Side Story 46: The Travels of a Lone Demonkin.

Side Story 46: The Travels of a Lone Demonkin.

Hahaha! Good work, good work, that probably demanded quite a bit from you, human. Taking out that many people as a loner; didnt think you were capable enough. The giant rhinonceruma rhinoceros beastmanhuffed at a short, young human adventurer, eying her with a malicious grin as he counted the copper and silvite coins scattered on his bar table.

He looked the girl up and down, once again noticing how her gambeson was showing only one of her arms, with the left sleeve wafting loosely from the cool breeze coming through the open windows and door. From the sound of clanking metal, he also suspected she wore some chainmail underneath it, although it might also be a coincidence, as she had metal sabatons and gauntlets

Although he wasnt an adventurer, his natural strength as a rhinoncerum would outclass even trained rank E humans. Not to mention, as a beastman who was born in one of the many tribes of Carmaniate, he was a trained hunter and warrior, to the point he could take on rank Ds without any problem. He had gotten rusty over the years, slacking off on his training for his job as a gang boss, but with money, he could buy anything he needed. With Davi, he had hired four rank C black mercs and their rank B boss to guard him.

That was why he was surprised to see the rank F adventurer still alive and having fulfilled the Quest he gave her by bringing him the head of a rival gang's boss, along with a pouch of coin. She was only a humancrippled at thatand her only weapons looked like a crossbow, a quiver of bolts, and a single rapier. He could see how dainty she was, but apparently, this girl took out his rival?

The rhinoncerum stopped counting his money and instead began playing with the decapitated head of his lizardman rival. The scales stimulated his tough skin by poking it and he could see the blood had already drenched the bag the head was in in scarlet red. His wide smile waned, as one of his minions stormed right into the tavern.

B-Boss! A foxian runner heaved heavy breaths, recovering only moments later to straighten his posture. Can confirm! A whole blood bath! The whole lizardman gang got exterminated in their district, with their base crumbled into pieces! The rest of the gang even found their bosss body. Mangled and burned, but the only one headless.

Hoooo? His smile suddenly dropped, before he plastered it back on his face to nobodys attention. It also helped that the facial expressions of rhinoncerums were harder to read than others.

However, this didnt go unnoticed.The initial instance of this chapter being available happened at N0v3l.Bin.

You really are capable, huh? That rank F really betrays your true abilities. Cant help it, huh? The merc guild isnt so lax when its around the border between Carm and the Empire. With how many criminals crowd Olinta town, the guild isn't so appreciative of black mercs or underbelly rats.

Can I get my money? the girl interrupted the mans speech, knowing it was all a pretense.

Shaking his head, the rhinoncerum understood the girl was in a hurry to leave. You didnt steal any, right? Any of the coins, I mean.

I dont need to stoop to your level to earn my wage.

Wage? Huh? The beastman nodded, getting to know the girl more and more. Still, the stoic expression she had on the whole time still grated him. Got out, huh? Yeah, I can understand that. Stealing, killing, and swindling every day just to live, right? Ha, got born in a tribe, so I didnt have to experience it. Had to cut many rats down for doing it to us, though. Though, you? Got some hope in your eyes, despite losing that arm. Got caught, right?

Money.

Hueheikhuek, his bodyguards began to crackle at the short girls attitude, finding it a bit too cute.

A human female standing up to multiple beastmen warriors? If she had been a leonid or another strong and imposing beastman variant, they could understand her swagger. Sadly, none of them could take her any more seriously than a little mouse.

In the Beastman Alliance of Carmaniate, strength was all that mattered. A meritocracy where their alliance leader could be of any tribe, any beastmen race, any gender, any origin; as long as they were strong and could lead well, they would be respected. And respect was a powerful word for many of them, even to the weaker and cowardly people amongst them. The Law of the Strong and Jungle was rampant in this place.

However, despite this barbaric ideology, the people of Carmaniate werent entirely unreasonable. There was still order here and there with large, bustling cities and well-governed trading hubs. Strength wasnt just prowess, it was also ingenuity, speechcraft, and righteousness. A true alliance leader had to assemble his retinue with more than muscles, as he was not only a warrior, but also the political pillar of an entire alliance with so many cultural differences it could rival even the humongous Empire of Folschreck.

Unfortunately for the rhinoncerum and his bodyguards, it had been too long since they last tasted the true Carmaniate. They had been living in the neutral zone between Carmaniate and Folschreck, where humans, beastmen, and dwarves could live in relative harmony. Relatively.

In addition to that, they had been living as criminals, robbing and killing similarly to bandits. They took the ideology of Carmaniate to the extreme, turning themselves into nothing more than barbarians. If this were in any other town, they would be ganged up by officials or bounty hunters, but in the lawless town of Olinta, there was no such worry. Here, strength really was all that mattered.

The rhinoncerum boss tapped his large fingers on the table, almost as if he was trying to agitate the girl. In the end though, his smirk appeared once again and began collecting the coins on the table. Here, your share.

He threw the coins onto the girls side of the table, prompting her to count it before collecting it all without any complaints. She stood up without saying anything and left the tavern, leaving the men to watch her walk away.

And here we thought some overconfident brat took the job. You really see a lot. The leonid leader of the rhinoncerums bodyguard group stroked his long mane, contemplating the reality of the situation. Here I thought you would hire her after the runner came.

You saw those eyes, right? That girl isnt some random street rat; she has the flare of a warrior. A true warrior; not like those human wastes the Empire put on the frontlines to die. The malicious grin on the beastmans face returned after so long. She doesnt have any enchanted items. Or runes. Its magic. Shes a caster, and a strong one at that if she looked relatively normal after massacring all those lizards. Brat or not, I want her in the crew!

The extreme of Carmaniates ideology made sure whether you were born an orphan or as another race, as long as you earned a beastmans respect, that respect was true. To see this girl destroy his enemies made it clear they had to gain this girl as an ally or risk having her turn an enemy one day.

Challenging her head-on would only create complications. They had to do this correctly.

Money. Post another Quest for the merc guild and make it extra lucrative!

Wasting a potential recruit was not the name of the game. If you wanted to survive in the neutral zone, you needed either the support of somebody powerful, make your own power, or live inside the only secure city aroundHadjuk-Orn, the most-eastern dwarven hold along the Ankoran Mountain ranges.

As the dwarves acted as trading partners for both the Folschreck Empire and the Beastman Alliance, neither side wished to annoy the dwarven merchants and risk losing their trade. It was through this presence that the neutral zone was created. As neither nations power and influence were able to completely take hold in this area, it was a thriving place for refugees, criminals, and deserters especially for a certain deserter.

I need to get out of this town now. The young woman from before determined after leaving the tavern and her employer. With fast steps, she rushed to the closest mercenary guild and handed in her Quest, earning her the reward for the completed request. The share she got from the rhinoncerum was the extra fee for bringing in the lizardmans head and the extermination of the entire group.

Her original Quest was to just steal the pouch of coins he gave him, but during their initial negotiation, the straped-for-money woman had to drive the conversation towards a more beneficial proposition. Although she hadnt done any real mercenary work up until now, she knew it wasnt any different from her time in the army. It was just now, she had the initiative and decision to execute it or not without any real repercussions.

With coins now shuffling inside her fuller money pouch, her steps caused the snow underneath her foot to crunch as she walked towards the nearby marketplace. She let out a deep breath, before the cold breeze blew her white breath away. Born and raised on the streets in BoleTaria, this girl felt nothing at the chill of the upcoming winter. To her, it was just like home, maybe a bit warmer.

This human woman was VifiYok, former Warbringer of BoleTaria and one of their most promising rising stars. A demonkin, hidden in plain sight as an one-armed young human.

Now, though, she went by the name of Valeria, given to her by the orphanage director in a town close to Port Saltzwieder, the closest harbor to the western part of the continent. A necessity, as she was trying to create a new life for herself, away from the army of BoleTaria. Although homesick, she understood if she wanted to continue living, this was the only future for her.

Provisions first. Restock bolts, tools, materials to make more in an emergency Maybe some new clothes.

A month had passed ever since VifiYok participation in the Elyonda siege as one of its commandersa scar of defeat she couldnt forget no matter how much she tried. Her near death experience at the claws of that dragon blessed of Aurena's and her older sister; it was without question the biggest military defeat in her entire career as a soldier and general, despite how short it had been.

Crippled and only able to survive by the mercy of her opponent, to the point she was nearly swayed by the dragon blesseds tender words, she fled. With the help of another commander, Streiga Ghorush, she managed to sever her ties with BoleTaria and wandered into her former enemys territory, the Empire of Humans, Folschreck.

Through a favor, VifiYok was taken in by one of Streigas old allies, allowing the young demonkin girl to learn the ins and outs of human society. Used to briefings, she took in the information given to her like a sponge. It was all for her survival, after all.

Although initially dissatisfied with her new human name and the energetic orphans treating her as if she was one of them, VifiYok thought of this as a chance to actually start over. She went into all of this with an optimistic outlook, but even she couldnt stop herself from feeling homesick. Everything was different, from the people, to the food, to the rules. It felt alien to her.

However, her time for living peacefully ended two days after she got her new party bracelet from the director, one that allowed her to hide her Profile from others. A group of Lycerepth agents arrived in the small town. Being the Empires religious police, VifiYok staying around any longer would only endanger the people who were nice enough to harbor a deserter and demonkin.

Although crippled and unable to use her full demonic potential after the siege, VifiYok was still level 150worthy of being one of the finest rank A adventurers in the world. With speed unmatched by most, she raced out of the town and the region itself. With only some Davi and the clothes the orphans sewed for her, VifiYok began her new life and adventure in this new world.

However, life wasnt too easy for a vagrant with no home and ability to officially work. She couldnt stay around for too long in human territory, as it would run the risk of her old companions finding her. She didnt stay in any location for more than three daysthe first for arrival, the second to restock, and the third to leave. Eventually, though, her money dwindled even after she tried to be as conservative as possible.

Facing poverty once again, VifiYok had wondered if she had to steal. Stoop back to the level of her childhood. Honestly, she thought she would, as in her escape from Elyonda, she had to steal a boat from a fishing village in Aleistunum to cross the sea to Port Saltwieder. However, as if her fortunes finally turned around, she learned of a local bandit group having robbed a carriage close by.

Better than stealing, she thought before making quick work of them.

She left most of the stolen goods behind, only taking whatever was necessary which included equipment, food, and money. She didnt want to steal. She didnt want to relapse back to her older days. She was now a proud demonkin soldier or, at least, she used to be one. As a demonkin of wrath, she had her own honor to take care of.

After some prolonged travel, using bandits and brigands as prey to restock her coffers and bags, she eventually made her way to the neutral zone. There, she registered herself as a mercenary and hunter. Having taken the words of the orphanage director to heart, if she wanted to make herself a new life, this was the only place she could go.

Welcome! As the demon girl entered a nearby shop, the lizardman clerks greeted her with warmth, before their eyes widened as they recognized her. Oh! Its you!

Hey. With her usual stoicness she waved back to the husband and wife manning this small bakery. You two sound happy.

Oh, its you! Come in, come in, pale-skin! The lizardman hurried her into the shop, away from the cold and into the warmth of their active ovens. Of course were happy! Its finally over! Haha, those damn bandits finally got what they deserved!

Pale-skin was how lizardmen called humans, a similar term to scale-kin which described every beastman with scales. Although it might sound like an insult, VifiYok knew better. She had gotten used to these two already. It had only been three days since she arrived in this town.

Those blasted scale-kins are finally gone! the female lizardman shouted in elation, wagging her tail around to demonstrate her happiness. Havent you heard about it, lass? The Mudwater Gang were finally taken out!

Taken out? VifiYok played dumb, tilting her head in confusion.

Ah, we really shouldnt be too happy with them dead. The other gangs will just get in the way, again, but it feels good. Im okay with protection money if we get actual protection! Not having to fear for my partners life is a small price to pay. The husband mostly ignored VifiYok, unable to keep himself composed. After he realized his mistake, he waved his hands around, apologizing. Sorry, sorry. You know the gang of lizardman bandits we told you about yesterday? Finally dead! We can finally get back to work!

Hmm. Nice to hear. Could I get three loaves, please?

Of course! both lizardmen cheered, quickly bringing out three freshly baked loaves of bread, prompting the demonkin girl to finally break into a smile.

Effects: [Excited: 1%] [Anger: 0%] [Fear: 0%]

She paid for her bread before taking a bite from it, causing her to stop and take in a deep breath, allowing herself to enjoy the aroma of it. Once please, she continued chewing and swallowed it.

Effects: [Excited: 5%] [Anger: 0%] [Fear: 0%]

A fleeting moment of happiness, but happiness, nonetheless.

Oh right. After she recovered from her stupor, VifiYok remembered her second business here. I just wanted to say goodbye. I have to leave today.

What? You do? Didn't you say you planned to stay here for a week, pale-skin? The husband looked at her in surprise. Well, I guess thats how adventurers are. No worries. Its been great doing business with you, lass.

Even better when you like our bread so much! Most wouldnt buy bread from lizardmen, you know? Not part of our culture back at home. The lizardman wife then snapped her fingers, running back to the oven to take out two loaves of bread. On the house!

Really? VifiYok didnt expect this. She understood generosity, but she thought they were still strangersa patron-shopkeeper relationship at best.

However, the husband nodded. Take it! Happy moments dont come as often out in this hellhole. You gotta share the love sometimes. Keep yourself safe out there, alright? See ya next time! Oh, didnt catch your name.

VifiYok froze up as the saintess finally took notice of her. Her brain was going into overdrive, trying to find an excuse to get out, but it came too late.

Oh, her name is Valeria. She got lost and we almost bumped into each other, but she grabbed me before I fell down. Hehe, I was about to help her find her cabin to show my gratitude.

The Saintess clapped her hands, nodding with a large smile on her face. Perfect! That is exactly how a saint candidate should act. It doesnt matter if they are commoner, noble, or serf; we have a responsibility towards the Goddess to aide those in need. If you want, I can help, too.

Wonderful idea, I can use this chance to promote the concert to everybody.

Did she just say saint candidate. Hold on, hold on Aiko. Blessed candidates dont really exist, thats just a thing we have been promoting since we took over Church of Aurena. Wasnt there somebody called Aiko who we Oh no Oh no. Oh no. OH NO!

Her intuition was wrong. Aiko was trouble herself, because she was one of the [Otherworldly Visitors] the demonkins had summoned in this world.

Oh, arent you an adventurer? Oh dear, did you lose an arm?! Fleindia gasped, realizing the loose left sleeve of VifiYoks gambeson. I can offer my white grace if you wish, young miss.

SHIT! GET OUT!

VifiYok snapped her body around to rush out of the train, but

Hello, excuse me for being late! A knight stood in front of the entrance with a wide smile of flirt, winking at the two young women behind VifiYok before looking at the demonkin. Oh, miss, did you lose your way?

The sigils he had on his tabard proved this knight wasnt a normal person he was the exact Hand of Heaven she was trying to avoid.

Uuuuuuuiiiiiiiiieeeeeee. A weird, inaudible voice escaped the poor demonkin girls mouth.

God Marsven, you truly are a fickle god.

A note from AbyssRaven

Sorry, the title should be "The Misadventure of a Lone Demonkin." Her luck is as terrible as certain other adventurers.

If you guys want to support me, Hestia and "A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale" (or just read up to 20 advance chapters + any Patreon-only chapters) please check out my Patreon: Rawr!

For two dollars, for the cost of a coffee, you can read up to four chapters! You will have my eternal gratitude for any support you can give me! Please.

Thank you for reading this chapter.

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Tuesday, March 28, 2023 6:02:38 PM Germany [Member of Zard Skwad]

Bio: Hey there, AbyssRaven here. I'm just an avid Light Novel and Fantasy story reader who randomly thought of a story and began writing about it.

I eventually found out that I've been spending a bit too much time with building, planning, and researching for the story, that I've decided to just share it with others.

Writing is mostly a hobby for me, but I would still love any kind of criticism to improve on it.

I'm also german, so please excuse anything that sounds a bit weird...I wouldn't mind you pointing it out though.

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