Chapter 34 - Before He Arrives (Patreon)

A group of us gathered at Beginner’s Rest the next day to discuss ongoing issues. It had become something of a ritual since news of Edwin Syn reached our ears. And, of course, we started with the most important business first, courtesy of Gai.

“The archdevil’s ship should be here by the end of the week,” said Gai, addressing a group of us gathered in the part of Beginner’s Rest originally set aside for wealthy guests. It was now a ghost town, likely to remain unused for a very long time. “Maybe later. But the earliest estimate is the end of the week.”

“Your intel never ceases to impress,” admitted Christopher.

“No sarcasm? I’ll take it.” Gai leaned his chin against the table like a toddler. “You’re warming up to me. I like it.”

“More like got used to you,” replied Christopher. His face was completely neutral. “Like how animals get used to parasites. They have no choice.”

Gai blew Christopher a kiss, which he promptly ignored.

“Then we have time to make sure everything is in order before they arrive,” I concluded. “We don’t want any surprises in our backyard.”

“Crime is up, because of course it is,” groaned Christopher. He had his codex open and was reading through its pages. “Biggest town issue was the brawls, but Yen’s been effectively tamping them down by threatening or beating the shit out of everyone who tries to start something. Honestly, I don’t think the town’s ever been this peaceful. Not since I’ve been here.”

“Always happy to help,” I said with a nod.

“Haven’t been any murders, thank the Gods. There have been instances of petty theft and squatting. Beyond that, with the fighting under control and our limited resources, we’re in a better position to look beyond the city to a more pressing matter—the Forest of Beginners,” he concluded. 

Ever since news of Edwin Syn reached our town, Christopher thought it necessary to form a small town council out of the locals. The group was initially larger, but it eventually dwindled to just me, my parents, Christopher, Lex, Gai, Gabby, Bruno, and Tannin. Dr. Bink was originally a member, too, but he ended up leaving for another town days prior. 

My gaze turned to Tannin, Bruno, and Gabby—all three of whom were at the meeting. “Thoughts? Options?”

“The Guild is still supporting us, which isn’t surprising. The organization spans from here to the Devil Continent. Business is business, and that hasn’t stopped,” said Tannin. “Glad we got the integrated guild board when the town was expanding, though we just deactivated it, given the increase in deaths in the forest. The last seven groups that left for work didn’t return,” she explained. “We’ll be able to keep the board off for a little while, but the newcomers will get restless if we don’t give them an outlet for coins and blood.”

The notice board looked like a glowing glass pane, which replaced the static wooden board I’d known most of my life. Job postings from around the world were sent to connected boards through runic links powered by mana crystals. The board could sense its location and organize jobs based on proximity. Typically, such a board would take many years for an established Guild affiliate to acquire. It showed how well things were improving in Sandy Branch beforehand.

With the board, a quest posted in Camden for Sandy Branch and the surrounding towns would appear on the notice board in seconds. Beforehand, Bruno and Tannin had to contract with runners to physically bring in new batches of quests every few weeks or so. Recommendations for Tiers and individual guild levels were assessed in the board, but technically, anyone could take a quest if they wanted—if the board’s manager allowed it. 

With the influx of adventurers in town, jobs were taken as soon as they came. Soon, people were competing for the same jobs, racing to finish them. It led to increased injuries and accidents in the Forest of Beginners, as well as unusual monster patterns, heightened demon activity from newly created corpses, and lopsided failures, reaching the point where it was obvious that something strange was happening in the forest.

It was no longer a place for beginners, especially not our portion of the woods.

“I’ve seen a lot of faces leave and never return,” admitted Gabby. “Feels bad that I’m starting to get used to it. I can almost tell which groups won’t come back at this point.”

Tannin rubbed her hand on Gabby’s back to try and comfort her. The girl smiled, but it was a sad one nonetheless.

“Which seems like a good time to bring this up again.” My gaze bounced between everyone at the table. “I would greatly appreciate it if all of you would leave town and go somewhere safe for the time being.”

I’ve already had the dramatic version of that speech dozens of times. That watching them die would hurt me forever. That it made me constantly think about them rather than focus on the tasks ahead. How it filled me with worry.

Didn’t sway them at all.

“We’re not leaving you,” Christopher said quickly and resolutely. 

“What kind of parents leave their child to fight alone?” grumbled Quintin.

“We’ve lived here all our lives,” said Amalia. “Something this small isn’t going to make us go.”

“Small is a vast understatement,” I said. 

“We adopted you regardless of what you were. This isn’t going to deter us,” she argued. “You’re our daughter, Yen.”

I turned away to hide a blush of embarrassment. They’ve said that to me many, many times, and I never got used to how happy it made me feel. 

“I built this place back when we were a poor shit hole, so I’m staying,” said Tannin. “And if I’m staying, Bruno’s staying.”

Bruno promptly nodded.

“I notice you weren’t really looking at us,” said Gai, pointing between him and Lex. “I’m hurt.”

“You’re both very useful, and I have no emotional attachment to either of you, so I’d prefer if you stay,” I told him. “Meatshields are always needed.” 

“Harsh.”

Lex peered at me and then looked at Gai. “I’m starting to like her now.”

“Glad you think so highly of me.” I glanced around the room again. “Are we good, then?”

Everyone nodded. 

“Perfect.” Christopher gestured to Tannin. “Let’s talk about the forest.”

“Our going theory is that the increase in activity and death has shifted high-tier monsters into weaker parts of the Forest of Beginners,” began Tannin. “Usually, the outskirts of the Forest of Beginners contain most Feral Tier monsters, living creatures that have just begun their mana corruption process. This part of Zalevet generally attracts Tier 1 Adventurers for that very reason.”

The Tier and Level system was created by the Guild to categorize the combat strength of individuals and groups during its inception. Individuals were ranked from Level 1 to 20, taking into account eye color, skills, achievements, and gear. In those level ranges, there were Tiers. Tier 1 usually consisted of Levels 1 through 4.

One’s Tier and Level could be viewed in their codex, since the parameters of what qualified for each were public knowledge, anyone could view how they fared in those guidelines. 

I was technically now a Level 10, Tier 2 combatant, barely outside the Tier 3 range. Even with my eye color, species, and accomplishments, I was young, mostly inexperienced, and not very well traveled. While I had peak mana capacity and advanced skills for my age, I wasn’t beyond a master in any skill set, nor did I have any additional bands on my fingers. There were threats in this world that could destroy mountains and topple islands, and that was only in Tier 3. There were likely people out there with brown eyes, more skilled than I with weapons, able to hold their own in a fight, and possibly kill me.

The world was filled with dangers, and it was detrimental to think otherwise. 

Typical monsters and demons usually range between levels 1 and 3, at the high end. Cases beyond that are rare, and those require groups of adventurers to handle. Notably, we had a special team from a famous clan come to town a few years ago to deal with a pack of Blight-Tier Velocavious.” She pointed at Christopher, me, and Gabby. “You two were supposed to clean up one that got away. In general, those creatures tend to stay deeper in the Forest, competing in areas thick with miasma. Usually, the biggest dangers are the few Savage Tier monsters scattered in the forest’s outskirts. There aren’t many, and they’re usually solitary. If they were in groups consistently moving through outer parts, the forest wouldn’t be such a hotspot for newbies, and more Tier 2 fighters would be based here.”

“On another note, is Yen the only person in this group that’s officially in Tier 2?” asked Bruno.

“Us too,” said Gai, pointing between him and Lex. “I’m a Level 10 and Lex is a Level 7.”

I stared at them. “Really?”

“Lex has an extra band on each of her fingers, making her an Elementalist. Just having an extra band on one finger moves someone from Weaver to Tethered, and she’s surpassed even that,” explained Gai. “And I have a fifth band.” He proudly showed everyone his thumb. “Being able to cut off mana is very helpful, since it affects all creatures equally. And my eyes are orange.” He peered at me. “Enough to support my claim?”

“You could have just held up your codexes,” I grumbled.

“But that wouldn’t have been nearly as snarky,” said Gai with a smile. 

I sighed. 

“If I had to guess, with lack of competition between the Feral and Savage Tier monsters due to over-hunting, the ones that have survived grew thicker with miasma, prompting Blight-Tier monsters to hunt them more readily,” said Tannin. “That’s probably why the last few groups of adventurers haven’t returned. They expected to find Feral and Savage Tier monsters, but were met with groups of Savage Tier, stronger than normal, as well as agitated Blight-Tier monsters hunting for food. Not to mention the likely influx of Demons from the resulting deaths disrupting the ecosystem.”

“It’s a thought,” muttered Lex so quietly that only I heard her. “Wrong, though.”

“And that cannot happen,” concluded Christopher for Tannin. He leaned forward on the table, commanding everyone’s attention. “As such, we will be organizing parties on an extermination campaign. The last thing we need are Blighted Tier monsters lumbering into town some random night. It’s best to nip this in the bud before we deal with what’s ahead.”

“We should be good on timing,” said Gai. “Even if my informants are off on Edwin’s arrival, we’ll only be gone a few days at most.”

“Still makes me anxious,” I muttered. “But with me around, it should go quickly.”

“And I’ve already contracted with some of the local groups. Handpicks some of the better parties myself.” Gai winked at me. “Your little Trailblazers will serve as your bodyguards. Ease your burden and give you time to chat.”

“You what?” questioned Christopher in a terse tone. 

“We want our person of interest safe, do we not? She’s the most important person in the town now,” said Gai. “That Nigel kid and the forest devil, Tart, are Level 5. Barcus and Byron are Level 6. Four Tier 2 adventurers are more than enough to support our girl.”

“Shouldn’t they be helping some of the weaker groups?” A vein was pulsing in Christopher’s forehead. 

“Maybe. But it would be better to enforce our strongest squad to improve overall efficiency,” explained Gai. Even so, he was wearing an obnoxious grin and directed it right at Christopher. “We’ll probably dive deeper into the forest than most, yes?”

“Who knows?” I muttered, wanting to stay out of it.

“Heh, heh.”

Great. Drama. Wonderful.

It’d been a few days since the Trailblazers returned to Sandy Branch. I didn’t avoid them by any means, but I did do my best not to be alone with Nigel. Which was terrible, because every time I saw him, I wanted to drag him somewhere and devour him. Absolutely pissed me off. But I already had strong willpower, and the ordeal only made it stronger. 

Likewise, Christopher clung to me more, especially when I was with the Trailblazers. I’d suggested that to him as a way to keep me in check, and he agreed readily. And it was to his benefit. I was so physically frustrated afterward that I’d usually take it out on him until the sun rose the next day.

“Enough. Let’s finish this up,” I grumbled.

Tannin and Christopher continued the briefing with Gai’s help. He already had some network in Sandy Branch that he was tapping into for information, and it was already benefiting us. It was honestly surprising how reliable he was when he wasn’t allowing his personality to interfere with him.

And Lex was as quiet as ever. All she ever did was stare and make little quips. She blended into the scenery. I’d wanted to wrack her brain some more about getting extra bands on my fingers, but I doubted she’d tell me even if I begged. 

“Sounds solid,” agreed Christopher at the end of the conversation.

“The only thing we need to watch out for is Faragore,” concluded Tanning. 

Ah, yes. Faragore. The source of the Forest of Beginners’ corruption.

“It doesn’t leave its territory near the center. We should be fine,” Tannin concluded. “But it is a Dread Tier monster, and a low Tier 3 threat. The mana miasma it releases is what contaminates the forest and causes corruption. If you ever feel it choking you, turn the other way. No one’s seen Faragore in years. Let’s keep it that way.”

Our group collectively nodded.

I doubt I could kill it if I tried. Best to give it a wide berth, like she said.

•

Hours later, well into the afternoon, our group charged a selection of adventurers and mercenaries with clearing out certain sections of the Forest of Beginners for respectable fees. With some of the burden lifted from our end, we were free to move deeper into the forest to cleanse some of the more difficult monsters running amok.

I walked side by side with Gai and Lexi. Christopher was also there, having included himself due to Nigel’s involvement. Christopher was a Level 2, Tier 1 combatant, having spent the vast majority of his time over the past five years working politics and pushing paper. It made him the weakest link, which I would never say out loud to his face.

“I don’t think we went this deep in before,” commented Nigel to Barcus behind us as our group moved deeper into the Forest of Beginners.

“Course not. You were an inexperienced brat,” teased Barcus. “Who knows what you would have done out here? Might have gotten us killed. Or worse, ruined a job.”

“Ha ha ha.”

We’d walked the hour it usually took to get to the Forest of Beginners. Technically, the part of Zalevet we occupied branched off the landmass like a mishapen, round-tipped triangle, and the forest encompassed the entire tip. From the southern part where we were, the entire forest would take at least a day to clear from top to bottom if someone went straight without stopping. 

At the very center of the forest, as with any area infested with a high volume of monsters, were beasts well-above Blighted Tier. There were several known miasma-filled areas in the world, and each of them had at least a Dread, Cataclysmic, or Abyssal Tier monster. 

Our forest had five such monsters, but the only one of concern for our section of the forest was Faragore, a named monster in the Dread Tier. It stuck mostly to the center, rarely ventured out of its part of the woods, and hadn’t been seen in years. Well, it could have, but it was likely anyone who did was killed and eaten.

Our goal? Cull any demons and monsters around the outskirts, prevent any Blighted Tiers that may have stumbled into the weaker areas from establishing homes, and burn any decaying food sources to prevent movement of monsters from where they’re expected to be in the miasma. All the while, collect evidence of why the monsters were behaving abnormally and react and correct accordingly, as possible.

A day’s worth of killing and camping would be enough for the time being, at least to alleviate any concerns before the archdevils arrived. Already, there had been sightings of monsters in areas where they shouldn’t have been.

“We’ve set the quest period for twenty-four hours,” cut in Christopher, ignoring the banter. “Teams have been sent out in key parts of the forest. Yen, Gai, and I are subsidizing the efforts so that they’re paid, but the cost was enormous. They’re sticking mostly to the outer rings of the forest while we go deeper toward the middle.”

“Because we have me, and I’m super strong,” I gloated. 

“And crazy,” muttered Gai.

“Hmm?”

“Don’t worry. It’s one of your better qualities,” he joked. “What other person would take a blade to the hand just to grab hold of a knife?”

“She what?” cut in Nigel.

“Back when we first met. I shut off everyone’s mana, Lex went to humble her a bit, but Yen took Lex’s blade right to the hand, took it from her, and threw it at my face. Honestly? Very hot.”

Nigel looked between Gai and me. “Really?”

“I heal quickly. Wasn’t a problem,” I said.

“She cut off a finger in front of me just to test a limb reattachment potion,” mentioned Christopher, looking at me with a brief moment of exasperation.

“It works, though. And I brought some with us!” I said with a smile, glancing between everyone. “Feel free to fight with your heart’s content, even if it means losing an arm or a leg! As long as they’re still whole, I can stick them back!”

Gai, Christopher, and Lex were completely unperturbed by my comments and actions. They just kept walking further into the forest. Nigel, Barcus, Tart, and Bydon, on the other hand, looked at me as if I were a stranger.

“I guess a lot can change in a decade,” said Barcus with a chuckle. He walked past and ruffled my hair.

“You’ve certainly, uh, grown up,” said Tart with a smile.

Nigel merely smiled.

Bydon, however, hung back with me. We stayed near the back of the pack as we continued into the forest.

“Did you worry about losing limbs when you were younger?” wondered Bydon.

“No really. But I saw a bunch of people coming back from the forest with missing body parts when I first started adventuring in,” I admitted. “Made me feel bad, and I was wondering if there was an alchemical solution. And I found one.”

“So our little Yen is still good at everything.”

“I try.” A small blush of embarrassment rose on my cheeks. “Why do you ask?”

Bydon paused. “Has someone taught you the Chaos style yet?”

“N-No,” I admitted quickly. “I was trying to hone my Warring and Heavenly styles.” I thumped my chest. “Master in both now, by the way.”

“I would expect nothing less.”

“Why did you just teach it when we were younger?” I wondered. “You said it was because of our bodies, but—”

“An excuse.” Bydon looked forward. There was a slight shame in his eyes. “I did not think I had the right to teach anyone anything.”

“…because?”

Bydon was extremely quiet for a moment. He slowed his steps, and I matched him. Soon, we were a good gap behind the rest of the team.

“I…did not wish to teach humans,” said Bydon. “Even though you are one of us, I did not think it fair to Nigel that he be left out. I respect Barcus and am grateful for the man that Nigel has become.” A sad expression softened his face. “But I cannot ever truly trust them, no matter what they’ve done and will do for me. Not after what I’ve been through.”

“O-Oh.” I fidgeted. “I understand.”

“I’m sorry that you do.”

It was awkward for a moment.

“Would you like to learn?” asked Bydon.

“Of course I would.”

“Then, when we get back, I will teach you the basics. Knowing you, you’ll be able to pick up the rest on your own.” He paused again. “And I am…sorry…for my pettiness.”

“Don’t be. It’s alright.”

Bydon nodded, clearing his throat. “Good.”

“You alright back there?” Christopher called to me from the front of the pack.

“Yup!” I shouted.

“Great! We’re nearing a site where a group of adventurers went missing. Be ready.”

On top of the culling request, we were also retracing any areas where failed quests supposedly ended. It was a favor for Tannin, and each group in the forest was given the same order with bonuses from Beginner’s Rest, should any information or related activities occur in the follow-up.

Along our route, which created a loop into the forest that led us halfway to the center and back home with some loops in between, we would trace our path through three areas where adventurers went missing.

“Haven’t seen any monsters or demons yet,” noted Barcus.

“Which is weird,” said Christopher. “We reported seeing some Feral ones just outside of town near our crops.”

“Never a good sign,” muttered Lex. “Weaker predators always move to new habitats when stronger ones try to claim their territory.”

“She’s right,” agreed Gai. “If I had to guess, we’re going to see Savage Tier Aberrations and Blight Tier monsters, maybe even in packs.”

“Ah.” Christopher suddenly looked really pale. “Fantastic.”

“Don’t worry.” Gai patted him on the back, then pointed at me. “Your lover will protect you from all the bad things, just like you planned.”

I rolled my eyes, and Christopher shot Gai the meanest, most disgusted look he could muster.

“You’re so cute when you’re angry,” teased Gai. He closed in on Christopher briefly, like a gnat buzzing near faces, before shifting away to be back with Lex.

“You are lucky you are so useful,” said Christopher. He was staring at Gai like he wanted to set him on fire.

“Words I hear everywhere I go,” teased Gai. He looked at Yen. “He’s starting to hurt my feelings. Stop him. I’ll get sad.”

“Cut it off,” I said, sighing. “Both of you. Keep your guards up.”

“Seems like they’re fun to handle,” joked Nigel as he moved closer to my side, smiling and scratching his face with a single finger.

My heartbeat naturally picked up with him so close, but I tried my best to ignore it. “I am the glue that holds us all together.”

“I can see that.”

“That was my job for the past five years,” argued Christopher.

“And now it’s mine,” I said sweetly. “And I take great pride in it, as one of my kind comes to find me, possibly kill me, or take me away forever. But hey. Whatever.”

That made everyone shut up.

•

Around twenty minutes later, we were in the search zone for the missing adventuring party. We found no monsters along the way, which only made us all nervous the more we moved through the forest.

Honestly, it was the first time I’d never been attacked outright after being in the forest. A part of me wondered if they could sense that our team was a threat. Maybe the numbers were throwing them off. It could have been anything. I wasn’t certain. But given that it made the Trailblazers, and even Lex nervous, I had a feeling it was something more.

“Signs of destruction here,” said Tart. She was examining some fallen trees. “Last few weeks, maybe. Don’t see any—”

“Found bodies,” Bydon said. Stomaches burst. Signs of consumption and decay on the host corpses. There are likely Demons around.”

“How many people?” asked Christopher. I was behind him, moving in Bydon’s direction while everyone else looked for more clues.

“Four,” answered Bydon.

“That’s how many went on the quest,” said Christopher. “Now we know.”

I glanced about the destroyed foliage, blood, and guts strewn about. Animals had picked at the corpses, but not as much as they should have. Not for as long as these people have been dead. Everything about the scene was unnatural. Everyone had their eyes, for example. Usually, that was one of the first things rodents or birds went for when scavenging.

“Looks like they were crushed,” I said, peering at the corpses. “The type of distortion in their bodies and limbs doesn’t come from being a Demon. They were sent flying. Or curved like bugs. It’s hard to tell with the bursting process from Demonification. But whatever killed them hardly took them seriously.”

“Meaning a Blighted Tier,” said Christopher.

I frowned. “Or worse.”

Bydon nodded.

Christopher paled. “Are you thinking Faragore has left its territory?”

“No, but it’s best always to assume the worst.” I glanced about. “Without knowing what Faragore looks like, I can’t really guess how it moved through the forest. Some trees are down, but that could have been from a Blighted Tier monster derived from a wild boar or something similar in build. A corrupted bear could do that, too.” I paused. “If it can fly, it may have just grabbed and dropped them, but I imagine there would have been a sighting by now if that were the case.” I stood up and looked over the scene. “The only thing we should be worried about is the Demons.”

“Most likely Greed Demons, especially in this situation,” said Barcus. “Anyone out here is hungry for money and survival.”

“They’re the most common in general,” muttered Nigel.

Brush and trees surrounded us. We weren’t in an open space, and anything could be hiding and watching us. The sun was right above us in the sky, signifying it was midday.

Sweat dripped from my brow as I scanned the forest. The scent of decay overwhelmed the smells of trees and dirt.

Suddenly, out of the forest, a thin creature with elongated arms and fingernails crawled out of the crush like a spider. Its stomach and head were pointed upward while its limbs, inverted wrongly backward, propelled it forward.

Always Greed Demons. A single pang of fear rushed through my heart, but I pushed it down. This wasn’t like the time with the Baron or on the beach. Literally never seen any of the other demons.

Dozens of different shapes and sizes came thumping out of the brush and falling from the trees.

My group surrounded me.

“Weak Feral Tier Demons,” said Christopher. He pulled the Arcwork spear Baron Thorpe brought him out of his codex. “No need for Yen.”

“No need for us either,” muttered Lex. “Competent children could handle this.”

“In these numbers?” wondered Nigel. “Borderline Tier 2 quest. There’s got to be dozens of them.”

“Scared?” asked Christopher.

Nigel laughed. “Not even close.”

“Oh, good! Let’s make this a competition.” Gai stepped forward. He took out a sword and a dagger, putting the dagger in his non-dominant hand. “Bets, gentlemen? Whoever wins gets to be our dear Yen’s champion for the day?”

It was a stupid bet that I didn’t even agree to, and even stupider given Greed Demons were charging. But something in Christopher and Nigel’s eyes lit up. And it was obvious Gai was teasing them. But it worked.

“We got this,” said Christopher and Nigel in unison.

“Oh, good.”  I stared at them as they charged their mana, eyes and marks glowing with their respective powers. “We needed this.”

Barcus, Tart, Bydon, and Lex relaxed.

“If they’re eager,” said Barcus with a shrug.

“Go get ‘em!” encouraged Tart.

“Remember. Heads,” reminded Bydon. “They don’t die unless you remove their heads.”

“Men,” whispered Lex, annoyed under her breath.

I stared, dumbfounded.

Surprisingly, Gai stepped forward first, demonstrating a level of mastery in the Warring style I didn’t expect from him. Honestly, I didn’t expect him to be able to use any abilities beyond his fifth band mana stoppage trick, and I wasn’t quite sure why. I guess I’d just assumed. 

With one step, he blurred.

The next, he was behind five demons.

He turned.

Their heads popped off and blood gushed upward like brief geysers.

“All done!” Gai stabbed his sword into the dirt, leaned on it, and smiled. “Isn’t it fun that these creatures would kill the vast majority of people?”

Gai and Christopher didn’t hear that last sentence. I did. It was sarcastic and oddly insightful. But the boys only listened to the first two words combined with Gai’s actions.

In their minds, Gai was winning.

Not wanting to be outdone, the other two acted.

We were surrounded, and Gai had taken out all the Greed Demons north of us. 

Nigel blurred, just as fast as Gai. He reappeared behind the Greed Demons to our east, then blurred, reappeared to our west, blurred again, and finally reappeared in the middle. “Breathing room.”

The Demons’ heads fell, leaving only the crop to the south to contend with…is what I would have said if they had not all been decapitated and pinned by an array of spears. 

Christopher was sweating, but playing it off nonchalantly that he’d taken out the rest of the Greed Demon. “Easy.”

“And all newly formed and weak,” I complained. “Good job.”

The men ignored me.

“I won,” said Nigel.

“Please, I let you all win. Where’s the thrill in beating you all so easily?” scoffed Gai, clearly not caring but totally willing to play along. 

“I didn’t even have to move,” contested Christopher. 

“I thought this was going to be boring, but this is actually pretty funny,” said Lex in a dry, emotionless tone. “The scent of blood should attract more.”

Oh. Wait. She’s right.

The brush behind us moved, and we all slowly turned to face the sound of the noise.

A massive, warped creature, vaguely resembling a bear, looked down at us from above the tree line. Its bones had started growing outside its body like patches of its flesh had been shaved away to show them, especially in its face. Its face looked more like a skull with decaying tissue around it than an actual bear’s. Its eyes were gone, but somehow it was staring right at us. 

“Orrukyn,” said Barcus, taking a step back defensively with his team, as did everyone else. “Blighted Tier.”

“Oh, yikes. Gross,” said Gai, chuckling. He rejoins Lex. “I’m not built for this kind of thing.”

Christopher crept close to me. “I’ve never seen one in person before.”

“I can tell,” said Gai. “You’re alive.”

“That’s leagues stronger than the half-dead Blight Tier Velocacious Rook killed for us,” I said to Christopher, referencing our first quest together.

“We’ve got this,” said Barcus. He pulled a sword from his codex. 

“I mean, I can–”

The Trailblazers cut me off, Nigel included, charging the beast. 

“Okay then,” I murmured.

“Just so you know, Lex and I could kill that thing if we wanted to,” mentioned Gai. 

“Then do it.”

“Too much work.”

“He’s lazy, and I don’t work without orders or my life being in danger,” said Lex. “They seem competent,” she said, gesturing blandly at the Trailblazers. “I’ll help out if they die or something.”

I looked at Christopher. “Care to join them?”

Christopher stared as the four, in coordination, moved at the Orrukyn, ready to fight. “Honestly, I think I’d get in the way.”

“Probably,” I agreed. My eyes were on my older teachers and friends. “Wonder where I rank against them now?”

I could have jumped in, but I didn’t have a lot of good metrics for where I sat in the world, in terms of fighting. I had a level, and at Level 10, on paper, I was the strongest person in the group. But still, I wanted to see how much that metric could be trusted. 

Barcus and Nigel charged forth first, earning them the attention of the Orrukyn. Its massive paws separated trees, knocking them to the ground, sending shockwaves through the dirt. It roared, but the sound was off. It was only low, with jagged high-pitched intervals crackling with the deep, bassy boom that sounded like a desperate moan from a terrified brass instrument. 

Tart and I were forced to cover our ears.

Nigel darted forth first, becoming an invisible blur. He crashed through the forest, avoiding trees, his blade outstretched before him. It was a double-bladed sword with a simple handguard and a leather-wrapped hilt. It wasn’t an Arcwork, nor was it an expensive work of art. Just trusty steel he seemed to place a great deal of trust in. 

The Orrukyn’s right leg was his target. It was nearly double the size of the surrounding trees. It had calcified entirely from the toes up to the upper calf of the creature, giving it a protective shell that looked like it’d burst through rotting tissue.

Nigel cut it.

A little nick appeared on the top of the creature’s toes.

Barcus did the same on the creature’s right leg. His blade glided quickly across its toes, leaving a slightly deeper mark across them than Nigel’s.

The Orrukyn roared with anger. It lifted its left leg to smash the ground.

Arrows immediately entered its bone-like jaw, embedding in the few tufts of flesh left in it.

The Orrukyn began to tip back.

Bydon was on the ground. A subtle violet aura surrounded his body. He had the massive greatsword in his hands, primed and ready to swing.

“GAAAAAH!” Bydon shouted. He was rapdily slamming the flat of his sword onto his head over and over and over again.

I stared in awe.

“Chaos style is so…chaotic,” muttered Gai. “Never ceases to amaze me. I’m a fan.”

“It’s for morons,” whispered Lex.

I’d never seen it in use, but I knew some of the theory behind it from years of study and meeting other adventurers with the ability. At its base level, it was a defensive shell that provided some strength enhancements. Beginners just needed to manifest the initial mana shell. An Expert could repel physical attacks, and their strength increased a bit.

But at Mastery level, users could do something else, something that accelerated the style to levels that the other styles couldn’t compete with.

They could store kinetic energy.

Each self-inflicted hit made Bydon burn brighter. The violet aura pulsed and glowed until it was lighting the ground with its radiance and power.

Bydon shifted his posture. The ground cracked underneath him.

He jumped.

The force propelled him just above the Orrukyn’s head.

The glow of his aura had softened slightly.

The Orrukyn was still reeling from Tart’s arrows, its momentum backward.

Bydon swung down his sword on its head.

The ground beneath the monster cracked. The blade passed cleanly through its bone nose down to its jaw, splitting its mouth like a banana.

It fell backward, screaming, slamming into trees and sending dirt and dust flying into the air.

Bydon landed on the ground, cracking it. The glow of his aura had returned to normal.

“Don’t look impressed,” chided Lex, staring at the side of my face. She huffed. “Everyone’s beatable.”

“It wasn’t that,” I said. “I’m just envious. I want all the power I can grab.”

The Trailblazers crowded together. They didn’t look away from the Orrukyn.

“A few more rounds like this, and we’ll have it down,” said Barcus. “Let’s keep up the momentum, people.”

“A few more rounds?” I said, staring. “How long?!” I shouted at them.

“Beasts like this usually take thirty minutes to an hour to kill, assuming no one dies in the party,” mentioned Tart. “Usually quicker, but we’re down Garreth and Jessie.”

Oh, wow. I totally forgot Garreth even existed. I thought. I knew I was missing something!

The Orrukyn began standing. It roared its brassy, odd roar, and it shook the ground with its struggling, eventually standing once more. It leaned forward, its eyeless sockets staring in our direction.

“I don’t have thirty minutes. We’ve got more places to visit.” I stepped forward, passing between the Trailblazers. I was already pulling my sword out of my codex. “Thanks for showing me all that. It was enlightening.”

My sword glowed bright white as I channelled internalized water mana throughout my body and into my sword. Immediately, the blade extended and jabbed into the ground. It nearly doubled in size and cut through the ground like butter. I barely felt any resistance in the handle.

“Ahhaha!” Barcus laughed behind me. “How are you a Heavenly Master at your age, kid?!”

“Lots of practice,” I said as I stared at the Orrukyn.

It roared, its head lowered. I felt its rotting breath roll over me as it reached down to snatch me in its jaw.

I swung up at its neck, extending my blade for a brief moment. It sliced right through without resistance.

The world went still.

I canceled the energy in my sword, placed it back in my codex, and stepped right before spinning on my heel to look back at everyone.

The Orrukyn’s head began sliding at an angle down.

I glanced up for a brief moment, took a few more steps to the right, and stopped. “So—”

The head came crashing down.

It slammed into the dirt, mouth agape. The lower and upper parts of the jaw landed perfectly on my right and left sides, with me standing unfazed in between them.

I wiped blood from my face as the rotting, hot breath hit my back.

Everyone in my group just stared at me.

“—ready to keep going?”