Fuck! Silvas cursed, looking into the two men.. No boy’s eyes.

I have to fight. He thought.

Silvas gripped the gnarled staff in one hand unsheathing his dagger from his side in the other. And lunged forward with all his speed.

The two boys in front seemed to be surprised by his quick decision to run in out numbered, but quickly recovered.

“Fucking Freshie! Know your damn place!” the one on the left roared, raising his sword into the air to bring it down.

The other boy shot to the side of Silvas, bringing up his sword in an upward diagonal slash at the same time pinning Silvas from the other side.

Can’t dodge. Silvas thought, his eyes honing in on the blade coming down from above.

With trained movements the once standing field general moved gracefully to the left, bending down below the overhead strike, and tried to get into the space close to the boy on the left.

But Silvas’s eyes widened when the sword glowed red and moved like it came alive and changed at an unbelievable angle towards him.

“Heavy Strike!” the boy bellowed with a sneer, satisfaction in his eyes as he drank in Silvas’s surprise.

Silvas’s decades of training and combat kicked into high gear as his arm moved mechanically to block the blow, but was only able to partially deflect the sword.

Why is it so heavy?! Silvas shouted internally, as the blade from the boy a head smaller than he pushed him backwards, and straight into the second blad coming at his side.

Silvas moved his arm that held the staff to block the blade but was surprised again to see the boy on his right now grin as he shouted the same words.

“Heavy Strike!”

The blade of the boy gleaned red as it passed like butter through the bottom of Silvas’s staff, cutting off the bottom of the long piece of wood and cutting through him on the side.

Silvas jumped backwards, his hand on his right side, as a warm liquid began to pass through his fingers.

Are these skills? Damn it what was that healing skill the boy mentioned?! Silvas began thinking his dagger and half staff at the ready, as the boys crept closer. The third boy in the back glaring daggers at Silvas as he held the pouch of money in his hands.

“Nature’s Breath,” Silvas said, a soft green light flickered into existence and covered him in a warm comforting glow before being absorbed by his person, as he felt a slight itch at his side. The red liquid that permeated his hemp clothes slowly receding as if time was being reversed.

“He’s a fucking Druid, James! What are we supposed to do about the healing?!” the boy on the left shouted perturbed.

“What do you mean what do we do! It’s two against 1 fucking hit him till he’s dead Jessie!” James shouted back turning his head slightly.

Silvas didn’t miss his chance and shot forward again, his staff raised high as his eyes glared down cold as steel.

By the time James turned back to look up it was already too late. Silvas’s gnarled half staff was already within centimeters of his face, and crashed right between his eyes as he was brought down to the floor by the blow with a solid thump.

Without checking if the boy was knocked out, Silvas turned, “Nature Shock,” Silvas voiced, his staff turned to point at Jessie.

Silvas’s staff glowed in a bright green light, much like his spell before. As a ball of the light formed quickly at the end of the staff in a split second, firing forward towards Jessie.

A half a breath later the ball of green energy slammed into the boy, his body going straight as he fell to the floor convulsing for a moment before passing out himself.

“Why are childre-” Silvas began but then felt a piercing pain at his side.

Looking down he saw a knife where the pain was, the last boy who was holding the money now there pressing the small knife into him.

Silvas cursed as he winced from the pain. He slipped his own dagger into its holster then grabbed the boy by his wrists, he picked him up to eye level.

“Get the fuck off me! We need that money!!” 

Silvas recoiled by the tone of the voice, but held a firm grip as he pulled the knife from his own side and dropped it to the floor.

“You’re a girl? Why are you all stealing from people just arriving?” Silvas asked even toned.

“Because we’re Plains Born. Now let Mira go, before I take your hands from you,” sounded a voice behind Silvas.

He turned to the voice and was met with another boy at the end of the alleyway. His hair was auburn colored and shoulder length, his bangs fell in front of his face as the rest was pulled into a small ponytail. The boy’s armor was leagues above the others who were unconscious below Silvas. And two daggers rested on his sides.

Silvas looked back at the boy with a scowl, “They robbed and assaulted me, and you want me to let them go? Who raised you boy?”

“Ash! Do something about this damned Freshie! He beat up Jessie and James!” shouted the small girl from Silvas’s grip.

“Quiet Mira. I told you three to stop this crap weeks ago. I told you to just wait until I got back from the tower! And you really are new, I told you I’m a Plains Born, no one raised me you moron,” Ash spat back, “Now let her go and we can all just go about our day with all our limbs in tack, yeah?”

Silvas met the boy, Ash, with an even look, “No. Not until I get some answers. My guide was less than helpful.”

Ash’s brows creased into a frown, “You really want to die today old man. Those kids you beat up are just level ones holding swords. I’m an E Ranked Climber, you don’t stand a chance,” he sneered, his eyes turning to points and glowing green.

“All I want is some answers, then I’ll be on my way. You can even take the money, this girl stole from me as payment. I don’t need it as much as you all do and I’ll make more. I’m good at killing things,” Silvas grinned.

Ash blinked once, twice. Then relaxed his stance slightly.

“Fine but put her down and release her first,” Ash demanded.

Silvas lowered the girl and let her go. She immediately ran over to Ash and stuck her tongue out at Silvas.

Cheeky brat. These kids need an adult. Silvas thought, rubbing the side where the girl had stabbed him, thankful the smooth unbroken skin was now covering the wound.

This magic thing is wondrous. If only we had this back on Yarusha… All those soldiers could have easily been saved…

Silvas brought himself back to reality as he walked over to one of the older of the two boys, and sat down on him unceremoniously.

“Take a seat I have a fair amount of questions,” Silvas said waving to the other boy.

The boy Jessie groaned under Silvas’s weight, but Silvas ignored it.

Tis the punishment you well deserve, kid.

Ash tried his best to hide his grin, and went over to sit down on James, with Mira in tow behind him, her hands clasped to the back of his armor.

“First, what is a Plains Born and why are kids stealing? I’ve seen slums before, but there seems to be no need for such a thing if the tower is as lucrative as the guide made it out to be. And you,” Silvas looked the boy Ash up and down, “seem to be doing well yourself.”

Ashe clicked his tongue, “Yeah well not everyone is willing to go into a life or death tower for a little bit of money,” Ash said, “especially when you’re a Plains Born.”

Silvas raised his brow.

Ashe continued, “A Plains Born is a person who is born in the Eternal Plains. We don’t carry the same system the summoned do, which makes us weaker since the Gods can’t interfere with us directly.”

Silvas was surprised.

“Why would your parents just abandon you though? That doesn’t make sense,” Silvas asked, his grip on his staff tightening, as he thought of his own children.

Ash gave a sarcastic longful grin, “Ha! Maybe some of the highborn kids near the tower don’t get abandoned. Since their parents can take them on in parties and help their growth. But us kids from the slums? We’re just another troublesome mouth to feed. Most of us are sons of people from the red district, and of people that are just stuck here. I’m not sure what your story is but, not every summoned is a fighter or trained soldier. Some are just plain old people who have no idea what is going on. The Gods are pieces of shit like that. Only summoning people when they please for their entertainment.”

Silvas’s jaw clenched. And he took a long second to breathe deeply before asking his next question.

“You said you’re an E Ranked Climber. What does that mean exactly? You mentioned that you grow more slowly than the summoned, does that mean you find it hard to find people to go into the tower with, or you just don’t… level up as quickly?” Silvas asked, the last question sounded more like a question as he struggled to use the jargon.

“E Rank is the starting Rank of all climbers, but I’m right at the cusp of ranking up to D. It means that I’ve been in the tower a few times and know my way around,” Ash said, tilting his chin up a bit proudly, “And yeah, all Plains Born find it hard to find parties unless they were lucky enough to be born a supporter and became a porter or a useful support class. But most of us get stuck with the basics of the basic classes. As far as levels… we do go a tad bit slower, but the big thing is we have shit classes, and don’t gain as many stats per level, so no one wants to invest into defective Climbers unless they are carrying bags or give buffs.”

Ash got off James, turned around and gave him a quick smack to the face with his hand, “Oi moron, get up.”

Silvas scoffed and got off Jessie as well, but didn’t do so much as speak to wake him. Instead he turned to ask another question.

“Then what class are you, boy?”

“Not boy. Ash,” Ash said looking up incredulously from his crouched position next to James’s head, “And you don’t have enough coin to ask those types of questions old man. You’re lucky I even humored you when I could have just taken back Mira and been on my merry way with your bag of coins anyway.”

Silvas smiled. This one. I can tell is going to go places.