A/N: Thanks for the feedback & favs & follows, guys. Heads up – this chapter is a bit longer than usual, and covers a few dark themes.


Hell. In a matter of minutes, this small coastal village has turned into hell.

I look up, almost expecting to see fire and brimstone. Instead, I see slivers of the moon hidden behind clouds of black. A cold wind blows.

There are no demons to crack their whips upon the souls of sinners, but I wish there were. Would demons be able to stop these pirates? Perhaps not.

Hell.

Commotion and panic fill the air. The villagers are finally all awake, but it's far too late for them to defend themselves. They've been completely caught off guard. Have they never experienced a pirate raid before? Did a coastal village really have no warning system in place for such an event?

I can't blame the victims. Even with advance warning, I don't think they could have done much. My shipmates are overwhelmingly powerful.

Garm has long since dashed off ahead of me. I'm staying back, just outside of the village proper. I watch the pirates weave in and out between houses, hear the sounds of violence coming from within the homes of the islanders.

A handful of the defenders are trying to mount some kind of counterattack. I can see a few men, still in plain nightclothes, brandishing spears and moving together in a circle, guarding an archer in their midst. The archer is a fierce-looking woman who moves warily, eyes scanning back and forth for any easy targets.

The group moves as one, staying hidden in shadows, trying to pick off individual pirates. They don't see me. I strafe around them, maintaining the distance between us, but trying to keep them in my line of sight. When I can, I quickly close my eyes to try to get a read on them.

They're not strong enough. Even the strongest of the lance-wielders…

Card
Villager

LV: 19. EX: -.
HP: 20/35

Str: 15
Mag: 0
Skill: 12
Spd: 16
Lck: 22
Def: 13
Res: 4

They won't be enough.

One of the weaker barbarians in our crew is pounding on the door of a house, trying to break it down. Silently, the group approaches him. The archer attacks first, shooting him in the back. The spearmen dash forward, stabbing him with clumsy thrusts, even as the barbarian tries to spin and slash at them with his axe. He doesn't last long, and I make no move to help him.

I can't hear the sounds of the pirate's death with the rest of the commotion. The group of defenders pulls back around, out of my sight. As they do, I close my eyes and set my focus on the bow-woman.

Rena
Sniper

LV: 2. EX: -.
HP: 34/34

Str: 16
Mag: 5
Skill: 20+2
Spd: 18
Lck: 10
Def: 11
Res: 8

She's strong. Judging by what I've seen so far, she's probably the strongest defender this villager has. But it's nowhere near enough to repel these pirates. I want to tell them to cut their losses and run, but I know they won't listen to me. If anything, they'll attack me.

Should I try anyway? I spend a few seconds debating the matter, and then the decision is taken out of my hands.

"O'er here, boys! We got ourselves some heroes!"

The defenders have been found. A lone Berserker shouts to get the attention of his fellow pirates.

Torchlight illuminates the defending group, and pirates surge forth from all around the village in response to the call.

"Stay back!" the archer barks out. She has an arrow drawn, trained on a barbarian, but she doesn't fire. Her allies form a loose circle around her, tightly gripping their lances. The archer might be able to take out 1 pirate before her allies are overrun. She has no hope of an actual victory. I think she knows it, but her face betrays no fear.

"Leave us alone!" she says. "Or are there volunteers among you to be the first to die?"

What incredible courage. Her voice doesn't falter. The pirates are edging closer, but so long as the archer has an arrow drawn, no one wants to take the first step.

That all changes when I hear Garm's voice in the crowd. My heart sinks.

"Oi," he says. "Did they kill Scrawny?"

"Aye," another says. "I think they did! Look 'ere!"

Murmurs rise from the pirates.

"Well, lads," Garm's voice is slurred, "I say it's only fair we pay 'em back, yes sir! Gar har har!"

"I'm warning you!" the archer's voice sharpens, and her bow is fixed on Garm.

Garm charges anyway. There's a twang as the archer finally releases her arrow. It hits Garm dead-on, and then anarchy erupts.

"Get 'em, boys!"

Like a pack of vicious hyenas, the pirates descend upon the defenders, axes whirling. The village men try to hold out, jabbing their lances in desperation, but even if the pirates take a few hits, it changes nothing. The village men die, cruelly slashed.

The archer, to her credit, manages to get in a second shot on Garm while her allies fall around her. He doesn't even seem to notice. With a roar and a swing of a mighty fist, he knocks her cleanly to the ground.

Not even 10 seconds. Not even 10 seconds for the best defense this village could muster to be utterly annihilated.

My eyes are fixed upon the bodies of the dead villagers, and I vaguely notice that I've started walking towards the scene of the massacre. My gut is roiling, but I can't look away. Streaks of red paint the ground, almost all of it from the defending side.

I feel numb, looking at their corpses. Around me, many of the pirates are dispersing, going back to raiding the local homes. A few of them actually kick at the dead village men, laughing loudly.

And a few of them are gathered around Garm and the archer, who I belatedly realize is still alive. Garm is laughing the loudest of all. He grabs at her.

"Get off of me!" she snarls, pushing and twisting.

"Oi, none of that now," Garm growls, punching her again. "You shot me, yes sir, so yer gonna pay the price."

I get the implication, and my blood freezes. My mind freezes. My body is made of ice.

He can't be planning to…

The archer – no, Rena, her name is Rena – is trying to fight off Garm, but it's of no use.

No, don't do it…!

Garm is clawing at Rena in his drunken stupor.

Do something, you idiot!

"Oi, Garm!" I call out. Is my voice a little shrill? Drunk as he is, though, Garm still seems to recognize my voice. He looks up at me, obviously irritated.

"Oi yourself, swabbie!" he grunts. "Whaddya want?"

Fuck, I don't have a plan. I can't fight him 1-on-1, let alone with the rest of the crew around us. I don't think I can just tell him to stop. Is there something I could use to distract him, even when he's like this?

What do I have? Estus flask, useless. Darksign, useless. Healing staff, useless. Wait, maybe not.

I try to control my expression. Garm's mostly oblivious because he's drunk, which should make things a little easier.

"You've got arrows in you," I point out bluntly, gesturing at my staff. "Sure you don't wanna fix that first?"

"I'd rather pay 'er back first," he growls, but he's probably familiar with the idea of infection, because he moves to pull out the arrowheads from his body. They didn't penetrate nearly as deep as I'd have expected, based on the speed the arrows were shot with. It is because of his high defense stat?

He takes out the arrowheads on his own, wincing. I scan his HP.

Garm
Berserker

LV: 8. EXP: -.
HP: 64/72

"I can try to heal you," I volunteer. It's a delaying tactic, but I can't think of anything else to do. Maybe if I can distract the crew, Rena can try to run. Scanning her HP doesn't leave me with much hope of that, though.

Rena
Sniper

LV: 2. EX: -.
HP: 5/34

Did Garm do that with just a few hits? She's still struggling against Garm, but to no avail.

"Nay," he chuckles, "Practice yer healing on the boys. I've got other things to do, yes sir."

I… can't do anything. Even if I suddenly switched sides, I'd last maybe 10 seconds as a distraction, and that much only if I'm lucky.

The pirates are egging Garm on. I feel sick. I turn around and close my eyes when I hear clothes tear, but that doesn't stop me from hearing Rena's voice.

There's a voice in my head that's getting louder and louder, even as the jeering from the pirates swells.

Hey, what are you doing?! Turn around! Stop them! STOP THEM!

The rest of my mind is silent. I dub my inner voice Humanity. Humanity doesn't let up.

Are you really going to let this happen? Humanity asks. You coward! Do something!

Logic awakens. Do what? We can't fight, we can't distract them when they've already got their target. All we can do is go down with her.

Wrong! We haven't thought it through yet, there's always something! Burn a house, pick up a bow, hit-and-run, something!

Logic wavers when presented with raw ideas, and Humanity presses its advantage.

We're a moral person, right? This is objectively wrong! Step in, change something! You don't have to be seen, you can attack from the shadows!

I'm frozen in indecision, my mind warring with itself.

"Stop it!" Rena is still fighting. "Get off of me, you-"

Perspective, Logic says coldly, and somewhere in the back of my mind, Survival-Instinct nods. There's an estimated 50% chance of this being the first Awakening timeline, meaning this world might be doomed without some kind of special intervention. Intervention that you can bring. And if elements of Dark Souls affect this world, you're the only one who'll know what to do. Are you going to risk that for the sake of one woman who's already being assaulted?

Humanity hesitates this time, stacking up the lives of the faceless world against Rena.

Everywhere there are pirates or bandits, this is happening, Logic says. She's just in front of you, that's all.

"Someone, please-" Rena's voice cracks. That sound doesn't match the fierce-looking archeress.

Humanity explodes.

No, fuck that! Are you going to turn your back on her?! Can you hear her voice?! Listen to her, god damnit, she's terrified! This is wrong!

But Logic doesn't budge. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. We can't risk dying here.

No, we're just being a fucking coward and trying to justify it! Turn around, damnit, TURN AROUND!

"Stop it…" Rena's voice is getting quieter.

STOP IT! STOP THEM! TURN AROUND!

But I'm walking away.

You've got the Darksign! Humanity pleads. You might be able to come back as a Risen. Just fight!

One life is worth nothing, Logic says dismissively. It's not worth losing our human form. We know nothing of what'll happen to us after death. Don't risk anything so early in the game.

You're worried about losing your human form? Do you think you can call yourself human if you ignore me?! Humanity rages.

It looks like no matter what I do on this island, I'll be losing my humanity. Metaphorically if I don't fight, and literally if I do.

Rena's voice has fallen silent. There's only grunts and the jeers of pirates left.

What should I do? It's possible that this is the second timeline of Awakening, complete with amnesiac Robin, meaning I might not be needed at all in this world. But if there's even a chance that my knowledge is needed to save this world…

And then there's the Dark Souls wildcard, which no one is prepared to react to except for me. Logic is right, in the end.

I'll pay them back, I tell Humanity. I-I won't forget this, I won't let it be in vain. I'll change this world, I'll fight the pirates, I'll do something, but I can't now -

My rage is still burning, my body still shaking, but I suppress it all. I silence the screaming in my mind.

Just stop them, stop them, STOP THEM DAMNIT -

I walk away.


It's not just Garm. Other pirates are having their way with the inhabitants.

I'm just roaming the island now. My mind is trying to filter out the sounds of this hell but it's becoming harder and harder –

"Oi, swabbie, help me take these back to the boats."

A Berserker passes me a few bags of valuables. There's the sound of metal clinking inside. Silently, I walk with him back to our rowboats. The Raven isn't too far off in the distance, with a few crew members still aboard along with the other swabbies.

We pass by others on our way to and from the Raven. Everyone's looting indiscriminately. The loot is going to be collected and examined aboard the Raven. The captain and quartermaster will get first pick of what they want, and then less important members will take shares. I don't think I'm qualified to get anything yet; even this heal staff I'm being loaned is generous.

I aimlessly walk into village homes. If I'm going to be a coward about this, then the least I can do is keep my eyes open and acknowledge the people I'm not saving.

It's a small mercy that the pirates aren't really interested in killing. Looting is the priority, and they only kill whoever stands up against them or whoever they perceive as a threat. Unfortunately, their threat tolerance is pretty low, considering most of them have had way too much rum in preparation for today.

I walk inside a quiet house that's already been ransacked and find a young man bleeding out at my feet. Well, I say young, but he's probably around my age.

Matthew
Villager

LV: 12. EX: -.
HP: 4/26

The man's breath is coming in short gasps, and his eyes are glazed over. I glance around, but there's no one nearby. Outside, the sounds of violence and looting continue.

I'm powerless to stop my supposed allies, but perhaps I can do some damage control. I've got to try, at the very least. I hold my heal staff above the man. I don't know exactly how to use it, but I have a little while to experiment.

First, I close my eyes to check my inventory.

Heal 21/30: Restores an adjacent ally's HP.

Use item.

Nothing happens, but I'm not discouraged. The Outrealmer class clearly lists bows and staves as viable weapons, so there's a way to use it. I just need to keep trying.

Heal, I think. Use stave. Use staff. Use Heal. Heal ally. Heal enemy? Heal Matthew. Use Heal – Matthew.

Is it just my imagination, or are the man's gasps quickening? I try to put it out of my mind and open my eyes. I wave the staff over Matthew's body, thinking Heal, but that doesn't do the trick.

I've already screwed up enough today. Please, can't I get something right? Matthew's HP decreases to 3.

I try combinations of what I've done before. Use item – Matthew. Use item – ally. Use item – enemy. I'm waving the heal staff in the air like an idiot; at least I didn't try this on Garm. It would've decreased my standing to even lower than it already is.

Thinking of Garm brings Rena to mind, and I shush that part of my head.

Okay, stop randomly experimenting. Use your head and come up with the most likely possibilities for how this staff might work.

Possibility 1 is that you actually have to be trained to use a heal staff. Otherwise, any of the other pirates could use it. I can't do anything about that, so I should consider other possibilities.

Possibility 2 is that I'm failing because I have 0 magic. Still, I can't do anything about it.

Possibility 3 is that the Heal staff works just like the Estus flask, in that I need to give some kind of mental command. This is pretty likely, seeing as a lot of this world seems to run on RPG mechanics for me. So, what's the most likely trigger phase?

As I think it through, the problem starts looking a lot simpler than it was when I was blindly guessing. I haven't tried the exact in-game combination, yet. I close my eyes to bring up my character page, and then think: Staff – Heal.

There's a slight thrum that goes through the staff. Bingo.

Eyes still closed, I focus on Matthew enough to bring up his character page. As soon as I do, my body begins to move on its own. My arm is raised in a practiced motion, and I lift the staff into the air. A faint green glow comes from the staff as I work.

I blink as my hands fall back to my side again. It's just like using the Estus Flask; as soon as I try to use a staff, my body moves on its own, without my deliberate intervention. Still, it worked!

Matthew
Villager

LV: 12. EX: -.
HP: 11/26

I only healed him for 8 HP. I guess it's to be expected, with 0 magic. At least my experience has increased.

Ess'ai
Outrealmer

LV: 1. EXP: 17.
HP: 17/17

Hm. Do I heal him to full health, depleting the staff a bit more for the sake of experience? Or should I be conservative, and try to spread this staff over as many people as possible?

I don't think the pirates will approve of me healing villagers. I'll do it here secretly while I have the chance. I heal Matthew 2 more times, maxing out his HP and bringing me up to 51 EXP.

Matthew's glazed eyes slowly gain focus, and he blinks. His wounds have closed, and he shakes his head.

"What," he says groggily. "What's… ah, 'Nessa!" The man bolts up, eyes darting around in a panic.

"Stay down," I order. The man's eyes lock on to my own.

"W-who're you?" he asks. "How did you-"

He finally seems to take notice of his surroundings. He looks first at his blood on the floor, then the healing staff in my hands. I see him piecing things together.

"It ain't a dream, then," he says softly. "You – you with them?"

"Not by any real choice," I answer quietly. "Stay here. These pirates are way beyond guys like us."

"I can't," he retorts. "They took my sis, Vanessa, I gotta-"

"Do nothing," I say firmly. "I'm sorry, but it's too late. If you go out there, you'll die again. I don't think they'll kill any of the women, just-" I break off. As if the alternative is that much better.

"Look," I try again. "They won't take women aboard a ship, even as slaves, I can tell you that much." Thank God for pirate superstitions. "Men and children, on the other hand, they'll absolutely force into slavery. Stay here, and play dead if you have to."

Matthew's got a stubborn expression on. Damn, maybe I shouldn't have healed him to full HP. He gets up, dusting off his rough clothes. "Tarnation," he mutters, looking around. "They stole m'lance. I'll have to find 'nother one somewhere."

"Don't, damnit," I hiss. My mind races for a way to convince him. "They killed Card, and I know for a fact that man was stronger than you."

Matthew freezes. "How d'ya know who Card is?"

My bullshit power lets me see names and stats, not that I'll tell him that. I ignore the question. "They took down Card like it was nothing, and Rena right after. You think you can do what they couldn't?"

Matthew pauses, looking conflicted. "Hells," he says. "I know I can't do nothin', but…!"

"Yeah," I say. I understand his feelings completely. Rena's screams echo in my mind.

Stop it, stop it, let go of me!

"I know, man. I know."

We stand in silence for a while, and then Matthew sits down again.

"Listen," he says slowly. "My sis, she looks like me. Brown hair, up to her shoulders, and blue eyes. If ya see her…"

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do." I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to do anything, though. All I've got is this heal staff.

I think Matthew understands that, because he looks down and clenches his fist. "Okay," he says softly.

I leave him alone in the dark. What else is there to say?


There are plenty of injured villagers, but I can't heal most of them without being seen by a pirate. I sneak in what I can when no one is looking.

After getting off my 6th heal, I notice a pinging inside my head. I close my eyes.

LEVEL UP!

Ess'ai
Outrealmer

LV: 2. EXP: 2.
HP: 17/18 (+1)

Str: 3
Mag: 0
Skill: 3 (+1)
Spd: 6
Lck: 3 (+1)
Def: 9 (+1)
Res: 7

I've gotten something out of this nightmare, at least.

I end up using the Heal staff on a few pirates as I walk around for the next hour. As much as I hate them, I need to have accomplished something while on land, or I might not get a chance to accompany the pirates when they raid a Plegian coastal town.

I try to only heal lower level barbarians. That way, my paltry 8 HP boosts cover a greater percentage of their total health, making me look a bit more skilled than I am. The Heal staff is running a little low on juice, though.

Heal 12/30:Restores an adjacent ally's HP.

I don't find anyone matching Vanessa's description, for better or worse. Then again, I haven't walked into any bedrooms occupied by pirates.

I think we're just about done with this village, anyway. We've looted everything of value and the pirates have had their fun. I take a rowboat and return to the Raven with a few of my shipmates.

Roll spares me a glance when I come aboard. The quartermaster didn't come down for the raid, instead keeping an eye on the ship and the slaves. He gives me a brief nod.

"Heard you figured out how to use that staff, swabbie," he says without preamble.

"Barely needed to use it," I sort-of lie.

"Aye," he says. "Well, I can fix that. Go heal Reid, he's below deck now. Idiot took a few too many arrows from some archer woman. She got away from him, too." He shakes his head.

"Archer woma- oh." He's talking about Rena. "I'm pretty sure Garm paid her back," I say shortly, and Roll raises an eyebrow at my tone. Damn, I should mask my emotions better.

I shake my head minutely. "What does Reid look like, again?" I ask, mostly as a distraction.

"Ugly, bald, and riddled with arrows, though I think they've been taken out already," Roll answers. "He wears a red bandana."

"A'right, I'll get to it," I nod casually at Roll and head down to cut our dialogue short. He seems perceptive, and that makes me wary of extending any conversations with him.

I identify Reid with my ability to see names. He's lying in a hammock, muttering curses.

Reid
Berserker

LV: 6. EXP: -.
HP: 24/68

He's probably the most injured of all the promoted pirates. With his high defense value, I have to wonder just how it happened. Well, Roll said he was an idiot, so that probably has something to do with it.

"Oi, Reid," I get his attention. "Gonna heal ya, okay?"

"Who the hell-" he starts. "Ah, swabbie. Roll send ya?"

"Yeah," I say. "I'm new at this, though, so it might take a while."

I cast heal once, then twice. Then again, and again.

Reid raises his eyebrows at the slow progress. "Ye fuckin' suck at this, lad."

"Just started today," I admit, casting heal for the 5th time. There's another pinging in my head, but I ignore it to finish my healing.

Reid frowns. "Don' think this is how healin' usually goes, though…"

I'm not sure what to make of the odd comment. I cast my 6th heal, then sigh. "Alright, we're done. Try not to get shot again, yeah?"

"Shut yer fuckin' mouth, swabbie," Reid growls, punching me on the shoulder.

Ow. He wasn't trying to hurt me, but he wasn't pulling his punch, either.

The pinging in my head is getting annoying, so I find a quiet spot and close my eyes.

LEVEL UP!

Ess'ai
Outrealmer

LV: 3. EXP: 55.
HP: 17/19 (+1)

Str: 3
Mag: 0
Skill: 3
Spd: 6
Lck: 4 (+1)
Def: 9
Res: 8 (+1)

Well, look at me just blazing a trail here. All it cost for 2.5 levels was a night of hell for this small village.

At least I seem to have standard growth rates. I was hoping for a point in strength, but I can go without, for now.

Over the next hour, the Raven's crew returns. We have some new "guests" below deck, mostly young men or boys approaching adulthood. The most surprising thing to me is that we're casting off now. It's late into the night, but that doesn't seem to bother the crew.

I'd have figured that we'd stay on the island overnight, and set off in the morning after restocking. I guess the crew knows what they're doing, though, since there's no complaints. This must be their usual modus operandi: raid at night, loot and pillage for a few hours, and then disappear without anyone the wiser.

Having gone out to battle, I'm not required to clean up the ship before sleeping. My dreams are haunted by Rena's voice.

I'm sorry…


Dark Awakening – Now Loading

Avenger: A skill inherited from the last of a proud warrior clan. Permanently grants +10 to all stats upon death of an ally with support rank A or higher.

Born into a world of conflict, an earnest youth witnessed the slaughter of his family and swore that he would have his revenge. He fought and trained relentlessly, and was hailed as a genius. The child-soldier's actions become increasingly questionable as he drove himself to achieve greater and greater power. Eventually, he turned against his closest comrades in his quest for vengeance.

Whether the price of an avenger's power is cheap or dearly bought depends largely on one's perspective.


Dawn breaks.

It's strange. The atmosphere on the ship should be different after a successful raid, but it's barely changed. Sure, the pirates seem to be laughing louder and swapping stories and getting drunk earlier as a reward for a successful night, but that's it.

How many times have they done this, that they're barely fazed by completing a raid? How many other people have suffered like those islanders did last night?

I suppose that's the difference between a semi-medieval world and the civilized parts of planet Earth. In this world, if you can get away with something, that's all there is to it. There's no police or FBI or any other shadowy threat stopping people from acting on their base instincts.

I suppose if I were a Seinen protagonist, this would be the part of the story where I make my dramatic resolution to become some kind of Batman equivalent. Someone who ruthlessly hunts down the worst criminals, someone who isn't afraid to dirty his own hands. I've certainly got the motivation for it, after last night.

But that'd just be a stopgap measure, wouldn't it? The more I think about it, the more I realize that what I saw was normal for this world. Even if I invested all of my time into hunting down bandits and scaring them into stopping their lives of crime, it would change nothing in 50 years.

Fight smart, not hard. This world isn't where I want it to be, and I acknowledge that I don't have an instant-fix. Well, I'll shelf the problem for now. Priority #1 is checking in on the Grima threat, and making sure that the world survives it.

I nod firmly. Then I grab my mop and get back to cleaning the decks.


A/N: Fun fact #1 – I actually roll for level ups. The protagonist missed the STR level by 1 when he turned level 3. This should only have minor plot effects in the early-game, but these small things make the writing process a bit more dynamic for me.

In the mid-game, levels may affect what skills the protagonist would realistically choose to compensate for his weaknesses, or to supplement his strengths.

Fun fact #2 – The protagonist has a lower total growth rate than any other member of the cast, but it becomes OK if you factor out magic.

I think it'll kind of be funny if the protagonist gets RNG screwed on strength growths; his innate growth plus the Class growth sums up to a pretty low number. I'll write around it as best and as honestly as I can if it happens.