(Zack)
"Alright," I say as I land beside my team, which has grouped up, probably in expectation of me grilling them on what they did and didn't do right. "You guys did a good job. Gold and Aurum were watching, and they agree, and hope that Gold, Kylie, and Samantha's other apprentices can do just as good of a job as you. That said, they need to get going if they're to fight it before sundown, since their fight might take a few hours as well."
The pair of them charge over, do their mental congratulations and pat my team on the back, then take off back to Maelnor. I assess my team. They're all covered in blood and looking light on their feet. They need to eat, and then rest, but I know they want to see just what it is I can do to the Candy Beast.
"Let's go eat, first," I tell them. "Then I'll take care of the beast, and then you four are taking a day's rest."
"I need to-" Gavin begins.
"Gain some Skill Levels so you can advance," I tell him. "Yes, you do. Max does as well. However, as your bodies start acquiring the stat boosts you four gained from this fight, you'll enter into what is called 'Stat Stasis'. I actually didn't know about this until Theodore mentioned it to me. The two of you fought for four hours, pushing your limits as hard as you could while using Skills over and over. While the Class and Skill Levels are already gained, the Stats have yet to add because those happen over time. According to Theodore, the four of you will be out for at least a day, maybe two. Not unconscious, just… out of commission.
"Anyway!" I gesture to Theodore, who approached as I spoke. "This is Theodore, and he happens to have the Scholar Class, and thus, can use Teleport to return us to town. He's going to do that so you four can eat, then we'll quickly head out for where I'm killing a Candy Beast."
My team nods, and Theodore has us stand close together. A golden ring of light forms around us, a magical circle on the ground, and then we're back in Maelnor, at Teleport Plaza. I bop Luca on his head for the mental exclamation, and he gives me a cheeky, but shy, grin.
We make the trip back to the house, where Kit is setting out dinner, cleaned up and in fresh clothes that I loaned him from Max's clothes chest. I don't think he realized they were Max's clothes, and nor do I think he really processed that Max was a resident and would be back.
"KITTY!" Max exclaims as soon as he sees Kit.
Kit freezes as I reach out to grab the back of Max's tunic to keep him from charging at his old friend, only to be reminded that he took it off when I told him to get serious, to avoid getting it covered in goop, blood, and other stuff.
I mean, I could grab him by the arm or tail, I'm fast enough for that, but the stumble and slight shock gave Max enough time to reach the cat beastborn. He tackles Kit to the ground in a hug as my team stares in shock.
"Ah," I say. "Yeah. Uh. I asked Kit if he'd be willing to help out around the property, since we'll be a bit busy for awhile, and I was planning on going out into Lost Territory once the battle for the valley was over. He's an old, uh, acquaintance of Max's."
Max is now nuzzle Kit in the cheek with his own, sending a bunch of happy thoughts to the cat beastborn. He's glad Kit's no longer a slave, which he says is obvious because Kit is clean, wearing his clothes, and lacking a collar.
Thinking of the collar, Max's tanline from it is fading. He's out in the sun all the time, so I suppose that's only natural. It's still obvious he once wore one, but it's not as pale there anymore. It's a stark contrast to the very pale spot on Kit's neck.
"Max," I say. "You got Kit covered in goop, gunk, blood, and who-knows-what-else. He's not exactly clean anymore."
"He not be," Max agrees, then stands up and helps Kit to his feet. "Sorry, Kitty! Me not mean to do that!"
Kit is staring at Max in shock. He already met the other beastborn who serve the Dark Knights here, and while they do talk, the beastborn were just talking their normal way. This is his first actual time hearing a beastborn talk.
I suppose he might have heard Max talking on our trip into Maelnor? That was part of the reason we traveled back that way rather than through Teleport. That, and to help give the former slaves a little extra time to adjust. Plus, showing up right in the middle of town, with a bunch of people around, might have freaked them out a bit.
"I did mention he speaks," I tell Kit. "He's one of the handful who do."
Though I've only heard all but one who speak. Gold thinks I'm unaware he can, since he only ever does it when he's confident there's no one around to hear him practicing, but I know. Mostly by accident, I caught him a couple of nights ago, but when I realized what he was doing, I decided not to make him aware I knew. He wants to be able to talk like 'normal' people do before he lets me know he can.
Max has done his best to not think about the fact that Gold can speak around me, too. I wonder if Gold knows that it was inevitable Max would accidentally leak it, not even aware he had? Maybe, maybe not.
"And Max," I say. "His name is Kit, now. It was never 'Kitty', that was just what you called him because you're a moron."
Max thinks for a few moments.
"So be my brother not not be 'Nitwit'?" He asks. "Or me other brother name not be 'Nincompoop'?"
"No, Max," I snort at that as Kit gives him an incredulous look and the rest of the team give him dumbfounded looks. "Those are… those are insults. Not names."
"Hm," Max thinks. "But their masters always call them that. Does not that not mean that be their name?"
"No," I say. "That means their masters just insult them all the time. Come on, let's eat so that you four can start resting sooner."
We sit at the table, and Kit retreats to the kitchen. His thoughts are pretty clearly still in the old mindset. I can understand that, though. Old ways can be difficult to break, and he was freed only just this morning. Max immediately starts up a conversation trying to convince him to join us, saying that he was the same way at first, but that I never let him eat separately or after us.
"Come on, Kit," I say as Kit remains reluctant. "Max isn't wrong. You're not a slave anymore, you're a servant, and it'd be stupid for you to eat only once the rest of us finished. The food would be cold by then. So come and join us."
Kit's still reluctant, but 'obeys' out of nerves and fear. He eats rather timidly, though Max keeps shoving mashed potatoes and grilled veggies onto his plate, along with more slices of meat, telling him to eat and stuff himself with as much as possible.
After dinner, Kit cleans stuff up while we let our food rest, then I take the team to the Dark Temple, convincing Kit to come along to watch. There, we use the sigil to warp to Talorn, then I wrap everyone together with Binding Darkness, attach that to my feet, summon my Eidolon Wings, and fly up into the sky.
"EEEK!" Several of them squeal at the sudden movement.
I fly out of Talorn and towards where the Candy Beast nearby is located, in a small field, and land, dropping my team at the edge. Gently, not roughly. They're sore enough already.
Canceling Eidolon Wings, I draw my Zack's Blood sword and approach the Candy Beast, taking on Eidolon Form as I do, for the added stats and to work on it a little more.
"Hello," I smile at the Candy Beast. "Ready to become spoiled sugar?"
It snarls and lunges at me, and I charge forward, then jump into the air, landing on its back with my legs around its neck. I twist the beast as I pull its head towards me, and I ram my sword right into its eye, killing it in an instant.
Candy Beast Slain! Rewards: +500% Static Experience to Class or Classes of Your Choice, +500% Static Experience to Subclass or Subclasses of your Choice, +10 Gold, +5 Candy Ingots, +5 Sugary Dusts, +5 Hunger Candies
Candy Beast Slain with less than five attackers! Rewards: +500% Static Experience to Class or Classes of Your Choice, +500% Static Experience to Subclass or Subclasses of your Choice, +10 Gold, +15 Candy Ingots, +15 Sugary Dusts, +15 Hunger Candies
I withdraw my sword, then jump off the beast as it drops to the ground. All five of the spectators are staring at the fight in shock. Kit is amazed that someone could kill it so fast when his own master had to take twenty minutes with a team of more than forty others to kill it. My team is shocked because while they knew I was far above them, they didn't realize just how far above them. What's more, they were never able to get a shot in the Candy Beast's eyes the way I did because it kept closing them and turning its head away.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
By my speed along and massive Strength allowed me to ignore all of that. I could have also beheaded it, but I felt this was cooler.
Flicking my sword a couple of times, I get the sugar-blood off of it, then sheathe it and approach my team and Kit.
"And that," I say. "Is what it's like when someone who's ridiculously powerful goes against something pretty far below their weight class. That, and is able to abuse a weak spot you guys were struggling against."
Kit is still staring in shock as my team starts to recover. Right. He's completely new to all of this, even if he did see me butcher the mages.
"Kit," I say, and he looks at me. "I am the highest-Leveled Adventurer in the entire Boundary. There are a few people with higher stats than mine, and I'm wielding a sword that has nearly no equal. I am regularly visited by another one of the highest-Leveled Adventurers in the Boundary, who also wears and wields exceptional gear. Nathan lives across the street from us."
"That be Great Normar," Max helpful tells Kit, whose eyes widen.
"You'll need to adjust to the shocks," I tell Kit. "But don't stress yourself out thinking you're being shocked too much. You are a free beastborn, now. You are not a slave, and never will be again. There is an Absolute Rule in the Boundaries: anyone who attempts to force a beastborn back into slavery after they are released by their master or someone else, who attempts to steal, kidnap, etc. a servant beastborn, and several other things, is Bountied. This was established by the Crystals not that long ago."
A few nights ago, to be specific. A few Adventurers who had issues with free beastborns attempted to kidnap some while Nik and I were out of Maelnor. Some of the servants of the Dark Order. Unfortunately for those morons – and for me – the Dark Order is rather possessive and protective of its servants.
They had people secretly watching.
I missed out on a bloodbath.
I found out about the whole thing when Big Flame notified Nik about it, since he's a community leader. All community leaders, from City to Guild to Order and so on, was informed about the new thing. Apparently, the Crystals insisted on Big S not sending out another mass notice.
It seems there were some interesting reactions to that…
A shudder runs through me, and I know that they've released another Boundary. I suppose with all of the Holiday Boss kills going on today, the Crystals felt comfortable with how much power they've restored.
"Anyway," I tell them, wrapping the five of them up with Binding Darkness once more. "Let's head back to Maelnor!"
I fly us back to Talorn, then warp us back to Maelnor after ending Eidolon Form, then we travel back home. The five of them rush off to the bath because they are all covered in muck. Even Luca, who had managed to stay clean until I wrapped them all up with Binding Darkness.
I contemplate joining my team in the bath since I need one, too, but it can really only fit five comfortably. After that, it gets a bit cramped and uncomfortable. Deciding not to delay my bath, though, I walk to the bath.
"I'm heading to the Dark Temple for a bath," I tell the team. "Luca's in charge until I return."
"Yes!" Luca exclaims.
"Yay!" Max exclaims.
"Crap," Braden mutters.
Gavin sighs, and Kit just looks at them in confusion. He'll figure out why they're reacting that way soon enough.
I warp myself into Big Flame's temple, and can feel his exasperation at that.
I'm not a teleport terminal! He exclaims in my mind just before I teleport myself to the Dark Temple.
At the Dark Temple, I make my way to the baths, strip down, scrub down, then climb into the bath and soak, closing my eyes and relaxing my aching muscles. Nik shows up after a few minutes and does the same, sitting opposite of me. The baths here are large – there's easily eight or nine feet of space between us, and this is just one of several. He probably wants to talk with me about something, or he'd have sat in one of the others.
Not that he couldn't talk with me in there, but the way I'm sitting basically forces anyone who wants to talk with me and actually look at my face from the front to join me in this one, since the others are behind men or off to the side.
"Samantha's students and Gold did well," Nik informs me. "Travis was watching the whole thing, and said it took them a little longer than Theodore said your team took."
"My team's a fair bit more powerful," I say. "I take it Gold's Blessings were the primary reason they won?"
"Yeah," Nik answers. "He's happy with the results. They'll be out the next couple of days for the Stats Stasis, too."
"How come you never mentioned that to me before?" I ask. "Stat Stasis, I mean."
"Because you're ridiculous," he snorts. "You never had to struggle the way they did, you gained your Experience mostly by going above your weight class and then dominating it, or by attacking things by the numbers."
"It worked."
"Yeah," he agrees. "It worked. You never had to do what they did, and when you did, you went unconscious for other reasons."
"I only ever gained a few points," I say. "I suppose this will be a weaker version of an extended Zero Down, but for all stats?"
"Essentially, yes," he confirms.
We fall silent for a few minutes.
"Did the ghost settle in alright?"
"Yes," he answers. "And he no longer believes that 'Zack Noruva' is a myth fabricated to scare potential servants of the Shadow of Life from coming here to sabotage us."
"People seriously think that?" I ask.
"They do," he tells me. "Word of a new child who Levels impossibly fast spread through the Boundary, as did his feats. However, most believe you're only a myth because they don't have confirmation that you actually do exist – that such an impossible existence is real."
Makes sense, I guess.
"What are you going to do while your team is in Stat Stasis?" He asks.
"Train some more," I answer. "Nathan agreed to keep an eye on the team a bit."
"Are you sure you don't want to take a day off?" He asks.
"Positive," I answer. "I need to get as strong as possible for when I fight the Dragon. The ghost would, but he's not physically fit enough to do that. Tomorrow, at least, I'll be learning that Barrier trick the Fallen Hunters use. That's going to come in real handy. I'm also going to start working on getting Barrier up to Level 10. I want it to be as strong as possible."
Barrier is like only a rare few other Skills in that its cost is not set. Instead, its cost is dependent on how big it is, and is a cost-over-time Skill. However, its defense is limited based on one's Willpower.
"Are the Fallen Hunters helping you with that?" He asks.
"No," I answer. "They're doing some hunting in the mines again. There are still plenty of Fallen Adventurers to slay to make it fully safe for training."
"Alright," he says. "Do you mind if I give you our latest update on the hordes?"
With the revelation that the mountains can be crossed by Druids in animal form if their animal form is one which lives in that terrain, they've sent a few scouts out. Not many, because the monsters there are more powerful and Teleport doesn't work that far. Nik was out at the Crater today, talking with the scouts after they returned.
"Go ahead."
"Based on the differences between what Nathan said and how things are now," he tells me. "It's possible the battle will take place in one month from now. If the monsters communicate first, it can take longer. Whatever you did that pissed the Shadow of Life off, it's got him moving the plan up."
"Yeah," I tell him.
"What did you do?" He asks. "We never did get a clear answer to that, Zack."
I contemplate over what I should say. The Crystals never did say I shouldn't talk about what that gear was for.
You can tell him, Zack, Big S says.
"Okay," I say. "Alexander, the Shadow of Life, has three lieutenants. Or at least, he did. They were each sealed in a separate prison from him. They are each immortal, in a sense. Ordinary weapons cannot kill them."
"But the Sword of the End can," he realizes.
"Correct," I say. "And with Demon Form, my Stats become the highest in the Boundary, when ignoring outliers like the ghost's Health and Nathan's Mana. I'm able to easily kill them. I've killed two already, and will fight the third once Big S thinks I'm ready for it. According to Big Flame, the third's a warrior rather than a mage, and has a weapon. Won't be too much of a problem, though, as he doesn't have a System-granted Agility, which means he's far beneath me in speed, even when he boosts his own with his magic."
"And that's why he's so furious with you," Nik realizes. "You're killing his allies, the people who will help him, once he breaks free of the Boundary."
"Yeah," I answer. "He wants to destroy Maelnor and kill me before I'm powerful enough to kill the Dragon, too. Big S says I'm fine, but…"
I sigh. Am I really going to be able to handle the dragon Alexander sends our way? I'd probably need to Ascend twice more to actually kill it. Even using the Sword of the End to pierce its hide and the Gear of the End to protect my body, I just can't see myself reasonably being able to actually do more than drive it away, if even that.
It scares me. I'm currently the only person in the Boundary able to face the Dragon alone. Everyone else is needed for the battle, especially for when the King Monsters arrive. The thing that scares me isn't dying, though.
I've been prepared to die since I first did. I've been ready to die ever since I came to the Boundary, ready to die for the cause. I'm willing to risk my life to whatever it takes.
No, what terrifies me is that I'll fail. That I'll fail to stop the Dragon. I am the child of the vision, that is a guarantee. I can restore the City Barriers at any time, and have already met the other two requirements of the vision.
When the tide changes… I'm the one who determines how it changes. I'm the one who determines if Alexander somehow manages to get the brother to make the realization needed for him to win. I'm the one who determines if Alexander is slain by the other brother.
And it all comes down to the Dragon. I know this for a fact.
If I fail against the Dragon, it will destroy the City Barrier. It'll do more than that, though. Normally, Dragons can't remain after, they leave to recover their lost power. But if I fail to stop it, then it'll go on a rampage and start killing everyone below. Only if I successfully drive it off will the tide change against Alexander.
And if I fail, everyone dies. Everyone. At least, everyone at the battle. And then Alexander will smooth-talk the other brother back onto his side, will claim his victory, and will enter reality, making it his domain with his godly powers.
"We have a theory on how to force a Stat Stasis on you," Nik interrupts my panicked thoughts.
"How?" I ask.
"Get out, get dried, and get dressed, but leave your gear in your Inventory," he stands and leaves the bath. "And meet me in the training room we usually train you in."
I open my eyes as I frown. How can he force a Stat Stasis on me in the training room?