Jake's eyes moved over the meadow where he had set up his house in the middle of the Haunted Forest of Jura. He knew no one below a gold rank would be reaching him that deep in the forest, and those that could reach it would never be able to breach the barrier, no matter how strong a mage they had. He wasn't saying his barrier would stop anyone at his rank or higher; it would just be too costly to do unless they really needed to pass the barrier. However, all that didn't matter to him as he listened to the undead roaming the woods. Any sane person wouldn't venture this deep into the woods. The past conquests lined the walls as he entered his home. His first battle with a demon flashed in his mind as the devil's skull greeted him as he used his magic to light the lamps that dotted around his three room cabin he had restored when he found the place. The blue light of the second room glowed eerily along the floor as it caused the seal to release revealing the hidden compartment where he stored all his gold. He wondered just how much gold he actually had as he added the three hundred coins to the infinite storage chest he had found in this old ruin that hadn't seen an adventurer for decades.
His rag moved over his breastplate as he rubbed oil to the metal and leather straps. His master's words rang out in his mind at his master's mantra he had drilled into him as the woman's apprentice. Women battlemages were not common, yet their power could not be ignored. Once his maintenance on his gear was done, he sat within a ring of candles as he trained his mind. He kept ten balls circling him without running into one another. As he practiced his magical control on the objects floating around him. He pondered on what he was going to do now. He wasn't going back to that guild. No matter what that cunt thought, he would find a way to remove the plate around his neck. He sat there, stroking his chin, wondering if he could lie and just show up at another guild and use a high-level illusion magic to hide the guild plate. The question was would someone sense the curse item around his neck if he did. If they did, he would just tell them the truth.
He spent two weeks honing his skills when he wasn't out wandering the forest for regents to sell. By the time he returned to his home on the last night, he had a bag full of bundled up dried herb leaves, powdered roots, crushed bones of the undead (an ingredient in the cure for rot), and many other items. He wanted to show the guild he was going to his worth, and hopefully, they would overlook the reason why he was there. Rolling his shoulders to insure that his pauldrons didn't hinder his full range of motion once he donned his armor. The golden faces of the lions shone in the light as they stood out against the silver-grey color of the base metal. His sword followed effortlessly through the air as he went through the stances his master had taught him just to make sure he wouldn't encounter any problems. If he was set upon by rouges, he wanted to be sure he could end their lives without being hindered. His hand moved over the pit of sand he had made, chanting a scrying spell, causing the sand to float up and solidify into a 3D map. His hand waved over the map, causing it to zoom out, showing the four towns that were situated around the forest to keep an eye on the place and to keep the monsters within it thinned out. Still, each town was over twenty miles from the forest. He wasn't walking twenty miles. He never did. He used teleportation, a spell he found when he was still a Silver-rank adventurer ages ago.
However, he normally didn't just appear in a town. No, he knew how very rare that kind of spell was given the talks he'd heard from other mages. So, he was never flashy with it. The only time he's shown he had such a spell was in the guild hall. A place he was sure they were trying their damnest to find out where he went. Since he didn't plan on ever showing that spell to them again, he knew they would never find his home. Given how the Haunted Forest of Jura was located on the eastern edge of the kingdom over many hundreds of miles away from the city his former guild was located. So he knew they wouldn't look this far out for him. A smirk formed on his lips as he gazed at the town east of him. Looking for a grove of trees he could teleport to that was close to the town. The reason he chose that town was simple, it wasn't in the same kingdom as his former guild was. While it was officially a part of the kingdom, it was automatous within it due to the terms of their integration into the kingdom. So he knew he could work there without ever having to return to that guild. Adjusting the strap of his bag as he stepped through the doorway, wondering why he hadn't done this before.
His nostrils flared as the strong pine scent filled them, reminding him of the years he lived in Japan and in America. He felt the killing intent the moment he stepped out of the doorway; it was only due to his honed instincts that he went into a roll as a giant battleaxe missed beheading him by a hair's breath. He didn't give the beast, which was a minotaur, any time to recover as he went on the attack. The flames that lined the blade of his sword as it sliced through the monster's wrists before he used his conjured weapons carved up the rest of the beast. The black horn of the minotaur found itself in his pouch to prove he had killed the beast. His eyes moved around without appearing to do so as he accessed the normal life of the people of the town; he was going to make a fresh start.
Jake thanked the man when he gave him directions to the Guild Hall that was within the town. He heard their laughter as he neared the edge of town where most of the guild halls were, or were located at, at one point in time before the town grew around them. The reason was due to how lively most adventurers were also how freely the alcohol flowed in the Guild Halls. Then, there was the smell of the monster parts they gathered for potion-making. All chatter stopped the moment he entered. He wasn't surprised they did. All outsiders were viewed with skepticism; he was no different as he strolled through the hall towards the receptionist's desk or what he took as the receptionist's desk.
"Hello," Jake greeted politely.
"Hello!" a very chipper man said with a salt and pepper goatee. "What can the Three Suns Guild do for you?" he asked, giving Jake a once over, noting the high quality of his gear. "Are you an adventurer?"
"Was, left my old guild, looking for a new one, also wondering if I can unload all this here with your potion maker," Jake said, opening the bag and showing off the items he had gathered during the two weeks he stayed in the forest and his travels, he threw the minotaur's horn into the bag as well.
"My word..." Taking the minotaur's horn from the bag, "Where did you get this?"
"Killed the minotaur that was roaming this grove of trees I was traveling through, the woods to the west of here," Jake informed him; he wondered if the man's eyes were going to pop out of his skull as the man stared at him bug-eyed.
"You killed the minotaur?!" the man stammered in shock.
"Yeah, go check if you doubt me; the pieces of it shouldn't be hard to find," Jake said, feeling the eyes of the adventurers on him.
"Marlow, go see if he's lying or not," the man said, sending out the Guild's fastest runner. "If you want to wait while we conform your kill, I'll fetch our potion maker to see about your wares," he stated, getting a nod out of Jake, who closed up the bag and moved off to an empty table.
"So, killed the minotaur, huh?" asked a cocky man from the other table.
"It was nothing compared to a dragon or the Giant Earth Boar," Jake said matter-of-factly with a shrug of his shoulders as one of the waitresses ambled over to his table. Giving out his order for a flagon of ale and a smoked turkey leg laying down two silver coins for the meal and ale. Who bounded off once the money was exchanged.
"You're shitting me! A dragon, yeah, right," the man uttered, waving off Jake's words.
"I don't care if you believe me or not; what some unknown man thinks of my feats matters little to me," Jake said plainly.
"But from reports said a battlemage took down the Giant Earth Boar," said a woman from across the hall to the left of him.
"Yes, that was me, I thought I stated that," Jake repeated. "Your mages should be able to tell that much," he said, referring to the appraisal spell. He smirked when the mages that had that spell at the ready surged from their seats and backed away, knowing how dangerous he was given the dragon's curse. Something the beast gave him as a parting gift. What it did, he hadn't a clue, nor was he eager to find out what a dragon's curse was.
"He's killed a dragon alright; he's definitely a battlemage with that amount of mana surrounding him," the closet mage stammered.
"Good, glad to hear that, you, come up here to my office," the middle aged man said that Jake took as either Vice-Guild Master or the Guild Master.
Jake heard their murmuring as he moved across the floor. He kept his thoughts from his face as he heard the whispered praises directed at his sword. The wooden floorboards groaned as he neared the man.
"I hear you have regents to sell, is that right?" It didn't take a genius to tell the man before him had seen a thing or two. "Mind showing me what you're offering?"
"Sure, but no touching," Jake said, opening up the bag and letting the man see the contents of it. He couldn't help but smirk at how slack-jawed the man became at the numerous high-grade ingredients. "One hundred gold, not a coin less, and it's all yours," he said, closing the bag back up. "You got until I'm done eating if you want to deal with me," Jake spoke, turning to go back to his table only to have the man take hold of his arm.
"Oh, I want to deal! Alright, just give me a moment to gather the money."
"Very good; when I have my coin, you'll get your wares," Jake nodded in agreement. Jake was halfway done with his turkey leg when the thump of coins filled his ears. His eyes watched as the man lowered himself across from him.
"That's yours, I believe you have something of mine?" the man uttered with a friendly smile. The moment the bag touched the table, and he took the gold, he stuffed his face into the opening, just looking at all that was in it. "Are those quills of the Giant Boar?"
"Yeah, a few earthen dragon horns, moss of the main Elven mother tree, and the bone powder of a lich, among other things," Jake said, listing off the items he had gathered in his year-long travels. He noted the greediness in the mages eyes at the names of the ingredients he had just sold.
"You with the Guild?"
"Waiting on the confirmation of my minotaur kill," Jake stated, tossing the now meatless bone onto the wooden plate and draining the last of his ale.
"When it is, something that won't take long, I want you to bring me every regent you come across monthly, and I swear I will pay above market value..."
"Normal market price is fine with me no need to hurt the Guild's coffers," Jake interrupted, seeing how a few people were taken back by that.
"Good, good, I'm sure Marlow will return in a matter of minutes; he's been touched by Rimuru (Dwarfen messenger god.) See," the man nodded to the front door as it swung open. "The name's Maston, I look forward to doing business together."
"Jake Diaz," he supplied, shaking the man's offered hand.
"Hey, Maston, how much does a minotaur's horn go for?" Marlow called out as he strolled in.
"Two gold," Maston replied, waving the Gnome to fall him.
"Definitely the minotaur that the town lord put a quest out for," Marlow relied on what he had found out in the forest.
The moment Maston left his table and the receptionist ran through the large wooden door that led to the heart of the Guild, he was swarmed by the mages of the Guild. He had two drinks brought for him as they talked about magical theory and if he had any rare regents for spellcraft for the more powerful of the spells. It nearly came to lots of stabbing between the earthen and water-based magi since he used neither type and had a large abundance of the regents. By the time he was sent for by the Guild Master, he had made another two hundred gold. He knew even if they didn't let him in, he could make some coin-selling regents.
"So you're the one that killed that minotaur," said a gruff female voice as her cape swayed against her back. Her yellow eye peered at him, studying the man that brought down a Silver-ranked monster.
"I did," Jake answered.
"I'm told you once belonged to a Guild; I find it hard that anyone would let a battlemage go unless there was some bad blood," she said, turning to face him. "Especially a battlemage that can best a Silver-ranked minotaur singlehandedly. Plus, you just walk in with regents that most of these people have only heard about in rumors or are too poor to ever be near it. I just have to wonder what kind of man you are."
"Me?" Jake slyly ran his eyes down her body, noting how her long ears ran horizontally rather than vertically, making the woman a part of the Wood Elves. "I'm just a man out to make a living, nothing more, nothing less," he stated truthfully.
"I thought battlemages wanted to be rich and famous?" she questioned.
"Who says I'm not already rich?" Jake retorted, arching his eyebrow as he did. "As for fame? Bah," waving it off, "don't want it, don't need it, all that would do is draw more attention than I want upon myself. As long as I'm treated fairly, you'll get no trouble from me."
"Hmm... while I have no trouble giving you Silver-rank if you were to join us here, yet I need to see for myself if you're worth Goldrank since I got a feeling you have that in you. But something like that would take time to gather enough resources to test out this theory. So you'll have to work as a Silver-rank for us for the time being. Is that suitable to you?"
"It is," stepping forward with his right arm extended, "I'm Jake Diaz."
"Marlin Silverback," she said, shaking Jake's hand and handing him his new silver plate. "Now, are you free to travel now?"
"Depends. Is this urgent?" Jake inquired. He wasn't about to be anyone's errand boy.
"Yes, the minotaur you fought isn't natural to this area, as you can tell. So I, along with the other Guilds around the area are sending out teams of Silver-rank and higher out to find the source of this problem. So far, we haven't had much luck, given the giant spider that's made a nest in the area we think might be the epicenter of the whole thing. However, so far, it's kept us at bay."
"Sounds like a dungeon collapse," Jake uttered to himself.
"Follow me; I'll introduce you to the team you'll be joining," Marlin said, leading Jake out of the room. "Marda!" she called out as they entered the common area of the Guild Hall. Jake's head craned upwards as the very large, very muscular woman stood up from the table she was at, peering back at them as she did.
"Yeah, Boss?" Marda, the half-giantess, quired as her party members got to their feet.
"Let me introduce you to your new temporary member to help with our spider problem," Marlin said, pushing Jake forward. "This here is Jake, as you might have heard, is a battlemage. Maybe with his help, this mystery will finally come to an end."
"Can you fight, or is that just for show?" Marda taunted, her massive hand waving dismissively at his armor.
"Oh, I can handle myself, giantess," Jake said, mentally conjuring his shield as Marda launched a punch at him, knowing that would get her riled up to do so since most people with giant blood weren't looked kindly on. He saw her surprise by the strength of his conjured shield. It seemed to her she thought he could only summon one at a time as he used another to knock the wind out of her just to show he wasn't bluffing. "I did not mean to insult you, Ms. Marda, yet you wanted proof," he stated, gently patting her back. Jake was a little on edge as her hand that could wrap around his chest rested on his left shoulder as she started to belt out in laughter. The old episode of Futurama flashed in his mind, of the words 'snu-snu' filled him with dread.
"That I did, Jake, was it," to which Jake nodded, "let's get familiar with one another. If we're going to be fighting with one another, we need to know what you can do," Marda said in a warm, friendly tone, steering him towards their table. "Oh, so you'll be on the front lines with Bard and me," she uttered in shock, which Bard was too, given all the mages they knew were the rear guard.
"Oh, I move where I'm needed on the battlefield, but since I normally work alone, I'm pretty much always in the thick of it," Jake said truthfully.
"Wait... are you saying you do Silver-rank quests all on your own?" Shion, their dark elf thief, said her skepticism was plain as day.
"Gold, actually," Jake corrected, noting their stunned faces.
"And you left your old Guild why? If you were already Gold?" Shion asked, having a very hard time believing anyone would willingly give up such status.
"It was either that or it would turn into a blood bath," Jake joked darkly.
"I see; well, you did kill that minotaur, so that at least tells me you're competent enough for the job," Shion uttered, knowing there was more to his story than he was telling, and she planned to find out what it was.
"Thanks... I guess, so tell me about this spider," Jake said, getting down to business. His eyes moved around the table as they all told him of their encounters with the beast. His focus never left whoever was speaking to him at that moment. When they were done, it was already late afternoon, so Jake decided to have dinner at the Guild Hall and get to know his teammates, even if it would be for a short time.
"So Jake, where are you from?"
"Toyone-mura," Jake answered, seeing their confused looks. "It's not from this world; it's in Japan on a planet called Earth, where I originally came from."
"You sure you're sane?" Shion asked, eyeing Jake suspiciously.
"Depends on how you define sane?" Jake retorted, seeing how she wasn't used to someone countering her snark. "But yes, I'm sane, so I do what I have to to survive in this world. Why I was sent here doesn't matter anymore I'm already here, don't have the foggiest clue on how to get back to my world. So believe me or don't, it doesn't take away what I can do."
"True, so how about we meet back here in the morning and prepare for the battle to come," Marda said, knowing they were going to need all their wits when going against the spider, given their past encounters.
Once he parted ways with Marda and the others, he wandered the streets of the town. First he secured a room at an inn, then he bought a sausage roll as he got the lay of the land. If he was going to work out of the Three Suns Guild, he wanted to make sure he knew every corner of the town. Then, he came upon the light of the herbalist. Where he stocked up on his mana and healing potions, he also got some stamina potions for Marda, Shion, and Bard. He did find himself in an arcane shop. He felt their eyes on him, given how he was still in his full armor in a magic shop. He was sure they could tell his armor was magical.
"Sir... I mean no disrespect..."
"I'm a battlemage," Jake uttered on instinct when he was eyeing the rows of wands that sat secured behind a cage of glass. He was sensing out which one was the more powerful of them. Not that he needed a wand to cast magic, however, the wand would increase the accuracy and power of the spell. "I would like to see those two wands," he directed, pointing down at the two of them. He whispered a simple frost spell as he tested out both wands, chilling the shop in the humid evening. "How much?" Jake asked, placing the ebony wand as the fire enchantment pulsated in his eyes as it synthesized with his own mana. The twenty gold for the wand was expensive, yet a sound purchase. He figured he might be teamed up with other parties while he waited for Marlin to determine if she thought he was ready for advancement.
It was two hours later as Jake was sitting in the common room of the Inn he was staying at for the evening. He would admit the food wasn't bad. His eyebrows rose as he brought the wooden spoon to his lips, as he saw Shion walking past him without realizing it. Then again, he wasn't wearing his armor, so he tried to blend into the background. He did find it amusing as Shion just looked around and still didn't see him for a good three minutes before she locked eyes with him.
"Mind if I join you?"
"Chair's free," Jake gestured to it. "What can I do for you?"
"You sure you're human? You're too good at camouflage," Shion praised, trying to butter Jake up.
"And you're a spy and thief; information is your bread and butter, and flattery won't get you what you want, but I do thank you for the praise," Jake said, getting a smirk out of her.
"What's the real reason a man like you doing in a town like this?"
"What? It's close to my home," Jake shrugged.
"And where would that be?" Shion asked, intrigued.
"Haunted Forest of Jura," Jake answered, watching the fear growing in her eyes.
"For all that's holy... why?!" Shion stammered. Everyone in the town knew not to venture near the forest, not unless they had a heavily armed party.
"Why not? Do you think some thief will venture there to steal from a house they wouldn't be able to find? Also good hunting grounds for regents that sell at a decent price," Jake said, finishing off his stew.
"Uh-huh, listen, don't tell me if you don't want to, but don't lie to me when it's so obvious. So what's the real reason you left your Guild?"
"Why is it of any of your concern why I left my former Guild?"
"I need to know if you can be trusted to watch my back, I don't let just anyone near my friends, I don't care if that upsets you," Shion stated, not caring how she came across.
"No, the only thing you need to know is if I can do my job, which I can; whether you trust me or not isn't any of my concern," Jake said, sipping on his ale. "The reason for my departure is personal. It has nothing to do with my performance. All you need to worry about is if you'll be alive after the quest, which you will. Afterwards, we never need to speak, ever," he uttered darkly.
"Why? Anyone would die to have a battlemage in their party?!" Shion said, not realizing that's how Jake liked it.
"Like I said, I work alone, and so far, you all haven't shown me you can be trusted. You expect me to team up with people like you that question where one calls home when they speak the truth? Right, that's a great start of building trust," Jake said, waving his flagon around.
"Oh, come off it," his eyes followed how her hands slammed onto the table; Jake looked away bashfully when Shion leaned forward, showing off her bosom, "you want me to believe you actually live in a place that only Gold-rank adventurers go only in parties?! Do you not see how insane that sounds!" Her face took on a confused look at how red his cheeks were and why he couldn't look her in the eye not realizing, while not on full display, the way he could peer down her top was enough. Plus, Jake was trying to be respectful and not leer at the woman's chest. It wasn't until she looked down did she take stock of the sight on display. Instantly, her own face grew red in embarrassment as she hastily slammed her back against the back of the chair. "S-s-sorry..."
"Don't worry about it," Jake uttered, scratching his temple, laughing off the tension in the air.
"I appreciate that you were kind enough to look away," Shion said, looking away. "Listen, I'm sorry if the way I came off rubbed you the wrong way. That wasn't my intention, so I apologize. It's just my party is my family, and I don't want anything to happen to them."
"Ah, I can understand that, wanting to protect the people closest to you. I give you my word; if it's within my power, we all will come back from the spider hunt," Jake stated, holding out his hand to her.
"I'll hold you to it," Shion said, shaking his hand in good faith. "Can I ask, what have you done to prepare for this quest?"
"Stocked up on mana and health potions. Got a few stamina ones for you and the warriors of the party, if it comes to that. Even bought a wand, something I haven't used in years, just in case I need to work from the rear," Jake informed her, seeing no harm in telling her.
"But you can use one, right..." Shion yelped in surprise as her chair began to rise up into the air, only to have her hand shoot down and press her leather skirt close as her womanhood neared his eye level. "You damn pervert?!" she snapped.
"What? Just like your leader you asked for proof, I gave it to you," Jake said, pulling out the wand beneath the table. Its bright tip, the indicator of his magic in use, pointed down, lowering Shion back to the floor. "See, I can use a wand."
"Don't... don't do that again," Shion spoke in a forced tone. Like all Dark Elves, they only allowed their mates to view the most private of areas of their bodies.
"I promise, I apologize if I overstepped," Jake said, watching how her cheeks turned purple in her bashfulness.
"No, I deserve that, I did ask for it," Shion said sighing, pushing the chair back under the table. "I'll leave you be; good night."