Honestly, even she can’t fallenangel all of us, if we all just talk shit then surely there’s nothing she can do. Free the realmnet! Free from Tyranny! @[DELETED]

->o7 brave dumbass. @Timkenny (unverified)

->o7 @LeafLegends (Realmer)

*It was later found that the original poster was a teen. The connected account replied that it was just a prank and it was only to help the Witch Tyrant. When questioned, the Witch Tyrant denied any involvement with the affair.

“I do not hex children.”

*The Witch Tyrant did not answer when asked how she knew the age of the original poster.

“14C Morken street, wow.” Milock commented.

The area the old orc lived in had to have been one of the most run-down places Ryan had ever seen. The duo walked into the apartment block, and he knocked on the door. It was more of a tiny space sandwiched between two other tiny spaces.

A gruff voice spoke from behind them.

“Well, at least I know you weren’t planning on ambushing me.”

Both of them jumped. Ryan hadn’t heard or seen the huge orc behind him at all. A bit embarrassing for a [Rogue], but that was an ex-eighth realm for you.

Barry moved to open the door for them.

“Come in.”

The living room was quite a bit more spacious than he had expected, mostly because there wasn’t much in the room. Just a couch, a TV and a small coffee table. Barry flicked his head towards his couch.

“Sit, I’ll stay standing.”

Both the young men shrugged and listened to the host. The couch wasn’t that big, there was no chance that all three of them would be able to sit comfortably.

Barry crossed his arms. “Alright, what is it?”

“I don’t think I actually introduced myself. My name’s Ryan, by the way.”

“Cut to the point.”

He was starting to wonder if coming to the ex-adventurer was a bad idea. He had technically come into conflict with soldiers, and maybe Barry would rat him out. Then again, the orc had given him a healing potion that was probably worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was probably the only thing the orc had of value.

A minimum of trust was the least Ryan could give.

“Something messed up happened with… everything, and I’m trying to figure out if you could help.”

Barry seemed dubious. “And you came to me? Who you know nothing about. Why not go to the Guild?”

Ryan imagined going to the Guild and trying to explain what had happened. The Adventurer’s Guild that the Tyrants had set up. Oh yeah, that would go well.

“I should explain from the beginning.”

–

It took thirty minutes to tell the entire story, minus the part with the Witch Tyrant. Gamielle and the Witch Tyrant were described as outlaw dragonslayers. He also didn’t tell them about his lost safety life, describing the Manager’s encounter as more of a blatant lie than anything else.

Milock had been quiet until the end. One glare from Barry had silenced his friend from asking questions. Ryan really wanted to learn that trick.

“That- this is crazy! I still don’t get how the Manager lied.” Milock burst out.

“The Manager singling out a random ass kid like you? I almost don’t believe it.” Barry talked over Milock.

“Like I said, I don’t remember it completely, but if you took each sentence it said as an individual statement with no implications, then technically everything the Manager said is true and not a lie. I just didn’t think it could do that.” Ryan said. “And I’m not a random ass kid.”

Barry grunted. “A random kid that the Manager sent into the waiting arms of a Dragonslayer…” then his golden eyes bore into Ryan. “You’re still hiding something.”

Gamielle was right about one thing. Ryan really had to learn to lie better. His story didn’t quite explain why he couldn’t go to the adventurer’s guild on Earth.

“I, it’s a little much,” Ryan looked to Milock, who looked like he had his worldview shaken. The Manager, an entity known for its impartiality, the fact that it was a scheming bastard wasn’t something easy to digest. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to share more with Milock here.

Barry pushed the issue. “If you want my help, you’re going to have to tell me everything.”

Ryan bit his lip, then lowered his voice. “The dragonslayer Gamielle is the Witch Tyrant’s daughter, I met the Tyrant in the cave.”

“Ah. Shit.” Barry said. Clearly regretting pushing for an answer.

“What!?” Milock shouted.

“Yeah, I just thought the last thing you said at the Manaburger was about the Tyrants and if the Manager had timed this whole thing-”

“That you were given breadcrumbs that led to me.”

Barry finished the thought. He scratched a tusk and went silent. There was something in the orc’s expression that was also hiding something. This wasn’t a random ex-eighter. This was someone who could still use his aura despite having lost his powers. He glared at Ryan’s suspicious look and shook his head.

“I don’t know anything about the end that swordsman kid and the Tyrants are preparing for. I also don’t have anything I can do to help you with the Tyrants. I was just an eighth, nothing more.”

Ryan sagged. Back to the drawing board, he’d have to figure everything out solo.

“But. I do think I can help.”

Ryan raised his hands, helplessly. “I’ll take anything I can get.”

Barry raised an eyebrow. “It won’t be free.”

He just laughed. “Well, I’m poor as shit now. I don’t even know if I can pay the excess on my health insurance. But if I survive and can get realmcoin out somehow, I’ll pay you.”

“Ten million dollars, when you can pay for it.”

Ryan coughed, Milock, who had been trying his best not to interrupt, exclaimed. “Ten million dollars!”

Barry was unmoved. “You said you had a soulweapon right? Bring it out.”

He summoned his sword, it appeared almost instantly in his hand. It was a simple one-handed design with a blade that was the length of his forearm. The blade sparkled slightly, brighter than regular steel, the enchantments on the edge vibrating the air a little.

“Growth type.” Ryan said. “It will progress with me up to the eighth realm without needing a [Blacksmith] or a Trial upgrade. Unbound, it’s probably worth tens, maybe even hundreds of millions to dragonslayers with children.”

He was starting to understand what Barry was getting at. If he’d already been equipped with something so expensive, money in the future shouldn’t be a problem. If he survived, of course.

“Doesn’t that fuck with achievements?” Milock asked.

Ryan shrugged. “If you had a kid, wouldn’t you rather set them up with good equipment even if they got lesser achievements?” Then he frowned, remembering Zedart’s gear. “Zedart’s parents are just messed up.”

Barry grunted. “Ten million dollars or equivalent realmcoin when you reach the eighth realm. At least a million paid whenever you have the funds. I’ll teach you free for one week, then you can decide to back out when it’s over.”

Barry uncrossed his arms and extended a hand. Ryan put his sword on the table and stood up to shake the orc’s hand.

Right before they clasped, Barry moved-

The orc pushed forward with an elbow to Ryan’s throat, his left hand grabbed at Ryan’s outstretched right arm. One of the orc’s knees went up and hit his solar plexus. He tried to twist away—

But the couch behind him was at the perfect tripping height. Ryan fell backwards onto the couch. The knee that had hit his solar plexus was now pinning down his left wrist. His right arm held by Barry’s left as Ryan found no leverage, nothing to kick or move with.

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He tried to kick up, but his angle on the couch was all wrong.

Orcs tended to be quite a bit heaver and taller than most humans. If you compared the average bodybuilder on Earth, you would have an orc that simply worked out an hour a day. Barry was a step bigger than that.

All 350 pounds of green muscle was pinning him down.

Ryan, who was supposed to have beaten three soldiers, beaten a prodigious [Warrior] and faced down a Tyrant was getting choked out by the elbow of an ordinary orc. He started to really panic as he saw the cold, predatory eyes of the orc.

Milock screamed and hit Barry on the back. It did nothing more than if he’d hit the orc with a pool noodle. Barry just grunted and kicked Milock, his friend falling back, skidding across the ground… dazed.

Ryan saw what happened to Milock and only saw red. He started pushing hard, tried to summon his soulsword… the one he had just summoned.

It was on cooldown.

He realized he was fucked. The world grew dark as Barry spoke.

“Lesson one runt, never, ever let your guard down. Not in The Realm and not on Earth, not with people you just met.”

Then the orc was off him. Milock, who had recovered, missed his tackle entirely as he went sprawling over the floor.

Ryan picked up his sword from the table and pointed it at Barry’s throat.

“At least your first instinct was to pick up a weapon.” Barry said.

Ryan glared at Barry, his sword continuing to point at the orc while he looked his friend over. He was such a dumbass, why had he brought Milock along?

Barry spoke freely, uncaring about the edge at his throat. “He’s fine, I didn’t hit him hard. You’ve got a good friend.”

Ryan ignored Barry. “You okay, Milo?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Milock wasn’t fine, his voice was shaky, and he looked terrified from the sudden conflict. Ryan gritted his teeth and lowered the blade from the orc’s throat. He stared daggers at the orc instead.

“If this is how you’re going to teach, then I don’t need it. C’mon, Milo, let’s go.”

Barry scoffed. “You need the training more than you know. I’d say that having a bounty and being blacklisted is going to be even worse than being a Trialist in my generation. Everywhere is going to be behind enemy lines.”

“I don’t need an abusive coach.” Ryan said coldly.

Milock put a hand on Ryan’s arm. “Can we all calm down, Ryan, he has a point. You’re supposed to be a realm 1 adventurer, right? You shouldn’t have been beaten like that.”

He flushed. That wasn’t fair. “My body’s not adjusted. Realm upgrades can take days if I don’t take a portal. Also, he kicked you, Milo, I’m not okay with that.”

“I pushed him with my foot to stop him from hurting himself.” Barry corrected.

The orc then rolled his shoulders and stepped towards Ryan’s blade, Barry pointed at Ryan’s chest. Stabbing forward with every sentence. “You’re the one that came here with an unadapted body, you’re the one that brought your friend to an undisclosed location without scoping it out, you’re the one that put down your only weapon on the table.”

Ryan opened his mouth to make excuses, but Barry continued. “You’re tired and desperate, I can tell. It’s still no excuse. Don’t let your guard down again. That’s when the best die.”

The orc then motioned his head at Milock. “At least you’ve got a friend that’s willing to risk his neck for you.”

Ryan closed his mouth. He was starting to hate dealing with older adventurers. He lowered his sword completely and narrowed his eyes.

“You got lesson number two?”

Barry laughed. “Yeah, learn to negotiate. That Gamielle would have obviously offered more, I would have happily accepted four million. Blacklisted or not, figuring out exactly what your opponent wants is the key to everything.”

He tried not to scowl. “Okay, lesson number three?”

“Hmph, you haven’t even understood the first two lessons. We’ll need to hammer lesson one until it becomes natural. Lesson two might take longer.”

Milock could tell Ryan was still trying to decline Barry’s offer. He had seen him stonewall plenty of people at Manaburger. His friend cut in before Ryan spoke. “Okay, one week, right? If you believe it’s worth it, we continue. That makes sense right Ryan??”

“Seven days on Earth,” Barry clarified.

Milock looked at him. Ryan turned and gave the orc the most insincere smile he could and reached his hand out. Sword in his other hand.

“Let’s shake on it.”

–

Surprisingly, there wasn’t much Barry could contribute to Ryan’s game plan. The runt was better than expected. He already had concrete plans ready for how to hit most probable Trial scenarios. There were logical adaptations to being solo, and he could adapt on the fly.

When he had tried to grill Ryan on some key issues, the boy had already thought of them and had his reasons why he wanted to do things his way. He knew so much. It was like he lived and breathed the Trials. For a moment, Barry wondered if all kids in his generation were like this.

That thought only lasted until Milock opened his mouth and tried to contribute. He grunted and looked at the map of the First Sector.

“No comment on my plans?” Ryan asked him.

“Not much, looks like you’ve got most angles covered, hm, except one.”

Ryan tensed. Throughout the conversation, Barry had taken swings at him. They weren’t supposed to land, just to keep the runt in a state of awareness and tension.

“What is it?” Ryan asked.

“How are you going to deal with Trial intruders?”

“Fuck.”

–

Ryan and Barry were having a fierce and disturbing debate. Milock didn’t know how to interject. Sure, he’d fantasized about all of this, but he realized he was well and truly out of his depth. Ryan came up with the most unhinged plan he’d heard of, and the orc actually smiled.

“Hmph, didn’t think about that, yeah it’d definitely work on this generation.”

Ryan leaned back with his signature smug look.

Now.

Milock chucked a heavy mug, and it dinged his friend in the head.

“Yes!” He jumped in celebration.

Ryan turned to glare at him–as he got a swift push kick from Barry. His friend went scrambling across the floor and hit the wall, lightly. Ryan had been sitting on the ground once he realized the plush couch had been a deathtrap.

“Lesson one, part two,” Barry started, “when ambushed or caught by surprise, get ready to dodge the next attack.”

“I hate both of you.”

Milock laughed as he tried to hi-five Barry. The orc just stared at him with his arms crossed. He lowered his hand and laughed at Ryan.

“You always lower your guard when you think you’ve won.”

At least he’d managed to contribute somehow.

–

The three of them sat down, Ryan was back on the couch, leaning back to keep both Barry and his traitorous friend in view. Barry had promised no more shenanigans, but there was no way he was going to lower his guard now.

Which was probably the point. That made him a little bitter.

“Why is negotiation lesson two?” Ryan asked. “Be honest, you have no idea what the next lessons will be.”

“Wrong, I just need time to set things up,” Barry said. “Negotiation is lesson number two because learning to negotiate isn’t just about money.”

Ryan, who had sold his life for a million dollars and would sell his soulweapon in a heartbeat, frowned at the idea.

Barry continued. “Negotiating is about knowing what’s important to the other party, figuring out what that is means you’re in a better position to threaten or make the other party come to parlay.”

“That’s obvious, isn’t it?”

“Then why haven’t you applied it to your situation?”

Ryan frowned. He took a moment to think. Then he understood.

“Now you get it,” Barry said. “The first letter from the Manager in eight years? The Witch Tyrant, who’s been a recluse in recent years, appearing suddenly? That’s desperation right there. Leverage. Now we just need to know what that means compared to their bottom line.”

Now that was useful. Ryan’s eyes narrowed as he started thinking of how to use this new information, his mind skipping ahead.

It seemed Barry noticed the thoughts running in Ryan’s head as he coughed. “Nothing you should use until you’re certain you’re ready. Understand?”

Ryan nodded his head absently.

Milock nudged Barry. “That’s his ‘I’m going to spite a rude customer face’ look.”

Ryan gave the traitor the same look.

The orc just sighed.

–

“I’m sorry, Mom, I’m okay, I’m with Milock, don’t worry.”

“Don’t sell me out!”

“No, I’m not going to give the phone to him. Mom, please, I’m fine, I just wanted to get out of the hospital.”

There was a blur of expletives and yelling as he held his phone away from his ear. He could hear Clara yelling in the background. Begging for help.

“I’m sorry. Tell Dad I’m fine. And please let Clara go, Mom. Kidnapping is illegal.” Ryan continued talking over his mother. “I’m fine! Just trust me, okay? Milock will call you if I fall into a coma or something.”

Ryan winced as he realized how that sounded. He turned off his phone and stared at it.

Yeah, that was a [Trapped Fireball] he was not looking forward to dealing with.

–

Six hours until he got blacklisted.

Ryan paced in the living room. He couldn’t sleep.

Milock and Barry had both left the apartment when they realized that it might have been their presence that was causing his insomnia.

“Bastard tells me to never let my guard down then tells me I should sleep.”

Ryan was alone pouring over the map and his plans, there was still so many things that could go wrong, and not a single thing had gone right since he entered the Manager’s abode.

He held his sword and started stabbing the air. He closed his eyes.

How did it go again?

Feel the skill flow through you when you use it, start local then expand. If you are using a sword, then start from the position of your fingers to the strength of your grip to the angle of your wrist, your arm and keep going. To learn a physical skill, having true uniform form is the first step.

-Zahiru

There were other explanations, but Ryan had always liked that one the best.

The only problem was that his Earth body was still catching up to his Realm self, the slightest improvements in his body threw everything in disarray.. He gave up after an hour and a half.

He lay on the ground looking up at the popcorn ceiling. He started counting the dots.

1

2

3

…

Ryan woke up to a kick in the ribs. It might have been a light tap now, but it was a hard kick in the pride. He slammed his hand on the ground and jumped up, weapon in hand.

“Hmph, good.”

He glared at the orc, then at Milock, who had let it happen. His friend just shrugged at him and he turned to Barry.

“I knew you’d do that. How am I supposed to be cautious when I sleep?”

Barry scratched a tusk. “Don’t sleep in The Realm. Or get a skill. I don’t think you’ll get trustworthy team members anytime soon.”

“Figures.”

Ryan checked the time. It was half an hour before Zedart would wake up, and he’d be blacklisted and hunted.

“Here goes nothing.”

“You’re going to go, just like that?” Milock asked.

“Yeah, we made the plan. Now it’s time to execute.”

Ryan rolled his shoulders and grinned. He activated the skill.

[Return to The Realm]

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