"Have I been sleeping? Damnit I'm going to be late for school. Zane's going to lecture me about being more responsible." A young man thought still passed out, but slowly awakening.
"Ah shit, I'm going to be late…" The young man sat up quickly surprised by his surroundings.
He was on a hill covered in lush grass. To his left he saw a beautiful wheat field swaying gently in the breeze, and to the right was unused grassy plains with lush trees housing chatty birds. The young man looked down at his hands while they looked the same. They felt looser and less worn from all-nighters and crummy part time work. To be honest his whole body felt younger and more vibrant.
"Dokja what have you gotten yourself into now?" Dokja wondered
Stretching his arms over his head he fell back and looked up at the clear blue sky. He wasn't sure what was going on, but knew that he wasn't on earth anymore.
"You won't find skies that blue back home."
Dokja pondered the situation a little more before sitting up and yelling excitedly "Yep, no doubt about it. I'VE BEEN ISEKAIED!!!"
He shook with excitement thinking about all the opportunities, and grand adventures he'd go on. Dokja was so excited the weight of being brought to this world hadn't fully sunk in. He began to think about Zane, his cousin he'd been living with after their family disowned them.
"What would you do in this situation big bro?" he wondered "You'd probably say something like what the Mcfuck is going on, or what the hell I need a smoke. Yeah, that's my big bro, always takes everything in stride. I can't think of a time he ever let anything get to him. He always said that anger, hate, and greed were pointless emotions and should be snuffed out with apathy."
After thinking on it for a bit, Dokja decided that he needed to find a town, lodging, and food. Looking at the sky he was pretty sure it was the afternoon. So, it would be getting dark before long. Standing up he looked around and just a little way past the wheat field was a town. It didn't look very big, but he figured they probably had an inn and food.
It took Dokja about thirty minutes to walk to the front gate where he was met by two guards inspecting all entrants.
"Identification" a tall guard wearing light plate armor with a sword on his side and a spear in his right hand.
Dokja hesitated before saying "I…I don't have any… I was robbed by bandits on my way here, and they took all my belongings." It was a pretty convincing performance, though the guard seemed wary to take his story at face value.
The guard looked at him distrusting and responded "Is that right? Where were you coming from, and why didn't you fight back?"
Dokja prayed the guard wouldn't probe for specifics, and vaguely answered "A small town in the east, we didn't have much money so I set out to try and sell my wares here. When I was robbed, I didn't fight since I had no magic or weapons, and they were a group of ten."
The guard stood there a moment looking so intensely at Dokja. That Dokja thought he was trying to read his mind. Dokja hoped that this guard didn't have that ability, though he thought how useful that would be for a guard.
After several long and agonizing seconds of intense staring the guard straightened up and said "If you go through this gate and down the road you will see a huge temple go in there and tell them your story. They will unlock your magic and give you identification. Now, move along, NEXT!" The guard stepped aside, no longer interested in Dokja and his issues.
Dokja breathed a sigh of relief when the guard bought his tale and allowed him entry. This isekai would suck if he started it in jail.
Dokja made his way down the dusty road. The walls that surrounded the town were weathered and patched together. It was constructed in a circular formation, with two towers on each point of entry. There were four points so eight total towers. The town wasn't luxurious or even mildly nice. Dokja understood that this world was in the equivalent of the Middle Ages, but even this wouldn't have been acceptable back then. What passed for housing were what looked to be sun baked clay that either was baked incorrectly or hasn't been maintained in probably a decade or two. The walls were chipping and cracking, the red roofs on many houses had cracks and holes. One even was missing a huge chunk, but the people seemed content. Sure, none of them were doing cartwheels and dancing, but no one looked defeated or miserable.
When Dokja got to the temple it was a far cry nicer than the crappy buildings the citizens had to live in.
"Guess I see where the town's budget goes. No matter what world you go to, religion is always the most well-funded thing. What shame, I was hoping these people would be smarter, but fools are fools everywhere." Dokja lamented shaking his head
The temple reminded Dokja of a cathedral. Its massive exterior and colorful stained glass windows. While the houses looked to be made of clay. This was made of white stone and was clearly maintained regularly. The doors looked to be solid oak, and the clean gold door handles reeked of hoarded wealth. Dokja wondered if the people of this town were just massive morons. Dokja couldn't understand why this got to be pristine and one guy was missing probably twenty percent of his roof.
Dokja entered the temple and was met with a surprising sight. He figured there'd be an altar and pews. A giant cross or symbol of the faith, but instead it looked more like an adventurer's guild he'd see in anime and manga. The floor was polished marble and so were the pillars, but in the center sat a circular desk with three women working the counter. To the right was an archway that led to another room, and the left had a board with what Dokja thought were either quest or event flyers. Behind the counter was a set of stairs that lead upstairs. He couldn't tell what was up there though.
Dokja made his way to the desk where a nice lady, probably around twenty, stood smiling. She wore a white button down and with a black vest and pants. Her glacier blue eyes had Dokja mesmerized. She wore her blonde hair in a tight bun. Overall, she was a knockout and Dokja knew that this confirmed he wasn't on earth anymore.
"Only in a fantasy world can you find girls this beautiful working an admin job." He chuckled
"Hello, welcome to the Tigrerra temple. My name's Regan, how can I help you sir?" Regan said
"Um… My name's Dokja, and I was told to come here to get my magic unlocked and receive identification. Can you help me with that?" Dokja said bashfully
Regan's smile never wavered as she said "Great! If you go through that archway the high priest will perform the awakening ceremony."
Dokja hated the idea of a priest performing anything on him. He'd read enough stories about priests doing that, and all those people got was trauma. Still, he wanted to use magic and if this was how it's done then so be it.
Dokja thanked the receptionist and headed to the awakening room.
Dokja had to admire the architecture, the archway had pillar design leading up to the arch that depicted a scene of assumably a great hero having their magic awakened. It could have possibly been the first ever magic awakening. Dokja wasn't an expert in this kind of thing, but even he could tell the level of craftsmanship was off the charts. As much as he hated to admit it the temple as a whole was a sheer work of architectural genius.
The awakening room was less impressive however. Once past the archway the marble flooring switched to a rough stone flooring that was uneven and some pieces felt loose. The circular room had three purple banners hanging from the left, right, and far walls. They weren't banners for anything in particular, just plain purple fabric. In the middle of the room sat a pedestal with a clear crystal orb on a velvet pillow. An old man who looked a hundred if he was seventy stood next to it. He wore a white robe with a red rope belt tied cleanly around his waist. When Dokja looked down he saw the man had no shoes or sandals or anything. He was barefoot and Dokja wished he'd never seen that. The man's feet were crusty and calloused from presumably having not worn shoes for many years. His toe nails were yellow and unkempt, this seemed to be a personal choice. His long white beard and hair looked greasy. Dokja guessed it had been months if not years since this man had bathed.
"Welcome young traveler, I know I may look rough, but I assure you I am the priest in charge of awakening your sacred power. My name Gol, a pleasure to meet you." Gol introduced himself
Dokja guessed he gets a lot of strange looks about his appearance. Dokja composed himself then responded "I don't care how you look old man. If you can help me, get magic powers then you're cool with me. Oh yeah, my name is Dokja Newgate."
Gol laughed at Dokja's blunt response. "Please come this way and place your hand on the crystal orb." Gol beckoned Dokja forward.
Dokja slowly approached the orb. He wasn't feeling the priest or this cult-like awakening ceremony. Still, he wanted magic so bad. So, against everything he was ever taught about stranger danger, he came to the dirty creepy and yet still employed priest. When Dokja got to the orb he laid his hand on the orb.
"Good now, close your eyes and focus on your most inner self. Think about how you see yourself, how others see you, and what your true self is." Gol instructed.
Dokja had no idea how to do any of what the priest said. He closed his eyes, and just focused on the priest's words. Dokja didn't even realize that he was doing it. The orb glowed black, grey, and blue. The three colors swirled in aggressive and erratic directions. The priest watched in terrified amazement. He had never seen the orb glow so brightly, or have the energy be so erratic. After a few seconds the glowing calmed and Dokja opened his eyes.
"So, did it work? Do I have magic now?" Dokja asked
Gol was still in shock from what he just witnessed. Dokja had to wave his hand in front of the man's face to snap him out of it. Stammering he said "Y…Yeah the awakening was a success."
Dokja couldn't stop his excitement from leaking out. "So, what kind of magic do I have?"
"Well, I'll be honest with you. I believe you may have a rare magic called vortex magic. This is such a rare magic that if I'm being honest, you're the only person I've ever heard of having it in centuries. The only other person isn't even confirmed. It comes from a legend about the dark mage Vance. This could just be legend though. So, you may be the only person to ever have it on record." Gol finished
Dokja stood there a moment contemplating. He figured he'd get some rare magic or something the protagonist always does, but to get one that nobody else has had. That's amazing, and definitely proof that he was destined to be a hero.
"Man, I love isekai's" Dokja whispered
"What was that?" Gol asked confused
Dokja waving his hand said "Don't worry about it old man, it's not important."
"So, I was told I can get an ID or register or something here? How does that work?" Dokja asked
"Oh, just go to the desk and ask them. They will guide you from there." Gol responded with a smile.
Dokja gave the priest a wave and returned to the front desk where Regan was waiting.
"So, are you happy with your awakening?" the receptionist asked
Dokja chuckled and answered "The guy is a little eccentric, but he helped me unlock an awesome power. Now, I just need to register or whatever, and I was hoping you can help me with that."
"Certainly" Regan said chipperly. Pulling out a grey stone tablet, she set it on the table and said "Please place your hand on the tablet"
Dokja did as requested, and felt nothing nor did anything happen. After a few moments Dokja wondered if he was being pranked, or if the stone wasn't working.
Just as he was about to say something Regan said "All done, just give me one moment to get your Identification made.
In two minutes, Regan returned with a piece of what looked like plastic, but upon holding it realized it was actually metal. It was the size of a driver's license, and had six categories filled out on it.
"Name- Dokja Newgate, Age- 15, Race- Human" this filled the left column and, on the right, "Magic- Vortex, Sex- Male, Rank- Wood."
Dokja looked his ID over, and couldn't help but ask "What does rank wood mean?" Regan looked a bit surprised by the question, but still answered politely.
"That's your adventurer rank. The ranks go from lowest to highest. Wood, Copper, Iron, Steel, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Obsidian. There are two ways to raise your rank. First, through merit, this means taking jobs and completing them successfully and without incident. Most people do it this way. Second, through reevaluation, you can at any time come in and have your powers reevaluated. If you go and train a bunch and then want to retry your ranking that is an option. I'll warn you though, most adventurers don't look too kindly on people who do that. They see it as cutting corners and being afraid to do some real work. Still, either option is available to you. Any questions?"
Dokja had many, but he couldn't hold down his excitement to go questing so bottled the logistic questions and asked "Where do I go to get jobs?"
Regan pulled a map out from under her desk, set it down and pointed just a little way to the west of the temple. "This is where the guild building is. They have all the quest including the temple requests as well. You can find temple requests here as well, but for a rank wood there above your level. Just keep that in mind for later, and remember you can update your status at any temple or guild. So, if you find yourself in another country or city. Just find the guild or temple and they will assist you in anything you may need."
Dokja thanked Regan and took his leave. Heading down the dusty roads and passing the decrepit housing. He eventually found himself outside the Tigrerra adventurers guild. The building, much like the temple, looked stunning and well maintained. The stone walls and solid wood double doors looked brand new, and the Dokja could tell just from looking at the burgundy roof that it had been fixed recently. It left a sour taste in his mouth seeing how awful the homes looked compared with the guild and temple. Still, he understood why they needed to look pristine. They're a symbol of strength and stability in this town. They also bring in tons of merchants, adventurers, and people looking for work. He may not like the stark difference in care, but from an economic point of view they kept the town afloat and that had to be taken care of.
Dokja entered the guild and immediately felt out of place. The inside had a wooden aesthetic. Wood floors, wood beams, wood supports, wood desks and tables. The whole place gave a log cabin vibe. However, the people gave a biker gang vibe. All he could see were mages who honestly looked like they'd done hard time. Dokja was intimidated, but did his best to hide that fact.
Dokja made his way through the crowd of people all sizing him up. When he finally reached the counter, he found a brown-haired beast woman working the desk. She was a dog type and had long brown ears that drooped over her forehead. Brown eyes and while Dokja was ashamed to admit it. He couldn't help but notice her rather sizable assets. She wore neat black pants, a white button down, and black vest. The button down only served to promote the assets more, but Dokja did his best to keep his eyes up.
"Welcome in, my name's Wendy, how can I help you."
"Hi I'm Dokja Newgate, and I'm a new adventurer. What kind of jobs would you recommend for a rank Wood?" he asked
Wendy thought for a second before leaving and returning with a job request. "I think this would be perfect for your first job. It's picking herbs outside the town. You get two gold for every ten herbs you gather. Do you have any lodging for the night?"
Dokja shook his head no and Wendy continued "Then you will need to gather thirty herbs. It cost six gold for a night in the cheapest inn."
Dokja found the use of cheapest to be funny. That implied that there were nicer places to stay, but from everything he'd seen that wasn't the case. Still, he graciously took the job and headed out to pick herbs.
The job was easy enough adventurers frequented this spot enough that most monsters didn't go near it, and the few that did were quickly dealt with by other mages doing the same job as him. The herb was an ingredient for making potions. It looked like a typical weed with a white fuzzy tip. It wasn't hard to see why it was a popular ingredient. There were ten people out gathering herbs and plenty for each of them. When the sun was setting Dokja brought his collection to the guild and got paid for seventy herbs. That netted him fourteen gold, and enough funds to stay two nights in a cheap inn. Which he found out meant thin walls, broken windows, and in his case a hole in the ceiling that the owners said was a personal skylight. Dokja decided that he'd find out what a medium cost inn ran, and would gather enough herbs to stay in that tomorrow.
The next day after stopping by to ask Wendy about higher rated inn prices. He headed back out to gather more herbs. He needed to gather enough to net him at least twenty gold. He had eight, so at least sixty herbs. He worked from morning till night and gathered five hundred herbs for a grand total of two hundred and fifty gold. Wendy informed him that he could stay in a nice inn with that kind of money. To stay in a nice inn, it would cost fifty gold a night. He liked being frugal with his money, but the curiosity got the best of him and he decided to splurge on a nice inn.
Dokja was glad he decided to see what a top-class inn was like. It turns out on the north side is where the temple, guild, wealthy adventurers, and nobles live. The houses in this area were nothing short of immaculate. The white stone that glistened in the moonlight. The solid clay roofs that looked like they came from better homes and gardens. The clean rooms in the inn. It was all absolutely perfect. Dokja felt a pang of guilt living it up like a king while the less fortunate suffered. He had to admit that for one night he could live with the guilt. The room was bigger than the one he'd stayed in yesterday. In the left corner sat a full-size bed, with clean white sheets and a blue blanket. Next to the bed sat a wooden nightstand. Just to the right was a window with quite a view of the town. On the right wall was a small closet, to the left of it was a painting of a horse. Dokja didn't get the painting, but had to admit it did tie the room together. On the wall at the foot of the bed was a small desk, Dokja threw his white shirt on the chair and jumped into bed. He wanted to enjoy the room more but after working basically ten hours he was pooped and before he knew it the sun had risen and a new day had started.
He kept up this routine for a couple of weeks, and his rank had risen to copper. Still, he was bored of painting fences, picking herbs, and accompanying old ladies to their appointments. He was ready to fight monsters and make a name for himself.
"I bet Zane would have already slayed a dragon and a demon general by now." Dokja mumbled under his breath.
Tired of the menial tasks he approached Wendy with his issue. "Wendy, I'm bored of these manual labor jobs. Please tell me I can go fight monsters now?"
Wendy gave him an annoyed look before saying "Mr. Newgate, you are a Copper ranked adventurer. As such you can't attempt any battle jobs. You will have to wait till you're either an Iron rank, or till you can find a party that will allow you to join them."
Dokja stood there thinking for a moment before asking "So, are there any parties looking for people?"
Wendy wasn't happy that Dokja had landed on this course of action, but her job wasn't to make decisions for the client. Her job was to aid and advise them. "Well, there is one, but I doubt they will add you since you're only a Copper rank. Still, if you want, I can ask them if they would at least meet you."
Dokja couldn't stop the huge smile that followed or the "YAY!!!! THANK YOU, YOU"RE THE BEST!!!!!" that squealed out him drawing everyone's attention to him. He gave an embarrassed bow as apologizes.
A few days passed before the Dokja received word they'd hear him out. Dokja was so excited he was shaking. His life as a real adventurer was finally about to start. He arrived at the guild twenty minutes before the meeting time. He wanted to talk to Wendy about the party he was meeting.
"Well, the party is the Red Bulls, and overall, they are a silver ranked party. The leader's name is Brite. His magic is Steel, and while he can be a bit over confident at times. He's a good guy and someone you can depend on. Next is the vice-captain, Flower. She uses vine magic and I'll give you fair warning. Don't fall for her beauty, she will eat you for breakfast. Grant is next, he uses earth magic which is fitting since he's about as down to earth as you can get. Last but not least is Sara. She is the youngest and weakest of the party, but her necromancer magic is nothing to scoff at. Brite is Gold Ranked, Flower and Grant are Silver Ranked, and Sara is Bronze Ranked. The job you're asking them to tag along on is a Gold Rank job. Once you reach Iron Rank you can take jobs one Rank above your own or your parties Rank. You with me so far?" Wendy explained
Dokja asked "One question, how is a party rank decided?"
"We take the ranks of each individual member then average it out." Wendy answered
"So then will my copper rank hurt their average?"
Wendy chuckled at the question before responding "No, you have to be an official member for it to count. Since you're just teaming up temporarily it should be fine. However, if you join them after this job then it will affect their ranking."
Dokja nodded understandingly, he hadn't planned on joining them after this. He was just hoping that this job would move him to Iron, and then he could take the monster quest alone. Still, depending on how they were as people he wouldn't be opposed to joining, he guessed.
The door opened suddenly, pulling Dokja out of his thoughts. In walked four people that would change Dokja's life forever. The first one was a man just a little taller than Dokja. He wore a white long sleeve shirt with brown pants and boots. He also had on a light metal breast plate and gauntlets. Dokja had realized that nobody used swords or spears or even bows. So, seeing someone wear clothing that he'd traditionally expect a weapon wielder to wear threw him for a second. The man had short spiky blonde hair, and his grey eyes shimmered in the guilds light. Right behind him was a taller woman probably around five six, and her beauty was frightening. Dokja made a mental note to keep an eye on her. He could tell that she was trouble, but he couldn't ignore the less than subtle size of her breast or the voluptuous curve of her ass. Her outfit did much to showcase these features. She wore a green high slit qipao dress and brown booties. Her long green hair made her look like a forest dryad or nymph. Following behind was a tall monster of a man. He looked like a dwarf but had the height of a power forward. His brown curly hair looked like it had dirt in it, but Dokja could tell was clean. His brown eyes that radiated down to earth vibes, and his power builder physique all had a both intimidating and comforting feel to it. He wore a cream-colored sleeveless shirt with light plate. This only served to show off his huge arms. Black pants that looked like skinny jeans on his massive thighs, and brown boots that had a respectable layer of dirt and dust on them.
Dokja was already impressed with the whole gang, but his mouth almost dislodged after seeing a young girl around eighteen years of age enter. She had extremely fair skin and sunken black eyes. Her raven black hair draped down to her butt, and slender frame gave her an emo porcelain doll look. She wore a plain black dress that stopped just above the knees. Dokja had at first thought it was a night gown with how thin it was. She had on black thigh high socks and black Mary Jane shoes. Dokja found himself mesmerized by her. He had been told that she was an acquired taste, but he was ill informed on her beauty.
It didn't take long though for him to see why she was called an acquired taste. Upon walking up to Dokja she asked "Who do you think would give better hugs? A Skeleton or a Zombie?"
Dokja stood there unable to find his voice to give the young woman an answer. After opening and closing his mouth like a fish Sara finally answered her own question "It's a skeleton, they may be harder and pointier, but with a zombie it's slimy and sometimes their skin peels off and sticks in your hair."
Again, Dokja stood there unable to think of a reply. Brite swooped in to save the day saying "Sara, let's not scare the kid off before we even get to talk to him. He went out of his way to ask to join us on this job. I think we should save the weird questions till after that. Ok?"
Sara looked down dejected and Dokja didn't want her to feel bad. It wasn't that he found the question dumb or even really all that weird. He just wasn't ready for someone to start a conversation that way. Now that he had had a moment to process, the question was kind of interesting. He'd never thought about it, but now that he was it was kind of cool.
"I would have said the zombie, but I guess I didn't take their rotting skin into account. Still, I feel like you'd get a more human feel from a zombie. Even if you'd need a deep cleaning afterwards." Dokja said shyly, chuckling at the end.
Brite seemed surprised by Dokja's willingness to engage in Sara's unique question, but Sara herself looked down right blown away. Dokja had guessed most people just ignored her, or mocked her when she brought up her interest. Dokja knew all too well what that was like. Zane was the first person to make him feel seen and heard back in his old life. It helped that they were into the same stuff, but even when they weren't he'd still sit there and try to engage and understand him. He hoped that Sara would see that he wasn't the type of person to ignore her. He just hoped that she wouldn't think he was some kind of creep just trying to get into her pants. He genuinely found her both attractive and interesting.
The five of them took a seat in the far-left corner of the guild. Brite and the rest of Red Bull looked poised and almost jovial. While Dokja was doing everything he could not to hyperventilate.
"Ok, so your name is Dokja correct?" Brite asked with a smile
Dokja hesitated for a minute before answering. "Y…Yes that's me. It's a pleasure to meet all of you." He finished with a bow of the head.
"No need to be so formal. We won't bite your head off." Brite said with a laugh. "Here, let me introduce everyone"
"Wendy already told me your guy's names and based on her description I figured out who each of you are. I also know what magic you all use. As for me I use vortex magic, but I'm still a novice with it." Dokja said sheepishly
"WOW! You can use vortex magic? I bet you could crush a giant to dust with that. That's so cool!" Sara said shooting up so fast her chair went flying causing a loud thud, and making them the center of everyone's attention. Sara gave an embarrassed bow and picked her seat up, sitting down red faced.
"Sara, what have we told you about your morbid excitement? It's just plain creepy, and you'll never find a man that way." Flower said smoothly
Dokja felt uneasy anytime Flower spoke. Her beauty and velvety voice were a scary combo. He could tell she wasn't a bad person, but she clearly knew how to use her gifts to manipulate her way to the top. He did wonder though why she didn't use that gift of hers to charm some noble or wealthy merchants' son. She could do it with little effort and be living the good life.
"Yeah, yeah Flower, but I believe that if a man doesn't want all of me. Then he doesn't deserve any of me. You agree with me right, Grant, Brite?" Sara pouted
Brite waved his hands in defeat. He seemed like he was one of Flower's many infatuated men. So, obviously he wasn't going to say anything to counter Flower.
Grant sat there looking for any way to take both sides. Once realizing there wasn't he ultimately sided with Flower. "I mean you could stand to lessen the dark jokes and comments."
Sara's pout became a master class in being offended. She leaned so far back Dokja thought she was going to tip over, and her gaping mouth and raised arms only added to the theatrics. The cherry on top was her turning all around looking for anyone to side with her.
Dokja trying his best finally broke and began laughing like a lunatic. His outburst caught the table including Sara off guard.
"Sorry, I'm not laughing at you. It's just that your reaction was really funny and… and personally I don't think you have nearly as much trouble finding a man as Flower will. People in my experience prefer genuineness over judgmental attitudes."
Brite and Grant looked horrified; this had clearly been the first time anyone had dared to call Flower out. Sara looked shocked too, but hers was more of a shock that someone actually took her side. Dokja could swear in that moment her sunken eyes were glowing brightly.
Flower, ever the professional, responded calmly "Well, in this vast world there was bound to be at least one more weirdo."
Dokja gave an innocent smile and shrugged. This action caused Flower's perfect mask to fall just for a second, but she quickly recovered and looked at Brite to get back on topic.
Clearing his throat Brite said "Well… I was super impressed with everything Wendy told me about you. You took down a yellow goblin, and a pack of fifteen green goblins by yourself. Do you understand the significance of that?"
Dokja took a moment to craft his answer. For all intents and purposes, a Copper Rank shouldn't be able to take down more than two green goblins. Yellow goblins also known as goblin kings are considered Silver Rank at a minimum. He took down a yellow and fifteen green all at the same time.
This happened two weeks ago while Dokja was out picking herbs. He had heard about a spot that was overrun with them and nobody ever gathered there. It was a little way into the woods on the north side of the town. He wasn't told why nobody went there and didn't bother to ask. When he first arrived in the grassy clearing it was empty, and Dokja thought he had hit the jackpot. He'd been gathering for about ten minutes when he got a feeling of being watched. He scanned the area and just to his left he saw a little three-foot green goblin standing there observing him. It wore only a dirty brown loin cloth. Its eyes were a golden yellow, and its sharp teeth were jagged and few broken or missing. When the goblin noticed him, it made a high-pitched squeal and ran away. Dokja didn't think much of it, and went on with his day. About an hour later Dokja was getting ready to pause and have a snack when he heard the same high-pitched squeal from earlier. Dokja again scanned the woods and saw in the same place he'd seen the first one now had five. To his right stood five more, and when he turned back his way was blocked by five more. He considered running deeper into the woods and then circling back, but before that thought could be formulated into an actual plan, he heard a loud roar emanating from that direction. Dokja stared forward and watched as two trees that stood directly in front of him were ripped from the ground and a seven-foot yellow goblin tossed them aside stomping to block his last escape path. Dokja had played with his magic and figured out a few ways he could use it offensively and defensively. He just hoped that it would all be effective on real opponents. The five behind him charged first, and Dokja activated a fire release spell. A vortex opened behind him and out sprang a torrent of flames that cooked the five instantly. Dokja was surprised at both the power and effectiveness of his spell. The yellow goblin howled and the two groups on the side charged Dokja together. He used fire release again making two vortexes and roasting them as well. All that was left was the big yellow one in front. He had a giant scar down his left peck down halfway through his gut. He had another scar over his right eye. He too only wore a brown loin cloth, but he seemed cleaner than the green ones. Dokja realized that the green goblins had low intelligence while the yellow ones had high IQ's. This was confirmed when he tried fire release again and the yellow goblin avoided it. He was carrying a huge wooden club. He swung at Dokja, but Dokja was able to evade jumping to the left and rolling a few times to try and make a little extra distance. This proved to be fruitless since the goblin just followed it up with a leaping attack that Dokja dodged by the smallest of margins. Rolling to his left he tried to smoothly get up and counter attack, but lost his footing and ended up back on his butt. The goblin didn't hesitate to strike again, but Dokja going for broke opened a giant vortex in front of him. The goblin unable to stop his attack fell into the vortex. Dokja quickly closed it, and collapsed on his back breathing heavily. It took several minutes for his breathing to stabilize and the adrenaline to calm down. Once he was calm, he decided to see what happened to the goblin. He'd never put a living thing in there so his curiosity was peaked. He set two fire release vortexes on either side just in case it was alive and looking to continue. He released the goblin and almost blew chunks immediately. What came out was a goblin and wooden club smoothie. He couldn't tell what organs were what. It smelled even worse than it looked. He'd been to a farm when he was a child as part of a school trip, and that smelled pretty bad, but he'd rather bathe in that order than smell the putrid aroma that this once powerful turned slushie goblin was giving off.
He washed himself and his clothes in a nearby river just to make sure the stench was on him. When he returned to the guild and told Wendy what happened she about fainted and scolded Dokja for even going out that far. Apparently, it's a hot spot for goblins to roam. Hence the reason most people don't go gathering herbs there.
Brite had recounted this story to the rest of the party. Dokja could feel his cheeks getting hotter with every word. However, when he looked at the party members' faces, he couldn't help but to forget about his embarrassment. Sara had a look of utter disbelief, Grant was leaning his head against his hand and shaking it, Flower kept a look of bewilderment as she looked back and forth between Dokja and Brite. Brite had a huge joyous smile on his face as told the tale.
Flower was the first to speak looking at Dokja. "I…Is this true Dokja? You not only took down fifteen green goblins, but a yellow one as well?"
Dokja nodded, unable to meet Flower's eyes. It wasn't that he was hiding anything. He just wasn't good with this kind of attention. Back in his old life he was the one the family ignored and would even mock for being different. So, having people nit only pay attention to him, but be impressed with him was a foreign feeling.
Sara had sat there stunned, but she was also studying Dokja's face for any sign he was lying or embellishing. She found not a trace of falsehood in him. After looking at her compatriots, and seeing Flower still in shock and Grant speechless she finally spoke.
"So, would you be willing to show me what a yellow goblin glop looks like?"
Everyone was staring meteors at her. Even Brite who usually takes her weirdness in strides had a look of disgust on his face. Grant was about to speak when Dokja lost control and fell over laughing.
"You want me to show you that disgusting slush? That's too much, you're killing me, I can't breathe." After finally calming down a bit he got up and sat back down then continued. "Sure, if we come across any goblins, I'll crush'm real good and show you."
Sara's face lit up like a Christmas tree. She was so happy her face was literally beaming. The rest of the party didn't look as excited, but Dokja noticed a sly smile on all their faces. They liked Sara and found her to be a valued member of the party. They just couldn't understand her or the things she liked. Everywhere they'd go she was always treated like an outsider, and while she acted like it didn't bother her, they could tell it did. It made them happy that she finally found someone who seemed to get her quirky personality.
Brite let the moment sit before clearing his throat again and getting back on task. "While I hate to break up this moment, we should probably get back to the task at hand. The job is Gold Rank, we have to enter the Muerte Dungeon and clear twenty floors. It shouldn't be too tough. This is our second time entering it. However, apparently new and stronger monsters have been appearing in its upper levels. It's gotten so bad that they raised the Rank of this dungeon from Silver to Gold. Now that you know what's in store for us you still want in?"
Dokja sat there and made sure to give it real thought, or at least was trying too. He couldn't stop thinking about the dungeon's name. Back in his world Muerte meant death in Spanish. Pretty ominous name for a dungeon, and with all the weird stuff happening with it only added to his unease.
"I'll admit that the strange new happenings of this place are scary, but this is what I asked for. I can't back down just because I got what I wanted. I'm in, if you'll have me." Dokja gave his answer.
Brite looked at his friends for any opposition, but found none then standing up he offered out his hand and said "Well then, welcome aboard, from this point forward we're a party." Dokja stood and shook Brite's hands with a smile.