Jack couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Gobby, the goblin slayer! Gobby, the goblin slayer!” He strolled quietly aside the rowdy group as they sang praise over the weak, short, and skinny goblin on Liam’s shoulders. At first, Liam had been downright furious that he had lost to a goblin. Only twenty minutes had passed before he had made the chant everyone had been singing. He even went as far to let the goblin ride on his back, which disgusted and confused Jack. It was no better than a corpse, and even then it was god ugly. Abby had made the goblin raise its arms in a flexing pose all the meanwhile, though it looked rather comical since the goblin only loosely kept his arms in place.

He couldn’t help but think them insane.

“Gobby! Gobby!”

Yes, truly insane.

They had made it to the entrance quicker than expected, less than a fourth of the time they had used to explore the place. The others hadn’t stopped having fun until then, and he had soon had enough of their galavanting with a corpse. “Gobby, return.” He asked, a bit more venom in his voice than he had cared to show. It reacted immediately, putting it arm’s down and falling back from Liam’s shoulders, kicking them to turn fully around and land on the ground to bolt towards him. That… had been quite a bit more maneuverability than he had expected from the creature.

He wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, though. “Good job. Gobby. Keep up that enthusiasm when we fight.” He ignored the boo’s of the group as the guards reopened the entrance, allowing them safe passage outside. Surprisingly, the princess was out there waiting for them. “Heroes! I expected your… return?” Her gaze caught Jack’s two new party members, and reasonably she was confused. “Those… Is it one of your skills?” Liam smirked, walking up to Gobby and placing a hand on the green thing’s head.

“Yeah, Jack’s actually. His powers are way weirder than all of ours. Uh, in a cool way, though…” He said, Eyeing jack with a sly grin. Jack felt as if those words were less well intentioned than they had meant to be... “ Don’t let Liam touch you from now on.” He ordered, to which Gobby immediately slapped away Liam’s hands. His friend held their hand gingerly with a pout, as if the demon could actually harm the now insanely powerful man. “Not cool, Gobbs. I thought we were friends.” The princess watched the scene play out with a worried, strained look in her eye, as if what was in front of her was too ridiculous for words. In a way it was, Jack supposed. “I… I hadn’t seen your class yet. I forgot. What may that class be?”

Her tone was careful, and it made him not want to say. Liam, the bastard, decided to speak for him, though. “Puppeteer, or something. He hasn’t really told us what else he can do other than make friends, though.” He had enough, activating the strings of fate to learn more about the royal girl in front of him. It was then that he recoiled in horror. He had tried using the strings to guess her emotions, or at least, he would have had it not been for the scene in front of him. The strings inside the girl were tightly bound in a knot. This was different from the others, so wrapped together that none of the lines had anywhere to move.

It was the first thing in this world that truly disturbed him.

She didn’t seem to notice however, a hand on her chin as she toiled away in her own mind. “Puppeteer… I had not heard of this class before.” She turned to the guards that had protected them in the dungeon with a puzzling look. “Did you not think it important to question me about it?” Her tone was curious, as if she was actually asking for their thoughts on the matter. The knights knelt to the ground, their faces suddenly a lot more serious. “There are plenty of classes we don’t have knowledge of, princess… I cannot say that we expected this to be new to you, as well.” They seemed embarrassed about this, but the princess didn’t seem too bothered.

“Puppeteer… I’ll look into it. Now, everyone deserves some rest! The guards behind me will take you to the group baths while I prepare your rooms. Ah, do not worry the rooms are separated betwee-'' She didn’t get to finish, as the entire group ran past her. “Showers!? Where!? Jack, did you hear that!?” Liam seemed to be the most excited, which was fair. He was about as covered in blood as Jack. The rest also seemed to be looking for any way to clean themselves. Even the depressed Arturo threw away his earlier sullen look, replaced by a desperate need.

It was almost unnerving, how cleanliness mattered to them in such a situation.

“...Yes. Please take them to the baths, and um… teach them how to use them properly.” The princess asked the guards, looking defeated. He didn’t understand why they’d act that way towards someone with such a high authority. Even if the princess was lenient, there should have been some fear and respect towards her, right? Had truly none of them had encounters with the gods? He couldn’t be the only one afraid of the situation they were in, afraid of what those more powerful than him would do had he not been wary...

He was so caught up in thought that he didn’t notice the princess still in front of him, looking at him with a worried expression. “H-hello, Jack? You can go to the baths for now. I… I’m sure it’ll help you relax.” Jack’s cold expression changed immediately, turning into a smile. He silently cursed, realizing that even a small slip up would have him meeting the gods again. “Thank you for that, princess. Truly. Ah, don’t get too close, now. I’m not quite confident in how I smell right now. Haha...” He backed off a bit, showing an insecure smile to make her back off.

The princess just laughed. “I remember the first time I went into the dungeons. I took an hour long bath at the time. I know how it feels… to kill those creatures. It felt… dirty, right? Please don’t worry… blood means little to me” Ah, he thought back to the desperate look of his friends, the disgust in their eyes as the goblin’s blood washed over them. Was that how the others were feeling? Were these creatures really that filthy? He was just doing as he was told, but acting empathetic would definitely be better right now. “...Yes. It was hard forcing myself to kill those terrible creatures. I barely wanted to touch them, let alone get their blood on me. We can see how well that turned out, right?”

He grinned as he showed his blood-crusted body. The proof that he had done so much for the princess. Wouldn’t this show his loyalty? His usefulness? He faltered when he saw the look on her face, though. She… didn’t seem happy with what he said. “Um… I’m sorry. I expected you to be a bit more scared when you came out. I guess heroes really are different from the rest, huh?” He cursed. Was fear a likable response? How was he supposed to know that!? “...Untrue, princess. I was… My friends were definitely damaged mentally by what we’d done. You should go talk to them. I’m sure they’d want to get to know royalty.”

He bowed his head, making it seem like he was worried for his friends. They’d actually been a lot stronger than he’d expected mentally. He almost thought they’d have broken down into a horrible infight during the first goblin encounter. To have not only continued, but to have grown from the experience… His friends might have been braver than he ever thought they could be.

That wasn’t exactly a good or bad thing.

The princess’ eyes widened, and her mouth formed a small “o” in shock. “Ah! I-I didn’t know you all were suffering! You all acted so well when you came from the dungeons! No one was injured either so I assumed…” Her words stopped as he placed a hand on her shoulder, a patient smile on his face. He had to stop her before she thought herself worse than she already did. The gods wouldn’t like that. “Well, all the more reason to speak to them, no? The girls are cleaning themselves, and unfortunately…”

He removed his hand from her shoulder, the blood on his hands staining the dress. “I might have made it necessary for you to clean up as well. Why don’t you talk to them? Make them feel sure they aren’t alone in this place? Unless being royalty means you don’t enjoy that kind of company?” The princess gasped, barely noticing the mess he made on her dress. It was admirable, how little a royal like her minded the filth. “No! I may be a princess but I'm not so arrogant as to think my people below me!” He smiled, despite her strings of fate being ruined and compact, her words made him feel just a bit less anxious with being forced to follow her.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

At the very least, he wouldn’t be forced to do unspeakable acts.

“So, you think of us as your ‘people’? That is a bit comforting.” She looked at him in shock, her face turning red. “What!? No! Wait, I mean… I do but… You are heroes. You seven deserve more than what we can offer, what this world has to offer...” He fought to keep the smile on his face as she stated the obvious. They did. They’d been sent here from their own world, deprived of everything to go on a suicide mission to save a world they had no intention of ever knowing about. This was truly… depraved.

His heart squeezed as he remembered just how much he despised this situation. His smile showed none of that hatred, fortunately enough. “I’d rather you think of us as equals, princess. I’d certainly feel better knowing someone from royalty is rooting for me. I’m sure Abby and the others would love to talk to a princess about these things as well.” She smiled, nodding her head as she looked down in front of her, her cheeks red. “I… Then I’ll go do that. G-good day, kind hero.” She muttered, obviously conscious of him. For a moment he wondered if he could play into the romance, before realizing all the terrible outcomes that could come from that. Literal gods were breathing down his neck. It was much better to keep the princess at a distance.

She was just too high on the ladder for him to safely consider.

Tired, Jack stretched, groaning as his stiff muscles burned at the movement. “Please call me Jack, Princess. Now, if you don’t mind. I’m going to clean myself up. I’ll see you later.” He made his way to the final guard who had been seemingly waiting for him. They seemed to have a judging look on their face, as if they were a father looking at someone flirting with their daughter. Jack didn’t bother showing emotion to this one. No matter what he did, they’d probably see him in a bad light. “Take me to where the rest are, please.” He asked, and they nodded and complied.

Soon enough, they arrived at their destination. The baths were fancy and elegant. The walls were a different type of brick from the large walls of the castle, brown and more rustic, and the floor was detailed, tiled ceramic. They forced him to use a bucket to clean himself before entering the group baths, a large and warm pool that took up almost half of the room. His friends were there, already bathing and sinking their bodies into the nice, hot water. He didn’t bother entering. Using the bucket and soap to clean himself thoroughly and reaching for the set of robes, he immediately exited. This was a new world, and there was much more to do than staying in there.

The two guards outside were surprised to see him come out only 14 minutes later. “...My room, please. The princess had told me I had one?” They nodded, before turning to each other and then back to him. “Wouldn’t you like to wait for the other heroes? The baths are perfect this time of year.”

He shook his head. “I cleaned myself thoroughly if that’s what you're asking. Do you need to check?” Jack began to open his robe, before one of the guards stopped him immediately. Their voice was that of a woman’s. “T-that’s not necessary! Robert- er, this guard here will take you to your room.” The guard turned to her for quite a while, as if she’d thrown him under a bus. He didn’t say anything, however, just nodding and turning to walk. Jack grinned, understanding that it was probably for the best that he stayed quiet.

No need to frustrate this man more than he needed to.

Eventually, they made it to his room. He thanked the guard and entered without much thought, taking off his robes and going through the drawers to see what was there. He chose a simple, black satin shirt, trousers, and a pair of black pants that seemed to get larger as they went down his legs. He disliked that, but not to the point where he’d choose another. There were no shoes or socks, so he simply accepted the fact that he’d be here for a while. At least the room was nice. Everything around him seemed old fashioned, so he had expected a worse quality of living.

But the room looked magnificent, a motley of warm colors mixed with artisanally made furniture and a bed that bounced back comfortably when he sat on it. Honestly, it was leagues better than his room back in his place of residence. It all came together to make him a bit more relaxed, a bit less on edge. Tired, he reminisced about the contents of today, remembering how simply the day started. He was going to strengthen connections, close the bonds between himself and those in power. It seemed so important before he was flung here…

Now?

The paper with his class and information apeared in front of him, showing him the familiar words that seemed to echoe within him.

Puppeteer- (Lvl 1)

The strings of magic are something everyone in the world uses, to some extent. Whether they mold and stretch them through spells, or flex and harness them through their tempered bodies. Even the simple act of living a quiet and mundane life can pull the strings in large and conflicting ways. The strings of magic are universal, and through proper preparation and training you can be the one to control their strings, whether one wants to or not.

Strength- D

Constitution-C

Perception- C

Agility- C

Arcane- A

Willpower- A

Luck- S

Skills- (Strings of fate) (Weaving fortune) (Capture Puppet) (Train Puppet)

Puppets-

D-rank Puppet Goblin, Gobby (Lvl 4)

F-rank Puppet Goblin, Unnamed (Lvl 2)

Puppeteering, in this case, portrayed his lack of empathy in using others to fulfill a goal. That was just the basics of teamwork, so he didn’t understand why such a rude label was placed upon him. He thought of the classes the other’s had obtained, each reflecting off the personality of the subject. He wasn't sure of the connections between Charlotte and Elijah, since the information he knew of them stemmed mainly from their parents, but the classes were shoe-ins when it came to the others. Abby’s ability to learn faster than others, Arturo’s need to protect those smaller than him, Mary’s perceptiveness… And Liam.

He felt a twinge of envy for the man, with such a pure and simple class. He had no need to walk amongst eggshells such as he. Strength, raw, unbridled strength. He squeezed his arms, feeling the muscle coil with an almost insane power. If he was back on earth, he could probably tear someone apart if he really put his mind to it…

So, how horrifying was the strength of Liam?

Arturo?

His scary thoughts were interrupted by a sudden, weak knocking at his door. It was still enough to have him jump from the bed, however. “...Jack?” the voice said, small and meek. It was one of the girls, which one he wasn’t sure since the door muffled the sound. For a second, his mind thought about the weapons in the armoury he had been in not too long ago. He wished he had nabbed maybe a small dagger or something akin to one, something to stop whoever was outside should they try to attack him…

He was brought back to his senses as they knocked again, a bit firmer this time. Her voice rang out again, loud enough that she seemed desperate to talk to him. “U-um… I can come a bit later if you… if you want!” He sighed, resigning himself to his fate. He checked himself in an offhand mirror on a dresser, realizing his eyes were back to the dilated, bug eyed form they turned to whenever he was alone, whenever he was allowed to relax. He didn’t mind these eyes, but they were unneeded in this situation.

He smiled, struggling to make the muscles reach his eyes and warm his expression. Happy, worried, sad, happy, angry, worried, sad.

Worries, stressed.

Those two emotions would work.

He opened the door, catching the girl already a foot away, walking away with her head turned down. Unexpectedly, it was the twin, Charlotte, who wanted to talk to him. He thought back to what had happened during the dungeon, when he’d used his “Capture Puppet” skill on Arturo. It had been a moment of panic and fear…

And curiousity, but he wouldn’t say that out loud. He reached out and grabbed the sleeve of her shirt, gently, so as to not aggravate her. “Charlotte, I apologize for not opening the door sooner.” His worries had been dissuaded, the girl too weak in her abilities to do any damage to him.

She was probably the only one amongst his current group that he would have no problems killing, should it come down to that.

“What do you need?” He asked, a kind smile on his face.