Depthless Hunger: A Progression LitRPG, page 28
"Then there's nothing to say."
"I suppose not." Gunjin stared at him for a long time and his lips twitched as if he was about to say something, but then he turned on his heel and vanished into the crowd.
Finally they stopped dragging it out: Hannagan stood up on a platform and shouted for the crowds to be silent, then began a speech he had clearly prepared.
"After careful investigation, the Hunters Guild has discovered that several of our own young hunters engaged in a reckless fight. Many are injured, and several are near death... all because of the actions of one man." The guild leader's finger swung down on Kai like a hammer. "Kai Granfian, you stand accused of harming your fellow humans and undermining our city and our nation. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"
What would be the point of saying anything? Most of those watching already knew that the city could be unfair, and the others wouldn't believe him. Perhaps it made more sense to stay quiet and not disturb the unity of Monskon City... but no. He refused to simply let them shove this injustice down his throat, not while he still lived.
Just as he drew breath to speak, a palm struck him in the back. Icy mana flowed through his body and his jaw locked up. All Kai's strength was only enough to stare at the hunter beside him, an older woman who didn't even look in his direction while she bound him in place.
"Your clan has already rejected you, and now so does the city." Hannagan raised his voice even further, his words ringing off the walls. "From this day forth, you are Kai Clanless. You are banished from Monskon City, never to step past its walls again on pain of death. You are barred from entering any Guild anywhere in Goralia, and you are unwelcome at all our outposts. From this day forth, the wasteland is your only home."
He had known it was coming and had expected it to still hurt. When Kai Clanless was marched to the city gates and thrown out, he felt nothing at all.
Chapter 49: Fragments of a Life
After stumbling in despair for a while, Kai eventually pulled himself together. Not because he had hope. Simply because moving forward was the only thing he knew how to do.
In a sense, he had been doomed ever since the moment he received his Laborer Class. If a simple life in the city was unacceptable to him - and he'd rejected it at every turn - then he really didn't have any option. He was going to end up in the wasteland one way or another.
That wasn't necessarily a death sentence. He had more experience in the wastelands than most hunters his age and he'd developed considerable power. In a sense, that power was what had gotten him in trouble, since he might have made it through if he'd lost the fight. Or just ran, or surrendered and let them beat him...
But no. Perhaps this was for the best, if he had been running up against his limits in Monskon City.
With that thin comfort, Kai tried to take a step back and evaluate just how bad his current situation was.
Since sending someone into the wastelands unarmed usually meant death, they hadn't taken away his weapons. He still had his bow, minus two arrows. His gauntlets had served him well through the entire fight. Though it wasn't much compared to those, he did still have an ordinary sword from the Granfian household. Perhaps most importantly, he still had the third weapon sphere, since he'd carried it on him at all times recently.
Things didn't look so good when it came to other resources. He'd been carrying only experimental potions and he'd used those anyway. His precious healing potions, carefully kept in his quarters for times of need, were useless to him. Worst of all, the special flask Juray had made for him was still at her house.
Thinking about her hurt, so Kai forced himself to stay practical. His biggest problem might actually be a lack of practical supplies: no tent, no bedroll, no food. Being sent into the wastelands without a weapon was considered unfair, but going out without food or water was just fine apparently. If he found a source of water he could cleanse it... no, that would require a pan, flint, and other supplies he no longer had.
Kai was willing to take on any monster in the wastelands, but he couldn't survive without food. He turned back around and stared back at Monskon City. Clearly there was no future for him there. That didn't mean that he couldn't go back in. They would be looking for him, but the city's security had always been focused on monsters, not people.
Still, it wouldn't be easy. Instead of rushing in blind, Kai made sure to break line of sight with the city walls, then found a dry riverbed that would let him cut east. From there, he could creep through some low shrubbery to get close to the city and wait for his best opportunity.
Unfortunately, by that evening he was beginning to think it would be more of a challenge than he expected. The hunters guarding the city, formerly a source of pride, would make it nearly impossible for him to sneak in. It might be easier to sneak in with visitors, which led to a whole host of new problems he'd need to solve.
Briefly Kai considered just fighting his way in, brawling with anyone who got near until he could grab his things and then run out. It made him laugh, very briefly.
Before he could try anything desperate, Kai noticed someone unusual emerging from the city. So far away, they were just a speck, but something about their movement immediately drew his attention. He stood up and shielded his eyes to get a better look... it was definitely Juray. Wearing one of her auburn robes that he'd always thought she looked lovely in.
She walked some distance away from the city and then waited. Kai crept close enough to get her attention, then gestured for her to join him. At first she half-ran in his direction, but as she drew near she slowed down and her expression fell.
"Kai..." It sounded as though she'd been crying. "I wish I could... hope you understand..."
"I'd never ask you to come with me." He still grabbed her in a tight hug. "My life has been ruined, but yours doesn't have to be. Unless... did they go after you too?"
"No, and I don't think they will. Most of the clans know that the decision was unfair, they're just not willing to stand up for you. Even I can only..." She extricated herself from his grip and lifted a satchel that he'd barely noticed. "I brought you the recovery flask and... and a little extra. I know it's not much, but it's everything I could manage."
"So no one is going to argue about the banishment? It's just over?"
"Your clan m... your former clan made clear that they wouldn't say anything. Inafay showed up and wanted to storm the Guild, but I convinced her that she'd just be throwing her future away. She wanted me to apologize to you, but obviously she can't come and risk any blame falling on her."
Kai stayed close, rubbing her shoulders since he knew what was coming. "That's fine, tell her I don't blame her at all. She's more likely to be able to change Monskon City than I am."
"There are some other things in here too. I know it's not much, but if anyone can survive out here..." Juray grimaced and wiped her eyes roughly with the back of her hand. "I didn't want it to end like this, Kai. I thought we'd be together until we started to drift toward someone else. But this..."
There was absolutely nothing he could say, so he pulled her into a kiss. This time she didn't pull away, instead wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing herself against him desperately. He tasted salt where their lips pressed together, nothing like their quiet affection, and felt starved for more. It couldn't last forever, but it lasted as long as it could.
When she finally stepped away, Juray summoned her composure with a deep breath. "There's one more thing you need to know. Hannagan thinks the matter is over, but Fhazi isn't satisfied. He's sending out messages to outposts and towns associated with the city. If you try to go to any of them, it will give him an excuse to retaliate."
"I assumed as much." Kai started to stare out at the wastelands again, but that was his problem, not hers. "Thank you, Juray. For everything. I don't have the words to say how grateful I am, I just..."
"I know." She wiped her eyes again and then turned swiftly. He watched her the entire way back to the city, but she only looked back once and that was nearly too much for them both.
Seeing her left him feeling simultaneously stronger and emptier. He forced himself to look at the satchel's contents more carefully. The enhanced restorative flask was safe in a special hardened pouch, and he would need it now that he was locked off from healing. She'd thrown in more than a few extras, various potions he'd need to sort through later. There were also a few random items that must have been raided from his room, like his reserve money bag and a few tools.
Perhaps most immediately useful, the satchel included a large canteen of water and some food. She'd definitely chosen practically, as it was all dried jerky and fruit. It wouldn't feed him for very long, but it was about as much as someone could pack into a satchel.
So he had a few resources... but what the hell was he going to do with them?
There were several immediate problems he needed to solve, but he was equally likely to solve them in any direction. That meant that his path should be decided by longer term goals. If only those goals hadn't been his main problem for half a year.
Eventually he decided to travel northwest, toward the Krysal City States. Journeying deeper south into Goralia would only lead to more problems from his banishment and he wasn't sure he could make the long journey to Irun. There were a few mercantile paths leading northwest, and even if he couldn't use the waystations along the roads, he could follow them and be safer than average.
Kai walked for most of a day, then slept a difficult night in a pile of rocks. At least there had been few signs of monsters so far, which in a sense he had himself to thank for: these had been the very lands he'd been hunting during his prior training.
The next day he headed out with more strength, though he was extremely careful not to use up his food and water too fast. Traveling north would only make water more and more scarce, at least until he got away from the central wastes and into Krysal. From the maps he dimly remembered, there was at least one road arcing northwest around the wastes, but it felt a lot further away when traveling on foot.
Before he discovered the road, Kai spotted a ramshackle town. It was quite a ways outside Monskon, but he couldn't ignore the possibility that it was officially allied with them. In fact, when he observed carefully, he saw several official hunters patrolling. No, that place was one of the traps that Fhazi hoped he would stumble onto.
Though Kai braced himself for a long walk to the next sign of civilization, he spotted a fire in a matter of hours. Not only that, it seemed to be based in a set of ruins even more devastated than the forgotten outlying towns. Yet it was almost within sight of the official settlement... Kai had a feeling that the people there might be keeping their distance for the exact same reason he was.
The closer he got, the larger he realized the column of smoke loomed. It seemed to be emerging from an enormous pit that ejected foul smoke without a clear cause. He could see some of the people living in the ruin now: they were rough men and women who glowered back at him and walked faster.
He didn't know who they were or what they were burning, but Kai headed to find out.
Chapter 50: Civility of Another World
As soon as Kai neared the camp in the ruins, he knew that he was unwelcome. Then again, he wasn't sure that anyone was really welcome. It seemed less like a community than a stalemate of criminals who only barely hated the monsters outside more than one another.
Then again, he was one of them now, a clanless man banished for violence. Maybe he shouldn't cast judgments.
Though the ruin was in worse condition than the abandoned community he'd seen before, in some ways this place was more advanced. Every individual camp appeared to be armed and guarded. If smugglers existed here, he definitely wouldn't be able to slip into their base so easily. However, it was obvious that he wasn't going to find any friendly street vendors or other amenities.
Since no one was stopping him, Kai ventured deeper into the camp. He finally discovered the source of the smoke: an enormous pit filled with strange coals. They didn't look familiar, but they put off a considerable degree of mana that gave the impression they could keep burning for a long time. Thrown atop the coals were a number of bones, clearly from monsters. Their burning was what produced most of the smoke as well as the worst of the smell.
Nothing had come to a fight so far, but Kai still used his spiritual sight on everyone he encountered. There was a wide variety, a mix of Classes and Irregular Classes. On average, even the unarmed people, such as cooks, had a Power rating of 10 or more. Almost all the guards had at least 30. He didn't see anyone who was a match for the veteran hunters in the city, but the average strength must need to be high to survive in the wastelands.
The place wasn't exactly friendly, but it wasn't as bad as it looked at first. Kai decided to approach one of the larger groups, since they seemed to have food supplies and they should be less worried about a lone stranger. When he approached, however, their guards immediately reached for their weapons.
"Excuse me!" Kai gave them all a smile and approached his hands clearly visible. "I'm just passing through, and I was hoping I could buy some food."
"There's a place better-suited for you that way." One of the guards jerked his chin back toward the outlying town. "Don't bother us."
"I'm not welcome there."
"Sure you're not. You're a city hunter if I've ever saw one."
Kai had anticipated several different directions the conversation might go and this wasn't any of them. He barely managed to keep the frustration off his face. "I was banished. What do you think I'm trying to pull on you? I'd just like to buy food."
That finally earned a pause and a number of the guards spoke to one another in guarded voices. Eventually a better-dressed man stepped forward to address him. The guards didn't seem entirely happy, but remained at a distance while Kai spoke to him.
"We have some of the usual foods," the man told him. "The bread you see there, a bit of meat, some fruit. Say... one Goralian Eagle for a full meal?"
"An entire Eagle?" Kai had been prepared for higher prices, but that was downright extortion. He'd been considering his smaller coins, not Eagles. One of those should have bought a large quantity of food, or at worst a meal at the finest restaurant in Monskon City.
"Talk to the others, if you want." Based on the man's smile, he knew how it would go. "If you don't want to pay what food is worth out here, don't waste our time."
The meat roasting over their fire smelled surprisingly good. Kai wasn't exactly starving, but he had been rationing his dried food and the idea of a fresh meal was glorious. For a moment, he examined the entire group and wondered if he could fight them.
Maybe not this group. They might have lower Class and Physique Levels than he was used to seeing, but he barely saw any with lower Soul Levels, and some were even at 4 with him. That fully matched their hardened appearances. If he couldn't break or distract them as easily, they'd use their numbers against him and eventually cut him down.
Some of the smaller groups, though... Kai realized what he was thinking and pushed the thought away. Before he could think differently, he shook his head at the merchant and backed away. Finding this community was rapidly starting to seem less lucky than he'd thought at first.
Perhaps it was wrong to approach the larger groups. Kai headed away from the main fortified ruins and began walking around the smoke pit on the clearer side. There was a woman not much older than him breaking some bones to throw in. Her lumpy and ill-fitting armor was definitely from Monskon City, even if she wasn't.
"Hi there!" Kai gave her his best smile and she immediately leapt back.
"What the fuck do you want?" She drew several inches of the sword at her waist and eyed him like he was a serpent rearing back.
"Just to talk. I'm new to-"
"Absolutely not. Get the fuck away from me."
Despite his better instincts, Kai growled in irritation. "What did I do to deserve this treatment? You all act like I'm rushing at you with weapons drawn."
"With a spirit like that, you might as well be." The woman drew her sword and poked it in his direction. "Fucking F rank, and that much Soul? You could leave my body in the fucking ditch, if not worse. If you don't get the fuck away, I'm calling the others."
Kai raised his hands and backed away, lest the woman use the word "fuck" any more. When he thought about it for more than a moment, however, her bluster just made him sad. Whatever he'd done wrong, she was clearly intimidated. He tried to consider things from her perspective and examined her soul.
<
Name: ???
Total Power: 22
Fighter Irregular Class: 7 (3)
Physique Level: G-4 (10)
Soul Level: 3 (9)
>
Immediately her eyes widened and she took several steps back. It looked like she was about to shout for others, so Kai retreated before he could get into another brawl. Instead of looking at her with his spiritual sight again, he just recalled the symbols.
Her Irregular Class counted against her, but otherwise she was reasonably well trained. In the city, she likely would have been a promising young hunter. Out here, he had the feeling that she just felt vulnerable. Certainly, she probably knew that her sword might not penetrate his skin and that he could easily overpower her. If he'd given her a reason to be suspicious, or she just didn't trust him, he could understand why his actions would come off as aggressive.
Tired of interactions he didn't understand, Kai stalked out of the ruins. It was possible that every other community in the wastelands would be like this, and even more likely that they were few and far between. Taking his chances out there seemed better than staying.
After several hours of walking, it was beginning to get dark again. Just when Kai was considering looking for a secure place to spend the night, he spotted a wisp of smoke. Nowhere near the burn pit he'd seen before, unless he radically misjudged it.
