Ava slowly woke up. Slowly. Very, very slowly. Slow enough that for quite a number of minutes, she was in that place, between sleep and wakefulness. That wonderful, half-remembered place, where everything was as it should be and no worries existent. She opened her eyes a few times, not really taking in her surroundings, before drifting off again. Second by second, she came closer to reality, until her mind finally caught a glimpse of memory.

That’s was when all her recent memories rushed in.

“Shit!” she opened her eyes, with a gasp.

The sleep had been so good that, for a moment there, she had forgotten what happened. Where she was. Why she was there. Memories came back fully, after that, bringing with them the state of misery, that never seemed to leave Ava alone for long.

Still. It had been a good sleep.

Half-bothered by her constant regrets, she was still feeling better than she did the day before. Sleeping on something other than dirt or grass and having a roof over your head really worked wonders for morale.

Nice barn.

Looking around, she saw rough wooden beams and pillars. Hay was present everywhere and so where a few chickens. A mule was munching on some straws, eyeing her oddly. Perhaps it was trying to understand what it was looking at, an animal or a person.

“What?!” she asked.

The mule looked away first.

Deciding she had laid down for long enough, Ava got to her hooves and walked out of the barn. The day was beautiful. She must have woken up midday, since the sun was already high in the sky. All around her were sounds and scents typical of a farm. The breeze blew by gently. Animals were making their way around her.

And an annoyed man yelled out to her.

“Hey, lass! You planned on sleeping the entire day away?”

“Sorry, Mr. Ian. I guess I was tired.”

“I’m no mister. Ian is fine. But you sleeping that long made you miss those thugs!”

“Wh- They came back?” Ava asked, only now waking up fully.

“No. But they could have!”

He is just like an old, grumpy Satyr.

“Right. Sorry for that. Thank you again, for last night. It… meant a lot to me. I’m going to go now, but-“

“Go later, lass. Yva’s left you some breakfast on the table. And she told me to tell you that she wanted to say goodbye before you left.” The man said, while yanking some weed-looking plants out of the ground.

“Oh… uh… so I should…”

“The table is inside the house, girl.” Ian said, misinterpreting her reaction.

Ava was confused. That was clear. She wasn’t confused as to the location of the table, no matter what Ian thought of her memory. She was confused because he wasn’t nearly as hostile to her, as he had been a day before. She was also confused, but this was more of a general feeling, that she was being treated nicely. That someone thought to leave food for her. Never mind the food, that someone thought of her. She had gotten too used to others distrusting her on sight, for this not to be weird.

Dizzily, she made her way inside the house and walked to the kitchen table. There she found a plate, with a block of cheese and some fruit on it. Next to it stood a bowl, filled with mashed oats and dried fruit. Blueberries, she guessed. It was a simple meal, but looked like a feast to her. She gobbled it up almost without breathing. A pitcher nearby rewarded her with water and once she was done, she felt like a new woman. Well, Satyr.

I slept well. I ate well. This is almost going on too well.

… has |Foe on Sight| stopped working?

“Uh, Ian?” she called out, after stepping outside. “I don’t have anything to pay back your generosity, but I wanted to say that-“

“Nothing to pay back, lass. You helped with those thugs last night. That’s enough to merit some food and rest.”

“Still. Is there anything I could do to help around here?” she asked, gesturing at the yard.

Ian glanced at her for a moment, looking her up and down.

“You’re a Satyr, right?”

“Yes.”

“And your kind is known for what?”

“Uh…”

That was not a question she received a lot.

“Well, we’re good hunters and we tell good stories. Some Satyr villages are known for their wines-“

“No, I meant, are you strong? Or can fly? That type of things.”

“No… We’re about as strong as humans. Faster though. …nimbler?”

I am putting my entire race to shame.

Truthfully, Satyrs did have a number of other racial advantages, but Ava was never before asked to act as the spokesperson for her entire race.

“Right.” Ian said, shrugging his shoulders. “Then it still won’t be easy, but better four hand than two.”

For the next following hours, Ava came to know and participate in a novel activity. Building fences. The thugs had broken a few planks, while jumping over it, but she learned that Ian had been planning on rebuilding it anyhow. That was how she found herself digging, hardening the foundations of the pillars, assembling the planks and so on, while Ian did the same things beside her. It was tiring work, but honest work, as he would describe it.

Ava was still a little disappointed he didn’t ask her to hunt something. The upside was, however, that while they were working, Ian had been slowly, but steadily cheering up. Well, for some definition of cheering. He was still a grumpy ‘old’ man, but he lost most of his animosity towards her. In no time, he was telling her about their day-to-day facts.

“It’s not a short ride to the city, but it beats having to compete over the same small piece of parceled land with the other farmers. Morons think that being close to the walls will make them safer.” He snorted.

“But is Yva safe going there alone? Those men from last night-“

“Were not from the city.” He answered.

Ava observed that Ian had the habit of finishing your sentence or cutting you off, if he thought he knew what you were about to say. She thought he was just rude, at first, but came to think his nature just didn’t allow for wasting time.

“Besides, Yva has eyes set on her every time she sets foot in the city. From both young lads and grown men. But they’ve never made a move and never will. They’re mostly good people over there. And for those that aren’t, there’s the guards.”

“Right. But those men from yesterday? Who were they?”

“Damned if I know. Thugs. Raiders. Soldiers of fortune who lost their way. There’re all sorts of nasty folk wondering around the roads, Ava.”

“Hah.”

“What?”

“Oh, sorry. You just called me Ava. …Instead of lass… or girl?” she said uncertainly, under his gaze.

“I know your name, Ava. You told it to me last night. And I’ve a better memory than yours.”

She didn’t think that was remotely true, but decided not to mention it.

“Well, yes, but you didn’t use it before.”

“Huh. No, I didn’t. Now, come think of it, I no longer think you’re out to no good. Can’t recall why I did think that.” He said, grasping at his chin.

“It’s my Skill. |Foe on Sight|. It makes other’s distrust me. It’s like… a curse. Like Yva said. But it seems to be wearing off now.”

“That she did… Sorry if I treated you wrongly, lass. And I’m calling you ‘lass’ because I like the word, not because I’m still mistrusting you. I have a Class, but it’s |Farmer| and it never gave me any Skills to protect myself from… things, like that curse of yours.”

“No worries, Ian. I’m just happy it’s no longer working on you.”

“Mhm. I won’t pry into your past, but it’s a shame you have that on you. No matter what happened.”

She did not know why those words affected her so much, but it felt like something switched in her perception. Ian went from a grumpy man, to something akin to a paternal figure. And since her own paternal figure…

Ava changed the subject, before her emotions got the better of her.

“Hey, Ian, I wanted to ask. I hear there’s a refuge, near a village called Helmrest. It’s run by a nymph, or so I hear. Do you have any idea where that is?”

“Refuge run by a nymph? I don’t know anything about that, but I heard of Helmrest. Some traders from the city walk their way there. But I don’t know where to point you at… Why’d you want to go to a refuge?”

“Because of my curse. I’ve been told the nymph isn’t affected by it. Like Yva. So, maybe I could find a home there.”

He eyed her for a second, before sighing.

“If I don’t know, Yva wouldn’t either. Ava, this is no big secret, but I will have your word not to tell it regardless. Folks get spooked easily around these parts.”

“Uh… what secret?”

“Just say you won’t share it, before I tell it to you, lass!” Ian grumbled at her.

“I swear! On… whatever it is.”

“Good. Now… hold on. Where did I put it… there.” He said, searching around his pockets, until he pulled something out.

It was a clay bottle, with a cork stopper.

He’s a drunk? That’s his secret? And he wants to… what… cheer me up?

Eh… fuck it. Why not?

She reached for the bottle, before he slapped her hand away.

Fine, you take the first swill. Touchy.

Ian pulled out the stopper and brought the bottle to his lips. But he didn’t tilt it up. Instead, he began murmuring into it. She didn’t hear much, but she caught the words ‘Ava’ and ‘Helmrest’. More oddly, he alternated the bottle from his mouth, to his ear.

Was that a prayer? We’re drinking for good luck?

“Right, done.” He said, putting the bottle back in his pocket.

Seeing her confused expression, he continued.

“I guess I have to explain what I did, don’t I?”

“I mean… yeah?”

“You noticed how Yva was of a different species, right?” he asked, sighing.

No, why would I? Full black eyes are so common among humans.

“I did.”

“Well, her people are called Nocturnals. I’ll let her give you more details herself, but what I did just now was talk to her. Her people can talk through shadows. See too. And while I’m no Nocturnal, I am her husband, so when I talk into a shadow, she can hear me. Assuming the shadow’s dark enough and she’s not too far away.” He shrugged.

“Oh… alright.” At this point, nothing surprised her anymore. “But why a bottle?”

“I need something dark enough and the inside of a bottle works fine. What, you were expecting some fancy artifact?” he laughed.

“I guess…”

“I’m a |Farmer|, girl, not a |Magician|. I told her on your behalf to ask around for that Helmrest. Where it is, how to get there, that sort of stuff.”

“Oh. Thank you! I-“

“She also asked me to ask you something, but I already told her you said yes. And that will be your way of repaying me.”

“…what?”

“She asked if you like apple pie. I love apple pie, Ava. And so do you.” He grinned at her.

Her only response was to burst out in laughter.

They worked some more on the fence. Quite a bit more. Up until Yva came back home and went inside to make dinner. Up until the sun had almost gone down and Yva told them she was done with the pie as well. That, coincidentally, was the moment Ian decided they worked enough for one day. They washed and headed inside to eat.

And most importantly, to talk.

“I’ve found out that Helmrest isn’t far from here, actually. Perhaps a week’s walk. You’ll pass by two more villages until you get there, but the road that took you here is the same one that leads there as well.” Yva told her, over dessert.

“Great! Thank you, you have no idea how much this means to me.” Ava beamed.

“But, Ava, some of the merchants told me about that forest. The villagers in Helmrest don’t like anyone wandering into their forest. They use it as a safe haven, for when bandits attack. And the merchants themselves never went into the forest, so they didn’t know much about the nymph, except for what the villagers told them. I’m not sure how… accommodating she might be.”

“Aye. You should bring a sword.” Ian spoke, between mouthfuls, before Yva pinned him with a half-hearted glare.

“A sword might not be the best choice. Still, be careful, Ava. My people have made contact with the nymphs before and they’re not naturally hostile. But they’re also not to be trifled with.”

“I will, Yva. And thank you again. Maybe she won’t be that nice to me, but I still have to try. Also… you said your people have made contact with the nymphs. Can I ask you more on that?”

“You mean, who my people are? And who and what I am?” she laughed. “No need to be cautious, Ava, I don’t mind.”

“Oh. Well, yeah. Sorry, I’ve never met a Nocturnal before and I just… wanted to know.”

“I see Ian told you something about me.”

Ian himself wasn’t at all apologetic about it and was instead concentrating on his second slice of pie.

“My people are called Nocturnals, indeed. We are of the shadow and that is what gives us our… unique appearance. But not all Nocturnals look like me. Indeed, some may look just like you.”

“…what?”

“It is not a normal thing to understand, if one does not already know the story. There are places where the sun never shines. Some out in the open, some deep underground. Some say such places can even be found under the seas, but I am not sure on this last one. Regardless, if one were to find itself in such places, regardless of species, gender or Class, a curious thing might happen. Whether they live there or were just passing, Night might take notice of such individuals.”

“Night?”

“Night. Not night, as in the lack of the sun and the opposite of day, but Night.”

“I’m not sure I follow.”

“Do Satyrs have Gods, Ava? Do your people practice worship?”

That was among the questions not usually asked of her.

“Uhm… well, some of us do. But we don’t worship Gods, not like humans do. We have ancestors we tell stories about… which is like ‘prayer’ for other races, I guess. And some Satyrs pray to the Gods of the Wild or of Nature. But there’s no religion, not really.”

“I see. Well, I believe that approach to be preferable to the ones humans practice.” She laughed, while Ian snorted. “I asked this, Ava, because to Nocturnals, Night is a God. Not the opposite of day, as I mentioned, but a living embodiment of night, old and aware. We know it is a God, because every Nocturnal meets it, at least once.”

“You get to meet your God?”

“Yes. If you walk through places not touched by the sun long enough and you have merit, Night may approach you. And offer you a deal. Become one of the Nocturnal and gain the favor of a God. Or, be on your way.”

“Wait, that’s it? Just… take it or leave it?”

“There are more details to the trade. But we are asked not to reveal them without reason, as they might impact future decisions.” She shrugged.

“And that’s how you became… Nocturnal? You accepted the deal?”

“Oh, no.” she laughed. “I was born like this. I forgot to mention, but you can be born a Nocturnal as well, if both your parents were of the kin. I still met my God, though not for the deal, simply to bless my heritage.”

“Alright. That’s… new.”

“My people are not very widespread. Our stories do not reach many ears. But I find it good to share with those that I judge worthy. Perhaps, in time, the prejudice some show against my kin will lessen.”

“So, like, what can you do? I mean, Satyrs are agile. Ogres are strong. Humans are… humans.” She finished uncertainly, getting a look from Ian. “What can Nocturnals do?”

“Oh, quite a bit. We can see perfectly in the dark. We can hear and speak through any shadows, like Ian told you. Though, this is restricted by distance and, well, closeness. And at night, we both travel faster and are harder to notice.”

“Huh. So, you’re like |Rogues|.”

Yva laughed at that.

“That is a type of Class that many of my people take. But we also have Classes specific to our natures. And the abilities we have depend on what our God gifts us with. I simply listed the most common.”

“That’s so cool.”

“Yes, it is. I keep telling Ian that he should become one as well, but he says that at least one of us should be able to not spook the cows.” She laughed.

“Aye and it’s true too. I love Yva, but some animals just hate her. Every time she walks close to them cows, they stop giving milk for days.” He replied honestly.

“I love you too, Ian. And respect your decision to decline the Night, for fear of angering the bovine deity.”

Ava laughed, while Ian naturally decided to poke back at Yva, the conversation resulting in a mock fight, to the ever-increasing amusement of Ava. She went to sleep after finishing her pie, in good spirits. She drifted off slowly, grateful to have met them.

***

The sound of yelling woke Ava up. She jumped to her feet before she could get her bearings, almost tripping, but finding her hooves and sprinted out of the barn. It was dark outside, with the stars shining clearly in the sky. The only light other than that and the moon, came from a dropped torch, laying on the ground, just outside the house. It must have been dropped by Ian, since he was right next to it. Kneeling on the ground, with one hand to his stomach. Looming next to him was a man.

Berek.

“You shouldn’t have gotten in my way, old man. You should have just let me have her.” He rasped out and made to move inside the house.

Ian gripped one of his legs, resulting in said leg smashing him in the face.

“Hey!” Ava called out, finally being snapped out of her trance by the violence.

“You again!” Bered yelled, turning to her. “You cost me my men, you fucking goat! After you killed two, the others left! Now it’s just me!”

He had a slight slur to his voice, which made Ava think that he had been drinking. Still, that did nothing to detract from his menacing appearance, especially since the |Raider| had a couple of iron-capped gloves covering his fists. They weren’t spiked, but Ava could bet that they’d cause a lot of damage if they hit her.

“Yeah, well, good for them. Now I won’t have to kill them too, just to get to you!” she yelled back, with more bravado than she felt.

In truth, she was only taunting him to get him away from Ian. Who was now slowly writhing on the ground, not getting up.

“I’ve never had a half-goat before. You’ll do well before the main prize!” He said, approaching her.

“It’s Satyr, you shit!” she said, reaching for her bow.

Before remembering that she left it in the barn.

Shit… he’s too close to make a run for it. Play it cool.

“Can’t do shit without your bow, can ‘ya?”

Or, I could not play it cool.

Ava leaned down and propelled herself forward, head tucked down. For a human or for some of the other races, this move might have resulted in a headbutt. Or, at the very least, a head to the chest. Given that Ava was a Satyr, the move resulted in two sharp horns impaling Berek in the chest.

It wasn’t a move done lightly. Not because in wasn’t useful. It was, even though Ava’s neck ached from how close to her chest she had to incline her head. Her horns weren’t exactly pointing up. It wasn’t done lightly because, though Satyrs resembled goats, they didn’t really like borrowing moves from their repertoire. Or, even worst, from a ram.

“That hurt, girl. But did you think it was going to kill me?” Berek roared.

He punched straight down at Ava’s head and only narrowly missed, since his unnecessary words had given her enough time to dodge back. Looking at him, Ava saw two holes in his tunic. Beyond the holes, were two small puncture wounds, slowly dripping with blood.

Slowly dripping.

How?

“I’m a |Raider|, you bitch! I’ve got the Class! |Thick Skin| is one of the Skills I got.” He yelled at her. “You think that-“

He didn’t get to finish his sentence, as he had to dodge out of the way. In a moment, Ava saw why. If he hadn’t, Ian would have hit him over the head with the shovel he had acquired while Berek talked. He didn’t though and Berek rewarded him with a punch to the side of the head. Ian fell down again.

“Again, with this shit. If you want to die old man, I’ll oblige you.”

He raised his foot to stomp on him, but Ava was faster. She leapt forward, aiming for his eyes. A wide backhand slapped her away. Berek followed that with a knee to her stomach, before slamming his fist on her forehead. She went down too.

“I’ll get to you in a second, whore. But first, you!’ he said, pointing at Ian.

Damn it. I don’t have any Skills for close combat.

She managed to stand up, but she knew that if she kept attacking him, it’ll only result in him knocking her out for real. And then there’d be no one left to help them. But if she just stood there, Ian would be killed.

My |Archer| Class is… useless. It’s not meant for this. But… I’ve got another Class.

Fuck me, but I hope this works.

“|Foe on Sight|!”

It was the first time when Ava had consciously used her Skill. It was the first time she ever really wanted to. She wasn’t even sure if it would work, but she hoped it would. And sure enough…

“WHORE!” Berek roared at her.

His eyes had gone extremely wide and he was frothing at the mouth. His hands were no longer clenched into fists, but open, resembling claws. Ava had expected… something to happen, since she wanted him to come after her, but she didn’t think that her Skill was going to turn him into a berserker.

With a bellow, Berek ran towards her and it took all the famed agility of Satyrs for Ava to get up and run the other way. She took off at high speed, running in circles around the yard and the house. A glance behind let her know that Berek was still in hot pursuit. As if she couldn’t tell by his screaming.

“Kill YOU! Bitch! WHOOORE!”

He wasn’t exactly smart before, but now he’s purely an animal.

She was just coming around the house, when she spotted Yva in the yard, trying to help Ian stand up. Ava sped up, hoping the enraged |Raider| currently chasing her wouldn’t spot them. She ran faster, perking her ears and stopped abruptly when the sound of heavy footsteps and heavy breathing became distant.

Looking back, she saw Berek looking between Yva and herself. He still looked angry, but he was glancing between his two targets with a confused expression. In the end, he furrowed his brows and started walking towards Yva.

“|Foe on Sight|”!

Berek stopped for a second, before resuming his slow walk.

“|Foe on Sight|!”

This time, he didn’t even slow down. His walk was increasing in speed, too.

“Yva, run!” Ava called out.

But she didn’t. Ian had raised himself up and stood unsteadily in front of her. She wouldn’t leave because of him. And he wouldn’t leave because of her. Meanwhile, Berek was coming back to his senses, still angry and confused, but with a vengeful glimmer in his eyes.

Fuck it!

Ava ran forward and side-tackled Berek. She fell down on top of him, landing in a heap. She wanted to call out, tell them to run, but a fist socked her in the jaw. Ian stepped forward, still managing to hit Berek over the head, but the |Raider| just grunted and jabbed him in the ribs. It was enough to cause Ian to stumble back, falling to his knees. Ava herself wasn’t faring any better.

“Enough of this! |Quick Strikes|” Berek yelled.

A full-on barrage of strikes landed on Ava’s crouching form, most of them punches, but kicks and stomps as well. It couldn’t have lasted longer than a few seconds, but by the end of it, Ava was surprised she hadn’t blacked out. She didn’t think anything was broken, but she was bruised and her head was swimming. Enough that standing back up again looked like an impossibility.

“Fucking farmers with fucking goat guards” Berek rasped out, breathing hard. “I will kill you! I will fuck your wife! And I will Eat. That. Fucking. Goat!”

He was advancing, slowly but steadily, towards Ian and Yva.

I can’t save them. I can’t… why this again? Why?

She slowly sat up, kneeling on the ground.

They’re going to die. I can’t save them. I’m an |Archer|! I…

There was a weight in her hands, where one hadn’t been a second before. Her head stopped swimming. She couldn’t stand up, but she could see clearly. And what she saw was the bow in her hands.

The Crescent Bow.

It shone, both under the moonlight and from within. It was just like she remembered it. She brought it up and placed a hand on the string. An arrow of light appeared in her hand.

“Noooo!”

Yva’s shriek brought her back to reality. Looking up, she saw that Berek had downed Ian again, completely knocking him out. His hand was now reaching towards Yva.

She didn’t know when she did it. It almost happened without her control. She only knew that she had to protect them. One moment, she was staring at the scene in front of her. The next, she saw Berek toppling, an arrow of light slowly fading away. Lodged deep into the back of his head.

He was dead before he hit the ground.

It took some time for Yva to stop crying. Long after Ava got up and went over to them. Long after Ian stood up as well, asking what happened. She only stopped, after Ian and Ava got back, having buried Berek’s corpse some distance away from the farm.

It was still late at night. The entire ordeal hadn’t taken too long, but they were too shaken to go back to sleep. Ian broke open one of the few bottles of alcohol in their house and they all stood around the table, finally recovering from their fright.

“Thank you, Ava.” Yva said, though she said it many times before that. “If there’s anything you want, anything we can help you with-“

“No need. Really! You gave me food and shelter and were nice to me.”

“But you saved us!”

“I saved you because you’re nice. I mean, I would have saved you even if you weren’t, but… you know…”

None of the two women had any energy left to spend on eloquence. Smiling, Ian spoke up.

“That was some Skill, lass. Punched right through his head.”

“Uh, yeah. It wasn’t a Skill. It’s… well, complicated. It ties back to the whole ‘curse’ thing.”

“Must be a better curse than most.” He laughed.

“Yeah… I guess.” She said, thinking.

I can use the |Outcast| Skills. They still suck, but… huh.

That, and.

I used the Bow. It let me use it.

Those were the two main thoughts that occupied her mind enough that she couldn’t really focus on the conversation. Well, the bruises and blow to the head weren’t helping things either. She went to bed, completely sore and woke up just the same.

She wanted to stay at the farm, for just a few more days, but she couldn’t. She didn’t know if it was her Class which attracted problems or if it had just been a drunken moron of a coincidence, but she didn’t want to jinx it. Ian and Yva were good people.

She packed the few things she had and went to say her goodbyes to the couple. Yva had already prepared a pack of food for the road and thanked her yet again, for a few more times. Even made Ava swear that she’d visit, if she ever had the chance. Ian simply said his farewells and hugged Ava. Hugged her.

She did cry then, just a bit.

As she walked away from the farm and towards the refuge, Ava’s mind was full of questions. Could she lose this Class, even if it was of some use? If she could, could she keep its Skills, but only use them when she wanted to? And the bow. Not the one on her back, but the one in her mind. The Crescent Bow came back to her. She could use it… but only when she really needed it?

It was as she walked and thought, that she heard the words.

|Class Level Decreased: Outcast|

|Class Level: 8|