we are probably overqualified for the job, but we need to do five requests before we can rank up. Yours was the only one even slightly interesting, we took another four jobs that we can most likely complete along the way.¡±


    Norm relaxed, Jace noticed the tension in the young man¡¯s shoulders lessen. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that, I would have gotten higher ranked escorts if I had the money, unfortunately the research I have been conducting have sucked up all of my finances.¡±


    Jace grinned, ¡°Such be research, they are a drain on resources till you finally complete it. I¡¯m pretty sure Weira would love to hear about your research. She¡¯s an egghead herself.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Norm glanced at the tall muscular woman with clear doubt in his eyes. ¡°She does not seem the type. What is an egghead however.¡±


    ¡°An educated person who loves research and over smart intelligent stuff like that.¡± Jace shrugged, ¡°Weira can¡¯t talk she¡¯s mute, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be happy to listen.¡±


    Weira vigorously nodded her head and walked next to Norm and motioned for him to explain his research. Norm on the other hand, surprised by the genuine interest got excited and started waterfalling. The words formed a constant stream from his mouth, the cascade caused Jace a headache so he told the two he would be scouting ahead to check for trouble. The two waved him off and got absorbed into their one sided conversation.


    Jace led the way through the forest, once more admiring the off-colour trees and the sheer size of the flora. Even the smaller trees were to large for him to wrap his hands around. He kept an eye out for movement as he lead the pair deeper. He tried to keep an ear out as well but the various sounds of the forest droned out anything he might¡¯ve otherwise heard. He paused and held a hand up, Weira instantly stopped and put a hand on the herbalist¡¯s shoulder. The man froze and glanced around in panic. He was about to ask a question when Weira motioned for him to be silent.


    Jace unsheathed his sword and kept an eye on the forest, he tapped his sword on his shield. A metallic clang rang through the forest, a rustle came from his right. Jace lowered his center of gravity, a blur shot at him through the bushes, he caught it on his shield and swung it into a nearby tree. He dashed forward and thrust. The blade pierced flesh, the creature growled. Jace had already pulled his blade out and made another thrust aimed at the head, it pierced bone and the creature went silent.


    He studied his now dead opponent and saw something similar to a wolf, its spin as higher and it¡¯s legs to the side instead of underneath the torso, it had clawed feet more similar to a reptile than any canine. It looked to him like a mad scientist¡¯s experiment in combining a wolf and a lizard. He shrugged his shoulder and cleaned his blade before he resheathed it.


    Norm walked up to the specimen with wide eyes. ¡°That¡¯s a Kliccer, what¡¯s one of those doing all the way down here, they live much deeper in the forest.¡±


    Jace shrugged, ¡°Two possible answers, One it strayed from its regular hunting spot and wandered all the way down here, two it was driven away from its usual area.¡±


    Norm blanched, ¡°Should we turn back? If something drove it away then we might be in trouble, what if its a dragon or something?!¡±


    Jace smiled reassuringly, ¡°It¡¯s unlikely to be a dragon, we would have definitely noticed if one of those was near. The forest life is generally still acting as usual so it won¡¯t be anything too powerful. Even if we were attacked by a dozen of the Kliccers we wouldn¡¯t have much of an issue in fighting them off. Our job is to bring you safely to where you need to go and bring you back in one piece. We intend to do our job so just leave it to us!¡±


    Norm took a deep breath to calm down, ¡°Yes you did seem to have that in hand, the way you dispatched the beast with apparent ease was impressive. I was truly fortunate to have my request picked up by the two of you.¡±


    Weira nodded and put a hand on his shoulder, ¡°That¡¯s her saying and you better know it, just so you know.¡± Jace smirked and turned back around. ¡°Well lets keep moving, there¡¯s bound to be more interesting stuff. We still need the boar hides and the bark!¡±


    The rest of the herbs they needed had already been gathered by Weira along the way. Was the flower called maidenhood? Probably not, he must have remembered that wrong.


    They continued forward, they eventually ran into the boars they needed which he killed and skinned, the bark was found by Norm who harvested it himself and gave it to them. A service for the fortunate he called it with a smile and a wink. Weira rolled her eyes but took the bark anyways. The jumpy herbalist fit in with the two of them, he was a nice enough fellow. Even if half of the time Jace had no idea what the man was talking about. Weira on the other hand was a fish in water, she took to his technical terms as if she was born hearing them. She even somehow managed to ask him questions, with that weird eyebrow raising trick she had.


    He shook his head as another bush rustled, he didn¡¯t even react. A thin blue needle flew past him and killed the third Kliccer they had come across so far. After her first time coming across one Weira had studied it and knew exactly where to hit it with a needle to quickly end its life. Thus the small group reached the clearing were they needed to be in good time. Jace paused just outside the clearing and stared ahead of him. About four hundred meters from him, leaning against a large tree was an ogre of sorts.


    He turned around to Weira, ¡°That¡¯s an ogre isn¡¯t it? What¡¯s a mountain dweller doing down here in the forest?¡±


    Weira shrugged, uninterested. She grabbed her halberd and gave it a twirl.


    Norm stared nervously at the two, ¡°I knew it, lets turn back an ogre is too much to deal with.¡±


    Both of them turned to him with raised eyebrows. ¡°You kidding me? We finally get to find something interesting, no way I¡¯m backing of now.¡± He grinned and unsheathed his sword. ¡°Let¡¯s dance with the big guy.¡± He confidently stepped into the clearing with the blond haired halberd wielding viking behind him. Both with a manic glimmer of excitement in their eyes.

 Chapter 10

    The ogre noticed him the moment he stepped into the clearing, it roared a challenge, the leaves on the ground swirled accompanying the sound. Jace grinned, he felt the butterflies in his stomach that proved he was slightly nervous. The ogre charged towards him, its heavy steps thundering over the grass, dirt kicked up in small explosions in its wake. Behind him Weira grabbed her halberd, she let the mana gather in its tip and gave it a swirl. Creating a perfectly round glowing circle in the air. She closed her eyes and a variety of glyphs appeared around her hand. She opened her eyes and smashed her palm into the middle of the circle. It sped forward and smashed into the oncoming ogres chest. The sigils swirled around its arms and legs slowing the monster down.


    Jace smiled and walked forward, ¡°Clip and cut.¡± He could feel Weira acknowledging the plan behind him. The ogre swung its dinner plate sized fist at him, far too slow to be dangerous, he dipped underneath it and with a smooth twirl let his blade bite its heel. On the other side he saw Weira¡¯s mana reinforced halberd do the same to its other heel. The creature collapsed to its knees, it roared in agony and made a desperate swing towards Weira, a step back and it was dodged. Jace dashed in and sliced his sword across its artery. Another roar and the ogre targeted him with a clumsy swing. He danced back only to be replaced by Weira a powerful swing from her halberd cut through the remaining flesh. She severed its head, blood pumped from the ogres neck for another few seconds before it realised its fate and crashed into the dirt.


    Jace turned around to Norm and grinned, ¡°See? Not a thing to worry about.¡± The herbalist stared at them with wide eyes and a slack jaw. ¡°So uuuh, I probably should have asked this earlier. But what level are the two of you?! That ogre must have been level eighty at the least!¡±


    Jace checked his notifications, ¡°It was level eighty-seven. As for our levels, we are a proud and clean level zero.¡±


    The man blinked, ¡°Level¡­ zero?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Jace could almost see the light bulb appearing above the man¡¯s head. ¡°Aaaaah now I understand the both of you walk the path of mastery. People who give that a try are rare, but I did not know they could grow to be so powerful. Most people give up early, I am not sure as to why but perhaps that obstacle will appear in your paths shortly.¡±


    Jace glanced at Weira and they both shrugged, ¡°Possible, but we will cross that bridge when it appears, for now Norm. Lets get those magical plants you need so badly.¡±


    The man nodded quickly and carefully stepped around the bloodsoaked ground where the ogre¡¯s corpse was still bleeding into the grass. He walked upto the tree where the ogre had been sitting and was carefully studying the area around it. Jace heard a happy exclamation when the herbalist found what he was searching for. He congratulated the man on his find and asked him if there was anything else he needed from the forest. Norm shook his head and the group soon made their way back to the village. The journey back was remarkable uneventful. They didn¡¯t even run into a single Kliccer, as if their dead comrades had warned them away.


    Once back at the village they waved their goodbyes to norm and went back to the adventurers building. They walked up to the same receptionist they had spoken to the day before and turned in their quests. She nodded and checked everything they had brought back and then passed them a small pouch filled with a few silvers. They accepted their rewards and Jace immediately asked if they could rank up now. They were told to come back in the early morning, an experienced adventurer would be there to test their capabilities. They nodded their assent and went back to the inn for a nights sleep. They woke up early the next morning excited about improving their rank.


    They made their way through the village, most of the people only just starting to wake up. They popped up in the guild and waved their greetings to the receptionist. She waved back and motioned to a tall silver haired man leaning against the wall with a bored expression on his face. Jace glanced at his ears and noted they were pointed, based on the man¡¯s figure,face and ears he must be an elf. He also noted the blue-ish metal plate that hung around his neck. They stepped towards the man who eyed them and sniffed. Jace walked up to him, ¡°You must be the one assigned to test us for a rank up.¡±


    The elf looked down at them past his nose, ¡°Unfortunatly, yes.¡±


    Jace blinked in surprise, ¡°You had no choice in the matter?¡±


    The man sniffed once more and shook his head, ¡°Every adventurer past the gold rank is obligated to test at least five adventurers when they want to rank up. It¡¯s how the system works.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°I see, well we shall try to make this as short as possible. We all probably have better things to do with our time.¡±


    The man stared at him for a moment before nodding, ¡°Right you are, lets get this over with. There¡¯s a small field just outside the village that we can use for a quick spar. The requirements for getting past the copper rank are honestly incredibly low. I¡¯ve never seen anyone fail to get a rank up before and the two of you look as if you atleast know how to use those weapons of yours. It¡¯s mostly a formality at this point.¡±


    Jace nodded along, surprised by how informative the man was despite the obvious disdain he had for doing this chore. And a chore it must be, Jace could already imagine the fresh faced youngsters who normally wanted to rank up from copper. Their youthly enthusiasm probably incredibly annoying for most veterans. Which reminded Jace of a question he had always wanted to ask. ¡°I apologise if this is rude but you are the first elf i have met, do those pointy ears actually help you hear better?¡±


    The man froze and stared at him with wide silver eyes. Then he burst out in laughter. ¡°Why I suppose maybe they do, all of an elves senses are better than a humans however so it''s hard to know how much our ears ¡®pointiness¡¯ have to do with our ability to hear. What an amusing question, normally we get asked how old we are or something of that vein.¡± The man glanced at them and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m over six hundred years old by the way, should you be wondering.¡±


    Jace grinned, ¡°Can¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t wondering, may I know what class you hold?¡±


    The man nodded, ¡°You may, I am an arcane duelist. I use magic and blade, both focused on speed to take down my opponents. I am better suited to a duel than I am towards fighting a horde of enemies.¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°Me and Weira walk the path of mastery, we use magic to enhance our weapons, and in her case do a whole load of other stuff. All I do is mainly reinforce my shield and sharpen my blade. ¡°


    The elf nodded, ¡°The path of mastery is a difficult and lengthy path to walk. But it is worth the effort for those who walk it. Your first barrier will be when you come across enemies who have passed the hundred level mark. That is when both people like us and monsters receive their first traits. A troll for instance will always be above level hundred. Their well known trait of extreme regeneration is an example of what you will then need to fight against. The traits are strengthened, or your opponents receive new traits at every hundred levels. Which means the difficulty of going for the higher levels will increase the further you get.¡±


    Jace stroked his beard, ¡°Huh, guess we found out about that first barrier earlier than expected right Weira?¡±


    She nodded and gave the elf a small bow, which he returned in kind. ¡°Your friend, she is mute yes?¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°Has been since birth, she¡¯s the reason I started out on this whole path of mastery thing.¡±


    The elf nodded then rolled his shoulders. ¡°Well now that I have gotten to know the pair of you I have to admit I am more interested in this test than I normally would be. Let us have a match you and I. The pair of you against me. I will adjust myself to your level as we go.¡± The man stepped forward and was suddenly twenty paces in front of them. He drew his blade and swished it in front of his face. ¡°Have at thee!¡±


    Jace unsheathed his sword and got ready. The duelist stepped forward and left afterimages in his wake, each step covering at least five feet. Jace dove forward to interrupt the distance he would have to cover with those steps. On pure instinct he shield bashed to the left and saw the elf dance away from his blow with an approving smile. His dodge led him right into the path of Weira¡¯s halberd, which he dodged with a smooth bend of the waist. He sailed beneath the whistling blade and poked towards her with his rapier.


    Jace dashed forwards and intercepted the blow with his shield, he slashed towards the mans wrist only to find it long gone. Weira made another circle in the air with her halberd and readied her glyphs. The elfs eyes widened slightly and he rushed forward, only to be thwarted by Jace¡¯s shield. The glyphs raced through the air after Weira¡¯s palm strike and tried to constrict the elf¡¯s limbs. A small blast of concentrated mana dissipated the symbols. The elf charged towards them once again only to disappear from right in front of them. Jace placed a mana barrier behind Weira and noticed her do the same.


    The man¡¯s rapier bounced off the shield and he retreated back leaving another after image. Jace stepped in front of Weira again and rolled his shoulders. The man sheathed his sword and smiled. ¡°I have seen more than enough. The two of you are skilled far beyond your rank. Your teamwork is impeccable. Among the best I have ever seen even among experienced adventurers.¡±


    Jace sheathed his sword and smiled at the man. ¡°At times I can almost feel what Weira is planning to do, I know just where she needs me to be more often than not that is when we manage to defeat or opponent.¡±


    The elf nodded, ¡°A telepathic bond of sorts, while not truly rare it is impressive to have already formed one at your age. To find someone on the same wavelength as yourself is rare. When you do find someone of that caliber however you will find they make the best of partners. To have found a partner this early on his truly beneficial for the growth of both of you. Lets head back to the guild and get you your new plates.¡±


    They nodded excitedly and Jace suddenly paused. ¡°I just realised we never really exchanged formalities. I¡¯m Jace, no last name. And this is Weira Hillmorr.¡±


    The elf paused for the briefest of seconds before resuming his step. ¡°Hillmorr huh, that would explain your skill. I am L¨ªvial?rio c¨¢ Tre d¨ª Morellastia. Since I know how much a pain that name is for most tongues you may call me Liv.¡±


    ¡°A pleasure to make your acquaintance Liv¡±


    ¡°Likewise¡±


    The group made their way back with friendly conversation. It turned our Liv was here with his adventurers group to check out a new dungeon that was found nearby. He and his group were stocking up when he was suddenly contacted by the guild for the rank up. Since he had nothing better to do with his day he figured he might as well. That was how he ended up being the one to test them. Once they made their way back to the guild Liv walked upto the receptionist and told her that the two of them were good for tests until they attempted to reach the gold rank.


    The receptionist blinked in surprise but it must not have been entirely unheard of as she quickly filed away the information and handed them their new plates. Jace and Weira said their goodbyes to Liv and once more made their way to the Job Board.

 Chapter 11

    The next few days were spent doing multiple requests, none of them remotely interesting most all of them extermination or fetch and retrieve quests. The biggest difference was that they had to go deeper into the forest to complete said quests. After a week they had already reached the silver rank. The village itself did not have many requests of their level, it would take a while to get to the gold rank. A few more run ins with Liv and the elf told them that they were not yet strong enough to reach the gold rank anyway. Their skill was impressive but they simply lagged behind in stats. Anyone who reached the gold rank would generally be level hundred or higher.


    Since the two of them had already taken the bronze level escort request to guard a merchant caravan to the capital they spent the next two weeks sparring with each other. Sometimes Liv would take the time to spar them and show them some pointers from his own experience. They never did get the chance to meet his team. Liv told them not to worry about it as his team wasn¡¯t the most social of groups. Once the day for their escort job arrived they had gained a small measure of progress. Jace had gained another level in mastery for both sword and shield, bringing them up to two and four respectively. Weira had gained two levels with her halberd, bringer her up to advanced rank nine. She told him she could feel she was close to breaking through to the expert level.


    Jace stretched as he waited at the entrance of the village for the rest of the caravan to gather. He saw a dark-skinned, portly man walk over, the man threw them a jovial smile and introduced himself. ¡°My name is Yusufri Al¡¯dabari, master of this here merchant convoy. You two must be some of the adventurers I hired as extra help. There seem to be six of you bronz¡­¡± He trailed off as he looked at their plates and their glimmer of silver. He frowned. ¡°I put up the request for bronze adventurers, I¡¯m afraid I do not have the funds to hire those of a higher rank.¡±


    Jace smiled at the man, ¡°No need to worry master Yusufri, we took the request when we were still bronze classed and we do not expect to be paid anything more. We are headed for capital regardless and figured we might as well do some work on the way. Some conversation along the way would help us get through the day.¡±


    The man grinned widely, showing of his perfectly white teeth. ¡°Well that is good news for me indeed, quite a bargain. I have some merchant guards of my own that will be traveling with us, the convoy will have a total amount of eighteen guards, adventurers included. The convoy itself will consist of twelve wagons and another twenty-six employees of non-combative origin, including myself.¡±


    ¡°Well master Yusufri, it would be our pleasure to travel with you.¡±


    The portly merchant laughed, his belly jiggling from the intensity. ¡°Not at all dear boy, the pleasure is all mine. Now then if you will excuse me I¡¯m going to introduce myself to the other newcomers!¡±


    The man waddled over towards a group of four bronze ranked adventurers. Jace glanced at Weira and smiled, ¡°Guess there¡¯s all types of people out there huh. He seems like a nice enough fellow.¡±


    Weira nodded her agreement and motioned towards one of the wagons. Jace stroked his chin, ¡°Actually lets ask the merchant where he would like us to take our position. We can introduce ourselves to our fellow guards at the same time.¡±


    They walked over and joined the newly formed group, Yusufri was enthusiastically introducing himself and patting shoulders. The group of adventurers was barely anything more than teenagers. The oldest of the group a young man with black hair and green eyes couldn¡¯t have been more than eighteen years old. The group was wearing shoddy leather armour. Their weapons and armour despite their wanting quality was well maintained. Whilst young the four of them at the least took their jobs seriously.


    Jace walked over and introduced himself, ¡°Hi there, I¡¯m Jace and this is Weira. The both of us will be joining the four of you on this escort job.¡±


    The young man with black hair stepped forward and bowed slightly as he introduced himself. ¡°I am Floris, a rather new adventurer. I¡¯m a frontline fighter, I focus mostly on defense.¡± Jace glanced at his equipment, sure enough guy had a round shield similar to his but had chosen a warpick instead of a sword as weapon. Jace nodded his greetings and Floris introduced the rest of his team. There was an oversized fluffy brown haired guy called Jerard, he used a claymore and was the appointed damage dealer. The third was a younger kid that couldn¡¯t have been much over fourteen. He had messy brown hair and a bow slung over his shoulder, his name was Plip. The last member of the group was a girl with orange hair of all things, she was an Initiate and used magic to help her team from a distance. Her name was Qyra


    Jace nodded a polite greeting and introduced himself as a dedicated frontliner similar to Floris. Weira he introduced as a midrange damage dealer and support mixed into one. He also added that she was mute, so they wouldn¡¯t feel awkward when she did not answer any questions. After their round of introductions Jace rounded on Yusufri and asked him he would like them to take up positions. The merchant tapped his chin a few times in thought and sent them to the back of convoy. He would keep the majority of the guards eight in total near the front of the convoy. Four of them would cover the middle and the six adventurers would hold up the rear. The adventurers nodded their assent and took up their positions as the convoy left towards the capital. The trip would take them a little over a month in total. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Jace and Weira talked a lot with Floris¡¯s group. They had decided to become adventurers a little over a year ago. They practiced a lot and had grown up together, they carefully prepared for the dungeons and took up requests to make ends meet. Their highest level was Jerard at fifty-eight and the lowest was Plip at fifty-four. They did almost everything together so their levels were closely related. Jace and Weira told the group how they were still level zero. To the utter amazement of the teens, he explained how they used titles to make up for stats and used some magic abilities in the place of skills. This interested the group and they talked to each other with the idea of perhaps getting some of those titles themselves. They did not plan to walk the path of mastery but a few points in all stats early on would make a lot of difference to them in the long run.


    The first couple days went by quietly, the adventurers spent a lot of the time each day talking to each other and they got along. They were happy that Jace and Weira didn¡¯t treat them as kids. Jace had laughed at that and told them that who was he to judge, he was barely half a dozen years older. Weira was only two years older than Floris. Which had surprised the group, her stature and stoic nature had made them think she was a lot older than she was.


    ¡°So you¡¯re only two years older than I am?¡± Floris looked up at Weira as he walked next to her, she was a good ten centimeters taller than he was. That compared with her muscular build made her seem a few sizes larger than the younger adventurer.


    Weira nodded her answer to his question, then she made a whole slew of motions with her hand. Which Floris tried to understand but left him stumpt. Jace turned around and told him, ¡°She said that she¡¯s only been at this adventuring thing for about a month now. Although we have been training and been through dungeons before we even started as adventurers.¡± Floris blinked as he glanced between the two.


    ¡°You can understand what she¡¯s saying with those hand motions, is it a sign language of sorts?¡±


    Jace grinned and shook his head, ¡°Nope, I can read her mind. Liv called it a symbiotic bond of combat brethren. Or some such fancy shit.¡±


    ¡°Language!¡± Qyra said as she shot him a glare. Jace held up his hands in mock surrender and shot the girl a grin. Jace suddenly froze, he spinned and roared. ¡°We have incoming! Prepare for battle!¡±


    The whole convoy became a flurry of action, the employees gathered in groups and stood behind the people in charge of their area. From the bushes to their right a group of grufflings charged. Armed with their shoddy spears and tattered furs. Jace and Floris took up position at the front, they left each other enough space to swing around their weapons while staying close enough together that they could help should it prove necessary. Plip, fast little kid that he was, had already loosed an arrow that took one of the grufflings in the eye. It went down hard and tripped up two of its comrades behind it. He felt Weira take position behind him and slightly to the left. He saw Jerard do something similar but slightly to the right of Floris.


    Another arrow zoomed between them and hit another gruffling in the neck. The boy had phenomenal accuracy. He heard the uttering of a chant behind him as Qyra used one of her skills.


    ¡°The laws of the world, shine on my brethren. Protect them from harm so they may survive this ordeal. Sheltering Warmth!¡±


    He felt a soft glow of warm mana cover his skin. Sheltering warmth was an area effect spell that covered the people the caster viewed as allies in a thin layer of mana that would protect them from a hit or two. A useful spell in all regards. Another arrow zoomed past him and hit another gruffling in the face. Then the green little bastards where upon them. Jace caught two of the things on his shield and shoved them back. A quick stab took on that tried to get past him in the throat. Three thin blue needles shot from above him into the foreheads of three grufflings, they went down in a tangle of limbs. Taking two of their comrades down in the fall. Jace punched one that tried to get too close in the face, he then twisted his blade and blocked a blow headed for Floris. He hefted his shield and blocked a hit aimed towards himself.


    A roar made the group of adventurers freeze for a brief moment. Jace glanced past the ranks of grufflings and saw an ogre. ¡°Focus the grufflings! Weira slow it down!¡± The lovely viking had already started her spell before he even finished talking. The glyphes appeared in the air and snaked around the limbs of the ogre slowing it down. Jace sped up and started recklessly attacking the grufflings. He had to finish the majority of them off before the ogre joined them. The kids would be in danger otherwise. He let himself fall into the rhythm of battle, he flowed from on enemy to the next. His cuts swift and deadly. Soon there were no more opponents in front of him. A swift glance to the left told him the kids were still engaged to a number of them. A move from his chin and Weira went over to help them. Jace ran over to the ogre.


    The monster roared and tried to bring its small tree-sized club to bear against him. Jace dipped under it and tried to cut at the creatures knee. He abandoned the attack as fist descended on him from his right. He stepped back in the nick of time, the air from the passing fist ruffling his hair. His eyes narrowed and he continued to occupy the ogre, he kept trying for attacks but this ogre was experienced in battle and would not let him near his feet. The creature threw a punch only for it to be a feint, the club swished through the air. Quick reflexes barely brought the shield up in time. The club smashed into the wood and Jace let himself get pushed by the force. He was flung back a few meters, a quick roll and he was back on his feet. Sore but alive.


    He rushed to re engage the ogre, he did not have to kill it he just had to keep it busy till the others were done. He had barely been fighting the towering monster for twenty seconds when he felt Weira step in behind him. He smiled and dove forward, the club was aimed at his head. He dipped beneath it and saw a glimmer of metal aimed at its wrist. The creature howled as its hand dropped to the ground. Jace grinned and made use of its flinch to cut it¡¯s heel and make it fall to its knee. Plip took advantage of the moment of stillness and shot an arrow in its eye. Jerard roared a challenge of his own and swung his claymore in a wide powerful arc and chopped into its shoulder. He had to dance back and leave his blade suck in its bone when it countered with a swing of its own. Jace dashed forward once more and thrust his blade into its throat. A gurgle of blood and the creature toppled forward, Jace dove to the side and only just managed to avoid being caught beneath it. He grinned at the group with a bloodstained smile.


    ¡°Well done team, that was some amazing shooting Plip!¡±

 Chapter 12

    Jace smiled as the younger adventurers just stared up at him. His smile withered slightly as he looked from one to the next. ¡°What?¡±


    Floris coughed into his fist and scratched the back of his head, ¡°You just fought an ogre one on one for like a minute. I¡¯ve never seen anyone without traits doing something like that.¡±


    Jace shrugged, ¡°Mastery over your weapons goes a long way, don¡¯t neglect on sparring on training and you can do the same soon enough. I mean me and Weira can dismantle and ogre in seconds. The things are stupid and slow, this one had a decent amount of combat experience but he remains one of the slower creatures.¡±


    The group glanced at Weira, who nodded in confirmation. The youths remained in awe for sometime as the group rejoined the caravan and checked in on the other guards. The guards had only been attacked by a smaller group of grufflings and had no problem in dispatching them. The guards nodded to them approvingly when they heard they had taken down an ogre. It seemed they had earned some respect from the more experienced warriors.


    Yusufri came over and ladled a thick amount of praise on them. They politely thanked the over-enthusiastic merchant and got back to their duties. Along the trip to the capital they were attacked a few more times but all of them smaller and less dangerous than the first. Even the younger adventurers hadn¡¯t managed to get enough experience for another level out of the fights. As they hobbled along over the road, Jace was sitting on one of the carriages talking to one of the merchants when he saw a shape appear over the hill in the distance. He narrowed his eyes as he tried to make it out, he glanced over at the woman next to him, ¡°What¡¯s that over the hill, that¡­ pillar.¡±


    The woman grinned at him, ¡°That right there is the famous Stairway to Heaven.¡±


    Jace paused as he heard her, ¡°Come again?¡±


    ¡°The Stairway to Heaven. One of three unconquered and possibly endless dungeons. It has so many layers and floors that people don¡¯t even know how far up it goes. It¡¯s smack dab in the middle of the capital. The entire city was built around it, all of the three big dungeons have massive cities built around them. You have the Labyrinth of the Lost and the Abyssal Trench. Both of them are far from here however.¡± The woman explained as she gazed at the grey-ish pillar in the distance.


    Jace tapped his chin as he stared at the thing, ¡°Does that mean we¡¯re getting close to the city?¡±


    The woman laughed richly, she shook her head. Her dark locks catching the light as she smiled at him. ¡°Not even a little, it¡¯ll take another day or two of travel before we can even see the city. Once we see it add in another two days of travel. The walls of Yllassa are humongous and can be seen from quite the distance. All of it is dwarfed by the tower however.¡±


    Jace stroked his beard, ¡°The capital must have a large part of the economy built around such a dungeon. What kind of business are you and the other merchants planning on doing there?¡±


    The conversation once more lapsed into more common topics, Jace made sure to pay attention and learn of the situation in the city. He knew little of the kingdom he was in or the politics surrounding it. He was now in the Kringva kingdom, a mostly human society that was acceptive of most other races. The society was mostly matriarchal, they had a queen and have had one for the past thousand years or so. It was honestly impressive that a single family had remained in control so long. It was less impressive once he figured out they were only on their fourth generation within those thousand years. The queens each tended to live well over three hundred years. They took their time grooming their children for the throne and unlike what he expected of nobles the concept of honor was of key import.


    He had frowned in disbelief when the woman had told him the nobles were solidly united behind their royal family. She had explained that the royals and the noble families were all descendant from a single adventuring party a millenium ago that had saved and helped thousands of people migrate from a beast wave that had thrown a kingdom that no longer existed into utter chaos. These adventurers had helped the people settle in and had become their leaders and rulers. The party leader, Jiliana the Ever Wise was appointed as the queen and none had objected. Over the various generations honour and loyalty had been bred into the nobles, each generation more fiercely loyal to the crown than the one before it.


    Nobles were considered the guardians of the people and all of them were well trained in both the subjects of government and combat. New noble families were very rarely added to the line-up, only when a person of skill and honour had performed truly well would the queen instate them as a noble and their family would join the ranks of the blue-blooded. Such a thing was a celebration even among the other nobles she claimed, new strong blood added to the defense of the royal family and their kingdom.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Jace shook his head and leaned back into the wooden carriage. ¡°Aren¡¯t there any outliers, people with such ambition that they grow corrupt and try to take more power than is due to them, perhaps a coup?¡±


    The woman shrugged, ¡°So there has been none, not that I am aware of at least. Trying to run a coup on the kingdom would be difficult the nobles are almost devoutly loyal and the people are treated well. There aren¡¯t many people who would be willing to consider the idea of a coup. There isn¡¯t much to be gained from one. The people are prosperous and despite various attempts by other countries to invade, they have been beaten back each time. Kringva has never started a war on its own, the kingdom is not lacking in resources because of the Stairway. Any need to expand can be sated by pushing the frontier and conquering back some land from the monsters.¡±


    Jace continued to have trouble wrapping his head around the idea of competent and loyal nobles. The history back home had told him that nobles were a fickle bunch. While a few were truly honourable and noteworthy there were even more that were corrupt.


    Yusufri had chosen that moment to move in next to them on a horse that was visibly strained by his weight. ¡°I see it is hard for you to imagine such loyal nobles my young foreign friend. Personally I think it has something to do with the skills that they gain.¡±


    Jace turned to the portly merchant with interest, ¡°Skills?¡±


    The man nodded, the rolls in his neck wobbling. ¡°My ancestors, may the gods rest their souls. Were nomads from the desert kingdom of Eilmir. A tribal people, they had a skill they gained from a young age, perhaps birth. That caused them to go berserk in combat, another nomad family was none for their ruthlessness. An emotionless people that would do whatever they thought was needed for the sake of the tribe.¡±


    Jace¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Yes, I see you are starting to understand. My parents told me the tribe had a skill called The Wrath of the Sandwalkers. That caused their rage, while this emotionless tribe had a skill called Empty Heart. If my guess is correct perhaps these nobles have something along the lines of Chivalrous Spirit or Honor of the Blue-blooded. Or something equally silly sounding. Skills can affect your personality, most people carry these skills with pride. Something that is given to them by their ancestors. Something created by circumstance and passed on.¡± The merchant smiled with a twinkle in his eyes as he looked at Jace.


    Jace nodded his head and leaned back, ¡°A kingdom could do a great deal when the you can trust the management to be absolutely trustworthy.¡±


    Yusufri showed him a small smile, ¡°They can indeed. It is why the kingdom is so prosperous and peaceful. It is also the reason why they expand relatively rapidly. It is but a manner of time, I think, till the surrounding kingdoms start feeling threatened and take action.¡±


    Jace smirked, ¡° Twould be a shame for such a kingdom to fall to the greedy, something an aspiring adventurer might find issue with.¡± Jace glanced over at the merchant who grinned with a gleam in his eyes.


    ¡°A simple merchant would agree, such a war would be bad for business.¡±


    The woman stared at the two as if they had gone insane, having no idea what the two were talking about. Eventually she shrugged and went back to driving her carriage. Yusufri urged his horse to carry him back to the front. The horse did, albeit with great effort. Jace hopped of the wagon and slowed down to fall in step with Weira. He told her about the conversation, omitting the last interaction between himself and the merchant.


    She seemed mostly excited about tackling this endless dungeon. He had to agree that the capital seemed like a good place to both earn some funds and gain some more skills. Especially in a well explored and mapped dungeon such as the Stairway. It would reduce the risks of their dives. He called over the youths to confirm it they too had planned to climb the staircase. They nodded, it was a good way to gain strength and learn the ropes in relative safety. It made Jace wonder, with people coming from far and wide to test their skills against such a dungeon, who decided who was allowed to enter?


    He supposed he would find out once they reached said dungeon. The last few days traveling towards Yllassa was uneventful. Upon reaching the truly towering grey walls, they had to be at least fourty meters high, they said their goodbyes to the caravan. Yusufri told Jace where to find him and if he needed to buy or sell any goods he should come by. Jace promised to do so, the youths had decided to follow Weira and Jace to an inn. They were not planning to start diving together, but having some people near who you could trust your back to was never a bad thing.


    They walked through the city admiring the various people and races they saw in the busy mainstreet. Jace saw minotaurs, elves, dwarves, lizardpeople, some kind of dog people, gnolls perhaps. Beastmen of different types, different from the gnolls, somewhat more human like. Not with a simple tail and ears added on but more as if beasts had learned to walk on two legs and had a quarter of human dna mixed in for good measure.


    There were also plenty of races that he had never even heard of. Four armed red giants, people that seemed see-through, a truly tiny people barely the size of a mouse. A dizzying variety. Then there was the smell, he expected the stench of waste but that was missing for some reason. He did smell the many conflicting scents of people, food, perfumes and anything else he could think of.


    He shook his head and decided to start looking for a place to stay, it took them a while to find a place he liked. Someplace decent looking without being too extravagant. A homely place, he glanced at the sign, The Goofy Geese. He grinned, yup he liked the name. He entered the inn and was assaulted by a delicious smell of something reallllllyyyyy tasty. He walked over to the bar and smiled at slightly pudgy man who was cleaning a mug. ¡°Hi me and my friends here would like some rooms. But first of all,I will have a plate of whatever is cooking! That smells heavenly!¡±


    The man smiled and nodded to a table, ¡°We can discuss the rooms after you have something your stomaches. You seem like travelers and I¡¯m sure you¡¯re sick of traveling rations and could use a proper meal. ¡°Milli! We have some people who want food!¡±


    ¡°What food? Any specific dish?¡±


    ¡°Any food! Bring me all the food!¡± A slap to the back of the head, ¡°Seven people worth of food I mean!¡± Another slap.


    ¡°Leave me alone Weira I can eat for two!¡±

 chapter 13

    A bunch of frizzy hair appeared out of a door and glanced at the group, a high pitched feminine voice sounded from within the fuzzy thing. ¡°No need to worry! Food for six people, no one goes hungry after they have had Mili¡¯s cooking! No person shall ever leave my table without being stuffed!¡±


    Jace grinned at the fuzz, ¡°That is fantastic news Mili, make what you think I will like and I will devour it with all my power!¡±


    ¡°With power!¡±


    ¡°All the power!¡±


    ¡°All the power!¡±


    The fuzz bounced up and down with laughter as she and Jace fell in sync. The fuzz turned around and bounced back into the kitchen, Jace walked over to a table and sat down with a grin on his face. The others sat down at the table, the other three dudes picked on side, the two girls sat to his right. They stared at him, Weira shaking her head. She made a few gestures at him and rolled her eyes. ¡°They always have, a little crazy makes life more fun¡± Jace grinned at her in response.


    ¡°What¡¯d she say?¡± Floris asked


    Jace shrugged, ¡°She told me how I always seem to attract the weird and crazy people. To tell you the truth, act a little crazy and have some fun and the others who like to do the same will find you. It allows me to meet some truly interesting people.¡±


    The rest stared at him then shrugged, the rest of the conversation was mostly about the dungeon and what they expected of it. Jace stroked his beard and thought for a second. ¡°Perhaps the six of us should do the seventh layer together, you guys told me you were interested in gaining some bonus stats from the titles. If we get you started on the seventh then you can do it upto the nineties without much trouble. The first barrier that will be difficult to overcome will be once the creatures reach level hundred. You could rather easily gain fourty stats in each attribute with a bit of work, it would help you a great deal later on. It would also help shore up the weaknesses of specific attribute focused builds like Jerard or Qyra.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Floris glanced at the others and Jace noticed a silent conversation going on between them. In the end they nodded to each other and they turned to Jace. ¡°If you and Weira would like to help us with that it would be much appreciated.¡± Jace turned to Weira who nodded, ¡°Welcome aboard then, let''s check this dungeon out tomorrow. For now we dine then we sleep and tomorrow we risk our lives and chop up some beasties!¡±


    The group cheered, not to loud of course. They wouldn¡¯t want to bother the other customers. The pudgy innkeeper had his eyes on them, a small smile on his face. Dinner arrived soon after, some plates of truly delicious smelling food made of things Jace had never seen before were served. He sniffed and almost moaned at the smell, he grabbed his utensils. ¡°All the power of the food will become one with me now!¡± He yelled, from the kitchen he heard his answer. ¡°All the power!¡± He grinned and ravenously tore into the food in front of him. The others were more civil in their actions and took their time to enjoy their food. It was truly delicious the food melted in his mouth as he he closed his eyes in bliss.


    ¡°We¡¯re definitely staying here for a while.¡± He told the others in between bites. They nodded eagerly in agreement. After the truly superb meal, they each took their time to compliment the chef and then walked over to the innkeeper and got their rooms. In the end the girls got a room, Jerard and Plip got another and Floris and Jace the third. He¡¯d wanted to bunk up with Weira as he usually did but she told him that she wouldn¡¯t leave a girl as cute as Qyra alone in a room with all these boys full of their teenage issues. Jace grinned and shrugged, no skin of his back.


    He and Floris entered the room and while it was nothing extraordinary it was cozy and homely. A place he wouldn¡¯t mind staying for a while, each room even had a seperate bath, something that run of enchanted sigils and all kinds of other fancy stuff that he didn¡¯t really understood. What he did understand was that it meant he could get in a bath with hot water without having to haul said water from a river or something. No modern style toilet unfortunately, it was another construction entirely. You would do your business in the toilet which would make the waste disappear somehow. There were a stack of linen pieces that you could use to wipe, which you put into a metal rack. Which somehow cleaned and folded the linens and put them on a pile. Creative thinking and something he was thankful for. Wiping with leaves was a risky business.


    He crawled into his bed, luckily the room had two singles instead of a double. The comfort of the bed let him sink into sleep quickly.

 Chapter 14

    The next day they woke up to a delicious early breakfast made by Mili. The eagerly ate their breakfast, said their goodbyes and made their way to the dungeon. The looming tower was easy to see so making their way was no problem, they took one of the main streets to avoid having to travel through the maze of alleys. The city was humongous, probably bigger than any city back home. He asked about the inhabitants, there were nearly thirty million people living in the city, that was an outrageous amount. He wondered how they fed and housed them all. Floris explained to him that the farms and farmers here were extremely high level and with the aid of magicians they could harvest an entire season''s worth of food in a week. Keeping the soil fertile cost a lot of magic power but the royal family invested in it and made sure there was enough food to sustain the kingdom.


    Jace nodded and asked some more specifics while they traveled to the dungeon. After about an hour of travel they finally reached their destination. The entrance of the tower was crowded but not because of the people that wanted to enter. The plaza in front of the dungeon was filled with merchants and adventurers looking for a group to join. Various types of wares were offered and sold to the dungeon hopefuls. Jace had never seen so many people in a single area before, it made him slightly nauseous. They pushed their way through the crowd, having to tear themselves from the grasps of some overly eager merchants.


    They stood in front of the entrance the dark grey stone looming so far overhead that it feeled to Jace the thing might topple over and crush half the city. It was perhaps a mile in diameter, an absurd size. But the length, the length was straight up impossible. It had to be tens of kilometers high, he couldn¡¯t even see the top. He shook his amazement off and stepped under the arc, to his surprise entry wasn¡¯t regulated, people could enter when they please. Any groups that entered would be sent to the highest floor they had cleared. It seemed Jace and the rest would have to work their way up from the others. He glanced back at his group. ¡°Last minute equipment check, then we enter.¡±


    They nodded to him and meticulously tested the edges of their weapons and checked each other¡¯s armour to make sure they sat well and wouldn¡¯t clinch movement. At the moment all of them were still equipped in hardened leather. Some other adventurers were laughing and pointing at them, he heard whispers of amateurs but he ignored them. Those that spoke had the air of thugs and gangsters around them, the ones he took seriously had an air of soldiers and mercenaries around them. He nodded respectfully towards those, receiving a polite nod in return.


    Once everyone was done with their check-up he took the time to check each of them once more just in case. When he felt everything was up to standard he looked over his group. Weira stood there relaxed, at ease with the fight ahead. Floris was keeping his cool but seemed a little twitchy, Jerard was nervous and kept fondling his sword. Qyra kept wiping her hands on her armour, Plip surprisingly did not seem even remotely worried, he stood ready and at ease similar to Jace. Jace smiled at the youngest of the group, before he turned to the rest. ¡°Me and Floris up front, Jerard a step to the right and a step behind Floris, Weira the same to my left. Qyra in between the two and Plip will take up the rear. Questions?¡±


    They shook their head, Jace nodded and rolled his shoulders. ¡°Lets to this!¡±


    He stepped into the arch and after a wobble and some slight motion sickness he found himself in a simple cave system. ¡°Shields up!¡± He raised his shield and Floris stepped next to him and did the same, the rest took their positions and they made their way forward. Jace set a decent pace he was well aware that they were currently fighting level ten opponents which would not be much of a threat to his group. He made sure to keep the group on their toes however, he had done some asking around and the dungeon had no traps of any kind. It was purely monster based. Which suited him just fine, it would help to raise his combat skills.


    The first five floors were a type of creature called Krittlings, basically kobolds with fur and some weird stone plate natural armour. The first group charged at them and were torn through with ease. The rest of the first layer they swept through without issue, the boss was a slightly larger version. The following layers were the same, the Krittlings got a little stronger but it was no issue to them.The pattern didn¡¯t change till they reached level seventy, this floor was filled with ogres. Unarmed and without a lot of combat experience. But their sheer power and the fact that sometimes they faced more than one at once made it a difficult fight all the same.


    Jace stood over the body of the an ogre breathing heavily. They had just beaten the boss, a larger ogre armed with a club with two of its sidekicks. He had kept the boss busy, focusing solely on defense while Weira fought one of its sidekicks. Floris and his team took down the other ogre after a while and then switched to the one Weira was fighting. They then teamed up to beat the boss. Its skin was thick and it took a good bit of mana edge use to get through it. The constant concentration required a good bit of effort and even though clearing the previous floors had been easy they had been in the dungeon for over eight hours now. He nodded at the group and they left. It would take some time for them to reach the level needed to clear this floor on their own, Jace figured it would take at least a month or three. Fighting that boss and its two sidekicks alone would be a pain in the ass for anyone.


    Floris glanced at him and stroked his chin, ¡°For the title we need to clear this floor by ourselves don¡¯t we? I heard the dungeon here had a higher difficulty compared to the ones further out, but to have a floor filled with ogre¡¯s and the boss being a stronger one with two sidekicks is a bit much. Are you sure it¡¯s possible to clear it by oneself?¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Jace nodded and stretched his sore muscles, ¡°It¡¯s possible, by my estimates it will take around three months before any of us can solo this floor. The money we earn on this floor should be enough to keep us afloat, the ogre dropped parts sell decently. Also check your mastery.¡±


    Floris frowned but did as asked and checked his status, he gasped in surprise and stared at Jace. ¡°Did you know this would happen.¡±


    Jace grinned at him, ¡°Of course I did, how do you think we would be able to keep up with levels otherwise.¡±


    Floris nodded and thought for a second. ¡°My mastery went up a whole four levels in one day, I¡¯ve now broken through to intermediate. Taking the time to work on our mastery like this would be well worth the time, especially if you count in the title bonus. Three months is a long time though¡­¡±


    Jace shook his head and put a hand on his shoulder, ¡°Think about it Floris, each of these titles you earn you gains you twenty vitality. You gain twenty years of life for three months of work. In my opinion that makes this easily worth it.¡±


    Floris¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°I hadn¡¯t even thought about the effect of the titles on vitality. So while we might gain power at a much slower rate compared to others, our path in the end will be longer and we will end up stronger. So it¡¯s an issue of speed over quality, I can¡¯t believe this isn¡¯t common knowledge.¡±


    Jace shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much, I¡¯m pretty sure that most nobles and people in the know will have gained the titles at least upto level ninety. It¡¯s probably why the nobles live as long as they do. Once you reach the hundred though it will get a lot more difficult. How many people have the patience to work a year or more to get a handfull of stats in each attribute. Within that same year others could have gained perhaps a hundred levels if they work hard. People are simple creatures, while living long is good and something most people would want. Living much longer than everyone around you? Not many people have the heart to do it.¡±


    Floris frowned, ¡°I think greed would be an issue, people want to live longer especially those who pursue immortality and their ilk. There has to be more to it than that, I wonder if the barrier is truly so difficult that most people stop there.¡±


    Jace grinned, ¡°Only one way to find out!¡±


    Floris smiled back at him, ¡°True.¡±


    They made their way back to the inn, they sold their drops and earned enough to pay for repairs, maintenance, supplies, food and the inn. Over the next month they kept tackling the floor as a group. They got better in combat, their skills, especially for the younger adventurers, saw a quick grow. Their masteries soon touched upon the advanced tier. Weira had broken through to the veteran tier as had Jace in shield mastery. His sword mastery lingered at advanced level nine but would soon follow.


    Floris and his group had unanimously decided to at least take the path of mastery till they hit the barrier, they would see about continuing on it or not after that. Jace and Weira were dead set on following the path through to the end. Even if Weira could now save up money to fix her condition, apparently even her muteness was fixable. While she did want to fix that she did not want to stop walking the path both had chosen. Despite its difficulties. Jace was the same, he could be utterly stubborn when it came to things like this.


    Another month passed and they started clearing the layer in smaller groups, they kept mixing and matching their partners but they now did it in groups of three. Next step would be in pairs till they finally switched to doing it by themselves. Half way through the second month they switched to pairs. The Jerard and Qyra were gaining more confidence in their fighting prowess as the month continued, Jerard¡¯s moves with his greatsword had gained a fluidity he used the weight of his sword to his advantage and let his swings and momentum carry him out of his enemies strikes while he landed his own. Offense and defense in one.


    Qyra on the other hand had greatly increased her casting speed and had started learning a whole variety of new spells. When she realised she could user her mana and imaginations to create somewhat crude versions of existing spells she started copying Jace and Weira and created spells of her own. She had taken over Weira¡¯s needle spell without much issue. She told them that her glyph focused spells were well out of her reach however. That was immensely complex and not something just anyone would be able to do. Floris had gained solidity, Jace had no other word for it. There was a certain trust that built up having the young man next to you. A certainty that you would not get hit from whatever side he was defending, his group would make a fearsome adventurer party if they kept growing as they did.


    Plip however, the youngman was a prodigy. No other way about it, the man had already reached veteran rank with his bow. He released arrows within half a second after firing one. Jace had never seen the young man entirely miss his target. Sometimes he would hit an ogre on the cheek instead of in the eye, but those occasions were rare. The fourteen year old had a focus to him that bordered on the psychotic. Plip had started to open up, unlike the others of his team he had not been born in the village but had arrived later, an orphan like Jace himself. Floris¡¯s parents had taken him in at the age of eleven and raised him as their own. He looked up to Floris as a real brother but they were fundamentally different people.


    Jace clicked with the boy, he felt at ease around him and could somewhat tell what the silent young man thought most of the time. The archer reminded him of a younger version of himself, the boy had witnessed war. He was sure of it, there was a decisiveness to his actions that a normal person of his age shouldn¡¯t have. Jace having been a soldier of himself could smell it on him. Even if Plip slightly unnerved the others, the two grew to be close over the months. Jace started treating him like his little brother, another kid from the orphanage.


    Weira had gotten closer to Qyra, the two being the only women on the team hung out a lot. All of them in fact had become vast friends. You couldn¡¯t fight together for months on end and not grow closer after all. It wasn¡¯t all rainbows and sunshine, they had their arguments. As any people would have living in such proximity to each other over time. Yet it never got out of hand and they always made up.


    They had grown, but it was becoming time for them to tackle this dungeon on their own. Jace would be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t worried about the others. Plip and Weira wouldn¡¯t have much of an issue. But the others might still make a mistake, despite their improvement. Only time would tell, he walked in separately. One last look at his friends. He wondered how many would come out again, he sincerely hoped they all would.

 Chapter 15

    He stepped over the corpse of the last ogre he had to fight before the boss. He wasn¡¯t worried about the solo or even the duo ogres. The boss was on an entire different difficulty compared to the rest of the layer. He rolled his shoulders and readied his shield, he sheathed his sword for the moment and grabbed one of the javelins he had bought. He was hoping to take one of the sidekicks down with a well placed throw, it would make the rest of the fight a lot easier. He held the javelin at the ready and stepped into the room, the boss spotted him immediately and roared, it pointed with its meaty finger and sent its two subordinates to kill him.


    Jace took a step, a skip and another step and then whipped his shoulder forward, letting the javelin soar the through the air, separating the air with a sharp whistle it impacted the ogre on the rights face. Taking it down in an instant, he rushed the second one to get rid of it before the boss realised he should join in. Jace dipped underneath its telegraphed strike and cut through its heel, he spun back and cut through its throat. Another desperate swing which he ducked under and he thrust his blade through the back of its skull. Finishing it off. The boss slammed the ground in anger and charged toward him, lining his club up for a massive swing.


    Jace sprinted towards the boss, he used every bit of power he had to pump his legs, he placed a manaforged barrier that blocked the inner arm of the creature pausing its blow long enough. He leaped and soared through the air, using his momentum to bury his blade in its face, he let go of his short sword, quickly unsheathed another and slit its throat for good measure. He hopped back and watched the giant ogre crash into the floor. He felt the tremor and waited a couple of minutes to make sure it truly was dead before he gathered his rewards.


    That hadn¡¯t been to difficult, in all honesty he and Weira had been ready to solo the layer a month ago but had taken some extra time to get the rest of the group up to the task. The next layer wouldn¡¯t take them so long. Everyone had improved enough that two months should be sufficient. He glanced at the portal that appeared in the room and stepped through it, appearing back in front of the tower. He stepped back in front and waited for the rest to exit. Plip popped out a bare second after he did, the boy nodded his head in greeting and walked with him to find a spot to wait. They sat down at a nearby caf¨¦ and waited for the others to appear. A minute or two later and Weira appeared, relaxed as always, they waved to her and she joined them for the wait.


    Jerard was next to appear, the gentle giant had a large smile on his face and was happy to see the others. He walked over with large steps and patted everyone on the shoulder with a barrel chested laugh. The teen was obviously relieved to see all of them alive and well. The group settled in to wait. Floris appeared next, with a calm face he walked over to them. But Jace spotted the small relieved smile when he saw them. They then waited nervously on the last member of the team. Another ten minutes of waiting and Qyra still had to appear, Jerard was getting increasingly nervous and even Floris was rubbing his knees. Floris opened his mouth to ask something but Jace beat him to it.


    ¡°Relax guys, Qyra isn¡¯t a warrior, she needs to take her time to set up her spells and trap the corridor, if she is here within twenty minutes I¡¯d be pissed at her since it meant she rushed.¡±


    Jerard glanced at him before he realised that it made sense and relaxed a little. Jace saw some tension leave  Floris¡¯s soldiers as well. He even saw Plip sit slightly less upright. He smiled at them, it made sense to be this nervous. But the one he was worried about the least, other than Weira, was Qyra. The girl was patient and took her time to do everything correctly, she wouldn¡¯t be in much danger if she took her time to set up the traps she needed and top of her mana after each engagement. Sure enough after another fourty minutes of waiting the purple haired mage appeared with a grin. The rest ran over and laughed in relief now that everyone had returned. They headed back to the inn in good spirits, they took an extra large celebratory dinner. The innkeep came out and congratulated them, Mili put extra effort into their dinner and showed up to put their filled to bursting plates on the table. After a happy exchange of ALL THE POWER! Which even Jerard joined in on, she went back into her kitchen.


    Once they were finished with dinner the rest decided to stay and talk with each other a bit more, they would head over to get their gear checked. Jace said his goodbyes to the group and left the inn, deciding to take a stroll through the city. He ducked into alleyways with his eyes open, he made his way to the less prosperous side of town. Even if the kingdom did its best to make sure the citizens had everything they needed the poor remained, refugees from other countries who were tired of war poured in and would not always find a job in this new land. Even if they could make their attempts at the dungeons not all people were willing to risk it. Eventually he strolled through past an alleyway with rundown houses, he glanced at the people and their drab clothing and smirked.


    A soft sultry voice called out to him, ¡°Hey, warrior.¡±


    He turned around and saw a woman in a low quality dress that showed signs of wear, her eyes were dark, seductive. He hair was pulled into a long braid that dropped below the small of her back. It was even darker than her eyes, a warm brown so dark it was nearly black. She stepped towards him and looked past her sharp nose at him, ¡°For a little money I could make sure you leave this area a little less stressed.¡± She put a hand on his chest, and smiled slightly.


    Jace stared at her for a second, ¡°You know what, I think I¡¯ll take you up on that.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The woman¡¯s smile grew slightly as she grabbed his hand and pulled him into one of the houses. Jace glanced through the rooms and almost froze when he saw some small clothing laying on one of the chairs. A small girls dress, he did his best to suppress the flinch so the woman wouldn¡¯t notice, if she did she didn¡¯t show it and dragged him upstairs. He glanced from room to room and saw a few signs that turned his heart cold, a slight stain of blood there, an indentation of a fist there. His hands balled into fists as he controlled his breathing.


    She opened the door and dragged him to her bed, she gently pushed him on it and started taking of his armour. He let her and dragged his finger gently over her olive coloured skin. He looked her in the eyes, despite the signs of dirt and malnourishment he could tell she was a beautiful woman. His heart clenched, he let her take his clothes off and gently did the same to her. He kissed her softly, gently and guided her beneath him.


    A half an hour later and he lay next to her covered in a sheen of sweat with the woman curled against his chest. He stroked her hair and asked. ¡°How much?¡± She sat up and looked at him through thick lashes and smiled. ¡°Two silver.¡± Jace flinched and the woman froze, she kept her smile and sat up slightly. ¡°A silver and five coppers would be enough since you treated me so well.¡±


    Jace sat up and grabbed his pouch, he pushed a gold piece into her hands and her eyes widened. Jace stared into her dark eyes, ¡°I am Jace, what is your name?¡±


    The woman stared at the coin with wide eyes but hesitated a moment before answering. ¡°I am Sarai.¡± She stared at him before she sat up.


    ¡°And your daughter?¡± Jace asked gently, he held her hand, softly but firmly. The woman almost jerked her hand away but managed to control her self, she stared at him. Eyes hard, ¡°Why do you ask.¡±


    Jace did his best to show he meant no harm, he held her hand and gently stroked it. ¡°Curiosity, also to keep us talking so I can think.¡±


    ¡°About what, are you here to capture me and sell me as a slave. I will not let you have my daughter and I will kill you before you get the chance.¡± She hissed through gritted teeth.


    ¡°So your partner, or should I say former partner. Left the two of you?¡± Jace ignored her threat and released her hands, hands which quickly grabbed a knife. She stood up, still naked but ready to fight. The light in the room shone on her skin, giving it a soft shine. She glared at him and lowered her center of gravity, ready to pounce. ¡°How did you know that and what is you want!¡±


    ¡°The signs were there, blood stains on the floor the fist indentation, the shattered chair. Signs of abuse, yet they seem older. This house hasn¡¯t changed that much over the last few weeks. Mostly it¡¯s guesswork and deduction.¡± He sat up and folded his hands in his lap. ¡°As for what I want¡­¡± He looked her in the eye. ¡°How would you like a place to live, I can offer you steady pay. Safety and schooling for your daughter.¡± She glanced at him with wide eyes, unbelieving. ¡°To sum it up, I can get you out. Away from this place, a new start for both of you.¡±


    Saria shook but her hands remained steady on the knife, her body ready for action. ¡°Why would you do this, you do not know me, nor do you know my daughter. Is this some strange way of telling me you wish to buy me.¡±


    Jace grinned and chuckled softly, the woman tightened her hold on the knife. ¡°Well I do want you for myself, but not as a slave. Is it stupid to decide after a round in the sheets and a bare hour of getting to know you. Most definitely.¡±


    He stood up and approached her, putting a hand over hers, as gently as she could. She flinched but kept still. ¡°Mostly, I¡¯m just acting on instinct, it feels right to do. What¡¯s the worst that could happen to me. It turns out I do not feel about you as I thought I did and saved a woman and her daughter from a fate none should have to suffer. Seems fine to me, I was planning to build an orphanage anyways, might as well start with someone who might be willing to run it for me.¡±


    The woman lowered her hands and stared at him. ¡°You are a strange man, but I can feel you are serious. However odd that may seem to me. Also my daughter? Her name is Aziva.¡±


    Jace smiled at her and the woman smiled back. Tired, nervous, but with a shimmer of hope beneath it all. Jace sat with her on the bed and waited for her daughter to return, she was at a friend¡¯s house. When she finally returned and Jace looked at her, a girl no more than eight years old. Dirty, malnourished, frightened of a stranger. He heart ached at the lack of childlike curiosity in her eyes. Aziva glanced at her mom and quickly rushed behind her, glaring suspiciously at the stranger.


    ¡°Hi there!¡± Jace suddenly said, startling the girl. ¡°I am Jace and my job is to be a chair. I am sturdy yet soft, I even come with a massage function. Most importantly I am free of charge!¡±


    The girl stared at him like he was an idiot. ¡°You are not a chair.¡± She stated confidently.


    ¡°Yes I am.¡± Jace answered just as confidently.


    ¡°No you are not, chairs are made of wood and stuff, not made of people.¡±


    ¡°I am a magic chair, I¡¯m special.¡±


    She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. ¡°That can¡¯t be true.¡±


    ¡°Try me and find out.¡±


    Aziva stared at him for a while longer, torn between her disbelief and suspicion of strangers. But beneath that he saw it, a glimmer of curiosity. Next to her Saria stood staring at him incredulously, eyes widened with astonishment. Aziva shuffled forward before poking him and darting back. Jace just sat there quietly, back straight on the edge of bed. Trying as hard as he could to seem like a chair. Aziva stepped forward once more and then suddenly jumped into his lap. Where she froze for a moment. Jace started bouncing his legs one at a time. Aziva sat there bouncing on his lap and turned around to glare at him. ¡°See you¡¯re not a chair, you¡¯re moving!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t help it, you turned on the massage setting!¡±


    ¡°Well turn it off!¡±


    Jace stopped bouncing and Aziva sat there staring at him. ¡°Massage on!¡± He started bouncing his legs again, she smiled slightly and started repeatedly turning the massage setting on and off. Eventually she got tired of it and hopped of staring at him. ¡°So what now, are you stuck as a chair?¡±


    ¡°I am indeed, but your mother knows how to fix it, she knows some magic trick!¡±


    Aziva stared at her mom in awe. Saria fidgeted under her daughters gaze, but stepped forward and started making smooth gestures with her hands, Jace added some wisps of mana to trail of her fingers for effect. Saria¡¯s eyes widened but when she saw his smile she just went with it and stepped towards him. Then in a sudden dash she gave him a kiss and popped back, a slight blush on her cheeks. Jace grinned pleased and made himself glow with light. ¡°POOF! Jace the human has returned!¡±


    Aziva giggled and Jace grinned down at her, now that he had won her trust a little it was time for the next step.


    Introducing his newly adopted family to the rest, explaining this was gonna suck for sure.

 chapter 16

    Jace made his way to the in realising that he had actually just decided to provide a home for a woman and a child he didn¡¯t really know. He couldn¡¯t help himself, it felt like the right thing to do so he would just go with it. He glanced towards Aziva who was walking between him and Sarai as they headed towards the inn. He looked at her smiling face as she looked around at the things around her with a new found sense of curiosity and the feeling settled in him. This was the right thing to do, impulsive as it was. He shook his head to himself, he always did have sudden impulses. But this was a pretty big one.


    He stood in front of the inn and glanced at Sarai, he could see the question in her eyes. She had left her home, ramshackle shack that it was, he couldn¡¯t blame her for being nervous. The few possessions they had, mostly clothing, they had taken with them. This was a huge leap of faith for her, he smiled slightly to himself. An impulsive person like himself he supposed. ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to introduce you to my team, we¡¯ll also need a place for you to stay till I get you a proper house. We¡¯re gonna need to find a lot of stuff before I can get you settled properly.¡±


    She nodded to him but kept her silence, she squared her shoulders. A determined glint in her eyes. He smiled at her and rubbed Aziva over her short head, he stepped into the inn, the two women on his heels.


    ----- Sarai POV -----


    Sarai stared at the broad shoulders of the man in front of her as he stepped through the well maintained doors of the inn in front of her. The place was of a pretty high quality, it was clean and smelled pleasant. A completely different inn compared to those in the district she lived in. She wondered why she was here, she barely knew the man. This was a huge risk, what if he was not who he said he was. What if he had other things planned for her, she glanced down at Aziva, her beautiful daughter. As she glanced around the spacious main room of the inn, eyes wide in amazement. She stomped on her doubts, her little girl was the reason she was doing this. It was a risk, but the promise of something better, the chance at a future out of the dumps. She had to take it.


    She pulled Aziva along by the hand as she followed Jace towards a table. She looked at the people he was joining and was surprised by how young most of them were. She was pretty sure all of them were younger than her. But they were competent she could feel it, it was not as prominent as it was on Jace. The man oozed a subtle sense of danger as he walked, she noticed that although several thugs had eyed him as a target they had refrained from making a move. They could sense he was dangerous, he wore it like a cloak. The blond woman who he was addressing was muscular, a well maintained halberd leaned against her shoulder as she eyed Jace and then swept her eyes to Sarai and Aziva, she shrugged and scooted a little on the bench and patted it.


    Sarai paused for a moment before she sat down next to the woman, she nodded politely. Sarai focused her attention on the conversation Jace was having. A young man with dark hair was looking at him with wide eyes. ¡°So you just went and married this woman and adopted her child?¡±


    ¡°Well nooo? I decided to give them a place and a chance to improve their life, If our relationship progresses further than that, all the better.¡± Jace looked at the others as he spoke, gauging their reaction.


    To her surprise they looked at him for a moment then collectively shrugged. ¡°Well it¡¯s your money, plus it¡¯s not the weirdest thing you¡¯ve done. Atl east these people look decent and would probably profit from it.¡±


    Sarai decided she really needed to speak up and ask a question. ¡°What do you mean it is not the weirdest thing he has done. Even I myself still have not come to terms that this is actually happening.¡±


    A young girl with purple hair smiled at her, ¡°Jace here has a tendency to do truly odd things. One of the things he did for instance was he gathered a whole lot of exotic ingredients and took them to Mili, she¡¯s the chef of this inn, and told her to experiment with it and make some more yummy food for him. Which she was really happy to do by the way.¡±


    The others nodded and a huge young man with curly hair was the next to speak up. ¡°Or that time he spoke with that gnome and they got to know each other and Jace decided to invest a good bit of money in setting up a fruit brewery. We all thought it was a scam but he ignored us.¡±


    Jace stroked his beard and spoke up, ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that it was a good investment, the brewery is picking up speed and has been doing well, I earn a good bit of money off it.¡±


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    The curly haired giant shook his head, ¡°We are all still amazed that it actually was exactly as he told you. Despite your impulsive actions they somehow almost always pack out okay, it¡¯s like you have a talent for these things. I bet you¡¯d make a decent merchant.¡±


    The others nodded and exchanged a few jokes, Sarai stared around at the group, seeing how ease they were with each other. The blond woman hadn¡¯t spoken yet but she made a few gestures here and there which the rest seemed to pick up easily. Jace suddenly sat up and looked at Weira, ¡°How would I even go about buying a house, do I just find someone willing to sell?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how to purchase a house yet?¡± Sarai asked slightly alarmed, Jace turned to her and shrugged.


    ¡°Figured I could find out later, I can just rent a room at the inn for you and Aziva till I get it figured out. The food here is great and the rooms are clean, the beds soft. It¡¯s nice here.¡± Jace said in an attempt to placate her.


    Sarai stared at him for a moment, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be extremely costly?¡±


    Jace shrugged and looked at the blond woman. ¡°How much money do I have, could I buy a house?¡±


    She nodded and made a few signs, Sarai saw Jace¡¯s eyes widen. ¡°Huh I have a lot more money than I thought, it¡¯s a good thing you keep track of it and save it for me. Where do you even keep it?¡±


    More signs and an exasperated eyebrow raise. ¡°Really? I have a bank account? Huh, go figure.¡± Sarai shook her head to herself as she followed the exchange.


    ¡°Well according to Weira, I have enough money to keep you in the inn for the next ten yours should it be necessary.¡±


    Sarai shook her head and sagged a little. ¡°Don¡¯t you already have a girlfriend, why is she taking care of your finances. Isn¡¯t it bad that you took me in?¡± She started rubbing her hands, she felt the butterflies in her stomach flutter around in anxiety.


    Jace tapped her on the shoulder, he grinned at her. ¡°Relax Sarai, she¡¯s my sister. I suck with money and tend to spend it as soon as I receive it, so Weira takes half of what I earn and saves it for me. She also makes sure I don¡¯t spend it on stupid things.¡±


    Sarai felt her heart unclench, his sister huh. The two did not look even remotely alike, but she started to feel more comfortable. All of these people seemed decent, she was sure they weren¡¯t slavers or something equally scary. They were too silly to be. She started to smiled and Aziva was sitting on the lap of the tall blond girl Weira, she had clambered on while she wasn¡¯t paying attention. The muscular girl was smiling and feeding her bits of the sausage. Which Aziva was eating with gusto, her heart fluttered one last time. Perhaps things really were on the up and up.


    ----- End Sarai POV-----


    Jace smiled as he saw that Sarai was finally relaxing, he ordered a plate for and called over to Frank, the innkeeper, that he would need another room for two for the foreseeable future. The man waved at him and told him he would put it on the tab. Jace and his group could be considered trustworthy customers, they¡¯d stayed in the inn for over three months now. They always paid on time and treated him and his employees with respect. Anyone associated with them was more than welcome in his inn.


    The next day after some poking around Jace found out that he had to go to the Residents Hall to buy a house. He headed over there with Weira, Sarai and Aziva. It was a tall white marble building. Near the center of the city, it was a humongous piece of stone. It was about the size of the famous colosseum back home. He entered, along with at least a dozen other people and headed towards one of the shorter lines that led up to a counter. It took a half hour of waiting before they reached the counter. They walked up to receptionist and told her he wanted to buy a house, the woman nodded and told him that he should go up to the second floor where someone would be waiting for him and would help him.


    He went up to the next floor and a young woman not much older than Weira guided him to a room that was well furnished and comfortable. She motioned for them to take a seat and then took her own across from them. ¡°So I hear you are looking for a building, first I will have to ask a few questions if that is alright with you?¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°We would like to ask for your class, level or highest rank skill. It helps us figure out who we are dealing with and what we can expect from the people looking for a building. You can choose any of the three but we need at least one. Otherwise we ask for a fee upfront, for doing risky business.¡±


    Jace¡¯s eyebrows raised, then he shrugged. ¡°Well it doesn¡¯t bother me but I suppose I¡¯ll have to go with highest skill then. My shield mastery is currently at expert rank two.¡±


    The young receptionist¡¯s eyebrow raised ever so slightly. He could tell that Sarai next to him was also surprised by his statement. The receptionist sat up a little straighter. ¡°Do you mind if I ask for confirmation?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Jace tapped his sheet and pushed the information towards her. She nodded and smiled at him, ¡°Thanks for co?perating, may I know what your budget is?¡±


    Jace turned to Weira who made a sign to him, ¡°Does that keep in mind that we can pay for expenses for a year orso?¡±


    Weira nodded. Jace turned back to the receptionist, ¡°It seems I have a budget of around eight thousand gold pieces.¡± The receptionist didn¡¯t even blink at the amount and nodded her head. ¡°Any preferences that I should know about. How many people will be staying in the house?¡±


    ¡°Two maybe three later on, it would be nice if we could have a place near the Goofy Geese. That is where my team is based out of at the moment.¡± The receptionist nodded and summoned a few illusions that showed the various houses available for purchase. She also showed him on a map she summoned where they stood and how far from the inn. In the end he bought a two story house that looked nice, that stood in the same street as the inn. Sarai was watching everything quietly but with a small nervous smile on her face. Once the purchase was over they said their goodbyes to the realtor and headed back towards the city.


    Jace turned around and grinned at the girls, ¡°Well it seems like it¡¯s time for a woman¡¯s favourite past time, lets go shopping!¡±


    Sarai stared at him in confusion, ¡°Why are we going shopping, aren¡¯t you low on cash right now?¡±


    Jace shook his head, nah that was only the money in my bank, I still have a decent amount on me. Also we need furniture, clothing and other such things. Lets go explore the shops!¡±

 Chapter 17

    He took them from store to store, getting them clothes they liked. Even if Sarai was either too nervous or too shy to admit when she truly liked something. He just attempted to pick up on her body language to figure out what things she liked and went with that most of the time. Aziva had no such reserves, she just pointed excitedly and bounced around the things she wanted to try on. Jace smiled as he spoiled the duo, he bought them some food from one of the street vendors, it reminded him of kebab, one of his favourite foods back home.


    Slowly but surely Weira was getting into the shopping spree herself and start buying her own clothing, seeing her wearing a dress was an eyeopener. After spending so much time with her he had forgotten that she was such a beautiful woman. You¡¯d think he¡¯d notice something like that, but he had truly come to accept her as his sister and hadn¡¯t really thought about it lately. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and got some clothes for himself as well. He nearly always wore his armour but that was due for an upgrade, it would have to wait till he had some more funds saved up. He would have to refrain from any crazy expenditure for now.


    After shopping for clothing they went looking for furniture, he got a nice sturdy wooden table that could fit a decent amount of people and bought the chairs to match. Weira bought a few pillows for in the chairs and got some curtains that she thought would fit. Next up on the list were beds, he bought a sizeable two-person bed for Sarai, and perhaps eventually himself. He bought a cute looking single person bed for Aziva, he made sure it was large enough that she would be able to grow into it. Next up was mattresses, he spent another decent sum of money to get some good mattresses. He also bought a pillow for himself, he missed having his own pillow. They had to be puffy, something he could sink his head in. After nodding to himself with a smile as he got the pillow he thought about what else they needed.


    Kitchen stuff, he nodded to himself and went out to buy the pots, pans, plates and utensils they would need. He also got a small fridge that used small enchantments and a mana core to function, it would allow them to save up some food. He nodded to himself, a toilet and a bathtub or shower were also essential. He bought another enchanted toilet similar to the one in the inn and got a shower to match. Once they finally finished their shopping spree they had everything shipped towards their house. They stood in front of their new place, Jace nodded to himself while Sarai tentively looked at the building. It was a two story building, consisting of a main room, kitchen and dining room on the bottom floor, the hallway upon entry led straight to the stairs which curved up to the second floor. Which had three rooms. One he would furnish as the main bedroom one of the others would be for Aziva. The last would become a guest room once he had some more funds for decoration.


    He turned to Sarai and smiled, ¡°There we go, a house for the both of you. I¡¯ll make sure to stop by regularly, we should also look into getting Aziva into a school.¡± Sarai stared at him and started tearing up. Aziva stopped babbling and looked worriedly at her mother, she stepped forward and grabbed her mother¡¯s hand. Looking up at her with big eyes.


    Sarai stepped towards him and sweeped him up in a hug, she held him close to her as she softly sobbed. Jace awkwardly patted her on the back in an attempt to console her. It took a minute orso for Sarai to gather her wits and wipe away her tears. The salty streaks slightly staining her beautifull face. She smiled at him, the first sincere smile he had seen. His heart shook as he looked at her. ¡°Thank you, truly. I...I, just thank you.¡±


    Jace smiled at her, ¡°Lets get that life back on track. We¡¯ve only just gotten started.¡± She seemed slightly confused at the back on track part but got the gist of it and nodded, wiping away some watery remnants.


    The next few days Jace helped them settle in, he cleared the seventh layer of the dungeon by himself a few more times to gather funds for some decorations and other furniture. He started looking at schools he could send Aziva to for a while. The new school semesters had already started so he took it upon himself to give her some home schooling. To make sure she was caught up when the new year started. Of course this required him to do some research. The studies here were vastly different to what he was taught back home, the rest of his team happily pitched in. Teaching Aziva in whatever their best subjects happened to be. Sarai watched it all happen with a smile, she finally had people to depend on. A protective layer that surrounded both her and her daughter.


    A few months passed and Jace grew ever closer to them, he eventually moved in, started becoming a true part of the family. Aziva had already started calling him dad, something that made his heart flutter and brought a bright grin to his face. He made sure to continue progressing in the dungeon with the others. The new layers were simply slightly more armed and armored ogres, since they had already gotten used to fighting the creatures, it did not take them long before they got used to it and could clear the dungeon on their own. They still made sure to take two months or so before they cleared the layer. They had just cleared the ninth layer and today they were preparing to challenge the barrier. Jace took a deep breath and looked back at his team.


    They had grown, Plip had gained a couple of inches in height and Qyra had matured somewhat. They had made some changes to their equipment. Their weapons remained the same although they had increased in quality. They refused to use enchanted weapons as the enchantments got in the way of their own mana manipulation. Armour wise Jace and Floris had both changed to half plate, the armour was heavier and unlike their weapons was enchanted. It was a minor enchantment that helped cushion blows and increased its durability. It was made from red iron, a metal that looked almost rusty once forged. Jerard and Weira wore scale mail, they needed a bit extra flexibility to be able to dart in and out of combat. Plip and Qyra had settled on leather and mail armour. It was slightly heavier than leather armour but offered more protection. If the rest did their job properly they wouldn¡¯t get hit at all, but it was better to be safe than sorry.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Jace turned to them and lowered his brows, ¡°Next up is the barrier, the enemy will have their first traits and it will make for a large difference in power. If we let our guard down we will get ourselves killed. Stay sharp, stay frosty. Watch each others back and check your corners.¡±


    The team nodded and rolled shoulders and checked equipment one last time before they collectively stepped through the arch and entered the dungeon.


    Jace and Floris stepped forward carefully, shields raised and the mana to reinforce it ready to act. They turned each corner carefully and made sure to check every niche for monsters. Jace heard a rustle and held his hand up causing the rest to freeze, he had sword drawn and checked for movement but saw nothing. He narrowed his eyes and stepped forward to draw its attention, something moved to the left and he dove to the side. Narrowly dodging a claw that appeared out of the dark. He rolled to his knees and raised his shield Floris rushed in to guard his back, both of their eyes shooting around the dark looking for their opponent. Jace could hear a soft murmur from Qyra. He turned his back to her and light flooded the tunnel, there! Somehow hidden from the lights of their torches was a feline looking creature with six legs, two slimmer front legs with four powerful legs behind it. It clung to the wall and scuttled back into the shadows.


    Jace cursed, ¡°So from strength types we go to agility focused assassins. Qyra can you keep that light up?¡±


    ¡°Not a problem.¡±


    ¡°Jerard take position behind Qyra and keep an eye to the rear, Weira move between and slightly behind me and Floris. Plip, if you see something with those eyes of yours, shoot it.¡±


    A brief moment of movement and everyone had taken positions, Jace continued forward, his eyes looking at the border between light and dark for movement. He was worried the light would herd the creatures into one spot, and that they would try to overrun them to get to the squishies. But he had to leave Jerard at the rear, he couldn¡¯t risk those things getting to Qyra and Plip. He murmured a bit to himself before rolling his shoulders and taking slow steps forward, Floris mirrored his movements to his left and had his shield at the ready. Green eyes peeled for movement.


    Soon enough he saw a sliver of dark fur and brandished his shield in that direction. A black blur crashed into his shield. Jace caught it and pinned it to the floor with his shield. He thrust at it, only to have it twist and dodge. Not far enough, a halberd swung down and smashed into its side. Causing the creature shriek, an arrow zipped past and the creature collapsed. Jace hopped back and turned his eyes back upfront. ¡°Qyra, your on drop duty.¡±


    ¡°Okidoki!¡± He heard the girl step forward and start searching for drops and skinning the creature for its fur. This world was odd in that way, creatures could be skinned and deboned for items. Once that was done it would disperse and leave behind a little money or something different. He made Qyra do the work because her spells while powerful and extremely useful took time to use. The rest could react a lot faster and would protect her while she skinned it. Another reason was that Qyra was by far the best at skinning creatures of the lot of them. Her father had been a leatherworker after all.


    Once she was finished they pushed further down the dark, shadowy cavern. Here and there another of the felines would jump at them and attempt to catch them by surprise. To no succes. There was one dangerous moment when one of the things had snuck up behind them and had pounced on Jerard. He had made it out with a minor scratch, but the boy made sure to stay extra attentive after that.


    Eventually they reached a larger cavern it was somehow even darker than the hallways that led to it. An oppressive inky darkness surrounded the cavern, pushing in on the light created by their mage light. A magical darkness then, the area they could see shrunk. They could now see a bare fifteen feet around them. The cavern was at least two hundred feet in diameter. ¡°Diamond formation.¡± Jace told the others.


    He got in front, Floris took up the rear and Weira and Jerard the sides, Qyra and Plip in the middle. Jace hesitated for a moment, something felt off. Something itched at the back of his mind, he suddenly spun around and jumped towards Qyra who looked at him with wide eyes, he tackled her to the ground and felt claws rake his armour, piercing through and leaving bloody cuts. He rolled back to his feet, ¡°Keep an eye above! The freaking thing is a climber!¡± It had vanished back into the shadows before he had gotten a good look at it. He ignored the flaming feeling from his back and ordered the group to tighten up. The thing had clawed through his armour like it was leather, Qyra and Plip might as well be wearing no armour.


    Jace made a decision, ¡°We¡¯re retreating start moving back to the hall. Keep your eyes and ears open, the thing tears through metal like paper.¡± They made a quick but organised retreat, whatever the creature was that inhabited the cavern, it let them go and was not interested in pursuit. They made their way out of the dungeon, the rest eying Jace with worry. He took his armour off and Weira saw to his wound, she poured some healing potion on it and he felt his skin start knitting itself back together. He grimaced, it hurt like a bitch.


    He eyed the others, ¡°I don¡¯t think we are ready for this layer yet, we need to figure out some new methods of detecting things like that. Our normal senses aren¡¯t near enough. We almost lost Qyra there.¡±


    Qyra shook a little but nodded, she bit her lip and stared at him. ¡°Thanks for that.¡±


    Jace smiled at her, ¡°Tis my job after all.¡± He scratched his beard a bit. ¡°We should also learn something that improves our defenses, we did fine with the ogres because they were so slow, but taking a hit from them would have turned us to paste. This thing is much faster, and its penetrative power is dangerous. We need to learn some form of permanent mana armour, it¡¯ll take a while before we are ready to tackle this layer again.¡±


    The rest nodded and started thinking off ideas that would help them in the fight. Jace meanwhile was lost in his own thoughts. He had underestimated the difference a trait would make, the creature was nearly undetectable. It was several times stronger than the boss of the previous floor. He had started to think that this path of mastery wasn¡¯t as hard as it was made out to be, his arrogance had almost cost Qyra her life.


    He muttered to himself, his eyes downcast. ¡°Can¡¯t forget. Arrogance is the mother of all fuck-ups.¡±

 Chapter 18

    The plan was for each of them to think and try to create their own detection technique, they would practice on their own so that they could each think of something different. Afterwards they could see what the others had thought of and perhaps incorporate that into their own idea. Jace already had an idea, there had been many fictions back home with similar ideas, getting it to work however would be a lot more difficult. He had chosen to sit in a park that wasn¡¯t to far from the inn. It had a path that ran through it that saw a decent amount of traffic, it would let him know if it was working or not.


    Jace let the mana seep out of his body and created a bubble of sorts, nothing solid but just a thin wall of mana particles that would be disturbed and pushed out of the way if someone or something moved through it. The mana expenditure was too high, he wouldn¡¯t be able to sustain it for long like this. He dropped it and thought a little longer, he had a decent sized mana pool and good regeneration. He had a hundred and eighty stats in both intelligence and wisdom after all. He thought for a while longer and instead of creating a solid wall of particles, he set the particles one centimeter apart from him, drasticly reducing the draw on his mana.


    He nodded to himself, he could hold this for half an hour and still be able to use his skills in combat. He looked around at the bubble thinking of ways to improve it, he started making sectors from the particles, so he could tell what the enemy was doing even if it was within his bubble. The draw increased a good bit, once more becoming an unrealistic option in combat. He tapped his chin and continue to think it through, now he was basically controlling each particle to stay in place, that took most of his mana to keep up. What if he tied them relatively to his position. Jace created an nearly invisibly thin thread that he tied between the particles. he made them solid, they would hold the particles in position and that was all they did.


    He watched as people walked through his three dimensional net, the particles dispersed upon contact but it worked. With the threads taking control of the particles the draw on his mana was negligible he could keep it up near indefinitely. His mana recovery was higher than the cost of the spell, Jace decided to keep working on it, he spent the next hour making sure the particles were recreated after dispersion. He made sure the threads could do the same and could move together with him keeping the net around him at all times. Next he tested to see if it could in fact move as he did. It failed, he spent the rest of the day making sure it could keep up with him.


    The week was spent refining his creation, eventually he got it to move along with him, it was practically self regenerating and he could use his other mana based abilities without disrupting the net. He nodded to himself, he told the others that he was done with his idea, the others were still working on theirs. While they kept practicing Jace took the opportunity to spend time with Aziva and Sarai, they had gotten Aziva into a decent local school. It would still be another few weeks before the school year started however.


    Jace set next to Sarai on the park bench as he watched Aziva playing with a bunch of other children. He smiled, she looked a lot better than she did before he had taken her in. She had put on a little weight, although she was still skinny it had done wonders for her skin and hair. Her previous knotted hair was now smooth and fell over her shoulders as she danced around. She was cute, a good looking kid by all means. Jace glanced at Sarai and saw her smiling softly as she watched her daughter bounce around. Jace put his arm around her shoulder and drew her a little closer, she let him and snuggled up to him.


    She looked up at him, through her thick dark lashes. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s about time you actually moved in with us?¡±


    Jace blinked, he scratched his beard. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if you¡¯d be okay with that, I mean I did kinda jump all of it on you, even it was to your own benefit.¡±


    She smiled at him and put a hand on his thigh slowly moving it up a bit, ¡°In case you haven¡¯t noticed I quite enjoy having you in my bed.¡±


    Jace blushed and straightened, ¡°I did notice that.¡± He relaxed a little and kissed her on her forehead. ¡°If you¡¯d have me, I¡¯d love to move in with you.¡±


    She kissed him on the lips settling back into a snuggle, ¡°It¡¯s settled then.¡± They sat there for a while, snuggled up against each other watching their daughter play. It was now his daughter, for all intent and purpose. She had gotten a few friends of her own age, local kids who were energetic and bouncy. While Aziva remained slightly reserved she was growing more and more at ease around other children.


    Jace looked back at Sarai, ¡°You know I¡¯ve been thinking.¡±


    She kept looking over Aziva as she answered, ¡°About?¡±


    ¡°Training you.¡±


    Sarai stiffened a bit then looked up at him with wide eyes, ¡°Why would I need training?¡±


    Jace sighed and scratched the back of his neck, ¡°The way things are going, I¡¯m set to live long after you are dead. I already have a vitality nearing the two hundred. If I continue on my path I will live to be a thousand, perhaps even longer. I¡¯d lose you before I¡¯d even lived a tenth of that. Plus if I did train you and helped you on your way you¡¯d be able to defend yourself when I go off to do things. I¡¯m not one to stay in place for a long time, I don¡¯t doubt that I¡¯ll be moving around occasionally.¡±


    Sarai stared at him and looked back at Aziva. She was quiet for a moment, then she looked at him and bit her lip. She hesitated for a bit and then shook herself before looking up at him, eyes determined. ¡°I never did tell you what my class is did I?¡±


    Jace blinked and looked down at her, ¡°You haven¡¯t I assumed you didn¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Sarai sighed, ¡°Well you weren¡¯t wrong.¡± She straightened up and pushed herself off from him and turned to face him. ¡°My class is¡­ Imperial Concubine.¡±


    Jace blinked, ¡°So you, were a concubine to a foreign leader?¡±


    Sarai nodded and rubbed her hands on her knees, ¡°To the emperor of Isralial, one of fourty-eight royal concubines. When Aziva was born, I was young. A mere fourteen years of age, the royal family did not want a daughter born of a concubine. Especially a daughter. The Isralial people are not like the people here, men and women are not even close to equal. Women are treated as objects and men as the owners. Let alone having women in a leading position, they didn¡¯t even let them leave the house.¡±


    Jace pulled her closer to her, he wouldn¡¯t let her past change anything. The past was the past after all. He held her as she continued her story. ¡°I refused to let them kill Aziva, I was young, reckless. I ran, I was caught by a slaver. A man of my former homeland and the one who lived with me until just before I met you. Instead of selling me to others he decided to keep me for his own¡­ amusement. I was lucky that he did not have the slightest interest in Aziva, as long as I did what he wanted he left her alone. So I worked and did what my class does best. I pleased him any way I could.¡±


    Jace chuckled, ¡°Well that explains why you¡¯re so good in bed¡±


    She punched him in the shoulder and attempted to glare at him before she smiled slightly, ¡°Well that¡¯s true I suppose, but this is a serious story so stop joking around.¡± She waited until Jace raised his hands in surrender and then continued. ¡°Eventually I had had enough of the man, he was abusive, filthy and an all around hateful individual. So one time when he was sleeping i decided to¡­ dispose of him.¡±


    Jace¡¯s eyes widened slightly but he kept his hold on her. She hesitated and looked up at him for a moment, seeing no hatred or judgement in his eyes she gathered her courage and continued. ¡°I used a knife, hid the body in an alleyway and made it look like a robbery gone wrong. I was evicted from the house and had to find a new place. The shack you found me in was the best I could do at the moment, the blood stains and broken furniture where from some of the more violent customers. I was making due but I was in a dark place, I had no one to look out for me so it happened more than once that the customers would decide not to pay.¡±


    She shuddered. ¡°One of them even tried to lay hands on Aziva, that¡¯s where the blood came from. I fought him with everything I had and told her to run. The little one is smart, she knows where to hide in the streets. That day.. It was bad. She came back home and I was battered, broken. She somehow managed to get her hands on a healing potion. Maybe she stole it somewhere, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Sarai looked at Aziva and a determined smile appeared on her face, she turned to him. Shoulder set and back straight. ¡°If you wish to train me so that I can look after my daughter and live as long as I can to make sure she lives her life happily. She is my light, the very reason I¡¯ve pulled through and have survived till today. I will take you up on that offer.¡±


    Jace smiled and held her close, ¡°I¡¯m glad you will, we¡¯re gonna have to figure what weapon you¡¯re gonna use though.¡±


    She grinned, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose my feminine charm can be weaponized?¡±


    Jace laughed, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to put the country at risk, so we probably shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    She chuckled and lay against his chest. ¡°You are a strange man Jace. You pick up a battered prostitute from the streets and adopt her daughter. Then take care of her and treat her as any other.¡±


    ¡°All in a day¡¯s work.¡± She smiled and lay there against him quietly. They watched Aziva till the sky darkened. Jace picked the little one up and put her on his shoulders. ¡°Lets go home!¡±


    Aziva laughed and pointed him forward.


    They ate dinner together, a foreign meal cooked by Sarai, it tasted good if a little too spicy for his tastes. The next day Jace went to one of many training yards, payed the fee all three of them and took Sarai and Aziva to the armory. Aziva¡¯s eyes widened as she saw the wide variety of weapons. She ran from one to the next and excitedly asked what I was and what it did. She saw a huge scarred bald man holding a Maul almost as tall as he was and she ran over. She pointed at it excitedly and stared up at the man. ¡°How big are the nails you hit with that hammer!¡±


    The man looked down at her with wide eyes and then burst out into laughter. ¡°Depends little one, some nails are bigger than even me.¡±


    Aziva¡¯s mouth went round. The man chuckled and looked over at Jace, who nodded slightly to the man. The man smiled and nodded back, Sarai glanced over at him. ¡°You know him?¡±


    ¡°Nope never met the guy before.¡±


    Sarai frowned, ¡°Then what¡¯s with that nod of recognition.¡±


    Jace grinned, ¡°A show of respect from warrior to warrior. You can generally tell the experts apart from the rest. That guy is strong, he knows how to wield that maul of his. He probably sensed a similar level of competency in me. It happens pretty often, it¡¯s a tradition of sorts around the adventurers guild and training halls.¡±


    ¡°Hhhmmm, I see. How strong are you actually, your team seems rather young.¡±


    Jace nodded. ¡°They are, especially Plip and Qyra are still very young. So young in fact that I would not have agreed with letting them be adventurers yet if I was their parents. But they are competent and patient. They listen, I figured they had more of a chance if they had someone with experience leading them.¡±


    ¡°So you just took them in?¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°Figured why not, could use the company. Anyways let''s get you a weapon, we should try a few and see what fits you.¡±


    Aziva ran on over with wide eyes. ¡°I want one too!¡±


    Jace frowned and looked at Sarai. He scratched his beard while he thought it over. ¡°What do you think? It would be fine to her started early, although I will keep the muscular exercise to a minimum. She can build up some expertise and experience.¡±


    Sarai frowned and looked down at Aziva who looked at her with pleading eyes. She opened her mouth but was interrupted. ¡°Please mom! I don¡¯t want to be useless. I can learn, I¡¯ll try my hardest!¡± She tugged on the edge of her dress as tears formed in her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see mom that hurt again.¡± She whispered. Sarai froze and picked her up and held her close, ¡°Fine we can let you practice a little, but you listen to what your father tells you got it!¡±


    She nodded excitedly and started tugging on Jace¡¯s hand to drag him around the armoury.


    Jace shook his head. He did not expect to be teaching children how to use a weapon. But in this world it made sense, it wasn¡¯t even an oddity. Aziva wasn¡¯t even the only child here, others were being trained by their parents as well. He let them try various weapons, seeing Aziva try to pick up a claymore brought a smile to his face. Eventually she found a really thin pointed rapier that she liked. It was small, elegant. She almost glowed as she pointed at it. ¡°I want to learn how to use that.¡±


    Jace smiled and patted her on the head, ¡°That right there is a rapier, a duelers weapon. It¡¯s all about the thrust and parry. It¡¯s a difficult weapon to master are you sure it¡¯s the one you want.¡± Aziva nodded enthusiastically and reached out to the weapon. Jace wasn¡¯t worried, all the weapons here were blunted. It was a training hall after all.


    Sarai walked past the wall of weapons and trailed her fingers over a few of them, eventually she lingered on a polearm. She picked it up and spinned it a little. She nodded to herself and looked at him. ¡°I think I shall settle on this, I would like to learn how to use a knife as well however.¡±


    ¡°A glaive huh, interesting choice. Weira can probably instruct you better on how to use it than I can, she uses a halberd herself after all. Their way of use is somewhat similar. As for a knife I can teach you about that, I¡¯m better with one than Weira is.¡±


    Jace nodded to them, ¡°Well let¡¯s go to one of the fields, and I¡¯ll get the two of you started on the basics.¡±


    The two followed him as they walked, their weapons cradled in their hands. The rapier a size to large for Aziva which made her look slightly comical.

 Chapter 19

    He got the pair started on the basics, their stances and footwork were the foundation everything else was built upon. He had some insights into both weapons, the rapier he understood somewhat from the fights he had had with Liv the elf a few months ago. The polearm was Weira¡¯s weapon of choice and the halberd and glaive had a lot of similarities. The glaive however was all about building momentum with spinning motions and trying to make those as efficient as possible. The glaive was a weapon wielded like a dance, at least that was how Jace saw it. If the Glaive was a waltz the rapier was more like the chacha, in and out with quick steps.


    Aziva kept enthusiastically thrusting with her rapier, she had built a bit of an audience. Older and scarred fighters were cheering her on and telling her how to improve what she did. A sudden hush fell over the training hall, Jace looked up from teaching Sarai a bit and saw everyone stare at a woman wearing beautifully decorated leather. It was well made and despite its decoration was clearly made for practical use. She wore a blue sheath that was made from a clear crystal of sorts. In it was a rapier the like which he had never seen before, it was made from thin blue metal and vines curled around the handle and formed into a guard. A small flower with white metallic petals served as a pommel.


    The woman eyed the grounds and frowned. ¡°This is a ground for training, not one for children who want to play.¡± Her voice was smooth and crystalline, as cold as it was clear. Aziva looked up at her without worry, ¡°Dad said it was okay for me to start practicing with a weapon! No playing just training.¡±


    The woman curled some of her silver hair around a finger and looked at Aziva. She pursed her lips and glanced around with icy blue eyes. ¡°And who would this father of yours be?¡±


    Jace stepped forward, keeping his posture relaxed but ready. ¡°That would be me.¡±


    The new arrival eyed him for a few moments before she nodded to herself. ¡°You seem to have put effort into your training, I would like to request a spar.¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°Fine with me, teaching is fun but nothing beats a good a fight in the end.¡± He walked towards one of the fields and stepped in, the woman walked forward with a confident swaying gait. She brandished her rapier and took her stance, Jace unsheathed his much simpler looking short sword and lowered his centre of gravity. He could hear the murmers around him. ¡°The Icy Rose is sparring with the new guy, quick let people know!¡± Another was almost bouncing on his toes, an older gentleman that was easily fifty, in this world who knows how old he actually was. ¡°Today be my lucky day indeed!¡±


    Jace raised his eyebrow at the commotion but kept his eyes on the opponent. ¡°Any rules?¡±


    The woman smiled, her lips were painted purple. Her skin was an ivory so pale it nearly reflected the sun. He frowned, he was certain the woman wasn¡¯t human. But he had no idea what she was. Her ears were elongated, but not pointy like an elves, they had slightly longer lobes. Her eyes had no pupil that he could see, just a circle of that icy blue within eyewhite. That was not inf act white but black.


    He studied her for a few moments while he waited for her to answer. ¡°No use of skills or abilities of any kind.¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°Works for me.¡±


    In a flash of movement she shot forward, Jace tilted his head to the side just in time to dodge the rapier. He bashed with his shield, but the woman was already dancing back. She stepped to the left and right simultaneously, splitting in two. Jace threw up his newly created observation net. The one to the left didn¡¯t disturb the mana particles so he dashed towards the right. A quick accurate thrust to her liver. She sidestepped and countered with a thrust of her own. Deflected by his shield, he used the motion to transition into a shoulder bash. She once more danced backwards. This time with an excited grin on her face.


    Jace cracked his neck and twirled his sword. He suddenly spun around and smashed with his shield. She barely stepped back in time, her hair fluttering through the wind created by his shield. He moved forward with a stab, which she deflected and countered, he let it slip by his shoulder and tried to rush her. She slipped out of his range and the two stared at each other for a moment. Her stats were higher than his was, but her he could offset the difference in speed by using his shield to block of the areas she could attack. The two danced around each other for a moment, one fluid, her way of moving a dance. The other short and efficient, no flashy movements. Rapier clashed against sword and shield, the audience was cheering them on and was creating a cacophony of noise. None if it reached Jace or his opponent.


    Both of them were hyper focused on the other, their movements improving with the second. One predicted the moves of the other only to have that person develop new moves on the spot. They were growing, both of them, faster than either had before. The clashed against each other, Jace couldn¡¯t help it. The grin on his face was growing. He was fighting an expert, someone who was probably even better with her weapon than he was. His shield was a counter to her fighting style and he made use of that. It was moving smoother than it had before, he used it to attack, defend. He used it to guide his opponent where he wanted to have her. The sword came second, it was there when the opponent would find it the most difficult to react. But react she did, everytime he thought he had her, she showed amazing reflexes and flexibility and slipped through.


    His heart was pounding, the rush of blood crashing through his ears, blocking out all sound. He started seeing her move to a position slightly before she actually did, he tried to react to it but his opponent was always a step ahead. He saw her react to his movements before he even made them. Were they reading each other''s movements that well? They continued their dance of deadly metal, forcing themselves to move faster. To make their attacks stronger.


    ----- Sarai Pov -----


    Sarai watched as Jace clashed with the unknown woman. The audience had grown silent and was watching the exchange with awe. She had known Jace was a good fighter but this was on another level entirely. She had once had the privilege to see two sword-masters clash. This was similar but somehow more, she could feel a shiver down her spine as goosebumps appeared on her arms. Even the excitable Aziva was watching with open mouth as her new dad moved with a speed that was hard to follow. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The two danced around each others moves, as if knowing what was coming. It was becoming harder and harder to breath, the air was heavy. A suffocating sense of danger was oozing off the fighting arena. But no one could bring themselves to look away from the spectacle. The silver haired beauty fought the stocky man with dark brown hair and green eyes. Both with a bloodthirsty grin on their face, a dance with death. Then all of the sudden Jace tripped and fell to his knee. He gasped for breath and started trembling, he stared down at his limbs in betrayal. She heard sharp intakes of breath around her as the people awoke from their stupor.


    -----  Jace Pov -----


    Jace glared down at his legs as they refused to move. His opponent had stopped moving and her chest was heaving. A sheen of sweat covered their skin as both did their best to catch their breath. Jace blinked as he whole slurry of messages appeared in front of him, he pressed them all away and opened his character sheet, he saw the telltale signs that his opponent had done the same.


    [Jace Shimmer


    [Age : 26


    [Class : None


    [Profession : None


    [Titles : The bigger they are the harder they fall IX, Alone in the Dark IX


    [Strength : 211 Agility : 205 Dexterity : 195


    [Endurance : 221 Vitality : 190 Constitution : 190


    [Wisdom : 190 Intelligence : 198 Charisma : 190


    [Luck : 190


    [Skills : Foresight


    [Mastery : Shield Mastery, Master 1. Sword mastery, Expert 4]


    Jace stared at his page with wide eyes, he had jumped from shield mastery expert 3 to master 1 in a single spar. He had been in the zone sure but that was an insane amount of progress. His sword mastery had increased as well, by a whole three grades. But the most important thing of note was the fact that he now had a Skill. He had never gotten one before, also the fact that it was a colour different than normal made him giddy like a child he tapped the skill.


    [Foresight - Extremely Rare


    [Your expertise in combat has allowed you to glimpse into the future of your opponent, you will be able to see what they do a split second before they actually do. The amount you can see before it happens depends on your combat expertise.]


    He whistled softly as he read over the skill. That was one powerful skill, an extremely rare one at that. He was certain that the woman he had been fighting had received it as well. He looked over and saw the same slight awe and surprise mirrored back at him. He grinned at her and stood up with a groan, his muscles protesting the action. He did not know how long they had been fighting but it had been beyond his muscles.


    The woman walked over while he was still working out the kinks in his muscles, she held out her hand. ¡°Congratulations upon reaching the rank of Master.¡± Jace smiled and grabbed her hand, ¡°The same to you.¡±


    She nodded and looked at him thoughtfully, ¡°My grandfather oft told me that if I was lucky I would meet an opponent who would push and pull me beyond my limits, that I would improve so fast that if not careful my body would tear itself apart to match him. It seems you reached that point before I did.¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°My muscles ache like never before, but it was soooooo worth it.¡±


    The woman laughed, a sound like clear bells rang through the field. ¡°That it was.¡± She smiled at him with a barely suppressed happiness. ¡°I am Jisarila Vin To Shurka, a member of the noble families that guard this kingdom. With whom have I had the pleasure of reaching a breakthrough with.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Jace, no last name. The pleasure was all mine, I did not expect to breach into the master tear today. I hadn¡¯t expected to break through to it within years in fact.¡± He scratched his beard.


    She nodded in understanding, ¡°Neither did I expect it, the master tier is much harder to achieve than people understand. It can not be achieved through simple practice and combat, it needs insight. Both you and I were extremely fortunate to receive one this early in our lives.¡±


    Jace nodded and opened his mouth before he almost toppled over when weight slammed into his legs. He looked down into eyes full of wonder. ¡°Dad you¡¯re so strong! The lady is also very strong and fast and beautiful and awesome and strong! It was awesome, you guys went like pffoooo and kabang and shuuuuush!¡±


    Jace watched with amusement as Aziva tried to use her limited vocabulary to explain to him how awesome the fight had been. Sarai nervously walked up and bowed slightly to Jisarila, who returned a polite bow of her own. Sarai stood next to him, nervous about the noble woman but unwilling to part from him. A show of ownership if he was to judge, he was oddly flattered and grinned at her knowingly. ¡°You can relax Sarai, she¡¯s not planning to steal me from you.¡± The beautiful woman flushed but grabbed one of his arms in hers nonetheless.


    Jisarila smiled and looked at him, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that, my family would be more than happy to marry you into our line.¡±


    Jace grinned, ¡°That sounds like a marriage of politics and the last thing I would do. Love conquers all and all that.¡±


    She smiled, ¡°Well I would not be interested into marrying you myself, you are¡­ not my type.¡± Her eyes wandered over to Sarai. ¡°Your wife on the other hand is quite beautiful.¡± Jace laughed and grinned at her.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to try and seduce her into your bed. It wouldn¡¯t even bother me.¡± He said with a shrug.


    Sarai glared at him but Jisarila laughed the sound causing several people to look over. ¡°While I am tempted and may someday take you up on that offer. It is for her to decide, for now I am simply glad to have gained an acquaintance who is this skilled in combat.¡±


    Jace smiled at her, ¡°If you come over for dinner sometime soon we can change that acquaintance status into one of friends. If you ever want to meet up me and my team stay at the Goofy Geese. Although I¡¯m moving in with these two.¡±


    Jisarila arched a silvery eyebrow and looked at Sarai and Aziva. ¡°I had assumed these two were your spouse and had been for a while, it seems I was mistaken. My apologies.¡±


    Jace scratched at his beard. ¡°Welp, they are my spouse, I think, kinda. But anyways, the dinner invitation is open, feel free to drop by.¡±


    A nod, ¡°I shall, you can expect me to drop by somewhere next week. Now if you will pardon me I must bring news of my breakthrough to my family. They will be most excited.¡± She bowed to the three of them and walked away. Jace watched her go and shook his head. He looked at Sarai who was still glaring at him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Did you just try to sell me off to that woman?!¡± She furrowed her brows as she tightened the grip on his arm. Jace smirked, ¡°Whatever gave you that impression, I was simply stating that if you and Jisarila hit it off that you don¡¯t need to worry about me. Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice you staring at her ass as she walked away.¡± Sarai blushed and punched him in the shoulder but held on to his arm. She clung to him as they left the training field.


    ¡°Sometimes you¡¯re painfully perceptive.¡± She muttered below her breath.


    Jace grinned, ¡°I don¡¯t mind an open relationship, although I am positive that I would get extremely jealous if I saw you with another guy. If it is a woman that has caught your interest, then I won¡¯t mind. As long as it doesn¡¯t affect what we have between us.¡±


    She smiled at him and pecked him on his lips. ¡°Same goes to you if you find any guys you like.¡±


    Jace frowned, ¡°No thanks, I¡¯m straight. A full ladies man one hundred percent of the time!¡±

 Chapter 20

    He headed back to their house, Aziva riding on his shoulders and one hand holding Sarai¡¯s. They made their way through the crowd, laughing. Jace was at ease, he had grown to like this odd world. The people in it felt so much realer to him than they had back home, maybe it was the threat of death hanging over them that caused them to be so forward. He liked it, it was extremely refreshing. Once they arrived in the street and made their way towards their house he saw the rest of his team hanging around the front porch. He waved at them and they waved back. He grinned and put Aziva down who rushed over to go bother Plip, who she had started to treat as her older brother. Plip fussed over her, despite his normal stoic self he was much more animated around the girl. The young archer picked her up and spun her around, much to Aziva¡¯s pleasure.


    Jace invited them in and they gathered around the dinner table, he had bought a bigger one so everyone could fit around it. Sarai kissed him on the cheek and headed into the kitchen to make dinner. The rest greeted her, a wave here, a nod of the head there. They settled around the table and Jace sat at the head and relaxed in his new favourite chair. The others glanced at him and Jerard leaned forward and spole up, ¡°So what the hell did you do this morning, you seem different. There is this edge to your presence that wasn¡¯t there before.¡±


    Jace grinned at them, ¡°I broke into the master tier for my shield mastery.¡±


    Their eyes widened and they looked at him confused, Weira frowned and gestured. ¡°Yea I was on expert four this morning, I haven¡¯t been lying to you. I met this woman at the training hall, we sparred and everything just started to click. Things made sense when I used my shield, I used it to attack, to defend, to run interference and block of paths of attacks. I fell into the zone and both me and the woman broke through.¡±


    Aziva bounced on Plip¡¯s lap. ¡°It was amazing they went like zooom.¡± She swung her hand through the air and then looked from one to the other with a radiant grin. ¡°They were so fast, even the bigger taller people were quiet and amazed when they watched. It was like magic!¡±


    Jace laughed, ¡°There you have it, I made some unexpected progress. That is not all, for I am now an oracle! The future is open to me!¡±


    The group stared at him with clear doubt in their eyes, he heard Floris mutter something from the other side of the table. ¡°More like a prophet for the gods of chaos.¡±


    Jace chuckled, ¡°While that sounds like it could be fun that¡¯s not what happened. I received a new skill called Foresight. Which let me look in the future slightly during combat or when I focus.¡±


    The rest gaped at him, ¡°Did you UNLOCK a skill!?¡± Qyra stood up so fast her chair fell backward.


    Jace looked at her and shrugged, ¡°I guess so? I¡¯m still level zero so I haven¡¯t been handed any skills from class or proffession.¡±


    Floris shook his head, ¡°That is gonna make you much stronger, the more I try to catch up the further I fall behind.¡± He sagged back into his chair, ¡°That¡¯s it, I give up on trying to match you.¡±


    Jace chuckled and patted his shoulder, ¡°Not to worry Floris, I¡¯m still nearly eight years older than you after all. I¡¯d have to be worried if I wasn¡¯t keeping ahead. I¡¯m pretty sure in eight years time you will be a lot stronger than I am now.¡±


    Floris paused, ¡°I actually forgot you¡¯re so much older.¡± He laughed to himself, ¡°Perhaps chasing you is not as impossible as I thought after all.¡±


    Jace grinned and sat back in his chair, ¡°About the detection skills. Have you guys figured anything out yet?¡±


    Weira waved and started gesturing, the rest leaned forward and payed attention. To sum it up she had set up a field created from glyphs that would alert her upon intrusion. She could make and sustain several layers so she could somewhat accurately see where the opponent was. Qyra had simply created rings of mana on the floor around her that released particles into the air, she would notice whenever someone stepped over one of the rings. Although her detection was not as good against attacks from above. Floris and Jerard just shrugged, they had no real progress both has come up with a system of periodically releasing mana particles into the air in a burst around them to find the opponent. They did not have the mana reserves or control for much else.


    Plip was the only one who did not take the path of outside mana manipulation for his detection. He forced mana into his various senses, he could now see well in the dark with his eyes. He could hear a lot more than he could before and even his sense of smell could be improved if he channeled mana into his nose. They each now had their own methods of dealing with the shadowy assassin creature on the hundredth floor. They would give the floor another attempt tomorrow.


    Sarai joined them with a steaming pot of dinner and Aziva decked the table and everyone ate together. Laughing and joking around with each other. The next day they entered the dungeon. They checked their gear carefully as usual and entered. The smaller of the creatures was no issue. With Jace¡¯s new detection net combined with foresight, he could see the things moving in the dark without much issue. He cut them down before they could complete their pounce. Once in a while an arrow would zip over his shoulder and take one of the things down in mid air. It did not take them long to reach the boss, they readied themselves and tightened their formation. The various detecting methods interfered with each other if used simultaneously. Jace kept his up as did Weira, both of them worked on different concepts and would not interfere with each other. Plip simply kept an eye out and an arrow ready. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Something moved and punched from the shadows to the right, Jace knew where it was coming from even before his web detected it. He thrust forward heard a squelch and the darkness receded all of the sudden. He stared down at the creature that was stuck to his blade, the tip piercing right through its skull. ¡°Well that was anti climatic¡­¡± Jace muttered.


    The rest stared at him then burst into laughter, despite their new detection methods they had been nervous and on high alert. Only for the creature to be dismantled before they could even react. The rest shook their heads and relaxed. Qyra got the drops and skinned the creature, something apparently called a Nightgrawler. They joked with each other as they left their dungeon, they sold their loot for a good bit of money and started making their way back to the inn. Jace looked over at Weira and scratched his chin, ¡°By the way Weira, isn¡¯t it about time that you got your voice fixed?¡±


    Weira froze and stared at him then started turning red. Jace burst out in laughter and the rest stared at the two of them in confusion. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you forgot you could fix it.¡± He tried to catch his breath but was bent over double from laughter. Weira¡¯s face was growing increasingly red as she avoided eye contact. Jace pulled himself together long enough to talk, ¡°Well lets get your voice fixed, there should be a place not far from here.¡±


    The group headed to the doctor while making fun of Weira who studiously ignored the bunch of them. They would be quiet for a while before one of them would start chuckling again and make the rest burst into laughter. It wasn¡¯t even that funny but it still caused them to almost collapse from the laughter. Jace was wiping tears from his eyes as he slung an arm around Weira. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to hear what you sound like, I bet it¡¯s a really seductive voice. Like a succubus.¡±


    ¡°I bet she¡¯s more like a siren, a song doom!¡± Floris added.


    Qyra sniffed and stared at them with disdain, ¡°She obviously has the voice of an angel, I will not settle for anything less.¡±


    Jerard suddenly paused, ¡°What if she has a voice like a man.¡±


    The rest stared at him then at Weira then back at him. Jace stroked his beard, ¡°That would be quiet the plot twist.¡±


    The rest looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. He shrugged, ¡°It means it would be a surprise.¡±


    The rest nodded as they debated what Weira would sound like, Weira made a sound that sounded a lot like a sigh of exasperation. Jace grinned and patted her shoulder. He looked her in the eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, no matter what you sound like. None of us will love you any less.¡±


    A chorus of here here¡¯s sounded behind him as the rest agreed. Jace smiled at her and winked. They stood in front of the doctor¡¯s building and knocked. A voice called them in and they explained their problem to the man. He was a gnome of some sort, short and dark skinned with light blue hair. The doc told them it wouldn¡¯t be a problem and he would be done within a few minutes. He motioned Weira into one of the rooms and a few minutes later she left the room and stood in front of them, clearly nervous.


    She opened her mouth and a soft, gentle voice came out. ¡°Hi¡­¡± They stared at her with slack jaws. What was that mousey soft voice full of tenderness. Jace froze and motioned with his hand for her to say something else. Weira blushed and the large muscular warrior shrunk in on herself in an uncharacteristic show of vulnerability. ¡°You¡¯re just going to have to get used to it.¡± She muttered.


    Jace got over himself and coughed, ¡°You sound so uhhh, feminine and well, dainty.¡± The rest nodded their agreement.


    Plip opened his mouth and for once spoke up without being prodded, ¡°I expected a voice with more power. Something commanding attention. You sound like¡­ well a girl.¡±


    Weira frowned at him, ¡°I am a girl though.¡±


    The rest nodded and a few muttered fair enough beneath their breaths. Jace shook his head and payed the doc. They headed back to the inn trying their best to get Weira to talk more, she told them she had to get used to her voice and the fact that she could talk now. It would probably take some time before she would talk as much as the others did. After having been a mute for all her life it was going to take some getting used to the fact that she could in fact talk now a days.


    They headed back to the inn and asked Mili for a feast because they had reason to celebrate. They had beaten the hundredth floor and would soon be putting themselves on the path of mastery once more. The difference in difficulty should remain roughly the same till they hit the next barrier at level two hundred. Mili brought them a ton of new dishes that she had been experimenting on. The inn had become something of a home for the group. They had been living in it for nearly eight months. They treated the Frank and Mili more like old friends than anything else.


    They were treated the same in turn. Eventually the party got out of hand when the other regulars were invited to join in and the feast spread, Jace in another bout of randomness decided to pay for everyone and they dragged their table¡¯s to the center in one big group. The waitresses worked overtime as they tried to make sure everyone had enough to eat and drink. Once everyone had had their fill even the waitresses, Frak and Mili joined in on the conversation and the party. Alcohol made its way around and everyone drank their fill, Jace refrained from alcohol, he wasn¡¯t a fan. A tall glass of milk was what it was all about! Eventually Sarai and Aziva joined in and the party lasted until well into the night.

 Chapter 21

    Jace woke up the next morning in the house with Sarai draped over him. Aziva had climbed in bed with them and nestled herself between the two. He smiled down at the pair and remained in bed for a bit. He enjoyed watching them sleep, was that creepy? Maybe, how was he supposed to know, they were basically his wife and daughter though. So maybe that made it not creepy? Well he was no expert on creepiness, the random string of thoughts evaporated as Sarai stirred and stared up at him with sleepy eyes. She smiled, murmured something he didn¡¯t quite here and snuggled into his chest. He stroked her hair gently as he did his best to stay this way as long as he could.


    Eventually Aziva woke up and sat up straight, hair in a fuzz and eyes half open. She peeked over at the two of them snuggling and jumped on top. Jace covered his daddy bags just in time to prevent an energetic foot from crushing them. His relief was short lived when she body slammed the both of them, a protective hand just in time to protect Sarai from the brunt of it. He groaned as the girl flopped on top of him, she gazed at him with sparkling eyes. ¡°What¡¯s for breakfast!?¡±


    He chuckled and ruffled her hair, ¡°Ask your mother.¡± The curious eyes zoomed towards Sarai who groaned and pretended to be asleep. A few energetic shakes later and she opened her eyes to look at her daughter. ¡°Overly energetic children, that¡¯s what I¡¯ll be having for breakfast.¡± Aziva squee¡¯d and took off.


    Sarai shook herself awake and mock chased after her. Jace grinned and sat up, he had slept with pants on, his shirt was nowhere to be found. He shrugged and put on some fresh clothes. He went downstairs to see Aziva stand on a stool and watching her mother cook, while bombarding her with questions in the meantime. Jace walked up to Sarai and leaned over her shoulder and kissed her cheek. A smile appeared on her face as she rubbed his hair with her hand. Aziva whined that she wanted her own kiss, so he picked her up and held her between the two of them and they kissed her on both cheeks at once. She giggled and took off once he set her down.


    After a few minutes of racing around the room she calmed down and they took a seat at the table for breakfast. Eggs and sausages with some bread, one thing he loved about this world was breakfast. It was full of all kind of good foods, he did miss the bread focused breakfast from back home though. Even if they added some bread to a lot of the meals around here. He shrugged and sat up when there was a knock on his door. He opened it and stared at a man in what couldn¡¯t be anything other than a suit. He blinked in surprise before he focused on the man himself, a middle aged man that was immaculately kempt. He bowed to Jace who bowed back in turn, causing the man to raise an eyebrow.


    The man coughed and straightened his back. ¡°I am here to deliver a message to inform you that Jisarila Vin to Shurka and the head of the family Ruminar Vin to Shurka will be joining you for dinner this evening.¡±


    Jace smiled, ¡°oooh, Jisa¡¯s gonna be visiting and bringing her gramps along I suppose. Thanks for the warning, will you be joining us for dinner yourself?¡±


    The man blinked and hesitated, ¡°I suppose myself and two others will be present as well.¡±


    Jace grinned at him, ¡°Awesome, I¡¯ll have to get Mili to lend us one of her recipe¡¯s. Sarai¡¯s gonna complain if she has to cook for a group without one of her recipe¡¯s. Before I forget any specific time?¡±


    The man once more stared at him for a while before straightening. ¡°I was tasked to inquire as to the preferred time of visitation.¡±


    Jace scratched his beard, ¡°Hey Sarai, you mind if we have dinner about an hour before sunset tonight? Also we¡¯ll be having guests, other than the usual scamps!¡±


    Sarai peeked around the corner, brush in hand as she was coming her hair, she was still wearing her nightgown. Something which the butler was studiously avoiding to look at. ¡°Is fine with me!¡± She called out to him before grabbing Aziva before she could rush over to the door. She carried the struggling girl back into their bedroom to brush her hair.


    Jace turned back to the man, who seemed somewhat off put. He smiled at him, ¡°You can relax my friend, she doesn¡¯t mind if you take a peek.¡±


    Jace could swear he saw a slight flush appear on the man¡¯s cheeks before he got himself back under control. He stroked his suit, ¡°I thank you for advice, I shall inform m¡¯lady of the preferred time. I shall see you again tonight.¡±


    Jace nodded and waved the man goodbye as he turned around and left. Sarai walked back into the room as the door closed with Aziva in hand. ¡°What was that about?¡±


    ¡°Jisarila is coming over for dinner tonight, she¡¯s bringing her grandfather over as well. At least I assume the head of the family is her grandfather, it might be her father. Who am I to judge, the butler didn¡¯t correct me so I assume I guessed right.¡± He kept babbling for a bit before he noticed Sarai had frozen.


    She grabbed him by both shoulders and attempted to shake him. The difference in stats made that difficult, she glared at him regardless. ¡°The Vin To Shurka family is coming over? Does this house look appropriate for dinner with The Battlemasters?!¡± Jace raised an eyebrow and looked at her.


    ¡°Battlemasters? Never heard of them, regardless she¡¯s coming here as an acquaintance not as a noble. I¡¯m guessing her gramps is tagging along because he wants to meet the one who helped his granddaughter break through.¡±


    Sarai stared at him in disbelief, Jace shrugged. ¡°Relax, it¡¯s not like they will expect a royal banquet, we are but commoners after all.¡± Sarai threw her hands in the air. ¡°Whatever! Not like its gonna be on my head, your the host!¡±


    Jace grinned, ¡°Let¡¯s ask Mili for a recipe and go shopping for some food. I¡¯m gonna ask Weira to come over as well. The rest I¡¯ll ask to stay at the inn or something.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Sarai sighed but went along with him regardless, Aziva followed them to the inn and was her usual energetic self. They prepared dinner for the night, Sarai, Weira and Aziva were wearing their best dresses when night arrived. Jace was wearing his usual pants and sleeveless tunic. Much to Sarai¡¯s distress, he grinned at her and told her that he wouldn¡¯t change who he was when other people came to his house. It was his home after all, he would be himself and at ease here, if nowhere else. She growled but let him wear it.


    A knock on the door and Jace opened it to find a small procession. At the head was an elderly man, with eyebrows that grew well past his cheeks and a goatee that was well styled and hung below his chin. The man¡¯s clothing reminded Jace of eastern culture, he wore an elegant robe. Jace quickly swept his eyes over the rest of the arrivals, Jisarila was wearing a beautiful light blue dress, with some simple but elegant sapphire and silver jewelry. To the sides stood two men in full plate armour with tower shields and a sheathed short sword at their waist. The butler was back as promised, standing a step behind the elderly man, whom Jace focused his attention back on.


    He smiled and opened the door and waved the man in, ¡°You must be the Vin to Shurka patriarch, welcome to my humble abode. A table has been prepared in the dining room, feel free to take a seat where it would best suit you.¡±


    Jace saw the butler¡¯s eyebrows shoot up and did his best to keep a shit-eating grin from appearing on his face. The elder nodded to him and stepped inside, the rest of the procession smiled. Jace winked at Jisarile who rolled her eyes at him, but he spotted the small smile she sported.


    The elder had taken a seat at the bottom end of the table so Jace took it upon himself to sit at the head. Sarai set to his left, with Aziva next to her and Weira as the last person on that side of the table. Jisarila sat on her grandfather¡¯s left and the rest of his entourage sat next to her, first the butler than the pair of knights. Sarai stood up and came out with some small dishes of apertives. She set them down in front of all the people sitting, Aziva was doing her utmost to hold still and stop from stuffing the food in her mouth. Even she could tell that the atmosphere was different from usual.


    The elderly gentleman spoke up as he sat across the table. ¡°I wanted to introduce myself to you, I am Ruminar Vin to Shurka, current head of the Vin To Shurka family. My granddaughter and next heir of Family head, has told me that you are to thank for her breakthrough.¡±


    Jace grinned, dropping his formal attitude. ¡°It worked both ways so I was more than happy to help her out.¡±


    The knights stiffened and he could tell the butler had the urge to facepalm. Funny how that was a universal reaction to stupidity.


    The man smiled slightly, ¡°It seems you are not one to stand on etiquette.¡±


    Jace smiled, ¡°I am but a commoner after all, I have not had schooling into etiquette.¡±


    The man leaned forward slightly and exuded a bit of pressure. ¡°That may be true but you seem awfully relaxed in our presence. Some nobles might take offense at that.¡±


    Jace shrugged, ¡°Anyone who takes offense at a man acting at ease in his own home is an idiot. I see no reason to act differently, we are all beings of flesh and blood in the end.¡±


    The patriarch nodded and folded his hands, the pressure increasing slightly. ¡°Still perhaps you should realize that some people have the strength to eradicate both you and your lineage without repercussions. It might not be wise to offend such people.¡±


    Jace grinned and a slimmer of bloodthirst oozed out from him. The knights stiffened and their hands twitched towards their blades. The butler frowned but otherwise barely reacted. ¡°That is when you assume that your power and your family is more powerful than mine, perhaps you should have done some more research before threatening me and mine.¡±


    The man stared at him through silver lashes for a moment before the both of them burst out in laughter. ¡°Sorry about that young man, a simple bit of fun. It wouldn¡¯t do for the next heir to befriend people with a weak will after all.¡±


    Jace sat back in his chair and grinned, ¡°Not at all, it was fun. Haven¡¯t had a conversation like that in a while.¡±


    The man nodded as everyone stared at the two incredulously, Jisarila simply looked exasperated. The patriarch spoke again, ¡°All though I am curious as to why you think your family could match mine. We are well known for our prowess in battle, our clan has several faithfull knight orders that follow our orders. I am also the current Marshal of the kingdom and the leader of its armies. Tell me how you think to match that?¡±


    Jace smiled softly and leaned forward, ¡°Although I currently carry no last name one has been offered to me. By both my sister.¡± He pointed his thumb at Weira, ¡°And her grandmother. The Hillmorr family has no rivals, or so I am told.¡±


    Everyone at the table froze and even the patriarch paled slightly, Jisarila stared at him with wide eyes. Even Sarai was staring at the two of them with a slack jaw. The man scratched at his goatee and chuckled. ¡°I see, yes I suppose that would more than match my families strength.¡±


    Jace grinned, then shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m my own man however, if I took a last name it would not be for the power it grants. It would be me saying that I accept them as family and would do anything to protect them. The Hillmorr family has no need of protection, while they are my family I have no need of the name. I would have taken Sarai¡¯s.¡± He said as he looked over at her with a loving smile. ¡°But she like me has no last name of her own.¡±


    The patriarch shook his head, ¡°Fate is a strange thing, my daughter has fought and helped a scion of the Hillmorr clan grow.¡±


    Jace smiled, ¡°A good thing she managed to befriend him along the way then.¡±


    The patriarch laughed, ¡°Yes I have to say I raised her rather well, she has good judgement. Regardless, I¡¯d approved even before you mentioned your connection to Hillmorr. Perhaps you should make a last name of your own, and build a new legacy?¡± He folded his hands and leaned forward with interest.


    Jace shrugged, ¡°Perhaps someday, I¡¯m in no rush. I¡¯m young after all.¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    The rest of the meal proceeded calmly, they ate for a while with little conversation. That was until Aziva could no longer hold it in. She stared at the patriarch and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t your eyebrows ever get in your nose and tickle?!¡±


    Jace coughed as he barely kept himself from spraying food over the table. The butler almost choked and the knights stared at her in horror. Jisarila was doing her best not to burst out laughing. Weira was curiously eyeing the eyebrows while Sarai was staring at her daughter in despair.


    The man in question raised his eyebrow. ¡°Why yes, it does happen the tickling sensation is an annoyance.¡±


    This time everyone stared at the man in utter shock. Even Jisarila had dropped her for and stared at the man.


    Aziva nodded sagely, ¡°Perhaps you¡¯ll need me to cut them. I¡¯m very good with scissors, I can do it for you!¡±


    The man smiled, ¡°If the tickling ever becomes too much for me you shall be the first I ask for help.¡±


    Aziva grinned, ¡°Promise!?¡±


    The man nodded with a small smile, ¡°It is a promise.¡±

 Chapter 22

    The rest of the dinner proceeded smoothly, the exchange between Aziva and Ruminar the patriarch caused the rest of the people to relax. Even the butler wasn¡¯t as stiff and formal as he had been before. Jace smiled at the gathering of people, meeting all these new interesting individuals made the transfer to wherever this was more than worth it. The food was good some kind of large bird egg based recipe. It was nice, he had always been a bit of a foodie. The magic and strange creatures that lived in this world made the food that much more tasty. As he was enjoying the food the patriarch turned his gaze towards him. Jace raised an eyebrow as he stuffed his mouth with egg.


    The man put his knife and fork on the plate. ¡°How would you like to become a knight?¡±


    Jace raised an eyebrow and scratched at his beard. ¡°As interesting and fun as that sounds I have responsibilities towards my team. Although to be honest the dungeon diving has started to bore me. It¡¯s so repetitive.¡±


    Weira raised an eyebrow and shrugged, ¡°You were the same back in the village, a year orso of staying in the same area and you became bored.¡±


    Jace blinked in surprise to hear her speak, he still had to get used to that. He shrugged, ¡°I like to see and do new things. I get bored of things fast, the army was different, somehow. I felt I fit in, being a knight would be something like a soldier would it not?¡±


    The patriarch stroked his goatee, ¡°There might be an issue if you were a soldier of another country. Should we ever go to war with said country there would be a conflict of interest. Generally we do not accept people who were not born here.¡±


    Jace shrugged, ¡°There is absolutely zero chance of war with my former country.¡±


    Ruminar raised an eyebrow, ¡±Do explain.¡±


    Jace glanced at Weira who shrugged, ¡°Well technically I¡¯m not from this world.¡±


    Sarai and Aziva stared at him, the knights and the butler were slackjawed. Jisarila merely looked slightly surprised and the patriarch didn¡¯t even twitch. The man simply nodded knowingly, ¡°That would indeed take care of my concerns, so you will think on my offer?¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°Gonna have to run it by my team first regardless. The kids can take care of themselves now a days, but i¡¯d still feel like I abandoned them.¡±


    The patriarch accepted his answer, and the rest of the dinner was uneventful. The Vin To Shurka family left and Jace waved goodbye as he re?ntered the house. Sarai looked at him with her arms folded beneath her ample bosom. She glared at him, he stopped in his tracks, ¡°What¡¯d I do this time?¡±


    ¡°You never told me you¡¯re from another world! That¡¯s something big, I mean I¡¯ve never even heard of such a thing!¡± She stomped to him and grabbed his collar.


    He smiled and kissed her, she grumbled and pushed him off. Jace sighed, ¡°What difference does it make, it doesn¡¯t change who I am.¡±


    ¡°Yea knowing you were the adopted grandson of one of the most dangerous people on the continent would have been nice to know as well. You¡¯re such a strange man, so many secrets surround you.¡± She sagged slightly and looked worried.


    He wrapped her in his arms. ¡°I never really kept anything a secret, It¡¯s just not that important to me. Jace will be Jace, regardless of where he is from.¡±


    Sarai hugged him back and mumbled something he didn¡¯t understand. He felt arms wrap around his leg. He looked down at Aziva who grinned up at him, ¡°Aziva doesn¡¯t care! You¡¯re my dad, and dads do cool stuff like come from other worlds and have army destroying grandma¡¯s and bake eggs and become knights and stuff!¡±


    Jace shook his head and looked down at her, ¡°I swear to god you talk like a teenager sometimes.¡±


    She cocked her head, ¡°What¡¯s a teenager.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be one in a few years! It¡¯s when you¡¯re not a kid anymore but not an adult yet.¡±


    She made an o shape with her mouth and nodded knowingly. He ruffled her hair and turned to Weira. ¡°What do you think by the way, about the knight thing.¡±


    ¡°I can see you as a knight, you got the chivalry thing down. I can take care of the kids till you¡¯re done.¡±


    Jace chuckled, ¡°That whole I can take care of the kids thing makes you sound like my wife.¡±


    Weira rolled her eyes. ¡°I am your wife in everything other than romantic stuff.¡±


    Sarai laughed, ¡°She has a point, she takes care of your money, she looks after the kids. The banter between the both of you is very couple-like.¡±


    Jace raised an eyebrow, ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be jealous of such comments?¡±


    Sarai looked at him exasperated, ¡°Please, why should I feel jealous towards a woman who¡¯s only interested in other women.¡±


    Jace blinked and turned to Weira, ¡°Wait you¡¯re lesbian?¡±


    Weira cocked her head, ¡°Assuming lesbian means into women and not men then yes.¡±


    Jace blanched, ¡°Why is this not a thing I know!¡±


    Weira stared at him as if he was an idiot, ¡°What do you think me and Qyra did in that room together all the time?!¡±


    Jace¡¯s jaw dropped, ¡°I thought you slept! As normal people! Since when have you two even been an item!¡±


    Weira facepalmed, ¡°Sometimes you truly are oblivious.¡±


    Jace grumbled and then grinned at Sarai. ¡°I can¡¯t help it that all my romantic thinking has been used up on Sarai.¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Both women groaned and threw their hands up in the air. They left the room together grumbling about men and idiocy.


    Jace stared down at Aziva who put a hand on her hip and tutted at him. She wagged her finger and walked of self-importantly. Jace watched them leave and muttered to himself, ¡°I really need more men in this household, I¡¯m outnumbered.


    The rest of the day passed in peace, the next day they headed to the inn to meet up with the team and contrary to his expectations they congratulated him on the offer of becoming a knight. They looked truly happy for him, he put a hand on his neck and chuckled awkwardly. He ate a late dinner with the rest of the team discussing what they would do in the future. It was well past dark when he heard a commotion from further up the street. Jace frowned and headed outside to see people gathering further up the street. That was where his house was!


    The blood drained from his face as he sprinted down the street, easily overtaking others. There was a crowd, he pushed his way through and froze when he saw them gathered around his house. His breath heaved as stepped towards the house. The door, open and dangling of a single hinge, shattered. He pushed his way past the remains, his heart stopped when he saw the blood in the hallway leading up the stairs. He sprinted, taking several steps at a time. Furniture, destroyed. Walls, stained with blood.. He crashed into the bedroom and stared down. A form,unmoving, hair in a still bouquet framing her bloody face. She was still, so still. He fell to his knees and gently picked her up, he choked on his breath as he stared down at her. Sarai lay there, her beautiful brown eyes covered in blood, her chest wasn¡¯t moving. It wasn¡¯t moving! She was cooling down he could feel it!


    ¡°No.. nononono. NO! NOOO!¡± He screamed and held her to his chest, he feverishly glared around the room and spotted a corpse. A man in dirty leather lay there, knife in his chest. She¡¯d fought back. She¡¯d been tough. He stifled a cry of pain. His team burst into the room and froze upon entry, they stumbled over and looked at him in shock. Limbs slack, eyes wide. Jace froze, he felt the rush of emotions. He looked at Floris, his voice lost all its emotion.¡°Take care of her.¡±


    Aziva was missing. He had to act. He grabbed the throat of the dead man and dragged him through the doorway. Weira followed behind him, silent. He focused his wrath, his despair, he forged them into a singular purpose. Finding his daughter. He smashed through what was left of the front door and stared at the crowd around his house with an icy gaze. He threw the corpse forward. ¡°Who is this?¡±


    His voice was eerily calm, the crowd avoided eye contact. A woman stepped forward hesitantly, vague recognition, laundry, he couldn¡¯t recall the details.


    ¡°That l-looks like one of the R-Red Ears, check his s-shoulder.¡± The woman stuttered as she forced herself to answer, Jace ripped the leather off off the corpse and checked the shoulder, a tattoo of a bloody ear.


    ¡°Where is their base?¡±


    He waited for the woman to answer but she just shrugged nervously, another man stepped forward. The baker they bought bread from. ¡°They have a smaller place not far from here, it¡¯s a marked house two streets to the west. They are a dangerous gang though, they have connections to slavers and the Rthul Cult.¡±


    Jace stared the man down, ¡°I care not, point me in their direction.¡±


    The man swallowed and pointed, he saw Floris carefully carry Sarai out of the house. His gaze flickered to Jace before he sprinted off towards the nearest hospital. Jerard and Qyra hot on his heel, the girl glowing with magic as she sent spell after spell into Sarai. Plip stumbled out of the house face pale, his bow was gripped tightly his teeth clenched, eyes hard.


    ¡°Slaughter?¡± He hissed.


    Jace nodded, turned and left in the direction the man pointed. Plip and Weira close behind. He rushed through the alley, after a brief sprint he found the building the baker mentioned. A bloody ear painted on the side. He raised his shield and smashed through the door, turning the piece of wood into splinters. Thugs in leather twisted around in surprise as they stared at the intruder. Jace cared not, he stepped forward and shoved his sword right through the throat of the nearest. Blood splashed across his face and armour,it was ignored. He moved to the next. The thug desperately raised an arm to protect himself. Jace cut the offending limb off and smashed his forehead into the thug¡¯s nose. Knocking him to the floor, he put his boot on the man¡¯s head and crushed it.


    He stepped over the corpse and tore into the remaining thugs. Arrows whistled past his ears. He disregarded everything other than his next target, he cut his way through half a dozen bodies before he reached the man that had been shouting panicked orders. The man raised his sword in a desperate slash, Jace grabbed the man by the wrist, put his foot against the thug and ripped his arm off. He curled his fingers around the man¡¯s neck.


    The man stared up at him and Jace saw his pants darken as he wet himself. ¡°Where is my daughter.¡±


    The man struggled to speak, Jace reluctantly loosened the grip on his throat. The man desperately called out. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about!¡±


    Jace narrowed his brows, causing the man to attempt to shrink back, without success. ¡°Then tell me where your main base is.¡±


    The thug desperately nodded and gave him directions. Jace listened and then grabbed the man by the face, the man clawed at his arm. Jace raised the man of the ground and then swung his arm forwards, smashing his skull into the wall.


    He turned and stalked towards his next destination. An inn, the thug had told him about a hatch that led into the cellar and a extensive underground network. Jace stepped into the inn, heads turned towards him and people froze. They gazed at his blood covered appearance and swallowed.


    Jace ignored them and headed towards the hatch, he tore it out of the ground and stepped into the dark tunnel. He activated his net and started jogging through the tunnels. He came across a patrol of leather armoured thugs and tore through them. The blood dripped from his blade and armour. He ignored it and went deeper. He heard angry shouts further down the tunnels, he headed down towards them. He saw some magic glyphs activate as he rushed past them, Weira worked quickly to deactivate them and he pressed ever on.


    He stepped into a cavern, a dining hall of sorts. Thugs stood up as they stared in alarm at his trespassing. There must be over fifty of the scum in here. Jace pointed his blade towards them, ¡°Give me back my daughter.¡±


    ----- Rimm the Thug Pov-----


    Rimm was eating his dinner, peacefully as usual, when all of the sudden a man armored in half-plate, covered with blood, smashed down the door. Quite literally SMASHED through it, the splinters exploded into the dining room, one even landed in his ale! His heart lept into his throat as the man swept his gaze over the crowd. His eyes caused Rimm to shiver, there was a deep, frigid, intense wrath in the man¡¯s eyes. His face was splattered with blood, some of it fresh. He was entirely covered in the crimson splatters. The demon opened its mouth, ¡°Give me back my daughter.¡± Rimm shivered in dread, the slaver team must have kidnapped this man¡¯s daughter. This was bad!


    He clumsily tried to draw his blade, he stared down for a second and when he looked back up blood exploded into the air, there were already three corpses surrounding the demon. He shook and raised his blade, he was at the far end of the hall. He was frozen in horror, the armour clad monster was tearing through his gang-mates with ease. Limbs dissapeared with simple swings, cries of terror, fear and rage created a cacophony of soundl. Rimm tried to move but his body refused, another demon stepped out of the tunnel. Glyphs surrounded this one, blond hair swirling around her, blood dripping from her halberd. The angry red glow of the glyphs, made her skin seem red. Her eyes smoldered. She swung her halberd and two thugs fell apart in four pieces. Another one stepped out of the tunnel, smaller than the other two. Covered in blood splattered leather and chain. A hood made its face invisible to the naked eye. Its arms blurred as it sent fletched message of death from one thug to the next.


    That¡¯s when the blood started floating up from where it was gathering on the floor, it floated towards the armoured demon. It gathered around him like a pet wanting attention. The monster turned its eyes to him, a ravenous gaze. He shivered but his body refused to move as it stepped towards him.

 Chapter 23

    Jace stepped over the corpses of the dead as he walked towards the last remaining thug, the young man was frozen in fear. Face pale and hands clutching his sword in a white knuckled grip. ¡°Where is she.¡±


    The young thug swallowed and tried to stop his body from trembling, he opened and closed his mouth a few times in an attempt to talk, eventually he got enough control over his nerves but kept eyeing the blood that was floating around him. ¡°T-they probably took her to the new wing, the boss created a new team to gather slaves. Bad business I say but who listens to the new guy! I¡¯m just trying to survive here man, I swear I had nothing to do with your daughter, the new wing is down that tunnel! The boss has his place down there too!¡±


    Jace eyed him a few times, he nodded and turned. His armored boots splashed on blood as a carpet of the crimson fluid created a path for him, pushin aside the corpses. He barely noted its presence. He heard the thug collapse to the floor behind him, Jace let him live. The young man didn¡¯t smell off¡­ Yet. he walked towards a closed double door, the blood coagulated into a fist and smashed through the wood. The blood swirled back around him, a loving life-blood serpent wanting attention from its master.


    The dark tunnel flew by as he ran through. Eventually he entered another room this one covered in cages stacked on top of each other. His eyes sped through the room, untill he found a child curled into fetal-position sobbing. The blood charged forward and ripped the cage to shreds, the slaves in the other cages shrunk back into the wall. The child sat up and stared at him through teary eyes. Her sobbing stopped as she saw who it was, she rushed forward and tackled him, sobbing into his arms, he picked her up and held her to his chest. The other slaves looked on curious, Jace stroked her hair and then swept his gaze over the other cages, many of them filled. All of the humans were female, a lot of them young. The rest was filled with races that he had never really seen before. They must be rare and worth a decent amount.


    The blood charged forward at his whim and tore the cages to shreds the prisoners flinched but then carefully made their way out of the cages. Jace looked around at them and then patted Aziva on the head. ¡°Stay with your aunt.¡± He picked her up and pushed her into Weira¡¯s arms, who lovingly wrapped around her. He looked from her to Plip, then swept his gaze over the rest of the people. ¡°Watch over them.¡±


    The blood followed him as he continued on through the tunnel at the far end, he heard shouting and angry orders. It was time to chop the snake¡¯s head of. The prisoners behind him watched him round the corner and flinched when they heard the screams of pain and terror from further down into the dark. As scared as they seemed, they relaxed upon hearing those screams, they stared tentatively at the two people left behind to watch over them. Weira stood with Aziva in her arms, ¡°We will wait for his return, then we will escort you ot of this hell-hole.¡±


    The people started muttering excitedly to one another. Meanwhile Jace was tearing his way through the thug¡¯s desperate last stand. Even elite scum was nothing but scum, he made that clear as his blade danced through arteries, adding to the furiously swirling swarm of blood around him. The thugs at the end of the hall started retreating pulling back into the last room. He smashed the reinforced steel door, and saw it dent under his assault. The blood pulled back and smashed forward tearing it of its hinges.


    Inside a bald man missing an ear was holding a knife to the throat of a beatifull young child. She was a race he had never seen before, she had four elongated ears that were elf-like, two on each side of her head, her hair was bright orange and bright blue. It seemed more like stalks of grass than strands of hair, her teeth were sharp and pointed. Her eyes were a deep red, with bright blue pupils. She was small, perhaps four feet tall. Jace paused and eyed the man.


    ¡°Come any closer and I¡¯ll slit her throat.¡±


    Jace stopped walking, the blood rising behind him like a tidal wave. The bald man eyed it nervously. ¡°Why are you attacking my people and destroying my home!¡±


    Jace¡¯s eyes narrowed as he glared at the man. ¡°Your people kidnapped my daughter and near-killed my wife. She may not survive.¡±


    The bald man cursed, ¡°I told those idiots to investigate who they were kidnapping.¡± He glared at an extremely buff man standing next to him. ¡°I TOLD YOU TO DO A BACKGROUND CHECK!¡±


    The buff man raised his hands, ¡°We did boss! He¡¯s only a silver ranked adventurer!¡±


    ¡°Silver ranked my ass!¡± The bald man threw out another string of curses and glared at Jace, ¡°I assume your daughter was in the previous room, Take her and leave.¡±


    Jace folded his arms, ¡°I think not.¡±


    The man pressed his blade against the girls neck, she didn¡¯t so much as squeak and instead glared at the surrounding thugs with venom in her eyes. Jace put a hand on his blade, ready to draw. ¡°Give the girl to me and I won¡¯t slaughter the lot of you.¡±


    The bald man hesitated, then frowned, he rolled his shoulders. ¡°Swear upon the god of contracts and I will.¡±


    Jace frowned and shrugged, he was not so far gone in emotions that he would let an innocent die to sate his thirst for blood. ¡°I, Jace, adoptive grandson of Trishla Hillmorr, friend of Jisarila Vin to Shurka, Prospective Knight of the Vin To Shurk family, Silver ranked adventurer, Father to a kidnapped daughter, Husband to a near death wife do hereby swear to the god of contracts to not kill this man and his scumbag friends should they release the girl into my care.¡±


    The bald man paled further as he listened to Jace, when he was done he released the girl and took his knife to the buff man and started stabbing him while screaming. ¡°YOU KIDNAPPED THE SLOW MARCH OF DEATH¡¯S FUCKING FAMILY?! YOU DOOMED US ALL YOU BLOODY IDIOT!¡±


    Jace held his hand out to the girl, she looked at his hand and ignored it and stood by his side, her eyebrows raised. Jace shrugged, ¡°I did swear.¡± He turned around and left the tunnel back to the cave where the slaves had been kept. Weira raised an eyebrow as he stepped into the room. ¡°We can hear the man screaming from over here, you didn¡¯t kill him?¡±Stolen story; please report.


    Jace smiled softly, ¡°I swore on the god of contracts that I, Jace, would not kill him.¡± He looked from Plip to Weira. ¡°Neither of you are named Jace.¡±


    Bloodthirst seeped from the Plip¡¯s hood, Weira twirled her halberd. She looked up to him, her eyes hard. ¡°Understood.¡±


    Weira and Plip walked off into the tunnel, the strange girl looked up at him. She smiled a bloodthirsty grin, Jace smiled back at her. ¡°I am a man of my word after all.¡±


    A furred man stepped forward, he looked every part a werewolf. His voice however was smooth, with an accent pleasing to the ear. ¡°Is it true what we heard, you are family to The Slow March of Death?¡±


    Jace shrugged, ¡°Kinda, doubt grans would do anything about it though. Our lives are our own to live.¡±


    The werewolf nodded and then stared at him and the blood surrounding him, he then looked at the little girl who had wrapped herself around his leg. Next he looked at the strange girl with the sharp teeth. ¡°What is it you plan to do with us?¡±


    The other prisoners stiffened and perked their ears. Jace shrugged, ¡°I will get you out of here and then you are free to do whatever it is you wish to do with your life.¡±


    The werewolf nodded and bowed slightly, ¡°That would be appreciated, we thank you for your timely arrival.¡±


    Jace looked at him and smirked, ¡°Didn¡¯t come here for you or the others, you just happened to be here when they took my daughter.¡±


    The werewolf stood up and straightened himself out, standing at an impressive eight feet. ¡°Regardless, we owe you our freedom and perhaps our lives. There will come a time were I will repay this debt.¡±


    Jace shrugged again, ¡°Suit yourself.¡±


    Plip and Weira returned, a bit more blood on their armour and weapons than had been there before. Jace picked Aziva up in his arms, ¡°Lets get out of here, I have had enough of tunnels to last me a while.¡±


    Jace led the procession of former prisoners out of the cave system and into the inn which was now empty, he stepped outside the inns door only to be immediately surrounded by wall of steel. Aziva froze and the girl with the sharp teeth hissed and lowed herself. A man in full plate armour stood behind a wall of pikes. Jisarila stood next to the man, ramrod straight and in uniform. ¡°You are placed under arrest, you will have to come with us for questioning!¡± Jace glanced at Jisarila who nodded.


    Jace took of his belt and sheath and placed it on the floor, he put his shield on top. The blood that was still floating in the air around hem flew into his armour and seeped into the metal, turning it crimson. Jace raised his hands, ¡°I surrender, I was the only one who fought in the streets and these people are merely here by coincidence, patrons of the inn.¡± He pointed a thumb to the people behind him. The werewolf growled slightly and several other people frowned and looked unhappy.


    Jace turned his back to the guards, he sank to a knee and put a hand on Aziva¡¯s head and rubbed her hair. ¡°Go with your aunt and Plip. Pops has some things to take care off first.¡± Tears appeared in her eyes as she desperately clutched his pants. She wasn¡¯t stupid, she knew that being arrested was bad. Weira tore her away from Jace, eyeing the guards nervously. Jace stepped towards the guards, calmly, with his hands behind his head. He looked over to Jisarila, ¡°My wife?¡±


    She nodded, ¡°She will live.¡±


    Jace took a deep breath and looked up at the sky, ¡°That is good.¡± Men stepped forward and put him in cuffs, not the thin metal things the cops back home use but massive things of black iron. He let them cuff him and followed as he was escorted to wherever the guard was based. He looked over at Jisarila, ¡°How bad was it, will she make a full recovery?¡±


    Jisa frowned and shook her head. ¡°I am truly sorry Jace, the injuries were severe, even worse than they seemed on the surface. It is doubtful that she will ever be able to walk again. I put our own private healer mage at her service, she is one of the best. It does not look good, your young mage friend is the only reason she managed to survive.¡±


    Jace¡¯s shoulders sagged, ¡°At least she survived, I owe Qyra a drink.¡±


    The captain of the guard that was escorting them frowned at the conversation between the two, ¡°May I know what happened. All I am aware of is that someone was slaughtering citizens and frightening numerous people. It has been¡­ hectic.¡±


    Jace looked over at the man, ¡°Slavers nearly killed my wife and kidnapped my daughter, I simply got her back.¡±


    The captain of the guard frowned, ¡°The Bloody Ears gang? Branched out into slavery now huh.¡± The man spit on the ground, ¡°Seems you did us a favour.¡± Jisarila glared at the captain. Who quickly backpedaled, ¡°I mean, uuh, don¡¯t just go killing people.¡±


    Jace smirked and the captain was trying hard to keep a smile off his face. Jisarila glared at the two of them, to little effect. ¡°This is a disaster Jace, the guard has had trouble with slavers in the city later, we had a guy in undercover to lead us to the source. We had planned to raid them when they met with the slavers and catch the entire group at once! If you killed the undercover guard we have a big issue.¡±


    ¡°Young man, blue eyes, shaved head, with a little stubble?¡±


    Jisarila and the captain blinked and stared at each other. ¡°That¡¯s the one, his name is Rimm.¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°You can relax, he¡¯s fine. No wonder he smelled off, he was a guard trying to save people. Can¡¯t speak for his mental state though, I think I might have given him some nightmares. Sorry about ruining the raid, there won¡¯t be anyone alive for you to use now.¡±


    They both froze and stared at him, ¡°None?¡±


    Jace shrugged, ¡°Pretty sure I got them all.¡±


    The captain cursed, then shrugged. ¡°We know where they were planning to meet the slaver, we¡¯ll just have capture them and get more information out of the slavers.¡±


    Jace turned to the captain. ¡°Have fun.¡± The man smiled, ¡°I will.¡±


    Jisarila sighed and shrugged, ¡°We¡¯re gonna have to hold you for a day or two, my grandfather took the opportunity to add you to the list of prospective knights. Kidnapping a knights family is a crime punishable by death. It should make you taking actions in to your own hands less troublesome. Adding in that they are slavers, which is extremely despised by the people. And then the fact that it was a gang that has caused problems all over the district, people will probably be happy about the fact that you cleaned house. We can spin the story to say it was with the aid of the guard or something similar.¡±


    Jace smirked, ¡°Politics, glad they are working in my favour for once. I guess I owe you after this.¡±


    Jisarila shrugged, ¡°Judging by your strength, and the fact that you are now officially a knight of my family. I believe you will be able to make it up to me.¡±


    Jace grinned, ¡°I could always ask my wife to give you a kiss, that would help.¡±


    Jisarile frowned at him, ¡°That won¡¯t do, she is hurt.¡± Jace sagged, then straightened. ¡°She is strong, she will be fine.

 Chapter 24

    Jisarila turned to Jace once more as they were drawing close to their destination, ¡°So all that blood, is that a spell or a skill of yours?¡±


    Jace blinked and scratched his beard, ¡°I don¡¯t know actually let me check my notifications.¡±


    He opened his sheet and was bombarded by a slew of system messages. He frowned and read through them.


    [Powerful emotion detected, Wrath. New class force unlocked : Berserker]


    [Extremely high mastery detected, Shield. New class force Unlocked : Shield-sworn Berserker]


    [Magical capabilities detected. New class force unlocked : Arcane Shield-sworn Berserker.]


    [Inner connection with blood detected, new skill formulated. New skill added : Blood Lord]


    [New skill incompatible with class. New class force unlocked : Blooded Berserker.]


    [Emotions reigned in, Wrath is under user control. Incompatible with berserker class. New class force unlocked : Bloodsoaked Shieldmaster.]


    Jace¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Well damn, I went through like five forced class unlocks.¡±


    Jisarila, the captain and the nearby guards stared at him with wide eyes. ¡°Force unlocks are extremely rare and you went through five of them?¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°Yea first it unlocked Berserker, which turned into Shield-sworn Berserker because of my shield mastery. Then it turned that class into an arcane version because of my limited magical capabilities. Next I got a skill that gives me unconscious control of blood, granting it a semi-sentience, according to the skill. That turned me into a Blooded Berserker, then because I reigned my emotions in to save the girl, Berserker became incompatible and it turned me into a Bloodsoaked Shieldmaster.¡±


    Jisarila stared at him and sighed, ¡°By the gods I have never even heard of such a thing. What level are you, it sounds like a third tier class.¡±


    Jace blinked and looked at her, ¡°I¡¯m level zero, I¡¯m walking the path of mastery.¡±


    Jisarila blinked, but showed little surprise. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken that class is third tier. It is extremely rare for people to unlock higher class tiers before reaching higher levels. But it has been known to happen. The queen, may she prosper, started with a tier two class. She is a powerful ruler and her skills affect the entire kingdom. Her youngest is said to be an even greater prodigy, starting with a third tier class similar to you. Other than the royal family I know of only six others that have started with a higher tier class.¡±


    The captain nodded and scratched at his chin, ¡°People that do start with higher tier classes tend to become incredibly potent combatants. Even should they not be a combat class, they stand at the fore of whatever discipline they choose.¡±


    Jisarila started laughing, Jace raised an eyebrow and stared at her. She grinned at him, ¡°I just realised that it is good for us that we got you in our clutches early.¡±


    Jace smiled back at her, ¡°Treat me right, act with honour, and you will find me good to have in your employ.¡±


    She smiled at him, ¡°I have no doubt.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even asked but what actually would it mean for me to become a knight of your family?¡±


    She paused and chuckled, ¡°Yes, you do seem the type to dive in headfirst without finding out the details. First you would need to spend a year at the Knight¡¯s academy. Normally it would be longer but you have the combat skills down. So I this is based on my estimate. Most of your time would be spent on learning how to ride your mount of choice, learning etiquette. Once again you are, abnormal, normally one would be a page for a knight before sent to the academy. You will be doing things slightly backwards, you will be sent to the academy first, then spend half a year under a knight. Not as a page but as a, sergeant, I suppose.¡±


    She tapped her chin. ¡°After that you will have to select a page yourself who will serve you for two years. Each knight must have at least one page to serve them at all times. This helps our kingdom make sure we have sufficient knights. They serve mostly as our elite troops, unlike other kingdoms you are not entitled to a fief or land. You¡¯re more of an elite soldier, than a knight in that perspective.¡±


    Jace shrugged, ¡°Works for me, doubt I¡¯d be good at managing a fief anyway. Not my thing.¡±


    Jisarila nodded, ¡°Which reminds me, You said you spent two years in the scout division, but you spent six years in the military, what did you do for the last four. I never did ask.¡±


    Jace frowned, ¡°No you didn¡¯t¡±


    Jisa waited for more, when Jace held his silence she nodded and folded her hands behind her back. ¡°I see.¡±


    The rest of the trip was completed in silence. Jace was put in a cell, gently, the guards had been listening after all. There was a slight sense of approval in their actions, a lot of them had wives and children themselves. If slavers got their hands on them, the guards could only shudder at the thought.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Jace spent the rest of the day sitting in the cell, it was a large one filled with a few other criminals. One had tried to assert his dominance on him, his teeth had flow through the air. The rest got the message and left him alone. He slept and woke up the next day to a guard calling his name. Apparently they were ready for his trial. Jace shrugged and followed as the guard led him up through a few stairwells and waved him into a room. The guard put cuffs on when Jace entered the room and was instructed to stand behind a small wooden desk. He looked around, in front of him was a taller wooden construction with chairs on top. Five people sat in these chairs, from left to right sat. Jisarila, a man with a thin and immaculately maintained mustache, an elderly woman with her hair in a bun and a stern look on her face, a man so humongous and muscular that Jace was surprised the feeble looking chair could hold him. Last but not least was the captain of the guard.


    The elderly woman stood, ¡°We shall now start your trial, would you like to summon someone for your defense?¡±


    Jace shook his head. ¡°No need.¡±


    The woman nodded unsurprised, and sat back down. She motioned to someone standing to the left of the room, a clerk of sorts. The clerk stepped forward, ¡°I will now read the charges against the defendant.¡±


    He put his finger on the paper he was holding and started listing the charges. ¡°Destruction of property, frightening and threatening civilians. Multiple accounts of murder of the first degree.¡±


    As the clerk finished with that sheet of paper he grabbed another, ¡°I will now read the defense of outside parties against the defendant. Note that all the reports are quoted and have been unaltered.¡±


    The clerk coughed, ¡°First account made by madam Laila Bristiem : Jace and his family are really nice people, honest! Sarai always helps out when people need a hand and Aziva is a walking bundle of happy energy. Jace I don¡¯t see as much because he works hard to support his family, but just the way his wife and daughter speak of him means he¡¯s a good person. He really is! Even if he was really scary when he dragged that corpse through the wall, he walked right through the door as if it wasn¡¯t there. He didn¡¯t threaten me! Just because he scared us doesn¡¯t mean he threatened me!¡±


    The muscular man chuckled hearing the report, the others glared at him and he raised his hands in surrender. The man with the extremely long mustache motioned for the clerk to continue.


    ¡°The second account is from one, Gripplesticks Pundersnuff.¡± The man with the mustache¡¯s interuppted, ¡°The new and upcoming, wine and juice brewer? The one who¡¯s business is expanding so fast he threatens the former Filmar kingdom¡¯s monopoly on the wine trade in our country?¡±


    The clerk nodded, ¡°The very same.¡± He was waved to continue, ¡°Jace is my patron and a true connoisseur of the arts. He invested eighty percent of my start-up capital. Eighty! Do you know what he asked for in return, a mere ten percent of profits and a lifelong supply of merchandise. A mere ten percent! Because of his magnanimous behavior I have been able to grow my small business into what it is today, and it will grow much larger! Such man could not be evil. I demand his freedom!¡±


    The judge stroked his mustache and looked down at Jace, curiosity in his eye. ¡°Why only ask for ten percent?¡±


    Jace shrugged, ¡°Grip has a true mind for business, asking for only a little would allow him to expand that much faster. He puts around ninety percent of what he earns back into the brewery. Plus I get a lifetime supply! The only reason he agreed with my investment was most likely because I was a true fan of the taste of his juice, reminded me of the smoothies back home. Truly delicious.¡±


    The man nodded and motioned for the clerk to continue. ¡°We have a few more accounts of locals who defend his honour. Frank and his wife Mili from the Goofy Geese, the local baker, butcher, weaver, blacksmith. It¡¯s quite a laundry list and we would be here all day if I continued to mention them one by one, with your permission I would like to present only those that would have a significant impact.¡± The clerk raised an eyebrow at the judge panel, they gave him their permission.


    ¡°The Brass Maiden, Leader of the all-female mercenary group Metal Petal had this to say. Should Jace be incarcerated or heavily punished we would like to forewarn the kingdom of Kritva that we shall launch an assault to save him.¡±


    The elderly woman leaned forward frowning, ¡°Why would they do that?¡±


    The clerk rustled through a few pages, ¡°It seems that his attack on the gang lair has lead to his freeing of six members of the Metal Petal, one of them being the leader¡¯s cousin.¡±


    The elderly woman sat back and sighed, ¡°That could be an issue, they are a small band. But powerful.¡±


    The clerk nodded, ¡°There is more.¡± The panel muttered among themselves and listened, ¡°The Lyncan tribes Silver Paw and Crimson Threat have sworn a blood oath to follow Jace into battle. Their leaders have named him their battlemaster.¡±


    The muscular man stood up, he smashed his hands down on the tables causing the wood to splinter. ¡°Why on earth would they do that!¡±


    The clerk didn¡¯t have to search for an answer this time. ¡°The shaman of the Silver Paw tribe and a member of the Crimson Threat were also saved from the slavers. This normally would not be enough for a blood oath, but the shaman swears he felt his blood resonate when he spoke with the defendant. This is of major importance to the Lyncan tribes, the shaman stated that the other tribes will convene as well and would like to meet the defendant in person.¡±


    Jace blinked, ¡°Huh, the old werewolf I guess. I don¡¯t wanna be anyones battle master.¡±


    The panel stared at him and Jisarila giggled, which she quickly stifled. ¡°The last report of import and perhaps the most¡­ disturbing is this.¡±


    The panel leaned forward, Jace could almost feel their anxiety. ¡°The Zor Clan had only this to say. We Approve.¡±


    Full blown panic swept over the panel, even Jisarila was shouting as they yelled at each other. Jace didn¡¯t understand a word of what they were yelling. The elderly woman smacked the wooden table, smashing it to splinters. ¡°ORDER!¡±


    The rest of them settled down, but kept staring at each other and the clerk. Before all of them finally settled their gaze on Jace. The elderly woman stood up and hopped down in front of him. ¡°It seems it is a good thing that we already planned to name you innocent of all charges, it seems you have managed to stir quite a pot.¡±


    Jisarila spoke up, ¡°He¡¯s also the adoptive grandson of Trishla Hillmor.¡±


    The old lady sighed in defeat, ¡°Of course he is.¡±


    The muscular man jumped down himself, landing decidedly less gentle than the elderly woman. ¡°You have no idea what the approval of the Zor Clan means do you, I wonder when they will come with their challenge.¡± The man leaned forwards and moved in much to close for Jace¡¯s comfort. ¡°You are an interesting man Jace. I look forward to the day you are under my employ.¡±


    Jace must have looked obviously confused because the man grinned, ¡°I am Edur, head knight. Commander of all those in shiny armour.¡±


    Jace saluted, ¡°Looking forward to working for you Commander.¡±


    The man grinned, ¡°Like wise.¡±

 Chapter 25

    Jace straightened, ¡°I would like to ask about this Zor clan, it seems important that I know at least something of them before they come to challenge me, as you said.¡±


    The muscular man nodded, ¡°The Zor clan is a battle clan.¡± Jace waited for the man to continue but that appeared to be all he had to say. He turned to Jisa and raised an eyebrow. She smiled, ¡°The Zor clan is a small group of warrior people, their number is always exactly seven hundred and seventy seven. The do not birth another of their people before one has died, the Zor are an odd people. They are neither male nor female, even if they are feminine in appearance. They do not mate, they eat their opponents. Be they sentient humanoid or monster. They are picky about what they eat, the Zor absorb biological material and the most important trait of the monsters they eat and pass them on to their children.¡±


    Jace¡¯s eyes widened, that was something else. Jisarila wasn¡¯t done yet however, ¡°They hunt for specific traits, each of the Zor is born with no less than three inate traits. Some Zor hunt for specific traits to give upon their children, others simply find the strongest opponents they can and eat them. For example one Zor might track down monsters with traits for defensive purposes. Imagine a child born with, Rapid-regeneration, Tough-hide, Dense musculature. They are extremely powerful even from a younger age, as their culture revolves around battle all of them are at higher levels other than the newly born. Few people dare to mess with the Zor clan, even the average adult is of similar strength to an adamantium adventurer.¡±


    ¡°Case in point, don¡¯t fuck with the Zor, got it.¡±


    Jisarila smiled at him, ¡°It seems you don¡¯t have a choice, they have approved of you. This means they accept your personality and would challenge you. Eventually a Zor will approach you and challenge you to a battle. Should you defeat him your next fight will be against two Zor. And so on, they will keep going to till you lose. Depending on the amount of Zor you manage to defeat, you will be given an honorary ranking in the Zor clan and will be able to ask them to come to your aid in battle. Of course, very few people manage to beat a Zor. Much less gather enough respect from their kind to be seen as allies.¡±


    Jace grinned widely, ¡°So in the future a clan of immensely strong fighters will be coming to challenge me. Sounds like fun!¡±


    Edur burst out laughing, ¡°I can see why they took a liking to you, any friend of the Zor is a battle maniac.¡±


    Jace smiled, ¡°This Lyncan tribe thing bothers me more, it sounds like a pain in the ass. Another thing of concern, the leader of the gang told me they did background checks on the people they captured.¡± He looked from one to the other, ¡°What kind of bloody background checks did they do to capture all these big cheese¡¯s.¡±


    The mustached man stroked his namesake, ¡°What does cheese have to do with this?¡±


    Jace blinked, ¡°A big cheese is something my people called someone important. It¡¯s a saying.¡±


    The man nodded, ¡°I see, but you speak true. It is odd that they would make themselves enemies of these people. Entire kingdoms avoid angering the Zor, let alone a small gang. I would have to assume that someone is trying to create enemies for our kingdom.¡±


    Jace scratched at his beard, ¡°Might be a good thing I went a little crazy, they might have planned on you coming to find them. I was most likely a variable they did not account for.¡±


    The rest fell into a contemplating silence, the elderly woman spoke up. ¡°It matters not, we will investigate the matter and will beat back any who dare threaten our kingdom.¡± The others grunted in agreement and even Jace found himself nodding along. Jace straightened, ¡°Now that this matter is put to rest if you don¡¯t mind I would like to go see my wife.¡±


    The panel waved him off and Jisa showed him to her manor, an extremely large mansion in the center of the city. They had put Sarai in a room under careful care. Jace took a deep breath and entered the room, it was lavishly decorated. Not that Jace noticed, his eyes went straight to the bad, sitting there propped up sat Sarai, her hair falling over her shoulders. Aziva was sitting in her arms, Jace looked her in the eyes and froze. For once he didn¡¯t know what to say or do. Jisa gently pushed him forward, Jace swallowed his doubts and walked up to her. Sarai held out a hand and Jace grabbed it, gently. They stood there for a while, before Sarai opened her mouth. ¡°I couldn¡¯t stop them, they came for my daughter. And I couldn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Jace squeezed her hand, ¡°I saw the house, you fought. You fought hard! I should have been there to stop it.¡±


    Sarai looked at him, eyebrows drawn down. ¡°Then what am I good for, you pay the bills, you took us of the street, you want to be the protector of the household. Then what am I? A decoration?¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Jace froze, he had no good answer for her. ¡°I love you Jace, you are more than a woman like me could have ever hoped for.¡± Jace stared in her eyes, his heart clenched when her shoulders slumped. ¡°But I am useless, now I cannot even walk. I am a burden, one you should not have to carry.¡±


    Jace stiffened and grabbed her hand in both of his, ¡°You are no burden to me, do you know how much it means to me to have a family to come home to? I¡¯ve always been¡­ alone. Different than the people around me, I met Weira and my life brightened. Then the team, they made me feel at ease in a world not my own. But you and Aziva are what make it a home to me. If you feel useless I can change that, you do not need to walk to be able to use magic. I can turn you into a fighter no one would dare mess with, all you have to do is ask it of me!¡±


    Sarai frowned, ¡°That would be another thing I depend on you for. You should leave while you have the chance, you can be a friend to me and my daughter Jace. But I am not your wife and Aziva is not your daughter.¡± The woman crumpled in on herself and avoided his gaze as she took her hand out of his. Jace froze then growled, he turned and stomped out of the room in a rush.


    Sarai¡¯s lip quivered and she looked over Jisarila who had taken a seat next to her. ¡°It was the right thing to do, he deserves better. I know he does.¡±


    Jisarila stared at her with those cool blue eyes of hers. ¡°It sounds to me like you are trying to convince yourself of this.¡±


    Tears appeared in her eyes, she quickly wiped them away. ¡°I owe too much to him, he asks for nothing in return. What am I supposed to do!¡±


    Jisarila shrugged, ¡°I know not, but breaking the man¡¯s heart seems like the wrong thing to do. Telling him Aziva is not his daughter, I¡¯m sure that hurt him.¡±


    Sarai looked down at her sleeping daughter and put her face in her hands. ¡°I can¡¯t tie him to me, problems always follow us!¡±


    Jisarila almost jumped in her chair as Jace burst back into room, she stared to him as he stalked over to the bed. Sarai looked up at him trying her best to keep her face straight. Jace threw something in her lap and the women stared at it with wide eyes. It was a ring, a simple golden ring. Sarai looked up at him in confusion, Jace folded his arms. ¡°I claim you as my wife, I won¡¯t take no for an answer. Aziva is my daughter and no one will tell me otherwise.¡±


    Their jaws dropped. ¡°Thats not how it w-works!¡± Sarai stuttered, Jace huffed. ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°You love me, I love you, we both love Aziva. I don¡¯t care about the rest. We are now married, get used to it!¡± He turned back around and stormed out of the room, Sarai stared after him completely shellshocked.


    ¡°W-what? Wait! He can¡¯t do that!¡± She turned over and looked at Jisarila, who stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter. She smiled after she took a minute to calm down, ¡°Well I guess that solves your problem, you¡¯re married to him now, stuck together for better or worse.¡±


    Sarai stared for a moment before she started sobbing softly. ¡°Bloody bearded idiot, people aren¡¯t supposed to be like that.¡±


    Jisa nodded, ¡°Agreed, but that¡¯s what makes people love him.¡± Sarai shot up and stared at her. ¡°You can¡¯t have him!¡±


    Jisa laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t think I could even if I tried.¡± The two continued arguing for a while. Jace stood leaning against the door, his head against the cold stone. A soft smile on his face.


    The road to recovery took a while, Sarai remained weak for another week orso. She stayed in the Vin to Shurka family mansion. Sarai had attempted to complain but gave up when she realised that everyone around Jace seemed to be equally unreasonable. Jisa and Sarai seemed to get along rather well, in the end Jisa decided by herself that Sarai should stay in the mansion while Jace left for the academy in a couple weeks. It was much safer there than in their own house after all, the rest of his team had continued their dungeon diving. This time under Weira¡¯s leadership, with Floris as second in command. They were content with their slow growing dungeon diving experience, Weira did not have the urge or need to become a knight and would rather keep the freedom she had as an adventurer. The two would separate for a while for the first time since they had met.


    It wouldn¡¯t be for that long anyways so the two didn¡¯t make a big deal out of it. Jace spent as much time with Sarai and Aziva as he could manage. Aziva had become something of a personal disciple for Jisarila, both had chosen the same weapon and Jisa claimed Aziva had some talent for the rapier. Sarai was being taught by a mage Jisa had found her, she was determined to have her new friend become something other than useless. Jace still had to get used to the fact that he was truly married now, there had not been any ceremony to speak of. But both sides had taken it seriously. He had a ring identical to Sarai¡¯s on his ring finger. It wasn¡¯t the way people in this kingdom got married, but it was enough for the both of them.


    Soon enough the day arrived where Jace had to leave for the Academy, it was a centralised institution and was outside of the capital. It would take two days to reach, Jace hugged a teary eyed Aziva goodbye and kissed his wife. He smiled at the pair and got into the carriage that would take him to his destination. He once again realised he should have gathered more information before leaving. A well, he had always been a fan of the saying go ham or go home. Might as well put that saying into action.


    The two days of travel were uneventful, eventually he reached the gates to the so called academy. They reminded him of what he expected one of those snobby rich-kid school gates to look like. They opened and a long path sided by large oak-like trees on both sides lead towards what seemed upon first sight to be a gathering of mansions. Jace suddenly had a thought. Knight¡¯s were a calvary based unit right? He had no experience with horses, he hadn¡¯t even seen a single horse so far! What did they ride on! Where they bear riders? Wyverns maybe?! Please don¡¯t let it be pigs.

 Chapter 26

    A few moments later others started arriving, Jace waited for them to arrive because he had no clue if there was a procedure he should follow. They started gathering in groups, Jace saw a group that was evenly mixed between men and women, most were human but a few other races were mixed in. He saw a minotaur, some of the animal people, an elf and a dwarf. A couple other races he didn¡¯t recognise, he walked towards the group. ¡°You guys mind if I ask you some questions, I have no idea what I¡¯m actually supposed to do now that I am here.¡±


    One of them walked towards him, a young man that oozed arrogance. ¡°You are truly unprepared and have no business asking us of the Vult family such inane questions, a commoner such of you should know better than to talk to nobles, what family would even sponsor one such as you.¡± He looked down at him past his nose.


    Jace grinned, ¡°That would be the Vin To Shurka family.¡±


    The noble paled ¡°Ah¡­ Well fuck.¡±


    A girl with long dark hair and violet eyes walked up to the guy and smacked him on the back of the head. ¡°Nice going Arian, only just started at the academy and already insulted a knight of the battlemaster clan.¡±


    Arain looked at her and stomped his foot, ¡°How was I supposed to know he wasn¡¯t a commoner! The Vin¡¯s never take in a knight, like it hasn¡¯t been done in at least twenty years! He looks so slovenly!¡±


    ¡°STOP INSULTING HIM IDIOT!¡± The girl screeched, looking ready to beat Arain into the ground.


    Jace burst out laughing, everyone stared at him, the girl calmed down a bit. Jace grinned at the group, ¡°You guys can relax, I AM a commoner and you¡¯d have try a good bit harder than that to insult me.¡±


    Arain took the chance to straighten his back and formally bow, ¡°I am Arian Vult, third son of the Vult Matriarch¡¯s second son. I would like to inquire as to how you managed to acquire the Vin¡¯s patronage.¡±


    Jace smiled and patted the man on the shoulder, ¡°That¡¯s easy to answer, I matched Jisa in a spar and helped her break through to the master tier.¡±


    A commotion broke out as the others surrounded him bombarding him with questions, Jace had to speak up to calm them down. ¡°Easy easy! One at a time, you big guy, you first!¡±


    The youngsters calmed down and Jace noticed that the other students had drawn closer as well. So much for a leisurely time at the academy.


    The minotaur straightened and towered over the others, he folded his hands behind his back. ¡°If you helped the Ice Rose break through into the master tier, does that mean you yourself have broken into the master tier?¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°Yup.¡± A commotion was about to start again so Jace quickly pointed to another, a merman looking man. ¡°Are you and the Ice Rose involved romantically?¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The crowd froze, Jace grinned. ¡°Nope, Jisa¡¯s interested in the womenfolk, no men allowed and all that. Plus I¡¯m married so there¡¯s that.¡±


    Some guys drooped upon hearing that she was interested in women, some girls however became rather excited. Jace rolled his eyes, the girl who had smacked Arian spoke up. ¡°Is your relationship closed or are you open to breeding?¡±


    A few others perked up in interest, Jace just stared at her slack-jawed. ¡°I beg your pardon? You¡¯re gonna have to.... elaborate. I was a foreigner.¡±


    ¡°You have reached the master-tier, at such a young age as well. That speaks for an incredible amount of talent, and a lot of untapped potential. Many families would be interested in your seed.¡±


    Jace scratched at his beard, ¡°Well I guess that would be up to my wife? But personally I don¡¯t think it would be my thing. I¡¯d prefer raising the kids I¡¯ve uh¡­ made.¡±


    The girl nodded, ¡°Thank you for the answer, should you be interested please let my family know.¡±


    ¡°Which family would that be?¡±


    ¡°Owh how rude of me, I¡¯m Vivianna La Flereux. of the La Flereux family.¡±


    ¡°Pleasure to meet you, before we continue with our, whatever this is. Shouldn¡¯t we enter the academy.¡±


    ¡°You make a good point, we should enter, It seems most people have arrived.¡±


    The group walked down the road, asking questions and getting to know each other. Jace seemed to have broken down and the groups had melted together into a solid mask. Vivianna once more apologised for Arian, who simply growled it wasn¡¯t his fault. She swore that Arain was of a good sort, but just acted incredibly pompous on occasion. She then entertained Jace with a story of how Arain once dived into the mud to save a commoner child from getting run over by a cart. Complaining how he had sullied his clothes all the time. Jace grinned, Arain simply sniffed. Saying that it was a noble¡¯s duty to watch out for the common folk. Why would they be the noble¡¯s otherwise.


    The concept of honour he once more realised how important it was to these people. Jace normally hated arrogant people, something about thinking you were above others just set him off. Yet he could not bring himself to dislike Arian, the boy was outspoken about the common people and his own superiority, but his actions proved otherwise. Jace grinned, a real life tsundere, who woulda thought.


    He was introduced to some others, the minotaur was called Murt and was a friend of Vivianna and Arian. The rest of their group were retainers and talented people that their families had gathered. Some more questions and he found out that Arian and Vivianna were basically cousins. Their families had intermarried quite a few times and were basically one and the same. Vivianna was surprisingly higher up in the social ladder than Arian was, she was third in line to inherit the family, Arian was twenty-first.


    They were curious about how Jace and Jisa had met, Jisarila was well known for her dislike of talking with other people and was seen by many others as unapproachable. When Jace told them about how he had taken his wife and daughter to the training hall to teach them a few things about their weapons. How Jisa had taken offense to their presence and challenged him to a match. How they had both lost themselves to the battle and fought for hours. How they had broken through and how she had come visiting with her grandfather a few days later, where he was asked to join the families knights.


    He did not tell them about the whole bloody ear¡¯s thing. It was still a touchy topic to him, no matter how he pretended to have gotten over the events. Eventually they finally reached the courtyard between the mansions. Some knights clad in heavy armour were waiting for them there. Jace was excited to get started on this knight thing!

 Chapter 27

    A knight wearing full-plate armour without a helmet stepped forward, his hair and beard were cut short and greying. He had the easy confidence of a soldier, someone used to the chaos of a battle. Jace smiled to himself, always good to know that the one your under is competent. This knight oozed competence if nothing else. The man stepped forward and folded his hands behind his back, his steely gaze swept over the new knight recruits. ¡°I am Sir Yuri. I will be in charge of your education.¡± He paused and straightened even more, ¡°ATTENTION!¡±


    Jace, the minotaur and the knights behind Sir Yuri stood at attention on instinct. Sir Yuri eyed Jace and the minotaur with approval, ¡°The two of you have had military experience?¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± They both shouted, causing the young nobles besides them to flinch.


    The knight nodded, ¡°Perfect, we have fourty people in this year¡¯s batch. Human over there, Minotaur over there.¡± Jace move towards the right away from the group, the minotaur was sent to the left of the group.


    ¡°Both of you pick a recruit until there are none left. You can decide amongst yourselves who the leader of your platoon will be, take turns when picking.¡± The man stood there and waited for them to take action, Jace looked over at the minotaur, ¡°You can have first pick, won¡¯t matter that much as everyone will be a quality soldier in the end.¡±


    The minotaur grinned, ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be much of a knight overwise.¡± He pointed to a human who¡¯s name Jace didn¡¯t know. The young man didn¡¯t seem surprised that he was picked first and walked over to stand with the minotaur.


    Jace pointed at Arian, who blinked but walked over to join him, the minotaur picked another human, which looked identical to the first. Twins if he were to guess, Jace picked Vivianna. In the end Jace ended up with a bipedal tiger, the merman a male dwarf and a female elf. One of them was a human but was so small he was barely two inches tall. How he would become a soldier was a mystery to him. The rest of them were human. The gender spread was nearly even, eleven of them were male and nine female. The minotaurs platoon was split slightly less even with twelve men and eight women. The minotaur to Jace¡¯s surprise was a woman called Zayanna, just based on her voice alone he had thought she was a male. According to Vivianna Zayanna¡¯s voice was considered rather high pitched among her kind. Go figure, the male¡¯s must cause earthquakes when talking then.


    Sir Yuri nodded when they were done, ¡°You have five minutes to decide who leads your platoon. If you cannot come to a conclusion, I will pick one myself.¡± He narrowed his eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t make me pick.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± Jace and Zayanna shouted, a few of the recruits who were quicker on their feet called out at the same time. Jace looked back to his platoon. Arian shrugged, ¡°Jace is from the battle master clan, makes sense to make him the platoon leader.¡±


    ¡°Fuck no.¡±


    Everyone looked at Jace in surprise, who shrugged, ¡°Being in charge sucks, paperwork and management, I suck immensely at both, I¡¯m a better sergeant than I will ever be at being a lieutenant. Personally I think Vivianna should take the role. With me and Arian as squad leaders.¡±


    The dwarf scratched at his impressive beard, ¡°Although I agree with your assessment, what makes you say that.¡±


    Jace glanced over at them, ¡°Both of their clans are well experienced in war, both were trained at leading troops. I¡¯m sure of it. As to why Vivianna instead of Arian as lieutenant. Honestly couldn¡¯t tell you, it¡¯s just a feeling.¡±


    The rest gazed at each other and shrugged, none of them had a strong feeling on the subject. Vivianna nodded calmly and accepted her role. Arian shrugged, he was fine acting as a squad leader. Vivianna looked over her platoon. ¡°We just need to split the platoon then.¡±


    Jace quickly raised his hand. ¡°DIBS ON ALL NON-HUMANS!¡±


    A lot of people stared at him, the non-humans looked decidedly angry. ¡°Are you a racist?¡± The female elf asked with an icy cold voice.


    Jace blinked and stared at them like they were idiots, ¡°Why would I call dibs on the non-humans if I¡¯m a racist! My former team was all human, I want to spice things up!¡±


    Vivianna coughed, ¡°Perhaps you should explain what dibs is first?¡±


    Jace blanched, ¡°Owh right, well it means I want all the non-humans for my team. Dibs is like, when you say it before someone else you get it before they do? It¡¯s stupidly hard to explain.¡±


    The dwarf laughed, scratching at his beard. ¡°So it¡¯s only full of positive things to us non-humans. We are used to racism, even if the Krivka kingdom has proven to be surprisingly open minded for a mostly human kingdom. We still expect the worst most of the time, sorry about that.¡±


    The female elf bowed, ¡°My apologies as well. I would be honored to join your squad.¡± The others portrayed similar feelings, Arain said he didn¡¯t care one way or another who was in his squad. Funnily enough Jace ended up with five out seven non humans in the entire batch of students. The minotaur had chosen a somewhat larger human with a bald head and an excessive amount of muscles. Their skin was blue and they had no visible ears, other that they resembled humans.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Once they were done deciding on the leaders they turned to the knight. The other group had decided to go with Zayanna, having someone who already had some experience lead them seemed fine to them. Jace shook his head in surprise, the people here were truly open-minded. He needed to figure out if there was a story or something behind it.


    Sir Yuri looked over the groups. ¡°Good, I am glad I did not have to choose. The knights behind me will lead you to your new homes, each platoon will recieve a mansion in which they will bunk. Room arrangements can be made yourselves. You will find a list of classes you can sign up for in your rooms. Have it filled out before the end of the day. You will be brought to dinner in five hours. Use the time to get acquainted, class won¡¯t start till tomorrow. Dismissed.¡±


    A couple of knights walked over to Jace¡¯s group and they were lead to one of the mansions. The place was well furnished and was luxurious, nothing near to the Vin To Shurka home but it was nice. Vivianna walked over and asked for their attention. ¡°Based on the lay-out of the mansion we can put Jace¡¯s squad in the left wing, and Arian¡¯s in the right. The rooms are all on the second floor. Living room and kitchen are on the first. I¡¯ll take the room directly at the top of the stairs. Two hours for the squads to get to know each other, then we all meet here and get to know the rest of the platoon. I¡¯ll spend the first hour with Arian¡¯s squad and the second with Jace¡¯s. Questions?¡±


    ¡°No, lieutenant!¡± Jace answered. Others copied his answer, Vivianna nodded. ¡°Dismissed!¡±


    Jace led his group over to the living room and sat down on one of the couches, the rest sat down as well. Jace turned to them, ¡°Well I¡¯m Jace, I guess by now you know a little about me. I¡¯m twenty-six, nearing on twenty-seven. Spent six years in the army, I have a wife called Sarai and a daughter called Aziva. I have a sister who has taken over my adventuring team, and a grandmother living in a village in the wild west. That¡¯s it for family and basic introductions, next!¡± He pointed over to the dwarf.


    ¡°I¡¯m Grumgar Gunderbard, from the Bronze Beard clan. I have no romantic relations to speak of, other than a few lasses I met at a pub!¡± The group chuckled, ¡°I have so many family members that I won¡¯t be bothering to name them all. I¡¯m a dwarf in case my bushy beard didn¡¯t tip ya off. I¡¯m fifty-four. Spent a tenner in the Dwarven-Iron-Legions. The dwarven Alliance has been a long time ally of the Krivka kingdom, and I was sent to become a knight under their command as a show of further good faith. Next up is you pointy!¡±


    The elf smirked, ¡°I am Cilifilinicila of the Filim¨ªmial family. I know my name is a difficult one to pronounce so you may refer to me as Cili. I have a younger sister and a mother, and a few more branching members. I was a member of the Elven-Woodland-Striders for twenty years, I am currently a hundred and fourty-one years old. The elven Winterleaf tribe is a long time ally of both the Dwarven alliance and the Krivka kingdom and I was sent here for the same reason gruff was.¡±


    The tiger stood up and was next to speak, his voice was a pleasant rumbling growl, deep and soothing. ¡°I am Xivr, a wanderer without clan or name. I was a mercenary, I saved a knight in a battle and he was impressed with my capabilities. He offered to take me in as squire and send me to the Academy. I took the chance to earn a clan name and have a home to fight for and accepted the offer. I have no family to speak of.¡±


    The next to stand up was the merman, ¡°I guess I will keep this trend of non-humans going.¡± The group grinned, ¡°I am Mimla of the merman, Our people are no allies of the Krivka kingdom nor are we enemies. Our people are well known for our neutrality. I fell in love with a human female and now live on dry land, it is bothersome and I need a few spells to be able to live on the surface, but I would do anything for Triss. I was an adventurer and simply applied to the test, I scored well and was given opportunity to join the Academy, It is an honorable chance. It pays well and it would help me provide for my beloved. I have some family back home but we are not in contact.¡±


    The super-small human stood up next. ¡°I will introduce myself as the last of the non-humans.¡± His voice was surprisingly normal for someone of his size. ¡°I¡¯m a briarling, the name is James. There are a few families of us briarlings that live in Krivka lands. We are citizens of the kingdom like any other. I excel in magical combat, as you can imagine due to my size. Physical combat is not my strength. I have three brothers of which two are in the army. My family has served for a few generations, I am the first who was given the chance to become a knight.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me if this is rude to ask, but how would combat with you work. I assume because of your size it would be difficult to keep up with the larger races. Do you sit on a fellow soldiers shoulder or something?¡± Jace asked curiously.


    James nodded, ¡°That¡¯s pretty close actually, it depends on if we can find a partner that we can work well with. One of my brothers even had a little chair that was crafted onto the shoulder of his partner and friend. On which he would sit and launch his spells. We make up for our lack of size and physical strength with the sheer size of our mana pools. We are basically shoulder-mounted artillery.¡± James grinned, ¡°It has something to it, having you tall folk do all the walking for us.¡±


    The rest of the group laughed. Jace turned to one of the remaining people in his group, a woman with freckles and a long brown braid. She was pretty in a homely fashion, ¡°I¡¯m Lily, I¡¯m from a village not far from the capital. We were attacked by a wave of Grufflings, a knight was in our village at the time and we fought them off. She was impressed with my performance and asked if I wanted to become her squire. Naturally I would not refuse such an opportunity. My family is big and we are farm people, I have nine siblings. Six of which are younger than me. Our farm is rather prosperous but farming life was sooooo boring, I jumped on the opportunity to do something else. My family is really proud of me so it''s a win for everyone!¡±


    The group smiled and Xivr patted her shoulder encouragingly. They turned to the last member of the squad, a man with a bald head and a beard that could rival a dwarve¡¯s. Angry scars criss crossed his face and gave him a menacing look. The man grinned, ¡°Despite my scarface I¡¯m a rather jolly fellow by the name of Karl. I was an adventurer, gold ranked. I was an axe-wielding terror to all monsters in my way and decided to take the test our watery friend Mimla. I passed so here I am, I¡¯m a street kid so no family to speak of. I didn¡¯t work with any one team either, I loaned myself out to any team needing a proper frontliner.¡±


    Jace smiled in relief, the people in his squad seemed to be relatively normal personality wise. he had expected more excentrics from the non-humans was that racist of him? Who knew, they seemed like pleasant people and he couldn¡¯t wait to work with them.

 Mini Chappie

    As they talked and grew to know each other more eventually Vivianna joined them, afterwards they moved on and joined Arian¡¯s group and got to know the rest of their platoon. The knights came to pick them up once the time had passed and they headed out for dinner, a truly sumptuous meal fitting of nobility. After dinner they were asked to fill out the class forms which the knights would pick up before the end of the day. Jace was amazed by the sheer amount of available classes. He could learn any of the artistic things he could think of, music, sculpting, painting singing, acting, literature. The list went on and on, the combat classes he skipped, he doubted there was much more he could learn in the way of mastery from an average knight. He did decide to take up mounted combat, as he had absolutely zero experience in the area. What kind of knight would he be if he couldn¡¯t do that.


    The thing was he needed to select at least three classes, there were a multitude of study sessions he could join. Experimental labratories, breeding farms, monster taming. Oeh he actually liked the sound of the last one, add to list. That left him with other classes, etiquette was mandatory or he would have chosen that. WHAT, lovemaking? They had classes in sex? Holy hell! Jace had to admit he was tempted to select the class just for the hell of it, but he had to remind himself he was a married man. He could learn a variety of production classes as well, he frowned and tapped his chin for a while. In the end he was stuck between three choices, sculpting, the flute and painting. He decided to ask the others for their advice.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ----Sarai POV----


    It hadn¡¯t even been that long since Jace had left and she already missed him. Sarai sighed, she gazed down at the simple ring she wore on her finger. She smiled gently and stroked the shining metal, her husband. Her heart fluttered, she had been happier the week after he had forced the ring on her than she had ever been in her life. She had doubts before, that he might leave her and she would be on her own again, bleeding and working herself raw to provide for Aziva. The doubts had grown and eaten at her and after the horrific day when they crippled her and took her daughter those doubts had grown outside of her control. She panicked and tried to push away the one man who had cared for her regardless of the circumstances. She raised her hand and a small flame appeared above it, she had been working hard. Training so much that she collapsed from exhaustion on some days.


    She manipulated the little flame and made it dance over her fingers, she flicked it to the tip of her finger, with a shake of her hand she spread the flame to all five fingers. She closed her hand into a fist. The flames seeped through the cracks and her entire hand became coated in fire. She had baptised herself in the flames of magic and scorched away her former class. Something she had not thought possible. Classes were permanent, this was common knowledge. She gazed at her stat page as reality showed otherwise. The class flickered, burning with letters created of flame, something she had never heard of before.


    Sarai, wife of Jace, mother to Aziva was a level twenty-six Celestial Flameling.

 Chapter 28

    Jace juggled the three choices for a while and in the end decided to go with the flute. He had always wanted to learn how to play an instrument. The classes for the flute were also relatively short, three months of daily classes and then he could pick up a second artsy class. Jace took one of the rooms, to his surprise all the rooms were singular. He had expected to be sharing a room with one of his squad mates. He pulled the covers up and crawled in bed and missed his wife. Sleeping alone felt off, after spending so much time with her. He missed energetic little Aziva as well.


    The next morning when they woke up they were taken to mandatory combat class. The platoons had varying schedules, Vivianna¡¯s platoon started with combat training, while Zayanna¡¯s group started with a chosen class. His squad lined up next to Arian¡¯s the combat instructor walked up to them. The instructor was a grizzled veteran and seemed at ease with teaching new recruits. He eyed the lot of them for a few moments before he spoke up, ¡°Combat is our job as knights, whenever there¡¯s a fight to be had knights will be in the thick of it! All of you already know how to fight, else you would not be here. Fighting as a group of knights is different, everyone has their own speciality and you need to make sure it works! Knights fight more like adventurers than soldiers do, the only difference is that we rarely fight monsters!¡±


    He once more eyed the group, ¡°This class is about teamwork, and being able to smoothly fill a role even when fighting with knight¡¯s you¡¯ve never met before. Some of you are defensive specialists, his gaze wandered and he eyed Jace for a moment longer than the rest. Others are offensive melee specialists, some are archers, others mages! We even have the rare priest in this platoon!¡±


    Jace blinked, he hadn¡¯t known about a priest. ¡°Making the priest the platoon leader was a good decision!¡± The instructor continued, Jace¡¯s gaze flickered to Vivianna. She¡¯s a priest? It surprised him, she didn¡¯t really seem like the devout type. He focused his attention back on the instructor. ¡°I wanna see four groups of five, you have five minutes.¡±


    Arian¡¯s squad had ten units while he had nine. Arian was already dividing his group while Vivianna walked over to the rest of them. Jace waited for her to speak, she eyed the group before running a hand through her hair. Her violet eyes paused on them for a moment. ¡°Grumgar and Jace are our defensive specialists so we will be separating them.¡± Jace stepped over to one side while Grumgar stepped to the other. ¡°I¡¯ll join Grumgar¡¯s group, Lily will join Jace, you know some healing magic right Lily?¡± The girl blushed but nodded, ¡°Only a few simple ones I learned from a passing priest though!¡±


    Vivianna smiled, ¡°That¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have to use it that much with Jace in the front.¡± Lily raised an eyebrow and glanced at Jace, obviously confused.


    Grumgar laughed and tugged at his beard, ¡°He¡¯s on another level than the rest of us girly, Most of us can smell the blood on him. He¡¯s a few steps stronger than most people here.¡±


    Jace shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m decent.¡±


    Lily cocked her head, ¡°Did you kill a lot of people?¡± Jace smirked, ¡°That¡¯s a soldier¡¯s job after all. But we still need to pick teams, so if you wanna know more ask me after.¡± Vivianna nodded in approval. James, Xivr and Cili were added to Jace¡¯s group, while Mimla, Karl and a last minute addition called Tali joined the other group.


    Once the teams were made the rest of the lesson turned into practice session focused on positioning, nothing difficult in Jace¡¯s opinion, being the tank was easy. Just place yourself between anything harmful and your team and you do your job. That¡¯s how he thought about it but the instructor noticed, how Jace subtly positioned himself to give his team optimal angles of attack. The man nodded in approval, this year¡¯s students were good. They didn¡¯t need a lot of instruction on the basics.


    The next class was something Jace was looking forward to, mounted combat. One of his chosen classes. There were two others who had chosen mounted combat from his own squad, both Karl and Lily had chosen to take the course. Karl because he knew the strength of a good calvary and Lily because she loved animals, she was in his monster taming class as well. A female knight with braided ginger hair stood before them in half-plate armour similar to Jace¡¯s own. She smiled at her students, six of them in total. ¡°So you are this years calvary hopefuls. I like the look of the bunch of you!¡± She grinned happily and motioned for them to follow her.


    ¡°First off I should tell you about some of the specifics, the mounts that we ride are called Svadilfari.¡± She pointed at the stall with a grin, ¡°One of these will be your future partner!¡±


    Jace stared slack-jawed at the horse like creature before him. It was incredibly muscular, a good few sizes larger than the horses back home. It had six legs, four connected to the hindquarters and two in front. Rocky plates protected it¡¯s chest, belly, back and neck. It had dark grey plates protecting it¡¯s forehead and its shoulders as well. It had two eyes, paired together and connected on both sides. It¡¯s teeth were sharp and jagged, it was an obvious carnivore. It¡¯s mane and tail looked like thin strings of granite. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The instructor smiled, ¡°These lovelies will bite your arm off if they don¡¯t accept you as rider, the Svadilfari have an earth affinity and can use some magic themselves. They are highly intelligent, some of the most clever animals you will ever encounter! They build a life time bond with a single rider, once bonded they will take orders from no other. Their vitality will be tied to yours. Should you live a long life, so will they. Should you die, so will they! It is a bond of trust and nothing is more sacred to a mounted knight!¡±


    She whistled and one of the Svadilfari walked over towards her, the instructor patted the horse¡¯s flank lovingly and smiled at them. ¡°There are few things as terrifying as the charge of a group of Svadilfari knights. When it happens their magic combines and becomes something far more powerful than the sum of its parts. The earth will start to roll before them, the earth will seem to turn to water and a wave will gather, the more Svadilfari the larger the wave. A cavalry charge will decimate enemy ranks, of course these beauties aren¡¯t a slouch should it come to close quarter combat.¡±


    She tapped the plates, ¡°The plates are magically enhanced stone, stronger than nearly any armour that you could put on them. There is a special armour made specifically for our Svadilfari knights and it covers the horses weak-points. Their skin is touch, their muscles dense and they have strong regeneration. They are very hard to kill! They will kick, bite, and crush anyone that offends them or their partner and will fight and die for you!¡±


    The instructor grinned, a sense of bloodthirst oozed of her. The Svadilfari neighed and flexed its muscles. ¡°Of course you will have to make one of them your partner, i won¡¯t help you. Do it yourself, you can use food, kindness, force. I don¡¯t care. Some of you might get hurt, and turn out to be unsuitable to the task! This cannot be taught, you either have the aptitude or you do not. The Svadilfari choose just as much as you do. Pick one from the herd, good luck!¡±


    Once she ended her speech the group just looked at each other, they looked over the fence at the herd of Svadilfari. Jace shrugged and hopped over, he swept his gaze over the herd until something caught his eye. Nearly all the Svadilfari had green hide, a dark green mossy colour, the rest was a dark brown or sandy. Yet one of them caught his eye, it¡¯s hide was crimson, Jace grinned. The horse was larger than the others of its kind and instead of a single row of teeth it had two. But it called to Jace, something about the beast spoke to him.


    Jace walked towards it without hesitation, the instructor jumped up and wanted to stop him before a hand descended on her shoulder. Sir Yuri smiled at her and shook his head, watching with interest. The Svadilfari pawed the ground, it roared at him. Jace grinned and picked up speed, the Svadilfari did the same. It charged at him, earth exploded into the air as its hooves tore through the ground. Jace sprinted, just before contact the Svadilfari bit at his neck, Jace slipped beneath it, grabbed hold on the edge of a plate on its chest and let it¡¯s momentum sweep him off his feet, he swung on its back. The beast turned around and snapped, rows of jagged teeth trying to tear him apart. Jace dodged and held on, the Svadilfari bucked trying to throw him off. Jace wouldn¡¯t let it and rolled with the movement.


    It snapped at him again, Jace narrowly avoided it and wrapped his arms around its neck, holding its mouth closed. His legs desperately clenched around the creature as he tried to hold the position. The bucking only got worse, the Svadilfari jumped and tried to land on its side and crush Jace¡¯s leg. Jace hopped of and dashed back towards it before it got back up, he grabbed hold of its neck and swung back on as it got up. The battle continued for a few more tense minutes. Eventually both of their chests were heaving, both had an ample amount of stamina but the intensity of the struggle tired them both out. Jace hopped of and stood before it. The Svadilfari looked at him with suspicion, why would its adversarie suddenly jump off!


    Jace grinned, ¡°You¡¯re strong, I¡¯m strong. Together?¡± Jace laughed and his grin became bloodthirsty. ¡°Who could stop us.¡± The crimson of his armour seeped off him and started to gather around him excitedly. The Svadilfari neighed and watched the blood before it looked back at him. It walked towards him, lowered its head and Jace put his hand on its nose.


    [You have successfully bonded with Svadilfari {mutated}]


    A rush of connection filled Jace as he bonded the Svadilfari. Jace smiled and patted its flank. ¡°You and I are gonna be a danger on the battlefield, I can already tell. You¡¯re gonna need a name, what do you think of Tyrant.¡± He felt a sense of approval and grinned. ¡°Tyrant it is.¡±


    Jace turned back and saw that the others were long since done. Lily had somehow managed to find an ivory white partner. It was a size or two smaller than others of its kin. Karl had found a normal mossy looking one. The other¡¯s who Jace wasn¡¯t very familiar with had also each bonded with a mossy coloured one. The instructor shook her head, her braid waving around. ¡°Going for the most dangerous of the herd on the first go, you truly are as insane as we were informed of. Well at least you two have the same taste in colour. I can already tell this is gonna be a headache of a class. One picks the stallion, his squadmate picks the mare that leads the herd. At least they gave me the fun students this year.¡±


    The instructor grinned and got them started on the basics. Taking care of the horse came with many steps. You had to rub them down, clean their hooves, take care of their food. They were omnivores and ate both meat and grass. Those teeth weren¡¯t just for show.

 Chapter 29.5?

    The rest of the class was lackluster compared to the actual bonding. They were taught how to clean the hooves, rub down their coat, which foods were good and which weren¡¯t. Jace enjoyed learning about his new partner however. They wouldn¡¯t learn about riding and the various maneuvers until tomorrow. The instructor told them that the Svadilfari needed some time to settle after bonding. They left the mounted combat class, and Jace joined Lily as they headed towards the monster taming class, they waved their goodbye¡¯s to Karl. Jace looked at Lily, ¡°So how¡¯d you end up with the leader of the herd? I heard the mare you chose is a mutated version like Tyrant.¡±


    Lily looked over at him and smiled, ¡°Her name is Frigid, as for how we ended up together.¡± Lily shrugged, ¡°I thought she was beautiful so I asked politely if she wanted to bond with me. She agreed, it was nowhere near as intense as to how you and Tyrant bonded.¡± She shook her head and smirked, ¡°I can see why the others told me you were on a different level.¡±


    Jace shrugged, ¡°Combat has always been the one thing I excelled at, I suck at a ton of other things, anything sciency for example. Total disaster.¡±


    Lily grinned, ¡°Yea, you don¡¯t strike me as the studious type.¡±


    Jace smiled, ¡°Cuz I¡¯m not! But you told me you¡¯re a simple farmer¡¯s girl.¡± Jace raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yet you bond with one of the mutated after asking a simple question, know some healing magic and are proficient enough in combat to get accepted into the academy. Even if you were someone¡¯s squire before. Something I need to know?¡±


    Lily paused and looked at him for a while, her eyebrows narrowed before she continued walking. ¡°No.¡±


    Jace shrugged, ¡°Fair enough, if it comes back to bite us in the head let me know ahead of time. I prefer knowing what I¡¯m dealing with. Your my squadmate now, your problems are mine. Remember that when your in trouble.¡±


    Lily looked up at him, searching his eyes for something. She returned her gaze to the front. ¡°Understood.¡±


    Jace nodded, the rest of the trip to the monster taming class was spent in companionable silence. Taming class¡¯s first lesson was not even nearly as exciting as he had hoped and expected it to be. It was all theory, about how monsters worked, how they could evolve, and what mutations were. A lot of information, none of it stuck. Jace sighed, he really hated studying. Learning from practice was a much better way to do things!


    He waved his goodbye¡¯s to Lily as he headed over to flute class, his second to last class of the day. He knocked on the door to the room, the only class he had had so far in an actual room. A captivating voice rang through the wood, ¡°Come in.¡±


    Jace entered and was stunned for a brief moment, before him was possibly the sexiest woman he had ever seen. She oozed sex-appeal, her smile enticing as she looked up at him through thick lashes. Her vividly red hair framing her well proportioned face. Jace blinked and sat down across from her, she raised an immaculately plucked eyebrow. ¡°You seem to take accept my presence more easily than most.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Jace grinned, ¡°I¡¯m a married man after all.¡± He scratched at his beard, ¡°May I ask what race you are, you seem human. But I can tell you aren¡¯t.¡±


    She smiled and leaned forward on her hands, lounging on her long couch. The black silk sheets off-setting her hair. Her chest almost bounced out of her dangerously oversized cleavage. ¡°You would be correct, I am a Alluracian. We naturally exude scent or pheromones that attract whoever we are focused on, or a whole gathering of people if we so choose.¡±


    Jace smiled, ¡°And you choose to use that full-power on everyone you meet?¡±


    The woman laughed, the motion doing wonders to her bust. Jace had to use a good amount of willpower to keep his eyes focused on hers. ¡°My dear, I haven¡¯t even really used it yet.¡±


    Jace blanched, ¡°That¡¯s scary.¡±


    She smiled, her lips glossy and crimson. ¡°It can be, spend enough time around me and you get used to it. Most people need at least a few hours to regain mental capacity. You¡¯re doing incredibly well so far.¡±


    Jace frowned, ¡°In all honesty it¡¯s taking quite a bit for me to stop myself from¡­ attacking you.¡±


    She smiled gently and Jace felt a shiver run down his spine, a sense of danger washed over him. ¡°You could try.¡±


    Jace started breathing heavily, ¡°Please don¡¯t do that again, that was bloody close woman.¡± He gripped his thighs as he tried to regain control of his breathing.


    She laughed, the tone musical. ¡°So you have a thing for danger.¡± She smiled provocatively. ¡°How incredibly interesting. I can smell the blood on you, I believe we could have some true fun you and I.¡±


    Jace stiffened, turned around and smacked his forehead against the wall, the pain brought him back to his senses. ¡°Jezus christ, you don¡¯t hold back do you. I doubt my wife will be open to sharing, so as enticing as your offer is, I¡¯ll have to turn you down.¡±


    She smiled at him and sat back. ¡°For now, I guess I shall just have to seduce your wife. It is rare I get my hands on someone quite so¡­ delicious.¡±


    Jace cursed softly, ¡°She wouldn¡¯t have a problem with that, probably. Damn.¡±


    She laughed once more, the tones creating goosebumps on his skin. ¡°I realised I forgot to introduce myself, I am Rury.¡± She rolled the R¡¯s in such a way that it sent shivers down his spine. Jace clenched his fists, repeatedly repeating in his head that he was married.


    She handed him an ivory flute, ¡°It is time we start class is it not?¡±


    Jace nodded, relieved to start something safer for his physical condition.


    She put the flute to her lips, ¡°First put your lips on the flute right here, don¡¯t bite now. We wouldn¡¯t want to hurt it, be gentle, no teeth.¡±


    Jace looked up at the sealing, ¡°Please, God, watch over me this day.¡±


    An hour late Jace stumbled out of the room, Xivr was walking past and gazed at him with raised furry eyebrows. ¡°What class did you have that you seem so exhausted.¡±


    ¡°Flute class my friend, never, ever, take flute class. It is by far the most dangerous instrument I have ever encountered.¡± Jace shuffled off pale as a ghost. Xivr watched him go with a shocked face. He heard a giggle from the room Jace just left. A shiver ran up his spine and he got out of the area quick.

 A Step in the life of Aziva

    Aziva stared down through the window of the mansion. Life had been very strange since mom had met Jace. Everything had gotten better, people may think that Aziva was still a little girl naive and innocent. But Aziva knew many things, she knew what her mom did when her first not-real dad disappeared. She knew, she had seen the body but had made sure mom hadn¡¯t seen. She knew mom was protecting her, she knew it was necessary. Many things were necessary when you were poor. Aziva nodded to herself, she knew this, she thought it was like this for all people. But then Jace came and everything changed, Aziva had started calling Jace dad really early. She had heard from on of the other street-corner ladies that if you called people certain things for long enough they would become it.


    So she had started to call Jace dad, and now she was in fact her dad. She smiled as she snuck past a maid and out the mansion door. Life was good now, Aziva¡¯s had paused as she put it on the gate that lead outside and into the city. Then she got kidnapped, mom almost died. Tears threatened to appear in her eyes, she blinked them away. No tears, never again. Jisarila was teaching her how to learn the rapier, but it was not enough. She knew it wasn¡¯t. She wouldn¡¯t be able to protect mom or her comfortable life this way. She had put on her street clothes, they were dirty and torn. She messed up her hair and tapped her status sheet.


    [Aziva [Last name refused]


    [Level : 47


    [Age : 10


    [Class : Royal Gutter Rat


    [Profession : None


    [Titles : Genuis, Survivor


    [Strength : 45   Agility : 112 Dexterity : 110


    [Endurance : 30   Vitality : 90 Constitution : 30Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    [Wisdom : 80   Intelligence : 250  Charisma : 135


    [Luck : 200


    [Skills : Uninteresting, Camouflage, Eye for talent,  Vow Of Loyalty


    [Mastery : Sneak : Advanced 6,


    Hide : Advanced 2,


    Acting : Expert 1


    Deceit : Expert 3


    Manipulation : Advanced 9


    Rapier Mastery Intermediate 2.


    Aziva scanned her status paged and once more opened her various titles and skills reading through them thoroughly.


    [ Title : Genuis


    [From birth you differed from the people around you, your stats will grow much faster than others. Your intelligence is unparalleled to others your age. Use it well and power will be within your grasp]


    [Title : Survivor


    [You have survived things that few others have, luck has been with you and shall be with you throughout your life.]


    [Uninteresting


    [Should you so choose you can meld into the environment, become something uninteresting to anyone or anything that is not actively searching for you.]


    [Camouflage


    [You and your apperell will meld into the background should you so choose, at the slight cost of mana.]


    [Eye for Talent


    [When searching for people with a knack for something specific they will glow slightly before your eyes. The more talent the person has the brighter they shine.]


    [Vow of Loyalty


    [If someone willingly vows themselves to your service, you can ask them to take a vow of loyalty. Should they accept, the thought of betrayal will never even enter their mind. Be careful on use, this ability can alter personalities.]


    Aziva nodded to herself, she knew her abilities were strong, but she had never told anyone about them. Not even her mother. Aziva disappeared in the mob and made her way to the slums. Eventually she ducked down one of the alleys and entered an abandoned house, other children gathered around her, they were between the age of two and fourteen, dozens of them were part of her little group. She eyed their tattered clothes and skinny bodies and squared her shoulders. She would make her own power, she would make sure that no-one ever posed a danger to her mom or dad ever again.


    Her name was Aziva, the one with no last name and she was creating a gang of her own.

 Chapter 30

    Jace¡¯s last class of the day was etiquette, and boy did he have have a bunch to learn. There were so many small nuances in what people did that spoke volumes. For instance if a noble gave you a hand in greeting but only used four fingers to shake your hand, it meant he respected you but does not trust you. I mean why would people even use a handshake as a way to tell them you don¡¯t trust them? Jace shook his head at the thought. After the first twenty minutes the instructor was already exasperated with him. Jace didn¡¯t like changing how he acted around people, and it showed in class.


    The instructor told him that he would end up being disrespectful to someone he couldn¡¯t afford being disrespectful to. Jace had shrugged and told the man, if someone was insulted by the way he acted they wouldn¡¯t have gotten along anyway. The day passed and Jace was back in the living room with the rest of his squad. They were hanging around on the couches, James had taken a pillow and used it as a bed in the middle of the table. Grumgar leaned back and stroked his beard, ¡°So you have no idea what the world outside is like and the build-up of countries and cultures?¡±


    Jace shrugged, ¡°Haven¡¯t the foggiest.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming that means you have no idea?¡± Cili asked as she plucked a grape from the bowl and tossed it in her mouth.


    ¡°You assume correctly!¡±


    James had his eyes closed and was staring at the ceiling, he rolled over to his side and opened an eye. ¡°So you pop up in a new world, and you don¡¯t even bother trying to find out more about the country or world you landed in? Something has to be wrong with your brain my friend.¡±


    Jace chuckled and shrugged, ¡°The day to day matters were going well, I had a goal and just focused on that, the state of the world never really mattered.¡±


    Karl laughed, ¡°You might be right, but now you¡¯re a knight. An elite force for a country at war, it would be best if you knew.¡±


    Cili tossed a grape at Jace, which he caught in his mouth. ¡°Well first of all this country, Krivka, has treaties with a few countries. My people and Grumgar¡¯s, a few of the desert tribes which consist of the beast people. Krivka is not a warmongering kingdom but the country has a lot of resources and ample space. Some countries cannot help but eye what others have.¡±


    Grumgar nodded, ¡°Our countries have a defensive alliance, should the kingdom come under attack. We are sworn to aid in their defence, as they have done for us in the past. The threeway alliance between the elves, dwarves and the human Kivka kingdom has existed for nearly a millennium. We are close knit and the treatie works because each needs different things. The humans have no use for the space in the mountains, so they have no problems with us dwarves living their, same goes for the elves, neither dwarves nor humans care if they live in those big trees of theirs. Not like we were using them.¡±


    Jace frowned and scratched at his beard, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t both the humans and dwarves have need of lumber however?¡±


    Cili laughed, the sound oddly melodic, ¡°If you think you can chop down a Hometree, then I wish you the best of luck. Lumber is actually a business we elves specialize in. We guide trees in their growths and once they are near their end we ease their passing and return them to the world, where they can be of use once more. Eventually they will return to the ground and new trees will grow. It¡¯s a slightly longer cycle than in nature but it is a cycle non the less. The elves make sure the balance is kept, if there is danger in cutting down too many trees we make sure to plant as many more as needed.¡±


    Grumgar nodded, ¡°We dwarves mine the mountains, we have a near monopoly on it. Seeing as the mountains are our home. We sell that to the humans and elves, who sell us lumber and food. Farming under a mountain isn¡¯t a simple thing after all, it is much easier for us to trade for it. All in all each of us is mutually dependent on the others. It is what creates such a strong alliance, that and the fact that we simply get along.¡± He added with a laugh.


    Jace nodded slowly, it made a weird kind of sense. He looked up, ¡°Who are we at war with at the moment?¡±


    Mimla frowned, he scratched at his gills. ¡°The empire.¡±


    Sounds of disgust and anger rang through the room. Jace blinked and eyed his companions, all of them wore an ugly expression. Mimla saw his confusion and continued. ¡°The empire is a relatively new country of a few centuries old. It started when a warrior proclaimed one of the lands further south as his own. The Emperor is powerful, easily as strong as a named adventurer. People claim he is as powerful as Trishla was.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Is.¡±


    Mimla blinked, ¡°I beg your pardon?¡±


    Jace smiled, ¡°Trishla IS still powerful, it is not a thing of the past.¡±


    Lily frowned, ¡°I smell a story behind that.¡±


    Jace grinned, ¡°As fun as it is to do every time, I¡¯ll explain it to you guys later, continue with your story Mimla!¡±


    The rest groaned and made sounds of frustration, Cili threw another grape at him, which he caught. He grinned, nobody loved leaving a story hang like that, but it would cause a commotion and he wanted to hear more about this emperor.


    Mimla eyed him but eventually continued, ¡°So the emperor is a powerful figure whose goal is to unit the continent. He has already annexed four other kingdoms, he is a man of war, and he is good at it.¡±


    Lily nodded, ¡°The scariest thing is probably how devoted his soldiers are. They fear no death, nor pain. They are focused on the goal of conquering the other countries.¡±


    James nodded, ¡°It would be easier if the man was a Tyrant, but it seems he is a benevolent emperor. He treats his citizens well, even those of the kingdoms he has conquered. There has been no large rebellion under his rule, as the lives of most commoners has improved under it.¡±


    Xivr growled, ¡°He does allow slave trade however, although he has altered it. People in a deep amount of debt can enter slavery for a set amount of time. There are a lot of laws involved that stop mistreating or abusement of the slave. It creates a powerful industry for him to build upon.¡±


    Cili nodded, ¡°The man is smart, he knows building a powerful empire requires a good foundations. He takes his time, after conquering one kingdom, he spends decades securing his rule and making the people his own. Honestly it wouldn¡¯t be all bad to have him rule the continent. He does not discriminate and his people have freedom of religion. By all accounts he is just and fair. But who would give up their country just like that. Especially those with millennia of history. So a bunch of the remaining countries have formed an alliance of sorts against the empire.¡±


    Grumgar grunted, ¡°As much as it irks me to say it the Emperor is a man of his word and a man of honor.¡±


    Lily nodded, ¡°It would be easier if the man was evil.¡±


    The rest made noises of agreement. Jace laughed, ¡°Well should he come here, he¡¯ll have to get through us. Protecting the kingdom is our duty now after all.¡±


    Grumgar chuckled, ¡°Here here.¡±


    Lily leaned forward and eyed Jace, ¡°So now that you have heard about the empire and its leader, spill it!¡±


    Jace grinned, ¡°Trishla is my grandmother.¡±


    The room went eerily quiet, Jace laughed. Yup, he really did love doing this. Grumgar stroked his beard and sat back in his chair, ¡°Well that explains a bit about you. You¡¯ve been in this year for a mere year and a half and are already this powerful. I did wonder how you did it.¡±


    Jace blinked, ¡°Is my rate of growth that strange?¡±


    Karl snorted, ¡°It¡¯s downright abnormall, most people take a decade to reach around level hundred of strength. You did it in barely two. You have never delved with a party not your own, so you probably never could compare. People never go through a layer in one go. They map it out one tunnel at a time. From what I¡¯ve heard you and yours go through the layer in one go, then keep repeating it with less and less people until you can do it by yourself.¡±


    Xivr nodded claws popped out of his padded hand. ¡°I bet the people around you have been either abnormally skilled, or have become abnormally skilled because of you.¡±


    Jace frowned, ¡°That does explain some things, I always wondered why people could become a knight after they reached level hundred and fifty. It seemed easy to do.¡±


    Karl guffawed, ¡°For you perhaps it is easy, most of us aren¡¯t masters of combat. What kind of freakish talent do you have to have to reach mastery in a weapon within two years. It¡¯s absolutely unheard of. Bloody insanity is what it is.¡±


    The others made sounds of agreement. Jace blushed and felt a little awkward. He honestly hadn¡¯t really noticed he had such an abnormal talent. He knew he was talented with the shield, he just didn¡¯t realise HOW talented.


    Lily laughed, ¡°You never even realised, I guess when the first person you meet and the one who teaches you everything is the Slow March of Death it screws with your perspective of how things should go. Which brings me to my next question, what is she like?¡±


    The rest leaned forward in eager anticipation, Jace scratched his beard. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to tell you, she was stern and accepted no mistakes when it came to form or reaction speed. She would stomp the right reactions in me from the moment we started training, she was so powerful I never even felt it was possible to beat her. Yet behind all that power is a soft heart. She¡¯s a softie, she loves puppies and children. Not that big a fan of felines though. Owh and she loves food! She¡¯s a real foodie.¡±


    ¡°She dislikes¡­ Felines?¡± Xivr asked with a curious yet worried gaze.


    Jace rolled his eyes, ¡°Relax Xivr, your a person, not a cat.¡±


    The tiger coughed and averted his gaze, Jace grinned. Cili ran a hand through her hair, ¡°It is something else to hear that one of the most feared individuals on the continent is a lover of furry little puppies.¡±


    Jace shrugged, ¡°No matter how old and powerful a person grows to be, they are still people.¡±


    ¡°Makes one wonder what the emperor is like as a person.¡± Lily mused.


    ¡°Perhaps he likes cats?¡± Jace said with a chuckle.


    Somewhere far away in a throne room that was surprisingly spartan for a throne room of one with such power.  A man sneezed as he looked over at his attendant, a beautiful elven woman with lush black hair and an ample bosom. ¡°I really wish you would stop bringing that thing in here Miya, I¡¯m allergic to cats.¡±


    ¡°That is a shame my lord. I love cats. You will have to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°No wait, that¡¯s not how things go, I¡¯m your emperor! I am one of the most powerful warriors in existence!¡± The man said as he radiated a powerful aura.


    ¡°Can¡¯t be that powefull if you¡¯re losing to a cat allergy.¡± The elf said dismissively.


    The man gaped at his attendant. The emperor was not even the master of his own throne room.

 Not a chap!

    Before you guys worry no I am NOT dropping this fiction, even though lately My fic dropped 250 ranks and the last few reviews were pretty bad, although some were really good! I''ll keep working on the fic for the people that DO like it.


    But the issue is, both my left wrist, and right ringfinger have muscle injuries, i''d been having them for a while but it kept getting worse, i thought it was just a joint issue. TURNS OUT that i have actually been overworking the muscles with writing (this fic) and editing (my current off-on job), doc says they need a bit of rest so, i guess no chaps for a couple days till i''m allowed to write again?This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Sorry about the delay, but i''d rather stop it from getting worse. It felt weird if i just dissapeared for a few days, so letting you peeps know also adding a poll for the bonus chapter!

 Chapter 31

    Jace struggled against his covers, everyone hated getting out of bed in the morning if they felt they hadn¡¯t gotten enough sleep. Which for him was just about always, he flopped around in bed for a minute before he heaved himself out of it. He put his undergarments on, there was always a layer of thick cloth that was worn under his armour. A gambeson was what it was called if he remembered correctly, once he had his clothes on his armour started flying towards him and equipping itself. It had been doing that ever since the blood had decided to make itself comfortable in the steel. He wondered how that worked, how did the blood make the armour float. Another question that would harm his unscientific brain if he tried to answer it.


    He shrugged and let the armour put itself on, he grabbed his sword and picked up his shield. He gave the shield a loving pat, it was relatively new, he had bought it when they were still dungeon diving. He had gone to the best blacksmith in the capital and spent all the money he had earned in the last three months on that shield. The shield was his weapon of choice after all, it was made by something called dwarven black iron. Which was a metal found deep in the mountains and was mined mostly by the dwarven people. It was heavy, much heavier than a normal person should be able to carry around comfortably.


    It was a creation of a master, the blacksmith had worked together with a mage and givin it properties that allowed the shield to grow. If it came into contact with other metals that could strengthen it the shield would absorb the metals and upgrade itself. He was surprised that something like that could be ordered, he expected the like of the shield to be a legendary drop. Apparently the first of its kind had been, blacksmiths and mages had studied it and taken it apart. After years of research they figured it out, it was extremely expensive to make such a weapon but it was doable by most skilled craftsmen. The shield cost more than his house however. Worth every penny in his opinion, not that they had pennies in this world.


    After donning his armour and arming himself he stepped out of the door. He glanced down the stairs and saw that most of the platoon was up already, Cili was cooking for the rest of the group. Something everyone appreciated, most weren¡¯t a fan of cooking. Cili loved it so everyone gladly let her take charge, Jace had somewhat expected an elf to be against cooking meat but Cili told him elves ate meat just fine. She herself wasn¡¯t much of a fan but it wasn¡¯t against any rules. He plopped down on a couch and looked at the others, ¡°So anything new we are going to do today?¡±


    Xivr shook his head, ¡°Nope, as far as I am aware the next few weeks will be the same every day. Are you looking forward to the next flute class?¡± He asked with wiggling eyebrows, Jace glared at him.


    The others perked up with interest, ¡°What¡¯s this about flute class?¡± Arian asked.


    Vivianna smiled, ¡°His class is given by an Alluracian, one that loves her powers at that.¡±


    Some people groaned while others laughed, Jace glared at the bunch of them. ¡°I¡¯d like to see you guys go through that class, I bet a few of you are interested in learning the flute, why not join me!¡±


    Mimla put his hands up, ¡°I¡¯m a married man no thanks.¡± Cili¡¯s clear laugh was heard from the kitchen, ¡°I¡¯d take her up on that offer!¡±


    Jace frowned, ¡°A question if i may, I noticed that a lot of people are interested in the same gender. Is that normal here?¡±


    James blinked, ¡°Seven out of ten people are interested in both genders around here.¡±


    Jace¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Wait really, how did that happen?¡±


    The group shrugged, Karl grinned and scratched at his beard. ¡°My personal theory is that people simply changed that way so that the potential amount of people they can have sex with doubles.¡±


    Arian laughed, before he quickly stifled it and went back to looking arrogant. ¡°That may actually make sense, a lot of people have open-minded marriages as well. I expect it is different from your home. Sex is something people are quite open about, although having sex in public is seen as uncouth, it is not all that uncommon. Sometimes one married couple might invite another couple to join them in their beds. Some noble families even have contracts involving intercourse between each other.¡±


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


    Vivianna nodded and smiled as she looked at Jace¡¯s shocked face. ¡°For instance my parent¡¯s have such a contract with Arian¡¯s. I remember once when we were children and walked in on them.¡±


    Arian groaned, ¡°Please do not remind me, that has left me a trauma and I shall never like men because of it.¡±


    Vivianna smiled, ¡°It made me interested in women on the other hand.¡±


    Arian made puking sounds and turned his head away, the group laughed. James laughed, ¡°In reality more women are okay with same gender interactions than men are. Part of it is culture, it leaves people with less inhibitions. But men having sex with other men has always been something that bothered most of us if our main interest lies in women. According to some studies women have less of those inhibitions, some called it the alpha male syndrome.¡±


    Jace shook his head, ¡°Here I was thinking the culture would be behind ours, but it seems in somethings it is more progressive.¡±


    Karl patted him on the shoulder, ¡°Well if you ever want some same gender experience let me know.¡± He winked.


    Jace did a dramatic shudder and hid himself behind Vivianna, Everyone laughed. Karl smirked, ¡°Perhaps I should walk in during one of these flute lessons.¡±


    Jace groaned, ¡°I should really change classes.¡±


    A few days passed and it was more of the same, flute classes remained a test of his self-control. Rury¡¯s advances only got worse as time passed, he had heard a rumor that Rury had been sending letters towards the capital. Jace really hoped those letters weren¡¯t addressed to Sarai. His bond with Tyrant grew, he was a lot of work to take care of. Between cleaning the hooves, grooming, feeding and training they spent most of the day together. Finally weekend had arrived and they were allowed to go home for a couple days. It had caught Jace by surprise, he was under the impression that they would stay the entire year.


    The others had joked with him that he really should pay attention when people explained things. He smirked and made his way back to the capital. Vivianna, Arian and Lily had decided to come with him towards his home. Cili, Grumgar and Xivr were going with James for the weekend. Next week they would switch around a little, it should take two days to reach the capital. That was if he took the normal carriage that was used by commoners. Vivianna and Arian had smirked, both of them were high level nobles and had carriages and magical mounts. They could make the journey within four hours. They decided to give everyone a lift, otherwise they could only spend their break in the nearby villages.


    Jace glanced at the creatures pulling the carriage, they reminded him of hippos, tall slim hippos with long legs. He shook his head, sometimes he forget that he was in another world but things like this reminded him where he was. Just before he closed the door of the carriage a voice rang out, ¡°In such a rush my dear student?¡±


    Jace shivered as he heard the rolling r¡¯s. He looked at Vivianna with wide panicked eyes, ¡°Quick let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    Vivianna raised an eyebrow, and opened her mouth but a before she could answer the door swung open and Rury entered. Vivianna choked on her words as she stared at the Alluracian. Jace saw a blush creep on Lily¡¯s cheeks as she leaned forwards. Jace put a hand on her shoulder, and pulled her back. Vivianna quickly regained control of herself, Arian however was entranced.


    Jace forced a smile, ¡°Rury, why are you here. Don¡¯t you have teacher things to take care of?¡±


    Rury chuckled, the sound causing goosebumps and making it harder for him to hold on to Lily. ¡°But my dear student, how else would I ask your wife for an exciting night other than with a visit.¡±


    Rury then gazed at Lily, ¡°Why what an adorable young lady, would you mind sitting on my lap for the trip? It is quite cold outside and you look suitably warm.¡±


    Lily¡¯s breath shook as she tried to stand up, Jace clamped his hand on her shoulder. ¡°Please stop teasing my squadmates, she¡¯s a bit too young to meet the likes of you.¡±


    Rury chuckled once more, ¡°Relax dear student, I won¡¯t do anything untoward. A few hours on my lap and she will get used to the pheromones. I was actually suggesting it out of practicality.¡±


    Jace narrowed his brows, ¡°Then why not ask Arian for the same? He seems to be willing.¡±


    The man in question nodded his head excitedly. Rury smiled, this time Jace noted a tinge of sadness in her smile. ¡°Aaah but he is merely interested in sex, which would make it troublesome. This innocent lass on the other hand merely wishes for some physical contact, a hug would be enough to satisfy her.¡±


    Jace paused and looked at Vivianna, who pursed her lips but eventually nodded. Jace released his hold on Lily¡¯s shoulder and watched as she stood up and sat down on Rury¡¯s lap. After Rury stroked her head a few times Lily seemed to calm down, there was a slight blush on her cheeks. More from embarrassment than excitement but she stayed on the Alluracians lap.


    Rury sighed and leaned back, she was still wearing the same alluring red dress she always did. ¡°You misunderstand my people Jace, you think sex is all we are after and we use it to manipulate others. While we do indeed truly enjoy it, it is not our goal. We can sense people¡¯s emotional state, and when people are harmed or uncomfortable we can feel it. Being around people who have been abused for instance, feels like an ache. It causes us actual pain to be around these people.¡±


    Vivianna nodded, ¡°Alluracians are mostly found in brothels, but while they are well known for their¡­ skills in that area. They are even better known as people who look after those emotional problems. An Alluracian is often seen helping people who have been abused or have a horrible past.¡±


    Rury smiled, ¡°Such a knowledgeable girl, and so beautiful. You are more than welcome to come and sit on my lap should you so wish.¡±


    Vivianna smiled, ¡°I might take you up on that some day.¡±


    Rury turned back to Jace, ¡°Back to the matter at hand, you are easily one of the most broken people I have ever met. I can sense so much damage in you that it¡­¡± She shivered, ¡°Yet for some reason it causes me no pain, for whatever was done to you, it bothers you no longer.¡±


    Vivianna and even Arian stared at Jace for a few moments, Jace rolled his shoulders and hunched a little. He shrugged, ¡°Shit happens.¡±


    Rury eyed him for a moment, ¡°That it does, yet you ooze kindness, an attraction and will to help people who have been through tough times themselves. It is intoxicating, so I wish to know what the people around you are like. That is the reason I shall be joining you.¡±

 32

    Weira grunted as Qyra kicked her in her sleep. She sat up and rubbed her ribcage, every time she saw it she was surprised by how much the younger girl could contort. She appreciated the view for a while before she bent over and kissed the girl on the cheek. Qyra grumbled and snatched for the blanket, Weira smiled and got up. She went through her usual stretch routine. Today they would test the next layer of the dungeon, she had taken control over the team, somehow. She wasn¡¯t even the one making the tactical calls, Florian was, yet somehow they still referred to her as the leader.


    She shook her head, the day hadn¡¯t even started and she already missed Jace. Life was easy under his command, despite his random tendencies he was truly gifted in small squad command. A few month under his tutelage and the group moved on instinct. Jace told her his philosophy was that once a squad was properly trained the sergeant wouldn¡¯t have to issue any commands. The soldiers should know what to do when shit hit the fan themselves. Only when shit hit the fan, was the sergeant supposed to intervene. She had asked what a fan was, apparently it was an item for cooling oneself down.


    She walked down to the inn, she waved to Frank and Mili. Who was already at work on her next delicious meal. Suddenly she felt a shiver and grabbed for her halberd and twisted to the entrance. A woman walked in, she recognised her kind, one of those Xor. An adult version, although she spotted a child beside her. She recognised the kid, Weira put away her halberd and waved towards them. ¡°Looking for Jace?¡±


    The Xor turned to her, ¡°We wish to Challenge him.¡±


    Weira nodded, ¡°I heard about that, Jace is at the knight college currently.¡±


    The Xor frowned, she folded her arms and a low growling sound escaped from her throat. ¡°He has run?¡±


    Weira laughed, ¡°Doubtful, anything that could be a good fight is something he would enjoy.¡±


    The woman paused then nodded. ¡° As expected of one accepted.¡±


    Weira saw Mili come out from the kitchen with breakfast, Weira smiled and motioned the two Xor to sit down. ¡°Would you like to join me for breakfast, you will have to wait a few days for Jace to return. He should be back during the weekend.¡±


    The woman paused slightly before she nodded and sat down. Mili who had just reached the table magically made another set of plates appear out of nowhere. Setting them in front of the two strange new additions. The ball of fur Mili bounced up and down and her squeaky voice told the two of them to enjoy breakfast. The adult Xor nodded and looked down at the plate, she hesitatingly picked up a fork and tried a bite. The woman moaned, ¡°This food has been well prepared.¡±


    Weira grinned, ¡°Mili is a wizard in the kitchen.¡±


    They spent the rest of breakfast in silence, eventually the rest of the team started trickling down from the rooms. Qyra with tired eyes squeezed herself next to Weira on the bench. The three boys seeing that the table was pretty full grabbed another table and put it next to the other. They sat down and a few moments later Mili appeared with more plates of food for the others. They each thanked her for the food before they dug in, today they planned to challenge another layer of the tower after all. They had to make sure that they ate well, they also ordered a lunch that they would bring along. Mili familiar with their habits had already prepared a few boxed lunches. The group thanked her for the effort, Plip looked at the younger Xor. He nodded at her, the young girl nodded back and grinned. Showing off her sharp teeth.


    Weira waited for her team to finish breakfast, she looked over at the Xor. ¡°You can wait here for Jace to return, if you didn¡¯t bring enough money for the stay you can put it on my tab. I have work to do so if you will excuse me.¡±


    The Xor simply nodded politely while Weira and her group walked past them and headed towards the dungeon tower. As usual once they arrived they checked each other¡¯s gear. Once they felt everything was in order they entered through the gate and appeared on a flat grassland. They immediately fell into a diamond formation with Qyra in the middle, Florian at the fore and Weira and Jerard at the sides and Plip at the rear. They were surrounded by high grass, something that could hide a lot of various creatures. Weira glared at the grass surrounding her before motioning to Qyra, the purple haired girl nodded and after a soft incantation a ring of fire appeared around her and slowly spread outwards.


    The rest of the team didn¡¯t react as the flames pass around them, they knew Qyra had enough control over the flames to make sure they wouldn¡¯t harm her team members. Weira watched as the grass caught fire and an inferno spread outwards from them, it was perhaps a reckless tactic but it was one that was thought out. Unlike Jace who had taken them into the layers without much investigation, because he wanted them to keep their edge and prepare for anything. Weira preferred to learn as much as she could before she tackled a layer. She knew this one was filled with ambush predators. So she decided to do away with their advantage, she smiled with grim satisfaction as the flames reduced everything around them to dust.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    She heard screeches of anger and rolled her shoulders, a bloodthirsty grin appeared on her face. She twirled her halberd and glyphs started floating around her in the air. She flicked a finger and various glyphs formed small circles and flew over and landed on the ground. Creating some of Weira¡¯s homegrown landmines, she had been thinking of ways to increase her strength. Jace had passed her when he unlocked his mastery and then once again had grown when he had force unlocked his class. Weira refused to fall behind, she had been experimenting more and more with her glyphs and even had the idea to tattoo a few of them on her body that she could activate by passing mana through them. She hadn¡¯t figured out the particulars yet but that was why she had been saving up to build herself a small laboratory.


    Once she spotted flashes of green from the corner of her eyes she shook away the stray thoughts and prepared for battle. Today¡¯s opponents would be Babayaza¡¯s a strange rodent with a long body and sharp claws, they moved low among the ground and loved ambushing their prey. They were fast and their claws sharp, their defense was negligible and they were a lot less dangerous without the surrounding grass to hide them. She saw one of them rushing near one of her landmines and grinned when it exploded, tearing the thing to pieces before it could reach them. She kept softly mumbling the incantation she had tied to her glyphs and kept creating new ones, attempting to keep her mana level stable.


    More and more of the Babayaza¡¯s appeared with angry screeches and a wave of them appeared before her, Weira smiled and murmured another incantation. Another new spell of her own creation, Glyph Armour. The glyphs tied themselves to her, each with a different purpose but together creation a powerful whole. She twirled her halberd and the blade started glowing blue, with flick the blade grew and she dashed forward. With a swing of her enhanced weapons she cut a pair of the creatures in half, and arrow flew past and knocked one of the things out of the air. Fiery mana needles rained down on the horde of creatures, Qyra had forsaken control for a mass area of effect attack. The creatures howled as they were pierced by needles.


    Jerard moved closer to Qyra to protect her while Florian ran forward and covered Weira. He used his shield well and blocked anything that might be able to attack her, Weira completely neglected defense, trusting on her armour, florian and her glyphs to keep her safe as she tore through the group of Babayaza¡¯s. The fight was short but intense, after a mere minute they were surrounded by dozens of corpses, Weira nodded as she looked at the result and motioned with her hand. Qyra stepped forward and started skinning the creatures and grabbing cores. This particular layer was peculiar in that it did not have a boss but merely had a large amount of smaller creatures. After repeating the same tactic a few more times they cleared the layer. It should have been a more hard-won fight, but the Babayaza¡¯s trait of camouflage was rendered useless when the grass was scorched away.


    At the end of the day Weira smiled in relief, she finally had enough to set up a moderate lab. She was really excited and beside her Qyra smiled at her, ¡°Let¡¯s get ourselves that lab.¡±


    Weira blinked and looked at her, she cocked her head. ¡°Our lab?


    Qyra grinned and pulled on her arm, hugging it. ¡°Of course our lab, I was waiting for you to have enough for that moderate lab you wanted. But I¡¯ve also been saving up, we can get a better lab if we pool our money! Besides, both of us are mages, even if we research in different directions we can help each others. I know you don¡¯t have a relationship with me only because of my dashing looks.¡±


    Weira rolled her eyes, ¡°The dashing looks really helped though.¡±


    Qyra grinned and grabbed hold of her hand as they headed to the real estate manager. Weira went to the same woman who had gotten Jace his house and told her what she was looking for. The saleswoman blinked in surprise but quickly got over it and started looking into various lab opportunities.


    ¡°Do you wish to invest in a lab with a group or would you like a personal one?¡±


    Weira frowned and scratched at her chin, ¡°I was unaware that there were groups that invested in a lab, how would that work.¡±


    The saleswoman nodded knowingly, ¡°Building a proper lab is an expensive endeavor, a lot of enterprising young mages set their sights on magical science. When they cannot afford a lab of their own they make contracts with a group and split the costs. Each would then have access to a lab at a different time. Should the lab be damaged during one person¡¯s time of usage the cost of fixing the equipment will fall on the person who caused the damage and not the group. Since I am aware of your position as the head of an adventurer team, you most likely will spend most of your day in the dungeon and only require access to the lab in the evening. Thus I felt mentioning the option might be of aid.¡±


    Weira paused and glanced at Qyra, who shrugged and made a face that told Weira it was up to her. Weira thought for a while, making such a contract would make sense, and with three or four people pooling their money they would be able to make a high quality lab. It would expedite the research progress, and let her go further in depth. Things like a magicule meter or a mana wave reader were expensive. The higher the quality of the equipment the further she could take her research. She nodded to herself, ¡°What people do you have that would be interested in building such a group lab.¡±

 33

    The saleswoman smiled, ¡°I expected you to be interested, I¡¯m glad my sale¡¯s instinct hasn¡¯t let me down.¡± Her face turned serious as she grabbed a few dossiers, ¡°First of all we have a group of old stooges who want to set up another laboratory to play around in, I would advise you to not join in on their group as the bunch of them are arrogant and will most certainly cause you a headache¡±


    The saleswoman tossed the dossier containing these old stooges without even asking for their opinion. Weira and Qyra agreed though, older people rarely took younger ones seriously when it came to science or knowledge. They nodded along and waited for the woman to grab the next dossier.


    ¡°Next up we have a group of nobles, like the former group they are arrogant because of their heritage but if someone is sufficiently skilled you will gain their approval. If you have any noble family members or connections you should have no trouble getting along with them, do you have any such connections.¡± The woman looked up and raised an eyebrow at the two of them.


    Qyra spoke up, she pointed a thumb to Weira. ¡°Her brother is currently training in a knight academy, he is sworn into the Vin to Shurka family.¡±


    The saleswoman blinked, ¡°That should be more than sufficient to blend in, these youths are relatively low ranked nobility. So having a knight of the Vin to Shurka¡¯s as a direct family member should be more than enough to overshadow them. Funds are also no issue for this nobility as they are rather wealthy. They mostly make these groups to find people with like-minded interests and progress faster. It could be considered a good opportunity.¡±


    Qyra glanced at Weira and once more was the one that talked. ¡°Let¡¯s first hear about the other opportunities you have for us. The nobles sound interesting but honestly, even the best of them look down at their nose at people sometimes.¡± Qyra blushed and quickly added, ¡°Of course this doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re bad people but living in the circumstances they do it probably can¡¯t be helped¡­¡± She trailed off as she averted her gaze. Weira smiled and patted her leg.


    The saleswoman shrugged, ¡°You don¡¯t have to justify yourself to me, I completely agree. As for the next dossier, this is a somewhat peculiar one. It¡¯s an older gentleman who is looking for people to help him with his experiments, he is even willing to offer a small sum as salary. You could use the laboratory for free after your work hours. The gentleman has a good reputation and honestly is a calm and focused individual, you could learn a lot from him.¡±


    Qyra this time shook her head, ¡°As tempting as the offer might be we do not have the time to help others with their experiments while doing our own and still working in the dungeon. It¡¯s going to be a pass on the gentleman I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    The woman nodded, it made sense after all. ¡°The fourth and last of the available labs is also a rather peculiar one, the circumstances aren¡¯t strange. It¡¯s a simple combined lab contract as I have explained before. No deviances in that area, the people themselves however are¡­ odd.¡±


    Weira suddenly grinned and leaned forward with interest. ¡°Odd how?¡±


    The woman tapped the dossier for a few moments, thinking of the proper words. ¡°It¡¯s a pair of siblings, the elder brother seems rather emotionless, and keeps referring to numbers which make absolutely no sense to me. The younger sister, however, is famous, she is unhinged. That is what some say about her at least. It is certain that she is a genius, however. Few are willing to sponsor her however as she can be rather¡­ reckless in her use of equipment. The lab these two want to have built will also be outside of the city in a somewhat remote area for this very reason.¡±


    Weira grinned and looked at Qyra and nodded. Qyra groaned, ¡°Really? Do we have to?¡±


    Weira smiled and patted Qyra, the girl sagged and looked at the saleswoman. ¡°It seems we will be taking the insane sibling offer.¡± The saleswoman blinked but still heard Qyra softly mutter something beneath her breath, ¡°Damn Jace is a bad influence. People start thinking that everyone and everything odd must have a great amount of potential. He¡¯s not always right you know! Things go badly more often than not!¡±


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    The saleswoman paused a moment to check if they truly wanted to go with this option. Once even the younger of the two girls nodded and voiced her agreement she told them she would notify the siblings that there was someone who was willing to take them up on their offer. The woman told them where to find the lab and that they could visit tomorrow, she would have notified the siblings by then. The girls nodded, thanked the woman for her time and left. They headed back to the inn while arguing about the decision. Qyra obviously thought this plan was going to blow up in their face, while Weira simply shrugged and said good things could come from winging it.


    Once back at the inn they noticed the two Xor were sitting at a table and were waiting for their dinner. The rest of the team was nowhere to be seen, they might be out in the city or have gone shopping for new equipment. Who even knew with those boys, Weira decided to take a seat at the table with the Xor. Some of the other regulars stared slack-jawed for a few moments. But once they realized that the girls were familiar with the Xor they went back to business. The people of the inn had gotten used to Jace and his semi-regular power of summoning strange people.


    Weira sat down opposite of the two and Qyra appeared soon after with two plates of steaming and delicious food. She put one down in front of Weira and then sat down as close to her as she could. She looked at the younger Xor in front of her and waved, the girl waved back but both were too focused on the food to start a conversation. Weira, on the other hand, was addressed by the older Xor. The woman had looked her up and down and seemed to be pondering something.


    She tapped her plate with her fork once before looking back up at Weira. ¡°You are blood-related to Jace the Accepted are you not?¡±


    Weira shook her head, ¡°Both of us were adopted by the same person. We grew close fast, and it feels like a sibling relationship to us so we simply started referring to each other as such.¡±


    The woman nodded put a bite of food in her mouth, chewed a few times then swallowed before looking at Weira again. A hint of bloodthirst seeped from the woman. ¡°Are you as strong as he is?¡±


    Weira frowned and pondered the question for a while. ¡°We used to be evenly matched, I was even ahead for a while. Then he broke into the master tier and he gained that weird blood ability of his. I¡¯m unsure how we stack up as of now. I plan to develop some new magic that would help me reach his level again, he never did have a talent for the magical arts.¡±


    The woman grinned this time more eager, ¡°You seem competent, a fight would be enjoyable.¡±


    Weira grinned and a bit of her own bloodthirst was released, ¡°Why I thought you would never ask.¡±


    Qyra groaned and looked at the two, ¡°Can we do this after dinner please?¡±


    The two frowned and looked at the girl, she pouted. ¡°I can¡¯t have battle maniacs continuously interrupting meal time. I happen to enjoy dinner time okay!?¡±


    Weira scratched her head guiltily, ¡°I guess I could wait till after dinner.¡± The Xor woman simply nodded and continued eating her food. The younger Xor girl secretly gave Qyra a thumbs-up which she returned with a wink.


    The rest of the dinner passed quickly and surprisingly without any sort of tension. Neither party was nervous about the upcoming match and it could be seen from their posture. The people who surrounded the table and had heard the challenge, however, were interested. Weira was well known in the inn and well-liked, despite her former muteness she had always treated everyone kindly and had even helped a few of them when they had been drunk. Of course, it also helped that she was beautiful. Quite a few of the younger ones had tried to court her, only to be turned down by an angry purple haired girl who would glare at them angrily.


    They had laughed it off back then. Yet nearly all of them were curious as to the strength of the well-liked adventurer team that had stayed in the inn for over half a year. They oozed a sense of competence and people couldn¡¯t help but be attracted to it, now that they had the opportunity to see that competence in action how could they resist?


    People had started leaving the inn to let the other people in the district know, soon enough before the group had even finished their dinner they already had quite a gallery waiting to follow them to wherever they would hold the match.


    Weira glanced at the group as she finished her plate, she smiled at the Xor and cracked her neck. ¡°Shall we? There is a training center not far from here that we can use.¡±


    The woman smiled and showed her sharp teeth, ¡°We shall.¡±

 34

    Weira walked over to the training center, the Xor just behind her. The interested civilians close behind them. Weira felt her blood pumping through her veins, her heart was a flutter. She breathed in the air of the city and smiled. She was nervous, excited. She had heard a lot about these Xor and how they were seen as a dangerous warrior race. Which only made her more excited about the process of fighting one, she had heard that a spar with non-lethal consequences was rather rare among their race. She had to admit she was slightly honored that the woman wanted to spar with her, it set her warrior¡¯s blood aflame.


    Qyra walked next to her with a worried look on her face, bless the girl. She was always the one to pick up the pieces when things went to hell. She was probably the most responsible of the group, Weira acted all responsible when it came to things like money management but that was only when compared to Jace. She had trained longer than him, much longer. She had been under Trishla¡¯s care since she was six. The woman had always trained her, ignoring the fact that she was mute as if it was of no import. Only once she had traveled more did she realize that the people back home were stronger than usual by an enormous amount. The minimum level of the guard back home was a hundred and eighty. Which was the level of a well-respected knight in this kingdom.


    Weira sighed and realized her mind was drifting off, she was doing it more and more ever since she met Jace. Weira wondered if it was contagious somehow. Eventually, they arrived at the training grounds, Weira rolled her head and a few satisfying cracks resounded from her neck. She smirked, she went through a series of brief stretches to warm up her muscles. She hopped over the fence and stood across from the Xor, she twirled her halberd a few times while the audience circled around them and started placing bets. Qyra without any hesitation put down a bet that Weira would win. Weira smiled, the girl was loyal, but Weira had no misconceptions that she actually had a chance of victory. This was an adult Xor, even her grandma was wary of them, let alone her.


    Weira breathed in deeply and exhaled, expelled her thoughts and emotions. She rolled her shoulders pointed her halberd and waited. She looked over at the woman across from her. Four elongated ears that were elf-like, two on each side of her head. Hair, bright orange and blue, more like stalks of grass than strands of hair, teeth sharp and pointed. Eyes a deep red, with bright blue pupils. There was a savage beauty to the woman, the Xor grabbed her weapon, a thick claymore larger than the woman who wielded it appeared out of thin air. The Xor twirled it and the wind whistled.


    ¡°I am Weira, and it is my honour to fight with you.¡±


    The Xor smiled, her teeth on full display. ¡°I am called Hirki, may your blade never dull and opponents fall to your metal.¡±


    A brief moment of stillness before both women exploded into action. The Xor dashed towards her faster than nearly anything she had seen before. Weira didn¡¯t waste a breath as she immediately pulled on ALL of her mana. The ground beneath her cracked as the mana rushed through her body, her hair swirled violently in unfelt winds as glyphs appeared all around her like violent fowl. The Xor woman¡¯s eyes widened slightly before her mouth turned into a bloodthirsty grin, she dashed forward slinging her heavy claymore through a couple of the glyphs that assaulted her.


    The air exploded, sending dust flying into the nearby audience. While they were coughing glyphs snaked around Weira¡¯s body before settling into place and creating her homegrown magical armour. She let other glyphs unseen to the naked eye settle on her muscles, enhancing them as far as she could and suppressing the pain she could feel. She continuously shot glyphs at Hirki to buy herself a little time. The frightening woman was tearing through her magic with ease, her blade dancing through the cold air. Moving faster and more smoothly than a blade of that size had any right to.


    Her preparations finished, she took a deep breath and dashed forward. Meeting the woman in close quarters, her halberd swirled through the air in a blur. Cutting towards Hirki¡¯s neck with no hesitation, the blade never reached flesh as the dark iron of the Xor¡¯s claymore smashed into her halberd and sent it bouncing back. Without hesitation, she used the momentum of the collision to twirl the other way and brought her blade to bear. Sparks flew through the air like fireworks as the weapons collided time and time again.


    The audience and the sound of their frantic cheers died out as Weira fell into her battle rhythm. Her breathing matched her opponent¡¯s, her moves matched her opponent¡¯s, even their thinking drew together. This was what she lived for, this was what she fought for. This feeling, this indescribable elation. She roared a challenge at the woman who was in an entirely different league. Her body changed, her muscles bulged, veins pressed against her skin as she snarled and savagely tore at Hirki.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    The glyphs turned from bright blue to a darker hue and eventually started humming and lost all colour. They became black, the edges glowing with a grey light as the fluttered through the air. Weira kept moving, the changes unseen, her halberd ever dancing against her opponent. Her movements changed, her dance smoother, her steps faster. The small pauses and hesitation disappearing. She was transforming, she was breaking through into master tier!


    Across from her Hirki was laughing, her eyes wide open and her teeth glittering in the light. She was enjoying herself, they both were. Their bloodthirst crashed into each other and created a near palpable pressure in the area, some of the weaker minded audience members were turning pale. Neither of the warriors noticed as the audience grew, neither noticed as people of import started gathering and watching. Neither noticed anything other than the opponent they were facing.


    They smashed against each other and bounced back, a slight distance created between them. A moment of stillness, an eerie silence, then action, sparks, the sharp clash of metal. Weira danced under a strike and with a twist, the shaft of her halberd crashed into the claymore, with a spin and twist the blade whistled through the air and sought flesh, once again there was none to be found. It did bother Weira, she had missed everything she had thrown in this match so far, but she was getting closer, she could feel it.


    Some of the more skilled warriors in the audience felt their own mastery progress simply from watching the fight, they smiled in anticipation as they watched the two women clash. This was a fight between masters, a skill level few would ever reach. The people who knew the silent, sarcastic young woman, stared with open eyes at the savagery she displayed on the field of battle. The older regulars realizing that the person they had seen as a young girl wasn¡¯t a girl at all. She was a woman, a full-fledged battle prodigy. They glanced towards her teammates, who were screaming themselves raw in support of their friend. Qyra was screaming most of all, her voice hoarse and her hands clenched into desperate fists.


    A bouncing ball of fur was screaming her own support, Mili had come with them to watch the fight. Even Frank had left his precious inn unattended for a while so he could watch the show. The calm and friendly man was as excited as the rest of them. Then all of a sudden the dust which had bounced around through the air started to settle, the audience died down as they stared at the field of battle. Weira stood motionless, her glyphs had disappeared and her hair had settled down on her shoulders, she grimaced.


    The Xor paused and cocked her head, ¡°Why do you stop, I wish for more.¡±


    Weira frowned, ¡°As do I, but my body no longer listens to my commands. All of my energy is gone.¡±


    Hirki paused and put away her blade, ¡°It was a good battle, more than expected. it was enjoyable, should you find more energy, feel free to come to me any time. My blade will gladly dance with yours.¡±


    The woman bowed slightly and gasps ran through the audience. Being granted permission to seek a Xor out for sparring was huge, it was an acknowledgment of skill and meant the woman saw Weira as an equal. Perhaps although currently, she was far above Weira in power, she acknowledged that in the future Weira would be a worthy opponent. The few nobles who had come to watch were eying Weira with interest, whispering amongst themselves. A warrior accepted by the Xor was something all of them would like to get their claws into. Weira and her team could expect a lot of requests in the near future, and their name was no longer an unknown.


    Qyra ignored all the implications and jumped over the fence and ran to Weira, the rest of the team hot on her heels. She dashed forward and caught Weira just before she collapsed, she groaned under the weight, Jerald stepped forward and helped her out. Weira looked at them through tired eyes, she looked over at Mili and grinned. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to need another meal Mili.¡±


    The furball bounced and a chipper voice answered. ¡°For letting me see something so exciting, this one will be on the house and I¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s even more delicious! All the power!¡±


    The furball turned around grabbed her husband''s hand and dragged him back to the inn. Frank smiled at them and rolled his eyes as the tiny woman was doing her best speed off towards the inn.


    Florian slipped beneath one of Weira¡¯s arms and helped carry her back to the inn. ¡°You changed in the fight, what exactly happened.¡±


    Weira smiled tiredly and her eyes danced through the air for a minute, the telltale sign of reading notifications. ¡°It seems I might be able to keep up with that insane brother of mine after all.¡±


    [Master tier unlocked]


    [Primal mana glyphs unlocked]


    [Class force unlocked: Primal Arcane Halberdier]

 35

    Jace sat in the carriage, for once he did not feel like talking. He glanced outside at his new mount, Tyrant was following the carriage as was Lily¡¯s Frigid. He watched Tyrant for a moment before closing his eyes. He was nervous, even he himself wasn¡¯t sure why. Was it because he hadn¡¯t seen Sarai in a while and wondered if she was doing okay? Was it because he wondered if Aziva¡¯s kidnapping still bothered her? Something felt off and for the life of him, he couldn¡¯t tell what it was. Jace let his eyes go over the others in the carriage. He hadn¡¯t known them very long, but spend the entire day with people and you¡¯ll get to know them pretty quick.


    Rury smiled at him, Jace avoided her gaze and closed his eyes. She could tell he was nervous, he was sure of it. Emotions were like a book to the woman, easy to read. He felt himself doze off, a sudden jolt shook him back to consciousness. He looked outside and saw the city, his insides squirmed. His hands were clammy, he wiped them on his trousers. His stomach fluttered, he resisted the urge to curse. He wanted to see his wife, he thought back to the day they met. It was such an impulsive decision back then, even for him. He didn¡¯t regret it, but even he knew that the attraction he had felt for Sarai was different from the norm.


    He¡¯d been in love before and this was something else, a pressure on his spirit. Something was pushing him to get close and stay close to Sarai, something he had no control over. Was it truly his own emotions that led him to do what he did? Was there something else at play? Did it even matter? He was certain that he was in love with the woman, he was attracted to her determination, her courage, and her poise. That she was beautiful didn''t hurt either, then there was his now adopted daughter Aziva. She was lighthearted but below that, there was something off about her. Something unchildlike, she had been surprisingly calm about the kidnapping. She had seen him kill people and it hadn¡¯t bothered her.


    Jace folded his hands and went through a breathing exercise. He tried to calm the turbulent emotions, this wasn¡¯t like him. He was rarely nervous, put him in a life or death situation and he would be calm. He could focus, his thoughts would accelerate and he would perform above the norm. He thrived under pressure and he knew it, it was what made him such a good soldier. Finally, he realized why he was nervous, he sensed danger. Not near him as would sometimes happen but something that felt off about the day, something was going to go wrong.


    He opened his eyes and noticed that the rest of the group was looking at him in worry. Arian was pretending he wasn¡¯t worried, as he was wont to do. Vivianna and Lily made no effort to hide their emotions, while Jace could simply feel Rury¡¯s worry. He looked from one to the next, ¡°Something is wrong, something is going to happen. I can feel it.¡±


    They stared at him for a while, Arian paused and then leaned out of the carriage and grabbed his bag. He started putting on his armour and grabbed his sword and shield and put them next to him. The others started arming themselves as well, Jace had a dark look in his eyes as he stared through the windows. He flexed and unflexed his hands, unseen by him the blood that inhabited his armour was restless, swirling every now and then, agitated. The others kept an eye outside the window, their hands on their weapons, their shoulders tense. He was grateful that they took his words to heart, even though he had no proof.


    They pulled up to the city and Vivianna used her nobility privilege to pass through the inspection. They headed towards the Vin To Shurka manor, that¡¯s where Jace¡¯s family stayed ever since the incident. Jace looked out of the window and let his eyes wander over the city¡¯s inhabitants. Searching for¡­ something. He noticed nothing out of place by the time they reached the manor, he stepped out of the carriage and his heart calmed slightly when he saw Sarai. She was sitting in a wheeled chair, her hair was pulled down over a shoulder and her amber eyes lit up when she saw him. Aziva was beside her and rushed over towards him jumping into his arms, he picked her up and held her to his chest.


    He walked over to his wife and kissed her, he put a hand on hers and watched as the rest of the group stepped out of the carriage, he introduced them one by one Rury being the last to leave the carriage, as expected the eyes of his spouse, the surrounding guards and even Jisarila lingered on the exotic woman. Rury stepped forward and smiled at Sarai and curtsied. Jace frowned, Rury had heavily toned down her pheromone output. He shrugged, although it puzzled him he was glad for it. He could not use any complications right now, he let the women talk amongst themselves for the moment and walked over to Jisarila.


    Jisa raised an ivory eyebrow at him, ¡°Something is off about today. It might be good to pay extra attention to security today.¡±


    Jisa sighed and twirled a strand of hair around her finger, ¡°My grandfather said the same thing. He said his old dangersense was tingling and that the troops should be on high alert.¡±


    Jace blinked, ¡°Is danger sense a skill of some kind?¡±


    Jisa shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s not an official skill in the sense of the word. Some high level warriors or combat veterans mention things smelling off before a great battle. When one of them feels something like that it''s personal when a dozen of them feel the same thing? Usually, it means war.¡±


    Jace frowned, he put his hand on the hilt of his weapon. ¡°Have the people outside been recalled?¡±


    Jisa nodded, ¡°We are keeping things under wraps for now, we asked the people living outside the city to come in for some tax-related issues or other such nonsense. We would like to avoid panic while keeping people safe. Some of the smarter farmers have noticed that most of the people living in the fields have been ushered into the city. They are starting to ask questions but luckily have not started spreading their doubts yet. We also asked all available guards to report to duty. The queen has even ordered the royal guard to prepare for battle.¡±


    Jace tensed, ¡°Who could attack us, how could they penetrate this far into the kingdom without us noticing?¡±


    Jisa shook her head, ¡°We don¡¯t know, that''s the problem. The strategists are up in arms about the failure of the surveillance network. Scouts have already been sent out in all directions but we have found nothing.¡±


    Jace scratched at his beard. ¡°What about the sky or underground?¡±


    Jisa blinked as she looked at him, ¡°Why would we watch those, the dwarven tunnels don¡¯t reach this far. And although there are airborne divisions in almost all kingdoms, there are not enough of them to use in an assault. The cost of training and maintaining airborne units is high, so nearly all of them are counted among elite units.


    Jace paused to think, back home air assaults and paradrops were the norm for modern warfare. Subterranean warfare was highly unusual, but in this world, you had creatures that could move through the earth as if it were water. ¡°Could subterranean units pass under the city walls? Do we have defenses against that?¡±


    Jisa nodded, ¡°Of course, although tunneling this deep into a kingdom is rare it is not unheard of, there are a few races who travel mostly underground. We have magic nets set up that protect the bottom of the city. It hardens the earth enough that it becomes impassable.¡± She tapped her chin in thought, ¡°If they are traveling underground it would explain why the scouts have found nothing, I will have earth mages check the surrounding area just to be safe. I will do the same with the wind mages, it¡¯s better to make sure.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    She nodded to Jace and left to make the arrangements, Jace turned back to his wife who looked up at him worriedly. He walked over to her and patted her hand. She clutched his hand and asked softly. ¡°What is going on, Jisa has been acting stiff all day. We see you for the first time in a week and even your thoughts are elsewhere.¡±


    Jace frowned and looked down at his wife, he gently ran a hand through her hair and wondered if he should tell her. He looked in her eyes and saw not fear of the unknown, but worry for him. He smiled at her, ¡°In all honesty there¡¯s something big coming, the top dogs think a war is coming to our doorstep.¡±


    Arian, Lily and Vivianna straightened and stared at him. Rury pursed her lips and folded her arms, Aziva stared up at him with a cocked head. ¡°People other than me have been sensing something off about today, Jisa thinks war is brewing. The guards are at the ready and the people outside are being brought in. This weekend will be more eventful than we had anticipated.¡±


    ¡°War? With who?¡± Sarai questioned.


    Jace shrugged, ¡°We don¡¯t know. Scouts and the surveillance net have found nothing. They have excluded a few enemies. It isn¡¯t the empire, nor is it any of our neighbours. They do not have the capability to slip the net. We would have noticed the shifting of resources to prepare for war. Which means it is an unknown party, an unknown enemy is often the most dangerous.¡±


    Sarai picked up Aziva and put her on her lap, she looked around at the others. ¡°What are we to do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing we can do, we simp-¡± Everyone stiffened as the bells started clanging, warning everyone that there was something afoot. Jace looked to Sarai, ¡°Get inside, the manor is well protected magically.¡±


    ¡°What about you!?¡± Sarai asked in a panicked voice. Jace smiled stiffly, ¡°I¡¯m a soldier. I will do whatever I must.¡±


    He bent down and kissed her before he ran to the carriage and grabbed his gear. He was armed and armored but it never hurt to have spare potions at hand. Arian, Lily and Vivianna grabbed their own packs and slung them on. Heading to the wall where the bells had signaled the alarm. Jisa sprinted out of the manor and headed to Jace, ¡°You were right! They¡¯re coming from underground, the mages found something! They¡¯re ten minutes out we have to get to the western wall!¡±


    Jace whistled and Tyrant ran over, Lily did the same and Frigid appeared. Jace hopped on and stuck a hand out for Vivianna who he pulled up behind himself. Lily did the same for Arian. Jisa whistled and a pitch black Svadilfari appeared, she mounted up and pulled Rury up behind her. Jace looked at Sarai who was still staring at him, even Aziva seemed nervous and had tears in her eyes.


    ¡°We will come back alive, I¡¯m strong remember!?¡± With a shout, he turned and sent his mount galloping down the street, the rest close behind. People in the streets were clamoring, closing up shops and gathering at the nearest shelters. Merchants with healing items or food were putting them in carts and headed towards the wall.


    Jace frowned, he looked over at Jisa who rode next to him. ¡°What are the civvies doing!?¡±


    Jisa looked at the people around her before answering, ¡°Sending necessities to the wall! Anything the army needs to use in defense of the city will be paid for by the government at market price. The people heading to the wall are there to help keep supplies up. It lessens casualties for us and they can earn money faster than they normally do!¡±


    Jace nodded, then realized something. ¡°Do we even know what¡¯s attacking us yet? Or how they got so far in?¡±


    Jisa shook her head, ¡°We have only theories at the moment. Nothing substantial.¡±


    Jace suddenly froze, ¡°What do adventurers do at a time like this?!¡±


    ¡°Depends on who is attacking us, if its a monster horde of some sort they will aid in the defense. If it¡¯s a civilized army they will do nothing and are not obligated to assist.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense, how could a country leave such a group of warriors alone when they have fighting potential.¡±


    Vivianna answered this one from behind him. ¡°As much as we would love to it wouldn¡¯t work, many adventurers are foreign and we can¡¯t order them to protect a country not theirs. So nearly all countries have a signed agreement with the Guild that they will help against monster hordes, which are a threat to all. But will refrain from attacking armies, although this depends on the individual. While all adventurers are obligated to help in the event of a monster horde, some will still help when an army is attacking. Although those are nearly always local.¡±


    Arian suddenly spoke up. ¡°Why are you guys talking so much! There¡¯s a war coming! Aren¡¯t you nervous?!¡±


    Rury laughed, the sound sending tingles down the spines of anyone within audible range. ¡°That is exactly why they are all talking so much my dear boy. The only one here who isn¡¯t nervous is Jace. His focus is¡­ enticing.¡±


    She laid her eyes on Jace and looked him up and down as if he was a piece of art that she was thoroughly enjoying. Jace smirked, ¡°This isn¡¯t my first war. Now that I know it¡¯s something I can fight I no longer feel as nervous.¡±


    Before the others could continue further into the conversation they reached the wall. Without stopping, Jace led Tyrant up the stairs and to the top of the wall. Both the stairs and the wall itself were incredibly wide. The wall itself was wide enough for two carts to pass by each other without any issue. Jace let Jisa take lead, she was the superior officer of the group. There were very few people who outranked her. Jisa sped off towards a nearby tower, one that towered over the wall but was dwarfed by the immense dungeon tower. Jisa hopped off her mount and the rest of the group did the same.


    They followed her into the tower where there was a desk surrounded by officers. A hologram of sorts was suspended off the table and Jace could hear multiple voices through the crystals that lay on the table. Jace was familiar with the sight, this was a war council. He stepped to the right and stayed half a step behind Jisa, the rest followed his lead and flanked Jisa like her personal guard. Which in a sense they were at the moment. Jisa walked up to the officers. ¡°Report!¡±


    One of them, a man with a rough beard of broad stature saluted. ¡°Yes, Commander. We have detected multiple ripples of movement below the surface the earth mages have delved deeper with their magesight and have found the approaching enemy.¡±


    ¡°Well? Spit it out! What are we dealing with?!¡±


    The man coughed and Jace could tell he was nervous. ¡°Commander it seems a Dravu horde is attacking the city. Their numbers¡­ At least seventeen droves.¡±


    ¡°SEVENTEEN?!¡± For the first time Jace saw Jisa lose her cool, the woman cursed and clutched at her sword. Jace was wide-eyed and leaned over to Vivianna while the Jisa was asking for more details.


    ¡°What are these Dravu and what¡¯s a drove?¡±


    Vivianna turned to him and Jace saw how pale she was. Vivianna swallowed, ¡°Dravu are a plague, they eat anything and everything organic. They are strong and hard to kill, even the weakest of them the equivalent of a level eighty monster. They have sharp claws and even sharper teeth, they are¡­ terrifying. As for a drove¡­¡±


    She became even paler, Rury spoke up, for once her voice was shaken and none of the sensuality remained. ¡°A million of the things are a drove.¡±


    Jace blanched and swallowed. ¡°Seventeen million level eighty monsters?¡±


    ¡°At the least.¡± An officer near them spit out with a grim face.


    ¡°Can we even hold against that amount?¡± Jace muttered quietly, an older officer glanced at him. ¡°We have walls, the monsters don¡¯t have any siege equipment or magical capabilities. If we manage to hold the walls we will survive, if they break through¡­ The city will be lost.¡±


    Jisa was pacing around then suddenly froze and smashed her hands on the table. ¡°Our allies?!¡±


    ¡°The dwarves and elves have already started mobilizing their armies as soon as they heard the news, our other allies have done the same. The empire has offered to send aid!¡± The communications officer reported.


    Jace blinked. ¡°The empire is willing to send aid?¡±


    ¡°Not as surprising as you think, if that amount of Dravu manage to penetrate into a city of this size it will not only be a disaster for our kingdom but for the entire continent. Dravu replicate by putting eggs into their victims. As these eggs hatch, they will eat anything organic that¡¯s within reach and they will grow into adults in a manner of days. With the number of people in the city and the amount of Dravu that are attacking us? They would spread like a plague, potentially destroying ALL kingdoms. There hasn¡¯t been a horde sighting of this magnitude in over a century. All civilized race¡¯s have a standing contract to aid each other during a horde attack. Especially after the incident six hundred years ago where the continent lost nearly half its population from a Dravu horde.¡± Arian told him with a pale face.

 36

    The conference continued under a tense atmosphere, the queen was notified and she would be joining them shortly with both her daughters and her eldest son. The royal guard would be with them and any forces that could be mobilized would follow them shortly. As he listened in on the conference he suddenly saw Weira enter the tower with the rest of the team. She nodded to Jace, kept her silence but formed up behind him. The younglings followed her lead and formed up behind him. A bare second later and a Xor entered the room and the officers quieted.


    Jisarila looked over and her eyes widened slightly at the sight of the Xor. She walked over to the woman, ¡°Could we count on your support?¡±


    The woman smiled savagely, ¡°If there is a battle to be had, you will find the Xor in the middle of it. What is it we fight?¡±


    Jisarila¡¯s face went from relieved to grim. ¡°Dravu.¡±


    A bloodthirst exploded into the room causing many of the less experienced people to have difficulty drawing breath. The Xor¡¯s eyes glowed slightly and her teeth were bared in an angry growl. ¡°The ancient enemy rises once more.¡±


    The Xor threw her head back, her ears started vibrating and she released an ear piercing scream that almost burst Jace¡¯s eardrums. Jisarila stared at the woman in confusion before she could ask however the woman spoke up. ¡°I have called those of the warriors'' blood, my clan will travel here with haste.¡±


    Jisarila blinked and Jace saw a spark of hope appear in her eyes. ¡°How many did you call?¡±


    The Xor grinned, sharp teeth glittering in the torch¡¯s shimmer. ¡°All of them.¡±


    A wave of breaths and gasps spread through the room, Jace saw as hope lit up in the previous grim faces. The Xor were powerful warriors and could rival a kingdom. Having them fight alongside them would greatly increase the odds of their survival. Jisa turned around and started barking orders, this time with more confidence. Jace grinned as he saw the woman in her natural habitat and turned around to his former team.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking, we should use our levels.¡± He stated.


    Weira looked at him for a brief moment before nodding, ¡°Keeping our levels in reserve will do us no good if we die today.¡±


    They nodded to each other, it would be idiocy to hold back power when faced with an enemy that was none for destroying kingdoms. The path of mastery was important to him, but not as important as his life or those of the kingdom he protected. He was a knight of the kingdom now, the people¡¯s safety fell to him and those like him. He opened his stat sheet and pressed the level up button. He kept pressing it as many times as he could until he got a notification that his class had evolved once he hit level hundred. He kept pressing and eventually reached level hundred and thirty-eight.


    He thought for a moment about how to use his points before he spent as many as needed into constitution to reach a thousand points. he had 243 stats in the attribute from titles and training. He got two points per level from his class, which assigned two into constitution and one into endurance per level. which put him at 515 he spent 485 of the remaining 690 points to get constitution to a thousand the rest he out into endurance. He studied his upgraded statsheet.


    [Jace [Last name refused]


    [Level : 138


    [Age : 26


    [Class : Bloodsworn Lord of the Aegis


    [Profession : Knight


    [Titles : The bigger they are the harder they fall X, Alone in the Dark X


    [Strength : 228 Agility : 225 Dexterity : 210


    [Endurance : 436 Vitality : 338 Constitution : 1000


    [Wisdom : 200 Intelligence : 208 Charisma : 200


    [Luck : 200


    [Skills : Foresight, Blood Lord, Inexhaustible, Blood Life, Constitution Unlocked I


    [Mastery : Shield mastery Master 1


    Sword mastery Expert 6


    Jace blinked at the changes, he had heard that classes gained skills from leveling up but he had only gained two new skills. As he understood it most classes got a new skill every ten levels. His was apparently different, only giving him a skill once every fifty levels. The names told him of the quality of skills he gained however, he¡¯d rather gain a few powerful skills than a lot of mediocre ones. He opened up the new skills.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    [Inexhaustible]


    [ Your body has been altered by the ancient blood that runs through your class. You no longer become tired from mundane actions or combat. You will only tire after losing a large amount of blood.]


    [Blood Life]


    [ Your life is no longer simply bound to your organs, your blood can repair and replicate any organs you use to function. You will not be hindered by their loss. Nearby blood will gain semi-sentience when you are near. Some of it will become yours to command, most will simply attack anything you see as an enemy and be consumed in the attack. The amount of blood that will become yours is based on innate talent and willpower.]


    [Constitution Unlocked I]


    [You have reached a thousand points in a single stat, a feat few ever manage. For unlocking the constitution skill you have gained the invisible passive skills : Skin of Steel and Enhanced regeneration. Skin of steel hardens your skin,scales or exoskeleton to the level of the metal Steel. Enhanced regeneration quadruples your inborn regeneration.]


    Jace blinked at the unlocked skill and tapped his skin, it still felt the same to him but he would have to test it later. Since constitution was the stat in charge of regeneration and he had quadrupled his regeneration itself. His regeneration was probably monstrous, he grinned. Leveling up had been the right choice after all, his new skills would help him survive the upcoming catastrophe.


    He turned to Weira, ¡°What did you get?¡±


    Weira opened up her status and with a flick of her finger showed him.


    [Weira Hillmor


    [Level : 138


    [Age : 21


    [Class : Ancient Arcane Halbardier


    [Profession : Adventurer


    [Titles : The bigger they are the harder they fall X, Alone in the Dark X


    [Strength : 238 Agility : 225 Dexterity : 212


    [Endurance : 227 Vitality : 338 Constitution : 210


    [Wisdom : 1000 Intelligence : 447 Charisma : 200


    [Luck : 208


    [Skills: Glyph Master, Runed Physique, Mana Veins, Ancient Mana User, Unlocked Wisdom I


    [Mastery : Polearm Mastery : Master 1


    Jace looked through the sheet and tapped the abilities one at a time, curious of their usage.


    [Glyph Master]


    [You have mastered the use of forging your mana into Glyphs, You have reached the realm of mastery in the usage of glyphs, they are created 200% faster and last 200% longer.]


    [Runed Physique]


    [Your body has merged with your glyphs and the glyphs have evolved into runes. The runes are carved on your skin, if you send mana through the runes you can substitute mana for physical stat points. 10-1 ratio, mana will be unusable for as long as it is substituted for a stat.]


    [Mana Veins]


    [Your blood has merged with the mana pulled from the air, you regenerate mana faster and your body internals are reinforced and protected by the mana fields produced from your veins. This will make you harder to kill]


    [Ancient Mana User]


    [Somewhere along your journey you have stumbled across ancient mana and have infused it into your body. Some of the lucky few inherit ancient mana from birth or evolve into ancient mana from a particular event. You are one of these lucky few, ancient mana is worth twice as much as normal mana at the cost of slightly slower regeneration.]


    [Unlocked Wisdom I]


    [You have reached a thousand points in a single stat, a feat few ever manage. For unlocking the wisdom skill you have gained the invisible passive skills : Avatar State : Deep Pools and Enhanced Regeneration. Avatar State : Deep Pools can be activated and will double the size of your mana pool and double your regeneration, this State will last for one second per two points in the stat. Cooldown 24 hours. Enhanced Regenerations quadruples your mana regeneration.]


    Jace whistled as he read the abilities, ¡°So you have become quite the spellblade with this class. With your ancient mana being worth twice the amount of normal mana you can basically exchange one point worth of wisdom for one point of a physical stat when using Runed Physique. With your new regeneration, you can spell sling all day without running out of mana if you instead focus on range. Your new skills make you very adaptable!¡±


    Weira nodded, ¡°I became a lot stronger after leveling up. How about you?¡±


    Jace showed her his status, Weira read through his abilities and nodded. ¡°You will be very hard to kill. You are the most likely of us to survive this assault.¡±


    Jace frowned. ¡°Let us make sure none of us die shall we?¡± He turned to the younglings, ¡°Your classes have evolved as well I assume?¡±


    They nodded, Florian had become a Shield Bearer. Jerald had become a Heavy Warrior, Plip had become a Ranger and Qyra had become a Fire Mage. Jace felt good about his decision to level up they were a good bit stronger than they had been before. He was most worried about Florian and Jerald, they would be on the frontlines in the chaos of the melee like him. But they weren¡¯t nearly as sturdy as he was with his skills and class. They were still both a good deal more powerful than the regular guards and soldiers, however.


    Jace approached Jisa. ¡°So where would you like me and mine?¡±


    Jisa turned around and looked over Jace and his crew. She eyed Arian, Vivianna, Rury, Lily, Florian, Jerald, Plip, Qyra and Weira. She tapped her chin, ¡°You are a good deal stronger than the average knight and since the royal family will be participating in the battle I want you to guard the youngest princess. She is a level two hundred and fifty mage and is a 5th tier class holder. She is immensely powerful but her melee skills are non-existent.¡±

 Bit of a heads up!

    So I''m gonna be posting the next 5-ish chapters on my patreon instead of on here and after that i will continue. I''ve been throwing the idea around for a while now but i did not want to keep the chapters back because i love posting them and I love the feedback I get. You guys are the reason i can keep writing, these comments seriously keep me going. Lately I''ve found my grove again but I have a proble. I''m seriously broke and am only barely making ends meet, the savings I had built up are gone, and if i dont make enough in the next month orso, i''m gonna have to find work again which will heavily impact the amount I can write. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    So because of that, I put a post on patreon for all subscribers, even the lowest tier. That can acces my google doc, which i use for writing. They can read as much ahead as i have. Which at the moment is only about 3000 words. So untill friday next week i probably won''t post on royalroad and will keep all those chapters in reserve.


    Sorry about the trouble guys, but i feel I dont have much choice :l

 37

    Jace frowned at the idea of becoming a guard, there had to be trained royal guards that were better suited towards something like that. He was about to argue with Jisa when she shook her head, ¡°You don¡¯t have much of a choice in this, the royal guards are spread thin as it is. There have to be a few present on each wall section to aid the soldiers stationed there, the ones most vulnerable to attack is where the royals and high ranking nobles will be placed. So some of the combatants that are stronger than average will be placed used as guards to protect the powerful spellcasters. The princess is one of the strongest spellcasters in the entire kingdom. I know how strong you are and I know you excel in defense. You are a knight of my family, act like it.¡±


    Jace clicked his heels and saluted, ¡°As you command.¡±


    Jisa nodded and waved him outside, she returned to the conference. Jace stepped outside the tower and was just in time to see a intricately gilded carriage appear. A young woman stepped out, she had dark hair, green eyes and couldn¡¯t have been much older than fourteen. She was flanked by a young man in heavy plate armour. He was armed with a tower shield and had an axe strapped to his built. Jace recognised the crest and stepped toward her. He saluted, ¡°My team and I have been assigned to your guard my lady.¡±


    The princess nodded and Jace briefly felt a wave of magic vibrate through his body, the girl nodded in approval. ¡°You and the braided girl resonate with power, you might even be more powerful than Richard here.¡±


    The heavily armoured knight beside her blinked in surprise and eyed the two of them. Jace expected the man to frown at him or show some sign of jealousy, as people often did when called weaker than another. Instead the young man grinned and some tension left his shoulders. ¡°It would be a great help if there were other powerful warriors to protect the princess. I was feeling outclassed without my seniors to guide me if I¡¯m being honest.¡±


    Jace smiled at him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if there is one thing we are proficient in its killing monsters. As for those who aren¡¯t officially part of my team.¡± He glanced at Vivianna, Arian, Lily and Rury. ¡°What are you guys going to do? The command given to me wasn¡¯t meant for you guys.¡±


    Vivianna nodded, ¡°I was requested to aid my father on another wall section, I¡¯ll take the others with me and help out there.¡±


    Rury smiled, ¡°As for myself my combat skills in this kind of battle are¡­ lacking. Should you have need of me you will find me in the support lines.¡±


    Jace nodded and said his goodbyes to them while he walked over to the princess and Richard. ¡°What would you have us do?¡±


    The princess glanced at him and tilted her head, ¡°For now there is nothing for us to do but prepare, we don¡¯t have much more than a minute of time. If there is something urgent I should know now is the time.¡±


    Jace looked at his team, ¡°Other than myself they have not been in a battle of this scale before. They won¡¯t break, but mistakes might happen, if it would be alright with you I would personally prefer myself and Richard to stay close to you while giving the others some flexibility.¡±


    The princess smiled, ¡°That would be fine.¡±


    The next minute was spent in silence, the tension in the air was near palpable. The wait before the battle was tough on those with little to no experience. Jace let his eyes wander over the nearby people. Plip was calm, his eyes focused. The boy had been through a lot and should be able to keep his cool. Jerald, Florian and Qyra were still relatively fresh. He was worried about them, but he knew if he asked them to stay away from the battle they would refuse. He glanced at Weira and smiled, she wasn¡¯t nervous at all. Not surprising from someone trained by gran for over a decade.


    Richard was steel faced, the young man might be nervous but he wasn¡¯t showing it. The person who impressed him most however was the princess. She conjured a chair out of her ring and sat down on a small plateau that she created so she could have eyes over the entire wall section. Her blatant lack of nerves calmed the soldiers as they gazed at the princess. She smiled and waved at the soldiers who would hesitantly wave back.


    Jace stepped closer to her and said softly, ¡°An impressive control over your emotions my lady. Focus on protecting our soldiers if you can, We will make sure none of them come close to reaching you.¡±


    The princess smiled and folded her hands, ¡°I would expect nothing else.¡± Her eyes narrowed as she stared over the wall. ¡°It seems they are here.¡±


    A bare second after she finished her sentence the bells sounded the alarm. Jace looked at the wall and grimaced as he saw the earth break open, a gap a near half kilometer wide opened a mere two kilometers from the wall. Out of it a horde of something crawled out of the gap. Jace couldn¡¯t make the creatures out from this distance, he could see they were a brownish colour. His heart clenched as wave upon wave of the things rushed through the gap. Other pieces of land burst open as similar gaps were created, more waves of the monsters rushed out and charged at the nearest section of wall.


    ¡°Fire at will!¡± A voice resounded through the city.


    Archers immediately let a hail of arrows fly darkening the sky with their numbers. They reloaded and fired a second and a third volley before the first had even hit. By the time they had finished their third volley the mages finished their incantations and a rainbow of colour and energy set the sky ablaze. The air shimmered from power as all sorts of spells both elemental and otherwise smashed into the oncoming horde, creating explosions, freezing entire sections or simply causing a group of the things to disappear. Jace could more clearly see what the creatures were now they were closer, they looked similar to lizards except they had a chitinous exoskeleton and mandibles. They weren¡¯t as big as he had expected, about the size of a large dog.


    The walls were over twenty meters tall so he wondered how they would manage to reach to top or breach the wall. That was when something breached through the gap that was much larger than the smaller specimens. First a head appeared that was similar to a stag beetle, then a pair of thick clawed reptilian feet pressed down on the earth and a creature the size of an inn breached the surface. It was covered in thick dark brown chitin and it screeched towards the wall. Others of its kind appeared from the other tunnels and together with the smaller Dravu they charged. The mages were ordered to target the big ones while the archers did their best to whittle down the numbers of the smaller ones.


    Jace remained on his spot, he glanced at the princess but she had yet to move, she was eyeing the bigger ones but made no move towards them. Jace was about to ask why when the earth rumbled, the two of the gaps collapse inwards and a giant maw broke through the earth. Jace¡¯s eyes widened, this thing was abnormally huge, it had to be at least fifty meters in height. The thing could possibly step over the wall if reached here. He heard the soldiers curse, one of them shouted, ¡°In the name of the seven gods we are doomed!¡±


    The princess stood up, ¡°Keep firing!¡± The soldiers paused but resumed with pale faces, the girl started mumbling below her breath. Jace picked up the words, ¡°By the power of my royal blood, I command the elements, heed my call.¡±Stolen story; please report.


    She spread her arms and light gathered in front of her, with a sudden swirl of power a small snowflake appeared in front of her. She flicked her finger and the eyes of everyone followed the seemingly harmless snowflake as it traveled through the sky. The snowflake drifted and landed on the gigantic dravu. A shockwave erupted and buffeted Jace, he was forced a step back, some of the less prepared soldiers tumbled backwards. Jace blinked as the air rushed past his face, once it cleared up he stared in awe at the sight before him, the gigantic creature had been frozen, everything in half a kilometer radius from it had turned to ice. Jace stared at the princess with wide eyes, the soldiers paused for a second before they erupted into cheers.


    Weira who stood next to Jace cursed, ¡°I thought we were strong, she is younger than us and in an entirely different league. She must have killed thousands of them with just that spell, she doesn¡¯t even seem tired!¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°How the hell will warriors ever compete with something like that.¡±


    The princess smiled, ¡°Each class has its own perks, My spells take a while to cast, in this time i am extremely vulnerable, by myself I am week. Give me a few competent protectors and I am much more powerful than most. Some warriors are even more powerful than I am. I am at the level of an adamantium adventurer at best. The S ranks are something else entirely. Wait till you see my mother use one of her spells, she won¡¯t take action until something class 4 pops up.¡±


    ¡°Class 4?¡± Jace asked.


    Richard nodded, ¡°The dravu are split into different power classes, the small ones are first class and have the strength of around level eighty. The second class are the building sized ones and have a strength of around two hundred. The third class is the one you just saw, they have a strength nearing three hundred and fifty. The fourth class is actually smaller than the third but is more powerful and has a strength of about four hundred. The fifth class also known as destroyers are twice the size of a third class and have a strength of around five hundred fifty. Finally you have the Matriarch, which has a strength level of eight hundred.¡±


    ¡°EIGHT HUNDRED?!¡± Florian shouted as he turned to Richard.¡±


    Richard nodded but made a placating gesture with his hands, ¡°It¡¯s not nearly as dangerous as the destroyers, its defense however is enourmous that¡¯s why it was classed this way. Its biggest strength is birthing a near endless wave of the smaller and second class dravu. Dravu that survive for longer periods of time can become third class and above. Ones that live for over a century may eventually grow to become destroyers.¡±


    Jace cursed, ¡°I wish gran was here, I¡¯d feel a lot more comfortable.¡± Weira nodded in silent agreement. The princess and Richard raised an eyebrow but both of them didn¡¯t notice as their eyes were focused on the hordes. The magical bombardment and the rain of arrows continued to press back the wave of monsters. So far none of them seemed to be able to get closer than five hundred meters from the wall.


    Jace watched the horde flow forward in never ending numbers, ¡°It seems we are in a stalemate till people run out of mana or arrows, or until something more powerful appears.¡±


    Richard grunted in agreement. Meanwhile the princess looked at Weira, ¡°May I ask you something?¡±


    Weira blinked, ¡°Of course my lady.¡±


    ¡°You have one of your stats unlocked correct?¡±


    Weira nodded, ¡°I have unlocked my wisdom stat.¡±


    The princess nodded gracefully, ¡°Would you permit me to have access to your mana pool? With enhanced regeneration I can be of more use.¡±


    Weira nodded and walked over to the princess, the girl placed a hand on her hand and gasped as her eyes flashed a brilliant blue. ¡°You have ancient mana, it seems connecting to you will be of more use than I thought. You might want to take a meditative pose. By converting my own mana regeneration through you and changing everything to ancient mana I will be able to do more than I expected, It will be taxing on you however.¡±


    Weira shrugged, ¡°Whatever can help, I¡¯ll just get the rest to watch over me as well.¡±


    The princess nodded and closed her eyes, a dark glow spreading out from her. Jace looked at Richard and shrugged, they both turned to the horde and kept their eyes on the monsters.


    Eventually the mages began to run out of mana and the monsters got closer to the wall, arrows rained down on the creatures and killed them by the hundreds, it did nothing to slow down the horde. They pushed up against each other and started climbing on top of each other like a growing lump they got closer and closer to the top of the wall. Jace looked down and saw they had already reached halfway. Jace looked over at the princess, who still had her eyes closed. Richard spoke up, ¡°She can¡¯t act for anything below the third class, or her mana won¡¯t last. She will use some mana to protect the soldiers but she can¡¯t afford to use her spells on the smaller ones.¡±


    Jace nodded, he stepped closer to the front line, putting himself between the soldiers preparing for melee. Richard stayed on his spot next to the princess, Jace with his nearly unlimited stamina would be better suited for the frontlines, preventing the numbers from growing. He motioned the rest of his group to guard Weira and the princess. He breathed in deeply as he saw the crawling creatures come ever closer, the blood in his armour started floating up one drop at a time.


    It took awhile but the first of the creatures reached the top of the battlements only to be pushed of a second later. More and more of the creatures started crawling over the edge, only to be cut down the moment they showed their faces, Jace did nothing to attack the creatures. The blood that was splitspilt from each chop however, attacked the nearest Dravu and caused an extra casualty. Once the soldiers noticed this they started making attacks that would cause more blood to spill instead of simply pushing them back.


    The soldiers next to Jace stared at him in awe, the floating blood around him made it clear who was behind the strange phenomenon. Taking heart in having a powerful soldier beside them they started fighting harder, they had to. The endless waves became harder and harder to push back, eventually they burst over the battlements and the soldiers had to take a step back. Jace stepped forward and his sword shot forward, piercing one of the creatures skull, another swing and he beheaded two of the things. His blade danced from one to the next and a dravu died from each swing. The blood started swirling around him, finding their own opponents and drawing more blood with each kill.


    The soldiers spread out and reinforced the sides, they left a twenty meter long piece of wall for Jace. Which he kept clear with ease, the section they were defending was a total of two hundred meters long. With Jace defending a tenth of it the soldiers could thicken the protection of the rest, making the defense easier on all of them. The blood swirling around Jace grew as he slew one after the other, the piece of wall he could defend increased accordingly. Jace immediately noticed the effect of his new skill Inexhaustible, swinging his sword and controlling the blood did not tire him at all. He even felt more and more invigorated with each kill.


    ----------------------------------------- Richard POV----------------------------------------------------------------


    Richard watched with awe as Jace tore through the creatures with ease, he killed more of the things per second than fifty other soldiers combined. That blood that swirled around him like an angry snake bit and tore through the monsters. It had taken the form of an actual snake and was constricting, crushing and biting. The area he was covering had grown to thirty meters, what was even more fearsome was the fact that the Dravu did not care that their brethren were being torn apart with ease in front of them, the creatures kept charging at him. Everytime one of them got even remotely close the blood around Jace would crush the creature.


    Jace had to actively look for a dravu to sink his sword into, the blood was doing most of the work and keeping everything at bay. It was a slaughter and the blood would have become a thick layer on top of the wall if not all if it fell under Jace¡¯s control and attacked more of the creatures before disappearing. Richard looked around and noticed that any blood further than fifty meters on either side of him did not fall under his control and merely lay there on the ground, dripping down the wall and down into the street below.


    Richard shook his head but kept his tower shield and axe ready, he had a job to do and he would do it right. The princess would live through this catastrophe unharmed, even if it cost him everything.


    --------------------------------------------------- Back to Jace---------------------------------------------


    Jace frowned at his lack of opponents, the blood was savagely tearing through anything within range and created more of itself with every passing second. It had taken the form of a live snake and was growing more and more with each kill. It was already as thick as his thigh and nearly ten meters long. That was his own semi-sentient blood, the semi-sentient blood that did not fall under his control merely turned into small spears and pierced the nearest hostile they sensed before disappearing. A notification popped up but Jace ignored it, for the blood under his own control he formed them into small discs and gave them semi-sentience and assigned them to soldiers. He kept creating more and more of the things, the small discs protecting the soldiers from attacks or severing a mandible before it could reach the soldier.


    Jace was by himself fortifying the entire section. Instead of continuing to dive into the melee he started focusing on his control of blood. He made more of the discs as fast as he could to protect the soldiers, half of the soldiers on the wall currently had a disc of their own. Increasing their survival chance by a good deal. He saw a shimmering layer of golden light covering their armour and flesh. He assumed that it was a protective skill made by the princess. It seemed to only flash brightly when struck, so Jace assumed that it only really consumed mana when it was hit.


    His Blood Shields could protect the soldiers and make sure they weren¡¯t hit as often, lessening the amount of mana the princess had to spend on protecting the troops so she could use more of her spells to destroy the more powerful Dravu. Two more of those class 3 Dravu had appeared and had been quickly taking care of. He had heard a heavy rumble and the wall had shaken when someone on another section had used an extremely powerful spell to take care of a slightly smaller dravu, most likely a class 4.

 38

    The battle once more fell into a stalemate, the soldiers held the wall and the dravu kept up their suicidal rush with their near endless numbers. Jace fell into a rhythm, he killed the dravu on droves. Whenever he could he created another blood shield to protect the soldiers, the soldiers on his wall currently had two shields each. He had created a total of eight-hundred shields. There were two soldiers for each meter of wall, with Jace occupying a fourty meter stretch on his his own the soldiers that should have been in his area moved to reinforce the other spots, easing the burden on their comrades.


    The dravu kept storming the wall and the soldiers slowly but surely got tired. Their levels were growing rapidly, each of the dravu was around level eighty and most soldiers weren¡¯t even level hundred yet. Despite their growth the endless battle was tiresome on the soldiers, the people in command had kept this in mind and had set a three hour window in which they would fight before being switched out with a fresh group. Any wounded would be treated and the warriors could get a quick power nap before being switched back in three hours later. When the time came for the switch, Jace connected his Blood Shields to the new arrivals and continued fighting.


    He had gained four levels in the three hours of fighting and had put his points into strength. At first he had wanted to focus endurance, but with his Inexhaustible skill his points were better off when put into strength. The change was negligible but everything helped at this point. The blood snake which swirled around him had doubled in thickness and had grown to an impressive forty meters in length. A second class Dravu was trying to crawl up the wall, Jace narrowed his eyes but before he could do anything his blood snake shot forward and constricted around the creature, it sank its fangs into the monsters neck and dragged it to the ground wrestling with it.


    A snap resounded on the wall and the Class 2 had its neck broken, Jace smiled then blinked when a notification popper up.


    [Some of your Blood has gained sentience and has become a living creature, Crimson snake has fallen under your command. Please name your creature.]


    Jace blinked and looked at the blood, it had somehow solidified into crimson scales and black eyes with red pupils, it was the same size it had been as blood but it showed intelligence and life in the gleam of its eyes. Jace grinned and looked up at the monster, ¡°I shall name you, Carmine.¡±


    The snake hissed in acceptance before turning back towards the dravu, it wrapped itself around one of the smaller ones while sinking its fangs into another. Jace took a step back to open the panel that became available to him upon Carmine¡¯s birth. He looked through the information while the sounds of battle continued in the background.


    [Carmine  Race : Bloodborn Crimson Snake


    [Level : 1 Sex : Female


    [Age : 1


    [Titles : Born of Bloodshed, Self Created Sentience


    [Strength : 120   Agility : 180 Dexterity : 110


    [Endurance : 200   Vitality : 200 Constitution : 190


    [Wisdom : 30   Intelligence : 30  Charisma : 30


    [Luck : 30


    [Skills : None


    [Mastery : None


    [Loyalty : 100


    Jace blinked at the surprisingly high stats and opened the titles.


    [Born of Bloodshed]


    [You are a rare existence born from the bloodshed of your enemies, the more blood you consume the larger and more powerful you will grow. Your life is bound to the one who created you with a powerful bloodpact. Protect them well, for while you are immortal, they are not. Should they die you will perish with them.]


    [Self Created Sentience]


    [Through sheer force of will a miracle has occurred and you have created your own sentience. You have a mind of your own and none can command you against their will. Your are immune to all mind altering effects.]


    Jace smiled, it was good to know that Carmine had a mind of her own. Jace wasn¡¯t a fan of slavery or absolute dominance even when it came to animals. He marveled at this world¡¯s strange features, a passive skill of his had become a lifeform due to its own will. That was beyond odd, he watched Carmine kill two of the Dravu at once and saw her level increase by six. He got a quick notification that he could use the skill points as Carmine¡¯s master but he swiftly set the option that she could make her own choices.


    ¡°Jace! Why are you zoning out! We¡¯re in the middle of a war here!¡± Jace blinked and came to his senses, he looked over to see Florian looking at him with a worried look. Jace waved away his concern and stepped back into the thick of the fight, new blood started swirling around him in a much smaller semi-sentient blood snake. He wondered if a new life-form would be created if he gathered more blood. He was curious to find out, he dashed forward and sank his sword into the skull of another Dravu, one leapt at him from the side but he smashed it down with his shield. The blood snake turning into a spear and piercing its heart, Jace ducked under another leaping dravu and with a twist cut of its head. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Carmine was off on her own killing any dravu she could reach, Jace peeked at her sheet when he had a moment''s respite and noticed she was putting all her points into constitution. Unlike humanoids she did not gain stat points in class related stats but instead gained an extra distributable stat point per hundred levels. Orso he assumed when he saw that she had six points to spend per level.


    All of the sudden an impulse ran through Jace, he shivered and looked at the edge of the battlements. Should he? He had gotten these impulses before, back when he was a soldier. They always led to him doing insane things but somehow they had always worked out, barely. he felt the blood speed up as it rushed through his veins, his heart pumped, his stomach a flutter. A bloodthirsty half insane grin appeared on his face. He roared a challenge charged towards the edge of the battlements and leapt off. The blood gathered around him and with an explosion all of it burst outwards from him, clearing out an area around him. he snarled and dove forward, sword cleaving through the dravu.


    He bared his teeth as he smashed his shield into the skull of a dravu, with a twist he turned and cut two more of the creatures apart. The blood around him became restless and increasingly aggressive. A shadow appeared above him and Carmine landed next to him, angrily hissing at the dravu surrounding him. For a moment the dravu paused, for a brief second they stared at him in confusion. Then chaos, they all rushed towards him at once, Jace turned himself into a cyclone of cold steel and destruction as he tore through the lines of monsters. He pushed deeper into their lines, more and more blood answered his call, he ripped them apart, tore of their limbs, slashed through their necks in an violent rush.


    He screamed a challenge and felt a crimson haze cover his eyes, he lost himself to the rhythm of battle, tearing through the near infinite amount of opponents. He smashed through the smaller Dravu like they were paper, his levels were increasing rapidly, Carmine was swelling in size. She was as thick an oak tree and was nearly sixty meters tall, ever swep of her tails or bite of her fangs killed dravu. Jace once more bellowed in challenge, looking for something to stimulate his thirst for blood. A class two angrily clicked it¡¯s mandibles at him, Jace scoffed and settled into a sprinters stance, he felt energy gather into his toes. With a burst he rushed forward an angry tidal wave of blood rising behind him, he slipped under the Class 2 and with a twist of his wrist cut through the limbs on one side, he rolled out from under it and with a dash cut through its throat. He roared in victory and stared at the creatures surrounding him defiantly.


    Once more the dravu hesitated, this time Jace didn¡¯t wait for them and charged towards them, Carmine rose up behind him like an angry deity. He dove into the fray cutting through more of the smaller creatures, a few of them managed to land a strike but the smaller ones weren¡¯t strong enough to get through his armour or his new skin of steel passive. His confidence bloated and he pushed ever deeper into the enemy ranks. Blood covered his body, unknown to him he was growing, the blood tying itself to him like a parasite. It started to function in place of his limbs, he grew to a height of two and a half meters and rampaged through the enemy ranks. With every kill he would grow a little, every strike he gained power.


    Blood dripped down his sword, its length had grown to the size of a claymore. His shield now a huge block of crimson the size of a tower shield. Blood braided itself into his hair, his eyes an ominous red. He stepped forward a step at a time, killing the monsters in swaths. His reason lost to him, pure undultured slaughter the only thing on his mind.


    ------------------------------------------------- Princess Feliceuze  POV----------------------------------------


    The princess watched as her new guard jumped from the battlements into the throthing horde of dravu below. Her eyes widened in shock, a brief moment of silence spread over their section of the wall. The soldiers stared on in horror as the one they had come to see as their guardian leaped into the thick of swarm. She watched in quiet awe as a shockwave of blood tore the dravu to pieces as he landed. Then the dravu hesitated, she could almost sense the confusion in the creatures. It lasted for no more than a brief instant, before they rushed at him. Her heart clenched when she saw the surrounding swarm swirl around him. She had to force herself to keep a straight face when the newly born crimson snake jumped down behind him.


    Then something happened that all the tutors, famous warriors and reading had not prepared her for. The strange man was tearing through the monsters with apparent ease, he ignored the smaller ones and rushed to a class 2, killing it in seconds. He roared in victory and went in search of other stronger prey. The blood around him started gathering around him, she watched with a puzzled gaze as he grew before her very eyes. His skin slowly becoming the same hue as the blood that he controlled. More and more of the dravu died around him, the assault on the walls seemed to flutter as the dravu focused on the man that had dared to jump into their midst. Suddenly from another wall section she saw a figure dive into the swarm like Jace had done.


    She poured some mana into her eyes to enhance her vision and zoomed in on the figure. The Xor woman, Hirki was walking through the horde with apparent ease, all creatures that tried to approach her within a ten meter radius exploded into a rain of gore and blood. Other figures started jumping down from the wall, taking the fight to the horde instead of defending the wall. She frowned, somehow the man¡¯s crazy impulse had caused the horde to react. They focused on the people in their midst, those strong enough to be able to ignore the assault from the minor creatures. She felt her blood surge as she wanted to join the people fighting in the midst of the enemy with impudence.


    She took a deep breath, an outside influence was affecting her. Somehow, she had trained her mental protections to an extremely high level. Yet somehow these emotions surged through her, she felt powerful, furious. She felt a hunger for slaughter. She stared at the man who stood inside the crimson liquid. Tearing through the horde in mindless combat. Who was he and why was what he was doing affecting her emotions the way it was. She looked over at the soldiers, the dravu had backed away from the wall and were rushing over each other to reach the warriors who had jumped of the wall. She searched carefully on their faces for and urge to do the same, all she saw from them was a mix of confusion and awe.


    She looked over to Richard, ¡°Do you feel it?¡±


    Her childhood friend and loyal protector nodded, ¡°It¡¯s nearly overwriting my urge to protect you from my Loyal Guardian Knight skill. I think he somehow caused others to go berserk, what I find odd is that it somehow only seems to be affecting those who are above a certain certain strength.¡±


    She nodded, ¡°The soldiers don¡¯t seem to feel it, neither do the remnants of Jace¡¯s old team.¡± Feliceuze looked over to the woman who was providing her with mana. ¡°Do you know the cause behind this?¡±


    Weira opened her eyes and calmly stared down at her brother, ¡°He is bound by battle. It is what my grandmother told me. She said he may have the War God¡¯s favour.¡±


    Feliceuze blinked, ¡°The War God? How would your grandmother know he has earned a god¡¯s favour.¡±


    Weira smiled, ¡°According to her, the War God might be the one that brought Jace to our world.¡±


    Feliceuze frowned. ¡°Did she tell him this, the War God is not one to throw around favors. Most who do catch his attention are crazed. It is a risky business to catch the attention of a god.¡±


    Weira grinned, ¡°Gran told me Jace wouldn¡¯t care. She decided to let him figure it out himself, she even made me sign a contract to keep it silent. She rarely gets this secretive about things.¡±


    ¡°If you are bound to silence then how is it you are telling me now?¡±


    Weira shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s been dissolved ever since he jumped off the battlements. I have no clue as to why. Strange things tend to happen around my brother, one must simply go with the flow or get left behind.¡±

 39

    Jace felt other powerful presences draw nearer to him as he cut a swath through the swarm and towards the gap that birthed the horde of dravu. He himself had absorbed enough blood to grow to a towering three meters in height, everything grew in proportion, even his armour still felt snug around his body. The sensation was odd, he could feel things through his blood constructed body as if it was his own. If he had more presence of mind he might have noticed that he continued to grow. The red haze had taken reasoning from him, the only thing on his mind was the enemy and how to slaughter them.


    A gap appeared on his right and he saw a blood covered woman appear next to him, her sharp teeth glittering in and eerily wide grin. She ducked under a dravu and used those sharp teeth to rip its throat out. Her ears vibrated and she screeched, sending a shockwave flying through the horde, causing the smaller dravu to collapse to the ground, blood leaking from their orifices. To his left a golem broke through the horde and joined them, a bearded face grinning from within the rocks. The man¡¯s face was splattered with blood, but his grin like theirs was savage, primal.


    They continued their push, more and more powerful warriors joining up with them. A man who looked like a walking flame elemental, turned anything that tried to approach him to dust. A armored dire bear, flattened dravu to paste with each swipe of its gigantic paws, a women turned into a cyclone of death as an extra pair of arms made from shadow sprouted from her shoulders, each hand held a thin scimitar that made short work of anything that dared near them. A woman''s every footstep caused an area within twenty meters to turn to ice, she ignored anything that tried to reach her as they shattered into shards before they could.


    Jace felt himself grow more powerful when the warriors neared him, he felt a feedback from each kill they made. Something resonated between them, a thirst for battle, a hunger for something just beyond reach. They needed something stronger to throw themselves on, as if it had heard their yearning a class four appeared, it towered over them and screeched in anger at the small creatures that were decimating its brethren. The warriors roared as one and charged towards the creature, the dire bear became a blur of fur as it crashed into and straight through one of its legs. A stripe of white broke through the horde and appeared next to one of its legs, an ivory hand touched it and the leg shattered into crystals. Opposite of her a burning line of flame tore through the swarm and set another leg aflame.


    Jace, the golem-man, Hirki and the four-armed shadow warrior dove towards the creature¡¯s face when it collapsed near them, in a brief second it was mince meat, its head crushed under their combined assault. Carmine dove into the corpse and gathered its blood and meat, growing with every bite. She came out of the class 4 thicker than ever before, her length grown to and impressive hundred meters. The group roared in victory and as if their minds were one turned to the left, following the scent towards another powerful opponent. The dravu horde desperate as they tried to approach the warriors.


    They continued their mindless slaughter, inexhaustible, strong. They became and object of power, a sense of awe falling over those who watched. Even the lower level soldiers felt their blood boiling at the sight. They roared and shouted their encouragement, more people started jumping down from the wall to take the fight to the dravu. Even the normal soldiers started climbing down, their minds set on nothing but joining the spectacle. They charged the monsters, fear replaced by a need unexplained. Their eyes focused, determined, their bodies stronger, faster than they should be.


    They threw themselves at the enemy with no sense of self, they tore through more and more of the dravu per second. Their levels grew at and awe inspiring pace, left and right the soldiers below level hundred evolved their classes, gained traits, and some even force unlocked classes. The few stronger warriors who managed to keep their mind had to rush around to keep the crazed soldiers alive, the healers worked with pale faces to keep the crazed legion alive. The queen of the country watched on in confusion as her well trained and disciplined soldiers lost themselves to the blood lust. She looked over to the marshal who was as confused as she was.


    To everyone¡¯s surprise it was working, the dravu were pulling back into their tunnels angry screeches resonating through the field as the warriors continued pushing forward, stepping over the corpses of their enemies. The queen blinked as she received a notification.


    [Due to the influence of a knight under your command your army has unlocked the following skills. : Combined Resonating Bloodlust, Berserk Guardians]


    Her jaw dropped as she looked on at her people, as they threw the dravu back. For the first time in history as far as she was aware of, the creatures were retreating. It shouldn¡¯t be possible, they hadn¡¯t even managed to kill half a million of the creatures. No destroyers had appeared and the matriarch hadn¡¯t shown herself. While her mind was puzzled her heart was relieved. Any time they bought was time for reinforcements to arrive. She turned to the marshal, ¡°Find me the one that did this, I have some questions that need answered.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°As you command.¡±


    Meanwhile, Jace stood on the field of battle, surrounded by the corpses of his enemies. He breathed heavily as he let his eyes wander over the the scene of chaotic destruction. The blood that surrounded him settled and calmed as the dravu retreated. Carmine slithered up behind him and pushed the corpses out of the way, she curled up loosely around him. Jace reached out a hand and stroked her scales. He turned and looked back at the warriors who had followed him deep into the enemy lines.


    He smiled at them, ¡°Well, let¡¯s go home. We might be in time for dinner.¡±


    The golem fell apart and a muscular man with a beard and long braided hair stepped forward with a laugh. ¡°Dinner does sound good right about now.¡±


    The others chuckled and gathered around Jace as they headed back, bantering as if they were old friends.


    Jisa¡¯s grandfather dropped down from the wall and behind him a woman floated down gently, the corpses and blood that stained the dirt seemingly pushing itself out of the way before her steps. The warriors paused and fell to a knee, Jace did the same. He didn¡¯t have to meet her to know who she was, her regal aura told him enough. The queen of the country he had decided to serve. He smirked to himself, he had ended up in the army once again. It seemed there was no escaping one¡¯s nature.


    The woman spoke with a gentle voice, ¡°Rise.¡± And so they did, he stood and looked the queen in her eyes. The warriors behind him formed ranks behind him.


    ¡°You are an odd new addition to my army, Jace grandson of Trishla. You have my most elite guards following you as if you were their commander.¡± Her gaze wandered over the warriors behind him, some of them had the sensibility to blush while others just grinned. ¡°Yet through your own actions you have incited my army into action, even managing to grant me new skills with your action.¡±


    This news caused murmurs to spread through the crowd that watched them. Jace coughed and the sense to look slightly embarrassed. The queen continued in a calm tone, ¡°None of these are crimes and I dare say that you have saved a lot of my people¡¯s lives today. As I would expect of one of my knights. But the battle is not finished, I doubt it was your actions that caused the dravu to retreat. It is more likely something happened to their matriarch.¡±


    She looked towards the marshal, ¡°Gather the high ranking officers and my children. My guard will accompany me as well.¡± She rested her eyes on Jace, ¡°You will follow.¡±


    Jace bowed, ¡°As you command.¡±


    The warriors fell in half a step behind the queen and followed her as she headed towards one of the towers. Soldiers around them bowed in respect as she passed. She gave the soldiers the occasional nod of acknowledgement. A small gesture that gained some respect from Jace. The marshal suddenly walked closer to the queen. ¡°The elves and the dwarves will arrive within the hour, we have news that the emperor himself along with his elite guard will be joining us. The desert walkers, lyncan tribes and the mountain giants will be here within the day as well.¡±


    The queen nodded and Jace noticed a sliver of tension leave her soldiers. ¡°It seems everyone is moving with haste, it warms my heart that most have no taste for politics in this emergency.¡±


    Jace frowned, another thing that was massively different from back home. Enemies putting their fights aside when something threatened the majority of the populace. It felt incredibly odd to him, although he did not that the queen said most instead of all. So there were people that acted as he would have expected.


    The queen motioned for Jace to walk closer, he moved up and fell into pace a half step behind her. ¡°How much do you know of politics?¡±


    Jace blinked, ¡°Nothing my queen.¡±


    She looked over at him with a single arched eyebrow. ¡°Nothing at all?¡±


    Jace smirked before quickly smoothing out his face. ¡°Politics is neither an interest nor of import to me. I am a soldier, I leave the politics to others.¡±


    She smiled and a sense of levity spread throughout the area. ¡°The one who has befriended the Xor, has become the warlord of the lycan tribes and thrown the command of my entire army into disarray has no interest in politics.¡±


    Jace blinked, ¡°I haven¡¯t befriended any Xor nor am I the warlord of the lycan tribes. The first adult Xor I have met is her.¡±


    He looked over at Hirki who was walking close by, she grinned and showed him her pointed teeth. He smiled back, but kept it polite. The queen tapped her chin, ¡°Perhaps the rumors of you are slightly exaggerated. But seeing the effect you have on the people around you I doubt it.¡± She turned to Hirki, ¡°If he asked the Xor to go to war, would they?¡±


    Hirki showed her a predatory smile, ¡°We would.¡±


    Jace frowned, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I would want to, my people have no need for another reason.¡± She stated.


    Jace smiled slightly, ¡°Because you love war, you might as well fight for one you approve of? It makes no difference as long as there are worthy opponents to find?¡±


    Hirki chuckled, the sound a soft rasp that sent shivers down the nearby soldier¡¯s spines. ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Jace looked to the queen, ¡°As you see my queen, my only political talent is attracting¡­ odd individuals.¡±


    The queen smiled, ¡°A dangerous talent my young knight, it is those who stand out from others who tend to reach heights beyond others. Even I myself sense something from you. A small mental nudge that pushes me to trust you, to keep you close to my person. You are involved with something dangerous and powerful. I have to admit it is quite enticing.¡±


    Jace looked at the surrounding people to find hints as to how he should react. The fact that they were all avoiding eye contact spelled nothing good for him, nothing good at all.

 40

    Suddenly the Queen giggled in a very unqueen like manner. Jace blanched and stared at the woman in confusion. She smiled at him, ¡°I meant you are enticing to have as a subject my dear knight. You are a tad too young to be romantically interesting.¡±


    Jace coughed and blushed slightly, the queen smiled at him and continued on towards the tower. ¡°Tell me Jace, what do you think of the dravu retreat?¡±


    Jace blinked, ¡°Fighting them in the tunnels will make it more difficult for us, fire magic will weaken if we are forced to fight them underground. Without the possibility to easily hit the back ranks and the advantage the wall gives us and are also forced to fight them on their terrain, the losses will be substantial, even with the support of the other kingdoms.¡±


    The queen smiled and turned to the Marshal, ¡°It seems your new knight is competent Ruminar, my dear.¡±


    The marshal laughed and looked over at Jace, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have accepted him into the family otherwise.¡±


    Jace scratched his head, ¡°In the end I¡¯m just a soldier who understands war somewhat.¡±


    They both smiled at him, ¡°So how¡¯d you like being one of my daughter¡¯s guards?¡±


    Jace blinked, ¡°In all honesty my queen, I did little guarding. I was thinking offence would be the best defense.¡±


    She laughed, ¡°I suppose that is true, would you like such a position more permanently?¡±


    Jace frowned and thought it over for a second. ¡°If the choice were to be mine, I would prefer a job with a little more freedom. Being assigned as a guard in a situation such as this is suitable. But following someone around when it is peaceful is¡­ undesirable.¡±


    The marshal grinned at him. ¡°What he means to say is that the young man would be bored following someone else around. Put him on the front-lines where he belongs.¡±


    Jace grinned, but kept his mouth shut. The queen eyed him and smiled, ¡°Yes I do suppose you would be more effective in the thick of the battle. Alas, you would make a good son-in-law.¡±


    Jace froze for a split second before he started moving again. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I already have a wife my queen.¡±


    She blinked, ¡°Do you now, I would like to meet her. I wonder what kind of woman a man as you would be attracted to.¡±


    Jace blanched, ¡°Well should you wish to meet her, she stays in the Vin To Shurka mansion.¡±


    The queen looked over to Ruminar, ¡°She does?¡±


    The marshal nodded, ¡°A little over a week ago, his wife and child were attacked. His daughter was kidnapped, the slavers have been dealt with. But Sarai, his wife, had her spine injured. She is paralyzed, we are still analyzing the damage. The doctor is unsure if he can restore her ability to walk.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Jace frowned and his shoulders sagged slightly, the queen tapped her chin in thought. ¡°I have heard about the slaver incident, it seems they even had the gall to kidnap a Xor. It is strange for slavers to be so daring, the captain in charge told me that the individual in charge of the kidnapping did not know who he was kidnapping. Yet he mentioned that it was odd that they did not notice they had taken a young Xor. The captain thought there might have


    been mental magic at stake.¡±


    Jace frowned, ¡°Is it the empire that¡¯s behind it all?¡±


    The queen looked over at him and gracefully shook her head, ¡°I doubt that, the empire has always been civil in their war efforts. They would even warn their opponents that they would invade in a year¡¯s time. They invite their enemies to a field of battle, they dislike civilian casualties. They are extremely odd in their way of war.¡±


    The marshal nodded, ¡°The emperor is coming to visit, you will see for yourself then. As much as the man is our enemy, he is respectable.¡±


    Jace frowned, ¡°I hear as many good things about this emperor as I do bad things. If he is such a good leader why do so many people resist his rule?¡±


    The queen laughed, ¡°Pride, my dear knight. Most of us rulers would like to stay rulers. Our people are our own and we would like to stick to our ways.¡±


    Jace¡¯s eyebrows furrowed but he kept his silence. The queen noticed yet kept her silence.


    They walked towards the tower where the officers and other important military men waited for their allies to arrive. A half and hour later the first of their guests arrived. A dwarven man walked in wearing beautifully crafted scale and mail armour. His beard jiggled as he headed towards the queen.


    ¡°By my beard Lilianna is it good to see you, I simply wish it was under better circumstances.¡± The dwarf stretched out a surprisingly large hand which the queen grabbed with a smile.


    ¡°Still as informal as ever I see, Krum¡± She said with a smile.


    The dwarf grinned, ¡°I¡¯ve known you since we were both wee lil runts. I think we are well past the level of formality.¡±


    The queen chuckled, a rich sound. ¡°I suppose we are.¡±


    Krum grinned and looked around the war room. ¡°Is little stick not here yet, I thought she¡¯d be here before me with those long legs of her.¡±


    A chuckled resembling crystal bells resonated through the room. ¡°Of course you would be talking about my legs again. You seem quite fascinated with them, stumpy.¡±


    The dwarf roared in laughter, as he turned to the beautiful elf who had spoken. ¡°Of course I am fascinated, I¡¯d love to bury my bushy beard in between em!¡±


    The elf smiled, ¡°Perhaps there will be some time before we leave.¡±


    Jace stared at the two of them in surprise, Ruminar leaned over and whispered in his ear. ¡°The two of them are married so don¡¯t be too surprised from their blatant flirting.¡±


    Jace blinked, he had to admit it came as a surprise to him to hear the elven queen and dwarven king were married to each other. He did remember that the elves and dwarves had outstanding relations with each over for multiple millenia. So perhaps some romance between their races shouldn¡¯t be that much of a surprise.


    The elven queen looked over at Lilianna and smiled, ¡°Good to see you again Lily, who else are we waiting on?¡±


    The queen returned the smiled, ¡°We are waiting for the Sandrunners, the Republic, The Alliance of States and the Empire.¡±


    The elf tapped her chin, ¡°It surprises me that the emperor himself is going to show up. Is he not afraid to be assassinated by the alliance created to stand against him?¡±


    Krum grunted, ¡°As if we would do anything that dishonourable. The lad is comin here to kill our enemies. Would be mighty wrong of us to put a knife to his neck, when he¡¯s stickin it out to help us!¡±


    A deep laughter resounded from the doorway, Jace turned around and froze. A man with a well cut beard and salt and pepper hair stepped forward with the confident swagger of a military man. ¡°It is good to hear that none here conspire to put a blade to my neck, especially after how much I rushed to get over here.¡±


    Jace swallowed as he stared at the man, it was impossible. But the likeness was uncanny, the gray in his hair was new but the voice, the bearing, the face¡­ It all fit, his eyes stayed on the man, but due to being in the back of the room he had not yet been spotted.


    While the others in the room gave the man a luke-warm welcome, the emperor strode around the room. Letting his gaze wander over the room his eyes widened when they landed on Jace. His jaw dropped, ¡°That¡¯s bloody impossible!¡±


    The queen looked over at Jace and frowned when she saw the same wide-eyed shock on his face reflected on the emperor. ¡°Jace, my knight. Would you care to elaborate.¡±


    Jace turned slowly towards the queen and paused. ¡°My queen I would like to introduce you to, Collin Mclavery. My good friend and former captain.¡±


    He turned to emperor, ¡°A man who I thought was dead!¡±

 41

    The room fell into silence, the royal guards next to the queen put their hands on their weapons and eyed him with distrust. He couldn¡¯t blame them, he had basically just told him that he used to be a soldier for the enemy emperor. He barely noticed the hostile behaviour however and stared at the captain in confusion.


    Collin stared at him and Jace saw the same confusion mirrored back at him. The emperor cleared his throat, ¡°So uuhhhh, how you been Jace.¡±


    Jace shrugged, ¡°All in all pretty good I guess.¡±


    The queen looked over at Jace and folded her arms, ¡°I shall need an explanation for this, Jace. I am not in the habit of employing former enemies.¡±


    Jace looked over at her and nodded, ¡°Well as you may know I¡¯m not from this world.¡±


    The queen nodded, ¡°I have been informed of this.¡± While the elven queen and dwarven king looked slightly surprised at the revelation they didn¡¯t appear too shocked. Trishla had once told him that people from other worlds, while rare, were not unheard of.


    Jace continued, ¡°In my old world I was part of a military unit of some skill. Collin was the leader of our unit, I had heard he perished on the field of battle some time ago. Half of the unit had disappeared after a¡­. large spell went off.¡±


    Collin nodded, ¡°One moment I thought we were dead the next me and half the troops appeared in a wasteland. The following days were confusing and unpleasant as we learned to adapt.¡±


    Jace frowned, ¡°Yet now you¡¯re an emperor.¡±


    The man laughed, ¡°Yes things escalated a bit, one moment you¡¯re saving slaves and aiding the poor, the next you¡¯re the head of a revolution and taking over a country. You know how things go.¡±


    Jace chuckled softly, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be the first country we overthrew.¡±


    Collin laughed, ¡°I suppose that is true.¡±


    The elven queen looked from one to the other, ¡°So does this make you our enemy now?¡±


    Jace frowned, ¡°It does not, I made my choice and I will abide by it.¡±


    The emperor shrugged, ¡°He always has been a man of his word, as annoying as it could be sometimes."


    Jace turned to him with and arched eyebrow, ¡°Why are we even at war in the first place.¡±


    The emperor looked around the room and folded his arms, ¡°I¡¯m trying to stomp out slavery, some countries refused to change their ways so they made it onto my shitlist.¡±


    Jace furrowed his brows, ¡°Slavery isn¡¯t allowed in any of our lands. No one here approves of slavery and it is highly illegal in all three of our countries.¡± Jace turned to the rulers, ¡°Is it not?¡±


    They all nodded, the queen of elves sneered. An expression that seemed highly out of place on her face. ¡°My people are often targeted by slavers, the punishment for slavery or the aid of slavery is harsh in my lands. Those who make and attempt do not die quickly. I will be as cruel as I must to spare my people such a fate.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    The dwarven king nodded, ¡°Slavers come to enslave dwarves to use as labourers. I react just as harshly to any of their attempts.¡±


    Collin frowned, ¡°Then why do you stand against me?¡±


    ¡°You attack our allies and declared that you would unify the continent, which makes you and enemy for all of us.¡± Lilianna declared.


    The emperor blinked, ¡°Who said I want to unify the continent?¡±


    The whole room froze, ¡°You, do not¡­?¡± The elven queen asked, hesitant.


    Collin shook his head and laughed, ¡°It¡¯s already a hassle to run and empire of this size, any larger and I¡¯ll go insane.¡±


    Jace frowned, ¡°It is unlikely for all of our countries to be misinformed, unless it was done intentionally.¡±


    The rulers pondered the information, Jace had a point. They had vast and well trained information networks, yet all of them were misinformed and led into war against the empire. Which meant that someone was flaming the fans of war, as for what purpose. None of them knew.


    Lilianna exhaled softly, ¡°This would mean there is no reason for us nor our allies to go to war with you. Only the Sandwalkers still use slavery amongst our alliance and even then their slavery is mild and acceptable. They have a work contract that must be abided to and agreed upon by both sides.¡±


    Collin nodded, ¡°I have heard of these Sandwalkers, their slavery is and important part of their economy and surprisingly effective. The people there have no issue with the ¡®slavery¡¯. Although I would not go so far as to call them slaves, the contracts last no longer than 5 years. The slaves are treated well and have to go through questioning at the end of their term, to make sure they were not mistreated. I have no issues with the sandwalkers.¡±


    Jace folded his arms and chuckled, ¡°So does this mean we aren¡¯t at war?¡±


    The rulers looked at each other and Collin shrugged, ¡°No reason for us to be at war then, but we will need to investigate who or what is behind the misinformation.¡±


    Jace suddenly started laughing, the queen looked at him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°What is so amusing.¡±


    Jace smiled, ¡°Well I just prevented a war and the emperor is and old friend. It was not what I expected from this meeting.¡± He looked over at Collin, ¡°You and I have a lot of catching up to do, by the way I got married.¡±


    ¡°Mazzeltov.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The rest of the people in the room looked between the pair before rolling their eyes and trying to bring the conversation back to the catastrophe at hand. The dravu remained a threat and the forces they had at hand might not be enough to suppress them. Especially if they had to force their way into enemy territory.


    The rest of the allies arrived over the course of the day. The Sandwalkers were represented by a man covered in cloth called Aqudabi, he wore a well maintained scimitar on his belt. The republic was represented by a woman in white cloth who resembled a holy maiden called Umni and the alliance of states was represented by three knights with splendid mustaches.


    The discussion soon evolved into a war of details, they all agreed that the dravu must be pursued and killed before they attacked somewhere less defended and multiplied. Requests went up in all adventurer guild¡¯s in the vicinity. All of the S ranked adventurer¡¯s were sent letters and all those of silver rank and above were asked for aid.


    Participation in the raid would pay well for any adventurer¡¯s willing to help. Dravu parts were worth a surprising amount, their way of reproduction was well studied and the parts could be used in a wide variety of alchemical and magical research and production. The assault would be lucrative, but it would be just as dangerous.


    By the time night fell and Collin needed a place to stay, Jace offered to introduce him to his wife. Collin nodded and his attendant, a woman called Miya followed them. Once he came home alive and well Aziva rushed over and dove into his arms. Jace picked her up twirled around with her a little bit and ruffled her fizzy hair.


    Aziva looked at the two people Jace brought with him with questioning eyes, ¡°Who are they?¡±


    Jace smiled, ¡°The old guy over there is my former captain and a good friend of mine Collin Mclavery and this is his attendant, Miya.¡±


    Aziva grinned at the pair of them, ¡°Hi!¡±


    Collin smiled, ¡°Why hello there, You are definitely your father''s daughter. Quick question if I attacked your dad what would you do.¡±


    Aziva¡¯s eyes narrowed and a brief wisp of bloodthirst hung in the air before it disappeared. Everyone present noticed and Collin burst into laughter, ¡°Good answer, definitely your daughter.¡± He told Jace while furiously patting his shoulder.


    Miya bowed slightly, ¡°Young lady you seem to have more sense than him, would you mind replacing him as emperor.¡±


    Collin froze and stared at his attendant, ¡°OI!¡±


    Jace chuckled, ¡°So when are the two of you getting married.¡±


    ¡°Never.¡± Collin said with a frown.


    ¡°Next week.¡± The attendant said with a straight face.


    Jace nodded in understanding and turned to Miya, ¡°Be sure to give me and invite, I¡¯d like to be there for the event.¡±


    Miya nodded seriously, ¡°Be sure to bring felines, they make for good wedding presents.¡±


    Collin groaned, ¡°No cats, you know I¡¯m allergic!¡±


    The woman ignored him but Jace saw the corner of her mouth twitch. A door opened and the butler stepped out in his immaculate clothing. ¡°It seems to be quite noisy for people who are here as guests.¡±


    He pushed Sarai in her magic wheelchair that was somehow floating, that was definitely new. Sarai smiled as she watched the banter, ¡°It is what my husband does with anyone he respects dear Charles, please do not mind him.¡±


    Charles bowed slightly, ¡°Of course my lady.¡±

 42

    Collin looked over at Jace with a small smile, ¡°I assume the lovely lady is your wife.


    Jace grinned, ¡°You would assume right.¡±


    Collin chuckled, ¡°You always did know how to pick them, so how insane is this one?¡±


    Jace frowned, ¡°She¡¯s actually pretty normal as far as insanity goes.¡±


    Collin looked at him with disbelief, then he turned to Sarai. ¡°Soooo madam, murder any people lately? Perhaps stab someone for taking your favourite cinnamon bun?¡±


    Sarai looked at the man in confusion, then blinked. ¡°I did actually kill a man no more than a week ago.¡±


    Collin burst out in laughter and looked at Jace. Jace rolled his eyes, ¡°They tried to kidnap her daughter and tried to kill her. She¡¯d have been insane if she didn¡¯t try to fight back.¡±


    Collin¡¯s laugh died out and his face became grim, ¡°They dead yet?¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°Naturally, the people behind the scenes are most likely the same ones that tried to ignite the flames of war. I will get to them eventually.¡±


    Collin patted him on the shoulder, ¡°You mean WE will get them eventually.¡±


    Jace chuckled, ¡°About that, who else made it?¡±


    Collin nodded, ¡°I came over here with half of the guys, ¡°We lost Jason, Kyle and Jesse before we even made sense of the place. We lost Juan in the revolution, fucker took an entire castle with him though.¡±


    Jace chuckled, with a sad smile on his face he said. ¡°That does sound like him, never was satisfied with a ¡®minor¡¯ ending.¡±


    Collin nodded and they both stood there in silence for a few seconds, ¡°I lost Mick in one of the wars that followed. The ones still with us and alive are, Ichma?l, Nina and Tina, John the old fucker is still alive of course, Brandon is a general in my army to this day.¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°So we lost about half, the rest of the company survived the bombardment. Other than you guys who got sent here they made it back then.¡±


    Collin scratched at his beard, ¡°We were lucky as it was, the group of us was stuck in a building and surrounded by them damn terrorists. If we hadn¡¯t been sent over here we wouldn¡¯t have survived.¡±


    Jace tapped his chin, ¡°About that, rumor has you¡¯ve been here for over a hundred years already. How the hell does that even work, you barely look any older.¡±


    Collin blinked, ¡°When did you get here then, I assumed you got here when we did.¡±


    Jace shook his head, ¡°Barely been here for two years. I was out to get some food when all of the sudden, plop, in the middle of a forest.¡±


    Collin frowned, then grinned. ¡°I bet your wonky ass didn¡¯t even panic. I can see it in my mind already, you get sent into the middle of nowhere unarmed and your only reaction was ¡®huh¡¯.¡±


    Jace laughed, ¡°Well you¡¯re not far off, I was thinking the trees were off somehow.¡±


    Collin shook his head, ¡°I did always tell you to go see a therapist. Seriously, something is off with you. Even if you were the best damned second in command I ever had.¡±


    Someone started coughing loudly behind them, Collin ignored his attendant and drew closer to Jace. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I can convince you to came back to working with me, I can make you a noble and give you a big house and stuff.¡±


    Jace grinned, ¡°I already have a home and I like the people here, the queen is a good one. The people are happy, wars are rare. I have a family, my wife and kid. I even have a sister now and a grandmother.¡±


    ¡°A grandmother? How¡¯d that happen, you save her from a fire or something.¡±


    Jace laughed, then patted Collin on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with grans Collin. She can tear your head off with one hand while eating a sandwich with the other. She¡¯d tell you how you¡¯re fighting wrong while doing it as well.¡±


    Collin shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m still one of the strongest warriors on the continent Jace. Can¡¯t take the warrior out of the man, no matter where you put him.¡±


    Jace laughed, ¡°I¡¯m aware, I¡¯m saying you STILL can¡¯t take the woman.¡±


    Collin furrowed his brows and stared at him in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re just messing with me.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Jace shook his head while quietly chuckling, ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you to her someday, come lets eat some dinner. You traveled quite a distance, and I bet you are as hungry as ever.¡±


    Jace led him towards the table, the rest of the people who had been standing in the hall followed them. Dinner was spent pleasantly, Miya and Sarai got along splendidly. Aziva bounced around between them and asked incessant question the entire dinner.


    The butler, Sarai and Aziva almost had a heart attack when they found out that Collin was the emperor. The butler had been ready to fight the moment he heard it. It took the two a while to calm them down and explain that the war between their countries was off and the only thing they were focusing on at the moment was the Dravu.


    Despite the levity of the evening a pressure settled on Jace¡¯s chest. He kept his feelings to himself and spent as much time with his family as he could. He knew that tomorrow they would assault the dravu position. People would die, a lot of them. He might even die himself, it had been a long time since Jace genuinely felt he might die tomorrow. He would have to keep the motto in mind, arrogance is the mother of all fuck ups. He¡¯d probably be on the frontlines again tomorrow.


    At the end of the night after he had put Aziva to sleep he picked up Sarai and gently laid her on their bed before he crawled in with her. She cuddle up close to him and put and arm over his chest, she looked at him with her amber eyes. Jace pulled her close and stared up at the ceiling. Sarai spoke up softly, ¡°Worried about tomorrow?¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°It¡¯s going to be dangerous and a lot of people are going to die. I¡¯m a knight so I will be in the thick of it. I talked with Jisa and should I die, she will take you into the family and you and Aziva will be taken care of.¡±


    Sarai grabbed him by his chin and stared into his eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that, you are not going to die tomorrow.¡±


    Jace smiled and kissed her, ¡°I don¡¯t plan on it, but it would be stupid of me not to make arrangements in case it does happen. You two are the most important thing in the world to me. In ALL worlds for that matter.¡±


    Sarai smiled then frowned and looked up at Jace in hesitation. ¡°Can you just¡­ Not go with the assault tomorrow?¡±


    Jace froze and looked down at her. He opened his mouth, then closed it again and looked up at the ceiling. ¡°I can¡¯t stay here while other people risk their lives to protect the city. It¡¯s just¡­ It¡¯s not who I am Sarai.¡±


    She crawled up closer to him and put his head on her shoulder, ¡°I know that¡­ It¡¯s just. Come back please? If you don¡¯t I¡­ I¡­¡± She fell of silently and Jace could feel some wetness on his chest, he drew her closer and held her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come back, No matter what it takes. I¡¯ll come back alive.¡±


    She nodded and sniffed, the two of them lay there in silence. Neither able to fall asleep.


    The morning came and Jace put on his armour, Sarai pulled herself upright on the bed and quietly helped him with the straps. There was and ominous silence in the air, once he was equipped he leaned down and kissed his wife. He quietly walked out the door, She watched him go with a worried expression, her hands clutching the blanked in a white knuckled grip. She whispered something, a prayer perhaps.


    Jace walked over to Aziva and picked her up and hugged her. He knew that she understood what was going on, she wasn¡¯t stupid. Aziva clutched him tightly and refused to let go for a while. He hugged her tightly, Collin and Miya walked out of their rooms. Collin was equipped with splendid silver armour with golden engraving. Miya was wearing a bright yellow scaled leather armour of some sort.


    Collin stepped up to him with a tight smile, ¡°I should really get you some better armour, that thing your wearing is standard. Unbefitting of a warrior of our standard. The shield is decent though.¡±


    Miya walked up to Aziva, ¡°We have to go little empress, you will have to let go of your father.¡±


    Aziva clutched on tighter and shook her little head. Jace felt his heart clench at the sight, he put his hand on her head. ¡°I¡¯m a knight Aziva, it is my duty to protect the city from threats. No matter how scary they are. I¡¯m going to need you to take care of your mother till we come back.¡±


    Aziva clutched on even tighter, ¡°You can¡¯t promise you¡¯ll come back! You don¡¯t know for sure!¡±


    Collin suddenly cracked the floor in the mansion as a bloodthirst unlike any Jace had ever felt spread throughout the mansion. ¡°Aziva, on my life as emperor, I swear to you this. As long as I still draw breath, your father will make it back alive.¡±


    Aziva sniffed and stared at him, then looked over to Miya. The woman put a hand on her head, ¡°I swear on my life to do the same, he will make it back Aziva.¡±


    She sniffed once more then looked up at Jace, her eyes red and wet. Jace nodded at her and kissed her on the forehead. ¡°I will come back, no matter what.¡±


    She let go reluctantly as Sarai came out of her room in her wheelchair and picked up Aziva and put her on her lap. ¡°Bring him back to me. Please.¡± She bowed so deeply with the request she nearly fell out of her wheelchair, nonetheless she somehow made the motion seem dignified. Miya bowed back and Collin simply nodded, the three of them left the mansion and stepped out into the city streets. The air was tense, the citizens knew what was happening. Some of the shop owners who saw Jace and his group leave the mansion equipped for battle bowed deeply. Others who saw them leave did the same, Jace kept his head held high as they made their way through the city.


    More and more people stopped to watch them march through the city, other guards, soldiers and adventurers fell in behind them and soon enough they had turned into a procession. Each and every one of them equipped from head to toe and with grim looks on their faces. The normally optimistic people and the jokers kept awfully quiet as they headed to the gates. Each of them felt it, today would be the last day for most of them. But it was their duty, each of them knew it. They were present while others were not, if they did not make a move many would die.


    Children stopped to watch them, citizens stopped to watch them. Adventurers, guards and soldiers who were deemed too low a level or who had chosen to not participate watched them. They stepped through the gate under the watchful gazes of the citizenry. Jace saw the tearstained faces and worried looks of mothers, daughters, lovers, brothers and sons.


    He shook it off, his heart was clenched tightly enough as it was. This was not his first time heading to war, and he would do his damnedest to make sure it would not be the last. For the first time in his life, he had something more important than himself to live for.


    The procession that left the gate joined others that left different gates and they headed out towards the field, a few hundred meters away from the closest tunnel. They set up camp there, the footmen were digging trenches and building apallisade. This would be were their supplies and the medical team set up. A few of the more capable combat medics and healers would follow them into the tunnel, the braver non-combatants who had volunteered to help would be bringing wagons and carriages into the tunnels so they could carry the wounded back to the camp.


    Other of these brave groups of citizens would bring supplies, reserve equipment and potions. The army was not as large as Jace had thought or hoped. The requirement for going into the tunnels was level seventy and above. Anyone of a lower level would be at immense risk. The combined forces of his own kingdom and its allies numbered a little over two hundred thousand. Two hundred thousand against approximately seventeen million, those were horrible odds. Everyone here knew it too.


    The treasury had been nearly emptied to buy better armour for the soldiers, the highest levels got the best armour. That was the grim reality, they were worth more than the lower level footsoldiers. Even those got and upgrade in their equipment, the dwarves had brought as much armour as they could carry at the pace they had moved, the elves had brought bows and arrows. The empire had come over by way of flight and could ill-afford to bring extra equipment. Collin had brought the best soldiers he had however, each of them a grim faced veteran.


    The dwarves stood with their iron legion, not a piece of skin visible between the lot of them. Each dwarf heavily armed and armoured in full plate. The elves lined up near them, their light moonsilver armour glittering in the light of the dawn sun. The empire stood close, armoured in worn, but well maintained steel half-plate. The sandwalkers stood in their cloth covered mailmesh, wielding their twin scimitars. The alliance of states had brought a company of warriors in brightly coloured livery. The republic had brought a company of warriors that would have fit into any holy-crusade.


    Last but not least where the adventurers and soldiers, armed and armoured in a mishmash of equipment. Nearly everyone had spent everything they could afford to upgrade their equipment. Jace looked towards the tunnel, where he lined up with the rest of the frontline, They were going deep into the dark. Perhaps to never walk out again, he put a hand on the hilt of his sword, Carmine curled up behind him.


    He would survive this, for he had something to come back to.

 43

    Jace walked towards the leaders who would be in command of this expedition. Ruminar, the marshal, was placed in command of the troops and no one had resisted the decision. Apparently Jisa¡¯s grandfather was well known for his exploits on the field of battle.


    The knights would take, two rows thick with two hundred men per row. The dwarven iron legion would follow behind them, with the elves behind them. The rest of the warriors were placed in the middle, the empire was trusted with the rearguard. Despite protests from the allies, Ruminar had harrumphed and ignored them. Stating that he would prefer having proper veterans watching his back. The empire men had grinned at that, proud of the statement.


    Jace asked for a spot on the frontlines, he explained his inexhaustible skill to Ruminar who had assented. He knew that was where he would be most effective, but he still felt like he was lying to Sarai because of it. He shook it off, now was not the time to dwell on other matters. The other knights he shared the frontline with were experienced veterans, the fresh recruits like Vivianna were in the middle.


    The plan, such as it was, was simple. The knights would kill as many of the dravu as they could and when they tired they would switch with the dwarven legion who would then switch with yet another group and so on. Jace looked to both sides, the veteran knights were grim faced. They were veterans and knew how bad this could get. He nodded to the man beside him, a knight called Edgard, on the other side a female knight with greying hair introduced herself as Elle.


    They made some small talk, they were speaking more out of nerves than any interest in each other. Jace rolled his shoulder, his half-plate feeling less than adequate. He tapped his shield, and looked behind him. Between the row of dwarven warriors lay Carmine, a sight that was strangely comforting. Something about a sixty meter long snake on your side made monster hordes slightly less unnerving.


    Tyrant was left in the city, the tunnels were no place for mounted combat so all units were traveling on foot. It took another half hour before the preparations and the supply lines were in order. Then they started marching down into the dark tunnels, a few mages were tasked with keeping light spells up that covered the entire company. Jace marched with the knights at his side and the dwarves at his back.


    The march was silent. Most of the warriors too nervous to talk, nerves were strained. Jace kept walking, he had to admit he was unsure about being on the frontlines. He knew that was where he would be most efficient. The memory of Aziva and her clutching fingers, of Sarai and her pale worried face stayed with him. He breathed out heavily, Elle looked over at him, ¡°Nervous?¡±


    Jace nodded, then rolled his head. ¡°For the first time in my life I feel like I have more to lose by dying than I have to gain from fighting.¡±


    Elle chuckled and ran a finger over the edge of her axe, ¡°You have a family now I presume. it makes a difference. But us knights we have a duty, we bring the stability and peace that our families enjoy. Duty is heavy as a mountain and family the anchor to our lives. I¡¯m an old lass now, my children have children of their own. Should I die, they will miss me but I have lived a good life. You younger warriors have more to lose.¡±


    Jace chuckled, ¡°You know that¡¯s a death flag right?¡±


    Elle blinked, ¡°A what now?¡±


    Jace looked further down the tunnel, ¡°Back home there are certain phrases that are common in stories, that are a prelude for death. When characters tell you they have a brand new wife and they miss her. Or when they tell you about their family or their dreams, or when then tell each other this will be easy we will be back by dinner.¡±


    Elle laughed, ¡°Now that you mention it, they do say those things often in fictions.¡±


    Jace smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s not throw around death flags shall we? I¡¯d like as many to get out of this alive as possible.¡±


    Elle smiled, than turned grim. ¡°Realistically speaking I expect us to lose at least half.¡±


    Jace rolled his shoulders, ¡°I expect to lose even more. I just plan to make it as few as possible.¡±


    Edgard on the other side of him sighed, ¡°The rookies and the adventurer¡¯s will have the highest death toll. They always do.¡±


    Jace frowned, ¡°They lack training, the elite are sent into danger most often. But when it comes to war, they are more likely to survive. Which means we should be ok!¡±


    Elle laughed, ¡° I¡¯m certain that right there is a death flag.¡±


    Jace smiled, ¡°It does sound like one. I should make a list of sentences I¡¯m not allowed to say during war.¡±


    The three of them kept talking to each other as they started marching deeper down into the dark. It didn¡¯t matter what the topic was as long as it kept their minds off the task at hand. While they spoke of everything and nothing, their eyes were peeled and never once looked at each other. Any sign of movement and all of them would be ready to react within in an instant.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    In reality nothing happened for the first hour, or the second. They would have to travel quite far into the tunnels to find their adversaries.


    People grew more tense the longer nothing happened. It was a strange thing for people to be more troubled by the quiet before the war than the fighting itself. Jace understood the sentiment somewhat, during the wait you did not know what would happen, when in battle your only focus was survival or the completion of your goal. In this case their goal and focus on survival were one and the same.


    Carmine¡¯s tongue slithered next to his ear, he turned around and patted her on the head. At first a few of the knights had flinched when her head appeared over them, over time they had gotten used to the humongous snake. A whistle suddenly sounded, the knights stopped. The few scouts they had sent out ahead of them rushed back, they ran fast, faster than Jace had ever seen a human run. They were focused on their escape but shouted, ¡°Big wave coming!¡±


    The knights lowered their center¡¯s, shields went up and created a wall of steel. They left a couple of small gaps in their shield wall for the scouts to slip through. In the distance Jace heard the pounding and scratching of claws on stone. His blood divided and created shields for each of the knights on the frontline. Elle beside him grabbed her axe and Edgard had mace in hand.


    The dravu raced around the corner a distance ahead of them, claws tearing up dirt and piercing stone. Jace searched the horde but found no second class or higher dravu. The other knights must have done the same because they collectively relaxed slightly. While the amount of dravu was a danger without phase two or higher the knights were at little risk. Nevertheless they put their game faces on as the monsters drew closer.


    Jace put his left leg forward and readied his shield. With a murmur an incorporeal wall of shields appeared above them, making sure the dravu would not simply overrun their position. Jace clutched his sword in a tight grip and tried to estimate the amount of drave, fifty thousand perhaps? A relatively small group.


    The monster horde rushed forward and Jace flexed as they crashed into his shield, the wall held, the abilities of some knights strengthening the shieldwall as a whole. His feet slid back in the dirt as the pressure of the sheer amount of dravu pushed him back. Carmine¡¯s head shot forward and snapped up a few dravu and swallowed them whole. Jace pierce forward and cut a dravu in half. Elle swung with her axe and cleared an entire swath of the creatures. Edgard swung his mace and smashed straight through the first monster, the ones behind it were sent blasting up into the air.


    Jace let his sword shoot forward in a series of quick thrusts, the dravu fell without issue, the blood gathering around him. The offense of the other knights were stronger than his own, as each swing of their weapon killed over a dozen of the monsters. Jace himself killed a dravu with every move but it paled in comparison to the other elite¡¯s. Then the blood started gathering around him and his kill rate went up. Blood spattered his face as he tore through more and more of the monsters.


    The fight was surprisingly anticlimactic. After ten minutes of fighting the last of the dravu lay slain. The knights took a collective breath, rolled their shoulders and moved forward. They stepped over the corpses, with a quick stab or a slash here and there to make sure the creatures were not faking their deaths.


    The dwarves and elves stepped over the corpses and ignored them as the knights did, when the group of adventurers reached the corpses they started dismantling them, gather the parts that were useful or valuable and putting them into bags. Jace saw none of it as he kept his gaze focused ahead of himself. The scouts once more slipped through the ranks and ran ahead of the force. Looking for more of the dravu groups.


    The procession continued steadily, ever half hour or so they would run across a ¡®small¡¯ group of dravu. Earth mages kept sending vibrations through the tunnels every hour or two to look for the largest concentration of dravu. According to them the monsters were retreating away from the city. They weren¡¯t moving fast but were steadily moving further away and into the mountains.


    The dwarves muttered with grim faces when they heard the news, the dravu were headed towards their homes. They weren¡¯t that worried, the dravu would have a hard time pushing through the hardened and heavily enchanted stone that surrounded the dwarven cities. But wandering and traveling dwarves who were going through the underground highways may fall as casualties against the dravu. The dwarven king had sent a magical missive to the cities that lay in the path of the dravu and ordered them to lock down the cities and recall everyone on the highways until the horde passed.


    The alliance army pushed further and further but came across less and less groups of the dravu. The leaders were pondering if they should pick up the pace, if they did it would impact their security and they would have more losses should they be ambushed. Scouts would be less effective the faster they moved. At the current pace however they weren¡¯t catching up to the dravu.


    In the end they came to the agreement that they had to speed up despite the risks. Orders were sent towards the front and Jace and the line of knights broke into a slow jog. Everyone who joined this expedition was considered high level and would have no trouble keeping up with the pace. Jace stayed at high alert now that they moved faster.


    The other knights tensed up as they ran. They knew things could more easily slip past the scout¡¯s notice, despite their skills. The scouts were sent out in waves and ran in near full sprints to get as much intel as they could manage. When they ran into the next group of drave the army kept up their jog and used the momentum to tear through the dravu. Not all of them were killed by the knights this time and the dwarves had some work to do as they killed of the stragglers.


    A few more hours passed and the knights switched with the dwarves. Jace backed off as well, although he could easily keep going he would only be a liability in a dwarven shieldwall. He would switch back in when it was the republic¡¯s turn for holding the frontline. The frontline would switch between those three groups, as they were the only ones armed and armored in the way of heavy infantry.


    The elves mostly used a mix of magic and arrows to assist the frontline, although they as of yet had used nearly nothing. It was important to keep resources in reserve for when the bigger battles happened.


    Jace fell back and met up with Weira and her team, they had decided to join as they were stronger and more skilled than the average silver team. He walked up to them and waved, Weira smiled as she saw him. ¡°Long time no see.¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°Haven¡¯t really seen you guys since they kidnapped Aziva. I should honestly have dropped by at least once.¡± He scratched the back of his neck.


    Weira put a hand on his shoulder, ¡°We know the last week has been busy for you, don¡¯t worry we can survive a week without you.¡±


    Jace laughed, ¡°Of that I have no doubt.¡±


    The rest went through their own greetings as they walked over to him and made some small talk while marching. A few minutes later Collin fell back and joined them with Miya. Jace grinned as the man fell into step next to him. ¡°I have to admit Jace, I still hate these conferences, It¡¯s a pain in the ass. I¡¯m glad I brought Keklan my advisor, he is much more suited for this stuff.¡±


    Jace chuckled, once a soldier always a soldier. Those were the words he would use to describe his old captain. The rest of them looked over at Jace with questions in their eyes, the man who had joined them was equipped in much higher quality armour than nearly anyone else who had joined the expedition. Jace chuckled at their gazes, ¡°This is Collin, my old captain and current Emperor of The Empire.¡±


    Weira rolled her eyes, ¡°Of course you know the emperor, I¡¯d say I¡¯m surprised but¡­ I¡¯m really not.¡±


    The others looked at each other and shrugged, Collin raised an eyebrow and looked over at Jace. ¡°They don¡¯t seem very impressed or anything.¡±


    Florian grinned, ¡°We are used to Jace meeting and befriending all manner of people, each more strange and impressive than the last.¡±


    Collin laughed, ¡°Guess he hasn¡¯t changed that much after all. I remember how we were hired to guard this famous person one time, and she fell in love with Jace. The woman broke into his house and stole his laundry. Good times, Good times!¡±

 44

    While making small talk with Collin and his team he noticed that Florian hadn¡¯t been able to take his eyes of Miya. Jace grinned with a knowing look in his eyes and patted Florian on the shoulder with a wink. While pretending to be his normal self and joking around with his friends the unease spread throughout his heart as he distanced himself from the frontline. A feeling of wrongness settled inside him. He was not supposed to be here, there was battle up ahead and he should be in the thick of it.


    He tried to throw the emotions off, he rolled his shoulder and Collin walked up to him. ¡°Still the same soldier you always were. It was my greatest regret to see you quit because of that captain business.¡±


    Jace looked over at him and shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m more than just a soldier.¡±


    Collin smiled sadly, ¡°Are you though? Both you and I are cut from the same cloth. There is battle up ahead and we should be in the thick of it, we feel it in our blood. We are restless in times of peace. Secretly when at home, when at peace you find yourself wishing for war. War, as chaotic and cruel as it can be. Is home to those like us, once we grow used to it normal life is¡­ bothersome.¡±


    Jace looked over at him with a frown, ¡°Is that why you were so quick to jump on to the excuse of war?¡±


    Collin rolled his shoulders, ¡°Perhaps, from the moment we entered this new world I have been in a constant struggle to stay alive. Back home the fights were far between. It did not occur as often as I may have preferred. I toyed with the idea of becoming a mercenary for a while. Taking money to go into the thick of it wherever I could.¡±


    Jace looked over at his old captain and then ran a finger over his sheath. He sighed, ¡°I have a family now. I care more for them than anything, more than I thought was possible for me. Yet when the city came under attack by these monsters. There was fear, relief, anger. I¡¯ve never felt this many emotions.¡±


    Collin nodded, ¡°Your love for your family clashes with your comfort on the fields of war. It is understandable you know. Many veterans go through the same thing, they lose the clear discipline of the army and the life threatening situations they were trained for. Then they come back home without either and have trouble adjusting. It¡¯s not a career Jace, you know that. It¡¯s a lifestyle.¡±


    Jace reluctantly nodded, ¡°I¡¯m aware, first thing I did when I came here was learn to fight, the next thing I did was find new brothers in arms. He looked over to Weira and her team. Then I got the opportunity to become a knight, join and army once more. I missed my brothers, I dislike some of them, yet would die for any of them. It¡¯s a bond that is hard to replace.¡±


    Collin chuckled, ¡°That it is, I was lucky to be sent here with my brothers. I would most likely not have survived otherwise. The place we arrived in was¡­ Inhospitable. If it wasn¡¯t for our heavy armament then we would most likely have died quickly. Some things here are naturally bulletproof. We agreed to not introduce guns into this world, despite John¡¯s grumbles. Even the old fart thought it would be irresponsible to create guns here.¡±


    Jace raised and eyebrow. ¡°Then what is he creating that he would give up his precious guns.¡±


    Collin laughed, ¡°Magical firearms, there are already prototypes created by other people and he would not have to rely on the knowledge from back home. An entirely new field of destruction for him to discover. I haven¡¯t seen him this happy in a decade to be honest.¡±


    Jace joined the man in his laughter, ¡°I can imagine he would enjoy having all these new ideas to experiment with. Just make sure he doesn¡¯t create anything nuclear. That would be bad, can you imagine what would happen if magical beasts started mutating because of radiation?¡± He fake shivered.


    Collin smirked, ¡°You mean you¡¯d get even more things to kill?¡±


    Jace grinned, ¡°Well if you say it like that, perhaps I should help the old man.¡±


    Collin shook his head, ¡°The two of you were a nightmare to the rest of us. John coming up with his crazy modifications and you eagerly testing them.¡±


    Jace smirked, ¡°You have no appreciation for the art of murder my dear friend.¡±


    As the two bickered and reminisced over old times the day passed and night fell before Jace was rotated back in the front, surprisingly the sand walkers had wanted a chance to be the frontline and had been given the fourth rotation. The army started setting up camp and preparing dinner. While they could eat on the march it was anything but comfortable, if they wanted to keep their strength up they needed at least some proper rest.


    Jace sat around a makeshift campfire, the fire created by magic to be smokeless. Something he wasn¡¯t quite sure was physically possible but he chalked it up as one of many strange things on this new planet. Surrounding this smokeless fire was Weira and her team, Vivianna, Arian, Lily, Collin and Miya. Collin frowned and looked over at Jace, ¡°Don¡¯t you think that these Dravu have been acting strange?¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°These waves they keep sending at us, I can¡¯t help but feel they are using stalling tactics. I already told the marshal of my thoughts and he was of a similar mind. He made sure that the camp is sturdy and well protected. Although anything could happen regardless of the preparations.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Jace and Collin both felt like something was off and the others trusted their instincts. Despite the already heavy patrols and magical scrying spells that were put in place to detect ambushes they still set up a guard schedule for the night.


    Jace volunteered to take the third shift, one of the worst ones. He didn¡¯t need as much sleep as the others, neither did Collin so he took the second to last shift. Jace went to sleep and a few hours later he was woken up by Lily who nodded to him to take his shift. Jace groggily stood up and sat on one of the improv chairs created by Weira with a bit of earth magic. His shield was still ever-present on his arm. Carmine had curled up around their camp, functioning as a wall of flesh and scales that separated their camp from those around them.


    Not with any specific purpose in mind it was just that she was so large that she got in the way so Jace had told her to simply curl around the camp a couple times. He smiled gently and ran a hand over her smooth and cool scales. Carmine lifted her head and her tongue shot out and tickled Jace. He chuckled softly and patted her skin. He sat down and sharpened his sword. He¡¯d already done so before he went to sleep but he did it again and checked the weapon for damage regardless. Keeping your equipment in top condition was a prerequisite for a soldier if he wanted to survive.


    A shift in the dirt caused Jace to jump to full alert. His eyes shot over the tunnel walls looking for more of the disturbance. Carmine felt his action and sat up slightly, some other warriors who were still awake sat up curiously and looked at the duo. When they saw how Jace stood ready for combat and his eyes were on the walls, they stood up and looked around with grim faces. The dirt shifted on another side and this time all those who were awake noticed.


    ¡°ALARM!¡± A mage suddenly shouted, ¡°They are coming through the walls! ENEMY ATTACK!¡±


    With his words chaos descended upon the camp. Most of the warriors had slept in their armour, despite the discomfort. They jumped upright with sleepy eyes, weapons at the ready. The walls burst open as a type of creature he had never seen before burst from the walls. Jace¡¯s eyes widened, these were dravu but different from any others he had seen before. They had skin like a chameleons and their movements were swift and jerky.


    Their eyes glowed somewhat when reflecting the fire, but otherwise the creatures were harder to see. Carmine coiled up and shot forward and bit down on one of the creatures, dragging it from the wall. The creatures screeched in anger and they jumped down to attack, Jace immediately sent his blood shields towards everyone in range. Weira jumped up beside him and glyphs were flying around the tunnel, Plip was firing arrows as fast as he could. Jace and the other melee oriented fighters dove into the nearest fight that they could find. Florian and Vivianna stayed back to protect Qyra and Plip while the rest of them strode into the melee.


    Lily was rushing towards anyone who was wounded and used her limited healing magic to stabilise the warriors. People were collapsing around them, some without even coming into contact with the new dravu species. Jace frowned and then his eyes widened, ¡°POISON GAS! Wind mages blow it away from us!¡±


    Wind mages started desperately casting spells to blow the poison away, it was taking too long. Warriors were dropping left and right, Jace felt the world sway as the poison entered his veins, he cursed and forced himself to attack the nearest enemy. Collin walked up next to him, and took a deep breath in. Then he roared and the air around them displaced, a wind rushed through the tunnels that pushed the poison away from them. Warriors who were still capable of movement rushed towards their nearest downed allies in a desperate attempt to protect them.


    Carmine dove from one group of the camouflaged dravu to the next, tearing them apart in vicious anger. Jace fought on but felt his body grow weaker, the poison was affecting him. He stumbled and raised his shield just in time to protect himself from a claw, a yellow streak rushed past him and cut through the creature.


    Jace looked through blurry eyes and recognized the yellow armour that was Miya. She stepped towards him and her lips pressed against his, his eyes widened and he wanted to stop her out of reflex. Instead of kissing him he felt a suction and he collapsed to his knees and coughed. He blinked and his eyes regained their clarity, he stared after Miya who had already run off and sucked the poison from the nearest warrior she could find, who mirrored the same wide-eyed stare that Jace must have on his face.


    Miya moved over to Collin and did the same, Jace was pretty sure that she took slightly more time to use it on Collin than the others. Jace rolled his eyes as he cut through another of the creatures, it seems the two of them really were in a relationship despite their protests. The fight was intense but did not last very long three minutes at most. The ambush had caused a lot of damage however. The warriors with weaker vitality and lower levels collapsed quickly under the poison smoke. Some of the lowest levels had even died because of it.


    Jace furrowed his brows as he looked across the dead and dying, he looked over at Collin and indicated with his chin that they should head towards the command tent. Collin nodded and the two of them started walking towards the leaders. Miya stayed with the soldiers, moving from soldier to soldier to suck out the poison wherever she could.


    Jace looked over at Collin with a smirk, ¡°Your future wife is kissing a lot of people at the moment.¡±


    Collin rolled his eyes, ¡°She¡¯s not my future wife, and she¡¯s not kissing anyone. She¡¯s using one of her skills. She might look like any other elf but she is this weird mutated elf variant called a Velf. Which has some kind of poison chemicals in their body or whatever, I¡¯m not too clear on the details.¡±


    Jace looked over at the woman, ¡°She will save a lot of people with that ability of hers. More importantly, this ambush and these dravu we have no information on. This was planned.¡±


    Collin made a growling sound deep in his throat. ¡°You think these dravu lured us in to ambush us and kill off the warriors that are a threat so that they have free reign over the city and the surrounding area.¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°If this horde is being led by something that can strategize then we are in for a world of hurt, step one was the ambush. It shook us up, things are not going according to plan and revealing a new species is bound to spread panic amongst our ranks. Step two would be cutting of our supply line, they might try to collapse the tunnels behind us.¡±


    Collin furrowed his brows, ¡°If we get caught in these tunnels without supplies, we only have enough to last us a week. Shouldn¡¯t they have waited till we are deeper in?¡±


    Jace tapped his chin as he upped his pace, ¡°Maybe not, what if they attacked the supply camp. There aren¡¯t many combatants, and they may or may not have made it back to the city. If they then proceed to collapse as much of the tunnels as they can it will take us perhaps a week to make our way back through the tunnels. If they attack us while we try to return our losses will multiply. If they also attack our supplies¡­¡±


    Jace¡¯s eyes widened as he froze, he looked over at Collin, ¡°What if their target of this ambush wasn¡¯t us but our supplies!¡±


    Collin paled and both started running towards the command tent, they entered to here on of the alliance of state generals say. ¡°We lost a few men in this attack, most of them were lower level soldiers. All in all our combat power hasn¡¯t been lowered too much. The new dravu species is a surprise to be sure but not something that will heavily impact our plans.¡±


    Jace spoke up as the man finished his statement. ¡°What about our supplies!¡± Jace smashed his hands on the table, ¡°Did they target the supplies!?¡±


    The queen looked up with a frown, and the marshal raised a disapproving eyebrow. ¡°Jace this is the command tent, you technically do not have the right to be here.¡±


    Collin walked in behind Jace and folded his arms, ¡°He¡¯s with me. More importantly answer the questions, did they hit our supplies?¡±


    ¡°Just a moment.¡± The elven queen said as she used some magical messaging system to get in touch with the quartermaster. She frowned once she got her answer. ¡°It seems a good chunk of our supplies were indeed destroyed, there was a good amount of food poisoned as well. It will take some effort to cleanse them.¡±


    Jace turned to Collin and both had a grim look on their faces, ¡°We are in trouble, set up defenses and count the supplies, we need scouts to check behind us.¡±


    The marshal frowned and looked at Collin, ¡°What is the matter.¡±


    Collin put his hands on the table and leaned forward. ¡°We underestimated the enemy.¡±

 45

    ¡°What do you mean we underestimated the dravu, we gathered all the forces we could muster and are well prepared.¡± The dwarven king said while stroking his beard.


    Jace shook his head, ¡°We underestimated their intelligence. This ambush was more than it seemed if me and Collin are right about our assumption. The dravu may have collapsed the tunnels behind us. These new dravu did not show up on the scrying done by the earth mages, if they snuck behind us and attacked the supply camp while collapsing the tunnels behind us then we are stuck here¡­¡±


    The marshal suddenly paled, ¡°Then that means we will not have the supplies needed to retreat without severe casualties. If they keep launching attacks while we dig our way out¡­ Even without those attacks it would take us days!¡±


    The other rulers realised the seriousness of the situation. The marshal immediately began barking orders, scout were sent out. The remaining supplies were put under heavy guard, earth mages were strengthening the tunnels around them, while the rulers stood around the table.


    ¡°This amount of strategy should not be possible, the dravu are dangerous enough as it is. If they have developed the intelligence to strategize¡­¡± The holy maiden of the republic spoke softly.


    ¡°If all this conjecture is true, that would mean the attack on the city and the retreat into the tunnels was planned to lure us here. If they wipe out our army the kingdom will be nearly defenseless. If they manage to grow from consuming all the citizens available in the city¡­ This has become an even bigger catastrophe than we anticipated.¡± One of the mustached representatives of the AOS muttered. (alliance of states)


    The elven queen looked troubled, ¡°I have sent messages through to the city, the supply camp was indeed attacked. I sent out an alert with the order that all Adventurers and S ranked individuals are required to report to the city and prepare for an invasion. I told the guild master what is happening and he promised that he would personally kick anyone out of the guild that was not willing to help. This disaster is threatening to the entire continent.¡±


    The rulers stood around the war table with pale faces and rigid postures. The marshal stroked his beard, ¡°The next question would be how do we react. Retreat is a bad option and will cause heavy casualties, if our supplies even manage to last that long. In my opinion our best option is a neck breaking rush towards the matriarch. If we can reach her and kill her, then we have a chance to curb this disaster before it really starts.¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°It has a high risk but I agree. If we stay here too long and keep reacting to the opponents plan then we lose, we have to make sure it has to react to us. It may have developed intelligence, but it should not yet have much experience in war. That may be the only chance we have.¡±


    Silence once more fell in the command tent, the leader of the sandwalkers spoke up, ¡°What do we tell the troops? They might panic if we tell them that the dravu have gained intelligence and have trapped us.¡±


    The marshal frowned, ¡°I do not like keeping things from my troops. Keeping it quiet might come back to bite us in the ass later on.¡±


    Jace sighed, ¡°I hate to admit it but there is a good chance that the adventurers will panic, they aren¡¯t soldiers and don¡¯t have the discipline. They don¡¯t really fall under our command and are mostly volunteers. If they know that there might be nothing more than death if we continue onwards they might attempt to leave on their own.¡±


    The other rulers nodded, ¡°As brave as they are to have joined us on this expedition, their discipline is worrisome. They consist of nearly a quarter of our troops, if we were to lose even half of them it would heavily affect our combat power.¡±


    The queen looked over at Jace, ¡°You were an adventurer Jace, what do you think they will do if they learn of this?¡±


    Jace frowned, ¡°My guys will stay, but as for the others.¡± He shrugged, ¡°As I said they might attempt to leave. I expect at least a quarter to try.¡±


    The holy maiden spoke up, ¡°It would be wrong of us to send them towards their deaths if they do not even know how risky it might be. Do they not have the right to know?¡±


    The marshal sighed, ¡°They do indeed have that right, but we can¡¯t afford to worry about that right now. Our survival is at stake, losing a tenth of our troops because of desertion and the impact it will have on morale¡­ We can¡¯t afford to tell them about it.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The rulers looked at each other, a moment of silence spread. Jace had to admit they were right, it might seem immoral but did they have a choice? This was why he would never want to be in command, making choices like this. Just point him at the enemy and let him do his job, that¡¯s the way he preferred things.


    Collin spoke up, ¡°So who do we let know, we will have to know some of the officers know at least. The scouts will find out the tunnels behind us are collapsed and the smarter ones among them may figure things out. The communication brigade will also find out about it soon enough. Do we ask them to keep it to themselves? Can we even stop the information from spreading?¡±


    Jace rubbed his shoulder, ¡°We will just have to keep everyone busy enough that they do not have time to spread the information. If a dead rush is what we are going to do then it will leave little time for the spreading of rumors.¡±


    The other leaders nodded, the marshal sighed and looked up. ¡°Spread the order, everyone is to pack up and prepare. We will be moving fast and resting little, those who have trouble with keeping up will receive support from the mages or potions. We find the Matriarch and kill her, our deadline is within three days. If we take much longer we may not have the supplies to leave even if we do win and survive the battle.¡±


    The queen looked over at Jace, ¡°You¡¯ll have to take charge of the adventurer faction, you are one of the few with a foot in both sides. You have gained a name for yourself in the fights, the adventurers know of you and they respect you. Ask the Xor woman if she would be your second in command, with her by your side you should be able to sway the adventurers.¡±


    Jace frowned, he knew this would be a dirty job, if they ever found out about the collapse things would get troublesome. He sighed and rolled his shoulders, ¡°As you command.¡±


    The queen nodded, ¡°I am sorry dear knight for burdening you like this. Desperate times call for desperate measures.¡±


    Jace smiled grimly, ¡°I know your majesty, I will do my duty regardless.¡± He bowed stiffly and turned around to find Hirki. He had talked little with the woman, but he respected her and he knew that the respect was likewise. He found her near a chameleon dravu, she was cutting off the skin and examining it. Jace walked over and tapped her on the shoulder, she raised an eyebrow at him and stood up.


    He told her about the dravu and what happened. He held nothing back and gave it to her straight. The woman growled, her teeth bared. She ran a finger along her blade, ¡°So the ancient enemy evolves once more, we shall keep to our duty and kill them all the same. Regardless of cost.¡±


    Jace raised an eyebrow in question but the woman waved him off. Jace frowned, then nodded. He took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m going to be put in charge of the adventurers, I would like to ask you to be my second in command.¡±


    Hirki looked at him with a blank face for a moment before nodding, ¡°Very well, some things must be done for the sake of extermination.¡± She stood up and rolled her shoulders, ¡°Let us go and prepare our troops then.¡±


    Jace smirked, ¡°I had hoped to never be put in command of an army, yet here I stand.¡±


    Hirki shrugged, ¡°Kill them with blade, or with command of troops it makes no difference. As long as the enemy lie dead our duty will be fulfilled.¡±


    Jace glanced at her, ¡°Perhaps I should be YOUR second in command then.¡±


    The woman smiled, ¡°I think not, talking as much as a commander will need to sounds exhausting.¡±


    Jace rolled his eyes. But honestly he agreed with her, commanding such a group sounded exhausting. Each of them was individualistic, untrained as a group. They could work in squads but make the groups larger and they would have trouble keeping up. He walked over to the spot where most adventurers were gathered. He made them gather round and he looked at the group. There must have been nearly fifty thousand adventurers here, he rolled his neck, at least not all of them were here at once, the group he was talking to consisted of maybe five thousand adventurers.


    ¡°Alright listen up, some of you may recognise me. My name is Jace and I was a former adventurer and am currently a knight under the command of the Queen of Kringva. I¡¯ve been made the commander of the adventurers.¡±


    Some people muttered but most of them stayed silent and waited for him to continue. ¡°We adventurers aren¡¯t an army, nor do we belong to any single country. I¡¯ve been made your commander but we all know that is not how we adventurers do things. I¡¯m not the highest ranking adventurer, nor the most powerful of us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s debatable, oh Bloodsoaked Berserker. Guardian of the People.¡±


    Jace frowned, ¡°The what now?¡±


    One immensely tall individual grinned, ¡°You didn¡¯t know? People have been giving you a nickname. Ever since the time your daughter was kidnapped and you wiped an entire gang from existence, you became infamous. Then the dravu attack happened and you jumped down to bring the fight to them, we all saw that.¡±


    Jace folded his arms, ¡°So my nickname is the Bloodsoaked Berserker, Guardian of the People?¡±


    The man grinned, ¡°There¡¯s more actually, War God¡¯s Favourite, Insane Shieldsman, Bloodbringer, Leader of the Psychotic, Brother of-¡±


    Jace interrupted the man, ¡°That¡¯s a bunch of names, don¡¯t they have anything better to do?¡±


    The man shrugged, ¡°People like their stories and folktales, you¡¯re a bit of a local legend now. We also know you have the approval of the Xor.¡± The man glanced at Hirki, and Jace noticed most of the crowd doing the same. The man looked back at Jace, ¡°Honestly as far as commanders go we could do worse. At least you got an adventurer¡¯s spirit!¡±


    ¡°Here here!¡± Another shouted, the call was taken up by other adventurers. Jace frowned then grinned.


    ¡°Well I guess that makes my life somewhat easier. The dravu ambushed us, they have evolved. We have all noticed that.¡±


    Murmurs of agreement reached his ears. ¡°We worry that they may evolve yet again so we are going to be picking up the pace. We will rush towards the matriarch before anything else unexpected can happen. The goal is to find her in three days time! The pace will be high, we will move fast. Anyone unable to keep up will receive magical support or be given a stamina potion.¡±


    The adventurers looked at eachother, unsure. Jace took a deep breath, ¡°Some of our brethren died! Every moment we waste the dravu retreat further into their tunnels, putting others at risk! We are adventurers, risk is our job description! We move in and hour, we run till they are dead! MOVE!¡±


    The large man saluted, ¡°YES SIR!¡±


    Some other adventurers followed suite and saluted clumsily, Jace nodded. He would take whatever he could get. Deep down he wondered if he was doing the right thing, probably not. But he was doing what was necessary, and that was a soldiers job.

 46

    The army gathered and prepared to move out. Packs were lightened and any unnecessary equipment was dropped. Tension spread throughout the troops, they were aware that a rush into the tunnels was much more dangerous than the steady advance they had made before. The dwarven legion would take lead, although they were slower than other races they had incredible stamina and could keep up a slow jog for an entire day without too much issue. The second rank of troops consisted of Jace and the rest of the knights, elves remained in their third rank and the empire¡¯s veterans remained as rearguard.


    They had been jogging at a steady pace for over an hour now, although the rumor had not spread the soldiers noticed the tight expressions of their officers. They could sense something was wrong but simply connected it to the fact that they were rushing towards the matriarch and the risk that was involved with such a push. Jace felt his armour press against him every time a foot hit the ground, his expression was grim. He kept his place with the knights and Hirki was with one of the adventurer groups. Instead of having the adventurers in one big group as they did before they split them between the ranks of other elites.


    Other than the first three ranks, you had a group of adventurers, then you had the sandwalkers, another group of adventurers, the republic, another group of adventurers, the AOS, and then the final group of adventurers with the empire as the rearguard. It had been Jace¡¯s idea to split the adventurers up into relatively smaller groups in case the army was targeted from the walls once again. The adventurers, although skilled, were unaccustomed to large scale battle. Even Jace¡¯s former team would have trouble operating in a proper shieldwall. With the new way the army was setup it should reduce the risk of the adventurers being targeted. The elite units could help out before too much damage was done and the army could progress, hopefully, safer.


    Jace let himself fall into rhythm with the dwarven legion and their synchronised footsteps. There was something comforting about having an experienced army that moved as a single unit in front of you. The dwarves were serious badasses in a fight, because of their heavy armour and the excellent craftsmanship that was used in creating the armours dwarven troops were extremely hard to kill. Add to that the fact that each dwarven soldier carried a shield and how heavily disciplined and well trained they were and the dwarven legions were one of the most fearsome armies to walk the earth.


    The elves were the exact opposite, their armour was light but their magic was strong. Instead of flowing as a single unit as the dwarves did their strength was individual skill. Although they could work as a single well trained unit it wasn¡¯t to the same extent as the dwarven troops. The knights of his kingdom were somewhere in between, they were well versed in troop tactics but also focused heavily on individual skill. The other human groups excluding the sandwalkers were similar. The sandwalkers were even more individually focused than the elves were.


    Jace had taken the time to study the strengths and weaknesses of all troops that had joined the expedition. In his opinion the dwarven legion was, unsurprisingly, the best suited for this expedition. The underground was their home and they were well versed in tunnel warfare. The elves and sandwalkers who mostly relied on ambush skills and hit and run tactics were the troops that had the largest disadvantage.


    As Jace let his mind wander over the various troops his eyes frantically searched the walls for any signs of an ambush. Carmine who had taken a spot to the left, hugging the wall was constantly tasting the air in search of the enemy. Her senses were better than his, but he could not stop his frantic search for opponents, he was on high alert and was tense because of it.


    Normally the veterans beside him might joke to him about it, but they unlike the adventurers were informed of the situation. Their faces were grim and their eyes, like his, were peeled. The first few hours of travel had been suspiciously uneventful. The scryers and earth mages got increasingly nervous, and checked and rechecked the largest cluster of dravu. Most of them were aware that it would be the end of all of them if they lost track or could not find the matriarch. Nerves were taut and it reflected in the soldiers, small fights and arguments between groups or even in the groups themselves broke out. Officers did their best to stamp out the fires but people were nervous.


    The veteran knights remained disciplined, a select few complained here and there but that was all the grumbling that they showed. They acted like they were marching towards their deaths because they truly believed it to be so. There would be a next generations, they would follow their queen, and their children would protect the princess who would inherit the throne. That was what they believed, hence while they resolved to live as long as possible, the possibility of death held little sway over them.


    The dwarves were dwarves, they got into semi-regular fist-fights but in truth where the troops most at ease with the situation. The elves were unscrupulous and acted as if nothing was wrong. No one knew what the sandwalkers were thinking behind their veils, the AOS troops complained and whined about missing their wine and women. But surprisingly caused very few problems, the republic prayed a little harder to their god but remained calm. The empire¡¯s veterans kept to themselves and joked among each other. The biggest problem was as expected the adventurers, Jace had to retreat from his spot among the knights to keep the adventurers in check.


    He spent most of the day breaking up fights and calming down adventurers, he was exhausting himself. His physical state remained fresh, but his mental state was being ground down by the continuous need to keep an eye on the adventurers. In the end he made a small internal guard faction that was there to keep the order. Some of the higher ranked and more experienced adventurers, and those that Jace felt were suited for the job were conscripted into said guard faction. They made an attempt to keep the peace, but the rumors were starting to spread. That the army was trapped in the tunnels with no way out. It reached the point where even the lower level soldiers secretly hoped for an ambush, anything other than this slowly growing sense of unease and distrust.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Night fell and the camp was set up, the rulers were once again found in the command tent. Jace as the unofficial leader of the adventurers was also invited along with Hirki. The faces of the various leaders were grim, they realised the situation was bad but did not have any immediate solutions.


    The dwarven king spoke up, ¡°Do you think the beasties are planning for the discord that is being sown amongst the adventurers?¡±


    The holy maiden sighed, he golden hair in the same meticulous braid. ¡°If that is true then we are in even greater peril than we first thought.¡±


    Collin growled, ¡°We know we have problems, what we need are solutions. Jace did good creating the guard faction, but it won¡¯t last. Rumors are starting to spread and it would be best if we got ahead of it and told the people of our speculations.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± The dwarven king muttered.


    ¡°I am of the same opinion.¡± The elven queen said with a sigh.


    Jace frowned, ¡°Let me guess, I¡¯m the messenger?¡±


    The marshal smirked, ¡°Don¡¯t get killed.¡±


    Jace rolled his eyes, ¡°Great, thanks for the confidence.¡±


    The other rulers wished him luck with pensive gazes. Then the holy maiden suddenly paused, and motioned for one of her crusaders to follow him. She looked over at Jace, ¡°I will send with you one of my men, to help you establish authority, it may help.¡± She closed her eyes and folded her hands. ¡°It may not.¡±


    Jace smiled and bowed, ¡°The gesture is appreciated my lady.¡±


    The dwarven king snorted and thrust his chin towards Jace, one of his men followed and stood behind Jace, the other rulers followed their lead and sent a warrior of their own. Collin shrugged and Miya decided to come with him. Jace¡¯s queen smiled, ¡°You already are one of my own.¡±


    Jace bowed and smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s hope I manage to prevent a riot.¡±


    The marshal cursed softly, ¡°Let¡¯s hope indeed, we are in too much trouble as it is.¡±


    Jace took a deep breath and left the tent, he headed towards the first group of adventurers, he rolled his shoulders and looked over at Hirki. ¡°You were surprisingly quiet during that meeting, I expected at least a comment.¡±


    Hirki shrugged. ¡°Adventurers are no fools, they will realise that rushing is their only choice.¡±


    Jace looked over at Hirki and frowned, ¡°I hope you¡¯re right. In my experience in times of desperation few people maintain their logic.¡±


    Hirki shrugged, ¡°As long as most continue onwards and we kill the matriarch, it is of no import to me.¡±


    Jace sighed and rolled his shoulders. A few minutes later he reached the adventurers group and climbed up a makeshift stage. He looked over the adventurers and took a deep breath as they focused their attention on him. ¡°Some of you may have heard rumors, stating that our circumstances are more dire than they appear. People have been stressed and discipline has been the victim.¡±


    He took another deep breath. ¡°I am here to tell you that there is truth in these rumors, we are trapped.¡±


    As expected commotion broke out, some adventurers started shouting and others started arguing. The guard troop tried to silence the adventurers but they themselves were shocked by the news. Jace raised his voice in an attempt to be heard, ¡°The dravu have evolved and they have gained intelligence beyond what we expected. They have trapped us in these tunnels and will make an attempt to finish us off! We have to push forward, we have no other choice!¡±


    A scarred adventurer stepped up and shouted angrily, ¡°Who are you to make that choice for us eh!? We volunteered for this, even if it¡¯s the guild law! We were supposed to fight the dravu, a simple if dangerous job! This is no longer monster extermination, this is a war!¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°I agree, this is war.¡±


    The adventurer frowned and folded his arms glaring up at the stage. ¡°Adventurers do not participate in war, me and mine are leaving!¡±   The man made as to turn around.


    Jace sat down tiredly, and looked over the mass of warriors, he stared over at the leaving adventurer and asked. ¡°And go where?¡±


    ¡°Out through the bloody tunnels!¡± The man shouted.


    Jace smiled sadly, ¡°The several mile long collapsed tunnels?¡±


    The man turned back and glared. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to bloody dig through it then, we have an earth mage. We¡¯ll manage!¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°But will you manage before your supplies run out? Will you be able to dig while being assaulted by the dravu? Could the adventurers that want to run work together as a single army to retreat back to the surface?¡±


    The man froze, glared at him and growled. Then let loose a string of curses, after a few seconds he collapsed and sat down.


    ¡°So we fight or die, is that it.¡±


    Silence fell over the adventurers, they looked over at Jace, eyes hopeful. Looking for another option, anything. Jace folded his hands in his lap. ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°We are not soldiers, we aren¡¯t supposed to¡­ We just wanted to help¡­¡± A younger girl said with a sniff.


    Jace nodded but kept his silence, he felt his throat clench.


    ¡°So we go kill the dravu before they kill us.¡± An adventurer with bright red hair said. The man took a deep breath, ¡°We can do that, killing monsters is what we are good at isn¡¯t it?!¡±


    ¡°I don''t know about you.¡± An older ranger said with a grim look. ¡°But I usually don¡¯t hunt my prey with a time limit while being vastly outnumbered and low on supplies.¡±


    The red haired adventurer waved his hand dismissively, ¡°So we learn! A new experience for all of us, we don¡¯t have much of a choice and sitting here moping and giving the others shit will only worsen our odds. I for one plan to make it out of this, so I will tackle this thing with all the energy and skill I have. And I expect the same from ALL OF YOU! I¡¯m not gonna die because you guys were moping around so much you couldn¡¯t bloody focus!¡±


    Jace looked over at Hirki and whispered, ¡°They should have made that guy the leader of adventurers, he¡¯s doing better than me.¡±


    Hirki nodded and looked at the man with interest.


    The red haired adventurer was indeed rallying spirits with ease, Jace looked at it with interest. ¡°Is he a well known adventurer?¡±


    Hirki shrugged, ¡°Never seen the man before.¡±


    Jace took a deep breath, ¡°Well let''s watch him work for a while longer. If he keeps doing such a good job we¡¯re taking him with us to the next group.¡±


    To his surprise the red haired man was riling the adventurers up, he was putting confidence in their heart and an urge for battle in their minds. The adventurers became subdued and Jace walked over to the red haired adventurer.


    ¡°Hi i¡¯m Jace, How would you like to become the speaker at the other adventurer groups.¡± Jace slung an arm around the red-haired adventurer. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a beer in exchange, once we make it out of here.¡±

 Chapter 47

    The red-haired adventurer¡¯s name was Woke, and he was a mithril tiered adventurer of some renown. He was known amongst the local adventurers and was well respected. He and his team had helped out various newer teams and were always quick to respond to any call for aid from their fellow adventurers. The next few ¡®talks¡¯ with the other adventurer groups went much the same as the first, although Woke did a much better job at bringing the message to them than Jace had.


    The adventurers were for now, pacified. But night was falling and ambushes were expected, a perimeter was set and guards patrolled between the camps. Wards and glyphs decorated the dirt walls of the tunnel to warn of the arrival of the dravu. The atmosphere was anxious, everyone was aware of the stakes and everyone knew it might be their last day. Tension, was the word that could be used to describe the army. Jace lay on his bedroll, next to Weira with Hirki on the other side. Both of the women were quiet, Hirki out of utter relaxation, Weira simply out of habit.


    To be honest Jace had expected to be ambushed during the night but it had been suspiciously quiet. When they woke up Jace had them do a headcount but as far as anyone could tell everyone was still here, no one had vanished during the night. The adventurers hadn¡¯t run off and the warriors while nervous, remained disciplined. The army stood back up and continued their grueling run towards what they hoped was the Matriarch. Armoured boots stomped the earth, a cascading rhythm carrying them through the tunnels. The dwarves remained at the front and set the pace, the day passed slowly. The march tedious, exhausting and extremely boring.


    Night came again, arguments broke out but people kept it together for now. Everyone was stressed, few people slept well and the rulers had near constantly been working to keep people at ease. Jace and Woke had been working hard to visit the various adventurer groups with renown and get them to help keep the adventurers focused and ready. Patrols were set up once again and a perimeter was set, glyphs were prepared and people went to sleep. They cycled through their guard shifts and woke up to find they had once again no longer been attacked. Jace thought for a while then frowned, he walked towards Collin.


    ¡°What if the dravu stopped attacking us because we can use their corpses for sustenance.¡±


    Collin blinked, then tapped his chin. ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± He glanced over at Miyu for confirmation, she nodded. ¡°Dravu corpses are edible, we gathered what we could from those that ambushed us. It was enough for a day or two of extra supplies. Water would be an issue but a lot of the mages have the basic summon water spell so we should be good on that front.¡±


    ¡°So we have another four days before we run out of food? If things keep going as they are now, with how tense people are. We will have a riot on our hands before then. The adventurers are good for now¡­ But I don¡¯t think it will stay that way.¡± Jace groaned.


    Collin smirked, ¡°You really hate being in a leadership role don¡¯t you.¡±


    Jace smirked, ¡°Of course I do, there¡¯s a reason I stayed a sergeant all this time. Keeping all these people in check, knowing their personal faults, keeping them in mind. Making the peace, coming up with different solutions for different people even though the problem is the same. It¡¯s bloody annoying, it¡¯s not my cup of tea and you know it. I just do me, and that¡¯s it.¡±


    Collin shrugged, ¡°We make do with what we have, you know that. That red-head, Woke. He seems to be doing well, just dump the responsibility on him.¡±


    Jace furrowed his brows, ¡°He doesn¡¯t have the ruling body support, I do. He¡¯s a good speaker, and charismatic but he doesn¡¯t have authority backing him. Unless you and the rest of the royalty want to start backing him?¡±


    Collin frowned, Jace rolled his eyes, ¡°My point exactly.¡±


    In the end Jace decided to spread the word around that they had gotten another load of supplies and would have enough food to last them comfortably for four days and on rations it was enough for six. He also spread around that the dravu may intentionally be avoiding them to make sure they didn¡¯t get any extra food and so that the stress would grow and that people would be set against one another. Jace hoped that this piece of news would make people at least try to suppress their grievances. All this running around and organising things put Jace in a perpetually bad mood. At one point he¡¯d even snapped at Weira, something he had never really done before. The girl had been really surprised but didn¡¯t hold it against him.


    ----------------------- Plip Pov-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Once another day¡¯s march ended and Jace collapsed into his bedroll he immediately fell asleep. Weira sat up and looked at the others lying around their campfire. ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t expect Jace to hate being a leader as much as he does. He seemed to like leading the squad and teaching you guys the ropes.¡±


    Florian shrugged, ¡°There¡¯s a big difference between teaching a group of rookies and leading them in combat and being the commander of a forty fourty-thousand man army.¡±


    Weira sighed, ¡°I suppose, It¡¯s just the first time I''ve seen him being¡­ grumpy. It feels so unnatural.¡±


    Qyra nodded, ¡°No smile, no random comments. A grumpy glare at people who interrupt him. Even Carmine is being affected by him and being testy.¡±


    Gerald frowned, ¡°Is it alright to keep him as a commander, he looks like he¡¯ll eventually snap. That would be pretty bad towards the army as a whole wouldn¡¯t it?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Plip looked at them beneath the rim of his hood. ¡°It seems even Jace sucks at some things and has a limit to his endless positivity.¡± He stood up, ¡°I¡¯m going to arrange a replacement.¡± He looked over at Hirki, ¡°Mind coming with me?¡±


    The Xor shrugged, ¡°There is no better use of my time, very well then.¡±


    The others whispered among each other for a bit before Weira stood up and declared she would join them. The three headed towards the rulers tent and requested an audience. Collin who was familiar with them waved them inside. The three stood before the other rulers, Plip swallowed. Speaking in front of others was not exactly his fort¨¦, he took a deep breath. ¡°I would like to request Jace¡¯s removal from the commanding position of the adventurers, as I believe he is ill-suited to the position and things will change for the worse if he stays in place as a commander.¡±


    The queen raised an eyebrow, ¡°Do you have grievances with Jace?¡±


    ¡°No, your highness. I consider myself one of his friends, but I have seen how being in command is affecting him and not for the better. He is¡­ frustrated, but is too bound by duty to request the change himself because he believes there is no better option. The adventurer by the name of Woke, would, in my opinion, be better suited for the task. He would require the approval and support of the ruling body however.¡±


    The queen looked over at Collin with a questioning eyebrow. Collin shrugged, ¡°Jace has always hated being in command, he excels as a second in command and is an incredible sergeant and small squad commander. But give him a group larger than ten to command and it will affect him adversely. The young man may be right, it may be better if we removed him from command.¡±


    The dwarven king shrugged, ¡°Keeping someone in command against their wishes, when we have the possibility of someone more suited would be ill advised. I agree with the replacement of Jace with this young man called Woke.


    The other rulers shared a glance and agreed, they had many other things on their mind and if the man in command was ill-suited and did not want the command the solution seemed simple. The queen nodded and looked at Plip, ¡°I only put the young knight in command because he was the most suited at the time, things change. Find this young adventurer Woke and bring him to us, we will notify him of his duties.¡±


    Plip bowed slightly, ¡°Yes your highness.¡± He turned around and pushed aside the tent flap, he released a breath and wiped his hands on his trousers.


    Weira patted him on the shoulder, ¡°You spoke well Plip. I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re so good at speaking.¡±


    Hirki nodded, ¡°Well done.¡±


    Plip smiled softly, then rolled his shoulders. ¡°Let¡¯s find Woke!¡±


    -------------------------------------------- END POV------------------------------------------------------


    Jace woke up with a grunt and readied himself to go start screaming at some more adventurers. Plip walked up to him with a grin, ¡°Jace you have been relieved of duty, Woke has been put in command of the adventurers.¡±


    Jace raised his eyebrows. ¡°Really? Oh Owh thank god.¡±


    Plip smiled smugly, Jace raised and eyebrow. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    Plip shrugged, ¡°Told the rulers that it was a bad idea to keep you in command and that giving Woke their support would be more effective and beneficial in the long run.¡±


    Jace rolled his eyes, ¡°Since when have you started using all those big words. here I thought you were a quiet guy, then you go out and start convincing royalty. That¡¯s some progress right there.¡±


    Plip blushed a little when Jace patted his head proudly, unknown to Jace, Plip felt and acted like Jace was his elder brother. Since Jace himself treated Plip like a younger brother there wasn¡¯t much of an issue with the fact. Jace rolled up his bedroll and cleared away the tent, putting them in his backpack. A good deal of tension had left his shoulders and a smile was back on his face.


    This day of marching was less stressful, at least to Jace. The lower level soldiers and adventurers were starting to tire, from the news they had gotten from the scryers it seemed the matriarch had started to attempt to increase the distance between their army and herself. Currently they would need at least another two days of marching to catch up. Which made the officers nervous, that only gave them one day of buffer when it came to rations. If they were ambushed or some other unforeseen circumstances happened along the way they may not be able to reach the Matriarch before the supplies ran out.


    They continued on and when camp was set they were slightly less than a day removed from their goal. Night passed and when they woke up the officers cursed, their prey was now nearly a day and a half removed from them. Going by the pace the Matriarch distanced themselves from them and the rate they closed said distance they would reach the dravu only just before their rations ran out. Adding in the amount of time the battle would take meant they were at less than favourable odds. Everyone simply grit their teeth and marched at an even faster pace. Even the adventurers were now well aware that it was do or die. They would not be able to make it back in time even if they did turn around.


    The day¡¯s march progressed and when the time to set up camp came they were a mere two hours away from the Matriarch. Not wanting to come across the horde of dravu just after a tiring sixteen hour march, they set up camp and prepared for the battle tomorrow. The perimeter was set up and the glyphs were placed more often due to the proximity of the enemy forces. Most soldiers collapsed due to simple exhaustion and fell asleep immediately, the veterans reluctantly took over most of the guard duties. If there was one positive that could be taken from the forced march it was that most of the lower level soldiers had been awarded the Lesser Endurance perk. Those that didn¡¯t already have it at least.


    Jace with his infinite stamina, took all the guard shifts he could manage. His body no longer required sleep, but his mind did. A single night of lacking sleep was something he could easily work with however, it was also the reason he had chosen to sleep normally the previous nights in camp. Now he made sure that as many people could rest as possible. Silence fell over the camp as the soldiers fell asleep, Jace kept his eyes and ears peeled. But he did not expect an attack tonight. If anything the army was overly prepared for a midnight ambush.


    If Jace¡¯s assumptions were correct he expected the dravu to find a spot where it would be advantageous to them to battle. Somewhere open, where they could use their numbers to their advantage. The dravu had the luxury to pick the field of battle, the army was nearly out of supplies and was desperate to force a fight. The dravu could use stalling tactics and keep running, tiring out the army some more. Or they could choose a spot to fight. Jace was hoping and expecting the second. The first was the more dangerous of the two, the second would still cause catastrophic damage to the army.


    Jace placed his blade on his knees and carefully sharpened it, he glanced at the other guards that were placed some distance away. Most of them had weapons in hand, sharpening them while keeping an eye on the surroundings. Jace saw Elle walking towards one of the mages with a pile of parchment. The mage looked at her and the two seemed to be discussing something, the mage eventually nodded and a light enveloped the parchment. Elle bowed her head slightly and went back to her camp, Jace waved her over and raised an questioning eyebrow.


    Elle smiled grimly, ¡°Me and most of the vets wrote our last-wills. We are fully aware how bad the situation is. The mage scanned the letters and sent them back to the city, most of us old ones will focus on protecting the rookies tomorrow. If we can keep them alive for long enough to reach a proper level of strength the whole of us will have a bigger chance to survive.¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°Good luck tomorrow.¡±


    She nodded with determination, ¡°And the same to you.¡±


    She turned around and left, lying back down on her bedroll and went to sleep. Jace looked at the other veterans and the grim faces became a reality. He was familiar with how they felt, back in the army he himself was counted as one of the vets at an age of twenty five. Most soldiers in the elite units would join at the age of twenty and would have moved on around the ages of twenty five to twenty eight.


    Jace breathed deeply, ¡°Tomorrow is going to be a terrible day, a red day.¡±

 48

    The soldiers and adventurers slowly started to wake up, a grim look was seen on all. They knew that today was judgement day. The lower level soldiers and those that were inexperienced trembled slightly, for those that were high leveled and this was their maiden battle they were even worse off. Some of them were muttering and Jace even spotted a few who were already softly crying. Some soldiers puked out their nerves, the veterans were going around consoling those they could. Adventurers were pale-faced and regretted their decision to join. Jace rolled his shoulders and looked over at his own guys.


    Florian was pale but had a determined look in his eyes. Gerald was nervous and wringing his hands, he kept wiping his hands on his trousers. Qyra was sitting on Weira¡¯s lap and let Weira hold her. Weira was whispering something in her ears and was trying to calm the young girl down. Plip was fingering his bow but looked otherwise calm. Hirki was simply sharpening her sword with a small smile on her face, obviously looking forward to the battle.


    Jace pondered on what to say, he was never one for speeches and in the end he took a deep breath and looked over them.


    ¡°Trust my training, trust each other. Stay alive.¡± He looked each of them in the eyes, ¡°Those will be my last orders to you.¡±


    He looked around and saw that the other forces were getting up and were ready to move. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We have a war to fight.¡±


    He saw some hesitant movement from them as he turned around. Eventually they became more sure in their actions as they moved on habit. They packed up and prepared their packs. Most of the heavier camping equipment, such as cooking utensils would be left here along with the tents. It would only be unnecessary weight when in combat, since they were expecting drawn out combat they got rid of everything that wasn¡¯t needed for combat. Excluding what little rations they had left, those were split amongst the warriors for the small periods of rest during the fighting.


    Jace joined the elite knights in the second rank, Weira and the rest of her team joined the closest group of adventurers, just behind the elves. Jace rolled his shoulders and adjusted his armour a little. Elle walked up next to him with a small smile, ¡°How are your rookies taking it?¡±


    Jace smirked, ¡°Considering the state we are in pretty well, none of them were puking or crying so I will count that as a win.¡±


    ¡°How old is the youngest?¡± She asked.


    Jace frowned and then sighed deeply, ¡°He¡¯s barely fifteen. The other girl is barely sixteen. They never should have come on the expedition. As well trained as they are now they are but kids.¡±


    Elle shrugged with a sad look on her face, ¡°These things happen. No one knew what would happen before hand, the plan originally was to have the rookies gain some experience before we sent em back or made them part of the supply line.¡±


    Jace chuckled softly, ¡°And boy were we wrong about that, now the rookies are in the most danger.¡±


    Edgard grunted, ¡°We¡¯ll just have to do our best to keep em alive, can¡¯t do much more than that. They fight or they die, they will have to learn the hard way.¡±


    Jace nodded, ¡°If they survive they will make for some really scary veterans.¡±


    Edgard nodded, then muttered barely audible. ¡°IF they survive.¡±


    The veterans who were listening in on the conversation quieted down, each of them knew of the stakes. The knights checked each others equipment one last time before they started marching. Few people talked during the march, their attention focused on the tunnel ahead. Hands near their weapons, if they weren¡¯t in their hands already. Any moment now they could run into the enemy, scouts had been sent out but not as far ahead as before, if they ran into any opposition they would barely have a few seconds before the enemy followed.


    And hour passed in quiet march, then another hour. Soon a few of the scouts came back but not in any particular hurry, there was a humongous open cavern ahead. It could easily fit the entire army, Jace frowned and put a hand on the hilt of his sword. He looked over at Elle who nodded, Gerald grunted and put a hand on his own weapon. Jace let loose a deep breath, he was sure that the dravu would attack once they entered the open cavern. It would allow them to make full use of their superior numbers, even if it gave their mages room to use their magic.


    If the dravu wanted to fight instead of string them along, then this would be the spot to do it. Jace knew it, the veterans knew it and the marshal knew it. The army tightened up their formation. Mages were put into the middle of the square, regardless of their affiliation. Heavier forces on the outside, with the lighter armoured warriors between them and the mages. Jace was once again near the front of the line, he moved forward with the rest of the knights and they entered the cavern. It was a massive chamber, easily five kilometers in diameter. The army rushed to the middle and set up their defences, the earth mages started to get to work when one of them suddenly shouted in panic.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°We can¡¯t reach the earth! Something is blocking our magic, it¡¯s hard to control the stone!¡±


    Warriors cursed and everyone drew their weapons. There would be no stone magic created walls for them today. Suddenly a thrum of sound spread throughout the cavern, a dull vibration felt through the stone.


    ¡°We have incoming!¡± One of the scouts shouted as he shot out of a tunnel in full sprint, moving much faster than any human should be able to.


    The warriors readied their shields, suddenly out of the other three tunnels, including the one they just left. Other scouts sprinted out and yelled warnings about incoming enemy forces. The warriors cursed and focused on their weapons, one of the dwarven officers smashed his shield and yelled. ¡°D¨¹z Thr¨¹z!¡±


    The other dwarven warriors screamed the two words at the top of their lungs. They made it a chant, everyone started to pick it up, even those like Jace who had no idea what the words meant. Jace knew what the dwarven officer was planning, make people shout as one. It was a boost for moral and kept their minds of the waiting process. The heavy thrum increased as the dravu drew near. Then Jace saw it, the horde.


    They spilled out of the tunnels in piles, clawing over each other as they rushed forward like a tidal wave. The dwarven warriors which formed the outer ranks of the squares lined up as the officers screamed a command. They locked shields with each other well crafted enchantments linked up and created a magical barrier that was used as a focal point for the mages to create a dome. Preventing the dravu from rushing over the frontline and hitting the more vulnerable warriors.


    The horde of dravu screeched as they tore through the earth in their charge towards the army, their black chitinous shells shimmering in the reflected light from the mage lights. Jace readied himself and sent his bloodshields out towards the dwarves, other defensive spells joined his, causing the dwarves to glimmer under a layer of protective spells, then the horde hit, crashing into the protective dome with enough force to cause the dwarven warriors to twitch, despite the enchantment.


    Mages started throwing spells liberally into the horde, there was no need to aim, they couldn¡¯t miss even if they wanted to. The dravu started climbing over each other and kept pushing higher and higher unto the dome. An officer was screaming to his group of earth mages, desperately trying to raise a platform so they wouldn¡¯t be overrun. Jace kept his eyes on the horde and sent forth spears of blood to attack the dravu, blood rained down on the army, Jace used all of it to his advantage, other watermages utilised the water in the blood to turn them into weapons of their own.


    Jace felt the earth beneath his feet start to rumble as the earth mages used everything they had to lift the army on a platform, the other mages started focusing those on top of the dome and blasting them back down to the floor as the platform slowly raised. Jace breathed a sigh of relief as he started to be able to see the ceiling again. He glanced behind him briefly, looking over at Carmine that was curled around Weira and her team. Qyra and Weira were throwing spells into the horde, while Plip was saving his arrows.


    A brief respite was all they were granted by the raising of the platform before the horde started clawing their way up, in the distance Jace saw the stronger and larger dravu starting to show up, his arms were throwing spears but his mind was focusing on the battle around him and their odds. They were fucked, he realised bluntly. They were at a disadvantage, despite the commanders best efforts the soldiers were tired, hungry even. The near endless amount of dravu thrown at them did not help matters, it was only a matter of time till the barrier broke and casualties started piling up. He glanced around as the geomancers started conjuring up defensive emplacements, walls and towers of improvised and magically hardened stone.


    The dwarves kept their shields locked as they were raised higher and stood on the walls, their apparent calm soothing the frayed nerves of the greener warriors. Mages were rushing around and placing wards, glyphs and enchantments wherever they could to solidify the defenses. A screech shook Jace out of his thoughts as he glanced towards the caves, the dravu the size of a small hill had started appearing, the lumbering behemoths an unwelcome sight indeed.


    Sudden panicked screaming behind him worried him as he quickly turned around, the mages who were in charge of the platform started rushing around with pale faces. Even from this far away Jace could see how panicked they were, he listened closely. One of the mages screamed to the others, ¡°Something¡¯s tearing apart our magic! THE PLATFORM! Keep pushing! IF WE FAIL WE ALL DIE!¡±


    Jace felt the stone he stood on shift, the next moment he nearly lost his balance as the stone beneath his right foot disappeared. He quickly regained his balance and then froze. ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    The platform tower that the mages had put together exploded, sending the troops flying in all directions. The mages with the fastest reflexes reached out to those around them and shielded them from the blast. Despite their best efforts all the groups were sent in a different direction, Jace barely managed to erect a bloody dome around those around him when he felt himself being blasted through the air. He almost lost control when he was suddenly jerked into another direction mid-air. He saw nothing but crimson as he pulled the people around him closer and made the blood denser. He felt them crash into the ground and after giving those with him a moment to get their bearings, he dropped the dome. The scene around him almost sent him into a cursing frenzy.


    They were surrounded and the monsters were closing in, he took in everything around him. In a brief moment he assessed his situation, he¡¯d been able to grab around fourty with his dome. Other than Elle and Edgard he knew none of them, he¡¯d barely been able to reach four of the dwarves. He could feel that Carmine was still alive. Which probably meant Weira and the others were fine. Then his instinct took over. ¡°Mages and lights in the middle! Heavies on the outside. MOVE OR DIE!¡±


    The well trained soldiers moved quickly, and got into a somewhat circular formation, they were lucky and had managed to nab one of the healers, the other was some kind of fire oriented mage. He had eight elves in his group, four dwarves, twenty-four knights and one group of adventurers. Who seemed to be magic based, both the healer and the fire mage were with them. The other three were heavies, Jace looked at those heavies and told them to protect their mages. He formed the rest into a quick square, two elves pointed at each side and a dwarf in every corner. The knights formed a line six on every side, he kept himself in the middle and focused on using his blood.


    The dravu had nearly reached them, Jace took a deep breath and called out to the troops. ¡°Steady. We will survive this, keep your calm.¡± And then the waves of monsters were upon them.

 Not a chapter

    What is life under the constant pressure of insanity, how does one continue when one¡¯s mind erodes around them. I can feel myself slipping away, year after year I lose a little bit more. The strings holding me together loosen with each failure, every time I stand back up, the mental muscles tear just a little bit more. Life has become bland, food now tasteless. The things that gave me joy, barely keep me afloat. When there is no hope in sight, when there is no more you can try. Where is the end? A cry for help is useless when no-one knows the help that is needed.


    I try, yet I am tired. Tired of slogging through everyday, with a mask upon my face pretending to be okay. Tired of trying to scrounge up the latest slivers of hope, only to watch them get devoured again and again. Tired of eating, talking, thinking and most importantly, tired of trying. When is enough, does anyone know? I for one do not, I remember the golden days, the smile upon my lips. The easy laugh and the friendly disposition. I remember the will to help, the satisfaction of success. A body forged by effort, a mind hungering for progress. Then I look at the present, The body fattens with the gift of instant gratification, the muscles wear with the promise of an easy way out. The mind wastes within the comfort of technology, yet I know not the way out. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The path eludes me, the energy eludes me. I climb and I claw my way forward again and again, but there is no end, no promised reward. Nothing but yet another climb, I am exhausted, yet perhaps others rely on the shoulders they think strong. If I fall, what happens to those around me? When have you done enough, when is it time to stop living because others want you to, and when is it time to get the rest you feel you deserve? What is life when the encroaching darkness, the quiet, the whispers of comfortable silence, feel reasonable? How can one live when the only ray of light, is the promise of the deepest dark?..

 Alright a heads up

    Unfortunatly im not Restarting or continuing this fic so let me start of with that. Since my last post I HAVE been doing better, which I''m happy with and I''ve reached the point where I go to the gym regularly I no longer feel fat and useless and all the other things depression does to you, (not as much at least).This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    And I''ve reached the point where I''m going to start trying to write again, hopefully properly this time around. So this is a message to let you guys know that a new fic is coming up, I just submitted the first chapter and I hope that for those of you who enjoyed my stories, that I get to see you there!

 New fic

    I shoulda honestly only done the previous chapter when the fic was approved but I kinda forgot it needed time to get a new fic approved but here it is https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/52862/beauty-in-simplicity</a>


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


    Enjoy my new fic, hopefully. And happy april? I guess xD


    Sing a song 500 words long so I can post my chapter notice


    All the dings that dong a dung ding a dongaling


    I need more words have not yet reached the amount I need , to poets teach