“Good morning, sunshine! We saw some extra ships, so we decided to head to Dwya Island instead,” Kaylie announced, peering down at me as I blinked my eyes open.
As her words sank in, I bolted upright and accidentally headbutted her. We both distanced ourselves slightly, and I hoped she didn’t notice my flustered face.
“What? No. We’ll be stuck on this vessel forever.” I rubbed my forehead.
Kaylie giggled, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Relax, I’m just joking with you, getting you back for earlier. We’ve already anchored. I let you sleep as long as I could. Let’s get going,” she said, her smile broadening.
Despite my irritation at her prank, relief washed over me. I was eager to leave the cramped confines of the ship, the relentless waves, and the terrible food behind. The thought of returning to Falls Village was comforting, even if it meant I had to sleep on the dirt for another night. I doubted Carrick had arranged any sleeping accommodations after I’d jumped off that cliff. Still, anything was better than another day at sea.
I climbed out of my bunk and wrestled with my heavy bag, which had made sleeping awkward. While trying to rest, its bulk made me uncomfortable. Every time I turned, it felt like I was tethered on one side. Half-awake, I’d struggle to understand why, only to remember the cumbersome item strapped to me was preventing me from rolling over. After waking up like this twice, I finally removed it and set it on the floor.
Following Kaylie above deck, I surveyed our surroundings. We had reached land but weren’t docked. Instead, we were positioned near where the Black Rock slavers had been anchored, further into a cove blocked by pylons protruding from the water. They looked like the remnants of old docks. The cove wrapped around like a giant letter ‘C,’ offering protection on three sides. Beside us, another boat was anchored, and on the other side of the cove, the open ocean stretched out with other ships sailing away.
The Dwya started unpacking right away, with some joining us and others leaving with them. It wasn’t long before we were hiking through the woods toward the village. Almost immediately, I found myself growing bored and began reviewing my prompts.
Experience
One Level 9 Human. You have gained 1,440 experience points.
One Level 10 Human. You have gained 1,980 experience points.
Two Level 11 Humans. You have gained 5,280 experience points.
One Level 14 Human. You have gained 5,460 experience points.
Two Level 15 Humans. You have gained 13,440 experience points.
One Level 16 Human. You have gained 8,160 experience points.
One Level 18 Human. You have gained 11,628 experience points.
Congratulations, you have leveled up! As a Grey Elf, you received 1 ability point in Agility, 1 in Intelligence, 2 in Constitution, and an additional 2 points to distribute each level in any category. You have reached level 14 and received a total of 6 freely distributable ability points.
What was surprising was the amount of experience I received and how few levels I had earned from it. I was previously level 11 and only made it to level 14. When I fought similar enemies on the boat, my level had risen from level 4 to level 11, meaning that as I got higher in levels, it was a lot harder to increase.
I supposed that was just how life went. It was easy to become a novice at something, but a lifetime’s work to become an expert. What truly delighted me was that I received 11,000 experience points for defeating a level 18 enemy, whereas killing a level 10 only netted me 2,000 points. This meant that if I could take down much higher-level foes, I could accelerate my leveling up more effectively.
“Hey, Rabbit, who was the level 18?”
“It was the head guard,” Rabbit replied, and I knew that was pure luck right there. Jack had killed him by a Sneak Attack while he was looking the other way. If we didn’t kill him by surprise, then we probably would have had a real fight on our hands. Nevertheless, it also meant that I got the same amount of experience from killing a person with a Sneak Attack as I got from battling it out. That meant, while I was a terrible fighter, it might not limit my ability to get stronger.
On the other hand, Jack had made that kill. This world seemed to work on the premise that if your party size was five or fewer, then the experience would be shared in the group. However, if it were larger than that, then the points would be distributed based on contributions. I wondered, if you had a group of five and someone was doing something completely different, would they get experience points? I would have to ask at some point.
Before distributing my points, I checked my character sheet:
Name: Alf
Level: 14
Race: Grey Elf
Languages: English, Common, Elvish, Pukka, Elos
Reputation
Black Rock Islands ‘Immortal Grey Elf’ – Infamy “Kill me if you can”
General Unknown “Who are you again?”
Stats
Max Health: 360
Max Mana: 230
Attributes
Strength: 19
Perception: 10
Constitution: 36
Charisma: 17
Intelligence: 23
Wisdom: 10
Agility: 27
Resistances: Mental 20%
Affliction: Vitality Bleed
Skills: Time Magic, Spatial Magic, Herblore, Swordsmanship, Archery
Abilities
Soul Absorption: This ability allows the user to eat the souls of others to gain a small part of their power.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Secondary Abilities
Enhanced Regeneration: Grey Elves already possess a high rate of regeneration. This ability further amplifies their regenerative capabilities, allowing for exceptionally rapid healing.
I felt like I was rounding out nicely, except I was getting disproportionately strong in Constitution and Agility. Those were both good things to be strong at, but I had to balance my other stats to keep up. With Rabbit always with me, I shouldn’t waste my points on Perception. Because I only had two spells that didn’t do much, I figured I would ignore Wisdom and Intelligence as well.
That left me with Charisma and Strength to deal with. Because I only had six points to distribute this time, I decided I would drop three in both of those categories, increasing my Strength to 22 and my Charisma to 20. When I made it back to the village, Charisma would help more than any other stat. It was a soft skill, but it mattered most when I needed people to help me. Additionally, I was hoping that with a high-enough stat, I could shake the Dwya off of me. Unfortunately, when I mentioned this to Rabbit, he replied with “Don’t you think that would make them want to stay with you longer?”
That worried me because he was right. Charisma cut both ways. Not only could you convince others to do things they didn’t want to do, but it also made people gravitate to you. I might have to figure out another solution for them.
After reviewing my changes, I felt like I had improved a lot since I left. Carrick would look at me and choke. Speaking of that, he might get choked up at seeing me alive.
Nah. Although he may look at his wife’s old armor and strangle me for destroying it. Yep, the last one was the most likely.
“Do you want me to carry your bag?” Jack inquired about halfway there.
“Are you sure?” I was dead tired walking uphill with this weight.
“You are slowing us down too much, and it’s better if we make it in before dark. There are some things out there that hunt in the night, and while our party is big, they still wouldn’t mind ripping us apart for fun,” Jack replied without a drop of sweat on his skin.
It took sitting down and resting the bag on my leg to untie it. While it was on my belt, it distributed the weight around the center of my body pretty well. However, trying to hold it up with one hand and untying it with the other seemed out of my power at the exhausted state I was in. I grabbed the bag and handed it to Jack with both hands. To my surprise, he grabbed it with one hand, threw it up an inch as if checking the weight, and then proceeded to tie it to his belt while holding it with his other hand. The thing that I was sure I could not do with my current Strength, or at least, I didn’t want to attempt it.
I was wondering what level he was when Kaylie sidled up to me and said, “Are you doing better?”
“Yeah. I was just wondering what level Jack was to be that strong. Or maybe he dumps all of his points into Strength?” I questioned out loud.
“Oh, that? We are a higher level than you, but it’s not all about the level or even points in Strength.” At that, I looked at her, confused, but then she continued, “You have to remember those attributes magnify the physical body. If you look at Jack’s physique, you will notice that he has a body that is made for Strength. It’s not all about being big, though. Some people are strong without being big, like me.”
I eyed her from head to toe. I hadn’t noticed before because she wasn’t large, but I was more used to girls with a delicate build rather than an athletic one. I reached out and squeezed her arm, and it was more toned than I expected.
“Aren’t you very personal?” she remarked, looking down then up at me and smiling.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t fully paying attention to what I was doing,” I confessed, pulling my hand back as if it were burned.
She then bumped me again with her shoulder and said, “I’m just messing with you. I don’t mind. It’s just my arm. If you were grabbing other things, though, I would have to grab others as well.” She then patted her hip. I was confused for a second. Was she going to grab her hip? Then I noticed the knife sheath hanging from her belt loop.
Oddly, though, I couldn’t get her hips out of my mind for the rest of the walk. My thoughts kept looping from her hips to the knife and back again. Stupid brain.
As we approached the village, our path was blocked by a pair of scouts. One approached us, instructing us to halt, while his partner hurried back to alert the town and call for reinforcements. Given that we had strangers in our group, their cautious approach seemed reasonable to me.
About half an hour later, a group led by Carrick arrived to escort us. He scanned the group, his expression revealing a mix of astonishment and disbelief. I offered him a friendly wave, but he ignored me, adopting a tactic that seemed straight out of Jack’s playbook.
“Everyone, please strip your weapons and armor. They may be returned to you if you are not deemed a threat.”
The directive caused unease among the newcomers. Only about half of the people we had freed from the docks, who had chosen to come with us, were originally from the village. The rest were visibly afraid, reluctant to relinquish their weapons. They didn’t want to become slaves again for a new master. Those who had joined us looked to me for guidance, and taking this cue, I began to remove my weapons and place them in the bag Jack had returned to me when the scout halted us.
“Jack, can you hold on to the bag for me?” I asked, but Carrick cut in, eyeing it strangely.
“I’m sorry. Everyone must hand over their weapons.” This command surprised not only the newcomers but also the villagers in our group. Several protested vehemently, but Carrick was adamant. Ultimately, all weapons, armor, and even my bag were surrendered to Carrick and his companions. Subdued and unarmed, we were then escorted back to the village.
After crossing the bridge and passing through the wall, we veered directly to the right. I halted, and several of the villagers did the same. We were being led toward the jail cells, which made us all visibly apprehensive.
As we drew closer to the jailhouse, stray thoughts of escape flickered through my mind. Maybe we could dash back through the gate but the guards would likely get to us before we made it. The lift by the cliff’s edge came to mind as well, though it was far too exposed and an easy mark for anyone watching from above. Another desperate option was to delve deeper into the village, hoping to find refuge or plead for help from the sympathetic villagers. I dismissed each notion as quickly as it came. There was no real need to run. I knew things would be fine.
But as we stepped into the jailhouse, the harsh reality struck us deeply. Several of the former slaves began to cry and plead, terrified at the prospect of confinement once more. Some collapsed to the floor in despair, and we had to lift them and carry them inside.
In the end, we relented and entered our cells, letting them lock us up without further resistance. The guards released Kaylie and the healer whom I first helped on the boat. It had seemed like ages since I last saw him. They were sent to see Sophia immediately.
The guards systematically began to escort each villager who had previously lived here, taking them from the cells one by one. As each villager was led away, the number of familiar faces dwindled, increasing the anxiety among those who remained. The villagers, before leaving, had been offering words of comfort to the newer captives, assuring them that the village did not permit slavery. Their departure, however, left a void that heightened the remaining captives’ fears. Eventually, when the last of the villagers had been taken away, the guards found themselves needing to reassure the distressed group, reinforcing the message that slavery was forbidden in this village.
I, on the other hand, didn’t say anything. Sophia believed in justice and prioritized the safety of the entire community. If supporting those who couldn’t pull their weight put the rest at risk, she might exile them. That wouldn’t be a big deal if she was willing to house them until the Dwya ships came back, but since I wasn’t sure, I kept my mouth shut. Still, I was confident the former slaves would prove their worth. Given the chance to finally enjoy the fruits of their labor, they would be more motivated than ever.
Though I was hopeful everything would turn out well, a part of me still worried about what would happen to the former slaves and me. The return of her villagers would not solely influence Sophia’s reception of us. She would also have to consider the repercussions of our actions, including the commandeering of several ships from the Black Rock Islands and the destruction of their docks. We had brought significant trouble to her doorstep, and I was mostly to blame for it. I wagered she might have preferred if I had simply captured the first vessel and retreated. Perhaps that would have been wiser. In my heart, it was worth it, even if I came back to my own banishment.
