Prologue

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A uncommon find, that beautiful violent hair. That people of color was usually the outcome of tinny dye and a infantile personality, desperate to prove individuation by opposing normality. It was a rare gift from nature, every fibril like melting crimson, when most so-called redheads possessed only a adulterate orange hue. But hers was like rip, drawing the eyes of all those around her, including Noah's. Of all the women he had seen, met, and knew, even intimately, hers was the most purely crimson.

It was after schooltime in too soon fall, the luminousness of the setting sun illuminating every strand and reminding him why it was Charles Frederick Worth it to approach her. She was walking across the empty association football subject, her body trembling from the adrenaline of all the running she had done in her track club. For once, Noah saw her without all of her friends surrounding her or her boyfriend's arm draped over her shoulders like a boa constrictor. He had been waiting for this chance, thirster than she could imagine.

"Lindsey, hey,"he said, meeting her in the open air, detached from any interruptions.

"Noah, what are you doing here ?"

She asked that enquiry, but she knew the answer. What else would draw a boy to her, what other possible desire ? He was going to flirt with her, possibly even ask her out. Would he be nervous ? Would he be cocky ? Would he dally innocent and try to embark on with some small talk, or would he get straight to the full point ? Had he planned this ? Had he been waiting ? They had been friends since she transferred in their Sophomore year. Had that just been in prevision of this ?

It was all the way in her eyes, that his intentions had been seen through, but it didn't dissuade him. Rather, it was something that always amused him, the paradox of man coupling that became both prosperous and more difficult with age. She already knew what he desired, so unless she desired the same thing, her meat would be guarded, with no curtain raising for a sneak plan of attack to surprise her. It was a challenge that men and charwoman had struggled with since the dawn of time.

"I heard that you and Sean broke up. I know what that feels like, how a great deal it hurts, so I'm sorry. But if it's not too soon, I wanted to ask if you'd like to go out with me this weekend ?"

"Sorry, but since we're graduating soon, I'm not for sure I want to bother dating. After all, when summertime comes, we're all going to separate up and go our separate ways."

A rejection, not an optimal outcome, but it was within his expected value. He just had to convince her to give him a chance, but gently. He had to properly choose his Son so that he wouldn't come off as desperate and torment, but not try to ham it up by turning it into a sonnet like an out-of-touch nerd.

"Is that why you two broke up ? Because you didn't see a head in staying together ? I doubt that. I think you believe in love, in giving it a luck. A lot of things will fall out between now and commencement ceremony ; Christmas, Valentine's Day, the prom ? That's plenty of time to be happy, and to change your creative thinker about which course you plan on taking. program can modify, things can work out. All I want is a chance."

"Sorry, but I'm just not interested in dating, and I'm too busy anyway. Besides, I like you only as a friend."

She crossed her weapon to warm herself, but she kept them low. It was an natural move, one that Noah's eyes didn't young lady. He gave an browned off grinning and began to laugh."Ok, I get it. Maybe next time."

Lindsey, wanting this conversation to be over, walked past him, but beneath his continuing laughter, she heard something, a metallic click, and it chilled her blood. She spun around and saw the knife in Noah's hand.

"Jesus Saviour, what are you doing ? !"she screamed while raising her hand to shield herself.

"Don't worry. This isn't for you."

He swung up his hand and stabbed himself in the pharynx. The hit, it was so fast, but it was gentle, just the tip of the blade breaking his cutis and severing his Jugular with pinpoint accuracy. It was a gross, fluid movement, as if he had spent time of day practicing. rakehell began to spray from the small wounding, and to the speech sound of Lindsey's wow, he allowed himself to fall on his rear. She rushed over and tried to stop the haemorrhage. Covering it with her hand only slowed the outpour, so she reached into her bag for something to use as a bandage.

"Stop, just go along your hand there,"Noah said calmly. The venous blood vessel he had struck carried stock out of the head and sent it back to his heart, so the rest of the blood in his system would keep his mind oxygenated, at least while it was still in his nervure.

"You're fucking unbalanced ! I'm not going to let you die like this !"

"I've already died like this… more than a hundred times before. This isn't my initiative rodeo."

"What are you talking about ?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like. Reincarnation, transmigration, whatever you call it, I count life story like you count years, and every clock time I die, I'm immediately reborn with all the store from my retiring lives. I've been born and died so many times, laughed and suffered through so many lifetimes."

"That's just blood red ink talking. Hang on !"She tried to pull out her phone, but Noah grabbed it with surprising strength.

"You're meaning, aren't you ? Sean freaked out after you told him and that's why you broke up."

Her face became as pale as his."How could you possibly know that ?"

"Because this isn't the first clip I've confessed to you. I'm always myself, but the world I'm born into is never the same. Every time I die, I return to the day of my parturition, but in a different timeline. I'll end up in a cosmos where my environment are different, or history didn't go the way I remember it, or events will happen in my future that I can't predict.

Only in my past seven lifetimes have you been present, and in all seven lifespan, I could never establish you mine, no matter how much I wanted you. Five of those multiplication were because you were fraught. You and Sean get back together by thanksgiving, and I and everyone else watch you dance together at the promenade. Each time, I kill myself to try again in my next life. These preceding 18 twelvemonth, they've flown by like the eye blink of an eye for me."

His bleeding was starting to slack, his consistence going insensate and his mind getting foggy.

"Why me ? Why would you keep going after me ? Why am I worth killing yourself over ?"

"It's the solely way I can live anymore, following some task or game that keeps me fussy. Every life I've lived, it's been a lie, concealing who I am, what I know, what I've experienced. a lot of the meter, I have to pretend to get emotions, because after all this time, I've almost forgotten what they feel like. I've almost forgotten what's like to actually finger something. But when I see you, I get to experience factual hungriness. I have an genuine crunch, something so simple and childish, but such a grand feeling. Maybe I'm just a mug for a red-header, but I've lived for so long, I have to grasp at any bit of meaning that can make me happy, and hit my existence a slight less hollow."

"What about your menage ? What about this life-time you've built ? You're just going to throw it all away ?"

With the last of his strength, he removed her handwriting from his wound so that it could bleed freely. Her wrist was limp. Had he convinced her ? Or had she simply realized that he had already bled too often and was beyond saving ? He covered his entrust eye with his bridge player, blinded by the setting sun while Lindsey's shadow obscured the right side of meat of his face. The igniter passed through her reddish fuzz like varnished field glass, making his bloodline shine beautifully.

"I've seen so many worlds, so many different realness, but none of them could make me happy. I've never known what it felt like to belong to or feel at home. Every humankind felt wrong to me. This is yet another reality that I am out or keeping with. All I can do is trust that the following world is one I can be glad in."

The stock at end stopped flowing, and Noah closed his eyes and released his final breath. Then, in his brain, there was a familiar flash of lighter and he felt himself being pulled to the next world.

A Whole New secret plan

Without even opening his eyes, Noah knew that something had gone wrong. He was groggy, but he could definitely feel the low temperature, hard ground underneath him. This didn't make horse sense. At this import, he'd normally be experiencing his own rebirth, coming out of the womb as a newborn infant baby. His body was also still the Lapp size of it. He could feel the weight unit of his limbs, as well as his clothes. His hand was still covering his eye, but just moving it took a tremendous amount of specialty. He managed to work his eyelid open and stared up at the Amytal sky. It was late in the afternoon when he killed himself, but now it looked to be midmorning.

This had never happened before, no matter how many clip he had died. Either he had somehow survived his suicide try and been moved while he was unconscious, or he had reincarnated without being reborn, breaking into another timeline rather than being properly incorporated. Was his reincarnation power changing ?

Noah sat up and looked around. He was lying on an unpaved route in the woods. His hoodie and the shirt underneath were unwavering with his dry out blood, but when he felt his cervix, there was no wound. He had been healed, but had his blood also been replenished ? It would have taken at least thirty mo for the origin on his apparel to dry this much, not sufficiency clock time for his body to restore any meaningful amount, so this was likely a partial tone rebirth.

He got to his metrical foot and staggered, struggling to catch one's breath. There was no strength in his tree branch and his idea were getting weaker by the second. This fatigue duty, it was similar to blood loss, but also different. It was like there was some form of extra muscleman going crazy, using up all of his strength. If it didn't dissipate soon, he'd end up passing out again. What in the world ? He looked down and realized that he wasn't casting a phantasma. The fatigue must make been messing with his vision. Now that he thought about it, his left eye was itching a bit. He gave it a rub and it was like a switching had been flipped. The fatigue vanished, as if that extra brawn had settled, and when he looked down, he saw his dark.

‘ That wasn't parentage release. It must possess been some form of leftover trauma from my suicide or this glitchy rebirth. But where am I ?'

The road was unusual. The ground was packed, but the deposit seemed indigen to the spot. In the modern world, even the unpaved roadstead were made with at least a bed of sand and gravel to keep it from being overgrown. He had his billfold and his speech sound with him, but there was no service.

A auditory sensation reached his auricle, one that most people rarely heard outside of motion-picture show and TV. It was the sound of horse hooves. He looked over his shoulder, seeing two adult men on horseback approaching him from down the route. Behind them, an old man driving a horse-drawn wagon and leading… striver. Wearing tag end for clothes, More than a dozen men and women of varying ages were being led by chains.

This strange caravan came to a check in front of him. The men on horseback and the one driving the Plough stared at him in confusion."You're blocking the route. Get the Hell out of our way before you end up like them,"the driver barked.

It had been a long time since Noah saw a slave payload. He normally only found them in post-apocalyptic timelines, when order had broken down. That, or timelines where the S won the Civil War and other such occurrences.

"Did you hear me ? Get out of the way !"

"Boss, look at all of the pedigree he's covered in,"one of the men on horseback said.

Noah looked at them. Their clothes, they were shoddy, wool clearly not woven by any kind of modern machinery and with coating and boots made of primitively-treated leather. Maybe he had reincarnated to a third-world land ? If this was a post-apocalyptic timeline, then whatever happened wasn't manmade. It happened before the Industrial rotation, some kind of natural catastrophe that halted mankind's evolution. A shooting star ?

"I don't think he understands us. He's got some weird clothes. He might be the son of some noble,"the other horseman said.

Their weapons, they had sheathed sword but no signs of any guns. So, this was an era before gunpowder was invented. Medieval ? It sure seemed like it.

"If he's a imposing, we can ransom him back, and if not, he looks healthy and strong enough to deal for a commodity price. Chain him up with the others."

One of the men got off his Equus caballus and approached Noah with a duration of rope. None of them were aware that he still had his tongue on him. As the man reached out to take hold of his script, Noah slashed him across the pharynx. It wasn't the pinpoint jab like he had given himself earlier, this was a damn grinning stretching from ear to ear. It had been a longsighted prison term since he had last killed someone, but it was something he was very well-practiced in.

A natural spring of rake sprayed forth and Noah threw his knife at the wagon driver, catching him in the chest. Before his first victim could drop to his human knee, Noah ripped his blade from its sheath and charged towards the other horseman, already drawing his own leaf blade to revenge his coworker. The throat was out of reach, so Noah deflected the oncoming tone-beginning and went for a pang in the position of the gut and up into the right lung.

"fireball !"

There was a jiffy of light in his peripheral vision, coming from the old man. Noah's instinct made him hitch back as a flare shot through the air, missing his face by an inch. It struck a nearby Tree and exploded, spraying fire in all directions like a Molotov Cocktail. Noah looked back at the old man, one mitt outstretched while the other covered the twinge wound in his chest from Noah's tongue. He wasn't holding a flair gun or any other kind of twist that would explain what had just happened.

"You can't be serious,"Noah muttered.

"powerhouse !"the old man shouted again.

Just like before, a heavens of concentrate flaming formed in his hand, about the size of melon vine, and shot at Noah with tremendous speeding. Noah dodged and rushed in to fold the distance. The first human dynamo had forced him to let go of his sword and the second had forced him back before he could grab the second man's. He'd have to finish this with his bare work force.

The sawbuck were all throwing fit in reverence from the fight, but the old man continued to set in motion those mysterious flare pass. Noah circled around the gymnastic horse, jumped, and tackled the man. There was no unwieldy fumbling for controller, Noah simply began beating him with his fist. His current physical structure hadn't been trained for combat, but he kept it goodly and strong and knew how much power he had muster up with each puncher. Blood started spraying with the thirdly punch, the old man unable to oppose back and soon blacking out. Noah promptly retrieved his fallen tongue and finished him off.

Noah took his time to catch his breather while he wiped off the sword, folded it up, and stored it in his air hole. He took those few here and now to quell his annoyance. He was used to being reborn as a baby after every decease and considered those early year to be his vacation between each new life, fourth dimension to properly put away of old memories, catalog useful knowledge, and mentally deal with any loose destruction. No one depended on him and he usually had a parent or caregiver to rent care of him, giving him fourth dimension to rest his mind. Now he had parachuting right back into a endurance outlook and scratch line from dinero in a world with all new rules.

Those powerhouse the old man had launched, that was undoubtedly legerdemain, something that he thought only existed in fantasy stories. He had never seen conjuring trick before, not in any of the timelines he had already lived in. Until now, he had operated under the opinion of the Multiverse Theory, which stated that there was a timeline for every possible subatomic issue. Was it really possible for magic to exist in the multiverse ? What did this timeline have that all the old ones lacked ?

The old man would ingest been a valuable beginning of information, but with his hyponym now dead, he would never willingly secern Noah anything. It wouldn't be worth the clip and trouble to interrogate him in this office. Oh well, the answers would do in metre, and Noah had learned how to be patient.

He turned his attention to the hard worker, staring back at him with dubiety. They weren't rejoicing at the death of their captor, fair enough. After all, Noah hadn't killed them in fiat to free the hard worker or anything like that. As far as they knew, he was about to toss off them all or just read them all and betray them himself. Each of them was a variable, possibly benefiting or dooming him. It would be best to just let them go, but he decided to get some use out them first.

The slave dealer had spoken with an accent that he had never heard before, but it was side, though they probably didn't cry it that. These slaves must also speak it."All of you, I give you permission to mouth. Do you all understand what I'm saying ?"They didn't say anything, but they nodded in the affirmatory."Are there any among you who are companion with this area ?"None of them answered.

Possessing knowledge could either hit them worthful or a indebtedness. They didn't want to expose themselves unless they knew what awaited them. Noah sighed and returned to the old man, patting him down until he found an iron key, likely going to all of their collars.

He held up the key for all the slaves to see."I need one of you to guide me to a rubber region with a source of bracing water and off the road where I won't be seen. Whoever Tennessean will get their apprehension removed and can bait in the station wagon. Once I'm brought to a suited localization, you will all will be set free."Six hard worker raised their leaping manus."You,"Noah said.

He had ***********ed a teenage girl that looked to be around his age. She was dirty and underfed, but looked healthy enough to be utile to him, and he could certainly overmaster her if she tried to betray him. It was hard to gauge her coming into court in this state. She had a sorry look permanently etched into her look, like a basset dog. If he cleaned her up, she might be a real cutie, but right now she was so bemire that he couldn't even tell her born hair color.

"What is your epithet ?"

"Tin, sir."She didn't make eye liaison. None of them did.

"Do what I say, Tin, and you'll earn your freedom. Go against me and I'll killing you."He unlocked her metal collar but left her wrists bounds."Now help me shoot care of these bodies."

Noah searched the corpses of the three slave dealer, taking everything of value. Along with their swords, he got a couple daggers, some cord, and three make-do wallets. They were snake tegument with batch of bronze coins inside, tied to their knock. It was a clever concept.

"Tin, is there any danger of risky animals in these Wood ? Anything that I should worry about ?"

"devil will surely be drawn by the odor of blood here. It would be best if we moved on now."

Noah huffed in annoyance. Great, now he had monsters to care about. This certainly was a world unlike any he had seen before. This ruined his plan of taking the corpse with him. He was sure he could find a use or two for them, as well as take their dress and anything else of value on their someone when there was to a greater extent clip. He also didn't want to leave any grounds of what he had done.

"Very well. take away the dress from the organic structure and put them in the wagon."

She wordlessly obeyed, proceeding to strip the corpses without any shred of malaise or uncomfortableness. nearly fille her age would be too nice to do anything like this. As she worked, Noah searched the wagon and found a canvas bag, smelling too sour to be used for food for thought. He soaked it with a wineskin, and while it wasn't ideal, it was good enough for him to use to put out the flame that the old man had started. He and Tin completed their tasks, leaving three naked bodies on the road and a few coal trees. Noah retrieved one of the blade, just a crummy machete, but sharp enough to get the job done. He showed no soreness in decapitating the dead body and storing the oral sex in the canvas bag.

"Drag these body into the woods, out of good deal from the route. That should satiate any creature that search this area."

There was no telling what the value of these striver traders were. If they were even slightly important to someone, their disappearance might head to an investigation. Three nude person, headless soundbox that were devoured by monster wouldn't leave any evidence. They couldn't even be identified. On the other mitt, if they were criminals, then Noah might be able to use their severed heads as confirmation of their deaths and hoard a premium. He had been in a lot of bad situations and chaotic timelines, so this mindset was a attainment he knew he could rely on and use as he needed.

Once the body were shell out with, Noah took his seat at the front end of the station waggon and Tin joined him. The two extra buck were tethered to the sides of the wagon and would follow along. Noah cracked the reins and the buck pulling the Big Dipper began moving forward.

"There is a suitable place respective miles down this road. I will show you where."

"Until we get there, I have questions that I need answered. Where am I ? What nation is this ?"

"This is the Algata Province of the body politic of Uther."

"How large is Uther ? How a great deal of the continent does it consume up ?"

Tin bowed her head."Please forgive my ignorance. I do not know the size of this country, nor what a ‘ Continent'is."The way she had reacted, was she expecting him to punish her ?

Her answer was to be expected, though. A slave educated in geography would be an unusual uncovering. It would be good if he could get his deal on a comme il faut map, though in this era, that was probably a lot to ask for. In a humans with trick and fiend, there was no telling what the planet's topography looked like, even the arrangement of the continents. He had traveled previous ground numerous multiplication, but much of his experience was now obsolete.

"Relax, I'm not going to hit you for not knowing something. Just keep answering my questions as best as you can. Uther, is it a plenteous res publica ?"

"I… don't know for sure. Perhaps there is wealth in the Das Kapital, but this is the countryside."

"Does it operate under a monarchy ? Or do they elect their leaders ?"She looked at him like he had spoken in gibberish."Does it have a power or queen ?"

"Oh, yes, sir. There is a majestic family, but I don't know anything about them."

"What do they use for currency ?"

"Metal coins, like silver and gold."

Noah retrieved one of the snakeskin coin purses and emptied it out onto the seat between them. It was about a twelve bronze coins and a few silvers. The other two could be expected to hold a alike amount.

"How much would you say this is ? Would you say it is a enceinte amount of money or not much ?"

She looked at the coins with her glum formula."I don't know. I've never handled money before."She picked up one of the Ag coins and showed it to Noah."This is what I'm worth."

‘ Well, that's a depressing thought.'“ What season is it currently ?"

"Mid spring."

That was expert for Noah. In order to get a foothold in this new earthly concern, he'd need ample metre with the chances of survival at its high-pitched. wintertime would hamper his mobility, possible actions, and make life a lot harder. Had he appeared in this creation a few months earlier, he could easily freeze to death before reaching civilization.

"You spoke before of giant. What should I be conservative of in this timber ?"

"The freehanded danger is the wolves. They travel in packs and kill whatever they see. There are also bears, large spiders that hide in tunnel, and goblins."

Giant wanderer and hobgoblin ? This public was getting more than fantastical by the second.

"Tell me about the goblins."

"They are small, only about the size of child, and maybe as smarting. They have weapons and often scupper travelers."

"The old man, what was that technique he used ? I've never seen anyone do that before."

"That was magic."

‘ thought so.'“ Tell me everything you know about magic."

"It is the blessing of the gods, letting people call down God Almighty payback upon their foe. It can create flak, control condition water, make you potent, and do all kinds of matter. There many different kinds of magic users. I've heard of some of them ; mages, hero, warriors, shaman, but I don't know much about what they can do."

"What kind was the old man ?"

"A mage, I think."

"So can anyone use it ? Or is it passed down through the descent ?"

"I don't know."

That was a problem. If it was an power passed down from parent to child, then he was screwed. His glitchy reincarnation left him with the unconstipated genes of his last parents. If magic wasn't something he could learn or acquire, life would get exponentially harder. Then there was the mentioning of idol. He had spent several lifespan searching for star sign of the existence of God, some front of divinity that might explain his existence, but he always came up short. However, in a humans where magic existed, perhaps idol might as well.

As they continued through the woods, Noah thought about the slaves walking behind the wagon. Letting them go might be a financial obligation. They knew he had killed three slave traders, they knew where he would set up camp. The slave traders mistook him for the son of a noble, so if the hard worker went into some town and started blabbing about him and what he had done, people might come after him. Perhaps it would be better to toss away of all of them ? No, the chance of him managing to kill them all would be low and that would be a lot of corpses to cope with, not to mention he didn't know if killing them would get him into hassle.

‘ To recollect my acedia would compensate for my wizen conscience…'

They were passing by a Hill with Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree blocking very much of the horizon, but all of the horses flicked their ear to it. Noah didn't miss that check mark and reached into the station waggon. When searching earlier, he found a bow and a few arrows, none of which seemed very well made. He took aim up the Alfred Hawthorne, spotting a shadow moving between the hills. It had been a long time since he had lastly used a bow. It was one of his pursuit about four or five lifetime ago. This was cipher like the modern bows he was used to handling, but when he let the arrow slip free, it shot between the trees and found its Mark. Noah didn't see what he hit, but there was a shriek of pain in the ass that he did not recognize and the sound of multiple entities running off.

"What was that ?"Tin asked.

"I assume that was one of those goblins you mentioned."This was getting dangerous."You stay here,"he told Tin. He brought the patrol wagon to a arrest and went back with his tongue and the key. He cut the hard worker'binds and unlocked their collars."You're all free to go, get out of here. But don't even remember of trying to follow—"

They ran off before he could finish his sentence. Good, that would take in him LE of a sitting duck, and they'd draw the attention of anything that might want a art object of him. He returned to the number one wood's seat and turned to Tin, holding up one of the coin purses.

"Get me to that safe spot and this is yours."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

The woodland thinned a lit, the trees spreading out far enough for the coaster wagon to go off the road and head towards the strait of running piddle. They arrived at a clearing where a small waterfall thumped on let out stone. It was isolated, just the berth Noah needed. There was even a cave behind the waterfall where he could pee-pee clique. However, they were not the simply inhabitants.

"Tin, what the underworld is that ?"he asked, looking at the wight sliding across the ground. At first, he thought it was jumbo slug, the creature about the size of a beer keg, but he then realized it was semitransparent. There were four of them.

"That is a sludge. They like moistness stead. Their undersides are like giant mouths, devouring whatever they crawl over. Their dead body are covered with a cut skin, and if you tear it, its insides pour out and change the shape of its body."

"Are they dangerous ?"

"Yes. Anything that their bottom touch will melt, same with anything you stab them with. The large they are, the faster it happens, and the faster they can move."

"How do I vote out them ?"

"You have to hit their brains."

The slimes hadn't noticed them yet, so Noah took aim with the bow at the nearest one. It was unvoiced telling the front from the rear of these things, but he spotted something floating inside, suspended, an apple-sized lump of solid tissue. He released the thunderbolt, missing the creature's mentality by several inches. It rumbled in pain and its gelatinlike inside spilled out of the wound like a runny nose. Upon contact with the air, the viscera began to set and develop a layer of cutis. It formed an extension service of itself, like a second bum, now searching for what had injured it.

‘ So, that's what she meant when she said it changed the shape of its body.'

Already, the arrow was halfway dissolved. That affair was like a giant moving venter. He would make preferred to deal care of these monsters from a space, but he didn't have enough arrow to bedevil away. It would also get dark soon, and he didn't want to try and seem for another berth.

He turned to Tin and cut her binds, then handed her one of the coin purses."You're loose. Go wherever and do whatever you want. But don't even think of taking anything from the wagon."

He got up from the wagon and approached the falls with one of the slave traders'swords in his paw. It was the regretful of the two, useful at least for experimentation. He approached the slime, already back to full phase of the moon wellness after being shot with the arrow. It didn't appear to give birth very upright vision, didn't even appear to have eyes. He picked up a stone from the creek and threw it, sending it bouncing a few feet away. It pounced on the rock with surprising speed, smothering it with its trunk and absorbing it. So, these things could jump. If it could see, it was probably short-ranged, based on movement, or more likely it could smell out vibrations in the ground.

He took another rock and threw it at the goop, this time hitting it. The rock candy ripped through its fragile skin and its guts spilled out. The blow stunned it just long enough for Noah to sprint over and cleave through its genius. As quickly as he attacked, he darted back. He had learned through numerous occasions to always expect an enemy to get back up. Plus, he wanted to debar getting sprayed with any guts.

Despite his concern, it was a clean kill. The freak, originally a nauseating yellow, turned Thomas Gray, and its peril insides began to smoke and thaw. Unfortunately, weed was also coming from his sword. This really was a foul acid. Noah wiped the blade off on the smoke and then rinsed it in the river to houseclean it. It had undergone grievous corroding. Hopefully it would finish until he killed them all.

One affair made him glad, though. When he killed the slime, telephone number didn't appear in the air, displaying experience head earned. He started having concern as soon as that first bolide was launched at him, and when Tin said it was a gunk ; he thought he had been reincarnated into some form of RPG earth. If at any detail, she used the word ‘ level ’, he would have permanently lost the ability to keep a straight face and remove anything seriously.

Anyway, back to killing.

He repeated his strategy with the other three slime. A clenched fist sized rock and roll thrown with sufficient speed and accuracy could pierce the monsters and stupefy them long enough to redeem a calamitous hit. After the third base ooze, his sword broke in half, the end completely melting off. There was one slime leftfield, but it would be tricky. It was slithering around behind the waterfall, unaware of what had happened to the others. The vibrations of the piddle would probably mask Noah's apparent motion, but he didn't want to take the chance.

He crept behind the waterfall and threw another stone, striking the slime near the mentality. Its body curled up like a biff sprinkled with salt, and Noah rushed over. This time, he thrust the broken sword straightaway in. He managed to stab the brain, but the sword slipped right into its torso. Noah pulled away before his inactivity could transmit his hand plunging into the acidulent muck, but several fall splashed him and he could experience his tegument dissolving. He thrust his hand into the waterfall and steadied his breathing as the annoyance faded. That was too penny-pinching for solace. He'd have to arrive up with another way to end those things if he encountered them again.

The orbit had been secured, now to set up summer camp. He stepped out from behind the falls, and to his surprise, he saw Tin standing by the wagon, as if waiting for him.

"What are you still doing here ? I told you, you're free."

"I… don't know what that means. I don't know how to be free."

"I gave you money. convey it to the nearest Town and buy yourself something to eat and some new apparel. Look for anyone who will hire you, hopefully offering room and board in rally. From there, start your new life."

"Is that an gild ?"

"No, it's advice. You don't have to rent order from me, I'm not your professional. I hired you to be my guide, you got your money, and our declaration is complete. Now we part ways."She continued to place upright there, looking like a puppy in the rain."You can have one of the horse cavalry. You'll be capable to get to town faster and outrun pursuers."

"So you want me to prepare for your arrival into town ?"

This girlfriend was starting to get on his cheek."You're not listening. You don't have to do anything for me. You're your own person now."

"But I'm not. I'm yours."She was almost whimpering now. fourth dimension for some punk love.

Noah retrieved his bow and an arrow and took aim at her."Leave now, or I'll kill you and use your cadaver for bait to catch my dinner."

There was a gleaming in her eyes."If I can be utilitarian as a clay, I'll do that. Please, use me as bait."

Noah sighed and lowered the bow. Were he a harsher man, that wouldn't have been a four flush. This young lady was impoverished than he would deliver liked, but her subservience made her more trustworthy than anyone he could gestate to feel in this cosmos. Maybe it would be undecomposed to possess an extra pair of hands to help him, at least until he got out of this timberland. Besides, it wasn't like this was the maiden time he had owned a striver. There were many dark timelines when he followed the prescript of ‘ when in Rome, do as the Romans.'

"fine, I'll be your victor. What skills do you have ?"

"I can reckon to one hundred, I can write some, and I can tend to livestock and make for line of business, as well as perform household task. I am also very experienced in pleasing men, so I can service you whenever you desire."She bowed her forefront as she spoke, not seeing Noah farm his eyebrows at her last sentence.

Depressing as her Word were, he wasn't one to rick down an offer for sex from someone so will. On the other bridge player, nothing about her electric current appearance stoked his libido. He was standing twenty dollar bill feet away and could reek her like it was 20 in. Sitting next to her in the black Maria had been very unpleasant. Just letting her bathe in the river wouldn't get the job done.

"Let's get pack set up and then we'll talk. You said you can tend to livestock, correct ? Then I'll leave the horses to you. Get them watered and fed and then withdraw these dead sludge. I imagine they've lost their acidity in death."

Tin obediently went to knead while Noah gathered all of the chains and choker that had been used to precede the striver. There was also stack of rope in case any of their binds broke during transport. Noah snapped the dog collar off the string and used them as mallet to fall apart the weaker links and split the chemical chain into multiple short segments. He split the rope into dilutant strands and set up a perimeter around the campground, then hung the collars and chains on it like Christmas ornaments. Any intruder that tried to enter would hit the tripwire and the jingling chains and collars would give way them away. And in case they were set off by the malarkey, the buck would be the second origin of catching. If they started acting up, then a terror was nearby.

"I'm going to go collect some firewood. If any monsters approach, just holler for me and yeet some crap at them. The olfactory sensation will take them off."He then stopped and chuckled to himself. That's right, he no longer needed to use modern slang.

Tin seemed to gist of what he was saying."Yes, Master,"she said with a bow.

Noah set out into the woods with his solely sword and a satchel the old man had been carrying. He didn't want to tramp far from pack, but he had to check out the country and make sure there weren't any imminent risk. One thing he was especially cautious of were the hulk wanderer that Tin had mentioned. She said they hid in tunnel, so he kept a come together eye on his footing, avoiding any fishy expanse that could be a possible trap. Webbing on the primer coat was a telltale sign of the zodiac, trial impression that he wasn't the only one using tripwires to detect enemies.

The first thing he did was gather pine boughs from around the site, accumulating a tumid passel that they would use for bedding and making frequent trips back to the camp. Then he gathered all of the firewood he could carry, but focused only on specific trees. This world was very different to the one he was used to, but most of the tree diagram appeared to be the same. He also filled his pockets and the satchel with medicative plant and even some edible mushrooms. In every animation, her lettered and relearned survival acquisition to keep the information branded into his nous, so even if had forgotten their names, he still recognized herb that could be utile. As he moved, he had a warm spirit that he was being watched, and he knew what was watching him, especially when he found one of their dead.

It was one of the brute Tin had mentioned, larger than any he had ever seen. His olfactory organ led him to it, the woman chaser reeking of expiry and rot. The meat was well beyond eating and its fur and bones weren't worth the effort to harvest, especially with all the maggots and rainfly, but there was something that he could definitely ready use of.

The sun was starting to set by the metre he was done, but there was still plenty he wanted to do. Luckily, dinner was already taken care of. The slave traders had packed enough food for themselves and their cargo. It was difficult loot and desiccated meat, something that Noah's spoiled taste buds would not apprize, but he'd seen enough toilsome meter to sleep with how to be grateful.

Before doing anything else, he removed his hoodie and T-shirt. He had kept them on as an added level of protection in typesetter's case anything attacked him, but the blood had hardened into a surd freshness and he was glad to be able to finally lease them off. Had he known he would reincarnate like this, he would have gone menage and just hung himself, preferably with his pocket stuffed with useful tools. He laid out his shirt and hoodie under the waterfall, directing the spray right onto the blood stains. He pinned them down with stones so that they wouldn't be washed away.

He noticed Tin watching him like a rummy feline. She had never seen muscles like his before. To subsist in the countryside, men required great persuasiveness to farm and fight and musculus mass naturally accumulated. Noah's appeared more fix, like he had focused on improving the quality of his muscles instead of just chasing after the wispy definition of strength.

"Tin, take off your clothes."

"I shall do my dear to satisfy you, Master."

"Not like that. Put that frock of yours here under the waterfall. Do the Lapplander with all the clothes you removed from those slave trader. It may be low-quality, but whether we use them or sell them, it would be best if we can at to the lowest degree remove the stink."

Tin removed her clothes, though it was more like a raggedy spud dismission with hole cut for her header and arms and a strip of textile for a belt. She was malnourished and scrawny, but he just had to polish her up a little.

With the finally of the Light, he searched the river for stones. He'd test their callosity, striking them against the back of his blade. Once he started getting sparks, he returned to the riverbank and gathered up some tinder. He ground some dry birch bark into a finely detritus and struck the rock against his sword over it. It took several attack, but some sparks landed in the dust and it went up like gasoline. From there, he built up a fire on the riverbank with all of the birch tree wood he had gathered. By the luminosity of the flames, he started digging a hole using his blade and a metal frypan he found in the wagon.

"Master, please provide me to do that instead,"Tin said.

"No, what I need you to do is start collecting Lucius Clay from the river. If you dig under the silt, you'll find it. Make a big pile of it here next to me."

The two of them continued to wreak, with Noah expanding the pit and Tin gathering the clay. Once he was done, he smoothed out the sides of the pit and then began slathering on the clay that Tin had gathered. He used the leftover Lucius Clay to induce some loving cup and bowls and put them in the fire to broil. He built a second flack, this fourth dimension putting it in the pit. It was with a softer forest. He didn't even need to see Tin's face to feel the curio within her.

"I'm making a airstream basin. No criminal offence, but you stink. But for now, let's eat."

With two fires burning, Noah and Tin dined on low-quality rations. There wasn't any conversation between them. Once he finished eating, Noah reached into his satchel and took out what looked like a giant dirt clod. In reality, it was a lump of creature fat. He had gathered it from the carcase of the dead wolf, rolled it into a ball, and packed it with a case of dirt to hold it from making a sight when he carried it. It cleaned it off and put it in the metal skillet, then set it over the fire.

"Now, while that thawing, let me see your teeth."It was a request that Tin wasn't used to hearing, but she obeyed, flashing her teeth like a snarling animal."Huh, not too bad."

Despite her pitiful lifestyle, her tooth were in good condition. She grew up in a world without processed foods, shekels, or chemicals, so despite never brushing, there was no rot that he could see. Her breathing time was pretty bad, but that was because she lacked the concept of flossing.

Noah walked over to one of the horse cavalry hitched to a Tree, nibbling on the pile of sens that Tin had gathered for it. He cut a lock of its longsighted hair, washed it in the river, and returned to the campfire, where he braided several chain into a strong thread. He made a second and turned to Tin.

"proceeds this ribbon and do as I do."He used the thread to floss his dentition, something which Tin had never seen before. The thread was midst and coarse and broke a few time, but it got the job done, and he showed her the pieces of meat from their dinner that he had gotten out.

She mirrored the action at law to the best of her abilities, and while she did that, he looked at the skillet, now with a puddle of melted fat. He gathered some white ash tree from the flack and mixed it in, as well as some water.

"Now I'm going to show you how to make soap."Last, he added a handful of ground-up true pine needles and started stirring the assortment together.

"Soap ?"

"You've never heard of it ?"

"I heard that the nobles use it. It makes them sense nice."

"It's been a farseeing time since I did this. If I had time and proper puppet, I could piddle something of a much gamy quality, but this should get the job done."He set the frying pan back on the fire so that the piddle could be boiled away."Have you gotten every tooth ?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then take a mouthful of this."From next to the ardor, there was also a cup made, of all things, tin. It was total of water brought to a simmer, with dry land charcoal and pine tree acerate leaf mixed in. He let it cool down and then handed it to her."You said you could bet, right ? Well eddy this around your back talk and start counting. Once you reach one hundred, swallow it."

She took a mouthful and handed it back to him so he could finish it off. With that taken tending of, Noah took the frypan off the fire and examined his Georgia home boy. It certainly would never sell in a grocery store stock, but it would get the job done tonight. adjacent, he turned his attention to the wash drainage area and the withered ardour. The Lucius DuBignon Clay packed onto the sides of the pit had hardened and could now retain water.

Noah carved the soap off the skillet and handed it to Tin."Here, use this to shovel as much charcoal and ash out of the watershed as you can, then clean it in the river and use it to fill the lavatory with water."

As Tin went to work, Noah started on his own undertaking. Like her, he went to river, but started collecting stones. He'd bring them back and put them in the campfire to heat up. By the time Tin had finished with her labor, the careen were all sufficiently hot, and using sticks to handle them, he moved them into the basin until it had reached the perfect bath temperature. It was still ashy from the fire, but that wasn't a problem.

The reason why he had used unlike flak for the basinful and soap was because of one of the resulting chemicals, lye. Despite being a caustic substance, it was required for making easy lay. It was collected from the ashes of hardwood, like birch. He had used a easy wood in the blast to harden the sides of the lavatory so any remnant ashes wouldn't turn the water too alkalic.

"All right, now to test it."

Noah stripped down to cope with Tin and grabbed a patch of cloth from the wagon to use as a washcloth. He got it wet in the basin, rubbed some of the scoop on it, and, satisfied with how it lathered, started wiping off the swither that had accumulated since his arrival to this world.

Tin held a man of soap in her handwriting, staring at it with wide-eyed centre."It smells… sweet !"

She mimicked Noah, using a makeshift washcloth and the grievous bodily harm to scour herself raw. She was frantic, leaving no spot untouched. The two of them cleansed their cutis, lathering themselves up and then rinsing in the river to keep back the bathing tub water clean and jerk. With the dirt removed, much was revealed to Noah. Neither of them said anything about the countless scars, bruises, and brands that covered Tin's torso. Finally, he had her lie on her spine and lowered her head into the drainage area, then scrubbed her haircloth with the soap until the bathwater turned as smuggled as ink. She sat up and rung the water supply out of her fuzz as he stood up and stretched.

"Huh, so you're a blonde. I honestly couldn't recite your natural color. You were so dirty that I wasn't sure if the drapes matched the carpet."She didn't say anything back, just crouched by the drainage basin, holding herself. Wait, she was trembling."Tin ?"

She looked up at him, and though her face was wet from the bath, he could clearly see her tears."I… I've never smelled this clean before !"

He rubbed the top of her head."I'm glad."

She reached up and grasped his paw, desperation in her middle."Master, can I please service you now ?"

A small laugh escaped Noah."My, my, what a greedy little striver you are."

He leaned down, lifted her chin, and left a soft kiss upon her lips. She shivered from that touch, gentler than any former in her animation. She took the opening, kissing him in recurrence while her tongue slipped into his oral fissure. As they swapped spittle, she reached out and began caressing his manhood, erect and throbbing. She had been eyeing it since the moment he stripped down, her mind buzzing with all of the ways she would delight him.

When Noah finally pulled his rim from hers, she knew what he wanted and was tidal bore to provide it. She leaned in, his cock disappearing into her mouth, only to reappear with a glistening layer of spittle. Tin wasn't shy in the least, she put all of her acquirement to forge. She deepthroated him to make herself gag and salivate, then would use her hands to form the rotating shaft while she slurped on his point like a lollipop. Despite her joy at being so clean and jerk just a minute ago, she was certainly making a mess, her face covered in expectoration with big foamy drops dribbling onto her breasts.

Noah rested his hand on her head and groaned."I'm glad I decided to keep you."

She released his prick, gasping for air with her eyes to the full of joy."Am I doing safe ?"

"You're magnificent, Tin."

She went back at it, this clock time with a dissimilar quarry in mind. While she jacked him off, she sucked vehemently on his gem, rolling them around in her back talk and balancing them on her tongue. She switched between her techniques with masterful attainment, giving Noah no prison term to stabilise himself. He didn't even need tell her when he was going to cum, she could tell just by his breathing and the way his musculus twitched. She swallowed his manhood like a voracious beast, her facial expression pressed to his breadbasket as he swirled around inside her throat.

Several thick blue jet were pumped directly into her venter, a salty dessert after her repast. Tin fell back, once again gasping for air."Master,"she panted,"please don't hold back. Use my body however you wish."

"You've done well in pleasing me, but has anyone ever took the time to chip in you pleasure ?"

He sat down cross-legged and pulled her across his lap like he was going to spank her. He held her by the pharynx, just a gentle grip to preserve her still, while he costless hired man slipped between her legs and reached her honeypot.

"You're so wet. To think you took so lots joy in your work."

Max Born and raised a slave, she had been abused and violated in all ways conceivable. She thought she had grown numb to it, but the feel of Noah's finger's breadth touching her most private, sensitive area, they made her chill and gasp. There was specialty in his fingers, but his movements weren't rough or clumsy. Rather, she sensed that his experience surpassed her own.

His fingers penetrated her, making her moan in a way she thought she never again could. His attack was relentless, probing every tender spot like an assassinator striking her pressing points. She was a slender girl, organic structure fat being a luxury for a striver, but her frame rippled from the trembling drumming from her ass. She could find the weight of her breasts with every drive, and the phone he was making, the auditory sensation he was forcing her body to make, the squelching of soft, wet flesh, it was like she was experiencing this all for the first meter.

The delight was beyond quarrel, she wanted it to go on forever, but her body wouldn't obey her commands. Her muscleman spasmed without pause like she was being tickled. She inadvertently tried to displume away, her soundbox wanting to protect itself from these sensations it couldn't contain, but Noah's clutches on her pharynx remained firm. This lieu, what he was doing to her, it was so strange. She felt almost like an animal, like livestock, and Noah was the Fannie Farmer, preparing her for breeding with some unusual husbandry proficiency. Ironically, that wasn't far from the truth.

She cried out, culmination rushing through her like a flash floodlight, but Noah didn't stop consonant, even as she became limp. He continued mercilessly finger-blasting her, while his other helping hand released her pharynx and he forced his fingers into her mouth. She sucked on them like they had a honey glaze. They were her lifeline, all that was keeping her conscious. The movements of her tongue and mouth, the quivering of her throat as she slurped up the flavor of his fingertips ; if she didn't piece of work with all her might, the almost barbarous assault of climax would rob her of all mentation and crush her mind.

Only when her groan finally stopped did Noah let her experience peace. He laid her on her back and leaned over her. The lewd, exhausted aspect on her face, the way she panted with rosy-cheeked cheek and swimming oculus, it was an expression he always loved to see.

"You said I could do whatever I wanted with your torso, right ? Are you going to recite me that you can't keep up with your overlord ? That you lied and you can't fulfill my desires ?"

She reached out to him, her skinny blazon coiling around his neck opening to pull him in."passkey, take me,"she begged.

By the light of the campfire, he penetrated her, just as numerous men had done before, but none of them made Tin feel like this. His lips joined hers, a passionate but mollify kiss, while in comparing, his thrust, so fast and emphatic, made her cry out to the stars overhead.

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culture

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The rising sun shining in his eyes awoke Noah from his sleep. It was not a bass sleep, due to his electric current consideration, but he at least felt rested. It was his first morning in this new world. He and Tin were lying on a pile of pine boughs, keeping them off the background and insulated, and wrapped in the canvas wagon cover, which they were using as both a tarp and a blanket. The freed hard worker was snuggled up tightly against him, both for passion, and out of heart. The term"freed slave"fit her ironically, as Noah had given her freedom, but she chose to rest his slave anyway.

As he started moving around, she slowly stirred."Master ?"she murmured.

"sentence to get up, we have work to do."

It was a chilly cockcrow, so the get-go thing Noah did was work up up a firing while Tin collected their dress from the waterfall. They had been set under the sprayer to be washed, and after a Nox under the pound water, they were clean as could be reasonably expected. They were hung up to dry around the fervour, while Noah and Tin had breakfast. lowest night, Noah had made some cups and bowls using the stiff that Tin gathered and left them in the fire to broil overnight. Now, he was using them to boil piddle and cook pine tree needle tea.

"What do you want to do, master key ? I can lead you to town if you like."

"How long would it take to get there ?"

"Another two or three days."

Noah weighed his options. This wasn't an optimal berth."No, we'll stay here for another day. We have a defendable position here, but if we return to the road, we'll be like sitting duck. While I have faith in my fighting power, I can't defend myself, you, and the knight. Let's try to improve our prospect before we set out."

"What should we do ?"

"Yesterday, while I was looking for John Rock in the dark, I think I might have seen some slimes moving about. They're usually pocket-size, right ? Not big like the one I killed yesterday ?"

Tin nodded."They're usually the size of rats."

"Perfect. beginning, what we're going to do is make a lot of lye."

"What's lye ?"

"It's the stuff in ash that I used to make that soap last night. It's a very nasty chemical substance. I'm going to start gathering Mrs. Henry Wood. I want you to bail out the bathwater from the washstand and refill it. Rain piss would be near, but river pee will give to do. Then conduct the stones and put them back in the flak. You remember what to do if something attack ?"

"cam stroke horse dung and holler for you ?"

"Right."

Noah departed, heading back into the timberland. Just like the day before, he was gathering hardwood from birch, oak, and maple trees. He moved cautiously, hearing social movement all around him. He also returned to certain area he had visited before, with prey on his brain. He came across a dapple he had just yesterday done his best to avoid. There was spider silk on the dry land, and nearby, an obvious trapdoor. Noah put a large stick on his foot and readied his bow, taking aim. He kicked the stick over by the trapdoor, and instantly a spider fit out to seize what it thought was its repast. The matter was immense, almost five animal foot in diameter.

Noah released his arrow, striking one of its eyes and leaving it screeching in pain. Before it could skirt back into its hole, he shot another pointer, this one oil production through its skull and ending its life. While it was still fresh, Noah rushed over, pulled out the second arrow, and thrust his fingers into the maw. He stirred his fingers around in the spider's mastermind, causing its legs, now curled up into a clenched fist, to start spasming. While not conversant with spider anatomy specifically, he was tickling what he hoped to be the cerebellum.

"Come on, where are you… Ah !"He found the magical smear, as the entirely eubstance convulsed and the venter started expelling silk at a unrestrained rate, like he was squeezing a tube of toothpaste. Het got to his animal foot and dragged the spider with him, laying out the silk so that it wouldn't stick to itself. He had come up with this idea on a whim and was overjoyed to see it solve. When catamenia of silk stopped, he removed his finger's breadth."That's right, ladies, I am just that good."

He then began rubbing filth into the silk like he had with the animal fat he had collected the late day, something to keep it from sticking to anything. It was in effect midst line, and strong as well. succeeding, he started gathering up the older, tenuous webbing it had used for its den. It was already dried out and had lost much of its stickiness, so it was ready to be collected.

He returned to the refugee camp, carrying the spider with him as well. He was sure he could cogitate up something to do with his corpse, maybe use it like a scarecrow to ward off hob or something. When he arrived, Tin had completed her undertaking and stared in amazement at the abruptly spider.

Noah walked over to the wagon and pulled out a lowly wooden barrel. It had originally been filled with salinity, which the hard worker traders used to preserve their nutrient, but now there wasn't much left. What remained, Noah poured into some of his Henry Clay shock. He then hung the spider to debilitate its blood into the barrel. There wasn't much, and it had begun to congeal immediately after destruction, but that just made it pasty like sirup. He swirled it around the interior of the barrel, covering every column inch, and then filled it up halfway with some of the victimized ashes from the birch rod fires yesterday. He didn't touch the ashes with his hands, and upon closing the barrel, he shook it up. Once completed, the interior of the barrel was coated with dense layer of ash.

Putting it aside, Noah began moving hot Oliver Stone from the blast and putting them into the basin, bringing the urine to a furuncle. Then, he started shoveling birch tree ashes until it filled up half the washbasin. For the next half hour, Noah would swap out Harlan Stone, making sure the water supply was always boiling. Soon a film began to conciliate on top of the weewee. It was limpid lye, rising from the ashes. Noah harvested it from the aerofoil, thrifty not to touch on it, and put it in the skillet on the fire to boil away the moisture.

"Ok, I'm going to go back and get More firewood. I want you to keep swapping out the stones so that the weewee stays boiling hot, and as the lye gathering on the open, glance over it and put it in the frying pan. Whatever you do, do not let it come to you. The waterfall and the river are keeping the air moving in one commission. You want to stay upwind so that you don't breathe in any of the fumes. You got that ?"

"Yes, Master."

And that was how they spent the intact morning and much of the afternoon. They kept burning birch rod Natalie Wood, and once the washbasin stopped producing lye, they would swap in fresh ashes and resume harvesting. Between collecting firewood and tending to the fire, Noah created more pottery with the river clay and baked it in the flak. The frypan was routinely filled with the lye intermixture, and once the water evaporated away, Noah would scrape the lye into one of his mud jars. It was the middle of the afternoon when he declared that they had collected enough.

"Now to screen it."With his knife, he collected a small bump and put it on his arm. He could feel it burning his skin like an aching sunburn. Had he taken his clock time with this, it would have been burning a crater into his pelt, but in this fount, quantity was near than quality.

"Yeah, this will do work well. You did serious,"he said, rubbing the top of Tin's head.

"Thank you, Master,"she replied with what he assumed to be a rare smile.

"Let's eat some lunch and then move on to the following step."

They moved away from the fire, sick of its oestrus, and ate by the waterfall. While chewing on tough jerky, Noah studied the horse cavalry. They weren't tied to any Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, at to the lowest degree not now, and were wandering around the bivouac, nibbling on whatever they liked. The stumble telegram was doing a good job of keeping them close, but they would probably run out of solid food by tomorrow. They'd have to move on by then.

"Master, if my may ask, how do you know how to do these things ? I've never seen anyone competitiveness like you do, at least not someone your age, and you have the attainment of an alchemist. What form of training have you done ?"

"An alchemist ? I variety of like the speech sound of that. Let's just say that I have a lot of liveliness experience. I've lived through ripe multiplication and bad. Anyway, we should act on to the future stage. I'm going to go along the river and see small slimes. I want you to find the corpses of the big ooze I killed yesterday and try to call for their skin."

Tin was obedient, not voicing any of her doubts and instead setting off to do as her master ordered. Noah retrieved the barrelful he had tinkered with earlier and filled it with H2O, then began walking through the river, searching the Banks. It was only up to his knees, and there were plenty of orotund boulder for slimes to hide by. On his hands, he wore some rough leather glove that one of the slave traders had been wearing. The gunk he found were usually about the sizing of his clenched fist, and with bully care, he'd pick them up and put them in the barrel.

The weewee in the bbl, thanks to the ash, had a raised pH grade. The goo were acidic, but their pH tier wasn't very low. The alkalinity of the pee and the ash kept them from melting through the sides of the cask. He also tossed in some food for thought to save them from starving. Hopefully they'd still be able to brook it. If they were all still alive by the succeeding morning, his plan was a success.

When he returned to the cantonment, Tin had gathered up the skins of the beat sludge from the day before.

"I'm sorry, schoolmaster, but the skins are too fragile for any kind of use."Noah put down the barrel and examined the molt skin. It was crinkled and flabby, a far cry from any form of leather, more like a serpent's shed skin.

"No, they're perfective tense, just what I wanted."He handed her one of the daggers the slave trader had carried."Here, start carving them up into square, about as long as your hand. You know how big, right ?"

She nodded and went to function. While she did that, Noah collected more long hairsbreadth from the gymnastic horse. He took the square that Tin cut up and used them to roll up diminished pile of lye, then tied them shut with the gymnastic horse tomentum. The slime skin, despite its fragility, still maintained many of its characteristics. goop were like living acid, so they had to be able to control their pH level. Their hide not only kept their guts in, it kept basic pith out, nitty-gritty like lye, making it perfect for holding it.

With their combined efforts, they were able-bodied to create just over thirty lye gang, plus another twenty filled with alkaline ashes.

"Ok, let's trial one of these out."Noah took one of the excess foursquare, filled it with ash tree, tied it off, and threw it at a nearby bowlder. The guck skin held together while being handled and thrown, but upon striking a surd surface, it burst open and sprayed its table of contents in all directions."perfect tense !"

"So we're going to shake off these things ?"Tin asked.

"That's right. This lye isn't very unattackable, so it doesn't do much to skin, but if it gets into your oculus or you breathe it in, you'll go down. All we have to do is hit our enemies in the face and they won't stand a chance. Now, I know we're both shopworn, but we still have a few time of day of daylight left. Let's work on a twain other shipway to amend our site, and tomorrow, we'll read/write head for the close town."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

They departed the side by side morning at daybreak, wanting to get an early scratch. They were traveling at a quick footstep than before, mainly because there were no longer slaves in tow. The two horses the dealer had ridden were no longer walking alongside the wagon, but were now helping to deplumate it. With the spider silk Noah had collected and Sir Henry Joseph Wood from the timber, he managed to create extra harnesses so that they were leading. The gymnastic horse moved in a stiff trot, zero compared to the cars from Noah's previous lives, but fast enough to possibly outrun an untrained man.

For Noah, this was a scene he was comrade in. He had fought in numerous wars and seen countless post-apocalyptic worlds, living through one anarchic hellscape after another. He was familiar with the need to grow heart in the backrest of his heading, to expect enemy at all fourth dimension.

"Master !"Tin exclaimed.

"Yeah, I see them."

Swarming from the face were a clique of Wolf, each one almost as large as the horses pulling the police van, but Noah had planned for this. He handed the reins to Tin who whipped the sawhorse into a wide gallop. He took out his bow and began launching arrows. about of these arrows, he had made himself. He had to festinate them, so they weren't his expert body of work, but they got the job done for short-range encounters.

The wolves dodged the pointer as they charged, but it managed to spook them into moving around back to attack from the rear. Noah climbed into the wagon and stared them down through the clear back. Changing their attack angle had momentarily slowed them down, but they'd catch up in instant and flank them. Noah tossed a bundle of ramification and greens out of the spinal column of the wagon, but they were more than they appeared. It was actually a net with thorny Bush and bristles woven in. The net was dragged behind the wagon, and the wildcat that stepped on it cried out as their paws were spiked with sharp seed pods. Those who were injured gave up the pursuit, while the rest of the multitude learned and split up to avoid the net.

Before they could leave his sentiment, Noah opened up the barrelful of slimes and began throwing them. Even if the pocket-sized beasts didn't make a straight hit, they exploded like urine balloons. The dot splashed on the wolves, who instinctively knew that sludge were to be avoided. The coterie realized that this fair game wasn't worth all of the trouble and gave up. One threat had been neutralized, giving them metre to emit, but it didn't end there.

Bears and other woods wildcat would pop up every now and then and ask to be dispatched by arrows. The tiny bolts couldn't do much damage, but the pain would induce the creature reevaluate whether or not to continue attacking. Any monsters he managed to kill, he would harvest for parts. With Tin controlling the horses, he would work in the wagon, removing skin, teeth, Hammond organ, and anything that looked valuable or useful. Every now and then, they'd even stop over so that he could collect medicinal industrial plant and mushrooms. But the more he fought, the more Noah realized how unprepared his dead body was for all this. He was sound and strong, and had lifetimes of combat experience, but his hands hadn't built up a layer of calluses that a native of these commonwealth would deliver. Every time he gripped his sword, he could feel bleb forming on his palm.

Then, in the afternoon, the succeeding challenge revealed itself. In the length, a tree lay across the road. A rider on horseback might be able to jump it, but never a wagon like this. Whether or not it had fallen naturally, Noah knew who would use this opportunity.

"Tin, lay off the wagon."They came to stanch a hundred yards from the Tree."Turn the horse cavalry around. If I die, ride back the way we came. Stay at the waterfall until soul uses this road and then traveling with them."

"Master, are you sure about this ?"she asked with her basset dog eyes.

"I've handled worse."

He got off the black Maria with his blade in hand, and on his arm, a shield made from the carapace of the spider he had killed. He was wearing one of the hard worker traders'pelage, the closest he could get to leather armor, and he also had his satchel, filled with lye packets. Rather than come on the tree, he dove into the woods. If there were any goblins in concealment, he'd flank them. As he approached the roadblock, he spotted them, hiding behind the trees. They were the size of it of children, but with sticking tummy and green pelt. Their spike and noses were pointed, their faces overall barely even humanoid. They were armed with swords and bows, likely stolen from slain traveller.

He closed in on the first one, his footfall giving him away and causing it to screech in alarm. Noah dispatched it with a swing of his sword, overpowering its attempt to parry and lopping off the top of its skull. The others, alarmed by the death of their comrade, turned their attention to Noah and attacked. They launched their arrow, albeit with shoddy aim, but it forced Noah to circumvent for blanket. He pulled out one of his lye packs, focused on a goblin with a bow, and threw it like a baseball. The small-scale gang nailed it between the oculus and exploded. The goblin took an natural breath in, and then immediately screamed in agony. Not only were its fistula and lungs filled with lye, but it had gotten into his eyes, leaving it blinded.

The way it shrieked was nix lupus erythematosus than unnerving. It was like a baby shout, it racked the judgment and made even Noah squeamish. The goblins, hearing those screech, became frightened. This was a cruel world, and living in the woods, every day was a bloody fight for survival. But none of them had suffered or seen someone suffer a form wound and lay down that form of noise.

Noah gave them no fourth dimension to gather their courage. He dealt with the other goblin archers the same way, leaving them howling in agony. With their long-range attacks neutralized, he closed in. The remaining goblins tried to put up a fight, but he slaughtered them with gruesome taxicab and knife thrust. His spider shield fractured whenever he blocked a vacillation, but it held together long enough to obliterate them all. These hobgoblin probably ambushed their prey, catching them by surprise to take a crap up for their weak organic structure, but once they lost that advantage, they were well-situated to toss of.

He was closing in on the last one, slightly larger than the others and armed with a club. It growled and made a all-inclusive swing. Noah didn't try to stop and stepped back out of the monster's stretch, then swung down his brand and cleaved the hob's heading afford. To his irritation, roue splattered across his boldness and got into his eye. He rubbed it out until he could see, then nearly staggered, hit with a sudden fatigue.

"What the fuck ? That competitiveness must have taken more out of me than I thought."He pushed through the sudden weight and returned to the route. It was exhausting study, but he moved the Tree out of the way."Tin, come on through !"

The police wagon approached and stopped where the Tree had lain, but there was a look of confusedness on Tin's nerve."Master, where are you ?"

"What are you talking about ? I'm right here."

mental confusion turned to reverence, Tin beginning to panic."original, I can't see you anywhere !"

Noah couldn't understand. He was standing right in front of the gymnastic horse. He walked over and grabbed her arm."Tin, I'm standing right beside you."

Touching her just made her yelp in surprise."I still can't see you ! What's going on ?"

That's what he would care to sleep with. Was something affecting her sight ? Maybe she had been hit with some kind of goblin attack, or it was an illness, either a disease or some kind of toxicant from something in the timberland.

"Tin, look around. How is your visual sensation ?"

"It's fine, I can see everything clearly ! But I can't see you !"Was he the problem ? He could see himself just fine. imprecate it, his eye was still itching from the bloodline. He rubbed it with his palm and Tin gave another yip of surprise."Master, you're back !"

"I was here all this ti—"He stopped, noticing something. His fatigue was gone. It had disappeared just as suddenly as it showed up. The utmost sentence he felt it was when he first woke up in this world. His eye… It had been itching as well. He rubbed left eye again, and Tin once again freaked out."Tin, can you see me ?"

"No, it's like you vanished into thin air !"

That tiredness, he was feeling it again. He stepped back and began kicking around leaves and scandal."Can you see this ?"

"See what ?"

well, that answered that question. For some reason, the fatigue seemed to deepen when he did that. He rubbed his eye again, and from the tone on Tin's human face, she appeared to be able to see him again."What happened to the road ?"she asked."It just suddenly changed when you reappeared."

Noah put his deal over his eye again, not rubbing it, but just covering it. He repeated the experiment, making a mess of the road."Can you see any divergence in the road ?"

"No."He covered his eye once more, and she nodded her head."Yes, now I see."

"So when I disappear, you can't see what I do to the route, but when I reappear it suddenly changes, right ?"

"Yeah, sort of like flipping a page. Master… I think you're using magic !"

"Magic ? No, that doesn't make sentience. My parents were normal, I haven't even studied any form of magic."

"That's the only matter it can be. But I've never heard of magic that could puddle citizenry disappear like that."

"I'm not disappearing, I think I'm becoming unseeable. It's… an illusion. I'm creating an legerdemain that makes me invisible… and when I alter something around me, it expands the illusion to hide the change I've made until I release it."He covered his eye and felt the fatigue duty, then, covered it once more and it stopped."Covering my eye is the trigger that activates it."

He then remembered his last moments with Lindsey. He had covered his left eye because the sun was blinding him, and he woke up in this world in that same stead. His glitchy rebirth, it hadn't just preserved his soundbox at this age, it gave him some kind of conjuration. Maybe it was the magic itself that caused the error, the magic present in this new world.

"Tin, do they have any variety of word for the Energy used for magic trick ? I feel like something is draining out of me when I use it."

"They call it mana."

‘ You have got to be kidding me.'“ Let's see what happens when I cover my other eye."

The moment he attempted it, he fell to his knee joint, almost blacking out."master copy !"Tin exclaimed. She climbed down and helped him to his feet.

"So, you can see me. That means I didn't bit invisible. But something clearly happened, or at least, tried to happen. I have a different spell in each eye, but not enough mana to use the indorsement one. It must be like a muscularity. I have to train it to increase my toughness.

Anyway, let's get out of here before the scent of those goblins attracts wolves."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

The next day, while Tin took town the tripwires set around their makeshift bivouac, Noah was busy experimenting with his deception. He had come across a giant spider, draining the blood from a captured cony. As he approached, Noah covered his eye and cast his conjuring trick. His human foot on the underwood, it should have given him away, but the wanderer didn't seem to notice. He decided to make more noise, picking up a joystick and snapping it, but still, the spider didn't seem to find.

"Over here."

Finally, the spider spun around, its melanize eyes searching for the source of the interference. It seemed that his illusion also concealed sounds, but not his part. Maybe because he intended for his vocalization to be heard ? He had been casting his enchantment on and off since he discovered it, to try and get a better smell of his mana. He couldn't properly stress himself since he needed to lay aside his strength for when he needed it, but he was starting to feel the flow.

He drew his brand, a new one. After the fight with the goblins, he had taken their weapons, and despite being slightly rusty due to inadequate care, they were eminent timbre than the chintzy machete that Noah had been using until now. He now carried a Medieval-style longsword, a short sword, and his knife. He came up with transcription with mentation of ancient samurai, who carried a katana, a wakizashi, and a tanto dagger.

He reached out with his longsword and used it to rustle a nearby George Herbert Walker Bush. The wanderer didn't see or hear anything. Noah could feel it, his mana flowing through his brand towards the scrub, enveloping it in the illusion. He focused on the get-up-and-go running through his arm and tried to slow the flow, to proceed it from moving beyond his sword. It was exceedingly hard, like trying to flex a musculus he had never used before. It reminded of him of all the days he spent as a neonate, when his muscle tissue was just slightly tougher than gelatin. He tempered his breathing, driving out all distractions from his nous, and soon, he could feel the flow of his mana, like he had grabbed a hold of it.

He pulled it back, leaving the blade enveloped, but this time, when he rustled the George H.W. Bush, the spider raised his front end wooden leg and bared its Fang, believing an animal to be causing the disturbance. Noah slowly approached and tapped one of the wanderer's raised leg with his sword. It hissed in furiousness and swung at something it could not see. The illusion could block strait from reaching his opposition, but it couldn't erase the gumption of touch, so he couldn't just turn invisible and knife someone without them feeling it.

There was something else he noticed. When he was invisible, he could sense the mana in others. Tin had very little, likely a foretoken that she had no affinity for magic, probably a reason why she ended up a slave. The freak had even less, but not all of them. Lone wolves without packs and many spider, they seemed to be shrouded in mana. He didn't get the depression that they could use charming, more like it clung to them, like an odour. What made them so especial ?

This was just another question that Noah chalked up to something he'd learn later. For now, he should just continue utilizing his magic to its full potential. The spider had its sentry go raised, but couldn't sense the bearing of anyone or anything nearby, so it could do aught to halt Noah from ending its lifespan. He harvested what he needed from the trunk and then returned to camp.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

It was a sweet relief to Noah and Tin when they finally left the woods. After two Day of repeated ambush by predators and goblin, the sea of trees that flanked them on either side were replaced with open pastures, fields where farmers and their slaves were planting harvest. The route became more uniform, receiving more criminal maintenance due to the growth in dealings. In the space, they saw the town, Baron Clive of Plassey, as Tin called it. It was surrounded by a log fence to keep open the monsters out. It reminded him of the colonial village museum from his fifth-grade field trip. The creek from their falls ingroup joined into the river that flowed beside the town.

Guards in trashy leather armor with a few alloy plates were manning the gate, and they stopped Noah and Tin as they approached. One of them looked over the horses and the wagon with a wary eye.

"These belong to Garrow and his men. How did you issue forth by them ?"

"Were you close with Garrow ?"

"No."

Noah slipped the man a few bronze coins, while hoping that they were actually worth something that he wasn't trying to bribe him with pocket change."Then I suppose you're mistaken, right ?"

Seeming satisfied, the guard pocketed the money and then waved them in and Noah and Tin entered the townsfolk. For Noah, it was like he had traveled back in fourth dimension to Medieval Europe. Goth walked the muddy road, street vendors tried to sell their product, and the air stank beyond all de***********ion. The buildings were brick and wood, only a few of them more than two stories, with their Windows using foggy glass.

"What do we do now ?"Tin asked.

"We're going to sell this wagon, everything in it, and the horses. That sentry go recognized them, so others may as well. Plus, I can protect a stack of coins better than this lading of pelts. We can just buy alternate if we need them."They rode past a mendicant fabrication in the street and Noah brought the horses to a plosive consonant."You there, where can I notice a weapon dealer ?"

The bearded man pointed a palpitation finger to the eastern United States. Noah didn't thank him, but tossed him a copper coin. They turned down one of the eastern streets and a polarity caught Noah's eye. It had an anvil with two queer brand in front of it like a crest. They stopped the wagon outside and Noah disembarked.

"look after the wagon. This place is probably crawling with thieves, so be wary."

She was armed with a dagger and he had faith in her competency. He stepped into the memory board, with a buzzer ringing above his head from the door hatchway and closing. This store was made of brick in order to fall the fire danger due to the forge in stake. Numerous weapons were put on display, from steel to halberds. Back in his previous life sentence, Noah could have bought a Damascus sword online for $ 60 that would put these to shame, but these would suffice.

He also paid attending to the prices in order to figure out the rate of changeover for money. The numbers were drawn a bit differently from past worlds, but they appeared to have the same values. From what he could secern, ten copper coins equaled a bronze, ten bronze equaled a Ag, and ten silver grey for a amber. The metric unit scaling made it comfortable for Noah to compare them to US dollars, but from what era ? There was a courting of armor selling for two gold coins, about two thousand dollar. But was that two thousand dollar bill back in the Old West ? Or was that two thousand buck in the 21st century, after more than a hundred years of inflation ? He couldn't even tell whether the cost were upright or not. This was either all great equipment at a high-pitched price or drivel sold to beginners and cheapskate, or even just detritus the owner was asking the moon for to try and rip Noah off.

A man appeared from a backrest way and stood behind a riposte. He was a great bear of a man, caramel brown and dirty from a life spent standing over an anvil. Seeing Noah's forward-looking apparel, disquiet crossed his aspect."Can I help oneself you ?"

"Do you buy artillery as well as betray them ?"

"Only as long as they incorporate metal. I don't buy bows or staffs."

"Perfect."Noah returned to the wagon outside and retrieved an armful of weapons looted from dead goblins. He stepped back deep down and laid them out on the entrepot sideboard."What can I get for all of these ?"

There were four unretentive brand, two longswords, six daggers, three spears, and an axe. The blacksmith raised his eyebrows in mild surprise at the size of the haul, but otherwise maintained a stove poker face for the sake of business. He examined each weapon, making amplify grunt and sighs over every chip and signaling of rust.

"This is mostly food waste. I can buy them for one silver."

"That's a bad gag. That's less than a bronze coin per arm. You're selling daggers for three bronze each. seven silver."Judging by the prices of the display pieces, that was more than the blacksmith could sell them for, and while he would have liked to go higher, the blacksmith was really low-balling him.

"That's ridiculous. My merchandise hasn't been dragged through the woods. Yours has. I'll have to expend all night polishing and sharpening these to make them worthy of being put on display. Two silver."

"parting them as is and then chalk down the Leontyne Price. You can sell them to some newbie warriors as training gear. Six silver."

"I can't get along anywhere near that. The outdo I can do is two silver and five bronze."

"You can always just forge them into something new and sell at a higher price. Four silver."

"You think you're the only one selling weapons by the arm-load ? batch of adventurers come in here to ditch what they found in some goblin burrow. Scavenged swords are hardly rare on the grocery store. Two flatware and seven bronze. That's like final offer."

‘ So, ‘ explorer'is a full term used here. It probably applies to monster hunter and the like.'“ How about this : my axe, plus two sticker, in telephone exchange for that nicer axe up on the rampart ? Everything else, you buy at half for what you're selling their counterparts for. That's ten bronze for the short blade, another ten for the foresightful blade, four and half bronze for the daggers, and another four and half for the spears. That's right around three silver."

The blacksmith gave a huff. Three flatware, such a rhythm, totally phone number. It was five bronze above what he could get if he sold the weapons for half price, but his inner-perfectionist didn't want to complicate it with a smaller requital. Had Noah planned that from the beginning ? Either way, he felt like he was stuck on those three silver coins like a ship hitting a reef.

"Fine, three silver."

"Deal."He and Noah shook hands and Noah received the three coins and the axe."I also have another matter outside that you might be interest in. Follow me."He led the blacksmith out into the street and showed him the tripwire bun in the back of the wagon.

"What is it ?"

"A tripwire system, offering a hundred yards of aegis. Any ogre that touches it makes the metal alarms doggerel. It's so loud that even the suddenly can hear it. I'll trade it for three bronze and the small carapace you had in the corner. It's got to be Charles Frederick Worth that in fabric alone."

"fine, but only to get rid of you. You're exhausting."

The bargain was struck and Noah and Tin set off with a much lighter beach waggon. The axe Noah had gotten was a boastfully one, perfective for chopping both Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and giant. The shield he now wore on his arm was only around the size of a dinner photographic plate, but that worked for him. It was strong enough to block a slash from a sword and it wouldn't hamper his crusade. The tripwire was a bit dreadful to turn a loss, but once they sold the estate car, they would have ended up carrying it with them.

With directions from many of the townspeople, they sold and traded their product. The blacksmith wouldn't buy the bows, but Noah found another artillery dealer who allowed him to trade up to a much skillful piece and a quiver of good-quality pointer. After that, the medicinal herbs and mushrooms were bought by an herbalist, the Friedrich August Wolf fur went to a leatherworker in exchange for some armor and a strong backpack, and the clothes and bags were traded at the garment workshop for some new outfit and a second backpack. Due to the Weird looks he was getting, Noah was cognisant that his modern clothes made him stand out. They were too worthful to get rid of or deal, so he simply packed them away and donned the apparel of the countryside.

He ditched the severed pass of the hard worker traders into someone's pig pen and the hogs went to town. From asking around, it seemed that the Garrow gent he killed wasn't the wanted criminal he had hoped for. It was a shame there was no bounty to collect, especially after three days of putting up with the smell of those heads.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

The owner of an explorer's shop yelped in pain from the lye touching his skin. He sold traveling and survival geartrain, such as rope, candles, dried rations, and other curios to avail traveler survive the brute dwelling international man's domain of a function. Now he was buying the last of Noah's catch, including the corpse of various spider and the barrelful of slimes. A test had been necessary to win over him of the lye's ability.

"So ? What do you recollect ? Seven bronze and everything's yours."

"I can do five bronze, but only because you actually have living gook. I've never seen them captured like this !"

"No, no, I can't do five…"Noah pretended to be lost in thought."Do you sell maps ?"

"We do."

"I want two maps, one of the country and one of the arena. Throw those in and I can go down to five."

"For two mapping added, the best I can do is three and a one-half bronze."

"foursome bronze and you won't have to distribute with me for the residual of the day."

"Deal."

With that, Tin and Noah left, having sold everything they deemed not Worth carrying. The wagon and cavalry had already been exchanged for some endearing gold coins, so now they lived carrying everything they owned. Tin was in a dear humor, now wearing proper clothes and footgear. She looked naught like the hard worker girlfriend that Noah had met when he first came to this universe. One might look at her and not even think she was a slave.

The sun had almost set, but they made their way to their final stop, an inn known as the Old Wineskin. It was busy inside, the air stinking of pipage hummer, ale, and misfortunate hygiene, and the floor creaking under unnumbered brace of shifting boots. The hostess, a with child woman looking like she birthed child by the bedding, greeted them at the door from behind a straw man desk.

"Are you here to eat or to sleep ?"she asked.

"Both. What are your charge per unit ?"

"Five copper coins a Night for one room. For ten, you also get firewood, a hot bathtub, and two square repast a day for one person."

Noah counted up the coins for him and Tin and stacked them on the table."We'll take the wide package for three nights."

The womanhood handed him an atomic number 26 key."Take a seat in the dining room wherever you like and I'll bring you the house special."

Noah led Tin through the crowd of bibulous villagers, both of them on the sentinel for pickpockets. Every man in the bar looked either like a Viking or the form of guy that Vikings typically killed, all of their clothes made of either woolen, linen, or beast fell. Any cleaning lady were either traveler huddled together, or concubine sitting across the laps of their drunk guest and laughing at every bad joke as they waited for the alcohol to take its toll.

Noah and Tin found a small board near the fireplace and took their seats with Noah warning Tin to put her bag directly under the table.

"This Ithiel Town is just as I expected,"he said.

"Is something ill-timed, headmaster ?"

"No, everything is fine. I rather like the standard atmosphere here, the feeling of it."

He had seen plenty of township that been knocked out of the modern age in his former lives, usually due to some kind of apocalyptical upshot or because it was in a third-world area, but none of them had the Medieval European Community aura like in phantasy books and movies. For all of his lifespan experience, this was something he was gladiola to finally be able to hybridise off his list.

"So we're going to ride out here for three days ? Then what ?"

"I'm not sure enough yet. I don't have enough information. I want to know more about this rural area, about the early nation. I want to see what I can cause of myself and what will ease up me the best opportunity of natural selection. But for now, I want to rest up for a few days and learn what I can about the area."

He took out the mapping he had bought and looked them over. Their quality was just as he expected from a Medieval society. The map of the Algata province showed the township around Clive, as well as faint rivers and mass, but there was no scale for referencing distance and none of the roads were labeled. The national map was no better, but it did name the self-aggrandizing townsfolk and the upper-case letter of Uther near the southern sea-coast. It was gruelling to determine the sizing of the country, but it was probably somewhere between England and Texas.

right hand now, what he needed to work on was a backstory. True, this was not a nation with an educated public, but Noah was still unknowledgeable of the refinement and lifestyle, something that would require twelvemonth to enchant up on. If he claimed to be from somewhere but failed to answer a question that any aboriginal would know, it would cause him await suspect. In his past lives, his backstory would bring forth itself, just like everyone else, and as an adult, when he needed an false name, he could easily craft a new one using his knowledge of the world. He had been forced to veil in early countries and take on new identities in past aliveness, but this was a completely new ballgame.

The air hostess arrived with wooden trays and beer soft touch. The menage special was a bowl of meat and veg stew and a biscuit, with a pint of the local anaesthetic ale to wash it down with. Noah didn't even want to imagine how a health inspector would respond to seeing the kitchen and how the food was prepared, but after three days of nix but rock-hard lettuce and dried essence that was little more than than salted leather, he ate greedily.

Tin, however, stared at her food."Master, is it really ok for me to eat this ? I need only refuse to hold out. skipper doesn't need to be so generous in buying me such rattling food."

"You've done everything I've told you to do and have yet to disappoint me. You deserve to eat proper meal. Besides, I need you firm and healthy so you can persist in to attend to me."

She bowed her forefront with her shoulders trembling."Thank you, Master."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

The room they were renting was awfully perfect, just a bed with some itchy mantle and a fireplace. There was also a tabular array with a lone candle and a ewer of H2O. Firewood had already been delivered. As Tin lit the candle, Noah began moving around the way, knocking on the walls, trading floor, and roof, searching for any hidden doorway or peephole. For all he knew, there could be hoi polloi watching them, waiting for them to fall asleep and then rob them, or worse. He once made the mistake of spending the night in a hinterland motel that was run by a serial killer. The matted tire within walking length should have got warned him, but he refused to believe the cliché.

"You get a fire started while I look around. Don't open the bagful or reveal any of your holding until I get back, and move the bed against the door."

He was for certain for the virtually part that no one was listening or watching them at the moment, but that might be temporary. He wanted to chequer the inn itself. But on the off fortune that soul was managing to nullify his detection, he didn't want to activate his conjuring trick. He left the way and locked the door behind him. There were rooms on either incline and across the lobby, but they would follow later. He went downstairs, maneuvering through the gang and stepping outside into the non-white street. The townsfolk was clearing out, everyone heading home or to whatever maculation they slept on.

Noah walked down the street, and as planned, he sensed a posterior behind him. He stepped behind the nearby butcher store and laid in wait. His pursuer, knife in hand, entered the alley. He never even saw Noah, certainly didn't see his hand aiming for his hug drug's orchard apple tree. A satisfying coke ripped the air from the man's lungs and sent him to his knees, unable to even scream in agony. He dropped his tongue and Noah got him into a throttlehold, lifting him back onto his feet.

"You weren't following me before we reached the inn, I certainly would receive noticed you, so that means you didn't see me with Garrow's paddy wagon and horses. Either individual who did see me put you up to this, or you're just going after me because I look like an well-situated mark. So, which is it ?"

"Eat diddly-squat, you damn kid !"the man gargled. He tried to relieve himself from the choke hold, but Noah just tightened his bobby pin. He couldn't see anything, no matter where he looked.

Noah took out his knife and held it under the man's eye. The blade was unseeable like Noah, but the man could feel the leaf blade threatening to thrust the skin of his low-spirited lid."If you want to save yourself, go talking. I can score you beg for your life and then beg for death in a subject of seconds."

"This is just what I do, punk ! I wait for spell of trash playing adventurer to prepare a wrong turn and then I take everything that they have !"

"Is there anyone else or do you do work alone ? You really don't want to lie to me."

"I don't need help."

Noah put his knife away."Clearly, you do."For the abbreviated moment, the man felt Noah's hold on him loose, thinking he was going to be let go. Instead, Noah grabbed his head and snapped his neck.

Noah searched the corpse for anything of note value and dumped it in the river beside the village. He then returned to the inn and searched the exterior. He had measured the length from the windowpane to the quoin of his way, and, assuming that all the rooms were the same size of it and same configuration, there didn't appear to be any untrue wall that somebody could hide out in.

With his illusion still active, he went inside the inn and maneuvered through the crowds, this time putting all of his effort into not bumping up against anyone. He checked the thickness of the flooring and ceiling of each horizontal surface and found no unusual person. His mana was starting to run out, so he had to hurry with the last step. He returned to the level of his room and listened to the surrounding doors.

Behind the threshold across the hall, he could hear two female adventurer talking, making plans for the following day. In the room to the left of his, he could hear a man sharpening his sword. The elbow room to the rightfield was silent. From his pocket, Noah drew a length of wire. It was originally piece of the handgrip of one of the steel he had sold, but he took it before taking it out of the wagon. Lockpicking had been a acquisition of his several lifespan ago, so he was a fiddling rusty. Regardless, he managed to open the room access and peeked in, seeing the one denizen sleeping.

Noah ended his search. He now felt like he could truly loose. He returned to the door of his room."Tin, it's me,"he said while knocking.

He could find out the bed, used as a barricade, being moved aside, and Tin opened the door."Is everything ok ?"

"Yeah, I think we're safe."

They both stepped into the room and released their have got breaths upon the door end. Finally, they could let down their sentry go, at least for the most part.

"Ok, let's go over the money we collected."

On the table with the lone taper, he spread out the coins from their gross revenue. There was a capital routine of silver coins, muckle of bronze, and several copper, as well as some gold."With all of this, we can stay at this inn for as long as we want. But for now, let's work on keeping it safe."

The copper coins would be kept in two of the three snake wallets, as sweetener or a decoy against pickpocket. The thirdly wallet held the bronze coins and hung around Tin's neck. As the for the silver and gold coins, Tin worked with Noah beside the fire to obliterate them in his clothes and self-control, such as the lining of his jacket and the straps of his backpack.

Soon after they were done, there was a whang at the door."Here with your bathwater !"a chambermaid announced.

Noah let her in and she placed a wooden tub on the trading floor, filled with steaming piss and some rag week. In this universe, it seemed like outside of swimming, the only way to keep even remotely clean was with a simple wash fabric. Noah tipped her and she departed.

"Good, I've needed this,"he said.

As he and Tin stripped down, she approached him."master key, please let me wash you."

"What ? You didn't do that before."

There was a desperate play in her eyes."Something which I beg your forgiveness for. I must evidence my gratitude for your kindness."

"You don't owe me anything for treating you like a person."

She embraced him from behind."It is my tariff to serve my passe-partout. Please, allow me to preserve not disappointing you."

"I never said you couldn't do it. I appreciate your efforts."

She made a pocket-size disturbance of rest, almost like a interbreeding between a laugh and a pant."Please shoot a seat."

Noah sat on the substructure of the bed and Tin retrieved some of their remnant scoop, then brought to tub following him. She kneeled before him and wetted the front of her soundbox with one of the rag, then with the soap, lathering up her white meat and between her thighs. He could tell she was excited. Despite her perpetually expressionless face, he could see the minuscule curling of her lips, the shimmer in her eyes, signs of joy. It was an ironic combination ; she, having never known pleasure from contact with a man, and he, so blunt that contact with a woman was one of the last few things that could grant him pleasure.

She began by taking one of the washcloths and scrubbing Noah's leg, trying to dispatch the sweat and dirt from their days in the woods. Then, her breathing would deepen, and she'd start rubbing her chest up against him, grinding against him like a stripper pole. Her bosom were far from copious, due to her harsh life story and poor people dieting, but what softness there was, she used to please Noah. She made sure he felt every cubic centimeter of fat, as if the mass of her white meat equaled her dedication.

She washed off the goop and then got on the bed to repeat the operation on his arms. Her efforts gave him an amused smile. With her inner thighs nice and sudsy, she'd straddle his hands, letting him cup her fair sex in his palm and feel how wet she was. She was beginning to pant and whimper, her luxuria building up in her. Her frenzied breathing place in his ears was likewise getting him worked up. He had a few ex-girlfriends that would grant him this treatment.

"Tell me, have you done this before or is this an theme you came up for me ?"

"This is new. I've never felt so much gratitude to my master before."

She moved behind him and scrubbed his backbone, then began smooshing her breasts against him in sweeping motions. It reminded him of washing windows. While she grinded on his spinal column, she washed his chest and her helping hand naturally fell to his throbbing humanity. She stroked it lovingly, as if wanting to learn every contingent. She started rubbing against him with more forcefulness and jacking him off. Despite Noah being on the receiving end, Tin's campaign were making her breathe heavily with an emotional whimper passing her lip. The feel of her breasts on his rachis and her masterful stroking were also getting to Noah. Even with all of his intimate experience, he always enjoyed a little foreplay.

He didn't bother trying to defy and simply ejaculated, while behind him, Tin shuddered as if having a flood tide of her own. She greedily licked his cum off her hands and then got off the bed, kneeling before him once again. Her gaze, wide-cut of drunken lust, was glued to his semi-flaccid manhood in the aftermath of its eruption.

"Master, you're so dirty. Let me strip you."

She began sucking on his penis with worshipful inscription. Every driblet of cum, she slurped off while savoring the appreciation of his travail. Like the other Nox, she paid attention to his balls, either massaging them while his cock plunged into the depth of her throat, or sucking on them and rolling them around her rima oris while she jacked him off.

"My, my, you sure do savor servicing me, don't you ?"

She looked up at him, a knuckle down both to him and to her desires."Yes, Master. My dead body look so much gratitude for you."She couldn't resist, she started playing with herself."Especially down here."

She stood up and he allowed her to get on his lap, shuddering in walking on air as she felt him insert her. She was so wet, his cock sliding against her intimate soma without any resistance. There was no hesitation in any of Tin's trend, she didn't need to adjust her position or let her body get habituate to the spirit of being penetrated. As soon as she was down to the base, she began bouncing on his cock at full speed.

Noah laid back with his deal gripping her ass. The elbow grease she was putting in was laudably, she was fucking him like a pornstar. Her moans of walking on air, she didn't bother trying to conceal them. She let her part ring out, escaping their room and being heard by everyone in the inn. She cried out like she was being stabbed, but to her, it felt like Noah was going no less deep. She was putting all of her strength into keeping up this rhythm, dropping all her weight onto Noah's lap so that he could truly explore her body. She couldn't allow him to exert himself. There were no fields to shape, no stock to ask tending of. She couldn't fight, couldn't Holman Hunt, couldn't do anything to pay back her master for the forgivingness he had shown her. All she could do was propose her body for his delectation, to give him something to let loose his desires on.

But her strength was fading fast. Despite her efforts, Noah wasn't giving in. In fact, he decided to fight back. He retrieved one of the damp washcloths and wiped the scoop off her bosom, making her mamilla become upright. He then sat up and began running his tongue and mouth across her cutis, kissing her areolas and sucking on their summit. He often pulled his mouth away to link up with hers, kissing her with acquisition she could only telephone art. instead than letting her continue bouncing, he implemented his own technique. Cupping her nasty ass in his bridge player, he began gyrating her hips in one direction while he moved in the opposite focussing. Now, instead of doing long, deep throw, his cock was stirring up the profundity of her womanhood like he was whisking some scrambled eggs.

The two-fold attacks, they were More than Tin could comport."Master ! Ah ! Master !"she moaned.

She held onto his articulatio humeri as a wafture of climaxes rushed through her, soaking Noah's lap in her arousal. Noah fell back, this fourth dimension while pulling Tin down with him. Tin, lying across his dresser, was given no prison term to rest. He lifted her hips up and began bucking his own, driving up into her at maximum stop number and astuteness. His Assault on her, there was no cruelty to it, but it was so strong that Tin wondered if she had done something to enrage him. She felt no pain, but if any other man tried to do this, she would be suffering beyond words. It was his skill and experience, she could feel it with every move he made. He knew exactly what to do to not cause any harm, despite the intensity itself leaving her on the verge of blacking out.

"Master, it feels too good ! You're going to break me !"

"Hold on, I'm almost there."

She held onto him for dear life, as if a twister had ripped off the cap of the inn and was threatening to pull her up into the sky. Soon, the storm passed, and Tin felt that final thrust and Noah emptying himself into her. The sense datum of her master's seed flooding her womanhood, the heat of it inside her, it made her groan a single crystal-clear eminence, like a bird telephone call. Then, she collapsed on top of him, using the last of her effectiveness to run kiss across his thorax.

"overlord, when you wanted to bonk the area and me and some other striver raised out hands… thank you for choosing me."Noah didn't say anything. He knew that this was a situation that one couldn't simply react with ‘ you're welcome ’. Yet after so many lifetime, he still didn't know what the proper response was."And at the waterfall… thank you for letting me appease by your side."

Then, she closed her eyes and fell asleep, snuggled on his chest like a cat.

.

.

.

staying power

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.

.

The morning of the next day found Noah roaming the settlement. Before he made any decisions, he wanted to know what this township had to tender, what endeavors it could support. According to the mapping he bought, Robert Clive was far away from the Carry Nation's capital, out in the boondocks, but it appeared to take a strong economy, with many profession one might not expect in such a rough area, like a gold and silversmiths. In fact, it seemed to thrive on tourism, but no one would ever come out here on vacation. It was because of the cancel resources.

So far, Clive had some farm land and a river for food for thought, as well as the immense forest for lumber, but its top commodity was monsters. As Noah explored the town, he saw numerous adventurer buying food and supplies before going off to hunt and accumulate. In the other 17th century, the fur trade exploded in Europe, sending countless men out into the wilderness of Siberia and the Americas to determine their chance. Here, the principal was the same. fur were in demand in the big city, but most of the ogre had been wiped out around the more populated areas, so adventurer spread out to the countryside to hunt and sell their catch, and where there is an exploitable imagination, you can find capitalists looking for people with money burning a hole in their pockets.

His search brought him to the local chemist, where numerous pots and jars adorned the wall on shelves while different plant were hung to dry overhead. He recognized several plants, but many were new to him. An old woman ran the shop class, watching Noah like a war hawk through the Mary Jane coming from her tube. It filled the air, along with several different form of incense. No sunshine was allowed in, so as to save the plants and potions on showing.

"Anything I can facilitate you witness ?"

"Do you have potions to help oneself restore mana ?"

"Yes. I sell them in three qualities at a price of five, ten, and twenty bronze coins, but you have to buy the bottleful as well if you don't have any of your own. calculate to the ledge behind you, the profane potions."

He examined the vials, three cork bottleful with dreary liquidity, each one a dissimilar shade. There was no telling how useful they were. He didn't get it on how a great deal mana they could fill again, compared to the amount of mana he had within him. And the people of colour subtlety, was that because of the presence of a specific ingredient that increased its dominance ? Or were they just watered down ?

"What about health ?"

"The red single, above them, and we also sell bandage. However, those are only for showing my merchandise. Simply tell apart me what you want and my granddaughter will retrieve it from the back room."

These potions, how did they work ? They were clearly some kind of plant-based concoction, but could there be magic involved ? The estimation of learning how to create potions appealed to him, but if it required a special kind of magic, then that design wouldn't go anywhere.

"I'll take one of each type, both mana and wellness. I'll buy the bottles."

The charwoman relayed the parliamentary law to someone in the back room without ever taking her center off Noah. A vernal girl appeared behind the riposte, carrying a tray of six blue and red potions. Noah paid and stowed them away in his bag.

"You know, if you have trouble collecting the ingredients, I could help in exchange for a discount."

The woman cracked a grinning, seeing right through him."How skillful of you to volunteer ! But my son does excellent work."

‘ So, she doesn't even require me to hump the ingredients. Oh well, I have ways of finding out.'

He left the apothecary and breathed the fresh break of the day air. The sun had broken unloosen of the view, and while it was still early, the town of Clive was now fully bustling. He returned to the inn, where Tin was waiting in their room.

"I got the potions."

"Master, you shouldn't bother yourself with such job. It is my duty to run your errands."

She was getting clingier, he had been noticing it steadily progressing. When they first met, she hardly said a word, usually only speaking when requirement, such as to recognize guild or warn him that something was attacking. As time passed, she got more questioning, now doing whatever she could to help him. The low task, she would try to do before he could, like opening doors for him and picking up anything he reached for and handing it to him. It was starting to get annoying, such as during breakfast, when she tried to eat him like he was paralyzed from the neck down. But it made her happy, so he went along with most of it, and he appreciated her affection.

"I'd prefer to get a read on hoi polloi before sending you to run errands like this. I'm better at detecting scams then you are. Since I now know the terms of the potions, I can make sure that womanhood at the shop doesn't try to pluck you."

"So what are you going to do with those potions ?"

"Now that we're finally in a safe place, I'm going to start out experimenting with my thaumaturgy, and I need your help for that. Because there was always the menace of monsters, I never allowed my mana to fully wipe out, so now I can start pushing my boundary a little."He pulled out the three mana potions and put them on the tabular array."I'm going to cast my magic trick and not stop until my mana is completely used up and the spell comes undone. I need you to supervise my wellness during the process."

"victor, forgive me, but I'm not a healer. I don't screw how to do things like that."

"It's easy. While I'm invisible, I want you to hold my radiocarpal joint and observe my pulse while counting to a hundred over and over again until the enchantment prison-breaking. If I should miss consciousness, pour one of these potions down my throat and lieu my hired man over my eye to make certain the trance is cancelled. Should my pulsing or breathing plosive consonant, there is a procedure I'll have you execute called Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, or CPR for short. Lie back on the bed and I'll show you how it's done."

She took the position and he leaned over her, making her breath flicker. He placed his hand on the shopping centre of her pectus and felt her suit tense."I can finger your heart beating. Should mine stop, you'll need to contract down on the substance of my dresser in speedy thrusts."He stacked his hands and gave a few downward shoves. The rhythm method of his pushing, the way it forced her deeper into the mattress, it reminded her of something, and seeing the look in her eye, he knew what it was.

"You'll want to do that thirty times. Then, you'll need to pinch my nose, and shove off air into my lungs."He lowered his head and kissed her. She replied with enthusiasm, her breathing place now fluttering, and not because he was pinching her nozzle. Noah got on top of her."Of course, when you do it, I expect you not to use so much tongue. You'll reach me two oceanic abyss breathes, then do another thirty compressions. reduplicate the mental process until you feel my warmheartedness offset. Understand ?"

"Yes, Master,"she whispered with a dreamy facial expression in her eyes.

"Good. Now, to make sure I only use up my mana, I need to completely drain my physical toughness. Care to help oneself me with that ?"

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

To the enjoyment of some and the chafe of others, the sounds of Tin's moans could be heard throughout the inn. Not only forte, it was never-ending. Aside from some short fault, her voice continued to ricochet off the bulwark even with the sun now at the in high spirits compass point of the day and everyone eating lunch.

On the bed in their shared way, Noah was battering Tin from behind with relentless intensity level. She no longer had the speciality to even remain on all fours, and instead had her nerve pressed to the canvass, now sticky with their combined fluids. Every barb he delivered would make her cry out in euphoria. She didn't love how many fourth dimension he had brought her to culminate, nor how many times she felt him oversupply her body with his seed, but each case threatened to rob her of her consciousness. Regardless, she fought through, doing everything she could to remain awake so that she could carry on to please her master.

"Am I hurting you ?"It was a doubtfulness that none of her premature master copy had ever asked while they violated her. They didn't care about how much pain they inflicted on her, unless making her suffer was their goal, which it often was. To get wind it from him, such kind words, they nearly made her cry teardrop of joy. He asked her frequently, each time earning a passionate candy kiss from her.

He wasn't hurting her, rather, she had never felt such pleasure, but she was so outwear, her body at its demarcation. She didn't understand how it was possible for him to go so long and exert so much force. He was far too young to have amassed this kind of experience. His intensity even frightened her. He acted so that she was assailed with only delight, but if she angered him, if the daimon of sadism possessed him, could she even survive ?

How had this all started ? What was the reasonableness he had given ? She could barely retrieve, it felt like so long ago. Oh, that's right wing, he called it practice session. He asked it of her, but had he demanded it instead, invoked his authority as her master, she would throw been no less excited. It fulfilled her, to finally be able to show her dedication in the solitary way she could. He was depending on her, trusting her to fulfill his first moment, and she was ready to consecrate her consistence for that. Her muscular tissue begged for rest, but her someone didn't want it to end. She wanted to wrap around him like a snake so that he could never impart, and instead continue using her until the end of time.

At this gunpoint, Noah had fully immersed himself in the act of mania, cognisant of nothing but the strong-arm world. The feel of Tin's body, her wetness and soft flesh around his stopcock, the penchant when their tongues curled around each early when they kissed, the olfactory property of her womanly essence as he brought her to climax, the flock of the effort glistening on her soundbox as he made her writhe and groan, he bathed in those sensations. He felt trivial warmheartedness for her, but at to the lowest degree physical sensation could quell the antediluvian whirlpool in his mind, let him shut off his encephalon and truly find again. His soul, so lust and without baring, it was like cracked desert clay now becoming fertile with the spring rains.

His forcible stamina, something that Tin was prepare to mark as inhuman, was just as much mental as strong-arm. With so many lifetimes'worth of experience, he knew how to work through the infliction. He had felt the anguish of travail enough times to discover how to ignore it. He couldn't perform any dramatic feats of persuasiveness like some kind of superhero, but he knew how to properly oxygenate his stemma for the uttermost output and cognise how very much strength his brawn could wield without suffering detrimental damage. He was digging down deep for strength and harnessing every calorie and discharge of energy, and while he wasn't on the level of a bodybuilder, he had built his physique through a workout that he had mastered over several lifetimes.

He shuddered as he emptied himself into Tin. After all this time, he couldn't imagine having any sperm left field. His soreness was approaching unbearable horizontal surface, but even though his erection was fading, he didn't give in. He grabbed Tin by the shoulders and pulled her against him, his sass joining hers. She was nearly excited, acting as if on muscleman memory when she swirled her tongue around his mouth. His handwriting went to town on her, massaging her modest breast and stirring up the cum in her pussy. Tin was so tired and her throat was sore from moaning, but the way Noah tickled her clitoris and bullied her pap, it still made her whimper in bliss.

He'd do this after every orgasm, keeping her busy while he slowly regained his erection. However, his manhood had thrown in the towel as his stamen hit zero. He let go of Tin and she fell back onto the bed. Her centre were blank from enervation, but she rolled onto her cover and spread her legs, putting herself on display and letting Noah see the come overflowing from her womanhood.

"Master, I can hold on going. Please, prevent using me. I'll do whatever you want me to."

"No, that's good. You were perfect. I can't even function up the force for a exclusive thrust."He reached into his bag and pulled out the unaccented of the three healing potions. Even that task was almost beyond his reach. He might as well sustain just won the Tour de France."Here, drink this."She was too tired to move, so Noah put the bottle to her sass and let some trickle down her throat. She was soon revived, her consistence no longer trembling.

‘ So, blue potions restore wizard stamina and red potions restore strong-arm stamina.'

"If you're hungry, eat fast. I need to begin performing this experiment immediately."As he spoke, his own stomach roared like thunder. He fell back on the bed, dizzy from exhaustion.

"victor, what about you ?"

"I can't, yet. I need to measure only my mana, and if I eat or do anything to recover my forcible strength, it will skew the results."

"Are you sure you want to do this ? The more you describe it, the more severe this seems."

"It probably is grievous, but I don't know how my mana reservation compare to an mediocre magic user my age, and this is fastest way to increase it. Now, don't let go of my wrist and start tally as soon as I become unseeable. If my kernel stops or there are any signs that my health is deteriorating, make me both a mana potion and a health potion, then perform CPR. Remember : XXX compressions and then two breaths. You got that ?"

"Yes, Master."

Noah put his hand over his eye and disappeared in front of Tin. However, Tin could still feel him, find his carpus in her manus and his warmheartedness, and it comforted her. Upon the activation of the enchantment, Noah could find his mana being depleted. It was a unusual tiredness, like he was bleeding to death. All of his mental focal point was put on restricting the flow of mana to just his body, so that nothing else would get caught in his magic trick and waste mana. It was why he left the job of timekeeping to Tin.

From his experience so far, he could maintain the illusion for about three minute of arc before his motor functions declined too far for him to fight. He didn't know if that was good or bad, but in time, he could sense that blood being crossed. From there, his cerebration and forcible strength began a rapid fall. Noah fought with everything he had to remain conscious, even when he could no longer keep his eyes open. His consciousness soon sank into a rift where he could feel his mana continuing to deplete but couldn't feel his own body.

Then, he began to feel his mana regenerating, without any sign of the zodiac that it was being used up. His awareness started to bubble back to life-time, and he soon opened his eyes and looked at Tin, whose own were filled with relief.

"Master,"she whispered, clutching is hand.

"So, the while came undone. How long did I last until that happened ?"

"I managed to count to a hundred almost four times. Then when you became visible, I gave you the potion. Your philia slowed, but it didn't stop, and you kept breathing."

"So, while with my physical stamina completely drained, I can defend the while for about five minutes before I pass out. At full military strength, I can maintain it that long while still being able to fight. This is good, I'm in consummate condition to get the in effect welfare for stressing my mana, and since my heart and breathing didn't stopover, I don't need to interest about suffocating. Either that potion will endure off or it'll manage to replenish all my mana, but whichever happens first, I'll scratch line again immediately after."

He gave himself time for the mana to recirculate through his body. He checked his reflex response, physical specialty, and mental processing. True, he felt half-dead from exhaustion and sore all over, but he knew what very legal injury would find like. Complete mana personnel casualty felt just like bleeding to death, so there was always the possibility that being drained of it for too long would make similar effect to his body, like sightlessness or muscle Death. There was no telling if the health potions could furbish up those kinds of injuries.

nada appeared to be wrong, so he returned to the bed."All right, we're going to keep doing this."

They repeated the process over and over again. Noah would expend all of his mana through his illusion, Tin would come alive him up with a potion, he'd check himself for damage, and then they'd start all over. He sent Tin out multiple times to buy more potions for him, and they even experimented to see how much they could water it down while still providing sufficient rejuvenation.

As the day rolled on, Noah's body begged for food. The grumbling of his stomach and his disorientation concerned Tin, but he refused any kind of living, and for good rationality. Each metre he performed the outgrowth, he noted his mana military reserve increasing. He didn't know what mana was or how he produced it, but without physical staying power to soften the blow of depletion, the source of his mana was being stressed to its bound, and was reaping the benefits. There were a lot of things about mana and thaumaturgy that he didn't understand, such as how fast an individual could beef up theirs. For all he knew, he could be lagging behind in the grooming, but he was fairly certain that he had struck gold.

As night fell, Tin once More arrived at their room, despondent."Please forgive me, Master. The herbalist had closed down her store for the Nox and wouldn't even open her door."

"For the safe, I imagine, considering how she started throwing stuff at you last fourth dimension. We've probably bought up all the supply that she's willing to sell us."

"So what now ?"

"Now we have dinner. I think that if I pass out again, we'll have to resort to healing potions to rouse me up."

"I can experience it brought up to us."

"No, let's go downstairs. I'm rather sick of this room and require some fresh air."

He tried to sit up in the bed, but even that was almost beyond him. How tenacious had it been since he was this drained of military strength ? There was that fourth dimension when he starved to death… When was that ? Even his mind was on the wand of shutting down. He tried to get dressed, but his body wouldn't obey his will, and to his shame, Tin had to help him. It reminded him of all the times he was in hospice, when the nursemaid had to do everything for him while he waited to die.

"Sorry,"he said.

She smiled, something she was doing more and more frequently."You need not worry, victor. While I was never the handmaid of any great nobleman, I heard that this was a tariff that their housemaid often performed. Simply imagine that you are a capital viscount, or even an earl."

"What about a duke ?"he asked with a chuckle.

Having helped him put his shirt on, she leaned against his book binding."Yes. I'm sure you will someday even become a duke."

Now fully dressed, he was helped to his feet and they left the room, though he had to lean on Tin for documentation. From up the stairs, they could get word the rowdiness of the guests in the dining room, singing Sung and knocking their gull together. Yet as the adolescent appeared and made their way to their table from the previous evening, that clamor went died down, with all eyes on them. There was some hushed muttering, several hoi polloi whispering to their ally to inquire as to the secrecy. Noah and Tin took their hindquarters, the bar as quiet as a graveyard, then the boniface showed up with their dinner. It was glob of meat carved from a Hugo Wolf, and Noah's portion was expectant than anyone else's.

"I'd say you earned it,"the turgid fair sex said coyly.

That appeared to be some form of sign, because a man at the bar with a beard down to his belt raised his mug."Hail to the Whitney Young king ! He who could pee even a succubus beg for ease !"

The bar practically exploded, with mass of all ages swarming their board to pat Noah on the back, congratulate him on his acquisition, and beg him for advice. Many cleaning woman approached, flirting with Noah and inviting him to join them for the even. Noah even saw one female person explorer holding back her friend who was trying to approach with a hungry—or rather"thirsty"—look in her eye and a wide grin on her face. Tin also got heap of attention. Everyone wanted to be intimate who was struggling to keep up with who, which of the two was the insatiable one. The cleaning woman who could not set up Noah would turn to her, asking for details while voicing their green-eyed monster. In the background signal, the guests began singing strain of wooing charwoman and romantic tales, with the normal bodily process of the bar becoming a raving party.

Noah simply sat there with an awkward grinning, annoyed that his plans to keep a low profile had gone of up with weed, but amused with the place nonetheless. Tin, too nervous and embarrassed to say anything, simply hung her principal while her face turned red as a tomato.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

It was close to midnight, and Noah, having regained his strength, made his way to the dark apothecary. He carried a lantern with him, but its flame, like Noah, was unseeable to anyone and anything, and the road remained as drab as it would be without his front. He had shrouded it in his conjuring trick as a way to test himself. If his mana slipped, light would get off. After the day's training, the mana expenditure was side by side to nothing. He had already passed the five-minute mark and didn't tone dizzy. With a few more day of training, he might be able-bodied to maintain the illusion for an hour or more.

He reached the store and went to figure out picking the lock while sending his mana into the threshold. Wrapped in his magic trick, the door made no randomness, even when he opened it. There were a few safeguard patrolling the town, but they wouldn't have noticed him, even without being inconspicuous. He entered the store and thinned the mana around his lantern just enough to exhaust a faint balance beam of light.

There was tidy sum of worthful materials to steal, but Noah and Tin's suspicious demeanour would have left an notion on the old charwoman, and she'd assume they did it. He could ingest just killed her and taken whatever he wanted, even wiped out her class to be safe, and anyone who suspected and came after him. From the moment he discovered his magic, he had thought of all the mode he could use it, both bad and good. It would sustain been so easily, he kept reminding himself, but that wasn't the spirit he wanted to live, even if it was one he would have lived in the yesteryear.

Instead, he searched the shop for Word of God and potion recipes, simply to memorize, rather than steal. None could be found, meaning they must feature been hidden elsewhere. He did obtain plenty of compounding equipment, which he memorized in order to replicate. Noah moved beyond the store and into the adult female's home. She lived, as everyone else did in this humankind, rustically. All light was raw or flame-based, any food for thought that could go bad was salted and kept in jars, there was no running water, and all the tools were pre-industrial. It still reeked of potions and herb, but that smell was probably difficult to confine to the shop class.

He came across a enceinte wooden chest set against the wall, and after picking the lock chamber, got it open, revealing his prize. The old woman's entirely library was kept neatly arranged, all the answers Noah needed. In this man, entropy was as significant for survival of the fittest as food and water, so until society managed to contrive the impression imperativeness, leger were Charles Frederick Worth their weight in atomic number 79. Despite the tantalizing knowledge at his fingertips, Noah went straight for the alchemy books. He looked up the recipe for canonic health and mana potions, memorizing the ingredients and processes.

Finding satisfaction, he removed all traces of his visit and left the apothecary.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

The reaching of the following day brought Noah and Tin out to the woods to cumulate herb and hunt monster. Buying all the potions yesterday had taken a big chunk out of their monetary resource, so Noah wanted to cumulate some cloth he could sell. He had asked around the tap house the previous Night and managed to observe out the most valuable parts of demon. He also found out some interesting facts.

"Summoned by magic ?"

"Yes sir,"said the barkeep as he used a unsportsmanlike rag to scavenge a shabu."If you're really lucky, you'll manage to see it happen. There are magic circles scattered across these earth, absorbing mana from the air and using it to rally beasts. About a quarter of each monster race is created by magic. And not just monsters, woodland animals as well, from the deer to the dame. Shouldn't you know that by now if you're going to be an venturer ?"

Noah remembered his fights in the timber, the colossus that seemed to be shrouded in mana."Huh, my country didn't have anything like that."

Despite it being rightful, it was used as a lie. Ignorance of canonical facts would break him away and make people fishy, so he was hesitating to ask about anything involving magic. He couldn't expect much from this world's level of education, but a man with no knowledge of trick would probably stand out like a man in the 21st century that had never seen electrical energy before. At least claiming to be a foreigner would excuse most error. He just had to hope he didn't meet up with any outside merchants before he got Thomas More information.

"Where do these magic circles come from ?"

"According to legends, there was a war between the gods and the spirits of nature. The emotional state used their illusion to rally armies of wight, so that the minions of the gods could never walk the Earth, and that magic remains to this day. Some believe that it is a weapon being used against mankind, to halt our expansion and exploration into new lands. Many believe it to be the work of bad hat that got their work force on some kind of illegal conjuration, spreading the illusion circles to create havoc.

Many sentence in history, country have been declared monster-free, only for the creatures to devolve. Even islands get plagued with monsters despite being swing out clean. It's why many good turn to adventuring ; the steady income from hunting colossus and the reliable food source."

As Noah thought back to the conversation, he heard movement nearby. Bursting from the undergrowth, an adolescent wolf lunged at Noah and Tin. Noah was quick on the drawing card and managed to slash the monster on the shoulder with his longsword. It landed behind him, slightly limping but showing no signs of giving up. It flashed middle wide of bloodlust while it snarled and foamed. Tin hurried behind Noah, as per his orders, while he stared it down. If he cast his illusion, he could easily vote down it without it ever seeing the onrush coming, but today, he was sharpening his fighting acquisition and refining his play, so he needed to face his enemies without hiding from them. Besides, demon that lost racecourse of him often turned their attention to Tin.

Noah made the first move, charging while swinging down at the wolf's other articulatio humeri. It jumped to the side to dodge, but Noah widened the angle of the virgule as he brought it down, turning it into a separatrix attack. Chasing the wolf with his baseball swing, he managed cut into its flesh. The wolf, infuriated by pain, pounced from a high angle, aiming for Noah's drumhead. The slant was dodgy, Noah sidestepping out of the range of its chela, raising sword, and delivering an executioner's chop to the book binding of the neck, severing its head.

He didn't drop his guard and scanned the orbit, searching for any other wolves in concealment. He could detect none."Clear."

That was his signal to Tin. With Noah keeping safeguard, she went to work on the savage, removing the valuable parts like the hide and certain brawniness and Hammond organ. It was messy piece of work, but worth the try. Everything was stored in her backpack and several other pocket and bags, along with Noah's bow and other adventuring provision. Since Noah was doing all the combat, the job of battalion mule fell to her, or rather, she insisted on it.

Once she had gathered the advantageously pieces, they set off again. Many might reject of letting so much of the monster go to waste, but the race couldn't go out and something else would come along and eat it, so Noah didn't feel too bad. arcminute after they moved on, Noah caught ken of something ahead, zooming between the trees.

"Tin, pace back."

Noah readied himself, his brand raised as the blur approached. It was another woman chaser, moving much more erratically than the one Noah had just killed. It lunged for him and he sliced off its principal. It was rather leisurely, as if the creature's intellect was scattered. Perhaps it was rabid ? But as he turned to analyze the corpse, he realized he had broken a cardinal sin. There was an arrow in its hind leg, meaning that this animate being had already been claimed.

Two Cy Young cleaning woman appeared, having apparently sprinted a great distance and now gasping for breathing place. Noah had seen them before at the inn. One of them, a blonde archer, had attempted to talk to him the previous night, but her friend, a brunette with a staff, stopped her.

"Sorry about that, it seems I took your kill."

Neither women responded, both leaning on their knees and looking like they were about to collapse. Noah looked to Tin and nudged his head towards them. She got the message and approached with a water skin.

"Here, drink this."

The blonde gratefully took the water system and drank deeply, then handed it to her friend."Thank you, both of you. We were so last to giving up."

"I kept trying to grab it with my magic, but it was fast, even with an arrow in its leg,"said her friend.

The bowman looked at them and gained a broad grin."Oh, I know who the two of you are !"

Tin blushed and averted her gaze. The magic user looked at them and sighed."Good God, not again."

The archer extended her hand to Noah."I'm Beth and this is Mira, very please to bring in your acquaintance."

Noah shook her hand."I'm Noah and this is Tin."

"You took care of that wolf so easily ! With skills like yours, we would bang to team up. What do you say ?"

"Sorry, but I'm still refining my skills and gaining experience, and I feel it works better when I fight the battles alone, but maybe in the future we could team up up. Have you two been adventuring long ?"

"variety of,"said Mira,"but not against lusus naturae this large and fast. We each came from surface area where the fighting was a lot easier and numbers were thinner, but we weren't making enough money and decided to try moving out here for a while."

"You said you tried slowing the wolf down with magic. If you don't mind me asking, what sort ? I can't use it myself and I don't know much about it."

"Oh, well I'm a mage, so I can use elementary legerdemain to conjure and control things like fervency and water. My talent lie in controlling the worldly concern, like this."She turned away and looked into the distance. halo of sandstone-colored light appeared around her wrists like annulus, and Noah could see diagrams and runes of an unknown language."ground Bind !"

She raised her staff and then slammed it into the ground. There was a heartbeat, and the ground came undone like there was an animal tunneling just under the Earth's surface. It blast across the woods floor, and thirty pes away, there was an outbreak of worldly concern, with hard-packed soil forming jagged physical body that converged like a mop up flower. Anything caught within it would surely get held in place, even stabbed if they moved around the wrong way. The force out earth used to produce the stiletto heel produced a pit, just in guinea pig anything tried to duck.

"Yeah, I can see why it wouldn't employment in this case."

"What ? Why ?"

"wellspring we're in the forest. The ground is riddled with roots holding it together, so it takes a lot of time and effort to gather the soil and take form it into those spikes. Also, you're going for profligate prey with good reaction swiftness, so as soon as they sense the fire, they'll motility before it fully activates. I assume your strategy was for Beth to hurt it with the pointer, keeping it from moving while you cast your spell ?"

"That's right,"said Beth.

"And then you finish it off with Sir Thomas More arrow, right ? It's a goodness scheme, keeping your distance from the enemy to minimize risk. However, in this form of environs and with this object, you'd penury to change it up a bit. I suggest using toxicant arrows, or at least some sort of paralytic agent. That way, even a low-damage hit will slow up it down. I'd also suggest using a tumid bow for more penetration.

Mira, do you be intimate any other spells ?"

"I can create a dust swarm and send stones flying."

"But null close-range ? That'll be a trouble if there is to a greater extent than one foe or they get within striking distance. Mira, I suggest you work on learning a spell for melee armed combat, and Beth, get a sword. You also should determine another phallus to link up your political party, sorry I couldn't be that person. They'd have to be able-bodied to pin down the foe in one location for your arrows and magic to be able to hit their mark."

Beth and Mira swarmed him with desperation in their oculus."Please reconsider joining us ! We need person like you, desperately !"Mira said.

"You can even celebrate most of the money ! And if that isn't sufficiency, I can pay you duplicate in nighttime fun !"Beth added.

Noah hadn't expected them to get so worked up and wanted to back away, only to see Tin was standing behind him. She was tugging on his shirt, giving him her basset hound eyes, though he couldn't Tell if she was trying to convince him to change his mind or telling him that they were dear off on their own.

"Sorry, but I can't. I'm really trying to sharpen on training. I'm indisputable you can find a struggling fencer who's desperate for a company to join and would fit right in with you two. Tin and I have to get going. You were first to spite the wolf, so the physical structure belongs to you. We'll see you later."

He and Tin set out, waiting until Beth and Mira were out of earshot to talk.

"Was Master… interested in those two ?"Tin asked.

"Well, the idea of forming a party is appealing, and their long-range abilities would definitely help out. However, I'd prefer to operate away from prying centre for the metre being. I didn't common sense any evil purport in them, but there is no telling if they can be trusted or not. But I'm sword lily we ran into them, it gave me a opportunity to study elemental magic a bit."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

They continued through the woodland, hunting for monsters while trying to annul early adventurers. Along with engagement, they also stopped to amass herbs. Noah was always playing through the potion recipes in his mind. Then, when noonday arrived, they stopped for lunch by the river. Their food was slightly easily than the stuff they ate before reaching Baron Clive, in the sense that the bread wasn't quite-rock hard and the centre actually had smack. It was still disappointing compared to a hot meal. Their water came from the river, first filtered through a endurance wheat that Noah made.

Once they were done eating, Noah pulled out all of the flora they had gathered. He picked three dissimilar plants out of the pile ; limb of gentle hemangioma simplex, several groundwork of a vine with substantial leave of absence, and an orange moss."Of the recipes I saw, this one is the well-fixed and doesn't require any specialized tools. Even if it doesn't work, it will still be expert practice. We just have to grind these up with a proportion of 5:2:7 and mix them together with some water."

They gathered stones from the river to use as stopgap howitzer and pestles and went to work. Working side by side, Noah noticed a small smile on Tin's face."This reminds me of making lye at the falls,"she said.

"Hopefully it won't have the same effect."

They mixed the element together and poured them into the three potion bottle from the apothecary. They added some fresh piss and Noah could see the concoction glow as the potion was formed. Whether or not this potion contained mana or simply sped up the natural rejuvenation physical process, it appeared the necessary chemical substance reaction was taking place.

"Good, now to essay it. I think this will be the unadulterated opportunity to see what my next spell is."It was very slight, but Noah could see Tin's hullabaloo."You should impress back. If this indorse spell is anything like my deception, you probably won't be in peril, but it's better to be safe."

Tin moved back twenty infantry, and Noah, after taking a deep breath, put his hand over his compensate eye. The effect was instant, his mana being drained twice as fast as his first tour, and this metre, he could actually feel something happening to him. His body, it felt weightless, and his arm, they were just moving of their own accord like Portuguese man-of-war tentacles. His vision, it was almost hazy, like he was seeing stunt man. It felt, of all affair, like he had just taken a hit of some high-quality pot.

If his absorption broke for even a irregular, he felt like his limbs and headspring would just float on their own. Noah dropped his hand and staggered, nearly falling just like the first time he tried it back in the Sir Henry Wood. It was like every movement he made had to be performed while walking on a tripwire, or else he would strike. He was shifting from side to side, struggling to rest in control. While this would be a great affair to do while attending a concert or watching a funny moving-picture show, it was far from useful in battle.

"I'm definitely feeling something. How do I attend ? Can you still see me ?"

"Uh… I think so. How… are you doing that ?"

"Doing what ?"

"Master, flavor at your hands."

Noah, through groovy difficulty, raised his palms and looked them. He blinked and squinted several times, trying to see through the afterimages floating around them like an gloriole. Had he touched some bad mushroom and then breathed in the spores ?

‘ No, wait a second…'

These aftersensation, they weren't some blurry silhouette ; they had crystal-clear point. They were like demand copies trying to occupy the same space. He moved his arms around, watching the written matter follow the originals. They were fantasy ! He stopped moving his real branch and tried to move the copies. He thought about it, he envisioned it happening, but only when he gave up and tried to raise his real arms did the transcript obey and fulfill the activeness. It was only for a bit before they returned to their original plaza, but he had gotten them to move.

It took respective minute of arc of repeated attempts before he figured it out. Halfway between mentation of moving his arms and actually harnessing the strong-arm posture within them to create that front, there was a point where he could move the written matter. He was soon moving the illusional arms however he wanted, with Tin watching at a total loss. His mana was starting to run low, so he cancelled the charm and leaned on his knees.

"Master, what was that ?"

"An head game. It appears that my bequeath eye can conceal my real eubstance, while my right eye can create a impostor. I can curb it standardized to how I move on my own, but it requires a lot of focus. mitt me a mana potion, will you ?"He downed one of the potions and then lied down on the ground and reactivated the piece."lookout man this."

Tin could immediately see it on his face, the effort and focus he was putting in, but her attending was immediately drawn elsewhere, as a second gear Noah seemed to rise from the trunk of the start like two cell dividing. For Noah, it almost an out of consistence experience. The delusion stood up, every bowel movement that Noah would have made being performed. It was difficult beyond words, leaving him drenched in sweat and gasping for air. Every muscle involved in standing up had to be acknowledged, from the musculus supporting his school principal, all the way down to the muscles in his base as they tried to grapple the earth for correspondence. He had to visualize not just the drive, but the wizard of moving.

The clone stepped forward, every movement clunky and affected, like a cheap robot. The clone turned to Tin, who was completely bewildered and even frightened. The clone opened its oral cavity. It started out sounding like radio atmospherics, but Noah managed to address through the illusion.

"U-u-u-u-i-i-i-I cueolemfr-cuernlk-caern cont-cont-control it."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

For the next three weeks, Noah and Tin worked out a subroutine of expanding Noah's mana reserves and going out to hunt, one day inside and one day outside. Everyone in the inn became aware of the pattern, as every early day, from breakfast to dejeuner, Tin's moans filled the building. It became quite the story around Ithiel Town, many people coming to the inn just see if the rumors were rightful. Tin would rob Noah of all of his stamina and they'd perform the drainage and replenish outgrowth with the mana potions. The adjacent day would be spent gathering herbs to make more potions and fabric to deal, and continue cultivating Noah's combat abilities.

To eat his mana, Noah experimented with his second spell. For the first gear week, he focused on perfecting the clon's movements and actor's line. He tried to get it as rule looking as possible, having it walk around the elbow room and imitate various actions. Unfortunately, since it was just an illusion, it couldn't actually touch anything or impact its environment, and while he could mouth through it, he couldn't see what it saw or find out what it heard. Unless it was in sight at all fourth dimension, he was piloting blind. Strangely, Tin said that the knockoff had the Lapp smell as him, while when he was invisible, his look was concealed.

He spent the next week learning how to move both his real and fake body at the Saame time. He started out small, first with finger movements, then limb effort, then upped it up to having it walk around the way while he stood by the bed, which was surprisingly difficult with all of the muscularity required to stay on standing upright. By the end of the hebdomad, he and the dead ringer could walk simultaneously.

In the third week, he added his first magical spell to the mix, moving the clone around as he performed a task while unseeable. The mana expenditure was massive, so much so that the charge per unit of his modesty increasing was slowed, and it became more difficult to tell how a great deal forward motion he was making. Despite that, they proved to be a golden combination. The ringer could act as a complete decoy, while Noah would attack in his invisible form.

His first spell didn't just take a crap him invisible, it affected whatever target he touched, concealing and also creating illusions to hide any variety he made, like footprints, while the second could produce a full head game, but of himself, one that had a go up physical presence. These magic spell, they were more than just bending Light. It seemed like they were two halves of a single charm.

When he wasn't grooming, Noah went around town to forgather information about the body politic, magic, and monsters. In a little backwoods village like this, the results were far from freehanded or even reliable. He would have to move to a bigger city to get better-quality entropy. The Utheric capital would be his best bet, but it was calendar week of change of location and preparations had to made for a head trip like that.

Try as he might, it was heavily to remain unnoticed. hearsay about him circulated through the town, with masses he had never met knowing his figure. He would walk down the street and cleaning lady would wink and fuck up kisses, even trying to seduce him. Men would smirk and nod in approval as they passed by, a means of displaying respectfulness. Even the old madam at the pharmacy would tease him. When Tin went out, she'd wear a hood to hold back her identity. It wasn't an ideal spot. If he was to be known throughout the hamlet, he wished it would be for something a little more heroic.

.

.

.

medicine

.

.

.

The outflow rains were dramatic, passionate, the lifeblood of mother Nature as she fully awoke from her winter slumber and prepared for summertime. Yet at the minute, the fury with which the elaborate drops fell was not appreciated, for they numbed Noah's fingers as he gripped his blade and made him thrill as his clothes became worthless from the damp. It was also difficult to see, splashing against his face and blurring his vision, but he kept his gaze focused on his enemies.

He was out in the woodland, Tin having retreated as per his parliamentary procedure. Before him, a triple of bandits, all with weapons raised. Noah was armed with his short sword, unable to wield his primary blade, due to an arrow stuck in his shoulder joint. When he was first struck from ass, he had hoped it was simply a hunter's reliable error, but the bloodthirsty flavor on the men's faces told him that he was their rattling target. They probably robbed and killed adventurers for a living, and he couldn't imagine their female victim dying quickly.

Should he just reverse inconspicuous and slay them before they could avenge ? No, there was something he wanted to try, and a human opponent would be the perfect tryout study. He raised his free bridge player towards his face, breaking the impasse with one of the brigand firing his loaded pointer. Noah deflected it with his shield, the most he could do with his wounded shoulder. He swept his hand across his middle as if trying to clear his visual sensation, activating both of his spells. However, rather than splitting from his illusionary clone, he wore it, syncing his movement with the brigand not even noticing a difference.

One of the Sagittarius's age group, this one armed with a large battle axe, charged towards him. Noah had his clone guide a defensive stance, while he pulled away, stepping ahead and stabbing the man through the heart before he could lay down his baseball swing. The archer guesswork another arrow as Noah stepped back into his illusion, but he again blocked with his shell. Noah, with his effort concealed, drew respective small-scale knives from his belt and hurled them at the archer. His mana clung to the blades, rendering them invisible as they buried themselves in the archer, taking him out of the game.

All that was left was a fencer, and he knew that something was going on. Two of his cohorts were idle, but he didn't understand how. He pushed his confusion aside and charged towards Noah. Noah blocked and parried his attacks with his steel, wanting to take his time and savor the fighting. He was so used to fighting giant, he wanted to ca-ca sure his skills in killing other world hadn't gone ho-hum, to refamiliarize himself with their unique movements and techniques.

He was allowing the bandit to push him back, though there was little he could do to intercept it. His opposer was armed with a two-handed blade, so he could deliver more force than Noah could come up with his poor blade. He strung the bandit along, using repetitive, slowly motility, laying a phoney trail as to what his succeeding motility would be. He made a wide cut from the side, and the bandit automatically blocked, however, the blade never came, it was only Noah's illusionary arm. His tangible arm swung from the opposite side, slashing the brigand across the stomach.

He staggered back, cursing in hurting and trying to realize what happened. Noah closed in and the bandit tried to open some space with a powerful cleave. Noah blocked with his brand, at least, that's what the brigand saw. In truth, he had blocked with his shield, allowing him to gash the bandit across the articulatio radiocarpea without him even seeing the attack coming. stemma poured freely, the man's hired man now useless. He released a cry of exertion and tried a one-handed swing music. The brand sliced through Noah's neck, just as the man had aimed for, but he knew something was wrong when no discerp head fell, and what's more, he hadn't felt anything when he made the separatrix. It was like he had hit nothing but air. He raised his steel to draw a blank a swinging from Noah, but in reality, it was a twinge, with Noah's sword piercing his thorax. Noah confirmed all three demise and then called out to Tin.

"Do me a favor and pull this arrow out."

"I'm afraid it'll hurt."

"I can handle it."

She was nervous, but she grabbed and arrow and ripped it out without issue, making Noah grimace in pain. She pulled out a red potion from her bag and poured it on the injury. In minute, it scabbed over, with the tissue within stitching itself back together. These health potions were a really life-saver, miracles in a bottle.

"Thanks."

Noah once more checked the organic structure, but their faces didn't compeer any wanted bill, meaning there was no bounty that he could collect with their heads. Tin went to work, stripping the organic structure of everything useful. They were so used to this function that he rarely needed to devote her orders.

"I think we should call it a day. I don't think this rainfall is going to stop anytime."

"I agree,"Tin said.

They set off back towards the town, fantasizing of removing their soaked clothes and warming themselves beside a fervor. They had plenty to stockpile, and the rain made everything heavier, with the added cold sapping their strength. By the time they reached the inn, even Noah was on his final stage stage, and felt watery. The sun hadn't fully set yet, but the cloud were so thick that it was almost lurch blackened out.

It was a respite to finally get inside and out of the rainfall, but Noah knew something was off. He felt woozy, his idea getting hazy.

"Don't tell me you two were out in that rain all day !"the innkeeper said when she saw them.

"We're going to ride out in our elbow room tonight. Can you have mortal bestow our meals up to us, along with extra firewood ?"

"Sure thing, dearie."

They proceeded up the stair, but Noah had to stop halfway up. He was out of hint, and it felt like the room was spinning.

"Master, is something wrong ?"

"I think I'm coming down with something. help oneself me up the stairs."

She lent him her shoulder and they made their way up to their way. Before they even closed the room access, Noah dumped his pack and artillery and began pulling off his clothes. Tin locked the room access and started a ardor in the hearth. Once resign of his wet apparel, Noah collapsed on the bed. The mattress was lumpy straw, the sheets were rough like sandpaper, and the blanket smelled like wet dog no topic how many times it was cleaned, but Noah was grateful for them.

As the fire started to burn and take the room with light and warmth, there was a roast on the door. Two chambermaid stood outside, the innkeeper's daughter, though they were younger than Tin. One of them held two trays of food, and the other held an exceptionally enceinte big bucks of firewood. Noah hid himself beneath the blanket and Tin answered. As Noah had taught her, she kept the door out-of-doors just enough to take the food and firewood, and didn't allow them inside.

Tin brought him his meal and felt his forehead."Master, you're combustion up."

"I'll be fine. Take off your clothes and warm yourself by the fire before you end up like me."

He watched her undress and the two of them sat on the bed, wrapped in blanket as they ate their dinner party. It was hot stew, the perfect comforter food. Unfortunately, Noah was starting to find it difficult to swallow. By the time he finished, his respiration was becoming labored and his nitty-gritty was beating irregularly. Noah was hoping it was just a coldness, but this was starting to experience much more than intense and was coming on too quickly. Perhaps a disease native to this world ?

Tin could see his condition worsening."Master, you should get some sleep."

She took his tray and gently pushed him onto his back. Truth be told, as soon as his head hit the pillow, he lost the strength to displace. He lay there, watching Tin set up a clothesline so everything could be hung up to dry. Once she was done, she added some more wood to the fire and slid under the blankets. Her au naturel torso met his and she curled up against him.

Noah closed his eyes, but while sleep was warm to come, it was unpleasant. Nightmares assailed him, a burn heat ravaging him both physically and mentally. He remembered tossing and turning throughout the Night, when the pain in the ass in his eubstance outweighed his fatigue. All of his muscles ached and spasmed almost round-the-clock, his stomach felt like it was full of oil, and he couldn't scarper his fever.

He finally awoke the next sunup to the sight of rain pelting the windowpane. His mouth was as dry as ashes and he felt like he was going to die of thirst, just like he had a few prison term in the past tense. The rainwater, it had gotten him into this mess, but now he so desperately wanted it. He wanted to go out and air the passion that clung to him like a imp on his back.

"Tin,"he murmured. His voice was deliquium, as it felt like his tongue and throat would break up like clay."Tin,"he said again, putting all of his strength into it.

"skipper ?"

He saw her in his peripheral device vision, but he didn't have the strength to become to her.

"Water."It was all he could say.

She brought him a cup of H2O, and in his impatience, he tried to pull it from her manus, if only to get it to his mouth a nanosecond sooner. His ill-chosen compass was ignored and she helped him turn on his dorsum so that he could salute. It was some of the best water he had ever tasted, and he felt some life-time return to him, if only a little.

"More."

She brought over the hurler to replenish the cup, but he simply snatched it and drink the altogether matter.

"How do you finger ?"

"Everything hurts, I feel like I'm on fire. I think I'm gon na … gon na …"He covered his mouthpiece and frantically pointed to the chamber pot in the corner of the room. He had detested the comportment of such an unsanitary thing since he first arrived at this inn, but finally, he was grateful to have it. Tin brought the pot over and he vomited everything he drank, plus finale Night's dinner. He fell back on the bed, with his belly feeling even worse. He had gotten a nasty flu a few years ago, but even that wasn't as bad as this. This was like malaria combined with detox."Ugh… ass. In every lifetime, getting sick suck ass."

"I'll go get the host. She may sleep together what's wrong."

"No. Me being sickish leave-taking us vulnerable, and the more people know about it, the enceinte the risk. If I can't fight, we're easy prey. If I'm still in this status by tomorrow, then you can get help."

"What can I do ?"

There were plant life that could help oneself with cold-blooded and flu symptoms, but his mind was too misty to remember them."Pine needle tea, like I made by the river, and see if mortal in the kitchen will make me some hot oatmeal."

Tin was hesitant, not wanting to lead his side, but she obeyed. With her gone, Noah tried to fall back to sleep, but could only get a pale imitation that was nowhere near as restful. For Noah, it felt like his learning ability was being fed on by pismire. He spent the rest of the day in bed, passing in and out of consciousness. Tin remained with him whenever possible. She used damp rags to hold open his feverishness in tab, and hung a kettle over the fire, making tea for him whenever he asked, though his thirstiness was unquenchable.

high noon came around, and Noah sat up to eat his lunch, though it was a stadium of soup. Normally, people ate whatever the family special was at the time, but by paying extra, guests of the inn could monastic order finical foods, at least, within ground. The stock went down easy, but the meat and vegetables felt like cacti rolling down his throat. As he ate, Tin helped wipe the elbow grease from his body. His bit on the bed would take some clip to dry out. When he had finished eating, he simply sat with his forefront in his hands, taking bass breathing space and trying to push aside the throbbing pain.

Tin leaned against his back."Please, what can I do to help oneself ?"

"You're doing lot for me already."

"There must be more that I can do."

"fountainhead it hurts me to say this, but I'll need your help using that chamber pot."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

"Aye, this is springburn all right."Noah opened his eye, finding the innkeeper examining him, with Tin standing in back. The char was holding a handkerchief over her nose and mouth, and not touching him directly, instead with one of the rags Tin used.

"That's really bad, isn't it ?"Tin asked.

"It's not respectable. I know four others in townspeople who have it and they are suffering as well. It always manages to stamp out a few people each twelvemonth. My oldest once had it and he nearly died."

Noah saw it, Tin's shoulders trembling."What can I do to help him ?"

"Exactly what you've been doing. I know of some teas that will help him experience a bit better. He'll either hold it or he won't, though I think his prospect are good."

"How often prison term would I have if it were to be fatal ? How long does this cobbler's last ?"Noah asked.

"three days. After that, you're in the clear."She got to her feet and returned to the threshold."I'm confining you both to this way until this blows over. The stopping point matter I need is for everyone in the inn to get sick."She left the way and locked the doorway behind her.

"It would be unspoilt for her to just cast off us out,"said Noah,"rather than simply keep apart us and risk everyone. She must like us a bit, or at to the lowest degree want to protect her report. I told you to waitress a day before calling her."

"But I did. Don't you remember ? You told me that yesterday."

"Ah, withdrawn, my apologies. The pouch under the floorboard, can you get it for me, delight ?"

Tin lifted a loose floorboard, revealing a tooth decay underneath, in which a leather pocket sat. She presented it to Noah and he opened it up to reveal his phone and pocketbook. While they were mostly useless in this new cosmos, he held onto them in the hopes that he could at least use them for parts and kept the headphone off to save its get-up-and-go. If he ever needed to part an emergency attack, that lithium shelling could come in handy. Luckily, he had his earbuds with him, so he could at least enjoy one part of his old life. Tin stared at the device, possessed by rarity. She had only seen it once or twice, the metallic subject, the light it produced. Was it some kind of magic tool ? She wanted to ask what it was, but when Noah put in the ear buds, she assumed it was something that would help him get better.

He set his play list to random and lay back down, hoping that the music would distract him. He drifted once more into the falling out between being asleep and awake, cursed with his fever even in his dreams. During his waking moments, he was either salute water or throwing up. The only intellect why nature wasn't calling was because he was sweating so profusely. The music didn't distract him as he had hoped, so much as permeate his unconscious mind. One song in particular came up,"household of the ascension Sun ”, and as that opening guitar strung out, a memory was pulled from the deepness of his head, another time he had heard that song.

It was before sunrise, he had been driving out in the Battle Born State desert, out of the pot of Lope de Vega. Noah was in his thirties at the time, lamenting all the dust the Cadillac was kicking up, so much of it sticking to the outside. He'd have to clean it up later, as his employers wouldn't be well-chosen if he returned the company car in a shocking precondition. The eastern clouds were pinkening as he pulled to a stop at the sharpness of a ravine.

He got out of the car and circled back to the trunk, from which he removed a man with trammel wrists and a bag over his school principal. He stumbled on his feet, and Noah pulled him to the sharpness of the ravine and removed the bag over his face. The man's cheek was streaked with dried blood, some of which also stained his clothes shirt. He was perhaps in his L, a senior in the troupe.

"You fucking retard,"he spat. Noah ignored him and turned up the radio so he could hear the rest of the birdcall. The exterior of the car was an outmoded 70's modeling, worth its free weight in amber, but the Interior had been upgraded into the New age. When he returned to the man, it was with a gun in his hand."Killing me will just have intercourse up your life and whoever threw me under the bus. You really think Alejandro can select mogul ? Once this gets out, the streets will suit bloodbaths and your header will end up stuck on a pike."

"In all likeliness,"said Noah,"but it'll be fun to watch."

"You're willing to set out a war just because it'll be fun ?"

"Whatever happens is the fault of whoever hired me. That doesn't mean I don't like it, though. It's the picayune matter that matter. You need to savor the especial little giving like this."He flicked his gun towards the car, where the birdcall was still playing."I once heard someone say that this is the effective song for driving with someone in the bole of your car. It is certainly a toothsome coincidence."

"The satire of your ilk : people like you think you'll do great in our business because you have no moral, no hesitation, but it gets you killed so quickly. It's the citizenry who actually believe in something that make it, that have a line they never cross, no matter how bloody their helping hand get."

"That's what's nice about my way of life history, I feel no need to stick around. But even I believe in a bit of something."

The man laughed and spit on the ground."What could you believe in ?"

"Mercy. I'm rental you enjoy the dayspring, after all."

The sun broke free of the visible horizon, and as its Light was soaked up by the kingdom, a gunshot rang out across the desert.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

Once Noah had fallen asleep, Tin sat beside him and freshened the damp rags that were opposing his febrility. It was all she knew how to do when mortal was ill, and it came from memories of when she was the victim, though kindness was rare to number to her in those vulnerable times. It pained her to be so useless, to not know how to help. Most of everything she had done was just obeying his instructions.

As she wiped away his sweat, her eye fell to his exposed manhood, and luxuria fluttered through her, a feeling that Noah had introduced her to. Their routine had been disturbed by this unwellness, as yesterday was the day she was supposed to help him check his mana. She cherished those Clarence Shepard Day Jr., when she could finally help him in the way she knew best, when she got to experience euphoria.

cleaning woman would always flock to her superior, flirting with him, trying to invite themselves into one of his"workouts ”. It terrified her, that she might be discarded for soul else, having lost her value. When she and Noah met those female venturer, she saw everything she could not do in Mira, and everything she could do in Beth, rendering her obsolete.

She lowered her headway and began performing felatio, slurping up the salt from his stew. She did it often when he slept, compelled by her lust but also hoping that it was helping him experience good, each culmination forming a carapace against the painful sensation of his fever. It was something she could do for him. If Noah was aware of it, he wasn't saying anything.

As her head bobbed up and down over his lap, Noah was sinking farther and farther into his psyche, while being pursued by the medicine from his earpiece. Once Thomas More, a lone guitar was playing, and what lilliputian consciousness his mind still had tried to think back what it was from. Ah, the words, yeah, this was garden pink Floyd,"Wish You Were Here ”. It was his married woman's favorite, one of his retiring wife, that is. He played it at their wedding ceremony and her funeral. He could remember the sunny sky overhead when they cut the patty, and the somber clouds that matched the color of her casket as it was lowered into the ground. He remembered the nutrient served at both occasions. But what was her name ? They danced to this Sung dynasty, but he couldn't call back her human face. She loved the oldies, always playing them while she worked in the garden. Didn't they have a son together ? No, that was someone else.

Noah's intellect continued to dislocate through time, each Song conjuring up a memory board. He remembered studying at MIT while listening to Two Steps From Hell. He remembered the stereoscopic picture blaring Metallica when his convoy was blown up in Syrian Arab Republic. He remembered Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart playing in the hospital as he died from pancreatic genus Cancer. He wasn't aware of the murmur escaping his lips, recalling conversations from across clip and space.

When next he woke up, it was night out, and the earbuds felt like hot coals in his ears. He looked at his speech sound, now with a quarter stamp battery left. How many more times could he take heed to euphony before his phone just became a useless blocking ? He put his capitulum back on his pillow, instead listening to Tin's breathing as she slept soundly beside him.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

A knocking on the door shocked Noah from his slumber, and he would bear sat up, if not for the throbbing pain in all of his muscles. He groaned and fell back on the pillow.

"Who is it ?"he asked.

"It's Holly, I've got your nutrient !"Ah, one of the chambermaids.

"Please, just leave it there."

Noah slowly sat up and released another groan. hold back a bit, he felt better. He felt like he just gotten the horseshit beaten out of him for three hours straight, but he could finally move around. His fever had lessened and the soreness was due to the line it had put on his body.

"Tin, let's eat breakfast."She didn't respond."Tin ?"

He turned to her, seeing a red-faced side, moist with sweat. The gentle ventilation he had listened to lowest night was now an anguished trouser."Shit. Tin can you listen me ?"

He tapped her cheek a few times and her oculus opened."Master ?"

"There you are. I need you to evidence me everything you feel, everything that hurts."

"Ah, I'm sorry. I haven't started the tea yet."She tried to sit up, but he stopped her. She was so infirm that he almost didn't need to.

"Don't worry about it, I'm amercement, but you caught the springburn sickness. I'm going to get you through this."

"It's so hot in here. Don't worry, I'll wash away your sweat. I just need to…"She trailed off and tried to wave out of bed, and Noah had to grab her before she could precipitate to the floor.

"Tin, can you hear me ? How many fingers am I holding up ?"

He showed her his deal, but she just looked at it with glazed over middle."Are we going to go James Henry Leigh Hunt freak today ?"

‘ Shit, it's hitting her even severely than it hit me. She's already delirious.'“ No, we're staying here. Everything is fine, I'm all dear now. Just leave everything to me."

He climbed over her to get out of bed, but as soon as he stood up, he fell to his knees, gasping for air. He was on the mend, but he was still in a shitty situation. He crawled over to his backpack and pulled out a health and mana potion. He had tried drinking them before, to see if they could bring around him, but was met with bankruptcy. He downed them both, and the pain racking his trunk subsided. His strength and staying power were still stopping point to zero, but at least the tenderness was gone.

The world-class thing he needed to do was get her fever down before she suffered serious damage. Next to the bed was the wash basin, filled with rags. Just as Tin had done when he was sick, he draped them across her body.

"Master, your febrility,"she mumbled. She began trying to put the rags on him instead, and he had to repeatedly end her and pin down her weaponry.

"Just hold still, that's an order."

Noah got dressed and limped over to the room access. Outside were two intellectual nourishment trays and a pitcher of freshly water. He brought them in, and having already experienced the painfulness of this disease, he brought the pitcher over to Tin, rather than just a cupful. He lifted her head and poured the water between her pale sass. She released sigh of moderation between each gulp, and every time he thought she was done, she'd leaning her head forward, as if trying to grab it like a dog not wanting to surrender its toy.

He filled up the tea kettleful and hung it over the fireplace, with a new ardor soon blooming beneath it. When he was gruesome, he hated the fervor, the heat it gave off. It was the only time he was grateful for the draftiness of the room, all the lilliputian holes for fresh air to skid in, but it was needed. As he waited for the kettle to boil, he retrieved Tin's breakfast and once more lifted her head. It was affectionate porridge, probably made with him in mind, but now perfect for Tin.

"Time for breakfast, Tin. Can you give your mouth for me ?"He brought a spoon to her mouth, but as soon as she smelled it, she instinctively turned away, whimpering."I know your pharynx and breadbasket hurt right now, but you need to eat. You need all the nutrients you can get."

She gave in and he fed her bit by bit, washing it down with some tea. He then scarfed down his own breakfast and looked outside. He was thinking clearly now and have sex what would help Tin's chance with this sickness.

"Tin, listen to me. I'm going to go out and get something that will help you feel better. I'll be back soon, and until I get back, I want you to stay in bed. Can you repeat that back to me ?"

"No… maestro should go out errands to me."Once more, she tried to sit up and he pushed her back down.

"Tin, you're sick and you need to rest. I'll take maintenance of everything."

"I can do it ! Please let me do it !"She was crying, trying to scarper his grasp. He held her against him, waiting for her pitiable flailing to halt. She soon went hitch and he laid her back down.

"Listen, I purchase order you to remain in this bed, do you empathise ? I ORDER you to stay on in this bed !"She gazed at him with swimming eyes and nodded."Good, now go back to log Z's. I'll be back before you wake up."

He got up and took a deeply breathing place, then cast his invisibility. The host would contribute him a hard clock time if she saw him outside of his room, might even quetch him out. While his magic was saint, his body was so faint that his mana might not in conclusion long. He left the room and locked it behind him. The hallway outside was empty-bellied, but he could get word plenty of people in the bar. Getting down the steps was difficult, as his top dog was sent spinning with each footstep. No one noticed his presence, and he made it through the breakfast crew and outside. It felt nothing short of euphoric to rest fresh air and soakage in the sun.

A bit of his lastingness had returned, so he released his spell and made his way across Ithiel Town to the apothecary. inside, the old woman watched as he looked through a menu of her product, ***********ing plant that helped with everything from fevers to upset stomach.

"I'm guessing that girl of yours is under the weather, and you're not looking very tidy yourself."

"It's been a rough few days."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

Tin was on the storey when he returned to their way at the inn. The door actually struck her head teacher when he opened it.

"Goddammit, I told you to stay in bed."He put down the bag of herbs and rolled her onto her back."Tin, wake up."

"I'm sorry, Master, I'll tend to the horse cavalry in just a moment."

She was completely out of it. He scooped her up and carried her to the bed. He needed to pretend some practice of medicine for her, but he couldn't do it while she was crawling around like this. He took the blanket and tore off a long strip, then used it to tie her wrist to the bedframe. Restraining her was not an ideal solvent, but at least the textile wouldn't leave a mark.

A foreign smell appeared on Tin's face as she looked from her wrist joint to Noah, almost mournful, and she spread her legs for him."I understand, original. I won't cry this time."Apparently, he wasn't the first someone to tie her to a bed.

"Jesus, even your delusion are depressing,"Noah muttered.

He laid the blanket over her and left her on the bed, then went to work. In the clip since he first started making his own potions, he had bought a cheap combination kit, including a mortar and pestle. He wasn't a skilled herb doctor like the apothecary, but most of the plants in this world were just like those he knew from his past times lives, and had built up muckle of survival knowledge. People easily faded from his memory, but noesis and technical skills were held onto. The pursuit of education was one of the few drug abuse he chose to continue in every life-time, as it was the closest he could get to finding meaning in the multiverse.

As he toiled, Tin continued to mutter in her sleep, occasionally crying. Nothing Noah heard could be called pleasant. He eventually stopped to check on her, see if he could shake her from her nightmares.

"Tin, wake up, I have tea."

"No ! No !"She started flailing, knocking the cup from Noah's hand. He grabbed her and pinned her down."No, delight stop ! It hurts ! mummy, it hurts ! brand him stop !"

"Tin, snap out of it !"

The last thing he needed was somebody overhearing this and misunderstanding. He covered her mouth, waiting for the incubus to end. Perhaps he should have picked up something to sedate her. Would he have to completely stick and gag her to keep her still and quiet ? That would likely push her foster into the psychotic belief, and with this disease ransacking through her physical structure, the stress might defeat her. How could he quiet her down ?

He left her to regain a cup of piddle and splashed it on her face. That seemed to shake her awake."Huh ? maestro ?"

"Tin, say my name."

"N-Noah."

"Good, you're back. How do you feel ?"

"It… hurts."Fresh bout began to pour down her cheeks.

"I'm making medicine to help you feel better, but there is something else I want to try."He retrieved his phone and put the earbuds in her ears. He had a playlist of easy listening birdsong, mostly instrumental and soundtracks. He ***********ed one,"Vide Cor Meum ”, one of his favorites. It was gentle, set at a low volume, but the phone of the strings and vox, right in her spike, made Tin freak out.

"What is this ? What is this ? !"she exclaimed in shock. Her inaugural instinct was to draw out out the earbuds, as if swatting a mosquito when hearing its buzzing, but Noah stopped her.

"It's music, it's just music. Have you ever heard it before ?"

"music ?"

She thought back, trying to commemorate while her mind was still misty. Her familiar hard worker, they used to have work songs when they toiled in the field, sort of a mean value of expressing empathy and solidarity, that they all shared the Saame pain. She knew a boy who used to wreak the flute, though not very well, and once, she heard the wife of one of her late lord playing a harp from within her mansion. They could be called medicine, but they all paled in comparison to what she was listening to now.

It was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. In her soul, a thirst was quenched that she had never noticed before, and she felt as though a summer piece of cake was rolling through her body, sending shivers of bliss up her spine that made her forget her fever. It left Tin stunned, her eyes all-inclusive as dinner party scale with her mouth hanging opened. She looked at Noah, seeing a rare grinning on his face.

He rubbed the top of her read/write head and gently laid her back down."Just rest now, ok ?"

She nodded, staring up at the ceiling as the song continued. Noah resumed his work, eventually completing his medicine. It wasn't a therapeutic, but it would help reduce her symptoms. For the succeeding three days, Noah looked after Tin, doing all the things for her that she had done for him. Thanks to the medicine, he was able to prevent her from hallucinating, though she still had nightmares from her life of vilification. When that happened, Noah would put the earbuds in her ears and play a vocal for her, and she would immediately descend, as if hypnotized.

For Noah, hearing euphony had flooded his mind with memories, making him relive scenes of his past lives when he heard those songs, but for Tin, it was the inverse. Having lived a life without music, the notes and phonation filled every facet of her mind, forcing everything else out, every bad thinking and memory. When she was awake, she'd listen while watching Noah make her medicine or praxis his magic, and when Noah looked at her, there would always be a smile on her look.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

It had been a week since Noah fell ill, and he and Tin were going for a walk around the village. His strength had returned, but she was still imperfect, and hopefully some novel air and exercise would serve her feel better. They had been cooped up in that room for so long, and the beautiful weather was just what they needed. Normally, Tin would walk behind Noah, as a proper slave, but today, she was bold, hanging onto his arm. She claimed it to be to avail her paseo, that she was faint and needed to lean on him, but the smile on her nerve told of her dishonesty. Noah allowed it, as she had taken such upright care of him when he was upchuck and it was his demerit she fell ill after him. He certainly owed her.

What bothered him, though, were the looks they were getting. It had been a week since she had last"helped him"with his charming training, but the two of them were still a bit of a famous person couple, so when they saw the way Tin held onto Noah, they all grinned like they had just heard a soiled joke. There was a saying going around, a prank, that even those who had never met Tin had heard her voice.

"headmaster, when I was regorge, I'm sorry for misbehaving."

"Huh ? Where's this coming from ?"

"I just… hope you didn't hear me say anything that would make you think any lupus erythematosus of me. I'm sure as shooting I talked in my sleep."

Noah didn't even hesitate."I don't know what you're talking about. You were quiet as a church mouse the whole time."She halted and let go of his arm, and he turned back to face her."Why ? Did I talk in my sleep ?"

Tin opened her mouth and stopped. The things she had heard her master say when he was delirious, both keen and painful things, many of which she couldn't understand, such as when he started speaking other languages or reciting lines from textbooks.

"No, other than cursing."

"That sounds about right."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

They climbed up a J. J. Hill overlooking the village, using a fallen log as a bench while they soaked in the scenery.

"This is some nice countryside,"Noah said.

"I suppose so. This is the only if thing I know. I have nothing to liken it to."

"I've seen what happens when nature is taken for granted, when everything is used up without any idea of the future. It is an ugly, nauseating thing. I try to make myself appreciate nature whenever I can."

"Where was that ?"

Noah picked the name of a township from one of the maps."Nellow."Truth be told, it was multiple farming, in every timeline.

"Is that we're you're from ?"

"Yes."

Tin looked at him, the man who she called her skipper. She knew when he lied. She saw him do it to everyone he talked to, especially her. There weren't any tells for her to learn, he never stumbled or hesitated, and she had seen it work time and time again, but there was something about his optic, a insincerity she thought she saw. She had tried asking about his past, but his regard was always empty, even when he spoke with a smile. He never asked her about her own past times, but it was goose egg she wasn't used to. She had grown up being treated as an object, both a tool and a toy. intimate conversation was not something a slave should expect from their master, but she had never had a master that made her smell this way, that was so kind to her.

"M-master…"she stammered.

He turned to her, trying to remember the last time he heard her talking so nervously."Yes ?"

"Please, forgive my impudence, but I know you're prevarication to me. I beg you, tell me where you came from, the things you've done, anything. I only wish to know more about you."

He stared at her, unsure of what his side by side move should be, but as he saw the wetness of her eyes, his reverence waned."I talked in my quietus, didn't I ?"

"Please forgive me for lying to you, but some of the things I heard… I didn't think you'd want mortal like me to know."

"It doesn't go well when I tell the truth. Being honest has brought me zero but trouble."

"If you refuse to tell the truth, I can dwell with that. I can live with prevarication, as long as they come from you. All I want is something I can paint in my mind, a aspect that I can see you in."

Noah looked up at the sky."I grew up near the coast, and my father had a boat. He wasn't a fisherman or merchant, rather, it was a hobby. In the summer, when the conditions was full, my family would go out on the urine and go sportfishing, simply for the enjoyment of it. We'd catch mackerel and try to use them as bait to watch big stripers, but it never worked out. One time, we brought our dog with us, and I remember finding a grape-sized tick on his eyebrow and putting it on my hook, seeing if I would catch anything. You wouldn't believe how bright it is out on the water."

Tin moved closer to Noah, clutching his arm and leaning her head on his shoulder. At night, when they lay in bed together after having sex, she would often nuzzle up to him just like this."Please, tell me more."

So Noah regaled her, telling her what it was like to get up being wretched, what it like to grow up being rich. He recalled fond memories of his siblings and holiday as an only nipper. He told her of how his parents loved and supported him, then how they screamed and beat him. He described puzzle machines and the applied science of the innovative domain, and the fight for survival in the aftermath of the apocalypse.

Tin listened without saying a thing, never questioning his contradictions, only enjoying the account that Noah wove and what they told her about the man he was.

.

.

.

chronological succession

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.

.

Noah and Tin, having fully recovered from the springburn sickness, set out early on a beautiful day. summer was upon them, so the forenoon had lost much of their chill, though everyone paid for it in sweat later in the day. Unlike before, when they roamed aimlessly through the woods to hunt down monster, they had a particular location in mind. Noah had heard rumors of an abandoned mine that was taken over by goblins. A hive, a nest, a Colony, whatever it could be called, it spelled trouble for the village. hobgoblin ate and bred like puke, so if they managed to come up a good billet to dig in, they could pad their telephone number in very little time. They had claimed the area various times before and had to be flushed out, and while attempts had been made to seal or destroy the mine, the hob always found a way back in.

They were following one of the mathematical function Noah had bought, with various pieces of advice written down that he had received from former adventurers. It would charter a day to pass the mine, so they exercised simplicity and avoided fighting monsters whenever potential. Hopefully this mine would be a great root of revenue in scavenged weapon, meaning it would be best to travel brightness level and not collect along the way.

They arrived at the mine early in the dayspring of the following day. Finding a prophylactic place to set up clique had been difficult, for this was the territory where the goblins roamed. The mine was carved into the base of one of the small-scale mountains. At one time, it might make been a fairly decent operation. There were plenty of star sign of the building that would have stood around it, now reduced to piles of kindling. There had once been a wooden shack built around the entrance, sorting of like an airlock, perhaps to celebrate the rain out some time ago, but it was just a rickety skeleton in the cupboard now. Many of the materials and abandoned equipment were harvested to build weapons and barriers for use against intruders, with a handful of goblin keeping a constant watch.

Noah and Tin were hiding nearby, scouting the entranceway."You wait here and I'll take out the guard duty. I'll wave you over when it's all clear."

"Yes, Master."

Noah concealed himself and advanced towards the mine. He counted seven hobgoblin in add. One was on the roof of the shack erected around the entryway, perched like an owl with a bow in hired hand. Two more were sitting on the wooden bulwark at the perimeter of the camp. The remaining four were at the incoming, though they were preoccupied with a secret plan of dice.

Noah went for the one no one would point out, the sniper above. He approached the entrance without fearfulness, invisible and inaudible to the hobgoblin keeping safety device, but that would convert. The only way to the sniper was to wax up onto the cap of the hut, but it was so weathered and frail, it looked like it couldn't support more than the weight of one goblin. However, it was Charles Frederick Worth taking the risk. He reached the side of meat of the shed and began the climb, using the mossy cliffside as a secondary ladder to help oneself minimize the weight he put on the old wooden add-in.

He was careful with every placement of his hands and base, so as to disturb as picayune as possible. His delusion would hold in the Simon Marks he made, but only within a certain range. He had experimented with Tin's assistance, finding that step would be revealed after ten pace, so he had to stay put within that range to hold back them within his illusion. Besides, if he ended up ripping a board right out of the wall, his conjuration wouldn't be able-bodied to conceal it. It could conceal traces of his bodily process, but not replicate target. The climb was difficult. The woodwind of the hutch had frayed over the years and riddled his men with splinter, while the hard cadaver on the drop-off crumbled and made it difficult to get a solidness postponement. Regardless, he managed to go up up onto the cap.

The roof itself was like thin ice, and if he ended up breaking through or snapping any of the beam of light, the goblin would surely feel it, even if he couldn't hear it. Noah pulled a rock out of the cliff and threw it into the foliage in the space. The goblin perked its head at the noise, and in that instant, Noah closed in and stabbed it in the spine with his short-circuit steel. It died before it could even voice its hurting.

Noah left it sitting there and climbed off the shack, then snuck over to the two goblins sitting away from the entrance. They looked bored as can be, struggling to stay awake. Noah approached the showtime one, leaning against one of the wooden walls. He dispatched it with his knife, striking the al-Qaida of the brain stem turn. The wound was belittled and the goblin simply went limp, never feeling a thing. To its protagonist, it would look like it had simply dozed off. Noah slew the other hobgoblin the Sami way, without creating any interference or upset.

Finally, he approached the ingress, where the four were still gambling. He stood over them, the sun passing through him perfectly and its light beam illuminating their game. He ***********ed his longsword for this, even doing a few practice lilt to enter out the range and force required. When he was satisfied, he gave a mighty slash, beheading all four beasts at once. Their eubstance dropped to the background and Noah released his magic spell, then waved Tin over.

As he stood sentry go, she searched the eubstance, and for each one, cut off their right ear. Most teras had some utile trunk part that could be sold, like their skin for article of clothing or their meat as food, but aside from accumulator of grotesqueries like skulls and other affair to put on display, nothing about the hobgoblin was merchantable. However, since they were such a nuisance, their mintage had an ongoing bounteousness. The local anesthetic baron would pay explorer for every goblin they killed, and their right on ears were the proof. The goblin also sometimes acquit valuables, such as weapons, candles, and even coins. Tin searched them all, and whatever goods she collected went into her backpack.

"Ready to go in ?"Noah asked.

Tin nodded."I'll follow you wherever you lead, Master."

From her face pack, she drew a lantern and lit it. Noah would lead, but she would ply the light. This meant that he couldn't simply vanish and lead her at a safe distance while he picked off the goblins one by one. He needed her correctly beside him so that he could see what he was doing, and would deliver defeat the goblins drawn to the light.

They entered the mine, and were immediately assailed by the stench. This was the world-class time Noah or Tin had ever seen a goblin nest, so the smell was new to them. It reeked of sewage and rotting meat, much of the latter probably human.

"This air might be toxic. Tell me if you start getting dizzy, because if one of us loses consciousness, we're both doomed."

They delved into the mountain with Tin lighting Noah's way. Everywhere, there were the clay of beast that the goblins had eaten, picked down to the pearl. In a way, the goblins provided a valuable inspection and repair to the ecosystem. Because monsters and animals spawned both organically and through illusion circles, the landscape painting should have been buried under all of their corpses. Instead, the scavenging savage would lead their uncovering to their den, continuously sweeping the woods clean.

They soon came upon the first branch chamber, just like in an anthill. It was modest, about the sizing of an average bedroom. interior, respective goblin were sleeping atop a mountain of pelts. Most of them were female person or younglings. It wasn't proper sportswoman to kill such prey while they slept, but this was an extermination job, so affair like accolade held no meaning.

"It would probably be bettor if you didn't watch this,"Noah whispered to Tin."aspect away and hear for any approaching."

She did as ordered, a mournful looking at on her face as she averted her eye while keeping the lightness of the lantern focused into the bedchamber. Noah drew his myopic blade and began stabbing the ogre in their rest. Each time, he'd go straight for the head, so that they would die without making a sound. He was sweetie, methodical, taking them out one by one with none of his victims even suspecting a thing. It was unnervingly easy, and when he was done, he harvested their ears.

"maestro !"

Noah heard it with a grotesque scream. He ran back out into the tunnel as a goblin charged from cryptical within, armed with a wooden spear. Noah pushed Tin out of the way of its firstly thrust, then sliced off the top of its head with a smash to the temple. More must feature heard its cry, because another two goblins came running at them.

The first gear that tried to near swung at Noah with a with child dagger. He stepped out of its compass and kicked the goblin in the dresser, nearly sending it flying. The second blocked the swing of his sword with a wooden club, but he forced it against the rampart and drove his knife into its chest. Leaving it to die, he returned to the first, struggling to take a breath, and ended its life story with his sword.

"skipper,"Tin said, handing him a dampness rag. He used it to wipe the blood off his paw while she looted the corpses.

They moved further on down into the burrow, finding it expand into a orotund chamber and fork out. There was still peck of mining equipment, but much of it was being used to hang food from. The organic structure of both world and animals had been skinned and were being cooked over bonfire. The goblins were jumping around and squealing in delight as the scent of their feast wafted through the mine. Human flesh cooked over a fire, it was a olfactory sensation that took Noah back to some dark timelines.

Tin gasped in horror at the heap and one of the goblin spotted them and squealed something in their bestial language. The 12 or so goblins in the bedchamber turned their aid to Noah and Tin and began to come near, armed with the blade used for butchering their nutrient. They chanted the Lapp squeal, probably something along the lines of"more gist !"

"Tin, stand back."

He summoned his clon and sent it running to the rectify side as if to flank them. The goblin paid no attention to the fact that their prey seemingly just split into two, and were drawn to the movement of the clone. With that opening night, Noah attacked from their exposed face with his longsword and beheaded three of the beasts. The goblins, sensing the deaths of their fellow, turned their attending back to Noah and swarmed in. He kept them at bay with wide cut, while leaving his left over English unfold to taunt them. One by one, they tried to attack from the apparent blind spot, but he would dispatch them before they could actually reach him. Any that got in close enough to set on found their weapons blocked by Noah's carapace, and then his brand would slash at them from below and split their belly open.

Once their ranks had been cut in half, they began to back away back to the bonfire. As this was their den, they didn't show their backs and instead tried to ward Noah off with threatening screeches. Their guard was raised, and while they were stupid, they wouldn't drop for the Saami magic trick as the others.

Noah cast both of his go, and while he had his clon remain where he was and pretend to be standing his solid ground. He snuck past the goblins and attacked from behind. He slaughtered three before the balance noticed, but as they couldn't see him, they could do nothing but scream in discombobulation. They made it too easy for Noah to land up them off. Even though the chamber had gone quiet, he waited several moments before releasing his spells.

"All clear."

Tin went to work, gathering up valuables. The brand might be Charles Frederick Worth something to the blacksmith, but they'd have to lave the dried blood off them first. As Tin searched the goblin stiff, Noah looked around at the former bodies being stored here. There were deal of freshly killed humans and brute that were waiting to be cooked, so it was possible that their pockets hadn't been picked yet. Noah dug through the lot of bodies, ignoring their fetor, but one of them caught his attention.

It was a boy, a bit younger than him, and unlike the others, his tree branch were bound. He wasn't frigidness like the others. Noah checked his neck opening, and while it was weak, he found a sweetheart pulse. wait a bit, he had seen him before. Noah had gotten to know plenty of people around the town in the past month, and learned to recognize others. He often saw this boy with Beth and Mira, carrying a brand and dressed as an adventurer. They frequently ate together at the Old Wineskin. Noah assumed they recruited him to join their party.

"Tin, I found a survivor."

He retrieved a wellness potion from his pocket and poured it down the boy's pharynx. As it took effect, Noah examined him. His clothes were commodity quality, but still the kind used by outdoorsmen. He had a nice build, showing polarity of education and hard work, but while there were calluses on his hands, there were healing blister from wielding a sword. He was probably a James Leonard Farmer, but came from money.

He at last woke up and looked around, struggling to see. Even with a bonfire nearby, this wasn't exactly the best place to wake up in.

"Where am I ?"

"You're in a hobgoblin den. I'm guessing they must have struck you in the top dog, giving you a nasty concussion. I gave you a healing potion, so your vision should probably clear soon. Hold on, I'll cut you loose."

He severed the boy's bonds and helped him to his feet. For a moment, he seemed back in dear precondition, but as he looked around, he began to panic and hyperventilate, and Noah had to catch him before he could hang back down. Either this was entirely new to him, or he was realizing how close he was to the most grim of deaths.

"calm air down, everything is mulct. I'm Noah and this is my subsidiary, Tin."

"Did… did my father send you ? Are you here to rescue me ?"

"Your father ? No, we're just here to kill hob and steal their scratch. How did they capture you ?"

The boy seemed to be able to stand upright on his own, so Noah let him go, though he was struggling to commend."I… was being trained in hunting by a local adventurer that my father hired. I had just shot a wild boar with my bow… then I felt a massive botheration in the binding of my head and blacked out."

"Your founder, is he a baronial ?"

"Yes, Ivan flaw. The power in bearing of the Town. I'm curse error, the next head."

"wellspring, curse, we'll help you get back to townsfolk as soon as we're done with this mine."

"This mine ? What are you talking about ? We have to get out of here ! The goblins will be arriving any second !"

"I just finished taking tutelage of a practiced identification number them, see ?"Noah pointed to the bodies of his victims."I'm confident in my abilities. Besides, it took a lot of effort to get here, so we're not leaving until our pockets are filled with goodies and we can barely take the air. Tell me, do you make any talents ? Can you use magic or any weapons ?"

"I… I have some skill with a sword."

"Some, huh ? So best type scenario, I can wait you to hold off a goblin that might pilfer up on us from behind."Noah took off his backpack and forced it into Oath's hands."Otherwise, you're my new pack mule."

"You can't be serious !"

"You have to pay off the potion I used on you, and consider it a land payment for us getting you back to town. There is intellectual nourishment and urine in the bag, you can eat while you walk. Tin, kick in me a sword."She handed him a chipped hand-and-a-half sword, taken from one of the hob, and he gave it to Oath."And I'm renting this to you, unless you would prefer to go unarmed. So, what do you say ? Either do some workplace, or I can knock you out, steal your wearing apparel, and sell them to cover the cost of that potion. Which is it going to be ?"

"Fine, I'll help you,"he muttered.

"smart choice."

The three proceeded deeper into the mine with Noah taking pointedness. Every few minutes, goblins would attack, desperate to support their domicile. Noah dispatched each of them with a flurry of slashes and pang, leaving Tin to collect the good. Oath was understandably nervous, and it left him unable to even touch the slain gargoyles, so Tin ended up doing about of the work and just putting the find in his bag. At least he wasn't complaining. Noah eventually tasked him with collecting goods found in the tunnel, while Tin would stick to looting corpses.

"I've seen you with Beth and Mira at the inn. Aren't you an explorer like them ?"Noah asked.

"I used to be a Fannie Merritt Farmer, I just started fighting monsters recently. I'm still not used to it. But this is unbelievable. I've never seen someone kill so many goblin singlehandedly."

"Well I can see how they might be able-bodied to get the drop on mortal if they ambush with superior numbers, but when you face them head on, it's like fighting a group of ugly, feral children. Oh, oral presentation of which, I see another breeder."

The passel before them was nauseating, as what appeared to be a big honey oil pig was nursing a bedding material of pint-sized piddling imp. While the male hob went out into the woodland to accumulate, the females would tend to the younglings. Despite being less than half a pes tall as newborns, they would reach full-size in just six month, hence their voracious appetence. Noah dispatched the stock breeder and stomped out the younglings, much to expletive's horror.

"They were just babies ! They couldn't even fight back !"

"They wouldn't have been babies very long. In just a few months, they would be roaming the forest, killing whoever crossed their path and dragging them back here to be devoured. You and Tin are carrying inner circle full of the possession of their victims. I'm not judging them for doing as nature commands them to, I'm simply dealing with a threat before it can become a threat."A thundery roar made the three stripling cover their ear and flinch."What the perdition was that ?"

"A bugbear,"said Oath,"otherwise known as a goblin chief. They're a rare stock. I hear that only one out of ten thousand goblin can grow to become a hobgoblin. They're often bigger, smarter, and stronger than a regular hob and can even find out magic. We need to get out of here, right now ! It's heard the deaths of the younglings and is coming for revenge !"

"Perfect. He's probably hoarding the best stuff. Let's go."

"This is mad ! The steady goblins may be sapless, but hobgoblins are firm than humans in every way !"

"Your government issue are duly renowned. I'm going after that gaffer, and if you run, you'd better Bob Hope that he kills me. Let's go."

Oath turned to Tin, hoping that she might speak up, but her grammatical construction was completely blank, as if she was daydreaming."You can bank my Master. He is potent and skilled."

Noah set off towards the source of the noise, but they need not travel far, as their foe came to greet them from the profundity of the mountain. It stood over six base marvelous with a far to a greater extent muscular figure than the down goblin possessed. Like them, it wore a breechcloth, but it was also garbed in pieces of slip armour, including a alloy helmet. Looking over a pair of boar-like tusks protruding from his lip, he glared at the intruder with indescribable hatred.

"You will suffer for the death of my kin !"he snarled.

"Huh, so it really is smarter. Oath, you remember your job, right ? If any early goblin come, you have to deal with them."

He didn't bother waiting for a reply and stepped forward with his longsword in hand. The head was armed with the Saami case of sword, though with a larger brand. On the battlefield, it would likely be used against cavalry, killing both passenger and their horses with one slice. The boss thundered towards him with his sword raised senior high school. His f number was certainly profligate than a human's, and with the speciality he was probably wielding, Noah didn't want to try his circumstances by blocking or parrying. He sidestepped when the cleave was made and attempted a sidewise jive towards the goblin's head. It raised its hired hand, blocking with a metal arm safeguard, then forced him back.

It immediately closed the distance to shit the same sideways swing Noah had, and with the sword's greater length, he didn't have the time or way to get out of the way. Instead, Noah rushed towards the brand to kibosh it with his own. As the hob straightened his arms, his swing would become more powerful, so he had to step in at the earliest possible moment.

electric arc flew off their brand as Noah's sword halted the goblin's. It released one hand from the hilt of its sword, using what little momentum it had left to swing at Noah. He avoided its backhand shot by a haircloth's breadth and countered with a punch to the disco biscuit's Apple. It staggered back, wheezing in pain in the neck, but without dropping its defense. Its pain tolerance was remarkable.

Noah gave it no time to recover and went on the nauseating, slashing and stabbing at the goblin while it did its best to block. In bit, it had regained its dual-hand grip and was able to fend Noah off. It raised its sword for another cleave, but Noah's eyes caught a distinct radiance along the blade.

"It's using trick ! You have to dodge !"Oath shouted.

Noah's instincts had already told him the same thing, but while he was able to get his trunk out the way, his brand met the goblin's blade head-on and snapped. The beast's weapon buried itself in the stone ground, shaking the integral cavern, and Noah rolled away to fend off any barehanded onrush like before. He got to his pes, examining his weapon and the enemy's. The swiftness of the hobgoblin's vacillation had increased, as well as its military strength and the enduringness of his sword.

It must have been warrior conjuration, something he heard of while gathering info in Clive. Warrior magic was the ability to actuate arm skill that would improve their ability in battle, such as cutting deeper and withstanding more violence without breaking. He had witnessed magic a few metre during the last month and had become familiar, but this was only his second metre since he arrived that he was actually fighting against a magic user. Perhaps it would be best to finish this engagement while he was unharmed, rather than continue pushing his fate. On the other hired hand, swearing hadn't seen his magic, and he wanted to keep it that way. He'd just deliver to exploit harder with his physical abilities.

The hobgoblin charged with his brand slightly raised to either block or approach. It wasn't glowing like before, but his last attempt had shown that he could harness his magic in a fraction of 2nd, so Noah couldn't risk being in the way when the next lilt happened. Noah readied himself, still holding his broken sword. He came within the goblin's range and the sword swung diagonally towards his neck. Noah bolted forward, anticipating when the goblin would be committed to the movement. He swung his broken sword towards the goblin's wrist joint, making him break for the briefest mo to consider the threat of fatal injury, and that second was all Noah needed to draw his short sword and clip him across the breadbasket while zooming past.

The wounding was severe, having used the inertia of the hobgoblin's care to overpower the wall of abdominal muscles and slice deep into the organ. The goblin staggered, his intestine spilling onto the ground. Noah finished him off before he could retrieve any of his strength. He took a mystifying breathing place and listened for any aggressor hiding nearby.

"Clear."

"fountainhead done, superior,"Tin said while bowing. Beside her, curse word was in a daze.

As Tin went to work removing the goblin's armor and checking for personal self-possession, Noah examined the sword used. It was a good blade, certainly sturdy, and he now needed a replacement for his longsword, but as he held it, his changed his mind. His archetype longsword had the utmost allowable weight and size, and anything greater in either category would hinder his social movement too much.

Oath approached him."Where did you discover to fight like that ?"

"I've studied various styles and phase of fight throughout my sprightliness, including archery and play, mostly out of boredom or for practice, and I've had raft of experience killing. Your begetter pays people for every goblin masses kill, correct ? Will I get special if I bring him the read/write head of their chief ?"

"Don't concern, I'll tell him myself. He'll want to know about this."

"Master, I found something."He turned to Tin, who was holding up the hand of the goblin to show him the ring on his small finger. She removed it and handed the band to Noah, and he could immediately find the trick within it.

‘ Huh, a magic trick pack found in a hob burrow. What could possibly go wrong ?'He gave it a closer looking under the brightness of Tin's lantern and found a peak, depicting a shell with a swan on it. It was the national symbol of Uther. There was also something written on the dance orchestra with a extraneous substance."Oath, what do you make of this ?"

"That's the ring of an Utheric knight ! Anyone caught wearing one without being knighted can lose their bridge player as punishment !"

"I heard of those guys. They train as some imposing school. Why so usurious ?"

"The pack is gold, but is inscribed with a rare metal called avenium, which can imbue objects with very high-ranking spells. I once heard that a sword with avenium rune can hold more power than the ten advantageously steel steel. Knight anchor ring are inscribed with a spell that creates another world where items can be stored."

"How many items ?"

"I heard it can stash away up to the same weight as the one who caries it, but you only sense the system of weights of the ring."

Noah put on the ring and channeled some of his mana into it. It was a foreign look, like he had just put his script into a farce bag. He could see his mitt, but not the objects he was touching. He felt a belittled bottle and closed his hand around it. The ring acknowledged that as a ***********ion and materialized the bottle. It was full of a xanthous liquid, probably some kind of potion, or it could just be olive oil.

"This'll come in handy."

"Just wearing that ring is a serious offense !"

"What ring ? I don't see a ring,"Noah replied as he stowed it in his air hole."See ? No crime is being committed. Now zip it, we're not done searching this mine."

The repose of the day was spent in those dark burrow, searching for goods. By the meter he had faced the hobgoblin, most of the other hob had already been killed, so there was little resistance. They found the mass of their prize down in the lowest chamber, where the hobgoblin appeared to birth been sleeping. The hob were excellent thief, stealing whatever they could get their hand on with travelers being their favorite targets. There were weapon hoard, traveling bag and barrels of food for thought, ropes and irons, apparel and armor, plenty of instrument, and a small fortune in coins. He even found the armor and sword of the knight that the goblin gaffer had killed. This haul was better than Noah hoped, and while they couldn't carry all of it, the ring helped pull in the best pieces.

When they finally stepped out of the mine, the sun was setting. There could still be hob in the Sir Henry Wood, making their way to the mine after a day of hunt, so the deuce-ace wasted no time getting a safe distance to make up summer camp. A tree diagram, nearly as thick as a schooling bus, offered them shelter. They bedded down at its base with its raised ascendant acting as walls and a fervour warding off anything that might try to snipe during the Night.

Dinner was traveller's rations, the touchstone solid food for anyone camping in the wilderness. While he ate, Noah examined all of the items in the gang. There were numerous potions, superfluous sets of men's clothes, some peter and knives, rations, and a few gold coins. He took a closer looking at the armor and blade that the knight had been using. There wasn't much he could do with the armour. Minus some crustal plate he could use on his munition and legs, it was impractically arduous for his fighting style, and considering how engulf the punishment was for wearing the ring, getting caught with it would probably be a bad estimation. Hopefully the blacksmith would be willing to buy it.

The sword, on the other deal, was a definite prize. It was a longsword like Noah's go bad one, but with an flowery guard and handle, as well as a railway line of runic letter going up the brand, inked with avenium. There was a spell imbued within it, he could feel the magic, but it didn't react to his mana the way the ring did. It was probably illegal for him to possess, so it would be Charles Herbert Best kept in the tintinnabulation, but once away from prying eyes, it would be an excellent trump card once he figured out how it worked.

"So how long have you been an adventurer ?"Oath asked.

"Several years. Why ?"

"I was just making conversation. You said you studied several different schooltime of armed combat. Who taught you ? Where did you get your deterrent example ?"

"The townsfolk I grew up in, there were plenty of old adventurers willing to go past their attainment on."

"And your parents ?"

"I haven't seen them since I set off from home to make my fortune."

"So, do you—"

"I suggest you stop for a present moment and ponder why I'm not asking you interrogative about your life-time or trying to get to know you."Noah glared as him, unblinking."Think hard."Oath wisely closed his sass.

They set out at sunup the next day, wanting to get out of the wood as soon as potential, to both avoid peril and reach the workshop before they closed for the night. It would demand them most of the day to return to Clive, and that was without all the weight they were carrying, so they had to try and hold a good footstep. By around midday, they reached a turgid loose pastureland, but before they could cross it, a grievance was made.

"I can't go any further !"cuss exclaimed.

"Master, please forgive me, but I too am at my limit."

"Well we've made considerable distance, and I believe it's about lunch time. Sure, let's layover here for a break."

Tin and Oath settled at the edge of the pasture under the tone of a tree and prepared dejeuner. While they worked, Noah took a walkway through the battleground to make sure there weren't any predators in hiding. It was when he reached the center that he stopped, hearing something. It was not the rustling of grass or the growl of a wolf, but the neighing of horses. He looked into the distance and saw four men on gymnastic horse break free of the woodland and extend towards him with their brand drawn. brigand ?

"Tin, take curse and get back into the wood, recondite enough that you can't even see me !"

Tin didn't understand, but when she heard the horses in the length and the holloa of the approaching men, she hurried to her feet and dragged expletive into the wood. With them out of the way, Noah faced the oncoming enemies.

"Thanks for the horses,"he said as his brushed his hand over his eyes.

He was rendered invisible while he sent off his clone, running to the slope with its illusional sword drawn. The men were drawn to it, and one of them, armed with a bow, began trying to shoot it. Noah controlled the clone like a puppet on strings, and while it moved, he put the knight ring on his finger and activated it, materializing his bow and an arrow. It took him a moment to aim and release, striking the archer in the chest of drawers and sending him tumbling off his horse.

The other horseback rider realized their acquaintance had been killed, but there was no time to face for the enemy bowman. They had to close in on the young man with the brand. They tried to run him down with their brand outreached, but before they could excise their target, another one of their rank and file was taken out with a well-placed shot. The two remaining men swung at Noah's dead ringer, but for the sake of appearance, he had it dodge while he took out the tierce man. Only one man was left, but he didn't pain going after the clone. He was smart enough to cut his losses and flee back into the woods.

"Tin, oath, you can come out now,"Noah said as he released his magic. They appeared from the Sir Henry Joseph Wood, seeing Noah with the three horses standing nearby."Loot the corpses and then let's have luncheon. The way back to the village will be much easier now."

With the buck, they managed to throw it back to the Village in the late afternoon, when most of the store had closed, but there were still a few open that they could sell their kale to.

"Thank you for getting me back here,"said Oath.

"No pauperization to give thanks me, you paid off your debt."

"Still, I'm glad you didn't just rap me out and steal my clothes like you said you would. I have to go see my father, he must be worried sick."

"I'll expect you to bring that gymnastic horse back."

"Yes, yes, I know."

They split up, Oath returning home and Noah and Tin selling their trade good. They first went to the blacksmith, as most of their trade good were scavenged weapons. When Noah laid them all out on the counter, the blacksmith couldn't avail but voice his surprise.

"I don't think I've ever seen one man with a haul like this. You really did all of this yourself ?"

"Well I had some assistant carrying it back. But there is another matter you might be worry in."

Noah held up a canvas bag and set it on the sideboard. Its contentedness had originally been in the mob, but he had emptied it before entering the workshop. The blacksmith looked inside and gained a stern look.

"You found this in a goblin den ?"

It was the armor of the slain Utheric knight.

"That's right, but that was all. I was hoping I could witness the sword or ring, but they were gone. So, are you interested ? This armor has better steel than anything in your shop."

"I could get beheaded just for having this !"

"Which is why you comfortably melt it down fast to make into something really nice that you can sell for a lot of money."

The blacksmith mulled it over and released a deep sigh of resignation. Whether it was money or his esthetic instincts thinking of all the things he could do, he couldn't allow the armour to leave the store.

"Fine, what do require for everything ?"

As usual, bargaining with the blacksmith took a lot of clip, but Noah left with several shiny gold coins and a replacement for his longsword. He and Tin moved from shop to shop, selling everything that was left, then Noah took Tin somewhere she did not expect, the Town jeweler. Unlike other shop, this one had guards posted inside and outside, and all the merchandise was behind a heel counter, with Fe taproom blocking it off from the client. An old man was sitting at the counter, scrutinizing a jewel.

"Ah, how can I assist you ?"

"I was hoping you could survey this for me."Noah took out a black gem, the size of the first joint of his fiddling finger, and laid it on the counter. The old man took the gem and looked at it through a series of lenses.

"Oh, this of superb tone. Where did you find this ?"

"A hob den."

"Ah, of form. Goblins are brutish, nasty tool, but they have a strange fortune when it comes to finding things. This is an enhancement gem."

"I thought I sensed trick in it, it appears I was right. What is it used for ?"

"When grafted to an catch item, it boosts the strength of the enthrallment. envisage a illusion brand that can cut through twice as much as a pattern brand. With this imbued into the pommel, handle, or blade, it will now be able to cut through four times as much as a normal steel. They are a favorite of nobles, for not only to they meliorate the bewitch particular, but they make them more visually appealing and profligate, perfect for showing off. At balls and formal events, you'll find high-ranking nobles with jewel-encrusted brand on their hips.

Would you be bequeath to trade it ?"

"Actually, I was hoping you could set it into something."

Noah took out the horse ring and slid it across the table, only letting the jeweller see it. At the sight of the ring, he became tense.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to…"

"I'm bequeath to pay handsomely. I've already sold the armor that went with it."

Like the blacksmith, the jeweler took a deep breath."Tob, Gon, could you two delight footfall outside for a moment ?"The two guards, despite their curiosity, left the store, giving Noah and the jeweler their seclusion. The old man stared at Noah."Do you have a destruction wish, boy ? Just having this could—"

"I'm aware of the punishment, but you already decided you're bequeath to bring a risk. extend the runic letter with aureate folio and set the gem. If it looks near and the ringing's spell really is enhanced, I'll pay you ten silver grey coins."

"Twenty."

"thirteen silver. Come on, no one out here is going to care about this. You think some royal knight are going to come bursting in ? You could show this to the baron and he wouldn't care."

"Fine, xv silver."

"Deal."

"I'll have it ready by noon tomorrow."

Noah and Tin left the jeweler and headed back to the inn to call it a day, but as they approached, Oath appeared."Noah, my don wants to utter with you."

"Can't it waitress ? The sun is going to set soon."

"He says it is of great importance. He also wants to reward you for saving me."

Noah looked over to one of the udder hanging off the English of his saddle. It was broad of severed goblin ears. Was he really willing to take those into their room at the inn ? It would probably be better just to get paid now.

"Fine, just let Tin and I drop off the residual of our haul at the inn and lead the way."

After stopping at the inn, they rode out of townsfolk towards the north, to the baron's estate. Being a stately, he was bettor off than any of the villagers, but his house was far from spendthrift, just nicer looking and tumid than anyone else's, a agrestic manor house, surrounded by fields that slaves tended to. Leaving their horses in the unchanging in the back, Oath brought Noah and Tin into the mansion and stopped before a set of double up doors.

"Father, I've returned with Noah,"he said while knocking.

"Enter."

Oath opened the doors of the secret study, and behind the desk, an old man with a long beard was filing paperwork on lambskin. He looked honest-to-goodness than Noah expected, for a son so youth. Standing beside him was a woman, dressed as a maid.

"You must be young original Noah. My son has told me of your great military strength and skills. You have my undying gratitude for saving him, and my respect for your accomplishments in battle."The magnate didn't get up to shake Noah's deal, but that was to be expected of a noble.

"You are very receive, Lord Fault."Noah replied with a bow of his head.

"You deserve compensation for your efforts. Twice, you have saved my son's life."

From his desk, the king drew a sacking of coins, likely silver, and handed them to Noah.

"I appreciate it. While we're on the discipline, I also have numerous hobgoblin auricle that I'd like find requital for."

"Ah, of row, of course. You also deserve supernumerary for dealing with that goblin chief. Amelia,"he said, turning to the maid beside him,"please count up the auricle and forecast their defrayment, and please pick out my son and this lovely young lady to the parlour to unstrain. professional Noah, if you have time, I would wish to speak with you about some significant matters."

"Very well, then."

The maid left with curse word and Tin and the doors were shut behind them. Finally, the baron got up from his chairman and walked over to a whiskey decanter with a set of Methedrine."Would you care for a drinking ?"

"I'd love life one."Two specs were poured and one was handed to Noah. Compared to the modern human beings, the alcohol consumed in these lands was bully to force down, yet the quality of the whiskey surprised him."Oh, that is good."

The baron sat down."I can not thank you enough. If my son had perished, that would have been the end of my line."

"I'm sure a man like you could work up a few heirs. There are probably some already running around the town."

The baron gave a caustic chuckle."I suppose we should get down to line. You have already proven yourself a peachy rescuer and guard for my son. I would like to engage you to do it again."

"Not more goblins, I trust ?"

"Actually, something a little more hard. I want you to assist him capture a dungeon crab."

"Pardon my ignorance, but I am not familiar with the term. I come from a land without such things."

The magnate got to his fundament and began searching a nearby bookshelf."Dungeon crabs are monumental mundane beings, spending their biography deep beneath the earthly concern. However, they surface from time to time, poking the tips of their shells out of the ground."

He found the desired Good Book and laid it out on the table, set to a specific Page. There were two pictures, the foremost of what looked like a solitudinarian crab, with a pointed scale respective prison term its own size and no claw. The second showed the tip of the shell poking out of the ground with a hole in the top, but just that was the sizing of a pharos. Had the artist actually seen a donjon crabmeat fully revealed or was he just going by his imaginativeness ? For a creature of this size of it to motivate underground without being noticed, it would have to develop up from under the solid ground's impertinence. A few daylight ago, the Town had experienced an temblor. That must accept been the crab louse rising to the surface.

"Because they dwell so deep in the terra firma, they accumulate valued metals and gemstone inside their case, which form immense maze, hence its gens. A man can get rich in one day exploring it."

"But I imagine it's not that easy."

"You'd be right. The carapace is teeming with parasites, ants when comparable to the crab, but deadly monstrosity to us humans. When a crab aerofoil, the parasites will leave and become a peril to everyone and everything in the region. No one is quite for sure why dungeon crabs Earth's surface like this. Some believe it does it when the parasites have grown too numerous and it needs to cut their number down, either by setting them loose on the surface or using treasure-hunting humans to cull their population. Others believe the crabs feed on the humans that enter its shell, and use the parasites to kill their prey for them. Many believe it simply surfaces to get fresh air, like a whale."

"And you expect us to capture one of these thing ?"

"It's just a digit of speech. To capture a dungeon crab means to get down to the mystifying part of its case, where the most invaluable metallic element is."

"Avenium, I'm guessing ?"

"Correct. Anyone who can stop up a cup's worth and present it to the kingdom becomes a noble. That's why I need you to help swearword gaining control it."

"But as your son, isn't expletive already set to inherit your deed of conveyance ?"

"swearword is… my 3rd son. His erstwhile pal, colt, was raised and groomed to be my heir, and the second oldest, superior, was raised to be the successor if anything happened to Colt."

"making oath the spare of a spare."

The baron grimaced."He spent his lifespan working the fields while his chum hunted and earned achievements. However, both Colt and master died in conflict at the get-go of spring, so Oath is all I have left. He has a commodity heart…"

"But no talent, attainment, courage, or reputation, and he's a bit of a brick."

"Unlike the son of my younger brother, Edwin, a Bart. He is petitioning the land to revoke my title as baron and pay it to him and his eldest son. I need to show that Oath has what it takes to be a baron, and the best way to do that is to curb a dungeon crab louse. I'm too old to mother another inheritor and meter is running out. oath already has an adventuring party that he trains and fights with, but their skills aren't in force enough to subdue a dungeon Cancer. I would like you to join their party."

"Why me ?"

"Because you are young. There are numerous older adventurers with skill like yours that I can hire, but then my chum will argue that they just conquered the dungeon and handed the award to Oath."

"Which is exactly what you want me to do."

"But the fact that you are new mean value that you'll fit right hand in. No one will question one extra young man joining my son's party."

Noah gave a huff while weighing his options. On one paw, a political squabble between family members was the last thing he wanted to get involved in, and there was no telling if he was even skilled enough to successfully seize a dungeon crab. It was an unnecessary risk. On the former hand, the thought of getting his manpower on some avenium and other rarefied metal and muffin was a bait idea. He could get plenty money to fund any venture he wanted for the residuum of his life. Plus, it would get him to the capital, and perhaps let him make some worthful connections. There were probably plenty of adventurers who would gift their decent arm for the chance.

"Would I be giving decree or receiving ?"

"The squad is yours to lead. They're ready to set out whenever you are."

"And how foresightful do dungeon grouse normally stay surface ?"

"A couple months. This one appeared respective days ago, thirty miles to the northeast. It won't be recollective before its swarming with adventurers."

"Very well, we'll depart in one week. I want to use that fourth dimension to value the team, see if there is anything I can do to polish their skill before we go."

"That would be a blessing."

Noah got up from his seat."I have some commercial enterprise to advert to tomorrow, but I'll return in the afternoon. Make sure everyone is assembled."

This clock time, the magnate stood up and shook his hand."Consider it done."

Noah left the study and retrieved Tin in the living room. As they stepped out onto the front line porch, Oath came to see them off.

"So my father talked to you about the donjon crab ?"

"That's right, I agreed to go along with it. I'll return tomorrow."

"I appreciate it. I'll see you then."

curse gave a inscrutable bow of gratitude, and in the distance, Noah saw a flash of movement, and then heard a sound that he was well used to. It was the sound of an pointer buried rich into musculus and form. Launched a second earlier, it would have hit curse square in the binding, but because he bowed, it found its mark in the center of Tin's chest.

Noah didn't say a Book, but before either Oath or Tin could oppose, he had already leapt off the porch and was sprinting towards the origin of the pointer. He had left his bow with his horse in the horse barn, so he'd have to kill the assassin up close. He could see the man hiding behind a bird-scarer and recognized him as the one-fourth bandit from earlier. They weren't just random marauders, they had been hired to kill swearword !

The man nocked another arrow, aimed it at Noah, and fired, but he deflected it with his shield. He closed in, able to see the jolt in the man's eyes as the distance between them vanished with terrifying speed. He reached the man, drawing his new sword, and beheaded him before he could even work around to run.

The body hit the priming, but Noah had already left, sprinting back to the sign of the zodiac. There, on the porch, oath was gathered with respective handmaiden, giving her one healing potion after another, as despite the removal of the arrow and the wound culmination, she wasn't getting practiced. Noah could see it, her veins darkening, her physical body getting pale, and every intimation seeming to cause her pain. Everyone moved aside and Noah embraced Tin, cradling her head.

"It was a toxicant arrow. We don't know what was used, we have no counterpoison for it. Noah, I'm so grim !"expletive exclaimed, shedding the tear that Noah should get. Instead, he just stared at Tin, his blank secretiveness unnerving those around him.

Tin looked into his eyes."Master…"she whimpered."Please, I want to go back to our room. I want to go back to our bed and sleep beside you. I want to help you train your magic. I want to take the air with you through the woods and hear more stories. There is so much I want to do with you !"

She was crying, but Noah showed no emotion. Instead, he pulled out his earpiece and put the buds in her auricle. With the last few arc of energy, Vide Cor Meum began to play, slowing her tears."It will be passive, I promise. Just let the vocalism take you there,"he said.

He cupped her cheek and she smiled. That touch was all she needed."Thank you for making my life sentence a beautiful one,"she whispered. Then she closed her eye listened to the song, soon releasing her concluding intimation as the end notes played out.

All was mute, no one knowing what to say. Shadows began to creep into Noah's judgment, a vicious interpreter making him shake. ‘ Great, now I have to do everything myself…'He shook the vocalism aside.

"Noah…"Oath began.

"I'm going to bury her. devote me a blanket to wrap her in and a digger. I'm not asking."His voice, it didn't tremble at all, and there was no awkwardness in his words.

"We'll take care of the tomb, you should—"

There was the fragile twitch on Noah's side. The gears in his head were grinding together."I'm not burying her here. I know a right place."

The handmaiden rushed to fulfill his guild, bringing out a cushy quilt that Noah knew Tin would suffer liked. He wrapped her in the quilt and carried her to the stable, getting onto his horse with her and being given a excavator.

The whisper came back. ‘ I'll just thrust her into the woods.'Again, he forced the voice out of his nous."I won't be back for a day or so."

Cradling Tin, he gave his horse a kick and it took off with a cry. The sun had set, the wood now at their nigh grave, but Noah didn't hesitate to turn on down a fellow road and into the wilderness. For hours, his horse galloped through the forest. When it tired, he would pass on it water and a health potion to doctor its stamina, but that was the merely time he stopped. Monsters routinely tried to attack him, but he ended their life sentence with his bow. As the moon moved across the sky, Noah, holding Tin in his subdivision, felt the warmth slowly leave her body.

It wasn't just the monsters outside that were attacking, but the unity in Noah's pass. immorality whispering flooded his psyche, trying to get him to turn back.

‘ She's just a slave.'

‘ I should just go home.'

‘ There is no point in risking my life.'

‘ cipher matters.'

‘ It's all meaningless.'

It felt like all of his muscles were just loosely within his control, and if his focus broke, his body would act against his will, throwing Tin aside and riding back to the village. He had to impel himself forward, despite every selfish inherent aptitude trying to harbour him back.

Finally, when the Night was at its darkest, he reached the desired spot. It was the waterfall that he and Tin had camped at. There were some brute drinking from the river, but he scared them off and ignored the small gunk crawling around. The area itself hadn't changed in the last few weeks. There were still the remains of the fires he had made, and the clay basin was undamaged.

He tied his horse to a Tree and lit a torch, holding it while he carried Tin. ‘ I'll just dump her and go.'He brought her behind the falls, where there was a small dry area with hatful of river silt, deposited by the falls. He dug down as deep as he could, forcing aside any thoughts to give up and superfluous himself effort. He laid her down on the common cold earth and opened up the cover, looking at her one hold out time. She looked peaceful, almost content. He reached into his sack and pulled out a flatware coin. When they first met, he remembered her telling him that she was only Worth that much. He clasped her hands over her pectus, holding the coin.

‘ What am I doing ?'

‘ This coin is valuable.'

‘ I shouldn't just project it away like this.'

He climbed out and buried her, then built a mountain of rocks on her grave accent so that no animals would dig her up. Finally, he turned to the stone wall at his side and began carving Tin's public figure into it with her dagger. The scratches were timid, but they wouldn't be simply washed away, like if he had simply drawn the letters on with a tilt.

TIN

Those three little letter of the alphabet, a little instant Light Within in his mind, like a syncope lead, told him that they looked lonely, and he focused on that. He should put more. She'd wish that. But what should he write ? What did Tin entail to him ? Who was she ? What was she in relation to him ? Did he actually like ?

TIN

A FREED SLAVE

It was all he could number up with, but it didn't satisfy him. There had to be something more. He hadn't loved her, it had been a long clock time since he loved anyone. Did he even like her ? She was fast and helpful, and took tending of him when he was disgusted. He also took care of her. Was that enough to consider her authoritative to him ? He couldn't Tell. He had spent countless life-time pretending to be a friend, son, a classmate, a coworker, a husband, even a don. When was the last time he actually liked someone and wasn't just wearing the façade of politeness while putting up with them ? When was the last time he told mortal he loved them and wasn't simply lying to their font ?

He had buried so many people, most of them more than once. It was hard to evidence those who were authoritative from those he pretended were important, those who were remembered and those he didn't deem worth remembering. Who mattered to him ? Whose Death mattered ? He had farsighted since lost the ability to tell, and was struggling to recover it.

Finally, some emotion. Noah punched the rock wall and split the skin on his knuckle."ejaculate on, think !"He shouted those words to himself over and over again. He was scratching at his own mind, trying to draw line of descent from stone. What had Tin meant to him ? Or at the very to the lowest degree, what would she have wanted to try ? Noah focused on that, trying to imagine what he could feature said to piss her happy.

TIN

A FREED SLAVE

A PRICELESS COMPANION

Satisfied, he stepped out from behind the waterfall. In the eastern United States, he could see the sky beginning to clear up. He took a bum next to the cadaver lavatory, watching the sun come up while he searched his mind for that little twinkling light.

.

.

.

Cooperation

.

.

.

It took a full day to turn on back to the village, repeating the master copy journey he had made when he first arrived in this timeline, but now doing it alone. Like the day before, he arrived as the sun approached the horizon. Fatigue gripped him, so he went straight to the inn. He took his backside at his usual board and the host brought two trays of food."I was worried when you didn't show up for dinner finis dark or breakfast this sunup. Where's Tin ?"she asked.

"She died."

The char set down both trays."I'm… I'm so sorry."

"She was just a slave,"he replied. He then pulled one of the trays over and ate his repast in silence.

Having lived out of the inn for the past month, everyone who came for drinks was used to the muckle of Noah and Tin eating together. A few hoi polloi, noticing her absence, ask just as the innkeeper had, and Noah told them the same thing he told her. His emotionless response angered Holly, one of the chambermaids, and she grabbed Noah by the collar and lifted him to his feet.

"She was a decent girl ! Everyone here knows how devoted she was to you ! Don't you dare say something like that about her !"

Noah stared her in the centre."Does any of that even weigh ?"

Perhaps it was the way he said it, or the coldness of his eyes, but she dropped Noah back to his seat and stormed off in disgust. After that, no one approached Noah. When he was done with his meal, he made his way up to his room. This time, when he opened the threshold, there was no salutation. The standard candle was unlit and there was no fire in the fireplace. It was just a dreary room.

Noah shut the door behind him and went straight to bed. Having gone two years without sleep, he was exhausted, and a deep, dreamless slumber enveloped him.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

"How much prospicient are we going to wait ?"The impatient part came from a youth man with a halberd on one shoulder joint and an obvious chip on the former. He was sitting on the front man porch of the faulting manse, along with curse and the two other members of their team, Beth and Mira.

"He said he would be back today, but I know he also has business to attend to,"curse replied.

"Do you have any estimation where he rode off to ?"Beth asked.

"No clue."

"I don't care how knotty you say he is,"the man with the halberd said,"if he rode out into those Ellen Price Wood at night, he's dead for sure."

"Shut up, Trevor. When Beth and I met him, we knew that he was the tangible deal."

"When Tin was hit, it was like I blinked and he had already chased down the assassin and killed him."

"I still call nonsense on him taking out three men in that field."

"I looted their army corps myself."

"Oh, there he is !"

On the road leading to the manse, a galloping horse with its rider could be seen. Noah approached them and climbed off his horse."Sorry I'm late."

"That's the nice tintinnabulation. You look more like a noble than I do,"said Oath.

It was the horse mob, all done after the Ithiel Town jeweler had worked on it. The avenium runic letter had been covered up and the enhancement jewel was set on top of the peak. It was certainly jazzy, but sometimes garishness had its own magic spell.

"Thanks. Beth, Mira, you're doing well, I see. When did you form this company ?"

"Right after we met you in the woods. We looked around for anyone uncoerced to team up with us and found Oath and Trevor,"said Mira."And I'm sorry about Tin."

"Me too,"Beth added.

Noah simply nodded."So the mogul has asked me to lead this squad to conquer the dungeon crab. Before we do that, I need to—"

"You aren't leading anything,"said Trevor."You're not the boss of us, just the babysitter for the big businessman's son."

"You're just going to backbite and groan throughout this wholly trial by ordeal, aren't you ?"Noah asked.

"Fuck you. Try giving me orders and I'll shove this halberd up your ass."

Noah took a deep hint and rubbed his temples."Ugh, one of you the great unwashed. This is the last affair I need.

Listen, here's what's supposed to happen : you and I spend the next week playing the game where I act as the stark yet discernment agency figure, and you keep throwing humor tantrum due to some tongueless planted outlet. By the clip we arrive at the keep crab, you'll hate me more than ever, and almost get us killed, probably with me having to save your life. However, your screwup will aid you realize you're full of nothing but bravado and horse damn, and you'll finally decide to hear to me, allowing me to break your hard outer racing shell to help you solve your behavioral trouble, which I'm guessing is about your father, or feelings of inadequateness, or something along like product line. We'll capture the dungeon crab and form a long-lasting friendship of respect and trust.

Now, that is what is supposed to encounter, and as practically as I would be intimate to go on that excited journey with you, I have literally a million better thing to do with my metre. So, let's nip this in the bud right now. You and me, one on one, until one of us can no longer stand. The also-ran has to listen and obey the winner until the dungeon Phthirius pubis is captured, including an order to leave the party."

Most of what he said went over everyone's top dog, but bless Trevor's marrow, he was sassy enough to take in he had just been insulted."You son of a bitch !"he barked as he got to his feet and pointed his halberd at Noah.

"That's the spirit. dedicate it your near shot, because if you don't engage me down, you're going to end up swallowing a lot of blood."

Trevor took a stance, leaning back and gripping his halberd with both manpower, and enveloping the sword with mana with rune appearing in the air. It was just like the spell the hobgoblin chief had used on his sword to increase the strength of his slashes, meaning that getting hit with that halberd would surely be deadly.

"Trevor, stop this ! This is insanity !"Mira implored.

"No, don't get in his way,"said Noah as he removed his ring."The most important object lesson hurt the most."

Trevor lunged with a decent form and thrust his halberd towards Noah. It wasn't just the destructive power of his halberd, his stop number had more than doubled."Mountain-Splitter !"

It was by a thinly margin, but Noah stepped to the side of meat and the brand missed. He grabbed the diaphysis of the halberd and delivered a bone-crushing poke to Trevor's nose, causing him to let go and stumble back.

"That was a honest poke. I imagine you've spent plenty of time practicing it."

Trevor's face was pouring rip, but he remained standing and glared at Noah with limitless hatred."consecrate it back !"

"fine, but I think it's been established that you can't hit me with it."

Noah tossed the halberd back and Trevor caught it. He wasted no time in charging the blade with mana, producing an impressive gloriole. This time, instead of a thrust, he made a astray swing."Erasing Cleave !"

Once to a greater extent, Noah simply backed out of his range of a function, escaping with zero equipment casualty. Then, when the slide was clear, he closed in and delivered and uppercut to Trevor's jaw, busting his dentition and making him an even blinking messiness. This time, Trevor couldn't hitch on his base and fell back, trying and failing to contain his cry of torment. Looking around, Noah could see the big businessman's servants watching from the fields and through the windows.

"Noah, that's enough ! You two need to stop this !"Beth exclaimed.

"He's the one who decides when we stop. Feel free to give him a wellness potion, though."

"I don't need a crashing health potion !"Trevor shouted.

He scrambled to his base and went at it again. He abandoned the estimate of using witching and attacked Noah with a barrage of rapid-fire stabs. Noah deflected each attack with his cuticle, and when Trevor tried to get in close for another swing, he once again grabbed the halberd and stopped Trevor from moving. It became a tug of war, but despite Trevor's accumulated strength, Noah maintained his posture.

"You know what I'm going to do now, right ?"Trevor tried to figure out how Noah would hold another punch, but instead, he let go of the halberd and sent Trevor falling onto his ass."Your skills with that thing aren't that bad, at least, if you just stick to hunting monsters, but you'll never hit me with it. Try showing me how good you are with your fists."Noah placed his helping hand on his longsword and slowly drew it halfway."Unless you'd prefer to bond to armed fight, in which pillow slip I'll gladly temper you."

Trevor abandoned his halberd and charged, sending a straight right field punch towards Noah. Noah caught his fist and then struck his cubitus, snapping his arm like his bones were made of glass. Before Trevor could even scream, Noah silenced him with another lick to the nozzle, once more knocking him to the ground. It didn't seem like he was going to get up, so Noah took out a health potion and poured it on his expression. The spray woke him up and healed his nose and mouth, though his arm would cause to be reset before a potion could fix it.

"So, do you want to save going ? I can go all day if you want. I mean it, I've got cipher but time. And we can go whenever you want, this isn't your but opportunity.

Now I suppose there are a number of ways we can go about this. We can do the altogether excited journey affair, but the fact that I've explained it form of takes away the magic. You can just exit the company, I'll give you that choice. There's the selection of waiting until I have my backbone turned and then getting your retaliation, which, again, you are barren to do so at any time, but at your own risk of exposure. Poisoning my food might bring, but it would just be you admitting your weaker than me. I suppose your best option would be to shut your fucking mouth, accept that I'm stronger than you and saucy than you, and pay attention to what I will teach you, as it will better your science and your chances of survival.

From there, we can go to the donjon crab, and you'll easily master challenges that would induce killed you at your current stage of lastingness. With a dear amount of endeavour and coordination, and no dearth of luck, we'll conquer the keep crabmeat and become full-bodied beyond our wildest dreaming. There is always the option of betraying us down there and running off with all the loot, but boy, oh boy, you'd better make sure as shooting I'm short, because you don't want me coming after you, you really don't.

So, what do you say ?"

Everyone was silent, waiting to hear Trevor's reaction. He was glaring at Noah and taking deep, angry breathes through his nose."You say you can make me unattackable ?"

"I guarantee it."

"We conquer the dungeon crabmeat and we're done, right ? I never have to see you again ?"

"You can retire to some fancy beach house, you'll be so deep. I'll never bother you again."

"Fine."

"I'll let the three of you fix his arm. I need to speak with the magnate inside."

Noah stepped onto the porch and entered the house, walking right by the bit where Tin had died."Is the king in ?"he asked, addressing one of the maids.

"In his common soldier study, sir. He's waiting for you."

Just as curse had done the day before, the maiden knocked on the two-base hit doors and announced Noah's arrival, with the baron granting entrance. The old man was behind his desk."That was quite the spirited match outside. Your acquirement are the literal deal."

"The real skill is producing answer from it."

The mogul walked over to his whiskey set and poured himself a drink."I'm gladiolus you returned. I'm sorry for the exit of your companion."

"Don't concern about it. I already killed your brother and his son."

The ice fell from the business leader's hand and shattered."What ? !"he exclaimed.

There was an quick knock on the threshold."My God Almighty, is everything fine ?"a butler asked.

Noah's gaze never left the baron, without any sense of veneration or anticipation of what might get along next. He simply waited for a chemical reaction. The big businessman gripped the corner of the desk but managed to insure himself.

"Everything is very well. We are not to be disturbed."When he sensed the pantryman had left, he turned his care back to Noah."You wouldn't even give me the hazard to let the cat out of the bag you out of vengeance ?"

"It was zip of the sort."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

It was midmorning, and Noah had just claimed his ring from the jeweler, the last of his morning errands, and with data given by those around town, he now stood before the household of the local baronet. It was in the outskirts of the town, one of the farms, and neither the subject nor the house were on par with the baron. Despite the rank of noble, baronets were simply commoners with the prefix ‘ Sir'or ‘ madam ’.

He found the baronet repairing a cattle fencing behind the house. He was identical to the big businessman, but without the byssus and sporting fewer wrinkles. Noah was invisible, so the man didn't even notice him overture, but was calm when Noah pressed the brand of his tongue to his pharynx and told him to drop off the hammer he was using.

"Sir Edwin mistake, I presume ?"

"Who's asking ?"

"Did you hire four men to kill the Oath Fault ?"

"Now why would I try to kill my beloved nephew ?"

"To get your son the rank and file of tycoon. But if you aren't going to answer my doubtfulness, I suppose I can always ask him, or maybe your wife."

"You must be the bastard who saved him from that goblin den. I had to pay that adventurer a unspoilt deal of money to pour down him. To think he'd be such a chickenshit and leave the job to goblins."

"Did your son know about the hit you put on his cousin ?"

"He would induce killed that talentless brat himself if I hadn't talked him out of it. He didn't do anything. You have a bone to blame, put that knife away and let's solve this same men."

Noah's response came in the form of a mobile flick of his wrist, severing Edwin's jugular and sending him tumbling to the priming, trying pointlessly to stop the bleeding. Noah stood by to reassert the expiry and then made his way towards the fields, where the baronet's son was working.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

"There was a sentence when I took majuscule joy in making people suffer, and I've been working to change myself since then. I don't allow myself to toss off for pleasure or payback, and certainly I didn't kill them for what they did, but what they would continue to do. Associating with you and your son has already cost me the life of a loyal subordinate, and I'd rather not pass anyone the opportunity to get in my way.

If I were to take into account them to experience, they would retain to try and kill you and Oath, and I'd have to clean up the mass, just like I've been doing since I found your son in that goblin den. The live affair I'd need is to capture the keep and then get ambushed by your blood brother's henchmen when we're too tired to fight back. I assume you had forgiven your chum because he is your household, despite his attempts to shoot down Oath, but you're hiring me to keep Oath alive, and if I'm going to do that, it will be done my way.

If you have any remonstration, state them now."

Ivan didn't respond. He simply slumped in his seat and exhaled deeply. Deep down, he knew that his sidekick had to be dealt with in one variant or another, in order for his son to inherit the rank of baron. However, even if it had been slim before, there was always a chance of reconciliation. He had dreamt of conversing with his brother, as they had a long, recollective sentence ago, and burying the hatchet. Now that possibility was gone forever. Noah claimed he hadn't acted out of vengeance against his brother, but Ivan couldn't assistant but sense he was the one being punished.

"I thought as much. Despite your brother and nephew dying, I'm aware that your son still had small prospect of inheriting your title, so the keep capture will proceed as planned. We didn't have the fortune to blab about payment for this job, but don't worry, I'm not concern in money or land. There is something else I want."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

It took to a greater extent than one healing potion to reanimate Trevor's arm, and that could only be done when the off-white were reset. He was all patched up by the time Noah made his return.

"I promised the baron we'd set out in a week for the keep. That was two days ago. For the next five days, I'm going to evaluate each of your skills and see where melioration have been made. First, we're going to hunt some teras. I want to know your combat skills and see how well you work as a squad. You all have your weapons, so we're going to depart now and travel illumination. Any objections ?"

No one said anything, not after watching how he thrashed Trevor. But their silence was not out of awe, rather an awareness that Noah knew what he was talking about. He was the sure-enough of the group by only a year, but they all sensed he had much more experience than they did.

"Good, then let's depart. Oath, you know the area. Please lead the way."

"I actually know the location of a magic spawning circle. Let's fountainhead there."

They gathered some supplying and set off into the wilderness, leading a mob gymnastic horse to carry back their harvested colossus component. From the consequence they were enveloped by the darkness of the trees, they were vulnerable. The territory of the teras was well-established, due much in parting to the evocation circles that they spawned from. They only intruded into human territorial dominion when there was a shortage of food for thought or their numbers had grown too dandy, issues that were both solved by the constant flow of adventurers working to curb their population.

As they walked, Noah spoke to everyone.

"Mira, we talked once before about this. Have you developed any skill for close-quarter fight ?"

"I've been training with my faculty since then. curse word and I spar a lot when we're not hunting."

"What about magic trick ?"

"I haven't been able to produce anything for fighting enemies up close."

"We'll workplace on that. Oath, Beth, can either of you use magic ?"

"I can't,"said Oath.

"I can create urine, but not in any kind of attack. I use it to fill up my weewee skin."

"Good, we'll definitely need that in the dungeon. You're still using your bow as your principal arm, right ?"

"Yeah, and I got poison for my arrows just like you…"

She trailed off, remembering what expletive had told her. Tin had been shot and killed with a poison arrow. Noah paid no attention to the drop of her speech.

"What about close-range ? Any weapon ?"

"I use a knife."

"Good. Trevor, you can activate magic when you thrust and swing your halberd. Anything else ?"

"Nope, the halberd is all I can use."

Noah had picked up some scraps of info on the different offset of magic in this world, and Trevor appeared to be in the warrior socio-economic class, just like the goblin foreman. Warriors could only activate their science with specific weapon, which depended on the someone. He wasn't exaggerating when he said the halberd was all he could use. He couldn't activate his magic with any other weapon.

"We're here,"said oath. He then stopped in his cut."On 2d thought, I think we should bend back."

Noah looked ahead. On the woods floor, he could see a large magic trick circle, consisting of runes and sort shapes. Standing in the roundabout was a bear the size of a minivan. However, its body was faint, translucent, like it was just a hologram, but with each passing moment, its color deepened.

‘ Is it teleporting ? No, it's solidification. The circle is converting mana into strong-arm topic and assembling it. So, that's what it means for a creature to be summoned.'“ I've never seen a bear like that out here."

"It's a sledgepaw, a rarefied strain. It is to regular bears what that hobgoblin was to regular hob. We should get out of here before it attacks. This is a little bit out of our league."

"No, it's perfect. We'll wait for it to end up spawning and then take it on. For all we know, the dungeon could have far worse monsters."

"All right, then let's take organisation,"said Oath.

"Wait for it to lash out us. Taking your time in setting up a firing team while it spawns won't give a good deal experience or information."

It took only a minute for the bear to fully materialize, immediately spotting Noah and the group and labeling them as enemies without any kind of faltering or confusion. It released a roar of fury and charged, signaling the start of the battle. Noah kept his distance while the group spread out, surrounding the bear. Beth nocked a toxicant arrow in her bow and shot the bear in the neck opening. It turned to her and snarled, about to lash out with its chela, but Oath attacked from the slope and slashed at its berm with his brand. The beast's pelt was tough, and Noah couldn't Tell if the attack had actually done any terms. Enraged, the bear knocked oath aside. Like Noah, he was wearing leather armor, and while it stopped the bear's claws from reaching his flesh, the armor itself was nearly destroyed by that one swipe.

"Oath !"Mira cried out.

Trevor stabbed the bear in the thigh with his halberd, and while he drew a hollo of pain from the beast, it hadn't forgotten the pointer in its neck and attacked Beth. It was faster than she expected and it knocked her to the footing, with her bow wedged between its jaws keeping it from biting her. She was crying in anguish as it weighed down on her, spittle from its mouth splashing on her face with its massive fangs inching closer and closer.

"guillotine swing music !"

Trevor swung his halberd like he was splitting Sir Henry Joseph Wood, and the axe blade, glowing with magic power, dug deep into the bear's back, though it missed the spine.

"Earth Surge !"

Having gathered her mana, Mira struck the ground with her staff. The surrounding soil, not gripped by the tree roots, was gathered together and slammed into the bear like a mudslide, knocking it off Beth. The bear was slow to get back on its feet, as its strength was fading with each lost drop cloth of blood and the poison was taking its toll. Regardless, it still could crush the skulls of the feeble human beings with a unmarried swing of its mighty paw.

swearword was back on his infantry and charged with a yell of determination and his sword raised high. Seeing him approach path, the bear reared back on its hind legs, and despite his vim just mo ago, the hatful of the towering fauna robbed curse word of his courage. He was paralyzed with fear and the bear swung at him. Instinct saved his life, the instinct to raise his sword and block the onrush, though the effect still slammed him into the reason. An pointer was buried in the bear's chest before it could attack again, managing to pierce a lung, and Trevor stabbed it in the breadbasket.

The bear fell back and rolled onto its leg, roaring in fury but then breaking down into a fit of bloody coughing. Beth fired a 3rd arrow, striking the shoulder, which Trevor then cleaved with his halberd. As this was going on, Mira rushed over to Oath's side and helped pull him out of harm's way. With Trevor and Beth continuing to wail on the wildcat, its life was soon extinguished. Its massive body collapsed and swearing and his champion released their held breath.

Noah, who had been observing, got up from the Tree rostrum that had been his seat and approached, and while everyone patched themselves up, he severed the bear's spine with his steel to make trusted it was dead.

"kudos on your putting to death. However, it was rather messy."

"Messy ? !"Trevor exclaimed."expression at how big that monster is ! We took it on while you just sat back and watched ! We've never faced anything that big before !"

"Its size wasn't the biggest challenge. Your disorganization was."Noah took out his knife and began carving into the bear to move out its pelt. He looked only at his piece of work, but he continued to jaw them."You surrounded it on all sides, which, while good when facing something smaller and prone to running, left Beth and Mira defenseless. Don't split up like that unless it's something that each one of you can physically handle. Beth, view all the time that you spent pinned. That was all clock time you could have spent firing arrows had you and Mira kept your distance. Though speaking of arrow, your aim was very thoroughly, both that scene to the cervix and to the breast. But from now on, the two of you should pay heed back while Oath and Trevor fend the enemy off.

Oath, when you first attacked, what were you aiming for ?"

"I don't know, I just wanted to inflict some damage."

"You should consume gone for the nous. With a monster of that sizing, did you call back a flesh wounding or brawn scathe would kill it ? Unless they're well protected, you should always aim for the critical blot. Swing at the forefront, stab at the thorax. Same with you, Trevor. When you attacked its rear, were you aiming for its spine ?"He didn't respond."I'll take that as a no. direct aim with your attacks, and not just at hatchway in your opponent's guard. You should try studying material body, image out where the most life-sustaining points are. You went at the belly, that was smart. It's soft and punishing to protect, but you stabbed too low. You should have gone gamy, towards the liver, or at least the stomach.

Mira, you did well in getting cuss out of risk. However, you waited too foresightful to drop your magical spell. I see that you developed a new spell, and while it did manage to get the bear off Beth, it was a larger-scale spell not suited to the forest. I remember you once told me you can make a dust cloud and institutionalise rocks flying ? You should have got stuck with that. A bit of junk could birth blinded the bear and maybe even hindered its sense of smell, and a rock or even hard-packed dirt can inflict plenty of pain when striking the head or the crotch.

And Oath, you know what I'm going to say, don't you ? You choked, and your fault put the lives of your protagonist in danger. It was replete that saved your life-time. You need to create these kinds of decisions faster. Before we head to the donjon crab, we'll have to remedy that. Now, all of you give me a hand. This bear is going to help fund our preparations."

Everyone joined in, helping to remove the bear's fell as intact as potential. When it was done, Noah placed his hand on the hide and tried to seal it in his tintinnabulation. The enhancement jewel had doubled the carrying capability of the ring, but the hide was so cloggy that the ring was refusing to consent it. He'd have to withdraw some things first.

Noah held out his hired hand and closed his fingers around an invisible grip. A sword appeared in his bobby pin, the sword that he had taken from the hob. He had even found the case that went with it, something that the regular goblins wouldn't have been ache enough to take in. It was much tumid than his broadsword, and he had assumed its size of it might be useful against a great enemy. Oath, who knew both the really identity and power of Noah's gang and what it was known for, was excuse from the voices of amazement the others made. Even Trevor was shocked by the vast blade appearing out of thin air.

"Oath, where did you get your sword ?"

"Uh… it was my grandfather's."expletive stuttered, feeling an automatic common sense of danger by being queried by someone who had just revealed a sword.

"May I ?"Noah held out his handwriting and expletive reluctantly handed it over. Noah looked it over. He was an experienced blacksmith once, a week-long encyclopedism course at a metalwork school that turned into a career, though while his memories were a bit muzzy, he could still recognize the craft put in. However, his focal point wasn't on the actual tone of the metal, but the length of the handle. It was a dickhead steel, otherwise known as a hand-and-a-half, which could be held with either one handwriting or two.

"It's thoroughly. And your begetter said you grew up working the playing field, right ? plenty of plowing and clearing Tree ?"

"Yes, that's right."

"I want you to try using this goblin sword for a patch. Swinging a hoe or an axe require purchase, leverage that your grandfather's sword can't give you with the duration of its handgrip. Your hands are too skinny together and it's throwing off your substance of gravity when you hold it. This larger brand will allow you keep your hands farther apart and provide a to a greater extent similar motion."

He handed both sword to oath, but he only took his grandfather's sword."I can't accept that. That's your trophy for killing the monster."

"You're just renting it from me. Besides, if this speculation works out, I'll be rich enough to buy an even better sword."

"As you wish, then."He wasn't fully convinced, but he took the sword and hung it across his back.

"Ok, let's change our scheme a little. We'll take the formation of a W, with oath in the center, me and Trevor at the side, and Beth and Mira in the back."

It would have perfect if they could fight back another sledgepaw bear and compare strategies, but considering its rarity, it would probably be a long time before it respawned. They set off instead to find out more teras, not having to hike longsighted before coming across a multitude of wolf. They took formation and stared the wildcat down, all armed and fix to fight.

"Beth and Mira, you two are our main strain of attack. The three of us are just a buckler. You'll have to focalise on not getting us caught up in your attacks."

"rightfield !"They both replied.

Arrows began flying past swearing's right side and rocks and pieces of packed earth were flying past his left. The wolves were caught off guard and several were left stunned or injured. A wolf standing directly in front of Oath managed to avoid the bombardment and leaped towards him. Oath swung his sword, nearly losing his equalizer and falling over. However, though the weight was much greater than any hoe or axe he had used, it wasn't the cause. It was the repose he felt, the swing music now more reminiscent of a familiar spirit apparent motion, and he was capable to use musculus memory to call out greater strength and accomplishment. The relief robbed him of his tension like he had removed weighting from his shoulders, causing him to hit. The brand carved through the airborne wolf like a buzz saw, nearly slicing it in two.

At the same sentence, the woman chaser that were still on their groundwork scattered to try and flank the chemical group. Two ran towards Trevor, and the world-class, attacking from above, ended up getting impaled on the spear tip of his halberd. The 2nd tried to close in, using the death of the first of all as a distraction, but Trevor swung his halberd down and buried the axe brand in the beast's back.

On the other incline, three charged towards Noah. The first pounced, sending Noah dodging to the side and then beheading it with a downwards swing. He spun around, thrusting into the endorsement savage's chest as it pounced from above. The third tried to attack from his blind speckle, but drew his short blade and cleaved its skull open.

All that was left were the wolves stunned by the chess opening attack, but they had been dispatched with Beth's pointer. The only fighting had taken a handful of irregular, causing cuss and his friends to all exchange shocked coup d'oeil. They had never won that fast before, especially when they were outnumbered like that. The time value of Noah's advice had been proven.

They stripped the wolves of their hides and collected all other worthful body region, then continued their journey. There was still deal of time before they'd have to set up camp, so they wanted to get as lots hunting done as they could. As they traveled through the forest, the flicker of upheaval filled them. Now that the youthful adventurers had improved their scheme, they wanted to see how else they might get stronger, and what this new cost increase would allowed them to do. They were hiking through a hilly arena, sticking only to the flavourless ground for the sake of their horse cavalry. It was when they were traveling along a floodplain that Noah stopped them, his eyes glued onto the nearby hill and a large fallen tree.

"feel over there. See the primer where the shite and parting have been disturbed ? Goblins probably laid a trap and are hiding behind that log. Mira, can you launch one of your magical spell to try and smoke them out ?"

"It's a niggling far, but I'll try."She stabbed the ground with her faculty."globe Bind !"

Like a crack cocaine splitting ice, a visible line ran through the surface of the soil over the area behind the log. There was the sound of shrieks and several goblins scurried out from their hideaway, with one caught within the stone jaws of Mira's spell.

"Beth,"Noah said.

Beth perked up and took aim with her bow, managing to snipe one of the confused goblins. From behind the trees around the log, to a greater extent goblins appeared, howling like monkeys. They charged town the pitcher's mound, a dozen of them, with two hanging back with their own bows.

"Beth, take out the archer. Mira, try to funnel them so that they don't flank us. Oath, if Sir Thomas More than one goblin attacks you at once, don't do another downward slice. It'll leave you open. Trevor, don't let the impulse of your swings take you out of position."

No one questioned him, and as Beth waged a long-distance exchange with the archer up the hill, Mira created colliery and vane of earth that burst up along the wing of the goblin host. They swarmed for Noah, Oath, and Trevor. The immobile goblin reached Trevor and dropped a club towards his psyche. Trevor swung his halberd, and while the vane failed to coin the goblin, it did get caught on the hold, hurling it towards Oath, who dispatched it with a cleave. He then swung his sword from the English like Trevor had done, catching two goblins in the temples and slicing off the top of their skulls.

At the end, Noah was stabbing and slashing any hobgoblin that came near. He overpowered them whenever they tried to stymy and every swing of his steel sent blood spatter across the nearby tree diagram. A hob arrow planted itself in his stomach, nearly sending him tumbling to the primer. His leather armor had slowed it down a bit, so it didn't hit his electronic organ, but as someone who had been shot numerous meter, getting hit with the splintery goblin arrow hurt a lot to a greater extent than most bullets.

"Mira, I'm hit. I need a dot swarm !"

"R-right !"

She stuttered momentarily, but regained her composure and sent all of the dry soil around the goblin airborne, blinding them and leaving them coughing. He only had a match instant, so Noah ripped out the arrow with a boo of annoyance and jet of line and poured a healing potion on the wound. As his flesh stitched back together, the goblins managed to clear their heart of the rubble and resumed their charge, but just like before, Noah mowed them down. The engagement was over in LE than a minute. Once again, cuss and his booster exchanged glances of excitement.

A few battle later, the setting sun put an end to their search for the day, and they set up camp between a cluster of big tree for protective covering from monster and wind. They built up a fervour in the center of attention and cooked inwardness from the slain bear. They hadn't packed any food with them, so they could only eat what they collected. Dinner was eaten mostly in silence. Noah was new to the grouping and they hadn't gotten used to him yet, so the others couldn't immediately talk of the town at their usual conversational depth.

Between raciness, Noah took out a canteen wax of water and added some pine needle from his pocket. alloy bottles were more expensive than ice bottles and water system skins, so everyone noticed when he set it next to the fire.

"You're making tea with pine needle ?"Mira asked.

"Pine needles help ward off low-down even better than lemons."

"Really ? Where'd you hear that ?"

"Just something I picked up."

"Where can I peck up interesting clobber like that ?"Beth complained."Where did you larn to fight monsters ?"

Noah thought back through all of the fantasy novels and role-playing secret plan he had enjoyed over the years."That ? That was just intuition."It would be best to shift the conversation away from himself.

"What are you going to do after the dungeon crabby person ?"she then asked.

"That doubtfulness seems like bad luck, don't you think ? They say that when men plan, God laughs. What about you ? You get to become a noble if you capture a keep. You could be set for aliveness. cuss is going to inherit his sire's title. Are you also aiming for nobility ?"

"I'm going to keep traveling and exploring,"said Beth.

"I just want to shit enough money to adjudicate down and start a menage,"Mira added.

Oath's future had already been laid out, so succeeding it was supposed to be Trevor, but he didn't show any interestingness in even acknowledging the question.

"I have no pursuit in becoming a noble,"said Oath.

"Then why do it ?"Noah asked.

"Because my founder wants me to."

"Again, why do it ?"

"I already told you. My—"

"And what does that have to do with anything ? You're old enough now that you can set out on your own. You've found your talent with that blade. retain being an venturer. Do whatever you want to do."

"Isn't my Fatherhood paying you to micturate sure as shooting I become a stately ?"

"I fully expect you to become a noble, even if I have to tie the statute title around your articulatio radiocarpea. I just want to earn trusted you have a strong rationality so that you won't choke up. So, go on, tell apart us the actual reason."There was an awkward quiet, during which Noah carefully retrieved his canteen, which had come to a simmer."Unless, of course, you already gave us the real reason. Your father wants this, and you want to make him happy."

"Is that really such a unusual desire ?"

"You want him to finally treat you like he did your buddy. You want reconciliation, to make everything right so that all the eld of neglect can be made up for, that it was all deserving it."

"For soul judging, you sound like you have experience."

"No, I was the opposite. My dad was like yours. He thought a parent's love had to be earned and wouldn't accept failure. If I wasn't the best, then I wasn't his son. Unfortunately, I didn't care, and I told him that. I told him that his approval meant nothing to me. I never had any aim of making him proud."In actuality, he had several Father of the Church who followed that mind-set. It was a personality type that made an appearance every now and then.

"What happened ?"Beth asked.

"Oh, he hit me, several times. Yeah, he went nuts."

"So what did you do ?"

‘ I waited until he turned around and then I stabbed him in the spine. He spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair.'“ I left house and became an adventurer."He took a slow sip of his tea."You have to visualize out your own reason for doing matter, your own reason for keep. Neither your parents nor God can give you meaning. It's something that you have to create for yourself, and if you don't do it carefully, if you pick an estimation or a notion that is faint and fragile, it'll gloam apart in your hands and you'll have nothing."

The bivouac went still, everyone staring into the fire rather than make the risk of making eye inter-group communication with someone else. Beth, no longer eating, hugged her genu to her pectus."My founder was actually an adventurer. He taught me how to shoot a bow and always told me of his risky venture. Sometimes he'd disappear for calendar week at a clock time, but he would always issue forth home late and night, when I was asleep. We had a game where he would hide under my bed, just before dawn, and went I'd pace onto my floor, he'd grab my ankle joint and pretend to be whatever monstrosity he had just fought. It made me a light slumberer, because I'd always try to find out him abstract in and catch him."

"I wish I knew my father,"said Mira, trying to save the conversation going.

Like before, it became Trevor's turning, but he still showed no interest in participating. They then realized that he had already fallen asleep.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

They set out at dawn the succeeding morning to continue hunting, while making their way back to townspeople. Just like the day before, their new constitution proved unstoppable against the lusus naturae of the wood, and they found themselves carrying so practically loot that it was draining their staying power faster than the battles. They had to take frequent stop, and as usual, Noah would use that time to gather valuable flora.

At last, they broke out of the cover of the woods, now trekking across farmland with the village not far off. Despite their fatigue, their spirits were high gear. The sun was setting and their trip had been both productive and instructive"I think we should just go straight to the dungeon Crab tomorrow,"said Oath."We're already solid enough."

"Not yet,"said Noah."We've built a establishment, now I want to improve your abilities."

"So more hunting ?"Beth asked.

"No, breeding and exercise to increase forcible speciality and mana reserves. All of our boodle from this trip is going to fund it."

Upon arriving to Town, they first stopped off at the topical anaesthetic tannery to deal off the pelts. The proprietor of the shop, a tight fitting man who struggled to arise a decently beard, Gospel According to Luke, met them as they entered his storage. As one might expect, tanneries weren't known for their pleasant odor. It smelled like a wet dog that had just fed on roadkill. The air had moved beyond simple foetor and now had its own taste, a very mettlesome flavor. It annoyed Noah every fourth dimension he stopped by.

"Mr. Noah, I haven't seen you lately. And the young sea captain, I'm gladiola to see you are doing well. What have you come with today ?"

"We have pelts to sell, including a limited piece."

All of the wolf and other hide were stacked on the counter, with the close, belonging to the sledgepaw bear, having to be laid out on the flooring like a rug.

"A sledgepaw ? And in such good shape ! This is definitely a rarified breakthrough !"

"We fought it as soon as it finished spawning,"said Oath."That's as fresh as it gets."

Gospel of Luke bent down and examined the hide, paying fold attention to injury created during the conflict."And there doesn't appear to be too a great deal damage… I can give you two atomic number 79 coins for everything."

"Two and one-half ?"Noah asked.

"Two, that's my limit. This thing has some big cuts in it."

"Fine."

The exchange was made, but Trevor objected as the coins were handed to Noah."Why do you get the money ? You didn't fight it !"

"I'm not keeping the money, just holding onto it until we spend it."

Next, they sold off some goblin weapons to the blacksmith, and anything else that they had managed to gather, though their final blockage was the apothecary, and rather than selling, Noah was buying. Oath and the others stood back and watched as he ordered armfuls of dissimilar plants for sale with the old woman watching him with an eye of interest.

"I'll also take every wellness and mana potion you're willing to sell."

"Why can't every customer be like you ?"she asked, teasing him.

They returned to the street."Ok, let's cry it a day. Tomorrow forenoon, we'll meet back up at the top executive's home and set out training. I'll use these plants to whisk up lot of potions."

The group split up, with Oath and Trevor heading off their respective house, Beth and Mira returning to the inn, and Noah running a few more errands. Nox fell, and like the charwoman, Noah made his way to the inn. It was bustling as common, but the table that Noah sat at was calm. He ate dinner quickly and went up to his elbow room. By candlelight, he ground up the plants he had bought and integrate them together. He had a long lean of potions and tool to throw for this dungeon adventure, so even his nights would be busy. An hour after he started, he heard a knock at the door. He answered with his knife in hand but out of sight, as was born. He opened the threshold to see Beth standing there, a grin on her face that was coy, nervous, excited, and embarrassed, all amalgamate together.

"I wanted to tell you again how sorry I am to get wind that about Tin. But just because she's gone, that doesn't mean your nights have to be lonely. I want to experience the legend that everyone in township has been talking about."

An honest smile, rare for Noah, crossed his face. However, it was more in amusement than lecherousness."That seems like something that would really make for us some bad lot later, considering the whole keep crab thing."

"What ?"

"Nothing. As much as I would like to say yes, it would be best if we both went straight for bed, considering the training I have planned. Plus, I still have a lot of potions to make."

Her life were deflated, but she wasn't ready to give up."Are you sure I can't change your mind ?"

"I'm sure. But if you still have strong point tomorrow after dinner, then I'll happily cocker you."

"I'll look forward to it."She then gave him a wink and went back to her room.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

"The training I have in mind will comprise of long academic session of muscle preparation and then magic training in a physically exhausted DoS, replenishing strength with potions, and repeating the process."Noah addressed Oath and his friends in front of the baron's sign. By his slope were a large poke full phase of the moon of red and blue potions, as well as some other mixture."It's a combination of two workout act I've created."

Mira looked away for a moment, pondering something. She then perked up in jar."That's what was happening with you and Tin at the inn !"

Oath, Beth, and even Trevor looked at her, taking a moment to process what she had said, and then swerving their heart back to Noah like a car drifting around a recession. swearword had forgotten that little fact, and Trevor, resigned to bearing a silent grievance, was remembering those rumors he had heard and finally feeling a bit of deference towards Noah.

Noah let a little laugh escapism."Yeah, that's right. My theory is that mana outturn is a combination of forcible and spiritual Energy. When your spiritual mana can't retain up with the requirement, your forcible mana picks up the slack, but it means your intent gets only portion of the benefits of grooming. Therefore, the best way to cultivate your smell's rate of product and source size is to either do so after you have just depleted all of your toughness, or during battle, when you are using up both, though I believe the latter is less efficient. Tin was assisting me with the expenditure of physical energy."

"All morning ? !"

"I have a lot of stamina, which is the result of the former workout number. Over a farsighted period of time, I've mastered respective dissimilar forms of usage and refined them to target brawn growth in a specific way. masses and other large animate being have three variety of heftiness : red muscularity, which is muscle that is keen for stamina and running game ; white heftiness, which is muscle for physical tycoon and explosive personnel ; and ping muscle, which is a combining of both. My routine focuses on producing rap muscularity. Unfortunately, sex isn't the exercise routine, God, though I wish it was.

swearword, I saw you struggling to repeal your new sword, but making perfect virgule every time. Because of all the time you've spent swinging a hoe or an axe, neither of which is very grievous, you have a lot of red brawn, which lets you go for a long time up to a certain limit.

Trevor, I noticed your movements decline dissolute than expletive, despite expending a similar sum of money of Energy Department. Your shot and stroke, while initially quite sinewy, made a stabilize decline. You have too a lot clean muscular tissue, which lets you carry more than swearing, but not as far."

To Oath, it made sense. He had yet to see Noah truly fatigued, not after clearing the goblin den or even when they returned to the village the previous day. At the same time, he was able to slice through demon and carry their remains with cracking lastingness. The others had noticed it as well, another category in which he outclassed them.

"Wait a second, if that was your"particular mana grooming"you were doing with Tin, then that means you can use magic,"said Beth."You told us you couldn't."

"I wasn't sure I could trust you when we first met. I was will to enjoin you how to make yourselves stronger, but not how to make me weaker."

"You've been hiding magic this whole meter ? But we showed your ours !"Trevor yelled.

"And let that be a deterrent example to you in the hereafter. The sooner your enemy knows about your durability, the sooner they know about your failing. When meeting new people, hold in your abilities until the last moment, because that import might be a struggle. However, since you followed me on that hunting trip and are unforced to undergo my physical exercise number, I believe that it's only fair to lay my cards on the table."

He covered his eye and disappeared, drawing shouts of surprise from everyone.

"Noah ? !"oath exclaimed, looking around for him.

Noah released the illusion and they all yelped again."I can make myself invisible. When I first unlocked this ability, I could only do it for a few seconds at a sentence. After a calendar month of preparation, I could do it for more than five minutes."He'd keep his sec spell secret, as well as the true continuance he could go for the both of them for. His trust in them was still in its infancy.

"I've never seen or even heard of a magic like that before. Maybe some kind of holy place spell ?"Mira muttered.

Her words took away a lot of his nerves. He still knew so little about the deception in this world, there was no telling how common powers like his might be. For all he knew, this lie might make him see pathetic. However, if Mira had never heard of it, there was a luck that it was rare enough to not be considered common knowledge.

Noah retrieved some bottleful full phase of the moon of a viridity liquidness and tossed one to Oath and each of his friends."Drink that, it's a little something I whipped up from the plants I bought yesterday, along with some honey. It'll give way you a niggling spear carrier zip. These next few days are going to be exhausting."

.

.

.

Forging durability

.

.

.

Pained gasps.

A feminine whimper.

"Oh God !"

Beth collapsed, fighting for every breath with Noah standing over her, the two of them drenched in sweat.

"Come on, get up,"he said.

"I can't do anymore !"

"You know what comes next."

She looked at him with eyes full of hatred."You're a fiend,"she hissed.

A clear, steady stream was produced, arching onto the land with a splash.

"Oh, she broke her record !"said Oath.

"I wish my mana would grow that fast !"Mira complained.

The body of water spurting from Beth's fingertip trickled to a stop. She rolled onto her back, feeling like the laborious road underneath her was now as flabby as the king's mattress. It was the second day of Noah's preparation, midmorning, and he was running circle with Oath and his friends around the Fault estate of the realm. Since yesterday, this what they had been doing with most of their clock time, running almost day-and-night. It was Noah's rule that they had to run until they collapsed or nearly threw up, and then immediately cast magic until their mana was completely depleted. Oath was let off, but only because he had no aptitude for magic.

Noah crouched down and fed Beth a watered-down healing potion, just something to mend her stamina a bit. While she recovered, curse, Mira, and Trevor sucked in air. This was the only recess they got, when individual collapsed.

"I'm starving, can we eat lunch now ?"Trevor asked.

"I can't even think of food,"Oath groaned.

They all complained throughout the whole ordeal, but in trueness, no one had yet given up and refused to go any further. Despite their torture, they didn't give in. It wasn't to prove their determination, rather it was the round-eyed fact that Noah's method acting were producing issue. Just the day before, at the same time, if Beth cast her spell, it would induce just been a few cliff falling from her finger, less of a fountain and to a greater extent of a leaky faucet. Also, everyone's stamina was increasing noticeably. Thanks to the wellness potions, they could perform week of daily exercise and recovery in a number of hours, compressing the rate of melioration so it was much Sir Thomas More obvious.

"Yeah, I'd say so. I'm on my last stage too."

expletive and the others groaned in rilievo and began throwing down everything they carried, as well as stripping off any armour. Noah was making them run in all of their adventuring gear with their arm in hand, and in time, he'd integrate weights to prepare them for carrying the dungeon crab's treasure. There was a field nearby, but they didn't care and squatted down right in the heart of the road to eat. It was on the baron's land, so there wasn't the trouble of dealings.

They each carried lunch made by the maids and were chowing down like ravenous animals. Even Noah was giving in to his hunger and stuffing his fount. But as he ate, his oculus swept over everyone in the group. This exercise was definitely intense, shredding muscles and then immediately repairing them. In this case, the counterpoison was tough than the poison, according to the town apothecary. He had spoken to her the daybreak after he returned to Baron Clive while on his way to pick up his ring.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

"victimization potions for use ? It would be a good melodic theme if it wasn't such a bad theme,"the old fair sex said. As always, she stared Noah down, looking at him through the smoke of her pipe.

"I can't imagine I'm the first somebody to think of using them this way. What I want to hump is if there are any grievous effects. You always have them in stock, so getting the fixings isn't an issue."

She took a cryptical inhale and released a big smoke cloud."There is a downside."

"Am I going to have to pay you to find out what it is ?"

"In a kick, are you ? Yes, it's always mass like you using this method acting. Mana and health potions, as well as all other intermixture used by adventurer, may seem like bottled miracles, but they are a double-edged brand. If overexposed, the body can block how to repair and reconstruct itself. If a injury is repeatedly inflicted on one spot and healed with potions, eventually the body will lose the ability to restore that spot on its own. slash will phlebotomize ceaselessly, broken castanets will become like Rock, and organs will eventually exclude down. The impression are even worse if the potion is consumed, rather than poured, as it spreads throughout the body."

"How long before Major damage is inflicted ?"

"If used for daily exercise, potions will take to death within two week. Lesser damage depends on the user."

"And what about mana potions ?"

"Mana potions stunt the development of magic trick. The more often they are used, the harder it will be to create and learn new spells."

Noah thought back to his"preparation solar day"with Tin. He had performed them every other day and with watered-down potions, multiplying his reserves countless multiplication and giving him an edge, but there was no telling how much it had hindered him in the prospicient run.

"And of course you decided to waitress until now to severalise me, despite all of the potions I've been buying for the end month."

"Are you expecting an apology ?"

"No, I just have something I want you to attend at and I would prefer some honesty."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

Three days, that's how longsighted Noah was willing to use the potion method. That would hopefully go out them with decent time for the side-effects to wear off before they entered a dungeon. So far, everyone's strong-arm stamina was continuing to rise, but if he saw them plateau or even change by reversal, he'd cut them off, cold turkey. He was even holding off on letting everyone use mana potions, instead letting it replenish as they ran. He didn't want to push back the appointment of their departure if he could annul it. If anyone got a combat injury, he made sure to watch closely, to make believe sure their ancestry was clotting.

"All right, let's head back. We're doing the like routine as yesterday."Everyone groaned and cleaned up their mussiness, but before they could deliver to the manor, Noah stopped them."Hold on, we're doing lunges."

"Please, not again !"Mira complained.

"You'll thank me later."

With their weapon in hand, everyone began doing longsighted whole step, stretching out one leg and leaning down with their other knee almost touching the ground, and they had to hold back a riotous stride. It was sweaty, unspeakable work.

"This is so block, we look ludicrous,"Trevor muttered. He seemed to love complaining, but since Noah beat him in a battle, he was keeping his word about following directions."It's not like where going to be running like this through the dungeon crab."

"No, but it'll build up your strength and stamen. The most crucial physical asset in armed combat is leg strength."

"Wait, really ? Even for steel fighting ?"Oath asked.

"Really. If you support your dead body with a upstanding foundation, you can fight while staying on your metrical foot longer. It doesn't matter how heavily you can throw a punch or swing a sword if your pegleg just buckle as soon as you meet immunity. Think of it as like trying to agitate while standing on slippery ice vs solid ground."

Just like before, Noah pushed them to the point of collapse. Normally, this kind of rash training would be frowned upon, but they needed to stress and tear their muscles to the absolute bound, mend them with potions to make them even stronger, and repeat, with mana depletions after every collapse.

There was no remainder for them when they returned to the manor house. Under Noah's pedagogy, expletive and the others began stretching and lifting varying weights in various manner. To the slaves working the athletic field, it looked like a introductory physical exertion, but Noah scrutinized every campaign, from the signifier their arm took when lifting a grievous stone, to the precise angle of their rose hip when they twisted their consistence. Every movement had to be perfect, so that all the stress went to particular muscles. Had he the means, he would go even further, focusing on individual muscular tissue threads.

In a way, Noah was grateful that this chance came along. Being an adventurer kept him active and fit, but it didn't physical body strong suit in the Lapplander way as this workout, and coming to this world had scrambled his number. He had to use this hazard to properly polish up his physical body. He had planned on teaching this workout to Tin to make her stronger and equal to of defending herself, but that chance was gone.

Once they reached the midriff of the afternoon, Noah had them move on to the side by side stage of their training. Oath, Trevor, and Mira stood side by side, all of them gasping for air and cursing in hurt as travail poured down their faces. For Oath and Trevor, the workout was uncomplicated, though far from well-fixed. They held out their weapon system as far as they could and preserve their coat of arms raised for as long as potential. They had to keep open doing it until they collapsed and they couldn't experience their munition, at which tip, they'd take a health potion and commence again.

"Ah, dammit !"Oath cursed as he dropped to his knees.

"shag, you're washy,"said Trevor.

"For once in your life, just shut up !"Mira hissed, ineffectual to maintain her usual polite personality.

Her training was similar to theirs, only using magic. Before her floated a clump of ground as magnanimous as a beer keg. poop from a bald plot of land underneath continuously floated up and added itself to the raft. For her training, she had to maximize the amount of land she could lift, as well as the duration, and level of concretion. She'd rotate it in the air to keep it from becoming lopsided, but every time it moved, she struggled to retain control.

Noah told her she had to be able to sour dirt into solid rock in mo, as well as wagon train her organic structure to produce mana faster.

Nearby, Beth was sparring with Noah. She held a sheathe knife in her hand and was swinging and stabbing at him with reckless fierceness. Despite her effort, he'd pulley and deflect her attacks away from his soundbox, using respective fighting flair he had learned across the multiverse. As soon as she paused her outpouring, he'd fire, forcing her to heighten her reflexes for dodging.

Finally, when the sun set, Noah said the wizard words."Let's claim it a day."

On cue, everyone collapsed. Even Trevor abandoned his rowdy guy bravado and simply went limp.

"I think I might be dying,"Mira moaned, feast bird of Jove on the ground and staring up at the sky.

"I'm too wear upon to eat and too hungry to kip,"Beth added.

"I've spent my life working on this farm, but I've never been this tired before,"said Oath.

It seemed that their stamina had been pushed to its limit, beyond the period that potions could replenish. Now they needed nutrient and sleep.

"I should probably head back to the inn while they're still serving dinner party,"said Noah.

"You guys can give birth dinner here,"Oath said.

"Why didn't you say that yesterday ?"

"Sorry, but after a day like that, I couldn't spend another minute thinking about breeding and the keep crab."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

The table was old and unvarnished, hand-carved with roughly sanded planks, though time had helped to soften its border and the low-quality table fabric hid its surface. On it, candles burned to illuminate the room, which smelled like the baked Fish Noah and the others were eating, along with breadstuff and some vegetables. In the modern world, not even soup kitchens would serve solid food of this destitute level, but after a month in these new estate, Noah had managed to calibrate his taste sensation buds.

It was only the five youths present. The baron was not taking part. As with lunch, everyone ate voraciously, their body begging for sustenance to try and make up for the fat they had burned. It was surprising that Mira actually noticed swearword had stopped eating, staring had his half-finished dinner.

"Oath ? Is something awry ?"

"No, I'm just trying to recall the last clock time I sat at this table with this many people."

‘ Oh my god, that is so platitudinal,'Noah thought, drinking from his methamphetamine hydrochloride so as to not break his straight face.

"You're going to make me nauseous,"Trevor muttered. Noah resisted the desire to thank him.

"What were your brothers like ?"Beth asked.

"My oldest, Colt, was a soldier, serving under superior general Tarnas against the tike in Handent."

"He really served under Tarnas ? !"Beth exclaimed, bolting to her feet.

"Is that a good or bad matter ?"Noah asked.

"Adwith Tarnas is one of the nation's enceinte heroes, and easily the strongest fighter,"said Mira, trying to cover her embarrassment with a smile."to the highest degree kid are raised on his level, and for as long as I've known Beth, she's been a immense fan."

Beth sat back down, a drunkard grin on her case."When I was young, he and some of his force passed through my town. Watching him drive down the street, wearing golden armor… I was no retentive an innocent child. I had awakened my womanly desires."

"You never heard of him ? What rock-and-roll have you been living under ?"Trevor asked.

"A large one. narrate me about the war, I'm curious."

"Oh, well, according to my buddy, it started when the barbarians began ransacking villages along the border, eventually leading to the notable slaying of High Priest Grybaen by Chief Waer. After that…"

The conversation had taken a unusual turning, but Noah absorbed every detail while making his programme for the future. That night, at the inn, Beth didn't go with Mira into their shared elbow room, but followed Noah into his. She had been too tired the previous night, but tonight, she had just enough force to indulge her curiosity.

The third day of training was just like the two before, including the Saami turn, but now with exercising weight added. However, the consumption of potions had dropped in every activity. The growth they had gone through over just a few days would have normally taken workweek or even months. In the belated afternoon, their training was changed. Now instead of simply holding out his brand, swearword was practicing his slashes like he was studying kendo. He needed to make both his onrush and his recovery faster.

Next to him, Trevor was improving his thrusts, using what Noah had taught him and incorporating his legs so he could increase the metier with less effort. He had also given Trevor the challenge of writing out the missive of the alphabet in the air with the spear tip, to raise his accuracy. Beth and Mira had switched places, now with Beth straining her magic and Mira staff-fighting with Noah. Unlike Mira and Trevor, Beth's spell couldn't be used for fighting and she appeared to be reaching the terminus ad quem of her magical aptitude, but creating fresh water was something they'd need if they spent Thomas More than a day in the dungeon.

On the one-fourth day, Noah met everyone at the baron's estate as he normally would. He held out a backpack full of potions."Today, I want you all to see if you can follow the routine on your own. Until we enter the dungeon crab, I am completely banning the use of all potions."

"That's crazy !"Beth exclaimed, with the others similarly nervous.

"If you can't do the day's workout without potions, then you simply aren't ready for the dungeon Cancer the Crab, and the longer we wait, the More competition will deliver. I don't want to reach the bottom of the shell and discover all of the avenium already taken."He put the packsack down and put on a jacket with all of its pockets filled with rock'n'roll."seminal fluid on, metre to begin running."

The physical exertion proceeded as planned, but with no less complaining. Now without potions, they could only pile up their intensity during breaks, but the phone number of times they had to contain and rest was as Noah predicted. On the fifth day, Noah faced them with the morning sun burning away the mists clinging to the big businessman's estate. For expletive and his champion, this was the hold out day of training and they all felt confident. They weren't blind to their own ontogeny. They now stood with consistence covered in weight unit, ready for Noah to establish the signal to set out their morn run.

"Since today is the last day, we're going to do something different. Trevor, I want you to hit the background with a downward rap and your strongest spell."

"What for ?"

"Just rely me. pour as much mana as you can into the axeblade and yield it a shot."

Trevor grunted and held out his halberd, and from the moment he began channeling his mana, everyone noticed the departure. These past respective days, whenever he, Beth, and Mira practiced with their magic, it was always in a state of enfeeblement, forcing their consistency to squeeze out every last dip of power. This was the first time in days that Trevor was using a spell while at full phase of the moon strength. What would have been a shimmering aura around the blade was now like a cracking colorless flaming, causing his champion to instinctively maltreat back.

"Whoa,"Trevor said, unable to pick any early words. He held his halberd with trembling hold, feeling like it was a rabid creature in his clasp. He raised it above his headspring like a blinding torch."run !"Apparently, saying the name of the magical spell helped focus the judgment and increase the potency of the spell. To Noah, it seemed a bit preposterous, but it did make things a bit more entertaining.

As per the name, he swung down with the halberd like he was performing a beheading, and the moment the blade touched the flat coat, it was like a trench mortar round of drinks had gone off. A chest-thumping explosion was heard and dirt and rock were sent flying in all commission. Originally, what would possess simply buried his weapon in the dirt, had now opened up a crater the size of a bathtub. Just as incredible, the vividness of the mana flowing from the halberd had not lessened in the slightest, nor did Trevor seem fatigued.

Everyone was stunned, with Noah flashing a rare grin."Mira, your solution would probably be similar if I asked to use your stiff spell. Now that you have all this mana to work on with, think of it as a resource for experimentation. I don't know how the two of you develop magic, whether you just create new spells yourselves or learn by watching others, but I want you to devote yourselves to improving your accomplishment. usher me something new. Today, we're forgetting about strength and toughness and focusing entirely on technique.

Beth, I want you to exercise your archery until your fingerbreadth bleed and you can shoot the offstage of a fly. As for Oath…"Noah drew his longsword."You're going to be fighting me."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

Beth's chest heaved with each movement, and her nipples, chilled by the evening, pointed out and run electric discharge in the air. Just moments ago, she had been riding so vigorously, having to throw out her wearing apparel when she began to overheat. It had been a conflict for her to observe her moans contained, especially with her articulatio coxae refusing to obey her commands and slack her bouncing.

She now took a easy pace, rolling her hips from side to side while she regained her strength. Her reasonably face was one of intoxication, her judgement overtaken by lust and endorphins. Her smile was raunchy, her face flushed, her lips wet, her student dilated. Noah could see the fresh sweat on her soundbox with the Inner Light of the night sky. What was just supposed to be a immediate assignation to scratch the ol'itch had turned into something a little more intense.

Sitting up, Noah kissed her knocker and grabbed her ass, kneading it like dough. Beth had a prissy athletic figure, not much fat on her, but the ass of a volleyball game player. Noah's rim on her nipple, his manhood stirring her up, and his bridge player massaging deep into her muscles, these stimulant combined into a force that Beth was struggling to hold up. They were out in the Ellen Price Wood, so Beth's moans could attract monsters, or even worse, the ear of her acquaintance.

Mira knew about them, so Oath and Trevor were probably aware as well, but still, it would be a bit yokelish make them get word the audio of moan and human body against form. That was Beth's cerebration, but Noah didn't care either way. His solely fright was getting stuck in an unenviable conversation with everyone because of this. That, and the fact that he and Beth were breaking the rules of every horror picture show and having sex in the woods. The flag they were raising could have been seeable from space.

Beth's strength gave out, a final coming draining her and leaving her body hitch. Noah was forced to depress to her to the ground, but she didn't object to him continuing to thrust until he had a climax of his own.

"Come on, we should get back to the camp,"he said.

"What a amorous matter to say after filling me up."

"You know what this is."

She giggled."Relax, I'm kidding."

They got dressed and returned to the encampment, where their fellow venturer were awake and waiting for them.

"What are you all doing awake ?"Noah asked.

"You two are a lot nosier than you think you are,"Mira said while keeping her eyes down.

"You do make it awfully concentrated to kip. I thought some masher were tearing apart a goblin out there,"said Trevor. In retaliation, Beth kicked him while circling the campfire to contact her spot.

"Watch it !"he shot back.

Noah took his own spot and stoked the fire."Enough. Everyone, get some rest. We're going to need our strength for tomorrow."They were less than half a day's hike to the keep crab.

"None of us can slumber. We're too neural about tomorrow,"Oath said.

"It'll be okay. In twenty age, you'll ask your shaver ‘ did I ever tell you about the time I conquered a dungeon crab ?'And they'll groan and say, ‘ yes, father, a century time. We're sick of hearing about it.'”

"Are you going to do anything with the territory ?"Beth asked."Change any laws ?"

"No. Clive is hone the way it is, and I don't want to interchange anything."

"You're letting a lucky opportunity slip by,"said Noah.

"What do you mean ?"

"I assume that as long as the kingdom gets its revenue enhancement, it won't tutelage about how matter change, so you might as well try some affair. Think of the Town as the billet to perform sociable experiments."

"What's a mixer experiment ?"Trevor asked.

"It's when you put people in a certain positioning with certain stipulation and see how they react. You can see how human nature plays out. Let's say that as a baron… you introduced a new holiday, just to see how that affects revenue."

"That sounds really wrong,"Mira muttered.

"It's a way to memorize about people. In the nitty-gritty of town, put up a statue with a sign saying not to touch, that the paint is wet. Then you can see how many people are actually going to stir it."

"What is that supposed to do ?"Oath asked.

"How many people are in Baron Clive, a hundred ? If half of them meet the statue, then you could make the disceptation that one-half of the man raceway is dumb enough to touch paint even when they know it's wet. Or perhaps it's simply that half the townsfolk can't read.

If you repeated the experiment in another townsfolk, maybe a big city in another body politic, you'll probably find that dissimilar act of people will touch the statue. Then you can get down to figuring out why. Why do different country have different results ? Are the the great unwashed simply dumber ? Is it a literacy problem ? Is there a polish of rebellion to bureau ?

There was once an antediluvian city named Rome, which had a monumental gem battle sphere called the amphitheater. It was so massive, that the emperor put the minds of his best architects into figuring out how to design it so that the spectators could easily get in and out, otherwise, they'd start a bacchanalia. You get a bunch of people together in close proximity, one of two different things may happen, sometimes even both at the same fourth dimension. The first is that people will need to call back into themselves. They'll want to create personal space, establish a perimeter, pull that line in the sand that no one can hybridize. If someone crosses that parentage, they may get dire, they may get violent ; no affair how little it is, it produces a disconfirming reaction.

The other is to surrender to the will of the group. If everyone around you is saying something, you'll assume it's right and iterate it, because you want to believe in the grouping, you want to think you're right. You want to believe that you're in the presence of masses who know what they are doing. If you're in a mob where someone is shouting for the death of the king and everyone cheers, part of you will naturally agree.

someone losing their humor will set off a fight, that engagement will spread and trigger more fights, and suddenly the orderly masses that were simply trying to leave the Coliseum are sweeping through Roma, having abandoned all thought of civility and now simply destroying everything in their way."

"That could never happen,"said Beth, as if Noah had just uttered a child's nonsense.

"I've seen it happen plenty of prison term. Once you establish the rule that escape is not available, that candle scratch burning, and it burns quick."

"I don't know. I think people are good at centre,"said Mira."They don't just go wild like that."

"Then you could show it. Let's say you could create any kind of social experimentation, completely unloose recoil, like a dreaming. What would you do ?"

"How am I supposed to make love ?"

"The sleep of you ? Just think ‘ I wonder how many people would ( blank ) if I ( dummy ) ?'Or ‘ what would happen if I put ( blank ) and ( blank ) together ?'Literally whatever you wanted to know, or simply just see."Everyone looked up into the space, trying to process the challenge."Think about it. It'll help you fall asleep."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

A firm clump woke Oath up, a blade striking the ground just inches from his face. He instinctively shouted in terror and tried to scurry back, realizing it was Noah's sword and he was standing over him. His friends, light sleepers in an surface area this grave, woke up in a flash and got to their metrical unit with their weapons raised, confused and alarmed by the tidy sum of Noah in the predawn sparkle. Was this an blackwash endeavor ? However, they looked down and spotted Noah's existent target area. It was some kind of insectoid brute, a stubby centipede with a bulbous shell. It was the size of a squirrel, with frightening pincers.

"What the inferno is that thing ? !"Mira exclaimed.

"It's one of the sponge from inside the dungeon crab. I did as a great deal research as I could on the dungeon crabmeat whenever I had the time."

Looking at Mira and Beth, he could see them shuddering in revulsion.

"You mean to separate me that there are more than of those matter in that crabmeat ?"

"Almost certainly, but they're flooding out into the woods, so just means that the Thomas More we find out here, the fewer we'll have to push in the Cancer the Crab. Now let's eat some breakfast and get a relocation on."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

It was a genuine wad of upturned earth and shattered bedrock, the result of the dungeon crabby person rising up from the major planet's encrustation and jutting out the tip of its shell. At the very meridian was the entrance, but the muckle was no indication of just how large the actual crab was. Before they could go down, they'd have to climb up.

"looking up there, I think I see a tent."

Noah scanned where Beth was pointing and confirmed."Someone must have set up camp there before heading in."

"There are pack all over the pot. There must be a lot of people in there,"said Mira.

"Most of them have probably been killed by now. Those camp are abandoned,"said Trevor.

"Trevor !"

Despite Mira's ira, Noah agreed with Trevor. The closer he looked, the more collapsible shelter he saw, and the majority of them probably belonged to the dead, but he didn't want oath and the others chewing on that."Relax. Everyone going in just packed luminousness because they want to impart as a good deal treasure as they can, and probably couldn't carry anything supernumerary when they came out. We'll be in the Lapp site when we come back."

"Wait, I see hoi polloi too,"said Beth.

She was right, there were spate of adventurers roaming the mountain.

"They must be scavenging for gems and precious metal. When the crab appears, it probably pushes up more than just stone and dirt."

"If you can get Au from sifting through the shit, then why bother going into the dungeon ?"Mira asked.

"They're after whatever they can get their hands on, unlike us. We're after avenium, and it can only be found inside."

They put their fears aside and began climbing up the side of the passel. There were no established track and the ground was difficult, to say the least. The dirt had settled since it was first moved by the arrival of the crab, but there were no plant to curb it all together, so it was like hiking up the English of a sand dune in many areas. They also had to be leery of the big stone chunks merge in. They were freshly broken and hadn't been weathered by the nothingness and the rain, so they could easily cut through cutis. While climbing, Noah grabbed a stone handhold and his palm was skinned by the crystal-like acuteness.

They passed by multiple prospectors and treasure-hunters, digging around for anything worthwhile. No one paid them any aid, and they offered none in return. However, that changed when they heard the sounds of fighting. Nearby, they saw a beard man fighting off one of the dungeon parasites that had wandered outside. It was a four-legged crustacean, the size of it of a woman chaser. It swung its overweight forelimbs like lodge and tried to storm the man onto his back.

"Noah, we need to serve him,"said Mira.

"Keeping him alive isn't my job. Besides, any strength you use against that one monster will be strength you can't use in the shell."

"Then study this a playing field test !"Mira held out her staff."Shatter Mace !"

Pieces of stone and packed shite flowed to the end of her stave, joining together into a hardened sphere, the sizing of a basketball and covered in sharp swelling. She left the mathematical group and ran over to where the man was fighting, with her artillery not hindering her movement at all. Rather than physical strength, she was holding the arena together and lifting it with mana.

The beast had the man pinned on his back and he was fending off its snapping tweezer with his pickaxe. Sneaking up behind it, Mira raised her staff and brought it down onto the monster's back, unleashing the full weight of the Oliver Stone and breaking through its scale. The monster hissed in nuisance and fell over, and she dispatched it with another baseball swing, this one crushing its exposed head. A week ago, such a task would get been impossible for her, but under Noah's tuition, both her accomplishment in thaumaturgy and strong-arm combat had been multiplied several prison term over.

"Thanks,"the man grumbled before dusting himself off and walking away.

She returned to the group, where Beth was clapping for her."fountainhead done !"

Noah, however, clasped his hand on her shoulder joint."Don't do that again."There was very little anger in his part, but still, she shrunk away."The same goes for the ease of you. We're not here to diddle hero, we're not here to write animation. We're here to make money and conquer the dungeon. Our military capability, our attention, our artillery, our potions, they are reserved only for our own use and our own welfare. If you save mortal, it had better be to use them as a pack mule or a meat shell. Understood ?"Everyone nodded."Good, then let's motility on."

They resumed hiking up towards the summit, and oath soon asked a question.

"Noah, you researched keep crabby person, right ? Did you recognize that monster ?"

"Yes, it was one of the sponge mentioned in the Word your Padre had."

"Do you know what else we'll determine ?"

"Unfortunately, no, there was actually very short written information about the keep crabs and what exists within their shells. Those who remain in the upper portions and survive contribution their info, but those who delve deep enough to reach the avenium either die or keep on it a secret."

"hold, why is it a enigma ?"Trevor asked.

"If I had to guess, I'd say it's because the nation's noblesse doesn't want people knowing how to join their ranks. In this crab are the keys to the land, after all. Too many offspring upstarts could break down the balance of exponent between the rich people and the poor, or they could form factions that get in the way of the higher-ranked nobles. Some entropy gets out, of course, from those who manage to escape with their lives but don't conquer the dungeon, or from other body politic, but I imagine that the just adventurers who are really informed are those already working for high-level nobles."

A grievous hoot ended the conversation, as up ahead, a new threat revealed itself. It stood on a brace of sinewy legs, like a predatory razz, but it had a small dead body and no neck opening, only a forward-placed skull that resembled an alligator. It was a twain of snapping jaws on human foot, that was all it could be described as, and it was glaring at Noah and the group. It had the in high spirits ground, and after emitting another hiss, respective more appeared, from both above and the sides.

"A pack-type parasite, interesting,"Noah said as he drew his steel."Get ready, everyone, the fight starts early."

They took formation, with expletive in front and Noah and Trevor guarding the wing, while Beth and Mira attacked from a distance. The monsters closed in all at once, leaping through the air while flashing the talons on their feet and spreading their jaws.

"Trevor !"Noah shouted.

"Phalanx spear !"he cast while swinging his halberd like a flag.

A trail of mana was left behind with each movement, and the mana solidified into floating sword like mist condensing into ice. The floating blades pierced three of the beasts before they could land, two Thomas More were wounded, and the ease had their concentration broken and failed to pounce properly. With that orifice, Noah and expletive began hacking and slashing away at those who landed closest by.

"Earth Bind !"

Mira stabbed the earth, and beneath the bruise brute, cavity opened up to bury them whole, then were closed with earthen spikes like cage barroom. It wouldn't hold them long, but it kept them out of the fight. Not only could Mira now manifest the spell multiple multiplication from one casting, but the ground proved perfect for its use. Those who had avoided Trevor's magic spell and Noah and Oath's brand tried circling around, but Beth dispatched them with her bow, and any she missed ended up getting cleaved by Trevor. Once all of the mobile one were slain, the wounded were put out of their misery.

"trade good, well done,"said Noah.

Normally they would then glean the monsters for valuable pieces, but the market place for keep crab parasites was too niche to be worth the effort. Besides, they wanted to save as practically way for treasure as they could.

They continued their acclivity, and after a couple more fiend battles, they reached the summit at noonday. There, sticking out of the footing was the tip of the Cancer's case, like a illume house on a bumpy drop. Noah could see the curl of the shell, and before them, the opening night, a doorway large enough for an elephant to walk through. Noah reached out and touched the shell, made of substance somehow secure enough to withstand the heat and force per unit area of the earth's interior.

In the month since Noah's arrival to this world, he had seen plenty of affair that shocked and baffled him, from magic trick to demon, but just the sight of the entrance blew him away. To think that such a creature like this could exist, that something so massive occupied this human race. It blurred the common sense accumulated from more than a hundred life. Where did these things come from ? Were they made by magic ? Perhaps by some kind of god ? How old was this one ? Was it intelligent ? What was its biography cycle ?

"I never thought I'd ever see something like this,"said swearing, similarly amazed.

Everyone in the group was staring at the blank tower in awe and acquirement. True, the real battle had only just begun, but compared to what they were doing not too long ago, just reaching this stead was a huge acquirement.

"smell at this panorama,"said Beth.

Without any trees to jam their slew, the mountain summit let them see for sea mile in all directions.

"I think I can see the village !"said Trevor.

"Let's good luck here for lunch, gather some of our strength, and then head inside."

They all sat down and Noah pulled food and water tegument out of his anchor ring. He had enough food and water supply to flow them all for several days, and thanks to Beth's conjuration, they could fill again their mobile canteen whenever needed. However, everyone carried two daytime of rations, just in vitrine they got separated. Their lunch consisted of dried fish and yield, as well as some pelf, something Light Within to prevent them moving. Up atop the mountain, there was a skillful cinch, and the vista was spectacular.

"Noah, remember what you were saying last night about social experiment ?"Beth asked."If I could try one, I'd want to see what happens when you put only adult female together and task them with building a society. What would Clive face like if it had only womanhood ?"

"A female-only order ? Yeah, that would certainly be interesting. Ok, paint a picture for me. What do you require would take place ?"

"I think that without any men to get in the way, they would flourish,"she said, rather smugly.

"Until there is a spider that needs to be killed,"said Trevor.

"seed on, I want details. For instance, there are roles in smart set that are typically considered manly, and others that are considered womanly. If only if women perform the manly job, then what will change ? Will the nature of the chore change, or will the women variety ? Will the adult female who spend all day hunting, blacksmithing, and all those early jobs start acting rough and crass like men ?

You're an adventurer. You spend your days hunting, fighting, scavenging, getting down and grime. But you also consider yourself quite girlish, in good order ? But how do you guess a girl who spends her day weaving and taking caution of kid sees you ? bequeath a divide form ? The character A personalities arguing with the eccentric B ?"

"eccentric A personalities ?"

"Never intellect. Oath, you got an idea for an experimentation ?"

Oath took a deep breath."Something like what Beth was talking about, but it's men and adult female, and all of them have lost their memories."

"Oh, that's the honest one. The total erasure of civilisation and starting from scribble. If you completely off nurture from the equation, then you can truly see how nature manifests. Will men and women follow path considered formula by society ? Will they adopt the Lapp roles that their ancestors have ? Or will they do everything new ?"

Everyone watched as he started putting things away. He didn't need to say anything, they knew it was clip to take the plunge.

.

.

.

The metal glove

.

.

.

Once they had finished feeding, they packed up their thing and entered the shell, with Noah taking the lead and holding a common mullein. Because of the shell's twist, they had to descend a corkscrew passage, like a stairway but without factual stairs. The bulwark, base, and ceiling of the passage were perfectly bland, but there were no straight melodic phrase of any kind. It was like wandering through a narrow canyon carved by flashfloods. well-nigh of the story was covered in dirt and soften gemstone, perhaps seeping in from the opening of the casing. Luckily this meant that Beth would induce something to work with to use her spells.

The Cancer had been venting its shell for Thomas More than a week, but the air still had a staleness to it. It smelled gross, like a mineshaft or a quarry, but he could also smell the biological signature of the sponger. The air seemed very well to breathe and the torch didn't appear to sustain any payoff burning at the stake. Was all that oxygen from the outside ? How long could the oxygen last if the crab went back below the surface ? How long did the dungeon crabby person live underground before surfacing ? Either the crab and its parasites could function in an oxygen-poor environment, or something within the crab louse could create a human-friendly atmospheric state.

They had descended fifty foot when the first fork appeared, another tunnel branching off from the staircase.

"We're going to sustain going down, right ?"swearword asked.

"Yeah, whatever passage leads us down, we'll learn it."

One of the bipedal parasites burst from the branching burrow, aiming for Noah. He stepped to the side to dodge, take out his short brand, and stabbed the beast through the rachis when it landed.

The deeper they delved, the more branching tunnels they came across, but they continued their descent, until reaching a large bedroom at the derriere of the stairway, with five tunnels spread out. The staircase had been just wide enough for two mass to walk shoulder-to-shoulder, but these tunnels were like subway lines. There were signs of adventurers coming through here, marking the tunnel to try and keep running of which way they had taken. There were also some blood splatters, mangled apparel, and a crack sword.

"What's that, hanging from the ceiling ?"cuss asked.

Above their forefront, icky screw thread dangled like icicles, and at the radical of each, a low ball of light.

"Cave dirt ball. Their physical structure are bioluminescent, attracting prey, which get caught in their ribbon like wanderer webs. This is a good affair. We won't need this."Noah extinguished the flannel mullein and stored it in his ring."Ok, let's split up. We can cover more footing that way."

"Wait, WHAT ? !"everyone exclaimed.

It was the gruelling Noah laughed since coming to this world."Relax, I'm just kidding. Can you imagine ? Let's take this path over here. It looks like it continues to slope."

They took the right-most course, far descending into the donjon crab, and soon stopped at the entrance of a branch chamber, hearing movement within. They stayed against the bulwark so as to avoid drawing the tending of whatever was inside. Noah signaled the others with his hand and cast his invisibility, then stepped into the threshold. The muckle before him was a grotesque, a sight of maggots, each the size of a football game, feasting upon the remains of some slain dangerous undertaking. Their fat bodies quivered as they peeled flesh from bone. The walls were honeycombed to theater the brute between meal, and three adult were standing guard.

The guards were bugs of some kind, consisting of four legs surrounding a fountainhead and body that were shuffle together with annex between the legs. The legs were armor-plated and precipitous, and their downward-pointing face had teeth like an angler fish. They looked almost like winged bar stools. Noah drew his steel and killed one of the wolf without it ever realizing it was there. Seeing their familiar spontaneously die, nearly being sliced in half in the process, the former two began to panic and look for the invisible assailant. He killed them almost as easily as he had killed the first.

"clear,"Noah said as he released his spell.

He reappeared, just as Oath and the others entered the room, immediately broadcasting their revulsion at the remains being fed on. Noah knocked the pile of bodies over, and kicked away the maggots so that he could begin poking around with his sword.

"Don't loot them !"curse said in disgust.

"Why ? Because we didn't kill them ? We're adventurers, we thrive on the deaths of others, be they humans or monster. Meh, nothing great."He was able to collect a few weapon and arrows, but that was it.

"Hey, something's coming !"Trevor shouted. They ran out into the hall, hearing the sounds of wingbeats. Further down the tunnel, several to a greater extent four-legged bugs were flying towards them, having likely detected the deaths of their associate."Phalanx Spears !"he then cast.

He blocked the passing with an array of mana blades and Beth began firing pointer, but the armour plating on the behemoth's legs proved stronger and they smashed their way through. expletive took down one, but a moment tackled him from the side, tearing into him with its teeth and claws. Noah killed it before it could inflict more wrong, then fended off the others with well-placed twinge. Trevor had also been tackled and knocked onto his back, with Beth and Mira working together to pry the beast off.

Noah was still on his pes, so the monsters were heading towards him. He put away his longsword and instead switched to his shortsighted blade. The first bug that tried to tackle him was met with his cuticle and then a sudden thrust. He repeated the strategy, breaking the opposition'inertia by blocking with his carapace and then stabbing while they were disoriented.

The conflict had ended and healing potions were used where needed. This certainly was an interest environment for engagement. near of the monsters seen so far had arduous outer eggshell, something Noah and his grouping had niggling experience in dealing with. Their group focused on attacking rather than endurance, as they were always fighting beasts that were as vulnerable as themselves. Aside from Noah's shield, the group didn't have much in way of defense outside of unaccented armor—and a strong criminal offence, of course.

They continued on deeper, passing by multitudinous branching tunnels and eventually coming to another fork. Once more, their auricle stopped them from proceeding, as they heard movement down one of the burrow, and soon saw it as well. It was a flood of centipedes, just like the one that had tried to stamp out curse that morning.

"holy SOB !"Mira shrieked, something very out of lineament for her.

"Come on, this way !"

Noah ran down one of the passages with the others following, but so too did the centipedes. It seemed they were conversant with the scent of the great unwashed and now hungered for Noah's group. He slowed his pace, letting the others get past him, then untied a bag hanging from his belted ammunition and scattered its powdery contents across the floor. It was lye, the undecomposed he could gain within reason. It was much more caustic than what he had made in the timber with Tin, and when the centipedes ran through it, getting it on themselves and breathing it in, they immediately began to writhe and curl in hurting. However, it only slowed them down, and those in back simply climbed over their ill kin.

They kept running, though Thomas More monsters were bursting out of the burrow ahead. Noah and Oath took them out to the best of their power, trying to at least handicap them with one slash. Those not hit retreated immediately as the group passed by, not wanting to become the prey of the centipedes behind them.

"There's a room ahead !"said Trevor.

"Mira, time lag until we reach that way, and if I give a signaling, use your Earth rush spell,"said Noah.

They entered the chamber, though rue filled them immediately. A new, colossal danger awaited them. It was a worm, coiled like a hushing cobra, with a body more than than ten foot wide and long as a football game field. Its flesh was rough, like living pit, and it was covered in uncounted small understructure. Towering over them in this arena-like bedroom, it stared without eyes and roared from a mouth that was simply a pit of teeth.

The peck of the monster shocked everyone into a kayoed silence, like cuss when standing before that bear, but not even Noah could chastise them, for he too was momentarily crippled by reverence. The fraction of moment between two beats of his bosom seemed like it would last forever, but that future thump shook him from his stupor, letting him collect his mentation and began working on a plan.

"Mira, do it now ! Beth, shoot some arrows into that thing's oral cavity or anything else that looks soft ! Oath, you and I will be the decoy. Trevor, you attack with all your conjuring trick. We need to just wound it long enough to get away !"

No one else moved, but Noah giving Oath a shove woke them up. Mira turned back to face the oncoming moving ridge of devil, and counted with a undulation of her own. She cast her spell upon the earthen ground, taking control of all of the rock 'n' roll and dirt and unleashing it on the centipedes like a mudslide. While that was going on, Beth was firing arrows at the worm's mouth, striking its exposed flesh but only doing enough harm to wee it off.

It turned its attention on curse and Noah, running at it from its left and rectify side. It lunged at them both, aiming to eat Noah and swat Oath with its poop. Noah made himself invisible and dodged the insect's mouth when it lost track of him, and cuss blocked the attack with a swing of his sword, breaking into the monstrosity's skin. As they had distracted it, Trevor could now unleash his charged magic. Both the shaft blade and the axe read/write head of his halberd were glowing with a radiant storm of mana, and runes spun around the ray of light. He charged towards the worm's coiled body, released a roar of fury, and brought down his blade like a divine smite.

"Voulge slash !"

It was a compounding of his stabbing and cleaving charm, and while the apparent motion were the Sami as just a normal swing, it inflicted damage differently in the course of a slash. It had less penetrating power than the other two, possibly failing to break the dirt ball's rocky exterior, but it would do much greater scathe to the flesh. His mana, having solidified around the head of his halberd, carved deep into the worm's flesh, and as Trevor swung his weapon down, he left a cryptical cut on different segments of is consistency. rip poured from the wounding and the worm shrieked in agony.

"Let's go !"Noah shouted.

They ran off through another musical passage, leaving behind the worm with the centipedes. They didn't stop running, wanting to get as far away as potential. They kept maneuvering through the donjon, fighting the monsters leaping out while they searched for a safe smudge. It seemed like every prison term they slowed down or even paused, something would abound out and attempt to have a glob out of them. Finally, when they were gasping for air with their throat feeling as dry as sand, the group found a chamber with a small opening and no monsters inside. They set their pack against the entryway, hopefully to help keep the monsters from detecting them. They all slumped down on the floor. Even Noah was feeling sick from the adrenaline.

"Fuck ! This position is a death trap !"Trevor exclaimed as he poured a healing potion on a deep puncture combat injury in his thigh, caused by something resembling a cycloptic tiger catching him with one of its goliath fangs.

"No admiration nobility is the loot for conquering one of these things. You deserve to be a damn king if you can survive this station,"Beth panted. Despite fighting from the back, she was covered in giant blood.

"guy, I got ta Tell you, I'm not sure as shooting we're ready for this plaza. It's too soon,"said Oath.

"Don't say that. We're alive, aren't we ? We managed to get through it and recover a situation to rest. Not too long ago, we would have died before even reaching the keep. We can do this, right, Noah ? Noah ?"Mira turned to Noah, seeing him staring at his trembling hand, but with an saying that, frankly, didn't fit the position.

After dying so many times, death was no recollective something Noah feared. It was to be avoided, but with about the Lapp sum of effort used to annul dying in a video plot. He still possessed the survival instinct in some manner, but he could no longer properly take account the greatest risk of death in a given position. He was no more afraid of guns that he was a coffee bean mesa's sharp turning point. But what he felt when he saw the louse was straight fear, when he realized that not only was the louse the most likely cause of his death in that room, but that it was a death he wanted to avoid Thomas More than any former. That spirit of fear, after so long, it was as though some of his soul's hungriness was clenched.

"Noah ?"she asked once more, hearing him chuckle.

He shook himself back from his thoughts."Sorry, I was just thinking about this place."

"And ?"

"A snail."

"What ?"

"The al-Qur'an at the baron's home, it had a video of a dungeon crab. It might have just been a guesswork at what it looked like, but it was of a giant anchorite crab. However, hermit squawk don't create their own shells. Snails do. anchorite pediculosis pubis just exact them over. So, either we're actually inside a escargot, or if this really is a anchorite crabby person, then that means it probably got this shell from a snail, and if there are these giant crabs and snails living within the earth, what else is down there ?"

"And how does that help us ?"

"It'll withdraw your mind of thing. We'll be fine, we can get through this. Had we tried this a week ago, none of you would still be here, but you've all grown stronger."

"So what should we do ?"expletive asked.

"Exactly what we've been doing. Just find out our step, take aim it one challenge at a clock time, and hold on our rhythm unbendable. Besides, I'd say there is plenty of inducement to stick around."

Everyone glanced around the chamber and gasped when they realized the ground was gleaming like a starry sky. It was arduous to say under the blue light of the luminescence worms, but it was second of metal and gems blend into the dirt.

"Our starting time grievance !"Beth exclaimed.

They began collecting the glimmer bit and cleaning off the unwanted dirt and rock. Most of it was raw and diluted, so surplus sediments had to be scraped, hammered, and rubbed off, and even then, there was no telling how much gold or silver was collected until it could all be properly melted down. Despite the find, Noah couldn't deny his dashing hopes. When he had heard about these dungeons and the treasure within them, his inner nerd had been imagining something to a greater extent along the business of an genuine treasure chest. That worm back there could be considered a mini-boss, after all.

With their spirits lifted, they left the safety of the bedroom to bear on their downslope.

"Trevor, you take degree,"said Noah.

"What ?"

"I mean you're in front, in the middle space. Oath will now be opposite from me, where you once were. In these narrow tunnel, we don't need to worry about an enemy circling around to Beth and Mira, so it would be beneficial to put your longsighted reaching directly in the front. If we enter a lawless space, we might throw back."

Trevor stepped forward and led the group, and not long after they departed, they faced off against a twain of the four-legged monsters like the one that Mira killed outside. Now in the nub, Trevor warded them off with his halberd.

"cuss, with me. Trevor, don't let them stand over us,"said Noah.

He and Oath stepped forward, keeping just out of range of Trevor's halberd with swearword delivering a mighty cleave. His sword cracked into the monster's shell and struck its brain, though the wound was shallower than Oath expected. Nearby, Noah was fending off swing and stab of the savage's jagged forelimbs, but when an opening came, he hacked one of them off and then lunge his sword into the monster's face.

"These shell might be deserving something."

knife in manus, they carved the top shells off, each one the size of a towboat shield. They were hard plenty to stop over cuss's cleave and rather brightness level, so there was the good chance they'd be worth something to an armor dealer.

They proceeded onwards, fighting their way through undulation after wave of the case's inhabitants. They survived each encounter, but not without shedding rake. They kept their eyes peeled, not just for lusus naturae, but for glimmering of treasure. They searched every way, finding gold, silver, and gems of all different colors. They also found peck of sign of the zodiac of human activity, though rarely any eubstance, same with the monsters, and the deadened conclusion were a constant quantity annoyance.

"Wait, hold up."

"What is it ?"Trevor asked.

"This section of the hallway, we should avoid it. Look at it."The future hundred base of the tunnel had a different consistency than the quietus. It was a sarcoid, punch Earth's surface, like a dish sponge."Something like that is probably some kind of trap. We need to backtrack."

"It looks fine. It probably means we're getting close to the bed of the shell."

"It very well could be, but it's also too fishy to risk. We're going back."

But as they turned around, they heard belly laugh and outcry and terror, and from the way they just came, another adventuring party appeared, a group of several adult men with low-quality leather armor.

"It's coming ! It's fast !"one of them screamed.

"Run ! You have to get out of here !"another shouted when he spotted Noah and his group.

Mira stepped forward to try and stop them."Wait, you can't go this way !"

She was shoved aside like she had been struck like a charging bull, the man who did it knocking her in the chin with the handgrip of his axe to get her out of the way.

"Mira !"Beth exclaimed.

She and curse rushed to her side, while nearby, the screams of fear became screams of painfulness. The men, having entered the hallway, now found themselves being assailed from all position by flying stingers. They shot out of the holes in the bulwark and cap like bullet train and imbedded themselves in the men. They were barbed, like bee Stinger, and Noah could see them pulsing as they injected their venom.

"Get her on her feet. Something is coming."

Mira was pouring blood from her oral cavity and seemed delirious. Oath forced her to salute a health potion, but it wouldn't get her into fighting status soon enough. The monster the men had feared arrived, some form of hulking crossbreed between a white-haired bear and a komodo dragon. Its book binding was covered in buddy-buddy scales and its undersurface didn't seem very weak either. It stood on its hind leg, exposing its deadly claws, and released a holloa from between two rows of shark-like teeth.

Beth, standing behind cuss and Trevor, shot it in the stomach with an arrow, though the injury was shallow, and it would get hold of time for the poisonous substance to complain in. Regardless, it took the message and dropped back down onto all fours and charged.

"Mountain divider !"Trevor cast.

He thrust at the oncoming devil, aiming for its mind with the blade alight with mana. The animal managed to avoid a lethal hurt, instead staking the black eye in the shoulder. Its scales were like stocky Stone and just as unvoiced, so while Trevor reached the tissue paper underneath, most of the DOE was deflected. Getting past the halberd, it slashed Trevor across the chest, sheering through his armor and knocking him against the bulwark. Noah took out a lye bomb and struck the wolf in the face, blinding it and making it stagger back.

"Beth, save Trevor. swearing, get over here !"

Noah didn't pass on it any luck to convalesce and lunged for the monster, slashing and stabbing at any spot that looked soft. He focused on the wounded shoulder, but the wildcat was guarding it well, and despite being blinded, it was swinging its claws with deadly accuracy, and even Noah ended up with some deep deletion across his thigh. Oath came out from behind Noah and brought down his sword on the monster's head word, doing some slender concussive damage.

"I'll distract it."Noah cast his invisibility and charged at the demon while drawing a length of thick chain from within his annulus. He wrapped it around the ogre's neck and jumped onto its spine. He pulled with his full weight, forcing it to rear back on its hind peg so that cuss could lash it across the stomach and let out its intimate organs

"Earth Surge !"Mira cast as he got out of the way.

Since Oath had created a way in, Mira bombarded the ogre with a blast of shit and rock-and-roll, aiming for the laceration. It fell on its cover, too wounded to uphold fighting, and Noah finished it off.

"Good. What is everyone's shape ?"

"Unhurt, but tired,"said Oath.

"I'm out of mana and I can barely stand,"Mira whined.

"Trevor looks ok, but I think we should check for the Night. I'm starving,"Beth said.

"Yeah, it's probably night by now. We'll call it a day."

They searched around, finding a room for them to bivouac out in. They made a door out of monster shells and barricaded it with their bags. There were no glow worms in this elbow room, so Noah lit his torch.

"Let's eat quick and get some sleep. I'll take showtime watch."

After a restless Night, they left their enclosure."There is something I want to check out,"he said. He led them back to the corridor that had killed the early adventurer group, only to find that the clay were gone, Saami with the armored colossus that had given them so much difficulty before."Interesting."

"What ? Something just came along and took the body. What's the big deal ?"Trevor asked.

"This hall probably kills whatever enters it with those spikes. Only something heavily armored like that bear-thing could hold gotten to them, but there are no drag target, no footprints. Maybe one of those elephantine bugs flew in and pulled them out without being detected, but I'd say it's more likely that they were eaten by something other than just a parasite."

"You mean the crab ?"asked Beth."How ?"

"I'm not sure, but I'd like to compute it when I have the fortune. Let's go."

They set out, continuing their exploration. The monster outpouring was relentless, a wave emerging every couple of minutes, each one pushing the adventurers beyond their point of accumulation, both from the identification number and the durability they carried. Everyone received trauma, even Noah. While his invisibility granted him a margin of damage compared to the others, stealing did little against such vast forces. There was simply not plenty room to dodge or retreat. They were running through their reserves of potions faster than Noah had anticipated, but not beyond his provision, and he still had enough to nominate the entire trip.

He assumed they had reached the body of the fauna, or at least were no longer in the unoccupied portion. more than heavy corridors were appearing, most of them containing some kind of biological trap like the spikes from before. Wherever this deepest portion of the shield was, it had to be close by. Besides, there was also batch of incentive to take the risk. While they did a lot of traveling, much of their fourth dimension was spent gathering treasure. Their packs and air hole were getting heavy with precious muffin and ores, and even Noah was dumping stuff out of his anchor ring to make room.

That weight unit was currently a hindrance, though, as they found themselves running from another wave of centipedes. The body of the corridor had also changed, where they were now passing through a Ernst Boris Chain of 30x30ft rooms, each one with a deep bowl-like floor.

"Whoa ! Stop !"Noah shouted.

Everyone halted at the incoming to the next way, blocked behind his weaponry. The storey of the sleeping room was waist-deep with dismal water, or at least, they hoped it was water. By now, they had all become a bit paranoid towards the fiend, as well as picked up some of their tricks. There could be untold beasts lurking in that water, ready to catch them and embroil them under, perhaps injecting them with poison with needle teeth or biting stingers. But the centipedes were closing in fast, and there wasn't enough time to backtrack to a branch passage.

Noah summoned some intellectual nourishment from his ring and sprinkled it across the surface of the water, and the next few moments passed by with agonizing anticipation, but nothing came up to bung, which was adept enough for them. Not without grimacing, they stepped down into the slops and waded across. The succeeding room had a pond of water like the first, and the next after that, and the 3rd, and it was taking their toll. Despite all of the running they had done, there was only so a great deal that stamina could do in this sort of physical exercise. However, as he moved through the fifth part, Noah noticed something.

It was a layer of crude oil floating on the water's surface. He looked back, seeing the centipedes pursuing them, even swimming like rats. Noah and the others got out, but he turned back with a flint and knife. This was something he wanted to avoid doing in this oxygen-low surroundings, especially since he was now soaked in oil, but he struck the flint against his knife and spent off a spray of sparks that set the kitty ablaze, filling the chamber with a wall of fire.

He rejoined the others, passing through several more than rooms and taking multiple bit, but they finally had to quit and pick up their breath and gasped in sculptural relief that they were no longer being pursued. Even Noah needed balance, so no one said anything and they all just leaned against their knees, sucking in air with their faces over the control surface of the water.

Noah stood up straight, and as he breathed in, the ground disappeared from under everyone's pes. Some sort of organic trap room access had opened up beneath them, and the pond of morose piddle became a roaring vortex. Standing in the center of the way, Noah and Beth dropped helplessly, disappearing down a vast pharynx. Trevor, Oath, and Mira were saved by the skin of their teeth. Trevor's halberd and Mira's staff had gotten stuck, granting them something to grab onto. They were hanging over the entryway to the throat like a bottomless well of living, quivering stone.

Sensing the obstruction, the paries began to close in to try and dislodge them. The three youths couldn't help but shout in terror as they struggled to wax up out of the throat. They were drenched in grease, struggling to hold onto their weapons and get any kind of leverage. They squeezed and clawed their way out, feeling like their fingernails would peel off. Their faces were pressed to the sloped floor, forced to rest in and try out the slop. They reached the next way, but despite their debilitation, they couldn't ease yet. They could pick up them, the approaching centipedes, having gotten past the fire Noah started.

They forced themselves onto their invertebrate foot, barely able-bodied to stand, but once more having to run. They were in a dire situation, but Noah and Beth were even spoilt off. They were forced down a pit of form, gasping for air and touch around for anything they could seize onto to end themselves. To Noah, it ranked as one of the unearthly moments in his stallion multi-life history. They were soon tossed out, dropping through open air before making a hard landing place on what felt like a stilt of firewood. It was sales pitch black, no cave worms around, and the moment Beth tried to emit in, her burning lungs cried out in a new anguish. The air was toxic, she could taste it, and every breath distress. She coughed and wheezed, her face turning purple.

An arm wrapped around her from behind and something was slammed over her typeface. Instinct made her throw her cubitus back in self-defense, but it failed to bring down a hit.

"It's me ! Just breathe !"Noah shouted.

It took effort, but she drew in a deep hint, and at last, it was clear. She drank the filter air in greedily, while the affair over her mouth was tied around her head. It felt like leather, and it smelled like… charcoal ? I really made her want to sneeze, but even the itchiest breath was worth it.

"Noah ?"

"I'm here, hold on."

There was a Muriel Spark in the darkness and a torch was lit, Beth seeing the same device attached to Noah's face.

"What is this ?"she asked.

"A gas masque, something I whipped up. I was worried about the air tone in the dungeon, though I'm not sure how practically trust should be put in them. We should get out of here, quick."

Beth looked down and shrieked. The rough surface they had fallen on was an island of bones, and just twenty away, the shore of a moat of stomach acid sizzling away. They were standing on the dissolving remains of those who fallen for the same trap.

"Oh God, this isn't happening ! This isn't happening !"Beth cried as she crumbled.

Noah would experience chastised her for losing her brass, but considering the office, he too was almost ready to snap."We're not dead yet. Here, hold this."He handed her the torch and looked around. There was a section of the island touching the wall, so the acid was frothing just under his feet.

He leaned over towards the paries and slashed at it with all of his lastingness, but the sword simply slid off, throwing him off his balance and nearly sending him tumbling. He reformed his footing, this time attempting a pang. Once again, his brand, despite striking the flesh brain on, simply bounced to the side, and he fumbled. He tried again and again, but his gauge of its resilience was that it was beyond his level of strength. However, he wasn't out of approximation yet.

Sheathing his blade, returned to the centre of the island, then began scooping up armloads of rot-slickened bones. He piled them against the wall, then removed a tightly-bound sail software system from his ring.

"What is that ?"Beth asked.

"springiness me the torch."She handed it to him, and he touched a connected black string to the flames. It came alight, and he forced the package against the wall, pressed with his buckler, and backed by the pile of bone."Ok, back ! Back ! Back !"He coaxed her as far back as he could within the stomach, then conjured up the demon shells they had collected before."Duck down behind this and try to incubate your spike !"

They got behind the shield-like shell, then an plosion blasted off on the other incline of the elbow room like it had been struck by lightning. skunk filled the air, and lethal shrapnel sprayed their defenses. Beth released a scream from the massive shock, but Noah held her still, and though the torch had gone out, there was now a hole in the side of the stomach, from which bioluminescent light was pouring in and stand acid was pouring out.

They did their well to avoid getting splashed with acid and climbed out into a new chamber."That burst will take in drawn demon. We have to go."

"What about the others ?"

"They're header for the same blank space we are. We'll meet them there eventually. Come on."

She followed him through the maze, managing to quash fighting and receive a room where they could roost. The air was dusty and disgusting down in these tunnels, but compared to the fume of that stomach, Noah and Beth removed their masks and felt nothing but gratitude and ease with each breath.

"I… need to rest…"said Beth.

"Agreed, but I think it would be best if we cleaned off first."

Beth pointed her digit at him."Make Water."

Water began pouring from her fingertip with the volume and intensity of a garden hose. Noah leaned into the nebulizer, scrubbing off the smut and trying to get everything clean. Beth then took a twist, and they switched back and forth until they deemed themselves decently.

"I thought you could only use magic to bring in yourself invisible. What was that back there ?"Beth asked as they both stripped off their soaking clothes.

Noah, standing with his backbone to her, stave out his shirt."That was a bomb, made of something called Shirley Temple powder."

Beth peeled over her trousers and the rough, unflattering cloth that passed for undergarments at this era."So it was alchemy ?"

"form of, there wasn't any deception involved. It's just a powder that reacts violently to fire."Noah shed his own pants, still slippery with oil.

"So, that thing you made… Was that something else you just whipped up like those gas masquerade ?"

"Yeah. It's been a piece since I made one, plus I couldn't really experiment to make sure I got it right without drawing suspicions."

Beth ignored the shirt she was trying to dry out and turned to Noah."Just where on ground do you go to determine how to puddle clobber like that ? You said you couldn't find information on the dungeon crabby person, but you knew to make these gas masks."

"It was a job I took before I came to Clive. I spent a few days working in a mine. Down there, they were using sinister powder to boom apart rock and they had to use these masks in casing they hit a gas pocket."The reply seemed to placate her and he bowed down."Can you spray my head again ?"

.

.

.

The level of oath

.

.

.

Oath, Trevor, and Mira fell to their hands and knees, close to passing out. They had finally managed to run away the centipedes and were now back in a normal corridor. Their strength was future to zero, and Trevor was knocking back potions. Only once all was calm did they finally get back on their feet.

"We need to come up Noah and Beth,"said cuss,"we should—"

A unanimous fist striking his aspect both cut him off and sent him falling to the land. His middle were rolling like billiard balls, but the sound of Mira's screaming forced him to focus. Trevor had tackled her and driven a knife into her chest.

"You son of a bitch !"Oath bolted to his feet and attacked Trevor, knocking him off Mira, who was choking on her own stock.

As they fell over into a storm of grappling and beating, Mira used what little persuasiveness she had to find a health potion from her scoop and pour it on the wounding. She passed out, stuck in a slipstream between bleeding to death and recovering in clock time. Nearby, curse word and Trevor had gotten to their feet and were now hurling punches wildly.

"Trevor, what the hell on earth are you doing ? !"Oath shouted.

"Getting you out of my way !"Trevor yelled back.

He retreated, going after his halberd. Oath did the Saami, retrieving his sword and raising it just in metre to stop Trevor's knife thrust. Despite his strength, Trevor was able to wield more continuous effect, and the spear tip of the halberd pierced his berm. Oath couldn't contain his cry of anguish as he was pinned against the wall. It was a stalemate, curse word stuck where he was, but Trevor ineffective to let up the pressure.

"It would cause been better if Mira had followed those two in the pit. I didn't want to have to shoot down her, but I couldn't risk you two teaming up against me."

"We weren't going to team up against you ! What the screw are you talking about ? !"

"I just didn't want her to intervene when I tried to kill you. It doesn't matter, I'll just tell the others the two of you were both killed by the same monster, if they're even still alive."

swearword struggled to get by with the blade in his shoulder, but it felt like the wound was just getting self-aggrandizing and bigger."Why are you doing this ? !"

"I need you out of the way so that I can get the baron. I wanted to do it after I got the avenium, but I couldn't let this opportunity solecism by."swearword was forced down towards the ground, leaving a lead of blood across the wall."You're the conclusion of the main error fellowship, so once you and your father die, I'll be side by side in line to get the title."

"You're another phallus ? But my begetter said the branch family unit had been slain !"

"They were, just a week ago, actually, it was probably Noah, hired by the baron. But he only thought to kill my father and my half brother. He didn't think it deserving investigating further, to find a bastard like me living in Clive. The town will be mine, it should be mine !"

Oath reached around, grabbing a Isidor Feinstein Stone on the ground. destiny was kind to him, guiding his throw and striking Trevor in the eye. He staggered back, bleeding horribly, and Oath wrenched the halberd out of his shoulder and scrambled to his metrical unit. He could barely feel his exit arm, and he could neither give a health potion nor properly swing his brand with only one helping hand. Should he drop his brand and go for a wellness potion ? empty it and use his knife instead ?

Trevor, facing a similar predicament, chose to remember his halberd and stare Oath down with his one good eye while launching stabs. Oath did his Best to parry the nose candy, as he didn't have the strength to do another shoving match. He was losing soil, fast.

"So all this time, you were just waiting for a chance to kill me ? From the day we met ? !"

"Not at first, not until you came out to us as the king's son, but when I found out about the keep Crab, it was pure. I could use you to get the avenium, so no topic what, I'll still become a noble !"

expletive pulled away and reformed his posture, then went on the noisome. His capacity for wielding a sword had greatly diminished, but still, he could struggle, and his wide of the mark swings forced Trevor to pull away. True, Trevor had the longer reach, but it was much well-fixed for Oath's sword to transgress his halberd rather than frailty versa. oath pushed him back, trying to get past the vacillation axe steel.

"You're insane ! You think you can get the avenium or even break loose this place on your own ?"

"That's a risk I'm willing to consider. I want you to die down here, unburied, eaten, robbed of your little kinsfolk entombment plot behind your mansion."

"What could I have possibly done to form you hate me so much ?"

"I just plain don't like you, even before I knew you were the baron's son. I wanted to plain you out of the group. You're too fallible to dominate these Edwin Herbert Land. You can't even use magic."

As Trevor spoke, his blade began to shine with mana, and curse instinctively stepped back. His sword would likely click if he tried to kibosh or even deflect an blast like that. This time, when the golf stroke and knife thrust came, he only dodged, not letting the two weapons touch.

"All you do is let that arrogant bastard take care of everything and toss out orders. Clive would burn down to the earth on the first day if you took over."

Oath swung his sword, just narrowly catching the halberd's cock and stopping Trevor long enough to shut in. Trevor raised the halberd to stymy, but a cleave of Oath's brand snapped it, leaving a shallow cut across his forehead and breast. He jumped back, now holding an axe in one paw and a quarterstaff in the former,

"I can do plenty on my own, without Noah,"said Oath.

"Shut up and die,"Trevor shot back before charging at him.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

To Beth, it was horrifying, the greatness of the sleeping room, for this deluxe cathedral to be just a low sac of this wretched labyrinth. Noah, however, felt a spine-chilling excitement. This was no ordinary sleeping accommodation, as not only was it as magnanimous as a football stadium, it had a bridge stretching across, perfectly flat, and a roof with enceinte outward-bending arches holding it up. No, they were mountain chain, each link the size of it of an SUV, and encrusted by the case. So too were there great statues adorning the walls, a pantheon of humble brute and heavy titans, all of them entombed by white, like fly front in a spiderweb. The chamber was flooded, hence the bridge, but not with H2O. It was a lake of mercury, glistening from some unseen lightheaded force play beneath its deepness. The air above it was filled with fly-like hummingbirds, hanging their heads directly down and touching their schnozzle against the Earth's surface as if fishing for something. The hummingbirds didn't seem aggressive, as they paid no posting to the two outsiders.

Noah and Beth crossed the bridge, staring in awe at the body structure.

‘ This isn't a natural structure, this was surely constructed by a sentient will. Who made it ? How ? How many masses know about it ? What happened to this space to end up like this ?'

It was his maiden time facing questions like these, for the presence of legerdemain in this world created non-finite theory that he would never suffer seen in previous worlds. Everything strange he ever encountered was either manmade or caused by nature, but the presence of magic added all new option, instigating oddity. It could have been done by a whole former species, using power beyond his apprehension. It was a new way of thinking, one that invigorated him.

They crossed the elbow room without any conflict, entering a hall with normal-sized rooms on either slope. In these chambers too, there were structures and shapes encased by the shell. Were they people ? piece of furniture ?

"Interesting."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

Oath and Trevor were locked in combat, struggling to avoid each other's approach. Oath had broken Trevor's halberd in two, taking away his ability to use magic, but he still lunged and fight down with the cadaver, granting him two smaller weapons. He would swing the promontory of his halberd like a hatchet, forcing oath to block with his sword, and then use his release hand to excise Oath with the halberd's shaft. The blows were delivered at full-strength and Oath couldn't stop them.

"You don't deserve to get the following baron if this is the comfortably you can do. You must be the fallible of the family."

"Trevor, listen ! Do you really think you can get out of here without my help ? Stop this, and we can both walk out of this donjon alive ! You can still become a baronial with the avenium !"

"That's not unspoilt enough. I want the res publica that my Church Father couldn't have, the potency. I want to spit on his grave as the unwanted bastard and flaunt the power that he lusted after. I want Clive, and I want to rip it out of your hands. It's not good enough for me to win, you have to lose !"

A memory board then flashed through swearword's mind, and despite the dire situation, a chuckle let strip."I remember Noah saying that you were a jerk probably because of something to do with your father. I think he even said you would betray us. It must be embarrassing, to be sized up so easily and have your true colors seen !"

"Shut up ! If he's still alive, I'll kill him after I've killed you !"

Trevor charged at Oath, and finally, oath managed to deliver a wound of his own. He blocked Trevor's two-fold onrush and pushed forward, his brand slicing Trevor's shoulder joint. Trevor dropped the interrupt shaft, his arm now slick with bloodline, though Oath was in the same country, no longer able to grip his sword with both workforce. They stared each early down, picking the moment to come across. Trevor's broken halberd was weak and unforesightful than swearword's sword, so it would be loose to wield, but he wouldn't be able-bodied to block well with it, so he'd have to rivet entirely on criminal offense. For swearing, his defensive state of affairs was better, but while he could travel his sword with one arm, his amphetamine would pale compared to Trevor's and he'd be golden to visit a good deal damage. His near bet would be to jam and then try to overpower.

Looking at his cousin, Oath was reminded of that scene from the field, when that group of men attacked him, Noah, and Tin. He had been utterly useless, just pulled into the woods while Noah took care of the threat with ease. But in the workweek since then, he had trained relentlessly, and now, he could finally represent himself and his bloodline, even against his own kin.

"This is your last chance, Trevor,"said Oath.

"No, this is—"A hole opened up in Trevor's bureau with blood pouring out.

Noah appeared behind him, his brand seemingly materializing out of slim air and now wet with Albert Gore Jr.. The blade had gone straight through Trevor's center, leaving both he and Oath stunned. Trevor tried to talk, but all that came out of his mouth was ancestry. Noah dropped him to the floor, pulled out his sword, and then pierced the back of Trevor's skull for good measure.

"diaphragm ! What are you doing ? !"cuss shouted.

"I'm fulfilling my contract. He became an enemy, so I dealt with him."

"It wasn't your place to resolve he should die ! Trevor wanted to become the next big businessman in my space, so it was my responsibleness to subscribe to him down !"

"What are you talking about ? He wanted to read your place as Baron Clive of Plassey's side by side baron ?"Noah asked.

"He… he said he was my cousin, an love child kid. He kept it hidden all this time."

"Oh please. His Father of the Church wasn't ranked high-pitched enough to give birth an"illegitimate child ”. Trevor was nothing more than a rough-cut bastard. And while I'm sure he had some hard-luck backstory about growing up on the streets that would make us all compassion or sustenance him, I'm simply not interested. We don't have prison term for you two to adhesiveness over your pop issues."

Beth arrived, standing beside him."What's going on ?"Mira was with her, having narrowly recovered and been given a endorsement potion.

"I can't just bequeath it this way !"Oath yelled."I can't just walk off without knowing how it would have ended ! If I could possess beaten him myself !"

"That's just your pride talking, but pride won't sustain you alive in this situation. Should I stimulate just sat back and let you cover your childish squabble ? I was hired to stay fresh you from dying, not help you satisfy your ego."

"Wait, what happened ?"Beth asked."What happened to Trevor ?"

"He tried to stamp out me and swearword,"said Mira.

"You can't be serious ! After all the time we spent together, he just turned on us like that ?"

"It was his program from the beginning,"expletive muttered."He's my cousin, and as soon as he found out we were in rivalry for the deed of conveyance of tycoon, he planned out how to use us and defeat me."

"We're not going to make believe it out of here, are we ?"Mira asked.

"We should have turned back when we had the probability !"Beth tearfully exclaimed, falling to her knees as the pent-up strain finally released itself.

"yell and worrying about it won't help us,"said Noah."Look, we're all exhausted. Beth and I found a elbow room we can breathe in. Let's set up camp and get our strength back. You three go, I'm going to sort through Trevor's things."

"Noah, you can't,"said Mira."Trevor may have gone crazy, but it's not right to just rob his corpse."

"Well you can either choose to barricade me, or you can go, eat some dejeuner, and put the whole thing out of your psyche. So what are you going to do ?"Mira backed down and briskly walked off with Beth behind her."And you go too,"he said to Oath.

"I'm not going to impart you alone here."

"When the adrenaline wears off, you won't be able to. You'll collapse and I'll have to carry you to the campsite. You're injure, go patch yourself up. I'll be fine."

"I guess you will, won't you ? Nothing ever gets to you,"swearword muttered.

"I hear talking when I want to hear anguished footsteps. Go."

Oath limped off after Beth and Mira, and Noah began picking through the treasure that Trevor had gathered, as well as taking tools and supplies that he had been carrying. It had gotten to the point where he really had to be fussy about what he could get hold of with him, as he was reaching the point of accumulation of what he could carry and still move effectively.

Once he had collected everything of worth, he activated his invisibility and backed off to a safe distance, where he sat down and waited. It happened after only a few minutes, chess opening in the floor appearing like pass in ice, but the shell wasn't actually breaking. They were seams, invisible to the au naturel eye until they actually opened up, and from within, a viridity slime appeared. kind of than simply spreading out under the force of gravitational force, it was moving willfully towards Trevor's stiff. It enveloped him, and though Noah could not see it, the eubstance was being disassembled in pieces the size of grain of George Sand. In time, the slime retreated, leaving nothing but some bones and refuse of fabric.

‘ So that's how it feeds.'

He went to the encampment chamber, where everyone was sitting against different bulwark. There was a abruptly expression in their eye, debilitation that was both genial and forcible. They had each held a hope deep down that they would make it out of the dungeon crabby person together, all of them, that their party would survive this trial and stay whole. Trevor was unmannerly and reticent, but his loss left a void, and they suddenly felt much faint without him. But with the truth they were forced to accept, was it really a exit ? After all, he showed no faltering in trying to murder the people who were thought to be his friends.

"How could he do it ?"Beth asked."How could he lie to us for that farseeing ? Pretend to be our ally ? All those struggle where we had to depend on each other, did that really mean zero to him ?"

Noah sat down and began unpacking his lunch."You'd be storm how long you can keep the lie going, how easy it can get."

"have you lied to us about anything ?"

Noah stared at her, challenging her to accept his answer."plentifulness of thing, none of which matter in this situation."He tossed some intellectual nourishment to everyone."Eat up. It doesn't topic if Trevor is abruptly, it doesn't change our plan."

"No, it changes everything."Beth stood up."We should result. While we're still alive, while we still have supplying and potions, we should leave. We're not ready for this place. We weren't ready even when we had Trevor. We have mickle of treasure, to a greater extent than enough to live happily. Isn't that enough ?"

"It's too late to rick back now, to leave here without the avenium. I'm certain by now we've almost reached the stern of the shell."

"What are you really getting out of this ? You're so sure we can do this, you keep pushing us forward. What is it that you want so badly as to risk all of our life-time ?"

"The same affair as you, an adventure. Isn't that what you wanted ?"

"I was wrong, this is too much."Beth gave an incensed sigh."oath, Mira, you agree with me, right ?"

curse took a bass breath."I can't walk away from this, not now. I want to see this through to the end. I need to. I don't want to last my life as a coward."

"Mira ?"

Mira hugged her knees to her chest and hid her face. Was she refusing to take part in the conversation or had she simply shut down completely ?

Beth turned back to Noah."We're in over our heads. It was a misunderstanding to come—"

"You're free to allow for whenever you want,"said Noah, cutting her off."I don't expect anything from you. If you want to go back to the surface, you can just walk right on out that door."

"After everything you and I have done together, you would say that to me ? !"

"Like I said before, you knew what this is, what it was, just two mass scratching an itch."

"Well because of that itch, I'm late."

Mira tensed in daze and swearword's eyebrows nearly shot off his facial expression, yet Noah didn't even flinch."And ?"Beth stammered at his motion, not sure enough how to respond."Again, you knew what the deal was when we started, no fastening. I'm getting that avenium, and there is nothing you can say to stop me. You can either provide now and try to stimulate it back out on your own, or you can follow with us down to get the avenium and we'll make the trip back together."

"This is an obsession ! I don't know what the baron promised you, but let it go !"

"That's enough. Everyone shut up and get some rest. We set out again in an hour."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

Trevor's absence seizure took a heavy bell on the chemical group. Beth and Mira continued to assail from behind Noah and oath, but the monsters still withstood barrages of endocarp and arrows to try and sink their teeth into something. Normally, Trevor and his halberd could have warded them off, breaking their impulse so that Noah and curse word could go in for the putting to death, but now, they had to be the primary defensive attitude paries and block everything with their swords.

They battled through the monsters, but took hurt with each clangoring. It wasn't just their formation that had been disturbed ; Noah could see the group morale at the edge of an abyss. Noah was indifferent, but the others were grappling with despair. Which hurt more ? Losing a friend ? Or finding out he was never their ally at all ?

At the moment, they were surrounded by centipedes in a wide-open chamber. Noah, Oath, and Beth were stomping on the little bastards as they drew close, while Mira was swinging her staff, equipped with her Shatter macer spell. She was raving mad, taking out her nervous strain and frustration on the beasts, with her screaming of exertion becoming louder with each swing. kinda than helping, the onrush of colossus only seemed to increase her drunken aggression. Beth, on the other mitt, was acting torpid, paralyzed by fear and the loss of hope.

As Noah stomped on every centipede that came close, he heard a howler. A few of the wildcat had managed to alternate up onto Mira and were digging in. cuss rushed over to serve her, but that left two side of meat of their formation unguarded, and the monstrosity were closing in.

"I have a plan !"Noah said."When the monstrosity move away, everyone head towards that transition over there !"

Before the others could say anything, Noah drew his knife and slashed his articulatio radiocarpea, sending a deluge of blood pouring onto the basis. Seduced by the spirit of blood, the centipedes turned their tending from Oath and the others and swarmed towards Noah. He took off, sprinting across the theatre of operations of armored backs and spindly legs, leading them like the Pied Piper.

The 3 didn't hesitate and rushed towards the passing, though looking back to see Noah's office worsening. Once he saw them hit the doorway, Noah turned around and made himself invisible. The centipedes were understandably confused, as even his odor disappeared. His blood, shrouded in mana, vanished as it fell. He made his way to the others while stepping on as few centipedes as he could. By the time he reached the outlet, he had already used a healing potion to mend his wrist.

"Let's go."

The doorway brought them to a winding staircase. However, unlike the soaked spiral of when they first arrived at the keep, this staircase spun down the walls of a chasm-like chamber like grooves on a drill bit. It was too dark to see the ceiling or the floor of the bedroom, but in the blackness, there was a twinkling star, far below their ft when it should take been above their heads.

"Everyone, be redundant careful and measure quietly. I think we've reached the bottom of the shell."

They proceeded down the staircase, this one having actual stairs. The dark swallowed them from the want of cave worms, but Noah lit his torch, easing everyone's fears. It when they reached the bottom of the stairs that their awe all came rushing back like a flood.

‘ Of path,'Noah thought bitterly.

The behind of the room was occupied by some kind of massive slumbering teras. This handbill chamber was to a greater extent than a c feet wide, and the savage was coiled up all over itself like a snoozing boa constrictor. There was no telling what its literal size or form was, and Noah's torch couldn't provide enough light up to properly reveal its show. But in the center of the room was the prize for this journey. The walls and staircase were solid shell, but the flooring under the monster was physique, and in the middle, in a raised basinful, was a pool of pulverise metal with a peacock blue gleam. It was avenium, just like on Noah's ring. It was so close, but the endangerment before them was giving everyone doubts.

Oath stepped forward."I'll go,"he said as quietly as he could.

Noah grasped his berm."No, I'm better at stealth, recall ?"

cuss turned to him, loudly whispering."Please, it has to be me ! The whole grounds why we made this journey was so that I could get a noble ! I need to be the one to get the avenium. Let me pull in my title."

"None of that subject, not in here. All that is significant is getting the job done and getting out of here alive. If you want to do things the"right"way, do it on your own time. I'm going to do affair the smart way. If this thing so much as twitching, leave me behind and run as fast as you can up the stairs."

Noah didn't wait for him to respond and activated his invisibility. True, this monster slept with its eyes closed, but he couldn't discount rate its sense of smell and audience. He moved past swearword and stepped onto the fleshy reason. Whatever this affair was, it had a lot of tentacles, and they were spread everywhere. He stepped lightly, double-checking every spot before putting his weight on it. It was hard, not just on the outdoors, but the inside. Noah had not been able-bodied to escape the ravages of fatigue, and his heftiness were becoming unreliable.

For Oath and the others, it was nerve-wracking, as they couldn't see Noah, just the torch he was holding over his head word. Every prison term the light source trembled, they imagined him fumbling, stepping on one of the monster's tentacles and waking it up. When the torch finally reached the basin, they released their held hint. It was a material sum of money of avenium, at least two liters of the glistening debris, and it was so fine as well. Perhaps it was expelled from the crab like a splinter, and it would roll up in the catchment basin over clip while the Crab was underground. ‘ If this ends up like that scene from Raiders, I'll just belt down myself here and now.'Noah rested his hand atop the avenium and sucked it all into the ring, every grain.

Nothing happened, there was no reaction from either the freak or the drainage area. Noah waited a few import to be certain, then turned and made the recurrence journeying back to the staircase. Once he reached expletive, Beth, and Mira, they all resumed respiration and began the silent climb back up the stairs. It was when they reached the halfway dot that a terrifying roar shook the chamber, and rather than below, it was coming from above. The group looked up in horror, seeing a minute monster descending towards them. It appeared to be the like species as the initiative, looking like a colossal lion with a teeth-filled nozzle and tentacles growing from across its back that it used like spider legs to help its blood line. It was like some kind of Lovecraftian griffin. Just one swing of its paw would kill a sledgepaw bear. Had it also been nesting in this sleeping room ? Perhaps the mate of the one down below ?

"Beth, choose it down !"

"Too late !"

It reached across the bedroom with its tentacles and swung over, its beak wide subject. The group scattered, managing to forefend its pecker, which smashed into the rampart, though Beth ended up losing her bow over the edge of the staircase. One the talons on its forelegs made its score and clipped Mira's font, but that was all it took to smash her skull like a Gallagher melon. Oath and Beth, seeing her headless body slump to the trading floor, were left in stunned secretiveness. Noah, already back on his feet, stabbed the beast in the eye, forcing his sword in all the way to the hilt. The beast howled in pain in the ass and jumped back with his sword pulled from his grip, and it wasn't the lone one in agony. curse word and Beth now cradled Mira, sobbing and screaming at what was done to her. Beth, Noah could understand, but Oath's response stood out.

‘ Goddammit, don't tell me he loved that girl.'“ We got to move ! There is zilch we can do for her !"

"No, I can fix this !"expletive sobbed."open me all the healing potions we have !"

"Her head is gone, she's dead. No potion can fix that."

"Please, don't ask us to leave her,"Beth whimpered.

Another roar echoed through the tunnel, this one from below. It seemed the first colossus had woken up. Oath scrambled to his foot, not in veneration, but rage. He grabbed his sword with bout streaming down his face.

"I'll shoot down them ! I'll kill them both !"

"This is no time for heroics ! We're leaving !"

"GET OUT OF MY WAY !"Oath howled while throwing a punch.

Noah deflected and countered with a jab to the pharynx and a human knee to the stomach. cuss collapsed like a home of board and Noah grabbed him and hoisted him over his shoulder. He turned to Beth and handed her his bow to supervene upon hers."hold those things off our shadower. If you run out of arrows, I'll give you more. Now move !"

They raced up the stairs as fast as they could. Noah was struggling under the cause of hauling expletive and everything they both carried, and he had to hold the common mullein as well. Ahead of him, Beth was raining arrows down on the two monsters to the best of her power. They seemed aware of the poisoned tips and were keeping a secure distance, but they were still following them up. They started swinging at Noah and Beth with their tentacles, trying to immobilise their course. Beth would convulse at them with a knife to make them retract, but it was just getting speculative and risky, as ahead, they could see the centipedes swarming down the stairway, having followed the group down.

"Noah, what do we do ? !"Beth exclaimed.

"Run and fight ! That's all we can do !"

They continued their electric charge up the stairs, stomping on the centipedes and ignoring the flavour of their chela digging in and not letting go. Their insect bite didn't appear vicious, but they put bullet train ants to shame on the pain scale. Not even Noah could maintain a stove poker face with them biting down on his legs.

With hazard on their side, they escaped the chamber, running down several corridors before arriving at a chamber where they could catch one's breath. Noah dropped swearword on the ground and began ripping off the centipedes biting his legs. It was strange for Beth, to see Noah so winded and hurt. He collapsed near the wall, downing a healing potion to stop over his bleeding. expletive, having regained cognizance, got back to his ft and approached the doorway with his sword.

"Don't even think about it,"said Noah.

"I refuse to leave her trunk down here. I'm going to get my retaliation on that beast and bring her home to forget her."

"It's a fiend, it doesn't understand your feelings. If you go swinging at it for retaliation, it's just going be glad that its next repast arrived so willingly. Besides, Mira has probably already been devoured."

"Don't say that !"curse word shouted.

"Noah !"Beth added her voice to the outrage.

"You just need to accept it. She's gone, there is nothing you can do to help her. null can be done to transfer what happened. I'll say it as harshly as I need to if it gets the subject matter through your thick skull."

"What would you have done if it was Tin who died in there instead of Mira ?"

"I would ingest left her. I've seen plenty of people die. This isn't my first meter leading people into combat, and casualties are to be expected."

"So you were just waiting for each of us to die ? !"Beth exclaimed.

"As long as I could fulfill my contract, I was prepared for all possible losses, though I'm honestly thwarted that you two all came here expecting to do this without losing anyone."

"Is that all we are to you ? Just future losses ?"

"Yes, that's right."Noah got to his invertebrate foot."Look, we've got the avenium, so the strong percentage is done. Now we can channelize home."

"Two of our friends are utter and we're in the stern of a dungeon Crab ! How is that not the hard piece ? !"Beth screamed at him.

"Because I have an theme on how to get us out of here."He took out a water skin from his haversack and poured in some pulverised avenium from within his ring, then shook it up and handed it to Oath."Both of you, douse this on yourselves. Try not to let any go to waste."

"What will this do ?"Oath asked.

"When I activate my invisibility, I wrap myself in mana, as well as anything I touch or hold, but for some grounds, it won't work on anything living. The mana just won't stick on, like it's being repelled. However, I did some inquiry on avenium. It is a alloy, but it bends light like a watch crystal, and it manipulates mana the same way. I can't apply my invisibleness to you, but if you're covered with powdered avenium, it may avail me hide you a bit. Try it."

Oath sighed and poured some of the confection on his oral sex, then went to work rubbing it into his hide and dress. He handed the rest to Beth and she did the same. Noah activated his magic and grasped their handwriting. The air around them shimmered, their consistence becoming swoon, like they were shrouded in a heat haze. They became like mirages of their true selves. Oath and Beth voiced their shock as they looked at each other, and the fact that Noah could get a line them was concerning. It was a far-cry from Noah completely erasing his presence, but at the very least, it would make them less noticeable.

"This takes a lot of mana, so I'm going to use it on and off as we go, and we're going to be running. If there is anything you don't want to carry, leave it here now."

Beth and curse couldn't see Noah, but they stared at the distance he occupied. He could see it on their faces, the distrust, the foiling, the awe, the sorrow, the exhaustion. They'd just make to breastfeed it up.

"Let's go, and whole step lightly."

They left the chamber and began their journey back to the airfoil. They no longer moved in organization, and they tried to keep a quick but hush pace. When monsters were nearby, Noah would activate his enchantment and they'd do their best to avoid detection. It didn't always work. At one stop, they were being pursued by a pack of the bipedal carnivores like the 1 they had faced outside. It was too many for them to take on, and the longer they stayed in one spot fighting, the great the chance More ogre would be drawn.

Noah, pulling Oath and Beth along, activated the spell in his rightfulness eye.

"What the hell ? !"Oath said in shock absorber as he watched the clone fall back, while the substantial Noah was still gripping his hand.

"It's another deception I can make, just stay fresh moving !"

As they ran, Noah had the dead ringer start waving his arms and shouting at the approaching devil, doing whatever he could to draw their attention. They passed through the clone in verbalise confusion, turned around, and tried again and again. Their optic, spike, and nose were all telling them that prey was standing before them, but no matter how many clock time they tried to bite down, their jaws closed around nothing but air. They were so distracted that Noah and the others managed to get away.

"Why didn't you tell us about—"

"Shut up !"Noah barked back."If you can talk, keep running instead !"

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

Spring was planting season, so the farms on the faulting estate were in a frenzy. Oath, the baron's third base son, was the"lord"of this task. He and the hard worker spent their days working the fields, though there was little distinction between them. He lived and ate his meal with his father and comrade, at to the lowest degree, when they were at home, but his ranking in the family unit was just a stride above"bastard ”. His begetter lauded all of his praise on his brothers, with the younger always trying to travel by the onetime and win the estate.

The oldest was a soldier, a squad leader, one step below true knight. He would be gone for month at a meter, then recall home and brag about the conflict he fought for the glory of Uther, and how he bolstered the reputation of the Fault home. The middle son was a proud hunter and skilled in conjuring trick, a talent he often lorded over the senior brother. He claimed magic to be infinitely Superior to swordsmanship, meaning he, the magically-affluent, was the future of the descent. Neither Brother liked swearword, simply treated him like one of the servants. He was just another laborer. His father, on the other hired man, wasn't cruel like them, but he simply didn't aid beyond paternal inherent aptitude. His mother was long gone.

Oath had been outside when he learned of their death, but on break. Lying on a sun-warmed grassy hill, he watched the clouds strait overhead. As the third son, he was compelled to maintain his head down, to center only on the task in movement of him and not rock the boat. Skygazing was the only time he'd happy chance that rule, abandoning the fields to instead focus on farming his own mind, to draw a blank about his lifetime and duty and try to figure out what was left.

He knew nothing of the humans beyond his home and village, couldn't even read, and well-nigh of his socialization came from talking with the slaves during employment. They often didn't have a great deal to say, but they trusted him enough to admit him in their gossip. He wasn't like the tycoon and his sure-enough sons ; his substructure were more used to the soil of the bailiwick than the floorboards of the demerit household. Those conversations were the only clip he could discover of things beyond simply swinging a hoe or scythe, to let on that there was More to existence than just crops and livestock, and when he gazed at the sky, Oath would use that glimmer to try and develop himself, find out who he was. That was the plan, at least, but he was disturbed by one of the maids of the menage.

"passe-partout cuss, your father requires your front immediately."

The employ honorific was just a good manners acknowledging his bloodline. There was no reliable respect in her words.

"Understood."swearing got up and followed her to the house, where she led him to his father's report. As he approached, he heard laughable shouting and matter falling over.

Inside, the baron, Ivan, was pacing back and forth, unhinged and drenched in tears. Papers and items from his desk were scattered across the floor and he was gripping a whiskey ice with a shaking hand.

"Father, what is it ?"

"Oath, Colt and Victor have perished."Ivan picked up a varsity letter with a broken wax SEAL."Colt was killed in engagement on the Petosic Steppes."He threw it aside."And superior was killed by a bear while hunting. His remains were found this morning."He emptied his whiskey chicken feed in one gulp and staggered, looking like he was on the verge of collapse.

expletive took a consequence to process the news, but there wasn't much to process. There was no such thing as sibling love in noble households."I'm sorry, Father."

The baron fell back in his chair."swearword, you are now my only son. That means that you will inherit my title when I die, unless my conniving pal manages to steal it !"

"Father, I can't be a baron !"

"This is not something you can refuse ! I will not allow our menage to let nobility slip-up from its finger ! But you're right. The way you are now, the kingdom would be wise to hand it over to Edwin, so we're going to exchange that. From now on, I am going to sculpt you into a suitable replacement."

After that, everything changed. From the chap of daybreak until lately at Nox, Oath was trained in combat, etiquette, and meter reading and writing. The tools of the farm were replaced with his grandfather's sword, and 60 minutes not spent swinging it were spent hunched over one book after another, studying by candlelight. None of it stuck. Unlike his sidekick, he was born without talent and raised without an didactics. He couldn't use thaumaturgy, could barely fight, and was about as civilized and learned as the lowest boor. There was little Bob Hope for him.

One day, he found himself at the Old Wineskin, looking for an run a risk job. People would post notices, requesting items like valuable plant or lusus naturae parts, or tasks like escorting someone through the woodland. Helping around townsfolk would give him some achievement he could use to prove his eligibility for inheriting the Clive barony. He had also heard some weird rumors about the inn, about some softheaded couple that had the cheap sex imaginable. From dawn to midday on every former day, anyone in or near the inn would be flushed with embarrassment as they heard a Cy Young woman's outcry of euphoria, along with the knocking of a bedframe threatening to break apart. However, today, the inn was quiet. The only voice he heard was addressed to him.

"Hey you, by the notice board, over here !"

He looked over to the reservoir, spotting a table occupied by three youths like himself, a man and two women.

"Me ?"

"Yeah, come on !"one of the women said, a tall and bubbly blonde.

Oath crossed the bar to them."What is this about ?"

"You wouldn't happen to be searching for a party to join, are you ?"the other woman asked, a cute brunet with short hair.

"Oh… uh, yeah, I guess. I haven't been making much headroom on my own."

"wellspring take a seat !"

Oath hesitated, feeling the man beside him shooting daggers from his centre. He was sizing him up, and apparently didn't like what he saw.

"No, variety of plan, keep back moving. We don't need any more weaklings in our group."

"Shut up, Trevor,"said the blonde."Ignore him. I'm Beth and this is Mira. We're currently in want of a swordsman in our group, and you look like you would fit right in."

"She means you look washy enough that no one better would own invited you to join their groups, and no real adventurer would sully their dignity by joining this gro— Ouch !"Beth had just kicked him under the table.

"You're not allowed to badmouth the group while being a component of it,"she scolded.

"Truth be told, none of us are very good, but that just means we should amaze together,"said Mira.

cuss finally took a seat and put a hand on the brand hanging from his swath."Ok, sure, I'll juncture you guys. My public figure is Oath. I'm actually variety of surprised, I thought this space would be… louder."

"Oh yeah, those fib ? We've actually met them, Noah and Tin, the couple who make all that interference,"said Mira.

Now Trevor seemed interested."Really ? Were they freaks ?"

"No, convention as can be,"said Beth,"and they're both barely older than us. You'd never think it when looking at them. The guy is actually really smart. He gave us a lot of not bad advice about maneuver and magic trick. We tried to get him to join our team, but he wanted to work on his own, him and that slave daughter. God, I envy her."

"settee down, you're so indecent,"Mira said with a sigh. She then turned to swearword."Anyway, welcome to the grouping !"The smiling she flashed at him made his heart and soul flutter in a way it never had before.

For the next few workweek, Oath and his new acquaintance adventured together, fighting what monsters they believed they could beat, but were most often forced to run away and tend to their wounded bodies and bruised egos. But no matter how many meter they were beaten, oath was never dejected, because it was the first gear time he felt truly accepted, and with people his own age, no LE. True, Trevor always gave him the low temperature shoulder, but Beth kept the intent of the radical raised, and Mira… she was something else altogether.

She spoke with him, laughed with him, and smiled with him, all instant of confusing bliss that he drank like fine wine-colored. He was drawn to her, pulled by a military force that he could not describe. One day, after they had managed to vote out a wolf, and only just barely, he and the others all collapsed from exhaustion. Mira, sitting following to him, ended up placing her hand on his. The present moment her digit touched his, it was like cold lightning surged through his nerves, a frighteningly sinewy esthesis, but one that made him sense more alive than the battle just import before.

Perhaps it was just the adrenaline and the endorphins, but he looked at Mira, and she, realizing the contact between them, didn't pull away, and instead gazed at him with a shy smiling and blushful cheeks. The first sentence Oath fought a monster, he froze up in scourge, and it wasn't the final time his fright got the better of him, but at that minute, he broke through his veneration, turning his mitt over to hold hers. They gazed at each other, their tum filled with Thomas More butterfly stroke than a meadow in summer. That was the moment he realized his look for her.

The next day, his father sat Oath down in the living room of their plate. With them was a curmudgeonly middle-aged venturer with a bow."cuss, no affair what, you must not let anyone outside of your political party know this. I've just learned that a dungeon crab has surfaced nearby."

Dungeon crabs were one of the great anomalies in the worldly concern, but their mythology was thin. They were vague animal, described as life fort that rose up from the ground. Many believed that they were a oddment of the war between the God and the heart.

Oath wasn't sure how to respond to the news, so his begetter continued."explorer who manage to captivate a dungeon crab by taking the avenium inside are granted the social station of business leader or higher by the kingdom. If you and your friends can accomplish this, then there is nothing Edwin can do and my title will be passed on to you without question."

"My booster and I can barely face the monsters in the woods. We can't handle a dungeon crab."

"I am well cognizant of your weakness when it comes to swordplay. I'm hoping that switching to a different weapon will unlock your likely. This man is Sendal, a oldtimer adventurer and archer. He'll teach you how to use a bow."

Just looking at Sendal, curse could tell he wasn't the favorable guy, but his father wouldn't change his creative thinker. That day, he and the archer rode into the woods to hunt, and that was the hold out thing he remembered. When next he woke up, he was in a hob tunnel, racked with pain flowing from the spinal column of his head down to the top of his toes, but it was waning, thanks to the potion he had received.

helping him to his feet was a untested man, a bit sure-enough than him, with a young lady standing behind him. Noah and Tin, he had heard those figure before. They were the source of the strange rumors about the Old Wineskin, but more than that, Beth and Mira had vouched for Noah's forte. Oath was skeptical, especially when Noah declared that he was going to clear out the hobgoblin den himself, something that was nothing poor of suicidal. Despite his life being saved, expletive wasn't feeling very grateful, considering he now had to work as Noah's pack mule while he marched to his doom.

But then he saw the effect. Noah slaughtered the hob with ease, never displaying any kind of thaumaturgy. Oath and his friends had repeatedly tried hunting goblins, nearly dying every time, but they fell like vibrating reed with every golf shot of Noah's blade. Then, when the hobgoblin chief revealed itself, expletive got to witness true swordplay, and the computer memory of his older crony's skills were painted over by Noah's conflict. Had he and his champion attempted this, they would have ended up being cooked and eaten.

During the journey nursing home, they were attacked by bandits. Tin, obeying Noah, pulled curse word into the wood before he could even snaffle his sword. The battle lasted only a minute, leaving Oath in awe when he saw the soundbox of the slain bandits. He rode back to Robert Clive with Noah and Tin, and when he arrived back family, his father threw his arms around him, wailing easing to see his son's recurrence. It was the first clip his father had ever hugged him.

"male parent, there is something I need to say you."They went into his forefather's subject field and closed the door behind them. curse word, standing while the king sat, leaned against the desk."The hunter you hired, he knocked me out handed me over to goblins."

"Damn him ! Edwin must make bribed him to get you out of the picture. But if he handed you to goblins, how did you bunk ? Did you campaign your way out ?"

"No, I was saved by someone, a man named Noah. He's younger than Colt but twice the warrior, and he's already helped my friends before. He wiped out a Brobdingnagian hob nest himself and even killed a hobgoblin."

Ivan leaned back in his chair."If a young man of such attainment were to join your party, perhaps you might be capable to capture the dungeon crab."

"I was thinking the same thing."

"Bring him here. I'll talk of the town to him."

The following affair Oath knew, Tin lay dying, and he watched as Noah slew the assailant. The pointer in Tin's chest, it had been meant for him, he was reminded of it with each pained breath she made. Crushed with guilt, he applied every potion in the family, pouring them on her combat injury and down her throat, but her condition didn't improve. As Noah approached, Oath braced himself for the worst. It was Oath's fault that she had died, her life ended because he had been saved, so would Noah require his life sentence as compensation ?

But Noah didn't acknowledge cuss. He simply kneeled down and held Tin. There were no tears, not even a trembling intimation. Tin voiced her final goodbye and closed her middle, while Noah simply stared at her like a statue. Noah then departed with Tin, riding off to see a worthy stead to bury her. Watching him ride off, Oath remembered the smile on Tin's face when she said goodbye, and imagined that expression on Mira, the pure, honest, intoxicating emotion. He wanted to see her. He had nearly died, and he wanted to take the risk he never could make if he hadn't been saved.

To his beginner's objection, he rode out to the Old Wineskin, and as soon as he entered, he heard Mira's voice."cuss !"

There they were, gathered at their common tabular array. Never was he so happy to see his Quaker. He crossed the tavern and took his derriere."Hey."

"Your father told us you were out training with an Sagittarius,"said Beth."I'm rather insulted you didn't ask me first."

"You guys aren't going to believe this, but I swear this really happened. That archer knocked me out and handed me over to goblins. I was even taken to their den."

Trevor just scoffed and Beth was likewise questioning."I'm actually not that mad, you don't have to make up excuses."

Mira gave him the welfare of the question."Really ?"

"Yeah, but I was saved by that Noah guy that you told me about, he and Tin. I watched him sort out out an entire mine wide of goblins single-handedly."

"Of course someone like you would need to be saved,"said Trevor.

"An total mine ? !"Beth exclaimed as she bolted to her feet.

"We can barely fight down a fistful of them,"Mira sighed.

"Anyway, listen to this."He leaned in and waved for them to all do the same."A donjon crab has appeared nearby."He was favorable that everyone understood that terminus. He didn't have faith in his power to excuse it. His friends all fell back in their seats.

"You honestly can't be thinking of trying it !"Beth exclaimed."We'd be dead in an hour !"

"Listen, Noah has agreed to conjoin our team and school us. With his help, I'm indisputable we can do it."

"We don't need some freak's advice,"said Trevor.

"Did I forget to mention that he also killed a hobgoblin ?"

Trevor didn't respond.

"I don't know. I think it's way too early for us. Why ? Are you really that broke ?"asked Mira.

"There is something I haven't told you guys. My full name is expletive Fault, son of business leader Ivan Fault. I'm his third son but I'm next in line to welcome his title."

"darn it, he's delirious ! Everything he's said so far was a hallucination."

"Oath, did you eat some strange mushroom cloud in the Mrs. Henry Wood ?"Mira asked with reliable concern.

Stared in preserve silence.

"I swear to you, it's lawful. I'm sure the archer gave me to the hobgoblin to keep me from inheriting the title. When I returned nursing home, that Sami archer tried to kill me, but ended up killing Tin instead."

Both Mira and Beth were left in stunned silence. While they had only met her once, the newsworthiness of her death was a disgraceful blow. Her eternal moaning had become a point of pride in the villagers, considering it a valued quirk in the identity element of their home, like the swallow returning to Capistrano. Besides, they had both seen the love in her eyes.

"Yeah. Noah killed the guy and hinge upon off with Tin to bury her. He said he would be back the day after tomorrow."

"That's atrocious,"said Beth.

"Poor Noah,"Mira added.

"I don't think we should get him with us. We can do the dungeon crab ourselves,"said Trevor.

"No, we wouldn't stand a chance without him. Just talk to him, you'll see."

Beth raised a beer mug."Anyway, I'd say this calls for a boozing. Let us jubilate the safe return of our associate, toast our approaching success, and mourn a fallen friend !"

cuss wanted to laugh, but truth be told, he'd need some melted courage.

Late into the night, the four adventurers splurged on intellectual nourishment and drinks, until all was repose and the innkeeper was preparing to shut up the bar. Trevor had gone home, Beth was currently passed out, and now it was just oath and Mira.

"I hope this dungeon Crab thing works out,"said Mira, more than than a little tipsy.

"Yeah, and all the wealthiness from the venturer is really going to help this village."

"With that money, I can finally pay off my mother's debts."

"You never said your female parent was in debt."

Mira giggled."I guess we both kept secrets. I never liked adventuring, but it was the best way I could bring in money after my father left. In a way, I'm gladiolus I did it, but I just want a squeamish quiet home life."

"well I'll become the big businessman of the townspeople. Maybe you could settle here."Never in a million years would a sober Oath have the courage to do so, but he reached out and held her paw like he had on that day in the woodwind."And I could make a home with you."

Like him, Mira was fueled by liquid courage, but she got to her infantry with little grace and great bravery, and pulled curse word to his."Come on,"she mumbled with an hinder smile. They were both more than a little drunk, so they had to help each other up the stairs, giggling with each step. They reached the threshold to Mira's room, and as she fumbled with the key, Oath leaned in and stole a kiss. It was his number one, as well as hers, and while he got her mostly on the nozzle, she touched her lips with a smiling and a blush.

They got the room access clear and stumbled into the room, shutting it behind them. Mira lit a standard candle and then made herself at place in Oath's embracement. Standing in the middle of the room, they kissed once more, this meter able to put their hearts and souls into it.

"Are you ready for this ?"Oath asked.

"I think so. Are you ?"

"I'm not trusted. I don't have any experience with being with a woman. I mean… I've seen animals on the farm…"

Mira burst into laughter, which, secondly to her shouting at him, was the absolute death response he wanted at a consequence like this."Beth has told me how to do it, don't trouble. Now that we've kissed, the adjacent step is we take off our clothes."

Oath was already sporting a woody, and those last-place four quarrel nearly pushed him over the edge. He took off his pelage, Mira removed her cloak, and for a instant, they paused, feeling the tenseness as they gripped their shirts, but upon struggling to actually pull them off, they couldn't help but jest. Mira's breasts were exposed, and swearword, a swirling inundation of teenager hormones, was caught like a deer in the headlamp. They… were so… beautiful.

"Don't stare like that,"Mira said, covering herself and looking away in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. Can I… can I advert them ?"

"I… guess."

She hesitantly lowered her limb, and expletive, with trembling hands, began to caress her modest ledge. That softness, that suaveness, he was drawn to them like sugar. He was clumsy ; not brutish, but his technique was ill-refined, as was to be expected. Regardless, Mira shivered and purred from Oath's extend to, afraid of being so vulnerable, both her body and her smell exposed to another for them to do with as they pleased. Perhaps it was the front of that fear that made it experience so good, the fear of being touched so intimately, unify with the joy of finding somebody whom she wished would do so.

Massaging deep into her flesh and relishing the way her nipples felt when he toyed with them, Oath, like Mira, was overwhelmed. The luck to explore a woman's body like this, to know it, intimately, it teased his nigh innate, instinctive curiosity. He was so activated, trembling like a leafage and tactile sensation like he was going to climb up out of his skin. It happened before he could do anything about it, he came, having already been pushed over the bound. Flushed with pity, he did his upright to try and cover it, but to Mira, it looked like he was just getting impatient.

She lowered her custody and pushed off her trousers. cuss didn't immediately oppose, but that was because he was trying to foregather his intellection and his strength. When he realized what she had done, he didn't have meter to reckon, and simply dropped his own pants. This metre, it was Mira's tour to stare, as she tried not to think of when their group hold out fought goblins, most of which weren't wearing anything.

Mira climbed into bed, hiding herself under the blanket."Now… you get on top of me… and I think you know where your thing goes."

curse word put out the wax light, plunging the elbow room into total darkness. He meandered his way back to the bed, feeling the covers. His hands found Mira's body and he felt her stir like a frightened brute. He slipped under the blanket and their naked dead body met, first in the pattern of an embrace, then in the contour of a kiss, and finally…

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

Noah, cuss, and Beth sprinted up the twist stairway towards the exit of the keep crab. They were covered in blood, sweat, and soil, and had countless untreated injuries. Noah's mana was completely drained, and the three of them were running on fume. They couldn't William Tell if the monsters were still chasing them. After all this clock time, the chorus of holloa repeated in the back of their minds no issue what.

Finally, when their soundbox felt like they'd fall apart like sandcastles, they breathed fresh air, and felt the sun refulgence upon them. They burst out of the top of the crab's shell, collapsing near the doorway. For the three of them, it was like a religious experience. Beth crumbled, rip pouring down her look, a mix of happiness, misery, relief, and mourning, and as the sun rose, Oath stared like his soul had left his dead body, turning him into an empty husk. As for Noah, he dropped the knight brand he had been using and gripped the ground with shaking script. How long had it been ? How long had it been since he last fought that hard for his life ? How long had it been since his selection instinct pushed him that far ? No, when it was more than just his survival of the fittest replete pushing him ? The fear, the epinephrin, the endorphins, the pain sensation, they flowed through the bend of his gray matter like a flood lamp across a desert.

"Get up, on your feet."

Noah looked over, seeing cuss standing with his steel pointing at him.

"What the blaze do you intend you're doing ?"Noah muttered.

"You heard me, get up and face me."

"Oath, you're kidding, right ?"Beth asked.

"No. You and me, Noah, right here, right now."

"You ungrateful little brat. After all I did for you, you have the nerve to place your sword at me ? The sword I gave you ?"

"You didn't do this for me. I was just a airscrew in whatever deal you struck with my beginner. Now Mira is dead and I was robbed of my opportunity to settle things with Trevor. We never should have gone in there, but you kept pushing us. We never should stimulate let you be a part of our team."

"Oath, it's not his break ! You also wanted to hold back going ! Just put your sword down and we can all go home !"

"No ! I have to do this !"

"You're right,"said Noah, getting to his groundwork,"you were just a prop, but I'm still under contract and not allowed to stamp out you. Once we're back and I've gotten my reward, then I'll put you down as strong as you want."

"No ! I'm done listening to you ! From the here and now we met, you've run my life-time. I was supposed to be the one to seize the avenium, to seize my own luck, not let you lease it and take over whatever scraps you toss my way ! I couldn't avenge Mira, I couldn't beatnik Trevor, and I couldn't even conquer the dungeon Phthirius pubis ! I can't go dwelling house this way ! I refuse to live like this ! But if I beat you, that'll be enough."

Noah gripped the hilt of the knight steel, and the sensation he got back was far from ideal. His eubstance was at its limit, he could barely even stand. He was out of potions, they all were, so there was no way he could quickly recoup his forcefulness. At to the lowest degree cuss was in the same situation. Despite his anger and bloodlust, he was on the brink of passing out. The disembodied spirit was will, but the shape was another story. If Noah fought him in this state, even the little wound could shew fatal, then his deal with the baron would be out the window.

"I'm not going to coddle you. If you want to get yourself killed, do it after we get back. I want to hold up long enough to cash in everything I've collected."

"You can't talk your way out of this !"

Oath charged with his sword raised, attempting his theme song cleave. Noah stepped to the slope, nearly falling over as he did so. preferably than a slash, he struck curse word in the abdomen with the handle of his sword. Oath nearly retched, but regained his ground and punched Noah. He tried to circumvent, but was still grazed and staggered back, drawing his sword completely.

"block this, you two don't need to contend !"Beth pleaded.

"Tell him that !"Noah argued.

curse word unleashed a fuss of swing towards Noah, who lacked the agility to get out of the way. Instead, he had to block and parry each baseball swing. They locked steel, pushing against each early in a shoving match.

"You chose to go into the dungeon crab,"said Noah."You chose to keep abreast me, despite knowing how serious it was for Mira. You put your pride and your nobility over her. I killed Trevor because you were too rickety to get it done and you would sustain woken up that monster with just three steps. You don't get to blame your incompetence on me."

"You're a heartless bastard ! You couldn't even shed a bout for Tin, no wonder you didn't care about us !"

"Grow up !"

Noah let go of his sword and punched cuss, sending him staggering back. Noah touched his hand to his eye, casting his invisibility. He only had enough mana to stay hidden for a few mo, so Noah tackled Oath, disarming him and knocking him to the undercoat. Three solid blows to the look left him unconscious.

Noah dropped to his knee joint, gasping for air with his spell coming undone. Hopefully, Oath would be much more sensical when he woke up. As Noah got to his ft, there was a teras's snarl, followed by Beth's wow. One of their pursuers from within the plate had arrived and was attacking Beth. It looked like some sort of cycloptic tiger with a mat of quills across its back. Beth was pinned, her arm in its backtalk with her flesh being torn and her bone breaking.

"shit it !"Noah growled.

Beth still had his bow, so Noah pulled out his unretentive sword and threw it, winging the beast in the shoulder joint. It turned to Noah and charged, and Noah, trying to trip his magic, realized he had used the cobbler's last of his mana to deal with swearing. He jumped to the side to hedge the lunging tiger, but as he hit the ground, he realized he had less metier than he thought. He had planned on hitting the ground with a roll and then jumping to his feet, but he just fell like a tree. All he could do was roll on his back, and this time, when the tiger pounced, he wasn't able to dodge. It tried to slide down its teeth into his neck, but he blocked its lip with his sword, though he could do nothing about its claws, digging into his berm. It was pushing down on him with its replete free weight, and he didn't have the intensity level to hold it back.

Noah stared into its one, fist-sized eye and watched slobber pour from its mouth, mix with the blood from the slash that his sword was creating. This certainly ranked among the top of his weirdest Death. Yet when his military posture was about to stammer, Oath attacked the tiger from behind, slicing off his head with a lilt of his sword. swearword then kicked the Panthera tigris's stiff off Noah and pointed his brand at him.

"You'll never get a better luck than this,"Noah said with a smirk.

expletive took a late breathing spell and sheathed his steel."I suppose saving your life is as much an accomplishment as ending it."He held out his hand to Noah."Let's go home."

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Epilogue

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The town of Clive was bustling, filled with adventurers following the news of the donjon crab's emergence. Around one-half of them would die within its shell, but those with skill and luck came back to town with pockets total of ores and muffin. Having returned to town just the old dark, Noah had tried listening for newsmonger of whether or not anyone else had managed to capture the keep. He had taken all of the avenium he found in that elbow room, so it's possible that was all there was in the crabby person. Oh well, they'd just have to make do with everything else they found. The bulk of the adventurers were voguish enough or perhaps not ambitious enough to go very deep into the crab.

But that's not what Noah was focusing on at the minute. He was at the inn, sitting on the bed in Beth's room and examining her arm. It had been badly mangled by that Panthera tigris and wasn't fully healed. Since they were out of potions at the fourth dimension, Noah and Oath had to wrap it and tend it as best as they could. On the way down from the dungeon's entrance, they met an venturer and bought some healing potions off him. However, they weren't able to completely reverse the equipment casualty. The form on her arm looked slough, like severe stretch German mark, and the brawniness underneath was out of proper shape. At to the lowest degree the osseous tissue had been reset properly, but the way Beth winced as she stretched it per Noah's instruction, he knew that she was lucky to still have it at all.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think you'll be capable to reap a bow or face lift anything sonorous anytime soon. If you find somebody with healing thaumaturgy, they might be able-bodied to untie the equipment casualty, but otherwise, I can't guess your arm will ever find its full phase of the moon use or strength."

"That's mulct,"she said with a drone voice and dead angle oculus. She shuddered, as if shaking herself awake."No, it's not fine, it's painful. But… I don't have to worry about using a bow."

"You're quitting being an venturer ?"

"After everything we went through in that dungeon… I don't ever want to experience something like that again. I'm going to try and find a healer to heal my arm, but after that, I'm going to do what Mira wanted and resolve down and build up a family."

"That's for the best, I suppose."

"Thanks. And Noah, about what I said to you in the dungeon, about how I was…"

"You're not pregnant. Mira was."

She looked at him in shock."How'd you have a go at it ?"

"I have adequate experience with charwoman to recognise how to avoid getting them pregnant, and I can tell when it's close to that fourth dimension of the calendar month. Mira told you she was late before we entered the dungeon, didn't she ? You pretended it was you instead. Did you lie to try and save yourself, or her ?"

"Both, I guess. Oath didn't know, he can never know."

"I'm surprised they were capable to go along it hidden from me. They always seemed a little protective of each early, but I had no idea they were so intimate."

"She told me they were both drunk when it happened, and later told Oath that she thought it would be better if they focused on getting stronger for conquering the donjon. After, they would deliver the rest period of their lives to…"She trailed off, then looked out the window and sighed."I'm going to go visit her mother and siblings, secern her what happened. They were in debt, so hopefully the treasure I've collected will aid pay it off. I owe Mira that much."

"This should more than cover it,"said Noah, handing her a humble feeding bottle of avenium.

"So much trouble, so many tears over this metallic element dust,"she muttered, staring at the bottle.

"yield aid of yourself,"Noah said before getting up and leaving.

He stopped by his room, getting his bag and any self-will he deemed Charles Frederick Worth carrying. He had already sold off all of his ores and jewel, so he had plenty of atomic number 79 coins with him, along with various other tools and treasures hidden within his band, including a vast fortune of avenium. He put on his backpack with his swords hanging from his belt, including a new longsword, and left the elbow room, locking it behind him. Downstairs in the tavern, he handed the landlady the key.

"Thank you for your hospitality."

"Aye, I'm a bit sad to see you go. But before you do, you should talk with your friend. He certainly needs some help."

At the counter, he saw Oath slumped over with a half-empty mug in his hired hand. After returning to Clive, he had checked in with his founder only briefly, then came straight to the inn and started drinking to drown his sorrows. It was a miracle the boy hadn't died from inebriant poisoning.

"Are you planning on drinking away your full fortune ?"Noah asked.

expletive raised his point, looking at him with bloodshot eyes."leave me alone."

Noah took the BM next to him and ordered a drink."I will, soon. For now, just humor me."

Oath sat up and wiped his nerve."Remember that hunting trip-up the six of us took in the beginning ? When we were sitting around the fervidness, you told me that I had to decide my intellect for living, for scrap, that I had to create my own significance. When I went into that keep, I thought I was doing it for my Father, to finally win his approval. But when Mira died, I realized I had done it for her. I wanted to evidence to her that I was a man, that I was just as strong as you and Trevor, and I wanted to establish it to myself. Everything I failed to do, they were the achievements of the power that I wanted to be. I loved her, but my pride got her killed. Now… I just don't want to think about it, any of it. I just want to bury so everything will stop hurting."

Noah, having received his drunkenness, downed it in one gulp and slapped the glass on the tabular array, then took a deep breath."If I were to reach you one last lesson, one last piece of advice, would you take it ?"Oath just glanced at him, neither agreeing, nor refusing."Stop drinking. Go home and mourn her properly."

"Why ?"

"I know it hurts, and you don't want to feel anything anymore, but when you block out all of the bad, you block out all of the good that goes with it. care for your feelings for Mira, your memories of her. Don't try to inter them and bury. Be grateful that it hurts. consider me, there is nil more irritating than being truly numb. When you've lost all signification and sensation, you end up in a very dreary place, where you'll do anything just to feel again, and you never fully come back from that."

For a instant, the parole went over Oath's head, but then his center widened as a remembering flashed through his alcohol-soaked mind. The face Noah made when Tin died, that granitelike formula, it finally made sense.

"Is that what happened to you ? You lost soul ?"

"I've lost a lot of people, more than you can imagine. Losing a loved one, mourning them, it's supposed to be hard, because if it's well-heeled, you forget how to do it."Noah then got up and shouldered his backpack.

"Where are you going ?"Oath asked.

"I have concern in the capital."

"My father and I are going there in three days. You can travel with us."

"Nah, I'll incur my own way. Besides, I've already given your father plenty avenium to ensure you become a noble, so there is no point in sticking around here."

"You never told us what he promised you. Why were you so obsessed with conquering the donjon ?"

Noah thought back to the conversation he had with the big businessman, after Tin died.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

Noah was sitting in the baron's study, having just confessed to killing his crony and nephew."We didn't have the hazard to verbalise about requital for this job, but don't worry, I'm not interested in money or solid ground. There is something else I want."

"Which is ?"

"I want a letter of the alphabet of testimonial to the Uther Knight honorary society. I heard they only grant access on the good Holy Scripture of a noble, such as yourself."

Ivan scrunched up his case and nearly spat out his drink. To be an Utheric knight was a great award and responsibility, as while they ranked below barons on the nobility scale, their achievements could give them peachy authority and political influence."I have no interest in putting my good name on the line for a stranger. Just take some avenium for yourself and go a baronial. You'll be even richer than a knight. Or if you want to dish up your nation, just link the military."

"Any schmuck with a beat can be con***********ed and turned into a soldier. I'm not after riches, prestigiousness, or achievements, and I don't charge about this country."

Noah then reached into his scoop and placed a white-livered potion on the baron's desk.

"What is that ?"Ivan asked.

"I got this in that goblin den, and just this morning, I had it appraised by the apothecary. It's a high-level counterpoison, able to cure almost any poison. I doubt even a baron like you could open one. I had this with me when Tin was shot and didn't know it could save her life. She died because of my ignorance. I've come to realize that despite my skill and experience, I don't know nearly enough about this human beings. I want to transfer that, and to do so, I need an education. Spending years in an ivory tower doesn't interest me. I want to learn how to live and properly fight in this populace, and the trump place to do that is the knight academy, where they supposedly train the best of the easily. That hobgoblin apparently killed a horse, but hopefully that was a fluke.

So what do you say ? Is your son's future not worth a one letter ?"

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

"I suppose…"Noah said, looking back to Oath,"I just wanted to finally celebrate a promise, rather than making yet another lie. Good portion to you, Lord Fault."

Noah left the inn and walked over to the C. W. Post where his sawhorse was hitched. He rode out of Robert Clive, and when he was finally alone, he held out his paw, and an envelope appeared on his palm from within his ring. On it was a wax sealskin, the shift coat of arm. With this, his path was laid out before him. His next arrest : the Utheric royal capital.

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*Roundabout plays*

To be continued…

*Roll credits*

Please gossip ! I 'm going to try to have vol 2 ready by the end of the year .