“Hey! Wake up, Michael!” Thomas nudged.
“Huh? Is it morning?” Michael asked groggily.
“Yeah. I’ve been up for a bit. Buried my friends. Let’s get a move on.” Thomas said as he climbed out of the hollow.
Michael followed into the daylight.
“What’s up with this trunk?” Thomas asked while giving it a kick.
“It was also in the ogre cave. I tried to pick the lock with Yan’s kit but had no luck.” Michael responded.
Thomas laughed. “This here is definitely the property of a noble. Unless you are rank 18 in lockpicking, there is no way in hell you are getting that open without the key. Hmm… If we head to the road, we might find the carriage and the key. Thankfully it is finders’ keepers with this kind of thing.”
After Thomas paid his final respects to his fallen teammates and marked the location on his map, the two set out to the southwest.
They walked through the forest for several hours without encountering any beasts or monsters.
“Are trips normally this quiet?” Michael asked.
“Nope. Which is an indicator I wish we had picked up on. That ogre drove every beast and monster out of the area. We should be safe all the way to the road. If we had waited about a week, we would have been attacked at least once by now. The Beryl Forest is normally a dangerous place.” Thomas answered.
“So, what rank would one have to be to take on a rank 14 ogre?” Michael asked.
“Rank 14?! Damn, no wonder we got crushed. For an ogre that high, you would need a team at a minimum rank 7. We were two ranks too short.” Thomas stopped and shook his head.
“How do ranks work exactly?” Michael asked.
“Really? Man, you must have been telling the truth about falling into the world. So, everything has a ranking system to it. Do you know about caps?” Thomas asked.
“Yes.”
“Alright, guess you ain’t hopeless. So, myself, I am a rank 9 Ranger, but my guild rank is 5.” Thomas began walking again. “The guild has 10 ranks in total, with a few special designated ones above that have particular requirements. Your rank 5 mercs will be between 9 to 11 in their class rank. I’m guessing you understand that the higher the rank, the more potent or powerful something or someone is?”
Michael nodded.
“Okay. Uh, that’s about all I can think of when it comes to ranks, really. Got anything you wanna know?” Thomas asked.
“Yeah. How do classes work? I learned that they are affected by your highest skills.” Michael asked.
“Oh, that? Well, take me for example. I’m a Ranger. To get it, you have to increase certain skill ranks. Now a lot of these have been tested and documented, so there are books that can tell you how to get a specific class. Some are a huge pain in the ass to get, but the power you get from those is insane. Some classes can only be earned or gained through lineage. Classes give benefits and special abilities that help to support your class choice. Now comparing an Archer to a Ranger, an Archer could shoot further and do more damage than me. But as a Ranger, I am not affected by terrain while being able to attack and not get instantly found. It’s part of the reason why I was able to survive the attack. Oh, right, forgot an important part. Your first class will typically be just your race, lineage types being the exception to that rule. You can change your class at temples of the gods but need a high priest’s support, which costs quite a bit of Tress. But thankfully, we can choose our first class depending on how we raise our skills.” Thomas explained.
“Thanks for telling me. What skills did you raise to get Ranger? And what did you mean about choosing your first class?” Michael asked.
“Stealth, Ambushing, Archery, and Scope. For choosing your first specialized class, there are two known methods. The first method, you will have dreams every night of a full moon. You would be approached by an avatar of your god who would give you options based on your skillset that you can choose from. The second method can spontaneously happen. Those ones can suck because you have no choice in them. You get stuck with what you get. So, yeah, that is how you can get your first class. After, you have to go to a temple. Heh, I worked my ass off to get Ranger.” Thomas answered.
“I wonder if I get that? Also, Scope?” Michael tapped his upper lip in thought, wondering what class he might like to do.
“Allows me to see far into the distance. Basically, I don’t need binoculars.” Thomas laughed.
“Have you ever heard of an ability to gain information about something by focusing on it?”
“Yeah. Sounds like the Assessment skill. Merchants and Craftsmen have that skill. It allows you to gauge an item’s ability. Though it doesn’t work on living beings.” Thomas shrugged.
Michael wondered if that was what he had been using all this time. He tried focusing on Thomas’ back.
Thomas Audine
Class: Ranger (Rank 9)
Str: Rank 3 Dex: Rank 9 Int: Rank 5
Status:
Physical: Injured 17% Magic: Normal Mental State: Traumatized
Injuries:
Left Eye: Crippled Ribs: 4 Lower left fractured (minor)
Left Arm: Fractured (minor)
Skills:
Stealth: Rank 9 Archery: Rank 10 Ambush: Rank 8 Scope: Rank 9
Calculation: Rank 6 Negotiation: Rank 3 Instrument: Rank 4 Dagger: Rank 5
Cook: Rank 2 Survival: Rank 7 Assessment: Rank 3 Appraisal: Rank 3
Climb: Rank 4 Dodge: Rank 4
Abilities:
Snipe Ambush Lead Arrow Homing Shot Vanish Mark Track Camouflage
Alert (Passive) Sense (Passive)
At that moment, Michael knew that his ability was something other than Assessment, something more substantial. Thomas didn’t seem to notice anything had happened either.
“Hey Thomas, you mentioned something about Abilities?” Michael asked.
“Huh? Oh yeah. Each class will have special abilities attached to the class. They are all affected by your personal rank.” Thomas replied.
“Yan’s journal mentioned you once killed a dogman hiding behind some cover?” Michael brought up.
“Oh yeah! Brained the little bastard right between his beady eyes. Damn, good shot. That was an ability called Homing Arrow. It takes a bit of mana to use, but as long as it has a somewhat clear path and doesn’t hit anything, it will strike its target true. It was hiding to ready a spell, and I had none of that.” Thomas had a good laugh.
Thomas came to a stop and turned to face Michael.
“Look, Michael, I owe you my life, I really do, but… I don’t know what to do about ya.” Thomas started. “You’re a demon. As much as I want to bring you with me and buy you a drink, there is no way they would let you in the city. They likely would kill us both if they caught me with you.”
“Oil and water, huh?” Michael recalled.
“Yeah,” Thomas replied.
“So, what can I do?” Michael asked.
“Best for you to head to demi-human or demon lands. The two races get along decently well. You could try the fae-folk. With your personality, they might welcome you, but they are far out from here.” Thomas offered.
Michael sighed, unsure of what to do.
“Look, I’ll do right by you, I promise. Once we get to the road, I’ll point you in the right direction. All you’ll have to do is avoid being seen, especially by humans. It might not be as bad as you get closer to Demi-Human lands. I will give you my cloak so you can use that around your waist instead of Yan’s. Furl your wings as best you can and keep Yan’s cloak and hood up. At least from a distance, no one can tell you’re a demon.” Thomas added while pulling his cloak from his pack.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Thanks, Thomas. I have to ask, why did you decide to trust me if things are that bad between humans and demons?” Michael asked as he changed the cloaks around.
“You remember what I said down in the hollow? It was a bit exaggerated, but there is no way a demon would help a human and vice versa. Yet, you didn’t kill me on the spot, but you saved my ass. While all this time has passed, the only things you have asked me are common knowledge. You have shown no signs of hostility, caution sure, but I think I can judge that you are a good guy. One I would like as a friend. But, you know, oil and water.” Thomas joked at the end. “It shouldn’t long before we should see the main road.”
Just as Thomas had said, about thirty minutes later, they could see the road through the tree line.
Thomas came to a stop once more. “Now, before we go out there, I got some things to advise you on.”
Michael moved a rock for Thomas to sit on, and Michael sat down on the trunk.
“Now, with your cloak hiding your wings, you should be able to pass yourself off as a demi-human. Most humans look down on demi-humans as they believe them to be… unsophisticated like themselves. It is a bit different closer to the border. They get along a little bit. I’m sure you are curious about my thoughts, but I don’t mind them. I had an uncle who married a demi, so I know they are just like humans, just trying to live peacefully. If people notice your wings, you’re screwed. Run if you can, fight if you must.” Thomas explained.
“Demi-humans can have horns?”
“Yeah. Now, this next bit is important. If a human asks what your mix is, you gotta get upset and refuse to answer. The only thing that pisses off a demi more than that is using the term ‘breed’ when asking. It basically equates to calling a demi a mindless beast. Now if you run across another demi, they most likely won’t ask, but if they do, they will ask about your ‘trait background.’ Going by your eyes and horns, I would say a dragon-newt and king-ram. That should be enough to placate them. If they ask where you’re from, just say you got out of the Dunluun slums, looking to join your brethren in Galgalake, the capital city of demi-humans.” Thomas continued.
“I got it.”
“Another useful thing you can use is the Divine Oath. If you answer a question and follow it up with swearing in a god’s name, your statements are true, and you will get that brief glow. No one will accuse you of lying if you use that. Do you have a god you follow?” Thomas asked.
“I don’t know much about them, but if there are any that are the opposite of that garbage goddess, I would be interested,” Michael replied.
“Hmm. Then Io would be your goddess. She is the older sister of Sylfaerune and a real benevolent type. Many demi-humans follow her, so it works out for your cover.” Thomas recommended it.
Michael made a mental note to get more information on Io later.
“One other thing, you gotta come up with a better demon name than Michael. It sounds too human. It will work fine for a demi-human, but if you came across a demon, they would think you to be some demi-demon. I have heard rumors that demi-demons are treated like slaves in demon country.” Thomas said.
“Do you have examples?” Michael asked.
“Ah… I can only think of a few Demon-Lord names. Talopar the Butcher, or Eevicaln the Lustful. Lotta young boys enjoy Eevicaln history since it is borderline porn.” Thomas laughed.
“How about, Caeldaemos?” Michael asked.
“Kale-day-mos? Yeah, that would work pretty well. Caeldaemos the Benevolent.” Thomas smiled.
“The Benevolent?”
“Yeah. See, high-ranking demons or Demon-Lords always got a title. You saved my ass, and you’re a good guy. You know, the Oracles predicted that a new Demon-Lord would be born this decade. If we were to have one, I’d love for you to be it. Shake up the status quo and all.” Thomas gave Michael a warm smile.
“What do you mean by shaking it up?” Michael was curious.
“Well, every Demon-Lord aimed to drive the world to a bad ending. Eevicaln was the tamest of the others in history as all she wanted was to get it on. Maybe she wanted to destroy the world through overpopulation or something, heh, heh. I think the worst one was Laugantraunt the Pestilence. History books estimated around half of the world’s population died during his reign.” Thomas recalled.
“Any other basics I should know?” Michael asked.
“Basics!” Thomas exclaimed while he began to dig through his pack. Before long, he pulled out a small book and handed it to Michael.
“Mercenary Guidebook?” Michael read the cover.
“Yeah, completely forgot about the stupid thing. I always carry it on me as a good luck charm. That should help you out a lot with common sense stuff.” A wide grin came to Thomas’ face.
Michael was touched by all of Thomas’ help. “Thanks.” He said, putting the book away.
“Well, let’s get to it.” Thomas stood up.
The two walked to the road in silence.
Thomas turned to Michael. “I really do owe you, Michael. I wish I could do more, but-.”
“Oil and water?” Michael finished with a smirk.
“You got it. Heh. I never thought I would be doing this, but” Thomas extended his hand, “Thank you, Caeldaemos the demon.”
Michael smiled and shook the man’s hand. “You’re welcome, Thomas, the human.”
After shaking hands, Thomas pointed down the road. “You’ll be heading that way. It will take a week to get to the fork, but follow the road on the left when you get there. That will take you north toward demi-human lands. Be careful in the area, though. I heard rumors of some human noble wanting to expand his territory there. Demon country is to the far north-east. However, you’ll have to pass through a mountain range to reach their capital. If you get attacked by brigands, just kill and loot them.”
“Do you think I could take them on?” Michael asked, adjusting the trunk on his shoulder.
“You took out a rank 14 ogre by yourself. You can handle a small group of brigands. That and if you show yourself to be a demon and rip one of their heads off, many of them will flee to the winds.” Thomas joked.
“Will you be alright?” Michael was concerned for the Ranger’s safety.
“Heh. I will be fine. We are a couple hours away from a garrison. They would be nuts to strike that close to it. You take care of yourself, my friend.” Thomas patted Michael’s shoulder before turning down the opposite way he pointed out for Michael.
“You too, my friend.” Michael smiled and moved down his path. Happy with his connection to Thomas but feeling a bit of emptiness at having to go their separate ways.
Michael was worried about his future. But thanks to the kind ranger, he felt it was a bit less bleak.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thomas approached the small stone fortress and stopped when an armored soldier called for him to stop.
“Halt! State your business!” The soldier commanded.
“My name is Thomas Audine. Rank 5 merc. I am the sole survivor of my party and need assistance.” Thomas called up to the soldier.
“Wait there while I inform the commander.” The soldier went out of sight.
Five minutes passed, and Thomas was escorted inside.
Thomas was seated at a table by an older male soldier who took a seat by a typewriter and began getting it ready for use.
The door opened, and a grizzled-looking woman entered the room.
“Greetings. I am vice commander Sela Phona of this garrison. I will be taking and verifying your report. Corporal Frank will be the recorder.” The vice commander sat at the table before Thomas and nodded to the corporal.
“Let’s start off with your name and occupation.”
“Thomas Audine. A rank 5 merc based out of Dunluun.” Thomas answered.
“I was informed that you are the sole survivor of your party. Were you working a job? Was it in the Beryl Forest?”
“I am…” Thomas paused. “The only survivor.” It was beginning to become difficult for him to breathe. “We were on a mission to take out a few pig-orcs preying on the road. We tracked them into the Beryl Forest.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
“We… We found and engaged the pigs. There were three of them and four of us. Yan kept them busy in melee, and Charlie provided support to him. Winston was hitting them hard while I kept the pigs disorganized. We would have won… if it hadn’t heard our battle and showed up.” Thomas could feel his face heating up, and his eyes were tearing up.
“What showed up?”
“An ogre.” Thomas choked out.
“I’m sorry.” Is all the vice commander could muster, sympathizing for the man. Even she had lost several soldiers to the monster.
Thomas took in a sharp intake of air, trying to keep from breaking down.
“Take your time, Mr. Audine.”
“Th-thank you.” Thomas took a moment to collect himself. “It targeted Yan and the pig-orc he was engaged with. A single swing… Yan and the pig went flying. Winston and I tried our best to keep its attention. Charlie… Oh, Charlie…” Thomas began crying.
“We can continue this later if you need to.” The vice commander offered.
“No. I’ll finish.” Thomas collected himself as much as he could to continue. “Charlie rushed to Yan. He was coughing up blood, and his caved-in chest plate restricted his breathing. Charlie cut it free and began healing Yan. But that fucker must have fought humans before. He ignored me and went straight for Charlie. Winston and I did everything we could to stop it, but it… grabbed him by his head… lifted him… and… ate his bottom half…” Thomas broke down into loud sobs.
The vice commander decided that they would take a break and come back once Thomas calmed down. She had their doctor mix a calming drink to help the Ranger.
An hour later, they were back at the table.
“If you feel you can continue, please do.” The vice commander kindly said.
“Thank you… After Charlie… died. I don’t remember too much after. Attacking blindly while abandoning all tactics, both Winston and I hit it with everything we had. It closed in on Winston and beat him until he was nothing more than… paste.” Thanks to the drink, Thomas could keep himself together better, but he couldn’t stop the tears.
“How did you survive?”
“I barely did. I took one of the fucker’s eyes with a good shot. It started swinging wildly. Caught me on my left side. Shattered my arm and leg and crushed my eye. Snapped my right leg when I hit the ground. Barely staying conscious, I dragged myself to a hollow under a tree and blacked out. After that, I don’t know how much time passed. I was in and out of consciousness. Somehow, I managed to sit myself up. Seeing the state, I was in, I knew I needed a miracle if I hoped to live.” A warm smile came to his face.
“Someone found you?”
“Yeah. A non-human named Michael.” Thomas said the name fondly.
“Fae?”
“Nope.” Thomas shook his head.
“A demi-human then.”
Thomas gave the vice-commander a smile.
“I see. This Michael rescued you?”
“He did. Michael said he was lost and didn’t know where he was or going. He happened to find Yan’s things after killing the ogre.”
The vice commander stood and slammed the table. “He killed it?!” She was stunned. “D-Did he have others with him? A pack?”
“Nope. He was by himself.” Thomas answered.
“You’re sure he killed the ogre?” The vice commander asked while sitting back down.
Thomas pulled Charlie’s pouch from his belt and put it on the table.
“This is how he saved me. This belonged to Charlie. He always kept a few potions in the pouch just in case he ran out of mana.” Thomas sighed.
“Unbelievable…”
“This should be enough proof since it ain’t covered in ogre shit. Michael pulled this out of that fucker’s stomach. It is thanks to him that I am here, mostly whole.” Thomas fondly remembered his odd friend. It might have been a little more than a day, but Thomas was sure he would remember Michael until the day he died.
“And where is this, Michael?”
“Heading north toward demi-human lands,” Thomas answered, feeling slightly more relaxed.
“What? I, uh, see.”
“Is something wrong?” Thomas asked.
“Nothing you need concern yourself with. It is good to know the ogre is dead. What happened to the other pig-orcs?”
“Ran off the moment their buddy got killed,” Thomas answered.
“I see. Is there anything else to report?”
“Nothing else for the military.” Thomas finished.
“Very well. Do you swear your testimony is true?”
“I swear in the name of Orbus that everything I have stated here is true.” A haze of light flashed over his body, confirming his testimony.
“I thank you. We can provide an escort for you following our schedule. Will you be heading to Dunluun?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Thomas replied.
“I will check our schedule, but I think we have a squad heading there in the next few days.”
“Thank you.”
Several hours had passed, and Thomas was in a guest room in the garrison, looking out at the moon.
“Hey, Orbus. If you could, could you talk to Io for me? Please ask her to watch out for Michael. He’s quite the mystery but is a damn good guy.” Thomas laughed to himself. “Caeldaemos the Benevolent. Heh, heh.”