Over the Kyal Gorge, Seguna slowly drifted. Those of a romantic disposition might say that she was casting her gaze upon the trade route, which wound like a serpentine ribbon between the not-so-high yet sheer spurs of the Lesser Mid Ridge. In reality, at this pre-dawn time, which seasoned warriors referred to as the "dog hour," the Mistress of Monsters was merely traversing the sky, following the typical laws of celestial mechanics. However, a part of the Night Sister's Echo's attention was indeed turned this way at this moment. One of the individuals currently clambering up the rocks piqued the Echo's curiosity.
Leaning against a rock with his back, Jack Rogers took heavy but quiet breaths. The near-hour-long ascent up the sheer slope had taken its toll on the earthling. Had he not reached Steel the day before, he might not have managed this nocturnal climb. Nevertheless, he'd made it to the intended location, and that's what mattered. Fatigue would pass. Especially since Jack had provisions on hand for such occasions. After catching his breath, he retrieved a "Lesser Stamina Potion" from his belt pouch and leisurely drank it. He then carefully placed the empty bottle back into the pouch, all the while making not the slightest noise.
Jack's attire was atypical for Ain. He was essentially swathed in dark gray fabrics with vague and blurry patterns. Only his eyes and fingertips were exposed. To Ain's inhabitants, his clothes would seem odd, but any earthling would easily recognize it as a ninja outfit, much like the ones depicted in movies. Truth be told, when ordering pieces of his costume from various tailors, Jack had this image in mind. Ten failures, a week of mishaps, drafting new designs, but in the end, he got what he wanted. The new outfit practically dissolved his silhouette in any somewhat dark shadow. An excellent camouflage without any magic. Admittedly, the suit, although made from dense and robust fabric, wouldn't protect him from a sword strike or dagger thrust. Rogers knew this and didn't expect it to. He was fully aware that he was, to put it mildly, a mediocre fighter and a direct confrontation with an opponent of his rank would likely end in death. Ever since Jack found himself in this new world, he diligently trained, attempting to master the art of combat, but real success in this domain was still far off for him.
Jack was an, in many ways, ordinary 19-year-old on Earth. He finished school, entered college, and, like most of his peers, planned to find a job after graduation. Like many his age, he loved video games, anime, manga, and films about Eastern martial arts. However, his passion went a bit further than most. From the first movie he watched about Japanese ninjas in his childhood, Rogers fell in love with the culture of the Land of the Rising Sun. Cosplay festivals, anime and manga fan forums replaced the youth entertainment popular among his peers. He even tried practicing karate but never progressed past the orange belt.
Jack was a frail young man, and the idea of face-to-face combat scared him, which eventually led him to quit the karate class. But in the common sense of the word, Rogers was never a coward; it's just that his bravery was of a different kind. Sneaking somewhere, causing mischief, even if the place was well-guarded and he would face significant trouble if caught, never intimidated him. In his freshman year of college, he earned a reputation among students as a reckless daredevil who could either sneak into one of the female dormitories and take some "interesting" photos or make copies of the exam questions stored in the dean's office. Each time he engaged in such escapades, Jack imagined himself as the last of the ancient line of Japanese spies, which gave him extra courage and motivation.
His first days in Ain, unlike most earthlings, Jack took as an adventure. As a big anime fan, finding himself in a foreign world, he didn't panic or pull his hair out in distress. The young man immediately accepted everything that happened to him as a fact. One could even say that he was glad for the adventure that had befallen him. Being a manga fan, he often imagined unknown forces transporting him to another world, granting him superhuman abilities. Questers - as the young earthling girl whom fate had introduced him to a few days prior called them - essentially made the college student's long-time dream come true. Except for the fact that superhuman strength wasn't just given away; it had to be earned. However, this detail made everything happening around Rogers even more engaging.
Despite his reclusive nature, he spent his first days in Ain with his initial group. No matter how much of a lone wolf Jack was, he understood that it was much easier to get acquainted with a new world as a group. So, he not only stayed with the other earthlings despite what his loner's instincts suggested, but he also tried to be useful. Only when the questers – a term that, from the perspective of an experienced gamer, fit these unknown beings perfectly – assigned everyone the task of acquiring Affinity did he leave his group.
Jack didn't need to search for anything to complete the task set by the questers. He had long since earned his Affinity during the first group trial.
Affinity with Shadow.
While all the other earthlings were frantically looking for ways to complete their assignments, Rogers went in search of adventure. As a sensible young man, he only sought out adventures that he felt he could handle, avoiding excessively perilous endeavors. After spending a couple of weeks alone, Jack firmly decided what he wanted to do in this new world. Upon reaching the Bronze rank, he immediately enrolled in the Tunnellers' Guild. Clearing dungeons held little interest for him. As an experienced gamer, he understood the importance of grinding and had no objection to it, but the Task Board at the Guild's branch was far more interesting to him than dungeon expeditions. After completing several simple jobs from the Board, he realized that this was also quite a profitable activity. Especially if assignments were chosen wisely and he didn't bite off more than he could chew.
Yesterday, for the first time, he broke his rule of only taking on tasks that weren't very dangerous. But the reward was too enticing, and having successfully completed several missions, he had grown confident. Moreover, understanding the importance of preparation, he approached the task he'd taken from the Board with utmost seriousness. He invested all his saved resources in buying necessary items: potions, scrolls, poisons he had purchased from a wandering alchemist before, and other ammunition. Plus, the suit he was eager to try out in real action was finally ready.
Adjusting the crossed straps on his chest, Jack grimaced. The back-sheath design he remembered from his cosplay experience turned out to be not as comfortable as he had previously thought. It was fine when he was just walking or even jumping. But now, after a long climb up the rocks, he realized that the hilt of the left sword, protruding over his shoulder, kept slipping down. This might make it difficult to draw the second blade quickly. Nevertheless, the young man hoped he wouldn't have to draw his swords today, so he didn't consider abandoning his mission over such a minor inconvenience.
This notice had been on the Task Board at the Tunnellers' Guild branch for quite some time. As the on-duty mage of the branch told him, for more than a couple of weeks. But the reward for it was so meager, given the complexity that the task promised, that no one took it up. A hundred gold to deal with an uncertain number of bandits who favored the Kyal Gorge for their ambushes seemed a bit too little. This gorge was not the only route connecting the cities near the Wicked Woods. There was a second route, albeit slightly longer, but it was more convenient and safer. Probably because of this, the traders of the city of Balkar, where Jack took the task, did not want to pay more to solve a problem that was inconvenient but not vitally important.
From his conversation with the on-duty mage, Rogers learned that the group of bandits consisted mainly of Bronze warriors led by a Steel mage. This information was conveyed by the head of a caravan who managed to fend off the bandits. More precisely, they attacked his caravan, but as soon as they met a worthy resistance, they immediately fled without engaging in a prolonged battle. But there was no exact answer about the number of bandits. As the duty mage said, anywhere from five to nine, which Jack thought was too broad a range.
If not for the additional reward of a scroll Jack was curious about, he wouldn't have undertaken this mission either. But the scroll, describing the preparation of a paralyzing poison banned in almost half of the countries, was of great interest to Rogers. Moreover, once he assesses the situation on the ground, he can quit the task at any time. Unlike computer games, there were no penalties for refusing a quest here. However, increasing his reputation by handling the mission alone would help him get more lucrative assignments in the future. Moreover, if he eliminates the bandits, he will nicely fill his Core with growth energy. For a die-hard gamer like Rogers, leveling up was almost second in importance, right after survival. And this very survival, considering the quests of the questers, was closely related to ascending the Spiral.
As for having to kill, Jack had no issues with it. Assuming the role of a manga hero transported to another world, he quickly accepted the new rules of the game. During almost a month and a half spent in Ain, Rogers had already taken the lives of sentient beings. When his group clashed over loot division after a dungeon clear in the first week with the locals, he didn't hesitate to plunge his sword into the back of a local engaged in fighting one of the earthlings. Killing the blue-skins during the second group task was no different for Jack. The fact that he found it so easy to kill another person, Rogers attributed to his mentally adaptive nature, and deep down, he was even somewhat proud of it. Now, faced with the potential need to kill again, Jack wasn't plagued by moral dilemmas. Instead, he contemplated coldly and calmly, planning his next moves.
The bandits weren't fools, and they had set up camp in a strategic location. There was only one narrow path leading to their base, winding like a convulsing snake, easily overseen from above. That's why Rogers didn't come through that path, dismissing the idea instantly. Instead, he spent three hours circumventing the cliffs to approach the bandits' camp from the other side, a direction they wouldn't expect an attack from. He had once loved an anime called "Iwa Kakeru" about a girl rock climber, which inspired him to take up bouldering. Even though he only practiced for half a year, the skills he learned, coupled with the enhancements of the Steel rank, were enough for Jack to handle the challenging ascent up the nearly vertical cliff. His Affinity with Shadow made it possible to climb even at night, under the dim reflected light of Seguna.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Because of his pale complexion and sharp facial features, Jack always appeared older than he was. If he were to remove the mask concealing his face now, anyone seeing him would guess him to be at least five to seven years older than his actual age of nineteen. Which, in fact, aligned with how he felt - older than he was, especially after all the recent adventures. Rogers liked to see himself as an experienced adventurer in his thoughts, and he acted the part around others. Everyone he met in Ain bought into this persona, possibly because of his extensive cosplay experience, having portrayed skilled cloak-and-dagger masters at various festivals.
Having checked that all the gear was in place and that he could reach everything quietly and easily, the earthling slowly stood up. Dawn was no more than an hour away, and he needed to use his Affinity advantage during that time. He had firmly decided that if he didn't clear the bandit camp by sunrise, he would postpone the mission to the next day. A direct face-to-face confrontation with much more experienced fighters wasn't in Jack's plans. He intended to kill everyone quietly and unnoticed, ideally without ever drawing his swords.
Rogers discovered the first group of enemies, consisting of three bandits, almost immediately as he rounded the rocky outcrop. To Jack's relief, the trio was peacefully sleeping in a small cave that could only be entered by crouching. Embers from a fire crackled softly inside, casting uneven shadows on the walls.
Opening his bag and constantly listening to the play of shadows, Jack pulled out a small paper bundle. He then decided to minimize the risk and slid back behind the rock outcrop. He took several bamboo sticks from his backpack, connecting them to resemble a long fishing rod. Then, rummaging in his bag, he found a rope and tied one end to the improvised rod, attaching the previously retrieved bundle to the other. Moving quietly, he returned to the cave entrance and, using the multi-section bamboo stick, silently lowered the paper bundle onto the embers. He waited for the string to burn through and, holding his breath and covering his mouth, quickly dashed back behind the outcrop. Mentally counting to a thousand, he returned to the cave entrance. The shadows indicated that all three bandits were already dead. They had died in their sleep, having inhaled smoke from the "sleeping death" powder created by an alchemist of Wootz. That powder had cost Jack two dozen gold coins, but now the young man didn't regret the expenditure much. A brief bout of greed quickly passed when Jack looked at his Core and noticed new achievements on its surface. And even if these achievements were just Bronze, there were three of them.
Returning behind the rock, the young man disassembled the rod and placed its parts in his backpack. Then, moving silently, he continued on.
Next, Rogers noticed a lone sentry sitting on a rocky ledge, hidden in the darkness and almost invisible from the road. The warrior guarding the path hadn't even bothered to put on his chainmail, which lay neatly folded at his feet and was dressed only in a light gambeson and travel pants.
Taking from a thigh sheath a tube as long as his forearm, which the locals mistook for a crudely made flute, Rogers placed it to his lips and gently blew, checking it hadn't become obstructed during his climb. He then retrieved a small dart, coated with the venom of spiders from the Wicked Woods, from his belt and loaded it into the blowpipe, returning it to his lips. The numerous training sessions over the past few days paid off. Before making the shot, Rogers judged the wind, steadied the slight tremor in his hands, and only after this preparation did he forcefully exhale into the tube clenched between his lips.
"Ftfu," the sound was so quiet that even a couple of steps away, nobody would've heard it.
The guard jerked suddenly and slapped at his neck, but couldn't do anything further before starting to collapse listlessly to the side. Hastening his pace, Jack lunged forward and managed to catch the unconscious body before it fell off the cliff. He then gently laid the paralyzed but still breathing bandit on the rocks. He unfastened the man's gambeson, counted the required number of ribs with his fingers, and thrust a long, straight knife directly into the bandit's heart. The man, pinned by Jack's knee, only twitched slightly in response and died a few seconds later. Drawing out the knife, Rogers wiped it clean and returned it to its sheath.
At that moment, the young man felt no pangs of conscience, only a terrifying thrill, intensified manifold by the new Achievement recorded on his Core.
A couple more enemies Jack encountered further down the trail. Two men were conversing quietly, occasionally glancing downwards. One's face was covered in freckles, while the other limped noticeably, grimacing every time he stepped on his injured leg. This pair's position made it impossible for Rogers to sneak up on them undetected. For a long twenty minutes, Jack looked for a moment to shoot, but he couldn't do it reliably, incapacitating at least one foe instantly. The wind in this part of the gorge changed direction every second, hindering accurate aiming. Overcoming his inner miser, Rogers set aside the blowpipe and opened his bag.
The first thing to land at the bandits' feet was an ordinary-looking stone. They weren't even perturbed, as such pebbles regularly fall from the slopes in dozens.
"Activate Sound Dome," Jack whispered quietly.
At that very moment, a sphere enveloped two guards, from which not a single sound, even the loudest, could escape. This artifact, which looked like an ordinary pebble, had cost Rogers twenty-two gold coins and, to the young man's dismay, was single-use. As soon as the Sound Dome covered the bandits, four grenades immediately fell at their feet. Unlike his main arsenal, Jack made these bombs himself. Two of the grenades did not detonate, but the remaining half was more than enough for the bandits. From what Rogers could assess, the "Shrapnel" and "Icy Ring" went off successfully.
Despite no sound escaping from the "Sound Dome," the explosion caused the nearby rock to tremble, leading to a landslide that buried both the bodies and the single-use artifact, thus nullifying its effect.
From a note on the Core, Jack realized that both bandits killed by the grenades were of the Steel Rank!
"Korin, Balk, are you both alright?" A concerned exclamation echoed from below.
Rogers barely had time to hide in the shadows when another bandit appeared from around the bend in the path. This one, unlike the others, was fully armored. Chainmail to his knees and a drawn sword in his hands. Seeing the landslide, the bandit immediately began digging through it, loudly calling for help. That was his mistake.
"Ftfu," whispered quietly, and the bandit fell onto the rocks, his face smashing into one of the boulders.
After waiting a full five minutes and realizing that no one was coming to help, the one who took the name Rahu in Ain stepped into the light of Seguna and, with a single knife strike, ended the life of the bandit paralyzed by spider venom.
Judging by the surrounding silence, Jack realized that the bandit hideout had been completely cleared out. If even one of the bandits had been alive, he would've been here by now, drawn by the screams of the last victim. Apparently, one of the bandits killed by the grenades had been the leader-mage.
Leaning against a rock, Rogers slowly slid down it and dropped to his knees. The youth was slightly shaken. Even if the plan had been executed perfectly, he had been quite nervous during the entire operation. What upset the young man even more was that the cumulative costs of the mission were almost higher than the reward promised for it. Of course, he would still profit, especially after searching all the bodies. But every coin he spent today felt like a sharp knife in his back; it hadn't been easy for him to earn them.
After waiting in the shadows for another half hour, until dawn, Jack got up. He stretched and took a step onto the path. Then, he immediately dashed back.
Below, about thirty meters down, a man was walking along the winding path. It seemed he had just been in a fierce battle. No armor, his clothes torn, and even the gambeson covering his body looked as if it had been ripped apart by a pack of rabid wolves.
Jack lifted the blowpipe to his lips, but the man turned his head, and Rahu recognized him. It was one of the earthlings he had met during the second group trial. He had introduced himself to the others as Raven.
Jack didn't even think about stepping out and greeting. Because what if he coveted the loot? As Rogers remembered, this guy was a formidable fighter against whom he didn't stand a shadow of a chance. As for his bombs and blowpipe, watching the man walking below, Jack wasn't so sure. The earthling appeared to be a carefree traveler, but he was clearly on guard. He'd probably be able to react and dodge even the most unexpected attack in time. And Rogers had no reason to kill him.
Nevertheless, the closer the earthling got to where he was hiding, the angrier Jack became. "If he had shown up an hour earlier, the bandits would have attacked him, and he would have killed all of them! All I'd have to do is claim the reward for the mission! I wouldn't have spent a coin, yet would've received the reward!" Rogers never doubted for a moment that this guy would have easily handled all the bandits at once. Because he saw what he was capable of during the group test. Moreover, in a month and a half on Ain, this Raven had clearly leveled up quite well. So well that, judging by his appearance, he even went hunting in the Wicked Woods. And most importantly, he came back from there battered but alive.
With each step the earthling took on the trail, Jack's irrational anger over the excessive costs of the operation grew more and more. At some point, he even took out his blowpipe again, loaded it with a poisoned dart, and put it to his lips. No, Roger wasn't planning to kill the earthling. Only paralyze and rob him, compensating for his expenses, nothing more. The harakandid venom was valued by the locals for the fact that almost no one was immune to its paralyzing effect. Even the "Mithril Body" didn't help - Rahu had tested it on himself before embarking on this journey. By the way, for this test, he received a rather intriguing Achievement of the Sapphire rank.
When the earthling was directly beneath Jack, he held his breath and took aim. But he never exhaled. The Night Sister, Seguna, appeared from behind the sparse clouds and flashed before his eyes as if a warning sign:
"LETAL DANGER!"[1]
This warning was so palpable to Jack that the Shard of a Hindu deity, whose name he had "coincidentally" adopted in Ain without realizing his true nature, froze, paralyzed with fear.
So he stood, as if carved from stone, with the blowpipe pressed to his lips, until the one calling himself Raven passed through the entire gorge and disappeared behind the turn of the trade route.
[1] TLN: In the USSR, it was very common to see special signs with a skull pierced by lightning and words, "Stay out! Letal!". They were put on high-voltage lines and transformer boxes or booths. https://st.violity.com/auction/big/auctions/13/91/10/6/139110635.jpg