*******

“Welcome to our humble abode. It’s a little small, but it’s home all right.”

“Woah...”

Within the Tree Hollow , Kino entered an entirely new place, the likes of which had never been seen or explored before. Before him was the Fairy Village, where a colony of tiny fairies lived.

*Ding*

You have discovered the Fairy Tree Hollow.

Reward:

- You will gain double experience and gold from quests within this area for 7 days..

- Fame + 100

You were first to discover the Fairy Tree Hollow.

Rewards:

• Fame increased by 300.

• For a week the rewards and experience for the village’s quests are doubled.

Surprisingly, the Tree Hollow was not dark and humid, as fungi hung around the area, casting a soft hue of green on the tiny village.

All across the village as far as the eye could see, little toadstools and mushrooms thronged a paved road that cut its way across the village. Judging by the doors and windows that had been built into these mushrooms, these were meant to serve as areas of residence. It was like a scene from a fairy tale. (Or a certain cartoon about little blue things living in a forest...) Young Fairy children, their wings underdeveloped in their youth, played peacefully in the fields.

That was just a small part of the village, however. Bracket Fungi lined the walls of the Tree Hollow, and on it, even more residences had been built. The Fairy Commander gave a sheepish grin as he observed Kino's expression.

"We, uh, have a bit of a population boom at the moment, so it was necessary to expand. The fungi lasts a surprisingly long time and grows quite easily, if that is what you wish to ask."

"Oh." The forestalled question died in Kino's mouth before he could ask. He looked around, and noticed the lack of ladders or staircases.

"How do I get around, then?"

"Ah, most of us fairies go around mostly through flight, so there was no need for those rudimentary platforms. I can give you a lift, if you wish."

"It's fine, mister." Kino got onto his squirrel steed and kicked lightly against its belly. "Giddyup, Walnut."

The squirrel nodded, understanding Kino's intentions, and leapt from platform to platform. Using this method, the party made its way to the upper portions of the tree hollow. As the group made its way to the top, the simple toadstools were replaced by intricate buildings crafted out of wood and stone. Runes covered every inch of the surface, emitting a soft blue light that signified that they were active. Fairies were gathered in small groups, in furtive conclave as some of them threw suspicious looks at the war group, and at the strange and new visitor.

It was a stark contrast from the rustic scene below. The commander gave a passing glance to the tense atmosphere, and gave a sheepish grin.

"It is a hard life, being a fairy. Most of our children are raised below, and haven’t been to the upper levels at their age. They can't exactly fly at their young age, but perhaps it is for the best. Let them live out their childhood a little longer. It will be difficult later on..."

The commander heaved a loud sigh as he flew upwards. At the very top of the Tree Hollow, stood a large castle made out of brick and mortar. Unlike the buildings on the lower that still had some elements of architecture and craftsmanship in them, the castle stood in fierce belligerence. Metal Spikes are in much abundance on this piece, warping the otherwise opulent and majestic look of the castle.

"Uh.... Our king is a bit on the prudent side, and he likes to keep tabs on visitors. It would be in your best interests to pay him a visit first." the commander said, pointing at the castle.

Kino nodded. He had expected that, somehow. He kicked Walnut's belly lightly again, spurring the squirrel to move a little faster.

"After you then, mister."

Up close, the fierce and warlike castle at the top was... ugly, to say the least. Spikes jutted out at random along the top parts of the castle. A fairy soldier looked at the metal spikes and frowned.

“What’s the problem, mister?” Kino asked, having noticed.

“Ah. Fairies just don’t quite like the feel of iron. It messes with our magic, absorbs and throws them out of whack. We normally work with stone and wood, even with our weaponry, but iron and other minerals can be found in small amounts underground.”

“And who works with them?”

“We are in... an understanding with the gnomes, who drop by every now and then with gifts. They work with mostly gold, but the iron spikes were forged by them, and just stuck on top of the castle in such a whimsical manner. Distasteful.” the soldier spoke with clear disgust on his face.

The commander turned to the rest of his troops. “We can go on on our own from here. Head back to barracks and have a good rest. You guys deserve it.”

“Awesome. Erm, I mean, as you command, sir.” the lieutenant, a rather portly man with a wispy beard, saluted and turned to the rest of the troops, giving the command to march off.

“My men aren’t exactly too comfortable with the idea of staying so close to so much iron, so it is probably for the best.” The commander motioned to the rather large castle before him. “Shall we proceed?”

Kino frowned, but nevertheless got off Walnut and let himself be led into the castle. At least the interior of the castle maintained an air of sophistication and royalty, not that Kino bothered to look around. Works of art, paintings, sculptures carved out of wood and stone, littered the halls of the castle. The floor was flush with rich red carpeting.

“No, Walnut. No gnawing works of art.” Kino absent-mindedly smacked the squirrel on the head as he walked. The squirrel bowed its head in shame, and dropped the wooden sculpture of an acorn that he was about to sink his teeth into. It was probably a good thing that he didn’t eat that.

"Honestly, child. Did you really have to bring the squirrel as well?" the commander asked, rolling his eyes at the sight.

"Easy for you to say, mister, considering that you haven't given me your name yet." Kino easily rebutted.

"Ah, of course, where are my manners... My given name is Gale, of Silverwind. I am the... Commander of the 4th fleet of the -"

"Woah, mister, I wanted your name, not a curriculum vitae." Kino paused as he reflected on the rather difficult and certainly not childlike word (he would have to watch his language from now on, he realized). "Now, start from the top..." His voice became like that of his English Teacher.

"Um, my name is Gale?"

"That's much better."

"Uh... Ahem." The newly introduced Gale coughed. The pair had arrived at a very large and ornate door. "Oh, it seems that we have arrived." Gale took a look at the squirrel, that is now eyeing a peanut statue with a glint in his eye. "Are you really going to bring that in there?"

Kino paused to consider, or rather, merely for the sake of doing it.

"Yes, yes I am." He said firmly.

********

AH, HE’S GONE. Shaft looked at the spot where Howard was standing earlier. He turned to the Spear Spirit of the Lance. DID YOU REALLY HAVE TO TEACH HIM THAT FORM? YOU HAVEN’T ACKNOWLEDGED HIM YET, HAVE YOU?

“It was only a matter of time anyway.” Lance said nonchalantly, sitting down and resting her chin on her knee. “Besides, we don’t have any leads yet. That technique may well be a clue.”

YOU HAVE A LOT OF FAITH IN HIM. WELL, I AM NOT TOO SURPRISED, HE CERTAINLY LOOKS LIKE A... RESOURCEFUL MAN. Shaft turned to the 3 new figures that had suddenly appeared in the fog. WHAT DO YOU THINK, GENTLEMEN?

“Hohoho... that young man holds a lot of promise.” the 1st shadow mused, stroking a wispy and laughing heartily. “You were like that in the past, right, 1st Brother?”

“Nonsense. This Old Sun wreaked a lot more havoc back then. He has a long way to go if he is to emulate my great deeds of the past. Are we really going to depend on him for help?” the middle shadow had a strange posture, and he was fidgeting restlessly.

“Well, as long as he has a lot of food *snort* with him, I would say we can depend on him. He is *snort* going to need it.” the 3rd shadow snorted. He was fatter than the others, but radiated a fierce battle aura nonetheless.

“Idiot, you only think about food!! No wonder He was so mad with us and sent us back into this world to be reincarnated” the middle shadow smacked the 3rd shadow on the head with a rod that materialised out of nowhere.

“That hurts, *snort* 1st brother. More like your hot temper was the cause of it.” the 3rd shadow retorted, rubbing his head painfully. “Nevertheless, Master has made it clear. We are to play the role of observers *snort*, nothing more.”

Shaft frowned. HE WALKS A DANGEROUS PATH THEN. UNLIKE YOU GUYS, HE DOES NOT HAVE THE BENEFIT OF VAST EXPERIENCES NOR YEARS OF CULTIVATION.

“This makes it more interesting then. Hohoho~” the middle shadow laughed cheerfully as he balanced his staff carefully on his head and danced cheerfully on the spot.

“All the elements have been set in place. What happens now is a matter of providence and karma.” the 1st shadow stroked his beard again as he mused to himself.

“”“And hence it has been spoken. Amitabha.””” The three shadows all intoned at once, and made a hand gesture.

“…” These kinds of Heroic Spirits do tend to get a bit over-dramatic at times, thought Lance as she watched them with a strange expression on her face. She stretched her limbs luxuriously, and put on a bright smile.

“Haaaaaa... I’m tired from all the excitement. If you will excuse me, gentlemen...” she faded away in a crimson light, which flowed back into the Lance that stood in the middle of the conclave.

“Ah, she was a cute one *snort*. Is she taken?” the 3rd shadow was gazing at the Lance.

“Other than food, you only think of women. That is so typical of you, Middle Brother.” the 1st shadow muttered while shaking his head.

“His taste in women seems to have... broadened widely though. I thought you favored busty women?” the middle shadow asked as he spun the pole that had suddenly appeared in his hands theatrically.

“Older Brother, you have definitely fallen behind the times. The world has advanced since that time; since then. The recognized charms of women have expanded greatly as people start to... explore. Nowadays, a fine figure and a beautiful face is not the only defining criteria.” the Middle Shadow argued back, his speech suddenly becoming like that of an academic.

“Good grief... when it comes to women, you suddenly know so much. Use your time in a more constructive manner, dumbass!!” the middle shadow smacked the 3rd shadow about with his pole. “Here, have some of that!! And that!! I will beat that perverse nature out of you on Master’s behalf!!”

*Taktaktaktaktaktaktak!!* the middle shadow beat the 3rd shadow repeatedly, chanting sutra and scolding the middle shadow as though he was exorcising him.

“Amitabha. And so it is spoken. Good, good.” the 1st shadow watched the antics of the other two shadows while nodding sagely.

Shaft beheld the comical scene before him.

… ARE YOU GUYS IDIOTS?

*********

“Are you guys idiots?!” I yelled at my two sisters as they stood there grinning sheepishly.

The kitchen was a mess. The kitchen sink was filled to the brim with dirty dishes, the milk had been spilt carelessly on the floor, and footprints could be seen everywhere as they ignored the spills and even walked over it. I nearly fainted at the sight. Why do my sisters have such filthy habits? No, this doesn’t even qualify as filthy habits. They are avatars of filth itself!

“Come on, Howard, don’t get mad.” my younger sister pleaded. It was a rather endearing sight, but it was marred by the numerous stains that covered the blouse that she wore. Holy crap, those stains will never come off!! I made a note to pick up the heavy duty detergent.

“It’s your fault anyway. You have been busy with that game lately, so we were left alone to fend for ourselves.” my older sister snorted. Hello, you are about 23 this year!! There’s no need for me to clean up after you each time, right? No wonder you didn’t manage to maintain any of your relationships. I fear for your marriage prospects, dear sister.

These thoughts ran through my head, but I didn’t dared say them out loud. My sister didn’t take kindly to people nagging her about marriage, often taking a physical approach to dealing with it.She had a black belt in Tae Kwan Do, and was currently expanding into several other disciplines. Another good reason why her marriage prospects seemed so bleak.

“Haaaaaa... you guys are hopeless. Take this and start cleaning up the mess. We will start with the floor. Lao Jie*, you take this side, and Xiao Mei*, you follow her and make sure she doesn’t screw up.” I sighed, and handed them a mop and a bucket, giving out orders in rapid succession. Having delegated the tasks to my satisfaction, I picked up a dish and started scrubbing. And there I was hoping that I would have time to make them a proper dinner for once. From the looks of things, they had been living on nothing but instant noodles for the past few days... were they trying to go bald?

Cleaning up the kitchen took up the most of an hour. And then as it turned out, this mess wasn’t the only one that they made.

“Tell me, Lao Jie.”

“Yes, Howard-Didi*?”

“You know how to use a washing machine, right?” I asked.

“Errrr, Y-Yes...” my older sister muttered awkwardly.

“What is this then?” I pointed at the vast mountain of clothing that was clearly standing right in front of me. No matter how much I closed my eyes and slowly opened them, no matter how hard I pinched my arm, it was clearly not a dream nor was it an illusion.

“The machine broke.” Now she was just making excuses.

“No, the machine is clearly fine. Just what have you been doing this past few days?!”

“Do not question my genius!!” Oh snap, I have pushed her too far. She took out the enormous book that she carried around with her and raised it threateningly. At this point, it would be wise to back off slowly... I took a hesitant step backwards. And another...

The tension now is so thick, you could probably cut it with a knife and make a delicious nonya kueh (A Peranakan dessert).

Actually, forget about the Nonya Kueh. I turned around and ran away with my tail between my legs. Ah, there goes a bit more of what little remained of my manliness points...

“Get back here!!” and the Woodpecker gave pursuit, like for the 559th time in the row...

And the rest of the day was filled with little scuffles like that. It was just another day in this household of mine...

Author’s note:

Lao (?) ~= Old/Big ; Xiao (?) ~= Little ; Didi (??)~= Little brother. Mei (as in meimei or ??): Little Sister.

These words are chinese.

**

“Haaaaaa... I finally dealt with all the mess.” I collapsed on my bed. I was exhausted. After the fiasco over the laundry, I had to vacuum the place, air the mattresses and pillows, beat the dust out of the upholstery, hang up the laundry (thank god today's weather is sunny)... My parents are at work, and my sisters are hopeless at housekeeping... That case between my sisters and myself, it was certainly a strange case of role reversal...

It did teach me the importance of planning in depth, however. If I were to play the game and proceed with this bothersome quest, several changes would have to be made. I prepared some food beforehand, I placed it in the refrigerator with instructions on how to use a microwave (they can at least read and follow instructions, right?), as well as some simple recipes for them to try (An omelette, surely you guys can manage an omelette!!). I also stuck several pieces of paper all over the place, with instructions on what to do with certain appliances.

The pen and paper that I have employed in that particular endeavor lay abandoned as I settled comfortably back into the capsule and logged back into the game.

***

When I finally logged back on, the first thing I saw was nothing but pitch black. Did a bug occur, or was I back in that foggy world again?

Oh wait, what is that crumbly feeling on my body? I pushed myself up, and felt a lot of small bits falling off all around me. Some of those small bits fell into my mouth, and I choked on them, spluttering as I finally managed to pray my eyes open.

“Oh good, you are finally back.” I turned at the conversational statement, and saw Tante sitting by a campfire with a tent behind her. Next to her, her flag was left leaning against a tree. A shovel was stabbed into the ground and left standing nearby in a pile of dirt.

The flames cast everything in a warm and orange glow. The warmth washed over me, as though I had sank into a hot bath.

As I sat up and took in my surroundings, I noticed a round rock behind me. It was a gravestone, and a “epitaph” had been roughly hewn into the stone, creating the words:

“There lies Howard:

"Wait, wait, at least let me explain mysel- Ahhhhh!!"”

Did Tante actually bother to remember all of that? I am touched... and rather disturbed at the same time.

Oh well, at least it is something to rest my back on. I may as well make myself comfortable. I pushed myself against the rock and settled into a comfortable position.

“So, what did I miss?” I asked casually, conveniently forgetting the fact that she was the one who got me buried somehow after running me through with that spear of hers. Considering that I would always revive after being killed, it was a morbid and grisly thought.

Speaking of reviving... wasn’t I supposed to respawn back at a church or a town or something? How and why did I suddenly revive at a location in the middle of nowhere?

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

“Ah, this is the first time you have died right? You actually respawn at the nearest safe point in case of death, in this case, it was this cemetary, at least a 15 minutes walk from the crypt. Very useful if you want to get away in a hurry.” Tante supplied helpfully, with a smile that suggested that she most certainly did not try to bury me even deeper than the standard 6 feet under. Erm, the fact that you just tried to cover me with even more dirt definitely suggested that intent...

Hang on, did she just say “get away in a hurry”?

Childish prank completed, Tante began to quickly pack up the campsite. “Now that you have returned, help me pack up the place. We have to get out of here as soon as possible.”

That sounded eerily similar to when the effects of Berserk Impulse wore off, and Lance told me to get out of the extremely hostile battlefield back at the crypt...

“What’s going on then?” I asked as I got up from my comfortable resting place.

“No time to explain. We have to get you somewhere safe quickly until it all dies down. Otherwise, we will never have a peaceful moment from now on for a very long time. From the looks of this map, the nearest safe spot from here lies to the border of the Western Continent.” Tante referred to a large map spread out in front of her.

So we are headed West, then. How convenient. Oh right, she doesn’t know about the quest that I was given. But then again, the NPC that gave the quest, the Spirit of the Lance, is back at the foggy world...

“Ah, you are alive then. Your spirit is admirable.” A youthful voice resounded in my head. Speak of the devil.

“Oh, Lance, you here?” I asked aloud. Tante gave me a strange look at my strange outburst, but she didn’t say anything and continued to pack up the place.

“I did say that I would be accompanying you to the Western Continent, right?”

“I suppose you did.” I noted Tante’s expression and lowered my volume. No sense giving her the idea that I might have gone off the edge. “Any chance you could persuade that lady over there that I’m not crazy?”

“Ah, that would be tricky.” Lance responded, her tone serious. “Only Spearmen can communicate with Spear Spirits, it seems.”

“Isn’t her main weapon a spear?” I asked in an undertone.

“It’s not quite the same, as you probably realised.”

“Indeed...” As Lance said, it would be tricky to persuade Tante that I have a Spear Spirit with me at the moment, and that that Spear Spirit gave me a quest to perform, which would take me deep into the Western Continent.

Well, since I had to head West anyway, I may as well go along with it for now, and bring it up along the way. I took the dirt and the shovel that was standing nearby and and smothered the camp fire. So much for getting the chance to rest...

“So, why exactly do we have to move West in such a hurry?” I asked, attempting to make conversation.

*THUNK!!* A throwing knife suddenly materialized out of thin air, and buried itself deep into a tree about a hair’s breadth from my head. Ohhhh, so that’s why...

“The other members of the Punitive Force contributed to a bounty on your head, with the bulk coming from a fire mage known as Morton, who was the guy we met back at the registration booth.” Tante explained quickly, having noticed the knife as well. “As each member contributed about one gold apiece, it all adds up to a really generous amount, although not enough to warrant an really high levelled player coming at you. You were really ripping things up there back at the Crypt.”

“There he is!!” A shout came from the distance. “The Crazy Eagle!!”

Crazy Eagle? Is that what they call me?

“No hard feelings, Eagle, but we must have your head. 200 Gold is a lot to us at our levels, you know?”

200 gold? That is a large amount of gold... I wish I had a chance at that much gold. Maybe if I turn myself in, does that count? No, that would be silly...

Anyways, 4 bounty hunters suddenly appeared before us, the first wave of what looked to be many more to come... 2 Warriors, a Rogue and what seemed to be a Mage.

I let myself take in the sight before me, and felt my blood boiling, not from anger, but from excitement. The heat rushed to my head, and I felt myself naturally take a stance. It was a good feeling, much better than sinking into a hot bath at the end of the day...

[Combat Immersion is now active. AGI, movement speed and reflexes have increased.]

And in my head, I mentally visualised a form taking shape, that of a broad-tipped spear head with an arrowhead design.

The body remembers. My mind may have been blown into the foggy world while I (or rather, my Earthly Shell, as Lance and Shaft put it) used that ability, but muscle memory is a beautiful thing. It is a bit tricky to explain however (I’m no biologist), but let’s just say that everything leaves an imprint on me, if you catch my drift.

I gathered mana and gave that form substance, and before my very eyes, a spear head began to take shape in front of me. It was the skill that was unlocked on the battlefield back at the crypt with the help of Lance - the Spearman unique skill Manifest.

Manifest:

With a bond between the Spearman and a Spear Spirit, manifest the material form of the Spirit in the form of a spear head or a spirit. The strength and durability of either one is fiercely dependent on the strength of that bond, and one may use certain skills and abilities while the spear head is manifested. The Spear head has a set amount of durability as well, and if it breaks, the spear spirit cannot be manifested for a week after that. You may only manifest one spear spirit at one time.

“Ooh, you managed to use that skill? Ha ha, you are an interesting guy indeed.” Lance’s voice spoke up in my head, interest apparent in her voice. “Alright, I’ll lend you my strength. To establish a beautiful working relationship, let us introduce ourselves to one another properly. I may not be able to recall my name, but you may call me Lance.”

“Howard. And Lance, I didn’t think you might be the sort that would resort to verbal diarrhea. Looking forward to working with you!!” I responded with glee.

“Well said,” came the boisterous reply. It was like a hot-blooded gathering between men, except that I’m dealing with what might have been a figment of my imagination, and it’s a little girl at that. I must really be tired…

“What is that guy talking about?” a warrior asked, confusion apparent in his face.

“He truly is a crazy guy.” the rogue spoke, shaking his head.

It seems that the bounty hunters had no idea what I was talking about, being unable to hear the conversation between Lance and I. In their eyes, I must look like a crazy madman talking to himself. Surely Lance must truly be a figment of my imagination. I don’t really know anymore, nor do I want to know… Ah, the “Crazy” part of my given name “Crazy Eagle” has been certainly established, but what of the “Eagle” bit? Was it just given to me at a whim, I wondered to myself. Ah, whatever. I gripped my newly-formed Lance and faced the bounty hunters.

“Are you really going to take us all on? It’s 1 against 4, you know?” the warrior spoke smugly, victory already clear in his mind. Oi, oi, I did take out a lot of people back at the crypt, you know? Well... my earthly shell did, but by extension I must have done so as well, right?

“Howard!! Are you mad? We have to run!! And there’s no way you can take on 4 players at once!!” Tante yelled at me.

"I will be fine." I said smoothly, settling into a relaxed stance, another memory that has been imprinted into my body. "In fact, why don't you sit this one out? I alone will be enough to take them on."

"Cocky guy!! Do you really think that you can take us all on at the same time?" The mage shouted angrily, but there was clearly a twinge of doubt on his face. He wasn't so sure. I can use that to my advantage.

"I don't think, I know." I held up my lance in mock salute, and used the cringe-worthy and extremely cliche phrase:

"Come at me, bro."

"You arrogant bastard!!" Oh dear, it seems I made them mad. The two warriors at the forefront charged recklessly at me, one wielding a double-bladed battle axe, the other a sword and shield.

It wouldn't be an easy task to fend off an assault from warriors (not to mention that they have support from a Mage and a thief), but nevertheless, I made an effort. They are angry and confused, and angry people make mistakes, create openings which I can exploit. Thinking that, I held my ground with a confident air. I can see why people mistake this kind of actions for cockiness. The two (confidence and cockiness) tend to overlap a lot.

I sidestepped a clumsy vertical swing from the axe warrior. Due to aforementioned anger, he put a wee bit too much strength into that swing, and overextended himself. As a result, he lost balance and stumbled. I grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved, sending him on his merry way down.

The axe warrior landed heavily on his face, and I stabbed downwards with my lance, the thick spear head punching deeply into his back. And that is why you don’t let your anger affect your actions, children.

[You have dealt a fatal blow]

[For killing an innocent player, you gain +15 infamy]

[You have obtained the Mark of the Murderer.]

Oh, lucky. That makes one down then. I quickly withdrew the lance and barely blocked a swing from the warrior wielding the sword and shield with the lance shaft. The difficulties of the spear became fiercely apparent. If the warrior had been able to get within the reach of my lance, I would have been in deep trouble.

The swordsman stepped back quickly and attempted to dance nimbly in and out of my range, jabbing with the sword. It makes a lot of sense against an opponent using a heavier and slower weapon, but I won't let you get back into my danger zone so easily now that you have so kindly waltzed out of it, you know?

When dealing with a guy like this, it was a good time to press forward and force him into the defensive. I had been thoroughly drilled by Kite back at the Warrior's Guild in the Sleepy Fortress regarding certain tactics, and that training finally bore fruit.

I advanced, exploiting the opening the swordsman had unintentionally opened, invading his "danger zone" with a fierce thrust. The lance had a larger head which made my favorite tactic of attacking with a flurry of stabs difficult, but one attack can still do the job of many if executed right. The swordsman blocked desperately with his shield, but while the lance was slower, the broad spear head gave it amazing penetrative power, and it punched deeply into the shield with a loud "Thunk". I heard bone crack, and felt that his shield arm was now useless. Pressing my advantage, I jabbed again with the spear...

But my attack was interrupted by another throwing knife which was aimed at my head. I narrowly dodged that, and the swordsman took the chance to retreat.

"Good grief, you guys got careless. I'll hold him off, if Andrews over here could heal your wounds quickly with a potion, that would be great." The rogue had stepped into the fray, a dagger on both arms. He was a dual blader variant, it seemed.

However, I had no intention of letting him get away. I pointed the lance at the swordsman and rogue, and used the skill that I had been taught by Lance.

"Salamander Hunt!!"

I dashed forward, the lance aimed at the Swordsman. While without invoking the spell words, the skill was drastically weakened, the speed of it hasn't changed one bit, and I was able to quickly close the distance between me and the much weakened swordsman. I was, for an instant, quite literally the equivalent of a ballista bolt.

Out of self-preservation, the rogue had to get out of my way. So much for holding me off. My lance flew, and pierced deeply into the swordsman's chest.

[You have dealt a fatal blow.]

[For killing an innocent player, your infamy has increased by 15.]

Erm, I had nothing witty to say about this except… DOUBLE KILL. And erm, that was two easily down within a scant few minutes.

“Crap, so he got him as well, huh… We’ll just have to press on, Andrews. I’ll take him on. You stay back and cover me whenever possible.” the Rogue, saying this, advanced with his daggers. The mage nodded.

“Got it. You better be careful though, he took out both of the warriors in a single hit. How will you fare, I wonder?”

“Eh, that just means that I should not get hit. Shouldn’t be a problem.” Oooh, now that guy was a proper cocky guy. He moved with a certain grace and confidence that was absent in the two warriors. However…

“Easier said than done, dumb ass!!“ I knew about Rogues. Fast moving and agile, they specialise in high bursts of damage against a single target. They are also tricky and hard to catch, but maybe it’s not impossible to do so, and they are pretty squishy…

The Rogue dashed in at an incredible speed, the daggers in both hands moving in a blur as he slashed at me. What incredibly fast movement, I can’t follow them fully!! I took damage as the attack left glancing marks on me, but was that supposed to hurt?

“Eh? I put a rather potent paralysis poison on those, you know? How is it that you still can move?”

It’s a bit of a long story... Who ever thought that you can raise a skill by eating combat rations in the first place anyway?! And my rations are most certainly not poisonous!! Well, the Rogue doesn’t know that, but still. Tell that to my Intermediate Level Skill Iron Constitution though…

Anyways…

“You call that poison? My sisters make up worse poisons than that garbage.” And it was definitely true. One fine day, my sisters got it in themselves to prepare their twisted idea of a feast… And then, I was force-fed with every last bit of every dish on book-point by Lao Jie after my parents refused to eat any of it…

Ah, to put a long story short, a few hours later I had my stomach pumped out at the nearby hospital. Strangely, afterwards, food that I didn’t like previously became a little more tolerable… And I suddenly developed a liking for spicy foods.

Anyway, the fighting grinded to a halt as the rogue looked confusedly at his dagger.

“That’s weird; I could have sworn that I applied the poison into the daggers.” He licked the daggers and froze. “Oh crap. I probably shouldn’t have done that…”

“…” What an idiot. I stabbed him in the neck and he disappeared in a grey flash. Erm… Triple Kill!!

[You have dealt a fatal critical blow.]

[For killing an innocent player, your Infamy has increased by 15.]

[You have gained a level.]

I gave the former notice little thought, but when I looked at my status window later on, I swore that I nearly fainted at the sight.

“And that leaves just you, Mr Mage.” I turned to the lone mage and pointed my lance at him. “Will you follow the same path as them, or will you run with your tail between your legs?”

“Ah, but you took out my companions, and mages are not solo players…” the mage smiled shyly as he said that. “How about you leave me be and I just walk away from all this? It’s a pretty meaningless kill if you think about it.”

“Ah, but Mr Mage. You forget that this is a game, and that all kills have some meaning to it.” I took a step forward, the lance pointing threateningly at the mage, who took a step back. “Besides, is it not written that since you ate the poison, you may as well lick the plate as well?”

And before he could open his mouth to speak or respond in any other way, I ran him clean through with the Lance. As a mage, he had lousy defensive rating and a low amount of hit points in the first place. Even an idiot would know that that was most likely a killing blow.

M-M-M-MONSTER KILL!! I'm sorry, but I can't resist it, you know?

I smiled peacefully as the Mage fell limply like a puppet with its strings cut and disappeared in a grey flash. The bounty hunters this time weren't very skilled, so I had an easy time against them, but the other hunters might be tougher... I grinned at the prospect. I turned, and saw Tante standing nearby with her eyes wide with shock.

“Eh, your mouth’s open.” I pointed out.

“Oh, was it. Sorry.” Tante blushed as she closed her slackened jaws that had fallen open as she observed the battle. She approached slowly as I busied myself with picking up the loot from the fallen bounty hunters. “When in the world did you learn to fight like that?”

“Ah… that’s a bit hard to discuss, so we’ll leave that for later. For now, just help me with this.” I sidestepped the question as I hefted the plate mail that had dropped from the Axe Warrior. “We eat well today. Those guys dropped some pretty good gear.”

“You did a number on them, though.” Tante examined the shield. It had been badly dented. She picked up the robe that the mage wore, which had a gaping hole torn through it. “But I’m sure it could be repaired. I know a person who could probably help us with the armour, but we will have to find a tailor if we are to fix this robe.”

“Well, that makes it easier for us. Well, we best get moving.” I hefted my backpack, with the lance leaning comfortably on my shoulder, Tante and I cast outwards and headed West, to the Western Continent, where the Nomadic Heroes roam with their heads held high and their posture straight, be it through lightning, rain or sun. Excuse my melodrama at this point, but you know how that kind of book goes.

And so, after a 1 month’s trial where I tried out a myriad of activities from training at a military school to babysitting a kid to dungeon crawling to a punitive force raid to fighting off my first group of bounty hunters, it seems that like the map is finally straightened out, and the road lies clear of any fog or obstacle. And my first major quest, to seek out the memories of the mysterious Spear Spirit of the Lance, begins with that kind of strange, rather random and eventful mess of a tale.

[End of Arc. 0]

[Start of Arc. 1: Jouney to the West, RR edition!!]