Casing the castle had been one of my better ideas. Information was power, after all. Lenses made from sealed energy projected a view miles away of the castle ruled by the necromancer queen.

 

I stared beyond the seemingly endless prairie between me and the necromancer queen’s castle. Thunder crashed, chasing purple streaks every few minutes. A gate opened a few times at night for riders and creatures to charge through, and like clockwork, they returned. The riders were always back inside the castle hours before sunrise, but the creatures sometimes didn’t return. Few bothered with the town instead of going further out into local settlements or less defended villages. During the day, refugees from the sacked villages entered the town and loitered during the day. At night, a creature might manage to sneak in and take a villager outside their homes. None of the cattle were touched, and my fence was ignored when the creatures were brave enough to get in close. In all the time I studied the castle, there was a single guard always patrolling the gate.

 

The only way forward was through the gate unless I wanted to climb the doll hill and jump up through the castle’s trash chute. I could also try to invade through the air, but I wanted to save that approach as a trump card.

 

My problem mostly boiled down to the fact that I was out of points. While I technically had 40 left, most of it was spent on inventory and spell slots. Since spell slots were sure to activate techniques, I wanted to have enough to use. Inventory slots didn’t work like spell slots; they were realms of space. The first slot was a cube with a foot in diameter. My second purchase turned it into a yard, and purchase three turned that into 3 yards of space I could store things within.

 

Three sure-to-activate spell slots and 3 cubic yards of my own personal storage space were a great deal. So I planned to invade the castle after I trained up a bit.

 

Currently, I was in my ship reading over the fire tome on my throne. Medy made the best chair, and her breasts were the perfect neckrest. My arms had turned completely black with white veins. All the exercise, energy baths, and beef had bulked me up, gaining me a good ten pounds of muscle and a higher power level.

 

Most of the books taught the user how to picture symbols in their minds to facilitate the control of fire. Once visualization improved to a certain point, actively controlling fire became easier. That’s why specialization was so important. Someone who specializes in darkness can use their spells quickly, while someone who knows water and earth will take time to swap between symbols of power. Once someone learned magic, it was their specialization until they dumped it for another.

 

I found that all the authors in the books I read had the same problem. None of them knew seals. My ship control went through my cube and seals that manually responded to changes in my aura. The problem was I needed blood from monsters aligned to the element I wanted to control. I was going for permanent artifacts of power, not temporary constructs. With that in mind, the necromancer queen happened to be a dark-type monster. Her blood would do great for a seal to allow me to wield darkness like I specialized in it.

 

For my own specialized magic, fire was the only reasonable choice. My aura was fire-based, giving me a practically endless source of fire. Everything else would require me to form a contract with a monster and land in the same trap as Walter.

 

No, thank you.

 

For the last week, I spent my free time picturing the symbol of fire until I felt like I was ready to use it. Training and liquid energy baths continued raising my PL until I hit the 450. 7 days of pills increased my physical strength from 2 to 3.4.

 

“Are you really going to choose the element of fire when you have me?” Medy asked.

 

“You could give me some of your essence, and then I’ll be able to control metal, too,” I said.

 

The slime turned away and glared at the doll hill in the distance. “I don’t see why you don’t charge it to earn more points. They will eventually attack the town. Walter always kept the doll numbers low, but the town didn’t build him a statue.” Medy said.

 

I shrugged. “I wasn’t ready to stick my neck out before. You could always take my offer and join the winning side.” I said.

 

“I will never join the angels. Don’t ask me again.” Medy said.

 

That, as it turned out, was a brick wall that wasn’t coming down anytime soon. Monster nationalism was a powerful force. She wasn’t going to reconsider.

 

“Well, that’s okay; what do you know about the gate guard,” I asked.

 

She glared at me for a moment before caving. I pounded her slime girl pussy every night and treated her like a guest. If I wanted to ask redundant questions to see if she trips up on the information, then she better get to answering.

 

“Your knowledge hungry like a raven harpy,” Medy said.

 

I shrugged; what could I say? I needed information before I made a move.  

 

“The gate guard’s name is Maeve; she is a Dullahan and has never known defeat. Many have tried to get them to form contracts with her, but all have lost their life force to her powerful blood magic spells. She possesses two instant kill moves that no living hero can survive. Sodom and Grimora, either of these powerful blood spells will kill even the toughest heroes. Even blood-specialized heroes are no match for her; only pillars of salt remain from her victims.” Medy said.

 

I didn’t have a force like magnetism to yank the control out of the Dullahan’s grasp. Devoting all my attention to blood instead of focusing on my own fire element seemed like a bad idea since the name of the game was specialization.

 

“What’s her range?” I asked.

 

“I don’t know, but you shouldn’t try it. If you died, then I would be sad.” Medy said.

 

That would be sweet if I wasn’t certain she was more concerned with losing her cushy life if I was not around. Going in myself would be fun. I didn’t know the limits to the Dullahan’s range, but I bet I could out-range her. Control had hard limits.

 

I was feeling hyped. Maeve might be an actual challenge to my new strength. My physical capabilities had more than doubled since my last fight, and I had the itch after a week. There was a burning need to fight and maybe fuck the guard before I entered and saw the castle for myself.

 

Sneaking by her would be easy. I could fly over, and there wasn’t a thing the guard could do to stop me. Not only that, I could ram her with my ship and turn her into a stain on the ground. Blood-specialized magic wouldn’t do a thing to my ship.

 

I tightened my grip on Medy’s leg, and my throne moaned. What would I do with the Dullahan’s head? I could always use an ornament for my desk. It’s not like I had much use for it except a place for my cube to rest.

 

“You should talk to the villagers before you challenge the queen and her castle. This has to be something you’re sure about before you challenge the ruler of this land.” Medy said.

 

…

 

The bar I entered was rustic in the way the floor smelled like piss, the barmaids were missing teeth, and hard-ass men glared at me. I made my way to the bar counter and took a seat. The nearest man spat on the floor next to me before getting up to leave. Others left while the bartender sighed and put a cup in front of me. While it held the same pale orange appearance of beer, it was piss.

 

The great bear of a man looked like he could go a few rounds with the dolls himself. He had a club on his side, ready to smash anyone being too publicly drunk.

 

“Take what you want and leave; you’re scaring the customers away, hero.” The bartender said.

 

“Maybe I’m not a hero, just a noble,” I said.

 

“Not even a noble would wash themselves every day. They know taking too many baths will catch your death.” The bartender said.

 

“That explains the smell, or do you think it will keep the monster girls away,” I asked.

 

“Those dolls don’t care about our scent; they will eat the flesh from bone if you let them. Take it as a little free advice to a new hero.” The bartender said.

 

“Don’t bother. I saw the act already on another hero. The sight isn’t something I will easily forget.” The bartender glared at my arms and raised an eyebrow. “A curse from a fight that won’t leave,” I said.

 

“There is a barmaid that has something like that. Will your arms fall off?” The man said.

 

“What’s your problem? I’m here to save you from the queen and her monsters? I’m not hearing any gratitude.” I said.

 

“Thank you for not siding with the monster queens yet. We would be more thankful if you did something to improve our lives rather than expecting a free drink.” The bartender said.

 

“I’m building up my courage. I’m going to take on Maeve soon.” I tossed the mug over my shoulder. “No matter how free, I don’t drink piss,” I said.

 

An orange-haired man a decade older than me in appearance sat beside me and put a silver coin on the table. “For information and a drink for my new friend and me.”

 

Much to my surprise, the bartender took the coin and started talking.

 

“The last queen of that castle died in my da’s day. A new queen replaced her within the year, and the statue of the hero who defeated her was dissolved by a slime.” The bartender began wiping down the counter in front of me. “We don’t need heroes; even the best of you die before any good can be done.” The bartender said.

 

“You see, this is how you talk to people. Don’t go into bars and make demands; it will only make enemies. My name is Gray Oak. Who may I ask is my companion this evening.” Gray said.

 

“Atom Stark, also an angel-aligned hero?” I asked.

 

Gray smirked. “People around here don’t trust heroes, and I don’t claim to be one now or ever. Being summoned to fulfill a task with no hope of pay or promise of reward is slavery; surely you can agree with that.”

 

“Did you just make a positive claim expecting me to agree with you?” I asked.

 

“No, of course not. I am only trying to find common ground between us. Life in this land is hard for humans. Monsters prowl the wilderness night and day, looking for humans to prey upon. Women for their flesh and men for reproduction. Can’t you tell all the beautiful young girls have already been taken to the castle? I expect someone with your inquisitive nature to have caught on by now.” Gray said.

 

Gray most definitely made a positive claim that can’t be proven and required peer-reviewed evidence repeated every year for the last century before I could ever accept it. Jokes aside, I wasn’t sure if the guy was a fallen hero or not. He wasn’t wearing his allegiance on his sleeve. On the other hand, he found me in the bar; either he had been here already or arrived to fill the vacuum left behind after Walter’s death.

 

The bartender arrived with glasses. “Do you like whiskey, Atom? I can’t get enough of the stuff, and whiskey goes way back in good times and car crashes. What do you think will you get drunk with me like a friend?” Gray said.

 

“That depends. Do you side with the angels or Diablos?” I asked.

 

The man chuckled. “I couldn’t get past you. I support neither. You can try and kill me if you want. I’m sure you could get quite a few points if you get lucky. Though you are new, only two weeks by my calculations, word has it you beat Walter through dumb luck. I don’t know about you, but I feel a little too cautious to let you win by chance. Fight me, and I’ll show you what water magic can do. Have you ever seen water cut a man in half? It's quite a gruesome sight, I assure you. Don’t worry about a lack of water; we’re in a bar; everything has a little water in it.” Gray said.

 

 “I assumed there was an independent faction, but I didn’t want to assume. Why bother with it when the other option is busty angels?” I asked.

 

“Do you like being told what to do by holier than though bitches with wings? Don’t let their appearances fool you; they aren’t much better than the monsters. A friend of mine told me his friend saw one drain a man until he was a husk, just like the succubi do. One guy asked to have sex with them if he defeated Diablos, and they cut off his junk. You can’t trust them; what did they promise you to stay loyal?” Gray asked.

 

“Nothing worth mentioning.” I tossed back a shot and turned to the door.

 

“They appear like clockwork but linger like a fart. How do you want to handle this? I’m good in a scrap, but some of the chimeras are fast and strong as someone who takes small pills for 100 days.” I continued walking. “Did you hear what I said? They are strong and only after human women for their mistress? If you attack them, they will kill you and then take their frustrations out on the villagers. Being a hero is more than fighting monsters; it's protecting the people around you.” Gray said.

 

I paused at his words. “This world has changed me,” I said.

 

“Don’t let it; these are good people; they’re scared but deserve our help,” Gray said.

 

“You contradict yourself. When I first arrived, I had no intention of learning magic, and then Walter changed my mind. I understand that, but why would I want to protect the people? They don’t treat me as one of them. I’m a stranger here from a strange land.” I said.

 

“People are the same no matter where you go. While monsters prowl the night, everyone is your people.” Gray said.

 

I didn’t agree with him at all. Yes, if a monster came at this moment, I would fight it or try to drive it off. That didn’t mean that I would go out of my way for the common man. Gray wanted me to be a hero for the sake of the people who would rather piss in a glass than serve me a drink. The man was clearly insane; that was the only explanation for why he would believe the way he did. Worse, Gray openly shared with me a weakness, and he was attempting to find common ground with me over a shared weakness. No, was he trying to give me the weakness of protecting the common man so he could choose anyone to blackmail me with?

 

He was devious; I would give him that.

 

“I’m starting up an adventuring party with other independent and angel-aligned heroes. Our goal is to fight back against the monster queens and free humans from their tyranny. Ideally, we would form our party with heroes with different specializations to increase our odds against different monsters. What is your element? I already told you mine?” Gray said.

 

“I am still undecided,” I said.

 

“Well, it is your third week. Might I suggest you choose something effective against undead, like fire, or since you’re angel-aligned light. Either of those is a great choice for this area. It's not so great for others like the harpy mountains or grand forests. Wind is also a good choice. Tier 4 will allow you to fly.” Gray said.

 

“Are you trying to mentor me?” I asked.

 

The man rubbed at his face. “I’ve been at this for a while, and I thought about what I would have liked when I first arrived. Someone to teach me how to be a hero and what element is most useful would have helped. Blood and darkness are only useful against humans and angels. Taking those elements will mean you’re turning against your current faction.” Gray said.

 

I stepped out of the tavern into a mass of screaming monsters with women’s faces and the bodies of various animals fused with them. A woman with the body of a catgirl except for the lower half of a giant centipede turned her attention to me. Its many legs skittered my way as a harpy with antlers on her head peered down at me with a predatory gaze. There was a giant woman with various other women sewn onto her body, slithering like a snake had possessed her body. Most terrifying among them was a mantis woman with feathered wings. She had the head of a man in her hands and was calmly eating strips off of it like a chicken wing.

 

“Look, girls, fresh meat, this one has smooth skin. I hope he has a rigid cock. See my tits, what do you think? Do you want to go for a tumble in the hay?” One of the monster girls said.

 

The mantis girl continued eating, eyeing me out of the corner of her eyes, smirking. A woman with bear arms and toad legs jumped after me, exposing a mouth filled with suckers like a lamprey shot forward. Water blasted her in a thin stream, cutting deep into one of her arms.

 

“I knew they were strong, but who forgot to tell me they were tough.” The wound immediately healed before our eyes closed until it was entirely gone. “That isn’t fair at all.”

 

“If you have any spells that are sure to kill them in one hit, chant them now. There are only two of us we need to thin their numbers.” I said.

 

“Use our trump cards at the beginning of a battle that sounds like a bad idea,” Gray said.

 

I wanted to strangle the man, but the frog chimera jumped up on one of the rooftops.  

 

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