Charles Blueflame

currently being dragged around by the Princess

These silvery trees seemed exquisite. Were they completely made out of metal, or was it just a similar-looking substance? They were cold under the touch but retained heat when I summoned a Firebolt - just like an ordinary iron would. Yet this gleam, this polish! It was simply divine! The organic structure of its branches was something that our artisans were not able to replicate.

Was it because the iron was extended all the way into the core, creating a metallic lifeform or maybe it was because the bark of this plant was infused to create a special type of defense? Nobody knew. But also nobody cared.

The finished product of these silver trees, be it a branch, one of the many leaves or even the planks made from it would sell for a ton of money - if delivered quickly enough. In the capital, both the nobles and large merchant families had a penchant for rare resources. Or more like the dubious honor of being the first one to flaunt them at parties. Straight into the faces of their rivals. As soon as the information about these plants - they were plants, right? - arrived in Shieldstar all hell would break loose. The capital city would be buzzing with impatience.

Especially because the plants in question were found at the dungeon entrance - a grey zone which was unaffiliated with any of the local factions, barring maybe the Geinard Kingdom royalty. Or other countries putting a claim on this piece of land. After all the dungeon entrance was a few kilometers into the badlands.

It would also take time for the news to arrive at the court. And even more, days would pass until they decided how to divide the rights. Not to mention sending back the military contingent and bureaucrats in order to enforce these rules.

Which was a prime opportunity. It was hard to let it pass up. I might be a high noble in name, but my assets, barring the ones belonging to the Order of Fates Untold, were meager.

I simply had to take a few moments and order Adam to gather what we could. And then sell it afterward.

Well… truth be told I was planning this over so intensively mostly to escape from harsh reality.

“Gyahahahahahaha! An ambush! Look alive people!” A female voice resounded in the background, startling me. One might think I already grew used to this kind of life since I was kidnapped about a week ago, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Charles, wake up! We’ve got experience to gain and these cute rats to kill!” The amount of joy contained in the voice was overwhelming, even if the contents of the Princess' speech were disturbing to hear.

I stood up and turned around only to see her figure moving wildly in the middle of our enemies. She was jumping around like a zephyr, her two blades tracing lines of blood and viscera from one rat to another. Each hit was deadly, but also beautiful in its form, excelling in showing the strong points of her Blade Dancer class.

It was a deceptively silent performance as both our attackers and the girl in question hardly expelled a sound. I could only hear the swooshing of metal spears cutting through the air and Agnes' feet delicately touching the ground, turning the fallen leaves and strange, springy grass into dust with her sheer power.

There was a wide smile present on her lips, accentuating her blonde hair. She cut it short, in a boyish fashion, but only a fool would not recognize her for what she was - a scion of the royal family. Especially with these deep, green eyes, which resembled dark jades.

Drops of blood slowly slid from her leather armor, leaving a visible trail on the metal parts of it, while she shook her head with wild, uncanny grace. Her figure, while still childish, already started to show the signs of a true flower, which would fully bloom in the future.

One would think that her physical appearance alone would be enough to gain a bunch of followers and yes-men.

Yet I was her only suitor. Me - her fiance. Something didn’t add up. No matter how bestial her character… It was simply weird. Yes, there were whispers in the dark about her peerless strength and bloodlust. How she wasn’t a human being, but a monster, conceived to revel in destruction.

Which was, of course, utter bullshit.

Her laughter returned me to reality once again.

“Princess… why aren’t we…” She interrupted with a displeased expression. One word left her lips.

“Agnes.”

“Princess, your health is really imp…” And once again I wasn’t able to finish.

“Agnes.” I tilted my head, not understanding her intentions, and began to speak again.

“Princess, why…” She came close, the blood, stench of death, and all-to-green eyes suddenly appearing only a few centimeters from my face.

“Call me by my name, Charles!” She pouted, a cute gesture, if not for the carnage surrounding us. Said carnage created by her small hands. “We’re bound together, you know! Don’t be a stranger.” She whispered the last words in my ear, nearly licking it, and backed away - starting to poke the dead rat with her sword of all things. I sighed again, a bit miffed by my body's reaction and her innate childishness.

“Agnes, why isn't your team sending the commoner adventurers ahead?” I asked - it didn’t make any sense to waste our strength out here. Surely the duty of carving this path through the metallic jungle could be forc-, I mean graciously given to the lesser men? “I’m sure that your team would be best put to use somewhere else. For example in the dungeon proper.” Hearing my remarks Agnes shook her head and stood up with a small grin on her face.

“I could simply say that I enjoy these battles. And that should be enough of the reason.” She answered while looking me in the eye once again. It was my turn to deny while shaking my head wildly.

“Tell it to these cowards in the capital. They may even buy it.” I grinned, my white teeth showing. She was a powerful warrior, true, but this side of Agnes was never something I was afraid of. “There is always a direction, a hidden goal in all your crazy escapades. You’re doing it this way because there is something to gain.” I rustled my hair, noticing a little beard already growing on my face. Another downside of these barbaric conditions. “So what is it? My dear?” I chuckled.

“That’s what I love in you.” She answered while starting to laugh again. Her short hair danced in the wind, as she moved from rat to rat, her boundless energy simply refusing to calm down. “You might be an arrogant asshole who thinks he’s better than everybody else, but you’re bright. For a noble.” Before I had a chance to respond she continued. “Well, you see, while I really enjoy fighting these rat monsters...” A glint of real her, a greedy, lonely girl appeared for a moment. And disappeared as quickly. “I mean, they use tactics, ambushes, try to weaken us by kidnapping workers or not letting us sleep at night - how exciting! Which of the monsters do that?!” Agnes started to gesticulate, her hands flying in the air. “They’re an enemy I can respect. And we’re not even in the dungeon yet! There may be mutations or evolutions there. I can’t wait!” She grinned, in this savage way, I knew to associate with her hiding something.

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“But that’s not all, right?” I nudged.

“Yup.” Once again she came closer, her breath warming up my skin. “By killing them I can still gain levels.”

“What?!” I exclaimed in shock. “Aren’t you like… fourteen? And on the second advancement path to boot?”

“Nineteen, my dear Charles. And please don’t scream so loudly. People would start thinking I’m torturing you for my pleasure. Again.”

“Aren’t you doing just that, though?” I asked, a crooked smile on my lips. “You dragged me out of the Order campsite to cut the path towards the dungeon entrance. I’m still lower level than all your allies, you know?” I admitted this freely. My tenth level was nothing much compared to her companions. They might be only three or four levels above me, but it was a distance that was hard to close.

After all, every level represented sweat, blood, and sometimes inhuman sacrifice. Fighting monsters or Fallen tribes with life on the line was never easy. Gathering enough strength, reliable allies, and required knowledge to create a well-oiled weapon capable of braving the odds and conquering the impossible was a lifetime goal of many adventurers.

And yet here she was - an owner of a such group, a young girl who easily was one of the greatest talents that this Kingdom of ours ever gave birth to.

I could only be jealous.

Wait a moment... There was something else that I couldn’t understand.

“You said that you’re leveling up again?” I asked, disbelief clear in my voice. “How do you know this? I mean - I thought that only priests at home could tell if an experience was gained after the battle?”

A rustle came from behind us, and soon the earth mage from Agnes's entourage emerged, flicking away the shrubbery still present on his robe.

“I can answer that question, sir.” He said while bowing slightly. Just low enough for it to be a gesture of respect, but not one centimeter deeper. The contents of his speech were a clear indication that he had been around for some time already. Listening.

“Then do.” I answered briskly, my nervousness getting the better of me. His whole face and figure were strange - the perfectly flat tone of voice only added to the equation. “You were called… Peter, right?” I asked, scouring my memory for this commoner’s name.

“Yes, sir. I’m a tenth-level Earth mage specialized in support magic.”

“And my spymaster.” Added Agnes, while receiving an unblinking stare from the man.

“And Princess' spymaster. Yes, sir.” He nodded and I sent him a glare - my pride hurt by our seemingly similar level of power. Of course, he was probably a lowly Earth mage, while my Ifreet Magician class gave me special abilities unheard of in the past.

I was clearly a stronger being. Humph.

Ignoring my triumphant look the commoner started his explanation.

“It’s indeed normally impossible to tell if one gained experience or not. There is however a trick known to the experienced fighters which would circumvent that problem.” For a moment I saw a small, derisive smile appear on his lips. Fuck you too was my mental reaction. “Most of them are capable of intuitively understanding their gains in power. Namely, if a defeated enemy influenced their growth. There are...”

“And I’m one of them!” Agnes smiled widely, interrupting the mage.

“So it’s a skill?” I asked while calculating in my mind. If a 19th-level Blade Dancer was still gaining some - any - experience from killing these rats, then I - a 10th-level Ifreet Magician would probably level crazy fast!

“You weren’t listening! It’s not like that! It doesn’t show up on my ability screen. I just know if the enemy became part of my strength or not!” She exclaimed, while dramatically opening her arms, making small circles with her fingers. It was cute. “Ah, but nobody else in my team was able to do it yet.”

It was my turn to glare with disdain at the only commoner present. Peter just shrugged and tried to continue his speech.

“As to why we are not using other adventurers? There are few answers to that question. Firstly - the experience gained is nothing to scoff at and we’re more than happy to have a monopoly. For as long as we can.” He lifted a small rock in the air to make his point. “It’s unlikely that they find out.” Another rock flew up by itself. “Secondly - their rate of advancement was simply atrocious.”

“Hey! It was not their fault!” Agnes shouted, while the rest of her team - called Swords of Hope - gathered around. Lone Mountain, her attendant, was silently judging all of us, while Eve and Boulder stuck to the shadows, happy to have a moment of respite. “These monsters are highly intelligent and coordinated. And they're not afraid to die. If not for the level difference even we would be in trouble.”

“If not for that I would be surprised if we gained any experience at all.” Added Eve, her elvish, slick features tainted with blood. “They’re shockingly easy to kill.”

“Should I remind you how their ambush went yesterday?” Chuckled Boulder, cleaning his tower shield from pieces of meat. In response, Eve turned red like a tomato.

“D-don’t! Argh!” She shouted, just to expel the shame gathering in her pitiful chest. “I can’t believe that these damnable creatures…” Her words turned into a mumble and I was able only to hear the word lavatory at which point my attention was turned somewhere else.

Some things were better left unknown.

“As I was saying, sir.” Peter tried to continue in a huffed tone, his calm mask broken by the constant interruption. “They were simply too slow. Soon the soldiers and bureaucrats from the Kingdom will arrive. And they will demand results.” He sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. “Especially because the flora and fauna we’ve already encountered are so unique.”

“Unique is a weak word, spellslinger.” Grumbled Boulder, his half-orc features not visible in the quickly darkening jungle. While most people disliked and feared "halfs" or “cursed” as they were officially known, I didn’t care about his heritage. He was a commoner. That was the extent of the knowledge I needed.

“My point is that we should hurry.” Peter squeezed out the last words while staring at the Princess. Their meaning wasn’t lost on her, as her green eyes widened. It only reinforced my feeling of being left out.

“Yes, yes I know.” Agnes wasn’t surrendering to the pressure though. “We should be close enough to the dungeon proper for these things to not matter.”

“Unless we already missed it.”

“Or the rats camouflaged the entrance.” Both Eve and Boulder weren’t really what you would call an optimist.

“My maps are correct.” Peter interrupted with a calm expression. “Only a few hours of the fast march are left until our destination. If you people weren’t so lazy…”

“Yeah, because fighting for your life in an ambush is now called being lazy.”

“Only a few hours you say…” Agnes sat down, her body relaxed, but still able to attack or defend at moment's notice. The atmosphere changed as Lone Mountain moved forward and bonked Peter on his head.

“Owwww.” He rubbed the sore spot and sighed. “Yea, yea. My fault.” The earth mage turned his attention to me. “Sorry, sir.”

“Wha-!” I couldn’t even finish my first word when a small, but strong hand caught me by surprise. And then it came. Again.

“Hahahaha! Let’s go have some fun! And level up in the process! I can smell them… THAT WAY!”

Shit. She’s in the hunting mood. That was the Agnes I was deathly afraid of. I won’t be able to sleep until we murder every enemy in the vicinity. I saw that the rest of the team shared my concerns, their hollow-looking eyes and twisted expressions easy to read.

“Let’s go, Charles! We’re going to get you some levels!” An overly joyous voice spoke and dragged me away...

I don’t wannaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

...into another nightmare.