Adventures in the Realm of Tria - (ART) Act 1 (Patreon)

Located in the southern half of the Muan Continent, Kratus was considered a frontier village due to its relative isolation and close proximity to a series of forests, mountains, and other forms of undeveloped lands.

Fortunately, while there were a number of bandit attacks in the area, the sparse population and landlocked nature of the region made it relatively safe for those seeking to live peaceful lives in the countryside.

Generally speaking, the residents of Kratus made a living by hunting and gathering herbs in the mountains. They would then trade their spoils at the nearby village of Coule, a Township located half a day's journey away near the base of Mt. Metorx, the origin of nearly every monster native to the Muan Continent.

Though a half day's journey might not seem like much in an era where even wagon travel was rare, it was a considerable distance to cover in the event of an emergency. Thus, rather than leaving their fates in the hands of mercenaries and explorers from the Adventurer's Guild, the residents of Kratus had recruited talented youths to form what was colloquially known as the Kratus Defense Force.

In the not-so-distant past, the Kratus Defense Force had actually made a name for itself by competing in a number of international tournaments and assisting the Muan Kingdom in repelling the semicentennial Monster Wave that swept the continent every 50 years.

Unfortunately, the latter event marked the deaths of nearly every member of the previous generation's Kratus Defense Force, and, along with them, nearly twenty percent of the Muan Continent's population. This included the father of the current generation's Captain, son of the Hero Krona, and descendant of the Great Sage, Roddick Farrence.

Despite taking up the mantle at the age of fourteen, Roddick had risen to become the most capable warrior in his village after just under two years. Now, as a spry nineteen-year-old, he had become the leader of the Kratus Defense Force, and, though it had never officially accepted the title, many of the villagers affectionately referred to him as Captain.

Joining the young Hero in his duties were Roddick's childhood rival, Dorne Murtough, and his closest friend, an energetic and passionate apprentice symbologist known as Millie Chliette.

As veterans of the Kratus Defense Force, Dorne and Millie were both considered competent warriors despite their ages. Dorne, in particular, had always considered himself something of a rival for Roddick. As for Millie, she and Roddick had practically grown up together since their parents had been friends long before they were born.

While Roddick and Dorne were training to become powerful and agile warriors, the boon of belonging to a race descended from cats, Millie had invested most of her time and energy into learning the mystical art known as Symbology. More specifically, she had focused her efforts on learning how to heal and treat wounds.

Though her primary reason for learning was to treat her two childhood friends' injuries, Millie benefitted from the fact that her father was both the village's leading Symbologist as well as its Doctor. This had allowed her to begin studying from a very young age, and, though it was nearly considered a lost art, she had mastered the basics of Healing Symbology at only eighteen-years-old.

As could be expected, Millie's talents had led many within the village to begin referring to her as the 'Treasure of Kratus Village'. This, combined with the fact that many believed she could compete for the title of 'Most Beautiful Girl in Muan' had earned Millie a reputation among neighboring nobility and distant scholars alike. Some had even sent people to court or recruit her, but, regardless of their offers, she turned each of them down with a smile.

Though her official reason was that Kratus needed at least two Doctors in case of an emergency, the truth of the matter was that Millie had fallen in love with Roddick when they were still children. His mother had helped to raise her after the death of her own, so when the former lost her husband, Millie promised that she would always be there to take care of her son. On that very same day, Millie began her apprenticeship, and, as a byproduct of her rather obvious affections for Roddick, the rivalry between him and Dorne began in earnest...

---

Unaware of the nigh-omnipotent entity watching over them, the trio of childhood friends were just about to head out on patrol when a distant scream reached their sensitive, pointed ears. Millie, in particular, had exceptional senses due to her training as a Symbologist, so, before the boys could even ask, she worriedly exclaimed, "Bandits are attacking from the south...!"

Without missing a beat, Roddick grabbed his swordbelt lying off to the side, deftly securing it around his waist as he said, "We're going! Dorne and I will take point. Millie, you'll support from behind and protect any townspeople who might be injured. Come on, guys! Let's teach these jerks a lesson...!"

Though he had never been fond of Roddick giving orders as if it was completely natural, Dorne still nodded his head, saying, "Right on!" as Millie added, "Leave it to me...!" while clutching the symbologist rod formerly used by her mother. This earned her a smile from both of the young men, but, with people's lives on the line, neither tarried when it came to exiting the cottage and charging towards the direction of the enemy.

Shaking her head in response to the boys' eagerness, Millie took a deep breath before running after them. Fortunately, her father had allowed her to focus on developing skills as a Combat Medic, so, while she was quite a bit slower than the two trained swordsmen, her agility was remarkable for someone with her physique. She could easily outpace nearly everyone in the village, and, though she had yet to master it, she could use 'Haste' to momentarily surpass even Roddick...

---

Watching Roddick and Dorne run ahead of the person responsible for healing and buffing them, Vahn couldn't help but shake his head as he silently mused, "Though speed is necessary during an emergency, the pace of a party should always be determined by its slowest member. If you leave your back exposed, you're basically inviting the enemy to take advantage of you..."

As these words left his non-existent lips, Vahn traced his equally non-existent hand through an invisible current that only he could see. At the exact same moment, a group of bandits attempting to take advantage of the chaos to sneak in through the north experienced having one of their members stumble over. This drew the attention of a number of villagers, and, though they weren't official members of the Kratus Defense Force, that didn't prevent them from charging the men with rakes and pitchforks while a few huntsmen made skillful use of their bows and arrows.

Nodding his head in approval of the villager's courage, Vahn returned his attention to the trio he had decided to silently observe for the remainder of their journey. As a result, he instantaneously found himself above the battlefield without even needing to choose his destination. 

Seeing Dorne make short work of a group of malnourished bandits that looked like they hadn't eaten in weeks, Vahn couldn't help but shake his head. Anyone could deduce the bandits were victims of the famine that currently plagued the Muan Continent, yet, with a rather vicious smile on his face, Dorne cut them down without even a shred of mercy.

Vahn couldn't blame anyone for wanting to eliminate people who preyed upon others to make a living. What he couldn't accept was the apparent glee with which Dorne cut down his enemies. The youth seemed to enjoy the process far more than any stable person ought to, and, if you listened closely, you could even hear him happily counting up each time his blade inflicted a fatal wound to a foe...

A stark contrast to the rather brutal blond, Roddick focused most of his efforts on disabling his foes and protecting the townspeople. He used a form of swordsmanship known as the Edarl Blade Arts, and, though it was a style that focused heavily on offensive power, the core principle of the school was using said techniques to protect others.

Following his father's example, Roddick took full advantage of his agility to outmaneuver and disable his foes. The only time he dealt a fatal blow was when the enemy attempted to target one of the villagers or sneak up on Dorne. At those moments, his speed and power seemed to increase drastically, and, for a brief moment, a blue aura would emanate from his body to indicate the instinctual activation of a skill known as 'Godspeed'.

With Dorne's focused on slaughtering his enemies, he often left his back and blindspots unattended. This resulted in Roddick coming to his aid far more often than he would have liked, and, though he was grateful for his friend's help, he couldn't shake the feeling the former was trying to show off to impress Millie. There were even times when he resented Roddick for taking blows intended for him as it almost exclusively led to Millie fretting over the former before chastising them both for their negligence...

Peering into the flow of fate to ascertain what might happen if he helped the youth, a tired sigh escaped Vahn's throat as he muttered, "Sorry kid, but your presence only seems to complicate things. This isn't a love story, and I'd rather not see your resentment blossom into betrayal..."

Following this utterance, the currents leading Dorne toward his fate of becoming a statue were reinforced to the point that only Vahn himself could change it. This might seem a little cruel, but, as there were virtually no timelines where Dorne ended up happily with Millie, Vahn considered it more of a mercy than anything else. It was infinitely better than watching the man succumbing to his envy, an incident that would ultimately lead to his betrayal and the subsequent endangerment of the entire galaxy...

With that taken care of, Vahn turned around to find Millie arriving a bit late due to her efforts to help one of the oldest women in the village reach the relative safety of the Mayor's residence. 

As someone who had dedicated her life to the preservation and wellness of others, a sad look marred Millie's face the moment she saw the number of corpses littering the area. Dorne had killed a total of thirteen people at this point, and, though he wasn't fully aware of it himself, his main reason for doing so was to prevent her from tending to their wounds. 

Equally unaware of this truth, Millie shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts before pointing her symbologist rod forward, focusing her mind, and chanting, "Spirits of the wind! Grant my ally unfettered speed! Haste~!"

Under normal circumstances, Millie's Haste had about a twenty percent chance to increase her target's agility by ten percent. Once mastered, this increase would rise to thirty percent, but, as a result, the target would feel a massive strain on their body that rapidly drained their stamina.

Due to the strain it placed on the target's body, Haste was one of the few spells Millie had been reluctant to train. Thus, when a strange symbol suddenly appeared following her chant, the pink-haired maiden could do little more than gawk as she briefly considered telling the unsuspecting blond to dodge. Unfortunately, anything she said would have been too late, as, immediately following the symbol's appearance, a vibrant green aura shrouded Dorne's body.

Feeling as though each of his senses had sharpened along with a sudden lightening of his body, a massive grin spread across Dorne's face as he shouted, "Nice one, Millie!" before blitzing the largest of the bandits still remaining. Anyone could tell this was the group's boss, as, unlike the vast majority of bandits present, he possessed a hulking figure, large muscles, and a belly that had overgrown due to excessive consumption.

Originally, Dorne was planning to team up with Roddick to take down the bandit's boss. Now that he was receiving Millie's support, however, he felt a sudden and intense urge to take down the brute before his 'friend' could steal his thunder. He didn't know what art Millie had used, but it gave him the impression he could cleave a mountain in half, so, without any fear or hesitation, he easily evaded massive brute's cleaver-like ax, sliding under it and cutting through the man's abdomen as if it were jelly.

Having never seen anyone move so swiftly in his entire life, the mountain of a man known as Boss Baird was at a complete loss as his body moved in an instinctual attempt to prevent his guts from spilling out. With more than half his body bifurcated, however, this was wishful thinking, and, as a result of the tremendous blood loss, he ended up collapsing around the same time that Dorne was cockily flourishing his blade...