The Castle and Misadventures that come with it.

I woke up to the feeling of bumping. I think it was from a carriage. There's also something soft beneath my head. I didn't want to open my eyes, because it would give away the fact that I was awake. I don't know how long I've been out, but I feel pretty much fine. I don't know if there's anyone in the carriage with me, but I hope not.

"This sucks! Just because I'm a hero doesn't mean I want to be taken from my home!"

I guess there's someone else with me? Are they a hero too?

"This poor guy got knocked out. I'm glad that I didn't resist."

I opened one eye slightly to see who I was traveling with. It was a man with ginger hair and some light armor. He looked extremely upset, and had his arms crossed.

I turned my sight upward and was greeted by the sight of a book cover right in my face. Am I on someone's lap?

...

Is this Silvia's lap? Why am I in her lap? This isn't normal.

"Hey you, witch, is that guy your boyfriend?" "No." "Wanna be my-" "Shut up, and stop looking at me." "Oh, I understand."

Holy crap was that Silvia? She's never been like that to me, I mean, I could basically feel the contempt in her voice! The guy had instantly quieted down after she said that.

I'm not sure if getting up is the best idea, it might embarrass Silvia or something. I'm pretty sure she just did this because the seats are hardwood and she didn't want me to get hurt.

...

Maybe I should get up.

*Yawn*

"Oh hey, you're finally awake." Said the ginger.

"Yeah." "Oh! Welcome back to the land of the living." She said while putting her book away.

"Thanks Silvia. What happened?" "After you got knocked out by that knight, he carried you to this carriage. It was behind the knights." "Oh. I got stomped huh?" "Yeah. What made you think that was a good idea!? You can't just be an idiot like that and expect to get away with it!"

"I know I know! But it's their fault for taking me away!" "Yes, but still. You made a dumb decision." "I know that. But it's not like he would've killed me. I'm a hero and all." "That's another thing, why didn't you tell me!? It would've been nice to know!" "Well what if you told someone?!" "Have you no faith in me?! Do you really think I'd go tell someone a secret that big? I'm not an idiot!"

"I'm... You're right. I should've told you. I'm sorry." "I forgive you. Just have a little faith in me next time." "I will. Now for the big question. why am I in your lap?" "Oh, uh, there wasn't much room in here, and the other side is taken by that guy. I didn't want you to be bumping around, and I couldn't put you in a sitting position because of the shaking so I figured it was a good solution."

I sat up from her lap.

"Sounds reasonable. How long have I been out?" "About two hours. They also had to pick this guy up on the way, so we're probably on route to the kingdom now." "Oh cool, now I can meet my kidnappers head on." "Don't be so harsh on them. They just want to keep people safe." "I guess. But still, it doesn't make it any less upsetting."

"That's true. But you're just going to have to go with it." "Yeah, I know."

"Are you sure that he isn't your boyfriend?" "I don't care if you're a hero, I will decapitate you." "Alright, noted."

I think that's a sore subject for Silvia. I'm not sure why though, it's not like there's anything weird between us.

"How about you man? Are you planning to use your popularity as a hero to get things?" "What? What's that supposed to mean?" "You know, girls?"

What the hell? Is this guy for real? I'm not a sleazy asshole!

"No? What kind of question is that?" "Well you must have thought of it at least once right?" "Are you saying that I would use my herodom to get laid?" "Well I'm not directly saying that! I'm just thinking that it would be easier to find a "Girlfriend" with it." "You sound like an asshole." "Hey hey hey, listen, we're all friends right? I'm a hero, you're a hero, we all fight for the same side."

"I'm on my side." "I'm on his side too." "Yeesh I can feel the cooperation from here." "That cooperation might just be annoyance." "Tough crowd eh? I understand if you're not in the mood to talk." "Yeah, that's about right."

"I get it."

He went quiet after this. I'm not sure I want to talk with him anymore, so I think I'll steer clear.

...

Is that cheering I hear?

And indeed, there was cheering. It was coming from ahead of us and slowly getting louder. Is a crowd cheering for us or something? Maybe the public knows that the kingdom is bringing heroes or something.

The cheering endured for a long time, until it began to fade away as we got further towards where we were going. I still don't know where they're taking us.

I was feeling a bit tired now, so I began to rest my eyes while I waited to arrive.

"Are you going to go to sleep again?" Asked Silvia.

"No. I'm just resting my eyes. I feel a bit tired." "That's surprising, I mean, didn't you just wake up?" "Yes, but I feel tired. I'm not sure why." "Hmm. Well I guess that works." I wonder when we'll stop." "Probably at the castle." "Yeah, that makes sense. How long will that take?" "Do I look like I can see the future?" "Not really, no." "Exactly." "Hmm."

I continued resting my eyes for around five minutes until I felt the carriage stop. I opened my eyes and looked at the door.

*Cough Cough* *Creak*

I began coughing a bit right before the door opened. The one who had opened it was the knight who had wrecked me before.

"Ah, I see that you are awake Calric. I am glad." "Why? Don't you thibk badly me now?" "Of course not. I would likely have done the same thing in your situation, and it shows that you have the will to fight, even in dire circumstances." "Oh, cool, I guess." "Indeed. Now please follow me, all of you."

All three of us followed the knight out of the carriage. Outside was what seemed to be a giant wooden door in front of us.

It began opening as we approached it. The stone brick floor was well made and didn't scrape the door when it opened.

Inside was what I assumed to be a lobby of sorts. Right ahead of us was another door, but it was smaller. We were led over to the other door, which opened to reveal an expansive room. At the far end, there sat a man with a crown and well groomed white hair. He was wearing an extravagant suit that clearly showed off his wealth and power. He also seemed pretty young.

I think that he's the king, and I know better than to disrespect someone as powerful as him. I still feel tired, so I hope that I'll be awake enough to not act like an idiot if I speak to him. He seemed to be talking to some people right now though. They were wearing clothing with the crest of what I presumed to be another kingdom.

"Follow me. I will bring you to your quarters. You will remain there until we have gathered the other heroes." "The others? How many others are there?" "Good question. I do not know myself, but I have heard that there are around seven." "Seven?! That's crazy!" Said the ginger surprisedly.

"Indeed. I have never heard of that many heroes being found." "This doesn't sound good." "I agree, there must be a reason for so many heroes." "Yeah..."

He lead us to a hallway on the left of the room. When he opened one of the doors on the left, it lead to a room with a fireplace and lots of furniture. There were other doors inside of the room, which I decided I'd explore later. There were two people inside the room. One of them was on a couch, and the other was in a chair at the table.

"This is where you will stay until we have the rest of the heroes. If you need something, do not hesitate to ask." "Thanks, I will."

The ginger was extremely compliant with the knight, and understandably so. After all, he was able to beat me with one hit.

I stepped into the room with Silvia and the ginger. The knight shut the door behind us, and I presumed he walked away. The person on the couch was a girl with Auburn hair. She was reading a book titled "The Snake and the Sun."

The other person was a man with brown hair and glasses. He was eating cookies while reading a book. I couldn't see the book title on account of the book being cover down on the counter.

"Oh, hey! There's new people Renson!" "Hmm?"

The girl had spoken up and called attention to us.

"Welcome. I assume all of you are heroes as well?" "I am, but Silvia isn't." "How about the ginger?" "I have a name!" "And I would know it how?" "Fair point. It's Loyd."

Renson stood up and walked over to us. He was a large man, around six feet tall. It was a bit ironic that he had glasses despite basically being a tank. He stuck his hand out to Loyd.

"Nice to meet you." Loyd took his hand. "You too."

He put his hand out toward me next.

"Nice to meet you...?" "Calric. Calric Landea." "Nice to meet you Calric." "You as well Renson."

He turned toward Silvia now.

"A pleasure to meet you Silvia." He said while giving a small bow.

"Thanks, but bowing is unnecessary. I'm just a potion seller." "You carry yourself so elegantly that I thought you were royalty. Forgive my mistake." "Don't worry. It's fine."

Does she? I haven't seen that.

"Moving forward. Let's get to know each other. Why don't we talk over some drinks?" "Sounds fun. I'm nineteen." Said Loyd.

"I'm eighteen. I've never had alcohol before. I wouldn't be opposed to trying it though." I said.

"I wouldn't mind some wine." "Great, a resounding yes. I will go grab the nessicary items. Feel free to enjoy some of my cookies."

He walked out of the room after this, likely to go ask for some alcohol.

"Weird right?" Said the girl on the couch.

"Yeah. Why is he so nice?" "I don't know. Maybe he wants to be friends with all of us?" "Whatever it is, I'm not gonna question it. Anyone who offers free alcohol is definitely trustworthy." Interjected Silvia jokingly.

"Whatever it is, I like it." Said the girl.

*Yawn* *Cough*

Damn, I'm even more tired now, Plus I'm coughing again. At least I have my medication with me.

I took out two pills and swallowed them dry.

"Is he okay?" Said the Auburn girl with a concerned face.

"I'm not sure. Are you okay Cal?" "Mostly. It doesn't hurt or anything." "That's good." "Whatever it is, I'm not keen on catching it." Said Loyd while backing away a bit.

"Relax, I don't think it's contagious." "That gives me even less confidence." "Whatever."

I know that Renson is grabbing us some alcohol and all but I think I'll take a nap instead. I need to be rested, plus the medication might not react well with alcohol.

I walked over to one of the three couches and laid down with my hands behind my head and my eyes closed. The Auburn girl was to my left, and I could feel her eyes drilling into me.

"Is there a reason you're staring at me like that?" "Sorry. I'm just a bit wary of your cough." "That's understandable." "I just don't want to get sick." "Makes sense. I wouldn't want to get sick either." "I'm glad you understand. I would hate to make a bad impression." "Mhm."

I could feel myself sinking into sleep like a swamp of darkness. The couch was very comfortable. I think I'm falling asleep now...

ZZZ

ZZZ

ZZZ

"Al-"

"Cal-"

"Cal!"

MMM? Whozzat waking me up?

*Cough Cough*

I opened my eyes when I started coughing. "Cal! You're finally awake! You've been having a coughing fit!" Silvia said with her hands on my shoulders.

I can feel the effects of the fit. My throat is dry and sore.

"I'm up." "Good. Now go drink something." "Will do." I sat up and looked around. There was an open door with a toilet and sink. I wonder who invented them? Questions aside, I need to go get a drink.

I got up from the couch and went to take a drink from the sink. I think I was dehydrated or something, because I was ridiculously thirsty. Silvia had walked over to the bathroom while I was drinking and was looking at me worriedly.

"I think we need to get you looked at again." "But I was just looked at a little while ago." "Yes, but I'm worried about you." "I appreciate the concern, but I doubt a second opinion would be necessary." "I think it would. I can't put aside my worries just because you say you're fine." "If you really need me to, I can. I don't want to make you worry."

"Good. I'll ask if we can get someone to have a look." "Alright." "Are you hungry?" "No, not really." "How? You haven't eaten in like, ten hours." "Ten? Has it really been that long?" "Yeah you've been asleep for about five, ish hours?" "Damn." "Yeah. There are actually beds in those rooms over there." "Ah. Is that where everyone else is?" "Yes, everyone else went to bed an hour ago." "What about you?" "Oh, I'm not tired."

"That's surprising." "I just don't get very tired." "Apparently. I'm still tired to be honest." "How?! You were sleeping for five hours!" "I don't know. It might be the meds." "That would make sense." "Yeah."

It's probably just the medication. There's no way that I would turn into an undead or something right after I become a hero. That would be complete bullshit. I'm still tired for some reason. It actually probably isn't a bad idea to see that priest.

"I'm going to get a priest." "Right now?" "Yes. We have the kingdom helping us, so I assume that they can probably find a priest to help." "Good point."

I guess she's right, I mean, it's not every day that you have the kingdom itself supporting you. It's a good idea to take advantage of that fact.

Silvia walked over and out of the door. Why is she so worried about me anyway? I suppose it's probably just because she's worried about me turning into a zombie. I laid back down on the couch.

This whole hero situation is going to be extremely tiring. Like, what happens tomorrow? What about the day after? What about my crops? Will I be able to go back home? What will I have to do as a hero? These are all questions that will be answered, but I wish that I could get the answers now instead.

I felt myself beginning to drift off once more, and almost fell asleep. But right before that, the door opened.

"I'm back. I got the healer." "Hii."

The hi seemed to come from a girl who was trying to sound enthusiastic but was too tired to do it properly.

"I'm here to *Yawn* heal you." "Cool."

I sat up and looked over at the healer who was with Silvia next to the door. She had blond hair and blue eyes. Is this some type of requirement for being a healer? Maybe blond hair corresponds to being good at healing.

"I hear that you have a cough?" "Yes, that's correct." "Got it. Have you seen any other healers lately?" "Yes." "How recently?" "Today." "And you weren't healed properly?" "I was, but it didn't help much." "Okay. I'll try to heal it."

She took out a golden colored wand that was about a foot long and held it in front of me. A golden light shimmered out of it and went into my torso. It felt pretty nice to be honest.

"That's should help." "I don't feel any different." "That's probably because it was something small." "I don't know." "I'm ninety percent sure it'll be fine. If it gets worse, just come get me." "Will do." "Great. Does anyone else need help?" "No." "Perfect. I'll be off now." "Have a nice night." "You too."

She walked over to the door and left. Maybe I won't turn into a zombie now. I laid back down on the couch and shut my eyes.

I think I'll go to sleep now.

...

Is someone watching me?

I opened my eyes and looked around. Silvia was looking up at me from a book she had pulled out a moment ago. It made the hair on my neck stand up. It was pretty scary seeing someone with a black mask staring directly at you in a dimly lit room.

"Is there a reason you're trying to suck my soul out with your eyes?" "What?" "I was making a joke about how you're staring at me." "Oh, sorry. I didn't think it was bothering you." "Why are you even staring at me?" "I just wanted to see how you were doing." "Alright. It's just kind of spooky when someone stares at you in the dark while wearing a mask."

"I can see your point." "Why are you even wearing that mask?" "Personal reasons." "Like?" "Like reasons I can't tell you." "Do you think that I'll say you're ugly or something?" "No. I just have some personal reasons." "Alright. I understand if you don't trust me. I am a conniving swindler after all." "You know that's not it!" "I'm just messing around!" "I know. I just hate self deprecating humor."

"I get it. But anyway, I'm going to sleep now." "Sleep well." "Thanks."

I closed my eyes again. I felt sleep taking me once more.

ZZZ

ZZZ-

*SHAKE SHAKE*

The hell?! Someone's attacking me!

I opened my eyes and jumped up. There was a man with a crazy smile on his face. I jumped toward him and swung at his face. He stepped sideways and yanked my arm forward, which flung me onto the carpeted floor hard.

I adjusted myself to land on my shoulder as to turn it into a roll. It didn't work though, and I landed at an awful angle. I think I dislocated my shoulder. Fucking great.

"HAHAHA! GOOD ONE!" Said the man loudly.

I was grabbed by the shoulders and yanked to my feet. This, felt FUCKING AWFUL! MY SHOULDER IS GODDAMN DISLOCATED!

"OW GODDAMN IT!"

I looked at my assailant. He had well kept hair that seemed to have been gelled. He was also wearing armor

"Why the gell are you attacking me?! How the hell did you even get here?" "Get here?! I was let in here Numbnuts!" "What?!"

I looked around and realized that there were other man like him here, all varying in looks, but wearing the same armor.

"Who the hell are you people?" "We're the people who are gonna train your weak ass!" "What?" "We are here to kick you people into shape!"

I looked over and saw that Silvia was sat at a table getting harassed by someone. This made me really damn angry, I mean, who the hell do they think they are?! Just because we're in need of training doesn't mean you can be a rude ass cunt!

"I don't give a damn what the fuck you are! You're not just going to hurt me and get away with it!" "HAHAHA NO DAMN WAY! THIS GUY'S THE BEST!" He said while bellowing with laughter.

What's so funny?! Is my anger just a joke to you? I'll show you, you fucking dickhead!

I swung at him with my free hand, which was easily blocked by him. I expected this though, so I kicked at his stomach.

He also moved to block this, which is when I dodged backwards.

"What the hell was that? Do you have any idea how to fight?"

I decided to look at his stats before attacking further.

_________________________

Name: Rikila Dorphman

Race: Human

Class: Experienced Knight

Level: 350

Exp: ???

Health: 950/950

Mana: ???

Stamina: 1300/1300

Strength: 500

Agility: 450

Dexterity: 500

Mind: 250

Intelligence: 460

Skills: (Sword Proficiency A), (Battle sense A), (Unarmed combat A) + ???

_________________________

Holy shit this guys a goddamn monster! And he's smarter than he seems. It would be a dumb idea to fight him, so running away is obviously the only answer.

[(Battle sense F) Acquired.]

Guess this was a good choice.

I began to swiftly back away as to make ground between us.

"Good idea!"

He ran at me, but I think that he was holding back for some reason.

"Get him from behind Silvia! Before he turns around!"

His face quickly turned to one of confusion, but quickly turned to one of amusement.

"You think you can get me before I turn around?"

His head spun to face where he thought Silvia was. He didn't realize that it was a complete lie to get him to turn around. Idiot.

I sprinted toward the open door.

I reached it before he even realized that I was gone.

"What? Where's...! You conniving bastard!"

He grew a huge smile.

"He actually tricked me, god damn."

He looked over at the door and saw my foot disappear behind the corner.

This seemed to make him realize that I wouldn't be the weak opponent he expected. He sped toward the door.

I was clutching my arm while running away. I'll have to get this healed soon. I looked back at the door. It was a few meters away. I'm glad that he fell for that. Otherwise, I might've been in trouble.

He suddenly shot through the doorway and turned towards me.

"You can run all you want, but you can't escape me!" "Maybe not, but I can get reinforcements." "Reinforcements...? What's that mean?" "Guess you'll have to find out."

I don't actually have reinforcements, but he doesn't know that. Maybe he'll believe this too.

"There's no way you have reinforcements! You just got here yesterday!" "You'll see!"

I continued running through the halls. I was hoping that I wouldn't hit a dead end, but I guess I'm just unlucky. It also screws up my bluff about reinforcements.

"Looks like you backed yourself into a corner huh?" "You must have the skills of a detective." "Guess so." "So do you want to give up?" "Huh?"

Did he offer to let me give up? Is this a game?

"What do you mean?" "Well usually I would just beat the hell out of you to get you ready for what comes after, but you seem different. I don't think you need the beating." "So, I can just end the fight?" "Yep. Extra points for tricking me earlier."

That's a good deal. I think I'll take him up on it.

"I guess that I'll take it. There's no way I could beat you." "It's good to have the ability to run away from a fight you can't win." "Yeah. Is there a way that I can-" *COUGH COUGH*

Damn, that actually hurt. I think it's getting worse.

"You okay?" "More or less." "Sounds like less to me." "That's fair." "It is. Now, what do you say about some breakfast?" "I could eat." "Great. I'm sure the others will join us soon. Firstly though, we need to get you healed. That shoulder does not look good." "I was actually going to ask about that." "We have a great healer here in the castle. She's mostly around for the royal family and the others that reside here."

"You sound less barbaric than you did in the other room." "That was intentional. It made you panic when you realized that you were up against a crazy looking powerhouse of a man, didn't it?" "Yeah, you're right. Is that to gauge how we react in stressful situations?"

"Bingo. You got it. I'm surprised you're this good. Usually people just panic and end up acting like idiots." "Who else are you talking about?" "Sometimes we get new recruits that recieve special training. The seer will find people who are destined for great things. Those are the people who are trained by me and my team."

"That's pretty cool." "I agree. Anyways, follow me."

He began leading me through the hallways. There weren't any windows in the hallways we walking through. I wonder why that is.

After a few minutes, we came to a wooden door. It opened to reveal a large room with lots of decoration. The walls were painted white, the bed had white and red sheets. There was a table with some flowers in a vase on it in front of a huge window. The sun was shining through it.

When I walked over to the sun, i felt refreshed and energetic. Nothing like a bit of warm sun in the morning right?

"Oh, it's you again!" Said a girl from behind me.

"You know this young man?" "Yes! I healed him last night." "What type of healing?" He said with a devious face.

"Don't be crude! There's no reason to be like that!" "Sorry, I couldn't resist." He said while chuckling.

"Whatever. I healed him of a cough." "You did? He still has a cough though." "What?" "Yeah, he was coughing a little while ago." "Well that's not good. I fear that this may be serious." "Yes, but right now we need healing for-" "The shoulder. You realize that my vision is functional right?" "Sorry, I'm used to pointing out obvious details to people." "Apparently."

She came over to me and raised her wand to me once again. The golden light poured out of it once more. I could feel my shoulder moving back into place. It was an odd sensation to say the least.

"That should be better." "Great. Let's go grab some grub." He said while walking to the door.

"Hold on a moment, I still haven't checked his lungs." "Do you need to?" "Yes. It's serious." "Fine. But just try to be quick." "I can't rush being a doctor." "Whatever, just do it."

She came over to me and looked me over with her thumb on her lip. She came closer... and lifted my shirt up! With no warning!

"What the hell?" "I'm examining your lungs." "I don't think-" *COUGH*

"Think what? Think that it's a problem? Yes, I do think that it's a problem." "Okay, I get it." She poked my chest all around, but I didn't feel any pain.

"Well I can't do anything more for you. Just drink water, eat well, and get rest." "I'm sure he will. Actually, I think I hear some waffles calling me. Maybe they're calling you too. Let's go find out."

He grabbed my arm and began leading me to the door.

"Don't get hurt, I'd hate to see you in need of healing again." "We'll try. See ya."

He led me out the door and through the hallways.

It took a little while but I was eventually brought to a huge dining room. There were many people dining there. It was a ridiculous amount of food, but as they would say, it was a meal fit for a king. There were also windows that let sun in, which felt nice on my skin.

I was the only hero there so far. Everyone was enjoying their food to the fullest. I was eyeing the bacon and eggs.

"You seem to have something in mind." "Yep." "Just go grab a plate." "Really? I can just go do that?" "Sure you can. You're a hero, which makes you the equivalent of royalty." "Fair enough. What exactly are the benefits of being a hero?" "How about you ask and I'll answer?"

"Equipment?" "Covered." "Training?" "Covered." "Finances?" "Sort of. You need to have someone to monitor the spending." "Makes sense. Crimes?" "Depends. If its it's something small like stealing or being accused of stealing, it isn't looked into. If it's something like murder or rape, it will be looked into. but a lot of times you'll get off the hook. If it's something like worshipping demons, you can be imprisoned. Just think by those lines."

"That's pretty fucked up though." "I didn't make the rules, but I wish I did. If you ask me, I personally think that evil things like rape and murder should be prosecuted like anyone else. It's too bad to ignore." "Same here."

He got this satisfied look on his face.

"I like you. You're much better behaved that others I've met." "It's just being a good person. It's not difficult if you try." "True. A lot of people only think by how much they can get out of a situation." "That's a crooked mindset." "For sure. I'm going to go grab some food now. Feel free to join me."

It's not a bad idea. I should probably eat something despite not feeling very hungry.

I followed him over to the table. I grabbed the plate of eggs and bacon that I had been eyeing. I sat down near the man who I had been with.

"So what's your name?" "Calric. How about you?" "Rick. Rick Dorphman." "Well met. What's going to happen today?" "From what I've heard, and keep in mind that I only heard it as chatter among my men, but apparently they're going to go get the rest of the heroes today." "Interesting. Will anything that affects me be happening?"

"Yup. We're going to train." "What does that entail?" "I'm going to train you in swords. You can't go fighting anything without some training." "That's true. Am I going to get hurt?" "I'd count on it." "Sounds like a jolly time." "Heh, yep."

I continued eating. The king was having a conversation with some people next to him. Another man came out of a door to the left of the room and came over to talk to the king.

They seemed to have an exchange which ended in the king nodding. The man bowed then left after this. I wonder what they were talking about.

I kept eating my food for a few minutes, making small talk with Rick. Once we both finished eating, he got up, and began leading me through the halls once more.

We eventually came out at a large courtyard. It had targets and dummies as well as weapon racks. There was an area with smooth stone brick as well as a yard full of grass. I guess they're for training in different environments.

"Here it is. The training yard." "I'm not trying to be rude, but isn't this a bit small for something that's in the king's castle?" "Thats correct. The reason it's small, is because it's designed for smaller battles and beginners." "That makes sense." "Yep. Now go grab a sword." "Okay."

I did as instructed and grabbed a sword. It was an iron one similar to the one that I had before.

"Great. Now come at me." "Do you want me to grab one for you too?" "Did I ask for one?" "No." "There's your answer."

Well it makes sense that he's cocky, seeing as he's strong. But I'm still going to put my all into it.

I ran toward him, my sword in hand. My first attack consisted of plunging my sword toward his chest. He moved sideways and hit my hand downwards. After that, he kicked me in the back, which sent me sprawling to the ground.

"Was it necessary to kick me to the ground?" "Yep." "Why?" "Would an enemy miss an opportunity to put you on the ground?" "Probably not." "Right, and I'm filling the role of your enemy right now. That means that I'll do anything an enemy would do. Short of killing you of course." "This is going to suck." "Probably."

So we continued to train. Every now and then, I would learn one of his attacks and be able to dodge the incoming one. A small crowd had also started to form, both watching the session unfold with interest.

Eventually, I started to get the hang of dodging him, which was rewarded nicely.

[(Dodging E) Obtained.]

_________________________

Name: Calric Landea

Race: Human

Class: Hero

Level: 7

Exp: 40/350

Health: 350/350

Mana: 1400/1400

Stamina: 150/230

Strength: 68

Agility: 46

Dexterity: 35

Mind: 25

Intelligence: 40

Skills: (Farming C), (Blunt weapons F), (Endurance E), (Dodging E), (Pain tolerance E), (Unarmed combat F), (Aversion to light), (Battle sense F).

_________________________

Hell yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

The difference was immediately noticeable. I could dodge most of his attacks now that I had the skills upgraded version.

"What just happened? How are you dodging me so well now?" "My dodging skill leveled up." "WHAT?"

He stopped and walked toward me.

"You're telling me that you leveled up a skill from just light training?" "Yes." "Damn! I guess what I read about heroes was true." "What did you read?" "Apparently heroes can level up at a ridiculous speed. Around 400% faster." "That is ridiculous!" "Damn right! Let's work harder!" "Right on!"

Well shit, I didn't know that I had that type of boost. I knew that my learning was faster, but 400%? That's pretty overpowered! I'll use this to the fullest!

"I know this is exciting and all, but before we proceed, how hard are you willing to train?" "What kind of question is that? Let's go all out!"

I'm going to use this boost as best I can!

"You sure?" "Yeah! let's go!"

If I get hurt, I can always get healed-

*CRACK* *FWOOSH* *BWAKOOM*

"GKACK!"

[(Endurance D) Obtained.]

[(Endurance C) Obtained.]

[(Pain tolerance D) Obtained.]

[(Recovery E) Obtained.]

THE FUCK WAS THAT?!

I feel like I just got hit by a goddamn dragon! I'm stuck in a fucking wall like a squashed spider!

"You okay?"

I opened my eyes and saw Rick running over to me with a smile on his face.

"Nhoo." I gasped

His face turned to one of panic when he realized exactly what he had done.

"SHIT! I didn't mean to hit you that hard!"

He ran up to me and began to look me over.

I think I got a bit too... Excited to level up...

<A secluded part of a forest>

*Chink* *Clang* *Tink*

"Excellent form Renson." "Thank you Ma'am." "Of course. I see why they assigned me to you. You know how to be a proper gentleman." "I'm flattered. Since I was a child, my parents have taught me how to be a proper young man." "What family do you belong to?" "Rielecks." "The Rielecks!? Don't they have a son in the Royal guard?" "You know of him?" "Yes, he had stunning results In the training facility. Truly a prodigy. His name was George, correct?"

"Indeed. He is my brother." "No wonder you have such excellent skills. Does he teach you?" "Bah. It's more like taking his frustrations out on me in the form of training." "Ah. That makes sense. Being a Royal guard is a stressful job." "Precisely."

"You seem to know what I was planning to teach you already. Would you be interested in getting something to drink?" "I'm not sure, do you consider yourself to be a wine person?" "Just a bit." "Very good. I suppose I will attend this drinking session."

<Back at the castle>

"YOU BASTARD! YOU ALMOST KILLED HIM! I'LL RIP YOUR EYES OUT!" "MA'AM! I will have to ask you to leave if you cannot remain civil!" "BUT IT'S HIS FAULT! CALRIC ALMOST DIED! WHAT THEN?! WHAT WOULD HE HAVE TO SAY FOR HIMSELF!?" "Please calm down ma'am!"

"No, she's right to be angry. It was completely my fault. I didn't properly control my strength, and that places me as the perpetrator." "I'm only going to say this once, if you hurt Calric like this again, you WILL regret it, harshly." "Alright, I understand." "Good, then leave." "But that's-" "Leave, now." "... Alright."

...

My body hurts.

"That muscle brained dimwit seriously needs to learn restraint." "Miss Silvia, please keep your temper in check. I'm sure that Calric will be fine." "I know I know, it's just... I don't like seeing him hurt." "I'm can understand that, but it's not right to take those grievances out on someone else." "It was his fault though! He even admitted to it!"

"While it was his fault, he was clearly remorseful. I think that he feels bad enough about what he did." "I guess you're right... I still don't like what happened though." "That's completely understandable. But keep in mind that he is a hero, therefore meaning that he has a much greater resistance by default."

"Alright. I just hope that he'll recover soon." "I can assure you that he'll be fine. I am one of the best healers around after all." "That's true." "Yes, now I'm sure that all of this talking is disturbing Calric. Let's talk somewhere else." "Alright."

I think that I'm going to go back to sleep now...

ZZZ

ZZZ

ZZZ-

Hmm? What's this?

In front of me was a white light, slowly approaching me. Or rather, I was approaching it.

When I reached it, I felt a sense of floating, yet I still felt like I was touching solid ground. It was a bit surreal to say the least.

I appeared in a place that seemed to be an infinite black space.

A person dressed in a tuxedo and mask appeared from in front of me. Their mask was white and completely covered their face with the exception of black eye holes.

"Who are you?" "Fear not. I am not here to hurt you." They said in the form of a floating box of letters.

"Okay. But who are you?" "That, is not something that I can tell you." "Well what can you tell me?" "Did you know that some rats can grow as large as horses?" "That's not what I meant." "I know, I was being sarcastic." "I didn't realize." "Apparently. But something that I can tell you, is that you've done something unexpected."

"What's that supposed to mean?" "It means that you've done something that I didn't expect." "Wait, was it you that made me a hero?" "No." "Then who did?" "Something waaay too far above my clearance to tell you." "Why?" "Because I'm not important enough to be allowed to tell you." "Are you from some sort of organization?" "In a manner of speaking, yes." "Not that you are speaking." "I have my reasons."

"Which are?" "I prefer not to talk." "Why?" "Does it really matter?" "I suppose not." "Exactly."

I stayed silent for a moment.

"Why are you quiet?" "I was wondering whether this conversation has a purpose." "Hmm. I understand your point, but I'm not sure what I could do to compensate you for your time." "Can I have a cool weapon or something?" "How would I do that?" "Are you able to like, teleport it in?" "No. That could screw some things up." "Things?" "Things I also can't tell you about." "Will I ever learn what those things are?"

"Probably not." "Okay. Can you tell me something helpful?" "Did you know that some rats can grow as big as horses?" "Ha ha." "Heh. All jokes aside, I can give you a bit of info." "Great. Lay it on me."

"You have a faster rate of experience gain than others, as you probably know. What you might not know however, is that that people who travel with you can also make use of this bonus." "How does that help me? Silvia's my only companion at the moment." "Silvia? Who's that?" "Have you not seen what's been happening in my life?"

"Unfortunately not. I am not allowed to see what happens to your world at all times. I'm just here on business." "So how did you know that I did something unexpected?" "I was shown." "By who?" "Another thing I can't tell you unfortunately." "Got it."

"Anyway, can you tell me more about this Silvia person?" "She wears a mask and witch clothes. Has silver hair. She's really strong too."

They went quiet for a moment at this.

"Are you referring to Silveria?" "Yeah, actually. How'd you know that?" "That can't be right. Is she a witch stealth class hybrid?" "Also yes. What the hell are you leading up to?" "Isn't she-"

They began poking at the air and swiping with their finger. They did this for a few seconds.

"And you say that she's your companion?" "More or less, yeah." "Shhhaah- This isn't explained anywhere! I don't know how to handle this." "Handle what?" "Nothing. I'll leave now."

They began to move backwards, but stopped and began to look thoughtful.

"Actually, here. Don't tell anyone about this. You'll get us both in trouble."

They waved their hand at me lightly.

[(Luck E) Acquired.]

"Oh, uh, thanks." "Yeah. You're going to need it."

They began fading Into the darkness once more, until they disappeared fully. My vision began to go dark, until I couldn't see anymore.

After this I felt the tide of sleep pulling at me until I succumbed to it... Slowly drifting away...

ZZZ

ZZZ

ZZZ

*Yawn*

I opened my eyes and looked around. I was in a white bed and had blue curtains around me. There was nobody near me though, so I sat up and stretched my arms.

My arms weren't sore, which surprised me seeing as I got turned into a red stain on the wall. I stretched my legs as well, and found that they weren't sore either. Whoever had healed me did a great job.

"Hello? Anyone there?" I called out.

I heard someone began walking over, and the curtains opened to reveal a new girl who also had blond hair and blue eyes. This is definitely a recurring element, there's no way that it's not related to being a priest or something.

"Oh! You're finally awake. I'll go get Leminia."

I could hear her after she walked to the left on account of her high heels clacking loudly.

I sat up and yawned. I felt a bit off, but I figured it was from getting turned into red paint.

I was dressed with bandages and underwear. I was also missing my ring. My chest was only half covered in bandages.

I heard two pairs of footsteps coming after a minute of waiting and was greeted by the sight of both the healer and Silvia. It was still in my mind how that person had visited me in my dream, and it made me a bit suspicious of Silvia.

Leminia came up to beside me and looked me over.

"It seems like you're fully healed." "I feel pretty good." "I'm glad. You got hit pretty damn hard. I already gave Rick a stern talking to, so maybe don't be too harsh. He definitely regrets what he did."

I knew that much.

"I guess that I ended up getting the beating I skipped out of. Speaking of, what happened to you with that guy Silvia?" "After I told him that I had an acid strong enough to melt his face off and that I wasn't one of the heroes, he laid off." "Oh. Do you really have an acid that strong?" "Maybe." "Spooky."

"Anywho, it's been two days since you were injured. I'm surprised that you recovered this quickly to be honest. I'm quite sure that you would still be here for a few more days if it weren't for your heroes physique." "Good to know." "Of course. I think you're ready to leave now." "Great. I'm looking forward to not being art on the wall." "Me too."

With this being said, She helped me get up out of the bed. My ribs were still slightly sore, but it wasn't too bad.

"Where are my clothes?" "Ah. They got shredded when you were hit. I ordered some new ones for you. I'll go get them."

I stood there awkwardly while she brought me the clothes.

"Do you feel okay?" "Hmm? Yeah. I feel fine." "Good. I was worried." "I don't really know how I survived that to be honest. I'd assume it was probably luck." "Well that's some damn good luck." "Yeah."

That's right! I forgot to check my stats.

_________________________

Name: Calric Landea

Race: Human

Class: Hero

Level: 7

Exp: 40/350

Health: 350/350

Mana: 1400/1400

Stamina: 230/230

Strength: 68

Agility: 46

Dexterity: 35

Mind: 25

Intelligence: 40

Skills: (Farming C), (Blunt weapons F), (Endurance E), (Dodging E), (Pain tolerance E), (Unarmed combat F), (Aversion to light), (Battle sense F), (Luck E).

_________________________

"I wonder what happens now." "They found two more heroes while you were asleep." "Really?" "Yeah. I'm pretty sure that the trainers are planning on bringing the heroes to a dungeon." "Hm. I'm not sure if I should go." "Why not?" "I should probably train more. It's not very fun getting beat into the ground." "Aw c'mon. You're a hero, there's no way that you would get beat so easily. Especially not with the other heroes there to back you up."

"You're right, it probably won't be too dangerous." "Exactly." "So uh, kind of cold in here huh?" "Maybe for you." "Yeah."

Right after I said this, Leminia returned with the clothing as well as my ring.

"I hope it's comfortable. I made sure to tell them your exact measurements as to keep it from being uncomfortable."

"Oh thanks. I love it when people look at my naked body when I'm unconscious." "Don't be so dramatic!" "I'm joking!"

I put the clothes and ring on quickly.

"Right. I suppose I should go now." "Indeed. Try not to get hurt again soon." "Will do."

I walked towards the door, and then remembered that I had no idea where I was going. I didn't remember which way to go to get back to the room I had been staying in.

"Don't worry, I'll help you back to the room." Said Silvia.

"You a mind reader or something?" "Nope. I just have good intuition." "Seems right."

She took my hand and began leading me down the halls. I'm glad that Silvia is here with me, she's always so helpful.

When we reached the room, I looked around, but didn't see anyone.

"Where is everyone?" "Eating." "What time is it?" "Around noon, so lunch time." "Ah. I'm not really hungry." "Would you be willing to try to eat? I know that it might be a bit pushy to ask, but I think you should eat something seeing as you've been sustained on nothing but magic for the past few days."

"That's a good point. I'll go eat." "Great. I'll come with you." "Cool."

I walked down the hall in the direction that I remembered leading to the dining hall. Luckily, I remembered the path correctly and didn't have to wander.

When I entered, I heard the idle chatter of people talking.

"Did you hear about the demon worshippers that got busted?" "Yeah, I'm glad scum like them are being prosecuted."

"Have you heard about that nation to the south that creates golems with no magic?" "I think I heard something about them sending their odd creations to other kingdoms." "Really? I wonder if we'll ever get to see some."

"Do you ever twist your ankle when you're running during training?"

I can hear all of the conversations at once. Maybe it's an effect of me becoming stronger?

I went over to the table and grabbed a plate of food. It was two sandwiches, the ingredients consisting of tomatoes, lettuce, chicken, and mayonase. It tasted alright.

Silvia had sat next to me and was drinking water. I let my eyes wander when I finished my food, and they ended up on the king.

I bet he thinks that us heroes are just disposable pieces that he can use to get rid of the demons then throw away. It makes sense if you think about it, after all, we're just more costly soldiers. Why is he even here anyway? Does he enjoy watching his subjects eat? I suppose it doesn't matter though, me and him will probably never be on the same level, socially speaking.

I began to listen in on the conversations once more, when I saw the king stand up.

The guards that were standing by the walls of the room all flinched at this and looked at each other in confusion.

the king began walking down my side of the table. I became a bit anxious when he kept coming further down without showing signs of slowing down.

I felt sick when I realized that he was actually coming toward me, his blue eyes staring directly at my eyes.

When he was eventually right beside me I turned to look at him and bowed.

"Why? Why do you stare at me so angrily, but then bow? I... Have I done something to upset you? And if so, why do you hide your anger?" He said in a questioning, yet somewhat soft voice.

What the hell?! Is he actually asking me that question? This can't be good.

"I mean no disrespect your highness, but I did not mean to look like I was staring at you angrily." "Why do you lie to me? Do I seem like a tyrant? Does my father's name overshadow my own?" "No sir, you do not seem like a tyrant. My eyes were just wandering and they happened to settle upon you."

He stared at me for a moment before someone interrupted our talk.

"Has this man wronged you sir? If you need, I could have him punished." "No, It's quite alright Tyniel. He has done no wrong." "Very well your Majesty. Please call if you require something." "Of course."

It was a massive man with a scar over his left eye and he was wearing some extremely heavy looking armor. I'm glad he wasn't my enemy, at least not at the moment.

"I would like to know if you find fault with my leadership." "Of course not sir. I apologize for any disrespect."

The King looked away for a moment.

"If you rea-"

A man appeared next to us, interrupting the King. He was dressed in an expensive looking suit. He had black hair, and large bags under his yellow eyes.

"I'm very sorry to interrupt you your Highness, but we have word that something has happened that requires your presence. It would me most appreciated if you could follow me."

The King seemed to ponder this, before nodding.

"Very well. Lead me there." "Of course."

The King followed the man when he began leading him out of the room.

"What the hell was that?! Were you really staring down the King!?" Silvia whispered to me angrily. "Not very much! I only looked at him for a few moments!" "You are so lucky to still have your life!" "Yeah, I know!"

I can't believe that just happened! That was a dumb thing to do! I'm glad that I'm off the hook for now.

Right after this thought, another person appeared next to me. It was a man dressed similarly to the one that had brought the king away. He had black hair as well, but had blue eyes.

"I request your presence hero. There is an urgent matter." "Is it about the king?" "Yes." "Alright, I'll come along." "Perfect."

He took my hand and instantly brought me to the throne room.

There were many guards in the room, all seemingly setting up a defence.

"I have brought the hero sir. The others are coming soon." Said the man who had escorted me to another similarly dressed man who was wearing a black wrap all around his head.

Only two glowing white eyes were visible from the front.

"Excellent. Get somewhere advantageous, there might be a fight." "Understood master."

Both man disappeared from their spots and I was left standing near the throne. The king was in the throne, surrounded by what I assumed to be royal guards.

I took my armor out of my ring and put it on.

The door to the castle was knocked on before suddenly bursting open. Smoke poured in through, obscuring the view of the entrance. They're really going all in with the theatrics huh?

"Hello! I have a message for one, The King?"

A woman with white horns that emerged from a head of curly purple hair came waltzing out of the smoke. She was wearing very revealing clothes, and had a black tail and wings. She's definitely a demon.

"Identify yourself!" Yelled a man with a full suit of royal armor who was standing in front of the rest of the royal knights.

"No need for such hostility, I'm just the messenger. Who happens to be extremely strong."

She said this with a confident voice, but I could see that she looked slightly nervous and was sweating a bit.

"What message do you bring?!" "Our lord will be resurrected very soon, and we intend to declare war on you, and all other kingdoms in ten days. This can be avoided if you surrender to us completely in the coming days."

There was total silence in the room for a few moments before anyone spoke up.

"Why do you think that we won't kill you here and now?! The idea that we would surrender to a anyone, ESPECIALLY a lower being like a demon is LUDICROUS!"

The sentence was spat out with utter disdain and anger by the head of the royal knights.

"Lower being?! Who the hell do you think you are cunt?! I have just as much right to be alive as you do you scumbag!" The demon shouted, apparently fuming at the very notion that she was lower than the man.

She realized that she had gotten way too upset and composed herself.

"Ahem. There is no reason for me to be here anymore. Take the deal or don't, it's not my problem."

With this, a giant purple circle with intricate designs and patterns appeared under her, which glowed brightly before disappearing in a flash of light along with the demon.

The room erupted in chatter, before everyone was silenced by the king.

"Silence! Everyone leave this room at once! I have urgent matters to attend to!"

All of the knights turned to him and bowed before making their way out of the room.

I figured everyone included me so I walked toward the hallway that lead to the room I was staying in. I followed it down the path that I loosely remembered until I arrived at the room.

I was the first one to arrive, and I decided to just sit around and wait for everyone. I decided to read the book that the girl had been reading.

I grabbed it and sat down on the couch to read it.

But right after this, I was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Renson.

"Hello." "AAGH!"

He had entered the room silently and walked up behind me. How is this guy so good at sneaking? He's a goddamn giant!

"Did I scare you?" "No, of course not. I'm usually prone to jumping in fear when someone greets me." "Sorry if I scared you, I forgot that I was moving stealthily." "How?" "It's just a habit I've formed." "I suppose it's a good habit to have." "Indeed. Now where is everyone else?" "I don't know. They're probably headed over here." "Probably. Want to play a game?" "What game?" "A board game." "Sure."

Renson took a box out of his ring and brought it over to the table. I followed him.

Inside was an assortment of cards as well as a board.

"What's this game?" "Magic Warfare." "How do you play?" "It's a bit complicated, but basically..."

He explained the game to me for a while, and the gist of it was that both players had a different color and your troops had that color as well. Both players had a Throne room that you needed to get into and destroy. You drew seven cards at the beginning of each round that gave you fighters items, and other things to use in the battle against the other player. The board was Magical, so it would change on its it's own.

The cards included a ton of different creatures that ranged from dragons to villagers to swarms of flying centipedes.

There were different types of cards that did different things, such as let you summon a creature or creatures, change the battlefield, set traps, send projectiles and ordinance, create buildings, and many other various things.

The game board itself was pretty big, around a meter long on both sides. It took up most of the table.

You started out with a small castle on your side as well as small barricades littered around the battlefield. When you played a card, it would do whatever the card said on the place you put it.

An example of this is If you were to summon a dragon near your opponent's troops, it would materialize onto the board, or in some cases fly in.

The game was heavily about strength and weakness matchups. These varied from fire beating ice, to good beating evil, to dog beating cat.

There were also other special modes that featured special modes like humans versus demons, humans versus monsters, spellcaster war, village warfare, and other modes.

These modes would alter the cards that are in circulation and the game rules. Like Spellcaster war would make it so that you would mainly get buildings, magical items, wizards and witches, potions, magic spells, and other things pertaining to magical warfare.

There was also a recycling system. What would happen is you could get rid of a card and get materials that you could use to craft other cards with. The game had a few different resources like Basic crafting components, Advanced crafting components, high grade crafting components, Mana, Living material, and other things.

This system was very useful for when you were using a strategy that required certain cards.

An example of the crafting system would be how if you wanted to build an army of spell casters, you would use living material and mana. Mana was also used for other things like spells.

If you wanted to equip a card with armor, you would need to have an armor of suitable size. What you did after, was put the armor card on top of the card you want to use. It would then change the image displayed on the card to one of the creature you had used the armor on wearing it.

The game was extremely complicated, but easy to learn at the same time. I can't imagine how much it costed.

The strategy I went with was just to play the random troops that I got from drawing from the deck. I didn't quite know how to play at the time, so I didn't have much skill.

Renson, however, knew the game well. He used a strategy that was basically to send out an army of armored creatures while casting devastatingly powerful spells from his throne room.

"Firestorm! Right on your lizardmen tribe!" Said Renson with a victorious smile.

A cloud of flaming death appeared above my lizardman village that I had built and rained fiery misery all over the poor lizard people.

They all ran around in panic as they were slaughtered by the massive salamanders in fireproof armor that also gave them wings. It wasn't even a fight.

This was the way the game had gone mostly. Basically him just doing whatever he wanted while taking it slowly.

I was getting nervous now and knew that I needed to do something drastic

"Uhh, Nuclear multistrike!" I said.

I'd heard the word nuclear somewhere before, but I didn't know what it was, so I figured I'd give it a try.

"WHAT? HOW DID YOU GET THAT CARD?" "Feel the wrath of my last ditch attack!"

I had recycled all of the armor that I had accumulated as well as a bunch of useless buildings and had gotten a ton of High grade materials.

I had also gotten a special building that allowed me to mix magic and create new spells. It never failed, and always created a spell. You could also use materials on it to create magic items.

So I decided to mix all of my spells together and throw all of my high grade materials in as well as a resource called "Chemical components".

The result had been something called "Nuclear explosion". I had used the multistrike version which used five times as much mana.

Luckily though, I had an absolutely ridiculous amount of mana because of how I hadn't been using many spells or creating magical creatures.

By the way he had reacted, I figured this was a strong spell.

The spell on the card looked like a flaming skull surrounded by some symmetrical lines.

When the spell hit, I was completely flabbergasted.

The result was the instant vaporization of the village and salamanders, as well as everything thing in the immediate area. The sound was extremely loud as well.

The game slowed down as the blast grew and grew until it had encompassed a massive area.

"PALADIUM PRISON OF ETERNITY!"

Yelled Renson while looking at his kingdom.

A giant dome appeared around his kingdom made from a dark pink color. It became red hot as it was scorched by the nuclear blast, but didn't break.

The blast subsided a few seconds later, leaving nearly the entire board a black desert, with both kingdoms still intact, more or less.

I wondered why my kingdom was spared, until something happened that neither of us expected.

A small person flew up into the middle of the board and began to grow, until he popped.

An effect similar to a pane of glass exploding happened all over the outside of my kingdom.

A card floated up from my hand, that was previously "Random wizards". It went to the middle of the board and spun until it became golden and shined bright.

It had transformed into "Demigod of protection".

The card then disappeared after lighting on fire and burning away.

"Calric... Do you even understand what just happened?" "Nope." "That spell you just used would have killed you if you hadn't gotten so damn lucky! How did you get so lucky?!" "Dunno." "But that's it. You're done now. You have nothing left. I'm going to destroy your kingdom."

He began looking through his cards with a serious look on his face. He adjusted many cards and seemed to be planning something nasty.

"All creatures, march toward the enemy castle. Destroy it with extreme prejudice."

Is this it? Was I going to lose here.

"It's over Cal! I WIN! It's MY VICTORY!" Renson shouted, a mad look on his face.

...

"Hahaha..."

"What? What's funny about you losing?!"

"Heheheheh..."

"Stop it! You're bluffing!"

"HAHAHA...!

Renson began to look worried and was panicking a bit.

"I refuse to lose after all this time winning!"

I put my hand over my face menacing and asked him a question.

"Hey, Renson. Did the nuclear explosion ever disappear from my hand? Also, isn't the rule that whoever destroys the other throne room first wins immediately?"

Then it suddenly clicked, the realization of what I was saying plastered all over his face.

"No... NO! DON'T BE A SCUMBAG!"

I began to target five places all over the dome over his kingdom.

I selected the spell, and activated it.

"Aw come the fuck-"

The blast was even bigger than the last one on account of the five bombs being spread out.

The dome melted inward almost instantly, coating his kingdom in molten metal.

"IT'S MY VICTORY NOW RENSON! REVEL IN YOUR DARKEST DESPAIR, FOR I! AM THE VICTOR!" I shouted at him while laughing maniacally.

Time in the game stopped, and words appeared to both of us.

_______________________________________

YOU WIN!

KILLS: 3,468

TROOPS SUMMONED: 755

RATING: C

TITLE: Homicidal mass murdering sociopath.

______________________________________

Damn. Just, Damn.

"... I'm going to bed."

Renson got up and left, a defeated look on his face. I kind of feel bad now.

"Well god damn." "Is he always like this!?" "No."

I looked behind me and saw that Silvia and the other girl were there, sitting on some chairs they had pulled up.

"Oh, hi." I said awkwardly.

"Hey Cal. You have fun?" "Uh, yeah. I did." I said while rubbing the back of my head.

"That was fucking baller man! You goddamn crushed him!" The girl said, her eyes sparkling and a fired up expression on her face.

"Thanks. I kind of feel bad though." "Why?! You just won, shouldn't you be celebrating?" "Yeah, but I acted kind of like an asshole. He deserved the victory." "Whatever. Have I properly introduced myself yet?" "No, actually."

"Oh, alright. I'm Natasha. I specialize in martial arts and hand to hand combat. How about you?" "I'm Calric Landea. I'm good at planting." "Interesting. What do you plant?" "It depends on season, demand, and availability." "So like, carrots and stuff?" "Yes, I do grow carrots." "Neat. Can you cook well?" "Uh, yeah? What kind of question is that?"

"Well don't make fun of me, but I have a condition that makes my muscles grow a lot faster, but I need to eat a lot more. So it's nice having someone that can cook well around."

"The castle food is probably better." "Well maybe, but like, I can't just..." She began to blush.

"I can't just wolf down a bunch in front of so many important figures. I still feel embarrassed like anyone else." "So why are you telling me this then?" "Well we're all on the same team here. And you seem pretty cool from what Silvia told me, so I figure I can trust you." "Are you and Silvia friends?" "Pretty much. We talked to each other a lot while you were recuperating."

"Ah. That's understandable." "Mmhmm. So anyway, I'm going to go to bed. You guys were playing for a long time." "Me too. See ya Cal."

Natasha stared at me for a few moments before leaving.

"Guess I should go to bed too..."

I got up and walked over to a room with beds in it. There was no one else inside, so I picked a bed across from the door. I took off my armor and put it in my ring.

When I slid into the bed and pulled the blanket up, I felt a wave of tiredness wash over me.

I itched my hand, and thays when I felt something weird.

I pulled my hand up and looked at my palm.

There was a vine sticking out of my hand that was moving a bit. Did I get a parasite or something? I curled my fingers, and oddly enough, It curled with them.

I realized that I could feel the vine as if it were an appendage on my body, and could use it as such.

I tried pulling it in, and the vine got sucked into my hand. The skin closed in over it, but I could still feel it in my body.

I definitely need to investigate this later, but for now, I'm going to sleep...

ZZZ

ZZZ

ZZZ

"Mmmm."

I woke up and had a weird feeling.

I looked at the door with the corner of my vision and saw that it was opening slowly.

I began to hear the strange whispering that I had heard back at the forest.

I watched the door, with wide, fearful eyes. A glowing pink eye suddenly appeared, along with another when the door opened wide enough to reveal the full head of whatever it was.

The being was a mass of roiling black lines that seemed like a distortion of the light. The only thing that made me think that it wasn't just my eyes playing tricks on me were the giant glowing pink eyes.

Well, I guess they weren't giant, they just seemed bigger because of the darkness. I felt the heat of my blood rushing through my body, every part telling me to run, escape from this being, but I couldn't do much more than move my mouth.

"Wh... What..." I barely whispered.

The being came closer toward me, and stopped when they were right above me. The whispering had become very loud.

My eyes were wide and fearful, I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my chest.

The being climbed onto me and sat on my legs. It was light, but still I still felt it clearly.

I wasn't able to move my body still, but I could move my eyes.

The being began crawling up my body on hands and knees until it was directly above my face, staring me in the eyes.

It laid down pulled the blanket up, and rubbed it's head on my chest. I could faintly feel air being sucked from the creatures face area.

It lifted its head and looked at me.

The being lifted itself up, back to it's knees, and grabbed my cheeks.

It's face came closer and closer until it was directly in front of me.

Then it came closer, and a wave of relief came over me. It felt like I was back in my bed on a warm summer morning, waiting for my mom to come get me for breakfast.

The head of the creature pulled back and tilted a bit before everything went black.

ZZZ

ZZZ

ZZZ

*Shake* "Mm? Whozzere?"

I opened my eyes sleepily and looked at the person who had shaken me awake.

"Morning homeslice. You planning on getting up soon?" "Huh?"

I realized that it was Natasha standing in front of me wearing light green and white striped PJ's. There was also light streaming from a window in the room.

"What time is it?" "Ten. I think." "I guess I slept for a bit too long." "Nevermind that, do you flail in your sleep or something?" "What's that mean?"

I looked down and realized that the blanket I was using last night was to my side and my shirt was lifted up, exposing my stomach a bit.

What had happened last night was still fresh in my mind.

"Something crazy happened last night." "What?" "Not sure. I was visited by some kind of like, creature. I don't even know what it was." "What'd it look like?" "It looked kind of like a bunch of black lines packed into a human figure, and it had glowing pink eyes." "Sounds kind of scary." "Yeah. I also couldn't move." "Even worse. Maybe it was sleep paralysis?" "What's that?" "It's where you can't move or talk and you see hallucinations. It's kind of like a nightmare when you're awake."

"It actually sounds like it could be that." "Yeah. Anyway, how about you make me something to eat?" "Really? You actually want me to cook something for you?" "Yes." "Alright. I suppose so. Is there a kitchen in this place?" "Yes. It's got a fridge and stuff." "Great. I'll go make breakfast for everyone."

I stood up and stretched.

"I'll wait for you outside the room." "Okay."

I yawned and remembered the plant that had been in my hand. I tried to bring it out.

*Shllk*

It slid out with a moist sound, which was pretty gross to be honest. But grossness aside, it was pretty awesome.

I was able to move it around with relative ease, and it was extremely flexible.

The plant itself was a shade of dark green and had no flowers.

I was wondering how strong the plant was, so I grabbed the blanket with it and tried pulling it.

It blanket was pulled up immediately like if I had pulled it up with my hand.

I wondered if I could extend it at all, so I tried to push it out further. It extended about a foot.

I was about to try it further, but Natasha came back into the room, which made me retract the vine at a speed that actually hurt.

"Ahh fff- uggit." "What just happened?" "I was itching my eye and poked it." "Ah damn, hate it when that happens. I came to ask you if you could make waffles." "Yeah yeah sure." "Great."

She left again, which relieved me.

I checked the place the vine had come out of, and was glad to see that there was no visible damage.

I rubbed the spot a bit before walking out of the room.

I went to the bathroom to take a leak first though, can't be at peace in the morning without emptying the tank.

When I finished up, I walked over to Natasha and asked her where the kitchen was, which she responded to by having me follow her.

But as I was following her, the door to the room banged open.

*Bang*

"Guess what kids! I've got breakfast, and good news!"

Him and his men were carrying plates of food with domes over them with them.

"What's this about?" "Come and see."

He set the plates down on the table, which seemed to have been cleaned up, judging by the fact that the game was gone.

"This meal was specially prepared for you today because of what we're doing." "What might that be?" I asked

"We're going to explore a dungeon!" "Really?" "Yep. And these dishes contain food that'll power you up." "Really?" "For real. Now behold." He said while taking the top off of a dish.

It was a few very large grubs. There were two yellow ones and a green one. Rick had a smug grin on his face.

"Hmm. Are those Theriterian Rock grubs?" Asked Natasha.

"Ten points to Natasha. Unfortunately, you still need to eat it." "Sounds good to me." "What?"

Natasha grabbed the green one and ate it in two bites.

I know that I should be appalled right now, but I don't really feel disgusted. I mean, it's just nutrients right?

I decided i was going to rub it in Rick's smug ass face and eat one.

"That's uh, an interesting palette you have Natasha." "I'm from the country, I don't care about appearances, the taste is what matters."

Rick's face dropped a bit at the fact that Natasha was completely unfazed.

I grabbed one and put it into my mouth. It wasn't moving, so I guessed it was dead.

When I chewed it, I was a bit surprised by how it was sweet.

I swallowed it right after, and was pretty much unfazed.

"You too Calric? Why are all of you such buzzkills!" "Not my fault." "It totally is. Anyway, it's your turn mask lady."

I turned around and was a bit startled when I saw that Silvia had snuck up behind me.

"No way. I refuse to eat that." "Why? You chicken?" He said with his smile growing.

"I'm old enough to know that you're just trying to get on my nerves." "Maybe, but have you considered that it could be because you're a scaredy cat?"

Silvia crossed her arms.

"I already know about the 26.4% XP boost it gives you. I don't need to level up though, so I'll pass." "Oh really? What level are you?"

She put her hand up to her face in a manner that insinuated she was thinking.

"900." "Oh really? How old does that make you?" "Don't be so rude, I'm not that old." "Whatever, I won't make you eat it."

Rick grabbed the last grub and ate it.

"See? I'm not heartless, I'll do it too."

"Now, we have some other things you need to eat, so prepare yourself."

He brought out more weird foods that me and Natasha ate.

It took a few minutes to finish his crazy cuisine, but I felt pretty fired up after.

"Alright people, we're headed to Suntsburry."