An internal battle raged on inside of me. Did I remain hidden, or show myself? Was there a prejudice towards demi-humans in this world? I had too many questions in my head, but the system answered none of them. I squirmed in place, tapping my foot as I debated what to do.
One tap was too heavy, though, and a thin twig cracked beneath my foot. Murdoch's chiseled face looked up from the corpse, his emerald green eyes scanning all around him. I scolded myself internally before stepping out, my knees and below being covered by a small brush.
"Ah," he gasped, taking in my figure from top to almost-bottom, admiring my horns more than everything else, "a demon was to thank for this. You're glad it's just me." He chuckled, his heavy voice causing his shoulders to bob up and down.
"Yes," I admitted, my too-soft voice still irking me, "it attacked me and I defended myself. Is there an issue there?" I met the man's gaze forcefully, not allowing him to look away from me.
"Gods no!" He scoffed, smiling at me with his two hands raised yieldingly. "I'd just been hunting this big bastard for a bit. Wanted a wee match with 'im is all." Murdoch admitted as he looked back at me. I saw the longing for battle in his eyes, and it caused me to take some form of a defensive stance.
"So since you can't fight him, you thought to fight me?" My voice was laced with an accusatory tone, but no fear seeped through, somehow. I clenched my jaw and prepared to use transform once more, mentally preparing myself to kill a human.
"Not if you can't even take a defensive stance," he stated, deflated as the lack of experience I showed, "but I still best thank you. The village doesn't like demonfolk, but I'm indifferent. Was in a party with one once." He reminisced, taking a relaxed posture as he stood there, the golden butt of his sword glimmering behind his head like some sort of Godsend.
I relieved myself of my makeshift stance and stepped fully out from behind the small lip of brushes. The man smiled and sat down, patting the grass beside him. I accepted his request, but stayed a small distance away, and kept my right hand pointed towards his chest should I have to fight.
"My village was burned to the ground," I began, spouting a lie I hoped would work, "I only survived because I went to play in a cave. When I went back that night, it was cinder and ash." I glanced towards the now nodding man. He looked to me and his eyes squinted as he went deep into thought. "That's why I didn't get to learn any swordsmanship. Don't even have a sword." I finished.
"I guess you don't need to start until later, because you lot are stronger and all." He pondered, speaking aloud. He shrugged slightly and heaved a sigh before turning to me once more. "What age are you, then? Hundred? Two hundred?"
I laughed through my nose slightly at the extreme overshoot by the man, which answered a question I never knew I wanted to ask. He looked at me confused, one eyebrow raised. I composed myself and coughed slightly before shaking my head.
"I'm fifteen. My species ages differently to the others," I continued my lie, "we're a very human-like lot, too. A human visited our village a while back, and ever since we've tried to copy his mannerisms, language, and such." I rubbed at my horn, wondering how it would affect me in a bustling public setting.
"Bugger me. Fifteen." He mumbled. "But aye, must've been a Hero, then." He cemented, looking to the sunset through the treetops as he thought. "I can see you're much more humanly than the demonfolk I knew. They were all high-and-mighty. Wise beyond years kind of guys." He smiled as he remembered his times with them, and I loosened up more too.
"You're a good guy," I began, speaking my mind for the first time in our conversation, "to be talking to me like this despite your village's outlook on my folk. Thank you." I nodded, trying to recreate a bow despite having my head laying on my curled-up knees.
"It's nothing. Shame about your village though," he mourned, nodding to me to show his condolences for my dead, fictitious village-friends and family, "you got anywhere to go? You'll be going to an Academy in two years then, eh?" He injected his happier tone into his words at the end, likely trying to uplift my spirits from my fake tragedy.
"I've got nowhere," I admitted, and felt a slight lump in my throat as the realization finally hit, "nobody either. I was just going to train here until I had to go to the Academy." I lied and heard Murdoch scoff at the thought of it. I furrowed my brows at the less than gentlemanly conduct of the man, but he just tutted playfully.
"That'll be right. You'll kill nothing but yourself out here with skills like yours." He stated, his words not holding any sense of confrontation or mockery, but being completely analytical. "How you managed to kill that beast is beyond me, but I can see you're not the kind to lie."
After stifling a laugh at the irony of his last comment, I shrugged. "Practice makes perfect," I sighed, stretching my limbs, "and when is better to practice than the present?" I cited half-heartedly.
"When's better than the present?" Murdoch repeated before a wide smile appeared on his face. "My house at dark. I'll be expecting you. I'll have a meal and bed ready." He stood, and began to walk away before stopping and turning as he realized I had no idea where that was. "Come, follow me." he began laughing once more, cursing his stupidity as he shook his head.
"You stupid sod," I muttered, standing up from my seated position as I dusted my buttocks of dirt. I followed the man's orders, having to keep a jog as he traversed through the forest with practiced grace.
After what felt like an hour, but was longer due to it now being night, we reached his house. A hut, massive in stature with a large half-dome attached to the back of it, like a tumor. He threw an arm up halfway and nodded.
"Nice place," I admired, taking in the fine intricacies of the logs which had been stuck in place with some form of ground magic to create a clay-like substance, "but what's that big thing at the back?" I looked to the burly man who was searching the empty streets for any of his fellow villagers.
"It's where you'll be staying," he stated, quickly shaking his head and waving his hands, "should you wish to train under me. It's better to be able to train any time of day, eh?" He smiled. Although the man was a warm person, his years of battle seemed to have impacted his ability to convey his true nature.
"Murdoch," I called, catching the burly man off-guard as he looked to me. I bowed deeply, and placed my right hand across my chest to my heart, in an attempt to show sincerity, "I'll be in your care. Please train me to the best of your ability."
He chuckled loudly, scratching at his head of black, shaved-in hair in embarrassment. After a few moments of that, he took a deep breath and motioned for me to enter. As I passed him, he grabbed a hold of my shoulder which caused me to look up to him.
"You're going to wish you hadn't said that, boy."
Current Stats: [Name: Envy.
Species: Leviathan.
Level: 3
Magic Skills: Devour, Electric Discharge, Electricity Resistance.
Physical Skills: Transform.]