Jay walked for another few hours, sighing when he checked his progress and only found himself halfway through the forest. A few more critters had appeared on his journey and made threatening motions at him, but after a sleepy growl from Kazontin, they ran off. That finally caused Jay to use Investigate on the squirrel.
Squirrel: Kazontin - Level 21 Musketeer
This is a candidate in the 76th Death March.
Jay’s eyes went wide as he read over the screen. The little bastard was a higher level than him. Well, at least Lan was correct about the power difference. Still, he didn’t know how long that would last. He may have been stronger than the squirrel, even at a lower level, but the squirrel would apparently gain levels much faster than him, too, meaning the gap would close.
He sighed as he stopped walking and entered the tower once more. It was time for some lunch. He turned on the heating mechanism in the workbench and placed his last can of chicken soup in a pot on top. The squirrel, still happily napping on his shoulder, stirred as the concoction heated.
Its nose twitched as it sniffed the air. “What is that smell?”
“Chicken soup. You want some?”
Kazontin groggily turned to look at him. “I guess I could forgive you if you share some of that wonderful-smelling liquid.”
Jay chuckled. “Sounds like a deal.”
He pulled out two bowls as the soup finished heating and served them both a large portion. He wasn’t sure the squirrel could eat that much, but didn’t want to accidentally piss off the little guy again.
He sat down at the other table and watched as the small critter scampered down his arm and over to the other bowl. It sniffed at the liquid for a few moments before grabbing a large chunk of chicken and nibbling on it. Jay smiled as he dug in, enjoying the food before stopping a few moments later when he realized Kazontin was staring at him.
“Something up?” he asked.
“Human, how do you eat through that helmet?”
Jay blinked for a moment before he realized. He had gotten so used to the selectable tangibility of his armor that he hadn’t even thought of what it must look like.
“Oh, it’s actually spirit armor, so I can decide if it affects something or not. It’s actually my wristband that makes it look like this, see?” he said. He removed the item for a moment, letting his armor become a slight shimmer around him once more.
Kazontin’s eyes lit up. “You must teach me!”
Jay laughed. “Sure, I can do that while we walk, but let's finish eating first.”
The squirrel’s tail twitched. “Excellent!” it yelled before digging back into its soup.
Another thought came to Jay. He knew candidates were supposed to have an assistant, but he wasn’t sure if that was the case for the animals as well.
Hey, uh, Lan, does he not have an assistant?
“Kind of. He has one, but it’s most likely just a basic AI instead of the full-fledged person who has lived in this world that you and the other humans are spoiled with.”
Why? He asked.
“Jay, if every ant got an assistant, do you think that would be practical? Half of them die in the first hour, too.”
Ok, that’s fair, but what can the AI do?
“Answer very basic questions, it’s been programmed to know. It can also provide skill guides, if it’s asked for one.”
Well, that sucks.
“It does. It’s also why you need to watch out for animals trying to kill you later on. Most of them would do anything for the advantage you get.”
Wait, do you go to them if they kill me?
“Nah, I’m too attached at this point, but they would get an actual assistant.”
Jay couldn’t help but smile at that. Finally admitting you like me, huh?
“I don’t think I’ve really hidden it. But if it makes you feel better to hear out loud, yes, Jay. I very well may shed a single tear for you when you inevitably get yourself killed.”
He had to stop himself from bursting into laughter in front of Kazontin before he finally mustered a response. A single dragon tear. You humble me, my lady.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
“Oh, go fuck yourself. God forbid I get sappy in front of you,” she responded while laughing.
Jay couldn’t help but grin at that. He didn’t say it, but that really did mean a lot to him.
A large belch followed by a satisfied sigh pulled his mind from the conversation. He looked down at the squirrel contentedly patting its belly next to an empty bowl.
“Human, another round!”
Jay’s eyes went wide before he couldn’t hold the laughter back anymore. He cackled like a madman while Kazontin watched on, giving him a dirty look. Thankfully, another full bowl of soup appeased the squirrel.
They finally left the tower around half an hour later. Jay began teaching the squirrel the basics of Spirit Control and Spirit Armor as he continued walking back to the city. To give the little guy credit, he was quickly figuring it out and making great progress.
Almost four hours later, they finally reached the edge of the tree line. Kazontin had made great progress, managing to form his first pieces of armor, but the Spirit expenditure had tuckered the little guy out. He smiled, watching the squirrel's chest rise and fall as it napped peacefully on his shoulder.
“So, what’s your plan for him?” Lan asked.
I don’t know, Jay responded.
He liked Kazontin, which made what he had to do obvious. The squirrel may have been strong enough for the forest, as long as he kept to the trees and hunted other small creatures. Against other human candidates, however, was a different story.
Is there a way I can stay in contact with him?
“Yeah, the messaging system.”
Well, yeah, but I meant, like, more personal than that.
Lan sighed. “Jay, I really don’t think getting attached to that creature is a great idea.”
How many of your kind would tell you that about me?
“I–” she wanted quiet for a long moment.
Sorry.
Lan blew out a long breath. “It’s–” she sighed, “It’s fine. You're right. I just don’t want you to get hurt if something happens.”
I know, but that won’t be an issue if I prevent something from happening.
“Yeah, I guess you're right, there. Fine. I probably should have told you more about this a while ago, anyway.”
She took the next bit of time explaining the party system. There were a few benefits to the system, such as all members getting an XP bonus when performing tasks together, but there were also negatives. One issue was reduced XP when they weren’t together. Both would be almost unnoticeable, though only providing a two percent increase or decrease. The main advantage of a party was Bonded Skills. Any skill could be turned into a bonded skill, allowing it to be shared with others at a cost. All XP gains for the skill would be halved for each member who had the skill within the last week. Normally, that would be detrimental and only for use in dire situations. However, for a skill that was basically at full power, such as a certain tower entrance, it was perfect. It would even allow for a one-way form of fast travel if one of them opened a door and the other walked out of the tower.
Huh, that’s honestly not a bad idea. Thanks, Lan.
“Don’t mention it,” she responded.
Jay took a seat, playing with a few wisps of Spirit as he allowed the squirrel to finish sleeping before giving him his pitch. It didn’t take much longer for Kazontin to finally awaken. He chittered for a few moments, looking at the city in front of them as Jay brought up the elephant in the room.
“Hey, Kazontin, I am not sure if it’s going to be safe for you to continue traveling with me, but I would like to keep in touch.”
The squirrel stared at him for a long moment, its tail twitching as it cocked its head. “Do you believe me, weak human?”
Jay shook his head. “No, but I think you will have an easier time gaining strength in the forest.”
“And what of the skills you promised to teach me?”
“I actually have a solution to that. If you are amenable, we can form a party, and I can give you access to that tower where we ate earlier.”
Kazontin’s eyes went wide at that. “Will you provide me with more soup?”
Jay laughed. “If you want, yeah.”
“Deal!”
Before Jay could say anything else, a screen popped up asking if he wanted to form a party with the squirrel. He was surprised for a moment, but quickly broke out of it and clicked “yes.”
**You Have Joined the Party: The Great Musketeer Kazontin!!! And Human.**
He couldn’t help but smirk at the name. “My name is Jay, by the way.”
“Noted,” the squirrel responded as his eyes flashed.
**Party Name Updated: The Great Musketeer Kazontin!!! and Human Jay.**
Jay laughed for a few moments before turning to the small animal still perched on his shoulder. “Take care, Kazontin, and if you ever need my help, just wait in the tower. I should be in there every night.”
“Good, you will teach me more then.”
“Sure, sounds good.”
“Take care, Human Jay,” he said, jumping off Jay’s shoulder and scampering up a nearby tree.
Jay waved as the squirrel disappeared from view. He quickly made sure to set up the bonded skill before turning back to the city and taking in a deep breath. A ding sounded in his brain.
**Message Received! Sender: Jett Navarro**
He opened the screen.
Jett: Hey, Jay, I put this off for a while, thinking you would show up eventually, but it’s getting to the point where I can’t anymore.
Blue Raven: What’s up?
Jett: So, you know that party you crashed before visiting me the other day? It’s kinda biting me in the ass, and Frank is sick of running distractions for you.
Jay sighed. Of fucking course.
Blue Raven: What are they doing to you?
Jett: Nothing yet, but they keep poking at Izzy, believing she had something to do with it for some reason.
Blue Raven: Fuck… I’ll handle it, just let me know where they want to meet.
Jett: Whoa, there, I’m not just gonna throw you to the wolves like that. Come by my house. I’ll introduce you to Frank, and we will work something out. I know he is gonna love you once he meets you.
Jay doubted that was going to be the case. Not with all the extra work he had given the man recently, but he reluctantly agreed anyway.
Blue Raven: Sure, I’ll be there in a few.
Jett: Sounds good.
He shut his eyes for a few moments as he ran his hand through his hair. His actions were catching up with him far sooner than he wanted them to. He could only hope he was ready for them now. With one last look at the tree line, he took off towards the city, enjoying the open space to employ his new Running skill without slamming into something every few seconds.
