I searched the cultist’s body, finding only a few coins that looked like bronze, each stamped with a bird symbol. Perhaps a sign of some kingdom? I pocketed them, grateful for the magical armor that provided several compartments. Convenient. It was good to know in a world with monsters and slavery, pockets still exist.


    I dragged the body inside bushes, making sure it was harder to spot. Okay, now.


    1-I am inside a forest that has monsters(?) and cultists. I don’t have food, water, shelter, or items to survive.


    2-Food is somewhat manageable since I could gather fruit and berries or even set up traps. Water on the other hand isn’t easy to obtain.


    3- There are currently beastkin which I assume are sapient being sacrificed around this area. The logical thing is to get the fuck out of here and forget I was even here.


    “Who am I kidding? I’m definitely going to do the stupid thing.”


    I don’t know how many cultists there are. I don’t know how well they are armed. I don’t know if they could do magic! I knew that magic existed in this world. One of those guys could fart fire and kill me while I stood there helpless.


    “O Noble One, people need your help.”


    The voice echoed in my memory, pulling me from my thoughts.


    “Fuck it. I was never the clever one. I either succeed, or it isn’t my problem anymore.”


    With a resigned sigh, I stepped forward. Or I could have if I hadn’t felt the cold metal pressing against my neck.


    “Who are you?”


    A feminine voice rang behind me. How did she get this close without me sensing her?


    “Name’s Poyraz.”


    “You’re not one of those cultists.”


    Her voice was harsh and cold, but I noted her youthful tone—early twenties, maybe?


    “Their fashion sense didn’t fit me,” I replied with a wry smile.


    “Why are you here?”


    “Fate threw me here.”


    “Why did you kill that cultist?”


    So she’d seen the fight.


    “Human sacrifice isn’t something I like.”


    “They’re not sacrificing humans. Only beastkin. They escape the law that way.”


    Race segregation was that bad?


    “I don’t care about their race. I just don’t want innocent people to get hurt.”


    For a moment, she didn’t react. Then the sensation of cold steel disappeared from my neck. I turned to look at her. She wore a full black robe that concealed most of her body, but I could see the tight bodysuit underneath—again, not practical. She held two pitch-black daggers- what was the obsession with black?-, her fierce golden eyes contrasting with my relaxed demeanor. I sensed the weight of her experience; she’d led a rough life and managed to overcome it, though I couldn’t help but wonder how much of the “beast” was in her.


    “What will you do?”


    Her tone hinted that she might kill me if I answered wrong.


    “Probably get myself killed trying to save that beastkin. I assume you think the same?”


    “I don’t believe you.”


    “Why?”


    She scoffed. “Why? Because I’ve seen humans help beastkin before! Your kind only enslaves and kills us! You expect me to believe that you would side with beastkin against other humans?”


    The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. This girl had killed before, I was sure of it. But instead of backing down, I looked into her eyes and smiled. If I looked away, I felt like she’d take the opportunity to strike.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.“I’ve never killed or enslaved a beastkin.”


    I sighed, feeling a pang of sadness.


    “I’m sorry—not for what I did, but because you’ve never met a human who sees you as an equal. An individual with your own goals and hopes. That’s a sad existence.”


    Her posture was tense, like a cat ready to pounce. Despite the danger, I looked into her eyes and smiled, knowing that even a momentary distraction could mean death. Her golden, cat-like eyes scanned me from head to toe. It felt like I was staring down a big cat. She stood poised, her body language tense yet alert, as if she were a coiled spring ready to unleash a strike at the moment she decided I was a threat.


    “I could kill you right now.”


    She growled, several strands of her long, jet-black hair falling to her sun-kissed face.


    “Yes, you could.”


    I admitted. She was fast and had the height advantage. If she wanted to plunge those daggers into my throat, I highly doubted I would be able to dodge quickly enough.


    “If I do that any risk you pose disappears.”


    She continued.


    “Yes, that’s correct.”


    I replied as I kept smiling.


    “Why are you smiling?” she asked, her voice steady but tinged with curiosity.


    “Why I wouldn’t be?”


    I said while pointing to the forest surrounding us.


    “Look at the trees. The sky. Berries are tasty and the apples are juicy. The air is clean. There was a time when I was sure that I would never experience something like this. And here I am. And I want others to experience it too. It is a shame for people to suffer and not experience the pleasantness of the world because of what they were born as.”


    She narrowed her eyes, trying to decipher the truth behind my words.


    “You can come with me. But if I even think you’re plotting something, I’ll kill you.”


    She turned and walked into the woods.


    “I didn’t catch your name.”


    I hurried to follow her.


    “Morrigan.”


    “Pleased to meet you.”


    I bowed slightly, but she didn’t look back.


    “Do you know where they are?”


    “Yes.”


    “How many of them are there?”


    “None once I’m done with them.”


    Edgy, I noted. She seemed fueled by hatred, which was understandable given her past. I wanted to offer life advice, given my “old man” perspective, but I doubted she’d take me seriously with my youthful appearance and demeanor.


    After a while, Morrigan gestured for me to get down. I complied, slowing my breathing. While Horde creatures had evolved senses that made stealth nearly impossible, we still trained for it.


    (You are in a shadow. Passive skill Shadow Melt is active. Your presence will be harder to detect.)


    Maybe Morrigan’s skill was how she approached me unnoticed.


    “Where did Jonyat go? The ceremony will start soon.”


    “Dumbass probably got eaten by twin-tailed wolves.”


    Two cultists chatted nearby. The mention of a “ceremony” worried me. If they were talking about a sacrifice, we needed to move—


    “Grh!”


    Morrigan blurred into motion. The cultists’ throats were slit before they even knew what hit them. I grabbed one of the bodies, and Morrigan did the same. We let them fall quietly to avoid alerting others.


    “A heads-up next time would be appreciated.”


    “…”


    We advanced into a dimly lit cave.


    (Skill Night Vision is active. You will be able to see in low-light environments.)