1

  It was early morning at about 0800 hours. It had just stopped raining, giving us a much needed break from the heat of summer. The outside was another mess of mud and barbed wire.

  We were sitting in a dugout roofed with wooden logs and covered in thick mud for camouflage. The .50 caliber machine gun was unmanned at the moment. Dani and I were the only occupants and we just leaned back against the wall smoking cigarettes.

  I’ve been staring at drops of water hitting my knee for several minutes as it’s the only interesting thing happening at the moment. We had already finished a pack and were trying to toss cigarette butts back in from where we were sitting. It was a remarkably peaceful day.

  “Hey, Dani. What are we doing tomorrow?” I ask, flicking a cigarette butt and missing.

  “What do you think? Patrol, then back here again, patrol, and maybe we go out to change the barbed wire at night.”

  I finished another and missed again.

  “Hey, Suzi. Did you talk to your family?”

  “No. Line for the phone was too long again. I’ll try again tomorrow. What about you?”

  “You know I can’t.”

  Of course I knew why. She hadn’t spoken to them in four years and has no desire to. Rico was confused by that decision and tried to talk to her about it but she always shot him down until he finally stopped.

  “Suzi… Why did you give the order to move up?”

  “What are you talking-”

  I froze when I looked at her. Almost everything below her chest was missing. Her intestines were stretched out and I was sitting in a sickeningly large pool of blood. Looking inside, I could see her heart was still beating. She was staring at me with a blank expression.

  “Back at the airfield. The Germans didn’t kill me. You did.”

  “N-No… I-I-I-I… D-Don is the team leader.”

  “Don’s dead. You took his place and you got us killed. They were your orders.”

  She frowned slightly.

  “I don’t care about myself, in fact, I’m glad I died, but Rico, Allen, McKnight… They’re dead and it is all your fault.”

  “S-Shut up!” I cried. I covered my ears but it did nothing to drown out her voice.

  “Do you think their parents will recognize their mangled bodies? Is there even anything left of them?”

  “I SAID, SHUT UP!”

  I bit my lower lip hard to hold back the tears, my head was aching, and my heart felt like it was about to explode.

  “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for any of it to happen. I didn’t want any of you to die.”

  “It was your responsibility to make sure we got home. Now we’re all dead and you’re in a fantasy world,” she chuckled. “You were always lucky, Suzi.”

  She placed her hand on my shoulder and started to shake me gently.

  “Are you having fun yet? Huh? Are you?”

  “Please stop,” I begged. “I never wanted this.”

  2

  When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by the red eyes and large ears of the other new adventurer. She had her hand on my shoulder and gave me a warm smile.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask, groggy.

  “I was told to come wake you. Don’t you remember? We’re going on our first quest today!”

  That’s right. New adventurers in Iron Hawk are required to complete a few quests with a high level party to gain experience. There were no exceptions and I was not going to refuse a chance to figure out how the hell this world works.

  “Come on! Get up,” Lily said. “Everyone’s waiting for us downstairs. Did you sleep okay?”

  I looked at the clock hanging on the wall. Fifty-six minutes. I was asleep for fifty-six minutes. For my entire first night, I was pacing around the room provided to me trying to make sense of my situation. A lot of my questions were reasonable, like how leveling up works. It gives me a headache but I can learn.

  Some of my other questions give me the most painful migraines. Why was a succubus an adventurer? They’re supposed to be demons that prey on men to survive. I can’t blame the men for wanting an easy way to relieve stress but there are women out there that don’t suck the life energy out of people. Given how quickly she revealed herself to be a succubus, Maria’s abilities must be common knowledge in the town. Does she have some kind of business set up or does she secretly stalk men at night? For now, I can only guess.

  How did I get here? Before I woke up in that shack, I heard a woman’s voice. I couldn’t see her but I felt an overwhelming presence. She had to have been some sort of goddess.

  The more I thought about everything and the more questions I asked, the more irritated I got. Eventually, I gave up and went to sleep just as the sun was beginning to rise.

  I put on my shoes and let Lily lead me downstairs to where the rest group was waiting. On the way, both of us were given cold stares and heard hushed insults from most of those who passed us. Most of them were directed towards me.

  “Not the friendliest bunch, are they?” I comment.

  “Yeah. I tried talking to some of them but they ignored me. Looks like we’ll have to go on a few quests for them to accept us.”

  Do I want them to accept me? Does it even matter? That can only be answered with time.

  We stood before three people with high level gear. I was calm while Lily was drenched in sweat and frozen like a statue.

  “You must be Suzue,” a woman with red hair and wielding a halberd held out her hand. “I’m Anya and I’m the leader of this party.”

  Anya was about as tall as me, if a little shorter. She wore steel gauntlets and boots but had only a swimsuit to protect her torso and groin. She had a fairly muscular build and certainly exuded an aura of authority.

  I shook her hand and expressed my thanks for her willingness to teach us. Lily frantically did the same as she had forgotten to when she introduced herself.

  The next person greeted me with a big smile and an arm around my shoulder.

  “How’s it going? The name’s Jay! Nice to meet ya!”

  He had bright orange hair and wore ripped black robes. He had a wide smile that went well with his excited movements and nonsensical rambling.

  I carefully pushed his arm off me as he wasn’t really saying anything and let the last guy introduce himself.

  He had snow-white hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore an all-black leather outfit and gave Lily and I a disapproving glare. If this was an anime and I was still twelve years old, he would be my favorite character.

  “I’m Jack Vorst. Don’t bother trying to learn it. I’m not interested in being friends with a cheater.”

  “Who said I wanted to be friends with a punk like you?”

  There was a noticeable twitch in his eye and it looked like he was ready to fight me.

  “Is that how you’re supposed to talk to your superiors? Are you asking for a fight?”

  I cracked my knuckles and walked toward him. “Alright, bitch, show me what you got.”

  Anya stood between us before we could come to blows and scolded us. She sounded tired and annoyed rather than legitimately angry, like this was a common occurrence that she had to deal with.

  “I already have Jack’s short temper to deal with and I don’t need another. Now let me see your guild cards. All you have to do is reach your hand into something and if you intend to pull it out, it will appear. The same goes if you want to put it away.”

  I did as she asked by retrieving my card from underneath my open palm. Anya took both of our cards and read them aloud.

  “Time to look over your stats and skills. I’ll start with you, Suzue. Let’s see… Strength is high, as is your Intelligence. Oh, wow! Your Stamina is extremely high! Same with your Luck and Vitality. Agility is average. As expected, your Magic is below average. Overall, these are solid stats for a beginner. You can be a Knight, Warrior Marksman or Archer. You could choose the basic Adventurer class if you need more time to decide. You can learn various skills from the other classes but don’t expect them to be nearly as effective. Speaking of skills, let’s see which ones you inherited.”

  “Inherited?” I ask with a raised brow. I’ve never seen that in any RPG I played.

  “Inherited skills depend on someone’s prior occupation since becoming an adventurer. For example, if one used to be a blacksmith, they’d automatically have the Blacksmith skill while everyone else would have to learn it. Your skills are… Advanced Marksman, Advanced Hand-to-Hand, First-Aid, Advanced Knife Wielding and Intermediate Cooking. You even have Enhanced Perception. These are great skills to have at Level 1. What exactly did you do before you came here?”

  “I was a soldier for about eight years.”

  Anya and Lily seemed impressed at my years of experience but I don’t see anything special about it. There are millions of others more experienced than me and I don’t understand how my skills are “advanced.” I’ve lost plenty of the sparring matches that my comrades did to pass the time and stay in shape. There were many times where it seemed like I couldn’t hit the broad side of a tank but it is rather difficult to aim when dirt is flying in your face and you’re trying hard not to get yourself killed.

  In fact, the cooking skill should be higher. My comrades couldn’t make a simple sandwich and the few times they did try to make something other than rations, they were culinary disasters straight out of Lord of the Flies. The only exception would be Baumer as her ability to bake a cake out of whatever she finds in the field would make her an Arch Wizard in this world.

  “As for you Lily… Strength, Vitality, Luck are all… average. Your Intelligence is high, that’s good. Your Magic is also really high. Agility and Stamina are below average.”

  Lily deflated upon hearing such a mediocre review but I was interested in what kind of magic she could do.

  “Intermediate Summoning Magic? That’s pretty impressive. What kind of spirits can you use?”

  “Spirits?” I ask.

  “There are two different types of spirits that Summoners can call upon,” Lily explained. “Standard and Mythical. Standard spirits are things like animals while Mythical spirits are the souls of those who made contracts with the God of the Spirit World before they died. There aren’t a lot of scrolls so they’re extremely rare and I have four.”

  “You have four Mythical Spirits?!” Jay exclaimed, astonished.

  “Most wizards that specialize in summoning spend years trying to find one,” Anya said. “You’ll have to show them to us at some point.”

  While everyone else was amazed at the many spirits that Lily had acquired, I was too busy trying to figure out what the hell the Spirit World was, what the God of the Spirit World is and why anyone would willingly become one. Everytime I ask a question I get seven more. Why do I even bother?

  “Now that’s over with, go collect your gear and grab a package from the guild alchemist. Renta will show you the way. Once you’re done, meet us out front.”

  Renta greeted us from behind, which startled me and almost made me punch her. She led us through the east wing of the building to the alchemist. On the way, I asked her about the blue feathers that made up her hair and apparently she’s half harpy.

  “Can you sprout wings and fly?” I asked.

  “No, of course not!” she laughed. “But I can sing a melody that can knock people out. Ah! We’re here.”

  I look at the sign hanging above the door and read it aloud.

  “Koku… Chia? You have a relative here?”

  “Yep! My little brother.”

  She opened the door and we entered a standard fantasy alchemy shop. Shelves were filled to the brim with bottles of strange liquids and powders. To the left was an entrance to what appeared to be a greenhouse and to the right was the front desk. Just barely peeking over the top was another head of blue feathers and beady yellow eyes that belong on a puppy.

  I will not be able to handle this.

  With an exclamation of excitement, a boy ran around and embraced his beloved older sister. My heart was beating out of control. I started breathing heavily when I noticed a slight blush on his cheeks.

  “It’s good to see you too! Lily, Suzue, this is my little brother, Koku- Woah, you’re drooling!”

  I wiped my mouth and quickly changed the topic.

  “S-Sorry! It just happens sometimes. Anyway, we’re here to pick up something for our first quest.”

  “That’s right! Anya told me about taking you two on your first quest. Let me get it for you.”

  Koku went into a back room and I heaved a heavy sigh like I just dodged a tank shell. He came back out carrying a small box full of various different potions.

  “These red potions are for healing and the yellow ones are for stamina.”

  He closed the top and handed the box to me and wished Lily and I luck on our first quest.

  He’s so cute! I want to talk to him more. But alas, I had a job to complete. I gave the box to Lily so I could grab all of my gear. Once I had everything, I went outside to where everyone else was loading supplies in a horse-drawn carriage.

  I walk over to Anya and ask her about the quest.

  “We’ll be going north to help a village that’s been having trouble with a group of mercenaries. It’s called Edilla,” she explains.

  “Anything else?”

  “No, that was everything.”

  I let out a light frustrated sigh. It seems that no matter what I’m doing, I’m forced to figure crap out as I go along. It’s annoying but I’m used to it at this point.

  “You should take off that jacket,” she says. “It’s been pretty warm lately.”

  I hadn’t noticed it before as I was in utter disbelief when I first arrived but it was summer here as well. A pretty warm one at that but not scorching hot.

  I decided to do as she suggested but still put it somewhere safe just in case the temperature dropped. There were too many times where I didn’t have my ACU jacket nearby and regretted it terribly.

  The rest of the supplies were loaded in the carriage and we left the town.

  3

  “And it’s five, six, seven, open up the pearly gates. Ain’t no time to wonder why, whoopee! We’re all gonna die.”

  I was lazily reciting the lyrics of I Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-die by Country Joe McDonald. Not because it was particularly relevant but rather due to boredom and it was one of Dani’s favorites. We would sing it almost every chance we had, though not too often given my annoyance with the incessant use of music from the Vietnam Era.

  Along with my hushed singing, I was scanning the terrain for potential threats. No stone unturned and definitely no tree unchecked. Whenever I look up at one, I scan it for movement and move on to the next as quickly as possible.

  I almost got close to staring at one for too long when a squirrel decided to linger. It was enough to remind me of certain memories so I decided to take a short break.

  I was feeling a little groggy so I pulled out a few packs of coffee that I had saved up.

  “Watchu got there?” Jay asked.

  “Instant coffee. You want some?”

  “Yeah, thanks!”

  “I-I’d also like some! If you don’t mind,” Lily requested.

  I handed them each two packs.

  “I’ve never seen coffee packaged like this before. It’s so convenient! Jay, can you hand me a cup, please?”

  “Sure thing! Just let me get one for Suzue- Huh?”

  I opened four coffee packs and poured the contents directly into my mouth. Everyone looked at me like I did something gross.

  “What the hell are you looking at?”

  “Why’d you do that? I was going to heat up some water,” Jay said.

  “I always do it like this whenever I’m on the move.”

  “Maybe we should wait until we stop for the night,” Lily suggested.

  We stopped at a clearing just as the sun had started to set. I helped to collect firewood along with Lily so that we could cook some food. I’m honestly looking forward to it as I haven’t had a properly cooked meal in years but it felt like a waste to not eat some of the items in my last ration pack. Though, I ended up throwing most of it away with it being just peanut butter and dry tasteless crackers again. It was my last chance to get some jalapeno cheese spread over shelf-stable breadsticks.

  Jay lit a fire using his magic and cooked up some chicken for all of us. It was dry and rather bland as he didn’t use any seasoning but it was still better than most of the garbage I had to eat.

  After our meal, Jay and Lily make the instant coffee I gave them. They looked excited to try it but after the first sip, they seemed disappointed.

  “It’s not bad but I honestly expected more,” Lily admitted.

  “You seriously expected a gourmet cup of coffee from a plastic pack?” I questioned.

  “I suppose I was expecting too much. Why are you sitting all the way over there in the dark?”

  The moment Jay lit the fire, I instinctively moved away from it. To them it’s nothing more than a means to cook food and stay warm, but from my perspective it’s a dead giveaway to enemies. Even just lighting a simple match for a cigarette is considered a death wish as it gives a sniper an opportunity to line up a shot.

  They won’t understand my reasoning so all I can say is, “I just don’t like fire.”

  Jay patted down a spot next to him and said, “Come on over! There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

  “How can you expect to be accepted by the guild if you won’t even share a meal with us?” Jack snarled.

  “Leave her alone, you two,” Anya ordered. “She doesn’t have to join us if it makes her uncomfortable. Besides, it takes time to get used to a new line of work such as this. Give her some time. She’ll warm up eventually.”

  Jack scoffed and Jay expressed his disappointment in a missed opportunity to know more about a new member. Lily appeared to be almost worried.

  I didn’t sleep because nobody else was gonna keep watch. However, I didn’t exactly do a good job as I just stared at everyone sleeping in peace. For as long as the fire burned, I fully expected them to die.

  4

  We arrived at the village at around noon. The sky became overcast so we rushed to avoid the rain. As a result, the horses were tired and I was annoyed. What if we needed those horses later? They won’t be able to be used as effectively just because a few people can’t handle a little rain.

  The village was surrounded by a wooden wall and the gate before us was closed shut. Standing above were two men holding spears that looked more like farmers than guards. One had bull horns and the other had cat ears. I noticed that they tightened their grips on their weapons when we approached. I ended up doing the same.

  “Who are you?! Answer us at once!” they demanded.

  Anya held up her hand to show we meant no harm.

  “Please calm yourselves. We’re the adventurers you’ve called for help. We’re from Iron Hawk.”

  “Really?! I heard you guys have tattoos. Show them to us!”

  Everyone complied with their demands. First Anya showed the tattoo on her right shoulder, Jay on his right breast, Jack on his left shoulder and Lily on the back of her hand. Everyone except for me.

  “Hey! Are you deaf?! I said, ‘Show us your Iron Hawk tattoo!’”

  “No.”

  “Come on, Suzue. Just show it to them,” Lily whispered.

  “I don’t have to show it to anyone if I don’t want to!”

  When I took a bath on my first night in this world, I discovered that my guild tattoo was in a rather embarrassing spot. I wanted to kill whoever was in charge of where we get our tattoos and swore that I would take the location of mine to the grave.

  “Well, I suppose the others showing their tattoos is enough. Open the gate and inform the Chief!”

  We walked through the gate and were met with an entire village of people with animal traits. They’re called beastmen

  Before us stood a short elderly woman with cat ears holding a wooden staff. Despite her short stature, she didn't look like the type to give up easily. She led us into her home and sat us down around a dining table. She introduced herself as the leader of the village, known simply as the Chief, and offered us tea and we humbly accepted.

  I grasped the cup and took a small sip.

  “Hmm… This is shit.”

  “S-S-Suzue! That’s not nice!” Lily desperately tried to apologize on my behalf. We barely know each other and she’s trying to act like my mom? I expected Anya to scold me but she didn’t seem to have the energy to deal with me. Actually, there were tears in her eyes.

  “Why can’t the gods give me a break?” she weeped as she placed her face in her hands.

  “What is up with you two? I’m just being honest.”

  “As you should, young man,” the old lady said. “You should always be honest even if someone doesn’t want to hear it.”

  My eye twitched.

  “Do I look like a man to you?”

  “Yes. Very much so.”

  “Do you understand how big a hole I can leave in you?”

  “Enough!” Jack demanded. “We wanna know more about these mercenaries.”

  The old woman’s face soured.

  “Honestly, they’re more like barbarians than soldiers for hire. We originally hired them to eliminate a group of goblins that were causing us trouble. They did what they were asked and we paid them what was owed. However, they demanded us to pay more and when we refused they destroyed our crops and stole what few valuables we had. We tried to fight back but they defeated us and our best fighter, my granddaughter. As punishment, they took her and our children hostage. They said that if we don’t pay up by the end of the month, they will execute them.”

  Jay slammed his fist into the table and snarled.

  “We’ll do everything we can to help,” Anya declared. “We’ll get your children back. I promise!”

  The Chief teared up and graciously thanked us for our assistance. Anya sent Lily and I out into the rain for guard duty while they worked out the plan for a rescue. She also taught us an important skill called “Communicate” that allows the user to speak to others over long distances.

  We took the place of the two men that initially greeted us above the main gate. They put up a tarp for us to protect us against the rain.

  “Couldn’t we have waited until it stopped raining?” Lily complained.

  “Stop whining. It’s just a little rain.”

  I carefully observed the road leading into the forest for any suspicious movement.

  “Come on fathers, don’t hesitate. Send your sons off before it’s too late. And you can be the first ones on your block to have your boy come home in a box.”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  I found myself lazily singing the same song from the day before. Lily took notice of it as well.

  “You’re singing that song again. Do you like it?”

  “Not really. It’s actually kinda depressing.”

  “What’s it about?”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “Why do you sing it?”

  “A close friend of mine liked to sing it wherever we were traveling. We’d sing it along with other songs to pass the time.”

  “This friend of yours. Where are they now?”

  “... I don’t wanna talk about it…”

  The two of us were silent for a bit. The sound of rain hitting the tarp was soothing to me but I didn’t let it distract me from my duties.

  “You got any family you write to? Tell them about how you joined a guild?” I asked.

  “N-No. Actually, I ran away from home. I don’t have any desire to see them again.”

  I didn’t pry any further. It was personal and none of my business. Dani always said Rico could learn from my example.

  “What about you?” she asked.

  “N-No… I don’t have anybody. Y’know, you remind me of one of my little sisters.”

  “Really? How so?”

  “It’s the hairstyle. Also, you’re way too damn polite. I think she’d be around your age.”

  She laughs nervously. “How many sisters do you have?”

  “I’m the second oldest of seven.”

  “Seriously?! That many?”

  “Yeah, it might be- Hold it. I see movement.”

  I crouch down and aim right at three approaching figures. I couldn’t get a good look at their faces or bodies as they were each hidden underneath a cloak.

  “Are they mercenaries?” Lily asked.

  “I don’t know. We should kill them just to be safe.”

  “Right. I’ll let Anya know- Wait! You’re going to kill them?”

  “Yeah. I’m playing it safe.”

  “B-But they might just be simple travelers.”

  “Do you know that for certain? You might just let a group of mercenaries in to fuck this place up. Think of it this way, Lily. If in your mind you kill to protect yourself, your party or innocent people, it’s the right thing to do.”

  Lily was taken aback at that statement but she persisted in at least hearing what they had to say.

  “Fine,” I said. “But if they so much as breathe the wrong way, I’m putting a bullet in their brains.”

  I kept a close eye on them right up until they were right below us. I could see them clearly now. One was a woman with two daggers at her hip and the other two were men with a sword and flail.

  “State your business,” I ordered.

  The woman pulled her hood down, revealing three deep scars along her face and a menacing smile.

  “Well, would you look at this? Seems those damn beasts hired some adventurers. Why don’t you kids run along and tell that old hag to fetch us our money!”

  “You said it was until the end of the month!” Lily protested.

  “The deal’s changed. Fork over the money now or else those kids and her daughter are gonna be six feet under!”

  Before I could splatter her brains all over the dirt, I heard a voice in my head. It was clear with a slight echo and it made me a little nauseous but I got over it quickly.

  “Suzue, Lily. This is Anya. How are you two holding up?”

  A small glyph appeared on my hand and I spoke into it.

  “Anya, this is Suzue. There are three mercenaries and they are armed. They are demanding the money and threatening to kill the hostages. Over.”

  “What?! Damn. They’re getting impatient. Though, this does give us an opportunity. Don’t attack them. Send them away.”

  “Anya, these are armed hostiles. I’m requesting to at least snatch one of them for interrogation. Over.”

  “No. Lily, can you summon a spirit to follow them?”

  “Y-Yeah. I can summon an eagle or a squirrel.”

  “That’s perfect. Do your best to send them back to their camp. Then we’ll use Lily to find out where they’re camped. Make something up if you have to.”

  It was a good idea. We’d get valuable information with very little risk to ourselves. However, I might not have any other choice but to kill them. Not just because I want to, as they are mercenary scum, but they might not be too willing to leave without getting their money.

  I looked back at them and told them the first thing that came to mind.

  “I’d love to get this whole thing over with and be rid of you but we can’t let you in,” I explained. “We’re dealing with a sudden outbreak of a very contagious disease.”

  All three of their faces went pale.

  “W-W-What kind of disease are we talking about?”

  “The physician says it’s an extremely deadly and rare case of fuck the hell off.”

  “I’ve never heard of such a disease,” one of the men said. “We should leave. Right now!”

  What?

  “Agreed. We can’t let something lead something like that back to camp. Let’s go before we catch it.”

  With that, they ran back down the road and Lily summoned an eagle to follow them.

  That actually worked?!

  On one hand, I managed to defuse a potentially violent situation but it made me kind of disappointed with myself. Lily took notice and asked me about it.

  “My first encounter with an enemy in this land and I fabricate some cowardly bullshit to get out of fighting. I had front-row seats to a beautiful headshot, too.”

  5

  The three underlings stood before their leader with their gaze trained at the ground, trying to explain why they had returned empty handed.

  “T-They said they had an outbreak of a contagious disease,” one of the men said.

  The leader slammed down his mug of mead.

  “It was obviously a lie!” he yelled furiously. “You call yourself a mercenary of Meryll’s Marauders and you fall for such a dumb trick?!”

  “W-We’re very sorry, sir!”

  The leader of the mercenary group known as Meryll’s Marauders, Betrug Meryll, was notorious for his short temper and insatiable appetite for food, women and money. Every time his mercenaries request an audience with him, it is always during a meal or when he’s burying his face in the chest of one of the cuter girls and he is always angry.

  Yet nothing makes him angrier than not getting paid for his work.

  “Did you forget why we need that money?! We’ve fought goblins and our soldiers have caught their filth! Did you forget that two more died this morning?! That’s why I asked for a larger payout and when they refused I had no choice but to take a few hostages. I sent you over there to make a few empty threats and you come back with nothing!”

  The three grunts before him apologized profusely, begging for his forgiveness. Betrug was frustrated as now he had no choice but to force their hand. He needed medicine for his sick soldiers and was finally desperate enough to resort to extreme measures.

  They would burn down a few houses and most of their crops, but he made it absolutely clear that they were not to kill anyone under any circumstances. The biggest problem would be the adventurers that were hired.

  Mercenaries and adventurers have always been competing with each other for work. Both are allowed to operate by law but people can’t help but wonder if they can even co-exist. They both practically fulfill the same roles as guards and monster hunters but the average person tends to favor the guilds over the mercenaries. They’re willing to perform more menial and specialized tasks such as gathering herbs or deciphering ancient runes.

  There is also the fact that adventurers stay in one place with their guild halls while mercenaries move with the work. This is due to them working in large companies that need large sums of money for general upkeep while adventurers can split the reward of one high paying job between four or five people. As a result, they typically only take large-scale jobs like sieges but those types of jobs are only available during a war and the various nations of the world were currently in a time of wondrous peace. The best they can get during a time of peace is monster extermination and they frequently clash with the guilds for those jobs.

  It is an unfortunate reality that conflict between mercenaries and adventurers are common. To make matters even worse, the adventurers typically get the better paying jobs. It is far better to send a small party of four that can take on the toughest monsters if they are a high enough level than a company of former soldiers with old weapons.

  It’s a losing battle. Many of Meryll’s Marauders have already quit and either joined the guilds or started new careers.

  “Even though you failed such a simple task, I couldn’t ask for more loyal mercenaries. I am happy to have you all here. But your failure must not go unpunished! The three of you are to gather anyone able to stand and lead them to battle. If the adventurers attack, protect yourselves at any cost.”

  “Yes, sir! We will not fail you!” they shouted in unison.

  “But first, make sure those children get some food and water. We’re not bandits.”

  They were going to make the villagers suffer but they could at least feed their children. That was the type of man he was. Willing to destroy the livelihoods of others for money but would never rob a parent of their child.

  He stared at the mead in his mug and gulped it all down. No amount of drinking would drown out the guilt he was feeling at that moment but convinced himself that it was all for the sake of his men. But deep down, he knew that he was only delaying the inevitable. One day, Meryll’s Marauders will have no choice but to disband.

  6

  Everyone was sitting by a fire eating meals cooked by the villagers as thanks for coming to their aid. They served mostly vegetable dishes such as roasted carrots seasoned with salt, pepper and parsley along with crispy fried potatoes. They weren’t culinary masterpieces but there was a unique taste that was undeniably addictive.

  The villagers were singing songs in praise of their saviors that came to them in their hour of need. Jay proudly boasted about how he was strong enough to take down a cyclops while Anya was modest and humble about the time she killed a hydra. Jack scoffed at them for being show-offs and Lily listened to their stories in awe.

  Meanwhile, I was sitting above the gate keeping watch. I was given a plate of food but I didn’t go near the fire. I ate and went back to over-analyzing the terrain. My eyes were heavy and it was a struggle to keep them open for any significant amount of time. I rubbed them gently to ease the stress I was putting on them to no avail.

  I hear the creaking of the ladder and look over to see Jack holding a dim torch. He requested my assistance so I took the torch in one hand and helped him up with the other. Now that I had the torch in my hand, I immediately stomped it out and went back to keeping watch.

  “Are you afraid of fire or something?” he asked.

  “No. I just don’t like being around it.”

  We were silent for what felt like ages with him staring at me and I was trying to ignore him and do my job.

  “If you’ve got something to say, just say it already,” I said, annoyed.

  “Why did you join Iron Hawk? From what I’ve seen and the things you’ve said, you’d be more comfortable in a mercenary company than with us.”

  My eye twitched at that comment.

  “Don’t go comparing me to scum like them!” I shouted. “I should have killed them when I had the chance.”

  “Violence isn’t always the answer. Our master taught us to always search for a peaceful solution whenever possible.”

  “What is he? Your dad?” I scoffed.

  “He might as well be. It’s the same story with Anya, Jay, Koku and Renta. I grew up with them. We won’t stand for anyone that wants to damage its reputation or harm the members. To everyone in Iron Hawk, it’s not just a guild. It’s a family. Understand?”

  “Aye aye.”

  Seemingly unsatisfied with my answer, he responded, “Yeah, right. Like a soldier would understand. You’re only in it for the glory.”

  As he turned around to leave, I called him back over and desperately resisted the urge to kick his teeth in for that last comment. I breathed in to calm myself and spoke to him firmly and honestly.

  “Jack, I can assure you I have no ill intentions regarding the guild. And if you ever suggest I’m some sort of glory-hound,” I leaned in close. “I’ll fuck you up.”

  I turned around and was almost about to let him leave until I saw three faint orange lights approaching.

  “Probably just some travelers,” Jack said.

  “This time, I seriously doubt it. Anyone travelling this late at night would sleep in the forest.”

  The three torches were quickly lost as dozens more lit up. If one were to look carefully, they could see the outlines of swords and other weapons.

  It looked like an entire army of mercenaries were about to overrun our position but they weren’t even attempting to conceal their position. They were out in the open with no cover and bunched together. It would have been easy to waste them all if I had the ammo, which is where I realized a pretty big problem that I would have to face eventually.

  There is absolutely no reason to expect that this world even considered the concept of projectile propulsion using an explosive force. Magic could fulfill many roles thanks to its versatility. One skilled magic user can decimate an entire army the same way artillery could. The only limit would be the user’s total MP or something along those lines.

  In other words, when I run out of ammunition, there is no possible way for me to replenish it and after that I have nothing else to fight with aside from my combat knife and bare hands.

  I lowered my rifle and decided that I would only use it when absolutely necessary. I looked to Jack for what to do next. He didn’t look particularly worried.

  “Go get Anya and the others. Tell the villagers to get back to their homes.”

  I jumped down and ran towards the center of the village, ordering each person I passed to return to their homes and hide. When I informed everyone of the incoming threat, they all scrambled to get ready.

  We followed Anya back to the front gate with Jay obnoxiously expressing his excitement for a fight.

  “All right!” he yelled. “We finally get to kick some serious butt! Be sure to watch and learn to see how an A-Class adventurer handles a fight like this!”

  Great. Now there’s a ranking system I gotta figure out. Why wasn’t there a tutorial to teach me this stuff? My head hurts.

  Anya stopped Lily and I to tell us how we’re gonna deal with this situation.

  “From what Jack told me, most of their forces are out there. I imagine there’s only a small group of them left behind to guard the prisoners.”

  “So, what’s the plan?” I ask.

  “You and Lily are going to infiltrate their camp and rescue the hostages while we deal with this attack.”

  “What? We should stay here and help fend off this attack,” I say, baffled at the absolute absurdity of this decision.

  “I understand that you two want to prove yourselves but we have an opportunity here that we can’t afford to waste.”

  “This isn’t about proving myself!” I counter. “They might be moving around the village to flank us and you need people to counter that! You don’t just send away people, who are perfectly capable, to fulfill an objective that is not vital in the current moment!”

  Anya and I stared each other down. I noticed her gaze got more intense when I referred to the hostages as “not vital given our current situation.”

  “What is your decision?” I ask.

  “You will do as I say and rescue the hostages. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Lily and I went the opposite direction and out the back gate. There weren’t any enemies but they probably haven’t finished moving into position yet. I couldn’t help but think about how we had the capability to set up an ambush or at least a few traps, but we didn't have the time to secure our position.

  In my experience, even if the enemy is borderline incompetent, you don’t reduce the number of your own forces to pursue a completely irrelevant objective. Taking into consideration the way she’s been ordering around the others and that they’ve listened to her without question, Anya must be of a higher rank than A-Class. It only makes her decision all the more baffling and infuriating.

  “High-class adventurers… What a fucking joke.”

  7

  Dozens of leather tents housing spare weapons, food and who knows what else were gathered closely around large bonfires. Empty carriages were scattered around, sometimes creating rudimentary shelters.

  It was barely guarded. Only about six were patrolling the entire camp with more probably sleeping. There was a light in one of the tents where we could see two others that were “busy” with each other.

  “What do you think?” Lily asked.

  “The man’s certainly not enjoying himself. Look at his movements. He’s desperate to get it over with.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Dude’s taking what he can get. Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as good mercenary pussy. Shit feels about as good as humping the air.”

  “Can we please focus?! The prisoners are located in an iron cage near one of the larger tents. Look, I can see it from here.”

  “Alright. We keep low and quiet. There’s no need to rush. Follow my lead, okay?”

  With a confident nod from Lily, we left our position from behind a thick bush and moved towards the camp.

  Every step was carefully placed so as not to make the slightest but to also move quickly. Instead of moving through the branches or moving them out of the way, we slowly moved around them so as to not give away our position or make any noise.

  When we got close enough, I noticed it was practically a straight line to the hostages. The guards were on the other side of the camp.

  “These guys are fucking amateurs,” I commented.

  “I’d still be careful. They might have set up a few traps.”

  “Yeah, alright. I’ll keep- What the-!”

  There was a bright flash that appeared next to me and the sound of an explosion that nearly blew out my eardrums.

  I was flown into a stack of wooden crates with my ears ringing and the right side of my face feeling like it melted off. I was completely dazed, seeing double and could barely make out the faint sound of approaching voices.

  “Man, those magic traps pack a punch!”

  “Yeah, but now we have a mess to clean up.”

  “We can deal with that later. Hey, look, there’s one over here.”

  I forced my head to move just a few inches to see where Lily was and saw her being lifted up by someone. I could hear her groan slightly, indicating that she was injured, but my vision was too blurry to make out anything, especially my right eye.

  “Put her with the others and make sure she gets a health potion. We’re gonna need her for later.”

  “You got it, boss. I think I saw another one over there.”

  “I see her. I’ll get her.”

  I hear someone come closer to me. A blurry silhouette of a girl in a cloak. My heart starts to beat out of control and my breathing becomes erratic. I start to sweat and frantically grab for my rifle. The only thing going through my mind at that moment was how I could not get captured. Throughout my years of service, I heard rumors and saw scenes of what looked to be the likely aftermath of female combatants being used for “stress relief.”

  It’s a terrible reality that captured women are often seen as rewards after long hard-fought battles. When I first heard the rumors of such events, I initially dismissed them as nothing more than lies spread by the enemy to lower morale. I had always kept my hair short because taking care of long flowing locks is too much of a hassle. But when I saw a captured female pilot with blood between her legs and a hole in the back of her head, I figured it would be a good idea to keep it short.

  Thinking back on that pilot is enough to make me panic, not just for myself, but for Lily. I could not let such a thing happen to her. She’s still only, what? Seventeen? She’s old enough to be one of my sisters. For as long as she’s on my team, I was going to do my utmost to protect her. The same goes for the others. It’s one of the reasons why I was so irritated to be sent away from the fighting. It doesn’t matter if I know them or not because I need to have their backs so I don’t get killed myself.

  I couldn’t find my rifle so I pulled out my sidearm, aimed at the girl’s center of mass, and fired off five shots. She fell over and nearly landed right on top of me. I stood up and immediately had to hold back something coming up from my stomach. I could barely keep my balance and my head was pounding with an unbearable pain. I was definitely concussed but it wasn’t something I could worry about at the moment.

  My vision started to clear up and I could see the other targets frozen in shock at the sudden loud noises, staring at the sight of their comrade dying so suddenly. I spotted my rifle a short distance away and ran to grab it while simultaneously shooting two more that were desperate to avenge their fallen comrade.

  While doing so, the others snap out of their stupor.

  “What the hell was that?! She just killed Aria so quickly!”

  “It’s so loud!”

  “Forget about the other girl! Get behind something!”

  “Is this the type of power only adventurers can wield?!”

  I carefully peek over the crate I was sitting behind to see where Lily was. She was laying down in the open while the targets were frantically searching for my location from behind some wooden barrels. I took a deep breath and opened fire.

  *BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*

  One more went down from my perspective. He was shot in the neck and helplessly tried to call for help through the thick blood pouring from his mouth. I took a risk and moved out of cover and got hit by an arrow in my left arm. I quickly set my sights on the perpetrator and fired.

  *BANG*BANG*

  Two shots to the head, each splattering blood and bits of her brains on the tents behind her. I broke off the end of the arrow and left it in while I moved around the shot-up barrels. I put another bullet in the head of the target that was still gurgling. The other one was already dead.

  There had to have been one more still around. I searched around carefully for any sign of him until I saw a small trail of blood leading away from the scene. I follow it slowly, barely peeking around every corner I pass and checking my blindspots for any surprises. Peeking around the last corner, I see the target tending to a wound in his leg. He was no longer a threat, not like he was one to begin with, so I revealed myself, still keeping the business end of my rifle aimed directly at his head.

  He froze up and said, “Wait! Wait! I’m the leader of this mercenary company! I can call off the attack and give you the keys to the cage!”

  He grabbed a ring of keys and threw it at my feet. So this is the leader of the big bad mercenary company. The man who kidnapped children and held them as ransom. A fucking pussy.

  “Y-You’ll let me go, right?”

  “What?” I reply in English.

  “I-I give up! I surrender!”

  “I don’t speak this language, moron.”

  “Let me go and I’ll call off the attack! Please! I don’t wanna die!”

  He was crying at this point. Tears were pouring down his face and I absolutely did not care. He was the scum of the earth that should have caught a fatal illness as an infant.

  “I can’t understand what the fuck you’re saying,” I say before blasting the back of his head off with two more rounds. I picked up the keys and went over to Lily, who was struggling to sit up.

  I gently held her face in my hands and looked her over for injuries. There was a small cut above her left eyebrow that oozed blood onto her eye and a small gash on her left thigh.

  “Looks worse than it is. The boys will still wanna kiss you,” I joked as I wrapped her wounds in gauze and bandages that I had from my medkit.

  “I-I think I hit my head really bad. I can’t see out of my left eye.”

  “Ah, that. Come here.” I doused my hand with water from my canteen and wiped away the blood. “There. Is that better?”

  She opened her eyelid to reveal a perfectly undamaged red eye and smiled brightly.

  “I thought I was gonna go blind! Ah! Suzue, your face!”

  “I know. I’m beautiful.”

  “That’s not it! Half of your face has melted off!”

  I touched the right side of my face and peeled off some sort of sticky residue mixed with blood. I didn’t feel anything, though. Either I’m high on adrenaline or my nerves were scorched. Given Lily’s concerned reaction, I was highly considering the latter.

  She pulled out a small glass bottle filled with a thick, glowing red liquid.

  “It’s a healing potion.”

  I took the bottle from her hand and I was about to gulp it down until I felt an intense pain in my left arm.

  “OW! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” I yell.

  “I’m trying to pull the arrow out. Stop trying to act tough.”

  “I’m not acting tough! You might do more damage trying to pull it out. It’s best to leave it in until you find a professional that can take it out.”

  “Healing potions can repair all wounds except for the most severe. If you don’t pull that arrow out, your body will heal around it and you’ll be left with a hole in your arm.”

  I didn’t like it. It went against the medical training I was taught but this was a fantasy world. With a moment of hesitation, I placed a piece of unused gauze in my mouth and signaled Lily to pull it out with a nod.

  I winced a little when she grabbed it and when she pulled with all her might, I let out a scream that was barely muffled by the gauze. I had to hold my left arm down with my right just to keep from pushing Lily away. I could feel the edges rip through my muscle fibers and finally my skin.

  Once the arrow was finally removed, I quickly uncorked the bottle and drank the potion. I immediately gagged the moment the liquid hit the tip of my tongue. It tasted like some sort of lime-flavoured mucus mixed with typical cough syrup.

  After that was over, my body was enveloped with an astonishing sense of relief. I could feel the would in my arm gently closing up with no pain at all. The same could be said for the side of my face, though it was slightly tingly after it fully healed. The vision in my right eye was back to normal and even my breathing was better. I could even hear everything more clearly.

  “So this is the power of a healing potion. Oh, god… Am I really that loud?”

  “A little bit,” Lily laughed. “Now, let's go save those hostages.”

  We picked ourselves up and went over to the rusty iron cage where the hostages were being held and set them free. They seemed fine physically but I still looked them over for any injuries.

  I spoke in a soft, comforting tone to make them feel safe. I noticed one of the older girls leaning against the bars just to stand.

  I went over to her and spoke gently, “Are you alright? C’mon, lean on my shoulder.”

  “M-My ankle… I tried to escape earlier today and twisted my ankle. I-It still hurts.”

  She was wearing a typical black and white gothic lolita maid dress. She had short, fluffy dark hair with two cat ears poking out from the top. Her eyes were a bright yellow that wonderfully complimented her smooth alabaster skin.

  “I don’t have anything that can help with that. Guess I’m just gonna have to carry you.”

  I handed Lily my rifle and carried the injured girl, bridal style.

  “W-W-W-Wait! I don’t know how to use this thing, Suzue!”

  “It’s easy. Just point and shoot.”

  During our slow and cautious walk back to the village, I managed to strike up a conversation with the girl in my arms. Turns out she was the Chief’s granddaughter. Lily was trying to awkwardly hold my rifle and the children were in a line, with the first child holding on to the hem of my shirt.

  “What’s your name?” I ask.

  “Fubu Shira. What about you, miss?”

  “Suzue Kobayashi. Do you mind if I ask you about the maid outfit?”

  “Oh, this old thing? I’m a battle maid.”

  At this, Lily perked up and said, “I thought that was a class only available to adventurers.”

  “I was an adventurer for two years,” Fubu admitted. “I actually just got back a few months ago. I did it so I could learn some skills to protect my village from danger. O-Obviously, I failed.”

  “From the way I see it, you did a pretty good job. Being the one person protecting an entire village from who knows what kind of monsters are out there takes some serious guts. You did enough.”

  Fubu’s eyes were glowing after my words of praise and there was a slight blush on her cheeks. I could tell that she was smiling.

  “I don’t suppose you have a boyfriend, Miss Kobayashi,” she asked, nonchalantly.

  “No. Never even had one.”

  “I see. That’s very fortunate for me.”

  “I don’t see how- Wait a minute. For you?”

  “You guys… Look.”

  At Lily’s words, we stopped in our tracks on a hill that provided a wide overview of the village about five hundred meters away. I could make out dozens of moving dots and saw explosions of fire and ice. Perhaps they did set down a few traps and the mercenaries are just as incompetent as I suspected. Maybe I should take back the comment I said earlier.

  A few of the houses and large portions of farmland were set ablaze. I could feel Fubu quiver in my arms at the sight of her home in such a terrible state. I set her down by a tree and told her and the children to stay put and well hidden.

  “No! I can fight, too!” Fubu tried to stand up but immediately fell into my arms when she put her weight onto her ankle. I set her back down and repeated myself clearly and firmly.

  “Stay put.”

  I motioned for Lily to follow and she handed me back my rifle. With the safety off, finger on the trigger and the end of the barrel pointed right at my face. I didn’t scold her too much for this, as she barely even knows what it is, but I definitely reconsidered giving her my weapon for any emergencies in the near future.

  8

  Walking into the burning village, I start to think that maybe I should have stayed behind to provide cover from a distance. It took every ounce of my strength not to freeze in my tracks.

  The smoke burned my nostrils and clogged my lungs to keep myself from breathing evenly. The smell of burning oil nearly made me vomit. I was sweating uncontrollably and it felt like the heat was going to melt my skin off.

  I was shaking in my boots but I managed to hide it with a brave face and constant movement. Lily and I were moving towards where the explosions and shouting were coming from, being sure to check our corners. Well, I was checking my corners. Lily was trying to rush ahead but I realized that if these mercenaries were so careless as to run into enemy territory, and considering the fact that they have weaponry that has no hope of matching mine, it could be an absolute turkey shoot.

  In the end, they came to us. A group of mercenaries wearing scraps of armor were sent flying by a wall of ice. The sight made me stop right in my tracks.

  Jack stood on top and conjured icicles from his bare hands with incantations and launched them in various directions. A group of about fifteen mercenaries appeared behind us and he leaped in the air, landed between us and them, and shouted an incantation that destroyed them with another wall of ice.

  Jay appeared and summoned a large ball of fire that exploded on contact with another group, sending little pieces across the area. Anya supported him from behind and cleaved through a line of heavily armored mercenaries like they were butter. Their wooden shields splintered and their armor shattered under the pressure of such a heavy strike.

  I heard Jack mutter something about how that was the last of them and it was like he froze my joints so that I couldn’t move. I look around to see dozens of bodies.

  There were at least a hundred of them by my estimate. There was no strategy or any form of tilting the odds in their favor. No matter how poorly trained an enemy could be, only three people against that many is a death sentence. They killed them all without any injuries. If they attacked my right now, I wouldn’t stand a chance.

  “Suzue!”

  I jumped a little at Anya addressing me.

  “Where are the hostages?” she asked.

  “B-B-Back in the f-forest. O-One is injured.”

  “One of you should have stayed behind. Oh well, no harm done, I suppose. I’ll get them. Stay here and help the villagers with whatever they need.”

  “Y-Yes… Yes, ma’am.”

  I worked with Lily, Jay, and Jack until sunrise. The entire time I spent extinguishing fires, tending to wounds and searching for anyone missing, my body was merely a vessel for carrying out any request that was given to me. My mind was blank and completely focused on my surroundings and the orders I was given. There was a stinging cold chill in the air that felt eerily familiar to a certain day that I experienced four years ago.

  I followed every order I was given like my life depended on it. I ate when I was told, rested when I was told, moved to where I was told and repeat, repeat, repeat until we left because if I didn’t, I would surely be killed. It was exactly the same.

  There was a little girl that desperately searched for a flute that her father had made for her. She searched for it in the rubble that was once her home and finally found it in a metal case. She was overjoyed and decided to play it to raise everyone’s spirits. The girl didn’t actually know how to play, so she just gently breathed through the mouthpiece and played a sound that I never wanted to remember so perfectly.

  It was a sound I could only associate with the crushing burden of being useless. It felt like that despite my training and experience, I could do nothing for anyone. Nothing but a helpless rat waiting to die.

  It also reminded me of a lifelong dream of mine, to love someone and have children. It’s a dream that I cannot reach as I am and one that is not possible in this world. Who could love someone as helpless as me?

  I covered my ears but the sound of the flute followed me the rest of the way. From when we were given our reward to another restless night by a campfire until I saw the reality of my situation.

  They sent me to save those hostages because I had nothing that could aid them. Even with the weapons I have, I can barely hold a candle to a magic user that could wipe out entire armies. I had nothing to offer anybody and there was nothing to keep me tied here. No skills, no goals, not even a vague sense of camaraderie.

  I’ve been reincarnated into a world that doesn’t need me.