Chapter 4 – Before the Storm (1)


    The carriage lurched forward again.


    How was I going to exin being the only one to return from the party that had gone out to help me level?


    The musty smell of unwashed bodies and food stalls wafted through my nostrils as we cleared the city gates.


    Apanying the familiar assault of odors was the busy sound of mixed chatter intermingling in the afternoon air.


    I peeked out the window of the carriage as Bernard guided it to one of the carriage parking zones near the gate.


    Karfana was a primarily human city, but it also had its fair share of other races.


    Among the throng of city life could be seen the asional elf or orc. Dwarf trading parties even visited from time to time.


    I kept a lookout for faces that I might recognize.


    A guard rushed through the crowd to report the fire to the Association, a woman haggled over some bread at the corner baker, and adventurers sold goods and moved about.


    Most faces in the city were at least somewhat familiar to me, though I didn’t see anyone who might take note of me. I hoped nobody would recognize me without my cane, anyway.


    The carriage settled in between a few others and Bernard spoke over his shoulder at me again.


    “You’re from this city, right? Any ideas on a good ce to stay?”


    “Uh…”


    My brain was just barely catching up to the day’s events.


    Bud’s Inn came to mind. It was in a somewhat shadier area of town, but Bud didn’t take dangers to his patrons too kindly… and an angry orc was thest thing most people wanted to deal with.


    I gave them directions to the best of my ability, being sure to let them know what to expect.


    “…The ce may seem seedy, but Bud really looks out for his customers and runs a pretty organized operation.”


    Bud had frequently slipped me a meal and let me do menial chores from time to time as the need arose.


    I exited the carriage with Velle, noticing her flip her hood back up on the way out.


    “I know you have your duties with the Association to finish up and all… but are you sure you don’t want toe with us? You’re pretty handy in a fight.”


    My mind drew a nk. I stared at him numbly for a few moments, trying my best to remember what had happened.


    —nothing. I had bits and pieces of memories, but everything was covered in an odd haze.


    “I really appreciate the help… but I have stuff I have to attend to here.”


    I might have considered joining them, but their party size and levels just seemed too low to go to the outskirts. I didn’t n on joining a suicide mission so soon after finally gaining hope again.


    Plus, I still needed to get a proper Adventurer’s license from the Association.


    Bernard nodded at my words and reached out his hand for a firm handshake as he pped me on the shoulder.


    “Alright, alright… but if you change your mind, we’ll probably be around for a few days. Stop by for a drink on me, yeah?”


    I let a smile touch my lips.


    “Yeah, I’ll be sure to stop by. Thanks again for the ride.”


    Velle remained oddly quiet, only giving me a small wave as they turned away and headed toward the inn.


    I found myself alone on the crowded street.


    * * *


    Reaper Scans


    [Author – Farlight]


    [Proofreader – Harley]


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    * * *


    The first thing I resolved to do was get back home, go over my new abilities, and get some rest.


    With that in mind, I took the most direct path I could think of back home.


    I figured taking the most direct path was also the best way to avoid dealing with those I knew for the time being.


    I knew that most would be happy for me, but I just didn’t have the mental capacity to face them in the condition that I was in.


    Each step I took was marvelous, and I lost myself in the feeling of being able to navigate freely on my own two legs.


    While savoring the fact that I could properly walk again, I heard a wet thumping sound followed by a muffled grunt.


    Thunk, thunk, thunk


    “Agh!”


    “Give us the money, you stupid drunk!”


    Walking past an intersecting alley, I witnessed the local thugs ganging up on a helpless drunkard, who had likely been attempting to sleep his stupor away in a pile of refuse.


    They hadn’t noticed me yet. I could have just continued walking as I had always done before…


    But I didn’t know what excuse I would give myself.


    Before, I had simply told myself that I would also be helpless, that I couldn’t help people because I couldn’t even help myself. Before, I would have turned a blind eye and told myself, “I’ll stop it when I can do something.”


    I suddenly found myself in a situation where I could do something, and I couldn’t just walk away from the excuses of my past self.


    “Leave the guy alone, he probably can’t even walk properly, let alone remember where he put his purse.”


    The thugs turned to me.


    ‘Stupid.’


    I berated myself for my mistake.


    “I see the cripple finally managed to ditch the cane, congrattions.”


    The one that had been beating the old man spoke, blood still dripping from his knuckles.


    I already knew who they were, of course. I had experienced my share of run-ins with them over the years.


    They called themselves the Snake Gang. Thergest gang in Karfana.


    They also happened to be the gang whose ‘territory’ I lived in.


    They only knew me as “the cripple”. Likewise, I hadn’t learned their names. Gang members were constantlying and going as they were killed, captured, or left for any other variety of reasons. Why would I learn their names?


    “I see you’ve got over your ailment.”


    The thug chuckled, followed by his two underlings. He patted the weighted club at his waist.


    “Think just ‘cause you can walk you can suddenly fight, yeah?”


    No, I knew I could fight. They didn’t have to know that yet, though.


    “Havin’ a fancy new leg means you’ll be able to pull in more ie, yeah? I’m thinkin’ we should raise our expectations soon.”


    They were referring to how much they believed they could get off of me. It was standard practice for the gangs to lie in ambush and extort people out of their hard-earned money.


    My mind went to the coin pouch still at my waist.


    I didn’t necessarily need it to level up anymore, but it was what would enable me to finally escape from that damned city and meet up with my old friends.


    I had already been waiting six years to see them; I didn’t want to wait any longer. I knew if those thugs saw the purse, they would take the whole thing—six years of work, gone in an instant.


    He walked towards me and held out his hand to stop his two cronies from following.


    “Get the drunk’s purse, I’ve got this one.”


    The cronies, kids barely at the end of their adolescence, nodded nervously at his words and knelt back down next to the groaning drunkard, not as rough as their leader had been.


    Most of the gang’s leadership were Awakeners to some degree. I knew that the thug would be no different.


    He had probably leveled fighter, as I doubted he had a rare ss of any sort, judging by the type of work he had resorted to. He probably only had a few levels at most.


    The thud of his steps stopped when we were about an arm’s length from each other. I still hadn’t moved.


    I wasn’t going to just run away again, not when I could be of some help.


    Crack.


    He cracked his knuckles, and I readied myself to react, imagining the moves I would make in my head.


    Whoosh


    I had overestimated myself. Fighting goblins with their low speed and their unintelligent tactics had granted me some self-confidence. I knew that, because of the strange golden System’s passive, I would be able to move how I imagined.


    …Thus, the problem I ran into was that I needed to not only perceive what I wanted to move in reaction to, but I also needed to be able to move fast enough to avoid it.


    The thug had obviously received some boost to his Agility, as his sudden punch struck me square in the nose. I had only seen a blur of motion before I felt a wetness spreading down my nostrils and a dull numbness spreading through my head.


    The thug grinned at me.


    “Looks like you’re all bark after all.”


    I nted my foot and feinted a jab at his face before ducking low and punching as hard as I could at his abdomen.


    It was much too slow. The thug brushed my fist away as if it were an annoying insect and kneed me in the gut.


    Whoosh!


    The air was knocked out of me, and I fell backward.


    Clink!


    The thug’s eyes shone at the sound of my coins clinking when I fell.


    “Well, what do you have there?”


    I reached through my mind to find some method to beat him, some resource I could pull from, some technique that might assist me.


    …Finally, I found it.


    I faintly recalled the earthen gauntlet that had been pulled from within me, how it had shifted around ording to my will when I was fighting the goblins.


    I didn’t know how to control it yet or if I could even do it again, but it didn’t hurt to try.


    Casting my focus inward, I found that sense of strength again deep inside of me and summoned it outward.


    Krrrrr!


    The sound of grinding earth could be heard through the dimly lit alley, and a sense of fatigue washed over me as the thug watched me stand again, earthen gauntlet around my right hand.


    He raised his eyebrow at me and focused his gaze on my hand for a moment.


    “What’s this? A skill? Looks like you got lucky with a rare ss…”


    I felt sweat bead on my brow and licked my lips, the saltiness of the blood still flowing from my nose lingering on my tongue.


    The thug pulled the club from his waist.


    “Too bad it won’t be of much use to you.”


    I remembered the feeling from before and how the gauntlet had transformed and moved over my body ording to my will.


    The thug advanced towards me again. Expecting an attack I wouldn’t be able to react to at any moment, I made the first move.


    Remembering the way the earth had stabbed through a goblin from my elbow before, I willed it through my body, down my leg, and out of the back of my foot as I leaped forward.


    RIP!


    The sole of my left boot was sted out, and I was boosted forward by the earthen spike.


    The thug’s eyes widened in surprise. He moved to counter my sudden charge, but it was toote.


    Seeing my chance, I used the skill I had recently unlocked, sending the earth back through my body into my hand again—


    [[?Strike?]]


    My hand wasunched forward at twice the speed and power of one of my usual punches, and stone erupted from my hand as I made contact with the front of the thug’s skull.


    Crunch!


    I had only intended to ward him off and defend myself.


    The synergy of the earthen spikebined with ?Strike? multiplied the power of the punch manyfold, and the thug’s head gave way with a sickening crunching sound.


    Inadvertently, I had killed him.


    ____