~~~~~~~~~~~
Kin, monsters, and the beasts of the field.
We consider ourselves their betters, but it must be recognized that evolution of our world is a constant and still ongoing process. The basics we have understanding of, an organism will adapt to suit its environmental conditions. This has manifested itself as the long coats of our sturdy musken and their abilities to maintain wakefulness for extended periods of time.
Without these adaptations, their ancestors would have frozen to death on the icy tundra of the north or been eaten when they stayed in once place for the night. The carnivorous vines of the Ichinomous family may be slow, but they are relentless pursuers.
Our own influences are also apparent more recently, see the selection of more docile specimens of the musken species to domesticate. Compared to their wild relatives, these beasts of burden are far more manageable and dependent on their kin caretakers.
But what of monsters, and kin? In truth, the difference between the two is not as significant as one might suspect. Aside from societal declarations of calling one a ’monster’ for their actions against a civil world, monsters differ from beasts in their capacity to utilize SP energies to various effects. While not as refined as even the most basic of runes, a monster is capable of overcoming this fault through overwhelming application of force.
How does this relate to the development of sapient life one might ask? It is the random chance mutation of individuals within a monster species. The fearsome wyvern is a distant relative of Draconids such as this author. Why don’t all members of a species change? This we have not confirmed, but it is suspected that certain sub populations are exposed to epigenetic triggers which result in the development of sapience. All of the known kin species are in fact, monsters. A number of key traits distinguish kin from monsters as will be shown in the remainder of this paper.
Foreword, Treatise on the Origin of Species by Cera Woodburn
~~~~~~~~~~~
“This place is a mess,” Colette said.
The bodies of the three thugs had been removed, but the laboratory was in shambles. Broken glass and bloodstained spatters coated the tables and floor.
“What can I do to help?” I asked, not sure where to start.
“Well the best thing you can do is avoid bleeding all over the lab like a stuck pig next time you get stabbed in the thigh.”
“Let me put that on the list of things to avoid, that’s a new one for me,” My eyes rolled.
“Honestly, it’d probably be best if I cleaned up and organized things myself. No offense intended, but you’d get in the way more likely than not. How are you feeling?”
“Leg is mostly back to normal, a bit stiff. Aside from the hole in my shirt, my back feels almost fine. How is that possible by the way?”
“What do you mean? That’s just the natural healing process.”
“Where I’m from, either of those hits would have been lethal. And I wouldn’t be up and walking around even if I was still kicking.”
“That’s just how we heal? I’m not sure. It’s always been like that as far as I know. Is it like you remember Samara?”
“No actually, not really. We had people who were skilled physicians and healers who could affect others, and generally healed at a decent rate on our own, but this is a whole different level.”
“I’ve got an idea. Soul is a measure of how fast we generate SP and HP right? But you didn’t have those measures in your time. What if your soul wasn’t aware of itself enough to know how to fix the body?” I pondered.
“That’s ridiculous and... might actually make sense. Sort of like a placebo effect, but in the other direction?”
“You’re going to need to explain that to me,” Colette looked at me with her face scrunched together.
“Okay, so working off of Fabius’ theory, we can consider the soul as the framework for what makes us who we are. Pop up numbers in someone’s vision are not a natural phenomenon. But what if that itself is an extension of the soul? Whatever happened in the Cataclysm led to souls being ’awakened’. Knowing how to fix something is typically predicated on knowing how it works in the first place.”
“So what you’re saying is that pre-cataclysm, souls were only marginally aware of their own state?” Colette asked.
“Yes! And in Fabius’ world, they have no knowledge of SP manipulation at all. That would lead to injuries taking even longer to heal.”
“That... actually makes sense,” I was shocked and surprised by how smoothly the theory fit together. “but why is it that we still see and feel injuries after our HP has reached its maximum?”
“The same reason we don’t die when it hits zero,” Really, it was the most obvious thing on Azur.
“Explain for the rest of us who don’t have experience with supernatural healing abilities?”
“HP is a measure of how well your body is able to continue its current course of action. When it reaches zero, I suspect that you will lose the ability to keep your limbs and organs functioning.”
“That sounds a lot like being dead,” I noted.
“But it’s not! It would lead to death if untreated, but if you receive healing in time then your body will be able to support itself again. We went negative on SP when rune crafting and it knocked us out when we did that, remember?”
“Don’t need to remind me, that was a killer headache.”
“Because our mind was unable to keep up with the draw required to process the SP. When we’d recovered enough to go positive again we woke up.”
“Wouldn’t that mean you could keep a kin comatose if you applied a steady draw to them?” Colette asked.
“I don’t know. Theoretically, it could be possible.”
“Good to know, I’ve heard rumors but thought they were just exaggerations. Well… this has been informative but I really do want to get my shop cleaned up. Haven’t had a chance to do that while worrying over you. Go on, get out of here! Come back later?” Colette moved me along with a smile.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“I can see when I’m not wanted!” I exclaimed in an overly dramatic huff and grin of my own, “Just let me know if you need anything while I’m out.”
“Well for starters you can finish paying for what we used to make your Cephylx! Those pieces of tubing didn’t come cheap. I’ll let it slide this time if you pick up a new calcinator though! Oh and you owe me for saving your life twice.”
“Only once! That business with the enchanting was just passing out. No actual life saving occurred!” I cheerfully called back as I closed the front door behind me and stepped into the street.
Walking out onto the street, it was difficult to tell that two days before kin were rioting. A handful of reminders remained, broken windows in some of the shops were boarded over. The townspeople walked along their way, life returning to normal. A slight chill amongst their expressions was the only indicator of the unrest that had ran through the streets.
Shopkeepers were in their stalls, eyes watching warily. Their wares were surprisingly intact.
“Probably high enough level that even a mob would hesitate to go after them.”
The thought made me feel sick, thinking that Colette was likely targeted due to her presumed inexperience.
“She didn’t seem to be very concerned about facing off against those three, I wonder what level Colette actually is.”
“Seeing how she described them as low level, I’d imagine quite a bit higher. As for what that means though, it’s a wild guess at this point.”
“Being the low one on the totem pole isn’t the best feeling.”
“True, but it looks like we have a couple heavy advantages. [Siphon] and an extra two skill points per level over everyone else.”
“Doesn’t help if we get knocked down by every hoodlum out there,” I was in a sour mood. The only thing worse than dying was almost dying. As it was, I felt like none of my training had much to bear on my survival during my last fight.
“Okay, out with it Mr. Grumpy McGrump face. I can’t read your mind but something is bothering you. Me. Whatever.”
I let out a sigh, hiding physical reactions from someone who knows you is difficult. Doing the same to someone who is you was borderline impossible.
“Those thugs, I pierced the one clear through and it barely slowed him down. I’ve seen men fall under a strike like that. Sometimes they didn’t die, but they definitely didn’t get back up and continue the fight. It’s... wrong! Even if I accept this System and you and people who look like animals. That’s just too far.”
“It doesn’t seem right given all that you know of combat?”
“Yes! It’s that you throw a pilum into the enemy, it takes down whoever it hits or at least hinders them. That’s how war works.”
“I think I actually understand what you mean.”
“Oh?”
“It’s like what I was experiencing with the tech differences from my own time. I’m not familiar with combat in the way you are, so it seems normal to me because it’s so foreign.”
“The same way that this magitech and alchemy seems normal to me, but only because I don’t have anything else to base what is normal off of.”
“Bingo.”
“That makes a bit of sense. It still feels wrong, but I hear where you’re coming from.”
“How about we make good on our debt to Colette? Try to earn a bit more gilder. Those potions she used on us must have been expensive. I know she was joking about paying her back for saving our life, but that broken alchemy equipment isn’t going to fix itself. Also, she’s kinda growing on me.”
“Leveling up a few more times might also help level out the playing field. Get used to this world’s version of combat. Monsters are one thing, I’ve heard stories. People... that I have to get used to getting back up to fight again after taking a deathblow.”
Mind set, I made my way across town to the Adventurers Guild to see what was new. As I approached, I saw the building buzzing with the fury of kicked hornet nest.
Walking through the front door, and nearly being ran over by a large fox kin wielding a battle axe, I spotted Guild master Crelk at the center of it all. He was directing kin with ruthless efficiency, the number of bodies in here far exceeding what I’d seen the last couple visits.
“Hey you! Dansin right? Get over here,” the burly orc noticed and called me in.
“What’s going on? Haven’t seen this many kin in here.”
“What’s going on he says! Ha, that’s what I like about you kid. Always a joker! Reminds me of myself when I was your age. In case you missed it, we had a riot. You did observe that, right?”
“Yes?” I wasn’t sure what that meant and it clearly showed.
“Which means the Ecclesiarchy has issued a bounty on quests to restore the town. Honestly, I don’t know how you foreigners maintain a society without subsidies.”
The blank look on my face grew longer. Crelk was sure to think I was some kind of dunce, but I really didn’t know where he was going with this line of thought.
“Let me put it simply then,” he sighed as if explaining this for the tenth time. Given the numbers present, that was probably true, “People have things they want fixed and done, but they can’t afford to have it done normally. Now the Ecclesiarchy wants to get the town back up and running. So gilder rewards on quests for Oxdale have been temporarily increased by half, with the powers that be providing the other side of the reward. So we have housewives coming in to request the replacement of their shutters that were ’damaged in the riot’. That’s what all these blokes are on about, snatching up easy labor.”
“I was hoping for something more combat oriented.”
“That’s what I figured. We have a few more left but most of the choice quests have already been picked over, especially at your rank.”
I walked over to the board, where notices were being taken down nearly as quickly as they went up. The crowd prevented me from getting a good view but after a few minutes of jostling for position I was able to locate the lowest ranked quests.
The vast majority were for manual labor, hauling supplies, or cleaning up rubble. Truly, this was what led to the town’s quick recovery. The pay was still a pittance though, 18 gilder for a day of rooftop shingle replacement? Even with the 50% bonus I still wasn’t inclined to accept it.
Besides, as my old mentor had once taught, the best way to break a fear is to confront it. By choosing a quest, I’d be able to control how I did that.
The only combat quests left were the same two that had been up the last time.
***
Title: Sewer Cleaning Requisition #563
North sewers require cleaning due to excessive buildup of hostile slimes. Independent subcontractors are invited to perform this duty for the good of Oxdale and a solid pile of gilder.
Task: Cleanse the north sewers of slimes
Reward: 300 gilder, 30 XP
***
I wasn’t inclined towards this solely because I lacked an enchanted weapon. The warning from Zirval was clear in my mind still, facing a slime with a mundane weapon was simply not done. With Colette’s shop out of order for the time being, it was unlikely I’d be able to obtain the necessary materials in the near future. A bonus to that already hefty pile of money almost tempted me though.
***
Title: I need a hero!
Please help me brave heroes! My cellar has been overrun by Rous. I’m afraid they will break through and eat my children! How was I to know the Faire vendor was lying when he said they were ordinary kitchen mice?! Please hurry... they are coming.
Task: Slay 4 Rous in the Mildred’s Cellar region
Reward: 30 gilder, 20 XP, and Ms. Mildred’s affections
***
I picked up this quest. While I wasn’t sure about it, I was concerned for her health. It’d been over a week and the notice was still up.
“Crelk, is this as urgent as she makes it seem?”
The wizened orc took a moment to separate himself from a younger member of his species, a carpenter from the looks of him. “What’s that? Oh Ms. Mildred? She’s always posting things like that. It’s never been that bad. She’s mostly lonely. If you saw the size of her cats you’d understand why I’m not concerned about a few loose rous.”
I held the request in my hand, debating on taking it. The rewards were small, but I needed at least enough gilder to get me through the next few days. Being saved by Colette and recovering in her bed wasn’t something I cared to turn into a habit no matter how nice the company.
As I mulled it over, a young wolf kin came over and tapped me on the shoulder. I’d have guessed him at no more than 18 were he human, but it was hard to tell for certain his demeanor definitely led me to characterize him as a young man.
“Excuse me, I’m looking for someone to take this quest with me. I saw your sword and shield, figured you for a fighter.”
Taking the notice in hand, I unrolled it.
***
Title: Undead Suppression
Due to recent mass loss of life resulting from the riots, we anticipate a rising of the undead in the eastern graveyard near the Citadel. A watchman is requested to guard the deceased and ensure the dearly departed Rest In Peace, or in pieces failing that.
Task: Guard the Citadel Graveyard overnight
Reward: 280 gilder, 120 XP
***
“Why are you asking me for help with this? It looks like a fairly straightforward quest,” I asked the young man.
“It is, but I’m a scout,” he motioned to the recurve bow on his back. “Archery and traps are my thing. The undead aren’t very dangerous, but they are tough and I wouldn’t do well in a straight fight if there was more than one or two at a time.”
“So you need someone to protect you?” I asked.
“No, not that. I just need someone to tie them down while I line up a shot.”
“Crelk?” I looked over at the guild master.
“Ben?” The old man looked fondly at the wolf kin by my side, “looking to work with Mr. Dansin here I take it?”
The boy nodded.
“I can’t guarantee that you’ll be safe, no quest ever is. This guy might be young yet but he has the heart of a warrior. If he was a bit more confident in his approach you’d probably have agreed to work with him without a second thought,” Crelk issued his opinion to me.
The kid was young, but then again this body wasn’t much older than him. If an old orc called him a warrior, I was at least sure he wouldn’t run away in the night.
“Alright, you sold me. Ben right?”
He nodded.
“Dansin, Fabius Dansin. Pleased to make your acquaintance,” I extended my hand to the wolf kin.
He took it and shook, “Benjamin Dorsey, just call me Ben though. Split the reward half and half?”
“That works for me, when do we head out?”
“I’ll need to resupply first, do you have a torch?”
“No, afraid not.”
“Okay well you can hold onto this one, it’s near the end of its life anyway,” he tossed a small cylinder into my hands.
Torch (Basic)
Emits a directional light source of moderate intensity.
Class 1 Magitech Device
Activation Effect: 10 SP/ hour of light (5)
Creates a red light source that does not inhibit night vision.
Depletion: 56/70
“Thanks! Where are you going? I might as well accompany you if we’re going to be working together.”
“Oh, sure. My dad runs the general store, he made the torch too. Pretty neat isn’t it?”
“Definitely, it’ll be good for this evening,” Another crafter? This torch wasn’t a work of art, but I might be able to develop a few ideas from whatever his dad created. Practicality verses theory.