The City of Atol

“Everyone is expecting your arrival. The ceremony to welcome you has been prepared for days.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Captain Kal nods. “We never know where the hero will arrive from. Sometimes from outside the city walls, sometimes from a house inside them. Sometimes they even drop from the sky! All heroes, who are documented, were very unique.”

“So this happens often?”

“Every ten years our Lady Erya sends a sign to the temple. We then prepare the ceremony and five days later the hero appears.”

At least he still seems enthusiastic. I still have to ask.

“I heard… I heard that no hero has been successful as of yet. And it’s been hundreds of years.”

“We must not give up hope, Hero Yuki. Look around you. If we give up, this city of Atol and the other bastions of humanity will fall to the demon army. We do our best to keep the darkness at bay, every single one of us.”

I do look around. Atol is what I could describe as the classic fantasy town—vaguely medieval, somewhat European looking. Only it isn’t dark, not at all. The stone they used to build it is creamy white and the whole city is bright. Countless flowers hang from the windowsills, intricate fountains display carved statues. It is beautiful.

Yet the city is full to bursting. People are everywhere. It’s like a refugee camp on every street. Makeshift tents and wooden barracks line the houses, making the actual roads very narrow. At first I had assumed it’s that busy because of market day or similar, but it’s more than that. This is what it looks like when a whole country of people seek refuge in the last available city.

“Can’t they stay outside the walls?”

“We need every bit of farmland that’s not already corrupted. If someone stays on that land, it can’t yield anything. Even then it’s not enough. The mages make the crops bigger and more nutritious, so we scrape by just barely.”

Though the road is narrow, the people automatically make way for Captain Kal… and the Hero of Light. When they recognise me, I see hope in many eyes, but I also see hate and fear. I can’t blame them. The heroes have disappointed them for centuries, resulting in this harrowing situation. And I am about to disappoint them again. I stop dead in my tracks and the captain looks back at me questioningly.

“Captain Kal… What if I also fail?”

“Come with me.”

He takes me by the hand and leads me away through a narrow alleyway, in which a group of children sleeps underneath makeshift roofs. As we emerge, we stand in front of a high, narrow tower. Captain Kal takes a key from his pocket and unlocks the door. We enter and he locks it again behind us. We ascend the winding stairs in silence. Finally, we have reached the top. From the vantage point I can clearly see the crowded main street and several small parks, which are also overflowing with people. There are other watchtowers dotted around the city. A guard is already stationed up here, who salutes the captain and goes back to his duty.

“They overlook the streets for trouble. Things like fights and fires and such,” Captain Kal explains. “Do you see the square building over there? With the yard?”

It seems like a military barracks and I say as much.

“That’s correct. Our most elite troops are training for the worst case.”

“The worst case?”

“If the heroes fail once more, we don’t have another ten years. The demons are getting closer every day. Our mages are getting tired. The city wall enchantments won’t hold forever. We need to fight back and regain ground to farm and settle these people, otherwise the city will eat itself up.”

“...how many people live here?”

“Right now? Probably around 100 '000 citizens. Maybe more.”

“And the other cities?”

“We only have sporadic contact. Messages are sent between the islands with spirit messengers, but the demons have long recognised them and capture them more often than not. But there should be between 50 '000 and 70' 000 citizens in the other cities, if they have not already fallen. Atol is the biggest population centre on account of it being sacred to Lady Erya.”

“I’m so sorry,” I burst out and tears fall from my eyes unbidden. “I don’t know what to do.”

“You’ve only just arrived, and—”

“No, you don’t understand. I’m not a fighter. I can’t fight the demons, much less the Demon King himself. I received no such power.”

Captain Kal blinks confusedly. “But you’re—”

“I don’t know why and how your power distribution system works, but it fucked up. I have no power at all. I can only use Appraisal!” I yell.

Captain Kal stumbles and holds onto the railing.

“Appraisal? That’s… that’s all?”

“It looks like it.”

“Have you tried to cast other spells?”

“No, but…”

“Try it!”

I swallow. Well. I try the whole list of spells I saw in Shay’s stats. None of them work. Captain Kal puts a hand on my shoulder. At that moment, a text pops up next to him.

[Safrim Kal]
Attributes: Water, Wind
Life Points: 90/90
Skills: Water Splash, Whirlwind, Fragrant Breeze, Bubble, Drowning Abyss, Positive Thinking

… What kind of skill is Positive Thinking?

“Don’t beat yourself up about it. I’m sure Lady Erya has her designs for you. This will be exactly the skill we need to win.”

Ah. That kind of skill.

“I’m not so sure.”

“You only just arrived. Come on, I’ll take you to the temple, we’ll officially welcome you and you can rethink after sleeping on it.”

Captain Kal is a literal angel. I wipe my face and nod. What else can I do?