IAmNotTheHero

Chapter 19

Fever dreams haunted Flint’s slumber. He slipped between them and wakefulness full of shivers. Every time the nightmares or pain snapped him awake, Maya was there with her chin on his neck keeping him warm. Her body soft fur and body heat reminded him of the winter months in the orphanage when they’d all pile into one bed with their blankets to stay warm. If it weren’t for the tightness in his shoulder, Flint would’ve embraced Maya to get the most out of her body heat but had to settl...

Chapter 18

By the time the trio reached the narrow alleys near the Heartstone, Flint felt sick and light-headed. He needed to lie down and rest, but it would result in Maya and Bjorn getting killed or worse. Flint hated the thought of the Wyldmaster taking control of either dog. When he faltered and stumbled onto his hands and knees, Maya stopped at Flint’s side and licked his face A comforting warmth rushed through him, and suddenly he felt a lot better.

As Flint’s head cleared and he felt Ma...

Chapter 17

“I don’t know a Cumula,” Flint answered, cursing himself for not getting clothed. He had groggily gotten out of bed after the first howl, urinated and drank water. Initially, he thought Maya was just howling at the moon with her new friend.

The second howl had snapped him alert, and the alien white glow told him something was different. Worried that Maya was in trouble, he had only pulled on his boots and grabbed his crossbow before running—the bedroll got too warm when Maya lea...

Chapter 16

It still smelled like nighttime when an uncomfortable feeling awoke Maya. She opened her eyes to find herself curled up between her human and Bjorn. They were both fast asleep and storing—her human louder than Bjorn.

Maya wasn’t sure what had woken her up. Thinking it was just a dream, she didn’t move. Instead, the sheepdog took a moment to think about herself. It was as she had thought. With every passing sleep, her mind felt clearer and sharper. The old drives, wants and needs w...

Chapter 15

By lunchtime, Flint was too exhausted to move his arms, and his knees felt like they were made of jelly. Due to the surplus of stones, he didn’t have to waste energy on [Shape] but moving stones to the top of the wall, placing them and then using [Bind] drained him considerably. The ability’s rank increase appeared to have increased its radius by half and giving him more control over what he could join within the ability’s range. It made life much easier.

The wall gained three fee...

Chapter 14

An invisible force pulled Flint out of his slumber. He was pleased to find Bjorn curled up next to Maya by his feet. The snowdog raised his head to look at him for a moment before tucking his nose back into his tail and closing his eyes. Unwilling to disturb the two, he eased himself out of the bedroll, picked up his trousers, coat, and boots before exiting the stone shelter.

The sun hadn’t appeared over the Verdant Plains, but its first rays still coloured the sky pink and orange. Fl...

Chapter 13

Flint wanted to tear his hair out after half a day with Percy. It was mid-afternoon and dusk was a couple of hours away, and they had made decent progress. He appeared to know the ins and outs of building; however, he was one of the most annoying people Flint had ever met. Flint initially thought that the man’s constant interruptions were a reaction to Mr Mayor’s hostile attitude, but he soon discovered that it was an ingrained habit.

“Your fancy use of [Shape] is good, but what�...

Chapter 12

A new day came, and Bjorn still bared his teeth or ran whenever Flint approached. However, he scarfed down whatever food Flint left on the ground for him. It was progress, though. Maya played a big part in it too. She served as an example to Bjorn and demonstrated that the human could be trusted. In the morning, when they woke up, she had made of a show of cuddling up to Flint and locking his chin. It got too much eventually, and he had no choice but to push her off. He caught a glimpse of Bj...

Chapter 11

Flint woke to the caress of dawn’s first rays. Over the past couple of weeks, he had gotten used to finding Maya cuddled up to him. He appreciated the additional warmth and was disappointed to find himself alone. Now, she stood by the [Totem of Healing], feasting on a monstrous chunk of meat with the fae-touched snow dog. He made plans to bury both corpses later in the day.

The idea of Maya eating fae-touched flesh didn’t sit right with Flint. He had never bothered to find out what ...

Chapter 10

Flint felt a lot better after a short nap. It wasn’t as good as a full night’s sleep, but he didn’t want to waste any more daylight. He found a head-sized package of bread, cheese, cured meat, and fresh fruit sitting by the Hearstone. Someone must have dropped it off while he slept. He offered Maya a bite, but she nudged his hand away. Her eyes danced between him and the bear corpse, and pride followed. Since Maya never said to food, it confirmed his suspicion that she had indeed tucked...

Skill Node System As of Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Even though Flint's decision left him weak and sore, he had no regrets. He watched patiently as tiny holes formed around the [Class Node] and extended slowly towards the others, creating a cross-like design. Little lights filled a few of them, marking his abilities, and when Flint focused, the titanic book told him what they were.

Fortunately, the Heartstone had detected his desperation. It must've understood his reasoning and made an executive decision for his first class ability. A py...

Chapter 8

When Maya came to, her mind felt clearer than ever before. As she lay on her side thinking about it, Maya realised she had never really thought about her mind before. Maya had lived a life of dos, don’ts, wants, and don’t wants. She had daydreamed of rabbits, juicy bones, and big chewable sticks but never stopped to ponder about herself or anything around her.

No.

Maya did occasionally think about her human. She loved her human, and whenever he wasn’t around, she thought abo...

Chapter 7

Worried that the enemy would hear the soft continuous growl emanating from within Maya’s throat, Flint fell onto his knees and faced her. He pressed a finger to his lips and then held her snout closed. The intelligent sheepdog understood the gesture and shut up.

Flint wasn’t sure how the enemy’s vision compared to theirs. He assumed they had better senses and fighting instincts than him. Friendly people—or creatures—wouldn’t frighten and then kill his mule, so he was sure th...

Chapter 6

The sun had long disappeared behind the Gator Teeth Mountains by the time Flint reached his destination. The mule got skittish once the sky darkened, but it got them to the Sleeping Fort’s crumbling walls. Flint found a grassy knoll just outside, shadowed by boulders and rubble. He parked the cart and attached a feedbag to the mule. To er on the side of caution, he left the beast tied to the vehicle. He didn’t know what to expect and thought it best to have an escape plan.

Flint pri...

Chapter 5

Flint had always been a man of frugal means. Unlike the other builders, he didn’t frequent brothels or pubs. As a result, his salary had accumulated over the years, and Flint found himself with a tidy sum. He had never carried more than five gold in his pockets. Having fifty all of a sudden was jarring.

No one had heard anything from Lea’s Slumber in months, and Flint didn’t know what to expect on arrival. Thanks to the builders, he was set for a jacket and boots. He needed more u...

Chapter 4

“What do you want from life, Flint?” The senior-most officer asked.

“I don’t know, sir,” Flint answered honestly. “I’d very much like to find a remote town or village far from the war. Perhaps find work as a builder or a guard, make a home and live my life in peace.”

The smiles disappeared from the officers’ faces as they looked at one another. Flint guessed that’s not the answer they wanted. He didn’t see any point in lying. He had joined the army to fill hi...

Chapter 3

Flint was surprised when he woke up in the healer’s tent. Ordinary, low-level troops like him never got to enjoy such luxuries. Even captains needed to get lucky or have connections to get treatment. Yet Flint found himself lying on a real mattress with fresh bandages wrapped around his left arm and torso. If that weren’t enough, someone had cleaned him and changed his trousers. Did they not know he was a Woodson?

“Easy,” a matronly woman said from across the tent as he sat up. ...

Chapter 2

The sword felt alien in Flint’s hands. It annoyed him that the uniform demanded he wear one when on duty. A hammer or club would be better suited. The [Building] skill required its use often. The Iron Army had handed him a blade, but Flint didn’t receive enough training to use it due to his position. If he had picked [Swordsmanship] as the advance payment for his second term with the army, he would’ve made some headway with the weapon. Since he preferred the safety of the walls he built...

Chapter 1

“We’re going to die, aren’t we?” The boy to his left asked, his voice cracking.

The boy wore the construction division’s colours, but he didn’t have any hair on his arms, let alone his lips. “Have you unlocked [Reinforce] yet?” Flint asked, gritting his teeth. The boy shook his head. “Then just stick close to me, and we’ll be fine.”

Flint’s arrows didn’t deter the cave troll as it cleaved through the shield-bearer in its path. His chest tightened, knowing...