Even though I ended up hurting myself a few times over the last couple hours, the system doesn’t seem to be against my weapon choice. And the whip didn’t break apart yet, which is better than expected. I even managed to both produce a satisfying crack and land a hit on my target (a tree trunk that did nothing to deserve my aggression) more often than not by the end.

I certainly can’t say I’m unhappy with the little coil of pain currently hanging at my waist.

As I go back to the village, which is once more filled with the smell of meat and dominated by a big pillar of smoke as the smokehouse is working overtime, I pull forward the information panel of my new trait.

Whip Proficiency

You’ve chosen to try and fight with a whip, an unusual choice of weaponry. It comes with a low lethality that is balanced by exceptional flexibility and an oppressive presence and you are getting better at using it without hurting yourself. This Trait improves your coordination and control when wilding a whip, and helps you progress faster towards a better mastery of the weapon.

This Trait has enhanced your body, this effects remains even if the trait is lost. Currently: 2 Dex

This Trait resonates with your Adaptable and Vindicator Traits, it will grow faster.

This Trait is being influenced by an ongoing foreign effect.

Nothing unexpected here, except the very last line.

The system has decided that whip proficiency relates to eating space whale. Praise the system!

There’s even a matching category in my status ‘general’ tab with currently ongoing effects, so no doubt about it.

Maybe some monster whales are really kinky in the bedroom?

I chuckle. You idiot, don’t just change the kind of whale we’re talking about mid sentence.

As I make my way to the warehouse to grab some food for dinner, something unusual happens. A gilfeith I don’t recognize, one of the many that have been actively avoiding me, comes to meet me.

He stops a few paces away to speak, further than normal for a conversation. His voice is strong and hard, but he’s not quite threatening.

“Stranger, we don’t want to accept your kind here, you should leave.”

Well, it’s not really a surprise, they tolerated me when I was alone and harmless, but now there’s another human, showing off crazy powers and scaring kids.

Sucks to be discriminated against, but can I really blame him when we humans can barely accept each other back home?

I suppose the rumors are running quickly, Wathamber is small enough that I expect everyone has already heard a more or less deformed version of what happened this morning.

On the upside, it cowed them into being polite rather than violent.

All I can do is frown and unhappily answer. This place has been growing on me in spite of everything.

“I will see Guemeros to talk about it. Alix is too hurt to travel but we should be able to leave by the end of the month.”

He’s unhappy but I seem to have managed to sound reasonable enough, and he just glares at me when I nod and leave.

How rude.

- - -

Alix was awake when I arrived home. Well, not my home for much longer I guess, but home nonetheless. I walk into a strange spectacle in the shadowy room, the one of a freshly wounded scrawny man veiled by gloomy strands, playing with nickel sized dark holes in the fabric of reality that seemingly replace the tip of his fingers.

A strong smell of burnt meat assails me as soon as I breathe, coming from a dark lump oozing something.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“Hey Marc, what’s up?” His stance is relaxed and his tone is casual.

“Well, I’ve actually got bad news but before that… What the hell happened here? Your face is all bloody.”

“Oh, don’t worry, it’s just a scratch, from that little bugger over there.”

“Well, it’s impressive, we should go clean the wound by the river, and go see if Datari is home if it’s serious.”

With the look on his face, one could believe I’ve just spouted complete nonsense.

Seriously.

I reach out a hand to lift him up.

“Come on, let’s go. I’ll bring you up to date on the way and then you’ll tell me what exactly happened.”

He silently grabs my hand and we’re on our way.

He can walk and most of the blood had the time to dry, so it probably really isn’t much.

“Right, so the short of it is that the gilfeith villagers are somewhat afraid of you, and we’ll be forced to leave the village soon. You didn’t have much of a chance to meet the racist ones yet, but it’s actually the majority of them.”

“Well, it’s not like we really wanted to stay in this dump of a village. What were you even doing here?”

I sigh. For the second time today I’m considering how much I actually liked the rhythm of life here.

Could it really last? Going off to adventure is what we entered the Study for, not to start a farm.

Yeah and we got scammed, we lost memories and friends, and we would have fucking died if Pheyis hadn’t found us.

Anyway.

“Living decently and training, because we have neither flashy powers nor scary monsters hunting us.”

He raises an eyebrow.

“We?”

Ah, oops.

“Yeah, I’m sure the other guy that entered the Study along us doesn’t have the same ridiculous stuff as you.”

Fucking Knowledgeable and their damn scams. I’d also be having fun adventuring if I had a superpower and monsters appearing out of thin air to cram me full of experience.

You got a brand new best friend in your head though!

Yeah. I’m glad you’re here Bob.

“Hmm, whatever. You’ll see, adventuring will be great! We just need to have one of us on guard duty at all times. I kinda got used to waking up under attack but stuff like the mutant octopus-thing that tried to jump me earlier is actually not very dangerous, you could handle it.”

“An octopus. How does an octopus get inside my place in the middle of a village in the mountains?”

I should have investigated the remains before leaving, grilled octopus actually sounds like a nice change of food for once. Hopefully it’s edible.

“Well, you know how the whale came from another plane? I’ve seen some of those monster spawn, it’s like… A tear in space through which the monster can go. The bigger the monster, the farther and more noticeable the tear is. Like, for the whale it was like cracks floating in thin air, rather high above the ground. Then it slipped through and screamed. Well, I was like, a hundred meters away and I could see pretty clearly that I was in deep shit, right? So I immediately spent all the mana I had to start gathering a big ass blast of light to send it straight back to whatever hell it came from. It actually kind of half floated, which was fucking terrifying, and it whipped its tentacles like it was swimming. It didn’t move it very well, because I guess the air friction really isn’t much to write home about, but it did work. So yeah, I started running away to load up as much as possible, and when it was just a movement or two away, I blasted it just right. Course, I didn’t expect it would cry like a pig being slaughtered, and that knocked me out cold.”

We arrive at the river as he talks.

“Come here, I’ll give you a hand to clean up. So, long story short, you think it spawned directly inside the house?”

“Thanks, and yeah, there’s no real other option.”

He winces when I splash a cup full of cold water on his face, but more from the cold than the pain I’d wager.

“Right. You’ve never confirmed it but, is everything attacking you water themed?”

As he gently scrubs the dry blood away, he actually thinks about it before answering.

“Now that you mention it, yeah, so far at least. There’s been a little bit of everything, from stuff that really belong in the deep waters, to amphibians, but yeah.”

“So whatever we do, we should stay clear from boats.”

“That would be smart.” He smiles, “And always be careful around rivers.”

I’m ankle deep in one, and not very amused.

“But you already stink, what will it be if you start skipping on showers?”

A strong kick drenches him, making him yelp.

“Hey!”

That wasn’t very mature of you.

But worth it.

But worth it, for sure.

- - -

“Chief, you must chase those stinking apes away!”

“I knew he was bad news from the very first day, honest folk don’t create catastrophic events. Welcoming him is an insult to the memories of Riloth and Gervus.”

“The new one is clearly dangerous, and who’s to say we haven’t been welcoming a wolf in disguise with the first one!”

“I do. Marc is harmless. Even now, after two thirds of hard training, even you could overpower him.”

“Well, fine, but you said yourself the new one can just barely be called sane, what if he goes berserk? He can’t stay.”

“These humans have interesting, new ideas. Progress that could improve the life of all of us.”

“Then why did they come to our place if their world is so great?”

“For all we know, they might have been chased away for being criminals.”

“Peace my friends, I hear your concerns. You can trust me to solve this in the coming days.”

“And how about doing it right now? Drop them outside the walls and kick them in the butt if they don’t like it!”