"Ah! The Harvesters! Therick!" A party of adventurers arrived, and one of them, a short-haired woman in fur robes, suddenly greeted my friend and walked over to our group. “You got all these new recruits! You really made a damn scene the other week when you formed a full party and even had someone be recognized by that Kily!"
She laughed boisterously, and Therick politely did the same, if a lot more reserved. I resumed my act of being the quiet but menacing adventurer as they talked.
“Yes, well,” Therick scratched his head. “I’m glad to have been able to gather such a good team too.”
“Good! Good, that’s good. We are blessed to have you with us today. Our trip will go much smoother with such energetic youth.”
“Speaking of that,” Therick tried to change the subject. “What can you tell me about the quest?”
“Oh, it should be just like every other trip to the shores.”
“I’ll admit, I’m not really sure what that’s like. We’ve seldom taken escort quests, and never in this… direction, nor this far out.”
“Ah, is that so? Well, we’re escorting a great number of fountans to the frontlines in Orila, and we’re also carrying valuable cargo.” She gestured to the crates being carried and organized by ogres, humans, and more. “Those are wands, repositories, and other things. We’ll need it for the threats that continue to foolishly threaten our Empire to this day.”
They continued to talk some more, and I heard from the woman of how chaotic it could be on the frontlines. From the cursetaceans that are a nightmare to fight, to the various factions that still want us dead. New Grandera continued to grow, cannibalizing Edengar territory and taking over the parts closer to the mountain that we had failed to retake. The harpies and dwarves had only gotten more involved with them, unsatisfied with how they had rebelled and caused so many problems for us already when they refused to accept our rule. And the crustecars from the deep continued to ramp up their attacks, largely unassaulted by the cursetaceans, showing just how they were in collusion, they were the same.
I’d say that I couldn’t wait to see all of it, but I was actually genuinely nervous. My instincts were telling me that it was fine, this was my world, and I needed only to go out there and wreak havoc. But while I had fought and I had killed, I had never been to a true all-out war.
What will I find?
~~~
“Everyone. Please gather around for a summary of the mission and a brief prayer!” Three humans stepped up a portable platform that their servants had laid out. More people had arrived in the past hour, and everyone needed for the trip was here by now. Some had cut it quite close, but they still arrived on time. Anyone who didn’t would be left behind and shamed.
“You are all blessed to be here today!” one of the three announced. Adventurers and civilians alike had gathered around to listen to this speech, and I learned that the guy speaking was apparently a well-known adventurer on top of being a merchant. His armor reflected the sun like a mirror, unmarred by the ugly scars of battle. “Together with my good friends Elariel and Rozarik, we have put together this caravan to deliver important supplies to the frontlines. Some of you were hired for physical labor, some were taken from my very own adventurers guild to serve as our guards, and others yet were called upon to fulfill their purpose in a variety of different ways. Our main purpose today is to deliver all manner of things that will heal our people desperately fighting on the frontlines against those who foolishly and uselessly seek to subvert the will of The Angelic God and His Angels! Our role in this war is true and holy, therefore we cannot fail. Let us see this to completion!”
“For this task, we ask that you follow all our instructions to the letter,” another of the merchants took center stage. He was a thin and overdressed man. It was like I was suddenly watching some weird high-fashion show, which I did like, but I certainly was not expecting to see it here. “If you are faithful, then you will do this without question. To begin with, we would like the adventurers to take these positions and set up a rotation…”
He droned on and on and on, telling us of a myriad of orders that everyone would surely soon forget no matter their levels or Mutations. From an exact timeline that we must follow, to micromanaging everyone’s jobs and how they should go about it. None of us were late for this expedition, but we may as well have been!
“...I understand that you are impatient, but this is how the angels want us to govern. And I am but a limb of theirs, to be moved according to their wills, as are you. So please, let us work together to fulfill the work that is expected of us by the Angels and our God.”
“Now let us pray,” a woman who looked remarkably average stepped forward. She was apparently both a merchant and a deacon, from what I’d gathered from the gossiping adventurers. Everyone clasped their hands together, and I just wanted to slaughter anyone I could get my hands on as I was forced to do the same. “O Angelic God and His Angels, please bless our expedition, guide our members, and let us not fall to harm so long as we follow your teachings. Give our leaders knowledge, and give our followers the strength to carry out our commands. Let the humans lead and adapt, the fountans to make the wonderful gift of mana, the ishkawtans to scout the path ahead, the ogres to be our strength, the kobols to burn our enemies, the centaurs to carry the load they are given wherever they might be needed, the belfegors to… remain hidden or whatever it is you wish of them, and for the crustecars to be our shield and die in our stead. Please allow even the adventurers to remain true to their role, despite their unorthodox methods, as you have given your blessing for them to do so, in communion with our Empress Shanayah. Amen.”
The speech was finally over, and the centaurs moved to pull on the reins strapped against their bodies to pull the seven wagons along. We the adventurers followed them in formation, surrounding them from all sides, with twice the number of parties as wagons. We merged into the nearby road and marched ahead towards our destination. The sun blared upon us from above, but such heat wasn’t an issue for a demon like me, nor for people with even mediocre levels.
Moonwash was gravely interested in the wagons themselves, as was our reason for even being here, and I followed her around as she roamed around the length of our caravan. She observed and cataloged their construction, she took out a pencil and paper to sketch out notes and diagrams, and she even asked the centaurs pulling the vehicles along some questions. Apparently, there were differences in the designs of the wagons, and it was very convenient for our purposes that the people who had to pull them along could enlighten us about their experiences. From how some of the wagons were better on proper roads, some could handle other terrains better, others were harder to pull, while some were easier to run with. Moonwash even approached some of the passengers, most of whom were fountans, to ask about how comfortable they might be, and then looking over the designs of the vehicles to know what could have caused a difference in people’s traveling experience.
“Oh, are you interested in this profession?” a richly dressed merchant asked when Moonwash came up to him for his opinions on the vehicles. He was talking to a scout that had just come back to give his report.
“No.”
“No?” His eye twitched at the perceived insult. “What do you mean?”
“I want to make a wagon. So I’m asking around.”
A few of the nearby adventurers snickered, commenting on how my girlfriend was so weird, and asking why she was even here. My temper immediately flared up, I wanted to burn it all down, but I looked at how Moonwash did not give them the time of day and did the same.
It was hard, but I did the same.
“Oh? Really?” the merchant asked, now more interested. “Are you not an adventurer?”
“I am.”
“...Okay. Why do you need to learn this then?”
“I like making things.”
‘...Right. Well, we will not just give away our secrets, you know! That’s not how this works.”
“I see.” Moonwash grabbed a different notebook, and looked over some of what she had written there. “I have the Status Screen information of several monsters and animals here.
“Ah,” the merchant smiled. “A woman after my own heart. Now we’re talking business.”
I called over Granuel for help, and we learned of the ways of wagon-making.
Well, the stranger praised the wagon he owned many times over, but he didn’t actually have the expertise to make them. Moonwash reassured us, however, that what she did hear was enough combined with everything else that she’d learned.
~~~
The journey continued to be uneventful, almost peaceful and idyllic. Few monsters had dared to bother us, likely because they were wary of the sort of groups that used these roads, and because of our sheer numbers. Wild animals tended to have good instincts, so they would've been able to feel how there were over a dozen level 20 people gathered here.
The adventurers remained ready for battle, almost comically so. They would sweep their gazes around, raise their weapons, and overall look absolutely prepared for any possible surprise. But then when a level 20 komonder waddled into view, they immediately reacted in all the ways possible, with some retreating, others stepping up, and few remaining rational. The civilians freaked out, those who charged the tall quadrupedal reptile had second thoughts and remained out of range, and it took until the monster was almost dead from the sheer volume of ranged attacks that people were finally brave enough to get close and finish the job.
It was embarrassing, and I would’ve ended the fight sooner if we weren’t on the other side of the formation, and we didn’t have other civilians to protect.
~~~
“So that’s why I was wondering if I should even get involved with anyone right now,” Angerly said. The sun had almost set, and the horizon was burning red. “There’s this guy that I like well enough to try, but we’re leaving soon anyway! So what’s the point?”
“Well… shit,” I blurted out, before taking the time to formulate an actual response. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know if we could add him to our caravan–”
Angerly interrupted me with a sharp bark of laughter. “He’s a potter that hardly ever leaves the city! Of course I’m not taking him with me. I’m just wondering if I should even be dating right now.”
“Oh. Well, I’d say, first of all, to not feel trapped with us. If there’s something else that you truly want to do…” my voice hitched a little. It was always hard to say goodbye to friends, but that was just how life was. “Then you should do it. Don’t worry about The Harvesters. We’ll be fine.”
“Nah. That’s all good. I like you guys, and I wanna adventure too! It’s just… should I even get involved with anyone until… I guess until we’re done? That is my question.”
“Hmmm. That’s a hard one, and entirely dependent on your goals. If you’re just looking for a fun night, then that’s all fine. If you want something long-term, then… I don’t see it working,” I looked around us, then tapped Moonwash on the shoulder for a privacy bubble. “I’ve seen long-term relationships back on Earth. We had the internet, we could talk to anyone with no delay, but long-distance still didn’t work most of the time. People crave touch and intimacy. It’s really hard to remain involved with someone’s life a continent away. You just… meet new people and move on. Though I suppose that’s normal for any relationship.”
“It's still wild to me that you guys were able to do that,” Angerly marveled.
“Move on?” I tilted my head. “It sure is a skill.” I laughed. “And I don’t know if we were any better at it than the people here.”
“That’s not what I meant! The internet!”
“Ah. That. Yeah. Technology is wild.” I smirked as Moonwash scooted closer to listen. “You could also try letters. I’ve seen love stories where it happened… though I’ve never met anyone in real life. I don’t think it’ll work, but maybe I’m too jaded. It’s love! True love! Maybe it can work. You can certainly try.”
“No. Nevermind that. I don’t think a few letters here and there is what I’m looking for in a relationship.”
“Fair enough,” I chuckled along with her. “There are a lot of other options though. Love is weird and it has more permutations than I know. Maybe you could try to see if you can love fast, and move on even faster.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“It’s complicated. But there are people who travel all over the place, they fall in love with the people there, they truly get involved romantically and get to know the other person as deeply as they could in the time they have together. And then they leave and do it all over again. Or maybe they don’t even leave, but does the same thing anyway while staying in the same place. Our cities were entire worlds in and of themselves. I’ve met one or two of those sorts in my time.”
“That’s very interesting! Do you think I should do that?”
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“It isn't for everyone. Not even close. The choice is forevermore yours.”
Angerly pondered on that thought, then Berry suddenly burst into our bubble, literally.
“Hey! HEY!” she panted. “Can you hear me!?”
“Yes.” I patted her on the carapace. “We can.”
“Oh. Good. Well! We’re about to take a break!” She pointed to an artificial clearing by the side of the road. “Um. The guy just said it.”
“Of course.” I laughed. “The Guy. The absolute paragon of authority.”
Moonwash rescinded her sound barrier, and we followed along with everyone to get settled in for lunch. The clearing had several logs for seating and stone circles for starting a fire in it already, and people began to form their own little groups. We got stuck with some of the other adventurers, and I found that they’d brought field rations with them. From hard jerky, to even harder bread, what they had didn’t seem appetizing.
“I’ll go hunt,” I told my party, wanting to get something a bit more substantial than that.
“What? Did you forget your rations?” Someone asked. A rogueish human woman. “We can share some with you, if you want.”
“Thanks, but we’re good,” I said curtly, before disappearing into the treeline. Once there, I scanned the forest for monsters, and found there to be a little bit more wildlife than normal. I supposed they were stalking our caravan as we passed through. That was interesting, but ultimately not enough to save their lives.
My eyes settled on a nearby floader, which was a massive gliding spider with webs weaved around their legs. They tasted like particularly bitter crab, but I knew Moonwash could prepare them well enough, and she had surely brought plenty of seasoning with her. I unsheathed my greatsword, then looked at the fine unblemished make. I did not have my regular blade strapped to my back because while I could certainly shrug any social consequences off, there was no reason to show my cursed weapon in all its glory unless actually necessary.
None of that mattered right now. My opponent would not become harder to kill even with a lesser sword.
I charged towards the creature, moving rapidly through the uneven terrain, but only to the extent that was possible for a human of roughly my level.
The spider just watched me approach with its eight large eyes for some hilariously long moments without doing anything. When it finally tried to jump and fly, it was already too late. I grabbed the creature by one of its legs, slammed it against the bark of a tree, then splattered the contents of its brain.
I then remembered that I had a dagger, and could have made that a much cleaner kill!
~~~
“Hey. I caught something,” I addressed my friends.
“What the fuck!?” People took one look at what I was holding, and immediately backed away.
That was my line! Had they never seen a dead monster before? What the fuck had they been doing!? You’re supposed to be adventurers!!
“Put that away right now!” A woman in saintly robes commanded, followed by another human and a belfegor of different attire. They had approached but were very obviously keeping their distance.
“Why?” I said defensively. It was a perfectly good kill! “It’s our lunch.”
“Your lunch…? Are you serious?”
“Yes?” I said, unsure out of surprise, then more confidently, “Yes.”
She rubbed the pinch of her nose. “If you really don’t know, then why were you even allowed to take this escort quest?”
“Just tell me why you’re all freaking out,” I clicked my tongue, feeling the annoyance building, and the hatred for everyone in this clearing.
“Because that’s a floader! A carrier of disease!”
“...Oh.”
A few seconds passed. We just stared at each other.
“Well!?”
I scratched my head, or rather the metal of my helmet. “Hey Moonwash!” I looked past the three healers. “Is this true!?”
“YES!” she shouted back, voice loud but even.
“Huh. I’ve been eating these things for years now. Not as my favorite food in the world or anything, but they’re just sometimes around, and I could just eat them. Pretty simple.” I tossed the dead spider away. “But if they’re contagious then they’re contagious, I suppose.”
I turned back to grab a different meal from the forest when the human woman stopped me again.
“Wait! You need to wash yourself to get the disease off, and you definitely need some minor healing. A gold will do.”
I looked back at her with a raised eyebrow that she could not see. “What?”
Her expression turned annoyed. “Healing. You’re sick.”
“I feel perfectly fine.”
“That’s because it’s a disease! It’s small now, but it’ll get worse later, and then it’ll be harder and more costly to remove.
“Oh.” I was… admittedly way out of touch, but that seemed expensive. “If it’s minor, then why do you need an entire gold for it?”
“To flush it out, of course,” she sighed like someone tired of having the exact same well-worn argument. “It might be small, but to make sure that I get all of it, I’d need to use a fair bit of mana.”
“Oh. That’s fine then. I have my own healing.”
“You do?” She asked incredulously. It was a rare skill after all, even with the prerequisite elements.
“Yes,” I confirmed, then remembered that I couldn’t just reveal my regen heart here, nor should I use the nature mana in my molars, just in case. “Moonwash, can you lend me a nature wand?”
“Of course,” my girlfriend approached and then tossed what I’d requested over to me. The human woman and her friends looked at me strangely as I allowed the plant life around me to grow and soothe my non-existent wounds. It still felt nice.
“Are you sure that was correct, and you weren’t just making a few leaves sway?” the woman asked, and I seethed at the condescension. The three of them were healers, one affiliated and trained by the church, as marked by her robes. The others were of a different background but were content to follow her around. They must’ve been tasked to go with this caravan, as I reckoned few of the parties here had their own healer. Many would be worn down without a few dedicated healers.
And half of my own party can heal. How funny.
“Yes. I’m sure. If not, then I’ll die,” I stared impassively with satisfaction as my words gave them all pause. I asked Moonwash to wash me down with water magic as per their instructions, and then I went back into the forest in search of less controversial prey.
~~~
Granuel joined me in my hunt to help spot hidden prey, and together we caught two horned rabbits, a murdle(red bird), and one mole. I used my contact-covered eyes to stall them just a little, which was probably fine. No one could really tell, they weren't really watching, and even if they wanted to expose me for something... what were they supposed to say?
"Oh, that bunny hesitated for like a quarter of a second."
That would just be ridiculous and confusing.
I brought the catch to our camp, and we all worked together to skin, drain, chop, and season the meat before putting it all in a pot over the fire. Moonwash had added some herbs that she, Therick, and Angerly had foraged nearby. It smelled delicious.
“Are you sure you should be doing this right now?” the adventurer across from us asked. She was a human ranger.
“What do you mean?” I curtly asked.
“Lunch is going to be over soon. I don’t think you will finish eating on time. This is why we buy rations.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but closed it instead and crossed my arms. I remembered then that I was trying to be silent and unreadable to everyone but my close friends. It would keep me out of trouble, and they weren't interesting enough people anyway, but I had just been so inconsistent with actually doing that! It was so hard to not be myself! Ugh.
But, I could start doing it again at anytime. It didn’t matter that I was inconsistent. If it annoyed people, if they thought I was weird, then so what? What could they do about it?
Nothing.
I’d go make more friends once I could actually walk boldly as a demon. The ones I currently had were enough.
A privacy bubble expanded around us, and we talked like we were the only ones here.
"So. What the fuck happened back there?" I asked once we were in the privacy of our own company.
"She's not wrong," Therick answered. "We will be asked to move soon."
"Not that," I rolled my eyes. "The floader! The disease!"
"Well, she's not wrong either. The healer... I believe her name was Anny, was right about the gliding spider being contagious, and it was indeed dangerous to everyone else."
"The price is a little bit too high though," Granuel commented. "They should've already been paid just for taking this journey and the risks associated with it."
“So I was right!” I exclaimed, stirring the pot of soup.
"There are creatures who have features and Mutations just for the spread of diseases," Moonwash explained. "Diseases are similar to poisons, but distinct in some ways. They typically take far longer before taking effect, making them not very useful in combat."
"Those are the effects,” I hedged, “but diseases are typically caused by... viruses and shit."
"Viruses?" my girlfriend spoke the Earth term. "I assume this is a concept from your world. Tell me more."
"Well," I scratched my helmeted head and obliged Moonwash's request. I talked briefly about microorganisms as our meal finished cooking, with a promise to go into further detail later. I received a bowl of soup, and I quickly finished that and asked for another as I spoke of whatever else I could remember about diseases, from possible causes, symptoms, and cures.
"That is fascinating," Moonwash said as she took a sip of her own soup and ate her meal, "but I don't think that's how this world works."
I tilted my head questioningly.
Moonwash continued. "There are cases of diseases popping up from seemingly out of nowhere, but the likely cause of that are just small animals and insects with the right Mutations." She caught a cockroach in her hands. I stared at it as it wiggled in my girlfriend's hand. It was very likely just a level 1 or 2 creature, something low like that, for some creatures never leveled up. But they did have a Status, that was confirmed. "I've never heard of diseases self-propagating like that. That's terrifying. They need a proper host to nest from, if they even work like what you described. Maybe they behave more like how you understand poison instead, just non-living things created and secreted invisibly by certain organisms. I would love to find out."
"Huh. Yeah, I'm interested too. It's wild seeing all these differences from Earth. I wonder what's really happened, if I'm still in the same universe and something weird and fucky happened, or if I'm in another reality entirely that's always been like this." I finished my fifth bowl of food, then grabbed a sixth.
"It's not just animals and insects either," Granuel gestured outward, toward the nearby road. "That's why the path here curves. We're dodging a grove of contagious tanarib trees."
"Wait, what do they look like?" I asked.
"Uh, taller than the trees near here, with a canopy that starts low, and gren-red-blue vaguely star-shaped leaves?"
"Huh. I've seen those things around plenty of times before, and I'm... fine." I patted myself over my armor, as if to make sure. "Why did I not know any of this? I mean, I did know. I have seen people get sick, and I've read about some monsters carrying diseases... but no one I actually knew ever caught a cold or whatever!"
"Some of us did," Angerly corrected, referring to the kids at the orphanage. "But Luine and Salaire very quickly just healed us of that. So I think that's what happened. You likely got exposed to healing very frequently, so it's never been a problem. Oh, and I believe you had a natural immunity as a human too?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "Not always, not every human gets that, but plenty of the ones born here get some things against disease and poison. I don't have that anymore of course, because I'm not a human, but then my regen heart is constantly healing me..."
...Shit was coming together, and I didn't think I liked what I was realizing.
"Plenty of people get sick!" Berry added, finishing her second bowl of food. "I've seen people just wither away, and either die or be exiled because of it. They can't really afford the healing. It gets harder and more expensive to heal as their condition gets worse, but not everyone can afford to get things flushed out of their system every day! I've had some tough times back then too... Billy and I would have an unfortunate encounter with one of those gliding spiders or some other monster that we didn't know about which no one ever bothered to inform us of. And then we'd have no choice but to break out all our savings to get it healed early if we showed symptoms, then I would cry because I was always trying to get out of the adventuring life but never quite succeeded..."
“Ugh. Sorry to hear that Berry.” I buried my face in my hands. "I'm so fucking out of touch! AAAAAHHHH!!"
"What? Haell! It's not your fault!"
"I know! I have it good, and that’s great. But it’s just so fucking embarrassing that I’m this unaware! I brought a floader here when it could have had an irreversible effect on someone! That’s fucked up!”
"Well, when you put it like that..." Berry scooted over and awkwardly patted my armored back. “There, there. Everyone fucks up. Even you.”
"Ugh. Yeah... I used to hate people like that, you know?"
"What, like sick people!?"
"No!"
“...People who make mistakes?”
“Not that either!” I guffawed. "I mean like people who are out of touch, but are completely unaware of it. They'd act like they can solve all your problems when they don't even know what it is!"
"Yeah!” Berry bobbed. “It is annoying when people do that. I can't just pray my problems away! I don’t even believe in their angels! And neither can I just do the things crustecars are supposed to do. I'm already doing it, dumbass!" Berry punched the air with her big claw, and I was rooting for her to win against that invisible enemy! "But you're not like that, Haell. I mean, you say some insane shit sometimes, but who doesn't? You try, you care, and you're... you're willing to listen. That's more than I can say for most people."
I smiled. "Thanks. It's... not that I'm ashamed of my advantages. Hell, I'm happy about it, even if it sucks that so many other people have to suffer so much. I'm grateful, I'm thankful, I know just how lucky I am. Or at least, I thought I did. I thought I understood what it was like, to live as the poor and unfortunate people that surrounded our home. I thought I understood your struggles, those of other species, living under this oppressive regime. I've lived that life myself after all, of struggling to make ends meet, of being in danger against the law. But while I have struggled, it's not really the same struggle. I did not even know the world around me. I only knew of a place that is now long gone."
Berry was silent after that, and so was everyone else, unsure what to really say. But I knew. There was really only one thing to do.
"Moonwash!"
"What is it?"
"You gotta teach about these things. Which creatures are poisonous which are contagious, and what I should fucking do about them.”
"Sure."
"Thanks."
That was when we were forced to move out, Angerly carried the rest of our soup with her, and Moonwash regaled me of the information that I wished to know
People just thought that we were a joke more and more. They sneered and laughed at how we were slackers, and I wanted to hang them for it. But I held myself back, for I knew that they would soon be proven wrong. Even by sheer levels we had an edge, and that would come into play sooner rather than later. Violence would show who really was the best.