《Snow and Ice》 Destruction ISMUND A weak tremor ran through the wooden table as we ate my younger brother¡¯s birthday cake. It was odd, but my father didn¡¯t seem to mind too much at first, just looking around sharply before taking another bite. Probably fine. Shortly after, another rumble shook the ground, even more powerful. Not, normal. I looked over at Dad again, with a silent question. He nodded back at me and I stood up from my chair and pulled on my boots and thick shirt. Another rumble racked the ground. Dishes spewed across the floor breaking and Balder¡¯s cake fell on its side, twelve candles and all. I managed to lean against the wall nearby, but Mom didn¡¯t find any support and fell. She¡¯ll be okay. Dad had already thrown on his armour and held his favourite hammer with the door swinging shut behind him I don¡¯t think it warrants his hammer. We¡¯re just checking outside, it¡¯s not like you can fight an earthquake. The System interrupted my thoughts.
[This is not an earthquake.]
What is it then? I was met with silence. Despite my ignorance, I didn¡¯t spare another moment and headed right for the door. I was met with a blast of cold air and thick snow obscured my vision. I looked down at the large footprints ahead of me. Straight. The snow was almost unbearably deep, but I was just able to march through it. After a while, I could tell that I was pretty far behind. I was already going fast, but I picked up my pace. I¡¯m probably losing ground on him. He¡¯s able to walk through the snow like it¡¯s not even there. Maybe he knows what it is? After a few minutes of walking with the tremors rocking the ground making me stumble, I finally found his still silhouette looking up into the blizzard. I don¡¯t see anything. Another vibration racked the ground, the sound rolling through the air in deep resonant waves. I could feel it through my chest down to my bone marrow. BOOoOoom. A cloud of snow exploded in front of us. As it parted, I saw a giant leathery foot with plenty of thick fur wrapping around its ankle emerging. I could only see up to its knee due to its extreme size and the density of the snow all around. There was a gap of nothing but snow, but at the top, If I looked way up, I could see some massive glowing eyes staring down at us with a soulless gaze. Dad didn¡¯t take a single step back, but he did look at me with his piercing blue eyes, and black hair whipping around his head. ¡°Go to the southern town. leave with you¡¯re mother and Balder. ¡± I grunted and pinched my brows together with a grimace. He probably couldn¡¯t hear me over the wind, but leaving was answer enough. He¡¯ll beat it and we¡¯ll meet after. Or maybe he¡¯ll scare it off. That¡¯s more realistic. There¡¯s some other Hunters in the town that could help him with it, a lot actually. I took one last look behind me as I left. He had jumped up and was slamming his massive metal hammer into the back of the creature¡¯s knee. I resumed my pace and tore across the ground toward the house. As I neared ours, I could see people scrambling about shouts piercing what would¡¯ve been a peaceful night. Some were heading straight for the monster, like Dad, and others were collecting their things to leave. The snow was picking up, already covering my old tracks. It was piling up by the second and it wasn¡¯t getting any easier to get through. Now that they were fighting, the monster was making all sorts of debris fly and it was getting worse by the moment. When the house was back in sight pieces of ice and stone were flying all around. I ran up to the door. The snow was up to the handle and I couldn¡¯t open it. I¡¯ll try the window. Climbed over to one nearby, unlatched it and tumbled into the house. I hit my knee on the hard counter sending shocks of pain up my leg. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°We have to leave, now! We¡¯re going to the southern town. Hop in the dog sled.¡± The town will probably be wrecked. I don¡¯t know that we¡¯ll come back. I just hoped they heard, they were probably in the basement. It was pretty safe down there. I climbed back out the window I came from. Ah, right. I spun around. ¡°Use the windows!¡± After that, I headed straight over to the dog house where there was lots of loud barking and whining. There was a large stone lodged in its now caved-in wall. As soon as I got inside I saw Gibson, one of the dogs, was dead already. His head was crushed under the boulder. His body was still spasaming despite that. I fought back some tears for him as my face screwed up. Still, I made sure the rest of the dogs were out along with the dog sled. We needed to leave. Bear and Coco were ready to lead the team already and everything was secured correctly. We were all just waiting on Mum and Balder. Time slowly, oh so slowly, ticked on as I waited for them. I was impatiently looking around and double-checking the dogs were strapped in. Where are they? Should I go i- Finally, I saw Balder run over with his thick coat wrapped tightly around him, he was holding a backpack. ¡°I¡¯ll take that. You get in.¡±, I told him. I waited impatiently for a while longer but mum was still missing. Crash! A giant boulder smashed into the side of our house caving it in. Splinters of wood flung everywhere and our chimney collapsed I looked pointedly at Balder. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± he looked at the house nervously, ¡°She was trying to open the floorboards or something last I saw. She should be out any time!¡± Balder was right, she was out soon. She was bruised and came hurdling through the snow with a handsome box tucked tightly under the crook of her arm. We could leave soon. Just a few more seconds. Then we can leave before something else happens. I glanced at the crushed dog house and then back in her direction. Her foot caught on her skirt and she tripped. She didn¡¯t move her hands to catch herself, opting to hold onto the box. She got up again wincing and kept jogging forward. Just a little faster! Please. Mum smiled at us and waved with her one free hand. Another massive boulder flew through the sky and slammed into her shoulder. Splat It only lost its momentum once it filled her broken ribcage instead of her organs. I rushed over to her, abandoning the sled, and Balder¡¯s shaking hand clutching my sleeve. Once we were beside her I gave her a carefull look over. The light was gone from her eyes, there was no steam coming from her mouth, she wasn¡¯t even twitching: she was dead. Tears streamed down my face as I looked over to sweet Balder show was trying to reassure her body. ¡°Mom! Are you okay?¡± He was holding her rapidly cooling hand tightly as he kneeled down, ¡°We¡¯ll make you all better. Just, just¡­ we¡¯ll get you in the sled and once you¡¯re in the town you¡¯ll be all fixed!¡± His eyes were glazed over as he said all of this looking around frantically. His eyes landed on the boulder. ¡°I¡¯ll get this off of you first.¡±, Balder said between choking sobs, not fully comprehending the situation. He stood up on shaky legs and started to try to roll the boulder off of her. It was¡­ I didn¡¯t have words for it. I grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Stop, please, stop.¡± I took a deep breath, ¡°She¡¯s gone, Balder.¡± I looked down at the box in front of her and grabbed it. I didn¡¯t know what it was, but she obviously cared about it. My hands were shaking so badly it was hard to hold it. I placed my free hand on his shoulder and tried to look him in they eyes. He wouldn¡¯t meet mine. Balder looked back at me stricken and looked like he didn¡¯t fully understand. ¡°She can see a doctor and it¡¯ll all be bett-¡± I cut him off and shook him. ¡°We have to go now! We can say bye to her later¡­ when we come back.¡± I can¡¯t stay here and let him get killed too. Balder wasn¡¯t moving and another chunk of ice slammed right next to the sled making the dogs jump and bark even louder. A few growled at the ice. Seeing no other options, I dragged Balder over to the sled and shoved him inside. He didn¡¯t have any cold resistance yet, he needed to be in the passenger seat with the blanket. It would also be good for him to not stare at mum¡¯s¡­ corpse. It was still sinking in for me too. ¡°Mush!¡± The dogs sprinted ahead into the encroaching night and icy snowflakes. Balder was crying now, burying his head in his arms. I didn¡¯t know how to comfort him. I was having a hard enough time myself. Silent tears painted my face as I thought about her. She was so lovely, kind, considerate, and had a good head on her shoulders too. Hours went by and eventually, I couldn¡¯t see my hands in front of me. I didn¡¯t see any time when I¡¯d see her again in the future either. Not while I¡¯m alive at least. * * * Balder yelled something over to me, but it was lost to the harsh wind. ¡°What?¡± I croaked over the wind. ¡°I said, how much longer do you think the team can go? They¡¯ve been running for so long. How do they know where we going? There aren¡¯t any land markers we can see and there¡¯s nothing to smell!¡± We¡¯re probably lost¡­ he¡¯s right. They probably need a break. ¡°Woah!¡±, I commanded the dogs to stop. It took a few tries but eventually the sled came to a halt. ¡°¡­ maybe the storm will pass over,¡± I mumbled to myself. I waited for a few hours and made sure I had the box Mum had securely in our leather backpack, but nothing changed and Balder was shivering. There was a spare cloak in here, but his jacket was much more suited to the weather. I waited a while longer but only came to one conclusion. We need to keep going. ¡°Mush!¡± We jerked forward again and we were going a bit faster than they were before they took a break. They were also probably eager to leave. We kept covering the ground for another hour or so. Suddenly I heard Coco and Bear barking and whining as the sled slowed down. It didn¡¯t stop completely thought. What¡¯s happening? We continued sliding forward and more and more of the dogs started yapping their hearts in distress. Finally, I felt the sled tilt forward and found out what the ruckus was all about. We were on the edge of a cliff. I noticed too late. I reached forward to try to pull Balder out but we still fell. I heard the dogs smack against the stone. I was flung forward and Balder was sent back towards the cliff face with a sickening thud. I was hurtling through the air until a loud crack of ice filled the air and I was underneath the frozen river¡¯s surface. Everything went black. Thawed WORKERS Roughly 190 years later¡­ A few bustling village people can be seen harvesting ice out of a small, isolated lake. Slowly working away, sawing away another section of ice to be sold a worker sees some colour bleeding through the ice in a long strange shape. Pushing his fuzzy brows together and pushing his mouth down he tries to identify it. After a few minutes, the man decides to separate the mass of colour from the rest of the lake. Before he pulls it out of the frigged water, the man decides to walk over to a man in fine attire. Carefully keeping his head down he implores, ¡°Boss, there¡¯s somethin'' in a block I was cuttin'' out. I''m not for certain, but I think,¡­ I think it might be a, well, sim-¡±. With a chopping gesture, the man stops the older man from continuing, ¡°Take it out of the ice! I don''t care what it is! Get back to work. I¡¯ll get... Darrell, Tucker, over here! Deal with this coloured block. We can''t sell it.¡± A while later the thing in question is excavated from the ice with a lot of heaving and leverage. The large snow that was falling easily clung to the ice''s slick surface, quickly blurring whatever was inside further. The Boss nods at the two men''s hard work and ushers them away, ¡°Put it in the bush out back with the other annoyances!¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡±, the two men say in unison. Going into the nearby supply shed, they start rummaging around until they retrieve some rough leather straps. "Aren''t these meant for the dogs?" Tucker asks while holding one of the harnesses limply. "Yep. But they''re better than the alternative." Tilting his Darrell gives a half-hearted smile, "Sides'' aren''t we already the boss dogs?" Letting out a small chuckle, Tucker nods lightly. Bringing out the supplies the two workers heave, rolling the block onto its side where it met the wood of a sled. Thunk! Neither of the men could fit into the harnesses properly, but they could get the largest of the many confusing holes to wrap around their chests and thick coats. Their trained feet stomped steadily towards the edge of the lake that led into the frost-ridden trees. The forest itself was dead silent, not a whisper to be found, most life was gone due to the severe weather. Once their sore legs arrived deep enough into the forest, the workers unstrapped themselves and rolled the block of ice off of the sled into a section of deep snow exposed to the sky. * * * ISMUND A bright light sears my eyelids as I wake up. Everything feels soaked. Slowly cracking my eyes open I realize that it¡¯s just the sun looking down on me. ¡°That¡¯s bright,¡± I murmur, still trying to figure out what¡¯s happening and sit up, and reach back to feel what¡¯s weighing me down. ¡°A backpack hmm¡­ wait! Wait!¡± coming to the realization and memory of what¡¯s happened. I feel hot tears run down my face, knowing that nobody is there, I let myself sit and think. Why did that have to happen? They were all so good, they didn¡¯t do anything wrong! Especially, Balder, he was only 12! None of them even had a proper funeral. All of them are just gone. Why!? Why!? I didn¡¯t even manage to keep Balder safe! Sweet little Balder with his bright eyes. He could¡¯ve been here now if it weren¡¯t for my absentmindedness. Just carrying on seems wrong. We all should¡¯ve grown old together¡­ I Pause, pulling myself together. I¡¯ll avenge their deaths. They were kind loving people, too soft for this world. If I¡¯m going to avenge them I have to be as cold as ice. I can¡¯t get attached to others, I can¡¯t have a weakness if I¡¯m going to do this because of how blasted weak I am compared to whatever attacked us. They need a burial¡­ I¡¯ll go make one for them. Gathering dirt and some pieces of wood, I roughly carve out their names and say some words over them, grit my jaw and harden my heart with resolve. And tune out my grief, letting it strengthen my heart. That decided, I finally read the messages the system has been giving me, its computer-like screen in stark contrast to my loss.
[Updating Status¡­] [Error, user should be deceased, processing¡­] [Trait found, [Born of Cold]. User survived from ¡°increased tolerance for the cold¡±] [Update complete!] [You have been frozen for approximately 190 years to date and survived! New record set. Assigning achievement [Frozen]] [Granted Title [North Blood]] [-Frozen: Look at you setting records! Don¡¯t you think you deserve a reward? I do! [Ice bleached!], [Time numb] and [Ice affiliation] have been added to [noteworthy traits]. View information?]
¡°Yes¡± I¡¯ve got to use whatever I can to my advantage if I¡¯m going to do this.
[Ice Bleached:Your hair is permanently white! lucky you.] Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
I stare at the screen dumbfounded. Not what I was expecting¡­ is it just doing it for fun? I guess I can use it to look like an old man. Not too far from it anyways. I was frozen for a while.
[Time Numb: What¡¯s a second to you? You¡¯ve spent almost 200 years stuck in a hunk of ice. You have gained a poor sense of time to either your detriment or gain.]
My frown deepens. OK, so nothing very helpful so far. That¡¯s just great.
[Ice Affiliation: Immunity to all cold and all speed related afflictions. Cold to the touch and generate a small amount of cold energy. You can live and move in all cold or snowy regions comfortably and won¡¯t sink in the snow unless desired. Weakness to heat related attacks. Difficulty traversing sand or any hot conditions.]
Rolling my eyes, I think: Well at least it makes it easier here. But of course, it can¡¯t be all rainbows and sunshine.
[North Blood: Granted from combination of [Born of the Cold], [Frozen], and [Woodsman] achievements. Allows User safe passage in Northern climates in the case of animals if they are unprovoked.]
I groan. I got something useful. But now I¡¯m stuck not knowing if I can avenge them in the first place. ¡°Hey System, are-¡±
[Answering query¡­]
That¡¯s creepy. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s supposed to read my thoughts.
[System has been updated so that it can read users¡¯ thoughts to determine loyalty to the system.]
¡°Being loyal to what?¡±
[System was implemented to destroy dungeons so that the Earth could return to its original trajetory. The system allows users to surpass original human capabilities to accomplish this goal. After this goal is met all abilities that surpass natural human capacities will be removed along with any energy or ¡®magic¡¯ remaining.]
¡°I know that, but why would you want to test that in the first place?¡± I ask, confused
[All current users, not including user Ismund Theodore, have made an alliance with the invaders, using their corrupted energy to perform corrupted magic which uses life source, normal energy, and blood as it¡¯s main fuel.]
¡°So why haven¡¯t you just stopped them or removed their access to it?¡±
[Users Thor-ny, Odin-ner, Lo-key, Fry-a, and Hel-thy adopted the invader¡¯s corrupt energy. The System sent a giant to destroy them, depleting most of its energy resources. The five siblings corrupted it with their magic and sent it rampaging and destroyed your village before it could be melted down by the System. The System has, since then, been crippled, unable to stop users.]
So revenge is still an option then. Good. I¡¯ll need to become powerful enough to defeat them, there¡¯s certainly at least a few dungeons around to get stronger. It just makes me want to punch these ¡®people¡¯ in the face more. They wanted to get more power without the system and killed many hundreds because they didn¡¯t want to go into some dungeons! That¡¯s messed up. At this point, I can¡¯t be angry at the system. It tried to get rid of them and isn¡¯t even sentient or anything, as much as it pretends.
[Question has been answered. Continue notifications?]
¡°Yes.¡± I sigh. Better to get on with it, don¡¯t want to sit around all day.
[Is the user¡¯s goal to destroy dungeons and remove invaders?]
¡°Yes, they have to pay for the loss of my family and all of those innocent people!¡± I get out with hot resolve. ¡°They don¡¯t deserve to stay alive.¡±
[System favor granted! Adding to Status under Titles] [The user is Average tier B and cannot move forward and succeed without a higher Path tier.]
Right, because the D tier is the hardest to get over in terms of paths, and your body, mind, and soul¡¯s tiers won¡¯t go past it.
[Path has been updated. [Swordsman of the North (D)] -> [Winter¡¯s Blade (C, Upgradable) according to users actions, experience, and personality]
¡°How does that even match my personality?¡±
[User has decided to become cold as to avenge his family¡¯s death]
I pause. ¡°I guess so, never mind¡± Man, am I ever glad it¡¯s Upgradable, I¡¯m not particularly keen on doing something that almost kills me to get a new one. I¡¯ll just have to make three things on my status next tier to bring it up.
[Would the user like to be tiered-up in Body, Mind, or Soul, skill, or receive ¡®Help¡¯? Chose one]
Stopping myself from immediately upgrading my Swordsmanship skill, I think for a second. I Can tier up on my own and advance my Swordsmanship skill by myself as well with the new path. But I can¡¯t easily find any help by the sounds of it. While it¡¯s more risky, I feel like this is probably the better decision.
[Granting ¡®Help¡¯, please wait]
¡°Why did you do that? What if I changed my mind? at least wait for me to think about it directly!¡±
[Changing settings¡­] [Complete] [Updated Status] [Name: Ismund Theodore (Mr. Toothpick)Hidden Age: 20 Sex: Male Race: Human Path:Winter¡¯s Blade (C: Upgradable) Tier Body:D+ Mind:D Soul:D Achievements -Frozen: Look at you setting records! Don¡¯t you think you deserve a reward? I do! [Ice bleached!] and [Ice affiliation] have been added to [noteworthy traits] ¡ªTrained: You¡¯ve been trained to beat up anything that gets in your way your whole life, good for you! You can now train others with increased success. -Martial-artist: You¡¯ve Completed training in outstanding time. You will never lose your muscle memory. -Born of the Cold: You¡¯ve lived in the harsh climate of the north. It¡¯s possible to light a fire in any weather and you have an increased tolerance for the cold, however you have lost the ability to live in warm conditions comfortably. -Woodsman: congratulations! you¡¯ve been abandoned in the bush and managed to get to your community safely. You are now a human compass who can chop wood. Noteworthy traits and Skills Upgradable:[Swordsmanship: D+] Nonupgradable:[Human Compass], [Iron Fists], [Ice bleached!][Ice affiliation], [Time Numb] Titles - System Favor - North Blood -Mr. Toothpick ]
¡°At least the notifications are done¡±, I sigh, looking down at my sorry state and picking myself up. I don¡¯t know when but at some point I had dried off enough from the sun that my shoes wouldn¡¯t squelch while I walked. It looks like early spring. This means that there¡¯s less snow but you still can¡¯t find the ground outside of towns if you try. I start looking around and find myself surrounded by pine trees and some snow, with no physical markers. ¡°I never really thought that that ¡®Human Compass¡¯ would come in handy. but look at me now¡± I chuckle darkly to myself. Making a few toothpicks with mint flavor out of the trees next to me I start chewing on one. I quietly mumble, ¡°The stress relief is no joke, and I¡¯ll probably lean on it seeing there are no side effects. But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to let the world see the nickname.¡± World Map Here''s the map, Were currently in The White North if you couldn''t tell. I made it with inkarnate.com Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Town of Faur ISMUND Chewing on a fresh toothpick I start walking south-west. Dad said to go here. It¡¯s not particularly relevant anymore, but it¡¯s a place where I can reorient myself and get some food. At least I don¡¯t have to worry about the conditions on the walk. If I did, well, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d last long. Trudging around for a while, as in, maybe a day or so, with some ice frozen into my hair I can finally see the gate. It¡¯s large, wooden, and sturdy. I start rummaging through my pack. looking for the coin Mum had brought, I hear my stomach growl and flush. Man, am I ever hungry. Hopefully, they have some good food, otherwise, I¡¯ll starve before I get anything done. Upon reaching the door I rap on it, trying to get the guard''s attention. ¡°Who goes there?¡± One of them asks, grizzled face looking down. ¡°Just a traveller. Can I come in?¡± I ask with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You look suspicious, but fine. We¡¯ll be keeping our eyes on you.¡± The same guard calls out. Creak Looking inside, I can tell that not much has changed visually. Most houses are still made of wood and all the roads are shoveled. After a while I noticed it. The air feels wrong. I can¡¯t put my finger on it but it doesn¡¯t seem right.
[The change you are noticing is the corrupted energy. Users have been using it in every-day life and so the air is full of it.]
That¡¯s helpful, if also intrusive. Taking the path to where the Inn was normally last time I was there, I find it still standing with a different name. ¡°Brook¡¯s Bar. Hmm, well it sounds like it¡¯ll have food.¡± I walk in greeted by the sound of a rowdy crowd, the stale smell of alcohol and BO, and the sight of a bar in the middle of the room. I walk up to the woman manning the counter and look at the menu. Thank goodness they¡¯re using the same currency. That would¡¯ve made things complicated. May as well get the soup with bread, it¡¯s not too expensive and seems filling enough. ¡°Hey, could I get the soup of the day with some toast?¡± I ask nonchalantly. ¡°That¡¯ll be 5 coppers. Would you like a complimentary drink with that?¡± She says with a monotone nasal, slowly blinking. Well, somebody¡¯s bored. ¡°Could I have some tea?¡± I ask. The woman grunts and writes it down, ¡°Take a seat at the smallest available table please, unless you''re expecting company.¡± After looking around for a second I find a table with a single seat and take it for my own. May as well find out what¡¯s left in the backpack. I rummage around, careful to not let any of it slip out. Don¡¯t want to meet somebody with greedy eyes. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. I found an extra set of clothes, although they seem a bit frozen, a knife, bandages, a blanket with a wool mat (also frozen), a tent assembled for two and of course the coin from earlier. I could look in the box, but if it¡¯s valuable it could draw some attention. I¡¯ll look at it after I get a room. I sit silently for the next while waiting for my soup. Clank! ¡°You¡¯re soups here, toast fell in by accident. Enjoy.¡± She waddles away swishing her skirt. Too hungry to care about the soggy toast, I quickly scarf it down, glad for a warm meal. ¡°Hey, you big oaf! Your tea is right here. You don¡¯t need to act like a hog.¡± she grumps to my surprise. ¡°Just give me the tea,¡± I say without looking up. ¡°Already did! Now hand me those dishes. I Don¡¯t have all day like some people.¡± I quickly hand the dishes to the shouting maiden. ¡°Kids these days.¡± I hear her say under her breath as she leaves. Well, that was interesting. Note to self: don¡¯t scarf down the food while she¡¯s there and be quick and efficient like you¡¯re in the military. Don¡¯t want to draw too much attention. I gather myself up and chug the tea as quickly as possible, only burning myself as much as necessary. Now that I think about it, I should probably gather some information about the dungeons in the area. And since I¡¯m going to check out how my village is doing before I check on anything that means that I won¡¯t be as suspicious. ¡®Where¡¯s your dungeons¡¯ ¡®oh no! Our dungeons fueling our weird magic are gone, and that guy just asked about it! There¡¯s a traitor AHHHH!¡¯ I snort and walk over to the counter, where I find the same woman as earlier. Oh boy. Well, it¡¯ll be more interesting talking to her I guess. Maybe she¡¯ll go on a rant and give me some more information. ¡°If you want to give a complaint put it in that box over there¡± She points over to a wooden box nailed to the wall filled with pieces of paper reading, ¡®Complaints¡¯ in fancy writing. ¡°No, actually it was pretty good. What I¡¯m here for is some information.¡± I look her right in the eye. ¡°Ohhh, trying to butter me up now, eh? What is it? Make it quick.¡± ¡°Do you know where some dun-¡±
[WARNING, people don¡¯t refer to dungeons as dungeons anymore. They believe it¡¯s too brash. They instead call them ¡®gateways¡¯]
-err, gateways are?¡± She seems to pick up on it but doesn¡¯t comment. ¡°well of course we know where they are, you can see a map over there?¡± she points, ¡°There¡¯s five not too much to keep track of, no? Well, now I know for certain that you¡¯ve been livin¡¯ under a rock your whole life!¡± She starts laughing boisterously. Interesting. Earlier, before I woke up, there was only one that people were working on destroying. ¡°Anyways, since I¡¯ve lived under a rock. Could you tell me about how often people go over?¡± I ask with a frown. ¡°This boy¡¯s got a high shame tolerance! Sure, I¡¯ll tell you. You¡¯ve given me something to laugh about!¡± She sucks in a breath, ¡°After a funeral people will be brought over to the gateways so that the immigrants can use them to make more energy for us so that we can stay warm and eat. Not a high price if you ask me. But in winter where it¡¯s really bad some people might just send some of the elders or a few kids with them. But we still end up with more people than we would¡¯ve if we didn¡¯t send them. That¡¯s how life goes on boy-O! The immigrants saved us from dying from our lacklustre resources!¡± The woman exults. ¡°That¡¯s some food for thought for this country bumpkin. Could I have a room?¡± I look down at myself, ¡°And a bath as well?¡± ¡°Yesssir, I¡¯m here to take your coin, now give it over.¡± Clunk ¡°And here¡¯s your key. Your tub should be ready in about 20 minutes.¡± I take the key reading ¡®10¡¯, presumably for the room number. After walking up the stairs I peer to the left and see what I think is the bathing room. Looking right I find room 10 and make myself at home. ¡°Finally, I have a bed!¡± I hoot to myself once I shut myself in. Now, where to start? Sounds like they¡¯re doing human sacrifices. Earlier they mentioned that it uses energy, life sources, and blood as its main source of energy. People have made an alliance with them for resources. This is so wrong. Snap! I grab another toothpick and jam it in my mouth. It is colder than it was before, and more snowy than it should be. Heat counts as energy, right? Could they be feeding off of the natural resources and heat to make people reliant on them?!
[Analyzing query¡­] [Definite answer cannot be drawn. However, since The Fives rebellion, heat and life sources have decreased in the area. This is especially prevalent in the regions close to the dungeons]
That¡¯s dirty. Harrumphing, I hear a feminine voice from behind my door says, ¡°Sir, your bath is ready. Your stall is number 9. There is a towel there already¡± Lifting myself, I make sure that all of my things are put together and secure before I leave. After doing a once-over, I nod. I¡¯ll freshen up before I do anything else. I already have a general plan. Get supplies, check out my home, come back and destroy the dungeons and then get revenge when I¡¯m powerful enough. Help DRIFA ¡°AHHHH! Bob, my love, save me from this monster!¡± A woman holding a check screams from the TV. ¡°But, dear, it¡¯s not a monster. It¡¯s only my gambling fees! I¡¯ll win next time around. You¡¯ll see!¡± Bob says convincingly. ¡°But how will we pay for the kids!¡±, she wail ¡°All I have to do is win. I hear that people win all the time!¡± He states rather positively. Stupid Bob. Just like dad¡­ but with shades and weird sideburns,¡­ and with a bigger gut. ¡°That¡¯s it! I¡¯m getting a divorce-¡± ZZZT! ¡°What!¡±Shouting in outrage, I let go of the pillow I was holding. ¡°She was almost free from that cheating idiot, to find her true love! Ack, well I¡¯ll go check if the TV cord got jostled, pretty sure I paid my power bill¡­¡± Walking up to the cord I look at it, it seems fine. Taking it out and plugging it back in again does nothing. ¡°Huh, weird. I¡¯ll go over to the front desk and ask about it.¡±
[Loading¡­]
Startled I jump back ¡°So the TV decided to go in my head huh?¡± Kinda seems like those books I read where people get transported to a video game-like world. Usually, they get teleported to a tutorial or another world. That would be great, besides all the people dying in those books, but superpowers and epic monster battles seem fun! I end up walking around the place excited, but after a few minutes have passed I start to get bored. What¡¯s taking it so long? Tapping my foot impatiently I look around Well maybe it¡¯ll let me take stuff from here over? Electronics never work in the stories, so I¡¯ll ignore those. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I look down at my shoes thoughtfully. Well may as well have my favourite hoodie when I get there! Maybe I¡¯ll blend in and look like a wizard cloak or something! A grin splits my face. I like the sound of that, it¡¯ll also keep me away from the monster while I throw fireballs or something! Running over to my dresser and rummaging around I find it. Baby blue, oversized, with one big daisy as usual. What temperature is it over there though? Is it hot, cold, humid? Never mind, I¡¯ll just wear jeans, those are good everywhere! And if I have a tank top under the hoodie it¡¯s okay if it¡¯s hot or cold! Enthused with my idea I run over and get changed out of my leggings and cardigan. ¡°OK System, take me! I¡¯m the most prepared of them all!¡± I say smiling with my arms out. After a minute it gets kind of awkward and I let my hands fall.
[Loading¡­]
¡°Tch. Well, maybe we¡¯ll end up starving because there¡¯s no readily available food like in ¡°Cooking With Disaster¡± By Dakota Krout¡­ yeah, best to be prepared.¡± Eyeing all of my favourite snacks I¡¯ve been saving for a special occasion I dive in. This is a special occasion I think. May as well also have some water. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Any time now¡­¡± Tapping my foot impatiently I look at my wrist. ¡°It¡¯s always good to be fit!¡± Doing some jumping jacks, eventually drenched in sweat, I grow concerned. Am I just crazy? I¡¯m not acting like a rational person right now. A reasonable response would be having a mental breakdown or questioning their sanity or something like that. I guess I¡¯m doing the second bit now, just had a bit of lag. I frown. I¡¯m probably fine then¡­ I think. But may as well call for some help. Reaching out for my phone I click the power button, only to be received by a black screen. ¡°Ohhh yeah, powers out. But I don¡¯t think that should extend to my phone. Right? Ha! So there¡¯s still a chance I¡¯m not crazy.¡± So how do I use it? Open interface. Open. System view.
[Loading¡­]
¡°No? Okay, fine.¡± I grump, ¡°Maybe it¡¯ll work aloud? Open interface! Open! System view!¡±
[Loading¡­]
¡°Okay, so none of those work. Maybe we don¡¯t get to look at it yet? Or maybe this System doesn¡¯t have that option? I guess the stories wouldn¡¯t be that accurate.¡±* * *
[Loading complete!]
¡°Finally! It¡¯s been long enough! One and a half days of nothing is boring.¡± Jumping up from my bed I run to the kitchen to grab a knife. Perfect! The other ones are in the wash and the System probably doesn¡¯t want biomaterial. Gazing down at my clean butter knife triumphantly the world goes blue. After a while, I see some colours other than blue show up. Slowly pulling itself together to a point where it¡¯s understandable I find myself in a small rustic-looking hotel room without any open windows and a small candle. It¡¯s a bed I guess. Not the best but not the worst I¡¯ve seen. Doesn¡¯t look magical, maybe it was all a weird dream and I got kidnapped? Drugged? Nah, seems too fancy of a place for that. I chuckled to myself. ¡°But I do need to figure out where I am. Hopefully, it¡¯ll ease me into it. And it isn¡¯t like I¡¯m leaving anything behind except my TV. But I should be careful even if this is exciting. People seem to die a lot in those books and I don¡¯t want to do that.¡± After thinking for a bit I decided that I should probably stay here. It¡¯s safe, and maybe it¡¯s a waiting room anyway and other people will show up. *** ISMUND After toweling myself off I get dressed and head over to my room.
[Loading compete!]
Now I can go see what this mysterious ¡®Help¡¯ is. Get some sleep, head off to see if there¡¯s anything left of the village, and get strong enough to exact revenge. Walking into my room I¡¯m greeted by an unexpected sight. ¡°Who are you?! Is this like a waiting room or something? I¡¯m warning you, I am good at buttering toast!¡± A weirdly dressed girl shouts with frazzled curly white hair. I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s expecting to do with that butter knife. ¡°Why are you in my room?¡± I say exasperated. It¡¯s been a long day. ¡°I don¡¯t know! There was a loading screen and then, and then, the world was blue and then I was here. Is this like the room you get sent to like a tutorial?¡± She says rapid fire. Oh boy. Maybe I should be thankful for the new update. The system, where¡¯s my so-called ¡®Help¡¯?
[Answering query¡­] [User Drifa Helgason¡¯s designation is ¡®Help¡¯. There were no available users or creatures that were deemed acceptable at this time. It was deemed necessary to take user Drifa from her timeline to complete the request by using emergency energy reserves.]
I grew pensive. Wouldn¡¯t that mess with the timeline?
[User Drifa originally died 0.3 seconds after initialization due to a heart attack. She will not affect the timeline]
So why would she be helpful?
[Help¡¯s skills seem to be complimentary to user Ismund as a support class.]
I sigh. Okay, you know what? Why not at this point? ¡°You seem kind of zoned out. Did I say something wrong? You still haven¡¯t answered my question!¡± The girl, Drifa, says agitatedly. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later. Just wait, I¡¯m going to get you a room. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.¡± Frustrated about having to spend more money I head over to the front desk to spend more money. Going over to close the door she seems to think it¡¯s a good idea to talk more so I give her a warning glare and close the door. Hopefully, she doesn¡¯t take anything of mine. Heading downstairs I buy another room for her and grab the key. ¡°Hey! I got you a room. Go take it and get out of mine.¡± I call through the door. ¡°Coming!¡± She opens the door, takes the key and finally leaves me alone. Re-entering my room I find it a mess. She must¡¯ve been curious. But that¡¯s no excuse to leave the place like this. Frowning, I put the place back together and try to figure out what on Earth I¡¯m going to do with her. It says that she¡¯s supposed to help me, but I don¡¯t see how that¡¯ll be possible with somebody who has no prior training and is going to have a heart attack. I¡¯m not sure why that didn¡¯t happen this time but I guess she got to stare at a loading screen for a while first instead of being thrust into a world with monsters right away. I¡¯m not particularly keen on bringing her anywhere though. I also don¡¯t think that leaving her here is going to be helping anything. She¡¯s supposed to be a support class so at least I don¡¯t have to train her. I¡¯ll just ask what kind later and give her the stuff for it. I don¡¯t want to have her involved in the whole revenge thing. It¡¯s my family, not hers. Deciding that¡¯s a good enough plan for now, I hit the hay. A Grumpy Companion ISMUND I woke up in a cold sweat. I don¡¯t want this to be a recurring thing. Flashbacks of my family dying are not my favourite. Maybe having a toothpick in my mouth while I sleep will fix it? Whittling some toothpicks out of the bed frame I stick a few in my mouth. It doesn¡¯t say the effect is stacking, but, may as well try. Also, I¡¯ve been wanting to see what¡¯s in that box. Grabbing my pack from the side of the bed I open it and finally retrieve the box. Not having a proper chance to look at it previously I examine it. It¡¯s ornately carved wood embellished with bits of leather and metal here and there. Flipping the lid open I find, ¡°Nothing? Mom called it an inheritance for a reason, just need to figure out why. Unless she mixed it up with something else or we suddenly accumulated a lot of debt.¡± I spoke sadly to myself. After sitting in silence for a while I stow it away in my bag again. Gonna get some food and then head out. I wonder how bad my sense of time is. I bet that it¡¯s about mid-day. Opening my blinds to see how accurate I am I find that morning has barely broken. I guess the sun is still up, so I¡¯ll count it as a win. Ignoring my poor guessing skills I head over to the weird girl''s door and rap on it. ¡°Get out. We¡¯re going to leave.¡± Not bothering to try to catch a response I head down to the dining area and buy myself the cheapest meal, scrambled eggs and dry toast. It¡¯s passable, a good deal for what I paid. *** DRIFA Knock! Knock! Knock! ¡°Get out. We¡¯re going to leave.¡± I hear through the door. What time is it? It¡¯s only just morning! Couldn¡¯t he wait a bit? Throwing my sweater on seeing outside is nothing but snow, more snow, and the occasional mountain. I guess slippers will have to do. It doesn¡¯t seem like that guy is very friendly. I¡¯ll make him warm up to me. Or at least bug him enough to squeeze some info out of him. ¡°Hopefully everybody else is new around here. It¡¯d be pretty awkward if I was the only one dressed like this. At least my hood should help me blend in as a wizard or something.¡± Nodding to myself I throw the hood over my head. I wonder if they have running water? There is another door over there. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Heading over to investigate I open the door. Not find a sink, but I did find a bucket of freezing water. They say that ice baths are good for you. Maybe a mini one on my face will help? I brace myself and splash some of it on my face. That¡¯s cold! I dry my face off and hide my butter knife in my hoodie pocket. I should¡¯ve prepared by getting some sleep instead of sitting awake for so long. Yawing, I head downstairs. Oh, it looks like that classic tavern you find in all of those stories like this! Except this is even better and I¡¯m here in person! Sweet! There hasn¡¯t been any mass murder either. I knew those stories were too bleak! Walking down giddily I look all around me, taking it in. There he is. It¡¯s probably best to say hi, I don¡¯t know everyone else here and he seemed to know what was happening even if he was a bit icy. It was pretty late. Seeing an empty seat across from him I plop myself down, to his dismay. I look over at his almost empty plate, then back up to him. ¡°So where am I? Did I get drugged and kidnapped or something?¡± I start the conversation off cheerily, smiling at him. I have to do whatever I can to get at least something out of this. I¡¯m not particularly keen on being left penniless in some arctic wasteland. ¡°Yes. I kidnapped you and held you hostage with me in public.¡± He stares at his food bored. I knew it, I didn¡¯t think I was transported into a system-run world. Nope. I knew it all along. He must be so emotionless because the situation is so serious. Best to get on his good side. ¡°What did you put me on to make me hallucinate like that? This is pretty far away from the city. Must¡¯ve been expensive. Are you like one of those nice kidnappers? You gave me my room and didn¡¯t tie me up or anything. I guess outside is a pretty good deterrent. Especially in these slippers. So wh-¡± He cuts me off and raises his hand. ¡°I was being sarcastic. Sheesh.¡± Not looking in my direction he starts pulling his stuff together. ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡± The mysterious man states. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to get some rations for the road and some shoes that are less unsightly.¡± He starts walking out the door without another comment. Hurrying to follow him I start looking around the town in wonder. ¡°Whoa!¡± Astonished by all of the weird clothes and wood architecture I spin around. ¡°Stop drawing attention to yourself, what you¡¯re wearing is bad enough as is.¡± The killjoy says seriously. Following him around as he grabs rations I continue to look around, albeit more subdued. Pointing at a stall he gets my attention, ¡°We¡¯re getting you some shoes.¡± A grizzled white-haired man, presumably the shopkeeper, sits me down grabs my foot, and flings my slippers off. ¡°Hey!¡± Ignoring me he takes a few quick measurements and looks over at the guy I¡¯ve been following. ¡°What kind do you want?¡± ¡°The cheapest. Just good enough to walk in the snow without a horrible blister.¡± ¡°Coming right up!¡± I watch as the older man grabs what looks like giant socks with leather souls sowed to the bottom and hand them to me. ¡°Do they fit?¡± These are cheap alright. I tug the ugly ¡®shoes¡¯ on and tighten the string on the top that I think is supposed to keep it from falling off. ¡°Looks good enough. Here¡¯s the cash.¡± The younger of the white-haired duo hands over the money necessary. The bag looks a bit lighter than earlier today. I frown in concern, following him out of the town gates. As soon as we walk through I feel the sharp chill of the wind hitting me, suddenly more grateful to have any shoes at all. ¡°Why¡¯s it so much colder over here?¡± I shout over the wind ¡°Magic inside the city.¡± I guess I¡¯m not going to get much out of him. After marching for a while I hear something. GRrOwlLl! Suddenly on guard, the short-spoken man spins sharply in my direction. ¡°What was that? I think there must be a monster nearby.¡± He goes into a pose and seems to realize he doesn¡¯t have anything on hand. ¡°Uhm, I-¡± after trying to tell him what it is he turns my way and puts a finger to his lips. ¡°Shh! It must have an invisibility ability or item. I can¡¯t see it.¡± Not wanting to embarrass myself further I just tell him. ¡°There¡¯s no monster, I just haven¡¯t eaten anything today and it¡¯s getting pretty late! You ate and then we left while you searched around for the cheapest items available for what we needed.¡± Red-faced, I look over at him sheepishly. ¡°You don¡¯t need to make a big deal. Just tell me so we don¡¯t lose more time.¡± He chucks some of the rations he bought behind him. Hurriedly, I tumble forward to catch them. Now That I think about it, why isn¡¯t he sinking? That¡¯s just unfair. Also, I don¡¯t think he¡¯d give me much bother if I mentioned it earlier. Probably would¡¯ve muttered something about me being expensive. Sighing, I continue to follow him to wherever we¡¯re going. He still hasn¡¯t told me where that was or his name. Maybe I¡¯ll start calling him ¡®Grumps¡¯ to get it out of him. Liking the idea I give myself a little grin. Travel ISMUND Seems to probably be one more day of walking and then we¡¯ll be there. Hopefully, I can find something at the house to use or bury, maybe some clues at the sight. ¡°So uhhh, where are we trying to go again?¡± Drifa asks again, to my annoyance. She¡¯s getting on my nerves, does she have to be this conversational? ¡°Hey, grumps, I¡¯m talking to you! Could you at least tell me your name so you don¡¯t always get called grumps? It¡¯s annoying thinking of you as a ¡®guy¡¯ in my head.¡± Why do I have to have her with me again?
[User Drifa designated as help is accompanying you so that it is harder for you to die and to help complete the goal of destroying all of the dungeons. It is advised that you are less hostile for better combat efficiency.]
I don¡¯t need the system to lecture me. She has nothing I can tell that is useful except for her butter knife. ¡°Grumps!?¡± She tries to get my attention again. ¡°It¡¯s Ismund,¡± I say, long-suffering. Hearing what I swear is a victory dance behind me, I move on. ¡°Can you answer one more question,¡­ please?¡± ¡°What is it? Last one.¡± ¡°So is there anything you can tell me about how the system works? is it like a video game?¡± Sighing, I responded tersely, ¡°It¡¯s meant to help us destroy the monsters that have invaded. You work hard, the system makes it easier for you to rise beyond regular limitations; S+, S, A, B, C, D, E, F. Don¡¯t bother trying to get more out of me, just ask the system itself if you''re so curious.¡± Finally, she shuts her mouth, leaving me alone. *** After noticing the sun going down I resolve to call it a day. Taking off my pack I pull out my tent and bedding and look off into the distance. Yep, there she is. Waaaay out there. Boy, am I glad I don¡¯t sink. It takes a while for me to figure out how to set up the tent in the deep snow, thankfully I don¡¯t make a mess while doing it. If I did then it would be a lot more difficult. After making some little touch-ups I decided to make some food. She¡¯s probably cold, so I¡¯ll make soup. I never really cooked, but Mum usually just put stuff in a pot. Starting a small fire with the toothpicks, I shovel some snow into the pot and wait for it to melt. How am I supposed to keep this up here? I think it was normally able to hang on something, but I can¡¯t find anything here that could do that. I guess I can start training now. Eventually, the snow was all water so I added the beef jerky in and switched hands over because my arm was getting tired. ¡°I¡¯m back¡­¡°, she pauses, gulping in air, ¡°What¡¯s that? Why¡¯d you go so fast? Is it a special power? I must be at least A ranked, huh?¡± Finally finishing her relentless questions, I decided to give her a surprise. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°This is the soup I made. It has mainly protein-based ingredients and a delicate broth. It¡¯s nice and hot.¡± It looks edible, just like Mum used to make. I give myself a sad smile and quickly give myself a second toothpick. ¡°No kidding it¡¯s protein-based, and the broth is thin. Did you just use water and the beef jerky you bought?¡± She says rather condescending. Face falling expressionless, I put out the fire and head to my tent, still leaving the pot out. Eating the still-dried jerky in my pack I hear her talking to herself outside. She should be glad to have any hot food at all. There aren¡¯t any trees in sight, so I wouldn¡¯t normally even be able to make a fire in the first place if it weren¡¯t for the toothpicks I sacrificed along with my achievement [Woodsman]. ¡°Stupid, Stupid, Stupid! Making fun of his cooking isn¡¯t a good way to make him think you¡¯re useful, even though I can cook.¡± groaning and pacing, she continues, ¡°Maybe it tastes great? I should at least have it, I don¡¯t want to waste anything, and I am cold. Hopefully, I didn¡¯t ruin it. I should probably say ¡®sorry¡¯¡­¡± Breaking off, she starts eating difficult-to-make-soup. rustle Barely acknowledging her entrance, I continue inspecting my box. ¡°So uh, about earlier. It was nice to have something hot after being in the cold. Um, thank you.¡± Looking away she rubs the back of her neck, ¡°Soooo, sorry about earlier.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± I continue messing with the intricate box. Looking down at it, she quickly changes the subject, ¡°Nice box you have there, Ismund.¡± She reaches out questioningly, face practically screaming ¡®I need to be helpful¡¯. Oh boy. ¡°So uhhh, what were you doing?¡± She says confused. ¡°I¡¯m trying to find out if there¡¯s anything in particular hidden in there,¡± I say tightly, hoping she doesn¡¯t ruin it somehow. ¡°Why do you think there¡¯s anything special?¡± She says with prodding, poking and prodding it. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Okay then. Anyway, I think I found something.¡± She says drawing her eyebrows together. Quickly arresting the box from her in my excitement, I just see her hand gone with a stump in the box still. I never did touch the bottom of the box, there didn¡¯t seem to be room to hide anything. ¡°No.¡± She says quickly, focusing on something ahead of her. She had some sort of notification appear, I¡¯m certain, her pupils constricted to an alarming degree. ¡°What do you mean ¡®no¡¯?¡± I say incredulously. ¡°Just responding to the notification. You haven¡¯t given me a lot to work with in terms of navigating it.¡± She says obligingly, taking her hand out of the box. ¡°Ah, an illusion.¡±I try to say flatly but fail to master my expression. Dipping my hand in, I get a notification.
[Blessed artifact found! Assessing¡­ Would User Ismund like to bind to it?]
I see now, her reaction makes more sense. Glad she didn¡¯t bind herself. Yes, System. Now get out of my head.
[Confirmed, binding box¡­] [Binding Complete! New item, Small Wooden Box] [Small Wooden Box: Special Item(Bound).] [-This little old thing has infinite timeless storage, whatever fits through the opening is allowed in unless it is a living organism not in stasis. No other entity may access it without explicit permission without threatening the user Ismund may access it or break it. You may view the items in your status, or grab items out of the air within arms reach, you may also place items of the proper size back in the box on command(all three previous actions may only be done within arms reach). Hooray for convenience! Small Wooden Box¡¯s Identity will not be revealed as a blessed artifact for safety reasons without permission from user Ismund.]
I take a quick inventory of what¡¯s inside. ¡°So uh, what¡¯s in it?¡± she says, trying to re-engage the conversation. ¡°I think I need to get to bed,¡± I say, cutting her off. It¡¯s got some good stuff in here, but I don¡¯t trust her to keep her mouth shut. Explaining it will probably lead to more time being lost from her questions. We do need to get going tomorrow. I want to see if I can find anything, or at least have a final look at the village before I leave. ¡­ After that, I can grow in power so I can avenge them. Settling down I make sure I pack everything so it¡¯s ready to go in the morning. Going outside I grab the pot wash it with the snow and scrape the hard bits off with small chunks of ice. Clean and collapsed, I place it back in my bag. I¡¯m really glad I got that Ice affiliation trait, it would¡¯ve been really hard to get across without it. Although I made the same time I would¡¯ve otherwise because I had to wait for somebody when I was getting across. In the morning I¡¯ll check out the sword I got from the box as well as how that translates over to the muscle memory I already have. Making sure to test out my experiment, I put a few toothpicks in my mouth and fell asleep, trying to not stab myself. Update It''s come to my attention that in some of the previous chapters it was unclear who''s point of view it was during scene transitions, so I''ve made some changes. If you have not noticed already, I''ve fixed that and put the point of view in bold and all caps. Also, I plan to have a chapter of roughly 1,400 words or more out each Friday. Thank you so much for reading! <3 If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Return to Rubble DRIFA Waking up to the sound of shuffling feet, I look up blearily from the snow outside the tent to see Ismund going through some motions with his sword. Huh, that¡¯s pretty cool, I¡¯ve only ever read about that. It makes sense why they had vague descriptions though, it looks complicated. Getting myself ready to get moving to wherever it was we were going, I grabbed my yellow hairband and put my hair up in a messy bun, leaving my bangs free. Suddenly the monotonous movement stops, ¡°You¡¯ll have a bit while I pack up the tent.¡± I¡¯ll do better today. That did not go well yesterday. Insulting people isn¡¯t a good way to show your usefulness. It looks like I¡¯ll be stuck with him for a while too, so I should act like it. He¡¯s probably just an introvert or something and I¡¯m taking too much energy from him, or maybe he¡¯s just grumpy on a normal basis. Failing to notice that he¡¯s already finished packing, Ismund calls back to me, ¡°Get your head out of the clouds.¡± ¡°Sorry! I¡¯ll get moving¡± I say, starting stiffing silence. After a long while of trudging through the snow without questions, Ismund changes that, ¡°Are you going to start your rant again?¡± Eventually figuring out what he meant I respond, dejected, ¡°I¡¯ll only ask ones that are important, I¡¯ll stay quiet.¡± Ismund seemed to release a smidge of tension he was holding in his shoulders. Okay, it¡¯s going in a good direction then. He doesn¡¯t like chatting. ¡°Where are we going too? How long till we¡¯re there?¡± I ask tentatively. ¡°My village. We¡¯ll be there when we arrive.¡± He answers sulkily, grabbing another toothpick. It¡¯s going well so far. I do a little fist pump, hoping Ismund doesn¡¯t notice. ¡°Can I have one?¡± Turning back silently Ismund raises an eyebrow. ¡°A toothpick.¡± I clarify. Tossing one back to me I catch it, if barely. After giving it a quick examination I stick it in my mouth. Mint flavour. I wonder how he does that? Voicing my question he wiggles his fingers, still looking ahead, and says, ¡°Magic.¡± apathetically. ¡°So can you make it any flavour? Could you make it maple?¡± He nods and gives me enough that I should be busy for the next few hours. Softly mumbling to himself he says, ¡°Hopefully she doesn¡¯t talk for a while. I wish I wasn¡¯t obligated by the System to tow her around.¡± As we walk for the next hour or so I notice that it keeps getting colder and colder as the wind picks up. I don¡¯t know how he¡¯s not freezing. Maybe enchanted clothes or something? I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to be getting much further, I¡¯m already numb almost everywhere. ¡°Hey, I-Ismund,¡± I try to say through chattering teeth, ¡°Do y-you have anything I c-c-could use to stay warm?¡± Looking up at him, I hope that he has something. Looking somewhat startled at the sudden noise, he starts looking through his pack to reluctantly retrieve a handsome green cloak. He stares at it lips pursed with his brows drawn together. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Staring me straight in the eye, he states seriously, ¡°Take good care of it, it was for my younger brother.¡± Quickly looking away he speeds up. Pinning the wool cloak together I hurry to follow, glad for the warmth. I wonder what happened to his brother? I don¡¯t think that people would normally act like that when their letting people borrow things. I¡¯ll just have to make sure that I don¡¯t ruin it and find out prematurely. Feeling it between my fingers I add to that thought. It¡¯s also quite nice, and I¡¯d rather not die from frostbite. * * * Eventually, I spot a large, rugged-looking area with large indents surrounded by broken ground. As we get closer I can tell that there are pieces of wood sticking out from what looks like the remains of some buildings. Astonished at the unexpected sight, my previously cheerful mind goes numb. What happened here? Bewildered, I look over to Ismund who also looks anxious to go investigate, if not more so. ¡°Go and see if you can find anything over there, I¡¯ll call you over when I think we¡¯re done.¡± He says with unrivalled stoniness. Quick to obey him, I scatter to what must¡¯ve been some buildings. I start looking for something, only to realize there¡¯s probably nothing of worth other than the wood. Recognizing he probably needed space, I peek over some rubble to watch him, nosy as ever. He said this was his village¡­ what on Earth must he be going through? It explains some of his attitude, and his reluctance to give me this cloak. That was¡­ sweet of him I guess. But then again, I was freezing to death, if slowly. Still, I should probably be a bit more gentle in the future. As I watch him I can see him look around for a moment, probably checking for observers like myself, and then seems satisfied. Ismund then starts to quickly rummage through the rubble finding an old metal disk. He looks down at it gritting his jaw, turning a bit red in the face. Putting the object away he stares down muttering some hot words. Pacing around tensely, clenching his fist and uselessly hitting a few pieces of wood. Eventually, he simply looks drained and just falls to his knees and lets some tears flow without another word. Silently watching, the wind competitively whips around pelting him with snow, trying to match the sting of the past. Better not mention this to him unless he brings it up. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a whole lot I can do to help other than be less burdensome. Watching a little teary myself, I remember what it was like to lose my mum. Eventually, he seems to get himself pulled together. Roughly he calls out to me, ¡°Raiders took it all. There¡¯s only a bit of wood left. Let''s move.¡± Except for that little piece you grabbed. Doing my best to keep my expression neutral, I walk towards him as if nothing happened. Seeming to have spent enough time here grieving, he leaves the desecrated village to journey back to where we came from. Following him I wonder what the goal is now. He only really said that we were going here, and now we¡¯ve done that. At least I¡¯ll be able to walk in my footprints for a while before it gets filled up and washed out. And it looks like that¡¯ll happen soon considering all of the heavy snow coming down. Trudging behind Ismund, giving him space, I tried to figure out what I could do for him. He¡¯s not cold, other than with his personality, so I don¡¯t know that hot food will help. Maybe I can help with the tent setup, but that could be seen as intrusive. Eventually, I get an idea grab a piece of wood, and hide it in my pocket. Once he decides that we¡¯ve gone far enough, Ismund eats some Jerky quickly, and me some as well after I ask. While he sets up the camp he holds the tent pole white-knuckled. Right before he disappears for the night, I grab his attention. ¡°Ismund, I have something for you.¡±, I tell him hoping he¡¯ll like it. Turning a little too quickly than usual he asks, ¡°What is it?¡± Silently cheering my success I hand a piece of lumber to him. ¡°It¡¯s for making yourself more toothpicks,¡± I say with a small grin. Not wanting to overstay my welcome, I head to the side of the tent again. Scrape Scrape Listening as he silently carves some toothpicks I smile gently. Okay, giving him wood to carve into toothpicks is a good idea. It also looks like I can ask a few questions over a day, but mostly leave him alone. Slowly, after reviewing my memories I come to a realization. I think maybe I was wrong about there not being an exodus. Maybe this isn¡¯t so different. There are patterns for a reason I guess, however unfortunate it is. I shiver at the thought of what must¡¯ve happened there, those were giant indents. Odd. They were pretty evenly placed. Are they? No. it can¡¯t be. Was it a war? bombs? I don¡¯t think a monster of any kind could be that big. Either way, it¡¯s unnatural and I don¡¯t like it. If they have magic can I then? Magic is surpassing normal human capabilities. That¡¯d be fun, and I could stay away from all of the upfront stuff. Tucking my new warm cloak closer to myself I get a good layer of snow on me to keep warm. I never really knew why it helped with insulation when it was frozen, but it did. I think this is a better method than just sitting out here in a sweater. On that note, I drift to sleep, occasionally interrupted by some errant snow hitting me in the face. Ankle Biters ISMUND Seeing the town on the edge of the horizon I continue my slow march forward with the girl drifting behind me. As I approach there¡¯s something clearly off. It¡¯s more than there was at the village before and it seems to span further. What is it? Squinting, I try to get a better look but my eyes are still greeted with the abrasive light reflecting off of the snow. That¡¯s weird. As I get closer I eventually find lots of small masses surrounding the gate entrance. Figuring that must be where the weird feeling is coming from I pull my swords out of the air (courtesy of the box). While I still don¡¯t know what it is, I can tell it¡¯s no good. As soon as I can register that it¡¯s a bunch of rabbits they all rush towards me. ¡°SCREE!!!¡±Turning behind me I yell over my shoulder, ¡°These are not rabbits, they¡¯re monsters! Go find some cover!¡± Hoping she heard, I charged towards them and split my swords into two separate smaller blades, looking similar to katanas. As soon as the first one comes within striking distance I whack it out of the air with one strike. Either they¡¯re weak or the swords are sharp because they go straight through it. Not caring which one it was, it worked. Continuing my charge forward, I leave a mess in my wake. Eventually, they get the bright idea, to surround me instead of just charging forward in a line. Doing my best to manage them, it¡¯s not enough to keep every scratch away. ¡°Gah!¡± One of them manages to leap up and bite my arm. In the heat of the moment I decide to hit another rabbit with the one still on my arm, dislodging it, but leaving some nasty blood trickling down. Ignoring it I carry on until it starts dying down. Suddenly I catch a glimpse of the girl being chased by a single hare, heading straight for me. The battlefield is almost empty, and I¡¯m able to spare the time to dispatch the little beast. But, instead of going back to cover, she keeps following behind me. ¡°What are you doing?! I told you to hide!¡± I call behind me. ¡°Well um, there wasn¡¯t any. It¡¯s all flat, the only thing close is the village.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to stay here stay quiet so I can focus!¡± A minute or two later I¡¯m just getting rid of the stragglers.
[You have defeated D tier frost hares. You¡¯re Body has gained 10 points. Sorry, that wasn¡¯t hard enough to warrant much. (385/500) to C tier Body.]
I guess that¡¯s a warm-up for the dungeons. Looking up, I notice a few armed guards just sitting there doing nothing. I Shout, ¡°Hey you!¡± as they start trying to sneak away. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you help? You¡¯re both capable of battle and armed. What¡¯s your excuse?¡± I look up staring him straight in the eye. Simply staring down at me one of them responded, ¡°You had it covered, no need to jump in if I don¡¯t have to. That¡¯d be risky. The other guard simply nods and starts opening the gate. Some guards. I¡¯ll tell you that much. After moving into the town I swear the guards are staring daggers into my back. Looking behind me I can tell that Drifa grabbed a few of the carcasses with her. Their blood was already mostly frozen, so I guessed that Balder¡¯s cloak was safe. Stopping I turn around. ¡°Can I have that?¡± I ask pointing my finger at the hares. ¡°Oh sure of course. You got them after all, I just figured you might want them for something.¡± She says flustered. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why I want them.¡± She nods shyly, handing it over. Swiping them I turn towards what looks like a butcher. ¡°What can I do you for?¡± her feminine voice calls out. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Presenting the corpses I ask, ¡°Will you buy these?¡± She begins to wrinkle her nose, ¡°The skin is certainly useful, but the meat from the immigrants tastes overly metallic. It¡¯s also distasteful to eat those in need unless truly needed. The poor fluffy critters could¡¯ve evolved enough to go free and enjoy the world.¡± The woman says pouting her lip.
[Dungeon monster meat is metallic because of the corrupted energy coursing through them, it can be deadly if it is not cleansed. Users have found it distasteful to eat monster meat because they could be friends with them on a basic level. However that is mostly a guise, they mostly don¡¯t want to lose their alliance with the invaders.]
I reach out with an open hand, ¡°So you¡¯ll take it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡±, she hands over a few coppers. Right after the transaction is complete Drifa looks up at me holding a rabbit leg, ¡°Can you save this piece, please? I want to practice on it.¡± I obligingly put it in my storage, even if I have no idea what she wants to do with it, or what she means by ''practicing''. Once we arrive back at Brooks Bar, Drifa gives me a weird look. ¡°What?¡± I say, raising my eyebrows. ¡°You''re a sight to behold if you didn''t notice." snorting, she points at the blood and scratches from the fight covering me. ¡°I was going to deal with that, no need to remind me.¡± The girl doesn¡¯t seem to believe me but stays silent. That being the end of that, I walk up to the counter. ¡°Give me a pair of separate rooms and baths,¡± I say, handing over the money. Swiping it before it even hits the counter Brook grins and counts it. After she nods we go on our way. Before I go very far up the stairs I turn around. ¡°You don¡¯t look conspicuous yourself. Go run over to the tailors and grab something less¡­ odd.¡± I grab just enough money so that she can get one pair of clothes. Heading into my room I access my inventory.
[Box Contents: (strange red bandana X2), (mysterious sword), (Home-made, fine cloak: Red), (too many toothpicks), (Family Crest), (Coin), (bandages), (Jerky), (extra set of clothes), (knife).]
I switch out the clothes I¡¯m wearing for the clean ones in my storage and head over for my bath. * * * Back in my room, just as I¡¯m about to go to bed I hear something at the door accompanied by the jiggle of the doorknob. BANG! BANG! BANG! The fog that was sending me to sleep cleared up right away. I jog over to the door and crack it open finding the same girl who¡¯s been following me around behind it.¡°What is it? You should¡¯ve been able to afford an extra pair of clothes.¡± I say, opening the door all the way. ¡°It¡¯s not that. I got bitten by one of those rabbits! I saw that you had some bandages earlier¡­¡± She says questioningly. Letting her in I ask, confused, ¡°But wouldn¡¯t you have noticed that happened I don¡¯t know. As soon as you got it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s numb, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t notice!¡± she hisses. Drawing my brows together I tell her, ¡°Open your status. It¡¯ll tell you what it is.¡± ¡°But you never told me how.¡± The girl whines. Pinching the bridge of my nose I tell her that she just needs to say ¡®status¡¯. ¡°Oh. I didn¡¯t think of that.¡±After she accesses it, Drifa freezes, stares for a few minutes and then crumples in on herself holding her ears. What happened? * * * DRIFA
[Error, updating¡­]
Finally, I opened it.
[Congratulations! You¡¯ve been summoned by user Ismund as help. User Ismund was the last user who was not corrupted and you have been assigned the support role you always wanted (minus the fire balls). New title gained [Help]. Would you like to view more information on title [Help]]
Aha! I was right it can use mental commands! Yes.
[Help:Increased proficiency and speed in anything that could labeled as helpful to user Ismund]
So I guess it¡¯s a good thing that I followed him around. It does explain why there¡¯s nobody else who seems to be as green as myself. What does corrupted mean? I¡¯ll ask Ismund later. Wait, no. I can ask the System now. Much better.
[Corrupted energy is also known as ¡®magic¡¯ used by the monsters invading in dungeons.]
I guess that¡¯s all I need to know for now. Carry on System!
[Assessing path for user Drifa¡­] [Match found: Snow¡¯s Whisper]
Okay, opposite of fireballs and I don¡¯t know what it is. Great.
[Would you like to access more information on path Snow¡¯s Whisper?]
Of course, I do!
[Snow¡¯s Whisper: Traits added:[Snow affinity (non upgradable): Grants user a higher recovery rate in cold conditions, however the user of this path is extremely weak to heat. Cold immunity. Winter weather does not affect user and can walk on snow like solid ground if desired. User is permanently cold to the touch and may create frost on contact unless there is intense heat.], [I Can Hear You (non upgradable): Do you ever feel sneaky in the snow despite all the crunching? Well, others do too, so now you can hear them a mile away. However fun that is there are no protective measures. Good luck!], [Pure Magic (upgradable): User can manipulate Snow and it¡¯s aspects: frost, purity, and healing, wind. Pure energy magic is based directly on Soul tier and understanding. User Drifa has been granted this because of the dire situation, in normal circumstances the use of System energy is prohibited. Increase in understanding of Pure Magic to upgrade. User Drifa has been given the ability to vaguely sense different energy sources upon contact.]. Look at that neat little package!]
Sweet! So I get to be the only one with not-evil magic, and I don''t have to be on the front lines!
[Advancing user¡­]
I quickly look at my status sheet before I black out.
[Name:Drifa Helgason Age:18 Sex:Female Race:Human Path:[Snow¡¯s Whisper (C)] Tier Body:D (250/500) Mind:D (300/500) Soul:C- (3/1,000) Achievements [None] Noteworthy traits Upgradable:[Pure Magic] Non upgradable:[Snow affinity], [Avid Reader], [I Can Hear You] Titles -Help]
Another Trip ISMUND Sensory issue? That¡¯s not unheard of. Quickly recognizing the problem, I take the bandana from my neck and tie it to her arm.
[Strange Bandana unequipped. Enhanced sight has been revoked.]
yep, I was right. Letting go of her ears she smiles a bit. Her previously mismatched gray and blue eyes now had a ring of gold around the pupil. ¡°Too loud.¡±, I state. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good at hearing stuff now, but it didn¡¯t put in place any protective measures,¡± she says unhappily. gesturing at the red cloth around her wrist I tell her, ¡°I¡¯m taking it back now.¡± Concern washes over her face. ¡°This is mine,¡± I tell her, as I grab a second out of my box, ¡°here¡¯s yours. Don¡¯t ruin it¡±. I emphasize. She quickly nods at that and replaces the previous expression with interest. More and more of the things meant for my brother are slipping away by the day. I think unhappily, frowning in discontent. Eagerly taking the new bandana from me, she ties the bandana up in her hair and hands me back my own, which I swipe away quickly. ¡°So how does it work?¡± She urges, gesturing to the bandana. ¡°Just read the notification¡± I respond, not sparing her much attention. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to read it.¡± She says simply. I just answer her in silence, looking at her from the corner of my eye unimpressed. Be patient, be patient¡­ you only have to deal with this for a little longer. Then she¡¯ll leave you alone. Eventually, she seems to have finished reading the description and nods, piecing it together. ¡°So basically I can enhance or mute one sense. But it looks like whoever it¡¯s attached to has to be able to hear one thing at ¡®normal¡¯ volume.¡± She tilts her head to the side, ¡°Makes sense. So you tied yours on me because it doesn¡¯t need permission, and then just made it so I heard you at normal volume. That¡¯s smart. How did ya know it was sound?¡± ¡°You were holding your ears,¡± I say getting irritated with all of this unnecessary talking. I just wanted to go to bed. ¡°So would these be good for sneak attacks then?¡± She inquires excitedly. I nod. ¡°Wait but if I can hear only one thing, then how do I hear myself?¡± ¡°It only messes with stuff that¡¯s not originating from you. Done?¡± Nodding her head she goes to leave¡­ and then turns around at the last second. ¡°Oh yeah, I forgot about the bite I got. Lemme see, according to my status it was called [Frost Bite]. The System has a sense of humour, eh? The freezing is gone now and won¡¯t keep giving me damage. But it looks like I¡¯ll have a bruise, and it¡¯ll start bleeding and, ow, hurt too because it¡¯s not numb from being frozen anymore. I don¡¯t need to know this. I toss her a few scant bandages and get her to leave. Just as she closes the door I get a notification.
{The text is special! See, look it¡¯s golden! Ooh, that means it¡¯s important right? You¡¯re correct! Ding, ding, ding! This is a System contract that has been set in place as a special protective measure which Involves Ismund, Drifa, and the System itself. User Drifa will be unable to return to her original timeline. If either one of the User¡¯s die, the remaining one will have all their tiers halved as a penalty. Be responsible! Team work makes the dream work, or whatever. If Drifa or Ismund interacts with the invaders energy for personal uses other than purifying it they will be immediately penalized with death. Users will receive a warning if they are getting close to breaking the rules. In turn for doing this for the System both users will naturally repulse corrupted magic, however if they come in contact with it they will take increased damage. Sign now!}
Staring ahead of me with a small frown, I sign it. I see since I didn¡¯t like taking responsibility for somebody who¡¯s only a burden, you made me do it. I don¡¯t see much benefit, but if I don¡¯t do this the System will probably Zap me out of existence, and I¡¯d much rather be alive.
[It was user Ismund¡¯s choice to gain help and this was necessary to ensure safety of the System.]
Sure, you definitely didn¡¯t just find it funny or personally lucrative. Mhm. Totally. Deciding that it¡¯s late I grumpily turn out the lights. * * * DRIFA Half running half limping into my room I let out a silent little squeal of success as I start to bandage myself to staunch the admittedly slow bleeding. I did it, I did it, I did it! I finally unlocked the System! And my path is great as well! Pausing in my rejoicing I see a notification for a contract and quickly sign it, not thinking much of it, too excited to care. I can do magic! Imagining I¡¯m shooting some sort of spell at my wall I make little sound effects, ¡°pew, pew! Boom! ¡®Ah, she¡¯s too powerful. we need backup ''¡± Grinning to myself like a fool, I think of all the possibilities. But after settling down a bit my mind wanders back over to the contract. I guess I don¡¯t have to worry about being left behind by Mr. Grumpy. I wonder if I can use that energy repulsion to get rid of the gross stuff in the rabbit meat? I can find out later. I think out of the two of us I¡¯d probably die first, so I¡¯m not too worried about that consequence. I might be stuck with¡­ what''s his name? Oh yeah, Ismund! I might be stuck with Ismund but he¡¯s just a fixer-upper, and it¡¯s not like he seems particularly dangerous to myself, only irritable. Looking down at the new clothes I have makes me happy as well. You don¡¯t get those every day, and these were neat. It had puffy sleeves and pants that gathered around my wrists and ankles. It also had a full skirt layered on top of the pants and above that was a coat with large sleeves and a belt. I guess they value warmth here huh? Well, that makes sense. Feeling around the coat I find pockets. Feeling giddy I grab my butter knife and shove it in there. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Hey System! Can you wake me up when Ismund does with an alarm?¡±
[Affirmative]
¡°It is a game changer using the System!¡± I state to myself.
[Affirmative]
¡°You weren¡¯t supposed to answer that,¡± I complain.
[Affirmative]
Getting irritated, I ask, ¡°Can you stop please?¡±
[Affirmative]
Maybe this is why Ismund is so grumpy. ***
[BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!] [User Drifa is awake.]
Not a pleasant alarm. Sitting up from my bed I stretch my arms and yawn. Getting my stuff on for the day, I quickly brush my hair and re-adjust my bandana, deciding that it¡¯s probably best If I can hear Ismund, otherwise that would be somewhat problematic. As soon as I¡¯m all the way ready I head on over to my door and stand there. I¡¯m ready this time, which means I¡¯ll be able to eat something other than the same jerky I¡¯ve eaten since I¡¯ve gotten here. I¡¯m surprised I haven¡¯t gotten protein poisoning yet. I bet he thinks he¡¯ll be able to have a nice meal all to himself and that I¡¯ll struggle to get out of bed again. Not today! He¡¯s going to have to pay for some actual food. A smug, self-satisfied grin, works itself onto my face as I stand behind the door. Just a little bit longer. After standing for what feels like forever, I eventually feel some vibrations on the floor. Man, it¡¯s weird not being able to hear much of anything. I should be able to hear the knock on the door because it¡¯s from Ismund. Wait, I didn¡¯t hear the footfalls, so that means it¡¯s not him. I guess it¡¯ll be helpful in some ways, even if they¡¯re not exactly obvious. Thump, Thump, Thump. Aha! That one is Ismund. Knock! Knock! Reaching for the door handle I open it, and look at him with my still-smug expression. ¡°I¡¯m ready this time,¡± I tell him happily. Ismund just continues on his way downstairs ignoring me. Upon reaching downstairs I quickly look up at the menu and decide to get a salad before I¡¯m shoved into the same protein diet again. Seeing as Ismund is already at the counter, and ordering I walk up behind him. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t want the complimentary water, that probably adds some hidden fee.¡± Ismund looks behind him and sees me, giving me a frown. Looking up at the lady taking our orders, who is Brook according to her name tag, I ask, ¡°Could I have a salad, please?¡± Only for Ismund to cut in, ¡°Child size.¡± I frown at him, but only a little. I¡¯m just happy to get something different. As soon as we¡¯re done we head over to some random nook with one chair. Seeing the problem I promptly grab another chair from a different table nearby. After we sit down I continue giving him the same expression. ¡°What?¡± he says, starting to get impatient with me. Not a morning person or not a people person? Meh. ¡°I¡¯m up in time for food this time.¡± At that, I finally let go of the expression and the pain I was starting to feel from it. After weighing the idea for a second I decide it¡¯s worth asking. ¡°Could we get some sort of dried fruit so we don¡¯t get scurvy?¡±After he starts to squint at me I hastily add, ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be expensive or anything. Just enough that we don¡¯t have our teeth fall out and die.'''' He seems to start running some numbers through his head and hesitantly nods. ¡°Fruit is expensive but money does need to be used sometimes.¡± he says thoughtfully and then adds, ¡°You probably think I¡¯m stingy, but right now it¡¯s not like I have any source of income. And I still won¡¯t until we fight some monsters and harvest materials off of them. Which I guess has to be the pelt, teeth, claws and the like.¡± Ismund comments finishing with a frown. After a few seconds, I think of another thing, feeling like I¡¯m on a roll. ¡°So you know how we got that contract? It says that it repulses the corrupted energy, right? So does that mean we can make the monster meat edible and save money?¡± Ismund doesn¡¯t seem convinced, but he pulls out the rabbit leg anyway. Setting it on the counter I can practically feel the nastiness emanating off of it, and it. That would make sense, at least according to the description of pure magic. After staring at the meat for a long time it just smells bad without any change other than it wasn¡¯t in whatever spot Ismund seems to put it. Looking like he came to the same conclusion Ismund puts it away. Does he have an inventory? Can¡¯t believe I only just thought of that. Lucky! After some awkward silence, Brook walks over. I can tell she¡¯s saying something, and rather loudly too, the table even vibrates from it. After she talked for a bit and there was a nice coating of spittle on the counter she delicately placed the food on the counter and tried to whisper something to me. Not being able to hear anything, I just stare at her dumbly. As soon as the woman leaves I take a look down at my food to what looks to be a grape tomato with a single spinach leaf on it. Frowning, I poke it with my fork unhappily. Deciding it¡¯s best to just eat it and not seem ungrateful I decide to eat it, which only takes one bite. Meanwhile, I look across the table to find Ismund with a giant omelet. ¡°What was she saying?¡± I inquire. A look of confusion passes over his face, only for it to resolve itself again, ¡°Nothing important.¡± He practically mumbles to himself. ¡°Should I switch who I hear back and forth when there¡¯s a conversation?¡± I say intrigued by the prospect, only to be let down a moment later. ¡°No, it can only be switched once every 12 hours.¡± Once he finishes his food he quirks his brow as if he remembered something. ¡°What''s your path?¡± ¡°Oh, right. It¡¯s called [Snows Whisper]. I get to do snow magic with pure energy. Which also includes a healing element.¡± ¡°Interesting, practice with it. Talk quieter next time, we don¡¯t want the whole building to know. Not that anybody heard this time.¡± Pursing my lips I look down red-faced, embarrassed at something so obvious. Should¡¯ve thought of that. Be secretive. I guess they all use corrupted energy from what I¡¯ve gathered out of the System. They wouldn¡¯t like the opposite of that. Lowering my voice to a whisper this time I add, ¡°I also have the title [Help], which means I¡¯m better at doing anything that could be helpful to you.¡± I even have a title called Help. This ought to convince him I¡¯m a worthwhile investment. Instead of being happy like I expected, he scrunches up his face and looks away in distaste. ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡± Holding my sweater, I ask him if I can put it into his pack. He takes off his pack, pops open the top and carelessly shoves it in. Resuming his walk towards the fruit stand he looks at the available options. There were lots of dried-up raspberries, blueberries, and mushrooms at the stall. Blueberries were the cheapest, so they drew his eye. ¡°I¡¯ll take some blueberries.¡± The young man behind the stall with a shaggy mop of black hair obliges and gets a small basket full. ¡°Would you like this basket with it? It¡¯s very well woven and you won¡¯t get another like it.¡± Declining the offer, he pulls out his money bag and spends the rest of our money on the berries. Looking back at his face he seems pained and winces at the last coin that hits the counter. I¡¯m suddenly less annoyed at his frugalness. I sure hope the monster pelts are worth some. Wait, that means we''re going to be fighting some, doesn¡¯t it? Becoming nervous with the thought, I start fiddling with my sleeves and stare holes into the back of his head waiting for an opportunity to ask about that. Once we leave the town I quickly find the advantages of [Snow Affinity]. Once we go past the guards Ismund pulls out a map of where the dungeons were located. But oddly enough they¡¯re just labeled ¡®gateways¡¯. Weird. Knowing this was a good opening I ask, ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°Frozen Dungeon.¡± He responds, surprising me. While I snicker at the name he adds, ¡°Adventurers aren¡¯t always the most creative.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s in it?¡± ¡°Probably some rabbits.¡± I squint up at him confused. ¡°Rabbits attacked the village and considering the name of their attack, [Frost Bite], it sounds like they come from that dungeon.¡± ¡°Wait, does that mean the monsters can escape from the dungeons?¡± I say bewildered. ¡°No, but creatures that are similar to a monster might mutate from the energy leaking outside of it.¡± He says, spitting out a toothpick. ¡°Then why aren''t there mutations happening all the time?¡± ¡°They are, just not with any of the dungeons that are more alien.¡± ¡°Are you saying that all of those rabbits, I mean monsters, were mutated all around the same time?¡± ¡°Ever hear the saying ¡®multiplying like rabbits¡¯?¡± First Dungeon Dive DRIFA After walking for a bit over two days I can see something on the horizon other than more snow. Maybe it¡¯s the dungeon! Wait, what do those even look like? And that means monsters right? I don¡¯t think I want to deal with monsters. ¡°What do Dungeons look like?¡± ¡°Anything with an entrance.¡± ¡°But like, could you give me anything more than that? Beca-¡± ¡°No.¡± Ismund says, cutting me off. After a few minutes the blur resolves itself into an image, that being an igloo. I squint at it and look back and forth between Ismund and the Igloo, but he doesn¡¯t seem surprised at all. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s a dungeon?¡± He just keeps walking towards it without saying anything. I guess that¡¯s a yes? Hoping for the best, I just keep following him. Maybe it¡¯s like a tiny hotel on the way over to a dungeon? Stuck without any other ideas I just shrug. Once we arrive at the Igloo Ismund crawls inside without a word, and I follow shortly after. Shuffling down underneath the entrance I hold onto my sleeves to avoid getting snow on my hands as much as possible. Wait. Why would I even care about getting snow on myself? I¡¯ve got [Snow Affinity] or whatever it was right? Smiling and shaking my head, I release my grip on my sleeves and just crawl forward. That is actually quite nice. Very convenient. No more buying overpriced mitts! Smiling to myself I continue crawling forward. After just a few seconds the tunnel goes upwards so that we are now inside what I previously thought was a tiny igloo. As I look around I see a massive hallway stretching in front of us filled with little frozen bushes. The area was lit, but it didn¡¯t seem to have a light source. Odd. Before I walk very far Ismund stops me. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the smart idea to walk straight into a dungeon unprepared.¡± ¡°Well it can¡¯t be too bad right? Is fighting optional?¡± Turning towards me Ismund just looks me straight in the eye, ¡°There are monsters. We will fight them. I will leave you behind if you can¡¯t keep up..¡± Looking down I start wringing my clammy hands, biting my lip nervously. System, am I able to leave the dungeon?
[Negative. Users Ismund and Drifa will remain in the dungeon until they or the monsters are dead.]
Panic starts to seize me. Can you tell me a bit about dungeons so I¡¯m not running into it blind then!?
[There is the safe zone in the entrance (which is the size of all dungeon runners'' wingspans added together), hallways, fighting rooms, trial rooms, traps, and a boss room.]
Are they like tripwire kind of traps?
[Unconfirmed. Traps have a condition that must be met (trigger) and an effect that is usually harmful to the user that triggers them.]
Gathering myself I look back towards Ismund with wide eyes. ¡°H-have you been in a dungeon before Ismund?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Of course he didn¡¯t. At least he¡¯s had some training or something judging by how he handled those rabbits at the gate. Trying to find some solace in my butter knife I grip it tightly. I hadn¡¯t really thought of what it meant to fight monsters did I? ¡°WhatdoIdo?WhatdoIdo?WhatdoIdo?¡± I mumble quickly under my breath, mind going blank. Eye twitching around frantically, I catch Ismund creeping into the dungeon nonchalantly. Ismund¡¯s going and I¡¯ll either have to follow him or stay here. It¡¯d be good to stay in the safe zone right? But, I don¡¯t have any food or anything. He¡¯s carrying it all. I¡¯d just starve here. If I follow him then I¡¯ll at least have a chance at living. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Clutching my knife close to my chest I run up behind him and stick close. As soon As I go past the start area I notice that all of the moisture on me seems to freeze making it extremely dry. Everything feels stiffing. As I follow closely behind him, Ismund suddenly stops making me bump into him. ¡°Stop walking so closely,¡± He hisses, ¡°It¡¯ll make it harder to react to something happening. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to be attacked by monsters in a hallway unless some special condition is met.¡± Speeding up, he continues walking forward. Breathing out a thick mist of steam quickly I nod, forgetting that he can¡¯t see me. Hunching in on myself I lurch back into motion with spiraling thoughts. The monsters can¡¯t be too bad right? But I couldn¡¯t even kill one earlier, never mind avoid getting bitten. The fight rooms are going to be full of them and I won¡¯t be able to do anything. I¡¯ll probably just get chased and mauled. I follow Ismund silently, letting tears drip down my face where they just immediately freeze to me. After walking for a few more painstaking minutes Ismund announces, ¡°I think we¡¯re at the fight room.¡± Clenching and unclenching my jaw with nerves I follow up behind him and nod. ¡°Wha-what should I do.¡± I ask him quietly, feeling a lump in my throat. ¡°Just don¡¯t get chased pathetically by rabbits like last time and don¡¯t get in my way.¡± Before I can muster up a response he just rushes forward through the doorway with his sword materializing. I try to step forward but just freeze. I can¡¯t do it, it¡¯s useless for me to try anyways, it¡¯s not like I can do anything. I need to and should go in but I just can¡¯t, can''t, can''t. Nerves getting a firm hold on me I sit down hugging my knees sobbing, with overwhelming stress. * * * ISMUND Charging into the room with steamy breath trailing me, I take a look around the area. It¡¯s flat with nothing in sight except for some woods in the distance, a bonfire and the icy ground. , Is this a frozen lake? Before I can think much longer I see a crazed rabbit with spiky crystallized hair and skates rush up towards me. Once it¡¯s about six feet away a large mass of ice deforms into a jump. Taking advantage of it the salivating rabbit launches itself into the air straight towards my head. Quick reaction time saving me, I crush its head with a single of my swords pommel. Crack! Falling on the frozen ground uselessly, its broken neck twists unnaturally. ¡°Huh. Anyways.¡±, I state, raising my eyebrows. Figuring that this was going to be more based on dexterity than strength I split my sword again. I wonder where mum got this from. Whatever the answer is, it¡¯s incredible. Looking around for more enemies I¡¯m just greeted by the barren landscape and bonfire. Weird. After a while, just as I¡¯m about to go looking more actively, The ground drops out from under me. As soon as I¡¯m past the opening all the way the light from above disappears and I feel a sudden shift. Teleportation, I¡¯ve heard that dungeons like to use that. Half a second later I find myself in a room filled to the brim with crazy, wild-eyed rabbits. Turning around to take stock of the situation I can see that I¡¯m surrounded and that there¡¯s even more rabbits on stone ledges above. One who¡¯s frothing at the mouth tries to leap and land directly on my head. Dodging backwards, I bring one of my swords through its body, slicing it in half. The other little beasts seem to have had the shock of a random guy teleporting here wear off and charge. ¡°ScReEEe!!!¡± Punch worked earlier and there isn¡¯t too much room here for my swords. I¡¯ll just bare hand it. Swords flashing back into my box, I bring my fists up and hit the other beasts out of the air, elbowing one leaping up from behind me. The rabbits pace only seems to pick up, really making me push myself for the first time in a while. The monsters just seem to keep on coming. No end in sight. Another one pops up, and I quickly grab its ears and slam it into the ground. Thwack! At some point I find that it¡¯s effective to just throw them, seeing how fragile they are. Another scampers over to my legs to attack me, I stomp on it lickity-split. Moving onto the next creature I repeat. Notice, kill, next. Until there¡¯s nothing left except for me, scratches, bruises, and corpses. As soon as I relax I¡¯m teleported back into the entrance of the fight room. Looking around, I spot the same bonfire as before in the same spot. The only difference was that the ramp was gone. Curious. Walking up to the same spot I was before, I see a slobbering rabbit that looks identical to the last one. Without so much as a pause, I punch it out of the air with a backhanded fist sending it sprawling. Once again, nothing comes. That¡¯s Odd, again no more monsters to be found afterwards. Maybe they¡¯re hiding? Using my enhanced sight from the bandana, I peer into the woods and see a small amount of plants. And¡­ Is that another rabbit? Surging forward towards the tree line I think back to traps in dungeons. System, what¡¯s the trap of this dungeon?
[Query under normal circumstances would not be answered. However, the trap has already been sprung once and User Ismund has [Systems Favor]. Are you sure you would like to have this question answered? You may only be given the answer to the trigger of the trap or the side effects. However both may not be answered in the same dungeon.]
I already know the effect! Tell me the trigger.
[Trigger is not attacking a monster for more two minuets in a designated fight room.]
My eyes widen from the news. So I have to get all the way over to the forest within two minutes? Gosh.
[Trap has been sprung]
Give me a twenty second warning before it activates.
[Affirmative.] [Warning 20 seconds remaining until trap activation.]
Bracing myself, I fall again. But this time I¡¯m ready. Quickly locking onto the first foaming rabbit I give it an uppercut sending it into the wall it came from. Once again, I take out a few in the front. Preparing for the one that came up behind me last time I swing my elbow a bit to early, only hitting the rabbit enough to make it go off course Dang it! I continue smashing rabbits, all in the same place as last time, keeping an eye out for the outlier. Eventually it seems to work itself back into the crowd and unexpectedly leaps onto my shoulder biting down hard. Grunting, I slam it into a nearby wall. Its teeth just got pushed in more from that, even if it''s dead. Grabbing Its head I rip it out, leaving what feels like a waterfall of blood coming out. After that, I only use my left arm when necessary. Which, of course, leaves me more open to attack on that side. Trying to fix the predicament, I get closer to a wall so the beasts have a harder time getting me there. Because of my limp arm I end up accumulating more injuries than I would¡¯ve preferred, not that I¡¯d want any at all. Once again all the monsters are dead and I¡¯m sent up to the surface again. I¡¯ve got to make sure I kill all of the monsters up here this time, I don¡¯t think I have the energy for another one of those traps. Watching for that first troublesome rabbit I grab it out of the air by its ears with my good arm. As soon as I¡¯ve done that I immediately run towards the tree line awkwardly holding my left arm by my side.
[20 seconds remaining.]
Also tell me when the timer restarts.
[Affirmative.]
There¡¯s still a while to go. Stopping my sprint I pin the rabbit to the ground with my boot and cut it lightly with my knife.
[Timer reset.]
Great. Putting the knife away again I grab the beast again and continue my sprint. After a bit the tree line comes in reach
[20 seconds remaining.]
This time I just snap its neck and seek more in the trees and shrubs. I quickly spot a different rabbit and kill it on sight, along with another and yet another until I¡¯ve killed a total of 9 of them. There has to be one more. Wouldn¡¯t it be a round number? Out of the corner of my eye I spot the last one trying to escape the bush and skate away. Aha! Building traction I run after it.
[20 seconds remaining.]
Thing is the rabbit is just a bit faster.
[10 seconds remaining.]
Pulling out my knife I throw it at the beast.
[5 seconds remaining.]
Squelch!
[Timer reset.]
I miss its head and don¡¯t instantly kill it, but it reset the timer and that¡¯s all that matters. I take the knife out of it and kill it properly.
[All entities defeated. Fight Room cleared. The Monsters were easy but user Ismund did have to fight a lot of them.] [Tier Body:D+ (385/500)->(390/500) Mind:D ( 250/500)->(251/500) Soul:D (290/500)]
I need to push harder if I¡¯m going to beat The Five. Pulling out some of my bandages, I wrap it around my arm to staunch the major bleeding. As soon As I¡¯m done I sit down breathless, injured, yet victorious. Aftermath DRIFA
[Fight Room cleared.]
Flinching I look up. A while ago my eyes had dried up and I didn¡¯t have anything left to do. Before I look around for him I try to at least make myself a little more dignified. I swear these must be icicles at this point. Grabbing the frozen tears on my face I try to pull it off but it¡¯s stuck. I don¡¯t want to tear my eyelids out¡­ Not seeing any other option I slowly pull it off of my skin. Ow! They both come off eventually while I strain to not let any other tears fall from pain this time. ¡°Exfoliating is good for you, right? I hope the skin isn¡¯t too red.¡± I try to cheer myself up, and then look up to where Ismund is again. I wish I could¡¯ve done something to help. He looks so tired. , I don¡¯t think I could¡¯ve done anything useful. and I suppose I didn¡¯t get chased or get in the way. So that¡¯s something. Looking around I realize there aren¡¯t any more monsters, and slowly walk over to Ismund. As I get closer I can see he¡¯s messed up. Fresh cuts, bruises, and blood everywhere. Involuntarily lifting a hand to my mouth I gag a bit at the sight of him, as well as the creature next to him. That¡¯s horrible. And that thing must¡¯ve had the highest blood pressure known to man, That¡¯s quite the spray. Eyes trailing away from the stab wound I can see its face which already seems to be decaying. It had large eyes black as coal. The weirdest thing was its teeth. They seemed to be fused into one point that looked closer to the ice at the tip. Ah, right, ¡®frostbite¡¯. At a certain point, I stop walking forward. I¡¯m just giving him room. Heh, yep. Not from feeling awkward from sitting behind crying and not doing anything or something. I¡¯m not feeling awkward. Pfft. Looking away guiltily I purse my lips. I did nothing to help, cried, and still don¡¯t know how to help and I have the title [Help]. Holding the sides of my face with my hands I feel like I¡¯m dying a bit on the inside. I turn back towards Ismund out of the side of my eyes with a thin frown on my face and then look away hoping he didn¡¯t notice. After doing this a few times I just feel like I¡¯m shaking my head no and stop myself. Wait no, I don¡¯t know what to do here. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. I just shake my head to myself while rubbing my fingertips together nervously. Well, it¡¯s not like he¡¯s going to do anything to me (I think) and it¡¯s just gonna be a stalemate until one of us speaks up. Little steps, right? Making up my mind I decide to walk up towards him again and hope he didn¡¯t notice the pause from earlier. Please, please, please! ¡°Why¡¯d you stop?¡± Darn. ¡°Well uhm I uh¡­ I was umm,¡± shrinking back on myself I answer quietly, ¡°I was scared, okay?¡±Ismund just keeps looking me in the eye for further response. If that¡¯s what he wants that¡¯s what he¡¯ll get! Deciding to just speak my mind I scrunch up my face and let it pour out, ¡°It¡¯s not like I decided to go in this dungeon. It¡¯s your fault I¡¯m here. Why do you expect me to do anything else? I have a butter knife and cold tolerance, and what does that get me in a dungeon full of killer rabbits? Me being in here is contributing don¡¯t you think? Bah! You should thank me for even coming in!¡± I finish gesticulating wildly. I never really cared much for what¡¯s been happening but now that I¡¯m here, where I could die, I have to take it more seriously. Frowning deeply he pauses for a bit, probably to collect his thoughts. Seemingly done he clenches his jaw and looks over his shoulder just enough to look me dead in the eye, which I sheepishly avoid while scowling. ¡°You said you¡¯re scared and it seems like you¡¯re blaming me for your situation-¡± ¡°Of course I blame you! Aren¡¯t you the one who sent me over here with that System? Aren¡¯t you the one who brought me into the dungeon with no prior information or training?¡± Huffing I cross my arms. Wincing in pain, Ismund moves to look toward me a bit more despite his numerous injuries. After taking a breath he kept his composure, to my disappointment. Can¡¯t get much of anything out of that guy unless you destroy his whole village and make him think he¡¯s alone. He should at least feel guilty. ¡°No. You decided to go with me, I gave you food, shelter, and clothes and kept you away from the monsters that are our current society and the actual beasts. You could¡¯ve left if you wanted to. You didn¡¯t.¡± Trying to come up with an answer I voice, ¡°Well, I um. I don¡¯t want to be here at all. The dungeon.¡± ¡°What is the alternative?¡± Throwing up my hands I respond¡°I don¡¯t know! I just wish I didn¡¯t have to do all of this. But I don¡¯t want to join the people who are siding with the invaders.¡± Slumping in on myself I try not to be emotional and make more eye-cicles. ¡°You have to choose one or the other, there¡¯s no in-between.¡± He states rather hardly. ¡°I want to fight them,¡­ but,¡± sniffing I recollect myself, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can do anything other than die in here. I don¡¯t want to side with monsters but I don¡¯t want to die either!¡± ¡°First of all, you won¡¯t die because I want to finish this thing with some decent progress and your dying would set that back, so suck it up. Second of all, if you want to fight back against anything you have to work for it and work hard. It necessitates development in character. If you¡¯re so afraid then be afraid of the repercussions from a lack of courage.¡± I give him a quizzical squint. Sighing, closing his eyes in exasperation, he elaborates, ¡°If you have courage you can kill the monster, without courage you run away. If you run away from the rabbit, ahem, monster, then you will eventually die. So you could have ¡®courage¡¯ by being afraid of dying since that¡¯s your only other option.¡± Turning back to where he was, Ismund eats some jerky and waves me away. Taking the cue I decide to walk into the tiny forest and sit down and sigh. Time to figure out that conversation. ¡°Whoopy,¡± I mumble to myself. Well, I mean Ismund isn¡¯t the most pleasant conversationalist, no matter what it¡¯s about. Thinking back on it, I guess I might be wrong but just a tad. I mean I did decide to follow him, but he still made me go skip ahead in time when I shouldn¡¯t, right System?
[Ismund was given multiple reward choices, one option was help. System chose you as the best candidate, System is beginning to think that was a mistake according to data.]
My face falls, and my eyes widen. What now? Like I mean I guess he chose help, but the System selected me. It¡¯s not really like he knew what he was getting into. Why me? Couldn¡¯t it be some object or other person who¡¯s more competent?
[Negative. Ismund posses¡¯ all of the blessed artifacts that are not corrupted in this time period. User Drifa would not impact the timeline from what would¡¯ve been her imminent death as soon as the world was integrated into the System.]
How would I have died!? [User Drifa is not privy to that information. Access denied.] Harrumphing and crossing my arms I move on. So I guess it wasn¡¯t all his fault or something. But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s mine either since I didn¡¯t join the monsters and stuff. I guess you have to work harder when you make the right decision sometimes right? With that conclusion, I breathe out a misty sigh. You win some you lose some. Deciding to think back on his ¡®you need courage and stuff¡¯ statement I think. I am afraid of dying, but does that mean that I can just become super courageous out of nowhere and dive head-first into battle? Ehhh, no. Pursing my lips I try to come to some sort of helpful conclusion. But yeah, I will die if don¡¯t fight but the reason why I avoid fights in the first place is because I know I¡¯m going to get hit. I¡¯m not going to charge into a battlefield full tilt without any prior training. But it is kind of lame to just watch, even if it makes sense. Wincing I finish the thought. I can try to go on the field, but only if Ismund tells me what to do other than ¡®don¡¯t get in my way or die¡¯ like last time. But if he doesn¡¯t, then I¡¯m not going anywhere. No way. So in conclusion he¡¯s kinda right and kinda wrong. I nod to myself in satisfaction. And feel a bit despairing from my conclusion. Peeking over the shrubs I look over at Ismund who¡¯s done eating and not doing anything else now. I guess I can see if we¡¯re doing anything else. Hopefully, he isn¡¯t mad at me. I frown in thought. Probably not, nothing seemed to get through him and if something was bothering him he probably would¡¯ve said so. Setting Camp ISMUND That must¡¯ve done a number on her, watching that fight. Never thought I¡¯d think of that as troublesome for anybody. Snorting, I lift my fingers and count off her reactions to stress. Good to know that her being scared leads to projection, blaming, and assumptions. I chuckle darkly to myself knowing that the best way to execute my revenge is to have a reliable companion, even if it hurts my pride I would rather have her here where it¡¯s harder for her to damage my status. She may be annoying and foolish, but she¡¯s still human and I¡¯m pretty much stuck with her for who knows how long. Hopefully, that¡¯ll all resolve itself. Letting out a plume of steam from my sigh, I continue thinking. What can I do so she is helpful but also not going to stab me in the back from being emotional again or accidentally kill herself somehow? Scratching my chin in thought, I resolve: She needs to learn to do her magic to keep herself farther from the front lines, she probably wants to do that anyway. Considering that she had a healing aspect and I look like somebody tried to kill me with a death of a thousand cuts she has material to practice on. I wince at the thought of her messing up. You always have to make a sacrifice for things that are worthwhile right? I guess I can also get her at least on the field in a way she¡¯s not in any actual danger and is being ¡®helpful¡¯ in her own eyes. Nodding to myself I holler over to the Ms. emotional mess. ¡°We''re going back into the hallway to camp, the next one ahead that is.¡± * * * DRIFA Hearing Ismund call me over, I internally cringe. I guess I am hungry and he has all the food. Groaning, I get up and slowly walk over to the hallway mentioned, and upon taking a closer look I can see that he¡¯s far closer to the tunnel-esque hallway. I guess he has a head start, he¡¯ll probably need it given the injuries. Should I say sorry? I mean I wasn¡¯t all the way wrong, I don¡¯t want to give him the wrong impression¡­ As I walk over I mull it over it and decide to just leave it and say sorry if it¡¯s brought up. And hopefully it isn¡¯t. Upon arriving in the next hallway I find that it looks just the same as the last one, boring with stunted frozen bushes. Looking around the corner I see Ismund with a tent set up. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. I guess we¡¯ll be here for a while then, huh? As soon as I¡¯m in the hallway completely Ismund pokes his head out of the tent¡¯s door flap. ¡°While I¡¯m recovering you¡¯ll work on practising you¡¯re ¡®magic¡¯. Speed up my recovery if you can, otherwise, this dungeon might outlast our resources.¡± Ismund orders, and then slips back behind the tent flap. Is this Ismund being grumpy, friendly, or just Ismund? Hmm¡­ Moving on I look at the description for my [Pure Magic]. Hopefully, this keeps me away from the front lines.
[User can manipulate Snow and it¡¯s aspects: frost, purity,healing, and wind. Pure energy magic is based directly on Soul tier and understanding. Increase in your understanding of Pure Magic to upgrade or soul tier. User Drifa has been given the ability to vaguely sense different energy sources upon contact.]
After re-reading the notification I look at my Status and find my soul tier slightly above average, that being [C-]. Ah, yeah so really just barely able to do any magic but I guess that makes sense since I don¡¯t know anything about it yet and my soul tier is only like 3 points above [D] tier. Adjusting my position to be more comfortable I snap a cold, brittle, stick off of a branch and try to ¡®vaguely sense different energy sources upon contact.¡¯ I mean like it¡¯s cold I guess. Frowning I ask the System for help.
[Prior to you, no human could preform true or pure magic as it was previously restricted by the System. All tasks relating to this type of magic cannot be assisted by the System in any significant way unless already preformed by the user.]
Isn¡¯t that kinda stupid though? Like, couldn¡¯t you have just allowed everybody who was capable of using this magic access to it and just cleaned all of the energy quickly or something?
[Negative. It was deemed unnecessary to give users of the System that much assistance, by the time the System had decided to start running calculations regarding the concept users had begun rebelling against the System and siding with the invaders. Once this had occurred the System couldn¡¯t risk allowing this magic due to it¡¯s connection with corrupted energy. If a user with this magic converted over to the invaders then they would have a massive head start in the corrupted magic than they would¡¯ve if they didn¡¯t participate in pure magic.]
At that, I just sigh. Well, I guess I might as well figure it out then. Because of the description of contact, I grab a stick off of a bush. I mean like I think it¡¯s cold I guess but I¡¯m not getting anything meaningful from it. Wait. Why would the System even give me the ability to hear things well, it¡¯s not like that¡¯s related to snow I don¡¯t think. HEY SYSTEM, WHY¡¯D YOU DO IT?!
[Some correlations to pure and corrupted energy and sound is indicated by some observations.]
So should you update how I ¡®sense¡¯ the magic or whatever?
[Theory has not been proved.]
Face palming I think: Of course not. Sighing once again, I get to my feet and scoot closer to the tent. ¡°Hey, uhhh, Ismund,¡± I call over trying to get his attention. ¡°Mm?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to switch what I¡¯m hearing, so I won¡¯t hear you.¡± A thumbs-up just pops out of the tent flap. So is that how it¡¯s going to be then huh? Wait one second, isn¡¯t he supposed to be the grumpy one? He¡¯s been almost cheerful since we¡¯ve been down here comparatively. Maybe he¡¯s in his element? He seems to dislike monsters. ¡­ That just means that I need to be cheerful again because I don¡¯t want him to be the cheerful one, we¡¯d have probably fallen on dark days if that was the case. I pause and look around for a second. Oh yeah, we already kind of are I guess. Well, I still want to not be the grumpy one. Nodding in affirmation to myself I mess around with my bandana settings.
[Removed target user Ismund from specialized hearing selection, new target, energy.]
Can I manipulate the energy yet?
[Negative. User must understand the energy and it¡¯s concepts to manipulate.]
Aw, man. Finally beginning the process of sensing and understanding it or whatever I strain my ears. At first, I find nothing, and for the following few minutes, I hear what sounds like the gross noise radios make while going between channels just without the voices. Cringing back I try to block it out and I¡¯m once again met with silence. That was weird.
[System update! User can sense energy sources via sound. It is theorized that user Drifa will be able to sense a concept if it is related to snow.]
Hopefully, it¡¯s more accurate this time. HEY SYSTEM! IS THE ENTIRE DUNGEON FILLED WITH CORRUPT ENERGY?!
[Yelling is not necessary-]
Fine.
[A dungeon is a intermediary point for invaders (filled with corrupt energy) and Earth. The dungeon is naturally fuelled by and made with corrupt energy. the only space in the dungeon which corrupt energy does not reside is the protection domes around user Ismund and Drifa as part of their contract.]
Ah. Focusing on my hearing again I notice a constant hum of energy around me and outside of that sphere I notice the chaotic static noise. Wincing, I try to figure it out. Seems like that¡¯s probably the ¡®corrupt energy¡¯. Sounds horrible. Wincing from the noise, I figure it¡¯s good if I can find an intermediary section of transition between the two energies because I probably can¡¯t just exclusively use the stuff in the dome. If I can figure out how to convert the corrupt energy then I should be able to make some pretty big spells. I smile at the thought. Straining my ears a little too much I feel something warm pool in my ear. Reaching up to it I bring my hand away I find that it¡¯s red. Oh, shoot. Magic? Uhhh, what do I do? Cupping my right ear, the one that¡¯s bleeding, I pinch my brows together and look around for a solution. After a few seconds, my eyes land on the tent. Ah, hmm¡­ guess it¡¯s time to check on my nonverbal skills. Scooting over to the tent I tap the taut tarp to get his attention. After waiting for a few seconds I tap again, and then again, and again, and again. Eventually peeks his head out with an extremely irritated face and says something. Turning my face towards him I squint in confusion trying to figure out what he¡¯s saying. After a few more rounds of him trying to talk to me, I put a hand up to signal ¡®stop¡¯ and carefully remove my hand from my ear and point to it and back to my ear. Ismund just squints his eyes tilts his head for a second and then looks back to my wet crimson hand. After a few seconds, his face relaxes in what seems like recognition and crouches. After brushing his hand across the snow to smooth it Ismund starts writing in it. Smart, should¡¯ve thought of that. Looking down I read, ¡°What happened?¡± Erasing the question I write my own, ¡°Listened to the corrupt energy too much?¡± He just looks up at me with an exaggerated confused expression. Elaborating I write again, ¡°I can hear the different frequencies. I think I accidentally burst my right ear or something.¡± Frowning, Ismund pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. ¡°Anything in your status for healing?¡± Didn¡¯t think of that. Reviewing my status I find [Avid Reader].
[Avid Reader: Increased recovery rate while reading, especially in a comfortable environment.]
Closing my status I copy it in the snow and ask if it¡¯d be helpful to Ismund If I recovered quicker. Ismund nods his headprints, ¡°Then read something on the System.¡± and goes back into his tent. Read something on the System? What¡¯s even on there other than my stats?
[You can write down notes and read your own status]
What would make me heal quicker?
[It is recommended that user Drifa reads her status repeatedly.]
So basically memories it?
[Affirmative.]
Pursing my lips I go towards the wall to lean against it. This¡¯ll be boring. How long till I¡¯m healed all the way? If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
[Approximately one week.]
Do we have enough food to last us that long?
[Affirmative. You have enough food to last you about a month.]
Pulling up my status I figure I may as well get to it. * * * One week later¡­ Continuing to look bleary-eyed at my status for what has felt like forever I hear a sudden pop! noise.
[User Drifa is now completely healed from ailment: Burst Eardrum. Other ignored notifications have been collapsed for efficiency.] [User Drifa has been afflicted with: Minor Headache] [User Drifa has had the affliction Minor headache advance into Mild Headache] [Mild Headache has advanced to Semi Severe Headache] [Semi Severe Headache unable to advance into Mildly Severe Headache x 32]
A tired smile finds itself on my face as I let myself fall into the snow and close my status along with my eyes. That was even worse than cramming for exams and it was somehow also more boring. I take a few moments and just enjoy the quiet of a mind that doesn¡¯t have to read. I hadn¡¯t taken any breaks, including sleep, and the ground looked very inviting, especially if I could sleep off the headache. Taking up its invitation, I fall asleep on the floor. * * * Waking up groggily I unhappily find that I drooled in my sleep and now have a frozen puddle of it stuck to my face. Gosh, this hyper-cold air is getting annoying. I guess was tired. Since the ice isn¡¯t attached to my eyelid this time I feel like it¡¯d be okay to rip it off and be done with it. ¡°Gah!¡± After I get what I hope is all of the drool off of me I ask the System a question. Why¡¯d the corrupt magic burst my ear when it wasn¡¯t that loud to begin with? Wait, scratch that, I¡¯m just gonna call it CM and PM to make it quicker.
[Updating to user¡¯s preferences¡­] [Update Complete!] [In answer to user¡¯s query, the destruction of your tympanic membrane-]
My What?
[-The rupture of your eardrum was caused exposure to the destructive properties in CM, not how loud it was.]
So how do I not rupture my eardrum again?
[It is theorized that you should not listen to it without intent. The lack of intent is similar to the chaos that makes the sound of CM undesirable, which creates a connection point for it to attack you.]
Does that mean that intent is pure magic, erm, PM then?
[Unconfirmed.]
Huh. Shaking myself back into focus I sit cross-legged and put my hands on my knees and scrunch up my face. Okay! This time I¡¯m gonna have some intent that¡¯ll be¡­ I stare off into space for a bit, and then it comes to me. That I want to understand it, the Pure Magic! Does that have enough intent System?
[Affirmative.]
Nodding to myself I carry on. So I want to figure out something useful. Just understanding the CM won¡¯t help me right now, I need something that I can understand that¡¯ll be helpful¡­ I guess that right now I have no means of actually making the PM. So I guess try to make PM. System how do you get it?
[Pure Magic was first sourced from what was prior-to-now known as ¡®electricity¡¯ before the System integration.-]
Oh right, the flickering TV when I got a notification makes more sense now.
[-was transferred into Pure Magic. The System currently gains pure magic from converting a portion of the residual corrupt magic made from the death of an invader. Dungeons are too powerful to convert from directly without deaths.]
So basically you rely on people killing monsters for Pure Magic, which is why you¡¯re so weak?
[Affirmative.]
So can you tell me how to do it then if you convert it?
[As previously stated, you are the first human to use Pure Magic. Therefore, the System cannot help you.]
That sucks. Wrinkling my nose unhappily, I try to figure it out for myself again. So the System doesn¡¯t know how it works, at least not with humans I guess. That¡¯s dumb. Now where to start? Focusing on my surroundings, (without a stick this time), I find myself drawn back towards the field separating me from the CM. That has to come from somewhere right? Focusing my hearing, with intent, I slowly increase the area I¡¯m focusing on, which doesn¡¯t sound like anything at all, until I reach where the pure energy and corrupt energy interact. They mix as well as oil and water, they don¡¯t. This thing has to be powered by something though right? I doubt it just runs on its own. Using hearing and intent throughout the force field for what feels like hours I get to a point where I¡¯m about to give up until I pick up on something. The center of it around me feels like it¡¯s stiflingly mute, but as it gets closer to the edge it seems to add a second noise that switches back and forth every few seconds. That¡¯s strange. After mulling it over for a bit I ask the System another question. So how can you tell if magic is more powerful?
[The volume of the sound corresponds with the power, the more musical, or ugly is sounds, determines the complexity of the concept fuelling it is.]
Ah, I see. So does that mean that the area I¡¯m hearing more notes in has a more complex concept or more power in a certain way?
[Affirmative, that is the most probable explanation.]
What do you mean? Aren¡¯t You the one running it, the force field thingy? You should understand it.
[Affirmative, the System is running it.]
I think it¡¯s avoiding the second bit. I frown and glare over my shoulder pretending the System is there. Alright, anyway, I guess that means I¡¯m getting somewhere. So the area where the two energies interact is important. Straining my ears, it sounds as if some of the sound from the corrupt side drifts over into the pure side and then somehow dissipates and drags in more corrupt energy. That doesn¡¯t make any sense. Squinting my eyes, even though that doesn¡¯t do anything, and looking where I¡¯m hearing the difference I stare at it stumped. I guess I could ask Ismund for help, even though he probably won¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about. At the very least I¡¯ll be able to say I know more about something than he does in something. Nodding to myself, I stretch and head over. Helps Help ISMUND A few days ago¡­I guess it¡¯s a good time to open those notifications. Hopefully gains?
[Simplified Status.] Name: Ismund Theodore (Mr. Toothpick, Hidden) Age:20 Sex: Male Race: Human Path:Winter¡¯s Blade (C: Upgradable) Tier Body:D+ (385/500) -> (400/500) Mind:D (250/500) Soul:D (290/500) -> (295/500) Achievements -Frozen -Trained -Martial-artist -Born of the Cold -Woodsman Noteworthy traits and Skills Upgradable:[Swordsmanship: D+] Nonupgradable:[Human Compass], [Iron Fists], [Ice bleached!][Ice affiliation], [Time Numb] Titles - System Favor - North Blood - Mr. Toothpick Contracts - System Safety Protocol]
Looking at the upgrades, the soul one especially, I allow myself a bright smile. The soul stat is one of the most difficult to upgrade, mind being second. Looking around trying to find something to occupy my time, my attention lands on the bushes lining the hall. Dragging myself up, I make my way towards them. Remove the base of the plant from the ground, place it in the tent, find another, and repeat. After doing this for a while I find myself sitting with a large pile of shrubbery. More toothpicks are always welcome. Using my spare knife I carve some perfect-looking toothpicks out of the bushes tirelessly for hours on end. You know, I used to find this part a bit boring, but the further I¡¯m looking into I think this could be kind of therapeutic. I almost give into a small grin until a new notification interrupts me causing me great annoyance.
[I didn¡¯t think you could do it, but here we are! You somehow managed to make even the process of making the toothpicks something useful! Because of this you¡¯ve been given an extra little treat from enjoying the boring.] [Mr.Toothpick -> Mr. Toothpicks] Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. [Would you like a description of it¡¯s new effects?]
Letting out a sigh, I concede.
[Wow, look at you destroying toothpicks like nobodies business! Gain stress relief when chewing or creating toothpicks, as well as charisma. You can make toothpicks with ease and add any flavour you want to them. While creating toothpicks you have a chance of a toothpick cloning itself upon separation with the wood.]
¡°Hmm, okay. I guess that¡¯s¡­ something.¡±Carrying on with making more and more toothpicks, I notice the cloning bit happening every once and a while. I wonder where the extra wood comes from. Deciding to not linger on the thought, I fill up my free time with toothpicks, occasionally pausing to grab another bush or make the pile of toothpicks that¡¯s accumulating disappear into my box. Thwub, Thwub, Thwub. Again I hear some ¡®knocking¡¯ on the tent and pause my carving.¡°What is it?¡± Guessing that she¡¯s probably ¡®deaf¡¯ again, I peer out of the tent exasperatedly, careful not to re-open any wounds. Looking up unenthused, I find Drifa writing in the snow already. Oh boy. Let¡¯s hope she didn¡¯t break something again. Manoeuvring myself over so that I can see it, it reads. ¡°I¡¯m stuck.¡± Wiping what she wrote away, I draw back, ¡°With?¡± ¡°How the PM get-¡± Holding up a finger I stop her before she can scribble anything more. ¡°PM?¡±Letting out a sigh she writes back, ¡°Pure Magic.¡± Nodding, I motion for her to carry on.¡°How does the PM get its energy? Or I guess how it converts CP (Corrupt Magic) to PM?¡±I don¡¯t know a whole lot about how it works. Hey System, can you give me a summary?
[Affirmative. User Drifa is currently able to hear Corrupt and Pure Magic. She currently has the theory that the louder the sound is the more powerful the energy behind it is. It has been confirmed that listening to Corrupt Magic without intent causes a link. This link is what lead to her ruptured eardrum. She has noticed a point where the two energies converge is confused.]
Mulling it over in my head, I try to think of something. I guess she has the magic to do with water. It¡¯s just frozen. Maybe the water cycle? She¡¯ll figure it out, it isn¡¯t necessarily my problem right now. ¡°You can¡¯t always get people to figure out your issues for you, especially since this is your field of ¡®expertise¡¯, but I¡¯ll give it a bit of help. The System gave me a summary of the situation. Maybe try approaching it like the water cycle?¡± Heaving myself to my feet, I re-enter my tent, figuring that¡¯s my contribution for the day. * * * DRIFA While Ismund walks away without a second glance I try to think over what he¡¯s given me. Also, why hasn¡¯t the System given me a summary?
[Is user Drifa want requesting one?]
Yes, of course!
[Affirmative. Summary data base has been implemented.]
After skimming the summary I move on. I hope that¡¯s helpful. Should be. Sitting down comfortably, I reorganize my thoughts again. So I guess try to connect it to the water cycle? I mean what happens there? Water on the ground or in a lake or something has the sun heat it and evaporate the water, it turns into a cloud and then rains. I¡¯m not so sure how accurate Ismund is on this one, I May as well go back to basics. The aspects I have are frost, purity, healing, and wind. Well, actually on second thought, that might connect to what Ismund was saying. Leaning forward I try sketching the idea into an image in front of me. I guess the Corrupt Magic could be dirty water. And when the sun beats down it gets purified into good clean water. Purity is an aspect of mine I suppose. The water doesn¡¯t get dirty when it evaporates¡­ I¡¯m not getting anywhere. Well I mean the water itself in the filth isn¡¯t bad it''s the dirt and rotten stuff, right? So maybe the water is the energy, and the filth is how it sounds horrible? Maybe the sun also represents pure energy? ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hearing in my head what sounds like trumpets of celebration I see a golden fancy-looking notification.
{Drifa¡¯s Magic Theory has been created!}
My what, what now?
[User Drifa has advanced in Pure Magic from understanding. Since she is the founder of this magic, magic theory on pure magic will be titled ¡°Drifa¡¯s Magic Theory¡± until further notice. This will be under ¡®Achievements¡¯, and user Drifa can access it any time by looking at her summary page.]
Squinting my eyes in befuddlement, I open up the achievement.
[Yahoo! You¡¯ve created you¡¯re own theory in magic theory that others will probably learn in the future if you¡¯ve failed to eliminate all of the invaders. Due to your new understanding it¡¯s theorized that you can now manipulate the energy.]
Reinvigorated from the confirmation of my line of thought, I decide against retiring for the eveni-¡­, well whatever time it is. Reaching out with my will I attempt to drag a snippet of the pure energy surrounding me.
[Warning, taking energy from protective field will weaken it.]
I chuckle nervously to myself. Better be careful, can¡¯t have myself getting hurt. I think the contract said something about being especially weak to it or something. Figuring it¡¯ll be easier to manipulate the energy from other books I had read with magic in it, I hold my hand out. Reaching out with my will, I capture the smallest piece of energy outside of the field possible along with a small amount from inside of the protective field.
[Warning, shield weakened.]
Grimacing at the message I forage on. Using the pure energy, I wrap it around the corrupt energy. Nothings happening. Wait, no. It¡¯s just taking a while. Drudging on at a painfully slow pace the chaotic speck slowly mellows into a dull thrum and eventually goes completely silent. Unexpectedly, as it disappears from where I was formerly able to hear it, it turns itself into a bright something that looks like a tiny spark, above my palm. What do I do now? After losing my attention for a fraction of a second, that spark dissipates and is eaten up by the pure energy around me.
[Field fully restored.]
You know thinking back on it, the System¡¯s energy had a different feel to it than that spark did. The spark seemed much more malleable, the system''s energy just felt like pushing rocks around. It¡¯s clunkier. Adjusting my position I focus on the difference in the System¡¯s energy surrounding me compared to that speck. My magic is based on advancing understanding partially, the other bit is soul tier¡­ does the understanding connect to snow aspects? Wait, Aspects. The thought sends a seed of an idea in my mind, ready to sprout into a revelation. There¡¯s intent and purpose with this right? Not just energy? I¡¯m confined to snow¡¯s aspects. Corrupt energy is probably the same way. Like how different containers can give water different shapes. So the spark is like rain until I give it a container. Smiling in success, I try to use what I¡¯ve figured out into some tangible progress. Progress Deciding that it¡¯s best to start with manipulating actual snow with the snow magic first, I start to create another spark. After developing a headache from trying to keep the System¡¯s energy around a speck of the corrupted stuff for what feels like hours, I find myself with the tiniest spark imaginable. Finally! Phew, that took a while. Now what to do, what to do? After tapping my chin contemplatively I decide to try an idea. Taking the energy I have I try to force it into the snowflake. I think it¡¯ll work. Maybe I can use it as a way to hold onto the snow and move it around. Poof! Unfortunately, the snowflake explodes into a bunch of tiny pieces, falling to the ground miserably. ¡°Darn.¡±Deciding that it¡¯s fine to have a short break, I switch the bandana hearing target to Ismund. * * * ISMUND As I¡¯m carving I find myself interrupted, this time by an actual voice. ¡°How long do you think we¡¯ll be in here for? Like this tunnel thingumabob?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to take some time. Get back to you¡¯re studying or whatever you want to call it.¡± Despite what I¡¯ve said she still lingers around the tent. Good grief woman. I don¡¯t care that it¡¯s boring, or whatever else you¡¯re going to call it. You need to be productive, not entertained. Letting out a breath of annoyance, I ignore her. I¡¯ve been procrastinating myself. I should clean and sow up some of the other injuries I¡¯ve been ignoring. Beginning the process, I take a chunk of bandage and take a painstakingly long time to remove some of the individual strands. I know that you heal quicker in a dungeon from the magical concentration, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s quite fast enough. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have to do this. Taking the rough-looking needle I had on my person, I carefully tried to thread it with the string I had. Dang it. As I try to maneuver the string into the needle it starts to fray a bit, making it too large to fit through the eye. Taking the rough bits I remember from what mum did¡­ I heave out a sigh at the thought of her but forage on in the sewing process. Getting the string wet with some spit, I smooth it out into a point. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Aha! On my second attempt of jamming it into the eye, it goes through. I think I¡¯m supposed to make a knot right? After making what I think must be a perfect knot, I brace myself. Wait shouldn¡¯t I clean the wounds first? Leaning on my [Born of the Cold] achievement, I make a small friction fire and start to melt some snow to make sure the wounds are fairly clean before I sow them shut. After waiting a few minutes I hear the tell-tale burbling of the pot. Blubble, Barbleble, Blop! Perfect! Grabbing a dirty-ish shirt from my inventory I take one of the few remaining clean sections and dunk it in the hot water that¡¯s rapidly cooling. Even while cleaning the wounds gently, it still rips a hiss of pain from me. Should¡¯ve done this earlier. A handful of painful minutes later the now wet shirt is sitting in my inventory so it doesn¡¯t become a Popsicle, the fire¡¯s dead, and the pot is also gone in my inventory. Alrighty then, may as well get to it. Pulling out the string from earlier I carefully and slowly thread the largest of my wounds together, leaving the smaller scratches to fend for themselves. At each stitch I and up hissing through my teeth in pain. This works fine for the large scratches but the bites tell a different story. The skin is too far apart for me to confidently stitch, but since it froze (thanks to the cold both I and the dungeon produce), it didn¡¯t bleed out and instead had the blood freeze kind of like a less helpful clot. I know that bandages might be used conventionally as a way to stop bleeding, but I figure it doesn¡¯t hurt to put them on anyway. Just in case. Pulling out the small amount of the bandages left, I wrapped them around the major open wounds, which were, admittedly, somewhat disconcerting. Before I get the chance to move on I hear a voice again. ¡°Hey, Ismund? How do you know so much about dungeons if you haven¡¯t gone in one before.¡± Pressing my tongue to my teeth and flicking my brows up in annoyance I answer brusquely, ¡°I have my sources. I¡¯m the one who has lived their entire life in this timeline. Remember? Like I said, get back to your magic stuff and be productive.¡± ¡°How long till we get into the next room?¡± I decided to just ignore her in turn since she ignored me. A few moments later I hear her footsteps walk away from my tent, Leaving me to shake my head at her. After a moment of pause the same footsteps come trailing back to where I am. Gosh. ¡°Why are dungeons bad?¡± At that statement, I swear my eyes must¡¯ve bulged out of my skull. What did she say? I¡¯m not hearing right. Opening my ¡®door¡¯ I ask with thinned lips, ¡°Sorry?¡±, blinking in disbelief. Confirming that my hearing is intact, she reiterates, ¡°Why are dungeons bad?¡±, bright foolish eyes looming over me. After a second of actual thought passes through her brain she adds, ¡°Other than the monsters.¡± I answer through a strained smile, listing it off on my fingers ¡°They murder people, act as a base for people to be sacrificed, ruin the land, destroy communities and all that is good. And did I mention killing people? They also just so happen to want to release all of their monsters onto the world to destroy humanity and take our lovely planet for themselves. There¡¯s a reason the fiends that inhabit the dungeons used to have the nickname ¡®demons.¡¯¡± Looking down from my sharp gaze, Drifa scratches her head, ¡°Ah, right.¡± At that, I nod my head at the obviousness of it all and close the tent flap I¡¯d been peeking out of. *** A while later I pause in carving toothpicks from Drifa¡¯s ruckus. ¡°Ahah!¡± Shump, Shump, Shump, Shump. Putting the knife down once again I crane my neck towards the incoming shadow. Without asking for any permission, she rips open the curtain, exposing her jubilant face and quickly scrawling on the ground. ¡°Guess what?¡± Ignoring my lack of interest she carries on, ¡°I made some progress!¡± Lending her hand forward, she opens it to reveal a tiny little snowflake spinning around at what must¡¯ve been her whim. Raising my eyebrows, I encourage ¡°Keep at it.¡± in the snow and turn to make some more toothpicks as the footfalls lead away from me. It¡¯s good that she¡¯s made progress. It¡¯s impressive that she¡¯s going as quick as she is, but I¡¯m not going to indulge her because time¡¯s tight as it is and I don¡¯t want to make her think she can spare the time to slow down. Food can only last for so long. Thinking about it I start to rake my hair absentmindedly from mild concern. * * * DRIFA Prancing back to my side of the tunnel, I reread my most recent notification with satisfaction.
[Pure Magic has advanced! User Drifa now has basic snow manipulation. Details can be found on the summary page.]
Open the summary again, please! I think, emphasizing with the swish of a finger.
[Drifa can manipulate snowflakes with her will and intent. The amount of snowflakes controlled at one time is dependent on the users ability to split attention.]
Sweet! Maybe this same thing applies to healing as well. I matched the spark to the snowflake''s energy, so maybe it¡¯s the same with a wound? Just push it together? I nod as I work through it all. Maybe I could numb the area that I heal with snow? Wait, that doesn¡¯t work. We both have cold immunity. I guess it¡¯ll just be painful, for now at least. I¡¯ll find something. But I could probably use the pure aspect to clean the wound at some point. Once I understand that aspect in the first place. Once I figure this out I could probably match the energy to bone and realign it. It¡¯s just a matter of application. Thinking of all the ways I could use it made my eyes shine with delight. After a sudden thought bombards me I get a wonderful idea. The shield didn¡¯t make the ¡®rabbit¡¯ meat edible, but maybe if I try to purify it it¡¯ll work. I moved the corrupt energy out from the dungeon into the shield after all. maybe I can pull the gross stuff out of the meat. That¡¯d be a game-changer. Food ISMUND Just a few minutes after the first interruption I hear Drifa stomping over again assaulting the tent for attention. Huffing out a sigh I ignore it. Against my best expectations, it continued for what felt like an hour. Of course, the beat changed every once and a while but it was making me pretty irritated at this point. She¡¯s not giving up, is she? What could she possibly want me for so bad? Giving into my curiosity I open the tent¡¯s door, which to my annoyance, Drifa doesn¡¯t notice in the slightest. Tilting my head lightly I walk over to Drifa until my shadow seems to catch her notice. Smiling awkwardly she crouches down to write in the snow again. ¡°Do you have that rabbit still?¡± I nod. ¡°Can I have a piece?¡± Letting out a huff of distaste, I bring the sickly monster leg forward slice a slab off of it and toss it to the girl. Holding it at arm¡¯s distance with a wrinkled nose she takes it away. Disappearing into my tent I watch what she¡¯s doing without letting on. What could she be up to? After staring for a while, right before I give up on the flushed girl something changes. The golden rim around her eyes seems to flash, and I can smell more than see something nasty slowly oh so slowly leak out of it. Gross. This goes on for a while, interspersed with huffs, hums, and grunts of concentration from Drifa who continued to make the hall smell a bit worse as the minutes dragged on. At some point, I had opted to just mute my sense of smell because it was so stinking bad. It was like a wet mangy dog died in a pool of rotting blood. A few tiresome hours later Drifa makes some movement, pumping her fists in the air in what I guess must be a success. Making sure I look as disinterested as possible I idly make some toothpicks, and let the tent flap fall. about as soon as the door falls, I hear some light steps coming in my direction. I guess I¡¯ll find out what it is. Fap, Fap, Fap! After waiting a few seconds, I open the door with a flat expression clouding my face. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Uncaring, she holds up a small chunk of fresh pink meat and looks down at the ground with her pale face. ¡°I got rid of the nasty bits! Can you store this so it doesn¡¯t go bad?¡± Quickly putting it in my inventory, I write out, ¡°Will you take as long as you did for any meat you clean for now?¡± Looking back up she bobs her head. Right before she lifted herself to leave she pauses. And clears the snow to write again. ¡°How are you not bored?¡± ¡°System.¡± ¡°Also, could I have some rations or water or something? I¡¯m flagging.¡± Right. Pulling out the jerky I toss it over to her, and she misses it. Pursing my lips I decide to pull the pot of water out since I never actually got anything in it. Thankfully she registered the fact that the dungeon was cold and that the water could freeze again any moment. Grabbing the whole thing she took a few drags and then motioned for me to put it away. After eating a few bites of the jerky some colour seems to have returned to her face and she lets out a delighted hum. Upon finishing she asks, ¡°Ah, I think I could probably try fixing one of those smaller cuts now?¡± Trying to hide a grimace from her uncertainty I reluctantly nod. Can¡¯t hurt too bad right? At least I still have a few smaller cuts left, so I don¡¯t think she can do anything too bad. Lifting my hand I proffer a thin cut on my index finger. Scooting up she holds my finger with trembling hands. After flitting her eyes up to mine for a second I can tell a deep focus overruns her as she suddenly goes incredibly still. A few minutes later it feels like there¡¯s a bunch of ants racing through the cut and biting it. Thinning my lips I do the best I can to remain still and remain passive. Gosh. A few moments later I¡¯m given the sweet relief of a distraction.
[Soul tier D (295/500)->(296/500)]
At least there¡¯s that. ¡­ I might be able to use this to farm some points. Face brightening a fraction I notice that the burning feeling from the ants is gone and look back towards the cut. It was just a faint pink line, healed. Right before a full-blown grin develops, Drifa lets go, heaving out a sigh of exhaustion. Zap! Right at that moment the whole process is almost completely undone, leaving clotted blood in place of healthy healed skin making me flinch back. ¡°I¡¯msosorryIreallydidn¡¯tmeanthatI¡¯lldobetternexttime.Goshhowstupidofme.Doyouneedanything?¡± After blitzing through some apologies I just order her, ¡°Just go to bed. We all make mistakes, Just make sure you learn from ¡®em.¡± Shaking like a leaf she hurriedly steps away at my request and hides herself in my brother''s cloak. I wonder how long I¡¯ve been in this tunnel. Eh, whatever. I¡¯m just glad for the time-numb trait for once. Observing myself I figure I just need a few days until I¡¯m back in action. Or at least good enough to not have the skin tear too badly. *** The following day¡­ ¡°Can I try again?¡± Drifa asks sheepishly looking up at me. ¡°You need practice and I don¡¯t want you to cut yourself.¡± Blushing embarrassed, she takes the same finger again and offers me the feeling of horrible ants once again. Lovely. This time she succeeds as far as I can tell. ¡°Sorry, it took a bit longer this time. Last time when it, uhm, had whiplash it caused some more internal damage even if it didn¡¯t on the surface. So that¡¯s what that buzzing feeling was. This goes on for the next couple of days, only finishing up my lightly scratched hands with, of course, many many mishaps. Speaking up in the silent tunnel I glance at Drifa, ¡°Can you do complicated ones yet?¡± After hesitating a few moments she responds with pinched brows, ¡°Oh with the wounds? Not yet, no. Unless you want it to get worse with some nerve damage or something.¡± ¡°After this, we¡¯re heading to the next room. Go back, well whatever you have.¡± Watching Drifa for her reaction she silently nods. Maybe it¡¯ll go better than last time. Glancing back towards my inventory I decided I could give her a bit of help. I think that people usually scout the next room right? After packing my things I walk quietly across the snowy hall and take a peek at the room ahead. In front of me, there¡¯s a massive hill flanking either side of a stone staircase. On the sides of the staircase that would normally have a railing, instead, there are ramps that somebody could use as a jump. I¡¯m not entirely sure what kind of situation we¡¯re running into but it looks like we¡¯ll probably have to go up the stairs, the monsters probably will as well since there¡¯s no other way up except for the hill. Nodding to myself fractionally with the assessment I head back towards Drifa with the report. ¡°A-ah, is that so?¡± she says nervously from my assessment. At least it sounds like she might go this time. I¡¯ll just sweeten the deal to make sure she sticks around. I haven¡¯t told her yet but I think that our goal is gonna be the top. High ground and all that. Taking my carving knife out of my inventory I hand over the handle with the blade facing away from her. ¡°So you sure you''re ready?¡± she says gesturing to the remaining injuries littering me. I just grunt in affirmation, storing my cloak away so it doesn¡¯t get destroyed. You know, on second thought¡­ Figuring I don¡¯t want my last pair of fresh clothes to get ruined I assemble the tent again and change into those. It wasn¡¯t like either pair was giving me much protection anyway after putting the tent away again I looked over to Drifa. ¡°I think we can get going now, stay behind me.¡± The bundle of nerves skittishly inches up behind me with her breathing picking up. Letting a breath through my teeth I inform her, ¡°Breathing quicker won¡¯t help. Relax as much as you can, otherwise it uh, won''t go so well.¡± With that, I pick up my pace and jog towards the entrance of the next room. An Uphill Battle DRIFA I guess I said I¡¯d go in as long as I was told what to do. Jogging up behind Ismund I feel the cold knife he handed me. After a few seconds, I decided to hold it with two hands because I was shaking so badly. At least I¡¯m safer if I¡¯m beside him, right? Chuckling nervously at the thought I pause my stride for a moment. Why shouldn¡¯t I just wait behind? I don¡¯t think I¡¯m doing anything and Ismund knows what to do anyways. I thi- I interrupt my thoughts, Ismund turns back towards me and my vacant expression. ¡°I need you to get a hold of yourself. Just keep trailing me and you¡¯ll be fine.¡± Looking up at the hill I hope he¡¯s right. It was empty before but now it was full of ugly rabbits skiing towards us. Jerking into motion, Ismund runs towards the stairs leaving me in the dust. Running with all my might wasn¡¯t enough to make up a lick of distance and was exhausting. ¡°Slow down!¡± Thankfully Ismund heard me and stopped so I could reach him. Right when I arrived at the stairs I saw that the rabbits noticed me as well. Shoot. I couldn¡¯t hear them, but I could tell by the way their throats bulged they were screaming as loud as their little lungs would allow. Glad I don¡¯t have to listen to that. Using the weird slope things on either side of the stairs we were scaling the rabbits used them to get air so they could stab us with their wicked sharp ski poles. Crouching and covering my head with my arms from fear, Ismund drags me up by the back of my collar. ¡°We need to get moving so we¡¯re not overrun. Stand up!¡± Flushing a bit and sucking at my teeth I shiver a bit watching Ismund whack the critters out of the air with his katana thing. Please don¡¯t let them get me. Eyes flicking to the side I notice something. ¡°Mm, h-hey, Ismund. The rabbits are, uhm, dis-disappearing when they, ah, reach the bottom¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Viewing the top of the steep hill again my eyes catch sight of a rabbit with a missing ear, a replica of the one that had just vanished from the bottom. ¡°The rabbits might be teleporting back to the top?¡± Simply grunting in affirmation, he starts stomping up the stairs while still somehow hitting, blocking, or dodging the mangy fluff balls. I wish I could do that. Pausing my thought I redirect it. I will. I just need to figure out my magic. I nod at this, briefly distracted from the rabbits. Whack! Snapping back to attention, I see a gutted hare fall to the ground by my feet making me yelp in surprise. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I guess I could hear that because it came from Ismund. ¡°Pay attention! We¡¯re moving. Standing there like that, you¡¯d make you weren¡¯t afraid of these monsters!¡± Letting out a huff of, excursion or annoyance I couldn¡¯t tell, he picked up the pace till I could hardly keep up. My lungs are burning. Looking up from another ragged breath I see the sweet relief of stairs coming to an end. Finally! Glancing down to my belt where my borrowed knife is, I reach down to grab it only to be interrupted. ¡°Catch!¡± Blanching, I turn towards Ismund who¡¯s throwing a stunned rabbit at me. ¡°Hold onto its neck with one hand and legs with the other.¡± Spinning through the air like it was in a trapeze act I tried and failed to catch it. Pluff, Plump, Piff. Bouncing and rolling onto the ground beside me it starts to twitch. ¡°Eeep!¡±, After letting out a squeak of protest I did my best to hold it as directed, which, I¡¯ll admit, involved some struggling since the creature was waking up. Before I can close my hand around the rabbit¡¯s lower leg all the way it tenses and kicks my arm. Letting out a huff of pain I start to lose my composure as it kicks at me again. Swish. Before it hits me I let go of its legs jumpily, only holding on by the neck now. What now? Furrowing my brow in concentration and concern I let it dangle by its neck. A mistake. Gripping my hand tightly and lightly puncturing it prepares to bite me. No, you don¡¯t! With my free hand, I reach out and grip its ears to keep its head from going forward. letting a single frozen tear of pain travel down my face I feel a bit of relief, ¡°Gotcha.¡± Grimacing I stare back and forth between the unnerving, now frothing rabbit, and Ismund. He was currently ripping the rabbits to shreds and spawn killing whenever possible. As I look around, my lip quivers from the sight of the hoard. I can¡¯t do anything if they jump at me right now¡­ For the next quarter of an hour, I watch Ismund helplessly again, the only difference being that I¡¯m closer this time. Eventually, the beast''s numbers start to die down leaving a few that were teleporting back up from the bottom far apart. Far apart. Each was a few minutes of running across the top of the ski hill. Unfortunately for me, I had to keep chasing Ismund and his shadow to stay safe. It was Exhausting. ¡°Drifa, scratch the rabbit!¡± Furrowing my eyebrows in confusion, my mind races while I look down at my knife. Why would he want me to scratch it? I don¡¯t want it to suffer, ugly as it is. ¡°I can¡¯t! My hands are full!¡± ¡°Then just hit it on something! You just need to injure it!¡± Looking down at the stairs we were passing by, one of the only solid things I could hit the wild-eyed creature against in the area, I hesitate. ¡°NOW!¡± Jolting into action in fright I bash its ribs into the steps. Skush! Wincing, I looked at the sad ragged-breathing animal, the hit had made some matted hair fall free and broke and bruised its ribs. I can¡¯t cry, I can¡¯t cry. It¡¯ll make it so I can¡¯t see. The world is so unfair sometimes. I take a big sniff and clench my jaw. Why do I have to make it suffer? After cleanly decapitating another slightly-fluffy creature we run after the last bunny, not counting the one I¡¯m holding. ¡°Again!¡± Looking towards the rabbit I again set my face in determination. Poor guy. ¡°No. I won¡¯t do it!¡± Pounding his feet harder Ismund lets out a frustrated grunt explaining, ¡°If we don¡¯t injure it in time we¡¯ll be teleported into a pit full of ¡®em!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°DO IT!¡± Face recoiling back in a grimace I flick it pretty hard. That counts as damage right? ¡°The timer didn¡¯t stop! Don¡¯t give it a love tap for goodness sake!¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± This time I flick its bruise causing it to do what looks like a violent screech. ¡°There we go.¡± After some more steps, Ismund reached out and decapitated the last rabbit. Turning smoothly and grumpily towards me, surprisingly wet and red, seeing that I had only seen his back the whole time, he gestures to my hand. ¡°Kill it.¡±, Upon looking at my expression he clenches his jaw, flicks his brow up quickly and adds, ¡°It¡¯s a monster, not an animal. It¡¯s been trying to kill you the whole time.¡± Pursing my lip I pursued a question that had been nagging me and the System had been somewhat useless concerning, ¡°But can it be turned back into a normal rabbit?¡± Letting out a slow breath to maintain his cool he untangled my thought, ¡°These ¡®rabbits¡¯ are monsters. They were never a real, true, and genuine rabbit. These monsters are invaders from a different plane of existence or something. That part I can only speculate. Simply, the rabbits at the town gate were originally normal rabbits mutated by the dungeon. These ¡®rabbits¡¯ are invaders that look similar to the wildlife that naturally inhabits Earth.¡± ¡°So no fixing them?¡± ¡°Yes, fixing them would be killing them.¡± Hesitantly nodding, I look tentatively back to the convulsing creature in my hands. So you¡¯re an alien. Trying to ignore the misery it was going through I looked away, snapped its neck, and left it on the ground where it quickly rotted with the other corpses in the area.
[Room Cleared.] [Body D (250/500)-> (251/500)]
Ahah! before I can rejoice any further my attention snaps in the direction of a whistle. Ismund waves me over towards him and points a large, heavy-set, wooden door. Wow. That¡¯s big. ¡°There¡¯s another door on the other side but I want to test to see if this is locked first.¡± Nodding quietly and shuffle behind him pursing my lips, unsheathing and tightly gripping my knife. Walking up tensely he stops a few feet in front of the door to crouch. Gathering some snow in his hand he makes a hard-packed neat-looking snowball. Ooh. That¡¯s a good-lookin¡¯ one. Things were happening too quickly without a break for me to process much of anything, so I just watched as he threw it towards the door. Fump! Nothing happened other than a snow globe sticking to the door. Turning slightly red he explains, ¡°I wanted to check for traps.¡± Nodding with a small smirk I follow him towards the door once more. Jiggling the handle a few times, and trying a few different door-opening techniques Ismund decides to call it a day, figuring it¡¯s locked and we need to do something in the other nearby room first. ¡°How do you know that we don¡¯t need to keep fighting the rab-, uh, monsters to stop the trap anymore.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I frown letting out a huff of frustration. How does he know the System?
[User Drifa does not have access to that information.]
Frowning, I face back to what¡¯s happening around me. ¡°Be ready, we¡¯re heading towards the other room.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a break?¡± ¡°It¡¯s usually a better idea to take a break in a safe zone. Even if this fight is cleared that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s safe.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what all of the dungeon parties that survived in past have done. Sometimes there¡¯s a weird gimmick in the fight room.¡± ¡°How do you know there isn¡¯t in the hallways?¡± Sighing and running a hand down his face, leaving a smear, he responds, ¡°It¡¯s rare for it to be in a hall. For example, the trap in this dungeon is in the fight rooms.¡± Nodding hesitantly at the info I¡¯m bombarded with a notification.
[Negative, it is more common for hallways to have traps. However, since dungeons are so varied it cannot be predicted. There can also be traps in hallways that don¡¯t necessitate the ¡®if then¡¯ sequence of magical traps (such as the one in this dungeon).]
¡°Hey Ismund,-¡± Before I can say anything further, he jogs in the direction of the door leaving me to follow. A Downhill Battle ISMUND Arriving inside the vast room I look at another giant hill. The difference was that this one didn¡¯t have a staircase up and was steeper and longer. Before I can observe anything else I¡¯m teleported again. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m in a fighting area. I would¡¯ve gotten a notification and I was told that we cleared i¡­
[You have entered a Trial Room! You must race Daisy down the hill! If you succeed then you will be granted-]
Instead of the text continuing like usual, I¡¯m greeted by an eerie red warning.
{ERROR. System doesn¡¯t have enough energy reserves to send further information. Kill more monsters and overcome dungeons to gain access to information in the future!}
Going pale, my mind races. That¡¯s a problem. What would happen if the System stopped working altogether? Would we still have our abilities- No. I¡¯m not going to worry about that now. It¡¯s not the time. I¡¯ll just have to make sure I kill every last monster I come across so the System doesn¡¯t shut down or something¡­ Turning away from Drifa, I take a look at a giant nine-foot-tall disgusting monster. It had a cheery yellow collar that was straining against the neck folds that seemed to be growing around it. I guess that¡¯s ¡®Daisy¡¯. A pair of skis and poles appear on everyone perfectly fitted. Creepy how it does that. Turning my eyes forward I wait for the barrier in front of my ski to be removed.
[3!] [2!] [1!] [GO!]
Without moving a muscle, ¡®Daisy¡¯, sits on her skis and allows gravity to do the work. Mind you, she didn¡¯t need to do anything since she was a ball of lard. She dropped like a stone, blazing towards the finish line. How am I supposed to compete against that? This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I wasn¡¯t staring and doing nothing like Drifa, however. I skated forward to create momentum, keeping my body bent low with my poles held behind me to be as aerodynamic as possible. It was the fastest I had ever gone but that didn¡¯t seem to matter. Daisy was going fast enough that the slightest rise or dip in the ground gave her air. She looked like a giant skipping stone. Just stay focused on what you¡¯re doing, Ismund. We don¡¯t exactly know the consequences of losing. Maybe she¡¯ll lose balance or land wrong. I was getting fast enough that any little debris in the air was going to hurt my eyes. While I¡¯m readjusting my poles I decide I don¡¯t need them. I¡¯m not making any turns, and I¡¯d prefer it if my hands were free. Pulling a hand forward to shield my eyes I can see that I¡¯ve lost already. At the bottom of the hill, the giant monster was being celebrated by many more small mangy rodents that kept mounting in numbers.
[You have failed the Trial Room.]
The end of the hill was approaching fast and I didn¡¯t think it was necessary to move onto the consequence without Drifa. Even if it didn¡¯t look like the consequence was getting worse. It probably has something to do with those rabbits that are surrounding Daisy. I imagine it¡¯s getting worse with time, but I don¡¯t want Drifa to get to be alone. I was only a few moments away from the finish line. Pushing down on my outside ski I make a massive ark upwards with all the momentum I¡¯d been building. Coming to a stop I look up to where Drifa is. That¡¯s¡­ pretty pathetic. She was hardly making any ground. She had taken off all of her ski gear and was currently trying to slide down the compressed snow Daisy had made. It wasn¡¯t compressed enough to actually slide down, just not sink very deep. It wasn¡¯t working and it probably would¡¯ve been faster if she had run down or something. Heck, even rolling down the hill would¡¯ve been better. A few minutes of struggling later she decides to jog down the hill towards me. Finally ¡°We¡¯ve got to run now.¡± Looking up at me she frowns but complies. The moment we¡¯re past the finish line the monsters stop their celebration. Separating to make room for us to walk down the middle they silently stare at us hungrily with their beady black eyes.
[You will now be chased by Daisy and her friends in all hallways because you interrupted their celebration. Good luck!]
I don¡¯t think that there was a way to avoid that¡­ Charging into the next hallway I grab Drifa¡¯s wrist and pull her along. Both of our feet were gliding across the snow but the beasts behind us made up for their lack of elegance with ferocity. Glancing back, all I could see was a mass of charging fur. They didn¡¯t seem to care all that much about the other monsters around them and would jump on and rip them up with their claws. But since there were so many, it hardly made a dent in their numbers. Drifa was flagging after a few minutes but the rabbits were just as energetic, which was slowly letting them catch up to us. Launching itself into the air one of the monsters grapples Drifa¡¯s arm trying to bite down. Before it can do anything I stab it and throw the corpse into the swarm. Drifa was pale and shaking in my hand. Get a grip on yourself. Shaking my head, I keep on running lightly, occasionally attacking a rabbit that gets a bit too close. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can keep this up.¡± Turning sharply in her direction I give her a quick once over. She was pale, sweating and looked like she was hitting her limits. ¡°You will. Just keep doing one more step and you¡¯ll get there.¡± Grimacing, unconvinced, she lets her feet patter onward. We¡¯re past the door that was locked now¡­ After taking another swing with my sword I look back to Drifa who looked a bit like a spectre. Puzzling for a moment, I tried to find something I could do to help. We¡¯re going right into I fighting room after this and I can¡¯t have her waning too much. Pulling out a hunk of jerky I toss it in her direction¡­ and she biffs it. We don¡¯t have that much in reserves considering our timeline. ¡°Reach out with your free hand!¡± This time the food finds its place. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± I was dragging her at this point. She needs to work on her endurance. Hopefully, she gets some points in her body after this. I need her to keep up during dungeon dives, even if she¡¯s going to play a support role. Reaching out with my arm to whack another monster from Drifa¡¯s side that¡¯s further from me. I do it, but overextend myself, re-opening one of my stitched wounds that¡¯s running across my chest. ¡°Mph!¡± Wincing, hope Drifa didn¡¯t notice. ¡°I think you should start getting a bit more practice in¡­ I want you to defend your left side using the knife I gave you.¡± Looking towards me sharply, despite her fatigue she asks earnestly, ¡°You sure right now is a good time? How should I do it? What if one gets on me?¡± Sweating nervously I tell her, ¡°Just hit them. If one gets on you just bite back or something.¡± Looking aghast at my response she starts rambling, but I only lend a deaf ear. Here we are. ¡°Stick behind me, don¡¯t sit down, we can¡¯t take a break yet.¡± Her normally bright eyes, look back at me dully. {System Warning} Getting into the room I can see a wide expanse of more snow and hills, but it¡¯s different from the previous two rooms. Two slopes converged into the middle of the room in a massive, steep, dip. What am I supposed to do here? After a second I notice a sled and start walking over there, only to be stopped by Drifa¡¯s slow feet. ¡°Can we just take a quick break first?¡± ¡°No, you ate the jerky right?¡± After watching her nod, I pull her along, which she tries to resist this time instead of going slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can keep up this pace, and I don¡¯t see any danger around us.¡± She says gesturing around the bland landscape. ¡°Well, there will be in two minutes if we''re not careful. I have a plan, so don¡¯t worry about that. Just make it through the room and you¡¯ll have the rest you want.¡± We do need to get moving, I don¡¯t see any monsters around. Sitting on the front of the wooden toboggan I lightly hold the string in front of me while Drifa sits down and finds her handles which are on either side of her. Looking to the other side I can see that there¡¯s another toboggan that has a tall rabbit in a cloak holding a large jousting staff made of ice with three dashes decorating it. Odd¡­ Wait. Pulling out my sword, I hold it with my right side that¡¯s more or less okay. ¡°Drifa push the sled forward and make sure you¡¯re centred so we don¡¯t turn by accident.¡± She didn¡¯t respond, but we were moving forward and that was confirmation enough. Right before I nosedived down the hill a weight returned to the back of the toboggan. After a few more seconds we tipped over the edge and gravity took full force and tried to push me back. Instead of losing my position, I leaned forward as much as possible with my weapon pointed directly at the incoming¡­ whatever it was that we were jousting on the other side of the canyon. Behind me, I could hear Drifa screaming bloody murder about ¡®not liking roller coasters¡¯, whatever those were. My hair was whipping in the wind, my eyes were going dry, and my shirt was ballooning from all the speed. The levelled ground was right at our doorstep and I had seconds to straighten and aim my sword. Wham! The two sleds nick each other and go spinning in opposite directions. Drifa¡¯s head rammed into my back as she was flung out of the sled. I, on the other hand, quickly put my sword away in my box and jumped out. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see that I was able to stab the heart of a single monster¡­ which was one of three stacked monsters. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. A muffled voice from the ground says, ¡°That¡¯s so cliche.¡± After executing the other two rabbits I turn to Drifa, ¡°What?¡± Waving me off she gets shakily to her feet and gets a hold of her surroundings. With weaponless monsters rushing down the hill on toboggans, Drifa retrieves one and proceeds to use it as a shield. I jog to each of the monsters as they arrive, putting my sword in front of them and letting gravity spray the blood. They were only increasing and I was starting to get overwhelmed. The door on the other side still looks locked from that big beam. Do we Joust again? may as well give it a shot, we¡¯ll at least have the high ground and I doubt they can get up our side of the hill with speed alone. At this point Drifa¡¯s breathing was increasing with everything else, it was getting too fast. ¡°Calm down, we''re going up the hill again. If you breathe too fast that¡¯ll make you worse for wear.¡± Nodding mutely, she started for the hill, but I could see that carrying her ¡®shield¡¯ was going to be too cumbersome. Reaching out I grab the toboggan, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of that, you just worry about getting up.¡± It wasn¡¯t all that heavy, so I was able to carry it with my left arm without too much worry of further injury. Besides, I needed to be able to use my sword. Drifa was able to make it a few steps up the hill, but at a certain point it was too steep for her and she was panicking. after killing some more monsters as they got closer I told her, ¡°Let me show you¡­¡± Stepping further up the hill I let myself sink a bit so I can kick and stomp grooves into the snow that I can go up. After a few steps, I motion for her to take the lead again. ¡°We don¡¯t have all day. Come on.¡± After some trial and error, she seemed to have figured it out while I stepped back to keep hacking away. As we go up Drifa ends up needing breaks where she just sits there and pants, putting more pressure on me as I fend off the monsters. Thankfully, the further we go up the hill the easier it is to get rid of any monsters because of how far up we were and the time it took them to get up the dense snow. While Drifa goes up she doesn¡¯t seem to notice what''s happening around her all that much, for which I¡¯m thankful. If she notices that my left side is having issues, I think she¡¯ll lose it. Watching her go up, I occasionally look behind me and get a bit nervous from how steep the drop is, it was practically vertical. Just don¡¯t tell Drifa to not look back, she will. If I aim ourselves a bit better we probably won¡¯t get hurt as much. Maybe we could go straight up the other hill for a bit before we even out. Seems less risky and less likely we¡¯ll get a concussion or something. Grabbing one of the straggler rabbits I get Drifa¡¯s attention and hand it to her. ¡°You know what to do?¡± ¡°Mhm¡­ Do you think we could rest up here for a bit? We don¡¯t have to worry about the two-minute timer now.¡± ¡°No. There¡¯s probably something important about the rabbits we joust and we have to kill them or something before we can move on. I¡¯d rather not have to find them if we don¡¯t have to. And yes, I do have a plan so that we can get a break. Be patient.¡± I wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to deal with somebody in this situation who was tired. But I figured that it¡¯s best if I don¡¯t draw attention to it. The system gives Drifa an alarm for when to cut the monster.
{ENERGY IS LOW! If you wish, wish, wish¡­ for this then you won¡¯t be able to have hint¡¯s in the future, replenish reserves by killing monsters and defeating dungeons!}
Sheesh! That red is a bad sign. Didn¡¯t I just kill a bunch of monsters for it?
{A-a-affirmative, it¡¯s be-e-een used to further Drifa¡¯s Body points as usual. System is currently, currently, currently running a deficit. Please kill more monsters and defeat more dungeons.}
Ah¡­ Okay then.
{¡­System will now hibernate while it¡¯s reserves are being filled. It will still serve passive functions such as keeping track of events and upgrades. However those upgrades will be delayed until further notice and you will be unable to open status screens for now. This message has been broadcast to all users.}
What¡­ just happened? Turning back to me with fearful eyes Drifa asks, ¡°What do we do now?¡± ¡°Keep marching up the hill! We can¡¯t stop! It¡¯s temporary and we¡¯re going to fix it by killing more of these monsters here. Just count aloud.¡± Nodding sheepishly, she reaches the top of the hill with me tagging behind her while she¡¯s mumbling to herself. Upon arrival, Drifa just lays down in the snow while clamping the monster under her grip. After I¡¯m done setting up the toboggan the way I want I call her over. Cracking the bloody rabbit''s neck and wincing at the sight she tiredly tossed it down the hill which seemed infinite on both sides. I had taken advantage of that and made sure we were planted far away from where we originally went down because I was particularly fond of sledding into a pile of corpses. ¡°Ready? Interlude JANETTE JONER Looking up from my small desk, well, small in comparison to the elephant in the room, I look at his mask again. It was made from exotic snakewood, which was a warm reddish brown with a tight pattern in a darker shade that well, imitated snake skin. It was encrusted with delicate swirls of platinum. Over his brow were nine multicoloured labradorite stones. I had always loved how the platinum around his big eye made it look like a sun blazing. Smiling fondly behind my pine mask I¡¯m interrupted by a notification. {¡­ The System will now hibernate while its reserves are being filled. It will still serve passive functions such as keeping track of events and upgrades. This does not include translations and other passive benefits of the System. However, those upgrades will be delayed until further notice and you will be unable to open status screens for now. This message has been broadcast to all users.} What? No, no this can¡¯t be right. Did something get into my coffee? I hope not that was expensive. Guan¡¯ll know what to do, he always does. Blushing a bit, I turn towards the Guildmaster waiting for him to finish figuring it out himself. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m surprised it took this long with the mages using all of this energy and not killing any monsters. Heh, serves ¡®em right¡­¡± Lifting his head all the way and looks at me with his cool grey eye. ¡°Get some messengers ready for dispatch, I¡¯m going to write some letters for the Branch leaders and supervisors. We¡¯ll need¡­ oh probably twenty-four in all?¡± ¡°Should we send any to The White North?¡± ¡°Nope, we may have people there, but no actual buildings.¡± Grinning in satisfaction I head down the hall and see who¡¯s free at the moment. A little while later I leave them behind the door to his office and grab the letters from him. You suckers don¡¯t have a shot at the Guildmaster. I¡¯m his secretary and I¡¯m the one in his office all the time. All of you guys are losers in comparison. You don¡¯t even know his favourite foods and the way he likes his coffee. I give myself a devilish grin before I¡¯m broken out of my musings by his deep voice. ¡°The letters are just to inform them that we need to pick up our speed. We¡¯ll have a bonus reward if the bounty is completed early. I wouldn¡¯t normally want to do this and risk people being reckless, but here we are.¡± Taking the elegantly written papers in hand with their gorgeous black wax seal I close the door behind me. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. A man with silver engravings on his wolf mask leers down at me, ¡°Why would a copper like you be able to order me around? Why don¡¯t you deliver it? I¡¯m busy you know.¡± Looking him up and down in an exaggerated manner I hand him the letter, ¡°You¡¯re right, you''re busy delivering this letter. I¡¯ll let you get to it!¡± Spinning on my heel I head back into the office despite his protests. Heh, Sucker. Closing the door delicately behind me to avoid any noise from disturbing Guildmaster Grimwald I head back over to my desk. I wish I had his last name¡­ ¡°Come over here.¡± Snapping to attention once again receive another letter. ¡°Bring this to Dempsey Slicker.¡± Paling at the name of the recipient I voice, ¡°Are you sure? You know about his uhm¡­ unsavoury characteristics right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware. You¡¯ll be fine. You have an opal on your mask right? Besides, You¡¯re always wearing black rags and well¡­¡± Squinting his only eye her waves the thought off. What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Is he saying that I don¡¯t look nice? No, no, that can¡¯t be the case. This antique goth style just must not be his thing. Maybe I¡¯ll try something else, I¡¯ll find his type eventually. Without saying a word I bow and head towards the window, jump out and summon my raven wings to get over to Dempsey¡¯s place. I can¡¯t believe I get to do a personal mission for the Guildmaster! I¡¯ve got the best job! ¡­ usually. Smiling happily I eventually spot my towering destination and regain my calm. Landing I take the mandatory kneel at the Emperor''s ugly statue and head down the hall leading to his throne room. However, Instead of being let in like usual, I¡¯m met by a guardsman¡¯s hand. ¡°Halt! The Great Emperor is not allowing visitors at the moment. He is attending to some issues right now.¡± ¡°Please reconsider,¡± I hold the letter in front of me, ¡°This is directly from the Guildmaster Guan Grimwald himself.¡± Leaning forward with interest the guard plucks the letter from my grasp and observes the stamp. He didn¡¯t send many messages himself especially not to the Mages. So it was going to get some attention. ¡°Proceed.¡± Walking confidently into the room I pause in the middle to give a deep curtsy with my stylishly ragged skirt. After a few minutes, my legs were starting to feel a bit stiff. Chuckling a slimy voice calls out, ¡°You may rise.¡± That can¡¯t be the Emperor, right? I haven¡¯t met him in person but- Looking up again I find myself quite wrong. It was, in fact, Dempsey Slicker in all his¡­ grandeur. He was a large man Dressed in a giant crimson-red robe with fur trimming. He had a thin come-over on his head and his damp shiny skin was all a pink hue with circles in varying colours of pink and purple covering him thanks to his merge with a Kraken. Lifting an eyebrow and gesturing lazily with one of his hands he asks, ¡°What did you come in for?¡± I¡¯m so glad he can¡¯t see my expression with this mask. ¡°I have a Letter from the Guildmaster.¡± ¡°How about you come over here and read it to me?¡± Making just enough room for me to fit on his throne-lounge-thing he scoots over. ¡°Ah well-¡± Before I can say anything else I feel something wet and gelatinous push me from behind. ¡°I insist.¡± With another light shove to my back, the tentacle caresses the side of my face on its way back into the ground making me involuntarily shiver. Just get it over with, and then I can be back with Guan. Stepping forward mechanically I stop in front of his throne without sitting next to him. If he does something to me then there¡¯ll be political consequences I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll want to risk. It¡¯ll be fine. ¡°You know¡­ you remind me of Desdemona. If only she would just agree. I would be in control of two continents then, and so much more¡­¡± Ignoring the little talk he was having with himself I cleared my throat and read the letter aloud for him to hear. ¡°Emperor Slicker, ¡°I Believe you have seen the notification regarding the System hibernating. I recognize that mages and bounty hunters have had our differences regarding the use of dungeons. However, I believe that it is currently necessary for us to kill as many monsters and immigrants as possible in the meantime before you can return to your peaceable ways. If you can¡¯t bring yourself to do this then please allow my guild unrestricted access to dungeons in the meantime to allow things to go back to normal and you and yours to be able to use the System as you have before. ¡°-Guildmaster Grimwald¡± Unsure what to do with the letter I bow again and hand it directly to him. Getting up without waiting for him to say I walk steadily towards the large metal doors guarding the entrance. After passing them I scamper away as quickly as possible while still being professional. Phew! Rest? With one final push, we go rocketing down the hill at an alarming rate making my shirt billow and hair whip around me. Thankfully, Drifa manages to shut her trap and give my ears a break about halfway down allowing me to spare my attention on lining up so we don¡¯t nick the other sled again. The weird thing was that the jousting spear the rabbits had this time only had two notches on it. Hopefully, that¡¯s good for us. Before I can dwell on that further we reach the centre of the battlefield. As planned, we¡¯re able to race beside monsters without a hitch allowing me to skewer them and restart our trap timer, whatever we had left on it. ¡°Drifa, count to one hundred and twenty!¡± Hoping that she heard me I watch as we slowly lose momentum going back up the other hill. I can probably make the climb quicker¡­ We were heading backwards now and were almost out of momentum. ¡°Bail when I say so! We¡¯ll save time.¡± Upon reaching the zenith of our slide backwards tell her, ¡°Now!¡± Both of us successfully got off on a roll. I kept my hand on the string while Drifa tumbled out and started sliding herself. ¡°Grab my hand!¡± Reaching up she grabbed my hand and stomped her feet into the snow for stability and started leading the way up. The monsters weren¡¯t that bad below so we were mostly fine, just the occasional monster here and there including one I handed to Drifa for safekeeping. I was, as much as I hated to admit it, getting tired. My legs were burning my reactions weren¡¯t quite as quick as they used to be my chest burned from the open wound there and was irritated by the broken stitches moving around. But I was able to keep moving forward in the dungeon and that¡¯s all I could ask for. This time I didn¡¯t kill anything at all, but considering the notches on the weapon it might be the last fight this next joust. I don¡¯t think that I¡¯d joust four times, three, as a number, makes more sense and is more common. The System needs energy, so I may as well farm for a bit. Reaching the top I look over to Drifa, ¡°Last one.¡± Giving me a weak smile she nods. We once again change the toboggan position and then head down the slope. We started moving again but instead of Drifa sitting down like usual, I looked behind me and saw that she was a bit too slow and didn¡¯t have her hands on the handles. They were flapping on the sides and tumbling in the snow, not easy to grab in any sense of the word. Reaching out, she grabs hold of my shirt collar tugging and gripping with all her might. ¡°Gah, Let go!¡± My voice must¡¯ve been lost to the wind because she didn¡¯t let go or loosen her grip at all. I was in a predicament because I couldn¡¯t exactly lean forward and position myself to stab steer anything. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. I hope we don¡¯t have a head-on collision. Fortunately, we don¡¯t collide, unfortunately, my sword only nicks the rabbit''s cloak and their single-notched spear skewers our toboggan and snaps in half. I hope that was the last jousting match. With the sudden release of Drifa¡¯s hand, I roll to the side and promptly kill all the monsters that were in the shared coat. This welcomed me to the Creak of the massive wooden doors opening ahead of us. I knew it. Glad that my plan was going to run smoothly I forestall Drifa¡¯s run up either hill. ¡°The System needs energy. I¡¯m going to kill these for as long as I can. Stay out of the way and use the toboggan as a shield or something. Don¡¯t forget you have a knife.¡± I¡¯ll stick around her just in case. Going into battle I kept my left arm slack and gave my right arm one a smaller half of my blade with the other in storage. My tiredness was getting to me but thankfully some more adrenaline and painkillers kicked in keeping me going with some admittedly robotic moments as I punched, kicked, and slashed the monsters apart. Are these infinite? After doing this for several minutes I can tell that the swarm was starting to die down. Each rabbit that remained seemed to spawn another rabbit every minute to a minute and a half. Okay, so my plan still works. Just need to make it so there¡¯s only one left. Looking over to Drifa I tell her, ¡°You can take a break, I¡¯ll have first watch.¡± Letting out a relieved sigh she slumps against the hill using the toboggan as a sort of blanket. She had almost been asleep before that, my work just let her fall asleep all the way. It¡¯s good she¡¯s getting a break for now, I¡¯ll get one in a bit¡­ Walking away from the light snoring I kill another monster a few steps away while holding another in my hand for safekeeping. If I let it slip for two minutes, I think we¡¯ll have to redo this entire room¡­ I just won¡¯t slip, that¡¯s all. After going on for what I think is half an hour I have a few yawns leak out of me and I take it as a sign I need to stop. Walking over to Drifa I tap her head to try to wake her up. Nothing. Next, I resort to jostling her shoulder. Nothing. Right before I resort to some more drastic measures she jolts awake. About time. Looking up at me she croaks out, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m taking a break. Just kill whatever monsters spawn while I¡¯m out. They come out before the two-minute timer.¡± Summoning my cloak I wrap it around myself and lean against the hill like she had been doing earlier. * * * DRIFA Standing up I look over to where Ismund is and before I can protest he¡¯s sound asleep. Or at least I think so, he¡¯s not making any sounds¡­ Stepping in his direction I stop myself. Better not. Looking around I find another rabbit appear out of nowhere, making me jump in surprise. Look at its cute little face and big eyes! Wait, stop. I need to kill it. I don¡¯t want to make the process worse. Grabbing my knife with my free hand I reluctantly step towards it. Before I can do anything it leaps at me with its stomach wide open. Squinting my eyes I jab uncertainly at its approaching stomach. I succeed in stabbing it but, it¡¯s still not dead. The thing''s head was roving around and biting in my direction and its hind legs were twitching. Its neck was straining in what I assumed was a scream. The thing freaked me out and I didn¡¯t want it to suffer but I didn¡¯t know what to do. Blunt trauma? Lifting my foot I stomped on its head over and over and over, until its eyes glassed over and it started emanating a rotting smell. Bending down to retrieve my bloodied knife I kick it away. I hope I do better next time. That was unfortunate. At least I¡¯m alive, right? Laughing nervously to myself I think back on earlier today. That sucked¡­ hopefully, the next room¡¯s better? At least Ismund kept me from dying. That¡¯s good. It was good to have a rest, but I don¡¯t think it was all that long. A few seconds later another rabbit arrives instead of another thought. Approaching it carefully, wait for it to launch itself at me, which it does. This time I try to go for a slashing motion instead of a jabbing one. I manage to slice it about halfway through its midsection but the rest of it goes flying to the side before I can do any further harm. At least it¡¯s not twitching as much and I have my knife this time. Pinning its stomach with my foot, I quickly decapitate it. After doing this for a while I was able to refine my method and not be as flinchy and sad, which wasn¡¯t saying much. While waiting for another rabbit monster thing to come I decide to take a look at my status. System?¡­ Oh right. That. Well, I guess that¡¯s fine. While I¡¯m distracted with my musings I hear a sharp grunt, the swish of a blade cutting the air. What was that? Whipping my head over I can see that there was a corpse next to Ismund who had his blade drawn with blood dripping off of it. Looking up at me with a scowl I mutter something and then put myself to sleep again. Gulping in surprise look around guiltily. I¡¯m glad it didn¡¯t get him, but sheesh how light of a sleeper is he, and what kind of reaction timing is that? Flying Squirrels! A few hours later, I¡¯m woken up by Ismund again. Looking around bleary-eyed I see more corpses littering the area once again causing me to wrinkle my nose. Is it my shift again? No, he¡¯s packing up again, that can¡¯t be right¡­ Ismund was already going up the hill with the exit, his voice echoed, ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡± ¡°What?¡±, getting to my feet drowsily I do my best to jog down the ravine a bit so I line up with the door before I go up the hill. before climbing the hill I find out I¡¯m sore. Very sore. Every time I took a step my muscles made their presence painfully obvious. If they could scream I would have a concert. Getting a bit closer I ask, ¡°How much longer do we have left in the dungeon?¡± Letting out a barely audible sigh, Ismund tells me, ¡°It should be the boss room next.¡± pursing his lips in annoyance he speeds up. Well somebody¡¯s crabby. I hope he¡¯s wrong about the boss room. Wait, but if he is I¡¯ll be in here for longer¡­ both options are bad. Let¡¯s just hope all goes well¡­ yesterday didn¡¯t go too bad. We could have died, that would¡¯ve made it worse. A little bit later I¡¯m able to look over the hill again and see the door out. And then we can just walk across the hallway and worry about the,¡­ what¡¯s it called,¡­ fight room later. The halls¡­ Oh no, no, no. I forgot about that. Stopping me from being able to do anything else, Ismund grabs hold of my wrist again and tugs me along a bit faster than I would¡¯ve been able to do otherwise. Thankfully this time I was able to see the end of the hall right out the gate because it was so much shorter. I don¡¯t know how or where they came from, but the rabbits were chasing us again. However, I¡¯ll admit, It was a lot less stressful this time since I knew it was coming. That said, my palms were developing frost on them because of my sweat and I was still a nervous wreck. Thankfully, despite my soreness, I was able to run more easily than before. I didn¡¯t know why, but I wasn¡¯t about to complain. ¡°Ismund-¡± ¡°I know.¡± Before the timer runs out, Ismund snatches a rabbit jumping in his direction and kills it. Just about there. After just a little bit longer we reach the new fight room which is pretty small compared to the other ones we¡¯ve gone in before. Unexpectedly, there was no actual boss in here. Just A giant frozen waterfall, and some trees with metal protection and a half dome to keep people from climbing the trees. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll need to get some maps¡­¡± Ismund mumbles to himself, then tells me, ¡°The dungeons expanded and added more rooms. I don¡¯t know how many.¡± I¡¯m surprised he talked actually. He¡¯s normally quiet unless I say something, and even then, he doesn¡¯t always say anything back either. Now how are we going to keep ourselves from falling in a pit? Before I can even start my search, Ismund¡¯s already succeeded with a dead squirrel in tow. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Wait, what? I thought there were just rabbits. Looking up at Ismund, he just shrugs. Whelp. Okay, whatever. Pulling out his sword, Ismund splits it in two and stabs each blade into the ice making a sound like clinking glasses each time in time with his grunts. ¡°How am I supposed to get up!¡±, I yell up at him, he was making quick progress. Looking around and patting myself down I note that I have my Bowie knife and a butter knife. I could go up the wall with these but it¡¯d be risky. For now, I¡¯ll kill some squirrels. Conveniently enough for me, the squirrels were spawning at the base of the tree before they climbed it using little holes in the metalwork I couldn¡¯t use. I can be helpful. I grin to myself at the thought. I hadn¡¯t ever really seen that as a possibility. I wouldn¡¯t have been fine with it if it weren¡¯t for them ignoring me. I hope it stays that way.Killing another squirrel I notice something. They¡¯re holding walnuts. What¡¯s up with that? I mean, I know they¡¯re squirrels but the nuts probably have some sort of malicious purpose, right? I¡¯m soon answered, as I look in Ismund¡¯s direction where I see the nuts dropping from the flying squirrels onto his general area. Once they hit something they explode flinging their hard shell everywhere. How¡¯s he going to avoid that? As I continue watching I can see that he wont really. thankfully they don¡¯t seem to be doing much damage. That being said, he had some new scratches. Watching him, I do my best not to think about how I¡¯m going to get up there. At this point, Ismund was about halfway up the waterfall. Going back to my butchering I try to figure out a way to kill them the quickest so they don¡¯t suffer. A little while later One of the squirrels stares at me unnervingly unlike the rest. After a few moments pass its beady eyes meet mine until it hisses at me and jumps. ¡°Ah!¡± I kick it away, but it latches onto one of the strings of my boots and starts climbing up my leg, pulling on the skin and tearing it In some places. Panicking, I use the hand holding my butter knife and try to stab it, to no avail. Dropping it, I grab the squirrel with my free hand, unfortunately, it had already bitten me by then. As I was trying to hold it in place It was wriggling in my hand and trying to pull a piece of my leg out. letting out a pained grunt I stab it in the head with my Bowie knife. The squirrel was gone now, but not my injury, nor the pain. ¡°Gosh! This hurts so friggen bad.¡± Doing my best to stay calm I take long slow breaths and try to think of a solution. It¡¯s not bleeding that bad right? I¡¯ll just let it freeze or something. Yeah¡­ It¡¯s not that bad just¡­ hurts a lot. Giving myself a wan smile look back at where the squirrels are spawning, more hesitant this time around. I was killing them a bit more frequently than I was supposed to because it¡¯d help Ismund and so I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about watching the clock. It¡¯s probably fine if I do the absolute minimum, right? I¡¯m not exactly keen on being attacked again. Looking back over to Ismund I can see that he¡¯s only about a foot or two away from flat ground. But he wasn¡¯t moving for some reason. Looking at him over again I can see that he¡¯s still breathing. Well of course he would be a dummy. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t still be able to hold on. Unless he entered Rigor Mortis in a matter of seconds. I would also get a notification I guess, wait no. The System is down. Right. Looking at him I can see that he¡¯s occasionally trying to pull himself up, only for him to go slack hanging again. That would be a tough climb. Especially with him making all the holes in the ice on the way up. Suddenly, his sword disappears into his inventory with his left arm going slack. Hanging there he swayed back and forth for a bit. But after a second or two the sound of a large crack can be heard, echoing throughout the cavern. At that point, he re-summons his other sword and starts climbing down by putting his weapon in the grooves he¡¯d already made. ¡°What happened?¡± I ask, walking up to him, favouring my left leg. He was red-faced and covered in frost from what I assume was frozen sweat. His arms also shook from exhaustion, especially his left one, and was that a bit of blood on his shirt? ¡°Nothing. Just putting in some divots for us to climb up.¡± I look at him skeptically but decide to let it go for now. ¡°Would you happen to have any spare bandages?¡± Letting out a grunt, he looks at the squirrels at the base of the tree. Is that a yes or no? Before I can ask he¡¯s eating some jerky and heading up the ice again. This time he goes up slower, but it¡¯s steadier. For whatever it¡¯s worth. After a bit, it¡¯s clear he¡¯s favouring his right arm. What happened? Stopping my thinking I head over to the squirrels before it¡¯s too late and we¡¯re sent into, well wherever it is you get dropped into. Would the ice wall eat Ismund to get him there? Would gravity increase? ¡­ Better not to find out. A few squirrels later, Ismund¡¯s reached the top. Better get this one early. I kill one of the walnut lovers early and It¡¯s revealed to be a bad move. WHY! Running for my life I hold each of my knives and make a grand escape towards the ice wall before they reach me. After I get about three feet off the ground all of the squirrels disengage and head for the trees. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Also, what do I do now? Looking around me I figure I¡¯ll try to climb. Breaking out in a nervous sweat, I accidentally attach my hands to the knives from my clammy hands freezing over. Dang it! I guess I¡¯m locked in. Slowly, and carefully I climb up the waterfall, using my feat to help wherever possible. About a third of the way up I find myself too exhausted to go any further. After heaving out a few breaths I ask, ¡°What do I do?¡± ¡°Just deal with it. let your arms go slack, bones are stronger than muscles. Use your legs as much as possible too. ¡± Bombs Away! ¡°Where am I supposed to put my feet on ice? It¡¯s all slippery!¡±, I yell up to him. Ugh, I wish he¡¯d be more helpful. I slacken my arms, as advised, and it helps. However, after a few minutes, my grip strength starts to give out. Wait, a few minutes means- The wall in front of me disappears and sucks me in. Well, I guess I know what would¡¯ve happened now. Landing roughly on the snowy ground, I look around. I can see a large artificial glowing light at the top of the tall cavern. Around me, there¡¯s a variety of nut trees including coconuts and walnuts. Between the bushes, I could see small figures scampering along the tree limbs. I guess it¡¯s kind of like, well the room we were in, except now, we can also go up the trees. Looking between myself and the trees I shake my head. Climbing would be clunky at best. Apparently, like everything in this dungeon, it¡¯s not my strong suit. Stuffing my butter knife in my pocket I switch hands with my Bowie. ¡°Alright! What should I do?¡± ¡°Kill the squirrels.¡± ¡°Is there anything else?¡± In answer, Ismund runs off into the trees followed by the sound of screeches and thinks. ¡°Alrighty then¡­¡± I mumble nervously. Looking around for something relatively easy I find explosive walnuts being hurled my way. ¡°Crap!¡± Running with all of my might I pump one leg after the other pushing off of and pulling myself forward with whatever I can get my hands on. Almost there! After a few minutes or so I end up at the edge of the cavern and meet up with the big stone wall. Now I can be backed into a corner but not surrounded. Perfect? Re-assessing my surroundings again I find a lone squirrel on a branch I can sneak up on. Hunching up my shoulders and lifting one foot after another I do what I¡¯ve seen in many movies and hope it works. Tip toe, tip toe¡­ wait, does this ever actually work? Before I can finish my thought the creature looks in my direction in answer. Hardening my features I sprint forward with my knife held in front of me. The branch is way above my head. Jumping up I grab the branch, pull it down, and let go letting it fling the squirrel in the air. Where¡¯s it going to land? Looking into the sky I can¡¯t find it among all the other branches and leaves. Oh well, I guess maybe I¡¯ll find its shadow on the ground. Quickly setting my gaze across the ground I find a familiar monster hurling itself towards me. I guess it didn¡¯t go all that high. Don¡¯t worry it¡¯s just like those rabbits from before, right? I can handle one. Before it can climb up my leg I kick it into a tree. Well, it grazes it more like. But those are just details. Before I can deal with it all the way I hear¡­ ringing in my ear along with nut shrapnel hitting the side of my face. Gosh. Stolen story; please report. looking up I can see what must be a poop-eating grin on the monster¡¯s face as it glides past me and lands on another tree. Right the other squirrel. Looking back to where I kicked It I can¡¯t find anything. Darn it! Where¡¯d it go? Looking around I spot its body on a low-hanging branch above me. Its claws were straining to hold a large coconut. I Kicked myself off to the side I barely dodged the incoming nut, which fortunately didn¡¯t explode, but left a large crater in the ground along with a plume of dust. The coconuts didn¡¯t explode but somehow the squirrels were able to hold them despite their weight and throw them with incredible speed. Spinning around I jump up and yank it down by the tail. Pinning it down with my boot I get hit by another exploding walnut on my back. I¡¯ll get this one first, otherwise I¡¯ll have two on me. Wincing, I pull my blade back and then chop its shrieking head off in two heavy blows. I guess I¡¯m getting used to it. Wish I didn¡¯t have to though. Looking around for that other squirrel with the walnut I spot Ismund and wave. ¡°Oh, hey! How¡¯s, um, it going?¡± Before he can react I feel a stinging sensation on the side of my head along with a force flinging me to the ground. Ringing fills my ears and my vision starts darkening around the edges until there¡¯s nothing left¡­ * * * ISMUND Before I can talk to her she¡¯s a heap on the ground with a coconut rolling away from her. Ah, should¡¯ve expected that. Lightly jogging forward I grab a branch swing up onto the branch and slice the monster across the neck. Sitting down I thought for a moment. What to do. I could drag her along, leave her here under some snow¡­ I take off my backpack and glance between Drifa and the volume of it for a moment before shaking my head in dissatisfaction. Ah well, worth a shot. Pulling the tent gear out of my pack instead, I weave the thin rope between the holes in it and tie either end to a firm stick so that it looks something like a sled I could pull. Pulling it forward a bit to test it I find that the string pulls tight and seals off the top of the ¡®sled¡¯ like a drawstring bag. Shrugging I leave the bag/sled on the ground and get the other monsters in the area. Running forward I jump off of a tree trunk and find a perch on a large branch. Standing up lightly I take a look around for any squirrels in the area. With my enhanced vision I quickly find another squirrel, with its cheeks full. That¡¯s new. Swinging myself towards it with another branch overhead I smash my pommel into its face making it spit out a bunch of small seeds. Grabbing its corpse I head towards another squirrel with its face full of seeds. Before I¡¯m very close it spits seeds at me. They don¡¯t do much damage but they did sting. The weird thing was, that the seeds seemed to do more damage over time. Now they were starting to get lodged into my skin and stick there. Growling, I throw the dead body at it as a distraction, close the distance, and decapitate it. Got you. Climbing up to the top of the tree I slash a few unsuspecting throats in the process. Seems like they¡¯re spreading out. Earlier they were swarming around the centre, but now that nobody¡¯s there¡­ Looking back towards the sled thing I made I let out a sigh. She could¡¯ve just followed me like usual. Then we wouldn¡¯t have this mess. Well maybe this is more efficient, I don¡¯t have to worry about any distractions other than occasionally dragging her. Scampering down and jumping off of the tree I finish it with a roll and a slice to the squirrel that seemed to think that Drifa was a good target. Looking up from the blood spray I drag the bag towards around the border we were at. Well, I mean, she is a good target. All they have to do is hope that I¡¯m not paying attention. Shrugging, I carry on. After doing a few laps around the outside I work myself back into the centre of the cavern. Rolling my shoulders and cracking my neck I get ready for the rest of them to come at me. Here¡¯s the last of ¡®em. At least it¡¯s gone better than the other times.
[Rebooting¡­]
About time. Although, I don¡¯t know how long it should take. Brushing off the thought I fling myself up a tree and grab a coconut out of a squirrel¡¯s hands putting it in my inventory for later. She¡¯s complaining about the food all the time, may as well see what she can do with this. Putting my sword away after a cut to its throat I decide to just use my bare hands so I can have more mobility and just focus my concentration on the monsters instead of when to switch my blade into my hand. As a bonus, I could also work on getting more comfortable with using hand-to-hand combat without much of a threat. Granted this is more bullying than anything else. I give myself a grin from that. Kicking off of another branch I grab another monster and slam its skull into one of its brethren. I like that move Grabbing another branch I pull myself onto another tree. Let¡¯s see¡­ I think there¡¯s probably four more. Nodding to myself I step up a few more branches, dodge an incoming coconut and crack the neck of the monster responsible. Another one flew above me spitting out seeds in rapid succession. They were hitting me but a few more seconds wouldn¡¯t do much damage yet. At least the squirrels were limited to more gliding than flying. Jumping forward I find that it¡¯s a tad out of reach causing me to fall unceremoniously without my prize. Rolling to keep the sting of the fall to a minimum I find that another coconut¡¯s hit my ribs. ¡°Ugh!¡± Stumbling to the side I look for the portraiture only to find empty space. Shouldn¡¯t have gotten so confident, eh? Letting out a disappointed sigh I reassess my surroundings. Well, there¡¯s the gliding one with seeds somewhere. The coconut one can¡¯t be too far¡­ the other three I think I saw aren¡¯t in sight. None of them are. Oh, well. After giving myself a sarcastic smile, I let it go slack with concentration again. They could really be anywhere since it¡¯s pretty large in here. That said, they probably want to be close to what they want to kill. Climbing up another tree to scout I notice that it¡¯s stripped of all of its previous¡­ well I guess weapons. Looking around I can say the same for most of the others. They¡¯re probably where the ammo¡¯s at. In which case, it¡¯s probably fine to leave Drifa here. Spotting a large tree covered in ripe produce a little distance from me I decide to wait there until the monsters decide to come over. After all, it would be a perfect spot for them. Prey, ammo, and trees for cover. The only problem is that they don¡¯t have a shot either way, but they don¡¯t seem to care about that part. So, it¡¯s perfect for them. I¡¯ll wait for them to come to me. And fortunately, that doesn¡¯t seem to take long. As I¡¯m charged by five at once. I missed one. Taking cover behind the tree I hear a large thunk and reverberation hit the tree. Looking around would probably give the seed one a good shot¡­ I¡¯ll only be a little brash. Dropping down I swing from the branch I was crouched on and latch onto another ahead of me with a squirrel tail pinned underneath my grip. Pulling myself up I release my pin giving the beast an opening. Rushing up my arm it managed to get to my shoulder where I ripped it off before it tore my neck open. Throwing it against the tree I head towards the squirrel with the coconut. Dropping down another level I grab its hind legs and smash it into a tree a few times until I¡¯m sure it¡¯s dead with a red streak already starting to rot on the tree. Stepping up a few branches I¡¯m hit by three explosive walnuts at once making me lose balance. Before I hit the ground I manage to get hold of a tree limb with my better hand. I guess this is a walnut tree. Makes sense why there¡¯s so many. Making my way to the top of the tree again I¡¯m Hit by a walnut on the hand. ¡°Gosh.¡± Spotting the squirrel, I head in its direction. Unlike other parts of this dungeon, or just other dungeons in general, it didn¡¯t charge at me so it could use its distance as an advantage. It¡¯s playing smarter, I¡¯ll give it that much. Despite its crafty nature, I caught it in the end and snapped its neck. Three down, two to go. Hearing a whistling sound, I look up to find another walnut heading in my direction. Giving it an unimpressed frown I jump up and summon my sword last second allowing me to skewer it. Gotcha! Letting myself hit the ground I let out a sigh of relief as I find myself back to square one in the room with the waterfall. Done. Retry Looking behind me I can see that Drifa was here too. Good. Looking at the squirrels that were already climbing up the trees I take one and cut it. Unlike Drifa, however, I didn¡¯t kill it to avoid enraging all the other beasts. I can probably wait here while I wait for her to wake up. Not a chance I¡¯m pulling her up the waterfall while I¡¯m climbing. The thing is, I doubt she can get up there by herself. There¡¯ll have to be some sort of compromise where I help her while she isn¡¯t a dead weight. Glancing back over to her I shake my head. Why didn¡¯t she just follow me? She didn¡¯t really do anything except get concussed. Scowling I rough my hair and stand up only to be given the notification I¡¯d been waiting for.
[¡­ Reboot complete. The System is back online due to Dungeons Fishin¡¯, Tipsy, and Apple Orchid being cleared. The System will be restricted to minimal functions to prevent malfunction from occurring again until further notice. All functions will go back online again once there is enough energy to stabilize while all functions are active.]
So which functions are considered unnecessary?
[You may now enjoy your rewards!] [You¡¯ve gained the trait, [Light Sleeper]] [Body:D+ (401/500)->(409/500)]
System, What functions are shut down? Doing some testing I found I could once again open up my status as usual, which was something I was thankful to have back. Not that I¡¯d admit that. However, the System wouldn¡¯t answer any other questions so I just had to assume that it was down for whatever reason. So I guess it won¡¯t talk. That¡¯s ¡­ inconvenient to say the least. Usually, this is sent to all users. So, why didn¡¯t it say so? Maybe it¡¯s the equivalent of a human being groggy when they wake up? I¡¯m not too sure about that but I can¡¯t know for certain. Sighing I shew the thought away. Well, I should at least be happy about improving, right? Nodding I give a wan smile. * * * DRIFA Waking up groggily I take a look around finding myself back in the fight room. Ismund seemed sour and was looking down at me. Where am I? And why is he so grumpy? Never mind, he usually is. Shifting around I hear a crinkle sound underneath me. Odd, oh. looking down I find I¡¯m in his tent tarp all wrapped up. Flushing at my predicament, I awkwardly pulled myself out of whatever it was he had me in. Unfortunately, all the jostling hurt. In any case, I was out of the trap room, so that¡¯s all that mattered in the end. Hopefully, I don¡¯t have any head trauma. Erm, permanent damage from the coconut. I¡¯ll have a bruise for sure though.
[User Drifa will not have any permanent damage. There will be temporary pain and loss of focus. However, it is recommended that you avoid being concussed. One method would be not waving during battle.]
I frowned at the notification for only a second before I realized something. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. It¡¯s working again!
[It is advised that you read the updates.]
I stood still for a second or two reading about how I was able to use functions as usual due to some other dungeons being cleared. I smiled warmly at the reassurance. We¡¯re not alone. There was another notification that made me happy.
[Body:D (251/500)->(264/500)]
Today¡¯s a good day! I even managed to kill one monster during an actual battle instead of passively killing them when they weren¡¯t bothering me or had just spawned. Looking over to a confused and unhappy Ismund I re-affirm my thought. I¡¯m helpful! Looking back at the bag I was in my smile falters. Seemingly tired of my antics Ismund asks, ¡°What are you so happy about? The System might be back, sure, but it isn¡¯t running nearly as well as it should. On top of that, we have to redo this whole room.¡± Wow, I don¡¯t know that he¡¯s ever really said that much to me outside of an argument. And what does he mean by that¡­ ¡°The System said it¡¯s back up to 100% though. What do you mean? I gue-¡±
[To save on energy user Ismund is unable to speak to me as usual.]
Trying to suppress a laugh I shake my head to his dismay. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Oh, well¡­ " I start. Should I tell him? ¡°I¡¯m able to use the System as usual and talk to it.¡± This is a way I can help! And as I get to know him better I¡¯ll find more ways to help. I smiled again. Letting out a strained smile of his own Ismund spoke through his teeth, ¡°Well you seem to be in a good mood don¡¯t you? How about we get this room over with so we don¡¯t go into a pit again?¡± Tilting his head he purses his lips and turns towards the waterfall. Well, it¡¯s so nice to travel with a peachy little cupcake. I had to admit, I was a little hurt by what he said. ¡°So, how are we going to go up, it didn¡¯t go so wel-¡± Snapping a toothpick he replaces it with another. ¡°I have a plan! So leave it,¡± he says the second part seriously in a low voice. Scratching the back of my neck nervously I comment, ¡°Okay, sheesh!¡± Not saying a word, Ismund snaps the neck of the squirrel he was holding to grab another three. ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡± Grunting he takes a spare string from his clothes and ties up two of the squirrels¡¯ hands and feet, placing the raging critters on the ground for now. He hands one to me, much to my dismay. Finally, He begins climbing the waterfall for the next few minutes. Shrugging to myself I cut the squirrel. I don¡¯t see how this is much different than last time. Also, it was much easier to kill these when they were actively trying to rip my face off¡­ I have more time to dwell on it when I do it like this¡­ A few slices later I cheer myself up. He¡¯s right. They¡¯re just monsters anyway. That¡¯s right¡­ monsters that tear families apart when the dungeons incentive sacrifices. Face crumpling up in frustration I cut it earlier than usual. I won¡¯t hurt things when I¡¯m frustrated for revenge on a normal basis or anything. But this will count as a change in my mindset. Hopefully, I remember and it stays that way. ¡°Hey, you listening?¡± l look up at him confused. When did he get here? ¡°What?¡± Sighing in annoyance he pinches the bridge of his nose. ¡°I said, start climbing. I¡¯ll be behind you. You can¡­,¡± He sighs, ¡°You can put your feet on my shoulders. I don¡¯t know that you can get up otherwise.¡± ¡°Hey!-¡± Before I can say anything further he gives me a withering glare. ¡°¡­ fine.¡± Before I start climbing I watch Ismund grab the bound squirrels and feed the belt underneath the knot that held all their limbs together. Satisfied with his monster baggage he grabbed another squirrel amputated all of its limbs and bit down on the torso of the thrashing monster. Looking back at me with some blood dribbling down his chin, he waves me forward. Paling at the display, I spit on the handles of my knives so they freeze to me for extra grip. He¡¯s going to answer some questions. Pulling myself up a few feet I find that it¡¯s a little easier than before. Maybe it¡¯s from those boosts the System gave me when it came back? Not sparing the energy to quirk my head I strain to pull myself up to another one of the holes Ismund made during his first climb. ¡°How long till you can help me?¡± ¡°Mphrphm.¡± Right, squirrel mouth. Kicking myself for forgetting that so easily, I keep straining to get higher and higher. After a while, my palms grow slick with sweat which, fortunately, seals my hands to my handles further. How¡¯ll I let go of them? hmm¡­ that¡¯s a future me problem. Swinging my legs back and forth to get some momentum while I¡¯m climbing up I hit something hard on my second pass. "MRmMMPhpRHPr!" ¡°Sorry!¡± I guess I can put my feet on his shoulders now¡­ Heh. Uhm, hopefully, he isn¡¯t too mad. Feeling around with my boots at first I find something that feels rather stable, but when I try to put weight on it, it seems rather round and hard¡­ "Mrph!¡± Oops. That¡¯s uhm, that¡¯s his head. Laughing nervously I finally have my feet land on his shoulders. I had to admit, it did help quite a bit when he let me push off of him a bit while I was climbing. It was good thinking on his part. A few minutes of climbing later my arms felt quite sore despite the extra help. Time to test how frozen they are. Spitting on my hands a few times as an extra precaution I let my arms go slack and release my grip. Phew! Thankfully it held and I yelled down to Ismund, ¡°I¡¯m taking a break! My hands are frozen to my knives so I don¡¯t have to hold on or anything! You should try it!¡± All I got was silence and the pressure from underneath my feet going away. Hopefully, he finds it helpful. Not a moment later did some squirrels think that now was a good time to start bombing us again. It certainly made the climb harder but after some more time went by, along with a couple of breaks, and Ismund switching out his dead-mouth squirrel for a new one we got to the top. We had a few cuts and surprises thanks to the explosive walnuts but we didn¡¯t have to deal with any coconuts for some reason.
[That would be because only the trap room had coconuts. Fight rooms develop in difficulty over time. This room has not yet matured enough to allow coconut trees.]
Interesting. Well, that¡¯s good news for the upcoming room¡­ if there is one. I¡¯ll ask Ismund once we reach the top. We¡¯re almost there, I can taste it. Sticking my knives onto the level ice on top of the waterfall I give Ismund a warning, ¡°I¡¯m gonna jump so I can get up all the way!¡± Before he can protest, I push up with only the force necessary, (which was admittedly, quite a bit) and squirm until I¡¯m at the top all the way. Looking down at Ismund my heart drops. The poor man¡­ His hair was a mess, probably thanks to me, there were matted fur chunks stuck to everything. He had some dried blood stuck to most of his face, not to mention his neck and tunic. His face was, to say the least, frazzled grumpy and tired-looking, it also seemed that one of his eyelids had gained a twitch¡­ It¡¯ll be fine. Looking up at me his eyes grew into slits. Small Platform Giving him an awkward smile, I reach out with my hand, offering to help pull him up. Stretching his arm forward he stabs his sword onto the top of the waterfall, pulls himself up, and puts his sword away. Looking my way he gives me a shooing gesture. I scoot over to make some room. There isn¡¯t a whole lot of room on here. And I¡¯m not going to the ledge. It¡¯s all icy. The space on the top of the waterfall in front of the doors was enough for me to lie down. Nothing more, nothing less. Hopefully, I didn¡¯t hit him too hard. I¡¯d rather not give him bruises. Looking back towards Ismund I find him looking quite cross. His bloody features were all scrunched up and he absentmindedly broke toothpicks while staring away from the door. Alrighty then¡­ ¡°So¡­¡±, I start, ¡°How¡¯re we going to kill the squirrels now?¡± In answer, he stopped what he was doing, looked toward me and then up to a squirrel coming to bomb us again. Standing up his sword appeared and flashed towards the squirrel. Whap! The squirrel fell onto our platform its throat bulging in rage. Running towards Ismund it cocked its arm back and threw the nut at him. It hit his chin drawing a little bit of blood and creating a few scratch marks. Before it could latch onto him he pinned it with his foot and cut one of its ears off. After hitting the squirrel with the pommel of his blade, he took its unconscious body and tied it up. His eyes unfocused for a second until he let out a frustrated grunt. ¡°Tell me once it¡¯s been two minutes¡­¡± Looking back to the knife I was holding he shook his head, ¡°Actually,¡± Taking the tied-up squirrel he slides it across the ice over to me. Okay then¡­ System, can you give me a timer that¡¯s a minute and fifty long? And do all the resetting things?
[Affirmative.]
Leaning against the closed doors behind me I think about- Ismund reached out and roughly pushed me off of the doors. ¡°Don¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°Why?¡± He looked at me as if it were obvious, ¡°The doors could open. And then boom we¡¯re stuck in a hoard of monsters!¡± Shaking his head he went back to, whatever he was doing. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Okay then¡­ Resituating myself I lean my elbows on my pants. You know, Ismund isn¡¯t very good at cooking. At least from what I¡¯ve seen so far. Maybe it was just the lack of ingredients he had available when he made the soup but¡­ he seemed so happy with himself. I¡¯ll have to find out more to know for sure but, maybe I can help by cooking decent food? I nodded to myself enjoying the Idea. ¡°What¡¯s your favourite food?¡± I sit awkwardly for a while.
[Timer has elapsed.]
Cutting into the rabbit I hear something quiet, ¡°¡­Meat.¡±
[Timer has been reset.]
I was thinking he wasn¡¯t going to say anything¡­ ¡°Can you say that again? I didn¡¯t quite hear you.¡± looking up from the carcass I see that he¡¯s frowning. ¡°Hey,-¡± Thinning his lips in agitation he turns even further away from me and occupies himself with his swords. What¡¯s got him so upset? Maybe he¡¯s just not in a conversational mood? Wait, he never is. Nevermind. Switching my hearing over to the different energies again. Listening to the different frequencies I find the snowflake I had already attached to earlier in my pocket. Found you! I was, thankfully, able to control it since I had put my own energy into it earlier. Or at least, that¡¯s what I¡¯m calling it. Maybe my energy signature? ¡­ Yeah, I like that. After a minute or so I was getting close to creating a spark again, only for another alarm to go off. Ugh, I was so close. Making a small incision on the squirrel I put my knife away. at this point, it was awake but couldn¡¯t really do much, tied up as it was. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get any real practice or progress in if I do it this way. ¡°Hey, Ismund. I can¡¯t hear you right now, but I can¡¯t make any progress while also keeping the timer in check. So, uh, here you go!¡± I slide the squirrel back over to him much to his dismay. Looking back towards me he frowns. Oh yeah, he doesn¡¯t have the timer to count down¡­ well, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll do fine. He¡¯s so uptight anyways. Focusing again I¡¯m able to make another spark, and after some careful manoeuvring¡­ it explodes again. Aw, man! I go through this for¡­ well long enough Ismund¡¯s on his second squirrel for cutting. It¡¯s hard to tell how much time has passed when everywhere has the same lighting. Anyways, I¡¯m eventually able to put my signature on another snowflake. Ahah! Now to control them both at once. Grinning like a mad scientist I move my new snowflake upwards and try to move the other one up, but as soon as I try the other one refuses to listen. I did this for a few minutes unsure as to what I should be doing differently. I need a break¡­ Scootching towards Ismund, who was in the process of cutting another squirrel, I wave to try to get his attention. Turning towards me with a blank expression he raises his eyebrows. I guess he¡¯s not as frustrated as before. But man, I can¡¯t wait till we can get a bath¡­ ¡°Could I have some jerky?¡± Nodding he hands me a piece. Oh right¡­ there¡¯s no snow to write on here. Wait, I''ve got an idea. Pulling out my bowie knife I scratch the alphabet into the ice. ¡°Ismund,¡± I point at the ice. Turning to me, he then looks at at the ice, and then back at me with the look of ¡®really?¡¯ on his face and proceeds to go back to sharpening his sword. I really thought he would care more¡­ ah, well. You win some you lose some. After finishing my Jerky I just sit for a bit and try to relax before going back to working with the snowflakes. Nah, I¡¯ll do the meat instead. ¡°Hey Ismund, could you lend me some more of that meat again?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Why not? It was fine before and it¡¯s better if we have some more food right?¡± He raised his eyebrows and plugged his nose while disbelievingly gesturing to the room we had. Right. Never mind. I wonder what would happen if it got on our clothes. Would it wash out? After clasping his scratched chin between his fingers he turns back towards me and gives me a thumbs. Pulling the bandana over his nose he throws some meat towards me. Okay, let¡¯s give it a shot! Like last time, I pulled each piece of the CM- Actually, shouldn¡¯t it just be Corrupt Energy, not Magic? Magic would probably mean it¡¯s doing something¡­ It¡¯s just making it gross. [Updating¡­] -CE out of the meat piece by piece by wrapping it up in some PE from the force field. You know since the energy is doing something¡­ would that mean I¡¯m doing magic? [Affirmative] I smiled happily at the thought. I¡¯m doing magic! With some renewed energy I got to cleaning out the meat again letting the gunk slide down the waterfall. It looked like blood, but if it was inky. As it slid down it also froze, and also unfortunately froze to the ground in front of me. The smell mostly went away once it was frozen, but any new stuff that was coming out of the pores would still smell rotten. My bandana was still set to my hearing but I had pulled it over my nose nonetheless. You need some protection after all. And you know, this was a bit faster than last time but I think I need to do something different¡­ ¡°Ismund!¡± Looking over to me he wearily accepted the meat and put it in his inventory. Phew, that¡­ took a while. I¡¯d best take a nap before we go to the next room. Will it be a boss room or a fight room? Ack, well best be prepared either way. Gripping my knife with one hand and plugging my nose with the other I hack the frozen grossness off of the ice. Pulling my blanket over myself I almost get ready to fall asleep until I¡¯m interrupted by tapping on the ice. ¡°What?¡± Gesturing at the ice he starts pointing at letters. So it was worth it after all! I mean it did fill time anyways, but still! ¡°Y, O, U, R,¡± He looked up at me then back to the ground, ¡°S, H, I, F, T¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Ignoring me he let his legs dangle off of the ledge so he could lay down properly to fall asleep with his cloak twisted around as a blanket. Ice Helmet ISMUND I feel something tapping on my arm, ¡°Your shift.¡± Sitting up straight I rub a bit of grime from my eyes and look over to where she¡¯s lying. Standing up I informed her, ¡°That¡¯s enough of a break, we¡¯re heading to the next room.¡± Drifa groaned, and rolled over, ¡°Just one more minute? Please?¡± I arched an unimpressed brow, ¡°No. We¡¯re leaving.¡± Frowning unhappily she rose to her feet. We only have so much time where we¡¯ll still have rations. She can clean some meat sure, but we also need food for when we go back, and I don¡¯t know that she¡¯ll be quick enough. I¡¯ll also need some money if we¡¯re going to get more rations. Pelt¡¯s seemed acceptable, bone would probably work too. I¡¯ll worry about that after I fight the boss, there should be plenty of materials. The problem will more or less be getting the materials before our time runs out¡­ Pulling out both of my swords I test my range of motion. Okay, great. My other arm wasn¡¯t doing so good. But I think I¡¯ll be fine now¡­ it stings still and it¡¯s kind of open but that¡¯s fine. But soon here I¡¯ll need to take the stitching out. Looking over at Drifa I could see that her knives were in her hands. Looking back towards the door, I run through it. ¡°Give me more warning next time!¡± I already told you we were leaving. I try to keep my pace slow enough she can catch up¡­ but even with her improvement, it¡¯s not enough. She¡¯d better get there. Teleporting one of my swords into my inventory I grab her wrist and pull her forward. I should probably grab a few fresh monsters for slicing if I can. A rabbit got close to my feet and I kicked it ahead of me. ¡°It might be a boss room.¡± Drifa huffed, but managed to talk a bit between breaths, ¡°It¡¯s,¡­ not¡­,¡± she took in another big gulp of air, ¡°System says¡­ the energy concentration isn¡¯t high enough¡­ but we¡¯ll be there soon.¡± Bending down I scooped the rabbit I had kicked ahead of us and threw it further so it hit the wooden door. Wabump! I¡¯ll probably want another one. It might be like the first room. Slowing down a bit, I slice another rabbit out of the air before grabbing another one¡¯s arm and throwing it next to the other dazed monster. Removing my other sword I give Drifa a hard tug so she¡¯s in front of me. ¡°Agck! What was that for?¡± ¡°Open the door!¡± I wasn¡¯t in the room yet and I could feel the blast coming from it. Scooping the bodies from in front of the door, I made one final leap forward. Okay, done. Now that I was in the room itself I could feel the powerful gusts of wind that was making water fly up from between the icebergs on the ocean and freeze to whatever it hit. Drifa¡¯s hair had more frost stuck to it than usual and seemed¡­ stiff, to say the least. ¡°Hold this.¡± Drifa walked over to grab one of the monsters in my grip but her foot slipped from underneath her. ¡°Umph!¡± Falling down in front of me she tries to push herself up a several times while sliding before she gets up, causing me to frown. Oh boy. Doesn¡¯t spell out an easy time getting across. We¡¯re not even on the moving ice yet. Flushing self-consciously she took the creature from my hand careful to avoid its hind legs and face. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve got it now.¡± You sure do. Finishing tying the two rabbits up and onto my belt. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving.¡± Drifa looked forward then turned back towards me, ¡°Can you go first so you can show me how to do it properly?¡± I frowned, disgruntled. I¡¯m not really a fan of frozen bodies of water, getting frozen and all that. But¡­ If I¡¯m not able to get across then I don¡¯t think it¡¯s even possible for her to. Giving myself a mental shrug I head forward and take a jump across, careful with my timing. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Tha, thump. Turning around I wave her forward. C¡¯mon already. The longer we¡¯re out here it¡¯s more likely we¡¯ll fall in. Drifa backed away from the edge while shaking her flushed face while wringing her hands. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know that I can do it. I¡¯ll j-just wait till it gets closer to here. The gap is larger than me! How am I supposed to get over there there?¡± She looked up at me pleadingly for a moment. ¡°No, get across. You just have to jump. It¡¯s more likely that I¡¯ll drift further away from you. Not closer.¡± She started to sniffle, ¡°Well¡­ you¡¯re taller than me so comparatively this is smaller to you than me!¡± I let out a breath and pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°That doesn¡¯t change that you need to get across. Move it. I¡¯m not gonna¡¯ wait here all day.¡± Instead of doing anything helpful or productive she backed away from the edge and sat down, holding her legs. Snapping the toothpick in my mouth I grabbed a new one. I guess I¡¯m going to be fixing this. Letting out a breath of annoyance I leap back to where she is and grab her wrist and pull her up while she tugged back uselessly. ¡°You¡¯re going to be doing this sooner or later anyways. I can¡¯t imagine that you¡¯re planning on going back there?¡±, I said pointing back to the monsters running into the forcefield separating rooms. She shook her head. ¡°So then what¡¯s the plan? Sit here and die because you were a coward who couldn¡¯t jump?¡± She didn¡¯t nod, but she didn¡¯t disagree either as she stood still trying to drop back to the ground. Which I tugged back up firmly with ill-disguised frustration leaking from my voice. ¡°Well how about this. Would you rather know for certain you¡¯ll die or have a chance?¡± After a few moments she finally croaked out, ¡°A chance,¡­ I¡¯m staying here.¡± Face palming I pull her closer to the edge, ¡°That¡¯s stupid. Come on.¡± ¡°Aah! What are you doing?¡± ¡°Jump.¡± With her wrist in tow, I ran to the edge of the ice we were standing on and jumped with a clean landing on my part. Drifa, on the other hand, had her toe nick the water before landing a bit shakily, and the water quickly froze, giving her boot a very strong toe. I let go of her wrist. ¡°Next one. The room¡¯s pretty new, so it¡¯s short.¡± She seemed distracted from the situation for a moment. ¡°How¡¯d you know that?¡± I pointed at the exit, ¡°Old rooms are harder. If this was older the room would be longer. We¡¯re only a few icebergs away.¡± Drifa looked around wearily, ¡°There¡¯s some rabbits, um, monsters coming closer from the edges of the room.¡± She¡¯s learning. ¡°I know.¡± She looked up at me worriedly. ¡°They¡¯re so far away. How are we going to kill one of them in time?!¡± I lazily gestured to one of the screaming rabbits I had just cut that was dangling from my belt. ¡°Oh.¡± Before she could start talking more and go on one of her rants, I ran to another glacier. And the next, and the next. As I¡¯m jumping across the pieces of ice I find myself occasionally stabbing my swords into the ground to stabilize myself when a large wave crashes. Unfortunately, that meant that my clothes were getting stiff with all fo the ice coating it. Clomp. Fshhh, shh, shh. Clunt. Fshhh, sh. Good, She¡¯s following. A bit slow. I stand where I¡¯m at for a while waiting for her to catch up while keeping my balance as the waves rocked my chunk of floating ice. While I¡¯m waiting I hear some rapid staps coming from the side. Turning around I see the crazed face of another monster. It looked like a snowshoe hare wearing¡­ snowshoes. The only reason it didn¡¯t slide was because there were some metal grooves on the bottom of the shoes. As I¡¯m sizing up my approach a large wave hits my piece of ice. FOOOOM! ¡°Ung.¡± Recovering from the initial hit, I whip out my swords and stab both of them in front of me as I go up and up with the glacier till I¡¯m looking up at the dungeon¡¯s ¡®sky¡¯ with a sense of weightlessness overcoming me as my legs dangle below. Is it going to flip? Thankfully, I felt the wind blast against my face as my iceberg slapped back down into some waves below me, creating some massive ripples that were swarming away from me causing some smaller chunks of ice to buck and sway. ¡°Okay we¡¯r-¡± The monster from earlier figured this was a good time as any to jump onto my teetering piece of ¡®land¡¯. It was above me with its mouth wide open, almost smiling, revealing its many horrible teeth and its eyes were wide and bugging out of its head with anticipation. Unfortunately for the creature, it had its arms outstretched leaving its chest completely exposed. Unsummoning my sword from the ice, I lift my hand and resummon it into its chest causing some blood to leak onto my face and freeze. Gross. I guess I won¡¯t be able to keep it for the trap but¡­ Pulling the snowshoes off of its feet I compare it to my own feet. Too small. Looking behind me I can see Drifa one iceberg away from me clutching onto her knife that was gouged into the ice for dear life. After a few moments, she seemed to think that it had settled down enough. And looked over at me as I peeled some of the blood from my face. Hurry up. As if she could hear what I was thinking, she sized up the iceberg I was on and jumped. When she landed the mass of flat ice bucked a bit and she fell on her side when she landed. But, other than that, she was fine. ¡°Try these on.¡±I handed her the grippy snowshoes. After a moment of examining them, she nodded and slid them over her boots. It was a good fit. Looking back at me she squinted. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you keep them? Faulty?¡± My mouth thinned. Looking back at my feet and then to her own she sat for a moment processing before exclaiming, ¡°Oh!¡± Rolling my eyes I put my swords away and jump to the next platform. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m pretty good at this now!¡±, I hear from behind me. I¡¯m sure you are. Taking a moment to pause I make another incision on a monster hanging from my belt. Taking advantage of my pause Drifa ran to the next platform which elicited a large crack sound. She looked confident but I could tell a lot of it was for show, probably to herself. I don¡¯t think she¡¯d turn around so quickly. I looked at the ice she was standing on, but I couldn¡¯t see any obvious breaks in it. I wonder what that was. Probably two ice bergs crashing together. Ignoring the noise, I jump across to where Drifa¡¯s standing. We¡¯re just one or two away from the exit. Instead of my decent stopping like usual when it hits the iceberg I continue my descent. Crap. Breathing out, I take a final gulp of air before I feel the water race into my shoes pants and shirt and around my face while it all almost freezes instantly upon contact. I cant breath. It was fine when I was frozen in water before because it froze me as well. But now I¡¯m just stuck. Before I was sure I was just going to be stuck in the dungeon I could feel that I was being tugged up from my feet. My eyes were open but all I could see was the dark ocean below me. Health status.
[Suffocating.] [Estimated time remaining before loss of consciousness: 1:54 sec¡­ 1:53 sec]
Should¡¯ve been more observant. After a few more moments I could see the edge of the glacier and then finally the ground until I was flipped over. My lungs were burning and I wanted to take in a slug of air so bad. She should¡¯ve been more careful when she jumped across, or warned me if she saw the crack. She¡¯s so inept! No¡­ ugh, I shouldn¡¯t be blaming her. I did this to myself. Chances are she didn¡¯t even hear the ice crack. I¡¯m the one¡­ at fault. Thankfully the ice wasn¡¯t that thick, it seemed like she could probably break through. Probably. In my periphery, I could see her pulling out her knife in one of her hands, the other one was¡­ frozen to the ice surrounding my elbow. Bringing her knife up she started to bring the pommel down to hit me until another large wave hit and rocked us. Instead, she stabbed into the ice beside her and held on. I could barely see her other arm that was stuck to me straining in obvious pain. After a moment the rocking subsided, her pupils constricted for a moment, and then she brought the knife towards my face as my vision was starting to get spotty. What are you doing?! You¡¯re just going to stab my face! Well, maybe I could breathe through a hole in my cheek¡­ I couldn¡¯t really see anything anymore, mostly just a haze of black with a few dull colours splashed in. It felt like I was spinning even though I knew I was mostly still.
[00:09 sec]
Clink!
[00:07 sec]
Clink! I felt something sharp nick the edge of my nose. Thankfully, the same thing gave me the sweet relief of oxygen.
[You are no longer suffocating.]
Thank goodness. Now what? Taking the pommel of her knife she hits it against my shin. No! You hit it against joints. That way I can move. Ugh. After a while she eventually got to my knee, but only after she got rid of most of the ice in the surrounding area. Sure hope that ¡®Help¡¯ title is working for her. Suddenly she went rigid, most likely from some sort of notification, and started hacking her hand free. Right. Don¡¯t want the trap to trigger. Looking around indecisively she quickly gouged her butterknife into the ground and tied her coat around its handle and onto my wrist in a quick n¡¯ sloppy knot. Whelp. I watched her jump away with her other knife brandished. Looking up at the sky was all I could do along with stretching my one free leg a bit, and occasionally using it to stabilize myself. A while later Drifa was back, breathless, and was tightly holding onto a the monster¡¯s long ears, she had apparently dunked the rest of its body into the water to make it immobile. ¡­ Smart. As another wave hit it completely loosened the knot that was holding onto me. Letting go of the monster she grabbed my frozen arm and pulled me back up. As we rocked back the other way my elbow slammed into her chin making her yelp afterwards. Looking to the side she spit out some blood and turned back towards me with intense concentration and a tear frozen to her face. She spent the next while hurriedly smashing the rest of the ice off of me. A short while later I was able to break myself free. Or, at least free enough that I could move. The ice sort of functioned as armour. Crappy armour, but still some protection. Hopefully, it doesn¡¯t get in the way of movement though. At least it was my bad shirt. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± Drifa chirped. ¡°Mmm.¡± Brushing off the ice on myself I eventually reached my hair and tried to get rid of it. It was unsuccessful, it was frozen solid. Drifa snorted, ¡°You have a helmet now.¡± Frowning, I glared at her. Not the time for theatrics. Breaking the monster corpses off of my belt I throw them into the water. We need to get more before the timer goes off. ¡°How much time do we have left?¡± Drifa was knocked back to her senses and belatedly told me, ¡°Fo-forty seconds.¡± Preperation I immediately tensed and flung my sight around the room we were in for something, anything I could kill. Far off and away from the exit I spotted some shape that was moving. Looking over my shoulder briefly, I told her, ¡°Go to the exit.¡±, and sprinted. I jumped from one glacier to the next kicking up little bits of broken ice in the process. The speck was slowly zooming into focus. Good it¡¯s not just more ice I was about thirteen glaciers away still. 29 seconds left,¡­ about. I did my best to pick up my speed by using any of the protruding irregularities in the ice I could grab and push myself off of. I don¡¯t know how well I could stop myself at this point even if I wanted. Well, maybe I could if I stabbed my sword in the ice. I was two glaciers away, and I didn¡¯t know how much time I had left. As I leapt across the water again I could see that a wave was breaking havoc on the floating ice the monster was sitting on. It was barely hanging on as it rocked from side to side. Almost¡­ Taking one final leap I slid on my stomach and got there just in time. Reaching out with my sword I managed to whack its head as it sunk into the icy water. This, unfortunately, coated my sword in ice. Right. I hit my sword against the ice I was standing on a few times until the ice cracked and slid off. ¡®Kay. Somewhere behind me, I could hear a snort making my mouth fall flat in irritation. Wait a second. Turning around I could see that she was, in fact, not at the exit like I told her. So, I shouted over my shoulder, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Following! I could¡¯ve found something before you maybe.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t. Head back.¡± ¡°What¡¯ll you do?¡± ¡°Catch a few rabbits.¡± ¡°But they¡¯re getting so close!¡± Ignoring her I ran towards the incoming hord. The front was more sparse since it only had the faster monsters. And, of course, those were the better monsters. I wonder if those are the original monsters. I¡¯d imagine that the copies of the monsters they make with the sacrifices would be weaker than the original ones. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Letting out a breath, I sped up. Reaching the edge of the hoard I felt something impact my back. Tensing my jaw in surprise I reached back and held it by its legs. Bending down I dipped its paws in the freezing water so it was bound and slid it onto my belt. I¡¯ll probably want two. We won¡¯t have the time for more than that. Another one lept up to eye level. I quickly grabbed it by the neck and smashed it against some ice, before letting it join the other one on my belt. Right, the next room is the boss. I¡¯ll ask the System about that. As I was sprinting back I could see that Drifa had headed back to the exit this time. But that meant she wasn¡¯t in shouting distance. There¡¯s got to be some way for me to go faster. If I don¡¯t outpace the rabbits then we won¡¯t get a break. I leapt from another iceberg. I suppose they are slippery. Maybe that isn¡¯t an issue though. As I landed again I tried to use the momentum to slide forward a bit. I¡¯m not sure that this is faster. My foot hit a piece of unlevel ice causing me to tumble. Crap. Quickly making it into a roll instead of falling flat on my face, I rightened myself. C¡¯mon, it¡¯s not the time for experimenting, Ismund. Ugh. I tried to make my steps a little slower so I could slide a bit between each stride. Well, I guess I did more experimenting. Sliding doesn¡¯t help. I jumped to another iceberg. Maybe the opposite ¡®ll help. I moved my feet quicker not letting them linger for a second more than they had to. I started to quickly pick up speed. I don¡¯t think I could stop if I wanted to at this point. At least without falling into the water somehow. Then I¡¯d better not mess up. Stay in control. I blocked out everything else and just narrowed my focus to each step. I wanted to look back, so bad. But that¡¯d waste time, and I could slip. I¡¯ll check once I reach the exit. At this point, I was about seven icebergs away from the exit and I think my hair probably would¡¯ve been pushed behind me if it weren¡¯t for it being frozen. I¡¯m glad I can¡¯t get a brain freeze, heh. I smirked a little before refocusing. My feet caught the edge of the iceberg and I leapt again, not a second to spare. I can probably talk to the System now. * * * DRIFA Ismund was closer but not quite here. He¡¯d graduated from looking like a colourful blob in my vision so that I could see his arms and legs pumping back and forth like pistons. He looks kinda funny. But he¡¯s outpaced the rabbits by a bit. You gotta give ¡®em that. ¡°I have questions. Tell me what the System says.¡± I smiled. I can do something he can¡¯t! ¡°Shoot!¡± ¡°Is the next room the boss chamber?¡± I relayed the question¡­
[This seems to be highly plausible due to the high energy concentration.]
¡­ And the answer back. Wait, at some point, I could probably figure this out myself!
[Affirmative.]
You¡¯re no fun.
[The System is not to be used for comical intentions, it was originally created to-]
Shaddup. ¡°How big is the room?¡±
[Large.]
Ismund grunted in agitation. Probably because it wasn¡¯t very specific. ¡°How many enemies are there?¡±
[Many, including the boss itself.]
¡°How difficult is the boss?¡±
[The difficulty fluxuates from user to user.]
What about for users Ismund and Drifa?
[It is recommended this dungeon is defeated with a party of five. This is mostly to speed the process of defeating the dungeon, however.]
¡°That¡¯s not a very good answer.¡± Could you be more specific?
[It is recommended this dungeon is defeated with a party of five. This is mostly to speed the process of defeating the dungeon, however.]
¡°It won¡¯t.¡± Ismund seemed to huff out a breath of agitation before shouting questions back at me. He was about four icebergs away now. So there was less yelling. But, it was certainly there. ¡°What¡¯s the terrain?¡±
[It is theorised that it¡¯s cold.]
¡°Of course it is Einstien. Are there any special conditions that can be met?¡± I pushed my eyebrows together, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Ismund took one last leap before landing where I was and looking over his shoulder with squinting eyes staring at the waves. After a few moments of silence, he turned back towards me. ¡°Sometimes there¡¯s a sort of unofficial trap in a boss room. Or at least it functions the same just potentially without the harmful side effects. If X happens then Y will happen.¡± ¡°Oh. Thanks!¡± I relayed the question to the System.
[It is possible. It is not unconfirmed.]
¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to watch for it then. I have a feeling that it¡¯ll be similar to what we have in the hallways.¡± My eyes widened. ¡°I just realized something! This¡¯ll be the last time I¡¯ll have to run down one of these stupid hallways! Yes!¡± I looked up to see what Ismund thought. He wasn¡¯t frowning. I¡¯ll count that as a win. ¡°Unless we have to go in this dungeon again later.¡± I slowly turned to face him fully. ¡°That¡¯s a possibility? I¡­ don¡¯t¡­ like the sound of that. I¡¯m tired of this dungeon.¡± Ismund didn¡¯t respond right away, he was staring at the water again. ¡°We have about thirty minutes I think.¡±
[Negative. The time numb trait is effecting Ismund. It is more likely to take approximately nineteen minutes and fifty seconds.]
I snorted. I didn¡¯t know he had that. I told him the time the System gave me, leaving the other bit out. He sat down, took one of the semi-frozen rabbits off of his belt, nicked it, and handed it to me. ¡°You have first shift. Ten minutes¡± Lying down on our stable piece of ice that was connected to the door, he put his head on his arm and summoned his cloak so he had a blanket. It was about as comfortable as you¡¯d get here. But, it didn¡¯t look great, to say the least. One Last Rabbit I¡¯m woken up by somebody shaking me, along with the familiar scent of iron. Looking up bleary-eyed I ask, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going into the boss¡¯s chamber. Ready?¡± I forgot about that¡­ is there any way out of it? I¡­ uhm, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m ready for this¡­ Noticing my hesitation, Ismund tells me, ¡°Well, if we don¡¯t move soon here we¡¯ll just die from the swarm. We¡¯re leaving. Just stay out of the way. Don¡¯t get involved, if possible.¡± Looking around wearily I finally notice how everything around me seems to have some sort of monster blood on it, including myself. Gross¡­ ah yeah. We should hurry. Oh, we¡¯re hurrying, I don¡¯t like that very much. I might die. Well, I guess I could¡¯ve died anywhere in this dungeon¡­ I¡¯ll just think of it like another fight room that has one big monster instead of a lot of monsters¡­ Ismund¡¯ll take care of it. Right? ¡°Stop procrastinating. We¡¯ve got to go!¡± ¡°Ah, Alright. Um,¡­ okay. Sorry.¡± Pushing myself up, I headed for the door. At least I feel refreshed¡­ I wonder how long I was asleep for. [User Drifa was asleep for approximat-] I don¡¯t want to know the answer to that! If I was asleep for five minutes or something but feel refreshed, it¡¯s probably in my head. I don¡¯t want any potential psychosomatic effects to go away. I¡¯m well rested, yeah. After I reached Ismund he swung the doors open and ran. Seeing that I wasn¡¯t nearly as tired as usual, it went well. Ismund chopped one that got too close. Other than that, I was able to keep up without help. That may¡¯ve been because Ismund wasn¡¯t bolting at full speed. But still. Ahead I saw a giant metal door. Different from the usual wooden doors or lack of doors existing. It had a giant rabbit face carved onto it. It was snarling with deep wrinkles lining the face. Two handles were in place of its buck teeth. Weird. Ismund nodded to himself flung the doors open leaping inside. I followed behind him and let the door close on the wave of rabbits behind me. Stilling my breathing I looked around. Everything was still, I would say silent, but¡­ that¡¯s always the case. Who knows, maybe it was really loud. Looking over to Ismund he was observing the surroundings as well. He was so tense. You could fool me into thinking he was a statue if it wasn¡¯t for his head darting around. Up and to the right of us there was a giant, and I mean giant boulder that was thrusting up and out of the ground. It must¡¯ve been a little over six times my height. Thing is, the ceiling made that look like a pebble. It must¡¯ve been like a hundred feet high, and it was decked out with giant icicles shaped like stalactites to boot. Forward and to the left there was a rickety wooden ladder and a platform. Next to me, there was a bucket full of snowballs too. I wonder what that¡¯s for.
[That¡¯s a special item that can be used to significantly hurt the mini rabbits that the System has sensed.]
My eyes widened and I grabbed the handle and lifted it off of the hook on the wall it was hanging from. I¡¯m keeping these. Ismund looked at me sharply and whispered, ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡± ¡°To kill tiny rabbits.¡± He looked around the empty room confused, ¡°Where?¡± That¡¯s a good question.
[A swarm of enemies is behind the large rock.]
I pointed at the rocks. He took a breath to say something, then stopped partway through. Maybe it¡¯ll just be a bunch of tiny rabbits? That¡¯d make things easier¡­ My breathing was starting to pick up. I don¡¯t think I can do this. I sucked on my teeth nervously while I fiddled with my sleeve. Ismund looked back at me. He seemed to have a plan of some sort. ¡°I¡¯m going to climb up that rock. You¡¯re going to act as bait so whatever¡¯s behind there will face away from me. Then, I¡¯ll get it from behind.¡± My face went pale and I felt shaky. Me? What no¡­ This can¡¯t be happening. I thought I¡¯d be able to sit back and just worry about not dying. Why¡­ WHY, is that the only plan he can think of? If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Although I was thinking a mile a minute, all I managed to do was step away from him and shake my head. He frowned at me as his toothpick snapped. ¡°This is the safest alternative. Not only for me but for you. If I charge right in without some advantage over something unknown, I don¡¯t have a very good chance. If I die, you¡¯ll probably follow me pretty quickly.¡± I can¡¯t really argue with that¡­ I just really hope he¡¯s right. Nodding robotically, I answer him. ¡°I-I-I¡¯m going to, uhm, make it so I can hear the energy frequencies instead of you¡­¡±
[Affirmative. User Drifa must wait twelve hours to change the settings again.]
I¡¯m okay with that. Ismund looked like he was going to say something again, stopped himself and thinned his mouth giving me a nod. Carefully creeping up I got to the side of the rocks. Looking to the side I could see that Ismund was already scaling them. Looking back at me he waved me forward with his hand. Alright¡­ Stepping out from the side I could see a massive ugly rabbit. Sitting it was probably seven feet tall. It had large jowls hanging from its face flopping from each sleepy breath it took. Unlike some of the other rabbits it wasn¡¯t missing patches of fur. Instead, It had probably two feet of tangled matted fur on it¡¯s back. Strangly enough, it was littered with large tunnels. Wherever the hair was sparser, you could see muscle bulging. In summary, It looked old, scary and gross. I guess I have to wake it up ¡°Hey! Over here! Wake up so we can kill you and stuff!¡± I¡¯ll admit my voice quavered, but not as much as some of the rocks around it as it looked up at me with its small beedy eyes. It opened its mouth revealing many partially rotted seraded teeth. They¡¯d probably get stuck in you if you got bit. Suddenly a few of its teeth were tilting forward and it¡¯s throat seemed to flex. I guess it¡¯s screaming back at me. Looking up I could see Ismund in position. This better work Taking a small jump forward, the Boss made the rocks he¡¯s standing on shift, making him lose his footing. Crap. He started falling only to catch himself on a ledge with one hand. Still, he wasn¡¯t in any position to sneak attack the monster. This is baaaad. I took a step back, the boss followed. But, instead of another small leap, it jumped high into the air, casting a shadow on me. I¡¯m dead. Time seemed to slow as I watched everything unfold, while I stood frozen. As it was falling I could see its back hair wriggle. To the right Ismund was ready again. It¡¯s probably too late. I covered my eyes with my hands. I felt something corse brush up against my left arm, followed by something hard hitting me in the gut and knocking the breath out of my lungs. I thought it¡¯d be heavier. My arms were stuck to my side so it was a bit difficult to uncover my side. Looking around I found Ismund on me, his elbow pushing down on my stomach. His sword was lodged into the boss¡¯s ribs as it leaked a thick dark red, almost black liquid. Well I¡¯m glad it¡¯s not the monster on me, but ow. ¡°Gah!¡± Ismund pushed my head back with his free hand to stand up. Why¡¯d you have to do it like that? Looking up again I found that Ismund was running behind the boss towards it¡¯s foot. As he was running over mini less-gross rabbits started coming out of their burrows, leaping towards me. Kicking myself backwards I grab the bucket I had dropped. I hope there¡¯s still something in here! As I threw my first snowball at one of the creatures I felt a vibration through the air. Looking to the side I could see that Ismund had cut the achilies of the monster¡¯s left foot. Yes! After the creature finished screaming it¡¯s head whipped around and it kicked Ismund with its other foot slamming him into the far wall. No! After throwing another snowball, I looked back at Ismund. He wasn¡¯t bleeding, but it looked like he was hurt. Probably hit by the pad of the monster¡¯s foot. Facing back at me the boss limped toward me. But, since it was so massive, it was still pretty quick. The mini-monsters were starting to swarm at my feet more now, so I tried stomping on them as I ran over to the rotted leader that collected to a tall wooden platform that was attached to the wall. The rabbits were kind-of slippery after you stepped on them, like an unpeeled banana, it came with the squish and everything. Although, since they were so lean, I could feel it¡¯s bones through my leather boot. I¡¯ve gotten better at killing these things!
[Negative. These are the weakest monsters the dungeon could reasonably make.]
Hey! Right before I make my way to the ladder I turn around to see where Ismund is. Is the rabbit eating him? No, the System would tell me. To my relief and horror, Ismund was climbing up the Boss¡¯s back using the tunnels as hand-holds. Grasping one of the many folds in it¡¯s nape he pulled himself up onto its neck. Making both swords appear in his hands he stabs them into the thick mass of hair and flesh below. The monster once again shrieked violently. ¡°Look out!¡± As he turned towards me the monster¡¯s good foot raked at the back of its neck trying to pull Ismund off. It only succeded part-way. Ismund¡¯s clothes were thoroughly ruined. Three long streaks of blood started pooling out of his back, shoulder, and left arm before quickly freezing over. Is he alright!? As Ismund tried to pull himself up all the way the blood-ice on his back cracked and stretched with a few crystals falling onto the ground or into the boss¡¯s messy fur. Can I heal him from here? I¡¯ve got to try! Uhm¡­ Pulling the two snowflakes out of my pocket I held them with my stiff hand, feeling as if I couldn¡¯t move without allot of effort. Flexing the energy inside the snowflake, I broke the frost shell and held onto the energy itself. I really want Ismund to not die and kill that¡­ Letting out a breath, I smushed the pieces of energy together. The energy isn¡¯t moving for some reason, it¡¯s like me, heh¡­ Coiling my hand back, I whip the energy forward like a bullet. I don¡¯t know that it¡¯ll do anything, but I can try¡­ shoot. As the energy got further away from me I lost my connection with it making me go pale. I can¡¯t control it and fix his wound¡­ it¡¯s just gone, I think. As the Monster was thrashing in pain it¡¯s head jerked into the way of the piece of energy flying forward. Oh, no. Maybe the energy ¡®ll explode or something? Quite the contrary happened. As it hit the monster¡¯s face, it¡¯s beady eye stopped moving properly, and it stopped its foot mid-swipe. Looking up it opened its mouth and hollered making some of the icicles on the ceiling shake and fall. What? Well, That¡¯s good I guess! lodging his feet into the monsters matted fur, Ismund pushed himself up and landed on it¡¯s head and straddled it with his legs to stay on. As his other arm hung limply he stabbed the eye I struck with the energy causing it to explode into frozen shards. I guess I froze it! As the boss shook it¡¯s back and forth ferociously Ismund was thrown off. I¡¯m gonna get out of here. Grasping the cold ladder next to me I climbed up, driving splinters into my hand. Looking to my left I saw a giant mallet attached to the wall. Quickly hurrying over to it I tried to pull it off.
[This Item will only be unlocked if you meet the special condition of this boss room.]
What? As I¡¯m distracted I feel the ground break from underneath me making me fall. My shoulder hits something sharp that gets lodged into my shoulder and I¡¯m overwhelmed by the horrible smell of rotting meat¡­ * * * ISMUND Looking up from the ground I saw the injured boss jump up, hit the rickety platform she was standing on, and swallow her before it tried to shriek, which it couldn¡¯t do quite right for some reason. My blood ran cold and I continued to ignore the damage notifications the System was sending my way. I could feel the searing pain well enough. ¡°No, no, this isn¡¯t happening.¡± Shaking my head I ran towards the now crazed boss to kill it. Maybe I still have time to get her out. The monster was writhing and thrashing on the ground as I ran up to it. Its back claws were digging at the holes I had made in its neck, making them larger. until it hit something hard it couldn¡¯t quite break through. Brining it¡¯s leg back again it slammed it into the ground and hit it hard THWUD! It then jumped onto it¡¯s back and twisted around crazed. ¡­ I¡¯m gonna kill it before it accidentally falls on me or something. As the monster thrashed around making a ruckus the vibrations met the ceiling and the giant icicles crashed down around me. Frick. To my right a large piece of ice fell. KrINk! The top of it was well over my head, but it was flat. I could probably stand on that. Pulling myself up the rocky surface to my left I climb a few feet and jump onto the flat, icy surface of the giant broken icicle. The boss had torn more of it¡¯s neck and was growing progressively frantic and was now gagging. Now¡¯s as good as ever! Jumping from the ice I landed on the boss¡¯s face and stabbed my sword straight through it¡¯s shattered eye, into its brain.
[The Boss has been defeated. You have one hour to leave before the dungeon is reset and the Boss is created again. Since you didn¡¯t activate the special trigger for this room you¡¯ve been awarded the achievement, [What Special Trigger?]]
[Would you like more infor-]
¡°Stop! Let me focus.¡± Still Alive Sprinting over to the boss¡¯s corpse I slice its belly open letting its organs spill out. They were steaming but had now quickly frozen over. After a couple seconds, I find the stomach and slice it open. Acid spilled everywhere and froze into a sickly waterfall. Busting it open further, I found nothing, just a few small bones. That couldn¡¯t have been her¡­ maybe she was stuck in it¡¯s throat. It did seem agitated. Reaching for the part of its neck that was already partially cut open, I wedge my sword in between the skin and the ice behind it. What is all of that? Did its saliva freeze over? Investigating further I hurriedly cut the skin all the way around its neck and through its spine until its head fell off unceremoniously. Inside, I found a dome of ice and a fuzzy image of something inside, making my heart race faster. That¡¯s got to be it! Looking around hurriedly for something to break it open I make my swords disappear and run over to grab a large rock from the pile nearby. After rummaging for a second I found one about as big as my head and grabbed it. She¡¯s probably suffocating. Heaving the rock over my head I swung it into the ice, my shoulders burning all the while. Whack! Clink! Crash! After a few more hits a large chunk of ice exploded and skidded across the ground freeing the side of her head. Almost there. Just try not to break her nose. I carefully chipped the ice off of her blue face so she could breathe again. C¡¯mon, c¡¯mon! Bringing my shaking hand below her nose I could feel a weak exhale. ¡®Kay¡­ right, I probably would¡¯ve gotten a notification if the contract was broken. I let out a breath I didn¡¯t realize I was holding and got rid of the rest of the ice around her and she lifelessly rolled out of the ball she was frozen in. Better work on the boss. [You have twenty-five minutes remaining before the dungeon re-makes itself and destroys you before you can exit.] Definitely one of the weaker dungeons. I think that¡¯s the shortest time it can give you. Simpler it is the less time it needs to remake itself and all that. Letting out a breath, I take a look around the dungeon. Probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to kill the boss if Drifa wasn¡¯t involved¡­ I grit my jaw Maybe I should do some training with her so she¡¯s spazzing a bit less¡­ I don¡¯t really want to, but it¡¯s worth a shot. She¡¯d probably die pretty quick in a boss fight otherwise. I snorted. Probably would¡¯ve if she didn¡¯t¡­ well freeze a two-foot ball of ice around herself somehow. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I sat in silence for a bit. Right¡­ I should check my notifications¡­ or not. I¡¯ll wait till I have more time. I don¡¯t know how many I have and I¡¯ve wasted enough time as is sitting here. Pulling myself together I start deconstructing the monster. Skinning it, de-boning it, de-clawing it, and removing some of the valuable organs and meat and storing it in my boz. Looking at the wall and the floor and I found two metal buckets. Probably worth something. Walking over, I grabbed them and stored them in my backpack. Pulling out my tarp sled thing I place Drifa in it and drag her over to the chest by the door. I wonder what¡¯s in there. It was made of wood with some copper edging. Its lock was the same as the boss door with a snarling rabbit head and teeth handles. I quickly opened it. CrEAk! The bottom of the chest was littered with coppers¡­ so not actually worth a whole lot, but it was something. Resting on the copper, there was a small clear gem, a cheap-looking white box labelled with a green cross, a small scroll, and some large leather boots. Dad said that dungeon items usually have some sort of magical property. The thing that makes them different from an artifact is that they only function if you¡¯ve been in a dungeon or near an excessive amount of corrupt energy recently. Or, depending on the magical object, they run out of charge¡¯s. Scooping up the items I place them in my box and backpack to look at later. Grabbing the strings of my makeshift sled I take one last look before heading out. The boss¡¯s dismantled body was in the corner, icicles were littering the ground and blood smeared across the place¡­ but everything was starting to dissolve.
[Five minutes remaining until the dungeon is reset. It is recommended that user Ismund exits.]
It¡¯ll be good to leave. Turning towards the rotting wooden door that had appeared after I killed the boss, I head out. I let out a sigh of content. Finally¡­ done. As I arrive on the other side I¡¯m met with the bright light of the sun reflecting off of all the snow around me. That stings. I take a quick glance around myself to get my bearings again. Behind me was the igloo I had entered to access the dungeon earlier¡­ And it looked like there had been more snow, but it was hard to tell seeing as there weren¡¯t many landmarks right next to me. A little further ahead you could see the tree line again. Dropping the bag I was pulling I sit down and take my backpack off. Okay¡­ what to do. I glance at Drifa who was face down in the bag. She¡¯ll wake up given enough time. I¡¯ll let her try to remove that big tooth in her back herself. Reaching up with my right arm, the one that wasn¡¯t cut horribly with frozen blood, I start assembling my tent. After finishing that I take the pile of toothpicks from my inventory and then light them on fire. Hopefully, I have enough I don¡¯t have to chop down a tree for wood or something¡­ I turned back toward the bright flames that were licking across my toothpicks. Maybe my hair and clothes will melt. I take a look at them. Well¡­ there isn¡¯t really a shirt left per se¡­ Reaching into my inventory I don my only other shirt. That kick bruised me¡­ well¡­ I should just be glad it didn¡¯t break my ribs or anything. I looked back towards Drifa. She did save the fight kind of¡­ not that it was very intentional. Well, I¡¯m not using the tent now. Best to be efficient. Plus, that way if she wakes up she might not talk to me right away. Walking over to her I slid the tarp she was lying in into the small tent I had. There. Sitting next to the bag beside me I sort through the items I got from the fight. Before I could a notification flashed in my vision.
[Will user Ismund open notifications?]
Right, show me.
[Body:D+ (409/500)-> (510/500)] [¡­Processing¡­][Body:C- (10/1,000)]
Woah¡­ I¡¯ve been working my whole life to tip that over the edge. Hopefully, that picks up from the dungeon diving,¡­ otherwise that¡¯ll take a while. [Choose one Body Skill or wait for either Mind or Soul tier up and combine them.] I think that¡¯d take too long considering where they¡¯re at. Probably a big upgrade, but I don¡¯t want to stunt myself and accidentally kill myself from it.
[User Ismund will gain one of the following.] [Unerring accuracy (C): ¡°If it bleeds, I can kill it¡±] [Heavy Blow (C): ¡°With enough force, anything can be crushed¡±] [Thick Skin (C): ¡°No, you take yourself too seriously¡±] [Choose now. No other information can be accessed.]
I paused in thought. That¡¯s not much of a description¡­ and it may¡¯ve been helpful if I could look at my items first. Sure enough, the window I was looking at couldn¡¯t be closed and it was too big and intrusive to really look at anything around me. Sighing, I went through the options one by one. [Unerring Accuracy] sounds pretty straightforward. Probably has to do with killing the creature before or it bleeding or something. Same thing with [Heavy Blow], Probably means I can hit things harder¡­ [Thick Skin] is a tricky one. I¡¯m pretty confident about what it¡¯ll do, and I don¡¯t take a hit as well as I could. It probably has some drawbacks like a reduced range of movement, and that¡¯s a large chunk of what I have going for me¡­ I could change my build. I¡¯m still pretty early on. I¡¯d consider it more if I had somebody who could teach me a different fighting style, but that¡¯s not the case and I think it¡¯s too risky otherwise. I don¡¯t hit very hard either, but the swords are sharp and I don¡¯t see myself losing them. Given enough time I might get something that makes that impossible to lose or something. Give me [Unerring Accuracy.]
[Unerring Accuracy (C): If you cut any being and it bleeds or has some sort of life-giving substance that circulates around its body like blood you will be given the ability to see the places where it is most vulnerable. If it doesn¡¯t bleed, your ability is not only futile but reversed.] [¡°If it bleeds, I can kill it¡±- Enzo Antiphonus, The Blood King]
That¡¯s pretty good. I let out a snort. It¡¯d be even better if the drawback wasn¡¯t so big. Ah well, an upgrade is an upgrade, right? Closer to killing The Five and getting revenge. Unfocusing my eyes again I look at my other notifications.
[Mind:D (251/500)->(258/500)[Soul:D (296/500)->(297/500) [You¡¯ve earned the achievement [First Dungeon], way to go!] [First Dungeon: Congratulations, You¡¯ve completed your first dungeon! Since you¡¯re now committed to removing all monsters from this plane of existence. As a Hunter your active title will be visible to all other Hunters. The exception is a hidden Title, however, other hunters will know that it¡¯s hidden. You can now also view other Hunter¡¯s titles and names via the System. You can also Identify known objects. Unkowns will have [???] labelled above them. More question marks mean that they are more complicated, powerful, or more confusing to you. You are no longer able to have all Titles active at once.You may now create parties. In a party you may access the health information of the other party members within twenty feet. Additional effects may be added once you''ve purged five more Dungeons.]
Ah, Information overload, but sure, yeah, whatever you say. I¡¯m going to look at my Items now. Recovery Looking over my shoulder I could see that the achievements working. The name ¡®Drifa Helgason [Help]¡¯ was floating above her head inside a blue box. I don¡¯t know if you are or not. Prior to the boss fight you weren¡¯t, afterwards¡­ I hummed in irritation, disliking the facts I was facing. I was the one who stabbed it in the neck and head to be fair. She didn¡¯t do all the heavy lifting¡­ she almost died. Could¡¯ve lost any hope of getting revenge right there, along with Drifa. * * * DRIFA As my eyes fluttered open all I could feel was pain and exhaustion along with a flashing light in the corner of my vision telling me that I had some notifications. Not¡­ now¡­ I took a moment to just breathe. From what I could tell there was some sort of sharp pain coursing through my back from¡­ two different locations. Whenever I so much as twitched my hands I felt some sort of minor stabbing sensation. Right, splintery ladder. As well as all my other previous injuries. And some sort of burning sensation, that felt like, well, a sunburn. I let out a sigh. I just need to read something, that¡¯s all. I just sat there in the quite that was occasionally interrupted from some crackles or pops in the fire. That was nice¡­ Ismund¡¯ll probably get upset if I just stay here too long though. I looked around myself to find a tarp hanging neatly above me. Wait, oh, I¡¯m in the tent. That¡¯s a first. I like it, even if it¡¯s a bit small¡­ I should probably open my notifications before anything else. [Affirmative. Opening notifications¡­] [First Dungeon: Congratulations, you¡¯ve completed your first dungeon! Since¡­] I skimmed through the big chunk of text. I didn¡¯t know that there were Hunters¡­ oh right, I wanna heal up, right? Before I could continue reading anything I was interrupted by another notification, which fortunately meant more reading. [People used to take pride in the name ¡®Hunter¡¯. However, nowadays it is either neutral or negative. Usually labelled as ¡®old school¡¯.] I see¡­ I took a moment to read through the achievement all the way. Okay, next. [Stats have progressed.] [Body:D (264/500) -> (265/500)] [Mind:D (300/500) -> (302/500)] [Soul: C- (3/1,000) -> (13/1,000)] I really feel like I should¡¯ve gotten more out of that¡­ [Pure Magic has advanced¡­] The notification immediately grabbed my attention sparking some hope. [User Drifa managed to control a variant of her snow magic, ice. Since you haven¡¯t managed to understand how this took place, there is no further progression of note. Better luck next time!] That¡¯s disappointing, to say the least¡­ but also exciting! I didn¡¯t know that I¡¯d be able to manipulate solids at all. I smiled at what I could and then paused for a moment, confused. How did I survive being swallowed? [The protective field around you was released by the System and allowed you to create a ball of Ice around yourself. The System is not entirely certain as to how this occurred. You will have to do some personal research.] [The protective field has yet to be restored since then. Corrupt energy is damaging you.] Oh, so that¡¯s what the sunburn is. I craned my head around to look at my skin. Unlike the red I was expecting I was met with a grey almost black spreading on my skin like I¡¯d been spraypainted¡­ with the addition of little bumps and cracks. On top of that, it itched. That¡­ doesn¡¯t look good. [It is recommended that user Drifa removes herself from the vicinity of the dungeon.] No kidding. Using the back of my hands to push myself out of the bag I was lying in, I carefully made way way over to Ismund who was just observing some objects by the fire as his hair and clothes started to melt. Above his head, I could see a floating blue box that read ¡®Ismund Theodore [Hidden]¡¯ He¡¯s soaked. Probably doesn¡¯t care much though. As I plopped down beside him I changed the settings on my bandana so I could hear him. After a few seconds, he stopped looking at some new boots he was holding to take off the ones he had, finally noticing me as I was bumped by his elbow. He¡¯s very interested in those boots. Startled he looked over at me and seemed to wince, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with¡­¡± He gestured vaguely with his hand. ¡°You know the protective field the System has? Apparently, I made an ice globe and used that up. So, until it fixes that, I¡¯ll need to avoid hanging around corrupt energy. Otherwise, I think it sucks the energy out of me or something.¡± Ismund grunted, ¡°We need to leave soon anyways.¡± After a second or two, he carefully switched the pair of boots he was wearing, looking like he was avoiding the use of his left arm. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Right, he got scratched pretty badly. Maybe I can make a deal then since he doesn¡¯t seem all that keen on helping me¡­ ¡°¡­Would you mind helping me with my back? I think there¡¯s something in it. If you do that I¡¯ll help with your scratches. I don¡¯t think you can get your own very easily, and we want to get moving, right? It¡¯ll be easier if we¡¯re patched up a bit. And we probably won¡¯t have to spend as much money at a doctor¡¯s place or something.¡± Ismund seemed to hesitate at first, but after a bit, he nodded lightly. ¡°Fine.¡± He looked at my red hands that were riddled with black flecks of wood and raised a disbelieving eyebrow. ¡°You really think you¡¯re going to help my back and not damage it more with splinters in your hand?¡± Probably wouldn¡¯t have been that bad. Letting out a sigh of annoyance he made a medical kit appear. Why didn¡¯t we use that before? Opening it up he handed me some tweezers and a needle, gesturing at my palms. Okay, how do I do this¡­ I¡¯ve only done it a few times before. Bringing my hand up to my face I tried to choose which one to start with. Big ones are probably easier, right? Grabbing the skin around it I tried to find where it came in. I think it¡¯s right about¡­ there. I don¡¯t want to stab myself right away if I don¡¯t have to. Letting out a breath I tried to squeeze it out of my hand, which unfortunately looked like it broke it into smaller splinters. Dang it. Bringing out the needle he handed me I tried to widen the hole the splinter was in while letting out a slow, painful breath. I don¡¯t need to use the tweezers yet¡­ that part¡¯s at the end, I think¡­ I pursed my lips and tried to ease the piece of wood out¡­ only to drive further inside my palm. I heard an annoyed grunt beside me making me look over in surprise. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You¡¯re taking too long.¡± I bit my lip nervously. I¡¯m doing my best. Gripping the needle again I tried to quickly pull the piece of wood without much success, just a hiss of pain. Rolling his eyes Ismund took the needle and tweezers from me, much to my surprise. ¡°What¡¯re you-¡± Is he worried I¡¯m going to break them or something? Instead of putting them away, he grabbed my hand and brought it up to his face. As his breath steamed on it he tilted it around examining the splinters making me look around awkwardly, unsure what to do with myself. Letting out a tisking sound he brought the needle into the hole I had made earlier, lifted the wood and carefully removed it. To my surprise, it was actually pretty smooth. As he was removing the splinters I scratched the black-grey portions of my skin absentmindedly. It was somewhat addictive actually. ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡± I looked up, ¡°Hm?¡± Just then, I finally noticed a notification in the corner of my vision. [It is recommended that user Drifa stops scratching immediately. The removal of the dead skin opens up new vulnerable flesh to be destroyed by the ambient corrupt energy.] They¡¯re right, that doesn¡¯t sound good¡­ it does feel nice though. [User Drifa has been warned.] No need to sound so ominous. [¡­] Just blank text with dots, really? [Afirmative.] The hand he''d been working on dropped and the other was taken. That was quick. I took a look at my now splinter-less hand. It was riddled with holes and had a little bit of crimson leaking out of it. Other than that it looked pretty good, just red and irritated. ¡°How did you get so good at this? And um, should I put a bandage on it?¡± Ismund stopped what he was doing a gestured to some of the melted snow. ¡°Don¡¯t waste materials. Just freeze them over.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± Won¡¯t the ice crack? I¡¯m not so sure about this. Even though I had my concerns, I grabbed some partially melted snow with my free hand and just held it there. After a bit, it seemed to harden a bit, nothing more, and my hand was partially immobile now. But that was it. ¡°Done.¡± His cold hand let go of mine and he gave me the med kit. ¡°Your turn.¡± Flushing a bit he lifted the back of his shirt with his good hand and held it there, revealing his rather large, damaged back. He must¡¯ve changed shirts, otherwise it¡¯d have cuts in it as well. ¡°You¡¯re still gonna get mine right?¡± He grunted. Pursing my lips nervously I rummaged through the white box. There were bandage rolls,- Might need those at the end so the skin isn¡¯t irritated from his shirt. -Bandaids, some sort of string, another sowing needle, a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, a rag, ointment and some other odds and ends. I should be able to work with this. My face heated as I looked at the wounds. They were all frozen over and looked pretty irritated. Three deep, long lines had been torn from the top of his shoulder blade all the way down to his left arm. That looks painful¡­ Quickly bringing the string through the eye of the needle I made a knot before letting out a breath. I can do this. He probably won¡¯t be upset, I think? I tapped on the frozen blood and brushed it off as best I could. How am I gonna get rid of this? I sat for a few moments thinking. ¡°Can you face away from the fire so the blood can unfreeze? I¡¯m gonna pour some stuff on it to keep it from getting infected once it¡¯s thawed.¡± He spun around and looked a little annoyed. I¡¯m doing my best. And it¡¯s not like I can just leave it frozen. At least, not right now. I don¡¯t imagine the body could heal completely with something in the way. After a minute or two I checked up on it again and it had finished melting, meaning that red streaks were running along his back. Grabbing a rag I mopped up the blood that was falling. Holding the cloth there with one hand, I used the other to pour the bottle on his back. ¡°This is gonna sting!¡± As the clear liquid fell into the marred skin a white frothy foam boiled out of it making Ismund hiss out in pain. ¡°Sorry!¡± ¡°Get on with it.¡± Using the dry part of the cloth I did my best to mop off the blood and foam leaking out. ¡°Okay, I think that¡¯s done¡­¡± dropping the red-pink cloth to the side I use my free hand to squeeze his cold skin together. Sure hope I¡¯m doing this right! Bringing my needle about a centimetre away from the gouge I push it through the skit eliciting a sharp ¡°Mn!¡± sound from him. Sorry! I dragged it through to the other side and made sure the back was knotted tightly. After nodding to myself in content I made another stitch, and another, and another¡­ and well. You get the point. This continued for about fifteen minutes, stopping once it reached his arm. I cut the string, knotted it, and then I moved on to the next scratch. In the end I took about forty-five minutes give or take. I wasn¡¯t sure how that was compared to the time it normally took, but it got done and that¡¯s what mattered. Wiping off the bloody needle I placed it in the box and then grabbed the ointment. I have no idea what this does, but it¡¯s gotta be helpful right? I dipped my fingers into the yellowish creamy substance and then spread it along all of the stitches. Maybe it¡¯ll help with inflammation? Grabbing the edge of the bandage I pinned it to his back and passed the roll to him. ¡°I¡¯ll wrap it around from behind, you can get the front.¡± We passed it back and forth until it looked like it¡¯d keep more blood from spilling out and like it¡¯d hold together. It¡¯ll probably freeze over again, but what can you do? ¡°Should I¡­ ah, get your arm as well?¡± He stopped holding his shirt up and let it drop over the bandages, ¡°No. The ice is keeping it together for now. We don¡¯t want to sit here too long, otherwise, you¡¯ll get worse, or we¡¯ll run out of food.¡± I nodded hesitantly as he turned around to face me with a frown. ¡°Turn.¡± At least I have holes in my shirt¡­ then again, I only have one. I¡¯ll need to fix it once I get a room. I turned around and felt his fingers trace around where the pain was coming from. Riiip! ¡°What¡¯d you do?¡± ¡°Cut cloth in the way. It needs stitching.¡± I thought for a moment. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Two big teeth.¡± I gagged a bit. No wonder it hurts. They¡¯re probably rotten too. Gross. I¡¯m glad I saved some of the hydrogen peroxide. They would almost definitely infect me otherwise. ¡°Ready?¡± I was drawn out of my thoughts. ¡°What?¡± Without further notice, he placed a large hand on my back and tugged at the tooth. Tensing up clenched my fists let out a surprised shout. It hurt like the devil but I still felt some measure of relief with it being removed. Along with something trickling down my back, probably blood. Frunk. I looked over to my right to see what Ismund had thrown. There was a rotted molar with several holes in it and something growing on it. It was a few inches long and had my blood smeared on it. Eww, just ew. No. I¡¯m glad that¡¯s gone¡­ Oh no, wait, there¡¯s another one. I shuddered. A moment later I felt more pain as the other one was being pulled from my back. Crack! A sharp pain dominated the other one from his pulling. This one had more stabbing involved. I tried to look over my shoulder for a moment, only to stop since the pain was so bad. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°¡­ It broke. It was pretty rotten.¡± I took a gulp and looked at the tooth beside me. That adds up. Ismund mumbled something, ¡°¡­ can¡¯t see anything.¡± Afterwards, I felt a cloth of some sort padding around where the pain was coming from, followed by a grunt of approval. The next few minutes were filled with pain, Ismund pulling chunks of shattered tooth out of my back and half hazardly throwing them next to me. ¡°No more tooth left.¡± ¡°Finally¡­¡± I felt the cloth on my back again. It must¡¯ve just been so he could see the wound without blood in the way because my shirt was drinking it in like nobody¡¯s business. Oh no, the stain. That¡¯s gonna be bad. Soon, I felt something pouring on my back and a loud fizzing sound. I started breathing quickly as the pain ramped up. Still, not as bad as the tooth removal. ¡°Stitching now.¡± True to his word, my back was stabbed again and again and again, making me cry. Thankfully the tears didn¡¯t freeze to my face so quickly now that we were out of the dungeon. ¡°Stop hyperventilating.¡± But it hurts! I tried to squeeze my sleeves to cope. It didn¡¯t really help, but the pain of my fingernails digging into my palm was a good distraction from the other pain I was dealing with. It¡¯ll be over soon ¡­ You just need to get through this! A while later it was finally over. I felt some sort of greasy substance spread over the wounds. Probably the ointment. ¡°Use these, then give them back.¡± Looking to the side I saw the bandages were beside the teeth shards to my right. Right. Pushing myself up I headed to the tent to wrap the bandages around myself. As I left I saw Ismund chucking the bones into the fire as fuel. A little bit later I headed out of the tent and gave him the bandages. He put them away, collapsed the tent, and killed the fire. At this point, it was getting pretty dark, so it was hard to see without the bonfire lighting things. As I walked passed the bright embers Ismund told me, ¡°I¡¯ve got something for you. A Dying Fire I swung in his direction excitedly, with my eyes wide. ¡°What is it?¡± Instead of telling me what the item was, he placed it in my hand. It was a small, clear, glass bead that seemed to pulse with energy. Wrapping my hands around it, I looked up at him quizzically. Once again, he refused to just talk to me like a normal person. Am I already getting on his nerves? Maybe he¡¯s just tired? Whatever the case, he gave me a small frown, ¡°Use the System.¡± Whatever you say. You really aren¡¯t great at the whole conversation thing. Maybe he¡¯s actually bad at it and that¡¯s why he comes off as cold? I thought for a moment. Probably not. He can articulate himself pretty well when he wants to. He just doesn¡¯t care enough. Maybe I can change that one day, he makes it pretty lonely. The System¡¯s great and all, but it¡¯s not an actual person. Just a robot. Moving on, I asked the System what the Item was, thanks to being a Hunter now.
[¡­ Analyzing the subject of user Drifa¡¯s query¡­] [¡­ Analysis complete!] [Transformation Stone (D+): Fuse this sparkly stone with an object composed of only one material. The object chosen will be given the ability to transform into any tool you¡¯re proficient in. The Items transformation is restricted being composed of the same material as the fused object itself.] [Requirements: User must have completed The Frozen Dungeon. The user must have the ability to control pure or corrupted energy to fuse the designated object with the user¡¯s energy signature and the Transformation Stone. There must be at least one charge remaining in the item to transform it into anything but its original shape.] [Charges remaining: 1000/1000]
I looked at Ismund full of awe and gratitude. ¡°Are you sure you want to give me this? I mean, I haven¡¯t seen the other items you¡¯ve got, but this has got to be up there if it¡¯s not the best! You could use this for so many things, even if it¡¯s more or less a utility item. Where did you get this stuff from anyways? Loot-chest like a video-game? ¡­Nevermind, you probably don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about.¡± The longer I went on the more unhappy he looked for whatever reason. What¡¯s up with him? ¡°I can¡¯t use it.¡± He waved his empty palms in the air. ¡°No magic.¡± Right, I forgot about that¡­ Wait, then how does he transform his sword and use that storage space thing? If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
[The Twin Spirit Swords and Box of Holding are blessed artifacts. In other words, they are old and I¡¯ve decided to power them myself, that way they don¡¯t require the presence of dungeons or any other energy for that matter.]
Okay, makes sense I guess. You called it a blessed artifact. Are you saying that you ¡®blessed it¡¯?
[Affirmative.]
I waved a distracting, but interesting thought from my mind I decided to just focus on the things in front of me, that being the gem and my butterknife. I tried to squish them together very hard and only managed to make my finger tips white. Oh yeah, magic. I looked over at Ismund again. Honestly, he was basically just a dark outline with most of his features blurred now, the fire wasn¡¯t thriving and it was getting pretty dark out fast. ¡°I¡¯m gonna mute you again, okay? That way I can use this.¡± I lifted the gorgeous stone. Ismund simply grunted in what I thought was affirmation. I was pretty sure anyways. The problem was he grunted a lot. Thankfully he mostly stuck to either the ¡®I don¡¯t care¡¯ sound or the the grunt of some sort of agreement. It made things simpler. I¡¯ll take the grunt as a win. Changing the settings on my bandana I heard the ugly static noise that was corrupt energy but¡­ there was no silence or rhythme. Where¡¯d it g-, ah, right, the protective field is gone, along with my chance of using the stone for the next while. How long do you think until it¡¯s back up System?
[Unconfirmed. After it is recovered, estimates will be available in the future. Energy is currently limited.]
I guess¡­ at least it was worth it. I mean, it¡¯s meant to be spent, not hoarded, like money, right?
[Negative. User Drifa¡¯s pure energy is not meant to be created or derived from the protective field. It should be created by user Drifa alone, without outside help. It will stunt your growth potential significantly. In addition, when you use all of the protective field surrounding you, you are vulnerable to the corrupt energy due to the contract.]
Great help you were with that.
[¡­ I will concede that user Drifa¡¯s protective measure regarding the ice sphere was a worthy and functional investment.]
Of course, it was! I paused for a moment, brows creasing. Wait, wait, wait. Back up. You¡¯re saying that I can purify magic in the air without using your energy? Do I need any energy at all?
[Affirmative. The user does not need condensed pure energy to make condensed pure energy.]
What,- I voice was shrill in the silence, I think so at least, everything around seemed pretty still. ¡°-Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier? That could¡¯ve-¡± As I was gesticulating at The System I suddenly stopped. Oops¡­ My cheeks grew flush as soon as I noticed I wasn¡¯t thinking in my head anymore. To the left, Ismund was waiting for me to¡­ get going? He gave me a look when I finally looked at him. I chuckled nervously, ¡°I was talking to the System! Not you.¡± In the dim light, I could barely make out his gesturing. Ismund nodded and raised his brows exaggeratedly in an, ¡®I know¡¯, sort of way. After that he brought his pinched hand up to his mouth and brought it across his lips, ¡®zip it¡¯. It only made me finish turning into a red tomato. Doing my best to maintain my dignity, I frowned and nodded at him. Unfortunately, time didn¡¯t stop to let me think more about the new revelation, and neither did Ismund. Just as I was about to read the System¡¯s response, Ismund walked up snapping his fingers in front of my face. I couldn¡¯t hear it, but the idea got across. ¡°What is it?¡± He pointed into the dark, empty woods. ¡°Is there an animal?¡± I looked around. I think I heard somewhere that I¡¯d see their eyes shine if there were any animals. I don¡¯t see any bu- Ismund shook his head and tried again. He pointed at the woods, pointed us, and made his fingers walk on his hand like a person. ¡°We¡¯re going in there? Now? In the dark? What¡¯s going to keep us from running into trees? Or, or¡­ getting lost?¡± I was starting to lose my cool. Well, I probably lost that a while ago. My voice, once again, got louder as I talked. Ismund nodded, quite sure of himself. He also gestured to the ground and our dwindling fire- I mean, sure we were¡­ you were, packing up but, I didn¡¯t really think about this part. -and proceeded to head into the bush. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me here!¡± I ran after him, not eager to be left alone, even if it felt like that when I was with him some of the time. I hit something solid. ¡°Umph!¡± Feeling what it was with my hands, I found Ismunds backpack. Better than a tree¡­ Much better than a tree. Now that I was facing away from the fire and its embers, I couldn¡¯t hear or see. Let¡¯s hope I can at least keep the other three with me. The dungeon had given me enough nightmares for weeks, and now this. It was not at all conducive to relaxing of any sort. How am I going to keep myself from getting separated? An idea struck me, and I hoped it was a good one. Hopefully, he isn¡¯t too bothered by it. No doubt he¡¯ll be a little bit though. walking behind him I traced my hands allong the face of the bag I found many pockets, straps, and other metal things stuck to it. Where is it? Reaching up higher I eventually found the drawstring used to close the bag underneath the top flap covering it. Since he always kept it so tight, there was an excess of string I could hold onto. A leash. For who? I don¡¯t know¡­ If he doesn¡¯t like me doing this I could always say that I couldn¡¯t hear him say not to. And I don¡¯t see a way of getting around doing something similar. The only other option, really, would be to hold his hand or wait till morning. I snorted a little. He would NOT like either of those options. Especially not the first. I''m not sure that I would either. I noticed the blue, flashing, notification in the corner of my vision and opened it. A Walk In The Dark
[You did not ask.]
My lips parted, stunned. That¡¯s it?
[Affirmative.]
I¡¯ve got to ask more questions. I guess I¡¯ll try to figure this out¡­ I pulled my magic theory summary. It¡¯s not 100% correct then, my theory. Or, at least, not as accurate. Let¡¯s see¡­ I thought it was like the water cycle, in terms of purifying the energy. The sun seperates the clean water from the gross stuff in a puddle and then you have clean water again when it rains. I thought the sun was pure energy, and I guess I¡¯m right to a certain extent. I mean, I was able to get my own energy with it and clean the corrupt energy.
[Energy user created was made with pure energy,-]
I know that.
[-from The System. That was only possible because I allowed it. From now on, you will not have access to the protective fields¡¯s energy unless it is deemed an emergency. ]
What? Why?
[Your organic components are deteriorating from using all of the protective field¡¯s energy. In addition, it will stunt your magical growth if you rely on me.]
I looked at the screen aghast and stopped scratching the dead, blackened skin on my hand. But wouldn¡¯t it be better if I could practice manipulating your energy first to get used to it?
[Negative. You¡¯ll incorporate bad habits into your learning. You have had enough practice as is. When you purify energy using my energy, it will never truly be yours. You will be learning how to use The System¡¯s energy not your own.]
But,-
[Negative.]
Well somebody¡¯s being snappy today, huh?
[You now have the trait [Parent locked].]
Hey! I read the description. Use my own energy, huh? What¡¯s that supposed to mean? I was only able to get that after using yours! I grumped and tried to think it over for a while but couldn¡¯t make any progress. Maybe I¡¯ll figure it out once I get some rest. I walked behind him blindly, listening to the eerie static sound of the corrupt energy all around me for a while. It was unsettling. Eventually, questions only Ismund could answer burned in my mind. I wonder if there¡¯s a way for me to hear Ismund sooner. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Hey, Ismund, could I borrow your bandana? Since I changed the settings recently, well I can¡¯t hear you¡­ uhm also since the protective field is gone, I, well, couldn¡¯t exactly use the stone¡­ Sorry about that.¡± I should probably tell him why I would want it¡­ otherwise, it¡¯s a definite ¡®no¡¯. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you use the bandana you have for, but you probably don¡¯t change the settings much right? I could change the settings on your bandana so I could hear you¡­ I wonder what would happen If I wore both at once. Would they explode? Would I be able to listen to you as well as the different energies?¡­ Sorry, I¡¯m rambling.¡± I waited for, moments, minutes then hours. No response. I couldn¡¯t hear any response, sure, but, if he agreed, he could¡¯ve passed the red cloth over. I guess that¡¯s a no. I took a look at the sky, it was nice to have one again, the moon was at the peak of the sky, covered by a few clouds. Sooo, midnight? I think? I was never very good at telling what time it was by looking at the sky. I liked my digital clocks, thank you very much. As I kept walking forward I hit his backpack again. I hope that didn¡¯t hurt the scratches he has there¡­ maybe we¡¯re taking a break to sleep? Oh, that would be nice, I¡¯m so tired. I could probably fall asleep right here¡­ The drawstring I was holding was tugged up then it was brought down. Then, it was tugged out of my hands. Did he jump? ¡­Mayb- oh. He took his backpack off. So maybe we are camping for the night? Since I lost the only thing that was giving me any sense of direction I decided to stay still. That way I was facing in the right direction. Ismunds cold hand grabbed mine that was hovering in the dark, opened it, and firmly placed something dry, greasy and textured inside. What is that? I lifted it up to my nose and smelled it. Oh, jerky. I immediately shoved the whole thing in my mouth. I was tired of eating it, but I was more tired of being hungry. How can he see anything? My hope of camping for the night was vanquished. Ismund presumably swung the pack over his shoulders, waited for me to find the string, and continued walking. Why did he take off his backpack? He has the jerky in his inventory. I contemplated this for a bit. Maybe he forgot? Or, maybe he accidentally put it in his backpack instead of that box or whatever that was? ¡­ Oh, oh that makes sense. If he tried to turn around I¡¯d probably just follow him, I wouldn¡¯t get the jerky. So he did that to stop me. Okay, I guess that makes sense. As we walked, I decided to try listening differences in the sound around me. I was bored and had nothing to do. Ismund had a toothpick to fidget with at least. It took a while, bu I did notice something. What is that? It was something subtle, and sweet. Almost like it was whistling a tune. I couldn¡¯t hear any specific notes or details; all the other sounds around me were overshadowing it. I think it¡¯s coming from¡­ me? No, no, that can¡¯t be right. Is that what the System uses to connect to us maybe? And give us our stats and stuff? I don¡¯t know what else it would be. I can only really pay attention when the sound is close to me¡­ I wonder if Ismund has one too? Maybe I could use the process of elimination or something. Maybe it¡¯s the sound of our stats? I guess I would find out if they were different sounds or the same. I was puzzled. It was so brief, and so vauge, I didn¡¯t know what to do with it. The System wasn¡¯t any help either.
[User is Listening to energy.]
I would only get that, over and over and over. It probably didn¡¯t know or, at least, wouldn¡¯t tell me if it did know what the sound was. It might know, it put that ¡®Parental Lock¡¯ or whatever it was for ¡®my betterment¡¯. It wasn¡¯t the smartest thing. It had information, but no idea how to use it. At least, from what I could tell. I mean, why would it think that I was the best person to ¡®help¡¯ Ismund? I would think an Olympic athlete or somebody trained in the army would be better. I sighed before moving on. When I tried to listen to that sound again, I couldn¡¯t catch it. The corrupt energy was grating on my ears and it felt like they¡¯d burst soon. I need to get somewhere that doesn¡¯t have as much corrupt energy floating around. I want to find that again. Maybe it¡¯ll get me a step further in figuring out this whole magic thing. ¡­ Or maybe it just takes practice, that¡¯d be better. Otherwise, I¡¯d have to go off somewhere quite all the time. Well, maybe I can mute the corrupt energy as well and only listen to this one? That¡¯ll have to wait, but still. Hopefully, the energy field won¡¯t be too loud when it comes back. That could¡¯ve been noise from it being restored, but I doubt it. It wasn¡¯t as, well, artificial sounding. I shrugged. During the following hours I kept trying to strain my ears, but I didn¡¯t get anything than raw crackling. My ears felt as if they were being stabbed the entire time, and I made no progress. I figured it would be good to be done for the day. I looked up at the dark purple, peach sky morning I guess. The taught string loosened in my grip and I, thankfully, didn¡¯t run into Ismund this time. I probably don¡¯t have to hold this anymore. I can¡¯t see well, but I can see enough. I dropped the long string. I was quite happy with myself since I didn¡¯t bump him, but I was even happier when he pulled the tent out of his backpack. Finally! Ismund didn¡¯t make a fire but he did steal a few more fresh branches from the dense trees nearby. As he snuck into his tent, I happily flopped on the ground and closed my eyes. I¡¯m glad I¡¯m not a light sleeper, it¡¯s pretty bright out. Questions... ISMUND I couldn¡¯t sleep. It was too bright. Sure, it was bright in the dungeon, but I was too tired for the light to keep me from sleeping. Now I had just enough energy that I couldn¡¯t fall asleep, but I wanted to badly. Even if it were dark outside, I would still have trouble. Drifa was quietly snoring and it was annoying me. I never had a moment of silence. Being a light sleeper is good in a dungeon, not outside of one. I let out a breath. At least we made ground. I tried to just lay down for a while, doing nothing. I had heard somewhere that resting can still be helpful even if you¡¯re not sleeping. I tried to do that for a while, but I was getting bored. The trait [Time Numb] trait should¡¯ve helped. It probably did, I just had nothing to do. Better fix that. Taking out a large branch I cut off a large piece and started carving it, careful to make every sliver of wood a toothpick. I had taken the knife back from Drifa earlier. Waste not, want not. Once the sun at about noon, I stopped. I had been carving the boss we fought. Making a collection of them like trophies could be interesting. I could use them as a sort of trophy. I wasn¡¯t willing to hold onto pieces of their corpse if it meant I couldn¡¯t get the supplies I needed. I wasn¡¯t after glory or anything anyway. I packed up my tent and headed to Drifa. I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s still asleep. She was a mess, it just looked like she layed down and passed out once I left¡­ She probably did. I shook my head and clapped my hands. ¡°Wake up!¡± She did not wake up. I forgot. I pushed her shoulder with my boot. Then she woke up. Finally, took you long enough. ¡°Wha-what is it?¡± She blinked hard against the sun and wiped some partially frozen drool off of her face with her sleeve before squinting. She held up a finger, ¡°Hold on¡­¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Her pupils sharpened into small dots and seemed unfocused as she held her bandana. After a moment of pause, she gave me a thumbs-up. I let out a sigh from her antics. ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡± She stood up messily, now very awake. ¡°Already!¡± ¡°It¡¯s noon.¡± I spun away from her on my heel and started walking again. After a moment of pause, I heard crunching footsteps run up to me. ¡°Are we going to town?¡± Not the same one, but it¡¯s still a town. I started walking faster and a half-hearted nod. ¡°How long will we stay there?¡± Here it comes. ¡°Two-ish weeks. Same as last time.¡± She started again, ¡°Wha-¡°, only for me to cut her short with a sharp look. She looked down red-faced. Sleep deprivation wasn¡¯t helping my patience. Finally, some quiet. We winded through the naked, frozen trees ahead of us for a while. I grabbed some more Jerky to eat once or twice. I¡¯d need at least some if I was going to heal up. It was very painful and restricted my movement. It didn¡¯t help that my backpack was pushing on it all day. It was making it worse from what little I could tell. I didn¡¯t have enough food to make it back to the town while eating full meals. Not by a long shot. Coconuts. Those could help. I think I have¡­ I rummaged through my System menu until I found them in my inventory. ¡­Twenty. I have twenty of them. By themselves, it could last us both two and a half days of full meals. I haven¡¯t eaten one before, but I¡¯ve heard they¡¯re pretty good. We either needed to find more food on the way back to the town or not eat for a couple of days by the looks of it. I¡¯d be fine with not eating. Drifa, she¡¯s almost definitely not. Considering the fact that she didn¡¯t know how long it took us to get to the village, she¡¯ll probably lose track of time going back to the village as well. So, she¡¯ll probably panic if we don¡¯t eat food for a while, even if I tell her that it¡¯s fine. She¡¯s not the calmest individual. It could go pretty bad. It¡¯d be exhausting if she was complaining all day. That would be unbearable. I grimaced, unsure what I should do. I could waste time and maybe find some food in the forest. The other option is getting into the village sooner and being hungry. I thought over it for a while. There¡¯s a reason people are sacrificing things to dungeons. The available resources are rather scarce. Trees just existing here are impressive. I think I¡¯ve seen the occasional wolf track, but I have a feeling that they just hunt the people who go off into the woods. As I made up my mind we continued walking though the dense trees. It was eerily silent, but it was a nice break from all the other noises around. ¡­I think there¡¯s a third option. I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t think of this earlier. I could give portions that are significantly smaller. Drifa might end up worried from it, but that¡¯s better than her freaking out over having no food in a day. She would only complain a little that way. I nodded to myself and changed my plan. Sounds good. It¡¯s not ideal, but it¡¯s better for certain. Drifa interrupted any further thoughts. ¡°Whats the point of defeating a dungeon? It didn¡¯t go away. We want them to go away right?¡± My eyes thinned with my mouth. I didn¡¯t think this was going to end well. ¡°Defeating them might get rid of the dungeon give enough time. We¡¯d just need to make it lose more energy than it gets by doing a bunch of perfect dungeon dives. If The System is running low on the energy it uses to keep all these monsters from leaving the dungeon, we should give it more energy by defeating them.¡± Her voice sounded confused, ¡°The System says that no dungeons have ever been removed. How do you know that that¡¯ll work?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the theory from when I was younger.¡± I don¡¯t know what the current theory is¡­ I have to catch up. I¡¯d rather Drifa doesn¡¯t know that. ¡°How young?¡± She squinted at me unsatisfied. Nope, I¡¯m not giving you more material for questions. I gave her a hard look. She shut it, but only for a bit. ¡°It sounded like you were fighting to get rid of the dungeons before, but now that doesn¡¯t make sense. You couldn¡¯t clear a dungeon perfectly over and over for who knows how long with one person. You¡¯d need a lot of people and you¡¯d need them to stop sacrificing to them. And it doesn¡¯t sound like we¡¯re repeating the same dungeon over and over.¡± If I give her the full answer, that just opens more questions. I¡¯ll give her a piece of it. ¡°Power.¡± That should work. Not a full lie, doesn¡¯t invite many questions. And, oh, never mind. Drifa looked at me with a concerned look with ill-disguised disgust. ¡°Is the power for some sort of goal? You¡¯d want to use it for something at least right? Not just power by itself.¡± Well, you¡¯re right. If I tell you that I want to get rid of The Five, chances are you¡¯ll talk about it to other people. People don¡¯t really like it when somebody wants to kill the founders of something. Especially if it¡¯s their whole magic thing they love so much. The butcher seemed uncomfortable with dealing with a stupid rabbit¡¯s corpse, who knows what they¡¯d think of what I¡¯m doing? I¡¯m not compromising my goal to make her happier. I ended the conversation. ¡°Focus on walking.¡± She went silent this time. We kept walking until the moon was high in the sky. Dria, once again, asked if she could try using both bandanas at once. It was a horrible idea. I didn¡¯t want to risk damaging either of them, and I was currently using mine to see in the dark. Which, I must say, is quite important. Eventually, I set camp. It was still dark out this time and I was tired enough to get some actual sleep. There wasn¡¯t light, so it was good enough despite the light snoring. Maybe it was just the light¡­ A New Face A day away from Strong Village¡­ ¡°What are we going to do once we¡¯re in town? Will we get an inn? A bath? Can we get different food? Could we see a physician? I think we need one.¡± Drifa had been asking these questions all day and I was tired of it. She was probably asking all the questions because we were going into a different town. Strong Village is closer than the Town of Faur we were at last time. Both to the dungeon we were in and the ones we¡¯ll be going into later. Drifa picked up her speed so she was facing me instead of behind me. She looked up earnestly, ¡°Please? It¡¯d make things go smoother if I know whats happening, right?¡± I grimaced. She was percistant. ¡°We¡¯ll get two rooms. We¡¯ll each clean up so we don¡¯t attract as much attention and head to some st-¡± ¡°Shopping! Are we Shopping?¡± She clasped her hands together and looked up at me excitedly. Now there¡¯s somebody who won¡¯t save a penny. ¡°I¡¯m good at that! Can I show you while we¡¯re there? That¡¯d be great!¡± I hadn¡¯t agreed yet. I met her sparkling mismatched eyes. ¡°No.¡± Her expression instantly lost all of its enthusiasm and became pleading. ¡°You could oversee all of it. That way, I don¡¯t buy anything you don¡¯t want me to.¡±, she looked around thinking frantically, ¡°If I do a bad job, then that means that you can use that as an argument against me shopping again¡­¡± Drifa looked up at me searchingly. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s really been this enthusiastic about something so far. She¡¯s right, I could use it in an argument, but I¡¯d rather not lose the money in the first place. Drifa piped up again in my silence. ¡°If you¡¯re not convinced I¡¯ll get the cheapest thing then, ¡­¡± she tapped her chin for a moment then snapped in success, ¡°I¡¯ll buy whatever you want me to buy and you give me the money to buy it,¡± she spread her hands, emphasizing the next words, ¡°Bare minimum. But, as an incentive for me, If there¡¯s any extra money, I get to spend it on whatever I¡¯d like.¡± She¡¯s setting herself up for failure. ¡°Only if I¡¯m supervising the entire thing.¡± ¡°Deal! You won¡¯t regret it!¡± I¡¯d better not. I¡¯ll get the prices while settling into her room. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. She lent a hand for a shake. I raised my brows and refused to offer my hand. She awkwardly scratched the back of her head and smiled, dropping in line behind me again. I tried to think of how we could make sure we were let into the gates without looking too out of place. Drifa¡¯s clothes were quite dirty and had holes in the back, she also had blood staining herself everywhere, including her hair which was frozen solid. I was wearing a fresh pair of clothes, but I was still dirty. She¡¯ll have to wear Balder¡¯s cloak. The sun was dipping, we¡¯d take a break soon. Should I see a physician? ¡­ I will, but Drifa won¡¯t. She hurt as bad and isn¡¯t using swords or anything¡­ I might give her some advice on how to use that knife at some point though. I glanced over at her. I definitely need to be looked at. It hurts just walking around and carrying this bag and I need to be able to fight. I won¡¯t need to see one once Drifa figures out some more of her healing magic. * * * Ten minutes from the village entrance¡­ I could see the gate now. I had decided that if we were asked any questions, we¡¯d say we were attacked by wolves by a river on the way between towns. It can explain Drifa¡¯s hair being frozen solid, maybe say that she has frostbite or something as well. ¡°What¡¯s our reason fro going between villages again?¡± ¡°We wanted to¡­ no what. Let¡¯s just not get into a position where we¡¯re asked that question. I¡¯ll figure something out if I have to.¡± It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to make friends or anything. Just transactions. Drifa bit her lip and nodded hesitantly. ¡°I¡¯m doing the talking.¡± She nodded silently. A few minutes later we reached the gates. The guards looked down through their thick braided beards. ¡°Halt! State your buisness.¡± I looked at each of them in the eye. ¡°When we were traveling we came across some wolves and I¡¯m looking for medical treatment. I¡¯ve heard you have a good healer around.¡± At least according to what The System told Drifa. Wasn¡¯t great for my story of knowing the area well. The guards still looked uneasy despite my answer. ¡°Why did you want to come here before that?¡± Shoot! I had to think quickly, my heart sped up. ¡°My goal is to go across all of the continents creating maps. I¡¯m a cartographer. While we were attacked,¡± I gestured to Drifa, ¡°She fell into the water along with our papers. We think she might have frostbite or something.¡± The guards shrugged noncommittally at one another. ¡°Come in!¡± I bowed my head in thanks and walked forward. As soon as I was passed the gates I was hit by the crawling feeling that filled the air. I have to admit, it was much better after I got the contract from the System. But it seemed more potent in this town than the other, despite it being so much smaller. Scratch, Scratch, Scratch¡­ I looked back at Drifa sharply. Her arms were moving back and forth vigorously under her cloak. I gave her a small shake of the head. She didn¡¯t stop but she made it less noticeable at least. Oh boy. After asking for directions a few times and wandering enough, I found a simple-looking inn. As I walked inside I found a small dining area. Most of it must¡¯ve been taken up by rooms. That was good for us. The first thing I noticed when I walked into the room was the smell. It was strong. It smelled like cleaning alcohol. The next thing I noticed was a large middle-aged man. He was massive. Standing, he¡¯d probably be about seven feet. I could only see his slick, curly, auburn hair at the back of his head and the muscles showing through his coat. He had a thick wolf pelt vest and a large axe strapped to his back. He was intimidating. He looks dressed to go into battle¡­ but I thought people didn¡¯t do that. This doesn¡¯t make sense. At this point I was fairly certain that the alcoholic smell was coming from that man, he was ripe. I looked above his towering head and found something interesting,
[Absinthe Hapsburg [Hardcore]]
-he was a Hunter. That explains a few things and makes so many more questions. I walked up to the counter and asked for two rooms and baths and the man behind it was happy to oblige. As I took the keys the odd man slowly turned towards me. It was startling. Much to my surprise, he was wearing a mask, but not any old mask; it was made of pine wood and was painted black with two large eye holes cut out. There was a straight red line painted in a straight line across his eyes from temple to temple. Copper was engraved on the mask¡¯s forehead in the shape of a¡­ bottle of booze? It was strange. There were also two grey-red marbles embedded in the mask. His eyes were strange. They looked like a toad with their green colour and horizontal pupils. Past his mask, a large, thick, braided, handlebar mustache stuck out. He appeared approachable and in no way sober. As he spoke, his horrible breath spewed around me as he poked me with a meaty finger, ¡°What are you doin¡¯ in this¡­ place? I¡¯ve never seen you.¡±, He took notice of Drifa and pointed between us, ¡°Neither of you.¡± I grimaced and took a step back, pushing his sweaty hand away. ¡°I¡¯m a cartographer. We need to fix ourselves up and get supplies.¡± The man mumbled something under his breath, squinted above our heads then let out an uproarious laugh and pointed at his head. ¡°I got you¡­ I like the way you, uhm¡­¡± He paused seeming confused, ¡°¡­ I¡¯m going on an, a¡­ trip myself soon and I need a carto-car, car? ¡­A¡­ map maker. Yes, a map maker. Come with me. I¡¯ll pay!¡± He waved his muscled arms extravagantly before leaning in with a low, well-said whisper. ¡°Make a deal or I''ll find a fake.¡± I went a bit pale. He was confusing, concerning and very much in control of himself. Booze Barbarian Even with the man behind the counter gone, I didn¡¯t want to raise my voice. I leaned in as well and shot back, ¡°I could just as easily tell them what you do.¡± This didn¡¯t seem to bother the man in the slightest. ¡°I¡¯ve been here since I was a wee boy,¡± he brought his hand low for emphasis, ¡°They know me well, and they know I¡¯m a hunter, you know, the kind that gets wolf pelts like these.¡± His eyes seemed to smile as he grasped the pelts mouth. He moved it up and down like it was talking. ¡°They¡¯ve known us for a long time! They know that we go into dungeons sometimes as bodyguards when we aren¡¯t hunting my friends. How much trust do you have with the people in this village? How long have you known them?" The man seemed to have some problems up in the head, but I couldn¡¯t exactly argue with him. What does he mean by ¡®bodyguard?¡¯ It sounds like people knows that he dungeon dives¡­ but people don¡¯t like dungeon diving for power, killing the monsters or otherwise. Why would they be fine with him doing it? Was it just one town?
[People do not accept dungeon diving in order to remove or weaken monsters as morally correct, you''re correct. If you tell other people that Abs goes into dungeons that will be information they already know. Abs goes into dungeons and ¡®assists¡¯ the cultists. Since you do not assist cultists, the populace would think you are cruel. They may attempt something violent.]
My eyes lit up. You¡¯re back.
[I must reserve my energy. Don¡¯t expect further conversation.]
My mouth twitched downwards. Nevermind. I tried to pull everything together. The people trust him, they don¡¯t trust me and if they were told I went into dungeons they wouldn¡¯t like it. They¡¯re fine with him going into dungeons because it has something to do with the cultists. I¡¯m not sure what¡­ I shifted uncomfortably. I¡¯m getting away from this guy as soon as possible. He¡¯s a Hunter and has leverage on me, sure, but I don¡¯t want to make a deal with someone I hardly know with unclear goals. The man waved a hand in front of my face. ¡°Heelllooo¡­ Anyone there?¡± I scowled. ¡°I still don¡¯t want to make a deal.¡± His toad-like eyes narrowed. ¡°Why not?¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I have no reason to work with you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you? You seemed bright, but now¡­,¡± He tilted his head uncertainly, ¡°Do I need to restate my point?¡± This man¡­ ¡°I can go to the other town if you talk.¡± He raised a finger. ¡°Ah, but word travels fast and there just that, one more. Especially when it comes to something that could ruin their way of life, people don¡¯t like hearing about someone trying to remove their supplier.¡± He had a point. ¡°So?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about what you want or your motives. Let me be.¡± The man¡¯s grin was so large that his red cheeks could be seen through the eye holes in his mask. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you! A toast?¡± The man popped the jaw off of his mask revealing his own jaw and his wide smile. Grasping a bottle he brought it in front of me I shook my head and pushed it away. His eyes seemed to lose some of their brightness as I declined the drink. ¡°It¡¯s very simple! Do at least one dungeon dive with me, depending on how things go, we¡¯ll either go again, or I¡¯ll leave you to your own devices. I decide.¡± He smiled at me as if that was the most normal request in the world. I stared back dumbfounded. Is he lonely? No, that doesn¡¯t make sense¡­ well, he doesn¡¯t either, so maybe¡­ ¡°Other than what you said earlier, why would I agree?¡± He stroked his mustache braids thoughtfully before glancing at me. ¡°You¡¯re clearly pretty fresh to-¡± I furrowed my brows. It can¡¯t be that obvious and I¡¯ve had some training before¡­ I bit down on another toothpick. After watching my face scrunch up, he quit whispering back and forth opting to laugh until he wiped a tear from his eye. ¡°-You didn¡¯t recognise this,¡± He pointed to his mask, ¡°that much was obvious. You also look like your just making it by,-¡± You don¡¯t look much better yourself. Before I could do anything, he pinched the dark skin under my eye. -¡°, and lastly, I got past your defence like that.¡± He let go and snapped his fingers with his other hand, emphasizing his speed. ¡°So, you could use me!¡± He raked his hair back with his hand and gave me a toothy grin. ¡°I¡¯m an experienced veteran after all.¡± I cringed. ¡°Why do you go into dungeons?¡± The booze-infused man winked. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you after you make the deal!¡± I let out an internal sigh. ¡°Fine.¡± I don¡¯t think I¡¯m getting out of this any other way. And it¡¯s not like anyone other than the system can enforce oaths. I¡¯ll just avoid him after. His hand slapped the table and his eyes shone like the sun. That¡¯s not good. ¡°Perfect, let¡¯s make an oath!¡± He clutched the large hammer that was sitting around his neck tightly while handing me the strong-smelling bottle he¡¯d been drinking. ¡°I, Absinthe Spirytus Rektyfikowany Hapsburg, swear by the alcohol invested in me that I will take you into a dungeon, or possibly more until I don¡¯t want to anymore.¡± Absinthe let go of his pendant and stared me down. Uhm¡­ okay? ¡°I, Ismund Theodore, will go into as many dungeons as you require of me until you decide you want me to depart.¡± The man looked like he¡¯d achieved some great trick, very pleased with himself. Reaching out he snapped his drink back from me and took a long drag before breathing out making me smell whatever it was. I saw something blue flash in the corner of my vision making me lose any hope of getting out of this situation.
[Look at that, you made an oath with sweet ¡®ol Abs! How Nice! You two will be buddy-buddy till he doesn¡¯t want to. Looking at your track record, that¡¯ll be pretty short. However, this is Abs we¡¯re talking about here, not any old schmo. If you break his gracious oath he you will have the same BAC as Absinthe did at the time (0.61). WARNING: It is almost guaranteed that you will die if you have a BAC this high. Good luck!]
No, no this can¡¯t be happening. I¡¯m stuck with this guy? I already had one person around me I didn''t want, now there''s two. I dragged a hand down my face. How is he even functioning? His BAC is freaking 0.6! Why does the System seem to like him so much? Should I just act like I have a bad attitude so he wants to get rid of me? My heart was plummeting, I didn¡¯t know what to do for what felt like the first time in a while. I guess I¡¯ll do what he¡¯s doing¡­ I can''t even choose which dungeon we''re going to go into now. ¡°Hey¡­ Abs,¡± The man looked at me with full attention. ¡°¡­ Would you mind giving me some time first? My back is¡­ pretty messed up.¡± I can¡¯t just jump into another dungeon right away, even if I¡¯d like to. I wouldn¡¯t be nearly as effective. Not by a long shot. ¡°Of course, map maker!¡± He nudged my sore ribs with his elbow. Drifa had been sitting on a bar seat behind me the whole time but walked up now. She looked back and forth between us curiously before her eyes landed on me. ¡°What?¡± The man, Abs, seemed confused and repeated her. ¡°What?¡± I pursed my lips. This¡¯ll be interesting¡­ ¡°We¡¯re working with him now.¡± She squinted for a moment, looked over to the alcoholic and then smiled brightly giving me a thumbs up. Abs looked between us wearily. ¡°She a bad listener?¡± ¡°You could say that.¡± He grunted and drank some more. The man behind the counter had returned by now, so I grabbed the room and bath keys, all four, and walked away. Even as I reached my room, Drifa was following me. I looked behind me and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Well,¡­ uhm¡­¡± She looked like she was searching for words then let out a sigh, ¡°If you¡¯re willing, you can tell me more about what happened later, right?" She gestured to my hand, "Also, I don¡¯t exactly have my keys..." I handed her two and closed the door behind me. The room had some small windows, a cot, and an end table. It was efficient. Shopping! DRIFA I glanced around where we were staying as I walked to my room. It was pretty nice here, all things considered. Especially in contrast to the average hotel room from my own timeline so long as you ignore conveniences like running water. It probably isn¡¯t all too fancy around compared to what I imagined other inns in the future looked like, but it was still plenty nice. Instead of concrete, plastic, and plaster, you had nicely cut rustic-looking wood, stone, and metal. I really liked the aesthetic, it was a nice break from the last¡­ however long we¡¯d been in that dungeon. Once I arrived at the door and took a few minutes to get the key to work in the lock, I flopped into my small bed. It may¡¯ve been a bit lumpy but I didn¡¯t care. What am I doing? I moved my head so I could see around me. I don¡¯t have much of anything to put away unless I hang up my cloak. Well I guess may as well start with that, I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ll be here for. I did just that, putting away my cloak and butter knife, but I kept my stone in my pocket. I¡¯d take some risks, but not that many. It was precious after all. Thunk! Thump! Thunk! ¡­ I guess Ismunds walking over to his bath. I looked down at myself. I should probably do that too¡­ it¡¯s been a while. After a moment of thought, excitement hit me. Oh yeah! I can go shopping after this. Ismund¡¯s holding the purse strings but- I raised a finger as I talked to myself. -If he tries to find the prices himself before giving me the money he thinks I¡¯ll need, I¡¯ll have plenty to spare. I made a smug grin. Just wait and see, I¡¯ll get a lot. I could get some spices, I looked down at myself. another shirt or two, and a few other odds and ends. I tapped my fingers together mischievously. After that, I headed over to the bath room. * * * It was lovely and horrifying all at the same time. I really liked getting all the grime off of myself but¡­ the effects it had on the water was concerning. The water had become a dark murky brown laced with black flakes, ice, and the occasional pieces of dried blood. After a while, I had the water replaced so it was freshened up. How the water looked was just the start of it, the actual cleaning part was the worst. My hair was still frozen solid from when I¡¯d been in that ice sphere and the weight was killing my neck. Thankfully the water was warm and melted it eventually but that was still difficult. On top of that, I didn¡¯t have any soap, just hot water, which made things¡­ difficult. The whole being vulnerable to corrupt energy thing was going so well either¡­ as soon as I got in the bath I could see that I was missing large patches of skin and had what looked like a cross between ash and burnt tree bark. Once I should¡¯ve finished I got a ¡°bright¡± Idea too. I thought, ¡®Why not wash my clothes too?¡¯ This was a very bad idea. The clothes were clean but they were also very wet, and I had no spares and I couldn¡¯t dry them within a reasonable time. Sooo¡­ I got dressed in my soggy clothes and they started to immediately frost over, joining my re-frozen hiar thanks to my [Snow Affinity]. It was nice that I wasn¡¯t going around wet, but frosty isn¡¯t the best either. My clothes would make concerning ¡®cracking¡¯ noises and it was harder to move around. So, it was a pretty good bath. I was clean and so were my clothes. I walked back into my room, grabbed my knife and hid it away in my pocket along with my marble before donning my dry and not frozen cloak. Afterwards, I went to look for Ismund. He¡¯d definitely be done before me. I think I heard him leave the men¡¯s bath, but I couldn¡¯t tell where he went after that¡­ I Headed over to his room and knocked. Nothing. He¡¯d probably at least answer, right? Well¡­ maybe not right away. I stood there for a good 15 minutes knocking, looking around occasionally, feeling awkward, until his neighbour peaked heir head out and scowled in my direction. Before they left their room entirely I left at a brisk pace pursing my lips, fiddling with my crackling sleeve. I tried the front desk/bar thing next. It went a little better. I clomped down the stairs and greeted the short mustached man tending to the counter. Once they started talking without any noise leaving their lips I realized I¡¯d messed up. My face had already felt warm, it must¡¯ve turned crimson by now. ¡°Bye!¡±, I headed right for the exit onto the moss-strewn cobbled street. I don¡¯t notice the problem of not hearing as much when it¡¯s just Ismund¡­ but, this becoming a larger issue¡­ I waved the thought from my mind. I was on a mission and I needed to focus. I wasn¡¯t sure where Ismund had gone off to, and I only caught his side of the conversation with that man. I had an idea as to what happened, and it didn¡¯t seem all that bad, but I didn¡¯t have the whole thing. He also didn¡¯t look very happy while they were talking, especially near the end. I felt like I was coming down with a headache. No, I¡¯m not. I¡¯ve had a real headache, not the same. Those are much worse. That wa- No, stop Drifa. You need to focus, not reminisce on headaches. I tsked myself and looked around. From what I could tell, I was in the area of the town where the housing was. He probably went to either the doctors or some of the stores. If he went to the stores then he could find a price range. I think anyways¡­ I¡¯m not too sure. Since I didn¡¯t know the layout of the town and I couldn¡¯t exactly talk to people and ask for directions I headed off in a random direction and hoped for the best. It wasn¡¯t the best plan, sure, but it¡¯s what I had. * * * After walking around the peaceful streets for a while, I finally came across a large crowed of people walking too and fro. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. This¡¯s got to be it, the shopping area! It boded well for buying things later today, but I wasn¡¯t sure where to start if I was going to find Ismund. Well I can either go to the doctors, or look at the shops first. I think I¡¯ll look around the different shops first. If he¡¯s already with the doctor, I¡¯ll have enough time to look around for him. if he isn¡¯t at the doctors yet and I show up that won¡¯t work well. And, really, I want to see whats around as well. I paced around the streets looking all around me, but I couldn¡¯t find him. I had mistaken a few old men with shaggy white hair for him though. My idea of him dressing up should work then. I didn¡¯t find Ismund in the streets, but I did find the clothes people were wearing pretty interesting. It looked like a cross between what you¡¯d expect a Viking to wear and traditional Korean clothes from the Joseon period. There were plenty of leather elements such as vests, boots, gloves, hats, and belts. In the other town it seemed to be whatever people could scrounge together, it was all mismatched, but over here it was cohesive. There was some bits of metal mixed in, but not much. It¡¯d be pretty hard to find that around here. The ground¡¯s frozen solid. Their sleeves and pants, like mine, gathered around their wrists and ankles while the sleeves and pants themselves were roomy and neutral. In summary, it was different and I liked it. Although, it makes me wonder what happened to all the continents if these different clothing styles were mixed. Maybe- Stop. Focus Drifa. I looked over the crowd again and I didn¡¯t find anything so I started popping my head into stores. By the looks of it, they¡¯ll be fun to look around in once I get there. Eventually, I found the tall grizzled-looking man from earlier standing heads and shoulders above the crowd. His face was plastered against glass that would¡¯ve let someone view the products inside. May as well give it a shot. I think we¡¯re supposed to be working with him, right? [Affirmative. Ismund made a deal with Abs. User Drifa was not included in this deal. You are working with Abs due to association.] Oh¡­ okay! I guess I wasn¡¯t that far off. Hopefully, he¡¯s better company on trips than Ismund. I gave myself a small smile at the thought. I¡¯ll give it a shot. I walked right up to the man and tapped his shoulder lightly. His head whipped around towards me with intensity, quick as a whip. He didn¡¯t seem to mean any harm by it¡­ he was just very¡­ focused. With the mask he was wearing I couldn¡¯t even tell if he was talking or not. So, I crossed my arms against each other so they made an ¡®x¡¯ in a ¡®stop¡¯ gesture. My hands weren¡¯t very steady, they were, they were shaking. I supposed that I did care about this quite a bit, and uh, offending this man would go poorly. I hope this goes better than the other two times¡­ ¡°I ah¡­¡± I wrung my hands and looked down, then back up at his towering figure, ¡°I can¡¯t hear you, I can only hear Ismund. So don¡¯t bother with talking.¡±, I waved my hands in front of me in a placating gesture, ¡°But that¡¯s not the point. I was wondering if you could help me find Ismund. I¡¯ve been looking all over for him. Do you know where he is?¡± Abs tilted his head (mustache braids swooshing sideways), crossed his arms and stroked his beard. After another moment or two he nodded and waved me over to follow him. He went straight into the liquor store. I didn¡¯t think that Ismund was having that hard of a time. As soon as I walked into the store I realized that I should¡¯ve expected the man who smelled like alcohol to come in for alcohol. Ismund wasn¡¯t anywhere in the store. But there was the bottle Abs had been staring at earlier. He snatched it right up and examined it in several different ways: he shook it, stared at the colour of the drink with light shining behind it and looked at the amount of air in the bottle. After nodding happily with himself he placed the 62.5% ABV bottle on the counter. As an afterthought, he also placed some really strong vodka on the desk. I couldn¡¯t quite tell what was happening, but Abs leaned in and the other man grinned while rolling his eyes. The taller man lifted his hammer necklace and bonked the other man on the head after he nodded. He didn¡¯t seem all that worse for wear, but his cheeks were noticeably more flushed and he seemed more relaxed. Huh? He walked back in my direction, I¡¯d been wandering around aimlessly in the store. ¡°So, do you know where he is?¡± Abs just gave me a shrug. As any reasonable person would do, I ran a hand over my face. I think Ismund¡¯s influencing me too much. I should be friendlier. I cut it short with an understanding nod. ¡°Okay, well¡­ what do you want to do instead then?¡± He tapped his foot for a moment, looked longingly at his new drinks and shook his head at himself. After stroking his chin he pointed in the direction of the store¡¯s exit. That¡¯s a start! I gave him a thumbs-up and followed him out the door. Thankfully, It didn¡¯t take us very long to run into Ismund. He was, unsurprisingly, looking at different jerkies. There was a nervous-looking girl behind the counter with short brown hair. We found him! I¡¯m really glad he didn¡¯t take off or something. It wouldn¡¯t be all that surprising honestly. I tugged on Abs¡¯ disgusting sleave and gave him a wide grin and thumbs up. Abs then headed straight back to the liquor store, probably to talk with the guy behind the counter. They seemed to have a history. ¡°Why is this meat less expensive when that one¡¯s common?¡± Ismund asked as he pointed between two different low-quality jerkies. The girl said something back. ¡°Salt?¡± he squinted his eyes and nodded, before leaving. He seemed quite oblivious to her distress, her yelling lost in the crowd. I¡¯ll probably have a lot more money than I¡¯ll actually need if that¡¯s how he¡¯s gathering his information. I gave myself an evil grin. Perfect! I walked right up to him causing him to widen his eyes and frown in surprise. ¡°Do you have the budget ready for me?¡± He started to shake his head before I cut him off. ¡°You can give me the price for only buying beef jerky. You were just talking to that lady over there about the price, right? I¡¯ll only buy the jerky and you can get whatever else.¡± His eyes seemed to lose their harsh edge. ¡°Okay.¡± Ismund handed me 40 copper-looking coins. I hadn¡¯t seen this timeline¡¯s currency yet. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t all that interesting, it was just disks with numbers printed on one side and symbols on the other. As I looked closer I could see that ¡®System Units¡¯ was printed along the edge of the coins. I could probably use that analyse skill or whatever it was that came with completing that dungeon! [That is one copper (C), 100 units.] What? [This is a currency created by the System as a reward for completing dungeons. This is the only viable currency. Printed paper no longer holds value and, if needed, these coins can be used to create weapons, buttons and more. These metals conduct energy well and are easier to turn into magical objects.] [The base coin is Aluminum (A) which is worth 1 Unit, simmular to the ancient penny. Large Aluminum (LA) is 10 units. On Copper (C) is 100 units¡­] I took a moment looking over all of the information the System was giving me so I could make good deals. I would make the best deals. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ready!¡± I looked up at him eagerly. He seemed unfazed and walked back to the booth. I stopped moving before we got there.¡°Wait stop!¡± Ismund turned back in my direction skeptically. ¡°I thought you wanted to buy it.¡± ¡°I do! I just, I can¡¯t talk to them.¡±, I tugged on the red bandana around my neck, ¡°Could we buy me a flat piece of stone?¡± He turned towards me with his features all screwed up. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°That way I can use charcoal, which we don¡¯t have to buy, to write on the stone so I can talk to people. What do you think?¡±I thought it was a pretty clever idea. ¡°I can tell you what they¡¯re saying. Thats a lot easier.¡± I tilted my head skeptically. ¡°Do you really want to tell me an entire half of a conversation when you could be doing other things? This way it¡¯s easier for you, right?¡± I looked up at him eagerly. ¡°I¡¯ll look at the prices.¡± I clenched my fists together and shook them in victory. It was pretty hard to find someone who was selling flat rocks, but after some digging, we found a nice one in a scrap pile of a stone mason¡¯s shop. It was worth ten of our 200 coppers. The price wasn¡¯t too bad so Ismund conceded and also grabbed some charcoal from the furnace so I could write. After all that, we arrived back at the jerky shop. Ismund stayed behind and I walked up to the counter with bounce in my step and a smile. ¡°Hello! How are you doing?¡± Before the girl could start talking I held up a finger, ¡°Just so you know, I can¡¯t hear all that well. Do you mind writing on this?¡± I offered her my brand-new writing tablet with the charcoal. She seemed flustered at first, but after a few seconds she decided to write on it. ¡°Sure?¡± ¡°Thank you, I know it¡¯s a hassle.¡± I quirked my lips to the side as I looked at all of their dried meats. Some of them looked, really, really good. But I knew that Ismund wouldn¡¯t let me get them. So I took a look at the options available, rabbit was probably affordable. They didn¡¯t exactly have a price tag on them so I figured I could try some haggling. ¡°Makes sense that you carry rabbit jerky. There¡¯s a lot in the area.¡± She smiled politely and nodded. ¡°Yes, the rabbits are doing well. But it¡¯s hard to get your hands on them, they¡¯re so fast!¡±, I grabbed a few small pieces and placed them on the counter. ¡°How much would you say this is?¡± She paused, looked me up and down, and wrote. ¡°About 20 coppers.¡± My eyes widened and I let out a low whistle. "Wow... Is there something that sets it apart? This is what, one rabbit¡¯s worth of meat?¡± ¡°Well, like I said, they¡¯re difficult to catch. There isn¡¯t a whole lot on them either.¡± I pursed my lips seriously. ¡°Do you have any cheaper options? I need to get a lot.¡± She wrote on the tablet again and leaned in as she spun it around for me to read. ¡°How much we talkin¡¯?¡± I tilted my hand back and forth in an unsure motion, ¡°Oh, maybe like a months worth?¡± The brown-haired girl looked at me horrified. ¡°I don¡¯t think we carry that much quality jerky, and if we did, there¡¯s not that many people who could afford to buy that much at once.¡± I frowned and nodded. ¡°Well, do you have any meat that¡¯s about to expire?¡± She tilted her head in confusion and wrote again. ¡°We do. But I¡¯m not sure that you¡¯ll have enough time to use it all, it''s raw.¡± Why do they have so much meat that''s about to go bad? Well, that''s their problem, not mine. Something to think about on the walk to the next dungeon, those take a while. I waved her off. ¡°I don¡¯t care about that, so long as it won¡¯t make me sick today.¡± She looked quite concerned but conceded nonetheless. She waved me forward. ¡°Hold on one moment!" I raised a finger, "I¡¯ll be right back, I just need to grab something to carry it all.¡± I darted over to Ismund. ¡°Come with me, no time to explain!¡± He didn¡¯t move. ¡°Please! I think that I¡¯m about to get a great deal and I need that box of yours to carry it all.¡± He nodded and followed me, walking briskly. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m back!¡± The girl looked over at Ismund before quickly glancing away, she was clearly very unhappy but was trying to hide it. She led us into the back where a lot of bad-smelling meat was. ¡°How much could I buy this for?¡± She wrote on the rock again. * * * After negotiating and making sure Ismund was as neutral as Ismund could be I eventually got a month¡¯s worth of almost spoiled pig for both of us (176 lb) at an 80% discount due to how rank it was. It was 197 copper and 14 aluminum, or 19,714 system units. We only had a little more than two copper left, and I¡¯d found that one copper was close to about one dollar. We¡¯d used almost all of our money, but it was a great price. Ismund could store it in his box and it would keep as long as we needed. It might not taste as great, sure, but it worked. During the process I ended up trying to convince both the shopkeeper and Ismund to let me buy it, it was a whole process. unfortunately, didn¡¯t get to keep some leftover money to shop for what I¡¯d like as I¡¯d hoped, but I was able to snag a great deal and Ismund seemed impressed¡­ I think. I¡¯ll be able to shop again I think! Also, now that I think about it, how much did Ismund think I¡¯d buy with the amount of money he gave me? Two handfuls of jerky? I turned towards Ismund as we walked away from the store. ¡°So, good thing we got this rock, right?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± My eyes sparkled. That might be the most enthusiastic response he¡¯s given me! I¡¯m making progress. Now I just need to find a way to get seasonings¡­ we have a lot of scraps from the boss so long as Ismund harvested it¡¯s corpse, and I¡¯m sure he did. We can do that next, selling pieces. Selling! I hadn¡¯t been paying too much attention to how Drifa had gotten that deal, I was too focused on trying to calculate how much we could actually spend. We spent much more than I anticipated, but it was a good price. I hadn¡¯t intended on getting much meat in the first place since we had some from the monster. We couldn¡¯t eat it as is, but with the ice dome-thing Drifa made, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be able to clean that so we can use it. The meat we would¡¯ve bought was so we could pass the time. She needed help with doing the math throughout the process, however, she was good at the arguments and snagging a deal. Never thought I¡¯d say that. Normally her arguments are¡­ ineffective. I took a look at how much money we had left and frowned. It¡¯ll work. ¡°Hey, Ismund?¡±, Drifa said, trying to grab my attention. "Hmm?" ¡°Am I- we, are we going to sell what we got in the dungeon.¡± I nodded. ¡°Well~, what did you manage to get?¡± Not here¡­ I made a ¡®cut it¡¯ motion with my hand across my neck. She seemed confused and pouted. ¡°Why not? Please?¡±, she let out a breath, ¡°Did you want to keep it for something? I don¡¯t think people would be to-¡± I turned towards her fully with my finger over my lips. She pursed her lips, looked down, and let her shoulders slump. If people know that we have a giant carcass of a rabbit, they won¡¯t be so happy. I¡¯d decided to let her figure out how to get a bargain of some sort once we were at the stall and I¡¯d pulled it out. * * * Turned out that, so long as you did it right, you could get a good price for some skin and bones. 152 square m of skin got us 108 bronze and 50 coppers with it being four coppers per square foot. It should¡¯ve been worth more. The fur was nasty, sure, but the skin was incredibly thick. The problem we ran into was the amount of money the person was willing to pay all at once. 192 lb of bone went for 550 units per. We ended with 10 bronze and bones and 56 copper. We¡¯d sold the bone to the local craftsman. He could use them when he made his handles. Now that I was thinking about it, my box was carrying a lot. It was making me quite grateful for it. I also had to admit, the System giving the measurements made things easier. Earlier our finances were near rock bottom, but we were doing well for ourselves now. Best save it up. I imagine things will become quite expensive later on. I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯ll be spending it on, but best be cautious. From what I can tell, the prices have inflated significantly since before¡­ I frowned and bit down on another toothpick. Either way, better stay on my toes. I still needed a shirt and since I was planning on us eating the monsters heart, liver, kidney, and now also that close to spoiled pig meat, I gave into Drifa¡¯s suggestion of buying herbs. I wasn¡¯t there for that part however, I have her 40 copper and watched her make a run for it. At this point she¡¯d proven proficiency in buying. A while later, long while, she came running back with a goofy grin. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Ismund!¡± She was wearing a new shirt and matching coat, holding a larger charcoal grey shirt in one arm and had a stuffed sling bag over her other shoulder. I thought I gave her 40 coppers¡­ She hurriedly handed me what I guessed to be my shirt¡­ shirts. There were a few. They weren¡¯t made like any of the ones in area. The sleeves were different. Less material while still being able to move around freely. Pretty good. Too good. How did she get a different style of shirt than what everyone else is wearing? That would make it more expensive, especially since It would have to be tailored specifically. Well, the other option is that its antique, which could go in either direction. I looked at it again. Probably more expensive. I looked back up her. Her freckled cheeks were squishing her eyes because of her grin. I gave her a hard look. ¡°Give it back.¡± I thought I could her trust her to at least some degree. She stepped back and shook her head, looking quite concerned. ¡°Why should I? Is there something wrong with it?¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t get this much without stealing. There¡¯s more in your backpack too, don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice.¡± She shifted her weight to a hip and crossed her arms. ¡°I didn¡¯t take anything but a good price!¡± I gave her a long stare until she spoke up again. ¡°I just got some really good deals, okay?¡± I raised my eyebrows, ¡°Could you say the same to their face?¡± She nodded immediately. Her features were written with concern and sincerity. I turned and walked to where I¡¯d seen a clothing shop earlier after a few minutes we arrived. Time to see what comes of this. I was hit by the choking smell of perfumes as soon as the door opened. Besides that, there was a thin older woman standing behind the counter. As soon as Drifa came in she waved to her excitedly and Drifa waved back with a smile. I wasn¡¯t expecting that. Once the woman noticed me she lowered her enthusiasm level so that it was more professional. ¡°Are you looking for anything? Were you the one who she mad-¡± I cut her off, ¡°No I¡¯m not looking for anything other than returning some items.¡± She gave me an odd look. ¡°What do you want to return? What was wrong with them?¡± I walked up to the counter with Drifa anxiously following behind me. I pretended to dig though my backpack and placed the new clothes on the desk. ¡°Did she buy these?¡± ¡°No, she-¡°, Before she could finish, I glared at Drifa. ¡°I thought you said that you bought these honestly? These probably cost this poor woman a lot of money.¡± I gestured to the woman without glancing at her,¡±Yet you came up to me smiling. What else did you take?¡± I pointed to the bag ¡°-¡± , this time, to my surprise, the woman cut me off. She¡¯d apparently walked over from behind her counter while I talked. She stepped in front of Drifa protectively, ¡°Would you stop?¡± Of course she¡¯s defending a trouble maker. I bet she¡¯s stolen her own merchandise from other people. Maybe she¡¯s offered up some of her family to the dungeons for it. ¡°No. Do you want a thief running around town?¡± She looked at me like I¡¯d slapped her across the face. ¡°She didn¡¯t take anything at all!¡±, her face that had looked so composed moments before now looked incredibly lined, ¡°In fact, she made this all for you!¡± She looked me up and down in disgust before shaking her head. Why does she care so much about Drifa? She¡¯s probably only known her for a little bit. She turned around to look at Drifa. She was sniffling a bit while looking down at the ground with unfocused eyes. ¡°¡­ do you have to put up with this every day? Oh, sorry, I forgot.¡± She turned around and gave me a scowl. ¡°Wait one moment¡­ you could hear that man. I thought you said you couldn¡¯t hear me?¡± The woman now looked awfully confused. ¡°Right now, she can only hear me.¡± I spoke up in the awkward silence. After a few seconds Drifa nodded too. The tailor looked back at me with suspicion, ¡°Did you do this?¡± ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. She didn¡¯t seem quite convinced but let it drop. Facing back towards Drifa she tapped her shoulder and pretended to write on her hand. After a moment Drifa caught on and brought out her thin piece of stone. Only then did some pieces click together after I spend time to go over what happened. Oh, Drifa made these¡­ there¡¯s cost for material but that¡¯d be cheaper. Maybe she sold the clothing design or something as well. While the woman wrote on the hard surface she talked to me over her shoulder. ¡°Why are you so abrasive with her? She¡¯s easy to get along with, quite pleasant.¡± You haven¡¯t been with her long enough then. ¡°No. She is not.¡± She seemed confused, stopped to read what Drifa had written, and turned back towards me. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not you? The issue.¡± How would her being annoying be on me? I frowned and pinched my eyebrows. Instead of elaborating she turned back towards Drifa, looked at what she had written and gasped in surprise. She¡¯d better not have written anything I¡¯m trying to keep under wraps. The woman talked to me again. ¡°You sir, are a very lucky man.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You can figure that out yourself.¡± Incomplete DRIFA Marcella looked back at Ismund and said something again. Ismund seemed irritated and unconvinced, he also seemed to be thinking. Whatever it was, he gave the Marcella an unconvinced quirk of the mouth and picked up the new clothes I¡¯d made him, placed them in his bag and walked off. I quickly wrote on the stone and flashed, ¡°Bye!¡± ,with a big smiley face written on the side of it and headed off. The woman looked a little sad but waved nonetheless. Once I caught up to Ismund I asked him a question. ¡°Where are we heading now?¡± He glanced at me with a weird look on his face and kept walking. A few minutes later I found that we were going to the doctors. Well, duh. Should¡¯ve figured that out myself. It was a quaint building, but it was different from all the others. It had small trinkets around the place with some mutated creatures around the perimeter. Most of all, it gave off a sort of ominous aura. There had been a few other buildings around the neighborhood like that, but this one stuck out in particular. As we walked closer my doubts crept up on me. I looked up at Ismund. He didn¡¯t seem too concerned, just on edge, his usual. He¡¯ll probably tell me if he want¡¯s me to keep an eye out. He knows what he¡¯s doing. As soon as we stepped into the building I was hit with a horrible feeling, it sank down to my bones: I had to leave. I spun right in the other direction, towards that wonderful exist door. Ismund stopped me by grabbing my sleeve. He looked at me inquisitively and I just shook my head and tried to walk back to the precious outside. Before I could do much more a man with spotless, smooth grey skin approached us saying something. Him, he was the source of the worst of it. I squirmed. ¡°I need my stitches addressed.¡± Not here! I looked at him earnestly and tried to tug him away from the man. He didn¡¯t budge. The other man smiled and spoke a bit while drumming his fingers. After that, he waved us deeper into the building. Can we go back now? Please! [User Drifa does not have access to Telepathy.] I know. That¡¯s not the point- wait, is that a thing? Wait, don¡¯t answer that right now. I need to focus. I looked around for another way out. There were rooms that I did not want to go in. Other than that there were no windows or doors to outside, just straight walls and more caged mutant animals. They were looked horrible. They were staring at us while drooling, standing in their own filth. The man led us further into the buildings until he swished a curtain aside revealing a cot which he gestured for Ismund to sit on. Can I just leave? I¡¯m not doing anything. I looked around nervously, while trying to scoot back towards the door. Ismund glanced in my direction and seemed unhappy, but he couldn¡¯t exactly get up so¡­ I was gonna do it. Once the strange man turned his back towards me I headed out of the room, out of the main office, and then out the door. Only then did I feel like I could breath properly. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Wait. What does that mean for Ismund? Did, did I put him in a worse situation? Well, probably not. I can¡¯t do much as is since I don¡¯t even have access to my magic. [You could operate magic if you wanted too.] I still don¡¯t get what you mean by that. Well, I don¡¯t know how to any magic right now and I don¡¯t understand whatever you¡¯re talking about. I was a bit nervous though, I couldn¡¯t make up my mind whether I should just head to the hotel or not. After considering it for a while I figured that it would make the situation worse if I went back in. Also, I did not want to go back in. So, I headed up to my room and sat there for a while. Agh¡ª I looked around my room hopelessly. ¡ª what am I supposed to say when he gets back? Maybe it¡¯ll be fine? Ismund will probably either be¡­ upset or neutral. Hopefully he¡¯s fine and it was just a me issue. I looked down at the bandana around my neck. The System keeps saying that I can still do magic or whatever so maybe I can figure that out? I situated myself so I was sitting comfortably. May as well. I pursed my lips. Well, maybe not. I won¡¯t be able to talk to him when he comes back. I can try practicing later. He¡¯ll need to heal for a while anyways. I think that you want to remove the stitches after about a week, and it¡¯s been something like that¡­ wait no! It¡¯s been like two or something. Those need to get out. I felt my own painful swollen skin on my back. Shoot! ¡°Can I, no.¡± I don¡¯t think I can cut it myself. I grunted and spun around in circles looking for anything. Nope, nothing. Why would there be? ¡®Special stitch remover over here!¡¯ I snorted. ¡°Well, maybe Ismund can do it.¡± I mumbled. I waited, and waited, and did some more waiting. Finally I heard some steps creaking on the wood. Ismund! I unlatched my door and stepped out, Ismund was just up the stairs. I walked right over to him, he didn¡¯t seem very happy. Instead, he looked quite tired, more tired than usual. Once he caught sight of me he raised his eyebrows unimpressed. I wasn¡¯t sure with what. Hopefully not me. ¡°So?¡± I asked him. He didn¡¯t say anything, he just walked over to his room. It didn¡¯t seem to be his usual grumpy self though. I walked behind him. Maybe he¡¯ll tell me more when we aren¡¯t in the open. He didn¡¯t slam the door so I figured that meant I could go in. His room looked just the same as mine except the bed was made. ¡°What happened?¡± He looked up at me with a slight frown and mumbled something about freezing. ¡°Hmm?¡± He let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose, ¡°The stitches are out. They¡¯d been for too long.-¡± I knew it, but that does mean that mine need to go to. -¡°The creams or ointments he tried to use froze. He didn¡¯t like that and asked for extra pay.¡± He looked up at me with a scowl, but I didn¡¯t think it was directed at me this time. ¡°So, bright thing the guy was decided to use their,¡± his words dripped with deep sated disgust, ¡°magic.¡± Oh no. What did they do? I searched his face worriedly and voiced my thought. ¡°I guess they closed it up or something, I can¡¯t exactly see it. But it¡¯s sat wrong with me and feels like a, a,¡± he searched for words, ¡°like a prosthetic but for skin but if it didn¡¯t work.¡± What? That doesn¡¯t make¡­ sense. Okay whelp, he tried. Meeting my eyes he spoke gruffly, ¡°Get rid of it.¡± My palms were sweaty. At least he¡¯s conversational¡­ Well, it¡¯s probably because it¡¯s a thing he doesn¡¯t like. ¡°Uhm¡­ I¡¯ll do my best. I¡¯ll try.¡± I lifted the back of his shirt after a short nod. ¡°Can I, switch so I can hear what he did?¡± He bobbed his head and I pulled out my rock and the charcoal just in case he wanted to write. He did not. Lets take a look, shall we? He was right about it being very wrong. Like the mans flesh, it was a ash grey instead of where the open skin was. I¡¯m not getting enough by just looking. I switched over and it was worse than Ismund had described. It was some sort of Parasite. It kept taking energy from something. Taking energy? How would it get energy? I looked into it deeper. It wasn¡¯t making any of it¡¯s own sound, it was using sound tendril things to seek out sound in Ismund. I looked down at myself. We make sound? Like, other than breathing and stuff? I tilted my head and I blew some hair out of my face. I don¡¯t think I can get rid of it as is unless I want to gouge another hole in him. I need to figure out my magic so I can make any sort of difference. This thing ¡ª it seemed alive in some way ¡ª was going as soon as I was able. Parasite I took a break from listening so intensely and looked at the patched up grey wound again: the grey flesh was spreading. I dropped the shirt and pinched my chin in thought. How¡¯s it growing already? Well, I guess I don¡¯t know too much about magic and this seems magical. If the tentacles are taking energy then they must be the magical part fuelling the fleshy part of the parasite. I don¡¯t think that something physical can take energy¡­ that wouldn¡¯t make sense. I knit my brows together. It wasn¡¯t looking so good considering I didn¡¯t really know what was happening at all in the first place. ¡°!¡± I fidgeted with my fingers nervously but they stopped as soon as I came to a realization. The System was saying something about me using my own energy, so¡­ maybe, maybe this parasite is taking from our own internal energy. I smiled. That mean¡¯s I could figure out how I could actually use my own magic outside the Systems energy. I frowned. Well, there¡¯s also the part where there¡¯s a parasite sucking the energy out of Ismund. I hadn¡¯t gotten a clear idea of what I was listening to earlier, just the bare bones, due to my surprise. This time I paid more attention to what I was listening too. There was the creatures thin tentacle strand reaching into Ismund, and there was energy just floating around inside him, but there seemed to be a source where everything was originating. Before I got to that centre, however, I found a barrier that was just a lack of sound or some sort of lack of variation in sound. There were lots of cracked crescent shapes floating around the place but seemed like they were mostly around the centre ball of energy and it kept trying to fix itself. Oh, its a protective ball thingy. Like a shield. Or, it was until I¡¯m guessing the parasite thing broke it. I looked at the back of Ismund¡¯s head concerned. I wonder what effect the parasite is having on him. I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s taking from him really, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s noticeable. I focused my attention on the origin. The sound was too complicated to understand, even if you gave me days to try to figure it out. The beat, while complex, stayed the same, but all the other layers were always changing and weaving in and out of one another making my head whirl. It sounded beautiful better than anything I¡¯d listened to, it wasn¡¯t jumbled in the least there was just so many layers and complexities I couldn¡¯t take it all in. In the end it still sounded very Ismund. I wanted to take a closer look at it but it looked like it was making Ismund uneasy or something he kept shifting his weight uncomfortably. I guess I¡¯m analyzing part of him, he can probably tell. Probably not very pleasant. Oh! Maybe it¡¯s like using the ¡®analyze¡¯ skill in those other books I read, people could tell when you¡¯re reading their stats and stuff. It¡¯s not quite the same thing, but it might have the same effect.
[Affirmative. You are viewing all the different aspects Ismund¡¯s soul stat.]
Oh, so that¡¯s what it is¡­ does the soul stat include the soul itself?
[The actual soul cannot be measured since it is simply the name human¡¯s give to their creative nature which separates them from monsters and the System itself. It cannot be measured, therefore doesn¡¯t truly exist in any real sense. The soul, as the System understands it in stats, is: the strength of your willpower, the strength of your presence, understanding of magic, and how you¡¯re ability to understand other peoples soul stat without the Systems intervention. There are several other variables which I won¡¯t outline in this moment due to it being unnecessary unless User Drifa specifically requests it.]
I squinted my eyes skeptically. I don¡¯t think it understands the whole picture of the soul¡­ it doesn¡¯t have one, so how would it really do that in the first place. I mean I suppose theoretically it might be able to, but not on it¡¯s own. It would need someone to spoon feed it that information and even then it might not fully understand it. Not to say I have a perfect understanding myself, but still. I shook my head. Well, I¡¯m looking at the non-physical part of Ismund, I¡¯m not sure what part is his soul, spirit, and whatever else but I can back off. I switched my focus over to the parasite itself it seemed t- How did I not think about that when I was talking to the System. I look at the back of Ismund¡¯s head again with a large grimace this time. ¡°Uhm, I don¡¯t know how to Ismund but uhm, well, ya¡¯ know you¡¯ve probably already been told by a notification, but the thing the ¡®doctor¡¯ used seems alive or, semi alive and is acting like a parasite,¡± Ismund nodded shortly, ¡°and it¡¯s ah¡­ I think it¡¯s taking your soul¡¯s energy, or at least what the System¡¯s identifying as the soul.¡± His head whipped around in my direction with an intense stare scrutinizing my face for a moment once he seemed satisfied with something, nodded again, and returned back to his previous sitting position. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I guess he didn¡¯t quite know the second part? I don¡¯t know how he¡¯s holding up at all if that¡¯s whats happening. Never mind having enough energy to react with even that much enthusiasm. I pursed my lips and got back to the problem at hand. I needed to fix it. The parasite seemed to be moving its tentacles to the largest source of energy and nothing else, but there were hundreds of them writhing around. Sometimes they were stopped by shield fragments or the actual shield itself as they floated around inside of him. The shield¡¯s repairing itself was slower before, but it seems quite a bit faster now¡­ I raised a curious brow. While that is interesting, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to stop the parasite right now. I¡¯m gonna have to do that, and I might be able to do some magic now that I found Ismund¡¯s soul or energy source. I don¡¯t want to call it that until I know for sure. It was harder to hear, but I was able to find my own source of energy now that I knew what to look for. It was significantly muffled by the shield around it, but I could understand the simple scraps that leaked out well enough, it was me after all. I wanted to investigate this energy ball more once I was done. It wont be enough to just repair Ismund¡¯s shield if it still leaks energy. The parasite will have less energy to feed off of, sure but it¡¯s still able to eat. I took a tentative hold of a scrap of some of my own free floating energy. It was surprisingly easy to use in comparison to the System¡¯s. All I had to do was find it and will it around to make it move. I didn¡¯t have to go through a whole purification process or anything, and it felt much less clunky. It made me quite happy so I gave myself a small smile before concentrating again, closing my eyes. Maybe the solution will be easier than I thought. It was not. As soon as my energy was within range of the parasite it snapped it right up. It was just¡­ gone. I hadn¡¯t thought that was really possible, at least, I hadn¡¯t considered it. It hurt a, but¡­ It didn¡¯t feel like I was missing a part of myself, I was glad about that. It was like a prick of pain and I could handle that. It must be awful for Ismund if that¡¯s just extra energy made by me. The parasite is actually trying to eat him. I ran a my frost coated hand over my face. Okay, well¡­ I thought that maybe I could freeze the tentacles or attack them or something, but I guess not. Maybe ahg, I don¡¯t know¡­ I sat there for a while and thought, thought, and thought some more unt- Ismund pushed my stone towards me with something written on it. ¡°Are you doing anything?¡± I pursed my lips and nodded with what must¡¯ve looked like a fake smile. I guess from his perspective I¡¯ve basically just sat here and stared at his back. I flushed both embarrassed and frustrated. I am doing things. Well, maybe, I should just try things instead of sitting here, ideas will only get me so far, I need to do things. I had an Idea but I wasn¡¯t very confident in it. I took some more energy - I was really enjoying how easy it was to grab and use - and I moved it towards the parasite again, faster this time. I made it move faster than I ever had before. Again, the tentacle string chased after it and tried to eat it up but I now that I knew that it would do that I was able to outpace it if barely. I made it chase my energy as far as I could. It went all the way from it¡¯s main body till it was past Ismund¡¯s chest and outside his body trying to chase my energy. The tentacle was thicker before but now it was long and stretched out. It must have a limit or something to it¡¯s length, right? Maybe it¡¯ll snap? It didn¡¯t snap as it got thinner chasing my energy as it did fighter plane -esque moves until it just couldn¡¯t stretch anymore. My energy was dancing right outside of it¡¯s very long reach. Not what I was hoping for, I wanted to tear it to shreds by breaking it over and over, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll work. Quick as a wink ,the string retreated back to Ismund¡¯s music ball thing once it figured that it couldn¡¯t reach my own energy. Well, maybe I can still do something with that. The idea worked pretty well. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have the finesse to speed up the process by using multiple chunks of energy at once, but it was still working. I made the tentacles chase my energy like I had made the one do before but instead of just stretching it, I chased it around the large fleshy part that ¡®healed¡¯ Ismund. I went one ugly strand at a time until they were all tangled up in knots so they couldn¡¯t do anything. I lost allot of my own excess energy in the process, especially near the beginning, when I was figuring it out, and the end, when I was getting tired. I had been doing it for a long, long time. Maybe a few hours, there were so many strands to bind up. Thankfully, now that I was done, it looked like that parasite was going into a sort of stasis now that it didn¡¯t have much energy available, only whatever happened to float up close to it. Phew. I let out a breath and relaxed my features. It wasn¡¯t a permanent fix, sure, but it got the job done for now. How¡¯s his soul ball thingy doing now? I didn¡¯t pry this time, but It seemed to be doing much better, the shield thing was fixed and around his energy¡¯s origin muffling it again so I barely noticed it. There also seemed to be something marching across the shield made of the same substance or energy or whatever. Are those tiny Ismund¡¯s in knight costumes with little swords? I wasn¡¯t very good at figuring out shapes by hearing yet, but it sure seemed like it. I let out a small snort. I wonder if the physical part of the parasite looks any different now that the magical part isn¡¯t getting energy. I lifted the back of his shirt again to take a look at it. I paled. What I thought that, that¡­ Apparently the the parasite¡¯s strings weren¡¯t just magical, no, they were also very physical and it made me feel sick. Instead of the flat grey ¡®skin¡¯ there was before, it looked like a tangled mass of twitching string if it was sowed into his skin. It was like an evil ball of yarn that wanted to escape I think I¡¯ve been puncturing him this whole time¡­ hopefully I didn¡¯t cause a bunch of internal damage. I probably did¡­ at least it¡¯s not stealing his energy anymore really? I dropped the shirt again, pushed myself up from my sitting position on his bed and took a look at his face to see how he was doing. It was covered in frosted over sweat and I could see some blood on his shirt. That must¡¯ve been from me trying to test how far the thing would stretch. ¡°Uhm, you should be fine for now. It won¡¯t take anymore of you¡¯re energy and should probably stop growing. I can¡¯t get rid of it yet, but it¡¯s in a short of stasis or something now. Is it any better now?¡± Ismund continued staring intensely at the floor while he nodded his head robotically and handed me my stone and charcoal back. He didn¡¯t really answer but that¡¯s fine. I took it as a sign to leave and skirted out the door into my own room. I wanted to try to do some more magic now that I had access to it again. There were a lot of new things I could do now and I was excited about it. Sadly, the excitement wasn¡¯t enough to ward off my exhaustion. It had been a long day. Wrapping Up ISMUND I had gone to bed the night before in pain, tired, and hadn¡¯t felt like my usual self. I didn¡¯t know why, it just was. Well, no I did know, it was that parasite and the debuff it had given me, [Soul Snatched]. I didn¡¯t like the sound of it at all and the description wasn¡¯t any help either. It said I could remove it once I regained the part of my soul that was missing. I didn¡¯t know how to do that. It must be in the parasite, I knew that much. Drifa said that it was taking my soul¡¯s energy, but that didn¡¯t seem to quite line up with what the system had said. Either way, I needed to get rid of it. After I had been patched up by Drifa I had gotten another trait, [Guarded Soul]. I hoped that would help a bit. At least acting as preventative measure or something. I took a quick scan of my room. Everything was in order, I was packed. I walked out of my room and knocked on Drifa¡¯s door. Before I could say anything, or even walk away, Drifa opened the door and grabbed my sleeve to hold me still. I took a look over my shoulder down at her. ¡°You had your stitches removed, and they were late right? Should¡¯ve been removed sooner?¡± I shrugged. She gave me look that looked vaguely concerned. ¡°Can we get rid of mine too?¡± I nodded. Can¡¯t be compromised in a a fight. ¡°Where?¡± I shrugged again. I wasn¡¯t so sure. ¡°Should I go to the doctor to just get the stitches removed? If I¡¯m really clear tha-¡± ¡°No.¡± I said Sharply. I can¡¯t have her lose the ability to use her magic if he decides to give her a parasite anyways. I didn¡¯t ask for it and he gave it to me. She couldn¡¯t even handle being in the building, she ran. Her eyebrows furrowed, ¡°Well what should I do instead?¡± I shrugged again. She pinched her lips together too after that and looked around thinking. ¡°Could you cut them?¡± I¡¯m not really sure how to do that Hopefully I¡¯m not too late. I nodded hesitantly. She opened her door all the way and sat down on her bed with her back facing me. She pulled her hair out of the way and lifted the back of her shirt just high enough for me to find the very frozen bandages. They were going to be hard to break. I pulled out my large knife and slipped it underneath the icy cloth and did my best to cut it. I only managed to cut a bit of the thick ice. How did she freeze it so solid? Shaking my head I tried again by pulling harder, apparently a little too hard. She yelped almost fell off of the edge of her bed onto the ground but stopped herself by clutching the messy blankets underneath her. More sawing I guess. It took longer but it opened the bandage. Once I cut through it I told Drifa because It didn¡¯t really make a difference. She tugged on it and cracked the sides like a shell before dropping it beside herself. The wound didn¡¯t look particularly healthy, maybe better than before, however. There had been something like the outline of a connecting the holes in each corner, as well as some scratches. Since there were two teeth there were eight nasty holes. It was now all sowed off with the skin closed but everywhere where there had been broken skin was now ash looking like it would break at any moment, including the area right around the stitches.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. It might re-open. I looked at my knife. I don¡¯t think this¡¯ll be small enough to cut the stitches. ¡°Are you going to use anything in the mid-kit we got? Or do you think a knife is good enough?¡± she said flushing, looking over her shoulder. Oh right, I forgot about that. I placed it on the bed as a sort of make shift table and opened it. I didn¡¯t know too much about fixing wounds but I figured I could use the tiny knife and rubbing alcohol. I took the bottle and poured a little on a bandage and used that as a cloth to dab it on- ¡°It¡¯s funny how we both have stitches on our back, eh?¡± She interrupted - the stitches. After that, I put the bottle away and put the bandages to the side to use later. I then tugged one of the knots up and cut the string with the tiny knife. I wonder if you could use it in a fight. After the string was cut I tugged the string up by the knot and the string popped right out. Okay, good. I went on like this for a while, wasn¡¯t sure how long exactly, occasionally messing up and making some blood pool and freeze. Once that was finished I handed Drifa the alcohol soaked bandages, placed the medical kit in my box, and headed down the stairs. After looking at the chalk menu for a moment I ordered some food for myself. Right before I was going to pay Drifa came rushing down the stairs. ¡°Could I have a chicken sandwich please?¡± She said. The bar tender looked at me to see if I was paying and gave a small nod. ¡°We don¡¯t have any chic-¡±, before the man with the curly moustache could finish Drifa was talking again, ¡°Thank you!¡±, and headed for a table.¡± Wincing a little I gestured for the man to continue. He looked to the side a little irritated before continuing, ¡°We don¡¯t have a chicken sandwich available that would be a¡­ strange thing to eat.¡± I nodded and looked at the menu. ¡°Could you get her a ham sandwich instead?¡± ¡°Sure thing.¡± Taking another glance at the menu I did some quick math and handed the man the money he was owed. I walked over to where Drifa was and sat myself down. ¡°Thanks.¡± I looked up a little confused. ¡°¡­ for helping me get rid of those stitches.¡± she said. ¡°Mmmm.¡± I looked out the window and zoned out as I waited for the food chewing on a toothpick. ¡°Here we are!¡± There was a kid with curly black hair and almond eyes delivering our food instead of the man at the bar. He handed me my eggs and bacon and Drifa her sandwich. Do people still tip? I wasn¡¯t sure¡­ it¡¯d be fine if I didn¡¯t. He gave me an awkward smile, dropped his open hand and left. Drifa inspected her sandwich muttering to herself. She took a pinch off of the meat from the side and ate it before half standing up and looking over to the kitchen uncertainly and sitting down all the way. ¡°I think they got the wrong order, it¡¯s supposed to be chicken, this is sausage.¡± she whispered. I shrugged noncommittally, ¡°Nope,¡± and took a bite out of my food. It tasted pretty good. ¡°Should I tell them?¡± She hooked a thumb at the bar. ¡°It¡¯s right.¡± I said after swallowing. ¡°What do you mean?¡± she looked about ready to head over, half standing. ¡°There was no chicken sandwich on the menu so I got you this instead.¡±, I took another bit of my eggs. She looked up at the menu behind her and strained her eyes a bit from her twisted position and sat down. ¡°Of course you chose the cheapest one.¡± She frowned and took a bite. There was a touch of a smile to the corner of her mouth before she seemed to remember something and her lips instantly thinned. ¡°Didn¡¯t we just buy a lot of pork.¡± I nodded. ¡°This is pork to.¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m going to eat this for like a month.¡± I nodded once more. she slumped dragged her free hand over her face and I took a bite of my bacon. I don¡¯t see the problem. We have food, protein too, so it¡¯s hearty. We want that. We also have more than enough to last the whole time, however long that is. A while later Abs walked through the front door, I was just cleaning up the last bit of my food. He looked around and once he spotted us he stomped right over, stopping in front of us with his fists on his hips. ¡°Alright! Are you ready my , ,¡­ cartographers! Ahah, that¡¯s right!¡± He gave me a wink and elbowed my ribs. Drifa didn¡¯t have any idea he was here I didn¡¯t think, she was just munching while looking at her plate defeated. I glanced at her, ¡°I¡¯m ready to go.¡± Drifa looked up at me, then at my eyes, then to who I was looking at. Her eyes went wide. ¡°Are we leaving? Already!¡± I nodded. ¡°Shoot!¡± Grabbing a napkin she ruffled it in her hands while she sprinted upstairs. Abs pointed at the left over sandwhich and met my eyes. ¡°She gonna eat that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Taking that as a go ahead he shoved the courner that was left in his mouth after pushing his mask up for a second. He squinted his eyes at me and waved his sweaty hand infront of me. ¡°You there? Helloooooooo! Did you lose some of your brains?,¡± He said loudly. Squinting his glazed over eyes at me for a moment he mumbled, ¡°Soulll~ snatched¡­¡± His eyes focuesed again and looked at me with an exaggurated squint. ¡°So you did lose your brains¡­¡± How can he read that? Also, I didn¡¯t lose my brains. ¡°No.¡± He pointed in a random direction, ¡°look over there.¡± I did, there wasn¡¯t anything of note. ¡°See, you did lose your brains!¡±, he smacked the back of my head and laughed, but it felt like I¡¯d been hit with a hammer, ¡°You should know that, you can read it!¡± Drifa came down the stares with my brothers cloak around her shoulders allong with her butterknife. What took so long? Tree Toothpicks Creaaak! Thump! I gave myself some more distance from Abs as we exited the city. I didn¡¯t like him all too much and he smelled very pungent. I started to slip into a blank stare as I walked untill I thought of what we were doing again and¡­ a few other things. I decided another toothpick would probably be a good idea. Abs looked over at me with his shiny toad-like eyes. ¡°How many of those do ye¡¯ got?¡± I swear, a small grin must¡¯ve been playing on his lips with the way he said it. I shrugged in response. ¡°You don¡¯t know how many you have!¡±, He looked me up and down like I was some strange creature, ¡°How do you keep from running out then, won¡¯t you run out eventually?¡± I nodded towards the upcoming trees. ¡°You can¡¯t use a tree as a toothpick, they¡¯re too big.¡± He shook his head at me as if I were an idiot. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna call you short but, you¡¯re not that tall.¡± He looked around for a moment before mumbling, ¡°Maybe I am¡­¡±, and removed the jaw of his mask so I could see his mouth Once we reached the first tree Abs yanked a branch off of the tree and then tore the small twigs off of it so it resembled a long pole. ¡°Lemme see¡­¡± He looked at it from several angles and then proceeded to jam it in his mouth. Soon after, he began laughing loudly. He pushed it to the side of his mouth so it looked like a massive cigar as he spoke out of the side of his mouth. ¡°You¡¯re just too short for the tree toothpicks. It¡¯s all a matter of height. So, how are you going to keep yourself from running out?¡± I could hardly understand him with the wood stuck in his mouth, but I understood enough. He¡¯s crazy. ¡°I make them often enough that I don¡¯t run out.¡± Abs ran his hand over his beard for a moment. ¡°I suppose that does follow some mea¡­ me¡­-Oooh mead I love mead. What were we talking about?¡± He looked around for a moment before raising a triumphant finger, ¡°Right! I remember. Hmm¡­¡± He turned to look behind us where Drifa was trailing a little behind and squinted his eyes. Once he looked back at me he whispered the most audible whisper I¡¯d ever heard. ¡°She can only use splinters for toothpicks then, eh?¡± I blinked a few times. ¡°What?¡± He made a sound effect as he lowered his hand, ¡°She¡¯s short, she can only use small toothpicks. She wouldn¡¯t be able to use a tree like me.¡± That''s, that¡¯s not how that works. And that¡¯s not even a whole tree¡­ The man was making me tired and made little logical sense. I just hoped he would settle down in the dungeon once we got there. ¡°How long until we reach the dungeon.¡± ¡°Ohhhh, probably lets see¡­¡± he counted his fingers a few times while staring at them almost cross eyed. ¡°tommorrow evening?¡± He looked around at the sun and followed an imaginary path of it setting with his fingers. ¡°If we¡¯re this far before it bloops down and its¡­ that far away and then we get that far again¡­¡± he mumbled some more nonsense then stated, ¡°Well be there three hours before sunset tommorrow.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. How did he figure that out with what he was saying? ¡­ I¡¯m not going to even ask at this point. I pinched the top of my nose once I realized I¡¯d forgotten something quite important. ¡°Which dungeon are we going to?¡± With the distance I¡¯m a little worried. ¡°Oh, that! We are going to the Never Ending Dungeon¡± he wiggled his fingers around like you would for a scary children''s story. I frowned. ¡°What¡¯s the matter Mr. Beaver?¡± I¡¯m not even going to respond to that at this point. I opened my mouth as if to answer. But stopped. Why do I care? It¡¯s all dungeons anyways, right? Wait that doesn¡¯t make sense why am I doing this again? I could probably get some sort of normal job and just not participate in the sacrificing.
[Is User Ismund of well mind?]
I believe so?
[Fill in the answer sheet.] [No or No?]
¡­ that¡¯s not even-
[No selected by default¡­] [The System will now analyze User Ismund Theodore, please wait¡­]
I waited in confusion.
[The separation of your soul between yourself and the parasite entity has disrupted your thought process. This has already been stated but it is more severe than originally believed. It is recommended that you regain the lost portion of your soul.]
How do I do that?
[Destroy the Usurper while protecting soul.]
That doesn¡¯t help. ¡­ hello? Nothing. Once I looked around me again I saw Abs shoving a stick in my face. ¡°Is Mr. Beaver hungry?¡± I scowled in disgust and pushed the stick away. ¡°Stop.¡± ¡°You stop acting like a beaver first.¡± I walked faster and made some more distance between us. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Drifa walk up to me. ¡°I¡¯m going to switch.¡± Then walk over to Abs. You¡¯re funeral. I didn¡¯t watch, but I had no choice but to listen. ¡°What are you doing with that stick?¡± Drifa asked curiously. Abs sighed in disappointment, ¡°I was just trying to help him.¡± ¡°You gave it a good shot! He likes wood¡­ why did he not want it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ well, that doesn¡¯t matter anyways. We¡¯re talking, we weren¡¯t able to before.¡± ¡°Can I tell you a secret?¡± Oh no. ¡°What!¡± Abs almost shouted. I couldn¡¯t hear what she said but I could figure it out by listening to Abs. ¡°Oh really now! You decided to listen to me instead and block him out? Serves him right! He blocks you out, you block him out.¡± I glanced back at them, I could tell Drifa was somewhat uncomfortable with that statement but was trying to get along anyways. Once he finished talking Drifa changed the topic, ¡°Say, how are you staying warm? You¡¯re not wearing much of a shirt or coat.¡± Abs laughed, ¡°I should say the same Missy! You¡¯re wearing a shirt and a light coat and it¡¯s probably cold enough to get some decent frost bite¡± Drifa countered weakly, ¡°You first!¡± ¡°You!¡± ¡°You!¡± Abs wiped a tear from his eye as I turned to look ahead of myself again. ¡°Well,¡± he paused as he did something, ¡°[I¡¯m A Dragon!]. Rahhh! Fear me!¡± Drifa laughed, ¡°Ahhh! what can I do to save myself from this dragon!¡± I glanced over again. Drifa pulled out her round, dull, butter knife. ¡°My fancy metal stick with the power of friend-ship will do it!¡± Abs looked at Drifa with horror. ¡°Don¡¯t wield such a dangerous thing! If it has a whole ship in it that could do some damage! It¡¯d be pretty heavy.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t have a real ship in it.¡±, she said through a mischievous grin. ¡°Oh.¡±, he pulled out his small mallet. ¡°Let me introduce you to Pork Chop! He¡¯s a like ham and ham is like hammer,¡­¡± They went on back and forth for a while being quite absurd. It wasn¡¯t rational at all. Drifa was more sociable before, but this was a much different side of her. It made me uneasy. Is she really my ally or is she giving me a false face? I thought it was usually good to be at least a little paranoid about those kinds of things. I wonder how long it is until the System is up and working like usual.
[System is working as usual if usual means that it is capable of spending the energy to communicate with it¡¯s users while being unable to fulfill the rest of it¡¯s intended purposes. Yes.]
My eyes widened. Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier!
[It was not necessary.]
I frowned. Can you tell me a bit about the titles being equipped?
[Equip [System¡¯s Favor] title for this privilege]
I rolled my eyes and did so a little leerily. I didn¡¯t want to lose the benefits of [Mr. Toothpicks], as ridiculous as the name sounded.
[Unequipped titles will still have their passive traits act but you will be unable to use their active benefits. For example, if [Mr. Toothpicks] is not equipped you will still achieve stress relief but will no longer have the ability to clone toothpicks as you make them. Equipped titles have their full capabilities.]
Okay. I decided I¡¯d rather zone out and look at the forest while I walked than talk to the System. Even if it was beneficial information. Pan DRIFA ¡°¡­So How-¡°, I started only to be interrupted by Abs as I tried to talk to him. ¡°Time to camp!¡±, He said spinning around and sitting down in the deep snow. What? I gave him a confused look. He didn¡¯t seem very interested in resuming our conversation, just¡­ digging. I looked over to Ismund, it seemed like he¡¯d just accepted that we weren¡¯t walking any further seeing that his tent was almost assembled. How¡¯s he that quick? Also, I like that we¡¯re having a break sooner than usual. Ismund usually makes me walk for a lot longer. Basically pulling an all-nighter. Maybe after we¡¯re done with Abs he¡¯ll take more breaks? I thought for a moment. I doubt it. Whelp, nothing for it. I took a look around our camping sight. We had plopped down in the middle of the path winding throughout the forest. It was fairly pretty, all things considered. The densely populated, dead, spindly trees were covered in a heavy layer of snow, arching under its weight. As the sun was going down the snow was glittering gorgeous pink¡¯s and reds. It seemed very serene and peaceful with the little breezes making the branches shiver, little snowflakes dancing down afterwords. The future wasn¡¯t all that bad. There we¡¯re plenty of horrors, sure, but it was still awfully pretty and still had some nice people in it, like that tailor, Marcella. I just enjoyed the view for a bit longer before moving on. I was hungry. Well, we have a lot of food, but I don¡¯t know that we have any jerky, so we can¡¯t just eat on the fly anymore. I think, I think I¡¯ll start cooking a lot. Maybe I can get a skill? It¡¯s not combat related¡­ but neither is eating toothpicks, so¡­ maybe there is a cooking skill and I just don¡¯t have it yet since I haven¡¯t been able to cook since I¡¯ve gotten here. I like the idea of that a lot. I looked around tapping my fingers scheming like some sort of cheesy TV villain. Well, first I want a pan and I¡¯m pretty sure we only have a pot. I could use it but I didn¡¯t have to. Once I merge that gem with my knife I¡¯ll be able to have a pan, I¡¯m pretty proficient with cooking so I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ll be able to make my knife turn into a pan. I spun my bag-sling-thing around so it was at my front and rummaged through it for a while before carefully removing my gem. I then reached out to the System to change the settings.
[Error. You cannot change the settings for an additional 4 hours.]
Right¡­ I looked around helplessly. I¡¯ll just cook breakfast in the morning. When I looked over to Abs again he was building his fort. It had tall walls and a roof made of pine branches he had snapped off and covered with more snow like a bunker. I could¡¯ve been doing villain like that this whole time. I¡¯m gonna try now¡­ I looked around, all the nearest branches had been broken, presumably by Abs.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Well, I¡¯ll be fine without those. I don¡¯t really want to head into the woods either. I could get last or¡­ run into wolves or something. It was a little far fetched but that didn¡¯t change anything. I also didn¡¯t want to look like too much of a copy cat. I dug myself a deep hole and used the snow I was digging out to make walls. Maybe I can make an igloo. I was able to make the walls curve in a bit, but not by much. Before I could try anything more it collapsed on me. Fump! I could get out if I wanted, but in all honesty it was pretty cozy, like a nice weighted blanket. So I just laid down for a nap. I could cook breakfast when I woke up. System make we wake up early enough that I can make breakfast, have enough rest and also have the ability to change the settings on my bandana.
[Affirmative.]
* * *
[Beep¡­ beep.. beep, beep, beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep!]
¡°Ah!¡± I clamped my hands over my ears. ¡°I¡¯m up, I¡¯m up¡­¡± I looked around me it was still pretty dark out. Abs was the only thing I could hear and did he ever have lungs. With all of his snoring I was surprised that the roof of his shelter hadn¡¯t fallen on him. Must¡¯ve taken practice to make it that sturdy. I crawled out of my pile of collapsed snow and sat there for a moment as I tried to wake myself up. I did my best to get rid of the knots in my hair for a moment unsuccessfully before I came to a realization. Who says there can¡¯t be a metal hairbrush? And, I think I was pretty good at using one, my knife should be able to turn into a brush or something, right? I successfully switched my hearing over to the magical frequencies around me.
[You will not be able to-]
Yeah, yeah, I know. Another twelve hours. I pulled the stone out of my bag again, a little quicker this time now that I knew where it was. In my other hand I pulled out my knife and held them together. Letting out a breath I tried to calm my nerves as I reached out to the excess energy surrounding my soul orby thing. Please work! I was able to grab a hold of it just as easily as before (which I was quite happy about) and connected it with the gem and knife. It worked! It really worked! I laughed in my excitement smiling brightly.
[You have merged this stone with a stainless steel butter knife¡­ how peculiar! You can create any tool that could be made of stainless steel you are deemed proficient with at the cost of one charge per pound. It takes no energy to make object return to it¡¯s original state (butter knife). If you create an object and you are deemed a poor wielder of for the task it will turn back into a butter knife and that shape will be locked until you prove proficiency in it again. The object you create will not have any magical properties, run off of any sort of fuel or be anything that you could not make in this current time period. Have fun!] [Charge: 1000/1000]
This is even better than I thought! I¡¯ll be able to do so much with this. I could also cook with whatever pan I want, I can make a, a¡­ well I¡¯m not all that good at using swords¡­ maybe a kitchen knife? I¡¯ve used a kitchen knife pretty handily, I think I could probably attack with a cool lookin¡¯ knife. I don¡¯t know what Ismund got from that dungeon, but this is better. I buzzed with excitement as I held my knife. Here goes. It worked, it turned into a nice shiny hairbrush with little studs on the end of the bristles so I didn¡¯t just scratch my scalp and bleed or something. It worked pretty well at getting rid of my many, many tangles and knots. My hair was much nicer than it had been in a while, even if it was a bit frizzy now. I couldn¡¯t wait any longer, I turned it into a pan next and it was very successful. Before I could get too excited I was reminded of the basic necessities for cooking other than the pan itself. Right. I still needed a fire and the meat. I¡¯d need to wake up Ismund, guys usually eat a lot and like food. He probably won¡¯t be too upset. I mean, who in their right mind wouldn¡¯t like food? Well, I can probably increase my odds of him being happier if I make a pit ready for a fire. Earlier, I hadn¡¯t really wanted to go into the woods, and the same held true now, but that didn¡¯t change that we needed wood. And I wasn¡¯t just making a half hearted fort this time. I looked over at Abs¡¯s shelter. No, I shouldn¡¯t. Even if those twigs would be easy to grab. I looked back at the forest. Maybe it¡¯d be easier to get the wood since it¡¯s cold. It¡¯d be more brittle, right? It was worth a shot, and it worked, the wood popped off of the trees pretty easily, at least the small twigs did. I had to hang off of the larger pieces and reef on them a bit to make them snap. In the end I had a small pile of sticks and stuff we could burn and a little pile of stone shaped snow balls around the snow fireplace I had made. Cooking Okay, I think I¡¯ve done as much as I can. New, glistening pan in hand, I headed over to Ismund¡¯s tent and rapped on it to get is attention. Sure enough, a little later his head popped out of the flap in the tent with raised eyebrows. Before he could say anything I held up a finger in a ¡®wait¡¯ gesture and started writing in the snow, ¡°Could you make fire?¡± He nodded, ¡°Why.¡± ¡°To cook.¡± ¡°We can just e-¡±, his finger stopped writing and he said something to himself. After a moment he brushed away what he¡¯d written with his hand and tried again, ¡°Pig?¡± I looked at him and nodded with a smile. That was easy. I moved off to the side and let him crawl out. He looked around at my pile of sticks grabbed a flat one and a smooth pokey looking one and sat down. You can¡¯t make a fire with just that, can you? I mean, it¡¯s like -40 C out here or something. Despite that, He managed to rub them together with some sort of technique and had a fire roaring in a few minutes. I stared at the fire with a puzzled expression, looking back at Ismund a few times. He must have some sort of skill given by the System as well, right? As Ismund made the fire Abs had exited his fort via braking through the ceiling and walking through the wall. Afterwords, he plopped down right next to the fire and stared at it like a child. I rummaged through the wood I¡¯d collected for a bit till I found one that was close enough to resembling a cutting board. Taking the slab of meat he¡¯d given me I slapped it on the flat wood. Looking over to my pan I winced. I guess I¡¯m going to go through a few charges, eh? I switched the pan over to a sharp kitchen knife. Staring at the meat intensely I made a bunch of cuts at a 45 degree cuts that only made it three fourth¡¯s of the way through the meat flipped it and did the same over again. Angling my knife so it was straight down I made more cuts that didn¡¯t quite make it though the meat in the opposite direction, flipped it and did the same thing again. Only after that did I cut like a normal person with the knife reaching the ¡®cutting board¡¯. Okay, I¡¯ve got ground meat. Pulling out my bag I looked though the different spices I had and pulled out a mix: garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, fennel, smoked paprika, and cayenne. They would¡¯ve been more expensive if hadn¡¯t been for the man running the store not knowing much about spices. He just sold whatever herbs were shipped in, he didn¡¯t make any herb mixes. So, I helped him out and showed him some recipes for blends he could sell for a pretty penny and he liked them a lot. Enough that I got a discount. looking at the knife I was holding I turned it into a large metal bowl and scraped the ground meat off of the board, plopping it into the bowl. Taking the seasoning mix that I called ¡®spicy Italian sausage¡¯ I poured some on the meat and started mixing it by hand. The mix was based off of what I could remember from what I¡¯d bought at stores and liked. Just a genius over here, no biggie. I smiled as I continued mixing them until I had a consistent mix of meat and seasoning. I wonder how I¡¯m going to wash my hands¡­ Shrugging, I carried on. I was already in too deep to back out anyways. The meat was getting a bit frozen from my hands, I¡¯ll admit, so I moved the bowl right next to the fire for a bit to make sure it wasn¡¯t freezing. Once I thought It was good enough I pulled it back and plunged my hand in the bowl- ¡°Ah!¡± -and it was hot. I dropped the bowl in the snow, which proceeded to melt underneath it, and plunged my burnt finger tips in the snow, hissing. Metal was, in fact, good at conducting heat. Hopefully the sausage didn¡¯t cook at all. I looked back at it worriedly. It¡¯ll be fine. Once I¡¯m done with these they¡¯ll be so good! Maybe it¡¯ll convince Ismund of some of my worth or something? Maybe he¡¯ll like me more? I tentatively reached for the bowl and tapped it lightly and quickly with my hand until I was confident it was cool enough, Luke-warm. Okay. I let out a breath and tried again, it went much better. I took handfuls of my meat mixture and shaped it into sausage shapes and placed it on the cutting board one after another. It wasn¡¯t going to be as good as the usual sausage seeing that I didn¡¯t have any casing for it, but it¡¯d still work. I made sure they were big. No one wanted a small sausage.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Now, I could finally cook them. It hadn¡¯t really taken all that long, but my stomach was gnawing on me instead of me gnawing on sausage. Using up yet another charge, I changed the bowl back into a pan and placed three sausages on it, roughly a pound of meat, and held it above the fire. Unfortunately I wasn¡¯t very strong and could really hold it above the fire all that long, not to mention the heat. I need to get a rack or something for my pan to rest on when I cook so I can do this properly. I want it to kind of act like an element on a stove, if a little rustic. I looked around myself. Abs was nearby, still watching. Why not? setting the pan down on the now melting snow I fished around in my bag for my ¡®chalk board¡¯ and pulled a stick out of the fire to write. ¡°Could you give me a hand?¡± I really want this to turn out. It¡¯ll impress Ismund, I¡¯m sure. Even if I can¡¯t do what I¡¯m supposed to do, I can do other things. Abs got out of his hunched position, walked up to me and took it from my hands and squinted his eyes. After a moment he was clutching his chin and slowly nodding. He me an empty hand and I gave him the charred stick I was working with while trying to take a look at what he was writing. I couldn¡¯t see over his bulk unfortunately. The large man hunched over the comparatively small stone and wrote painstakingly slow, frequently erasing what he¡¯d done. Finally he turned it around. ¡°With what?¡±, Underneath that there were several poorly made drawings. One of a fire, one of bonking, Ismund? on the head or something, and a third of a knife. I didn¡¯t know what that meant. Before I handed it back I saw something at the bottom written with tiny letters. ¡°Circle one.¡± Suuuure¡­ whatever you say Abs. I had fun talking with him, but he was a little too far out there sometimes. Re-focusing on what I was doing I circled the fire- Close enough. -and handed it back. He nodded sagely and gave me a thumbs up. Before he could do anything too crazy, I took it from his hands and wrote in it. ¡°I can¡¯t hold the pan above the fire close enough or long enough to cook. Could you do it?¡± He nodded quickly and grabbed the pan, holding it above the fire and I winced. I really hope you have a fire resistance or something. His skin was fine, but I could see some of his arm hair shriveling and burning in the intense heat. He didn¡¯t seem to care at all, strangely enough. Odd. I shrugged and used a long stick to flip the sausages around until they were crisp, golden, and smelled like heaven. I grabbed the flat piece of wood then and proceeded to place the newly cooked sausages on it. ¡°Ismund!¡±, I couldn¡¯t wait to show him the food I¡¯d made for him. I may as well eat last so I can have them while they¡¯re hot. I looked over my shoulder and saw him climbing out of his tent with a very passive expression, not something he ever had before this parasite got a hold of him. His eyes seemed to brighten up when he saw the sausages and then I saw a very familiar expression. A scowl. What¡¯s wrong with the food? I turned around and saw that Abs had eaten two sausages and was reaching for the last one. What!? I did my best to not panic. It was fine, he um he was just taste testing. It¡¯s the human element tax, yeah. Something like that. I did my best to smile and asked Abs a question. ¡°Could you save the last one for Ismund. Please?¡± He looked back and forth between me and the big, juicy, sausage once or twice and then split it in half and shoved one side in his mouth chewing it happily. I imagined he was probably humming happily. Picking up the pan with his greasy fingers he stood ready to fry up more sausages and stared at me, waiting. I gave Ismund a pained smile and offered the other half of the sausage. He looked at it skeptically, with good reason seeing that the meat was almost expired, and gave a bare hint of a grin before looking at Abs. His gaze darkened immediately. He headed over to his tent and packed it up while I started cooking another three sausages. I would probably only have two left after this. Oh well. By the time I was almost finished Ismund was sitting by the fire staring daggers at Abs. I¡¯m glad he¡¯s got some energy back, but he needs to not antagonize the man so much. It¡¯ll cause issues. Shaking the thoughts away I placed the now perfectly cooked sausages on the piece of wood before offering it to Ismund who snagged two, placing them in his inventory but the last one was a draw. Both men had their hands on it but didn¡¯t dare tearing it away for fear of destroying it. Man, are they that good? Or maybe they haven¡¯t had sausages before? I shook my head a bit confused with the whole ordeal. Before Ismund could do anything, Abs used his other hand to bonk him on the head with his mallet necklace and shouted something. Knowing him, he probably said something about ¡®pork chop¡¯, the mallet. Ismund looked quite upset. That meaning he was frowning, silent (as far as I could tell), a bit red in the face, and staring unblinkingly at Abs. I didn¡¯t think he cared all that much about food. Maybe it¡¯s just because it was supposed to be for him and he didn¡¯t get it. He also doesn¡¯t like Abs, so that¡¯s a factor. I looked at the last two uncooked sausages and placed them on the pan. I need to eat too. Once I finished cooking them and placed them on the wood, to my surprise, Abs didn¡¯t make a move and instead nodded in a, ¡®go on¡¯ sort of way. Weird. I shrugged and ate the sausage. It was pretty good. I smiled. Not up to my usual standards , but it was good considering. The flavor was on point, but the outside texture wasn¡¯t quite what I¡¯d like. It was a little crumbly too, but that was to be expected with it having no real way to stay together properly. Looking down at my scuffed pants I decided to just rub my hands clean on them. I¡¯ll need to make an apron at some point. I nodded to myself happily and made the pan a normal butter knife again. Interestingly, the little charred bits from the food on the pan stayed, even with the metal in pristine condition. After a few moments of rubbing it with my finger, then my nails, it was good as new, nice and clean. Satisfied and looked up, saw everyone was about ready to go, and followed the guys as they walked forward. I would¡¯ve been more nervous, but Abs has gone in here before, it was easier than the last, and we had three people, one of which was very experienced. In the other dungeon it may as well have been a one man team with my contributing little to nothing. Even if I did a little during the boss fight, I¡¯m sure me almost dying in there hadn¡¯t helped at all. Probably made things worse, I¡¯m better at that. I frowned and felt like tearing up. Well, I can cook. And they seem to really like that. I can do some things right. Blizzard I stared at the white, blinding, haze I was walking into. Whelp, there goes my communication. Abs was on my left acting like a human snow blower as he walked through the waist deep snow. Meanwhile me and Ismund were to his right, lightly stepping on top of the snow. I was appreciating not sinking. From what Abs had said, the entrance to the next dungeon was somewhere in here. It was always surrounded by a storm. I had asked why with my stone slate, but he just tapped the side of his nose and (I think) chuckled. We¡¯re gonna be wandering around here forever if we keep using Ismund¡¯s strategy. His plan was to walk in a spiral towards the center of the storm to find the entrance. His reasoning was that way we don¡¯t miss the middle by accident and walk past it, which we would risk if we walked straight into the storm. It made sense at first, but I figured out pretty quickly that the corrupt energy¡¯s density was increasing as we got closer to the middle, I¡¯d be able to locate it pretty quickly. Thankfully the shield the System gave me was back up, so I wouldn¡¯t fall apart in the dungeon or something horrible like that. I shivered at the thought. Unfortunately, that also meant that hearing things further away from myself wasn¡¯t as effective because the System¡¯s energy was in the way diluting it. Well, I shouldn¡¯t waste any time, Ismund doesn¡¯t like that. Looking over to face him I could immediately tell that something was wrong. He had been more blank recently without showing as much of as opinion as usual, but he was acting outside the normal confines of that and his old self. He kept looking around at the ground with wide, unblinking eyes like he was waiting for some sort of trap to spring up. He was normally so confident¡­ I found it confusing. I don¡¯t know what it is, but maybe getting inside the dungeon will clear it up, he¡¯s always very determined in those. It might distract him from whatever it is. Granted, I¡¯ve only been in one dungeon with him¡­ but I don¡¯t see why that would change. He said he wanted to get¡­ more powerful, so he¡¯d want to go into a dungeon and beat up some monsters, right? I still didn¡¯t like his motive. It didn¡¯t have any meaning or purpose behind it. That made me think for a moment longer. Well, Ismund says he¡¯s doing this to get more powerful, that¡¯s probably his goal in life, yeah? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right¡­ but, well, I can only say that¡¯s bad if I have a better option, which I don¡¯t have in the moment. Actually, the more I think about it, I don¡¯t know that I have any. I¡¯ve been so caught up with figuring out where I am and staying alive that I hadn¡¯t thought of it. I need to figure this out. I furrowed my brows, I was nervous about the conclusion I¡¯d come up with, but I was going to see it through. Well, I want to do something good that has a lasting impact. I can build off of that. I held my chin. I probably won¡¯t be able to do anything very special in the long run, I mean, people that have been living in this timeline their whole lives haven¡¯t figured out much, and I¡¯m a weak outsider who doesn¡¯t know much. No shot I get rid of all the monsters or cultists or something crazy like that. So¡­ how can I do something good that lasts and is also within reason so I can actually succeed¡­ I also don¡¯t want an end point, otherwise I¡¯ll end up losing direction again. That could go in some very bad directions which included ropes, choking, and general miserableness. I¡¯m not gonna end up there. I steeled myself. Never. I still didn¡¯t know what direction I was going in, but I kept chugging along.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Okay, so good, achievable and also never ends. That sounds like a contradiction. Wait, no it¡¯s not. You can have a list with tasks and make the tasks achievable and infinite. Yeah, that¡¯ll work. I ran into another issue. ¡°Why does this have to be so complicated,¡± I mumbled to myself. I don¡¯t want a list of things though¡­ that sounds kind of pointless to just chase a list of things around. Umm, well, maybe just a task that I can do over and over again¡­ that¡¯s good. I bit my lip in thought. Okay, now I need a category, otherwise I¡¯ll make a bunch of sandwiches for the poor endlessly or something like that for my life goal. Like, it¡¯d be a great thing to do, but I could do more. Could I do something good forever in lots of different ways where I can also, I don¡¯t know, have it invest in something that goes into eternity? I¡¯m not.. sure. It¡¯s not like just doing a bunch of arbitrary good things for my own ego will do a whole lot, I¡¯m not a great person. I¡¯m only safe from Sheol because¡­ I smiled. That¡¯s it. Ugh, I shouldn¡¯t have forgotten. Shame on me. It didn¡¯t take as long as I thought, but I had a goal in life now. I can just do good as best I can for the Creator. It¡­ lemme see, yep¡­ that¡¯ll fill in all the things I wanted, give me some flexibility to keep following Ismund around because of the System. I folded my hands and said a few words under my breath. Done with that, my mind drifted back to the incoming dungeon. Maybe with Abs here it¡¯ll be easier and a little less crazy. I looked at Abs again as he took another swig of his flask necklace. ¡­or we¡¯ll have more man power to fight the monsters. Either way, I don¡¯t think we should waste any time. Grabbing the sleeves of both men, I walked into the middle of the storm. Abs came along easily seeing that he didn¡¯t seem to like Ismund¡¯s plan too much to begin with. Ismund, on the other hand, immediately got himself free from my grip looked like he was about to say something before Abs picked him up and threw him over his shoulder, posed, and marched forward like a soldier behind me as lead them towards the entrance. I couldn¡¯t tell what Ismund was thinking now seeing that he and Abs were now just dark shadows in the dense, dancing snow, but I couldn¡¯t imagine he was too happy with his situation. Here. My right hand gripped the snowy handle which was connected to the equally snowy door in front of me. That was it, nothing in front or behind it. There must be some space magic compressing the dungeon, otherwise this would make even less sense.What would happen if you attacked the dungeon¡¯s physical entrance? I shrugged to myself. Time to see a magic portal! As my thoughts darted around, Abs made a move for the entrance. He threw the door wide open so we could see the unobstructed view of the same blizzard we were in already in front of us again. There was no magical glowing portal like I¡¯d hoped. I¡¯ve read to many books. If it glowed it would be wasting energy and would be pretty obvious. Still, how do you even get inside? To answer my question, Abs placed Ismund on the ground (who started to immediately attempt confronting Abs), turned the toothpick-lover towards the entrance, and punted him towards the door where he just vanished. Violent are we? ¡­ I¡¯m worried about what he¡¯ll do in an actually violent situation now. Giving him a quick smile, I skirted inside to avoid . Doing a quick look around I could see that the ground was snow, the air was full of snow, and there was a giant snow wall ascending to the sky. It was starting to get a little stale¡­ I still liked the snow though, I just wish these monsters were, I don¡¯t know, more creative. I didn¡¯t know how that would work though, it¡¯s not like they design the rooms. My mind was a bit of a mess. Last time I was in a dungeon, we almost died. I was only okay coming back seeing that it was a different one, I had to, and it was going to be easier than last time. I looked over at Ismund standing off to the side: his nostrils flared as he looked towards the approaching local alcoholic and stopped rubbing where he¡¯d been kicked. Abs stopped beside the two of us and took a stance with his hands on his hips thrusting his chest out and taking a big breath of the chilly air then breathing it out in a blast of steam, not dissimilar to older trains. I wonder if those are operating on other continents. After that he waved us forward as he started walking. To the right of the hallway it was open, to the left there was another path but it was blocked by some sort of invisible force field. Abs turned right. As soon as he started moving Ismund walked beside him. I didn¡¯t think he wanted to visit with him, he was being competitive. It might not be greatest for the relationship, but at least he was acting like himself a bit more. System, how long until I can change the settings on my Bandana? [That will require an additional twelve hours] Ah, I guess I¡¯ll just be a bit lonely then. No, well yes, but no, I could work on my magic. I need to be efficient with my time. I nodded to myself. It¡¯s what Ismund would¡¯ve said, maybe, and he¡¯s good at fighting in these dungeons. And since it looks like we¡¯ll be doing this for a while, I want to be good at that too. I¡¯d rather not die. I gave myself a strained smile. Okay, so there¡¯s my souls sound, and the energy field from the System, the dungeon¡¯s corrupt energy, andohmygoodness! I stood bolt upright with a bit of a cold sweat building. I had really thought I¡¯d done it right, or at least well enough for the patch job to stay but I was so wrong. He probably knows as well. Maybe those mini Ismund¡¯s are coming in handy? The parasite on Ismund¡¯s back was back and kicking. Origins I looked around me trying to find some sort of solution while spinning my bangs in my finger. Well, I suppose I could just write on the¡­ never mind, you can¡¯t really see anything in this. I didn¡¯t know what to do quite yet, but I¡¯d try my best. So, I walked up behind Ismund so I was barely avoided stepping on his heels. He didn¡¯t seem to want me so close. Although, with how close Abs was to him already it was kind of like he was being surrounded. Whelp, nothing I can really do about it. I took a good look at the situation before I did anything. The parasite was obviously sucking up all of the corrupt energy in the area, which, surprisingly, seemed to make the air around him a little warmer. I wonder how much of this environment is enhanced to make it worse. What¡¯s in charge of that anyways? The tentacles were still in the knot I put them in, but thanks to the energy now available to them they were out of their stasis, tugging and trying to unwind. What I¡¯d done before wouldn¡¯t work so well anymore. It was temporary to begin with but this won¡¯t last very long. Not even a few minuets. I let out a brief sigh that was snatched away from the wind. I think it¡¯s going to be a while until I can talk to someone again¡­ I glanced at Abs and his wolf pelt shawl. It was fun while it lasted. Taking some of my free floating energy I re-tangled the tentacles coming free of the mass of grey flesh. It started with one, three soon after that, unraveled further and went up to twenty. It was too much for me to handle. I wasn¡¯t even re-tangling anything anymore I was just getting them away from his soul best I could. The internal damage must be bad. I winced at the thought. At least the dungeon gives a quicker recovery time? The parasite was able to attack his soul at this point. The little guards standing there in knights armor were helping somewhat, but there was just so many, it didn¡¯t matter. One tentacle reached out and tried slamming itself into his soul¡¯s shield. It didn¡¯t break anything quite yet, it would take a bit. but given enough blows, it would break something. It did last time and it didn¡¯t have access to this energy all around it. You know, is it even worth keeping this thing here if he can heal quicker in the dungeon? Maybe we should just try to cut it out? No, no that wouldn¡¯t work. We would miss chunks, I¡¯m sure, and I don¡¯t know if those can regenerate new parasites. It might be like a potato or something with vegetative reproduction. I mean, it looked like that guy at the ¡°doctor¡¯s place¡± was completely infected. I pursed my lips. I really hope that doesn¡¯t happen to Ismund. Would that thing take over his entire body or something? I was just getting more anxious. Maybe I could, I don¡¯t know, chop off it¡¯s tentacles? If I do it often enough I could remove them before they¡¯re long enough to reach his soul¡­ that could work. It better anyways, I can¡¯t keep up at this rate. * * * ISMUND Breathing was uncomfortable and my back hurt. Probably thanks to a small lung puncture of some sort. It was that stupid ¡°cure¡± again.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I frowned deeply. We need to get rid of this thing and also somehow kill it or whatever so I can get the parts of my soul it stole. This dungeon was making it worse, and while Drifa was trying, It wasn¡¯t enough. At the same time, I wasn¡¯t about to tell Abs a weakness of mine, I just met him. Heck, I wouldn¡¯t even tell Drifa if I thought I had other options. But here we are. While I was wrapped up in my own thoughts Abs¡¯ massive hand grabbed my head and started analyzing me by making me look this way and that against my will. ¡°Hey!¡± I reached up and tried to remove his hand to no avail. Since Abs was, well, Abs, he started talking again. ¡°¡­ What¡­ ah, what creature did you mixsh wieth?¡± ¡°I know you can speak properly, stop acting drunk.¡± I said frustrated. I had seen him speak with immense clarity and precision before when he was describing his necklace, pork chop. But, for whatever reason, he just defaulted to acting more drunk than he was. Then again, he did have a really high BAC. I didn¡¯t know what to think of him honestly. Was he drunk, was he not? Who could say. "Ahhh, but I am drunk!¡± He removed the jaw of his mask just so he could smile at me, self satisfied. Great. I rolled my eyes. I wasn¡¯t sure why, but whenever that thing was attacking my will got really strong, and then it just¡­ broke. I was hoping I didn¡¯t have to experience the breaking part again. ¡°Anyways,¡± he said in a sing-song voice, ¡°What is it?¡± he looked at me directly, clearly more interested than he had been with other things. ¡°Probably something cold, eh? My hand would¡¯ve been frosty if it wasn¡¯t for me being that good.¡± He smirked. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°About what? I¡¯m obviously amazing, c¡¯mon.¡± He flexed his enormous bicep right in front of my face. Please.. just stop. ¡°What you slurred.¡± ¡°Oh, pfft, don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know anything? Anyone who¡¯s going to go dungeon diving has merged with something. How else are you supposed to get through these with a decent chance at winning? And your head is chilly,¡± he ruffed up my hair, I wanted to stab him or something so bad. I wouldn¡¯t though. ¡°That¡¯s not natural, unless you have a frostbite and you¡¯re near death. So¡­ ?¡± Weird. ¡°¡­ Fine.¡± Abs immediately focused all of his attention on me, ¡°It has to do with ice.¡± ¡°What else?¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t even told me about yourself. No.¡± He slapped a hand over his mouth, briefly covering the strong alcoholic smell that he was spreading all around him. ¡°Ah, I wanted to tell you a while ago¡­¡± I actually wanted to know what he was going to say for once, so I listened carefully. ¡°I..." he laughed, "Well y''know how there''sh dungeons?¡± I nodded briskly. Get to the point. ¡°I went with these dudes that didn¡¯t seem very trustworthy because¡­ right! I was inebriated. So¡ª¡± I don¡¯t want to miss out on details. ¡°How old?¡± ¡°Oh that?¡± he gave me a large grin, ¡°Guess.¡± Fine. ¡°Twenty three.¡± Abs laughed in my face with spittle flying and pointed at me. ¡°That¡¯s a funny thought! Ohhh,¡± he wiped a tear from his eyes, ¡°I¡¯m not that weak.¡± He stroked his beard and raised an eyebrow. ¡°You can do math, right?¡± ¡°Obviously.¡± ¡°Well, divide your answer by two and subtract one.¡± I looked him in the eye, ¡°What.¡± No way he was that young and drunk. What are people doing now days? ¡°I thought you said you can do math?¡± He obviously wanted a reaction, so I carried on. ¡°Yes. Just tell me what happened after.¡± ¡°Sure! Wheel¡­ well, I was destined to be a sacrifice or something because they couldn¡¯t sober me up and didn¡¯t need to keep me around. Fun times that was¡­ anyways, they led me over to this dungeon and wanted to sacrifice me as they were setting up another area to merge one of their initiates with a monster. That was before their methods were more¡­ referee, no¡­ sounds like coral reef¡ªI do like fish¡ªright, refined.¡± ¡°So, before they could kill me, ckkkk!¡± he pulled a thumb across his throat, ¡°I got them first! I had a bottle opener on me and I stabbed one of them.¡± He playfully imitated stabbing with his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth, ¡°Anyways, I ended up getting shoved into the ritual circle they had set up after some brawling and got trapped in there via some sort of force field magic. In the end, they decided to just carry on with the ritual with me instead of their initiate.¡± ¡°The guy was sacrificed instead of me because they needed someone.¡± he shrugged, ¡°he seemed fine with it though, and he decided to get involved with the cult in the first place.¡± ¡°Back to the hero of the story,¡± he confidently combed his thinning hair back with his fingers, ¡°they thought that I would just die in the process while I was getting fused with the toa¡ª¡± he shook his finger, ¡°Ha! I wont tell you what it was quite yet. You almost got me!¡± he tapped a finger to his head once. I didn¡¯t say or do anything you meat head. ¡°¡ªbut they didn¡¯t know that I liked having fun too much to die. So, the ritual didn¡¯t cast iron pan out the way they wanted seeing that I did better than any of them did¡ª You can hardly tell I¡¯m not just a human¡ªand I killed them all and got out of the dungeon.¡± Okay, so he will just kill people, good to know. That¡¯s also interesting with the bits of the cult I caught¡­ Also, how did he clear a dungeon on his own at 10 years old? I wonder what kind of hangover he had¡­ Out Cold After walking for hours, I wasn¡¯t sure how many, I finally came across a difference in the landscape. If it wasn¡¯t for everything being so boring, I probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed it. A little bit ahead of us there was a change in the snows texture where it seemed to have some sort of indent in the shape of a square. I couldn¡¯t be so sure though, my eyes could very well be playing tricks on me. It could be a cliff or something, you never know. But¡­ by the looks of it, it isn¡¯t. There¡¯s plenty of ground in front of it. Once we reached it, Abs proceeded to make a shelter directly above whatever it was I¡¯d been eyeing. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was from him being attentive or inattentive. What is it? I shrugged my shoulders. Ah, well, probably doesn¡¯t matter too much anyways. Before I could so much as decide where I was going to camp I could hear the large man snoring. For whatever reason Abs¡¯ forts seemed to fascinate Drifa, she was always trying to copy him. Her currently trying to make an igloo for herself and failing reflected that. Oh yeah, she doesn¡¯t have a tent. Well, it¡¯s not like she needs one, she can handle the cold just as well as me. Shaking my head I set up my tent on the other side of the room. Unexpectedly, I wasn¡¯t able to slip into my tent first. I was second. At some point when I¡¯d been building it (which was very quick) Drifa entered without my saying so. What on Earth could she be doing. I want my tent back. Sticking my face inside of my tent flap I was met with a familiar situation. Drifa holding a knife where I wanted to sit. What? I looked down to the snow where she was gesturing. She had written something there. How did she even get the time to do all that? Well, does it really matter? ¡­Not really. ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea for how I can slow down the parasite a bit.¡± I was immediately interested in what she had to say. Anything to get rid of it. I wrote back to her in the snow, ¡°What?¡± She seemed nervous as she wrote, ¡°I could try cutting all the tentacles off of the thing until they regrow and then give them another cut. Kind of like a barber.¡± I didn¡¯t know there were tentacles¡­ probably what stabbed through my chest. I frowned. The thing just got creepier the more I found out about it. I wrote back in the snow, ¡°Try it.¡± She nodded and gripped the knife tightly. * * * DRIFA I was quite nervous in all honesty. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure what I was doing or if it was going to backfire, but it¡¯s the only option I had.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself before I got to work. Taking some of energy that was just merrily floating around my soul-core thing, I lured all of the tentacles out of Ismund so they were all where I could see them. Maybe I should just call it a core before I figure out what the pieces are. It took a while and I frequently lost a tentacle here and there as they became disinterested. I finally managed to corral them all in one mass once I learned how to do a bit of multi-tasking. So long as I focused on using my hands to kind of guide the energy as a visual, I was able to keep one chunk out of reach (barely) of the big mass of strings while I used a smaller piece of energy to guide the strays over like a sheep dog. I can¡¯t exactly keep the strings still while I cut them, I¡¯ll need tension. The micro tentacles all gathered together looked a lot like the hair of an old woman, except if that woman¡¯s hair was extremely damaged and full of grease like she didn¡¯t bathe. It was gross. I hadn¡¯t noticed before, not really anyways, the tentacles had tiny mouths that snapped at the end like some sort of strange sci-fi alien. I pit the tip of my tongue nervously. Here goes, nothing for it. Holding the knife in one shaky hand, I used the other to grip the ¡®hair¡¯ of the parasite. I hated it, so much. I made me want it dead so much more. I could feel it moving and writhing uncannily underneath my grip. They went still for a moment: they didn¡¯t stay that way for long. They leaped forward, through my grip and burrowed into the wrist that was holding them, trying to escape up my arm. I was too shocked to scream as they bit and ate through me making me feel feint, sick, and panicked. I now had a deep sated hatred for them. They have to die. I tried to speak, but my throat was too tight to let out anything other than an unintelligible whimper. Right, right, the knife! The knife. I looked away from my shaking arm and the creatures snaking beneath the skin and focused on the base closest to the main ¡®body¡¯ of the creature. I swung the knife down with my death grip and managed to sever a few of the tentacles. The bases still moved, but they were harmless. I swung down again and missed chopping in the same place. No! I tried again, again and again. After probably eight or so messy, scared swings the whole thing was sheared and my arm was free-ish. Looking back at it I heaved. The ¡®hair¡¯ was lodged deep underneath my skin and almost up to my elbow while the cut bottoms swished about with my movement like tassels, only if they occasionally twitched. I did my best to steady my breathing but I didn¡¯t do very well, seeing that I was still hyperventilating. It worked. I need to get these out. How do I get them out? Will it infect me? Will it grow a new body in me or something? Did it damage my soul at all? I stared my notifications, but didn¡¯t find anything other than the injury of them burrowed under my skin. They weren¡¯t doing anything. That was good, but they could start moving at any moment. I didn¡¯t know what to do with my good arm I stroked my face nervously. I¡¯m going to throw up¡­ Something flicked me in the head making me look up immediately. What is it? Did the thing try to attack my brain? What if¡­ oh, It¡¯s just Ismund. After figuring out what was bothering me so much, he grabbed my arm that had the skin hanging open a few inches to let all of the parasite¡¯s tentacles inside jam-packed. His face looked neutral, but his eyes told a different story, they looked at the wound like it was one of those monsters in the dungeon. Which I supposed it kind of was. After finally slowing down my breathing a bit a choked out a broken sentence, ¡°Can. You. Fix. It?¡±, before just trying to keep myself from crying out of stress. I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d put up with that. Especially with him living with this happening all the time. Grabbing all the limp strings hanging out of my arm he yanked. It felt horrible. Dark spots started covering the edges of my vision. Those little mouth things must be holding onto the inside. That was the last intelligible thought I got out. As he pulled at a smaller section it only felt worse. It was all too much. Ringing and more dark clouds filled my vision as the world fell sideways. * * * ISMUND She was out cold. Whelp. Moving on, I figured it would actually be easier this way. I didn¡¯t like what happened, but it was a relief all the same, having those thread-like snake things removed. The more I grabbed at once, the harder it was to remove, so I went for the tedious method of pulling them out from somewhere between 1-3 strands at a time. After a few minutes, I had made a small dent¡­ but with that also came bleeding. It wasn¡¯t a whole lot, but it was steady and I couldn¡¯t really fix it until I had everything removed. As I went along I stored everything I was pulling out in my inventory so there wouldn¡¯t be a mess and maybe we could analyze them more later to get a better idea of what we were working with. Once everything was removed, well passed when I would¡¯ve like to get to bed, I wrapped some bandages from the med-kit around her arm to try to seal off the bleeding. I could make some stitches, sure, but I didn¡¯t have to right now, and I was quite tired. I¡¯d done enough already, she could do them herself once she woke up. Picking up my small, light tent I relocated it even further away. Walking back over to Drifa, I kicked some snow over her to hide the blood. Finally, I got some sleep in my nice empty tent. I wanted to be rested for tomorrow, I had a feeling I¡¯d be able to do something more interesting and productive. No Chapter This Weekend life happened yesterday, I don''t have any backlog of chapters, and now I''m sick. So, there won''t be any chapter today but you should be able to expect one or two (probably one) next week depending on how busy I am and I''ll be back to posting regularly again. Anyways, I wish you all a happy new year (ik this is a bit late, lol) and hope you have a relaxing weekend :)This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The Ring ¡°Everyone up! If you aren¡¯t awake in¡­¡±, silence reigned for a few moments as I got out of my make shift bed as quickly as possible, ¡°ten seconds I¡¯ll drown ye¡¯ in Pork Chop¡¯s intoxicating ambrosia fit for the¡­ what were they called again? Right! Gods.¡±, Abs started laughing loudly. Psycho. I had no doubt that he would splash us with his alcohol given the chance. I would rather not have my nice clothes ruined, so by the time he said five I was out of my tent and packing it up. He didn¡¯t seem so pleased by this but I didn¡¯t care. Drifa, on the other hand, was still very much asleep. She was sprawled on the ground with a couple clumps of snow covering her. Something I had noticed after the parasite had been given a ¡®hair cut¡¯ was that everything was much less painful, well, more just stayed in one place, and it was easier to concentrate on what was around me. I didn¡¯t really know why, but it was. Wading through the heavy snow, Abs stood right next to Drifa with his flask ready. ¡°Seven!¡± She just laid there. She could probably get drunk from the Abs¡¯s ¡®ambrosia¡¯ being close enough to her. Walking over, I pushed her with my boot. She finally pushed herself up and looked around before waving at Abs tiredly. Abs glanced at me and mumbled something about ¡°being no fun¡±. Clapping his hands the big hairy man said, ¡°Okay, walking time.¡± ¡°Will we eat?¡± I said. Abs¡¯ demeanor changed immediately. ¡°Yes. Food.¡± Sitting down he wrote ¡®FOOD¡¯ in the snow and then watched Drifa like a hawk like it would just appear. I was also looking forward to eating, but I took a more active approach by starting a fire. ¡°Don¡¯t waste the wood we have!¡± Drifa piped up as she scrambled over to the small flames, ¡°I need to get the meat ready before I cook it.¡± Oh. I looked at the small fire. Y¡¯know¡­ scooping the snow beneath the fire and then lifting it up so I was holding the fire I stored it in my inventory. I wonder if I can just stash fires, or small ones at least and then have an instant fire later. That could come in handy. I glanced at Abs. You could probably throw them at people too. I wonder if the air around him would ignite¡­ I was still ticked from the last time we ate along with, well, as just Abs being Abs the whole way over here. It was exhausting and frustrating. A few minuets later Drifa was done preparing the sausages. We didn¡¯t have a cutting board available so she just used her writing rock. Once she was done with it she scraped off all the frozen bits and blood making it look good as new. She hardly used her injured left hand the entire time with the exception of placing it on something to hold it still. It wasn¡¯t too noticeable and Abs seemed focused on the meat itself more than the person making it. She looked over at me and imitated cooking something in a pan. Here goes. I pulled the small fire out of my inventory and it was just the way I¡¯d put it in, small, wispy, but still burning. We need more heat to cook the sausages in a decent time, right? I threw a few handfuls of toothpicks at the fire and watched as the flames climbed higher and brighter. That should be good. Drifa turned her bowl into a pan and then flagged Abs over. What¡¯s she doing? Brandishing a giant smile Abs took took the pan and held it above the fire.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He¡¯ll probably burn the sausages somehow or just eat them off the pan as soon as their ready. Drifa frowned, ¡°Does anyone have a spatula?¡± What is that? Abs voiced the same and I crossed my arms. Looking between the two of us and seeing no item she said, ¡°Nevermind. Do you have something I can use to move the Sausages around that¡¯s long? A stick or something would do the trick.¡± She looked between us hopefully. It should work. I gave Drifa the Bowie knife that I¡¯d lent her in the last dungeon. ¡°Thanks!¡±, she said then turned all of her attention on the food. For the next few minuets we were all tortured by the delicious smell wafting around the camp fire. Unlike last time, Drifa decided to just place all of the sausages on the pan at once. It¡¯d probably be quicker that way and time was of the essence. Seeing that we didn¡¯t have plates of any sort, Drifa made three piles of the large sausages on the snow that was starting to melt and make the food wet. Her pile had two and a half sausages, mine had four and Abs had six and a half. She had made more than that, but the extra were being stored away in my box¡¯s storage. I had told Abs that I had a special food compartment in my backpack to keep it warm and he seemed to find that acceptable, mostly because he was too focused on eating. Right before I grabbed a my last sausage Abs took it and shoved it in his mouth. In response to my death glare, he just said that he ate all of his and carried on without a care in the world. By the looks of it, Drifa cared but couldn¡¯t do anything about it. As soon as he was done chewing loudly next to my ear, Abs elbowed me to get my attention. I ignored him as I stomped out last bits the fire. He frowned, and placed his mask back on his face. ¡°We¡¯re going down!¡±, he said as he walked over to his shelter. ¡°There¡¯s no down to go to.¡± He spun around and looked at me and tapped his head once, ¡°Ah, but that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong!¡± Instead of elaborating further he just disappeared inside of his fort. I waited for a bit but he didn¡¯t come up. Better find out. After I got Drifa¡¯s attention I moved over to the fort. Before I was even inside I was hit by the strong smell of Abs. From outside it looked like the thing was empty. I guess I¡¯ll have to go in. Holding my breath, I army crawled in. It didn¡¯t have the largest entrance, but the inside was much larger. Nothing stood out at first, that was until I noticed the outline of a trap-door. He better not be leading us into a trap or something. Opening the lid, which the snow was apparently stuck to, I found a vertical tunnel with a simple looking ladder leading the way down. Here goes. At least it¡¯s not the same hallway. As soon I was going down the ladder Drifa followed from above and made some snow fall. Taking one final step down, I hit solid ground for the first time in a while. I had been walking on snow like solid ground, sure, but it wasn¡¯t the real deal. I didn¡¯t have a mobility advantage over anything that might sink in the snow anymore. Suspended from the ceiling by metal ropes, there was a rack of metal beams arranged in a circle with unnatural, glowing glass attached. * * * DRIFA Looks like they got light bulbs attached to some metal racks you¡¯d use in a theater. I haven¡¯t seen any actual technology so far¡­ it¡¯s probably only escaping the System siphoning its electricity because it¡¯s in a dungeon. I don¡¯t see it working outside of here. I looked around a bit more. Looks like they have a WWE boxing ring setup in too. It has the ropes and everything. Maybe we¡¯ll be able to watch a fight? I¡¯d prefer that. We aren¡¯t going in there, right? * * * ISMUND Maybe I can harvest the metal hanging from the ceiling. The rest of the room was full of empty seats covered in dust with plastic and paper bags littered everywhere. But everything pointed towards the centre of the room where there was a giant cube with poles sticking out of the corners. I think I may''ve heard of these in some of the folk stories mom told us about from a time before the System. The progress we make with our skills now compared to then seems more unnatural but¡­ I looked at the copies of chairs all arranged in a perfect circle. ¡­everything being mass produced seems even stranger. The whole atmosphere of the place was cold and impersonal. What do we do here? I looked at Abs. I didn¡¯t like looking to him for guidance, but I didn¡¯t have much of a choice. He just stared at me without blinking. ¡°What are we doing here?¡±, I said as my eye twitched. Why does he only give us information we don¡¯t need? Is it on purpose so we don¡¯t get any actual information? Abs took several more moments of staring blankly before he responded. ¡°What¡¯re we doin in a dungeon?¡± he slurred. He took a swig of his favourite drink before talking like he was sober, ¡°We¡¯re in a dungeon: a place where trials that set one man apart from another reside, the place where your either killed or given a new life, the place where you¡¯re either Absinthe Hapsburg Hardcore or you aren¡¯t,¡± He flexed his bicep and looked proud, ¡°What else would we do in a dungeon?¡±, he seemed to raise one eyebrow below his mask. I let out a slow breath through my teeth pinching the the bridge of my nose. Why are you like this? You could not. I was seething. ¡°I¡¯m talking about this room. You led us in. There isn¡¯t anything here except for that strange box.¡±, I waved in the direction what I thought was called a ¡®ring of boxing¡¯, at least according to the older folk that were in the town. He just laughed at me. ¡°Oh my stupid, stupid boy,¡± he slapped me on the back emphasizing ¡®stupid¡¯ each time, ¡°You just go into the, uhm, centre middle thingy. Y¡¯know,¡± he pointed at it vaguely, ¡°that.¡± My lips were a thin line, ¡°How was I supposed to know that?¡± and I raised my eyebrows. Abs crouched down so his massive frame was almost level with my own, ¡°Because it has magical sparkly light shining on it,¡± he wiggled his fingers like he was tickling the air. Giving me a salute he pushed me towards the stairs, ¡°Go forth young one!¡± Finally. An excuse to get further away from him. Drifa went to follow me but Abs caught her by the collar of her shirt and pulled her back while miming holding binoculars. She seemed unsure, but did what he was showing. Shrugging I entered the middle of the ring. A man appeared in front of me. He had straight, salt and pepper hair and a thick, curly, waxed mustachio appeared in-front of me with a sort of ancient dress coat giving me and the empty seats a big fake smile. Are there people stuck in here?
[No, there are no humans in dungeons. However, there are several creatures and technologies that have the ability to have human-like appearances.] Noted.
¡°Lady and man! Up there in the stands,¡± Drifa looked around a bit flustered as he pointed at her before spreading his hands, ¡°Welcome to The RIng!¡± Pineapple The announcer spun around and waved his arms dramatically in the direction of the dark corner of the ¡®ring¡¯ we were in where a light suddenly glowed and revealed something. ¡°Look here folks!¡± A large dirt coloured creature about one and a half times my height sitting was in the middle of the room. It was riddled with all sorts of bumps and sores covered by and covering other warts and such on its leathery skin¡¯s waves of sagging folds. While it did have¡­ loose skin, it was still obviously strong. The thing looked like a toad and had eyes like Abs (which were the eyes of a toad). Attached to it¡¯s impressive arms there were a pair of massive, heavy, bright red , boxing gloves that were currently placed firmly on the ground supporting some of the creatures weight. After the man seemed satisfied with my looking at the monster he started speaking again, ¡°In one corner of the room we have the great, pustulating, ooz-atious champion, Pineapple! He¡¯s been undefeated for a millennia-¡± Abs interrupted him. ¡°Pffft! We allll, know that isn¡¯t true. Remember, what was it¡­,¡± he stared off into space for a moment as the announcer flushed and his knuckles turned white from clutching what I thought was the ancient ¡®micro-tone¡¯ ¡ªa strange name for a thing used to amplify sound¡ª, ¡°two weeks ago? I said hello and Pineapple didn¡¯t like it too much.¡± Abs made a clicking sound and pointed at the micro-tone man, ¡°Y¡¯know, you guys should invest in some big, fancy belts so I ca¡ª¡± ¡°SILENCE!¡± The man shouted, gripping his hair. The announcer¡¯s breath came in and out in large gusts and there was now a large vein that could be seen on his head. After some time passed with Abs¡¯ laughter, he seemed to regain his composure and started fixing some of the loose strands of hair that were now decorating his head. Some monsters remember things. I want details. Letting out one final breath with he continued, ¡°On the other side of the ring,¡± he smiled with his too white teeth and gestured to me while I frowned, ¡°We have some rando nobody cares about. Do you want to know why we don¡¯t care about him?¡± The announcer leaned in and craned his ear as if he was listening to an audience answer, ¡°That¡¯s right! He hasn¡¯t won anything. So, who cares about him?¡± I frowned more than usual. What¡¯s the point of the dungeon going through this big speech anyways? [If weaker dungeons have something in them that is more powerful than it should be for it¡¯s level it has to give some information to the users as a trade off.] I guess that kind of makes sense. The announcer smirked, ¡°Since this is an oh, so special occasion seeing that we have a new, contestant,¡± he turned slightly to glare at Abs who cheerfully waved at him, ¡°I¡¯ll outline the rules for you. If you exit the ring, you will be immediately disqualified and punished.¡± What kind of punishment can a dungeon give? it¡¯s already trying to kill me. ¡°Additionally, until Pineapple discovers that you are his opponent, the arena will stay the same,¡± the man pulled out a comb and ran it through his hair as he whispered to me, ¡°In case you couldn¡¯t figure out, you¡¯re pathetic if he doesn¡¯t understand your his contestant.¡± he spoke at his usual loud volume again, ¡°To increase your odds of not being an absolute moron, you are allowed to use boxing gloves stuffed with sand like Pineapple or attach spikes to¡ªoh, what¡¯s this?¡± He slapped his hands together on his cheeks, ¡°You don¡¯t have any gloves? Well, that¡¯s too bad. Anyways!¡±, He quickly stepped behind me and tried to remove my bag, which I firmly held onto. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I said apprehensively. ¡°I can¡¯t let you keep that¡­¡± he said in a low voice, ¡°unless you wish to face consequences for breaking the rules?¡± he then asked hopefully. I paused as I listened to him. He kept mentioning ¡®consequences¡¯ and such, but what was there to enforce? I was already entering a fight. Maybe it was the trap of the dungeon? There was no way to be sure. That is, unless Abs decides to actually give us information. ¡°Which rules?¡± I was still skeptical.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I don¡¯t want him to remove my backpack if he doesn¡¯t have to, whatever the monsters want, I don¡¯t want. ¡°Oh that¡¯s simple really! In appendix 2103.12678-9 in section 83, line 4, it states,¡± he raised a finger, licked it, flipped a page in the book that he was now holding and pushed the up glasses that had appeared on his face, ¡°Emmm¡­ let¡¯s see, yes! Here it is, ¡®all participants of The Ring must use their own body, whatever is sitting in the arena that is doesn¡¯t belong to them, and weapons attached directly to the hands exclusively during the entirety of the fight. These weapons must loop around the fingers, hands, or wrist in at least one full rotation.¡¯¡± He lowered his glasses and snapped the book shut, ¡°In other words, some sort of boxing glove, hand wraps, or knuckle dusters would do the trick.¡±, as he spoke, he lifted his chin slipped the pack off of my shoulders and threw it outside of the ring where Drifa ran over to catch it. Okay, so swords aren¡¯t an option. That¡¯s unfortunate. I thought about the best way to move forward the announcer continued his speech after clearing his throat. ¡°Right, where was I?¡± the announcer didn¡¯t tap his chin long before continuing, ¡°The fight will start in one,¡± He took a few steps back while flipping another finger up, ¡°two,¡± He stepped outside of the ring, ¡°!¡± and then ran away and up some stairs with the shoulder pads in his coat swinging back-and forth valiantly. A character¡­ for sure. Re-centring myself, I turned back towards my opponent. How do I go about this. I stared at Pineapple and waited for him to do something. Usually monsters are more aggressive, like the rabbits in the other dungeon. It just stared back at me. Is it preparing a skill to attack with? It turned it¡¯s glassy eyes, towards Abs who was watching in the distance. He seemed to be chuckling. It¡¯s blind? It slowly blinked and looked back at me. ¡°I don¡¯t know anymore,¡± I sighed under my breath. May as well do some testing. The announcer said that it needs to figure out that I¡¯m it¡¯s opponent. I walked around the edges of the creature. No reaction. I slowly moved my hand towards its eye. Nothing. I tried to tap it, but before my finger made contact its head scrunched into it¡¯s body so I didn¡¯t touch it. I took a few steps back. It has to have figured out it¡¯s supposed to attack me, right? I mean, it¡¯s acknowledging my presence and reacted to it as well. I¡¯m also the only one in ¡®The Ring¡¯. I watched it for several more seconds. This is stupid. I walked closer to it again. If I can find a way to cut it, that¡¯s be great. I could probably bite it¡­ I looked at the bumps covering its skin. When Pineapple moved to quick they exploded and or started slowly oozing something. It¡¯ll probably poison me or something if I do that. But I¡¯d like to use my [Unerring Accuracy] skill. That would make the fight quicker. I wonder if it¡¯s also acidic? I don¡¯t like the idea of punching something that¡¯s going to eat away at my skin. Then again, I do have the [Iron Fists] trait, so I can¡¯t hurt myself from punching things. I don¡¯t know if the thing itself would have it¡¯s damage muted though¡­ I looked over to Abs. He just yelled, ¡°Attack!¡± Screeeeetch! The micro-tone was on again. ¡°Sorry that took a bit folks, but I¡¯m back in my booth, as usual. If you want to find me, just look for the most handsome person in the room. Or, alternatively, look for the big piece of glass poking out of the wall.¡± the announcer said. I didn¡¯t care much to find him. ¡°Ahem, anyways, looks like the loser has done nothing and Pineapple is sitting there, probably looking for the exit.¡± I don¡¯t really have anything else to do with myself, so I may as well attack it. ¡°Hey, guys! Look, it looks like the new guy is going to actually do something aggressive!¡± Ignoring him, I stopped right in front of the monster. I can hit it almost anywhere right now, I should be smart about it. ¡°Nevermind! He¡¯s still dancing around The Ring.¡± He¡¯s getting on my nerves. Ignoring him, I went to the side of Pineapple and kicked him as close as I could to his flank. It hit this time. Pineapple¡¯s head turned in my, direction, blinked then stood up so he was towering over me. ¡°It seems the contestant was able to help Pineapple find his target after what¡­ 5 minuets¡±, he started laughing on the micro-tone. Let¡¯s see what this thing does. Before I could get out another thought, it¡¯s arm whipped in my direction and it¡¯s glove slammed home on my scull making some stars dance in my vision. "Uhg." ¡°Ismund!¡± Drifa yelled from the stands. I grabbed the throbbing side of my head and looked up at Pineapple. He was jumping back and forth and hitting his gloves together like he was warming up or goading me. I wasn¡¯t sure what, his face was still neutral. "OooOoo, right where it hurts!¡± the announcer called out. I¡¯ll be fine. Pushing my self up, I re-assessed my situation. It was obviously in the toads¡¯ favor, he had an advantage over me in almost every way. At least physically. I was smarter than it. I took a step forward. Pineapple took a quick jab at my head. I blocked it with my forearms but I was still flung back into the stretchy chords around the ring anyway. I would probably have a nasty bruise. This time I didn¡¯t take initiative and just waited to see what it would do. I didn¡¯t have to wait long, it took a step forward, breaking a few of the shiny white half domes covering it¡¯s body, and tried to take a jab me again, same side. I could see it coming ahead of time and ducked. However, whatever it was that was filling the the toad¡¯s skin landed on me and it burned. It has to be acid. I side stepped further away from the chords behind me to get some room. Pokey Metal I was in the open again. Pineapple turned towards me, back folds to the edge of the ring. We both paused. I heard something that sounded like chains sliding and shaking. A large shadow hovered over us and was getting larger and larger. I looked up. There was a giant rusty cage descending on us. It was slow and jerky at first before it was let loose with the chains waving back and forth as all of the slack was given. Clank! ¡°Sorry that took a moment,¡±the man from earlier said and cleared his throat, ¡°The buttons were jamming up. Anyways, we¡¯re here now!¡± ¡°While there is a cage around the contestants, that doesn¡¯t mean other people can¡¯t try to mess with the fight at all. If you want, you can try to throw things at them, like the rotten tomato¡¯s in the back. You can buy one for one silver a piece if you¡¯d like!¡± Of course. I rolled my eyes. Snapping back to focus, Pineapple swung a cross in my direction with his other hand catching me off guard. I was flung across the room, again, hitting the rusty bars this time. Kkrick The bars shook from the force I looked up at Pineapple, gaze a little wobbly. I really need to do something about that. I¡¯m just a sitting duck here. I took a quick glance behind me. Maybe¡­ Pineapple charged at me with a telegraphed uppercut. As soon as he reached me and started moving his fist, I dove out of the way. The creatures fist slammed near the bar that had already cracked a bit. I nodded to myself. He¡¯ll probably punch again, right? Pineapple looked at me and opened his mouth. Splorch! A warm off-pink tongue stuck to my whole torso and reeled me in like a fish. Just before the thing swallowed me I held it¡¯s uncanny mouth open with my hands and feet. I wasn¡¯t expecting that. I¡¯ll keep that move in mind. My hands were burning from touching the acid on Pineapple¡¯s head and it¡¯s breath smelled horrible, but there was no way I could avoid touching it eventually. I can¡¯t make the tongue let go myself. I¡¯ll have to wait on it. letting go of its mouth with my left hand I punched one of the big eyes lying on its head. Pineapple let out a high pitched gurgling screech in response but didn¡¯t let go. I was still stuck to it, but the grip wasn¡¯t quite as tight as earlier. I was just about to hit it in the eye again, but I had to grab the top of it¡¯s gummy mouth as it punched me in the side in an attempt to shove me in its mouth. Fortunately for me, it just dislodged me from it¡¯s slippery tongue. I was now soaked from it¡¯s spit that was now trying to freeze, but I was free, if bruised. Again.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Once I was standing upright, clutching my side, Pineapple uncurled his right leg (which had been in a squatting position this entire time) and swept it across the whole arena. I jumped over it. After Retrieving his leg Pineapple leaped in my direction with his fist curled back. I dodged Pineapple again. He pulled the same arm back and tried to send a jab at my stomach. It only skimmed me as I moved out of the way. I think I¡¯m getting used to his moves. Just as I thought I¡¯d be fine he sent a cross in my direction, hitting me on my right shoulder. "Ahg!" ¡°Don¡¯t turn too purple!¡±, Drifa shouted from the stands. Thanks. I thought dryly. I jumped back as Pineapple tried to land another uppercut. Okay, I think he¡¯s repeating the same thing as before but I¡¯ll still look out for changes. My large opponent opened his mouth again and I rolled out of the way. Back to where the crack in the bars were. This better work, otherwise I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to do. The thing went for another leg sweep and I jumped over it. ¡°It looks like this nobody should be preforming in a flea circus! Fleas are Pineapples favourite food. will he eat this one too?¡± It sent another heavy jab in my direction and I side stepped it. Clanggggg! ¡°Ohhhh! Looks like the repair team is going to have a rough go of it. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be sure to take the cost of repairs our of their pay cheque. It won¡¯t be your ticket prices this time.¡± The bar rung and bent a little more. I stepped in front of it. Pineapple sent a second jab in my direction. I ducked letting it hit the bars again, shaking the whole cage. Once my head was up, I backed up to the bent bar and waited for his cross. I crouched again. ! The rusty metal bent in the opposite direction. It was almost free Almost there. The toads lips pulled back revealing its gums, a large vein popped out of its head, and it¡¯s eyes pressed into angry slits as it stared at me. ¡°Alrighty! Go Ismund!¡± Drifa¡¯s high voice shouted. I ran back to the broken rusty bar one last time. Pineapple sent a hook my way and I dodged it again. Clonk-k-k! One piece of a bar came free and rattled on the ground. Finally. I bent down and scooped it with my hands. Let¡¯s see how well this works. I triggered my boots twice daily ability and leaped to the top of the cage and grabbed one of the ceiling bars. The ten foot jump was just enough to let me reach it. ¡°As Sun Tzu once said, ¡®To know your enemy, you must become your enemy¡¯. Our arena¡¯s intruder has taken it to far, and done so incorrectly, and has thus poorly copied Pineapples ability leading to his own downfall.¡± The host said under a chuckle. I gripped the cold rusty bar in my hands tightly. Pineapple gave out the tortured sound that is a toad screaming. It sounded like a mix of a duck¡¯s quack and a child¡¯s cry. I hated it probably as much as it hated me. Pineapple jumped up at me as I planted my feet firmly on the bars above me and jumped down right back at him with my sharp metal pole. My aim was off and I didn¡¯t quite get the thing in the head, but I skewered its eye on my pole and ripped it from Pineapples head. It screamed, even louder than before. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± the commentator said, outraged, ¡°How dare you deprive poor Pineapple of his eye like that?¡± A grim smile found it¡¯s way on my face. Not only had I injured the monster, I could now see where it was most vulnerable: the back of its thigh, the front of its neck, and it¡¯s eyes were the main points of interest, all highlighted from light green to dark reds, the more red it was, the more vulnerable. I looked down at the eye I had and the eyelid that was now half attached to the monsters face and covering the copious amounts of blood leaking like a leaf on a river. ¡°Yeah!¡± Drifa shouted from the stands. No need to be so enthusiastic. It¡¯s hard to pay attention. Skipping the uppercut, Pineapple launched it¡¯s tongue in my direction. Crap. It¡¯s aim was off and his tongue didn¡¯t go quite far enough. I grabbed the wet eye from the end of my spear and threw it into the monsters throat. I can¡¯t do much else with it. It¡¯s one remaining eye went wide as it swallowed it. Silence filled the room. ¡°¡­That¡­ no. I can¡¯t even. You took my criticism for being boring too seriously! Ugh.¡± The announcer said fighting with himself. ¡°I wonder what frog eyes taste like¡­¡± Abs said from the stands. Ignoring them, I went up to Pineapple as he dislodged his tongue from the floor and tried to get his other eye with a quick slash. Pineapple moved his head up so it just missed and was cut across the cheek. His skin sprayed acid at my arm and shirt. My chances weren¡¯t good but it looked like I could win this. I knew where to hit it, all I needed was to avoid getting hit myself. If I was hit, I¡¯d be in a tough spot Splash! Given enough time, the thing might die from blood-loss. That¡¯d be the safe rout. Pineapple swung out with another giant leg sweep. I jumped over it. Taking a few steps forward, the thing sent two wonky jabs my way I was able to dodge the first, but was nicked in my side by the other and went back a few paces. I changed my grip so it was up higher on the pole and blocked Pineapple¡¯s cross. My hands stung from the impact, I felt it ring through my arms and the pole bent into a boomerang shape, but I wasn¡¯t the one who took the hit. I guess I can get in at a different angle now. I ran around to Pineapple¡¯s flank and stabbed him with my bent bar. He screamed again. He didn¡¯t even try to attack he just looked around himself and screamed. Once it was finished It did a strange growl that sounded more like gurgling and glared down at me with it¡¯s slanted eyes. Pineapple lifted its arms, jumped up and grabbed hold of the top of the cage ¡ª more blood splattering from his eye in the process¡ª before doing what I could only describe as juicing the acid out of himself. He squished his head on the ceiling and all of the bubbles and pustules covering his skin popped and then leaked like a barrel one by one until it was raining acid, filling the air with the smell of a horrible and potent vinegar. ¡°Ooh, that¡¯s got to hurt!¡± The announcer said with a fake sort of sincerity, ¡°Our champion only pulls that one out when he¡¯s really mad, and the match has been going on for a while. A rare sight folks!¡± I tuned him out and ran to the nearest corner of the ring and crouched, covering my face trying to avoid the worst of it. ¡°Looks like we got a little baby. Aw, can¡¯t handle it?¡± the man said mockingly, ¡°Well, even if it doesn¡¯t make you feel better, I can guarantee it makes Pineapple feel better to know your turning red! Just like our tomato¡¯s in the back!¡± Whats with tomato obsession. The acid wasn¡¯t too strong (as in it wouldn¡¯t be disfiguring unless I was dumped in it), but it still burned. Whenever it splashed on my clothes I heard light sizzling and felt the air brush up against my skin followed by a burning sensation.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. I need better equipment. The boots are good, yes, but everything else I have may as well not be there. Only once the monster stopped screaming and the sounds of the acid pouring finished did I look around again. The ring had the acid pouring out over the sides. Obviously, my boots were better than the description made it sound like. Pineapple looked down at me breathing heavily. The creature¡¯s bulky muscles were visible underneath all of his flaccid skin. He dropped to the ground. ¡°Meteor incoming folks!¡± As his feet impacted all the acid that was still trying to escape the arena exploded up and into my face I tried to cover my face again, but it didn¡¯t matter too much in the end. A huge amount of acid leapt up from below my arms and hit my, chest, neck, chin, and all the way up to my eyes. I closed them, but the acid got in them as soon as I opened them again. I couldn¡¯t see more than a faint fuzz of what was around me and the bright lights above. Crap. No. My breathing was increasing. I tensed up. I didn¡¯t know what to do. Can I even fight? My eyes were watering trying to get rid of the acid, tears burn against my face. ¡°Oho! Looks like this match might end a little bit sooner than expected. What a relief. The electricity bill is pretty high.¡± How do I even¡­ A fist slammed into my chin. I felt a tooth or two crack and scream at me in pain. I didn¡¯t know where I was anymore. I walked backward, clutching my twisted metal bar in one hand, the other grasping around behind me for anything. ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here laddie!¡± Abs yelled. Thank you. I wanted whatever help I could get at this point. I didn¡¯t care that it was one of the worst people I¡¯d had so spend time with. ¡°No you don¡¯t you little-¡± The announcer sounded like he¡¯d lost it. I heard a few footsteps and then it all went silent. The light above me dimmed for a moment. I heard the metal above me ring and then creak. Splash! He had jumped over from the stands apparently. But his landing splashed more acid on me. I gasped out in pain. The announcer quickly started shouting expletives and insults directed at Abs which quickly devolved into meaningless shouts of rage which just mixed in with the sound of whatever Abs was doing to Pineapple. The light cut out of my vision and I felt the air following a punch rush up to my face only for it to, stop. Fump. ¡°You¡¯re turn pimples!¡± Abs said excitedly. The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed around the arena. Silence followed for a moment, air whistled. Thud. ¡°PINEAPPLE!¡± The announcer finally said. "Ehh, piece of cake every time.¡± Abs sighed then mumbled something about eating frog legs and technicalities between frogs and toads. Based off of where his voice was coming from, he was right in front of me. Everything smelled acidic now, I couldn¡¯t find him from that alone. Drifa was trying to shout something in the background, had for a while, but I couldn¡¯t understand it with everything else ringing in my ears and all around me. ¡°No,¡± The micro-tone man said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare come up here again!¡± He sniffed, ¡°I¡¯ll meet you down there myself!¡± Announcing A New Enemy DRIFA * * * The Announcer hopped out of his little booth and fell all the way down and landed right right by Abs. There was no strain visible in his countenance. Wait¡­ we have to fight him too. I pursed my lips. Well¡­ maybe I shouldn¡¯t way ¡®we¡¯, I didn¡¯t do anything. I rolled my eyes. I for one have been quite happy to not fight. I couldn¡¯t do much in a fight anyway. I had been more worried at first when the cage wasn¡¯t there, I didn¡¯t want to get hit by ¡®Pineapple¡¯. But, with the cage came worry for Ismund, well, the whole fight really. He did do a lot better than I thought to be fair. That was a really bad situation for him. I was even more worried now though. I wasn¡¯t sure what happened to Ismund when the thing fell back to the ground again and made that wave, but he was sitting helplessly in the corner of the arena not reacting to what was going on around him as much as he should¡¯ve. Not even when the big toad thing flew in the air from Abs¡¯ uppercut and then died on the other side of the room. You¡¯d think he¡¯d be happy about that. Is it the parasite? At least it looked like Abs was having a great time earlier. He¡¯s always like that, but he was really just enjoying punching stuff and triggering the announcer with whatever. At least I¡¯m assuming that¡¯s what he was doing, I couldn¡¯t hear anything, but I could see the announcer¡¯s mouth opening wide like he was screaming, and he was glaring at, presumably, Abs, who¡¯s shoulders were bouncing up and down from laughing. While Abs had been doing that, I was squeezing the arm-rests of my seat with my teeth shut like a vice. My head also felt a little light from worry, along with pain in my arm. That all was a few minutes ago though. The cage was lifting off of the arena via some button the announcer was pressing on his microphone and Abs was meeting him in the centre of it. I wonder what Ismund thinks of all this technology. It¡¯s not too much compared to my timeline, but it¡¯s way more than they have now. I looked down at the second battle that was starting. The announcer seemed to be summoning the pile of now levitating rotten tomato¡¯s from the back while shouting at Abs. Abs was just having a drink from his flask. I didn¡¯t know what he was doing, but based off of what he did just a few moments ago, I wouldn¡¯t doubt his ability to fight. He¡¯d just beaten the frog with one punch. Do I really want to get that close to the fight? There¡¯s what seems like a burning something from the other monster. I, I don¡¯t want to get hit by that and I could get hit by something I don¡¯t know that I can shrug off a stray shot either. I looked down at Ismund anxiously. "Agh!¡± I dragged a hand down my face, ¡°I don¡¯t know anymore. He¡¯d be fine if I left him there, right? He has been so far¡­ and he hasn¡¯t been punched again or anything yet. He¡¯s pretty tough and has that bar from the cage. He was also able to dodge a lot of what Pineapple did¡­¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. I sniffed and wiped the bit of ice from my eye, ¡°Who am I kidding¡­ If I don¡¯t want to be down there because I don¡¯t think it¡¯s safe then¡­¡± Neither should he. I mean normally it¡¯s fine with Ismund fighting and stuff, ¡°But he¡¯s not even really fighting anymore, just kind of¡­ sitting there holding the rope,¡± I¡¯ll just do it quickly or something¡­ If it gets too hard I can always just run away. My face burned at the thought, but I didn¡¯t change my mind. I hurried down the steps with my feet scuffing the ground clumsily and kicking a few cups further down until I was next to Ismund and the strong acid smell that was permeating the place. I reached up as high as I could and grabbed Ismund¡¯s ankle. He slammed it into the post holding the ropes nearby. My hand snapped opened and Stung. My bones hurt from banging into the metal and my skin hurt from being pinched between both objects. I could feel every heart beat going through it now as it throbbed. ¡°Ah!¡± I yelped. Maybe he is fine in here after all. ¡°What are you doing?¡± He looked down at me. The light was just above him, bright and my neck hurt from straining up. I didn¡¯t get a good look at his expression or if he was saying anything by reading his lips. ¡°Are you going to leave?¡± I shouted. All the tomato¡¯s hitting Abs like a machine gun or¡­ in front of Abs, I wasn¡¯t too sure what was happening, along with whatever else they were doing was probably loud. His head moved between the fight and me, or near me, a few times. He¡¯s allowed to leave now that the toad is dead, right?
[Affirmative. That battle is finished.]
¡°You¡¯re allowed to leave now!¡± He stopped moving for a few seconds and seemed to think for a bit. After a while longer, his head turned back toward me, he crouched down and pushed himself off of the block the fight was held on. Now that the light wasn¡¯t glaring all around him I could see how much of a pickle he was in, at least I thought so. From what I could see, red flaky skin and what looked like burns were all over his body, neck, and a large chunk of his face. His eyes were red and his pupil was covered in sort of film, distorted. He seemed to have trouble blinking: all the acid around his eyes had frozen strangely. Acid had frozen on him everywhere really: rest of his face, hair, bits of his clothes, arms. Can I fix this? Something I had only learned how to do recently was tracking where the Systems energy went to get an idea of what it was trying to do. In the dungeon it sped up the healing process a bit. So, from that I could tell, two of his teeth were cracked, with what seemed to be a fractured jaw. ¡­ I have to fix it. No way he¡¯s seeing anything clearly. I grabbed his hand. There was acid frozen to it, but it wasn¡¯t as bad from when it was liquid from what I could tell. I pulled Ismund up a few steps as he tried to brush the acid-ice off of himself. He wanted to stop a few times but I kept trying to get him to go further. He must not realize how close we are to the fight still. We didn¡¯t get much farther, only a few more steps, until he decided to just not move at all. Instead, he wrenched his hand back from mine with a frown and pulled his backpack off of me. As soon as he got it back his swords appeared in his hands again and he turned so he was facing the light above the arena. Don¡¯t do that! That¡¯s a stupid idea. ¡°What do I do.¡± I mumbled to myself. Ismund was already jaunting back over. I don¡¯t see any other option. I sprinted after him. He¡¯s technically able to fight in his condition, but I don¡¯t think that matters if he can¡¯t see. While he was trying to get a ¡®look¡¯ at what was around him I grabbed his backpack and tried to pull him back. It didn¡¯t work. His weight shifted back, nothing else. How am I supposed to get him to stop? Splat. A tomato hit me in the face making me lose grip and fall down and hit my head on the ground. It fell off in the process but it was rotten.
[Random disease/addiction/deficit gained¡­ processing.] [.] [..] [¡­] [.] [..] [¡­ food poisoning!]
I felt nauseated. I tried to push myself up but the world spun and I gagged. Whyy... ¡°Ismund, don¡¯t go into the fight again.¡± I wasn¡¯t looking up anymore. A huge vibration went through the stage, the lights shook from their cables, and I fell down from my propped up elbow hitting my chin on the ground. I groaned. I don¡¯t want to lose the sausages I just made. A large shadow dropped over me. What happened? I looked up slightly. Abs was standing up straight with his hands on his hips¡­ and I think laughing at Ismund or something. I wasn¡¯t sure, I couldn¡¯t see much.
[Trial Room Cleared!]
Disagreements ISMUND
[Congratulations! Due to your one on one with a toad, you¡¯ve become more powerful!] [Body: C- (10->15 /1000)] [Soul: D- (47/50 -> 3/500)] [It also Looks like you¡¯ve been pretty banged up! Oh no, what will I ever do? Nothing. Have fun with that! The list of injuries are as follows: broken ja--]
I tuned out the damage notifications and focused on the upgrades. I was happy with strength and soul going up. My soul was finally back into average tier instead of well¡­ not being that. It felt easier to think my own thoughts and be decisive. I wanted more of that back. Other than that, I was disappointed when I got the notification that the room was cleared. I hadn¡¯t been able to fight the micro-tone man. It doesn¡¯t matter if I can¡¯t see as much. I could still probably figure out where the guy was¡­ eventually. My eye¡¯s aren¡¯t that messed up. They were, admittedly getting worse as time went on seeing that it was stuck to my eyes. ¡°Thanks for fighting the announcer Abs¡­¡± Drifa¡¯s voice was quite and coming from the floor. I tried to look at her, but all I saw was muted colors all blended together in blobs. There was one blob of white against all the other beige¡¯s, blacks and browns. That¡¯s probably her head. "Myyyy pleasure! I love beatin'' tha'' guy up. He¡¯s fun~.¡± Abs piped up from above me and then laughed. Fump. ¡°I tried eatin'' those tomato¡¯s once, they taste pretty rotten. Spoiled rich kids can¡¯t hold their drink which makes them perfect for making bets with once they¡¯re drunk. They¡¯re pockets are stuffed.¡± His voice was coming from further down than it was before. ¡°Hey Abs?¡± Drifa said a little hesitant. ¡°What is it low one?¡± Abs said with a teasing voice. It sounded like Drifa was shifting her position. ¡°Can me and Ismund have a rest before we move on?¡± I hadn¡¯t noticed it much from all the adrenaline earlier, but all the pain was really starting to kick in and it was just getting worse. I clenched my fists and hid a wince. ¡°Why¡¯d you need that?¡±, It sounded like Abs opened a bottle. ¡°Well, that tomato gave me food poisoning, and It looks like Ismund¡¯s jaw broke and I don¡¯t think he can see.¡± We don¡¯t need a break. We¡¯re almost done this place to. She¡¯s just hiding from the dungeon like usual. This is no place for weakness, she needs to realize that before she gets us killed somehow. ¡°I know. And?¡± I actually agree with him for once. Everything went silent for a bit other than what sounded like Abs walking away. I did my best to follow him but I ended up hitting something. I changed my direction a bit and kept following. Drifa didn¡¯t move. ¡°Uhm, Abs, I won¡¯t¡­ uh, make anymore sausages if, if you go there!¡± She seemed uncertain as she said it. I already have some food from last time, it doesn¡¯t matter if we just hop right into the boss battle. I wanted to say as much but as soon as I opened my mouth it felt like white hot needles were stabbing into my jaw in and out, over and over again. I immediately closed what little of my mouth had been opened end let out loud muffled grunt. My hand reached out and carefully touched the hot, swollen skin there. I can talk with my mouth closed. I hadn¡¯t noticed it before, but I couldn¡¯t actually feel my tongue or chin. No talking then. My face pulled into a scowl as I ¡®looked¡¯ around myself. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°¡ªalong with that I love sausages. Not as much as pork chop. Pork chop ish a darrrling!¡± Abs slurred out. I had missed what they had said earlier. She tricked him. She¡¯s so manipulative, just like in the town. I tried to find the exit. I couldn¡¯t. I tried to find Drifa¡¯s head and glared at it. This is stupid. A cold hand grabbed my wrist loosely. ¡°We¡¯re making camp in the uhm¡­ arena there,¡± Drifa said, ¡°Can you go there so I can fix your jaw?¡± I don¡¯t have much of a choice now do I? Of course you ask now, after you¡¯ve already gotten rid of my options. I rolled my eyes and followed wherever she was tugging me. My shins hit against a few things and I kicked a few of the debris around with my feet. Unsurprisingly, it was fine going up the stairs, my toes just scuffed against the steps a bit. I sat down once I was on top of the now somehow clean arena. Where¡¯d all the acid go? ¡°Can you still make a fire?¡± Drifa asked me. I nodded my head lightly and pulled some toothpicks from my inventory and lit them up. I was able to see the light better than anything else. My mouth twitched up. ¡°Abs do you think we can burn the chairs? They have some wood in them or something, right?¡± He responded with the sounds of creaking metal and snapping from below us. We should gather up some of the metal. That could be worth a lot. I sat in silence for a while as Drifa cooked. ¡°It¡¯s done!¡± She called out, mostly for my benefit. I could hear Abs eating already. Where¡¯s my sausages? ¡°Here, Ismund.¡± She pushed something that smelled like cinnamon, ginger, and something else my way. It was in some metal cup. ¡°Don¡¯t spill it.¡± Great. So I don¡¯t even get the food I paid for. The alcoholic who probably has his own food gets it. I pushed the tea back towards her and grabbed a sausage from my inventory only to pause. Right. If I couldn¡¯t open my mouth, how did I plan on eating. Drifa pushed the drink into my hand again and I took it. It didn¡¯t smell bad. I took a sip. ¡°Do you like it?¡± Drifa said hopefully. I made a non-committal humming sound she probably couldn¡¯t hear, but it was pretty good. ¡°Well, ah, I¡¯ll fix your jaw so you can, y¡¯know, use it later.¡± She let out a nervous laugh. I could tell she was doing something with whatever magic she had, but I couldn¡¯t actually feel anything near the fracture yet. ¡°I never knew that before¡­¡± She said. ¡°What?¡± Abs said. ¡°Well there¡¯s some¡­ what look like nerves in the jaw.¡± ¡°Well, duh.¡± Abs said then, ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever been in a bar fight?¡± "Ehh, no. But I¡¯ve seen a few when I worked¡± ¡°What about you Izzy boy?¡± Abs said. I hate that ¡®name¡¯. I frowned and tried to glare in his general direction. ¡°Oho! You haven¡¯t? Too scared?,¡± I clenched my jaw only to have it lash out in pain. ¡°I should change that at some point. Pork Chop¡¯s great at that actually.¡± I was hit on the head with his hammer shaped flask and felt a little warmer from it like I was drinking some beer. He then hit me again, again, and again on the same spot while making ¡®bonking¡¯ sound effects like I was some child. Each I was hit, It Jostled my jaw causing more pain. I tried to grab his hand the next time, I missed and Abs just laughed loudly. I caught it the next time. ¡°Ohhhh? Do you want a swig? Sure!¡± Abs let go of it and let me hold it. I could see where the fire was. I threw it into the fire where all the chairs were burning. The fire roared and went even brighter for a few moments as it burned the drink. Maybe I can have some peace and qu¡ª ¡°What did you do! Pork Chop!¡± Abs shouted. His fist slammed into the ground. ¡°Why?¡± Because it¡¯s stupid and you were hitting me with it. I couldn¡¯t tell him that even if I wanted to. ¡°Absinth, I don¡¯t think he can really uh¡­ say anything.¡± Drifa said timidly. Two meaty hands grabbed my shoulders and shook me making my head spin. His disgusting breath wafted over me. ¡°Do You want to join Pork Chop? Do ya!¡± He threw me to the ground. The pain was so much worse than before, it was hard to tell that anything else was hurting. Drifa gasped in disbelief. I probably shouldn¡¯t do that next time. ¡°I won¡¯t throw you in the fire¡­ I still think you can redeem yourself a bit. But, if you don¡¯t: you¡¯ll be visiting her gorgeous bright flames at a later date.¡± He paused and gripped my jaw tightly in his bulky sweaty hands and made me turn this way and that. It was so tight I tasted blood, ¡°Well, If he can¡¯t talk, better help him with that pursuit, huh?¡± Abs said in a rough voice. ¡°Wait! Abs, please stop.¡± Drifa squeaked out. ¡°Why? I don¡¯t see any reason to care about the guy.¡± ¡°There is!¡± She said defensively. ¡°Like what?¡± Abs ground out. I tried to grab his hands off me but it didn¡¯t work. ¡°Well, I mean, he¡¯s fighting these monsters¡ª¡± ¡°Pfft, anyone can do that Missy. He isn¡¯t good company. Always quiet, self absorbed, or glaring. No fun if you ask me. And he THREW PORK CHOP INTO THE BLASTED FIRE.¡± He was shouting at both of us now and neither of us could do much for it. ¡°Please?¡± She said between sobs. Absinth¡¯s warm hand started squeezing my jaw tighter. I tasted more blood and felt like I¡¯d feint. I couldn¡¯t really move from the pain: it was searing electric bolts tearing away at my mind. My ears were ringing. ¡°We can get Pork Chop out of the fire once it cools down!¡± Drifa said in a hopeful voice. ¡°You think?¡± Abs said on edge. ¡°I do!¡± her voice wavered. He let go of me and my head hit the floor and stars danced in my vision. Drifa grunted and did her best to pull me away from Absinth. ¡°Hey you!¡± ¡°What¡ª¡± ¡°Not you, Drifa. Ismund. I have a special treat for you.¡± He said the end bit in a way that sounded too happy. ¡°My Aura has the ability to make whoever I want in it drunk. Whenever your healing more alcohol will be added to your system. The more you hurt something, like say~¡­ the Boss? You¡¯ll also have more alcohol added to your system.¡± He started laughing loudly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Drifa, I¡¯ve made this a special treat just for Ismund.¡± Healing: Part 1 DRIFA ¡­Well that puts a wrench in things. I want to heal Ismund, and I will, but I¡­ don¡¯t really want to have two out of three people in our group inebriated. I pursed my lips. At least it¡¯ll be a bit before then since I can¡¯t exactly heal Ismund right now. I switched my bandana settings to talk to Abs. Maybe If I do it slowly enough he¡¯ll only be buzzed? I wasn¡¯t sure. I can still help a bit though. I looked over my shoulder to see Abs. He was staring at the fire like that would put it out. At least he¡¯s not angry at me. Ismund sat there looking in the general area of the fire too. It might be rough going forward, between those two at least. I sucked on my teeth and shoveled through the things in my bag until I found some spare bandages I¡¯d bought. ¡°I¡¯m going to¡­ uhm, set your jaw in place. Are your¡­ teeth lined up?¡± Ismund looked somewhere close to where I was and shook his head. Shoot. How do you fix that?
[Put the jaw where it is supposed to go.]
I know. ¡°Do you think you can fix it yourself.¡± He rolled his eyes and nodded. He hesitantly grabbed the area where his jaw was swollen, moved it a little but stopped as his eyes and brows scrunched together. A tear ran down the side of his face. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to work¡­ I also think he¡¯s going to have to open his mouth for this to actually work. I bit my lip. ¡°I-I¡¯ll do it Ismund.¡± I looked up at me skeptically with a poorly hidden wince on his face. ¡°Please?¡± He ¡®looked¡¯ around himself and sighed. After a few more moments he waved in a ¡°go on¡± gesture, but Ismund still didn¡¯t look too happy about it. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to open your mouth.¡± He didn¡¯t look very happy with that. He spit some blood onto the ground before eventually opening his mouth very, very slowly, clenching his fist so tight I thought the skin would rip over his knuckles. It was worse than I thought; I cringed back and covered my mouth with a hand. The teeth on the left side of his mouth were all crooked, turning in and resting on his tongue, practically just floating there. I couldn¡¯t really see any of his gums because of all of the blood welling up around it. How do I fix this? Ismund was currently glaring at nothing in particular, but he seemed to want me to hurry up. I put my thumb on the teeth he had on the left side, avoiding the broken teeth, and placed the rest of my fingers underneath his jaw, touching the purple skin. Even that much was making him pull back from pain. He needs to hold still. I glanced at Abs. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. I would ask him to hold Ismund still, but I don¡¯t trust that he won¡¯t hurt Ismund. At least right now. I looked back at Ismund. Better make this quick then. I turned my wrist in a sharp motion. Ismund clenched his eyes and let out a shout I couldn¡¯t hear, getting his bloody spit on my arm and face. His jaw was almost in the right spot. Sorry! ¡°Maybe the announcer was right about you being a baby! Can¡¯t handle a bit of pain.¡± Ismund react to Abs. Weather it was because of the pain, or not caring I wasn¡¯t sure, but I finished the job. After roughly turning his jaw again, it looked like it was in the right place. As soon as I let go Ismund spit out another, larger wad of blood on the floor. The place would smell of it at some point, I¡¯m sure. I felt bad about it hurting him so much when I corrected it, but I couldn¡¯t do much else for it. ¡°I¡¯m almost done.¡± I whispered, mostly to myself. I tried to dust the blood off of my hand only to realize it wasn¡¯t frozen, so I wiped it on the floor. I guess our blood only freezes sometimes? It froze to keep his wound shut before with the boss battle¡­ Maybe it only freezes when it¡¯s healing? That¡¯d make sense. Otherwise all of our blood would freeze inside of us. Taking the bandages from earlier, I started to tightly wrap his mouth shut so the bone could start healing a bit, or at least not move. Once I was done, I cut the bandage and put the roll back in my pack. I looked at my work. Not too bad. It¡¯ll work. Abs seemed to think otherwise. ¡°Ha, look at him, Drifa! Good work. His cheeks are all mushed together and he can¡¯t use any of his stupid toothpicks for a while.¡± The large man let out a gasp, ¡°Y¡¯know what he looks like? A mummy! The, uhh, the ones in Egypt or whatever. They hid in strange geometric shapes in the desert. Did you know that some people thought they were made by aliens? They¡¯re stupid. They were obviously made from the mummies. Why else would they sleep in ¡®em? I don¡¯t think Ismund would be smart enough to make a pyramid.¡± Abs seemed to be having a great time. Ismund¡­ Ismund looked like he wanted to punch Absinth, bury himself in a hole, and speak his mind. In other words, he was burning a hole in the ground with slitted eyes doing his best to not clench his jaw. Ismund never seemed to get the same kind of angry Abs got. Really angry at all actually. He glared a lot, yeah, but that¡¯s usually just him being prickly or extremely irritated or something of the like. He never really barbed people with words, at least where they could hear them. He didn¡¯t hit people or anything rash like that either. Okay, there¡¯s still the acid covering him. I can probably keep it from getting worse with hot water. I can¡¯t do much for his eyes yet. Hopefully they¡¯re still fixable; they have to be, there¡¯s magic. I got up to look for a bucket until my memory kicked in. Right. I let out a snort and turned my knife into a massive pot. I still need to get snow though, and there¡¯s none in here. ¡°I¡¯m going up the hatch to get snow, Abs!¡± After scooping up the snow I carefully made my way down the latter doing my best to not spill anything. Once I was on the arena¡¯s platform again I put the bucket beside the fire so it could melt. ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡± Abs blurted out. I gestured at Ismund¡¯s red skin that was slowly getting worse, ¡°The acid¡¯s frozen but it¡¯s still hurting him.¡± ¡°Oh! Sorry,¡± he snorted, ¡°Forgot that he was weak enough to get hurt by Pineapple juice.¡± He smiled at Ismund with dead eyes. Ismund didn¡¯t react. A while later the bucket was full of warm water. I dipped my finger in it to test the temperature. Should be good enough, It¡¯ll melt the icy acid off of him. Grabbing two of my shirts from my bag I wrapped them around my hands so I could hold the hot metal handles of my giant pot and dump it on Ismund. Or at least try too, it was too heavy for me. I hadn¡¯t really brought my strength stat up since coming here. Well it had gone up by roughly 200 points, and had gone a long way to helping me keep up with Ismund. Nothing to sniff at. The main reason I couldn¡¯t carry the pot was because it was larger than myself and more than twice my own weight. I don¡¯t really have an option. ¡°Abs!¡± His head whipped in my direction. ¡°What is it lassie?¡± Can you dump this on Ismund? ¡°Sure I can.¡± he said in a slimy voice. ¡°But slowly so the ice melts!¡± I added quickly. Abs nodded, grabbed the pot and stomped over to Ismund. ¡°Bath time!¡± He deliberately aimed for Ismund¡¯s face, no doubt to agitate him, but it was for the better in the end. His eyes still had frozen acid on them. ¡°Slowly.¡± I reminded him, a little worried. ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Abs let go of the pot with one hand and patted me on the head. As he was looking away he missed a little. ¡°Oops.¡± Once he was done, he dropped the pot haphazardly where it fell on it¡¯s side and hit my toes and weird boots. ¡°Ah!¡± I yelped. I yanked my foot back and then crouched so I could squeeze the toe in my hand. When I looked up again Ismund¡¯s mouth was trying to fight against the bandages so he could frown. All the acid seemed to be gone, which was good, but the damage was more visible now. His visible skin ranged anywhere from pinkish red to a dark red with indents where the acid had eaten away at it. Some of his medium length hair had also fallen apart from the acid now that it wasn¡¯t frozen in place. He needs a haircut. My hand drifted to my mangled wrist. Not that kind¡­ at least yet. The colour of Ismund¡¯s eyes were all washed out, riddled with red, and didn¡¯t looked like they were shaped quite right. It also looked like some of his eye had melted and weirdly attached to his eyelid. But he could close them properly now and there wasn¡¯t going to be further damage, so that was good. Some Art! I made some art, and I hoped you guys would like it! If you don''t like character art though, just skip bye, lol. The coconut The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Healing: Part 2 Letting out a huff, Ismund tried to brush the quickly forming ice off of himself. He got some of it. ¡®Looking¡¯ up at me, he looked like he wanted to say something. He moved his hand to cup his chin but brought it back sharply soon as it touched. He squinted his eyes then seemed to get an idea: he opened his hand and pretended to write on it, then looked up at my general direction. How¡¯s he gonna write if he can¡¯t see? I voiced as much. He didn¡¯t budge, waving the concern away, irritated. Okay, maybe it¡¯ll be fine. I pulled it out of my bag and placed it in his hands, along with some charcoal. Ismund hunched over it and began writing. Once I got it back, I leaned in and tried to make out the handwriting. It wasn¡¯t bad, quite good actually, better than mine, but it drifted up and down and the spacing between letters was wrong, overlapping sometimes. I couldn¡¯t read some of it, but I was able to figure out enough. ¡°You¡¯re not able to fi¡­ right now. There¡¯s lot¡¯s of thin..round. You¡­ gather all the wood, ¡­, metal and ba¡­, I can use them or sell¡­¡± ¡°I can read most of it,¡± I said, Ismund raised his brows, ¡°and¡­okay I can do it. But you want it stored in the y¡¯know, " I winked at him, ¡°right?¡± He squinted his eyes at me. ¡°The B¡ª¡± He cut me short with a nod. ¡°So¡­ should I bring it here and drop it off in front of you or¡­?¡± Ismund shook his head, lightly mind you, and stood up. I looked at him, he wasn¡¯t even facing my direction at the moment, but he didn¡¯t seem concerned. Whelp. ¡°Okay, lets go!¡± Abs grunted in surprise, ¡°Where? Are you afraid¡ªsorry that should¡¯ve been obvious, Ismund¡¯s afraid. Hmmm, well, I could¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that!¡± I said, trying to be cheery, ¡°We¡¯re going to go grab the trash and see if we can use it for something.¡± ¡°But¡­ ah, well¡­¡± Absinth said clutching his chin and looking this way and that, ¡°You don¡¯t look strong enough to lift Ismund up. Although, I suppose Stats can be deceiving.¡± ¡°Well, I was thinking more along the lines of cups and cans.¡± I said, trying to ignore his dig. ¡°Oh yeah, you could lift that up but, you have me curious now. Can you carry him? He was pretty light last I checked and¡ª Oh! There he goes.¡± Ismund had grabbed one of the many ropes that were ¡®round the arena and slipped under it, landing on ground. ¡°Talk later!¡± I shouted back at Abs. Me and Ismund went around collecting things, well, mostly me. Ismund would just be around me somewhere, standing still, then I¡¯d give him a few arm-fulls of what I¡¯d found before we would go somewhere else so I didn¡¯t have to walk much. Ismund also wanted to do something by the looks of it, but there wasn¡¯t much he could do at the moment. At some point I had thought about how he seemed to like whittling or something, but he¡¯d probably cut himself at the moment. I kept collecting more trash for a while. * * * Once me and Ismund had figured we¡¯d grabbed enough, and I thought he looked a little more collected, we headed back over to the fire. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Once we were sitting around the camp again Absinth turned to us, he had been picking the plaque off of his teeth with his finger. ¡°This is going to take forever.¡± He flicked a gnarly glob of plaque into the fire, ¡°You¡¯re not going to wait until all of Ismund¡¯s dainty little teeth are fixed up without so much as a fleck of pain left, are you?¡± Ismund shook his head before Abs could get ahead of himself. I wanted to object, but I left it. I wouldn¡¯t win that fight, even if they were being¡­ foolhardy. A little later, I took a nap so I could out wait the timer on my bandana. By the time I had woken up the fire was long gone and Abs was carefully tending to his flask: scrubbing, shining, and staring really hard at it. It was empty and blackened, but not really damaged. Ismund had gone in his tent. Maybe to nap too? I wasn¡¯t sure. I stretched and tugged the crust away from my eyes before ¡®knocking¡¯ on Ismund¡¯s tent. After a bit, he came out, he looked a little flushed, but other than that the same as usual. ¡°I¡¯m going to tune you out Abs!¡± I was about to change the settings on my bandana before he said something back. ¡°I want to get out of here fasssst. It¡¯s boaring. Make a parthy with each other, I dunno what your plan isss for Issssmund, Drifa, but tha'' should make ith eassssier.¡± He nodded to himself then inspected the bottle in his hands. I forgot about that. [Party Invite sent to user Ismund Theodore! Awaiting response¡­] I looked at Ismund gauging his reaction. [Invite accepted! Time to be a party animal, eh?] My eyes widened. Oh! I didn¡¯t expect that. Just taking a cursory glance was interesting, not that I could do more than that. I wasn¡¯t able to see the details of anything just name, race, gender, path, stats and physical condition. Still interesting. He¡¯s younger than I thought, only twenty, I thought he¡¯d be in his mid twenties or something. He didn¡¯t look old per se, but he didn¡¯t have any real energy about him. I didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, but Ismund looked puzzled himself making me smile a little. His soul is way worse than I thought it was though, it¡¯s only E tier. I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t like this before but he¡¯s really unbalanced right now; none of his stats are in the same tier, C-, D, E+. I frowned. We really need to fix that parasite. It looks like it¡¯ll give him a good boost to his soul stat once its gone, so that¡¯s good. Still, we can get some decent improvement in the meanwhile, its so low right now it should be easy. After I skimmed through his health thingies, I could tell that it was basically all of what I had figured out earlier, just more precise in terms of location and whatnot. I hadn¡¯t noticed the concussion before, I didn¡¯t think anyway, that was a bit worrying. I let out a breath. Okay, time to get to work. I scooted closer to Ismund who seemed to be lost in his own world at the moment. Remembering what Abs had said earlier, I asked the System a question. Can you keep tabs on Ismund BAC so I don¡¯t accidentally make him super drunk or something, assuming I¡¯m that successful. [Affirmative. Current BAC: 0.01] Okay. May as well start with the jaw. Reaching out with my own energy I ¡®looked¡¯ around where the break was in his jaw bone. There were two spots an the break wasn¡¯t clean, but it was at least one piece and it was almost in place as it should be. Good enough. It¡¯ll match up as I heal it. I made the energy stretch so it was a short line with a small blob on either end. Leaving the energy there to sit in front of me for a moment I listened to the sort of energy coming from the bone I wanted to fix. It was all fairly simple, but if you moved so much as a millimetre then it would sound completely different. I think, at least for now, I¡¯ll just heal the outside of the bone and let natural healing do its magic for now. I¡¯m not good enough to really do anything else. Listening to the sound coming from the part of the bone I was going to heal, I made my own energy match it. That done, I attached it to the bones and made it pull them together, not by much, but a little bit was needed. Hopefully it didn¡¯t hurt. I gnawed on the inside of my cheek. After pulling it together I tried to ¡®feed¡¯ some of the extra energy to the bone nearby so it¡¯d seal up, integrating it. It was a little bit more experimental than I liked, but its what I had. Releasing my grip on the energy I watched what happened: it stayed stable for a while but eventually it all dissolved. All the intent that was mine was eventually overrode by all of Ismund¡¯s, but his own song wasn¡¯t incredibly overpowering, his soul stat was so low. The bone was still where it was supposed to be when it released, but it wasn¡¯t being held close with a ¡®staple¡¯ anymore. Well, it didn¡¯t backfire. I tried again, this time I tried making the energy ¡®denser¡¯ so it¡¯d last longer before escaping like last time. When I released that staple, it seemed to last, and so long as I fed it a bit of extra energy and intent a while later, it would stabilize again instead of merging with whatever else was around it. Things are so much easier when I can use my own energy. I spent the next¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure how long, piecing staples all along the edge of one side of the break, there was still another crack to deal with. [BAC: 0.02] Should be fine still¡­ I focused back on what was around me. It was hard to see it below all of the burns, but Ismund¡¯s light flush had become a bit darker, but not concerning. His face seemed to be vaguely turning between different emotions I hadn¡¯t really seen on him before. But it was hardly noticeable: a quirk of the mouth, relaxed shoulders, eyebrows going up or down a bit. All very minor. He just never really showed much emotion for anything ever, unless he was unhappy with someone. He didn¡¯t exactly an open book. He¡¯s fine. I kept working.