They stashed Jerome with the bandit’s corpse in the well which had a path to the crypt he escaped, Nick taking the cloak for himself. Jerome had a short sword and various knives on his person, and Nick thought he would do quite well against the rats. 

He had only given Jerome the order of “Go kill anything you can find within the crypt” and some mana and soul energy left him, so Nick thought his command took.

Nick had misjudged just how much the servant creature would be fighting. Less than every minute, he would receive what he learned was Essence, thanks to Kaya. He could feel it enter into his body, as he walked through the city with her.

Thankfully, he didn’t seem to become a walking light show from this Essence, and it just simply entered him.

He reviewed the spell, to see if he could learn what was going on.

[Spell: Create Soul Servant]
[School: Soul]
[Mana Cost: Heavy]
[Range: Near]
[Summon a soul to inhabit and heal a recently defeated entity, permanently creating a Soul Servant. Requires and reserves soul power. Soul power requirements and reservations increase based on entity inhabited and soul being summoned. Soul servants are loyal to the Soul Knight, and drain Essence to heal and enhance themselves. Can dispel Soul Servant to release reserved soul power back for usage.]

Nick wasn’t sure what all that meant, but it sounded like he could summon a soul into damn near anything that was recently killed, for the new soul to inhabit it. This would permanently create an ally, but would weaken his Soul Blade. 

That was a decent trade for Nick, as his weapon was sharper than it had any right to be.

He followed the red panda beastfolk woman, Kaya, through Havendale as she rushed. She had a traveler’s cloak covering most of her features. However, her face had Asian-like features, with long red hair hidden by her cloak. Her body was slim and fit, with what appeared to be a red raccoon’s tail that was longer and wider. 

Nick was marveling at the differences of the city with any Earth city he’d been in.

The place was a combination of a medieval city and stone ruins. Havendale was large enough to house tens of thousands of people, but only had hundreds, most houses in the ruins vacant. Windows and doors were boarded up, in some sort of effort to keep kids from playing inside them.

He reviewed some screens now that he had a little more time to look over them. He had barely been inspecting the bandit quest when he spotted Kaya and the bandits.

[Name: Nicholas Noblefrost]
[Race: Archaen]
[Level: 2 Class: Soul Knight, Epic Class]
[Attributes: 5.12 Body, 6.25 Soul]
[Skills: Intermediate Archaen Swordsmanship, Novice Soul Magic]
[Spells: Soul Mending, Judgment, Raise Soul Servant]  

[Race: Archaen]
[A forgotten race, the Archaen were made extinct centuries ago. Through their powerful soul pacts, they would build loyalty and strength in their followers and themselves. When the towers appeared, they delved deep into them, garnering massive amounts of power. The other races feared them, killing them off before they could become too powerful…]

The prompt went on and on about the history of his race, but it was long and mostly irrelevant for Nick currently, so he mostly skimmed it. However, he found the list of traits:

[Archaen Traits: Soul Bound, Advanced Soul Sense, Mana Resistant]

Soul Bound appeared to make him stuck with Soul cultivation, unable to cultivate the Mind. This trait granted some advantages of Mind cultivation, having the Soul influence them indirectly, albeit a little less, instead. This seemed like a decent trade to Nick.

Advanced Soul Sense was what Nick had thought was magic at first. He could both feel and see people’s souls at the core of their beings, and now that he had met three people on this world, he thought he had a decent enough understanding. 

Both his and Kaya’s souls were a bright white, untarnished and pure like untouched snow. Her soul even felt like it looked as he neared her, and he thought she would do the right thing even when it was tough.

However, he hadn’t understood the feeling quite at first, but he understood it now. Kaya had lied about it being her grandmother they were getting medicine for. He tested her by feigning to have misunderstood her, and the feeling returned each time she iterated it was her grandmother. 

It appeared his soul sense had all sorts of uses.

The bandit’s souls were as black as night, and nearly made Nick sick to his stomach as he neared them. When he used Judgment on them, it was as if he felt their evil deeds being washed away. 

He felt vindication and righteousness, as their souls were purified and drained into his core. There was an oddly satisfying pleasure, like what was felt after cleaning something with years of grime with a pressure washer. 

Only, times a hundred. He had a hard time feeling bad about killing them after feeling their sins washed away.  

The wounds on his back ached with angry pain as he walked. Telling the truth, Nick freaked out more than a little, when he realized this was not a game. He had almost died to rats. He put on a tough show–after all, a girl was watching–but he was having a hard time remaining focused.

Teasing the pretty red panda beastfolk was about all he could do to take his mind off of dwelling too long on his mortality, though the angry wounds on his body were a constant reminder.  

Soul Mend had helped a little bit by at least closing his wounds and stopping the bleeding. He thought they were healing faster than they should, but repeatedly casting it did very little. 

From the description, it appeared it focused on wounds of the soul. The only reason it helped heal the body at all was because Body and Soul were somehow linked.

He reviewed his quest journal, trying to once again change his focus.

[Quest: Rebuild House Noblefrost]
[As the last of your race, and your House, it is your duty to rebuild it. Collect Followers, Wives, and create Heirs. Milestone rewards commensurate with achievement.]

[Subquest: Rebuild House Noblefrost - Conquer an Ordeal.]
[Nobility is granted to those able to clear unowned Ordeals. Delve into the Towers of Orion and complete an Ordeal to restore the house’s former glory. The Havendale Ordeal tower is partially in your family’s ownership. By completing a Trial or reaching the top within, you can meet the requirements.]

[Subquest: Rebuild House Noblefrost - Obtain a Disguise.]
[The Archaen are known as extinct, but you are the last. There is a viable disguise to be found upon completion of the 10th floor of Havendale’s tower. Obtain it to protect your heritage, until you are powerful enough to defend it.]

Nick just shook his head. His quests were just too weird. There was only one that was easy to understand and complete.

[Subquest: Rebuild House Noblefrost - Kill the Bandits!]
[Davon and his bandit allies are operating near the hidden crypt of your heritage. Among it lie secrets of your race and house. Kill them and their leader, as is both just, and convenient. Progress: 2/18 Leader Killed: 0/1]

[Update: Kaya offered help identifying the bandits. Help her with her task, and she will aid you in yours.]

Kaya said, “Here we are, the apothecary. I need to speak with them, it might be better if you…stay out of sight. Can you wait here?”

Nick had wanted to meet more people in this fantasy world, but he just shrugged. He’d get a chance to see more things later. It sounded like he would need his disguise to really have much freedom. For now, he had his cloak covering most of his features.

She went around the corner, and knocked on the door out in front of what appeared to be a much nicer place than the ones he had seen. She had an argument with the man who answered, as it seemed she didn’t quite have enough money. 

The man sneered at her, then said something that appeared to make Kaya want to claw his eyeballs out. Seeing her long nails, or claws, Nick realized this might be a real possibility.

Nick decided he’d help her out. He had money thanks to the bandits, and he could really use a guide. Plus, she was cute, so his motives weren’t a hundred percent altruistic.

He walked around the corner, and he called out to Kaya, “Why didn’t you just say you needed money? Here. Take what you need.”

She seemed pleased for a moment, but then she scowled. The man got somewhat angry for an instant, before a greedy glint showed in his older eyes. 

As Nick’s Soul Sense brushed over the man, he felt as though the man was an opportunist, that he would do bad, perhaps even terrible things if he could get away with them. Unlike Kaya’s white soul or the bandit’s soul tinged black with their sins, the man’s was gray. Tarnished by dozens of small, evil deeds, but nothing that would kill him outright if Nick Judged him.

Kaya was pissed, gesturing her arms between them. “I don’t need your money, I need him to accept the agreed upon price!”

The older apothecary replied, “I told you, Kaya. The price of the materials have gone up! I can’t sell it for only twenty silvers, your grandma’s medicine would eat me out of house and home!”

She growled. “If that was the problem, why are you okay with alternative payment. Fine!” She snatched the coin purse out of Nick’s hand, and she grabbed a measured handful of coins and handed them to the apothecary.

The older man looked over Kaya once more with a bit of regret, making it even more obvious what made her want to claw his eyes out. He then turned to look at Nick with a scowl, before taking the coins and going inside. 

The old man quickly returned with a small sack and all but threw it at her, before going back inside and slamming the door.

Kaya checked the contents of the sack, then shoved the coin purse in Nick’s direction, him taking it. 

She said, “Thanks for the help. I’ll pay you back.” She pointed a clawed finger at his chest, “But don’t you dare think you’ll have me pay you back with anything but coin!”

She bounded away from the door, and started walking away, to which Nick followed and walked by her side matching her pace.

Nick rubbed the back of his head, messing up his now long hair. “Aw, I was hoping you’d help me find a place to stay for the night.” 

She kept walking, and eventually replied, “You have enough money in that purse to stay at the inn for weeks. There aren’t many travelers to Havendale, but you should be able to get a room.”

“Yeah, but my eyes, and all this blood, remember? I think it’d be better if I hid out for a few days or whatever, while I tried to find a job or something. I have a quest for fighting in that tower.”

She froze. “You have a quest to fight in the tower?”

Nick nodded. “Yeah. Says I need to get to the fifth floor, and eventually the tenth.”

She scoffed, as she continued walking. “That’s the top of the Havendale tower! Nobody’s been there in centuries. That’s why this place is just ruins. Where are you from, anyway?”

“Oh snap, that’s two quests in one go! Huh. I’m from Florida.”

“Where’s that? I never heard of it.”

Nick shrugged. “Now who’s the one who wasn’t listening? I told you I woke up in the crypt.” He distracted her by changing the topic, ”How far to your boyfriend or whatever?”

She scowled. “I don’t have a– You! My place is outside of town here, we got another mile to go.”

“Damn, outside of town? That boyfriend better not come out of the bushes and smack me over the head with a rock or something, or Jerome’ll come after you.”

Kaya smirked at him. “How? We left him at the bottom of that well.”

“I’m sure he’d be able to make it. I was able to climb out. He is strangely capable.”

More Essence surged into him, the amount surprising him. Just what was his bandit butler fighting, more rats? Nick couldn’t believe how many were down there. As the energy entered his body, something within his very soul stirred. 

He tried to follow the feeling with what he thought was his soul, trying to match what happened when he used Judgment. Still, not all the Essence, or flickering lights, entered his body. 

He followed Kaya’s cute behind. She had a fluffy looking tail much like a raccoon’s, coming out of her cloak that swayed back and forth high, mesmerizing him. Kaya was definitely pretty, and her growl was like the sexiest thing he’d ever heard, for some reason.  

They got near a section of the town that he realized was more of a ruin, and she hushed him, and talked in a whisper. 

“We need to sneak by here. We wouldn’t want to fight Davon and the rest of his men.”

“Oh, for real, Davon’s here? Ah, but it didn’t say we finished your quest yet.”

She rolled her eyes. “I just gave you that quest because I thought you were going to kill me. You were—are way too weird. Still, I don’t recommend fighting them, even if you have the quest. Davon himself is close to the second stratum: level ten. You’re only level two, and there is a qualitative difference in levels. You’ll die in but a moment, disgusting spell or no.”

Nick shrugged. “Okay. So we just have to level up in that tower over there,” he pointed at the tower, which was an impressive building, especially among all the ruins. It was almost futuristic looking, a stone monolith lit with white glyphs and an immense gate in front of it.

They were far away, so he couldn’t pick out many details. The gate certainly looked like the one seen in the crypt, however.

She scoffed. “You won’t be able to. They control the entrance, and there’s only one.”

“What, that archway looking thing? Shows what you know, there’s one down in the crypt with Jerome.”

Her eyes widened. “No way! That would solve… so many problems in Havendale. Only while Davon doesn’t know about it, though.”

They snuck through the area, then used an area to jump down the wall under the cover of night to arrive outside the town. Despite being ruins, the wall was pretty well-kept.

Nick did his best to follow her through the woods without making a sound. While he never visited the forest in real life, in VRMMO’s that he used to play, he learned various forestry skills. 

He took to playing them frequently after his health took a sudden turn for the worse, just after High School. Despite never smoking cigarettes anyway, he had gotten lung cancer. 

The chemotherapy took away all his energy, and escaping to virtual worlds had become his favorite pastime. Originally, he thought he had fallen asleep playing the new game, and woke up inside the crypt.

His body was re-energized like it hadn’t been in years, and he felt the magic in the air. He was so excited to explore, he hardly skimmed over the messages from the system until he struggled to climb out of the well.

When he realized he wasn’t in a game, Nick was relieved. He now wasn’t struggling with chemotherapy, or how his personal relationships had been stretched to the point of breaking.

You didn’t know who your friends really were, until you became little more than a burden to them. Of course, Nick’s abrasive personality likely didn’t help. 

It left Nick with a cynical view of the world, but this new lease on life gave him renewed hope. That he could instantly tell whether someone was a good person or not, or was telling the truth, by looking at their soul helped significantly.

Perhaps, he had died in his sleep, and he had somehow been moved into this body as some sort of afterlife. Perhaps, some god had moved him into this body. He didn’t care, he thought. He had been given a new lease on life, and he intended to grasp it and enjoy it to its fullest.

Following Kaya for some time, Nick eventually saw what appeared to be a tree house in the distance, though it was well concealed. He guessed the only reason they could see what looked like a window at all was because of Kaya’s angle of approach.

She reached out with a halting motion, her ears flicking and her tail swishing. The leaves rustled in a bush nearby, and what looked like a massive raccoon, or a small bear, came out.

He said, “I knew it! See, I totally called it. I knew your boyfriend would bust out of the bushes and come after me!”

“Not now with your weirdness, Nick! Your Judgment won’t work on it. We need to run!”

“Why? It’s just a big raccoon, isn’t it?” Nick drew his blade of his heritage. It glimmered electric blue in the darkness, brightening the whole forest as he withdrew it from the scabbard on his shoulder, and it was filled with the power of his soul. 

His soul hummed along with it as it nearly vibrated in his hands. The blade of light still had a fair amount of Essence stored, though it did seem to be less than before. 

Killing the rats with the beam of light cost all the Essence in the blade, but it had re-absorbed a substantial amount from their deaths. 

He didn’t know for sure, but he thought there was a sort of cooldown on the burst ability.

Kaya had been about to say something else, but she was shocked at the appearance of the blade of light, and looked at it with awe. “What the fuck is that?!”

“The Archaens pay to win, it looks like. It’s too bad Jerome isn’t here, but I’m sure I got this.”

The raccoon the size of a large St. Bernard growled, and began its charge at him.