Have you ever heard something so unexpected, so out of left field, that you cannot help but question what you had just heard?

Like, you know someone just spoke words, but for some reason, you cannot understand anything that had come out of their mouth? Like they were speaking a different language altogether?

That was how I felt when I heard Vault.

"What?" I asked dumbly. What else could I do?

Celestine stepped forward. "I had a vision yesterday," she told us. "The miasma surrounding the Dark Queen's lands has weakened, her power has started to wane, and she is vulnerable." The High Elf spoke as if that should be good news, and to them it must have been.

For me though, that was practically saying the real war was about to start. The prologue is just about over, and I am not even close to being prepared for the first act.

"I hope you don't mind, but we were discussing terms for you to join Vault and his mercenaries," Claudia informed as she stood next to Celestine. "Although I do not relish the idea of sending sellswords to handle this, the Archbishop insisted. We are spread thin enough as it is, and Maia has vouched for their ability. Since this is shaping up to be a potentially decisive battle in the war with the Dark Queen, we were discussing terms to send you with Vault and the Black Dogs. Your… unusual talents may prove beneficial, since she no doubt has kept her strongest warriors close."

Vault gave me a glance. "Yes, that," he spoke with a healthy amount of skepticism before sitting down. "I've heard you can bypass a monster's regeneration for whatever reason. I will be the first to admit that faith or belief isn't exactly something I am strong in, but the way I see it, if what I hear is true, then I suspect this is a sign her time is nigh on done."

"Do you suggest Her Holiness is lying?" Claudia asked pointedly.

Vault raised his hands in mock surrender. "No, I don't," he stated. "That's why I am sitting here hearing you out in the first place. That sort of advantage might just give us the edge we need to finally take her out," he said calmly, before glancing over at me. "How about it? You wanna run with the Dogs?"

I couldn't keep my face from scrunching up in revulsion. "Why would I want to go anywhere with you and your sausage fest?" The instant the words spilled out of my mouth, I couldn't help but want to bite my tongue for speaking without thinking like that.

""Sir James!"" Celestine and Claudia exclaimed with a gasp, the former throwing her hands over her mouth in shock, while the latter stood straighter and adopted a sterner expression towards me, almost like a mother who had just heard their child insult a stranger.

Vault, however… I couldn't tell if he was surprised by the statement or by the fact that I so readily said no. He blinked a few times before barking out a laugh.

"HA!" he smiled as he leaned back in the chair. "Glad to see that you ain't afraid to speak your mind at least." The King of Rape's smile widened considerably and showed more teeth. He raised a hand and held up a finger. "Well, for one, the money is pretty good most of the time."

I bet a lot of that money doesn't belong to them… No, scratch that, I KNOW most of that money doesn't belong to them.

"Second, from what I have heard, you're something of an adventurer, right? You could get pretty famous for being a part of the group that took down the Dark Queen." He held up the second as he said his piece.

I'll be famous alright, but not for being a goddamn traitor, thank you very much!

He held up his last finger. "And lastly, I know for a fact that there are tons of maidens who would be willing to-" He was cut off by the sound of the door opening again.

I turned around to watch as way more people than I expected poured into the room. Many of them were knights dressed up in white and gold armors, and unfortunately I recognized them as those damn Blades of the Church that took Celestine away yesterday morning.

As they took position around the room, three more followed them in. One I recognized as Commander Maxwell, who stared at me with an almost disgusted face.

The other two I didn't recognize, both were old men. The first one looked a bit older though, sporting more wrinkles on his face and a double chin, long robes of white and gold, and wore a tall white hat that... I'm not gonna lie, it kinda looked like a penis. The younger one was dressed similarly, with a much stubbier penis-shaped headgear, and appeared a decade or so younger than his associate, but still gave me an unpleasant feeling.

Celestine, however, despite the… wrong feeling they gave off, greeted them like friends. "Archbishop, Cardinal, Commander Maxwell, thank you for joining us today," she said as she approached them and…

... If there ever was another moment in my life where I wanted nothing more than to crucify two old men and their guard, I couldn't think of it. I watched as they gave and received kisses on the cheek from Celestine, and couldn't help but ball my fists up and watch with a quiet rage. Not for the act itself, but because I know that this is nothing more than an act.

If I know this damn world like I think I do, then these two are merely playing the part of Holy Men. The instant it is not their role to play, they will reveal their true selves, and knowing they are so close to Celestine makes me want to-

"Hey."

I was broken free from my thoughts by a deep voice beside me. When I turned to look at the one who spoke, and was left a bit nonplussed when I realized it was Vault.

"Calm down, you look like you're about to blow up," he advised, which I was a tad surprised by. "You got something against the Church?" he inquired, probably because of my reaction to what I saw.

I couldn't exactly say no, especially not if my reaction was visible enough to notice. "You could say that," I replied as I tried to force myself to calm down.

Before Vault could reply, the Archbishop, the Cardinal, Maxwell, Celestine and Claudia all approached the table. But things got a bit derailed when Maxwell locked eyes with me.

"You!" He sounded angry. "What are you doing here?!" he asked, giving me the hardest glare he could muster.

Claudia stepped in to answer for me. "Sir James Hind is here at the request of Lady Lucross. Unless you have an issue with Her Holiness' decision, his presence here is allowed," she told him quickly. He couldn't even muster up a reply before his shoulders sagged, and he crossed his arms almost like a child would.

Now, however, the Archbishop and Cardinal were staring at me with scrutinizing gazes. "This is the man that took Celestine out of the safety of the Palace?" asked the first as his eyes narrowed.

Maxwell nodded. "Yes, your holiness," he answered dutifully.

The Cardinal leaned forward. "That is a serious offense," he stated. "To lure the Goddess out into the world, where so many who may wish to do her harm lay in waiting…"

"I believe I had already informed you that leaving was my idea. Sir James cannot be held responsible for it because I requested to join him on his trip to the markets," Celestine quickly interjected, but the look the Archbishop and Cardinal gave her was searing.

"Yes," the older man said slowly. "I do recall you mentioning that." He turned to me and said just as slowly, "However, as a citizen, it is best you dissuade her from any… dangerous actions like that."

The Cardinal nodded along. "Yes, we must keep her safe from the dangerous world outside the White Citadel," he added.

Ah...

I hate old religious men. They are always creepy, for some reason.

"I am pretty sure she is safe enough to wander her own city with a few elite guards, don't you think?" I suggested, and the stink eye the three gave me was worth it.

Before any of them could dispute me, Vault interrupted with an almost bemused expression. "While I would like to see how this little argument plays out, I don't have all day. Can we get back on track, please?"

After the old men grumbled in agreement, the Archbishop said, "Yes… We have summoned you here, Vault, because the time to strike the Dark Queen is now. Her power has finally waned enough for you to cross into her lands without succumbing to death. We cannot allow this opportunity to pass us by and must attack now, before she has the chance to escape or recover her power."

The one with the shorter hat, the cardinal, rolled out a scroll. Actually, it looked more like a bounty poster with an… artistic rendition of the Dark Queen, Olga Discordia, that looked much closer to your stereotypical witch than it did a sexy as all hell Dark Elf.

"We are prepared to offer you two hundred and fifty thousand gold pieces for her head, three hundred thousand if you capture her alive," he said, pointing towards the huge numbers at the bottom of the poster.

Celestine, however, made a gasp of surprise. "But, the Castle Treasury does not have so much! Where would we get that amount?" she asked them, but when they hit her with a combined gaze, she seemed to wilt in defeat. I felt my knuckles go white as I clenched them, trying my hardest to remain calm.

"The solution is simple, raise the taxes on the people," the Archbishop said easily. "It is a small price for them to pay to bring an end to this conflict, isn't it?"

The Cardinal nodded. "Yes, it may seem like much now, but it will pay dividends in the future. I foresee an influx of towns, farms, and such once the threat of invading monsters has finally passed." Celestine's look of sadness was replaced with one of resignation.

"I pray those starving and in poverty can last just a little bit-"

"Hold on, what about the Church?" I interrupted. "Surely they've got a decent bit of money right?"

The slow turn each of them did towards me was simultaneously funny and frightening to me.

"What did you just say?" the Cardinal asked. "We cannot pay that amount! We need everything we have for churches and… and commissioning statues of the Goddess, and medical supplies for those that need healing!" he protested.

I raised an eyebrow. "So, you have the money, but don't want to spend it?" I was playing a bit of a dangerous game here, talking back to the heads of the church… but I figured if Celestine at the very least supported me, I would be safe from any retribution they wanted to inflict.

Maxwell growled at me. "You cur!" he insulted. "How dare you even suggest the Church of the Goddess does not have the people's best intentions in mind!"

Claudia leaned onto the table now. "Silence, Maxwell!" she ordered. "Sir James was invited here by Her Holiness herself, he has every right to voice his opinion on matters as you do," she told him, before glancing over at me. "And while I disagree with how he said it, I believe I understand what he is trying to say."

Maxwell looked over at the templar and asked, "And what might that be?"

"Simple. Rather than putting more pressure on the people already struggling to get by, the church will pay this bounty, keeping those who need what little money they have to survive able to pay when they can. Once it is over, and people know the church paid in full, they will be more inclined to donate and attend sermons. As you said, this is a small price to pay for the end of this conflict."

I blinked in surprise at Levantine, since I honestly was calling the Church, or more specifically the Archbishop and Cardinal, greedy assholes. But hey, if she is on my side, I won't correct her.

Celestine clapped her hands, a smile returning to her face. "That is correct, and once the war is over, the prices for those medical supplies and ingredients will fall drastically, leaving even more funds open for whatever the people require," she said happily. I felt a bit of pride swell in my chest for causing that… even if my intention was to just insult the church.

"Since you are both here, we can authorize the payment as soon as possible," the High Elf said as she looked over at the old men.

They were currently glaring daggers at me, but I was feeling a bit smug at the fact they didn't get what they wanted, even if I just made an enemy out of them. Oh well, I didn't really expect to make friends with any men in this world, so I don't think I'm going to lose sleep over it.

"What is your purpose in this meeting anyways? You are not one of Vault's men," the Cardinal pointed out.

I watched as Claudia opened her mouth to inform, but Vault was faster. "Maybe not yet, but I'll be damned if I am not tempted to ask," Vault said with an unnerving smile on his face. "It takes guts to talk back to such high ranking members of the church, and I respect guts."

The Archbishop growled in his throat. "I will begin organizing the payment," he said before glancing over at me. "But take heed, Hind, this bounty is only for the Black Dogs," he added as he left.

"May the blessings of the Goddess be upon you," the Cardinal said as he turned to follow the older man.

The King of Rape waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah," he said unsparingly. "Well, I suppose I should start organizing my men to move out." With that, he grabbed the bounty poster, rolled it up and tucked it into his belt.

"Goodbye."

As Vault began leaving, he stopped in his tracks. "And before I forget, you showed a lot of guts talking back to some of the most powerful people in the kingdom. I might just be able to make a Dog out of you yet." He laughed, before reaching into a pocket and bringing out a necklace. He then handed it over to me. The chain was black, and had the Black Dogs' symbol hanging off the bottom.

"In case you change your mind, I'll have one of my guys waiting for you at the North Gate."

With that said, he left. After he was gone, I looked down at the small necklace in my hands and said quietly to myself, "Not gonna happen."

After that, it was just me, Claudia, and Celestine alone in the meeting room. "Sir James," the High Elf's voice got my attention, "Why didn't you wish to join Vault?"

Hm, how do I politely say he is a monster, a piece of shit, sadistic, traitorous, backstabbing, double-dealing, rapist son of a bitch?

"I've just got a bad feeling about him. Something about him rubs me the wrong way," I told her.

As much as I wanted to out him as a traitor right now, I've got nothing to back up my claims. Celestine might believe me on my word alone, but that doesn't mean everyone else will. After all, treason is a pretty big crime, and without anything to back up what I say, I might as well be preaching to the deaf.

Claudia nodded. "I understand." She did? "However, Maia vouched for them, and I trust her judgment in this regard."

I raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you don't trust them, why don't you have someone look into them for you?" I suggested. Surely they could find someone who can dig up the truth. The Black Dogs don't strike me as the most subtle band of bandits.

The brunette hummed in thought. "Alright then, consider yourself hired," she said with a sly smile on her lips. "I want you to investigate the Black Dogs. If my suspicions are unfounded, then there is nothing to fear. If you find evidence proving my suspicions, then send them to me as soon as possible. Understood?"

Now I had to keep my features schooled to avoid showing my distaste for this job. "Isn't there someone else who you can send to investigate?" I asked helplessly. "I don't want to be surrounded by a bunch of-"

Scum? Trash? Rapists? Murderers?

"-mercenaries, especially if they are as bad as we think."

Celestine nodded understandingly. "I have heard these same rumors as well. Regardless, Vault and his Black Dogs are the strongest force in the kingdom right now. Many of our own knights are too occupied protecting the fortresses, and the people to launch an offensive as grand as this," she stated. "I wish this conflict could be ended with words rather than violence, but the Archbishop and Cardinal both insist she cannot be reasoned with. The Dark Queen must be defeated if peace and prosperity is to ever be restored."

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Wait, you've never spoken to her yourself?" I asked, and the Goddess Reincarnated only shook her head.

The Templar Commander answered my question. "No. We have sent messengers, but none could get past the miasma, and we haven't received any communication from her," she said as she crossed her arms. "We can only assume she has no desire to negotiate."

Does it though?

Celestine then grabbed my arm and looked me in the eyes. "Please Sir James, go with Vault and end this war." Her voice made my resolve shake, and that look in her eyes...

"Please."


Damn you, Celestine. You and your green puppy dog eyes.

I was in the back of a cart again, with my eyes closed and looking upwards towards the sky, trying to ignore my current driver and the fellow passengers.

"And I saw this gorgeous gal in town. Boy, if only there was a little breeze, I could have sworn I would have seen whatever panties she was wearing!" one told the others. I wasn't paying attention to who said what.

"Nah man, did you see that pretty little Halfling?" someone else asked one of his buddies. "She had a killer rack for someone so small!"

Attempting to tune them out was like trying to ignore nails on a chalkboard: Impossible and ear-grating. I was half-tempted to change my mind, but unfortunately this is my best option to get to the dark elves. I don't know these lands well enough to try navigating them myself, nor do I want to risk getting to the tower late and end up trying to keep up with Vault rather than being a step ahead of him.

And so, I had to endure this damn wagon ride, with these mercenaries talking my ears off. But at least it gave me time to study my new necklace.

The pendant was made of blackened steel, a symbol of a dog's head with a sword as its collar. It meant I'd been scouted by Vault himself, if what the others told me was true. He has only ever given a few of these out to people he thinks has the potential to be his best. Which was flattering in a way, but that didn't really make me change my mind about him.

"Alright you mutts, welcome to base camp!" The driver announced. I opened my eyes, leveled my head and began looking around, finding myself surprised. Not a single woman being raped in sight.

Huh, ain't that interesting?

I watched as everyone piled out of the cart, jumping off the back and all going in separate directions, with me dismounting last and looking over the camp. It was vast, to say the least, a lot more than I expected. Which was kinda bad, because there were easily hundreds of people in this place.

But now that I'm here, what am I supposed to do?

I groaned, tightening my satchel around me, and began wandering around. Maybe I could find a quiet little corner to hide away while I was here? Nobody seemed to be paying any attention to me in the slightest anyways.

Trudging through the camp, I found a little mess area. A bunch of tables, people eating and drinking, and generally having a jovial time. I wanted to ignore them, only to hear someone call out.

"Hey! Look! It's the guy that beat Davis and Fred!" one of the men at a table exclaimed.

Slowly turning to face them, I was once again caught off guard. Instead of a bunch of angry and pissed off mercs, I saw a bunch of smiling faces and raising of mugs and bottles. A chorus of merry cheers echoed around me, and that confused me all the more so. I even got a few pats on the shoulder by those that passed me by.

"You know, when I heard some stranger took out two of the most obnoxious recruits down a peg, I hadn't expected him to waltz right up into our camp." I heard an unfamiliar voice behind me. They tapped me on the shoulder, causing me to turn and face them. I was... Vaguely familiar with their faces. They had brown hair and wore a green vest and some grayish pants with two short swords hanging from his hips.

"Name's Hicks. You must be James, right?" he asked, holding his hand out for a shake.

I let him hold his hand out and asked, "How do you know my name?" I crossed my arms and watched with a weird, petty satisfaction as he casually lifted his arm up to rub the back of his head.

"The Boss told me to be on the lookout for you, and that if I were to find you, I should show you to a tent and let you get settled a bit before coming to meet the 'Top Dogs' of our little band," Hicks said as he gestured for me to follow. Without anything else to do, I kept only a few feet behind him as he led the way to my tent.

We passed a bunch of small one-man tents, a bunch of them looked like they would take only a few seconds to set up and break down. "Which one is mine?" I asked, before we reached the end of these smaller tents.

He glanced back at me. "Oh, none of these are yours," he said. "Boss says there is something special about you, and he decided you are getting some special treatment." I raised my eyebrow at that. Why would he give me special treatment? "This one is yours." Hicks told me as we stopped by a bigger tent. The cloth was thick enough so that wind or rain wouldn't get through. On the inside was a small table, a cot and an animal skin rug.

"Lucky bastard," Hicks commented as he jabbed my ribs with an elbow. "Boss-man really wants to make a good first impression, huh?" he said as I entered the tent.

"Why?" I asked.

Why would he do this? Was he…?

"Like I said, he wants to make a good first impression, I guess," the man in the vest said. "I'll be back later. Don't get too settled, though. Boss wants us to move first light in the morning." With those final words, Hicks left me alone in the tent.

So that's Vault's game, huh? He wants to butter me up… But why?

I sat down on the cot and began to think. What could Vault gain by doing this? As much as I hate to compliment the man, I know he is cunning, strong, intelligent, and most importantly, knows what he wants and how to get it. Maybe I am just reading too much into it, but if I'm getting a fancy tent over the smaller ones that were set up, I must assume there is more to it than just getting me on his side.

I can understand why though, Claudia and Celestine both informed him of my special ability to easily kill monsters. Maybe he thinks I might be a nice deterrent to keep them in line? I can't think of any other reason why he might be trying to make me cozy here. As far as he knows, I have only done one thing of note, but that might be enough for him to want to try and make me stay.

Regardless, the reason doesn't matter. I won't be staying, no matter how hard he tries to make me. I don't think I could stomach the barbarism he practices on an almost daily basis in his own 'kingdom'.

I groaned as I put my head in my hands.

"What have I gotten myself into?" I had to ask, even if I didn't get an answer. Here I was, in the middle of the enemy camp, surrounded by bandits posing as mercenaries, and all for what?

… Why am I even asking myself that? I know why, but that doesn't make me like the situation any more. I can't prove Vault is a traitor on my word alone, and I doubt I could beat him to the Black Citadel before the damage he's going to inflict is done.

As much as I hate to say it, I need to be there in order to deprive Vault of one of his biggest sources of propaganda: the Dark Queen herself, Olga Discordia and her… servant? Bodyguard?... Chloe.

Assuming I can even figure out how to get them away and survive myself.

"Hey, newbie. Are you in here?" I heard another new voice ask, and this time it was a man with short brown hair, wearing hide braces, a skin-tight black shirt and purple scarf around his neck.

"Ah, you must be James," he greeted me with a wave. "Name's Morgan. The boss asked me to fetch you. He wants you to meet the others in command here."

Good, I needed to know who was crucial to this whole thing. I nodded, and after leaving my tent began following him. "So… Morgan…" I started, "Anyone in this camp got anything to read?" I asked as I stayed a few steps behind him. I wasn't sure if anyone here was a mage, and if there were I wanted to eat their books… or steal them, at least.

He glanced back at me. "You can read?"

"Yeah? Can't you?" I raised an eyebrow at his question. Couldn't most people?

Morgan gave me a nod. "I can, but almost everyone except the leaders can't," he said as we walked. "How did you learn?"

"Well, you see, I started with the alphabet and worked my way up from there," I answered a bit snidely.

He threw his hands up in surrender. "No need to get like that. Just curious, not a common thing to know how to read," Morgan told me.

So, most commoners can't read, or at least most of the Black Dogs can't. Not sure if I can use that, but maybe that might come in handy in the future.

Morgan led us to an immense tent. I'm guessing it's the one used for command, considering all the flags coming out the top and the fact it made mine look small by comparison. "Alright, here we are. Best not keep them waiting," Morgan said as he entered the tent.

I followed in after him and saw Vault staring down at a map on the central table. "Alright, I want everyone to be able to come in on this. That means we'll have to wait for our scouting parties from around the area to regroup with us before we finally take the fight to her fortress. I want to take it in a day, and I won't tolerate anything less than a full-frontal assault," he told the others around the table as he pointed to specific spots on the map.

"Ah, Boss, looks like the fresh meat has finally decided to join us," Hicks said, getting everyone to turn my way.

"Ah, I see you made the right choice," Vault said with a smile. "Alright guys, meet the newest recruit: James. James, meet your new bosses."

Hicks raised his hand and gave a wave. "We met already, I am the Scout Commander, it's my job to be the eyes and ears of the Black Dogs," he told me as he put a hand on one of his short swords.

The next person to speak was a man in blue, with longer hair and glasses. "My name is Kin, resident mage and sorcerer. If you happen to find any spell tomes, I would gladly pay a handsome fee for them." I nodded along. Okay, so that is the rogue and mage of this party down, what's mummy face's deal?

"You may call me Shamuhaza. All you need to know is that I make the potions that the Black Dogs use. " Alright, creepy bandage face is a potion seller… I doubt that's all he is, though.

Vault gestured to Morgan. "Morgan, you already met." The man in question gave a two-fingered wave. "He is a scout captain, like what Hick does, but maintains his own personal unit rather than all of them." So Morgan is not even really a leader, then?

"If he isn't one of the leaders, then why is he here?"

Vault barked a laugh. "He might not have Hick's job, but that doesn't mean he is damn good enough to take over if the former ever kicks the bucket."

"That ain't happening Boss, I am gonna live forever surrounded by hot babes and booze, you watch," Hicks said playfully.

Ah, hello Death Flags… good to know you're on my side in this. "Well, depending on how this next job goes, I reckon that's the sort of life every one of us is going to live, ain't that right?" Vault asked, patting Hicks on the shoulder. "Anyways, I just wanted you to know who you'll be reporting to. Don't let anyone fool you, the only people that hold any kind of rank here are us in this room… with the exception of you, but that is open to change."

I nodded. "Was there anything else?"

Vault shook his head. "No, go ahead and familiarize yourself with the camp and your new comrades. We move first thing tomorrow, and I want everyone well rested for the fight ahead of us. I don't intend to lose against the bitch in her tower."

Okay, so waste time. Got it. I suppose I'll actually spend the downtime reading while I can. I turned and left the tent. I got about five steps before I stopped, having realized something.

"I never learned where they keep their books," I murmured to myself, before groaning and heading back to my tent…. Textbooks for me, then.


{POV Shift}


After James left the tent, Vault stared at that empty space with a little smile.

"Alright then Boss, what's the deal? What is so special about that guy?" Hicks asked, crossing his arms over his chest. It wasn't everyday that Vault personally recruited someone. There must be something more about him than what they could realize, right?

Vault's smile never left his face as he turned to Morgan. "Do you still have them?" he asked. The man in question reached into his pocket and tossed a bunch of letters onto the table for the others to read.

Kin eyed them for a moment. "This is the seal of the Goddess, isn't it?" he asked, before grabbing one and opening it to read its contents.

Shamuhaza grabbed one of the letters and inspected it as well. He silently read line after line, before setting it down onto the table. "So, she has had visions specifically involving him?" the bandaged man asked, and Vault's smile only widened.

Hicks barked a laugh. "Ha!" He slapped a hand to his head. "I'd laugh if it weren't so sad," he said as he tossed his back into the pile. "So, what's the plan, Boss?" the scout commander asked as he leaned forward on the table.

And Vault's smile grew even more as he told them his plan.


(POV shift)


The day progressed quickly after my little meeting with Vault and his commanders. I ate and tried to sleep, but found rest eluding me. So, like my nights before this, I spent them reading.

Unfortunately, nothing good came of them, considering it began talking about habits and… breeding methods for monsters, which quickly shut down any motivation I had to get in my required reading for the night.

I laid down on my cot and began to try and get some rest, since I had nothing else to do, only to be woken up by a strange feeling by my feet. I half-expected a dog to have found its way into my tent, or maybe even a cat, but when I leaned up to look at it, I found myself staring at the ugliest fucking thing I have ever seen in my life.

A small, strange creature with glowing yellow eyes was slowly working its way towards me, and I did the only thing that came to mind: I kicked it.

My foot reared back further and faster than I expected, and delivered a solid strike between its massive glowing eyes. I watched as it hit the ground and hurriedly scuttled out of the tent, not that I was willing to let it go just like that.

I grabbed my sword and stormed outside, watching as it began scuttling off towards a far-off and lonesome tent. Now, I didn't want to chase it, but I wasn't going to risk it coming back to do… whatever the hell it was going to do. So I followed it to this small isolated part of the camp and watched it hurry inside the lone, dark tent.

When I followed it inside, I wasn't sure what to expect. Maybe it was trying to do whatever it was about to do to me to someone else, or maybe it was trying to hide. I didn't expect to find that creature hiding behind the bandaged man, Shamuhaza.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked as he stared at me.

"Your little pet there was about to attack me in my sleep!" I told him, pointing to the small creature with my sword. Granted, the attack part was made up, but something tells me what it would have actually done would have been just as bad.

Shamuhaza narrowed his eyes. "I assure you, my insects would do no such thing," he denied.

In return, I narrowed my own. "Then explain to me what it was doing in there."

The bandaged man looked down at the insect, before crouching down and lifting it onto a table. "This particular insect was created to find sources of magic and absorb them. I use them to disarm magical traps, or hunt down troublesome mages," he said slowly, before looking at me. "Do you have any spell books on you?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Not right now," I told him. I watched him nod slowly, before withdrawing a knife from his cloak and in a swift motion, stabbing the insect between the eyes. I had to step back in shock as the creature began crying out.

"If what you are telling me is true, then it appears I have a defective insect." He twisted the blade, and with a sickening, popping sound, the bug collapsed onto the table, every limb as limp as a corpse. "An insect that cannot perform its duty is a failure. I do not tolerate failures," he said, before yanking the blade out, covered in the blood of the dead bug. "Thank you for informing me of this, I must begin to work on another before we arrive at the Dark Queen's fortress."

"Yeah…" I said slowly, there was a pause as I started watching him cut the insect into pieces. "You're welcome, I guess." Shamuhaza didn't react, and instead began dropping the body parts of the dead insect into various baskets. I hadn't even taken the time to look around the room to notice the dozens of wicker baskets all sealed up with a Japanese kanji on a note.

"What's all this?" I asked.

"They are insects," he replied simply. "They are far more reliable in accomplishing their tasks than any human. Tracking, hunting, finding food, killing beasts and other such monsters, they can do a great variety of things if one knows how to manipulate them."

I eyed a special one in the back just by the table, but covered in shadows. "What about that one?" I asked, making Shamuhaza turn to check where I was looking.

"That one is a personal project of mine," was all he told me. "Was there anything else, or do you have any more questions?"

No, I didn't. I walked out and began making my way back to my tent, laying down once more, but this time I didn't even try to go to sleep. I didn't want to get caught off guard like that again, so I had a sleepless night, both eyes open and one hand on my sword.


After dawn broke, I heard what sounded like a bell, and someone calling out.

"Come and get it!" a man shouted. Since I was already dressed and ready to go, I left my tent and noticed a bunch of groggy looking guys just barely starting to come out of their tents. Considering I didn't really get any sleep last night, I was surprised I wasn't any worse than they were. Not that I minded, it made it easy to get my breakfast first, and I was actually pleasantly surprised. The food didn't look half bad.

I was planning on going back to my tent to eat, before I heard Hicks call out.

"Hey, James, over here!" he yelled out to me, and I felt my shoulders drop as I groaned and turned around to go and sit by the vested fucker. "Hey man, I heard from Shamuhaza that you had a bug in your tent last night," he said as he leaned onto the table. "How did that happen?" he asked, and I sighed.

"Not sure. I told him so, and he killed it, calling it defective. Not much else to it, I'm afraid," I said as I sat down across from him, eating my food as quickly as possible without choking on it. I really wanted to avoid as much interaction with these guys as possible. Makes it easier when I've got to kill them.

Hicks gave me a raised eyebrow. "Really?"

I only nodded in response. "Damn, I thought he loved those things with how much time he spends with them," he told me as he began taking some bites out of his food.

"He does," I heard the man with the glasses say, I think his name was Kin, right? "But he only loves the ones that aren't defective or failures." He sat down next to Hicks. "He is a man of science, like myself. The only difference is he prefers insects while I have a… broader view of the field." He took a bite from one of his scrambled eggs.

The Scout Commander eyed my food. "You know we got some time before Vault has us packing up already, right? You can take a second to enjoy your meal," he commented as I finished my plate.

"I don't want to waste time, that's all. The sooner we get this show on the road, the sooner I can go," I told them as I stood up from my seat and turned to leave, only to end up looking directly at Vault.

The mercenary king simply smiled at me. "Now that's a work ethic I can get behind," he said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I had to fight the urge to slap it away. "James here is right, we need to get moving. I want to make sure she doesn't have the time to reinforce her position anymore than it already is. Consider yourselves lucky to have gotten breakfast at all, I have already given the order to start packing up," he said to them before looking at me.

"Now, I want to have a little chat with our newest recruit here, you two start packing your things. We move in one hour."

I suddenly found myself awfully tense. Vault wanted to have a talk with me? I haven't even done anything yet!

"Got it Boss, I guess I'll be on my way then," he said. "I'll get my guys and go scouting the path ahead. If I see anything suspicious, I'll double back and let you know." Hicks and Kin both stood up, the former taking his plate and eating everything on it as swiftly as a vacuum.

Vault suddenly put an arm around me and said. "Come on, I want to get to know my newest recruit," he told me as he began leading me through the camp.

Okay, so he wanted to get close to me. Alright, not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

"So James, man to man, what's your type?" he asked me, and I blinked.

"My type?" I asked dumbly.

"Yeah, what do you like? Huge tits? Flat chests? Or maybe your tastes are more for the lower side?" He asked, and couldn't help but stare at him.

This had to be a joke, right? It must have been, but he was staring at me like he wanted a real answer.

"Well…" I started. "I never really thought about it in specifics before," I lied. Truthfully, this is one of the few things in my life right now that has not come into question.

Despite my dirty and guilty feelings, I can't deny that I find Celestine very attractive, and if she is the benchmark for the others? Boy oh boy, do I feel excited to see them in person…

... Ugh, that ugly feeling is back. I shouldn't think like that, the idea that I am having the same thoughts as these guys is sickening to me. I can't let myself be like them if I can avoid it.

"Oh come on, you've got to have something. Personally, Celestine checks pretty much every box I got. Wide hips, a damn fine pair of tits, and her ass is pretty sweet too," he said, and I found myself going from self loathing to barely restrained anger in a moment. "The things I'd do if I ever got the chance."

I clenched my fists. "Like hell you will," I said again for the second time before I could think better of it.

Vault's head turned to gaze at me. "Oh, seems I've struck a nerve," he said, before withdrawing his arm and putting them behind his head. "Don't be mad, there isn't a man alive who wouldn't give anything to have a chance to get with her. But then again, Levantine is a pretty good-looking babe too, a shame she's married already."

What I wouldn't give to leave this conversation right now. "I suppose she is," I agreed reluctantly.

"Although, from what I hear, that Dark Elf Queen is supposed to be a beauty on par with Celestine if the stories are true," he told me. "Have you ever seen a pure-blooded Dark Elf before?" he asked, and I only shook my head. "Well, let's just say each and every one of them is a certifiable bombshell. I have never seen one that could even be considered unattractive."

"I'll take your word for it," I said, earning a raised eyebrow from the man. "I don't have a real preference. I never wanted to be picky when it came to women. A broad net catches the most fish, if you understand what I mean."

I watched him nod his head. "Well, once this job is done, I can guarantee you'll have your pick of the finest women," he told me before we arrived at a bunch of wagons. "Maybe, after it's all said and done, you'll find a real preference, eh?"

"Why did you want to know anyways?" I questioned. "You could have asked anything else, hell I expected anything else." In hindsight, I shouldn't have. "Why this specifically?"

The burly man smiled. "Look around you," he said, gesturing to the camp. "I am not simply these guys' employer, I am one of them: just another guy making his way in the world," he said. "Everyone here will fight on my command because I'm not some stuck up noble, not some lord rollin' in cash, but like everyone else in this camp. I may be the leader, but I didn't get so many loyal men by acting like I am better than them. No better way to show that than have a guy talk like this."

I raised an eyebrow. "So you do this to show you're not above it all, is that right?"

Vault nodded. "Yep, I want everyone in my company to know that I ain't going to act all high and mighty just because I am in charge. You might be a temporary member, but that doesn't mean that can't change."

Like that will ever happen.

"Hey Boss," I heard Morgan call out while jogging over to us. "Mind if I borrow James here?" he asked.

Vault nodded. "Well James, I'll leave you in Morgan's capable hands, I gotta go make sure everyone is ready to follow behind the scouting party," he said before leaving. I was thankful for that, talking to Vault almost makes me want to vomit.

"What do you want, Morgan?" I asked as I turned to face the man.

"You know we are on the same side right? No need to get pissy," he said. "You are coming with me and Hicks to scout the roads ahead. We are down a man and I feel like you might be a pretty good fit."

I raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

Morgan merely shrugged. "Just a feeling, come on," he said as he led me to the edge of the camp.

"It's not going to be an issue that I've never ridden a horse before, will it?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Shouldn't be. Most of our horses are currently pulling the wagons and carts of supplies, so we are going on foot."

I gave Morgan a look of confusion. "Don't worry, we might not have horses, but we aren't looking to go all the way to the Dark Queen's lands just yet, simply making sure the road is clear enough for the convoy to make it through in good time," he told me as we began walking down the road.

"Hicks should be waiting at the fork with the rest of the scouts, he told me he would be sending them down one road while we would be going the other."

"Well, that's good then, I guess. 'Cause I don't know how to ride a horse, or drive a wagon." I told Morgan.

He laughed at that. "Well, once things settle down, I am sure you can find someone to give you a few pointers," he said, before slapping me on the back and almost making me stumble. "I'll make sure to tell the Boss. You can ride with Kin. From what I hear, his wagon will have a free spot."

"Any reason why that is?" I asked.

Morgan shrugged. "Truth be told the guy is kinda… weird," he said, looking around for any eavesdroppers, which there were none, considering it was just us and the road.

"I heard he has been talking with Shamuhaza about things, experiments and stuff, you know?" he said. "Shamuhaza is a certifiable creep, talks about his bugs as if they could replace the Goddess. If Kin is talking to him about stuff, trust me, it will be just as creepy as shit."

I nodded slowly. "Got it…" From what I have seen, I'll take his word for it. "What's that guys deal anyways?" I asked.

"Don't have a clue," Morgan said as he shook his head. "Guy is an easterner, we know that. Seems to have a bit of an obsession with Lady Kaguya of Thorn, from what I know. Never says why though, and I don't care enough about it to ask."

So that creep is after the Kuudere shrine maiden. Note-to-Self: Create insecticides as soon as possible. Also, see if I can plant mint around that fortress. If what I remember my dad telling me, mint keeps all kinds of insects away. I don't know if the same applies with demon bugs, but I might as well try it. I don't have many other ideas after all.

We continued for a decent while before my companion spoke up. "So, James, I got a question for ya," he started. "What do you like better? Young ladies or the more mature ones?"

I gave him a flat look. "Are women the only thing on you guys' minds right now?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I mean, it's not the only thing, but I like to keep myself distracted when I am about to enter a life or death situation," he told me, and… Honestly, I can kind of understand where he is coming from. "So, young ladies or the milfs of the world?"

I sighed. "Both, I guess," I told him.

He glanced over at me. "Really? Most people I know prefer one or the other."

"I guess I'm not like most…" I began, trailing off as I noticed a rising pillar of smoke. "What's that?" I asked as I pointed to it.

Morgan glanced where I was pointing. "Eh, probably just a raid. Towns out here get them all the time," he said offhandedly, as if this wasn't a big deal.

I glanced at Morgan, and saw him keep walking…

I don't know what came over me, but I started running.

"Wha- James!" I heard him call out behind me as I ran ahead towards the smoke. If there were people in trouble, then I had a responsibility to help, didn't I? I refused to be like the Black Dogs who didn't care about this sort of thing!

While I ran there, I only caught a glance at the sign that told me where I was going. It was a town called Grasmere.

It took me a solid few minutes to crest the hill and reach a vantage point where I could actually see the village under attack, and found my blood boiling due to one simple fact: Who I saw weren't monsters.

A bunch of men were running around, chasing people and grabbing women. The men who tried to stop them were slaughtered, swarmed by these bandits. I had originally assumed they were Black Dogs, maybe trying to keep me from realizing their real colors, but no… These looked like your stereotypical outlaws.

I felt fire begin building in my fist as I witnessed the carnage.

But I wouldn't use magic, not when I knew Morgan or anyone else could watch me use it. I wanted to keep that card as carefully concealed as possible for when I truly needed it.

I sprinted down into the village. Maybe it was the fact that my armor was like theirs, or maybe they just didn't notice me, but I managed to sprint at the closest one without them even so much as giving me a second glance. What happened next…

"RRAGH!"

I rammed right into him, knocking him off his feet and his sword out of his hands. He clearly wasn't expecting me and had the wind taken out of him when he hit the ground. I only had a moment to grab his sword from where it landed, and in a single moment that would forever be ingrained into my memory was the look on his face when I stabbed downwards.

He barely had a moment to cry out "WAIT-!" before I put the sword down his mouth.

Hearing him gurgle in his own blood, as his eyes were looking up at me in shock before life finally left them, was something that engraved itself into my mind.

And I didn't care. It wasn't the fact that I had just killed another human being without a second thought that stayed with me. It was the fact that in his final moments, before his life was over, he managed to look up at me, and I felt nothing from it.

I slowly withdrew the sword and tossed it aside from me. The thing was worthless anyways, it had dozens of chips on the blade, and simply appeared poorly managed. But that wasn't important right now. I took out my own steel sword and charged at the next man.

He barely had time to turn and face me before I rammed my sword straight through his torso. The look of shock and pain on his face was one that I found myself relishing. He made a few pained gasps, before I planted my boot firmly on his body and pushed him off the weapon.

As he fell, I noticed a few had broken off what they were doing to come and try facing me. Instinct told me to move, find a better spot to fight them, take away their advantage of numbers. If I remember right, Spartans had this tactic when they fought at the Thermopylae, where they lured the Persian army into a tight corridor where their enemies could only come at them a few at a time.

So, I ran from the men charging at me and went for the small alleyway between what looked like an inn and some other place.

The space was tight and my own movement would be restricted, but they couldn't surround and swarm me like they would have before. Thankfully, it wasn't every last man, but a group of about five. I tossed a few of the barrels and chairs in the alley over and created some obstacles for them to get over to slow them down even more.

I watched as the first man of the group climbed over the barrel, then moved to attack before he could properly defend himself. A single thrust to the armpit, as dirty as it was, pierced his skin, and the tip emerged just on the other side of his neck. As I withdrew, one of his hands reached for the new breathing hole, but it was too late, too fatal for him to survive.

He hit the ground within moments. I believe he died before he even reached the earth's embrace.

The next attempted to come at me with a thrown axe. Common sense told me to duck, instinct told me to catch it. I ended up trusting my instincts and barely managed to get it before the sharp end would have cleaved my skull in half. While I was recovering from that little event, he charged me, and again, instinct overrode rational thought. In a movement faster than I ever believed I could do, I spun the axe around and swung it once.

The axe embedded itself deeply into his neck. I couldn't even pull it out before he fell, taking it with him to the ground.

Two bodies were in the alleyway now. The next bandit tried to rush me, and I expected to have to grapple with him. Instead, he tripped over the axe handle and fell face first in front of me. He looked up, and I could see the fear that had entered him at that moment, face first on the ground and at my mercy.

"Please! I yield!" he cried out, but I ignored his cries as I stabbed downwards into the top of his skull.

The last man, however, elected to wait at the entrance. I wasn't ready to give up my advantage just yet. But as I stared at him, I realized something.

Where was the fifth bandit?

As I asked myself that question, I heard a battle cry from behind me.

"RAGH!"

I barely had a moment to block his downward slash, and man, did he have some strength behind it. I had to hold him back with both hands, but as I blocked, I felt the ring on my finger begin to pulse, and my own strength increased enough to keep him at bay. The fourth bandit saw an opportunity, and came at me from the opposite side.

I saw him charging with a raised axe, and I instinctively reached out to grab his face and ignited my Flames spell. I heard his cries of pain and agony as he writhed and struggled fruitlessly to pull my hand off. I found myself surprisingly thankful for the fact that I didn't have enough time to register the notion I was touching, searing and burning flesh under my bare hand.

By the time he managed to pull himself from my grasp, the imprint of my hand was forever burned on his face. The cloth headband he was wearing had caught fire, as did his hair, and so had his shirt. He cried out howls of pain as he stumbled backwards and into the streets.

The bandit that had tried to ambush me from behind had been so terrified, I noticed he had started to back away.

"Wha... What the fuck?!" he swore. "You… You don't have a spell book… What did you do?!" he asked, before he slipped on a piece of trash, ending up on his back without a weapon.

"Please! I'll… I'll go! I'm sorry! I'll change! I'll get an honest job! I'll stop hurting people! Please! Spare-!"

I marched out of the alleyway, and noticed the rest of the bandits staring my way, same with the villagers that were still alive.

"Alright then…" I said as I raised my steel sword again, and let the magic fire in my first flare for all to see. "Who's next?" I asked as I took a few steps closer.

"You?" I pointed at the man pinning a woman to the ground.

"Or how about you?" I turned my sword to a man with bags of spoils on his shoulders.

"Or maybe you?" I lastly pointed at the man currently holding a young girl by the waist.

They all looked at me with faces that were a mixture of shock and fear. All except one, who had charged at me and attempted to attack, but a quick stream of fire stopped him in his tracks as he quickly found himself enveloped in flames. I noticed a few start moving backwards, a decent few actually. Which is a shame, because I wanted to kill them all.

"What are y'all backin' up for?!" one of the braver outlaws yelled out. "It's just one guy!" He dropped his captive and grabbed his sword. "We got the numbers here, why are you letting a pussy like this scare you?!" he asked his companions as they each began exchanging glances.

Another one responded to his associate. "I… I don't know man… something about this feels off, don't you think?" he asked. "I mean, he took out Jonas and the other guys that chased him, hell he even set Ridgeway on fire!" He pointed to the burning body. "Are you sure we wanna mess with this guy?"

The assumed leader scoffed as he began to approach me. "Fine, I'll kill this fool, and then you can all breathe easier, since I got rid of the big damn hero."

A few of his buddies began to join him. "Yeah, let's show these people what happens when you try to be a hero!" one said. The group began devolving into simple cheers as they sought to hype themselves up. From what I could count, this was a group of… Oh dear, that's about ten guys coming towards me: the leader, and the lackeys he managed to rally behind him.

I raised my sword and began trying to figure out a way to gain an advantage here. I glanced around my spot and took note of the surroundings. I saw a general store, a blacksmith shop, and a burning tavern… and from the looks of it, the other buildings were going to follow the tavern's example.

My best bet was to divide them, try and limit how many can come at me at any given time. I think my best option is the tavern, given my choices. It's two stories, so I can get to the high ground easily enough, depending on whether anyone was inside.

"Alrighty then, come and get me if you're ready to die!" I called out as I made a break for the tavern.

Predictably, they began charging after me. Once I got inside, I gave a look around the place, a bunch of tables were overturned, and unfortunately I noticed I was not alone inside. At the top of the stairs there was another bandit, holding a barmaid down, and he was currently…

I didn't even want to think about it.

So I charged in, grabbed a bottle rolling on the ground and smashed it on his head. Unfortunately, that didn't knock him out like I had hoped, and instead pissed him right the fuck off.

His head whipped around to face me, and in a moment of pure instinct, I rammed the broken bottle right into his eye. His screams mixed with the woman's as he got to his feet, and in a vain attempt to save himself, began wandering as he tugged at the glass now impaling his eye.

He got only a few feet before he slipped on a spilled drink and hit the ground, shoving the rest of the bottle into his face. The rest of the brigands were coming in by now, though.

"Get up, go!" I yelled at the maiden as I forcefully pulled her off the ground and began shoving her towards what I assumed was the back door of this bar. I wasn't about to let her get caught in the crossfire of this fight, I didn't need that distraction right now.

"He's up there!" one called out as they began flooding inside. I took a defensive position at the top of the stairs, and prepared myself for a tough fight.

I heard the barmaid scream, and turning around I barely caught sight of what she cried out about. Of course, more people were pounding at the backdoor, as if I didn't have enough guys to deal with.

As the last man entered the bar, the walkway above collapsed on him, blocking the doorway and windows out through the front. Shit, this place is burning down faster than expected.

I need to get out of here, this was a bad move!

"RUAGH!" one of the bandits cried out as he took a swing at my legs. He just barely missed, but I had to swing wildly down at them to make them back off a bit. Only when they did, more of the building collapsed and destroyed the damn stairs!

I backed up to the top. "Damn it!" I cursed at how close that debris was to me. The fire is spreading rapidly. If I don't figure out something soon, I won't be leaving!

"You!" I yelled out to the woman, who jumped at my voice. "Get over here now!" I commanded, and to my surprise, she responded instantly, running over to me as fast as she could.

Good thing too, as the instant she started doing so, the bandits at the backdoor had broken in. Once again, I prepared to fight them, but the floor gave out under all their weight, and they fell into the burning building below.

"Oh Goddess, I'm gonna die here!" I heard the woman say in a scared, small voice.

Damn it, how are we going to get out of here now? The only way I can see is the window, but this isn't a movie or game, where jumping out the window is usually option number one. I could end up gutting myself on the glass if I do it wrong, and I would be jumping onto solid ground from the second floor. I don't want to put myself in such a vulnerable position, especially with the rest of those guys out there!

I heard the woman scream again as more debris fell down from the roof, and suppressed a growl in my throat.

I didn't really have any other option now, did I? This place is coming down, and if I don't get out, I was going to get buried inside of it!

I looked around a bit more and groaned. Window it is, then. Let's just hope it's as effective a clichè as it should be. I ran and prepared to smash it, only to realize something just before I was going to bash it open with the pommel of my sword: It was latched in the middle. After I put my sword away, I undid the little latch and pushed the window open. Okay, that solves the gutting myself on the glass part.

"Alright-"

I stopped myself mid-sentence as I heard the ground under me start to crumble. "COME ON!" I shouted as I reached out, grabbed the barmaid and jumped out of the window just as the rest of the walkway crumbled into the fire below.

Unfortunately, my landing was not nearly as good as I had hoped, and I ended up falling over, tossing the lady a few feet away from me. I groaned as I shook my head and turned to watch the rest of the tavern collapse.

"Well…" I started to say as I rolled over and sat up before I began brushing some of the ash off of my armor. "That got a little heated, don't you think?" I tried to laugh at my own joke.

The woman looked at me with an awed expression. "You… you saved me..." she said slowly. As the realization began to dawn on her, she quickly pushed herself onto all fours and began pleading.

"Please! Their leader has my sister! I beg you sir, save her!"

"Do you know who has her?" I asked with a groan as I forced myself back onto my feet.

"That'd be me," a larger man called out as he approached from behind the crowd. "I lead this pathetic band of whelps," he said as he came forward. He was a huge man, wide and burly, with a war hammer on his back, wearing what looked like iron armor.

"I've half a mind to kill you here and now. But at the same time, if you wanted to join up with us, I believe that would work to everyone's advantage." He strode over to some of his men and grabbed a girl they had been 'toying' with. "How about this, you can either join us and get spoils and women, as much as you could ever want," he said as he tossed her towards me.

"Sister!" The woman next to me cried out as she tried to crawl for the younger girl, only to be stopped when that war hammer came down next to her little sister.

I glanced down at the girl, who looked up at me with silent, tearful and pleading eyes. "Or what?" I asked as I looked back up at the man, who took out his hammer.

"Or you die here," was the simple answer.

I narrowed my eyes and took on a stance as I held up my sword, preparing myself for a serious fight. "Then take your best shot," I challenged.

The big man laughed. "If that's the case, before you die, I want a name," he said as he brought the hammer to rest on his shoulder. "I want to know who to look up after I'm done turning your head to mush."

"James. James Hind," I answered.

The man nodded. "Hmm... Fine name. A strong one. A shame you're dying here, over some worthless town. Could have been someone someday, if you didn't have this little burst of courage," he said before drawing his hammer off his shoulder and reading himself. "Call me Crunch."

I almost wanted to laugh. "You picked that name yourself?"

He laughed. "Nah, I got it because that's the sound this baby tends to make whenever I bring it down on some poor fool's bones," he told me before his own expression darkened.

"But the time for talk is over, now DIE!" he roared as he ran at me, raising the hammer to smash me.

When I saw him swing that hammer, I expected an easily telegraphed attack, an overhead smash, or a ponderous swing to the side; only to learn one vital lesson.

Just because your opponent uses a heavy weapon, it doesn't mean in any respect that they are slow in its use.

I barely managed to step back and away from his first overhead smash attack, but wasn't prepared for the follow-up horizontal swing that struck me right in the ribs before I could even think to guard. The attack sent me off my feet and straight into the blacksmith shop, and I found myself in an odd position of being too shocked to move right away.

I laid there, slowly applying the healing spell to where he struck, and watched almost helplessly as he approached.

"You know, since you beat my guys, I expected a bit more of a challenge, to be honest," he said, as he began resting the war hammer on his shoulder again, stopping a few feet from me. "But quite frankly, you've done me a favor. You see, I do not employ idiots, and luring them into that burning building? Only someone crazy would run into something like that, and only an idiot would have followed them inside."

"Hey, you're the one that took them on, not me," I hissed as I struggled to sit up.

Crunch laughed. "I suppose I did, too bad you didn't want to join me." He raised the hammer. "We could have lived like barons, you and I," he told me before he swung downwards at me. I rolled out of the way, only to notice he never hit the ground.

I spared a glance and saw his hammer. It had gotten caught on one of the wooden struts in the ceiling of the shop!

"Argh, come on!" he growled out as he tried to tug it free.

As I stood up, I noticed I didn't have my sword anymore, and after a quick glance around, saw it was laying on the ground outside. I began cursing my poor grip on it before I took this chance to separate him from his weapon. I charged at him as I stood, slamming him onto the iron anvil, and thankfully managed to make him leave his weapon stuck on the wooden strut.

I clenched my fist and began beating him when he was against it, one hit after another, before he finally recovered enough to catch my wrist mid punch.

He began to squeeze, feeling my bones begin to scrape each other before I opened my hand and let forth a torrent of fire directly into his face. This was both a smart move and a stupid one.

While I succeeded in giving him the world's meanest burn right on his face, I neglected to think about the fact that he was stronger than I was right now, and was thrown off pretty easily. I was tossed to the ground and my hand landed right into the forge itself.

"AGH!" I screamed as I pulled it out and saw that a nasty red burn was already present. I was so tempted to grab my hand, to try and squeeze it, but I suppressed the urge and settled on gasping under the pain. I spotted a barrel close by, and upon inspection saw it was full of water. I submerged the angry red flesh of my hand inside and began channeling healing magic to it.

Thankfully, I could already feel the pain being suppressed behind the magic and began to relax.

However, I neglected another vital factor while I was focused on making sure I could actually use my hand.

That bandit, Crunch? He was still alive, and pissed.

He grabbed the back of my armor, and with more strength than I thought possible, yanked me away from the barrel. What he wasn't expecting was for me to hold onto the barrel when he threw me away from it, and accidentally spilled it all over the floor.

"Ah Fuck!" he cried out as he stared down at me with a fury that I had never seen in my life. "That was a nasty little trick you pulled," he said with rage.

"LET ME RETURN THE FAVOR!"

He grabbed me again, but this time he wasn't trying to throw me anywhere. No, this time he was trying to force me into the forge.

I barely managed to grasp the sides by the time he began pushing against my head and upper back. I'm not going to lie, I was scared. This guy was stronger than I was, and for a few moments, just as my face was centimeters away from those hot burning coals, I was afraid I was going to die here.

But that fear led me to a different type of strength. I refused to go out without at least taking this bastard down with me. I began pushing myself back, struggling for every inch I could get, before I beheld my salvation.

I reached out a little bit and grabbed a sword that must have been left in the forge when the bandits came. I wrapped my fingers around it, and although that burned, I spun it around in my grip and made a blind stab backward, shoving the burning steel into his forearm.

"AAGH! YOU FUCKER!" he cried out as the hand on my back left.

Within a moment of that happening, I threw my elbow backwards and struck him in the face. I heard him grunt in pain as the hand on the back of my head left. I had only a brief window to act now, and with it I spun around, grabbing him and forcing him into the furnace. Only, I made sure he couldn't grab the sides to keep himself out.

He screamed as I held his face deep in the flame, even as he struggled, throwing his hands wildly as he tried to grab the sides and gain any sort of relief. I always forced him back in.

Eventually, he stopped struggling, and I finally let go. He didn't even try to get out and simply remained there, with his face in the fire…

I… I didn't feel so good, and fell backwards onto a small wooden seat. The realization of what I just did finally set in.

I just killed so many people. A part of me felt nauseous, like I was about to be sick, but these people were scum. I shouldn't feel like this for killing them. I took a few breaths as I began to collect myself. These… These weren't people, only monsters in human skin.

Once I was certain I wasn't going to make a mess all over the floor, I stood up and left, but not before collecting that hammer. I slung it over my shoulder and stepped out of the blacksmith shop, watching as all the remaining bandits began backing away.

"No way… Crunch is dead?!"

"Are you serious?!"

"Guys, let's get out of here, a few women aren't worth getting killed over!" I heard them talk among themselves before they all turned and ran.

I looked over at the survivors, who were all looking at me with awe. "It's not safe here anymore," I told them. "Get whatever you need and go to one of the fortresses, it's safer there than here." My order was met with a bunch of nods and agreeing statements.

"But... What will we do?" I heard one of the wounded guards say as he sat down on the dirt. "This was all we had… without it, what's the point?" he asked. "They might as well have killed us all."

I looked him over, and then at my new hammer.

"Bandits usually have bounties, right?" I asked, earning strange looks from the people around me. "What if you took the bounty for that guy I just killed? To help get yourselves some money to start over again someday?" I suggested.

The guard stared at me in apparent disbelief. "You… are you serious?" he asked. "That'll help a lot!" he told me as I held out the hammer for him to take. He grasped it almost reverently.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

I waved my hand. "You're going to need the money more than I would have. Take it and get out of here," I told them.

"Yes, yes, we will! Thank you so much!" He said as he ran off, to begin preparations for their journey, I assume. I took a sigh of relief as I looked over at the civilians as they began grabbing everything they could and began loading up various wagons with their belongings and money.

While they worked on that, I walked over and began searching for my sword, only to find that younger girl holding it. "You... You saved us," she said, as she looked up at me.

"Are… Are you going to end the war? Are we going to be safe?" she asked me.

I… I found myself at a loss for words for a moment. I grimaced internally. I couldn't tell her the truth, so instead I put on a wide smile and crouched down to her level. "Yep, I am ending this war, and everyone will be safe. You can count on it," I told the young girl.

She handed me my sword back, and I put it back into its sheath. "But, what if they attack us again?" she asked.

"Then I guess you'll be seeing me again," I told her as I patted her head. "Now go, get someplace safe," I said as I stood back up, pointing to the wagons.

The little girl nodded. "Thank you, Sir!" she yelled out before her sister helped her onto one of the wagons. I stayed for a bit, watching them pull away.

I… I did that, didn't I? I saved them, right?

My small smile faded as I looked around. The town was a complete wreck. The fires had spread to the other buildings, and each was slowly but surely going to be reduced to ashes.

"Well, well, well." I heard the awful voice of Vault behind me. "Looks like we arrived late to one hell of a party," he said, as he looked around at the corpses and dead men. "Damn, James, could have at least saved some for us," he laughed as he inspected a few of the dead bandits.

I didn't know how to answer without coming off as hostile, but thankfully I was spared having to respond, only for my heart to sink as I realized the next speaker must have been watching me.

"Oh, there were some that survived," Hicks reported as he emerged from behind one of the houses, "but they ran off when he killed their leader." Vault gave an approving nod. "Most of his kills though were because they stupidly followed him into a deathtrap," he said as he pointed to the collapsed tavern.

"Looks like our newest recruit isn't just smart, but mad too."

Vault raised an eyebrow. "You ran into a burning building?" he inquired, almost as if he didn't believe it.

I slowly nodded. "Yeah, the idea was to try and limit how many I had to fight, but it seems like the word self-preservation only had meaning to a few of these people."

He barked out a laugh before putting his hand on my shoulder. "Ha! I like this guy!" he said before putting his arm around me, more or less pushing me alongside him.

"Although, there is one more thing, Boss." I clenched my teeth and prepared myself for Hicks' next words. "It seems our new friend here has a little secret he never told us about," he said with a sickeningly smug smile on his face.

Vault glanced back at his scout. "Well? What is it?"

Hicks' smug expression stayed. "It seems James here can use magic without a book," he said, and I felt my heart stop for a few seconds. Damn it, I wanted to keep that secret!

Before Vault could get his next word in, I heard Kin interject.

"That's not possible!" he said loudly as he approached us. "No human can do magic naturally!"

Hicks just kept on smiling. "I never lied to you guys before, why would I lie now?" he asked.

Kin stared at me incredulously, before grabbing my arm. "I don't doubt you, Hicks," he said as he pulled me out of Vault's grasp and towards what I assumed would be the rest of the convoy. "But I need to confirm this for myself!" he called out as he dragged me along.


"So, your thoughts?" Vault asked as he watched James get taken back to the convoy.

Hicks shrugged. "Well, he isn't exactly the most straightforward fighter. But then again, he was dealing with superior numbers, all newbies too," he said as he stood next to Vault. "He's got a talent for fighting, but his skills are lackluster. He relied more on intelligent thinking and a crazy idea to win."

Vault rubbed his chin in thought. "And Crunch?"

"Dead, the dipshit got his head forced into a forge 'cause he got his hammer stuck."

With a slow nod, Vault let his smile grow. "Crunch was one of our veterans, wasn't he?" he asked, looking at Hicks, who merely nodded in response. "James is already proving himself to be one of the best people I've ever taken in yet," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah, about that." Hicks suddenly became hesitant. "Seems he's still got some kind of moral compass. He let the victims go, you want me to send a party after them?"

Vault waved his hand. "He'll come around, he just needs some time, that's all. As for the people he let go, don't bother. We'll get them after we take over this place," he said with a sinister grin.

"Now let's get going, we still have much ground to cover before we reach the Dark Queen's Citadel," he said as he and his Scout Commander made their own way back to the rest of the Black Dogs.


Special thanks to LittleWhiteMouse for his help with this.

AN: Alright, there.

Chapter done.

Fuck me, this took so much longer than it should have. But at least this time I have a somewhat valid reason for it.

At the beginning of February, I accidentally got my fingers slammed in a door, which made typing out the chapter a goddamn nightmare. So I put it off for a bit while I wanted for my finger to heal. Once I could actually type without issues, guess what? Family emergency, I don't want to talk about it since it is personal, but it made investing time into the fic difficult because I was stressing out about it. This lasted a while, up until the beginning of March, when most of the drama had passed and I actually could put words to page, but then I found myself experiencing some writer's block.

But it's done now, and quite frankly, I am happy to be done with it.

Until next time.

Oh, one last thing, I've been remarkably undecided about someone's status in the Harem, and I was hoping you all could help me figure out if I should put them in or leave them out.