Chapter 3: Inferno Warden
Chapter 3: Inferno Warden
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They flew and had a magnificent view into the forest. They got out of the forest without anyone seeing them because it would cause panic if they saw a dragon roaming around.
When they landed, Fuku transformed into human form; his clothes are still intact, and when Siah asked him about it, he just said that it's magic.
Speaking of magic, Siah is excited to see real magic, but he or she said that it's rare for humans to perform magic.
"Eh? Why is it rare?" I asked while we're walking.
"Well, humans can perform basic magic, like a small fire to start a fire or water to fill a cup, but in terms of big-scale magic, which is what you want, you'll only disappoint yourself; it's at least 1 out of 10,000; it's kind of rare; that's why if one is chosen, he/she gets an immediate position in the kingdom."
"Ohhh, I see, I see, you read my mind right? Compare to where am I, and this world, what do you think the era of this world?"
"Maybe around the medieval or classical period, you see, because of magic, the progress takes long; instead of finding a source of water to survive, they don't and just rely on their magic. It was much worse when the hero didn't come; diseases are everywhere; luckily, the hero's knowledge was passed down, but again, they use it only for the rich."
"That's government for you."
While walking towards a settlement, a carriage came and stopped near them. "Are you two travelers? Walking near the demon forest, you two must be strong. Can I have a request?" The carriage driver said.
The carriage isn't fancy; it's got two horses and an old wooden carriage. Why can't I understand him?
"Oh, that's part of the contract; by magic, what he's saying is the language of this world, but your mind can understand it; that goes through what you say," Fuku said to my thoughts.
"What request are you talking about?" I asked him.
"You see, the adventures that I hire to protect me ran off when they saw a monster they can't beat. I can't just go back and turn because I have important things to deliver. Can you guard me through the town? I will pay you two gold coins."
"That's a good deal, and going through the town that he's saying is just around 1 night and 2 days, it's also good for us because of the free ride," Fuku said again to my mind.
"Okay, then, we accept."
"Thank you"
We hop into his carriage and ask, "So what are you two up to walking around near the demon forest?"
"We're also going to the town; it was luck for us to see you; you see, our horses got killed when we got attacked by a monster."
"I see, so we're both in luck to see each other then."
"That's a good bluff," Fuku told me in my thoughts.
"Small matter"
In our travels, it's just a conversation, me asking about what is going on in this world, and because of the information, we found out that the kingdom is currently at war with the neighboring empire.
"Why are they at war?" Siah asked.
"Well, it's the empire that we are talking about; they wage war for land and political power."
"The emperor must be a greedy man," Fuku said.
"Well, yeah, people don't even know what is going on in his mind; he just wants to expand his land more and more."
"Do you know the emperor Fuku?"
"I heard about him before: a genius man in the royal family but greedy; in his 20s, he killed his family and took the crown for himself."
"I agree with him; they cover it up in the public, saying that his family died because of a disease, but many know that he killed them."
"That's kind of cruel," Siah said.
The travel was successful and went smoothly; no monster went near us because of Fuku spreading his aura, scaring the monster to come near the carriage.
The only problem for me is that the carriage is shaky, there are lots of bumps, and it's uncomfortable—far more uncomfortable than a car.
But we manage it: "Here we are, the town of Maya!" The town was beautiful; it's 'vintage'; it's what you expect from a town from the medieval era.
It's characterized by narrow, winding streets, timber-framed houses, a central marketplace, and a prominent church or castle. The carriage owner told us that it was a church.
The town's layout reflected a lack of urban planning, with structures clustered haphazardly. I can see that clearly by comparing it to a city of the earth.
Surrounding walls provided defense, while artisans and merchants plied their trades in the bustling market square.
The carriage owner dropped us into the market square earlier. When we got in, there was a toll fee. It's normal for travelers to not have a card, but that still doesn't mean they will let them in easily. It takes process, but the carriage owner has a connection, so they let us in.
"Here are the two gold coins; if you ever need me, just ask where the Zackle Pawn Shop is! Take care!" He said cheerfully.
We said our thanks, and he left us. "I remember, we never asked for his name, no?"
"It's Zackle; I read his mind."
"So that's his pawn shop; he must be a rich man. We'll go there later, but first, we need some ID; it will be a pain if we don't have one."
"The adventurer's guild it is."
We asked around some people and got into the guild. I kind of know what this is; it's familiar from anime and games.
We walk straight to the receptionist; it's a girl.
"We would like to register as an adventurer."
"That's great! But first, please put your hands into this crystal. This crystal will light red if you commit a crime, and it will light blue if you're innocent."
I placed my hand, and it was light blue. Then, Fuku placed his hands, and when it's about to turn fully red, with just a glimpse of it, he immediately took his hand off the crystal.
The three of us are silent. "It seems to be some misunderstanding," and I slide a gold coin to the table. "Of course," she smiles and takes the gold coin. "It happens sometimes."
"That would be two silver coins!" I paid her a gold coin. "Please wait for your ID."
"I'm very sorry about that," Fuku said to my mind.
"Don't worry, you're a dragon. I expected that when you said you fight the hero; of course that's a crime."
"..."
"Don't worry about it."
"Here's your ID and your change."
Because of Fuku reading the mind of Zackle, we know the common sense around here: the money consists of
2 copper coins for a loaf of bread
100 copper coins for a silver coin
100 silver coins for a gold coin
60 gold coins for a platinum coin
And an average salary in this world is 30 silver coins; for a gold coin, you can fulfill yourself for a month.
"Thank you; come again!" The receptionist said.
We don't have any money now for an inn; that's why we came to Zackle Pawn Shop to trade.
We made it to the pawnshop thanks to Fuku reading his mind. We should also have gone to the adventurer's guild instead of asking, How dumb can we be?
We got inside, and a woman employee immediately told us, "Sir, we're still currently close." We saw Zackle talking to one of his employees, a manager, I suppose.
"Ohh! Let them in! I know them; come come," he then told the other employee. "Let's talk later."
"How can I help you today?" he said.
"Well, I want to talk about business."
"Business, huh? Let's go to the other room then."
He led us into a private room, a VIP one. The room is elegant too; it has something like a sofa, but the Earth's are still far better. But still, to have one like this, you need to be rich.
We three sat down and said, "So what business are we talking about?"
I put some salt and some fancy glasses in the goblet; from reading his mind, these are all fancy and hard to get, and only nobles can have them.
"You came to the right shop!" He immediately took a look at my product. "With this kind of quality, how about 10 gold coins for each of the glass and 20 gold coins for each of the salt?"
The salt is only 500 grams each, "deal."
An employee came and gave us the money; it's 10 platinum and 5 gold coins.
"Thank you," Siah said.
"Please come again if you ever have a product to sell."
"Of course"
We then left to find a good inn in the pawn shop. As we left, "Treat those two as VIPs; those two might be nobles or something we don't know, but one thing is for sure: they are rich and dangerous."
"Yes, sir!" The employees said to Zackle.
We successfully found an inn and paid 10 silver coins for a day. I paid for a 10-day stay.
"It's been a long day! Let's eat!" I bought foods from my system, and we both sat down at the table and ate. The room is wide enough for the both of us, and it also has two chairs and a table, exactly what we asked for.
While eating, Fuku asked, "What are our plans?"
"We should rank up our I.D. first; this world discriminates against the weak; it's a pain if we experience those; after that, let's leave this town; the receptionist might tell the authorities."
"As you wish."
We slept and ate breakfast. We went to the adventurer's guild and accepted a task: fighting 10 goblins. The guild system has a ranking.
Copper
Iron
Silver
Gold
Platinum
Mithril
Orichalcum
Adamantite
Most veteran adventurers are stuck on gold or platinum; being an adamantite is a big deal; you're level as the hero; there are currently 10 of them in the world, scattered and adventuring.
To move your rank, you need to do missions faster; you need to do something out of your league, and that's our plan.
We went to the location where the goblins are spotted; it's a forest about 5 miles away from the main road. It's kind of an easy task, as with my pistol, I killed them easily, not even breaking a sweat.
Fuku is cutting the right ear of the goblins for a proof that we did our job, but since we want more, we hunted more than that—at least 20 of them. While hunting goblins, we saw something not planned—it's a goblin king! With one shot of my rifle in his head, he's dead.
"Sighed, this is boring as fck; let's rank up and get the hell out of this town," Siah said. Compared to the monster he fought in the demon forest, that was nothing.
And with Fuku besides him, it's just like killing some ant; they got in the guild and reported their kill: "As requested, we killed 10 goblins and burned them; thou, it seems like the goblins are more than expected; we killed more than 50 of them and a goblin king; I heard that the goblin king's body had a lot of benefits, so we take his corpse."
Fuku easily carries it, but I put it inside the item box and just let it out when we're near the tall gate, and I never really burned the goblins. I put them in my item box; they might be useful someday.
"With all that accomplishment, we view that you're far superior to an average silver adventurer's; taking down a goblin king takes a party of gold adventurers, so if you like, tomorrow there will be a test where you will be fighting an instructor for your strength."
"I accept"
Someone rushed into the guild and shouted, "We're being attacked! Monsters from Demon Forest are running towards here! It's a horde!"
The guild master came out of his office and shouted, "All adventurers! This is an emergency quest! For every monster you kill, there will be 10 silver coins!"
All the adventurers roared in hyperness and started gathering at the tall gate to attack. While we were standing, Fuku asked me, "What should we do?" From my thoughts
"This is an opportunity for us to show our strengths, though this will definitely attract unwanted attention, but this is going to be fun!" He said, grinding his teeth.
Siah might be smart, but he's slowly turning into a battle freak.
He got out of the guild, bought a Russian TOS-1A Heavy Flamethrower System, and drove it out to the toll gate. Many people saw this and couldn't believe what they were seeing; some were shocked, some were impressed, and some were scared, but one thing was clear to them: it's a freaking monster.
I get out of the vehicle, once it was a bit far from the toll gate. With my barnucular, I view the monsters from afar; almost all of them are random. Thinking about it, those monsters came running because of the nuke, isn't it?
"Dammit, so it's my fault, meh, I'm the one ending it anyways, Fuku! Fire!" Siah shouted.
In the eerie silence of the monster-infested landscape, the operator of the TOS-1A Heavy Flamethrower System, Fuku, braced for the impending onslaught. As the swarm closed in, a series of metallic clanks resonated as the multiple rocket launcher systems loaded their deadly cargo. The air filled with tension as the operator meticulously aimed the launcher toward the heart of the approaching horde.
With a decisive command, the rockets erupted from their tubes in a synchronized ballet of destruction. The night sky was momentarily painted with streaks of fire as the thermobaric warheads hurtled towards their target. As the rockets reached the designated coordinates, they burst open, releasing a deadly payload.
A thunderous explosion followed, unleashing a shockwave that rippled through the air. The monsters caught in the blast were engulfed in a searing inferno, the intense heat and force obliterating any semblance of order in the swarm. Flames danced eerily in the darkness as the once-menacing horde now lay scattered and smoldering, the TOS-1A having delivered a fiery symphony of destruction against the relentless invaders.
"Well, that covers it."
In the aftermath, a surreal stillness settled over the battleground as wisps of smoke curled into the night sky. The monstrous horde, once a relentless force, now lay scattered and subdued amidst the aftermath of the thermobaric onslaught. The acrid scent of burning lingered in the air, a testament to the ferocity of the TOS-1A's fiery expulsion.
The survivors, if any, among the monsters appeared disoriented and weakened, their initial onslaught thwarted by the devastating firepower. The landscape, once teeming with the threat of chaos, now bears the scars of explosive retribution.
The operator of the TOS-1, Fuku, shrouded in the lingering smoke, surveyed the scene through the haze. The mechanical beast, having unleashed its destructive payload, now stood as a sentinel of temporary reprieve. Yet, an uneasy calm hung in the air as the aftermath of the fiery storm left both destruction and a daunting silence in its wake—a momentary respite in the ongoing battle against the unknown.
The people in the town are speechless; not a single word came out of their mouth, but instead an eerie silence.
With a speaker and a mic, Siah shouted, "People of the town of Maya, I, Aciah, declared that the horde is over!" A few seconds passed by in all silence.
"Fuku, did I take it too far?"
"I suppose"
Then the people start shouting and cheering for Siah's name! And this is the start of his name spreading around; the name "Inferno Warden" earned this moniker for their mastery over the flames that devoured the monstrous horde. Whispers of the Inferno Warden spread like wildfire, weaving tales of a guardian who summoned the very essence of destruction to safeguard against the encroaching darkness. The nickname, a blend of awe and fear, encapsulated the mystique surrounding the enigmatic figure behind the powerful weaponry.
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