People liked those who fed them.
That was true both on Earth and the new world Rowan found himself in. In spite of Bron’s insistence that food wouldn’t be an issue, the villagers weren’t quite convinced. So when the two of them came back with the lumberjacks with a giant sack of squirrels, they were greeted with giant cheers.
But more than the new food, Rowan suspected that there were two more reasons why the people seemed in such a good mood. A part of his newfound popularity was owed to his status as a hero, but a much larger portion was likely due to the fact that the last few days had been tense for the village. It wasn’t an easy thing to watch increasing numbers of corrupted beasts roaming around your home, wondering when someone would get hurt. And so, the importance of Rowan bringing back a sack full of the infernal critters was blown way out of proportion.
The feast that Olivia had in mind was quickly made into a reality. The whole village, minus those manning the walls, attended. As Rowan watched the affair, a new thought floated across his mind.
Hope is more important than reality. These dead squirrels changed nothing, but to the village, it meant everything.
For the first time since he chose his class, an unbidden system screen popped in front of him.
Ding!
You’ve gleaned a fundamental truth of your race.
Wisdom: +1
Rowan swiped the screen away when Olivia shoved a roasted squirrel in his direction.
“Are you sure this is edible?” Rowan asked. Corrupted beasts looked exactly as the name implied, like they have been tainted by some evil magic. Although he knew that people in this world ate the meat, he successfully dodged the same fate up until now.
“It’s amazing,” Olivia said with a full mouth. “Extra sweet to be eating something that tried to eat us not so long ago.”
Rowan really couldn’t see the appeal. But against his better judgement, he accepted the squirrel. Olivia gestured for him to get on with it. Taking the smallest of nibbles, he tried the center meat.
In his mind, the corrupted beasts were barely edible sources of food, only to be eaten in extreme hunger or hate. He expected a gamey taste, or something that was both stringy and dry. Somehow, the squirrel meat was neither. It was shockingly tender and complex in flavors. Rowan took a larger bite.
“Why is this so good?” Rowan grumbled to Olivia, only to find out she could offer up an actual answer.
“It’s the mana,” Olivia said between large bites of her own serving. “Regular meat isn’t as delicious because normal animals don’t have mana infused into their flesh.”
“Wait. Mana?” Rowan leaned closer to his companion. “Demonic mana?”
It might have Rowan’s imagination, but Olivia face turned a slight shade more pink. “Mana’s not poison. As long as you cook the meat thoroughly, there’s no danger. If you wanted to make a rare steak, you’d need to treat the meat with potions and cleansing spells. The higher the tier of the monster, the better its taste. Generally.”
“Oh? So there’s some stuff you definitely don’t want to eat no matter what?” Rowan teased, taking another bite of his food now that he knew it wouldn’t poison him.
Olivia rolled her eyes. “Plenty. Undead are obviously out. There are also plenty of poisonous monsters, a single bite of them would reduce you to a literal puddle of melted mess. Then there are dragons.” She shuddered, scrunching up her face. “No one in their right mind wants to eat a dragon. Although they’re as high tier as it gets.”
Well, that was concerning. Not the eating bit, since Rowan wasn’t particularly in the market for dragon meat. What did matter was the mention of an apex predator that had pretty much been in every fantasy story that ever existed.
“What’s so bad about dragons?”
“Besides the fact that they’re the closest thing to natural-born divine creatures?” Olivia asked rhetorically. “Probably the fact that some of them have, in fact, ascended to divine status.”
“So they’re tough and mean. And if we eat one of them, the rest of the dragons won’t look too kindly at that?” Rowan asked.
“They actually don’t care about that. But let me know if you ever hunt a dragon that’s ascended to divinity.” Olivia paused. “Dragon blood and flesh carry a special type of energy. The first thing you have to contend with after eating dragon meat is that energy. There are legends of people eating dragon meat and obtaining special achievements and titles. But there are also legends of people mutating into a draconic race. However, the most common outcome is…”
“Death?” Rowan finished his skewer and chucked it at the large bonfire in the center of the village.
“Death.” Olivia nodded as she offered Rowan another skewer. He took it.
“So how common is it to run across a dragon?” Rowan asked with genuine curiosity. He wasn’t planning on a dragon expedition anytime soon, but that didn’t stop him from asking questions.
“Thankfully, they’re very rare. Most live in isolated areas, or all the way up in the Lost Continent to the north. The only time dragons willingly venture out and meet mortal races is when something horrible or notable happens. Say, if all the heroes die trying to kill the demon king, and the demon king manages to fully manifest in our world with all his power and the power he stole from the heroes. That qualifies.”
I guess it’s good to know that if we mess up, some dragons will wake up and pick up the slack.
The party, much needed or not, didn’t continue for very long. There was plenty to do still, and people were tired from a day of hard work. After a couple more skewers, both Rowan and Olivia went back to their rooms.
Rowan couldn’t exactly put his finger on it, but he was sure that his relationship with Olivia had somehow changed that night.
—
In the morning, Bron knocked on their doors, politely asking where the squirrel meat had come from. He missed the previous night’s festival due to work on the moat, and when Rowan rubbed his eyes open, he first thought was that the officer was angry at not being invited to the party. Reality was a bit different.
“I sent the two of you on a scouting mission. And you come back having hunted an entire Chitter of squirrels,” Bron groaned, massaging his forehead. “How’d you miss the fact that there were hundreds of squirrels trapping you?”
“It wasn’t obvious,” Olivia protested. “We came across some squirrels at the start, but they weren’t a tough fight and ran away.”
“And that didn’t clue you into trouble? How many times did you see corrupted animals run from you?” Bron asked.
“Twice, technically,” Rowan said, coming to Olivia’s defense. “Once when a boar tried to get away after I killed its friends, and then yesterday when the horde broke from your charge.”
“Hero Rowan,” Bron said, visibly keeping his emotions in check to accommodate someone who knew nothing of their world. “The first isn’t unexpected. Boars are shockingly smart animals. And hordes always break when they meet overwhelming strength. These animals might be corrupted but they aren’t dumb enough to be slaughtered, not unless there’s something else forcing them to fight.”
“So… squirrels running means they’re smart?”
“No, squirrels running means they’re a part of a Chitter,” Bron said. “Those little nuisances are about as smart as a rock, on their own. Once you put enough of them together, things get complicated. If there are only common tier squirrels around, they just run around and attack things. But if they were smart enough to scout, retreat and pull off an ambush, there was probably an uncommon tier squirrel in charge. You’re lucky to have come out alive.”
“And above that?” Rowan was curious now, wondering what the squirrels could potentially achieve. “What if the leader is rare or even epic tier?”
“Then we run away. Rare is beyond anything that we can hope to deal with ourselves. Once the leader hits rare, the intelligence of the entire Chitter goes up. It acts like a little general, directing its troops with surprising intelligence. And epic? There’s a rumor that one of them is running around the Galeden continent with a woodland empire.”
“Isn’t it a good thing we took down the Chitter, then?” Rowan ventured.
“You mean that I took down the Chitter?” Olivia butted in with a smug grin.
“Yes, yes, good work,” Bron admitted. “It could have been bad if they decided to attack the village.”
“So, we’re off the hook?” Rowan asked.
“No. I’m not letting you out of my sight again. The two of you will be helping with the moat.” Bron seemed to take a ton of pleasure from delivering the news to Olivia, and his grin only grew when she groaned and protested. “It’s time to love digging.”
—
Even if he was determined to bring the wrath of an upset superior down on their heads, Bron was at least kind enough to give them a chance to sort out through their loot first.
And that was a very good thing, indeed.
While Rowan had been content to ignore the loot when there were better things to do, he could swear that his loot notification had grown into a physical weight pressing down on his chest. Apparently, even if the individual experience of the squirrels eventually became negligible in the face of their low levels, that didn’t impact their drop rather as much, at least for now.
So, Rowan stared at the big, bold number in muted astonishment.
468x cards in Party Loot Inventory
Some of those cards were obviously other beasts. However, by far, the bulk of the number was made up of the squirrelly friends.
“Is this really a normal number of loot drops?” Rowan asked in a daze, earning himself a smirk.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
“Aren’t you glad you have me in your party? Just imagine if you didn’t have a talented, wonderful alchemist such as myself there to support you.” Olivia teased, though her self-glorified speech lacked its normal punch, seeing as she was currently seated on the floor next to his bed.
Rowan opened his mouth to tease her about her apprehensions in the forest, but be it his recently improved wisdom stat or just common sense, he decided against that.
“Yes, yes, whatever would I do without the wonderful alchemist who decided to take pity on me and wander the world with my poor self,” Rowan groused playfully instead.
He didn’t expect her to suddenly look away from him, or for the tips of her ears to betray the fact that she was blushing.
“Let’s just go over our loot, shall we?” Olivia mumbled, probably delving into her loot screen, since Rowan was hit by a system request to join her a second later. He accepted, then had to resist the urge to gape at the absolute wall of cards that popped up.
Vicious Bite (Common, Active) x 7
Coarse Fur (Common, Passive) x 13
Goring Tusk (Common, Active) x 4
Reckless Rush (Common, Active) x 8
Skilled Climber (Common, Passive) x 127
Savage Claws (Common, Active) x 242
Friendship is Power (Common, Passive) x 67
Rowan’s attention went to Friendship is Power first. After all, it had left a strong impression after their last encounter. So, to see so few of those popping up in comparison to other cards was more than a little disappointing.
Then again, he also noticed that Eerie Stare was completely missing from the wolf loot drops, and they’d killed quite a few of those.
“Hey, do you have any idea why we got so few copies of Friendship is Power?” Rowan asked, choosing to consult the expert in the room.
“What, did you expect that you’ll keep getting a ton of rare cards just like that?” Olivia sounded amused, shaking her head a little. “Honestly, getting this many? That’s extremely nice. I’d chalk it up to your hero luck, if anything.”
“See, when you keep talking like this, the difference between a rare tier card and a rare card really gets confusing,” Rowan returned.
Olivia scoffed. “Honestly, I bet this is a problem with all the heroes. You really don’t have a good benchmark on how tough it is to get some cards to drop, even if you kill the right enemies. Me? I’m extremely happy with these results.”
“I was kind of looking forward to what a higher tier Friendship is Power could do, to be honest.” Rowan admitted, plopping down on his bed. “It would be nice to have something like that in our back pocket, just in case.”
“Well, we can still get a couple of copies, want to try?” Olivia asked.
Rowan hesitated for just a second, but his curiosity and a tiny bit of greed eventually won out. The result made him snort.
One for All (Uncommon, Passive)
All your stats are boosted by two points for every member of your race with this card, or by one point for every member of your race with its lower tier equivalent, within 5 yards of you.
“If we could arm the entirety of our forces with these…” Rowan trailed off, shrugging and handing off the card to Olivia.
“Yeah. But it doesn’t work like that. With a group of people bunched up in a small space, you’re practically asking for an area of effect attack. It works for the squirrels because their numbers are so large. If twenty percent of a human army is wiped out? Their morale breaks,” Olivia said with a wistful sigh, then shook her head. “Any of the others worth keeping, you think?”
“Maybe we should hang onto the squirrel cards, just in case we want to upgrade them all the way up to rare?”
Olivia worried at her lower lip for a few moments, but eventually shrugged. “It’s as good a choice as any. It’s not like we’re going to fuse all the fragments. But we really need to stop wasting time. If we don’t go find him soon, Bron will send someone to drag us all the way to the moat. Literally.”
“What if we lock the doors?” Rowan asked.
“Go ahead. Try it. Might be funny to watch.” Judging by the malicious grin Olivia gave him, he really didn’t want to do that.
“Fine. Fine. I’m getting up.” Rowan sighed and climbed out of the bed, stretching out as he went.
Olivia fell into step with him, and together, they went to face their fate.
—
Back when he was a kid on Earth, Rowan was pretty sure that he had tried to dig a really big hole once. The prospect of uncovering whatever laid underneath the ground seemed like a lot of fun, enough that he spent the entire afternoon in the sun. That night, as he experienced what it was like to have an old man’s back, he vowed to never dig again.
Things were the same in his new world.
After a couple days of digging, a piercing pain had taken root in the small of Rowan’s back. It permeated into everything he did, be it walking, talking or, gods forbid, leaning forward. His hands also suffered. Rowan had thought that the spear training had done plenty, but that was evidently nothing compared to shovel work. Blisters turned into open sores, which then became rock-hard callouses.
He gritted his teeth through it all.
On the other hand, despite being built like a noble princess, Olivia was in much better shape. Her hands were just as dirty as his at the end of each day. But after a quick wash, hers came out dainty and fine, while his looked like a dog had chewed them. Whether it was because she had higher stats or because she had built up a tolerance for digging, Rowan couldn’t say.
But the moment Olivia realized Rowan was suffering, she came to his aid. She helped him clean out his hands and poured a potion over them. The effects were immediate, almost all of the callouses disappeared and further digging didn’t aggravate his hands in the same way. She also gave him a potion to drink, and it did wonders for his messed up back.
And then, driven by the power of stats and sheer grit, the work was finished.
The moat was three meters deep, and lined with wicked-looking stakes that promised pain and suffering. The wall itself was repaired from the damage it had taken during the skirmish and even reinforced in weak spots. It was even sporting some improvements. Previously, defenders were standing more or less out in the open, with the top of the wall coming barely up to their shins. Now, they had a barrier about shoulder height with slits for when they needed to attack.
As far as Rowan could tell, they were as prepared for trouble as they could without tearing the whole thing down and rebuilding it in stone. And that was a very good thing. Just hours after they’d finished their work and were winding down for the day, a messenger rode into the village. Or up to the village, rather, since the gates were shut and a guard posted already.
When she saw the messenger, Olivia’s entire face lit up. Unfortunately, the news that came wasn’t the type she was looking for, especially judging by how she shoved the letter intended for Rowan into his chest.
Rowan,
I am sorry that our time together was interrupted so suddenly. There is much I wanted to teach you still, and we never had the time to sort out the question of your remaining party members. I have sent word to the settlements in my barony, and if they can be reached, people will soon make their way to you at Felton’s Mill. I will also try to encourage more mercenaries to assist your position, so you will be better prepared for trouble ahead.
Unfortunately, those are not the only news I have for you. The matter of the frontier’s failure is a greater threat than I expected. We will not falter, but be warned that you and Olivia might be pushed harder than I would have liked. Keep my daughter safe, and know that you can rely on her when danger strikes.
Aristaeus’ own,
Kayden Sutton
Rowan took a deep breath. It was the baron, no doubt about that. In the back of his mind, Rowan had expected something like this. The small details added up. The groups of corrupted beasts roaming around the countryside. The fact that Bron was still out trying to shore up defenses. And how the baron had sent a messenger instead of coming himself.
But Rowan still took the letter like a punch to the gut. He had hoped, even convinced himself, that there would be months of training before he actually had to fight real enemies. Now, it seemed that he’d have to start fighting before he was even level ten. Before he upgraded his class to uncommon. And before he was truly comfortable with the spear.
After giving Rowan his letter, Olivia clutched onto her letter and fled back inside. After thanking the messenger, Rowan did the same.
Up in his room, he carefully burned the letter, destroying any mention of Aristaeus. Maybe it was paranoia, but he didn’t feel comfortable just leaving information like that lying around.
It’s not like my blessing is a secret. Rowan snarkily said to himself in the safety of his own mind. The giant display that the king put on made sure of that. Everyone who’s anyone knows that I’ve been blessed by Aristaeus.
But Kayden was true to his word. His encouragement meant more and more people arrived at the village.
Some were farmers, individuals or small families. These were mostly people who lived on their own. They tended their fields, and enjoyed the safety that the baron afforded them under normal circumstances. Now that there was an active demon problem, they looked to the nearby villages and towns for protection.
A lot of them looked worse for wear. Olivia had explained in the past that most people in the world sported common classes with levels around five to eight, which meant that even a level four corrupted boar was deadly if they didn’t have the right cards in place.
The second major group of arrivals were mercenaries. They mostly showed up in small groups of four. And unlike the farmers who had been molested by the dangers plaguing the land, the mercenaries were healthy enough to laugh, joke, and even show off the kills they accrued on the road.
The third group of arrivals were four scouts. Even when others pointed the scouts to Rowan, he had a hard time finding them from the top of the wall. They moved through the terrain like shadows, slipping into the grass or mud in the blink of an eye.
And the scouts didn’t bring good news.
“Saw a couple of fourteens, and a sixteen, even. Can’t say how many are on their way. We couldn’t get close enough to the main horde,” one of the scouts relayed.
“Why?” Bron asked.
“We were attacked,” the first scout said with shame on his face. “Somehow, the monsters realized we were there and they caught us by surprise. A group of weasels snuck up to us. Almost tore my throat out when they attacked.”
“Weasels?” Bron asked in disbelief.
“Yes sir,” another of the scouts jumped in. “I think they were still common monsters. But we were caught off guard. We expected the usual. Boars, wolves, and the like. Instead, we saw squirrels, deer, and the weasels. Exotic species.”
Bron grunted. “So we have burrowing weasels. Anything else?”
“We have about six or seven hours before they get here. Maybe nine, if we’re lucky and they come across something to distract them,” the scout replied. Unsaid, of course, was that whatever, or rather whoever, ended up attracting the horde’s attention was likely doomed.
“Good.” Bron looked around and found the eye of Desimir. “We’re raising the alarm now. Get everyone inside and ready. I don’t want any surprises.”
—
A couple hours later, the adrenaline had begun to wear off. Rowan was standing with Olivia at the top of the wall, straining his eyes to see something new on the horizon. For the first time, he was starting to doubt the intelligence of the scouts.
To cut down on the boredom, he flicked open his stat screen. At one point or another during their squirrel scuffle, his experience had ticked over into level eight. This was a minor blessing, since he’d chosen to put the stat points he got into vitality.
Rowan Clairfont
Level 8 Spearman
EXP: 52/300
Mana: 50/50
STR: 16
VIT: 12
DEX: 16
PER: 10
INT: 10
WIS: 11
Deck (4/4):
* [Heart] Keen Spear (Epic)
* [Class] Empowered Thrust (Common) (Active)
* Nimble Body (Common, Passive)
* Relentless Advance (Uncommon, Active)
Blessings:
* Blessing of the Stalwart Hero
“You never get used to the waiting.” Bron’s voice cut through the silence, and the two of them turned back in surprise to find the officer standing behind them. “It’s one thing to fight. It’s a whole different issue to just sit there and wait for violence to come to you.”
All along the wall, people were silent.
“Any advice?” Rowan asked, for nothing else than to fill the uncomfortable silence that followed the officer’s words.
“People often say that war is a game of strength. Or that fighting is a matter of who has the sharpest sword,” Bron said, his voice carrying across the entire wall. “There’s some truth in that. But these monsters only know bloodshed. They don’t know that you have your entire families behind this wall and that you’ll fight to the last drop of blood to keep them safe. The greatest factor in war is conviction. We will win. We must win. Because we’re fighting a war that we can’t lose.”
The words did their job. Rowan still felt tension, but next to him, Olivia smiled as she stopped fiddling with her potions. Logically, he knew that the best thing to do was rest but his heart kept beating faster and faster.
What’s that? Rowan squinted. The forest outside the village had been pushed back. Huge fields of ugly dirt and tree stumps littered the ground, culminating in a massive moat. In the forest, something had twitched. It might have been a trick of the light.
It wasn’t. Howls, yips, and all sorts of unholy noises rose up in a clamor from the forest, making everyone flinch.
“Everyone to your positions now! Remember your instructions!” Bron bellowed, his voice carrying over the entire village.
Rowan pulled his spear close and felt his breathing slow. Like what Bron said, this was a war that he couldn’t lose. He was going to win. He had to.