The people glance at me strangely as we walk through the streets, but otherwise think nothing of me. I had expected my appearance would draw eyes, but it seems the citizens of Akarele are more than used to the sight of an injured man.
First and foremost, I'll be heading to the village hall at the top of a small hill in the center of Akarele. The building is only slightly larger than most of the wood-shop houses that surround us on all sides, but I need to be registered as a citizen.
Or, at least, a probationary citizen. I need to prove myself before I can be given the privileges of a citizen, and that includes working to earn my own home. Honestly, at this point I'm impressed they've even bothered letting me stay.
As for the leadership of this little town, it turns out Erebus, and the Calyd family by extension, are the heads. At least, that's what he told me. He owns the farms north and south of the wall, and as such has the most sway over the people.
Artak apparently poses a decent challenge to Erebus' control as a 'Huntsman', a registered beast-slayer, but still prioritises his position as a defender instead of a lord. His duty is to the people first. I respect it.
Everyone else just lives their lives in this quaint town. The Yorei's, Anna's family, dabble in carpentry. The Sallow's specialise in textiles and fabrics. The rest work on the farms. Everyone contributes something.
"That's about all I can think of at the moment. Aside from the traders and scouts, but those aren't any particular family. They're volunteers. Some supplies we can't home-brew, like guns and weaponry, so we either take what we find or trade for it."
Erebus' monologue finally comes to an end as we reach the long steps to the hall. I've been nodding along and taking notes silently as we walk, keeping an eye on my surroundings.
If we say these homes have an average of four people, then including the guards, the five me with me and Artak, there's only 94 people in this village. Not as many as I'd thought, but more than enough to share the workload evenly.
Something I noticed quickly is that Anna has been stealing glances at me the whole journey. At first, I paid no mind to it, but now she seems to be almost desperate to ask a question, almost having to physically restrain herself from asking me aloud.
Dare I say, she's already annoying me. I never had much of a soft spot for children, though she'd probably crucify me for calling her such.
"You know, it only just hit me, but you never told us your name, traveler. Do you have one of those, or do you not know what that is either?" He says, smirking as he teases me.
"Anaxa. No family name." I respond, not wanting to waste time with any of his further questions.
"Huh. Well, Anaxa, you can call me Erebus. Either that, or Lord Calyd. That's what most call me these days." He claims, pride radiating off of him.
His arm wraps around my shoulder, an oddly chummy act for a man 30 years my senior.
"You'll find safety from the outside here, I swear it. Now come on. You've got a long day ahead of you yet, young man, and you still need some cloth first!" He shouts, laughing alongside his fellow men.
His smile is surprisingly infectious, and I find myself swept up in his jovial nature as we walk through the town. Not for the first time since reincarnating, I thank my luck that I didn't wind up in a beas- Grimm den.
Eventually, after a few more minutes of travelling, we reach the hall. The chimney regularly pumps out smoke, and the sounds of quiet conversation can be heard through the wood-block windows.
The two animal-men (animen? animales?) that had followed us prior left of their own volition, returning to their own homes shortly before we reached our destination. Silently, I thank them. My eyes couldn't stop drifting to their tails and ears.
Moving ahead slightly, Erebus walks to the double doors and places both hands against them, announcing his return with a jovial cry of 'false alarm!', his presence bringing a smile to both inhabitants of the hall, though he seems surprised to see one of them.
Artak Madriga: Level 67
Daniella Calyd: Level 2
"Artak?" He whispers, shocked, then staring briefly at his wife alongside the Huntsman. Blinking, he restrains his expression.
"I thought you'd be gone for another few days at the least. What brings you back so soon?" He says, glancing at Daniella for another short moment as he moves forward to clasp Artak's arm in greeting.
"My apologies, Erebus. It seems I overestimated the danger. There's no Grimm from here to Castalor. I'm more interested in where you were, old friend. You scarcely leave the village."
Artak's voice is almost tangibly weathered, much like his body. His attire is formed of a cloak and shoddy armour, a strangely mechanical shotgun at his hip. His hair is an odd shade of blue, the same shade as his carefully groomed moustache.
"We heard gunshots in the forests shortly before you returned. I feared bandits, or raiders, but instead I found this here young lad. He's an amnesiac, not that he knows it."
Schooling my expression at Erebus' sudden guess at my mental state, I stay silent as Artak raises a brow and smirks.
"And what makes you say that?"
Erebus smiles. To my surprise though, beneath his smile I can see anger, a brewing hatred focused on Artak.
"He says he'd never heard of a Grimm before! Called them 'beasts'. He's either lucky, or he's slow in the mind."
The two men burst into laughter immediately, one that I take some degree of offense to, making my own presence known in the conversation after.
"I assure you, I suffer no memory loss, nor afflictions of the mind. I'd never seen a Grimm in my life before today." I say, moving forward to join the elders at a table they gather around.
"My name is Anaxa, and I've come seeking refuge. I'm willing to work to earn my keep, and most importantly, I can help you fend off these 'Grimm' should they plague you."
Artak raises a brow at my words, suddenly finding great amusement in my presence.
"And your weapon? Your Aura? What of them?" He probes.
"My weapon is with me always, and though I'm... not quite sure what this Aura you speak of is, I don't need it to shoot a gun."
Daniella finally inserts herself in the conversation, a scant few words spoken.
"He's not wrong." She mutters.
"He isn't." Artak agrees, "but without Aura he's another eager brat with a death wish. One Anna is enough for me."
Erebus doesn't share in Artak's hesitance, shifting to my side and slapping my shoulder as he defends my... honour?
"The young lad's willing to help defend against the Grimm. All he asks for is a bed and some feed. That's a damn fine deal, wouldn't you say? Not many of the men would willingly volunteer for that."
Shifting the man's arm away from my own, I place a hand to my chest and speak earnestly. At least, to the best of my abilities.
"If it's my experience, or my capabilities you worry over, then rest assured, I am quite the fast learner." I say, confident.
Artak finds my self-assuredness intriguing enough that he moves on from his own hesitance. Seeing that I'd now be joining this little commune, he moves to a room in the back and hands me a piece of paper.
"Sign your name here. That's all we need of you. Then, you'll be a citizen of Akarele, one under my protection." I blink, surprised.
"That easy?" I mutter, hand reaching for the quill offered to me.
"Yup. That easy. We need every hand we can get these days. You might not be the strongest, but you've got guts. That's more than I can say for some." Artak says, his last words pointed at Erebus, who sighs.
"Serola is young. He'll come into his own soon. Just give the boy some time."
Artak only grunts.
"He'll need to grow up soon. I've not got many years left in me, Erebus. Without a Huntsman here, things will only go south. Gods forbid we have to send Anna to a Hunter Academy in his stead."
Erebus' frustration, his anger, smothered though it may be, bubbles and boils. He seemingly takes great displeasure in being reminded of Serola's less than pleasing strength.
"I'll remind him."
Artak simply nods, and the conversation ends there. My presence no longer required, I leave the hall and start my way over to the Yorei Household, following Anna's directions.
...I'll make sure to keep an eye on Artak and Erebus. Something's not right with them.
------------------------------------
"Say, bad man, how old are you?"
Two weeks have passed since I arrived at Akarele. To say nothing has happened would be an understatement. I've almost grown bored of the monotony. I work, I stand guard at the wall, and I sleep. At the very least, my wounds and robes have long since been repaired.
Oh, I also deal with Anna's attempts at making friends at the dinner table each night. The Yorei's have thankfully been more than trusting of me, simply glad to have another hand helping Varre, Anna's father.
"17, technically." I reply, a handful of bread in my mouth a short moment later.
My answer causes Anna to jump up, stars glistening in her eyes as she rests her hands on the dinner table. Her mother, Anya, chides her but makes no move to stop her.
"You're almost old enough to be a Huntsman!" She shouts, Varre sighing as his daughter goes off on another tirade.
"Do you think you will? With that gun of yours, maybe they'll let you! Yeah, you're missing a few years of training, but Artak says he might train me, so maybe he'll train you too!"
I can only smile in mild amusement as she prattles on excitedly, staring at the shattered moon outside the window.
She's gotten like this quite often before. Mainly whenever I summon Scholar's Folly, simply to see if I still can. Wouldn't want to get caught without my rifle. Truth be told, anything Hunter-esq sets her off.
"Artak says he trained at Beacon, so that's where I wanna go! What about you, bad man, where will you go?"
Sighing, yet never once losing my smile, I finish eating my meal and rest a hand on the table, tapping my fingers against it regularly.
"Who said anything about me being a Huntsman?" I start, "And I've told you already, my name is Anaxa."
Anna gasps in horror.
"Why would you not wanna be a Huntsman? They're the coolest things ever! They kill Grimm, they keep us safe! They're like... super badasses!"
I can only snicker as Anya quickly swoops in and tugs on her daughters cheeks, condemning her foul language.
Moments later, slightly teary-eyed and with much redder cheeks than before, Anna pouts at the table and crosses her arms. Not wanting to see her sad, I sigh.
"Say I were to be a Hunstman..." I start, catching her attention instantly. "What would be required of me?"
She doesn't realise that I'm only trying to appease her. I'm glad for it. I've grown to enjoy her company these past few days.
Maybe in a different life I'd try and follow that path, go to an academy and get licensed. If I were to ever find myself on that road though, I'd rather wander the world and help as I travel. I don't like the idea of needing a license to do a good deed.
"Oh, you already got the cool gun. All you need now is the Aura and the training! Pretty easy right? Then you can start being a super bada- super guy! Better than being a bad man, wouldn't you say?"
Another mention of Aura. I've tried asking Artak just what it is, but he's been cagey. Anna just calls it 'soul-stuffs'. Nobody else has a clue what it is.
Speaking of Artak, though...
"Well, I'll have to keep that in mind next time I ponder my career choices, Anna. Unfortunately though I'll need to take my leave. The walls call to me."
I stand from my place at the table and nod my thanks to Varre and Anya. Anna, not wanting me to leave just yet, tries to bribe me with a piece of her own bread.
Smiling, I ruffle her hair and accept the food, leaving shortly after. She cries out at my deception, calling me an 'even badder man', much to my amusement.
The walk to the gates is a mercifully short one. Each night, I'm put on watch at the wall alongside Artak. I can only stay for two hours myself, but the Huntsman seemingly stays all night, eyes wide open.
Oddly enough, once I reach the walls, Artak is nowhere to be seen. Minutes pass in quiet solitude as my eyes scan the forest beyond continuously, yet still the Huntsman hasn't shown up.
Just as I begin to fear the worst, I hear his slow steps as he climbs the ladder leading up to our post, cursing under his breath. Scholar's Folly in hand, I nod in greeting.
Instantly, I notice how dishevelled he looks. His clothes are untidy, hastily assembled, his hair unkempt and rough. Almost as if he rushed to put them on, when they shouldn't have been off in the first place.
...he couldn't have. There's no fucking way.
"Where were you, Artak?" I ask, a theory forming in my mind that I'm not sure I like.
"Mind your own business, brat." He spits out, a hand smoothing over his hair.
Well. I guess that's all the confirmation I'll ever need.
Erebus' concern over his wife being alone with Artak should've been a sign from the start. Huntsman by day, homewrecker by night. Artak, you dirty dog.
I'm certainly not looking forward to that eventual confrontation. Erebus is already known for his... somewhat fragile ego, made only worse by Serola's inferiority to the majority of the towns men. Once he finds out about this, he'll blow a gasket.
No matter. At the end of the day, it's not any of my business.
The rest of the watch passes by in terse silence. Artak seems ashamed of himself, at the very least. He glances at me regularly throughout our time together, mulling something over.
Eventually, after an agonisingly long time spent in utter silence, he speaks. It's not what I was hoping for.
"Grimm! Anaxa, sound the alarm and join me at the gates, we have less than a minute to ready ourselves!"
Caught off guard, I stare into the treeline and cast Eye of Erudition, instantly sporting the glowing forms of several large, boar-like Grimm skulking through the brush.
Seeing our foes for myself, I run to the side of our tower and ring the alarm as much as I deem necessary, the sound an omen to all in the village.
I very quickly realise though that the alarm itself is incredibly counterintuitive, as telling people there are Grimm coming only makes them more afraid and brings more fucking Grimm. The number of glowing spots I see in the treeline only grows larger as the townsfolk rush towards the hall to arm themselves, children crying, men and women fretting as they move.
No time to think about that. Summoning Scholar's Folly into my hand, I drop down and stand at Artak's side at the gates. From ahead, I can see maybe 20 beasts of the night moving on us.
Staring at the small onslaught of Grimm, the Huntsman at my side doesn't falter.
"You want me to train you? Fine. Here's lesson one. Don't fall behind."
Artak sheds his cloak a moment later, the shotgun at his hip shifting and clicking as it becomes a bastard sword in the blink of an eye. Then, with no regard, he throws himself into the horde.
Instantly, I see why he deemed this 'Aura' of his so necessary to Huntsman work. Claws, tusks, blunt force. It all seems to brush off of him, a blue forcefield blocking each strike and leaving him unharmed as he cleaves and cuts and shoots his way through.
Were I a lesser man, perhaps I'd feel a wounded sense of pride and elect to join him. Right now though, I have no intentions of risking my life to help a man with a forcefield of his own.
I simply stay at my spot along the wall and regularly shoot at any Grimm that I see. The Eye of Erudition makes dealing with a group like this much more efficient, ricochet rounds bouncing erratically as they hone in on the soft underbelly of the boars and the weak knees of the bipedal crawlers.
My focus, though, is elsewhere from the Grimm. I'm transfixed with the sight of an ethereal window having spawned in the corner of my eye.
Boarbatusk Slain: 15 EXP!
Creep Slain: 5 EXP!
Creep Slain: 5 EXP!
The sight brings that same smile to my face I'd had before against the bird-beasts. Eagerness. Hunger. The tangible feeling of empowerment excites me enough that I push forward slightly, rifle raised as I fire on a now identified Baby Nevermore.
The round shatters its beak and pierces its eye, the bullet quickly bouncing between another Creep's knees and a Boarbatusk's flesh. The sound alone is euphoric, my heart thrumming as I load another Exile's Fallacy.
Baby Nevermore Slain: 10 EXP!
Creep Slain: 5 EXP!
Not wanting my vision to be occupied with System Alerts, I close the notifications feed a short moment later, choosing to count my spoils when the battle ends.
"Anaxa, look out!"
I barely catch the sight of a clawed hand bearing down on me from the corner of my eye before Scholar's Folly is raised to block. The handguard doesn't budge, but my arms quickly buckle beneath the pressure.
Artak, though he may want to help, can do nothing but hope for my safety as more creatures appear from the treeline, small scorpions that demand his attention.
Thinking quickly, I drop the rifle and roll forward beneath the bipedal's arms. Not even a half second passes before it turns and growls, claws bearing down on me once more.
With no strength in me to block once more, I fire Scholar's Folly at his leg, the shot penetrating but doing less than stellar damage as the creature snarls in anger.
A blink, and I'm thrown to my ass on the floor, rifle several feet away as the Beowulf bears down on me, jaws open to take a bite, a claw shaped gash in my chest.
Straining to reach, I pull Scholar's Folly back into the seal on my hand and summon it once again between the wolf's jaws. Another claw slams down on my arm, the bone more than likely fractured, but I only grin though the pain as I pull the trigger.
Blood explodes from the back of the Beowulf's skull, arms going limp a short moment later as it slides down the barrel of Scholar's Folly through the newly made hole in its head.
A second later, it turns to dust, leaving me a panting mess as I slowly stand and shake the agony from my arm. It doesn't help at all, only worsening the pain, but fuck if it isn't good motivation to kill the rest of them. Pain is pleasure, after all.
Juvenile Beowulf Slain: 30 EXP!
By the time I'm back on my feet and steady, there's not many of the beasts left though. Artak left a trail of slaughter in his wake. A few of the towns men stand at the gates, having taken up arms and joined in without my notice, rifles smoking with heat.
With just a few of those baby Deathstalker's left, the guns fire another volley and make short work of the Grimm. As the townsfolk look amongst themselves, do headcounts and thank whatever Gods may listen, Artak walks over to my side.
He looks utterly untouched. If anything, his clothes are only slightly more unkempt than before. That's it. His hand falls onto my shoulder as he holsters his shotgun.
"Not bad for a kid with no Aura. Almost put me to shame."
He smiles down at me, suddenly taking a great interest in my talents.
"Who knows... maybe we'll make a Hunstman of you yet, Anaxa."
Shortly after that, the townspeople gather around the two of us and cheer wildly. I thought they'd only praise Artak, but they heap thanks upon me and sing merry of my actions. It's a... good feeling. Better than I'd have expected.
The mood is soured though when I catch sight of Erebus far off in the town square. He stares at Artak with something approaching contempt, and that vitriol seems to be pointing at me now as well.
My attention quickly shifts away from him. He clearly harbours a grudge the size of a mountain, and while it's for good reason, that doesn't mean I need to be a part of it. He's being petty.
I'm merely doing my best to help, and hoo boy have I been rewarded for it.
Anaxagoras
Level: 4 (5/30)
With four Stat Points available to use, I don't hesitate to spend them all in VIT and STR equally, bringing them to 7 and 9 respectively. The effect is instant, my body feeling much tougher as I clench my fist.
Given I don't have a bullshit forcefield of my own just yet, I'll need to make do with my flesh as my sword and shield, and this should help nicely.
A shame that Artak is so unwilling to teach me the art of this Aura he wields, but clearly he's warming up to the idea after this battle. That's all I can really ask for.
Sadly I've been given no new Skills to work with, but I'm confident I'll find them soon. Things seem to go in increments of five with this System. Shouldn't take too long yet.
My own internal monologue is quickly broken by the sudden appearance of Anna at my side, having snuck through the mass of townspeople to find me.
She looks at the wounds on my body, and to my shock, smiles. Not out of joy at my suffering, no, but instead out of pride. Her eyes shift to meet mine.
"Did it feel good?" She asks, her voice a quiet, timid thing.
"What, getting sliced open by a wolf? A big fucking wolf no less?" I respond, arms folded as she laughs.
"No, silly! I meant helping us. Keeping us safe. Did it... did it feel good to do?"
Staring at the joyous, grateful folks of this place I've come to call home, I can only smile as I respond softly.
"It did."
Her own smile deepens, voice suddenly a quiet and timid thing once more.
"That's what being a Huntsman is all about. It's why I wanna be one. Not to fight the Grimm, but to be a hero. Like you."
I scoff almost instantly at her words, ruffling her hair a short moment later.
"I never agreed to being a Huntsman, brat. Nor to being a hero."
She only sticks her tongue out, standing her ground as she places her hands on her hips.
"Well, tough luck! You are one now! You kill the Grimm, you help the people, and you look cool while you do it!"
She grins a toothy grin, and I find myself realising in that moment that I'd do anything to keep her safe. Then I realise just what she said, and I scoff all over again.
"Did you really sneak away just to watch me get my ass whooped?"
Her thumb stabs into her chest as she stands tall, proud of herself.
"Of course I did! I mean, I was there to see Artak more than you, but you still helped!"
Her thumb shifts from her chest to being pointed at me in a supportive gesture, one I ignore as I push her head around side to side, the young girl shouting into my hand.
"Your praise is unnecessary and unappreciated."
She whines, groans, calls me a bad man once more, and flails her fists against my arm as I wait for her family to find her. It takes several long minutes, and when they find her their fury is endless.
She never stops smiling. Even as they ground her, and chastise her, and berate her. She just smiles, head in the clouds as she thinks of her future.
Long after Anna's gone though, her words linger in my mind.
...Maybe this is why I'm here. Not to live a quiet second life, but to give these people the joy of one. To give them sanctity from the terror of the world outside.
I suppose no matter what I do, I'll wind up a Hunter of these beasts. Fine by me. Slaying Grimm is a passion of mine these days.