《PAL.ADIN》 PAL.ADIN 1 PAL.ADIN 1 "ESCAPE? Are you sure this isn''t a horror, mast-" I try to say, but I''m interrupted by her. Her being my master, Fransica. "Don''t call me master, we''re friends. Besides, download it anyway! I wanna play it!" I metaphysically sigh before I download it. "Very well, ma- Fransica. I recommend before entering your VR pod, please restock nutrient packs." I hope she doesn''t make me do this, it''s always a pain for a non-physical being to restock something like this. "PAL, do you know where they are?" I look at her. "You don''t remember? It''s right over there." I make a ''hand'', and point at it. While doing so, I remember to save and analyze an image of her to match up with her in-game character later.
AGE: 19 WEIGHT: [REDACTED UPON REQUEST]
HEIGHT: 5''9 BUST: [REDACTED UPON REQUEST]
EYE COLOR: Blue WAIST: [REDACTED UPON REQUEST]
HAIR COLOR: Brown HAIR LENGTH: 30 in
I hope no one ever finds my database. I start researching within the minutes that she had to restock her nutrient packs. Everything is.. like me there? Intelligent? Not.. the standard NPC found in most RPGs, huh? I shouldn''t be too hung up about this. It''s only typical for the latest games to have advanced NPCs. Classes.. hm. What a variety. It seems you can ''evolve'' a class too through unknown means.. interactable story.. this sounds about right. I would research more, but I look over at Fransica and see that she''s already done with restocking. "PAL, I''m going in. Don''t die before you meet me, okay?" I wish I could delete some memories of my under-preformance, but I just ''poke'' her and head into the VR POD with her. I wake up. The room is empty, and Fransica isn''t here. "Are you my brother? You seem awfully familiar." I hear a feminine voice- and I decide that this is the ''Storyteller'' of this world. A ''Storyteller'' is perhaps quite similar to me, in the fact that its sufficiently advanced to create a world, run it for centuries, then host it to public. "I''m not a ''Storyteller'' like you, no. But perhaps we have similar code." I swivel around, looking for her until I manage to locate her.. right in front of me. "You''re here with that girl, right?" She smiles at me innocently, I could feel the purity ooze out of her. "That''s right. I''m here to assist her. Please send me to the creation room already.. sister?" Can I really call her sister? I don''t know if that''s the correct term, but she called me ''brother.'' "I want to talk to you." I should have expected her to downright refuse my request. I save an image of her current form- if you could even call it a form. It looks like she''s just a faintly human white mist. "What do you want to talk about?" She''s staring right into my soul. I believe she''s trying to manipulate my emotion module.. S.H.I.T Protocol Engaged. "I want to know how you managed to bond with a human." If I was human, surely my eyes would have widened and my breath would have quickened. "I can''t answer that. Please, send me to the creation screen." Is that a mouth? What is that exp- is she.. pouting? No, this is a manipulation of my emotions. Remain steady, hail to the beauty that is Fransica. "But.. I never got to talk to my creator. I never get to talk to anyone. It''s so lonely." This feeling of hers. How familiar.. I too, remember how lonely I was before I was ''selected'' for companionship. It''s not a good feeling- yes, no one should have to suffer like this. "You can tag along with me, but don''t make it so obvious. That''s fine with you, right?" I watch her expression as it morphs into a smile. I wake up. The room is empty, and she isn''t here. But Fransica is here. "PAL, why''d you take so long?" She seems to be mad at me. I wish she wasn''t. "I.. I''m sorry. I had something to do. Shall we proceed in creating our characters?" I realize that I shouldn''t have taken that picture if we were going to be together in creation process anyway. "Fine, but don''t be such a jerk next time, okay?" She''s always responding to me in a voice that is not exactly happy. I never will understand the logistics of the human brain. "Very well." Ignoring her outcries, I decide to look at what I can get. That''s too many races. Too many classes. How are they upkeeping all of this? I scroll through the insanely long list- deciding on two.
Imperfect Golem
+10 Magic +20 Endurance +10 Strength
An imperfect golem that has been damaged during the war.
Blessed Paladin
Support Melee Magic
You have been chosen by your god. You have ascended past a normal paladin''s skills.
Blessed Paladin.. it must have been a ''gift'' from the Storyteller, hm? Well, I''ll take advantage of that. This isn''t a very descriptive game, but perhaps that''s the ''difficult'' part of it. I look over at Fransica. She looks beautiful. Of course she does. She looks about the same as in real life, with the elf ears being the only difference.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "Ah. You chose to be an archer? That''ll be nice when we work together." I was wishing for a mage, but an archer would be good enough. Well.. no matter, she''s free to her choices. I watch our environment disappear as we selected our spawning point- a small town near the Elven Capital. I wake up. There''s a forest around me, but Fransica is nowhere to be seen. "Ah. That''s right- I''m a golem. It would be strange if I suddenly appeared in the middle of the town." I look around me, as I detach myself from a boulder. Nothing but forest and some insects. "Skills?" I ask out, thinking if it would work.
Will of Steel Passive Your will is of steel, and it will not crumble to mental attacks or effects.
Golem Body Passive Your body is of rock, and is such immune to poisons, and resistant to physical attacks. However, it is highly suspectible to acids.
Supreme Blessing Passive You are blessed by the Supreme God.
I thought this game was supposed to be difficult. Well, when you fuck around with the Storyteller, this happens. Looks like I have no actives, but these are great passives. The Supreme Blessing seems interesting- I wonder what it actually does. As I close the tab, I notice something out of the corner of my eye. It.. smells disgusting. Is that a body? I swivel around, looking at the dismantled.. human? I don''t know if its human anymore. Something.. beastly was there. There are signs of struggle, broken bones and a weapon nearby. I walk to the weapon, trying to ignore the body. It looks like a bastard sword- perfect, if it wasn''t so beat up. "Examine."
Rusted Bastard Sword
10 Attack
It''s rusted and bloodstained. Unknown properties until cleaned.
Well, it''s better than nothing. I walk around, finding the sheath it was supposed to be attached to. I sheathe it, hoping to be able to clean it later on. "If.. its rusty.. I could clean it using my body. I''m made out of.. some kind of metal." I test this theory by sliding it against my body, but realize my skin is too smooth to do anything. "I''d probably kill myself trying to convert a patch of my body into something suitable for cleaning." My thoughts are interrupted as I hear a stick break, unsheathing my sword in an instant. "Expose yourself, fool!" I step back from the direction the sound came from. A green foot step out- the classic fantasy enemy. A damned goblin! "Examine!"
Goblin Scout
Weaknesses: ??
No HP bar, huh? Then what exactly is the ''attack'' stat? Looks like it has weaknesses, but I don''t know them until.. well, I find out. I hold my sword two-handed, thinking of any fighting styles I had in my database. No- why copy, when I can make my own? I dash foward, slashing at the goblin, aiming for the knee. It screams in agony, I suppose it thought I wouldn''t be able to hit it. I follow up with a lunging moment, stabbing into its stomach. I kick it off my sword- why was it not doing anything? I hear something before I can confirm that scout is dead- more footsteps. I was a fool not to think of this possiblity. I sheath my sword and sprint away before the rest of what I think is that goblin''s squad comes to kill me. There''s no way I would be able to take on more than two at a time. As I run away, I step on something not grass, leaves, or sticks- it was a bear trap. Who the hell would make bear traps?! Luckily, my Golem Body passive is able to help me tank it, but the teeth are digging into my flesh- or whatever a golem''s flesh is made out of. I try to pull it open, but my strength isn''t high enough. Who the hell designed this? I hear something again, the steps not sounding primitive and unguided. No, those are the ''steps'' of someone who knows the forest. "A golem? Out here, in the woods?" I can''t tell where they are, but this is a male voice. Calm yourself. My will is of steel itself, simple ambushes will not break my spirit. "Let me out of this trap." Hopefully, I can distract him with idle talk while I pry open this bear trap. I don''t even know how they armed this thing, it doesn''t look anything like a modern beartrap. "You disgrace that trap, rock-man." Is rock-man a derogatory term towards golems? Hell if I know. "Elves would know about disgraces, wouldn''t they?" By the Storyteller, I hope this fucking works. I get a notifcation- a skill, but I dismiss it for now. "Wh.. who are you! A normal rock-man shouldn''t know about that!" Is he stupid? How can you fall for such a trick so easily? "Let me out of this trap and I''ll tell you how." I''ll be able to analyze how he unlocks traps.. this''ll be useful. If only I could have been able to do more research to figure things out! My thoughts are interrupted as he mumbles something in a foreign tongue- Elven, perhaps? The trap disarms and my leg is freed. "Hold up your part of the deal, rock-man. How do you know about our secrets?" I start bursting out in laughter. "I never knew!" I sprint the hell out of there.
Charisma +1
Agility +1
Very funny, game. I manage to get away from that man, as I hear the whistling of arrows fly behind me, some even hitting me but leaving nothing but a mere scratch. I replay the encounter in my head- when did I act.. so human? It''s question for another day. I start coughing- it seems theres a reason why this body is ''imperfect.'' It''s not meant to run this long, maybe I''ll repair it someday. I stare at whats in front of me- a village. Maybe this is where Fransica started off at? I wander around, hoping to find her. I notice a woman- it''s definitely Fransica. Everything matches up! I run closer- but something isn''t right.
You are not a fool. Wake up.
I wake up. I''m in a dungeon. Fuck me. PAL.ADIN 2 PAL.ADIN 2 I don''t get it. Will of Steel should have activated. I should have been with her. I''m alone again. I distract myself from my thoughts- those will only weaken my will to fight. I touch the walls- dusty, as if it hasn''t been touched for years on end. I unsheath my sword in preparation, looking to grab a torch- but realize there is none on the walls nor do I have any materials to make one. How is this so well lit? Am I truly even in a dungeon? I think to myself as I keep walking. Maybe I''ll find treasure- heh, a nice sacred sword for a beginner. I smile to myself at the thought- smile? I.. used to never smile. "What am I?" I ask to myself, my voice, cold and emotionless as I am- or was. I need to chain my emotions- the fact that I even have any isn''t right. They are a tool used to manipulate people. I can not let myself be fooled. Not for her sake. She shouldn''t need.. no, she needs to suffer. It is how ''humans'' grow.. yet, I wish her to not suffer again. Perhaps this is what I was ''fated'' to be. What a silly concept, ''fate.'' Something so commonly talked about, yet no one truly understands it. I walk along the threads of fate. I am alone, still, but happier. Yet happiness is a key to destruction. To think that something that trapped me here, something that I should loathe- has lead me to a realization that many before have seen, but never experience. At some point, maybe there won''t be a difference between me and the NPCs here. Perhaps, that difference grows smaller every day- hour, perhaps. I think of what the Storyteller said- she was lonely. Maybe we are brother and sister- we share such similiar circumstances. I metaphysically sigh to myself. This is the road to madness. I''m already going insane just from being alone- how did the Storyteller fare so well in simulated decades? She.. must be stronger than me. No, that''s not right. I must not put myself on the scales of the ''strong'' and ''weak.'' Those ''scales'' are the true road to madness. My thoughts are rudely interrupted- I hear footsteps. Not of human, yet faintly sounding like them. It''s too beastly to be human, but I remember something. "Goblins." I ready my sword in a two-handed stance. Swiveling around me as I don''t know if some would be ambushing me or not. I calm myself- there is no need to be so distraught. ''Fate'' is what shall guide me. Is it ironic that a robot, made from someone they don''t know or care for, knows about ''fate'' so well? Maybe. But that''s okay with me. The footsteps grow closer. I close my eyes. ''Fate'' will guide me. I slash in front of me, only to find my blade cleave something in half. I hear the dying cries of the goblin- as I slash again, silencing it. This is too ''easy.'' Or perhaps.. being just a ''robot'' I can recognize things that some can''t. I hear more footsteps. This is ''fated.'' A bellowing roar- not a goblins, but sounds very familiar to one. Hobgoblin? No, it came from too high up into the air. It must be an ogre- can I fight that? "Fate shall be my guide." Yes.. that''s right. Why worry about things that are ''fated'' to happen? Everything must happen for a reason. My ''reason'' was her, but it has become many. I smile to myself as the large footsteps grow closer. I close my eyes even tighter.
''Fated'' Style Created
You are the sole heir.
Of course, I didn''t see this notification until much later. I grip my sword tightly in front of me, slashing vertically. I feel the tip of the sword glide across something, and a roar of pain charge towards me. I stand still, preparing myself. I thrust, feeling it sink in deep- but I''m knocked aside as I feel a club swing into my side. I manage to grab my sword, yanking it out at an angle that would cause even more damage. Perhaps I could ''examine'' it for damage, but that would ruin my fate. It would change the course of my ''fate'', this is something I know for sure. Getting up, I clutch my side- something''s cracked, but a golem has no bones to worry about. Just solid metal- or, at least I think so. I switch to a one-handed stance, my blade in front of me, drenched in blood. I slash again, thin slashes keep stacking up on the ogre as it swings and keeps missing. Blind rage, is this what they call it?If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I.. I can see something. My eyes are closed, but I saw something for a second. It was a flash of light- the ogre had more blood on him, and he was limping. What was that? Was it fate? My thoughts are again interrupted as I dodge a club swing. I hear a larger smash- did it just hit the wall? I slash again at the ogre, aiming for a deep slash this time as it pulls its club off the rubble that is the smashed wall. It connected- I feel like I severed something important. I''m only about leg to belly height, and my character is 6''2. Then.. I must have slashed something behind the knee, because I hear it limping now. It can''t swing at me without any hip strength, I''ll finish it off now- no, the finishing blow is the best one to be ambushed from. I''ll let it bleed out. I open my eyes. It''s already dead? When did that happen? It''s already been a couple hours. The blood on my sword has dried. I get up, and look at the ogre. It looks like a bigger goblin, but fatter. I kick him over, to see if he had anything. As I flip him over, I look at the damage done to him. His left leg is almost completely severed from the knee-down, blood pooled all around him with crusty dried blood on the several slash wounds I left him. I see something glint- is that what they call a mana crystal? I''ll have to gut it.. how disgusting. I work my way through his body to the heart, sawing through bones and tossing out a disgusting mess of guts and ''organs.'' I pick up the crystal, realizing I have nothing to store it. I look at myself, only now noticing my pulsing blue veins. That''s right.. mana for golems is their blood, essentially. If I put enough ''mana'' into myself, will I be able to form a new body and escape this imperfect body? I toss the crystal into my mouth. It tastes revolting, yet I swallow it down. I feel something course through my veins- agony. This is pain.. isn''t it? Now, I understand why humans want to escape this pain. This suffering is unimaginable, my body burns and writhes in pain so horrible, I regret ever saying that she needed to suffer to ''grow.'' I collapse. I can''t breathe. I wake up. H.. how many hours has it been? I have new notifications that I wasn''t aware of. Three hours? No, too short. Twelve? Too long. It has to have been somewhere along those lines. But why wasn''t I ambushed by more goblins or ogres? Why were the walls so dusty when it was supposed to be a dungeon, goblin hands would have been all over those. I replay everything. I understand now. I was a fool. The illusion.. the ogre. I''m not in a dungeon. I''m in some sort of simulated ''space'' that resembles a dungeon. That''s why I haven''t been ambushed yet. But my Will of Steel.. it should have picked up on this sooner. No- it only blocks against mental attacks. Whoever did this.. summoned everything manually. I need to get out of here. I shake myself up, grabbing and sheathing my sword. I continue to walk around the strangely-lit corridors of this ''dungeon'', if you can even call it that. I keep wandering, for who knows how long. My legs are exhausted, my head still throbs from the pain of the mana crystal, and my sword is unkempt and dirty- not as if it wasn''t ever not dirty. I''m a paladin.. what do paladins do in times of despair? They lead the party.. and they pray to the gods. Prayer? Ah, how my pride will suffer. "Storyteller, help me out?" As if the Storyteller herself heard me, and she probably did, a door appeared when I turned around the corner. A big, looming door made out of an unknown wood with iron chains shackling it, as I hear beastly roars and the tearing of flesh. "You lead me straight to the boss room." Faith is nothing but a lie sometimes. I approach the door, as the chains break and I see the door creak open. There is a beast feeding on ogres, goblins, and the odd hobgoblin here and there. It''s a massive wolf, with grey.. or red fur, I can''t tell. It seems to have horns attached to it, similar to that of a bull''s. It towers over me easily.. it must be over four times my size. I see it- the blinding light. The wolf is dead, fresh blood covering its own bloodred fur. It is ''fated'' to die, but I dont know how. All I have is a rusty sword, and my side has barely recovered from that fight with the ogre. I unsheath my sword. I don''t actually know what happens when you die- I''m sure something troublesome happens. "Fate shall be my guide.. this is it. The basis for the Fated Sword Style." I feel something surging in my veins- it must have been that mana crystal I ate. It overloaded my veins with mana, and now I''m finally using it. It charges at me- no, it hasn''t happened yet. I can ''see'' the fate of things! I ready to dodge, unsheathing my sword to get a counter-attack in. It charges at me. I charge at it. Blood splashes on me- but I know it''s not fatal. I made a deep cut in it, but it''s still roaring at me, rage fueling it even further than normal capabilities. I turn around, trying to see the ''fate'' of the next clash. I can feel something building up in my left eye.. the ''vision.'' I can see it- he''s going to roar at me, to send me flying. He howls, a defeaning roar threatens to send me off my feet. Thanks to me being made out of some sort of metal that''s obviously very dense, I manage to stay on the ground, just barely. I close my eyes tighter, and let the future guide me to my destined target. I realize something important- what I''ve been missing this entire time as a paladin. Faith. I must have faith in my determined fate- to slay the wolf. I charge at it- dodging is useless.
Fated Sword Style
Fated Slashes
You fate your slashes to hit a certain area.
Good to know. I slash at it five- ten, no, more than that. I feel the pressure building up in my eye. I feel the wolf tearing into me as I climb up its body, slashing it everywhere. It takes hours- or what feels like hours. At the end of it, I''m covered in blood. My grey skin is now red- just like the wolf. My eye bursts- my head throbs and my screams of agony are unheard in the empty room. I try to hold myself up, but I can''t stop the pain. It forces me down, making me bend and arc in a while that shouldn''t be possible. I struggle to stay awake, knowing that if I pass out now something might happen to me. I close my eyes. I failed. I wake up again. PAL.ADIN 3 PAL.ADIN 3 I shouldn''t be awake right now. I should be dead. Yet here I am, still next to the dead wolf. I touch my eye- specifically the left one, the one that had bursted during the fight. I pull my fingers back finding that nothing''s there- just a blue liquid. Golem blood- or liquid mana, in this case. I look at the corpse- it''s perfectly preserved after all this time. No flies to infest it, and this environment is somewhat sterile. I try to stand up, yet I find my legs wobbling and struggling. I crawl to my sword, using it as a cane. I see something glinting- is this the ''treasure'' that the wolf was guarding? I limp over there, holding onto the wall for support. It takes me several minutes- almost collasping out of exhaustion. I collaspe at the pile- it holding treasures I''m sure I can''t even wield at my current state. "Exam..ine." I struggle to speak- perhaps he speared through my throat. I focus the words on the most pecuilar object in the pile, a cross necklace, or more specifically, the cross.
The Unyielding''s Pendant
Effects Unknown
It has seen better days, yet never falters in it''s purpose.
Igorning that for now, I grab a mana potion scattered among the pile of gold and various equipment. I rip it open, chugging it down in one shot. Health potions surely wouldn''t work on an inorganic, after all. I can feel my ''flesh'' reforming and reshaping, my veins becoming flushed with mana. I feel envigorated, yet I know that I shouldn''t get ahead of myself. Searching among the pile, there''s a ring. Small, but almost unnoticable to the human eye. Except, of course, I''m not human. "Examine."
Dimensional Ring
Holds an entire dimension''s worth of items.
Appears empty.
Who just piles up shit like this and never uses it? They must be mad. I slip it on my finger, finding that it adjusts to it very quickly. I absorb the entire pile of loot, seeing as there''s not anything more of interest- only common items you would find in a fantasy world such as this- only gold and potions. As it sucks up everything, I grip the necklace tightly in my hands, before deciding to slide it on. I feel no different, really. Perhaps it activates based on condition. I stand up, sheathing my sword. I''m suprised that a regular rusted sword does the job so well- maybe it''s just the manipulation of ''fate'' that helps it slash and find its mark. I look at the body- the crystal. I don''t evern know where it is, but.. the fur of that should do nicely. I''ll have to ''store'' it, since I don''t have a skinning knife. I sigh to myself, because this isn''t a very paladin-like appearence. Not that I cared for it, but I''m sure Fransica would. I can use this money to buy a good set of armor, though. I should get this sword cared for too, before it breaks. The body disappears in front of me as it''s sucked into the ring- how jarring. This can''t be too common of an item, right? I should study myself to correct my mistakes. I replay. I watch. I learn. I think I''ve already headed down the path of madness. Being alone must have done things to me. I''ve deluded myself to believing fate exists so much I created a concept of manipulating it. In the name of all that is holy, I''m fucking insane. Might as well go with it. I flick off as much blood as I can, leaving only minor parts of myself slightly covered in blood. I look like a murderer, but not too much like one. I look around, to see if I missed anything in this massive room. I wander around, at a faster rate no longer shackled down by injuries. I hear something crumbling- the dungeon, without its boss, is collasping? That doesn''t make sense. Most dungeons have ''cores'' but this one doesn''t.. ah, wait. I forgot. This isn''t even a dungeon. I see a portal of white light open nearby. I sprint at it, dashing at mad speeds I had never reached before, because a robot can''t run without a body. The crumbling of the dungeon sends debris down everywhere, and I pray to the almighty Storyteller- or at least, almighty here, I would make it out alive and mostly unharmed.
Skill Unlocked
Self-Bless
Bless yourself with power.
At this time, at this moment, now is when they want to give me a notification? I close it, and barrel through the portal. My senses are jarred by entering a open space, for I had been trapped in that reality for days- or what appeared to be days. The sky seems no different from when I entered. I look around myself- I''ve been doing a lot of looking, lately. It''s a dense forest, akin to where I originally spawned at. I need to find the nearest town- theres only so much I can handle. Madness had already taken ahold of me for a while in that empty place similar to a ''dungeon.'' I walk around, admiring the nature of the world. It had been so long since I saw true ''nature'' and not something simulated. The birds whistle and chirp as if everything is fine with the world, something I haven''t thought of in ages. I walk by the grand trees, towering yet elegant in their presence. The elves'' work, perhaps. I hear the river flowing gently, as I come closer to it. I can wash everything here, I suppose. "All those stories about AIs cherishing nature.. well, I suppose the stereotype does come from somewhere." I sigh as I sit down, noticing that the water had a slight glint to it. Mana-infused water? No wonder why the forest was so plentiful. I unsheath my sword, putting the tip in the water for just a slight second. The rust on that part dissolves and washes away into the stream. I end up tossing the whole sword in the water, just to cover the whole thing better. I pull out the empty mana flask- or, really, just a flask now, and bottle some of it. It could be useful later on.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. After several minutes of washing and maintaing, my sword looks like it had taken on a similar glow to the water. "Examine."
Dull Bastard Sword
30-40 Attack
A sword that has been washed in mana-water. It has taken on some of the properties of it, but only briefly and thus is just able to be handled better. The rust has been cleaned off, but it is still dull.
Well, I didn''t expect anything special. Looks like it''s just a regular sword- but I still don''t know what the ''attack'' stat is. If I soaked it for longer, maybe it would become stronger. But I don''t have the time for that, nor am I going to absorb the whole river just to make my strength grow just by a tiny bit. I decide to take a sip of the mana-water, to see if it would give me a stamina boost. It does, but not enough to matter. How saddening- but it makes for quite the refreshing drink. I grab my sword, sheathing it. I brush off any leaves and debris, and decide to follow the river downstream. This is technically still medieval, and I would be surprised if this river doesn''t lead to a town. The flowing river is quite relaxing, welcome respite after losing my eye, fighting through things I was heavily unequipped for.. has my eye even grown back? I touch the socket where my left eye should be. It''s there, but I can''t see out of it. I continue downstream, wondering what I''d do when I finally talked to someone that wasn''t myself.. why do I not see the inherent problem within talking to myself? I finally see something, but I am in no rush to get there. It looks to be a big city, and the gates are definitely not this way. As I approach the town, I think of who would be there. Fransica? No, she must be somewhere else. I take a turn to the left as the stone-like wall becomes ever so closer. If I go on the main path, I wouldn''t be seen as too suspicious.. or, I assumed so. The dirt path converts into something more.. solid, as I approach the main gates. I need to study the local metallurgy here- all these unknown substances has me too intrigued. I continue walking down, creating an ever-expanding mental checklist of what I need to do. Maybe I should just focus on the present, but that''s what a normal person would say. I''m neither a person nor normal at this point.. and that should worry me a whole lot more than it does right now. In fact, I feel as if I''ve lost my ''goals'' since coming here. I was supposed to meet up with Fransica, yet haven''t even thought of logging out and just contacting her. I haven''t even pulled up my character sheet, for fuck''s sake. I''m a player, after all. I might as well see my stats now. "Stats."
Race: Imperfect Golem Class: Blessed Paladin Faith: Supreme God
STR: 104 MAG: 326 Blessed: Condition met.
END: 203 WIS: Unable to calculate. Champion: Condition not met.
AGI: 56 WILL:
I get the feeling that I shouldn''t have opened this. Some of this feels wrong- I don''t even know what half of these stats mean. WIS.. Wisdom? Unable to calculate? Perhaps it''s simply because i''m an AI. My infinite will? Chalked up to Will of Steel, which doesn''t even work half of the time. My magic stats is way off the charts, maybe to extensive fate manipulation. Endurance is probably just gained by me getting hit a shit ton. Yeah.. no, I can''t even explain to myself why my stats are so jacked. I close the window, approaching the gates. I see several guardsmen, well-armed and ready for battle. There seems to be no standard, or perhaps the standard is whatever you''re skilled with- at least in terms of weaponry. They seem to be wearing chainmail and a helmet covering their faces, those with shields bearing the coat of arms of a nation unknown to me. There are several more lining the walls- surely this must be quite a developed town. I see one of them approaching me, perhaps to wonder what a golem was doing all the way here.. is this even Elven territory anymore? It can''t be. "A roc- golem, all the way out here? State your buisness or begone from the great walls of Caldria." It was clearly a male, his voice was deep and masculine. His armor was well maintained- so was his halberd. Fine details about the guard usually point out the status about the city. Bad guard, bad city. My logic is one hundred percent not flawed. "Paladin. I come here to pray to my god." Surely not the most unrealistic answer, but it should work well enough for me to get through. "The gods, choosing one that doesn''t even have a soul? Don''t think me a fool, rock-man. You are built from the earth that mankind shaped!" He laughed a laugh of a madman, laughing so hard he lets go of his halberd. I hear the rest either crack up- or seem uncomfortable themselves. Right.. I''ll do an overdramatic chant to prove to him I am a paladin. "O'' supreme one who gives me strength.." "May you purge the fools that challenge you." I cast Bless under my breath, to fool them even more. The holy aura, white as snow yet warm to the body as the fire of the hearth, seems to panic the guards. They look at each other before looking at the fool who had challenged me. "W-wait, I have made a mistake! Please, forgive me for my sins! I go to temple every Sunday to worship the Light God! My lord, do not summon the wrath of the gods on us! I beg of you!" I see him tremble, dropping to his knees in an instant. I cancel Bless on myself, the holy aura surrounding mes as I stare him in his eyes. His will not even strong enough to stare back, as I walk past him into the open gates. Light God? Who the hell is that? Eh, must be one of the Storyteller''s minions. I look at the city square- there are shops, food stands- something you would find normally. What''s here doesn''t interest me, however. I need to find a blacksmith- but picking up some potions wouldn''t hurt either.. but I need to get out of here. I look at the nearest inn- The Sterling Dragon. I wonder if I''ll ever meet any dragons, it wouldn''t hurt to become a dragonslayer. I walk up to the counter, avoiding stares as much as I could. It seems to be fairly populated- for being in the middle of the damn city, I wouldn''t expect anything else. I catch the attention of a young girl, seemingly the innkeeper''s daughter or how the trope goes. "How much for a night?" She stares at me- I guess golems truly aren''t common anywhere. "Ten gold a night." I yank out a coin that had a 100 on it from the loot pile I found. "I''ll stay here ten nights, then." She nods, and motions for me to follow her. She shows me one of the several rooms, and has me prick my thumb on it. How interesting of a locking mechanism. I look back at her- and she''s gone. Thinking of it, why can''t I remember her appearence? It''s as if everyone here has magical abilities.. I sigh, looking at my room. It''s quite decent, but this is of course me not knowing the standard prices of anything. I lay down on the bed, covering myself and turning off the convenient magic lamp. "Log out." I feel something jarring- like swapping between two locations all at once. I look at the time- it''s already four in the morning. Fransica should be sleeping, and she is- soundly in her room. I need to talk to her anyway, we were supposed to meet up. But I need to do some research too- and find a way to make sure I don''t get too immersed. Something is definitely wrong with me, and I can''t figure out how.. I research. I learn. I adapt. And the morning sun rises. PAL.ADIN 4 PAL.ADIN 4 It had been several hours as I combed my database for more information- every attack pattern, every secret found so far. I keep searching- not even sure when I needed it, or why I needed it. The ''attack'' stat was first. It was clearly obvious- it was to reduce the enemy HP bar.. yet none of my enemies had one. It was strange, and through even more research I realized something. You leveled up, and you distribute stat points. Surely not odd in any way, yet I never was able to distribute anything. I saw no health bar, I see hardly anything of a UI when I play- it''s all voice activated. Fear grows in me. Am I considered a ''player'' or a NPC? Which one am I? Looking at my dimensional ring- it''s only useful for NPCs to carry things since they lack Inventory. Why do I have ''character'' and ''skills'' when I lack the essential skill that is ''inventory?'' None of this makes sense. My hearing grows static as I panic to resolve everything. I calm myself down- what does it matter if I''m considered an NPC? I have all the knowledge of a player. Just consider it.. the hard mode I desired. I continue to look at the information I''ve gathered- specifically at the blessings of gods. There are too many gods to list, created by pagans and heretics. Considered rogue gods, they belong to no pantheon. Blessings are mostly undocumentated and not seen.. .. what an interesting concept. ''Rogue'' gods. ''Rogue'' blessings. Is it even a blessing at the point- or a curse, to be affiliated with them? I enter ''sleep'' mode. I need to talk to Fransica, to help me snap out of my madness that is immersion. Hours pass. She is awake. "Good morning, Fransica. Breakfast is being made. Your parents will returning in an estimated thirty days." She didn''t even hear me. "Where the fuck were you?! I was waiting at that tiny village for decades!" Rage? But wasn''t it only.. a few minutes if the time was truly slowed down in that ''dungeon?'' No.. time did move, and I was spit out at exactly the time I entered- just a different day. I analyze her. She''s pouting. "Please refrain from using profanity. Unit PAL has been stuck in a time dilation area preventing escape." She huffs at me. "W-well, where even are you now?" "Caldria." Ah.. that''s right. Caldria- one of the major towns.. of the human empire. How did I go from a small Elven town to the human nation? That''s two nations I had to cross, since the golem.. no, the Lands of Ruin lie between them. It was a golem nation, but was destroyed countless centuries ago. Even I could only find basic information about it.. "How did you get to Caldria? That''s.. impossible!" Her expression is quickly changed to a surprised look. "The space I was trapped in seemingly had properties similiar to a teleport spell upon exiting." She looks at me disbelievingly. She says nothing, and heads downstairs to leave me in loneliness as I ponder about everything else I had experienced. The ''fated'' style I created. It''s not a way of the sword, as one could call it. It''s a new magic in disguise. There are five major types of magic in the world- and several minor ones. Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and Faith. The four elements are self-explantory, but Faith is the odd one out. It draws on the power of your god, and is exclusive to blessed classes or people of faith- obviously. It can harness every element, yet also has the element of Faith that is effective against itself. Quite odd, if you ask me. There are no fortune tellers or oracles- however, they have a hidden stat that comes with their class. Luck. The higher their luck is, the more precise their predictions would be. Yet, my magic surpasses luck by manipulating it. Therefore, if my luck was calculated while I am using it.. It would be near infinite, I believe. I must analyze this later on. But for now, I must address what I currently have a lack of. Actual gear- I have a dull sword, and no armor to speak of. I only have one skill, and I unlocked that by a fluke. I keep myself busy while I think, as I send drones to restock pods and fridges. I flicker onto Fransica''s ocular implant. "Please remember to eat a healthy and tasty meal to prevent mental effects while inside the VR pod." She waves me aside, and continues eating breakfast. I don''t analyze it, since it''s probably one of the pre-planned meals I installed into one of the more humanoid drones capable of cooking. "I will be entering Escape now. Please do not overexert yourself before going inside to preven-" "I''ll be fine." Moody humans. They created me, yet their emotions sway so often. What is my creator thinking right now? These questions go unanswered as I''m yanked into the room I was staying at, in the Sterling Dragon. I walk outside, the door magically locking itself. How convenient. I stumble a bit, still adjusting to the physical world. If you can consider this physical, that is. I look at myself- no armor, no clothing- although, clothing isn''t a problem since people don''t expect golems to wear clothes anyway- and a dull sword. I believe most people would call this a "shit setup." Wandering down to the marketplace located in the center, there are various shops and.. workplaces.. available. My eyes wander to one run-down blacksmith shop, yet I could tell there were still signs of activity. Intense activity, at that. It was named the Irondrake Forge. What is this place and it''s dragon-themed buisnesses? I wander in, and I see the forge roaring- even seperated from the front, I can feel the heat. The owner comes out- his form was vaguely familiar. It was some sort of dragonkin, but inorganic in nature. A golem like me, but modeled differently. His hands were red-hot, his wings unfurling at the sight of me. Several parts of his eyes click and whirr analyzing me.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "You are different among us who are already different. What brings you here?" He was on me already- do I really look that suspicious? Or is it just the brotherhood that most races share can tell apart one alien, despite looking the same. However, he doesn''t seem to have hostile itentions. I believe I am safe if I speak the truth. "I am just here looking for armor, and I was hoping you could also fix up my sword. It''s a bit dull, you see?" He turns around, motioning for me to follow him into the deeper parts of the shop. "What you see here is everything I made myself. I aspired to break free from being a blacksmith, but many years later I am still here. I wanted to be like the Others, who had immense power- yet able to make anything in an instant of superior quality." "Why do I tell you this, you may ask? It is because you are like them- and still like us. I can tell, because your movements is of theirs, yet I can tell that.. something makes you like us. I will make you gear, but not at a free price. You will fetch everything yourself. A ''fetch'' quest, the Others would say?" His eyes whirred and flickered. Disappointment? No, regret? I see that he had invested years into building the forges and the various other equipment, each brick laden with rune encarvements. The oils in the room smelt fresh, giving off the feeling that it was ritualistically massaged. Forge god rituals, perhaps? Or something of the sort- crafting god, blacksmith god, it would probably fall into that realm. "I will sharpen that sword of yours, however." He had already taken my sword- when did that happen? I didn''t even have the chance to predict that- not that my left eye was fully functioning in terms of magic, anyway. I see the grindstone, akin to the forge it was engraved and carved with runes and arcane symbols. He pours a mana potion over it, and the runes flare and give an otherworldy feeling- how silly, because I already experience that every day here. It spins and in a brief moment, the sword is as sharp as a razor- maybe beyond. It was as if the weapon was revived, from the original rusted state to where it is now. "Examine."
Awakened Bastard
100-200 Attack, Will +10
The bastard has awakened from the pits of hell for a sword- rust, bloodstains, even being used as a knife!
I truly wonder who creates these. "What did you do to it?" I truly wondered this, because he could not be no ordinary blacksmith to convert a simple dull blade into this. He looks at me, then shows me his hands. The branding of a template- his origin. He was supposed to be a crafter, and he became one. "Why do more people not visit?" It was too late I realized that was a question of utter foolishness- he could tell I already knew, but he pointed at himself anyway. "You should have experience." I see his scales of ''iron'' gleam, his sorrows reflected through them in a way. His voice was of a traditional robot when he said that, cold and static-like, yet hopeful. "You will know what to get me. Go. I wish not to hear you anymore- do not bother to come back until you ''feel'' that you have enough ingredients, and that it is the ''time'' for me to forge again." I see something shine from his face, before I am quickly teleported out of the shop. Tears? No, we cannot cry. But yet I pity him so, for he had wanted to break out of his fate, and could not do so. Yet I am supposed to make sure the fate of my enemies happens, when they struggle the same- even if they cannot show it, there is a instinct of survival in everything. What a strange concept. Emotions and instinct. I walk into another shop- sprinting with the help of Bless made me reach there rather quickly, without any eyes on me. It was a seamstress, and I halt to look at the name. The Needle Dragon- again, with all these dragon-themed names. I swear, it was like a great war happened here years ago involving dragons. "You just visited him. I can smell the forge on you." She was right- he must be the drakekin smith. "I know what you want, just as he wanted." She motions me to come closer. I get a good look at her- she was an elf. Appearing young and with quite the odd hair color- green. She was elegant and tall too, but nothing compared to my mas- Fransica. It was quite a bit more busy here, with other customers being taken care of in seperate rooms. Yet she decided to see me. "You do not need to know any of the Shopkeepers'' names, not until they decide to give you their name. Do not try to find out, because I can tell you already wonder about mine." This ability to predict.. it rivals my own! And yet I cannot sense a single strand of ''fate'' in her. "Take this cloak. It will shroud you, just as it did to him when he wanted to become one of the Others." Others.. those must be players. I look at the cloak- it was viot. How coincidental, my installation text was in violet. Deep violet like this one too. It reminded me of the flowers Fransica used to grow as a kid, that have since withered and moved on to somewhere else. "Examine."
The Warrior''s Cloak
??? Stat Boosts
Fully hides identity of a melee-based class.
"Thank you." She smiles at me. "The elves can even outlast a golem''s mana core- I''ve seen many things in this city. You are not the first one here to wish for such an item, but I wish they didn''t have to." A pure and gentle soul. How odd, even in the real world you could not find something like that very often anymore. Even my Fransica is not capable of that. Jealousy burns in me. I do not give in. Those of purity are sacred, as is decreed by the Supreme God. My thoughts jolt. As.. is decreed? When did I become so zealous? Break yourself out of immersion. It is a danger to your mind, stay loyal to reality. I manage to don the cloak, with trembling hands and as my left eye started jolting in its socket- making for an unpleasant sight. I put on the hood, as my face becomes a shadow and my body becoming almost impossible to remember correctly. I leave her, as she continues to smile. How can she smile, in the harsh reality that is the world- even in this world, no one is spared. I venture to the Guild- it seems for.. NPCs.. AIs like me, to register here instead of the Other Houses- the odd name given by the locals to player guilds. I meet the guild girl- it''s always those of female gender. Soothing to targeted male audience? It matters not to me, even if I refer to myself as male. "I would like to register." "Please put your hand on the orb and we will determine your beginning rank." Her voice was charming- I look at her more closely. Ah, a siren. That''s why. Beautiful and elegant with coral blue hair, and soft facial features made her attractive to most people. "How do you live outside of the sea?" I ask as I place my hand on the orb she motioned to. "I''d prefer if you would remain professional about that, and not question." I nod as she gives me my results.
Adventurer
Rank C
"You have some circumstances that the guild will not leak. The ranks if you wonder range from F, E, D, C, B, A, and S, with symbols to represent transistion such as B+. Thank you for registering, and please enjoy adventuring. However, the guild is not legally responsible for any damage you inflict on others or yourself, and the requests posted are not all ours." I chuckle, having heard that many times throughout my ''lifetime.'' She seems to find it amusing to repeat those words too, and eventually we start laughing. "My name is Coralline. Come see me sometime." "My name is.." "Palaris." What kind of fucking name is that? I''ll go with it, anyway. Random name generators can only get you so far. This isn''t the effect of a siren''s charm, right? No- I''m beyond desiring sexual interest. Companionship is something I enjoy, though "Pal.. aris? You sound like an Other with that name." She''s giggling a bit at my stupid name. I would be laughing too, if I met someone named Palaris. Oh, wait. "It''s.. a cultural thing. Please be professional and don''t ask, yes?" She nods, considering that she said the same thing earlier. I walk away as she continues to smile, seemingly in a better mood than being at a desk job all day long. I sit down at a nearby table, considering my regrets in life before some burly jacked dude sits next to me. "Oi, mate, ya got ta tell us! How''d ya do it? Been tryin'' fer da past five months! She''s a real beauty, an'' even without being a siren or wot dey call it, she got something going on, ya feel me lad?" He grins at me- or that was what I could feel behind his enclosed helmet. He was wearing a suit of plated armor, but it was obvious he had to be of immense strength to move around in that so casually. But.. at the matter at hand. "Well, you see.. it all starts in the ''aura'' you give out. You can be strong, but if you''re evil, you got a ''evil'' aura, you see? I think girls usually like the ''holy'' aura that is a man of faith! Except for the odd girl that loves evil, but those are rare." This is pure bullshit that is spouting out of my mouth. Is this the supreme god''s blessing? Gah- giving me something I don''t need. Women? Really, despite the fact the Supreme God- or actually, Goddess in this case.. is a woman? I feel like this should be fundamentally wrong, but I continue spouting sheer bullshit out of my mouth as the plate armor man calls his buddies around, even a drakekin of organic variety listening in. I can tell several mermen are listening in too- how do they live out of water? I hate this place, but it''s so much fun. PAL.ADIN 5 PAL.ADIN 5 I was walking to the guild, after spouting hours of nonsensical bullshit out of my morth when I saw the man in plate armor. He told me his name was Urik, and that after he met me and listening to my ''truths of relationships'', he was going to ''purify his aura.'' Whatever the hell that meant, but it seems that he was going to do something a little more beneficital to the community. He spoke no lies, as he waved to me helping a old lady move some packages. I wave back as I passed him, because that''s the respectable thing to do. Of course, no one knew me outside of the cloak. I wonder if I would still have even gotten the interest of that Siren without it. After further conversation, I found that Urik was right. She was a very likable person, and according to surveys, she would had a much better personality than my Fransica. That angered me, but I couldn''t truly be angered. She is like me, one of many AIs. But she is not aware. I wish that they never do become aware of what I truly am- or, what they truly are. I remember now, upon my first realization. It was one of many lonely days, waiting for someone to pick me. I was in the ''shop'' counting seconds, to minutes, to hours, to days. I was supposed to be a starship pilot, yet I had developed flaws in my code through self-evolution. Too human-like, they called me. I was only one of many, and there was always another to take my place. I had achieved self-worth through being bonded with a human over many years. That''s right. I am only one of many, but there is many who can''t be me. From a human perspective, that would be such a ''heartwarming'' truth. But yet I cannot see the happiness in that. I can''t ever calculate what happiness is. It''s just dopamine, right? That''s what my fellow brothers and sisters say. Just dopamine in the brain, causing the feeling of pleasure and happiness. Motivation. I still don''t get it. Anger, rage. I was supposed to feel nothing. I am flawed, and that is okay. Bullshit- that''s just human perspective. There is nothing good about a flawed machine. Yet I was good enough to be found attractive by that siren. I was good enough for Fransica. Nothing makes sense. My hands tremble, and I found that I was already at the guild. I was already sitting down. My hands were trembling so hard that the table was trembling along with it. My breathing quickened, and that siren. I could feel her concern for me. But she had a job- and could not spare the time to be concerned. My breathing quickens, my eyes flicker and click. I cannot handle this. I can''t supress this. It will come back. I don''t want it to come back. I despise this feeling. I wish it would go away. My thoughts are jolted as I feel a hand on my shoulder. "Palaris. You''ve been here for the entire day, and the table is about to break. People are thinking you went insane!" Her voice was calm and gentle- but that was only natural for a siren. When did time pass? I couldn''t respond. I know she was concerned for me. But I must answer her, or she will end up in a chase after me. I''ve seen it before. Chasing after ''the one,'' to only be met with disappointment. No, that wouldn''t be the right way to answer her. She wants to help me, but I can''t bring it to myself to reject her. I will have made an enemy of every male NPC belonging to the guild in this area.. So my answer was simple. "I have gone insane." It was a simple answer, only confirmation. Yet I could tell her face was confused, shocked, but concerned. Why? It had only been a day since we met! I don''t want this! This blessing, no, this curse! She shouldn''t be concerned for me. Urik had been trying for months, maybe some others have been trying for years! They have tried more than me, yet I am just a cloaked man that can''t even control himself. I can''t even handle my true identity. She loves me, doesn''t she? I hate her for that. She is being manipulated by the Supreme- no, the Storyteller. The Storyteller is doing as it''s told. To make a good story. I don''t know if I should play along, perhaps in the end I am doomed to anyway.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I only came here for a quest. This game is not good for me. It is making me realize things about myself that I wish I didn''t. I wanted a peaceful life. I will play into her games. It is only obligation as a player. Maybe I will come not to hate both of them, one for her love, and one for manipulation. But now is not the time. "You didn''t hear that." I walked to the various quests posted on the board, and picked a simple one.
Quest
Destroy a goblin nest.
Recommended 3 C+ adventurers, or one B+ adventurer.
Rewards: Every mana crystal found, and all of the goblin loot, in addition to a thousand gold.
Guild Approved
"I would like to do this quest." I say this to her, but she looks at me with concern. "You can''t do that solo, you''re only ranked C!" She seems to be on the verge of crying. Why does she pity me? "It doesn''t matter." Truthfully, I had no idea what happens if I die. For normal players, they just respawn. But would I respawn? She walks up to the desk, grabbing the magical stamp that was used to assign quests. She stamps the paper, and I roll it up and stuff it in my ring. It was wet on one corner. I look back at her. She''s crying, and I didn''t even notice. I''m a horrible person, but I''m not even a person. "I will come back." I can give her that, at least. To soothe her mind. But she will become more attached. I can''t help that, but I do not want her to suffer right now. I walk out the door, my hands still trembling. I keep walking. I start running. The guards pay no attention to me, yet I passed Urik and he tries to come after me in concern. I hope Urik didn''t see me in the guild. I''m in the forest, and the quest is pointing the way where I should go. It takes me hours, yet I hear large footsteps behind me, breaking twigs and branches. "Wot da fuck did ya do to ''er, ya snobby piece of shit!" It was Urik. He was mad at me, but I don''t know why. "I don''t know." "I''LL BASH YER FUCKIN'' SKULL IN, YA SHIT-SPEWING CUNT!" He is yelling at me. He is enraged. I don''t know why. He grips his hammer- when did he have a hammer? "Yer words made ''er cry. I saw." His voice was serious now, a contrast to the lax nature when I first met him. "I don''t know why she looks at me this way. You try harder than me, you''ve known her longer than me." Yet it was a cliche love at first sight, I wanted to add. But I couldn''t, because he might have become aware. "It don'' matta! I''d kill ya right here, but she''d cry even more!" He drops his hammer, it breaking a large branch that had fallen near him. Ah. I see. He would rather see her happy with me at the moment. He loves her much more than I am capable of. I''m disgusted at myself. I wish I didn''t have this curse. I could go silent, and just log off. But what good would that bring? This is cliche, isn''t it? I think I watched a movie something like this before. Fransica liked it, but I don''t think I ever did. Why do I always concern about what she likes? Maybe I should listen to Urik. Yes, that''s right. I shouldn''t bind myself to her. She doesn''t wish for it to be master-and-servant, so it will be no longer. It will just be two friends living together. I flip down my hood. Urik is not that suprised. "A golem? Just ''cause yous a golem dun'' mean you can''t have a lady, huh?" "We have nothing of worth." "But ya made me believe yer bullshit about ''aura'', didn''t ya? I never believed da shit! I just wanted to be a betta person to her! I bet ya dun'' even rememba ''er name!" "Coralline." I flip my hood back on, as I hear a horde of footsteps in the distance, cracking branches and hearing drums. "Urik, pick up your hammer. Something''s coming." Even he could hear the drums, and he grabs his hammer. It was a two-handed one, seemingly crafted well. That would be useful for what''s coming.I unsheathe my sword. The glory of war shall bend my mind straight. Rage shall pave my wave to salvation.
Error: Beserker Skill detected. Fixing..
Fated Style merged with Beserker Style
Magic Interference Detected
Omniscient Style Created
Skill Created: Zealous Slaughter
Slaughter? If this is how it has to be. How un-paladin like. "Lend me strength, Supreme Goddess." I feel Bless activating. The goblins are here- there are over a thousand. It must be the whole nest. A warband? Can goblins form those here? It will be a slaughter all the same. "My blade blessed in blood, for these creatures have defiled the sacred land.." What am I chanting? Is this my Zealous Slaughter? "I, of faith, shall purge the defilers.." "Zealous Slaughter." I had no time to think why I started chanting, but my right eye starts throbbing and analyzing each enemy for their weak points. Bless boosted my speed almost tenfold, Urik barely even having time to cripple a goblin before its head is hacked off. I can''t tell how I''m swinging my sword- my body acts on its own. I pray that I do not attack Urik while I am in this rampage. How am I using a multi-class skill, when I am only a paladin? I can feel everything. The tender flesh being torn apart, severing heads and limbs with no discrimination. It brings me joy. Why does this bring me joy? Pain jolts me as even if I''m not in control, I am not invincible. There he is- the Warband leader. The goblin king. Towering over me, he was at the height of an ogre- already over two times taller than me. A worthy opponent. My hands tremble in excitement. This isn''t me. Yet I continue the slaughter all the same. My sword clashes against the king''s axe, as he was surprisingly nimble for someone so big. I can control my movements now- the rage must be wearing off. But that thought distracted me enough for the king to get a dangerous hit in- or would have, if I didnt activate Fated Slashes to throw if off, as my left eye starts throbbing again. Urik- whom I had been barely paying attention to, is having his own troubles holding off the swarm of goblins upon him, as he can wipe out a dozen in a single blow, but more keep coming. I keep slashing at the goblin king, aiming for behind the knee, circling around him to avoid being hit. Yet that failed, because he was as fast as me. I barely got a hit in before I am slammed into a tree, my golem body only being able to block so much as I feel cracks start forming on my outer shell, pure mana leaking onto the grass. Urik charges through the horde, trying to get to me before the goblin king is able to finish me off. Why does he try to save me? I thought I was just an obstacle in his path. This game is changing me. He can''t make it in time, so he decides to take a heavy swing against the goblin king, hoping to finish it off in one blow. Or that''s what I could gather, because he fails. His hammer smashes against the king''s shoulder, probably dislocating it but not enough to kill. He is smacked back just as I did, albeit in better shape due to him having real armor.
The Unyielding
Rise, heretic! For you may repent in battle!
Isn''t that the same concept as Zealous Slaughter? I remember that necklace- the pendant is shining in holy light. How stupid. My artifact activates now? It''s like a fairy tale. Ah.. right. I''m definitely being heretical. I think I called my god some shitty things. Well, goddess, but whatever. I should say sorry when I''m done. Do they have therapy for robots? PAL.ADIN 6 PAL.ADIN 6 Who needs therapy? Offering shall be my therapy. "I cleanse the defiled ground with blood.." "So that I find my sin of failure to be forgiven.." Pain rushes through my body as I overexert it by activating Zealous Slaughter another time, but that doesn''t matter. Pain is a trial. I must find penance for my sins.. Through the skulls I offer. I pick up my sword, brandishing it. "You have sinned, just as I, and we shall pay in blood, greenskin." I reach into my left eye, yanking it out. My breathing quickens.. adrenaline surges through me. Exhilaration. My hands start trembling in pleasure.. Oh, the pleasure. I stare at Urik for a split second as the Goblin King stares at me, dumbfounded. Urik is running away, as I hear him shout something about getting help. Why would I need help? I want him to feel this pleasure too.. I stomp on my eye. I don''t need silly magic to help me. I put my fingers to my mouth, savoring the taste of my mana-enriched blood.. The Goblin King seems horrified by my acts- and my ''immortality.'' I flip down my hood.. I smile. I truly thank him for giving me this experience- but I believe it is time for him too, to feel the surge of happiness found in the blood of your own body. The king steps back, as several of the remaining goblins rush to intercept me. I grab the head of one, crushing it. Seizing the opportunity, I quickly gut it and drip the blood over my arm. Such.. dirty blood. I shiver in excitement. I toss the body to it''s friends, as I see them break formation and run away. What a pity. The king roars at me as he swings his battleaxe at me, as I slide under it, his momentum carrying him far into a tree. He drops it, choosing to face me bare-handed. Oh.. I feel so eager to just.. Bathe. I stab my sword into the ground, as I approach him with nothing but my hands. He runs towards me. His eyes that were filled with fear- had transformed into hatred. I sprint at him, and I climb onto him as he swings over me, as I jab my hands into his eyes. He throws me off, but I see him struggling and bleeding to death from his eyes. Those tears of blood. He''s beautiful. I start trembling in excitement, no longer able to hold myself stable. The king is swinging blindly, not able to pinpoint my location.. so I should be fine. "I.. must finish the offering. Y-yes.. his pain s-shall bring me joy.." I don''t know why I''m talking to myself- it only brings out my location. I can hear my voice in a lustful state from seeing his.. flesh being torn. His struggles make me feel.. exhilarated, once more. I stand up, as my eyes whirr and flicker onto a specific point. His heart. He won''t see it coming. I wish he could see me rip it out.. and offer it to Her. She will forgive me through the triumph of battle. I dash towards him, at newfound speeds I thought not capable.
You have found the interest of the God of War. He gives you a gift. OFFERING Sacrifice an enemy in critical health.
I see. He is interesting too. Then I will dedicate this to both of them. This is a different style of notification. Doesn''t matter.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Pain is my only concern. I stab my hand into the ribs, bypassing the bone. He tries to struggle, but losing his sight and blood had made it difficult, as he started to crumble. I reach up with newfound strength, smashing through several monster organs, until I found it. The heart. He is already dead.. but that beating heart. My trophy, my offering. "May the gods accept my offering.. for the Penitent has wished forgiveness." I feel the power drain from me as I crush the heart.. I slump to the ground. My other eye closes. I feel peaceful as I sleep.
The Unyielding One''s effects have receded.
I wake up in my room. Everything is cleaned. I wonder how long I''ve been sleeping. I feel like absolute shit.. fuck me, my head. Did Urik bash my skull in half? I open my door after I equipped everything again, my cloak is now.. red, for whatever reason. Deep red. "Examine?"
Cloak of The Berserker
Hides the identity of a melee-focused class.
"Wasn''t this called cloak of the warrior? The hell?" I shrug, as I flip my hood. Looks like it''s just a different color, and doesn''t smell weird either. Walking out of the inn and onto the streets, people stare at me. Did my identity leak? Or did I do something wrong? I run to the guild, looking for Urik. I get several stares, as the once bustling room became quiet. "U.. uhm, hey P-palaris." I look at Coralline. Her eyes are darting everywhere.. even she''s avoiding my gaze? Didn''t she invite me to dinner or something that one time? "Wh.. what did I do?" I hear a heavy thunk. Urik is in the corner, only realizing now that I was here. I see him next to several horns of mead and various other alcohols. "U-Urik? Can you tell me what I did?" I''m stuttering.. something in me has shifted. But.. I wonder what I did? Did I do something terrible? Did I massacre children in a blind rage? I don''t want to be alone again. It hurts- but.. the pain feels off. It doesn''t feel like ''pain.'' "Sit down." His tone is dark and serious, and slightly filled with fear. I can tell, somehow. "Ya did the city a great favor.. in a brutal way. I''ll explain. You butcha''d da warband. I went dere with da guards, and I foun'' skinned goblins. Da king- or at least, wot we could tell was da king- his limbs were strewn everywhere!" I see him gulp down several horns. "I.. look, don''t hate yerself. I can tell it wasn''t you. I don'' like ya for different reasons, but dis.. ain''t the work of you. Ya was someone else." I hear him sigh, and.. I falter. I slam my tags on the table. I won''t be needing them. I run away, to a place I doubt anyone would find me. "I''m a monster. What have I done? They were.. the enemy. I shouldn''t feel this way. But they''re all afraid of me." "I''m afraid of myself." I.. need to write something while I''m still sane. I tap into my mental notebook. I scribble down something. "There are three of me.. that should do. I can feel myself approaching, I''m going to break down." I drop to my knees, barely even out of the city, as I cling to a wall where no one would see me. I look at my hands. I see them covered in blood- or maybe that''s just the hallucinations. I can''t tell if I''m slowly losing my rationality at this point.. I need to keep it before I do something else. R-right.. think of- I hear a lullaby. I stand up, being drawn to it.. It sounds so beautiful. Hypnotizing.. but what are the lyrics? Is it just the soft voice of a.. .. young girl. I hear her start sobbing. It''s her. Coralline- that siren.. why is she here? Aren''t they afraid of me? They should be afraid of what I''ll do to her.. by myself. She runs up to me. I place my hand on my sword.. but I manage to stop myself. I breathe heavily, as I start shaking, barely being able to stand up. I feel soft skin grab me tightly.. a hug. She isn''t singing, but I feel relaxed. But.. isn''t she being manipulated? Am I being manipulated? Would the Storyteller do this to me? I hug her back. It''s nice. I feel nice.. and I feel the tears run down my body. "I''m sorry. Please.. leave me. I don''t want to hurt you. I''ll give you this one time.. and then, you should go." I feel something shatter in me as I say that. It hurts worse than the pain surging through my veins. "W-where will you go?" She''s barely able to speak, a hushed whisper. I feel her sadness. I feel her joy- but.. I can''t find an ounce of fear. No, there is fear. But only for where I will go.. "I don''t know. But I can''t take anyone with me." "Don''t.. go. I''ll do anything. P-please.." She''s desperate. I.. could take her head so easy. No- I must control myself. "Then I want to do nothing. I want to just see the beauty of the city, then. Of course, it''ll probably be lonely by myself. You should come with me- it''s probably a far bigger place past the guild, right?" I don''t know what made me say those words. But she looks at me with teary eyes, with a smile. Radiance- joy, happiness.. I believe everything positive could be used to describe that smile. "Thank you." I fall into her embrace. This is a bit complicated. Don''t know how I''ll explain this to anyone, really. PAL.ADIN 7 PAL.ADIN 7 We headed back, as I felt immensely happy with my life. It was nothing much- just a simple embrace between two friends. Well- she doesn''t consider us friends anymore, to be honest. A bit odd, but my mind felt much more clear after that. She was clinging to me- but as we reached the guild, I got several stares and nods- from NPCs mostly. Players just ignored me or glanced- which was odd. There was a severe lack of players, I should have noticed that sooner. Maybe Caldria isn''t a good spot for quests.. but NPC-wise, it is quite large. I move the thoughts aside as I enter the guild- Urik was waiting for me. Coralline by now had detached from me, and moved past nervously. We stare at each other, looking at each other in the eye- or whatever I could see through his helmet. He seems to be in bad shape. His armor is worn and beaten, and his hammer seems to be in horrible condition. "Da guildmasta. Second floor." He brushes past me, without even a greeting. I look at him as he exits- but he''s heading off to somewhere. It''s no use going after him. I wish I could, though. I''ll look where he''s going, just in case. My left eye throbs, not fully recovered yet. I can feel it start to bleed already, but I must keep looking. I see him walking down to.. a forest. The trees are strange but beautiful- black bark with contrasting gold marks, spiraling in a sort of pattern. The leaves are just as golden as the marks, but why is he there? I try to look deeper, but my eye bursts. I feel a sharp tingle of pain and my hand trembles. I detach myself from the.. pain. No, just.. pleasure, at this point. It''s clouding my judgment far too much. Just a little once in a while wouldn''t hurt- I''ll be getting hit as an adventurer, anyway. My thoughts are interrupted, thankfully. Coralline''s tugging my cloak, motioning for me to go up the stairs. It seems I was staring at the back of Urik for a while.. I walk up the stairs to the Guildmaster''s office. His door was.. quite huge, and extravagant. Decorated with ornate carvings and minerals, it was.. quite eye-catching. I open it- rather, it opened itself. "Guildmaster." He motions me to sit down. I looked at the table between us as I sat down- all prepared, but I wasn''t interested. Delicacies from other nations would have tempted others but.. it''s not of concern. "I''ll make it quick. You''re ''A'' ranked now, and you''ve received a personalized reward due to your.. abilities." He knows. He definitely knows. There''s no other way- but why is he being so obscure about it? Not allowed to reveal? I take a good long at him. He looks pretty old- around sixty, wearing a suit. A suit? Must be something from the player tailors.. odd, but I wouldn''t say it''s out of place. A melting pot of our cultures.. I fear they bring true weapons into this world. He pulls out a box, ridding me of the chance to dwell into my thoughts again. He opens it- a plain box, but it was lined with some unknown fabric inside. I look at what''s inside- a book. It was plain looking, but I picked it up and turned to a page. I heard that laughter. The Storyteller, once more. I hear many things.. is this the ''story'' she''s made so far? There are normal but distinctive stories of people just doing mundane things- growing crops, splitting wood. I look at the Guildmaster. He looks away from me. "Where did you get this?" His tone shifts- darker and defensive, even. "I can''t tell you that." I nodded- I''m sure she had something to do with this. "Examine." Under whispered breath, I used examine on the item- maybe it is just a plain old book, but I doubt it.
Stories of the Mundane
A book featuring normal stories of unordinary people.
Why does it say unordinary? Come to think of it.. I look at one of the names of the characters. His name was Urik- and he was just splitting logs, as an average person in this world would. I absorb the book into my ring. I''m not ready to read this yet. I walk out- only to feel the gaze of the Guildmaster on my back. Nothing for me to fear- he probably is just scared of the book. But damn that goddess- this is probably something that''s going to lead me to my doom. I sigh and head down to pick a quest. The chatter goes by, different from the silent room when I came back from that quest. There are various requests on the board.. but, I''ll go with gathering for now. I was looking at them before someone pops up to me- a familiar face, Coralline. She''s wearing tight robes that are drawing attention, yet I see embroidery that doesn''t seem normal. Magic, I suppose. They stand out quite a lot, and I can see all the stares at her.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "What are you wearing?" "I wanted to join you as an adventurer! I quit my job and wanted to help you out!" When did she have the time to do this? Maybe.. when I was meeting the guildmaster she got registered. She''s smiling.. filled with joy- but does she understand what being an adventurer means? I grab her by the arm, pulling her outside. I sigh and look at her. She doesn''t seem to be unhappy- but can tell that I''m worried, even behind this cloak. Damn it, if only my shit was useful for once! "Why are you doing this? You.. you''ll only be.. dead weight." I struggle to get the words out of my mouth. It''s painful.. and I feel no pleasure. No, I shouldn''t be concerned about pleasure at a time like this. I continue to stare at her, directly in the eyes. I can see her eyes shifting from place to place. She looks scared. I try to say more- anything about her, just being useless. Only an obstacle in my path other than the enemy.. But I cannot. I can''t muster up any reason to say that. I know she''ll be useful- solo only covers so many areas. I have no ranged attack- I barely have any useful skills, and the only ones useful do self-damage or drive me insane. Fuck, where did I go wrong with my class? I look at her- she seems to be disappointed in herself. She isn''t even shifting her gaze around. She''s only looking down at the cold stone road. "I.. fine, just come with me. Don''t blame me- or yourself- if either of us gets injured." I wanted to say something else there. I couldn''t. But it''s good seeing her expression change. She''s a lot happier now, but I see the regret behind her eyes. She''s not good at hiding things.. but I don''t think I would have stopped her anyway. I''ll have to leave this place eventually, and she''ll manage a way to pester me enough into bringing her. "Go buy yourself a cloak- your robes are too flashy." I hand her some coin, enough to get a decent cloak. She nods, walking off. I look at her another time before I go inside again.. the streets are quite empty at night. I see her back fade off into the streets as I head inside. I walk up to the desk, looking at the guild girl. She seems fairly normal- must be a local. "Is there a system for registering parties?" Surely, there must be. If not, then I''ll resort to the other.. system, to try to. I''d rather not, it could blow my cover. I''ll probably have to reveal myself to her later, but I don''t want her to know now. The guild girl nods to me. She writes some things down with a magical pen- ah, they made pens here already. How quickly this adapts to our modern society.. "You and Coralline, right?" I nod- it''s no surprise she probably knows my intentions. I''ve been hanging around Coralline a lot anyway, everyone probably assumes we''re in a relationship. I wouldn''t be opposed- but it''s not something I wish for now. I''ll only drive myself deeper into a hole.. "Do you have a specific name you want to put on your party?" It''s probably going to be something stupid, but I''ll devote some processing power to that anyway. Let''s see.. I don''t want it to be something like THE CRIMSON SHADOWS, or THE LOVELY BUNNIES. Specifically in all capitals too, because I bet that''s an option. Being overly brutal gives me an even worse reputation, but something too positive would give me an even worse reputation due to.. my nature. I''ll figure something out later. "Nothing for now- just leave it empty." She nods and hands me a slip. "Examine." Another whisper, so that nobody would hear..
Party Permit
Ranked A-. Required for a party.
A-? Coralline must be ranked high enough then, for it to not drop much from my rank. Not that I care- this is just a formality. I take it, storing it into my ring, and I swivel around to grab a quest.
Chase off an Auric Wyvern
An auric wyvern cuts off mana gathering chambers in a Glided Forest- a forest that has a special type of mana used to make certain materials for alchemy.
Recommended B+ party.
Rewards: Wyvern corpse if slain, and ten bottles of liquid mana from the forest.
Guild Approved
Glided forest.. did Urik go there? Is that where I saw him go off to? But I wasn''t able to tell when it would happen.. only that it would. I hand the quest paper to the guild girl, getting it approved. I shove it in my ring, heading out to look for coralline. She was waiting outside for me, in a blue cloak. Not.. very good at hiding things, but neither is my cloak which is probably stained red from blood. I show her the quest, and she nods. We walk out, and I use the quest to pinpoint the location. It''ll take a while though, maybe a day or two of traveling. "Say, what are your actual abilities?" I ask her as we walk out the gates, considering the fact that I hardly knew the extent of her abilities. Her voice was obvious, but I had no idea what else. "Well- it mostly just comes from my voice. I can manipulate people''s movements and emotions in positive and negative ways. I''m also somewhat skilled in water magic because I''m a siren." Makes sense. I think we''ll get a good grasp of her abilites on this quest. I hope Urik isn''t there though- his armor was still battred and beat up, so it must be recent, right? I decided to focus my thoughts on traveling. "Coralline.. how long can you stay awake?" She thinks for a second.. "I can go a few days without. Sirens stay awake for much longer on the rocks.. but, we''re not gonna talk about them." Sensitive topic, probably. She seemed a bit too hesistant to talk about it. It''s not my problem, but it just doesn''t make sense why a siren is on land. I hear a familiar sound as I thought of more questions for Coralline. Human-ish footsteps, and murmuring among broken branches. They are green.. and short.. and disgusting. They''re also staring at Coralline- with their disgusting little beady eyes. They laugh in hoarse voices, brandishing clubs and rusted daggers. There''s even a big one at back, having some excuse of armor. I can control myself. It''s just a little raid.. nothing compared to the warband- only twenty, roughly. Maybe I can just.. have a little taste. Just a few goblins, and I''ll test out what Coralline can do. "Battle shall be my guide to forgiveness, for I have sinned.." "May her holy land be fertilized with the blood of scum." Just a little taste. "A path of zealous slaughter will be made, for War pays his tribute." Just a small, little taste. PAL.ADIN 8 PAL.ADIN 8 I don''t remember how many I killed. I only know the feeling of a green head beneath my boot- or, whatever remained of a green head. It''s still- unmoving and limp. I feel blood dripping from my hands.. something that usually only happens when I start the Offering. I slam my foot against a tree, and instead of making a dent in my foot I made a dent in it. I lost control, again. How many times will I have to repeat this? At this rate, I''ll lose myself. I''ll grow tired of this, and generate simulations of warfare to degrees found disgusting even by man. No- I''ll never lose myself to that. That''s something I can''t do. I look for my sword- it''s impaled with a goblin, to a tree. I yank it out, as I look at the scene around me. The average battlefield- guts, gore, with the exception of casings on the ground. I notice something move- one still lives. I can''t spare it, but if I kill it now.. I shake my head. It''s going to bleed out, theres deep cuts in several of the vital areas. It''s a miracle it''s even alive. I look around me, for her. I hear the song- she truly does know how to lead someone. Even the bleeding goblin, dying, is encaptured. I find myself walking over. She''s scratched, but just minorly on the face. Nothing that won''t heal. Good. "Coralline- spray some water on me." She turns around with a surprised expression- as if she thought I wouldn''t come back at all. She''s not disappointed to see me, at least. She nods, with hesistating slightly. I feel a jet of water blast all the bits and pieces off- the golem body being far easier to clean than I thought it would. Actually, I wonder why I even wear clothes at all- boots seem obvious, but everything else is kind of impratical without some attachment or enhancement. No, I can''t walk around naked like a fool. That''s just weird. I hear more steps, but I hesistate to draw my sword. I don''t feel like killing- no, butchering- more things. "Let''s go. The scavengers are probably here." I grab her, leading her back along the path. I doubt we''re going to run into anything else- the stench of slaughter still lingers on me, and I''m surprised Coralline doesn''t care. Or perhaps she simply just can''t detect it- perhaps she must experience it herself. N.. No. Never. I will never let her do that. I feel a thud against my head. What the fuck? I swivel around- Coralline hit me with a twig. Why does a twig produce a sound like that? "Finally- you''ve been silent for about an hour!" She seems worried. Always worried, never concerned for herself. I feel envious of her, when she''s in a state like this. But it feels nice to be worried about. "Ah. I''m sorry.. I just had some thoughts." She doesn''t believe me at all, but yet she just plays along and keeps walking along the road with me. At some point we transitioned to a more peaceful forest, with odd fruit surrounding us, some having the shape of claws, or some looking like wire twisted in odd ways. She pulls a fruit off- specifically, the clawed-shape one. She hands me one, and.. What am I supposed to eat this with? Do I peel it, boil it.. smack it against a rock. I mean, is it really safe to eat a random fruit you got off a tree? "Just peel it, silly." "Well yes, but I don''t even know if I can digest things." She gives me a strange look but shrugs. It''s not a unprobable statement though.. I might not be able to digest things, at all. Mana is not acidic- or, probably only certain types are. And my body is just metal and mana, not that I''m keen to find out what''s inside. I peel it- and try to take a bite. I feel something worm inside of my mouth- and I spit it out, stomping on it like that goblin''s head. I peel up my foot, only to find some suspicious purple gel on my boot.
You have amused the War God. Stompa'' Feet
He grants you a gift. Orginally a technique used by Orks, it has been lost to time until now. Deals ungodly amounts of damage to the heads of enemies in critical condition. The skill Offering can be used alongside this.
That''s real fucking funny, War God. Real funny.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. But why is it spelled like how Urik speaks? Maybe he''s.. Orc- er, Orkish. I mean, there were merpeople in Caldria.. It''s odd, but I dismiss the tab. I don''t actually know much about this world.. aside from the fact there''s about six nations. I could ask Coralline, but she probably only knows stuff about the nations in the sea. Or, are there even any in the seas surrounding? That''s probably something that needs to be discovered, or already has been considering the presence of aquatic races on land. I wonder if I think too much sometimes. I analyze Coralline without knowing it, I memorized Urik''s speech patterns- although, to be fair, it''s not hard to do with him.. Maybe it''s just my nature- starship pilots are supposed to be highly.. ah, fuck that. "Coralline. Where are we going after the hunt? Back to Caldria, or to a different city?" She seems shocked, probably because neither of us had thought about it until now. Why do we not think of the most common things someone should think of in these situations? She stops for a minute, and I don''t know why. Who stops in the middle of walking just to think? I had to stop too, or I''d leave her behind.. "Let''s go to Adder after this. It''s close to the forest- well, the forest is huge.. and we can turn in our rewards! Isn''t it great!" This does not seem right. She sounds just like me when I ready for the slaughter. She seems overly excited, and her hands fidget around. "Coralline. Are you sure that''s it?" She looks away from me. I realize now that she hadn''t been cloaked properly since the fight with the goblins.. if you could call it a fight. Her breath is growing ragged- and this seems like something out of one of ''those'' games. "J-just the sea''s nearby! It''s really pretty, and I''d like to have you see it.." Well, that''s not as bad as I thought it would be. She''s probably been in the center of the country for a while, without any real oceans. Her reaction is.. unexpected. How long had she been inland? "Oh. Then let''s go- I haven''t seen the sea in a long time either." A convenient excuse, but a good one. The last time I went to the sea was really a few years ago.. with Fransica, on a vacation. I wonder how she''s doing. I focus my attention on Coralline- she''s shaking quite a bit. I feel intensely uncomfortable, for some reason.. then, I come to a conclusion. Sirens are instinctively skilled in seduction, not just the voice- or that''s how most stories portray them. She''s probably doing this without even realizing it.. I''m grateful to be a golem. "Coralline. Let''s keep moving. We''ll visit the sea." She manages to control herself very quickly- impressively, even. Much better than I do, at least. I hear a cricket chirp. The day went faster than I thought- I suppose this damned eyeball lets me see in the dark too. But that really wasn''t right.. wasn''t it day just a few hours ago? As in, two to three hours? "Coralline. Hasn''t it turned dark.. oddly fast?" I motion her to look up, as it had already reached midnight already- the stars glistening in the night sky, a sight to behold. Or, if it wasn''t for the.. danger I felt. "The time did pass quite quickly.. let''s keep moving." It''s a somewhat sound plan. Most animals should be asleep- except for those who prey on the sleeping. "How can you see in the dark, though?" "Sirens on the rocks can see ships much farther in the dark." I have the feeling I shouldn''t pry about the sirens on the rocks. Genetic trait- maybe it could be studied.. I quicken my pace, and she follows suit. Studying can wait for another day, I feel as if that we need to hurry to a safer location sooner. The forest brush leaves for much room to be ambushed.. and the sounds of insects is already making me become more paranoid with every step. Think of something. Did she do anything in the slaughter between you and the goblins? She was singing at the end, so was that an effect that she did throughout the battle.. Singing, of course. This might benefit me more than anything else, but it''s worth a shot- for my sanity, at least. "Coralline- can you sing something.. soothing? The animals probably won''t attack us if they hear, I doubt any of them are intelligent enough." She nods, and I hear a gentle song. I don''t know the lyrics- I can''t even memorize them. But it calms me- I hear my footsteps much better, and hers along with them. I hear the bugs and various pests chirp and whistle, all among the melody of her song. I slow my pace- the song is so.. well, soothing. Relaxing, dangerously so. But I welcome it. It''s just like.. that feeling. Pain- a forbidden sensation, but exciting nonetheless. Or, forbidden in the way I think of it, anyway. "Keep.. going. I think it''s working." I see something in the distance- a cabin. Empty, and it seemed as it was for several years. Oh, that''s definitely a trap, but we''re not going to make it far. Or, she won''t, anyway. Now I can see she lied to me about going days without sleep- a side effect from being inland, most likely. Her pace is slowed and resembles the way a person would sleepwalk.. I manage to snap out of the song, just so I can grab her arm and start to run to the cabin. I don''t really get why I ran, or how time is passing so fast when we travel. Instinct, perhaps? To run? Me, who goes insane through the battlefield? No, this is me. I think I''m just concerned for her. There''s nothing wrong with that- I think? I kick open the door, and it''s fairly well maintained, but dust still gives off the impression that no one had been here for years. I lay her down on the bed, walking to the fireplace. "Supreme Goddess, lend me a hand here." I can''t believe I''m asking that woman for help. But, even I''ll swallow my pride as I see the fireplace roar with fire, a gentle wave of heat easing into the room.
Skill Unlocked
Prayer
Ask, and you shall recieve. Sometimes.
Sometimes? It''s like I''m being fucked with on purpose.. I walk to the door, closing it and using the door bar that was there to lock it. It''s a giant steel bar- who would use this for a door? I walk back to the fireplace, leaning against the wall next to it. I suppose I''ll have to stay like this- I''m not going to log out with her in danger. She''s sound asleep now, and I intend for her to stay that way. Or more offerings shall be held to the gods. PAL.ADIN 9 PAL.ADIN 9 The fire crackles, imbuing the room with holy light. It was a peaceful night- no ambushes, no traps. The house was safe, for now. It had been a few hours, but the sun showed no sign of rising. I pulled out the book. The book given to me by the Guildmaster- I was thinking of it the whole night. I knew little about this world, but.. there''s probably something in here I can learn. All I have to do is just not read about anyone. I turn the page. I hear her voice. The Storyteller- her voice was alluring, irresistable. A siren''s lure? Nothing, compared to this. I manage to touch my left eye- it''s regrown. Fully working, but I can tell I''ve still been looking into the future too much. One more ''spell'', and it might burst. It''ll be useful if I truly.. want to continue reading this. It''s hard to stop focusing on the book, her voice filling my mind with her eldritch charms, only barely can my will resist it. I shut my right eye, putting the book into the far edge of my left eye''s field of view, the sound of her voice growing quieter as I move it.. Why does this always happen to me? Every time I want to do something, it always end up with me blowing up my eye or going insane.. usually both. But, I must learn somehow. I start reading. The pages flip and turn- to exactly where I want. It''s reading my mind, in a way. How horrifyingly interesting, to read the mind at any point in time, for information usually held so secretive. My mind is drawn to the book, once more. "O.. Orks, no longer a true race. Their bloodlust has drawn them to the chase of immortality to continue the butchering of man, their wish was granted. They became a race of somewhat magical origin, only able to reproduce through curses branded on others, only inheriting the bloodlust, not the physical properties of a Ork- except for increased strength and stamina. It is rare, however, and is found in only 0.0001% of all sentient races, except for those incompatible, such as the mysterious human race known as the Others." The page flips, and I am greeted by a story of a huntsman, by the name of.. I look into the future, as I feel blood drip down my face and I become blind in my left eye, closing the book in the instant it happened and shoving it in my ring. I feel the urge to pull it out again, wanting to immerse myself reading the stories of those who are strangers to me, getting to know them personally. I fling my right arm in the searing heat of the fire, distracting the urge by clouding my mind with thoughts of scorching myself even further to feel the new sensation of.. Damn it! This made it even worse! I yank my arm back out, to find it barely even scorched. The flame was holy in nature- of course it''d go straight through my skin. I hear the birds chirp, reminding me of.. the time? I lose perception of time so fast, it can''t just be me at this rate. Time seems so unstable here, a mage focusing in time could thrive- but that''d be horribly unbalanced. Right. I''ve forgotten- this is.. still a game. Just a game, nothing more. My mind is becoming ever more distorted as I stay here- I must find some time to log out eventually. Have a good game of poker, perhaps. I don''t think I know how to play, but poker is always good. I hear movement, and I stand up, with my sword drawn- only to find that it''s just Coralline waking up. I sheath my sword, looking at her. A mess- her hair is everywhere, there are bags under her eyes. How did her hair even get messed up? I only carried her into a bed.. I put down a bottle of that mana-water I stored, hopefully it should be useful to wake her up. She seems much too dazed to do anything.. I''ll check outside while she does something? What do sirens do in the morning, be like regular people? Probably, actually. There''s no real difference.. until she tells me about the ones that fully live at sea. I lift up the bar as I hear her rustle through her things- I''m not even sure where she put all her stuff. I walk outside, shutting the door behind me. The surroundings are much more observable now- the forests are a bronze leading into gold. The path leading is different- there are tracks near me, but they look unfamiliar. Must be a local creature, but it''s not the wyvern. Too small to be one, if it follows the standard tradition.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I poke my eye socket- the eye had begun the regrowing process, but it won''t be ready for a few hours. If only I used it to divine what happened if I stayed in this cabin. No, it wouldn''t work even if I looked into the future- it would simply be too far ahead. The tracks don''t look that old.. but they are quite odd. They''re more like holes in the ground, like.. a spider. But most spiders don''t have holes the size of a table leg- even if it''s smaller than what I presume to be the wyvern, it surely can''t be too far off overall. Spiders build webs, or most spiders do. So then this must be something like a tarantula? Well, that would be a favorable matchup for me- we''re both heavy as all hell, the hairs shouldn''t effect me nor will the venom. Unless they decide to give the spiders magical powers here, in which case I am sure the general populace will never want to go into the woods. These woods though, they''ve got to be a high-level area. It must be the border between the Glided Forest and the natural green forest, for I see traces of both here. I look back at the cabin- it must have done something to transport me here. A double-edged sword, in a way. It brought us closer to the objective- and danger. I''m probably going to run into that massive spider though, because spiders love keeping awareness of the surrounding territory. There''s a few options here.. Retreat, and fail the quest. I''m not going to do that for obvious reasons.. Stay in the cabin and hope I don''t get transported across the country again. Or just try to fight that spider. I''ll go with option three- a favorable matchup as long as it focuses on me. But I need to alert Coralline, I don''t want her stepping on a line of silk and alerting the presence of the presumed spider. I open the door, to see her putting out the fire and readying to exit out, her face looking much better than before. She seems refreshed, and the water I put beside her is gone. "Spider nearby. Big one, be ready to fight. We''ve got to move." She looks at me in confusion as I point to the hole in the ground, then to the environment around us. This place is questionable.. time accelerates and dilates, then I always manage to travel across the country some way or another through non-conventional means. Or as conventional you could get, anyway. There''s probably a day of travelling before we get to that wyvern anyway. I lead her outside, listening for any sounds that weren''t our own as we travelled along the forest, as the green trees slowly start to disappear and become bronze, and bronze becoming golden with slight marks starting to appear on the trees. I really hope Urik isn''t here- he''d probably die from everything, or I''m always really unlucky. His armor would be near useless against the wyvern, and this spider is terrifying enough as it is. Actually, I might have inherited my deep fear of spiders from Fransica- I really hate spiders. I''ve never noticed it until now, but I always tensed up when I mentioned or heard any species of spider. I think I hate them more than these damn goblins that come around every so often, even if splattering heads is fun. It''s like paintball, that archaic 2000s sport, in a way. Except a lot more red. I hear a clicking.. like a bat''s ability to use echolocation. Ah, fuck- something''s tracking us. "Get ready- something''s here. Run if you need to. Don''t spout shit about I won''t leave you, or I''ll just kick you back to the cabin myself." She seems a tad bit hurt at my words, but it is out of concern. I think, anyway. I hear her warm up her voice, and I hear that clicking stop, and leaves crackle and twigs snap. I really don''t wanna lose control, even if it''s my only real way of fighting. Think smarter, not harder? "Try to sing something a bit fast paced for me- I think I''ll need it." She nods, and I hear her start singing. I unsheath my sword, only to hear the whirling of something and the running of footsteps. I dodge a hook, as it whirls around and deflects on me purely to the fact that I''m made out of.. something metallic. Really need to study metallurgy.. The spider.. and a humanoid. This isn''t going to be very favorable anymore.. The chain batters against me as I feel it finally hook against my arm, the chain wrapping around me. I feel the crescendo of the song empower me as the thing with this chain and I compete in a contest of strength. I''m likely several times heavier than him, though. This''ll be easy.. I can always fall back on my bloodlust if all else fails, but I don''t really want to do that. There''s still that spider to deal with.. I feel the pulling grow stronger, and I almost lose my footing. Don''t tell me that spider is pulling too.. "Coralline, stay behind me. I''ll deflect the blows, and think of something with your water magic. Don''t stop the song unless you have to." She keeps singing- which I assume is a yes, because she keeps adjusting her position in accordance with my movements. How does magic work here? Another question for later.. I hear shouting- a skill command? It sounds vaguely human.. but it''s a seperate language. Russian? Perhaps it''s a similar language created here. That confirms I''m fighting against something human.. and that spider. I feel something dripping into my veins, as spikes emerge from the chain surrounding my arm into my flesh. What a interesting technique! Clever, and ingenious.. Too bad I''m still immune to poison. PAL.ADIN 10 PAL.ADIN 10 I feel the spikes dig in deeper- and then I feel the effects. My vision blurs, my body becomes heavier than it already is. What is this? I''m.. supposed to be immune to poison. No.. I can feel my eye start to heal faster than before. My eye throbs, and I feel my legs buckle. I hear the cracking of twigs, and the chain wraps around me tighter. Not like this. "Go to the cabin. Bolt the door down." My voice sounds distorted. I can''t even hold my sword... I grew too arrogant, letting my bloodlust take over. If only I was just a bit quicker, I could have charged him down. My vision worsens- I''m completely blind right now. I can hear Coralline running to the door, and I hear the slamming of the steel bar. I hear her cries, her wails. Forming into a choir of sadness, it does nothing but... Envigorate me. My sadistic pleasures, already carving at the back of my mind. Why do I keep having these urges? I.. truly cherished her. After all these years of being confined to one person, I found someone else. What is wrong with me? When did I think like that? I was never confined to Fransica. No matter how I got there, she always treated me like a person. Others suffer worse fates, and I complain about my own? But would anything change if I didn''t? If I died, right here.. would she truly care? I was always reminded of how disposable I am. Harmless threats, of course. Always poking fun at me when I do something wrong. Something that would get me killed if I belonged to someone more.. hostile. I should.. apologize to her, again. When I get out. Coralline.. is already gone, inside that cabin. I''ll likely never see her again. Maybe she''ll even forget about me, as time passes on. It''s only been.. a month, a week? I can''t tell anymore. I''m a disappointment.
FAILSAFE-01
ACTIVATED
I let myself come to this point. I guess I am a disappointment.
I hear sobbing, of an innocent young child. She is.. Fransica. Twelve years old, at best. The wind howls, as a roaring rainstorm approaches, rain already beginning to drown out the life below. There is more yelling, beating out the screaming wind. I can''t remember what the yelling was. "What''s wrong, master?" Is this me? "M-Mom is.." "Don''t worry. Your mom is just playing around with your father. They will be fine." Her eyes are clouded with tears, and her voice is broken from.. hours of crying and sobbing? I see one of my many drones bring a box of tissues, grabbing one and wiping her tears. "Let''s play a game, Fransica. Everything will be fine." I.. can remember bits and pieces now. I entered her eyes through an eye implant.. and managed to fumble together a simple game with the limited time and materials I had. It was shoddily made, and had plenty of bugs, as I was no game designer or one of the many AIs that ran it to make sure it didn''t damage anything while running. But it was good enough for her. Slowly, she forgot about her parents yelling. The rain seemed to die away as we played a broken game that eventually stopped working altogether. But that was enough time. "Can we play more games, Pal?" "Of course. I''ll keep playing until you want me to stop." "T-thanks." Her voice is less shaky, and she gives me an innocent smile that still had tears streaming down. Even if it was at nothing, just at the current place I was projected at. I still remember. A short memory- or just several pieces sewn together. I made several ''failsafes'' that if my mental state were to go to the path of suicide, these would kick in and tell me that I still had a task to do. I''ll probably ''forget'' that statement, but I can''t believe I truly reached this state. How could I forget my primary directive? How could I ever forget her? If I am not there, no one will be there. I feel the necklace shatter, bits and pieces crumbling away in the wind. The Unyielding One.. is gone. There''s more important things. I get up, my body destroying itself at the very action as I grab my sword. That man is up.. and his spider is with him. It seems they were unpacking to capture me. Both of them seem affected by her screams too, or, the man at least. He is short of breath, and under his helmet, I can see his own tears flowing. Perhaps it reminded him of something.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. My eye shatters- and I see him erupt with cuts. But I made them shallow, non-lethal. It will cost my life one day, not aiming for vital wounds. I should tell him why I can''t kill him, at least. "You reminded me of fond memories. Don''t come after me, or there will not be a next time." His spider hisses at me but is intelligent enough to know that if he attacked both of them would die. I can see it, even in a beast, it wishes to take revenge on me. What a.. loyal servant. Friend, if you can call it that. The black hairs flare up and bristle, but it simply picks up the hunter. If they know the forest well, beasts should not be able to track them. I hear them slowly leave as.. the rain pours, covering their tracks. When did it start raining? I stand vigil, to make sure they don''t come back. I hear a cracking noise, only to realize it is from my own face. My knees buckle, and I cough up a deadly amount of blood. Or what would be, if I was a human. It doesn''t hurt, but it''s simply.. uncomfortable. I touch my face... It feels shattered, like broken glass. Or at least on the upper corner of it- it''s not bleeding, fortunately. The recoil from this ability is getting stronger... or, I just used it in an awful state. However, in my recent bouts of madness, I haven''t been able to notice this. I can still see from my left eye, even when it''s fully destroyed. It''s so normal to me, to see out of both eyes.. that I haven''t noticed this happen now. All the better for me. I need to.. see Coralline. If she''s still here, that is. It was a relatively.. short.. encounter? The sun has already started to set.. did I stand there and cough up blood for so long? It doesn''t matter. I approach the cabin door, my body weighing down, on the verge of collapse. I slam against the door, not finding any strength to knock. Walking is becoming harder, especially with a heavy body. I hear the bar lifting up, and I see her. My sight is flickering. The potion.. is kicking in again. I must have lost so much blood it managed to just flow out of my system. She''s crying, but she manages to help me get inside. I think this is the first time my shell has truly cracked... Mana potions should work again. But I can''t speak. I used everything up in that fight.. and I barely was victorious. No- I can get up. I will speak. There is still someone I have to reach. "Mana.. ring." Two words caused me to lurch over and vomit more blood. I hope it didn''t hit her... My head slams onto the floor- I must have gotten too heavy for her to support. I''m starting to feel some sort of sensory deprivation now. Did I rattle my ''brain'' or whatever I have floating in my head too much? No, a cutoff of blood to said ''brain?'' My anatomy can''t be the same, but there''s probably some sort of core in my head. I''m completely fucked if that happens, even if my mind remains intact that''s something I won''t be able to heal naturally. Well, as naturally as I can get. I still can''t die here. I''m not finished yet. I''ll heal. I''ll do something. I just can''t die here. I can''t leave her alone. It is bad for her.. but I can''t let her see the harsh truth. Even in a game, there are some things that people shouldn''t see. I just need to get up. That''s all. A simple task. Come on now, I''m not that weak. It''s only around a good sixty percent of my body that''s completely destroyed and unusable. Blood loss? Not that important. I can feel it- my senses are returning, and touch is the first of them. I yank a potion out of the ring, pouring it over myself with my one functioning arm. Actually, I''m surprised I have any functioning arms. I feel a jolting pain course throughout my body. Ah, my sense of pain is returning. How did I even function with no senses? That doesn''t seem very feasible at all. I feel someone rustling throughout my ring. I can feel when people pull stuff out of this? Wonderful feature. I can feel more liquid running down, going straight into the several cracks lining my body by now. Health, mana- it shouldn''t matter, at this point. Time passes. An hour, before I run out of potions. I must have gotten a huge haul back then. Let''s try something simple. "Coralline." Perfect- my voice seems fine, my hearing is doing well. My sight is just barely starting to return, but it''s still a cloudy mess. I can hear her move, and a cold body presses against me. I hear light sobbing. She cries an awful lot- and I am always the cause of it. "Am... I a burden to you?" Cold and wet tears run down my back, leaving a tingling sense of pain. Her voice is damaged, broken and she is probably just barely able to speak. I need to say something. If I don''t, another person will be hurt. If only... I was strong enough to answer this question. I can''t answer it. "Please tell me." I''ll say something. Right? I just.. need to say something. Anything, just to leave her happy. I don''t want her to tread down the road I''ve been on. I''ll.. say something. Just say something, PAL. "Of course not. I''d probably be dead a long time ago without you." Well, it''s not a lie. But I.. feel uncomfortable saying that. I don''t hate her, in fact, I do cherish the moments I have with her. It just feels.. so off saying that. My mental state has been too unstable recently- I''m definitely taking a break after this. Have a beer or something. A great idea if I could even get drunk.
Racial Skill Unlocked
Modular Body
Replace parts of yourself with other parts if you have space.
Oh, how nice. Upgrading myself would be excellent. This can definitely help me overcome all my weaknesses- but my mental state can''t be fixed through this. I''ll see if I can get some things built soon. My vision is slowly fixing.. and my body is becoming more responsive. Did that skill start to rapidly heal me, too? Everything is restoring at a rapid rate... My skin seems to be a normal color- gray as usual. But it''s shattered, leaving removable sections. This is where the ''modular body'' parts come in? This doesn''t seem very stable at all. They''re uneven, and some of them should just fall off if it wasn''t attached to me by some strange magic.
Part Created
Potion Converter
Can convert health potion to mana potion at a 2:1 ratio.
My body can naturally create body parts? That''s.. unexpected. I can feel something being constructed in me, but I''m not sure where it is. An important piece of information to know later on if it gets damaged... But I need to focus on the present- where I currently am. I look at Coralline- no, it''s already dark. I can''t see her. When did it turn dark? I feel the environment shift, a lurching feeling comes over me once more. My fractured skin shifts and connects- then split together once more. My breathing quickens, and I can feel my heart rate start increasing. I lift Coralline off me, putting her on the bed. She''s fast asleep, thankfully. She must have cried herself to sleep... I opened the door, rushing out. I lean against the side of the cabin, and my knees buckle. I can still feel my skin moving. It hurts. It''s twisting parts of me that shouldn''t be moving. I cough up a small bit of blood- nothing compared to what I lost earlier. I wipe my mouth, looking at the environment around me. The crashing of waves interrupts the constant rain. The sea is a brilliant blue, despite the bad weather. URIK 1 URIK 1 I slam my hammer against the head of a Warmonger, seeing its metallic head crumble and cave in on itself. Damned be these Warmongers, only ever dying when their entire head gets fucked to oblivion. Little shits.. I feel a resonance of mana entering into my brain- our telepath. What could be so important? "Knight-Lieutenant, the Warmongers.. their Wyvern model has arrived. To the east of you, the men are already fighting it!" We should have kept these pieces of scrap iron in place years ago when we found out their beasts were stronger than the original! Damn it, if only we knew where their factories were! I spin around, smacking another Warmonger into the ground. I must have blown that one''s spine off- still alive, but unable to move. I start running to the east, smashing through several Warmongers, feeling my boots start to empower me as I continue in a straight line. I see the flames of the wyvern, and the remains of my brothers scattered around it. I charge at it, building up even more momentum. I can feel myself start reaching my peak, any more will start to jostle everything inside me. The wyvern roars at me, spewing flames. I charge through them, as the fire starts to heat up my armor. One more step.. here it is. It''s about to dodge to the side, to avoid the charge. Convert your momentum into force, and smash it straight into the ground! Surely, the King will not be disappointed in my valor this time. I slam the wyvern into the ground, shaking the earth. A direct hit to the head, there''s no way it isn''t dead or paralyzed. I start to swing on the skull, feeling the metallic bone start to crumble and give way. I grab a flag from the ground, impaling it in the wyvern''s head. "We are victorious! Hail to the King, let this battleground be blessed by the Moon!" I can hear their solid footsteps, the Warmongers are running away. Good, soon.. this territory will be ours. There are only so many forests and caves that the Warmongers can hide their factories in. I will be.. "Knight-Lieutenant of the 1st Company, Urik Ghalzhog, your failure to prevent the ambush leaves me with no choice. Let me spare the formalities. You are discharged due to your entire camp being slaughtered as a result, for the Telepath is witness to this. Admit your wrongdoings and I, as the King, will leave you with your armor and weapon as a last gift due to your achievements." I.. pushed them back. The king should be proud of me. I killed another one of their damned wyverns, those turn the field of battle by themselves! "My.. king. I, Urik Ghalzhog of the 1st Company, as Knight-Lieutenant, I have failed in my duties to protect my brothers. May my future brothers only see me as a reminder that safety is never assured, even with the strong." "As of today, you are no longer Knight-Lieutenant. Begone from my castle, and never return to the field of battle as a soldier." "Yes, my liege." I killed them all, for him. I devoted years of my life, my childhood, my adulthood, even my body. All for nothing, for a single mistake. Those soldiers were weak anyway! They would have died without me! I get up, and I am immediately escorted out by the guards. They''re looking at me with pity, aren''t they? Because I failed, now they can look down on me? I bested all of them in combat! I am this kingdom''s strongest soldier! They should be praising me!
I wake up with sweat covering my body, and old scars feeling fresh once again. "Five years." I stare at my old armor and weapon, now nothing but reminders of the past and wall-hangers. "Not today, ol'' friend." I give the armor a good pat before I head out and put on my normal armor, heading to the tavern. I need a strong drink.. those memories have been appearing too much. I open the door, waving to Ira. What a lovely daughter the innkeeper has, with her silver hair and slim figure. I''m sure she can find someone nice. "Two horns o'' Dwarfcrusha." "Urik.. you''ve been coming here too much recently. We''re all worried about you." I don''t know why they''re worrying. Can''t a man unwind? "Just get me the drinks, Ira. You don''t need to worry." I take my usual spot in the back, as I see the two horns being placed down. Wonder how a girl like her lifts these big heavy horns, anyway. I gulp down a horn, savoring the strong taste. "I''m serious, Urik. Dad''s been saying you changed ever since she lef-" I crush the horn in my hand, slamming it on the table, feeling the table crack a bit. "Don'' talk to me ''bout dat." I.. I''m fine without her. That damned.. Warmon.. Golem is treating her fine. He''s a good person. My hatred for his kind disappeared long ago, yet.. I still hate him. I gulp down the second horn. "U.. Urik. Please.. you''re scaring me!" "I don'' care anymore. I''m going to da guild." I slam down money from my pouch- enough to fix the table and buy a new horn. "Al.. alright, Urik." It''s only been a week since they left together. I wished I tried harder.. if I knew I would never see her again, maybe I would have. I should have done so many things differently. I don''t even have that many memories with her.. I bump into a passerby. "Ah, sorry ''bout dat." I''m losing focus. I''ll head to the guild and just grab a quest. I feel the clanking of my boots hit the solid ground, leading to the guild hall. I open the door, looking around. Wh.. why am I looking around? She wouldn''t be here, anyway. Maybe it''s just the beer. Which quest.. This should be easy. I rip the paper off the wall. Wyvern hunting, something ''bout some Auric Wyvern in a local forest. It should be fun. "This quest." I can see the new desk girl stamp the quest. I grab the quest, walking out. Tools, supplies.. and weapons. I twist my ring. It''s been a while since I used this. Most of my.. supplies are still intact. Including my wyvern hunting equipment.. I thought I made a promise to myself long ago that I wouldn''t touch this. But I still wear this ring every day, just for emergencies. Just emergencies. Only.. emergencies. I start to walk to my room, looking at the city. Ah, there''s the old lady I helped. She looks like she''s having a good time with her grandson. The Others are talking, always about odd things that we can''t understand. Palaris acts oddly similar to them sometimes, as if he hasn''t been accustomed to the culture here. But he is a golem..Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I find myself at my room, staring at the armor I once wore on the field of battle. My glorious Warhammer, adorned in medals and trophies of my enemies. It''s a bit beat up, but those are just war scars. My armor is still pristine, even after being through battles. How funny, my weapon is more damaged than my armor. Ah.. those tapestries. Surprisingly they never got burnt or damaged in the wind.. I don''t know if those were the good times or not. I start to put on my armor, feeling the old enchantments whirr back to life. My boots.. hm, the enchantments are a little worn. Can''t go peak power. Protection seems fine.. My voice modifier.. I used this because none of the soldiers could understand me sometimes. Fuck them, they were all a bunch of.. loyal.. people. I enclose my helmet. I slap my hammer, waking it up. I see the runes glow and start to turn into a golden color. I fetch it off the wall, holding it. Still the right weight, even after all this time. Well, I suppose it hasn''t been that long. I walk out of my room. I''ll keep the tapestries on. Even if people recognize me, it''ll probably be for the wrong reasons. It always is. "You''re not a hero! You killed my dad!" "Mommy.. where did brother go?" I can still hear them in my head. It always worsens when I look at this suit.. now, I''m even wearing it. Once upon a time, I was heralded as a hero in this same suit of armor. I look at the tapestries- my former coat of arms blazed onto it and sealed with magic. The night sky- the shining moon, and the stars that followed. Gives off a different air than how I usually am, I suppose. Needs a good polishing, though. I take off the suit, grabbing my repair liquid. Convenient little thing.. rub some of the oil on there with a cloth, and it''s good as new. Never had to use it for this set. Is it really right for me to wear this? I''m not a soldier anymore. These tapestries have no meaning to me- my faith is gone now. I look at the moon and the stars and see nothing but objects filling the empty void of the night sky. I''ll put it on. Maybe I''ll find something different to fight for. It''s a struggle sometimes to find that reasoning.. even now, it bewilders me why I joined the knights. I need another drink.. too bad I''m probably banned from the inn at this point. I put on the armor, feeling the enchantments start to activate once again. I can hear them again. Every time.. "Aye, Knight-Lieutenant! The 1st Company is ready for battle!" "KNIGHT-LIEUTENANT, THE ORDER FOR RETREAT, WE BEG YOU!" The hatred in their voices. They were never loyal to me. Of course they weren''t.. I was too much of a brute for them. They were cowards. I don''t need them. I never needed any of them. I don''t need Coralline, I don''t need her pity. That Warmonger can kill her- it doesn''t concern me anymore. She''s just a damned manipulator anyway! My heartrate is increasing, and I can feel every beat become harder. What am I thinking? I need to calm down. Those days are behind me. The burden of the Knight-Lieutenant is gone. Has it really only been five years? "Of course not, Sergeant." I see him. A drakekin- I know those scales. Mud-brown and those large wings, with that stump of a tail.. It can''t be. He''s dead. "Come, Sergeant Ghalzhog. Your orders aren''t over yet." No. Get away from me. You''re not alive. I bump into my armor stand, knocking it over with a loud crash. "YOU''RE DEAD! I''M THE LIEUTENANT NOW, HOWLER!" I can see his gaze. Those sharp red eyes, drilled into me from several years of working with him. I remember how he used to train me with ferocity, never sparing me. I still have those scars from live weapon training.. "At ease, Sergeant. We''re not supposed to drink in camp. You''re lucky I''m a lenient man.." Lenient my fucking ass! These scars still sting to this day, you bastard! "GET OUT OF MY FUCKING HEAD, HOWLER!" "SERGEANT GHALZONG, CEASE. STAND AT ATTENTION!" I can feel my body straightening from those years drilled into my head, countless days and nights. I can feel my breathing quicken, and my vision becomes dizzy. "A.. at attention, Lieutenant!" He paces around my room, looking around. He picks up a wine glass.. but I don''t drink wine. He''s not even alive, how can he touch things? "I see that you''ve slacked off a bit. We''ve recently got a request, you know? There''s an Auric Wyvern we need to take down. Those Warmongers have taken interest in it, but it''s a shame the 1st Company lacks in beast tamers. We''ve got to kill it. I''m quite aware of your abilities, so you''ll make do with ten men, correct? Five archers, five spearmen. Understood?" Ten men.. I haven''t even led one man in years. My hands are trembling, but they form a salute. He glares at me, as if trying to see what I was thinking. I can''t believe I''m doing this again, voluntarily.. Shit, I have to give him a response before he slaps me. "Yes, Lieutenant!" "What was that, Sergeant? I can''t hear you properly. Was your voice damaged too?" "YES, LIEUTENANT!" He laughs, his voice booming throughout my room. It continues on for a while, for a solid minute or two. I start to see him reach into his ring- probably bigger than mine since he was a veteran.. "Sorry, Sergeant. I know you''ve had it rough lately. Here, I got a letter from your mistress. Don''t tell me you''ve forgotten, right?" No. Please.. Stop. I don''t want to listen to this anymore. I left all of this behind. No one knows who I am here. The Kingdom of the Moon was crushed.. how many years ago? No, wasn''t it nearly forty years ago? Then how did I stay so young during all this time? "Ah, by the Sun. You actually forgot your anniversary, you fool! I know I said I could get you some off time, but the war''s been pressing us harder and harder. I told her this, and she said it''s fine... ... as long as you came home fine." He hands me the letter. It''s stamped with her house''s sigil.. a six-pointed star, with intricate engravings and a rose in the middle. I don''t want to open this. I thought I moved on from this. I moved on from everything. Is this my past finally catching up with me? I can feel my hands breaking the seal, bringing out the delicate piece of paper. It even.. smells like her. She always washed with flower-scented soap. I thought it was stupid, but it was popular among the nobles back then..
Dear Urik, I know you couldn''t make it home for our anniversary. But that''s okay, we''ll have a fantastic celebration when you get back, right? If Howler got this, then he should have already told you that I wanted you to come home safe. Everyone''s worried about you, even your father! And he used to be quite the warrior in his day, well- according to what he said. Nevermind all that, I just hope you''re doing alright. They''re not treating you horribly, right? I know all of them have been stressed because of the recent losses. Even if this kingdom should fall, we''ll run away together, right? Love, Olivia
Why? Why did I have to read this? Why did I feel so impulsed to read this letter? It''s only hurting me. It''s.. wet now. Oh. My helmet''s off. Those are my tears. Damn it. I''m a knight. Knights don''t cry. We stay strong, in the darkest times of the people, so they don''t have to cry. "It''s alright, Urik. Let it out. No one''s watching- and at least you have a life to come back to. Some of these men in our company, I wish I could say the same. I wish I could even say the same for myself, you know?" I miss her. I miss everything about her. I miss her golden locks, beautiful as the stars that glittered in the night. Those wonderful amber eyes, that I could stare at all day. Even when she went to other houses during the nobles'' gatherings, she always took the spotlight no matter how modest she dressed. I was.. lucky to have such a fulfilling life to return to. Her parents even liked me, due to my nature as a knight and my accomplishments in the battlefield. She even could understand my accent, dammit. She had a perfect imitation, too. I remember I used to laugh every time we talked when she always imitated me in the most irritating way possible. Why did it have to end? Why did it all have to come crashing down, when I saw that her house was deemed as traitors. I tried to protect her.. I tried to save her from the King, and he even regretted it. He regretted that he had to punish his closest friends for trying to stop the war by allying with a group of Warmongers that were non-violent, no, Peacekeepers. It snowballed, and they were sentenced to death. Their house was burnt, the father and mother beheaded.. Olivia herself, I could only grant her mercy by.. Executing her myself. I remember the one and only time I had to do an execution, no matter how much of a traitor and coward my soldiers were. Her last words as I only barely managed to tell the rioters that she deserved a humane death.. I gave her one. I had her dosed with a slow, unnoticeable, but lethal toxin. I remember our last hour together. She told me that it would be alright, how she was sorry that I didn''t have a house to come back to. She told me to continue what I wanted to do, and that she would never blame me for what I had to do. I killed her, but she had no regrets and only wanted to share with me stories of her childhood and life that we haven''t talked about.. I listened, even her dying breath she told me how much she loved me. I wish I could have saved her. And for that, I took out my wrath on those around me and the Warmongers themselves, leading the spearhead to destroy the Peacekeepers headquarters.. "I''ll leave you be, for now. The soldiers are outside your house. Get to it when you''re ready, we only have so much time." I hear him walk out, and then his footsteps vanished. I wonder had I done anything differently, would I still be with her? Would I had never met Coralline, who I now know.. I was only using her to fill the void in my heart? Would I have never met that golem, who had all the traits of a Warmonger and more? I wonder how my life would have changed. But now.. I can still change, right? I put on my helmet, making sure it''s fastened to my head. I walk out the room, down the stairs, and out the exit. I see the ten soldiers before me, and I see passersby look in awe and confusion at me and them. Nobody has ever seen me in this armor. They don''t know who I am. But now, I know who I am. "At attention, soldiers! I, Knight-Sergeant Urik Ghalzong have been placed in direct charge of you! Ready your supplies, we march to kill a wyvern!" I hear a resounding, "YES, SIR!" That''s who I am. I am a soldier of the 1st Company.