Having been walking for nearly three hours we finally saw something looking like a trail, except being wide enough for three horses to walk side by side. Having decided to follow the road for the last two hours and with no animals or monsters to have attacked I wondered how anyone was to rank up in this world but Owen explained some of it as he did not fully understand it himself since he just arrived two weeks ago and is only X rated.
We proxy apparently rank up depending on our talent. Talent like being faster, smarter, stronger due to some minimum DNA changes if we were still on earth. Here that talent translates to possible growth and how far that growth reaches, most proxy who fall short end up abandoned and remain on this continent. Those that fall short later in other continents usually will become artisans and merchants to make their living on that continent. Sadly, talent is something that is unrankable, in other words the proxy has to rank as far as he can go before finally realizing his ceiling.
I don’t like how that works because great effort will then go down the drain if you were looking for above so using my same point of view of never getting my hopes up I decide to only shoot for the rank above me after surpassing A rank, still have to have a goal, right? I have three goals as of now.
My first is to gain control on the fire domain of my god, or other words fire magic.
My second goal is to gain some sort of gear and since I don’t plan on owning a mount anytime soon mage like robes or leather armor.
My last is to grow past this continent, or in other words surpass A rank.
Believing Owen to be somewhat as a friend I add him to my calculations as I ask about how he controls his domain.
“When I met a monster, and was about to die I took a desperate swing hoping for a quick kill when, POP, the light shone on my swords and beheaded the goblin.” Owen explained as he acted out the scene as we walk. After his demonstration, we walked in silence as I began to draw on my domain. Believing it has to do with trying to draw yourself out or something like that I began to make faces like I am constipated as I will every bush we cross to light on fire, or for a small flame to appear within my palm. No such luck.
Having worked with trying to change my surroundings for the last two hours I could not help but notice the ending of the forest.
“Almost to Wakers Village!” Owen shouts.
“You’ve been here before?” I ask. Owen just nods and I soon see the village looming before my eyes and about a hundred yards away. Surrounding the wooden houses is an eight-foot wooden fence surrounding the village. A gate with two guards probably standing upon pillars watching the trail, or currently watching us. Owen just waves to the guards and then shouts once were about fifteen yards away from the gate.
“Sup! Think we could enter for a while to hunt the monsters in the forest!” Owen shouts up to the guards before they say anything.
“Ah, Owen, we’ll open the doors in a sec, how has the hunting been?” The guard asked. Guessing the guard knows Owen I stay out of the conversation as the large wooden doors open outwards.
“Same old same old, just the out ring of the goblin city but hopefully that can be fixed with my new friend here!” Owen says it all with a small smile as he points to me. The guard having finally noticed me after talking with Owen just nods in my direction, not to be rude I do the same. Who knows if the dude is a psycho?
With Owen and the guard finishing the conversation we enter the village and its much smaller than it looks. Just looking around there seems to only be two shops and an inn. A blacksmith and a leatherworker and all on the same main path. Owen just leads me straight to the inn.
“I’ll pay for the double bed room since it’s only a copper a night here, food and drink not included but that’s also cheap and we can make that much with four or five goblins tomorrow.” Owen mentions to me.
“Thanks, but how am I supposed to fight a goblin? I have no weapon and can’t use my domain yet.” I reply but he just waves my words away with a slight gesture.
“Don’t worry about it I got you covered!” Owen replies as we enter the inn. The inn surprises me. The inside has wood in the coloring of pine, smoothed and glazed over making the light slightly reflect off the tables and counter. A large fireplace made of a rectangular looking shape made of brick about three feet long and two wide lays in the middle bringing unneeded heat but much needed light to the inn.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Owen walks up to the man manning the bar as I continue to gaze around me. Tomorrow I fight but today I began my adventure. If only I could use my domain…
Owen finishes talking to the inn keeper and calls me over with a plate of chicken legs in each hand. Handing a plate over to me we find a seat. The chicken was delicious, pulling out my water skin Owen gave me I wash it all down and then lick the greasy deliciousness. The sky outside begins to grow dark as we chat about tomorrows goblin hunt. What I have to do, how I’m going to get a weapon and how the best training is done through actual combat. I know how to use my fists, but to kill, not even close.
A little after our tactic discussion I make way into our room and fall on one of the two twin sized beds. My eyes immediately close and my breathing becomes more even.
Waking up to Owen’s shaking. I push him off and say the classic line.
“Five more minutes…” All with a groan as I pull the sheets tighter around me.
“Well I guess you don’t want a hot breakfast before hunting?” Owen asks. Opening one eye I see Owen’s smug smirk. Usually this does not work but ever since coming here I feel like an even larger glutton then back on earth. Standing up slowly I say fine as I put on my own rough sown trousers and shirt. Climbing down Owen buys breakfast once again while I find a seat.
Breakfast was just sausage and bacon which was delicious. Not long after Owen and I head into the forest once more, to the outskirts of the Goblin Town. Walking once more through the gates we reach the forest trail/road. About thirty minutes into our walk Owen makes a ninety degree left turn straight into the thick shrubs. Following behind I recall my appearance in the mirror after waking up. I look like Hellboy, somewhat. Instead of stubs my horns are full, my tail is eerily similar but without his control. However, I’m thankful that my skin colored remains the same. White, but with a natural born tan. My quarter Asian heritage also came through as well. My slightly narrowed eyes with Asian hair lining my features. My nostrils are wide like an Asian. My bridge has the strong noble look of my white heritage. High cheek bones and a sharp define my facial features giving me a diamond shaped face. All in all, I look pretty handsome, not boy band or actor like but more along the lines of a fighter. Like boxing or UFC. Rough and rugged handsome or ‘devil like handsomeness defines my features nicely. Disappointingly, my height of 5’10 did not disappear. I’m still short but with wide shoulders making me look short and stocky, like a dwarf.
Well besides my height which I shall never mention again, Owen spots our first hunt. Three goblins on patrol it seems from the spears and swords in their hands. Owen begins to sneak closer. Ending about ten yards away from the current walking path he waits beside a tree to remain hidden. I unsheathe the dagger Owen is letting me barrow till I snatch a real weapon from one of these goblins soon to be dead hands. They’re a few steps away from Owen’s tree. I wait and watch as their thin legs get closer and closer.
SPLAT
There goes one goblin head. The other goblins don’t even hesitate, they try to stab into Owen with their swords. Owen manages to swerve around him with his agile body and cuts another goblins head. The last goblin is holding a spear and seems to be keeping Owen from getting close. Deciding to join the fray, mentally preparing myself for the kill I attack. Having been no more than ten yards from Owen I arrived quickly and stabbed my dagger into the goblins thin neck. The slight resistance and the slight squishing sound reminded me of squeezing a wet sponge. This was my first kill but yet I don’t feel anything besides not wanting the goblins blood to reach my hand. It sickened me to the core that I felt nothing. The most of what I could feel was like stepping on a cockroach. Just in this case the goblins neck was the roach and my dagger was the shoe. I give it minor thought once the deed is done and begin to loot this goblin as Owen loots the others. We also talked about the split in loot. Take what you kill.
This works with me as I take the goblins spear which feels more like a large cane then a spear along with the goblins money pouch, I needed one of those. The pouch happened to have some worthless shiny material, not sure if it is sellable I keep it as I follow Owen deeper into the Goblin Town territory. Of course, I returned his dagger after I found a spear, no need to steal from maybe friends.
The next three patrols ended the same way, Owen drew the attention and I stabbed from behind their backs. Two of those patrols had four goblins instead of three and I ended up killing 5 while Owen took eight but I still felt good about being to help at all. The feeling of killing the monsters has already passed, like I said for some reason it only felt like killing a cockroach, you feel bad before you do it but once the deed is done you just send it off with a wave as it spirals into the sewer. Not long after with hardly any sweat breaking from my skin while Owen needs a bath we reach Goblin Town. Five foot walls are what is supposed to keep the danger out, too bad for these little puke green beings that I used to hop fences taller than myself when I was fat and weighed two hundred and eighty pounds. These beings will help me make money and gain life or death experiences all in one. I’m ready!