Chapter 4

Axel’s worrying over the plan to attack the bandits proved misplaced. As Barny explained to him, battles were often small-scale brawls and went from one extreme to the other. With lots of death on one side, or an indecisive outcome with few fatalities. Theirs had been a resounding victory. All the bandits they knew of were dead.

They took longer than expected, as they had to deal with another two dozen women and girls rescued from the bandits. Then there was the packing of the loot. The bandits had been busy, they had plenty of food and even more weapons. Nothing too amazing as Alta was not a rich country. The bandits had been attacking both the Inimi and coalition forces, hitting their supply lines. Rayner told him the bandit boss was an officer in the coalition army who turned deserter, finding it more profitable to loot the countryside. The two prisoners who helped the rest of the women were the ones sent by the Coalition to stop the deserter bandit boss. One caught him trying to leave, and the other was part of a group sent to bring him to justice.

Rayner told him soon after the battle his plan for the loot and Axel agreed. He didn’t really want anything they had. They would present the idea to the others when they got settled in Ridgehill.

They also checked their stats, and it had remained stagnant except for Rayner’s new skill.

Name: Axel, Level: 3, Class: Thug, Mana: 12, Skills: Pain Knife(0.5), EXP: 32.

Name: Rayner, Level: 1, Class: Barbarian, Mana: 30, Skills: Force Hammer(0.5) Roar(1.5), EXP: 36.

Rayner said he had discovered how to create the skill himself, just like last time. It was not as if they both had not tried before, but nothing worked, and it hurt to try, putting strain on their mana. The feeling of using mana felt painful for Axel as if bees were in his stomach. And for Rayner, he described it as his surging through his body, then leaving him as he activated the skill. He and Rayner spent the ride to Ridgehill trying to figure out how to make another skill.

Ridgehill’s name was apt. The town was on top of a large mound and surrounded by ridges of varying height. As they approached, the gates lay open, and people were waiting for them. He could hear the sounds of cheering. The two gate guards waved their wagon train in with smiles on their faces. The throng of people went up to the wagons trying to touch them. What was this all about? Were they movie stars? It became difficult to get the wagons past the crowd.

Then the town guards showed up, pushing through the crowd, making a path for them and their wagons. They followed, having nowhere else to go. The rest of the guards stayed to hold the crowd back. They arrived at a large building.

“Your friends are inside the hotel,” the guard said. A hotel, not an Inn. He was eager to find the cause of the townsmen’s jubilation.

Entering the building Axel looked around. A smartly dressed woman cleaned glasses at the bar. The interior had tables made of rich wood and cushioned chairs. Tessa and Garman sat with a woman he did not know.

“I’m going to get settled in,” Dara said. Evans went with her.

He and Barny took a seat at the table. “That was quite the welcome,” Barny said.

A mature woman in a fine low-cut dress answered Barny. “I apologize. News of your arrival spread fast,” the woman said. “You being here means you have defeated the bandits. They’ve been harassing us since the invasion. Worse than goblins those men.”

“Food would have become a problem if things did not change. Mrs. Harman let us stay here until you came back,” Tessa said.

“Grace Harman,” she said, extending a hand for them to shake.

Rayner who had not taken a seat waited until greetings were done. “This is as good a time as any. I want to talk about how to distribute the loot we got from the bandits.”

“We will not take your spoils,” Grace said.

“No, I want to set up a fund for the refugees. They need it to rebuild their lives. No one family would get a significant amount, but if we share, it should support hundreds of families at least. If they have help from the authorities.”

Her eyebrows raised; she had expected them to keep it for themselves. “Oh, this will be no problem. We can and will help. We’ve already taken in all the refugees in the area, a few more with the help of the loot will not hurt. I will speak with the rest of the council about loans—at a reasonable interest rate I assure you.”

The rest nodded their agreement, even the gaudy merchant Garman. Rayner had expected resistance, but seeing the ravages of war had made them all sympathetic.

“The councilwoman has rooms ready for everyone. The staff will take your things to your rooms,” Tessa said.

“Everyone? In this hotel?” Axel asked

“The wealthy patrons of this establishment fled long ago. And us refugees won’t be staying here once you spread out that loot amongst us. The rooms are reserved for those who fought,” Tessa explained.

“Don’t know if Evans and his fighters will stick with us, but it’s not like they have anything left,” Barny said.

“I would not be so sure my friend, some of the widows have been pursuing them aggressively,” Garman said.

“I know there is much to discuss but...” Axel said. His eyes struggled to stay open.

“Of course, your journey has been long,” the councilwoman said. She clapped her hands and scantily clad servants came and escorted them to their rooms.

Gaudy was the best word Axel could think of to describe the room. Thin blue carpet covered the floor and the walls. Two chairs with light green padding and pillows were at a writing desk with a lamp and the other in the corner. Unlike the other homes they passed coming to the hotel, these windows had glass, not just a curtain or wood shutters to cover it.

Every surface of the room was covered in some form of cushioning, Axel could sleep on anything in the room he wanted. It helped because boy did he need some shut-eye. He fell asleep as soon as his head rested on the pillow.

Axel had never felt so good after sleeping. He felt like a new man. Checking his stats, he saw his mana had increased by 1, from 12 to 13. He didn’t know if rest increased his mana, or the mana increase improved his rest, and he did not care, because he felt great!

He still had not washed and had noticed his own smell for the first time in a while. The staff showed him the bath and washrooms before taking him to his rooms so he knew his way there. He knocked before entering, no answer. He went inside, got everything ready and sat in the bath. The bathtub filled itself. No pipe or faucets could be seen. The water was already the perfect temperature. The room was faintly lit, though no light source was in the room.

The staff explained to him a hospitality God generated the light, heating, and water with its blessing. Such gods and their Worshipers guide travelers to inns, spas, and other places of comfort, making them a popular choice for those in the leisure business. The hospitality God was tied to the building itself. It wasn’t one of the higher gods like the ones from the Coalition.

He heard someone enter; without opening his eyes he yelled that the room was occupied, and continued to relax.

“My lord,” it was a woman’s voice.

That got his attention. A naked woman stood before him. Axel recognized her as one of the staff. Now that he thought about it, all the staff were women who dressed provocatively. He would get this lord stuff cleared up first chance he got. Not because he did not like being called a lord, but a real lord might show up and take offense. Was this woman here because of that misunderstanding?

“I am not a lord, people just started calling me that,” Axel said.

She moved closer, seeming not to care. “I am here to service you. I would have come earlier, but you slept so deeply.”

Even this lovely creature would not have been able to wake him up. He had no problem with prostitution, but he believed paying for sex was like giving up. He knew some guys just wanted to fuck and leave, but it was his dream to find a woman who would do that for free, a foolish dream. All men paid one way or the other. Still, he was not in the mood for sex, not since coming to this world. He thought rest would help. But as he stared at this woman from her bare feet to her button nose, he still had no reaction.

“Thank you, but I don’t pay for sex.”

“I am already paid for. Word of your brave actions is all over town.” She moved next to the tub, kneeling. “Ridgehill used to be prosperous. Now it’s full of desperate refugees. The wealthy have fled.”

“Your clients all left, this is not a hotel, it’s a high-class brothel.”

“High-class,” she laughed. “A whore is a whore. However, we do provide better service and keep cleaner.” She moved her hand into the tub, reaching for his cock. “Let me assure you, us so-called high-class prostitutes are much dirtier in other ways,” she said while stroking his cock.

“You think a handjob is dirty?” If so, he would get up and leave on principle.

“You are not in the mood for more, but you need to relax.” She got him to full erection, taking her time stroking the length of him. “You are ... very large.”

He knew she was not stroking his ego, yet he was not happy with her words. Girls said that just before leaving, not wanting his log of a cock inside them. A point of endless frustration.

She joined him in the tub, it was large enough, for this was its true purpose. Using both hands she grabbed his cock, stroking all of him. One hand focused on the tip and the other his base, “You have to relax. Here,” she said, leaning forward, offering her well-formed breasts to him. He grabbed them, enjoying their softness.

She took her time, making sure to pleasure all of his cock, moving to play with his balls, never doing the same thing for too long. He could hear her breathing, she was doing so on purpose, for him, it was like she was humming a lullaby. Her breaths, her stroking, the feel of her soft breasts, all of it brought him over the edge.

His cum shot into the air landing on her face and covering her soapy hands. It had been a while, and his built up cum kept shooting. She purposely aimed him at her face and stomach, getting most of her upper body splashed with his cum.

She stood and paused, letting his eyes wander over the curves of her wet body, with her face, chest, and stomach dripping with his cum. Without cleaning herself off, she left the bath.

He’d fallen asleep in the tub. The rest he got was just as good as the one before. He checked his mana, and it was the same. Too bad. Sex and sleep did not increase his stats.

He went to the bar, and Rayner was waiting for him.

“Hey,” Axel said.

“Hey,” Rayner said, drinking this world’s version of coffee.

“Last night...”

“Same,” Rayner said, blushing.

A waitress brought him a drink, and they sat silently for a time. They had been fighting since getting to this world and now that they had time to think, they did not know what to do with themselves.

“The prostitute told me the town has gone to hell. All but one of the neighboring towns and local villages and hamlets have been attacked,” Rayner said, after finishing his drink.

“The rich left, leaving the poor. I don’t blame them.”

“I do. The rich have a responsibility to care for the poor who let them live their lives of privilege.”

It was good to know Rayner had not changed too much. Axel called for the waitress. “How many people live in this town now?”

“2000 before the invasion, 5000 after the refugees came.”

“Thanks.” He did not expect an exact number. Why did she know that?

“Are you sure that’s all you want lords?” she said suggestively, leaning forward to show her assets. Yes, this was a brothel for sure. He politely declined; surprisingly, Rayner looked like he wanted her to stay.

Getting Rayner’s attention by waving a hand in his face, he continued. “Ridgehill has more than doubled in size. I am surprised they let all those people in.”

“My guess is that it has something to do with the gods. If many of the refugees worship the same god or an allied god, then the town leaders may have had their hands forced.”

“My god, politics must be hell in this land.”

“They are at war, so yes, it is hell,” Rayner said.

“What’s next for us? Everyone has gone their separate ways. We live in the same hotel, but everyone has their own priorities.”

“This is a RPG world, with no guild, and since this country has no major religion, there is not a church that posts missions.”

“Because of our Titles, we are not affiliated with any religions. So it wouldn’t matter.”

“You know what!” Rayner banged the table with his glass of beer. “We won’t figure out anything sitting around. Let’s get out and see what this town has to offer, we can meet back here at the end of the day.”

“Look at you, taking the initiative. I like it.”

They got up to leave, but the waitress stopped them. “The Madam wants to talk with you two.”

“We were just heading out. Is she fine if only I attend?”

“Yes, that would be acceptable sir.”

“You go on ahead Rayner. I’ll see ya later,” Axel said, waving Rayner off and turning to the waitress. “Take me to your leader.”

The joke fell flat.

Rayner left the hotel, wondering what the Madam wanted from them, hoping that they don’t owe money for sleeping with those prostitutes. It could be because he was a little rough with the girl that showed up in his room. He was having nightmares about the battles and thought she was attacking him. He had grabbed her by the throat and thrown her on the bed. She had taken it in stride, smiling and telling him she offered rough play as well. The old him would have told her she was mistaken, that was not what he wanted, but it was a lie. He took her on the bed, without taking off her clothes. When he woke up, she was gone. He would find and apologize to her.

Poverty and suffering were everywhere as he walked the streets instead of riding past them in a wagon. Beggars sat on the ground with their hands out. Mangey dogs dug around for trash. Barefoot children ran through the streets, trying to steal coin purses. He was wearing clothes from his home world, with pockets they could not open or find. He was likely stronger than everyone here and still did not feel safe.

At the market, plenty of food was for sale at what looked to be fair prices. Yet people went hungry.

The market was structured differently from the rest Ridgehill; the vendors sold their wares out of buildings lining the streets, instead of the open-air market he imagined from fantasy TV. This reminded him of a plaza from back home.

Rayner stopped by a shop with a sign of a symbol of three crossed swords; he could swear he saw that sign somewhere before. A bearded man came out and waved for him to enter, seeing him standing there watching the shop. When Rayner didn’t move, a bearded man left the shop and dragged him inside. Aggressive marketing.

“Sorry for grabbing you like that boy, but standing in the streets gawking isn’t safe,” said the bearded man who forced Rayner into his shop. “These be dangerous times, and what you need for danger is weapons!”

Rayner gave the man a smile, he was entertaining, and the hammer he stole from the Inimi army wasn’t a proper weapon. Both he and Axel could use an upgrade in weaponry. Axel’s knife had suddenly broken; Garman said the durability was low.

“I use a hammer, my friend uses a knife,” he said.

“I have just the weapon for you,” the weapons dealer said. He grabbed a pick-hammer on display hanging from the wall.

Rayner took it, giving the hammer a few practice swings. The pick-hammer, lighter than his current weapon, felt odd in his hands. But he could see himself getting used to it. The long shaft of the weapon would extend his reach. The pick end of the hammer didn’t suit him.

“Something wrong sir?”

“Don’t know if a pick is for me ... also, I might drop this when the shaft gets covered in blood.” Did he say that casually? His face tightened and stomach churned, remembering the blood, his hand covered in it.

“I have wrapping that soaks up blood neatly, and material for a firm grip. I would suggest the pick-hammer, never know when it will come in handy!”

“Sure, I’ll take it.” He took the first weapon offered. He couldn’t be bothered to haggle and would pay higher to avoid it.

“Here you go, 3 silver.”

“And a knife?”

The weapons dealer pointed down. The counter had a glass cabinet under it, with knives on display. The knives were flamboyant, to say the least. The cabinet held a dagger so long that it should be a sword, another had the shape of a porcupine, and other curved in on itself.

“These knives are ... exotic,” Rayner said.

“You Worshipers do like your strange weapons. I hear it’s because bonuses are added to the weapons by gods or the World. You would know better than I why women wear armor that covers nothing.”

So, they had that in this world too. The World gives bonuses for certain weapons. It would explain why Axel’s knife broke; the World had set limited durability on it. Good to know the World is a God on its own.

“What are these bonuses?”

“Sorry sir, I don’t know. Not trying to cheat you, not saying they do anything amazing. I can only guarantee that they come with bonuses.”

“Is my hammer the same?”

“No bonuses on the hammer sir.”

“That’s OK. I prefer a knife with no bonuses.”

“No problem,” the man said, taking out a simple dagger.

“Good enough. Sorry I didn’t get your name?”

“Dian Powin sir, please come again.” Dian bowed slightly.

Rayner wanted to achieve more for the day than buying weapons. While wandering the streets he came upon several temples, packed close together and gleaming white. Refugees went in and out from all of them. A woman came up to him and asked him if he wanted to rent space at a temple. When he told her he did not understand, she explained many worshipers did not have a church, so they rented space to pray. Smart idea, and practical. His Title Faithless meant he didn’t need such services. Time to move on.

A man ran up to him. Rayner grabbed his hammer. The man slowed down and raised his palm up. In this world, the raising of the palm was a sign of peace and surrender. It allowed him to see his stats as well. The man posed no threat.

“Sorry—I just—sorry,” the man stuttered.

“It’s fine, you surprised me,” he said.

“I need your help,” the man blurted out.

“I can’t give you any money.”

“No, I do need money, but I actually want to hire you.”

“With no money? And who says I’m for hire?”

“I can offer my services for barter. You see sir, I have been praying for days and my God can offer no help, I have even prayed to other gods for help, but none have answered. Until now. My God says you can help me.”

“You can switch gods? And does your god have a name and what can you barter?”

He took a moment to take in all of Rayner’s questions. “Yes, I only worshiped a small god. Most small gods have no personality and aren’t powerful enough to warrant having a name. They won’t curse Worshipers for switching gods. As for my services, my god will bless you,” the man said.

Interesting, that was something to investigate. Asking too many questions might spook the nervous man. The problem was that their Titles made this deal tricky. The Title Faithless meant he could not worship a god, this job was a loophole around that, and Axel wouldn’t benefit as he couldn’t receive blessings or curses. “My God does not allow others to bless me. Sorry.”

The man looked desperate. “Your allies could receive a blessing, maybe an item instead.”

“What exactly is this blessing?”

“A charm,” the man avoided his eyes. Rayner knew what kind of charm he meant.

“Alright, what’s the job?” His acceptance surprised the man. Rayner wanted to take the job and help this man even without the reward.

“I left my family to come to the Alis region. I had a family member who owned a farm around here. We were going to move here once I checked things out.”

“Then everything went to hell.”

“They live in the Alea region of Alta where monsters are active, it’s why we wanted to move. War is here and monsters over there. I did not know what I could do. Until my God directed me to you.”

“I am not familiar with this land. If I’m correct, the monsters are north of this town,” he said.

“Yes sir, it is a difficult place to leave with few strong Worshipers to do quests. That is why I need you to get my family and bring them here to me. I am betting Alis will recover from the war. It has before.”

Rayner took note that Alea suffered invasion before. “So, do we sign a contract or something?”

“No, we just shake hands. You truly are a foreigner.”

Rayner took his hand and sealed the deal. He was signing up Axel for this as well, but Axel had grown kinder since coming here. Seeing suffering in real life and not on TV may have changed his attitude. He didn’t even make a joke about his social justice project when he gave the money to the refugees.

“Where can I find you when the job is done?”

“You can come here and look for me, I pray daily, or ask for me at the second block apartments. Tell the landlord you are looking for Fred Copper.”

The man left after writing down the location of his family and giving him some other minor details. He left in a hurry; was he afraid Rayner would change his mind?

They had a quest. Rayner had one thing left to do.

Tessa greeted him at the refugee quarter, otherwise known as the slums. The smell of unwashed bodies and waste bombarded his senses. Tessa couldn’t stay with them at the hotel any longer, and she did not want to. She rejected the brothel and cursed it as a hive of sin. A hotel is better than a slum, in his opinion.

Tessa led him through the narrow paths, past crowded makeshift homes. Women offered him sexual services at rock-bottom prices, flashing him their tits as he walked by. The streetwalkers grabbed his crotch and placed his hands between their legs and on their chest. A girl his age offered him an entire week with her for food or a place to stay. Many of the women recognized Tessa and went back to their dark corners when she scolded them. Rayner hoped the money from the loot would make its way to the people of the slums soon.

They made it to Tessa’s shack; its interior was well furnished and clean compared to the others he glimpsed on his way here.

“It’s not that bad my lord. I have kept my position as a representative of the refugees, and I am taken care of when I need food.”

“What are you going to do for work? Representing refugees isn’t a paying job, even if they do share food.”

“My husband was a farmer, and I tended to the gardens. Once it is safe, I can occupy the abandoned farms. That’s what many of the jobless masses are waiting for and because you killed all the bandits that may happen very soon.”

“Are you safe here?”

“Safer than most, everyone is sticking together.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you all. Me and Axel are not lords. We never said we were. We thought it would make things go smoother if everyone believed that.”

“Yes, we knew,” Tessa said as if it were nothing.

At seeing his hanging mouth, she giggled and explained. “I am sorry, Rayner. We were all desperate and believed if you two felt the responsibility of lords, you would continue to help us.”

“Oh well, I guess it worked out for everyone then,” he said, clapping his knee, laughing.

“Yes ... Rayner, why are you here? We did not grow very close in our travels, and while I owe you my life, and you are a kind young man, I don’t see why you would visit.”

He had not seen the question coming. He did not know himself. He’d thought he was checking in on a woman he was responsible for, but that wasn’t the reason. “I can’t talk to Axel about it. He doesn’t want to talk at all.”

“The violence,” she said.

“Yes. Since we came to this land, Alta, it’s been nothing but violence. It’s not that we did not expect it, we were seeking it but...”

“It did not turn out how you hoped.”

“Even when the battles were easy, it was hard. That sounds weird, but it’s how I feel. I hammer a guy to death, and I feel relieved because it’s over, but it’s not because I’ve got to kill the next guy. I have to fight to get stronger, so I can fight less, but it just means I have to fight more.”

“Violence creates more violence.”

“Yes, that’s it. What I’m doing is not working. Eventually, we are going to stop getting lucky and run into real trouble and die, or worse, people around us will die.”

He rambled on, speaking of the blood and the guts and the fear, and Tessa listened patiently. Until she grabbed his head and placed it on her lap.

“What are you doing?”

She gently stroked his brown hair. “It’s a lap pillow.”

“I know what it is, why are you doing it.”

“This worked for my husband after a bad harvest. I don’t know how else to comfort a man ... other than coupling, but you have plenty of that with the whores.”

“Oh OK,” he said trying to relax, ignoring her venom for the hotel staff.

“I don’t know what to say to make you feel better, and I would not tell you if I knew. Because then you would stop, go off to a safe country and live the easy life like other powerful Worshipers. You have suffered, but you have suffered and accomplished much. Most cannot say the same. My husband died fighting off goblins to get us to safety; he fought and suffered. If I and my children died, it would have meant nothing. You and Axel have people’s sacrifices mean something. I hope that can give you some comfort. For it comforts me.”

“It does, a little. Thank you.”

At least he had not broken down crying. He wasn’t there yet.

Then her kids came rushing in, screaming, and raising hell. The oldest tackled him. Unlike when he first met the child, it wasn’t in anger. Rayner would stay here for a while and play with the kids. And not think about violence while he did.

Axel sat in the Madam’s office room. The Madam, the owner of this fancy brothel doubling as a hotel, was also on the town council. He considered she may use his and Rayner’s sexual encounters to blackmail them, but that seemed silly. What would she do, tell their non-existent families?

“We didn’t get much time to speak yesterday. Just as well, I wanted to speak with you alone, without the merchant or the guardsman,” Grace said.

Did she now?

“The refugees had so much to say about you and it all sounded amazing.”

“I don’t think so.”

“I do.”

“That’s nice.”

“You came out of the Corpsewood. The last anyone heard two armies had gone there to attack Grayhaven. After that, the both of you fought some wolves, captured some bandits, and wiped out an entire camp of them.”

“You are making this sound like something special, we had experienced guardsmen with us.”

“You told the refugees that you were from far away, so you may not be aware of the difficulty of your actions. But you are right, none of these things are impossible. You two boys are completely normal, other than your charitable nature toward the refugees. What isn’t normal is that you are at level 3 and a teenager.”

“I train hard.” Axel tried to keep a cool face.

Piercing gray eyes examined Axel’s expression. “This confirms it. It’s not that you’re hiding something, because you don’t know you have something to hide,” she leaned forward over the desk, staring intensely at him. “Most worshipers stay at level 1 their entire lives. Some acolytes get to level 2; you are at level 3!”

“Getting experience has been hard, but reaching 100 EXP should happen, eventually.”

“What backward place did you come from? 100 EXP to level up is a myth told to peasants to let them dream of being strong Worshipers. It’s the quality of the experience that counts; 1 point of EXP could level a Worshiper up.”

“Then what is experience for?”

“It’s an estimate. Worshipers use EXP as currency. It is something everyone has, but still limited, valuable and universal. Before you ask, no, it cannot be used to force a level up. Again, quality not quantity.”

“Why is it valuable if it can’t help users to level up?” he asked, feeling like a schoolboy getting a lecture. It was useful, however. This is the first time he’d gotten a proper info dump from anyone.

Grace leaned back in her chair, frustrated at his ignorance. “What do you think we give the gods when we worship them?” Mind ... blown. She could see the shock on his face and looked equally shocked by his reaction. “This is not how I imagined this conversation going.”

Her shock at his level made sense now. The gods are the source of power, and Worshipers need power to get greater and more quality experiences. But gods take EXP as payment for power ... good lord, that made it almost impossible to level up. It was like the debt trap his parents got stuck in. You need the loan to pay the loan to work to pay the loan!