A Warlock's Ascent

The treatment camp was this huge land that was cleared for all the injured people. People were lying in the open field on bamboo mats, most of the people lying there had one more of their limbs missing, while some were simply injured.

Only a select few of them were in fact struggling for their lives and have black patches on their body. After glancing at those black patches once, he could only think of one thing that could have caused that type of injury, the black gooey stuff.

After bringing him to the camp, the soldier stood there and waited till he went deeper into the encampment. To act, he went deeper into the camp to show the soldier. He kept his head down while going inside so that no one would be able to see his face. And after walking a little further, he turned around and saw that the soldier had left, he decided to return back.

But as he turned around to go back, it was then he saw someone that he recognized. He saw Suzie. The middle-aged woman of Asian descent was going rounds around the wounded. While there were a few people following her around and taking notes and doing what she was telling them to do. Seeing this, Dave smiled. He remembers that she was a nurse back home. And now she was working and trying to save people of this world. Seeing this he felt happy.

She looked like an angel that was sent to Earth to help people in need. He was looking at her from afar, but he could tell from her face that she was tired. There were black circles around her eyes which showed that she was very tired. And he appreciated the fact that despite being so tired she was working hard for these people.

He wanted to talk to her. As she was alive and kicking, there could be a chance that Sanjay and Soo-Young could be alive as well. He wanted to ask her about them. But he was hesitating as he could not just go and talk to her. If someone see him with her and started asking questions then he could get into trouble. So if he wants to talk to her, he had to do it discreetly…

So he started stalking her around the camp. He also happens to come across a discarded bed sheet. So he wrapped his body with the bed sheet. He made sure that his face and his upper torso are fully wrapped and no one will be able to recognize him. After he was done he started roaming around the camp while stalking Suzie.

She on the other hand visited every patient that was lying on the mats. And after she was done she left the camp altogether with some physicians from the camp who kept following her. She then started making her way into the inner parts of the city.

As Dave followed her, he saw that she was going inside an army encampment on the other side of the city. There were various tents around the place and soldiers bearing official Ravenshade insignia were coming in and out of the camp. And she went inside the camp. Now stuck outside, Dave started formulating a plan. Luckily he had predicted something like this would happen.

That is why when he went to the second tower with Grump, he took a pair of official soldiers' armor from the tower. He took it as he thought that it might come in handy in the future. And he was right.

So he back for a moment and started looking for a small corner where he could put on the armor. After he was done, he put on the helmet of the soldiers over his head and started making his way inside the camp. As he got inside, he walked with confidence. He didn't let any of the people of the camp feel that he didn't belong there.

As he started roaming the camp, he understood that no one cared about what he was doing there. Everyone was busy in one way or another. So he focused on finding Suzie. But he was not able to find her. After searching for her for some time, he was able to spot the people that came to the camp while following her. They all seemed to be standing outside a tent and were talking to each other.

And after some time they left. Dave then went to the tent that they were standing by to peek inside. And sure enough there he saw Suzie lying in the bed of the tent. He then immediately looked around to see whether anyone was watching him. As he saw the road was clear, he immediately went inside. He then approached the sleeping Suzie.

As he got close to her, he quickly put his hand on her mouth. This startled her. She then immediately woke up and saw a soldier holding her mouth…

"Shhh…. Suzie, it's me, Dave. Do not scream." Hearing this Suzie's eyes widen with shock. She then looked at him closely and recognized him.

She immediately wrapped her hands around him and hugged him tightly…

"Dave! You are alive? How did you got rid of the monster horde? And are you hurt?" He on the other hand, felt embarrassed, he got aroused by her gigantic breasts which were pressing against his torso. He pushed her away gently and hid his tomato-red face…

"I am fine for now, but tell me about you guys. Are Sanjay and Soo-Young fine?"

"Yes, they are both fine. But Sanjay has been beating himself up for your death. While Soo-Young is just sad because of training."

"Training?"

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"Yes, after the beast tide, Carlin dropped all of her pretenses. She started behaving like a dictator and started forcing every Earthian to train. She wants to rebuild the forces of Ravenshade as soon as she can. As I have some medical experience so I was sent here to be taught under the healers of Ravenshade."

"Did Carlin cast any magic on you guys that forced you guys to work for her?"

"No."

"Good. I knew that we couldn't trust that bitch. I knew that everything that was coming out of her mouth was just a bunch of bullshit."

"Yeah… She is practically torturing people to make them stronger and better."

"A word of advice, Endure it and get strong… Carlin may be torturing you guys for her benefit, but that doesn't mean that what she is doing wouldn't be beneficial for you guys in the future. So work hard."

"But Dave we are not warriors. We are normal people. And she is making a soldier out of us."

"Suzie you don't understand. For the past two days, I have seen things. I have fought monsters that could kill us within seconds. I have realized in the past two days that we may have been normal humans till now. But if we want to survive in this world, then we would have to change our mentality and start working on ourselves. Or otherwise, we won't be able to survive for long."

"What should we do then?"

"Right now, the world out there is very dangerous. From what I have heard all the major cities of the world have collapsed. But there is a major city called the Vecrus. We could go there. I have heard that the city lord of that city has recently fallen ill. Because of it, an Earthian had taken command of the city. If we are able to make it to the city then we could settle down there."

"Do you think that we might be able to run away from here?"

"Right now we don't have a chance. We will be found soon. And from what I have heard, that ginger would probably kill you guys after you are caught in a very painful way."

"So what should we do?"

"For now I will suggest you guys learn, grow and adapt. We don't know anything about this world. Even if we are able to run away then there is a chance that we would be killed by a random monster out there."

"Is outside really that bad?"

"Yup it is. If you don't have food and water then you will need to hunt out there to survive. And believe me, none of us will be able to do that."

"What are you gonna do for now?"

"Me? I will also be doing the same. Try to learn, adapt and grow stronger. I have seen the horrors there are outside this city. So I will be training."

"All of this is frightening me."

"I am scared too. But just try to hold on. We will survive this… Also, do not tell anyone that I am alive."

"Why?"

"I don't want too many people to know that I am alive. I will help you guys when you are ready to run away. But till then it would be better if a few people know about me." Dave said while getting up.

"How will I contact you?"

"You won't. I will… if you don't hear from me then assume that I am dead."

"Don't say things like that." To her worry, Dave just passed her a small smile.

"Alright then… Goodbye."

***

After talking with Suzie, he made his way out of the camp. He kept his talks short as he didn't want to linger around her, more than he had to. After all, he was still in enemy territory. After getting out, he returned to the place where he and Grump had spent the night.

While coming to the place, he was very vigilant and paid attention to whether someone was following him. Only after he had made sure that no one had followed him, he changed into regular clothes and waited for Grump.

While Grump on the other hand came back not long after he had returned. As he returned Dave noticed that the mood of the old man looked worse for some reason…

"I told you to stay at the treatment camp," Grump said angrily.

"You know as well I do that's the reason why I wasn't there," he said nonchalantly.

"And what that might be?" Grump asked in an irritated tone

"You are kidding right?"

"What?" grump asked irritatingly.

"I am an Earthian… I need to protect my identity and all. I thought we had a great length of talk about that stuff." Hearing his reply, Grump's expression softened. He then sighed and said…

"Oh that… I forgot."

"Yeah… So anyway why the long face? What the fuck did that ginger want with you?"

"Ginger?"

"A man or a woman with red hair is called a ginger from where I come from."

"That… Ginger… wants me to clear some of the monsters in the surrounding area. And if some tough monsters appear, then I need to report it."

"So what is the problem? I thought you were supposed to be good at this."

"I am good at the stuff. But it is going to be such a hassle. I would be lazing around all day for a week. But it seems I need to work."

"By the way, why do you even have to listen to her anyway? You can just refuse."

"I can. But that would make me her enemy. And I don't want that."

"Is she that strong?"

"She is strong. Also, she has a group of strong individuals with her. And when it comes to fighting a group, one has to be cautious."

"So what now?"

"Now I will be going around the city to see what is up,".

"Wait about my training? You said that you will help me get strong."

"Oh yeah… That… I tell you what comes with me. You will be in danger if you stay here. It's better that you accompany me on my endeavor. Also, you might learn a thing or two about the monsters of the world…"

After having some breakfast, he with Grump started heading out of the city. As they got out, Grump immediately got to work. They started making their way around the city and he started babbling about how one should identify the habitats of monsters…

"Kobolds are a bunch of savage monsters. They eat anything that comes their way. But the thing about those monsters is their habitats could easily be spotted. If you ever spot a land with dense vegetation there is a very high chance that there is a pack of Kobolds there. If you ever go to Cloudhold, you will see plenty of Kobolds and Kongs there…"

Then he babbled about the best way to kill Kobolds to set fire to the forest area where they live. He also showed him the marks that the Kobolds leave behind. These makers help hunters to identify the place which is infested with Kobolds.

He also gave a detailed lecture on Goblins and the places where they live. He on the other hand tried to absorb as much knowledge as he could. As a good student, he also asked the old man various different questions regarding monster hunting which Grump was happy to answer. And it was after a lot of exploring did he asked a question that made Grump stop and looked at him as if he was looking at a child…

"What is the best weapon to use against monsters?" Grump repeated his question.

"Yeah."

"Oh Dear Lord that created the world… You are a bigger idiot than I thought you to be."

"What? It is a genuine question."

"The answer to your question is nothing. There is no weapon out there that could be used against every monster out there. Bows and arrows could be used from a distance. But when you fight against monsters like Earth Porcupine, you will find out that the arrows don't have that much effect on them. Unless you have dipped the tips of your arrow with Roghorth's poisonous breath."

"You mean the black gooey stuff?"

"Yeah… But it is hard to come by. After all, nobody wants to go to his territory so to get a vial of poison. And if you rely on swords then you will be only good at close combat. While spears can be used at mid-range as well in close combat, it would be useless against a person that uses a saber as his weapon."

"It is very complicated," He mumbled

"It seems complicated, but believe me it is not. When you have higher stats than your opponent you can kill them with ease. It doesn't matter what weapon you use. The battle gets really interesting when your and your opponent's levels are the same. It is then the person with a better mastery of the weapon or combat art that wins the bout."

"This brings me to another question, how do you fight? What is your choice of weapon?"

"Me? I jack of all trades."

"Does being a jack of all trades help?"

"Yup. It is the reason that I became just a good hunter." Grump said with a smile.