"Ugh… where am I? Owl? Puppy? Master?" Otter asked, his eyes still adjusting.
Before his eyes could fully clear, he was pounced on by two people. He knew these people well. They were his companions Owl and Puppy. He laid there listening to them talk over each other about how happy they were he'd awoken. He couldn't figure out how to feel until he felt the tears dripping on his face.
"We were so worried about you… please don't ever do that again." Otter opened his eyes to confirm who'd said it. He was shocked to see it was Owl.
She was hovering over him, tears streaming down her cheeks, and dripping onto his face. He never meant to worry her or Puppy, but it made him feel better than he had in years. He'd forgotten what it was like to be cared for.
Before he could stop himself he grabbed the girls and pulled them down into a hug. He hadn't even realized it, but he was crying as well. He wondered when the last time he actually cried in front of someone.
"I'm sorry I worried you two. I'm back now though, and I promise I'm not going anywhere." Otter cried
Owl started to push away, but when his tears wiped against her arm. She caved and stayed where she was. Owl could feel the pain of years of suffering pouring out. Her and Puppy knew all too well what that was like.
After several minutes of hugging and crying Otter released the girls. Sitting up, they were silent for several minutes. Otter had so much to say, but no idea how to say it.
The girls had tons of questions, but didn't know how to ask them.
Otter finally taking a deep breath said "I need to tell you all the bitter truth about me… but…" Otter found the words getting stuck in his throat.
The silence that fell over them felt like a crushing weight. Nobody moved, nobody spoke, nobody looked at each other. It felt like if they did anything they'd collapse.
Puppy was the first to speak. "If you're afraid we'll hate you, then don't. We know you have a past, and we know that you're haunted by it. Still, we chose you, a man to not only join us, but to lead us. You're not the only one with a past. Please, don't shut us out."
Owl shook her head in agreement. Otter found himself feeling something foreign. Was it love, hope, joy? He wasn't sure, but he knew he wanted to feel it again. It was warm and understanding.
Otter took a deep breath and told them everything he'd experienced in his dream. He told them about the old man and the girl, his mother and father, and even about Master Hades. The entire time he told them he kept his head down. He couldn't bare to look at them. When he finally finished he looked up, and expected them to look horrified at him. He expected they'd call him a bad person, or something equally nasty. He was shocked to see they were crying. The words spoken from their eyes, wasn't one of judgment. It was one of sadness for the trauma he had to endure.
Puppy couldn't hold back her tears and Owl sat frozen. She didn't have a clue how to respond, or process all that she'd been told. Otter waited for someone to speak, and the longer the silence and tears persisted. The more doubt that crept into Otter's mind.
For Otter it felt like an eternity, but in actuality it was only a few minutes. Owl careful of her words, said "Is all this true? I… I don't know what to say. Still, it doesn't change the fact that you're not your past self. Who you are today is shaped by the good, bad and ugly of our past. You clearly have learned and decided to be something else. If you hadn't you never would have helped us. So, while I can't condone your actions back then. I never met that you, but I do know who you are today. That version of you is a good, honest and caring person."
Otter sat there stunned, he had so much to say, but it all caught in his throat. Puppy followed that up with "Myself and Owl have met bad men, and unfortunately this causes us to distrust any and all men. We never give them a chance, but in no time at all you have not only earned our trust. You became someone who decided to follow. Some day I hope we can tell you our story, and you finish the rest of yours. Just know that from now on. You're never going to be alone again. We have your back come demons or angels."
Otter felt the tears trying to break the dam of his eyes, and he held them back for as long as he could. Still, the thought of never having to face this world alone filled him with such joy. He couldn't hold back anymore, and the tears fell. Like rain washing away the pain of a hard life.
He had no words to, just grabbed the girls and held them close. He could feel the girls taping out, but he didn't want to loosen. He was afraid this was also a dream, and if he loosened for a minute he'd wake up alone.
A swift punch to the gut by Owl assured him that he was awake and he let go.
"You trying to choke us out you asshole!" Owl yelled
Puppy couldn't help but laugh. She could never imagine they'd ever be friends with a man, but here they are not only traveling, following, and sharing their feelings.
They're allowing him to touch them. The sheer thought of another man bumping into them, was enough to send Owl into a rage, and Puppy into a panic attack.
Puppy stared at Otter wondering who the hell he was. She was starting to understand him, but she wondered why his eyes were still so sad. She'd noticed it back when they first met. No matter if he is smiling or blank faced. His eyes showed a raging torrent of sadness.
Puppy didn't get the opportunity to ask about his sad eyes. Otter stood up and started looking around as if searching for something. He spun around facing away from the girls. He didn't say anything or even move. He just stood there staring at the trees.
"Do you know the difference between S-Rank and A-Rank?" Otter asked
The girls didn't say anything, but their silence spoke volumes. They knew another name for S-Rank was Nation class, but neither had ever seen first hand an S-Ranked adventurer.
"Well, pay close attention and I'll show you." Otter finished his thought
Before the girls could ask any questions thirty forest goblins flew out of the trees and rushed the trio. There are over a hundred types of goblins. Each is perfectly tuned for their specific environment. Grass goblins are green and blend in with plains and grasslands. Earth are brown, ice are bluish white, and forests are greenish brownish. They have unique abilities that make them even more formidable in their specialized environment. So, seeing one let alone thirty forest goblins rushing out of the forest is unusual. On top of that, they weren't coordinated in the slightest. This is yet another oddity, because forest goblins are ambush fighters. They're also incredibly intelligent in terms of strategy. A pack of ten is considered C-Rank, and with there being thirty. This would be no less than B-Ranked. Still, their odd behavior aside. The trio was in trouble, but Otter looked completely calm. Owl even thought his aura felt confident. She didn't understand how, but he wasn't intimidated in the least.
"Otter, get out of there!" Puppy yelled
Otter just waved his hand to signal he had it under control. Then lifting his right hand in front of palm facing the sky, he snapped his fingers and said "Arise"
Before Owl or Puppy knew what happened three of the goblins heads flew from their shoulders. The rest stopped in shock and fear. Stepping in front of Otter was a skeleton wearing a warriors leather belt, and carrying a dual-sided long sword. The skeleton looked like a simple Skeletal warrior. They are D-Ranked monsters, and known for being super weak. This one however was a different story entirely.
Pushing through the shock, Owl asked "H… How… What is that thing, and why is it so strong?"
Otter turned around and giving a terrible attempt at a smile said "This is my Skeletal warrior. Don't worry girls, he may not look like much, but he is easily B-Rank. So, stay there and let him take care of the goblins."
While Otter had his back turned one of the goblins slipped past the warrior and attacked Otter directly.
"Otter look out!" the girls panicked
"Bone spear" Otter said without turning to face the goblin. He just struck out his fist and a long bone spear shot from it impaling the goblin's head.
Puppy and Owl were completely speechless after seeing him use a second primary magic. In this world that should be impossible, but they just witnessed it with their own eyes. Puppy had once heard a rumor about an adventurer who could use multiple primary magic's, but she chalked it up to being a fable or outright lie. She couldn't do that now.
"How can you use two schools of magic? That shouldn't be possible." Puppy stammered
Otter, still facing them, responded "It's a long and boring story. Just trust me, and someday I'll explain it. I promise."
Neither girl looked happy about it, but chose not to press further. For now they were content knowing that Otter was on their side.
The battle ended quickly as the skeletal warrior systematically butchered all thirty goblins. When only ten remained they tried to tag team, but the warrior easily broke up their ranks by smashing the ground causing the earth to splinter and explode. From that point they were off balanced, and the warrior beheaded each one. Once finished the warrior went around picking up every goblin head, and placing them neatly in front of Otter before kneeling in reverence.
Otter wasn't sure how to handle that, and gave an awkward laugh while scratching his head. Owl and Puppy on the other hand had plenty to say.
"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS THAT!!!" both girls said in unison
Otter turned to them, and gave a small shrug. Then turned back to his warrior and with a wave of his hand released him. The skeletal warrior crumbled to the ground. His bones dissolving into nothing more than dust.
Turning back to face them, Otter said "I promise I didn't tell it to do that." Otter's face was flushed with embarrassment.
The girls looked at him, and then at each other, before breaking out in raucous laughter. This only made Otter's face more flushed. He tries to keep his emotions locked away, but for just an instant Owl and Puppy got to see him get really frazzled. They were planning on picking on him a little more, but were interrupted by screaming coming from the forest.
"HELP!!! PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!!!"
"Seriously? Man, what a bummer. Still, we should go and help them… right?" Otter asked reluctantly
Owl didn't appreciate Otter's flippant attitude towards a person in need responded.
"Of course we have to help you idiot. I know you're new to the whole being a good guy thing, but good people help out those in need."
Otter seemed unconvinced "I don't know what places you've been to, but I've apparently never been to them. In my experience a friend in need is a pain in the ass for me."
Puppy getting up grabbed Otter's arm and began pulling him, saying "It doesn't matter what others would do. We help people if they're in danger. So, get used to the pain in the ass."
Sighing, Otter retorted "Yeah, I've got two on my team."
The three of them ran towards the screams, and as they approached Otter could faintly smell blood. He summoned a couple of warriors to take the lead. The trio slowed down to let the skeletal warriors handle the fighting, and within seconds of them breaking into the clearing. The sounds of battle could be heard raging.
"Alright, let's take a second first to evaluate the situation and find the person in need. After that, we can help the warriors with battle. They shouldn't need us, but if some slip by I'll handle them." Otter ordered
Both the girls nodded as they crouched behind a bush. When they lifted their heads a pandemonium of battle was taking place. Each warrior was struggling not to be overrun by ten or more orcs. Puppy noticed that there were two hanging back and looming over a girl. She was laying on the ground motionless, and from the looks of it bleeding pretty heavily.
The orcs were roughly eight feet in height and probably pushing seven to eight hundred pounds. They had olive colored skin, and many of them had scars from previous battles. Their red blood shot eyes reeked of blood lust, and the giant wooden clubs were caked in old dry blood. Otter had learned from studying that the amount of blood caked onto their clubs was a sign of hierarchy. The more blood the higher the rank.
"There she is, and by the looks of things. We don't have much time. So, what's the plan, Otter?" Puppy reported
Otter took a second to do a second quick scan, then answered "Owl take out the ten attacking my warrior on the left, and Puppy you got the ten on the right. I'll take care of the two attacking the girl. I'm a medic, and can treat her injuries. Everyone good with the pl…" Before Otter could finish the girls had sprang into action. "They could have at least waited till I was finished." Otter sulked before jumping in himself.
Owl wasted no time on her attack "Flaming Arrow" three arrows of flame manifested above her head then shot forth and exploded on contact with the orcs. The orcs howled in pain, and about three died from the attack. The warrior took advantage of the chaos, and rushed the orcs. He slashed and killed four more before the monsters could recover. With only three remaining, the orcs charged Owl and the skeletal warrior.
On the right side Puppy was having a more difficult time handling her ten. For starters the warrior had been pushed to his knees and was losing ground quickly. On top of that only four of them were attacking the skeletal warrior. So, the rest were able to quickly focus on Puppy charging them. The other six walked around the warrior and made their way towards Puppy. While she was a highly skilled mage. A single orc was high C-Rank, and six of them would be low B-Ranked. She knew she could take them, but still, she couldn't afford to be reckless.
Puppy used her wind magic to fly high into the air, creating hawk shaped wind. She used "Hawk Raid" sending the hawks' dive bombing down. The impacts left craters and corpses of the orcs. The four that had been pressing the warrior ceased their attack to see what had happened. They agro'd to Puppy and abandoned the warrior to attack Puppy. She was still levitating using her wind magic so they couldn't reach her. They tried to jump and swat her, but she was too high for them to reach. While their backs were turned the warrior cut them down swiftly. Puppy gracefully landed, and gave the skeletal warrior a firm clap on the back.
Returning to Owl's fight, she and the warrior made quick work of the remaining three orcs. Turning to see how Puppy was doing she was happy to see her unharmed.
"Man, remember when taking on a pack of twenty orcs would have been a challenge?" Owl joked
Puppy giggled and responded "Yeah sis, thanks to Otter's freakishly strong skeletons. Fighting monsters like these is nothing more than child's play."
Turning to see how Otter was doing the girls saw two long bone stakes protruding from the ground. They had impaled two orcs dangling lifelessly. Otter was already focused on the girl still laying motionless on the ground.
When the girls approached they saw a gruesome cut from the top of her left shoulder to her right hip. She had lost a fatal amount of blood, and was barely breathing. Otter was examining the wound, and then pausing turned back to the girls.
"She's lost a lot of blood. I'm going to have to do a transfusion. I need you both to stay back and quiet. This is going to look bad, but I promise I'll save her." Otter said firmly
The girls took a step back. Otter raised his hands and used "Blood Stem". Thin red strings of blood slithered out of Otter's hand and into the girl's open gash. She convulsed in pain as the blood entered her body. Otter didn't hesitate, he knew that this was going to be a painful process. Still, in his mind it beat dying. As the blood penetrated deeper the more her body convulsed. It wasn't long before she was screaming in agony. Owl started to step forward, but Puppy stopped her with an arm. When Owl looked at her, Puppy shook her head no.
Otter sensing the unease of his friends took a moment to give a light explanation. "She can't survive without more blood being injected into her system. However, we don't know what her type is. So, I introduced neutral blood. This type of blood will adapt and become whatever type she is. This is a very delicate process, and one wrong move will kill her instantly. So, I need to end it here… sorry"
He then went back to focusing on the procedure. Owl unable to handle the scene, walked away to clear her head. Puppy followed after, and catching up with her laced a hand on Owl's shoulder.
"It's going to be alright Owl. Otter won't let her die… at least not without a fight."
Owl turned around. "I know he won't, but still… everytime I think we're learning about him. He becomes more of a mystery. Look, don't get me wrong. I trust him and everything, but I'd feel better if we knew more about him, that's all."
Puppy understood the sentiment, and even agreed with her to an extent. Yet, for Puppy it wasn't all that big of a deal about Otter's past. She could tell he was a good and honest person. He'd definitely tell them everything some day. He just needs some time to confront and face that darkness. She just hoped he'd realize he didn't need to face it alone. Owl and Puppy would have his back regardless of the content of his darkness.
Puppy gave Owl one more reassuring pat, and returned to Otter and the girl. When she got back, Otter was already administering a high strength healing potion he'd made. The girl had also stopped convulsing in pain, and even seemed more relaxed and restful.
Otter finished slowly pouring the liquid into her mouth. Standing up he turned to Puppy. "Well, physically she should be fine, but only she can decide if she can mentally come back."
"Either way, you did everything you could. I know it's probably not what you wanted to do, but thanks for helping her." Puppy gratefully said
Otter nodded and walked to a tree on the other side "Hey, I'm gonna take a quick rest. Then we can finish our journey to Motta."
Owl and Puppy kept watch while Otter took a short nap. When he awoke they packed up all their supplies, and Otter had one of his warriors carry the still unconscious girl. They traveled for two more days, but the girl still remained unresponsive.
"Hey look, I think we're finally here!" Owl said excitedly
They approached the town of Motta. It was a small town surrounded by wooden walls. The front gate had two guard towers, with mages ready to shoot anyone or anything trying to enter that shouldn't. As the trio and girl being carried by the skeleton approached. The mages immediately raised their hands and the guards got into an attack stance.
One of the guards shouted "Halt! State your business or be gone from here."
He wore light chain mail, and slowly inched closer to the travelers. Otter put his hands up as a sign of non aggression, but the guards still remained wary of him.
"Please, lower your guard. We're here on behalf of the guild. We are the adventurers who have taken the job of eliminating the white wolf. My name is Otter, that's Owl and Puppy. The skeleton behind us is mine, and the girl he's carrying is someone we rescued on our way here. She should be medically fine, but needs a place to rest."
The guard that was slowly approaching seemed to relax a bit, but still kept a cautious eye on the group. He circled them and after completing an examination nodded his head towards the gate.
"Alright, follow me, and have your job listing ready. After we confirm that you can enter Motta." the guard said
The group followed him and Puppy presented him with the group's work order. When the guard looked at the names and ranks his jaw nearly dropped off.
"Hang on, you're that Otter. The legendary Necromancer and Vice-Captain of Hebi?" Otter nodded and the guard continued. "My deepest apologies Master Otter. Please forgive my rude behavior. We've just had a lot of trouble lately with bandits, shapeshifters, and other undesirables. You know how it is, can't be too careful."
Otter gave another nod and then looking past the guard examined the town. It was clearly more run down, but still the same as the last time he'd been there. He was pretty sure it had been around fourish years or so, but he never stayed long. Plus back when he was a part of Hebi, he rarely did much talking that was usually left to their captain. He just handled making sure the job got done, and they got the proper papers signed.
The guard, noticing that Otter wasn't really looking to converse, waved them in and told Puppy where to take the girl. While Puppy and the skeleton headed to drop off the girl. Owl and Otter walked around the town heading to the town chief. They needed to get final details on the assignment, and updates on any changes that could make the mission harder, or in some very rare cases easier.
As they walked around a voice came piercing through with so much animosity and venom. Both Otter and Owl took a defensive stance.
"YOU STOP RIGHT THERE YOU MURDEROUS BASTARD!!!"
Otter spun around in circles trying to find the location of the voice, and finally a young girl about seventeen stepped out in front of the pair. Her hazel eyes were filled with hate and fury. Her long brown hair flowed like vines ready to wrap around someone's throat. She wore a green jacket over a red shirt, brown pants and boots. She got within a few feet of Otter and never took her gaze off him. Otter looked bored, but kept a fixed gaze on her as well. He did so more out of defense than interest.
After a long stare down Otter spoke "Do I know you?"
This comment only seemed to enrage her more. "Of course you don't remember me. A murderer like yourself wouldn't. I guess my grandpa was just another body for you huh?"
Otter's eyes widened in shock. The old man he robbed and killed back in Depressman. This was his granddaughter.