After boarding the wagon, everything else was a blur. All she could remember were the shadowy trees in the night, decorating the skies with it's pitch black, tendril-like branches and the sore aching of her body caused by the rocking of the wagon, as it travelled down unpaved roads to the only safe-haven both she and her Butler knew about: The polyrace-ran town of Harvirn, located on the coasts of the Kingdom of Cyntrum.

However, the ride was cut short by an intense shaking of the wagon, as both the girl, her butler, and the other pa.s.sengers were thrown off. One by one, she watched as her family members were picked off one by the ones pursuing them.

"Why..." She uttered out, a watching Freud, her bodyguard, getting his neck slit open by one of the a.s.sa.s.sins, "Why are you doing this? Which family sent you!?"

The leader of the group stepped forward, a tall, thin looking man with long black hair and marble like skin, who's eyes were as thin and sharp as his dagger.

"Forgive us, Lady Franciska, but it seems as though the Aldorei Council no longer needs human support." Explained the leader, "We have been dispatched to cut ties with all hindrances to our independence."

"Independence?" Asked Franciska.

"We have moved on from the Dark Ages thanks to humans, we will admit that. But now that we no longer need to rely on you to keep this peace, you humans now hold us back and we need to drop all dead weights in order to progress faster. Humanity had a good run, but now, it all ends, goodbye, Lady Franciska." Said the leader.

Just then, when she thought that her life was gonna end then and there, one lone man came running out, like a lunatic ready to die, speaking in a tongue unfamiliar to her ears. However, accompanied by a h.e.l.lish symphony, the lone human, clad in a greenish looking tunic of unknown design, managed to singlehandedly dispose of all the Elven a.s.sa.s.sins who were sent after her.

At first, she thought that maybe the man was casting some unknown spell with a ridiculously long cast time, but then, even though the leader had already been defeated and ran off, the man was still speaking in the same unknown language. Was he planning on using that same spell on them? Who was he?

Those fears washed over her, as the man approached her. And then...

"Lady Franciska?"

Franciska woke up from her short nap. Looking around, it seemed as though she had been on the wagon for at least a good hour or two. Turning to her right, she saw the man who saved her, sound asleep, recovering from his battle wounds. Just then, she realized who had woken her up, and turned to him.

"Vincent!" She called out, hugging her butler, "You made it! But how?"

"When the merchants saw the mage kill that Griffin, they immediately flocked to him like moths to a light source. They wanted to know what spells he used, how he managed to survive and all that, treating him like a great hero." Explained Vincent, "However, what surprised me the most was that he requested the merchants to bring me along since he did all that just to save us."

Franciska looked at Kaito.

"He... asked them to let out come with me?" Asked Franciska.

"Indeed, he is a strange fellow." Replied Vincent, "But he still saved our lives, so we are indebted him."

"Who is he though? A runaway mage? Some high cla.s.s adventurer?" Asked Franciska.

"It would seem that he isn't in the condition of answering our questions." Said Vincent.

"Yeah, it would seem so." Replied Franciska, "Vincent, how much money do we have left over?"

"We are dry on funds, Lady Franciska." Answered Vincent, "However, the Feathers, beak, hide and claws of the Griffin should give us enough money to house us and treat him."

"Good." Said Franciska, "I'm gonna have a lot to ask him once he wakes up."

...

Despite not being quite big enough to be called a city, the town of Harvirn was a flouris.h.i.+ng landmark and hotspot for merchants and adventurers alike. Unlike most towns on the outskirts of the capital, Havirn welcomed people of all races, making it one of the most peaceful towns in the province. The buildings were built with a Cla.s.sical European design, complete with bright red tiles for the roofs.

On the busy and flooded streets of the town, many citizens and adventurers flocked to a large gathering, as word spread like wild fire that a band of merchants had brought in the carca.s.s of a Griffin. Imagination ran wild in the minds of young, wannabe adventurers, as they shuddered in excitement, wanting to see the feeled beast up close.

"Oh my goodness!" Exclaimed some of the townsfolk, "It's... It's really a Griffin! They weren't kidding!"

"A Griffin? No way! It must be some sort of trick! A really large hawk perhaps?" Commented some skeptics.

"How could you say that when the body is clearly lying before you!?" Replied another townsfolk.

"Did Griffin always have 2 legs? I thought they were quadrupedal creatures." Said a creature specialist, adjusting his gla.s.ses to examine the monster, "Great Scott! It's front legs were blown clean off!"

"Blown clean off? Now I just know something's up! Even Ballista bolts can only leave shallow puncture wounds on those beasts, what kind of insane magic or Dwarven relic could manage to blast off the front legs of such a beast? Let alone hit one!" Exclaimed another skeptical townsfolk.

As the crowd gathered, groups made up of strong, musclebound men gathered around the wagon, helping the merchants unload the prey, as they decided to sell their catch now while they still have a crowd. Just then, Franciska and Vincent walked up to the crowd, carrying Kaito's unconscious body.

"Can anyone help us? This man's been injured and needs medical treatment now!" Said Franciska.

Some of the townsfolk walked up to the three of them.

"Are you the group that slayed the Griffin?" Asked a group of kids, their eyes s.h.i.+ning with child-like awe.

"Yes, yes we are." Said Franciska.

"Wow! So cool!" Said the kids, before their supposed mother ran at them, pulling them back a bit.

"Sorry about that miss." Said the woman, "My kids are always fascinated with the idea of joining an adventurer's guild and running on expeditions and all that, so they get really agitated whenever they meet real adventurers."

"Oh, it's not a problem." Replied Franciska, "But please, we need to get this man some medical help. He's the one who killed the Griffin but was hurt badly in the process."

The lady took a look at Kaito, as his face s.h.i.+fted to a more concerned and serious look.

"He's been hurt bad." Said the lady, "I run an inn with my husband, you can stay there for free. We may not be able to afford a doctor, but my husband's served in the army, so he knows basic medical training and has some healing potions stored in case of emergency, we can take him there."

"Good, let's go then." Said Franciska, "Come Vincent."

Later that day, Kaito woke up in a bed, his body still aching from the fall he took. Surprised that he was even alive still, he reached to left, hoping to find the nurse call b.u.t.ton. Oh right, he wasn't in his world anymore. That kind of stuff definitely doesn't exist.

Attempting to get up, he noticed that he had been mostly stripped down, all the way down to his tanktop and boxers. Looking around the room, couldn't find where they put his uniform or guns, so as far as he was concerned, all he had to defend himself with in case of another attack were his bare fists.

Suddenly, he heard the turning of a k.n.o.b, as the door to his right opened, and a young girl walked in. It was Franciska.

"So you're awake." She said, sitting down next to him.

"How... How long was I out?" Asked Kaito, his throat feeling dry.

"5 hours." Answered Franciska.

"Dang." Kaito replied, flopping back into his bed, "And my outfit?"

"They're in the care of Eliza." Replied Franciska, "Anymore questions?"

"Well, I have tons, but most of them are pretty irrevelant." Chuckled Kaito, "But if I had to ask one more, can I have some water, my throat feels as dry as the Arabian Desert."

"The... Ar-Ara... the what desert?" Asked Franciska.

"C-Can I just get some water?" Asked Kaito rapidly, hoping to divert her attention.

"Sure."

As Franciska existed the room, Kaito got out of bed. His body felt mostly recovered, albeit a tad sore. Looking to his left, he saw a window. Curiosity of this world got the better of him, as he opened the window, letting the brisk afternoon air into his room, staring out to get a view of the city he was staying at.

To his surprise, he was at a much higher elevation than he thought, as he saw countless buildings stretching on for several dozen yards, stopping at the coast, where the sun was setting behind a gold tinted ocean, while birds flew off in the distance.

Looking down, he saw countless humanoid creatures of the likes he had only previously seen in videogames and movies. People with scaly skin, people with long ears, short people, winged people, people with one eye, people with cow heads. Despite how the gruesome method of how he ended here, Kaito was stunned and amazed by the world he ended up in, a world he had stared at behind a gla.s.s screen for so many years.

Just then, a loud bang was heard from downstairs. A gunshot, followed by screams. Panicked, the ran out of his room and down the stairs to the common area, thinking someone was attacking them. He saw a shadowy figure looming around the corner and, without thinking twice, he pounced.

"Take this whoever you are!" Exclaimed Kaito, tackling the supposed a.s.sailant.

However, to his surprise, he found himself buried facefirst into the chest of Franciska, who had just spill water all over herself due to the tackle. The two locked eyes for a brief moment, before Franciska, face tomato red, kicked Kaito so through the roof.

"PERV!"

As Kaito fell down, he waved his hand around in a panicked motion, as Franciska took a kitchen knife from the counter, pointing it at his neck.

"You have 5 seconds to explain yourself before I end your life!" Franciska exclaimed, enraged.

"P-P-Please! Fran! Let me explain! This is all a huge misunderstanding! I heard a gunshot and thought you might have been in trouble! So I ran down in panic hoping that everythins was alright,, which they are alright from the looks of it but now I groped you and I'm so dead aren't I?"

Franciska looked at him with her fierce eyes, before putting down the knife.

"How did I get saved by such an incompetent buffon?" She asked herself.

"H-Hey! Who are you calling incompetent!" Exclaimed Kaito, before realizing why he ran down, "Oh right! The gunshot! Where did that come from!?"

As Kaito ran right past Franciska and into the common area, he saw nothing out the ordinary. Except the fact that the supposed family that had saved him and Vincent were all huddled up in a corner, staying away from something on the floor. Looking down, he saw his handgun lying by his uniform.

"What happened here?" Asked Kaito.

"We were just looking through your stuff, then we found that odd contraption." Explained Eliza, "My son Hugo thought it was a toy and played with it. Just then, it made a loud banging noise and our priced porcelain plate shattered across the room!"

Letting out a sigh of relief, Kaito walked up to his belongings.

"Glad to see no one got hurt." Said Kaito, Before walking up to Hugo, "And kid, next time, don't touch something that you don't recognize, okay?"

"G-Got it mister." Replied Hugo.

As Kaito dug through what he had left for weapons, Franciska walked into the room, sitting next to him.

"So, now that we got all that out of the way, how about you answer some of my questions?" Asked Franciska.

"Sure thing, ask away."