This Hero is Sleeping!



"It's alright, it's alright, neither of them will hurt you."

"Are you sure, imp?"

"HEY!"

In a twist of events, the poor injured man found himself seeking refuge behind the back of the very person who had assaulted him. The ones that came to help ended up being more scary than the first one himself. What had the poor guy done except call an imp an imp? It only led to him being growled at by Claude and Erika.

"Then, now, why don't you tell us why you were being beaten by the imps. Also, doesn't it hurt?"

Elric's words seemed to have shaken off the man's adrenaline high as he suddenly screamed and rolled on the ground.

"AHH!! IT HURTS!"

"Exactly."

Elric grinned and the other two wondered if they should have defended him at all.

The man screamed a bit more.

And then fainted.

"Wait, for real?"

"Goddamn it!" Claude cursed. "Let's go, I am not wasting a potion on this random guy."

Claude got off the ground and dusted his back. He almost set off when Elric started scouring the fainted man's clothes.

"What are you doing now?" Erika asked, horrified.

"Grave robbery."

"He isn't dead… yet, huh?"

His death was decided.

Elric pulled out some gold, a strange looking shell, threw away a pendant, and lastly looked into the man's bag.

"Oh, he has his own potion."

Claude secretly put back the potion that he had retrieved and turned around.

"I guess he lives," he said. "Use it on him. Wait, were you fucking robbing him?"

Elric placed the gold coins in his pocket and shook his head. "Not really…"

"Erika you didn't even stop him."

"What good's money on a dead person?"

He couldn't argue with that.

Before realizing it, the weeks of travel had made Elric start to rub off on Erika as well. It seemed everyone had a little Elric in them that they just needed to embrace.

"Potion time, potion time!"

***

Potion was poured.

***

"HAAH!"

The man woke up screaming out loud.

Not long had passed since he had blacked out, but the trauma of having been betrayed by his own species was strong. As the man woke up, he saw the same three people who had previously helped him playing cards.

"Is that…"

"Bluff!"

"We're playing poker you little tramp."

"Oh…"

The man woke up and scurried behind Elric once more.

"Imp! What happened?"

The other two growled again while Elric patted his head. "There, there, here have some meat."

"Oh! Thank you imp!"

Elric tossed a jerky and the man chomped down.

He had started to be tamed.

"No what! I am not being tamed!"

And he could hear the narrator! The imps damaged his soul, not his mind.

"Now, then," Elric said. "That'll be fifty gold for saving you."

"Ah…"

"He's just kidding," Claude said. They had already sucked him dry for all he was worth, Claude would feel pretty trash for scamming someone or robbing them in their sleep. Doing it while they were awake was green though.

"Now, tell us, what was up with that?"

"I was on a mission to some place," the blonde said, sitting up straight. "I ran into an imp nest, and had to fight them."

"Didn't look like you hurt yourself fighting them, on the hand." Elric pointed at the man's shoulder as he spoke.

The man looked over and shook his head.

"It was a different injury. I am really thankful for your…. Help?"

"We did help you."

"We did, that goblin didn't."

Oh, was the reason he was being hated was because he called their goblin an imp?

"I see, goblin."

"Who do you think you're talking to?"

"You take that back, Elric is not a goblin you bitch."

Elric was loved yet some more.

The blonde man hid behind Elric, covering half his face behind his shoulders.

"Are you guys new here? I can take you to the nearest town as a thanks."

"Hm, well, yes," Claude nodded. "We're looking to work as adventurers here."

"Oh! Adventurers, what a brave job!"

"And what are you supposed to be?" Elric asked. The man looked like the picture of a handsome adventurer, but his handsomeness surely paled in front of Elric's beauty.

"I am… just someone from a village up here. Well, if you want I can take you to the town and then we can go our separate ways. It's the least I can do."

Claude found the man slightly suspicious. He didn't think him a problem, and that he hadn't started blithering about his circumstances or problems like a fool was rather a good mark in his books, but he still couldn't write him off as someone he could trust.

Almost as if he was planning to do something while making this small detour.

"Well," Claude said. "Let's do that for now. I am Claude, this is Erika, and that is Elric. Elric, alright?"

"Ah, yes… Elric." The man nodded. "And I am Hyden. It is great to make all your acquaintance."

"Mention not, Hidden,"

"Hyd—"

"Hidden, what an odd name."

"Hidden, didn't he say hyden?"

"Yes, I said—"

"Hidden. You misheard, Erika."

"Oh, alright. We'll count on you for now, Hidden."

Poor Hidden raised his finger and lowered it down again. Maybe he shouldn't be arguing with them after all.

***

With Hidden in the crew now, the gang moved through the forest at a faster pace thanks to his awareness of the place. And before long, they found themselves facing a small town in the middle of the mountains.

The place, built up on the incline was a tilted town that peeked downward. All the houses around had a small tilt while the bigger buildings weren't without any difference.

The land, made up with stone paths was adorned with blooming flowers on all ends and grass to go along with it in the off seasons.

Large air fans rotated around the houses like an in-house wind energy generator while many people carried along their cows and and their animals over to the terrace farms on the mountain. The growing lines of yellow and green in the distance looked like paintings formed on the ground, haphazard brushstrokes that cared not for a level but painted along the range.

"Welcome to Sircuse town, the base of all the towns in the country of Silva are the same. The mountain ranges our home and the people here our family. I am sure the guild would appreciate new adventurers."

With those words, Hyden took them to the adventurer guild first.

"It has been a while since we checked ours too, right?"

"I wonder if it would have been updated."

Erika clenched her fists as well.

"I am looking forward to seeing mine!"

The group entered the Adventurer guild right away. Again formed on the incline, the guild house was made in an open air spot and let people look around.

With barely any crowd in the place, they got right to the reception.

"We'd like a soul stone please!"

"And to reegister as adventurers!"

The receptionist, another blonde with hair a shade lighter than Hyden's smiles and brought out a stone. Erika quickly made a small cut on her hands, and so did the other two.

And before long, their stats revealed themselves.

[[

Name: Erika Arkwin

Age: 18

Class: Archmage

Title: Traitorous Hero

Stats:

Strength: 21

Agility: 32

Endurance: 19

Vitality: 80

Intelligence: 94

Charm: 70

Perception: 35

Spirit Control: -

Mana: 160

Mana Control: 74

.

.

.

Skills: [Elemental Magic: Beginner], [Elemental Magic: Intermediate], [Black Magic: Beginner], [Conceptual Magic: Beginner], [Magical Enhancement: Intermediate], [Alchemy: Intermediate], [Neutral Magic: Intermediate], [Spirit Magic: Untilized], [Hero's Strength], [Hero's Constitution], [Hero's Growth]…

.

.

.

Unique Skills: [Archmage (+)], [Ephis' Blessing], [Mana Absorption: Weak (+)], [Mana Resistance]

.

.

.

Equipment: [Zarak Staff (Heroic)], [Hero's Pendant (Heroic)],]

[

Name: Claude Almstedt

Age: 18

Class: Light Hero | Vessel of the Lord of Shadows

Title: Fallen Hero

Stats:

Strength: 72

Agility: 75

Endurance: 90

Vitality: 120

Intelligence: 56

Charm: 68

Perception: 60

Spirit Control: 12

Mana: 114

Mana Control: 40

.

.

.

Skills: [Weapon Mastery: Beginner], [Wild Swordsmanship: Advanced], [Trinity Magic: Unutilized], [Spirit Talk: Unutilized], [Hero's Strength], [Hero's Constitution], [Hero's Growth]…

.

.

.

Unique Skills: [Possession Resistance: Intermediate (Active], [Light Hero's Potential], [Acquisition], [Stat Absorption], [Skill Acquisition], [Shadow Control (+)], [Light Hero (+)]

.

.

.

Equipment: [Armor Set of the Shadow Lord(???)], [Shadow Lord's Soul (Hostile) (Constant Danger)]

]

[

Name: Claude Almstedt

Age: 18

Class: Light Hero | Vessel of the Lord of Shadows

Title: Fallen Hero

Stats:

Strength: 78

Agility: 79

Endurance: 94

Vitality: 128

Intelligence: 66

Charm: 74

Perception: 69

Spirit Control: 13

Mana: 119

Mana Control: 47

.

.

.

Skills: [Weapon Mastery: Beginner], [Wild Swordsmanship: Advanced], [Trinity Magic: Unutilized], [Spirit Talk: Unutilized], [Hero's Strength], [Hero's Constitution], [Hero's Growth]…

.

.

.

Unique Skills: [Possession Resistance: Intermediate (Active], [Light Hero's Potential], [Acquisition], [Stat Absorption], [Skill Acquisition], [Shadow Control (+)], [Light Hero (+)]

.

.

.

Equipment: [Armor Set of the Shadow Lord(???)], [Shadow Lord's Soul (Hostile) (Constant Danger)]

]

[

Name: Elric Wald

Age: 18

Class: -

Title: Two Surnames | Ruler of Water (Self Proclaimed)

Stats:

Strength: 26

Agility: 24

Endurance: 24

Vitality: 36

Intelligence: 96

Charm: 120

Perception: 58

Spirit Control: 4

Mana: 3

Mana Control: 220

.

.

.

Skills: [Hex Magic: Beginner (Charm)], [Water Magic: Beginner], [Chantless Casting], [Gestureless Casting], [Water Usurpation], [Water Manipulation: Saint]

.

.

.

Unique Skills: [Awakening], [Adaptability]

.

.

.

Equipment: -

]