“So, where is everyone going from here onwards? I am heading west.”

Beast popped the question to his party. Now that the war has officially concluded, there was no real need to stick together. Despite the fact that he would eventually have to head to the central continent to find Duplent for the quest requirement, that was more than a month away, giving him time to settle his outstanding business first. Besides, he really wanted to return to what he had been doing before he was summoned across the continent by Naomi.

Speaking of which, she was starting to look more used to the heels. It was still an odd sight though, garnering some amount of passing stares.

“I have some unfinished business left near Freeum, so I will be going west as well.” Shadun replied. Beast nodded in acknowledgement. At least he would have a companion for some of the way; Freeum is a town situated in between Rydelin and Loyderidge he will be passing by.

“And I will be sticking right by you Beast-kun!” Aveye cheerily said, interlocking her arm with Beast’s elbow all of a sudden.

“H-hey. Stop that.” Beast pulled his arm away while Aveye pouted. Now that he had gotten used to the archer and her tendency to infringe into personal spaces, it had become easier to draw the line unlike the time back in school. Maybe the boyish look and voice in-game might have something to do with that as well.

While they were technically business partners, they were nothing more than acquaintances who barely knew each other. For now, she should simply stay as a source of passive income for him.

“How about you Naomi?”

Naomi shrugged. “I don’t know. They closed the camp.”

The girl looked like a lost lamb that could use a shepherd.

“Well, the next step from Loyderidge is either Freeum or Port Lucke. Unless you want to head to other continents early, why don’t you follow us for now? I think they might have quests along the way in Freeum and appropriate leveled monsters to level on.”

Naomi had leveled a grand total of eleven times from the Joint Operations, bringing her level to 33. With that level she was already too high for newbie quests. It was about time she headed out into the wide world of Agaia.

“Okay.”

Their talk was suddenly interrupted by a woman approaching them. She was wearing a rather striking red leather tunic and pants, coupled with a bronze scimitar that hung loosely from her side belt.

“Hey! I overheard you people talking about going to Freeum. I have something here that require an escort there. I am Anna.” She pointed to a group of seven males behind her. “And this is Chris and his men.”

The leading male raised a gruff hand in greeting. They were all warrior types holding axes.

She pointed at crate loaded atop a wagon. “Care to help?”

It was not very obvious whether Anna was an NPC or a player at first, mainly due to a lack of a quest notification window after stating her need, but a player would have either sent a party request long ago. She did not demonstrate any capabilities specific to players, which made it even weirder. Was this supposed to be an NPC quest, or not?

Questioning glances were shot.

“I am neutral.” Aveye replied, looking disinterestedly at the new female.

“I am okay with anything.” Naomi said.

“So am I.” Shadun agreed.

Beast shrugged. “I personally prefer to travel by ourselves though. It is faster that way.”

“That is true.”

“Since Beast-kun disagrees, then I am against it.”

It made sense. Escort quests would only slow them down, and the level of the quest for the escort would not be high enough to worth their while. It looked like the rest of his party would agree with his opinion when the woman spoke up.

“C’mon, don’t be so picky. We’re in need of mercenaries right now due to the re-emergence of bandit gangs.” She said.

“No…”

“How about this? I will give you an additional commission if you join. Please help me or I won’t be able to make it in time.”

Beast sighed. He was not one to refuse someone in need. If they really needed the help, then he supposed he could make time. He was fine either way anyway.

Shadun had picked up the conversation from where it was left, trying to get more information. “Could you share more details with us? Like what we are escorting?”

The woman shook her head. “Trade secret. Like I said, I am offering a commission. How about I pay you 10 gold now? I can pay you the rest after we reach the destination?”

On her words, she immediately handed over ten gold pieces. Beast narrowed his eyes at the scene. It did seem like a lot for what was supposedly so little.

And there was no quest.

“Wait a minute!”

“C’mon, you still want more money?”

While Anna was still preoccupied with Shadun, Beast moved towards the crate on the pretext of greeting the half dozen men. His true objective was to determine what was inside it. As he rounded the cart, there was no sign of magical emissions. Furthermore, he could detect a faint smell of grass, almost like the herbs he had gathered to make potions for. It begged the question of why Anna would need to escort a box of herbs and being so forceful about it.

The men who were supposed to be her mercenaries looked like they were around level fifty each. That would have been more than enough to handle bandits around the area. They were also tense, as though anticipating something. One could even say that they were hiding something.

Beast formed a silent 'O' in realization. He knew what exactly they were up to.

If they wanted to do it their way, he could add in a twist of his own.

“... We will help.” He said to Anna, to the surprise of the rest.

“Really? Thank you! Thank you!”

"Are you sure, Beast?" Shadun looked flabbergasted.

"Yea, they don't seem like they will give up either." Beast shrugged. "They wanted us no matter what."

In his right hand, he gripped Burfrest tightly, knowing that the chance to test his new weapon was soon.

……………

Sure enough, it was not even five kilometers out of town when Anna and her gang showed their true colours.

It started out as a break, initiated by Anna. Beast and his companions were seated under the shade of a tree when they surrounded them in an enclosed circle. Then, all of them drew their weapons in tandem, with Anna declaring a battle cry of “Anna Raiders, get em!” in what would be a smug look of assured victory.

“Kill the Foreigners!”

Fortunately enough, Beast had already informed the rest via whispers on what was going on. The look on Anna’s face when all four perfectly dodged the incoming blows was priceless. In a flash, heavy blows from flying fists to the blunt end of a lute smashed into the stunned bandits without mercy, drawing blood and yelps of pain.

Beast liked the feel of Burfrest as he punched his target bandit down to the ground. Everywhere his fist landed, two bloody punctures appeared on the enemy. Add that to his improved base attack damage, it took no time for him to take down the bandit. The rest were handling themselves well – Shadun was taking on two at once, reminiscent of that time back in the Bandit Hideouts near Torintu while Aveye had made some distance into the trees and was shooting arrows at any pursuers.

Naomi in particular, performed a front kick so fast that the stiletto staked through one of the bandits’ solar plexus and left him standing arched in agony. It was followed quickly by a roundhouse kick to the vulnerable exposed head, nailing the man onto the dirt ground with the pointed tip of her footwear.

Beast just so happened to catch sight of the brutal takedown after finishing his own foe that his jaws dropped in disbelief.

He… he will take back what he thought about heels and combat.

“Who are you people?” Anna exclaimed in dismay as two of her men went down in an instant. She had first targeted them because they looked weak and seemed easy to overpower, so why was it that her men were the ones being overwhelmed right at this current moment?

“Just a bunch of travelers.” Beast replied.

“Split Axe!” Chris roared and charged straight towards Beast. But Beast was faster. Before the axe could even reach within a meter of the Lore Keeper, the latter was already circling to the former’s side. Rearing his weapon arm back, Beast smashed Burfrest into the bandit’s trunk and was rewarded with the sound of cracking ribs and punctured lungs. Chris crumbled almost immediately.

This attacking power was what he had been lacking in his Lore Keeper life!

That was when Beast felt a rush of wind incoming from his side. He instinctively swung out with Burfrest, parrying what would have been a slash from a bronze scimitar. It was Anna, trying to aid her ailing comrade. Back in the past, Beast would not even have considered parrying the blow. However, now that he had something in between the vulnerable flesh of his bare hands, it is an entirely different story.

Changing his target to Anna, Beast extended his right leg to hook the woman’s foot. Once he felt that he had latched on, he pulled back with all his strength, literally yanking her feet right out from under her. Anna was sent down to the ground on her back, and Beast followed up with a downward strike of his fist. It would have hit for massive damage if not for Anna rolling out of the way in the nick of time, causing Beast to punch bare ground.

He was not about to let Anna escape relatively unscathed.

Laterally striking out from where he had punched, Beast slashed sideways after her, successfully drawing a laceration wound on the female bandit.

By then, Chris had recovered enough to slash at Beast from the back.

-256 HP

It was not too damaging, but it was painful all the same. Gritting his teeth in annoyance, he swung back at the bandit with Burfrest. The attack was barely halted by the flat end of the bandit’s axe but it was not all that Beast could do. His off-hand flew towards Chris’s face with blinding blue, ramming into his jaw with extreme prejudice.

Dazed Blow has been activated!

Dazed Blow has increased to Basic 2!

The force from the impact was all Beast needed to stun the man, causing him to release his stance and grip on his weapon and allow Burfrest to go through unimpeded.

Two additional holes appeared on the man’s chest. Rapid breathing, trembling hands, Chris was on the verge of death. Beast directed the mana flow from his hand into Burfrest and the Elvensteel greedily ate up the offering. In a flash, the curved ends of the weapon superheated from the mana injection, reaching critical density. Then, a burst of blue pulsed from the tips of the horns, forming a short blade of pure solidified mana that impaled through the bandit’s chest before dissipating like flickers of starlight.

You have gained the skill Knife Mastery!

Knife Mastery (Basic 1)

Passive

+1% damage to knife attacks

The light in the man’s eyes faded. Beast nodded to himself in satisfaction. That counted as two separate attacks.

“Chris!” Anna exclaimed in abject horror.

Around her, her men were falling like leaves and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Shadun was about done with his two bandits, while those who went after Aveye had become nothing more than pincushions for arrows. Naomi was standing over the body of her bandit, the arch of her right heel pinning the poor guy’s neck to the ground.

Having finished off Chris, Beast turned towards her next, eliciting a fearful ‘eep’ from the bandit boss. With a menacing Burfrest in tow as he approached the fallen female, the historian looked like a harbinger of death.

“What…What do you want?” She could not even find the strength to hold up her weapon. This person was supposed to be the weakest of the four.

“You wanted to rob us didn’t you?” Beast said as he kicked the scimitar away. It was not a question.

“Yes- I mean no, we didn’t! I mean yes… I mean…”

A fist stopped right in front of her, the curved blades of the exotic weapon arcing dangerously close to her own throat. Any slight movement would rend it apart, ending her life there and then. That shut her up from her incoherent blabber, making her settle on a single word.

“Yes.”

“And you were planning to kill us to take them.”

“… Yes.”

It was all he needed to hear. His hand drew back to deliver the finishing blow.

“Wait!”

Beast halted.

“Please…” Anna croaked, her eyes on the verge of crying. “Spare me.”

Beast’s eyes momentarily softened.

The bandits that had been killed were all NPCs. As an NPC herself, it was supposedly why she seemed so desperate for Beast to show mercy for the one chance she had at living.

Even though she were nothing but electronics and data, Beast could not help but feel a slight twinge of hesitation at what he was about to do. And those tearful eyes, it reminded him of the promise he made to himself years ago…

No… she is an enemy. If they had not been prepared beforehand, things might have turned out worse. Robbed, killed, a day prohibition from the game, it would have been a massive loss of progress right after he just came back from his death to Alpyrius.

“Would you have shown us mercy?” Beast asked in a small but firm voice.

“Eh?” Her eyes flitted around, until they settled on his face.

“I asked, if it were us-“

A dagger flew towards his neck, unsheathed from a hidden compartment in Anna’s clothes. She had taken what she perceived as a moment of weakness to strike, the thrust of poisoned steel her chance at victory and escape.

“You Foreigners will come back anyway!”

However, as her hand extended towards her target, a knee struck her wrist, knocking the knife out of Anna’s hands and its intended path. She had squandered her chance. In retaliation to this act of hostility, Beast activated Burfrest's ability and slashed, its mana blade materializing from the weapon tips into something akin to a short sword. It took a single flourish for him to cut her down.

For a full three seconds after Anna went slack, Beast held his gaze at the bandit's lifeless body.

“… I guess that was a no.”

-150 Public Relations with Red Lotus

You have taken down the bandit gang Anna Raiders!

Anna Raiders is a small bandit gang who operate along the roads between Freeum and Loyderidge. They like to disguise themselves as merchants travelling between the towns and deceive gullible travellers to join them as an escort, where upon they would overpower them and kill them for their belongings.

For ridding them, you have done Caerheim a service.

+20 fame

+45 Public Relations with Caerheim

“Beast! Are you hurt?” With the bandit gang destroyed, Naomi was the first to rush over. That one time she let him die might have caused a shift in her priorities somewhat.

“I am alright. She almost got me though. Are you alright?” Beast stated, more concerned for Naomi. She was covered in minor cuts and scratches and might have more trouble with her foe than he had thought.

"Yea...."

“We should search them for loot.”

The bandits were bare, but Anna’s corpse contained 6 gold pieces. Add that to the down-payment of 10 gold and they have sixteen. Beast split 4 gold coins each.

“Everyone okay?”

“Yea, Beast-kun.”

“Mhmm. That is a nice weapon you got.”

None of them were seriously injured, suffering minor damage at best. After topping off their health, the crate was opened up. Inside were approximately 20 healing herbs and antidote grass, just like Beast thought it would be and he divided them equally as with the gold.

Then, they continued on their journey west.

…………….

“Just asking, did anyone hear of the Red Lotus?”

It was nightfall, and they were getting close to the town of Freeum. The journey had taken longer than usual due to the encounter with Anna Raiders but on the plus side, his Lunar Fleece was getting some of its shine back under the light of the rising moon.

“Red… Lotus?” Shadun thought long and hard. “… Where did you hear that?”

Beast stared at the bard in disbelief.

“You don’t know anything about Red Lotus? Are you sure you have never seen the name before?””

“Nope and don’t stare at me like that.”

Beast blinked, breaking his gaze. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

Did they not get the notification window regarding the public relations decrease with the Red Lotus like he had? Or was it only him who had the penalty due to him dealing the finishing blow on Anna? Beast wondered if he was getting himself into more trouble.

“So what about the Red Lotus, Beast-kun?” Aveye had picked up and turned the question on him.

“No… it’s nothing… I just heard the name somewhere.”

“Is that so…” Shadun muttered.

Beast was saved from Shadun’s questioning look when the town gate of Freeum came into view. Known as the town situated between Loyderidge and Rydelin, Freeum functioned as the main waypoint of trade and supplies between the two cities. Normally brimming with merchants and travelers, it is a treasure trove of quests for new players stepping outside the safe area of the main cities. Even from afar, he could see the town bustling with businessmen and players alike still plying their trade at this hour. It was a pity he would not be entering it.

“I guess this is where we separate.”

“Okay. You’re not even heading inside, Beast?” Shadun asked. “The roads can be quite dangerous at night alone.”

“He won’t be alone because I will be there!” Aveye exclaimed with no small amount of indignation.

“Oh I’m sorry I forgot about you then.” Shadun replied patronizingly. Turning to Beast, he raised his original question. “So?”

“I think I will just continue onwards.”

His Lunar Fleece needed the recharging which he would not get if he were to spend the night in an inn. Besides, he had time to make the journey to Rydelin before he had to log out.

“Right. You will be around Corelia, yes?” Beast nodded in affirmation to Shadun’s words. “Then I will find you later when I am done.”

"Take care of Naomi."

"I will try." They both shared a knowing look.

“I can take care of myself! Beast, I will train up and come meet you in Corelia.” Naomi added, her eyes glittering with new resolve. The most recent battle must have fired her up and given her a new goal to work towards.

With a brief goodbye their group of four split up, two heading into Freeum while the other two continued on the road to Rydelin.

Ages Online Compendium

Author's Notes:

This wraps up the Caerheim War arc. :)

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