《TwinSoul: Fractured Mind》 Chapter 1: You can’t die in the Safe Zone, but you sure can hurt. Chapter 1: You can¡¯t die in the Safe Zone, but you sure can hurt. He awoke into a world of black. And then color. And then shapes. Shapes which soon became sharper and crisper. He recognized cold stone walls of brick, illuminated by flickering torches that cast eerie shadows. WELCOME ISAIS. The words were gone as quickly as they arrived, and he blinked in confusion. ¡°What is an Isais?¡± he asked out loud, words bouncing off the walls. That¡¯s you, idiot. He screamed and jumped. ¡°What in seven hells!¡± he shouted, spinning in a circle, fists clenched. ¡°Where are you?! Show yourself, fiend!¡± I¡¯m in your head fool. Calm down. Isais stopped his spinning, though his heart still raced. ¡°Is this a dream? I¡¯m dreaming.¡± Maybe. I know how we can find out. See that rock? Isais couldn¡¯t say exactly how, but he knew exactly where the voice in his head was looking. ¡°I see it.¡± Pick it up and hold it against your hand. Isais did so, his brow ruffling in confusion. ¡°How is this¡ªahhh!¡± Without warning twelve legs burst from the sides of the rock, a small head dug its pincers into his skin. Isais threw it into the dark where he heard it land with a splash. ¡°What was that?¡± In his head he heard the voice laugh. That was a rockmuncher! Well, at least now we know you¡¯re not dreaming. Isais held his hand up to his face and inspected the small wound that was even now beginning to swell. He shook his hand with a mix of anger and embarrassment. ¡°Is it poisonous?¡± Venomous. ¡°What?¡± Venom is passed on by bite, not poison. ¡°Oh. Well, that¡¯s good to know I sup¡ª wait. Is it venomous??¡± Isais got the feeling that if the voice in his head could shrug his shoulders, it would have done. Possibly. I guess we¡¯ll find out. If you don¡¯t die, we can safely say it¡¯s probably not venomous. In the meantime, we should get you some clothes. ¡°Die? Clothes?¡± Isais looked down. Only then did he see he was almost completely naked, except for an unflattering white loincloth tied around his waist. Well, this day just kept getting worse. ¡°Where am I?¡± Looks like a dungeon. Or a sewer. ¡°But where?¡± Vermasse. Vermasse. The name was familiar. Awfully familiar. Vermasse is the world, idiot. Isais closed his eyes, rubbing at the corners with a finger and thumb of one hand. He desperately tried to remember, but no matter how hard he tried nothing would come to him. His mind was empty aside from a few scenes that were nothing more than colorful blurs that darted around his empty head, too fast to be caught or viewed. ¡°How did you get inside me?¡± I would like to know the answer to that one as well. In the depths of the tunnel, somewhere too dark to be seen, came the sound of something sharp scraping against rock. As if small animals were scurrying in the distance. Move. ¡°What?¡± Move. Now. Go! Isais moved slowly through the darkened tunnel, suddenly feeling very vulnerable thanks to his nudity. The scratching had fallen silent, the only sound now was of his heart hammering in his ears and running water growing deeper beneath his feet. Torches lined the walls every so often, flickering valiantly against the dark. As he continued onwards, however, the torches grew less and less frequent. He stopped. From somewhere up ahead came a smell that turned his stomach. It filled his nostrils and reminded him of death. Hesitantly, and with shaking fingers, he withdrew a torch from its bracket and held it before his face. The twisting shadows that it created now followed him through the dungeon shaft. The scurrying and scraping noise was beginning to grow louder. When it comes, you must use your power. ¡°What the Pasht are you talking about?¡± Isais regretted speaking immediately. His voice sounded unnaturally loud and the narrow tunnel carried it lord knows how far. And then it came. At first, Isais struggled to see what was rushing towards him. In the dark was a fast-moving ball of grey, red pinpricks that could have been eyes darted from wall to wall. Suddenly the dungeon was alive with a terrible screeching noise. Isais flinched, throwing his hands to his ears. Too late he remembered the torch. It fell from his hand, falling into the water now swirling around his feet where it quickly sizzled and died. The world went completely dark and Isais suddenly discovered he was blind. Nicely done. ¡°What do I do?¡± his voice shook. Follow the eyes. Isais frowned and then remembered. Two red dots approached in black. Kill it! Fear tore through him as he searched frantically in the dark for a weapon, hands searching in the foul stream. You are the weapon you fool! Magic! Use your magic! Magic? Isais stood, unsure what to do he thrust out a hand and shouted. ¡°Die!¡± Nothing happened. Pasht¡¯s balls. Think it. Imagine it. Will it! Think it. He thought hard about the creature now circling him and what he could use to possibly kill it. Imagine it. He imagined forces around him rippling, twisting and building. And then¡ª firing! Will it. Isais willed it. He willed with all his mind. Stretched his arm as far as it could go, and then stretched some more. He willed and willed the energy to manifest itself, to banish the evil creature before him. Still nothing happened.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. And then the creature leaped. It happened with a screech that turned into a growl. Isais stumbled back as the red eyes cannoned towards him. Losing his footing, he fell hard. His back hit the cold stone floor and as water quickly rushed over him. Something sharp tore into his arm as he threw it up for protection. Isais screamed and cursed and beat at the creature. But it was hopeless. He was too weak. He needed strength. Suddenly something started to change. He felt forces ripple over him. Through him. Centering on him. The force was pulled from a thousand strands from a thousand corners of his brain, building and building into a giant ball in the empty space of his mind. And then he released it. The creature squealed before Isais felt it knocked from him. As it flew through the air, its teeth tore at his skin painfully. Dizzy and dazed. Isais quickly pushed himself to his feet and scanned the black for any sign of those glowing red eyes. But they were gone. Good work, said the voice in his mind. Isais shook his head in disbelief. ¡°I did it. I did it! Holy cow. Was that magic?¡± It was. ¡°I feel it. I feel so strong!¡± He held his hands in front of him, expecting to see arms built of rippling muscles. But he could still see nothing through the dark. You must let go. ¡°Let go?¡± Release it. The power you feel. Isais wasn¡¯t sure what the voice meant but then, slowly, the energy ball in his mind started to disintegrate. As it faded away it left Isais feeling tired and suddenly very aware once more of his surroundings and the danger he was in. Something else flashed in his mind then. "What the hell was that?¡± Isais asked as the image quickly faded away. Your attributes. You leveled up your willpower. I thought you¡¯d like to see. ¡°Levelled up my willpower? What are you talking about? Show me again!¡± The image flashed up once more at the forefront of Isais¡¯ mind. He could see it clearly now, though none of it made any sense. ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± his voice trailed off softly. This is the essence of you. It represents your power. It is part of who you are. ¡°Part of¡­? You mean there is more?¡± Another image flashed up then, clear and almost tangible. It was somewhere between the front of his mind and the back of his eyes, yet he almost felt that if he reached out a hand he could touch it. It was so close, though he knew it couldn¡¯t really be there. Name: Isais Albion. Race: Human. Corrupted Twinsoul. Primary: Willpower Mage Secondary: Berserker Soul. Statistics-¡ª ¡°Whoa! Before you show me anything else, I want to know what this means. Corrupted? Twinsouls?¡± That would be me. ¡°But you¡¯re not real!¡± Aren¡¯t I? ¡°No!¡± Has it occurred to you that only you can hear me? That if anyone were to see you know you would be talking to yourself? Isais collapsed into a sitting position. He didn¡¯t care that the water now ran over his naked body. He didn¡¯t care about anything at that moment. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± You will. Now look. Name: Isais Albion. Race: Human. Corrupted Twinsoul. Primary: Willpower Mage Secondary: Berserker Soul. Skills Will: +1 Kinetic: 8 Physical: 2 Battlefield Aura: 0 Psyche: Luck: 2 Intelligence: 11 Charisma: 4 Fortitude: Strength: 3 Constitution: 4 Dexterity: 2 ¡°This is crazy! Whatever this is, it¡¯s not real. None of it is.¡± Weariness was beginning to overtake him, nausea built in his stomach. He was suddenly hungry, and then repulsed by the thought of eating at the same time. Rubbing at his eyes, Isais pushed a palm into his head. ¡°I need to lie down,¡± he muttered. No. Don¡¯t rest. You must keep moving. ¡°Keep moving? Look at my arm! I could have been killed! Laughter. Not in here, it¡¯s impossible. Your health can¡¯t drop below 1 in the safe zone. ¡°Health? Look at me, I¡¯m losing blood!¡± It¡¯s a flesh wound. Now you can¡¯t die here but you can feel pain. A lot of it. So move! And so, he did. He headed back down the tunnel, clutching his left arm to his chest, his hand trying to stem the blood now dripping freely. It stung and throbbed¡ª a constant reminder that he was not alone down here. For a few moments he was walking blind. Terror in his chest warned him of enemies that did not exist. When the first torch came into view, he breathed a heavy sigh, racing for it. In the flame¡¯s light, he could see that the tears in his arm were jagged and swollen with red blood. And yet they were not as bad as he expected. Relieved, he removed the new torch and returned to the spot where he¡¯d earlier been attacked. He saw the creature that he had killed then. Mottled grey fur, patched and torn to reveal horribly pink flesh beneath. Kneeling, Isais thrust the torch into the creature¡¯s face. It was a mistake. The face was a thing of nightmare. Small jagged teeth below a pink nose and beady eyes that still glowed faint with red energy. Sewer rat. ¡°What?¡± That thing that caused you so much stress and trouble was just a sewer rat. Gods you¡¯d better improve fast or this is going to be a short run. ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means, and I don¡¯t want to know.¡± The voice laughed. Isais ignored it, stepping over the dead rat he pushed on. The tunnel widened, two narrow platforms opening up either side of the steady stream of water. They were dry and Isais leapt for the left most one. Something caught his eye then. The light of his torch caused it to glisten softly in the dark. Leaning into it, Isais was surprised to see it was some sort of treasure chest. ¡°What?¡± Open it. Isais did so. Amazingly the lid flipped open, a small rusted lock falling away. The sound of creaking hinges echoed throughout the chamber and Isais¡¯ ears twitched, expecting at any minute to hear the sound of screeching rats once more. When nothing but silence hovered in the dark, Isais breathed out heavily and peered inside the chest. ¡°Well, this is suspiciously lucky,¡± he mumbled, pulling out a brown pair of tattered trousers and a white tunic. There was a hat and gloves too, but Isais decided to skip those. Instead he reached for an equally old pair of leather boots. They fit his feet well, which only heightened Isais¡¯ weariness. Feel any different? ¡°Not really. A bit warmer.¡± Hmmm. Disappointing. Still, it should mean nothing big is coming for us anytime soon. ¡°Enough with the cryptic messages. My nerves are already shot.¡± And then, as if the Gods themselves were laughing at him, the sound of more screeching filled the tunnel. It came now from all around. Above. Below. The left. The right. Isais span and span, but could make out nothing in the dark. Prepare yourself. He did. Reaching out desperately to pull energy from within his body, balling it in his mind. He waited. And then waited some more. Left! Isais spun, handing lashing out reflectively. Energy rippled from his palm and a pair of red eyes were thrown backwards into the dark with an inhuman screech. Grasping the torch in his injured arm he waited some more. He could feel himself growing more tired, his very body pulling him towards sleep. He resisted, keeping his mind¡¯s energy ball as collective as possible. Sound behind him and he span again, and again another creature was flung into the depths of whatever hell Isais found himself in. At the same time a third leapt at him. With no time to draw power, Isais lashed out with the torch. Flames licked at the beast, catching on its fur. A terrible, shrill howl rendered the air around him as the rat rushed screaming for the water. Isais collapsed onto his hands and knees, sweating building on his head. You mustn¡¯t rest. Not yet. You¡¯re so close. ¡°How the fuck do you know?¡± Isais hissed. Be calm. Anger is an after effect of human magic. ¡°If you say so.¡± Though he knew the voice was right. He felt more irritable than ever before. With a groan, he pushed himself to his feet. Something gold caught his attention. Will: +1 Fortitude: +1 ¡°Not now,¡± he growled, shaking the image from his head. The tunnel widened yet again, lightening as it did so. But it wasn¡¯t Isais¡¯ torch that bathed the sewer in light. A hole in the roof up ahead let in a bright beam of white sun. ¡°Thank the gods!¡± A fresh burst of energy powered him forward and he collapsed gratefully into the sunbeam, feeling the warmth on his face. The door. Breathing out heavily, Isais turned and saw the great slab of stone the voice in his head generously referred to as a door. Sunlight rested upon it, showing the years of moss that had grown upon the otherwise grey rock. Approaching it, Isais set his shoulder and pushed. It didn¡¯t budge. Not even slightly. Not even a creak. He tried again. ¡°No good.¡± And then, hammering it with is fist he shouted, ¡°no good!¡± Calm. Look for the puzzle. ¡°Puzzle? Of course there is a puzzle. Why wouldn¡¯t there be damn a puzzle!¡± Feeling foolish for his outburst, but putting it down the lingering magic still in his veins, he began to search near the door. It didn¡¯t take long to find it. Looking to the door, Isais saw then two separate dials carved into the rough stone. He touched one, running his finger over the engraving. When it came to the middle symbol, Isais was surprised to see that it moved. ¡°Well what do you think that means?¡± But no answer came.
Chapter 2: Pit Fiend vs the Berserker Something moved in the dark. Something big. It pulled Isais¡¯ attention from the dials in front of him. Heavy footsteps grew closer, half plodding, half dragging along cold stone. Dudsscrsst-dudsscrsst. Dudsscrsst-dudsscrsst. Dudsscrsst-dudsscrsst. ¡°What is that?¡± A shadow fell briefly across the pool of light cast by the break in the sewer roof. Isais squinted his eyes, instinctively taking a step back. And then another, until his back was pressing up against the cold stone door. Something white came into view, ambling awkwardly. A skeleton, stripped of flesh and muscle and tendon, only a few loose strands of hair falling lank from a polished head showed any sign of the human it once was. ¡°How¡­?¡± Isais¡¯ mouth dropped, hanging agape. Bones clattered against one another, no muscle to tie them together suggested some clumsy, unseen force was all that kept this creature from being a pile on the ground. Like a poor puppet whose master pulled wildly, recklessly on its strings, the skeleton lumbered and lurched. Arms shot out in wild jerking motions, its mouth opened and closed and opened again. Porcelain white head swiveled, left and right and all the way around. Toe bones click-clacked, knees bent unnaturally, forcing the creature low to the ground at an awkward angle before it somehow righted itself. It would have been almost comical if it weren''t for the unsettling pulse of evil that seemed to emanate from it. Despite its lack of coordination and grace, it still moved slowly, inexorably, towards Isais. Ready your magic fool! Isais jolted as if from sleep. So caught up had he been on the unusual thing that he had forgotten the danger it represented. Slamming shut his mouth, he began to concentrate, drawing energy from within himself. There was noticeably less than the last time he had done it. Be quick! Something bigger lurks behind it. Panic swelled in Isais then and he released the force too soon. There was a small bang and a pile of bricks exploded from the wall a few feet to the left of the bone creature. Isais cursed himself. He suddenly felt very sick, his stomach rising up into his throat. Building more power became difficult, anger clouded his head. Anger at his miss, anger at the situation he had been thrust into, anger at the voice that lurked inside his very body. Focus! Isais focused. The skeleton was only two lengths of an arm from him now. He raised a hand, picked a spot on the thing¡¯s ribcage. And released. Shards of white rendered the air. Isais squeezed shut his eyes and raised a hand to protect his face as small fragments of bone tore into his skin. When he opened his eyes once more, the skeleton was nothing more than a broken and shattered jumble of osseous matter. Suddenly overcome with fatigue, Isais collapsed to the floor, resting his back against the slab of a door that still lay between him and what he hoped was a respite from all this. He swallowed a lump of nausea and yelled. It was a sound more animalistic than human and its contents were pure emotion. Anger, fear, confusion, and despair warred inside of him. He had no idea how he had ended up in such a nightmarish situation. Dudsscrsst-dudsscrsst. The thud-scraping cut his scream off. ¡°No,¡± he whispered. ¡°No. I killed it!¡± His arms shook, legs trembled as he staggered to his feet. Though if it was fear or exhaustion that made him shake he couldn¡¯t tell. The dial. Open the dial! Of course. Quickly, Isais began to poke and prod and turn. Nothing happened. Panic swamped him. Focus. You can do this. He breathed in a heavy breath, felt his chest rise and fall. Some semblance of calm returned to him. What did it mean? Dudsscrsst-dudsscrsst. He ignored the sound. Concentrated on the puzzle before him and frowned. It was more than a simple message, he knew that. It held answers. Answers that he so dearly needed. His eyes hovered over the symbols. And then it hit him. The symbols were for man and woman. Him and her. But they were more than that. They were arrows! The eye had to represent ''find''. And stop? Could it be the skull? Was he supposed to kill someone? Allowing himself a small smile, he turned first the left, then the right dial and stepped back. He waited. Dudsscrsst-dudsscrsst. And waited. Dudsscrsst-dudsscrsst. Dudsscrsst-dudsscrsst. ¡°It has to be right!¡± He shouted when still nothing happened. Dudsscrsst-dudsscrsst. Dudsscrsst-dudsscrsst. Dudsscrsst-dudsscrsst. And then another sound punctured the air. A beautiful sound. The sound of long-unused machinery coming to life with a whir and a clunk and a whizz. With a grown, and ever so slowly, the door began to move. Dudsscrsst-dudsscrsst. Dudsscrsst-dudsscrsst. Dudsscrsst-dudsscrsst. Dudsscrsst-dudsscrsst. Isais spun, just as the monster¡¯s shriek tore the air. It towered over him, filling the pool of light that dripped through the roof. Isais tried desperately to pull at the energy within himself, but all he ended up with was the pounding protests of his drained body.
PitFiend:Level 6. HP, 2,412.??Atk Power: 42??Speed: 7??Def: 25??Magic Def: 9??Agi: 2 Weakness: Fire
"What the hell am I looking at?" Isais shouted as the image flickered brightly in his mind. The thing''s stats. "Itsstats? It has stats!?" Yes, but this isn''t right. This shouldn''t be here. "What do you mean!?" His voice came out far shriller than he intended, fear stripping it of authority. You shouldn''t be able to see these! This is the safe zone, there are no stats. You should be safe here. This thing will kill you. I feel it. There is a power at work. It has brought down the sanctuary spells and this monster has crawled inside.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "It says the thing is weak to fire. Do we have fire? Can I make fire?" No.Elemental magic is beyond humanity. "Well of fuckin'' course it is."Isais looked once more to the door, the gap even now only a few fingers wide. His heart hammered against his chest, he could feel it''s flutter even in his stomach.He strained and he searched for any last lingering strand of power. What he was able to draw together probably wouldn¡¯t have given a mouse a migraine. So he was to die then. The thought of death itself was strangely untroubling, but he had no wish to die down here, in the dark, alone with this¡­thing. For ''thing'' was all he could think to describe it. A full head taller than the tallest man, green, bubbling slime made up its skin. One leg was drastically larger and thicker than the other, while three huge arms erupted from a torso of black tar. The head was the most monstrous of all, one great eye above a grotesque maw lined with teeth and a mouth that exhaled the strange tar-like substance with every breath and shriek. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± Isais croaked. The door behind him was moving too slowly. He would be dead before it opened wide enough for him to slide through, dead before he could even turn. I know. You have done well. Now it''s time to let go. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dudsscrsst-dudsscrsst. The creature took a heavy step forward. Sink into yourself. It''s my turn. Just fall into the black. I¡¯ve got this, brother. Panic almost stripped away all control, but Isais focused on the voice¡¯s words. Fall into the black? He looked inside himself. Suddenly became very aware of his body. And there, beneath the skin and the organs and the blood that pumped through his veins, he could see it. The blessed black. He let his consciousness fall. Felt it slip from his mind and down. Down, down and down he tumbled and fell. I¡¯ve got this brother. The voice gave him direction. He slipped towards it. And then his muscles were no longer his own. His body was no longer under his control. At the last, the blackness swallowed him. I¡¯ve got this brother. But the words were not for Isais alone. They were spoken from his mouth, erupting into the air as the berserker took control. It flexed the fingers of Isais¡¯ body, cracked the neck. Fresh strength poured into muscles. In front of the berserker, the sewer beast roared. The berserker let out a snarl of its own. And then it was running. But it did not run away from the horror before it. Like an arrow released from a taut bowstring, the berserker flew straight. And then it leaped. Curling its body the berserker landed in a roll, hands stretched out. When it rose to its feet again it held two broken skeleton bones in two eager hands. They were thigh bones, the top of each splintered and sharp. The berserker grinned. The beast swung. A great paw aimed at the berserker¡¯s head. Isais¡¯ head would have rolled from his shoulders if the berserker hadn¡¯t already dodged. Spinning away, the berserker thrust a bone behind it. The creature roared as Berserker felt its weapon sink through leathery skin. There was no time to savor its victory, however. Already Berserker was moving again, ducking under another mighty swipe and thrusting a splintered bone into the thing¡¯s arm. Green-black blood bubbled out of the wound. Where the blood landed, the ground hissed and burned. The second hand swung, Berserker dodged, but too slow. A small cut opened near an eye. Blood trickled down Isais¡¯ face. Berserker wiped the blood away before licking it from the back of his hand and grinned with blood-stained teeth. The beast roared. Berserker bellowed. And the two charged once more. Three monstrous arms swiped and jabbed and swatted, but Berserker was equal to all of it. He moved with controlled anger, hands a blur. Again, and again shattered bones slashed and shredded bubbling green flesh. A left hand stabbed at the giant¡¯s back, a right sliced at the smaller of the two legs. The behemoth lunged in desperation, its blood leaking to the ground from a hundred cuts. Berserker rushed at it, rolling once more and coming up behind the sewer creature. Body twisting, hands rising, Berserker brought the two bones down into the giant head of the thing before it. It howled, but it was a shrill sound and without any of its usual terror. And then it died. The two bones, now covered in the thing¡¯s blood, fell to the floor. Only then did Berserker noticed the burns from where the blood had stained his hands. Strange, Berserker thought, that the pain of Isais¡¯ body was suddenly very real. As the mad rage slowly wore off, the discomfort of a thousand scrapes and burns began to reveal itself. Everything ached. Isais¡¯ body screamed as the irritation turned to pain; pain turned to agony. One wound hurt more than all the others. Berserker saw the great cut on its stomach then. It bled freely. ¡°Fuck.¡± Berserker fell to the floor. Inside, Berserker thought he could feel Isais¡¯ self begin to struggle weakly. Up ahead the door clicked open. Berserker tried to crawl, but all strength had gone from the battered body. Eyes closed; breath slowed. Something warm began to swell and build inside Isais¡¯s body then. Berserker¡¯s eyes flickered open. There was a golden aura. It seemed to hover over Isais¡¯ broken body. And then it grew, in both size and intensity. Shapes and colors flickered inside Berserker¡¯s mind. They became words. The golden light bathed Isais¡¯ body as the wounds began to close and heal over. Berserker rose and then laughed. The laugh rose in volume and power until it became the cackle of a person on the brink of insanity. For when Berserker looked inside, there was nothing. No memory of who, or what, it was. Only the lingering flavor of Isais on the edge of a consciousness otherwise empty of identity. And yet there were some things Berseker did know. It knew of Isais¡¯s magic. It knew what these creatures that inhabited the sewer were. It knew to guide Isais. And most strongly of all, it knew that somewhere, in the world above them, Berserker had a body. Name: ????? Race: Human. Corrupted Twinsoul. Power: Berserker Skills Martial: +3 Melee: 14 Adrenaline:7 Leach:4 Psyche: +2 Intuition: 8 Rage: 11 Intimidation: 4 Fortitude: +1 Strength: 8 Constitution: 6 Dexterity: 10 Berserker laughed again. ¡°Come back, brother. I do not want to remain here any longer.¡± Somewhere in the deepest part of Isais¡¯ body, something stirred. Berserker reached down and latched onto it, pulling it up and up. As Isais came back into awareness, so to did Berserker¡¯s control fall away. Feeling came back to Isais then. He found himself standing, and confusion momentarily flooded his mind. He blinked, pushed two fingers to his temple. And then he vomited. It was impossible to tell what his last meal had been for now it was all just a brown mush on the floor. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand he paused. Was that blood he could taste? He quickly checked over his body. Despite throwing up, he found that surprisingly he felt good. Better than good. No wounds covered his arms or legs, only rips in his clothes that suggested there should have been wounds. There was a great tear in the abdomen of his tunic and his fingers scrambled at it, lifting the material. But no matter how much he probed and prodded, he could find no sign of a cut. ¡°What the Pasht happened?¡± I leveled up. ¡°What in the¡­¡± Isais jumped. ¡°Pasht¡¯s balls! I¡¯d forgotten about you! This was you?¡± Aye brother. Ah, but it was a mighty battle. ¡°Battle?¡± Behind you. And then Isais saw the horrifying sewer creature. Even in death, the thing was hideous to look upon, He felt nausea build once more, and with it came recollection. Recollection of the sewer, of the rats and the skeleton and that¡­ thing that lay before him. An uncomfortable realization struck him then. ¡°You killed it. You took control of my body,¡± Isais¡¯s voice was low- as if he couldn¡¯t believe the words he spoke. You gave me control. I took nothing. ¡°But you can control my body. My body!¡± Isais felt outraged, violated. If I couldn¡¯t, you¡¯d be dead. It was hard to argue with that. Besides, I''m always inside your body, the voice continued. "Don''t say it like that." Isais calmed himself, not wishing to dwell on the recent events. Already he had more questions than answers. ¡°What is going on?¡±He changed the subject, his previous indignation falling away. I don¡¯t know, brother. But I know that somewhere out there lies my body. Perhaps if we can find it we can undo this mess. Isais liked the sound of that very much. ¡°Do you think it has something to do with that message? ¡®Find her. Stop him.¡¯¡± He quoted. I think it has to. ¡°So what do we do?¡± Well, I¡¯m no expert but I suggest we find her. And stop him. ¡°Thanks for that,¡± Isais muttered. ¡°I guess we start there?¡± he said, pointing to the big, perfectly round hole in the wall before them where once had been a door. Outside, were a set of blackened, broken stairs. And at their top, Isais was sure he could see a sleepy, golden ray of sunlight welcoming him forward. Straightening his shoulders and clenching his jaw, Isais stepped outside into an unknown world. End of Chapter Progress: Chapter 3: Roast Rabbits and Flitter-critters When we step out of that entrance, be ready. ¡°For what?¡± For anything. We don¡¯t know what lies above. Isais grimaced. The walk up the few dozen steps had sapped him. He felt as if he hadn¡¯t slept in weeks. Berserker¡¯s level up had healed his body¡¯s wounds, but it seemed Isais¡¯ magic came from his soul. And that Berserker was unable to touch. If anything bigger than a roach came at him, he figured he¡¯d probably die. Pasht, maybe even a roach would finish him off. Isais could lie on the floor and ask it politely to slice his throat or something. Just as long as it was quick. Right now, that seemed preferable to fighting. With a great deal of effort, he took the last three steps and strode into a world of light. Immediately he threw up a hand to protect his face as his eyes, so used to the dark, strained at the glare that beat down on him. He stood there for some moments, waiting for his vision to adjust, but also just enjoying the warmth and the energy of the sun. He hadn¡¯t realized just how wet and cold he was until he¡¯d left that Pasht-forsaken sewer behind. The air smelled crisper up here too. Cleaner, free of waste. Closing his eyes, he breathed it in deeply, swallowing breaths of the stuff. Somewhere in the distance he could hear the sounds of birds calling to one another. You gonna stand there with your eyes closed all day? Fool. Isais sighed. The peace of the world had just been shattered. Tentatively, he opened one eye, blinking away water as he slowly adjusted to the sun. After a few moments he did the same with the other eye. ¡°Sure don¡¯t look like no sewer rat.¡± Isais jumped. A woman, armed with a bow and clothes the colour of the forest, strode out from the treeline and approached him. Wrinkling her nose, she sniffed dramatically. ¡°Smells like one though.¡± She began to circle him, and Isais¡¯ feet scrambled to keep up. ¡°Who are ya?¡± she asked at last, poking him with the limb of her bow as she did so. ¡°I¡¯m Isais. Who are you?¡± he replied, trying swipe at the woman¡¯s bow that still prodded him in the ribs. The woman raised a single eyebrow. ¡°Man crawls out the sewer and wants to know who I am.¡± She¡¯s pretty. ¡°Be quiet!¡± Isais hissed. The woman in front of him scowled. ¡°I¡¯m making the rules. Tell me to be quiet again I¡¯ll stick an arrow up ya arse and fire you into the nearest manticore den.¡± ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t talking to you. Sorry.¡± The woman¡¯s head spun, taking in the green clearing. The space either side of Isais was open and lined with fresh green grass. all except the north, which contained a thick forest of trees. ¡°There somebody else around here ya think ya talkin¡¯ to?¡± Isais shook his head. He was beginning to feel sick. ¡°It¡¯s complicated. Where am I?¡± he added, in as much an attempt to change the topic than actually find out where he was. Another arched eyebrow. ¡°Ya talkin¡¯ to me now, or not?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking to you,¡± Isais confirmed. I think she¡¯s a guard. ¡°Of course she¡¯s a guard!¡± Ah Pasht. Why did he have to talk out loud? He lowered his head and kicked at the grass in frustration. ¡°Who says I¡¯m a guard?¡± Ask her if she thinks you¡¯re crazy. Isais raised his head, tried to give his most charming smile. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s hard to explain. You must think I¡¯m crazy.¡± Another smile. ¡°My thinkings are beginning tuh lean tha¡¯ way, aye.¡± She has food. Look! ¡°I know that!¡± Isais snapped, eyeing the two rabbits that hung from her belt. The woman scowled. ¡°Then why¡¯d you ask?¡± ¡°No, not the crazy thing. I mean I know that you have food.¡± ¡°Food? What in pure-possums are ya talkin¡¯ ¡®bout?¡± The woman shoved her face uncomfortably close to his, eyes peering into his own as if trying to see into his brain. ¡°Ya a mighty strange one, ain¡¯t ya? Still, if ya can answer ma questions I guess I can feed ya.¡± Isais nodded,he was beginning to think her assessment of him being strange was worryingly accurate. ¡°I can answer questions,¡± he said, still eyeing the two skinned rabbits. ¡°Right ya are then. Number one- what were ya doin¡¯ in the sewer.¡± Isais cursed himself silently. ¡°Ah, well that I can¡¯t answer.¡± Forehead ruffled, she examined him with those unwavering black eyes. ¡°I see. ¡®An how long ¡®av ya¡¯ been down there?¡± Isais held his arms out apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that either actually.¡± ¡°How did ya get down there?¡± Isais frowned. ¡°Lemme guess- ya don¡¯t know.¡± Isais confirmed the woman¡¯s suspicions with a nod. ¡°Well, what are ya sure about then? Ya sure ya name is even Isais?¡± ¡°Of course my name is Isais,¡± he replied. But then, was he sure? The name had been given to him when he woke. Did that mean it was his real name? He began to feel dizzy. ¡°Well Mr Isais, Ya as mad as a Chickajed in a pea field, but ya look as if ya gonna crumple any second now. Sit here, I¡¯ll be back fast as ya know it.¡± Isais didn¡¯t need to be asked twice. He more collapsed to the ground than he did sit. Watching as the strange woman disappeared into the treeline, he lay back, hooking his arm and using it to pillow his head. If she doesn¡¯t come back, you¡¯ll have to get up again.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I don¡¯t think I will. I think I¡¯ll just die here,¡± Isais muttered, enjoying the feel of soft grass, still damp with morning dew beneath his body. Above him a creamy blue sky set the backdrop for slow moving clouds of pure white. It was quite the most beautiful thing Isais had ever seen. At least in the day or so that he had memories of. He raised his head at the sound of crunching grass. The woman¡¯s boots came into view as she returned, soft and almost knee high they appeared to me made of some sort of animal skin. Then Isais saw the rest of her slim legs, before the two rabbits at her waist- and then the rest of her. He licked his lips. ¡°That better be for the rabbits and not me,¡± the woman warned as she tossed a bundle of loose sticks to the grass before crossing her legs and sitting down opposite him. ¡°It was for the rabbits,¡± Isais said sheepishly. He had no idea how she did it, but the woman had an uncanny way of making him feel uncomfortable. As if he was always on the back food and constantly sure he was saying the wrong thing. He put it down to his exhaustion. ¡°Know how tuh make uh fire?¡± Isais hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± To his surprise, the woman laughed. It was a rich sound, pure and honest. ¡°Well why does tha¡¯ no surprise me?¡± Isais watched as she expertly and quickly arranged the sticks into a pile before drawing a sharp hunting knife from her side. She began then to cut a groove into the largest of the sticks. Isais lened closer, engrossed in the slow, sweeping movements. ¡°What¡¯s the dried grass for?¡± he asked, gesturing. ¡°Shut up and watch, sewer boy.¡± And so he did. After she was finished with the largest stick, she sharpened the point of a second, smaller one. She then began to rub the sharpened end into the groove she had carved. To Isais¡¯ amazement, the sticks began to smoke. Satisfied, the woodswoman then took the pile of grass and held it to the smoking wood, blowing on it softly. Moments later they had fire. Isais shook his head. ¡°Very impressive.¡± ¡°Ach if you think tha¡¯s impressive then ya very likely to die in these ¡®ere woods. This is child¡¯s play.¡± Isais fell silent. He was beginning to realize the enormity of his situation. Lost and alone in a world inhabited by who knew what, with nothing but the ripped clothes on his back. However, his fears quickly disappeared like their campfire¡¯s smoke on the wind, as the smell of roasting rabbit filled the air around them. Hunger, it seemed, was a sensation stronger even than fear. Impaling the two rabbits on sharpened sticks, the woman placed them over the fire on their small spits. Fat dripped began to drip into the flames, making them fizzle and sputter as Isais¡¯ stomach rebelled and lurched as if it attempted to lunge for the meat itself. His stomach bellowed then, the sound loud and embarrassing. The woman chuckled. ¡°Just a few moments longer.¡± Those few moments seemed to go agonizingly slow for Isais as his hunger and the rich smell of meat threatened to unman him. ¡°Here.¡± The woman tossed him a rabbit, still on its stick. ¡°Careful, it¡¯ll be hot,¡± she warned. Isais grabbed for the stick, blew once on the rabbit and then began to devour it. It burned his mouth and his stomach, but he didn¡¯t care. Across the fire, the hunter woman watched it happen before shrugging quietly and reaching for her own rabbit. They ate in silence, Isais finishing his meal far too quickly. To his immense gratitude the woman tossed him the rest of hers and he ate that too. Finally satisfied, he belched loudly and leaned back. Strength had returned to him and he felt better than he had in hours.
Roasted Rabbit 10% testosterone reboost 70% fatigue reduction 20% stamina replenishment. Effects last for 8 hours.
Isais had been expecting something to flash before his eyes and so had been ready for it. He was pleased to not show a reaction to the image. Pasht knows he didn''t need to give the woman any more reason to think he was crazy. "Testoster-what?" He asked out loud. Smooth.Idiot. But I have no idea. "What was tha''?" The woman asked? ¡°I said it¡¯s very peaceful here,¡± he commented. She frowned. "Sure ya'' did. Well, don¡¯t let tha¡¯ peace fool ya¡¯. All sorts of critters and crawlers live in these woods.¡± As if to confirm her words, a strange creature flew across Isais¡¯ eyeline. He sat up to watch it. A grey ball of fur, no eyes, two holes for a nose and a mouth that took up most of its body¡­or was it just a head? Two leathery wings either side of its body/head allowed it to flap ungracefully through the air above them. What perhaps made it most strange of all, however, was the heavy silver chain that hung from its body like a necklace. Only it had no neck. Or even shoulders. The chain dangled and swayed as the creature flew, the added weight dragging it towards the ground. Isais opened his mouth to say something, when an arrow flew through the air in front of him. It took the beast dead centre. There was a squeak and it tumbled to the floor where it lay, still and most certainly dead. Drawing her knife, the woman approached the thing and, satisfied it certainly was no longer alive, she used her knife to hook the chain from it. Returning, she tossed it to Isais, who fumbled the catch and instead had to pick it from the ground beside him. He was right, it was a necklace. But that only made the situation all the stranger and more raised more questions. ¡°Take it,¡± the woman offered, gesturing at the necklace. ¡°You don¡¯t want it?¡± ¡°I ¡®av a much better one. Ach I know ya not gonna wanna wear such a thing, but it has a tiny bit o¡¯ power to it and a man in ya sorry position needs all tha¡¯ help he can get.¡± Isais frowned but, on his helper¡¯s advice, placed the necklace over his head. He felt an immediate tingling in his body and something flashed before his eyes:
Necklace of Impotent Skill 3% increase in charm when speaking to people who like shiny things 5% attack defense when attacks are aimed directly at this necklace.
Isais was sure the woman was laughing at him then. She waited as if expecting him to take the item off. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said instead and smiled. Then, remembering where the necklace had come from, ¡°What is¡ª was¡ª that thing?¡± She returned his smile, though her eyes twinkled with what Isais was sure was mockery. ¡°We call ¡®em flitter-critters. On their own they¡¯re harmless, but they usually hunt in packs. Can strip a cow to the bone in minutes. Ain¡¯t pretty. They love shiny things though. Looks like tha¡¯ one found himself a grand ol¡¯ shiny thing.¡± She chuckled. ¡°The weight most likely made it fall behind the rest o¡¯ its pack, luckily for us.¡± Someone approaches. Isais frowned. ¡°H¡ª¡± he caught the word in his mouth and swallowed it before he could look even more foolish by further talking to himself. Holding his hand to his mouth, he quickly pretended to cough. The look on the woman¡¯s face told him she didn¡¯t buy it at all, but fortunately he was saved from her questions by a new voice that called out. ¡°Ho the camp!¡± Told you, Berserker said smugly. Isais looked up. ¡°Ho there, Bylon!¡± The woman called back. A tall man emerged from the treeline then. Armed and dressed in a very similar fashion to Isais¡¯ companion. He made his way to the fire in long, confident strides and stood over them. ¡°Good huntin¡¯?¡± he asked in a deep voice. ¡°Aye. Found me a stray,¡± It took Isais a moment to realize they were talking about him and he fidgeted uncomfortably. ¡°So ah see. Takin¡¯ ¡®im back tuh ta village?¡± ¡°Aye. If ya¡¯ good tuh take over muh watch?¡± ¡°That ah am, sister. Safe travels.¡± ¡°Safe watch, brother.¡± The two gripped each other¡¯s wrists then as if in some secret code before, the woman spun and beckoned Isais. ¡°Come Mr Isais. Muh village ain¡¯t far and I ¡®spect they¡¯ll ¡®av a few more questions for ya.¡± Isais rose and grimaced. He had no wish to answer more troublesome questions that would only serve to remind him how little he knew. Still, with no better plan and the faint hope in his heart that someone in the village might know him, he followed the hunter woman. Coughing awkwardly, he fell in beside her. ¡°So,¡± another cough. ¡°I still don¡¯t know what your name is.¡± She looked at him with dark eyes that sparkled with dots of white with captured sunlight. Shiny black hair tied up loosely fell over pale skin. ¡°My name is¡­¡±
Note: You have unspent skill points. Note: You have unspent skill points. Ranger: ???? Chapter 4: Of Mystics and Madmen Chapter 4: OfMystics and Madmen "Ranger? That can''t be your real name?" "Why not? "Well..." Isais hesitated. "I mean, it''s not very imaginative." "Well, maybe it''s not muh real name. But it''ll dor fuh now. If uh trust ya, maybe one day ah''ll give ya muh real name. Now quiet. We''re near the village, don''t wan'' no jumpy guard to put uh arrow through ya." Isais fell silent. He disliked the idea of having an arrow through him just as much as Ranger did. Perhaps even more so. He saw the windmill first. It poked through the treetops, blades still and covered in small black and brown birds. As they left the treeline, the rest of the village slowly came into view. A wicked-looking wooden palisade ran around the settlement, circling a host of crooked rooftops that poked over the fortifications. ¡°Ho the town!¡± Ranger called out. Two heads appeared above a gate tower. ¡°I see ya there Ranger! Anything crawl out from tha¡¯ ol¡¯ sewer?¡± ¡°Jus¡¯ this!¡± she shouted back, poking Isais in the ribs. ¡°You sure ¡®e¡¯s not a fiend?¡± ¡°Not too sure o¡¯ that one but I¡¯ll put uh arrow in ¡®im if he is.¡± The guard chuckled, leading Isais to believe she wasn¡¯t joking. I¡¯ll stick a sword in her if she tries it. ¡°We don¡¯t even have a sword.¡± Ranger frowned at him, whispering closely as they walked in through the low wooden gate. ¡°Enough o¡¯ that talkin¡¯ tuh yaself nonsense.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t¡ª¡± Isais began to protest, but Ranger silenced him with a finger. ¡°I swear boy, if you had a sense in that ¡®ed o¡¯ yours it would die o¡¯loneliness.¡± Isais couldn¡¯t help but grin at the irony of that sentence. ¡°And don¡¯t you be smilin¡¯! Walkin¡¯ ¡®round ¡®ere wi¡¯ ya mouth all blabberin¡¯ tuh nobody. Bound to attract the wrong kind o¡¯ attention. Ya understand?¡± Isais did not, but he nodded silently anyway. No point offending the only person who might offer him food and shelter and a little help. ¡°Good,¡± Ranger continued. ¡°This ¡®ere is a superstitious bunch. Can¡¯t blame ¡®em. Village is plagued by ¡®em critters, crawlin¡¯ up an¡¯ attackin¡¯ the town at all hours o¡¯ the day. That¡¯s why we put this wall up, ya see?¡± Isais ran another eye over the palisade. It looked impressive enough, but it was hard to imagine why anyone would want to attack a village such as this. It was disorganized and, judging by the condition of the homes and the people, it wasn¡¯t particularly well off. There certainly was a charm to it, however. They strolled by a river that bisected the hodge-podge houses. Sunlight glanced from it, creating a silvery shadow atop the water¡¯s surface that followed them on their walk. It ran perfectly parallel, never speeding up or slowing down. Above it flew insects, large and small. Occasionally one of the insects would dart down to the water, hovering for a second before taking off again. When Isais peered closer he could see the fish that swam freely, hunting the winged creatures above them. Beneath their feet the ground was slippery and wet, a red clay-like substance sticking to the outside of his old boots. It was the same red-brown color that made up most of the homes of the village, Isais realized. Up ahead a group of children played in the water, whilst an old, heavily-bearded fisherman cursed them from the safety of a small wooden jetty. As they grew closer, Isais heard him bemoaning the kids chasing all the fish away. To their left the regular sound of metal against metal ran out through the village as a large, heavily muscled man hammered flat a rod of iron. Behind the blacksmith was a whole array of axes, swords, and knives. There seemed to be more weaponry than people in the village and Isais ruffled his head. Perhaps Ranger wasn¡¯t exaggerating the danger these people faced from the outside world. It wasn¡¯t a comforting feeling. If a sleepy little village such as this was seen as a prize worth attacking, what must the rest of Vermasse be like? He made a note of the blacksmith¡¯s location, vowing to return and find a way to purchase a sword before he left. ¡°That¡¯s Banger,¡± Ranger said, nodding her head in the direction of the Blacksmith. ¡°Banger?¡± ¡°On account that he bangs.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°He bangs. ¡®Is ¡®ammer. Bang. Bang. Bang. All day, every day. Puts a real duck in my quiver, if ya know what I¡¯m sayin¡¯. What can ya do though? Village needs weapons.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Isais did not see. ¡°Where are you taking me?¡± he asked, as the blacksmith faded from view. Houses of clay, thatch, and wood came and went. Occasionally small market stalls sold a variety of brownish veg and meats that only served to remind Isais he was feeling hungry again. Unfortunately, his pockets lacked coin, or anything worth trading. ¡°The seer o¡¯ course,¡± Ranger responded, cursing colorfully as a gaggle of small children ran past her, spraying clay and dirt onto her dark green leggings. ¡°What¡¯s a seer?¡± Ranger stopped and tilted her head, giving him a look as if he might just be the dumbest fool alive. ¡°He¡¯s someone who sees.¡± Obviously. Berserker mocked. ¡°But sees what?¡± Isais pressed, doing his best to ignore the voice in his head. ¡°Well that depends, don¡¯t it? Guess we¡¯ll see what he sees,¡± she replied, and then chuckled merrily to herself, murmuring ¡®see what we see! See what he sees!¡¯ to herself as she continued on. She¡¯s mad as a Chickajed in a pea field, Berserker mimicked Ranger¡¯s words from earlier that day. Then after a pause, I think I love her. Isais scoffed, then held his tongue. They came to a halt outside one of the more lavish looking houses. That was to say it was one of the few that had nothing obvious falling, crumbling or peeling off it. Outside, in well-constructed boxes were rows of pretty flowers in yellows and reds. ¡°Take ya boots off,¡± Ranger ordered him. ¡°My boots?¡± ¡°Aye. Trust me, ya don¡¯t wanna trek mud into the seer¡¯s house. Ooooh no. No, ya do not.¡± Isais frowned but did as he was told, noting with distaste how much more worn, torn and old his boots looked in the sunlight. The heel was almost scuffed through, the leather itself was cracked and caked with mud. Not that the rest of his clothes were any better. In a village of little coin and where more than one child had run past him completely naked, he was still the sorriest looking bugger for miles around. Following Ranger through the rounded front door of the seer¡¯s house, he was amazed to see the interior decorated with all sorts of strange and unusual objects. Objects that suggested they originated from more than one culture. There were colorful cloths and carvings of animals, monsters and things Isais could only guess at. One giant mask caught his attention, three times the length of a human head and twice as wide. ¡°Don¡¯t touch that!¡± a voice called. Isais, whose finger was only inches away from the mask, paused and looked around. There was nobody else in the room besides Ranger, and the voice, old and manly, most certainly wasn¡¯t hers. ¡°Hello¡­?¡± Isais responded cautiously. ¡°Come,¡± the voice replied. Isais frowned questioningly at Ranger, who pointed him at a second door. Isais saw it, nodded, opened it and stepped inside. A small man sat there, eyes closed, legs bent so that his feet rested on their opposite thighs. He wore a flowing grey robe and an even longer flowing grey beard, despite no hair remaining atop his head. ¡°Sit,¡± the man commanded, though his eyes didn¡¯t open, his head didn¡¯t turn and his hands, which rested atop his knees with the thumb and middle fingers forming a circle, never even twitched. Isais looked around the room. It was even more lavishly and eccentrically decorated than the room he had just come from. Huge flowing sheets of all the imaginable colors were draped from the ceiling. Tugging one out of the way, Isais lowered himself onto a cushion opposite the strange old man. ¡°Good. Now adopt my pose and close your eyes.¡± Isais, still not entirely certain what was happening, did so¡ª though he found copying the position of the man¡¯s legs to be more difficult that it first looked.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Now chant with me.¡± Did he say chant? ¡°Huuummmmmmm ohhhhhhhh,¡± the man began. Isais shifted uncomfortably. ¡°I said chant with me! Huuummmmmmm ohhhhhhhh.¡± ¡°Huuummmmmmm ohhhhhhhh,¡± Isais echoed with significantly less enthusiasm. ¡°Good. Huuummmmmmm arrrrrrrrrrr.¡± ¡°Huuummmmmmm arrrrrrrrrrr.¡± ¡°Eeeeeee yaaaahhhhhhhh¡± Isais¡¯ eye twitched. ¡°Eeeeeee yaaaahhhhhhhh¡± What the Pasht are you doing? ¡°Umdida umdida umdida ummmmmmmmmm.¡± ¡°Umdida umdida umdida ummmmmmmmmm.¡± The seer giggled. Then laughed. Isais¡¯ eyes flared open and he saw the old man jump to his feet. ¡°What are you doing, sitting there like that, humming to yourself like some kind of half-wit!¡± the man declared, bouncing around the room from one floor cushion to the next. ¡°But you said¡ª¡± ¡°My boy if you always follow without questioning, you¡¯ll never complete your quest!¡± ¡°If this is your idea of¡ª wait. You know of my quest?¡± ¡°Do I know of your quest? Of course, I know of your quest!¡± ¡°Then can you tell me how I ended up in that sewer?¡± Isais had to spin his body to keep up with the seer¡¯s eccentric movements. ¡°Yes, but that is not the right question.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s the right question! Just tell me.¡± ¡°No, no, no. You must control your anger my boy. You are a will mage so anger will come often to you. But the angrier you get, the more you will feed the Berserker inside of you.¡± He knows of me! Berserker hissed. The seer stopped his bouncing then, an expression resembling seriousness falling over his face. ¡°And I can hear you.¡± Isais¡¯ eyes widened and he audibly gasped. ¡°You can hear it! Are you saying there really is something inside of me? That I am not mad?¡± Despite Berserker¡¯s apparent legitimacy, Isais had been harboring a fear that he was quite insane from the first moment he began talking to the voice in his head. ¡°As to your first question- yes. There is something inside of you. But for your second? Who can tell? I think you will need a little madness if you are to survive.¡± Stop speaking in riddles or I will wring your throat old man! Berserker bellowed in Isais¡¯ mind. ¡°You will not for you cannot. Not without Isais¡¯ say so, for that is not your body. You do not belong.¡± The seer shook his head and began to tut. ¡°Such a wicked thing to be done to you. Wicked, wicked, wicked. But then this is an age of wicked powers, is it not?¡± ¡°I have no idea!¡± Isais was beginning to understand, even agree with Berserker¡¯s rage. This man, who knew so much but gave so little, was infuriating. ¡°Please,¡± he continued, fighting for calm. ¡°Tell us what you know. What has been done to me? how can I undo it?¡± The seer¡¯s head hung. ¡°I cannot answer all of your questions, though I wish it were not so. I too have been cursed. Cursed with the gift of sight and a tongue that can change fate. You may hate me, but perhaps one day you will come to understand. Though I fear that day is not today.¡± Isais huffed in irritation. ¡°Then what can you tell me?¡± He hissed. ¡°I can tell you that you must travel to Daggerheart and that there you will meet a man in an Inn who will offer more answers. I can tell you that if you travel there alone you will die, but if you take a friend you will find more than you know but less than you deserve.¡± Isais scoffed. ¡°Well, then I will die, for I have no friends.¡± ¡°Is that so? Well then if death it is to be- then so be it!¡± ¡°That¡¯s your answer? Just die?¡± The seer giggled again. ¡°What is death, but a new chance?¡± ¡°A new chance? What nonsense are you spouting? Death claims all of your chances. There are no more chances if you die.¡± The seer put a finger to his lips as if pondering. ¡°Did you see my pretty flowers outside?¡± ¡°I¡­what?¡± ¡°The flowers! The flowers boy! It is a simple question. Did you see them? ¡°I saw them.¡± ¡°Well let me ask you¡ª what is the flower? When you chop it''s head off, does it die? No! Another grows.¡± He paused then to remove the finger from his lips and hold it above his head. ¡°Ah but is that the same flower as the one which died? Is the flower the head, or is the flower the routes, the leaves? When one head dies, it nourishes the earth for a new head to bloom. A new head that springs forth from the same source as the old. That new flower contains the essence of the old. The routes haven''t changed, the flower still lives. It just lives anew, in a new form. Something is taken from the old flower, but it is not life.¡± Isais¡¯ head began to swim. ¡°Then what is taken?¡± ¡°Who knows! Memory perhaps? The experiences of the old head are lost? Does that sound believable to you?¡± ¡°None of this sounds believable to me. I am not a flower.¡± The seer chortled. ¡°That you are not, my boy. That you are not.¡± Pasht¡¯s balls, is everyone in this town mad? This has been pointless. The seer looked up at Berserker¡¯s voice. Something sparkled in his eye. Something that looked a lot like sadness. ¡°Let me offer one more warning. You must learn to control your powers, or your anger will kill you both.¡± ¡°My powers?¡± ¡°You are a mage. Those of mankind blessed with magic draw their strength from their bodies, but for the men it is channeled through something inside of us called testosterone. Testosterone makes us strong, but too much of it can make us angry. You feel it, I know you do. After using your powers you feel angrier than before. Yet inside you lies the soul of a Berserker. A soul naturally geared towards anger, a soul that feeds off it. If used in balance, this can make you both incredibly formidable. Your weakness is his strength, you see? But if you cannot control it, if you fall into it, you will never find what you are looking for.¡± ¡°And what am I looking for?¡± Isais made no attempt to keep the irritation from his voice. ¡°You know that already, Isais. ¡®Find her. Stop him.¡¯¡± Isais felt the blood drain from his face. ¡°How do you know those words?¡± he whispered. ¡°It is your fate. Though not even I know who she is. Go to Daggerheart. More will be revealed to you there.¡± The seer collapsed back onto one of the cushions and flicked the fingers of his right hand. ¡°Now go,¡± he said. ¡°This seeing has drained me more than you know. Oh, and don¡¯t forget to spend those skill points!¡± The seer called after Isais. Isais, his mind awash and overrun with confusion, exited the main room. Only when he¡¯d closed the door behind did he realize the seer had only proclaimed not to know who the ¡®she¡¯ was. He¡¯d said nothing about the ¡®him¡¯. And there was something else he had said too that lingered in Isais'' mind. Something about memories. ¡°So, how¡¯d it go?¡± Ranger asked, standing in the front door to the house. The light from outside fell over her. Isais shook his head, emptying it of the seer¡¯s words. The man had been crazy and babbling and Isais himself was tired. He opened his mouth to answer Ranger, but quickly found he did not know what to say. Ranger laughed. ¡°Aye, Seer has tha¡¯ effect on folk. Come on¡ªlet¡¯s go find some more food for ya. And maybe a change o¡¯clothes!¡± she finished, eyeing him up and down. Isais nodded. That sounded like a fine idea to him. ¡°Hey,¡± he said, turning to face Ranger. ¡°What¡¯s a skill point, and how do I use them?¡±
Character Sheets Isais: Willpower: Lvl 2. Unused SPs: +1 Kinetic: 8 By manipulating energy itself, the user can send powerful shocks that knock back or stun enemies. Some powerful wielders have been known to kill mighty foes with their kinetic power. It is rumoured that the great mage Dal O¡¯shar once toppled an entire mountain with the force of his push. Physical: 2 A strong physical wielder can manipulate the energy around their very body, granting themselves further strength and speed. Physical mages use the world¡¯s energy to become super powered humans, stronger, faster and sturdier than all others. Battlefield Aura: 0 Everything has energy; battle is no different. Someone who understands this can manipulate the vitality of a battle, strengthening morale and spirit of allies and reducing that of enemies. If at a high level, a wielder can actually bend the will of enemies and allies alike to their control. A true aura master can send entire armies fleeing. Psyche: Lvl 3. Unused SPs: Luck: 2 Everyone needs a little luck in their lives, right? Whether it helps them to find more riches, or narrowly dodge an enemy''s attack, there is no such thing as too much luck. Intelligence: 11 Puzzle-solving, tactics and trickery are all essential to surviving in the world of Vermasse. Charisma: 4 Looking for love? Want a better price on your goods? How about talking your way out of a fight- or talking your fellows into one? You¡¯ll definitely want charisma on your side. Fortitude: Lvl 2. Unused SPs: Strength: 3 Sometimes the best form of defense is a good offense. Constitution: 4 Other times the best form of defense is a good defense. Dexterity: 2 Of course, above all else, the best form of defense is just not getting hit at all. Afterall, prevention is better than the cure, right? Berserker Skills Martial: Lvl 4: Unused SPs: +3 Melee: 13 This is the basis of any good warrior. It controls the speed, power and skill with which a warrior wields their weapon. Adrenaline: 7 Tired and exhausted, this skill allows a Beserker a new lease of life. It sends them to new heights of martial ability If their stamina or health ever falls below 25%. However once engaged, a Beserker can no longer be controlled or healed by allies. Leach: 4 Berserker¡¯s are tuned to the darker emotions of those around them and can draw on the anger of enemies and allies to further increase their attacks. Casting this before an attack can result in high levels of damage. Be careful though- some mages rely on anger to increase the potency of their spells. Psyche: Lvl 4: Unused SPs: +2 Intuition: 8 The ability to spot danger is often a warrior¡¯s most useful tool. The keener the eye, the more advanced the warning and the more time to prepare battle tactics. Intuition also heightens awareness during battle. Rage: 11 Dormant rage allows Berserkers to fight. The higher the stat, the higher their stamina and melee capabilities. However, it often comes at the cost of social skills and a high rage can lead to others avoiding you altogether. Intimidation: 4 When charm doesn¡¯t do the job, intimidation usually does. Bully people into giving you what you want, shame them into fighting or just roar at enemies until they go away. Fortitude: Lvl 4: Unused SPs: +1 Strength: 8 Break their necks, shatter their bones or rip their limbs from their bodies. Muscles are a madman¡¯s best friend. Constitution: 4 Defense? Never heard of it. Still, it doesn¡¯t hurt to be able to survive the odd attack from time to time. The longer you live, the more you can kill. Dexterity: 10 Speed. Dodge. Faint. Elude. A skilled warrior doesn¡¯t just bash- he bashes fast.