It was time to return. Battered, bruised, and nearly broken, Owen summoned Shelldon and clambered onto his back along with all the others. It was cramped, but everyone was too tired to care. Well, apart from Lome, that was.
Shelldon moved at high speed, sensing his master’s emergence to return home. Hot air blew past Owen’s sand swept hair. As they headed out of the ruins, Owen scanned the surroundings. As did Draed.
“The sand seems to have seeped deep into the ground,” he said.
“I thought it just up and vanished,” replied Owen. “Your theory is better.” He looked at Draed, and said, “What do you think that was? Have you ever seen anything like it?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he realised what he had just said.
Draed shook his head, and so did the others. “No,” he said, “As a summon for the System, we have no memories, my Lord. But, I feel like I've never seen such a thing. That darkness… is no ordinary darkness. Magic must be involved, one way or another.”
No memories, right, Owen thought bitterly. It hit him just how dark that truth really was. These people—Draed and the others—were torn from their worlds, stripped of their families, their lives, and all for what? To fight for him? A 24-year-old office worker with no real ambitions?
Even if Draed and the others felt nothing about being ripped from their homes, Owen did. And it made him furious on their behalf. As a reader, it was easy to overlook the weight of what happened to the characters. But now, being one of them—a mere Extra—he felt the full force of it. And it burned inside him with a vengeance.
Calming down, and with Dunes Crest cooling his head, Owen couldn’t help but think about this place further.
If he wanted to get out of the Cursed Lands, he had to find an Outpost and enter its gateway to return back to Earth. Because of the book, he knew there was an Outpost somewhere. But that was the problem. It was somewhere in the desert. With no landmarks to go off of, it was like finding a needle in a… desert.
And if he couldn’t find that place in particular, he’d just have to find an abandoned Gateway somewhere, and somehow defeat its guardian. If that was even possible. And now there was the tsunami of which he hadn't read about in the novel. Was it because he was in a location where it existed and Ansel hadn't been here before, or was it a new addition from the author? The unknown was unsettling.
5 minutes past, and Draed rose his hand, his face serious. Owen commanded Shelldon to stop.
Hopping off the back of the war tortoise, Draed stopped not far away. Owen realised what he was doing as he created a sun visor with his hand and squinted his eyes. The hunter was checking footprints in the sand.
Draed clicked his tongue.
“What is it?” Owen asked, glancing around at his surroundings in caution.
Draed returned, hopping onto the Spectre’s shell. “Footsteps.”
“Monster?” Lome asked.
Draed shook his head. “Human, but bigger. They’re familiar. That creature back in the Lord’s territory has the same footsteps.”
Gorath? An Orc? “Are you certain?” Owen frowned.
“I am, my Lord.”
In the novel, the orcs were one of the strongest groups of beings in the universe. They were spread far and wide and they were renowned and feared for their never-ending aggression, and their need for domination.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
But the details were fuzzy. Reading their tactics in a book with poor explanations didn’t exactly translate well to real life. He had to do more research, in person.
“After you have recovered,” Owen commanded, “take Lome and Cedric out scouting if he’s up to it. The fact that there’s footsteps so early after the darkness, after that wave, means that it was not only recent, but their territory is close, is that right?”
“You’re correct, my Lord.”“Alright,” Owen said gravely. “Let’s return.”
And so they returned. Instantly, he received notifications of four Sand Hound kills. Thanks to their hunt, he had Levelled up 3 times, putting him at 16. He placed all of his points into Vitality in preparation for Plundering that terrifying skeleton. Then, he noticed four Sand Hound bodies all scorched with magic and scored with blade marks. It appeared Cedric and Gorath had been busy.
Owen noted that the building was almost finished. He’d seen Brook’s progress before, but hadn’t been in the mood to really take it in. The extra builders had clearly sped things along. That was good—they needed shelter and beds. But with that tsunami… if it was a daily thing, then he’d have to think about something else for shelter. The house sported a tall, tower-like structure above the main building. Owen didn’t know what it was for, but he’d ask later.
Right now, his entire focus was on Pyris. He rushed to her side and noticed that her condition was worsening. Her beautiful face was scrunched up in unbearable pain. Gorath the Sorcerer was tending to her. He bowed and said, “My Lord, I’m afraid her wounds are worsening by the hour. I tended to her all through the night, but there’s nothing I can do. My magic is focused on destruction, not healing.”
Owen nodded and placed a reassuring hand on Gorath’s shoulder, much to his shock. “You’ve done well.” Gorath didn’t even need to be ordered to care for Pyris, which meant he cared. Or maybe he was just currying favour. Whatever the reason, Owen approved. He wanted people like that in his kingdom.
Gorath scuttled backwards and bowed. “You honour me.”
Pyris’s eyes were shut, but she was mumbling something. Owen kneeled by her side. He still couldn’t hear her, so he got closer until her breath tickled his ear.
“Why… did you… kill her?”
Owen frowned and stood up. Who was she talking about?
“She’s been saying the same thing all night, my Lord,” Gorath said.
Owen sighed and said, almost to himself, “It’s likely a remnant of memories from before I summoned her here. Perhaps intervening at that moment saved her from the enemy hunting her.” Owen stood up. It was time to plunder. For strength. For Wealth.
Moving away, he plundered all the corpses he had on him; one Sand Hound, plus the four Cedric and Gorath had hunted. He left the terrifying skeleton he had stored for now.
You have plundered a Sand Hound x5.
| Claimed materials: Summoning Ticket 2x Warrior, 1x Hunter, 1x Builder, Sand Hound Pelt x4 (Normal), Sand Hound Pelt x1 (Inferior), Sand Hound Meat and Organs x43 (Normal), Sand Hound Bones x36 (Normal).
| Stats gained: 10 Strength, 15 Vitality, 20 Dexterity
He felt the added increase from the Stats flowing into his body right away. It was a feeling he could never get used to. He felt healthier, stronger, more perceptive. It was a strange sensation; like he was becoming someone noticeably superior.
Still no Skill, Owen thought. It’s only a matter of time before I get one. I need to think of monsters to hunt to give me the best ones possible. Sand Hound Would give me sand abilities. That would be very helpful.
Putting those thoughts to the side for now, he opened the Lord’s Market and searched for Louis and the others. He trembled upon seeing that everyone was still alive. If they weren’t, and if they had things up on the market, their names would vanish.
God job, everyone, Owen thought, smiling.
Only then did he check the market for what he needed. “Where are you,” He mumbled, scrolling all the way down after a quick search. Truthfully, he wasn’t expecting to find what he needed. It would be a long shot to find— “Found you,” he said, shocked, clicking on a test tube that was covered in a golden casing. It was called: Purifying Elixir of Aegis. Displayed by a reinforced glass slit, was a purple liquid. It was a rare potion to fight off even the strongest of corruption. The seller was a Lord nicknamed Tonic. Owen recalled his name from the book. Because of his science background, he got the alchemist class early on. In the future, he’d be a big player. Rich, too. Owen noticed more potions that he was selling as well. Did he wake up in a treasure trove of herbs?
The elixir cost well over 2000 credits, which was a hell of a lot for being so early. If it was a health potion of the equivalent rank, it would have cost even more.
Without hesitation, he placed all the tickets on the market. They sold fast. Not many people would willingly get rid of their extra summoning tickets, so they fetched a stellar price.
It didn’t bother him one bit selling them. He had a life to save. No amount of money was worth losing that. She was a 7-Star, after all. He bought it. The tube appeared in his hands a moment later.
“My Lord,” Gorath bowed, panic evident in his voice. “Her condition has worsened.”
Owen swiped away the interface and rushed past Gorath, kneeling by Pyris’s side. Only minutes had passed and her condition had already visibly worsened. Her pale skin was turning purple, blood trickled from her ears, and she gripped a handful of sand so tightly her knuckles were white.