Chapter 31 - Tails

Ebonshear - Adventurer's Guild - Guild Master’s Office

Simon's cigar fell from his hand while Suavi tried sneaking a peak. The redheaded girl beside her attempted the same despite not being able to read yet.

Nina suddenly slammed on the desk several times to call the man back in, "Go get THAT. NOW." The man's face paled but nevertheless, nodded once and closed the door.

The spirit's eyes went wide upon reading some of the information on the golden plate before she turned back towards Simon, "This...this is bad." she said softly before noticing Simon's rapidly darting eyes.

Window. No good, the girls won't survive the fall. Door. Not an option. Ceiling. Possible but not probable. Floor?

Simon tossed the girls lightly into the air and slammed his leg down on the floor, splitting several of the boards. Glancing down the newly created hole he shook his head, no good, he thought before catching the two frightened girls in one arm while pulling his hidden knife from his pant leg, not caring as the cloth was torn open during its removal. The elf was already reaching under the desk when Simon pointed the blade at the base of her throat.

"Don't. Move."

Nina slowly raised her hands. Argo tried to interfere, but a glance from Nina caused him to sit back down in his chair.

"We're leaving," Simon set down the two startled girls gently, "Now. Through the door."

Nina sat defiantly, refusing to get up even as the tip of his blade cut into her neck, "You're making a mistake."

Suddenly the man returned, he glanced at Simon and the knife and Nina's neck, gulped once, and placed a small box on the desk. He started to leave but was stopped by Simon's chilling tone, "Stay. Close the door."

The man nodded once as he closed the door and stood beside it facing the wall, clearly wanting no part of whatever the hell was happening behind him.

Smart man. Simon spoke softly, "Explain."

Nina spoke without moving anything above her jaw. She knew if she tried anything, her head would roll across the desk before Agor could even scream. He was always a meek man, but he was kind and capable enough when given direction, and for someone like her, that was enough.

"Inside that box is a special plate. Platinum in rank. Unlike normal plates, this one can be edited, once, and only once while still being able to show the owner's growth. It also acts as an obscuration device, preventing others from being able to view anything besides what is recorded on the plate with identity. At least for a while."

Simon's eyes narrowed while maintaining eye contact, "Why would something like that actually exist."

"Nobles. Specifically, Royalty. Sometimes the children of royalty decide to start adventuring even if it means abandoning their claim to the throne and their family name. Due to the nature of these plates, information can normally never be changed except by the system itself when someone levels up or adjusts their stats and skills. The plate in that box is one of two exceptions to that rule. The other exceptions are gold plates issued directly by guild masters in a nation's capital. Those are issued to adventurers taking on tasks that require a level of secrecy. Unlike the plate in that box, those don't update after being set."

"So the reason it exists is to completely remove an ex-noble’s identity, so they aren't discovered?"

"Yes."

Simon narrows his eyes, "Why do you have a plate like this? This isn't the capital."

Nina smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes, "The guild master in the capital owes me a few favors, so I cashed some in. I like being prepared for anything, you see."

Simon pauses for a moment and stares into her unblinking eyes. She's not lying, at least she doesn't appear to be, "Do you have one of those gold plates as well?"

"Yes."

Simon lowers the knife and tosses it at the wall near the man, "Take it and go back to whatever you were doing before."

The startled man nods and struggles for a bit to remove the embedded knife and exits the room.

"Agor, you go ahead and get a drink or something. The less you know about this man, the better,"

The man hadn't managed to read his plate despite the commotion, so he decided to allow it.

Simon stops Agor before he can voice his protest, "I won't touch her so long as she doesn't try anything stupid. You have my word."

Agor hesitates for a moment then sighs loudly before nodding once and exiting the room.

"No one is listening." Nina chimes in after cleaning up the small amount of blood from her throat.

"So it seems."

"I won't ask you to apologize for the knife, but I have to wonder why you even bothered using it when you could clearly have removed my head without it."

Simon nods once, "It's hard to speak with a hand crushing your throat."

The elf's silver eyes widened, "You expected this?"

"I made a gamble. All other options of escape had an unacceptable probability of success."

"Ah. I noticed your eyes scanning the room before you focused on the door. Of course, with your strength, nothing we did would have likely even managed to slow you down, much less actually harm you, but for those two, that wouldn't be the case, right?"

Suavi and Kayae flinched as they were mentioned. So he was worried about us?

"Indeed."

The elf let out a tired sigh, "You already knew no one in this building would have hurt those two children, yet you took that into consideration regardless."

Simon scoffed, "I try not to leave things to chance, and when I must, I try to stack the deck as best I can. No one ever intends to harm innocents during a fight unless they're psychopaths, but people still die all the time from a stray shot."

She nods solemnly, "That is true. So, What now?"

"I have several questions I'd like answered."

Nina raises a small hand telling him to continue.

"Why aren't you the guild master?"

Her eyes narrow, "I'm a woman, an elf, and I hate humans."

"Then why were you working at the reception desk?"

Nina smiles slyly, "I don't. I only took over that desk when I saw you three walk in."

Simon nods his head, "Why do you hate humans?"

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow, "Why do I hate humans? Not why I was there?"

"You were there to get the girls from me. Now, why?"

Nina's eyes narrow, shouting in a voice shaking with rage, "Because they attacked my village, raped my daughter, and killed my children. Why wouldn't I hate them?!"

Suavi and Kayae look down towards the floor while Simon frowns, "I see. That explains your name. I know nothing of elvish culture, but I do know a little about beastmen villages. When someone leaves the village or is exiled, they lose the right to use the village's name. Nina sounds like a common name, not an Elvish one."

Nina's head tilts in irritation, "For someone who doesn't know anything, you seem to know a lot. Fine. I was exiled after I hunted down and killed every single one of the bastards who attacked our village. I strung them up from trees around the edge of the Sacred Forest as a warning to any fools that might dare attempt something like that in the future."

Simon closes his eyes and nods, "I've done the same."

Nina glances down at the fallen plate on the desk, "So you have."

"Why did they exile you for that?"

She scoffs, "Because they are peace-loving fools who believe that our God protects us and has a divine plan for everything. The World Tree never gave a damn about us. What I did was seen as a crime against nature, or at the very least as a defilement of the Sacred Forest."

Simon shakes his head, "You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family."

Nina nods, and so does Suavi for some reason, "Anything else you want to know? Or can we get on with this?"

"There is, but that can wait until later. You saw my plate, yes?"

Nina rolls her eyes, "If I hadn't, we wouldn't be having this discussion."

"How bad is it? Obviously, the parts about where I'm from need to be removed. Aside from that, I have no idea how to quantify the rest of the information."

Nina raises an eyebrow and takes the plate. Her silver eyes widen and narrow as she goes down the list line by line.

"Basic information is self-explanatory. The average baseline of an adult human in peak condition in this world is 100 in each stat at Level 8. Things become more complicated as someone acquires more levels and classes. Each class provides a set amount of predetermined stats per level and free stats based upon the class's rarity or power, thus an individual's stats can vary wildly. Here."

The elf pulls on a chain around her neck allowing a small silver bead to come into view. She places it onto the table in front of him before channeling white light into it. The small silver bead rapidly grows in size until eventually reaching the size of a standard adventurer tag. Simon raises an eyebrow but decides to hold his questions for now as he reads over the plate, mainly focused on her stats.

---General Information---

Name:

Alias: Nina

Race: Elven

Age: 1265

Mana: 1495

Mana Regeneration: 1500

Adventurer Rank: Mythril

Merchant Rank:

Noble Rank:

Country:

Occupation: Receptionist, Adventurer’s Guild - Ebonshear Branch

---Stats---

Free Stats: 0

Strength: 1794

Dexterity: 3900

Vitality: 2700

Versatility: 3109

Speed: 2579

Intellect: 2990

Wisdom: 3000

Magic Power: 29900

Magic Control: 30000

---Classes---

Class 1: Guardian of the Forests - Wood - 226

Class 2: Flayer - Blood - 209

Class 3: [Locked]

The elf speaks again after allowing him time to go over the information, "As far as I'm aware, I'm one of the highest level people currently living within this country. Not counting the kingsguard, obviously."

Simon glances back up at her, "Kingsguard?"

"Mercenaries mainly. They’re brought in from countries outside the Cradle. They're ludicrously expensive to attract and even harder to keep." She pauses for a moment before rolling her eyes, anticipating his next question, and pulls out a large map.

"The Cradle is what we call everything inside the Great Palisade Mountains. Original name, I know, but it's an apt description considering their function. The mountains serve as a natural protective barrier for those of us inside the Cradle. They not only provide a physical barrier that keeps out the more dangerous and desperate predators but they also have the effect of reducing the experience gained by the World System. That tends to keep out most of if not all of the otherwise world-ending threats that exist beyond the mountains as well as those with levels higher than the 300s. One of the heroes of old referred to the Cradle as the Starter Zone while another called it Tutorial Island whatever that means."

"I see. So these kingsguard are people from outside the Cradle with higher levels than 300?"

Nina shakes her head, "No, kingsguard specifically refers to those who came back to the Cradle to serve as a kingsguard. Just because someone is above level 300 doesn't make them a kingsguard, just stupid if they aren't one."

"Why do you consider them stupid?"

"Because it'd be easy for them to get a high-paying job as a kingsguard, which is honestly really the only worthwhile thing for them to do here. It's almost impossible to gain levels past 300 while within the Cradle. The monsters here aren't numerous enough and are too low level to grant a meaningful amount of experience for someone above level 300 with the experience reduction caused by the mountains in effect.

In all honesty, the things we have within the Cradle are pretty much equally worthless to them. Even our gold isn't worth much beyond our little Cradle. That's also probably one of the reasons kingdoms and empires outside the Cradle don't bother invading. Our resources aren't worth taking and any slaves they could get from here would likely die to a stray rat or something out there, making it more trouble than its worth."

Simon nods, "I see, So the kingsguard are basically those who couldn't make it outside the Cradle and decided to live the rest of their lives out in relative luxury."

The elf nods, "More or less. Sometimes they stay for a couple of decades and head back out, never to be heard from again. Strength wise I'd put them somewhere around 350 to 400. I've only met a few of them myself and I wasn't able to identify them so I can't really confirm that. They're also rarely seen outside of the capital or even the palace really. They tend to keep to themselves outside of the bare minimum that is required to ensure their own happiness. It's even rare for them to actively take part in wars unless the place itself is under siege."

"Do you think I'd be able to take one of them on?"

"Honestly? It depends. The power difference between levels 100, 200, and 300 is massive. Taking into account the possibility of you having a rare class I'd tentatively place you around level 350. Your stats are way beyond level 300 but I doubt they'd reach into the 400s. So in a straight-up fistfight, you'd most likely be able to take one down, but that's if they don't use any of their skills.”

A sad smile tugs at the old soldier's lips, "Always a bigger fish, eh? So, what level would you suggest we set my plate too? Obviously claiming to be a kingsguard or someone who returned from beyond the mountains would attract some unwanted attention."

"Aye, it would. I'd suggest going with 239. It's not the highest level I've ever seen but it's certainly among the top 100 people within the cradle, maybe even the top 50, again not counting the returnees or those preparing to venture out beyond it."

Simon nods, "What about the rest of the information?"

She pauses for a moment and stares at one line in particular, "Divinity isn't a stat a mortal should be capable of possessing. Even High Priests don't have this stat. Instead, they have Devotion, which refers to how much of their god's power they can channel. Divinity, however, is something that the divines posses. I'm honestly not sure how to describe it, perhaps think of it as a combination of mana and magic power? Not much is really known about it as the divinies have dismissed any attempts to discuss it."

Simon raises an eyebrow, "Why would I have something like that?"

Nina shrugs, "I have no idea. Normally with your record, I'd say avoid temples, but in this case, that's the only way you'll ever find out. If you ever find yourself in the Kairosian Empire to the northwest, go to the Temple of Ova in the capital."

She notices Simon's questioning gaze and continues, "Ova is the Goddess of Beastmen as a whole. Since you have the Friend of the Beastmen title, she shouldn't be outright hostile to you. But that's just a guess."

Simon nods, "What about the Temple of Pegasus? She is the goddess that Kuro's or well, I guess it's Krakios Village now, worships."

Nina scoffs loudly, "A lesser god-like her wouldn't be able to tell you a damned thing."

"Alright. Something tells me I won't be in the empire for a while, though."

She shrugs, "Go or don't go. I don't care. Anyway, Demonic is not unheard of but is rather frowned upon for possessing. People don't like demons, much less demon worshipers. The stat refers to how much demonic energy a person could channel from themselves."

Simon looks at her with narrow eyes, "Don't tell me Demonic is tied to sacrifices made to the demon a person follows."

Nina takes a puff from her cigar, "Sometimes, no more than Devotion is to it. It can be increased by providing offerings to the demon or killing in their name. Demons can also bless someone just for the hell of it to give them the stat and cause trouble for them. But, in your case, you most likely got it from some of your less savory actions here and wherever the hell you crawled out of. No idea what is keeping it at zero though. Same with the two blessings you've got."

She shifts her weight in the chair and sighs, "Anyway, that's stats. N-"

"Wait," he holds up a hand, "What do you know about the System as a whole? Why does it exist and how did it come to be?"

Nina raises an eyebrow at the man, "Really? You know about plates but you don't know about how the System works?"

"I know some of it, but having a secondary source has never hurt."

She shakes her head again before pulling out a small black book and flipping to the first page, "Have you been given the talk about gods and demons yet?"

"Depends on what you mean, but feel free to elaborate regardless."

Nina sighs and places her elbow on the desk, and sets her chin on top of her palm, "Let's start from the top then. In all reality, gods and demons are the same things, for the most part. In short, a god lets a follower borrow their power, while a demon gives the follower their power. That is the thing that separates them. So, for example, a Priest following a god would channel a portion of the god's power. In contrast, a Priest following a demon would be able to channel their own power instead. Both are generally of the same strength, but a demon follower doesn't have to ask their deity for anything. Although if they do, sometimes the demon in question will actively provide some assistance."

She flips to a new page and points at a long string of text, "A Blessing is something that a god or demon bestows upon a person for, well, really whatever the fuck they want in all honesty. Some gods and demons are more selective with who they bless while others just bless people randomly." Nina bites her lip before rubbing the bridge of her nose, "It's so fucking annoying." she finishes, tilting up an eyebrow at Simon and the two girls with glossed-over-eyes, "Still following?"

Simon nods his head, "So far.", and pats the two girls on his lap.

"A Blessing by a god is borrowed power bestowed upon a person from the god giving the Blessing. In contrast, a Blessing from a demon is the power given to the person by the demon in its entirety. In addition, a Blessing from a god can be revoked, while a Blessing from a demon is the person’s to keep forever."

Simon shakes his head again, "So Blessings are just something the gods give to mortals like candy to encourage them to worship them or fight in their name."

Nina's eyes widen as she smiles, "You're like me."

He raises an eyebrow with narrowed eyes, "What do you mean by that?"

Her smile widens until it nearly reaches her long ears. "You reject the gods and the games they play with our lives."