“War King Rhavin, here are the reports you’ve requested,” a voice said, drawing Rhavin's gaze up.

He stared at his steward— a young dwarven lady by the name of Gauri— standing before him, before smiling. “Thank you, Gauri.”

Gauri drew back, leaving Rhavin in his office to sift through the reports. And all of them said the same thing.

Something which worried the War King, despite the scars that covered his body.

“...they all want him out,” Rhavin whispered as he closed his eyes. “And yet, I cannot just throw him out of the city.”

Every single report showed the majority sentiment of the City of Dorn. The people of the city wanted Adrian— the human refugee from another world that Rhavin had given sanctuary— to be removed to prevent a potential war with the Dryadilis Empire.

“What am I supposed to do to deal with this?” Rhavin asked himself as he massaged his temples.

Because of this, objectors to Rhavin’s leadership like Captain Senator Godhi, have gained quite some popularity over the last week or so. Perhaps Rhavin could placate them all by revoking Adrian’s status as a refugee.

However, Rhavin couldn’t do that. Because he knew of Adrian’s true circumstances. And his conscience couldn’t allow him to send Adrian out to die.

“And I cannot go back against my word either,” Rhavin sighed as he got to his feet.

He truly had his hands tied at the moment. But he knew that he was not in the position to act brashly. So he had to just stay the course, and hope that the Dryadilis Empire did not break their treaty with the City of Dorn.

“At the very least, I’m sure you have more problems than me to deal with, Adrian…” Rhavin said as he looked out into the window.

***

And sure enough, in the City of Dorn, folks of all sorts moved against Adrian. Some had their own petty reasons to be upset against him— like the manager of Dorn’s Armor And Weapons Trading Company— while others like Godhi had more nefarious reasons to want him out of the city.

But one of them, in particular, moved to get rid of Adrian. Permanently.

“Ankit sure is taking his time to return, isn’t he?” Madam Chanda said as she eyed the manicurist polishing her nails.

She looked up to eye the group of her thugs standing before her. She had sent seven of them out to retrieve the human after he had dispatched of two of her henchmen. But instead of returning with a corpse along with them, they stood there with their heads down, and their bodies covered in cuts.

“Madam Chanda, we truly tried our best to pursue the human. But only Ankit was able to—”

And she raised a hand, cutting him off. “I understand your situation. You have already explained it to me twice since you returned. However, that doesn’t explain exactly why he is taking so long to return.”

Madam Chanda shook her head, before looking at the four thugs standing there. Behind her, a dwarf wearing a mask and carrying an axe stepped forward menacingly.

“Or have I not given you the simple task of retrieving a mere Level 30 human?” Madam Chanda said simply.

And the four thugs paled. They backed away as they shook their heads.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“We apologize, Madam Chanda!” one of them said. “But the Silk Mines is a complicated place to navigate! We would have died like Naren and Rajiv if we stayed down there any longer!”

“So you fled to save your own lives, I understand.” Madam Chanda sighed and rose to her feet. “Now, I recommend you to return back down there to save your own lives. Unless Anand here will make an example out of you four. Is that understood?”

The four thugs exchanged a glance, before nodding.

And Madam Chanda glared at them.

“Then what are you standing around for? Get going already!”

She watched them go, settling back down into her chair. She needed that human out of the city. Because even if she was a crime lady— or rather, the Crime Lady of the Hovik District— she understood that she needed the city to survive so that she could enrich herself.

Not get the City of Dorn embroiled in a war with those elves. As much as she hated them.

So she waited for her men to bring her that human’s head. To prevent any potential conflict against the Dryadilis Empire.

***

And it wasn’t just people inside of the City of Dorn working against him. In the surrounding regions…

“We’ve finally arrived,” a figure said, stepping forward to the edge of the hill.

Looking up, Vidar saw his leader standing there. They weren’t the only two figures who were gathered here. There were a dozen of them. All of them were elves, and they were here for the same purpose.

Flower Knights. Elite warriors. Specialist hunters. These were the members of the Dryadilis Empire who had been sent out by Empress Shiavarathna to hunt the outworlders summoned by the Dark Wizard.

And leading the Flower Knights was—

“Ragna,” Vidar said as he stepped up next to the lead figure. “That is where the outworlder is hiding.”

Vidar pointed down to the city in the distance. A dwarven city, built like a fortress. It stood alone in the middle of an open plains, surrounded by mountains. But in the very center of the city was a divot that was visible even from miles away.

Ragna nodded. “The City of Dorn. I have always wanted to visit this place. It is quite an interesting city, don’t you think? Built on top of the crater of a fallen star.”

“What shall we do?” Vidar asked, looking at his leader hesitantly.

Vidar had already relayed what had happened the last time he was here to the rest of the Flower Hunters— that War King Rhavin Dorn had rejected offering up Adrian to the Dryadilis Empire. And now, they were at an impasse.

“Shall we attack the City of Dorn?” another elf— Bjorn— suggested, stepping up next to them.

Vidar thought that would have been the only plan of action. But Ragna shook his head.

“No,” Ragna said simply as he stepped back. “We have captured most of these pesky outworlders. A handful of them running about isn’t worth the trouble of waging war with all of the dwarven cities.”

“So what is our plan?” Vidar asked apprehensively.

Ragna just smiled as he took a seat.

“We wait for the opportune moment to act. That’s all.”

***

But down in the Silk Mines, Adrian had very little worries. None of these people who were after him plagued his mind. Not anymore, at the very least.

Because he knew that he was done with running. He understood that it was time for him to fight. Time for him to strike back. Time for him to show what he was capable of.

And that when he emerged from the Silk Mines, he would no longer be running any longer. That he would be stronger. So that was why he couldn’t help but smile as he saw the blue box flashing before him.

You can now choose one of the following four Classes!

“Finally,” Adrian whispered. “Now let us see what you have to offer…”

Final Status Sheet:

Adrian Zenith

Rank: D

Class: [Savage Hermit - Level 60]

Titles: [Outworlder Champion]

Skills: [Passive - Agile Body], [Active - A Dozen Strikes], [Active - Double Jump], [Active - Savage Ambush], [Active - Shadow Walk], [Passive - Spatial Inventory], [Active - Basic Identification], [Passive - Basic Weapon Mastery], [Passive - Critical Precision], [Passive - Inferior Sneak], [Passive - Poison Resistance], [Passive - Venom Resistance], [Passive - Savage Instincts], [Active - Hammer Punch], [Passive - Hardened Skin], [Passive - Lesser Acid Resistance], [Active - Powerful Throw], [Passive - Accurate Aim], [Passive - Lesser Night Vision]

Essences:

Strength: 83

Agility: 163

Dexterity: 76

Magic: 67

Vitality: 77

Essence Points: 0

End of Unexpected Ascension Book 1