It was another early morning, another breath spent replacing my nightly bandages for a fresh clean wrap this late summer day. I sit there at the table, gingerly pulling the gauze off of my hands. This stuff is actually one of the reasons hunters go out and about during autumn, because apparently hanging spider silk makes for good medical bandaging. They're not the only creature to provide anything useful, and if there's anything I'm grateful for, it's that both them and the forest worms found their way onto the plate this year. Can't say I've had the chance to try either yet, but the smell was certainly tantalizing as it came from a neighbor's hut yesterday.

I hissed as my hands became exposed to the air, the scarred tissue simultaneously numb and sensitive to different senses. The air itself felt like pins and needles, while there was a distinct lack of temperature sense. I even cast (Frostbite) on a minor scale in my glass of tea, gently grabbing it and noticing very little. It was there, but significantly more muted than I knew it should be. Nevermind the nasty scar tissue that seemed to be holding steady, something I hope will go away with more time and healing.

As I tend to my chemically singed skin with more medicine, I meditate on my plans for the day. Or rather, lack thereof. I need to keep myself moving, but until autumn starts I won't have much else to do that's worthwhile. Sure, there's my classes and forgework, but that's been getting a little bit repetitive. I hate to say it, but I've actually grown fond of the thrill of the fight.

There are the elders to consider though. Maybe I could spend some time talking to them, trying to get their view on things? I've managed to convince the majority of the tribe I'm good people, but now it's a matter of getting in with the big players. As the leader of the shamen, I know I have Marscha in my corner at least, but she's the only major player on the field that is in my ring in the village. Getting into contact with them isn't easy though, they'd rather not waste their time on the greedy human. Other than Osai, he seems a little different. Actually, I think he was the only one to not outright sneer at me. Alright, he's definitely number one on the list.

Number two was… Zuko I believe? A familiar name, and much like his counterpart a fiery individual. He heads the hunters and warriors of the tribe, second only to the chief in military decisions. A couple of his men actually joined me in the slime cave fiasco, something that actually seems to have cooled his jets a little. He still doesn't trust me from what I understand, but at least I have some ground to stand on.

The final player… Kukri. I haven't been able to get much on him, apparently he's pretty reclusive from the rest of the tribe, even his appearance. Honestly, it's kind of impressive considering the size of the village, but there are still tidbits about him I've been able to scrape together. He's got the ear of most of the other elders, and he's pretty fucking cutthroat. Has a bone to pick with humans in particular though, and it's not hard to imagine why. The fact that I ain't dead yet is probably a testament to luck, patience, and the fact that attacking me would mean gathering the anger of the majority of his tribe. I bet he loves me.

Convincing him would be nigh impossible, but I don't have to convince him I'm a friend. I just have to convince him I'm not interested in harming the lizardmen. Which is easier said than done with the bullshit the rest of my species is up to in this world. If I wasn't so concerned with everyone else coming across it, I'd start writing notes of what I remember of the Overlord series so I could properly plan ahead. Which I really shouldn't do with all things considered. Hell, even my mind isn't trustworthy.

I tighten the bandages on my fist, and I sigh. One thing at a time, Nolan. With a waggle of my fingers, I push myself upwards, and decide on something that's been itching my brain for some time now. And that's figuring out wherever the hell Yulg's been going in the mornings. As I step out, I'm greeted by the sight of lizardmen, and I realized I forgot.

Ah, morning exercises. Glad they remembered, because I'll admit it slipped my mind today.

I stepped through the brush, keeping an ear out. After morning exercises, I indulged myself in some gossip with my fellow gym bros. Rumor has it that the goblin has been running out into the forest on his own, with flashes of holy light often coming from his direction. As to what's going down, I can't say for certain, but I'm pretty sure he shouldn't be able to cast magic. Hardly had a basic mana stream last I checked.

"{Blessed Strike}!" I heard him shout from the brush, forcing me to duck under a scythe of magic.

Of course, I guess I've been proven wrong before. I make my way at a continued leisurely pace, unconcerned with any more haphazard strikes of magic, as I was pretty certain he'd have to wait for that one to cool down. I round a large willow, and I'm greeted with the sight of Yulg in full copper plate, lightly huffing with his mace outstretched. He then proceeds to go through several motions of strikes, which shoddily resemble the lizardman fighting style actually. Certain a step up from the random striking the goblins put up back then, but he could stand to have someone help him out.

"Y'know, the thing about fighting imaginary opponents is that they always seem to lose" I couldn't help but comment, getting a brief yelp of surprise from the goblin. It made me chuckle as I fully stepped out. "Was wondering where you were going off to. Say, where'd you learn to cast that by the way?"

I couldn't see the goblin's face through the shining green plate, so reading his mood was a little difficult. However, he did eventually deign to answer me.

"... The All…" He answered simply.

That… was confusing. There's no way in hell my Patron just gifted him with the ability to cast magic. That would already be pushing it as is with everything else that's happened. I mean, if my Patron would really interfere with everything I've gone through up to this point, why not just directly interfere itself? I chewed my cheek, curious to see if I could get something more substantial from the goblin. On the same note, I need to maintain the wise man air I've been keeping up.

"Hmmm… what makes you say that?" I ask him.

He takes a moment, seemingly gathering the right words. Which would probably be difficult, considering he's always been a little sparing with his words.

"... Power came… in time of need… after thinking about All… after hoping… daring to believe… All gave me this gift… am I right?"

I chuckle. I think I'm starting to understand what's happened here. Whenever I level up, that simply becomes a point that would go wherever I want it to go. The 'normals' of this world don't have that though. What if… what if thinking about what they wanted to be, or about things in that rough ballpark push them down a certain path? It would kind of make sense, but there's so much what-iffery going on that I couldn't say for certain. I mean, when they're fighting with swords and bows, when they level up they're better at swords and bows. When they're working with sciency shit, they become better at sciency shit. I dunno, there's way too much going on there for me to put my money on it, but it's a start. Should keep an eye out for anything else like this to see if I can't line it up with other things.

Moving from that, I'm a little surprised he's taken to my faux religion with that kind of fervor. A little worrying. I was only trying to find a way to explain away my superstitions without introducing shit like Christianity, Wicca, or anything else for that matter. This is definitely the most important part of a religious awakening that shapes belief, something I sure as hell didn't expect to be handling today. Still, I haven't managed to pull of three months of bullshitting for nothing, and if there's one thing I can say for sure, it's that I'm getting better at keeping a mask up.

"You would be right," I begin 'explaining', "Like a Shepherd to the flock, the All guides in all kinds of ways, some more directly than others. Miracles of walking on water without magic, an endless basket of fish and bread to feed the masses, curing diseases that none would dare to cure for fear of catching it themselves, all of these are miracles the All is responsible for. After all, though the Apex does not help those who would not help themselves… Sometimes it likes to give a little push to show how far it's starlight spreads"

I wink at that, smiling. The goblin seems to be enamored with my words, and it's honestly almost childlike in nature. Internally however, I'm feeling really fucking awkward at explaining a religion I accidentally created. I'm gonna have to sit down and write out some lore sometime for this religion, 'cause otherwise I'm gonna get caught in my bullshit. Maybe I should carry this down a road that doesn't concern religion immediately.

"Tell you what Yulg, your little shadow enemies can only get you so far. How about facing an opponent that can actually fight back?"

He stands up straight at that, shield and mace held firm. I held my hands up at that, chuckling to relax him a little. "Easy now, you won't be facing me. I'll pit you up against a couple of summons instead, alright? Nice and controlled, how does that sound?"

He does indeed relax, and he breathes a sigh of relief. Jeez, did I leave that much of an impact on the poor guy? I shake my head, holding a hand out as I think of the creature I wish to summon.

"{Conjure Animal}!" I shout, four magic circles springing from the earth and materializing four shearjaw beetles.

They felt… almost like a part of me. There was a feint link between myself and the summons, but not in the sense like they were an extra limb. Almost like they were a pair of stilts, or a back scratcher. Just an extension, not an actual part of myself. This certainly would make for an interesting chance to test how these summons work.

Still, I directed and angled them, putting them into positions. If all goes properly, this should make for better insight into his fighting style to see what needs improving.

"Are you ready?" I asked.

"Ready," Was his simple answer.

There was only one word my beetles needed to heed in order to continue at this point.

"Begin,"

Immediately, all four of my beetles came at him at once. I wasn't going to give him an easy time just because he was outnumbered, life ain't fair like that. Immediately, he relies upon {Blessed Strike} in order to bash away his foes, sending them flying in every which direction. Alright, so he's at least got a trump card for being outnumbered in an initial ambush. The first few seconds of a fight are always crucial, but only if you know it's coming before it does actually come. I'll have to start training in guerilla tactics with him. Hmm… wouldn't hurt to ask around the village to see what they know about that either.

My beetles are already recovering, beginning to try again. I have them split off, coming from both his left and right. Let's see how you handle dealing with two fronts.

One side charges a mere breath before the other makes a movement, something that should make him hiccup if he doesn't keep his cool. Which he does, thankfully. He swings his mace at one, bringing his shield up to bash the other, and spins himself around just in time to deflect the other two with a swipe of his shield. Impressive, but still sloppy. He needs to be a bit more careful about how he handles getting sandwiched. I'll have to do it again when I can to teach him a lesson.

I inch one of the other beetles out despite their shakiness from being struck by a mace, sending it charging forward against him. It ducked under a swing, grazing his plated side with a clang. That little number was enough to get my other beetles organized for this next bit.

Clang, clung, clang!

… Heh? All three of the other summons were sent flying. Despite his sloppy stance, he managed to flow from one beetle to the other with ease. How in the hell is he…

Then I caught a glimpse of it. A shimmer from the inside of his copper shield, a faint glint of one of the shearjaws in a funhouse image. He's using the shield like a Goddamn mirror to watch his back. That's actually pretty fucking impressive. Even with the three of my four summons fading away due to being shattered, I still can't help but internally applaud him. Externally, I'm still maintaining an aloof, relaxed air. I snap my fingers, and relinquish my grasp on the final shearjaw, making it dissipate.

"Alright, so you can handle yourself against numbers. But what about strength?"

I then muster the image of a visceral, uncaring, apex predator, the likes of which I would have never seen were it not for the Columbus Zoo.

I am, of course, referring to the Polar Bear.

It stands tall from its wide summoning circle, and I can't help but admit that it put a dent in my mana pool. Nonetheless, it holds firm like a totem pole on its hind legs, before giving out an intimidating roar at my command and charging forth. It barrels out, forcing Yulg on the defensive. He jumps to the side, making a swing at the bear. The copper mace, though it was certainly built to deliver a blow, can barely do much to the thick hide of the wintery giant. It swipes its claw out, just enough to definitely rattle the goblin. I don't wanna kill him now, but it does at least send him backwards.

He's quick to recover however, and dashes to the side again to dodge another swipe. My polar bear receives another blow, and though it's annoying for the bear I press on. It stands on its hindlegs, and lets loose another vicious roar of anger. Then, it comes crashing down, catching a mace to the skull as it bites onto Yulg by the arm and swings him to the side with a toss. Yeesh, that might have been a little too much.

I let my bear pace to the side, waiting for Yulg to recover. He does, however, and surprisingly enough manages to get on his own two feet without much trouble.

"Want us to call it here?" I asked the goblin, getting an indignant shout from the little green man.

"{Blessed Strike}!" He shouted out, swiping at the bear's legs and knocking it out from under itself.

I make to have the bear recover, but Yulg managed to jump on its back before it could do so. Swing after swing, he lands his mace into the bear's skull as it tries to buck him off. Ngh, best option is usually the simplest. The bear stands tall on its hind legs, briefly stunning Yulg… and then it falls backwards.

Just when I think it's going to land on Yulg however, he manages to pull himself around the bear's neck and put himself on top, crashing the bear down with his armored knee on the throat. The connection ceases, Yulg having dealt a death blow to the polar bear. I can't help but realize one of two things. One, I was a little close to hurting the little guy a little badly. Two, he can really fucking dish it out when it comes down to it.

"So, Yulg… how do you feel having vanquished a shadow of a bear of the north? Those things do not go down easy in real life by the way"

Which really wasn't wrong, they had to be built different to survive the arctic.

Yulg is a little shaky at first, but he holds up his mace and shield with a roar of pride. I breathe a sigh of relief I hadn't realized I was holding. If he's good enough to yell, he's good enough to live. I let loose another chuckle, shaking my head"

"Alright, that's great to hear. Let's get you checked out, make sure I didn't do anything too bad. I don't wanna get yelled at for giving you a broken rib or something and not getting you the medical assistance for it"

I waved for the goblin to follow, and we made our way back to the village. I could have sworn I spotted something as we were leaving, but a quick blink told me it was probably my imagination. I know that some of the enemy tribes have been getting much bolder lately though, so it would probably pay off for me to come back out here later to investigate. Just to be safe.

Thump!

"What have-"

Thump!

"I told you-"

Thump!

"About unnecessary strain on your body when it's healing?!"

I took the thwacks of her tail head on, fighting the urge to use my arms to block it from hitting the top of my head. The last time I tried blocking it with my still healing hands she opted for a stomach thwack instead, so taking it as is was all I could do to keep myself from having a belly ache.

"To avoid unnecessarily straining myself ma'am…" I muttered, incapable of looking her in the eyes when I know for a fact I'm in the wrong on this one.

"And you!" Marscha shouts, pointing a claw at Yulg. "You have a forearm fracture that would have been avoided if you'd just called this fight while you were still healthy! What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"... Um…" The goblin spoke simply, before getting a softer thwack of his own. Honestly, what was with this woman and hitting people with her tail? Isn't there like an oath healers take or something? Aw shit, i think she's a mind reader, 'cause now she's looking my way.

"... {Cure Wounds}" I cast on Yulg, at least speeding up the treatment of his fracture.

I was hoping the injury wasn't something that bad, but it was the least I could do. Marscha looked like she was ready to pop a gasket for what I just did. I nodded and mouthed 'run' at the goblin. Though I doubt he knew what those words meant on my lips, the intent was well read. He cleared out of the hut, leaving Marscha and I alone in the hut.

I may have been able to say for certain earlier today that the old medicine lizard was in my corner, but my antics seem to have pushed that into uncertain territory today. Made apparent by her covering the one source of light in the room with a cloth.

God help me.

Nolan Potts, Human (Karma: 70 [Neutral]) [20/24 Spell slots used]

Classes: Brawler (6), Ranger (3), Druid (5), Clothier (3), Translucer (1). Total Level (18).

Spells (Druid): Frostbite, Entangle, Create or Destroy Water, Guidance, Jump, Cure Wounds, Dust Devil, Protect from Poison, Hold Person, Spike Growth, Lesser Restoration, Water Breathing, Darkvision, Sleetstorm, Ice Knife, Lightning Arrow

Spells (Ranger): Animal Friendship, Speak to Animals, Ensnaring Strike, Conjure Animals

Items of Note: {Humble Beginnings}

Party Members are as follows…

Member One: Todone, Son of Kodrotti, Toadman (Karma: -10 [Neutral])

Classes: Toadman Warrior (9), Brawler (9), Martial Artist (1), Total Level (19).

Member Two: Yulg (Karma: 50 [Neutral])

Classes: Goblin Marauder (1), Brawler (8), Warrior (4), Cleric (1), Total Level (13)

Member Three: Crusch Lulu of the Red Eyes (Karma: 50 [Neutral])

Classes: Awakened Elder Blood Lizardman (1), Druid (6), Spirit Shaman (3), Summoner (1), Scientist (2), Total Level (13)

AN: Enough dickin' around. Gonna be some plot movement next chapter, pull your britches up everyone and get ready.

Mexican Stalker: Honestly bro, I can't stress this enough, I'm playing things by ear. Your guess is as good as mine, cause I find it to be fairly entertaining coming up with ways of clicking pieces together in a story. And don't worry, I won't kill Kika... or will I...?