◈ I'm-" Rain glanced at Lyra who was desperately making little cutting motions with her hand. "I have levels enough. In my culture we keep the specifics private, this open sharing of a person's numbers is strange to me."

The Halfling tilted her head. "Huh, well I suppose that's fair. I guess I'll just have to imagine how strong you are." She ran her eyes over his body. "That won't be very hard."

Rain squinted at Lira. She was just so- she just didn’t seem to care at all… It was… strange. He couldn't help but feel that there was something wrong with this situation, a subtle animal instinct warning him to be wary. But then perhaps he was just so used to people reacting poorly to him that coming across someone who seemed entirely unafraid was setting him off balance.

A gasp drew his attention away from the Halfling. Someone other than himself was causing unrest amongst the market crowd, someone pushing others out of the way.

A man with his rear to Rain appeared, walking backwards, pulling something across the ground. The crowd shifted and it came into a view, a Human woman, a woman wearing a corset and a torn blouse. She was being dragged, struggling to keep herself up on all fours but more often than not falling down as the man hauled on her long black hair roughly held in fist. Judging by the state of her clothing she was most likely a low leveler, in fact Rain thought he vaguely recognised her from his past life, although it was difficult to tell with how swollen and bruised her face was.

The man snorted in disgust as she slipped and twisted her wrist on the cobble, whimpering in pain. He pulled back on her hair, tilting her head up and grasped her chin with a gloved hand.

“Do you want to go back to the low leveler’s quarter?”

The woman looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

“N-no.. I, want to be with you, you're so… high leveled! One of the highest!”

“I am. And I’m growing stronger, you should want to be with me, I’m an up and comer, a prodigy. Don’t be like the others, don't be like Myra, you’ll stay with me no matter if someone comes along with more levels than me, you will, I know you will.”

He stared at the woman’s wide and terrified eyes for a moment longer and then released her. She fell back with a sob.

“What are you doing Adlen?” said Lira. The blonde haired Halfling had her hands on her hips, a dangerous tone to her voice.

Rain’s eye twitched as the man turned and he saw his face for the first time. Tall, curly black hair, a body like a sculpted idealization, a metal spear with a patterned blade on his back. It was Adlen, another one of his murderers.

Rain planned his path of attack. Lira was turned away from him, he would lunge forward, teeth taking her in the back of the neck, bite down hard and fast, end her quickly, then keeping his momentum he would leap, tackle Adlen, taking him to ground before he knew what was happening and then ripping and tearing until there was nothing left.

He stared unblinking, every monstrous and predatory instinct in him screaming at him to do it, kill them, kill them now!

The problem was what came after. He glanced around. There were a lot of people in this market, many of them around mid level and likely a few higher leveled. Nothing would unify them into one deadly combative force like seeing an out of control monster killing their own. Rain knew he was strong, but he also knew he wasn’t that strong. Killing Adlen and Lira right here right now would be a death sentence, he glanced at Lyra and Opal, and most likely not just for him. He clamped down on his fury, boxing it away as best he could for the moment. The box was already starting to show signs of breaking apart under the pressure.

“Lira what the hell is that with you? Did you get a new slave? How did you even swing getting a giant thing like that into town?”

“Leveler, Adlen, this one here is a leveler. Why are you being so rude? And more importantly what are you doing with that woman?”

Adlen stared at her then stared at the hulking wolf monster, then back at Lira.

“What are you blathering about you silly Halfling, that is not a leveler, there’s no fucking way. No, just no.”

Rain had been waiting for this. He took a step forward. Both of them looked at him in surprise.

“Are you calling me a monster?” he growled.

Adlen looked at Rain warily, not liking that this stranger was taking the aggressive stance.

“I’m not calling you a monster, you are a monster, obviously, and a pretty stupid one if you can’t even understand that. Piss off back to your master and stop bothering us.”

“In my culture calling someone a monster is a grave insult. If you’re so sure of your word then duel me, if I win then you will swallow your pride, grovel, and apologise for what you said. Of course a leveler like yourself isn’t afraid to fight an apparent monster like me right?” Rain pulled back his lips, flashing his canines in a wolfish grin.

“What?” said Adlen, clearly baffled that the monster hadn’t shut up and gone away yet. Slaves just didn’t talk back like this. “I’m not duelling a monster, don’t be ridiculous. Why am I even talking to you? I doubt you even understand what you’re suggesting!”

“Then are you walking back what you said?”

Adlen scowled in irritation. “No-

“Master, why is this leveler so afraid of you? Did his spine fall out his butthole like you said can happen sometimes?” said Opal with big innocent eyes.

Adlen’s fists clenched as Opal spoke and his face started to redden. “First you, now some Goblin filth dares-”

“Should we look around and see if we can find it master? Maybe we can put it back up his butt, then maybe he won’t be such a floppy spineless dildo!” Opal began looking around, as though hunting for Adlen’s missing spine, this drew a few sniggers from the crowd which flushed Adlen’s cheeks with white hot fury. He looked like he was about to attack the Goblin so Rain interjected.

“Duel me.” he growled, putting it simply.

“You should do it Adlen,” said Lira, “It’s the right thing to do, maybe you’ll learn a lesson about running your mouth.”

Rain glanced down at the Halfling…Why was she helping him? Did she truly believe he was a leveler? He wasn’t sure that was the case but having her help for the moment was useful.

“Lira, I’m not being dragged into this nonsense when literally everyone can clearly see that thing is a monster!”

“So how was he let into town? The guards check everyone who comes by with a level orb. How do you explain that?”

Adlen glared at the Halfling, infuriated by her point. “He obviously was allowed in as a slave.”

“The Ranker doesn't allow large monster slaves into town, as a rule, you know that, you said it yourself.”

“Just- just shut up! I don't know how it got in but it did, go and find a guard with a level orb, we can end this right now!”

This was not going in a direction Rain had intended, he suspected a public repeat of what happened to the last level orb he touched would do him no favours and he would be lucky if he was just imprisoned if not lynched.

Adlen’s lack of interest in fighting him was the problem, Rain had hoped baiting him would have been enough to get him to agree to a duel but the leveler just didn't want to commit. He was about to raise the stakes, try a different angle, increasing the pressure on Adlen further, when Lyra stepped forward and did it for him.

“Slave, for three months.”

Adlen blinked. “What?”

“You beat Fitz here and he will be your slave for three months. He’s a monster right? A powerful leveler will sometimes keep a powerful monster as an aesthetic slave in the cities, it’s a sign of prestige, symbolic of their strength, a display of prowess.”

He squinted at Lyra then turned his eyes to Rain. He glanced over him, an analytical look in his eye, judging. A large, unique, and extremely intimidating monster like this at his beck and call?... That would be… Impressive. He would stand out, draw attention, it would be as though he’d increased his level without actually doing so.

“That is… Wait, you’re its master?”

“If you wish to believe that then feel free.”

“Of course If I beat you then you will be my slave for three months in turn,” gravelled Rain, “Being my slave would be an acceptable apology, better than grovelling even.”

“Hell no! Levelers aren't slaves!”

“What is it that you think you are doing to that woman you are dragging around?”

Adlen gawped at him and then curled his lip in anger, anger because Rain’s comment had an edge of truth.

“So are you going to do it? You aren't afraid of my little friend here are you?” said Lyra, giving Adlen a wink.

Rain wasn’t sure how he felt about being described as little.

“No chance, jerkface over here is way too much of a coward!” scoffed Opal.

“You’re literally just a shitty Goblin! Why are you even talking?!”

That knocked the smug look of Opal’s face, but fortunately she was wearing another, smaller, smug look underneath.

“I’d totally fight tall and wolfy over here, I’m not afraid like you, you fat sack of expired cheese with a cavernous asshole! R-Fitz, fight me! one on one!”

Rain wasn’t sure if Opal was being serious or simply trying to aggravate Adlen, still, he held up a paw warning her back.

“She is correct that you are being a coward. Perhaps we really should form a search party for your spine?”

That, at last, was enough to push Adlen’s vexation over the brink.

“I’ve really heard enough of this,” said the leveler, he flipped the spear from his back and spun it in hand. “We’ll duel, and then your idiot Half-elf master will give you to me and I’ll make you my dog. That will be oh so wonderfully fitting. I’ll command you to sit and fetch and crawl on your belly like a pet, until you're ashamed to even lift your head.”

The crowd had already been keeping a distance as best they could from Rain, they drew back further as Adlen flourished his spear. This time however there was a sense of interest coming from the Humans and Elves and various other races that made up the crowd. If there was anything a town liked it was entertainment. Entertainment was a genuinely highly valued commodity away from the cities, and seeing a plucky leveler crushing an uncomfortably intimidating monster like Rain was just fine by them.

Space was quickly made for the fight, volunteers pushing back stalls, leaving an open square surrounded by the crowd.

Lyra raised her hands, activating full business sheep mode.

“We’re taking bets, taking bets! Anyone wishing to lay down gold hand it to the Goblin! This is the duel of the year, no, the decade folks! Have you ever seen the like! Fitz of the North accused of monsterhood, versus this… Adlen guy, Prodigy of Lynthia! He has a spear! It is very pointy!”

The attention of the crowd switched from Rain to Lyra. The sheep girl was quickly getting into the swing of things, stoking the crowd, building interest. The crowd’s eyes followed her waving arms as she built the hype ever higher, Opal especially couldn't look away, fascinated by this new phenomenon.

One of the crowd caught Lyra’s attention.

“You, yes you! You look very assured of the way this is going to go! What say you?”

A muscular man, clearly a blacksmith judging by the size of his crossed arms and his leather apron, glared at Lyra, annoyed about being singled out. He shifted his shoulders and shook his head.

“Well obviously young Adlen is going to win. That's a big monster, a real feral lookin’ fucker, but levelers fight increasingly large monsters as they level higher, Adlen included, in fact I know he was part of a group who took on a Panthara, far more dangerous than that wolf thing. He knows what best practice is, this will be a slow painful dismantling of your slave, girl. I hope you don't regret it.”

“A Panthara? Wow! Care to put your money where your mouth is?” said Lyra, practically bouncing on the spot.

Opal appeared in front of the blacksmith, an open bag in her hands held up high. The blacksmith snorted a laugh, hesitated, then reached for his purse.

“Sure, why not, but only with two to one odds. Still want to do this?

“Mhmm!”

There was a moment of silence, then the market crowd shifted into full commerce mode as the sound of a dozen clinking coins falling from the blacksmith’s hand pierced the air. There was money to be made and that moved people with a magic all of its own.

“I’ll take odds on the overgrown monster winning! Anyone?” cried a voice in the back, and then someone else, “Get your meat! Can't watchah fight without meat! Come buy mi’ meat!”

Opal drifted from person to person willing to take a bet against Rain, which turned out to be a lot, levelers always beat monsters in the end, no matter how intimidating a monster was, that was just how things were. Lyra followed behind the Goblin girl, she’d procured a notepad from somewhere and was busily noting down every name and face that stepped up with money in hand to put in Opal’s bag. The sheep girl doubted she would need it, but she had standards, she was a business sheep after all.