Chapter 99: Emily

Chapter 99: Emily

As Zac stepped out of the bar he saw that there was already a small crowd gathering. After a quick glance it was clear that no one was there to help, but rather to watch a show. All the noise came from three grimy looking men who cornered a kid.

The men all had somewhat matching clothes, with a large uneven R-patch sewn to their chest. It looked like the leader of the town truly wanted to set himself up as a medieval lord, already making his underlings wear a crest. Zac shook his head and looked toward the inner part of the town where another wall was erected. That should be the residence of this Roger and his cronies.

One of the men was bleeding freely from his head and the glass shards on the ground around him explained what happened.

You little BITCH! After Roger gets tired of you Ill fucking feed you to the dogs! the bleeding man roared at their cornered prey.

It took Zac a few seconds to realize that the kid was actually a small girl somewhere in her teens. She wore wretched-looking rags for clothes, and her face was caked in dirt apart from a few tear streaks drawing clear lines in her face. Even her hair was in a mess, and it looked like she or someone else had randomly cut most off it of with a knife.

The teenager was holding the remains of a bottle as a weapon, and ferociously stared at the three men. The outlook didnt look good as all two of them took out daggers as they approached her while the last man stood at the ready. Zac sighed and used [Eye of Discernment] on the group, and saw that the girl was named Emily.

She didnt even have a level yet, which meant that she was too young to start using the System. The other three were around level 15 to 17, weaklings in Zacs eyes but perhaps strong according to the level of this town. Certainly, for a young girl without any powers it was a futile struggle.

WHO IS SPYING ON US? the third man without a knife roared as he glared in Zacs direction.

Zac rolled his eyes as he stepped out from the group of people. He really needed to get a better inspection skill. Anyone with Intelligence above 15 points would be able to sense his scan, above 30 and theyd know it was him. Apparently the homeless-looking man actually focused intelligence, which was a bit surprising.

Wanting to play the hero? Or maybe you just want her for yourself, eh? In either case you better fuck right off, the bleeding man said.

Zac shook his head as he wondered how people could devolve to this stage after just a few months. Was the laws and fear of punishment the only thing that held some people back before the integration?

You better turn back right now- one of the men said, but threw his dagger at Zacs head mid-sentence in an attempt to ambush him.

Zac couldnt even be bothered to respond as he simply caught the dagger mid-air as he released his aura. Screams of panic immediately erupted as the onlookers frenetically tried to back away. He held the knife in his hand, still unsure of how to act.

Dont move or Ill kill the brat! one of the men said as he grabbed the girl who had lost focus due to Zacs aura. He was deathly pale and his whole body was shaking in horror as he maniacally stared at Zac.

Zac frowned and threw the dagger with a quick motion. It tore through the air and punched into the head of the man holding the girl hostage. The force of the throw was so great that his head burst like a watermelon, instantly killing him.

Next Zac took out one of his regular axes from his pouch and charged up a [Chop]. The other two ruffians didnt even have time to react or scream out before two headless corpses fell down on the ground. A large tear was rent through a house as well from Zacs lightning-quick swings, and it looked like it would collapse at any second.

Zac walked over to the girl who now was drenched in the mans blood. She still had the bottle in her hand, and though she looked scared at Zac she didnt flinch. Zacs impression of this girl was far better compared to the castaways on his island.

Lets go, was the only thing he said to her as he controlled his aura and turned toward the central area of Fort Roger. But he only had time to take three steps before the bartender stopped him.

Wait, young man! I understand youre angry, but please dont do anything drastic. If you kill Roger and his henchmen then most of the people in this town will perish from the animals.

That made Zac stop in his tracks, and after some hesitation, he turned around and started walking toward the gate instead with some sadness in his eyes.

There wasnt anything left to do here. Information in a hovel like this was limited, and hed have to travel to Fairfield in order to find out more. This Roger fellow might know more, but he had a feeling that going to visit him would only result in battle and more death.

Emily hesitated a bit before she grit her teeth and started to undress.

As long as you kill him you can do whatever you want with me, she said with her eyes reddening.

Zacs eyebrows rose up and using [Loamwalker] he almost teleported in front of her and flicked her forehead.

Dont be stupid, keep your clothes on, he said with a roll of his eyes. Im not interested in little kids.

Im fifteen, she said defensively, but she still started to put on her clothes while blushing a bit.

That Roger isnt very strong, if you want him killed just work hard and kill him yourself, Zac said. I am not some mercenary who goes around killing people, I have my own problems to deal with.

Then help me get strong! Ive never heard of anyone being as powerful as you, and Ive been to multiple cities, Emily asked, a burning desire in her eyes.

Zac had initially planned on dumping the girl in Winterleaf Village before heading back, but something in her eyes made Zac change his mind. He guessed that Alyn had her first student for the Academy.

Why have you been to multiple cities? Traveling is pretty dangerous, he said.

I have a big brother and a big sister. Both are cultivators, they disappeared right from our home. We looked around but couldnt find them. After a bit over a month we heard about the tutorial, but the cultivators didnt return to our city. We guessed that they were dropped off somewhere else, she explained. We decided to look for them, so we have traveled looking for them for a few months and arrived at Fort Roger a week ago

She didnt continue from there but Zac could guess the rest of the story from her eyes once again reddening. He sighed and wondered how many people had died trying to find their family members or trying to get back home. The world was fraught with danger, and the incursions and monsters might not even be the worst ones. Humanity had always been its own worst enemy.

I can take you with me to my town. However, that place is extremely far away and you will not be able to look for your siblings if you do. Where I live is very dangerous, but you can get stronger there. Its up to you to choose your path, Zac said as he looked at the teenager.

Emily only hesitated a few seconds before she looked at him with determination.

Ill go with you.

Ok. Then jump up on my back, Zac said as he turned his back to her.

What? she asked with a flabbergasted face.

Zac had already decided to head back to Port Atwood after this small excursion. There were 5 days left until the next part of the beast waves and he wasnt sure hed make it to Fairfield and back within that timeframe. He felt it was more worthwhile to go back and increase his power with his remaining E-Grade Crystals.

Besides, Emily seemed to have visited multiple towns, and she might have even more answers compared to the barkeep or Roger. All in all, he was happy with the result of this expedition. He even got a nifty map, and more importantly, the magical token.

Come on, jump up, Zac repeated as he hunched down a bit. Walking with an unevolved human in tow would waste far too much time, so he would have to carry her. Since he wanted his arms free in case of an attack shed have to climb up on his back.

She hesitated a bit before she climbed up with a slight blush on her face. As soon as she put her arms around his neck he walked off with his usual speed.

A shriek echoed through the forest as Zac strolled through with the speed of a runaway train.