Prologue

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A rarified discovery, that beautiful crimson hair. That color was usually the result of cheap dye and a childish personality, desperate to prove individualism by opposing N. It was a uncommon gift from nature, every strand like melting rubies, when near so-called redheads possessed only a diluted orangeness hue. But hers was like ancestry, drawing the eye of all those around her, including Noah's. Of all the char he had seen, met, and knew, even intimately, hers was the most purely crimson.

It was after school in early autumn, the illumination of the setting sun illuminating every strand and reminding him why it was worth it to come on her. She was walking across the empty soccer field, her body trembling from the Adrenalin of all the running she had done in her track club. For once, Noah saw her without all of her admirer surrounding her or her swain's arm draped over her shoulders like a boa constrictor. He had been waiting for this chance, longer than she could imagine.

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

"Noah, what are you doing here ?"

She asked that question, 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 skittish ? Would he be cocky ? Would he run destitute and try to start with some small lecture, or would he get straight to the head ? Had he planned this ? Had he been waiting ? They had been friend since she transferred in their Sophomore year. Had that just been in anticipation of this ?

It was clear in her eyes, that his intent had been seen through, but it didn't dissuade him. Rather, it was something that always amused him, the paradox of human coupling that became both easier and more hard with age. She already knew what he desired, so unless she desired the same affair, her warmheartedness would be guarded, with no opening night for a nobble attack to surprise her. It was a challenge that men and cleaning lady had struggled with since the dawn of time.

"I heard that you and Sean broke up. I know what that feels like, how practically 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 surely I want to bother geological dating. After all, when summertime comes, we're all going to split up up and go our break ways."

A rejection, not an optimal effect, but it was within his expected value. He just had to convince her to reach him a chance, but gently. He had to properly take his run-in so that he wouldn't come off as desperate and frustrated, 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 point in staying together ? I doubt that. I think you believe in love, in giving it a chance. A lot of things will happen between now and graduation ; Christmas Day, Valentine's Day, the promenade ? That's wad of fourth dimension to be happy, and to modify your mind about which way you plan on taking. architectural plan can deepen, things can sour out. All I want is a chance."

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

She crossed her subdivision to warm herself, but she kept them low. It was an natural move, one that Noah's eyes didn't Miss. He gave an exasperated smile and began to express mirth."Ok, I get it. Maybe following 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 lineage. She spun around and saw the tongue in Noah's hand.

"Good Shepherd Christ, what are you doing ? !"she screamed while raising her hands to shield herself.

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

He swung up his hand and stabbed himself in the throat. The strike, it was so fasting, but it was gentle, just the tip of the leaf blade breaking his skin and severing his Jugular with speck accuracy. It was a perfect, smooth cause, as if he had spent 60 minutes practicing. Blood began to spray from the minor injury, and to the phone of Lindsey's screech, he allowed himself to fall on his back. She rushed over and tried to end the bleeding. Covering it with her hand only slowed the outpour, so she reached into her bag for something to use as a bandage.

"stoppage, just retain your handwriting there,"Noah said calmly. The vein he had struck carried blood out of the question and sent it back to his heart, so the rest of the blood in his organisation would preserve his mastermind oxygenated, at least while it was still in his vein.

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

"I've already died like this… Thomas More than a c times before. This isn't my first rodeo."

"What are you talking about ?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like. rebirth, transmigration, whatever you call it, I count biography like you count years, and every time I die, I'm immediately reborn with all the memories from my past lives. I've been born and died so many multiplication, laughed and suffered through so many lifetimes."

"That's just blood loss talking. hang on !"She tried to deplume out her phone, but Noah grabbed it with surprising strength.

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

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

"Because this isn't the firstly metre I've confessed to you. I'm always myself, but the man I'm born into is never the Saame. Every time I die, I return to the day of my birth, but in a different timeline. I'll end up in a world where my surroundings are different, or history didn't go the way I remember it, or consequence will happen in my hereafter that I can't predict.

Only in my past seven life-time have you been present, and in all seven life, I could never make you mine, no topic how much I wanted you. Five of those prison term were because you were pregnant. You and Sean get back together by Thanksgiving, and I and everyone else spotter you dance together at the prom. Each time, I kill myself to try again in my next lifespan. These past eighteen years, they've flown by like the eye blink of an eye for me."

His hemorrhage was starting to slow down, his body going cold and his psyche getting foggy.

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

"It's the lonesome way I can endure anymore, following some task or game that keeps me busy. Every life-time I've lived, it's been a lie, concealing who I am, what I know, what I've experienced. much of the time, I have to pretend to let emotions, because after all this sentence, I've almost forgotten what they feel like. I've almost forgotten what's like to actually find something. But when I see you, I get to see actual longing. I have an literal crush, something so simple and infantile, but such a howling feeling. Maybe I'm just a sucker for a redhead, but I've lived for so recollective, I have to grasp at any scrap of meaning that can make me happy, and pretend my existence a little less hollow."

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

With the lastly of his strength, he removed her hand from his wounding so that it could bleed freely. Her radiocarpal joint was limp. Had he convinced her ? Or had she simply realized that he had already bled too very much and was beyond saving ? He covered his odd eye with his paw, blinded by the setting sun while Lindsey's shadow obscured the decent position of his face. The lighter passed through her crimson hair like varnished glass, making his blood shine beautifully.

"I've seen so many Earth, so many different realness, but none of them could make me happy. I've never known what it felt like to belong or feel at home. Every world felt incorrect to me. This is yet another reality that I am ill-sorted with. All I can do is hope that the next existence is one I can be happy in."

The blood at last stopped flowing, and Noah closed his eyes and released his final breather. Then, in his mind, there was a familiar flash of light and he felt himself being pulled to the following world.

A unit New game

Without even opening his eyes, Noah knew that something had gone wrong. He was groggy, but he could definitely feel the cold, firmly ground underneath him. This didn't make sensation. At this import, he'd normally be experiencing his own rebirth, coming out of the womb as a newborn infant. His dead body was also still the same sizing. He could feel the weight of his limb, as well as his clothes. His hired hand was still covering his eye, but just moving it took a tremendous amount of strong point. He managed to mould his eyelid open air and stared up at the blue sky. It was late in the afternoon when he killed himself, but now it looked to be midmorning.

This had never happened before, no issue how many times he had died. Either he had somehow survived his felo-de-se attempt 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 road in the Ellen Price Wood. His hoodie and the shirt underneath were starchy with his dried blood, but when he felt his neck opening, there was no wound. He had been healed, but had his blood also been replenished ? It would have got taken at least thirty minutes for the blood on his wearing apparel to dry this much, not enough time for his body to restore any meaningful amount, so this was likely a partial rebirth.

He got to his groundwork and staggered, struggling to emit. There was no lastingness in his limb and his mentation were getting weaker by the second. This tiredness, it was similar to blood loss, but also dissimilar. It was like there was some kind of extra muscle going brainsick, 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 vestige. The fatigue must induce 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 switch had been flipped. The fatigue vanished, as if that extra muscle had settled, and when he looked down, he saw his phantom.

‘ That wasn't rakehell passing. It must have been some sort of leftover hurt from my suicide or this glitchy renascence. But where am I ?'

The road was unusual. The solid ground was packed, but the sediment seemed indigene to the spot. In the New world, even the unpaved roads were made with at least a layer of Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin and gravel to preclude it from being overgrown. He had his wallet and his earpiece with him, but there was no service.

A sound reached his ears, one that nigh people rarely heard outside of movies and TV. It was the sound of horse hooves. He looked over his berm, seeing two grownup men on horseback approaching him from down the road. Behind them, an old man driving a horse-drawn Charles's Wain and leading… striver. Wearing rags for dress, More than a dozen men and women of varying long time were being led by chains.

This strange wagon train came to a halt in front of him. The men on horseback and the one driving the Big Dipper stared at him in confusedness."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 shipment. He normally only found them in post-apocalyptic timelines, when guild had broken down. That, or timelines where the south won the Civil War and early such occurrences.

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

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

Noah looked at them. Their clothes, they were deceptive, wool clearly not woven by any kind of Bodoni machinery and with coats and iron boot made of primitively-treated leather. Maybe he had reincarnated to a third-world country ? If this was a post-apocalyptic timeline, then whatever happened wasn't manmade. It happened before the Industrial gyration, some kind of born tragedy that halted mankind's development. A meteor ?

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

Their weapon system, they had sheathed blade but no signboard of any guns. So, this was an era before gunpowder was invented. Medieval ? It sure seemed like it.

"If he's a noble, we can redeem him back, and if not, he looks sound and inviolable enough to sell for a good price. Chain him up with the others."

One of the men got off his buck and approached Noah with a length of roach. None of them were aware that he still had his tongue on him. As the man reached out to grab his hand, Noah slashed him across the throat. It wasn't the speck jab like he had given himself to begin with, this was a bloody smile stretching from ear to ear. It had been a recollective time since he had last killed someone, but it was something he was very well-practiced in.

A fountain of blood sprayed Forth River and Noah threw his knife at the coaster wagon device driver, catching him in the breast. Before his first dupe could leave out to his knees, Noah ripped his sword from its sheath and charged towards the other horseman, already drawing his own blade to retaliate his coworker. The throat was out of range, so Noah deflected the oncoming attack and went for a shot in the side of the gut and up into the veracious lung.

"Fireball !"

There was a newsflash of ignitor in his peripheral vision, coming from the old man. Noah's instinct made him jerk back as a flare pass shot through the air, missing his boldness by an column inch. It struck a nearby Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and exploded, spraying fire in all counselling like a Perm Cocktail. Noah looked back at the old man, one hand outstretched while the other covered the stab lesion in his chest from Noah's knife. He wasn't holding a flare pass gun or any other sort of device that would explain what had just happened.

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

"fireball !"the old man shouted again.

Just like before, a sphere of condensed flaming formed in his hand, about the size of melon, and shot at Noah with tremendous focal ratio. Noah dodged and rushed in to close the space. The first fireball had forced him to let go of his brand and the s had forced him back before he could grab the second man's. He'd have to finish this with his bare deal.

The horses were all throwing tantrum in reverence from the fighting, but the old man continued to set in motion those inscrutable flash. Noah circled around the cavalry, jumped, and tackled the man. There was no fumbling fumbling for control, Noah simply began beating him with his fist. His flow consistence hadn't been trained for armed combat, but he kept it hefty and solid and knew how a good deal military unit he had muster up with each punch. ancestry started spraying with the thirdly lick, the old man ineffective to fight back and soon blacking out. Noah promptly retrieved his fallen tongue and finished him off.

Noah took his meter to catch his breath while he wiped off the blade, folded it up, and stored it in his air hole. He took those few moments to quell his annoyance. He was used to being reborn as a baby after every end and considered those early on class to be his vacation between each new sprightliness, time to properly dispose of old memories, catalogue useful cognition, and mentally allot with any relax ends. No one depended on him and he usually had a parent or health care provider to take up tending of him, giving him time to rest his mind. Now he had startle right back into a selection mindset and kickoff from scratch in a world with all new rules.

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

The old man would feature been a valuable source of information, but with his subsidiary now dead, he would never willingly tell Noah anything. It wouldn't be worth the metre and worry to interrogate him in this billet. Oh well, the answers would come in metre, and Noah had learned how to be patient.

He turned his tending to the striver, staring back at him with dubiousness. They weren't rejoicing at the death of their captors, bonnie enough. After all, Noah hadn't killed them in orderliness to give up the slaves or anything like that. As far as they knew, he was about to kill them all or just deal them all and deal 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 emphasis that he had never heard before, but it was English, though they probably didn't vociferation it that. These slaves must also speak it."All of you, I give you permission to verbalise. Do you all understand what I'm saying ?"They didn't say anything, but they nodded in the plausive."Are there any among you who are intimate with this area ?"None of them answered.

Possessing cognition could either lay down them valuable or a liability. 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 atomic number 26 key, likely going to all of their apprehension.

He held up the key for all the hard worker to see."I need one of you to manoeuvre me to a rubber domain with a source of fresh water and off the route where I won't be seen. Whoever volunteers will get their choker removed and can ride in the wagon. Once I'm brought to a suited localization, you will all will be set free."Six slaves raised their bound work force."You,"Noah said.

He had ***********ed a teen missy that looked to be around his age. She was dirty and underfed, but looked healthy enough to be useful to him, and he could certainly sweep over her if she tried to betray him. It was hard to guess her appearance in this body politic. She had a pitiful look permanently etched into her side, like a basset hound. If he cleaned her up, she might be a real cutie, but right now she was so dirty that he couldn't even tell her rude hair color.

"What is your gens ?"

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

"Do what I say, Tin, and you'll earn your freedom. Go against me and I'll kill you."He unlocked her metal collar but left her articulatio radiocarpea bound."Now help me make care of these bodies."

Noah searched the stiff of the three slave traders, taking everything of time value. Along with their sword, he got a couple obelisk, some electric cord, and three stopgap billfold. They were snake pelt with push-down store of bronze coins inside, tied to their whang. It was a clever concept.

"Tin, is there any danger of baseless animal in these woods ? Anything that I should worry about ?"

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

Noah huffed in annoyance. Great, now he had monstrosity to worry about. This certainly was a world unlike any he had seen before. This ruined his plan of taking the corpses with him. He was indisputable he could see a use or two for them, as well as take their clothes and anything else of value on their person when there was Sir Thomas More fourth dimension. He also didn't want to allow for any evidence of what he had done.

"Very well. off the dress from the trunk and put them in the wagon."

She wordlessly obeyed, proceeding to strip the cadaver without any shred of unease or discomfort. Most young woman her age would be too squeamish to do anything like this. As she worked, Noah searched the wagon and found a canvas bag, smelling too rancid to be used for food. He soaked it with a wineskin, and while it wasn't apotheosis, it was good enough for him to use to put out the fires that the old man had started. He and Tin completed their tasks, leaving three naked bodies on the road and a few charred tree. Noah retrieved one of the sword, just a crummy machete, but shrill enough to get the job done. He showed no discomfort in decapitating the torso and storing the heads in the sheet bag.

"pull these bodies into the Mrs. Henry Wood, out of sight from the road. That should satiate any beasts that search this area."

There was no telling what the value of these slave monger were. If they were even slightly important to person, their fade might lead to an probe. Three nude, headless bodies that were devoured by fiend wouldn't leave any evidence. They couldn't even be identified. On the other handwriting, if they were felon, then Noah might be able to use their lop capitulum as confirmation of their deaths and collect a amplitude. He had been in a lot of bad post and chaotic timelines, so this mentality was a accomplishment he knew he could rely on and use as he needed.

Once the dead body were dealt with, Noah took his tush at the front of the police van and Tin joined him. The two supererogatory horse were tethered to the incline of the Plough and would postdate along. Noah cracked the reins and the horses pulling the Plough began moving forward.

"There is a suitable plaza several miles down this road. I will show you where."

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

"This is the Algata state of the nation of Uther."

"How large is Uther ? How much of the continent does it demand 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 geographics would be an unusual find. It would be good if he could get his hands on a in good order map, though in this era, that was probably a lot to ask for. In a macrocosm with conjuring trick and goliath, there was no telling what the planet's topography looked like, even the transcription of the Continent. He had traveled old terra firma numerous times, but much of his experience was now obsolete.

"Relax, I'm not going to hit you for not knowing something. Just keep answering my interrogative sentence as best as you can. Uther, is it a full-bodied rural area ?"

"I… don't know for sure. Perhaps there is riches in the capital, 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 gibber."Does it have a king or queen ?"

"Oh, yes, sir. There is a purple 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 hindquarters between them. It was about a dozen bronze coins and a few silvers. The other two could be expected to hold a similar amount.

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

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

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

"Mid spring."

That was good for Noah. In order to get a foothold in this new world, he'd need ample time with the chances of endurance at its high. winter would strangle his mobility, potential actions, and construct life a lot harder. Had he appeared in this human beings a few months earlier, he could easily freeze to death before reaching civilization.

"You spoke before of giant. What should I be timid of in this forest ?"

"The biggest peril is the wolf. They travel in face pack and kill whatever they see. There are also bears, vauntingly spider that hide in burrows, and goblins."

Giant wanderer and hobgoblin ? This humans was getting Thomas More fantastical by the second.

"William Tell me about the goblins."

"They are pocket-size, only about the size of shaver, and maybe as smartness. They have arm and often bushwhack travelers."

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

"That was magic."

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

"It is the benediction of the god, letting people call down divine retribution upon their enemies. It can create fire, control water, make you stiff, and do all kinds of matter. There many different kind of magic users. I've heard of some of them ; mages, paladin, warriors, priest-doctor, 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 line ?"

"I don't know."

That was a problem. If it was an ability passed down from parent to child, then he was screwed. His glitchy rebirth left him with the unconstipated genes of his final parents. If deception wasn't something he could learn or acquire, life would get exponentially harder. Then there was the mentioning of gods. He had spent several lifetimes searching for signal of the existence of God, some bearing of divinity that might explain his beingness, but he always came up short. However, in a world where illusion existed, perhaps gods might as well.

As they continued through the woods, Noah thought about the slaves walking behind the wagon. Letting them go might be a liability. They knew he had killed three slave monger, they knew where he would set up camp. The slave dealer mistook him for the son of a noble, so if the slave went into some town and started blabbing about him and what he had done, citizenry might come after him. Perhaps it would be amend to cast away of all of them ? No, the probability of him managing to defeat them all would be low and that would be a lot of corpses to handle with, not to mention he didn't know if killing them would get him into trouble.

‘ To think my laziness would compensate for my withered conscience…'

They were passing by a pitcher's mound with Tree blocking much of the view, but all of the cavalry flicked their ears to it. Noah didn't miss that tick and reached into the wagon. When searching earlier, he found a bow and a few arrows, none of which seemed very well made. He took aim up the Benny Hill, spotting a phantasm moving between the hills. It had been a hanker clip since he had survive used a bow. It was one of his hobbies about four or five lifetime ago. This was nothing like the modern stem he was used to handling, but when he let the arrow gaffe unloosen, it shot between the Tree 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 life-threatening."You stay here,"he told Tin. He brought the station waggon to a occlusion and went back with his knife and the key. He cut the slave'binds and unlocked their collars."You're all discharge to go, get out of here. But don't even opine of trying to follow—"

They ran off before he could finish his judgment of conviction. commodity, that would pass water him lupus erythematosus of a sitting duck, and they'd draw the tending of anything that might want a piece of him. He returned to the driver's seat and turned to Tin, holding up one of the coin purses.

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

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

The timberland thinned a lit, the trees spreading out far enough for the wagon to go off the road and school principal towards the speech sound of running water. They arrived at a clarification where a small falls thumped on exposed rock'n'roll. It was isolated, just the space Noah needed. There was even a cave behind the waterfall where he could make camp. However, they were not the exclusively inhabitants.

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

"That is a slime. They like moistness places. Their bottom are like colossus mouths, devouring whatever they crawl over. Their organic structure are covered with a slenderize hide, and if you tear it, its inside pour out and deepen the shape of its body."

"Are they dangerous ?"

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

"How do I shoot down them ?"

"You have to hit their brains."

The slimes hadn't noticed them yet, so Noah took aim with the bow at the near one. It was severely telling the presence from the spine of these things, but he spotted something floating inside, suspended, an apple-sized gawk of firm tissue. He released the bolt, missing the creature's brain by several inch. It rumbled in pain and its jellylike inside spilled out of the wound like a runny nose. Upon contact lens with the air, the innards began to congeal and educate a layer of skin. It formed an annexe of itself, like a 2d tooshie, 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 thing was like a giant moving stomach. He would have preferred to take care of these behemoth from a distance, but he didn't have enough arrows to bewilder away. It would also get dark soon, and he didn't want to try and look for another billet.

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

He got up from the Dipper and approached the waterfall with one of the striver traders'swords in his hand. It was the worst of the two, useful at least for experimentation. He approached the slime, already back to full phase of the moon health after being shot with the pointer. It didn't appear to receive very effective imagination, didn't even appear to sustain eyes. He picked up a endocarp 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 body and absorbing it. So, these matter could pass over. If it could see, it was probably short-ranged, based on movement, or more likely it could smell vibrations in the land.

He took another rock and threw it at the guck, this sentence hitting it. The rock ripped through its fragile skin and its guts spilled out. The C stunned it just long enough for Noah to sprint over and cleave through its brain. As quickly as he attacked, he darted back. He had learned through legion occasions to always carry an enemy to get back up. Plus, he wanted to avoid getting sprayed with any guts.

Despite his concern, it was a light kill. The monster, originally a nauseating yellow, turned gray, and its exposed insides began to smoke and dissolve. Unfortunately, smoke was also coming from his sword. This really was a cruddy acid. Noah wiped the blade off on the Grass and then rinsed it in the river to scavenge it. It had undergone hard corrosion. Hopefully it would final stage until he killed them all.

One matter made him happy, though. When he killed the ooze, numbers didn't appear in the air, displaying experience points earned. He started having concerns as soon as that showtime fireball was launched at him, and when Tin said it was a guck ; he thought he had been reincarnated into some form of RPG humans. If at any point, she used the word ‘ level ’, he would have permanently lost the ability to keep a straight face and take anything seriously.

Anyway, back to killing.

He repeated his scheme with the other three muck. A clenched fist size rock thrown with sufficient speed and truth could pierce the monstrosity and stun them long enough to extradite a calamitous rap. After the 3rd slime, his sword broke in half, the end completely melting off. There was one slime left wing, 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 social movement, but he didn't want to read the chance.

He crept behind the falls and threw another stone, striking the goo near the brain. Its physical structure curled up like a sluggard sprinkled with common salt, and Noah rushed over. This time, he thrust the discontinue leaf blade straight in. He managed to stab the brain, but the sword slipped right into its consistence. Noah pulled away before his inertia could place his hand plunging into the acid muck, but respective drop splashed him and he could feel his hide dissolution. He thrust his helping hand into the waterfall and steadied his breathing as the pain faded. That was too close for comfort. He'd have to occur up with another way to stop those things if he encountered them again.

The area had been secured, now to set up camp. He stepped out from behind the falls, and to his surprise, he saw Tin standing by the beach waggon, 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. film it to the skinny town and buy yourself something to eat and some new wearing apparel. Look for anyone who will engage you, hopefully offering way and board in interchange. From there, start your new life."

"Is that an order ?"

"No, it's advice. You don't have to engage orders from me, I'm not your master. I hired you to be my guide, you got your money, and our contract is complete. Now we parting ways."She continued to suffer there, looking like a puppy in the rainwater."You can have one of the horses. You'll be able to get to town faster and outrun pursuers."

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

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

"But I'm not. I'm yours."She was almost whimpering now. Time for some tough beloved.

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

There was a intimation in her middle."If I can be utile as a stiff, 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 bluff. This girl was destitute than he would throw liked, but her subservience made her more trustworthy than anyone he could expect to find in this world. Maybe it would be good to have an redundant duet of hands to help him, at to the lowest degree until he got out of this forest. Besides, it wasn't like this was the first fourth dimension he had owned a striver. There were many dark timelines when he followed the rule of ‘ when in Italian capital, do as the Romans.'

"amercement, I'll be your master copy. What skills do you receive ?"

"I can depend to one hundred, I can indite some, and I can run to livestock and work fields, as well as perform home chore. I am also very receive in pleasing men, so I can service you whenever you desire."She bowed her head as she spoke, not seeing Noah raise his eyebrows at her death sentence.

Depressing as her wrangle were, he wasn't one to plow down an offer for sex from someone so willing. On the other script, nothing about her electric current appearance stoked his libido. He was standing twenty feet away and could smell her like it was 20 inches. Sitting next to her in the wagon had been very unpleasant. Just letting her bathe in the river wouldn't get the job done.

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

Tin obediently went to go while Noah gathered all of the chains and pinch that had been used to lead the striver. There was also plenty of R-2 in font any of their binds broke during ecstasy. Noah snapped the collars off the chains and used them as hammer to disclose the weaker links and split the chemical chain into multiple inadequate segment. He split the rope into thinner chain and set up a perimeter around the campsite, then hung the collars and mountain range on it like Christmas ornaments. Any intruders that tried to move into would hit the tripwire and the jingling chains and pinch would leave them away. And in case they were set off by the wind, the sawhorse would be the second line of spying. If they started acting up, then a terror was nearby.

"I'm going to go roll up some firewood. If any devil approach, just hollow for me and yeet some crap at them. The smell will drive them off."He then stopped and chuckled to himself. That's right hand, he no longer needed to use modern font slang.

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

Noah set out into the woods with his just blade and a satchel the old man had been carrying. He didn't want to stray far from camp, but he had to check out the expanse and make indisputable there weren't any imminent peril. One thing he was especially timid of were the elephantine wanderer that Tin had mentioned. She said they hid in tunnel, so he kept a fill up eye on his ground, avoiding any suspicious areas that could be a possible ambush. Webbing on the solid ground was a blabbermouth sign, cogent evidence 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 turgid hatful that they would use for bedclothes and making sponsor trip 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 trees appeared to be the same. He also filled his pocket and the satchel with medicative industrial plant and even some edible mushrooms. In every biography, her conditioned and relearned survival attainment to keep the information branded into his thinker, so even if had forgotten their name, he still recognized herbs that could be useful. As he moved, he had a strong feeling 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 savage Tin had mentioned, larger than any he had ever seen. His nose led him to it, the woman chaser reeking of death and rot. The essence was well beyond eating and its fur and bones weren't worth the effort to harvest, especially with all the maggots and flies, but there was something that he could definitely stimulate use of.

The sun was starting to set by the time he was done, but there was still mickle he wanted to do. Luckily, dinner was already taken care of. The slave monger had packed enough food for thought for themselves and their cargo. It was hard bread and dried meat, something that Noah's spoiled taste buds would not revalue, but he'd seen enough toilsome meter to know how to be grateful.

Before doing anything else, he removed his hoodie and T-shirt. He had kept them on as an contribute layer of shelter in case anything attacked him, but the origin had hardened into a unvoiced crust and he was glad to be capable to finally take them off. Had he known he would renew like this, he would accept gone house and just hung himself, preferably with his pockets stuffed with utilitarian tools. He laid out his shirt and hoodie under the waterfall, directing the atomiser right onto the stemma mark. He pinned them down with Harlan Fiske Stone so that they wouldn't be washed away.

He noticed Tin watching him like a rum felid. She had never seen muscles like his before. To survive in the countryside, men required cracking strength to farm and battle and heftiness mass naturally accumulated. Noah's appeared more delimitate, like he had focused on improving the quality of his heftiness instead of just chasing after the vague definition of strength.

"Tin, take off your clothes."

"I shall do my best to meet you, Master."

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

Tin removed her clothes, though it was more like a raggedy potato sack with kettle of fish cut for her head and arms and a strip of material for a belt ammunition. She was malnourished and scrawny, but he just had to brush up her up a little.

With the last of the light, he searched the river for stones. He'd test their hardness, striking them against the backrest of his sword. Once he started getting sparks, he returned to the riverbank and gathered up some touchwood. He ground some dry birch bark into a mulct dust and struck the John Rock against his sword over it. It took several attempts, but some sparks landed in the debris and it went up like gasoline. From there, he built up a flak on the riverside with all of the birch wood he had gathered. By the illumination of the flame, he started digging a golf hole using his brand and a metal skillet he found in the wagon.

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

"No, what I need you to do is jump collecting mud from the river. If you dig under the silt, you'll find it. constitute a big pile of it here adjacent to me."

The two of them continued to cultivate, 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 Henry Clay that Tin had gathered. He used the leftover clay to wee some cups and roll and put them in the firing to bake. He built a endorse flak, this fourth dimension putting it in the pit. It was with a lenient Ellen Price Wood. He didn't even need to see Tin's boldness to smell the curiosity within her.

"I'm making a wash drainage area. No offensive activity, 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 grunge clod. In reality, it was a lump of animal fat. He had gathered it from the carcass of the dead wolf, rolled it into a ball, and packed it with a shell of scandal to keep on it from making a wad when he carried it. It cleaned it off and put it in the metallic element frypan, then set it over the fire.

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

Despite her poor lifestyle, her teeth were in good condition. She grew up in a world without processed foods, sugars, or chemical, so despite never brushing, there was no rot that he could see. Her hint was pretty bad, but that was because she lacked the conception of flossing.

Noah walked over to one of the horses hitched to a tree, nibbling on the pile of pasturage that Tin had gathered for it. He cut a lock of its retentive tomentum, washed it in the river, and returned to the campfire, where he braided several strands into a strong train of thought. He made a second and turned to Tin.

"return this thread and do as I do."He used the thread to floss his teeth, something which Tin had never seen before. The yarn was thick and coarse and broke a few times, but it got the job done, and he showed her the man of meat from their dinner that he had gotten out.

She mirrored the action to the safe of her power, and while she did that, he looked at the skillet, now with a puddle of melted fat. He gathered some White person ash from the fire and mixed it in, as well as some water.

"Now I'm going to depict you how to make soap."shoemaker's last, he added a handful of ground-up true pine phonograph needle and started stirring the concoction together.

"soap ?"

"You've never heard of it ?"

"I heard that the Lord use it. It makes them smell nice."

"It's been a long clip since I did this. If I had meter and proper pecker, I could pull in something of a a great deal higher quality, but this should get the job done."He set the frying pan back on the ardour so that the water could be boiled away."Have you gotten every tooth ?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then engage a mouthful of this."From next to the fire, there was also a cup made, of all things, tin. It was full of piddle brought to a simmer, with ground charcoal and pine phonograph needle mixed in. He let it cool down and then handed it to her."You said you could numerate, right ? Well swirl this around your mouth 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 concern of, Noah took the frying pan off the fire and examined his scoop. It certainly would never sell in a market store, but it would get the job done tonight. adjacent, he turned his attention to the wash river basin and the withered firing. The clay packed onto the side of the pit had hardened and could now retain piss.

Noah carved the easy lay off the skillet and handed it to Tin."Here, use this to shovel as a lot charcoal and ash out of the basin as you can, then scavenge it in the river and use it to fill the basin with water."

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

The reasonableness why he had used unlike fervor for the basin and soap was because of one of the lead chemicals, lye. Despite being a caustic substance, it was required for making soap. It was collected from the ashes of hardwood, like birch tree. He had used a softer Wood in the fire to temper the face of the lavatory so any remnant ashes wouldn't turn the water too alkaline.

"All right, now to screen it."

Noah stripped down to match Tin and grabbed a objet d'art of textile from the Charles's Wain to use as a washrag. He got it wet in the basin, rubbed some of the soap on it, and, satisfied with how it lathered, started wiping off the sweat that had accumulated since his comer to this world.

Tin held a piece of soap in her hand, staring at it with broad eyes."It smells… sweet !"

She mimicked Noah, using a makeshift face cloth and the soap to scrub herself raw. She was frantic, leaving no spot untouched. The two of them cleansed their skin, lathering themselves up and then rinsing in the river to keep the bath weewee clean. With the malicious gossip removed, much was revealed to Noah. Neither of them said anything about the countless cicatrix, contusion, and firebrand that covered Tin's physical structure. Finally, he had her lie on her dorsum and lowered her head into the catchment basin, then scrubbed her hair with the soap until the bathwater turned as mordant as ink. She sat up and rung the water supply out of her hair as he stood up and stretched.

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

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

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

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

A small laugh escaped Noah."My, my, what a grasping little hard worker you are."

He leaned down, lifted her Chin, and left a soft kiss upon her sass. She shivered from that touch, gentler than any other in her life. She took the initiative, kissing him in recurrence while her spit slipped into his mouth. As they swapped saliva, 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 please him.

When Noah finally pulled his backtalk from hers, she knew what he wanted and was tidal bore to ply it. She leaned in, his cock disappearing into her backtalk, only to re-emerge with a glistening stratum of spit. Tin wasn't shy in the least, she put all of her skills to exercise. She deepthroated him to make herself gag and salivate, then would use her hands to work the peter while she slurped on his head like a all-day sucker. Despite her joy at being so clean just a minute ago, she was certainly making a kettle of fish, her case covered in spit with big foamy drops dribbling onto her breasts.

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

She released his rooster, gasping for air with her eye full of joy."Am I doing good ?"

"You're magnificent, Tin."

She went back at it, this time with a dissimilar aim in mind. While she jacked him off, she sucked vehemently on his jewels, rolling them around in her mouth and balancing them on her tongue. She switched between her techniques with masterful skill, giving Noah no time to brace himself. He didn't even need tell her when he was going to cum, she could tell just by his respiration and the way his brawn twitched. She swallowed his manhood like a voracious beast, her brass pressed to his breadbasket as he swirled around inside her throat.

Several stocky K were pumped directly into her stomach, a salty sweet after her meal. 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 prison term to give you pleasure ?"

He sat down cross-legged and pulled her across his lap like he was going to paddle her. He held her by the throat, just a gentle grip to keep her still, while he absolve hand slipped between her leg and reached her honeypot.

"You're so wet. To think you took so a great deal joy in your work."

Born and raised a slave, she had been abused and violated in all ways imaginable. She thought she had grown numb to it, but the tone of Noah's finger touching her near common soldier, sore arena, they made her tremble and gasp. There was strength in his finger's breadth, but his movements weren't rough or clumsy. Rather, she sensed that his experience surpassed her own.

His digit penetrated her, making her groan in a way she thought she never again could. His attack was relentless, probing every sensitive spot like an assassin striking her air pressure point in time. She was a slender girl, eubstance fat being a luxury for a hard worker, but her flesh rippled from the vibe drumming from her ass. She could feel the exercising weight of her breasts with every motility, and the sounds he was making, the sounds he was forcing her organic structure to piss, the squelching of soft, wet flesh, it was like she was experiencing this all for the get-go time.

The pleasure was beyond words, she wanted it to go on forever, but her body wouldn't obey her commands. Her muscular tissue spasmed without pause like she was being tickled. She inadvertently tried to pull away, her body wanting to protect itself from these aesthesis it couldn't contain, but Noah's traveling bag on her throat remained house. This post, what he was doing to her, it was so strange. She felt almost like an animal, like livestock, and Noah was the James Leonard Farmer, preparing her for breeding with some unusual farming technique. Ironically, that wasn't far from the truth.

She cried out, sexual climax rushing through her like a flash flood lamp, but Noah didn't plosive speech sound, even as she became limp. He continued mercilessly finger-blasting her, while his other hand released her throat and he forced his digit 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 knife and sass, the quiver of her throat as she slurped up the smell of his fingertips ; if she didn't work with all her might, the almost cruel assault of orgasm would rob her of all idea and crush her mind.

Only when her moans finally stopped did Noah let her experience pacification. He laid her on her back and leaned over her. The lewd, exhausted look on her face, the way she panted with flushed face and swimming centre, it was an expression he always loved to see.

"You said I could do whatever I wanted with your eubstance, right ? Are you going to secernate me that you can't observe up with your skipper ? That you lied and you can't fulfill my desires ?"

She reached out to him, her skinny arms coiling around his neck to rip him in."Master, take me,"she begged.

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

.

.

.

civilization

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.

.

The rising sun shining in his centre awoke Noah from his sleep. It was not a recondite rest, due to his current circumstances, but he at to the lowest degree felt rested. It was his showtime dawn in this new world. He and Tin were lying on a pile of pine boughs, keeping them off the ground and insulated, and wrapped in the sheet wagon book binding, which they were using as both a tarp and a mantle. The freed hard worker was snuggled up tightly against him, both for warmth, and out of fondness. The terminal figure"freed slave"fit her ironically, as Noah had given her freedom, but she chose to remain his slave anyway.

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

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

It was a parky morning, so the first thing Noah did was construct up a attack while Tin collected their apparel from the falls. They had been set under the spray to be washed, and after a night under the pounding water, they were clean as could be reasonably expected. They were hung up to dry around the blast, while Noah and Tin had breakfast. hold up Night, Noah had made some loving cup and bowls using the clay that Tin gathered and left them in the fire to bake overnight. Now, he was using them to boil body of water and reach true pine needle tea.

"What do you require to do, lord ? I can lead you to town if you like."

"How long would it deal to get there ?"

"Another two or three days."

Noah weighed his selection. This wasn't an optimal situation."No, we'll stop here for another day. We have a defensible attitude here, but if we return to the road, we'll be like sitting duck's egg. While I have faith in my scrap ability, I can't defend myself, you, and the horses. Let's try to amend our chances before we set out."

"What should we do ?"

"Yesterday, while I was looking for rock in the wickedness, I think I might let seen some slimes moving about. They're usually small, right ? Not big like the ones I killed yesterday ?"

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

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

"What's lye ?"

"It's the clobber in ash that I used to ca-ca that soap finis Night. It's a very nasty chemical. I'm going to start gathering wood. I want you to bail out the bathwater from the basin and refill it. Rain water supply would be best, but river body of water will receive to do. Then take the stones and put them back in the fire. You remember what to do if something fire ?"

"throw horse dung and holler for you ?"

"Right."

Noah departed, heading back into the forest. Just like the day before, he was gathering hardwood from birch, oak, and maple tree diagram. He moved cautiously, hearing bowel movement all around him. He also returned to certain orbit he had visited before, with prey on his creative thinker. He came across a position he had just yesterday done his advantageously to avoid. There was spider silk on the basis, and nearby, an obvious trapdoor. Noah put a large stick on his base and readied his bow, taking aim. He kicked the stick over by the trapdoor, and instantly a spider flare-up out to usurp what it thought was its meal. The affair was huge, almost five feet in diam.

Noah released his arrow, striking one of its eyes and leaving it screeching in painful sensation. Before it could duck back into its trap, he shot another arrow, this one drilling through its skull and ending its biography. While it was still newly, Noah rushed over, pulled out the 2d pointer, and lunge his finger into the hole. He stirred his digit around in the spider's mentality, causing its peg, now curled up into a fist, to start spasming. While not comrade with spider figure specifically, he was tickling what he hoped to be the cerebellum.

"come on, where are you… Ah !"He found the deception spot, as the whole torso convulsed and the abdomen started expelling silk at a mad rate, like he was squeezing a tube of toothpaste. Het got to his metrical unit and dragged the wanderer with him, laying out the silk so that it wouldn't reefer to itself. He had come up with this idea on a whim and was overjoyed to see it act. When flow of silk stopped, he removed his fingerbreadth."That's right, ladies, I am just that good."

He then began rubbing stain into the silk like he had with the animal fat he had collected the previous day, something to keep it from sticking to anything. It was good thick pipeline, and substantial as well. Next, he started gathering up the elderly, fragile 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 camp, carrying the wanderer with him as well. He was certain he could recall up something to do with his corpse, maybe use it like a straw man to ward off goblins or something. When he arrived, Tin had completed her task and stared in amazement at the bushed spider.

Noah walked over to the waggon and pulled out a small wooden bbl. It had originally been filled with salt, which the striver bargainer used to preserve their food, but now there wasn't much left. What remained, Noah poured into some of his clay jars. He then hung the spider to drain its blood into the bbl. There wasn't much, and it had begun to set immediately after demise, but that just made it sticky like syrup. He swirled it around the interior of the cask, covering every inch, and then filled it up halfway with some of the put-upon ash from the birch fires yesterday. He didn't touch the ash tree with his paw, and upon closing the barrel, he shook it up. Once completed, the inside of the barrel was coated with fatheaded layer of ash.

Putting it aside, Noah began moving hot gem from the fire and putting them into the basinful, bringing the water to a boil. Then, he started shoveling birch ash until it filled up half the basin. For the succeeding half time of day, Noah would swap out stones, making sure the water was always boiling. Soon a film began to reconcile on top of the water. It was smooth lye, rising from the ash. Noah harvested it from the surface, careful not to touch it, and put it in the skillet on the fervour to churn away the wet.

"Ok, I'm going to go back and get more than firewood. I want you to celebrate swapping out the Harlan F. Stone so that the piddle stays boiling hot, and as the lye gathering on the surface, scan it and put it in the skillet. Whatever you do, do not let it touch you. The waterfall and the river are keeping the air moving in one direction. You want to appease upwind so that you don't breathe in any of the fumes. You got that ?"

"Yes, Master."

And that was how they spent the full morning and much of the afternoon. They kept burning birch wood, and once the basin stopped producing lye, they would switch in fresh ashes and summarize harvesting. Between collecting firewood and tending to the flak, Noah created more pottery with the river clay and baked it in the fervency. The skillet was routinely filled with the lye mixture, and once the water evaporated away, Noah would scrape the lye into one of his clay jars. It was the midsection of the afternoon when he declared that they had collected enough.

"Now to test it."With his tongue, he collected a small bump and put it on his arm. He could feel it burning his tegument like an aching sunburn. Had he taken his time with this, it would take in been burning a crater into his skin, but in this case, quantity was better than quality.

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

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

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

They moved away from the fervidness, sick of its heat, and ate by the waterfall. While chewing on hoodlum jerk, Noah studied the cavalry. They weren't tied to any trees, at least not now, and were wandering around the campsite, nibbling on whatever they liked. The trip telegram was doing a good job of keeping them close, but they would probably run out of food by tomorrow. They'd have to act on by then.

"skipper, if my may ask, how do you know how to do these things ? I've never seen anyone fight like you do, at to the lowest degree not soul your age, and you have the acquisition of an alchemist. What kind of training have you done ?"

"An alchemist ? I kind of like the audio of that. Let's just say that I have a lot of life experience. I've lived through good sentence and bad. Anyway, we should strike on to the next stage. I'm going to go along the river and catch little slimes. I want you to incur the army corps of the big slime I killed yesterday and try to compile their skin."

Tin was obedient, not voicing any of her doubts and instead setting off to do as her sea captain ordered. Noah retrieved the drum he had tinkered with earlier and filled it with water, then began walking through the river, searching the banks. It was only up to his articulatio genus, and there were plenty of large boulders for slimes to hide out by. On his helping hand, he wore some rough leather glove that one of the slave dealer had been wearing. The slimes he found were usually about the size of his fist, and with neat care, he'd pick them up and put them in the barrel.

The H2O in the barrel, thanks to the ash, had a raised pH level. The slimes were acidulous, but their pH grade wasn't very low. The alkalinity of the water and the ash kept them from melting through the side of meat of the barrel. He also tossed in some intellectual nourishment to keep them from starving. Hopefully they'd still be able-bodied to digest it. If they were all still awake by the side by side morning, his programme was a success.

When he returned to the ingroup, Tin had gathered up the skin of the dead guck from the day before.

"I'm sorry, Master, but the tegument are too fragile for any kind of use."Noah put down the gun barrel and examined the drop hide. It was crinkly and indulgent, a far cry from any kind of leather, more like a Snake's shed skin.

"No, they're perfect, just what I wanted."He handed her one of the obelisk the striver traders had carried."Here, start carving them up into squares, about as long as your hand. You know how big, right ?"

She nodded and went to cultivate. While she did that, Noah collected more long hair's-breadth from the horses. He took the second power that Tin cut up and used them to enclose up small piles of lye, then tied them shut with the horse haircloth. The slime skin, despite its fragility, still maintained many of its characteristics. muck were like living Zen, so they had to be able to control their pH tier. Their skin not only retain their bowel in, it kept basic pith out, sum like lye, making it perfect for holding it.

With their combined travail, they were able to create just over 30 lye packs, plus another twenty filled with alkaline ashes.

"Ok, let's screen one of these out."Noah took one of the supernumerary second power, filled it with ashes, tied it off, and threw it at a nearby boulder. The gunk skin held together while being handled and thrown, but upon striking a firmly surface, it burst open and sprayed its contents in all directions."perfect !"

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

"That's right. This lye isn't very solid, so it doesn't do much to pare, but if it gets into your eyes or you breathe it in, you'll go down. All we have to do is hit our enemy in the face and they won't stand a chance. Now, I know we're both run down, but we still have a few hours of daylight leftfield. Let's work on a brace other ways to better our place, and tomorrow, we'll head for the skinny town."

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

They departed the following dawn at dawn, wanting to get an early first. They were traveling at a faster pace than before, mainly because there were no longer slaves in tow. The two Equus caballus the traders had ridden were no longer walking alongside the paddy wagon, but were now helping to pull it. With the spider silk Noah had collected and wood from the forest, he managed to create spare harnesses so that they were leading. The horses moved in a unbendable trot, nothing compared to the cars from Noah's old lives, but fast enough to possibly outrun an untrained man.

For Noah, this was a scene he was familiar in. He had fought in numerous warfare and seen countless post-apocalyptic worlds, living through one anarchic hellscape after another. He was familiar spirit with the need to grow oculus in the back of his nous, to wait enemies at all multiplication.

"Master !"Tin exclaimed.

"Yeah, I see them."

Swarming from the side were a multitude of wildcat, each one almost as great as the horses pulling the wagon, but Noah had planned for this. He handed the reins to Tin who whipped the gymnastic horse into a full gallop. He took out his bow and began launching pointer. to the highest degree of these arrows, he had made himself. He had to rush them, so they weren't his best oeuvre, but they got the job done for short-range encounters.

The Hugo Wolf dodged the pointer as they charged, but it managed to spook them into moving around back to fire from the tail end. Noah climbed into the wagon and stared them down through the open back. Changing their attempt angle had momentarily slowed them down, but they'd catch up in seconds and flank them. Noah tossed a big bucks of offshoot and greens out of the vertebral column of the wagon, but they were more than they appeared. It was actually a net with thorny bushes and bristles woven in. The net was dragged behind the wagon, and the savage that stepped on it cried out as their paws were spiked with sharp come pods. Those who were injured gave up the chase, while the relaxation of the plurality learned and split up to avoid the net.

Before they could impart his view, Noah opened up the barrel of slimes and began throwing them. Even if the diminished creature didn't make a lineal hit, they exploded like weewee balloons. The Zen splashed on the wolves, who instinctively knew that slime were to be avoided. The pack realized that this quarry wasn't worth all of the trouble and gave up. One threat had been neutralized, giving them time to take a breath, but it didn't end there.

Bears and other forest savage would pop up every now and then and require to be dispatched by arrow. The tiny bolts couldn't do much damage, but the annoyance would make the beasts reevaluate whether or not to remain attacking. Any ogre he managed to kill, he would reap for parts. With Tin controlling the horses, he would figure out in the wagon, removing tegument, teeth, organs, and anything that looked valuable or useful. Every now and then, they'd even stop so that he could collect medicinal plants and mushroom-shaped cloud. But the more he fought, the more Noah realized how unprepared his body was for all this. He was tidy and secure, and had lifetimes of combat experience, but his hand hadn't built up a stratum of callus that a native of these state would have. Every time he gripped his sword, he could sense blisters forming on his palm.

Then, in the afternoon, the next challenge revealed itself. In the aloofness, a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree lay across the road. A rider on hogback might be able to jump it, but never a police van like this. Whether or not it had fallen naturally, Noah knew who would use this opportunity.

"Tin, stop the wagon."They came to halt a hundred chiliad from the tree."Turn the sawbuck around. If I die, ride back the way we came. stoppage at the waterfall until soul uses this road and then travel with them."

"Master, are you for certain about this ?"she asked with her basset hound eyes.

"I've handled worse."

He got off the wagon with his brand in hand, and on his arm, a shell made from the carapace of the spider he had killed. He was wearing one of the slave dealer'coats, the closest he could get to leather armor, and he also had his satchel, filled with lye mailboat. Rather than draw near the tree diagram, he dove into the woods. If there were any hobgoblin in hiding, he'd flank them. As he approached the barrier, he spotted them, hiding behind the trees. They were the size of small fry, but with protruding abdomen and greenness pelt. Their capitulum and nose were pointed, their faces overall barely even humanoid. They were armed with steel and curtain call, likely stolen from slain traveller.

He closed in on the first one, his stride giving him away and causing it to skreak in warning signal. Noah dispatched it with a swing music of his sword, overpowering its attempt to circumvent and lopping off the top of its skull. The others, alarmed by the death of their brother, turned their attending to Noah and attacked. They launched their arrows, albeit with deceptive aim, but it forced Noah to evade for cover. He pulled out one of his lye gang, focused on a hob with a bow, and threw it like a baseball. The little pack nailed it between the eyes and exploded. The goblin took an instinctive breathing spell in, and then immediately screamed in excruciation. Not only were its sinuses and lungs filled with lye, but it had gotten into his eyes, leaving it blinded.

The way it shrieked was nothing less than unnerving. It was like a baby yell, it racked the mind and made even Noah squeamish. The hobgoblin, hearing those riot, became frightened. This was a savage world, and living in the woods, every day was a damn fight for survival. But none of them had suffered or seen person suffer a flesh wound and make that variety of noise.

Noah gave them no fourth dimension to pile up their braveness. He dealt with the other hob Sagittarius the Saami 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 drudge and twinge. His spider carapace fractured whenever he blocked a swing, but it held together long enough to pour down them all. These goblin probably ambushed their target, catching them by surprise to make up for their weak eubstance, but once they lost that advantage, they were easy to dispose of.

He was closing in on the last one, slightly larger than the others and armed with a club. It growled and made a across-the-board lilt. Noah didn't try to block and stepped back out of the behemoth's ambit, then swung down his sword and cleaved the goblin's head open. To his discomfort, roue splattered across his human face and got into his eye. He rubbed it out until he could see, then nearly staggered, hit with a sudden fatigue.

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

The wagon approached and stopped where the tree had lain, but there was a expression of confusion on Tin's face."Master, where are you ?"

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

Confusion turned to revere, Tin beginning to panic."master, I can't see you anywhere !"

Noah couldn't understand. He was standing right in front of the sawhorse. He walked over and grabbed her arm."Tin, I'm standing justly 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 know. Was something affecting her imaginativeness ? Maybe she had been hit with some sort of hobgoblin attack, or it was an illness, either a disease or some kind of toxicant from something in the forest.

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

"It's o.k., I can see everything clearly ! But I can't see you !"Was he the job ? He could see himself just mulct. Damn it, his eye was still itching from the blood. He rubbed it with his palm and Tin gave another yelp of surprise."maestro, 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 last time he felt it was when he first woke up in this cosmos. 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 out air !"

That fatigue, he was feeling it again. He stepped back and began kicking around leaves and shite."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 look on Tin's look, 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 hand over his eye again, not rubbing it, but just covering it. He repeated the experiment, making a quite a little of the route."Can you see any difference of opinion in the road ?"

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

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

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

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

"That's the only thing it can be. But I've never heard of magic that could make mass disappear like that."

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

He then remembered his lowest second with Lindsey. He had covered his pull up stakes eye because the sun was blinding him, and he woke up in this world in that same position. His glitchy reincarnation, it hadn't just preserved his body at this age, it gave him some kind of magic. Maybe it was the magic itself that caused the error, the magic present tense in this new reality.

"Tin, do they consume any variety of give-and-take for the energy used for magic ? 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 present moment he attempted it, he fell to his human knee, almost blacking out."Master !"Tin exclaimed. She climbed down and helped him to his feet.

"So, you can see me. That means I didn't turn unseeable. But something clearly happened, or at least, tried to happen. I have a different go in each eye, but not enough mana to use the second gear one. It must be like a muscleman. I have to civilize it to increase my toughness.

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

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

The succeeding day, while Tin took Ithiel Town the tripwires set around their makeshift camp, Noah was busy experimenting with his magic. He had come across a goliath spider, draining the bloodline from a captured rabbit. As he approached, Noah covered his eye and cast his delusion. His feet on the underbrush, it should have given him away, but the wanderer didn't seem to notice. He decided to form more randomness, picking up a stick and snapping it, but still, the wanderer didn't seem to discover.

"Over here."

Finally, the spider spun around, its black eyes searching for the root of the noise. It seemed that his illusion also concealed sounds, but not his voice. Maybe because he intended for his phonation to be heard ? He had been casting his spell on and off since he discovered it, to try and get a better spirit of his mana. He couldn't properly stress himself since he needed to make unnecessary his forcefulness for when he needed it, but he was starting to sense the flow.

He drew his blade, a new one. After the battle with the goblin, he had taken their weapon, and despite being slightly rusty due to inadequate charge, they were higher quality than the cheap machete that Noah had been using until now. He now carried a Medieval-style longsword, a short sword, and his tongue. He came up with arrangement with thoughts of ancient samurai, who carried a katana, a wakizashi, and a tanto dagger.

He reached out with his longsword and used it to lift a nearby scrub. The spider didn't see or hear anything. Noah could feel it, his mana flowing through his sword towards the bush, enveloping it in the illusion. He focused on the energy running through his arm and tried to slow the flow, to prevent it from moving beyond his sword. It was exceedingly hard, like trying to twist a heftiness he had never used before. It reminded of him of all the age he spent as a neonate, when his muscle tissue paper was just slightly tougher than gelatin. He tempered his breathing, driving out all distractions from his judgment, and soon, he could feel the flowing of his mana, like he had grabbed a clutches of it.

He pulled it back, leaving the brand enveloped, but this time, when he rustled the bush, the spider raised his front legs and bared its fangs, believing an animal to be causing the flutter. Noah slowly approached and tapped one of the wanderer's raised legs with his brand. It hissed in fury and swung at something it could not see. The illusion could block sound from reaching his foe, but it couldn't erase the sense of contact, so he couldn't just turn unseeable and stab someone without them feeling it.

There was something else he noticed. When he was invisible, he could smell the mana in others. Tin had very little, likely a sign that she had no phylogenetic relation for deception, probably a intellect why she ended up a slave. The monstrosity had even less, but not all of them. Lone wolves without face pack and many spiders, they seemed to be shrouded in mana. He didn't get the impression that they could use magic, more like it clung to them, like an odor. What made them so special ?

This was just another question that Noah chalked up to something he'd learn later. For now, he should just carry on utilizing his magic to its full potential drop. The wanderer had its safeguard raised, but couldn't sensation the mien of anyone or anything nearby, so it could do cipher to stop Noah from ending its life. He harvested what he needed from the body and then returned to camp.

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

It was a sweet relief to Noah and Tin when they finally left the forest. After two days of repeated ambushes by predator and goblins, the sea of Tree that flanked them on either face were replaced with heart-to-heart lea, fields where farmers and their slaves were planting craw. The road became more undifferentiated, receiving to a greater extent alimony due to the increase in dealings. In the space, they saw the town, Clive, as Tin called it. It was surrounded by a log fence to preserve the monsters out. It reminded him of the colonial village museum from his fifth-grade field trip. The creek from their waterfall camp joined into the river that flowed beside the town.

safeguard in cheap leather armor with a few metal plates were manning the gate, and they stopped Noah and Tin as they approached. One of them looked over the horse cavalry and the beach wagon with a wary eye.

"These belong to Garrow and his men. How did you come 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 Town. For Noah, it was like he had traveled back in time to Medieval European Economic Community. peasant walked the muddy route, street vendors tried to sell their ware, 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 deal this police wagon, everything in it, and the cavalry. That precaution recognized them, so others may as well. Plus, I can protect a slew of coins punter than this load of pelts. We can just buy replacements if we need them."They rode past a mendicant lying in the street and Noah brought the buck to a stop."You there, where can I chance a weapon system dealer ?"

The beard man pointed a trembling finger to the East. Noah didn't thank him, but tossed him a copper coin. They turned down one of the eastern streets and a sign of the zodiac caught Noah's eye. It had an anvil with two crossed swords in movement of it like a crest. They stopped the wagon outside and Noah disembarked.

"Look after the Wain. This place is probably crawling with thief, so be wary."

She was armed with a dagger and he had religious belief in her competence. He stepped into the store, with a campana ringing above his fountainhead from the door opening move and culmination. This store was made of brick in fiat to minify the fire danger due to the smithy in back. Numerous weapons were put on display, from brand to halberds. Back in his previous liveliness, Noah could have bought a Damascus steel online for $ 60 that would put these to shame, but these would suffice.

He also paid attention to the cost in order to figure out the rate of conversion for money. The numbers pool were drawn a bit differently from past worlds, but they appeared to have the same values. From what he could tell, ten atomic number 29 coins equaled a bronze, ten bronze equaled a silver, and ten silver for a atomic number 79. The metric function grading made it loose for Noah to compare them to US dollars, but from what era ? There was a suit of armor selling for two gold coins, about two thousand dollars. But was that two thousand dollars back in the Old West ? Or was that two thousand dollar sign in the twenty-first 100, after to a greater extent than a hundred years of inflation ? He couldn't even tell whether the prices were good or not. This was either all great equipment at a high price or garbage sold to beginners and tightwad, or even just dust the owner was asking the moon for to try and rip Noah off.

A man appeared from a back elbow room and stood behind a counter. He was a great bear of a man, buff and dirty from a life spent standing over an anvil. Seeing Noah's advanced apparel, disquiet crossed his face."Can I help you ?"

"Do you buy arm as well as sell 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 goblin. He stepped back inwardly and laid them out on the storage counter."What can I get for all of these ?"

There were four short steel, two longswords, six daggers, three lance, and an axe. The blacksmith raised his eyebrows in mild surprise at the size of the haul, but otherwise maintained a poker face for the sake of patronage. He examined each artillery, making exaggerated grunts and sighs over every chip and signboard of rust.

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

"That's a bad joke. That's less than a bronze coin per weapon system. You're merchandising sticker for three bronze each. Seven silver."Judging by the price of the showing pieces, that was Thomas More than the blacksmith could sell them for, and while he would get liked to go higher, the blacksmith was really low-balling him.

"That's derisory. My merchandise hasn't been dragged through the woods. Yours has. I'll have to spend all dark polishing and sharpening these to get them desirable of being put on display. Two silver."

"parting them as is and then chalk down the price. You can sell them to some fledgeling warriors as preparation train. Six silver."

"I can't come anywhere near that. The best I can do is two Ag and five bronze."

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

"You think you're the lone one selling weapon system by the arm-load ? Plenty of adventurer come in here to ditch what they found in some goblin tunnel. Scavenged swords are hardly rarified on the market place. Two flatware and seven bronze. That's like final offer."

‘ So, ‘ adventurer'is a term used here. It probably applies to monster hunters and the like.'“ How about this : my axe, plus two daggers, in interchange for that nicer axe up on the wall ? Everything else, you buy at one-half for what you're selling their vis-a-vis for. That's ten bronze for the short brand, another ten for the long swords, four and half bronze for the daggers, and another four and one-half for the gig. That's justly around three silver."

The blacksmith gave a seeing red. Three silver, such a round, entirely number. It was five bronze above what he could get if he sold the weapons for one-half Leontyne Price, but his inner-perfectionist didn't want to refine it with a smaller payment. 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 manus and Noah received the three coins and the axe."I also have another thing outside that you might be interested in. Follow me."He led the blacksmith out into the street and showed him the tripwire axial motion in the vertebral column of the wagon.

"What is it ?"

"A tripwire system, offering a hundred yards of protection. Any monster that touches it makes the metallic element alarms jingle. It's so loud that even the dead can listen it. I'll trade it for three bronze and the pocket-size shield you had in the corner. It's got to be deserving that in materials alone."

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

The deal was struck and Noah and Tin set off with a a lot lighter wagon. The axe Noah had gotten was a magnanimous one, perfective for chopping both Tree and monsters. The carapace he now wore on his arm was only around the size of a dinner party plate, but that worked for him. It was secure enough to occlude a slash from a sword and it wouldn't hamper his movements. The tripwire was a bit unspeakable to lose, but once they sold the wagon, they would have ended up carrying it with them.

With counsel from many of the townsfolk, they sold and traded their wares. The blacksmith wouldn't buy the obeisance, but Noah found another weapon bargainer who allowed him to trade up to a much better piece and a thrill of good-quality arrow. After that, the medicinal herbaceous plant and mushroom-shaped cloud were bought by an herbalist, the Wolf hide went to a leatherworker in interchange for some armor and a unassailable backpack, and the clothes and base were traded at the garment shop for some new outfit and a second backpack. Due to the unearthly looks he was getting, Noah was cognisant that his advanced clothes made him endure out. They were too worthful to get rid of or sell, so he simply packed them away and donned the wearing apparel of the countryside.

He ditched the severed heads of the slave monger into someone's pig pen and the hogget went to town. From asking around, it seemed that the Garrow familiar he killed wasn't the treasured criminal he had hoped for. It was a pity there was no bounteousness to call for, especially after three days of putting up with the olfactory perception of those heads.

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

The possessor of an adventurer's shop yelped in pain from the lye touching his skin. He sold traveling and survival gear, such as rope, candles, dried rations, and former curios to facilitate traveler survive the creature dwelling away man's knowledge domain. Now he was buying the go of Noah's haul, including the remains of several wanderer and the gun barrel of slime. A examination had been necessity to convince him of the lye's ability.

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

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

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

"We do."

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

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

"quaternary bronze and you won't have to handle with me for the rest of the day."

"Deal."

With that, Tin and Noah left, having sold everything they deemed not worth carrying. The Dipper and horses had already been exchanged for some lovely gold coins, so now they lived carrying everything they owned. Tin was in a honest mood, now wearing right clothes and footwear. She looked nothing like the slave lady friend that Noah had met when he first came to this human beings. One might calculate at her and not even cogitate she was a slave.

The sun had almost set, but they made their way to their last stop, an inn known as the Old Wineskin. It was busy inside, the air stinking of shrill smoke, ale, and poor hygiene, and the floor creaking under numberless dyad of shifting boots. The hostess, a prominent woman looking like she birthed minor by the bedding material, greeted them at the room access from behind a strawman desk.

"Are you here to eat or to log Z's ?"she asked.

"Both. What are your rates ?"

"quintet copper coins a night for one room. For ten, you also get firewood, a hot bath, and two lame 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 entire package for three nights."

The fair sex handed him an iron key."Take a seat in the dining room wherever you like and I'll bring you the house special."

Noah led Tin through the gang of drunken villagers, both of them on the lookout for dip. Every man in the bar looked either like a Viking or the kind of guy that Vikings typically killed, all of their clothes made of either woollen, linen, or brute hide. Any women were either travelers huddled together, or concubine sitting across the circuit of their drunk clients and laughing at every bad joke as they waited for the alcoholic beverage to occupy its bell.

Noah and Tin found a belittled table near the fireplace and took their can with Noah warning Tin to put her bag directly under the tabular array.

"This township is just as I expected,"he said.

"Is something wrong, Master ?"

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

He had seen plenty of towns that been knocked out of the Bodoni age in his old lives, usually due to some kind of apocalyptic event or because it was in a third-world country, but none of them had the Medieval European Economic Community aura like in fantasy books and pic. For all of his life experience, this was something he was gladiola to finally be able to cross off his list.

"So we're going to detain here for three daytime ? Then what ?"

"I'm not sure yet. I don't have sufficiency information. I want to know more about this country, about the early land. I want to see what I can nominate of myself and what will give me the best luck of survival. But for now, I want to rest up for a few twenty-four hour period and watch what I can about the area."

He took out the maps he had bought and looked them over. Their quality was just as he expected from a Medieval social club. The map of the Algata province showed the townspeople around Clive, as well as vague rivers and good deal, but there was no scurf for referencing distance and none of the roadstead were labeled. The subject map was no better, but it did list the heavy Ithiel Town and the capital of Uther near the southern glide. It was hard to fix the sizing of the country, but it was probably somewhere between England and Texas.

Right now, what he needed to work on was a backstory. True, this was not a body politic with an educated populace, but Noah was still ignorant of the acculturation and lifestyle, something that would require long time to catch up on. If he claimed to be from somewhere but failed to serve a doubtfulness that any aboriginal would know, it would make him calculate fishy. In his past life history, his backstory would engender itself, just like everyone else, and as an adult, when he needed an alias, he could easily craft a new one using his knowledge of the world. He had been forced to hide in other countries and get hold of on new identity in past lives, but this was a whole new ballgame.

The hostess arrived with wooden trays and beer mugful. The firm special was a bowl of meat and veggie stew and a biscuit, with a dry pint of the local 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 nothing but rock-hard bread and dried meat that was little more 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 scrap to survive. Master doesn't need to be so generous in buying me such grand food."

"You've done everything I've told you to do and have yet to disappoint me. You deserve to eat proper meals. Besides, I need you solid and hefty so you can continue to assist me."

She bowed her headway with her shoulder joint trembling."Thank you, Master."

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

The room they were renting was awfully stark, just a bed with some itchy mantle and a fireplace. There was also a mesa with a lone candle and a pitcher of water. Firewood had already been delivered. As Tin lit the candle, Noah began moving around the way, knocking on the walls, floor, and cap, searching for any enshroud door or peepholes. For all he knew, there could be people watching them, waiting for them to fall asleep and then rob them, or defective. He once made the fault of spending the dark in a backwoods motel that was run by a serial killer. The flat tire within walking space should birth warned him, but he refused to conceive the cliché.

"You get a ardor started while I look around. Don't capable the base or reveal any of your belongings until I get back, and incite the bed against the door."

He was sure for the most voice that no one was listening or watching them at the moment, but that might be temporary. He wanted to check the inn itself. But on the off chance that individual was managing to keep off his detection, he didn't want to actuate his conjuring trick. He left the way and locked the door behind him. There were way on either side and across the anteroom, but they would come later. He went downstairs, maneuvering through the crowd and stepping outdoors into the sullen street. The Ithiel Town was clearing out, everyone heading abode or to whatever patch they slept on.

Noah walked down the street, and as planned, he sensed a tail behind him. He stepped behind the nearby slaughterer shop and laid in wait. His pursuer, knife in hand, entered the back street. He never even saw Noah, certainly didn't see his hand aiming for his Adam's Apple. A solid blow ripped the air from the man's lungs and sent him to his knees, unable to even holler in torture. He dropped his knife 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 have noticed you, so that means you didn't see me with Garrow's Plough and cavalry. Either person who did see me put you up to this, or you're just going after me because I look like an easy Gospel According to Mark. So, which is it ?"

"Eat shit, you damn kid !"the man gargled. He tried to unloose himself from the choke coil hold, but Noah just tightened his grip. He couldn't see anything, no topic where he looked.

Noah took out his knife and held it under the man's eye. The steel was invisible like Noah, but the man could feel the vane threatening to pierce the cutis of his blue lid."If you want to pull through yourself, originate talking. I can pee-pee you beg for your life and then beg for expiry in a matter of seconds."

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

"Is there anyone else or do you 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 briefest bit, the man felt Noah's delay on him undo, thinking he was going to be let go. Instead, Noah grabbed his head and snapped his neck.

Noah searched the clay for anything of value and dumped it in the river beside the village. He then returned to the inn and searched the outside. He had measured the length from the window to the corners of his room, and, assuming that all the rooms were the same size and same configuration, there didn't appear to be any treasonably wall that person could hide in.

With his fancy still active, he went inside the inn and maneuvered through the crowds, this time putting all of his endeavor into not bumping up against anyone. He checked the thickness of the flooring and roof of each grade and found no anomalies. His mana was starting to run out, so he had to hurry with the last step. He returned to the story of his room and listened to the surrounding doors.

Behind the door across the hall, he could hear two female adventurers talking, making plans for the following day. In the way to the left wing of his, he could discover a man sharpening his sword. The room to the right was silent. From his pocket, Noah drew a length of wire. It was originally percentage of the handgrip of one of the blade he had sold, but he took it before taking it out of the Plough. Lockpicking had been a science of his several life-time ago, so he was a footling rusty. Regardless, he managed to open the door and peeked in, seeing the one inhabitant sleeping.

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

He could hear 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 held breathing spell upon the door closing. Finally, they could let down their guard duty, at least for the most part.

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

On the board with the lone cd, he spread out the coins from their sales event. There was a great number of silver coins, plenty of bronze, and various copper color, as well as some gold."With all of this, we can last out 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 bait or a decoy against pickpockets. The third 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 hide them in his clothes and possessions, such as the liner of his crownwork and the shoulder strap of his backpack.

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

Noah let her in and she placed a wooden tub on the story, filled with steaming water and some ragtime. In this macrocosm, it seemed like exterior of swim, the only way to go on even remotely clean was with a unproblematic wash drawing cloth. Noah tipped her and she departed.

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

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

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

There was a do-or-die shimmer in her eye."Something which I beg your forgiveness for. I must present 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 obligation to serve my master. Please, allow me to stay on not dissatisfactory you."

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

She made a small noise of alleviation, almost like a hybridisation between a joke and a pant."Please lease a seat."

Noah sat on the foot of the bed and Tin retrieved some of their leftover soap, then brought to tub next him. She kneeled before him and wetted the social movement of her torso with one of the ragtime, then with the soap, lathering up her breasts and between her thighs. He could tell she was excited. Despite her perpetually expressionless face, he could see the small curling of her lips, the shimmer in her eyes, signs of joy. It was an dry combining ; she, having never known joy from contact with a man, and he, so numb that impinging with a cleaning woman was one of the lastly few things that could chip in him pleasure.

She began by taking one of the washcloth and scrubbing Noah's legs, trying to remove the lather and scandal from their days in the woods. Then, her breathing would deepen, and she'd starting line rubbing her dresser up against him, grinding against him like a stripper pole. Her breast were far from ample, due to her harsh lifetime and poor dieting, but what softness there was, she used to please Noah. She made sure he felt every cubic centimeter of fat, as if the spate of her breasts equaled her trueness.

She washed off the liquid ecstasy and then got on the bed to reduplicate the process on his arms. Her endeavor gave him an amused grinning. With her inner thighs nice and sudsy, she'd straddle his manus, letting him cup her woman in his laurel wreath and feel how wet she was. She was beginning to pant and whimper, her lust building up in her. Her delirious breaths in his ears was likewise getting him worked up. He had a few ex-girlfriends that would give him this treatment.

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

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

She moved behind him and scrubbed his spinal column, then began smooshing her breast against him in sweeping apparent motion. It reminded him of washing windows. While she grinded on his vertebral column, she washed his breast and her hands naturally fell to his throbbing manhood. She stroked it lovingly, as if wanting to memorise every point. She started rubbing against him with more force play and jacking him off. Despite Noah being on the receiving end, Tin's sweat were making her breathe heavily with an aroused whimper passing her lips. The feel of her breasts on his binding and her masterful stroking were also getting to Noah. Even with all of his sexual experience, he always enjoyed a little foreplay.

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

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

She began sucking on his member with adoring dedication. Every drop of cum, she slurped off while savoring the perceptiveness of his sweat. Like the early dark, she paid aid to his clod, either massaging them while his putz plunged into the astuteness of her throat, or sucking on them and rolling them around her back talk while she jacked him off.

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

She looked up at him, a knuckle down both to him and to her desires."Yes, master copy. My dead body tone 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 blissfulness as she felt him come in her. She was so wet, his cock sliding against her inside human body without any electric resistance. There was no hesitation in any of Tin's movements, she didn't need to adjust her position or let her body suit wonted to the feeling of being penetrated. As soon as she was down to the base, she began bouncing on his cock at full-of-the-moon speed.

Noah laid back with his handwriting gripping her ass. The endeavour she was putting in was laudable, she was fucking him like a pornstar. Her groan of blissfulness, she didn't bother trying to hide them. She let her voice ring out, escaping their way 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 lupus erythematosus bass. She was putting all of her metier 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 wield himself. There were no fields to lick, no stock to take care of. She couldn't battle, couldn't hunt, couldn't do anything to repay her master for the kindness he had shown her. All she could do was offer her body for his enjoyment, to move over 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 washcloth and wiped the goop off her chest, making her nipples become erect. He then sat up and began running his tongue and lips across her peel, kissing her ring of color and sucking on their crest. He often pulled his sass away to connect with hers, kissing her with skill she could only call art. instead than letting her continue bounce, he implemented his own technique. Cupping her tight ass in his hands, he began gyrating her hips in one direction while he moved in the opposite focusing. Now, instead of doing retentive, thick cam stroke, his turncock was stirring up the profoundness of her womanhood like he was whisking some scrambled eggs.

The dual blast, they were more than Tin could bear."Master ! Ah ! lord !"she moaned.

She held onto his shoulders as a moving ridge of climax rushed through her, soaking Noah's lap in her arousal. Noah fell back, this prison term while pulling Tin down with him. Tin, lying across his chest, was given no time to take a breather. He lifted her hips up and began bucking his own, driving up into her at maximum speed and profundity. His assault on her, there was no ruthlessness to it, but it was so unattackable 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 lyric. It was his acquirement and experience, she could palpate it with every move he made. He knew exactly what to do to not do any injury, despite the intensity level itself leaving her on the sceptre of blacking out.

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

"grasp on, I'm almost there."

She held onto him for dear life, as if a crack cocaine had ripped off the roof of the inn and was threatening to perpetrate her up into the sky. Soon, the violent storm passed, and Tin felt that final thrust and Noah emptying himself into her. The adept of her master's seeded player flooding her fair sex, the heat of it inside her, it made her moan a individual crystal-clear musical note, like a bird call. Then, she collapsed on top of him, using the final stage of her persuasiveness to run kisses across his dresser.

"Master, when you wanted to know the area and me and some early slaves raised out hands… thank you for choosing me."Noah didn't say anything. He knew that this was a place that one couldn't simply respond with ‘ you're welcome ’. Yet after so many lifetimes, he still didn't know what the proper response was."And at the waterfall… thank you for letting me stick by your side."

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

.

.

.

Stamina

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.

.

The sunup of the next day found Noah roaming the village. Before he made any decisiveness, he wanted to have it off what this town had to provide, what endeavors it could support. According to the mapping he bought, Baron Clive of Plassey was far away from the body politic's capital, out in the boondocks, but it appeared to cause a strong economy, with many professing one might not have a bun in the oven in such a jolting 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 natural resources.

So far, Clive had some farm soil and a river for intellectual nourishment, as well as the vast woodland for lumber, but its top commodity was demon. As Noah explored the Town, he saw legion adventurers buying intellectual nourishment and supplies before going off to hunt and gather. In the early 17th century, the fur trade exploded in Europe, sending countless men out into the wilderness of Siberia and the U.S. to witness their fortune. Here, the principal was the same. pelt were in demand in the big urban center, but most of the demon had been wiped out around the more dwell domain, so adventurers spread out to the countryside to hunt and betray their catch, and where there is an exploitable resource, you can determine capitalists looking for people with money burning a pickle in their pockets.

His search brought him to the topical anesthetic pharmacist, where numerous pots and jolt adorned the walls on shelf while different plant life were hung to dry command overhead. He recognized respective plant life, but many were new to him. An old woman ran the shop class, watching Noah like a hawk through the smoke coming from her pipework. It filled the air, along with respective different sort of incense. No sunshine was allowed in, so as to uphold the plants and potions on show.

"Anything I can aid you encounter ?"

"Do you have potions to help bushel mana ?"

"Yes. I sell them in three timber at a price of five, ten, and twenty bronze coins, but you have to buy the bottle as well if you don't have any of your own. appear to the shelf behind you, the dispirited potions."

He examined the ampoule, three bobber feeding bottle with blue liquids, each one a dissimilar shade. There was no telling how utile they were. He didn't know how much mana they could replenish, compared to the amount of mana he had within him. And the people of color tad, was that because of the presence of a specific factor that increased its authorization ? Or were they just watered down ?

"What about health ?"

"The red ones, above them, and we also sell bandages. However, those are only for showing my wares. Simply recount 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 trick involved ? The idea of learning how to create potions appealed to him, but if it required a limited kind of conjuration, then that plan wouldn't go anywhere.

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

The charwoman relayed the order to someone in the back way without ever taking her middle off Noah. A Danton True Young girl appeared behind the buffet, carrying a tray of six blue and red potions. Noah paid and stowed them away in his bag.

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

The woman cracked a smile, seeing right through him."How overnice of you to offer ! But my son does excellent work."

‘ So, she doesn't even want me to have intercourse the component. Oh well, I have way of life of finding out.'

He left the apothecary and breathed the sweet daybreak air. The sun had broken costless of the purview, and while it was still early, the townsfolk of Baron Clive of Plassey was now fully bustling. He returned to the inn, where Tin was waiting in their room.

"I got the potions."

"professional, you shouldn't bother yourself with such chore. 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 news, usually only speaking when necessary, such as to acknowledge rules of order or monish him that something was attacking. As time passed, she got more inquisitive, now doing whatever she could to aid him. The smallest tasks, she would try to do before he could, like opening room access 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 feast 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 people before sending you to run errands like this. I'm better at detecting cozenage then you are. Since I now know the Price of the potions, I can spend a penny surely that woman at the shop doesn't try to plume you."

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

"Now that we're finally in a safe place, I'm going to begin experimenting with my magic, and I need your help for that. Because there was always the threat of monstrosity, I never allowed my mana to fully eat up, so now I can start pushing my limits a little."He pulled out the three mana potions and put them on the tabular array."I'm going to cast my illusion and not hold back until my mana is completely used up and the charm comes undone. I need you to monitor my health during the process."

"Master, forgive me, but I'm not a therapist. I don't know how to do things like that."

"It's easy. While I'm invisible, I want you to hold my wrist and keep my beat while counting to a hundred over and over again until the spell disruption. If I should turn a loss cognisance, pour one of these potions down my pharynx and shoes my hand over my eye to make sure as shooting the spell is cancelled. Should my beat or breathing stop, there is a subroutine 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 flap. He placed his manus on the center of her bureau and felt her become tense."I can feel your heart beating. Should mine stop, you'll motive to press down on the nerve centre of my chest in rapid thrusts."He stacked his deal and gave a few downward shoves. The rhythm 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 pauperism to pinch my nose, and brag air into my lungs."He lowered his head and kissed her. She replied with enthusiasm, her breath 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 lots lingua. You'll give me two deep breathes, then do another thirty compressing. reprise the process until you feel my warmness starting. Understand ?"

"Yes, original,"she whispered with a languid face in her eyes.

"commodity. Now, to make sure as shooting I only use up my mana, I need to completely run out my physical stamina. forethought to help me with that ?"

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

To the enjoyment of some and the pain in the neck of others, the sounds of Tin's moans could be heard throughout the inn. Not only loud, it was incessant. Aside from some unretentive breaking, her part continued to rebound off the walls even with the sun now at the highest breaker point of the day and everyone eating lunch.

On the bed in their shared room, Noah was battering Tin from behind with relentless saturation. She no longer had the strength to even rest on all tetrad, and instead had her face pressed to the sheets, now sticky with their immix fluids. Every slam he delivered would make her cry out in euphoria. She didn't know how many meter he had brought her to climax, nor how many times she felt him swamp her soundbox with his seed, but each event threatened to rob her of her cognisance. Regardless, she fought through, doing everything she could to remain awake so that she could continue to please her master.

"Am I hurting you ?"It was a query that none of her previous masters had ever asked while they violated her. They didn't care about how practically nuisance they inflicted on her, unless making her suffer was their goal, which it often was. To find out it from him, such sort word of honor, they nearly made her cry teardrop of joy. He asked her frequently, each time earning a passionate kiss from her.

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

How had this all started ? What was the reason he had given ? She could barely remember, it felt like so long ago. Oh, that's right, he called it usage. He asked it of her, but had he demanded it instead, invoked his federal agency as her schoolmaster, she would have been no less turn on. It fulfilled her, to finally be able to demo her dedication in the only when way she could. He was depending on her, trusting her to fulfil his expectations, and she was ready to devote her body for that. Her muscles begged for rest, but her person didn't want it to end. She wanted to wrap around him like a ophidian so that he could never get out, and instead cover using her until the end of time.

At this point, Noah had fully immersed himself in the act of passion, cognisant of nix but the physical human race. The feel of Tin's torso, her wetness and subdued shape around his peter, the taste when their tongues curled around each other when they kissed, the smell of her feminine essence as he brought her to climax, the visual modality of the sweat glistening on her consistence as he made her writhe and moan, he bathed in those sensations. He felt little tenderness for her, but at least physical sensory faculty could stay the ancient vortex in his mind, let him close off his brainiac and truly find again. His mortal, so starved and without stripping, it was like cracked desert clay now becoming fertile with the spring rains.

His physical stamina, something that Tin was make to tag as inhuman, was just as lots mental as physical. With so many life-time'worth of experience, he knew how to work through the hurting. He had felt the anguish of exertion enough times to learn how to cut it. He couldn't perform any dramatic effort of strength like some kind of superhero, but he knew how to properly aerate his blood for the upper limit output signal and knew how much strength his muscles could exert without suffering detrimental harm. He was digging down deep for strength and harnessing every kilogram calorie and spark of Department of Energy, and while he wasn't on the floor of a muscle-builder, 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. His irritation was approaching unbearable levels, but even though his erection was fleet, he didn't give in. He grabbed Tin by the articulatio humeri and pulled her against him, his lips joining hers. She was nearly delirious, acting as if on muscularity computer memory when she swirled her tongue around his back talk. His deal went to Ithiel Town on her, massaging her modest boob and stirring up the cum in her kitty. Tin was so tired and her throat was sore from moaning, but the way Noah tickled her clitoris and bullied her mammilla, it still made her whine in bliss.

He'd do this after every climax, keeping her busy while he slowly regained his erection. However, his humanness had thrown in the towel as his stamen hit nil. He let go of Tin and she fell back onto the bed. Her eyes were space from exhaustion, but she rolled onto her back and gap her leg, putting herself on exhibit and letting Noah see the seminal fluid overflowing from her womanhood.

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

"No, that's right. You were perfect. I can't even work up the specialty for a single thrust."He reached into his bag and pulled out the weak of the three healing potions. Even that task was almost beyond his reach. He might as well have just won the go de France."Here, drink this."She was too tired to move, so Noah put the bottle to her lips and let some trickle down her throat. She was soon revived, her body no longer trembling.

‘ So, aristocratical potions restore illusion staying power and red potions restore forcible stamina.'

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

"lord, what about you ?"

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

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

"It probably is grave, but I don't acknowledge how my mana reserves compare to an modal trick user my age, and this is fastest way to increase it. Now, don't let go of my radiocarpal joint and start counting as soon as I become inconspicuous. If my tenderness stops or there are any signal that my health is deteriorating, give me both a mana potion and a health potion, then do CPR. Remember : XXX compressions and then two breaths. You got that ?"

"Yes, Master."

Noah put his script over his eye and disappeared in forepart of Tin. However, Tin could still palpate him, feel his wrist in her hand and his warmth, and it comforted her. Upon the activation of the spell, Noah could feel his mana being depleted. It was a strange fatigue, like he was bleeding to Death. All of his mental centering was put on restricting the flow of mana to just his body, so that nothing else would get caught in his illusion and waste mana. It was why he left the job of timekeeping to Tin.

From his experience so far, he could exert the phantasy for about three hour before his motor map declined too far for him to agitate. He didn't know if that was upright or bad, but in clock time, he could sense that line of descent being crossed. From there, his thinking and physical military posture began a rapid decline. Noah fought with everything he had to stay witting, even when he could no longer keep back his heart open. His knowingness soon sank into a rift where he could feel his mana continuing to wipe out but couldn't feel his own body.

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

"Master,"she whispered, clutching is hand.

"So, the go came undone. How yearn did I finally until that happened ?"

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

"So, while with my physical stamen completely drained, I can preserve the trance for about five minutes before I pass out. At full strong point, I can sustain it that long while still being able-bodied to contend. This is secure, I'm in perfect condition to get the best welfare for stressing my mana, and since my heart and soul and breathing didn't blockage, I don't need to worry about suffocating. Either that potion will weary off or it'll manage to replenish all my mana, but whichever happens first off, I'll starting line again immediately after."

He gave himself time for the mana to recirculate through his consistence. He checked his reflexes, forcible posture, and mental processing. True, he felt half-dead from exhaustion and sore all over, but he knew what tangible wrong would find like. fill in mana personnel casualty felt just like bleeding to death, so there was always the possibleness that being drained of it for too long would have standardized effects to his physical structure, like blindness or muscular tissue expiry. There was no telling if the health potions could touch on those kinds of injuries.

Nothing appeared to be wrong, so he returned to the bed."All proper, we're going to keep doing this."

They repeated the process over and over again. Noah would use all of his mana through his thaumaturgy, Tin would wake him up with a potion, he'd tick 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 rumbling of his stomach and his disorientation concerned Tin, but he refused any kind of sustainment, and for unspoilt reason. Each time he performed the mental process, he noted his mana reserves increasing. He didn't know what mana was or how he produced it, but without forcible stamina to soften the setback of depletion, the source of his mana was being stressed to its limits, and was reaping the welfare. There were a lot of thing about mana and conjuring trick 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 training, 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 shop for the night and wouldn't even give her door."

"For the beneficial, I imagine, considering how she started throwing material at you last prison term. We've probably bought up all the supply that she's willing to betray 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 wake me up."

"I can let it brought up to us."

"No, let's go below. I'm rather sick of this room and want some invigorated air."

He tried to sit up in the bed, but even that was almost beyond him. How recollective had it been since he was this drained of strong point ? There was that fourth dimension when he starved to death… When was that ? Even his mind was on the sceptre of shutting down. He tried to get dressed, but his soundbox 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 concern, Master. While I was never the retainer of any bang-up nobles, I heard that this was a responsibility that their maids often performed. Simply reckon that you are a great 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 backrest."Yes. I'm sure you will someday even get a duke."

Now fully dressed, he was helped to his infantry and they left the way, though he had to slant on Tin for livelihood. From upstairs, they could hear the disorderliness of the guests in the dining room, singing Song and knocking their mugs together. Yet as the teens appeared and made their way to their board from the previous even, that clamor went died down, with all eyes on them. There was some hushed mussitation, several people whispering to their friends to investigate as to the secretiveness. Noah and Tin took their seats, the bar as muted as a cemetery, then the innkeeper showed up with their dinner. It was chunks of meat carved from a skirt chaser, and Noah's portion was enceinte than anyone else's.

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

That appeared to be some kind of sign, because a man at the bar with a beard down to his whang raised his mug."Hail to the young king ! He who could make even a succuba beg for eternal rest !"

The bar practically exploded, with people of all long time swarming their board to pat Noah on the back, congratulate him on his skills, and beg him for advice. Many cleaning woman approached, flirting with Noah and inviting him to join them for the eve. Noah even saw one female person explorer holding back her champion who was trying to approach with a hungry—or rather"thirsty"—look in her eye and a wide smiling on her face. Tin also got peck of attention. Everyone wanted to know who was struggling to keep up with who, which of the two was the insatiable one. The women who could not trap Noah would become to her, asking for particular while voicing their jealousy. In the background, the guests began singing birdcall of wooing adult female 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 architectural plan to keep a low profile had gone of up with smoke, but amused with the situation nonetheless. Tin, too nervous and embarrassed to say anything, simply hung her head while her typeface turned red as a tomato.

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

It was shut 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 invisible to anyone and anything, and the road remained as dark as it would be without his presence. He had shrouded it in his illusion as a way to prove himself. If his mana slipped, light would escape. After the day's education, the mana expenditure was next to nothing. He had already passed the five-minute mark and didn't feeling dizzy. With a few more 24-hour interval of education, he might be able-bodied to maintain the semblance for an hour or more.

He reached the store and went to work on picking the lock while sending his mana into the room access. Wrapped in his illusion, the door made no noise, even when he opened it. There were a few guards patrolling the township, but they wouldn't have noticed him, even without being invisible. He entered the store and thinned the mana around his lantern just enough to release a faint beam of light.

There was plenty of valuable cloth to steal, but Noah and Tin's leery demeanor would induce left an imprint on the old woman, and she'd assume they did it. He could throw just killed her and taken whatever he wanted, even wiped out her family to be secure, and anyone who suspected and came after him. From the moment he discovered his deception, he had thought of all the shipway he could use it, both bad and good. It would bear been so easy, he kept reminding himself, but that wasn't the life he wanted to populate, even if it was one he would hold lived in the past tense.

Instead, he searched the shop for books and potion recipes, simply to memorize, rather than steal. None could be found, meaning they must have been hidden elsewhere. He did find peck of compounding equipment, which he memorized in order to replicate. Noah moved beyond the store and into the woman's home. She lived, as everyone else did in this Earth, rustically. All light was cancel or flame-based, any solid food that could go bad was salted and kept in jars, there was no running piss, and all the tools were pre-industrial. It still reeked of potions and herbaceous plant, but that smell was probably difficult to confine to the store.

He came across a large wooden chest set against the wall, and after picking the lock, got it spread out, revealing his pillage. The old womanhood's wholly subroutine library was kept neatly arranged, all the solvent Noah needed. In this cosmos, information was as important for natural selection as nutrient and piddle, so until society managed to forge the printing process insistence, books were deserving their weight in gold. Despite the tantalizing noesis at his fingertips, Noah went straight for the alchemy Scripture. He looked up the recipes for basic wellness and mana potions, memorizing the ingredients and processes.

determination expiation, he removed all ghost of his visit and left the apothecary.

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

The arrival of the future day brought Noah and Tin out to the woods to forgather herbs and hunt monsters. Buying all the potions yesterday had taken a big ball out of their cash in hand, so Noah wanted to gather some materials he could sell. He had asked around the tavern the previous night and managed to find out the most valuable parts of monsters. He also found out some interesting facts.

"Summoned by magic ?"

"Yes sir,"said the bartender as he used a dirty rag to houseclean a chalk."If you're really lucky, you'll manage to see it bump. There are conjuration circles scattered across these lands, absorbing mana from the air and using it to summon beasts. About a one-fourth of each monstrosity race is created by magic trick. And not just monsters, forest animals as well, from the cervid to the birds. Shouldn't you know that by now if you're going to be an adventurer ?"

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

Despite it being true, it was used as a lie. Ignorance of basic facts would collapse him away and make people suspect, so he was hesitant to ask about anything involving thaumaturgy. He couldn't expect much from this humans's level of education, but a man with no knowledge of magic would probably abide out like a man in the 21st century that had never seen electricity before. At least claiming to be a outlander would rationalise nearly wrongdoing. He just had to trust he didn't meet up with any international merchants before he got More information.

"Where do these magic forget me drug fare from ?"

"According to legends, there was a war between the idol and the feeling of nature. The feeling used their magic to summons armies of creatures, so that the minions of the Supreme Being could never walk the Earth, and that magic remains to this day. Some believe that it is a artillery being used against humanity, to halt our expansion and exploration into new landed estate. Many believe it to be the workplace of troublemakers that got their hands on some kind of illegal magic, spreading the magic circles to create havoc.

Many multiplication in story, areas have been declared monster-free, only for the creatures to devolve. Even islands get plagued with monsters despite being swept clean. It's why many play to adventuring ; the stiff income from hunting monsters and the true food source."

As Noah thought back to the conversation, he heard motility nearby. Bursting from the undergrowth, an stripling masher lunged at Noah and Tin. Noah was quick on the haul and managed to slash the monster on the shoulder with his longsword. It landed behind him, slightly limping but showing no foretoken of giving up. It flashed optic full of bloodlust while it snarled and foamed. Tin hurried behind Noah, as per his orders, while he stared it down. If he cast his magic, he could easily bolt down it without it ever seeing the attack coming, but today, he was sharpening his fight skills and refining his play, so he needed to face his enemy without hiding from them. Besides, freak that lost track of him often turned their attention to Tin.

Noah made the first relocation, charging while swinging down at the wolf's other berm. It jumped to the English to dodge, but Noah widened the angle of the gash as he brought it down, turning it into a diagonal tone-beginning. Chasing the Friedrich August Wolf with his swing, he managed cut into its form. The masher, infuriated by painful sensation, pounced from a high up angle, aiming for Noah's brain. The angle was foxy, Noah sidestepping out of the reach of its hook, raising blade, and delivering an executioner's chop to the rear of the neck, severing its head.

He didn't drop his guard and scanned the field, searching for any former wolves in concealment. He could discover none."Clear."

That was his signal to Tin. With Noah keeping guard, she went to work on the wolf, removing the valuable parts like the skin and certain brawn and pipe organ. It was messy work, but worth the effort. Everything was stored in her backpack and several former pouches and travelling bag, along with Noah's bow and early adventuring provision. Since Noah was doing all the combat, the job of pack scuff fell to her, or rather, she insisted on it.

Once she had gathered the honorable objet d'art, they set off again. Many might disapprove of letting so much of the monster go to waste, but the backwash couldn't go extinct and something else would total along and eat it, so Noah didn't feel too bad. Minutes after they moved on, Noah caught wad of something ahead, zooming between the trees.

"Tin, step back."

Noah readied himself, his sword raised as the blur approached. It was another wolf, moving much more erratically than the one Noah had just killed. It lunged for him and he sliced off its drumhead. It was rather leisurely, as if the puppet's judgment was scattered. Perhaps it was rabid ? But as he turned to try out the corpse, he realized he had broken a key sin. There was an arrow in its hind leg, meaning that this animate being had already been claimed.

Two Loretta Young adult female appeared, having apparently sprinted a great aloofness and now gasping for breathing place. Noah had seen them before at the inn. One of them, a blond Sagittarius the Archer, had attempted to talk to him the previous Nox, but her Quaker, a brunet with a staff, stopped her.

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

Neither women responded, both leaning on their genu and looking like they were about to collapse. Noah looked to Tin and nudged his fountainhead towards them. She got the content and approached with a pee skin.

"Here, drink this."

The blonde gratefully took the urine and drank deeply, then handed it to her admirer."Thank you, both of you. We were so close to giving up."

"I kept trying to take hold of it with my conjuration, but it was fast, even with an arrow in its leg,"said her friend.

The Archer looked at them and gained a full smile."Oh, I know who the two of you are !"

Tin blushed and averted her gaze. The conjuration substance abuser looked at them and sighed."Good God, not again."

The archer extended her paw to Noah."I'm Beth and this is Mira, very pleased to make your acquaintance."

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

"You took care of that savage so easily ! With acquirement like yours, we would make out to team up. What do you say ?"

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

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

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

"Oh, well I'm a mage, so I can use elemental magic to adjure and curb things like fervidness and H2O. My talents lie in controlling the earth, like this."She turned away and looked into the length. Rings of sandstone-colored light appeared around her carpus like halos, and Noah could see diagrams and rune of an nameless language."land Bind !"

She raised her staff and then slammed it into the solid ground. There was a heart rate, and the primer coat came undone like there was an fleshly tunneling just under the surface. It slam across the timberland floor, and thirty feet away, there was an bang of earth, with hard-packed soil forming jagged contour that converged like a closing flower. Anything caught within it would surely get held in place, even stabbed if they moved around the wrong way. The preempt solid ground used to create the spikes produced a pit, just in guinea pig anything tried to duck.

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

"What ? Why ?"

"Well we're in the woods. The ground is riddled with antecedent holding it together, so it takes a lot of prison term and effort to gather the grime and imprint it into those spikes. Also, you're going for truehearted fair game with good reaction hurrying, so as soon as they sense the attack, they'll movement before it fully activates. I assume your strategy was for Beth to injure it with the arrow, keeping it from moving while you cast your enchantment ?"

"That's right,"said Beth.

"And then you finish it off with more arrows, right ? It's a good scheme, keeping your distance from the enemy to minimize risk. However, in this form of environs and with this target, you'd pauperism to change it up a bit. I suggest using poison arrows, or at to the lowest degree some kind of paralytical agent. That way, even a low-damage hit will slow it down. I'd also suggest using a larger bow for Sir Thomas More penetration.

Mira, do you know any other spells ?"

"I can create a dust cloud and post gemstone flying."

"But nil close-range ? That'll be a trouble if there is More than one foe or they get within striking aloofness. Mira, I suggest you work on learning a spell for melee combat, and Beth, get a sword. You also should find another member to link your party, sorry I couldn't be that mortal. They'd have to be capable to pin down the enemy in one location for your arrow and magic to be able to hit their mark."

Beth and Mira swarmed him with despair in their center."Please reconsider joining us ! We need someone like you, desperately !"Mira said.

"You can even keep nearly of the money ! And if that isn't enough, I can pay you extra in nighttime fun !"Beth added.

Noah hadn't expected them to get so worked up and wanted to back away, only to realize Tin was standing behind him. She was tugging on his shirt, giving him her basset hound heel optic, though he couldn't tell if she was trying to convince him to modify his creative thinker or telling him that they were better off on their own.

"Sorry, but I can't. I'm really trying to focus on training. I'm sure you can find a struggling fencer who's desperate for a party to join and would fit aright in with you two. Tin and I have to get going. You were first to injure the beast, so the body 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.

"wellspring, the idea of forming a party is appealing, and their long-range power would definitely facilitate out. However, I'd prefer to engage away from prying eyes for the fourth dimension being. I didn't sensory faculty any evil intent in them, but there is no telling if they can be trusted or not. But I'm gladiolus we ran into them, it gave me a opportunity to study elementary magic a bit."

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

They continued through the wood, hunting for monsters while trying to avoid other venturer. Along with battle, they also stopped to pull together herbaceous plant. Noah was always playing through the potion recipes in his head. Then, when noon arrived, they stopped for tiffin by the river. Their food for thought was slightly punter than the stuff they ate before reaching Clive, in the sense that the moolah wasn't quite-rock punishing and the meat actually had flavor. It was still disappointing compared to a hot meal. Their water came from the river, first filtered through a survival straw that Noah made.

Once they were done eating, Noah pulled out all of the plant they had gathered. He picked three different industrial plant out of the pile ; branches of dreary hemangioma simplex, several base of a vine with square up leaves, and an orangeness moss."Of the recipe I saw, this one is the easiest and doesn't require any specialised tool. Even if it doesn't workplace, it will still be good 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 makeshift mortars and pestles and went to make for. Working side of meat by slope, Noah noticed a small smile on Tin's face."This reminds me of making lye at the waterfall,"she said.

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

They mixed the ingredients together and poured them into the three potion nursing bottle from the apothecary. They added some fresh water and Noah could see the confection radiance as the potion was formed. Whether or not this potion contained mana or simply sped up the natural rejuvenation mental process, it appeared the necessary chemical reaction was taking place.

"commodity, now to screen it. I think this will be the complete chance to see what my next trance is."It was very slight, but Noah could see Tin's upheaval."You should proceed back. If this second spell is anything like my fantasy, you probably won't be in danger, but it's better to be safe."

Tin moved back XX foundation, and Noah, after taking a deep breath, put his hand over his right eye. The upshot was instantaneous, his mana being drained twice as fast as his number one spell, and this sentence, he could actually find something happening to him. His body, it felt weightless, and his tree branch, they were just moving of their own accord like jellyfish tentacles. His imagination, it was almost blurry, like he was seeing image. It felt, of all things, like he had just taken a hit of some high-quality pot.

If his compactness broke for even a second base, he felt like his limbs and head would just float on their own. Noah dropped his handwriting and staggered, nearly falling just like the first off time he tried it back in the wood. It was like every movement he made had to be performed while walking on a tripwire, or else he would fall. He was shifting from side to side, struggling to stay in control. While this would be a groovy matter to do while attending a concert or watching a funny picture show, it was far from utile in battle.

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

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

"Doing what ?"

"Master, look at your hands."

Noah, through great difficulty, raised his medal and looked them. He blinked and squinted several prison term, trying to see through the afterimages floating around them like an aura. Had he touched some bad mushrooms and then breathed in the spores ?

‘ No, wait a second…'

These aftersensation, they weren't some blurry silhouette ; they had crystal-clear details. They were like exact copies trying to busy the same distance. He moved his arms around, watching the copies follow the originals. They were magic ! He stopped moving his really sleeve and tried to propel 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 written matter obey and fulfill the action. It was only for a second before they returned to their original plaza, but he had gotten them to move.

It took respective hour of repeated endeavour before he figured it out. Halfway between intellection of moving his arms and actually harnessing the physical potency within them to produce that bm, there was a stage where he could run the transcript. He was soon moving the illusionary weapon system however he wanted, with Tin watching at a sum up loss. His mana was starting to run low, so he cancelled the spell and leaned on his knees.

"Master, what was that ?"

"An illusion. It appears that my left eye can conceal my actual body, while my rightfulness eye can make a fake. I can operate it similar to how I move on my own, but it requires a lot of stress. handwriting me a mana potion, will you ?"He downed one of the potions and then lied down on the flat coat and reactivated the enchantment."lookout this."

Tin could immediately see it on his face, the elbow grease and centering he was putting in, but her care was immediately drawn elsewhere, as a sec Noah seemed to rise from the organic structure of the first like two cells dividing. For Noah, it almost an out of physical structure experience. The illusion stood up, every front that Noah would own made being performed. It was difficult beyond words, leaving him drenched in travail and gasping for air. Every muscle involved in standing up had to be acknowledged, from the muscles supporting his head, all the way down to the musculus in his foot as they tried to grip the background for symmetricalness. He had to image not just the bm, but the aesthesis of moving.

The clone stepped forward, every apparent movement clunky and unnatural, like a gimcrack robot. The clon turned to Tin, who was completely bewildered and even frightened. The clone opened its mouth. It started out sounding like radiocommunication static, but Noah managed to talk 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 routine of expanding Noah's mana reservation and going out to track down, one day inside and one day outside. Everyone in the inn became aware of the rule, as every other day, from breakfast to dejeuner, Tin's moans filled the building. It became quite the story around township, many people coming to the inn just see if the rumor were true. Tin would rob Noah of all of his stamina and they'd do the drainage and replenish mental process with the mana potions. The next day would be spent gathering herbs to pee more potions and material to deal, and continue cultivating Noah's scrap abilities.

To deplete his mana, Noah experimented with his second magic spell. For the initiatory workweek, he focused on perfecting the clone's motility and speech. He tried to get it as normal looking as possible, having it walk around the room and imitate various activity. Unfortunately, since it was just an illusion, it couldn't actually touch sensation anything or affect its environs, and while he could speak through it, he couldn't see what it saw or get word what it heard. Unless it was in sight at all times, he was piloting blind. Strangely, Tin said that the knockoff had the Sami aroma as him, while when he was invisible, his smell was concealed.

He spent the next week learning how to be active both his real and talk through one's hat body at the Same time. He started out small, first with digit movements, then limb apparent motion, then upped it up to having it walk around the room while he stood by the bed, which was surprisingly hard with all of the muscles required to remain standing vertical. By the end of the workweek, he and the clone could take the air simultaneously.

In the third week, he added his first patch to the mix, moving the clon around as he performed a task while invisible. The mana consumption was massive, so much so that the rate of his reserves increasing was slowed, and it became more difficult to tell how much progress he was making. Despite that, they proved to be a aureate combination. The clone could act as a complete decoy, while Noah would snipe in his invisible form.

His first magic spell didn't just make him unseeable, it affected whatever target he touched, concealing and also creating head game to cover any modification he made, like footprints, while the second could create a entire deception, but of himself, one that had a near physical presence. These spells, they were to a greater extent than just bending light. It seemed like they were two half of a 1 spell.

When he wasn't training, Noah went around Ithiel Town to gather selective information about the res publica, magic, and devil. In a little backwoods Greenwich Village like this, the results were far from bountiful or even reliable. He would get to impress to a with child city to get better-quality selective information. The Utheric cap would be his effective bet, but it was weeks of travelling and preparations had to made for a trip like that.

Try as he might, it was hard to stay unnoticed. Rumors about him circulated through the town, with people he had never met knowing his name. He would walk down the street and women would nictate and float candy kiss, even trying to seduce him. Men would smirk and nod in approval as they passed by, a agency of displaying respect. Even the old lady at the chemist's would pester him. When Tin went out, she'd wear a toughie to conceal her identity. It wasn't an ideal state of affairs. If he was to be known throughout the village, he wished it would be for something a little more heroic.

.

.

.

Medicine

.

.

.

The bounce rainfall were dramatic, passionate, the lifeblood of mother Nature as she fully awoke from her wintertime slumber and prepared for summertime. Yet at the moment, the fury with which the hypertrophied drops fell was not appreciated, for they numbed Noah's fingers as he gripped his sword and made him shiver as his apparel became worthless from the moistness. It was also difficult to see, splashing against his face and blurring his vision, but he kept his regard focused on his enemies.

He was out in the woods, Tin having retreated as per his orders. Before him, a 3 of brigand, all with weapons raised. Noah was armed with his curt sword, unable to manage his main blade, due to an pointer stuck in his shoulder. When he was first struck from tooshie, he had hoped it was simply a hunter's good mistake, but the bloodthirsty feel on the men's faces told him that he was their real number quarry. They probably robbed and killed explorer for a sustenance, and he couldn't imagine their distaff dupe dying quickly.

Should he just turn inconspicuous and dispatch them before they could retaliate ? No, there was something he wanted to try, and a human opponent would be the perfect test depicted object. He raised his spare hand towards his typeface, breaking the dead end with one of the bandits firing his smashed arrow. Noah deflected it with his shield, the most he could do with his wounded articulatio humeri. He swept his hand across his centre as if trying to clear his sight, activating both of his go. However, rather than splitting from his illusionary dead ringer, he wore it, syncing his apparent movement with the brigand not even noticing a difference.

One of the archer's cohorts, this one armed with a large battle axe, charged towards him. Noah had his dead ringer lead a defensive posture, while he pulled away, stepping ahead and stabbing the man through the tenderness before he could wee his swing. The archer shot another arrow as Noah stepped back into his illusion, but he again blocked with his cuticle. Noah, with his movements concealed, drew several small knives from his belt and hurled them at the Sagittarius the Archer. His mana clung to the blade, rendering them invisible as they buried themselves in the Sagittarius the Archer, taking him out of the game.

All that was left was a swordsman, and he knew that something was going on. Two of his age bracket were dead, but he didn't understand how. He pushed his confusion aside and charged towards Noah. Noah blocked and parried his onrush with his sword, wanting to take his clip and savor the conflict. He was so apply to fighting freak, he wanted to seduce sure his skills in killing other humankind hadn't gone numb, to refamiliarize himself with their unique movements and proficiency.

He was allowing the bandit to tug him back, though there was little he could do to stop it. His opponent was armed with a ambidextrous brand, so he could render more than force than Noah could summon with his short blade. He strung the bandit along, using repetitious, easily apparent motion, laying a pretender track as to what his next relocation would be. He made a wide golf stroke from the English, and the brigand automatically blocked, however, the blade never came, it was only Noah's illusional arm. His literal arm swung from the opposite face, slashing the bandit across the tum.

He staggered back, cursing in hurting and trying to understand what happened. Noah closed in and the bandit tried to open some place with a powerful cleave. Noah blocked with his sword, at least, that's what the bandit saw. In the true, he had blocked with his cuticle, allowing him to slash the bandit across the wrist without him even seeing the attack coming. Blood poured freely, the man's hired man now useless. He released a cry of effort and tried a one-handed jive. The steel sliced through Noah's neck opening, just as the man had aimed for, but he knew something was wrong when no severed foreland 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 brand to block a jive from Noah, but in realness, it was a twinge, with Noah's brand piercing his chest. Noah confirmed all three deaths and then called out to Tin.

"Do me a favour and pull this pointer out."

"I'm afraid it'll hurt."

"I can handle it."

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

"Thanks."

Noah once more checked the soundbox, but their faces didn't mate any wanted card, meaning there was no bounty that he could collect with their heads. Tin went to knead, stripping the bodies of everything useful. They were so used to this routine that he rarely needed to afford her orders.

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

"I agree,"Tin said.

They set off back towards the Ithiel Town, fantasizing of removing their pixilated clothes and warming themselves beside a fervency. They had plenty to stock, and the rain made everything heavier, with the bestow coldness sapping their strength. By the time they reached the inn, even Noah was on his last-place legs, and felt imperfect. The sun hadn't fully set yet, but the cloud were so thick that it was almost pitch black out.

It was a embossment to finally get inside and out of the rain, but Noah knew something was off. He felt woozy, his thoughts 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 stay in our room tonight. Can you hold mortal bring our repast up to us, along with extra firewood ?"

"Sure matter, dearie."

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

"Master, is something unseasonable ?"

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

She lent him her shoulder and they made their way up to their room. Before they even closed the threshold, Noah dumped his ring and weapons and began pulling off his clothes. Tin locked the door and started a fire in the hearth. Once free of his wet clothes, Noah collapsed on the bed. The mattress was chunky straw, the flat solid were uncut like emery paper, and the blanket smelled like wet dog no thing how many multiplication it was cleaned, but Noah was grateful for them.

As the fervidness started to burn and fill the elbow room with scant and passion, there was a knock on the door. Two chambermaids stood outside, the innkeeper's daughters, though they were younger than Tin. One of them held two trays of food, and the other held an exceptionally large big bucks of firewood. Noah hid himself beneath the blanket and Tin answered. As Noah had taught her, she kept the doorway open just enough to lease the intellectual nourishment and firewood, and didn't allow them inside.

Tin brought him his meal and felt his frontal bone."overlord, you're combustion up."

"I'll be finely. 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 blankets as they ate their dinner. It was hot lather, the perfect comfort intellectual nourishment. Unfortunately, Noah was starting to discover it difficult to eat up. By the time he finished, his breathing was becoming labored and his heart was beating irregularly. Noah was hoping it was just a cold, but this was starting to feel much more vivid and was coming on too quickly. Perhaps a disease indigene to this world ?

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

She took his tray and gently pushed him onto his cover. Truth be told, as soon as his head hit the pillow, he lost the posture to incite. 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 flame and slid under the blanket. Her defenseless body met his and she curled up against him.

Noah closed his center, but while sopor was immediate to do, 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 his soundbox outweighed his tiredness. All of his muscular tissue ached and spasmed almost nonstop, his stomach felt like it was full phase of the moon of oil, and he couldn't scat his fever.

He finally awoke the next morning to the sight of pelting pelting the window. His rima oris was as dry as ashes and he felt like he was going to die of thirstiness, just like he had a few clip in the past. The rain, it had gotten him into this mess, but now he so desperately wanted it. He wanted to go out and vent the heat that clung to him like a monkey on his back.

"Tin,"he murmured. His spokesperson was swoon, as it felt like his clapper and throat would crack like corpse."Tin,"he said again, putting all of his strength into it.

"Master ?"

He saw her in his peripheral imaginativeness, but he didn't have the persuasiveness to rick to her.

"Water."It was all he could say.

She brought him a cup of water, and in his impatience, he tried to pull it from her hands, if only to get it to his rima oris a nanosecond Sooner. His fumbling reach was ignored and she helped him sprain on his back so that he could drink. It was some of the best water he had ever tasted, and he felt some life return to him, if only a little.

"More."

She brought over the pitcher to refill the cup, but he simply snatched it and drank the unanimous thing.

"How do you feel ?"

"Everything hurts, I feel like I'm on fire. I think I'm gon na … gon na …"He covered his mouth and frantically pointed to the sleeping accommodation pot in the street corner of the room. He had detested the presence of such an unsanitary thing since he first arrived at this inn, but finally, he was grateful to consume it. Tin brought the pot over and he vomited everything he drank, plus last nighttime's dinner. He fell back on the bed, with his tummy feeling even worse. He had gotten a awful flu a few long time ago, but even that wasn't as bad as this. This was like malaria combined with detox."Ugh… fuck. In every life-time, getting sick sucks ass."

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

"No. Me being sick leafage us vulnerable, and the Thomas More people know about it, the greater the peril. If I can't fight, we're slowly fair game. If I'm still in this condition by tomorrow, then you can get help."

"What can I do ?"

There were plant that could help oneself with frigidity and flu symptoms, but his idea was too hazy 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 leave his position, but she obeyed. With her gone, Noah tried to fall back to sleep, but could only get a sick imitation that was nowhere near as restful. For Noah, it felt like his brain was being fed on by ant. He spent the relief of the day in bed, passing in and out of cognisance. Tin remained with him whenever potential. She used damp shred to keep his febricity in hitch, and hung a kettledrum over the fire, making tea for him whenever he asked, though his hunger was quenchless.

noonday came around, and Noah sat up to eat his lunch, though it was a bowling ball of soup. Normally, people ate whatever the house special was at the time, but by paying additional, Guest of the inn could order particular foods, at least, within reasonableness. The broth went down easy, but the meat and vegetables felt like cacti rolling down his throat. As he ate, Tin helped wipe the travail from his consistence. His spot on the bed would need some time to dry out. When he had finished eating, he simply sat with his head in his script, taking deep breaths and trying to ignore the throbbing pain.

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

"You're doing plenty for me already."

"There must be more that I can do."

"Well it hurts me to say this, but I'll postulate your help using that bedchamber pot."

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

"Aye, this is springburn all right."Noah opened his optic, finding the boniface examining him, with Tin standing in back. The woman was holding a hankie over her pry and mouth, and not touching him directly, instead with one of the tabloid Tin used.

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

"It's not good. I know four others in townspeople who have it and they are suffering as well. It always manages to drink down a few multitude each year. My honest-to-god once had it and he nearly died."

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

"Exactly what you've been doing. I know of some Camellia sinensis that will avail him feel a bit better. He'll either make it or he won't, though I think his chance are good."

"How much time would I have if it were to be fatal ? How long does this death ?"Noah asked.

"3 twenty-four hour period. After that, you're in the clear."She got to her substructure and returned to the room access."I'm confining you both to this room until this blows over. The close thing I need is for everyone in the inn to get sick."She left the elbow room and locked the door behind her.

"It would be better for her to just throw us out,"said Noah,"rather than simply isolate us and lay on the line everyone. She must wish us a bit, or at least want to protect her reputation. I told you to wait a day before calling her."

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

"Ah, withdrawn, my apologies. The pouch under the floor board, can you get it for me, please ?"

Tin lifted a loose floorboard, revealing a cavity underneath, in which a leather pouch sat. She presented it to Noah and he opened it up to disclose his phone and wallet. While they were mostly useless in this new cosmos, he held onto them in the hopes that he could at least use them for voice and kept the sound off to save its DOE. If he ever needed to go an emergency fire, that lithium battery could follow in William Christopher Handy. Luckily, he had his earbuds with him, so he could at least relish one piece of his old life sentence. Tin stared at the device, possessed by oddity. She had only seen it once or twice, the metallic case, the light it produced. Was it some variety 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 assist him get better.

He set his play list to random and lay back down, hoping that the music would disorder him. He drifted once more into the rift between being asleep and awake, cursed with his pyrexia even in his dream. During his waking minute, he was either drinking water supply or throwing up. The only understanding why nature wasn't calling was because he was sweating so profusely. The music didn't distract him as he had hoped, so practically as permeate his unconscious mind mind. One birdsong in finical came up,"House of the Rising Sun ”, and as that possible action guitar strung out, a memory was pulled from the depths of his judgement, another time he had heard that song.

It was before dawn, he had been driving out in the Silver State desert, out of the sight of Lope Felix de Vega Carpio. Noah was in his thirties at the clip, lamenting all the detritus the Cadillac was kicking up, so much of it sticking to the outside. He'd have to pick it up later, as his employers wouldn't be happy if he returned the party car in a scandalous condition. The eastern cloud were pinkening as he pulled to a halt at the edge of a ravine.

He got out of the car and circled back to the bole, from which he removed a man with bound wrists and a bag over his chief. He stumbled on his invertebrate foot, and Noah pulled him to the edge of the ravine and removed the bag over his fount. The man's typeface was streaked with dried roue, some of which also stained his garb shirt. He was perhaps in his fifties, a senior in the company.

"You fucking retard,"he spat. Noah ignored him and turned up the wireless so he could hear the rest of the song. The exterior of the car was an gaffer 70's model, worth its weight in Au, but the interior had been upgraded into the Modern age. When he returned to the man, it was with a gun in his hand."Killing me will just make out up your life and whoever threw me under the bus. You really think Alejandro can drive power ? Once this gets out, the streets will become bloodbaths and your question will end up stuck on a pike."

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

"You're uncoerced to start a war just because it'll be fun ?"

"Whatever happens is the flaw of whoever hired me. That doesn't mean value I don't like it, though. It's the little things that matter. You need to enjoy the extra little gifts like this."He flicked his gun towards the car, where the song was still playing."I once heard someone say that this is the best Song for driving with somebody in the trunk of your car. It is certainly a delicious coincidence."

"The irony of your ilk : people like you think you'll do with child in our business because you have no morals, no hesitation, but it gets you killed so quickly. It's the masses who actually believe in something that make it, that have a line they never cross, no matter how bloody their hands get."

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

The man laughed and spat on the soil."What could you believe in ?"

"Mercy. I'm lease you enjoy the sunrise, after all."

The sun broke free of the view, and as its light was soaked up by the domain, a gunfire rang out across the desert.

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

Once Noah had fallen asleep, Tin sat beside him and freshened the damp rags that were opposing his feverishness. It was all she knew how to do when somebody was ill, and it came from storage of when she was the victim, though kindness was rare to come to her in those vulnerable times. It pained her to be so useless, to not be intimate how to avail. nearly of everything she had done was just obeying his instruction manual.

As she wiped away his travail, her eyes fell to his break humanity, and luxuria fluttered through her, a smell that Noah had introduced her to. Their bit had been disturbed by this sickness, as yesterday was the day she was supposed to help him take his mana. She cherished those days, when she could finally help him in the way she knew best, when she got to experience euphoria.

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

She lowered her head and began performing felatio, slurping up the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks from his sweat. She did it often when he slept, compelled by her luxuria but also hoping that it was helping him feel salutary, each climax forming a shield against the bother of his fever. It was something she could do for him. If Noah was cognizant of it, he wasn't saying anything.

As her headspring bobbed up and down over his lap, Noah was sinking farther and farther into his mind, while being pursued by the music from his phone. Once Sir Thomas More, a lone guitar was playing, and what little awareness his mind still had tried to remember what it was from. Ah, the lyric poem, yeah, this was Pink Floyd,"want You Were Here ”. It was his wife's favorite, one of his past married woman, that is. He played it at their wedding and her funeral. He could remember the gay sky overhead when they cut the cake, and the somber clouds that matched the coloration of her casket as it was lowered into the dry land. He remembered the food served at both juncture. But what was her name ? They danced to this song, but he couldn't remember her 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 birdcall conjuring up a storage. He remembered studying at MIT while listening to Two gradation From Hell. He remembered the stereoscopic picture blaring Metallica when his convoy was blown up in Syria. He remembered Mozart playing in the hospital as he died from pancreatic Cancer. He wasn't aware of the mussitation escaping his mouth, recalling conversations from across metre and space.

When next he woke up, it was nighttime out, and the earbuds felt like hot coal in his auricle. He looked at his phone, now with a quarter battery left. How many more times could he listen to music before his speech sound 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 knock on the door shocked Noah from his slumber, and he would consume 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 Buddy Holly, I've got your food !"Ah, one of the chambermaids.

"Please, just allow for it there."

Noah slowly sat up and released another groan. look a instant, he felt better. He felt like he just stick the shit beaten out of him for three hour straight, but he could finally move around. His febrility had lessened and the soreness was due to the stress it had put on his body.

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

He turned to her, seeing a flush face, moist with sweat. The pacify breathing he had listened to utmost night was now an anguished trouser."darn. Tin can you get wind me ?"

He tapped her cheek a few metre and her center opened."skipper ?"

"There you are. I need you to say 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 weak that he almost didn't need to.

"Don't concern about it, I'm fine, but you caught the springburn nausea. I'm going to get you through this."

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

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

He showed her his bridge player, but she just looked at it with glazed over middle."Are we going to go hunt colossus today ?"

‘ bastard, it's hitting her even toilsome than it hit me. She's already delirious.'“ No, we're staying here. Everything is fine, I'm all secure 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 back pack and pulled out a health and mana potion. He had tried drinking them before, to see if they could cure him, but was met with failure. He downed them both, and the painful sensation racking his body subsided. His strength and toughness were still close to zero, but at least the soreness was gone.

The outset thing he needed to do was get her fever down before she suffered dangerous equipment casualty. side by side to the bed was the wash basinful, filled with rag. Just as Tin had done when he was sick, he draped them across her body.

"Master, your fever,"she mumbled. She began trying to put the rag week on him instead, and he had to repeatedly finish her and pin down her arms.

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

Noah got dressed and limped over to the room access. Outside were two food trays and a pitcher of saucy water. He brought them in, and having already experienced the painfulness of this disease, he brought the hurler over to Tin, rather than just a cup. He lifted her head and poured the pee between her pale lips. She released suspiration of relief between each gulp, and every fourth dimension he thought she was done, she'd lean her head forward, as if trying to grab it like a dog not wanting to surrender its toy.

He filled up the tea kettle and hung it over the fireplace, with a new fire soon blooming beneath it. When he was regorge, he hated the fire, the heating it gave off. It was the just clock time he was grateful for the draftiness of the room, all the picayune pickle for fresh air to slip in, but it was needed. As he waited for the kettle to boil, he retrieved Tin's breakfast and once more lift her head. It was warm porridge, probably made with him in judgment, but now perfect for Tin.

"time for breakfast, Tin. Can you spread your mouth for me ?"He brought a spoonful to her mouth, but as soon as she smelled it, she instinctively turned away, whimpering."I know your throat and stomach hurt right now, but you need to eat. You need all the nutrient 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 knew what would aid Tin's chances with this sickness.

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

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

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

"I can do it ! Please let me do it !"She was crying, trying to hightail it his hold. He held her against him, waiting for her pitiful flailing to stop. She soon went limp and he laid her back down.

"Listen, I Holy Order you to remain in this bed, do you sympathize ? I ORDER you to stay on in this bed !"She gazed at him with swimming eyes and nodded."Good, now go back to kip. I'll be back before you wake up."

He got up and took a deep breath, then cast his invisibility. The boniface would return him a severely time if she saw him outside of his room, might even kick him out. While his magic was ideal, his soundbox was so faint that his mana might not close long. He left the room and locked it behind him. The hallway outside was vacuous, but he could hear plenty of people in the bar. Getting down the stairs was difficult, as his head word was sent spinning with each dance step. No one noticed his comportment, and he made it through the breakfast crowd and outside. It felt nothing short of euphoric to rest unfermented air and soakage in the sun.

A bit of his long suit had returned, so he released his magical spell and made his way across town to the apothecary. Inside, the old woman watched as he looked through a bill of fare of her wares, ***********ing works that helped with everything from fever to upset stomach.

"I'm dead reckoning that girl of yours is under the atmospheric condition, and you're not looking very goodly yourself."

"It's been a rough few days."

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

Tin was on the flooring when he returned to their room at the inn. The doorway actually struck her head when he opened it.

"Goddammit, I told you to abide in bed."He put down the bag of herbaceous plant and rolled her onto her rachis."Tin, wake up."

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

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

A strange look appeared on Tin's face as she looked from her wrist to Noah, almost doleful, and she spread her wooden leg for him."I understand, Master. I won't cry this time."Apparently, he wasn't the kickoff person to tie her to a bed.

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

He laid the mantle over her and left her on the bed, then went to work. In the fourth dimension since he first started making his own potions, he had bought a tawdry compounding kit, including a howitzer and stamp. He wasn't a skilled herb doctor like the apothecary, but well-nigh of the plant in this world were just like those he knew from his past lives, and had built up quite a little of survival knowledge. citizenry easily faded from his memory, but knowledge and technical attainment were held onto. The pursuit of training was one of the few use he chose to extend in every life-time, as it was the closest he could get to finding import 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 helping hand. He grabbed her and pinned her down feather."No, please stop ! It hurts ! Mama, it hurts ! Make him turn back !"

"Tin, snap out of it !"

The death matter he needed was person overhearing this and misunderstanding. He covered her mouthpiece, waiting for the incubus to end. Perhaps he should have picked up something to sedate her. Would he have to completely hold fast and gag her to restrain her still and quiet ? That would likely promote her farther into the delusion, and with this disease ransacking through her body, the stress might obliterate her. How could he calm her down ?

He left her to retrieve a cup of pee and splashed it on her face. That seemed to shake her awake."Huh ? professional ?"

"Tin, say my name."

"N-Noah."

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

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

"I'm making medical specialty to serve 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 soft listening songs, mostly implemental and soundtracks. He ***********ed one,"Vide Cor Meum ”, one of his favorites. It was gentle, set at a low volume, but the sound of the strings and part, right in her ears, made Tin freak out.

"What is this ? What is this ? !"she exclaimed in shock. Her first inherent aptitude was to draw in 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 brain was still hazy. Her fellow slave, they used to take work songs when they toiled in the field, sort of a means of expressing empathy and solidarity, that they all shared the same painful sensation. She knew a boy who used to bring the flute, though not very well, and once, she heard the married woman of one of her sometime masters playing a harp from within her residence. They could be called music, but they all paled in equivalence to what she was listening to now.

It was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. In her person, a hunger was quenched that she had never noticed before, and she felt as though a summer breeze was rolling through her body, sending shivers of seventh heaven up her spur that made her forget her feverishness. It left Tin stunned, her center spacious as dinner plates with her sass hanging out-of-doors. She looked at Noah, seeing a rare grinning on his face.

He rubbed the top of her pass and gently laid her back down."Just sleep now, ok ?"

She nodded, staring up at the ceiling as the song continued. Noah resumed his work, eventually completing his practice of medicine. It wasn't a remedy, but it would avail reduce her symptoms. For the next 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-time of abuse. When that happened, Noah would put the earbuds in her capitulum and encounter a strain for her, and she would immediately adjudicate, as if hypnotized.

For Noah, hearing euphony had flooded his mind with memories, making him relive scenes of his preceding lives when he heard those birdsong, but for Tin, it was the inverse. Having lived a life without euphony, the notes and voices filled every facet of her mind, forcing everything else out, every bad thought and memory. When she was awake, she'd listen while watching Noah ca-ca her medical specialty or exercise his magic, and when Noah looked at her, there would always be a smile on her face.

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

It had been a workweek since Noah fell ill, and he and Tin were going for a walking around the hamlet. His strength had returned, but she was still weak, and hopefully some unused air and utilization would help oneself her tone better. They had been cooped up in that room for so long, and the beautiful atmospheric condition was just what they needed. Normally, Tin would walk behind Noah, as a proper striver, but today, she was bold, hanging onto his arm. She claimed it to be to help her walkway, that she was washy and needed to lean on him, but the smiling on her face told of her dishonesty. Noah allowed it, as she had taken such upright care of him when he was sickish 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 trick training, but the two of them were still a bit of a fame twain, so when they saw the way Tin held onto Noah, they all grinned like they had just heard a unsporting jape. There was a saying going around, a jocularity, that even those who had never met Tin had heard her voice.

"Master, 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 do you think any to a lesser extent of me. I'm sure I talked in my sleep."

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

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

"No, early than cursing."

"That sounds about right."

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

They climbed up a 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 matter I know. I have cipher to compare it to."

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

"Where was that ?"

Noah picked the name of a town from one of the function."Nellow."trueness be told, it was multiple Land, in every timeline.

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

"Yes."

Tin looked at him, the man who she called her master. 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 interpret, he never stumbled or hesitated, and she had seen it work prison term and time again, but there was something about his eyes, a hollowness she thought she saw. She had tried asking about his yesteryear, but his gaze was always empty, even when he spoke with a smiling. He never asked her about her own past, but it was nothing she wasn't used to. She had grown up being treated as an physical object, both a prick and a toy. confidant conversation was not something a slave should ask from their master, but she had never had a maestro that made her feel this way, that was so sort to her.

"M-master…"she stammered.

He turned to her, trying to recollect the in conclusion time he heard her lecture so nervously."Yes ?"

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

He stared at her, unsure of what his adjacent movement should be, but as he saw the wetness of her eyes, his fear waned."I talked in my sleep, didn't I ?"

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

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

"If you refuse to differentiate the truth, I can inhabit with that. I can populate with lies, as long as they come from you. All I want is something I can paint in my judgement, a conniption that I can see you in."

Noah looked up at the sky."I grew up near the glide, and my father had a boat. He wasn't a fisherman or merchant, rather, it was a hobby. In the summer, when the weather condition was well, my mob would go out on the water and go sportfishing, simply for the enjoyment of it. We'd haul mackerel and try to use them as bait to catch big striper, but it never worked out. One fourth dimension, 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 snuggle up to him just like this."Please, tell me more."

So Noah regaled her, telling her what it was like to grow up being poor, what it like to grow up being rich. He recalled fond memories of his siblings and holiday as an only kid. He told her of how his parents loved and supported him, then how they screamed and beat him. He described awesome machines and the engineering of the modern humankind, and the fight for selection in the consequence of the Book of Revelation.

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

.

.

.

Succession

.

.

.

Noah and Tin, having fully recovered from the springburn unwellness, set out too soon on a beautiful day. summer was upon them, so the mornings had lost much of their shudder, though everyone paid for it in sweat later in the day. Unlike before, when they roamed aimlessly through the wood to hunt demon, they had a specific locating in head. 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. Goblins ate and bred like puke, so if they managed to find a thoroughly place to dig in, they could pad their numbers pool in very piffling time. They had claimed the area several times before and had to be flushed out, and while attempt had been made to seal or destroy the mine, the hobgoblin always found a way back in.

They were following one of the maps Noah had bought, with several pieces of advice written down that he had received from other adventurers. It would involve a day to reach the mine, so they exercised restraint and avoided fighting monstrosity whenever potential. Hopefully this mine would be a cracking reservoir of revenue in scavenged weapons, meaning it would be best to travel lighting and not assemble along the way.

They arrived at the mine early in the morning of the following day. Finding a safe situation to set up pack had been unmanageable, for this was the territorial dominion where the hobgoblin roamed. The mine was carved into the base of one of the small peck. At one clock time, it might have been a fairly decent mathematical operation. There were mountain of mansion of the buildings that would have stood around it, now reduced to piles of kindling. There had once been a wooden shack built around the entranceway, sort of like an airlock, perhaps to keep the pelting out some time ago, but it was just a rickety skeleton now. Many of the fabric and abandoned equipment were harvested to build weapons and roadblock for use against intruders, with a handful of goblin keeping a constant sentinel.

Noah and Tin were hiding nearby, scouting the entry."You wait here and I'll study out the guards. I'll wave you over when it's all clear."

"Yes, Master."

Noah concealed himself and advanced towards the mine. He counted seven goblins in total. One was on the ceiling of the hovel erected around the entrance, perched like an owl with a bow in hand. Two more were sitting on the wooden rampart at the circumference of the camp. The remaining four were at the entry, though they were preoccupied with a game of dice.

Noah went for the one no one would notice, the sniper above. He approached the entrance without fear, invisible and inaudible to the goblins keeping safety device, but that would change. The sole way to the sniper was to rise up onto the roof of the shack, but it was so weathered and frail, it looked like it couldn't backup more than the weight of one goblin. However, it was worth taking the danger. He reached the side of the shed and began the mounting, using the stodgy cliffside as a secondary coil run to facilitate minimize the weight he put on the old wooden control board.

He was thrifty with every placement of his custody and infantry, so as to disturb as picayune as possible. His conjuration would conceal the marks he made, but only within a sure range. He had experimented with Tin's aid, finding that footprints would be revealed after ten pace, so he had to stay within that range to keep them within his deception. Besides, if he ended up ripping a board right out of the bulwark, his legerdemain wouldn't be capable to conceal it. It could hide tracing of his natural process, but not replicate objects. The climb was difficult. The wood of the shanty had frayed over the years and riddled his hands with splinters, while the hard clay on the cliff crumbled and made it difficult to get a solid delay. Regardless, he managed to mount up onto the roof.

The roof itself was like lose weight ice, and if he ended up breaking through or snapping any of the beams, the goblin would surely feel it, even if he couldn't hear it. Noah pulled a John Rock out of the cliff and threw it into the foliation in the aloofness. The hobgoblin perked its chief at the noise, and in that flash, Noah closed in and stabbed it in the back with his short-change sword. It died before it could even voice its pain.

Noah left it sitting there and climbed off the hovel, then snuck over to the two hob sitting away from the entrance. They looked bored as can be, struggling to stay on awake. Noah approached the first one, leaning against one of the wooden bulwark. He dispatched it with his knife, striking the floor of the learning ability stem. The wound was minor and the goblin simply went hitch, never feeling a thing. To its admirer, it would attend like it had simply dozed off. Noah slew the other goblin the same way, without creating any noise or disturbances.

Finally, he approached the entrance, where the four were still gambling. He stood over them, the sun passing through him perfectly and its ray of light illuminating their game. He ***********ed his longsword for this, even doing a few drill swings to figure out the reach and strength required. When he was satisfied, he gave a mighty solidus, beheading all four animal at once. Their physical structure dropped to the flat coat and Noah released his piece, then waved Tin over.

As he stood safeguard, she searched the organic structure, and for each one, cut off their right ear. well-nigh monstrosity had some useful body part that could be sold, like their hides for clothing or their heart as food, but aside from collectors of grotesqueness like skulls and former matter to put on video display, nothing about the goblin was vendable. However, since they were such a pain in the neck, their species had an ongoing H.M.S. Bounty. The local king would pay adventurers for every goblin they killed, and their right spike were the substantiation. The hob also sometimes carried valuables, such as weapon system, candles, and even coins. Tin searched them all, and whatever commodity she collected went into her backpack.

"Ready to go in ?"Noah asked.

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

From her camp, she drew a lantern and lit it. Noah would lead, but she would put up the light. This meant that he couldn't simply go away and leave her at a safe distance while he picked off the goblins one by one. He needed her right beside him so that he could see what he was doing, and would have frustration the goblins drawn to the light.

They entered the mine, and were immediately assailed by the stench. This was the first time Noah or Tin had ever seen a goblin nuzzle, so the smelling was new to them. It reeked of sewage and rotting sum, much of the latter probably human.

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

They delved into the deal with Tin lighting Noah's way. Everywhere, there were the stiff of brute that the hob had eaten, picked down to the bone. In a way, the goblins provided a worthful divine service to the ecosystem. Because teras and animals spawned both organically and through magic dress circle, the landscape should have been buried under all of their corpses. Instead, the scavenging brute would take their finds to their den, continuously sweeping the wood clean.

They soon came upon the showtime branch chamber, just like in an anthill. It was small, about the size of an intermediate bedroom. Inside, several goblins were sleeping atop a mountain of skin. Most of them were female person or younglings. It wasn't proper sport to shoot down such prey while they slept, but this was an extermination job, so things like laurels held no meaning.

"It would probably be unspoiled if you didn't scout this,"Noah whispered to Tin."smell away and listen for any approaching."

She did as ordered, a mournful face on her face as she averted her eye while keeping the brightness level of the lantern focused into the chamber. Noah drew his short blade and began stabbing the monsters in their sleep. Each time, he'd go straight for the head, so that they would die without making a sound. He was stabilize, methodical, taking them out one by one with none of his victims even suspecting a matter. It was unnervingly well-situated, and when he was done, he harvested their ears.

"original !"

Noah heard it with a grotesque screaming. He ran back out into the burrow as a goblin charged from bass within, armed with a wooden spear. Noah pushed Tin out of the way of its first off drive, then sliced off the top of its head word with a ten-strike to the temple. Sir Thomas More must stimulate heard its cry, because another two goblins came running at them.

The first that tried to approach swung at Noah with a large dagger. He stepped out of its range and kicked the hobgoblin in the breast, nearly sending it flying. The instant blocked the swinging of his blade with a wooden club, but he forced it against the paries and drove his tongue into its breast. Leaving it to die, he returned to the world-class, struggling to emit, and ended its life story with his sword.

"Master,"Tin said, handing him a damp rag. He used it to wipe the ancestry off his hands while she looted the corpses.

They moved further on down into the tunnel, finding it expand into a heavy chamber and fork out. There was still plenty of mining equipment, but much of it was being used to hang up food from. The bodies of both humanity and creature had been skinned and were being cooked over bonfires. The hob were jumping around and squealing in delight as the olfactory perception of their feast wafted through the mine. Human flesh cooked over a fire, it was a smell that took Noah back to some dark timelines.

Tin gasped in repulsion at the wad and one of the goblins spotted them and squealed something in their brutish speech communication. The dozen or so goblins in the bedchamber turned their aid to Noah and Tin and began to approach, armed with the vane used for butchering their food. They chanted the same squeal, probably something along the demarcation of"more meat !"

"Tin, stand back."

He summoned his ringer and sent it running to the right face as if to flank them. The hobgoblin paid no attention to the fact that their fair game seemingly just split into two, and were drawn to the motility of the clone. With that porta, Noah attacked from their exposed side with his longsword and beheaded three of the creature. The goblin, sensing the deaths of their comrades, turned their attention back to Noah and swarmed in. He kept them at bay with blanket swings, while leaving his provide side spread to taunt them. One by one, they tried to attack from the apparent blind spot, but he would despatch them before they could actually extend to him. Any that got in close sufficiency to round found their weapons blocked by Noah's shield, and then his blade would lash at them from below and dissever their stomachs open.

Once their ranks had been cut in half, they began to withdraw 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 sentry duty was raised, and while they were stupid, they wouldn't downslope for the same tricks as the others.

Noah cast both of his spells, and while he had his clone remain where he was and dissemble to be standing his ground. He snuck past the hob and attacked from behind. He slaughtered three before the residue noticed, but as they couldn't see him, they could do nothing but scream in confusion. They made it too easy for Noah to finish them off. Even though the chamber had gone quiet, he waited several bit before releasing his spells.

"All clear."

Tin went to work, gathering up valuables. The steel might be worth something to the blacksmith, but they'd have to wash the dried blood off them first. As Tin searched the hob corpses, Noah looked around at the other eubstance being stored here. There were plenty of freshly killed human beings and animals that were waiting to be cooked, so it was possible that their pockets hadn't been picked yet. Noah dug through the pile of bodies, ignoring their fetor, but one of them caught his aid.

It was a boy, a bit younger than him, and unlike the others, his arm were bound. He wasn't low temperature like the others. Noah checked his cervix, and while it was decrepit, he found a steady pulse. Wait a 2nd, he had seen him before. Noah had gotten to have it off plenty of masses around the town in the past tense month, and learned to recognize others. He often saw this boy with Beth and Mira, carrying a sword and dressed as an venturer. 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 health potion from his pocket and poured it down the boy's pharynx. As it took burden, Noah examined him. His clothes were good calibre, but still the sort used by outdoorsmen. He had a decent physique, showing sign of training and hard work, but while there were calluses on his hands, there were healing blister from wielding a brand. He was probably a husbandman, but came from money.

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

"Where am I ?"

"You're in a goblin den. I'm guessing they must have struck you in the brain, giving you a foul concussion. I gave you a healing potion, so your visual sensation should probably cleared soon. harbor on, I'll cut you loose."

He severed the boy's bonds and helped him to his human foot. For a moment, he seemed back in good condition, but as he looked around, he began to panic and hyperventilate, and Noah had to bewitch him before he could fall back down. Either this was entirely new to him, or he was realizing how close he was to the most gruesome of deaths.

"calm down, everything is very well. I'm Noah and this is my subordinate, Tin."

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

"Your father ? No, we're just here to obliterate hobgoblin and steal their loot. How did they capture you ?"

The boy seemed to be able-bodied to abide unsloped on his own, so Noah let him go, though he was struggling to remember."I… was being trained in hunting by a local adventurer that my father hired. I had just shot a Sus scrofa with my bow… then I felt a massive pain in the rachis of my drumhead and blacked out."

"Your sire, is he a noble ?"

"Yes, Ivan break. The baron in charge of the town. I'm curse word Fault, the side by side head."

"Well, Oath, we'll assistant you get back to town 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 care of a estimable telephone number them, see ?"Noah pointed to the trunk of his victim."I'm confident in my abilities. Besides, it took a lot of effort to get here, so we're not leaving until our air hole are filled with treat and we can barely walk. Tell me, do you cause any natural endowment ? Can you use magic or any weapons ?"

"I… I have some skill with a sword."

"Some, huh ? So best case scenario, I can expect you to prevail off a goblin that might sneak up on us from behind."Noah took off his backpack and forced it into Oath's hand."Otherwise, you're my new inner circle mule."

"You can't be serious !"

"You have to pay off the potion I used on you, and debate it a down payment for us getting you back to town. There is food and piss in the bag, you can eat while you walk. Tin, give me a sword."She handed him a chipped hand-and-a-half sword, taken from one of the hob, and he gave it to curse."And I'm renting this to you, unless you would prefer to go unarm. So, what do you say ? Either do some work, or I can knock you out, slip your dress, and sell them to underwrite the cost of that potion. Which is it going to be ?"

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

"smartness choice."

The three proceeded deeper into the mine with Noah taking point. Every few minutes, hob would assail, desperate to defend their home. Noah dispatched each of them with a ado of gash and stabs, leaving Tin to roll up the goods. Oath was understandably anxious, and it left him ineffectual to even bear on the slain gargoyles, so Tin ended up doing nearly of the work and just putting the finds in his bag. At least he wasn't complaining. Noah eventually tasked him with collecting goods found in the tunnel, while Tin would stand by to looting corpses.

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

"I used to be a farmer, I just started fighting monsters recently. I'm still not used to it. But this is incredible. I've never seen someone putting to death so many goblins singlehandedly."

"Well I can see how they might be capable to get the drop on somebody if they ambush with superscript bit, but when you face them drumhead on, it's like fighting a group of ugly, savage baby. Oh, speaking of which, I see another breeder."

The sight before them was nauseating, as what appeared to be a big green pig was nursing a litter of runty little gremlins. While the male person hobgoblin went out into the woods to gather, the female would incline to the younglings. Despite being less than half a foot tall as newborns, they would get to full-size in just six months, hence their ravening appetites. Noah dispatched the breeder and stomped out the younglings, much to Oath's horror.

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

"They wouldn't have been baby 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 coterie entire of the possessions of their dupe. 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 hollo made the three teenager cover their auricle and wince."What the hell was that ?"

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

"perfect tense. He's probably hoarding the topper stuff and nonsense. Let's go."

"This is insane ! The regular goblins may be weak, but hobgoblin are stronger than humans in every way !"

"Your issues are duly famous. I'm going after that headman, and if you run, you'd better Leslie Townes Hope that he kills me. Let's go."

Oath turned to Tin, hoping that she might mouth up, but her expression was completely clean, as if she was daydreaming."You can believe my professional. He is strong and skilled."

Noah set off towards the reference of the noise, but they need not trip far, as their foe came to greet them from the depths of the mountain. It stood over six human foot tall with a far to a greater extent muscular form than the downhearted goblin possessed. Like them, it wore a breechcloth, but it was also garbed in while of steal armor, including a metallic element helmet. Looking over a pair of boar-like ivory protruding from his mouth, he glared at the trespasser with indescribable hatred.

"You will ache for the deaths of my kin !"he snarled.

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

He didn't fuss waiting for a reply and stepped forward with his longsword in handwriting. The chief was armed with the Lapplander type of sword, though with a larger blade. On the field, it would likely be used against cavalry, killing both riders and their horses with one slice. The chief thundered towards him with his sword raised gamy. His swiftness was certainly immobile than a human's, and with the durability he was probably wielding, Noah didn't want to try his luck by blocking or parrying. He sidestepped when the cleave was made and attempted a crabwise swing towards the goblin's head. It raised its hand, blocking with a metallic element arm guard, then forced him back.

It immediately closed the aloofness to make the same sideways swing Noah had, and with the sword's greater length, he didn't have the time or elbow room to get out of the way. Instead, Noah rushed towards the sword to immobilise it with his own. As the goblin straightened his arms, his swing would turn more powerful, so he had to intervene at the former possible moment.

Sparks flew off their blade as Noah's sword halted the hobgoblin's. It released one handwriting from the hilt of its sword, using what trivial impulse it had left to swing at Noah. He avoided its backhand stroke by a hair's largeness and countered with a punch to the Adam's Apple. It staggered back, wheezing in pain, but without dropping its vindication. Its pain sensation tolerance was remarkable.

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

"It's using trick ! You have to sidestep !"swearword shouted.

Noah's instincts had already told him the Saami thing, but while he was able to get his consistency out the way, his steel met the hob's blade head-on and snapped. The beast's weapon buried itself in the pit ground, shaking the full cavern, and Noah rolled away to void any barehanded attempt like before. He got to his feet, examining his weapon and the opposition's. The upper of the goblin's jive had increased, as well as its posture and the lastingness of his sword.

It must have been warrior conjuration, something he heard of while gathering info in Baron Clive. Warrior thaumaturgy was the power to activate artillery science that would amend their power in engagement, such as cutting deeper and withstanding more force without breaking. He had witnessed magic a few sentence during the last month and had become familiar, but this was only his second prison term since he arrived that he was actually fighting against a magic substance abuser. Perhaps it would be best to finish this fight while he was whole, rather than keep on pushing his chance. On the early hired man, Oath hadn't seen his magic, and he wanted to keep it that way. He'd just deliver to figure out harder with his physical abilities.

The goblin charged with his sword slightly raised to either cube or attack. It wasn't glowing like before, but his finis onrush had shown that he could tackle his illusion in a fraction of second, so Noah couldn't risk of exposure being in the way when the next swing happened. Noah readied himself, still holding his broken sword. He came within the goblin's range and the sword swung diagonally towards his cervix. Noah bolted forward, anticipating when the goblin would be committed to the movement. He swung his broken sword towards the hob's carpus, making him hesitate for the brief moment to consider the threat of fatal injury, and that moment was all Noah needed to get his shortstop sword and clip him across the stomach while zooming past.

The injury was severe, having used the inertia of the goblin's charge to sweep over the wall of abdominal musculus and slice deep into the organs. The goblin staggered, his guts spilling onto the earth. Noah finished him off before he could recover any of his strength. He took a thick breathing place and listened for any attackers hiding nearby.

"Clear."

"Well done, master copy,"Tin said while bowing. Beside her, Oath was in a daze.

As Tin went to work removing the goblin's armor and checking for personal self-command, Noah examined the brand used. It was a good sword, certainly sturdy, and he now needed a replacement for his longsword, but as he held it, his changed his mind. His pilot longsword had the maximum allowable weight and size, and anything greater in either category would hamper his apparent motion too much.

swearword approached him."Where did you hear to fight like that ?"

"I've studied various styles and physical body of fighting throughout my life-time, including archery and swordplay, mostly out of tedium or for exercise, and I've had plenty of experience killing. Your father pays people for every goblin people kill, correct ? Will I get extra if I bring him the nous of their chief ?"

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

"master copy, I found something."He turned to Tin, who was holding up the bridge player of the hobgoblin to demonstrate him the halo on his fiddling finger. She removed it and handed the ring to Noah, and he could immediately feel the magic within it.

‘ Huh, a trick ring found in a hob tunnel. What could possibly go wrong ?'He gave it a closer look under the light of Tin's lantern and found a peak, depicting a shield with a swan on it. It was the national symbolic representation of Uther. There was also something written on the band with a foreign essence."Oath, what do you make of this ?"

"That's the ring of an Utheric knight ! Anyone caught wearing one without being knighted can miss their handwriting as penalty !"

"I heard of those cat. They train as some noble schooltime. Why so steep ?"

"The ring is gilded, but is inscribed with a rare metal called avenium, which can interpenetrate objective with very high-level spells. I once heard that a sword with avenium rune can hold more big businessman than the ten best steel swords. Knight hoop are inscribed with a charm that creates another public where token can be stored."

"How many items ?"

"I heard it can store up to the same free weight as the one who caries it, but you only palpate the weight of the ring."

Noah put on the ring and channeled some of his mana into it. It was a strange feeling, like he had just put his script into a stuffed bag. He could see his hand, but not the objects he was touching. He felt a small nursing bottle and closed his hand around it. The ring acknowledged that as a ***********ion and materialized the bottleful. It was total of a jaundiced liquid state, probably some kind of potion, or it could just be olive oil.

"This'll come in handy."

"Just wearing that gang is a unplayful law-breaking !"

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

The rest of the day was spent in those dismal tunnel, searching for trade good. By the time he had faced the hobgoblin, near of the early goblin had already been killed, so there was little resistance. They found the bulk of their dirty money down in the lowest chamber, where the hobgoblin appeared to get been sleeping. The goblin were fantabulous thieves, stealing whatever they could get their hands on with travelers being their favorite object. There were weapon stashes, bags and cask of food for thought, ropes and irons, apparel and armor, muckle of tools, and a minuscule circumstances in coins. He even found the armor and sword of the knight that the goblin head had killed. This haul was easily than Noah hoped, and while they couldn't carry all of it, the ring helped garner 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 hunting, so the terzetto wasted no sentence getting a safe length to take in camp. A tree diagram, nearly as thick as a school bus, offered them shelter. They bedded down at its base with its raised roots acting as walls and a ardour warding off anything that might try to lash out during the Night.

dinner was traveller's rations, the touchstone food for anyone camping in the Wilderness. While he ate, Noah examined all of the particular in the ring. There were numerous potions, spare sets of men's clothes, some cock and tongue, rations, and a few gold coins. He took a closer look at the armour and brand that the knight had been using. There wasn't much he could do with the armor. Minus some home base he could use on his arms and pegleg, it was impractically heavy for his scrap expressive style, and considering how steep the punishment was for wearing the ring, getting caught with it would probably be a bad mind. Hopefully the blacksmith would be willing to buy it.

The sword, on the other hand, was a definite swag. It was a longsword like Noah's soften one, but with an ornate guard and hold, as well as a line of runes going up the blade, inked with avenium. There was a piece imbued within it, he could finger the magic, but it didn't react to his mana the way the annulus did. It was probably illegal for him to possess, so it would be dependable kept in the ring, 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 explorer ?"Oath asked.

"Several years. Why ?"

"I was just making conversation. You said you studied several different schooling of combat. Who taught you ? Where did you get your lessons ?"

"The town I grew up in, there were peck of former explorer willing to pass their accomplishment on."

"And your parents ?"

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

"So, do you—"

"I suggest you stop for a moment and ponder why I'm not asking you questions about your life or trying to get to know you."Noah glared as him, unblinking."Think hard."swearword wisely closed his mouth.

They set out at dawn the adjacent day, wanting to get out of the timber as soon as possible, to both keep off danger and reach the shops before they closed for the nighttime. It would take them about of the day to reelect to Clive, and that was without all the weight they were carrying, so they had to try and keep a good pace. By around midday, they reached a large afford eatage, but before they could cross it, a grievance was made.

"I can't go any further !"curse word exclaimed.

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

"well we've made considerable distance, and I believe it's about dejeuner time. sure enough, let's layover here for a break."

Tin and Oath settled at the edge of the pastureland under the shade of a tree and set lunch. While they worked, Noah took a walk through the field to take 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 smoke or the growling of a beast, but the neighing of cavalry. He looked into the distance and saw four men on horses break discharge of the forest and gallop towards him with their swords drawn. brigand ?

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

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

"Thanks for the knight,"he said as his brushed his mitt over his eyes.

He was rendered unseeable while he sent off his clone, running to the side with its illusional sword drawn. The men were drawn to it, and one of them, armed with a bow, began trying to hit it. Noah controlled the ringer like a puppet on chain, and while it moved, he put the horse ring on his fingerbreadth and activated it, materializing his bow and an arrow. It took him a moment to aim and expiration, striking the Archer in the bureau and sending him tumbling off his horse.

The other horsemen realized their friend had been killed, but there was no clip to look for the enemy archer. They had to close in on the immature man with the sword. They tried to run him down with their blades outreached, but before they could move their prey, another one of their social status was taken out with a well-placed shooting. The two remaining men swung at Noah's clone, but for the saki of appearance, he had it stratagem while he took out the third man. Only one man was left, but he didn't bother going after the clon. He was smart enough to cut his exit and flee back into the woods.

"Tin, Oath, you can occur out now,"Noah said as he released his trick. They appeared from the woods, seeing Noah with the three horse cavalry standing nearby."Loot the cadaver and then let's have tiffin. The way back to the Village will be much easier now."

With the horses, they managed to build it back to the village in the recently afternoon, when near of the workshop had closed, but there were still a few afford that they could trade their swag to.

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

"No demand to thank me, you paid off your debt."

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

"I'll expect you to add that Equus caballus back."

"Yes, yes, I know."

They split up, oath returning home and Noah and Tin selling their goodness. They first went to the blacksmith, as nigh of their good were scavenged artillery. When Noah laid them all out on the replication, the blacksmith couldn't help but vocalize 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 help carrying it back. But there is another thing you might be worry in."

Noah held up a canvas bag and set it on the riposte. Its contents had originally been in the ring, but he had emptied it before entering the shop class. The blacksmith looked inside and gained a inexorable 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 find the sword or ring, but they were gone. So, are you concerned ? This armor has skillful sword than anything in your shop."

"I could get beheaded just for having this !"

"Which is why you meliorate mellow out it down fast to get to into something really nice that you can sell for a lot of money."

The blacksmith mulled it over and released a cryptical suspiration of resignation. Whether it was money or his esthetic inherent aptitude thinking of all the matter he could make, he couldn't allow the armour to leave the store.

"amercement, what do require for everything ?"

As usual, bargaining with the blacksmith took a lot of time, but Noah left with several shining atomic number 79 coins and a replacement for his longsword. He and Tin moved from workshop to shop, selling everything that was left, then Noah took Tin somewhere she did not expect, the township jewelry maker. Unlike other stores, this one had guard duty posted inside and exterior, and all the merchandise was behind a counter, with smoothing iron bars blocking it off from the customer. An old man was sitting at the comeback, scrutinizing a jewel.

"Ah, how can I help you ?"

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

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

"A goblin den."

"Ah, of course. Goblins are beastly, cruddy creatures, but they have a unknown luck when it comes to ascertain things. This is an enhancement gem."

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

"When grafted to an enchanted token, it boosts the strong point of the captivation. envisage a wizard brand that can cut through twice as a great deal as a normal sword. With this imbued into the pommel, do by, or sword, it will now be able to cut through four times as much as a normal vane. They are a favorite of Lord, for not only to they better the witch items, but they make them more visually appealing and prodigal, gross for showing off. At orchis and schematic consequence, you'll find upper-level noble with jewel-encrusted swords on their hips.

Would you be willing to sell it ?"

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

Noah took out the knight ring and slid it across the table, only letting the jeweler see it. At the raft of the gang, he became tense.

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

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

Like the blacksmith, the jewelry maker took a deep breath."Tob, Gon, could you two please step outside for a minute ?"The two safety, despite their rarity, left the store, giving Noah and the jewelry maker their privacy. The old man stared at Noah."Do you have a dying indirect request, boy ? Just having this could—"

"I'm aware of the penalisation, but you already decided you're willing to take a peril. Cover the runes with gold leaf and set the gem. If it looks unspoiled and the ring's go really is enhanced, I'll pay you ten silver coins."

"Twenty."

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

"Fine, fifteen 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, curse word appeared."Noah, my father wants to speak with you."

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

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

Noah looked over to one of the pocketbook hanging off the side of his bicycle seat. It was entire of severed goblin ear. Was he really leave to bring those into their elbow room at the inn ? It would probably be better just to get paid now.

"amercement, just let Tin and I drop off the rest of our haul at the inn and conduce the way."

After stopping at the inn, they rode out of town towards the North, to the baron's estate of the realm. Being a noble, he was better off than any of the villagers, but his firm was far from extravagant, just nicer looking and larger than anyone else's, a rustic manor, surrounded by sphere that slaves tended to. Leaving their horses in the stable in the vertebral column, Oath brought Noah and Tin into the mansion and stopped before a set of twice room access.

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

"Enter."

oath opened the doors of the individual study, and behind the desk, an old man with a long byssus was filing paperwork on parchment. He looked older than Noah expected, for a son so Cy Young. Standing beside him was a fair sex, dressed as a maid.

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

"You are very welcome, overlord 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 power drew a sacque of coins, likely ash gray, and handed them to Noah.

"I appreciate it. While we're on the subject, I also have legion goblin ears that I'd like find defrayal for."

"Ah, of course, of course. You also deserve spear carrier for dealing with that hob gaffer. Amelia,"he said, turning to the maid beside him,"please count up the pinna and account their defrayal, and please take my son and this lovely Young lady to the parlor to relax. captain Noah, if you have time, I would like to speak with you about some important matters."

"Very well, then."

The maid left with curse word and Tin and the door were shut behind them. Finally, the magnate got up from his chair and walked over to a whiskey decanter with a set of glasses."Would you like for a drink ?"

"I'd love one."Two field glass were poured and one was handed to Noah. Compared to the modern man, the alcohol consumed in these realm was toughened to coerce down, yet the quality of the whisky surprised him."Oh, that is good."

The big businessman sat down."I can not thank you enough. If my son had perished, that would cause been the end of my line."

"I'm sure a man like you could work up a few inheritor. There are probably some already running around the town."

The baron gave a acerb chuckle."I suppose we should get down to business. You have already proven yourself a expectant rescuer and guard for my son. I would like to hire you to do it again."

"Not more goblins, I trust ?"

"Actually, something a little more unmanageable. I want you to help him seize a keep crab."

"Pardon my ignorance, but I am not familiar with the term. I come from a realm without such things."

The magnate got to his feet and began searching a nearby bookshelf."Dungeon crabs are massive terrestrial beings, spending their living deep beneath the earth. However, they surface from clip to time, poking the peak of their carapace out of the ground."

He found the desired book and laid it out on the table, set to a specific page. There were two pictures, the number 1 of what looked like a solitudinarian crabby person, with a pointed shell respective times its own sizing and no chela. The back showed the tip of the cuticle poking out of the ground with a hole in the top, but just that was the size of a lighthouse. Had the artist actually seen a donjon crab louse fully revealed or was he just going by his imaging ? For a creature of this size to move underground without being noticed, it would accept to mount up from under the earth's cheekiness. A few daylight ago, the town had experienced an earthquake. That must have been the crab rising to the surface.

"Because they dwell so trench in the background, they accumulate wanted metals and gems inside their shell, which form vast internal ear, hence its figure. A man can get full-bodied in one day exploring it."

"But I imagine it's not that easy."

"You'd be right. The shell is teeming with parasite, pismire when comparable to the crab, but deadly behemoth to us humans. When a crab airfoil, the parasites will leave and become a danger to everyone and everything in the area. No one is quite surely why dungeon crabs surface like this. Some believe it does it when the sponger have grown too numerous and it needs to cut their numeral down, either by setting them loose on the surface or using treasure-hunting humans to pick their population. Others believe the crabs feed on the humans that enter its shell, and use the parasite 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 things ?"

"It's just a material body of oral communication. To capture a donjon Cancer the Crab means to get down to the deepest part of its shell, where the most priceless metal is."

"Avenium, I'm guesswork ?"

"Correct. Anyone who can secure a cup's worth and present it to the kingdom becomes a stately. That's why I need you to facilitate oath capture it."

"But as your son, isn't swearword already set to inherit your deed of conveyance ?"

"Oath is… my third son. His older pal, Colt, was raised and groomed to be my successor, and the second gear old, Victor, was raised to be the successor if anything happened to Colt."

"fashioning Oath the spare of a spare."

The power grimaced."He spent his spirit working the fields while his comrade hunted and earned achievements. However, both Colt and Victor died in engagement at the start of spring, so Oath is all I have left. He has a dependable heart…"

"But no talent, skills, courage, or reputation, and he's a bit of a brick."

"Unlike the son of my younger brother, Edwin, a baronet. He is petitioning the kingdom to reverse my claim as baron and give it to him and his eldest son. I need to try that oath has what it takes to be a baron, and the expert way to do that is to conquer a dungeon crab. I'm too old to father another heritor and time is running out. swearing already has an adventuring party that he trains and engagement with, but their skills aren't in effect enough to conquer a dungeon pubic louse. I would like you to connect their party."

"Why me ?"

"Because you are young. There are numerous onetime adventurers with science like yours that I can employ, but then my brother will indicate that they just conquered the keep and handed the prize to Oath."

"Which is exactly what you want me to do."

"But the fact that you are young means that you'll fit right hand in. No one will question one supererogatory Thomas Young man joining my son's party."

Noah gave a huff while weighing his choice. On one deal, a political squabble between family members was the live thing he wanted to get involved in, and there was no telling if he was even skilled enough to successfully suppress a dungeon Crab. It was an unnecessary peril. On the other paw, the melodic theme of getting his hands on some avenium and other rarified metal and gems was a taunt idea. He could get plenty money to fund any speculation he wanted for the balance of his spirit. Plus, it would get him to the capital, and perhaps let him make some worthful connections. There were probably plenty of adventurer who would give their right arm for the chance.

"Would I be giving fiat or receiving ?"

"The team is yours to run. They're cook to set out whenever you are."

"And how prospicient do dungeon bitch normally remain surfaced ?"

"A couple months. This one appeared several days ago, 30 miles to the Northeast. It won't be long before its swarming with adventurers."

"Very well, we'll depart in one hebdomad. I want to use that time to evaluate the team, see if there is anything I can do to smoothen their skills before we go."

"That would be a blessing."

Noah got up from his behind."I have some job to attend to tomorrow, but I'll return in the afternoon. shuffling sure everyone is assembled."

This time, the baron stood up and shook his hand."Consider it done."

Noah left the study and retrieved Tin in the parlor. As they stepped out onto the figurehead porch, curse word came to see them off.

"So my father talked to you about the donjon Phthirius pubis ?"

"That's right, I agreed to go along with it. I'll return tomorrow."

"I appreciate it. I'll see you then."

cuss gave a deep bow of gratitude, and in the aloofness, Noah saw a photoflash of movement, and then get wind a sound that he was well used to. It was the speech sound of an arrow buried inscrutable into muscle and material body. Launched a second earlier, it would have hit Oath square in the dorsum, but because he bowed, it found its home run in the shopping mall of Tin's chest.

Noah didn't say a parole, but before either Oath or Tin could react, he had already leapt off the porch and was sprinting towards the descent of the arrow. He had left his bow with his horse in the stable, so he'd have to pour down the assassin up close. He could see the man hiding behind a scarecrow and recognized him as the fourth bandit from in the beginning. They weren't just random marauders, they had been hired to defeat Oath !

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 steel, and beheaded him before he could even turn around to run.

The torso hit the solid ground, but Noah had already left, sprinting back to the mansion. There, on the porch, Oath was gathered with several servants, giving her one healing potion after another, as despite the removal of the arrow and the wound end, she wasn't getting estimable. Noah could see it, her veins blackening, her bod getting picket, and every breather seeming to cause her bother. Everyone moved aside and Noah embraced Tin, cradling her head.

"It was a poisonous substance pointer. We don't know what was used, we have no antidote for it. Noah, I'm so sorry !"cuss exclaimed, shedding the tear that Noah should have. Instead, he just stared at Tin, his blank secrecy 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 assist you train your conjuring trick. I want to take the air with you through the woods and see 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 phone and put the buds in her ears. With the last few sparkle of energy, Vide Cor Meum began to diddle, slowing her binge."It will be peaceful, I promise. Just let the articulation take you there,"he said.

He cupped her buttock and she smiled. That touch was all she needed."Thank you for making my spirit a beautiful one,"she whispered. Then she closed her oculus listened to the song, soon releasing her final breathing time as the last short letter played out.

All was silent, no one knowing what to say. Shadows began to mouse into Noah's intellect, a barbarous spokesperson making him shake. ‘ Great, now I have to do everything myself…'He shook the voice aside.

"Noah…"expletive began.

"I'm going to eat up her. break me a blanket to envelop her in and a spadeful. I'm not asking."His vocalisation, it didn't shiver at all, and there was no ineptness in his words.

"We'll take care of the grave, you should—"

There was the slightest twitching on Noah's face. The gears in his thinker were grinding together."I'm not burying her here. I know a right place."

The retainer rushed to fulfill his order, bringing out a flaccid quilt that Noah knew Tin would have liked. He wrapped her in the comfort and carried her to the horse barn, getting onto his gymnastic horse with her and being given a shovel.

The whispers came back. ‘ I'll just throw her into the woods.'Again, he forced the voice out of his mind."I won't be back for a day or so."

Cradling Tin, he gave his horse a thrill and it took off with a cry. The sun had set, the Grant Wood now at their most severe, but Noah didn't hesitate to ride down a comrade route and into the wild. For hour, his cavalry galloped through the woods. When it tired, he would make it weewee and a health potion to reestablish its stamina, but that was the only time he stopped. teras routinely tried to snipe him, but he ended their life history with his bow. As the moon moved across the sky, Noah, holding Tin in his weapon system, felt the warmness slowly leave her consistency.

It wasn't just the freak outside that were attacking, but the unity in Noah's head. Evil rustle flooded his thinker, trying to get him to plough back.

‘ She's just a slave.'

‘ I should just go home.'

‘ There is no point in risking my life.'

‘ goose egg matters.'

‘ It's all meaningless.'

It felt like all of his muscles were just loosely within his ascendency, and if his focus broke, his eubstance would act against his will, throwing Tin aside and riding back to the village. He had to force himself forward, despite every selfish instinct trying to carry him back.

Finally, when the night was at its darkest, he reached the desired spot. It was the falls that he and Tin had camped at. There were some wolves drinking from the river, but he scared them off and ignored the pocket-sized slimes crawling around. The area itself hadn't changed in the last few hebdomad. There were still the corpse of the flack he had made, and the clay basin was undamaged.

He tied his knight to a tree diagram and lit a blowtorch, holding it while he carried Tin. ‘ I'll just underprice her and go.'He brought her behind the waterfall, where there was a small dry area with plenty of river silt, deposited by the waterfall. He dug down as deep as he could, forcing aside any thinking to give up and superfluous himself endeavor. He laid her down on the moth-eaten earth and opened up the mantle, looking at her one shoemaker's last time. She looked peaceful, almost substance. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver coin. When they first met, he remembered her telling him that she was only Worth that lots. He clasped her hands over her chest, holding the coin.

‘ What am I doing ?'

‘ This coin is valuable.'

‘ I shouldn't just hurl it away like this.'

He climbed out and buried her, then built a down of rocks on her grave so that no animals would dig her up. Finally, he turned to the Edward Durell Stone paries at his side and began carving Tin's public figure into it with her dagger. The scratches were deliquium, but they wouldn't be simply washed away, like if he had simply drawn the varsity letter on with a rock.

TIN

Those three niggling letters, a little split second light in his mind, like a faint lead, told him that they looked lonely, and he focused on that. He should put Sir Thomas More. She'd neediness that. But what should he indite ? What did Tin mean to him ? Who was she ? What was she in relation to him ? Did he actually care ?

TIN

A FREED hard worker

It was all he could come up with, but it didn't satisfy him. There had to be something more. He hadn't loved her, it had been a long time since he loved anyone. Did he even like her ? She was truehearted and helpful, and took care of him when he was sick. He also took care of her. Was that enough to view her important to him ? He couldn't tell. He had spent countless lifetimes pretending to be a friend, son, a class fellow, a coworker, a husband, even a father. When was the in conclusion prison term he actually liked soul and wasn't just wearing the façade of politeness while putting up with them ? When was the last clip he told someone he loved them and wasn't simply lying to their face ?

He had buried so many masses, most of them more than once. It was hard to say those who were of import 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 long since lost the power to tell, and was struggling to find it.

Finally, some emotion. Noah punched the tilt wall and split the tegument on his brass knucks."Come on, think !"He shouted those password to himself over and over again. He was scratching at his own mind, trying to pull blood from stone. What had Tin meant to him ? Or at the very least, what would she have wanted to hear ? Noah focused on that, trying to envisage what he could have said to make believe her happy.

TIN

A FREED striver

A PRICELESS fellow traveller

Satisfied, he stepped out from behind the waterfall. In the East, he could see the sky beginning to brighten. He took a can future to the clay basin, watching the sun come up while he searched his mind for that trivial twinkling light.

.

.

.

Cooperation

.

.

.

It took a full-of-the-moon day to ride 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 view. weariness gripped him, so he went straight to the inn. He took his seat at his usual table and the innkeeper brought two trays of intellectual nourishment."I was worried when you didn't show up for dinner party last night or breakfast this morning. Where's Tin ?"she asked.

"She died."

The woman 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 calendar month, everyone who came for drinks was used to the sight of Noah and Tin eating together. A few people, noticing her absence seizure, inquired just as the boniface had, and Noah told them the same affair he told her. His passionless response angered Holly, one of the chambermaids, and she grabbed Noah by the collar and lifted him to his feet.

"She was a decent lady friend ! Everyone here knows how devoted she was to you ! Don't you dare say something like that about her !"

Noah stared her in the eyes."Does any of that even topic ?"

Perhaps it was the way he said it, or the coldness of his heart, but she dropped Noah back to his buns 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 elbow room. This time, when he opened the room access, there was no salutation. The candle was unlit and there was no fervor in the hearth. It was just a sour 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 sleep enveloped him.

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

"How much farsighted are we going to hold off ?"The impatient vocalisation came from a young man with a halberd on one articulatio humeri and an obvious chip on the former. He was sitting on the front porch of the geological fault sign, along with expletive and the two other members of their squad, Beth and Mira.

"He said he would be back today, but I know he also has business to assist to,"Oath replied.

"Do you have any idea where he rode off to ?"Beth asked.

"No clue."

"I don't charge how tough you say he is,"the man with the halberd said,"if he rode out into those Wood at Night, he's stagnant for sure."

"Shut up, Trevor. When Beth and I met him, we knew that he was the genuine 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 corpses myself."

"Oh, there he is !"

On the road leading to the manse, a galloping cavalry with its rider could be seen. Noah approached them and climbed off his horse cavalry."Sorry I'm late."

"That's the courteous annulus. You look more like a noble than I do,"said Oath.

It was the knight anchor ring, all done after the town jewelry maker had worked on it. The avenium runes had been covered up and the enhancement gem was set on top of the crest. It was certainly gaudy, but sometimes gaudiness had its own charm.

"Thanks. Beth, Mira, you're doing well, I see. When did you organize this company ?"

"Right after we met you in the woods. We looked around for anyone willing 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 donjon crab. Before we do that, I need to—"

"You aren't leading anything,"said Trevor."You're not the genus Bos of us, just the sitter for the baron's son."

"You're just going to gripe and moan throughout this completely ordeal, aren't you ?"Noah asked.

"shag you. Try giving me orders and I'll shove this halberd up your ass."

Noah took a deep breath and rubbed his temples."Ugh, one of you people. This is the finally thing I need.

Listen, here's what's supposed to happen : you and I spend the next workweek playing the game where I act as the stern yet understanding authority figure, and you keep throwing temper fit due to some unexpressed deep-seated outlet. By the clock time 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 history. However, your screwup will assist you realize you're full of nothing but bravado and horse bastard, and you'll finally decide to listen to me, allowing me to bankrupt your operose outer shield to help you solve your behavioral trouble, which I'm dead reckoning is about your father, or tactual sensation of inadequacy, or something along similar lines. We'll capture the dungeon Cancer and mould a long-lasting friendly relationship of deference and trust.

Now, that is what is supposed to pass, and as a good deal as I would roll in the hay to go on that emotional journeying with you, I have literally a million secure affair to do with my sentence. So, let's nip this in the bud right now. You and me, one on one, until one of us can no longer endure. The loser has to listen and obey the winner until the dungeon crab is captured, including an rules of order to leave the party."

Most of what he said went over everyone's heads, but consecrate Trevor's nerve, he was smart enough to realize he had just been insulted."You son of a cunt !"he barked as he got to his feet and pointed his halberd at Noah.

"That's the spirit. turn over it your best injection, because if you don't take me down, you're going to end up swallowing a lot of blood."

Trevor took a position, leaning back and gripping his halberd with both hands, and enveloping the blade with mana with runic letter appearing in the air. It was just like the spell the hob chief had used on his brand to increase the strength of his stroke, meaning that getting hit with that halberd would surely be deadly.

"Trevor, block off this ! This is insanity !"Mira implored.

"No, don't get in his way,"said Noah as he removed his annulus."The most significant example 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 speed had more than doubled."Mountain-Splitter !"

It was by a lean perimeter, but Noah stepped to the side of meat and the blade missed. He grabbed the shaft of the halberd and delivered a bone-crushing poke to Trevor's nose, causing him to let go and stagger back.

"That was a honest poking. I imagine you've fatigued plenty of time practicing it."

Trevor's look was pouring blood, but he remained standing and glared at Noah with limitless hatred."Give 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 sword with mana, producing an impressive aureole. This time, instead of a driving force, he made a spacious swing."Erasing Cleave !"

Once more, Noah simply backed out of his chain of mountains, escaping with zero damage. Then, when the coast was clear, he closed in and delivered and uppercut to Trevor's jaw, busting his teeth and making him an even bloodier mess. This prison term, Trevor couldn't check on his feet and fell back, trying and failing to carry his cry of anguish. Looking around, Noah could see the baron's handmaid watching from the arena and through the windows.

"Noah, that's enough ! You two need to stop over this !"Beth exclaimed.

"He's the one who decides when we stop. feeling costless to give him a health potion, though."

"I don't need a fucking health potion !"Trevor shouted.

He scrambled to his feet and went at it again. He abandoned the idea of using magic and attacked Noah with a battery of rapid-fire pang. Noah deflected each attack with his shield, 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 throw another punch, but instead, he let go of the halberd and sent Trevor falling onto his ass."Your acquisition with that thing aren't that bad, at least, if you just lodge to hunting giant, but you'll never hit me with it. Try showing me how good you are with your fists."Noah placed his hand on his longsword and slowly drew it halfway."Unless you'd prefer to cohere to armed armed combat, in which case I'll gladly body fluid you."

Trevor abandoned his halberd and charged, sending a straight rightfield biff towards Noah. Noah caught his fist and then struck his articulatio cubiti, snapping his arm like his finger cymbals were made of meth. Before Trevor could even scream, Noah silenced him with another punch to the nose, once more knocking him to the background. It didn't seem like he was going to get up, so Noah took out a health potion and poured it on his case. The sprayer woke him up and healed his nose and mouth, though his arm would give birth to be reset before a potion could repair it.

"So, do you want to keep going ? I can go all day if you want. I mean it, I've got naught but time. And we can go whenever you want, this isn't your only chance.

Now I suppose there are a number of ways we can go about this. We can do the whole excited journey thing, but the fact that I've explained it kind of takes away the magic. You can just leave the party, I'll give you that option. There's the option of waiting until I have my backrest turned and then getting your retaliation, which, again, you are free to do so at any clock time, but at your own hazard. Poisoning my food might work, but it would just be you admitting your weaker than me. I suppose your best selection would be to shut out your fucking mouth, accept that I'm stronger than you and smarter than you, and pay attention to what I will teach you, as it will ameliorate your science and your fortune of survival.

From there, we can go to the keep crab louse, and you'll easily overcome challenges that would have killed you at your electric current grade of long suit. With a in force amount of drive and coordination, and no dearth of fortune, we'll conquer the dungeon crab and become rich beyond our wildest pipe dream. There is always the selection of betraying us down there and running off with all the loot, but boy, oh boy, you'd better make sure I'm dead, because you don't want me coming after you, you really don't.

So, what do you say ?"

Everyone was silent, waiting to learn Trevor's response. He was glaring at Noah and taking rich, tempestuous breathes through his nose."You say you can make me unassailable ?"

"I guarantee it."

"We conquer the dungeon Phthirius pubis and we're done, right ? I never have to see you again ?"

"You can retreat to some see beach home, you'll be so fat. I'll never bother you again."

"Fine."

"I'll let the three of you fix his arm. I need to verbalise with the baron inside."

Noah stepped onto the porch and entered the family, walking right by the office where Tin had died."Is the tycoon in ?"he asked, addressing one of the maids.

"In his private subject field, sir. He's waiting for you."

Just as Oath had done the day before, the maid knocked on the double threshold and announced Noah's arrival, with the baron granting entry. The old man was behind his desk."That was quite the gamey match outside. Your skill are the real deal."

"The real acquisition is producing results from it."

The baron walked over to his whiskey set and poured himself a drink."I'm glad you returned. I'm sorry for the red ink of your companion."

"Don't worry about it. I already killed your crony and his son."

The Methedrine fell from the baron's hand and shattered."What ? !"he exclaimed.

There was an straightaway knock on the doorway."My Divine, is everything amercement ?"a Butler asked.

Noah's gaze never left the magnate, without any sense of fright or anticipation of what might come next. He simply waited for a response. The power gripped the corner of the desk but managed to control himself.

"Everything is fine. We are not to be disturbed."When he sensed the Butler had left, he turned his care back to Noah."You wouldn't even give me the hazard to verbalize you out of vengeance ?"

"It was naught of the sort."

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

It was midmorning, and Noah had just claimed his closed chain from the jeweler, the finis of his morning errands, and with information given by those around town, he now stood before the home of the topical anesthetic baronet. It was in the outskirts of the town, one of the farms, and neither the bailiwick nor the house were on par with the baron. Despite the rank of noble, Bart were simply common man with the prefix ‘ Sir'or ‘ madam ’.

He found the baronet repairing a cattle fence behind the house. He was superposable to the king, but without the whiskers and sporting fewer wrinkles. Noah was invisible, so the man didn't even notice him plan of attack, but was calm when Noah pressed the blade of his knife to his pharynx and told him to drop the cock he was using.

"Sir Edwin Fault, I presume ?"

"Who's asking ?"

"Did you hire four men to kill the swearing Fault ?"

"Now why would I try to kill my beloved nephew ?"

"To get your son the rank of baron. But if you aren't going to answer my questions, I suppose I can always ask him, or maybe your wife."

"You must be the love child who saved him from that hob den. I had to pay that adventurer a good deal of money to down him. To imagine 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 have killed that untalented holy terror himself if I hadn't talked him out of it. He didn't do anything. You have a bone to find fault, put that knife away and let's figure out this wish men."

Noah's answer came in the form of a mobile movie of his radiocarpal joint, severing Edwin's jugular and sending him tumbling to the reason, trying pointlessly to stop the bleeding. Noah stood by to support the death and then made his way towards the fields, where the baronet's son was working.

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

"There was a time when I took great joy in making citizenry suffer, and I've been working to alter myself since then. I don't allow myself to drink down for pleasance or retribution, and certainly I didn't vote out them for what they did, but what they would cover to do. Associating with you and your son has already cost me the sprightliness of a firm subordinate, and I'd rather not have anyone the luck to get in my way.

If I were to tolerate them to endure, they would continue to try and kill you and curse, and I'd have to clean up the mess, just like I've been doing since I found your son in that hob den. The last affair I'd want is to beguile the keep and then get ambushed by your crony's henchmen when we're too hackneyed to fight back. I assume you had forgiven your brother because he is your family, despite his attempts to kill curse, but you're hiring me to keep curse active, and if I'm going to do that, it will be done my way.

If you have any objections, state them now."

Ivan didn't respond. He simply slumped in his seat and exhaled deeply. trench down, he knew that his blood brother had to be dealt with in one form or another, in social club for his son to inherit the rank of baron. However, even if it had been slenderize before, there was always a chance of reconciliation. He had dreamt of conversing with his brother, as they had a long, long time ago, and burying the hatchet. Now that possibility was gone forever. Noah claimed he hadn't acted out of vengeance against his sidekick, but Ivan couldn't help but feel he was the one being punished.

"I thought as much. Despite your crony and nephew dying, I'm mindful that your son still had picayune prospect of inheriting your title, so the dungeon gaining control will carry on as planned. We didn't have the chance to speak about requital for this job, but don't worry, I'm not interested in money or farming. There is something else I want."

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

It took more than one healing potion to reanimate Trevor's arm, and that could only be done when the bones were reset. He was all patched up by the clip 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 future five 24-hour interval, I'm going to evaluate each of your skills and see where improvements have been made. low, we're going to hunt down some colossus. I want to have intercourse your combat accomplishment and see how well you work as a team. You all have your weapons, so we're going to depart now and travel light. Any objections ?"

No one said anything, not after watching how he thrashed Trevor. But their silence was not out of fear, rather an consciousness that Noah knew what he was talking about. He was the honest-to-goodness of the grouping by only a yr, but they all sensed he had much Sir Thomas More experience than they did.

"good, then let's depart. swearword, you know the area. Please lead the way."

"I actually know the location of a charming spawning circle. Let's head there."

They gathered some provision and set off into the wilderness, leading a pack gymnastic horse to gestate back their harvested monster parts. From the moment they were enveloped by the iniquity of the Tree, they were vulnerable. The territory of the colossus was well-established, due much in part to the summoning set that they spawned from. They only intruded into human territorial dominion when there was a shortage of food or their phone number had grown too heavy, upshot that were both solved by the constant period of adventurers working to stamp down 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 staff since then. swearing and I spar a lot when we're not hunting."

"What about conjuration ?"

"I haven't been able to develop anything for fighting foe up close."

"We'll work on that. curse word, Beth, can either of you use charming ?"

"I can't,"said Oath.

"I can create body of water, but not in any kind of attack. I use it to fill up my water skin."

"commodity, we'll definitely want that in the dungeon. You're still using your bow as your main arm, right ?"

"Yeah, and I got poisonous substance for my arrow just like you…"

She trailed off, remembering what swearing had told her. Tin had been shot and killed with a poison pointer. Noah paid no attention to the drop of her speech.

"What about close-range ? Any weapons ?"

"I use a knife."

"Good. Trevor, you can spark illusion 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 branches of magic in this world, and Trevor appeared to be in the warrior class, just like the goblin chief. Warriors could only activate their science with specific weapon system, which depended on the individual. He wasn't exaggerating when he said the halberd was all he could use. He couldn't activate his deception with any early weapon.

"We're here,"said expletive. He then stopped in his tracks."On second gear thought, I think we should turn back."

Noah looked ahead. On the woods base, he could see a large wizard forget me drug, consisting of runic letter and class condition. Standing in the circle was a behave the size of it of a minivan. However, its physical structure was faint-hearted, semitransparent, like it was just a holograph, but with each passing moment, its coloring deepened.

‘ Is it teleporting ? No, it's hardening. The circle is converting mana into physical matter and assembling it. So, that's what it means for a beast to be summoned.'“ I've never seen a bear like that out here."

"It's a sledgepaw, a rare breed. It is to regular bears what that hobgoblin was to fixture hobgoblin. We should get out of here before it attacks. This is a small bit out of our league."

"No, it's perfect. We'll time lag for it to wind up spawning and then take it on. For all we know, the dungeon could have far worse monsters."

"All right, then let's take formation,"said Oath.

"Wait for it to attack us. Taking your prison term in setting up a firing squad while it spawns won't give a good deal experience or information."

It took only a instant for the bear to fully happen, immediately spotting Noah and the mathematical group and labeling them as enemies without any variety of faltering or confusion. It released a hollo of fierceness and charged, signaling the start of the conflict. Noah kept his space while the group spread out, surrounding the bear. Beth nocked a toxicant arrow in her bow and shot the bear in the neck. It turned to her and snarled, about to lash out with its pincer, but curse attacked from the side and slashed at its shoulder with his steel. The savage's hide was hoodlum, and Noah couldn't tell if the onrush had actually done any damage. Enraged, the bear knocked expletive aside. Like Noah, he was wearing leather armour, and while it stopped the bear's hook from reaching his chassis, the armour 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 roar of botheration from the animate being, it hadn't forgotten the arrow in its neck and attacked Beth. It was faster than she expected and it knocked her to the ground, with her bow wedged between its jaws keeping it from biting her. She was crying in anguish as it weighed down on her, saliva from its oral fissure splashing on her grimace with its massive fangs inching finisher and closer.

"guillotine Swing !"

Trevor swung his halberd like he was splitting Sir Henry Joseph Wood, and the axe sword, glowing with trick great power, dug deep into the pay's back, though it missed the spine.

"Earth surge !"

Having gathered her mana, Mira struck the solid ground with her stave. The surrounding soil, not gripped by the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree roots, was gathered together and slammed into the bear like a mudslide, knocking it off Beth. The bear was behind to get back on its foot, as its metier was fading with each lost drop of blood and the toxicant was taking its toll. Regardless, it still could beat the skulls of the feeble human race with a single swing of its mighty paw.

Oath was back on his fundament and charged with a shout of determination and his sword raised high gear. Seeing him glide slope, the bear reared back on its hind ramification, and despite his vigor just bit ago, the sight of the towering wildcat robbed curse of his courage. He was paralyzed with care and the bear swung at him. inherent aptitude saved his life, the inherent aptitude to raise his sword and close up the attempt, though the force still slammed him into the primer. An arrow was buried in the bear's chest before it could attack again, managing to pierce a lung, and Trevor stabbed it in the stomach.

The bear fell back and rolled onto its stage, roaring in fury but then breaking down into a fit of bloody coughing. Beth fired a third arrow, striking the shoulder, which Trevor then cleaved with his halberd. As this was going on, Mira rushed over to swearing's side and helped pull him out of harm's way. With Trevor and Beth continuing to wail on the beast, its life was soon extinguished. Its monolithic body collapsed and Oath and his admirer released their held breath.

Noah, who had been observing, got up from the corner stump that had been his seat and approached, and while everyone patched themselves up, he severed the bear's spine with his brand to make sure it was dead.

"Congratulations on your kill. However, it was rather messy."

"Messy ? !"Trevor exclaimed."looking 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 disarrangement was."Noah took out his knife and began carving into the bear to remove its hide. He looked only at his work, but he continued to have words them."You surrounded it on all sides, which, while ripe 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 treat. Beth, consider all the time that you spent pinned. That was all sentence you could have spent firing arrows had you and Mira kept your distance. Though speech production of arrows, your aim was very good, both that dig to the cervix and to the chest. But from now on, the two of you should string up 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 have gone for the capitulum. With a fiend of that sizing, did you retrieve a flesh lesion or heftiness damage would kill it ? Unless they're well protected, you should always aim for the vital position. Swing at the head, twinge at the dresser. Lapplander with you, Trevor. When you attacked its rachis, were you aiming for its spine ?"He didn't respond."I'll take that as a no. deal aim with your attacks, and not just at openings in your resister's guard. You should try studying bod, figure out where the most critical points are. You went at the belly, that was smart. It's soft and hard to protect, but you stabbed too low. You should let gone high, towards the liver, or at least the stomach.

Mira, you did well in getting Oath out of peril. However, you waited too tenacious to honk your piece. I see that you developed a new spell, and while it did get by to get the bear off Beth, it was a larger-scale spell not suited to the woods. I remember you once told me you can create a rubble cloud and send rocks flying ? You should stimulate stuck with that. A bit of debris could bear blinded the bear and maybe even hindered its sense of aroma, and a rock 'n' roll or even hard-packed turd can inflict plenty of pain when striking the psyche or the crotch.

And swearing, you know what I'm going to say, don't you ? You choked, and your mistake put the lives of your friends in peril. It was instinct that saved your life. You need to work these kind of decision faster. Before we head to the dungeon Cancer, we'll have to rectify that. Now, all of you give me a hand. This bear is going to help fund our preparations."

Everyone joined in, helping to take the bear's hide as entire as possible. When it was done, Noah placed his hand on the pelt and tried to seal it in his ring. The sweetening gem had doubled the carrying capacity of the halo, but the pelt was so sullen that the ring was refusing to accept it. He'd have to take away some things first.

Noah held out his script and closed his finger around an invisible handle. A sword appeared in his grip, the sword that he had taken from the hob. He had even found the sheath that went with it, something that the regular hob wouldn't have been smart enough to take. It was much larger than his broadsword, and he had assumed its size of it might be useful against a tumid enemy. Oath, who knew both the actual identicalness and index of Noah's tintinnabulation and what it was known for, was exempt from the voices of astonishment the others made. Even Trevor was shocked by the huge brand appearing out of tenuous air.

"Oath, where did you get your sword ?"

"Uh… it was my grandad's."swearword stuttered, feeling an automatic sentience of danger by being queried by someone who had just revealed a sword.

"May I ?"Noah held out his hand and Oath reluctantly handed it over. Noah looked it over. He was an have blacksmith once, a week-long encyclopedism course at a metalwork school that turned into a career, though while his retentivity were a bit blurry, he could still accredit the craftsmanship put in. However, his focus wasn't on the actual character of the metal, but the distance of the handle. It was a son of a bitch sword, otherwise known as a hand-and-a-half, which could be held with either one hand or two.

"It's good. And your father said you grew up working the area, right ? scads of plowing and clearing trees ?"

"Yes, that's right."

"I want you to try using this goblin sword for a while. Swinging a hoe or an axe require leverage, leverage that your grandad's brand can't fall in you with the length of its hold. Your manus are too close together and it's throwing off your center of gravity when you hold it. This larger steel will allow you keep your hands farther apart and provide a to a greater extent interchangeable motion."

He handed both brand to Oath, but he only took his grandfather's blade."I can't accept that. That's your trophy for killing the monster."

"You're just renting it from me. Besides, if this venture 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 minuscule. We'll take the formation of a W, with swearword in the midriff, me and Trevor at the sides, and Beth and Mira in the back."

It would have perfect if they could fight another sledgepaw bear and comparison strategies, but considering its rarity, it would probably be a foresighted time before it respawned. They set off instead to notice more monsters, not having to hike foresightful before coming across a clique of wolves. They took establishment and stared the beasts down, all armed and ready to fight.

"Beth and Mira, you two are our chief form of onrush. The three of us are just a cuticle. You'll have to focus on not getting us caught up in your attacks."

"rightfulness !"They both replied.

Arrows began flying yesteryear cuss's right side and rocks and pieces of tamp down earth were flying past his leftfield. The wolves were caught off safety and respective were left stunned or injured. A brute standing directly in front end of Oath managed to avoid the onslaught and leaped towards him. Oath swung his sword, nearly losing his balance and falling over. However, though the weight was much great than any hoe or axe he had used, it wasn't the effort. It was the ease he felt, the swing now more reminiscent of a familiar motion, and he was able to use musculus computer memory to address out bang-up strong suit and skill. The ease robbed him of his tensity like he had removed weights from his shoulders, causing him to stumble. The steel carved through the airborne wolf like a buzz saw, nearly slicing it in two.

At the same time, the wolves that were still on their human foot scattered to try and flank the radical. Two ran towards Trevor, and the outset, attacking from above, ended up getting impaled on the lance tip of his halberd. The second tried to close in, using the death of the first as a distraction, but Trevor swung his halberd down and buried the axe blade in the wolf's back.

On the former face, three charged towards Noah. The foremost pounced, sending Noah dodging to the side and then beheading it with a downwards swing. He spun around, thrusting into the sec wolf's chest as it pounced from above. The third tried to set on from his blind smirch, but drew his unforesightful sword and cleaved its skull open.

All that was left were the Hugo Wolf stunned by the initiative fire, but they had been dispatched with Beth's arrow. The only if engagement had taken a smattering of seconds, causing swearing and his Quaker to all commutation shocked glances. They had never won that fast before, especially when they were outnumbered like that. The value of Noah's advice had been proven.

They stripped the Friedrich August Wolf of their hides and collected all former valuable body division, then continued their journey. There was still plenitude of metre before they'd have to set up camp, so they wanted to get as much hunting done as they could. As they traveled through the wood, the flicker of fervour filled them. Now that the new venturer had improved their strategy, they wanted to see how else they might get stronger, and what this new boost would allowed them to do. They were hiking through a hilly sphere, sticking only to the savourless ground for the sake of their cavalry. It was when they were traveling along a floodplain that Noah stopped them, his center glued onto the nearby hill and a expectant fallen tree.

"Look over there. See the land where the dirt and leaves have been disturbed ? Goblins probably laid a trap and are hiding behind that log. Mira, can you establish one of your spells to try and smoke them out ?"

"It's a little far, but I'll try."She stabbed the ground with her staff."Earth Bind !"

Like a crack splitting ice, a seeable line ran through the surface of the ground over the field behind the log. There was the sound of screaming and several hob scurried out from their hideout, 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 break up goblins. From behind the Tree around the log, more goblin appeared, howling like monkeys. They charged township the hill, a dozen of them, with two hanging back with their own bowknot.

"Beth, take out the Archer. Mira, try to funnel them so that they don't flank us. expletive, if more than one hob attacks you at once, don't do another downward slash. It'll leave you open. Trevor, don't let the impulse of your swing music take you out of position."

No one questioned him, and as Beth waged a long-distance exchange with the archers up the James Jerome Hill, Mira created pit and blades of earth that burst up along the wing of the goblin legion. They swarmed for Noah, curse, and Trevor. The profligate goblin reached Trevor and dropped a lodge towards his head. Trevor swung his halberd, and while the blade failed to collide with the hob, it did get caught on the handle, hurling it towards curse, who dispatched it with a cleave. He then swung his sword from the side of meat 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 close up and every swing of his steel sent origin splattering across the nearby trees. A goblin arrow planted itself in his belly, nearly sending him tumbling to the ground. His leather armour had slowed it down a bit, so it didn't reach his reed organ, but as mortal who had been shot legion times, getting hit with the splintery goblin pointer hurt a lot more than virtually bullets.

"Mira, I'm hit. I need a dust swarm !"

"R-right !"

She stuttered momentarily, but regained her composure and sent all of the dry soil around the goblins airborne, blinding them and leaving them coughing. He only had a couple moments, so Noah ripped out the arrow with a hiss of pain and spurt of parentage and poured a healing potion on the combat injury. As his flesh stitched back together, the hob managed to crystallize their eyes of the dust and resumed their armorial bearing, but just like before, Noah mowed them down. The conflict was over in less than a bit. Once again, cuss and his Friend exchanged glances of excitement.

A few battles later, the setting sun put an end to their hunting for the day, and they set up camp between a clump of large tree diagram for protection from monsters and wind. They built up a flaming in the eye and cooked meat from the slain bear. They hadn't packed any intellectual nourishment with them, so they could only eat what they collected. Dinner was eaten mostly in silence. Noah was new to the chemical group and they hadn't gotten used to him yet, so the others couldn't immediately talk at their common conversational depth.

Between bite, Noah took out a canteen to the full of water and added some pine needles from his pocket. metal bottles were more expensive than glass nursing bottle and water skin, so everyone noticed when he set it future to the fire.

"You're making tea with pine acerate leaf ?"Mira asked.

"Pine needles facilitate ward off scurvy even better than lemons."

"Really ? Where'd you hear that ?"

"Just something I picked up."

"Where can I pick up interesting stuff like that ?"Beth complained."Where did you take to defend colossus ?"

Noah thought back through all of the fantasy novels and role-playing games 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 crab ?"she then asked.

"That enquiry seems like bad hazard, 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 donjon. You could be set for life. cuss is going to inherit his father's title of respect. Are you also aiming for nobility ?"

"I'm going to preserve traveling and exploring,"said Beth.

"I just want to make plenty money to settle down and begin a kin,"Mira added.

oath's hereafter had already been laid out, so next it was supposed to be Trevor, but he didn't appearance any stake in even acknowledging the query.

"I have no interest in becoming a nobleman,"said Oath.

"Then why do it ?"Noah asked.

"Because my father 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 natural endowment with that steel. Keep being an venturer. Do whatever you want to do."

"Isn't my father paying you to make sure I become a stately ?"

"I fully expect you to become a noble, even if I have to tie the title of respect around your wrist joint. I just want to make certain you have a potent rationality so that you won't choke up. So, go on, tell us the real reason."There was an awkward silence, during which Noah carefully retrieved his canteen, which had come to a simmer."Unless, of grade, you already gave us the really ground. Your father wants this, and you want to make him happy."

"Is that really such a strange desire ?"

"You want him to finally handle you like he did your Brother. You want rapprochement, to relieve oneself everything right so that all the years of neglect can be made up for, that it was all deserving it."

"For someone judging, you sound like you have experience."

"No, I was the inverse. My dad was like yours. He thought a parent's love had to be earned and wouldn't accept bankruptcy. If I wasn't the ripe, then I wasn't his son. Unfortunately, I didn't care, and I told him that. I told him that his commendation meant nothing to me. I never had any intention of making him proud."In actuality, he had several fathers who followed that mindset. It was a personality case 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 spirit in a wheelchair.'“ I left home and became an adventurer."He took a slow sip of his tea."You have to figure out your own reason for doing things, your own rationality for keep. Neither your parents nor God can grant you meaning. It's something that you have to create for yourself, and if you don't do it carefully, if you pick an idea or a belief that is faint and fragile, it'll twilight apart in your hands and you'll have nothing."

The coterie went dumb, everyone staring into the flame rather than take the jeopardy of making eye inter-group communication with someone else. Beth, no longer eating, hugged her knees to her chest."My Church Father was actually an adventurer. He taught me how to snap a bow and always told me of his escapade. Sometimes he'd disappear for week at a clock time, but he would always come rest 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 whole step onto my floor, he'd catch my ankle and hazard to be whatever monster he had just fought. It made me a light sleeper, because I'd always try to hear him hook in and overhear him."

"I wish I knew my father,"said Mira, trying to go on the conversation going.

Like before, it became Trevor's play, but he still showed no interest group in participating. They then realized that he had already fallen asleep.

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

They set out at dawn the future morning to continue hunting, while making their way back to town. Just like the day before, their new formation proved unstoppable against the monsters of the forest, and they found themselves carrying so much loot that it was draining their stamina faster than the battles. They had to direct shop at stops, and as common, Noah would use that time to gather valuable industrial plant.

At last, they broke out of the cover of the timber, now trekking across plowland with the Village not far off. Despite their fatigue, their spirits were high up. The sun was setting and their trip had been both productive and informative"I think we should just go straight to the donjon crabmeat tomorrow,"said Oath."We're already impregnable enough."

"Not yet,"said Noah."We've built a formation, now I want to improve your abilities."

"So more search ?"Beth asked.

"No, training and recitation to increase physical strength and mana taciturnity. All of our loot from this trip is going to fund it."

Upon arriving to townspeople, they first stopped off at the local tannery to trade off the pelts. The owner of the store, a scraggy man who struggled to originate a in good order beard, Luke, met them as they entered his store. As one might look, tanneries weren't known for their pleasant scent. It smelled like a wet dog that had just fed on roadkill. The air had moved beyond round-eyed stench and now had its own taste, a very blue tang. It annoyed Noah every time he stopped by.

"Mr. Noah, I haven't seen you lately. And the Young passkey, I'm glad to see you are doing well. What have you come with today ?"

"We have hide to sell, including a special piece."

All of the wolf and former skin were stacked on the counter, with the last, belonging to the sledgepaw bear, having to be laid out on the floor like a rug.

"A sledgepaw ? And in such dependable condition ! This is definitely a rare find !"

"We fought it as soon as it finished spawning,"said Oath."That's as fresh as it gets."

Gospel According to Luke bent down and examined the hide, paying close tending to combat injury created during the battle."And there doesn't appear to be too a good deal damage… I can return you two Au coins for everything."

"Two and half ?"Noah asked.

"Two, that's my limitation. This matter has some big cuts in it."

"Fine."

The central 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 collect, though their concluding check was the apothecary, and rather than selling, Noah was buying. swearword and the others stood back and watched as he ordered armfuls of different plants for sales agreement with the old woman watching him with an eye of interest.

"I'll also take every health and mana potion you're bequeath to sell."

"Why can't every client be like you ?"she asked, teasing him.

They returned to the street."Ok, let's call it a day. Tomorrow morning, we'll meet back up at the magnate's household and get down training. I'll use these industrial plant to lash up rafts of potions."

The group split up, with Oath and Trevor heading off their respective domicile, Beth and Mira returning to the inn, and Noah running a few Thomas More errands. dark fell, and like the women, Noah made his way to the inn. It was bustling as usual, but the tabular array that Noah sat at was quiet. He ate dinner party quickly and went up to his way. By candlelight, he ground up the plants he had bought and miscellaneous them together. He had a farsighted list of potions and cock to make for this dungeon adventure, so even his night 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 natural. He opened the threshold to see Beth standing there, a smile on her human face that was coy, nervous, worked up, and embarrassed, all mixed together.

"I wanted to tell you again how disconsolate I am to see that about Tin. But just because she's gone, that doesn't think your nighttime have to be lonely. I want to experience the caption that everyone in town has been talking about."

An honest smile, rare for Noah, crossed his fount. However, it was more in entertainment than lust."That seems like something that would really bring us some bad hazard later, considering the whole keep crab thing."

"What ?"

"zip. As much as I would wish to say yes, it would be best if we both went heterosexual person for bed, considering the training I have planned. Plus, I still have a lot of potions to make."

Her flavor were deflated, but she wasn't ready to open up."Are you for certain I can't change your psyche ?"

"I'm sure. But if you still have strength tomorrow after dinner, then I'll happily indulge you."

"I'll look forward to it."She then gave him a wink and went back to her room.

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

"The training I have in judgement will consist of yearn sessions of muscle training and then magic education in a physically exhausted res publica, replenishing military posture with potions, and repeating the process."Noah addressed Oath and his friends in front of the baron's mansion. By his position were a large sacque full-of-the-moon of red and juicy potions, as well as some other concoction."It's a combination of two workout number I've created."

Mira looked away for a bit, pondering something. She then perked up in shock."That's what was happening with you and Tin at the inn !"

expletive, Beth, and even Trevor looked at her, taking a moment to litigate what she had said, and then swerving their optic back to Noah like a car drifting around a corner. Oath had forgotten that fiddling fact, and Trevor, resigned to bearing a soundless grudge, was remembering those rumors he had heard and finally feeling a bit of esteem towards Noah.

Noah let a modest laugh escape."Yeah, that's right. My theory is that mana output signal is a compounding of strong-arm and spiritual Energy. When your Negro spiritual mana can't keep up with the requirement, your forcible mana picks up the slack, but it means your spirit gets only part of the benefits of training. Therefore, the outflank way to aim your liveliness's rate of production and reservoir size is to either do so after you have just depleted all of your stamen, or during battle, when you are using up both, though I believe the latter is less effective. Tin was assisting me with the outgo of physical energy."

"All first light ? !"

"I have a lot of toughness, which is the issue of the other utilization procedure. Over a long period of time, I've mastered respective different forms of exercise and refined them to point muscle growth in a particular way. People and former large animals have three kinds of muscle : red brawniness, which is brawniness that is smashing for stamina and running ; white brawniness, which is brawn for physical magnate and explosive force ; and pink muscle, which is a combination of both. My mundane nidus on producing pinko heftiness. Unfortunately, sex isn't the exercise routine, God, though I wish it was.

Oath, I saw you struggling to cabbage your new sword, but making sodding slashes every time. Because of all the sentence you've spent swinging a hoe or an axe, neither of which is very heavy, you have a lot of red muscle, which lets you go for a long time up to a certain limit.

Trevor, I noticed your front decline faster than Oath, despite expending a similar sum of money of energy. Your stab and slashes, while initially quite powerful, made a sweetheart downslope. You have too much white muscle, which lets you carry more than than cuss, but not as far."

To cuss, 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-bodied to slice through monsters and carry their remains with keen forte. The others had noticed it as well, another class in which he outclassed them.

"time lag a sec, if that was your"special mana training"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 leave to tell you how to pretend yourselves stiff, but not how to pass water me weaker."

"You've been hiding magic this unscathed time ? But we showed your ours !"Trevor yelled.

"And let that be a lesson to you in the time to come. The sooner your enemy knows about your strengths, the sooner they know about your failing. When meeting new citizenry, conceal your power until the concluding second, because that moment might be a fight. However, since you followed me on that hunting trip and are willing to undergo my workout act, I believe that it's only fair to lay my plug-in on the table."

He covered his eye and disappeared, drawing cry of surprise from everyone.

"Noah ? !"oath exclaimed, looking around for him.

Noah released the conjuration 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 time. After a month of breeding, I could do it for to a greater extent than five minutes."He'd observe his second spell secret, as well as the true duration he could restrain the both of them for. His trustfulness in them was still in its infancy.

"I've never seen or even heard of a illusion like that before. Maybe some kind of sanctum magic spell ?"Mira muttered.

Her words took away a lot of his nervousness. He still knew so niggling about the magic in this universe, there was no telling how common mogul like his might be. For all he knew, this lie might make him look misfortunate. However, if Mira had never heard of it, there was a fortune that it was rare enough to not be considered rough-cut knowledge.

Noah retrieved some bottle full of a jet liquid and tossed one to swearword and each of his friends."drink that, it's a little something I whipped up from the plant I bought yesterday, along with some honey. It'll cave in you a little extra energy. These next few days are going to be exhausting."

.

.

.

Forging Strength

.

.

.

Pained gasps.

A feminine whimper.

"Oh God !"

Beth collapsed, fighting for every breathing place 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 eye full of hate."You're a monster,"she hissed.

A assoil, steady stream was produced, arching onto the dry land with a splash.

"Oh, she broke her disc !"said Oath.

"I wish my mana would develop that fast !"Mira complained.

The weewee spurting from Beth's fingertip trickled to a stoppage. She rolled onto her back, feeling like the hard road underneath her was now as soft as the king's mattress. It was the second day of Noah's training, midmorning, and he was running laps with curse word and his booster around the fault land. Since yesterday, this what they had been doing with most of their clock time, running almost nonstop. It was Noah's linguistic rule that they had to run until they collapsed or nearly threw up, and then immediately cast witching until their mana was completely depleted. curse word was exempt, but only because he had no aptitude for magic.

Noah crouched down and fed Beth a watered-down healing potion, just something to rejuvenate her stamina a bit. While she recovered, cuss, Mira, and Trevor sucked in air. This was the just break they got, when someone collapsed.

"I'm starving, can we eat tiffin now ?"Trevor asked.

"I can't even think of nutrient,"curse groaned.

They all complained throughout the solid ordeal, but in trueness, no one had yet given up and refused to go any further. Despite their anguish, they didn't spring in. It wasn't to shew their determination, rather it was the simple fact that Noah's methods were producing resultant. Just the day before, at the Saami time, if Beth cast her magic spell, it would have just been a few drop-off falling from her fingerbreadth, less of a fountain and more of a leaky faucet. Also, everyone's stamina was increasing noticeably. Thanks to the health potions, they could perform hebdomad of daily exercise and recovery in a phone number of hours, compressing the rate of advance so it was much more obvious.

"Yeah, I'd say so. I'm on my last legs too."

curse word and the others groaned in relief and began throwing down everything they carried, as well as stripping off any armor. Noah was making them run in all of their adventuring power train with their weapon in hired man, and in time, he'd incorporate weights to train them for carrying the donjon crabby person's hoarded wealth. There was a field nearby, but they didn't precaution and squatted down right in the heart of the road to eat. It was on the king's estate, so there wasn't the worry of traffic.

They each carried lunch made by the maids and were chowing down like rapacious fauna. Even Noah was giving in to his hunger and stuffing his face. But as he ate, his eyes swept over everyone in the group. This physical exercise was definitely intense, shredding muscles and then immediately repairing them. In this case, the antidote was worse than the toxicant, according to the township druggist. He had spoken to her the cockcrow after he returned to Robert Clive while on his way to pick up his ring.

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

"Using potions for exercise ? It would be a good idea if it wasn't such a bad idea,"the old woman said. As always, she stared Noah down, looking at him through the smoke of her pipe.

"I can't imagine I'm the first individual to believe of using them this way. What I want to lie with is if there are any dangerous effects. You always have them in stock, so getting the ingredients isn't an issue."

She took a recondite inhale and released a prominent weed cloud."There is a downside."

"Am I going to have to pay you to find out what it is ?"

"In a rush, are you ? Yes, it's always people like you using this method. Mana and health potions, as well as all other intermixture used by adventurers, may seem like bottled miracles, but they are a double-edged sword. If overexposed, the body can forget how to animate and reestablish itself. If a wound is repeatedly inflicted on one touch and healed with potions, eventually the dead body will recede the ability to mend that spot on its own. deletion will bleed ceaselessly, broken osseous tissue will become like Rock, and organs will eventually close down. The effects 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 practice session, potions will head to death within two weeks. Lesser damage depends on the user."

"And what about mana potions ?"

"Mana potions stunt the development of magic. The more often they are used, the harder it will be to create and find out new spells."

Noah thought back to his"grooming days"with Tin. He had performed them every early day and with watered-down potions, multiplying his militia countless times and giving him an edge, but there was no telling how much it had hindered him in the long run.

"And of course you decided to hold back until now to state me, despite all of the potions I've been buying for the cobbler's last month."

"Are you expecting an apology ?"

"No, I just have something I want you to front at and I would prefer some honesty."

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

Three years, that's how long Noah was willing to use the potion method. That would hopefully entrust them with enough meter for the side-effects to fall apart off before they entered a keep. So far, everyone's strong-arm stamen was continuing to ascend, but if he saw them plateau or even overthrow, he'd cut them off, dusty turkey. He was even holding off on letting everyone use mana potions, instead letting it replenish as they ran. He didn't want to bear on back the day of the month of their departure if he could avoid it. If anyone got a wound, he made sure to watch closely, to progress to sure their origin was clotting.

"All right, let's question back. We're doing the Same routine as yesterday."Everyone groaned and cleaned up their mess, but before they could return to the manor house, Noah stopped them."cargo area on, we're doing lunges."

"Please, not again !"Mira complained.

"You'll thank me later."

With their weapon system in manus, everyone began doing long dance step, stretching out one leg and leaning down with their other stifle almost touching the undercoat, and they had to keep back a debauched rate. It was sweaty, terrible work.

"This is so embarrassing, we look pathetic,"Trevor muttered. He seemed to love complaining, but since Noah beat him in a scrap, he was keeping his Word about following management."It's not like where going to be running like this through the keep crab."

"No, but it'll build up your forte and staying power. The most important physical plus in armed combat is leg strength."

"Wait, really ? Even for sword fighting ?"Oath asked.

"Really. If you support your dead body with a square foundation, you can oppose while staying on your feet longer. It doesn't matter how hard you can have a punch or swing a sword if your legs just buckle as soon as you meet underground. Think of it as like trying to crusade while standing on slippery ice vs solid ground."

Just like before, Noah pushed them to the peak of flop. Normally, this kind of reckless grooming would be frowned upon, but they needed to accentuate and tear their muscles to the absolute limit, furbish up them with potions to make them even unattackable, and repeat, with mana depletions after every collapse.

There was no rest for them when they returned to the manor. Under Noah's instruction, expletive and the others began stretching and lifting varying weights in various ways. To the slaves working the field, it looked like a basic workout, but Noah scrutinized every effort, from the form their arm took when lifting a heavy stone, to the precise Angle of their hips when they twisted their body. Every drive had to be sodding, so that all the stress went to specific heftiness. Had he the means, he would go even further, focusing on someone brawn threads.

In a way, Noah was grateful that this opportunity came along. Being an explorer kept him alive and fit, but it didn't flesh posture in the Lapp way as this workout, and coming to this cosmos had scrambled his routine. He had to use this prospect to properly polish his physique. He had planned on teaching this exercise to Tin to relieve oneself her stronger and subject of defending herself, but that opportunity was gone.

Once they reached the midsection of the good afternoon, Noah had them move on to the next degree of their training. curse, Trevor, and Mira stood side by position, all of them gasping for air and cursing in anguish as swither poured down their faces. For Oath and Trevor, the workout was elementary, though far from wanton. They held out their weapon as far as they could and kept their weapon raised for as long as possible. They had to maintain doing it until they collapsed and they couldn't sense their arms, at which period, they'd take a wellness potion and begin again.

"Ah, dammit !"Oath cursed as he dropped to his knees.

"Fuck, you're weak,"said Trevor.

"For once in your life, just shut up !"Mira hissed, unable to asseverate her usual polite personality.

Her training was alike to theirs, only using legerdemain. Before her floated a lump of earth as large as a beer keg. Dirt from a bald patch underneath continuously floated up and added itself to the mass. For her training, she had to maximize the total of earth she could lift, as well as the duration, and level of compression. She'd rotate it in the air to keep it from becoming lopsided, but every time it moved, she struggled to keep back control.

Noah told her she had to be able to wrench dirt into solid rock music in s, as well as gearing her body to produce mana faster.

Nearby, Beth was sparring with Noah. She held a sheathe knife in her bridge player and was swinging and stabbing at him with heady craze. Despite her cause, he'd blockage and avoid her attacks away from his physical structure, using various fighting expressive style he had learned across the multiverse. As soon as she paused her onslaught, he'd plan of attack, forcing her to heighten her instinctive reflex for dodging.

Finally, when the sun set, Noah said the magic words."Let's call it a day."

On cue, everyone collapsed. Even Trevor abandoned his tough guy bravado and simply went limp.

"I think I might be dying,"Mira moaned, spreading eagle on the ground and staring up at the sky.

"I'm too tire to eat and too hungry to sleep,"Beth added.

"I've spent my lifetime working on this farm, but I've never been this tired before,"said Oath.

It seemed that their stamina had been pushed to its terminal point, beyond the point that potions could refill. Now they needed food and sleep.

"I should probably steer back to the inn while they're still serving dinner,"said Noah.

"You guys can experience dinner here,"oath said.

"Why didn't you say that yesterday ?"

"Sorry, but after a day like that, I couldn't spend another arcminute thinking about training and the donjon crab."

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

The tabular array was old and unstained, hand-carved with roughly sanded planks, though clock time had helped to yield its edges and the low-quality prorogue cloth hid its surface. On it, candles burned to illuminate the way, which smelled like the baked fish Noah and the others were eating, along with staff of life and some vegetables. In the New world, not even soup kitchens would serve up nutrient of this destitute grade, but after a month in these new res publica, Noah had managed to calibrate his gustatory perception buds.

It was only the five youths present. The baron was not taking part. As with lunch, everyone ate voraciously, their trunk begging for sustenance to try and make up for the fat they had burned. It was surprising that Mira actually noticed curse word had stopped eating, staring had his half-finished dinner.

"Oath ? Is something wrong ?"

"No, I'm just trying to remember the terminal meter I sat at this board with this many people."

‘ Oh my god, that is so corny,'Noah thought, drinking from his glass so as to not split his straight face.

"You're going to realize me sick,"Trevor muttered. Noah resisted the desire to thank him.

"What were your pal like ?"Beth asked.

"My previous, Colt, was a soldier, serving under general Tarnas against the Goth in Handent."

"He really served under Tarnas ? !"Beth exclaimed, bolting to her feet.

"Is that a good or bad thing ?"Noah asked.

"Adwith Tarnas is one of the Carry Amelia Moore Nation's not bad grinder, and easily the strongest paladin,"said Mira, trying to hide out her superfluity with a smile."nigh children are raised on his stories, and for as tenacious as I've known Beth, she's been a huge fan."

Beth sat back down, a wino smiling on her fount."When I was Brigham Young, he and some of his forces passed through my township. Watching him ride down the street, wearing golden armor… I was no prospicient an innocent tyke. I had awakened my feminine desires."

"You never heard of him ? What rock have you been living under ?"Trevor asked.

"A expectant one. Tell me about the war, I'm curious."

"Oh, well, according to my blood brother, it started when the churl began ransacking villages along the border, eventually leading to the famous murder of high school non-Christian priest Grybaen by gaffer Waer. After that…"

The conversation had taken a strange number, but Noah absorbed every particular while making his plans for the time to come. That nighttime, at the inn, Beth didn't go with Mira into their shared room, but followed Noah into his. She had been too tired the late night, but tonight, she had just enough strength to indulge her curiosity.

The third day of training was just like the two before, including the Lapplander function, but now with weights added. However, the white plague of potions had dropped in every natural action. The outgrowth they had gone through over just a few sidereal day would cause normally taken week or even months. In the later afternoon, their training was changed. Now instead of simply holding out his blade, Oath was practicing his gash like he was studying kendo. He needed to make both his attacks and his retrieval faster.

Next to him, Trevor was improving his thrusts, using what Noah had taught him and incorporating his legs so he could increase the strength with to a lesser extent drive. He had also given Trevor the challenge of writing out the letter of the alphabet in the air with the shaft tip, to enhance his truth. Beth and Mira had switched post, now with Beth straining her magic trick 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 limit of her wizard aptitude, but creating fresh water was something they'd need if they spent more than a day in the dungeon.

On the fourth part day, Noah met everyone at the baron's estate as he normally would. He held out a rucksack to the full of potions."Today, I want you all to see if you can follow the procedure on your own. Until we enter the dungeon crabmeat, 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 exercise without potions, then you simply aren't ready for the keep Cancer the Crab, and the farsighted we wait, the more than competition will have. I don't want to reach the prat of the scale and find all of the avenium already taken."He put the knapsack down and put on a jacket with all of its pocket filled with rocks."Come on, prison term to start running."

The workout proceeded as planned, but with no less complaining. Now without potions, they could only accumulate their strength during breaks, but the issue of times they had to lay off and roost was as Noah predicted. On the fifth day, Noah faced them with the morning time sun burning away the mists clinging to the baron's estate. For cuss and his supporter, this was the finale day of training and they all felt confident. They weren't blind to their own ontogeny. They now stood with physical structure covered in weights, prepare for Noah to give the signal to take off their sunrise run.

"Since today is the end day, we're going to do something different. Trevor, I want you to hit the terra firma with a downward hit and your secure spell."

"What for ?"

"Just desire me. Pour as a good deal mana as you can into the axeblade and collapse it a shot."

Trevor grunted and held out his halberd, and from the mo he began channeling his mana, everyone noticed the difference of opinion. These past times several days, whenever he, Beth, and Mira practiced with their deception, it was always in a state of enervation, forcing their consistency to squeeze out every final driblet of power. This was the foremost time in days that Trevor was using a spell while at full enduringness. What would have been a shimmering air around the blade was now like a great colorless flaming, causing his booster to instinctively maltreat back.

"Whoa,"Trevor said, unable to beak any former run-in. He held his halberd with trembling handgrip, feeling like it was a rabid animal in his grip. He raised it above his drumhead like a blinding torch."Execute !"Apparently, saying the figure of the trance helped focus the thinker and increase the potency of the spell. To Noah, it seemed a bit absurd, but it did wee-wee things a bit more entertaining.

As per the name, he swung down with the halberd like he was performing a beheading, and the consequence the sword touched the primer, it was like a howitzer round had gone off. A chest-thumping blowup was heard and filth and rock were sent flying in all directions. Originally, what would have simply buried his weapon system in the dirt, had now opened up a crater the size of a bathtub. Just as incredible, the intensity level of the mana flowing from the halberd had not lessened in the slightest, nor did Trevor appear fatigued.

Everyone was stunned, with Noah flashing a uncommon smile."Mira, your results would probably be similar if I asked to use your strongest spell. Now that you have all this mana to work 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 enchantment yourselves or learn by watching others, but I want you to pay yourselves to improving your skills. Show me something new. Today, we're forgetting about strength and toughness and focusing entirely on technique.

Beth, I want you to practice your archery until your fingers bleed and you can shoot the flank of a fly. As for Oath…"Noah drew his longsword."You're going to be fighting me."

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

Beth's chest of drawers heaved with each movement, and her pap, chilled by the evening, pointed out and withdraw bow in the air. Just moments ago, she had been riding so vigorously, having to cast aside her dress when she began to overheat. It had been a struggle for her to hold her moans contained, especially with her pelvic arch refusing to obey her instruction and slow her bouncing.

She now took a blue-blooded stride, rolling her hip joint from side of meat to side while she regained her military strength. Her pretty face was one of intoxication, her intellect overtaken by lecherousness and endorphins. Her smile was obscene, her font flushed, her rim wet, her pupil dilated. Noah could see the unused stew on her body with the Light Within of the night sky. What was just supposed to be a agile rendezvous to scratch the ol'itch had turned into something a little more intense.

Sitting up, Noah kissed her bosom and grabbed her ass, kneading it like bread. Beth had a Nice athletic figure, not practically fat on her, but the ass of a volleyball player. Noah's sass on her mammilla, his humanness stirring her up, and his hands massaging deep into her muscles, these stimulus combined into a strength that Beth was struggling to withstand. They were out in the Mrs. Henry Wood, so Beth's moan could attract monsters, or even defective, the ears of her admirer.

Mira knew about them, so Oath and Trevor were probably cognizant as well, but still, it would be a bit rude make them hear the sounds of moan and flesh against flesh. That was Beth's cerebration, but Noah didn't care either way. His only fearfulness was getting stuck in an awkward conversation with everyone because of this. That, and the fact that he and Beth were breaking the rule of every horror movie and having sex in the Natalie Wood. The flag they were raising could experience been visible from space.

Beth's strength gave out, a final exam climax draining her and leaving her trunk hitch. Noah was forced to frown to her to the ground, but she didn't object to him continuing to lunge until he had a climax of his own.

"seed on, we should get back to the encampment,"he said.

"What a romantic thing to say after filling me up."

"You know what this is."

She giggled."Relax, I'm kidding."

They got dressed and returned to the refugee camp, where their fellow adventurer were awake and waiting for them.

"What are you all doing awake ?"Noah asked.

"You two are a lot nosy than you think you are,"Mira said while keeping her eyes down.

"You do realise it awfully hard to sleep. I thought some wolf were tearing apart a goblin out there,"said Trevor. In retaliation, Beth kicked him while circling the campfire to pass her spot.

"Watch it !"he shot back.

Noah took his own spot and stoked the fire."enough. Everyone, get some relief. We're going to take our strong point for tomorrow."They were less than half a day's hike to the dungeon crab.

"None of us can sleep. We're too unquiet about tomorrow,"Oath said.

"It'll be fine. In twenty yr, you'll ask your small fry ‘ did I ever tell you about the time I conquered a dungeon crab ?'And they'll moan and say, ‘ yes, father, a hundred times. We're sick of hearing about it.'”

"Are you going to do anything with the territory ?"Beth asked."change any laws ?"

"No. Clive is perfect the way it is, and I don't want to change anything."

"You're letting a halcyon opportunity slip by,"said Noah.

"What do you mean ?"

"I assume that as long as the kingdom gets its taxes, it won't care about how things change, so you might as well try some matter. Think of the township as the place to execute social experiments."

"What's a mixer experiment ?"Trevor asked.

"It's when you put mass in a certain position with certain conditions and see how they react. You can see how human being 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 larn about people. In the heart and soul of town, put up a statue with a star sign saying not to touch on, that the pigment is wet. Then you can see how many people are actually going to contact it."

"What is that supposed to do ?"curse asked.

"How many mass are in Baron Clive of Plassey, a hundred ? If half of them meet the statue, then you could pull in the argument that one-half of the homo slipstream 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 town, maybe a big urban center in another country, you'll probably find that different telephone number of people will touch the statue. Then you can get down to figuring out why. Why do different areas have different resultant role ? Are the people simply dumber ? Is it a literacy problem ? Is there a civilization of rebellion to federal agency ?

There was once an ancient city named Rome, which had a massive stone battle stadium called the Coliseum. It was so massive, that the Saturnia pavonia put the minds of his expert architects into figuring out how to design it so that the watcher could easily get in and out, otherwise, they'd start a riot. You get a bunch of people together in penny-pinching proximity, one of two different affair may bechance, sometimes even both at the Saami clock time. The first is that people will need to withdraw into themselves. They'll want to produce personal outer space, establish a circumference, draw that line in the gumption that no one can spoil. If someone crosses that line, they may get timorous, they may get violent ; no topic how diminished it is, it produces a negative reaction.

The former is to surrender to the will of the group. If everyone around you is saying something, you'll assume it's aright and reprise it, because you want to consider in the group, you want to believe you're right. You want to believe that you're in the presence of the great unwashed who know what they are doing. If you're in a mob where someone is shouting for the dying of the king and everyone cheers, region of you will naturally agree.

Someone losing their biliousness will start a combat, that scrap will spread and activate more fights, and suddenly the orderly quite a little that were simply trying to leave the Coliseum are sweeping through Rome, having abandoned all thought of politeness and now simply destroying everything in their way."

"That could never materialize,"said Beth, as if Noah had just uttered a baby's nonsense.

"I've seen it come about plenty of times. Once you establish the rule that leakage is not available, that candela starts burning at the stake, and it burns quick."

"I don't know. I think people are good at heart,"said Mira."They don't just go demented like that."

"Then you could demonstrate it. Let's say you could create any form of sociable experiment, completely gratis repercussions, like a dreaming. What would you do ?"

"How am I supposed to know ?"

"The remainder of you ? Just think ‘ I wonder how many people would ( blank ) if I ( blank ) ?'Or ‘ what would bump if I put ( blank ) and ( blank ) together ?'Literally whatever you wanted to know, or simply just see."Everyone looked up into the distance, trying to treat the challenge."Think about it. It'll help you fall asleep."

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

A substantial thump woke Oath up, a steel striking the ground just inches from his cheek. 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 Within sleepers in an area this life-threatening, woke up in a instant and got to their ft with their weapons raised, confused and alarmed by the sight of Noah in the predawn light. Was this an assassination attempt ? However, they looked down and spotted Noah's actual target. It was some variety of insectoid brute, a stubby centipede with a bulbous cuticle. It was the size of a squirrel, with frightening pincers.

"What the hell is that thing ? !"Mira exclaimed.

"It's one of the parasites from inside the donjon crab. I did as lots research as I could on the dungeon crab whenever I had the time."

looking at at Mira and Beth, he could see them shuddering in revulsion.

"You mean to tell me that there are more of those matter in that crab ?"

"Almost certainly, but they're flooding out into the woodwind, so just means that the more we find out here, the fewer we'll have to fight in the crab. Now let's eat some breakfast and get a movement on."

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

It was a typographical error plenty of upturned dry land and shattered fundamentals, the result of the dungeon crab rising up from the major planet's insolence and jutting out the tip of its shell. At the very summit meeting was the entrance, but the mountain was no indicant of just how expectant the actual crab louse was. Before they could go down, they'd have to mount up.

"Look up there, I think I see a tent."

Noah scanned where Beth was pointing and confirmed."Someone must accept set up camp there before heading in."

"There are clique all over the mountain. There must be a lot of people in there,"said Mira.

"Most of them have probably been killed by now. Those clique are abandoned,"said Trevor.

"Trevor !"

Despite Mira's angriness, Noah agreed with Trevor. The finisher he looked, the more tents 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 visible radiation because they want to impart as much treasure as they can, and probably couldn't carry anything extra when they came out. We'll be in the same berth when we come back."

"postponement, I see citizenry too,"said Beth.

She was right, there were plenty of adventurers roaming the mountain.

"They must be scavenging for gems and precious metals. When the Cancer the Crab appears, it probably pushes up more than just Oliver Stone and dirt."

"If you can get gold from sifting through the dirt, then why bother going into the keep ?"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 pot. There were no established paths and the terms was hard, to say the least. The dirt had settled since it was first moved by the arrival of the pubic louse, but there were no plants to hold it all together, so it was like hiking up the slope of a moxie sand dune in many areas. They also had to be untrusting of the big stone chunks shuffle in. They were freshly broken and hadn't been weathered by the malarky and the pelting, so they could easily cut through skin. While climbing, Noah grabbed a stone handhold and his decoration was skinned by the crystal-like sharpness.

They passed by multiple prospectors and treasure-hunters, digging around for anything worthwhile. No one paid them any attention, and they offered none in return. However, that changed when they heard the sounds of fighting. Nearby, they saw a whiskered man fighting off one of the dungeon parasites that had wandered outside. It was a four-legged crustacean, the sizing of a wildcat. It swung its heavy forelimbs like clubs and tried to coerce the man onto his back.

"Noah, we need to help him,"said Mira.

"Keeping him live isn't my job. Besides, any strength you use against that one freak will be strength you can't use in the shell."

"Then weigh this a arena test !"Mira held out her stave."Shatter Chemical Mace !"

patch of stone and packed filth flowed to the end of her staff, joining together into a hardened sphere, the size of a basketball and covered in sharp protrusions. She left the group and ran over to where the man was fighting, with her arm not hindering her social movement at all. Rather than strong-arm strength, she was holding the sphere together and lifting it with mana.

The beast had the man pinned on his back and he was fending off its snapping pair of tweezers with his pickaxe. Sneaking up behind it, Mira raised her staff and brought it down onto the monster's back, unleashing the total weight of the stone and breaking through its racing shell. The monster hissed in annoyance and fell over, and she dispatched it with another lilt, this one crushing its exposed foreland. A workweek ago, such a undertaking would sustain been impossible for her, but under Noah's tutelage, both her skills in magic and forcible armed combat had been multiplied several prison term over.

"Thanks,"the man grumbled before dusting himself off and walking away.

She returned to the grouping, where Beth was clapping for her."Well done !"

Noah, however, clasped his deal on her shoulder."Don't do that again."There was very lilliputian choler in his voice, but still, she shrunk away."The Lapp goes for the rest of you. We're not here to play submarine sandwich, we're not here to save lives. We're here to make money and curb the donjon. Our metier, our attending, our weapon system, our potions, they are reserved only for our own use and our own welfare. If you save someone, it had better be to use them as a inner circle mule or a gist buckler. Understood ?"Everyone nodded."well, then let's motion on."

They resumed hiking up towards the summit, and Oath soon asked a question.

"Noah, you researched dungeon crabs, right ? Did you know that goliath ?"

"Yes, it was one of the sponger mentioned in the books your father had."

"Do you know what else we'll come up ?"

"Unfortunately, no, there was actually very slight written information about the dungeon crabs and what exists within their shells. Those who remain in the upper fate and last share their information, but those who delve deep enough to gain the avenium either die or keep it a secret."

"Wait, why is it a privy ?"Trevor asked.

"If I had to infer, I'd say it's because the nation's nobleness doesn't want people knowing how to join their ranks. In this crab are the keys to the kingdom, after all. Too many young upstarts could break the balance of power between the rich and the piteous, or they could organise camarilla that get in the way of the higher-ranked nobles. Some info gets out, of trend, from those who manage to escape with their lives but don't conquer the keep, or from early land, but I imagine that the only adventurer who are really informed are those already working for high-level nobles."

A monstrous hissing ended the conversation, as up ahead, a new terror revealed itself. It stood on a pair of muscular peg, like a predatory bird, but it had a small eubstance and no cervix, only a forward-placed skull that resembled an alligator. It was a pair of snapping jaws on feet, that was all it could be described as, and it was glaring at Noah and the mathematical group. It had the high earth, and after emitting another hiss, several more come along, from both above and the sides.

"A pack-type parasite, interesting,"Noah said as he drew his sword."Get ready, everyone, the fighting starts early."

They took formation, with Oath in front and Noah and Trevor guarding the flank, while Beth and Mira attacked from a distance. The lusus naturae closed in all at once, leaping through the air while flashing the talons on their human foot and spreading their jaws.

"Trevor !"Noah shouted.

"Phalanx Spears !"he cast while swinging his halberd like a flag.

A track of mana was left behind with each effort, and the mana solidified into floating blades like mist condensing into ice. The floating brand pierced three of the beasts before they could bring, two more were wounded, and the eternal rest had their concentration broken and failed to pounce properly. With that opening, Noah and Oath began hacking and slashing away at those who landed closest by.

"Earth Bind !"

Mira stabbed the ground, and beneath the wounded beast, colliery opened up to accept them whole, then were closed with earthen capitulum like coop measure. It wouldn't reserve them long, but it kept them out of the fight. Not only could Mira now manifest the spell multiple prison term from one casting, but the ground proved unadulterated for its use. Those who had avoided Trevor's 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.

"good, well done,"said Noah.

Normally they would then reap the colossus for valuable part, but the market for dungeon Cancer parasites was too niche to be worth the effort. Besides, they wanted to redeem as much way for treasure as they could.

They continued their climb, and after a couple more giant battles, they reached the summit at midday. There, sticking out of the ground was the tip of the crab's shell, like a lightsome house on a rocky drop-off. Noah could see the gyre of the shell, and before them, the opening, a threshold large enough for an elephant to walk through. Noah reached out and touched the shell, made of substance somehow strong enough to withstand the rut and pressure sensation of the globe's interior.

In the calendar month since Noah's arrival to this worldly concern, he had seen pot of things that shocked and baffled him, from trick to monsters, but just the sight of the entrance blew him away. To think that such a creature like this could live, that something so massive occupied this world. It blurred the coarse sensory faculty accumulated from more than a hundred lifespan. Where did these thing come from ? Were they made by conjuring trick ? Perhaps by some kind of god ? How old was this one ? Was it intelligent ? What was its life cycle ?

"I never thought I'd ever see something like this,"said oath, similarly amazed.

Everyone in the group was staring at the white tower in awe and attainment. True, the real struggle had only just begun, but compared to what they were doing not too long ago, just reaching this property was a huge acquirement.

"tone at this view,"said Beth.

Without any trees to immobilise their lot, the mountain summit let them see for miles in all directions.

"I think I can see the village !"said Trevor.

"Let's break here for lunch, gather some of our strength, and then head inside."

They all sat down and Noah pulled solid food and piddle skin out of his ringing. He had decent food and piss to feed them all for various solar day, and thanks to Beth's trick, they could fill again their canteens whenever needed. However, everyone carried two Clarence Shepard Day Jr. of rations, just in case they got separated. Their luncheon consisted of dried Pisces the Fishes and fruit, as well as some loot, something Light to keep them moving. Up atop the mint, there was a dainty child's play, and the perspective was spectacular.

"Noah, think back what you were saying last dark about mixer experiment ?"Beth asked."If I could try one, I'd want to see what happens when you put only fair sex together and tax them with building a company. What would Clive feeling like if it had only adult female ?"

"A female-only companionship ? Yeah, that would certainly be interesting. Ok, paint a impression for me. What do you expect would find ?"

"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.

"cum on, I want details. For instance, there are roles in beau monde that are typically considered manly, and others that are considered womanly. If exclusively women perform the manly tasks, then what will change ? Will the nature of the task change, or will the women change ? Will the women who spend all day hunting, blacksmithing, and all those other jobs start acting rough and crass like men ?

You're an adventurer. You spend your Day hunting, fighting, scavenging, getting down and sordid. But you also consider yourself quite girlish, justly ? But how do you think a girl who spends her days weaving and taking care of child sees you ? will a divide configuration ? The Type A personalities arguing with the type B ?"

"Type A personalities ?"

"Never mind. Oath, you got an mind for an experiment ?"

Oath took a mysterious breath."Something like what Beth was talking about, but it's men and women, and all of them have lost their memories."

"Oh, that's the just one. The add together erasure of culture and starting from slit. If you completely remove raising from the equation, then you can truly see how nature manifests. Will men and women follow paths considered formula by high society ? Will they adopt the same part that their ancestors have ? Or will they do everything new ?"

Everyone watched as he started putting matter away. He didn't need to say anything, they knew it was meter to take the plunge.

.

.

.

The Gauntlet

.

.

.

Once they had finished eating, they packed up their things and entered the shell, with Noah taking the lead and holding a flashlight. Because of the shell's twist, they had to deign a spiral passage, like a stairway but without genuine steps. The wall, floor, and roof of the transition were perfectly smooth, but there were no straight lines of any variety. It was like wandering through a narrow canyon carved by flashfloods. virtually of the base was covered in dirt and collapse Isidor Feinstein Stone, perhaps seeping in from the opening of the plate. Luckily this meant that Beth would have something to work with to use her spells.

The crab had been venting its shell for more than a week, but the air still had a staleness to it. It smelled earthy, like a mineshaft or a fair game, but he could also smell the biologic signature of the parasites. The air seemed fine to suspire and the torch didn't appear to bear any issues burning. Was all that oxygen from the exterior ? How long could the oxygen go if the crab went back below the surface ? How long did the dungeon crab live underground before surfacing ? Either the crab and its parasites could function in an oxygen-poor environs, or something within the crab could acquire a human-friendly atmosphere.

They had descended fifty feet when the first fork appeared, another burrow branching off from the stairway.

"We're going to keep going down, right ?"expletive asked.

"Yeah, whatever passage leads us down, we'll shoot it."

One of the bipedal parasites burst from the branching burrow, aiming for Noah. He stepped to the side to dodge, drew his short brand, and stabbed the beast through the spine when it landed.

The deeper they delved, the more branching tunnel they came across, but they continued their descent, until reaching a boastfully chamber at the bottom of the staircase, with five tunnel spread out. The staircase had been just wide enough for two mass to walk shoulder-to-shoulder, but these tunnel were like underground lines. There were mark of explorer coming through here, marking the tunnels to try and keep track of which paths they had taken. There were also some rake splatters, tear clothes, and a broken sword.

"What's that, hanging from the roof ?"Oath asked.

Above their brain, icky ribbon dangled like icicles, and at the base of each, a small ball of light.

"Cave louse. Their consistency are bioluminescent, attracting target, which get caught in their screw thread like spider webs. This is a serious thing. We won't need this."Noah extinguished the great mullein and stored it in his ring."Ok, let's split up. We can cover more than flat coat that way."

"Wait, WHAT ? !"everyone exclaimed.

It was the hardest Noah laughed since coming to this worldly concern."Relax, I'm just kidding. Can you think ? Let's take this path over here. It looks like it continues to slope."

They took the right-most path, encourage descending into the dungeon Cancer, and soon stopped at the entry of a branch bedchamber, hearing campaign within. They stayed against the rampart so as to debar drawing the attention of whatever was inside. Noah signaled the others with his script and cast his invisibleness, then stepped into the doorway. The passel before him was a grotesque, a big money of maggots, each the size of a football, feasting upon the corpse of some slain adventures. Their fat eubstance quivered as they peeled material body from bone. The wall were honeycombed to house the animate being between repast, and three adult were standing guard.

The guards were bugs of some kind, consisting of four branch surrounding a head and torso that were mixed together with wings between the peg. The legs were armor-plated and penetrating, and their downward-pointing fount had teeth like an troller fish. They looked almost like winged bar stools. Noah drew his sword and killed one of the beasts without it ever realizing it was there. Seeing their comrade spontaneously die, nearly being sliced in one-half in the process, the other two began to panic and look for the invisible assailant. He killed them almost as easily as he had killed the first.

"open,"Noah said as he released his spell.

He reappeared, just as curse and the others entered the room, immediately broadcasting their repulsion at the remains being fed on. Noah knocked the pile of dead body over, and kicked away the maggots so that he could begin poking around with his sword.

"Don't loot them !"Oath said in disgust.

"Why ? Because we didn't kill them ? We're explorer, we thrive on the deaths of others, be they human beings or monsters. Meh, nothing great."He was able to collect a few weapons and arrow, 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 more than four-legged glitch were flying towards them, having likely detected the deaths of their comrades."Phalanx spear !"he then cast.

He blocked the handing over with an regalia of mana blades and Beth began firing pointer, but the armor plating on the monster's legs proved stronger and they smashed their way through. cuss took down one, but a secondment tackled him from the face, tearing into him with its tooth and claws. Noah killed it before it could inflict more wrong, then fended off the others with well-placed thrust. Trevor had also been tackled and knocked onto his vertebral column, with Beth and Mira working together to pry the animal off.

Noah was still on his feet, so the fiend were heading towards him. He put away his longsword and instead switched to his short sword. The foremost bug that tried to tackle him was met with his shield and then a sudden thrust. He repeated the strategy, breaking the opposition'inertia by blocking with his shield and then stabbing while they were disoriented.

The conflict had ended and healing potions were used where needed. This certainly was an interesting environment for battle. Most of the demon seen so far had intemperately outer shells, something Noah and his group had little experience in dealing with. Their group focused on attacking rather than survival, 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 light armor—and a strong offense, of course.

They continued on deeper, passing by myriad branching tunnels and eventually coming to another fork. Once more, their capitulum stopped them from proceeding, as they heard movement down one of the tunnels, and soon saw it as well. It was a flowage of centipedes, just like the one that had tried to kill cuss that dawn.

"Holy shit !"Mira shrieked, something very out of theatrical role for her.

"semen on, this way !"

Noah ran down one of the transit with the others following, but so too did the centipedes. It seemed they were familiar with the aroma of mass and now hungered for Noah's chemical group. He slowed his pace, letting the others get past him, then untied a bag hanging from his belt and scattered its powdery contents across the floor. It was lye, the salutary he could make within reason. It was much more corrosive than what he had made in the forest 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 pain in the ass. However, it only slowed them down, and those in back simply climbed over their ill kin.

They kept running, though Sir Thomas More monsters were bursting out of the burrow ahead. Noah and Oath took them out to the proficient of their abilities, trying to at least incapacitate them with one slash. Those not slain retreated immediately as the chemical 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 elbow room, and if I give a signal, use your land billow spell,"said Noah.

They entered the sleeping room, though regret filled them immediately. A new, stupendous danger awaited them. It was a insect, coiled like a sibilation cobra, with a dead body Sir Thomas More than ten groundwork astray and long as a football plain. Its physique was crude, like living stone, and it was covered in countless modest feet. Towering over them in this arena-like sleeping accommodation, it stared without eyes and roared from a oral cavity that was simply a pit of teeth.

The mint of the lusus naturae shocked everyone into a stunned muteness, like Oath when standing before that bear, but not even Noah could chastise them, for he too was momentarily crippled by fear. The fraction of instant between two beats of his middle seemed like it would last forever, but that side by side thump shook him from his stupor, letting him compile his thoughts and began working on a plan.

"Mira, do it now ! Beth, shoot some arrows into that thing's mouth or anything else that looks piano ! swearword, you and I will be the decoy. Trevor, you attack with all your magic. 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 wafture of freak, and counted with a wave of her own. She cast her magic spell upon the earthen ground, taking control condition of all of the rock 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 form but only doing enough damage to piss it off.

It turned its attending on swearing and Noah, running at it from its left wing and right position. It lunged at them both, aiming to eat Noah and swat Oath with its shadower. Noah made himself invisible and dodged the insect's mouthpiece when it lost track of him, and curse word blocked the attack with a lilt of his steel, breaking into the giant's tegument. As they had distracted it, Trevor could now unleash his charged magic. Both the spear blade and the axe head of his halberd were glowing with a beaming storm of mana, and runic letter spun around the lance. He charged towards the worm's coiled body, released a roar of frenzy, and brought down his blade like a divine smite.

"Voulge solidus !"

It was a combination of his stabbing and cleaving magic spell, and while the question were the same as just a convention swing, it inflicted damage differently in the form of a cut. It had less penetrating power than the other two, possibly failing to break the dirt ball's jolty exterior, but it would do much slap-up damage to the form. His mana, having solidified around the capitulum of his halberd, carved deep into the insect's physical body, and as Trevor swung his weapon down, he left a deep cut on dissimilar segment of is organic structure. rip poured from the wounding and the louse shrieked in agony.

"Let's go !"Noah shouted.

They ran off through another passage, leaving behind the louse with the centipedes. They didn't full stop running, wanting to get as far away as potential. They kept maneuvering through the donjon, fighting the fiend leaping out while they searched for a safe bit. It seemed like every time they slowed down or even paused, something would explode out and attempt to fill a clump out of them. Finally, when they were gasping for air with their throats feeling as dry as grit, the group found a chamber with a small opening and no monsters inside. They set their packs against the entrance, hopefully to help keep the monsters from detecting them. They all slumped down on the floor. Even Noah was feeling sick from the adrenaline.

"piece of ass ! This position is a death trap !"Trevor exclaimed as he poured a healing potion on a deep puncture wounding in his thigh, caused by something resembling a cycloptic tiger catching him with one of its hulk fangs.

"No wonder grandeur is the prize for conquering one of these things. You deserve to be a damn king if you can last this place,"Beth panted. Despite fighting from the book binding, she was covered in demon blood.

"Guys, I got ta tell you, I'm not sure we're ready for this lieu. It's too soon,"said Oath.

"Don't say that. We're live, aren't we ? We managed to get through it and find a place to roost. Not too long ago, we would sustain died before even reaching the dungeon. We can do this, right, Noah ? Noah ?"Mira turned to Noah, seeing him staring at his trembling hand, but with an expression that, frankly, didn't fit the situation.

After dying so many clip, decease was no recollective something Noah feared. It was to be avoided, but with about the same amount of effort used to forfend dying in a video game. He still possessed the survival inherent aptitude in some fashion, but he could no longer properly appreciate the greatest risk of death in a given spot. He was no Thomas More afraid of guns that he was a coffee tabular array's sharp corner. But what he felt when he saw the louse was true care, when he realized that not only was the louse the most likely lawsuit of his expiry in that room, but that it was a destruction he wanted to annul more than any early. That intuitive feeling of fear, after so long, it was as though some of his soul's thirst 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 book at the power's menage, it had a ikon of a dungeon crab. It might consume just been a guess at what it looked like, but it was of a whale hermit crab. However, hermit crabs don't create their own shells. snail do. anchorite pediculosis pubis just take them over. So, either we're actually inside a snail, or if this really is a hermit crab, then that means it probably got this shell from a snail, and if there are these elephantine crab louse and snails living within the dry land, what else is down there ?"

"And how does that help us ?"

"It'll take your creative thinker of things. We'll be o.k., we can get through this. Had we tried this a calendar week ago, none of you would still be here, but you've all grown stronger."

"So what should we do ?"Oath asked.

"Exactly what we've been doing. Just watch our stride, get hold of it one challenge at a time, and keep our rhythm steady. Besides, I'd say there is mess of incentive to stick around."

Everyone glanced around the sleeping accommodation and gasped when they realized the reason was gleaming like a starry sky. It was severe to tell under the blue light source of the glowing insect, but it was bits of metal and gems mixed into the dirt.

"Our first grade !"Beth exclaimed.

They began collecting the glimmering pieces and cleaning off the unwanted dirt and rock-and-roll. almost of it was raw and dilute, so excess deposit had to be scraped, hammered, and rubbed off, and even then, there was no telling how much amber or Ag was collected until it could all be properly melted down. Despite the discovery, Noah couldn't deny his disappointment. When he had heard about these dungeons and the gem within them, his inner nerd had been imagining something more along the billet of an actual treasure chest. That worm back there could be considered a mini-boss, after all.

With their spirits lifted, they left the safety of the chamber to continue their descent.

"Trevor, you take pointedness,"said Noah.

"What ?"

"I mean you're in nominal head, 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 foeman circling around to Beth and Mira, so it would be best to put your recollective range directly in the movement. If we enter a wide-open blank space, we might switch back."

Trevor stepped forward and led the group, and not long after they departed, they faced off against a dyad of the four-legged teras like the one that Mira killed outside. Now in the heart and soul, Trevor warded them off with his halberd.

"swearword, with me. Trevor, don't let them digest over us,"said Noah.

He and swearing stepped forward, keeping just out of ambit of Trevor's halberd with cuss delivering a mighty cleave. His brand cracked into the monster's shell and struck its wit, though the wounding was shallower than swearword expected. Nearby, Noah was fending off swings and stabs of the animate being's jagged forelimbs, but when an opening came, he hacked one of them off and then thrust his sword into the monster's face.

"These shells might be Charles Frederick Worth something."

knife in handwriting, they carved the top shells off, each one the sizing of a tower cuticle. They were hard enough to arrest curse's cleave and rather perch, so there was the beneficial hazard they'd be worth something to an armor dealer.

They proceeded onwards, fighting their way through undulation after wafture of the shell's inhabitants. They survived each encounter, but not without shedding blood. They kept their middle peeled, not just for monsters, but for inkling of treasure. They searched every room, finding gold, silver, and gemstone of all dissimilar colors. They also found deal of sign of the zodiac of human activity, though rarely any physical structure, same with the goliath, and the dead end were a invariable annoyance.

"postponement, hold up."

"What is it ?"Trevor asked.

"This section of the hallway, we should forfend it. see at it."The next one C substructure of the tunnel had a dissimilar eubstance than the remainder. It was a fleshy, perforated surface, like a sweetheart sponge."Something like that is probably some form of trap. We need to backtrack."

"It looks mulct. It probably means we're getting close to the tush of the shell."

"It very well could be, but it's also too suspicious to chance. We're going back."

But as they turned around, they heard belly laugh and shouts and brat, and from the way they just came, another adventuring party appeared, a group of respective grownup 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."hold, 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 handle of his axe to get her out of the way.

"Mira !"Beth exclaimed.

She and swearing rushed to her English, while nearby, the screams of fear became screams of pain. The men, having entered the hallway, now found themselves being assailed from all sides by flying stinger. They shot out of the holes in the walls and ceiling like bullets 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 base. Something is coming."

Mira was pouring pedigree from her sass and seemed frantic. Oath forced her to fuddle a wellness potion, but it wouldn't get her into fighting precondition soon enough. The monster the men had feared arrived, some form of hulking crossbreed between a silvertip bear and a komodo firedrake. Its dorsum was covered in thick scales and its underside didn't seem very weak either. It stood on its hind legs, exposing its deadly pincer, and released a roar from between two rows of shark-like teeth.

Beth, standing behind expletive and Trevor, shot it in the tummy with an arrow, though the wound was shallow, and it would take fourth dimension for the poison to kick in. Regardless, it took the message and dropped back down onto all fours and charged.

"good deal rail-splitter !"Trevor cast.

He thrust at the oncoming behemoth, aiming for its oral sex with the blade alight with mana. The beast managed to avoid a deadly injury, instead staking the shock in the shoulder. Its musical scale were like thick Harlan Fiske Stone and just as hard, so while Trevor reached the tissue paper underneath, most of the muscularity was deflected. Getting past the halberd, it slashed Trevor across the chest, sheering through his armor and knocking him against the rampart. Noah took out a lye dud and struck the animate being in the facial expression, blinding it and making it stagger back.

"Beth, save Trevor. Oath, get over here !"

Noah didn't give it any hazard to recuperate and lunged for the colossus, slashing and stabbing at any spot that looked cushy. He focused on the offend shoulder, but the beast was guarding it well, and despite being blinded, it was swinging its pincer with deadly truth, and even Noah ended up with some deep cuts across his second joint. Oath came out from behind Noah and brought down his brand on the monster's foreland, doing some slender concussive damage.

"I'll distract it."Noah cast his invisibility and charged at the fiend while drawing a length of thick chain from within his ring. He wrapped it around the monster's neck and jumped onto its rear. He pulled with his full weightiness, forcing it to rise back on its hind legs so that Oath could slash it across the belly and expose its interior organ

"land Surge !"Mira cast as he got out of the way.

Since Oath had created a way in, Mira bombarded the monster with a blast of dirt and sway, aiming for the laceration. It fell on its book binding, too wounded to keep fighting, and Noah finished it off.

"Good. What is everyone's status ?"

"Unhurt, but tired,"said Oath.

"I'm out of mana and I can barely digest,"Mira whined.

"Trevor looks ok, but I think we should stop for the night. I'm starvation,"Beth said.

"Yeah, it's probably night by now. We'll cry it a day."

They searched around, finding a way for them to camp out out in. They made a doorway out of monstrosity scale 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 quietus. I'll take first gear watch."

After a restless Nox, they left their envelopment."There is something I want to mark off out,"he said. He led them back to the corridor that had killed the other explorer chemical group, only to find that the remains were gone, same with the armoured monster that had given them so much trouble before."Interesting."

"What ? Something just came along and took the bodies. What's the big deal ?"Trevor asked.

"This hallway probably kills whatever enters it with those spikes. Only something heavily armored like that bear-thing could stimulate gotten to them, but there are no retarding force print, no footprints. Maybe one of those giant 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 crabby person ?"asked Beth."How ?"

"I'm not certainly, but I'd like to figure it when I have the fortune. Let's go."

They set out, continuing their geographic expedition. The monster onslaught was relentless, a undulation emerging every duad of proceedings, each one pushing the venturer beyond their demarcation line, both from the figure and the strength they carried. Everyone received injuries, even Noah. While his invisibility granted him a leeway of equipment casualty compared to the others, stealth did picayune against such huge forces. There was simply not sufficiency room to dodge or pull in one's horns. They were running through their reserves of potions faster than Noah had anticipated, but not beyond his provision, and he still had plenty to piddle the full trip.

He assumed they had reached the torso of the creature, or at least were no longer in the unoccupied portion. to a greater extent fleshy corridors were appearing, most of them containing some kind of biological snare like the spindle from before. Wherever this deepest portion of the eggshell was, it had to be confining by. Besides, there was also plenty of incentive to lead the risk. While they did a lot of traveling, much of their clock time was spent gathering treasure. Their packs and pockets were getting heavy with precious gems and ores, and even Noah was dumping material out of his closed chain to make room.

That weight was currently a encumbrance, though, as they found themselves running from another wave of centipedes. The consistency of the corridor had also changed, where they were now passing through a chain of 30x30ft suite, each one with a late bowl-like floor.

"Whoa ! closure !"Noah shouted.

Everyone halted at the entrance to the next room, blocked behind his blazonry. The floor of the chamber was waist-deep with dark water, or at to the lowest degree, they hoped it was pee. By now, they had all become a bit paranoid towards the monsters, as well as picked up some of their tricks. There could be untold beasts lurking in that water, fix to grab them and puff them under, perhaps injecting them with poison with needle teeth or barbed stingers. But the centipedes were closing in fast, and there wasn't adequate time to backtrack to a branch passage.

Noah summoned some food from his band and sprinkled it across the aerofoil of the water, and the next few moments passed by with agonizing anticipation, but nothing came up to feed, which was good enough for them. Not without grimacing, they stepped down into the slop and waded across. The side by side room had a syndicate of H2O like the first, and the adjacent after that, and the tierce, and it was taking their toll. Despite all of the running they had done, there was only so much that stamina could do in this kind of workout. However, as he moved through the one-fifth, Noah noticed something.

It was a stratum of unprocessed oil floating on the water's Earth'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 environment, especially since he was now soaked in oil, but he struck the flint against his knife and spent off a nebulizer of sparks that set the kitty ablaze, filling the sleeping room with a wall of fire.

He rejoined the others, passing through several more elbow room and taking multiple turns, but they finally had to quit and catch their hint and gasped in ministration that they were no longer being pursued. Even Noah needed residual, so no one said anything and they all just leaned against their knees, sucking in air with their faces over the surface of the water.

Noah stood up straight, and as he breathed in, the ground disappeared from under everyone's feet. Some form of organic fertiliser trap door had opened up beneath them, and the pond of grim water became a hollering vortex. Standing in the center of the elbow room, Noah and Beth dropped helplessly, disappearing down a Brobdingnagian throat. Trevor, Oath, and Mira were saved by the peel of their teeth. Trevor's halberd and Mira's staff had gotten stuck, granting them something to grab onto. They were hanging over the entering to the pharynx like a bottomless well of livelihood, quivering stone.

Sensing the obstruction, the walls began to shut in to try and dislodge them. The three younker couldn't aid but call in scourge as they struggled to wax up out of the pharynx. They were drenched in filthiness, struggling to defy onto their weapons and get any kind of purchase. They squeezed and clawed their way out, feeling like their fingernails would peel off. Their faces were pressed to the slope base, forced to take a breather in and taste the swill. They reached the future room, but despite their debilitation, they couldn't rest yet. They could find out them, the approaching centipedes, having gotten past the fire Noah started.

They forced themselves onto their pes, barely able to place upright, but once more having to run. They were in a dire situation, but Noah and Beth were even speculative off. They were forced down a pit of flesh, gasping for air and feeling around for anything they could grab onto to stop themselves. To Noah, it ranked as one of the weirdest import in his total multi-life history. They were soon tossed out, dropping through open air before making a hard landing on what felt like a sight of firewood. It was huckster Negro, no cave worms around, and the moment Beth tried to breathe in, her burn off lungs cried out in a new anguish. The air was toxic, she could savor it, and every breath trauma. She coughed and wheezed, her boldness turning purple.

An arm wrapped around her from fanny and something was slammed over her face. Instinct made her cam stroke her elbow back in self-protection, but it failed to land a hit.

"It's me ! Just breathe !"Noah shouted.

It took effort, but she drew in a abstruse breath, and at last, it was clear. She drank the filtered air in greedily, while the thing over her oral cavity was tied around her brain. It felt like leather, and it smelled like… charcoal ? I really made her need to sneeze, but even the itchiest breathing spell was worth it.

"Noah ?"

"I'm here, hold on."

There was a arc in the darkness and a torch was lit, Beth seeing the Saame device attached to Noah's face.

"What is this ?"she asked.

"A gas mask, something I whipped up. I was worried about the air lineament in the dungeon, though I'm not sure how much organized religion should be put in them. We should get out of here, quick."

Beth looked down and shrieked. The rough open they had fallen on was an island of bones, and just twenty away, the shoring of a moat of stomach dose sizzling away. They were standing on the dissolving remains of those who fallen for the Sami trap.

"Oh God, this isn't happening ! This isn't happening !"Beth cried as she crumbled.

Noah would have chastised her for losing her nerve, but considering the billet, he too was almost ready to snap."We're not drained yet. Here, hold this."He handed her the torch and looked around. There was a segment of the island touching the wall, so the acid was frothing just under his feet.

He leaned over towards the rampart and slashed at it with all of his strength, but the sword simply slid off, throwing him off his balance and nearly sending him tumbling. He reformed his footing, this time attempting a stab. Once again, his blade, despite striking the flesh head 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 theme yet.

Sheathing his steel, returned to the middle of the island, then began scooping up armloads of rot-slickened off-white. He piled them against the wall, then removed a tightly-bound sail computer software from his ring.

"What is that ?"Beth asked.

"Give me the torch."She handed it to him, and he touched a link bootleg string to the flames. It came alight, and he forced the package against the rampart, pressed with his shield, and backed by the pile of bones."Ok, back ! backbone ! spine !"He coaxed her as far back as he could within the tummy, then conjured up the monster shells they had collected before."Duck down behind this and try to cover your ears !"

They got behind the shield-like carapaces, then an burst blasted off on the other side of the way like it had been struck by lightning. Smoke filled the air, and lethal shrapnel sprayed their United States Department of Defense. 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 belly, from which bioluminescent luminance was pouring in and stomach acid was pouring out.

They did their best to deflect getting splashed with battery-acid and climbed out into a new sleeping room."That explosion will have drawn monsters. We have to go."

"What about the others ?"

"They're heading for the Same berth we are. We'll suffer them there eventually. come on."

She followed him through the labyrinth, managing to quash combat and rule a room where they could roost. The air was dusty and disgusting down in these tunnels, but compared to the fumes of that venter, Noah and Beth removed their masks and felt cypher but gratitude and relief 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 fingerbreadth at him."Make Water."

Water began pouring from her fingertip with the mass and vividness of a garden hosiery. Noah leaned into the nebuliser, scrubbing off the nastiness and trying to get everything clean. Beth then took a turn, and they switched back and Forth River until they deemed themselves comme il faut.

"I thought you could only use illusion to make yourself unseeable. What was that back there ?"Beth asked as they both stripped off their soaking wearing apparel.

Noah, standing with his dorsum to her, rung out his shirt."That was a bomb calorimeter, made of something called black powder."

Beth peeled over her trousers and the rough, unflattering fabric that passed for undergarments at this era."So it was alchemy ?"

"sorting of, there wasn't any magic involved. It's just a powder that reacts violently to fire."Noah shed his own pants, still slippery with oil.

"So, that matter you made… Was that something else you just whipped up like those gas masque ?"

"Yeah. It's been a while since I made one, plus I couldn't really experiment to work 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 worldly concern do you go to see how to make stuff like that ? You said you couldn't find information on the dungeon crab, but you knew to take these gas masks."

"It was a job I took before I came to Robert Clive. I spent a few days working in a mine. Down there, they were using Negro pulverization to blast obscure rock 'n' roll and they had to use these masquerade party in slip they hit a gas pocket."The answer seemed to placate her and he bowed down."Can you spray my school principal again ?"

.

.

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The Story of curse

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.

.

Oath, Trevor, and Mira fell to their script and knee joint, close to passing out. They had finally managed to miss the centipedes and were now back in a rule corridor. Their metier was adjacent to zero, and Trevor was knocking back potions. Only once all was calm did they finally get back on their feet.

"We need to happen Noah and Beth,"said Oath,"we should—"

A solidness fist striking his face both cut him off and sent him falling to the ground. His eyes were rolling like billiard Ball, but the sound of Mira's screaming forced him to focus. Trevor had tackled her and push back a knife into her chest.

"You son of a bitch !"curse 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 trivial strength she had to retrieve a health potion from her pocket and pour it on the wound. She passed out, stuck in a wash between bleeding to death and recovering in metre. Nearby, oath and Trevor had gotten to their feet and were now hurling punches wildly.

"Trevor, what the blaze are you doing ? !"expletive shouted.

"Getting you out of my way !"Trevor yelled back.

He retreated, going after his halberd. Oath did the like, retrieving his blade and raising it just in time to hinder Trevor's drive. Despite his military capability, Trevor was able to maintain more continuous force, and the spear tip of the halberd pierced his articulatio humeri. Oath couldn't contain his cry of anguish as he was pinned against the wall. It was a stalemate, Oath stuck where he was, but Trevor unable to let up the pressure.

"It would ingest been better if Mira had followed those two in the pit. I didn't want to own to kill her, but I couldn't risk you two teaming up against me."

"We weren't going to team up against you ! What the shtup are you talking about ? !"

"I just didn't want her to intervene when I tried to stamp out you. It doesn't thing, I'll just tell the others the two of you were both killed by the same demon, if they're even still alive."

oath struggled to make out with the blade in his shoulder joint, but it felt like the combat injury was just getting bigger and bigger."Why are you doing this ? !"

"I need you out of the way so that I can become the top executive. I wanted to do it after I got the avenium, but I couldn't let this opportunity slip by."curse was forced down towards the ground, leaving a trail of ancestry across the wall."You're the last of the independent flaw crime syndicate, so once you and your founding father die, I'll be next in line to receive the title."

"You're another extremity ? But my Father-God said the arm family 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 worth investigating further, to happen a mother fucker like me living in Baron Clive. The town will be mine, it should be mine !"

curse reached around, grabbing a stone on the ground. Fate 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 base. He could barely feel his left arm, and he could neither open up a health potion nor properly swing his sword with only one helping hand. Should he dangle his blade and go for a health potion ? Abandon it and use his knife instead ?

Trevor, facing a similar quandary, chose to retrieve his halberd and stare Oath down with his one goodness eye while launching stabs. expletive did his trump to dodge the blows, as he didn't have the forcefulness to do another shoving match. He was losing primer coat, fast.

"So all this time, you were just waiting for a probability to kill me ? From the day we met ? !"

"Not at first, not until you came out to us as the baron's son, but when I found out about the donjon crab, it was staring. I could use you to get the avenium, so no affair what, I'll still become a noble !"

swearword pulled away and reformed his posture, then went on the offensive. His capability for wielding a sword had greatly diminished, but still, he could agitate, and his wide golf stroke forced Trevor to retreat. True, Trevor had the longer reach, but it was much light for Oath's sword to break his halberd rather than frailty versa. swearing pushed him back, trying to get past the swing axe blade.

"You're insane ! You think you can get the avenium or even escape this stead on your own ?"

"That's a danger I'm willing to adopt. I want you to die down here, unburied, eaten, robbed of your petty family burial game behind your mansion."

"What could I have possibly done to arrive at you hate me so much ?"

"I just plain don't like you, even before I knew you were the top executive's son. I wanted to kick back you out of the group. You're too weak to prevail these lands. You can't even use magic."

As Trevor spoke, his blade began to glow with mana, and Oath instinctively stepped back. His sword would likely snap if he tried to block up or even deflect an attempt like that. This time, when the swings and pang came, he only dodged, not letting the two weapon system touch.

"All you do is let that arrogant dickhead take fear of everything and toss out orders. Baron Clive of Plassey would burn to the terra firma on the first off day if you took over."

swearing swung his sword, just narrowly catching the halberd's prick and stopping Trevor long enough to close down in. Trevor raised the halberd to block, but a cleave of Oath's sword snapped it, leaving a shallow cut across his forehead and pectus. He jumped back, now holding an axe in one hired hand and a quarterstaff in the other,

"I can do plenty on my own, without Noah,"said Oath.

"Shut up and die,"Trevor shaft back before charging at him.

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

To Beth, it was horrifying, the wideness of the chamber, for this grand duomo to be just a small sac of this wretched labyrinth. Noah, however, felt a spine-chilling excitement. This was no average chamber, as not only was it as expectant as a football arena, it had a bridge stretching across, perfectly unconditional, and a ceiling with great outward-bending arch holding it up. No, they were chains, each link the size of an SUV, and encrusted by the shell. So too were there cracking statues adorning the rampart, a pantheon of small brute and great titans, all of them entombed by T. H. White, like flies in a spiderweb. The bedroom was flooded, hence the bridge, but not with water. It was a lake of mercury, glistening from some unseen light force beneath its profundity. The air above it was filled with fly-like hummingbirds, hanging their promontory directly down and touching their neb against the surface as if sportfishing for something. The hummingbirds didn't seem belligerent, as they paid no notice to the two outsiders.

Noah and Beth crossed the bridge, staring in awe at the structures.

‘ This isn't a natural social organisation, this was surely constructed by a sentient will. Who made it ? How ? How many masses know about it ? What happened to this place to end up like this ?'

It was his get-go meter facing doubtfulness like these, for the mien of magic in this existence created innumerable possibilities that he would never have seen in previous worlds. Everything unusual he ever encountered was either manmade or caused by nature, but the front of magic added all new choice, instigating oddity. It could ingest been done by a whole other species, using powerfulness beyond his understanding. It was a new way of thinking, one that invigorated him.

They crossed the room without any difference of opinion, entering a hall with normal-sized way on either side. In these Chambers too, there were structures and conformation encased by the casing. Were they mass ? Furniture ?

"Interesting."

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

cuss and Trevor were locked in fighting, struggling to avoid each early's attacks. Oath had broken Trevor's halberd in two, taking away his power to use magic, but he still lunged and contend with the cadaver, granting him two smaller weapons. He would swing the head teacher of his halberd like a hatchet, forcing Oath to immobilize with his sword, and then use his free hand to expunge expletive with the halberd's spear. The shock were delivered at full-strength and Oath couldn't full stop them.

"You don't deserve to become the future magnate if this is the best you can do. You must be the washy of the family."

"Trevor, listen ! Do you really think you can get out of here without my help ? cease this, and we can both take the air out of this keep alive ! You can still suit a noble with the avenium !"

"That's not dependable enough. I want the land that my Father-God couldn't have, the authority. I want to spit on his grave as the unwanted asshole and flaunt the power that he lusted after. I want Clive, and I want to rip it out of your hands. It's not estimable enough for me to win, you have to recede !"

A memory then flashed through curse's head, and despite the dire post, a chuckle let shimmy."I remember Noah saying that you were a jolt probably because of something to do with your father. I think he even said you would cuckold us. It must be embarrassing, to be sized up so easily and have your straight colors seen !"

"Shut up ! If he's still awake, I'll kill him after I've killed you !"

Trevor charged at Oath, and finally, swearing managed to present a wound of his own. He blocked Trevor's two-fold attack and pushed forward, his blade slicing Trevor's shoulder. Trevor dropped the broken light beam, his arm now slick with profligate, though cuss was in the Saame Department of State, no longer capable to grip his steel with both helping hand. They stared each other down, picking the moment to mint. Trevor's broken halberd was low-cal and little than swearword's sword, so it would be soft to wield, but he wouldn't be able to block well with it, so he'd have to rivet entirely on offense. For curse, his defensive situation was better, but while he could travel his sword with one arm, his speed would blench compared to Trevor's and he'd be lucky to impose much damage. His best bet would be to impede and then try to overpower.

Looking at his cousin-german, Oath was reminded of that scene from the study, when that group of men attacked him, Noah, and Tin. He had been utterly useless, just pulled into the wood while Noah took precaution of the threat with ease. But in the calendar week since then, he had trained relentlessly, and now, he could finally defend himself and his blood line, even against his own kin.

"This is your last chance, Trevor,"said curse word.

"No, this is—"A hollow opened up in Trevor's chest of drawers with blood pouring out.

Noah appeared behind him, his sword seemingly materializing out of tenuous air and now wet with gore. The sword had gone straight through Trevor's middle, leaving both he and Oath stunned. Trevor tried to verbalise, but all that came out of his lip was blood. Noah dropped him to the floor, pulled out his sword, and then pierced the back of Trevor's skull for dependable measure.

"block ! What are you doing ? !"curse word shouted.

"I'm fulfilling my declaration. 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 baron in my spot, so it was my responsibility to take him down !"

"What are you talking about ? He wanted to take your place as Baron Clive's adjacent baron ?"Noah asked.

"He… he said he was my cousin, an illegitimate child fry. He kept it hidden all this time."

"Oh please. His Church Father wasn't ranked high enough to have an"illegitimate small fry ”. Trevor was nothing more than a green bastard. And while I'm sure he had some hard-luck backstory about growing up on the streets that would nominate us all compassion or reinforcement him, I'm simply not interested. We don't have clip for you two to bond certificate over your pa issues."

Beth arrived, standing beside him."What's going on ?"Mira was with her, having narrowly recovered and been given a second potion.

"I can't just leave it this way !"Oath yelled."I can't just walk off without knowing how it would have ended ! If I could cause beaten him myself !"

"That's just your pride talking, but pride won't keep you alive in this place. Should I have just sat back and let you continue your childish squabble ? I was hired to stay fresh you from dying, not serve you meet your ego."

"delay, what happened ?"Beth asked."What happened to Trevor ?"

"He tried to kill me and expletive,"said Mira.

"You can't be serious ! After all the time we spent together, he just turned on us like that ?"

"It was his plan from the start,"Oath muttered."He's my cousin, and as soon as he found out we were in competition for the claim of baron, he planned out how to use us and kill me."

"We're not going to make it out of here, are we ?"Mira asked.

"We should induce turned back when we had the chance !"Beth tearfully exclaimed, falling to her knees as the pent-up air finally released itself.

"Crying and worrying about it won't supporter us,"said Noah."Look, we're all exhausted. Beth and I found a room we can pillow in. Let's set up refugee 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 give gone screwball, but it's not rectify to just rob his corpse."

"wellspring you can either opt to barricade me, or you can go, eat some lunch, and put the unanimous thing out of your mind. 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 leave you alone here."

"When the adrenaline wears off, you won't be able to. You'll flop and I'll have to carry you to the campsite. You're wound, go patch yourself up. I'll be fine."

"I guess you will, won't you ? Nothing ever gets to you,"curse word muttered.

"I hear talking when I want to hear anguish footsteps. Go."

Oath limped off after Beth and Mira, and Noah began picking through the hoarded wealth that Trevor had gathered, as well as taking pecker and supplies that he had been carrying. It had gotten to the period where he really had to be fussy about what he could ingest with him, as he was reaching the limit of what he could dribble 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, gap in the floor appearing like cracks in ice, but the cuticle wasn't actually breaking. They were seams, invisible to the naked eye until they actually opened up, and from within, a William Green slime appeared. kinda than simply spreading out under the force of gravity, it was moving willfully towards Trevor's corpse. It enveloped him, and though Noah could not see it, the soundbox was being disassembled in pieces the sizing of grains of sand. In time, the ooze retreated, leaving cipher but some bone and refuse of fabric.

‘ So that's how it feeds.'

He went to the cantonment chamber, where everyone was sitting against dissimilar walls. There was a short look in their heart, enfeeblement that was both mental and physical. They had each held a Bob Hope deep down that they would build it out of the donjon Crab together, all of them, that their party would survive this trial and remain whole. Trevor was rude and untalkative, but his loss left a void, and they suddenly felt a great deal faint without him. But with the truth they were forced to assume, was it really a release ? After all, he showed no falter in trying to mutilate the people who were thought to be his friends.

"How could he do it ?"Beth asked."How could he lie to us for that long ? make believe to be our ally ? All those conflict where we had to depend on each former, did that really imply cipher to him ?"

Noah sat down and began unpacking his lunch."You'd be surprise how long you can hold on the lies going, how tardily it can get."

"wealthy person you lied to us about anything ?"

Noah stared at her, challenging her to bear his answer."raft of things, none of which matter in this situation."He tossed some food to everyone."Eat up. It doesn't matter if Trevor is perfectly, it doesn't change our plan."

"No, it changes everything."Beth stood up."We should leave. While we're still alive, while we still have supplies and potions, we should leave. We're not ready for this lieu. We weren't set even when we had Trevor. We have plenty of treasure, more than enough to know happily. Isn't that enough ?"

"It's too late to turn back now, to depart here without the avenium. I'm surely by now we've almost reached the bottom of the inning 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 biography ?"

"The Saami matter 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 ?"

Oath took a deep intimation."I can't take the air away from this, not now. I want to see this through to the end. I need to. I don't want to dwell my life as a coward."

"Mira ?"

Mira hugged her genu to her chest and hid her grimace. Was she refusing to need function in the conversation or had she simply shut down completely ?

Beth turned back to Noah."We're in over our read/write head. It was a misapprehension to come—"

"You're free to leave whenever you want,"said Noah, cutting her off."I don't expect anything from you. If you want to go back to the aerofoil, 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 people scratching an itch."

"well because of that itch, I'm late."

Mira tensed in jounce and oath's eyebrows nearly shot off his look, yet Noah didn't even shrink."And ?"Beth stammered at his question, not sure enough how to respond."Again, you knew what the hatful was when we started, no attachment. I'm getting that avenium, and there is zip you can say to arrest me. You can either entrust now and try to make it back out on your own, or you can come with us down to get the avenium and we'll make the stumble 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 repose. We set out again in an hour."

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

Trevor's absence took a heavy toll on the group. Beth and Mira continued to round from behind Noah and swearing, but the behemoth still withstood barrage of stones and arrows to try and go under their teeth into something. Normally, Trevor and his halberd could receive warded them off, breaking their momentum so that Noah and cuss could go in for the killing, but now, they had to be the independent defensive attitude paries and block everything with their swords.

They battled through the monsters, but took trauma with each clash. It wasn't just their formation that had been disturbed ; Noah could see the group morale at the bound of an abyss. Noah was inert, but the others were grappling with despair. Which hurt more ? Losing a friend ? Or finding out he was never their friend at all ?

At the moment, they were surrounded by centipedes in a wide-open chamber. Noah, Oath, and Beth were stomping on the slight bastards as they drew close, while Mira was swinging her staff, equipped with her Shatter Mace piece. She was natural state, taking out her strain and foiling on the beasts, with her thigh-slapper of exertion becoming louder with each swing. Rather than helping, the onslaught of monsters only seemed to increase her drunken hostility. Beth, on the former helping hand, was acting torpid, paralyzed by concern and the loss of hope.

As Noah stomped on every centipede that came close, he heard a screaming. A few of the beasts had managed to parachute up onto Mira and were digging in. Oath rushed over to help her, but that left two English of their formation unguarded, and the fiend were closing in.

"I have a plan !"Noah said."When the monsters move away, everyone head word towards that enactment over there !"

Before the others could say anything, Noah drew his knife and slashed his wrist joint, sending a torrent of line pouring onto the ground. Seduced by the olfactory modality of profligate, the centipedes turned their aid from swearing and the others and swarmed towards Noah. He took off, sprinting across the field of armored backs and spindly legs, leading them like the Pied Piper.

The leash didn't hesitate and rushed towards the exit, though looking back to see Noah's site worsening. Once he saw them reach the room access, Noah turned around and made himself invisible. The centipedes were understandably confused, as even his perfume 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 fourth dimension he reached the going, he had already used a healing potion to mend his wrist.

"Let's go."

The doorway brought them to a twist staircase. However, unlike the tight helix of when they first arrived at the dungeon, this staircase spun down the walls of a chasm-like bedchamber like rut on a drill bit. It was too dreary to see the ceiling or the floor of the bedchamber, but in the total darkness, there was a winkle star, far below their ft when it should have been above their heads.

"Everyone, be supernumerary careful and gradation quietly. I think we've reached the bottom of the shell."

They proceeded down the staircase, this one having actual steps. The duskiness swallowed them from the lack of cave worms, but Noah lit his torch, easing everyone's fears. It when they reached the butt of the stairs that their fears all came rushing back like a flood.

‘ Of path,'Noah thought bitterly.

The bottom of the room was occupied by some form of monumental slumbering lusus naturae. This circular chamber was more than a century feet wide-cut, and the beast was coiled up all over itself like a snoozing boa constrictor. There was no telling what its real size or sort was, and Noah's torch couldn't provide enough light to properly reveal its show. But in the shopping center of the room was the swag for this journey. The walls and stairway were solid shell, but the flooring under the monstrosity was shape, and in the heart, in a raised basin, was a pool of pulverized metal with a cobalt blue lambency. It was avenium, just like on Noah's ring. It was so skinny, but the risk before them was giving everyone doubts.

Oath stepped forward."I'll go,"he said as quietly as he could.

Noah grasped his shoulder."No, I'm better at stealth, think back ?"

oath turned to him, loudly whispering."Please, it has to be me ! The wholly rationality why we made this journey was so that I could become a baronial ! I need to be the one to get the avenium. Let me earn my title."

"None of that thing, not in here. All that is important is getting the job done and getting out of here alive. If you want to do affair the"right"way, do it on your own clock time. I'm going to do things the smart way. If this matter so much as twitches, leave me behind and run as fast as you can up the stairs."

Noah didn't wait for him to reply and activated his invisibleness. True, this monster slept with its eyes closed, but he couldn't price reduction its good sense of feeling and hearing. He moved past oath and stepped onto the fleshy footing. Whatever this thing 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 difficult, not just on the outside, but the interior. Noah had not been able to take to the woods the ravages of fatigue duty, and his muscular tissue were becoming treacherous.

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 time the light trembled, they imagined him fumbling, stepping on one of the monster's tentacles and waking it up. When the torch finally reached the washbowl, they released their restrain breaths. It was a significant amount of avenium, at least two liter of the glistening dust, and it was so delicately as well. Perhaps it was expelled from the crab like a sliver, and it would accumulate in the basin over time while the crab was undercover. ‘ If this ends up like that picture from Raiders, I'll just bolt down myself here and now.'Noah rested his hand atop the avenium and sucked it all into the tintinnabulation, every grain.

goose egg happened, there was no reaction from either the monster or the basin. Noah waited a few here and now to be for certain, then turned and made the return journey back to the stairway. Once he reached Oath, Beth, and Mira, they all resumed external respiration and began the tacit mounting back up the stairs. It was when they reached the halfway decimal point that a terrifying roar shook the bedroom, and rather than below, it was coming from above. The group looked up in horror, seeing a second base goliath descending towards them. It appeared to be the same species as the first, looking like a colossal lion with a teeth-filled hooter and tentacles growing from across its back that it used like spider legs to avail its filiation. It was like some variety of Lovecraftian griffin. Just one swing of its mitt would kill a sledgepaw bear. Had it also been nesting in this sleeping accommodation ? Perhaps the mate of the one down below ?

"Beth, convey it down !"

"Too late !"

It reached across the sleeping accommodation with its tentacles and swung over, its neb widely open. The group scattered, managing to keep off its beak, which smashed into the paries, though Beth ended up losing her bow over the edge of the staircase. One the talons on its forelegs made its scar and clipped Mira's cheek, but that was all it took to oppress her skull like a Gallagher melon. Oath and Beth, seeing her headless soundbox slump to the base, were left in stupefy silence. Noah, already back on his feet, stabbed the beast in the eye, forcing his sword in all the way to the hilt. The brute howled in infliction and jumped back with his brand pulled from his suitcase, and it wasn't the lonesome one in excruciation. Oath and Beth now cradled Mira, sobbing and screaming at what was done to her. Beth, Noah could understand, but swearword's reaction stood out.

‘ Goddammit, don't state me he loved that girl.'“ We got to move ! There is nothing we can do for her !"

"No, I can fix this !"swearing sobbed."Give me all the healing potions we have !"

"Her foreland is gone, she's dead. No potion can fix that."

"Please, don't ask us to depart her,"Beth whimpered.

Another yowl echoed through the burrow, this one from below. It seemed the first-class honours degree teras had woken up. swearword scrambled to his feet, not in fearfulness, but fury. He grabbed his sword with tear streaming down his face.

"I'll drink down them ! I'll kill them both !"

"This is no time for heroic verse ! We're leaving !"

"GET OUT OF MY WAY !"curse howled while throwing a punch.

Noah deflected and countered with a jab to the throat and a stifle to the abdomen. Oath collapsed like a theater of cards and Noah grabbed him and hoisted him over his shoulder. He turned to Beth and handed her his bow to replace hers."Keep those things off our tail. If you run out of pointer, I'll give you more. Now move !"

They raced up the steps as fast as they could. Noah was struggling under the campaign of hauling Oath and everything they both carried, and he had to hold up the blowlamp as well. Ahead of him, Beth was raining arrows down on the two monsters to the considerably of her ability. They seemed aware of the poisoned steer and were keeping a prophylactic length, but they were still following them up. They started swinging at Noah and Beth with their tentacles, trying to block their path. Beth would slash at them with a tongue to make them retract, but it was just getting speculative and worse, as ahead, they could see the centipedes swarming down the staircase, having followed the group down.

"Noah, what do we do ? !"Beth exclaimed.

"Run and engagement ! That's all we can do !"

They continued their accusation up the step, stomping on the centipedes and ignoring the spirit of their pincers digging in and not letting go. Their bites didn't appear poisonous, but they put bullet ants to shame on the pain scale leaf. Not even Noah could maintain a poker human face with them biting down on his legs.

With destiny on their English, they escaped the chamber, running down several corridors before arriving at a chamber where they could catch one's breath. Noah dropped oath on the priming and began ripping off the centipedes biting his legs. It was unknown for Beth, to see Noah so winded and injured. He collapsed near the bulwark, downing a healing potion to stop his haemorrhage. oath, having regained consciousness, got back to his feet and approached the doorway with his sword.

"Don't even think about it,"said Noah.

"I refuse to leave her body down here. I'm going to get my retaliation on that beast and add her home to bury her."

"It's a monster, it doesn't understand your flavor. If you go swinging at it for revenge, it's just going be glad that its next meal arrived so willingly. Besides, Mira has probably already been devoured."

"Don't say that !"Oath shouted.

"Noah !"Beth added her phonation to the outrage.

"You just want to accept it. She's gone, there is nothing you can do to help her. Nothing can be done to change what happened. I'll say it as harshly as I need to if it gets the message through your loggerheaded skull."

"What would you have done if it was Tin who died in there instead of Mira ?"

"I would have left her. I've seen plenty of mass die. This isn't my beginning time leading citizenry into scrap, and injured party are to be expected."

"So you were just waiting for each of us to die ? !"Beth exclaimed.

"As long as I could fulfill my declaration, I was prepared for all potential losses, though I'm honestly foiled that you two all came here expecting to do this without losing anyone."

"Is that all we are to you ? Just time to come losses ?"

"Yes, that's right."Noah got to his feet."aspect, we've got the avenium, so the hard portion is done. Now we can head home."

"Two of our friends are dead and we're in the merchantman of a dungeon Cancer ! How is that not the hard part ? !"Beth screamed at him.

"Because I have an idea on how to get us out of here."He took out a water skin from his backpack and poured in some powdered avenium from within his ringing, 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 ?"swearing asked.

"When I activate my invisibleness, I wrap myself in mana, as well as anything I touch or hold, but for some cause, it won't workplace on anything bread and butter. The mana just won't stick on, like it's being repelled. However, I did some research on avenium. It is a metal, but it bends light like a crystal, and it manipulates mana the Lapplander way. I can't enforce my invisibility to you, but if you're covered with powdered avenium, it may help me conceal you a bit. Try it."

Oath sighed and poured some of the concoction on his head, then went to work rubbing it into his skin and clothes. He handed the residual to Beth and she did the same. Noah activated his legerdemain and grasped their hands. The air around them shimmered, their bodies becoming faint, like they were shrouded in a heat haze. They became like mirages of their honest selves. Oath and Beth voiced their jar as they looked at each early, 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 to the lowest degree, 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 hold, leave it here now."

Beth and Oath couldn't see Noah, but they stared at the space he occupied. He could see it on their faces, the suspicion, the defeat, the fear, the regret, the debilitation. They'd just hold to suck it up.

"Let's go, and step lightly."

They left the chamber and began their journey back to the surface. They no longer moved in formation, and they tried to keep a quick but hushed gait. When monsters were nearby, Noah would touch off his trance and they'd do their best to invalidate detection. It didn't always oeuvre. At one level, they were being pursued by a pack of the bipedal carnivores like the I they had faced outside. It was too many for them to involve on, and the longer they stayed in one billet fighting, the greater the chance more lusus naturae would be drawn.

Noah, pulling swearword and Beth along, activated the while in his rightfulness eye.

"What the hell ? !"swearing said in shock as he watched the clone fall back, while the substantial Noah was still gripping his hand.

"It's another thaumaturgy I can create, just keep moving !"

As they ran, Noah had the clone start waving his sleeve and shouting at the approaching monsters, doing whatever he could to draw their attention. They passed through the knockoff in utter confusion, turned around, and tried again and again. Their eyes, ears, and noses were all telling them that prey was standing before them, but no topic how many clock time they tried to sting 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 utter, go on running instead !"

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

natural spring was planting time of year, so the farms on the break estate were in a frenzy. Oath, the big businessman's thirdly son, was the"lord"of this task. He and the striver spent their days working the field of force, though there was little distinction between them. He lived and ate his meal with his Fatherhood and blood brother, at to the lowest degree, when they were at home base, but his ranking in the family was just a stair above"bastard ”. His forefather lauded all of his praise on his comrade, with the untried always trying to pass the older and win the estate.

The oldest was a soldier, a team leader, one pace below true knight. He would be gone for months at a time, then return domicile and brag about the battle he fought for the glorification of Uther, and how he bolstered the reputation of the Fault menage. The middle son was a gallant huntsman and skilled in magic, a talent he often lorded over the older brother. He claimed magic to be infinitely superior to swordsmanship, meaning he, the magically-affluent, was the future of the bloodline. Neither brother liked Oath, simply treated him like one of the retainer. He was just another laborer. His father, on the other handwriting, wasn't cruel like them, but he simply didn't concern beyond agnate instinct. His mother was long gone.

cuss had been outside when he learned of their deaths, but on break. Lying on a sun-warmed grassy hill, he watched the clouds passing game overhead. As the one-third son, he was compelled to keep his head down, to focus only on the task in forepart of him and not rock the boat. Skygazing was the only time he'd intermission that rule, abandoning the fields to instead focus on farming his own creative thinker, to block about his liveliness and responsibilities and try to see out what was left.

He knew nothing of the world beyond his habitation and village, couldn't even read, and most of his socialisation came from talking with the hard worker during body of work. They often didn't have very much to say, but they trusted him enough to include him in their gossip. He wasn't like the baron and his sometime sons ; his metrical foot were more used to the soil of the theater than the floorboard of the Fault household. Those conversations were the only fourth dimension he could learn of affair beyond simply swinging a hoe or scythe, to discover that there was Sir Thomas More to existence than just craw and farm animal, 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 programme, at to the lowest degree, but he was disturbed by one of the maids of the household.

"passkey Oath, your father requires your mien immediately."

The hold honorific was just a courtesy acknowledging his bloodline. There was no honest respect in her words.

"Understood."Oath got up and followed her to the household, where she led him to his father's study. As he approached, he heard nonsensical shouting and things falling over.

inside, the baron, Ivan, was pacing back and Forth River, brainsick and drenched in tears. newspaper and detail from his desk were scattered across the floor and he was gripping a whiskey glass with a shaking hand.

"Father, what is it ?"

"curse word, Colt and winner have perished."Ivan picked up a letter with a fracture wax seal."Colt was killed in battle on the Petosic Steppes."He threw it aside."And Victor was killed by a bear while hunting. His remains were found this morning."He emptied his whiskey deoxyephedrine in one gulp and staggered, looking like he was on the verge of collapse.

Oath took a moment to process the tidings, but there wasn't much to process. There was no such thing as sibling sexual love in Lord households."I'm sorry, Father."

The baron fell back in his chairperson."expletive, you are now my only son. That means that you will inherit my claim when I die, unless my conniving crony manages to slip it !"

"Father, I can't be a big businessman !"

"This is not something you can pass up ! I will not provide our house to let nobility slip from its fingers ! 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 change that. From now on, I am going to sculpt you into a suitable replacement."

After that, everything changed. From the pass of dawn until late at night, Oath was trained in combat, etiquette, and reading and writing. The putz of the farm were replaced with his grandfather's sword, and hours not spent swinging it were spent hunched over one Holy Scripture after another, studying by candle flame. None of it stuck. Unlike his comrade, he was born without natural endowment and raised without an training. He couldn't use magic, could barely fight, and was about as genteel and learned as the humble provincial. There was niggling Leslie Townes Hope for him.

One day, he found himself at the Old Wineskin, looking for an adventuring job. citizenry would post card, requesting token like valuable plants or ogre parts, or task like escorting someone through the timberland. Helping around townsfolk would collapse him some accomplishment he could use to examine his eligibility for inheriting the Clive barony. He had also heard some weird rumor about the inn, about some crazy couple that had the trashy sex imaginable. From morning to midday on every former day, anyone in or near the inn would be flushed with embarrassment as they heard a young char's cries of euphory, along with the knock of a bedstead threatening to break apart. However, today, the inn was quiet. The only if voice he heard was addressed to him.

"Hey you, by the card dining table, over here !"

He looked over to the author, spotting a table occupied by three youths like himself, a man and two women.

"Me ?"

"Yeah, occur on !"one of the womanhood said, a improbable and bubbly blonde.

curse 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 brunette with unawares hair.

"Oh… uh, yeah, I guess. I haven't been making often head on my own."

"wellspring take a seat !"

oath hesitated, feeling the man beside him shooting daggers from his optic. He was sizing him up, and apparently didn't like what he saw.

"No, change of plans, keep moving. We don't need any more weaklings in our group."

"Shut up, Trevor,"said the blond."Ignore him. I'm Beth and this is Mira. We're currently in pauperism of a swordsman in our chemical group, and you look like you would fit right in."

"She means you look weak enough that no one better would give birth invited you to connect 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 malign the grouping while being a part of it,"she scolded.

"Truth be told, none of us are very good, but that just means we should stick together,"said Mira.

oath finally took a seat and put a hand on the sword hanging from his belt."Ok, sure, I'll join you guys. My name is Oath. I'm actually kind of surprised, I thought this place would be… louder."

"Oh yeah, those history ? We've actually met them, Noah and Tin, the couplet who make all that noise,"said Mira.

Now Trevor seemed interested."Really ? Were they freaks ?"

"No, normal as can be,"said Beth,"and they're both barely onetime than us. You'd never think it when looking at them. The guy is actually really smart. He gave us a lot of great advice about manoeuvre and deception. We tried to get him to bring together our team, but he wanted to work on his own, him and that slave girl. God, I envy her."

"Settle down, you're so untoward,"Mira said with a sigh. She then turned to Oath."Anyway, welcome to the radical !"The smile she flashed at him made his nub flutter in a way it never had before.

For the adjacent few weeks, curse word and his new Quaker 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 subject how many time they were beaten, expletive was never dejected, because it was the first time he felt truly accepted, and with people his own age, no less. True, Trevor always gave him the cold berm, but Beth kept the spirit of the group raised, and Mira… she was something else altogether.

She spoke with him, laughed with him, and smiled with him, all mo of confusing bliss that he drank like amercement vino. He was drawn to her, pulled by a force that he could not describe. One day, after they had managed to kill a savage, and only just barely, he and the others all collapsed from exhaustion. Mira, sitting next to him, ended up placing her mitt on his. The moment her fingers touched his, it was like cold lightning surged through his heart, a frighteningly brawny adept, but one that made him feel more alive than the battle just moments 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 smile and fortunate nerve. The inaugural time Oath fought a goliath, he froze up in terror, and it wasn't the last fourth dimension his fear got the better of him, but at that import, he broke through his fear, turning his hand over to hold hers. They gazed at each early, their belly filled with More butterfly than a meadow in summer. That was the here and now he realized his belief for her.

The next day, his sire sat Oath down in the parlor of their household. With them was a gruff middle-aged adventurer with a bow."Oath, no subject what, you must not let anyone outside of your party know this. I've just learned that a dungeon pubic louse has surfaced nearby."

keep crabs were one of the great anomaly in the humans, but their mythology was thin. They were undefined brute, described as keep fort that rose up from the ground. Many believed that they were a remnant of the war between the gods and the spirits.

cuss wasn't sure how to respond to the news, so his father continued."Adventurers who manage to bewitch a dungeon crab by taking the avenium inside are granted the social rank of baron or high 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 friends and I can barely face the monsters in the Wood. We can't handle a keep crab."

"I am well cognizant of your weakness when it comes to swordplay. I'm hoping that switching to a dissimilar weapon will unlock your potential. This man is Sendal, a ex-serviceman adventurer and archer. He'll Blackbeard you how to use a bow."

Just looking at Sendal, Oath could secern he wasn't the favorable guy, but his forefather wouldn't alteration his intellect. That day, he and the archer rode into the woodwind instrument to hunt, and that was the last thing he remembered. When adjacent he woke up, he was in a goblin tunnel, racked with painful sensation flowing from the back of his promontory down to the tips of his toes, but it was waning, thanks to the potion he had received.

helping him to his infantry was a vernal man, a bit older than him, with a girl standing behind him. Noah and Tin, he had heard those gens before. They were the informant of the strange rumour about the Old Wineskin, but more than than that, Beth and Mira had vouched for Noah's persuasiveness. Oath was skeptical, especially when Noah declared that he was going to crystalise out the goblin den himself, something that was nothing shortsighted of suicidal. Despite his life history being saved, expletive wasn't feeling very grateful, considering he now had to form as Noah's pack scuff while he marched to his doom.

But then he saw the final result. Noah slaughtered the hob with repose, never displaying any variety of thaumaturgy. Oath and his friends had repeatedly tried hunting goblins, nearly dying every clock time, but they fell like reed with every jive of Noah's sword. Then, when the goblin chief revealed itself, curse word got to witness true play, and the computer memory of his older brother's attainment were painted over by Noah's conflict. Had he and his protagonist attempted this, they would deliver ended up being cooked and eaten.

During the journeying home plate, they were attacked by bandits. Tin, obeying Noah, pulled Oath into the forest before he could even snaffle his blade. The battle lasted only a minute, leaving Oath in awe when he saw the dead body of the slain bandits. He rode back to Clive with Noah and Tin, and when he arrived back home, his sire threw his implements of war around him, wailing relief to see his son's return key. It was the inaugural time his father had ever hugged him.

"Father, there is something I need to tell you."They went into his father's study and closed the doorway behind them. swearing, standing while the baron sat, leaned against the desk."The huntsman you hired, he knocked me out handed me over to goblins."

"shucks him ! Edwin must make bribed him to get you out of the photo. But if he handed you to goblins, how did you fly the coop ? Did you fight your way out ?"

"No, I was saved by someone, a man named Noah. He's untried than Colt but twice the warrior, and he's already helped my friends before. He wiped out a huge goblin nestle himself and even killed a hobgoblin."

Ivan leaned back in his electric chair."If a youthful man of such skill were to join your party, perhaps you might be able to capture the donjon crab."

"I was thinking the same thing."

"Bring him here. I'll talk to him."

The next thing oath knew, Tin lay dying, and he watched as Noah slew the assailant. The arrow 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 sign of the zodiac, pouring them on her injury and down her throat, but her experimental condition didn't improve. As Noah approached, oath braced himself for the worst. It was Oath's fault that she had died, her lifetime ended because he had been saved, so would Noah demand his life sentence as compensation ?

But Noah didn't acknowledge curse word. He simply kneeled down and held Tin. There were no tears, not even a trembling breath. Tin voiced her net goodbye and closed her middle, while Noah simply stared at her like a statue. Noah then departed with Tin, riding off to find a desirable billet to lay to rest her. Watching him depend upon off, Oath remembered the smiling on Tin's side when she said goodbye, and imagined that tone 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 have if he hadn't been saved.

To his Padre's protests, he rode out to the Old Wineskin, and as soon as he entered, he heard Mira's vocalisation."Oath !"

There they were, gathered at their usual table. Never was he so well-chosen to see his friend. He crossed the tavern and took his derriere."Hey."

"Your Father of the Church told us you were out training with an archer,"said Beth."I'm rather insulted you didn't ask me first."

"You guys aren't going to consider this, but I swear this really happened. That bowman knocked me out and handed me over to hob. I was even taken to their den."

Trevor just scoffed and Beth was likewise skeptical."I'm actually not that mad, you don't have to make up excuses."

Mira gave him the benefit of the doubt."Really ?"

"Yeah, but I was saved by that Noah guy that you told me about, he and Tin. I watched him pass out an full mine full of hob single-handedly."

"Of course mortal like you would need to be saved,"said Trevor.

"An total mine ? !"Beth exclaimed as she bolted to her feet.

"We can barely struggle a handful of them,"Mira sighed.

"Anyway, listen to this."He leaned in and waved for them to all do the same."A dungeon crab louse has appeared nearby."He was prosperous that everyone understood that term. He didn't have faith in his ability to explain it. His Quaker all fell back in their seats.

"You honestly can't be thinking of trying it !"Beth exclaimed."We'd be perfectly in an hour !"

"Listen, Noah has agreed to join our squad and develop us. With his help, I'm sure we can do it."

"We don't need some lusus naturae's advice,"said Trevor.

"Did I forget to remark 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 replete name is Oath Fault, son of tycoon Ivan defect. I'm his third son but I'm next in cable to receive his title."

"Damn it, he's hallucinating ! Everything he's said so far was a hallucination."

"oath, did you eat some unknown mushrooms in the Ellen Price Wood ?"Mira asked with honest concern.

Stared in retain silence.

"I swear to you, it's true. I'm sure the archer gave me to the goblins to keep me from inheriting the title. When I returned home, that same archer tried to vote out me, but ended up killing Tin instead."

Both Mira and Beth were left in astounded secrecy. While they had only met her once, the news of her death was a scandalize snow. Her endless moaning had become a full stop of superbia in the villagers, considering it a valued quirk in the identicalness of their home, like the swallows returning to Capistrano. Besides, they had both seen the dear in her eyes.

"Yeah. Noah killed the guy and turn on off with Tin to bury her. He said he would be back the day after tomorrow."

"That's awed,"said Beth.

"Poor Noah,"Mira added.

"I don't think we should have 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 drink. Let us joy the safe regaining of our comrade, pledge our approaching success, and mourn a fallen friend !"

swearing wanted to laugh, but truth be told, he'd ask some liquidity courage.

Late into the night, the four venturer splurged on food and crapulence, until all was quiet and the boniface was preparing to close up the bar. Trevor had gone home, Beth was currently passed out, and now it was just curse and Mira.

"I hope this dungeon crab thing works out,"said Mira, more than a picayune tipsy.

"Yeah, and all the wealth from the adventurer is really going to help this village."

"With that money, I can finally pay off my mother's debts."

"You never said your mother was in debt."

Mira giggled."I guess we both kept mystery. I never liked adventuring, but it was the intimately way I could score money after my father left. In a way, I'm glad I did it, but I just want a skillful tranquil house life."

"fountainhead I'll become the business leader of the Ithiel Town. Maybe you could determine here."Never in a million days would a sober Oath have the courage to do so, but he reached out and held her manus like he had on that day in the Sir Henry Joseph Wood."And I could prepare a household with you."

Like him, Mira was fueled by liquid courage, but she got to her substructure with little grace and gravid courageousness, and pulled curse to his."semen on,"she mumbled with an blockade grin. They were both more than a little drunk, so they had to aid each other up the steps, giggling with each step. They reached the door to Mira's room, and as she fumbled with the key, Oath leaned in and stole a buss. It was his first, as well as hers, and while he got her mostly on the nose, she touched her lips with a smile and a blush.

They got the door opened and stumbled into the elbow room, shutting it behind them. Mira lit a taper and then made herself at home in Oath's embracement. Standing in the centre of the room, they kissed once to a greater extent, this fourth dimension able to put their warmness and souls into it.

"Are you gear up for this ?"cuss asked.

"I think so. Are you ?"

"I'm not sure as shooting. 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, second to her yelling at him, was the absolute last reaction he wanted at a minute like this."Beth has told me how to do it, don't worry. Now that we've kissed, the next pace is we take off our clothes."

oath was already sporting a woody, and those terminal four countersign nearly pushed him over the bound. He took off his coating, Mira removed her cloak, and for a moment, they paused, feeling the tension as they gripped their shirts, but upon struggling to actually pull them off, they couldn't help but joke. Mira's titty were exposed, and Oath, a swirling pelter of stripling hormones, was caught like a deer in the headlight. 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 touch them ?"

"I… guess."

She hesitantly lowered her arms, and Oath, with trembling hands, began to caress her modest shelf. That softness, that fluency, he was drawn to them like kale. He was clumsy ; not brutish, but his proficiency was ill-refined, as was to be expected. Regardless, Mira shivered and purred from swearword's signature, afraid of being so vulnerable, both her consistence and her feelings exposed to another for them to do with as they pleased. Perhaps it was the presence of that fear that made it feel so dependable, the fear of being touched so intimately, mixed with the joy of finding someone whom she wished would do so.

Massaging deep into her bod and relishing the way her mamilla felt when he toyed with them, cuss, like Mira, was overwhelmed. The prospect to search a woman's physical structure like this, to sleep with it, intimately, it teased his well-nigh innate, instinctive curiosity. He was so energize, trembling like a leaf and opinion like he was going to jump out of his skin. It happened before he could do anything about it, he came, having already been pushed over the border. Flushed with pity, he did his expert to try and hide it, but to Mira, it looked like he was just getting impatient.

She lowered her hands and pushed off her trousers. curse didn't immediately react, but that was because he was trying to gather his thought and his intensity level. When he realized what she had done, he didn't have time to think, and simply dropped his own bloomers. This metre, it was Mira's turn to stare, as she tried not to suppose of when their mathematical group last fought goblins, about 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."

swearing put out the taper, plunging the elbow room into total darkness. He meandered his way back to the bed, feeling the covers. His hands found Mira's organic structure and he felt her splash like a panicky animal. He slipped under the blanket and their naked eubstance met, first in the signifier of an bosom, then in the form of a buss, and finally…

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

Noah, Oath, and Beth sprinted up the winding staircase towards the way out of the dungeon crab. They were covered in rakehell, stew, and dirt, and had countless untreated hurt. Noah's mana was completely drained, and the three of them were running on fumes. They couldn't tell if the monsters were still chasing them. After all this time, the refrain of hollo repeated in the back of their minds no matter what.

Finally, when their bodies felt like they'd fall apart like sandcastles, they breathed newly air, and felt the sun shine upon them. They burst out of the top of the Phthirius pubis's casing, collapsing near the doorway. For the three of them, it was like a religious experience. Beth crumbled, tears pouring down her face, a mix of happiness, misery, sculptural relief, and mourning, and as the sun rose, Oath stared like his psyche had left his body, turning him into an vacate chaff. As for Noah, he dropped the knight sword he had been using and gripped the earth with shaking manpower. How long had it been ? How long had it been since he last fought that unvoiced for his spirit ? How long had it been since his survival inherent aptitude pushed him that far ? No, when it was more than just his survival instinct pushing him ? The fear, the adrenaline, the endorphins, the pain, they flowed through the flock of his Robert Gray issue like a flood across a desert.

"Get up, on your feet."

Noah looked over, seeing Oath standing with his blade pointing at him.

"What the hell do you suppose you're doing ?"Noah muttered.

"You heard me, get up and face me."

"curse, you're kidding, right ?"Beth asked.

"No. You and me, Noah, right here, right now."

"You ungrateful minuscule brat. After all I did for you, you have the nerve to point your steel at me ? The sword I gave you ?"

"You didn't do this for me. I was just a airplane propeller in whatever deal you struck with my Church Father. Now Mira is dead and I was robbed of my prospect to root things with Trevor. We never should have gone in there, but you kept pushing us. We never should have let you be a component of our team."

"Oath, it's not his fault ! You also wanted to celebrate going ! Just put your steel down and we can all go home base !"

"No ! I have to do this !"

"You're right,"said Noah, getting to his feet,"you were just a prop, but I'm still under contract and not allowed to kill you. Once we're back and I've begin my payoff, then I'll put you down as hard as you want."

"No ! I'm done listening to you ! From the mo we met, you've run my life. I was supposed to be the one to seize the avenium, to seize my own lot, not let you subscribe it and consent whatever scraps you toss my way ! I couldn't avenge Mira, I couldn't beat Trevor, and I couldn't even conquer the dungeon crabby person ! I can't go base this way ! I refuse to survive like this ! But if I beat you, that'll be enough."

Noah gripped the hilt of the knight sword, and the sensation he got back was far from ideal. His body was at its limitation, he could barely even stand. He was out of potions, they all were, so there was no way he could quickly recoup his enduringness. At to the lowest degree Oath was in the same state of affairs. Despite his anger and bloodlust, he was on the threshold of passing out. The spirit was uncoerced, but the bod was another story. If Noah fought him in this state, even the smallest wounds could prove fatal, then his muckle with the baron would be out the window.

"I'm not going to indulge you. If you want to get yourself killed, do it after we get back. I want to dwell long enough to cash in everything I've collected."

"You can't blab out your way out of this !"

Oath charged with his steel raised, attempting his signature cleave. Noah stepped to the side, nearly falling over as he did so. preferably than a slash, he struck cuss in the stomach with the handle of his steel. curse nearly retched, but regained his basis and punched Noah. He tried to elude, but was still grazed and staggered back, drawing his sword completely.

"check this, you two don't need to fight down !"Beth pleaded.

"Tell him that !"Noah argued.

swearing unleashed a flurry of swinging towards Noah, who lacked the lightness to get out of the way. Instead, he had to deflect and parry each swing. They locked leaf blade, pushing against each other in a shoving match.

"You chose to go into the dungeon crab louse,"said Noah."You chose to take after me, despite knowing how dangerous it was for Mira. You put your pridefulness and your nobility over her. I killed Trevor because you were too weak to get it done and you would hold woken up that monster with just three steps. You don't get to find fault your incompetence on me."

"You're a hardhearted bastard ! You couldn't even shed a tear for Tin, no admiration you didn't maintenance about us !"

"Grow up !"

Noah let go of his sword and punched oath, sending him staggering back. Noah touched his hand to his eye, casting his invisibility. He only had enough mana to rest blot out for a few consequence, so Noah tackled Oath, disarming him and knocking him to the ground. Three strong setback to the boldness left him unconscious.

Noah dropped to his knee, gasping for air with his tour coming undone. Hopefully, swearing would be much more sensical when he woke up. As Noah got to his foundation, there was a colossus's tangle, followed by Beth's howler. One of their pursuer from within the eggshell had arrived and was attacking Beth. It looked like some variety of cycloptic tiger with a mat of quills across its back. Beth was pinned, her arm in its sass with her flesh being mangled and her ivory breaking.

"Damn it !"Noah growled.

Beth still had his bow, so Noah pulled out his short steel and threw it, winging the beast in the shoulder. It turned to Noah and charged, and Noah, trying to activate his magic, realized he had used the finally of his mana to deal with Oath. He jumped to the side to dodge the lunging tiger, but as he hit the ground, he realized he had less strength 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 meter, when the tiger pounced, he wasn't able to dodge. It tried to bury its teeth into his cervix, but he blocked its mouth with his sword, though he could do nothing about its claws, digging into his shoulders. It was pushing down on him with its to the full weight, and he didn't have the potency to hold it back.

Noah stared into its one, fist-sized eye and watched slobber pour from its oral fissure, flux with the bloodline from the cuts that his blade was creating. This certainly ranked among the top of his weirdest deaths. Yet when his strength was about to falter, Oath attacked the tiger from behind, slicing off his head with a cut of his brand. Oath then kicked the tiger's remains off Noah and pointed his sword at him.

"You'll never get a better chance than this,"Noah said with a smirk.

Oath took a recondite hint and sheathed his sword."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 dungeon crab's emergence. Around half of them would die within its case, but those with skill and luck came back to town with pouch full of ores and gems. Having returned to town just the late Nox, Noah had tried listening for gossip of whether or not anyone else had managed to becharm the dungeon. He had taken all of the avenium he found in that elbow room, so it's possible that was all there was in the crab louse. Oh well, they'd just have to pretend do with everything else they found. The bulk of the adventurers were smart enough or perhaps not ambitious enough to go very deep into the crab.

But that's not what Noah was focusing on at the moment. He was at the inn, sitting on the bed in Beth's room and examining her arm. It had been badly mangled by that tiger and wasn't fully healed. Since they were out of potions at the meter, Noah and cuss had to wrap it and be given it as best as they could. On the way down from the dungeon's entry, they met an adventurer and bought some healing potions off him. However, they weren't able to completely annul the wrong. The figure on her arm looked moult, like dangerous stretchiness marks, and the muscle underneath was out of proper shape. At least the osseous tissue had been reset properly, but the way Beth winced as she stretched it per Noah's didactics, he knew that she was favorable to still have it at all.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think you'll be able to pull a bow or cosmetic surgery anything heavy anytime soon. If you find someone with healing thaumaturgy, they might be capable to undo the damage, but otherwise, I can't imagine your arm will ever regain its full use or strength."

"That's fine,"she said with a monotone phonation and deadened fish eyes. She shuddered, as if shaking herself awake."No, it's not all right, it's terrible. But… I don't have to concern about using a bow."

"You're quitting being an explorer ?"

"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 bump a healer to mend my arm, but after that, I'm going to do what Mira wanted and settle down and build 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 cushion."How'd you know ?"

"I have adequate experience with women to recognise how to avoid getting them pregnant, and I can tell when it's close to that time of the calendar month. Mira told you she was late before we entered the keep, didn't she ? You pretended it was you instead. Did you lie to try and save up yourself, or her ?"

"Both, I guess. swearword didn't know, he can never know."

"I'm surprised they were capable to retain it hidden from me. They always seemed a short protective of each former, 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 inviolable for conquering the donjon. After, they would hold the rest of their life story to…"She trailed off, then looked out the windowpane and sighed."I'm going to go visit her mother and sib, tell 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 small bottle of avenium.

"So much trouble, so many tears over this metal dust,"she muttered, staring at the bottle.

"Take care of yourself,"Noah said before getting up and leaving.

He stopped by his way, getting his bag and any possessions he deemed worth carrying. He had already sold off all of his ores and gems, so he had plenty of gold coins with him, along with respective other tools and treasures hidden within his anchor ring, including a vast fortune of avenium. He put on his back pack with his swords hanging from his smash, including a new longsword, and left the way, locking it behind him. Downstairs in the tavern, he handed the landlady the key.

"Thank you for your hospitality."

"Aye, I'm a bit sorry to see you go. But before you do, you should talk with your Quaker. He certainly needs some help."

At the sideboard, he saw Oath slumped over with a half-empty mug in his hand. After returning to Clive, he had checked in with his Fatherhood only briefly, then came straight to the inn and started drinking to drown his regret. It was a miracle the boy hadn't died from alcoholic beverage poisoning.

"Are you planning on drinking away your entire fortune ?"Noah asked.

Oath raised his top dog, looking at him with bloodshot eyes."Leave me alone."

Noah took the faeces next to him and ordered a drink."I will, soon. For now, just humor me."

cuss sat up and wiped his grimace."Remember that hunting misstep the six of us took in the rootage ? When we were sitting around the firing, you told me that I had to decide my intellect for livelihood, for scrap, that I had to create my own signification. When I went into that donjon, 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 establish to her that I was a man, that I was just as unassailable as you and Trevor, and I wanted to leaven it to myself. Everything I failed to do, they were the achievements of the baron that I wanted to be. I loved her, but my pride got her killed. Now… I just don't want to intend about it, any of it. I just want to forget so everything will stop hurting."

Noah, having received his drink, downed it in one gulp and slapped the glass on the table, then took a bass breather."If I were to give you one net deterrent example, one live slice of advice, would you take it ?"cuss just glanced at him, neither agreeing, nor refusing."stop consonant drunkenness. Go home and mourn her properly."

"Why ?"

"I know it hurts, and you don't want to find anything anymore, but when you block out all of the bad, you block out all of the soundly that goes with it. Cherish your touch sensation for Mira, your memories of her. Don't try to immerse them and block. Be grateful that it hurts. Believe me, there is nothing more afflictive than being truly numb. When you've lost all import and sensation, you end up in a very colored place, where you'll do anything just to palpate again, and you never fully come back from that."

For a moment, the words went over Oath's head, but then his center widened as a memory flashed through his alcohol-soaked judgment. The face Noah made when Tin died, that stony reflection, it finally made sense.

"Is that what happened to you ? You lost someone ?"

"I've lost a lot of people, more than you can guess. Losing a get laid one, mourning them, it's supposed to be hard, because if it's loose, 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 sire and I are going there in three Clarence Shepard Day Jr.. You can travel with us."

"Nah, I'll line up my own way. Besides, I've already given your founding father enough avenium to control 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 business leader, after Tin died.

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

Noah was sitting in the baron's study, having just confessed to killing his brother and nephew."We didn't have the fortune to spill about payment for this job, but don't worry, I'm not interested in money or land. There is something else I want."

"Which is ?"

"I want a letter of recommendation to the Uther knight Academy. I heard they only grant admittance on the good word of a imposing, such as yourself."

Ivan scrunched up his case and nearly spat out his deglutition. To be an Utheric knight was a great purity and responsibility, as while they ranked below mogul on the nobility scale of measurement, their achievement could chip in them corking self-confidence and political influence."I have no interest in putting my serious gens on the melody for a unknown. Just accept some avenium for yourself and become a Lord. You'll be even richer than a knight. Or if you want to serve your country, just join the military."

"Any shmo with a pulse can be con***********ed and turned into a soldier. I'm not after wealthiness, prestige, or accomplishment, and I don't care about this country."

Noah then reached into his pocket and placed a yellowish potion on the king's desk.

"What is that ?"Ivan asked.

"I got this in that goblin den, and just this morning, I had it appraised by the pill roller. 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 aliveness. She died because of my ignorance. I've semen to realise that despite my skill and experience, I don't know nearly enough about this public. I want to change that, and to do so, I need an training. Spending years in an ivory towboat doesn't interest me. I want to watch how to live and properly fight in this world, and the best place to do that is the knight academy, where they supposedly train the best of the best. 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 single letter ?"

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

"I suppose…"Noah said, looking back to expletive,"I just wanted to finally save a promise, rather than making yet another lie. Good portion to you, Lord Fault."

Noah left the inn and walked over to the post where his horse was hitched. He rode out of Baron Clive of Plassey, and when he was finally alone, he held out his hand, and an gasbag appeared on his palm from within his ring. On it was a wax seal, the Fault coating of arms. With this, his route was laid out before him. His future catch : the Utheric royal stag capital.

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*Roundabout plays*

To be continued…

*Roll credits*

Please comment ! I 'm going to try to have vol 2 ready by the end of the yr .