"Yukina, you ready?"
"Mhm!" Today is the day~ It is my first mission, not a request as I thought they would be. I was in the gear James had bought me. Of course, I'm a little nervous… We're supposed to be hunting a group of goblins that appeared near the city.
Yes, goblins in this world are intelligent. Not as smart as a normal human-like being. But their intelligence shouldn't be underestimated; at least that's what they told me.
It was already morning, we set off already. James had given me a knife to use, they already had a plan for me; as long as I have support spells, or can't do much they'll have me kill one or two till I can take care of them myself. That was nice of them.
Anywho~ We took a carriage on our way there, it should be a one or two day trip there. I'm just sitting here, and these guys are just yammering on. They really don't know how to hold back in front of a young person. They kept talking about the fun they had with their ladies… And here I thought my old friends and me were bad!
I wonder how many it would take for me to level up… Knowing how this life is, it'll be hell. Probably four of five goblins for a level, and probably a small increase to my stats. Oh, speaking of stats!
That small increase to them was already noticeable. I could barely pull myself up into the carriage. Granted, I do have a small body, and even till now I was malnourished. I do feel slightly more energetic than I was previously, my walking hasn't improved… Unfortunately.
Over the course of the week and a half, I still haven't gotten used to this fantasy world. It's pretty different from the one's I've read. Each race is superior to the next, not that significantly though.
Humans, the most balanced of the races. I don't know how many there are, I was never told. They can fit in either role, tank, damage dealer, or support roles.
Animalkin, we have superior senses. We are much more diverse in populace, pretty much; any animal you can think of, there'd be one of those in this world. Apparently, mage roles are preferred among us.
And I know what my dear, little diary is thinking. Weren't you in denial just whatever long ago? I can't do anything, I'm already accepting this is my new life. There are grudges I have, specifically my gender change! Couldn't I just be reincarnated as a guy?! Who cares if I have these fluffy ears?! Oops… I shouldn't have grabbed them… These guys are staring at me.
"Um, Yukina? Is there something wrong with your ears? Earwax?" James asked me with a curious smile, I could see it twitch as if he wanted to laugh at my actions. The others couldn't contain their laughter, I could feel it jab at my head, entering these two fluffy things like spiders crawling in there.
"Um… I'm fine, I'm fine…" Keep cool, some already know you're reincarnated… Can't let these guys know, don't know how those three will react. James I can slightly predict. At most excited, or happy.
Shaun, well, he might not react much. He's been with James for a bit after I got signed up. There's really barely anything up there, but he's been said to be reliable.
"Are you sure…? That was just sudden… If you have earwax, or issues with your ears we can clean 'em." Shaun said whilst giving me a thumbs up. NO THANK YOU! I don't know the formalities for animal-kin, I'd rather not hear, 'Oh those who touch your ears are your soulmate.' Eugh, I would rather die again than some older guy, or a guy in general touch them!
Those thoughts sent a shiver down my spine, but I quickly shook my head and lowered my hands. "I-I'm fine, just got too loud…"
"Oh, sorry, would you like for us to quiet down?"
"Mm… I-It's fine…"
"Oh! Hold on, Miss Yukina! We haven't heard what you can do! Your old adopted father hasn't said anything to us!" Verd suddenly popped out with a loud question! GAH! This damn carriage makes things so much louder! I couldn't help but react instinctively to his tone, that hurt too much… "Ow! Hey, what was that for?"
"Keep your voice down! Did you forget she's an animal-kin, you moron?!"
"Sorry! I got too excited!"
"No crap man, apologize to her instead of us." Jin snorted, crossing his arms at Verd's stupid actions. Thank you!
"Anyways, um, sorry Miss Yukina."
"It-It's okay…. And… I can use magic…" I seriously hate this little girl act. Thanks to my practice, I was able to summon my skill in just a second or two. My hands immediately had flames spewing out the top. Only Shaun and Verd reacted to it, whilst James had a smug look on his face. I am not your daughter! Stop looking at me like a kid.
"Wow! That'll be handy, remember how at the start we had to rub some sticks together?"
"More like you and Shaun tried to? Man, I don't know where you heard that from, it was so inconceivably long for you to start a fire."
"Hey… You didn't have any better ideas."
"Well I needed a clown show whilst we were camping out."
"..."
Jin really has some sas huh? Poor Verd and Shaun hung their heads in shame, whilst James and I had to eat our laughter at their scene.
For the rest of the trip we just sat there silently, till there was a jolt from the front, and a loud whipping sound.
"The goblin village is just up ahead, please be careful you five!"
"Thanks, just wait here and we'll pay you a bit more!" James yelled, more just above a saying. He became even more mindful once we had those papers signed. Jin, Verd, and Shaun hopped out, whilst James had to help me out.
Just above the horizon, on this grassy field sat a shoddy small village. Each house were made out of a large amount of sticks. They mimicked those of untergrast. I could see some green goblin-esque figures walking around there. Why do I feel scared? My heart suddenly started rushing, I could feel something cold wash over my body. I know it was traumatic, but get your shit together already!
"Yukina, are you okay?"
I'm not okay… I'm scared, I don't know why. James looked at me with a look of concern, I'm not okay. My mind flashed to when I almost died again, That's why… I think. I don't know. He asked me if I wanted to stay in the carriage. I want to, but I want to do this, I'll just have to stuff this fear down.
After a few moments, we started walking towards this village. If it wasn't for James, and the other guys with me, I would've ran the opposite way, screaming in fear. Shaun took the lead, he drew his shield. But he kept his weapon sheathed.
I heard him shout some mumbo jumbo, then all the goblin's eyes snapped to look at him. Then, Verd came in, apparently he used some kind of glaive. He swung his weapon towards that group of goblins… In just one, most of them lost their logs. Flopping towards the ground, yowling in pain.
That's… I gulped at this sight. I could feel a layer of warm saliva appear in my mouth. This was so grotesque. I guess, you know who saw me react to this, he blocked my view. I know, I've killed one goblin already, that was out of self defense. That slime was less of a living being…
"James, there are some ready for Miss Yukina to take out."
"Yukina… Are you sure you want to do this?"
I don't know, should a 'little girl' be looking at that even??!
"If you want to reverse your decision of becoming an adventurer, you can."
"I'll… I'll do it…"
"Let me help you…" James grabbed my hands, he sounded so tender. He helped me get to the first goblin, it was screaming in agony. "Do you have your knife?"
"M-Mhm…"
I already expected his request, so I pulled it out. It was sheathed in a small cover, out of its cover, it was a simple dagger like others. I could see my reflection in it. I guess he could tell by how I look. My skin was as white as a piece of paper.
"Alright, let me see your hands." James said, he maneuvered my hands just above the goblin's body, aimed at its sternum. "Careful, close your eyes if you need to."
This is so tough to see. I was just a normal, eighteen year old man in my previous life. I never saw someone die, or something. Nor was anything killed by my own hands. Here I was, standing over a goblin, it was in so much pain it never noticed we were near it.
Living in a peaceful era was really my hindrance here. The most you'd do was throw insults at someone if things got rowdy and that's it. Guess I'd have failed in police school.
Then, with his help I plunged this knife into its chest. It squirmed, it squirmed just for a few moments, then I heard it screaming just… That just went silent.
"How do you feel?"
"I-I don't know…" I killed a second thing, I couldn't feel that worry, that warm saliva was gone. I don't feel like I'm empty, my hands aren't trembling anymore… Why… Why is that sudden? My stomach still feels heavy, but… My hands aren't trembling.
"Mm, if you want to become an adventurer, you'll… Unfortunately have to get used to killing. My hands aren't clean either, before I found my class I had to get my hands dirty, y'know?" James explained with some sort of comforting smile. He's not wrong, I wasn't unaware of the things I have to get used to. It just felt… Much more different.
After I calmed myself more, we went to the next. This time it seemed much less in pain, its eyes were already left lifeless. It tried to grab at me, resulting in me taking a step back. That fear is still grabbing at me, but I had to walk forward.
Again, with his guide, I dove this dagger into its chest. Its stomach stopped rising, what was left in its eyes disappeared. It was gone, dead, I had killed another thing. This time I felt calmer, was it due to my bloodline? Was it the curse I had?
I heard the saying "Murder becomes a habit" in one book. Apparently it means with each murder a murderer committed, it makes the next one easier or something. Pretty wild how a human's mind works.
I do feel some prang in my heart, was it regret? Nothing could tell me what it was, not me, not my system. Regret? That could be it.
Once the third one had its sternum pierced with this dagger, the rest fell silent. All of them had died due to blood loss. The rest were chasing after Shaun. Guess that skill or whatever made them lose all intelligence? They were chasing after him, even the ones with bows, or ranged weapons.
"Yukina, are you feeling okay?"
"I-I feel flne..."
"Can you continue? Actually, wait can you check your status?*
"Um, James, y'know Shaun doesn't have infinite stamina right?"
"Oh, he can run around for a few minutes. He did well… Say he had enough stamina to last an entire night. Nonstop, highly doubt it. But he can run for a few minutes." You shouldn't be saying that in front of a little girl…
"Fair enough."
At his request, my status window pulled up. My level did skyrocket to level 3. Stats went up like it did from 1 to 2. However, I gained a new skill! The staple of most fantasy stories, a common treasure. [Fireball(level1] That pit in my stomach went down immediately at this sight.
I can finally move from a designated lighter to an attacker with an offensive skill! It may be weak, we'll have to test it out, preferably... Something that's not living, this feeling in my body, I feel will disgust me later on.
"U-Um, I leveled up." I murmured. James's concerned look on his face immediately lightened at this news. He went on about how fast that was, at most it would take five to six goblins to level up from two to three. Then, the real question came up. Did I gain any skills?
I closed my eyes at his question, circulating my mana from my core to the tips of my fingers. Then, I turned my palms outwards. Don't ask me, I thought it would look cool, okay?! A feeling of warmth extended from my palms.
"Already an offensive magic?! W-Wait, how the heck can you use it already?!" I heard him scream. Were they not meant to be used immediately?! My eyelids flew open at his words, feeling my mouth twitch. With a Boom! The fireball flew out, accidentally striking a goblin. Sh-! I think I messed up!
"U-"
"Eveything okay over there? What were you yelling about?"
"I-I think- She's talented…" James mumbled with disbelief. "It took me a few days to use a new spell…"
"Uh, are you okay man?"
"More than okay!" His wide eyes softened, and his grin made a chill run down my spine. "I was scared she'd take so long to use more spells, or follow after me! Yukina, can you use that spell again?!"
"U-Um, am I in trouble?" Please don't ask me again. I had to choke down some vomit already assaulting my throat. Burnt hair smells went after my nose, and that prang grew in my heart. The goblin I accidentally hit was sprawling on the ground, patting at his now burnt stomach.
"No, no, what you've done is a miracle! You recently just got that spell, right? An average individual, much like myself, will take a few days, or a week to learn how to use a new one."
Well… I watched a lot, and read a lot of fantasy stories… In reality, it's not really that impressive.
"C'mon, can you use it again? You already hit that goblin over there. Hit him again!"
I'll have to… Eugh that smell, I'm just going to plug my nose!
With my right hand extended out, and my left holding my nose closed I sent out another fireball. This time I could see it. It was… Well, a fireball. A ball of fire, orange, and yellow swirling into a sphere. Moving slightly faster than an average run, it hit the same goblin. Screams resounded from it, the whole body became engulfed in fire.
Why did it suddenly just increase in power?! The first one obviously just left it patting its stomach on the ground, why did it just send it in flames?! Nope, still level one. Was it like a stacking damage spell? If one hits, the next hit increases power on the same target?
"Yes! Good job Yukina! That spell is called Fireball. Although basic, it's an extremely useful spell!"
"And you tell me to keep it quiet… Sigh, hey Shaun! You need to redraw the goblin horde's attention!"
"Ohhh shit. Run you two! Got it! THANKS!"
Like he was the wind, James picked me up with one arm, I couldn't fight as I literally froze in fear. At least a dozen, or two of goblins started charging at us due to his yelling.
"Shit! Shit! Sorry Yukina, I know you don't like being held, but bear with me alright?!" James exclaimed in between breaths. Thankfully he seemed to be faster than the average healer. He stayed at an insanely fast speed, and ran around like a chicken with its head cut off.
"C'mon! SLOW YOUR SPEED DOWN! AGH!"
"Verd, why don't you just kill them all?"
"Look at him, it's been a while since he was this excited."
"Uhm, what do you mean?"
"Jin, I know you don't have any kids yourself. But, James looks like he's having a blast. You heard him shouting didn't ya?"
"I did, look at him now."
"Man… You're a boring guy, I remember you were pretty much like him."
"..."
For god knows how long, James kept me clung tight to him. Five minutes? Ten? I don't know. Eventually Shaun drew the goblin's aggro once again. Then, just as I was trying to calm myself… Yet again, there were loud sounds of flesh, bones and tendons being torn.
I nearly vomited again, in just mere seconds all of the goblins had been mutilated. All of their bodies were cut into many pieces. A strong iron stench filled my mouth and nostrils. This is- I covered my mouth, this stench was so disgusting. So overwhelming. Overwhelming. Vomit, I need to vomit.
Never trust… Never trust fantasy stories. That's such a huge mistake.
"..."
"..."
*********************************************************
"James?! What did you do?! You were gone all day, and you brought her back like this?!"
"Dad, what happened?"
"First… She's alright. I think she was just overwhelmed."
"Okay, but that doesn't explain anything!"
"I'll get to it, can you draw some warm water? She threw up before fainting."
"Ugh, I hate it! Yes, I'll go do that. But you better explain everything!"
What's going on…? Fainted? My body feels so weak, I don't think I can move a muscle… It's as if my body was being held down. Everything sounds so muffled, where are we going? Someone's carrying me.
"Daad, what happened? Did sister Yukina get hurt?"
"Ha.. No, no she didn't, Sweetie."
Soft…
"Can you go help your mom real quick?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No, I want to help you."
"Haha, alright."
Is that James and Allisa?
"Hey, dad. Do you think I can become an adventurer like you two?"
"Hm? Yes. Though, you have to practice the magic I taught you!"
"It's so boring though! I'd rather be in the front!"
"You can do that later little missy!"
"Why?!"
As they continued to battle each other's words, All of a sudden, I felt something warm slap onto my forehead, probably Melinda… I heard James ask her to.
Then, she asked him again what happened. I don't remember much, only passing out. Apparently, after Verd killed all of those goblins, he himself tried to check on me; I fell to the ground, vomiting and fell over.
"Honey… Why did you have her witness all of that? You wouldn't have had Alissa see that!" Melinda exclaimed, I heard a loud slap and yelp of pain from James.
"I wanted to.. Um, nothing- I won't do it again! Please calm down!"
You did this to yourself, but I guess it's time for me to get up. I feel well enough to sit up. I sluggishly collected myself, and sat up into a sitting position. As soon as they noticed, they bombarded me with questions. "Are you okay?" "How are you feeling?" Allisa, I don't blame her for asking this next one. "How was it?!"
I had to answer them one by one, it was slightly overwhelming. I had to cover my ears due to the noise, again… After they made sure I was okay, and James used some sort of spell on me that made me feel much better we all sat in the living room. With his attention now diverted to his actual daughter, he began teaching her more about how to use magic– With much effort to convince her.
This went on for the rest of the day, by the next morning Alissa was able to make a ball of light float in front of her. She turned towards me with a mischievous grin. One that would make a person say: See that? I can use magic too!
And– Her test subject? Me, I couldn't get away, I still felt exhausted and my legs weren't as fast as her. Thankfully, it seemed to be a healing spell, I felt a warmth spread to my limbs after she cornered me.
For the next couple days, they were mundane. James taught both Alissa and me some more things about magic, even buying a book to explain better. Melinda watched us with a smile, with parts he couldn't explain she popped in. Mana depletion is such a pain… Alissa somehow has more mana capacity than I do.
Once she was able to fully hold her spell out for a minute, her father had finally made a decision. Starting tomorrow, he'll bring her on the next mission. Slowly easing her into the life of one.