I Am A Monster Reborn [A Monster Evolution Litrpg]

Victor had been following the ‘roman-looking’ individuals for about a few miles now. They had gone through the fields he found himself in through a  forest trail  and were now past the treeline and near a riverbank. The Beast had disappeared for the moment. He had done his best to keep pace behind them, he was never the athletic sort. Out of breath but he had the will to keep moving, in fear of becoming the monster’s meal. The last time he had was when an earthquake with the magnitude of 9.0 hit his city. 

 

Up ahead, the one who had warned him before called out to him. Jumping maniacally up and down,  Waving erratically.

 

“Quickly stranger! Come with us!”

 

Victor sped up towards the group, who were unlatching a small rowing boat. They were likely trying to escape by the means of the riverbed. Getting on a boat may have been a bad idea to him, snakes can swim. Now give the snake two arms, and it would certainly be a problem.

 

They started boarding the vessel, the ‘fat’ chap had boarded it first and the buoyancy of the boat visibly shifted/ Victor immediately thought that the man was some fat aristocrat, judging by his clothing and the jewelry on him. He tried to hide his disgust, he was a stranger being welcomed into the arms of others. Then an older malnourished man entered the boat.

 

He could hear the monster’s roar in the distance, probably not too far from this unscheduled rendezvous. As he stared at the depth of the water,  he was pushed in straight away without his consent.

 

“Hurry up marcus!” barked the fat one, at the man who pushed him in.”I told you to bring your weapon, now look at that.”

 

Marcus was the epitome of a robust male. A desirable body every man would want to have. He gave the boat a heavy push, it was surprisingly weighty. Marcus jumped on the boat shortly after. And immediately took to rowing the boat. 

 

Victor, still dumbfounded by the last few minutes, sat down on the boat, mouth agape. He was plagued by sudden anxiety. First, he found himself in the middle of nowhere, ran for his life, and was now taken somewhere he didn’t know anything about. 

 

“A new arrival are you.” Marcus said. It sounded more like a statement then a question, it could imply many things Marcus didn’t like.  He nodded at Marcus, unsure where this conversation might lead. 

 

“If you’re going to do nothing but swallow air, might I suggest helping us row,” the fat one remarked. 

 

He attempted to row the oar, but found himself making a fool out of himself. It seemed the way he rowed the boat didn’t help much at all.

 

“The other way! Yo fool!”

 

“Calm down, Claudio, he has clearly never rowed a boat a in his life before,”

 

“Yes, he’s as green here as a fowl is to a horse. What country do you hail from newcomer, and do you have a  name? The old man has questioned him.

 

“At ease, Marius let him get accustomed to the world first. It looks like he has just got here.”

 

Victor wanted to say something, but kept quiet. He wondered how it was that they were speaking perfect English and how he was able to understand them at all. But he kept quiet, fearing that he may just offend them.

 

As he got into the act of rowing more he started to get used to it. But it was a tiring effort. He just didn’t have the strength that these 3 men had. The old man looked like he put in most of the work, something that was unnatural to him as he was as thin as a sugarcane. Peering at the deep waters beneath him. Victor felt uncertain about the structural integrity of the boat, could it keep the collective weight of four adult males. 

“Put some muscle into it,” Marius the old man had told him, laughing at him. “If you fail to row there in time we just might die.”

 

That definitely bothered him, he’d rather not be eaten alive.So he worked harder and harder. Rowing as much as he could, rowing more than he should. And so the unexpected happened.

STR+1  Due to vigorous and stimulating exercise, Your strength has increased.

Now he wasn’t surprised at all

 

“Status” he called aloud.

Status Information
Race:	Human
Name	Victor
Class	Office worker
Titles	Nerd(-25 charisma) + (10 intelligence), Wage slave (+10 constitution)
Level	5
Alignment	Chaotic good
Attributes	Strength                                                         10 (Meek) Dexterity                                                         5 (non-existent) Wisdom                                                          20 ( average) Intelligence                                                   35 (Above average) Constitution                                                  30 (Average) Charisma                                                       -15 (socially awkward)

 He had gone from Weakling to meak. His strength was an additional point higher than before. It was much easier to move the large oar than before. 

 

“Status?” Marcus questioned him. Victor had all his attention now, as he looked at him like he was a puzzle that had to be put together.” What do you mean by that?”

 

‘Oh shoot!’ he probably shouldn't have said that aloud. He said nothing further and let the conversation die down.

 

Victor wondered whether these people were considered ‘npc’s’ then, if they did not have statuses like him. Were there others like him then? He wanted to know eventually.

 

They had rowed for quite awhile now. They had passed a small mountain range, and were a few miles away from where they started. The  monster's roar had audibly become less focused than before. Perhaps it couldn’t swim then, or perhaps it had lost track of their scent or whatever snake men do to track prey.

 

The air was eerie and silence filled the old fishing boat.

 

“So do you have a name?” Marcus had asked him. His eyes locked with Victor’s. There was no prolonging anymore with these strange folk, he’d have to get acquainted.

 

“It’s Victor.”

 

“Victor huh,” He had changed his perspective and was being more than nosy. “From which Time period do you hail from.”

 

It was clear then, he had fluttered through space and time. Perhaps they were as well.

 

“The 21st Century. Based on the Gregorian calendar. I'm from the Pacific States of America.”

 

“I have heard of this america before, from other travelers, i assume it’s very far into the future from where i am from,” he suddenly looked very prideful. “Perhaps with the right charter and ships even great Rome may have reached it.”

 

His head hurt. 

 

“I can see by the look of your face, you’re still very confused about all of this. Let me sum it up for you. You got into a near death situation and are likely presumed either dead or missing in your former ‘timeline’, you got thrown into another world and depending on what ‘gift’ you've been given by whatever gods rule this awful place. You’re either in paradise or you're slowly going to suffer here.”

 

This complicated everything and yet Victor found hoped this ‘second chance’ would actually provide him with meaning, how and where he would go from here is very uncertain. Whether he trusted these people was a different matter altogether. 

 

He wanted to ask Marcus whether ‘the gift’ was referring to his system, or whatever power he was referring to. He wondered if it was safe to do so. Roman’s were known for their slavery, what if these gentlemen sold him to a slaver of sorts. He’d waste his second chance at life as someone's dog.

 

“I can see you are startled by all this. You can calm down friend, i know it is a lot to take in, no need to ruffle any feathers,”

 

“Where exactly are we going, Marcus?” Victor questioned.

 

“There's a guard post and a small settlement not too from here from this river, from there we'll take a carriage to Nova Roma”

 

“If I may ask, what were you people doing? Where exactly are we? What was that thing? what do I do now?”

 

“Well we aren't going to answer every question on a whim. Especially someone who is not a citizen of this land, that back there was a monster simple as it is,” Claudio snorted.

 

“So there are alot of monsters around then?”

 

“Abso-fucking-lutely infested everywhere, only In civilized area such as this, will you rarely find These beasts. Which means some people haven’t been doing their their fucking job.” He said as he side eyed marcus.

 

“Are you some kind of noble or something ?” Victor asked, afraid he might have been dragged into internal politics. 

 

“Well no, I am a patrician, so I get to govern some acres here and there. The new imperator has made it clear that he is the sole and absolute ruler of everything. Who am I to contest it?” he said. Though his tone was awfully sarcastic.

 

It sounded To Victor, that civilization Was brewing here. What did the world out there look like? Were there other ‘civilized’ nations, were humans even native to the land? But refrained from asking.

 

“But let's leave all the talking. For later, I grow weary having to do this talk once a week. If we get to the capital I will explain it all, and if you prove to be useful in any way or manner to me, I may even reward you.” Claudio closed the conversation, turned his head and refused to utter another word.

 

“ Yes indeed. ” Marius, agreed. His voice was weary and tired.

 

He wanted to pry more. But the Romans seem to want to hear or say none of it. Marcus however was smiling at him. Victor was afraid he may have some kind of ulterior motive. A stranger in a strange place doesn't have a lot of leverage, and he didn't want to be exploited; he had enough of that.

 

“I suppose I should get the fire going .” Marius said, suddenly setting off alarms for Victor's Ears. 

 

“What for?” Victor questioned.

 

The old man started to make an isolated fire, with material that was stored in the boat. He threw pieces of straw hay and wood in a small brazier Victor hadn't noticed was on the sail boat.

 

“A warning, and signaling our arrival.” Claudio answered.

 

Rubbing  the flint aggressively against a piece of steel.He set the materials aflame.

 

“We're here!” Marcus exclaimed.

 

Up ahead, on the far side of the riverbank, he could see smoke escaping into the air, there stood the small Settlement. Simple houses made of carved brick and concrete. Even from afar he could see it. marbled stone road. Two massive guard towers near the entrance.

 

Marcus stood up, retrieved something from within his sleeve which awfully looked like a primitive gun.  It was made of a large wooden rod, had a handle but there didn't seem to be a discernible trigger. Something that looked like a round  red and elongated  tube was stuck Inside the wooden barrel. 

 

Marcus held the barrel, against the tube ignited it. Lifted it into the air and it sprang upwards like a rocket. Shrieking like a wildcat before popping in the air, releasing coloured smoke along the way slowly gliding down.

 

A ‘flare’. These ‘Roman's’ appear to have discovered Gunpowder here. Victor thought.

 

Up ahead, armored soldiers left the towers and stood on guard. A bell was rung, putting the entire town on alert.

 

As they reached the river shore, a soldier approached, he was slightly armored And appeared nothing like the legionaries that were portrayed in the media he was exposed to. 

 

They all had gotten out. 

 

“Monsters, where and  how many!” The soldier demanded. Stomping the bottom of his spear On the ground. Scrutinizing marcus.

 

“Around twenty or more, several ghouls and a Naga” 

 

“Ghouls!?” Victor exclaimed. He was surprised he only saw the thing that chased them. 

 

“Near Master Claudius' residence, there are several Casualties. Survivors I do not know the locations about except the folk here with me” 

 

“Why aren't you in uniform, Marcus.” A very large and armed individual approached ,staring him down.

 

“It's my off day commander, you should Know I was invited by my friend and ruler of that farmland, Master Claudius, Here for the remainder of the day.”

 

The Commander scoffed. Calling over a few guards. He looked very different from the other romans. Extreme Germanic features, and a wild long beard that was braided, in different spots.

 

“Send this fat landlord to the capital at once,” he decreed. His mockery didn’t go uncalled for by Claudio who mumbled something akin to brute.”There is no place for bureaucrats and bankers here, out of sight out of mind.”

 

“Yes sir!” they shouted in unison.

 

The commander eyed Victor down, from top to bottom.

 

“Who Is that?” He inquired. Pointing his very large hands at him.

 

“New arrival, very fresh, just arrived,” Marcus replied nonchalantly.

 

“Can he fight, was he given anything?”

 

“Well Victor, I'm sure you can speak for yourself”

 

They wanted him to fight a  monster just as he got here?  He thought was ludicrous

It was absurd. He didn't have an ounce of combat experience and this roman commander wanted to Send him to his death.

 

“I'm not sure, yet? I think…” he lied partially, he would not so easily be used like a wet rag.

 

The commander cut him off. “Enough, Marcus take him to the barracks, give him standard equipment. Meet us at the treeline you have twenty minutes. We will meet the enemy before they meet us.”

 

“This is nuts, I just got here! I don’t even know what exactly is going on!” Victor shouted at the man hysterically. 

 

The commander responded by grabbing him by the throat, easily lifting him in the air. Victor gasped for air, his face had turned blue. He started kicking and hitting the large man in the face. Who threw him aside on the ground, and he started coughing up sand and dirt.

 

“You have no proof of citizenship in this land, which means, I own you son. Welcome, little cohort,” He had a stern demeanor about him, not too dissimilar to the bosses who he served in the corporate world. It felt like deja vu.

 

“ Same goes for you old man, grab a sword and a shield.”

 

“ He is Claudio’s servant, commander, he's no fighter.” Marcus objected.

 

The commander shook his head.

 

“ If he can work he can fight, ” The old man had given the commander an expressionless stare, though there was a glint of sadness in his eyes.

 

“Marcus, get on with it! He bellowed.

 

“At once, commander!” Marcus said with a frown on his face.

 

He started lashing air with a whip he held  around his waist against Victor. The green recruit has never sprang, upright so quickly in his life before. 

 

“Get up from that dirt, boy. If you want to graze grass. Tell me and I’ll send you to the fields.”

 

Perhaps a sudden death would have been the best option for Victor. If he dies, he will probably be eaten alive by monsters. And if he survives, he'll either be properly conscripted or sold off.  Now he knew what he wanted above all else, a comfortable life, not what he just got himself into. He wished he had quit his job earlier instead.

 

“What the fuck did I get myself into”