James headed out the next morning, after making sure to leave a small mountain of loot behind. Food, supplies, schoolbooks and materials, weapons and money, enough to make Grobar's eyes twitch at his wealth. But to him, it wasn't throwing away money but rather an investment. One that he hoped would soon pay off. Right before he left he thought of something and told Grobar to use his own judgement in the event that anyone came looking to join them and to not let any other humans in until he came back. While he felt a twinge of regret at this order, he felt that the safety of their people came before welcoming members of a race that had traditionally hated and suppressed the dwarves.

He had thought about simply taking his horse again, but the animal had developed a lame leg, so rather than wait for it to recover he simply set out on foot. While his progress was slow it was still faster than when he had journeyed to the fortress with the dwarves. Using his map to find potential settlements where he could perhaps glean some information, James first found a small village that relied mostly on hunting to make their living. After purchasing some hunted mystery meat he asked the hunters if they knew anything about the Djinn King. They didn't but passed on local gossip about a man who had been seen with a woman, who was apparently responsible for committing treason and now had a bounty on his head. James was relieved to hear this, since it meant his earlier plan to spare the Gravitus' had succeeded and he had made the right decision by leaving Elizabeth behind and not exposing her to needless danger.

Realizing that he probably could not stay in the Azkar Empire much longer, James headed north. He did stop at a few other towns, but mostly kept to himself and made sure to sleep in the wilderness after using his drain abilities to create safe places to rest. It was hard for him to be comfortable when it rained, and at least once he could only trudge forward through a thunderstorm. But he contented himself as best he could by bundling up warmly and singing softly to himself.

At last after several weeks of travelling he came to the northern mountains that enclosed the Azkar Empire. Deciding not to reveal himself or exhaust his powers by trying to use drain to devour a hole through the mountain like he had with the Vengeance, James instead followed the mountains travelling westward. In that way he came to a narrow canyon or valley that looked promising. Fortunately there was no one else there, otherwise he might be forced to answer questions about who he was and where he had come from. He did on impulse carve the Gravitus family crest into the rock though with his ability. While he wasn't sure if anyone would see it, he thought that if anyone did see it then there was a possibility it would lead people and their attention away from the dwarves.

Passing through the mountains, he found himself amid a vast desert. He also learned that his map was no longer usable. Since it only dealt with the Azkar Empire, he could only put it away and let his feet lead him forward. Unfortunately for him, the first thing he found other than sand was a monster.

He had been travelling across the sand dunes and trying to get to the highest point he could in order to see farther. But the more he walked the more he just saw endless sand. Eventually he stopped being cautious and just trudged on. That was how he was surprised when he set his foot down and suddenly the ground beneath him started to shift. Stumbling back, he looked down and saw a hairy beast start to get up to its feet. Creating even more distance between them, James could only watch in horror as a freaking manticore woke up and turned to face him, angry at the one who had interrupted its nap.

James quickly realized that this monster was perhaps the worst possible opponent for him. While drain was an incredible skill, the range of it was too short. And with the manticore's scorpion tail that could pierce him in an instant and flood his body with venom, he was limited in what he could do. Thinking quickly, he began to use drain to try and remove the sand under its feet. But this forced him to get closer and into range of the manticore. He quickly paid the price when he felt its scorpion tail pierce through his left shoulder, causing him to scream in pain. Ducking back he brought his hand over the wound, focusing on the pain to stay focused.

Dodging and running out of the manticore's way, James quickly felt himself getting tired and losing stamina. Knowing that he was fighting a losing battle, he closed the distance again and this time he didn't care if he was hit. To his surprise he felt the manticore's tail thud into the sand beside him as he ran under the beat. Activating his ability, he tagged the leg of the creature and wrapping his hands around it clung to its foreleg. Waiting for those few seconds for his ability to take its toll was the hardest, but in mere seconds his devouring class ate away at the leg like rot. Stumbling, the beast began to hobble but James wasn't done. Having taken its leg, he now focus on draining the beast's skills and levels. True to his profession, he devoured everything useful about the beast and left nothing behind.

With a last whimpering growl the manticore collapsed, throwing up a cloud of sand. As it faded from view leaving only a few gold coins, a claw and the stinger from the manticore's tail James next focused on himself, first removing the poison by draining it all away and then healing the wound. To his annoyance though, he saw that the manticore had only given him levels and not any new skills. Still, he supposed it wasn't good to be too greedy.

Name: James Horvak

Race: Human

Age: 32

Profession: Devourer

Level: 20

HP: 45/140

MP: 140/140

Strength: 23

Agility: 20

Constitution: 14

Intelligence: 14

Wisdom: 16

Charisma: 16

Luck: 24

Abilities:

Drain (Level 8)

Daggers (Level 4)

Haggle (Level 3)

Trade (Level 3)

Medic (Level 2)

Halberd (Level 1)

Summoning Magic (Level 1)

Scholar (Level 2)

Riding (Level 2)

Analyze (Level 1)

Teaching (Level 2)

Healing Magic (Level 2)

Active Quests: Reverse the Curse

Continuing on, James quickly reversed his schedule, sleeping during the day and travelling by night. This helped him to use the stars to travel by while avoiding the heat of the day as the sun beat down on the hot sands. While he was not comfortable sweltering in a tent, he pressed on and in approximately another ten days he saw a desert city. While it was difficult to see by starlight, when James waited for the suns to rise he then saw that the city was located in the middle of an oasis. With tall domed buildings, it reminded him of the Arabic cities of legend. Moving towards the city, he was met by travellers passing by riding dromedaries. Noticing how out of place he looked without an animal to ride, James nonetheless made for the open city gates. Luckily the guards didn't stop him and only kept watch in case of trouble. Advancing inside, he found a city much more pleasant than any other he had previously visited. There were no slums, the people were dressed in an array of colours from saffron yellow to light blue to apple red. There was also none of the signboards showing what shop held what, as the streets were filled with vendors tending to their stalls.

At first he worried about this city having a different currency, but quickly learned that that was stupid of him, since it was the System itself that supplied the coins so they were universally used. He did still stop to sell a few items, but nothing major to tip anyone off and he made sure to look like he was simply removing them from his pockets.

He eventually found a library, and after paying the entrance fee he went looking for any references to the Djinn King. While wondering how he could understand any language in this world, James found a scroll that told of the djinn in passing.

In those days, there was no counting the number of dead. The fields, the hills, the very rivers themselves seemed to gush with blood, both human and djinn. Deciding after this that the djinn were too dangerous, King Ali Shah-Al assembled his best magicians, and using the recently developed technique of the Gravitus sealed the djinn in the lost city of Tol-Namith. This occurred in the fourth year of the reign of the King Ali Shah-Al, or the one thousand thirty-seventh year of the calendar.

It wasn't much, but it was something. If the Gravitus' had originally been a part of this kingdom, it made sense that without any remaining djinn they would turn their technique to use against humans. But where was Tol-Namith?

Searching further through the records, he finally learned from an old map that the city he was currently in was called Vashith, and that once one travelled northeast of it past the city of Melech it was located at the end of a valley. Deciding that this was the next direction he would travel, James briefly searched for any further relevant information before copying the important details. He didn't want to take chances and simply commit it to memory. With a customary brush of the necklace he wore James left the library and began to tour the stalls. His inventory was still crowded, but he had long made it a habit to find whatever he might need. Remembering his fight with the manticore, he purchased several quivers of arrows, a bow, and a pair of swords along with a dagger. The quality was not as great as that of the dwarves, but he didn't complain. While there were no books, it was no surprise to him considering that in this world books were all made by hand without even a manual printing press.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Just as he was getting ready to leave a crier ran out into the streets.

"Hear all! Hear all! The mighty and inexorable king, King Beyazid the Second, mighty ruler and lord of the mighty city of Vashith, has declared that all who wish may volunteer to join his army for the coming campaign against the city of Melech and the despicable evil King Hisham! Volunteers are to visit the barracks within the next three days! So says his majesty!"

It's not your problem, it's not your problem James kept telling himself. It's war, whether here or earth it's something that can't be stopped.

Despite James' efforts to not care about the situation, knowing that he had just been told that war was coming, he was reminded of an old phrase: If I can save one soul from death, I shall not live in vain.

He ignored this pang of conscience and walked away from the crier. But before he knew it, he was buying a dromedary and setting out across the desert.

James wondered how he kept getting involved in other peoples' problems. It was starting to become habit with him, first with Elizabeth, then the dwarves, and now this. Grumpily he wondered if everyone was out to delay him or if he should just start avoiding people to not get involved in their issues. He didn't mean it seriously though, and pushed the camel through the night, stopping only when he was too tired to continue. He did make sure that the camel could not simply wander off though, as it was his only transport through the harsh desert.

The journey took almost another week, but finally he came in sight of Melech. He didn't hesitate, only got to the front gate when he vaulted down from the dromedary and looked to the guard on duty.

"Quickly! You must tell the king! There is an attack coming from Vashith!"

The guards laughed.

"And let me guess, he's going to throw sand at us?"

"Go home, crazy man!"

"No! Either you tell the king or I start attacking this city myself!"

The guards only laughed and made as if to threaten him. Bracing his feet in the ground, James slammed his hand into the sand and unleashed devour, being careful to swallow only the landscape.

The results were not immediate, but still quick. Both guards fell as the ground beneath them seemed to cascade down into a hole. But that was just the beginning. Jumping to the gate James kept draining or rather devouring the ground. It would have been easy for him to destroy the gate, but with so little time he didn't want to destroy Melech's defences.

"Stop!"

"Then let me see the king!"

"Alright, alright!"

James stopped and stepped back. By now there was a commotion in the city and there was the sound of running feet as the other guards inside the city started running towards the gate. James could hear their armour and weapons as they marched.

What followed was several minutes of confusion as the soldiers learned what had happened and a messenger was sent to ask the king what he wanted done. After a brief but tense standoff with James unsure if he would be taken seriously the captain of the guard himself came out and looked at James.

"Are you the one who caused the disturbance?"

"I am."

"Come. The king wishes to speak with you."

James nodded and advanced with raised hands. He only made it a few steps before he was tackled and his hands placed in manacles. Not resisting, he allowed them to lead him under guard inside and through the streets of Melech. As he looked at the city past the bodies of his jailers he couldn't help but notice the gap in prosperity. People here were cheerful, but not as wealthy as they had appeared in Vashith. Where that city had domed luxurious buildings here the buildings were more practical square stone structures. There were also several curious onlookers, but James barely had the chance to see any of this before he was marched into the palace and through several halls to a throne room. With an expertly carved stone throne padded with a thick cushion, a twinkling-eyed king sat there being fanned as the members of his court stood to the side. Walking along a red carpet until he was only a few meters from the raised dais James met the king's stern look as the guards broke apart in front of him and positioned themselves close by in case they were needed.

"You are the one who attacked my gate?" the king asked without preamble.

"I did, Your Majesty."

"Why?"

"To warn you. My name is James, and I just came from Vashith. Right before I left, a crier announced that they were accepting volunteers for an impending attack on this city."

A murmur from the assembly arose but the king waved everyone to silence.

"There is always trouble with Vashith. Why should we take this threat seriously?"

"Because they are coming. I estimate that they will be here in only a few days."

"If this is true...then what would you advise?"

James was surprised and thought for a moment.

"If you are asking me...well, may I be permitted to show Your Majesty something?"

"You may" he nodded.

James took out a handful of jewelry from his inventory. This shocked everyone who saw his empty hands suddenly full of gold and gemstones.

"I have the ability to store items and treasure in an inventory. Sort of like a type of space magic that stores things in another dimension. If Your Majesty wishes, I could save things like your treasury and your books and records there until the attack is over. You can even have me remain in your dungeon until the attack is over. But above all...if I may be so bold, I would suggest that Your Majesty's family evacuate the city until the attack is over."

"Insolence!"

"Melech will never fall!"

"Silence!"

The room again grew quiet as the king continued to look at James.

"I see no lie in his eyes, and his counsel is wise. If we have the chance to save our kingdom's treasures and protect the members of the Royal Family, we will take it!

"Alert the guard to prepare for war! Send out our scouts! Release this man and take him to the castle treasury and library! And call my daughter!"

James was surprised how quickly events unfolded after that. He was released and quickly taken to a large treasury where despite the misgivings of the castle staff and the distrust of a complete stranger James quickly stored away the treasury full of luxurious treasures from rubies to sapphires, diamonds and emeralds and exquisite works of gold and other precious metals. Then he was led to an incredibly vast castle library where he guessed all the records of the city for dozens if not hundreds of years were kept. Having just arrived, he was unsure if Melech was a single city state or part of a larger empire but it didn't matter to him and everything quickly disappeared. As all of this was happening there was a frenzied urgency as patrols on the walls increased and everyone was alerted to be ready. At last James returned to the throne room, where he saw the king addressing two women who were standing by his throne.

"Good, you are here."

Both women turned and James saw a pretty middle-aged woman with a soft warm joyful face look at him. She was dressed in gold robes with a full headscarf that reminded him of ones that Muslim women wore. Beside her was an older teenager, about seventeen or eighteen. She wore blue turqoise harem pants with gold embroidery done along the length, with a matching off shoulder top. There were large waterdrop earrings in her ears, and on her head was a seagreen head chain from which dangled a diamond shaped emerald over her forehead. Her black hair was so long it came bellow her buttocks, and on her feet were curled golden shoes.

"James."

"Your Majesty."

"Your counsel was wise. We have just received word from our scouts that an army is indeed marching towards us. Should you prove trustworthy, you shall be able to return our kingdom's treasures once this attack is over. If we fall, you are to escape from here and rebuild our kingdom. To that end..."

He motioned to the two women.

"I entrust with you the safety of my wife and daughter."

"Excuse me, what?"

"You must take my family away from here. Take them to a safe place, and when the fighting is over return here with them."

James looked at both women, who looked back at him.

"May I please ask for your names?"

"I am Afifa. This is my daughter Shaherabad."

"I see. But...why me? I'm just a stranger here."

"But no one else would have thought for the royal family to escape. And no one would have come to warn us when they learned that our city was in danger. Now hurry, there is no time to waste."

James shook his head, both honoured and confused by the abrupt trust he was given. Was it his face? His not-so-charming personality? What was it that made people keep trusting him?

"My daugher...words cannot express how proud of you I am. It has been my joy to watch your grow up. Listen to this man, and listen to your mother. They will keep you safe."

The king kissed his daughter and embraced his wife. Then, with an awkward air the three of them made for the city gate. Climbing onto three camels, the trio exited the gate as the soldiers saluted behind them.

"So? Where will you take us?" Afifa asked James, positioning her dromedary between his and Shaherabad's.

"To the only place I know that the people of Vashith won't go. We're going to Tol-Namith."