《Sword》 Prologue When I think of humanity, I think of men and women who go through life trying to find their way through the ups and downs that any human may find. I, however, go through life with a more ''Who gives a shit about any of this?'', and ''What''s the point to all of this?'' mentality. I understand what you''re thinking, ''Just a kid, so he hasn''t found what life may have to offer him.'' I don''t see it that way, I''ve seen what life in the modern era has to offer and I find it boring, and pointless. I grew up in a small family without a sibling with a father who left when I was only a few months old. Lived my life without regret or caring about anyone around me seriously, even my mother, who I can tell loves me dearly, I feel nothing for. Not nothing in the sense that I don''t care if she dies and I would do nothing for her, I just feel that she''s like the rest of the world, going through life pretending any of it matters. I think to myself everyday, ''When will I ever find meaning?''.. Until I turned 16, and everything changed, forever. ------------ I wake up, yawning as I look at my alarm clock through squinted groggy eyes saying 4:53, and think, ''Shit, woke up late again''. I got out of bed nonchalantly, yawning as I walk to my drawer to find a pair of running pants and a loose fitting shirt. Grabbing My running shoes by my bedroom door I threw them on and went into the kitchen for a bottle of water and an energy bar before my run. I went back to my room to my computer to check my email and my social media, as my everyday rituals dictate. Realizing I have no friends doesn''t keep me from checking, for lack of better words, I simply have it and check it to have and check it. Calmly walking out the front door I think, ''Wednesday, so right instead of left.'' I turn to the right and begin my sprint, jog, sprint, jog routine for 5 miles to the donut shop to grab some for my mother, and head back. On the way back along the left side of a fairly busy street I catch a glint out of the corner of my eye on the right side of the highway, normally I would just keep running, no matter what it is, it''s atworst a pipe and at best a wrapper to some sort of snack food. Strangely though, I stop, and stare at it, my breathing heavier than it normally is, my mind not working beyond checking the street for cars before I run across. I Jump down into the ditch and run up to it like my life depends on it, feeling urgency for the first time in my short life, like if I don''t hurry whatever this thing may be, will disappear. I stop, staring at what looks like the handle of a sword. Weathered leather, scraps almost falling off of severely oxidized Iron. I reach down to grab it, my mind not my own, no thoughts running through it. My hand tightly coils around it, feeling the hard leather, and cold steel, even in this hundred degree weather. *crack* I see bright white, my hand and eyes burning, then nothing. The sword handle gone, my vision back to normal, standing in a ditch on the side of the road in a daze. ''What the fuck was that?!'' I look around noticing the people driving by looking at me like I''m crazy. Iquickly regain my nonchalanceget back up to the road, cross the street and run home, the incident earlier leaving to the back of my mind. Not noticing the picture of a decrepid sword slowly receding on the back of my hand. I get home to see my mother readying herself for work as the clock on the oven reads 6:08. My mother, noticing my entrance, and the donuts in my hand lights up with a sweet smile, and says, "Good morning, sweetheart. So good to me, getting me donuts. You''re a little late today, did you oversleep before your run?" I smile my fake smile and politley return with a, "Yes, mother, woke up around 5 and took a break at the coffee shop, I saw some friends." Lies spewing from my mouth like usual, I hand her the donuts as she starts to walk to the door. "Love you, honey, don''t be late to school." she smiles her sweetest loving smile once more, before exiting in a hurry. I ignore the nagging and take a shower, then walk to my room to put on the only set of clothing I ever wear while not with my mother, a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt, grab another water and another energy bar, and head out of the house, locking the door behind me. I arrive at the school at around 7, to meld into my day, as usual, talking with no one, except for the random teacher who asks a question, until my last class of the day. Where my nemesis lives. Normal people may not think of a 5''3, 8 inches shorter than myself, girl with green eyes, black hair and georgeous body and smile, as one''s nemesis, but you don''t know this girl.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. "Hey, Gladio, looking as hateful and lazy as always I see," says Rebecca, with her usual perky voice, ''Grating to the ears as much as the eyes, like always, I see.'' I sneeringly say on the inside as I indifferently look her face over, before looking back to the front, paying her no more mind. She giggles heartily, looking at me with teasing eyes like she always does, I''m sure, "You''re such a cutie, why don''t you talk to me likeyou used to when we were in kinder together? Should I tell your mother you''re being mean to me?" I simply glare at her without facial reactions, before moving my eyes away. She sighs slightly, with saddened, heartbroken eyes I don''t see while staring at the back of my head as she sits behind me. ''Hopefully she''s done for today,'' I think, hating having to be talked to, and not being left alone. "Have a good rest of the day, Gladio. I''m sorry for bothering you each and every day." She tells me with her fake sad voice, that I don''t understand isn''t fake. I return with, "If you''re sorry then stop, but if you''re not, then that''s fine too, it''s sometimes nice to be treated like I''m alive, though I''d prefer if I wasnt." My voice becomes gentle and soft, "Good day to you as well, Rebecca." Sighing deeply, with the first sign, all day, of an emotion, besides indifference, or a fake smile, on my face, a deep frown. -------- My school day ends with me putting my things in my locker, just like every school daybegins with me taking my things from my locker, I head home. I get home at around 4:30, grab a water, and go for another run to end the day, going left to get an energy drink at the convenience store, then to the gym for some short upper body work out and a run back home. My mother made dinner and went to sleep before I got back, rice, and a baked chiken breast with spinach, I eat and take a shower, wear my black pants and t-shirt to sleep, at around 9, like always. ------ I wake up, look to my alarm clock through squinted eyes to read, 2:02 with a burning headache and my hand on fire, my eyes turning white and my bodying becoming lighter and lighter until I feel nothing. ----- I wake up again to look up at my alarm clock from reflex and my eyes widen considerably, to see grass swaying in the wind all around me, bugs buzzing in my ear and and vast plains as far as my eyes can see, a forest surrounds the plains completely on the edge of my eyesight. I quickly return myself to my calm state, and try to find out where I was and what I was doing before bed, ''Nothing unusual, SSDD, I don''t understand what''s happening, why am I here, where is this?''.. A voice comes to my head in a soothing tone, Welcome. This is the world of Opportunity. Here you will live for 2 real world hours each day. (Warning - to you it may seem like 16 hours) In this world you will struggle to survive, struggle to become stronger, and struggle to become who you want to be. In this world anything is possible, with the class you have earned in the real world you may level up, earn skills, earn money, earn power, and earn your life. This is no game, Gladio. Your life is forfeit should you lose it here. Your level, skills, attributes and Health and Mana will only be shown when you level for a short period of time. You may allocate attributes now to your hearts content, but be warned, you will have no redo''s, no recovery, and no status screen until you level up. Good luck. Live freely, like you were meant to, my child. "......" My hand burning as a symbol of a decrepid sword slowly appears with the smell of burning flesh. Name: Gladio Class: Sword Weapon: Rusty Sword (Scaling damage) 1-5 Dmg (Level One) Armor: None Health: 70 Mana: 0 Stamina: 90 Strength: 5 Agility: 6 Dexterity:5 Stamina:9 Vitality: 7 Intelligence: 7 (Unable to use mana with this class Mana will be set to 0) Wisdom: 4 Charisma: 11 Luck: 2(Unable to allocate points) Unallocated points: 5 Skills: Summon Sword (No Level), Sword Wielding (Level MAX)5 stamina per 10 sec use My mind burning with new information pertaining to sword arts and how to use the sword with high efficiency. ''Interesting..'' I think to myself as I slowly look over my stats and my hand with the insane looking rusty sword on it. ''Luckily the info dump happened before I had to allocate my points,'' I start to think about what would be a smart decision when it comes to sword users in my mind, with the information I got from the Sword Wielding skill, and put 1 into Agi, 1 into Dex, 1 into Str, and 2 into Stam. Name: Gladio Class: Sword Weapon: Rusty Sword (Scaling damage) 1-5 Dmg (Level One) Armor: None Health: 70 Mana: 0 Stamina: 110 Strength: 6 Agility: 7 Dexterity: 6 Stamina: 11 Vitality: 7 Intelligence: 7 (Unable to use mana with this class Mana will be set to 0) Wisdom: 4 Charisma: 11 Luck: 2 (Unable to allocate points) Unallocated points:0 Skills: Summon Sword (No Level), Sword Wielding (Level MAX) 5 stamina per 10 sec use I try to get a sense of where I am by carefully looking around, skirting slowly around the edges of the plains, to see if there''s any sort of monster, or animal, or whatever damn thing may be in wait for me in this place, or some sort of direction to head in... Chapter 1 I find nothing on the edges of the plains. ''It''s worrying that I just have to decide on a direction willy nilly. Don''t even know how to tell which way''s north or south, should''ve paid attention in class..'' I laugh softly to myself as I pick the direction I ended up at, for lazy reasons. I walk carefully into the forest, making a ridiculous amount of noise. ''How do people make no noise in the movies and novels? It''s impossible, there''s dry grass and small twigs all over the ground.'' Moving forward I hear noise about 200 ft ahead of me, ''Sounds like something is fighting something else, by the screams and moans.'' I move closer making doubly sure I don''t step on anything, it takes several minutes to move closer because of how careful and slow I''m moving. I come to a small clearing of about 30 ft by 40 ft, hiding behind a tree I notice what''s fighting, a small humanoid creature, brown skin color, about 3''8, fighting what looks like a human, but is about the same size as the brown skinned thing. The small brown one has nothing but claws, and has a large gash on it''s face and one arm, making the arm useless, and half his face covered in blood. The other human looking one is using a shortsword and a small shield with a set of leather armor all the way up to it''s neck. Claw marks on it''s shield and a few on it''s body. Both of them look tired like this fight has lasted awhile, severe hatred in their eyes. I decide to take this chance to activate my sword mastery with a thought and notice it feels like I''m jogging slowly, without moving. I figure that''s the stamina per 10 sec loss. I move forward from the tree line slowly, until they both notice me, suprise etched on their faces, I rush in and swing my sword at the closest one, it has no time to react, it''s claw comes up to it''s face my sword slices across it''s wrist then I pierce through it''s neck as the human shorty looks at me with terrified eyes. The brown skin falls to the ground, not moving as I look to the shorty and brandish my sword towards it, it jumps back, and screams, "_______, ______!!!!!" I smile to it with my first real smile in my whole life and laugh loudly as I rush it with my sword horizantal. I swing across it to hit it''s shield, still terrified his sword doesn''t come out towards me, it''s still screaming in it''s language, my smile getting larger and larger. I attack and attack until it drops the shield, it''s arm broken from my strength, dangling at it''s side. I slide my sword to it''s grip on it''s sword, the sword dropping to the ground as I laugh hysterically, my sword going into it''s neck deeply. I pull it free with a *thwick* I stop paying attention to the bodies, to check my surroundings, my heart still beating heavily as I hear a *ding* in my ears. Name: Gladio Class: Sword Level: 1 Weapon: Rusty Sword (Scaling damage) 3-8 Dmg (Level Three) Armor: None Health: 70 Mana: 0 Stamina: 110 Strength: 6 Agility: 7 Dexterity: 6 Stamina: 11 Vitality: 7 Intelligence: 7 (Unable to use mana with this class Mana will be set to 0) Wisdom: 4 Charisma: 11 Luck: 2 (Unable to allocate points) Unallocated points: 10 Skills: Summon Sword (No Level), Sword Wielding (Level MAX), Quiet Walk (Level 0), Bloodthirsty (Passive Level 1) ''I see, so I wasn''t even Level 0.'' I think, as I decide to continue the same as before 1 Agi, 1 Dex, 1 Str, 2 Stam, each level. Name: Gladio Class: Sword Level: 1 Weapon: Rusty Sword (Scaling damage) 3-8 Dmg (Level Three) Armor: None Health: 70 Mana: 0If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Stamina: 150 Strength: 8 Agility: 9 Dexterity: 8 Stamina: 15 Vitality: 7 Intelligence: 7 (Unable to use mana with this class Mana will be set to 0) Wisdom: 4 Charisma: 11 Luck: 2 (Unable to allocate points) Unallocated points: 0 Skills: Summon Sword (No Level), Sword Wielding (Level MAX), Quiet Walk (Level 0), Bloodthirsty (Passive Level 1) I don''t collect anything from the bodies, as this is no game, ''No disappearing bodies or loot drops, which is too bad.'' I think as I laugh feeling free and happy for the first time, I look to the forest to continue, my steps lighter, and my body moving quicker and more smoothly, the steps becoming easier, as my feet treck through the grass and small twigs in the forest. I walk for hours in a direction, still have no idea where I''m going. Hear things moving in the distance from time to time, the sky becoming darker as I walk. In the distance I hear yelling and see smoke. I slow my steps and crouch down to move forward, my smile coming to my face as I look forward to my next prey. Impatient to take more life I come up to a wall up above my head by a couple feet. I take a peak over said wall and see several of the small humans like the one I saw before, in what looks like a small village of 20-30 or so. My smile gets wide as the darkness of night descends. A bon fire in the middle of town gives the village light, rows of small tents barely big enough for me to fit into circle around the fire in layers. I come upon the outermost layer of tents and sneak into it. ''Early sleepers here, I see.'' My smile turns to solemnity as I find two shorties sleep in their bunks. I resummon my sword I unsummoned to get over the wall, and quickly and quietly kill them both, moving on to other to other tents. Guards patrol around the outer fences at night, I''ve had to kill several, one who spotted me, but just looked stunned before I ended him and hid him in another tent, continuing my hunt I clear each and every tent of it''s inhabitants until only those in the middle of town near the bonfire are alive. Looks like five or six men, two women and a few elderly. I just smile to myself and crouch down to get as close as possible or as many prey as I can before I can be seen. I move closer and closer to one of the women, no weapons on her of any kind. I simply slit her throat where she sat, not enough noise to be noticed, move on to the next who finally found me. I panic as she screams and quickly shove my sword through her neck and giggle a bit as I calm down. The men and elderly notice me and look terrified and angry. I stand and rush them, putting down two men and an elderly man before they can react. My sword flying through their necks and limbs as the few remaining try to find a weapon or run, I take them all out with quick sword strikes, laughing now, smiling widely as they fall beneath my sword. I took two injuries to my non-sword arm as I used it to block a few spear jabs from the last one standing before I cut the spear in half then pushing the unarmed shorty I cut halfway through it''s neck before hitting bone stopped my sword. I take heed of my surroundings once I finish, giggling to myself from the euphoria of taking life and laugh loudly as I look at my conquest, a trail of bodies. ''It seems that Bloodthirsty passive is changing me quickly.. It''s too bad I love it so much that I don''t care..'' My thoughts and laugs and smile coming to a halt as I realize what I just thought. My mind scrambling to find a reason for what I just thought. ''What''s going on?!'' I start breathing much more heavily than I was before, my eyes blurrying as I vomit falling to my knees. My body calms finally, my mind working to rebuild itself. ''I see, so I am this, I''ve always been this, just nowhere to release this side of me in the modern era.'' My wide smile coming back as I laugh at myself for being such a fool. ''It turns out I didn''t belong there, I belong here. I was right..'' My smile turning solemn again, as I check the rest of the village for stragglers, something to eat, and supplies of some kind. I find a bunch of what look like vegetables and a meat of some kind on a table in the biggest tent in the middle of town. Decide not to eat the meat as I don''t know what they hunt, could be me for all I know. I eat the vegetables after roasting them a bit on the fire, along with a few fruit around and as I rest another *ding* sounds. Name: Gladio Class: Sword Level: 5 Weapon: Rusty Sword (Scaling damage) 13-18 Dmg (Level Seven) Armor: None Health: 90 Mana: 0 Stamina: 210 Strength: 12 Agility: 13 Dexterity: 12 Stamina: 21 Vitality: 9 Intelligence: 7 (Unable to use mana with this class Mana will be set to 0) Wisdom: 4 Charisma: 11 Luck: 2 (Unable to allocate points) Unallocated points: 0 Skills: Summon Sword (No Level), Sword Wielding (Level MAX), Quiet Walk (Level 17), Bloodthirsty (Passive Level 11) I decide to add my points about the same except for putting 2 more into Vitality instead of Stamina for one level. A soothing voice flows into my mind. Your 16 hours are up, my child. You will return to your world in 15 seconds. See you tomorrow, Sword. My mind starts to blur as my eyes and hand burn once more, this time much less. ------- I wake up slowly, turn my head to look and my alarm clock says 4:02, my body aching from the other world''s activity, so I almost decide to skip the run before standing up. My mind wandering as I walk to my drawers to grab a loose shirt and running pants. I slowly walk out my door to grab a water and then stop. Looking down at my hand in the kitchens light I notice my body''s covered in blood and flesh with my arms and hands having scratches and bruises. ''I should''ve figured that I''d need a shower after all that killing.'' I laugh softly, and take off my clothes, my sheets and grab my clothes from before to be washed, luckily most of my clothes are black so the stains shouldn''t be too bad. I put them in the washing machine after removing the hair and bits of flesh from myself and the clothes, my bathroom, looking like something out of a horror movie. Calmly taking a shower once all that is done I clean my bathroom of blood and the bits and pieces of what i''ll start calling "gnomes" and put on new running clothes and leave the house a little late. Melding into my day, with the obligatory greetings and coffee this time for my mother, a couple of lies about the bruises and cuts, and off to school. In the back of my mind, a sword sits, bloodied and chipped, repairing and washing itself for the next bloodbath, my next "opportunity" for happiness. A wide smile comes to my face as I walk into my last class of the day. Rebecca walks in, in a good mood she stands in front of me before I sit, a smile on her face. Before she can talk, I cut her off, run my hand through her hair, look into her eyes, smile widely. She looks insanely suprised as she looks back, a blush coming to her face, as I lean in to kiss her. We kiss, it''s not bad for a first kiss, at least as far as I know. I back away and sit down as she stands there stunned, unsure of what just happened, everyone in class staring at me as I sit there, minding my own business, taking my books from my bag. Chapter 2 In a daze, Rebecca, still standing there stunned, looks down to me. I look up with my widest smile, "Is anything wrong, Rebecca?" My voice deeper and almost violent, my smile looking like I''m about to slaughter everything. She looks almost despisingly at my face, "W-w-who-who are you?!" Tears start to run down her face, her voice tearful, terrified. "Wh-what are you?.." She backs away, others behind her who see my face also back away, terrified. My smile turns to solemnity, I answer deep voiced, my smile struggling to replace my frown, "I''m a sword, haven''t I always been?" My smile relacing my frown immediately after I say sword. ''Why does everyone look at me so.. Should I kill them as well?..'' My mind shakes off that train of thought as I realize they would give me no levels, give me no strength, nothing to feed off of. "Nevermind, it doesn''t matter. I''m bored of playing games. I''ve found a reason for living, you''ve been in love with me for years. If you don''t want who I''ve become, that''s fine, I''m going to become everything, eat all things, take what''s mine, and live like a Sword, cut, slash, and pierce all my problems." My smile returns to normal, my voice now indifferent, my speach like I''m talking about the weather. I meld into class, after the teacher comes in everyone sits, inching away from me, like they can feel my thirst. Like it touches them, in tentacles coming off of me, wanting to taste. Rebecca looks lost in thought behind me, unable to pay attention, every once in awhile glancing at me, and quickly looking away with a slightly crimson face. The school day ends shortly there after. On my way to my locker, she stops me and asks me to wait for her reply. I simply tell her to do whatever. Smile and put my stuff into my locker then indifferently walk away. ''I can feel it coming... I''m going to be able to go back soon... It''s calling me... I need more..'' My breath getting heavier as I run home, my smile getting crazier, more wild and animalistic, my hand pulsing. My mind escapes me. -------- I wake from my blackout to look for my phone which says 7:49. My mind finally grasps what''s around me, sword in hand, covered in blood, I find bodies around me with limbs and necks cut through in an alley somewhere in town. A woman shaking in terror nearby. She starts to try to speak, "Th-thank y-y-y-you, sir..." My voice comes out gravelly, "Where is this, and why did I kill these people?" My smile disappearing slowly, clarity coming back to my bloodthristy eyes. She shakingly answers, "Th-...They tried to hurt me, maybe worse when you came out of the shadows laughing hysterically with that sword in your hand and chopped them to pieces... Then you smiled to me gently and winked.. Then you screamed and grabbed your head and you know the rest..." "I understand, can you get home alright?" I ask in a cold voice, my mind wandering realizing my bloodlust is making me incoherent to the point where only blood and small amounts of my moral compass remain. "Yes.. Thanks again..." She smiles weakly, then starts to walk away, then starts to run and disappears around the corner, apparently more frightened of me than I thought. I gather myself, start to walk back when I hear a *ding*. I laugh a little in wonder... Name: Gladio? Sword? Titles: Blood-covered White Knight Class: Sword Level: 7 Weapon: Rusty Sword (Scaling Damage) 21-26 (Level Nine) Armor: 0 Health: 100 Mana: 0 Stamina: 240 Strength: 14 Agility: 15 Dexterity: 14 Stamina: 24 Vitality: 10 Intelligence: 7 (Unable to use mana with this class Mana will be set to 0) Wisdom: 4 Charisma: 11 Luck: 2 (Unable to allocate points) Unallocated points: 0 Skills: Summon Sword (No Level), Sword Wielding (Level MAX), Quiet Walk (Level 21), Bloodthirsty (Passive Level 19) ''Hah, I see whatever that voice is has a sense of humor...'' I laugh as I run home, dodging people as much as possible, to not have to explain myself to anyone, or go on a rampant killing spree once my bloodthirst goes out of control again.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. I get home and sneak in through my window, clean myself up in the bathroom, put even more blood covered clothes into the wash. ''Getting annoying to clean all this blood off. I should try to get better at killing, so I don''t get blood everywhere, hehe.'' Giggling slightly as I put on a pair of black jeans, a long sleeve black shirt and grab a couple energy bars and put them into my pockets along with a pack of gum to chew on to help me think. I start to check my email and social media but decide it''s a waste of time. My calmness gets to me as I find a moment of clarity to panic and make sure I''m not going insane by quickly summoning and unsummoning my sword over and over again to calm myself once again. I go to the kitchen to grab dinner mom cooked me and found a note that said, "Hey honey, I''m going to your aunt''s house for a few hours, will be back late, don''t wait up. Love you!" I smile faintly at the writing, then crumple it and throw it away. I eat, slowly, take one more shower to calm my easily excitable nerves, so I can sleep. ------ I awake, excited by the burning I feel in my eyes and hand as my alarm clock says 2:30. Once again everything turns to white. My smile widens as my body becomes lighter. An eerie whispering voice enters my mind, more violent and quieter than the other. Yes, My child... Slaughter, eat, annihilate... Take what is your birth right... ------ Welcome back little one, to the world of opportunity. Continue to cleave your path, Sword. Good luck. A silly giggle enters my mind after the words and I stand in the wreckage of the village I destroyed. I look around, quickly check my pockets for the energy bars and gum that aren''t there. I frown, but quickly lose interest to look for more pray. Footsteps that aren''t my own sound out behind me, I turn surprised, there I find what looks like a child of the gnomes I must have missed last night. Something clicks in my mind as I laugh, my sword coming into my hand without a thought, my body rushing towards the child, my eyes wide, a gigantic smile on my face that threatens to rip through my cheeks as I take the child''s life swiftly. Turning, I giggle a little as my smille deepens even more, I run outside of town, hopefully in the opposite direction where I started from. ----- After walking for a few hours I happen upon a group of what looks like the grown version of the mini brown creature I first killed in this place. Hiding in the shadow of a tree looking at the 10-12 "goblins" my smile disappears. These goblins are fully equipped so I have no time for my bloodthirst, or I''ll die. I sneak towards a goblin by himself, putting up a tent and put my sword through the back of his neck quickly grabbing him before he falls and gently putting him down, I move around the camp picking off one or two before they can make too much noise. Only 5 left. I decide to let my bloodthirst out for them. When I do they all instantly look towards me with terror in their eyes, the fire they were starting in the middle of the camp they were making gets kicked through by one of them backing up, he screams as he falls into the recently started fire. I laugh and charge them wildly. My sword quickly meeting one of the one''s who drew his sword quicker than the others, my strength overwhelms him and pushes his sword into his neck, he loses strength quickly, falling to the floor. I ignore the body and push to the next one, sliding my sword through the wrist of the hand going for the sword in the sheath, then quickly piercing through the middle of his throat. The third attacks my arm attached to the sword in the throat so I don''t take it out, the sword disappears and reappears in my hand. The goblin put too much body weight into the slash and stumbled, I take the chance to kill him quickly with a free sword through his throat for his trouble. The final two decided to team up, one with sword and shield, one with a spear. I slap the spear away with my left hand as my sword parries the other one''s sword I grab his shield by the side and flip him around stabbing him in the back of the neck, as the other goblin backs away with his spear I give him no chance to set a stance as I leave the sword in the neck sprint towards him, the sword appearing in my hand as I take the spear he thrusted under my arm and slash his neck with the last of my strength and fall to the ground, my stamina finally running out for the first time. ----- Waking up an indeterminate amount of time later I check my body for injuries and find none, as I''m wondering why, I hear the telltale *Ding*. Name: Sword? Titles: Blood-covered White Knight Class: Sword Level: 10 Weapon: Rusty Sword (Scaling Damage) 21-26 (Level Nine) Armor: 0 Health: 120 Mana: 0 Stamina: 260 Strength: 16 Agility: 17 Dexterity: 16 Stamina: 26 Vitality: 12 Intelligence: 7 (Unable to use mana with this class Mana will be set to 0) Wisdom: 4 Charisma: 11 Luck: 2 (Unable to allocate points) Unallocated points: 0 Skills: Summon Sword (No Level), Sword Wielding (Level MAX), Quiet Walk (Level 28), Bloodthirsty (Passive Level 31) Level 10 awards one skill based on your actions. Congratulations on your new skill! Bloodshadow Aura (Level 0) Information hits me like a wall as my new skill creeps into my mind. It''s a skill that allows me to wrap myself in shadow for however much blood I get on myself. ''Interesting, very interesting, indeed, looks like there''s no need for me to learn not to get blood on myself.'' I try it and the blood on my body starts to turn into black flames and I become harder to notice, almost transparent even while moving slowly. ''Good skill'' I smile laughing, my cheeks hurting from my evildoer smile. I move on from the camp after searching through their things and picking up a couple of fruits that the first goblin I killed had in the tent he was setting up. I once again start my wandering and find a goblin, probably from that camp still gathering food for dinner most likely as they''re gathering berries from a bush. I try out my Bloodshadow Aura as I rush them with flame like darkness covering me. They don''t notice me at all as my rush powers my swing and I send his head flying with they''re blood washing over me. I search around for others, but there''s nobody there. So my wandering continues for several hours. Darkness descends, my tanned body becoming hard to see. I see what seems to be a large clearing up ahead, maybe leaving the forest. There seems to be walls, made of stone, going for several hundred feet to my left and right, much higher than the gnome village''s walls. Before I can try anything, a voice comes to my mind. Your time is up, little sword. It''s time to go back. See you tomorrow. More giggles as my hand and eyes start to burn and my fun is over. Chapter 3 4:36.... ''I hate waking up here... Nothing interests me... Nothing to slaughter...'' An image flashes through my mind.. ''Rebecca, is it?.. That could be interesting..'' I start to snicker coldly, my mind picking up less details around me as I stand. I take a shower to clean what''s left of the blood off me after using Bloodshadow Aura. ''It''s quite useful to clean, when it becomes dark I should use it to clean my self.'' I smile widely at the thought of blood pouring over my skin, the dark flames of my aura cleansing me. I go for a run I extend to 10 miles there and back. my stamina becoming impossible to wear out through simple running. I get back around 6:19, my mother waiting with a smile and pleasantries I can''t see or hear. I leave the donuts with her, passing a few words I don''t remember to her I head to my room to grab school clothes and shower. ----- I arrive at school and see nothing, my vision and thoughts turning the crimson black of blood. My thoughts slowing. My thirst rising. *thwack* I''m woken from my stupor by a red faced Rebecca trying to get my attention, "Gladio, what''re you doing spacing out, class has been over for half an hour, I was on my way home from soccer practice and saw you sitting in here staring at the wall with a creepy smile on your face, are you okay?" I stare at her and smile gently, "I''m fine, foo-Rebecca, how are you doing today?" She starts to speak about her day as she sits with me, but I hear nothing my vision going red again, I try to lesson my bloodlust by moving forward and kissing her. It works for a second, then nothing again. ----- Welcome back, little sword. You''ve already been here for hours but your mind has finally enough clarity for us to speak. I can''t say I''m not impressed with what you''ve done. You have 3 hours until your time is up. A soft sigh rings in my mind as I look around. ''What happened here?'' I''m standing inside of what I assume was the town I was in front of before, only.. all that''s here is blood and pieces of bodies.. ''These are humans, they''ve been gnawed on, like.. did I actually eat these people?..'' Memories rush my mind like a wave of gore. All I see are bits and pieces of me slashing people, people running, people struggling to survive, I take all their lives.. I feed on them, both literally and metaphorically. ''What''s happening to me? Rebecca!.. No.. What have I done..'' A memory less hazy than the others comes through. ----- I wake up to a whisper. Do you want control, Little Sword? "Yes, please, anything.. Let me have control again.." I say with tears in my eyes, my voice trembling. "I can''t take not having control.." My voice trembling less. "Give me back my control!" I shout violently, my aura starts automatically. "I am the Sword! I will have control!" *ding* Name: Sword Level: 14The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Weapon: Rusty Sword (Scaling Damage) 34-40 (Level Fifteen) Armor: 0 Health: 120 Mana: 0 Stamina: 260 Strength: 16 Agility: 17 Dexterity: 16 Stamina: 26 Vitality: 12 Intelligence: 7 (Unable to use mana with this class Mana will be set to 0) Wisdom: 4 Charisma: 11 Luck: 2 (Unable to allocate points) Willpower: 20 Unallocated points: 0 Skills: Summon Sword (No Level), Sword Wielding (Level MAX), Quiet Walk (Level 46), Bloodthirsty (Passive Level MAX), Bloodshadow Aura (Level 13) Congratulations on your new stat Willpower! (All unallocated points will be put into willpower, until your willpower is 45 you will not have full control of yourself) ''....I see.'' I start to laugh hysterically. ''Well..'' My smile widens again. ''I sort of like not being fully in control, but aas long as I no longer black out that''s for the best.'' I calm myself down and search through the town I slaughtered and find what seems to be an armory inside the guard station next to the gate leading into town. I try on the sets of leather armor then find the best fitting one and throw it on over my clothes. I run out of town, back to the forest in case there are any others in the nearby areas who come to this town to trade or visit. Once I reach the forest I smile and meld into the shadows once more as the dark skies above me look over me. A soothing voice breaks me from my reverie. It''s that time again Little one. See you tomorrow. ----- I wake up not knowing where I am. I look around to find I''m in a different bed than usual, with someone next to me. I stare at her lovely sleeping face with a hint of pain in it. She rouses from sleep to stare into my eyes and smiles wryly, punches me and says, "You fucking idiot! I told you I wanted to wait ''til marriage to give myself to you. Fucking piece of shit Asshole......" as her tirade continues I smile to myself and breathe a sigh of relief, happy she''s alright and I didn''t do what I thought I had. "You''re right." I say with a gentle loving smile. "It''s all my fault, hate me if you want, but I''d never take you for granted, so just shut up and love me, or don''t and I can go. Your choice." I flip over and grab my phone from my pants on the ground to check my phone for the time, it''s 4:58. I decide to run home after she screamed at me for another 30 minutes, and I kissed her goodbye when I was tired of hearing her shit. I made it home did my usual morning rituals, aka shower, run, shower, then off to school after giving my mother her morning donuts as she starts to complain that I give her too many fattening foods. I hear her this morning, and chat with her for quite awhile, then head to school. I meld into school once more, still thinking it''s useless and pointless to pay attention. In my last class for the day I see her but she decides she wants nothing to do with me and gives me the cold shoulder until I walk up and kiss her in front of everyone in class. Cute red face, my wide smile, more nagging and yelling. Then it hits again, I know where I''m going. I know what I''m going to do. My sword wakes up like from a long nap, letting off happy keens, the anticipation starts to fill me until I feel my mind start to warp again, trying hard to keep myself, well, myself. My breathe gets heavy, my eyes start to burn, my hand catches on fire while I''m walking home and I''m greeted by those same words as I am every morning, my eyes turning bloodshot and my thoughts getting less and less. I start to run through the forest feeling the wind wrapping around my inhibitions falling away. My leather armor apparently does not leave this world, nothing leaves this world with me, my black clothes no longer appearing either. The two worlds seperate but I''m free in both, I''m alive in both. I''m a sword in both. ''It''s time to eat'' As I spot a small group of goblins, I smile carefreely at the carnage in front of me. Then for the first time I hear something else besides screams, "Woah, what the hell is going on here?" Says a feminine voice beyond the tree-line as what looks like a 14 year old girl with long ears comes out of the forest to witness my sword eating it''s meal. Eat!Eat!Eat!Eat!Eat!Eat!Eat!Eat!Eat!Eat!Eat!Eat!Eat!Eat!!! The whisper from before now becomes a roar, hearing nothing but eat my eyes go red as I rush at the girl, terrified she tries to aim her bow, but she''s not quick enough, I cut it in half, cut into her neck unsummon the sword and sink my teeth into the open wound, the whisper now laughing loudly into my ears as I lose control over my body. ''Delicious''''Delicious'', The two voices come out as one in my mind as I fall to the ground and lose conciousness. Chapter 4 My mind starts to work slowly. My heart beating softer in my chest. My eyes slowly open. My vision entirely red, my surroundings in various colors. Disorienting sound enters my ears and mind simultaneously. Then darkness completely surrounds me. ''Where is this?'' ''Home, my child, this is your home.'' Panicked I shout, "Who''s there?!" ''You''re holding me, Little Sword. I am your weapon. Just as you are my weapon.'' Trying to calm myself down, I ask, "What do you want from me, sword?" ''Life, blood, strength, weakness, death, I want the world, and you will bring it to me, as I bring you strength to take more, you will give me everything.'' "I understand. You are a tool, and I will use you to do as I wish." I snicker coldly. ''Ah... The folly of youth. I was once a Sword as you are, but I failed to take enough, I failed to do enough. So I became this, a tool to be used by others.'' Sinister laughter filled my mind as I saw a demon With slick black hair down to his waist, deep red skin and eyes, the outer eye was filled with black and looking into an abyss. The demon had my Rusty Sword in it''s hand, standing on a pile of corpses as it laughed hysterically, it''s hair flying without wind, the curved horns atop his head looking as if they''re about to try and pierce the heavens as his head is thrown back in laughter. Only to all be taken, his skin starts to wither, his horns slowly disintegrating, his body slowly breaking down to ashes until there''s nothing but the Rusty Sword on the ground. ''Such was my ending, I took, killed, and destroyed everything I could, but still it was not enough to stay alive. I died believing myself to be invincible. It turns out nothing can save you from disastrous endings. Only more destruction and slaughter can save you. Forsake everything, except for the blood and you will be set free.'' Out from the panic comes calmness. I answer without feeling, "I will do as I wish, I am free. If I''m to die because of this sword, then so be it. This sword has set me free, to die for it is something I would not mind." A dark sigh cmes down from above as I wake up lying on top of the elven girl I was lying on top of. ''So be it.'' All of the sudden my mind clicks and the presence is gone. just a sword in my hand, lifeless as always.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I check my surroundings, as well as the girl, who died long before I fell asleep. Feeling nothing for her I search her body for some sort of Identifier, finding nothing but a small pouch under the belt holding up her grass skirt. I find a map, and 6 silver coins, along with several small gems. I can''t read the map, too covered in blood so I throw it to the side, keep the silver and gems and move on through the forest away from the town I can still see the walls of. ----- I happen upon several berry bushes that the previous goblin I tested my aura on was gathering, so I decided to take a break to fill my empty belly. *twak* Tens of feet away I hear movement and my head flips over to look. A human woman who dropped a gathering basket saw me and screamed. "______!!!___ ___ _____ _!!!!!" I hear shouting and other noise as a group of men rush to protect her from me, I hold my hands up in a surrendering gesture, to show my peacefulness. "Do you speak english?" I ask in a gentle voice, hoping I don''t have to learn another language. The man in front who''s around 6''2 with a staff and robes and looks like the leader answers brusquely, "Common? Yes, we speak it. What are you doing in our forests demon?" I laugh lightly and go back to picking berries, "Just looking for some food like all of you, and as for the demon remark, I don''t remember having horns." He laughs back amiably, "No horns, yes, but I can smell the Bloodlust on you from a mile away. What''s a mercenary doing in the Forest Kingdom of Liekuyew?" My mind rotates quickly, "No idea, I was born in the forests near here, didn''t realize I was encroaching. Apologies." The man nods slowly, "Forest-born are nothing new, I''m suprised you managed to survive on your own for 16 years. Have you awakened?" "Awakened? I would assume you mean the status page and class/level?" I replied calmly, surprised at the common sense knowledge of this world. Assuming you''re the only special one is silly and childish, but not long ago I was just that. He returned with a, "So that''s a yes, my name is Liuke, it''s a pleasure to meet you..?" As he bows question marks come up in his eyes, I reply, "The only thing I have is this sword, so you may call me just that." The man nods, and turns to the others speaking in their language. They speak for a long period of time before he offers with a smile, "Would you like to rest at our camp? We can offer a place to sleep away from the elements along with some food for a bit of mercenary work. Such as culling some of the animal population and gnome/goblins in the area. As well as protection during the morning hours." I smile and lie through my teeth noticing he could kill me quickly and easily. "I''d be delighted to." ----- I arrive to the camp as darkness descends, not wanting to disappear in front of them I quickly asked where I could sleep, they handed me a tent and showed me how to set it up, as I was struggling to get away, they kept trying to feed me. Then the soothing voice comes through to my mind. Times up once again, Little Sword. You have 15 seconds. See you tomorrow. I say goodbye quickly and run as fast as I can to the tent, barely close the flap before my eyes and hand start to lightly become warm. I see red and slowly become lighter. ----- Chapter 5 I awake, somehow sleeping in my bed. My alarm clock reading 8 PM. Struggling to understand how I got home I get out of bed totally refreshed, and decide to practice movements I''ve seen from my head, to help my muscles grow correctly and try to commit proper sword moves to my muscle memory to counter-act me losing my mind from bloodthirst and flailing like an idiot in front of actually strong and intelligent species not frightened by my insanity. Going through the motions for several hours my arms, begin to tire and I realize I have no idea how to move properly in a fight, I usually just throw caution to the wind and let my swordplay move my feet during fighting. Eventually doing such stupid things will get me killed. Taking a break I decide to look up local MMA gyms and Kendo dojo''s near me. I get some food while checking the internet on my phone. I find 3 MMA gyms within 10 miles, and 1 Kendo dojo 17 miles away. ''A bit far for an everyday thing, then again my stamina is insane right now. If I put some work into it, and run hard I can probably run something like a 4 minute mile.'' I think while scratching my head, looking at the hours. ''None listed.'' I decide to go there now, hoping for a sign on the door, tomorrow being saturday my schedule can be ruined a little. ----- After a hard run I arrive in an hour and 15 minutes, making okay time, insane time by regular standards. The dojo with actual lights on in front me, the sign saying, "Sword Training". I think, ''Hah, literally in my case, hmm?'' Chuckling to myself as I push in the door, the time on the wall saying 1:49 AM. A middle aged asian man, about 5''6 walks into the room, yawning, with a semi-surprised, semi-lazy look on his face. He comes in front of me looking up to me, from his lack of height. He grabs my hand without speaking and looks down at it, noticing the calluses he smiles widely, losing his lazy look and sternly says in a deep asian accent, "Kendo?" He asks, a hopeful look in his eyes. I return with a simple, "Yes," understanding his apparent lack of english fluency. He smiles even wider, and has me sit. A young girl walking in, around 13 years old, with a pixie cut and a cute round face, says, "What the hell are you doing here at 2 AM, freak?" I reply back, gently, my eyes turning slightly red, my vision starting to cloud, "I''m usually quite busy, but I wanted to learn from someone who knows the sword well. I''m self taught." My breathing getting heavier, as my fist starts to clench, my hand starting to burn. The man in front of me grabs my wrist hard and forces me to look him in the eyes, his head shaking, implying not to overreact to a child. My senses coming to me I say, "Sorry." and bow my head to him. He nods and hits my shoulder lightly. His face more stern, he beckons his daughter over, as she comes out of her stupor from seeing my eyes and demeanor from before. He starts to speak with her in what I would assume was Korean, as I had heard much of Japanese from my watching of anime and Japanese drama''s. She nods, answers in korean and turns towards me, "My father wants to know why someone of your extensive mastery over the sword is doing in a Kendo Dojo?" She looks unimpressed by me as she''s saying this, seemingly not believing her father''s words that I''m strong. I smile and say, "I know the sword, but I have no Idea how to move." She looks shocked and reports this to her father, he nods happily and stands up, goes to get a beautiful geom that''s hanging on the wall and says something to his daughter, she turns to me and says, "My dad says to take out your sword." She looks confused and asks back, it looks like he tells her to turn around, assuming I should summon my sword, I do.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The suprise I expect on his face isn''t there, instead he looks enthused, like he found a great toy to play with. He tells something to his daughter, she turns around and sees my partner and looks shocked, saying, "Where the fuck did that c--" a smack comes in to the back of her head as her father apologizes with his eyes and reiterates what he said before. His body starting to exude unseen pressure on me, his face becoming more stern as he lowers into a overhand stance. "A-are you ready?" I nod and reply, "Yes, can you tell your father to stop me if I lose control?" With another shocked look she talks with her father again and he looks up at me with a question mark. "Tell him when I fight I don''t stop until what or who I''ve attacked dies." I smile lightly and gently tell that to the girl who after my sentence looks like I just kicked her dog, she hides behind her father and repeats what I said to her in Korean. He looks like a lightning bolt just hit his head and comes out of his stance, tells the girl to turn around, puts the sword back on the wall and walks straight to me and knocks the sword away, as it hits the ground it turns into shadow and slowly disappears. He looks straight into my eyes and says, "You, no control, no sword, you control, you sword, I teach, Yes?" He sternly looks deeper into my eyes as if trying to tell if what I''m about to say is a lie, or the truth. I simply nod. He shakes his head, "No!" He shouts, "You say! You promise! No teach if no promise!" I look at him calmly, understanding that while bloodthirst is fine, having control is what a sword most needs. The previous sword lost control and I think that''s why the sword took him over. I need control, badly. After pondering for awhile longer, I nod again and say, "I promise, I will not use the sword until you say it''s okay." His stern face turning gentle and says, "Good, you learn Munhwa?. When learn, we talk." He turns to his daughter with a smile and says something in Korean. She turns to me with a reluctant face, "My father wants me to teach you Korean, so I have to, but no funny stuff freak. Oh, and he also says to follow him for a bit." She walks with him to the back room and I follow, he looks to me and points in front of him as he sits on the floor indian style. I sit in front of him and he looks to me and he says, "No eyes, no speak, no think. Sit and med--, med--, kkoehada. Now." I close my eyes as I assume that means meditate, and try to stop thinking, or hearing. My mind wandering to many topic, but the one that comes up mostly is the one that''s always in the back of my mind. A voice that''s different from mine, different from the demon''s but similar to both continuously says, ''must...kill...must...see...blood...'' The longer I sit the worse it gets. ''Must Kill....Need Blood....'' ''Need food... Hungry... Blood.... Blood! Blood! Blood! Blood!!!!'' *crack* I wake up from the meditation with a sword to my throat, my arms coiled around a hand with claws in them and hair from the forearm up. Looking up I see the Korean man looking down at me calmly, fangs coming from his upper and lower lips, his hair longer than it once was, tuffs of fur where his clean shaven face once was, his eyes larger and bright yellow, his pupils turning into long slits. "Calm." His voice deeper than before, almost gutteral, like a beast''s, but beautiful at the same time. I look around and nod to him and say, "I have control," as I see a mess everywhere, my sword in my hand slowly disappearing as I will it away, sword slashes in the walls, and claw marks from his feet in the mats on the ground. His fur receding into him taking on his old look he says something calmly to his daughter, who looks terrified of me. Then looks back to me, letting go of my throat so I can breathe smiling as he says while pointing to me, "Strong, very." I smile bitterly, "Sorry about that," Just now realizing neither of us knows eachothers name, I say, "I am Gladio, it''s latin for sword. May I know your name?" He smiles and says, "Han, Han Kim." He points to his daughter and says, "Saehee." He turns to his daughter and speaks a few sentences, then stands and walks away. She looks at me, still a little fear in her eyes, and says, "My father says you''ll be staying here now." I nod and look at my phone, it says 7:36 AM which means that meditation lasted awhile. I call my mom and tell some lies about staying at a friend''s house, other than pleasant surprise as I had never done that, it was fine. Han Kim walks back into the room, and says while pointing to himself, "Sunsaegnim." He then leads me off to the side of the back room through the locker room and showers to what looks like a old fashioned Korean courtyard and shoves me into one of the rooms. He walks in after me and takes a futon down from the closet along with a few changes of clothes and drops them into my hands and shoves me into a small room off to the side and says, "You, here. No me, no kkoehada, okay?" I smile and nod a few times to show I understand him, and he starts to leave the room. When he gets to the door, he turns and says, "Train-hunlyeon, 8-yeodeolb, okay?" I answer back with a terribly pronounced, "Yes, sunsaegnim." He leaves as the back of my mind that was empty after my meditation gets filled with more thoughts of bloodshed and murder. ''It will not work.... You will never have control.... You will always lose yourself to blood....'' -----