Emmi showed them around the market square, telling them about village history. The village was founded a little over a century ago it was created to be the new frontier into the wilderness although the population numbered in the hundreds a large percentage of the inhabitants were adventurers or hunters. The village was lucky enough to be exempted from tax due to the sheer distance the tax-collectors would have to travel to reach the small village.The nearest city or village was more than two weeks travel away, so the king had created a new law that exempted frontier villages from tax with the reason that the coin was spent on exploration.The king encouraged the village to be self-sufficient and rewarded new finds in the frontier with good gold, new dungeons or mines were important discoveries. As they were resources for the empire and could be game changers if they were utilized correctly.
The king had sent word that if enough had been discovered to make it worth the effort he would turn the small town into a true city. The kingdom was slowly but surely building a road from the nearest city to Grathem, populating a few villages along the way as rest-stops. Their kingdom, Reagum, was neither large nor small. There were larger kingdoms surrounding the country and a kingdom of similar size to the west. The presence of larger kingdoms that were always vying for resources had forced experience onto the now hardened Reagum army. The kingdom was in a near constant state of war as one larger kingdom after the other would test their borders. They had a defensive alliance with the kingdom to the west. The two kingdoms had joined forces in many a battle over the centuries and the royal families has married into each other on more than a few occasions. Some saw the two kingdoms as one kingdom ruled by two different branches of the same family, the statement was not far from the truth.
The kingdom to the west was called Yalisia, they had few warriors compared to other countries but were unparalleled in their ferocity. Each of their citizens was taught how to wield a weapon from a young age, they had spent enough time with a weapon in hand that even an average farmer could fight toe to toe with a soldier originating from the larger kingdoms. They took pride in their martial ability, Reagum, on the other hand, had companies of dedicated soldiers that trained day and night, they were sent to battlefields from a young age, hardening their youth through war. Their soldiers were disciplined and experienced, working together with a fluidity that had halted the enemy armies in their tracks.
The current king of Reagum was Jorhan, a proud young man at the age of twenty-eight. He was a just and strong ruler, as his ancestors had been before him. He had a younger brother who was a genius in the art of battle, a strategist that made the experienced generals of the larger kingdoms seem incompetent. They had an older sister, who had not wanted the throne but instead focused on her swordsmanship, it was rumored that she was a true master with a rapier and was frequently seen on the battlefields. Yalisia had an Empress, the previous Emperor had died last year leaving his young daughter on the throne at the age of sixteen. She had an older brother that advised her but had refused the right to rule. He focused on his swordsmanship same as the oldest sister of the Reagum family, it was rumored that the two had a relationship.
Then she told them about the multitude of races that were spread out through the various kingdoms. The elves, an elegant people, known for their love of nature and all it encompasses. Strong in the magic of the earth and gifted in archery. The elves had no singular kingdom but lived in various tribes throughout the continent. Two tribes lived in the kingdom of Reagum, The tribe of the Falling Leaf and The Silver Wing tribe. The tribes were interconnected, the elders of each tribe would meet once every fifty years in a location that was ever changing. They remained neutral during wars, although a few elves were known to join armies, mercenary groups or adventurer parties. The tribes did not involve themselves in war. There was a legend about a kingdom who once attacked an elven tribe and razed it to the ground, the elven people had gathered their might and destroyed the kingdom in an unprecedentedly fierce assault. No one had dared to attack the elves since then.
The dwarven people, proud and fierce warriors, lived in close contact to the earth and stone, masters at the manipulation of metal and brilliant inventors, architects and engineers. Their iron legions shook the battlefield of any kingdom that raised their ire, their kingdom had its own infrastructure webbed deep into the earth, connecting all their various magnificent cities. They mostly kept to themselves but were open for trade and had a strong economical foundation. They were ruled by the Lord of the Stone, a Warrior of incredible power well over five centuries old. Few kingdoms and people could count themselves among the dwarven allies, but those that could were bonded and could count on the support of the dwarven iron legions in battle. Most of the countries that were allied with the dwarves were peaceful, focusing on the advance of both metal and magic. Their alliance with the dwarves giving them the power needed to live in peace.
The giants of the red sand, a people with bronze coloured hide. With an average height of three meters, these towering giants were a fearsome presence on any battlefield, they had no one ruler the strongest of their warriors could claim the seat of Warlord. Any tribesman could challenge the warlord for the right to rule should they manage to defeat him in combat, they could lead their people. This was no easy task. The current warlord had ruled for over twenty years, he was a four-meter tall giant that had waded through many a battlefield yet still remained at the peak of power. The giants of the red sand had a love of battle, their kind were not uncommon in adventurers parties or mercenary guilds. Their nomadic horde remained in a permanent state of war with one country or another. A select few kingdoms and empires who had gained the respect of the giants through a show of strength were exempt from their eternal search for battle.
The beastmen inhabited the steppe’s, they had a mainly tribal kingdom. They were ruled by a council of chieftains pulled from the largest or most powerful tribes, they lived all over place and moved consistently but would unite to protect their country should the need arise. Because of the many different sub-races of beast men they were a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, most of their warriors specializing in an aspect of combat from a young age. One of their chieftains was said to have impressed the Warlord of the red sand to such a degree that he exempted their people from war, although red giants and beastmen could often be found testing their strength against each other. In war it was not uncommon to see the two groups as allies, both of their species thriving in battle. The nomadic centaurs, although not beast men, did count themselves among their number, known as fearsome archers and magnificent calvary, they joined armies and mercenary groups but were rare to be found among adventurers.
The Merman had a kingdom deep under the sea, protected by their warriors and by the very fact that most other races simply could not reach their kingdom without an enormous amount of magic or the invitation of a merman. Due to their geographical location they had not participated in any of the wars nor allied themselves with any kingdoms, they prided themselves on their neutrality. Their warriors never seen in any adventurer parties, mercenary groups or army other than their own.
“Are those all the races?” Sumi asked.
“Not even close.” Emmi said, “There are the true giants, that are over ten meters tall, the hobbits, the aerids, the dark ones and many more but most of those either hail from very far away or from a different continent entirely so it is extremely rare to meet them.”
“Talking about hobbits,” Emmi said grinning, “You should meet the smith! He is quite an interesting character and you’ll need to use his services at some point. So we might as well go meet him! Before we do that we need to drop by the adventurers guild, there is something we forgot to do!”
Now that they walked through the village and were more knowledgeable about its culture they could look at the people and see their rough and rumbustious nature. As they walked through the market there was always shouting or people arguing somewhere, most people had a sizable scar here and there from a monster encounter. Nearly everyone had a weapon on their person but Emmi had told them that crime was rare in the village. Most squabbles and arguments were settled in a good old fist fight and there wasn’t much to steal, the people here were practical and had few luxurious items.
They stood in front of the now familiar adventurers guild and entered the building, a few other adventurers were talking with receptionists or standing near the job board looking for something worth their time, they spotted Maia and walked up to her. Emmi waved at her, “I think it's about time to make my team official!” She said with a proud smile to Maia. “Sumi, Three, would you do me the pleasure of joining my adventurers' party, The Irregulars!”
“I like the name! I’m in!” Sumi said with a grin.
Three nodded his agreement. Thus the adventurer team, The Irregulars, finally formed.
Three, Emmi and Sumi were headed back to Emmi’s house. Emmi told them it would be better to meet the blacksmith tomorrow as he had probably closed his shop for the day. They met Davis and Talin along the way, they were coming over for dinner. They paid a small sum to Emmi’s mother and they all ate dinner together like this every night. The three of them had grown up together, they were closer than some blood-related siblings.
“So what are you guys going to spend your stat points on? We should spend them tonight so we can feel the effect tomorrow.” Davis asked.
“We should specialize how we use our stat points, we are planning to continue being a party for a long amount of time right? It would make us stronger in the long run.” Emmi pointed out.
Sumi glanced over at Three, “Fine with us, me and Three both have fifteen points to spend.”
“We have twelve.” Talin told them.
“Personally I want to focus my points between Strength, Agility and Endurance. I think Davis should focus on Agility, Dexterity and a small amount in both Endurance and Strength, Talin should go for Agility, Dexterity and Strength. Three, if he is going to keep being our heavy should focus on, Vitality, Endurance and Strength, With Sumi focusing everything on Intelligence and Wisdom.” Emmi explained.
“I would focus on heavy strikes, with enough mobility to keep out of harms way, Davis would specialize in hit and run tactics aiming for points to disable, maim or kill depending on the opponent. Talin would be our punching power, just like in the dungeon he would prioritize targets. Three already has a great skill set for tanking, which means we could risk what other teams can’t. We can leave all the aggro to him so we can increase our offensive capabilities, Sumi could then recklessly increase her firepower, especially with her… flexible… use of body but if you could learn a heal spell or two in case of an emergency that would be fantastic.”
The others listened to her explanation and nodded, Three looked over at Sumi. [Wouldn’t it be dangerous for me to do all the tanking? If there are too many it could get us killed.]
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Sumi smiled, [They already trust you to take care of anything dangerous, if there are a lot of them then we can use our superior firepower to devastate the enemy ranks. Emmi and Talin are good at handling larger, stronger enemies. While me and Davis have a skill set suited for targeting larger groups of enemies. I think she is right, focusing all of our tanking on you would make us stronger.]
Three scratched his chin, the others had paid attention to their conversation even if they could not understand it. Three nodded in agreement, they let out a sigh of relief. Emmi started muttering enthusiastically about named adventurers and even moving all the way up to S-rank.
“What're these ranks you're talking about?” Sumi asked.
Davis looked at her and scratched his stubbled chin, “Ranks are kinda a strength rating for adventurers, adventurers below level ten have no rating, which includes us. Once you reach level ten you are automatically qualified to be an F rank adventurer. Between level ten and twenty-four the adventurers guild will give an adventurer or an adventurer party a quest for which they will get no payment, but if they are able to complete the quest they move up in rank to E. If you manage to get past the barrier and become level twenty-five you become rank D. The average adventurer is usually around rank D an adventurer will be slightly stronger than an average soldier who is generally still around the E rank in strength.”
Sumi nodded, “And the other ranks?”
“The rank C process is similar to E, you receive a quest and if you complete it you move up a rank. A rank C adventurer means you are classified as a professional and capable adventurer. If you get past level fifty you become B ranked, a B ranked adventurer can fight on par with an elite knight from most kingdoms. If you complete another quest the adventurers guild issues you, you become the coveted Rank A adventurer. The cream of the crop, A ranked adventurers get rare quests, have extremely high-quality gear and can even be hired by nobles for jobs. If an A rank retires, he can be assured of a spot as a teacher in any warriors college, mages guild or hidden camp. If you reach level seventy-five, however, you become something else entirely. You become a named adventurer, the guild or your peers will give you a nickname. This name becomes an actual title and gives bonuses, the titles are also visible on your status plate. Named adventurers are famous across the continent, they are extremely powerful and well respected. A good measure of power would be the warlord of the giants of the red sands, they would be about that powerful.”
“So named adventurers are really strong, I wanna become one! What about the S rank Emmi mentioned?” Sumi said, glowing in excitement.
“S rank is someone who will go down in history becoming both myth and legend. There are currently only three S ranked individuals on the continent. S rank isn’t just given to adventurers by the way, any individual deemed powerful enough is granted the honorary S rank by the combined guilds. The Frigid Herald, The Rusty Iron Knight, and The Devastator. The Frigid Herald is a mage and adventurer, The Rusty Iron Knight is a mercenary, The Devastator is a legendary criminal who takes whatever he wants and destroys those who get in his way.” Davis said, voice soft as he whispered the names in near worship.
“We will become S ranked, I believe we can reach that level of strength.” Emmi said, face drawn tight in determination.
Davis sighed, “I honestly would be happy and proud of myself if we manage to reach B rank.”
Emmi straightened her posture, eyes gleaming. “It would be quite an achievement yes but I will be aiming higher!”
Davis shrugged, “We will see what the future holds.”
An aromatic smell halted their conversation, Talin smiled. “Seems your mother is going the length today, that smells delicious.”
“Race ya to the house!” Davis yelled, going full sprint. Talin and Sumi followed shortly behind laughing in glee.
Emmi and Three exchanged a glance and shrugged, walking towards the house. Three opened the door for Emmi who gave him a smile as they stepped inside the house. The large oaken table that dominated the kitchen was set, an embroidered white cloth cover it. Seven plates and the accompanying silverware were placed around the table, A steaming pot of stew was the source of the wondrous aroma. Pieces of freshly-baked still warm bread were placed on each plate, some sausages, some eggs baked sunny-side up, even a few pieces of cheese decorated the table.
Everyone was muttering and thanking Emmi’s mother for the food, already telling her it was delicious even though they had not tasted anything. Davis and Talin hurried to get a seat, Sumi following suit. Emmi sat down as well and gestured for Three to take the seat next to her. Three took one of the chairs and after carefully checking to see if it could hold his weight, sat down.
Captain Tulo entered the room, he hung his cloak on the wall, took his sword and sheath from his belt and hung them next to the cloak. He walked in, kissed his wife and spread his gaze across the table, “It seems we have two more additions to dinner.” He smiled at the both of them, “I’m glad the two of you are settling in.”
Emmi quickly spoke up, “About settling in, can they stay here dad?”
Tulo blinked, then glanced at his wife. “They really are wonderful children dear, we have enough room.” she smiled at him and gently folded her hands.
Tulo shrugged, “Well I had offered the two scamps over there a place but they decided to get their own. A different two scamps wouldn’t make that much of a difference.”
Emmi grinned and hugged her father, “Guess you’re part of the family now.” She said patting Three on the shoulder.
Three nodded politely and smiled, everyone sat around the table, drool almost noticeably dripping onto the table. “Dig in!” Emmi’s mother's words the igniting spark to the ensuing chaos.
Everyone started ravenously shoveling food into their mouths, Three watched them with his eyebrows raised. He watched carefully how Emmi put food on her fork and tried to imitate her, the first few times the food fell off his fork and he got frustrated. Finally, he succeeded and put the food in his mouth, then he looked at the others unsure what to do. The flavors surprised him but after a moment it just sat there uncomfortably.
“What are you doing?” Emmi said staring at him.
Three looked at her and shrugged, “Well at least chew your food! Don’t just keep it in your mouth.”
Three stared at her blankly, Emmi just stared back in disbelief. She put her hand on the bottom of his chin and pulled his mouth open, Three obediently complied. Then she pushed it shut again, pulled it open, then pushed it shut. “Put the food between your teeth, the ones at the side of your mouth and do that.”
Three did as she told him, food spilling from his mouth as he opened it.
“Owh for the love of…” Emmi growled, “Do it with your mouth closed.”
Three kept his mouth closed, and stretched his jaw. Then tightened it again. “You look like a fish!”
“Small circular motions like this!” She said using her hand to guide his jaw.
“After you’ve chewed enough swallow!”
Another blank stare.
She made a motion with her hand, then pointed to her throat and swallowed. “Now you.”
Three tried to imitate the movement and succeeded. He glowed proudly, he had just swallowed his first ever food! Emmi patted his head, “Very good, now just repeat that and you will have eating down in no time!”
That was when she noticed the others staring at her and three, mouths agape. Emmi turned red, “I was just teaching him how to eat!”
“Uhu,” Davis mumbled.
“It’s his first time!” She added blushing furiously.
“As far as I know you're a virgin as well” Davis quipped.
Emmi’s jaw dropped, “I-I… that's not.. Shut up!” She stuttered throwing her fork at him, which Davis easily caught.
“Maybe you should teach him kissing next!” Davis added.
Three sat up in interest, always interested in learning new things.
“Most definitely not!” Emmi shouted.
Three deflated, Emmi looked at his sad puppy eyes. Her posture crumbled as she relented.
“It’s not that I don’t wanna kiss you!” She quickly added.
“So you do want to kiss him?” Her father asked, adding insult to injury.
“I, No!” She glanced at Three, “MAYBE! It’s none of your business!”
“Oh my.” Her mother said, “I’m sure it would make for cute grandchildren.”
“MOM!”
Everyone chuckled as Emmi buried her face in her hands, keeping her eyes on the floor she started shoving food in her mouth.
Dinner was a joyous occasion, Three found himself wondering if this is what family was, he smiled as he focused on eating his dinner. Life wasn’t so bad when you had lively people to spend it with.
After dinner, Davis and Talin headed back to their place, they invited Sumi and Three to come over some time. Emmi took the two of them to their spare bedroom, apparently, Tulo had already done the work to turn it into a two person bedroom because he had expected the two scamps to move in. He was proud of their decision to live on their own, the room remained unchanged, however. It was a decently sized room about six by six meters, a bunk bed was set-up in the corner of the room. A leisurely couch was on the other side of the room, with a low table to accompany it.
Emmi showed them where the outhouse was, a magnificent invention that used a mixture of fire, air and water stones to keep itself clean and get rid of the smell. Now that he was being shown around more of the house he realized how large their house actually was. When he asked about it Emmi told them that her mother actually had a fairly large string of businesses, a few in Grathem, but a lot of them in cities further to the south. They were originally from Firlin, a medium-sized city about three weeks travel to the south. Her father had taken the job as guard captain when asked by the royal family, his then-pregnant wife had come with him, leaving the stores down south in the capable hands of her younger sister.
The day ended, and the next started. Emmi and Sumi both devoted time to teach Three how to speak properly, Davis would occasionally teach him a curse or two in secret, making sure he was well away from Emmi, not that he was afraid of her of course. They went to the dungeon a few times, training their skills and abilities. Days turned to weeks, eventually over a month had passed. Three had taken to talking like a fish to water, Emmi theorized that this was because he knew how to talk but had simply forgotten. Some words and sayings still eluded him but he had learned enough to be able to hold a proper conversation. Their training in both words and weapons had reached fruition, the whole party had reached level nine, Cilestius had told them that they needed to fight a stronger monster than the Ogre to pass through to level ten.
That was on their schedule for tomorrow, tonight was the agreed upon time for Three to meet the others in their very own white room. He was looking forward to hearing what the others had been up to. He lied down on the bottom bunk, Sumi swinging herself into the bunk above him. “See you in a bit!” She said
“See you in a bit.” Three replied.