[Alert] You have slain: Furious Soul x47, Gluttonous Wolf V73
…
…
…
Calculating Hunt Reward
Applying Strain-Modifier: -25%
…
…
…
[Alert] Portion diverted to repair Lore Matrix…
,,,
,,,
,,,
Calculations Complete
I waited and waited.
I closed the system message with a glare and flopped forward.
Alice nudged me. “Is something wrong?”
“Yeah,” I said, moving my chin to rest on my knees inside the wagon. “I just got the system notification for the kills in town. I didn’t level up, and apparently, my Lore Matrix was damaged, and some of it was diverted to that? Like how? That was a lot of corpses.”
It was barely noticeable, but I had been stuck with Devon and Alice for a few weeks now. Even as she expertly schooled her expression, I caught the barest hint of a smirk at the corner of her lips.
“You’re not level one; it will take a few hunts to gain enough. Appreciate how quickly you’ve grown,” Devon cut in.
My eyes narrowed. “What about you, Alice? Did you get anything from freeing the souls?”
“Yes. I got credit for thirty-seven of the corpses. But I did level,” she revealed.
“What?! That’s unfair!”
In a rare display of emotions, she turned to face me and glared. “You’re the last one to speak about unfairness.”
“I-” I started, then stopped. My mouth shut and I lowered my head. “Yeah, fair. But how did you get credit for the corpse kills? Did you kill any?”
“No,” she shook her head. “I left them all to you.”
“Devon? Any ideas?”
“Again, the system is vague, and this is why tracking how it works is impossible. It could be that she worked to help free the souls, so it counted your kills as a pair. Or there’s any number of reasons that we’ll never know.”
“What about you? Did you get anything?”
I was curious about everything Devon-related. His level was unknown, as were his stats, skills, and titles. Just what kind of notifications did Devon the Grimm get?
He shook his head. “No.”
I waited. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back. As he pulled his hood over his face, I turned to Alice, who shrugged.
One day… I swear.
“So you’re what, level five now? Where did your stats go?”
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
“One in Constitution, Strength, and Agility,” she answered.
She looked happy, or at the very least, satisfied.
“I’m surprised you didn’t get a magic stat. We’ve been practicing this incantation for a while now.”
She shrugged and raised her hand, producing what looked like pops of grey energy. “I might next level up. It would be nice to have more mana.”
I guess that’s an issue. I don’t really have that problem, though.
As the conversation came to a lull, I pulled out a very familiar, and slightly worn scroll. I set it up between the two of us and closed my eyes after skimming the vellum. Alice shifted closer and joined me in meditation practice as we held out our arms.
Come on. I have the higher stats, and she can already produce effects. Work with me already.
***
A light knock rapped the cabin's entrence.
“Grimms, we’re here. The city is just ahead, about ten minutes out. We’ll be entering after a quick check and then heading to the Ashton’s estate near the inner ring,” Yadalee said as she pushed aside the flap.
“Thank you,” Devon replied.
Yadalee nodded and closed the flap.
“What’s the plan once we’re in the city?” Alice asked.
“The Ashtons will settle in for a day, then they’ll be meeting with the king. He’ll introduce us there, and we’ll meet with the other Grimm inside the city simultaneously. If we’re lucky, they’ll have a lead. If not, we’ll use the king’s resources to find the problem.”
Efficient.
“Any guesses as to who's the Grimm is?” I asked.
“No.”
“You think this will take long?”
He didn’t reply and turned his body away so that his face was hidden by his cloak.
Aaand there he goes. Isn’t it exhausting being so anti-social?
I joined Yadalee on the bench for what was probably the last time. She scooted over, and I tried to peek from the sides, but the wagon ahead blocked the view.
“Well, Yadalee. It’s been a fun couple of weeks,” I said.
“Mmm,” was all she said.
I snorted and leaned my head back, enjoying the setting sun as it created a beautiful wave of colors amongst the clouds. It wasn’t long before the first wagon stopped, and a loud whistle signified our arrival.
***
Two men wearing clean chainmail armor stopped in front of the wagon. I raised an eyebrow as the guardsman on the left held up a clipboard and a pen in his other hand. We had been stopped for over fifteen minutes, waiting in front of the large stone walls outside of the city. Volk had rushed over, as well as Jezzra on his horse. I decided to stay in the wagon rather than hop down and peek at the city. We’d be inside soon enough. There wasn’t any reason not to relax.
“I was informed that there are three Grimms in this wagon. Is this correct?”
It was hard to get a read on the first guy; his face was amazingly neutral, and his voice kept a calm monotone that gave nothing away. But the second guardsman had his hand on his hip where a longsword’s pommel rested along his belt.
“That is correct, sir,” Yadalee responded.
“We’ll need the Grimms to announce themselves.”
My tongue rubbed against my canines. The second guard was starting to annoy me, especially how his eyes hardened at my staring.
Yadalee cleared her throat and hesitantly glanced my way.
For a second, I was sorely tempted to have Freki make himself known.
Thankfully, Devon pushed aside the flap and hopped down, easily clearing the bench and landing beside the guard.
The guard yelped and started to pull his blade out of his sheath before the second guard wrenched his hand away. The two glared at each other before the second guard gave in.
Alice peeked her head out and stared coldly at the two guards.
“We have made ourselves known,” Devon stated.
“I’m sorry, sir. But can you display any proof that you are who you say you are? Like your eyes, I know they can shi-”
At the same time, Devon and Alice’s eyes shifted to crimson, while I threaded mana into my eyes and let the world brighten in color.
It was a neat trick, and the guardsman finally cracked, showing hesitancy after remaining stone-faced throughout the conversation.
“That’ll do. Excuse us.”
I cut the mana flowing to my face and breathed in as the guards stiffly walked away from the wagon.
“I think I get why you’re always intimidating, Devon.”
He crossed his arms and stared. “Just another tool to get the job done.”
He jumped onto the bench and crouched to get back inside as I leaned away to provide room. Alice had already disappeared, so I closed the flap and relaxed.
“I’m surprised they asked for identification. Normally, you wouldn’t ask a Grimm anything,” Yadalee muttered.
“What do you mean?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. I’m sure they were just being thorough.”
After another ten minutes, another whistle came from the front, and the first wagon started to move. As Yadalee guided the horses onward, the city gates came into view, proudly displaying the intricately carved motif on the massive doors.
More guards lined the sides and watched the caravan. Only one man looked different. His chest piece was full plate, and he sported a bright green sash around his waist. His eyes lingered on our wagon the longest. He had a stormy expression as we crossed, but when I glanced his way, he turned around and disappeared into a building before slamming the door shut.
Weird.
Yadalee adjusted the reins in her hand and smiled. “Welcome to the capital, Cain.”
I dipped my head into a bow. “Thank you. What’s its name?”
“Myzstraad. The city of iron.”