It's been two months since I emerged from cryogenic sleep, and I've gradually acclimated to the rhythms of this altered reality. Despite my attempts to explore and scout the area, Persis always steers me back home or to the construction site. He relentlessly trains and works me, leaving my body weary and sore. The addition of the training camp exacerbates the strain on my aching muscles. Yet amidst the physical exertion, Mikay's presence infuses me with a positive energy that outweighs the discomfort.

It's perplexing how she oscillates between extreme friendliness and avoidance, especially in the mornings when others are around. Her demeanor shifts from warm to aloof, offering only a dismissive "Not this time." I cannot avoid thinking about A'Yeel Hed-Seier, the High-Sword of the Silver City, who is in the leads among participants to be blessed with divination. Witnessing Mikay's fondness-or maybe a real relationship with A'Yeel-breaks my heart. Seeing how Mikay blushes in front of him makes me feel a twinge of jealousy. I am tempted to spend my time winning Mikay's affection over A'Yeel's or sabotaging him in any way, if not for what I experienced with my previous live-in partner.

However in the evenings, she becomes affectionate and tactile, though she stops short of intimacy. We share stories and find solace in each other. Our conversations always begin with laughter, often due to my naivety, thankfully I can throw in jokes from time to time, or else my humors would only rely on my demure. Her smile is the reward for my efforts. She frequently asks me about life before, showing a keen interest in the people she is meant to live with. While urban dwellers have moved past many myths, she would surely enjoy life in remote rural areas together with the indigenous Filipino. As we get to know each other through our conversations, I find contentment in simple gestures like hand-holding. I take pleasure in indulging her with foot and leg massages, finding joy in these small skin to skin contact.

Suddenly I feel the tap in my left shoulder.

"Seems good so far?" Gorg sits besides me smirking.

I suddenly wake up from my day dreaming, well I am not the only one dreaming as Pen-Pen is sleeping and resting his head on my lap.

"Well I don't know how I will....." I pauses.

"How can I tell her I love her without hoping to hear that she loves me back?" I exhale, worries in my breath.

Gorg shrug my concern with the marriage style of his race, "Well, I cannot help you with that, in ways of the orcs, whoever kills the chieftain or whoever becomes the shaman is the one touches the women of the clan."

"Oh!... Thanks my friend, it's a big help to my worry some, should I adopt your barbaric way instead? Oh maybe I should kill the crown prince to have Mikay since he is the closest thing to chieftain in this City." I sarcastically exclaim.

"Barbaric?... I say that's practical and simple, are you really enjoying this mind games you do with your partner?" Gorg raising his voice.

"It's not about mind games, It's about giving everybody a fair chance.. and how about you? Are you really going to kill your chieftain to have a wife. Ah? What if your father is your chie... " I pauses and look to Gorg before continuing "How the hell are you so comfortable killing your father or your brother anyway?" I curiously asked.

"Well in my case, I won't experience that dilemma and I don't have to kill a chieftain to have one" he took a pendant from his pocket and brag it to me

"Because of this..." he smirked.

"What the hell is that?" raising one of my eyebrow.

"This is the shaman's medallion, I will use this to help me raise my spirituality and become shaman myself" he said that with confidence in his face.

Pen-Pen suddenly rose up and sniff the medallion and growls to it.

"It's seems my shamanistic path will be determined when your wolf will growl to me, instead" Gorg added.

"Where did you get that?" I asked.

"Korg and I were assisting our father, the shaman of the clan, in performing rituals when the Woodclaws raided our settlement. We tried to escape, but despite my father's magical powers, we couldn't defeat the overwhelming number of Woodclaws. I doubt it was only Woodclaws; I believe they collaborated with other clans," he says sadly.

"Before that happened, my father entrusted me with the medallion and told me to do everything to escape alive. We sought refuge in this city and promised our surviving brothers and sisters to do everything to revive the Soilgrabber clan. That's why we participated in the divination screening, and..." Gorg suddenly lowers his voice.

"That reason is what my brother abandoned when he was goes through divination," he raises the pendant above his head, "but I can still revive our clan with the power residing in this medallion." My wolf is still growling at it.

Suddenly, we were shrouded by a blanket from above.

"Boink.."

"Boink.."

"What the hell are you two doing?" Persis shouted, clearly mad at us. "Put back, Gorg! You're putting us danger," he added.

My wolf seemed to be enjoying his situation under the blanket.

We emerged from beneath the blanket, and Gorg put his medallion back in his pocket.

"Sorry! Fore," Gorg said, stooping his head low and raising his amputated arms, moving as if scratching his head with an invisible left hand.

"Never show that thing outside again. Don't forget! No magic-related items in this city, understand?" Persis exclaimed.

"Yes, sir," we both answered.

"Oh! And that includes during our journey! You two are really giving me headache. We need train more; we only three weeks left to kill Bakunawa!" Persis said, holding his forehead, clearly pissed off at what Gorg did.

"Yes, sir," we both answered again.

Days passed, and people were talking about our journey. There were fresh asylum seekers and privateers who had been around Laguna and Lucban. I heard rumors about the dangers they had encountered-not only from nature but also from malignant creatures that lurk in the darkness. There were stories of humanoid demonic creatures with fangs that eat people, giant reptiles terrorizing camps near the lakes, and huge monkeys abducting people. At first, I wasn't bothered by these tales, but Persis and Grog confirmed that the further you stray from the Silver City, the bolder these malignant creatures become in harassing and outright killing people. It seems that angels repel these beings.

Now my anxiety is rising. We will have commissioned silver weapons, but I doubt that will be enough. That's why I started skipping training to gather more information and find a solution. Thankfully, Grumbart, one of the employees at our construction site who volunteered for the mission, advised me to find a silver-mithril weapon. The problem is that these are very rare. No merchant sells mithril, which is the rarest metal of all. Silver can be purchased from the central bank of the city, so at least I only need to find half the materials, I need to smiths one since all of the silver-mithril weapons was been confiscated and given to the nobles.

"Although I have information about an underground auction. Two ores will surely be up for bidding there, but winning the bidding will require us to have the status of nobles." Grumbart said.

"Those damn oligarchs," I muttered to myself, recognizing that no matter which reality I inhabit, the misuse of power continues to dominate.

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

With the fear of getting killed in the mission and burdens of self-proclaimed protector of Mikay I am sitting right now inside the shady tavern downtown wearing a hood on top of the costume, with my full-grown wolf stationed outside of the tavern just incase I got into trouble, I tried to pay attention to the whispering surrounding me one voice caught my ears.

"Where is my medallion!"

I trace where and whom is the possible voice, and I saw a tall guy in hooded with dark fabric obscuring his face talking to an orc with noticeable tusk who also wearing hood.

For some reason when I am paying attention to their presence, I can clearly hear their conversation.

"from what I understood in this, situation, you are delaying for our agreement to be concluded." The shady gentleman said.

"Sorry, boss, just give us more time. We can't approach him casually. His brother might come to us, and he's always surrounded by somebody," the orc replied.

"Find a way!" insisted the shady gentleman.

"Maybe, boss, you can fund us instead. Let's hire an assassin. I know a dark elf who can do it smoothly," the orc suggested, negotiating.

"How much?"

"Boss, it's not about how much, but what weapon we can trade with."

"I don't have a silver-mithril weapon," the gentleman said quietly.

"Okay, boss, just give me some time. I'll look for an alternative then."

"I need to finish my research quickly. I can't afford the authorities finding out that I'm dealing with magic, especially about spiritualities."

My ears perked up at the mention of spiritualities.

The guy pulled out a golden pocket watch. "I will give you the go signal to look for another assassin. Let's adjourn this for now. My fellow nobles will surely be looking for me."

This guy is a noble. This opens an opportunity for me. As the two depart from the tavern, I follow the gentleman, waiting for the right moment to interrupt him. I stalk him diligently, with my wolf also following me, until I decide to approach him from behind.

"Spiritualities, huh?" I say loud enough for him to hear.

Without a second's hesitation, he turns, quickly grabs my neck, and pulls me into the nearest narrow alley.

"Who do you work for?" he demands, pinning me against the wall with his hand around my neck, squeezing tightly.

"Shaman's Medallion... Shaman's Medal... I have..." I am trying to speak despite the pressure on my throat.

"Ohhhhh!!!... Really? Where is it then? Give it to me," the gentleman says, slamming me against the wall.

Pen-Pen emerged from the dark, growling at the gentleman.

"I don't... have... it... right now! Let's make a deal!" I manage to say.

"Hmmm..." The gentleman releases his grip on my neck.

*cough... cough... cough... cough...*

"Bringing some back-up, aye?"

My wolf carefully walks forward, never losing eye contact with the gentleman. Pen-Pen growls while still biting the bamboo canister, positioning himself between me and the guy.

"Now, now, calm down, puppy. I'm just having a conversation with your master." The gentleman removes his hood, revealing his good-looking face, long blonde hair, and elven ears. "A deal seems suitable for two gentlemen, don't you agree?" He straightens his posture. "What's worth your shaman's medallion?"

"Do you have mithril in any shape or form?" I ask.

"I'm afraid I can't provide what you seek. Anything else?" the gentleman said.

I remembered what Grumbart told me. "I only want mithril, and I know about an auction for it," I replied.

"So, you are suggesting I win this auction for you?"

"Can't you?" I tried to touch his ego.

"That's an unfunny joke, kid. You have a deal then..." He frowned, trying to understand how to address me.

"Musang... That's my race," I said.

"Interesting! Very well, Musang. Let's meet in the nearest alley on the day of the auction. Don't forget to bring your trade. I, Gun'Ter Hed-Seier, always assure victory!" Then he walked away.

He didn't even ask for the details of the auction. "Hey! I didn't give you the address and the date yet."

He halted and looked over his shoulder. "I said, assured victory!" Then he walked away.

With the deal secured, Pen-pen and I immediately walked toward our camp. As we walked, the guilt started sinking in. I wasn't used to this. Even though I had hung out with some criminals in my previous life, I had never considered doing what they did. Is this what they meant by gripping a knife's blade? I couldn't fathom what they were talking about. I was a fellow poor man, but it had never crossed my mind to steal from someone. From what I'd heard from them, they stole and robbed from vulnerable people who couldn't fight back-meaning women and senior citizens who couldn't afford justice. In short, poor fellows.

I stopped walking and looked around, trying to figure out what I could do about my guilt or my circumstances, and then something clicked inside me.

"I need to practice," I muttered to myself.

My wolf had a worried look in his eyes, as if he already knew what was going to happen. I stooped down to Pen-pen.

"Buddy, I am very sorry for what I am about to do, but I need you right now! I can't do this on my own." I patted his head, then held it in place to force him to look into my eyes.

The mutt squealed out of worry, but he licked my face, and I knew what it meant.

"Thanks, Pen-pen," I smiled and stood up again.

With that, we immediately went to the nearest market. After looking around, I found someone who wouldn't fight back: an old dwarf lady who was checking the vegetables for sale. She seemed to be in the twilight of her life, her build not showing the strength typical of dwarfs. Her hair was completely white. I stood behind her and peeked at her purse. I saw a lot of silver coins. I contemplated further, considering the speed of the wolf I could run with. Only the flying fairies and angels would be able to catch up to me.

I still felt the guilt, but as I was about to grab her purse, I heard her voice.

"Oooohhhh! I will take these okras. My son loves this vegetable when I boil them and pair it with soy sauce," the old sweet lady said to the vendor. Her words and husky voice shattered my heart. Her voice closely resembled my mother's, and her son's taste in okra was very similar to mine. At this moment, I was fully enveloped in guilt. I wanted to just fade away, but I couldn't ignore the fact that I had made a deal with someone who could hunt and kill me with his goons.

So, what I did was grab the purse next to the old dwarf and run without looking back at what I had stolen.

"THHHIIIIEEEEFFFF!" A loud, shrieking squeal pierced the air. I turned to check it out and saw a flying, raging fairy chasing me. My eyes widened as the worst-case scenario unfolded. My wolf was running ahead of me, and we were doing parkour moves with the speed of the wind, but those fancy maneuvers weren't enough to outpace a flying pursuer. We did everything to escape, not just from that fairy but also from any concerned citizens who might intervene.

"THHHIIIIEEEEFFFF!" The fairy's shrieks echoed again.

Our sharp turns were on point, and we even ran along walls in alleys and slid under horse-drawn carts, but the fairy's cries summoned angels patrolling the skies, making our escape seem impossible. As much as I regretted what I had done, there was no turning back now.

"Pen-pen, run faster! Leave me! Don't wait for me, friend. You shouldn't be captured alongside someone as worthless as me," I shouted.

My dog glanced back at me, still holding the bamboo canister in his mouth. Then, he hopped into a manhole, giving me a chance to finally escape. Without thinking, I followed suit.

Suddenly, I felt myself submerged in water, surrounded by darkness. The only things I could see were what lay above, and it was strange. When I looked up, I expected to see a hole, like one would when inside a well looking up, but instead, I saw a window displaying what was above ground. Despite being submerged, I didn't feel like I was suffocating. I couldn't breathe, yet I didn't feel the need to. There was no sensation of air or water ing my lungs.

I tried to find Pen-pen, but all I could see was darkness. The light from above didn't penetrate this space, yet I could still sense him and felt a strong connection to him. I decided to swim in the opposite direction to mislead our pursuers and finally escape. When I tried to move, my body propelled in the direction I wanted without paddling or effort. Sensing my dog beside me, I instinctively moved through this dark space with just my will.

When I felt confident enough to emerge from the ground, I was suddenly pulled upward and shot out, emerging from the ground and continuing to fly through the air. I landed on my face while my wolf landed on my back.

"It hurts!" The pain from landing was intense, but the confusion about what had happened was even more gripping.

I looked at Pen-pen, who was staring back at me, and then glanced at the spot from where we had emerged.

"What the fuck!" There was nothing there-no pond, no manhole, just solid ground shaded by the shadows of nearby buildings.

I sat down to digest everything that had happened and looked at my wolf. "You did this, didn't you? It's not just you giving me the mental conditioning to do parkour and run faster." I caressed his fur. "You're giving me the ability to run with you, and now to shadows and emerge somewhere else." I was flabbergasted by what had just occurred.

Pen-pen wagged his tail, seemingly pleased with my realization. His eyes glowed with an intelligence I hadn't noticed before.

I stood up, still feeling the residual pain but now more intrigued than ever. "Alright, buddy, looks like we have some new abilities to explore. Let's see what else we can do."

"COOL!" I muttered.

After making sure no one was following us, I went home. No matter how loud Persis's nagging or how exhausting the training was, nothing could shake this feeling. I checked the purse and found 30 large silver coins, similar to the ones Persis had when we climbed down the mountain. The coins were not only large but also had an engraving of a man with a crown. I knew this was an angel because of the crown, and I assumed this was the crowned prince.

I lay back on my bed, still unable to fathom what had driven me to make such an important deal for my friend.

"This sucks!" I muttered. Pen-pen, in his puppy size, settled on my chest to sleep. As I caressed my dog, a silhouette of a perfect shape appeared as night fell.

"Hey there, boy!" Mikay said, opening the window. The wind spread her wavy hair as she set her foot on the floor.

I looked at her with admiration in my eyes. Her soft voice reminded me of my priorities, including making our journey safe. That was enough reason to make the orc's medallion my own trade.