One rider took the lead while the other two dropped back to my right and left. They wore chain mail shirts with a matching tabard. It was deep purple with gold stitching along the edges. I couldn't get a good look at the symbol on their chests. It was hard to tell if they were NPCs while they were riding their horses. The one who had spoken to me before sounded like a normal person.

We moved from the clearing to a packed dirt road that transitioned into stone. The village consisted of ten main building surrounded by a cluster of cabins. In the center of it all was a small castle that with a moat. It was made of clean-cut white stone and practically glowed in the mid-morning light.

Two footmen flanked the drawbridge. I stole a quick look at the village. There weren't nearly enough people to fill a place this size. Counting the three riders and two guards, I could see maybe twenty in total. They watched us as we approached. No one had fallen into a loop. Yet.

[Skill Unlocked: Assess 1]

Little health bars appeared over all of their heads. The ones above the guards were the same size as the villagers. They were probably level one or possibly still an ordinary. The riders dismounted once we reached the drawbridge. They kept the formation of one ahead and a guard on each side as we moved closer to the castle.

They didn't seem bothered that the doors were already open.

"This way," the lead guard said.

It wasn't hard to see where we were going. The room an open dining hall with tables laid out in a U shape. A bored girl sat on a throne placed on a raised platform. Her dress was the same purple as the tabard worn by the guards. Beside her stood a short man with drab hair slicked along the sides of his head and a vacant stare to his eyes.

"My queen," the lead guard said as we approached. "We caught this intruder."

I raised my eyebrows and looked at him. Honestly, this place wasn't big enough to warrant a mayor let alone royalty. Now that I was closer, I got a better look at their queen. She was tall, fit, and her crown balanced expertly on her head.

"What are you supposed to be?" She asked as she turned her gaze to me.

"Mason," I replied.

"What's a mason?" She wrinkled her nose as she said my name.

"My name," I said slowly. "Is Mason."

"And what are you?" She wiggled her fingers at me.

"I'm a Felspawn," I replied. "Things have changed and I'm trying to figure out what is going on."

"Not much has changed," she said with a slight pout. "People still worship me. This," she didn't even bother addressing the man beside her. "Still thinks I'm perfect. And, I am."

"Who is that?"

"The court fool," she replied.

"Wizard," the man cut in.

"Fool," the queen silenced him with a sharp glare. "What have you found out about this new world of ours?"

"Did you read the codex?" I asked.

She looked at me for a long moment.

"I'll take that as a no," I muttered. "To put it simply, our world works like a video game now. Adventurers, monsters, treasure, and all that."

"Treasure?" She perked up. "Such as?"

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"I've mostly found gear," I said tapping the armor on the chest. "There's probably gold and jewels out there too."

A tight smile spread across her face. Her gaze shifted to the guards that had been my escort.

"What else can you tell me?"

There wasn't any point in lying to her. She would find this all out eventually and I didn't want people to die if I withheld what I knew. That and I had no idea how the clown plague actually spread others. I didn't want what had happened to the merchant happen here too.

"The market at the end of the hall was overrun by monsters," I said. "This is the first room I've checked out other than the office in the main building."

The queen nodded. She tapped her chin as she took a slow breath and let it out. My contact window hadn't been updated with a quest, or contacts. It didn't feel like a good sign. The queen clapped.

"Lock that in the dungeon and gather my men," she ordered.

"You aren't serious," I said.

The three guards drew their swords and started to close in on me. A line of text appeared on their HP bars.

[Swordsman: Level 1 Minion]

[10/10 HP]

My experience with swords didn't extend beyond hitting my friends with sticks and making sound effects. There was a chance that these three were coming from the same skill level. Fencing wasn't something most schools offered these days, but I was getting the hang of this brawling thing.

I hoped.

The guard closest to me wound up like he was ready to serve a tennis shot. I dashed forward and planted my elbow in the middle of his chest. It was wasn't gentle, but it was better than a sword. His arm drooped as his breath was forced out of his lungs. I grabbed it and twisted. He flipped onto the stone floor with a clink-thump. I wouldn't get any points for style, but it worked.

I slapped the next blade away as the swordsman stared open-mouthed at me. The confused look on his face went slack as my fist slammed into his nose. I turned to face the last guard. He held his sword with both hands and wound up like he was chopping wood.

[Dodge Failed]

[Dash Failed]

[Not Enough Energy]

The notification blinked at the edge of my vision. How had I used it up so fast? I really hoped that I could recharge my energy before he could finish me off.

An arrow appeared in his bicep. He let out a yelp. The sword tumbled out of his hands landing point first onto the floor. Somehow missed both of our feet.

"Found some arrows," Ashley called from the doorway.

"Some neat armor too," Bruce said as he bounced into the room.

He wore a chain mail shirt instead of the leather armor I had given him. The goblin jingled as he found a perch on the edge of one of the tables.

"Laura," Ashley said readying another arrow. "Still a BLEEP I see."

"Bleep?" The queen, Laura, asked.

"Can't curse," Ashley answered shrugging. "I meant to call you a BLEEP."

"This thing is a friend of yours?" Her gaze drifted somewhere that address all of us without actually focusing on anyone.

The swordsman still stood before me with an arrow in his arm. His cries of pain accentuated the conversation, but the room wasn't big enough to really appreciate his vocal range.

"I guess," Ashley said with a nod. "Mason, did you break her toys?"

I looked at the guard before me. A solid punch sent him sprawling on the stone floor.

"Yeah, you could say that," I said before I turned my attention to the queen. "Pull your head out of your BLEEP. I said there were monsters around now. Look at me. I'm turning into one. Treasure isn't worth anything if you're dead."

"Aw, are we going already?" Bruce asked.

I looked to Ashley. She nodded.

"I want to see what's in the next room, you?" I asked walking over to my new friends.

"In a moment," Ashley said. "The villagers weren't happy to see us."

"Mostly me," Bruce said as he joined us. "I'm just too pretty."

"Sure you are," I chuckled.

A group of villagers were waiting for us outside. The two guards who had been at the drawbridge were now face down in it. One had been stripped.

"What's going on?" A villager called.

"Revolution?" I said with a look to Ashley.

"Revolution," she agreed.

"Read the codex," Bruce yelled. "Bruce is out, peace."

[Aggressive Negotiations 1,500 XP]

[Guard 2x – 400 XP]

[Assist – 100 XP]

[Level Up!]

[3,520/6,000]

[Health: 40] [Mana: 15] [Energy: 55]

Ashley shook her head as we walked through the crowd. She tried to hide it, but I could see her smile. The feeling in my back had shifted from soreness to a cramp.

"Bruce," I managed to whisper. "Could you look to see if I have an arrow in my back?"

The goblin hopped behind me and gave me the once over.

"You owe me for this," he muttered.

"For what?"

He grabbed the back of my pants and tore. The cramp faded.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Your tail was stuck," he mumbled as he moved on.

"My tail?"

I looked over my shoulder. Sure enough, I had a tail. It started in the small of my back and stretched to around my ankle. The skin had a crimson sheen to it and the end was shaped like an arrowhead. I held up my hands. Streaks of crimson stretched toward my elbow. No wonder they thought I was a demon.

"That explains the Felspawn part," I whispered.