Chapter 66: [Arc 2] Chapter 13: Jack Loupe’s history class, and Living Weapons

Day three after the collapse of the Water-Knot. Time to move! I mean it. The water I have on me won't last by this rate. The reason is my new skeletal party member.

According to this guy, and [Appraisal], he's what's called, a 'Remnant', and his name is Jack Loupe. I almost laughed out loud when I heard it for the first time.

I mean, this guy's dressed like a shabby Robin Hood, with a green mantle on top of brown clothing that's designed to be easy to move in. For a ranger/bandit to be named after a mythical animal... or are they regular customers in this world? Horned rabbits could be counted as jackalopes, right?

I saved him after falling from that cliff. The part that collapsed with me on it struck Enemy Skeleton #1, while I jumped off before that, and nailed Enemy Skeleton #2 with a Mana Burst, ax-kick.

Then, I tried out the new [Sigil Creation] skill, and charged a Light Bullet to the limit, and one-shotted the last Enemy Skeleton. Don't think I can use those with the bigger spells yet. It was damn difficult to control. I had to fire it off before aiming it at Skeleton #3. It was just luck that made it hit the target.

Anyway, this guy was on a job where he needed to retrieve a certain treasure, that Amber-thingy that Glavras used to create that broken Dungeon! And this bone-for-brains practically gave it to him! While Jack was running with the Amber, he dropped it into the lake that Glavras live in, resulting in the Disaster Dungeon we all know.

After he told me that, I gave him one hell of a punch, as a stress relief. But, if he hadn't goofed up like that, the chances that I would have been born would be lower than they already were. Too bad that also means that he's the reason for the destruction of the region.

I dropped that bomb on him quite brutally. It made him break down in tears, which meant I needed to set up camp early that day and wait till he was finished. I covered up the fact that it was me who stopped the Dungeon. I'll spill the truth if there are some rewards for stopping the desertification, but unless so, I'll keep quiet that it was me who did it. No need to attract unwanted attention.

While he was crying his non-existing eyes out, I made Jack tell me about this region, with the excuse that I came from another place. I didn't lie, but I didn't say that I originated from another world either. I want to keep that, and the whole Champion thing a secret for now. Going around publicizing any of that, and you can bet that I'm gonna attract the attention of some troublesome guys. Peace is the best.

In-between his crying fits, Jack started to tell me about this region's history:

---

Once, when the Noterra continent first was discovered, a hundred years ago, two princes decided to immigrate there to start their kingdoms. These two princes were childhood friends and stayed in touch with each other even after their kingdoms were complete. The first human prince made the Holy Knight Kingdom, Avalar, while the other, the demon prince, created the Demon Kingdom, Solomar.

Why the heck is the holy knight buddy with the demon king? What, it was only named the Knight Kingdom before, but got the Holy-part because of different circumstances? That's gonna confuse lots of Migrants.

The two princes, now kings, made their kingdoms while traveling the same path. The king of Avalar decided to build his kingdom, just north of the center of the continent, while the demon king of Solomar wanted to travel through all of Noterra before settling down. That plan was cut short quite drastically, as he was greeted with a mountain range of volcanoes. 

This volcano range, alongside another huge mountain range to the west, and a large desert to the east, both infested with C-rank monsters or higher, which made further access to the south-part of the continent impossible for the current mankind. The demon king swallowed his pride, and build his kingdom south of Avalar.

In between these two kingdoms, there was a region that was mostly forest, except for the large road that goes through it, connecting the two kingdoms, as well as the large rivers. 

After some serious debate ("Or so they say, but it was just a poker night", said Jack), it was decided that Avalar should have the right over the region. The one who was put in charge was the marquise, named Velantas.

This Velantas guy was, including being one hell of a loyal subject, an amazing botanic and explorer. He may even have had classes of the same name. He hired several Adventurer parties to go with him on expeditions in the forest, to uncover the treasures the forest may have hidden from the rest of the world.

And treasures they found. The forest region had unique specimens of both plants and animals, unknown for the rest of the world.

Marquise Velantas quickly understood that the forest needed to be preserved, as the forest was the only place yet discovered by mankind with those specimens. He decided to limit the cities of the region to a single, large city, right in the middle of the path between Avalar, and Solomar.

Afterward, he reduced the taxes for entering, and exiting the city close to zero, while making contacts with the Adventurer Guild, the Merchant Guild, and the Alchemist Guild (the Noterra branch), that limited the number of plants they could harvest, as well as the number of monsters that can be hunted. Despite a small turmoil of disagreement, the three Guilds accepted the conditions in the end.

The Adventurer Guild gave out Quests to the Adventurers, which made them operate no different from regular rangers, while the Merchant Guild made sure that no more than the allowed amount of materials were to be bought, therefore lowering the interest in overhunting animals and plants in the forest region. The Alchemist Guild used the limited amount of materials they received and developed new items like medicines, and artisan-related goods, like paint made by the natural resources from the forest. The Merchant Guild again sold to the rest of the world.

Not before long, lines of artists, doctors, and chefs were arriving at marquise Velantas' city, to be the first in line to obtain the new goods. The low taxes didn't hurt the economy at all, as more and more companies started to lay roots in Velantas city.

The king of Avalar was so impressed over the marquise's success, and that the marquise remained a vassal to the kingdom. He was so impressed, that he named both the region and the city, after the marquise himself.

Well, that's all good and all, but looking at the land now, I think we can say that those golden days are over. And this wasteland was supposed to be the largest forest on Noterra? I'm reassessing the threat that Glavras was towards the world all anew now. Yikes.

---

And that's all Jack told me about the history of the region. He also told me what's normal or not here. Luckily, it's not that different from Earth. Must be the influence of the Migrants.

Then, if you ask how demons, and skeletons like Jack, are treated in this world, the answer is, unexpectedly okay. Due to the large variety of sentient creatures, as long as you aren't a criminal, then you're allowed access to human cities. There are some exceptions, according to Jack, but Velantas city, which is our current goal, is free for those.

Then, there was money. The most important subject in all worlds (may differ from people to people). A single night in a decent inn costs 1 silver, meaning 100 sols, the currency of this world, for those who don't remember. The lowest ranking Quests that Adventurers can take gives only a handful of large bronzes (10 sol) at most, so many newbie Adventurer decides to sleep in stables, or sharing the costs with other Adventurers. Weak weapons, meaning failure crafts, or rusted weapons, costs around 1.000 sol. Ugh, expensive...

My wallet has currently 384 sols now, divided between one silver (100 sol), three half-silvers (3 x 50 sol), twelve large bronzes (12 x 10 sol), and several normal bronzes, which is 1 sol each. Only enough for three nights at an inn, food not included.

Good thing I can make potions on my own is something I would like to say,  if it wasn't for the potions I make with [Medicine Synthesis] evaporates in less than an hour after making them!

The reason for this change is that the outside is too dry of aether! Or better said, the Water-Knot was too full of it! I found this out on the first day outside, but I decided to force myself to forget about it. Better ask Jack about it, before I decide to forget it again.

"Synthesis skills? Stuff made without using real materials will disappear after a while unless they're inside someplace filled to the brim with aether." - Jack

I called it! It was written in the Kigal-Note as well, but having several sources is always good. Synthesis skills just combine several components towards one result. In my case, that's either poison, threads, or medicines. However, stuff made only of mana won't last long. I need to use 'real' materials to make stuff that doesn't disappear the moment you look away from it.

One can compensate with skills that create the materials needed for the synthesis. In my current case, it's [Spider Thread], now integrated into [Thread Control], and [Hydra, Dragon of Poison]. Still don't help me on the medicine front though.

I still can use the medicine before they evaporate, and the wounds they cure won't reappear or something either. I tested it out by cutting myself with my nails, for then using some of the medicine on the wound. It didn't open up again, nor did I lose any HP after that, so I think I'm right here.

While we're speaking of skills, Jack's current skills are all at LV1 at the moment, sans the [Life Detection LV2], and [Flee LV2]. His skill list must have been reset after he died, and the two LV2 skills have just recently advanced. His full stats are as following:

=====================================================================

Jack Loupe

Race: [Remnant Skeleton]   | Level: 1

Karma Value: o

Skills: 10

Titles: 0

Skill points: 1.0

 

Main Class: none

Sub Class: Locked

 

HP: 25/25   | MP: 16/16   | SP: 26/26

STR: 12   | VIT: 10   | MAG: 6

RES: 27   | SPD: 25  | DEX: 30

INT: 103   | LUC: 95

=====================================================================

=====================================================================

SKILL LIST

Crafting Skills: [Create Trap LV1] 

Active Skills: [Flee LV1]

Passive Skills: [Daggermanship LV1] [Disarm Trap LV1] [Instinct LV1]

Perception Skills: [Scout LV1] [Detect Trap LV1]

Racial Skills: [Remnant (Human)] [Life Detection LV2]

Elements: [Lesser Death Element LV1]

=====================================================================

He's more of a trap than me. Okay, trap user, not trap. That's only my case. Maybe I should show him the results, getting him in my debt. He doesn't have [Appraisal], so he probably doesn't know about his current stats.

"Hey." - Garami

"What now?" - Jack

As an answer, I used the Hologram spell to project the results I got.

"What's this?" - Jack

"Your current stats. Thank me." - Garami

"Huh? Did the sun get to you? You're albino and all, so be more careful about that stuff." - Jack

Wha-!? That bonehead!

"And, ain't this Hologram? How did you get this spell? There's no way one can learn it by studying the spell-books for [Light Magic]." - Jack

"Talent. And the stats come from [Appraisal]." - Garami

"Seriously!? That's impressive. Most people need a year to reach LV2, and that's only when they use the skill at all times, without caring about the headaches you get from it." - Jack

Wait, headaches? I never experienced headaches from [Appraisal].

"It's only after the skill reaches LV4 that the skill starts to give out info without giving the skill user the massive headache due to being given too much information all at once." - Jack

Ah, that's why. I got the skill at LV5, but most people don't wanna train a skill that gives them headaches. Thanks again Skvalv. But, shouldn't it be more difficult to raise the skill the higher level it is? Or maybe the Dungeon was so filled with lots of stuff, that it turned out easier to raise than out here? 

"But, that means my skills went down. And I lost most of them. Even my classes..." - Jack

And, the useless skeleton went down on his knees. You know, in the orz-position. It's not the end of the world though. He can still create traps, so he can increase his skill points with that in safety in the city. Now that he's taking a break anyway, let's ask him about something I've forgotten to ask about.

"Cursed swords." - Garami

"Huh? What's up?" - Jack

"How do cursed swords work?" - Garami

"Ah, those. There are two types, I think. One is the type that's possessed by a vengeful ghost and takes control over those who equip it. If the sword can take control of the wielder's body, mind, or soul, then it's game over. They will turn into the sword's marionette, and go on a killing spree." - Jack

Eek! That's too scary!

"Not that there are so many cursed swords that could control people that easily. Even if it was the ghost of a C rank threat, they couldn't possess someone with a RES of around 80 even." - Jack

Phew, then I'm safe for the time being. Wait, isn't that something way different from my sword?

"Then, about the second type?" - Garami

"Oh yeah, almost forgot." - Jack

Don't forget that!

"They are a kind of living weapons, inanimated monsters that take the shape of swords. They're born when exposed to demonic energies, such as curses, or the mana from, you know, demons." - Jack

"Wait, that's it?" - Garami

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"Yeah. Most people don't like those swords, because of the reputation the former kind has. Living Holy Swords, and Living Magic Swords, are more popular because of that, not that people would say no to getting one, cursed, holy, or magical." - Jack

Eh, really?

"Then, can I use this?" - Garami

I showed him the still sheathed Orimaru.

"This is a cursed sword? Hmm, I've seen the bad type before, but this one doesn't leak out any miasma as that one did. Where did you get it?" - Jack

"Named it." - Garami

"Eh, that's good and all, but where did you get it?" - Jack

"I named it, and it turned into a kin. It got cursed then." - Garami

"Eh? You serious?" - Jack

"What? Can't anyone do that? Any-demon, I mean." - Garami

"No way they can! If they could, then all those corrupted nobles in Solomar would have launched wars after wars against the king, mankind, or anything else already!" - Jack

"War? Why that? And why does living weapons have anything to do with it?" - Garami

"Damn the Ultimate Gods, this girl's more empty in her head than a Skeleton." - Jack

Hey! That includes you too! I'll keep quiet for now. It looks like he's gonna say something important now.

"I'll explain those questions in order. First up, the talk about the war. Most demon nobles are just lazy asses that have inherited their titles from their ancestors. And around 40% of the nobles in Solomar at that time are of that kind, and knowing them, they're still at it. They're just waiting for a chance to take out the king while staying safe under their noble family name. Not that they would succeed, but there's no cure for idiocy." - Jack

Ouch, those demon nobles sound like just as big of a pain as Glavras.

"Then, what about living weapons?" - Garami

"Living Weapons are inanimated monsters, like golems, Living Armors, and Automatons. They can be found in the wild, like in ancient battlefields, or as treasures in Dungeons. The first kind would challenge whoever finds them to a battle of strength before acknowledging them as their owner. The second one is more like a reward from a Dungeon, but they're even rarer than the first kind.

"Any Living Weapon can level up and gain Skill Points that way, but their stats won't increase through that way. You need a Blacksmith to enhance the Weapon if you want to do that. Or a Woodworker, or whatever is needed. It varies between the different weapons.

"Also, while Living Weapons can obtain skills, they cannot gain proficiency. They need to use Skill Points for that. And while they get those points from increasing their level, they won't get any points if their skills reach a skill level that's a multiple of ten. Instead, they will receive some points whenever their owner defeats an enemy. The higher the rank of the monster, the more points received.

"Not to forget, but the Living Weapons can obtain new special abilities by investing skill points. It's part of their Living Weapon-skill, which is different from each different type of Living Weapons. One of these abilities is to not only share some of its skills but also grant them to its owner.

"And Living Weapons can evolve like normal beings. You need to get the weapon to its max level, and then have someone reforge the weapon into whatever you want it to become. You need to provide the extra materials that are needed though. 

"Oh, and they are loyal to their owners to a fault. Even Samurais from Wakoku can't beat them on that point. You know what I'm talking about by the way?" - Jack

"Kinda. Read me up when I got this." - Garami

I said that, while showing him Orimaru, getting an "I see." as a response.

"Aren't you the one who's too informed about this?" - Garami

"Wha-! Well, err, any Adventurer dreams about having a legendary weapon! Hahaha...ha...ha... don't tell other people I said that. Living Weapons are the stuff of dreams, so people laugh at those who say they want one, despite the massive odds against getting it." - Jack

"? I won't laugh, nor tell people if that's what you want. Isn't following one's dreams the key aspect for adventuring?" - Garami

"!! So true! That's just what I said to those guys! What kinda Adventurer needs logic when they got dreams! Girl, Garami was it? You got a good head on those shoulders!" - Jack

No, don't just throw away logic. Keep it together with your dreams, and don't let go of any of them. 

"It's safe to use this guy then?" - Garami

I showed him Orimaru, still sheathed in the broken sheath, and asked him.

"Sure. It would be stupid not to use it. Though, we need to figure out what to do with the whole 'creating Living Weapon' thing first." - Jack

Yeah, those nobles Jack talked about are gonna make a mess when they get to know they can get Living Weapons as if they were on a bargain sale. 

Wait, wouldn't this be bad if Jack was someone related to those nobles? Yeah, that would be bad. If that's the case, I need to take him out if he starts showing signs of warning those nobles. I didn't take out Glavras, just so that I would be responsible for a civil war, or worse.

"First off, why did it turn into a Living Weapon? You said you made this thing your kin, but how did you do that at all? Wasn't non-living objects unable to become a demon's kin?" - Jack

That's what I want to know! 

"Wait, wait, wait. We're working on the idea that it was either the naming, or the kin-promotion that made this thing alive, but what if there were some other factors at work?" - Jack

"Like what then?" - Garami

Other than getting it from the bandits... no, no, no. Jack already said that this thing ain't cursed like that. Hmm, then what?

"What other Living Weapons exist then? They must be famous, considering how much you know about them." - Garami

"That's either the ones that come to life at ancient battlegrounds or the ones used by heroes." - Jack

"Heroes?" - Garami

"Yes, those guys who do incredible feats and such. Many of them suddenly obtained a Living Weapon or two, without saying where they obtained them. I even heard about a magician who had a Living Weapon in the form of a spellbook." - Jack

So, they aren't that rare then, unless the hero-count in this world is extremely low. Hero? Like the title [Hero]?

"Did those heroes have a hero-title then?" - Garami

"The title? Sure, at least above the [New Hero], or else they couldn't be called heroes." - Jack

Ah, I see. I get it now. It's easier to power up the heroes' personal weapons, instead of giving them Excaliburs, or whatever, all the time. Even the 'cursed' part could come from being a [Dark Hero], instead of being a demon. Other types of heroes may get Magic Weapons or Holy Weapons. Must be a secret effect in the system, like how Grey Demons gets cursed by their parents.

"Wait a sec, you're a hero!?" - Jack

"Tch, he noticed." - Garami

"What's so bad about people getting to know that you're a hero? Oh, does that mean it was you who crushed that Dungeon you were tal-" - Jack

Before he could finish, I removed the webbing on Orimaru and drew it out, pointing it towards Jack's throat.

"Nothing. Happened. With. Me. Or. That. Freaking. Dungeon." - Garami

"H-hiii!" - Jack

"I'm only a fair demon, who was lucky and found a Living Weapon on her way towards a human city, on her road to adventures. Definitely not some big shot that gets surrounded by idiots, and by extension, troubles. I repeat I'm just a normal demon who wants to adventure the world, without being disturbed by neither idiots nor by troubles, that has nothing to do with me. Got it?" - Garami

"Y-yes ma'am!" - Jack

And who said that old bones can't learn new tricks? I'm wrong? It's close enough. And Orimaru ain't doing anything funny either. Even with the sword tip against Jack's throat, I'm not feeling strange, or 'cursed', at all. I figured out that wouldn't happen either way, but it's good to be sure about stuff like this.

Welcome to the party, Orimaru.

---

"Hah, hah, this girl's too damn-" - Jack

"'Too damn' what?" - Garami

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" - Jack

Why does this guy try to gamble away his new life so easily all the time? Though, I'm not gonna cut him down just for that.

"But, I think you'll attract attention even if you want it, or not." - Jack

"Why's that?" - Garami

"First off, you got the battle prowess to take out a Skeleton Swordsman in one shot. Second, you have a Living Weapon, which means you're either a hero, or someone with enough skills to make one surrender to you, or being able to obtain a tamed one from the Dungeon. Third, you gonna attract the attention of the opposite gender no matter what you do, unless you hide your face to all times.." - Jack

Tch, the last one is the most problematic. Should I use [Stealth] in small amounts while in the city? Yeah, let's do that. The first one ain't so bad, as long as I don't wrestle it out against someone in broad daylight.

The second one is more complicated. Weapons are expensive, according to Jack anyway. Even if I said that I picked up Orimaru from somewhere, people are gonna assume that I'm able to clear high-level Dungeons. But if I tell them I picked it up from some non-Dungeon place, then that's gonna clash with my plan of keeping my strength a secret. 

"Eh, in case you wanted to know, Tamer-classes are the only ones who can use a wild Living Weapon." - Jack

"Tamers? Why those?" - Garami

"You remember that I said that the Weapons found in the Dungeons are already tamed? Well, those in the wild needs to be tamed to be used. The whole 'taming' part is what I meant by 'being able to make one surrender to you'. That should be the easiest way of obtaining a Living Weapon, but unless you're a Tamer-class..." - Jack

"Because they can make monsters do their bidding?" - Garami

"That's it. Living Weapons are a type of monster after all. A regular Tamer can tame up to six monsters, or animals, while some specialized Tamers can control more than six. A Beast Tamers can use 10 or more, depending on their skills. There's no way to obtain a creature stronger than yourself, but there's strength in numbers, no matter what others say. It doesn't change the fact that people use another class as their main way of defending themselves." - Jack

"Okay, but why do you know-" - Garami

"Velantas is the home for tons of Tamers of every kind. This place is... was a treasure trove of unique monsters, so they flocked to the city. There were so many of them back in my days, that even non-Tamers got to know all the tricks of those classes." - Jack

He... got a point. Why wouldn't Tamers come to a place like this? Or, a place that this wasteland used to be.

However, that doesn't mean that I need to take up Tamer myself. Unless there's a good reason for me to take it up, alongside hiding how I got Orimaru, which is essentially to hide my Hero-title so that I can keep the fact that I defeated Glavras a secret...

"Hey, in case you didn't know, you need to show your titles to the Guild if you want to register as an Adventurer." - Jack

"Say what?" - Garami

"It's to weed out potential Criminal-title holders. There's a device you need to use, and all your titles get revealed to the Guild-management. This is the same for any Guild you're trying to register for, not only the Adventurer Guild." - Jack

......

"Hey, is everything alright?" - Jack

...

"Burn Ash!" - Garami

"Huh, ouch! Hot, hot, hot!" - Jack

Tell me about that first! And the spell I used is one of the two beginner spells of [Ash Magic]. The second spell is Create Ashes, which transmute aether into cold ash. Burn Ash does the same, with the difference is that this one is hot, as Jack has proven true.

That info helped me with the Tamer dilemma, but damn, I'm busted if I go to the Adventurer Guild, or anywhere else, if I want a job?

Oh well, if that's the game they're playing, I'll drain the freaking Guild for all reward money they have! I need to sell the corpse of the T-Rex anyway, so I'm bound to attract attention at some point, whenever I, or anyone else, want it or not. 

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