I jerked awake with a gasp.

Lurching forward into a sitting position, I looked around wildly only to slow down in confusion. The last thing I had remembered, I had just succeeded in killing that monster deer and had laid down on the forest floor. I definitely wasn’t in the forest anymore. Calming down, I could tell that I was back in my room in Azarus’s house.

Laying back down with a groan, I settled my right forearm over my eyes. I must have passed out after winning the fight. Azarus must have carried me back, maybe because I had been too injured to continue.

Shit, that was right. My injuries.

Sitting back up and dragging the cover that had been laid over me off, I tried to inspect myself. I didn’t appear to have any bandages on me. It was too dark in my room to see anything, though. Running my hands over my body wasn’t really telling me anything. Looking back up at the window, I could tell that it was near sunset. I decided to get up and go check in the mirror.

Throwing my legs over the side of the bed, I stood up and walked out of the room. Making my way down the hall, I opened the door to the washroom. Stepping in and closing it behind me, I was startled by a lamp I had never noticed before flaring to life. I guess it reacted to how dark it was or something? Shaking it off, I looked into the mirror and was startled again.

Stepping closer to the mirror, I touched my left cheek. Starting from next to my nose and continuing backward diagonally was a scar on my face. It was long, but not terribly wide. It wasn’t even finger-width. Tracing it, I could feel the scar tissue.

Huh, I thought calmly. It had cut right through the only freckle I’d had on my face. I’d always hated it. Gone now, I suppose.

It had the feeling of a fresh scar, which I supposed I shouldn’t be surprised about. Azarus must have brought me back here to get healed by Grey. Having a thought, I tugged my shirt over my head and looked back in the mirror. Sure enough, I could see a number of other new scars on my body. Primarily on my arms, but I had a few on my chest as well. They all resembled the one that I had on my cheek.

Stepping back from the mirror, I tried to twist around to see how they felt. I quickly put a stop to that when I felt several of them give a sharp sting. Guess they were too new to be trying to be moving sharply. Gazing at the mirror for a moment at all the new additions to my body, I frowned.

I’d never been a particularly active type of person, in the past. I didn’t have many scars on my body, and those I did have were from things that had happened to me as a child. Seeing so many scars on my body was new for me. I guess that fucking deer had really given it to me.

Grabbing my shirt from where I had thrown it, I tugged it back on. I guess I should go find Grey or Azarus to ask them what had happened, then. Giving one last look at the scar on my face, I exited the washroom.

……………………………………...

I didn’t find Grey in the kitchen like I had lately, so I tried his room. Knocking on his door, I didn’t get a response either. Opening it anyway to take a peek, I saw that there was no one in there either.

Closing the door and stepping back from it, I crossed my arms. Where was everyone? Now that I thought about it, I couldn’t hear anyone in the house. Maybe they were outside? Heading back to the kitchen, I stepped through the back door and closed it behind me. I didn’t see anyone off the bat, but now that I was outside, I thought I could hear something coming from the right side of the house. Guess they were in the forge, I thought to myself.

Walking over to the forge, I could make out both Grey and Azarus’s voices. They were too muffled for me to make out what they were saying, though. Once I got close enough to the forge, I called out a subdued, “Hey.”

The voices stopped talking, and I entered the forge. Inside, I could see that Azarus had his arms crossed and was leaning against his anvil. Grey was in there too, sitting in his wheelchair with his hands clasped. When I entered, they both looked up at me. Azarus looked away after a second, however.

“Ah, Nathan,” Grey said calmly. “Good to see you awake. How are you feeling?”

I shrugged and then winced at the movement. “Mostly alright, I guess. If I move too quickly, I feel it. Otherwise, it seems mostly fine.” I paused. “I’m guessing you healed me then, Grey?”

Grey inclined his head slightly. “In a manner of speaking. Even if this infernal collar wasn’t blocking my skills and magic, I’ve never possessed any ability in Healing magic. No, what I used to help you was potions.”

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

I nodded at him. “Yeah. Okay. Well, thanks for using them on me.”

“It’s no trouble. You weren’t in any true danger when Azarus,” He shifted at the mention of his name, I saw. “Brought you to me. Simply…banged up, so to speak. I do apologize for the scars, however. If you had been healed by an actual Healer, they wouldn’t be a concern. Rather than true healing, potions accelerate the body’s natural healing process and thus leave a scar behind. If you wish, you will be able to contract the services of a healer to remove them. Well,” He paused for a moment. “When we’re free of this place, of course.”

I brought a hand up to my left cheek to trace the scar there. “Good to know, I suppose,” I murmured.

Azarus cleared his throat. Both Grey and I looked over at him, with me crossing my arms. “I, uh, wanted to apologize for not stepping in. I was watching the whole time and was planning to if it looked like you were in mortal danger. And you weren’t,” He said hurriedly. “You weren’t ever in mortal danger, even if it might not seem that way. But, uh, I haven’t fought with anyone as low level as you for a long time. I forgot how fragile you can be, that low on the path.” He finished awkwardly.

I frowned at him. “What do you mean I wasn’t in any mortal danger? Sure as hell seemed like it to me.”

Azarus grimaced. “Look, I would’ve been able to react fast enough to stop the beastie if he was about to land a fatal blow. He wasn’t ever in a position to do that before you killed ‘him, yeah? You had it handled. Sorta.”

“Handled?” I asked him skeptically, before throwing up my hands in frustration. “After that damn deer froze me, I just panicked and acted on instinct. Dude, I don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to fighting! Especially bloodthirsty monsters! I swear I told you this!”

Azarus looked away, scratching the back of his head. “I, uh. I guess you did. I just didn’t…”

Grey cleared his throat. “Nathan, if I may?” I looked over at him, still angry. “It seems to me, that the problem here is a cultural one.”

“A cultural problem?” I asked him incredulously. “A cultural problem is what nearly got me killed?”

“Indeed,” Grey replied calmly. “If I understand correctly, your world possesses neither monsters or the System, correct?” At my nod, he continued. “Please understand then, Nathan. Our societies have always lived under the threat of monster attacks. Even before the advent of the System. They developed with the knowledge that sometime in our lives, we would likely need to defend ourselves from a monster that would seek our life. Thus, we are educated with this knowledge beginning from the earliest periods in our lives. Children are taught simple games of how to identify and escape from a monster attack. Once they reach a certain age, they are taught, for years at a time, basic weapon skills to defend themselves. Once they’ve unlocked their Status, everyone is advised to take at least one combat-related Skill. All of us, from the lowliest peasant farmer to the highest noble in the land, have internalized this fact.”

Maybe it was his calm, even tone that did it, but I gradually relaxed from my tense stance during Grey’s explanation.

I uncrossed my arms. “So, what you’re saying is…” I said thoughtfully, furrowing my brow.

“That Azarus most likely never even considered the fact that you would be ill-suited to confronting a monster as you are.” Grey picked up. “I confess, the possibility is so alien to our unified culture that I only considered it when you returned, ravaged by a simple low-level monster. The Hart,” He smiled slightly. “That injured you is considered such a small threat to many, that it’s common for rural communities to bring children with them to cull such a beast. If only to introduce them to monster fighting in a controlled environment. They’re no more physically powerful than a regular deer, simply more aggressive. Now, I do not tell you this to excuse Azarus’s mistake.”

I could see Azarus wince.

“In truth, this is as much my mistake as his, and thus I apologize as well,” Grey told me, bowing slightly in his wheelchair. “I should have realized how strange the practice of monster hunting would be to you and insisted on more instruction before you ventured out. Azarus showed you some simple spear forms before you left, yes?” At my nod, he continued. “What he likely showed you were refresher forms, the most basic of basic forms to show someone that are meant to remind the pupil of what they already learned. What you need is a full course on combat, including both the full weapon forms and combat knowledge and tactics in monster hunting. I assure you, before you are taken into the forest once more, we will ensure you have received them. Won’t we, Azarus.” He finished with a pointed look at Azarus.

Azarus straightened up and gave me a firm nod. “Yeah. And I’ll stick closer next time, yeah?”

I looked between the two of them for a second before sighing. “Okay. I guess that’s all I can hope for in the end.” I leaned against the inside wall of the forge before sliding down it to sit on the dirt floor.

Grey raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re alright, Nathan?”

I grunted from where I sat on the floor. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just…tired, you know?” I let out a breath, resting my arms on my upraised knees. “So, where do we go from here?”

Grey and Azarus exchanged a look before Azarus motioned for him to speak. Grey cleared his throat and smiled. “Well, reviewing your gains, of course! That was the whole point of this exercise, was it not? Azarus, if you would?”

Oh, I guess it was. Time to see what nearly getting gored by a deer gave me on my Status. Yay.

“Oh, yeah. I got one around here somewhere.” Azarus said, moving over to a desk and rummaging around on it. “Where are ya, where are ya…” He muttered. “Ah, found it!” He held up a small, soot-covered object. Taking out a rag and polishing it, Azarus revealed it to be a small handheld mirror.

I raised an eyebrow. “Just have a mirror laying around, huh.”

“Course I do.” Azarus scoffed, walking over to me and handing me the small mirror. “Gotta be able to check your gains once you’re done working, don’t ya?”

I took it from him with a wry smile. “I guess so.”

Looking down at the small mirror, I mentally opened up my Status.