Chapter 0

It's happening again. The Queen is saying goodbye. Why? Because we're off to kill the Demon Lord. I know what you might be thinking, it's that one story of the Hero and their party off to save the world, but there's just one thing. This isn't their story, or well at least mostly, because it's mine. Clearly I'm not the Hero, the brave soul summoned from another world, whose power and talent stretch limitlessly. No she truly fits the part, a beautiful girl that people could only call stunning. And I'm not the magical prodigy magician who accompanies her. That would be Ardent, a magic enthusiast and one of the greatest magic researcher's in the world. I'm not the master thief who steals not only the riches of the world but the hearts of men and women alike. That's Taylor. Could I perhaps be the strong thick-skinned knight who guards even the Hero behind his wall of iron shield? No that's Ronalt the knight captain and prince. Am I the surprisingly violent cleric who has a creepily infatuation with blood? No, her name is Marley. Maybe the travelling master swordsman? Not that one either, that would be Earnest.

All of them combined do not reach half the amount of jobs I do. In truth their very lives are in my hands. For I am… the baggage carrier…, the cook, the tailor, as well as the horse tender, the blacksmith, the repairman, the carriage driver, the gatherer, the merchant, the supplier, the buyer, you get the point. In other words I was the random they picked up from my small town home to assist the Hero.

Why me? Because when I was growing up I was the town orphan. Don't be sad though, I loved my life. There were no children my age, and instead I was passed around our small town not because no one could look after me but because everyone wanted to. I learnt how to sew from Old lady Till the tailer, how to work iron from Tarhand the blacksmith, to raise cattle from the rancher Carlos, how to mix potions from Margaret our apothecary. As I grew up I became the jack of all trades and the mayor even intended for me to start helping him run the town. That was until three days ago, or really seventeen but I'll get to that soon.

The threat of the demonic nations to the West always bore down on us throughout history and many wars were raged between them and us. Then came the Demon Lord a tyrant unlike any other who swallowed and combined all the nations into a single empire hell bent on human destruction. So our Kingdom in charge of the defence of the human countries summoned the Hero. A powerful being who was meant to bring balance back to the world. And where do I fit in? Basically to end the war before it truly began a hit squad would be sent in to defeat the Demon Lord. Thus enter the Hero and following her me. Why have a retinue of followers when a single jack of all trades would suffice?

Of course I said no. I didn't want to fight let alone die. The entire town said no. The children who were like my brothers and sisters clung to me but no matter how we complained, in the end I was taken away for the supposed 'greater good'. The thing is, there was one more job no one ever spoke to me about but from experience I knew quite well. Like a lizard discarding its tail to run away, I would be that exact tail. If the going got tough, the tough got going… and they would leave me behind as they escaped. Even if the Hero wanted to save me, to not sacrifice anyone, the bottom line was my life was worth less than hers or any of theirs for that matter.

So at this point you're probably wondering why am I'm talking like this and why I said at the start, 'It's happening again', because for me at least it really was. The first time I didn't understand and I thought it was just a dream. We crossed the border to the Demon Empire and encountered a Monster I couldn't believe existed. I was eaten before I realised what was going on. Still I just woke up back here with my mind reeling like it had been asleep. The journey restarted and all I could feel was Déjà vu but I said nothing and acted like air as the others talked without me, after all I just wanted this to end so I could go home, they didn't need to know me nor did they really want to.

Then the second time occurred and we met the same Monster at the same time and in the same place. I had been having nightmares of it and wondering, but when it was before my eyes I couldn't believe it. That time I managed to escape. At least for a while that is. As strong as the Hero and her party were, the Monster was a legendary threat and took them out one by one. The sight of their bodies half chewed and hanging from the Monster's lips… I wouldn't be able to forget that no matter what I did. And finally when they couldn't hold out and decided to run, guess who was made to stay as bait, this guy.

Which brings me to the third time. Now. Yes in my mind I had just been eaten for the second time. I had seen Ronalt's armour splinter apart like paper against its jaws. I watched Taylor try to run only to be snagged and crushed. Yet here I was and there they were with their backs to me facing the Queen. I wasn't slow. For whatever reason, when I died I was sent back to this time, seven days before my death. There were strange magic in this world but I had never heard of anything like this. I couldn't understand and I wasn't sure I wanted to. I just knew what had happened.

The Hero's party finished their goodbyes and turned to face me. Like usual they treated me with indifference and placed their final baggage at my feet to be loaded onto the carriage.

"Are you okay?" the melodic voice of the Hero pierced my ears. Her pure white hair a by-product of the summoning, her eyes a vivid green locked onto mine. "You're kind of pale."

"Ah…" I could count the number of times she talked to me on my fingers. I shook my head and turned away by bowing, "Apologies Hero, I am simply nervous to begin the journey." There was no way they would believe me and more still I didn't trust them enough to speak.

Oblivious of my thoughts she laughed, "Please call me Lara. I'm nervous as well but please take care of us from here on."

I straightened myself and nodded as she turned away to join the others. Ronalt immediately scoffed and told her she didn't need to pay me any mind, after all I was just the 'help'. Really though, I wondered just how much help I would be… because in the end what mattered most was my own life. I still hadn't paid the townsfolk back for all they had done for me and until I did, I refused to die… or at least permanently.

This would begin my journey, my journey longer than any others and as they said, third time's the charm. My name is Rain Axel and somehow or another I will survive.