《Devil's Doll Reincarnation》


 (ARC_1) Chapter 1 - Prologue

    Devil¡¯s Doll Reincarnation | Chapter 1 | Prologue


    ¡°Hey, Michael! We¡¯re here,¡± called out a familiar voice.


    Opening my eyes, I rose from my uncomfortable sleeping position in the backseat of the car. My good friend was looking back at me from the driver¡¯s seat, donning his usual disappointed expression.


    ¡°You know¡­ for someone as smart as you, I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t already have your driver¡¯s license.¡±


    As much as it hurt to hear that, he was completely right. I studied my ass off in school, leaving no time to take my driver¡¯s test. Well¡­ it¡¯s not like my hard work in school has helped me find a job anyway, so I don¡¯t really have the right to act all high and mighty.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how smart you are in a world like this, without connections you won¡¯t get far. I mean, just take a look at yourself Thomas. You basically had your job handed to you, just because you knew the guy in charge.


    My sound reasoning once again silenced Thomas, as he desperately tried to think up a comeback. Realising he couldn''t, he put his arms up in surrender, before turning around to open the car door. Watching him leave, I decided to follow his example. Getting out of the car revealed the rest of the massive, dirty, grey metalworking facility; that was previously obscured by the small car windows. Disturbing the dirt floor with out footsteps brought up a thin layer of visible dust that instantly stuck to my black jeans.


    The privately owned business covered at least three kilometres in every direction, with multiple logically placed buildings all with different uses. I''ve come here with the intention of getting a job, I¡¯ve got all the necessary requirements to do so, and I believe I left a good impression on the recruitment officer when I made the call.


    I did my research. This place mainly pumps out simple metal constructions, like steel beams and girders. As of a few months ago it was importing it¡¯s materials from overseas, but now that they have their very own smeltery within company grounds, they can save millions every year by producing their own materials. It was a simple yet effective move from them, it''s just that the place still needed workers before any serious work could begin.


    ¡°Michael, you look like you¡¯re thinking really hard about something. I suggest you ease up, the recruitment guy is coming over.¡±


    ¡°Oh ah¡­ yeah.¡±


    I scan over where Thomas had gestured to, spotting a man in a similar get-up as myself, except with an orange vest over his shoulders. Seeing that he was busy looking at his clipboard, I took the chance to quickly pat myself down, somewhat removing whatever dirt and dust I could from my freshly ironed white T-shirt and black jeans. Unfortunately, my previously shiny black shoes were splotched with an irremovable, grey dust. Ignoring it for now, I somehow managed to straighten myself out into a presentable manner the moment the man arrived.


    He gave us a once over, looked back at his clipboard, and then shook both our hands one after the other. He introduced himself as Geoff. After that, he paused for a moment while idling a finger in the air. Attempting to recall our names from memory.


    ¡°¡­ Michael, and?¡±


    ¡°Thomas. I drove him here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s a good friend of mine.¡±


    And with that abrupt greeting, our introductions were all done. We briskly made our way through the smeltery floor as Geoff went on and on about how impressed he was with my achievements and capabilities. The actual job position I was going for was a management role in the new smeltery. It was, hopefully, going to be my job to assist in keeping track of all the materials and people coming to and from this place. It sounded like a pretty simple job. High pay, easy work, nice people. It almost seemed like everything was going to start going my way for once.


    Unfortunately, I could not have been more wrong. Like, what the fuck, it couldn¡¯t have possibly gone any worse.


    I¡¯d just finished the final interview with Geoff in his nice, new smelling, air-conditioned office. Leaving Thomas waiting outside. I¡¯d successfully gotten the job and was desperately trying to hold in the pure bliss that was bundling up inside me. Breaking the prolonged professionalism I¡¯d been holding up til now was not exactly ideal, it would be plain awkward at this point.


    What astounded me the most, out of everything today, was the fact that the company was already using the smeltery. Giant metal cauldrons filled with molten steel were suspended high up in the air by a complicated system of pulleys, beams, and thick steel wires built into the roof. Newly hired staff were learning how the system worked, while a professional demonstrated the process for them. It looked pretty easy to me if I had to be honest. Just imagine one of those... what do you call them? Those claw grabbing machines you can find in an arcade, except scaled up a few hundred times. Simply remove the claw with a tipping bucket and you¡¯re done.


    Now, maybe because I was feeling smug at the time while comparing myself to the other workers, that my fate ended up like this¡­


    A loud creaking, and the screech of reinforced metal breaking echoed throughout the open facility. I spun around to look in the direction of this horrific sound, with everything gradually going into slow motion. I looked on helplessly as one of the giant buckets, full of molten steel, slid across it¡¯s support beams at break neck speeds. My legs froze up, and my thoughts grew rushed and hazy. Only to snap back into place as the ear-splitting crack of the breaking hinge reached my ears. It was too late, it was already tipping towards me.


    Half the bucket¡¯s contents flung out and fell towards me like an inescapable net. Raising my arms above me in an instinctual, yet useless, attempt to save myself was all I could do. Petrified by fear I could only watch on as the magma like substance poured itself over me. Wailing in pain. My hands were the first to go, I could see them turn darker before almost liquefying and joining the molten liquid¡¯s course. My vision was vision the next to go, but could still feel the burning sensation covering me from head to toe. It wasn¡¯t as painful as I would¡¯ve expected, since my nerves had all burned away before any real pain could hit me.


    I noticed one by one each of my senses shutting down; after sight and touch came hearing, then smell, and finally one other sense I wasn¡¯t aware I had. My natural awareness of other those around me. At this point it was difficult to know whether I was even thinking anymore, it was just complete darkness, no sounds, no smells, no sensations.


    ¡­ Nothing ¡­Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


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    I¡¯d been in this nothingness for a while now, where over time, a low whirring sound had become apparent. I didn''t notice it until I''d calmed down, re-aligning my thoughts enough to finally question how I could still hear at all. So, naturally, it was probably just a figment of my imagination. I¡¯d heard that the human brain wouldhallucinate to entertain itself when left in complete silence. Also, although not exactly something of major importance, I find that my emotions have become rather lacking after losing all sensation. I can¡¯t sob, cry, or throw a tantrum. My body isn¡¯t affected by any outside sources, since neither exist, and you can only think to yourself about pointless things. I''d often brought up ways I could''veprevented this, and berated myself for not being a better person in general. Maybe because all that extra processing information was lost on me, I could think clearer than ever before.


    It wasn''t long before I fell into unending boredom though, as it already felt like I''d been here for an excruciatingly long time. I¡¯ve quite literally ran out of things to think about, and in all honesty I''d take anything that comes my way.


    With all this time to myself I¡¯ve already gotten over my death, and sure, all my friends and relatives will probably be sad about it, but it¡¯s not like I can do anything to fix that. There is literally nothing to do here except think back on things and imagine stuff to entertain myself. For example, this self-monologue I¡¯ve been doing for a while. It''s almost embarrassing when you think about.


    I do have to say though, I¡¯m very disappointed in how life after death is. I wasn''t exactly expecting anything, but I was still curious, much like how I''d expect most people to feel. Yet, there were some ridiculous things I read in stories a few years ago that peaked my interest. Of course, nothing like that could ever happen.


    Man¡­ I¡¯ve been trying to ignore it, but I¡¯ve noticed that annoying whirring sound has been getting louder with every passing moment, it¡¯s getting harder and harder to think. If I stop thinking maybe I¡¯ll just disappear completely? Yet, is that something I really want? I may have died, but still, it¡¯s natural to not want to fade into nothingness, isn¡¯t it?


    ¡­


    It¡¯s been a long time now, or at least I think it has, and that annoying whirring sound is now at the point of being deafening. It¡¯s like surrounding yourself with speakers and blasting low-pitched noise directly at yourself.


    *ding*


    ¡­ Eh?


    Was that a bell? Wait, of course it was. My very being practically focused itself onto that sound, lusting after anything to entertain itself. It seems that horrible whirring has stopped as well, making my thoughts clearer than ever. Not only that, but a new sound has taken place, sounding more like some kind of mechanical structure. Maybe an old clock? I can clearly make out the sounds of gears grinding together, and the steady rhythm of something ticking.


    What could it possibly be? This is the only thing that has happened in what seems like aeons, so I can¡¯t help but be exited and scared at the same time. The sound stopped on a final big clinking sound, as if something had just been jostled or unlocked.


    To my surprise, my vision was flashed with a blinding light. It was impossible to look away, so I could only bear the brunt of the strange new feeling. Now that I think about it, my sight had returned; it was blurry yet unmistakably there. Not only that, I could hear faint voices in the distance. I felt as if I could cry at any moment, alas nothing was coming out. Had I been saved? Am I laying in a hospital bed somewhere right now? Is my family okay?


    ¡­ No.


    No, no. This can¡¯t be right. I seem to be looking at a wall made of logs. Is this a cabin or an old lodge of some sort? I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve ever seen a house like this in person, or anywhere around town even. Where exactly am I? Shouldn¡¯t I be in a hospital bed or something? Well¡­ since nobody is here right now, I guess I can only assess my surroundings right? Turning my stiff neck, I immediately felt what little energy I had drain away. I felt extremely sluggish, and trying to move was pretty much impossible. I couldn¡¯t feel my arms or legs, but I could look down enough to see if they were there, ignoring the odd shape they had taken. I attempted calling out for help, but it appears that I lacked a functioning mouth too.


    How depressing. I guess I¡¯m a cripple now, with prosthetic legs and a messed up face. No, that¡¯s not for certain, lets just focus on the room for a bit.


    Darting my eyes all over the room, and scrambling what little information I had together could only tell me this was without a doubt just some ordinary log cabin. Although it severely lacks any sign of technology, with not even a power point to plug devices into in sight. I think I¡¯m sitting on the edge of an unpolished wooden table, and behind me is another wall. This place has crude glass windows as well, but I can¡¯t see out of them well enough with all the fog clinging to them.


    Now¡­ the problem with these observations is that I¡¯m sitting on a wooden table. I don¡¯t remember being small enough to easily fit on a shoddy thing like this. So, you know, that¡¯s something to ponder over. Oh, by the way, if I could cry I think tears would be endlessly streaming down my face right now, who knew I¡¯d actually survive! Aren¡¯t I lucky? Anyway, that''s all well and good, but I believe I¡¯ve finally figured out the situation.


    I have come to the reasonable conclusion that, after the molten steel injured me, the company workers took what was left of my body. Deciding it was best to just hide me away in some old lodge out the back, just like what some evil, corrupt business from a movie would do. Right? I¡¯m a genius, aren¡¯t I? I will admit one thing though. I cannot for the life of me figure out why this room has a grindstone inside. There¡¯s also stuff like clay in the corner, along with some paints on the nearby shelf. I can also just manage to see some old axes and hatchets on the rack behind me too. Does the owner collect medieval weaponry? Or is this some freaky artistic torture shack? Either way, this room gives off the feeling of being a frequently used workplace, so I should expect to see someone come in through the door soon.


    After maybe another twenty minutes or so, I figured out how to sigh in my mind. Great¡­ I¡¯m surprised I haven¡¯t gone insane yet, but I¡¯ve been slowly realising new things one by one as I desperately try to entertain myself to keep myself sane. In that time, I found some evidence of this not even being my own body, or at least my hand. It happened while I was peering around the room, I tried to avoid looking at it, but I got bored enough eventually to stare at it for a good amount of time to figure out what it was.


    My hand was seemingly made of an unknown, special white porcelain, that looked disturbingly like human skin. The only thing giving it away was how perfect it was. Not a single blemish, freckle, or mark could be found. At a first glance, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to notice any difference. It looked human, but at the same time fake, as if it was too good to be true. It was undoubtedly my hand though, since after maybe an hour or two I could just barely twitch one of the fingers.


    I will, however, completely ignore the fact that it looks like a little girl¡¯s hand¡­ I hope to god this is just a temporary prosthetic limb¡­


    Oh? Wait a second. I think I hear someone outside. It sounds like heavy footsteps treading on dirt or gravel, I¡¯m getting a simple idea of their position as they walk around the cabin too. After it rounded the corner, a clinking sound could be heard. If whoever was there had the keys, then this is more than likely their place. I wonder what this person will look like? How will they act when they see me? Do they know that I¡¯m here?


    The person clicked open the lock and walked inside, a long brown overcoat was hiding everything from shoulder down, and a hood combined with the already dark room provided enough shade to block any attempts of seeing their face. Mighty inconvenient huh?


    The person removed the coat and hung it on a hook by the door, doing so brought up plenty of new information for me to observe. For one thing, it was some kind looking old man. He was wearing a simple brown shirt and pants with a leather harness over him. He had a big white beard and a receding hairline, with a happy grin plastered on his face.


    To be honest he just looked like one of those kind rich uncles you¡¯d see sometimes, minus the cash. As much as I¡¯d like to speak to him I couldn''t. So, I could only watch on as he unpacked his stuff, and finally sat down on a stool in front of me, speaking in some weird language I couldn''t understand.


    ¡°H???e???????l????l????????o??????,?????? ???F?u?m?i,???? ??????i????t???s??????? ???????n????????i???????c????e?????? ??????t??????o???????? ???????s?????e??????e???? ?????????y?????o???????u??????.¡±


    What was that? Is Fumi¡­ this dolls name?

 (ARC_1) Chapter 2 - A Whole New World

    Devil¡¯s Doll Reincarnation | Chapter 2 | A Whole New World


    It¡¯s been about two something hours since I first encountered the old man. He was staring at me, no¡­ the doll, for a few minutes with solemn eyes. It seemed as if he was waiting for something. He said a few words before going back outside, but I of course couldn¡¯t understand. Whatcould makehim look so sad while being around this doll? Well, no matter.


    A minute or two later, I could hear the distinct sound of someone chopping wood coming from outside. Meaning I must have been gifted some time to myself. I hadn¡¯t had much time to practice moving while he was sitting right in front of me, but now I can go all out. I¡¯d finally regained the ability to blink in the time the old man was away. Although I no longer really feel the need to blink, I still had the ability to, which was fan-fucking-tastic. Of all the things I''ve seen today, what amazes me the most is that whoever made this doll, took the time to add working eyes. How it managed to hold my consciousness, or soulwas beyond me.


    Now that I think about it, this doll is absurdly well made. After the man had removed a white bib that was hanging down from my neck revealing the rest of this body in cute pearly white dress. Looking down at my hands I spotted greaet detail, but no aged wrinkles and veins were to be seen. The arms and legs hadseemless joints built in, allowing for easy movement in all the same ways a regular human body could. I only noticed the joints because I could vaguely feel them moving, but from the outsideI doubt many people would notice the differnce. I only found this out after I finalyl managed to wriggle my limbs like some newborn child.


    Ending my fun, someone seemed to be approaching, so I had to forcibly still my legs and stop them from swaying over the edge of the table. I heard the clinking of the front door being opened, but it couldn''t have been the old man, as I could still hear him cutting wood outside. I was quite eager to see another face, but nervous as well. From the door appeared a short woman, who was probably about twenty years old from the looks of it.


    She had a kind face, a long white dress, and her brown hair reached down to her back in a kempt ponytail. I found it quite funny how she exaggeratedly crept into the house, taking long, slow strides. Being extremely careful not to knock anything over.The woman paused for a moment, lookingat me with a grin. So I in turn, also took this chance to get a better look at her, keeping in mind to remain completely inanimate.


    She slipping on a brown leather apron, covering her dress. It contained various artistic tools poking out of its many pockets. Paintbrushes, pencils, rulers, and other things were stored neatly in the pockets ready to be grabbed. Perhaps she was an artist of some kind? Was this a relative of the old man?


    She leaned backwards awkwardly to look out the window, and after confirming that the man outside was still busy, she stealthily tip-toed right up to me, creaking the floorboards all the way. She mumbled to herself, but I could somehow tell she was talking about me¡­ I mean, the doll in some way. Okay, I¡¯ve got to get my mind in order, let¡¯s just say I am the doll from now on. I can¡¯t really argue about it right now anyway.


    The woman leaned over to pick me up, her expression revealing her anxiety. What is she doing? Does she intend to take me away? I know I haven¡¯t been here for long, but I¡¯d prefer staying inside away from the prying eyes of others. I don¡¯t need any other complications today.


    With a relieved sigh, she lifted me from the table using little effort, revealing that the body I inhabited was much lighter than a normal human of this size. The woman carefully cradled me, in what I¡¯d guess some would call a princess carry. After checking once more as to whether the man was still outside, she proceeded to the door, opening it. The view of the unnaturally beautiful outside worldplunged into my eyes, stifling a gasp.The window was so blurred and dirty I¡¯d never noticed from inside. I¡¯m not sure how I would describe it, since the scenery was so foreign tome,who had grown up in the city. I could tell it was a forest, yet the blue, red, and pink plants in amongst the bright healthy green forest floor didn¡¯t ring any bells. The straight dark brown trees looked like ominous towers supporting the canopy above, which had numerous vines hanging down. I think I even spotted a new species of monkey up there, but maybe I¡¯m just seeing things.


    If a place like this existed back where I lived, it surely would¡¯ve been an amazing tourist spot. Possibly even becoming known throughout the world as the 8th wonder. So many new plants I¡¯ve never seen before scoured the area, and in my amazement, I didn¡¯t notice my mouth was hanging wide open. Unluckily for me, the woman who was carrying me did, and as I was just about to burst from the overflowing fear of being found out, she simply closed my mouth and carried on completely indifferent.


    There wasn¡¯t really any path after leaving the cabin, the only relatively flat area was just around the edges of the little building; everywhere else was covered by the forest''s roots and plants, making traversing from one place to the other much more tedious than it should be. I felt like a child being held in such a way, and I can¡¯t help but look at the woman¡¯s head from below. She has this unnaturally determined look on her face, and it makes me feel unsafe.


    ...


    Just as I was about to continue my inner monologue the woman tripped over a loose root, flinging me into the air. I spun around sideways, spotting her face-planting into the dirt, just managing to protect her pretty face using her hands. The force I hit the ground with was much less painful than I anticipated, leaving me lying against the foot of a tree, allowing me to see the woman slowly trying to get back up off the ground. Part of me thought it was funny, but that''s not all I saw.


    The old man from back at the cabin was now running towards us, still holding his axe, but looking more distraught than mad. I guess he heard the fall, since we only walked around fifty feet away and had come to investigate the cause of such racket.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    The old man was yelling out the same thing over and over as he approached us, and from the way the woman reacted it must have been her name. When the old man finally reached us, she was already sitting on the ground with a sad look. The moment the old man spotted me, his worried expression went to disappointment and the woman appeared to be apologising to him.


    It was basically this inellible rabble, over and over for a few minutes, as every word that came from their mouths made completely no sense to me. The most irritating thing was when they spoke a word I thought I¡¯ve heard before, but it apparently had a completely different meaning behind it. Over time, my body had fallen to the side, leaning on a large rootthat causedme to lose sight of the two. However, I did gain a rather nice eyeful of the tree tops and the sun as it beamed between the gaps.During this time, I once again spotted the weird monkey from earlier that I put off as my imagination. This time it was clear as day, and I couldn¡¯t find any valid excuse to put off its existence. Especially since it was headed straight towards me.


    What¡¯s that? It might be a cute and curious monkey, that¡¯s just wondering what I am? I¡¯d think so too, if it wasn¡¯t for the bright red fur, long panther like teeth, and the stink eye it was giving me. It was also much larger than what I¡¯d previously thought, now that its main features were showing themselves in all their threatening glory as itquietly came closer and closer to the three of us.


    The red monkey was attached along the side of a tree behind thethe woman, and old man. It looked like it was ready to pounce, baring its fangs towards the two. This was hardly monkey-like behaviour. I¡¯ve got to warn them somehow, or else they¡¯ll be hurt!


    Mustering what little strength and control I had over this new body, I managed to lift my hand up and point towards the monkey. At the same time, the old man was gesturing towards me, resulting in seeing my warning immediately. The woman picked up my sudden movement. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers before she spun around, in what I believe was an attempt to run away. At this point she saw the monkey, and it saw her, taking its only chance to attack by leaping from the tree towards her.


    Just as I thought she was going to be hit, the old man swung his axe, lopping off the head of the monkey and sending it sprawling between the two of them,sliding to a stop right in front of me. The moment the adrenaline washed away I crumpled back onto the ground, feeling my whole body hurting.


    My vision was fading, but I could hear the faint sound two-people arguing over something. The girl leant over me and picked me up, once again cradling me in a princess carry. She looked anxious and kind of scared, but she held me nonetheless, then began whishpering in my ear. Sadly, I still couldn¡¯t understand a word she said. Even though I wanted to stay awake, I felt the last of my energy leave me. Forcing me to close my eyes, I heard a quiet, exited gasp from the woman. After that, everything went dark for a while. Meaning I must have fallen asleep, or lost consciousness.


    When I opened my eyes, I heard the woman and old man gasp in astonishment. I felt incredibly sluggish. One thing for sure though, was that they were calling me Fumi. They took me back to the cabin from before, and I was once again sitting on the big wooden table. The two were talking enthusiastically together, most likely about me, and as the woman cameclosershe kept saying one word.Whilst simultaneously raising her fingers in accordance to the pitch of her voice.


    ¡°Anna¡­ Anna¡­ Annnnaaaa~," she said, likely trying to make me say her name.


    I haven¡¯t tried speaking for a while now, but I guess it couldn''t hurt.


    ¡°A-an-Annn¡­¡­ Anna.¡±


    How a body like this could actually speak didn¡¯t make any logical sense, it lacked the lungs and complicated mouth parts required. Not only did it make no sense, it made me feel incredibly tired to the point where I couldn¡¯t even keep my eyes open. The woman, or Anna as she called herself, was bouncing around the room with a smile beaming from her face. The old man grabbed her shoulders telling her to calm down. Anna pouted, but left anyway. As soon as the footsteps of Anna had gone quiet, the old man rushed towards, donning an expression you¡¯d see on a eager child during Christmas. He leaned over the table and repeatedly started saying his own name.


    ¡°Geralt¡­ Gerrrrelllt¡­¡±


    My god you people, you know I get tired from this right? I mean, I guess I could amuse them for a little bit more. Well, let''s just get this over with.


    ¡°Geralt," I mumbled, nailing it on the first try, despite being so tired already.


    Geralt was momentarily stunned in amazement, while at the same time I realized they were treating me like a baby. How humiliating, someone like me getting stuck in such a ridiculous situation. I had plenty of time to think things over, and yet I still wish I could go back and at least beat up the guy up who caused my death.


    The old man, known as Geralt, suddenly leapt back into his previous position. Why did he do this? I asked myself. It was because that woman came springing back into the room. It seems that Geralt has some things he wants to hide too, I guess. With Anna''s entry, I immediately noticed the different air about her, for example, she had washed her face, removing all the previous dirt and grime. She looked maybe two or three years younger if a bit paler. Instead of twenty, that childish face of hers made Anna look around eighteen, if I had to guess.


    I had also spotted the book she was holding, unlike the clean and pristine new books I¡¯d get from the bookstore, this one looked very old and worn. Like it had been sitting in an attic somewhere for a few years. Actually¡­ that¡¯s a very likely scenario. She skipped over to me with a sparkle in her eyes, slamming the book down onto the table beside me. She started flipping through the pages, searching for something specific, and then placed the book onto my lap once she found the page she was looking for.


    This entire time I hadn¡¯t moved a muscle, simply because I didn¡¯t want to waste anymore of my precious energy. However, what I saw in that book made my tired half-open eyes widen to absorb the knowledge on its pages. I know, I know... I still couldn¡¯t read anything, but it was the pictures that interested me.


    I put a tonne of my remaining energy into moving closer towards the book for a better look. It was an image of a ghost or spirit, flying into an artificial body, called a golem. Even without the words I understood what it meant, the drawings were made well, and clearly depicted what looked like a body made of stone, coming to life after a being¡¯s soul was placed inside it. A lot of writing was on this page, and I felt the need to understand it, as it could make some sense of all this weirdness.


    Geralt and Anna were ecstatic that I understood the pictures to some degree, and in Anna¡¯s burst of happiness, she picked me up into a hug and spun me around. She was even nuzzling her cheek on mine lovingly, yet the whole time I couldn¡¯t understand why she was acting so overjoyed.


    After their little celebration I was placed back down, now with a cushion to sit on, and Anna continued showing me pictures from various books. Most of the pictures were hard to understand as I couldn¡¯t read the text beside them,howeverm, I didfind many repeating fantasy features within these books. Such as magic, demons and monsters. Whether these otherworldly things actually existed is another thing entirely, but that weird red monkey from before does make a good starting point.


    Anna eventually realized I couldn¡¯t read the words and started drawing her own pictures to help me understand. Despite how exhausting it was to move, I still blinked and wiggled my fingers to show I was listening every once and a while.

 (ARC_1) Chapter 3 - Getting Introduced

    Devil¡¯s Doll Reincarnation | Chapter 3 | Getting Introduced


    Starting from where we last left off, Anna had been teaching me how to read by drawing pictures for me, this went on for maybe three or four days. Anna had to leave everytime it got too late, but I didn''t mind. Like usual, we were both laying on the dusty carpet in the middle of the room, with an open book between us, and a flickering candle to our side.


    Anna would point to a word or letter in the book, then to a picture she had drawn, and say it to me over and over until I could understand and say it back to her. If she couldn¡¯t draw it, she would do something like charades. Because of her fantastic teaching I managed to figure out how to refer to people and when they were talking about me. Unlike the usual languages I¡¯ve tried to learn, this one was very easy to pick up, and the pronunciation flowed well and made sense. Not to mention I still have all my memories intact, what a great help they are.


    Although it was difficult at first, I eventually got into the flow of learning something interesting for once; allowing me to absorb the overflow of new information much easier and simultaneously keep up with Anna¡¯s enthusiastic attitude. However, I was a bit disappointed. As blessed as I must be to find such wonderful people, I wish I knew more about where I am and the reason behind why these people are treating me so kindly. To be sheltered in this rickety old cabin for so long... nothing good can come of it.


    I had made an attempt to talk to her in my own language before, but she didn¡¯t seem to understand at all. I¡¯m also pretty sure I caused a misunderstanding of some sort too.


    Anna knew it was difficult for me to do anything physical, like moving or speaking. So, she waited patiently for me to regain my stamina, before asking me to read something else out. Occasionally, I would find one word fairly interesting and she would stop to further explain it for me. Even though she knew I¡¯d barely understand, Anna kindly did so anyway.


    In other news¡­ the old man, Geralt, had left the cabin and headed off somewhere. He took a couple old-looking parchments and left in the same way Anna had tried taking me before, I still don¡¯t know the reason behind that, maybe she just wanted to play, but that¡¯s pretty much all I know. After a while I was beginning to feel worried since another feral creature might attack him on the way. Yet I can''t help but think that a red monkey wouldn''t be much of a threat for that man. The way it easily snuck up on the three of us is something rather worrying though.


    Anna¡¯s abnormally high perceptiveness managed to pick up on how I was feeling, even though I lacked the ability to show emotions on my artificial face. She began patting my head like one would do to a crying child. This gave me an odd mixture of frustration, comfort, and I swear I felt another feeling welling up. But Anna stopped before I could figure it out when she raised her finger to her lips and bounced up. I could practically see the light-bulb glowing above her head as she ran towards the cupboard, with her long brown ponytail trailing behind her.


    The cupboard is where she must have gotten the strange old book from, yanking out another old book. When she placed it in front of me I could instantly distinguish the differences between the two thick books. This new one had a bluish colour, and a golden pentagram on the cover with a lot of dust. I couldn¡¯t see a title, but when Anna opened the book, the drawings inside clearly explained that this was a book mystical in nature.


    A magic book.


    Why people who were living out in the middle of a nowhere possessed such an odd item wasn¡¯t what I was thinking. Nor was I thinking that I¡¯d get some amazing magical powers. In fact, I wasn¡¯t thinking anything at all.


    For whatever reason, I¡¯d passed out the moment Anna opened the book. The dust from it unnaturally exploded into the area, blinding me and Anna. Did I lose consciousness from the sudden surprise? No, that can¡¯t be. Then for what reason had I passed out?


    My eyesight slowly returned to me, and I found myself laying sideways across the floor. Apparently, the dust explosion had thrown me across the room, and Anna to the opposite side. The whole ordeal only last for a few moments, but it felt like so much more time had passed. I wonder if Anna is feeling the same way.


    Oh my god! Anna!


    I knocked my head on the floorboards to properly wake me up, and as soon as possible I began to assess the situation. Was Anna okay!? She¡¯s not moving!? I yelled inwardly, the worry was overflowing my mind. I¡¯ve never been in a major accident before¡­ excluding the one I was in¡­ Damn my safe cultured life!


    Quickly realizing that I¡¯d have to get close to see if she was breathing or not, I immediately went into action. I¡¯d swung my body over and started using my little arms to drag myself over to her. The book itself was still sitting in the exact same spot on the middle of the carpet with its pages wide open. Even though I was trying so hard, I didn¡¯t have the fleshy human hands that provided plenty of grip. Instead I had these useless, artificial, appendages made from some hard, smooth material. So, try as I might, I was only scratching my way across the floor and wasting precious time.


    After finally getting about halfway to Anna, I was now right next to the magic book. I¡¯m not too sure about the existence of magic, but I¡¯m pretty convinced since I¡¯m literally a sapient doll right now.


    I peered into the magic book while giving myself a moment to rest. Just before I started pulling myself forward one more time, I forcibly stopped myself when I heard the one sound I wanted to hear least. I slowly creaked my head towards the window, and by the big wooden table I¡¯ve spent a majority of my time on¡­


    Was a giant red monkey, just a bit larger than Geralt¡­


    My mind went into a storm of thoughts and I could feel my whole body shaking when it bared its fangs in a happy smile. Its long manoeuvrable arms slowly unhatched the window¡¯s lock on the inside, reminding me of the fact that the windows were broken. I was completely unaware the blast from the magic book shattered the glass in all the windows. Why couldn¡¯t they have broken in here earlier? Was there something protecting this building?You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    The creature at this point had long surpassed its normal animalistic sense. It was more monster than animal.


    Just as it began sliding open the window to crawl in, I made a sudden realisation. Turning my head back to the magic book, I noticed a slip of paper sticking out from one of the page where a bookmark was left there. But what for? It must be important in some way.


    Going out on a limb I flipped straight to the page the bookmark was in and found a drawing of a circle with a ten-pronged star, a square, and then an infinity symbol inside. From what little I had recently learned of the language, I could only make out that this was a spell for repelling. I wasn¡¯t sure if I should try it out since I didn¡¯t fully understand what this would do. Not to mention it may not actually do anything anyway.


    Despite these reasons the creature had already entered the room and was eyeing Anna like a succulent piece of meat. I couldn¡¯t allow this to go on any further! I shouted in my heart. So, I put my hands on the book and started pushing it closer to Anna, the creature hadn¡¯t even noticed me because it was too preoccupied with the meal it saw in front of it.


    The creature leapt down from the table and began hobbling towards her, knowing that this was going to be the easiest meal it¡¯ll ever have. I felt the last of my hope draining away as I realised just how far away Anna was, there is no chance of me getting there before it. I could only watch on in pure despair, which quickly turned into anger, and then into a pure hatred for the stupid monkey in front of me. The creature¡¯s grin is what caused me go over the edge and lose what little ability I had left to think clearly. Everything just went into an adrenaline fuelled rage, and in the heat of the moment I stood up holding the book above me, then came crashing back down as I slammed it on one of my brittle dolly fingers.


    I will not allow this!


    Even though they didn¡¯t have any nerves inside I still felt the same amount of pain one would expect from breaking their finger. Holding out through the pain I kept myself from screaming so I wouldn¡¯t waste any precious energy. I was beginning to regret this decision, but as I was near the centre of the room I had no objects to draw with.


    While looking at the inscription in the magic book, I began trailing the broken end of my finger across the wooden floor to make the same pattern. The shattered edges were slowly cutting into the floorboards, but it wasn¡¯t enough. I felt like giving up until a strange, thick, black liquid began to seep out of the broken finger.


    I didn¡¯t have the time to think about what this liquid was, and whether it was important, as the creature was now so close to her. So, I instead continued writing the inscription with the black ink like substance. Knowing it was currently all I could do.


    The creature had gotten close enough to hunch over Anna¡¯s unconscious body, letting its drool drip down onto her face. How glad it must feel right now.


    The creature¡¯s mouth widened so it could get the biggest first bite possible, yet just before it managed to do so, I finished etching in the final part of the inscription. The creature bent over, now just barely inches away from her face, then suddenly turned around with a look of pure terror.


    Because it could not smell any delicious flesh from my body it ignored me, deeming my small body as no threat was your biggest mistake!


    The black liquid unnaturally changed into a golden hue as it began to shine brightly and send beams of light through the whole room. One of said beams shone onto the creature¡¯s stomach, instantly burning off the red fur and grilling its flesh.


    The creature, being smart enough to move out of the way, yelped and headed for the window. In a desperate attempt to escape the room it pounced towards the nearest exit¡­ unluckily for it¡­ it was too late.


    The inscription gave off one final flash of light that completely covered the room, evaporating the creature instantaneously. I could hear the violent screams of the red monkey abruptly cut short, and when the blinding light disappeared all that was left was a black silhouette on the wall. The moment of silence in the room allowed me to calm down, and when I confirmed that the place was safe once again I instantly went limp due to being unable to bear the exhaustion of moving around so much.


    I told myself that I couldn¡¯t fall asleep now, that Anna still needed my help. Just as I flopped onto the ground I saw an unknown man burst into the room, wearing a black cowl and robes. When he saw Anna in the corner he rushed over to check on her, it seemed like she was okay and her eyes were looking at me with concern. The man cradled her in his arms and leant over, then whispered something into her ear. To which¡­ her body went limp, and her eyes rolled back into her head. What looked like steam was flowing out of her mouth, and into a small vial held around his neck on a necklace.


    The man¡¯s evil grin made me feel sick when he closed her eyes. The creep suddenly spun around and waved his hand, sending a strong gust of wind throughout the room cleaning up all evidence of any fight even occurring. The magic book I was still clasped onto then flew into his hand, where he slid it into his long robes. A satisfied look was plastered on his face, that is, until he looked at me.


    He walked over and stamped his foot on the rune I had painstakingly made, smudging it away until nothing was left. I couldn¡¯t quite process the situation due to the amount of utter shock running rampant through my head. Yet it soon came back to me when Geralt suddenly burst through the door, with the look of worry in his eyes. Spotting Anna he ran up to her limp body and held her tightly while kneeling on the floor, looking towards the strange man for answers.


    ¡°This thing did this.¡± He said, pointing his glove covered hand at me.


    Even though I could understand his simple wording, I wish I couldn¡¯t. For Geralt was looking at me with an expression mixed with horror, disbelief, and betrayal. You think I did this!? No, you dolt! Why are believing this man so easily? I¡¯ve done nothing wrong! My incessant complaints meant absolutely nothing however, to the people in front of me.If only I could shout out to him...


    Sensing something horrible about to happen, I turned my head, only to have the man in robes suddenly stomp on my arm; shattering and rending it useless. The unimaginable pain I felt caused me to writhe on the floor, screaming out in pain with my high-pitched voice while Geralt let out a light gasp. As soon as the pain eased up enough for me to stop myself from wasting energy, I looked up in the corner of my vision to spot the man preparing to break another of my limbs. With his back to Geralt, it allowed his insane smile to go unnoticed to the only other person in the room.


    Was this really how it ends?


    As I raised my hand up, pleading for him to stop, a warm liquid slid down my face. I closed my eyes, believing my fate to be sealed, but suddenly felt the vibrations of someone running across the floor. A loud crashing sound came from a few steps beside me, and I opened my eyes to see what caused it.


    Geralt had tackled the cloaked man and smashed him into the closet, where the splinters had pierced him in multiple places. The shallow wounds weren¡¯t enough to kill him, but the moment he tried to get up Geralt kicked him in the stomach sliding the splinters further into him until finally beating the man unconscious. In the mish mash of flinging fists, and flailing legs, the vial around the cloaked man''s neck had snapped off and rolled in front of me. I instinctively grabbed it as soon as possible, stashing it away in the front pouch of my white dress, and making sure to seal it closed tightly.


    Geralt breathed out a stuttering breath with his chin facing upwards before turning back and walking towards me. When he got close enough he bent down on one knee lifting me up gently, careful to not touch my shattered arm. He stood there for a moment, just holding me, with his anger and sadness almost visibly seeping out of him.


    He looked up at the roof again and took a few deep breaths until walking to the open doorway where he turned back to look at Anna¡¯s lifeless body one more time.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you somewhere safe.¡± He announced. The unexpectedly clear voice felt so very reassuring, I felt like I could sleep in peace. Sadly, Geralt, I won¡¯t allow myself to be such a dead weight in a situation like this.

 (ARC_1) Chapter 4 - The Soulless

    Devil¡¯s Doll Reincarnation | Chapter 4 | The Soulless


    Like usual, it was a boring day. I¡¯d much rather be at the old manor than this stinking council, but I can¡¯t disagree with the pay... I had come to this quiet little town so I could become more powerful. Everyone here just calls this place the village since no official name was given. We are, after all, in no man¡¯s land territory. The two warring kingdoms bordering each side of us both think we¡¯re all going to die sooner or later. So, they both have no reason to spare any effort naming us, and nobody here has the right to. As much as I¡¯d like to dilly dally here, the security is stricter than I thought, due to the war, and the damned mayor keeps shoving tasks onto me.¡°You¡¯re a smart man Quill, surely you¡¯re up to the task?¡±He told me.


    Ohh, how I despise that guy, thinking he can push me around of all people. I used to be a noble for fucks sake, yet he¡¯ll treat me all the same anyway! Obnoxious bastard. I haven¡¯t even had a single chance to capture another soul all month¡­


    ¡­ That is, until today.


    The old woodsman from the Southern forest had scheduled a meeting with the council. And who of all people had the task shoved onto them? Why me, of course. The casually clothed man trotted into my office, leaving muddy footprints trailing behind him. The exited smile on his wrinkly face only further irritated me. What had this buffoon come to talk about? It was probably something related to his ridiculous hobby again, wasn¡¯t it?


    This old man must surely be on the verge of going senile, to have quit his job as a woodsman just so he could pursue his vision of saving his lost child.¡°I saw her in my dreams!¡±he said to me, begging me to lend him the cabin, in the woods, for his pet project. I could barely hold in my laughter during that time, even with him grovelling right in front of me I found it hilarious how he truly believed he couldbuildhis dead child a new body. Even now his uneducated understanding of magic was enough to make me snicker.


    He said he might be able to put the child¡¯s soul into a replacement body, claiming he could fix everything if he worked hard enough. Even though highly trained mages have been trying to regain the lost technique, of transferring the human soul into objects, for nearly five hundred years. Even though I knew this, I of course gave him the cabin with a kind smile on my face. Expecting another joke to come up in a few months.


    Ididn¡¯thowever, expect him to actually succeed.


    Yet, there is one thing he hasn¡¯t realised. And It¡¯s quite ironic really, seeing as I devoured his daughter¡¯s soul. I was also the one who burnt down his house during the first few weeks I was here. You¡¯d think he¡¯d be more suspicions towards me, but nothing! That immature soul wasn¡¯t even very filling. I only came back to see how the mother was doing, yet she died baring that worthless child. Ohhh, how I wish that woman was stillalive, so I could wrench her juicy soul from her body myself. A soul like that would¡¯ve added at least thirty more years to my lifespan, and it would¡¯ve also strengthened my magic to previously unheard-of levels. Absorbing the souls of my enemies¡­ quite a unique trait in my lineage, if I do say so myself.


    I mean, I took the souls of my family members by the time I turned 20, but that doesn¡¯t matter. I only made it to this position from the combined powers I gained from them anyway, so I guess some thanks is in order¡­


    ¡­nah.


    What matters right now is that the soul of this old man looks incredibly succulent today. He¡¯s been babbling on about how his doll came to life, so maybe his new-found happiness has enlightened his soul. Perhaps I¡¯ll take the soul inhabiting the doll too? Judging from what he¡¯s been spouting for the last few minutes, it sounds like the being inside it hasn¡¯t figured out how to move with magic yet.


    Hmmm¡­ I guess I¡¯ll make this quick. Clapping my hands together I gained Geralt¡¯s attention with a start.


    ¡°Okay Geralt, my good friend. Let¡¯s go see this doll then, shall we? We¡¯ll measure its sentience level and see if it¡¯ll be accepted by the villagers.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes¡­ of course Mr Anderson, let¡¯s go.¡±


    He mustn¡¯t have been expecting me to speak up all of a sudden, but I just couldn¡¯t contain myself. It¡¯s been months before anything interesting happened here, and finally some action has come my way in this godforsaken place. I¡¯m pretty sure this procedure will go smoothly, unlike the last one. Well, anyway, Geralt and I left my office with haste and left the council building through its main hallway. Along the way, I waved to some of the villagers who greeted me as they walked by. After we got a good distance away from everyone else, I started asking some questions regarding the doll and what it looked like.


    The old man said that it was only as tall as his waist, and wore a simple white dress over her pale white porcelain body. It was amusing how I could clearly see the displeasure he felt, whenever I referred to the doll asit. What really amazed me however was that he claimed the doll¡¯s hair had changed from black to white.


    I¡¯ve never read any records of something like that occurring. Did this lucky idiot somehow manage to summon a semi-conscious soul? Or even worse, a demon. Usually it will just give the artificial body a mindless soul that had degraded in the, ever so murky, rift pool for too long. They were only capable of simple commands and orders, and were completely loyal to their creators. It really makes me wonder how much power is stored away in this new one I¡¯ll be seeing soon¡­


    Well. One can only take it to find out, right?


    Geralt had told me to go on ahead until I reached the foot of the forest, something about forgetting the parchments he brought with him. They only had some simple designs of the doll, and the runes and magic he had cast on it. So, I don¡¯t see why he held them of such importance. I mean, after all, he already succeeded, right? The work on the doll designs were of a much higher quality than the runes and incantations he had written down too, quite the half-assed attempt at reviving your daughter huh?


    ¡°So, Geralt. Have you only been working on your project, or was there something else? I can¡¯t lend you that cabin out of the goodness of my heart forever, you know. Especially since you¡¯re not even paying me for it.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°I have been doing other things too, rest assured, I¡¯m not just wasting space. In fact, I¡¯ve been teaching the mayor¡¯s daughter how to sculpt and paint. She¡¯s very enthusiastic about it, and I¡¯m certain that she¡¯ll surpass me in skill any time now. She¡¯s currently babysitting the doll, trying to teach it how to talk I think.¡± Oh really? It sounds rather tame doesn¡¯t it?


    And, oh yes that¡¯s right. Hasn¡¯t someone been going back and forth from the village to give this guy supplies. Now that I think about it, it all makes sense. I was expecting the mayor to kick the old geezer out, even before I did, but the time never came. Such a wonderful opportunity has come my way, it¡¯s not every day that I can snuff out two irritating flames in one go, and get some sweet, sweet payback.


    It had taken the two of us about ten minutes to actually get within viewing distance of the old shack. From the strength I¡¯d gathered over the years, it was a literal walk in the park for me. Geralt seemed to know what he was doing, with his many years of experience backing him, he didn¡¯t show a single sign of growing tired.


    ¡°Mr Anderson, I¡¯m quite impressed how a skinny lad like yourself managed to make it out this far; without a single break even.¡± He praised me over his shoulder, an impressed grin showing off his bright whites. I wonder how he would feel¡­ if I told him that I was at least sixty years older than him?


    ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand why you always wear that dark cloak either, it makes you look so unapproachable, yet you¡¯re one of the kindest people I¡¯ve met. Personally, I think you¡¯re trying too hard, and a lot of people in the village have become worried for your health.¡± Geralt had turned around, balancing himself on a large tree root. The extra height it gave him allowed him to look far out into the forest, but instead he was staring straight down at me, with a contemplative look on his face.


    Does he honestly think so highly of me? You people need to worry about me for a whole other reason... It¡¯s sickening if I¡¯m honest, but it¡¯s nice to know that I¡¯ve fooled everyone in the village to a certain degree. It¡¯s a good boost to my confidence. I¡¯d hate it if all my hard work pretending to be a nice guy was wasted, all this effort would be for nothing.


    ¡­


    ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯ll consider taking a break when we get back.¡± Flashing him my well-practiced smile, I saw a hint of worry on his face before he turned around. I can¡¯t help thinking he¡¯s losing his trust in me¡­ I¡¯m not enough of a people person to understand, unfortunately.


    As Geralt took one foot off the big root to step down, a blinding light shot out of the cabin¡¯s windows. Soon after, thinking that the ordeal had ended, Geralt stood back up from being knocked over. Only to have a massive explosion erupt from within the cabin, sending shards of glass and wood flying towards us. I ducked for cover, but Geralt wasn¡¯t fast enough to get out of the way. A gust of strong wind screamed past, shaking all the trees, sending more debris everywhere, and lifting Geralt from the ground, launching him backwards onto a bed of roots. It¡¯s just not your day today, is it?


    I peered over the top of my cover, eyeing the still intact, strange blinding light as it slowly faded away until it was as if nothing had ever happened. The only evidence of the incident were the broken windows.


    ¡°What the fuck¡­ was that¡­¡± I muttered, completely astounded by the wave of energy that had just assaulted me. I must see what caused this explosion of power.


    Emerging from my safe spot behind the root, I started sprinting towards the cabin. Looking back, I could see Geralt¡¯s horrified face. Not from my actions, but the shocking revelation of who, and what, was in the cabin. His precious doll, and the mayor¡¯s daughter. While he was busy strugglingly trying to get up off the ground, I was already at the opening of the blown open door.


    The first thing I saw, the moment I stepped into the room, was the rumoured doll grasping tightly onto a book. The doll had an emotionless face that struck me as nostalgic, it resembled a human¡¯s, but it gave off an unnatural feeling. It was too perfect, and surely there had to be something special about this thing. Shaking my attention away from the doll I continued with my original task, as I had not nearly enough time to stop and admire a dumb doll. The mayor¡¯s daughter, Anna, was cradled up against the other side of the room, and I couldn¡¯t allow this small window of oppotunityto escape me.


    Almost sliding over to her in glee, I held her head up from the ground with one of my arms, allowing her to breathe easier. The girl was still conscious, the first thing she did made that clear. She immediately stared at the doll with a look of concern and apprehension. So, she really does like the doll, I sighed, and then gave her a grin. Saying the words of power to activiate my unique ability, I finally sealed her fate. Holding out a vial I watched as her essence drained away, leaving a fog like substance inside the glass tube. As tempting as it was to consume it right now, I believe these is more important things to tend to. Such as removing any witnesses. I can¡¯t elaborate on whether the doll is sentient or not, but a little jolt of pain should do the trick.


    Standing up I cast a simple spell of cleaning to brighten the place up, removing the strangely shaped burn mark on the wall, and the unnatural gloom about the place. The thick book the doll was holding practically required its whole body to get a firm grip. Looking closer it seemed to be an old magic book of some kind. Curious, I pulled the book towards me using simple telekinesis, gradually jostling it out of the dolls tiny arms with ease.I then peeped at the title. Oh! It¡¯s an old classic. The Protective Barrier Collection by The Old Scriptures. I¡¯ve heard a lot about this group, they specialised in the occult and were very popular exorcists back in the day. Sliding the book into my cloak for easy reading later, Geralt finally burst into the room, allowing me to I let out a silent breath of relief.


    How fortunate it was that he didn¡¯t see me in the act, seeing as I literally just killed someone so very close to him.


    Geralt rushed over to cradle the girl in his arms, his soul looking more and more delectable as he further let out his emotions. I decided taking his soul, too, was the best course of action, as soon as I finished experimenting with his doll. All I have to do now is dispose of them, and I¡¯ll have free pickings of three different souls in one day. The last time something like this happened was when I walked through the aftermath of a battlefield, three soldiers were still alive and begging. Just ripe for the taking. I didn¡¯t question how they survived the Devil¡¯s army, and I honestly didn¡¯t care. Ohhh, such glee¡­


    Now, what¡¯s a good way to remove this doll, without the old coot trying to stop me? And as the man looked up at me for answers, I thought of something great¡­


    ¡°It did this.¡± I said, pointing at the doll while trying to sound as convincing as possible.


    In the corner of my eye I saw the gullible dolt took the bait, and now all I had to do was enact righteous justice, as they say, here and now. I walked up to the doll and it payed me no attention, instead it was just staring, fixated on the old man¡¯s horrified expression. The look of betrayal was a bright as day, and it made me feel so alive.


    Even as I stood right above the doll it completely ignored my existence. Well, how about we try that experiment then? Concealing my ecstatic smile with my back turned to Geralt I then slammed my boot onto the doll¡¯s arm, shattering it with ease, and releasing a satisfying crack. This experiment proved the doll really was sentient, as it thrashed around holding its broken arm. It¡¯s screams sounded so nice. How smart was this thing, I don¡¯t know, but I guess we¡¯ll just have to experiment more then, won¡¯t we.


    As I was relishing in the moment, everything suddenly went sideways and a painful sensation ran up my back. I tried to look up, and I spotted the bottom half of that old man¡¯s figure before getting kicked in the stomach. Although I was rather sturdy compared to other people, his kick still managed to knock the wind out of me. A horrible taste of iron was welling up from the back of my throat. Looking at my sides I could see long pieces of sharp wood sticking into me¡­


    How. Dare. He.


    I slowly yelled in my mind, nobody has ever treated this way. Nobody has ever managed to even knock me down! Even though... as much as I wanted to kill him now... I couldn¡¯t hold out against the onslaught of kicks and punches,resulting with megetting me knocked out cold for who know how long. But one things for certain. I¡¯ll slaughter this man in the most painful way imaginable... by taking everything he loves, and then finally ending him.

 (ARC_1) Chapter 5 - Opening the Gates

    Devil¡¯s Doll Reincarnation | Chapter 5 | Opening the Gates


    Why is this happening?


    Why are these people being so kind to me?


    What have I done to deserve their trust?


    All of these questions have remained unanswered ever since I got here. Even now, I await an answer of some kind to swoop by with a cure these unsatisfied feelings. Yet, at the same time, I can¡¯t help but hold these questions in distrust. In just a matter of a few days I have discovered so many new, unheard-of things, that have never cease to amaze me. These discoveries came in many forms, of which all had one thing in common...


    They all bundled up in my mind... confusing and muddling up my thoughts more, and more, with each new piece of information that got planted inside my head.


    I learned that my body was no longer my own. That it was disposable, and weak. So, as I lay here, in another¡¯s arms, completely helpless and barely awake. Incabable of helping the ones I hold dear to me. I have to watch on as one of them desperately runs away to keep us both alive. Through the mixture of confusing emotions, guilt and unending worry are plaguing me the most. As much as I wish I could do something about it, this body simply won¡¯t allow it. This person, for whatever reason, values my life far above his own.


    I have never asked for your help! Why are you doing this!? The only thing I know about him is his name¡­ Geralt, there was literally no other memory about him I could muster. Even though the thought of losing him is so heavy, even though he had treated me so well. I didn¡¯t even consider what was happening on his end, and I still don¡¯t quite understand. Geralt could have killed me the moment I showed him I was alive, yet he didn¡¯t. Yet what have I done in return!? His dear friend, Anna, who was so kind; has died in my presence. I was right there when it happened, but I couldn¡¯t do anything about it! How worthless can I get!?


    It¡¯s all my fault, and there¡¯s nothing I can do to change that. This simple fact frustrates me to no end. Even though I believed I had locked away my emotions, and that I wasn¡¯t bothered by any of this. I knew I was denying everything happening around me, that I didn¡¯t really die, that my parents were just waiting idly by over my hospital bed, and everything here was some kind of dream. The floodgates were kicked open the moment Anna died. I realised this was all real, and an unimaginable feeling of loneliness and despair washed me away all at once. The relieving embrace of Geralt, as he takes me further away from the cabin could only hide my unending tears for so long


    How sad must I be, to make a doll cry?


    I only died just a week ago, so that¡¯s a thing¡­ I kind of treated it like a joke this whole time. I mean, reincarnation was a ridiculous concept when you think about. But here I am, out of all the people in the world, I got a second chance. Dropped off with no explanation, ditched in a different world, where everything is different and terrifying. The very thought of leaving the cosy cabin, that had become my home, used to fill me with excitement, and wonder. Now, that very same thought just feels like an unsurmountable task, so daunting in my eyes that I just want to curl myself up to hide away under a rock. Where no bad luck or evils will harm me.


    ¡­


    Sadly, everything I hate the most seems to still be tailing me. Desperately trying to enact its own form of vengeance, for a reason I can''t comprehend. Although only fragments got through to me, in my exhausted state, I still managed to see snippets of what was going on. Geralt was hugging me closely to his chest, while we were bouncing around violently, and the distorted roots protruding from the ground looked like a sea of snakes in my blurry vision. Running just a few metres behind us was a cloaked figure, that looked like evil incarnate through my eyes. A clear emotion of hate could be felt emanating from his glowing red eyes.


    While I thought to myself how ridiculous red eyes really were, I could feel my eyelids growing heavier by the moment. But a loud cracking noise went shooting past us, sending a rush of adrenaline to my head, and effectively waking me back up by force. A blue tint lit up in the corner of my vision, and a nearby tree exploded into burning splinters from whatever had just hit it.


    ¡°Tch, I knew he was hiding something, but to think it was something like this...¡± Geralt grunted as he leapt over another root. He was surprisingly much more limber than I previously thought.


    Over the span of just a few days, I had barely managed to cram into my head the language of this world. A lot of what I hear is only roughly translated, and I have to substitute unknown words and sayings with something that makes sense to me. I am in no way a genius, I¡¯m just a tryhard¡­ or a perfectionist, as some would call me. Yet, one thing¡¯s for certain. Geralt knows this man in some way or another... What relation does he have with this cloaked bastard, for him to hunt us down with such determination? I get that he just beat him up a while ago, but come on. You¡¯re chasing us like a wild dog¡­


    When I angled my head upwards, Geralt was purposefully looking away from me. Every time I tried to look him in the eyes, he conveniently shifted his gaze away ever so slightly. Effectively preventing myexcruciatingly, slow head from locking eyes with him. Fine, if that¡¯s how you want to play it.


    My thoughts were clear, but my senses were clogged. Everything went back to being blurry after a few minutes had passed, and the adrenaline soon left my body. How the affects of adreniline would work in this body didn''t make sense, but nonetheless I was grateful it was keeping me awake. But it didn''t take long before I could feel myself falling asleep again, and my anxiety just wouldn¡¯t stop rising. Will the cloaked man stop chasing us? Is Geralt going to be alright? What is going to happen to us if we stop running?


    Quickly realizing my thoughts were heading somewhere dark, I tried shaking myself out of it, but could still barely move. While the phantom pain of having my left arm gone, was a very foreign sensation, it didn''t help with keeping any depressing thoughts away, just like a lot of strange new feelings with this body¡­ When I first realized I was also missing my little John, I felt like ending it all right then and there...A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Using my remaining hand, I held onto Geralt¡¯s jacket, making sure to secure my grip. Every jump he took felt as if I''d go flying, and we hadn¡¯t even been running for long. Perhaps it was just my deep thoughts making it seem that way, and now that I¡¯ve pretty much ran out of stuff to satisfy my mind with, all I can do is hold on tightly to let him focus on fleeing.


    While the cloaked man behind us cursed in anger every time he missed, it didn''t seem like he was running short on the bolts of lightning he was pegging towards us...


    I had long since lost any clue of where we were. I know we''re still in the forest, but it feels much more wild and unsafe than back at the cabin. While I was trying to think of more things I could use to deny reality, Geralt spoke up. Interrupting my thoughts.


    ¡°Fumiko¡­ I know this is going to be difficult, but I want you to trust me.¡±


    I croaked out a ¡°Yeah?¡± and urged him to continue. In a hopeless situation like this, it was all we could go on.


    ¡°Alright... I¡¯m going to drop you off... and hide you somewhere safe. I thought I¡¯d be able to get a pretty good head start on that guy, but it turns out he was much more resilient than I thought.¡±


    Wait... hold on... Are you insane!? He¡¯ll killus both if you stop for even a moment!


    I immediately resorted to arguing in a desperate attempt to stop him, even going so far as to tighten my weakening grip on him, so I could get my point across just a little bit faster. When he responded with a conflicted smile, it was clear he was going to regret whatever happens next. Geralt please. You don¡¯t have to act tough in times like these, just keep running and you¡¯ll eventually get away, right!?


    But, almost as if he were reading my mind, he responded. I simply couldn''t argue withthe truth.


    ¡°Fumi¡­ there is a reason they call this place the Eternal Forest. It never stops growing, expanding itself over the planet. At this point in, it¡¯ll be almost impossible to return, and it¡¯s the only thing I can think of to keep that crazy fool away from the village.¡±


    As Geralt kept running he haggardly spoke out his excuse whenever he could. There¡¯s no chance he can keep running full force like this, especially while dodging that man¡¯s attacks.


    ¡°Fumi. I¡¯m not the total fool he thinks I am, and I¡¯m sorry that I almost believed his lie earlier. Don¡¯t worry though, in his rage he¡¯s just going to be lost here forever. Okay? I¡¯ll drop you off, and lead him far away from you. There¡¯s no need for tears little one.¡±


    In the bewildered state I was in, while listening to Geralt¡¯s words, I didn¡¯t even notice the tears that were only further blurring my vision. What use do these tears have!? Everything else is already fake so why do I need to cry!? I¡¯m already responsible for Anna¡¯s death, so why must I be responsible for yours!?


    ¡­


    ¡°Geralt¡­ don¡¯t¡­ do it¡­¡± I mumbled out, my vision already starting to fail me. Everything was shaking about, and the view of Geralt from his arms looked like a blob of mixed colours.


    Despite my pleading he was no longer listening. Geralt took one final big jump off the side of a large root, causing the cloaked man to lose sight of us. Geralt then slid under a rotting dead tree, where he took three deep, heavy breaths, before proceeding to gently place me onto the ground. At this point my vision had gone completely white, but luckily I could still hear everything around me.


    ¡°Geralt¡­ don¡¯t leave me¡­¡± I begged once more.


    ¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°I had realised you weren¡¯t my daughter just a few days after meeting you. Your personality was just far too different to be her. I had my hopes up, and I''d like to apologise for bringing you into this horrible mess. I was being selfish in wanting you to become something else¡­¡±


    I wanted to tell him I didn¡¯t care, that he didn¡¯t have to worry about how I felt. I just want you to stay alive Geralt. Please let me, someone who has already experienced death, take your place. There is no need for you to die like this. But I could no longer move, speak, and could barely hear. Yet the clear sounds of Geralts footsteps getting further and further away made this suffocating feeling only grow with every step.


    The intense pain that ran through me when I tried crawling myself towards him paralysed me. I was left here completely helpless and alone. Unaware of my surroundings, in an unfamiliar country, quite possibly even on an entirely different world. With no clue of what to do.


    An, earsplittingly, loud crackling sound came from outside, causing my whole body to shudder. Only a moments later did I hear the pain filled scream, revealing to me the sad truth that Geralt just couldn¡¯t get away. Lying face down I knocked my head against the floor and let the tears finally run free. Surely it was alright now. I had the full right to cry like this, didn''t I?


    ¡­


    Of what I can only assume was a few hours spent silently crying, and sobbing. I could at least rest assured knowing that the cloaked man had left a long time ago. Probably believing he eradicated me and Geralt in one shot. The fucking bastard, with his ridiculous strength. I hope he never finds his way out of this damn place. To kill those two so easily, with a smile on his face too!There''s no way I''ll forgive someone like that until they''re dead...


    I swear I¡¯ll avenge you, Geralt. For my sake, yours¡­ and Anna¡¯s¡­


    As I could feel some of my strength had come back to me. Most likely over the time I was crying my heart out. I clenched my remaining fist and smacked it on the mossy, dead tree''s floor. Flipping myself back onto my back, I pictured myself a few days from now. As much as it hurts to see those two go, I¡¯m not one for just giving up and doing nothing...


    First of all, I don¡¯t need to worry about eating or sleeping if I do nothing. However, If I do move, I get tired in a matter of minutes unless I ration my strength, and take regular breaks. How will I get of this never-ending forest when I¡¯m so weak? I groaned, wiping my eyes, as I could feel the tears welling up again. I grasped hold of the vial draped around my neck, wishing that Anna was still here.


    ¡­


    But I am still here, Fumi?


    Answered a nearly whispering voice. So, very quiet it barely registered in my mind. But it was definitely there. There¡¯s no way I was just hallucinating.


    ¡°W-who¡¯s there?¡± I asked fearfully. I¡¯m in no position for combat right now, or ever, for that matter.


    Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve forgotten about me so quickly little one. It¡¯s me, Anna!


    The voice announced excitedly. Feeling the glass vial vibrate in my hand I, out of curiosity, held the glass vial up to my eye. Where I saw the figure of a little girl made of fog, smiling widely. It really is her, but how is this possible?


    Simple, my soul was taken, and placed within this vial. Whenever you hold it I can communicate with you directly, since your soul is so thinly protected.


    What? You¡¯re talking strangely, Anna. What do you mean, how are you still alive without a body?


    Well, obviously, the body is just a vessel. Don¡¯t you remember what I taught you? I tried to explain to you what you were exactly...


    Really? You said something like, I was a soul bound to an artificial body, didn¡¯t you? I didn¡¯t really want to listen to that, since it made me really sad¡­


    O-oh¡­ did it. Sorry about that, I guess it would make sense since this isn¡¯t your original body. At least it¡¯s a cute one, right?


    ¡­ I¡¯m a guy, so¡­ not really helping¡­


    Eh? Oh¡­... is that so¡­


    ¡­


    My condolences¡­

 (ARC_1) Chapter 6 - Knowledge Incarnate

    Devil¡¯s Doll Reincarnation | Chapter 6 | Knowledge Incarnate


    ¡°God. Fucking. Damnit.¡±


    I repeated these words over and over as I walked around, having no clue of where I was headed. To thinkI, of all people, would get lost in this never-ending labyrinth of a forest. Everyone knows you¡¯d get lost if you travelled too far in, yet I chased after him anyway¡­ Had that stupid old man just let me kill him with his damned doll earlier, instead of running, none of this would¡¯ve happened. I¡¯d be back at the village drinking some fine elven wine right now, if it wasn¡¯t for himleading me so deep into the forest.


    I could¡¯ve turned back and let him get lost in here, but I just couldn¡¯t help myself before the two delicious souls ahead of me. I didn¡¯t even manage to get it in the end though¡­ maybe I should¡¯ve held back a bit? A soul like that is only wasted if I disintegrate everything in one shot. He was holding that doll when I shot him right? He did some strange manoeuvres near the end, and I lost sight of him for a sec. Hmmm, no matter. What was it that adventurer called it? A double kill¡­ yes, that sounds right. That adventurer was ridiculously powerful, but really strange. It seems to be a trait with powerful people these days¡­ but I¡¯m a powerful person, right? And I¡¯m not strange at all, am I? Something didn¡¯t sound right about that thought, maybe I should think that one over a bit more¡­


    No, hold on¡­ I¡¯m getting off track. I should be focusing on getting out of this place, not self-evaluating my personality¡­ but the way back has already changed. Even now, I can sense the trees moving around me ever so slowly, perhaps if I was better with Earth magic I¡¯d be able to¡­ no, plenty of wizards and warlocks, that were more powerful than me, have gotten lost in here. I shouldn¡¯t think my case would be any different. It¡¯s good that there aren¡¯t any monsters prowling the grounds, they¡¯d just get lost like me.


    While I continued walking, and silently contemplating idly to myself, I felt the pit-pattering of water droplets hitting my head. Pulling my hood back on, to combat the weather, I nearly tripped over a loose root sticking out from the ground in the process. In that moment I felt a nasty killing intent behind me, not taking any chances, I activated my lightning barrier. A painful, animalistic screech came from behind me, and soon after I heard the thump of whatever it was hit the ground lifelessly. Turning around knowing it to be safe, I identified the attacker.


    ¡°Oh, It¡¯s just a Devil Ape. Well¡­ itdiddie from just touching my barrier, so I shouldn¡¯t be so surprised.¡± Taking a step forward I kick the ape onto its side, confirming its death, I then take its soul for sustenance. Although I gain strength from taking souls, it¡¯s not like they make me any less hungry¡­ even if they do taste nice. Monster souls don''t disperse like Human ones, they don''t have any lingering feelings, like regret, to keep them bound to this plain. So, how come the old man''s soul left so quickly? Just my luck for him to become content with his life right then and there.


    Well, these things are the only native monsters that can survive here so easily. All they have to do is hang out at the top of these endless trees, and then jump down on unsuspecting prey. Even I didn¡¯t notice this one sneaking up on me, which is an amazing feat in itself. Hmmm¡­ perhaps I should start sending out electric pulses to get a better grasp of my surroundings? But what if another magic user senses it though?


    Bah! Who am I kidding. I¡¯d want to be found at this point.


    Finally deciding on doing it anyway, I started passively sending out weak pulses of electricity. These would bounce back off of the surroundings, come back to me, and then I¡¯d be able to process the information into a mental image. If only some of the pulse came back, it means that something conductive absorbed a bit, allowing me to figure out what it is with the rest that came back. If it all comes back, but I get an image of a weird shape, it would help me identify if it could be a monster, like a golem or Tree Ent.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, somewhere in the middle of a forest:


    ¡°I''m sorry Anna, can you explain it to me again, just one more time?¡±


    Really? I''ve explaind it to you a dozen times. What¡¯s so hard about it? Isn¡¯t it normal for every being in your world to have magic?


    ¡°No¡­ we have fictional stories about magic, but it doesn¡¯t actually exist¡­ and besides, your version of magic sounds way too good to be true. Isn¡¯t it just a bittooconvenient for all this magic to just be floating around for the taking?¡±


    Not at all! You¡¯re just jealous you didn¡¯t have magic in your own world, aren¡¯t you?


    ¡°W-what¡­ that¡¯s preposterous. I¡¯d never think so shallowly like that, especially in front of someone like you¡­ Anyway, I was too busy trying to find a job to think about stupid stuff like magic.¡±


    Mhmmm¡­


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m grateful that you taught me the basics. If it weren¡¯t for you I wouldn¡¯t be capable of speaking at all right now.¡±


    You could always just speak your mind, literally, since your barrier is so weak I¡¯d be able to hear you anyway. So, why would you prefer to waste precious power like this?This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°I don¡¯t intend to never talk to people again. So, if I don¡¯t do it now, how will I ever get used to it? As great as a person you are, I still don¡¯t want toonlytalk to you for the rest of my life. Also, aren¡¯t you mad that cloaked guy pretty much killed you, and what about Geralt? It¡¯d be too optimistic thinking he was still alive right?


    OF COURSE, I¡¯M MAD! H-how could I not be¡­ I can¡¯t see, hear, touch, or smell. I can only talk to you when you hold me¡­ and not only is Geralt dead, I¡¯ve got no home to return to¡­


    Damn, that was stupid of me. Am I getting dumber the longer I stay here? Ihope to godI don¡¯t become like one of those dense harem protagonists. Actually, I don¡¯t think I need to worry about that. I¡¯m a living doll for Christ¡¯s sake.


    Hmmm¡­ I think its best if I just leave Anna to herself for a moment. Seeing as she has gone silent, I decided that I¡¯ll just stay quiet for a bit as well. In the meantime, I could practice what little magic she had taught me. Anna said that the only chances of usbothgetting out of here, is for me to learn how to use magic. Although she didn¡¯t tell me how it¡¯d help, and just pushed me into it, she still taught me a simple meditation technique that¡¯s supposed to help with finding your mana pool¡­ or something.


    It took a good five or so hours before Anna went back to her regular, cheerful self, and even longer for me to actually find, what I believed to be, my mana pool. I¡¯m very nervous to be honest. I¡¯m not much of apeople person, so I don¡¯t know if anything I say will help her. The thought of having the only person willing to help, hating me... is just gut wrenching. Even though this magic thing is supposedly real, it¡¯s not something anyone can just accept without any doubts, but I''m not in kind enough situation to start denying the things around me. I either go with it and accept what''s happening, or die. However, with Anna in her current state¡­ It feels like I¡¯m just being too selfish.


    Mustering up the courage before the awkward silence could get any worse, I told Anna that I felt a strange, cold, sensation. To which she, straight away, replied ¡°That¡¯s your mana pool¡± and urged me to continue. Apparently, a lot of mana was leaking from my body¡­ just mainly from my missing arm.


    ¡­ Fucking cloaked bastard, you still managed to cripple me after all that, didn¡¯t you? Well¡­ I hope you starve to death in this place.


    It didn¡¯t take long before I figured out how to use the meditation technique. So? what if it took me almost all day? With it being the only thing to do, I was bound to figure it out eventually.


    Okay¡­ you¡¯re doing very well so far, but this is where the real stuff begins. Because you can barely move yourself, I¡¯m going to teach you something very useful. They call it: Body Reinforcementmagic. Can you guess what it does?


    ¡°Oh? Iwonderwhat it couldpossiblydo.Perhapsit reinforcesyour body.¡± I answered. The sarcasm practically oozing off my every word.


    Only after Anna had finished berating me, and I¡¯d apologised enough, did she start teaching me the technique.


    Anyway¡­ she told me we would have to stop myself from leaking mana, and that the solution to it was to stop the circulation of mana to my arm. Before she could tell me how to do it, I imagined tying a knot in a water hose, to which, almost immediately after, I felt a sudden surge of energy returning to me.


    Anna was shocked into silence, but she soon praised me for my quick thinking, and explained that the pathways mana flows through were almost as unique as a fingerprint. I was confused as to how she knew about fingerprints, since I wascertainthis was a far less advanced world to my own. She, like usual, answered my blank, questioning gaze, without even hearing my question. Even though she was capable of hearing my thoughts, I could tell Anna had been respecting my privacy.


    Supposedly, there are special magical tools that can scan people¡¯s fingerprints. Although some races lack fingerprints, this can be helpful in its own way. If something was simply disguising itself as human, the scanner would be able to tell it was just a mimic. You¡¯d have to be a very capable shapeshifter to change such minute details.


    The fact that I was so good at manipulating my mana due to reading a few web novels doesn¡¯t need to come to light, but honestly, who thought those made up methods would be so useful here. As a result, it didn¡¯t take long before I mastered the meditation technique. Although,again, since it was all I had to doit wasn¡¯t all that surprising. I had possibly trained to the point where I could do it unconsciously, and was now constantly running it in the back of my head.


    How long this task actually took, slipped my mind. I think it was a few days, but I can¡¯t be sure. I was just too focused on figuring it out that I didn¡¯t notice. Between the long silences of practicing the Body Reinforcement technique, Anna and I had only talked a few times. It was often just small talk about how to improve myself, and what we¡¯ll do after this.


    We¡¯d decided that we¡¯ll practice with my movement as soon as possible, and then try to establish a temporary base of operations here, in the tree. Anna had been getting increasingly worried about something, yet she wouldn¡¯t tell me no matter how hard I pried.


    The results of my ceaseless training were quite impressive, if I do say so myself. I was now capable of sealing any leaks of mana in my body, and I could passively meditate and constantly fill myself with mana. Sadly, Body Reinforcement magic only sounded simple to do, but actuallyenacting on it was much more difficult than you¡¯d think. Certainly so, compared to the other things I¡¯ve learnt.


    Step 1:


    Encase yourself in a layer of mana, to increase the endurance of your body. Essentially holding you together.


    Step 2:


    Send mana to the joints, and muscles of your body, to strengthen them. Allowing for faster movement and the like.


    Step 3:


    Manage the speed and flow of mana travelling within your body to prevent combustion, and improve efficiency.


    Now¡­ steps one and two were easy enough. Three, on the other hand, sounded terrifying as all hell. Step one only took me a few hours to get the hang of, and if I had to describe it, just imagine covering yourself with a skin-tight blanket. The amount of mana infused would increase how thick the blanket was. After successfully using step two, only now did I realise how empty I¡¯ve felt for the last few days.


    The mana I poured through my body filled up the empty spaces inside. Compared to before, I no longer felt like an empty husk. With the mana creeping into every nook and cranny, replacing my muscles, bones, and organs. It was a refreshing feeling in the least. Although it didn¡¯t feel exactly the same, just a synthetic copy built for looks. It made me feel more¡­ Human. And that¡¯s all that mattered, really.


    Eventually waving those melancholic thoughts away, I began the gruelling trial and error tests that came with step three. So, allow me to put it into perspective for you. Even just the simple motions of using my hands to get rise me onto my feet, wasincrediblytedious. If I poured too much mana into one joint, a surge of pain stabbed into the spot like a hundred needles, making me lose concentration, causing another surge of pain. If I poured too little, I wouldn¡¯t be able to hold myself and would faceplant pathetically into the ground.


    Anna wasn¡¯t being of any particular help at the moment. With her, incessant, muffled giggling I only felt more and more embarrassed as I went through the motions of failing over and over, until finally getting each step correct. She cooed at me and encouraged me whenever I felt pain, but laughed at me when I flopped over. What does this mean? Sighing in my mind, I tried to look on the bright side of things¡­


    Such as¡­ ummm¡­


    ¡­ Give me a minute, damn it!


    ¡­


    Well¡­ at least I met Anna, and that¡¯sa positive at least, even if she teases me a bit too much.


    Yes... everything will be fine if I just try hard enough.

 (ARC_1) Chapter 7 - Sidewinder

    Devil¡¯s Doll Reincarnation | Chapter 7 | Sidewinder


    I''ve always wanted a challenge in life. Day by day, I pass the time taking on difficult requests from people I''ve never met. Requests that no other would take, knowing that it would be foolish to even attempt them. However, I''m not like those people.


    I have the power, and courage, to finish every task I''m given. My perfect completion score astounds others, and they speak of me in hushed voices. Believing me to be some kind of monster, just because I''m far better than they''ll ever be.


    I take pride in that, and I don''t care for the voices. The rumours, stories, and other feats they conjure up about me makes no difference. I only ask for a challenge, yet everyone has disappointed me so far. I''ve obtained enough gold to buy a castle and live on in peace for the rest of my days in retirement, but I''m only twenty-three.


    To retire now would be stupid... especially when I''ve yet to meet a worthy foe. Well... that''s not entirely true. I have met one man able to keep up with my strength, perhaps even stronger than me by now. I suppose that would make sense though, as he was the hero of this country. Summoned from another world to crush the enemies of the empire.


    I met him on my travels, just like any other I would''ve passed by him. But this one stood out from the crowd, his unbridled strength practically glowing amongst the others. His companions were strong, yet standing next him they looked like candles by a bonfire.


    Of course, I challenged him immediately, and in front of the whole guild no less.


    The boy looked no older than nineteen, and wore simple well-made clothes with no armour. Why would he? It would only slow him down. I recall that the sword on his waist emanated a mysterious power, and now that I think about it, it must have been the holy sword kept by the church. Only the hero could wield something like that.


    My own weapon of choice however, couldn''t be called outmatched. I made it myself, with the aid of some old Dwarwen friends I met few years ago. Spending at least half my life savings to gather the materials, and pure effort delving into perilous dungeons, resulted in the creation of a device capable of shattering stone, and puncturing steel. No matter the user. In the hands of myself, it could even be called a legendary item.


    The hero accepted my challenge, silencing the complaints of his companions and his supervisor tasked with keeping him safe. The look on his face wasn''t arrogant like the others. It was full of anticipation and excitement to the battle ahead. As was mine.


    We calmly walked to the practice arena behind the guild. Followed closely by a few dozen people who knew of us. While standing in the arena fifty or so metres apart, a crowd of a few hundred people had gathered on the sidelines, watching us intently.


    A couple people were betting on who would win, and in my five years of being a mercenary, I knew that many people had heard of me.


    Although most called me a monster, many acknowledged my strength, and I''d gained many nicknames over the years. Some were rather embarrassing to be honest.


    Invincible Mad Man, The Wandering Merc. To name a few.


    However there was one name that always stuck, it was simple, pretty obvious, and complimented my fighting style.


    Sidewinder


    I didn''t use swords, axes, hammers. Nor did I use magic or bows. I used my fists. It was so much more exhilarating like that. My fists were my greatest assets, with my gauntlets being my most prized possessions. A single punch from me was capable of knocking down trees, and my gauntlets amplified my strength to ridiculous levels.


    Many people have made the mistake of thinking I''m a slow, heavy hitter, as well. I''m far faster than anyone ever expects. Effortlessly dishing out a dozen or so hits in a few seconds. I can do slower, more powerful hits too, which is where the name Sidewinder came from. I never had to fight people with my full strength before, which is why this fight excites me so much.


    A chance to go all out is few and far between. Even when fighting monsters.


    As soon as the battle began, I rushed forward to get in close. The hero was paying close attention to my movements, and for some reason not drawing his sword. If I could get up close and personal, he won''t be able to use his weapon anyway. Was he planning to fight me in hand to hand combat?


    Ending my sprint with a stomp of my left foot, I turned, using my momentum while swinging my right fist towards his face. The boy didn''t even take the effort to move, letting my gauntlets send out a concerning creaking noise, as it plunged directly into his grinning face.


    He flew backwards, spinning a few times before bouncing, and skidding across the dirt and gravel of the arena floor.


    The whole arena gasped and held their breath. The hero''s companions looking on in worry, but holding back the urge to rush out and help.


    "Was that it?" I asked myself, feeling kind of let down.


    "Not at all." A gleeful voice replied.


    Returning my attention towards the hero, I saw him crouched down on one knee, pushing himself back onto his feet with one hand. He abruptly shook the dust from his messy hair, and padded himself down with a completely nonchalant demeanour, before turning back to me.


    Revealing the damage done. A black eye, a bleeding nose, and a bunch of scars across his face was the result of putting all my force behind one punch, and quite frankly, it amazed me. He should have way more damage after that, that same attack had pierced through hundreds of monsters, and other such things.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Checking closer, the damage from bouncing off the floor a couple times simply wasn''t there. Although he was covered in a thin layer of dust, not much else damage was apparent.


    "You... didn''t die." Letting my thoughts out by accident, the smile on the hero gleamed ever so brighter.


    "Yeah! But it came pretty close. I had to put all my aura into defending my face, then while flying backwards, I had to spread it through my body to prevent any other damage." With his hand on the back of his head, he laughed happily.


    Was that what it was? I''ve heard of aura before, but you''d need a tonne of it to actually use it in any way. So, my punch wasn''t weak. His aura just focused onto where I was going to going to hit, and minimised the damage.


    Well... If that''s the case, lets just see if he can keep up with my attacks.


    As the hero drew his sword, I sprinted towards him. The look of surprise on his face brought back my confidence. From my attack earlier, he was now much closer to one side of the arena, with nowhere to go.


    The hero swung his sword towards my neck, while being astonished at how little he was holding back, I parried the attack by angling my fist, leaving him wide open. His face contorted in pain as I shot four quick punches into different spots on his chest, before kicking the sword from his hand.


    Just as I was about to hit a couple more spots, I felt myself floating in the air, like an invisible force had grabbed my whole body. Unable to move, a surge of air rushed out of my body as the hero sent both his palms flying into my stomach, sending my body flailing away.


    Unlike the hero, I outstretched my arms and stuck the landing safely, by flipping backwards a few times, and mitigating my momentum. A quick look at the hero revealed what just happened.


    His aura had stretched outwards from his body, to which it then grabbed hold of me instead, giving the hero an opening to hit me. The voices in the crowd were going crazy over the fight, shouting profanities and encouragements like no tomorrow.


    Taking a deep breath, I ran towards him once more, but to my surprise. He was already in front of me, swinging his blade at me after grabbing it at some point.


    Ducking under the swing, I stood up, sending an uppercut into his jaw. Even with my gauntlets on, it felt like punching bricks. Knowing that he probably didn''t take any damage, I still understood that his aura couldn''t stop him from flying into the air.


    Taking this opportunity I ran to where he was going to land, letting him bounce off his back on the ground, before plunging my fist into his stomach as he righted himself.


    The hero spat blood from his mouth and once again flew across the arena skidding to a halt along the ground. As he stood up again, a satisfied grin was still on his face, even though he was now covered in scratches and bruises.


    It seems... he couldn''t regain enough focus, to use his aura this time...


    Taking a mental note of this weakness, I ran towards him while he struggled to get up. Just as I was a few seconds away from dealing the finishing blow, the hero finally realised he''d lost hold of his sword again, when I sent him flying through the air.


    With my fist only inches away from landing now, it stopped immediately as the bell went off, ending the match. As much as I''d like to say I could''ve won. It wasn''t me who stopped my attack...


    The crowd left dissatisfied in a huddle of groans. Well... I can''t blame em''. After all that betting just for a tie. Such a tease.


    The hero looked up with his usual smile. Grabbing my fist lightly with his fingers and pushing it back down.


    "My god... that was close."


    What are you talking about. You just... completely stopped my attack.


    "Man~ You''re so strong~ Probably the strongest person I''ve fought since being brought here. Its been an honour fighting you." He casually said, as if the previous fight had never happened.


    Taking a step back, a white light covered the hero, removing his wounds as if they were never there. Huh? Oh, that''s right. Wasn''t there a powerful priestess in his party?


    Plenty of other strong individuals too. Not a big deal to me though.


    "Ah! Hey, I didn''t quite catch your name. I heard a lot of stuff about how strong you are, but nobody seems call you by your real name." The hero was going on and on, being overly kind as usual. Wait... I never caught this kid''s name either.


    "My name? Its Eric. Just Eric. What about yours?" Making it obvious to him that I wasn''t a noble, I waited for his response to see if he''d treat me any differently.


    "Ohhh, Eric huh. The name''s Adam." As he grabbed my hand and shook it, he pointed to himself with his thumb.


    I sighed and we said our goodbyes. Overall it was a good day, and I decided to continue onward towards the small village half a days walk from this city. It would suck if my perfect score went down after all this, and the village mayor himself gave me the job too.


    It may not sound like much, certainly not as difficult as what I''m used to, but I kind of owe him a favour. I grew up there after all. It always surprises people hearing that I used to be a weak debt slave... sold off by my parents.


    If the slave cart wasn''t attacked by monsters I''d never have escaped to the village where I met that old man. I''ve never met this manager guy, but he shouldn''t be a bad person. After all, the mayor hired the man himself.


    On the path to the village there were some weak monsters to keep my mind sharp. I was never really fond of long walks without anything to think about or do, its just really boring.


    ...


    When I reached the village there was a young guard, wearing a helmet that was just a size too big, standing out front of the main entrance. The whole village was surrounded by walls of thick tree logs, with three entrances that had large wooden gates.


    Pulling out my commission sheet, I handed it to the guard. After checking over it for a few seconds he called out to someone behind the gate, and it opened a few moments later. With the dull clicking of gears and chains, it creaked open


    I guess it was more sturdy than it looked. After moving on through the door I looked back to see the other side of the gate, on this side it had thick logs with metal bands wrapped around them for support that needed chains to remove them. Expanding my view to the wall as well, another row of shorter logs were lined up against the wall, doubling its thickness, and adding a small ledge for archers and the like to stand on.


    "Eric my boy... its been a long time, hasn''t it?" An old, wizened voice greeted me.


    A familiar voice indeed. Looking back to where the voice came from showed an elderly man. Although he has a few more patches of grey in his hair, its definitely Thomas, the village mayor.


    "It certainly has been a long time, but I heard you needed some help. So, I came straight away." I answered him without any hesitation, why it felt like I''d only been gone for a few days.


    "Well, come inside for a drink then, I''ve got some things to tell you about."


    Turning away, he headed towards his house, and I followed suit. I''ve only been in his home a few times when I was younger, so I''d be lying if I said it didn''t interest me.


    Instead of catching up like friends would normally do, we began speaking about the matter of the missing manager. He''d been gone for a few days now, and Thomas decided to organise a search party. However, without any suitable guards, we could only go so far into the forest.


    Which is why he hired me. So, with the business finished, I spent the rest of the day organising a trip into the forest with some volunteers.

 (ARC_1) Chapter 8 - Waiting Game

    Devil¡¯s Doll Reincarnation | Chapter 8 | Waiting Game


    You know that feeling you get after running for a long time, or the sensation of a heavy weight squeezing you from all sides after a good workout?


    Well, that¡¯s what I¡¯m going through right now. I¡¯ve been non-stop training my walking for two or three days with body enhancement magic constantly running. I don¡¯t know whether the length of day is the same here, but I¡¯ve gone through a couple of sleepless nights already. I asked Anna how many days had passed, but she reminded me she still couldn¡¯t couldn¡¯t tell what was going on around us, she could only feel my general movements in some weird way. She compared it to feeling the direction of a strong wind.


    That must suck though¡­


    I get that she¡¯s upset, but she¡¯s been really quiet for a while now. The only time she talks to me is when I ask her a question, or majorly stuff up in my training. I¡¯ve felt some depressing emotions rising up within me, but Anna always seems to notice beforehand, making sure to calmly speak to me about random things. Anna told me about her experiences while learning the arts with Geralt in the cabin, or tales about her father, the mayor, who would often buy gifts from travelling merchants.


    I¡¯d like to speak to Anna more often, she¡¯s a nice girl, but I¡¯ll have to wait until later. I¡¯m too busy practising long through the night, all I can manage is the occasional light chat with Anna every now and then. It keeps us entertained, since we can¡¯t actually sleep anyway¡­


    You would expect that a person with a sleepless body, and another without a body would have no need for sleep, right? Not true, we get mentally tired, I take the time to rest whenever I get a headache from over exerting myself. Sometimes, during the the night, I hear odd noises out in the forest. I always end up heading back to the safety of the tree whenever that happens, Anna teased me for being such a scared little girl, but she wasn¡¯t wrong.


    I¡¯ve been walking around lopsided due to my other arm missing, and whenever I fall over, I don¡¯t have the strength to keep my face from slamming into the dirt. Its really worrying you know? This body is pretty fragile, and I don¡¯t like seeing cracks appearing in my pretty porcelain skin. I wonder what I must look like right now, I guess I¡¯d appear to be a dirt covered, little girl; that had tumbled down a steep hill. Although¡­ the missing arm would be very concerning.


    Well, I¡¯m pretty much stuck in a situation where there¡¯s barely anything I can do, fortunately, I¡¯ve always managed to get over difficult things like this. All I have to do is separate my problems into a list, and fix them one at a time.


    Okay then¡­ sighing in my mind, for the umpteenth time, I go over the steps once again.


    Step 1:


    Fix the issue with mobility.


    Now, so far, this isn¡¯t much of an issue. I¡¯ve been training my ability with Body Enhancement magic frequently, and although its uncomfortable, it allows me to move much easier. If I tried moving without using it, I¡¯d faint from exhaustion after a minute or so. Using magic is a much more reliable method, and as of yet, I have felt no real limit to how much mana I can use, unless the splitting headaches I get every 6-7 hours come as some sort of warning.


    Step 2:


    Set up some defensive parameters.


    Yeah, and that¡¯s it, I haven¡¯t thought any further than step two¡­


    Home base is still at the large, hollow tree. With my size its plenty enough space, and the thick protruding roots of the tree obscure the entrance pretty well, especially when combined with the curtain of hanging vines hanging just outside. Because the centre of the tree dips down into a shallow hole, water tends to pool up every so often. Using this water, I wash my arms, legs, and neck at least once a day. Although I thought it was kind of pointless, Anna kept telling me to keep my body clean; or else my joints would lock up, and I¡¯d be paralysed forever. With that slight mental trauma now stuck in the back of my head for the rest of my life, washing myself has become a habit. After that I continue on with my tasks.


    With how things are right now, I can¡¯t simply walk out of here, or I¡¯ll risk being ripped apart by those red-furred monkey things. Previously I would have thought this not to be an issue, I mean, I¡¯m a doll after all. However, with my encounter with the insane wizard dude, and the excruciatingly painful experience of having my arm shattered into little pieces. I¡¯ll have to go with some other, less painful alternative.


    I¡¯d asked Anna about that man as well, and apparently it was the manager of the village she lived in. He was supposedly a nice guy, so Anna was really shocked after what happened earlier. I reminded her how worried I was about her, and she replied, saying she just wanted to think over some things. Promising to help out as soon as she could.


    Looking outside the opening of the tree, I watched as the sun slowly dipped over the horizon. It was going to be dark soon, and lately I¡¯ve been seeing strange shapes in the distance. This was enough to keep me inside during the night. I need to find some means of protecting myself in the case that something bad really does happen.


    Anyway, I honestly haven¡¯t got much planned. I know its kind of sad, but I can¡¯t help it. A part of me just doesn¡¯t want to have a long, daunting list of possible steps, and I don¡¯t have enough information to make any solid plans either.


    ¡­


    After waking up, washing myself, and heading outside to practice my movement like a machine for a few hours; I once again fell face first into some mud. By this point both of us had gotten used to it, ignoring it as if nothing had even happened. However, this time, Anna gasped and told me to stay still.


    Worried that another strange creature had appeared, I hurriedly cradled into a ball, hoping whatever it was wouldn¡¯t see me. I heard the sound of Anna¡¯s giggling, and felt my face heat up.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry. It¡¯s nothing to get scared over, you¡¯ve just stumbled across something pretty useful.¡±


    Anna imitated a fanfare going off, telling me that I had miraculously discovered a special deposit of clay. It was low quality compared to what was used to make my body, but Anna said we could still try using it for a myriad of things. One of the lessons Geralt taught Anna was how to make golems, he was no expert on the subject, but he knew how to make some really detailed, humanoid ones. I am living proof of that.


    By imbuing mana into certain kinds of clay, you could shape and control them with your thoughts. To make a golem move around from afar you needed something called a golem core, an object created from a mana stone of enough power. This piece was essential for self-sustaining golems because the embedded mana stone allowed for a more localised power source, effectively removing the need to make physical contact to power them.


    To control a golem from afar, you would need a mental connection with the mana stone beforehand. This can be done by filling an empty one with your own mana. The more powerful the mana stone, the larger the golem can be, and how far away it can be while remaining under your control.


    As far as Anna could tell, golem makers were very rare. Not only is the cost of decent mana stones incredibly high, the profession is widely unknown to the public, resulting in not many people finding it profitable to learn. Because of this, locating someone who would willingly teach the craft is rather difficult. Most countries hold talented golem makers in high regard for a few reasons. With them, even small kingdoms could literally build themselves an army of stone or iron soldiers, if given enough materials and time. They also make great sources of profit in the trade industry. Having a giant, mana powered stone worker, capable of tirelessly moving around heavy cargo, is very useful after all. They could even act as powerful bodyguards or transportation methods when used creatively. There were reports that the Devil Kingdom created stone horses to pull their carts, since living horses were hard to come by in a monster infested country.


    All you need to keep them running is mana, a good grasp of controlling things mentally, and bam. You¡¯ve got yourself a completely obedient, multipurpose, moving statue. Pretty cool right? It¡¯s almost hard to believe that Geralt was the first person to make a sentient golem, what with all this competition going on. I guess he was really dedicated, good on you Geralt. Without you, who knows what would¡¯ve happened to my wandering soul.


    Taking a moment to thank Geralt in my mind, I joined back into the conversation. Anna was listing off the multiple uses Golems could have for us, but I decided to butt in.


    ¡°Alright Anna, I get that golems are really cool and what not, but I don¡¯t see how I¡¯d be able to make one. We don¡¯t have any mana stones, I don¡¯t know how to shape clay, and I certainly don¡¯t know how to control something with my mind,¡± I said, pointing out a few problems with the plan ¡°Why did you suggest this in the first place?¡±


    Anna stirred in thought, finally answering me in a calm, but sure manner ¡°¡­Fumi, no, Michael. I get what you mean, but I can¡¯t think of anything else¡­ my soul is undoubtedly dying in this pitiful excuse of a shell. I can feel myself fading away as we speak, and I can¡¯t quite tell you how much it irks me to say this, but I can only think of one way to save myself.¡±


    So¡­ her soul is dying after all? Well, that should I have expected. That little glass vial would never be able to substitute for a human body, it was stupid of me to take it for granted.


    The two of us just sat for a moment, wondering how things would turn out. Would she gradually fade away? I couldn¡¯t possibly except that. Resolving myself, I told Anna I¡¯d go through with it. She thanked me profusely, immediately telling me the best way to go about it. First, I had to gather a decent amount of clay. This alone took two or three hours, and digging up what I could with my brittle little hand wasn¡¯t quick to say the least. From what we¡¯ve speculated, Anna¡¯s vial kind of works like a constantly regenerating mana stone. The weird looking thing inside my own body is a soul stone, much better than the vial that Anna uses. The stone, albeit very expensive, is currently the second best alternative for holding a soul. The first one being an actual, living body; with an undead one coming in at a smooth third. Its lucky that Anna knows so much about this.


    After piling up enough clay, Anna instructed me on how to shape it into a humanoid body. My hand was incredibly unsteady, there were so many things to worry about. I wasn¡¯t proud of how it was going, I could tell it was lopsided, but because I only had one arm it was nearly impossible to make it symmetrical. Anna¡¯s voice had been getting weaker as the two of us carried on, speedily slapping clay onto the weird human shaped blob.


    I kept calling out Anna¡¯s name periodically, over and over, not stopping until getting my desired response. I swatted the idea of her never speaking again, never being able to laugh with me and chat. Someone as kind and gentle as Anna doesn¡¯t deserve this.


    I didn¡¯t know if I would make it in time, yet I continued even as her voice went silent. I couldn¡¯t bare the thought of letting Anna die like this, I¡¯d already allowed it to happen once, but this time, it¡¯ll be permanent. I grasped at what knowledge I had, focusing my all on the task in front of me.


    Nothing would stop me from finishing this. Grabbing onto Anna¡¯s vial as gently as I could, I slowly positioned it within the small hole. I waited for a moment, but nothing happened. What I needed to make this work was some reference, so perhaps looking into myself would reveal some answers.


    Angling my broken arm, in a way that would allow me to see inside myself, I spotted a glowing crystal. The thing was covered in the very same black liquid that occasionally dripped from my arm. It almost seemed as if the ooze was constantly seeping out of the crystal. Is that where it comes from? I assume it¡¯s kind of like blood, whereas the crystal is the very definition of my heart and soul. I never really believed in souls before, but I think it¡¯s safe to assume that things work differently over here.


    Taking a wild guess, I unsealed my arm, allowing the black liquid to flow freely. While pouring it into the spot where Anna¡¯s vial was placed, it reminded me of ferrofluid, pulling towards her vial and enveloping it whole. It glowed ominously a few times to the rhythm of a heartbeat. Hopefully that is something good.


    With this, my job was done. There was no way I could tell if everything would be alright, I can only wait to find out.


    Just¡­ please be okay.

 (ARC_1) Chapter 9 - Demonic Intervention

    Devil¡¯s Doll Reincarnation | Chapter 9 | Demonic Intervention


    It had been about four hours since the search began, and in that time, we found the retired woodcutter¡¯s cabin the mayor told us to look for. Unfortunately, what we found was far worse than anticipated. Not only was the woodcutter nowhere to be found; the daughter of the mayor had been killed, with her lifeless body limp on the floor of the cabin. And yet she was devoid of any serious physical injuries. We concluded that the cause was either poison, or magic. We would know for sure soon, as we brought along somebody who could investigate exactly that.


    The local healer, who had volunteered for the search was holding back her tears. Seeing that the innocent, bubbly girl she spoke to on a weekly basis was now dead. ¡°Who would do such a thing,¡± she muttered, her eyes darting all over the room. We gave her a breif moment to regain herself,and soon enough thehealer swore to figure out how Annadiedtoassist infinding thekiller.


    Moving on with further investigation, the crime scene revealed that some sort of conflict had happened. Someone¡¯s blood was tipped on the splinters of a broken cupboard, and drops of it were leading towards the exit of the building. The various tools inside the cabin were for pottery and woodcutting. This definitely added up with what the mayor had explained. The woodcutter had a pastime of making dolls for some big project.


    Anna had been coming to this cabin to learn how to sculpt figurines and dolls as a hobby. Although the man teaching her was a little odd, he was no doubt a good person, and had lived in the village for the majority of his life. The woodcutter, known simply as Geralt, knew nothing of poisons and magic that could harm someone. In fact, he was far too busy working on his life¡¯s work, of which Anna had grown incredibly fond of. A porcelain doll of absurd detail, was how the mayor had put it. Surely worth sixty to seventy gold coins by itself, or enough to feed a farmer for several years.


    Though I didn¡¯t know the man personally, there was some clear evidence making out that he could not be the culprit. The arm of a little girl was lying on the floor, just metres away from the body of Anna. Who often spoke fondlyabout the extremely lifelike doll, and that Geralt had been working on for years without an end in sight. This arm was so realistic that the others believed it was of flesh and blood, their thoughts only changed after they noticed theshattered porcelain shards just above the elbow. This arm had been broken off by something, or someone.


    Coming to the conclusion that, whatever eventshad transpired here were no doubt related to the disappearance of our missing manager, I ordered some suitable volunteers to continue investigating the cabin. Soon after, I left with six other people to continue combing the forest, as that trail of blood would assist in leading us to more answers.


    Hopefully this wretched forest hadn¡¯t already swallowed what was left. We can only go so far into the Eternal Forest before¡­ theyintervene. We don¡¯t need anymore people being taken by those freaks.


    ¡­


    ¡°My god, I can¡¯t believe I did it,¡± I cheered, celebrating over my success. Looking down at Anna, I awaited her response.


    ¡°...I¡¯m kind of at a loss for words, Fumi, I can¡¯t thank you enough. Saving me twice now and all¡­¡±


    I was surprised it worked at all honestly. She really knows how to make me worry, I had to call out her name dozens of times before she responded to me last time, and even then, she sounded very exhausted. However, along with her previous guidance, I worked away through the night, creating a new body that may help her condition. Occasionally, I thought I was wasting my time making a badly shaped homunculus for her soul. I didn¡¯t really have anything to go off, but by angling my head just right, I could see inside my own arm and down into my mostly hollow body. Yes, it most likely traumatised me in some way or another, but I quite literally had Anna¡¯s life in my very hands¡­


    I know I only have one hand, don¡¯t judge me.


    Anyway, what I was so proud of was an extremely simple looking blob of clay. It was kinda humanoid in shape and sparkled in a weird way, but nonetheless, it was quite good considering I only had the one arm to work with. The first time I found this odd clay, Anna explained to me how the forest had infused it with ambient mana over thousands of years,which made it quite valuable and very susceptible to certain kinds of magical manipulation. Geralt used this clay specifically because it would help in his experiments to create a sentient golem. The mysterious black ooze within my body is the main reason behind my continued existence. Geralt never told Anna how exactly the ooze worked, just that it kept souls alive as long as they were covered with it, allowing them to be stored within the confines of their artificial bodies that usually lacked any kind of system to keep them alive.


    After telling me that, I thought of something that could prevent Anna¡¯s soul from dispersing. So, going off on a limb¡­ shut up. I figured out a possible solution, on the spot, that might actually prevent her from disappearing. If the black liquid keeps my soul stable, why wouldn¡¯t it work for Anna¡¯s?


    I may not be a master of whatever art this is, but what matters is that it worked. Gathering whatever knowledge I could from clich¨¦ stories of magic and myth, plus some basic science class skills I learned around two years ago. I siphoned some excess ooze from my broken arm, using it to fill Anna''s hollow clay body. I waited in silence for anything of notice to happen, idly hugging my legs up to my chest.


    Sitting patiently, and completely still, I watched until the sunlight began to fade. I spotted the slightest of movement, following shortly after that, hope welled up in me once again. A few hours later the arms of the little golem jostled about, shaking violently to the point of knocking itself over. Catching it with ease, I placed it back on its feet. Its legs shook like a newborn dear, but once it stabilised itself, the small figure looked up at me in a confused manner.


    ¡°When did you become taller than me?¡± It asked in Anna¡¯s voice.


    Feeling all my worries wash away, I didn¡¯t even question how it spoke, or how it sounded like Anna. I just laid down beside it and hugged it close.


    ¡°I thought you would be gone forever,¡± I said ¡°I didn¡¯t know whether anything I tried was going to work.¡± By this point, tears of relief were flowing freely. Ironically, I¡¯ve probably cried more in this body than my previous one. Anna, seemingly growing aware of the situation, just silently hugged me back.


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    Heaving out a long sigh, Anna whined at me. Even so, I was just glad she was still alive.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have at least made me a better body? I mean, I definitely feel my strength coming back, but I¡¯d never expected it to feel quite so weird,¡± patting down her body, she rubbed my cheek while observing her new surroundings ¡°Of course, it''s infintelybetter than that glass prison,¡± she added with a scowl.


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly not ideal, but I think I can get the hang of this pretty quickly, if I really try,¡± following those words, she pinched my cheek and uttered some reassuring words: ¡°No need to worry about me anymore.¡±


    Suddenly flexing her mana, she jumped out ofmy arms just few feet away. Anna¡¯s new body heated up rapidly, solidifying the magical clay into a brown, ceramic finish. She didn¡¯t stop there though, and continued to move mana around her insides to probe it for new information. Finishing her bodily inspection, Anna found that she could manipulate her body to some degree, changing the design to lookidentical to her original appearance. While Anna could do that, she also had the ability to stretch and solidify her limbs into possible weapons.


    Noticing that she looked naked in her default human form, she formed some skintight clothes that made her feel slightly better.


    Normally, solidifed clay wouldn''t beable to move around and change shape. In this case though, the special clay making up the majority of Anna''s body could still be moulded, aslong as a constant stream of mana was supplied. Which just so happens to be, exactly what her soul does.


    ¡°Why are you so much better than me at magic?¡± I asked, trying to hide the jealousy in my voice. Unfortunately she noticed it easily, not hesitating to throw me a smug grin in response, beforeslumpingher shoulders down just as quick.


    ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to say that I''m far better than you in magic, that just isn¡¯t the case,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Because this body is so small, it is way more malleable than my previous one. All the mana meant for a human body has been packed into a softer, much smaller one, letting me do a bunch of new tricks a human body couldn¡¯t hope to achieve. What with all the bones and organspreventing any decent shapeshifting.¡±


    Thinking it over, her explanation definitely made sense. Not only was Anna years ahead of me in magical experience, she understood the theory behind the process much better as well. Although Anna was certainly no expert, everyone in this world would have more experience than me either way, considering I only arrived in this world a few days ago. Switching my attention backtowards Anna showed she was messing around with the various shapes her body could take. A ball, a two headed little duck, one very fluffy looking kitten, and a vase. By the time she finished playing around and reverted into her base form, the happy grin on her face only become oh so more obvious.


    ¡°Enjoying yourself?¡± I mused while using my one arm to upright myself.


    ¡°¡­ Yes, actually. This is much less mortifying than I expected. In a way, it¡¯s kind of¡­ fun?¡± she answered as her grin swapped out for a mystified look. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, though. This is a terrible situation to be in. We need to act more seriously from now on,¡± she hastily replied, waving her little hands about.


    After a little bit of show and tellfeaturing all the forms Anna could confidently take, she turned into an arm, with her tiny face compressed into the side. Creepy? Yes. Ingenious? Perhaps. I froze in place, simply staring atAnna¡¯s face chaped like a Cheshire cat. I questioned whether she would let me attach her to the base of my missing limb, but before I could finish, she jumped onto my stump and morphed into an arm. The disturbing wriggling and slithering to get a good fit made me feel uncomfortable, but the end result was an identical looking limb to my still intact right arm. Sadly, the colour was off, and it looked like I had stuck my arm, shoulder deep, into a muddy puddle.


    As soon as she attached herself to me, I could hear her thoughts once again. She was incessantly giggling to herself as she continued to morph into new shapes, allowing me to think over our new circumstances. Combined with my growing skill in moving around, we might actually stand a chance against whatever threats we may encounter. Watching Anna morph into sharp blades and spiky flails gave me some new confidence in surviving this strange ordeal.


    For the next few hours we practiced using synchronised movements and attacks. I told Anna that while we were in public she¡¯d have to get used to being an inconspicuous limb, which wasn¡¯t much of a problem surprisingly. Anna could give control of herself to me, and take it back just as easily. This pretty much turned her into an ordinary arm, effectively removing anychances ofsomebody random learning one my limbs having a mind of its own.


    Unfortunately, Anna didn¡¯t know of any offensive magic, rendering my hopes and dreams of throwing fireballs at monsters spiralling down the drain. We tried cutting a log at Anna¡¯s request, but I wasn¡¯t able to swing my arm fast enough to deal much damage. Her spiked flail form worked much better, as I could use the momentum of swinging it around before slamming it onto the log, that took out a small chunk of wood. Anna could use reinforcement magic on herself as well. With all her mana being focused into such a small body, the strengthening effect was much greater. I tried to swing her harder and harder, but a piece of my shoulder chipped off, resulting in a ten minute long lecture about not taking care of myself better. It¡¯s a nice feeling, being worried over something so little.


    I decided to head back to the clay deposit to experiment on making new things. The thought of having legions of clay or stone soldiers motivated me to push onward, and by the time that night fell, I successfully made a hand sized, spider looking... thing. My continued experiments and guidance from Anna resulted in a rather useful little toy if used properly. Hopefully I couldmake it climb aroundand use it as a scout after finding a mana stone.


    Pouring mana into the clay spider let me manipulate it. This helped to shape it at first, but I later realised I could also control the spider manually. I could walk it aroundfor a bit, do a cute little hop, and roll it over with a single thought. Anna thought it was quite funny, but inevitably useless in its current state. As did I.


    Unfortunately, someone else thought otherwise.


    With an unholy screech coming from above me, a large black bird gently touched down unannounced, simultaneously sending a gut wrenching feeling to flow through me. Slowly rising from my spot, I saw a grey skinned man sitting upon the feathered fiend. With long pointy ears and eerie black eyes, he stared at me, sending a shiver running down my spine as his lips upturned into an all-knowing smirk. He had red fur over his shoulders, thick leather pants adorned with metal shin guards, and two war-axes placed firmly on his large, but fitting belt.


    Ruffling his metal studded jacket, he casually stepped down from his obedient nightmare inducing bird. Taking a glance at the clay spider in my hands, he nodded his head in approval, then spoke up in a deep voice.


    ¡°A potential golem maker, huh? Quite the nice find I¡¯ve found this time. Golem makers are rare enough, especially outside of human origin. Surely my master will be pleased with this,¡± he complained before continuing ¡°Well¡­ you¡¯re coming with me then. Hop on and shut up, before I snap the rest of your limbs off and drag you back with me.¡±


    Before I could manage to form a single sentence, I felt myself catapulting away at breakneck speed. Looking at Anna, she had morphed into a long, snake like arm. It astonished me. How could something so small stretch to such a degree? Anna spindled around a tree root, flinging us away from the mysterious man with increased fervor. Turning back, he was simply watching our escape with a casual expression. He went to speak, and reading his lips, I took a wild guess at what he said.


    ¡°And so, the chase begins.¡±

 (ARC_2) Chapter 10 - Face the Facts

    Devil¡¯s Doll Reincarnation | Chapter 10 | Face the Facts


    My eyes suddenly dart open, scouring the surroundings for any available info. I was trapped in a dark, musty cell. Its walls and floors made of stone bricks, reminding me of the old castles in my previous world. A barred window was positioned high upon the wall, preventing easy access, but still allowing for a decent amount of light to shine through.


    It appears that we were caught, and amazingly enough, I remember it very clearly. We continued our frantic escape through the forest for about ten minutes, eventually deciding to hide within another treeafter we realised the grey skinned man was nowhere to be seen.


    In this brief moment, Anna gave me a quick rundown of the situation. I was confused at first, and once again thanked lady luck that I had Anna by my side. Putting it simply, there were odd rumours going about, detailing that evil demons were snatching away any who wander too far into the Eternal Forest.


    Anna knew for a fact that this was true, revealing yet another reason for her continued visits to Geralt¡¯s cabin. She was afraid something would happen to him, and sadly, she was right. Anna had overheard her father issuing guards to patrol the forest border, talking in detail about multiple kidnappings and mysterious disappearances. Yet even he was not fully informed.


    A group of knights would routinely come to collect taxes from the village, and with Anna¡¯s obsessive worries to guide her, she eavesdropped the commander for a few days. They spoke of an entire continent full of demons growing to the South, kidnapping humans for some unknown cause. The higher-ups were fully aware of this, willfully hiding away the new threat, rather than announcing it to the rest of kingdom and causing widespread panic.


    There were many things Anna wanted to discuss, but unfortunately, there was nowhere near enough time. A loud cracking sound whipped through the cool night air, shortly exposing my body to the outside cold. I looked up, watching as the upper half of tree slowly slid from its base, landing with a loud thud onto the forest floor. My hiding spot, now reduced to an empty stump, reminded me of looking up from the bottom of a well. Unaware of what this world beheld.


    I felt very out-of-place, stifling a laugh about common sense. In this world, many things I previously thought impossible were now the norm. I thought it was unfair, as nothing could¡¯ve prepared me for something like this. How could I possibly beat someone who could slice a tree in half with such ease?


    And with that out of character sense of loss, I was scooped up by the man who was chasing us. Slapped in the face with copious amounts of weird purple dust, and slung over the man¡¯s shoulder. The last thing I saw before passing out was a bunch of people pointing and staring as we flew away on the back of his giant bird. Then, after an unclear amount of time passed, I awoke to find myself chained to a cell wall. Once again missing an arm. While Anna was firmly locked away inside a sealed metal box, placed in the corner of the room.


    Overall, I think that¡¯s about everything. Not much happened for around two days or so, aside from the occasional complaint over unclean joints, all I could really do was talk to myself and jingle my chains. I would¡¯ve loved to chat with Anna during this time, but everything she said came out muffled fromwithin the metal box.


    I was trying to stay positive, but this was seriously testing my patience. On the third say someone finally showed up. It was a tall man wearing a wooden mask under his hood, that was in the shape of a cultic looking octopus. He also wore long, patterned robes covering him from head to toe. If anything, this weirdo heavily reminded me of the cultists from Skyrim. Which was already a rather obvious alarm.


    The cultist ripoff took out a notepad, skimming through it while glancing at me every now and then. He was muttering to himself in another weird language I couldn¡¯t understand, but soon enough the grey skinned demon returned, striking up a conversation with him.


    Sliding the notepad into his robes, he strolled over and knelt down beside me, causing his long robes to sprawl across the floor. He began chanting ¨C not in the happy, cheery kind of way mind you ¨C while holding his hands out as if warming them around a fire. I pushed myself against the wall, knowing I wouldn¡¯t be able to escape this one. When the chanting finished, he scratched his head and shrugged, looking back at the demon in loss.


    After taking a moment to gather my thoughts for another thirty seconds, I mentally face-palmed, realising that I had yet to even speak during the weird skit the two were going through. So, without any warning, I spoke up in the clearest totally not trembling voice I could muster.


    ¡°Hey¡­ I don¡¯t suppose either of you could explain the situation?¡±


    The two froze, slowly changing their focus back onto me, as if expecting me to jump. The robed one rapidly stood up and began scribbling down in his notebook, jotting down something I probably wouldn¡¯t appreciate. The demon simply grinned, closing the cell door behind him.


    ¡°So, not only are you a golemcapable of makingmore golems, but a talking one too. Quite the lucky find this week huh.¡± he drawled, seeming quite proud of himself.


    Seeing my chance to make small talk, I grabbed it by the reigns and pushed ahead.


    ¡°Well¡­ Mr?¡±


    ¡°Alek.¡± he provided.


    ¡°Thanks¡­ then Mr Alek, mind answering my question?¡± I asked in the most polite way I could.


    The demon crossed his arms, unsure as to what he should do. He patted the back of the robed man, pointing him to the exit. In understanding he soon left and closed the cell door, with the demon waiting for the footsteps to be barely audible before continuing.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Well, little one, I¡¯m going to give it to you straight and simple. Welcome to the Devil King¡¯s army, you have been forcibly conscripted and will spend the rest of your life here serving him and your superiors.¡±


    The metal box in the corner suddenly began shaking violently, and loud clanging noises banged around inside. The Demon sighed, snapping his fingers towards the box. The lid popped open ever so slightly, allowing Anna to morph her hands and pry the top open, launching herself outas a blob on the floor. She laid on the cold ground for a moment, taking in her surroundings, before spring back into shape; donning her original appearance.


    Taking in a deep breath, she shouted, clearly not having any of it, ¡°Hell no! Why would anyone in their right mind do that!?¡±


    The demon looked at her small figure, scratching his chin in contemplation.


    ¡°¡­ Hmmm, it seems I was correct in assuming you were also a golem. Two for the price of one I suppose,¡± snickering at his bad joke, he continued ¡°And as to answer your question: you quite literally have no choice in the matter. Unless you would prefer a life of slavery instead?¡±


    Anna and I grimaced, immediately shaking our heads. When you think about it, we could always try an escape at a later date. With that sorted out though, I decided to clear up one more thing.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s all well and good, but do mind telling me what the robed guy was doing earlier?¡±


    Alek looked at me like an idiot, clearly we weren¡¯t on the same page, ¡°What do you mean? It is one of the first spells any golem-meister learns, surely you would know that?¡±


    After blankly staring back for a few seconds, he found his answer. He then demanded to know exactly what Anna and I were doing inside the Eternal Forest. After going through the ins and outs of what happened over the past few weeks, making sure to leave out any soul travelling madness, Alek rubbed a hand over his gloomy face.


    Heaving out a long sigh, he spoke up, far less enthusiastic than before, ¡°I guess I got ahead of myself then. To come across an experienced golem maker so easily, not a chance. In the first place, they would never go that deep into the Eternal Forest, even if therewardwas to die for.¡±


    ¡°Oh... sorry for getting your hopes up, I guess.¡± I said, in the least sincere way possible.


    ¡°No, it is but a minor setback. I know what I saw though. You were controlling a golem you made yourself, which is no small feat, meaning you must havesome promise in the craft either way. I¡¯ll transfer you over to the golem crafting quarters instead and put you to work.¡±


    Taking note that he ignored my question, he pulled out a bunch of keys from¡­ somewhere, and proceeded to free me from my chains, only to clamp on a smaller pair around my legs. Anna attempted to pounce him while his back was turned, but was deftly swiped from the air with only one hand. The demon needn¡¯t even look. He tossed her back into the metal box, picking it up with his left, and me with his right before leaving the cell. Ithought ofgoing for one of the axes on his belt, but figured he would crush me with his bare hands before I could manage anything.


    It was a weird feeling to be carried so easily. Especially under another person¡¯s arm by the stomach like some sort of housecat. I was previously a fairly fit, six-foot-one male, but even in my previous body I was still shorter than Alek. Who looked to be reaching almost seven-foot. I mean seriously, his hand was almost larger than my waist.


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    Alek carried us through the massive castle, greeting similar looking demons on the way through. It brought back memories of my childhood, when all the parents would chat together for just a bit too long, leaving their children to entertain themselves. I decided it was best to just not interfere. Spending the time peering through every window and crevice I could find, while gradually trying to reconnect the mental link with Anna. It seemed to only work while we were both connected.


    The outside cityscape had plenty of gothic style buildings, each billowing black and purple smoke from their chimneys. The ground floor looked like a disturbed fire ant nest, with thousands of tiny red things scampering around. Upon closer inspection, I could also make out taller, grey demons like Alek. That were commanding the red ones by the dozen.


    There must have been some sort of hierarchygoing on where the bigger and smarter demons ruled over everything below, which also conjoined with my fictional knowledge on the subject. I continued this for a while, stopping only when a tall, pitch-black demon with white horns stared back into my eyes me from atop another tower.


    On a side note, there was a distinct lack of women in the area, and although I had my theories, I thought it best to save them for later. As we had finally arrived at our destination. A giant, hollow tower spanning fifty metres across, with hundreds of wooden bridges connecting one side to the other. Looking down made my head spin, as it was lit up the whole way down from the countless lamps and floating flames.


    Each step over the bridge made me increase my grip on Alek, but this only made him laugh, joking about sprinting across as fast as he could. He put us down when he reached the other side, thankfully resisting the urge to taunt me, but reminding us to once again not act up as he took off my chains. I couldn¡¯t help but be weirded out with how nice he was being, what with the whole hunting down and kidnapping stuff. Now, he acted more like the cool motorbike ridinguncle you would see once a year.


    ¡°Well, this is the place kid. We call it the golem quarters, but nobody really cares. I may not be an expert on the subject, but this is without a doubt one of the best places to learn the craft. I¡¯ll hand you over to that meister from earlier, and from then on I expect you to work hard. I¡¯ll come by in a month or two to checkup on your progress, and if you¡¯re not up to my standards, you¡¯ll be sent to the mines to waste away instead. You got that?¡±


    Nodding my head, I looked over the weird patterns carved into the door, startling myself when it suddenly creaked open. A shorter version of the cultist stepped out, being only a head taller than myself, and looked me up and down. I was curious as to why the golem-meisters wore such weird clothes, summing it up as some sort of labcoat equivalent. When Anna was finally released, we fused together once more,sending a shiver down my spine as she slid in place.


    The golem-meister was clearly weirded out, looking to Alek for an answer. Who simply handed over a bundle of files, clearly experienced with this already.


    ¡°I¡¯ve caught two sentient golems, both potentially capable of crafting as well. I believe you know how important these assets are, so treat them well, unlike the human scum that is usually brought in.¡±


    The meister nodded, seemingly impressed, then grabbed me by the arm. He dragged me inside before closing the door, clicking a heavy lock back into place. I was astounded by the contents of the large room, with the roof being much higher than expected. It was by no means well-lit and beautiful, in fact it was quite the opposite, but spread all over were large machinations of various design. It was like walking into a tech expo. Where a hundred or more stalls were setup side by side, each one containing a group of meisters working on strange golems and other weird projects.


    I also spotted a few rag covered humans, busily loading heavy ores into wheelbarrows surrounded by guards. I felt my heart ache as they stared at me with sympathy, knowing that they thought of me as just a child. Even the other demons had been fooled, often questioning why Alek was carrying a human child before they noticed my damaged arm. I had so many things to say, but was too afraid of what may happen.


    So, I just followed the meister. Who guided me away from the other humans that watched on in misplaced worry. I needed to become stronger, powerful enough to make my own decisions. For my sake and Anna¡¯s, I needed to be capable of defending myself, so that I may forge a safer path of my own.