Chapter 4 - 1

Ash tried her hardest not to walk away, she needed every last crown she could get. The street was absurdly hot today, with a cloudless sky letting the sun sear her skin as she kept a cup extended, asking the people passing by for a few crowns. The unfortunate part was that her "don't fuck with me, walk away" exterior consistently managed to work against her. She simply didn't have it in her not to look angry, and, well, considering the fact that she was a homeless half-demon that couldn't go one hour without catching a dirty look, she didn't care to fix that.

"Excuse me," she asked as politely as she could, "could you give- or you could walk away. Yeah, fuck you too," she said as the person didn't even stop to listen.

As she mumbled that to herself, she heard a couple of coins drop into her cup.

"Thanks." She said without looking at the person who gave them.

"No problem, hopefully, that'll get you to smile a little."

When she heard the familiar voice, she rolled her eyes.

"You again." She noted with a sigh. "Kairo, why are you here?"

"It's somewhat concerning that you ask that to your only friend. I'm hurt!"

The man standing beside her was a short, middle-aged monk. He was probably the only person in the whole street that looked as ragged as Ash did, wearing just a brown robe and slippers. His beard, his baldness, his hunched back, it was all painfully on the nose that he wanted to convey the "wise man" image.

"What do you want? You're scaring away my clients." Ash told him, gesturing at the passing citizens, none of which seemed particularly interested in what was happening.

"Hm, what do I want? Enlightenment, the love of Lumina, world peace. I'll settle for a bit of your time though. Care to accompany me?"

"What?" Ash raised a brow at him.

"It's noon. You must be hungry. Come, I'll buy us some lunch," Kairo said.

Ash wasn't particularly fond of him, but she wasn't dumb enough to turn down a free meal. She got up, stretching her arms in the air, making a few people grimace when her scent reached them and nodded to him.

"Fine."

He took her to the city's Public Square, a space so loud that Ash was tempted to cover her ears. She kept her eyes low, avoiding eye contact as the monk guided her. They ended up at a stall that was selling paper-wrapped salads.

"Two basics, please," Kairo asked of the vendor and soon, he and Ash were seated nearby.

It had been far too long since Ash had any real food, most of the time she bought cheap bread and made do with that. When the minty scent hit her nostrils, she almost growled.

"Thank you." She blurted out before taking some of the lettuce and biting into it.

Thankfully, he allowed her a small moment of silence. She glanced around the square, the golden banners of Jade hanging proudly on the white stone walls. Although there must have been at least two hundred people in the square at that moment, not one was a half-demon like her. Half-demons like her were exceptionally rare, she'd learned as much at school before her life fell apart.

"How is it?" Kairo asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Fine."

"You're eating it very quickly for something that is just 'fine', heh."

"Whatever." Ash looked away. Hearing that, she tried to slow down. She hadn't even noticed how voraciously she was consuming the meal.

"I remember when I first met you, you were equally as hasty." He chuckled. "You don't tend to calm down much, do you?"

"When was that?" She asked, without answering the question.

"Hm. I believe it was two years ago, no?"

"Right, right. I was begging and you said the dumbest line I've ever heard, to this day." Ash said, talking as she chewed, "I asked for some crowns and you said…"

"I'll give you something better, a friend, I said." He finished for her.

"Yeah. That's still the most hilarious thing I've heard."

"It was fairly clever; you have to admit." The monk told her.

"Nope." Ash looked up at him. "So, what? Is this what you do all day? Just take random homeless people out to eat?"

"Have you seen me with any other homeless person?"

"So, what, are you into me or something?" Ash smirked. "Is this some elaborate way of getting in my," she looked down and saw that she wasn't wearing pants. All she had on were rags. "Under my rags?"

"When you're finished, let me know." He suddenly deflected. "There's another place I'd like to take you."

Ash raised a brow before going back to the food in front of her.

"Yeah, sure."

He didn't say much after that. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence. When Ash was finished, she waved a hand in front of him and gestured to the empty plate on the table.

"Ah, alright. Come."

Ash didn't question where they were going. She didn't particularly like him, but she knew by now that he probably meant no ill will to her. If he did, she assumed she'd be able to get away from whatever bad situation he had in mind. But, no, he did not take her to any sort of ambush. She remembered where this path led a short while after they'd walked onto it. Ash had walked the streets of Jade for long enough to know where they were headed.

The Spirit Gardens District? She asked in her mind. Ugh, why? She always felt uncomfortable in this area. Everything was always so clean and proper, it made her and her, literally, piss-poor condition stand out all the more. But, she didn't voice her concerns as she followed him there.

The Spirit Gardens District was composed of one giant tree surrounded by white stone buildings. It got its name from the white embers that floated around the tree, known to everyone as actual spirits.

"Has anyone ever told you why these spirits remain here?"

"No." Ash shook her head as they walked onto the dirt and the monk approached the tree. He placed a hand on its bark, closing his eyes.

"It is said that wayward lost souls end up here. That Magia herself planted the seed that sprouted this tree for those souls to find comfort before they find where they need to be. This is a place for the purposeless to find meaning."

Ash put her hands on her hips.

"Meaning, huh?' She looked up at it. "If getting that kind of thing were that easy, that would make a lot of people just really unlucky, wouldn't it?"

"Not necessarily. Maybe they just need a push in the right direction."

Ash sighed and looked around. Despite what he said about things finding meaning here, Ash didn't get the sense that anything around the tree was in search of a purpose. Everyone who walked through the district, the people who made this place in the past, seemed to have found their meaning quite easily.

"I should head back," Ash told the monk. "It's getting late."

The monk looked up at the sky.

"Truly? I gauge it's just 2 or so right now."

"Guards get more and more annoying the later the day gets. I can't be asked to be seen at four or five or later."

"Very well then. Let us return."

"You're coming with me?" Ash asked.

"My home is quite close to where you usually stay. What, did you think I walked through half the city to speak to you?"

"Heh, and here I thought you wanted to be friends," Ash smirked.

"Friends don't make friends walk for an hour."

"But they do make them walk to stare at trees?" Ash added.

"Yes, that they do." The monk said with a chuckle.

On that note, they began pacing back to where the monk had found Ash. His words marinated in her mind. Meaning, she thought. Not everyone is meant to have a purpose, I think. That's why people like me exist. Some of us just don't get that privilege.

At a very young age, Ash had accepted that she belonged in that particular category of individuals. Purposeless, aimless. Her sole duty in this world was to take up space, breathe, eat and fade away, maybe only ever remembered by the guards that would harass her and the vendors who would reluctantly sell their products to her whenever she had the money to buy them.

It was as Ash thought about this that something happened. She and the monk were back in the lesser parts of the city, walking through a narrow alley when, ahead, three nebulous-looking types appeared. The instant she saw them, with their greedy visages, she understood.

Thugs. Ash thought. Of course.

"Well, shit. What do we have here? A half-demon and her owner on a walk?" The one in the middle, probably their leader, said. He was a man of average height with short black hair and wearing a black bandana. To the left, a small, bald girl sneered at the half-demon. To the right, there was a big, burly man carrying one heavy-looking club.

"We don't want any trouble." The monk said behind Ash.

"No, but they clearly do," Ash muttered.

Well, let's see.

Level 1

MP: 10/10

These were the stats of the girl to the left. She grinned and licked her lips as Ash watched her, then Ash glanced at the one to the right.

Level 1

MP: 10/10

Well, he's bigger, so yeah, it stands to reason he'd get tired faster. Ash surmised. Finally, she looked at the possible leader of the group.

Level 3

MP: 10/10

Huh. I see.

In this world, there was only one way to increase your level. That was, to kill something. Whether it was a human, a monster, an animal, it didn't matter. There was no way to work on your level without actually ever killing. So, the fact that he was Level 3 meant that at some point, he'd ended something, or someone's, life.

And, since they were clearly criminals of some sort, Ash doubted that the man had leveled up by killing random dogs.

The last step before a fight, of course, was to see her own stats and what she could do with them.

Level 1

MP: 10/10

Attributes:

Strength: 1

[Physical power]

Dexterity: 1

[Physical precision, speed, and timing]

Constitution: 5

[Physical resistances]

Intelligence: 1

[Spell potency]

Wisdom: 1

[Mana pool and ability to learn new spells]

Luck: 100

[Governs everything that happens to you]

Note! A high luck stat is not necessarily good. One can have bad luck or good luck, the statistic simply denotes how impactful that luck will be.

Traits:

Iron Stomach

[Can eat or drink anything without gaining any negative status effects.]

Undiscovered Trait

?

Undiscovered Trait

?

Ash always laughed when she saw her Luck. Feels like a joke, to be honest.

Her constitution had risen gradually over time thanks to the poor quality of the food she ate. At least, that's what she guessed. She understood how levels worked, but not attributes. Not fully, anyway.

"How much d'ya think they've got on 'em?" The girl asked.

"Maybe a few coins. Maybe more. Old people tend to be loaded." The leader replied. "Well, we'll see."

They began walking forwards.

"Old man," she spoke. "You should stay back."

Ash, of course, assumed he wasn't about to try to fight anyone. He was a monk after all, likely a pacifist, and an elderly one at that.

"There are three of them. Are you going to fight them alone?" He asked. "Why not run?"

"I could get away, sure, but what about you?" She told him. "I owe you for the meal, don't I?"

"Heh. I see." The old man said slowly and took a step back.

Ash breathed in.

Ash had been homeless for six years now. She'd been in more than a few brawls, a few of them being against groups of people like this. She'd scrapped with guards, other homeless people, and thugs just like these three. She had a few ideas on what to do.

If I just wait for them to gang up on me I'm finished. All I've got is the element of surprise, really. I have to pick one off as soon as they get close. Her eyes went to the short girl. Then, I have to grab something. She looked around and found a few wooden barrels, then she eyed the big guy. Eh, it's better than nothing. Finally, she looked at the man in the middle. After that, it's all about taking out the strongest one.

They were dangerously close as Ash finished her scheming. She took another deep breath as the man in the middle grabbed the stick in his hands and slowly raised it up. Then, Ash charged. She ran straight for the girl, poking her in both eyes before kicking her back.

Of course, as her Strength was at 1, her kick didn't really hurt the girl, but those eye pokes did.

Her action had been so fast and unprecedented that the other two thugs didn't respond.

"What the fuck? Get her!" The man ordered the bulky one as the girl fell back with a cry.

"My eyes! You fucking bitch!"

Okay! Ash ran past the other two thugs, ducking under a slow swing from the big one's club, and quickly picked up the wooden barrel. The big guy was taking lumbering steps towards her and Ash raised up the barrel and smashed it down on his head. He fell back and the ground shook as he landed.

"Huh, a bit more resourceful than the usual prey." The one in the middle chuckled. "Alright, come on. Show me what you've got!"

However, to Ash's surprise, she wouldn't have to. From behind the leader, the old man walked up stealthily, raised a hand, and brought it down on the thug's neck. A sickening thud sounded across the alley.

"Gah!" The man's eyes rolled behind his back and he fell forwards, face-first onto the ground.

"Huh?" Ash looked up at the monk in confusion. The monk shrugged.

"You don't get to grow old without knowing a thing or two about fighting, kid."

"Well, shit." Ash laughed. "Could have said something."

"I could have." The monk nodded. "But that would have been less fun."

Hm. May as well. Ash reached into the leader's pockets and pulled out a few crowns to the displeasure of the monk. She shrugged at him and the monk turned around. And so, the three thugs laid on the ground as Ash and the monk simply walked away.

When they finally made it back to where the monk had found Ash, the light of the sun was turning a deep orange and Ash collapsed onto the ground. Way too much wasted energy.

"That was all fairly exhilarating." The old man said.

"Stressful is more like it."

"Ha! I had fun. Maybe my age is showing. Regardless, it is time for me to return home. Ash," he told her and she glanced up, "meaning finds all of us sooner or later. Maybe it's closer than you think."

"Sure." She mumbled and the man waved at her. Ash's response was to lay down on the sidewalk and look up at the sky as he left.

Once again, she was alone.

That was a bit rough, but nothing too dangerous. She thought. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a little more chill.

As soon as she thought those words, a carriage stopped next to her. Ash didn't think anything of it, so she kept her eyes on the sky until two priest-looking individuals stood next to her, blocking the view.

"Get lost." She said.

The priests paid her no mind. They simply spoke to each other as Ash stood up.

"Is this it?" One of them said. The other one, the elder of the two, said:

"Yes. I…" He turned to see her. Ash narrowed her eyes. She instantly didn't like this guy. He seemed exactly like the kinds of condescending pricks that would tell her to "stop begging and go get a job". "This must be the one."

"What the fuck do you want?" She asked.

"You, come with us. We have much to tell you."

"No," Ash replied. "Fuck off."

"Hmph. Very well. Hear the lullaby in my hands and rejoice."

Then, the man cast a spell at her. Ash hadn't expected it, so she couldn't dodge it in time. Her eyes closed and she fell asleep.

---

When her eyes opened, she was in a dark room. There was a strange chanting all around her, some sort of low choir. What the fuck happened? Ash looked around and realized she was in a church. Statues of the Four Gods, Magia, Lumina, Alkoth, and Niven were placed throughout the room evenly, with Niven at the bottom and Magia at the top. Most alarming of all though was the fact that her hands were currently tied behind her back.

"You'll have to forgive us for that, but we couldn't take no for an answer. At least, not before speaking with you properly." The priest from earlier said. He was standing in front of a giant crystal, behind an altar, looking down at Ash.

"What the hell do you want?" Ash asked, feeling her anger growing.

"Sir, are you certain? This… She is a hybrid. Would Magia truly select someone like this?" Someone asked the priest and he stared at Ash.

"Regardless of the quality of her breed, the truth is we need her. If Magia has brought her before us, she must have a reason." He replied.

"I don't exactly like being talked about like I'm some sort of fucking kitchen table." Ash spat out.

"Our apologies, allow me to explain. You are here for one very simple reason."

"Yeah, and that is?" She asked.

"Because you, young one, have been chosen by Magia herself to represent her in Nova." Something about the way he said those words made Ash feel like he didn't want to speak them but had to. "You have been chosen to be the next Savior."

Ash blinked.

"What drugs are you people on?"