Soul Knight Chapter 2 and 3 (Patreon)

Chapter 2

They stashed Jerome with the bandit’s corpse in the well which had a path to the crypt he escaped, Nick taking the cloak for himself. Jerome had a short sword and various knives on his person, and Nick thought he would do quite well against the rats.

He had only given Jerome the order of “Go kill anything you can find within the crypt” and some mana and soul energy left him, so Nick thought his command took.

Nick had misjudged just how much the servant creature would be fighting. Less than every minute, he would receive what he learned was Essence, thanks to Kaya. He could feel it enter into his body, as he walked through the city with her.

Thankfully, he didn’t seem to become a walking light show from this Essence, and it just simply entered him.

He reviewed the spell, to see if he could learn what was going on.

[Spell: Create Soul Servant]
[School: Soul]
[Mana Cost: Heavy]
[Range: Near]
[Summon a soul to inhabit and heal a recently defeated entity, permanently creating a Soul Servant. Requires and reserves soul power. Soul power requirements and reservations increase based on entity inhabited and soul being summoned. Soul servants are loyal to the Soul Knight, and drain Essence to heal and enhance themselves. Can dispel Soul Servant to release reserved soul power back for usage.]

Nick wasn’t sure what all that meant, but it sounded like he could summon a soul into damn near anything that was recently killed, for the new soul to inhabit it. This would permanently create an ally, but would weaken his Soul Blade.

That was a decent trade for Nick, as his weapon was sharper than it had any right to be.

He followed the red panda beastfolk woman, Kaya, through Havendale as she rushed. She had a traveler’s cloak covering most of her features. However, her face had Asian-like features, with long red hair hidden by her cloak. Her body was slim and fit, with what appeared to be a red raccoon’s tail that was longer and wider.

Nick was marveling at the differences of the city with any Earth city he’d been in.

The place was a combination of a medieval city and stone ruins. Havendale was large enough to house tens of thousands of people, but only had hundreds, most houses in the ruins vacant. Windows and doors were boarded up, in some sort of effort to keep kids from playing inside them.

He reviewed some screens now that he had a little more time to look over them. He had barely been inspecting the bandit quest when he spotted Kaya and the bandits.

[Name: Nicholas Noblefrost]
[Race: Archaen]
[Level: 2 Class: Soul Knight, Epic Class]
[Attributes: 5.12 Body, 6.25 Soul]
[Skills: Intermediate Archaen Swordsmanship, Novice Soul Magic]
[Spells: Soul Mending, Judgment, Raise Soul Servant]

[Race: Archaen]
[A forgotten race, the Archaen were made extinct centuries ago. Through their powerful soul pacts, they would build loyalty and strength in their followers and themselves. When the towers appeared, they delved deep into them, garnering massive amounts of power. The other races feared them, killing them off before they could become too powerful…]

The prompt went on and on about the history of his race, but it was long and mostly irrelevant for Nick currently, so he mostly skimmed it. However, he found the list of traits:

[Archaen Traits: Soul Bound, Advanced Soul Sense, Mana Resistant]

Soul Bound appeared to make him stuck with Soul cultivation, unable to cultivate the Mind. This trait granted some advantages of Mind cultivation, having the Soul influence them indirectly, albeit a little less, instead. This seemed like a decent trade to Nick.

Advanced Soul Sense was what Nick had thought was magic at first. He could both feel and see people’s souls at the core of their beings, and now that he had met three people on this world, he thought he had a decent enough understanding.

Both his and Kaya’s souls were a bright white, untarnished and pure like untouched snow. Her soul even felt like it looked as he neared her, and he thought she would do the right thing even when it was tough.

However, he hadn’t understood the feeling quite at first, but he understood it now. Kaya had lied about it being her grandmother they were getting medicine for. He tested her by feigning to have misunderstood her, and the feeling returned each time she iterated it was her grandmother.

It appeared his soul sense had all sorts of uses.

The bandit’s souls were as black as night, and nearly made Nick sick to his stomach as he neared them. When he used Judgment on them, it was as if he felt their evil deeds being washed away.

He felt vindication and righteousness, as their souls were purified and drained into his core. There was an oddly satisfying pleasure, like what was felt after cleaning something with years of grime with a pressure washer.

Only, times a hundred. He had a hard time feeling bad about killing them after feeling their sins washed away.

The wounds on his back ached with angry pain as he walked. Telling the truth, Nick freaked out more than a little, when he realized this was not a game. He had almost died to rats. He put on a tough show–after all, a girl was watching–but he was having a hard time remaining focused.

Teasing the pretty red panda beastfolk was about all he could do to take his mind off of dwelling too long on his mortality, though the angry wounds on his body were a constant reminder.

Soul Mend had helped a little bit by at least closing his wounds and stopping the bleeding. He thought they were healing faster than they should, but repeatedly casting it did very little.

From the description, it appeared it focused on wounds of the soul. The only reason it helped heal the body at all was because Body and Soul were somehow linked.

He reviewed his quest journal, trying to once again change his focus.

[Quest: Rebuild House Noblefrost]
[As the last of your race, and your House, it is your duty to rebuild it. Collect Followers, Wives, and create Heirs. Milestone rewards commensurate with achievement.]

[Subquest: Rebuild House Noblefrost - Conquer an Ordeal.]
[Nobility is granted to those able to clear unowned Ordeals. Delve into the Towers of Orion and complete an Ordeal to restore the house’s former glory. The Havendale Ordeal tower is partially in your family’s ownership. By completing a Trial or reaching the top within, you can meet the requirements.]

[Subquest: Rebuild House Noblefrost - Obtain a Disguise.]
[The Archaen are known as extinct, but you are the last. There is a viable disguise to be found upon completion of the 10th floor of Havendale’s tower. Obtain it to protect your heritage, until you are powerful enough to defend it.]

Nick just shook his head. His quests were just too weird. There was only one that was easy to understand and complete.

[Subquest: Rebuild House Noblefrost - Kill the Bandits!]
[Davon and his bandit allies are operating near the hidden crypt of your heritage. Among it lie secrets of your race and house. Kill them and their leader, as is both just, and convenient. Progress: 2/18 Leader Killed: 0/1]

[Update: Kaya offered help identifying the bandits. Help her with her task, and she will aid you in yours.]

Kaya said, “Here we are, the apothecary. I need to speak with them, it might be better if you…stay out of sight. Can you wait here?”

Nick had wanted to meet more people in this fantasy world, but he just shrugged. He’d get a chance to see more things later. It sounded like he would need his disguise to really have much freedom. For now, he had his cloak covering most of his features.

She went around the corner, and knocked on the door out in front of what appeared to be a much nicer place than the ones he had seen. She had an argument with the man who answered, as it seemed she didn’t quite have enough money.

The man sneered at her, then said something that appeared to make Kaya want to claw his eyeballs out. Seeing her long nails, or claws, Nick realized this might be a real possibility.

Nick decided he’d help her out. He had money thanks to the bandits, and he could really use a guide. Plus, she was cute, so his motives weren’t a hundred percent altruistic.

He walked around the corner, and he called out to Kaya, “Why didn’t you just say you needed money? Here. Take what you need.”

She seemed pleased for a moment, but then she scowled. The man got somewhat angry for an instant, before a greedy glint showed in his older eyes.

As Nick’s Soul Sense brushed over the man, he felt as though the man was an opportunist, that he would do bad, perhaps even terrible things if he could get away with them. Unlike Kaya’s white soul or the bandit’s soul tinged black with their sins, the man’s was gray. Tarnished by dozens of small, evil deeds, but nothing that would kill him outright if Nick Judged him.

Kaya was pissed, gesturing her arms between them. “I don’t need your money, I need him to accept the agreed upon price!”

The older apothecary replied, “I told you, Kaya. The price of the materials have gone up! I can’t sell it for only twenty silvers, your grandma’s medicine would eat me out of house and home!”

She growled. “If that was the problem, why are you okay with alternative payment. Fine!” She snatched the coin purse out of Nick’s hand, and she grabbed a measured handful of coins and handed them to the apothecary.

The older man looked over Kaya once more with a bit of regret, making it even more obvious what made her want to claw his eyes out. He then turned to look at Nick with a scowl, before taking the coins and going inside.

The old man quickly returned with a small sack and all but threw it at her, before going back inside and slamming the door.

Kaya checked the contents of the sack, then shoved the coin purse in Nick’s direction, him taking it.

She said, “Thanks for the help. I’ll pay you back.” She pointed a clawed finger at his chest, “But don’t you dare think you’ll have me pay you back with anything but coin!”

She bounded away from the door, and started walking away, to which Nick followed and walked by her side matching her pace.

Nick rubbed the back of his head, messing up his now long hair. “Aw, I was hoping you’d help me find a place to stay for the night.”

She kept walking, and eventually replied, “You have enough money in that purse to stay at the inn for weeks. There aren’t many travelers to Havendale, but you should be able to get a room.”

“Yeah, but my eyes, and all this blood, remember? I think it’d be better if I hid out for a few days or whatever, while I tried to find a job or something. I have a quest for fighting in that tower.”

She froze. “You have a quest to fight in the tower?”

Nick nodded. “Yeah. Says I need to get to the fifth floor, and eventually the tenth.”

She scoffed, as she continued walking. “That’s the top of the Havendale tower! Nobody’s been there in centuries. That’s why this place is just ruins. Where are you from, anyway?”

“Oh snap, that’s two quests in one go! Huh. I’m from Florida.”

“Where’s that? I never heard of it.”

Nick shrugged. “Now who’s the one who wasn’t listening? I told you I woke up in the crypt.” He distracted her by changing the topic, ”How far to your boyfriend or whatever?”

She scowled. “I don’t have a– You! My place is outside of town here, we got another mile to go.”

“Damn, outside of town? That boyfriend better not come out of the bushes and smack me over the head with a rock or something, or Jerome’ll come after you.”

Kaya smirked at him. “How? We left him at the bottom of that well.”

“I’m sure he’d be able to make it. I was able to climb out. He is strangely capable.”

More Essence surged into him, the amount surprising him. Just what was his bandit butler fighting, more rats? Nick couldn’t believe how many were down there. As the energy entered his body, something within his very soul stirred.

He tried to follow the feeling with what he thought was his soul, trying to match what happened when he used Judgment. Still, not all the Essence, or flickering lights, entered his body.

He followed Kaya’s cute behind. She had a fluffy looking tail much like a raccoon’s, coming out of her cloak that swayed back and forth high, mesmerizing him. Kaya was definitely pretty, and her growl was like the sexiest thing he’d ever heard, for some reason.

They got near a section of the town that he realized was more of a ruin, and she hushed him, and talked in a whisper.

“We need to sneak by here. We wouldn’t want to fight Davon and the rest of his men.”

“Oh, for real, Davon’s here? Ah, but it didn’t say we finished your quest yet.”

She rolled her eyes. “I just gave you that quest because I thought you were going to kill me. You were—are way too weird. Still, I don’t recommend fighting them, even if you have the quest. Davon himself is close to the second stratum: level ten. You’re only level two, and there is a qualitative difference in levels. You’ll die in but a moment, disgusting spell or no.”

Nick shrugged. “Okay. So we just have to level up in that tower over there,” he pointed at the tower, which was an impressive building, especially among all the ruins. It was almost futuristic looking, a stone monolith lit with white glyphs and an immense gate in front of it.

They were far away, so he couldn’t pick out many details. The gate certainly looked like the one seen in the crypt, however.

She scoffed. “You won’t be able to. They control the entrance, and there’s only one.”

“What, that archway looking thing? Shows what you know, there’s one down in the crypt with Jerome.”

Her eyes widened. “No way! That would solve… so many problems in Havendale. Only while Davon doesn’t know about it, though.”

They snuck through the area, then used an area to jump down the wall under the cover of night to arrive outside the town. Despite being ruins, the wall was pretty well-kept.

Nick did his best to follow her through the woods without making a sound. While he never visited the forest in real life, in VRMMO’s that he used to play, he learned various forestry skills.

He took to playing them frequently after his health took a sudden turn for the worse, just after High School. Despite never smoking cigarettes anyway, he had gotten lung cancer.

The chemotherapy took away all his energy, and escaping to virtual worlds had become his favorite pastime. Originally, he thought he had fallen asleep playing the new game, and woke up inside the crypt.

His body was re-energized like it hadn’t been in years, and he felt the magic in the air. He was so excited to explore, he hardly skimmed over the messages from the system until he struggled to climb out of the well.

When he realized he wasn’t in a game, Nick was relieved. He now wasn’t struggling with chemotherapy, or how his personal relationships had been stretched to the point of breaking.

You didn’t know who your friends really were, until you became little more than a burden to them. Of course, Nick’s abrasive personality likely didn’t help.

It left Nick with a cynical view of the world, but this new lease on life gave him renewed hope. That he could instantly tell whether someone was a good person or not, or was telling the truth, by looking at their soul helped significantly.

Perhaps, he had died in his sleep, and he had somehow been moved into this body as some sort of afterlife. Perhaps, some god had moved him into this body. He didn’t care, he thought. He had been given a new lease on life, and he intended to grasp it and enjoy it to its fullest.

Following Kaya for some time, Nick eventually saw what appeared to be a tree house in the distance, though it was well concealed. He guessed the only reason they could see what looked like a window at all was because of Kaya’s angle of approach.

She reached out with a halting motion, her ears flicking and her tail swishing. The leaves rustled in a bush nearby, and what looked like a massive raccoon, or a small bear, came out.

He said, “I knew it! See, I totally called it. I knew your boyfriend would bust out of the bushes and come after me!”

“Not now with your weirdness, Nick! Your Judgment won’t work on it. We need to run!”

“Why? It’s just a big raccoon, isn’t it?” Nick drew his blade of his heritage. It glimmered electric blue in the darkness, brightening the whole forest as he withdrew it from the scabbard on his shoulder, and it was filled with the power of his soul.

His soul hummed along with it as it nearly vibrated in his hands. The blade of light still had a fair amount of Essence stored, though it did seem to be less than before.

Killing the rats with the beam of light cost all the Essence in the blade, but it had re-absorbed a substantial amount from their deaths.

He didn’t know for sure, but he thought there was a sort of cooldown on the burst ability.

Kaya had been about to say something else, but she was shocked at the appearance of the blade of light, and looked at it with awe. “What the fuck is that?!”

“The Archaens pay to win, it looks like. It’s too bad Jerome isn’t here, but I’m sure I got this.”

The raccoon the size of a large St. Bernard growled, and began its charge at him.

Chapter 3 - Kaya

Kaya drew her boot knife as Nick squared away with a practiced stance against the bearcoon. The guards didn’t allow her to bring larger weapons into the city, so it was all she had on her at the moment. Fortunately, it was much easier to sneak out of the city at night thanks to the walls than it was to sneak in during the day.

Nick held the…blade of light in a lowered stance with one leg forward, in a way that surprised her. Kaya had trained fighting both monsters and armed opponents, but she hadn’t seen anyone fight like him.

The creature charged, to which Nick dashed to the side and sliced along its body’s length, drawing a thin line of blood. He clicked his tongue, as he likely realized that despite the power of his strange blade, it was clearly not sharp enough to cut deep into the creature easily.

The creature was at least level four. While Nick had already killed a level four human, beasts were vastly different from them. Humans and Demi-Humans both naturally and by choice spread their Essence between Body and Mind with some in Soul, but beasts would naturally have most of theirs in Body. In addition, they frequently had a significant advantage in their Body levels to start.

Because of that, it was difficult to beat beasts of a higher level without spells. It took significant amounts of skill, equipment, and usually numbers to overcome the gap of several levels.

She shouted, “Give me your biggest knife! I’ll help.”

She was a level 3 rogue. While she was weak without her beast transformation, she thought their chances would be a lot better if she helped.

He danced away from the rabid bearcoon with his sword angled toward it, a fluid movement of his steps on the uneven forest ground. His body flowed through cuts and swings, and she even saw him elbow the bearcoon in the temple, disorienting it.

She was impressed with his skill, likely much better than the bandits. Truthfully, she hadn’t seen anyone so skilled since her own mother. She supposed he was a knight of sorts, but his behavior and words made it difficult to respect his capability.

Just how had he never seen a beastfolk before? Here on the frontier, or the lost world, her people were all-too-common. Here, humans and elves owned most of the land, but beastfolk and monsterfolk were plentiful.

He tossed her a dagger from his belt still within a small scabbard, Nick dancing around the creature as he held his sword with one hand. He kept the creature at bay by keeping his sharp blade pointed at it, the creature not confident enough to skewer itself and go fully on the attack yet.

His style of fighting was vicious, going after the creature’s stance with powerful cuts, punches, and kicks.

That would change soon, but he had bought enough time for her to become better armed.

She held her boot knife in one hand and the dagger in the other, positioning herself behind the beast.

She said, “We need to hurry and kill this. There is a reason I said we should run, and this creature isn’t it, you know. This is the female.”

Nick frowned, then his eyes hardened. It seemed he understood her meaning; there was likely a larger male somewhere nearby. He dashed forward and swung with a powerful overhead slice, which the creature dodged backward. But it was a feint, him switching the attack to a stab as he rushed forward with fluid movements.

This caused the creature to leap back further: right in her direction. She stabbed both blades low into the creature’s back, aiming for its spine with one and what should be its kidney with the other.

The creature’s weight combined with her own lunge allowed them to reach much deeper than they should have otherwise, but the wounds were far too shallow.

Nick dashed in while it was wailing in pain, and his blade pierced deep into the beast’s stomach, causing it to freeze and growl.

They both retreated as its claws swiped back at them, and a red aura covered the angry raccoon.

“What the–? It’s powering up?”

“Almost all beasts beyond the second level have a special ability. It’s enraged, so it’s stronger now!”

Nick still kept the creature’s ire, as it clawed and bit its teeth in his direction. He blocked and cut with his sword as he moved out of its way, and Kaya once again moved in position. Again, he set up a perfect path for her, by causing the creature to dodge to its right, allowing her to land two cuts on its right shoulder. Kaya was impressed with Nick’s ability to work in tandem with herself.

She dashed away as it retaliated, and Nick rushed in to land a powerful cut on its left shoulder. His cut landed deep, enough that the left arm of the beast was now limp. He now kept himself to this same side, cutting and dodging the ineffectual one-armed swipes of the creature.

She leaped forward to land a deep cut into the wound near the creature’s spine, and it collapsed to the ground. He quickly stabbed into the creature’s chest, the light leaving its eyes.

Kaya said, “We still need to get out of here. I don’t want her boyfriend to find my home, and my sister in hiding.”

Nick sighed. “Too late, I’m afraid.”

She looked where he was staring, finding a much larger, and more angry version of the same creature exited the bushes. The size of a small bear, this bearcoon was likely level five.

“I hit level three off that one. Thanks, Jerome–but now I’m gonna have to let you go.”

His blade of light brightened, confusing Kaya. He said, “I had to dispel Jerome, it makes my blade stronger. I think we’re still good.”

Level three? Impossible! Even for a combat class, there was simply no way that he could level up that quickly. It would take time to accommodate the Essence within his body and absorb it properly–though, she remembered a ton of Essence floating around him when they met.

Even if he was close to level two when they met, killing the level four bandit would not get him close to level three. Still, he mentioned Jerome? The undead was somehow gaining him Essence?

He pointed at the dead bearcoon. “Create Soul Servant.”

The ethereal light left his hand, and entered into the bearcoon. Wounds were healed as bones creaked, the creature becoming… something else. Its eyes glowed blue like Nick’s in the dim light, as it growled and charged at its former mate.

She said, “That’s fucked up.”

He shrugged. “I’m pragmatic. He should have kept his girl from starting fights she couldn’t finish.”

He charged in too, the male bearcoon roaring at its mate’s death or its betrayal, she didn’t know which. Kaya ran along with him on the other side of the servant bearcoon, moving to try to take advantage of exposed flanks.

The servant bearcoon leaped at the larger living one, but was met with a large swipe of the almost-bear’s claws. It sent the other flying, and Nick sliced deep into the bearcoon’s right leg. The wound looked thin, to Kaya.

She leaped into its side as it spun after him with a swing, stabbing into its other leg. She could feel how much harder the creature’s skin and fur was, her blades only reaching fractions of an inch deep.

Nick easily ducked under the bearcoon’s swipe, cutting into the beast’s wrist as he danced away.

She trailed the bearcoon as it followed after him, its body now covered with a red aura. It moved with speed which belied its mass, and Nick was quickly cornered against a large tree. Just as the bearcoon was about to swipe its large claws at him, the servant bearcoon barreled into it, a storm of angry claws and teeth.

Nick’s sword glowed brightly, and he swung powerfully at the creature’s leg. An ethereal flame leaped from where the bearcoon was cut, and Kaya could tell some Essence leaked from the creature as she pierced into its neck from the other side.

The male bearcoon slammed the smaller one onto the ground, and its tail lashed out and grabbed Kaya’s foot. “Shit!”

Nick was already in motion as she was flung at a tree, her body slamming into his and knocking them both over as they spun and twisted over the ground. Slamming into a tree, they both groaned in pain.

He said, “I don’t mind you on top, but I imagined a lot less blood and broken bones when this happened.”

She scowled at him as she got up from on top of him, him getting up as well. “Could you just be serious for once?!”

The flying servant bearcoon caused them to scatter, as its body slammed into the tree. They had each dashed or dove in opposite directions, Nick approaching the enraged bearcoon from the front.

The bearcoon had dozens of bleeding wounds, but Kaya could see them closing up. The creature was expending Essence to heal them, the level five beast capable of using it in different ways.

Nick feinted an overhead slash with a shout, the creature attempting to block with its claws. He stopped short and dashed forward, swinging his sword into the already wounded leg. She dashed in from behind, cutting into the backside of the same leg.

The tail grasped out at her again, but she countered with her smaller knife, ready for it as she dodged out of the way. She could see its leg was weaker now, the beast switching to a four-legged stance to relieve some weight off it.

That made the creature’s charge a lot more predictable. They both dashed around it, leaving scores of cuts on the beast’s flank. It eventually scored a cut on Nick’s chest, but he traded the blow with a powerful, glowing stab of his own into the creature’s chest.

Once again, the Essence within the creature leaked out, seemingly aging years in mere moments–its fur whitening. The servant bearcoon then slammed into the larger one, once again biting and clawing into it. It was at that moment, the larger creature released an ear-piercing roar.

Her mind was disoriented, her ears ringing. Her heart stopped beating, and she found she couldn’t move. She tried to stir her Essence, but found she could do little more than whimper as her body shook. The servant bearcoon fell to the ground, having the same thing happen to it.

The bearcoon stalked over to her, and it raised its claw. Her life flashed before her eyes, as the claw went for her throat. She had suffered so hard, fought through many injustices just to provide for her sister. And yet, it was all coming crashing down at this moment.

A blue light entered her peripheral, as Nick shoved her aside with a hip check, her body tumbling to the ground as he blocked the claw with blade–his strength and leverage somehow mostly managing it.

“Whatchu just standin’ around for?”

Kaya wanted to growl at his taunt, but still found she still couldn’t move. Just how could he?

“You asked if I could just be serious for once,” he said, as he ducked and weaved around the bear while swinging his blade and dodging its swipes. He fought like a beast himself, giving it vicious elbows and kicks, aiming for its wounds as he parried and countered the bear’s attacks.

He backed away from the bearcoon, drawing it away as she finally recovered her faculties.

“I’m always serious, when it matters.” He once again lured the bear to the tree, his back slamming into it. His body and blade glowed with a blinding blue light as the bear lunged, and he ducked under its scissoring claws as the bearcoon struck the tree instead of him.

He thrust forward, his blade digging deep into its chest, a thrust that included the beast’s weight and his own strength. A blue-green-flame shot through and engulfed the creature, its Essence draining into the blade.

Kaya charged and stabbed repeatedly into the creature’s back as it roared in pain, seemingly too weak to fight back. It slumped over as the two of them kept digging their blades into it, until eventually, it breathed its last.

She breathed heavily as she cycled her Essence, drawing in the dead beast’s energy. It improved and somewhat healed her body, as she made the creature’s massive amount of Essence her own.

Kaya noticed Nick was doing the same thing, perhaps instinctually–what he was doing was a little sloppy, from what she could feel. Actually, it appeared he was only absorbing the Soul Essence, for some reason. Kaya was drawing in the body, mind, and soul Essences as she was supposed to.

She gave Nick another deep look, the two of them breathing heavily. He was covered in wounds, a fair amount of them from coming to her aid.

She hadn’t wanted to fight the two bearcoons, but their mere presence in the area meant that she’d have had to move her sister, if she was able to sneak inside once they moved on. The bearcoons being dead saved her from the struggle and difficulty of spending weeks moving Eirwen and preparing a new place.

Nick’s skill and strength were worthy of respect. Her bestial instincts were at war with her mind, her body able to tell he was a capable mate. Whatever race he was, along with his strange class, demonstrated limitless power and talent.

Her mind was infuriated with the strange man’s needling, and his rudeness. She was not a damned raccoon, and nor would she mate with one!

But she could tell he did have a good heart. He hadn’t needed to catch her body with his own, his action saving her from many broken bones and pain. While she helped him wound the beast, her attacks hardly were worth protecting her.

A few of her ribs were bruised, but she had some high-Essence poultices they could wrap around her chest to handle that quickly. Likely, he could use some healing himself, though his strange body may not benefit in the same way as hers.

He had a handsome smile, and his feigned foolish confidence was strangely attractive. He had saved her life against the bandits, and then sort-of again with the bearcoons. She could tell he was attracted to her, as he tried to decipher her body underneath her cloak. Still, she could use such a dependable–

He chuckled. “Damn, your ex was out of control! I can see why you broke up with ‘em.”

She growled. “Damn it, Nick! Just when–”

“Kaya? Are you okay? I was worried when you didn’t come home.”

She froze, as she looked up at their treehouse. Her sister, Eirwen looked down at them. A sheep beastfolk, her curled black horns were prominent atop her head of curly white hair.

Nick looked tired, like he was gonna collapse on his feet, holding his strange sword pointing at the ground with one hand. “I was so close!”

She looked at him confused. “What?”

He gave a tired smile. “The pet dog.”

She groaned. “I… don’t have the energy to be mad at you anymore. I’ve only known you an hour or two at most, and it’s been the most exhausting time of my life.”

He looked indignant. “You’re exhausted? I’m the one who had to fight through a crypt filled to the brim with rats, climb a disgusting well, kill two bandits and save an ornery raccoon when they should be the best creatures of all, pay for some medicine when I don’t even have a place to sleep, then fight an angry ex-boyfriend!”

She growled, then she shouted, “I’m not a damn raccoon! And, the rest is hardly worth a response. This whole time I’ve known you, you’ve been infuriating. Just what the hell is wrong with you, anyway?!”

He looked hurt, and almost like he aged years in just a few seconds. His face went slack, and his eyes stared a thousand yards into the distance–deep into the forest. Eventually, he met her eyes, a remorseful look in them.

“I… I’m sorry. I think I just died? My world had been filled with safety and comfort. I’ve been trying to come to terms with coming here, and while I thought I was ready to die, actually facing it is a lot scarier than I thought. I can’t believe I almost died to rats. Deflecting with humor was all I could think of, rather than stressing out. You’re cute when you’re angry–and that growl is sexy as hell, for some reason. So, I kinda just went with it. I never intended to make you actually mad. I’ll…try not to annoy you so much.”

He dropped his strange blade of light, and it lost its strange ethereal light, then Nick collapsed to the ground. She hardly understood what he was talking about. His world? Did that mean he was from another? It sounded absurd, but his behavior and race was unlike anything she had ever seen.

She frowned as she walked toward him, her bones creaking in protest as she approached. She lifted his shirt, and found dozens of small claw and bite wounds all over his back and the rest of his body. Some even looked infected, clearly more powerful rats having bit and clawed into him.

She realized that the entire time they talked and traveled, she had never once seen his back, his long hair covering it. Just how many low-level rats did he fight?

Eirwen had climbed down their rope ladder, the sheep beastfolk girl a lot more energetic than she expected. Kaya had rushed to get her medicine, after all, because Eirwen had been coughing and throwing up.

She walked close with her hoofed feet, Kaya too tired to even move. Eirwen put her hands on her hips, and she had a stormy expression that Kaya had never seen.

“Why’d you have to be so mean to the nice, handsome hero! Whatever you said to him made him so sad!”

Kaya grimaced at the mention of the word: hero. For all he did for her, perhaps she should have seen him as such. Yet, she had yelled at him, like she wasn’t grateful for what he had done for her at all.

“I’ll tell you later. I got your medicine. Are you feeling up to help? Let’s get us all inside and get our wounds treated. We got a lot to talk about.”

“I’m okay now. I was so worried sick when you took so long, I got all worked up! When you came back and fought those bearcoons with the hero, I wanted to help something fierce. But you better apologize to the man, momma didn’t raise you like that, and I know it!”

The two girls pulled on the man’s hands, lifting him up off the ground. They each got under his shoulder, the man was a lot heavier than he looked.

She groaned as she brought him to the rope ladder. Even knocked out with his mouth closed, he managed to be difficult.