The light packs felt strange to the weathered travelers. When the food was low, it usually meant they were nearing the end of the journey they had packed for, but now they were just exiting Oriton. They felt a mix of unease and liberation, except for Zalan who was blissfully unaware of the absence of weight in his pack. The guards questioned them about their lack of supplies when they reached the gates of Oriton, but Rep assured them they would be fine for the journey ahead of them.
The fresh air felt good to Zalan after the argument that was had inside the guild. It felt like he could breathe again after being cooped up with the others fighting for too long. He wanted to talk to Rep about it, but he didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t sure whether to be grateful for Rep’s care or to try and get Rep to scale back his instinct to want to keep Zalan safe. Zalan decided that nothing was the best option, only because he didn’t want to bring up an awkward conversation again. He found himself stumbling into them too often lately.
Eventually, Yelsa drifted away from Fran and Gorb and walked over to Zalan. For a few seconds, she simply followed his gait and Zalan wasn’t sure if he was supposed to say something first or not. It looked like she had something to say, but was waiting to be told to say it. Zalan continued to walk, pretending not to notice Yelsa and trying to avoid saying something foolish.
“I am Level Three,” Yelsa declared to him suddenly.
Zalan waited for her to continue, but evidently that was all she had to share.
“Oh… um, okay. Thanks for sharing. Why did you feel the need to tell me now, but not before?” Zalan asked.
“Fran said the best way to make up for my speaking of their Levels out of turn was to share my own. So, I have told you,” Yelsa said. Fran threw them a knowing glance before going back to a conversation she was having with Gorb.
The way Yelsa concluded her last sentence made Zalan feel like there was nothing more that she wanted to say, but she still maintained speed with him. For a few seconds, he decided to remain silent, but he couldn’t tell if the conversation had concluded or if he was stretching an awkward silence. He found the people of this dream world way too hard to read.
“So,” Zalan desperately grasped for a topic from his mind. “How come all of you are at such a low Level? Seems to me that with enough work, you could be much higher by now.”
“You sound like a guild master,” Yelsa replied jokingly. The fact she wasn’t scornful made Zalan relieved to know he didn’t say something wrong this time. He continued with more confidence.
“I’m just saying that if you started training when you were a kid or a teenager, couldn’t you all be at least Level Five by now?” Zalan asked.
“You really are committed to convince us you are not of this world?” Yelsa raised an eyebrow.
“Only because I am from another world,” Zalan smiled.
“Hmph,” Yelsa looked amused. “Those who are not yet of age cannot gain Levels. And once they do, it is rare for their guardians to want to take such young men and women out to bloodthirsty creatures until they’ve had a few years of experience with a sword,” she explained.
“That makes sense,” Zalan nodded.
Yelsa laughed a small chuckle.
“What?” Zalan asked, though he appreciated the levity.
“I find the information you ask for amusing,” Yelsa said. “You ask things like ‘why is it bright right now?’ and I reply with ‘the sun is out,’ and suddenly you imply the world makes more sense to you. You are old enough to have simply observed these things for yourself. Were you taught nothing in your old land?”
“We didn’t have Levels in my old land,” Zalan replied.
“How would one know to be ready to take on the monsters outside your cities, then?” Yelsa asked.
“Uhhhh…” Zalan ran through a number of explanations in his mind.
He was originally going to say that there were no monsters, but felt that lacked nuance when it could be dangerous to go out in the wilderness alone. He could explain the technology he had back home, or maybe take the point of view of an old hunter-gatherer society replacing ‘monsters’ with animals that would need to be hunted for food. He decided the technology explanation would be easiest if he pulled out his phone, but as he felt his pocket, he realized there was nothing there but spare food in case of emergency. He finally decided that a non-answer might work best.
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“You know, we just kind of figure it out.”
“Fascinating,” Yelsa rolled her eyes, not appreciating him dodging the question.
Zalan only then noticed that they were walking on grassy terrain, hills and flowers all over the surrounding area. The flora smelled fresh and he saw trees dotting the path ahead of them, waving to him invitingly as a light breeze passed through their leaves. Zalan was pleasantly surprised to see creatures he recognized, like a butterfly fluttering between flowers and a bee buzzing by his head. Zalan smiled a bit, then felt Rep’s hand on his shoulder as he leaned in to speak with him.
“How are you feeling? Did you sleep all right? Have any nightmares?” Rep asked.
Zalan’s eyebrows furled together.
“No, why? Was I a restless sleeper or something?” Zalan asked.
“Not at all,” Rep said, looking pleased. Zalan’s inquisitive face made him feel like he needed to share more. “I just wanted to check in and see that you were doing fine after the harrowing events of last night. You looked very eager to travel, so I did not want to slow you down if you felt fine.”
“Yeah, it was pretty scary at the time, but—AHHHHH!” Zalan shrieked and Rep immediately ignited a flame in his palm in reaction, prepared for battle.
Fran, Gorb, and Yelsa turned to him, stunned, then Fran looked around them and put pieces together quickly.
“Does he always squeal among Roaches?” Fran asked.
“I thought they would only be in the deserts! I hate them so much,” Zalan hissed, pointing his hand towards the nest at the base of a tree a few feet away from them.
“Another way of saying ‘yes,’” Fran said, leaning over to Yelsa. Yelsa smiled, but their mockery rolled right off Zalan’s back when the Roaches were so close by.
The little hairs, the twitching antennae, and the gross, orange eyes all came together to make him feel sickened upon seeing them. They crawled over one another in an attempt to chew at the bark at the base of the tree.
“Can we just move on? I hate them,” Zalan repeated.
“Why not use your newfound power against them?” Rep suggested. “Do some training in a much safer setting,” he said, directing his voice to Fran and Gorb who looked away, embarrassed and ashamed.
“Only if you promise not to let one touch me,” Zalan told Rep.
“Oh, absolutely,” Yelsa offered, drawing her bow and nocking an arrow. “I hate the look of those things, I will personally destroy any that come too close.”
“But you may find that you will not need assistance this time,” Rep said with encouragement.
“Sure,” Zalan said sarcastically, already shuddering at the view of the Roaches.
He raised one hand and held his sword in the other, preparing for any that would rush at him. He counted about eight of them and steeled himself in concentration. A jolt of lightning jumped from his hand and shocked the tree, missing all of the Roaches. Zalan tried again and was able to strike a Roach, causing it to collapse, its antennae twitching wildly.
“No way,” Zalan said, excited. He proceeded to fire a blast of lightning at it a second time. Rolling over, the creature died on contact. “No way!” he said, more excited.
The other Roaches were searching around the nest now, looking for the cause of their dead brethren. By the time they assessed Zalan and his group as a threat, Zalan was able to kill another Roach from a comfortable distance. Even when they started charging at him, they didn’t feel nearly as threatening as they did the first time around. Zalan felt like a pest exterminator, killing the Roaches one by one as they approached and became easier targets. The six remaining Roaches quickly dwindled down to one and in his excitement. Zalan ran to close the gap between them and crushed it with his foot while zapping it with electricity. It died immediately.
“Yes!!” Zalan raised his fists to the air in celebration. “I am the Roach Killer! Look upon me and weep, Roaches!”
His fellow travelers smiled in amusement, except for Rep who applauded him on his victory.
“Well done Zalan!” Rep cheered.
“Level Two is insane! How much Experience did I gain from that?” Zalan asked, tapping his fingers to check his stats. He only gained a single point, leaving him at 6 Experience. It dampened his mood slightly. “Oh, just one point.”
“Well, they are Roaches. They are quite easy to defeat despite the disgust they put through me,” Fran said.
“Me too, they are too putrid to look at,” Yelsa agreed, nodding to Fran. They seemed to enjoy having the attribute in common.
Zalan bobbed his head in agreement, taking one last look at the Roach massacre. Zalan was about to leave, then remembered to search for Artifacts, kicking the dead Roaches over to look over them for anything out of the ordinary. The victory put him in a great mood and he looked forward on the path to see if he could spot the castle from here. He felt ready to fight anything right now. He peered at the horizon, but couldn’t see any castles from where he stood.
“Shall we go slay a dragon, then?” Zalan asked valiantly.
“Gladly,” Fran smirked as they continued their way to the castle.