"The Veldans are going to honor you as a warrior, which means we will not hunt you down for the bounty. If we want to earn the points from your bounty, the Veldan people will only engage in fair duels with you to earn them. The deal is that I will not participate in any of those duels unless you challenge me." At'tok smiled.
"That's great for me; I'm very thankful for that. But what is the catch?"
At'tok scratched his chin and sat back down on his throne. "I am getting old. I do not wish for my daughter to have to rely on me. She has finally been exposed to warriors on the battlefield who have strength greater than her own. I have many responsibilities to attend to for my people, but you will be out in this world. If you have any visions of enemies who threaten my daughter's safety, I ask that you go and protect her."
At'tok held out a necklace to me. Hanging from the necklace was a semitransparent blue crystal that was pulsing dimly.
"If the necklace glows red, my daughter is in a state of distress. Simply focus on the necklace, and it will guide you to her. I am shamelessly asking that you protect my daughter during times when I cannot be there for her."
I was taken aback by this request, but I instinctively reached out and took the necklace. I don't know why, but I felt compelled to accept this old warrior's request. "I will keep her safe; I take it that I'll have safe passage in all of the Veldan territories during the games?"
At'tok smiled. "Yes. You may come and go as you please. Do stop by and share any visions you want with me, but I understand that we are unfortunately at war with each other. The gods have set up a violent competition."
I nodded and looked to the floor. I was angry. The Veldans were the most simple race that we came across in all of the seasons. They lived a peaceful life where they only wanted to hunt. I didn't know anything about their world, but every interaction that I had with them in the past, and even now, has been positive.
As if At'tok could read my thoughts, he placed his giant hand on my shoulder. It felt as though a one hundred-pound rice sack was pressing down on me, but it felt oddly comforting. I looked up to him, and he had a warm, almost grandfatherly smile on his face.
"I understand what you are feeling, Ronan. Do not be distressed. Live and act. Whatever happens is fate. Don't cloud your judgment. Those guilty are the gods; you shoulder no burden in this place."
I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, in more ways than one. Not only had I felt like my mind had cleared up, but the hundred-pound rice sack of a hand was lifted off of me, and I could stand up straight again.
"I'll remember your words, At'tok." I turned and started for the tent flap when I felt compelled to turn and face the large Veldan once more. "If it's okay, I might come to seek your guidance in the future."
At'tok made a wide gesture with his hands open and raised. "Always, you are welcome to seek me out."
I smiled and stepped out of the tent. I was surprised to see that Punisher was sitting at a table with a few Veldan men playing with a deck of cards. Punisher didn't notice me as I stood behind him.
"Okay, hold up, I'm not cheating! I've just been playing this game for a long time, so I'm good at it. You'll get better, Krog!" Punisher extended his hands and pulled a pile of what looked like fruit back in his direction.
One of the larger Veldans slammed the table and looked at Punisher with a mixture of excitement and anger in his eyes as he shouted at him. "Let's go again! I can't lose five hands in a row!"
Punisher laughed. "Okay, okay… We can go one mor-!"
I placed a hand on Punisher's shoulder and shook my head as I interrupted him. "Hey Pun, we gotta go. Enough bullying these guys."
Punisher rolled his eyes. "Hey man, I was just teaching them the game. They're the ones who wanted to make bets! It comes naturally when you're playing poker."
I placed a hand on Punisher's shoulder and squeezed. I watched as Punisher tried to resist, but I could tell that his vitality was far too low to succeed. He flinched and reached up to grab my hand.
"Okay! Okay! I get it!"
I let go of Punisher's shoulder, and he started to collect his cards and say goodbye to his new poker friends. Punisher really never changed from the version of him I knew in my last life. A surge of emotion hit me all at once as the memory of his neck being snapped played back in my mind. Not this time; things are already much different.
Punisher and I began to make our way out of the camp. I checked my status window, and it indicated that there were three hours before the next time my location would be broadcast. It was early in the morning, and I already knew where the Veldan campsite was, so the route I was going to take was already planned out in my head.
While we were walking, I decided that I would take a look at my status window. I knew that there were points that I needed to assign.
"Status window."
Ronan Wilde
Race: Human
Class: None
Level: 8 [180/380]
Stats
Strength: 100 (High-Tier)
Agility: 142 (Advanced-Tier)
Vitality: 80 (High-Tier)
Mind: 80 (High-Tier) >>> 95 (High-Tier)
Spirit: 120 (Advanced-Tier)
Distributable Stat Points: 50
Skills & Abilities:
Slaughterer's Thirst [Legendary]
Divine Sense [Legendary]
Summon Contract: Mimic [Legendary]
Advanced Sword Energy [Epic]
Harvest Time [Rare]
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Equipment:
Versaga [Epic]
Interdimensional Storage [Epic] [Open]
I couldn't help but smile as I looked at my status window.