Things were going just fine. I was even talking to George, one of the merchant guards, about his experiences. He was a high D-rank, who had practiced the sword for what looked like forever given his gruff expression and face. He also happened to be human and not hate me. What had been most interesting to me was the fact that despite clearly being a powerful, well learned swordsman… George was still at D-Rank.
He had looked particularly annoyed when I’d first asked about that, despite me prefacing with ‘This question might be… somewhat personal or assoleish.’ His answer was direct and to the point at that time.
“You demons… C-Rank just comes naturally to you huh? Even hear you’re born at it. It’s not that easy for the rest of us you know!” He laughed. “If it doesn’t come naturally to you, whether due to race or talent, the rest of us normal people have to push ourselves as hard as possible! To find our limits and break them. And although I consider myself well learned… I had no interest in going that far! I’ve had more than a few adventurer friends keep on that trail and end up dying. I retired to my nice job of being a Guard long ago and am more than happy with it. I have no desire to risk my life after all.”
That made me open my eyes and I felt a new sense of… understanding dawn on me. My ability, to Analyze, was aimed at ‘Power’. Changing it to something else, like, say, ‘Knowledge’ or just ‘General information’ might be possible but it was currently beyond me. My Analyze must have a framework. After all… what is a skillet? If asked, do you describe the material, the dimensional sizes, its spatial place in the universe, the materials, what it means to someone, how hard it can hit, the foods it can make? The answers from just a single simple tool number in the nearly infinite. It’s much easier to ask ‘How strong is a skillet?’ but even that covers a wide amount. Durability, strength, swing force, resistance, erosion, material make up, and more. My Ability tries to give me all of that information and just fucking can’t. It needs, requires, structure. The right type of perspective.
And when George gave me that, I realized I don’t have to rely on my Ability to enhance that perspective. I could study powers myself, without it, to gain a better foundation from where I could ‘ask’ my questions. Instead of just going by feel, I needed to read some books on the difference between ranks, fighting different people of different power, and understanding more about people’s limits. It was like… biology in a way. A shapeshifter should learn anatomy. A man with Analyze should learn… Everything. But at least me in particular, I should learn more about Power, in all its forms.
So I often came now, talking to the guards not just about their day or why and when they became a guard and their general experiences, but also how they reached the heights they have. Their training and improvements in strength. If I asked in a different way, maybe it could have seemed like I was trying to ferret out their strengths and weaknesses. But I made sure to ask like I was asking about their past specifically and not their current abilities.
They were more than happy to talk about it. It probably seemed like someone came out of nowhere and wanted to talk about your best and worst moments while going through school. I saw more than a few happy or bittersweet faces about it, reminiscing. They all had teams in the past, most of them with each other, and had trained and fought monsters. It was an eye opening experience, to talk to people essentially the same as really strong humans from earth with swords, battling against literal monsters.
I also fully came to understand where the one hundred to one demon element came from. Well, maybe not the history, but… I could definitely kill one hundred Georges and that felt… pretty awful actually. But my Ability didn’t really come with an off switch, it would be like trying to ignore that you could 100% murder one hundred gerbils, after someone had told you you could.
It was a pleasant day and things were going just fine.
Right up until I felt something strange with my Analyze. There’d been a few monsters here and there, but they’d run away when they saw the large number of people traveling through. Half a dozen guards, a merchant, three wagons and four adventures. Eleven people were a bit much for the average low ranked monster to run at mindlessly.
Still, I looked forward, sensing something, many somethings, at D-Rank. Compared to that Jungle full of life, where there was just so many things, all of them strong, the elven territory felt plain and lifeless. So it was like seeing two dozen beacons suddenly light up as we continued walking. We were approaching a small copse of trees and my mind put two and two together.
“STOP!” I yelled and George nearly had a heart attack right next to me.
Riary, Tyler, and Konohora were quick on the uptake and were already approaching me, weapons in hand. Well, Riary just had herself, but she was a living bomb at the best of times and an ocean of burning agony at the worst.
“Derek, what is it?” Tyler said. The wagons were already slowly coming to a stop and Pablo the fat elven merchant was moving to me quickly. Part of me expected him to look mad but instead, he just looked worried.
“Adventurers, what’s going on?” He asked.
I was about to respond, when those two dozen things I had sensed walked out from behind the trees. I was immediately sure I was right, as they already had their crossbows, swords, and more out.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
“Bandits.” I said simply.
Pablo immediately took on a note of fear, before looking back to us. He took a deep breath.
“It’s good you noticed them from this far away. They could have attacked us as we passed through.”
I simply nodded. I wasn’t exactly concerned, not for us but… the guards and Pablo weren’t us. I was no protector and there was only one Tyler. Speaking of…
Tyler didn’t just look about ready to go forward and kill them, he was actively unsheathing his sword. I quickly grabbed his hand to stop him.
“What are you doing?!” He nearly yelled in my face.
Calmly, I reached up, and wiped the spit off me. Jesus Tyler, calm down. Actually-
“Tyler.” I said slowly, giving him a dead pan look. “Calm down.”
“They’re bandits.” He said, tone heavy.
“I said. Calm down. Then we can talk.”
Riary was looking at me with hatred but that was natural. She had a short temper, especially with me, and it was clear she didn’t like how I was talking with Tyler. Konohora was plain faced, eyes focused on the bandits, while Pablo seemed like he was about to melt from the anxiety out the corner of my eye.
Tyler took a deep breath and I let go.
“Tyler, they’re either thieves or thieves and murderers. One is preferable to the other. Pablo, we can kill them all but I can’t promise we can protect all of you. Do you want to give up some money or risk your life?”
That was the ultimate problem. We had the strength but I didn’t think we could protect everyone from over a quarter of a hundred people. So if Pablo just wanted to give up his money, it’d be fine. I didn’t need or want any deaths on my conscience.
Tyler seemed to blink in shock at my words, before seeming to notice the people we were literally paid to protect.
“If they only want a toll… I would rather pay that.” Pablo said.
“We should still take care of them.” Tyler said quickly.
Konohora chimed in. “We can do that a day later, after the merchant and his men are out of harm's way. We can even recover the money paid at that point. There is no reason to needlessly endanger anyone right now.”
Pablo looked even more happy with that outcome and shook his head up and down. No danger and no loss had to sound like the best situation in the world to him right now.
Tyler finally sighed clearly unhappy.
“It just feels… wrong.” He finally said.
“Tyler.” Riary said, putting her hand on his shoulder.
Ah, history. History I wasn’t a part of. But he did say something like that had happened, of letting bandits go that later came back and that was why they’d lost their horses. I did notice Tyler was definitely an animal lover, spending a lot of time around the horses up front. Well, murder is always doable. It’s avoiding it that’s the tricky part. He can get his catharsis later.
One of the bandits moved forward and soon a voice could be heard.
“Give us your money and this doesn’t have to go badly for you!”
Pablo looked at me, then nodded, heading over to his Wagon to get the money.
I was personally pleased with the outcome, when Konohora spoke up.
“This… feels odd.” Konohora said.
“Odd how?”
“That’s… a lot of people for a bandit group.”
I frowned.
“It is?”
“Most bandits number around a dozen at most. Often criminals from cities and towns that head out to ambush for a few weeks or months and then return. It’s strange for there to be so many.”
“Who cares? I’ll just burn them all to ash later.” Riary said.
“You and your burning. I’m sure there’s… a… hmm.”
“What is it?” Tyler asked.
“Travel. We’re smack dab in the middle of a month long journey. Perfect for ambushing, sure but…”
“But the bandit group is too large. It would take more than a few wagons or horses. Without them, they probably would have had to grow their own food out here. They have a base somewhere nearby then?” Konohora said.
“So what? Elves are known for that.” Riary said, not caring.
“Yeah but… I also remember what an elf told me. Sometimes… a lot of elves will simply make their own place out in the wilderness. That could be why there’s so many. The problem is…”
Suddenly I felt something from my Ability. From behind us and approaching fast. I grimaced.
“...twenty five isn’t enough people for that. MORE! MORE BANDITS FROM BEHIND US!”
Suddenly the game was up and worse, the people coming from behind were stronger. Much stronger. I could feel a few C-Rank. Before I’d been worried about arrows hitting someone unlucky before they all died. Now I was really worried for them. The people in front of us also began to charge and the Guards readied their halberds and spears.
“C-Rank, multiple, behind us. Riary you need to go there, now.” I wasn’t even done speaking and she was already running. Konohora followed and Tyler and I already knew we’d have to take the front.
Well, no, actually.
“Tyler, protect. I’ll kill.”
He nodded and raised his shield.
I pulled out my giant black sword and ran forward. It was time to finally get a chance to use it!