《Who Mourns the Dead?》 Prologue Marco brushed his dark hair back from his eyes, squinting as he tried to make out the words on his computer screen, ¡°In Euthyphro Socrates argues that¡­¡± his eyes glazed over as he thought, ¡®This is so boring. Criminally boring.¡¯ Marco had written it himself and he could barely stay awake reading it, ¡®How can professors do this to themselves?¡¯he thought distractedly. With a sigh Marco saved his documentand submitted it online. Introduction to Philosophy wasn¡¯t a class that Marco had particularly wanted to take. He had neither the interest or the patience to do anymore than pass the class, but it was required by the college. It seemed that most of his classes were like that; uninteresting but required. Marco opened a new tab on his computer before checking time- 11:58, almost midnight.Another sigh escaped his laps ashe glanced at the other side of the room, at the identical computer that sat on the identical standard dorm desk.Averting his eyes Marco typedan address into his browser, sending him to an old peer to peer messaging network. No one was online, ''As always.'' he mourned.Scrolling through the names on the server he read out loud to himself: ¡°GreenEyesBoneDragon - Online¡± ¡°IDietoServe - Last Online: 6 days ago¡± ¡°ThePriestiestPreist - Last Online: 3 weeks ago¡± ¡°NightNightKnight - Last Online: 3 months ago¡± ¡°DrewEd - Last Online: 10 months ago¡± ¡­ 11 months ago 1 year agoUnauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. 2 years ago 2 years ago ¡­ Marco watched the screen with dead eyes,the minutes tickingby as he lost himself in his memories. Overcome by nostalgiahe openedhis chat history with NightNightKnight. ¡°Aren¡¯t you excited for college?¡± Marco read to himself, ¡°Yeah it¡¯s going to be great, we¡¯ll finally have time to play some games together again!¡± ¡®After all,¡¯ the final message read, ¡®we¡¯ll be living in the same room. Hahaha¡¯ Marco scoffed, gazing around the empty room silently, ¡°At least I thought we would be¡­¡± A buzzing sound interrupted Marco¡¯s descent into despair; his phone vibrating against his desk. ¡®Who could that be¡¯ Marco asked himselfwhile picking up his phone.
??????Unknown Number: Become powerful! Get the girl! Save the world! You have been invited by: Death. JOIN THE WAR!
Marco snortedat the message, ¡®What¡¯s this supposed to be? A mobile game? A virus?¡¯ Curious, he copied the text from his screen into a search engine and hit enter.
0 results found
Under which the engine suggested:
Did you mean to spoil the fun?
Marco flinched. ¡®To spoil the fun¡¯? What? How could someone do that to the search engine results?With shrinking pupils heglanced at his webcam, ¡®It¡¯s got to be a virus. Got to be.¡¯ He closed his computer before gazing at his phone again. ¡®I¡¯ll take my computer into the university repair shop tomorrow, I¡¯m sure one of the IT majors will know what¡¯s going on.¡¯ Marco thought to himself as he jumped on his bed. ¡®Well, it¡¯s only 12¡­ maybe I¡¯ll check this ''game'' out until I fall asleep.¡¯ Hisfinger hovered over the screen, waiting for Marco¡¯s decision to play the game. The hesitation only lasted a brief moment, after all the phone was old anyway, ¡®What¡¯s the worst that could happen?¡¯ Marco thought, his boredom overcoming his caution as he pressed the button. And then his head hit the bed with a thud as he fell unconscious. Chapter 1 Marco¡¯s eyes shot open then begandarting around him in confused shock. ¡°What the fuck?!¡± Marco yelled as his eyes focused on the creature in front of him. Empty eye sockets gazed back at Marco, their apathetic nature the complete opposite of Marco¡¯s frenzied panic. White bone connected by nothingnessdraped in a robe of shadows moved towards Marco incomplete silence before stopping a hair¡¯s width away fromhis face. The quiet was only broken by Marco''sheartbeat, racing through his ears until the skeletal figure¡¯s jaw unhinged to whisper a word that seemed to stop it. ¡°Calm.¡± The whisper was barely audible and yet as soon as Marco heard it he felt it. The calm. A command on his existence unquestioned by Marco¡¯s mind or body. Instinctually Marcoknew what was required of him. In his unnatural state Marco observed the monster in front of him with detached curiosity. Intricate lines stretched across the bone, flowing between bones like wind through hair. Marco traced the lines with his eyes until they led him into the black emptiness that lay in the hollow sockets where eyes could have once been. The emptiness gave way, showing Marcolight swirling in a disk, spinning around darkness in a deadly dance as a hollow center ravenously devoured every ray of light before disappearing. ¡°What- What are you¡­¡± Marco whispered, a feeling of renewed dread trying to push its way through the forced calm. ¡°Death¡± came the whisper, almost as if carried by the wind from some far off place. Marcopaled as sweat began to bead across his skin. ¡°Is that why I¡¯m here?¡± He asked shakily, ¡°Am- Am I... dead?¡± Silence descended for 72 of Marco''s heartbeats before the voice echoed again, ¡°No. Not yet.¡± With a trembling voice Marco began to ask, ¡°Why-¡± ¡°Silence¡± Hushed the skull as the shadow it donned grew,floating off the skeleton and enveloping Marco in a spinning dance of shadows. The darkness of the shadow was pierced by stars, Marco noticed as he looked around him, ¡®I¡¯m¡­ in space?¡¯ he questioned. Then he saw someone- no, something- hovering against the backdrop of the universe, like a shadow blocking out the night sky. It was a massive man of shadows with eyes of crimson suns thatburned Marco¡¯s eyes when he met their gaze. ¡°The first memory is of two.¡± the whispered voice from before said quietly, closer this time, as if it was behind Marco.Turning to question the skeletonMarco instead saw an inverted reflection of the dark man; a woman of light, with eyes of azure seas that caressed Marco like kin. ¡°Light and dark,¡± echoed the voice as Marco floated between the two giants, ¡°positive and negative, life and death... creation and destruction. The two were polar opposites and would thus birth a great contradiction inside themselves- love and hatred for each other. A burning desire to become one, to consume the other or destroy the other, to become alone again.¡± Marco watched the two figures in horror, each calmly walking towards the other. Each step shook Marco¡¯s mind as if he was being pummelled by nature¡¯s fury. Once the figures crossed the voice began again, ¡°Yet instead the second memory was of more. More contradictions. For how could destruction bring creation? For how could creation bring destruction?¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. The world spun and Marco saw four new figures; seemingly caught between male and female, with shifting eyes of purple energy that Marco could not decipher. ¡°Then there were four more than the two. The four who would come to be known as the high gods of men. The earth unmoving beneath humanity¡¯s feet. The sky a gale above their heads. The water flowing in everything. The fire burning something to nothing and nothing to something.¡± Entranced Marco watched entranced as the Earth took shape before him in the hands of these gods, condensing around the sun before shifting into what he knew to be home. ¡°There would be more,¡± the voice said ¡°born of the four that were born of the two. And more beyond that.¡± Marco listened intently, entranced by the disturbed voice¡¯s story, ¡°But then something would go wrong.¡± The scene shifted, and now Marco saw another planet, but unlike the cradle of life he had grown up on this was a a planet of horrors. Creatures inexplicable in form roamed freely, causing Marco to feel terror from the deepest part of his soul. Above the planet Marco saw four figures- familiar to the four figures from before but somehow simultaneously complete opposites. Genderless entities of the same fire, water, earth, and air. But... wrong. ¡°And now¡­¡± said the voice in a tone reminiscent of lustful desire, ¡°There is only war!¡± Above Marco something moved, causing Marco to gaze up at them. The wrong two. Then he was falling, falling so fast that the air was crushed from his lungs as the dark shadows of the voice overtook him. When Marco awoke he was greeted by a screen in front of his vision:
Welcome to the war [new player] Please select a username
Marco jumped to his feet as he quickly surveyed his surroundings. He was alone in a room of stone bricks, empty except for a staircase that cut through the edge of the room- going both up and down. After several breaths to calm his heart that seemed to have recovered from the ¡®calm¡¯ imposed upon it Marco looked at the screen again. A username? ¡®What the hell is going on?¡¯ Marco wondered to himself. He¡¯d had dreams like this before, hell sometimes he even wished he lived in a game world. But for this to really happen? ¡®Impossible.¡¯ he thought half-heartedly.
Please select a username
When the screen prompted him again Marco raised his trembling hands out of ahbit, causing a keyboard to appear underneath his fingers. The novelty, however, was lost on Marco as he tried to force himself to believe what was happening. ¡®This is great.¡¯ he told himself, ¡®This is what I¡¯ve always wanted¡¯ With a smile Marco typed his signature name, ¡®GreenEyesBoneDragon¡¯, inspired from a card game he used to play as a child.
Welcome to the war [GreenEyesBoneDragon] You have been selected as a player from Earth by the Titan Death Before the war begins you will be given 1 year to complete the tutorial Good luck player
¡®So that thing was ¡®Death¡¯, one of the two things from the beginning of that trip. I wonder how many other players have been selected?¡¯ Marco wondered as he looked around the empty room.
90 other players have been selected
Marco jumped, taking another deep breath to calm himself he thought, ¡®Ok. It answers my questions¡­ What are, um, you?¡¯
Information not available
¡®Well that¡¯s not helpful.¡¯ Marco thought with a snort. ¡®What now?¡¯ Marco asked himself before receiving an unexpected answer:
Continue down the stairs
Marco briefly considered walking back up the stairs before deciding against it. If this was all real then he didn¡¯t want to piss off whatever this system was. So with a mix of curiosity and apprehension Marco walked down the stairs. Chapter 2
You have the entered the dungeon: The Shifting Fortress
Marco froze in place. ¡®A dungeon?¡¯ Eyes darting around anxiously Marco took a step back before realizing he was being watched. ¡°Whatcha doin¡¯ boy?¡± Chuckled a short bearded man with rough features and heavy leather garments. After a moment of stunned silence on Marco¡¯s part the bearded man grunted, ¡°Yer not very bright, are ye?¡± ¡°I- um- sorry.¡± Stammered Marco as he cautiously approached the man, ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked curiously. The man rolled his eyes and muttered to himself, ¡°He ain¡¯t polite either¡± before reaching his hand out and boastfully saying, ¡°Ye can call me SteelBreaker kido.¡± Marcoinstinctivelytook SteelBreaker¡¯s hand as he held prolonged eye contact for far too long before SteelBreaker prompted, ¡°Yer name?¡± Marco blinkled, his brain releasing the conditioned response of, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Marco.¡± After a few seconds of Marco now avoiding eye contact and uncomfortable hand holding SteelBreaker broke the handshake with an exasperated sigh of, ¡°Not another one of these types.¡± ¡°Oh- I- um¡­ I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s just that I¡¯ve never met someone of your¡­ um-¡± Marco stammered nervously before SteelBreaker interrupted, ¡°Yea yea, ye¡¯ve never met a Dwarf before and yer about to shit yerself because ye didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be so imposing.¡± Marco stared blankly for a second before forcing himself to say, ¡°Yes. Exactly.¡± SteelBreaker eyed him dully before breaking out into a hearty laughter, ¡°Yer funny kid, I¡¯ll give ye that. A shame, the funny ones don¡¯t usually last long.¡± Marco froze before asking, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± The Dwarf seemed to have been expecting the question as he raised his arms up ominouslyand said, ¡°Yer in a dungeon now kiddo. People die in here all the time- oh but, uh, don¡¯t worry; there won¡¯t be any corpses in here. After all this dungeon¡¯s just for the tutorial.¡± With a tilt of his head Marco questioned, ¡°Does that mean this dungeon is just for me?¡± The Dwarf held his hand up to his face in aggravation before continuing, ¡°Yea, and because of that it¡¯s even more dangerous so ye better listen to me when I say that people die in dungeons.¡± Ignoring the Dwarf Marco pressed, ¡°Why is this dungeon just for me?¡± The Dwarf gave him a sidelong glance along with the question, ¡°Who invited ye to participate in the war?¡± Marco hesitated before whispering, ¡°...Death¡± causing the Dwarf¡¯s playful mood to disappear. With a hardened expression SteelBreaker began, ¡°Ah, I see. Ok kiddo listen up: Yer world¡¯s war hasn¡¯t technically started yet. Ye¡¯ve been chosen by a Titan to represent yer world in combat. In a word yer to become a champion of- uh, where did ye say ye came from?¡± Marco automatically responded, ¡°I¡¯m from Virginia.¡± Realizing his mistake too late Marco cringed as SteelBreaker continued, ¡°Ok, yer to become a champion of planet Virginia. So to give ye a lil push you get yer own dungeon for a year to toughen ye up with the hopes that ye¡¯ll pass whatever ye learn onto the other humans when the war starts.¡± With a nod Marco then asked, ¡°Ok so if this is my own dungeon what are you doing here?¡± Marco¡¯s eyes widened as a terrible thought crossed his mind. Jumping backwards he yelled, ¡°Are you the first enemy?!¡± SteelBreaker stood silentlyin response,contemplating whether Marco was serious, ¡°I can see my first impression was correct. Yer not funny, yer dumber than tunnel stone.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. SteelBreaker chose to ignore Marco¡¯s embarrassing display and replied, ¡°No, I¡¯m not the first ¡®enemy¡¯ in the dungeon- if I was ye¡¯d be dead. I¡¯m the shopkeep. Geez, I¡¯d heard that the black Titan doesn¡¯t properly educate his champions but really? Really?! Look kido, open up your player screen. Ah-¡± SteelBreaker raised his palm to stop Marco¡¯s oncoming question, ¡°Just think it and it¡¯ll happen.¡±
Player Screen
Name: Marco Barone Race: Human
Level: 0 Class: -
Occupation: Champion of Earth Titles: 0
Spells: 0 Skills: 0
Health: 8/8 Mana: 14/14
¡°Now check yer ¡®Quests¡¯¡± SteelBreaker huffed.
Quests
Primary: Defend planet Earth from the invasion force
Secondary: Defeat the F-Rank Dungeon: The Shifting Fortress
¡°It says that I should defeat this dungeon.¡± Marco observed with anticipation, ¡°So, how do I do that?¡± SteelBreaker looked at Marco with pity as he said, ¡°Ok lad, here ye go. This is yer starting gear. Yer a uh¡­ magic user, says here.¡± SteelBreaker observed from a small notebook he¡¯d pulled out of his jacket, ¡°Ok so first up: staff or wand?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± asked Marco right before SteelBreaker nodded and said, ¡°Staff it is. Catch!¡± pulling an unordained wooden staff out of the air andtossing it at Marco, ¡°Right onto the next one: Red, Black, White, Blue, Green, Yellow, or Gray?¡± Marco immediately said, ¡°Black-¡± before SteelBreaker cut in again, ¡°Naw ye¡¯ll look way better in green, trust me. Ok and finally¡­ um says here¡­ ok here ye go.¡± SteelBreaker fished into a pouch on his waist and pulled out a small palm sized book before handing it to Marco along with a wad of green fabric. ¡°Right and now yer set kiddo. Good luck in there. I¡¯ll see ye later¡­ hopefully!¡± SteelBreaker said before a hole opened up under his feet, devouring him before Marco¡¯s face could settle into its newly shocked expression. ¡°What just happened?¡± Marco asked himself as he examined his newly acquired items.
Beginner''s Staff
Beginner''s Robe
Spell Book: Shadow Shuriken
Marco smiled before exclaiming, ¡°Equip Beginner¡¯s Robe!¡± instantly replacing his clothes with the beginner¡¯s robe. Excited Marco continued, ¡°This is pretty intuitive! Equip Beginner¡¯s Staff!¡±
[Beginner''s Staff] already equipped
Marco¡¯s broad smile faltered as he nodded, ¡®Makes sense. I am holding it.¡¯ Attempting to appear unphased Marco held the small book up before saying, ¡°Um¡­ Learn spell?¡±
Spell [Shadow Shuriken] learned
The book in his hand faded into particles of light that disintegrated into nothing as new information appeared in front of Marco.
Spell Name: Shadow Shuriken
Description: Create and launch a projectile of manifested shadow magic
Cost: 5 mana
Cast Time: Instant
Beaming with excitement Marco raised his staff and exclaimed, ¡°Shadow Shuriken!¡± Causing his whole body to tremblewith the sensation ofcold energy rising from behind his stomach before then travelling through his arm into the trembling staff as an indistinct ball of shadows formed and launched forward. Upon hitting the ground the shadowsdispersed, leaving scratch marks on the surface of the dirt. ¡®Wait¡­ dirt?¡¯ Marco asked himself before gazing up with a rising feeling of discontent. When Marco looked up to examine his surroundings he found that he was facing a large stone brick gate, seemingly leading into a medieval castle. Smile faltering a little, Marco walked through the gate with his new staff in hand. Chapter 3 After crossing under the colossal frame of the gate Marco found himself standing in a barren courtyard face to face with a¡­ skeleton? ¡®Yes, it¡¯s a skeleton.¡¯ Marco told himself, ¡®But¡­ what is it a skeleton of?¡¯ The collection of yellow bones was short, barely reaching Marco¡¯s thighs. The skull was disproportionally large with a jaw so massive it could probably crush a rock. In addition the skeleton had a tail and, as it reached out to him, Marco noted that it only had three fingers and a thumb. ¡®Wait...shit!¡¯ Marco thought to himself, jumping back out of its reach. The skeleton seemed to be surprised but interested as its hollow eyes examined Marco. After a few seconds the skeleton raised its head,like an animal trying to smell the air around it.
You have been identified
¡®What?¡¯ Marco asked himself as the skeleton began to emit a deranged scream, charging Marco with outstretched arms intent on ripping into Marco¡¯s living flesh. Without thinking Marco turned and ran, however the skeleton was already too close- with inhuman strength it launched itself onto Marco¡¯s back. The impact knocked Marco off his feet and onto his face, luckily sending the skeleton tumbling off his back to stare at him. Marco quickly jumped up and brandished his staff at the creature before it could rush him again. The creature didn¡¯t seem to realize, or perhaps it didn¡¯t care, that Marco was now seemingly prepared for it and decided to simply charge him again. Marco stopped himself from trying to turn and run away from the monster, as in the back of his mind he was acutely aware that the safe place was, in fact, behind the monster- not back into the courtyard that likely contained more of these disturbed skeletons. The momentthe creature neared Marco it launched itself forward again, however this time Marco was prepared¡­ relatively. With jerky movements Marco raised his staff and knocked the skeleton out of the air, causing it to fall to the groundwith aresounding crack that reverberated through the air.
[Critcal Hit] -6 HP
¡®How much Health does it have left?!¡¯ Marco asked the system as he contemplated running past the heap of bones. In response a window opened in Marco¡¯s sight:
[Kobold Skeleton] Identified
Name: N/A
Race: Undead
Health: 9/15
Mana: 0/0
Marco trembled at the realization that this puny skeleton would be able to take at least two more hits before going down. However Marco¡¯s thoughts were quickly interrupted as the screen flashed and disappeared to reveal the kobold skeleton lunging at him. Without time to prepare a strike Marco was sent tumbling backwards, this time with the skeleton firmly remaining on top of him. Now pinned to the ground Marco struggled to try and move his staff between his chest and the skeleton smothering him. Before Marco could wiggle his staff free he felt pain shoot through him as the clawed feet of the skeleton dug gashes into his stomach. Without time to think Marco sent an explosive burst of strength through his staff in an attempt to push the skeleton off of him, resulting in the realization that ¡®THIS FUCKER IS HEAVY!¡¯
-3 HP
-3 HP
Although unable to free himself Marco had succeeded in keeping the kobold remains from battering him with its arms.Laying under the skeleton Marco finally realized what he should have done from the start. With adrenaline fueling his arms Marco twisted his staff and shoved the end into one of the skeletons eyes while shouting, ¡°SHADOW SHURIKEN!¡± In response to Marco¡¯s panicked scream he felt a surge of cold energy rush out of his stomach, much more of it than last time¡­ and moving a lot faster. As it rampaged up his chest and through his arm his screen lit up with messages to enlighten Marco as to what exactly was going on.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
You have overdrawn your mana
-10 MP
-1 HP
Marco flinched from the sharp pain the mana left in its wake. Then Marco¡¯s eyes widened as he read the next message.
EMERGENCY: Health is at 1
Meanwhile the energy shot out through the staff into the skeleton, sending it flying into the air as Marco welcomed the damage message with delight.
-8 HP
Hit with the realization of his situation Marco¡¯s delight curdled to dread. ¡®I have 1 health point left, and so does the skeleton¡­¡¯ Marco thought. Unfortunately that meant the next blow would end this skirmish. ¡®Without any mana left I don¡¯t like my odds against this inexhaustible fucker.¡¯ Marco observed with apprehension. The skeleton, apathetic to its low health, simply stood up before charging Marco again. Through ragged breaths Marco told himself, ¡®Calm. calm! CALM!'' and strangely¡­ it seemed to have an effect on Marco¡¯s mind as the world around him changed. It wasn¡¯t that everything disappeared, it was just unimportant, and thus in Marco¡¯s eyes it might as well have vanished. It was just him and the skeleton in front of him, moving noticeably slower to Marco¡¯s eyes, even though his brain told him that should¡¯ve been impossible. Remembering what worked last time Marco readied his staff as if it was a bat, lining it up with the skeletons midpoint- that way if he was off he had the highest chance of hitting some part of it. Then with the last of his strength Marco slammed the fucking thing as hard as he could. And it worked.
-1 HP
You have defeated level: 0 [Kobold Skeleton]
Reward: + Bone Fragment + 1 Copper
Withthe adrenaline clearing his system Marco didn¡¯t wonder why there weren''t experience points, he didn¡¯t care what a bone fragment was, and he certainly didn¡¯t have any desire to go back into the courtyard. Instead, resting his hands over his mangled abdomen, Marco shuffled out from under the gate and began walking up the stairs with painful steps. When he reached the room he had appeared in Marco collapsed onto the ground as he began to cry through ragged breaths. ¡®What the fuck is this? This isn¡¯t fun at all! This is fucking terrible! What the FUCK was I thinking accepting this?¡¯Marco sat up and heaved onto the ground as his body readjusted to the lack of imminent danger. In addition to the smell of vomit that was now permeating his nose Marco also noticed that, to his embarrassment, his pants reaked of acrid urine that must have appeared when Marco¡¯s body was pumped up on adrenaline. Marco collapsed on the ground, away from the pool of vomit; his crying turning into a quiet persistent sob. ¡®What the hell am I going to do now?¡¯ Marco asked himself, to which he received a rather unpleasant response.
Visit the shop
¡®Visit the shop? Where the fuck would that be?¡¯ Marco wondered before his sobbing was interrupted by an unnaturally loud noise that usually came from someone clearing their throat. Marco sat up abruptly, wiping the tears from his face, as he realized that the opposite side of the room, which had been solid wall when he arrived, had undergone a change. The formerly solid wall had been replaced by a wooden counter, behind which stood a rather robust dwarf. ¡°Man kido. I¡¯ve seen some shit but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen anyone this fucked up after their first time.¡± SteelBreaker said with an expression of empathy, ¡°Here, take this.¡±
Shop Trade Offer: You recieve 1 [Health Potion] You lose 1 copper
Marco numbly accepted the offer with shaking hands, causing a small glass bottle filled with red liquid to appear on the ground in front of him. ¡°If ye drink that-¡± the dwarf began before realizing that Marco wasn¡¯t listening, but instead chugging the potion as fast as he could. A small smile escaped the dwarf while he opened adwarf sized door built into the wall to cross from behind the counter into the room with Marco. The dwarf patted Marco on the back while the potion swam through his body. A groan escaped Marco as a dull stinging sensation throbbed from the cuts on his stomach and the path that his mana had taken. ¡°Keep in mind kiddo, this may have been bad- but it could always be worse.¡± SteelBreaker said with a kindly smile. ¡°What the fuck is worse than this?¡± Marco spat, rising with his hand firmly placed on the wall for support. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± asked SteelBreaker before roaring with laughter, ¡°You could be dead!¡± Chapter 4 Marco was convinced that there was something wrong with the dwarf. ¡®Hey, I¡¯d probably be like that too if I had to live in this sick place.¡¯ Marco told himself as he slowly climbed the stairs, leaving the shop behind him. ¡®In fact, I should probably pity him. I wonder why he continues to stay here? Guess the money must be pretty good, huh?¡¯ Marco thought. At the top of the stairs a simple wooden door with a hole where the handle should be greeted Marco. Exhausted from his adventure Marco pushed the door open and walked through it. Immediately Marco experienced what he could best describe as a ¡®pull¡¯ that sucked him through the doorway and began carrying him somewhere. While flyingthrough¡­ wherever it was¡­ Marco remembered the skeleton he¡¯d fought today- killed today.A shudder passed through him. The yellow bones of the skeleton came to his mind, almost like it was right in front of him again... ¡®Wait what¡¯s that?¡¯ Marco asked himself as a yellow figure came into sight. ¡®SHIT IT¡¯S A SKELETON¡¯ Marco screamed as he approached it. And then he was awake, in his bed, screaming at the top of his lungs at the skeleton that he¡¯d just seen. ¡°WHAT THE FUCK?!¡± Came an exclamation from the other side of the room as sheets flew through the air onto the ground along with a muscled figure. Realizing where he was Marco covered his mouth and held back the tears that tried to force their way through. ¡°Sorry, Oscar. Just a bad dream, that¡¯s all.¡± Marco lied to his roommate. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Oscar asked as he got up from the floor to examine Marco, ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it was just a dream.¡± Marco jumped off his bed and rushed to the door, grabbing his shower gear on the way out the door as he said, ¡°Really it¡¯s nothing.¡± After Marco walked into the dorm bathroom he gazed at his reflection, at the maddened green eyes that gazed back at himand thought to himself, ¡®No wonder Oscar thinks something¡¯s wrong, I look like I¡¯m high on something.¡¯ Shuffling into the shower Marco let the running water calm him down. He thought about everything that happened today- last night. Death. A Dwarf. A skeleton. Magic. His heart began to beat fasterwith the memories rushing through his mind, gaining speed like a river crashing about his mind. Until he remembered that word, calm. The memory overtook him; calm. His racing pulse slowed before returning to normal. ''It''s ok,'' Marco told himself, ''just forget it ever happened. It''s over now.'' Marco got out of the showerand checked his reflection again. No more madness in his eyes, in its place something else, something strange. Out of place. ¡®Ah,¡¯ thought Marco, ¡®It¡¯s the calm.¡¯ Marco shivered as he broke eye contact with his reflection. Seeing it was different than feeling it. The word¡¯s power felt so natural to him, but it certainly did not look natural in his eyes. When he got back to his room Oscar had already gone to his first class, though he had left a note expressing his concern at Marco¡¯s state this morning, offering advice about drugs, and asking if Marco wanted to talk. Marco threw the note in the trash, ¡®You wouldn¡¯t believe me if I told you.¡¯ he thought to himself as he readied himself for his first class. Walking to his class Marco began to feel something odd, a nagging feeling like something was out of place. He found himself exhibiting heightened alertness, his eyes scanning the surroundings in search of something. A mental sigh echoed in his mind with the reassurance, ¡®No skeletons here.¡¯ before another thought intruded, ¡®Yet.¡¯ A shudder travelled through Marco as he quickened his pace, ¡®Nope. Not going to think about that. It¡¯s over. It¡¯s done.¡¯ Arriving at his first lecture Marco took out his laptop and opened the internet. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be doing this.¡¯ Marco thought as he began to search out information about Titans, Gods, magic, Dwarves, skeletons¡­ To Marco the lecture ended right after it began, which was a pleasant surprise. Afterwords Marco made his way to one of the campus dining halls to grab brunch as his first meal of the day. On his way in he noticed that today was ¡®international food day¡¯, whatever that meant.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Upon entering the dining hall Marco saw signs hanging up around every food station, each indicating which country¡¯s food was being served. Upon seeing ¡®Italian¡¯ written in cursive writing Marco made his way over. Various pastas and pizzas were arrayed before him, and one of the pasta dishes in particular caught his attention. It looked good but he couldn¡¯t remember what it was called, ¡®What was it again?¡¯
Cavatappi
¡°Shit¡± Marco said out loud as he stumbled away from the Italian station, earning him a few looks. ¡®Shit. Shit. Shit.¡¯ Marco thought to himself as he hurried out of the dining hall. ¡®No. No. No. No. No. This is not happening.¡¯ Marco told himself as he broke out into a brisk walk towards his next class. But it was happening, and Marco knew it. He¡¯d been starting to think that he could get out of it if he wanted to, ¡®How stupid!¡¯ he thought to himself. ¡®Could a soldier just leave a war? No they couldn¡¯t, and if they tried they¡¯d be labelled a deserter and¡­¡¯ Marco¡¯s thoughts trailed off as he realized the gravity of the situation. He was summoned by Death itself and had accepted the invitation. What would happen if he tried to back out of his agreement? ¡®Fuck¡¯ was all Marco could think for the rest of the day¡­ ¡®Fuck. Fuck! FUCK!¡¯ Marco changed directions, away from his next class and towards the gym. He wasn¡¯t an athletic person but he really needed to do something with the raging energy inside of him. Once at the gym Marco distractedly walked up to the counter and shoved his ID in the face of the student behind the desk. That was a mistake. ¡°Hm? Oh feeling ballsy today are we Marco?¡± spat a hulking wad of muscle. ¡®Chad. Shit.¡¯ Marco cringed as he realized how stupid he¡¯d been. Of course Chad would be in the gym, where else would have been? ¡°S-Sorry Chad,¡± Marco stuttered, ¡°I didn¡¯t realize it was you, please don¡¯t¡­¡± Chad held a finger up to his mouth to stop Marco, ¡°No Marco, it¡¯s ok, really. It¡¯s about time you grew a pair.¡± Chad bared his teeth in an animalistic attempt at a smile. ¡°Here,¡± Chad said swipingMarco in, ¡°have fun.¡± Marco silently sighed in relief as he took his card back and walked by the front desk. Before he could turn the corner he heard Chad call after him, ¡°And Marco? I¡¯ll see you later.¡± Marco paused before picking up his pace. He sincerely hoped that was an empty threat. After running on a treadmill for half an hour Marco felt a bit better, if not tired. On his way out he walked by the pool and stopped, ¡®Why not?¡¯ Marco thought to himself as he walked over the tiled pool floor to get to the sauna. He¡¯d never been in there before but he hoped the heat would do an even better job than the treadmill at killing whatever was left of his anxious thoughts. When Marcoopened the door a blast of heat bombarded him, stunning him for a second. ¡°Hey, close the door.¡± said a deep voice before saying, ¡°Huh? Is that you Marco?¡± Marco closed the door before looking at the owner of the voice, ¡°Oh. Hey Oscar.¡± Marco greeted as he lay down in the blistering heat. ¡°Why are you here? I¡¯ve never seen you in the gym. Wait, don¡¯t you have class?¡± Oscar asked while peering at Marco as if he were some kind of mythical beast. Maybe he was now. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to talk about it Oscar.¡± Marco whispered, trying to focus on letting the heat burn away his thoughts. ¡°Marco¡­ I¡¯ve never even heard you talking about coming to the gym, much less skipping class. You can talk to me, we¡¯re friends aren¡¯t we?¡± Oscar asked softly while watching Marco with obvious concern. ¡°We¡¯re¡­ friends?¡± Marco spat, the heat burning through his veins, "Really?" ¡°Really?¡± Marco asked again as he sat up, looking Oscar in the eyes, ¡°We¡¯re friends? Tell me Oscar, what gave you that impression? Friends hang out, right? Friends talk, right? Do we do that? It seems to me that we¡¯ve barely talked in months, much less hung out together. Do you think we even have anything in common anymore Oscar? I sure as hell don¡¯t give a flying fuck about track or crew. I don¡¯t find parties enjoyable. Hell I don¡¯t even think Kinesthetics is an interesting major.¡± Oscar opened his mouth to respond but was cut off as Marco yelled, ¡°Don¡¯t fucking lie. You don¡¯t play games anymore. You don¡¯t talk with me anymore. We haven¡¯t spent more than 5 minutes together in months. We¡¯re not friends Oscar, we were friends. Now I¡¯m exactly what you introduce me as; your roommate. That¡¯s all I am, now I¡¯m just your fucking roommate.¡± Oscar stared open mouthed at Marco as he rose and walked out of the sauna, ¡°Go fuck yourself Oscar.¡± he said, slamming the door behind him. Marco knew he had another class to get to, but he didn¡¯t care. With energy he didn¡¯t know he had he started running again. Not on a treadmill this time, instead he ran outside. He ran through campus and then off it. He ran through a park, through a forest. He ran through the college town, he ran next to the busy roads. And then he walked back. Chapter 5 ¡®God I¡¯m tired.¡¯ Marco thought to himself as each step he took sent pain shooting up his legs, ¡®Gods, I suppose.¡¯ Marco chuckled to himself. It was all so surreal and yet it was happening. He had to accept it, there wasn¡¯t another option. Even though the idea of returning to the dungeon terrified him Marco pushed himself to accept it. ¡®I¡¯ll ask SteelBreaker if there¡¯s anyway to get out. If not I¡¯ll do my best not to die.¡¯ Marco decided before comforting himself, ¡®At least I¡¯ll have superpowers like I¡¯ve always dreamed of.¡¯ Marco stopped as he walked by a grove of trees, checked if anyone was around, then ducked between the low branches as he made his was towards the center of the collection of trees. It was getting late, almost 9 according to Marco¡¯s watch, so he probably wouldn¡¯t be found practicing magic in the trees of his university''s campus. ¡®It¡¯s not like they have a rule against it.¡¯ Marco thought with a smile. After walking as deep as he could into the trees Marco picked out a sturdy looking tree before raising his hand, open palmed, at the tree. ¡®Here goes nothing.¡¯ Marco thought to himself as he whispered, ¡°Shadow Shuriken!¡± The cold energy trickled through his body towards his hand before condensing into a ball of shadows at the end of his hand. Taking a closer look Marco could confirm that it did not look anything like a shuriken, while also noting that the ball of shadows seemed to be slowly spinning counterclockwise. ¡®Hmm. Weird.¡¯ Marco thought to himself before ''letting'' it shoot towards the tree. A dull thud reverberated in Marco''s ears as the shadows hit the tree. Through the dissipating shadows Marco could clearly see a gash in the tree, as if a blade had been thrown into the tree. Marco made to walk towards the tree for a closer examination but abruptly stopped after something flew from behind him and smashed into pieces on the ground in front of him. ¡®A¡­ beer bottle?¡¯ Marco thought in confusion before turning around to gaze at the culprit. Marco¡¯s breath caught in his throat as he realized what was about to happen, ¡°Chad¡± he said so quietly that it was barely audible. ¡°I told you!¡± Chad yelled, ¡°I was going to see you tonight! Hahahaha. You¡¯re paler than usual, what¡¯s wrong? Scared of something? Or maybe¡­ someone?¡± Marco winced and said, ¡°Chad, you¡¯re drunk, let me help you get back to-¡± ¡°FUCK THAT!¡± Chad interrupted, ¡°I don¡¯t need you to help me. I¡¯ll tell you what I need.¡± Chad cracked his knuckles, a mad grin spreading across his face, ¡°I need to relieve some pent up anger. Y¡¯know I miss our boxing matches. I really do.¡± Without thinking Marco turned to run before feeling the weight of Chad''s enormous frame tackle him from behind. Marco went down with a thud, ''Not again!'' he screamed in his head. Strangely, though, instead of pouncing on Marco like he used to Chad just stood over him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ever fight back Marco? Hmmm?¡± Chad taunted, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you why you little fucker. It¡¯s because you¡¯re a pussy. How dare you treat me like that today. I¡¯ll make you remember how to treat me!¡± Chad raved as he began to violently kick Marco. After enduring several kicks a damage value floated up in Marco''s blurring vision:
-1 HP
Tiring of kicking Marco¡¯s feeble figure Chad spat on Marco and screamed, ¡°Get up you motherfucker!¡± With rage burning in his eyes Marco struggled to stand up. ¡°What the fuck are you looking at?!¡± Chad asked as he threw a punch at Marco¡¯s face. The fist connected, sending Marco back a few steps, ''Not again.'' Marco told himself as he forcefully planted his feet on the ground.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Without a word Marco swung back, landing a clean uppercut on Chad¡¯s brutish face. ¡°Huh?¡± Chad grunted dumbly, ¡°What?¡± Chad¡¯s face contorted in confusion as his drunken mind attempted to work out what had just happened. ¡°Did you just¡­ hit me?¡± Chad asked as if it was unthinkable. ¡°Yes.¡± Marco said as fury burned beneath his skin, ¡°Yea that¡¯s right. I fucking hit you. You big dumb asshole. I¡¯m not just gonna take your beatings anymore, cause you¡¯re the motherfucker!¡± Chad¡¯s face broke into a savage expression in response as uncontrollable laughter bubbled from his mouth, ¡°That¡¯s more like it! I¡¯m gonna enjoy beating the shit out of you again!¡± Chad drunkenly rushed Marco as he got up. On his way up Marco picked up a rock before whispering, ¡°Shadow Shuriken!¡± as he assumed a low position. Chad descended, throwing right hook at Marco with practiced motions. Marco, having anticipated this, ducked under Chad¡¯s hulking arm before propelling himself towards Chad¡¯s chest. The magic left Marco¡¯s hand, shooting the rock forward to land solidly on Chad¡¯s stomach.
-5 HP
Marco smiled in relief at having not accidently killed Chad with magic he didn''t fully understand. Beneath him, on the ground, Chad lay gasping for breath. Marco smiled- this felt good. Marco grabbed Chad by his hair and raised his head so that they made eye contact, ¡°Listen here you stupid fuck,¡± Marco said, ¡°next time you think you want to start a fight with me you remember how you feel right now.¡± Marco dropped Chad¡¯s head back on the ground and walked away, enjoying the groaning that he heard behind him. Marco began to calm down from the fight, surprised that he couldn¡¯t stop smiling at the feeling of victory that filled him. ¡®So this is what it¡¯s like to be powerful?¡¯ Marco asked himself as he examined his empty palm, ¡®This is what Chad felt when he beat me?¡¯ Lowering his hand Marco gazed at the darkened sky above him and couldn¡¯t stop himself from thinking ¡®I like this.¡¯ This wasn¡¯t the feeling he got when he defeated the skeleton. This was different. He hadn¡¯t survived a fight, no- he¡¯d completely and utterly decimated his opponent. ''I''ve never felt anything like this before.'' Marco thought to himself, ''This is different from games. Different from good grades. Different from anything I''ve ever felt.'' and as sadistic pleasure beat in Marco''s heart he decided that what he was feeling was the feeling of power. It was in that moment, spurred by the dark pleasure Marco was experiencing that he changed his mind about the dungeon, ¡®With risk comes reward. After beating one weak monster I¡¯m powerful enough to whip Chad with ease. What would I be like if I keep going?¡¯ Lost in his mind Marco¡¯s legs automatically led him back to his dorm. Entering the dorm Marco walked to his door, stopping himself before he fit the key in the lock. ¡®What am I going to say to Oscar if he¡¯s here?¡¯ Marco asked himself as he thought back to his scalding rant earlier today. ¡®I¡¯ve probably killed whatever was left of our relationship.¡¯ Marco whispered in his head. ''Whatever the case,'' Marco assessed, ''I don¡¯t have anywhere else to sleep.'' Marco tensely turned the handle before walking into the dark room. In the darkness rays of moonlight pierced through the window to reveal the sleeping figure of Oscar. Marco gave a hushed sigh of relief, silently making his way to his bed. Marco realized as he lay down just how much his legs from the running, how much his stomach ached from the kicks, and how familiar his face felt from the hit he¡¯d taken. Yet, unlike every other time he had come home from an encounter with Chad, Marco felt sure of himself. Cementing that feeling in his mind Marco thought, ¡®I¡¯m not a loser. No,¡¯ Marco continued, ¡®Now I¡¯m on top; this is what it feels like to be on top.¡¯ And as Marco felt himself drifting off to sleep he gave himself an order, ¡®This is how it¡¯s going to be from now on.¡¯ Chapter 6 As Marco¡¯s mind was pulled towards the dungeon he found himself unexpectedly calm. Unlike his first time through the strange space that lay in between his world and the dungeon Marco didn¡¯t encounter the image of a skeleton. Instead Marco found himself flying by various plates of italian food when he began to think about how hungry he was. ¡®That¡¯s¡­ interesting.¡¯ Marco commented to himself while he sped towards a gray rectangle that Marco presumed was his destination. Passing through the gray rectangle Marco felt as if he was being pushed through a waterfall of honey, drastically slowing his speed until he stepped out of the doorway lacking any of the momentum he¡¯d just had. He took a moment to ponder the phenomenon before walking down the stairs with slight trepidation. ¡®Come on Marco. This time you know what you¡¯re doing. You¡¯ve got this.¡¯ Marco told himself in an effort to psych himself up for reentering the dungeon. Entering the shop room Marco gave his best smile towards SteelBreaker who responded by bursting out laughing, ¡°Are ye supposed to be smilin¡¯ at me boy?¡± At which point Marco¡¯s admittedly forced smile fell apart as he said, ¡°Just trying to be more friendly since it seems like we¡¯ll be seeing each other a lot.¡± SteelBreaker raised his eyebrows, ¡°Ye¡¯ve come to terms with yer fate already? Maybe yer not as stupid as I thought ye were.¡± Marco chuckled before saying, ¡°I take it that means I¡¯m right in the assumption that there¡¯s no way out of this mess?¡± SteelBreaker revealed a melancholy smile as he advised, ¡°I know this will be difficult for ye to believe, but by the end of the tutorial ye¡¯ll be glad ye couldn¡¯t give up.¡± Marco began to ask a question before thinking better of it and instead saying, ¡°So, what exactly does a shop sell besides health potions?¡± SteelBreaker rolled his eyes with a huff, ¡°Newbies!¡± he exclaimed before launching into his explanation, ¡°Right, so here at me shop I¡¯ve got all ye could ever want! Weapons, clothing, armor, anything and everything!¡± SteelBreaker finished his rehearsed line with a practiced smile in an attempt to stop any further questions about such a basic concept. Much to the Dwarf¡¯s annoyance, however, Marco began to ask more questions, ¡°Can I buy spells and skills here? Can I sell things I get in the dungeon? What about objects from outside the-¡± SteelBreaker interrupted by huffing, ¡°No. Yes. Don¡¯t ask. No more questions.¡± Marco blinked in surprise at the response before saying, ¡°Thanks. I was wondering if you had any information on the monsters in this dungeon?¡± SteelBreaker gave an exasperated sigh before saying, ¡°Look kid, I¡¯ll tell ye what. I¡¯ve got a special offer for you. If you promise me that this is yer last question I¡¯ll give ye a bit ¡®o help. Whadda say?¡± Marco thought about it briefly before agreeing, ¡°Alright.¡± At which point SteelBreaker¡¯s hardening expression began to relax as he said, ¡°Good. Right then, tell me about yer first fight. And, please, spare me the details of when ye pissed yerself and anything else I¡¯d not like to hear.¡± Marco winced before offering a recount of his encounter with the kobold skeleton. Once finished he waited patiently for SteelBreaker, who had closed his eyes to think, to comment. ¡°Well, yer certainly one lucky little prick.¡± SteelBreaker said, ¡°Luckily for you skeletons take twice the damage from blunt instruments, like yer staff, and triple damage from anything that hits the inside of their skull.¡± Marco stopped him with furrowed eyebrows as he asked, ¡°But my magic did 8 damage, which isn¡¯t divisible by 3¡­?¡± SteelBreaker nodded and said, ¡°Yer right, and that¡¯s because no one knows how damage is calculated. It may be more accurate for me to say that hitting the inside of the skull deals approximately 3 times the damage.¡± Upset by the unpredictability of the damage values Marco mumbled, ¡°That¡¯s a bit unfair isn¡¯t it?¡± before realizing how stupid he sounded. ¡®This isn¡¯t a game.¡¯ Marco told himself as he remembered his fight with the skeleton. ¡®This isn¡¯t supposed to be fair.¡¯ SteelBreaker didn¡¯t deign to address Marco¡¯s comment before saying, ¡°The only advice I can give you is that undead ain¡¯t too smart. Try and use that against them.¡± Marco nodded before thanking SteelBreaker and walking down the stairs. After taking a few steps down he heard a voice yell from behind him, ¡°Oh! And make sure ye check yer stats!¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Marco waved to the air in front of him as he brought up his ¡®stats¡¯.
Name:? Marco Barone Level: 0
Strength: 7 Agility: 8
Intelligence: 16 Wisdom: 21
Vitality: 8 Charisma: 4
¡®Well,¡¯ Marco thought to himself as he made it to the bottom of the stairs, ¡®My stats make a lot of sense. I wonder what each stat is for an ordinary person?¡¯
10
¡®Hmm. Well I can see why I¡¯m a magic user. Wait¡­ 4 charisma? Actually, that makes a lot of sense.¡¯ Marco thought to himself with self deprecating humor. Having discovered he could view stats he quickly equipped his staff and robe before attempting to check their stats.
Name: Beginner''s Staff
Description: A common staff made as an introductory tool to help those on the path of magic
Effects: + 2 Wisdom + 1 Intelligence * Spells gain a slight increase in range
Name: Beginner''s Robe
Description: A common robe made for magicusers new to their chosen path
Effects: + 1 Wisdom + 1 Intelligence * Cycling magic cleans the robe
Marco took a moment to examine his stats as he stood before the gate to the dungeon. ¡®Without bonuses my intelligence is 14 and my wisdom is 18¡­¡¯ Marco pondered the meaning of each stat as best as he could before observing, ¡®Alright. I have 18 wisdom and I¡¯m 18 years old so maybe everyone gains +1 wisdom every year they live for? I¡¯ve got 8 vitality and 8 health, so there¡¯s probably a correlation there. Seems like intelligence dictates mana as both are 14¡­ nothing else stands out so far.¡¯ With a nod Marco closed the window. Taking a deep breath Marco told himself, ¡®calm.¡¯ as he thought back to his fight with the skeleton before drawing on his years of gaming in an attempt to come up with a plan before he entered combat. Although unsure how much his knowledge of games would help him, Marco was confident that he should make a plan to avoid a repeat of last time. ¡®I¡¯m probably still going to get my ass handed to me by one of the skeletons... so priority number one is making sure I don¡¯t aggro more than one.¡¯ Marco continued, ¡®I¡¯ll see how many there are before trying to hit one with a spell to aggro it to me, then I¡¯ll back up to make sure none of the others come.¡¯ Satisfied with the first part of his plan Marco mentally recalled the skeleton from before as he thought to himself, ¡®If what SteelBreaker said is true and they¡¯re all stupid then the skeleton will probably try and pounce me like the last one¡­ So I¡¯ll hit it with my staff like last time. That should buy me a few seconds to gain my bearings¡­¡¯ After standing in place lost in thought for a few minutes Marco looked up before telling himself, ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± As he took his first step back into the dungeon he felt fear creeping back into his body. His staff trembled visibly, his breaths shaking no matter how calm he tried to keep himself. Upon entering the courtyard for the second time in his life Marco tried to keep himself as professional as he could, ¡®Scan the courtyard Marco. Come on it¡¯s easy.¡¯ With darting eyes Marco started to search for anything important before he caught sight of a yellow-white kobald at least 20 meters away. Marco froze as panic overtook him, ¡®Calm down, come on calm the fuck down!¡¯ Marco screamed in his mind, urging his body to loosen up again. But no matter what Marco tried he couldn¡¯t calm himself down, not even trying to invoke the calm memory worked. So instead, as adrenaline started charging through Marco¡¯s veins, he stopped fighting it and tried instead to work with it. Maddened eyes like those Marco had seen in his reflection earlier in the day gazed around the courtyard, ¡®One, two, three¡­ seven. Ok, now which one is furthest from the rest?¡¯ Marco asked himself before picking out his target, ¡®Right, now¡­¡¯ Marco¡¯s thoughts trailed off as he raised his staff towards the undead creature before him. ¡°Shadow Shuriken!¡± Marco whispered as he launched the familiar blob of darkness towards the creature. Unfortunately as it flew through the air Marco realized that it wasn¡¯t travelling straight as he expected to, but instead veering slightly off to the side. Once it had flown far enough off course that it had no hope of landing a hit on the skeleton it crashed into the ground... near the skeleton, at least. With a snap of its neck the skeleton immediately turned to see what had just happened. After a twist of its head it seemed to have worked out what happened as it turned to face Marco. Then, with a silent cry, the skeleton charged. Chapter 7 Marco did his best to stick to the plan that was already falling to pieces while the kobold rushed him. Ignoring the raging torrent of, ¡®Fuck! Shit! FUCK!¡¯ that was looping through his buzzing mind Marco took several steps back before preparing his staff to strike the creature when it pounced on him. Then, to Marco¡¯s relief, the skeleton actually did launch itself towards him. ¡®Yes!¡¯ Marco thought as he brought his staff down to knock his opponent out of the air. A crack resounded as Marco watched the undead fall to the ground. While it tried to recover Marco used his opportunity to backup a few more steps and re assume his striking position.
-3 HP
¡®This is easy!¡¯ Marco cheered himself when he saw the skeleton began to rush him again. However when the skeleton neared him and Marco brought the staff down towards the skull of the kobold Marco¡¯s control of the situation faltered. The kobold took a step to the right and, unprepared, Marco¡¯s staff swung through empty air until it hit the ground. The impact travelled through Marco¡¯s grip, causing the staff slip out his hands to be replaced by a painful prickling sensation that lingered up to Marco¡¯s shoulders. Without time to consider what had just happened Marco realized that there was a skeleton coming at him.
-3 HP
Marco instinctively jumped back from the danger, narrowly avoiding being impaled by the skeleton; instead one of the kobold¡¯s clawed fingers pierced through the side of his left thigh, causing sharp pain to fill Marco¡¯s mind as he placed his weight on it. ¡®That was close.¡¯ Marco thought as he became overly aware of the sweat falling off his forehead. Breathing heavily Marco quickly made a decision upon seeing the skeleton began to run at him again. ¡°Shadow Shuriken!¡± Marco yelled as the magic pooled into his hand. When the kobold made to launch itself in the air Marco placed his hand in front of him, using his other arm to steady it. Watching the kobold fly through the air Marco¡¯s mind spun, ¡®Wait, wait, wait, now!¡¯ At the apex of its jump the creature found itself hit with a blast of shadow magic in its face, interrupting its momentum and momentarily blinding it.
-2 HP
Ignoring the magic it extended its clawed fingers and toes in preparation to dig into its lively prey. But as the kobold¡¯s eyes recovered from the shadows it realized, too late, that its prey had disappeared. Without a host to latch onto, and without time to adjust its position in the air, the kobold hit the ground with a loud snapping noise.
-2 HP
Marco wiped the sweat from his face with his left hand, holding tightly onto the staff in his right. His gamble had worked, and now he was armed again- albeit low on mana. As the kobold struggled to its feet Marco did something that he would¡¯ve never considered minutes ago- he pushed himself to run at the kobold as fast as he could. The kobold recovered by shaking its head a few times, a strange gesture on a skeleton, before examining the exit of the gateway. Its primitive mind worked overtime as it tried to figure out where its prey had gone to. Had it run away? Before the kobold could think to turn around Marco was already on it. This time Marco didn¡¯t swing for the skull, instead the staff came down on the kobold¡¯s left shoulder; and with a sickening snap the skeleton¡¯s entire left arm then fell to the ground, broken from the kobold¡¯s frame.
-5 HP
Marco smiled while swinging again before the kobold could realize what was going on. However the kobold didn¡¯t need to figure out what had happened to know that there was danger behind it, so as Marco attempted to disarm the skeleton again, literally, it turned to face him. Having changed positions Marco¡¯s strike landed not on the kobold¡¯s other shoulder but on its defensively raised arm without dealing as much damage.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
-2 HP
Marco silently cursed before trying to once again distance himself from the skeleton which, without pausing from the blow, began to close the short distance between itself and Marco. Rushing, Marco backed up before tripping, sending him to the ground as the kobold reached him. From experience Marco knew what was about to happen and raised his staff in front of him before the kobold could straddle him. Yet unlike the previous encounter this kobold seemed to have a different idea as, instead of trying to tear Marco apart with its claws, it was aiming to tear his neck out. With its teeth. Reacting as fast as he could Marco shoved his staff into the kobolds mouth, fighting against its inhuman strength with panic fueled desperation. Feeling the skeleton¡¯s lopsided weight Marco then twisted his staff to the left while simultaneously pushing off the ground with his right leg, causing the skeleton to topple off of him. Now on top of the kobold Marco released his staff before grabbing the skeleton by its eye sockets and repeatedly pounding it against the ground, all the while fighting against the pain in his abdomen that he knew came from the skeleton¡¯s usable hand tearing into him.
-2 HP
-2 HP
After taking two separate damage notifications Marco finally received the message he¡¯d been waiting for as the skeleton went still.
-1 HP
Rising off the unmoving pile of bones Marco smiled, letting out a triumphant laugh as he performed a victory dance¡­ before bracing himself against the frame of the gate as he vomited what little was in his stomach. But to Marco it didn¡¯t matter. He¡¯d almost died again, true, but it was different than last time, it was¡­ exhilarating. With deep breaths Marco smiled at the notification of his reward:
You have defeated level: 0 [Kobold Skeleton] Reward: * Bone Fragment * 1 copper
Sighing in relief Marco turned and walked back up the stairs stiffly with a wide grin across his face. Once he climbed his way up to the shop he noticed, with amusement, that SteelBreaker was taking a nap in a dwarf-sized chair. His grin spreading Marco hobbled over to the counter with his injured thigh before raising his hand. And then bringing it down. Slamming the counter he yelled, ¡°One health potion shopkeep!¡± which only served to further alarm the dwarf who jumped at least two meters off the ground as his special chair toppled to the ground behind him. ¡°By my father¡¯s beard!¡± SteelBreaker yelled as he hit his head against the short ceiling of the shop. On the other side of the counter Marco¡¯s expression became caught between shock, disbelief, and heavier amusement as he forced himself to ask, ¡°How fucking high can you jump?!¡± through his crippling laughter. Rubbing his head SteelBreaker, finally having realized what was happening, shot Marco an irritated look before joining in on the laughter. After they calmed down Marco asked again, ¡°Seriously, how can you jump that high?¡± to which SteelBreaker smiled and responded, ¡°High enough to give ye a good blow to the face for scarin¡¯ me like that!¡± Marco chuckled before apologizing, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just hyped up on adrenaline.¡± SteelBreaker gave a knowing smile before saying, ¡°Maybe I was right about ye lad- I¡¯m starting to think ye are a bit funny.¡± As the laughter died down SteelBreaker opened the trade for the health potion which Marco then got down in one gulp. Marco smiled, having finishing his drink he exclaimed, ¡°Watch this!¡± after which he thought, ¡®Clean robe!¡¯ while sending mana into the robe. Marco then watched in delight as the dirt covered robe seemed to push off all the dirt covering it in a spectacular display of magic. Yet when Marco looked towards SteelBreaker to see the amazement in his eyes he was instead greeted by barely concealed laughter that then exploded, ¡°Oh yea! Never seen that one before!¡± SteelBreaker bellowed as he held his belly that looked as if it was about to explode trying to contain his roaring laughter. Marco¡¯s face flushed as he realized his mistake. Without waiting for SteelBreaker to finish laughing Marco rushed down the stairs, causing SteelBreaker laughter to be interrupted by a serious tone questioning, ¡°Where do ye think yer going?¡± before Marco could disappear. Still embarrassed Marco whispered, ¡°I¡¯m going back to the dungeon.¡± as he dashed down the stairs before SteelBreaker could try and stop him. ¡®If I¡¯ve got the whole night,¡¯ Marco thought to himself in an attempt to overcome his embarrassment, ¡®I¡¯d better use all of it. From what SteelBreaker said it¡¯s in my best interest to learn as much as I can from this tutorial.¡¯ Chapter 8 Marco had decided that flying through the in between place was an ideal setting to review his fights after discovering that he could view his own memories. He watched his earlier battles play out in front of him with calculating eyes- a translucent copy of Marco and the kobold skeleton arrayed before him acting out a past battle. While Marco could remember the fight easily, watching it in front of him was completely different. Marco¡¯s silhouette stepped on the back of its robe and fell over, eliciting a comment from his present self, ¡°Dumbass.¡± as he cringed. Being able to watch his fights like this led Marco to the revelation that he couldn¡¯t help but agree with SteelBreaker; he was definitely a newbie. It was clear to Marco, without any real knowledge of how to fight, that neither he nor his opponent had any kind of training in combat. The kobold acted like a predator hunting its prey with no effort given to prepare for counter attacks while Marco himself seemed fueled purely by self preservation that led to questionable moves in an attempt to deal damage to the kobold. With a sigh Marco let the last battle fade from his mind, causing the silhouette jumping ecstatically after its victory to disintegrate into specks of light that quickly scattered. ¡®At the very least I¡¯m getting more used to it.¡¯ Marco thought to himself with an inkling of pride, ¡®I didn¡¯t even throw up after the last one!¡¯ Three skeletons. That was tonight¡¯s body count. The next two fights had gone slightly smoother than the first two as Marco had started to pick up on how the skeletons fought. His most helpful growth was the realization that while the undead were stupid they weren¡¯t as stupid as Marco had led himself to believe. The skeletons may not have been very good at adapting to new situations but they were able to easily dodge repeated strikes or obvious blows. In addition, he noticed, ¡®They seem to know on some level which parts of my body are the most vulnerable.¡¯ as all the skeleton had gone for his neck or heart when given the chance. Marco¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by a green rectangle fast approaching his position. ¡®Ah, that must be my world.¡¯ Marco guessed as he flew into the rectangle. Now back in his body Marco sat up, this time without screaming, as he basked in the feeling of not accidently summoning the image of a skeleton trying to kill him before returning to his body. ¡°Morning.¡± said a voice from the other side of the room, Oscar¡¯s voice. Marco turned to see Oscar leaning against his bed frame, eyes examining Marco as if searching for something. ¡°We need to talk.¡± Oscar said before arraying the room¡¯s chairs facing each other, ¡°Sit.¡± he motioned. Marco¡¯s heart raced as he thought about what he had said yesterday, ¡°Look...um¡­ I¡¯m sorry for my rant yesterday. Can we just act like it never happened?¡± Oscar blinked before responding, ¡°No we can¡¯t, because you¡¯re right. You were pretty agressive but I¡¯ve thought about it, and you¡¯re right.¡± Marco got out of his bed and sat in front of Oscar before letting him continue, ¡°I wanted to say I¡¯m sorry. I haven¡¯t been treating you like a friend, and I plan to make up for it.¡± with a tightened expression Oscar began again, ¡°Now, you need to talk to me Marco. What¡¯s going on? I¡¯m worried about you. You aren¡¯t yourself and I don¡¯t know if it''s drugs or something else but please just tell me.¡± Marco eyed the floor as he said, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe me if I told you Oscar.¡± which earned him an unamused glare before Oscar pressed, ¡°Maybe I wouldn¡¯t believe it before yesterday, but now? Listen Marco, people are talking about you freaking out at lunch yesterday. People are talking about you running off campus. And people are talking about Chad¡­¡± Marco winced before saying, as innocently as he could, ¡°What happened to Chad?¡± to which Oscar paused before saying, ¡°Look at me Marco... I need you to look at me!¡± Marco hesitantly met Oscar¡¯s concerned eyes as he anticipated what Oscar was about to say, ¡°Chad is in the hospital. Fractured ribs. Internal bleeding. He won¡¯t tell anyone what happened, Marco. Says he got drunk and fell on a rock in the forest.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Marco carefully proctored his facial expression in an attempt not to let anything show as Oscar tried to read him, ¡°Someone driving by found him on the side of the road, passed out. The police think that he crawled out of the forest to get there.¡± Marco tried to twist his guilt into sympathy as he said, ¡°Wow. I can¡¯t believe someone would do that to him.¡± Oscar paused as he gave Marco a death stare before slowly saying, ¡°Thing is Marco, Chad¡¯s friends were with him right before it happened. They were driving by the grove where Chad was found. They claim that Chad got out of the car to follow someone into the forest. They¡¯re saying it was you, Marco.¡± As Oscar finished his accusation Marco tried his best to keep himself from freaking out. ¡°Normally such an accusation would be outrageous. But so would you skipping class, going to the gym¡­ or yelling at someone.¡± Oscar¡¯s gaze held sorrow as he finished his sentence, ¡°What¡¯s going on Marco? Just tell me, I can help.¡± Marco again broke his gaze as he whispered, ¡°I just can¡¯t Oscar.¡± With rising emotions Oscar stood up before asking, ¡°Why not?! I don¡¯t know what the fuck is happening to you Marco but you need to get help. You can¡¯t act like this! You can¡¯t put someone in the hospital because you don¡¯t fucking like them!¡± Marco¡¯s face twitched as he hissed, ¡°Yeah? Well maybe you should¡¯ve told Chad that before it came to this!¡± Oscar paled at Marco¡¯s accusatory stare before saying, ¡°This isn¡¯t a game Marco. This is real fucking life. You can¡¯t seek out revenge like we used to. You-¡± Marco stood now, too- in the process knocking over his chair, ¡°Why the fuck not?¡± he asked as he looked Oscar directly in the eye. ¡°Why the fuck not.¡± Marco stated before continuing, ¡°What¡¯s the difference between real life and the games we used to play? Chad was stronger so he beat the shit out of me to make himself feel good. He stole from me. He played games with me for fun. So now, when I¡¯m stronger than him, why can¡¯t I do the same thing to him? You¡¯re wrong Oscar. Life is a game.¡± ¡°No.¡± Oscar said shaking his head, ¡°No its fucking not. In games you respawn. In games you can heal. Tell me Marco, what would you have done if Chad died?¡± The question hung in the air as Marco¡¯s sizzling emotions began to putter out, ¡°What would you have done if you killed Chad?¡± Oscar asked him again. Suddenly Marco¡¯s knees felt weak- he needed to sit, ¡®Ah.¡¯ Marco thought as he collapsed onto the ground. Marco thought back to when he almost died to that first skeleton, ¡®Is-is that how Chad felt...? It doesn¡¯t matter!¡¯ Marco told himself, ¡°He fucking deserved it!¡± he roared as his heart beat rapidly in his chest. ¡°You can¡¯t lie to yourself Marco. It was wrong.¡± Oscar said as he patted Marco¡¯s back, ¡°Look, it¡¯s ok... just talk to me. You¡¯re not yourself. It wasn¡¯t you who beat Chad like that, it was the drugs.¡± Marco held tears back as he said to Oscar, ¡°No Oscar. It was me! I almost killed another person because I didn¡¯t like him.¡± Oscar shook his head as he said, ¡°No Marco. That¡¯s not you. Tell me what you¡¯re on and I¡¯ll take you to the hospital.¡± Marco started shaking as he breathed, ¡°There¡¯s no drugs Oscar. No drugs¡­¡± Oscar¡¯s expression tightened before being forcefully relaxed, ¡°It¡¯s ok Marco, you can tell me. I won¡¯t judge you.¡± Marco grabbed Oscar as he hissed, ¡°I¡¯m not on drugs!¡± Oscar watched Marco for a moment before asking, ¡°Then what the hell is going on?¡± Marco¡¯s thoughts raced as he tried to come up with a lie before deciding, ¡®Ah, fuck it.¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re going to think I¡¯m crazy Oscar.¡± Marco whispered. Oscar held up his hand before saying, ¡°Just tell me.¡± Marco took a shaky breath before beginning, ¡°It started last night¡­¡± At the end of his story Oscar stood still for a moment before he stood up and yelled, ¡°GOD DAMN IT MARCO! Just tell me the fucking truth! Stop lying to me! I¡¯ve tried to be patient with you, what the-¡± Oscar stopped his tirade mid sentence, mouth gaping, when he saw what was in Marco¡¯s hand. Marco stood there, shaking, with the magic in hand. He watched as Oscar¡¯s expression distorted from anger to shock, then confusion, before becoming indecipherable. ¡°So,¡± Marco asked sheepishly, ¡°do you believe me now?¡± Chapter 9 ¡°One more time,¡± Oscar said as he lay on his bed gazing at the ceiling, ¡°you were summoned by death to take part in a war. You met a dwarf named IronBreaker,¡± Marco coughed before correcting, ¡°SteelBreaker¡± which Oscar ignored, ¡°then you fought with some skeletons. And now the game system, thing, is in your head?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Marco said, letting quiet take the room. Oscar sighed, his mind warring to accept the situation, ¡°It¡¯s just so unbelievable.¡± he said shaking his head, ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t have believed you for a second if you didn¡¯t have that magic.¡± Marco smiled before agreeing, ¡°Yep.¡± For a few minutes Oscar lay there on his bed, contemplating the ethereal experience he was going through while Marco watched him curiously. Finally Oscar broke the silence by asking, ¡°What can I do to help?¡± to which Marco simply shrugged, ¡°Not much.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you bring me in with you?¡± asked Oscar, rolling over to face Marco. ¡°Not that I¡¯m aware of.¡± Marco said before wincing, ¡°And even if I could, I wouldn¡¯t. I left some stuff out of my story, Oscar. Fighting isn¡¯t like in the games- it hurts, it''s terrifying.¡± Oscar started to shrug but managed to stop himself, ¡°I believe you.¡± he said. ¡°Well if I can¡¯t help then the least I can do is support you. Want to go off campus today? How about we go over to that fair down in vienna?¡± Oscar asked pleasantly. Marco smiled, ¡°That sounds great!¡± Together Marco and Oscar drove to the fair and boarded every ride they could find. But every time Marco found himself hurling towards the ground at speeds that traditionally terrified him the usual surge of adrenaline did not come. Instead Marco thought to himself with displeasure, ¡®Wish this thing would move faster.¡¯ After trying all the rides the pair made their way back on campus, making a stop to pick up burgers on the way back. Oscar tore into his burger, only pausing to say, ¡°I was thinking about how I can help and I had an idea.¡± Marco looked up from his burger with a questioning gaze. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this means anything but I was wondering, that magic is called ¡®Shadow Shuriken¡¯, right?¡± Marco nodded before taking another bit of his burger, ¡°So then why doesn¡¯t it look anything like a shuriken?¡± Oscar asked. Marco shrugged before replying, ¡°I thought the same thing when I first saw it.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Oscar grinned before continuing, ¡°Yea, but have you actually tried to make it look more like a shuriken?¡± The question caused Marco to drop his burger onto its wrapper before standing up and raising his palm. ¡°Shadow Shuriken!¡± Marco said, the magic taking form in his palm. The increasingly familiar glob of darkness slowly spun counterclockwise after appearing in his hand. ¡°What now?¡± Marco asked as he looked to Oscar for suggestions. Following a ponderous look Oscar said, ¡°Try and make it spin faster.¡± Marco knit his eyebrows as he asked, ¡°Ok, but how do I do that?¡± Oscar smiled and suggested, ¡°Well the system can read your thoughts so why don¡¯t you just try to think about it spinning faster?¡± Marco agreed with an, ¡°Ok.¡± before closing his eyes and doing his best to picture the magic in his hand. ¡®There it is.¡¯ Marco thought to himself, ¡°Now, spin faster.¡¯ he commanded his mental image, causing the magic in his mind to whirl faster. A short amount of time passed before Marco felt his concentration interrupted by the cold energy moving, just a thread this time, heading towards his hand. Once it got there he heard an exclamation of, ¡°Holy shit!¡± causing him to open his eyes to see that the magic in his palm was spinning faster, albeit far slower than the image Marco had conjured in his mind. ¡°It worked!¡± Marco exclaimed, accidently sending the magic flying into the ceiling as he threw his arms in the air. When it hit the ceiling a dull thud echoed in their room, and probably the room above them, scattering some powder onto the floor. Marco and Oscar held their breath, preparing for something worse to happen. When they accepted that the only damage was a scratch in the roof the two instead burst out laughing, ¡°I wonder what the guys above us think just happened?¡± Oscar chuckled. With smiles on their faces Marco and Oscar started to theorize what else they could do to the magic Marco had discovered. ¡­ By the time it was 11 Marco¡¯s smile had broken into a gaping yawn a few times, resulting in his saying, ¡°I think it''s time for me to hit the hay.¡± Oscar nodded as he agreed, ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± before he said softly, ¡°And Marco?¡± Marco turned to look at him, ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Promise me,¡± Oscar said with a serious expression, ¡°that you won¡¯t use magic on any other, erm- regular people. Ok?¡± Marco¡¯s smile faded in response before he agreed, ¡°I think that¡¯s a good idea. I won¡¯t use magic on anyone who doesn¡¯t have it themselves.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Oscar nodded before hitting the lights. While Marco began to fall asleep he couldn¡¯t help but question, ¡®Can I really keep that promise?¡¯ as he thought back to the dark feeling of power he¡¯d basked in after his fight with Chad. ¡®Guess we¡¯ll find out.¡¯ he told himself, the image of his mind exiting through the green doorway passing through his head. Chapter 10 On his trip through the space in between Marco began to experiment with his magic. He wasn¡¯t actually casting it, instead he was visualizing what the spell looked like and then attempting to change it in some way. First he practised accelerating the spin, as he had done earlier in the day, before then practicing flattening the orb into more of a disk. Although unsure of what the spell should look like Marco had seen a shuriken before and was sure that the rudimentary orb would need a lot of work before becoming anything that remotely resembled a shuriken. After a few minutes of practice Marco let his visualization drift away when he approached the grey door. Landing inside Marco raced down the steps with determination, only stopping at the shop to quickly greet SteelBreaker before rushing down into the dungeon. Marco¡¯s next goal was simple; to clear out the courtyard of all the monsters there. Last time he¡¯d counted seven skeletons before dealing with three of them, ¡®That leaves four for tonight.¡¯ Marco told himself before walking through the gate and stopping in his tracks. With knitted eyebrows Marco counted up the skeletons, ¡®Five? That¡¯s one more than last time. Are they respawning?¡¯ although Marco didn¡¯t know the answer it wasn¡¯t relevant at the moment, ¡®Just one more to deal with.¡¯ Marco thought as he equipped his gear. ¡°Here we go!¡± Marco said, sending his first spell of the night whizzing through the air towards the closest skeleton. This time, though, Marco was exceedingly focused on trying to make the spell fly straight. With a satisfying thump Marco succeeded in hitting the skeleton, ¡®Sure, I was aiming for the chest- but the skull¡¯s better anyway!¡¯
-3 HP
The skeleton charged him while Marco assumed his customary position in preparation to bash its head in. ¡­ Two skeletons in a row was Marco¡¯s limit right now as the total damage he was taking left him without enough health to confidently challenge a third. After dismissing the reward notification from defeating his second skeleton of the night Marco walked up to the shop for a break. Once in the shop SteelBreaker greeted him with an enthusiastic smile as he noticed, ¡°Ye seemed pretty eager today! What¡¯s gotten into ye?¡± Marco smiled, ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing magic outside the dungeon and it¡¯s gotten me excited.¡± SteelBreaker huffed, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t know anythin¡¯ bout that. Ye should spend yer time on somethin¡¯ more useful- like training yer body!¡± to support his claim SteelBreaker struck a pose that highlighted his disproportionately huge biceps. ¡°I¡¯m a magic user.¡± Marco reminded him before pausing, ¡°Actually, that might be a good idea.¡± SteelBreaker nodded in approval as he said, ¡°Ye won¡¯t be learnin¡¯ many skills to use but it¡¯ll help ye stay alive. After all none of the monsters in there will sit still for target practice.¡± Marco didn¡¯t need reminding, earlier he¡¯d almost been knocked off his feet by one of the skeletons. Almost. Judging now to be an ideal time to slip a question in Marco asked, ¡°I was wondering, SteelBreaker, where could I get my hands on more spells?¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. SteelBreaker chuckled before saying, ¡°Well lad, ye¡¯ll be able to find some in the dungeon. For now that¡¯s yer only hope.¡± Marco said half jokingly, ¡°Seems like the dungeon would be a lot easier for a melee fighter than a magic user.¡± to which SteelBreaker laughed and affirmed, ¡°Aye, this dungeon just might.¡± Marco caught the hidden meaning in SteelBreaker¡¯s words, quietly making a mental note to slip in a question about other dungeons at a later point. Marco made to head down the stairs before stopping as he felt his staff in his hand. It was rough, covered with marks from claws, teeth, and other miscellaneous abuses it had suffered. ¡®Inventory¡¯ Marco thought to himself- to check his financial status.
Inventory: * 6x Bone Fragment * 3 copper
¡®Will 3 copper be enough?¡¯ Marco asked himself before walking back towards the shop counter, ¡®Let¡¯s find out.¡¯ With his best attempt at a genuine smile Marco asked SteelBreaker, ¡°What are the cheapest weapons and clothes you have for sale?¡± With a surprised look SteelBreaker said, ¡°Well that would be our novice selection.¡± Marco¡¯s smile became authentic as he asked, ¡°How much are the items from the novice selection?¡± SteelBreaker returned Marco¡¯s smile as he said, ¡°1 copper each.¡± Marco walked away feeling quite pleased with himself. He¡¯d snagged a novice staff and novice robe as well as deciding to spend his last copper on a mana potion in the hopes that it would let him deal with a third kobold without having to walk up the stairs for a health potion and a break to let his mana recover. Marco let out another wide grin as he, for the third time, checked the stats on his new gear:
Name: Novice Staff
Description: A common staff made to help new adventurers combat monsters.
Effects: +1 Wisdom +2 Intelligence * Spells gain a noticeable increase in range * After casting the same spell 10 times reduce its cost by 1 MP permanently while this staff is equiped (one time use)
Name: Novice Robe
Description: A common robe made to help magic users in close combat
Effects: +1 Wisdom * Cycle mana to bandage a wound and restore 1 HP
Name: Mana Potion
Description: Blue seas, blue skies, blue trees. What''s more natural than mana for the wise?
Effects: * Restore 5 mana when consumed (one time use)
¡®Blue¡­ trees?¡¯ Marco mused as he read the text under the mana potion, ¡®Not important¡­ but I¡¯ll have to tell Oscar about this.¡¯ Marco decided with a chuckle. After crossing the gate Marco began to walk towards the center of the courtyard, which was now clear of monsters, as he observed the area in more detail. To his left and right walls made of the same stone bricks as the gate behind him towered over him, casting half the courtyard in shadow. Overhead, Marco realized for the first time, was a grey sky that seemed suffocating in its dull nature. In front of him were the remaining skeletons, behind which was a massive wooden double door that Marco assumed led inside the fortress. ¡®The Shifting Fortress.¡¯ Marco thought to himself, ¡®Shifting? What could that mean?¡¯ without taking time to consider it Marco was drawn to a pile of something in the right corner ahead, covered by the wall¡¯s shadow. Marco squinted but couldn¡¯t make anything out. He¡¯d have to get closer if he wanted to know what the pile was. In anticipation of his discovery Marco brandished his new staff at his next victim. Chapter 11 16 mana- ¡®That¡¯s enough for three casts.¡¯ Marco calculated. Adding on the mana potion, that gave Marco four shurikens to deal with the three remaining skeletons in the courtyard. ¡®I could just spam them but¡­¡¯ Marco¡¯s thoughts trailed off as he thought about everything that could go wrong if he ran out of mana. ¡®Let¡¯s try something different.¡¯ Marcodecided, the beginnings ofa new plan in his mind. Marco¡¯s eyes scanned the ground before settling on a small rock the size of a golf ball, ¡®That¡¯ll work.¡¯ Marco thought as he picked it up from the ground. After straightening up Marco took aim at the nearest skeleton before tossing the stone at it, ¡®Now, let¡¯s see how much damage you do.¡¯ Marco thought as the stone whizzed through the air.
-1 HP
¡®Success!¡¯ Marco grinned as the damage value appeared in his vision. ¡®That confirms my suspicion,¡¯ Marco thought, ¡®stones deal blunt damage¡­ or maybe they just hurt more than I think they do.¡¯ he added as an afterthought. The skeleton mimicked all those before it by running directly towards Marco, who acted on his new plan by running to meet the skeleton. ¡®A little more¡­ ok, now!¡¯ Marco thought as he came to an abrupt stop. The skeleton, however, wasn¡¯t able to stop from launching itself through the air at where Marco would have been had he kept running. With a thud Marco¡¯s disoriented enemy landed at his feet before finding itself suffering a barrage of staff strikes.
-1 HP
-4 HP
-4 HP
-4 HP
After the third strike the skeleton managed to roll out the way of the next strike, which Marco stopped before his staff could hit the ground. ¡°Only one health left little guy.¡± Marco said with a predatory smile as he chased his victim down. Marco approached the skeleton with careful steps. Having failed in its previous attack the skeleton assumed an odd position that made Marco think, ¡® It almost looks like its trying to defend itself.¡¯ Once Marco reached the edge of his staff¡¯s range he stopped in preparation to strike. With prepared motions Marco swung his staff at the skeleton¡¯s right side, causing it to back up in order to avoid the strike. Marco smiled as he eyes flashed. Taking a step forward Marco used the other end of his staff to hit the incompetent skeleton in the head.
-1 HP
¡°Hahahaha.¡± Marco laughed out loud between deep breaths, ¡®First time I managed to kill one without taking damage.¡¯ But before Marco could celebrate he felt a pain in the back of his left leg. Turning around instinctually Marco¡¯s staff whirled through the air before passing by the extended claw of a kobold skeleton.
-4 HP
¡®Shit.¡¯ Marco thought, eyes darting around furiously in an examination of the courtyard before focusing on the two skeletons that had surrounded him. ¡®Guess I didn¡¯t plan for everything.¡¯ Marco thought as he winced at his airheadedness. Marco knew he had failed to judge just how far he could move forward before attracting the other two skeletons, ¡®I didn¡¯t even consider it.¡¯ Marco berated. ¡®Not very far.¡¯ Marco observed dryly while trying to keep his eyes on both skeletons as they exhibited never before seen intelligence, circling him in an attempt to get behind him. ¡®No choice.¡¯ Marco told himself before spinning to face one of the skeletons as he bellowed, ¡°Shadow Shuriken!¡± While the magic flew through the air Marco could hear the other skeleton behind him, the distinct sound of claws pushing off the ground in an attempt to get on his back. Having anticipated this Marco already had his staff sailing through the air to meet the kobold.
-4 HP
-4 HP
Before the kobold could recover from its position on the ground Marco shoved his staff through one of its eye sockets before exclaiming, ¡°Shadow Shuriken!¡± causing darkness to explode out of the kobold¡¯s other eye and mouth.
-12 HP
With his spare mana point Marco cast his robe¡¯s built in ability, ¡°Bandage!¡± as a damage value popped up in sync with the sensation of someone grabbing his hair for leverage and then slamming his head against the ground.
-2 HP
+1 HP
You are disoriented
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Marco lay on the ground, vaguely able to make out a yellowish figure above him, claws outstretched as if it was about to feast on something¡­ ¡°FUCK!¡± Marco screamed before rolling out of the reach of the predatory claws. Rising to his feet Marco placed his staff in front of him, using his other hand to press against his throbbing head. But pressing against his head caused Marco to hiss as he intincturally closed his eyes from the pain before immediately forcing them open again- too late. The kobold was already flying through the air ready to latch onto Marco and tear his throat out. With a desperate reaction Marco fell to the ground before casting a spell where he¡¯d just been, ¡°SHADOW SHURIKEN!¡±
-2 HP
The damage came in as the spell glanced off the skeletons clawed foot, knocking a few toes loose in the process.
[Kobold Skeleton] is crippled
[Kobold Skeleton] is slowed
Landing awkwardly the kobold began to recover as best it could with its now crippled foot. Taking advantage of the respite Marco fumbled the mana potion after summoning it from his inventory, quickly sucking down all the liquid as fast as possible before tossing the empty glass bottle away.
+5 MP
Marco¡¯s left eye was closed now, though the blood from the side of his head still somehow managed to get into his eye and send an irritating stinging sensation to Marco¡¯s head. With adrenaline fueled focus Marco raised his staff, casting his last spell of the fight with a panted, ¡°Shadow¡­ Shuriken¡­¡± The projectile flew exactly where Marco¡¯s staff had aimed it; the skeleton¡¯s eyes.
-4 HP
With what little strength remained Marco rushed up to the blinded skeleton before swatting the damned thing¡¯s neck. As he did the skeleton¡¯s eyes cleared, allowing it to send it¡¯s hand racing towards Marco¡¯s heart.
-3 HP
-3 HP
Marco collapsed onto the ground as the system warned him for the second time in his life:
EMERGENCY: Health at 1
That was the last thing Marco saw before his vision went black, his mind fading with the echoing thunder of his heartbeat roaring in his ears. ¡­ ¡®Everything hurts.¡¯ Marco thought as he groaned to the empty courtyard. ¡®I better get back to-¡¯ Marco¡¯s train of thought was interrupted as he sat up and retched onto the ground in front of him. In his exhausted state the only thing Marco could think was, ¡®I thought I was past this.¡¯ Straining to get himself on his feet Marco berated himself, ¡°Stupid. Stupid! STUPID! Didn¡¯t think. Walked right into it¡­ fucking invited them to kill me¡­ suicide by skeleton¡­ dumbass¡­¡± before hobbling out through the gate. The stairs were even more of a challenge than they had been after his first fight, each step sending sharp pain through Marco¡¯s left calf and causing the throbbing pain in his head to give an extra special shock to his skull. After 15 minutes Marco had almost made it to the shop before he collapsed onto the stairs, ¡°SteelBreaker!¡± he yelled up the stairs, ¡°Health potion!¡± he begged as he prayed to whatever god would listen that SteelBreaker wasn¡¯t taking another nap. Marco heard a torrent of, ¡°Uppity lil¡¯ shit! Ye think I¡¯m yer dog? Eh, boy?¡± which caused a tiny smile to escape his lips as he sent a trade offer to the shadowy figure on the top of the stairs. ¡°WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU?!¡± SteelBreaker questioned as he ran down the stairs. ¡°Accept¡­ the trade¡­¡± Marco whispered as he tried to block out the dwarf¡¯s words of concern, ¡°Ye look like ye were jumped by a couple of tunnel crawlers!¡± The potion appeared in Marco¡¯s inventory, quickly appeared in Marco¡¯s hand, and then disappeared down Marco¡¯s throat as he downed it before, once again, passing out. ... Marco awoke to find himself on the floor of the shop room, SteelBreaker sitting on the stairs behind him. While Marco¡¯s mind pushed through the fog that seemed to be clouding it he wondered what SteelBreaker was looking at with his distant gaze¡­ ¡°Ah,¡± SteelBreaker said as his eyes returned to Marco, ¡°Yer finally awake. What¡¯d ye get yerself into?¡± Marco sat up and rubbed his now healed head, ¡°I made a mistake. Had to fight two of those fuckers at once. Almost died.¡± SteelBreaker nodded in agreement with Marco¡¯s first statement, ¡°Aye, yer lucky to be alive. Ey, listen to old SteelBreaker a moment.¡± he said as Marco stood up, ¡°Yer movin¡¯ pretty damn fast boy, and there¡¯s nothing wrong with going fast. But yer setting a sprinter¡¯s pace when yer running a marathon. If ye don¡¯t stop I¡¯m afraid ye¡¯ll realize too late that ye overestimated yerself.¡± Marco nodded saying, ¡°I already overestimated myself.¡± before SteelBreaker stopped him, ¡°No, ye didn¡¯t. Ye made a mistake. But yer mistake almost cost ye yer little life cause you moved so quickly.¡± SteelBreaker hesitated before saying, ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to tell ye anythin¡¯ but¡­ most players won¡¯t enter the dungeon without at least enough potions to bring ¡®em back to full health and mana. Yer runnin¡¯ in there without shit and it¡¯ll get ye killed sooner or later.¡± Marco sighed as he thanked SteelBreaker, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure I do that from now on. I appreciate the advice.¡± SteelBreaker grunted, walked back behind the shop counter and yelled, ¡°Now get yer ass outta here before I have to throw ye through that blasted door meself!¡± With a final smile Marco climbed the stairs going up, slower than he needed to, before crossing the threshold that would send him back to his world. Chapter 12 Marco tossed the sheets off his body, gazing at the clock. ¡®Seven,¡¯ he thought to himself, ¡®again.¡¯ before jumping out of bed. Once on the ground Marco turned to head to the bathroom before stopping himself from tripping over a knelt over form on the ground. ¡°Oh,¡± Oscar said, ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, just going for my Sunday morning run.¡± Marco gave Oscar a skeptical look as he questioned, ¡°Your Sunday morning run?¡± Oscar laughed as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t be too surprised, you¡¯re usually asleep when I head out.¡± Marco nodded in understanding as he headed out the door. After walking out Marco caught the door mid swing, preventing it from closing, and asked Oscar, ¡°This may sound strange coming from me but¡­ um, can I come with you?¡± Oscar revealed a grin as he said, ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound strange at all.¡± Marco held up two fingers, ¡°Just give me two minutes to get myself ready.¡± Oscar¡¯s ¡®Sunday morning run¡¯ turned out to be too much for Marco, especially given the current state of his legs. Marco had managed to make it half a mile before calling it quits, ¡°Oscar... Oscar! I¡¯m going to... leave you here... my legs have had it.¡± Marco panted, doing his best to keep himself from collapsing from exhaustion. A knowing smile spread across Oscar¡¯s face as he stopped with Marco, ¡°I remember when I started running, I could barely make it a half a mile.¡± Marco chuckled before asking, ¡°I was hoping we might make this a recurring, uh¡­ thing?¡± to which Oscar replied, ¡°I was hoping you would ask me to make this a recurring thing.¡± After sharing a laugh Oscar walked Marco back to the dorm, leaving him with, ¡°I¡¯m gonna do a couple more miles, then I¡¯ll be back.¡± While Oscar finished his run Marco hopped into the shower to prepare for the day. On his way out Marco stopped at the mirror and, after a moment of hesitation, looked into his reflection. Marco thought back to his encounter with death, thought about the way he commanded Marco to be calm, ¡®Calm¡­ calm. Calm.¡¯ Marco remembered. The way he said it, the way it lingered in his mind, ¡°Calm.¡± ¡®There it is!¡¯ Marco exclaimed as he felt his mind shiver, all of his thoughts swept away until the only thing left was a focused state. In his altered state Marco examined his reflection, ¡®It¡¯s almost like there¡¯s a light in my eyes. Almost like¡­ his eyes¡­¡¯ Marco trailed off as he leaned forward, gazing deeply into his own eyes in an attempt to get closer to that light, to see what it was. Marco pressed his hand against the mirror, causing ripples to spread across the mirror as if his palm was a rock thrown into water. The ripples grew as Marco began to increase the pressure on the mirror, all the while transfixed by his own eyes. The counter under Marco trembled as tiny cracks spread across the sink fixed beneath him. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°...marco...¡± A familiar voice echoed behind him, interrupting his thoughts, ¡®What was that...? Doesn¡¯t matter.... Harder. Press harder!¡± Marco lurched backwards as he heard a voice that was not his own echo through his mind. Falling backwards Marco realized that Oscar was coming with him, apparently having been pulling at Marco before he let go of the mirror. A smack echoed as the pair fell on the tiled floor, ¡°What was that?!¡± Oscar yelled, ¡°It was like you were a part of the fucking mirror! I couldn¡¯t get you to budge an inch!¡± Marco shivered as he confirmed, ¡°You were trying to pull me away from the mirror?¡± seeing Oscar nod Marco¡¯s face paled, while he whispered, ¡°I didn¡¯t feel anything at all. I barely heard someone call my name¡­ I couldn¡¯t even tell it was you¡­¡± The friends shared a silent gaze, shared the fear in their eyes, until Oscar asked, ¡°What happened? What caused that?¡± Marco considered lying, ¡°Ah! No you don¡¯t. I know that look. The truth.¡± Oscar commanded Marco after seeing the lie creeping into his throat. ¡°Remember when I told you about death, about how he commanded me to be¡­ calm.¡± Marco asked. Continuing after Oscar nodded Marco said, ¡°Well, I may have overlooked explaining exactly how powerful that word was. When I said it I felt like there was no other choice, like it was the natural response to become calm.¡± ¡°So you were experimenting with a word?¡± Oscar asked incredulously, ¡°A fucking word began to tear the fabric of time-space?¡± Marco stopped his explanation as he questioned, ¡°A tear in the fabric of time-space?¡± Oscar threw his hands in the air as he exclaimed, ¡°What else would you call it?!¡± Marco opened his mouth to counter Oscar¡¯s proposed explanation but was interrupted by a knock on the door, ¡°RA!¡± Exclaimed a voice as the door was pushed open to reveal a slightly older looking student, ¡°Hey Marco. Oscar.¡± the man nodded, ¡°Hey John.¡± both boys responded automatically. ¡°Look guys,¡± John said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on here but keep in mind that the bathroom is a shared space. I got a complaint about some¡­ noises that another student heard coming from the bathroom.¡± John held up his hands to stop the oncoming explanation, ¡°I don¡¯t need to know. Just, please, keep it in the privacy of your room.¡± John closed the door and walked off, leaving Oscar and Marco stunned as they looked at each other, ¡°Did he just?¡± Oscar asked as Marco responded, ¡°Yep.¡± Silence reigned for a couple seconds before they couldn¡¯t hold back from laughing, ¡°He thinks that we?¡± Marco chuckled, ¡°I know? What the hell?¡± Oscar laughed. And so, after sitting laughing on the bathroom floor for five minutes, John had to come back to kick them out. ¡°Sorry John!¡± Marco said as he walked back into his room, leaving Oscar behind to shower. Back in his room again Marco opened his laptop and set out to find somewhere to learn how to fight. ¡®Protect myself.¡¯ Marco corrected before revising, ¡®No- fight. I definitely want to learn how to fight.¡¯ Chapter 13 Walking down the stairs to the shop Marco rehearsed his question in his head, ¡®SteelBreaker, do you know anything about words?¡¯ Shaking his head Marco adjusted, ¡®Powerful words¡­ Abnormally powerful words¡­ Words that cause changes in the world around you¡­? How am I supposed to phrase this?¡¯ Marco asked as he reached the bottom of the stairs. ¡°Mornin¡¯ kid.¡± SteelBreaker said without looking away from the golden gem in his hands. ¡°SteelBreaker do you know anything about words?¡± SteelBreaker shot Marco a look before returning his attention to the gem in his hands, turning it in appreciation or appraisal with a disinterested, ¡°Know lots o¡¯ words¡­¡± Marco pushed down the rising embarrassment by explaining, ¡°I mean words that do things¡­ Words that can have an effect on the world just by being spoken.¡± SteelBreaker¡¯s eyes broke away from the gem in his hands, settling their analytical look onto Marco. Slowly SteelBreaker said, ¡°Sounds like what your talking about are words of power.¡± ¡°Words of power?¡± Marco repeated before asking, ¡°What are they?¡± SteelBreaker knitted his eyebrows, ¡°They¡¯re dangerous is what they are. Why do ye ask? Yer description might not have been the brightest but it was correct¡­¡± trailing off SteelBreaker grabbed Marco¡¯s collar in a blur that Marco¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t even process. ¡°Have ye heard a word invoked?¡± the dwarf hissed as his hold tightened ¡°Have ye?!¡± Marco stammered, ¡°I- I- I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know if it was a word of power!¡± A dangerous look crossed the dwarf¡¯s eyes as quickly pressed a dagger against Marco¡¯s throat, ¡°Who?¡± he asked with a frosty voice. ¡°I- I don¡¯t understand-¡± Marco stuttered before SteelBreaker interrupted, ¡°Who did you hear use one of those words?!¡± Marco gaped, stunned at the situation while SteelBreaker pressed, ¡°Tell me who the fuck invoked a word of power!¡± Trembling Marco yelled, ¡°Death! It was death! He ordered me to be calm! Please let me go- I haven¡¯t done anything! Please!¡± SteelBreaker dropped Marco while visibly trying to control himself, veins bulging on his face as he cursed, ¡°Damned Titan! Ruining a rookie before giving them a chance!¡± With the most intense stare Marco had ever seen the dwarf told him, ¡°Listen to me kid. Never use that word. Never tell anyone you know that word. Never even fucking think of that word. Do you understand?!¡± he questioned, grabbing Marco again, ¡°Do you bloody understand?!¡± Shocked Marco responded, ¡°I understand! I understand!¡± before scurrying away as SteelBreaker released him. Marco started, ¡°What¡¯s-¡± before SteelBreaker stopped him with a glare, ¡°No questions about this. I mean it kid. None. Just forget this ever happened- and forget that cursed word!¡± Shaken by SteelBreaker¡¯s actions Marco flew down the stairs, SteelBreaker returning to the counter before picking up the gem, now cracked from being dropped on the ground. ¡°Fuck.¡± SteelBreaker cursed to himself as tears welled in his eyes, ¡°Fuck!¡± ¡­ At the bottom of the stairs Marco took a moment to compose himself, ¡®What the hell was that about?¡¯ he asked himself before being struck by an idea, ¡°What is a word of power?¡± he asked the system curiously.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Error!
Information Nonexistant
¡®Nonexistent?¡¯ Marco thought in apprehension, ¡®Last time I asked it something I didn¡¯t know it replied ¡®information unavailable¡¯...? Does that mean that the system doesn¡¯t have any record whatsoever of words of power?¡¯ Marco¡¯s pupils shrank as he considered, ¡®Something the system doesn¡¯t know about¡­ or something the system isn¡¯t allowed to know about¡­¡¯ Marco shivered with the thought, ¡®Maybe¡­ something deleted from the system... but by what?¡¯ Lost Marco decided to drop it, ¡®If this is as dangerous as SteelBreaker implied then I should leave it alone.¡¯ No doubt he would miss the helpful power of the word, but if the mirror incident was anything to go by then it would be for the best to stop using a tool he didn¡¯t understand. ¡®Right,¡¯ Marco told himself, ¡®time to find out what that pile is.¡¯ Walking into the courtyard Marco braced himself for skeletons, relieved when he saw none. Cautiously Marco walked towards the pile in the corner, ¡®Stone?¡¯ he mused as he neared. The pile seemed to be made of some kind of rubble that reached his waist. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Marco said as he closed in on the ¡®pile¡¯. ¡®That¡¯s not a pile,¡¯ Marco thought in shock, ¡®that¡¯s a hole!¡¯ The pile of rubble served as the edges of a hole that dropped underground. It was steep, ¡®But not too steep¡­¡¯ Marco thought with a grin. ¡®Wait.¡¯ Marco told himself before he could launch himself underground unaware. ¡®I should go back and stock up on potions¡­¡¯ his thoughts trailed off as he remembered the earlier interaction with the dwarf, ¡®or I could just be really careful.¡¯ he decided as he climbed over the lip of the tunnel before descending.
You have entered the SubDungeon: Mines of Badondena
¡°Sub Dungeon?!¡± Marco exclaimed curiously. ¡®System, what¡¯s a Sub Dungeon?¡¯
Definition: Sub Dungeon- A dungeon located within a larger dungeon
¡®That¡¯s¡­ interesting.¡¯ Marco mused before examining his surroundings. ¡®Doesn¡¯t seem to be made for humans.¡¯ Marco observed about the tunnel ahead of him. Standing in the hole Marco could see that the tunnel ahead of him was only half his size, ¡®Meaning if I¡¯m feeling suicidal I can crawl through it.¡¯ Marco joked. Turning to climb out Marco stopped as he heard¡­ something, ¡®What¡¯s that noise?¡¯ he asked, twisting around to face the tunnel. Raising his staff Marco prepared to combat whatever was coming through the tunnel. Click Click Click The noise drew closer, getting louder until Marco realized what it was, ¡®A skeleton.¡¯ he predicted, immediately proved correct as a kobold skeleton grew distinct in the darkness of the tunnel. Before it could react to his presence Marco acted, ¡°Shadow shuriken! Shadow shuriken! Shadow shuriken!¡±
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In response the skeleton charged forward, arms flailing in an attempt to hit Marco. Confident that the skeleton wouldn¡¯t be able to jump from the tiny tunnel Marco swung his staff as its clawed feet, knocking it off balance before pummeling the figure with his staff.
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Dismissing the reward notification Marco pondered what to do next. ¡®It¡¯s apparent that the skeletons in the courtyard came from down here¡­ So, down through the dark tunnel or into the creepy fortress?¡¯ Chapter 14 Marco eventually decided to head down the tunnel, ¡®It will be dangerous to crawl through the tunnel¡­ but I¡¯ll be fighting opponents I¡¯m familiar with.¡¯ Comforting himself as he crouched to enter the tunnel he thought, ¡®If that last skeleton is any indication I¡¯ll have plenty of warning before I approach one. Besides, doesn¡¯t seem like many come through here¡­¡¯ Crawling through the tunnel was tedious, and just a little terrifying. Every step Marco took echoed around him, ¡®Alerting anything on the other end of this tunnel.¡¯ he cursed. After crawling forward for what felt like an hour but was realistically probably five minutes Marco stumbled out into what he presumed was an open cave. In the dark Marco fumbled around before tripping over something, sending a booming ¡®thud¡¯ through the cave. Turning to examine what exactly he fell over Marco¡¯s hands came to rest on something cold, ¡®Metal?¡¯ he guessed as he felt around more. ¡®Wood¡­ Metal and wood. Of course- it¡¯s a track for a minecart.¡¯ Scrambling to his feet Marco tried to make out anything that he could in the darkness of the tunnel. ¡®It would be a mistake to go anywhere in this darkness.¡¯ Marco decided before making his way to the wall he came out of in search of the tunnel out. Feeling the wall for a minute allowed him to discover the exit, which he quickly used. On his way out the tunnel Marco considered what he would have to do if he intended to commit to exploring the tunnel. ¡®The most obvious problem is the lack of light¡­ a flashlight wouldn¡¯t do much good in a fight thought. Maybe some glow sticks? But once those fade I could end up stranded in the tunnels¡­¡¯ Marco¡¯s thoughts rambled on as he climbed out of the tunnel. Gazing up at the large wooden doors Marco considered, ¡®Or I could just head into the main dungeon.¡¯ Shaking his head Marco decided, ¡®No, it would be better to figure out a solution to the light problem.¡¯ Turning around he then headed out the gate before pausing at the foot of the stairs, hesitating as he shuddered at his memories of SteelBreaker¡¯s earlier actions, ¡®Whatever. I¡¯ll have to face him eventually anyway.¡¯ he told himself as he began to climb. As he approached the shop Marco did his best to muffle his steps, intending to sneak by SteelBreaker as fast as he could to avoid any awkward interaction that could unfold. However when his head reached the level where he could see the shop he was immediately greeted by SteelBreaker¡¯s blurry eyes along with the distinct smell of alcohol. ¡°Marco!¡± SteelBreaker yelled as he stumbled over to him, ¡°I¡¯ve got somethin¡¯ to say to ye lad.¡± With trepidation Marco attempted to rush by the inebriated dwarf, quickly stopped by a hand against the wall. ¡°Listen here Marco.¡± Steelbreaker drunkenly slurred. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about earlier.¡± Marco knitted his eyebrows before responding, ¡°Look, its fine SteelBreaker. Let¡¯s just forget anything ever happened.¡± The short man paused, a melancholy look taking his face as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t call me that blasted name anymore. My real name¡¯s D¡¯vardir.¡± with a look of expectation he prompted, ¡°What¡¯s yer real name Marco?¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. With confused eyes Marco said, ¡°Um, my real name is Marco¡­¡± causing D¡¯vardir to gaze at him with amused eyes, ¡°Wait. Ye gave yer real name to someone ye just met? Hahaha!¡± the dwarf roared as he put Marco in a headlock, ¡°Kido you¡¯ve got so much to learn. Wait, did ye think my name was SteelBreaker?! That me parents looked at me and said, ¡®Oh, yes. This little lad looks like a SteelBreaker to me.¡¯ Rubbish!¡± He drunkenly roared. Marco blinked back his embarrassment when he realized how naive he¡¯d been to assume that the dwarf¡¯s real name would be SteelBreaker, ¡®I can¡¯t believe I actually thought that on some other planet parents would name their child SteelBreaker.¡¯ Marco thought as he started laughing too, ¡°So, SteelBreaker is your username?¡± Marco asked. Upon receiving confirmation Marco smiled and said, ¡°Well I guess I¡¯ll share my username with you. Its GreenEyesBoneDragon.¡± D¡¯vardir looked at Marco with a beaming smile as he praised, ¡°A good name!¡± before continuing, ¡°I really am sorry about earlier today, shit happens in the dungeon and it''s not always easy to deal with it. I¡¯d like to explain, if ye¡¯ll give me a chance.¡± Marco cautiously nodded, afraid of setting off the drunken dwarf. ¡°Back when I was a tiny little bugger like yerself,¡± D¡¯vardir started, ¡°I managed to find meself some great friends to go dungeon crawling with.¡± A dopey smile spread across his face as he recalled, ¡°We weren¡¯t all that great, below average really¡­ until we had a fortunate encounter.¡± He snorted, ¡°At least we thought is was fortunate at the time.¡± Cringing he continued, ¡°One of my friends managed to obtain a word of power. At first it was a godsend, helped us clear faster, helped us survive fights that we shouldn¡¯t have been able to. So we grew complacent, we relied on the word to carry us¡­¡± As his voice trailed off tears gathered in his eyes. ¡°We didn¡¯t want to see it,¡± he whimpered, ¡°didn¡¯t want to acknowledge what it was doing to her.¡± He looked Marco in the eyes, grabbing him by the shoulders before continuing, ¡°Using one of those words changes a person. We saw it happening, we all knew something was wrong. But we did nothing to stop it. The word was too valuable, too precious to stop using for something so trifling.¡± His speech started shaking, the words forced out, ¡°We didn¡¯t care about her enough until it was too late. And when we confronted her¡­¡± He stopped to compose himself, continuing in a whisper, ¡°When we confronted her we realized too late. She wasn¡¯t herself anymore. It managed to kill almost all of us before we got it under control.¡± Tightening his grip on Marco D¡¯vardir said, ¡°The reason I don¡¯t want ye to use that word is because of what it¡¯ll do to ye. Ye¡¯ll lost sight of yerself Marco. Ye¡¯ll become someone- something- else. And then ye¡¯ll kill everyone ye hold dear. Don¡¯t. Use. It.¡± After finishing his speech the dwarf let Marco go, stumbled over to the counter, and fell asleep against it. Marco stood in place for a few moments, contemplating what D¡¯vardir had said. ¡®What exactly are words of power?¡¯ he asked himself as he began to climb the stairs, ¡®Maybe it''s best if I don¡¯t know the answer.¡¯