21 Astra 10,391

It was Alison and she sneered when he met her eyes.

“What do you mean asshole?” Six asked, confused. He thought he was done with this person, all he wanted was to be left alone.

She crossed her arms and approached close enough to loom. “I mean you are being uncharitable and purposefully ignorant.”

“What?” Six’s confusion increased. “Why do you think that?” He was almost offended but he had been a point of terrible news for her, but still it was a harsh label.

“You just come in here and bring us this terrible news, don’t offer any help or any of the gear that rightfully belongs to us. Act like you did them a favor when you should have let them fight to live. You know exactly what I'm talking about.” She was angry, furious.

Six took a deep breath and relaxed, she wasn’t exactly wrong. He didn’t have to do any of that shit but he should really give most of that stuff back. He didn’t need 23 pickaxes after all. “Alright, but she gave it to me because I agreed to her fucking quest.”

“She must have been delirious.”

Six paused. “You know… that may be true. Besides that, you’re not exactly wrong, I ain’t returning it all but you can have most of it back.” He began to organize his inventories, loading up Carralevine’s ring for them.

“Most of it,” she scoffed. “You’re keeping some of it? Corpse robber.”

Six blew a raspberry. “It’s mine. I earned it. You wouldn’t even have anything if I didn’t get to them before the poisoner. I brought it back and I’m sharing it with you. What? Are you going to murder and rob me?”

She glared at him. “I’m not a criminal. What about the help?”

“No.”

“No?”

“No,” he repeated.

“What? Why?”

“Because I don’t have time to help you.”

“No time? What are you doing that is so pressing?”

“None of your business actually but I'm going back to that mountain.”

“To do what?”

“Gonna do a whole lotta nothing. It will be very relaxing. Helping you will probably be stressful, ain’t nobody got time for that.”

“Uncharitable,” she repeated and shook her head, face of disappointment. “Have you no sense of honor or chivalry?”

“I am a victim of honor but not chivalry. Why do you think you deserve my help?” Six didn’t mind helping when it was a small investment but he felt like this would get out of control. He wanted to be free, just take care of himself again for change.

“I don’t deserve anything but you still have alot of our stuff, and you returned nothing. You should pay us back for it.”

“It’s my stuff. It was given to me, and I will just gimme a minute.”

Alison shook her head in disbelief. “Carralevine just wanted you to deliver a message.” Surely you don’t think that's enough.”

“No, she wanted me to kill her and her friends and then deliver a message. Do you understand how fucked that is? Do you understand?”

“I’ve killed before. Death is death.”

“I’ve seen death but that was my first time killing someone and you think I have to give more?”

She paused, her face surprised and a bit embarrassed. It took a bit but Six could see her build up some humility and courage. “Would you please take us back to the cairn where you left our leaders?

Six blinked at her for a bit. That was it?

You have been offered a quest: Giving Mercy II

Alison Lamora has asked you to guide her and the settlers to the graves of their previous leaders.

Rewards for Accepting: Voluntary Spiritual Energy

Rewards for Completion: None

Time Limit: None

Penalty for Failure: Loss of relationship with Alison Lamora

Do you Accept? Yes or No?

“Are you ok?” She asked, he must have zoned out for a bit.

“Yes.” he nodded, taking a seat. “Just processing.” He thought about it for a bit more. He could feel something in his gut, he felt helping these people was the right decision. “No.”

Quest Rejected!

“What?” Alison nearly shouted. “Why the hells not?”

“I don’t feel like it.” He felt manipulated, or was he just overthinking things, was this just rampant over analysis?

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“What?! Fuck you!” She was determined and she clearly didn’t believe his lie.

“Even if I did, I don’t think I could find the exact place.” He shrugged.

“I need this.” She said this with such focused seriousness that Six felt something tell him she was telling the truth.

He registered the change of his psyche and shuddered at how invasive and foreign it seemed, such a strong gut feeling, was this the effect of the system? Was this a persuasion skill or an insight thing? No way to tell really but he would listen and see what occurs. “Alright. Why are you guys leaving the city? Everyone has been telling me I’m crazy to head out into the wild.”

“We want a place of our own to call home. Most of us just want to start over new. Carralevine was going to scout the way and come get us. We can find our own way when you get us close.”

Six shrugged. “Well I’m heading that way anyways. I’m not saying I'm gonna take you there but you can follow me and I’m not taking responsibility for anything that happens to any of you.”

Quest Accepted!

They were not his family. He wasn’t going to help anyone he didn’t care about and he wasn’t planning on caring about anyone. “You have to promise to stay away from where I pick to live. Like three, four kilometers,”

She grimaced and snapped at him. “You can't just claim sections of the mountain like that before we get there and don't worry, I'll keep our people safe. You just get us there, close, I'll find the cairn if you can't do it yourself.”

Six couldn’t claim the mountain but he just wanted to make sure he was left alone. “I just don’t wanna deal with your people.”

She growled and waved it away. “Fine, fine, your importance lies in getting us back.”

He shook his head, he was terrible at navigating and he was just gonna follow the map he found in Carralevines ring. Her bite was becoming tiresome. “I’m leaving early in the morning. Like real early.” He pulled Carralevine’s spatial ring off and handed it to her.

She took it and stared at it with a bittersweet expression. “Where's the gold?”

“I’m keeping it.”

“Why do you need that much money? It was supposed to help start our new life.”

Six felt guilty but he had already spent a lot of it. He couldn’t give what was left away, He didn’t owe anybody anything and he didn’t want any connections. Still he hated to think he was taking away from a community.

“You’ve already spent it?” Alison sounded pissed.

Shit, he needed to control his reactions better. “No…” he tried to lie.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Anyways,” Six hurried to continue. “Will you be ready to leave tomorrow morning if not you’ll have to figure something else out.”

“Yes, we are ready.”

“Really?” Six asked surprised, he thought that his leaving so soon might have made following him impossible, shit.

“We were already somewhat ready and waiting for Carralevine and you told me how long you were staying. I made the call. We are ready.”

He sighed. “Could I get some food?” he asked the innkeep.

Alison nodded at him. “Thanks for the help.” she grinned and slammed some copper on the table. “This meal is on me.” Then the tall woman left the inn.

Six sighed and tried to relax, only really relaxing when the soup arrived. He enjoyed and savoured the hearty food, immersing himself in the meal and exhaling in content satisfaction when there was nothing left. A little more unwinding and then back to bed. “Some more bread and meat. Please.”

The innkeep nodded and a platter made its way to him. Six took the food, paid and made his way to the back alley. Where he sat down, pulled out his pipe and began to puff away. It wasn’t too long before the racoon showed itself. That lit Six up. He made tiny soothing sounds at the beast and picked up some bread before tossing a chunk near the raccoon. It flinched a bit before grabbing the food and scarfing it.

Six smiled wider and tossed another chunk.

The raccoon scarfed it up.

This went on for a while. Six feeding the raccoon bit by bit, breaking up bread and fish. Tossing the food and smoking his pipe. He smiled again and reflected, he couldn’t believe it but here he was. This he could do. He just wanted to be left alone with some food and weed. He was tired of people and wasn’t going to get stuck in the same capitalist system. He wanted to be self reliant and isolated. Movement in his peripherals broke his reverie.

It was the raccoon. It had edged closer to the platter but froze when Six moved to regard it. It almost looked innocent. It stood upon its hindlegs and rubbed its little hands together. Its belly was fat with food, somebody was going to get a stomach ache tonight. Six nudged the platter closer to the creature who quickly finished off the food. It gave a small chitter and looked up at Six with a doe eyed stare.

Skill gained Taming - Initiate - 1

Each level provides an increase of 2% to the effectiveness of all interactions with animals.

Current increase: 2%

“Uh oh.” Taming? He had just fed it. That was all. Maybe being non threatening had something to do with it. There was a large part of Six that wanted to pet the darn thing but who knew what kinds of diseases it might have had. Too dangerous to expose himself to wild animals. Taming or not.

Six finished a quick puff and stood causing the beast to waddle back in surprise. He picked up the platter dish and reentered the Prancing Stallion looking back at the raccoon who began making its wobbly way down the alley.

He went back inside and sat down at the bar, pulled the masonry book out of his storage ring and began to read. It wasn’t the most interesting or useful but it's where his curiosity drew him. It began with simple terminology and general tool explanations.

It took an hour of reading to understand files, chisels, hammers, saws and how to use them. He could tell that this book would lead him into simple stone work, no mortar just the structure relying on angles and placement. It had been years since he last studied and he had expected more resistance but the information seemed to flow freely and his retention was effortless. Everynow and then he glanced about at the room slowly filling with people but his mind kept getting drawn back into the book. This was actually enjoyable, he had studied before and earned some diplomas but the more academic classes had always been somewhat of a slog.

Skill gained Masonry - Initiate - 1

Each level provides and additional 1% to overall stonework health and a reduction of 0.5% to the total work required.

Skill Increase: Masonry has increased to level 3 - Initiate

Current increase 3% max health 1.5% reduced work

Ok, cool. That was something, but really the practical knowledge was what he was taking away here. He closed his book up and sent it into storage and then glanced at the room again. It had progressed to night while he was with the raccoon and this studying session had deepened it to late night and the rowdy nature of the inn showed itself. People drank and danced freely, drinks being delivered and food being devoured. Six was kinda amazed at how fantasy it looked.

A rough looking, muscled man in simple clothing stumbled out of the crowd, his arm around a woman, and shouted at Six. “Hey, whatchu lookin at!” He shook his fist at Six.

Six was taken aback. Who was this man? Was this really happening? He didn’t look like a young lord but offending people was a no go, that was a bad trope to get caught up in. “Oh, nothing. Sorry.” Six went to simple de-escalation.

“You telling me sorry? Fuck you! Apologize to mah woman for ogling her!” The man slurred his shouted words.

“Sorry lady. Aight, buddy? You win, I’m gonna leave.”

“I’m not your buddy. Just comin up in here and flaunting your reading and your nice clothes. You think you’re leaving?”

“Yes,” said Six.

Six tried to slip past upstairs but the man swung a meaty fist as the old shopkeep shouted. Six dodged the blow and wanted to keep moving but didn’t want to turn his back on the aggressive man. The room had already formed a circle of bodies around them and a few of them shouted for blood. The crowd has shifted in tone and focus disturbingly fast.

“I don’t know this man!” shouted Six.

“Rip his head off!” screamed the crowd.

“C’mere,” the man said and shuffled forward swinging another haymaker towards Six.

Six held his hands out and tried to parry the blow away but the man punched right through his guard and thundered his fist into Six’s face. His helm offered no protection against the well placed blow and he fell back onto the floor of the inn.

The crowd went wild.

You have been struck by an unarmed strike for 158 damage (339/497)

Six was in pain, immense pain coursed through his face, tears escaped his shut eyes and he hissed in a breath through his clenched mouth, laying motionless on the ground.

“Serves you right,” the man slurred.

“What did I do?” moaned out Six.

“You don’t get to stare at people like animals.”

“I’m sorry,” Six said, struggling to his feet. He had all of his teeth and moved his jaw around, he was ok even though he was pretty sure that punch should have ended a normal person.“

“Get back down.”

Six brought out a staff he had bought earlier and brandished it at the asshole. “I was looking at everyone.” He gritted out, then he began throwing out tight swings. Battering the man who defended quite well, but Six could see fending off the weapon was hurting his hands and arms.

Six went for a thrust and the man caught the weapon and then grinned. Six went to wrest it out of the man’s hands but it was like pulling on a tree. The drunk man dropped into a ready stance and Six could see him move to pull with all his strength so Six let go and the man expected some sort of resistance and the complete lack sent him into an unbalanced tumble, landing on his ass and rolling onto his back. Six followed immediately, picking up a stool and bringing it down on the man who yelped. He brought it down again and again. The man sustained three blows and then a fourth to the head sent him down limp and quiet.

Six stood over the man and raised the stool again. His blood pumped and his mind raged. This man needed punishment, a remembrance to remind him against such stupidity in the future.

“Beat his skull in!” The crowd howled

But Six put the stool down and to his room, leaving the unconscious muscle man to be robbed by the drunk crowd.