Ugly Bastard

Five adventurers sat languidly on their chairs while drinking and lively chatting in their private box when the entrance door to their privacy was suddenly slammed open.

"Miss Louriat, you wished to join us after all. There is no need to be in such a hurry though, I will not run anywhere as long as you…"

"Emergency sortie order!" Said Lina Louriat ignoring the man speaking to her and looked straight at their team leader drinking from his beer mug leisurely even after her sudden entrance. 

These words brought their movements to an abrupt stop. A moment later they all stood up from their places.

"Damn it's our rest day" whined the man that tried to flirt with her when she entered, yet stood up together with everyone else.

"What's the emergency?" Asked their team leader exiting their private dining room and following after the guild attendant to the guilds private meeting room that was down the hall.

"The report from the northern city gate guard station just came. Two newbie adventurers were brought into the station while heavily wounded."

"Huh? Newbies?" Questioned the guy she was ignoring. "Isn't it normal for newbies to get trashed by some monsters once or twice a month? Don't see an emergency here."

"The situation is a bit unusual in this case." Said the woman with a slight twitch of her eye from annoyance. 

With quick pace they soon entered the meeting room where the guild branch manager sat reading the paper. When the team entered with Miss Louriat, the guild leader tore his eyes away from the report in his hands and held out that paper to the man that just entered.

"Sorry to bother you on your rest day Jake. This event needs haste, but all other suitable teams are on the missions and will be back too late."

Jake took the paper from the branch manager's hands and skimmed it with rapid movements of his eyes.

"This is very obscure."

"Yes, but it also makes the level of threat unclear. Better be secure and send you, than be sorry over the loss of the entire team of promising people later."

"I see what you mean here." Said Jake "We are going out as soon as we are ready."

"I am counting on you guys."

"Jake." Called Lina when their team already left the meeting room

"Yes?" Said the adventurer party leader turning his head.

"In the northern hunting ground… there was another adventurer that registered for the hunt there today."

"I see."

"He's a summoner that has an alpha wolf as a companion beast" She added and Jake looked at her questioningly.

Why did she specifically mention that?

"We'll check on him too just to be sure."

"Thanks. Good luck." Said Lina closing the door after them.

The team got their equipment from the hotel and left the northern city gate at a jogging pace in 10 minutes.

******

Noah staggered through the bushes and greenery of the forest with a clouded mind and blurry vision.

"Syste…I…what is happe…ing to meh…" He managed to say with great difficulty.

*Answer: what user is going through is a combined after effect of the actions taken and the berserk mode. I suggest restoring your body fluid, nutritions and electrolytes levels that have rapidly declined as a consequence of your actions.*

"Actions? What actions? What berserk mode?" Asked Noah while taking out some light and easily digestible food and water from his dimensional pocket.

*I suggest restoring the clear thinking of your mind before continuing this discussion.*

Once Noah started to eat he could not stop himself. He devoured everything with such hunger that he almost bit off his fingers when he stuffed himself with food, stopping only to gulp down water with large swallows.

*User I suggest you perform these actions while on the move. There are some worries the system has concerning the safety of the area in the next half an hour's time.*

Noah stopped his actions at half a bit after these words. /Safety concerns?/

*There was a witness to your rampage that left in the town's direction, presumably to call for backup. I have concerns that if we get caught by the investigation team that would be sent shortly we might me the target of scrutiny investigation, that would be able to also uncover our identity forging crime.*

"Fuck!" Said Noah standing up. "What the hell happened? I don't remember anything." Said he and started to run at his best speed. /Oh! I have the memory restoration skill!/

*I suggest you postpone the use of that skill until we reach safety. The mental stress it might give would lead to complications in the clear thinking.*

Damn it, what the hell is going on?

*****

"I found the blood trace left by the newbies. If we follow it we'll get to the destination in the fastest way, however…" Said the teams scout coming out of the bushes

"However, what?" Asked the guy that flirted with the guild attendant girl, standing with his gloved hands  crossed at the chest armor and a huge sword handle sticking out from behind his back and over his head.

"He is worried that it is also the course leading to a trap if there were any ambush ahead." Said Jack.

"Ambush? So what are we up against, leader?" Asked the man with a staff in his hand and mages battle gear.

"Report said that when the newbie barged into the guard station at the gates, he managed to say just a few words: slavers, poison, huge monster, attacked, wolfs. Then he fell unconscious. The healer on duty said it was poison, however it was not deadly. Probably enough to only take him out for a day or two."

"Slavers!" Said the guy with the huge sword. "Those motherfuckers dare to operate in a town with a guild in it!?" Said he with anger and clenching his clothed hands into fists.

"Calm down, Bobby. Don't lose your hand while on the mission. I know how angry the mention of slaves make you, but don't make it get to your head too much." Advised Jack.

"I have not had any reports on slavers bands operating in our region lately." Said the scout. "However there were some worrying mentions of one particular information within the guilds channels."

"What mentions?" Asked Jake.

"Some towns had reports of newbies disappearing. Never twice in the same town and always no traces that could bring light to the events. Guild has concerns that it might be the travelling merchants group."

"Don't call them merchants!" Roared Bobby. "Those fuckers! Those fuckers are.."

"Bobby." Said Jake calmly. "Calm down. Losing your mind and dying here from an angry mistake in a fight will not make your sister better." Said Jake looking into Bobby's eyes with a strong gaze.

Bobby shut his mouth and clenched his fists even stronger, making his gloves crunch.

Jake was right. He needed to keep control. His sister doesn't have anyone else anymore. He can't die a foolish death and leave her alone, after all she's been through. But still. Everytime he heard the word 'slavers", he wanted to chop everything in his path apart and break skulls.

"We are losing time here. Let's go. Rey, look out for ambushes. There is a high chance we are up against the traveling gang." Said Jake toward the scout.

And they jigged further into forest.following the traces left by the newbies escaped from the clutches of lowlifes that would kidnap, enslave and sell people for money.

*****

Noah ran through the forest and then changed direction to get to the town in a roundabout path as the last time when he escaped from investigators. When he was about to reach the town he turned around to place his wolf into the "Homework" folder before exiting the forest near the town, but then suddenly stopped moving with a strange questioning look on his face.

"By the way, wolf. Who's your new friend?" Asked Noah while watching the slime-like, yet a lot smaller than usual slime, creature on top of the wolf's head.

Wolf looked back at Noah with his own questioning look. And then pointed at the green jelly creature on his head with a paw.

"Yes. That."

Wolf looked at him turning head questioningly again

"Huh? Why do you question me in return? Questioned Noah back.

Wolf pointed his paw at Noah.And then at himself and again at the green creature.

"Hold on. You thought it's another of my companions? I've never seen it before though."

Wolf pointed at Noah and himself then pointed at Noah and the green creature.

"No, no..I am telling you it's not my…"

*It is one of your companions.*

"Yes, yes see just as syste…What?"

*It's one of your companions.*

"Since when?"

*Since the day you awakened the system.*

"Wait, wait, wait. Home come.I've never seen it then?"

*User assumed on his own there was nothing to check inside your homework folder when you awakened your system. System did not see any need in correcting you at the time as it was not important.*

Noah looked at the green creature with a strange look, then something downed at him.

"Huh? Wait, could it be?" he said and opened the Skill List, that made his eyes go wide.

"Where did I…get all these skills?"

*As I said, it's a long story. I suggest we discuss it when we get to the inn*

"Fine, but I must check this first." Said Noah and opened the detailed information of a skill he did not touch from the time he got it."

//Kyaan damee// skills details window opened, making Noah cringe from the uncomfortable feeling it gave him.

"Breathes in a speck of life into an inanimate object to give them a bit of sentience." Read Noah from the description. "Hold on. Isn't that kinda very good skill." Said he, rubbing his chin.

"But why does it give me such an uncomfortable feeling? And what does it mean by - Works in accordance with the rules of the internet such as: rule34 and rule35, etc." Wondered Noah

"What the hell is Rule34?"