Surviving as a Broken Hero

Chapter 83 – Returning (1)

Finally, we cleared the last set of trees to see the still-ruined walls of Karfana, the city where my adventure started. An ominous feeling ran up my spine at the sight of the collapsing bricks of the outer walls, the single guard at the entrance, and the disturbing lack of traffic in and out of the city.

‘Shouldn’t they have received support from the central cities by now?’ I wondered.

Regardless, it wasn’t like we could turn back. Exchanging puzzled looks with Koise, Bernard, Rhil, and Velle, I continued toward the city, leading the group of Unawakened and Awakened alike. Thankfully, most had survived, and some of the Unawakened had even Awakened during the journey.

Though they were still Level 1 and weren’t of much use yet, another Awakener was always welcome, especially when the demons were a constant, looming threat.

The single guard at the gatehouse straightened when he saw us, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Ah… Halt! What’s this?” he asked us.

I gestured back at the others.

“Can’t you see? There are people here who need help. Where is everyone, anyway?”

He leaned to the side to take a look at the Unawakened behind me, who, dressed in their ragged layers of clothes and marveling at every foreign smell and tree of the forest, painted a sight of complete helplessness.

“Huh… I guess you can go in… None of them look very demonic. The temporary lord will probably want to talk to you.”

“The temporary lord?” Koise butted in from behind me, his Lion Guild emblem clearly visible over his chest. “Who might that be?”

The man bowed in respect, clearly recognizing the emblem. “O-one of the squad leaders from the Lion Guild, Sir.”

I raised my eyebrow at Koise. “You don’t know anything about this?”

He shook his head. “No… but now we can get that bounty off your head.”

Right. He’d initially been hunting me down because they’d thought me responsible for the murder of three of their guild members.

Of course, the three in question had died, but they’d been the instigators in the situation, not me. Being in a top spot in the guild, I had little doubt they’d take Koise’s retelling of events to heart.

“Then let’s get going,” I said, already looking forward to a warm bed.

The moment we stepped through the city gates…

[Quest Complete!

Guide the unawakened through the mountains to the safety of the inner cities while keeping them safe from monster attacks, the cold, and starvation.

+3500 XP received!]

[Level Up!]

[5 Free Skill Points]

[STR: 20+4

END: 20

AGI: 13+4

PER: 11

MAG: 10

MANA: 10

Skill Points: 6]

Power wasn’t an issue, nor was my durability.

I paused for a moment as the Unawakened took in the city and curiously chattered on about the mana-infused light poles, some of the carriages on the side of the road, and even the ruined state of many of the houses.

Even with all the time I had been gone, the city looked much like how I’d left it after the city lord tried to turn it all into a dungeon.

We continued slowly, heading toward the main square. From the looks on their faces, the other Awakened had also received their quest rewards, and many were in the process of leveling up.

‘I guess there’s no time like the present.’

It was easy enough to do on the winding walk through the city streets. It wasn’t nearly as busy as I remembered it being before the demon attack. Even many of the intact houses lay dark, and those who peered out at us or stopped in their daily activities were much fewer than I would’ve otherwise expected.

‘Let’s see…’ My lowest stats were Perception, Magic, and Mana, and the most relevant were probably Perception and Mana.

I had put a point into Perception after the ice dungeon so I could better follow how quickly my opponents were becoming in fights, but one point was hardly enough to even matter.

‘I’ll get this out of the way first.’

Already decided, I put half of the points into Perception and half into Mana. I was tired of always running so low after just a few ability uses.

[System

Name: Aizen

Class: Fighter

Level: 7

XP: 33,500/64,000

Mana: 175/175

STR: 20+4

END: 20

AGI: 13+4

PER: 14

MAG: 10

MANA: 13

Skill Points: 0]

My vision warped for a moment, and time seemed to slow around me.

The chatter of the unawakened stretched out into long, monotonous stretches of sound, each thud of boots on stone thundered out, the sun set my skin afire, and a painful itch bored through the back of my neck.

That feeling of intense discomfort only lasted a few moments before it faded just as quickly as it’d overtaken me, leaving me standing in the street as Rhil gave me a curious look.

She’d approached me at some point during my stillness.

I gave her a small smile. “I wasn’t expecting a Perception increase to be so… uncomfortable.”

“Ah…” she let out, nodding in understanding. “Yeah, that’s why most people say to do it slowly over a few levels. Same with any of the traits except Mana. Too much at once can really screw with your senses for a while.”

I frowned and asked, “Even the Magic stat?”

“Yeah. It works the same way as Strength, pretty much, but increases the power of your magic abilities. Something you might try to make nonlethal could end up instantly killing your target.”

She grimaced, remembering some event from her past. I guessed she’d experienced that firsthand.

The main square was only a few blocks farther ahead. There, at least, the city seemed livelier than it had on our trek through the sad streets.

Vendors still had shops up there, hawking all sorts of goods from around the world, and the distinct smell of baked sweets wafted over the air. The warmth of the sun felt good, a nice change from the biting cold of the north.

“Okay, everyone! Welcome to Karfana!” Bernard shouted. “Thanks for the help,” he nodded to the Awakeners who’d helped guide us from the north.

Taking that as their sign, they dispersed. Some would likely venture back north, having only been interested in the quest, but I hoped some would stay a while.

“Now, it may not look like much right now, but this will be your home for the time being,” Bernard continued. “We’ll talk with the acting lord to get you proper accommodations and figure out a meal plan. Other than that, my good friend here will be in charge of logistics.”

He gave Velle a sideways nod, and she started separating them into smaller support groups so they’d be easier to manage and check on at regular intervals. Most were grown adults, and they’d find their way easily enough after some initial support, it seemed.

That left the bigger problem to me and Koise… talking to the temporary lord.

“Who knows, maybe they also have some way to get that collar off,” I said to Rhil, trying to reassure her as she idly tugged at the device around her neck and looked around at some of the ruined buildings around the square.

She gave me an awkward half-smile in response. “It’s weird… being like an Unawakened again.”

I could only imagine. How would I feel, if I were to go from cripple, to Awakened, to normal? Not only that, but she’d been widely regarded for her electric abilities as well.

Not to mention how useful such abilities would be against the demons. I didn’t know when, but I knew they’d come up again. Alikr had been from Karfana as well, after all. Did I seriously think they’d give up after just one attempt?

“Where is he anyway?” Koise muttered, more to himself than anyone.

As if summoned by a very question, a large lizard charged down the central street winding toward the castle. Easily two meters tall while on all fours, the lizard bore a man on its back.

SKRRTTT—-

The lizard slid to a stop, and a woman in flowing robes fastened with smaller bits of metal armor dismounted, the tassets of her loathing fluttering around her. If looks could kill, then the glare she fixed Koise with would’ve been enough to wipe out a small city.

“Where the hell have you been?” she asked. Her eyes briefly darted over to me and back to Koise. “And why are you with a bounty target? Turning him in? What about the rest of your squad?”

Her barrage of questions took me aback. Wasn’t Koise a leader in the Lion Guild? Yet the woman was berating him as if he were a mere cadet.

“Relax, Eileen. It’s a long story,” Koise replied, his hands raised in an attempt to placate her.

She turned her narrow eyes at me and spoke to Koise again. “Long story or not, why didn’t you contact us sooner? Most of the guild thought you’d died.”

“I didn’t have access to any Association buildings connected to the guild system. I would’ve sent word back if I could. As for the others… Well, the northern caves took them.”

“The northern caves?” Eileen muttered back in confusion. “Is that where this lot is from?”

She scanned over the overdressed Unawakened in the square. Many had already taken off a few layers of clothing and were sitting on assortments of jackets and ponchos like they were picnic blankets.

“Let me explain…”

To her credit, the woman didn’t try to kill me immediately and only interjected with questions a few times before Koise finished the story.

Rhil stood and listened in interest while I watched some of those who lived in the city interacting with the Unawakened we’d brought. I made a mental note to make sure no one got exploited for cheap or near-free labor like I sometimes had.

The woman placed a hand on her chin in thought and nodded. “I guess that would explain why you’re with a bounty target. We can go clear him and update the guild in the Association building. There’s another problem, though…”

I felt my heart drop into my stomach, already dreading the words that were to come next. Eileen’s eyes darted over the main square for a moment, and then she spoke quietly, ensuring that only we could hear.

“We haven’t received supplies from the central cities since shortly after we arrived.”