Dawn- An age of Darkness

Three days passed since we left the village. On the way, we passed through fields, swamps, and even abandoned villages. Death really was everywhere.

Spending nights in empty houses, while staring at the ceiling was a reminder, anything could happen in this world. Entire villages could be wiped out and people could die even in the cities. Nowhere was safe and nobody was exempt from it. 

This really is a cruel world.

It was a sorry sight, and this world was cruel: but it was the truth. I should have known.

As we marched through the lands, monsters obstructed our path here and there. They were too used to eating humans. So every time they saw us, they always came at us in packs. The monsters weren't particularly strong and there weren't too many undead. The only problem was the goblins. But occasionally something called wyverns attacked us. 

These wyverns were roughly the size of small cars and they could spit small fireballs. They were powerful but our op protagonist and master sniper took care of it all, on their own. My input was unnecessary. 

At this point, I did felt like extra baggage though.

I did practice some magic though. Lianne taught me how to easily manipulate mana and for the most part it was good. My element was holy but I could create light and heal minor scratches too. 

Sadly my mana capacity was rather low and casting twice or thrice a day drained almost all of my strength. So I couldn't use magic nonchalantly, at least not like Lianne could

***

However, on the fourth day, something unexpected happened. 

"Is that a guy? Or a girl?" Dick spotted someone inside a swamp: it was midday and very sunny. The guy was stuck in the middle and half of him was not visible. He didn't move and looked at us with extreme puppy dog eyes. Sadly he didn't possess the charm to charm us. 

"I think I know the guy." I sighed. I really didn't want to though.

"Oh, that's right. The guy from the guild!" Lianne remembered as well.

"You know this guy?" Dick said.

I knew the guy. It was the same cross-dresser we met back on our way to Moire. His makeup was unforgettable, and so was that lap incident. Just how could I forget?

They had helped us for a price. "He saved us back when we first encountered the demons. That reminds me there were a few who gave me too much trouble. I think one's name was Brathuj…" I could never forget that name. That demon imitated my sister's face. Memories came flooding back in. "Know anything about it?"

Dick scratched his chin and then raised his finger. "Oh yeah there was one named like that. You killed two of them right?"

"Hmm?" 

Two of them? Meaning there were more?

"I mean they are three of them or rather were. The eyes and mouth… ah…" Dick couldn't really say anything. He was clearly uncomfortable. I couldn't blame him. After all, when I first saw the demon I felt like puking. 

So there's one more. Looks like I still have a shot at knowing some things… 

Servesta still kept quiet. In fact, he had his eyes closed. I guess talking ill about demons didn't sit well with him.

"Umm excuse me… if it isn't too much trouble, could you please rescue me? I seem to sink more and more." The man or rather cross-dresser raised his hand from the swamp and he really was sinking. His voice was shaking a little too.

"Do we have any way to save him?" I said. We weren't obligated and I didn't see any reasons other than humanitarian ones. But they had saved me before, and I guess that was as good a reason as any. "Let's save him I guess."

"Servesta if you will?" Dick grinned, proudly.

Servesta sighed. "Alright." He held his hands above his head and began to chant something. I couldn't follow. "Tangle!"

A golden thread spiraled towards the cross-dresser and tied him. Now Servesta started pulling. 

However, it kind of struck me odd. "Can you make that thread invisible?" If he could then that would be like that half-demon. 

He looked at me with curiosity. "No. Only Lady Thamas could do that. But I believe you killed her." 

Servesta didn't seem to harbor any ill feelings against me, so I didn't say anything about it either. "I see." 

Her name was Thamas? Where did I hear that name before?

  I might have heard that name before but I couldn't remember. The name did feel nostalgic. Was it possible that I was missing some of my memories? Because I'd always had this nagging feeling that I was forgetting something. It was plausible but I didn't have proof.

The cross-dresser was pulled to the shore and he was covered in mud. The moment he came ashore, he lied down on the ground and huffed. Servesta undid the magic if it was magic, to begin with.

"Handy, isn't he?" Dick flung his arms around Servesta and flashed a smile. He wasn't as tall as Servesta so his arms didn't really reach all that well.

"Yeah, but what was that?"

"That was a special class magic. Thread binding: Tangle," Servesta reported.

"Special class huh?" 

I remembered what the guy back in the magic shop had told me. This kind of magic wasn't something anyone could just, learn on their own. I was definitely interested though.

"Yeah. I can't really use much magic but honestly, I would have loved to learn this one." Dick looked up in the sky and reminisced. I wanted to punch him.

But I restrained myself. "What kind of magic can you use?" I had to know more about him. He was summoned to this world like me, so maybe I'd have to work with him in the future as well. So it was better to know- I justified my reasoning with this.

"Can't you tell?" Dick held his hand against his forehead and showcased his ring. It was almost like he had some kind of power ranger complex.

"No?" I furrowed my brows.

He sighed and resigned. Why was this guy so frustrating?

"Umm excuse me? I'm terribly sorry but could you help?" The cross-dresser spoke in a very weird manner. His voice didn't seem all that manly at all. It was in the middle of a man and woman's voice. Just what the hell was he trying to pull?

He was speaking normally when he was stuck, so why did he have to speak like this now?

"Didn't we help you already? What more could you want?" I sighed. He helped me in the past and I had just repaid him back with coin, or rather Lianne had. But I couldn't just ignore him and let him die in a place like this. "There should be a pond around here somewhere. Get up and let's go get cleaned." And after that, we'd just be on our way.

  A smile surfaced on the cross-dresser's face. "Thank you I knew you wouldn't let me down, lad!"

"Huh, what?"

"You've changed MY LOVELY DAARC but I know you. You are my lovely Daarc!" He rolled his tongue as he pronounced my name. It was weird, to say the least.

"Say what! You recognize me!?"

  That caught me off guard. 

"But of course. How could I forget that lovely face?"

But how? I'm a girl now… 

"We should talk later. We've got company." Servesta calmly explained the situation.

We were surrounded by twenty or so goblins led by two hobgoblins.

Not these things again.

Dick came in front of us. "Would you guys mind if I took care of this one? I'm getting a little bored by the weaklings…"

"You sure? They do have hobs." I was totally fine with letting him handle all this. But if I learned one thing in this world, it was that never underestimate goblins.

He grinned. 

"Suit yourself." But I guess he could afford to do that. So I couldn't complain.

He brought out his shield and that was it. I never saw him with a weapon. All he did was well…

"That's three down!" Dick threw one rock and that went through three goblins, instantly killing them. That's right he only threw one rock. 

"Wha-what the hell?" The cross-dresser couldn't believe his eyes. When I first saw it two days ago, I couldn't either. 

As he picked up stones and threw, a hobgoblin got behind him. I didn't really care if he got smashed. Actually, I wanted him to get a little wrecked. But alas! He was too overpowered, damn it!

Before the goblin could swing its club, Dick blocked it with his shield. This wasn't the one he showed me in the cell: it wasn't the mystic shield. This was just an ordinary small shield. 

How frigging overpowered is he?

The more I saw him in a fight, the more I got pissed. 

The grin on Dick's face never vanished. He was enjoying himself. "Hey, no one said you could get that close to me. No fair!" He kicked the monster's stomach and a shockwave went through it, splashing blood everywhere. 

No fair huh? To whom?

The hobgoblin fell on the ground, coughing up blood.  "Five to go!" Dick grinned harder. He was enjoying this a bit too much.

This is the problem with MMO players. They get carried away way too quickly. 

"Do you mind wrapping this up? We're getting a little late." I was definitely pissed. He could do all that with ease and he even had to show off.

"No problem." He picked up five rocks and threw them at very high speeds, slaughtering the rest. "Perfect!" He held a victory sign towards me.

***

"If you're that strong why not use a sword along with the shield?" I asked. 

"I told you I'm strong, remember?"

"I'm pretty sure I remember. And that's why I don't understand."

He looked at me. Frustrated, he sighed. "It wouldn't be fair to the monsters, would it? So I only use my sword when the opponent has some backbone. Like you perhaps." His eyes had a dangerous glint. His usual perverted glare didn't seem to exist. 

"Seriously? Not fair for the monsters?" 

I shouldn't let my guard down around him. 

He was really strong. He might have been modest about what he could do but he was definitely strong. When he said he was stronger than me, he probably meant it. 

But what if he turned? I'd dealt with similar things before. I trusted people too easily and paid the price for it over and over again. So I couldn't repeat the past mistakes. 

A second later I reconsidered my thoughts. More like I was forced to.

"So did you fall for me?" Dick flashed a brilliant smile.

I didn't reply and gave him a cold stare. Why the hell didn't he just give up?