Chapter 30: Fluffles’ Appraisal

It was a good thing Zach had wolfed down most of his food, because the moment Mr. Oren began explaining the general situation to him, his appetite vanished and a queasy feeling entered his belly. Worse, other adventurers in the tavern had been clearly eavesdropping in, with several whispering and pointing to Zach and saying things like, “Is that the kid who chopped off Varsh’s hand?”

Or, “Hey, that’s that kid, right? The one who humiliated Varsh.”

Zach was beside himself with misery as the words Mr. Oren spoke fully registered in his brain. He almost didn’t feel the squeezing sensation on his elbow as Lienne gripped him more and more tightly while the man spoke.

“So, that’s basically how it is,” Mr. Oren said, finishing with a sigh. “Donovan went over there and tried to make things better, but…it looks like his impulsivity has only made it worse. Word on the street is that they want to teach us a lesson through you.”

Zach sat a moment in silence as Angelica came around and refilled his mug without even asking. He wanted to speak, but he wasn’t sure what words he should say. He felt himself trembling. Could it really be true? That the most powerful leaders of the world wanted him dead?

“Fuck ‘em,” a man with a long, bushy beard and dark, haunting eyes said. His face was scarred and disfigured, and several of his teeth were missing. He also seemed to be missing an eye. Yet despite his terrifying appearance, his equipment was even more intimidating. His shoulder pauldrons had actual blades spinning around like the propellers of a helicopter, and at each of his sides was a blade that Zach was pretty sure was dripping blood; only, instead of splashing down and staining the floor, the droplets appeared to evaporate just after reaching the wood. Had Zach not already felt himself so on edge from Mr. Oren’s “news,” he would’ve been frightened of his man. Especially as he reached out and ruffled Zach’s hair.

“You don’t worry about those bastards, hear me boy?” he growled. “They threaten us all the time.”

“Th-thank you?” Zach whispered in reply.

“Angelica!” he barked. “A room tonight for all three of these lads. On me.”

“Wow, so generous!” Angelica chirped. Zach wondered why her name was so distinctly green as opposed to the greyish-black from other non-biological entities such as mobs. Was that to indicate friendliness?

“That’s very kind of you, sir,” Lienne said to him.

The man smiled, and though Zach was reasonably sure he intended the gesture to be friendly, it somehow made him look even more intimidating. “Save your points for when you get to the bazaar. They’re worth more than gold.”

“The what?” Zach asked him. But he was already gone. It seemed he too was part of a party, as three men and two women got up from a similarly round table and followed him to the metal door. As he opened it, Zach was struck with a blast of freezing-cold wind, and he stared in confusion as mounds of snow began to pile up near the exit, making its way into the tavern.

“Hey, Gil, hold up,” someone said. The intimidating man turned around and faced him.

“Yeah?”

“That the Frozen Lands?”

“Aye.”

“Sweet. Been waiting here for days to see if someone had an exit there. Mind if I come with?”

He barked out a laugh. “Not at all, son. Come along, then.”

With that, they all vanished into a highly unpleasant-looking world of ice and snow. The door was shut soon after, and Angelica, looking genuinely annoyed, swore under her breath and rushed over to begin cleaning up the clump of snow that’d built up nearby.

“She seems so real,” Zach whispered, wowed by how sincere and honest the display of emotions from Angelica appeared to be.

“Because she is,” Mr. Oren replied.

Zach refocused his attention on the man who’d literally once been his science teacher, but it was Rian who blurted out, “What’s that supposed to mean? NPCs aren’t…you know, sentient. They’re like mobs.”

Mr. Oren grinned, but it was Kesten who answered him. “That’s not always true,” he said. “Most aren’t self-aware. But the innkeeper is special. No one knows why. Alex and I didn’t used to believe it either, but over the years, we became sure of it. She’s sentient all right. Cute, too.”

Alixa rolled her eyes. “Real or not, she’s still not interested in you, Kest.”

Kesten made a forced, angry-sounding laugh. Under his breath, Zach barely heard him whisper, “You’re such a bitch, Lixa.” To Zach, he said, “Just make sure you’re respectful and never mistreat her. I saw a guy grab her ass once. Alex was there. Her name turned red and she backhanded him in the face. His entire head came off. It was disgusting.”

“He had it coming,” Angelica said with a cheerful smile as she made her way back to the counter. She stopped, however, reached out her arm, and scratched Fluffles once under the chin. The cat purred. Then she continued on her way.

The mental image generated in Zach’s head was almost enough to make him forget Mr. Oren’s disastrous news. But the moment Angelica returned to the bar counter, he once more felt acid rushing into his stomach at what he’d been told. The fear must’ve been plain on his face, because Mr. Oren frowned at him and then shook his head.

“That’s what I hate to see,” he said, his voice coming across as saddened. “That look of fear. You shouldn’t have to live this way.”

“And whose fault is that?” Lienne snapped. She’d been so quiet that Zach had forgotten she was sitting next to him. “Do you really not see how this is mostly your fault?”

Mr. Oren glared at her, and the look was intimidating if not outright threatening. “I am working on a solution,” he said. “You need to understand that these things happen sometimes.”

“What things?” Lienne fired back, clearly unafraid. Even Fluffles stirred as though uneasy. Why were all of them so frightened of Mr. Oren? Zach knew why he found the man to be scary on occasion, but why did everyone else?

“I spoke to Donovan just a few hours ago. We have a lot more leverage over the so-called ‘guilds’ than you’d think. If they go after Zach, the entire NAC will respond in kind.”

“NAC?” Zach asked.

“It’s the alliance,” Lienne said. “The New Adventuring Coalition. Unlike the political guilds, who have several different alliances, every known adventuring guild belongs to the NAC.”

Mr. Oren smiled in approval, reminding Zach that, despite all his other, wilder aspects, the man was still emphatically a teacher at heart. “That’s correct…Lienne, was it?”

She crossed her arms and averted her gaze. Mr. Oren didn’t seem to dwell on it or pay it much mind, because he immediately returned his attention to Zach. “Look, here’s what you need to understand. Right now? You’re where you need to be.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He extended both his arms and gestured at the tavern, which again caused many of the patrons to raise their mugs and cheer. “By now, you must realize you’re not on Galterra anymore.”

Zach nodded uneasily. “Yeah, I gather that, but…that raises way more questions than it answers.”

“As long as you’re in a dungeon or a place like this, no one can get to you. Only those with the Will of the Favored buff can traverse the…oh, right. You don’t know what either of those two words mean.”

“Actually, he does,” Lienne said angrily.

“We told him,” Rian agreed.

Mr. Oren pressed his hands together and bowed his head. “Thank you for filling him in.”

“Why didn’t you?” Lienne asked. She uncrossed her arms, placed her palms flat on the table, and leaned forward. It caused Fluffles to wake up and groggily jump back on top of the table. “Why would you just leave him?”

Mr. Oren shrugged. “I made a mistake. Like I said, I needed to get Kalana away in case someone came back for her, and I didn’t think anyone would care enough to retaliate against Zach.”

“I’m not talking about that,” Lienne said. “If you were too busy, then uh, that’s one thing, but why didn’t you send him to Rites of Initiation? Why didn’t you give him a clue?”

“Because the GSG doesn’t do that. It’s that simple. We’re not a starter guild. We’re the kind of guild you join after you’ve already proven yourself. But I still think Zach can make the cut. I just have a feeling about him. So I sent him on his way.”

Lienne laughed, and it was a sound filled with mockery and disgust. “Half of adventurers die before reaching level 10, and that’s with guidance. You’re telling me you just crossed your fingers and hoped for the best?”

Mr. Oren’s face tightened as if frustrated. “I’m not the guild leader. Donovan is. It’s his way or the highway. We don’t ‘guide’ people in the way other adventuring guilds do.”

“Because you’re so ‘elite’?” Rian fired in.

As the two ganged up on him, it was interesting to see how Maric, Alixa, and Kesten merely stayed out of it, showing no interest in defending Mr. Oren. Before long, all three began trying to talk over one another as the argument became more spirited and heated. Eventually, it turned from a two vs. one into a three vs. one as Fluffles decided to join the fray.

“Fluffles tell Alex he wrong!” the cat announced. “He betray Alex. Fluffles first cat to say so and deserve all the credit and chicken. Everything Lienne say Fluffles say first.”

She reached over the table and pet him. “You can have all the credit you want, pretty kitty.”

Fluffles purred. “Alex is a bad human.”

Zach, having heard enough of this, pushed his plate aside and rested his forehead in his palms. He was tired, weary, and he couldn’t believe he was still having to rehash this argument again. Obviously, he agreed with Lienne and Rian, and he was grateful for them taking his side. But he already forgave Mr. Oren, because he just wanted to move on from this. Also, he doubted it mattered, anyway.

“I have to be honest with you, Mr. Oren,” he said. This caused Mr. Oren to look away from Lienne and Rian. Zach could see him peering down at him as he massaged his forehead while practically bent forward over the table. “I don’t think any of this matters, because I’m probably not going to make the cut anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

Zach sighed. “My level-ups are garbage. Here, just see for yourself. This is with gear.”

Zachys Calador: Level 5

(0/300xp)

Armor Bonus: 8

6 strength

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

4 dexterity

5 constitution

1 intelligence

3 speed

2 luck

“Zach,” he said, becoming alarmed, glancing around the tavern. “Never do that in public. Not even in friendly places. Get rid of that.”

Zach complied, and Mr. Oren breathed out a relieved-sounding sigh. “I don’t think anyone saw.” Once more focusing his attention on Zach, he said, “I don’t…I don’t know why you’re getting those kinds of levels. I usually have a pretty good sense of people. But even if that’s the case—even if I’m wrong—for you to have made it this far, you’ll still have your pick at just about any starter guild you want. You don’t have to join the GSG to see Kalana again. Just join any guild. Even if the GSG isn’t right for—”

“Alex know nothing!” Fluffles shouted, hissing.

“Fluffles, now isn’t the time for—”

“Zach stronger than Donovan.”

At this, Mr. Oren’s eyes widened in absolute, abject shock, as did Maric’s and Kesten’s. Alixa, who had been about to down another mug filled with beer, seemed to become suddenly clumsy, and she knocked her cup over, causing the liquid to pour over and along the table before leaking onto the floor. Angelica hurried over with a mop, complaining about how she was being overworked and how she would now deduct five points from Alixa.

“That’s not funny,” Mr. Oren said.

“Fluffles not make joke,” the cat insisted. “Zach stronger than all GSG combine!”

“He’s lying,” Kesten said. “The cat’s lying.”

Fluffles hissed, and then he took such a vicious swipe at Kesten that Kesten actually had to get out of his seat and dash backwards. “Fluffles not lie! Zach stronger than all GSG combine. I appraise.”

Zach tried not to smirk. Fluffles apparently liked him so much that he was willing to try bullshitting his way into the GSG. In truth, Zach wasn’t even sure he wanted to join anymore, and based on his past few level ups, he doubted he’d be right for some kind of stupid “elite” guild anyway. In fact, the only part of this conversation he even cared about—other than, you know, the stuff about the entire ruling class wanting to kill him—was the part where Mr. Oren reconfirmed that, provided he reach level 10 and join a guild, he could see Kalana.

“I can’t speak for any of the guilds,” Rian said, “since I’m not in one yet. But I bet Zephyr would take you, Zach. You could stay with me and Lienne.”

“That’s beyond question,” Mr. Oren shot in immediately. “The Explorers Brigade would run through fire to have someone like Zach among their ranks. Even still, I think…I still think there’s a chance you could make it to the GSG. I won’t lie to you. Those level ups are concerning. But at the same time, I’ve never seen someone with two unique abilities before, let alone that second one.” He actually shuddered. “At the end of the day, boss-fighting is about stats and power.”

A flash of light erupted out of thin air, followed by a bolt of lightning as Fluffles hissed yet again. Zach had seen him angered before, but this was on a whole new level. The cat actually brought down a bolt of lightning, which crashed into Mr. Oren’s mug just as he was about to drink from it, causing it to shatter and spill beer all over his lab coat. For some reason, as Angelica appeared immediately to clean up the mess, she seemed to hold her tongue and not scold the cat.

“Fluffles!” Mr. Oren shouted at him. “Do I need to take away your chewy toys again?”

“Alex not listen to Fluffles.” The cat ran around in a circle as if agitated. “Zach most powerful human. He better than Peter IV. I appraise.”

“We get it,” Kesten growled. “You like your new friend and you want him to join the guild. But enough of the bullshit. Next time, if you want to lie, at least keep it believable. Say he’s as strong as me, or maybe Alex. Don’t say he’s stronger than all of us combined.”

“I. Not. Lie! ” Fluffles hissed. “If Zach start own guild, Fluffles join!”

“Start his…own?” Rian asked.

Fluffles turned around to Rian and meowed. “Stupid humans not listen to Fluffles. They feel stupid when they bow to him later.” With that, Fluffles hopped off the table and began making his way up the stairs, but not before stopping and calling back, “Fluffles take nap in room.”

No one spoke for a minute or two until, with a nervous, tension-breaking chuckle, Lienne said, “Okay, so…”

Zach tried not to squirm as Mr. Oren stared at him with an uncomfortable intensity in his gaze. His lips were moving slightly as though he were speaking to himself, but he made no sound, and Zach was no good at reading lips. Finally, as though coming out of some kind of trance, he shook his head, and a kind smile popped up on his face.

“As I was saying, Zach, you’re doing great, and as long as you don’t spend too much time in Galterra, you should be fine. In fact, I expect things to cool down in another few days at the maximum. But just to be safe, I’ll try to keep nearby.”

Zach shrugged. “Well, I doubt I can spend much time ‘in Galterra’—Gods that sounds crazy to say—even if I wanted to.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I can’t leave. We can’t leave, I mean. Unless we get a boss key.”

“Where’s your point of entry—in Galterra, I mean?”

“Uh, in the farm lands in Whispery Woods. Not far from the border with Shadowfall C—”

“Zach!” Mr. Oren exclaimed. “Are you doing the Catacombs of Yorna?”

"Wait, you know it?"

“Do I know it?” he asked with a laugh, giving Kesten a pat on the shoulder. “Me and Kest ran that as our first dungeon way back when. No wonder you came from Earth. What’d you think of it, by the way?”

“Think of what? The dungeon or Earth?”

Mr. Oren lifted his shoulders. “Both, I guess. But mostly Earth.”

“I just…it’s difficult for me to accept that that’s a…you know, a different planet.”

At this, Lienne smirked and shot her brother the biggest “I told you so” look that Zach had ever seen one person give to another. “Yeah, yeah,” Rian said, downing his cola. Then, inspecting the empty mug, he raised his hand and said, “Um, excuse me? Angelica?”

The cute NPC came rushing over. “Yes, Rian? Can I help you? You have 450 points.”

The boy nodded. “How much for a mug of what he”—Rian pointed at Kesten—“is having?”

Angelica smiled. “Angelica’s Special Ale cost 50 points and two years when you’re old enough to drink it.”

Rian recoiled as if wounded. “So I’m old enough to die in a dungeon but not old enough to drink beer?”

“Correct.”

“Makes sense,” he grumbled. “Fine, how much for another cola?”

“Twenty points.”

He grunted. “Fine, I’ll take another.”

“Same,” Zach said. Lienne also raised her mug, signaling for a refill.

As Angelica returned shortly thereafter and began to fill their mugs, Zach, having thought on Mr. Oren’s question, at last decided to offer an answer, which in this case, took the form of another question. “That guy before, uh…Reni Sarwin…was he telling the truth? Did humans come from that…that planet?”

Mr. Oren nodded. “A very, very long time ago. But yes.”

“Why’s it all fucked up?”

“Zachys, your language…”

Zach waved his hand in apology. “Sorry, I meant why’s it all messed up. Were we attacked?”

“Yes.”

“By who?”

“Ourselves.”

“Wait, what?”

Mr. Oren sighed. “Long before humans thought of themselves as a distinct sentient species, we had a planet of our own, in which we were the only race. It turns out that, without a common enemy, we tend to destroy ourselves. But that’s…that’s a much darker conversation for a different time.”

Zach didn’t think Mr. Oren was going to enlighten him any further on the topic, and honestly, he wasn’t sure he was ready to have something so “dark” on his mind with every other problem he had to worry about. So rather than pester Mr. Oren for clarification, he instead half turned around in his chair and pointed to the metal door he’d arrived in.

“When people open that door, is the exit different for everyone?”

“Everyone who didn’t arrive from the same place, yes,” Mr. Oren said. “Your exit point is determined by your entry.”

“Ah. That makes sense.” Zach looked over to where several adventurers were hovering around the door and carefully observing those who entered and those who exited. “Do some people come here specifically to wait for the door to open to where they need to go?”

“Very astute,” Alixa said, only first seeming to realize she had blood on the side of her face. She dabbed at it with a wet napkin as she spoke. “It’s actually really common.”

“So then, if we wanted to escape the Catacombs of Yorna without fighting the boss, we could just waltz out of here the next time that door opens.”

“Sure, you could,” Mr. Oren said. “But do you really want to?”

Zach laughed. “No, I don’t think so.” He glanced first to his left, and then to his right, and he could tell his sentiments were shared by both Rian and Lienne. “Even though we almost died, I can’t help but feel like I’m kind of enjoying this.”

“Of course you are,” Mr. Oren said with a grin. “You didn’t get the Will of the Favored by accident. At any rate…” He downed his beer and then yawned, stretching his arms. “It’s two hours to sunrise in Galterran time, and it sounds like you three got free rooms for the night. You should get some rest and then continue onward. But before you turn in, leave me the number of your new phone, Zach, and I’ll give you mine. If you find yourself back in Galterra and anything happens, you call me, and I’ll find a way to get to you. Okay? It really was good seeing you again. I’ll work on your situation, but as long as you’re here, you shouldn’t have to worry about it.”

As though it were contagious, Mr. Oren’s yawn set off one of his own, and Zach, suddenly realizing how badly he needed rest, decided to call it a night. He knew his friends were equally—if not more—fatigued, and they too would likely want to catch some sleep after such a long, exhausting day. Briefly, he exchanged numbers with Mr. Oren, then got up from the table.

“I just have one last question,” he said.

“Sure. Go ahead.”

He pointed at the wall across from him near where a giddy adventurer was singing his heart out while another five played various instruments, some of which he’d never seen before.

“Oh. Of course,” Mr. Oren said with a chuckle. “That’s called an electric guitar. Humans invented it a long time ago.”

“Huh? Oh, no, I’m not pointing at them. I’m pointing at that window. It’s pitch black. I was wondering what’s outside of it.”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing as in…?”

“As in nothing. Angelica’s inn and tavern floats in the void beyond the known universe. There’s nothing out there. There never was anything, and there will never be anything.”

Lienne moaned. “Enough mind-fucks for one day. Please.”

“Language,” Mr. Oren said with a huff.

“Sorry, Alex.”

“Mr. Oren.”

She tilted her head. “Why? I’m not your student.”

“But you’re young enough to be.” With that, he and his companions began to walk away.

“Dick,” Lienne muttered under her breath. “What an asshole. What a total, complete, self-important asshole.”

Zach stifled a chuckle, not wanting to draw attention to himself. “I guess we’re calling it a night?”

“Yeah, whatever,” Rian said, sounding disappointed. “I wanted to go drinking, but since that’s not gonna happen, I guess passing out in a warm bed is good enough.”

With that, the three of them approached the bar counter, whereupon Angelica handed each of them a separate key with a room number, and then they made their way up the stairs. Zach, only now becoming aware of his fatigue, almost collapsed at the top. It’d been a long, long day.