Heavy Metal

"A battle took place here."

"It did?"

"Indeed."

"If it did, where are all the bodies?"

"That's…"

An armored man seated on a chestnut steed glanced at the hooded mage beside him. They stood within a narrow gorge that served as a shortcut to the nearby city. Scattered before them lay the remains of a carriage, one that belonged to someone they knew.

The wind howled through the shattered pass. A dozen riders waited among the wreckage, their tabards marked with the emblem of a nearby noble house. At their head rode a knight, his polished helm tucked beneath his arm as he surveyed the devastation.

"It looks like an ambush, but not a simple one."

Beside him, the hooded mage dismounted, his boots crunching over splintered stone. His staff hummed faintly, the large crystal at its tip answering his call. It glowed blue as he aimed it toward a nearby spray of blood.

"This… this is impossible."

"What is it, Mage? What did you find?"

"Sir Aldren, my magic cannot trace the direction of the body. It is as if it is not there. Either powerful spells are concealing it, or…"

"Or what?"

"Or it is as though it no longer exists in this world."

The mage seemed unsettled by his own conclusion. The knight gave a slow nod, certain that formidable magic was at work. The man was a C-ranked mage, yet even he could not pierce whatever force had erased the trail.

"That treacherous baron will surely claim he no longer possesses the tribute."

"Sir, do you suspect them?"

"Those people cannot be trusted. Either way, the tribute has not arrived. Have them send more, and warn them what will happen if it fails to arrive this time."

"Yes, sir."

Sir Aldren, the supposed leader of the group, did not seem too perturbed by the situation. Even though he was meant to collect the gold, he was not the one who had failed. The tribute never arrived in the city, so he could place all the blame on the Baron who resided in the unfinished settlement it was meant to come from.

"Spread out, search for any clues, then report back to me."

The man shouted before beckoning his horse forward. His instincts told him this was some kind of attack, likely not the work of ordinary bandits. It was clear to him that someone was trying to make it look like an infighting incident between mercenaries. Yet he did not care enough to investigate further. The amount of gold in the carriage was not significant and could easily be replaced. Thus, without another word, he rode forward, dismissing the incident entirely.

*****

"Ack!"

A metallic figure slammed into a tree with a loud clang, sending the birds perched in its branches scattering.

"(˵ ¬ᴗ¬ ˵)"

"Stop laughing, Gleam. It is not an easy skill to master!"

Rusty muttered as he picked his helmet up from the ground. He had just used the Dash Step skill he absorbed from Varkas. It allowed him to move at tremendous speed, but it was difficult to control. Once activated, his body shot forward several meters in the direction he was facing.

Each time he used it, he quickly lost his balance and struggled to judge where he would end up. The skill allowed him to adjust the amount of mana he poured into it, which determined both speed and distance. Perhaps Varkas had possessed an additional skill that helped him control it, or perhaps Rusty simply needed to learn how to channel his mana properly.

"(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ )"

Gleam wiggled from a tree branch while looking down at Rusty. The battle was over, and Rusty had accomplished what he set out to do weeks ago. Varkas was dead, and he, along with the other mercenaries, was now stored inside Rusty's body. As before, Rusty used his internal storage as a means of concealment. As long as the bodies remained within him, no one would know what had become of the mercenaries. For the time being, one major obstacle had been removed.

"Let's go back, Gleam. I will watch over you while you continue to evolve."

His level was now above ten. Hunting mercenaries had proven far more effective for leveling than fighting monsters in the dungeon. He had also taken their money and armor. With the chest of gold coins he claimed from Varkas, he was now a wealthy monster. However, spending it at the shop was out of the question, as that would clearly expose him to the merchants or the noble.

"( •̀ ᴗ •́ )و"

With all of this in mind, Rusty shrank himself and climbed onto Gleam's back. She shot into the sky, flying at remarkable speed. Like any monster, she could hardly wait to grow into an even stronger version of herself. She was already fast, but after evolving she would surpass her current limits.

When they returned to the settlement, they slipped in unnoticed. For once, the town felt more alive. Although the mercenaries were meant to serve as a peacekeeping force and defend against Orc attacks, they had become more of a burden to the citizens. Ever since Rusty began targeting them, the people seemed happier and no longer afraid to speak out against those who had been oppressing them.

"Have you heard? The Black Hounds left two days ago."

"I hope they never come back."

"I'm not sure about that. I heard they went to recruit more men…"

"More of those bastards? Can't we get some normal guards instead?"

"We can only dream."

The two workers whispered to each other, unaware that Varkas and his men had already returned, their bodies stored inside Rusty's storage system. Even though they were gone, that did not mean all the bad people had vanished. There were still thieves, thugs, adventurers, and guards under the nobles' command. Rusty was old enough to understand that this temporary vacuum of power would soon be filled, possibly by someone even worse than the Black Hounds.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Still, he did not worry. His level had risen, and he was now about halfway through D rank. If more humanoid enemies crossed his path, he would eliminate them and advance even faster. There was also his summoning chamber, which he had not used since the Necromancer incident.

It was not that he did not want to use it. He simply could not. He had reached his limit for summoners, and for some reason none of the ones he had hoped for had reached out to him. He had effectively locked himself out of being summoned after spending all his resources to unlock loadouts while summoned. As a result, he lacked the points needed to increase his summoner slots.

That left him with only two options: wait to be summoned or remove one of his current summoners to take on a new mission. He was not particularly attached to the necromancer, but the man provided a steady stream of points just by getting beaten around. However, if Rusty could not be summoned again before his next evolution, he would be leaving a considerable number of summoner coins on the table.

"Mister Edmund, welcome back."

Rusty waved at Rolo, who looked much better now. He had finally returned to his lair, though as usual it was mostly empty of customers. Still, he wondered if that might change soon, since his enchanting skills were steadily improving.

"I'll be down in the basement if you need me."

"Alright."

Rolo nodded without asking any further questions. The kids seemed bored, but at least they had food and shelter here. Rusty still was not sure how this hiding place would turn out in the long run. For now, though, he had taken a step toward making the settlement a better place.

"Now then, the options are… What do you think, Gleam?"

"(╭ರ_•́) "