《Forgotten》 Chapter 1 As the haze cleared before his eyes, Lee vaguely realized he was laying upon his back. Cold, damp earth pressed against his naked spine. Above him, a completely grey sky drizzled with light rain, stinging his eyes. Confusion came next. Where was he? He couldn¡¯t form a coherent thought within his head. His mind was a void, as blank and gray as the sky above him. As he sat upright, he took in the unfamiliar surroundings. A rocky outcropping of some kind, adorned with a few dead trees and all around him, damp gray sand. His heart beat faster as the confusion grew into panic. Where am I? he thought. Who am I? Lee. His name was Lee. That much he knew. But that was all he knew. He looked down upon himself. His pale skin stretched thin across a boney chest. About his waist, a dirty scrap of stained leather covered him just barely. Shriveled legs shivered in cold and he hugged himself for warmth. What is this place? He touched his face and felt a thick beard upon his jaw. How old was he? That thought seemed secondary compared to figuring out where he was however. Or even who he was. As he continued to study himself, he noticed a marking etched onto the back of his left hand. A circle with a single dot in the middle. He traced it with his finger, pondering what it was. As he did so, words formed before his eyes. Name: Lee Level: 0 Essence: 0% Strength: 1 Dexterity: 1 Agility: 1 Vigor: 1 Constitution: 1 Will: 1 He blinked perplexed. He could read and make sense of what was before him¡­and while the experience seemed odd, it was not unfamiliar. Like a memory almost. He looked at the word Strength and more words appeared. Strength Your ability to affect the world physically through the raw power of your body. Large weapons benefit greatly from this attribute. He focused on the other words in turn. Dexterity Your ability to manipulate fine instruments, weaponry and aim with ranged weapons. Agility Your ability to move quickly and nimbly, avoiding damage and detection by foes. Vigor Your ability to recover from exertion as well as endure physical strain. Determines both your stamina pool and your maximum burden allotment. Constitution Your ability to recover from illness and heal wounds. Determines your natural defense and health pool. Will Your ability to focus your mind and wield the arcane arts. Determines your mana pool. Attributes? The arcane arts? Lee blinked. What did this all mean? What kind of place was this? As he glanced about himself, he noticed a large curved bone at his side. A bone far too large to belong to a human. A horse perhaps? As he touched it more words appeared. Bone Club Attribute: Strength [B+] Minimum: STR:1 Speed: D Damage: E Weight: 1.5 lbs The bone was slick from the misty rain, but it gave him comfort as he gripped it. A faint yellow glow came from beneath where the bone had been, something shimmering in the gray sand. He uncovered whatever it was, revealing a small sliver of yellow crystal. As he looked at it words appeared again. Tiny memory fragment Contains a message or memory from the past. That seemed very useful at the moment. He plucked the crystal from the ground. It suddenly popped between his fingers in a flurry of yellow sparks and two words appeared. ¡°Move! Now!¡± He stared perplexed at warning, his insides filling with dread. A low growl came from behind him. Lee tuned his head to look over his shoulder and his heart leapt with fright as what he saw. Just a feet behind him was a huge black lizard the size of a large dog, slithering towards him. Its skin was patched and mottled, peeling like a snake sheading its skin. It let out a horrid shriek as it leap at him and Lee released a terrified scream. * * * Lee awoke with a haze clearing from his vision. He was upon his back, staring up at a slate gray sky, drizzling with light rain. His mind drew a blank. Where was he? Who was he? As he sat up he studied himself bewildered. He spotted a strange circle tattooed upon his left hand. As he touched it words and numbers appeared like a hallucination before his eyes, but he could make little sense of what they meant. He studied them and more words appeared, revealing the meaning of each one. A strange sense of familiarity consumed him as he read the definition of each¡­attribute? He spotted a large bone that lay at his side. Grabbing it another message appeared. Bone Club Attribute: Strength [B+] Minimum: STR:1 Speed: D Damage: E Weight: 1.5 lbs A bone club? He frowned. Better than nothing, I suppose. As he stood Lee noticed a glimmer of something in the sand next to his foot. He was about to reach down and grasp whatever it was, when a low growl came from behind him. Lee turned his head just in time to see something large and black dashing at him. Releasing a cry, he managed to jump to the side, avoiding the snapping jaws of a very large, black lizard. He swung the bone club the same time and managed to hit the thing on its head. The creature flinched, startled by the blow. In that moment of pause, Lee struck again, bashing the lizard repeatedly in the head. The thing hissed and snarled with each hit and on the third blow, the bone club imbedded itself into the lizard¡¯s skull. You killed the Dusk Lizard. The thing grew silent and fell over. Lee breathed heavily as he stared at the words before his eyes, his heart racing with adrenaline and fright. A white mist formed over the creature¡¯s body and then was somehow magically drawn towards him. The mist entered the tattoo symbol on his hand and the dot in the center grew larger, doubling in size and nearly filling the circle. You regained 90% Essence. A new vigor filled him and he felt strangely energized. What was that? He thought. Did I just consume its power? The white mist continued to coalesce and formed a yellow crystal similar to the one he¡¯d seen before, right on top of the lizard¡¯s head. Small memory fragment Contains a message or memory from the past. Lee took the glowing crystal into his hand and as he crushed it in his palm a rush of memories flooded his mind. He relived himself awaking on the cold damn ground over and over again. Each time he would grab the bone club just moments before the lizard struck. Sometimes he wouldn¡¯t even have a chance to see it and defend himself. Other times he got a hit in or two before the beast tore through his body with its razor sharp jaws. His heart raced as he experienced the memories in real time, wincing with the muted pain of his prior demises for over a hundred times. He fell to the ground upon his knees. This is insane¡­How long have I been trapped in this hell? He¡¯d been extremely lucky this time, he now realized; stunning the lizard with a quick opening blow to the head. It had allowed him to finally kill the thing when it had apparently killed him many times before. He at least had some concept of time now. Some sense of where he was as well. He¡¯d been here before. This was the start. Something else came to his mind. A door. He looked about but didn¡¯t see a door of any kind, but somehow this place reminded him of one. He needed to remember. Hungrily Lee reached for the small sliver of crystal he¡¯d seen before, eager to gain more memories. New words appeared. ¡°Move! Now!¡± A warning? Lee chuckled. Perhaps it was a message to avoid the lizard. ¡°A bit too late now,¡± he said and turned to examine the lizard¡¯s body once more, but he didn¡¯t see it.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. His heart stopped. Where is¡ª Sharp pain entered his side as the beast suddenly reappeared, latching onto his ribcage with its crushing jaws. Lee released a howling gasp, his recent memories mixing with those happening in present time. How did it survive? Had he not truly killed it as he thought? But no. The words had appeared to confirm that he had. Unless it could live again after death. Just like him. Lee tried to batter the beast with his club but his strength was sapped by a dark toxin spewing from the beast¡¯s mouth and now coursing through his veins. He knew what was coming next¡ªa quick moment of oblivion, followed by awakening on the cold damp sand without a memory or thought in his head. How many more cycles would it take before he got lucky enough to kill the lizard again? Ten? Twenty? A hundred? A thousand? No, he thought. I can¡¯t go through that hell again. He cried out with frustration and desperation, trying to kill the lizard before it killed him. A thought formed in his quickly clouding mind. Someone had left that crystal message for him. There was no one else here. It had to have been himself. Lee pressed his hand against the sand and willed his thoughts to coalesce into a glowing yellow stone. It¡¯s behind you, he thought. You lose 45% Essence. Memory Saved. The world went blank as the lizard tore his body apart. * * * Lee awoke upon his back, a haze clearing from his mind. A gray sky drizzled light rain above him, stinging his eyes. He blinked and sat up upright, confused. Who am I? he thought. Where am I? As he glanced about, Lee noticed a large glowing crystal that lay next to his hand and words appeared in his vision. Small memory fragment Contains a message or memory from the past. As he took hold of the glowing crystal, it shattered with a pop. ¡°It¡¯s behind you!¡± Behind me? What¡¯s behind¡ª? Before he could even complete the thought, a rush of memories came flooding back into his mind. The Lizard. The deaths. And just moments ago his victory over the beast right before it somehow resurrected to kill him for what had to be more than the hundredth time. Lee blindly grasped the bone club that he knew lay on his opposite side and swung it behind him, spinning on his knees. It connected with the Lizard just as it was about to pounce. The club struck its jaw and the beast stumbled to the side, allowing Lee to rise to his feet. ¡°Die you beast!¡± he cried, raising the club high above his head. The Bone Club flashed. Weapon skill: Savage Cry! Strength and Damage temporarily increased. Club Skill increased by 1! He ignore the message as he brought the club down upon the lizard¡¯s back. It hissed with the blow, stunned. Lee wasted no time following up with a strike to its head and then another. The beast died after three swift hits and as before mist formed on its body and drew towards Lee¡¯s hand. You killed the Dusk Lizard. You regained 80% Essence. The circle on his palm filled and then suddenly reduced to a quarter full, but a smaller solid black circle affixed itself to the outer rim of the circle now. Essence: 125% Lee pondered the figure. 45 plus 80. 125. Makes sense. He supposed it was possible to go over 100%...whatever this thing was actually measuring. 10 percent less this time though, he thought. Perhaps that was to be expected. He¡¯d already killed the lizard once before. Lee waited with his club held high, seeing if the beast would indeed resurrect again. To his surprise, the body didn¡¯t reanimate but simply vanished before him. A few seconds later a hiss came from across the patch of gray sand, and there was the lizard again. It was whole and lively, indeed returned to live the same as he had before. Not resurrected, but as if respawned from the ether. The lizard was still a distance away. He didn¡¯t want to risk fighting that thing and dying again so he turned and ran. He wasn¡¯t certain if the lizard simply had not seen him or if it was still in a haze from its respawned state, but the thing didn¡¯t follow him. Small mercies, he thought. Lee left the rocky alcove where the lizard was and ran along a rugged pathway hewn through walls of natural slate gray stone. After a while, the path ended at a wide clearing. The ground transitioned from sand to hard granite and Lee stopped at the edge. There was no other exit as far as he could tell and in the center of the clearing was a single stone structure. It was roughly circular in shape and consisted of equally spaced pillars that held archways in between them. Perhaps it had held a roof at some point, but that seemed to be missing now¡ªalong with several of the archways. In the center of the structure, two more stone pillars and a single archway formed the frame about a large, onyx black door. There is was¡­the door he had recalled before. Apprehension filled him. The door was ominous and dark, but his need to recall what this place was pushed him forward. Lee approached the door and its abnormal height became evident. It was at least twenty feet high and upon its obsidian surface, strange etching formed a language he couldn¡¯t understand. The script encircled an indentation that was in the pictogram of a sun; a circle made of outward pointing triangles. Cautiously Lee reached towards its surface. Door of the Unknown [Sealed] You do not possess the key to open this door. The message prompted him to push against the door, but not surprisingly it didn¡¯t budge. Sealed? Lee thought. By some kind of magic perhaps? It was likely so, especially with it being a door to seemingly nowhere. He wasn¡¯t even certain if these things should be common to him. Were they a normalcy here? To him even? Was he accustomed to magic doors and creatures that came back to life? He had no memories, but he was certain he still had some sense of what was normal and what was not. He supposed it was the same way he still knew how to read or speak. He still had knowledge and understanding, just no specific memories to give anything context. He¡¯d have to take what he found here at face value until he could find some way to remember exactly who he was. Then perhaps what seemed odd and out of place would be far more clear cut. For now, he would have to consider everything here as being as it should. Lee glanced around the edge of the pillar to confirm there was nothing more than the same black material on the other side. But when he did so, he spotted a small figure curled up in a ball against the back of the door. Lee jumped back startled. The person didn¡¯t move, apparently asleep, or perhaps¡­even dead? The latter thought caused his stomach to tighten as he peered closer. It appeared to be a woman, her head bowed and resting on her knees with her arms wrapped around them, completely hiding her face. She wore a tattered robe that at one point might have been white, but now was stained a dark gray. The material was soaked from the light rain that Lee noticed had now stopped. Her hair was matted from the drizzle as well, dark and stringy. Her frame was small and while she didn¡¯t look like a threat physically, after his encounter with that lizard, Lee didn¡¯t put any kind of trust in the re-animating beings of this world. He lifted the end of his bone club and standing back, prodded the woman on the shoulder. He half expected for the body to tip over, revealing the woman to be dead, but to his somewhat relief, the woman didn¡¯t snarl and hiss at him like a crazed fiend, but instead stirred slowly and raised her head to look at him. Lee¡¯s breath caught as a pair of magnificent blue eyes met his own. He stood there mesmerized as a warm smile drew across her youthful face. She was stunning, with elegant features that contrasted sharply with her disheveled hair and attire. His heartbeat sped as he gazed upon her. He¡¯d never seen a woman so beautiful. Although truthfully, he couldn¡¯t remember seeing any other woman right now. ¡°Welcome, chosen one,¡± the woman said in a calm voice as she stood and then dusted off her robes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I was not awake to greet you. It has been so long since one of your kind has visited to me.¡± Chosen one? One of my kind? Was this the norm too? Just accept it, Lee reminded himself and stepped back as the woman approached him. Folding her hands before her, she then bowed with a curtsey. ¡°It is an honor.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Lee said. ¡°And why did you call me chosen one? Chosen for what?¡± ¡°You were chosen to come here,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°I suppose.¡± ¡°And where is here?¡± ¡°The land of Moerdraan¡± Moerdraan¡­the name didn¡¯t seem familiar to him. ¡°Why? Who brought me here? Why do I have no memories? And why can I see these ghostly words before my eyes?¡± ¡°So many questions,¡± the woman said as she stepped towards the front side of the door and Lee followed her. ¡°I do not have the answers to them all, but as the Keeper of the Gates I will aid you in any way I can.¡± ¡°Keeper of the Gates?¡± Lee said. ¡°You guard this door?¡± ¡°No, the door needs no guarding. Only you can open it, after all. I am here to open the gates.¡± She then raised her hand towards one of the arches between the pillars. In an instant, a shimmering portal appeared within it. As the image cleared, Lee peered at what looked like a dense forest beyond. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°You are within the place between worlds,¡± the Gate Keeper said. ¡°From here I can send you to another location within Moerdraan.¡± ¡°How are you able to do this? Are you a sorceress?¡± Sorcery¡­he apparently seemed to know what sorcery was. ¡°It is my purpose,¡± she said. ¡°As is yours to unlock this door.¡± My purpose? he thought. ¡°So you know who I am then?¡± ¡°I know only what you are, not who.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I know that I am to aid you as a chosen one, but as for who you are, that will be for both you to remember and perhaps also to decide.¡± She then gestured to the back of her hand and Lee looked down at the tattoo upon his own. ¡°The mark of the chosen,¡± she said. ¡°When the circle is complete you may offer it to me in exchange for greater power. I see you already have a filled circle to offer. Spend it wisely, though. You will become what you choose to be.¡± Lee recalled the attributes he¡¯d seen before and just with the thought they appeared again before his eyes. Name: Lee Level: 0 Essence: 125% Strength: 1 Dexterity: 1 Agility: 1 Vigor: 1 Constitution: 1 Will: 1 125% percent¡­Could he truly make himself stronger if gave her 100 of that percent? ¡°What about my memories?¡± he asked. ¡°I found a crystal that allowed me to remember my past. Are there more here?¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± The woman then nodded towards the portal. ¡°The chosen can choose to save their memories in crystals as you said. But be wary. A memory can sometimes take on a life of its own, if left unrecalled for too long.¡± Lee didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°How many have come before me? How many Chosen Ones?¡± ¡°I believe a great many,¡± she said. ¡°Have I been here before? Do you remember me?¡± ¡°I cannot say that I recall you, but as I said, many others have tread your path.¡± ¡°And what path is that? What am I expected to do here?¡± She then gestured towards the large door. ¡°To unlock the seal. At least, that is what I believe you are here to do.¡± ¡°Why? What¡¯s beyond it?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Perhaps only you will know.¡± ¡°Me? I don¡¯t know anything!¡± Lee shouted, becoming suddenly angry. ¡°I don¡¯t even know who I am! I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m even here!¡± The Keeper smiled and again gestured towards the portal. ¡°Perhaps the memories you seek will tell you all that you wish to know.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying my memories are out there?¡± ¡°The chosen return here upon death. Although I don¡¯t recall you specifically, it is possible you passed here some time ago and have only now returned.¡± She then chuckled. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ve lost some of my memories as well. It¡¯s hard to be certain.¡± Lee frowned inwardly. Could he truly trust this woman? Devils did masquerade as angles didn¡¯t they? But what choice did he have? There appeared to be no other way out of this place other than through that portal. ¡°There is one more thing,¡± the Keeper said. ¡°This land is cursed. Nothing truly dies in Moerdraan. And nothing truly lives either.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You will not age or hunger here. Nothing does. Creatures killed in Moerdraan will return after death¡­sometimes even stronger than before.¡± ¡°So I found out already,¡± Lee said, recalling the lizard. ¡°How do I keep them from coming back? Is there a way?¡± The woman chuckled. ¡°I like your spirit, chosen one. Already seeking a way to end the curse. If I knew the answer myself however, then perhaps even I would be able to leave this place. The curse of undeath plagues all. Even me.¡± Lee furrowed his brow. ¡°Who exactly are you? What is your name?¡± ¡°I have no need for a name,¡± she said. ¡°I am simply the Gate Keeper. If I did once have a name, I regrettably do not remember it. I only know that I am to help you travel through this world and perhaps¡­to open this door and finally end this curse.¡± A curse of undeath. Lee felt strangely like a prisoner now. This whole world was some kind of hell. And he needed to escape. He eyed the door. ¡°So how am I supposed to open it?¡± ¡°Again, I do not¡ª¡± ¡°Right, you don¡¯t know.¡± He exhaled in frustration, looking to the portal and the dark forest beyond. ¡°What happens if I go through there? What will I find?¡± ¡°Truth, I hope. Dangers too. Many dark and powerful creatures roam the lands outside.¡± ¡°How am I supposed to defeat them?¡± He raised the bone club. ¡°With this?¡± She gestured again to the back of his hand. ¡°Growing in strength would be my advice.¡± He did absorb that lizard¡¯s essence when he killed it. ¡°If I gain power how can I return again to you to use it?¡± ¡°If you sacrifice all the power you have gained, you may return here instantly,¡± she said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very productive.¡± ¡°There are also passageways that lead back here. Or so I¡¯ve been told.¡± ¡°Told by who?¡± ¡°Other chosen ones, but you will have to find such paths on your own. I know not where to find them. If you bring me back a visage of where you have been, however, I can create a portal back to the same place.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± He had no idea what bringing back a visage truly meant, but perhaps it was something he had to learn¡ªor perhaps remember¡ª how to do in time. ¡°So that¡¯s it? No other way to return here?¡± ¡°Or you can simply die to return¡­but you will lose your memories if you do.¡± ¡°That sounds simple enough.¡± ¡°Be wary though,¡± she said. ¡°If you die too often without saving your memories, you may lose them completely and become Forgotten.¡± ¡°Forgotten?¡± ¡°A Forgotten Soul. Chosen Ones who have lost themselves. You become a mindless shade of your former self, no better than the creatures you will face. To lose your memories is to lose your very soul after all.¡± Lee could surprisingly relate to that at the moment. ¡°I feel that¡¯s what I am right now. I don¡¯t remember anything. I don¡¯t know who or even what I am.¡± ¡°Perhaps it matters less than you think,¡± she said. ¡°What you choose to do will make far more of a difference than what you¡¯ve already done. And besides, you still remember your name. That¡¯s important. Once you lose it then you truly would become a Forgotten Soul.¡± ¡°But you said you don¡¯t remember your name? Didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°That is true,¡± she said a bit sadly. ¡°But, I do remember my purpose.¡± She then smiled as she looked down at the stone floor. ¡°Perhaps that is the only thing that keeps me from becoming Forgotten as well. I remember my duty¡­but nothing else. ¡± Lee¡¯s heart softened as the woman¡¯s smile faded into a frown. She seemed to be a prisoner here just as much as he was. ¡°Do you perhaps have lost memories out there as well? Can I retrieve them for you?¡± The Keeper looked up at him with a bemused smile. ¡°Perhaps. But I don¡¯t remember where they are.¡± She laughed then and Lee realized she was making a joke. He forced a chuckled along with her. ¡°So I need to save my memories to keep from becoming Forgotten. Understood.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°Save them often. There are many chosen who now roam Moerdraan as Forgotten Souls because they did not. It will cost you some of your Essence, but you will always return to the place of your last memory. Choose where you save them wisely.¡± Lee grimaced. He was naked in an unknown land; no memories of who or even what he was and his only way forward was through a portal into the unknown, guided by a woman who had barely more memories than he did. He looked at the crude bone club in his hand. This wouldn¡¯t do. ¡°You said you could make me stronger?¡± he asked. The Keeper nodded. ¡°Grant me the essence of the full circle upon your hand and I can grand your wish.¡± ¡°How do I do that?¡± ¡°Give your hand to me and will it.¡± Lee did so, a warm filling his chest as she held his palm within her own. ¡°What is your wish, Chosen One?¡± ¡°Make me stronger,¡± Lee said. The Keeper closed her eyes and a wisp of white energy flowed from his hand as the small black circle disappeared. It flowed into her and through her hands he felt a warmth that flowed into his muscles and joints. You have gained a Level! Your Strength has increased by +1 Lee looked down at his chest. It was still as boney as before. ¡°That didn¡¯t seem to do much,¡± he said and looked at his attributes next. Name: Lee Level: 1 Essence: 25% Strength: 2 Dexterity: 1 Agility: 1 Vigor: 1 Constitution: 1 Will: 1 ¡°You will need to gather far more Essence to make significant gains.¡± Lee looked to the dark forest and then back the way he came. He knelt and placed his hand to the ground, willing his thoughts into a memory. ¡°This is the Keeper. She seems to be a friend. You must find a way to end this curse to save her and yourself. She thinks you must open the door to do so. -Lee¡± You lose 13% Essence. Memory Saved. 13¡­an odd number. But roughly half of what he had. Perhaps that was the cost each time. Half his Essence. He was glad he decided to save, after gaining the point of strength. As the tiny crystal formed Lee stood. ¡°So¡­if I die again, I¡¯ll reappear here, yes?¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Lee said and started towards the hewn stone pathway. ¡°Wait,¡± she said. ¡°The portal is here. Where are you going?¡± ¡°To kill a lizard,¡± Lee said as he readied the Bone Club. ¡°Many, many times¡­¡± Chapter 2 Lee awoke to a pair of magnificent blue eyes staring into his own. They belonged to the most beautiful woman he¡¯d ever seen. Was he dreaming? ¡°That was quick,¡± the woman said. ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked, trying to sit up and then looked around himself. ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°Here,¡± she said and pressed a small crystal into his palm. ¡°This is the Keeper. She seems to be a friend. You must find a way to end this undead curse to save her and yourself. She thinks you must open the door to do so. -Lee¡± His memories came back and Lee let out a curse. ¡°Hells be damned! I must have died.¡± It was apparently a strong curse, judging by the way the Keeper winced. ¡°Sorry,¡± he said and then stood. He noticed the club was still in his hand as well. ¡°At least this stayed with me. I guess I¡¯ll try again.¡± As he stepped towards the pathway the Keeper called out to him. ¡°Wait!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t save.¡± Lee blinked. ¡°But I did.¡± ¡°Yes before,¡± she said. ¡°But you¡¯ve used that crystal now. If you die again, you will reappear here, but will still know nothing. And if you die again without saving then you¡¯ll reappeared at the place you saved before that.¡± Hells again, he though. This will cost me. Lee left another message. ¡°You failed to kill the lizard twice already! Be more careful this time. -Lee¡± You lose 7% Essence. Memory Saved. With a nod of satisfaction he stood. ¡°Hopefully I won¡¯t need that this time, but you¡¯re right. Better to be safe.¡± The Keeper smiled. ¡°Good luck.¡± * * *The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Lee cursed as he came to on the granite floor and read the message from himself. ¡°You failed to kill the lizard twice already! Be more careful this time. -Lee¡± This wasn¡¯t good. He quickly left another message. ¡°You failed to kill the lizard three times now! Do better. -Lee¡± You lose 3% Essence. Memory Saved. He respawned again. ¡°What the hells?¡± ¡°You failed to kill the lizard four times now! -Lee¡± You lose 2% Essence. Memory Saved. And yet again. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Five times!?? You¡¯re embarrassing yourself!¡± You lose 1% Essence. Memory Saved. Lee respawned and yelled with frustration. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± He prepared to leave one more message. But it didn¡¯t work. You do not have enough Essence to save your memories. What? He checked his totals. Essence: 1% He looked up at the Keeper who was now kneeling with him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked. ¡°I can no longer save,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t have enough Essence.¡± She frowned. ¡°This is not a good predicament to be in.¡± ¡°How many times have I died now?¡± She held up five fingers, and then pondering added another. ¡°I think, anyway¡­¡± Lee cursed again. ¡°How could this be happening? I killed it twice before. And I¡¯m stronger now than I was then¡­presumably.¡± ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s gaining strength from you as well,¡± the Keeper said. That made sense. Perhaps it gained Essence from him the same way he did it when it killed him. And it had taken him perhaps hundreds of tries to get lucky with a hit before. He wheezed out a sigh. This would be his last attempt. If he failed he¡¯d be clueless when he awoke and even less prepared to head into that forest or anywhere else. And if he died once more after that, he¡¯d be sent right back to the lizard¡¯s den anyway¡­stuck in that perpetual hell. ¡°I need to think,¡± Lee said and stood, pacing. His gamble had failed, it seemed. He¡¯d wasted all his Essence trying to kill that thing but with no result. Perhaps he should just venture into the forest and take his chances with whatever was out there. But what if he ran into something much stronger than the lizard? Like two lizards. Or three. At least he knew there was only one of them here. Why was this so difficult? What was he missing? ¡°I need to try again,¡± he said. ¡°I need to be stronger before I head into that forest.¡± The Keeper touched his arm. ¡°Are you certain, Chosen One? I¡¯d hate for you to lose your memories further.¡± Lee shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t have much to lose anyway. I only have memories from waking up here until now. I¡¯ve actually done very much.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve gotten to know me,¡± she said. ¡°I know for you it may seem you haven¡¯t progressed at all, but I¡¯ve been witness to your determination each time. And honestly it¡¯s a great relief when you regain your thoughts and remember who I am.¡± She smiled and then lowered her eyes bashfully. ¡°It¡¯s perhaps a bit selfish of me, but I feel so much less alone when you return and recall who I am. It¡¯s like being a little bit less...Forgotten.¡± Her words caused him to pause. It was true, he still didn¡¯t know much about himself or anyone else, but she was growing to know him. He didn¡¯t stop to think about how him losing his memories might affect her in such a way. It was as if his memories of her, made her feel somehow more alive. And he had to admit, her remembering him each time was comforting as well. Plus he was growing fond of the Keeper¡¯s company in general. Beyond her beauty she seems a peaceful soul and even just to talk with her was soothing. He¡¯d hate to lose his memories of her¡ªeven as brief as they were. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said as he took off for the path once again. ¡°I won¡¯t fail this time. I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve said that twice already,¡± the Keeper called out to him. ¡°Have I?¡± She nodded and it caused him to chuckle. ¡°This time I mean it,¡± he said. This time I¡¯ve got more than just my own memories to lose. Chapter 3 Lee¡¯s heart rate sped as he crept towards the rocky alcove. For all his bravado, his nerves were on end. Was he this nervous before? Perhaps. He had far more to lose now. Or perhaps it was exactly the same as all the other time. He had no way to tell. He wondered if he could leave messaged without saving his memories. That would be useful¡ªa strategy or tip to win the fight. But he knew how to fight this thing already, didn¡¯t he? And he was stronger than before. He looked at his attributes again. Perhaps that was the key. Maybe he¡¯d been over confident before. Lee read the descriptions again. Perhaps he should have increased his Agility rather than his Strength. Being harder to hit would lead him to being more likely to survive. He then spied something else under Constitution and Vigor. Vigor Your ability to recover from exertion as well as endure physical strain. Determines both your stamina pool and your max burden allotment. Constitution Your ability to recover from illness and heal wounds. Determines your natural defense and health pool. What were these pools? As he thought it, two bars emerged in his vision. One bar was red and labeled Health and the other green and labeled Stamina. More words appeared. Combat Meters You may use the combat meters to adjust your strategy in the midst of battle. Manage your Heath and Stamina carefully. Swinging wildly will leave you unable to dodge or defend. You will die if your Health bar reaches zero. Lee looked at the bars more closely. Health: 10/10 Stamina: 12/12 Those numbers didn¡¯t look very high. But then, neither were his attributes. Why hadn¡¯t he seen this before? Perhaps his greater concern and focus on combat made him think of it and the bars to appear. Was this the first time? Perhaps he¡¯d done this before and still failed. But he couldn¡¯t think that way now. This seemed new. Different. He¡¯d have to believe it was so. Being able to control the fight was likely his key to winning. Lee took a few practice swings with the club and saw the stamina meter lower by three points with each one. When he reached zero, he indeed was breathing hard and could manage to only walk slowly or lean his hands on his knees to recover. It took nearly four seconds of standing still for him to regain a single point. I¡¯m in poor shape, he though. He tried jumping to the side and lost two points of Stamina. Lee sighed as he recovered. This had to his problem. He could only dodge once or twice and get perhaps one good hit in before he was totally exhausted and needed to rest. The lizard could easily strike him then and with its toxic venom he¡¯d be dead for certain. He¡¯d clearly only won by surprising it before. And he would need to do so again. As Lee approached the alcove he crouched and slowed his pace to a tiptoe. He spotted the lizard, just barely. It was perched atop a rock and its skin was somehow blending into the slate gray surface of the stone. Perhaps it could change color. He needed to distract it somehow.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Lee found a small pebble and threw it towards the opposite end of the alcove. He ducked around the edge of the pathway just as the lizard perked its head into the air. That¡¯s it¡­go take a look. But the lizard lost interest and lowered its head again. Lee tried again, finding a larger stone and this time the lizard came running so fast, he barely had time to conceal himself. Hells be damned! His heat sped as the beast snapped the small rock up in its jaws and with frightening force, crushed it as easily as if it were an egg. The display of power caused him pause and weakness entered his knees. No time to hesitate, he told him. Now¡¯s your chance. Go! Lee sprinted towards the lizard and too his chagrin he realized that that too reduced his stamina at an alarming rate. Stamina 10/12 Stamina 8/12 Damn it! He¡¯d have to make the hit count. He wouldn¡¯t have much Stamina to dodge afterwards. The lizard turned about just as he brought the club down towards it. Please don¡¯t miss! Lee felt the satisfying crack of bone as the club landed on the lizard¡¯s spine. To his surprise a red bar appeared above the lizard and instantly reduced to less than half. It was stunned as before. But according to the meter clearly not dead. He had only five stamina left. Enough for one more attack and a dodge. But could he kill it with just another hit? Lee glanced at the creatures Health meter. Less than half. He¡¯d have to try. Lee raised the club with a scream. ¡°Die!¡± Weapon skill: Savage Cry! Strength and Damage temporarily increased. He brought the club down with tremendous force and the weapon bludgeoned the lizard¡¯s skull. You killed the Dusk Lizard! You regain 90% Essence. Elation ran through him. He¡¯d done it! And a good thing too. The special attack had used a 5 full points of Stamina and Lee rested his hands on his knees winded. He was back up to 91% now though, nearly enough to gain another attribute. Perhaps it would be safer to go back and save before he tried to kill the lizard again. Although that would cost him half of his gains. Still it was safer. He was just about to consider it further, when the lizard despawned. An idea struck. The lizard seemed disorientated when it respawned before¡ªa perfect chance to strike. Lee had barely regained half his stamina when he ran across the alcove to where he recalled the lizard had spawned. He waited with his club held high and when the beast finally materialized he brought his club down upon it with all his might. The beast winced with the blow and fell upon its back, a third of its health gone. Lee struck it again with a Savage Cry and he fell back on his rear completely spent, breathing hard. But the lizard wasn¡¯t dead, its health just under a quarter. Oh no¡­ It slumped towards him, just barely clinging to life. Lee¡¯s heart jumped into his throat, realizing the grave mistake he¡¯d just made. He¡¯d gambled yet again. And lost. He struggled to back away from it, vainly kicking his feet against the sand. His stamina was still at only two points. Enough to dodge, but nothing else. He was dead. As the beast slithered towards him, thoughts of losing his memories of the Keeper flashed through his mind. No. I need to save her. To save her memory! Lee took another desperate gamble and didn¡¯t dodge. He saved his stamina and instead raised his arms as the beast lunged for his head. He cried out with pain has the lizard¡¯s jaws clamped around his forearm. His health bar was reduced instantly by half and immediately turned purple, perhaps signifying the poison now running through his veins. He endured the excruciating pain. A second more¡­ His Stamina meter raised to three and Lee used the last of his waning strength to plunge the sharp end of the club through the lizard¡¯s eye. You killed the Dusk Lizard You regain 80% Essence. He spent another moment or two to recover, before pushing the lizard off himself and stumbled down the path way. His health dropped another point, sapped by the poison. Keep going, he told himself, almost here. Health 3/10 Health 2/10 He fell into the stone clearing and immediately willed his memories to save. ¡°Chosen One!¡± the Keeper cried as she ran to him. His Essence reduced by half as the crystal formed and the world vanished as his Health dropped to zero. * * * Lee regained his memories and let out a curse as the Keeper knelt by his side. ¡°What happened?¡± she said. ¡°You dragged yourself in here and then immediately died.¡± ¡°Yes, I know,¡± he said rolling onto his haunches. ¡°I remember clearly now.¡± ¡°So¡­ did you kill it?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he said. ¡°Twice. But I¡¯m not much off by doing so.¡± He checked his Essence. Essence: 85% Curse the Hells. He¡¯d been at 91% before. Why had he decided to take a chance and kill the lizard at its spawn? Not only had he risked losing everything, but he¡¯d wound up with less than he started with. ¡°What a waste,¡± he muttered. But then something else occurred to him. It was a costly loss, but not a waste completely. He¡¯d managed to save his memories. And the memory of a mistake was perhaps more valuable than the memory of a victory. He¡¯d learned something about both himself and this world. One, that he was a risk taker. And two, that being greedy was not a risk worth taking. ¡°Well,¡± Lee said rising to his feet. ¡°At least I still have you to remember.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± the Keeper said as he smiled at her, and her returning smile brought a warmth to his soul. He¡¯d be careful to not gamble with her memory in the future. It was worth far more to him than he realized. Lee stooped and spent 43% Essence to save another crystal. No¡ªto save another memory of her. ¡°Are you going to try to kill it again?¡± the Keeper asked. ¡°Yes,¡± he said. ¡°But I promise to not be so greedy this time.¡± Chapter 4 You killed the Dusk Lizard You regain 80% Essence Lee smiled as the small black circle formed on the outer ring of his tattoo, bringing his total to 123% Essence. He returned to the Keeper promptly and pondered what to spend his Essence upon. Strength was perhaps a mistake in retrospect. With his Savage Cry skill, he seemed to gain plenty of damage¡ªfor a single strike at least. ¡°Am I able to change my choice?¡± Lee asked. ¡°Can you take back the Strength and allow me to spend it upon something else?¡± ¡°No,¡± the Keeper said as she took his hand into her own. ¡°Not to my knowledge. You must choose wisely. I cannot undo what you have chosen.¡± Lee nodded as he considered the attributes hovering before his eyes. Having practical knowledge about how the various levels affected his ability to fight gave him a whole new perspective on what was valuable and what was not. Constitution certainly had great value. If he had more Health and natural defense, even a bite from the lizard would not threaten to kill him instantly. Although with its poison, even a single bite would still kill him eventually. So that probably wasn¡¯t a good investment right now. Dexterity might be helpful if he found something like a bow, but there was nothing like that here. ¡°Are there weapons to be found in that forest?¡± he asked. The Keeper shook her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know, but I would assume so. Other chosen have always returned to me looking far more well-equipped than when they departed. So there must be treasures of all kinds to find out there.¡± Attacking from a distance certainly held advantage, but he couldn¡¯t increase his Dexterity preparing for something he might not ever find. And if it were questionable that he would find a bow, then anything arcane, requiring the Will attribute was definitely out of the question. That left the choice between Agility and Vigor. He pondered the definitions again. Agility Your ability to move quickly and nimbly, avoiding damage and detection by foes. Vigor Your ability to recover from exertion as well as endure physical strain. Determines both your stamina pool and your maximum burden allotment. Being able to avoid attacks seemed his main means of defense at the moment, but he wasn¡¯t certain what 1 point of Agility would actually do for him. ¡°Is there a way to find out how an investment in an attribute will affect me?¡± he asked. The Keeper looked skyward thoughtfully. ¡°I do recall tomes containing such knowledge, but as for where to find them¡­¡± She ended her statement with a shrug and a smile.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Lee nodded. Experimentation would be is only guide for now. But his resources were limited and he needed certainty in combat in order to win. Lee closed his eyes and made his choice. You have gained a Level! Your Vigor has increased by +1 He checked his Stamina next. Stamina 15/15 Great¡­Three whole points, he thought sardonically. He¡¯d need to increase his Constitution much further to have a decent pool of stamina to work with it seemed. But still, three points was three points and that equated to an extra attack. Lee spent half his remaining Essence to save his memories again. ¡°Stick with raising Vigor for higher Stamina. -Lee¡± You lose 12% Essence. Memory Saved. As the crystal formed, Lee realized there were now two of them lying on the stone floor. One now obsolete. ¡°What do I do with this?¡± Lee asked, pointing to his older memory. The Keeper tilted her chin, examining it. ¡°Well, since you¡¯ve already saved a more recent memory, I suppose it isn¡¯t of much use to you anymore.¡± ¡°Yes, I know,¡± Lee said. ¡°And it cost me a lot of Essence to create as well.¡± The Keeper shrugged with a smile. ¡°Such is the nature of saving your memories. It¡¯s a chance you take either way.¡± He sighed. ¡°Yes, I suppose. Nothing guaranteed me winning against the lizard again.¡± ¡°Your strength will guarantee you in the future. And your skill. The more confident you are in your abilities the less you may need to save.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Perhaps he shouldn¡¯t have saved again. But with only 23% Essence left after leveling, the cost was cheap. He would have to use that as a strategy in the future. Save when the cost was low. ¡°So what about this one then?¡± he pointed to the older crystal. ¡°Can I regain Essence from it?¡± ¡°No¡­it only has value if it¡¯s a memory you do not already own.¡± ¡°So what do I do with it?¡± ¡°I can keep it for you, if you wish,¡± the Keeper said. ¡°Just in case you, for some reason, you ever return here without a stored memory. I would always have it to give to you.¡± Lee shrugged. ¡°A good enough use for it, I suppose.¡± As the Keeper picked up the crystal and dropped it into a pocked within her robes, a new thought occurred to him. ¡°Do you per chance have any other crystals upon you? Ones that perhaps you may have saved for me before?¡± She blinked at him, apparently surprised by the thought. ¡°Why¡­I honestly don¡¯t know. Let me look.¡± The Keeper checked several pockets within her robes and his heartbeat sped when she finally produced a large purple stone into her hand. ¡°Could this be one perhaps?¡± Small Memory Gem Contains a special memory or message. His heart sored with elevation as he took it from her. ¡°It must be.¡± The Keeper smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad. I¡¯m sorry. I did not remember I had that at all.¡± Lee studied the purple gem a moment. It was certainly different than the memory crystals. Where the crystals were yellow and rough like natural diamonds, the gem was instead refined, polished with an amethyst hue and cut in an oval shape. What sort of memory could this be? His past perhaps? Who he truly was? ¡°I¡¯m going to use it,¡± he said. ¡°It must have been important if I gave it to you to keep.¡± ¡°Yes. Assuming it was you who gave it to me.¡± Lee furrowed his brow. ¡°What?¡± ¡°There are other Chosen Ones. Perhaps it could be the memory of someone else.¡± That thought gave him pause. ¡°Can I use someone else¡¯s memories?¡± The Keeper shrugged. ¡°A memory is a memory.¡± ¡°What if it¡¯s your memory?¡± The Keeper blinked. ¡°But I¡¯m not a Chosen One. I can¡¯t save memories like that. Don¡¯t be timid. I have a good feeling about it. I know my duty is to aid you. I don¡¯t think I would give anything harmful to you. Perhaps it¡¯s even knowledge of how to open the door and rid the curse from this world.¡± Lee nodded and rolled the gem in his palm. It could be someone else¡¯s memories. It was a different color, after all. Was that significant perhaps? Although in reality, even if they were thoughts from his past self and not someone else, his past self was as distant from him now as being another person anyway. There was some freedom in being a blank slate, he admitted. Free to choose whatever path he desired, independent of his past. But the memory could hold some kind of warning or advice as well. Or knowledge of how to open the door as the Keeper had said. Knowledge was power here. Memory was power. ¡°I¡¯m going to use it,¡± he said. ¡°Are you certain?¡± Lee nodded. He crushed the gem in his palm and the world faded around him. Chapter 5 Something dripped hot and wet between Lee¡¯s fingers as he clutched his side in pain. Blood now strained the silver armor of his breastplate a deep red. His Heath was depleting slowly. At less than 10% now. The world around him was a tumult of fire, thick with clouds of choking, sulfurous smoke. Huge mountains of dark shale stretched towards a fiery red sky above him and a constant blast furnace heat, drenched his skin with sweat. He stumbled as he ran, kicking piles of bone and scorched pieces of armor scattered across the ashen surface of the ground. There had to be hundreds of corpses here, all of them charred beyond recognition, some still in their final poses of demise. I shouldn¡¯t have come¡­ The ground trembled beneath his feet, with what felt like an earthquake. It quickly stopped and then resumed again, and Lee realized that they were footfalls. Risking a look behind him, Lee glimpsed a towering figure over thirty feet tall. It was humanoid in shape, with legs like a goat, the chest of a man and the head of a massive bull with downward turned horns. Its red skin burned with fire and within its hands was a giant iron maul that looked big enough to crack one of those mountains apart. The monster sighted him and released an ear-shattering bellow, causing Lee¡¯s mind to scramble. Then with a speed he did not expect, it sprinting towards him with thee quick strides, consuming the huge distance between them in an instant. Lee narrowly dodged to the side with a roll as the massive hammer came crashing down upon the place he¡¯d been, throwing both ash and himself high into the air. He managed to roll again as he hit the ground, avoiding more damage but consuming the last of his Stamina bar. The giant behemoth struck the ground right next to him again and while luckily avoiding more damage, he flew through the air to end up upon his back. His heart pounded with fright as tried to scurry away. He would soon die if he did not heal. Raising his hand, Lee noticed his arm was thick and muscular, not spindly as he remember it to be before. He summoned his mana and casted a spell. Green light enveloped him as the bull demon roared and quickly raised his hoofed leg to stomp. You use Restore. You regain 50 health. The blue mana bar in his vision decreased to zero and his health went from 10% to perhaps a third. But it wasn¡¯t enough. His choice to heal instead of roll cost him dearly as the hoof descended and shattered both of his legs. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Pain exploded through his body as his Health bar dropped to a sliver of red. Desperation and anguish took hold as he focused on the bull headed beast, its nostrils flaring as its completely white eyes stared directly into his soul. I¡¯m dead. About its neck, Lee saw what he had come for. On a thick chain dangled about the creatures neck was a golden medallion¡ªa circle, with spiked ridges along its edge. Curse the hells, he though. I wasn¡¯t strong enough. The bull demon raised its maul to crush him into oblivion. He shouldn¡¯t have come. Not yet. But it was too late now. The demon swung and Lee pressed his hand into the ash, forming his last thought into a brilliant purple gem. * * * Lee blinked startled, emerging from the vision. His heart thundered in his chest and he gasped for breath. You learned the spell: Restore Restore The Sages of Elkheim were obsessed with the preservation of ancient relics and artifacts. One of their greatest creations was an incantation that could reverse the flow of time, which they used to preserve many relics from antiquity. Ironically their greatest creation could not preserve their own legacy and the knowledge of the Elkheim Sages has been lost to history, the only proof of their existence being the Restore spell. Minimum: Will[5] Cost: 5 mana Effect: Recovers a small portion of Health Lee took in the words hovering before him. ¡°What did you see?¡± the Keeper asked, peering at him intently. ¡°Did you regain any memories?¡± He looked into her big blue eyes, now full of curiosity and interest. ¡°I learned a spell,¡± he said. ¡°From the memory?¡± ¡°Yes, I think so.¡± ¡°What Spell was it?¡± ¡°Restore.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The Keeper smiled and clapped her hands together. ¡°That is a very good spell to possess. Very rare. There are not many ways to heal injuries in Moerdraan. It would perhaps make sense that you would entrust something so valuable to me.¡± Lee thought a moment about what he had experienced. ¡°I¡¯m not certain that memory was my own. I didn¡¯t look the same within it. At least, I don¡¯t think so. And although I could experience it, it felt more like a dream than a memory.¡± ¡°Perhaps it was from another Chose One,¡± she said. ¡°Which in that case, you are especially fortunate. As I said, the ability to heal is not something common in this world.¡± The though had never really occurred to him before, as he¡¯d simply died as a result of his injuries before. He had no idea how long it would take to recover from an injury here. ¡°I saw I was able to heal myself magically with this spell. How would I do so without it?¡± ¡°As I said before¡­nothing here truly lives or dies. No amount of time will heal your wounds. Returning here will always restore you fully however, as will death of course.¡± ¡°So this spell is the only way?¡± ¡°No, there are other means,¡± she said. ¡°Other spells. And an item known as the Sands of Time.¡± ¡°An item? Where would I find that? Do you have any?¡± She shook her head. ¡°The Chosen Ones always carry a pouch of it. They are the only ones who can. Are you certain you don¡¯t have any?¡± Lee looked down at his bare loincloth. ¡°I¡¯m quite certain.¡± ¡°Have you checked you mark? It is able to store items.¡± ¡°Store items?¡± ¡°Yes and armor and weapons as well.¡± That sounded fantastical, but even as he thought of it, new words floated into his vision. Status Skills Spells Equipment Inventory ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about this before?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the Keeper said, smiling sweetly. ¡°I barely remember these things myself. It seems I only remember them when you prompt me to. Perhaps I was asleep far longer than I realized.¡± Lee chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll remember to prompt you more often then.¡± He looked over the new list of options to see what they did. Status brought up his list of attributes that he was common with seeing before. Under spells he had the Restore spell listed and the only skills he had listed was Club at level 1. He focused on Equipment next and a string of text appeared. Right Hand: Bone Club [1.5lbs] Left Hand: Head: Neck: Chest: Arms: Ring1: Ring2: Earring: Legs: Waist: Dirty Loin Cloth [.5lbs] Feet: Item 1: Item 2: Item 3: Item 4: Burden: 2/10 lbs It was strange that he could view his possession like this. It was also a stark reminder of how naked he was. He focused on inventory next and his vision opened up a grid of squares. Most were empty but one held something that looked like a small sack. As he examined it, more information appeared. Sands of Time Charges [2/2] Restores a small amount of Health and Mana. Charges restored upon Death or Return. An ancient blessing of the gods that allows time itself to replenish what was once lost. Do you wish to equip this Item? Yes, Lee thought. The item disappeared and with a flash a small pouch appeared on his waist. Item 1 equipped: Sands of Time Lee¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°How is this possible?¡± ¡°The Chosen have many powers,¡± the Keeper said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t remember them all. But I trust you will discover them in time.¡± Lee harrumphed. ¡°I sure could have used this earlier. Having this pouch would have been saved me from dying all those times.¡± ¡°You have it now at least.¡± The Keeper grinned at him. ¡°Yes, I suppose you¡¯re right.¡± Lee stood and pondered what to do next. He¡¯d just been granted two very powerful abilities. But one required five points of Will to use, which he didn¡¯t have and the other, while it had two uses, required him to either Die or Return to restore them. ¡°What does it mean to Return?¡± ¡°When you sacrifice all your Essence to return here perhaps?¡± Lee frowned. ¡°You don¡¯t know for certain?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not certain of anything for certain.¡± She grinned at him playfully which caused him to smile. He couldn¡¯t waste one of the uses or his Essence to test the theory. But it did make the uses of the Sand that much more precious. To refill them he¡¯d have to sacrifice either half or all of his Essence. Definitely not something to use warily. ¡°Who devised all of this?¡± Lee asked. ¡°These rules? This mark?¡± ¡°A very strange god perhaps,¡± the Keeper said with a chuckle. ¡°In truth it no longer seems so strange to me. It just is. The same as the undead curse which plagues this land. What truly can be considered strange anymore when you no longer live nor die?¡± Lee pondered that a moment. She had a point. This world was some kind of hell and whatever devil devised its machinations could be doing so purely for amusement. But to survive it, he would have to abide by those rules all the same. At least until he could find a way out. And indeed he may have already found it. Lee looked to the stone door and the indentation shaped like a sun. ¡°That memory showed me where I can find the key to that door,¡± he said. The Keepers blue eyes opened widely. ¡°It did?¡± He recounted the vision he¡¯d had of the bull demon and the talisman about its neck. ¡°Do you know of any such creature or place?¡± ¡°I wish I didn¡¯t, but yes,¡± she said. ¡°That sounds like the Guardian of the Smoldering Vale.¡± ¡°Can you send me there?¡± ¡°Not directly,¡± she said. ¡°But I know it¡¯s to the south of the forest.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s where I¡¯ll go first,¡± he said. ¡°Once I¡¯m ready.¡± * * * Lee spent the next few hours killing the lizard. He was tempted to raise his Will to 5 in order to use the healing spell, but being able to avoid the lizard and kill it more easily took precedence. He focused on increasing his Vigor instead. He had to kill the lizard twice to gain his first point. The first time he killed it, he gained 80% Essence for a total of 91%, right back where he started again. It was amazing how more confident he felt fighting the thing though, knowing that he¡¯d defeated it once before. He got in a surprise first strike as before, but with the added Stamina, was able to kill it much faster and more safely. The time after that was even faster, but the Essence gained dropped from 80% to 70%. After spending the Essence on another point of Vigor, he killed it again with even more ease. He repeated the process with the gain for each kill dropping each time. 60%, 50%, 40%, 30%. He managed to get his Vigor to 5 at that point and had a balance of 11% Essence left. He considered killing it again, but if the Essence he gained from the lizard continued to lessen, he might not earn enough for another point before it started to give nothing. That would be wasted effort. Although he did gain another 3 points in club skill, bringing it to a total of 4. That was useful as he seemed to kill the lizard more quickly with his bone club now. But as easy as killing the lizard was becoming, he was still taking a risk each time. And he clearly needed to kill something stronger if he wanted to become stronger himself. ¡°I believe I¡¯m ready now,¡± he said to the Keeper once he¡¯d saved his memories to a crystal. ¡°Please open the gate to the forest.¡± The woman nodded and waved her arm, causing the portal to appear within the archway again. A tremble of fear ran down his spine as he peered into the murky setting beyond. As bleak as this place seemed, it was cheery compared to what lay beyond that gate. A dark forest filled with monster and the unknown. ¡°Good luck, Chosen One.¡± The Keeper bowed to him. ¡°I hope you visit me again soon.¡± Chapter 6 Transitioning through the portal was like awakening from a dream. One moment Lee was under the dull, overcast sky of the Keeper¡¯s domain and the next it was night. Cool grass ticked his toes as a light breeze blew through the trees around him, gently rustling the leave in a soft whisper. The forest around him was comprised of thin-trunked trees. All of them were equally spaced. A young, planted forest? Or an orchard perhaps. Words slowly hovered into Lee¡¯s vision. The Decapitation Woods Lee frowned at the name. Was this the true name of this place? Or perhaps it was the name whatever devil producing those words wanted him to think? It didn¡¯t matter. He needed to grow strong enough to defeat that giant bull demon, retrieve that medallion and then he¡¯d be free of this place entirely. Or so he hoped. A resounded thock! echoed through the night air. Lee froze at the sound and straining his eyes, peering into the darkness. As he waited for his eyes to adjust he heard the sound again¡­but closer this time. His heart pulsed in his ears as he tried to figure out what it was. Finally he saw movement in the distance and the sound repeated itself. Thock! Thock! Choking up on the shaft of the Bone Club, Lee slowly ventured towards the sound. He rounded a tree and paused when he finally saw what was making it. Not ten feet from him was a naked man, hewing down a tree with a large hatchet. But even more disturbing than him being naked, was that had no head. The unnerving sight caused Lee¡¯s blood to run cold. You gain 1% insanity! You have witnessed an unspeakable horror that has made you aware of the incomprehensible truth of existence. He must have moved or screamed, because the headless corpse suddenly stopped chopping the tree and its bare, blackened torso turned to face him. Lee expected it to somehow scream or shriek at him, but instead it soundlessly, ran towards him, which was somehow even more terrifying. His heart leapt as the headless corpse raised its axe. Lee turned and ran, trying with all his might not to scream. But failed. He didn¡¯t know whether his screams would alert any more of these headless horrors, but somehow he couldn¡¯t stop himself. He risked a look over his shoulder and saw the thing still sprinting after him, the hatchet still held high at where its head should be. What are you doing? Lee told himself. Fight! Somehow the strange spell of panic wore off and Lee turned to face the monstrosity. He released a yell and brought his club down hard with a Savage Cry. And missed completely. For not having a head, Lee somehow assumed it couldn¡¯t see him, but the thing reacted with a celerity that was unnerving. It spun to the side avoiding his strike and as his club landed in the grass, the monster struck a blow of its own. Blood erupted from Lee¡¯s mouth as the hatchet found purchase in his back, puncturing his lung. He gasped for breath as his Health dropped to less than a quarter. This thing was going to kill him in two strikes! The corpse took a fair amount of effort to remove the hatchet from his back and Lee took more damage as the heavy blade pulled free. His Heath was a sliver. He was nearly dead! Lee wheeled with his club and somehow managed to hit the corpse on its side. The hit barely reduced its health by a quarter, but it was enough to cause the creature to leap away from him and Lee rushed to make use of the small reprieve. He fumbled for the small pouch at his waist, searching for the Sands of Time. He had no idea how to even use it. Was he supposed to eat it? Sprinkle it on his wound? As he finally got his hand into the pouch, he felt the grains of coarse sand within, cool to the touch. He withdrew a handful and as soon as he did, the sand flashed into a luminescence green effervescence that sprayed across his entire body. You used Sands of Time You regain 12 Health! He instantly felt refreshed, the pain subsiding and Lee¡¯s heart filled with relief. But it was short lived as the hatchet wielding corpse struck again. Even while leaping to the side, the blade nicked him and reduced his health with a nasty gash.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Out of the corner of his eyes, Lee saw two more headless corpses sprinting silently through the trees. His blood ran cold. You gain 2% insanity! Lee screamed and shook it off. He wouldn¡¯t survive this. He did the only thing he could think to do next. He ran in the direction he had come and pressing his hand to the ground, saved his memories right before the three corpses butchered him to death. * * * Lee shuddered as the memories came back to him, the small crystal he had found next to him, shattering in his grasp. The headless corpses. Even as he thought it, he heard the subtle foot falls of the three horrors walking away from him and into the darkness. He was thankful that they had wondered away from him while he respawned. If he had respawned in the midst of them, they would have killed him before he had a chance to use the crystal. That would have sent him back to the Keeper and he would be forced to use the older memory from before. That in itself would be a huge setback. That would be something he would have to remember in the future. He needed to find a relatively safe spot before he risked a save while being pursued. But that thought paled compared to this new attribute hovering in his vision. Insanity: 3% Insanity? What madness was this indeed? He gained that just by seeing those creatures. As he focused on the word more, new information appeared. Insanity Once exposed to the horrific truths of Moerdaan, the mind must either be strong enough to endure or fracture as a result. Ironically, the scales of sanity and insanity are equally balanced when it comes to the Arcane. When one¡¯s Will is overcome by maddness, madness itself will suffice. Lee pondered the cryptic description. What exactly did that mean? But he had scant time to think as another thock! sounded in the distance. He needed to get through those things. Lee eyed his 5% Essence. Should he save now to be safe? No. If he died again he wouldn¡¯t gain the experience of his failure. If he got into trouble he¡¯d have to run and save at the last minute just like he did before. Only then could he make true process. He took a bit of comfort in that and girded himself as he prepared to face the headless corpse again. He tried to keep a fair distance from it and this time baited it, just as he did the lizard before, throwing a small stone. The corpse turned to him You gained 1% insanity! Dammit! Again? He let out a scoffing laugh, but quickly managed to slap a hand over his mouth. He turned and ran before the corpse reached him, running back to the place where he would hopefully save again if he died. Lee turned just as the hatched swung and he ducked below it. He stuck back with his club and slammed one of its legs. It buckled and the creature fell to one knee, but was still at over three quarter¡¯s health. Lee took advantage and hit it again on the shoulder, taking another sliver off, but when he tried for another hit, it swung at him and sunk its hatchet into his thigh. Lee cried out, and slumped to the side, half his health gone. How was this thing so fast? Perhaps it was his lack of Agility. And if that was the case, he would always be doomed to lose to this thing. He needed to find another way. Lee stumbled towards a tree, turning his back to it, waiting for the creature to strike. It shamble towards him¡­a soundless, hideous sight. It raised the hatched and Lee threw himself to the side at the last moment. The hatched barely grazed him again, taking a bit more of his health but the hatched did exactly what he hoped it would do, and embedded itself deep into the tree trunk. Lee wasted no time spinning about as the creature fought to free the hatched from the tree. He bellowed with a Savage Cry, feeling the satisfying crunch of breaking bones with his blow. But the thing still wasn¡¯t dead yet, sitting at just over a third Health. Lee barely had five Stamina left. He gambled with it with a second Savage Cry. Please Die! The heavy blow caused the corpse to fall to the ground, the hatchet fell with it. You killed the Woodcutter! You regain 230% Essence! You find a Woodcutter¡¯s Hatchet! Lee blinked in amazement at the announcements as the white mist filled his tattoo several times. So much Essence for one kill? It was no wonder the creature was so hard to kill. And there were more of them. He was already pondering which Ability to raise twice with his newfound power, when the reality struck him. ¡°Hells be dammed,¡± he muttered. He would need to find a way back to the Keeper to use it. And he barely managed to kill just one of these things. He¡¯d still need to kill the other two, plus find a path back to her. Whatever that meant. Lee sighed. ¡°At least I have this now,¡± he said reaching down for the hatchet. Woodcutter¡¯s Hatcher Attribute: Strength [C] Dexterity [C] Minimum: STR:3/2 Speed: C Damage: C Weight: 2.5 lbs That looked a lot better than his bone club. As he grabbed it another message appeared. Woodcutter¡¯s Hatcher You do not posse the minimum attributes to wield this weapon proficiently. Speed and Damage will be greatly reduced. Do you still wish to equip? Lee frowned. This world was starting to annoy him. Sucking his teeth, he without thinking, stored the weapon in his inventory and the Hatchet vanished. He paused. How did he know how to do that? Perhaps there were things he knew how to do intuitively? Or was he remembering? A thock sounded in the distance. Damn¡­ had it respawened already? Or was it one of the others? Either way, he was down to half Health and Lee was loathe to battle another one of those creatures without being more powerful somehow. And he noticed his insanity did not wear off after his death either. It was now sitting at 5%. He did not want to think about what might happen once that got higher. And it seemed to do so every time he saw one of those corpses. If only he could spend this Essence first. Lee sat in the damp grass and contemplated it. If other Chosen Ones, or even himself had done this before¡ªbecoming strong enough to even reach that Guardian demon¡ªthen they had to have overcome a challenge as simple as this somehow. There had to be a way. He listened to the rhythmic chopping of the trees for what seemed like an eternity and then finally a realization struck. When he died, he didn¡¯t lose his Essence. He lost his memories, but not his Essence. He¡¯d only lost half his Essence before because he had spent it to save his memories beforehand. But if he saved his memories here, he¡¯d only reappear here as well. If he died without saving here, he would reappear back with the Keeper with all his Essence still intact. But then he¡¯d only have his old memories to guide him. No knowledge of any of this experience. He might not even know about the Hatchet in his inventory, the same way he didn¡¯t know about the Sands of Time. Hells he might not even remember the sand itself. That thought frightened him. He didn¡¯t want to lose his memories. That felt like dying for real. And he couldn¡¯t imagine facing all this for the first time all over again. But what was the alternative? To return to the Keeper with his memories, he¡¯d have to sacrifice all his Essence¡­so then what would be the point? He¡¯d be back there with nothing to spend. He sighed again, but then something clicked and a smile crept onto his lips. ¡°Return¡­¡± Lee said, closing his eyes and the world slowly faded and his Essence dropped to zero. Chapter 7 Lee awoke slowly. All around him was hard gray stone. A gray sky above. A woman knelt at his side. His breath caught when he looked upon her. She was beautiful¡ªice blue eyes, a perfect face. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Welcome back, Chosen One,¡± she said. Chosen one? Before he could say anything further, she thrust something in his hand. ¡°Here, you told me to make sure you used this as soon as possible.¡± As she did so, Lee¡¯s memories came flooding back. He remembered sacrificing all of his Essence to return to the Keeper. He¡¯d found himself in the center of the archway structure then, standing before the black door, his memories completely intact. The Keeper had been surprised to see him return that way, but he quickly rushed to perform the next part of his plan. Wielding his club he slew the lizard, regaining 30% Essence and then used half of that, saved a memory next to the Keeper. That was all he remembered. But he knew the next part of his plan. He would then travel back through the gate and kill as many of the Woodsmen as he could before he was slain. And then he would resurrect next to the Keeper with all his memories gone but his essence intact. The crystal he had saved would then restore his memories and prompt him what to do with its message. ¡°If you are reading this, it means you were successful. Check your status. -Lee¡± He checked his status. Name: Lee Level: 6 Essence: 637% Strength: 2 Dexterity: 1 Agility: 1 Vigor: 5 Constitution: 1 Will: 1 Insanity: 13% ¡°Haha!¡± he yelled out loud, startling the Keeper. ¡°It worked! I¡¯m a damn genius!¡± ¡°Did it?¡± the Keeper smiled back sheepishly. ¡°Well¡­I¡¯m glad! Whatever it was.¡± ¡°Hells be damned!¡± He grinned incessantly. ¡°I must have killed four or five of those freakish things. Wish I could remember, but then, that¡¯s the price of advancement. Full price! Haha!¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± Lee explained what he¡¯d done and the Keeper smiled. ¡°Well that was quite clever.¡± ¡°And now I need your help, dear Keeper.¡± He opened his inventory to equip the Hatchet and was surprised to see four of them there now. It seemed there was no limit to what he could hold in Inventory, only a limit with what was equipped. He picked one and equipped it, getting the same message that his Abilities were too low. ¡°I need to raise my Strength and Dexterity high enough to wield this,¡± he said. ¡°Very well.¡± The Keeper took his hand and bowed her head slightly. ¡°Go on.¡± Lee increased his Strength to three and his Dexterity to two, spending 200% of his Essence and raising his Level to 8. With his remaining 400% Essence he increased his Agility to 5. He must have gotten fairly proficient at killing the Woodcutters. Or perhaps he¡¯d simply killed the same one over and over again. But either way, he wanted more Agility to avoid their attacks in the future. He tried cutting the air with his new Hatchet and was thrilled with how much lighter it felt in his grasp. He dashed to the side, avoiding a phantom blow, and without thinking tucked into a quick roll as he hit the ground, increasing his distance. He rose to his feet slowly, perplexed. When had he learned to do that? He tried it again and was able to dive into a roll as if he¡¯d been doing it his entire life. ¡°What are you doing?¡± the Keeper asked. Lee laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t know! But I like it.¡± Must be the Agility, he realized. He couldn¡¯t perform many rolls before his Stamina was spent, but he felt far more equipped to deal with the woodcutters now. Lee checked his remaining Essence. Essence: 37% Lee pondered a moment. So long as he saved his last memory here. He could do this again. He laughed out loud. ¡°I¡¯m a genius!¡± he declared again as he saved his memories. ¡°Keeper!¡± ¡°Yes, Chosen One?¡± ¡°Send me back to the forest¡­¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. * * * Lee remerged in the dark forest with a new sense of strength and confidence filling him. He trekked forward to find the first woodcutter, homing in on sound of its hatchet chopping the tree. But as he saw the headless corpse, the same sense of aversion hit him again, despite his new abilities. You gain 1% insanity Curse this, he thought. His heart was filled with unnatural fear, but he used it as fuel to charge at the creature instead of running from it. He swung at the headless corpse just as it turned to him and caught it squarely in the chest. The thing staggered, losing nearly half of its health and Lee used the time to dislodge his new weapon from its ribcage, spilling black blood on the grass. It raised it¡¯s hatched to chop down at him from above and Lee dove to the side with a roll avoiding the attack by a great measure. He laughed aloud at how much more proficient he¡¯d become. There was no way the corpse could hit him now. That 5 Agility had made all the difference. He rose to his feet with new confidence and avoided another attack before striking the corpse with another solid blow. You killed the Woodcutter! You regain 180% Essence! Axe Skill increased by 1! You learned the Weapon skill ¡°Double Strike¡± Double Strike? He liked the sound of that. Lee practiced with the air and burned 7 points of Stamina to strike twice in the space of one hit. Very nice. But a risky maneuver as well if he didn¡¯t have enough stamina. It appeared he would need to increase his Vigor more as well. At this rate it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. He could kill the woodsmen with ease, although this one gave far less Essence than before. He wondered if perhaps his own increase in strength played a role. It would make sense. Just like with the lizard, the stronger he became the stronger the foe he needed to defeat to gain more strength. Lee ventured deeper into the forest and finding the other two woodcutter, slew them with ease. As there appeared to be no more, he rested by a tree and waited for them to respawn. In the silence he heard a new sound. A rhythmic creak and moan, like a bar door swinging open and closed. He headed towards the sound and arrived at the edge of a tall cliff. Below him was several acres of cleared land. In the center was several large wooden buildings, exuding soft lantern light. One of them also had a large windmill attached, its canvas covered blades slowly turning in the soft breeze. They were big enough that they stretched from the buildings and to nearly where he was stood upon the cliff. A lumber mill¡­ Outside the buildings, huge stacks of logs were stockpiled as well as piles of cut and trimmed wood. All about them Lee spotted more headless corpses. Some were moving about while other stood as still as the corpses they were. He counted at least ten of them and all within close proximity. He looked for a way down into the mill and following the curvature of the cliff saw that it slowly spiraled towards a fenced entrance far below. A great source of Essence, but with so many so densely packed together, he would be easily overwhelmed. He would need a lot more Stamina to take on so many. Thankfully he had a much easier source of Essence to strengthen him to that point. Lee waited for the thock! of the woodcutters to reappear and then wielding his hatched, went back to work in the woods. He skirted around them and saved his memories at the entrance of the woods, before killed all three once more. When he finally did return, he¡¯d need to remember that lumber mill. He waited and repeated the process again, storing over 500% Essence and gaining 5% more insanity before eventually allowing the last woodcutter to kill him painfully. Lee endured it as a smile crept across his lips. He¡¯d solved the puzzle of this world. He was a genius. And then he died. * * * Lee stirred and immediately gasped as he took in his surroundings. The sky above him was a brilliant blue and the smell of sweet grass wafted through the air. To his left stood a marvelous temple, made of ornate white stone pillars and arches. Above it was a domed roof made of copper that had weathered to an emerald green. Trees with white flower petals for leaves creaked gently in the breeze and created a mock snow as they dropped their litter upon the soft grass. What was this? He wondered. Am I in a dream? ¡°Chosen one?¡± Lee looked towards the voice and saw a maiden dressed in a brilliant white robe. Her face was exquisitely beautiful and her golden locks were adorned with a small glowing crown. There was an aura about her as she waked towards him and she frowned as she knelt by his side. ¡°Are you well, Chosen One?¡± she asked. ¡°Who are you?¡± She pushed something into his hand and it snapped with a pop. ¡°You must stop this at once! Do not go back to the forest to hunt the woodcutters. It was a mistake! You must find a way to rid of us of this madness! ¨CLee¡± As the words appeared so too did his memories. Lee recalled himself reawaking several times from killing the woodcutters in the forest. And each time he would have more essence to grow stronger. He could not remember what he did when he went back to the forest, but it was clear he was able to kill those woodcutters with increasing ease. He¡¯d returned with about 500% Essence each time. But then there were times when he returned with nothing at all. Over and over. And the messages he¡¯d received was the same as he was reading now. Don¡¯t do it. Don¡¯t hunt them. ¡°What have I done wrong?¡± He checked his status. Name: Lee Level: 28 Essence: 228% Strength: 3 Dexterity: 2 Agility: 5 Vigor: 8 Constitution: 5 Will: 11 Insanity: 57% What? Level 28? How long had he been doing this? But then he saw the figure that chilled him the most. 57% insanity. He looked again to the maiden, the beautiful trees and the wonderfully restored temple. This wasn¡¯t how it was before. This wasn¡¯t real. Couldn¡¯t be real. Was it? He laughed. ¡°Who the hell cares? I love it! It¡¯s much better than before!¡± The Keeper flinched away from him, her eyes wide. Her reaction pulled him back to himself. What am I saying? He looked again to his Attributes. 11 Will? He must have tried to counter the madness at some point. But it obviously wasn¡¯t working. He was stronger now, but at what cost? He checked his inventory next and saw over a score of hatchets there and a few other items as well. How long had he been trapped in this loop? It was frightening. Even simply having an ideal like this could doom him to an eternity of hell. Even one as pretty as this, he thought as he took in the surroundings again. He suddenly thought of the door. Had it changed as well? Lee stood and approached the stone archway in the center of the temple. The door had indeed changed. Where it was once pitted and crudely etched before, it now gleamed smooth like a black mirror. As he drew closer the symbols engraved themselves before his eyes, flashing into existence with a white glow. The indentation of the sun shaped medallion also glowed as it came into being and words floated into his vision. Door of the First Eldritch Seal [Sealed] You do not possess the key to open this door. It is fabled that Chiron, the Guardian of the Smoldering Vale was entrusted with the means to break this seal. Lee blinked. These words definitely hadn¡¯t existed before. But it was confirmation of both the vision he had seen through the purple gem and what the Keeper had told him. This Bull demon, Chiron, was the means to unlocking the seal. But what exactly did First Eldritch Seal mean? ¡°Well, well¡­¡± Lee glanced upward, startled by the unfamiliar voice. His heart jumped as he saw a tiny blue skinned woman perched atop the archway of the door, no bigger than a crow. ¡°It¡¯s about time you woke the hell up,¡± the miniature woman said. ¡°Lee¡­¡± Chapter 8 Lee stared incomprehensibly at the strange being before him. She was indeed no bigger than a crow, but had the proportions of a fully grown woman. Like a doll. She was naked save for a cluster of black feathers or perhaps scales that just barely covered her breasts and loins. Her ears were pointed and poked through a mane of wild black hair. Behind her, two bat-like wings remained folded as she peered down at him with a bemused smirk on her black lips. ¡°You know my name!¡± he said. ¡°Of course I do,¡± the tiny demon woman¡ªor at least, that¡¯s what Lee presumed she was¡ªsaid. ¡°You tell me it every time I damn well see you!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± the Keeper asked, suddenly appearing at his side. Lee looked at the Keeper and then back to the demon woman, who was now shaking her head at him. ¡°You can¡¯t see her?¡± he asked pointed to the demoness. The Keeper smiled at him weakly. ¡°I see no one.¡± Perhaps he truly had gone mad. ¡°She can¡¯t see me, Lee,¡± the little demon lady said and then sighed. ¡°How many times must I have this conversation with you? And besides, even if she could see me, her memory is worse than yours. She can¡¯t remember your name no matter how many times you tell her¡­the clueless dope.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t call her that!¡± ¡°Call her what?¡± the Keeper asked, looking even more perplexed. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Lee looked to the Keeper. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, Keeper. There¡¯s a little devil that only I can see perched atop the door. I¡¯m having a conversation with her.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± the Keeper said, eyes widening. ¡°Well. I¡¯ll let you enjoy your conversation then.¡± And with that she departed, eyeing him warily, no doubt confirming him to be completely mad now. The little blue woman snickered. ¡°I suppose seeing you make a fool of yourself every time is sort of worth the torture.¡± Lee¡¯s eyes narrowed at the little woman. ¡°Who are you? How are you able to remember me? And why can only I see you? Is it from my insanity? Are you actually in my head?¡± ¡°Calm down, Lee,¡± she said, rising from her perch on the edge of the doorway and standing to her full, one-and-a-half foot height. ¡°My name again is Lilith and no I¡¯m not in your head. I¡¯m also not a devil. I¡¯m a Wood Sprite and I didn¡¯t just appear. I¡¯ve been here the entire time. You just couldn¡¯t see me.¡± She then added with a sigh ¡°¡­as usual.¡± ¡°Why? How am I able to see you now? Is it to do with my insanity?¡± ¡°Yes, I suppose,¡± she said. ¡°Although I don¡¯t know why you keep calling it that. To me it just means you¡¯re finally awake.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s what it says it is.¡± ¡°Yes, I know you keep saying that too. And now you¡¯re going to ask me how to get rid of it, right?¡± ¡°Well¡­yes, I was¡­ do you know how?¡± ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m not going to tell you how just yet.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lee shouted. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯ll forget about me again when you do.¡± Lee blinked. ¡°Forget about you? Do you mean I¡¯ll die?¡± ¡°No you won¡¯t die. It¡¯s not like with the crystals that make you remember again. You¡¯ll forget only me. Which is very annoying, because I¡¯m forced to remember you every time.¡± Lee frowned. ¡°You make it sound like something bad.¡± ¡°Watching you bumbling around with no memory is bad. You don¡¯t even remember saving me do you?¡± ¡°Saving you?¡± Lilith sighed. ¡°Always the same¡­¡± ¡°When did I save you? How?¡± ¡°You saved me from the headless woodcutters. My wings were injured and I was stuck in a tree. They were chopping it down and then you killed the woodcutters and freed me.¡± ¡°I did?¡± The blue woman nodded. ¡°Yes, then we found a pathway back to Sanctuary and I¡¯ve been able to live here ever since.¡± ¡°Sanctuary?¡± She shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s what you called it.¡± Lee looked around at the beautiful blossoms. ¡°I suppose the name does fit.¡± He looked at to the Sprite. ¡°You said we found a pathway back here?¡± ¡°Yes, you found it actually,¡± she said. ¡°You said you saw something shining in the distance. We found a glowing rune behind some buildings that were in the middle of the forest. When we entered we both appeared here.¡± ¡°Buildings?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He didn¡¯t recall seeing any buildings, but clearly they existed. ¡°I need to find that pathway.¡± Being able to return to the Keeper and enhance himself without dying would be a major achievement. Being able to cure his madness would be an achievement also, but he had merit. Being insane seemed to have its advantages as well. ¡°So I was only able to see you and that pathway by being insane?¡± ¡°Not insane,¡± Lilith said. ¡°You were simply awake. Or that¡¯s what I call it. You can see everything that I can. Including me.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Lee against looked at the peaceful scenery. ¡°Is this reality though?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my reality,¡± she said with a little shrug. ¡°When you go to sleep you forget everything and can¡¯t see it anymore.¡± ¡°When I go to sleep?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how I remove your insanity,¡± she said the word facetiously. ¡°I cast a spell on you that puts you to sleep. And when you awake, you will recover yourself, but forget about me¡­ entirely. It¡¯s very annoying.¡± She rolled her eyes as she said the last part. ¡°How long have I been here¡­¡± he asked. ¡°¡­asleep in your eyes?¡± She looked upward thoughtfully placing a finger on her chin. ¡°There¡¯s no way to measure time here, but I¡¯ve seen you die many times¡­ like very many¡­like a lot.¡± ¡°Fine, I get it,¡± he said with chagrin. ¡°What can you tell me about this place? This door.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re always trying to open it. And maybe for a good reason too. As for this place, I don¡¯t know what it is or even how I got here. But I feel like I¡¯ve been here a long time.¡± Her eyes then glossed and became a bit distant. ¡°Before you saved me¡­I remember being in a nightmare in that forest with those headless men. They killed me¡­over and over.¡± Lee recalled his own experience with the lizard. Was it the same? Could she not truly die? ¡°Are you a Chosen One, like me?¡± Lilith regarded her hands. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. I don¡¯t have the mark you have. But like everything else here, I don¡¯t think I can truly die either. Or perhaps I already have¡­and this is place is really hell.¡± Her words caused a deep knot to form in his stomach. He didn¡¯t want to think that perhaps this was some un-escapable hell, but in truth, it was the best way to describe it. ¡°Can you recall anything from you past before this?¡± he asked. Lilith shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s all a blank. I only have memories from after you saved me. And¡­thank you for that by the way. For saving me. I know you don¡¯t remember me saying it before, so I thank you every time you remember me again.¡± The way she said it caused his heart to drop. He truly didn¡¯t want to forget her, and it saddened him that he had forgotten her so many times already. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I don¡¯t remember you,¡± he said. ¡°I know. You always say that too.¡± Lilith sighed. ¡°I know it¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s this horrid place.¡± An uneasy silence fell between them as Lilith stared down at the ground. Lee finally smiled and tried to lighten the mood. ¡°Well, you¡¯re welcome, I suppose.¡± It still felt odd being thanked for something he didn¡¯t even remember doing, but she was proof that he had saved her, he supposed. The thought made him sigh inwardly. How much else had he done in this world and simply forgotten? How long had he really been here trying to open this door? Lee looked to the Keeper who was now resting under the shade of the trees. He knew in her reality the place was still made of hard, barren stone. If this was truly a hell, then this illusion was more than simply that. It was a comfort he could ill afford to lose. ¡°How can I make her see all this too?¡± Lee asked. ¡°To see what we now see?¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why you both can¡¯t see it. You keep saying it looks like ruins here to you.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he said. ¡°It normally does.¡± ¡°Perhaps what you¡¯re seeing is the illusion then,¡± Lilith said. ¡°Have you ever considered that?¡± Lee pondered it. If not for his Insanity sitting at 57% he might consider it. But no, this world had rules and it was telling him that what he was seeing shouldn¡¯t exist. Right? He wondered if that meant the same for Lilith as well. Was she possibly not real? But she certainly seemed like a real person to him. Plus she remembered him. A memory was the only truth to this world it seemed. ¡°Even if your reality is an illusion,¡± Lee said. ¡°I prefer it over what¡¯s normally here. If there¡¯s a way to make this a reality without going completely insane, then I¡¯m going to do it.¡± Lilith laughed. ¡°Yes, you say that every time too.¡± Lee chuckled. Perhaps that was something to consider for later. But for now, finding that pathway back to Sanctuary would be his next goal. ¡°Is there anything else you can tell me about the pathway? Where it is exactly?¡± ¡°It¡¯s so long ago now,¡± she said. ¡°But I remember it was behind a building that had huge wings.¡± ¡°A building with wings?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how else to describe it,¡± she said. ¡°But I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find it. Look for the glowing rune.¡± ¡°All right,¡± he said. ¡°And then afterwards you can cast your spell and remove this insanity from me, yes?¡± ¡°Well¡­for me to cast sleep upon you, I¡¯ll need some of your essence as well as a branch from the forest.¡± A branch? That reminded him of something. Lee checked his inventory again and saw several branches stored next to the hatchets, the other item he had glimpsed when checking his inventory before. He focused on one of them and the branch appeared in his hand, which was actually more like twig. ¡°You mean this?¡± Sacred Branch A purifying item that can cure any illness, even those of the mind. The great forest spirit, Yggisil is said to inhabit the branch of every tree within the forests of Moerdraan. With luck, even a small branch such as this, may contain some of her vital Essence. ¡°Yes,¡± she said and fluttered down towards him, landing on his shoulder. ¡°I can use that branch to allow you to sleep. But you don¡¯t want me to do that now, do you?¡± ¡°Well no,¡± he said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to find that pathway then. Or even remember this conversation with you, I suppose. But what happens if I become fully insane? I don¡¯t want to risk that either.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°But you always said it probably wouldn¡¯t be good.¡± Lee nodded. ¡°I¡¯d probably become like one of those monsters.¡± Lilith nodded with him. ¡°Probably.¡± He sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll need to find this pathway back before I do.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Lilith said smiling. ¡°That means I¡¯ll have some company for a bit longer. It¡¯s terribly lonely when it¡¯s just me and the Keeper. I can¡¯t even talk to her, so it¡¯s like being forgotten already.¡± Lee pondered that a moment. ¡°I wonder if there is a way for me to remember you somehow.¡± She chuckled. ¡°You always say that, but you never do. Anyway, I¡¯m always here, even if you can¡¯t see me. Try to remember that at least.¡± She then flew off his shoulder and landed atop the doorway again. ¡°So what will you do now, Master Lee?¡± ¡°Master?¡± The Sprite shrugged. ¡°Well, you seem to be the only one able to do anything here and you are the Chosen One. So that makes you in charge, I suppose. So what will you do?¡± Lee chuckled at that. ¡°I¡¯ll find that pathway back to Sanctuary first and then I suppose I¡¯ll need to sleep. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll run into more monsters while doing that, so I¡¯ll have to be quick.¡± He eyed his Insanity level. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much more I can endure before I go completely insane.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Lilith said, her ears perking up. ¡°There¡¯s something you may want to see before you go. Even though you¡¯ll likely not remember it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Climb atop the door. I¡¯ll show you.¡± Lee did so, finding easy handholds on the stone pillars. ¡°What are you doing?¡± the Keeper called to him as he climbled. ¡°Looking at something,¡± he called back to her. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what yet.¡± ¡°Oh¡­all right then,¡± she said, waving back to him cheerily. As he climbed to stand atop the doorway, Lee could finally see over the ridge of stone that formed a natural cul-de-sac around the temple. The area was actually much bigger than he first realized, or perhaps it was bigger with the illusion, a good acre or more. Lilith fluttered to his shoulder again and then pointed into the distance. They appeared to be at the top of a small mountain plateau several hundred feet high. A sheer cliff face extended to a barren wasteland below; gray sand and dead trees¡ªwhat he was used to seeing here before. But beyond that was something he¡¯d never seen before entirely. What had to be several miles away was a sea of black bodies that extended in all directions as far as he could see. Lee spun about as a sense of dread filled his soul. He could barely make out what they were exactly, but he could see movement. Huge black bodies, moved slow and lumbering like in the distance, encircled them. Talons, claws and teeth flashed, black scales and skin. ¡°What are they?¡± Lee asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Lilith said shaking her head. ¡°But they are always there.¡± As Lee watched, he noticed they didn¡¯t approach any further than where they were. There seemed to be something that prevented them from coming any closer, but as for what, Lee couldn¡¯t tell. ¡°They¡¯re trying to get to us, I think.¡± Lilith said. ¡°I can feel their hunger.¡± That caused Lee¡¯s stomach to drop and a slow sense of panic filled him. ¡°Those things are why I think this place may actually be hell,¡± Lilith said and then she looked downward at the door. ¡°And why opening this, may be our only means of escape.¡± Chapter 9 Lee entered the forest with a renewed sense of purpose. He wasn¡¯t simply bumbling around in the darkness as before. He had a goal and an even greater sense of urgency. He needed to free them from this cursed world and the sooner the better. He noticed a gem at his foot and crushed it. Visions of him killing the woodcutters appeared, but then something else appeared in his mind. He saw the building with wings. Lee laughed. ¡°A windmill! The logging camp!¡± It was odd. The memories blended into his thoughts like recalling a small fact he had simply forgot before. He needed to get down there. The way pathway back to Sanctuary lay within that camp. Lee dashed through the forest, quickly dispatching the headless woodcutter who ran after him. He didn¡¯t gain much Essence from them now, less that 5% each, but to his surprise his Insanity didn¡¯t increase either. That¡¯s a relief, Lee thought. Perhaps raising his Will above 10 had made some kind of difference. A threshold maybe? And if that was the case, he didn¡¯t have much to fear from the woodcutters with the camp. Lee traversed with wide arc around the edge of the forest and towards the front of the logging camp. A dilapidated wooden fence sagged around the perimeter, the rough timbers that made it worn gray with age. The wooden panels of the barnlike windmill were also weathered; giving the impression a living soul had no entered it for years. The blades of the windmill turned slowly as he approached; the tattered canvas on each one also well worn. At this distance the creak of the wooden gears echoed loudly through the night air. It would make hearing anything creeping up upon him almost impossible. But thankfully it would also mask his own steps as well. Lee rounded the side of the windmill and encountered a few more woodcutters, but again they no longer posed much of a challenge and he felled them with swift chops of his hatchet. He ventured towards the side of the mill that was against the cliff face and there, right below where he had been standing atop the cliff before was a symbol glowing in the darkness. It looked much like the one upon the black door, the pictograph of a sun. As he approached it messages appeared. Acquire visage? Yes, Lee thought and the rune flashed. He felt something in his hand and looked to see a perfectly round sphere of glass now resting in his palm. He examined it further and could see a tiny windmill within it. So this is a visage, he thought. With it he could no doubt return directly to this spot, bypassing the woodcutters in the forest. He decided to save his memories and press further to explore the logging camp. The woodcutters were tightly spaced here and he had to take on two or three at a time to clear them out, but eventually he did so killing about a dozen or so. Thankfully his Insanity didn¡¯t increase anymore. With the woodcutters temporarily cleared, he found he could keep the camp relatively free of the things by killing only one or two of them as soon as they respawned. He kept doing that, as he looked around the place. There were two more wooden structured inside the camp, smaller than the main windmill, the size of small huts or sheds. Lee approached the first shed with his hatched raised at the ready, prepared to find more headless woodcutters waiting within. The double barn doors at the front were slightly ajar and as Lee edged closer a horrendous smell caught his nose. For a moment he glimpsed a dead dog lying in a muddy ditch, its body blackened and bloated in a hot summer sun. A small boy was next to him, clinging to his arm¡­crying. And then it was gone. Lee paused. Was that memory? He tried to conjure the memory again, but it eluded him, the image vanishing like a fading dream. Damn it! His heart heaved as the thought disappeared, a part of him dying with it. Was that a memory from before he¡¯d come here? Of who he truly was? That boy? Was it his son? It grieved him to think such thoughts. No. He couldn¡¯t focus on them now. He focused on the door again. Perhaps he could find a way to regain his true memory somehow, but for now, he needed to be ready for whatever was waiting to leap out at him from behind the door. Using the tip of his hatched Lee flung the door open and then raised his hatched to strike. A cacophony of human screams hit him, mixed with the sound of a million flies as they flew out of the shed. Lee stumbled backwards and his Insanity jumped by 8%. His mind numbed as inside the shed a decomposing pile of disembodied heads stared back at him, their mouths agape and screaming endlessly. Lee scrambled to his feet screaming in horror himself. He had little time to make sense of what was happening, when another sound drew his attention. From behind him a massive bang came and he turned to see the barn doors of the main lumber mill fly open. Pale lantern light spewed from within, silhouetting a gigantic naked form with no head. Mill Horror The words along with a huge Health bar appeared in his vision atop the twelve foot tall monstrosity as it charged at him, wielding a rusted saw in one that had to be nearly half its height. Lee froze for a moment as his Insanity increased another 10%. The saw flew outwards in a wide arc and Lee barely managed to avoid it with a roll, the rusted blade swiping the air where he neck would have been. Panic and instinct kept him rolling, burning his Stamina as the headless Mill Horror began chopping at the ground where he¡¯d just been. Its movements were shockingly quick for its large size and Lee all but panicked again when the thing stopped attacking the ground and turned about to look for him.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. His heart thundered in his chest. Could he defeat this thing? Perhaps he should run and save? The screams of the heads continued full pitch, adding to his madness as the creature ran at him again. Lee dodged again as the Horror attacked, burying the end of the saw into the ground with an overhead strike. He wasted no time trying for an attack himself, making it count with a Double Strike from his hatched. The two cleaves drew dark black blood, but its Health bar was reduced by only a fraction. The weapon skill also caused him to deplete his Stamina far more than he realized. The Horror spun about, freeing its saw from the ground and striking him with full force across the chest. The blade nearly tore his torso in two and he cried out in agony. Health: 2/30! You are bleeding! His Health was at a sliver, but thankfully he was still alive. Instinct told him to run, but he wouldn¡¯t get far. Not while bleeding. Lee reached instead for the sand. His Heath jumped back half to half as the green effervescence soothed his wound. But he couldn¡¯t take another hit like that. Even at full health it had nearly killed him! He¡¯d have to heal once more. Lee reached again for the sand and healed to full just as the Horror swung at him again, but this time he was too late to dodge. Mill Horror cleaves you! Health 3/30! You are bleeding. ¡°Curse the hells!¡± he screamed in agony while reeling backwards from the blow. He recovered just barely and managed to roll out of the way as the Horror went into a fit of rage, striking the ground repeatedly once more. Lee used the time to get to his feet. He was out of sand. He thought to run, but again he wouldn¡¯t get far with this bleeding. Already it dropped his Health by another point Health: 1/30! Lee raised his hand and shouted, ¡°Restore!¡± Green light swirled around him and a blue bar he hadn¡¯t noticed before dropped to zero. His heath however pegged at full and his pain ceased instantaneously. You restore 29 Health! ¡°Thank the gods,¡± he whispered. Lee choked up on the handle of his hatchet as he prepared to face off against the Horror again, the battle seeming to have been reset. But he was the clear loser thus far. He had gone through all of his restorative items and abilities and had barely don¡¯t any damage to the Horror whatsoever. A familiar sense of despair struck him. It was the same he¡¯d felt while in that vision fighting the Guardian Bull Demon, Chiron. He was too weak. He was about to die. He shouldn¡¯t have come. He wasn¡¯t strong enough¡­ ¡°Yet,¡± Lee told himself, shrugging off the despair. He didn¡¯t know whose memories those were, but they were not his. He would never give up so easily. He would prevail. He mentally trigged himself to return, sacrificing his Essence. But nothing happened. Worlds formed his vision. The Mill Horror prevents your escape! ¡°Damn the Hells!¡± he cursed. He had to run. Spinning about Lee did just that, sprinting for the glowing Sun rune on the face of the cliff. His legs burned with his depleting Stamina as the ground trembled beneath his feet, the footfalls of the Mill Horror falling fast and heavy behind him. The screams still rang out behind him as well, but he dared not look. He reached the rune and willed himself to return to the Keeper. The Mill Horror prevents your escape! What? Lee turned about just as the creature swung for his head. He gasped and leapt into a roll and the rusted blade cut the air and embedded itself in the side of the mill. The world seemed to stop as Lee gambled his next move. He could save here, but when he died, he¡¯d have only very old memories to rely upon. No knowledge of the forest at all, or even the visage he¡¯d just obtained. Plus he¡¯d be nearly fully insane as well. Would he even leave the Sanctuary? Gritting his teeth, Lee brought his hatchet down upon the Mill Horror as it struggled to free its blade from the side of the barn. It worked with the woodcutters, it could work with him. He got in four or five good hits, taking it down to three quarter¡¯s Health before it freed its rusted saw. Lee backed away from the Horror breathing hard, allowing his Stamina to recover while waiting for it to attack him again. His heart was pounding, but surprisingly not with fright. His focus was absolute. He would kill this thing. He had too. If he failed, he¡¯d lose far too many memories to recover. He¡¯d rather be stuck in a memory-less loop of madness and ignorance than to try and accomplish all this again. He had to succeed. The thought spurred him on and when the Horror struck with downward chop Lee rolled to avoid it and sprang to his feet to take a swipe of his own, but just one. The hatchet chop took off just a sliver of its health. But that was enough. Don¡¯t get greedy, he told himself. He backed away as the Horror recovered and he repeated the process, baiting it into attacks, avoiding them and getting a quick hit in before backing away again. It was working. He got it down past half health without taking a single hit himself. But when he looked at his own Health bar, his heart leapt with panic again. Health 24/30 What in the hells? Another point dropped. Was he still bleeding? Internally perhaps? He thought of the description on the branch. It said it cursed all ailments. Perhaps he needed to use it to cure the bleeding as an ailment instead of just healing. His heart rate sped as he realized he could no longer fight this as a battle of attrition. He needed to kill this thing¡­quickly. Lee kept the process going, luring the Mill Horror slowly towards the barn again. He got it down to just one quarter health, but was down to just under half himself. He needed to end this. Backing towards the barn, Lee waited for it to attack him again, and then flinched to the side at the last moment. As predicted, it buried its saw deeply into the side of the barn again. Now! He thought. Double Strike! Double Strike! Double Strike! Lee unleashed all three Weapon skills in a matter of seconds, draining his Stamina pool to zero. The creature seemed staggered udder the massive onslaught of damage and it sagged wearily on the hilt of its saw blade while Lee recovered by resting his hand son his knees. But it still wasn¡¯t dead. Perhaps just a hit or two left. The Horror recovered before he did and pulled its saw blade from the barn with a shower of slinters. Damn the hells, he thought. He barely recovered 5 points of stamina when it swiped at him with the blade. Lee dove into a roll, but towards the Horror and not away from it as before. The blade swept over his head and he sprang to his feet at the last moment with an attack. His hatched cleaved the giant horror in its thigh and all at once, the screaming heads from the shed, fell abruptly silent. The Mill Horror slid to the ground, the saw blade falling from its grasp as words appeared in his vision. Horror Slain You killed the Mill Horror! Your recovered 1450% Essence You find a Mill Horror Sawblade! You find a Mill Owner¡¯s Key. As the items appeared on the ground, the body of the Horror slowly evaporated into white mist that entered the tattoo on his hand. Lee fell to his knees exhausted, breathing heavily. All at once the extreme risk of what he¡¯d just done came flooding back to his mind, but also the elation of having succeeded against the odds. No not odds. It wasn¡¯t luck that led him to survive. It was precision, patience and strategy. He laughed out loud in his victory. He had overcome. ¡°Is someone there?¡± Lee paused at the sound of the voice. It was faint, a good distance away wherever it was. In the absence of the screaming heads, the silence was almost eerie, with only the sound of the creaking mill filling the space. Perhaps he was mistaken? But then he heard it again, a woman¡¯s voice just barely audible above the churning of the gears. ¡°If someone is there,¡± she said. ¡°Please help me¡­¡±