“Hold still for a minute.”

Yori opened his eyes in time to witness Kana firmly pressing on his shoulder to pop it back into the socket. This did cause Yori to let out a yelp. He slowly began regaining the feeling in his fingertips. His fingers wiggled. After a few minutes of tingling he could lift his elbow slightly. Kana continued her work, not acknowledging the twitching of Yori’s arm.

“The blood loss and bruising are relatively easy to heal, but you should have rushed right here with these breaks and dislocations!”

“I’m sorry, it’s just-“

“Magic isn’t all powerful you know! All I can do is speed up normal healing.”

“Yes, Lady Kana. You see-“

“If any of this had started to heal without me setting it first you could have permanently lost use! We can’t create miracles, you know?”

“Yes Ma’am, I’m sorry…”

“It’s alright. All that matters is you’re safe. I am curious though. What happened? Did you get trampled by the farm animals or something? You should really be more careful.”

“Well, actually… I was fighting jackalopes outside of the city and it kind of took me a while to get the hang of it…. The first one I fought really did a number to me.”

Kana halted her lecture and her healing. She stared at him with her mouth partially open in surprise. For a minute she thought maybe she had heard him incorrectly. Furrowing her brow, Kana placed her arms on her hips asked him to repeat himself.

“Excuse me, you did WHAT?!”

The last word was quite loud. A few citizens could be heard commenting on what must be going on behind the curtain. Keeping his eyes averted, all Yori could do was laugh nervously. Yori mistook her concern for anger. He was previously unable to get a word in while she berated him on his carelessness, and now she was having trouble uttering a syllable. Kana seemed to be having difficulty wrapping her head around the entire situation.

“Why in the world would you do that? You were purposely seeking out those beasts?”

“I-I just don’t want to be weak anymore.”

“You’re a Villager. It is your destiny to farm animals, or work at a shop or fish or something. Not to fight monsters!”

Her words cut Yori deeper than any blade ever could, reminding him of the impossible goals he had laid out for himself.

“Was it my family’s, my village’s, destiny to be killed by monsters? I don’t want that to ever happen again. I don’t want to live in fear, I want to stand on my own two feet and protect the people I care about.”

A long sigh escaped Kana’s lips. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath to settle her emotions. Opening her eyes again, she focused her attention back on Yori’s wounds, activating her magic to heal the broken boy in front of her.

“Look, I…I just don’t want to see you like you were the day we met. If this is what you think is best for you though, then I guess I don’t have any right to stop you.”

“Me neither… if I have to defy my destiny to do so, then that’s what I will do.”

A soft smile flitted across Kana’s face. The sincerity with which Yori spoke broke the young healer’s composure. He was unsure of what she was smiling about, though. It was not difficult to see the genuineness of her concern for him, but Yori’s last comment seemed to still her for a moment. Her delicate lips parted slightly as if to say something further, but no words escaped her mouth. She instead looked down at her hands and continued her work. The bruises on Yori’s shoulder and chest had started to slowly recede, revealing his normally pale skin. The two sat in silence, a conflicted look resting on Kana’s face.

They sat like this until Yori was fully healed. There were no traces of injury left on his skin, not even a scar or blemish remained. Yori flexed his fingers to test if the dexterity and feeling had returned to the digits. Everything seemed to be back to normal. During the silence, he had taken the time to think about what he wanted. He would have top think on this more tonight. The parameters laid out by the Guild Master seemed impossible. In his head he went over the list of requirements again to enter the Guild.

A combat stat over 20. Two combat skills. Ten silver coins.

The jackalope corpses would only pay for his food and room for the day. Yori did some quick math in his head, calculating the daunting amount of work he was going to have to put in to achieve this goal.

So, if one silver is 100 copper, and I need 10 silver… Arrghh I am going to have to kill twice as many jackalopes every day for 100 days to save up that much! There must be a better way…

The money seemed so far out of his reach. His family was of lower class, even in the small town of Oseford. He’d never even seen ten silver at once, and now he would have to earn that himself. These thoughts of monetary gains, or lack thereof, temporarily pushed aside Yori’s concern about the other requirements. Combat skills and a high stat. Slowly Yori’s mind circled back to this topic.

Hmm, I don’t even know what my stats are, so how do I figure out how much I need to improve? I am just going to assume I don’t have any combat skills. Maybe Lady Kana would know! She is a healer, after all.

“Um, Lady Kana, can I ask you a question. How exactly do you check your stats and gain skills? I am completely new to this sort of thing.”

Yori was perplexed. He had not even thought about what he might already have. He had grown up surrounded by other Villagers, other than his sister, so there was no real reason for anyone to check their stats. In small towns like Oseford, people rarely ever leveled up so there was no point in this service being available. They had no churches or anything in their town to do so if they wanted to. If someone gained enough experience to level up by working on their craft, be it animal husbandry, tilling, fishing, or the like, they would have to hire someone to escort them to the city, which was not worth most Villager’s money.

Having finished with Yori’s healing, Kana stood and smoothed out her robe. She turned her attention to Yori’s inquiry.

“Oh, well I can actually help you with that here. Follow me, it’s just at the alter over here.”

Brushing aside the curtain that blocked the view of incoming citizens, Kana led him through the large archway that served as the entrance to the main room of the Church of Light. There were several people milling about. Some were seated at pews, their hands together and their heads down in prayer, words mumbling from their parting lips. Others wore robes such as Kana’s and appeared deep in study. There were a couple of people adorned with leather armour that Yori assumed were Adventurers from the Guild, peering over a large crystal about the size of a human head situated atop an ornamented pedestal. A grand window gleamed behind it of colourful stained glass. It depicted what looked like an angel, light shining from her cupped hands. Natural light from the sun shown through and filled the massive room. The light flooding in seemed to amplify the crystal’s beauty. Kana gestured towards the sparkling stone, leading Yori to stand in front of it.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? This is our Church’s skill stone. Have you seen the city’s barrier crystal yet? It’s humongous. This little guy is nothing compared to it, but it has to be to make such a large barrier. Anyways, just place your hand on this stone and it will show you your stats, skill points, and skills you already have. It will also show you any skills from the Goddess of Light you can acquire, as well as the cost.”

Doing as he was told, Yori reached out his hand and placed his palm on the blue glittering object in front of him. The crystal was cool to the touch, but a warmth emanated from the center, almost like a heartbeat. Yori felt a light pressure on his chest as the crystal reacted to his presence. He was not expecting much in the way of accumulated experience, but he hoped his efforts against the jackalopes, as well as his fight against the green creature that haunted his dreams, had at least given him a decent start towards reaching the next level. The light inside the transparent stone swirled as it accessed Yori’s stats. After a few seconds words and numbers appeared as clear as if they had been written inside the crystal facing the boy.

Yori Yoshinaga

Level 1 Villager

Xp: 12 Xp to next level: 38

HP: 7

MP: 7

Brawn: 12

AP: 0

Agility: 15

Endurance: 13

Awareness: 15

Charm: 17

Magic: 11

SP: 2

Skills:

• Animal Empathy

 

Gazing at the stark white letters, Yori was both excited and disappointed by what he saw. His base stats were pretty low, especially his Brawn. He knew he was not strong, but it being his second lowest stat was a bit embarrassing. Yori imagined Naoki would have had double his Brawn with the size of his late friend. Shifting his attention to the highest numbers he let out a bit of an amused snort.

“Well, I guess it’s flattering to know that my personality is my best feature, but in this occasion I wish it wasn’t. Is this a skill?”

Yori pointed at the words Animal Empathy at the bottom of his stat block.

“Yes, that is a skill. Usually skills are bought at Churches, but occasionally and in this case, they can be earned through repeated actions. It appears you spent a great deal of your time caring for animals in your days.”

“Hmmm… I suppose that doesn’t count as a combat skill, then.”

“No, it likely does not. You will have to buy those with Skill Points, or SP for short. See here, you have two points.”

Kana leaned over and pointed at the bottom right where it listed Yori’s SP. This was a lot of information to process at once, but Yori needed more information to be as prepared as possible. It was obvious that he was going to need more in order to accomplish his goal.

“How do I you raise my stats and get more SP?”

“The first step is leveling up. If you look here- you need 38 more experience to reach level 2. When you reach a new level, you will get a pool of 5 Attribute Points and 3 Skill Points you can use. One stipulation is that you can only assign a maximum of 3 points to one stat per level. The Attribute Points can be assigned at any Church for free, but the Skill Points can only be used to purchase skills of the same type as the Church. Usually people choose to go to the Church they are branded with. If I use myself as an example, I am branded with the Blessing of Light, so I predominantly purchase skills from the Church of Light.”

“So I have to go to the Villager’s Church to assign my Skill Points then?”

“Actually, no. Based on your goal I would not recommend that. At the Church of the Villager you can buy skills that make you better at farming, fishing, tasks along those lines. While it costs more Skill Points when you buy skills from Churches other than your own Blessing, anyone can learn skills from Gods they do not have a Blessing from, as long as they aren’t opposite your God in element. It simply costs more SP. Once again, with me as an example, I cannot purchase skills from the Church of Darkness because it is the opposite of the Church of Light. Some of the other ones are not as straightforward.”

It made complete sense to Yori now. Of course it was going to be harder for him to become an Adventurer than most other’s with that goal in mind. However, it was seeming more doable than he first anticipated. His goal became a little clearer now thanks to Kana’s explanation.

It will take me two levels, but if I can do that I can reach my stat requirement. Hopefully I can find some cheap combat skills, too. All I need to worry about beyond that is money.

As this thought ran through his head Yori’s stomach grumbled with its condolences. He turned to Kana and bowed his head towards her. As he turned away from the crystal the letter making up his stat block fizzled and swirled back into abyss. The stone was still once again.

“Thank you so much, Lady Kana…. For everything.”

With the sincerest words of gratitude he could muster, he thanked the woman who had done so much for him to this point, and he was off. It was clear that Yori’s main hurdles now were experience and money. Both of which would be easier to acquire if he could defeat stronger enemies. He would have to take on an opponent worth more of each.

Can I do it, though? I have so little money as it is, and so much debt to repay. I can barely survive a day against little jackalopes. It seems like a suicide mission to try to kill something even stronger… And what if it kills me? I can’t have dumb luck every time. Should I go back to the farm? I would be safe and comfortable and could just forget about everything… Move on.

Yori returned to the inn in his thoughtful stupor, spending his remaining money on room and board. He was back to broke. His confliction kept him awake as he attempted to sleep.

I’m not closer to my goal…

And then he remembered the experience he had gained.

Wait… I guess I am closer. I have twelve experience. Which means each jackalope was only worth one, probably. Sigh…

Getting up from the bed to peer out the window, Yori pondered what he truly wanted.

I don’t want to go back to that life. I want to be able to protect everyone. Who knows, maybe other creatures will have habits I can use against them too!

It was decided. No matter what it took, he would become an Adventurer. His passion reignited, his strength returned. Tomorrow he would search for bigger game. Yori returned to the bed. As far as Esaron went, it was as familiar and comfortable to him as he was going to get.

With a clearer path than he had even yesterday, Yori slept through the night for the first time since the incident without having nightmares. The morning sun shown through the window. It was first light and the young man was more than ready to get back to hunting. A major question probed his mind.

What do I hunt? And where?

It had to be large enough to get decent experience, but weak enough for him to kill multiple in one day. The jackalopes were worth far too little to achieve his goal, so he needed to find something with more value. Likely something stronger.

Before heading out for the day, Yori decided to ask the innkeeper to gain more information about the surrounding area and its inhabitants. There had to be something he could handle that would be more worth his time and effort.

The innkeeper was attending the bar, as usual. Even this early in the morning people wanted their ale and spirits. The large man had his usual green bandanna tied on his head. He absent-mindedly cleaned a large glass mug while observing his patrons. Yori approached the counter from the man’s right side.

“Excuse me sir, could I ask you some questions about the area around Esaron?”

The tanned man blinked and turned a large smile towards Yori. He leaned over, placing his elbows on the counter and crossing his arms.

“Of course! You’re new here, right boy? The one the Guild Master sent over here before. Well, what would you like to know?”

“I’m curious. What kind of monsters live around here?”

“Oh, all sorts! A young villager like yourself will definitely wanna’ stay inside the wall and barrier unless you’re with an escort. You can hire them at the Guild if you need one. Planning on going on a trip?”

“Uh, no, I just… want to know more about the area. You see, I met a young Adventurer yesterday and they were asking where they should hunt, but having just got here I wasn’t able to be of much help to them.”

Right, no one is going to assume or understand that I am seeking out monsters to hunt. That is like someone actively seeking out death to them.

Yori averted his eyes, feeling uncomfortable with having lied to the innkeeper. He did not want another person worrying or telling him not to do this, though.

“Ah, I see. Well, that is very nice of you to want to be informed to help others. Hmm…“

The tall man lifted his crossed arms from the counter and placed a hand on his chin as he thought.

“If it’s an Adventurer then they usually like to start out hunting wolves in the caves to the South. Pretty easy, lots of ‘em and their pelts and fangs are worth a pretty penny. Just gotta’ find the stragglers. An entire pack can be a handful for even seasoned Adventurers.”

“Perfect! Thank you! I’ll let them know if I see them again.”

“Hold on, before you go, I have a package for you. You’re Yori, correct?”

“Yeah, that’s me. Thanks…”

The man handed him folded piece of paper laying on top of a round wooden container. He opened the box to find a small meat pie. Yori looked at the letter that laid atop.

Dear Yori, Thank you for even just that one day of help on the farm. Lady Elina filled us in on what you have been up to. Please do not feel bad,

we understand that a boy needs to do what

he needs to be done to accomplish his destiny.

I made you a pie so you can keep up your

strength. We believe in you and please take

care of yourself. You are welcome back any

time! Please be safe.

It was signed by the Rutherfords. Yori sprinted out the door in an attempt to hide the tears welling up in his eyes as he thanked the man. It felt good for someone to care so much about him, even someone he barely knew. He headed towards the South Gate of Esaron as he consumed the meat pie. It was cold but fragrant and flavourful, and gave him the sustenance he very much needed. The innkeeper seemed to know what he was talking about so far. There were plenty of Adventurers coming in and out of this entrance, putting stock into the advice he had been unknowingly given. This was clearly a popular spot, and for rookies at that. Most of the gear that the Adventurers around him had looked shabby and cheap. They definitely would not hold up against a strong opponent, so their prey must be relatively weak. Everyone seemed to be walking through the gate without interference. Yori attempted to go with the crowd and simply walk through like the Adventurers, but a guard called him over as he was passing. The man stood half a head shorter than Yori, and was quite stalky.

“Ey lad, it’s far too dangerous for a boy like you to be goin’ out there unarmed and unescorted. Do you have bodyguards accompanyin’ you?”

“Uhh, well you see, I do have escorts… they’re just waiting for me outside the gate…. I’m supposed to meet them out here.”

More lies, and once again he felt bad, especially since everyone seemed to be so trusting of him. Unfortunately, he could not think of another way of getting his way.

“Oh, ok. Let me help you look for ‘em, do you know their names or what they look like?”

Glancing ahead, Yori spotted two Adventurers walking away from the entrance. One was talking quite loudly while the other simply shook his head at what his companion was chatting about. They seemed to be moderately well armed and were too old to be rookies. He figured the guard was more likely to believe his story if they had some experience. Yori pointed at the two men to indicate they were his hired guards.

“Those two up there. The Guild assigned them to me. Thanks for your concern, but I better catch up to them.”

“Ahhh, Jaya and Bobu, eh? Alright, no problem lad, be careful out there.”

To his surprise he was correct in his assumption, but the lying to everyone was still eating at him. He would have to apologize to them all once he became an Adventurer. Running up ahead, Yori followed the unsuspecting men, keeping his distance so they did not get suspicious of his proximity. Once they were out of sight of the gate entrance Yori peeled off into the forest that lined the roadside in search of his next target.

The ground began changing elevations as he entered the foothills of the Bowren Mountains. The mountains were quite far away but their peaks could be seen on the horizon, disappearing into the clouds. These foothills were much more difficult to see ahead in than the plains were where he fought the jackalopes. Taking careful steps, Yori noted that he would have to be very cautious in the environment. He may be searching for a wolf, but there was always potential to encounter an entire pack, or something more dangerous.

Wolves were well known to have sharp hearing and a keen sense of smell. This meant that, similar to the jackalopes, he was unlikely to be able to sneak up on them unless they were distracted.

Perhaps I should let them come to me instead.

Yori decided his best course of action was to remain patient; to lie in wait and pounce when they least expected it. His first course of action was to disguise his scent. During his entire childhood his mother had had a garden full of an assortment of berries. Hoping he would recognize some that were not poisonous, Yori looked around at the surrounding vegetation. A small bush of dark purple berries with lots of bumps on the surface sat under a large oak tree. Yori recognized them as mulberries that his mother used to make jam with. Grabbing a handful of the berries, he smeared them on his arms and the back of his neck, along with some mud. Hopeful that it would be enough to mask his scent Yori decided to climb a tree and wait for his victim to appear. If facing a jackalope head on was difficult, he needed every advantage he could muster to on a wolf.

He sat in the tree for what felt like hours. The forest around him was silent aside from the occasional chirp from a bird and buzz from an insect. The quieter it got the more he questioned everything he was doing. At one point he saw a rabbit hop into view and munch on some of the mulberry leaves. When it first appeared Yori thought it to be a jackalope, but either way, neither was worth the time or effort.

Am I wrong to wait for the wolf to come to me? Am I wrong to fight wolves in general, or to even try to fight at all? I could die, after all.

As his mind became shrouded in darkness and doubt, a glimmer of hope shone through the forest. A wolf. A lone wolf. It sniffed the ground a few feet from the tree Yori was perched in, and lifted its head to sniff the air. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time, and luckily for Yori, appeared to be traveling alone. It walked forward, stopping once again, this time under his branch. For this moment he forgot about the doubt he was feeling and decided this was his chance. Grasping his dagger in his right hand and steadying himself with his other, Yori took in a deep breath… and pounced.

Dagger outstretched, he plummeted towards the wolf hoping to land a decisive blow. Aiming for the wolf’s neck, Yori dove and hit the ground. As he had feared, the animal’s hearing was excellent and its head spun around at the sound of the branch’s rebound from his jump. The wolf had reacted in time to avoid a fatal blow, but he did not completely avoid injury. On the way by, Yori’s dagger managed to connect with the side of the wolf’s neck. The cut appeared only skin-deep at most as no blood dripped from the wound. He quickly realized why daggers were not popular weapons for Adventurers. Although sharp, the blade had barely connected with more then the creature’s mane. It was just too short for him to land a blow on something that had this much fur protecting its vitals.

Fearing a counter attack, Yori rolled away from it and stuck his blade up to defend himself. This way it was more likely for the wolf to encounter the dagger before harming his body. To his surprise, the wolf also jumped back and sized him up, circling the boy while doing so to seek out an advantage. It did not appear as aggressive as the jackalopes. Instead of mindlessly doing an action as with the rabbit-like creature had, the wolf was intelligent. It was trying to learn all about its foe before it struck, or perhaps escaped. Yori could immediately feel the difference in strength between the wolf and the jackalope, and it caused the doubt in his mind to overtake his better judgment.

Yori took another half step backwards, dagger still between him and his target. Seeing this as a sign of weakness, the wolf launched itself towards the boy, mouth agape. With this attack, Yori waved his arms in front of him frantically as if he were trying to simultaneously wave away his doubts and the enemy before him. Neither notion worked as a sharp pain shot through his left arm. The sudden pain cause Yori to close his eyes, and as he reopened them his heart raced faster at the sight of his own blood. Large white canines were embedded in his left forearm, raised protectively in front of his face. The full weight of the wolf hitting him in the chest followed the bite, knocking him to the ground. Now flat on his back with the creature atop him, Yori yelled out in pain as the beast jerked its head to the side, attempting to remove the boy’s arm from his path to Yori’s neck.

As his vision began to blur from pain and doubt in himself, Yori remembered his father’s favourite saying.

Nothing beats hard work, patience, and the accomplishments that come with them.

This was just a set-back, he had not lost yet. A new burst of determination overshadowed the doubt. There was only one option in Yori’s mind. One word that ignored all the uncertainty, all the hesitation. Fight!

It was the only way he could live, the only way he could get stronger. He needed to fight and fight until he killed this monster; until he became an Adventurer; until he gained enough strength to protect the ones he loved. He stabbed upwards with his dagger, still gripped in his right hand. The blade went directly into the jaw of the wolf. Unfortunately, his arm was still in the grasp of the wolf’s jaw, which meant that the blade also impaled the side of the already damaged limb. Adrenaline dampened the pain emanating from the wounds. Now aware that the blade would not easily penetrate the thick fur covering the animal’s neck, Yori had deemed this a better option.

The new gaping hole in the side of the wolf’s face caused it to unclench its jaw and jump back again. Yori pulled back his dagger as it did this to avoid damaging his arm further. The creature seemed to be rethinking its strategy. Luckily for Yori, the large wound in the canine’s jaw would greatly affect the animal’s bite force, and therefore its ability to fight. Preparing for the next pounce, Yori adjusted the grip of his dagger in his right hand, making sure it was secure.

The pounce did not come. He recognized the look in the creature’s eyes just in time to act.

“Dammit, it’s going to run away!”

Yori dove for the wolf just as it began to turn tail and run. The blade of his dagger dove deep into the back right hip of the animal as it attempted to flee. The wolf let out a yelp which Yori hoped would not attract its friends. With his left hand Yori managed to reach up and grab the back of the wolf’s mane, sending intense pain throughout his whole body. Managing to just barely hold on, the sudden force caused the animal to arch backwards. Razor sharp claws flitted in the sun as four paws flung in the air as the wolf was overturned. The weight of the animal landed on Yori’s chest, knocking the air out of his lungs. Without being able to muster up the strength in his left arm to hold on any longer, he had to act fast before the wolf regained its footing. As it began to struggle back its feet, Yori stretched out his right hand and drove the dagger sideways into the animal’s ear. A high pitch whimper echoed through the forest as the creature stopped moving. Yori let go of his dagger, pausing for a moment to ensure the wolf was dead. The canine was perfectly still. Dark red blood stained the fur around the fatal head wound. Yori had won. Once again, he had defeated an enemy that others told him was too dangerous and beyond his abilities. Just downright foolish to try. But he had won.