Ilaria looked up at the procession of elders entering the building. She was certain this was the most afraid she had ever been. Not once in the history of their clan had the elders attempted such a display of power. Every member being fully dressed for war was something else. The equipment they used were all high quality, some of which was even magical. When Ilaria heard Ray laugh next to her she only became more frightened. Ray wasn’t right in the head, he was going to get her killed, she had to do something.

When Ray saw Ilaria jump out of her seat and kneel, he only laughed harder. While he was scared, he knew that the only reason the elders would put up a power play like this for a level 2 nobody would be that they wanted something from him, something they believed only he could perform. He had often seen this kind of intimidation tactic back home. He had seen companies attempt to flaunt their power to get their way before. He had seen directors attempt to intimidate auditors when to hide their true books or intentions. This had all the smell of a tactic.

If they wanted Ray dead, he knew they could simply kill him at any time. He was in their home ground. There wouldn’t be any need for something like this. Ray spent his time experimenting with his identify skill. He knew it was bad manners to use it on individuals without consent but fuck it, if they wanted to ambush him like this, he would make as much use as possible. Not much information was gathered aside from a list of names and levels for each of elders.

It took about two minutes for all elders to be fully settled. Many of them were clearly uncomfortable in their full garb. Ray decided to take it easy and stay seated. He sat back and put his feet on the table and simply waited.

Of the twelve elders, it was Arj who started the conversation. It was clearly meant to be a formal procession to throw him off guard as only surnames were used.

“Mr Atton, you have been called to this room today to be interrogated over your potential involvement with the System. This interrogation will also act as a trial. Do you agree with this?”

Ray didn’t even bother to take his feet off the table. He smirked as he heard barely audible whispers “what disrespect” and “clearly just a human”. One of the elders in the background even muttered “I hope there is a public execution today”. Ray responded with a smile and said “Mr Jenolia, It’s not like I am in a position to disagree with your request. Go ahead and have your trial”.

Arj Jenolia was clearly taken aback by the fact that Ray had information about his last name. Throughout their travel to the town, the group hadn’t taught Ray how to use the skill. For some reason, Ray seemed to have inherent knowledge on how to use skills and abilities. This knowledge didn’t come naturally to the dark elves. Even if they learnt the skill, they often had to spend weeks understanding how to use them.

“To open this trial, can you please confirm that you are an off-worlder. Please also name the world in which you came from” Arj said.

“For those that don’t know me on the stand. I’m Ray Atton. It’s good to meet you. I’m a human from the planet Earth. I assume this is not Earth and therefore I would be considered an off-worlder”. Ray smiled the entire time while talking but didn’t move his feet off the table.

Murmurs spread throughout the twelve and their attendants. They hadn’t wanted to believe it but by this time, all twelve has used identify to confirm his status as a System Outcast.

A female dark elf suddenly stood and produced Ray’s pistol, which he thought had been lost in the initial engagement. Ray had previously identified this woman as Trey Athinia. “Is this a powerful weapon of your home world” she asked.

“In all honesty, it’s one of the weakest. Yeah, it’ll kill most people but at the end of the day, it’s a small fish in Earths arsenal”

There were more murmurs among the twelve. The weapon was clearly better then anything Ray had seen in combat on Arkus thus far, though he hadn’t seen all that much of the world.

Deliberations continued for a few hours where it seemed that the elders were more interested in gaining information about his world then actually asking about his time on Arkus and whether he was an enemy. They asked questions about his society, other races and how long the System had been there.

Ray quickly understood what the twelve were after. They were looking for a way to gain a quick power boost out of Ray. Ray’s knowledge didn’t amount to much, but he had an opportunity that he didn’t want to miss, and he was honestly tired of this farce. Much to everyone’s surprise, Ray stood up and started to pace across the stage.

“Look, lets just cut this stupidity out” Ray began to speak, he noticed that Ilaria had buried her head in her hands in defeat as she muttered “God, please don’t get me killed”.

“I know you have no plans to put me to death. It’s clear you’ve realised I could be a valuable source of information about other worlds and their technology. To be honest, think about things in my shoes. Ever since I got here, I have been either attacked, died, or captured by your people. My entire world has been destroyed. There are no words for that. I’ve lost my family, friends, and everyone I’ve ever known and loved. I am happy to help you where possible but please, give me some time to grieve. Let me learn the System, level up and move forward. Otherwise, kill me now. I still haven’t decided if it’s even worth continuing to live” Ray said, tears brimming in his eyes.

Ray immediately knew he had won the elders over at this point. Even if he wasn’t a dark elf himself. They could clearly understand the pain of loss he was going through. Everything Ray had said was true after all.

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Arj stood up yet again. “We clearly have some items to discuss privately and appreciate your patience”

Ray had thought the elders would leave. Instead, they simply sat down and looked ahead. Once again, somehow communicating telepathically. He looked over to Ilaria and gave her a thumbs up. She was clearly stunned at his handling of this trial, though, now she seemed a lot more cheerful.

As the elders were deliberating, Ray chose to take his seat again. No point standing in a situation like this. He was getting tired anyway. It was long into the evening at this point and Ray had felt a lot healthier about thirty minutes ago so he decided to look at his character sheet.

[Congratulations. You’ve taken your first steps into controlling an audience. You like to hear yourself talk… Intelligence +1]

Name:

Ray Atton

More Info +

Race:

Human-Error (F)

Level:

2 (F)

Stats

Strength

5

Dexterity

5

Agility

5

Body

6

Vitality

5

Intelligence

6

Mind

5

Luck

15

Unallocated Points

5

Titles

Outcast (Unique 1/1)

Coins

Arkus System

0

He was quite surprised to see that a charismatic feat had led to an intelligence increase. Logically, he thought it would be something linked to mind since there didn’t seem to be a direct character stat for Charisma. Though, he did notice that Body had increased his Health by 10, so Mind was likely to directly effect Mana and may not be best suited for charisma.

Ray then opened his status screen and was happy to discover the full 6 hours had now passed and the Death debuff had been removed. He was happy to see that he was fully regenerated as well.

Health

110/110

Mana

50/50

Buffs

None

Debuffs

None

After checking his status, Ray looked back over to Ilaria who was staring at him.

“Did your world really blow up?” she said, looking sad for him

“At the very least I know that my country was destroyed. Not sure if you have nations here, but a country is essentially equivalent to a nation”

“Yes, we have nations, led by many different races and governments”

“Well, I definitely died to a nuclear bomb – a weapon from my world capable of bringing entire nations to their knees. The System also stated that Earth was destroyed, though, I don’t know how much I can believe it.”

Before they could talk further, a dark elf elder who hadn’t spoken up during the entire meeting broke in. This was the elf who had shown them into the building with the scars over both eyes. This mans name was Oromar Dracon.

“Before making our final judgement known, I have two things to say. The first is a question. The second is an offer. Mr Atton, no Ray, would you be willing to hear them from an old man who has wronged you?” he said.

Ray turned to face the man speaking. Oromar hadn’t stood up, hadn’t introduced himself, or even made himself easy to pick out but Ray wasn’t offended. This elf seemed to be the most level-headed of the group, listening before speaking and taking everything in without forgetting.

“Sure Oromar, I’m happy to listen and consider”

“Very well. My question is this… If we were to set you free today, what assurances to do we have that you will not become a threat to our clan in the future? We have clearly done you a disservice by capturing and treating you the way you did. Please, I must know before we make a final judgement.”

Ray was taken aback by the question. Not because it wasn’t logical but because he hadn’t thought the dark elves would take this path. He thought he already knew what the offer was going to be but decided to simply answer the question at hand instead of predicting the future.

“Honestly, I can’t really give you any assurances on this. If I am left to my own devices and treated well though, I see no reason to be petty. I completely understand that you are just protecting your border and your kin. I have no malice towards the dark elves, so unless there is a reason for me to be angry, I’m just happy to move forward with my life”.

Oromar smiled deeply. No, not just Oromar but all of the twelve elders did.

“So what you are essentially saying is that we let bygones be bygones and start fresh after this trial. I think I speak for all our race in saying that is a good option. Though, I still want to make this offer”. Oromar narrowed his eyes at Ray

[You have been offered an alignment change by Oromar Dracon… If you accept this change, you will officially join alignment – Aliri Clan. Do you wish to accept?]

Ray pondered for only a moment. He had expected this, though didn’t expect an official System message.

“If I accept this, what does it entail for me?” Ray asked.

“Should you accept, you will become one of us. You will abide by our laws, follow our customs and receive all benefits of being a citizen of the Aliri clan, which I can assure you are many… You may also be required to accept missions or quests by us, or report to an appropriate job role to start earning Arkus Coins, in all honesty, it is a good deal. We have never offered this option to a human before” Oromar almost looked too excited.

Ray didn’t need to spend any time deliberating but he did pause for a few seconds to make it seem like he was.

[Request declined]

“I’m sorry Oromar, but until I have spent some time around the village, understanding what I would be getting myself into and whether I am with the right group, I can not accept this request. Please understand, I’m not trying to be rude, I simply need to truly know what I’m getting into before I take such a decision. I need to know it is the best option for me”

Oromar frowned for a moment but it was clear he understood.

“Very well” Oromar stood. The other eleven elders followed suit.

“In the matter of Ray Atton, we find you not guilty. Further, we have decided to provide you with a starting ration so that you may make your way in Arkus. This ration will consist of the very basics, a change of clothes and a place to stay for a week. We will also provide you with 100 Arkus coins so that you can at least get the basic necessities to start a trade. We look forward to a new relationship with you and hope that you grow to love the Aliri Clans hospitality. During your week of stay, you will be with Arj. He will answer any questions you may have and even give you some basic education of our customs. Should you choose to leave during this time, you may do so. We acknowledge however that you have a debt to Ilaria of 1,000 Arkus coins. Until such debt is paid, you will be deemed a thief if you leave without prior arrangements to pay this back” Oromar stated.

The twelve elders bowed to Ray and then proceeded to leave the room.

Ray was grinning from ear to ear. Finally, he could move forward.