Natasha the Halve

“What is a Vok'ren?” I asked him as I walked back to the group. “By the way, what's your name?”

The boy followed me and Yolin, who had a serious expression.

“Ah, yes!” he replied with a long breath after taking a substantial sip of water. He looked down at the pet bottle in his hand for a second, “Such a weird container. My name is Parris, Your Excellency! I... don't know what they are, as I didn't see them myself. I haven't learned of them yet, unfortunately. I'm only thirteen years old.”

I turned my head to him and appraised the boy.

[Parris, Lupum Lvl 26 Warrior]

Not even past the base class, I thought.

“And how did you know of them?” I asked as we reached Lapia and the others. “There's a threat to the north, who wants to come? It's a pack of Vok'ren,” I informed them.

The boy's face turned complicated, and he looked down at his feet. He grabbed his shorts, the only clothes he was wearing, and bit his lips.

My companions went silent for a few seconds and stood up. Lapia and Alyssa went to the cabin, and Bromisnar stood up from his chair, storing the bottles and foods. Bonte spat the alcohol in his mouth and helped the Satyr. Pokora ran into the cabin at a speed no shorty should run at.

“My... friend and I were exploring around the lake when we saw an Elf walking into the forests,” he said, looking up at me. Then, he continued at a quick pace when he saw my unimpressed face, “We were curious, so we followed. After around twenty minutes, we lost sight of her and got lost. Then, we came across Captain Lorena with a team of Watchers, they were heavily injured. She asked me to come tell you about the Vok'ren. My friend stayed behind as he's a Cleric and has decent healing skills.”

Shit did indeed hit the fan, looks like, I thought, giving him a nod.

“Thank you for telling me,” I told him with a smile. “Go to the Watcher's office and informed them of what happened. Tell them I'm going so they have nothing to worry about.”

I stopped for a second, my mind going into overdrive. I thought of the many possibilities this event could entail, from a natural migration of monsters to a calculated distraction.

“Also, tell them to increase security around Sussanna,” I suggested, placing a hand on his naked shoulder. His fur tickled my palm a little.

He blushed a little and I immediately removed my hand. I had no clue how pubescent boys reacted to an unknown woman's touch. Not with how different things are in Galeia.

“Alright!” he replied with a strong nod, and returned the empty bottle after I gestured for it.

He looked around and fidgeted a little.

“Um, Your Excellency?” he gave me a shy look.

“Yeah?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

“Where's the exit?” he asked with a blush.

I bit my lips to suppress a laugh.

“I'll take him,” Yolin replied, walking off to the cabin. “Follow me.”

The two disappeared behind the side of the cabin, and I turned towards the north. Lakeview was on the southern shore of the lake, so that gave me peace of mind.

Bonte stood next to me, and Bromisnar on the other side.

So, Lorena is at least level 500, at best level 750, I considered the little info I had. There has to be a way to see the total level of people when appraising them, I thought, biting my lower lip.

“What is a Vok'ren?” I asked the two as we waited for the rest.

Nothing would come out of me rushing ahead. Lorena may need medical attention, and I doubted a teenager could properly heal a Watcher. Not even considering they may be from different species, something Alyssa explained as a difficulty without intense studies. I could use an elixir, but with no knowledge of what I'd face, shit could go wrong pretty fast.

“They are pretty disgusting,” Bonte replied. “I've never fought one, as they are usually above level 600 on average. They're similar to the Ikar'en you killed in Mountroad's dungeon. These are mostly passive monsters that help in thinning forests, however. I can't think of a reason for them to approach a settlement.”

Oh, shit, I thought with a wince, remembering the grasshopper/beetle hybrid nightmares I faced weeks ago.

Sonya's low growl made me turn, and I smiled.

Everyone wore their battle gear, Yolin joining them.

“Mount up!” Alyssa commanded, and we followed. “Let's go!”

We rode along the shore lake pretty quickly. Our mounts kicking up sand and water.

Alyssa, Lapia, Bromisnar, and Bonte were riding Bhin. Pokora was riding a weird creature, like a dinosaur but with feathers and horns. The body of the animal was black, and the feathers were blue and red. It stood like an ostrich, but had no arms nor wings, so it wasn't one of those popular dinosaurs from the horror-movie franchise Jurassic Dark.

It made for a pretty fantastic sight along with my red drake and Yolin's massive, black wolf.

I equipped my armor and pulled out my spear from my storage. Just in case, I also pulled out the shield and gave it a look as we moved insanely fast along the shore with the water to our right. Magical beings are terrifyingly amazing. The lake was absolutely massive, so we had a few minutes until we got to the destination.

[+100 Starforged Eternium Aspis (Legendary) {Ascension Lvl 10}]
(SSS+ Durability)
-Durability + 100% ({Lvl 10 Zaphyr}x10)
-Durability + 50% (Enchantment)
-STR + 220
-CON + 220
-DEX + 220
-Increases Toughness (5% for every 20 Enhancement levels) to Allies (CON/50)m around you. (25%)

Pretty shit, I concluded. That's a weird combination of languages.

I used a 3m pike, but a Hoplite is a foot soldier that uses both spear and shield. Besides, Shielded Thrust gave me a solid grasp on how to handle a shield. Though I don't particularly like that skill.

“Pokora,” Alyssa called the Archer as we rode. “Can you track Lorena?”

“Already on it,” she replied with a nod.

We passed the last bonfires from the cabin resort on our way, the light of the stars illuminating our path along with the glow of my braid that came out of the hole at the back of my helmet.

We took a turn and followed the shore of the lake, the formation shifting to allow Pokora's mount to move to the front so she could guide us. I quickly looked to the south, noticing the distant bonfires in front of Lakeview on the other side of the lake. I thought of how long the boy must have ran and clicked my tongue, chastising myself for not asking for more information. The cabin resort was a little detached from the town itself, so that was a little reassuring.

The Archer made a gesture to the left where the edge of the forest had replaced buildings, and took a turn. We followed, the animals pretty fast on their advance and quick to react.

Through bushes and trees, Pokora lead us deep into the forest until we came across the Watcher group. I sighed in relief as they were relatively closer than I expected. We stopped and I dismounted, follwing Alyssa.

A slightly older boy was kneeling next to Lorena, who was laying on the forest ground. I noticed quite the amount of blood on her clothes. The rest were in a similar condition, close to ten people. They were groaning in pain and holding their bodies. I noticed two were deathly quiet.

The Luzo waved a hand and a white circle showed up on the ground, surrounding those wounded. A few seconds later they all calmed down and slowly stood up.

“Lady Alyssa,” Lorena gave her a nod. “Thank you for the assist.”

The boy stood up and let out a long sigh of relief. He was a young Faeton Elf with green-ish hair and dark skin. He was wearing a linen robe with Danuva's symbol on the chest.

“You didn't have Clerics?” the healer asked in a slightly angry tone.

Oh, shit, I thought, taking a step back and pretending to approach the mounts. You awoke the Dragon, you're on your own.

“He lost consciousness,” the Watcher replied, shaking her head. “He was targeted first. We were taken by surprise while chasing after Elena.”

A young-looking Shishi Tigea approached with a complicated face, the whole scene visible thanks to the stars and the glow coming off my hair.

I appraised the boy first.

[Faeton Elf, lvl 21 Cleric]

Wow...

Then, I appraised the man.

[Shishi Tigea, lvl 233 High Priest]

“Alright,” Alyssa nodded. “You're good now. Where are the Vok'ren?”

“Further north,” the Captain answered, pointing in that direction. “There's tens of them.”

So few!

I managed to hold the snort back, walking towards danger. An excitement was taking root within me. I hadn't fought to kill in a while and the last days were a little stressful.

Pokora dismounted and gave the Captain a nod.

“Take care of the mounts,” she said, and walked off.

I followed her, Yolin and Lapia joining us. The rest stayed with the Watchers and the boy.

“They're a few hundred meters ahead,” Pokora informed us and started jogging as a bow materialized in her hands.

We kept pace, and after a few seconds came up to a clearing where we stopped.

There, an Elvish woman sat on a tree stump. Around her, bugs the size of cars were silently moving in a circle.

This woman is a fucking retard, I thought, my eyebrows almost fusing with my hairline.

Upon closer inspection, the woman was missing a leg, a belt around the stump. She looked up and I noticed her eyes were a little unfocused.

“Halve scum,” she spat.

Here we go.

“Sup, bitch,” I replied, walking into the clearing.

[Vok'ren, Lvl 874]

Pretty good, I thought.

The rest were around that level, from 860 to 880.

[Faeton Elf, lvl 289 Entomyst]

What the fuck is that class?

The bugs were uninterested in me until I came two meters from the Elf. They moved pretty fast, jumping towards me.

I swung my spear around, killing two instantly.

I sighed.

I must look like one of those petty evil characters, I thought. Should I laugh like 'mwahahaha'?

A few arrows whistled though the air, killing three in the blink of an eye. The projectiles embedded on their heads, near the neck.

“How about we have a talk?” I asked the Elf, taking another step.

Another bug moved, and I just held my weapon for it to pierce itself onto. The bug let out a quiet screech as it got skewered. I kicked it and it broke down, dripping mold-smelling liquid on the ground.

“I have nothing to say to you, freak!” she hatefully replied, glaring at me.

“So, what's your narrative?” I asked, resting my spear on my shoulder.

“You shouldn't exist, not anymore...” she muttered, wobbling a little to the side.

She wiped sweat off her forehead, moving reddish locks out of her eyes. Using her right hand, she supported herself on the tree stump.

“Alright,” I nodded. “What else?”

“Why?” she asked, her voice turning pained. “Why is Galeia creating you? Why should we ask permission to found countries?! You have done nothing for the people of today, why should we respect you?! Why don't the Gods fuck off too while we're at it?!”

The bugs shifted, turning to my companions.

“COME TO MORTAL COMBAT!” I yelled, activating Intimidate Prey.

The woman was pushed back, her body flying away and crashing against a tree like a puppet whose string had been cut.

The bugs focused on me, and jumped at the same time. I gripped my spear with my right hand and activated Dragon Claw, spinning around and mutilating them as they approached.

The smell of the bugs' innards filled my nose, and I walked towards the woman. She was glaring at me, blood covering her face from a wound on her head.

“Anyway,” I shrugged. “We were talking.”

“Just kill me already,” she groaned, fixing her posture to better glare at me.

“Seriously?” I asked, a little surprised. “I can? That saves me a lot of time, to be honest.”

Her face paled, and she closed her eyes.

I raised my spear and cut her arms and leg in a clean swing.

“Arghh!” she held a scream back, tightening her face.

I grabbed her by the hair and lifted the limbless body. Removing my helmet, I closed in on her and whispered in a volume the others would not hear.

“I called three times, yet the dreamer only answered once,” I spoke Abyssal for the first time, my voice coming out as a foggy, distant whisper from the depths of the universe.

The Elf's eyes rolled back, and she started crying blood while her body was assaulted with violent shakes and jolts. Foamy spit escaped her mouth, her face distorted in insanity and madness. Endless mental pain and torture reflected the weak wheezes that left her open mouth, bubbly sounds coming out with every attempt at a cry.

I watched in amazement. The world did not shake like when speaking Infernal. It was so quiet, so clean, so distant, so... ancient.

This... is more dangerous than I thought, I contemplated, staring at the mess of a creature the woman turned into.