“And I imagined it would be faster to reach this medieval city when we saw it from up the hill...”

It would still take a while before they reached the big gate and physical fatigue was already biting at his legs. It wasn't something to complain about — especially considering the fact that he wasn't even capable of it — yet there was indeed a sense of purely physical discomfort in having to carry that heavy pile of skin and fur on his back.

“I still feel pain and physical exhaustion like a normal person would, but I can't exactly suffer for any of those reasons.”

Those were bad things to feel, and yes, Jake knew it. The difference that existed between his former state and the present one resided in the emotional experience that was associated with those physical needs. He just didn't care that his legs were aching or the shoulders felt like they were mere seconds away from giving up.

"My body feels hunger, but it's not like I'm craving anything in particular."

It wasn't something someone not in his condition would easily understand, and he wouldn't even try to explain. It would be better to continue so that no one knew what it was all about.

“For now, let's see what this city will bring in terms of what's new.”

Approaching the large door that bounded the entrance to Calendas, Jake paid keen attention to his surroundings, realizing how much the place followed its own logic.

That was a city built in a valley, just at the foot of a wide range of mountains. The choice of location was both specific and strategic, given that the peaks would serve as a form of natural wall for any enemy attack.

“I'm probably just overanalyzing. Writer's mind, I guess.”

Comparing that structure to that of his own past fantasy creations would make any set of words he wrote about it sound too small to describe.

Looking frontwards revealed his confident company. Sword at waist height, Enille walked with anticipation, for the first time letting go of her usual care to keep pace with him. She was looking forward to getting in town and it showed.

“There are so many beautiful places in Calendas, Jake...! I'm sure you'll love the city!” She spoke, turning her face back. “Maybe we can go see the main street later!”

Nothing about her resembled the depressed, downcast mood of someone who had just lost two friends. He knew that was just Enille's outward appearance, yet still couldn’t lie about the fact things had moved to that point a little too quickly.

At the moment, she was more ecstatic than ever, encouraging him to walk faster and talking about all the great and beautiful things that existed in that city.

“I think I know of a place where you can try to sell that pelt! Let's have fun and go for a walk, shall we, Jake?"

“Again my suspicions sound correct.”

Enille wouldn't give up on him and there was nothing the teenager could do about it. She wanted to have him by her side for as long as possible and wouldn't give any room for that not to be possible.

There was no logical point in trying to debate the idea, especially bearing in mind that he didn't know any location in that realm — or world, for that matter — other than that stretch of the Royal Road.

"Okay." He answered directly.

"Excellent! I'll show you all the cool and beautiful places in Calendas, Jake!" With a broad smile, the blonde girl cheered.

“Seems late for that.” He thought, as he looked up. “I still don't understand how the 'periods' system works, but the way I see it, it shouldn't be less than 3pm right now.”

The positioning of the sun in the sky brought a slightly more intense irradiation, its angle favoring a much more direct incidence on the two and the city itself, which made the wall project small points of shadow.

Even though he had no idea when exactly the sunset would be in that world, the boy from another world clung to the notion that it would be something similar to what happened in his, which might not give them much time.

"I'm going to sort this out and worry about where I'm going to spend the night."

Relying on Enille's family was by no means a valid option for the otherworldly teen.

“Come on, Jake! Faster! The city is right there!”

Enille’s excitement was matched only by the coldness of her companion's gestures, who paused for a second, filled with small aches and trigger points in every corner of his back muscles, before continuing onward.

“Apparently, having my body and abilities improved doesn't change the fact that I was sedentary before getting here.” He concluded, before continuing to walk.

Seeing Enille run ahead to get faster was far from enough to motivate him to do the same.

... ... ...

“Keesh! Lafias!”

Both men brandishing swords awoke from their trance-like state at that call. Watching the city gates to prevent any danger from arriving had a great potential to become a tedious task.

So that made it easy for anyone's consciousness to leak elsewhere, and with trained warriors like those two were, maybe a conflict or war where one emerged victorious in the end, receiving glory and praise, would be a good place to start.

Oh yes! Plunging a sword right through the heart of one of those damned Dark Elves! That would be an epic fantasy.

“Ah, Miss Enille…! How nice it is to see you once more! Where are you coming from now?”

The first to react was the huge Lafias. The red-haired man in armor bore some battle marks on his face which, combined with the mustache, guaranteed even more maturity to that figure. Of the two, he had the appearance of being more muscular and taller.

"I just came back from a mission..." The answer brought in its tone the explanation that one did not want to hear.

“Oh, I can understand that it wasn't as good as expected, right, Miss Enille? I’m sorry to hear that.”

And that's when the second knight entered. A little shorter, thin and young, Keesh was a man with green hair, like the blades of grass. His eyes glowed amber, their playfulness flashing all around.

“Indeed, it was not a successful mission… Not to mention we had losses… Two of them.”

The negative intonation caused the knights' countenances to be consumed by a terrible heaviness. Like it or not, they both knew that things were too dangerous for people in the work field that young Enille had chosen.

“I'm sorry to put it that way, Miss Enille, but…” Keesh paused for a moment, to calculate his words. “... Working as an adventurer is too risky. You should reconsider!”

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“Things have been dangerous out there. As if the beasts and those cursed Dark Elves weren't enough attacking our people's villages from time to time, we still have to reckon with those others who are like us, humans of our own flesh and blood, grouped in criminal factions..."

Lafias looked far into the city. Protected by the walls, people walked and went about their usual routines, preoccupied with little more than deciding what to cook for the next day's meal.

“A shipment of natural crystals coming from the mines in Asphtos was stolen last week. We received the news not long ago. It seems that everyone was slaughtered on the way, including the two knights guarding the carriage caravan... A total of 47 deaths, as far as we know.”

Enille covered her mouth when hearing about the deaths, not believing how cruel things were getting in those parts.

“I wonder if any part of the city will end up being dimly lit thanks to this... Quite possibly the residents of the poorest area will suffer a cut in public lighting.”

The subject was morbid, and precisely because of that quality it had the potential to stretch endlessly into the conversation. For whatever reason, it was as if neither party felt the desire to adopt an optimistic posture.

“Miss Enille, I know this is a recent loss, however this type of occurrence should not go unspoken of.” Keesh spoke, putting himself into the dialogue. “If it is the deaths of your two companions who left the walls with you five days ago, I ask that, once you have notified the Adventurers’ Guild of their deaths, that you also speak with the Royal Knights. We will take action as quickly as possible.”

A brief second of silence consumed unnecessary spacing for the question.

“What were these individuals like, Miss Enille? And... most of all... How did you manage to escape so unscathed, if I may ask?”

It surprised her that the question hadn't been asked much earlier in the conversation. Mention of the topic was guaranteed to occur at some point, but it wasn't knowing of it that stopped all her muscles from tensing right away.

"It was a group of hooded people... There were six of them... They were dressed in black from head to toe and carried cursed daggers..."

The answer did not come easily, but she understood that it was necessary to share it.

"It's the first time I've heard of a group like that... They're really too dangerous to be let at large..." Lafias spoke up. “In any case, this information must be taken to the Kingdom. If they are the ones causing our current problems, it won't be long before something is done.”

That, however, led to another obvious question.

“Miss Enille, again forgive me for having to make you go back to such painful moments, but...”

For a second, Keesh seemed to be searching for the right words, lest he end up hurting Enille's shaken feelings even more. If not for that, his words would sound rude and not at all kind to the known-too-well young lady, heartbroken by the pain.

"... How...?" He asked, cautiously. “How did you manage to survive such an encounter with such a group?”

As inconvenient as it was, that was perhaps the one question she couldn't escape answering. From her description, it would only be obvious that she, too, would amount to nothing but a corpse at that point.

They didn't mean to be disrespectful or wish the worst had happened, but those two were acutely aware of the girl's skills with a sword, and to say that Enille had difficulty hitting a stationary target less than an arm's length away with a sure thrust would be putting it mildly.

“Well, about that...”

However, what surprised them the most was the fact that a warm smile sprouted on the lips of the swordswoman adventurer.

“I was fortunate enough to come across someone who helped me. That's how I survived.”

"Someone...?" Keesh raised an eyebrow curiously.

“Yes, and he is making his way here right now, slow and steady!”

Enille looked back, noticing the presence of the dark-skinned boy already up close. He walked slowly, tired enough of carrying that heavy skin, as even from a distance she could see the numerous beads of sweat on his forehead.

"At last you're here, Jake!" She spoke, in clear happiness.

However, her good mood and giddiness were not shared by the guards, whose faces promptly distorted, leaving behind any trace of relief or kindness, to display nothing more than the most intense murderous intent.

“CEASE WALKING IMMEDIATELY!”

Keesh took the lead, placing himself in front of Enille while pointing the end of his sword at the stranger.

“Damn Dark Elf...! What do you want near the good people of Calendas, you filthy creature?!”

That time, it was Lafias who took his own two steps towards him. In the older man's eyes, one could see the flame of anger burning brightly, where all the deepest desires of ire played out like a movie.

“I figured it would be like this.”

“You and your disgusting barbarian race have already caused us enough trouble…! Or perhaps are you not satisfied with the defeats your wild people suffered?! Speak, you filthy pig...! How do you still have the nerve to threaten us?!”

“Well, he looks angry enough.”

Those words, however threatening in the truest possible sense, didn't matter to him, and that was exactly the problem behind that misunderstanding.

“I'm too tired to get away, and these guys are so blinded by hate that they won't listen to me, no matter how hard I try to say something.”

His only hope was the now desperate Enille, who held, with all the strength of her small body, the arm of a trained man several times stronger and motivated by the desire for revenge.

“Lafias...! Do not do this...! Please!"

“Miss Enille, don't you realize you've just been tricked by a worm like that?! You don't trust Dark Elves! Never...!"

“Please, Lafias...! Listen to me...! Jake... He isn't..." Before she could finish, whatever argument was cut short.

“I will not repeat myself, Miss Enille! Stay back from this! I know you have a good heart and like to believe the best in others... But a creature worse than a monster doesn't deserve such kindness from you...!"

Quickly, Keesh wrapped the tormented Enille with his arms, intending to keep her away. No matter how much she struggled or kicked, the girl wouldn't be breaking free anytime soon.

"NO...! Jake! Run away...!” That was her last plea before bursting into tears.

“Oh, Miss Enille… You must have seen enough for today. Your heart must be weary.” Keesh said, leading her a little farther. “That won't take long, I swear. Lafias will be merciful.”

The knight turned his back to the battle, so as to prevent her from seeing it.

Soon, there were only the two left. On one hand, hatred that burned with such intensity it could melt metals in seconds, and on the other, nothing but the purest, coldest indifference.

"It really is a lot of courage that you have to appear here, in front of me..." Lafias laughed brokenly, which let out his immense frustration. "But now you've gone too far, scum... Deceiving sweet Miss Enille's good heart..."

"In a way, he's not wrong." Jake accepted the point in his mind.

Lafias swung his sword in an extravagant gesture, completed in a firm and precise vertical slash.

“You will pay in the name of your race's cursed existence, who crawl on the ground like the animals you are, murdering our men of most courage… And raping our wives and daughters…!”

The expressionless boy from another world had only one thing to say about it.

“Wow, what a beautiful series of epic lines accompanied by an entirely unnecessary scene we have here. Extremely cliché, although it seems to me that you read your part perfectly.” He spoke, seemingly calm. “I rate 6 out of 10.”

The red-haired man showed his teeth in mockery, ready to spit bitterness in the form of the various cuts that the edge of his sword would make in that flesh.

“The audacity that mocks the Royal Knights… Typical.”

The tall and muscular knight pointed his blade forward, letting that still unknown phenomenon take care of showing the rest.

“Hmm…? Is he also a Magic User?”

In a matter of a mere two seconds, the entire metallic length of the weapon was covered in dancing flames of a deadly orange.

"So the aptitudes of people in this world with Magic do vary." Jake thought, preparing to dodge whatever came his way.

Too fast. Before he could even think of anything, Lafias was already less than three meters away from a final move.

“I could see it coming, but my body is too tired to dodge. My musculature does not respond properly to commands.”

Jake could feel the heat of the flames that promised to cut him in half licking his cheeks and nose. Without any conscious will from his brain, the eyes closed, in an instinctive attempt to avoid the high temperatures.

“DIE, DARK ELF!”

... ... ...

“But what is this happening in front of the gates of our Calendas?! Explain immediately!”

Suddenly, the heat stopped, ceasing to be even faster than it started, inviting him to open his eyes again and witness the arrival of that new individual.