He slowly turned in the direction the voice came from and was shocked to see a female staring at him with a surprised expression over her face. She was standing in a small group of male and females who gave her with a confused look.
She stood a bit shorter than him with shoulder length dirty blond hair and hazel eyes. She wore a dark brown leather tank-top fashioned shirt with matching pants and mid-thigh boots. On both of her arms were a tattoo of a bird-like creature and a wolf-like one. They reminded him of the Bartholomule tattoo Ariyana had. Fastened to her hip was a whip with a ball with several sharp looking spikes on it.
“Mila? Is that you?” Liam asked, confused.
“Holy crap it is you Liam!” Mila shouted before rushing over to him with a huge smile. As soon as she got within arms distances she opened her arms out and wrapped them around him, hugging him.
Liam returned the gesture as he hugged her back. “I didn’t know you managed to make it here. I wasn’t sure what had happened to you when things got crazy. I’m glad to see you’re safe. What about your mom and sister?”
“They made it here safely too. We all actually appeared here at the same time,” Mila replied as she released her grip. “What about you? When did you get here?”
Before Liam could reply, a male suddenly appeared right behind Mila with a few other people and asked, “Who’s this Mila?”
Liam looked at the guy. He wore some type of metal armor with a couple of runes on the shoulder pieces. He had fox-like ears poking out from his messy red hair. He stared at Liam with suspicion.
Standing next to him were another male and a female who looked to be human. They both had strange dark blue rune-like tattoos that covered their tannish skin. They both had brown hair and hazel eyes. The more Liam looked at them the more he thought they could be related.
The last one was a female. She, too, was a beast-kin. She had fluffy black wolf-like ears that twitched a couple of times and a tail that swished back and forth.
Mila turned around and said, “Oh this is my cousin Liam.”
“Your cousin?” The female with rune-like tattoos questioned.
“Yeah. We’re not blood related, so we’re technically not cousins in that aspect,” Mila started to explain. “Our parents were really close friends, and we grew up together like cousins. I haven’t seen him in a couple of years since getting teleported here.”
“Damn, it’s been that long since you last saw him? No wonder you were so excited when you recognized him,” the wolf looking female stated.
“Yeah, oh I almost forgot to introduce you to my team,” Mila started as she turned to look at Liam. She pointed to the female wolf-like beast-kin and introduced, “This is Vera. She is a Wolf-folk Beast-kin Pugilist.”
Vera gave him a toothy smile as she waved a hand at him.
She then pointed to the male and female humans with rune like tattoos. “The man with the rune tattoos is Alphonse. I call him Alphy. He is a Wind Archer. That is his twin sister Molly. She is an Aqua Healer. They are Runeborns.”
Alphonse and Molly gave him a nod, not really showing any emotions.
Liam’s brows scrunched as he muttered, “Runeborn?”
Mila didn’t hear him as she continued, “And that is our leader Alv. He is a Red Fox Fox-Folk Beast-kin. He is also an Earthen Guardian.”
Alv eyed him up and down before saying, “So you’re her cousin huh? What are you?”
“Nothing special,” Liam stated as he looked back at Mila. “What race did you end up becoming?”
“Nothing really changed on my end,” Mila replied. “However, I did get my class to evolve into a Beast Illusionist.”
Liam’s ears twitched as he gave her a curious and interested look. “What’s that?”
Before she could answer a grumbling noise suddenly rumbled in Liam’s stomach.
Mila and Vera let out a laugh.
“Sounds like someone is hungry,” Vera commented.
Liam blushed as he placed a hand on his stomach. “Sorry, I just got done with the whole entrance process, so I haven’t had the chance to eat anything yet.”
“You’re fine. We were just about to go get something to eat. Why don’t you join us?” Mila invited.
“Sounds good to me,” Liam stated as he followed Mila and her team.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“So, when did you get here?” Mila asked as she, Liam and her team sat around a round table.
“Here in this city? I just arrived this morning,” Liam answered.
“No,” Mila shook her head. “I mean here in Paracosm.”
“Ah,” Liam said. “If you mean here on the planet after the whole Tutorial Area then this morning.”
Mila stopped herself from bringing her cup to her lips and stared at Liam. “Wait…so you literally just got here?”
Liam nodded. He was about to elaborate more until Alv scoffed and commented, “You’re lying. If you just got here fresh from the Tutorial Area then you would have gone to an area that resonates with your race.”
“That is what everyone keeps telling me,” Liam replied as he eyed Alv.
Vera and the others looked from Alv to Liam. They looked Liam up and down but didn’t say anything.
“And that’s why I’m saying you’re lying. You’re not a beast-kin. You’re human,” Alv argued.
Liam let out a sigh. “You know, you shouldn’t judge someone so quickly. I may look human, but that doesn’t mean I am just human.”
“What’s that supposed to mea…,” Alv started to ask until Liam took his sunglasses off.
Mila and her team noticed his eyes and looked amazed.
“I knew it,” Vera suddenly stated. “I had a feeling you were a Cat-folk. I thought maybe my gut was wrong since I didn’t see a tail or ears.”
Alv stared at Liam with his mouth slightly open.
“Wait, how is that possible?” Mila asked. “I ran into your father and brothers and they didn’t have any Beast-kin races in them.”
“You met my dad and brothers? So, they really did make it here?” Liam questioned, relief washing over him. “Where are they?”
Mila shook her head as she gave him an apologetic look. “I don’t know. Last I heard they were somewhere in this world making a name for themselves. They’re pretty intense if you ask me. A lot more powerful than me, my mom, and sister. But I’m curious though. How did you get a Beast-kin race when they don’t have it?”
Liam’s brows scrunched. That’s a damn good question. Eri, do you have any idea?
“When it comes to racial mix breeds usually the first born gets the mixture of the Father and the Mother. Any children after that gets either or. I’m not entirely sure why or how that happens. – Eri.”
So, it’s kind of like a matter of superior genes, huh? Liam asked.
“You could look at it like that. – Eri.”
“I’m not entirely sure. Maybe I just got the draw of receiving both races from my parents and they didn’t,” Liam said, trying not to tip his hand that he found out through his Matron Goddess.
“Yeah that could be it. I would question if Nora is your really mother, but I wouldn’t put that voodoo on you. Since your father wasn’t a Beast-kin then it would have to be your bio-mom,” Mila suggested.
“What do you mean about Nora?” Liam questioned as his eyes suddenly narrowed at the mention of her name. “That creature is here?”
Mila nodded her head as a scowl grew. “Oh yeah, she’s here alright. Alive and well to boot.”
Liam let out a scoff. He was hoping she wouldn’t be here, or that she had gotten herself killed off.
“There is some solace though. You’ll get a good laugh once when you see what race she is,” Mila said as she chuckled a bit trying to remove the scowl that was there.
“Oh? Did she become some blob creature? Or maybe a goblin of sorts?” Liam questioned, slightly curious.
“That would be hilarious if she did become something like that, but no.” Mila let out a hearty laugh at the thought. “I won’t tell you what she is now. I’ll let you find out on your own.”
Liam let out another scoff. “To be honest, I hope I never see her again.”
Alv, Vera, and the others look at Liam and Mila with confused expressions.
“Who is Nora?” Vera asked, no longer able to hold back her curiosity.
Liam and Mila turned to look at her. Mila responded, “She’s Liam’s step-mother…well Ex-step-mother now.”
Liam raised a brow at that comment. “Oh? Did my dad finally come to his senses?”
Mila nodded. “Yeah, apparently she found someone new and dumped your father for him before she could even find him.”
“Fucking bitch,” Liam muttered with a slight bit of anger.
“I take it from the anger you both are exuding that you hate this person?” Molly inquired.
“Hate is putting it mildly,” Liam muttered low enough it could have been a growl.
“Let’s move away from the subject then,” Vera suggested as she gave them a slightly concerned look. She then looked at Liam and asked, “What Beast-kin race are you? Your eyes say you’re a Cat-folk.”
“I am a cat-folk, but I’m not sure what kind I am,” Liam said as he averted his gaze from her.
Vera eyed him for a moment and nodded. She was about to say ok, but before she could Alv jumped in.
“Bullshit.”
Liam turned his attention on him. He saw the frown on his face and was about to ask something but was stopped once more.
“Your Character Sheet reveals what race you are. Everyone knows there is no way you couldn’t and wouldn’t know what you are,” Alv explained.
Liam raised a brow.
“Alv!” Mila and Vera shouted.
“What?” Alv questioned as he looked at them. “You all know I am right.”
“Yeah, but if he doesn’t want to say it then he doesn’t have to. What if he has a reason to…”
“Alv? Can I ask you a question?” Liam suddenly chimed in.
Alv turned his attention to him and replied, “Depends. I might withhold my answer if I want to.”
Is this prick for real? Liam thought to himself before recomposing himself. “Are you the type of Beast-kin to have something against a half-breed?”
Alv was suddenly taken a back from Liam’s question.
“I’m asking you this because you seem to look like you have something against me. You looked to be wary of me when Mila came running at me, but after you found out that I’m a half-breed you seemed to have nothing, but open hostility towards me.”
Alv kept his attention on Liam. He didn’t say anything for a long moment before letting out a long breath of air. “No. I’m not like those pricks who are bias. Its just…”
“Its just what?” Liam asked.
Alv looked down at the table. Liam could see the conflicting emotions flashing over his face.
Mila reached out and placed a hand on Alv’s shoulder. “Is this because of Harro?”
Liam looked at Mila with a confused expression. Mila looked back at him and raised a finger up. She was telling him not to say anything and just let Alv say it.
Alv nodded. He then looked back at Liam and explained, “We had a couple of teammates in our group. We were a team of seven. Harro was a trusted companion who I went through the Tutorial with. He…lied about his race and tried to keep it a secret. He was a certain type of race that we’re not allowed to even talk about, and he belonged to one of the strongest Clans of that race.”
Liam’s brows scrunched. “Why can’t you say the name of the race? Can you say what clan it is?”
Alv shook his head.
“They are one of the oldest Races here in the world,” Mila explained. “There’s a whole history about them and it isn’t good. They are pretty dangerous and all the other races both fear and hate them. One thing about this world you need to know Liam is that some races shouldn’t be talked about so openly and casually. You never know who is listening. Whether it is them or someone with a big grudge against them. It just brings…trouble.” Mila gave a pained expression as she looked down at the table.
“He was warned not to reveal what his race was, by someone from his clan who had found him. He placed some sort of seal on him,” Alv continued.
Liam’s heart suddenly pounded as he thought about the seal that was on him.
“It restricted a lot on what he was able to do. One of the restrictions was his ability to level up had decreased and slowed exponentially.”
Thoughts of what Alv was saying started to swirl as he thought about the possibility of his second race being the same. He remembered Eri’s warning back on the fourth floor in the Black Tutorial Dungeon when he first met her. Even though she didn’t tell him what it was, the things she had said started to make him think more about it.
“We didn’t know about it at the time because he was told to keep it a secret. However, one day after we had defeated a dungeon and leveled up, our other teammate Levit, he was an Elf, joked about how we were going to leave him in the dust if he didn’t start focusing on his personal level growth. This must have freaked him out because while we were walking in town he told us what he was and why his personal level growth was so slow. Someone overheard us talking and ambushed us. We tried to fight back. We were able to kill them, but not before Harro and Levit died.”
Liam let everything sink in. He thought about his hidden race and the possibilities of him being the same as this Harro. If that was the case, coupling with him being a Gemini…He shook his head. He didn’t know what his race was and Alv had said that his teammate was approached and had the seal on him after the Tutorial Area. He had a seal on him before he came to the Tutorial Area. Surely his race was something else.
He looked at Alv who was still staring at Liam.
“I think about it often. Like how he could have lied and said he was a different race. There are a few other races out there that place seals on their kin. There are a few here in the Beast-kins that do it too,” Alv stated. “My hostility to you isn’t due to some stupid reason like full breed or half breed nonsense, but rather secrets that could put any members in my team in jeopardy.”
Liam gave him a soft smile as he looked at Alv in a new light. He could understand and respect what the man was saying. He was looking out for his team and since Liam’s cousin was apart of his team he appreciated his wariness and cautious nature even more. Liam came to a decision and said in a low whisper.
“I will tell you, but you have to promise me you wont say anything. I promise my race isn’t something dangerous and wont hurt you. It’s more for my safety than anyone related to me. However, I wont say it out loud. I am going to write it down and you can read it. But do not say what it is out loud. Can you agree to that?”
Alphonse and Molly shrugged before nodding their heads along with Vera, who looked excited, and Mila, who looked concerned.
Alv stared at Liam for a brief moment. He narrowed his eyes before saying, “Alright, but if I think you are a threat to the safety of my team I will have everyone walk away and leave you here. Do you agree to that?”
Mila was about to argue, but Liam stopped her by raising a hand up and stating, “A bit harsh, but I can agree to that.”
Alv nodded. “Then I agree to your terms.”
Liam pulled out a piece of paper and started writing on it. He then passed it to Vera. Vera’s ears suddenly perked up. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open as she passed it over to Molly and Alphonse who both looked at it together. Molly’s expressions mirrored Vera’s as she jerked her head up. Alphonse let out a low whistle before passing it over to Mila.
Mila read it, scrunched her brows, and gave him a confused look. “I don’t understand,” she said as she passed the paper to Alv.
Alv read the two words and raised a brow before looking at Liam and asking, “Are you serious?”
Liam nodded. “Yes. Do you understand now?”
Alv brought a hand to his chin and looked to be contemplating.
“I don’t get it. Can someone please tell me what’s going on?” Mila asked with an even more confused look.
“It does make sense and explains why you are trying to play dumb,” Alv finally said before looking back at Liam.
“Hey, am I chop liver or something?” Mila asked, starting to get frustrated.
Vera let out a laugh before saying, “Mila, hunny. I’ll tell you later. All you have to know is Alv isn’t going to be a dick anymore to your cousin. Isn’t that right?” Vera raised a brow as she stared at Alv.
Alv frowned before slightly bowing his head a bit and apologized, “I’m sorry. You have every right to not want that to be known if you don’t want it to be. However, I must ask. Why don’t you want it to be known?”
“I don’t know what will happen if I reveal that bit of information. I was told by my mentors not to reveal it especially if I want to travel and explore what this world has to offer,” Liam answered as he leaned back.
Alv nodded. “That makes sense. If they caught word then there is a chance you could be recruited and not have any hope of traveling.”
“So it is that bad?” Liam asked.
“Just rumors, but everyone knows that rumors are based on some form of truth,” Alv stated. He then gave Liam a strange look. He looked like he wanted to ask him something, but was stopping himself from asking it.
“What’s on your mind?” Liam asked.
“Well,” Alv started as he gave a sheepish look and started rubbing the back of his neck. “I know that after how I treated you I have no right to ask this…”
Liam raised a brow as he leaned forward and rested his hands on the table. He had a feeling he knew what he was going to ask, but still wanted to hear the question.
“But seeing as your cousin is in our party and it looks like you both are close. I’m sure you would want to keep her safe…,” Alv continued, looking like he was having a hard time coming clean with his request.
Vera let out a laugh as Molly and Alphonse shook their heads with embarrassment.
“Alv, if you’re going to ask just do it. Beating around the bush the way you are doing it is just pathetic man,” Vera commented.
Alv turned bright red before finally asking, “If you do decide to pursue the path that race entails then do you think we can come to you with requests?”
Mila, who was still looking lost, tilted her head as she repeated, “Come to him with requests? Requests for what?”
Liam fought to keep a straight face. “Right now, I have dabbled in three areas. One of the areas I’m stumbling on my own so I don’t know if I will continue it or not. However, the other two I do find some interest in. I’m nowhere near where I can help you out with one of them, but I do have a question for you guys?”
Everyone looked at Liam with a curious expression.
“Tell me,” Liam started as a grin started to form. “How do the potions taste out here in this world?”
Mila’s silent gag told him all he needed to know.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Liam sat alone at the table of the restaurant Mila had taken him to. Mila and her team had already left, claiming they needed to do some shopping before taking on a quest from the Adventurer’s Association. That was before he surprised them with the flavored potions he had made back in the Tutorial Area.
They hadn’t believed him when he informed them that he had created potions that tasted better than the ones they were used to. He grinned widely as he watched their expressions range from shocked, amazed, and even joyous.
After they discovered he wasn’t lying to them they begged him to make them Average leveled Potions. He informed them that he could only make Weak and Minor leveled ones right now, but he was five levels away from being able to make Average leveled ones. They offered to help any way they could to get him to that level, even to the point where they would harvest the materials needed.
After coming to an agreement on that he offered to give them all of the weak leveled ones he still had. They tried to pay him more than what they were worth, but he declined and gave them a counter price with a discount since they were looking out for his cousin. They agreed eagerly to the price and adding in some information on the Adventurer’s Association he would want to know in case he decided to get an A.I.D.
They had told him that if he decided to get an A.I.D. that he wouldn’t have to worry about revealing any information he didn’t feel comfortable sharing. They were not allowed to ask what race or races he was, what kind of magic or skills he knew, if he had a Matron or Patron Deity, nor what mentors he had trained under. He did need to provide his class though.
His personal level would appear on the A.I.D., so he didn’t need to tell them that, but not his sub-stats. Any creature he killed would appear on the A.I.D. as well as how many dungeons he had completed would show up after each run. If he left in the middle of a dungeon run without completing it, it wouldn’t update as a completed dungeon, but would be shown as an incomplete run with what floor he finished and how many were left.
It also showed how many completed and failed Association Quests he had. All of this was to show how capable of an Adventurer he was when trying to accept quests from the Association or trying to get into a dungeon that was guarded.
He thought about what they had told him and he was concerned about something.
Hey Eri. If I did get an A.I.D., how would it look with my Stat Shatter Debuff in effect? Liam asked.
“It would show what your level is while having the Debuff active. If you’re concerned about if it will show what your real level is and that the Debuff is placed on you then do not worry. It wont reveal that. – Eri.”
What about when the Debuff disappears? Liam questioned.
“Then it will update appropriately. It would be like you had just leveled up. Nothing will trigger. No alarms no issues. So do not worry about it. I think you should get it soon though just to get it out of the way. – Eri.”
You think so? Liam inquired with a raised brow.
“Yeah, the sooner the better so you don’t have to do it later. Also get a C.I.D. so you can legally have access to the Crafting workshops. – Eri.”
You need to have a Crafter’s I.D. to use Crafting workshops? That’s stupid. Liam scoffed.
“It’s more for the owner of the workshop you use. You’ll understand more once when you get one. They will explain it. – Eri.”
Liam was about to say something, but then noticed something. The room he was in at the restaurant was suddenly quiet.
He looked around thinking that maybe the people that were in the room had left, but as he turned he grew both confused and concerned. There were people in the room, however they weren’t moving. A few people off in the corner had their arms and hands out looking like they were having a fun animated conversation, except their limbs weren’t moving. Even their mouths remains opened. It was almost like time had stopped.
“What the hell?” Liam quietly muttered to himself.
“This isn’t hell. Not quite yet for you anyways newbie,” A voice suddenly whispered around him.
He slowly turned in the direction the voice came from and was shocked to see a female staring at him with a surprised expression over her face. She was standing in a small group of male and females who gave her with a confused look.
She stood a bit shorter than him with shoulder length dirty blond hair and hazel eyes. She wore a dark brown leather tank-top fashioned shirt with matching pants and mid-thigh boots. On both of her arms were a tattoo of a bird-like creature and a wolf-like one. They reminded him of the Bartholomule tattoo Ariyana had. Fastened to her hip was a whip with a ball with several sharp looking spikes on it.
“Mila? Is that you?” Liam asked, confused.
“Holy crap it is you Liam!” Mila shouted before rushing over to him with a huge smile. As soon as she got within arms distances she opened her arms out and wrapped them around him, hugging him.
Liam returned the gesture as he hugged her back. “I didn’t know you managed to make it here. I wasn’t sure what had happened to you when things got crazy. I’m glad to see you’re safe. What about your mom and sister?”
“They made it here safely too. We all actually appeared here at the same time,” Mila replied as she released her grip. “What about you? When did you get here?”
Before Liam could reply, a male suddenly appeared right behind Mila with a few other people and asked, “Who’s this Mila?”
Liam looked at the guy. He wore some type of metal armor with a couple of runes on the shoulder pieces. He had fox-like ears poking out from his messy red hair. He stared at Liam with suspicion.
Standing next to him were another male and a female who looked to be human. They both had strange dark blue rune-like tattoos that covered their tannish skin. They both had brown hair and hazel eyes. The more Liam looked at them the more he thought they could be related.
The last one was a female. She, too, was a beast-kin. She had fluffy black wolf-like ears that twitched a couple of times and a tail that swished back and forth.
Mila turned around and said, “Oh this is my cousin Liam.”
“Your cousin?” The female with rune-like tattoos questioned.
“Yeah. We’re not blood related, so we’re technically not cousins in that aspect,” Mila started to explain. “Our parents were really close friends, and we grew up together like cousins. I haven’t seen him in a couple of years since getting teleported here.”
“Damn, it’s been that long since you last saw him? No wonder you were so excited when you recognized him,” the wolf looking female stated.
“Yeah, oh I almost forgot to introduce you to my team,” Mila started as she turned to look at Liam. She pointed to the female wolf-like beast-kin and introduced, “This is Vera. She is a Wolf-folk Beast-kin Pugilist.”
Vera gave him a toothy smile as she waved a hand at him.
She then pointed to the male and female humans with rune like tattoos. “The man with the rune tattoos is Alphonse. I call him Alphy. He is a Wind Archer. That is his twin sister Molly. She is an Aqua Healer. They are Runeborns.”
Alphonse and Molly gave him a nod, not really showing any emotions.
Liam’s brows scrunched as he muttered, “Runeborn?”
Mila didn’t hear him as she continued, “And that is our leader Alv. He is a Red Fox Fox-Folk Beast-kin. He is also an Earthen Guardian.”
Alv eyed him up and down before saying, “So you’re her cousin huh? What are you?”
“Nothing special,” Liam stated as he looked back at Mila. “What race did you end up becoming?”
“Nothing really changed on my end,” Mila replied. “However, I did get my class to evolve into a Beast Illusionist.”
Liam’s ears twitched as he gave her a curious and interested look. “What’s that?”
Before she could answer a grumbling noise suddenly rumbled in Liam’s stomach.
Mila and Vera let out a laugh.
“Sounds like someone is hungry,” Vera commented.
Liam blushed as he placed a hand on his stomach. “Sorry, I just got done with the whole entrance process, so I haven’t had the chance to eat anything yet.”
“You’re fine. We were just about to go get something to eat. Why don’t you join us?” Mila invited.
“Sounds good to me,” Liam stated as he followed Mila and her team.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“So, when did you get here?” Mila asked as she, Liam and her team sat around a round table.
“Here in this city? I just arrived this morning,” Liam answered.
“No,” Mila shook her head. “I mean here in Paracosm.”
“Ah,” Liam said. “If you mean here on the planet after the whole Tutorial Area then this morning.”
Mila stopped herself from bringing her cup to her lips and stared at Liam. “Wait…so you literally just got here?”
Liam nodded. He was about to elaborate more until Alv scoffed and commented, “You’re lying. If you just got here fresh from the Tutorial Area then you would have gone to an area that resonates with your race.”
“That is what everyone keeps telling me,” Liam replied as he eyed Alv.
Vera and the others looked from Alv to Liam. They looked Liam up and down but didn’t say anything.
“And that’s why I’m saying you’re lying. You’re not a beast-kin. You’re human,” Alv argued.
Liam let out a sigh. “You know, you shouldn’t judge someone so quickly. I may look human, but that doesn’t mean I am just human.”
“What’s that supposed to mea…,” Alv started to ask until Liam took his sunglasses off.
Mila and her team noticed his eyes and looked amazed.
“I knew it,” Vera suddenly stated. “I had a feeling you were a Cat-folk. I thought maybe my gut was wrong since I didn’t see a tail or ears.”
Alv stared at Liam with his mouth slightly open.
“Wait, how is that possible?” Mila asked. “I ran into your father and brothers and they didn’t have any Beast-kin races in them.”
“You met my dad and brothers? So, they really did make it here?” Liam questioned, relief washing over him. “Where are they?”
Mila shook her head as she gave him an apologetic look. “I don’t know. Last I heard they were somewhere in this world making a name for themselves. They’re pretty intense if you ask me. A lot more powerful than me, my mom, and sister. But I’m curious though. How did you get a Beast-kin race when they don’t have it?”
Liam’s brows scrunched. That’s a damn good question. Eri, do you have any idea?
“When it comes to racial mix breeds usually the first born gets the mixture of the Father and the Mother. Any children after that gets either or. I’m not entirely sure why or how that happens. – Eri.”
So, it’s kind of like a matter of superior genes, huh? Liam asked.
“You could look at it like that. – Eri.”
“I’m not entirely sure. Maybe I just got the draw of receiving both races from my parents and they didn’t,” Liam said, trying not to tip his hand that he found out through his Matron Goddess.
“Yeah that could be it. I would question if Nora is your really mother, but I wouldn’t put that voodoo on you. Since your father wasn’t a Beast-kin then it would have to be your bio-mom,” Mila suggested.
“What do you mean about Nora?” Liam questioned as his eyes suddenly narrowed at the mention of her name. “That creature is here?”
Mila nodded her head as a scowl grew. “Oh yeah, she’s here alright. Alive and well to boot.”
Liam let out a scoff. He was hoping she wouldn’t be here, or that she had gotten herself killed off.
“There is some solace though. You’ll get a good laugh once when you see what race she is,” Mila said as she chuckled a bit trying to remove the scowl that was there.
“Oh? Did she become some blob creature? Or maybe a goblin of sorts?” Liam questioned, slightly curious.
“That would be hilarious if she did become something like that, but no.” Mila let out a hearty laugh at the thought. “I won’t tell you what she is now. I’ll let you find out on your own.”
Liam let out another scoff. “To be honest, I hope I never see her again.”
Alv, Vera, and the others look at Liam and Mila with confused expressions.
“Who is Nora?” Vera asked, no longer able to hold back her curiosity.
Liam and Mila turned to look at her. Mila responded, “She’s Liam’s step-mother…well Ex-step-mother now.”
Liam raised a brow at that comment. “Oh? Did my dad finally come to his senses?”
Mila nodded. “Yeah, apparently she found someone new and dumped your father for him before she could even find him.”
“Fucking bitch,” Liam muttered with a slight bit of anger.
“I take it from the anger you both are exuding that you hate this person?” Molly inquired.
“Hate is putting it mildly,” Liam muttered low enough it could have been a growl.
“Let’s move away from the subject then,” Vera suggested as she gave them a slightly concerned look. She then looked at Liam and asked, “What Beast-kin race are you? Your eyes say you’re a Cat-folk.”
“I am a cat-folk, but I’m not sure what kind I am,” Liam said as he averted his gaze from her.
Vera eyed him for a moment and nodded. She was about to say ok, but before she could Alv jumped in.
“Bullshit.”
Liam turned his attention on him. He saw the frown on his face and was about to ask something but was stopped once more.
“Your Character Sheet reveals what race you are. Everyone knows there is no way you couldn’t and wouldn’t know what you are,” Alv explained.
Liam raised a brow.
“Alv!” Mila and Vera shouted.
“What?” Alv questioned as he looked at them. “You all know I am right.”
“Yeah, but if he doesn’t want to say it then he doesn’t have to. What if he has a reason to…”
“Alv? Can I ask you a question?” Liam suddenly chimed in.
Alv turned his attention to him and replied, “Depends. I might withhold my answer if I want to.”
Is this prick for real? Liam thought to himself before recomposing himself. “Are you the type of Beast-kin to have something against a half-breed?”
Alv was suddenly taken a back from Liam’s question.
“I’m asking you this because you seem to look like you have something against me. You looked to be wary of me when Mila came running at me, but after you found out that I’m a half-breed you seemed to have nothing, but open hostility towards me.”
Alv kept his attention on Liam. He didn’t say anything for a long moment before letting out a long breath of air. “No. I’m not like those pricks who are bias. Its just…”
“Its just what?” Liam asked.
Alv looked down at the table. Liam could see the conflicting emotions flashing over his face.
Mila reached out and placed a hand on Alv’s shoulder. “Is this because of Harro?”
Liam looked at Mila with a confused expression. Mila looked back at him and raised a finger up. She was telling him not to say anything and just let Alv say it.
Alv nodded. He then looked back at Liam and explained, “We had a couple of teammates in our group. We were a team of seven. Harro was a trusted companion who I went through the Tutorial with. He…lied about his race and tried to keep it a secret. He was a certain type of race that we’re not allowed to even talk about, and he belonged to one of the strongest Clans of that race.”
Liam’s brows scrunched. “Why can’t you say the name of the race? Can you say what clan it is?”
Alv shook his head.
“They are one of the oldest Races here in the world,” Mila explained. “There’s a whole history about them and it isn’t good. They are pretty dangerous and all the other races both fear and hate them. One thing about this world you need to know Liam is that some races shouldn’t be talked about so openly and casually. You never know who is listening. Whether it is them or someone with a big grudge against them. It just brings…trouble.” Mila gave a pained expression as she looked down at the table.
“He was warned not to reveal what his race was, by someone from his clan who had found him. He placed some sort of seal on him,” Alv continued.
Liam’s heart suddenly pounded as he thought about the seal that was on him.
“It restricted a lot on what he was able to do. One of the restrictions was his ability to level up had decreased and slowed exponentially.”
Thoughts of what Alv was saying started to swirl as he thought about the possibility of his second race being the same. He remembered Eri’s warning back on the fourth floor in the Black Tutorial Dungeon when he first met her. Even though she didn’t tell him what it was, the things she had said started to make him think more about it.
“We didn’t know about it at the time because he was told to keep it a secret. However, one day after we had defeated a dungeon and leveled up, our other teammate Levit, he was an Elf, joked about how we were going to leave him in the dust if he didn’t start focusing on his personal level growth. This must have freaked him out because while we were walking in town he told us what he was and why his personal level growth was so slow. Someone overheard us talking and ambushed us. We tried to fight back. We were able to kill them, but not before Harro and Levit died.”
Liam let everything sink in. He thought about his hidden race and the possibilities of him being the same as this Harro. If that was the case, coupling with him being a Gemini…He shook his head. He didn’t know what his race was and Alv had said that his teammate was approached and had the seal on him after the Tutorial Area. He had a seal on him before he came to the Tutorial Area. Surely his race was something else.
He looked at Alv who was still staring at Liam.
“I think about it often. Like how he could have lied and said he was a different race. There are a few other races out there that place seals on their kin. There are a few here in the Beast-kins that do it too,” Alv stated. “My hostility to you isn’t due to some stupid reason like full breed or half breed nonsense, but rather secrets that could put any members in my team in jeopardy.”
Liam gave him a soft smile as he looked at Alv in a new light. He could understand and respect what the man was saying. He was looking out for his team and since Liam’s cousin was apart of his team he appreciated his wariness and cautious nature even more. Liam came to a decision and said in a low whisper.
“I will tell you, but you have to promise me you wont say anything. I promise my race isn’t something dangerous and wont hurt you. It’s more for my safety than anyone related to me. However, I wont say it out loud. I am going to write it down and you can read it. But do not say what it is out loud. Can you agree to that?”
Alphonse and Molly shrugged before nodding their heads along with Vera, who looked excited, and Mila, who looked concerned.
Alv stared at Liam for a brief moment. He narrowed his eyes before saying, “Alright, but if I think you are a threat to the safety of my team I will have everyone walk away and leave you here. Do you agree to that?”
Mila was about to argue, but Liam stopped her by raising a hand up and stating, “A bit harsh, but I can agree to that.”
Alv nodded. “Then I agree to your terms.”
Liam pulled out a piece of paper and started writing on it. He then passed it to Vera. Vera’s ears suddenly perked up. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open as she passed it over to Molly and Alphonse who both looked at it together. Molly’s expressions mirrored Vera’s as she jerked her head up. Alphonse let out a low whistle before passing it over to Mila.
Mila read it, scrunched her brows, and gave him a confused look. “I don’t understand,” she said as she passed the paper to Alv.
Alv read the two words and raised a brow before looking at Liam and asking, “Are you serious?”
Liam nodded. “Yes. Do you understand now?”
Alv brought a hand to his chin and looked to be contemplating.
“I don’t get it. Can someone please tell me what’s going on?” Mila asked with an even more confused look.
“It does make sense and explains why you are trying to play dumb,” Alv finally said before looking back at Liam.
“Hey, am I chop liver or something?” Mila asked, starting to get frustrated.
Vera let out a laugh before saying, “Mila, hunny. I’ll tell you later. All you have to know is Alv isn’t going to be a dick anymore to your cousin. Isn’t that right?” Vera raised a brow as she stared at Alv.
Alv frowned before slightly bowing his head a bit and apologized, “I’m sorry. You have every right to not want that to be known if you don’t want it to be. However, I must ask. Why don’t you want it to be known?”
“I don’t know what will happen if I reveal that bit of information. I was told by my mentors not to reveal it especially if I want to travel and explore what this world has to offer,” Liam answered as he leaned back.
Alv nodded. “That makes sense. If they caught word then there is a chance you could be recruited and not have any hope of traveling.”
“So it is that bad?” Liam asked.
“Just rumors, but everyone knows that rumors are based on some form of truth,” Alv stated. He then gave Liam a strange look. He looked like he wanted to ask him something, but was stopping himself from asking it.
“What’s on your mind?” Liam asked.
“Well,” Alv started as he gave a sheepish look and started rubbing the back of his neck. “I know that after how I treated you I have no right to ask this…”
Liam raised a brow as he leaned forward and rested his hands on the table. He had a feeling he knew what he was going to ask, but still wanted to hear the question.
“But seeing as your cousin is in our party and it looks like you both are close. I’m sure you would want to keep her safe…,” Alv continued, looking like he was having a hard time coming clean with his request.
Vera let out a laugh as Molly and Alphonse shook their heads with embarrassment.
“Alv, if you’re going to ask just do it. Beating around the bush the way you are doing it is just pathetic man,” Vera commented.
Alv turned bright red before finally asking, “If you do decide to pursue the path that race entails then do you think we can come to you with requests?”
Mila, who was still looking lost, tilted her head as she repeated, “Come to him with requests? Requests for what?”
Liam fought to keep a straight face. “Right now, I have dabbled in three areas. One of the areas I’m stumbling on my own so I don’t know if I will continue it or not. However, the other two I do find some interest in. I’m nowhere near where I can help you out with one of them, but I do have a question for you guys?”
Everyone looked at Liam with a curious expression.
“Tell me,” Liam started as a grin started to form. “How do the potions taste out here in this world?”
Mila’s silent gag told him all he needed to know.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Liam sat alone at the table of the restaurant Mila had taken him to. Mila and her team had already left, claiming they needed to do some shopping before taking on a quest from the Adventurer’s Association. That was before he surprised them with the flavored potions he had made back in the Tutorial Area.
They hadn’t believed him when he informed them that he had created potions that tasted better than the ones they were used to. He grinned widely as he watched their expressions range from shocked, amazed, and even joyous.
After they discovered he wasn’t lying to them they begged him to make them Average leveled Potions. He informed them that he could only make Weak and Minor leveled ones right now, but he was five levels away from being able to make Average leveled ones. They offered to help any way they could to get him to that level, even to the point where they would harvest the materials needed.
After coming to an agreement on that he offered to give them all of the weak leveled ones he still had. They tried to pay him more than what they were worth, but he declined and gave them a counter price with a discount since they were looking out for his cousin. They agreed eagerly to the price and adding in some information on the Adventurer’s Association he would want to know in case he decided to get an A.I.D.
They had told him that if he decided to get an A.I.D. that he wouldn’t have to worry about revealing any information he didn’t feel comfortable sharing. They were not allowed to ask what race or races he was, what kind of magic or skills he knew, if he had a Matron or Patron Deity, nor what mentors he had trained under. He did need to provide his class though.
His personal level would appear on the A.I.D., so he didn’t need to tell them that, but not his sub-stats. Any creature he killed would appear on the A.I.D. as well as how many dungeons he had completed would show up after each run. If he left in the middle of a dungeon run without completing it, it wouldn’t update as a completed dungeon, but would be shown as an incomplete run with what floor he finished and how many were left.
It also showed how many completed and failed Association Quests he had. All of this was to show how capable of an Adventurer he was when trying to accept quests from the Association or trying to get into a dungeon that was guarded.
He thought about what they had told him and he was concerned about something.
Hey Eri. If I did get an A.I.D., how would it look with my Stat Shatter Debuff in effect? Liam asked.
“It would show what your level is while having the Debuff active. If you’re concerned about if it will show what your real level is and that the Debuff is placed on you then do not worry. It wont reveal that. – Eri.”
What about when the Debuff disappears? Liam questioned.
“Then it will update appropriately. It would be like you had just leveled up. Nothing will trigger. No alarms no issues. So do not worry about it. I think you should get it soon though just to get it out of the way. – Eri.”
You think so? Liam inquired with a raised brow.
“Yeah, the sooner the better so you don’t have to do it later. Also get a C.I.D. so you can legally have access to the Crafting workshops. – Eri.”
You need to have a Crafter’s I.D. to use Crafting workshops? That’s stupid. Liam scoffed.
“It’s more for the owner of the workshop you use. You’ll understand more once when you get one. They will explain it. – Eri.”
Liam was about to say something, but then noticed something. The room he was in at the restaurant was suddenly quiet.
He looked around thinking that maybe the people that were in the room had left, but as he turned he grew both confused and concerned. There were people in the room, however they weren’t moving. A few people off in the corner had their arms and hands out looking like they were having a fun animated conversation, except their limbs weren’t moving. Even their mouths remains opened. It was almost like time had stopped.
“What the hell?” Liam quietly muttered to himself.
“This isn’t hell. Not quite yet for you anyways newbie,” A voice suddenly whispered around him.
