The Gates Of Barow

I have learnt quite a bit from my inquiry into Utbrot's wealth of merchant knowledge. The most striking of which is the power balance of this world. Humanity remains as a powerful faction because the monsters of this world, now known as mamono, lack cohesion. Every mamono is in some way or the other, more powerful than a man. Whether it be their ability to warp the mind of their targets to entice them into embracing their downfall, or the raw power to subdue any man or woman they fancy. Yet because of their inability to work with each other, and the fact that the most powerful of their race are usually preoccupied with pleasuring the human they have taken a fancy to, they cannot wage war against mankind as a proper faction.

But it is not as though mamono are invincible. The dregs of their kind can be beaten under certain circumstances, and heroes who are immune to some levels of miasma also manage to face the mamono belonging to the middle of the power spectrum. But once you go above that, defeats are either through a fluke, their own hubris, or losses that go beyond the worth of their quarry.

I've also learnt of the state of the mamono. Due to excessive breeding, they exist in large numbers, but this has reached its limits and a balance has tentatively formed. Mamono are all female no matter the race, and because of this they remain unable to breed without humans. Meaning that even if they manage to overcome their differences, they wouldn't be able to eradicate mankind if they wanted to.

And by eradication, I mean the complete loss of mankind's identity. Mamono rarely kill people, however they are more than willing to do just about any other form of harm. Their willingness to do harm depends on the species, and the extent they will go to also depends on the species.

Dark elves for example, are viewed as vile even by the demon race. Their progenitors, the Lilim are also surprised by the lengths dark elves are willing to go to in order to subvert this rule. Others, like trolls, are surprisingly friendly and lack any form of malice whatsoever.

This means that I must be careful to identify amicable species, while contending with the more combative ones. It is a tall task, especially given that the sole list of their species is incomplete.

Nonetheless, this will generally be a secondary issue. What I must do is accumulate feats.

I must find a way for tales of my victories to be shared amongst the youth, the warriors, and my foes. Fame and infamy are two sides of the same coin. And to return the title of knight to its former glory I require the coin in its entirety.

I also must eliminate the taint upon our name, otherwise my work may go to waste.

The best way to do that wou-

"Acros, we're getting close to the gates."

"Hmm?"

I broke out of my thoughts for a moment, noting the massive iron gate ahead of us.

"I see, do we require identification?"

"I do~nt think so. Since your coming back with me, it should be fine."

"Also!"

She then reached into small sack that sat on the back of her waist before pulling out a small sack of coins.

"Here."

I took it, feeling the weight of many small, flat, and circular objects inside.

"Money?"

"Yeah. I thought you might need some since you just came here."

"You have my thanks, I was indeed without funds."

"Your welcome, think of it as a welcoming gift to our world."

As we came up to the gates, the guards eyed me warily. The two women were clad in leather armour and an iron helmet. Both wielded a spear and small buckler, with a small shortsword being stuck to their belts. The moment we arrived at the gates, instead of barring entry, they stood at arms, ready to attack. Their caution was admirable, and their resolve even more so. As for their deductive reasoning…

"Is that a living armor!?!"

Not so much.

"I find it insulting that you would see me as some kind of living corpse."

"Ah, so you found a man after dashing off into the distance?"

"No!" yelled Utbrot, her cheeks flushing red for what seemed to be the thousandth time that day.

"Ah! she's blushing! She's blushing!"

"Stop it!"

The other guard looked at her companions immediate lowering of her guard and sighed before pointing at me.

"Who are you then? I assume you're a friend of Utbrot."

"I'm an otherworlder."

The guard who was laughing at Utbrot choked on my words, nearly hacking up a lung as she tried to compose herself.

The other guard raised her eyebrows as she looked at me.

"That's quite the statement you made there, and I really don't have any way of verifying it. So I'm just going to talk to Utbrot for a moment."

She then turned to her partner and pointed at me.

"Watch him Haley. Don't do anything stupid. I'm going to just talk to Utbrot. If anything happens, holler then strike. Am I clear?"

"Ye~s mom."

The older guard could only sigh as she asked Utbrot to come with her, leaving the two of us alone.

"So you're an otherworlder? Are you a hero? Are you gonna try to kill the mamono lord like the ones before? Cuz let me tell you a lot of people have tried and fai-"

"Enough of your prattling. I will answer only one question at a time if I feel so inclined to do so."

Perhaps it was a bit harsh, but I refused to entertain her insolence. I was the captain of such a guard before. Though I admired her resolve and caution, I was not impressed by her lack of discipline. And yes I say caution. Even now, she was still tensed and ready to fight.

"Sheesh, so touchy."

"And a small correction. I am not a hero, but a knight."

The smirk on Haley's face vanished as I said that, and the playfulness in her eyes dimmed. Immediately she relaxed her posture and leaned up against the wall.

"Ok now I'm sure you're an otherworlder. Otherwise there is no way you could say that in such a serious tone. So here's some advice from a local. Unless it's a mamono talking to you, don't even bother making that correction. Knights aren't exactly looked up to around here."

The shift in tone surprised me. It seemed like she had some personal experience with the subject given the seriousness she exuded with her body language.

But I wouldn't push that button unless I needed to.

Right now, I had the perfect chance to learn about why knights suffer such disdain.

"And why is that? Knights are a symbol of honour, glory, and justice."

"Ha! What a joke."

Haley's smirk returned to her face as she scoffed, though there was a tinge of sadness to it.

"Maybe a long time ago on our world, that was true. But nowadays? They're glorified whores."

I make it a point to always stand my ground and face my problems head on.

But hearing those words spat like that made me recoil a little.

For a moment I was truly speechless.

But it was only a moment.

"And I am here to change that."

"Huh?"

"Haley! Everything alright?"

Utbrot and the older guard came out from a smaller entrance in the side of the gate and came towards us.

"Yeah, and I think this guy is the real deal."

"Seems the same on my end"

"You two go on through, sorry for the inconvenience. Things are a little tense right now."

Utbrot furrowed her brows as she heard the news.

"Did something happen while I was gone? Is my husband okay?"

"Your husbands probably fine. The problem is in the forest. I don't know the exact issue since were stuck out here, but it has to do with an adventurers party that left through the forest entrance."

I looked to Haley and she simply shrugged.

Seeing that she had nothing more to say, I turned to the older guard.

"Perhaps I may be of assistance. Where can I go to find more information?"

"The guild branch office. Seems like that's where things are going on."

"I see. Are we allowed to enter the city?"

The guard nodded, and gestured for me to pass.

"Welcome to the town of Barow."

"Thank you, Utbrot, I'm heading to the guild. Would you mind showing me the way?"

"Sure! I'm heading there anyway to make sure my husband is okay."

As Utbrot trotted ahead, I smashed my right fist against the left side of my chest in salute.

"You have my gratitude gate guardians."

I then took off after the quickly disappearing figure of Utbrot.

Just as I was about to follow her around the corner, I heard a shout that just barely reached my ears.

"PROVE ME WRONG AND CHANGE IT!"

A subtle smile took to my face as I made my way towards my first true trial in this world.