The Mysterious Other

"Who are you? What's your name?"

The woman stared back at me in which I curiously looked back. Her eyes were that of small rubies, shining amidst the marble eye of hers. Her gaze was filled with caution and interest as well as a hint of fear.

Thinking about what I did to those goblins, I sighed.

"I'm Nep, who are you guys?"

She looked towards the man who seemed to have the same aura as her, like an erupting flame with a beast like aura that ravaged my senses whenever I try to take a closer look. The man who she was looking at shook his head.

"We are a team on a special commission to destroy this poison tribe, sent by the Phoenix Guild. Do you know anything that happened here? Did you see anyone else?"

Thinking for a moment, what's the best option? To tell them I did it and bring more attention to myself or tell them I witnessed a hooded man do this. Like all made up cliche stories, the latter felt more realistic than the former.

Who would've thought that a person like me could take down a whole tribe and their warlock? No one, it would make me look very suspicious. Plus, these people came from the Phoenix Guild. A guild I'm trying to apply to, if I'm seen as suspicious or a threat, then I might never join them.

"No, I didn't see anyone else. I got went here because I heard some strange sounds of fighting. I arrived here but I was too late, the poison from the flowers had delayed me and the person who did this disappeared"

I tired to sound as resolute as possible, but when the woman looked to the man he went still. Seeing how I couldn't lie to them, I inwardly sighed and prepared myself. I was ready for anything, a beating, an argument. But I didn't see this coming.

"Alright, you can go. Just don't wander off too far into the woods, and take this mask. The poison is very dangerous, but I'm sure you already know that"

I covered my shocked expression with one of deep gratitude and received her mask. Quietly stumbling through the woods, I escaped their vision and wondered what had just happened.

...

'Why did you let him go?'

I turned to Hank, although he wasn't talking I could still hear his thoughts. Through the implant from doc in our brain, we're able to transmit thoughts at high speeds.

'Though he is lying, how could he be the one to do this? We both sensed his fire power and it isn't much. Compared to the power of that darkness attribute, he's nothing. Though contributed, we should be looking out for that other mysterious person'

'Do you have any ideas on who are what it might be?'

'The creature mostly associating with darkness is the demon or spirit kind. Though I do wonder what either kind is doing in this small place'

'Then the next option is a human?'

'Possibly'

I looked to where the young man left and back at the camp. It couldn't be...

"Let's go team, it looks like our mission is cut a bit short"

Some groaned and others sighed in relief. Only did the rookies groan in boredom, their spoilt attitudes and annoying behaviour were getting this close to pushing me off the edge! I swear!

...

I should've brought spare clothes, the ones I were wearing now were dirtied and muddy. Some parts of it was in pieces and other parts were slightly burnt. Feeling very little stinging from the poison caused my walking to increase in speed.

Taking off my battered jacket, I placed it inventory and continued my way back home. Lighting a fire in my hand I used it to traverse the forest. Only after the moon was at its highest point facing south, did I finally spot civilisation.

As I approached the guards only wearing some tattered jogging pants, a white t-shirt and black sneakers. On my skin was merely a few patches of peeling skin and in some places, a discoloured looking bruise.

At the train station I stood awkwardly and thought of my class. As it said on my stat screen, there was a class available. What should I be? A stereotypical warrior? A hybrid between a tank and mage? Or my original job, an exorcist?

I can either be a mage or exorcist, being a tank is a possibility but it doesn't some pleasant. Taking so much hits, I wondered if all tanks are masochistic? Why do they even pick that job? Being a mage or exorcist as my job was the only possibility if we rule out tanks. But which one should I chose? The one where I can become overpowered as fuck or where I can eat to my hearts content all the delicious souls I want?

I was leaning towards the exorcist. Striving to become the most powerful is exhausting and boring, eating till my stomach is full sounds much more pleasant. Plus, once your at the top it's never ending, someday someone will eventually be better than you and if you want to remain at the top you have to keep going.

It's just an endless cycle, the journey instead of the result is way more important. It's ultimately better to chase a goal that you know you won't achieve but will achieve things though it, instead of a goal that leave you empty once you reach it. But I don't even know what class I can get, or even choose. I might not even have a chance to become an exorcist so there's a lot of unknown ground.

Entering the train making me 20 nor poorer, I headed towards the city.