Everyone’s always singing praises of the Hero’s Shadow. Oh, they saved my family. Oh, they protect the [Hero], so they have to be good.

What a load of dave jelly. It wasn’t like the organization just suddenly appeared when the fist [Hero] whatshisname became [Hero]. No, in order to have a group trained up and ready to protect the [Hero], they had to exist for decades before that.

So, why didn’t we hear from those cowards before then? Why did they let things get so bad?

The demons were too strong for them to make a move, some morons say. They couldn’t move without a [Hero] to protect, some other idiots claim.

There were [Heroes]! By my counting, at least 5 of ‘em that could’ve used that protection! But no, we just hear about the Hero’s Shadow once Mr. Fist [Hero] takes the scene because he’s the first one where they actually did their System-cursed job.

So, do I like the Hero’s Shadow? No. Tell me one other profession where you can do your job right 1 out of 6 times, and everyone will idolize you for it.

* An “anonymous” critique of the Hero’s Shadow

(Okay, I ghostwrote it. So sue me)

------

Alder stood there dumbfounded at the kneeling group of people before him.

“Uhh,” he said, dropping his fists back into a relaxed stance.

Fortunately, one of the hooded figures spoke up with a cough. “Leader?” he asked.

“Right,” the woman said and then cleared her throat. She made a motion, and everyone joined her in standing up. “[Hero] is secure. We need to get him to a safe location immediately.” And then addressed to Alder. “Are you ready to go now, or must you gather provisions?”

“Wait,” he blurted out before his mind caught up. “We’re leaving the caravan behind?”

The leader nodded. “Yes,” she replied. “Our duty is to ensure your safety, and we can move quicker with just the 10 of us.”

“I’m not leaving my family behind,” Alder said as he crossed his arms. “You either take the entire caravan with you, or I’m not going.”

“Ya stupid kid!” interjected the hulking cloaked figure. “Don’t ya know they’re safer without you here? The demons are after you, not them.”

“Avarice isn’t!” Alder protested. “He doesn’t want any trade to succeed, or it will ruin his monopoly! And if I leave my family behind, they won’t stand a chance!”

“Listen, kid. You either come with us or we’ll-“ the hulking figure started.

“Or you’ll what, Rager?” the leader asked.

“We’ll take him by force,” the man who apparently went by Rager growled.

“And how exactly will you do that while remaining inside your oaths?” The man went quiet, and the leader continued. “Exactly. If you plan to force the [Hero] away from his family, he will fight you, and you will have no recourse. So, there is a change of plans. We travel with the caravan.”

As she said that, there were a few nods and a few sighs from the other cloaked figures.

“Spread out and make sure that the area is secure. We don’t want any deceit demons getting in through the aftermath,” the leader finished, and the group dispersed.

“Thanks for your help, miss… uhh… Oh right, I need to introduce myself, I’m Alder Orinala, and you are?”

“Not important,” she said with a wave of her hand.

“What do you mean not important-“ Alder started. However, she ignored it and continued.

“Do you happen to have [Enhanced Party] already? If so, I will allow you to take the party lead. If not, I will continue as leader of the party for the purposes of the perk.”

Alder blinked. “Oh… umm… I haven’t cleared a dungeon yet, so I don’t have any perk points.”

The woman nodded. “We’ll rectify that immediately after this crisis. For now, I’ll continue taking point for the party.”

As she said that, System informed Alder that he was invited to her party. He quickly accepted and felt a bit foolish about asking her name when it would be given to him directly in only a few more seconds.

Well, he felt foolish until he saw all of the listings in the party.

Shadow Rager. Shadow Knight. Shadow… Leader!? Aloud he blurted out. “You’re all named Shadow!?”

Shadow Leader barked a small laugh. “Names are powerful things, [Hero]. I wouldn’t go giving out your own to just everyone.” At his look of confusion, she continued. “At best, they can use it to send you a [Message]. At worst, they can use it to [Scry] on you, determine your every move, and then when the moment is right-” in the blink of an eye, a knife appeared in her hands and was up to Alder’s neck. “-strike before you even knew it was coming.”

Then, she put the knife back in her inventory as if nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, Alder was trying to get his heart rate back under control. He was level 10 and equipped with the Hero’s Regalia. He probably wouldn’t have taken any damage, and he most certainly wouldn’t have died even if she had decided to take a slice or stab at him.

It took a lot more effort to convince his instincts of that fact.

“So, if those aren’t your real names, then… what are they?” Alder finally asked. “And how did you do that?”

The woman, whose fake name was Shadow Leader, was about to reply when another one, Shadow Knight, returned. “Immediate area is secure. No sign of demons.”

“Good work, Knight,” she replied. “Have you worked out our watch schedule?”

He sighed. “Yes, it’s going to be rough, watching this many people with only nine of us, but we only have to keep it up for a few days.”

“I can help out with the watch!” Alder immediately volunteered.

Knight laughed. “I like this kid. Looks like System picked a good one.” Then, with a shake of his head. “But sorry, [Hero]. Moving you around won’t change too much of the workload.”

Alder gave a confused look, and Leader picked up on it.

“What he’s saying is that we’re shorthanded because we have to watch over both the caravan and you,” she finally replied. “And I would much prefer if you didn’t go on watch. That would make it much easier to keep you secure.”

Alder frowned. “I’m not just going to sit back and let other people be in danger for my sake. That’s not why I became the [Hero].”

Knight gave another boisterous laugh. “I knew I liked this kid! And here, might as well get this out of the way,” he said as he flipped back the hood, revealing a red-headed man who looked to be about a decade older than Alder.

“The name’s Jeff,” he said as he stuck out his hand.

Alder was slow in his reply for a few reasons. First, he didn’t know what the gesture the man was making meant. Second, Leader was obviously not happy with “Shadow Knight” giving away his name. And third…

A human! This is the first one I’ve ever met!

“Uhh, a pleasure to meet you,” Alder said as he stared at the outstretched hand.

“Oh, right. You’re from Besti. We can do it your way,” Jeff said as he pulled back his hand and pressed his fists together with a slight bow.

Alder returned the bow, grateful that at least something tonight would make sense.

“Shadow Knight, a word?” Leader asked.

He grimaced toward Alder. “Just give us a moment.”

The two didn’t walk far. Apparently, they were still on guard to protect Alder, but that didn’t mean he could eavesdrop. They were talking too low for him to hear… and also, from the snippets that he was gathering, they were talking in a different language.

------

“What in the blue text are you doing?” Leader hissed in virian to Shadow Knight.

“Getting to know our charge,” Shadow Knight replied easily in the same language. “Earning a bit of his trust so that we’re not just figures in the shadows that he never really gets to know. Making it easier to protect him.”

“You gave away your name and face!” Leader continued hissing. “That makes you easier to target and makes my job harder!”

“Neither of those things will be enough to identify me, and I made sure not to give my last name,” Shadow Knight replied calmly. “Also, we’re going to be stuck with this caravan for the next 3 days at least and with the kid until we’re old and grey if we do our jobs right.” He raised an eyebrow. “Unless you mean to tell me there’s another reason why you wanted to keep your face hidden from the [Hero]. I noticed that pause after your introduction when you looked up at him under the pale moonlight.” He grinned. “Hey, maybe I’ll even put in a good word for you-“

“Shut up,” Leader growled, though she could feel her face flush just the tiniest bit. “I was just caught up in the moment because we finally found one. We are the ones who finally have a chance to complete the mission the Hero’s Shadow is built around. We get to be the ones to safeguard him, and if something happens because I mess up-“

“You won’t,” Shadow Knight said simply. “I know you, and there’s a reason why you’re the leader of our squad beyond your ability to dance circles around most of us in a fight.” He paused. “But there’s also a reason I’m your second: to let you know when you’re making stupid decisions like this one. While keeping our identities hidden as much as possible is good, it’s not a good way to earn trust, which we need most right now. So, if you want my opinion, show him your face, maybe tell him your first name only if you feel it’s wise, and then we can go from there.”

Leader wanted to argue, but Shadow Knight made valid points. As he always did. She just sighed, and Knight laughed in response.

She turned around to go back to the [Hero], and Shadow Knight called back one more thing in parting.

“Just don’t go seducing him or anything, alright? That would definitely make things more complicated.”

Under her hood, Leader’s eyebrow twitched. She would get her payback eventually, and just like her, it would be brutal, swift, and completely unexpected.

-------

Alder watched the exchange, clueless of everything being said until Shadow Leader came back towards him.

She approached him. “Analulellia,” she said as she flipped back her hood.

He was dumbstruck as the moonlight caught her pale hair, and she seemed to stare into his soul with her serious green eyes.

Then, realizing he was standing there with his mouth open like an idiot, he knew he had to say something. Anything.

“Nice to meet you, Analell… Analullu… An,” Alder stumbled over his words. “Uhh, can I call you Ana?” he asked lamely.

“I would prefer if you call me Leader or Shadow Leader,” she replied. At Alder’s wince, her tone lightened. “At least while on a mission. When we’re in the sanctum where we will be truly private… I suppose Ana will suffice.”

Alder felt a stupid grin on his face, but he couldn’t shake it off. “Well, Leader, thank you once again for saving us,” Alder said as he gave a deep Bestian bow. “I owe my life and the lives of all my family members to you.”

“You’re welcome,” she stated gracefully. Then, after a pause. “You should get some rest. We have a long road ahead of us.”

Alder was ready to do just that.

He was surprised when some of their group followed him. All the way into his tent.

Yeah, the guard duty rotation included someone inside his tent while he was sleeping.

Alder wasn’t sure he would sleep a wink.

------

Alder woke in the middle of the night as the party screamed at him that someone was in combat. He almost jumped to his feet, but a hand held him in place.

“Easy there, [Hero],” a dwarf who had been introduced as Shadow Alchemist said. “They have it well in hand.”

“But they could be fighting Avarice right now!” Alder objected.

Alchemist laughed. “No, by my reckoning, they’re fighting some of the dregs. The lowest and most unlucky demons. They’re a cowardly lot at heart.” He shook his head. “Anger and Avarice will be waiting until the last minute to go in themselves. They’re looking to tire us out since we need sleep, and they don’t. So, get used to your party members being in combat during the night. If they truly need help, they’ll call for it. Trust me.”

Alder wasn’t happy with the explanation, but he saw the wisdom of it and laid back down.

“Oh, and before I forget,” Alchemist said. There was a metallic ting, and Alder barely caught the coin that he flipped his way.

“What’s this?” Alder asked as he examined the… not quite… gold coin.

“Paladium coin,” Alchemist grumbled. “Demons can’t stand the touch of it, so it’s useful to have something small and unintrusive that you can test people with to ensure they’re actually people and not shapechangers.” The dwarf trailed off and said the next part under his breath. “Not that it’ll help if you encounter one of those cursed [Demon Lord] worshippers.”

“That’s a joke, right?” Alder chuckled nervously as Alchemist gave him a flat look. “No one would ever side with the [Demon Lord] willingly, right?”

The dwarf’s sigh told him all he needed to know.

Alder didn’t sleep well the rest of that night for more reasons than one.

------

Alder practically dragged himself out of his bedroll the next morning to do his [Martial Arts] forms. He almost talked himself out of it. It wasn’t like an extra day of practice would amount to much against the forces he was facing.

But… he also wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if that little bit of practice did matter. And so, he was warming up with the first forms as the shift finally changed. The three Shadows that were watching him traded off with another trio.

He ignored them and kept going, but that proved impossible as one of them immediately interrupted.

“I recognize those forms! Are you a [Martial Artist]? We should spar!”

Alder blinked back surprise as that particular shadow threw back the hood of his cloak to reveal long rabbit ears.

“Uhh… Sure, I wouldn’t mind sparring, uhh Fist?” Alder replied.

“Shadow Fist,” the beastborn man corrected him. “Just calling me Fist is a bit weird. And while I would let Leader and her rules slide a bit and just have you call me by name, these-“ he moved his topmost ears back and forth. “-give my last name away a bit, don’t you think?”

“You’re from the royal family?” Alder blurted in surprise. While it was common knowledge that most beastborn from the royal family sported those ears, it wasn’t like they were the only bloodline with that trait. In fact, Alder would have never suspected a thing if Shadow Fist hadn’t told him.

“Oh no!” Shadow Fist clutched at his chest. “My carefully veiled secret, undone in less than a day! I’m ruined!”

“Uhh…” was all Alder could say as Shadow Fist collapsed to his knees.

“He’s fine,” the human woman, Shadow Healer, sighed. “Don’t encourage him too much, or he’ll never stop.”

“You wound me, fair healer!” Shadow Fist said with a gasp. “Who knew that the mouth that spoke healing words over us also contained such a fierce tongue?”

“To keep the drama to a minimum, maybe you should have that spar,” Healer commented. “It would shut him up, and I would also enjoy it if you knocked him down a peg or two.”

Shadow Fist’s eyes lit up.

“Sure,” Alder nodded uneasily. “My [Martial Arts] skill could use some work.”

With a bit of discussion, the duel terms were settled.

Alder wouldn’t use his Hero’s knuckles, which Shadow Fist was immensely jealous of, and neither would use [Elemental Strike]. The goal wasn’t to hurt the other person, after all.

“Fair Healer, count us off!” Shadow Fist called.

Alder would have sworn he felt her roll her eyes under her cloak.

“Three… Two… One… Fight!” she called.

Alder was on his back almost before he knew it.

“Sorry about that,” Shadow Fist said sheepishly, hauling the dazed Alder back to his feet. “I was so excited to fight a fellow martial artist that I forgot the level difference.”

“It’s… fine,” Alder said, shaking his head to clear it. However, that brought up a question that had been burning in his mind since he joined the party. “How did you all get to level 20 anyway?”

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Shadow Fist looked to the other members of the group. Shadow Warrior just grunted, and Shadow Healer sighed.

Shadow Fist must have taken that for approval. He beckoned Alder to lean in and then whispered.

“Giant. Flaming. Murder snails,” he said with gravitas.

And… that was it.

Alder stepped back and looked at him; all he did was nod.

I have so many more questions now.

“Enough of that! Back to sparring!” Shadow Fist said. “I’ll go easier this time. Fair Healer, if you would?”

What followed was nearly a dozen straight defeats where Alder didn’t even lay a finger on the elusive [Martial Artist]. After the second, he started giving tips, but Alder wasn’t sure if “You just have to feel the rhythm of the fight” and “Don’t think about it, you just have to react” were meant to be helpful or if Shadow Fist was taunting him.

Mercifully, the rest of the caravan was up and ready to move before Alder was subjected to much more humiliation. Alder liked Shadow Fist better when the two traded stories instead of blows.

Soon enough, Shadow Fist’s trio was relieved by Shadow Leader, Shadow Sorcerer, and Shadow Rager. The last of whom threw Alder a dirty look.

“Fist, what did you do this time?” Leader asked with a tone that indicated this was not her first time dealing with Shadow Fist shenanigans.

“Whatever do you mean, oh merciful and wise leader?” Shadow Fist asked nervously.

“Missing HP and SP from two party members. Explain.”

“It was the [Hero’s] idea! He wanted to spar! I just happened to oblige him!” he frantically replied with his hands up.

Leader turned to Alder. “Is that true?”

Alder scratched his head and looked away. “I mean… kinda? Shadow Fist was the one who wanted to spar, but I do need to practice my [Martial Arts].”

Leader softened a bit at that. “Alright, I’ll let you off the hook this time Fist.”

Shadow Fist clutched his hand with a silent cheer.

“But you’ll be getting an official reprimand when we get back. Your spar should have been cleared through me first, and we’re in too precarious of a situation for me to approve it.”

Shadow Fist’s ears drooped. Then, she turned to Alder.

“And why did you take damage during the spar?” she asked.

Alder blinked. “Because… he hit me?” he replied.

Her look sharpened. “And you didn’t spar while wearing your armor, which you should be getting yourself used to at every moment possible, because?”

It was Alder’s turn to wilt. “I… didn’t think it would be fair?”

“Get it on,” she commanded. Then, turning to the other three. “And you get into position. If you see any trash mobs, feel free to leave cleanup detail to Fist for punishment.”

“Aww, man,” Shadow Fist whined as the three walked off to patrol the perimeter, and Alder activated his Hero’s Regalia in mithril mode.

They walked in silence for a while before Leader finally broke it again.

“Wanting to improve your skills is admirable, and I don’t want to discourage that,” she started. “However, these next three days, we need to conserve our energy, and skill levels are not made overnight.”

“I know,” Alder sighed. “I do. It’s just… I feel so useless. I’m only level 10. You all are out there risking your lives to protect my family, and I’m just sitting back here doing nothing.”

Leader nodded slowly at that.

“Well, the good and bad news is that your time will be coming,” she said. “While our team beat the demons soundly in the last fight, we had the element of surprise. I’m sure you will get your moment to join us soon enough, if only because we won’t be able to stop a dedicated assault from reaching you.” She paused a moment in thought. “To that end, some practice couldn’t hurt.” She hesitated again. “This may be too personal, so you don’t have to answer, but what is your [Martial Arts] skill?”

Alder checked his status, praying and hoping that it had gone up due to his fighting with the demons.

“Three!” he said triumphantly.

Leader stiffened, Rager laughed, and even Sorcerer seemed to have bitten back a snort.

“What?” Alder asked. Three skill levels at only 15 years old seemed pretty dang good to him, and it wasn’t like he had been [Hero] for more than a few weeks!

“My dear desert friend,” Shadow Sorcerer, the male elf, said with a sad shake of his head. “I’m afraid that you have tied with me… for the lowest [Martial Arts] skill in our party.”

“No way,” Alder said in disbelief, looking back and forth at Rager and Leader.

“Five,” Leader said simply.

“Also five, but only because I wasn’t shelling out skill points to raise the cap,” Rager grunted.

“Why do you all have it so high if you don’t even use it?” Alder asked, desperately hoping that they were just pulling his leg.”

The three shared a look, and then Leader spoke.

“The Grandmaster of the Hero’s Shadow was insistent on [Martial Arts] training. I believe his exact words were, ‘A sword, a club or a bow is only a tool, and tools can be broken or lost. No, to be the Hero’s Shadow, you must be the weapon.’”

There was an odd tone of near-reverence in her voice, but Alder was still focused on his problem.

“But… three is still pretty good for only being 15 years old, right?” Alder asked. “I’m not behind?”

That shocked them enough that Rager even missed a step.

“15?” murmured Leader.

“I guess level 3’s not that bad, then,” Sorcerer added after a moment.

“By the blue text, System chose a child,” Rager grumbled.

“System never chooses children unless-“ Leader started, and then recognition dawned. “The coming of age ceremony. I wasn’t aware that Besti still did it.” Alder just nodded. She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment and then continued. “In that case, we should try to get you as much practice as we safely can in the next few days. For the other groups, have Warrior or Knight give you some tips whenever we stop for a rest-”

“Not Shadow Fist?” Alder interrupted.

That got a few chuckles from the gathered shadows. “Correct. Not Shadow Fist,” she replied.

“Why is that?” Alder asked as he cocked his head.

“While Fist has the highest level in [Martial Arts] among us, his teaching skills leave… something to be desired,” Leader stated. “If we had been in a less serious situation, I don’t doubt that you could have been left in single digits of HP from your spars with only some useless platitudes about the feeling of a fight or how real men communicate with their fists.”

Leader shook her head and continued. “That’s why I recommend Warrior from their group instead. He’s the best with a sword, but he’s also the second best with every other weapon in our group, hand-to-hand included.”

Alder filed that information away as she continued. “That still leaves the trainer from our group, and I suppose I could-“

“Nah, I’ll teach the kid,” Rager grumbled. “You’ve got enough on your plate, and I’m better at hand-to-hand anyway.”

Leader’s eyebrows raised. “Are you sure? I thought that you didn’t-“

“I don’t like having to babysit a bunch of no levels or dealing with the whining of a bunch of…,” Rager trailed off. “Gah, what’s the word in this stupid language? Civilians,” Rager finished. “Hating it doesn’t mean I didn’t swear the exact same oaths that you did.”

Leader seemed to take that in stride, and at their very next stop, Alder was being taught by the surprisingly patient, hulking man from the north.

“You’re focusing too much on your upper body for your punches,” he stated after watching Alder for just a few moments. “The strength comes from your legs, up through your core, and then out your arms. It doesn’t come from the arms alone.”

“But doesn’t it still deal the same damage if I make a good enough hit?” Alder asked.

“Yes and no, but if you keep punching like that, you’ll find yourself capped at 3, or maybe 4, no matter what,” Rager chuckled. “Besides, damage ain’t the only thing that matters in a fight. A 5-damage stab from a sword is a lot different from a 5-damage kick to the leg that knocks you off balance and lets you take 5 more easy hits.” Rager pulled out a club and started stroking it lovingly. “And that’s why bludgeoning is and always will be the best damage type.”

And that was Alder’s frank reminder that he was dealing with someone who snuck around in the shadows and beat demons to death with a club. Sanity wasn’t exactly a requirement for that type of job.

However, as they continued their training sessions, Alder kept finding himself curious about the giant.

“If you hate babysitting so much, why did you join this group then?” Alder finally asked.

“The Hero’s Shadow isn’t a club you can just join,” Rager snorted. “But if you’re askin’ why I’m irritated defending you when it’s in the job title, I was hoping you wouldn’t show up. We had a nice thing goin’ where we go in and fight a bunch of demons who have a good beating comin’, and now we have to put all that aside and protect you as best we can.” He sighed. “Which would probably mean locking you up and 24/7 guards,” he said sourly.

Alder shook his head. “If that’s the plan, then you may as well leave me here,” he stated. That got Leader to stop scanning the surroundings and snap her head in his direction. “I’ve had my fill of sitting back and watching other people fight for me in just a few days. Once my parents and siblings are safe, I want to go after those demons who have taken my homeland hostage.”

A grin slowly broke over Rager’s face. “Going right after Avarice from the get-go? Maybe we’ll get along after all.”

“While that is a noble goal,” Leader interrupted. “My oath compels me to suggest that we should get you a few levels and skill levels before tackling one of the Demon Underlords.” Her face soured. “Though, we might not have a choice in that matter if Anger and Avarice are desperate enough to see you dead.”

That brought the conversation to a lull for a moment. However, it rekindled Alder’s curiosity.

“You keep mentioning your oath,” he stated. “What is it?”

“We’ve got three oaths that we have to swear to-“ Rager started but was cut off by a scowl from Leader. “What?” Rager asked irritably. “I know they’re secret, but they’re basically for him. It would be like trying to keep our oaths secret from the Grandmaster.”

The two stared at each other briefly, and then Leader sighed. “Fine. Go ahead.”

“To keep it at the basics, we have to swear three oaths to the Grandmaster to join the Hero’s Shadow,” Rager continued. “One. Protect the [Hero]. Two, obey the Grandmaster’s orders. Three, some legalese nonsense to catch infiltrators that doesn’t really matter.”

“If you are going to explain the oaths, at least explain them properly,” Leader growled.

Rager shrugged. “I think I did a good enough job.”

Alder also shrugged. Except for oath 3, that did all sound straightforward.

Leader sighed and doublechecked that no one else was in hearing range.

“In order to become a member of the Hero’s Shadow, we must swear three oaths to the Grandmaster. Oath number 1 is almost as straightforward as he said,” Leader said. “Protect the [Hero]. Though, it is worded in a way that allows people to take on supporting roles, not just be fighters in the field.

“Oath 2 is to obey the Grandmaster’s orders that don’t conflict with another oath. That means that we obey his orders, but if we make a judgment call that his orders would cause the [Hero] to be harmed, we can disobey them.”

Rager nodded along with that explanation, and a part of Alder wondered if he knew what he had signed up for when he made those oaths or if he was also just learning now.

“And oath 3,” Leader continued, “Is mostly what Rager mentioned. It is an oath that we won’t take any oaths or make any allegiances that conflict with Oath 1 or Oath 2 so that we can’t try to make abuse loopholes.” She smiled a cunning smile. “The trick lies in the last clause of the oath. The last clause, which isn’t made known to apprentices until it is time to swear, is one where you must claim you don’t have any existing oaths or allegiances that conflict.” Her grin turned predatory. “The demon worshippers who thought they could infiltrate us quickly learned a harsh and fatal lesson.”

With that line of questioning taking a rapid and morbid turn, and with Alder starting to desperately wonder what kind of people he had gotten involved with, he decided to change the subject.

“So, what’s this Grandmaster guy like?” Alder asked. He figured that he must be pretty amazing if he had the loyalty of such powerful fighters.

Rager snorted. “Well, let me ask you this. Do you think Leader over here is secretive?” he asked.

“Uhh… yes?” Alder replied.

“Not in comparison to the Grandmaster,” Rager said with a shake of his head. “I haven’t even seen him, much less seen his face.”

Alder was confused. “Then how do you get orders?”

Leader wasn’t relaxed in her stance, but she suddenly shot up ramrod straight. “Yes, Grandmaster. Area is secure.” She nodded to Shadow Sorcerer, and he cast a spell that Alder barely heard.

“[Zone of Silence].”

“Speak of the Grandmaster, and there he is,” Rager nodded to Leader. Alder looked in that direction in confusion. Rager sighed. “Not literally. He’s sending her [Messages]. Means we got new orders, and we’re probably goin’ to hear about what to do with your caravan.”

Meanwhile, Alder couldn’t even guess what Leader was being told or saying. No sound got out of the spell, and she even covered her mouth so that he couldn’t even attempt lip reading.

Leader’s small grimace, which Alder barely caught, meant it wasn’t good news.

She nodded toward Sorcerer, and he ended the spell.

“We should be able to get the caravan safely to the city,” Leader stated.

Alder blinked. “Wait… that’s good news, right?”

“The bad news is that Spite and Desire are on the move,” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken.

Rager groaned.

“Shapechanger protocols?” Sorcerer whined.

“Yes,” Leader nodded. “Shapechanger protocols.”

-----

Alder wouldn’t learn about the pain of those protocols for the next few days. No, the next couple days were spent saying tearful goodbyes to his parents and younger siblings. He put a target on their backs by being near them, and he could leave them in the capable hands of the few members of the Hero’s Shadow in the small town they entered.

No, Alder learned the pain of those protocols after that. Every time a group went out of sight and returned, their identities had to be verified with daily passphrase pairs, or they had to be ensured they weren’t demons by checking them with paladium.

Alder didn’t see the point, and he didn’t take it very seriously.

Leader… was not happy about that.

Alder didn’t think anything of it until her group returned from patrol one morning.

“Good morning, everyone!” she said in a chipper voice.

Alder raised an eyebrow… but he knew it was still her. He didn’t know why she was pretending to be a fake, but he just ignored it… right up until she stabbed him in the back.

“Ow! What the-“ he shouted.

“Dead,” she replied in monotone. “And this is why we have the protocols. If I had been replaced you would have just let me waltz in here with two other demons as backup without batting an eye.”

“I knew it was you because of the party,” Alder hissed. Leader had not held back on that knife stab.

Leader paused and then nodded in recognition. “Ah. That’s what this is about.”

“Yes,” Alder growled. “If I need to know it’s you, I just check through the party! Now, can we stop with the stupid checks and passphrases?”

Leader shook her head. “This is my mistake. I sometimes forget you weren’t trained as one of us.” She paused. “Fist, Rager, hand to hand. Limit stamina expenditure and no damage.”

“Yes!” Shadow Fist shouted with his fist raised to the sky.

Meanwhile, Rager groaned. “Those terms are no fun.”

“Now,” Leader stated with finality.

They did as instructed and started sparring. Meanwhile, Leader addressed Alder. “Close your eyes,” she said.

“Uhh… okay?”

After he did, she spun him around in circles for a bit.

“Now, just tell me through the party, where are Rager and Fist?” she asked.

“They’re… I can’t tell,” Alder stated in shock.

“Precisely,” Leader replied. “One of our perks makes us more difficult to detect in combat… by any means.”

That was enough to finally get Alder’s grudging buy-in.

However, he took it one step further. He did the checks constantly. Any time Leader was out of his sight for just a moment; he would require the passphrase or try to touch her with the paladium coin Alchemist had given him.

He hoped that she would slip up and he would have his chance at revenge for the knife in his back.

… Not that he wanted to hurt Leader, but it was the principle of the matter.

To his frustration, Leader took all of the checks in stride. She never seemed to mind the constant cycling of passphrases and never made a mistake on a single one.

However, he did tone it down as the party neared their destination.

------

“We’re nearly at the city-state of Bastion,” Leader stated during the middle of their walk. “We have a significant presence there, and Anger and Avarice would also be suicidal to attack its gates.”

Alder frowned. “And what if Avarice tries to get in some other way? He masqueraded as a trader in Besti for years.”

Sorcerer laughed. “He can try, but our people have no love for demons. Besides, Anger lacks the subtlety for that kind of operation. At best, he would be cutting his forces in half.”

“Correct,” Leader nodded. “It’s likely that he will make his move tonight during the dark when he thinks we’re at our most vulnerable due to their dark vision.” She shook her head. “He will soon learn that the night belongs to us.”

That got grunts and other various noises of agreement from the party.

Meanwhile, Alder frowned in thought.

“But… what if…” he started.

“Yes, [Hero]?” Leader asked.

“What if they already know that? Wouldn’t they hit us during the day to catch us off guard?” Alder asked.

Everyone froze momentarily, and then Shadow Fist, Shadow Healer, and Shadow Warrior were under attack out on their patrol.

“Prepare for battle!” Leader barked as she ordered the three back through the party. “Alchemist, get the holy mist ready!”

“Five holy smokes, comin’ right up,” he grumbled as he pulled some vials out of his inventory.

The three patrolling shadows returned to the group, the vials were tossed, and things got chaotic.

The fighting was centered on Alder, but barely any demons made it through.

And the ones that did, he was ready for.

He batted a greed demon’s sword aside with his knuckles and then punched it away with an [Air Strike], then he dodged the club of a wrath demon as it overextended its reach.

The party trusted him. Just with a few stragglers here and there, but it felt good to finally contribute.

Then, Leader found him in the smoke.

“Alder! With me! We have to get you out of here!” she shouted, grabbing his hand.

Red flag one. She said his name and didn’t give that order through the party.

Red flag two. The mist was probably the safest part of the battlefield; making him leave it wouldn’t make sense.

And then…

“Lovely weather today, right?” he asked, keying the first part of the passphrase.

She growled. “We don’t have time for this! Come on!”

Red flag three. Alder’s fist crashed into the surprised shapechanger’s jaw almost before he knew it.

The demon wearing Leader’s face crashed to the ground, and started weeping.

“Why would you do that? Alder! We have to get you out of here!” it wailed.

Alder just laughed. “You have no idea who you impersonated, do you?” he asked.

With a growl, the demon got to its feet, its body shifted… and then Alder faced down a copy of himself.

“Ugh, holy weapons,” the demon shuddered as they turned black along with its copy of the Hero’s Regalia. “So gross.”

Alder put up his fists with the knuckles at the ready, and the demon copied him…

Only for the knuckles to suddenly phase through the demon’s hands and then disappear as they hit the ground.

“What the Hell?” the demon asked, but Alder didn’t let it catch a breath… or figure out that System didn’t seem to think too kindly of fist-related weapons aside from the Hero’s Knuckles.

He landed one punch to the demon’s face that caused it to swing its arms out wildly in awkward counterattacks, but he ducked under those and then gave it three kick jabs to the chest.

It dropped back and put its arms up in a defensive position, but then Alder took a page out of Rager’s book.

He went for the leg.

A carefully executed [Air Strike] kick swept the demon’s leg out from under it, and then Alder got on top of it and pinned its arms with his knees.

From there, it was Alder’s turn to repeat the brutal beatdown that Anger and Avarice had done to him.

“Stop! Stop!” it shouted, then, in one slight delay between punches, it shifted forms back to Leader. “You don’t want to hurt me, do you?” it asked in her voice.

Alder paused, and the demon breathed a sigh of relief.

“Actually, I’ve been wanting to punch someone that looks just like you a lot the last few days,” Alder said as his skill finished charging to maximum power.

“No!”

“[Thunderstrike]!” Alder shouted as his fist came down once more, this time with a thunderclap.

The demon wailed for a moment and then turned to ash.

Meanwhile, Alder got back to his feet very unsteadily.

“5 levels, nice!” Shadow Fist called as he followed a demon that had crashed into the ground near Alder. “Must have been a big one! What did it do?”

“Uhh, it tried to look and act like Leader!” Alder called back as he faced down two more demons. His strikes were clumsy at first, but he rapidly started picking back up how to move.

Shadow Fist barked a laugh. “Yeah! I bet Spite wishes he had picked someone else! Leader would be the last one I would want to impersonate!”

He killed his two foes and then helped Alder with his enemy as Leader appeared next to them.

“Lovely weather today, right?” Alder asked.

“Not any better than yesterday,” she immediately replied as she slipped past a demon. She stabbed him in the back, instantly turning him to dust. “Sorry for the delay. Anger and Avarice had me tied up. What’s the cooldown on that skill? Knight could use the help.”

“1 minute, and then I’m ready to get my payback!” he called out.

Meanwhile, Rager crashed into the middle of the party, beating a demon to death with his club.

“Hey, Rager! [Hero] got Spite!” Shadow Fist called, even as he beat down another three demons.

“No!” Rager shouted. “Spite was mine!” He growled and turned to Alder as his club caved in another demon’s skull. “Avarice is mine instead, then!”

“You’ll have to beat me to him!” Alder called back.

Alder was in a party with a bunch of absolute psychos and battle maniacs. Crazy men and women who willingly sought out and fought demons.

And you know what? Alder thought as they finished the dregs and turned to face Avarice and Anger. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

-----

Avarice had to retreat with his tail between his legs. He didn’t want to die there, and his death wouldn’t have made a difference anyway.

Or so he told himself as he awaited word from his lord.

“Be not angry, your lowliness,” Avarice whispered, far away from the [Hero] and his companions. “I followed your orders to the best of my ability! Failure wasn’t my fault!”

And then Avarice wondered if he had pushed too far. He was dangerously close to blaming the [Demon Lord’s] orders for the failure. His anger for that would be-

Titus: Oh, I’m not mad. And I won’t give you any punishment

Avarice sighed in relief. He would be fine. Maybe it was Anger’s fault or-

Titus: I don’t have to mete out your punishment. The consequences for your failure is a high-level [Hero] unleashed into the world who knows all about you, has a highly competent organization backing him, and who will undoubtedly come for you personally

Avarice broke out in sweat. “But… surely my lord, you can help me evade him! Please!” he begged.

Titus: … Best of luck, Avarice. You’ll definitely need it

Avarice immediately got moving. Surely the [Hero] wouldn’t chase him all the way to Gram, right?

Or maybe he should try the United North. Anger would surely welcome the help since the [Hero] would be coming for him, too, right?

------

And so the hunters become the hunted, just like that. I thought, watching both sides of the conflict play out. The [Hero’s] side celebrating while the demons cringed in fear of the upcoming bloodbath.

And a bloodbath it would be. With my death, the demons still suffered from the decreased “morale” penalty, and the [Hero] would only grow stronger as he gained more skills.

And the Hero’s Shadow was perfectly suited to counter all the sneaky ways someone could try to get him without a fight.

Speaking of that, I decided I may as well send Desire in after all. Desire had absolutely zero chance of seducing the [Hero], and barely a chance of even getting near him, but I mostly did it for the giggles.

Part of me was tempted to just skip to my respawn, which had a timer of about 10 years at that point, but I figured that the Hero’s Shadow would soon be at odds with the Children of Flame and the Syndicate.

So, I stayed at normal speed to keep an eye on my secret organizations.

It wasn’t the most exciting of times for me, and the demons took massive loss after massive loss, including Alder sending Avarice back to Hell and freeing his people from the economic stranglehold.

And then, almost before I knew it, it was time.

------

I fell to the ground and stumbled around a bit.

“Wow, a few centuries and you forget how to have a body!” I joked in a voice that sounded a bit higher pitched than I expected.

I frowned as I unsteadily stood up. I felt shorter, too.

“I better not be a woman again,” I said as I wiped at the obelisk to get a look at my reflection.

There was no need. Altsys’s notifications told me the whole story as all my equipped armor suddenly crashed to the ground.

System : Warning! Children cannot equip armor!

System : Warning! Ageless Perk deactivated until adult age recovered!

System : Warning! Some System-related features may have limited effectiveness!

System : Warning! New Game Protocol Exhausted! No more respawns available!

I closed my eyes and clenched my tiny fist. Then, I exhaled.

“Well, the System’s taking its best shot, I see,” I stated after a bit. I looked up at the ceiling. “And I’m going to take mine. Let’s see who comes out on top.”

I pulled Herobane from my inventory and prepared to get to work.