《Re:Shard - Due to RL issuse uploading is very slow, but still undergoing and not yet dead》 Prologue - Ending of a life Proofreader: Pre-rewrite; Kagenesti Rewritten; 21. Sep 2018. Prologue Ending a life ¡°The strong live & the weak die¡± - Said by father, before he broke my jaw. The last thing I remember before I died was the warm blood running down my throat, my hand pressing onto the stab wound to slow the blood flowing out even if it proved to be pointless I still by pure survival instinct pressed onto the wound. In the end I still died but with a smile on my face, since I got the bastard who stabbed me. Blood for blood, as the saying goes. Where do I start? The coming of my ¡®end¡¯¡­ no my death by another¡¯s hand would be more correct to say. Ones ¡®end¡¯ is after all an unavoidable fact, humans are born, we live ¨C good, bad, right or wrong, in the end we will all close our eyes and die. Yes, from young I knew my death would come at the hand of another. Did I fear my death? If I said no from the get go that would have been a lie, humans by instinct want to live, but as time went on I changed my view on death ¨C well, my death that is. If I can¡¯t avoid it then wasting time being afraid all the time is unproductive, with that in mind my ¡®look¡¯ on death changed to something I feared to being something that would happen with a hundred percent chance. To make a long answer short, I stopped fearing what I had no way to avoid and so, I began my struggle to live. Hah, while I say live how I survived my first few years is still to this day remain an unsolved mystery to me, was it pity, was it pure luck, my mother¡¯s fear of my fathers or was it a mixture of it all puddled together that made it so that I ¡®lived¡¯. I lived with my mother, a young woman that at the time of my birth was fifteen years old. She was from a poor village somewhere that got either sold by her parents or kidnapped from her home. A human trafficking victim, one among many that lived in the ¡®housing¡¯ given to her by her owner ¨C my father. She was nothing more then a plaything for his amusement, one of the many he kept around, to ¡®pass time¡¯ as he so nicely had once put it. Did I hate my mother? To hate means that you would first need to care for that person, did I once care? Perhaps or perhaps not I do not recall a time where I did. What I did want from her was perhaps love or just the basic care ¨C food and dry cloths, is that what you call love? If so then yes, I desired to be loved¡­ Did my mother love me? I can without a doubt say that if there ever was such a feeling in that woman it was hidden or cast away long before I knew what love was. From her all I ever received was either cold glares filled with the desire to do harm to me or it was emotionless eyes glanced over staring at me yet looking past me, her eyes filled with a look of endless hurt, eyes that had given up on living. The course of those eyes was my ¡®dear¡¯ father, an abusive bastard who enjoyed hitting people who were too weak to defend themselves against him, he especially seemed to enjoy beating up women, breaking them until all that was left was an empty shell, broken in body and mind. But then again it was to be expected of him since he was the head of the whole western mafia organization. Beating up my mother in front of me and raping her as she tried to resist him, her cries and his cold laugh mixing, he seemed to find great enjoyment in showing his ¡®power¡¯ over her to all in the room, which most of the times was his trusty bodyguards and me... If I didn¡¯t mange to lock myself into a closet or the toilet, I got the front seat for the ¡®show¡¯ as he somethings called it or if he was in a bad mood I ended up beaten up so watching with my faced under his foot. Not that I would call either option a good one¡­ So, I can easily say that family bond isn''t something I knew. My father¡¯s way of teaching was to hit and break something so that the lesson would be remembered. I had my fair share of fractured and broken bones. At a certain point, you learn to ignore the kind of pain a broken bone brings with it, it becomes a dull sensation, nothing more than someone poking you. But make no mistake it still hurts, it never stops hurting even when you learn to bury and endure the pain. From the moment it was decided that I didn''t need a mother¡¯s care anymore- not that I was ever given any, I was taken away from that house. Was it freedom I was given? Or was it just a new cage? From that time, I was brought to a man that I was told to call teacher, that man taught me how to fight with and without weapons. Many beatings and broken bones later I were deemed to be ¡®ready to be of use¡¯ and so sent to my father¡¯s side. Did I hate my teacher? No, I would not call it hate, that man to a young child was the first person that would beat me up with a purpose in mind, every hit that landed and broken bone I got was the result of me failing at defending myself. But don¡¯t misunderstand me, while it was not a feeling of hate I still found that just looking at him made my blood boil. He was the first person I burningly wished to bring down, did I wish him death? No, my desire at that time was just the pure desire to beat him and show him that I was the one on the top. My father quickly found a use for me as his own personal ¡®bodyguard¡¯ ¨C yeah let¡¯s just put that out there his ¡®bodyguard¡¯ was, ¡®hey go and kill that person¡¯ in other words a weapon for him to use. His bodyguard work was me taking a knife or bullet instead of him or any of his closest men. Did I fail at protecting a person? Yeah, I mean who the hell is dumb enough to just stand a take a bullet instead of some random old person that is just leering at you. I did so only two times, once was the first time someone came running towards the man and me with a knife ¨C the man got graced ¨C he got a few stitches - with the knife before he was pulled away, that cost me a broken jaw and both my legs broken and a week in some cold long forgotten small room without food. More dead than alive I was put in the hospital my teacher ¨C they had to rebreak my bones to set them right, young ones heal so fast they said. Second time¡­ Well, in my opinion it was not my fault! When you take a knife in the leg most normal people go down! The man was ¡®kind enough¡¯ to pull it out as he gave a ¡®fist of love¡¯ knocking me clean out. I woke up to cold water being poured on my naked body, surrounded by that guys loyal dogs, I was beaten, cut up and when I passed out I was woken up again. How long did it last? I don¡¯t know the mind shuts down when the pain received becomes too much. What I did get was long scars along my whole body more akin to whip marks, thin long scars zig-zagging and intervening like a spider¡¯s web.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. They say what doesn¡¯t kill you makes you stronger, I don¡¯t think I became stronger, but I did learn to turn of my emotions to pain almost completely, a knife or a bullet, in the end my mind closed itself down the moment I received any form of damage to my body. After that it was decided that I had to prove that I was still wort keeping around ¨C in short if they should just kill me off or not. Did I wish for dead? No at that point I wished for nothing more then to bury them all six feet under. At twelve years old I killed my first person, a man who had turned on my father ¨C slit his throat. So many more was killed by my hand after that. Assassinations, no one suspects a child of carrying a knife or a gun. Sometimes he would make me point out young girls to ¡®invite¡¯ back to his house, he seemed to find amusement making me decide their fate. In the end they would mostly end up as a one time use or if he fancied them they would be shared with his guards ¨C all the while he made sure to tell them the reason they were here was due to me, his sick joke of having me watch had not changed since I was young. Their eyes filled with pure hate and overflowing with tears, at some point I stopped caring about it¡­ They where just giving up themselves in the end a few took their lives ¨C Where they cowards? Where they too ashamed to look others in the eyes? What did they have to be ashamed off? They did have the strength to fight off a room full of well-built men, in the end it was just sex, did that make them any less worth then any other who had more partners? At eighteen I was overseeing some of import and export ¨C in other words his human trafficking business. Some nights where ¡®pick up nights¡¯, in short walking around the night life stores and beating up people for ¡°safety money¡±. With power comes the people who hook up with you women and men, some I took with force some came to me to spend the night in return for protection from a lower ranking of my fathers¡¯ men. Even with all that I did not hate my life, I lived each day happily and satisfied with everything that I had, knowing that there were far worse ways of living. Killing, breaking bones, beating up people and raping, it all kind of fit my personality just fine, since I was never one to be bothered by ethics. Right and wrong is decided by the win a wise man once said in some book. The strong rules and the weak serves, it was so for thousands of years. In the old Egypt, in the old China and the old Norse and the ships who ferried the slaves from the continent of Africa. No one said a thing as the Great Wall of China was built on the bone of the slaves. No one yelled up as the thousands of slaves died under the sun in the Egyptian dessert. No one looked twice when a young woman was dragged screaming into a hut and raped for all to hear. A time went by with such things being normal before the right of these people where acknowledged as ¡®humans¡¯, laughable if you ask me. In the first world war we deemed one side victors, while the other side was left utterly defeated with little to no means to food and other things ¨C in the end sparking the embers to world war II, here human of one fait and look was hunted down like animals and put under inhumane treatment. Five world wars later and look at us now, we are back to the rich and powerful ruling the life of the poor. If you have no money, then you are fair game for all with power to take and do with you as they please. That kind of makes me sound like a horrible person, but I¡¯m not. I simply just don''t care for those who do not fight for their own rights with their own strength. I merely acknowledge this simple fact, I have seen the poor and the weak bow under the weight of the strong and the powerful and I¡¯m no fool. If the strong live as they please and the weak live in fear, then I will become strong. If I must kill a few who stand in my way or if I have to bow my head to the man who is my father and do his bidding for some time then so be it, all hardships will come to an end if you stand up to in long enough. I think that in the end it was my ever-defiant eyes and my never ending will to keep standing was what that in the end brought my father to fear me, and what ended up with him stabbing me. Well¡­ at least he was personal about it. So, that brings me to the predicament I''m in now. I am standing or at least I think I''m standing, it''s hard to tell. On a white circular ring that lights up the surrounding blackness. A black cloaked figure is staring at me and I at him or it. I will go to him for now, he looks like him. ¡°Welcome, to the realm of the dead child. I shall guide your soul over the crossing.¡± He speaks in a muffled yet clear voice, like it''s far away and at the same time right next to your ear. With that statement, he reaches out for me or what I assume is me. I cannot see nor feel myself, yet I know that what he reaches for is me. Grabbing onto that which is ¡®me¡¯ he drags me along after him, well I say drag as I have no intention to come along with a hooded ¡®thing¡¯ I just met on a glowing platform. In that moment I know one thing for sure and that is I''m not going to let him drag me along with him like some ragdoll, at least not without a fight. So here goes nothing, I mean what can happen I''m already dead right, so with that thought I bring my fist or what I think might be my first or at least some kind of extension of myself, to his head. I seem to connect with something inside of the cloaked figure¡¯s head as it cracks to the side, with the bone crushing noise. A sticky substance starts to spray out from the opening where the head is supposed to be. A happy surprise for me, well if you take away the part of me being covered in a sticky black goo like substance out of the picture. Yeah¡­ Let¡¯s overlook that part for now. The simple rule of life is, if it bleeds it can die or so goes the saying. Well, Time to test it. I wonder if it even works on an already dead person¡­ Thing? I bring my arm around his neck and grab it in a headlock and with a swift twisting motion I break his neck, or at least what I think is his neck. The whole figure of the hooded being begin to collapse and that is my clue to let go of him and he of me. That should''ve for the most part ended all my current problems, but in life or in this case in death it''s not that simple. What I didn¡¯t take into account was the little fact that he was the one holding me afloat. And by afloat, I mean holding me and himself above a pit of darkness. With him letting go of me and I of him, I invited a free fall into endless blackness. My one thought going through my head at that point in time was something along the lines of ''Well this fucking sucks''. Most people might be having a minor freak out right about now but if I have learnt one thing from my life is that when it goes downhill all you can do it keep your mind clear and think of the least hurtful way to land. That and well let¡¯s face it there not much you can really do free falling into the unknown. Falling for what felt like countless eons, I hear the sound a river. A river of bluish green water with what seems like faces in it comes into my view. Hmm¡­was it the old Greek¡¯s that believed in a river of dead souls? With that being my last thought before hitting the surface. My world becoming black once more. Act I Chapter 1 - A new life Proofreader:Pre-rewrite:Kagenesti Act I Chapter 1 - A new Life On the edge off the great Asperd forest lies a simple stone house with simple clay tiles as roofing. Surrounded by a small garden, a wooden shed build out from the house itself, with enough workspace to craft in. A small creek runs on the northern side of the house providing freshwater. By those who knows of it, it is nicknamed The Herbalist¡¯s Hut. In this simple house lives a small family which is about to get a new addition. The childbirth itself had been a long and hard endeavor for the young women. After hours of hard labor and strong bleeding, their child had finally seen the midnight sky. The sound of infants crying finally filled the night. Yet, just as the crying had started it stopped, much to the horror of the newborn parents. With no midwife to help with the birth of their first born, and with half a day''s travel to the nearest encampment, the young couple could do little more than pray to the gods of the land. And try to get the child to breathe once more. After a rough night''s fighting for the infant''s life, he had finally settled into a comfortable sleep. For hours, the young parents feared that their newborn wouldn''t make it. The young father had kept on rubbing his child¡¯s back, trying hard to get life into him. The mother had at some point passed out from the loss of blood. That in itself had thrown the young man into a small state of panic, yet he had quickly tended to his wife all the while holding and caring for the small newborn. Elisa Trovrar POV Asperd Kingdom - Asperd Isles, 12 Miles East from The Floods Post. I had awoken in the early morning hours, were I had found Raval sitting by my side with our little one in his arms. Looking as proud as I have ever seen him. He gave me a beaming smile, and told me it was a boy and that he was well. Shortly after my loss of consciousness the infant had start to breathe again. His small sleeping form brought tears of joy. The sight of him lying in the cradle was the best feeling in the world. His soul shard was now fully settled into him. Laying my hand on his head I connect to his soul shard. ¡°Show status¡±.
Name: Riin Trovrar [Infant] Age: 0 years [Infant]
Race: Human Sex: Male
Level: --- [Hidden] Health: 5/5
Stamina: ---[Hidden] Mana: ---[Hidden]
I smiled as the stat window showed up within my minds eye. My sweet little boy, welcome to our family. The time I had to spent lying in bed after the childbirth was to long for my taste but the birth had taken a toll on my body, so all I could do now was rest up to make sure that no hard was done. But even as I was confined to my bed I had my sweet little boy who was lying next to me, keeping me some company in the little bedroom. When we were not resting, we are playing and building a deeper bond to each other. We spent our days with a smile on our faces. Riin was not a baby that cried much only when he needed a change of cloth would he be as loud as any other baby. Even when feeding him he only let out his cute little cries and grunts, not a happy eater. As we lay there and stared into the celling I would be telling him stories and fairy tales. Days would glide together as we spent our time in this little room, not that I hated it but I do want to stretch my legs and feel the first sun of the year on my face. I want to show my sweet child the blooming forest and wonders of nature. Much too Raval horror our sweet baby boy didn''t seem to like his attention. Whenever Raval would pick him up or try and play with him, the little one would squirm around and let out his small grunts of displeasure. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Don''t worry about it my dear, I''m sure he doesn''t mean any harm by it.¡± I say with a small smile on my face as I try to hold back my laugher. Raval only gives me a smile back. ¡°I know dear wife; I do not take it to heart. I simply wish that he wouldn''t look so dissatisfied, whenever I pick him up.¡± I can¡¯t hold it back any longer and I let out a small laugh at his childish behavior; I gently pat him on his hand. He lets out a rough laugh at the gesture. After two months in bed, I feel that I am well enough to get up and out to do some work once more. I close my eyes take a deep cleansing breath, and connect me to my shard. ¡°Show status¡±.
Name: ElisaTrovrar Age: 24years
Race: Human Sex: Female
Level: 3 Health: 50/70
Stamina: 40/50 Mana: 80/80
Status Effect: Penalty:
UnassistedChildbirth Health, Stamina Regen down by95%
¡°Yep, that should do¡± I smile down at Riin, who is looking up at me from the cradle. At my smile, he too shows me a sweet little toothless smile. What''s not to love about our sweet boy, ¡°Up we gooooooo¡± Picking him up as I make the o'' sound into a singsong voice, I tickle him as a lift him up which earns me a sweet little laugh. We walk out from our bedroom into the living room and out the door. Ah, the sweet smell of the woods and a hint of herbs. The sound of Raval working on a bow from his shed drifts to us. I smile down to Riin and he returns with his own little smile. ¡°Wanna go and see daddy work?¡± To that he grunts, I swear there is too much brain in his little head for his age when he acts like that. I look stiffly at him; to which he stops his grunting at stare up at me, waiting for something to happen.I harden my voice and speak with a serious look on my face. ¡°Young man, you with not show that face when we talk about your daddy. He helped you into this world, you know? So, you had better show him some love too. Just like you do to mommy, okay?¡± To my ramblings he lets out a small eh¡¯ sound and proceed to look a bit dissatisfied, but he does stop his grunting. I smile at him and give him a kiss. ¡°Good boy, my sweet little boy is so smart, yes he is!¡± Riin¡¯s POV Well, how do I start? After falling into the river, I awoke in a small wooden bed, surrounded by stone walls, and a wooden ceiling, a two-man bed and a small wooden closet. All of this looked to be taken right out of a medieval story. Next thing I noted was that I was an infant, much to my displeasure. Small hands that can''t grab anything and has no strength in them. Not to mention that I have no teeth, yes, I¡¯m currently a little toothless newborn with no strength to do anything on my own. And let''s not even begin to talk about the no control of my bowel movements. The complete horror. I now know why no one remembers their life as an infant. The shame, I shall bury it deep down, never to be spoken or thought of ever again. So, for now I¡¯m spending my days with a young woman named Elisa, who seems to be my birth mother. There is also a rather rough looking man by the name Ravel, he seems to be my father. I''m trying my best to keep my distance from that man, no good come from fathers in my experience. But I must say that I do like the woman, she has been keeping me entertained with stories and songs. Her stories have been very informative even if they were told as fairy tales most of the time. So far, I know that I''m in a land called Shard or Shardindia, but commonly spoken about as Shard. Each individual has a soul shard, this lets you see your stats, level, skills, and spells. Yep, there is magic. Air, Fire, Earth, Water also shadow and light magic exist, the latter being rarer. Shard is the so called mortal plane, it lies in the middle of the plane called feywild and the plane called shadowfell. The three planes overlap each other, so they even connect in some places allowing for walking into the other planes. A plane is also called a planar. Ah, we should continue this when I wake up. Being a baby is so sad. I¡¯m so, sleepy all the time. Act I Chapter 2 - How to do this Proofreader:Pre-rewrite:Kagenesti Act I Chapter 2 -How to do this Riin¡¯s POV Asperd Kingdom - Asperd Isles, Herbalist¡¯s Hut. After my nap, I wake up to the sight of a bearded man with a big smile on his face staring down at me. This man is also known as Ravel, the man that is seemingly my father now. I stare back at him, to which his smile just grows in size. At this I respond with a well-placed grunt. That removes his smile, much to my pleasure, since nobody wants bearded face, that close up to one''s own face, ever heard of shaving? He lets out a sigh. What is he complaining about? I¡¯m the one who has to stare at his face! ¡°I swear dear; he doesn''t like me.¡± Ah, I forgot about the fact that Elisa, my new mother is very displeased with me grunting at Raval. I turn my head to find Elisa staring at me with that look that says, ¡®now you have gone and done it¡¯, I give her my best ¡®I have done nothing wrong¡¯ smile. She too sighs at this. Okay, well I guess I do try my best at being friendly with my new father. The man himself doesn''t seem to be a bad person. I turn back to face Raval and try my best to give him a convincing smile. Oh, dear now the guy is showing a beaming smile¡­ What a terrifying sight¡­ ¡°Ha-ha, do you see that, my sweet!? I just had to show him a father''s loving smile¡± Okay that seems to work. Elisa is also smiling widely, so I guess that I will have to smile whenever my new father stuffs his bearded face near mine as it seems to satisfy him. Did I end up in hell somehow? The next few months, I spent on trying to learn to control this new body of mine. That being said trying to do the simplest thing is proving difficult. Elisa, which I have taken a liking to and begun think of as my mother in some small place of my mind. Spends her time in what seems to be herb garden, where she grows the natural occurring herbs of the forest. As spring come to us I finally got to see the outside of the house, she brought me outside to sit and watch while she works as she tells me stories. As I show some interest in her work she gives me a bright smile, while pointing at the herb she is handling, telling me the name of it and its properties. She seems happy that I show interest in her work. Even if my ¡®interest¡¯ is a happy squeal¡­ What have you ever tried to sound excited without any control over your tongue and with only a few teeth that are more not of any use. Mother who is normally humming as she spends her time with her hands in the fresh dirt is suddenly very quiet. I too stop my happy noises and hold my breath waiting for the humming to return, she stands and walk over to the fur that I¡¯m laying on and picks me up before carrying me over to the garden. ¡°Riin, do you see that bush right there?¡± I look at the small bush with her fruity looking berries on it. To which I give my best impression of ¡®yes¡¯ much to my displeasure it comes out to sound as any other happy sound I make, but I did my best what can she expect from a baby really. ¡°Look at it and burn that into your mind, it is a very strong poisons plant or rather the berries hold the poison don¡¯t mistake them for any edible berries or you well sleep the sleep of the death. So, this is a bad plant, never eat them, do you understand?¡± Sleep of the death? Is she talking about a coma? I give a good sounding grunt if I have to say so myself. Bad plant, check. Mother walk me back to the fur and lays me down again, yet even as she has stated that the plant is ¡®bad¡¯ she is not going back to her gentle humming. No, she wraps her hands in cloth before digging them into the earth beneath the plant while she gently loosens the dirt around the roots she speaks of the plant she is so gently handling. ¡°This plant is called Nightshade it has one other name and that is the more appropriate name for it, Deadly Nightshade. It only grows in the forest in the summer. While it is very harmful to humans it also has its uses, just like anything else in nature. The Nightshade is also very used by hunters for bigger prey like boar and elk. Arrows dipped in the liquid form of these herbs have a strong sedation power when it mixes with the bloodstream knocking about larger prey with the long hunt.¡± She gently wraps the roots in the cloth she used to dig it up with as she turns and smiles at me. If it is a poison, then why for you picking it up so gently¡­ I might never get an answer as she soon after return to humming in a happy tone before tending to the next plant. ¡°This plant is called [Rose Campion], it grows on the forest floor or like this one here in a garden. This herb will protect against scorpion stings for three days. It will protect against only one sting. It will protect against `instant death'' venom. It only grows in the summer but when it does grow it is wildly available and it one of the most commonly founds herbs in this season. It is also only found in temperate areas like in our kingdom. [Rose Campion] is a very strong anti-venom herb for all kinds of poisons. You have to be very careful went preparing this kind of herb as to not ruin it.¡± She and her long talks is all done with a smile on her face as I sit there and listened to her. Hmm, so strong poisons and natural antidotes to those venoms exists. While I understand some of it, some just passes me by.
You have obtained knowledge from The Herbalist''s Lore! Gain 1/10 more knowledge to unlock the full skill.
A pop up, window comes into view. Giving me quite the shock if I have to tell you the truth, I mean a free floating, see thru window that no one else seems to see but me¡­ Yeah, talk about another world. Hmm, lets see here¡­ So, that means if I learn about and understand the basic of nine more plants I will gain a skill, interesting. So, that became my goal, for the time being. Whenever mother went out to her garden I would make a fuss until she brought me with her outside. I stared to do the only ¡®happy¡¯ sound that I could do¡­ a baby giggle¡­ Yeah don¡¯t say anything. But the point is that it was working as planned. Mother began to talk more about what herb she was working with and what they did. I must admit that I might have missed some as I fell asleep a few times during her rather long talks. The times where we would go out to her garden started to become a highlight of my boring days of laying in the small bed or on pelt in the kitchen. As I expressed my joy over the small trips to the garden so did mother each time she told me of the herbs and their ability¡¯s, her smile as she talked about the plants could light up the evenings with her laughter and smiles.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. The next few months was spent with me sitting next to my mother while she tended to the small garden and spoke of the many different plants she grew there. So far, I have learned about the; [Mandrake], The root of this herb sends the recipient to sleep. The sleep will last five hours, during which time the person cannot be woken except by a neutralise poison spell or potion. The root is said to bear a resemblance to the naked male form, hence its name. The plant has several dark green leaves which are about 1 foot long. The purple flowers of the plant are bell shaped. The root of the plant must be boiled on the night of a full moon and left to sit for an entire month before use. One of the reason I got to see this herb. [All-Heale], a common herb that grows in autumn. It is one of the most common healing herbs, even with the herb having to be boiled for two weeks¡¯ time. [Dittany], This herb grows six or eight inches high with square stalks and sort round leaves. The leaves must be dried for two weeks and then be boiled in ale or wine. It is then applied as a lotion. Dittany can be used to draw splinter and bone fragments from a wound. It is also an effective antiseptic for cleaning wounds, and can therefore prevent infections caused by dirty water and the likes. As winter closes in on us I get the rare chance to see some of the river herbs that mother grows in and around the small stream that run along our house. [Sanicle], leaves should be crushed and left in wine, the strained through a cloth and drunk. It has the effect of binding wounds so that they are not reopened by action. It is a small plant with glossy green leaves, with long leaf stalks which are divided into three or five lobes. It has small white or pink flowers which sit at the top of a slender stalk. [Delrean], The bark of this river root should be boiled into a paste and then smeared on the bare skin. It will then repel any insects from coming near the recipient, but the herb does give of a rather foul stench so should one try and court a lady it is best done after a very long bath to clean of the strong odor. While she would many time work with the same herb for long periods of time, a new season always brought a new herb for me to learn about. Some herbs could not be grown in the same soil as they had been in before or in the same place as some winter plants had been in. Many things went into the tending and growth of her small garden and I eagerly took it all in. By the time, I had managed to learn about and remember seven of the herbs mother grew in the garden, I had rounded my secondyear in this world. I this point in time I was somewhat able to speak the language, known as common. The language spoken by human and most races that interacted with human in some way or another. It was also around this point in time that mother slowed down with her tending for the garden. ¡®The earth needs rest¡¯ she had said. Whatever she meant by that, if she is talking about the rotation the farms do to their fields to makes use of it year around I don¡¯t really follow her, I mean she has a forest around her free of use. But when I in my best way addressed this she only smiled and blabbered something about the god of the wild¡­ Yeah, she completely lost me there. Or it might be that she really didn¡¯t understand what I was trying to say¡­ Not that I can blame her there really¡­ I mean, me pointing to the forest and saying ¡®ground¡¯ is not such a strong point about why she should just use the forest around her. Having my goal harshly taken from me by nature and mother I quickly found myself becoming restless. So, I set my sights on learning the language until I could complete my collection of herbal knowledge. My goal of learning to speak as fast as possible as also fueled by the idea of learning the words mother and father called [Shard Words]. Rather than mere words they where a type of commands that when mastered could be used on oneself or someone else, while the latter required much practice or in my chase on a younger mind where the [Shard] was still new. Learning the commands would let me interact with this worlds system, I had three words that I would need to master. The status command would let me see my most basic information; my name and age but what I found most interesting was that would show me my level, yes, I got a freaking level. The command to show this was called [Show Status]. The next command is the stats one, letting me know my strong and week points. This would let me know I need to improve easily, its called [Show Stats]. The last and most commonly used one is the command to see an induvial person¡¯s skills with, [Show Skills]. There is one more but it is according to mother and father mostly nobles and the likes that have any use for this command, the command that lets you interact with spells, [Show Spells]. While saying the words, themselves are easy enough, getting them to work is harder, since you have to connect to your shard and ¡®bind the words to yourself¡¯ according to mother¡­ I''m still working on that part. I have come to address Raval as Father, since they kept making a big fuss whenever I addressed him as Raval¡­ Do all people of a young age have to deal with this kind of stress growing up? ¡®Father¡¯ seems to be a trained bowyer, a craftsman of bows. I made the mistake of poking my head into his work place when I was taking a walk along the small river by our house. The man himself was overly excited about me stumbling into his workplace, me? Not so much, while I do have to admit that the work he does is impressive. You just have to give it to the old craftsmen they know what they are doing when they work. Of course, I was not released before hearing about his work and how he finds all the wood he works with in the forest around us. So, to sum it all up each bow he makes takes three years from the time the wood has been cut to the time where it is ready to be used, they are all crafted for it to be used for many years to come. As I stated, he takes wood from the forest - which I learned is named Asperd Forest, he finds the trees in the summer and cut them in the winter. The logs are then split into staves, where they are put in the water to soak until next winter. When winter then comes, they are brought into the shed to be worked into a raw shape of a bow. The raw bow is then put to soak a year more in the water. When I was finally released from his endless blabbering I felt that I had grown chest hairs. I have finally after much hardship succeeded in connecting to my soul shard. Late in the night, when mother and father are asleep, I try for the first time to use the [Shard Word], [Show Status]. Taking a deep breath and concentrating I speak out in my small voice. ¡°Show Status¡±
Name: Riin Trovrar Age: 3 years [Child]
Race: Human Sex: Male
Level: 0 Health: 5/5
Stamina: 5/5 Mana: 15/15
To see my status for the first time was¡­ Well to be honest kind of depressing. I mean five health really? And what is with a level of zero anyway? Well with that out of the way let''s look at my stats and skills. ¡°Show Stats¡±
Experience: 0 Next level: 1000
Strength: 1 Dexterity: 1
Constitution: 1 Intelligent: 3
Wisdom: 1 Charisma: 5
Okay, so I can keep an eye on my experience to how far from next level I am. Next is skills. ¡°Show Skills¡±
Skill Name: Progression Level:
Language: Common Master Lv. 10
Herbalist''s Lore [Locked]
There''s no need to check my spells since I have none. So, for now I will work on learning more on how stats work and when the time for mother to work in the garden comes again I will be ready to learn more about the useful herbs that grows around us. Act I Chapter 3 - Getting stats Proofreader:Pre-rewrite:Kagenesti Act I Chapter 3 -Getting stats Riin''s POV Asperd Kingdom - Asperd Isles -Winter, The Herbalist Hut. By the time I have reached my fourth year in this new world mother have yet to start doing anything in the garden. That is not to say that she has not been productive, each day she spends away from her garden she works hard on grinding up the different plants. While some needs to hang to be dried, others need to be boiled in water and some need to be mixed with oil to be of any use later. She never seems to rest much and when she does she rises early to make breakfast for us. I spend most of my time with mother and when she takes her walks into the forest I¡¯m more or less forced to keep father company, that is if I want to avoid him complaining about how I never spend anytime with him to mother and then for mother to start a long and very bordering lecture of why I should spend time with my father. But I mean looking at a man slowly shaving off thin slices of wood from a stick can only keep you entertained for a certain amount of time. The first snow has fallen over the woods and mother is by the fire cook a rabbit stew, I have come to like her cooking quite a bit. I find the pure white snow peaceful in a way, I never had a chance to sit and look at the falling snow. Surrounded by tall trees and the sound of the fire crackling in the background, I find myself falling into a clam state of mind. I get pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of mothers¡¯ voice next to me. ¡°Come sweetie, the food is ready¡± I respond with a smile, hopping down from the windows bench. Father comes in just as I sit down. He is lightly covered in snowflakes; he gives us a smile. ¡°Just in time I see. Nothing better than your rabbit stew on a cold winter day. How has your day been?¡± ¡°Dry and warm, yours dear?¡± Mother says with a glint in her eyes and a smile. ¡°Cold and productive, dear wife.¡± He gives mother a kiss and ruffles my hair around. To his question, I give him a small smile and a nod. Even if I know the language I still restrain from speaking too much, I simply don¡¯t find the need to do so when a nod and a smile or a sake of the head is accepted as an answer. But I do have a few questions that I must give voice to somethings are just not meant for oneself to figure out. We sit near the fire and eat our dinner, I need to watch what mother puts into the stew next time we get a rabbit. The dinner is soon over and mother starts to take the plates over for cleaning. The rest of the stew is set out in the shed by father, the cold weather will help keep from going bad, so we can eat some of it tomorrow too. Once we are sitting by the table again I take a deep breath, its now or never. ¡°How do stats work?¡± They both look at me with surprise written on their faces. Hmm, am I know supposed to know about stats yet? Well nothing I can do about it now. It seems to take them a bit to recover. When they do, mother is the first to speak up. ¡°Sweetie, are you asking about the shard words that I told you?¡± She asks in that motherly voice that says, ¡®Oh my little boy is growing up so fast¡¯. To that I give a nod. Father is smiling proudly. Well, I guess it¡¯s okay to ask about then. The one to explain is father with his rough and deep voice. ¡°That¡¯s my boy, ha-ha. Well how to most simply explain stats.¡± He takes a moment to collect his troughs before speaking again. ¡°Well how best to explain this¡­ See there is six different stats shown on the status screen. Each stat represents different parts of your shard. Do you want them all explained?¡± I give a quick nod. I now have my full attention on father. He gives me a smile, seemly happy to have my undivided attention for once. ¡°Okay then, well listen up boy.¡± ¡°Strength represent your body¡¯s pure physical strength, the about you can carry or lift.¡± Well that makes sense. ¡°Dexterity represent your reflexes and reaction speed if you have a high Dexterity, then you are likely to be quick and light on your feet.¡± ¡°Do you follow me boy?¡± I give him a nod again and keep focusing on the lecture he is giving me. He smiles again before continuing once more. ¡°Constitution represent your overall form, if you get sick easily or if you have a strong body.¡± So, it seems that constitution is so what plays into account when talking about the shown health. ¡°Intelligent represent how smart you are, a lower Intelligent person¡¯s reflexes are slower to learn certain things then a person with a higher level of Intelligent.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Makes sense so far¡­ Was it really that simple all along? I kind of feel a bit stupid now. ¡°Wisdom represent your overall knowledge on a subject. If you know a lot about it or nothing at all, it also reflexes your ability to remember things you see and hear.¡± ¡°Charisma represent how well others perceives you. While it is also referred to at the beauty stats, it really is just a rough way to measure how well others accepts you speaking up or reacting to what you are going.¡± I sit for a bit thinking about that. It all make sense, but it does not explain the numbers next to each stat. Here goes nothing, I just hope they don¡¯t get tired of answering my questions. I have no intention of taking a hit for making them angry.I better shift my focus to mother just to be sure. When I look over at her she smiles at me. Okay, still safe to go on it seems. ¡°Mother, what does the numbers mean.¡± ¡°Ahh, well they are a way to measure the value of each stat. They are called, Value Point¡¯s but mostly we just talk about them as points.¡± She smiles sweetly at me, before continuing. ¡°Constitution and Strength represent [Health] or Health Points or for short Hp. one point in Constitution give you a total amount of five Hp. While every ten points of Strength also gives you five Hp.¡± Oh? So, strength factor in with your health, interesting. While it does not effect the over-all value so much as pure constitution does it will for sure add up over time. ¡°Intelligent and Wisdom represent [Mana] or Mana Points or for short Mp, one point in Intelligent gives you a total amount of five Mana. Every ten points in Wisdom also gives you five Mana.¡± And I¡¯m guessing that mana effect just how many spells or skills can be used. ¡°Strength and Constitution represent [Stamina] or Stamina Points or Sp for short, one point in Strength give you a total amount of five Stamina. Every ten points of Constitution also gives you five Stamina¡±
You have foundthe meaning behind stats! Understanding it you have gained + 1 to your [Intelligent] and [Wisdom] stats
A short break free of any words pass between us before mother speaks up again. ¡°But sweetie.¡± I give her a nod, letting her know that I¡¯m paying attention to her. ¡°Even if you know the words themselves, making them activate is a whole different story do you understand, sweetie? So even if you can¡¯t connect to your shard for the next few years it is not something that you have to be ashamed of or think that it is unnormal. All things come to those who work for it.¡± Ah, well that is convenient that I¡¯m not expected to learn or show that I have learned the words for some time. Our talk lasted most of the evening and into the night, looking out the window the moon is up and the fire has died down. We all head of to bed. This have been my longest conversation with them so far, not bad at all. Mmm, Rabbit stew I miss you already. The winter months I spent looking reading from mothers¡¯ book named, The Herbalists Lore. It contains the commonly known herbs how to prepare them and their effect on the body. It is all in all a very good read in the long cold nights, mother just seems happy that I have interest in plants and lets me read in the book or look when she works on preparing the herbs for their final form.While the book constrains a lot and I do mean a lot of plants, they don¡¯t seem to count towards the ten herbs that I need to understand¡­ Which is a problem if mother don¡¯t start her gardening again anytime soon. There must be something about the rules for unlocking the skill other than understanding and remembering ten herbs. Mother is working at her table in the kitchen, putting the boiled herbs that has turned into a sweet-smelling liquid into small glass vails. The herbs that is made into balm is put in small clay pots with a leather piece as a lid. The small clay pots are handmade by mother with clay from the river. Hmm, an idea forms in my head, making sure she is not doing anything that can harm her should she be too surprised I ask my question. ¡°Mother, can the balm in the pots also be put into small leather bags?¡± She stops her grinding or herbs to look towards me as she smiles at me. She seems overly happy whenever I make an extra effort of using more words then yes and no. ¡°Well yes, I suppose it could as long as a seal keeps out any air that might dry up or otherwise harm the balm but if closed up probably then it should not be a problem.¡± She looks at be for a short moment before returning to her work. Hmm, I see then why is she using clay pots when a simple small leather bag will do. She smiles at me seemly knowing my question even before I ask it. ¡°The reason I use the vials and the pots is that it¡¯s easier to transport and sell that way.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Make sense if the customer values the clay pot or the small glass vial as part of the product or part of its quality, then removing them will also lower the amount mother can charge for her products.
You have through of an easy way to transport the readymade ointment in - Small leather bags! You have gained + 1 to your [Intelligent] and [Wisdom] stats.
Hmm, I see thinking of ways to improve a creation or solution gains you stats increase. Better keep in hidden for now. Act I Chapter 4 - The Herbalist Lore Proofreader:Pre-rewrite:Kagenesti Act I Chapter 4 - The Herbalist Lore Riin¡¯s POV Asperd Kingdoms - Asperd Isle - Spring, The Herbalist¡¯s Hut. At the spring of my fifth-year mother was humming all morning and generally seemed to be in a very excited mood. I sat quietly close by and kept an eye on her. She was spinning around the kitchen and letting out small laughs before continuing her happy humming. I finally gave up and found myself forcing the words out my mouth. ¡°Mother seems happy today, why?¡± Her happiness seems to raise a few levels as I voiced my question, all the while I found myself wondering if she was sane in the head. ¡°Ah! Sweetie today is the official day that the soil welcomes our seeds again!¡± Yeah, I have no clue what so ever she is talking about either¡­ And apparently, my facial expression gave it away as she in a singsong voice explained it to me. ¡°Today is the day we as herbalists honor the goddess of the wild by planting seeds in our gardens! Today is the long-awaited day!¡± Now, that got my interest very quickly. Does that mean what I think it means? ¡°Oh? Are we going to plant new seeds today?¡± What? Better safe then sorry women¡¯s brains are a place of mass confusion. With a rather girly sound being released from somewhere deep with her, she grabs my hands and starts to spin me around with her. ¡°Yes! Yes, it does! Are you not excited!?¡± Well, I¡¯m as excited as a can be under the current circumstances that are taking place but yes overall, I¡¯m very happy by the events that are about to unfold. It is in this manner that I¡¯m dragged out the front door by mother and out into the forest. Normally she would be very much against me coming into the forest but I think that in her excitement, she seems to have forgotten that fact and I¡¯m not about to ruin her mood with the information. So, here we are wandering the forest surrounding our home. ¡°Look!¡± She says as I¡¯m almost smacked into the ground by the force of her pulls me with as she points to a small thin deep blue colored flower that looks like weed to me. ¡°That is [Garden Flax], The seeds of this herb, will help to remove all pain from a wound. But it will also prevent the one who uses it from feeling anything, so when using it one must be very careful, they would not notice minor bruises or scratches, they could walk through a fire and feel no pain. That is why it is a [Drug] type of herb that is only allowed to be used for medical treatments, as it has that side effect.¡± Ah, so drugs exist here and the fact that some are categorised as illegal but even the so called ¡®illegal¡¯ drugs are allowed to be used by some people¡­ Their logic is flawed. A small pop up notice informs me that I¡¯m two herbs from unlocking the skill, way to go mother keep it up. We continue our walk after mother have gathered some of the Garden Flax growing in the small clearing or it would be more correct to say that once she was done she excitedly dragged me after her once more. And so, by the end of the day I had learned of two new herbs or what the world systems saw as herbs it seems, I mean you can¡¯t really call the bark of a tree a herb, but I guess in a sense it works¡­ I f you don¡¯t think to much about the logic behind it¡­ The ones mother ended up showing and telling be about where; [Terbas], the leaf of this plant must be applied to the site of nerve damage. When applied, the rate of healing for such damage will be doubled. And the so-called ¡®herb¡¯. [Ash], while it is really the bark of the ash tree that is used and not the tree itself the ¡®herb¡¯ is called [Ash]. The bark must be stripped of the ash tree from its branches and boiled in clear water for one day. It should then be drunk as a cure for fevers, especially those caused by diseases that bring about a high fever. While it does not cure the cause of the fever but merely brings it under control within a few hours. The ash tree is sacred to worshipers of the Goddess of the Wild, who use its wood to make spears. The wood of the ash tree could possibly be used as an essential item in the manufacture of magical spears. Ash leaves should be boiled in water and drunk as a cure for the poison of viper bites. Ash trees are also by tradition used to make stakes for the purposes of killing vampires.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. When I learned that vampires, while rare and very uncommon in our realm existed I was like, ¡®Oh great, more shit that can kill me¡­¡¯ After getting dragged around I saw a small ray of hope when I got the popup I had been waiting to see for almost two years. I had finally unlocked [The Herbalist¡¯s Lore].
You have obtained the skill: [The Herbalist¡¯s Lore], after careful studying live plants and reading. By remembering 10 kind of herbs, you have gained +1 to your [Wisdom] stat!
The skill grants me a ¡®visual¡¯ space for storing information about herbs, just as it keeps track of my stats. Now, with this rather helpful skill I still must reread the book that mother has on herbs to learn about them but that will give me something to do for at least a little while. Keeping true to my promise, I start form the first herb in the thick book, [Adder¡¯s Tongue] all the way to the last one being [Zur], a little cave fungus found in the cold climate, giving one the ability to increase one''s sense of smelland hearing to the double. Being weaker than a natural born hunter but better than a plain human nose. Having read and ¡®absorbed¡¯ the books knowledge I got one of those windows pop ups.
You have successfully obtained all the knowledge from the book: [The Herbalist¡¯s Lore]! You have gained + 1 [Intelligent] and + 2 [Wisdom] stats!
In the time, it had taken me to fully read the book the winter had passed us by and I found myself at the age of six. While reading, I had come to realise another problem that was cursing me a small headache. It seems that knowing about a certain herb and how to prepare it for use does not give you the skill to do so. It only grants you the skill to collect the herb without damaging it or in some cases yourself. Well, time to observe mother working once more. I find her at her work space in the kitchen. I walk to the table and take a seat. She greets me with a smile and a hello before turning back to her work. And so, I spent the next few weeks carefully observing mothers work, one hot summer day I finally decide to ask her. ¡°Mother, I have a question.¡± Mother give me her signature smile when facing me. ¡°Yes? What is it sweetie.¡± Yeah¡­My own personal nickname, what''s not to love? But I got to wonder why in the world sweetie!? I can''t get over that one, at least father''s nickname for me is simple to understand I mean being called, boy is okay but sweetie? Come on, that verbal torture right there I tell you. Oh, on with the questioning. ¡°Knowing how to prepare a herb and preparing it, is that two different skill sets required?¡± She looks at be for a short while before answering my question. ¡°Ah, yes. The first is the knowledge of the herb you are handling, that skill is known as [The Herbalist¡¯s Lore] but it commonly referred to as herbalism. The skill needed to prepare and craft with a herb is [Alchemy], which lets you create creams and potions of the herb successfully.¡± ¡°I see, thank you mother.¡± ¡°Your welcome sweetie.¡± Again with that nickname. I walk back to my room again; it seems I need to experiment with herbs in orderto gain the skill [Alchemy]. That is a problem since no six-year-old would be able to think up the idea of crafting balms and potions, even with mother as a base idea. I can''t use mother¡¯s tools since she will notice if it has been used by anyone else. That leaves me with one option left, to make my own set of tools. I need a list. I go scouting around the house for all of mothers'' tools of the trade. I have seen mother has a simple sewing kit, I will borrow that for now. I can use one of my old shirts to make smallbags out of. For cutting I will grab one of father¡¯s old iron shears, he never uses the old ones anyway. Okay that''s some of the list solved, now to complete it.
You have obtained an [Old Iron Shears]! That you have ¡®borrowed¡¯ from your father. Item: Old Iron Shears,Durability: 15/50
Well, what do we have here? In father¡¯s pile of old tool, I also find a knife. why, thank you very much dear father. It is so kind of you to gift me with this, just what I was looking for.
You have obtained an [Old Iron Knife]! That you have ¡®borrowed¡¯ from your father. Item: Old Iron Knife,Durability: 5/50
Wrapping the knife and shears in an old shirt to keep them ¡®out of the way¡¯ I will have to find a way to fix them once I have all the items I need. Looking at the list it is now. Now to work on the small bags. They can''t be used as holders for the balm, but they will do the trick as seeds and berry holders just fine. The next evening, I take the sewing kit from mother¡¯s basket, bringing it to my room to begin my work.
You gave gained the, [Tailor] crafting skill! By sewing small [Linen] bags made from an old shirt you have gained Sub-skill [Bag Craft]!
Hmm, a sub-skill interesting. So it seems each kind of crafting has its own skill, one can be an expert of crafting one kind of item but a complete beginner of another even if it is all in the same ¡®crafting category¡¯. Oh well, on with my work. Act I Chapter 5 - Motherly love Proofreader:Pre-rewrite:Kagenesti, Rewrite: Act I Chapter 5 - Motherly love Asperd Isle - fall, Herbalist¡¯s Hut, Riin¡¯s POV
You have crafted a primitive wooden mortar and pestle. Doing so you have gained the skill, [Woodworking] by crafting a tool you have gained the sub skill, [Tool Craft]. By dragging the wood stump around and working on it, you have gained + 1[Strength]!
You have crafted a primitive wooden measuring cups and spoons and cut a square board making a cutting board. Doing so you have gained experience in [Tool Craft]. By crafting small items with precision, you have gained + 1 [Dexterity]!
You have crafted a primitive basket from combining twigs and cloth straps into a cup from. Doing so you have gained experience in the skill, [Bag Craft]. By combining wood and cloth into a use able item you have gained + 1 [Wisdom]!
It had taken me most of the year to carefully gather the items and tools needed for me to create the things that I needed to complete most of my list, but the outcome had been productive. Under the way I had gained a few useful skills in the process of my work, in that time that I had been working I had naturally gained a few stats as well. Since dragging stumps of wood around is using one¡¯s body and sewing¡­Yes, I know not real macho like but what can I do. The list was now down to the few things that I had no way of getting my hands on right now, that being; Checking out my status, stats and skills, I can''t help but to let a smile slip, my hard work has paid off and it seem I gained some passive stats since I¡¯m growing.
Name: Riin Trovarar Age: 5 years [Child]
Race: Human Sex: Male
Level: 0 Health: 20/20
Stamina: 25/25 Mana: 30/30
Experience: 0 Next level: 1000
Strength: 5 Dexterity: 5
Constitution: 4 Intelligent: 6
Wisdom: 8 Charisma: 5
Skill Name: Progression Level:
Language: Common Master Lv. 10
Herbalist''s Lore Intermediate Lv. 1
Tailor Beginner Lv. 1
Tailor Sub skill - Bag Crafting Beginner Lv. 1
Woodworking Beginner Lv. 1
Woodworking Sub skill - Tool Crafting Beginner Lv. 2
Tailoring, you know the art of sewing together clothing from cloth and leather materials. Sub skills: Bag Crafting - You know how to make bags of any size.
Woodworking, you understand the idea behind working with raw wood. Sub skills: Tool Crafting - you know how to create simple wooden tools and items of use.
The orange and faded red falling leaves mark the end of summer and the being of the fall. I had ¡®gotten hold¡¯ of an old leather backpack from father¡¯s pile of unused items. Reminding me of a travel backpack from my old life, with straps from the shoulders crossing over to get strapped around the belt. The leaves slow became hidden under the fine layer of the newly fallen snow and with me really paying attention to the time a season had passed me by as I filled my own work, trying to craft up the finer details as to how I should ¡®acquire¡¯ my last few items.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
You have obtained a [Leather Travel Backpack] that you ¡®found¡¯ in your fathers¡¯ old travel items!
As winters first snow fell over the land and the forest grew quiet as the night approached Mother and Father stayed up later and later with each passing night it confused me for a while until I decided to stay up and see what they were doing in the middle of the night, since they were not staying in their bedroom for their nightly actives, they hopefully did not try to spice up their sex life in the livingroom¡­ So, stayed away with them one late winter night, I need to know what was happening around here. Even though I was afraid of angering them for still being awake I asked them as softly as I could. Even with my voice being low they still heard me clearly. ¡°Mother, father, what are you doing?¡± They both stopped their work and turned around with the sound of my voice, smiling at me. ¡°Did we wake you, boy?¡± My father¡¯s voice rumbled in the silence of the night even as his own voice was in the low end. I shook my head, no they did not wake me, I¡¯m not one to sleep much anyway. ¡°We are packing for the trip to The Floods Post, it¡¯s the closest encampment near us.¡± I leaned my head to the side a bit, thinking. If they left to sell their items and goods in this ¡®Flood Post¡¯ then that would mean that I was free to do what I needed to without me having to sneak around in the middle of the night, not that I minded it. ¡°Can all mother and father¡¯s items be sold at that post?¡± At this question mother shook her head and looked onto me with a sad look in her eyes. ¡°No sweetie, we will have to also travel to Flood Village, to sell the last of our items. That alone takes a day¡¯s travel by boat, since the bridge that they are building is not yet complete. So, just the traveling will take us tree days alone to get to and back, and there is no telling if we can get it all sold the first day so we might have to stay for a bit.¡± Having finished explaining this to me she let out a small sigh under her breath. Hmm, well now does that not sound like fun, for me that is. Five days of freedom sound good, but I doubt they will let me stay here alone. I nodded to myself while thinking about the information I had gotten. ¡°I see, so five days is the minimum time you will need to sell the goods for a fair price.¡± Father, at my comment gave a rough laugh and rubbed his bread while mother seem proud of my calm analysing of the situation. ¡°You are right, boy. Five days would be needed if we need a good price for the goods, but since I have no clue about your mothers¡¯ plants and she would never let me sell them for a too low or high price, so we can only go together.¡± Giving him an understanding nod at this as it is sound logic, he continues is talk, a lot more to more to himself than me it seems. ¡°But you see boy, this is where it gives us a little problem.¡± He looks at me with a deep and hidden look in his eyes, my body tights under the grace, pictures of fists hitting me flash past my eyes as I ready myself for what may be coming my way. His rumbling laugher breaks me from my dark thoughts, I blink¡­ Pull yourself together Riin, they are not him. Having taken a few deep breaths to calm myself down I think over what has been said once more. Hmm, thinking about it I really don¡¯t see a problem at all. Not like I¡¯m a darn kid¡­Wait¡­ Ah, fuck me! My mother¡¯s voice brings be back to the present. ¡°Sweetie¡­The trip that we are going on is a long one and¡­¡± She trails off, but I know what she wants to ask from me, her sadden and nervous look hidden in her eyes tells it all. I truly don¡¯t know why it¡¯s hard to ask of me, guess I still don¡¯t understand the whole motherly bond of love thing. I had better help her out or we will be standing here and walking around in circles all night. I give her my best and brightest smile and trying to speak with my most serious tone that I can muster in this underdeveloped body of mine. ¡°Mother, I can handle myself fine for a week or so, there is no need to for you to feel bad about it. I¡¯m a big boy after all I¡¯m already seven.¡± Goosebumps, having to call myself a big boy¡­ Let¡¯s add that to the list of things to forget ever happened. But mother seems to be happy now at least. She rushes to me and brings me in for a bone crushing hug. I just stand there going stiff from the physical contact and waiting for it to be over. ¡°I am so, so very proud of you my sweet lovely child.¡± That¡¯s fine and good now let go of me woman¡­ ¡°Dear, if you don¡¯t let the boy go you might not have a child to be proud of, since you are hugging the air out of his lungs¡± Thanks for the help father, we men must stick together. I take some much-needed air into my lungs again. Mother give out a girly giggling sound as she lets go of me and kisses my forehead and looks at me with a more serious look on her face. ¡°Sweetie, don¡¯t forget that you are still not seven yet, only as wither pass will you be so.¡± Yes, yes. Well I¡¯m as good as half way to be seen as an adult, so that must count for something, right? ¡°Well, then I will be off to bed, goodnight¡± Giving mother a quick kiss on the cheek, only because she had tears in her eyes over almost crushing me! Nodding to father, I head for bed. Tomorrow will bring many good things. I smile as I fall into a dreamless sleep. Chapter 6 - Alone in the woods Proofreader: Kagenesti Chapter 6 - Alone in the woods Asperd Isle - Winter, Herbalist¡¯s Hut, Riin¡¯s POV The day that mother and father were to travel to the village came and with a long and boring talk from mother about all the things I needed to remember not to do and what I had to do, like lock the door, they finally said their goodbyes. Mother gave me her bone crushing hug all the while sobbing to me about being a good and sweet boy. Father just gave me a quick pat on the shoulder, telling me to take care of the house. In a whisper he also told me where the wood axe was, - not that he needed too since I had long ago searched the whole house, minus the root cellar, since I had yet gotten the chance to go down without being seen - in case of wolves, as he put it. My thought¡­ There is wolves running around? - must be a winter thing. Fuck the axe. I need a torch, nothing like barbecued animalson an open fire. They each took a small hand pulled cart, filled with the goods they intended to sell. Mother¡¯s cart held all salves, potions and raw herbs, roots - folded in a linen cloth to keep them safe from the cold - that she had prepared for use. Father''s cart held his crafted bows, arrows and worked pelt from the animals he had hunted for dinner. ¡°We will hurry back as fast as we can, sweetie. Be safe okay? And remember to lock the door at night and re-¡± At that point I just zoned her out. Take a deep breath and count to ten, remember she is just showing her love for you, it¡¯s a mother''s thing, it can''t be helped. Smile and nod, smi-, fuck this, a man can only take so much. ¡°Mother. I know. You told before breakfast, remember?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. I love you sweetie, be safe, okay?¡± I gave her a smile and a nod. Mother gave me her, ¡®you are the sweetest thing, in the world¡¯ smile and one last hug and kiss. She then turned and headed after father who was grinning like a complete idiot at the whole scene. Watching and waving at them, heading out of sight. I waited a few minutes before turning and heading inside to change cloth and get ready for my glorious plan. Ah, sweet freedom, how I missed you. Changing to my travel boots - a set of knee high, water treated leather boots, with fur on the inside to keep one warm, like a sock it could be taken out when the weather got warmer. I also grabbed my wool cloak, going to my knees to keep me warm. I head outside. Walking to the shred and grabbing the axe, I then went over to an old stump near mother¡¯s garden, that I had covered with moss and a wooden plank from father - much to mother''s amusement over my table building. Well let her laugh, the inside was hollowed out and covered with a thin clay wall to keep my items safe from rain, and bugs. Getting my items, I get a few ¡®windows¡¯. It took me along time to get arrows and the bow from father. Hmm, a good deal of information.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.You have obtained [Woodcutter''s Axe]!
Item: Woodcutter''s Axe Durability: 50/50
You have obtained [Arrows - Iron Tip] x20! You have obtained [Swine String]! You have obtained a [Composite Shortbow - Wood]! Range: 0-70 ft.
Item: Composite Shortbow - Wood Durability: 20/20
Item: Bowstring - Swine String Durability: 200/200
Now to set my plan into motion, let the hunt for experience begin! Going into the forest careful of where I step, I make my way deep into the woods after walking about an hour, I spot what I''m looking for. Tracks, hares by the look of it. Finding a good spot for my idea I get to work. Half an hour latermy hard work pays off.
You have crafted a [Snare Trap]! Doing so you have learned the skill, [Trapmaking]! By creating a [Snare trap] from the environment, you have gained the skill, [Survival]!
Hmm, the [Survival] skill is interesting. So by using the environment I gain experience, in using it to my advance. That is very interesting indeed. Oh off to set some more traps. After seven more traps has been set and a few more windows informing me that I''m gaining experience in [Trapmaking] and [Survival], the sun is getting low. I turn and head back making sure to step in my old tracks to not spread too much of my scent all over. I make it back after a three hour walk, getting inside and starting the fire so I can get some of the cold out of my small body. Now all I can do is wait til tomorrow and head back out to see if my plan have worked. I get awoken in the night by the sound of howling, I sit and listen, recalling all the knowledge I have of the area and of wolves. As far as I know the forest continue on for more than little over ten miles before reaching the mountains, so that means they are more or less within a half days distance of travel from me, but that''s counting a human''s movingspeed, so if I count them double as us that means they are around six hours of running from my location.
You have reasoned a way to track down the wolves by sound alone! Doing so have gained you + 1 [Wisdom] stat.
Ignoring the window as it pops up, I continue my train of thought. Ah, got it! I can use the snake trap method to catch them, - if it can keep an elk trapped then it can hold a wolf too - doing so will not damage the pelt. Going over to my backpack, I grab a stack of an inch thick sticks and get to work sharpening one end into a point, one sharp enough to dig into the skin if ripped against. After half an hour''s work I head back to bed, getting a good night''s rest for tomorrow''s new plan. Chapter 7 - Hunting Proofreader: Kagenesti Chapter 7 - Hunting Asperd Isle - Winter, Herbalist¡¯s Hut, Riin¡¯s POV Second day alone. As the morning sun rises, I head out into the wood to see if my work from yesterday has paid off, or if the wolves got a free dinner on my account. I follow my old trail to where I placed my first trap, keeping an eye out for any unwelcome guests. Nearing my first trap I spot new tracks in the snow, canine tracks - so the wolves was closer to the house last night then the howling, well makes sense. I stay still, controlling my breathing and slowing down my heartrate while listening to my surroundings. Standing a few minutes I''m sure that there is nothing near me, - for now atleast - I then continuing on towards my traps, staying more alert than before. The first trap was left with the hare hanging of the ground, tracks from where the wolves had went around trying to get it was around in circles. The share had done its job, breaking the neck of the animal as it was pulled of the ground, never knowing how it died. Cutting the snare that kept it in air, it drops to the ground with a ¡®thump¡¯. Resetting the trap, I leave to see if the rest has been just as lucky surviving the night. Five traps later and five hares heavier, I hear the birds fly off to the right of me. Dropping the game, I move to the left getting into cover from any ambush or side attacks. A few minutes tick by and then I hear it, the sound of snow getting pressed down. Slowly taking my sticks out and planting them into the ground for some extra protection from attacks. Drawing my axe and putting it down in front of me, drawing the bow and hooking an arrow. Now all I could do was wait. There staring at me from across the trail I had made, was a light gray wolf with the shoulder height of about 3 ft. looking at me then to the hares in front of me. Baring its teeth at me, telling me to back off. ¡°Back off you furball. This is my darn food.¡± Hmm, that was seen as an aggressive action by the looks of it. The wolf takes a jumping stance and gets ready to launch ifself at me, I take a firm grip on the now as it jumps at me. I do a one and a half step forward, getting myself under its head, shooting it through the neck, after all, timing is everything when hunting - especially with a bow.
You have killed a [Young Timber Wolf]! You have gained 50 experience points!
I sit there, stunned. Fifty¡­ fifty experience, I need one thousand experience just to reach level one. So I needed to kill nineteen more wolves. The nightmare. There is no way my body can handle nineteen more wolves. Getting one down with a good shot is one thing, hunting down a pack¡­ Now that''s not something I can handle at the moment. Looking down at the dead wolf - hmm, I better get this done fast. Grabbing my knife from my belt I stab two holes in its hind legs, I string it up using one of the tree branches for support. After gutting it and cleaning it as fast as I can, about fifteen minutes has passed.
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.You have hunted and harvest the materials from a wild animal by doing so you have gained experience in [Survival]!
The meat from the hares and wolf is packed and the wolf''s pelt is rolled and strapped over my backpack. Leaving the spot as fast as I can, I head towards my last tree trap spots. Two traps later and two hares heavier, I''m about five minutes from my last trap when I spot [Edram], a moss type which grows along the rivers in the winter time, normally not a common herb to find. The [Edram] when eaten will cause bones to heal at over double their normal healing rate. Scraping the moss into a linen cloth with snow to keep it from drying.
You have harvest [Edram], a uncommon moss type! Doing so you have gained experience in [Herbalist Lore]! By keeping the [Edram], safe with snow as moisture and linen as a bag you have gained bonus experience!
Hmm, bonus experience. I will look at that later, for now I need to finish this trip as fast as I can. I continue towards my last trap. Getting there and seeing my dinner is missing half its body gets me a little bit pissed off, well let''s call it even since I took one of them down as well. Removing the snare and taking the hare with me for bait I make my way back home. Making my way slowly back home, to make sure I don''t get taken by surprise from the sides or worse an ambush, I keep at slow but even pace. Gathering wood for the fire, when I reach the tree line. Still, the silence of the forest tells me that they are out there and close. Reaching the house I head inside fathers¡¯ shed, closing the door behind me - no need for a nasty surprise in form of a wolf attack. Getting to work on the pelt. I know the process by watching father doing it. Step one, fleshing. I start by scraping away the fat and tissue left on it. Putting the fat in a clay pot for later work. Grabbing the leftover meat bits into a linen cloth. Step two, cleaning the pelt. I grab a bucket from the kitchen and get some water cooking over the fire just enough to make it streaming, yet not boiling hot. Using animal fat based soap I wash the dirt and blood off, making sure it''s done right and the hide is soft in my hands. Step three, drying the hide. I strap it up on father frame that he uses when he dries the hides. Now all I can do is wait until tomorrow, the slow warmth from the fireplace making the hide dry faster than normal. I repeat the presses with the hares pelt. Just as I am getting ready to flesh the last hare, I get a window pop up.
With hard work you have gained the skill [Tanner]! You are now able to work more efficient when working with raw hides and pelts, not damaging the material!
Hmm, well that is interesting. A skill that gives you a bonus in your work. I wonder if mother or father has such as bonus in their skills. Making my way into the kitchen I stack my newly acquired meat to be smoked. Grabbing some bread and a rabbit stew - well it''s a hare stew but who cares. Rabbits or hares it''s all a little jumping furball. And mother calls it rabbit stew so, it''s a rabbit stew. Locking the doors I head for my room to get some much needed sleep. Chapter 8 - Furball stew Proofreader: Kagenesti Chapter 8 - Furball stew Asperd Isle - Winter, Herbalist¡¯s Hut, Riin¡¯s POV Third day alone. My night, was spent in the window with a bow and a stack of arrows as company. Around midnight the wolves had been running close to the house, they had probably tracked the scent of the wolf I killed here. I sat still not moving even as my small body began to cool down. Only when I was sure they were distracted by the shed and its scent did I reach out to grab my woolen blanket to drape over my shoulders for some protection against the cold winter night. Once again I took my seat in the window with an arrow hooked. So far with the help of the moon light, I had counted seven sniffing around. One laid down in front of the shed sniffing under the doorframe. I took aim slow and steady. No rushing a kill, take your time find the weak point and shoot to kill. With my teacher''s words sounding out in the back of my head, I took a deep breath and held it. Aim true, shoot to kill. Letting loose the arrow it shoots into the neck of the animal and get stuck in the ground. The wolf lets loose a small ¡®yelp¡¯ before dropping to the ground unmoving.
You have killed a [Young Timber Wolf]! You have gained 50 experience points!
Having killed one, the rest of them run into the forest for safety. Barks and whines can be heard from the tree line, but soon everything goes quiet once more. Only their eyes now betrays their presence. The forest stay in an eerie silence for the remaining of the night. A night without out sleep and sitting in the window with the wind in your face on a winter day, is bound to make you a tiny bit grumpy in the morning. I can only pray that I don''t get sick. In the early hours the wolves had withdrawn deeper into the forest. Shaking off my tiredness, I head outside and drag the wolf corpse into the shed. I ready a bucket for the guts and a clay pot for the meat. Getting to work on the cleaning of the body I find it going faster than before. Hmm, can that be the [Tanner] skill helping? Must be it.
Skinning a bigger animal you have gained experience in the skill, [Tanner]!
After putting the hide up for drying, I find father''s cream, - after some searching - he uses it for the inner side of the hide when the pelt are left on the hide. A bowl with some lukewarm water and a spoon of the cream, mix it up and you have a waterproofing cream for your pelt. Using a cloth to smear it into the hide I get working with the wolf and hare pelts from yesterday.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Working hides and pelts, you have gained experience in the skill, [Tanner]!
Getting the pelts done, I put them to dry for the last time. Now time to make some dinner - I mean how hard can it be, cooking that is. Going to the kitchen and preparing the meat to get in the stew, the wolf meat is tough, so I have to tenderize it a bit. Then I start to cut it in small squares, - might as well use the hares meat too - hmm, I need to boil some water as well. Meat, water¡­ i need some potatoes and carrots and some onions. hmm, mushrooms - yea need some of them as well. need some seasoning¡­ let''s see what mother got. Hmm, Rosemary¡­ that will do. Now to wait - twelve hours later and I have done it!
You have cooked up a [Wild Stew]! By cooking alone from start to end you have gained the skill, [Cooking]!
Succes! Oh, and no I did not spent twelve hours staring at a stew cooking, but I did stay in the kitchen - that is after I raided the house of any and all useful books, notes and a map, not that there was many of the stuff. The books was mostly the fairy tales that mother read to me as a small child - before I could say no to them. There was also the [A Herbalist''s Guide], neatly folded in leather to keep it safe. The notes, where all mothers. From note on herbs to notes on the fauna of the forest area. How to best keep the herbs over winter and how to transport them around safely. When I was done reading that I got a window pop up.
You have gained a more complete understanding of tending to the flora of the forests and rivers. You have gained a level in [Herbalist¡¯s Lore]! You have gained Intermediate level 2!
I will look at the map tomorrow in the light, the flight from the fireplace and candles make it hard to read. I still got some time before the stew is fully done, might as well start with some flex training so I can get my body in form. Spending five hours stretching and getting my body to bend and work as I will it, I can slowly begin to start some muscle training. Setting up a program I can do in the comfort of my room, I get to work. Doing ten minutes sit-ups, ten minutes pull ups and standing high knee running for twenty minutes followed by twenty minutes of high knee jumping to falling flat on the stomach to jumping again. After that I''m covered in sweat with a big grin on my face, nothing like a good workout. Going down to look at the stew I find it just ready to eat, or I might just be really hungry after my six hours workout. After dinner is done I check outside, - from the windows, I mean no smart person works outside with wolves near without checking his surroundings first - when I see no sign of my newly found food source I step out and grab the two buckets by the door, going to the creek to get some water so I can clean myself up. stripping and washing down I head off the bed, hopefully I can get some sleep tonight. Chapter 9 - Trapped Proofreader: Kagenesti I apologize for the delay in uploads. Chapter 9 - Trapped Asperd Isle - Winter, Herbalist¡¯s Hut, Riin¡¯s POV Fourth day alone. The night had been quiet, the wolves did not show themselves near the house, so a little after midnight I went to bed. The first five hours of the morning I spent on my new workout program, and after that a quick bath using some of the water from yesterday. Going to the kitchen to grab some bread and butter, I got some much needed breakfast after my meal, I headed outside to fathers shed to check up on the wolf hides, they are all ready to be made into items, two large light grey furs about twenty inches over the shoulders and a good length of about five feet and that is not counting the tail. The rest of my day I spent on making sure all of the small holes in the hide was sewn together and that is it completely covered in the waterproofing cream. After around four hours of working on the wolf hides I have made myself a cloak with a length of six feet from one pelt with the other one used to craft an attached hood.
You have crafted a [Cloak]! By tanning the hides and sewing the cloak you have gained experience in [Tanner] and [Tailor]!By making a clothing item you have gain the Tailor subskill - [Simple Cloth Crafting]!
Item: Wolf Cloak Durability: 50/50 Bonus: Wolf Fur Grands better protecting from the cold
When I finally look up from my work I find that it has started snowing heavily, if it continues like this it will likely block mother and father''s way back home. With the hours ticking by and the snow falling faster and stronger I''m not likely to get outside anytime soon. But I will have to go out and grab some wood from the shed, so that I can keep the fire going. Food I have lots of since I can hardly eat two wolves and a bunch of hares in one single day, and if all goes wrong I still have some of the wolf meat I smoked.All I can do is sit and wait it out. In my excitement over being able to use the hides to craft, I had completely forgotten about the map I left out last night. Looking over it I find that the land I am on is called [Asperd Isle] and that it is made up of two bigger islands and a smaller one with a lone mountain. The western island is the one I''m currently on, it is also where a bigger part is covered with snow year round according to the note on the map at least it''s called [The Northern Drifts], - man their naming sense are horrible here. - but that areaseems to be able to house some of the rare plants and herbs, especially the massive frozen lakes at the northernmost tip. The map shows the two port cities and some smaller villages, the outposts are even marked on it. More amazing is that our house is also on the map, must be mother''s or father''s doing.
You have seen the map of [Asperd Isle]! This have granted you the skill [Knowledge - Asperd Kingdom, Asperd Isle] a complete map of the known parts of the area. Information with be added as you discover more about the land area.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.Hmm, ¡®Information with be added as you discover more about the land area.¡¯ Well, it seems that the map mother and father has did not have all the known information about the area known as Asperd Isle. It might refer to the area named [Lost Isle] or perhaps place that have not been discovered, I will have to check on that. With no more information to gain from the map, all I can do I sit and stare at the snow - not that I''m going to do that, I''m going to use the time to workout in. Elisa¡¯s POV Asperd Isle - winter, The Flood Village - Wave Inn. Day nine away from home. The snowstorm have lasted five days so far and it is not showing signs of letting up anytime soon, it drives me mad that I am so far from my little boy. I should not have left him alone, why did I let myself get talked into this. The only comfort is that with the snowstorm the cold is keeping people indoors huddled in front of a warm fire, not even the lawless is making a move outside in this awful weather, so from them he is safe. I know there is lot of food stores in the root cellar and enough firewood to last the next month, so I hold no fear that he will starve or freeze to death. But the wolves, those I fear, it have been some years before Riin''s birth that they stopped coming this far down south from [The Northern Drifts], yet a few days before we took our leave, Raval spotted their tracks in the woods. The northern timber wolves have been known to surround the lone huts of the northern forests in winter times and if luck is with them they will go inside the house too, they hold no fear of men and they always, always hunt in packs. ¡°He is a strong boy, he will be fine. You taught him well, my dear. Do not worry yourself.¡± Ravals strong arms wrap around me from behind as his voice rumbles out in the quiet night with only the sound of the storm to match him. I lean into him, I need him now more than ever, now that all I can do is stare out in the raging storm and wait for it to die down. A knock on the door to our room breaks the silence. Raval moves to open it, the loss of his warmth is just another sign of how long I have been standing still staring out into the blinding white, praying for it to let up. His voice brings me back to the room. ¡°Dear, there is a villager in the common room downstairs. He is asking for your medicine potions.¡± A villager? In this weather, a simple cold it can''t be. He keeps one eye on the barmaid in the door while waiting for me to answer, always the protector, so sweet it warms my heart to see such action from him. ¡°Ah! Let us go, if he has moved in this weather for a potion then it can not be a simple cold.¡± ¡°Follow me please. sir, ma''am.¡± The young barmaid makes a motion with her hand towards the stairway. We make the trip downstairs to be met with the sight of a younger man standing in the doorway, - still covered in snow. - looking around the room, spotting us walking down his face lights up with ease and a smile of joy covers it. The barkeeper speaks up even before we reach the newcomer. ¡°Elisa, my dear! It is good to see you are still up, I''m deeply sorry to have troubled you in the middle of the night but this young lad very much needs your aid.¡± He makes a motion to the younger man to start explaining himself. He gives a small bow towards us and a quick stare at Raval. His voice is hoarse and he is out of breath perhaps from running in the storm. ¡°Ma''am, I''m in great need of your healing potions, my wife is with child and has fallen ill and I fear that if nothing is done that it will take her life. Please ma''am, please help my wife!¡± Chapter 10 - Color in the snow Proofreader: Kagenesti Chapter 10 - Color in the snow Asperd Isle - winter, The Flood Village, Elisa¡¯s POV Day nine away from home. Ill and with child, the words are stuck in my head resounding. ¡°Dear, please go grab my cloak. We need to make haste.¡± I turn and run up the stairs to our room grabbing my bag with my herbs and remedies in. Running out the room and down to the waiting men and the single barmaid. Raval is waiting with my cloak and he has his own on, ready to leave. The young man is likewise ready. Raval holds out the cloak for me to get into. I turn to look at the young man. ¡°Show the way¡± ¡°Yes! Follow me please.¡± His voice hold a nervousness to it, his body language screams worry and fear. He runs headlong into the snowstorm and soon only his shadow is visible in the night. The heavy snowfall has made it hard to move, reaching waist high. All we can do is follow the track he as made on his way to the inn and even that trail is covered up to knee height by the short time he has spent inside the inn waiting for me. Half an hour that is the time it takes us to make the trip back to his house. Inside we are greeted by an old pair. ¡°Greetings and good evenings to you sir and ma''am, we thank you for taking the time of the night to travel here.¡± The older man''s voice calls out as to overthrow the sound of the storm. ¡°Evening, please show me to the patient.¡± Raval stays back with the other two men as the old women shows me to the back room. It is lid with a small firepot burning to keep the room warm. A single bed in the corner is all the room has. The window is covered with thick wool blankets to keep the warm in the room. On the bed lies a young woman in her teens, she is shaking and sweating, mumbling words that none can hear. ¡°How long has she been like this?¡± ¡°She fell with the cold a week ago and then it kept strengthening its hold of her. She always had an easy time getting sick in the winter, so we just kept an eye on it as we normally do -¡± The older women is staring at the girl. Tears form in her eyes. ¡°I mean she always got better, always!¡± Her voice begged me to understand. ¡°Please ma''am! Please help my daughter!¡± I smile to her and grab her hand in mine. ¡°Of course I will help her, ma''am. I shall do all that I can for her so don''t blame this on yourself, you have done nothing wrong.¡± Riin¡¯s POV Asperd Isle - winter, Herbalist¡¯s Hut. Twelfth day alone. The storm let up during the night, now only light snow is falling. The days have been slowly passing by, the only company I have had was the sound of the wolves howling in the night and scratching on the door to the shed. How they got to the house in this storm is a wild guess. - but I did not dare to open the door since for all I knew there was more than one behind it. So for now we have settled at a staring match, with me looking at them from my window in my room and them looking back at me from the cover of the forest. I have gone to eat the stored food from the cellar, and to keep myself from going hungry during the cold nights where we are staring at eachother I have my smoked meat, I must say it give me a smile on my face to eat the smoked wolf meat in front of them, a simple pleasure in the annoying storm. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Form all the workout I have been doing the past few days, I have gained + 4 to my [Strength] and + 6 [Dexterity], so I''m making progress in that part of my plan at least, well spending eight days time on only training is bound to give some sort of effect. It seems that all my stretching exercises works great for increasing my [Dexterity], that and I have added some knife work into my program. I still need to get my hand on some good swords, I would feel much more safe with dual wielding blades, the two swords style always felt right with me, compared to any other sword style that is - not saying that I''m no good with a dagger or another small knife type of weapon I just like to have one in each hand if I have to go into melee combat with anyone or anything. The wolves did not show up last night they are moving east by the sounds of their howling last I heard them, they must have gotten the scent of more easy prey then me. Elisa¡¯s POV Asperd Isle - winter, 3 Miles East of The Flood Outpost. Twelfth day away from home. Wolves. We were woken last night by their howling, they are moving closer to us. A pack of them is not something we can take on two people, if they track us down we will be in a lot of trouble with only Raval¡¯s sword and my walking stick, we have very little way to defend against them should they attack. Luck is not with us it seems. We are now staring at a pack of ten timber wolves and I have no doubt that this will end in their victory. Riin¡¯s POV Asperd Isle - winter, Herbalist¡¯s Hut. Thirteenth day alone. My morning start out with the lack of wolves circling around the house, there where an eerie silence in the air. The early morning hours was spent looking around the edge of the garden, no sign of them, they had defintely left last night and not returned to this area yet. Midday I spotter mother and father on the little trail leading west towards The Flood Outpost and out the forest. Blood covered father''s chest and his right arm hang to the side loosely, blood slowly dripping down into the snow. Mother too was not looking good her skin and slick and pale like she too had lost blood but I could not see any wounds from the way she was walking towards the house. Chapter 11 - Bitter taste Proofreader: Kagenesti Chapter 11 - Bitter taste Asperd Isle - winter, Herbalist''s Hut,Riin¡¯s POV.
You have killed a [Timber Wolf]! You have gained 50 experience points!
You have killed a [Young Timber Wolf]! You have gained 50 experience points!
You have killed a [Timber Wolf]! You have gained 50 experience points!
You have killed a [Timber Wolf]! You have gained 50 experience points!
You have killed a [Timber Wolf]! You have gained 50 experience points!
You have killed a [Young Timber Wolf]! You have gained 50 experience points!
You have killed a [Timber Wolf]! You have gained 50 experience points!
For two weeks, for two fucking weeks I have been tracking the wolves down one by one and killing them yet I feel no joy over my kills for I have yet to find the [Dire Timber Wolf] that was the one leading the pack, at least according to mothers short tale of the whole encounter. Nothing goes on in my head other than tracking them down and ending them all, any method will do, any weapon, any trap. The means does not matter anymore as long as I get every single one of those darn mutts, If I find their den, I will burn it to the ground and watch them suffer. I know from mother that twelve wolves were participating in the attack on them and only the use of mothers foul scented herbs saved them from being eaten. Only my small body is holding me back, I need to become stronger faster, I''m too weak as it is now. For the past months, mother have been caring for father, who has since the attack on them been in a very bad shape, his right arm is torn apart, leaving it barely functional and of no use at all for hunting or bow crafting. His chest had been clawed open. He has been with high fever even with mothers herbs helping out the healing process and fighting the fever. He has for the past night been mumbling incoherently into the night. Mother is in no better shape, while she looked better than father when they first came back to the house, her back is torn open from claws and a big bite imprint is on her shoulder, I had to help her bandage up her whole back and cleaning the wounds. Still in that state she tends to father on his sick bed not getting any real rest, watching over him day and night. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Raval¡¯s POV A year he has been all grumpy staring out into the woods whenever either Elisa or I went to go outside. Now we are sitting by the shed looking into the forest, his eyes doesn''t move from the treeline, watchful as they have been for the past year. I sigh, really the boy is wasting his time, enough is enough. ¡°Boy¡± His eyes move quickly to me and then return to watch the forest. Well, at least I got his attention. ¡°You are wasting your time, boy.¡± The corner of his eye make a small twist and his hands are now curled into fists. ¡°You can stop looking for them, they have left for the north again. The only thing that brought them this far down south was the heavy snow. So you can stop now, boy. Even your mother knows of your nightly outings, she worries, you know, blaming herself for letting you see us like that.¡± His head twisted towards me so quickly it''s surprising that it doesn''t hurt him, a scowl is covering his face. His mouths open to say something, but we are interrupted by Elisa¡¯s calling from the kitchen with the promise of dinner. We both get up, before heading inside I grab his shoulder, he tenses up under my hand. ¡°Oh, and before I forget, boy. No more wolf hunting in the night, you''re too young to be running around in the forest at night.¡± His body tenses as I speak. ¡°How long?¡± His voice is tense as he lets the words pass his lips as if he fears what will happen now, it breaks me inside that he fears that we will hurt him. We have no idea why or how he feels that we will hurt him. Elisa is broken over it. ¡°Hmm, for your mother, she has only known for a few days. As for me, I think a two weeks time.¡± ¡°I see¡± His voice sounds off, but I can''t place it. I think he needs to use that heads of his on something else then hating on the wolves for being wolves. He might want to learn [Bowery] from me¡­. Hmm. ¡°Boy, how about you learn [Bowyer]?¡± He stops in his tracks, blocking the front door. ¡°Yes, father. I would like that very much!¡± He looks at me with an excited look in his eyes and his voice sounds so childlike. He gives me a bright smile. ¡°Well then, I know what we will be during from tomorrow on.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Riin¡¯s POV I¡¯ve been forced to take a break with hunting down those dammed wolves, was it not for my mother and fathers eyes on me when night falls I would had followed them to the north even if it meant leaving them alone, ¡°revenge must always be paid in full¡± as the saying goes, well my dear ¡®old¡¯ fathers did at least. Father offered to teach me [Bowyer], I know they just want to take my mind of the hunt, not that they will succeed but I will play along for now, be the sweet child¡­ for now, but I will never forget what the wolfs of the north have done, revenge shall be mine. So my seventh year in this life, I have become an apprentice of a bow maker or a [Bowery] as the craft is called. My old master used to say that knowing how to handle a weapon is good, knowing how to both craft and handle is better, I took those words to hearth since I whole agree with them. So here begin my lessons of becoming a [Bowyer]! Chapter 12 - Bowyer apprenticeship Proofreader: Kagenesti Chapter 12 - Bowyer apprenticeship Riin¡¯s POV Asperd Isles - fall, Herbalist''s Hut. A year, I spent following father around and watching him handle the bows that he made, even with one arm he did splendid, I must say I''m very impressed by his work even if it''s slowed down remarkably due to the loss of one arms use. Still he is indeed a great craftsman and I''m beginning to understand how we can live of the sale they do once every five years, between mothers herbs and medicine and fathers bow and leather they must make a good amount of money. Hmm, I wonder where they keep it, I will have to find out at some point.
Name: Riin Trovrar Age: 8 years [Child]
Race: Human Sex: Male
Level: 0 Health:30/30
Stamina: 45/45 Mana: 45/45
Experience: 450 Next level: 550
Strength: 9 Dexterity: 11
Constitution: 6 Intelligent: 8
Wisdom: 10 Charisma: 6
My status and stats have increased a fair amount since I last cared to check them, yet it still sets me as a child - to my great displeasure. Today father is bringing me into the forest near the mountain to look for a yew tree, I was told to pack for a few days travel, more like a week according to the map I found. So now I''m in my room grabbing the items and clothing that is needed for the trip in the forest. I''m going to wear my own handmade leather boots, they feel so great to walk in, got my fair share of walking in them when I was on my own. A knocking sounds on my door, and father''s voice rumbles out. ¡°Are you ready, boy?¡± I open the door and greet father with a nod. ¡°Yes, father. I''m all ready and packed up for the trip.¡± He beams down at me with a smile on his face. ¡°Good! Let''s head out then.¡± ¡°Yes, father¡± We walk down stairs and is greeted by mother whom is in the kitchen grinding up herbs, she looks up and smile to us as we come to a stop next to the table. ¡°Ah, have a safe trip, dear¡± She gives father a hug and a passionate kiss - lovebirds. ¡°Now remember what you know about poisons plants, okay? And remember to lo-¡± Yep, She went on one of those motherly rants yet again about safety and what not out in the ¡®big¡¯ world, it seem to me that it should be me giving that speech as they were the ones who came back all bloody and not me, oh looks like she done. She smiles and bow down to give me one of her bear hugs, after the attack her hugging power got cut by more than half, to which I''m very glad. We begin our walk into the northeast part of the woods, our goal is the foot of the Asperd mountain range, where the thick forest hold many old trees that will be of use. Father says that we will not bring any with us back other than the branch of a yew tree, I think it a waste to travel into the deep forest for only one tree, well I have a week to convince him otherwise, we shall see who gets the last word. ¡°Boy, let me tell you of the rare wood types to be found if one is willing to travel for them that is.¡± Father looks back at me as we walk on the animal track. I nod, no need for words here, let him talk, the moreinformation I can get the better. ¡°Bronzewood is found in the far east mountains bordering the desert lands, it gets its name from the color. If treated correctly it can be use in place of metals in armor and as weapons as it will always hold a sharp edge to it. While not as strong as steel it will hold its own well enough and it is far lighter than the metal types it can compare too.¡± ¡°Densewood is another rare wood only found from the oldest of trees, it is much heavier than any other kind of wood out there but is also extremely hard to break. While only very few dense wood trees have been found and brought back to the city''s there worth cannot be doubted it is the strongest wood that we have in this realm.¡± ¡°Livewood, now that is a rare and spectacular sight to behold I will tell you.Highly magical trees that grows on the border between this realm and the feywild. The trees that never stop being alive, forever fresh as the day it was cut down. Now their growing stops but they never wither.¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.¡°Soarwood, also known as skywood is a treesort that when used in boats make them faster than any other boat out on the sea, even in a storm it shall not have problems in the massive weaves. Some say the only grow on the top of the highest mountains while others say the grow on the floating isle of the feywild.¡± ¡°Duskwood is another tree that can be used as a replacement for metal, is it as strong as iron. They grow in densely packed groves and old swamps, which blocks any light from entering the ground below them, giving them their name. They have a smooth black bark and the trunks grow as high as 60 feet, the wood itself is smoky gray in color and as tough as iron, so remember to get an axe just for cutting down the wood since no normal axe will do, and fire will not help you either since the wood is very resistant to fire.¡±
You have learned some about this world rare wood types! Bronzewood - Grows in the eastern mountains and can be used as a replacement for low quality metals. Densewood - A rare and very heavy wood sort that is the hardest known wood in the mortal realm Livewood - A tree that grows on the border between the mortal realm and feywild! It will never stop being alive and as long as it is not cut it will continue to grow. Soarwood - also known as skywood, the tree that can make any boat buildt from it four times faster than any normal boat, it also seems to help cut into weaves in a storm. But nobody''s really sure from where it originates from, some say the highest of mountains others the floating isle of the feywild. Duskwood - The black iron wood, growing in ancient swamps and old groves it have never seen the sun light, even fire seems not to harm it. By learning about new lands and their fauna and gaining knowledge of master woodworkers you have gained +1 [Wisdom] and +1 [Intelligence]
Our walk is coming to an end today as the sun reaches the tree tops. Father''s chuckles a bit, for reasons unknown to me. ¡°Time to set up camp, boy. Go and find some wood for the fire, we don''t want to freeze tonight now do we.¡± He ruffles my hair, annoying. ¡°Yes, father¡± I turn around and head off into the more dense woods surrounding us, away from the track we have been following so far. I keep an observant eye on my surroundings, while looking for usable firewood, I try and keep lookout for any and all herbs that can be of use. Since we don''t have to worry about food, at least not for the next four days, since we have packed smoked meat with us and it¡¯s not like we are going to be missing any meat since my little erm ¡­ ¡®hunting trip¡¯. Luckily neither father nor mother have said anything about the overfilled root cellar, well I did try to pack it in small bundles so that might have helped out a bit, but I will not believe for one second that not one of them have seen the heavy amount of smoked meat that ¡®magical¡¯ just keeps on filling up their food storage. As I walk around I spot a very useful plant called [All-Heale], clustered under the trees, as I look around the area I see a handful more of them. A healing herb commonly found in the forest in the fall, luck is with me as I got a few growing around each other. I start to clean the dirt and fallen leaves around the away so I can grab them at the root.
Your handling of the herbs is supreme! You have gained bonus experience in [Herbalist]. You have gathered five [All-Heale] plants. With your skill in spotting the plants and knowing the background on top of your head you have gained + 1 [Wisdom]!
Hmm, again with the bonus experience, I really have to figure that out at some point. Within half an hour I am carrying around a good amount of firewood in a bundle, as I''m still looking around the forest floor for useful herbs and plants, I spot the flowers on a few onion plants, after gathering them I head back towards father with the wood and onions. Back at our small campsite father is waiting for me. He smiles as I step over the log we will be using as a bench. ¡°Welcome back, Boy¡± ¡°Thank you, father. I found some onions while out looking for the firewood.¡± He looks at me with a shock on his face, shit, what now, I ready myself for a hit. His hand swoops down and land ¡­ on my head, huh? He ruffles my hair into a big mess. What the¡­. ¡°Hahaha- ¡®cough¡¯ -haha, you are just like your mother in that regard, boy.¡± I don''t get this person at all. He hands me a piece of bread and some smoked meat, we eat in silence. The sun sets and the campfire is the only light source we have, we sit there and stare into the flames. ¡°We better get some sleep, boy. We have a hard day ahead of us tomorrow, we will be heading up hill.¡± He once more ruffles my hair and drags as blanket over my shoulders. This person¡­. Chapter 13 - Forest encounter Proofreader: Kagenesti Chapter 13 - Forest encounter Riin¡¯s POV Asperd Isles - fall, Asperd Forest. Can''t say I slept a whole lot in the night but father sure did¡­ that man snores too loudly I tell you. The sun is rising and we begin packing up our camp as we eat some bread for breakfast. Father is humming, an annoying melody if you ask me. We grab our backpacks and head off towards the bottom of the mountain range, but first we have to travel uphill, it''s will be good training. Having walked for a few hours, I notice that the forest have become more quiet, the birds are no longer singing and there are no sounds in the distance of any deer or other plant eaters. I slowly ready my knife. ¡°Father, there is something wrong here.¡± Father to is looking around the area, eyes focused on our surroundings, listening. He has drawn his axe, this in turn makes me sure that there is something out there who will be coming for us. We have at some point stopped and are now standing, looking around, scanning the area for the unseen threat lurking about. Minutes tick by with none of us or nothing out there moving, but I feel it. ¡°Don''t be smiling, boy. They are out there hiding and waiting to ambush us.¡± Ups, without knowing it I have been standing around with a big grin on my face, that killing intent, that hunger, it screams at me ¡®Kill! We will kill you!¡¯ it scream, and how I want to answer it!
You have gained [Bloodlust Aura]! You are able to feel others killing intent and are also able to emit it yourself. Make all bow before you in fear! [Bloodlust Aura] improves as you kill.
Bloodlust Aura [0] Cost: 1 Mana per minute of being activated. Effect Area: [_]feet Effecting / Effect Type: Lower Level Creatures / Fear and/or Paralyze
You have discovered an aura! You have discovered [Blood Magic]! You have gained +2 [Intelligent]!
Oh, magic? Well, this aura with be useful when I''m higher level, the level must refer to my shard level, which is zero at the moment¡­ We are still standing here on this trail, father is still looking around for the enemy lurking out there. I look around searching the trees for any sign of our pursuer or ambusher in this case, yet I find no sign of them. They are out there yet hiding from our sight. ¡°Father, what are they?¡± ¡°Spiders,boy. Big ones.¡± Huh? Big¡­ spiders¡­ Now, I''m not one to be scared of some critters, but I mean come on, spiders,why spiders? There are so many kinds of spiders out there not to mention this world has magic¡­ I don''t think I want to know what will become if one mixes magic and spiders. Grrr¡­ Think, Riin think. Let''s see there are the hunters, the spinners, the borrowers and them jumping ones, hmm¡­ do they belong to the hunter group? Meh who cares. Oh, let''s not forget the ones that rely only on poisons. Ah, I''m getting a headache, just thinking out the amount of trouble we can be in.
For knowing groups of Araneae and their type of hunting methods you have gained +1 [Wisdom]!
I''m missing a lot of information here. ¡°Father, when were you last in this part of the forest?¡± Father still keep his eyes on the trees around us. ¡°Hmm, must be a bit over ten years now. why do you ask, boy?¡± Huh¡­Ten years¡­ we are fucked¡­ ¡°Oh, nothing much, just thinking of the amount of spiders out there¡± Shit¡­ in my annoyances I forgot to speak politely to him. ¡°My apologies for my rudeness just now, father. The amount of spiders that is possible with ten years of being left to their own devices is really too high to count.¡± Father is looking at me with a look I can''t see through it concerns me, for now he will have to keep his focus on the spiders and not me. ¡°Huh, rude? Don''t make me laugh now, boy. We are in the middle of an important moment here.¡± Father grumbles as he stare into the woods. ¡°Boy, I don''t know why you think you are being rude, but it does not matter now or ever, you hear me? We are your family¡± My world stops for a moment. Family? Don''t make me laugh, family is just a word meant for those who don''t know betrayal. Father, mother, brother or sister it matters not when one is fighting to the death. Raval¡¯s POV The boy, is staring into nothingness, his eyes not seeing the world that is surrounding him. But, I know one thing, the aura the spiders sent towards us, he answered with double the amount of bloodlust. The sweat is running down my back, out here surrounded by hunters of the forest, what is scaring me is not them, but the eight year old standing next to me. What happened in that snowstorm? What became of our sweet innocent child that we left behind? ¡°Boy, let''s keep moving, it will be a few hours before we reach the bottom of the mountains, we can set up camp with the rock outcroppings as shelter.¡± His head makes a small twist at the sound of my voice. ¡°Yes, father.¡± His voice, so small, as if the bloodlust moments before where a mere illusion, yet the coldness I feel running down my back tells me otherwise. We start our move more slowly this time, keeping our eyes on the surroundings. It goes slow but steady and we are making our way there safely, I will not take any chances and bring my family in danger, if the forest spiders have made nest in our areawe will just have to backtrack and return home. I promised Elisa that nothing would happen to her child and I will keep that promise no matter what. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. With our careful pacewe take some time to get to the outcroppings of the foot of the mountain. Ten hours after our first encounter with the spiders we finally reach the first signs of the mountain''s foot. Peeking over my shoulder I see that Riin is keeping up just fine, he is still scanning our surroundings for anything that can be seen as a threat. Smart boy. ¡°Boy, we should reach the area where we can camp for the night, within an hours walk.¡± ¡°I understand, father.¡± Ah, I guess if I expected more than a few words out of him, he would not be my son. He never was one for saying much, but always watching his surrounding and making good decisions, that''s our boy. The sun is slowly going down and we are losing light faster and faster, yet we still have a bit to go before the rocks will provide any form of cover from attacks, we need to move faster, yet if we do we will be at risk of an attack, yet if we don''t we will soon be in the dark with hunters of the night. ¡°Boy, we need to increase our speed, we are losing the light too fast.¡± A quick look over my shoulder and I see that he has increased his steps, his feet avoid all the half loose rocks and roots that would normally slow down a child. Sometimes he scares and amazes me at the same time, but then again he has always been an observant child. ¡°Yes, father.¡± He barely manage to finish his sentence before a shadow leap out from the trees. I swing my axe at it in hopes it will not reach him, cutting of some hairy legs in the process and hearing that horrible screeching sound they make, yet even with some legs cut its line of attack is clear. My worlds freezes for a moment. ¡°Down, boy!¡± Riin''s POV Big¡­ hairy¡­green, not to mention ass ugly, at least from my point of view, then again not much can be pretty when it''s missing some of its legs and a green liquid, which must be its blood, I guess is staying out to the side, and that is just the small part of it, I got the fucking front seat row for the show, I''m staring into or down the drain of its¡­ mouth? ¡°Down, boy!¡± No shit! Like hell I''m going to greet that thing with a kiss, I''m too just to¡­ nope, not going to continue down that line. Where was I? oh yea, mouth a pink one at that¡­ Ups! Too much thinking, have to dunk down. As I dodge the incoming attack I reach up and cut my way from the mouth and down into the¡­ Stomach? Too¡­ much¡­ green¡­ goo¡­
You have kill a [Young Giant Forest Spider] you have gained 200 Experience! Bloodlust Aura has gained [1]!
Well, being covered in green smelly goo might be worth it if it''s for 200 experience, but¡­ note to self, do not ever cut open their stomach while standing underneath them, ever! ¡°Riin! Are you hurt!? Were you bitten!?¡± Wow, he used my name, man he must be out of it right now. ¡°I''m alright, father.¡± The look in his eyes, I have seen that look before, just never towards me, to look of love and worry, that''s kind of touching in a way. ¡°Father, do you mind lending me some water?¡± Raval¡¯s POV Oh, god please don¡¯t let him be hurt, please don¡¯t let me be hurt! ¡°Father, do you mind lending me some water?¡± That calm voice of his, while sounding a bit displease, he is asking for¡­ water? ¡°Water?¡± ¡°Yes, if possible, Father, some water. This stuff smells rather unpleasant.¡± I get a look at him, and even in this situation hold it in, I burst out laughing, oh god, stop me. There he is standing covered in spider parts and whatnot, all green and i just can¡¯t stop laughing, pulling out a waterskin I pour it over him. ¡°Haha, The- haha - re, now your- hahaha- clean.¡± ¡°Father.¡± ¡°haha, yes, boy?¡± ¡°I will tell mother, if you keep laughing.¡± Ha-¡¯cough¡¯. Oh no, oh, no, no, no, no, no. ¡°Now, now, boy, lets not do things we''ll regret. Right?¡± He is standing there with a innocent smile on his face, looking at me. ¡°I¡¯m glad we understand each other so well, father.¡± ¡°Me, too son, me too.¡± In this moment I forgot where we was. ¡°Father, may I suggest that we keep moving?¡± ¡°Yes, lets.¡± Riin¡¯s POV Still sticky¡­ taking a quick sniff to myself¡­ fuck me now, god i stink! Out of the corner of my eye I see movement. ¡°Father, company!¡± Father¡¯s way of handling the axe is really something, the ease in which he swings the thing, cutting into a jumping opponent, slicing the body in half. I dodge to the left and a quick spin around, cutting the abdomen of the attacker open, jumping over it, I stab the knife down into the head part, or where its eyes at least are placed.
You have kill a [Young Giant Forest Spider] you have gained 200 Experience! Bloodlust Aura has gained [2]!
Three spiders dead. ¡°Boy, We are moving now!¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± We quicken our pace even more than before, father takes down two more spiders on the way. ¡°There! you see it, boy?!¡± Up ahead the rocks forms a natural roof. Grabbing as many sticks as i can carry on the way as we half run, we are going to need the protection, one more dead spider flies to the side as we head forward, just keep up the good work old man. ¡°Father, kindly cover me, I will set up a campfire now.¡± ¡°Ha!, what do you think I have been doing, boy!¡± A smile has formed on his face, and i know that i too is grinning like a fool, the thrill of the hunt, the danger, ah, how i havemissed that. Chapter 14 - A spiders fangs Proofreader: Kagenesti Chapter 14 - A spiders fangs Riin''s POV Asperd Isle, bottom of the Asperd Mountain Range. So, I''m not one to complain about where I sleep at night, I mean, I for one, can say I have slept in a lot of different places, but I must admit that sleeping or trying to sleep in this case, while being surrounded by a snoring man, a circle of fire and a group of drooling giant green spiders is a first, not to mention that it has definitely reached a place on my top five places of the worst nights sleep in my life¡­ of all the ways and places to sleep, how mother deals with that kind of snoring I don''t know, but I have a newfound respect for her. As the sun starts to rise our nightly companions withdraw into the thickness of the forest once more, yet I know they are still lurking out there, waiting, biding their time. Father is waking up as well, finally, I was debating if I should stuff his mouth with something, so that awful sound would end. ¡°Morning, boy. Huh, did you get some sleep? You don''t look like you did.¡± Sleep, ah, sounds like a sweet dream I once had. ¡°Good morning, father. Yes, I did sleep.¡± No need for him to know about me thinking of ways to stop his breathing. I almost laugh out loud at the thought of it. Now, time to get some answers, to some of the questions that I have been thinking about while sitting and staring at my new friends. If I need to have any use out of my new magic aura then I need to figure out how levels and experience works, why a wolf gives me fifty experience and a spider gives me two hundred experience. And since we are trapped in this small half cave I might aswell use the time. ¡°Father, what does the level indicate?¡± Father looks at me for a while, he seem to be thinking about it, for now I will wait and see what he has to say. ¡°Hmm, the level is a rough indicator of how strong one is compared to another. Here let me give you an example. Let''s say that a mineworker who uses all his time in the mine is physically very strong, so natural the shard would show that his strength is very high, right?¡± ¡°Yes, since the shard will try to measure the body''s ability and put that into numbers.¡± ¡°That''s right, smart boy, you listen well I see.¡± Father is smiling, that smile mother also uses when she is proud of something I said or did - disturbing, seeing that on a bearded face, he has way too much facial hair to be making that big of a smile, looks like his beard is connected to his eyes. ¡°Where was I? oh yes, then let''s say that another man works as a guard, he would have to walk around and be equipped with more or less heavy armour and weapons, that person''s shard strength would also be showing a high number, right?¡± Ah, I see now. ¡°So the level indicates the amount of experience one would have, if we go with father''s example, the mineworker and the guard might both be strong men but the guard would know how to handle a combat situation much better than the mineworker, seeing as he would have been in some form of combat at a given time or received combat training, right?¡± Father is smiling at me¡­ again, I hope that this will not become a new habit of his, it doesn''t suit him very well. ¡°So you see, boy. The level of one''s shard, roughly indicate how much combat experience one has.¡± Hmm, that makes sense, but it does not explain the different amount of experience gained for kill different kind of things. Hmm, how to explain that to him¡­ and get an answer¡­ ah! ¡°Father, do you gain different experience by killing a deer, then you do when you kill one of these spiders?¡± Man, I sound so stupid, but I need to know if it''s something that gets the different amount of experience or how it figures out the amount one gains for each kill. ¡°Ah, yes I do, and so would anyone else too, boy. Animals or for that matter any being at all is given a rating. A deer is a small animal and it will also not fight you, so it has a low rating and therefore gives a low amount of experience when killed.¡± Father looks around a bit scanning our surroundings, I too still feel them out there, but for now the fires are going and the sun is up, while we will have to get more wood before nightfall. ¡°The [Giant Forest Spider] on the other hand is a much harder target to hunt down and kill, therefor granting more experience per kill.¡± Hmm, now to see if the amount changes at any point. ¡°Does father gain more or less experience per spider, then say a guard who is higher level than father?¡± ¡°Ha! That''s a good question, boy! The answer is no, the amount is the same no matter who kills the spider, the spiders personal rating does not change and so its output of experience when slain does not change, you see, boy?¡± Hmm, so one can''t stay and ¡®farm¡¯ spider for experience, if so that would make no sense. ¡°So, the amount of experience one would need to reach the next level, must change¡­ if not everyone would simply ¡®farm¡¯ a low rated creature to quickly gain the requested or wished level...¡± Ups¡­ Speaking out loud, without being addressed is bad, have had too many broken bones that way. ¡°My apologies, father, for my rambling.¡± ¡°Huh? Ah, no need to apologise, boy! How many times must we tell you, that you are free to talk all you want? But your reasoning is right, each time one gains a level the amount of experience needed for the next level increases by the double, so you see even if someone decided to ¡®farm¡¯ a certain creature, at some point it would prove too much of a hassle to kill that single type of being.¡±
You have understood the reasoning behind levels and experience gain! You have gained +1 [Wisdom]
¡°Hmm, I see thank you very much for your lesson father.¡± ¡°You''re welcome, kid, you''re welcome.¡± Father ruffles my hair while he laughs about something only he knows, as a thanks to him I will let it slip this time and let him ruffle my hair as much as he wants, just for today! The daylight slowly ticks by, and all we do is sit here and stare out at our surrounding, I¡¯m growing restless, it''s time to get some things done, we will get nothing out of sitting here and looking all pretty. ¡°Not that I don''t enjoy spending some quality time with you father, but we are running low on firewood, we will need to gather some more, if we are to last the rest of the day and the coming night.¡± ¡°Yes, we are, boy¡­ but there is not much we can do, right now.¡± Hmm, not so sure about that, dear father¡­ Let''s see what mother so kindly helped pack for me, thinking I didn''t see her putting items down in my backpack, was she even trying to hide the fact that she fiddled with it? Who knows mothers are weird creatures, that I have yet to understand. ¡°Boy, what are you frowning like that for?¡± ¡°Mother put something into my backpack before we headed out¡­ I¡¯m trying to find it, father.¡± Susses! I pull out a package of folded cloth, opening it reveals two small flasks with a clear liquid in them, oh, mother, I shall forgive you for meddling with my things, for the time being that is. ¡°Potions? Do you know what kind they are, boy?¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.¡°Antidotes for poison, father¡± More specific, my dear father, it is antidotes for paralyzing poisons. ¡°Oh¡± Oh? What an unintelligent answer that was, oh well, let¡¯s get things moving. Standing up I draw my knife, grabbing one of the potions, I make a cut in my hand- ¡°Boy! What are you doing!¡± ¡­ and pour a fourth of the potion in the wound, grabbing a price of clean cloth, I wrap up the cut up. ¡°I¡¯m making the antidote into a fast acting one, father. While it this works for me this way, due to the size of my body, I''m afraid it will take more than thirty minutes for the antidote to work on a body of your size and that is with the whole potion and that also will require that the poison is in your system, this way we can use it more provincially.¡± ¡°Hmm, and let me guess, you are thinking of going out there and getting more firewood, alone, are you not, boy?¡± ¡°Yes, father, please allow me this.¡± We stare at each other for some time, father to son and all that. ¡°¡­ your sure that the antidote will work, I swear, boy, if anything happens¡­¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± Father draws a deep breath, then sighs loudly. ¡°No telling your mother about this, do you understand, boy, not a word.¡± ¡°Yes, I will not tell her a thing, father.¡± We are smiling at each other as we sit there talking. I stand and walk over to our quickly made ring of firewood, it''s slowly burning down, I secure my grab on the knife and in a quick motion, jump over the fire and into our awaiting friends. I just about land and the first one is already gunning for me, I duck and roll under it as it makes its attack on me. ¡°A gift, father!¡± The sound of the spider screeching and the smell of roasted meat, and I''m sure I heard father grunting something too, oh well. Sprinting over the to trees I start to grab some fallen branches and small twigs, I throw them near our camp. A screeching to my right warns me just in time to dodge the incoming spider, as I dodge, I take a swing for its legs, success, I feel the knife connect with something and hear the screeching rise a sound level, and darn they are loud. Turning around I find the spider missing all its left side legs, it''s making an attempt to run¡­ I think, or its trying to get closer to me, but the result is kinda the same, it''s right legs make it spin in a circle, looks funny, but stupid aswell. ¡®Here little spider, let me see them fangs of yours.¡¯ A quick jump into its close range and I plunge the knife into its brain¡­ do they even have brains? Hmm, that''s something I need to find out, I mean ofcourse they have ¡®a brain¡¯ what I want to know is what kind of Intelligence level I''m dealing with here¡­
You have slain a [Young Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience! You have reach level 1! [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [3]! [Bloodlust Aura] has gained a level! You now affect creatures of level 0!
Wow¡­ I kind of feel sad right now¡­ Fear me, level zero creatures, so that''s like what, deer and other non challenges critters? But I don''t get much time to think as it seems the screeching of the now dead spider was a call for backup or reinforcements. Out of the corner of my eye I see father getting ready to throw my gift away, can''t have that dear father, that will ruin my further plans. ¡°Father! I will need that spider, don''t dispose of it, please.¡± Not that I get to hear the answer, as the new arrivals are running straight at me, yep, I''m sure, they have no brain cells at all. Throwing a branch in this¡­ face? of the one to the right to slow its attack, I make a rolling fall to avoid the left ones jump attack. Getting in range of the left one I plunge the knife into its head area¡­ yea, head sounds better than brain, seeing as they have so little of it.
You have slain a [Young Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience! [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [4]!
One to go, turning around I launch my attack on the spider, well timed on its part as it too has turned around to reengage in the assault on me, making my attack a knife through the open mouth and into the softer parts, a jerk up and I pull backmy arm from the creature''s mouth, no need to test the antidote mother so kindly gave us.
You have slain a [Young Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience! [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [5]!
Now to the real quest at hand, more firewood, so I continue for a half an hour without nothing trying to eat me. ¡°Boy! Get back, we have enough wood to last the night.¡± Good, I''m starting to get bored of collecting sticks, what I really want to do is look at my new best friend, the spider, father so kindly took care of for me. Jumping over the fire, I land next to father, he is frowning at me, what now? My grip on the knife tights as the staring continues. ¡°My heart, boy! Next time we need firewood, I will go! What would I do if you had been bitten?! Elisa, would kill me!¡± Huh?... Your heart¡­ what about mine, don''t be staring at people like that man, you will make them jumpy. ¡°My apologies, father.¡± As I turn around, I can''t help but to keep an eye on him. I move to the dead spider, father has put it over onthe far side, away from our sleeping and campfire area. Now, how to get the right¡­ If this spider species is anything like the spiders I know of then¡­ if I remove the fangs carefully I should not damaged the poison glands.
You have gained the [Alchemy] Sub-Skill [Poison Gather]! This skill will gain experience as normal but can not be accessed until the main skill is unlocked. You have gained the skill [Analyze: Poison]! The skill will allow you to know the type of poison you are using or making, remember poison can also harm you as you are handling it, use with care.
Interesting¡­ a skill allowing me to know the type of poison I''m dealing with, that will come in handy for sure. Let''s see¡­ how to use a spell¡­ With the [Bloodlust Aura] I seemed to gain it by letting my killing intent show¡­ How if the¡­ Shard? Detects spells and skills based on those intents then I should be able to ¡®cast¡¯ the spell by intending to do so¡­
You have learned the ways of silently casting spells all by yourself, you''re a natural! You have gained +2 [Intelligence]!
Hmm, so I was right, looking down at the poison glands, I try my teory out, - that being me staring intensely at the cut of spider part. ¡®Analyze: Poison¡¯.
Analyzing poison, poison type found: Paralyzing poison. Dose: [SkillLocked]
¡­ So one bite and you are in trouble for sure, at my current size that is, while a full grown human might be fine for a while, I will surely end up in a very bad situation if I''m bitten without an antidote to cancel the poison out¡­ well at least I now know how to cast spells that something. Chapter 15 - Wounded Chapter 15 - Wounded Riin''s POV Asperd Isle - Fall, bottom of the Asperd Mountain Range. Our night, is becoming more and more tiring to say the least, over the course of a few hours, the spiders have gathered around us, to the point where they no longer are staying in hiding. Father is staring out at them with a deep frown on his face, he seems¡­ resigned in some way, which is concerning me a bit, if he is having problems, I want to know, there is no way that I''m going to be stranded out in the mountains with a bunch of drooling giant spiders and a man who has given up on life. ¡°Father, is something the matter?¡± Silence¡­ this is really going to be a long night, seems like I will get more use out of him as bait, the only problem I have with that is, what the hell, am I going to tell mother. ¡®Oh hello there mother, where''s father, you ask? hmm, how to tell you this, I decided that since he seemed to have resigned himself to death, he was better up as spider food, so I could get out safely, you see.¡¯ ¡­ yea right, as if I am ever telling her that. Come on old man, smile or something¡­ Fucking hell, am I concerned, for him? No, that can''t be it, it''s a natural thing, to make sure that the partner, that is fighting with you is mentally okay, right? Yeah, that''s it. ¡°Father?¡± No answer, nothing. Really, old man? A few spiders and you give up on life? Okay, no more, being the nice guy. Grabbing a log that have yet to be put in the fire, I walk behind him. Sorry, old man, but sometimes life''s a bitch. ¡®Thump¡¯, the sound of the log hitting the back of his head, he drops to the ground, unconscious, but alive. Now, to the hard part, I start dragging his body over the the beds, - the place straight up against the rock formation, and the place fattest away from the hungry looking spiders. ¡°Rest here, old man, I will deal with the bugs.¡± Why, am I even talking to him¡­ Great I''m losing it, darn spiders, I will take my anger out on you.
[Bloodlust Aura] activated. Area of effect: 5 Feet. Levels affected: 0. Cost per minute: 1 Mana.
Oh, so my anger can activate spells too, that''s good to know. ¡®Deactivate [Bloodlust Aura]¡¯ Seems like I will need some more self control about showing off my killing intent, so this doesn''t happen again.
[Bloodlust Aura] deactivated.
Now, now little spidey''s time for some fun, together. I know father has an extra knife with him, I will borrow that for a while, but first the antidote and then I''m good to go, pulling the bandage off to the side and dripping the liquid down into the wound, it stings a bit but it will do its job, knives in hand, and I''m ready. Now, time to hunt. Jumping over the fire¡­ again, I land and the fighting begins, attackers from all sides closes in on me.
You have slain a [Young Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience! [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [6]! You have slain a [Young Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience! [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [7]! You have slain a [Young Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience! [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [8]!
So many massage, it''s getting fucking annoying! It''s there a deactivate option or something, while fighting!?
Do you wish to hide messages during combat? [Yes/No]
Yes!!
Massage hidden during combat, activated. To show message received during combat, select, [Show Combat Massages].
I make a quick roll to the left and thrust my knife into the spider jumping at me, throwing its drool all around the place, one more dead, dodging to the left I avoid a bite to my arm, I spin and make a swing the knife and slice the legs of the incoming attacker. They don''t seem like they are intending to give up any moment soon, but that''s fine by me, even with my current body, I can go on for at least a few more hours, all I have to do is make sure that I don''t end up as their food. Ending the half dead spiders life with a stab in the head, I jump straight up to avoid an attack on my legs, landing on the head of my attacker, I drive the knife into its head, however I get no time to gloat over my amazing skills at avoiding ending up on the dinner menu, as two more of them leap into take the kill, I quickly make a jump backwards to avoid them, as I do so, I nearly end up in the mouth of a new challenger, as the new one charges in too joins the fight as well, I dodge its attack by doing a rolling fall to the left, but I''m not fast enough, one of it''s front legs penetrates my thigh as I fall back, going straight through, shit! Spinning around, I cleave of its leg - the one still stuck in my thigh, I''m not going to get stuck here with attackers from all sides gunning for me, as soon as its leg separates from its body I drive straight for its head, letting the knife pierce into one of its many eyes, it drops to the ground. Now, I will need to make a tactical retreat, turning around to make a run or half run, in my case, for our camp, I end up face to face with one of them leaping into bite me, it''s not like I enjoy the site of their open mouth and drool going all around the place, I mean who would enjoy the sight of a wide open mouth covered in poisonous drool and jaws just waiting to crush your skull, none, that''s how many would enjoy that. I meets its attack head on as I dive forwards it, slicing its jaw and lower head area down the middle, and this time, I''m not under it, as the knife does its work and cuts open its abdomen area, I make a rough landing, behind it, - man it hurts just like a gunshot wound, lucky for me it''s a through and through - I do my best to get up as fast as I can, still, have a hole in your leg don''t really help on being fast, at getting up and it''s not like rolling around and running is painless either, just so you know. Another one attacks from the right side, fuck, it hurts! As I throw myself back to avoid its fangs, it ends up hitting the cut of spider leg, still sticking out of my own leg, black dots from behind of my eyes, I slam my knife into its head, I have to end this, and fast! I''m losing too much valuable blood, the long I stay in combat with them, the easy prey I become. I jump once more to avoid an attack to the hand holding the knife which is still stuck within the spider''s head, not that I forget to pull the knife back out, as I jump away, letting go of your weapon in a fight is a rookie mistake, one that will almost always get you killed. I swing my left hand and my free knife into the head of the attacker, it drops dead, yep¡­ headshots always does the job done. They are getting more and more aggressive, as our battle goes on, their screeching and ¡®clicking¡¯ with their fangs grows in volume, with each one of them that I take down. Focus, I''m almost back to the camp, in the midst of combat, I did not realise how far from our camp I had made it, a rookie mistake, one that can cost me, my life. I''m rusty, I need to sharpen up asap, or I will end up dead. I sidestep an incoming leaping attacker, leavening the attacking spider to come smashing into a nearby tree, I can''t waste my time on killing it, as things are going now, warm blood is running down my leg, I need to close the wound up and fast at that or I will pass out sooner rather than later. In front of our homemade wall of fire, I make a last ditch effort to do a real jump over the flames. Fuck! It hurts like a bitch, as I land on my damaged leg, I quickly go to my back and take out the first aid kit I packed. Pulling off my boot, I slowly tear the cloth around the wound, making a hole big enough around it, that when I rip off the leg of my pants, I will not push or interact with the sliced of spider leg in anyway, tearing the cloth of my pants the rest of the way off. I finally get a clean look at what I''m dealing with and¡­ it''s not looking as bad as I would have thought it would, but not as good as I would have liked it too either, well, nothing that I could have done in that situation anyway, so no need to cry over what''s done. I grab one of the knives and stick it into the campfire, the blood from the spiders, makes a sizzling sound as it gets cooked off the knife, I grab my waterskin and pour it slowly around the wound, cleaning of as much dirt as I can, without pulling the spider''s leg out - I need the knife heated up, before getting to work on that. Now, all I can do is wait for the knife to be ready, might as well use the time to check any message I gotten during my little combat training. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
You have reach level 2! Congratulations! By continuing to be quick thinking and moving about with ease, you have gained + 2 [Dexterity]! [Bloodlust Aura] has gained a level! You now affect creatures of level 1!
Okay, so it''s going the right way. And it seems that I have a chance of gaining stats as I fight. So as I deactivated the Windows just as I reached level two, that''s good since that would have been some spam fest, with all the killing that came after that.
You have slain a [Young Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience! [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [9]! You have slain a [Young Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience! [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [10]! You have slain a [Young Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience! [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [11]!
You have been stabbed! You have lost 10 Health. You are bleeding, you will continue to lose, 1 Hp per minute until the wound is treated.
¡­ Stabbed? It, that or whatever calls having a spider''s leg run straight through one''s thigh, a fucking stab wound! ¡­ Now, I really don''t want know see a cut...
You have slain a [Young Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience! [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [12]! You are bleeding, you have lost 1hp. You have slain a [Young Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience! [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [13]! You are bleeding, you have lost 1hp. You have slain a [Young Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience! [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [14]! You are bleeding, you have lost 1hp. You have slain a [Young Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience! [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [15]! You are bleeding, you have lost 1hp.
Yep, spam fest. Oh the knife is glowing orange, it''s ready¡­ not that I hate this part, I mean it''s the fastest way to close a wound up when you are in the middle of nowhere, and it''s not like I think they have a hospital around the corner, but it still hurts like a truck hit you, or so goes the saying, I mean who willing goes and burns themselves, that''s just fucking stupid, if you ask me, but I guess each person has his kicks. Grabbing the knife out of the fire, I take a deep breath, man I hate you, damn spiders. Ripping the spider''s leg out of my own, I pour water over the hole in my leg, then put the glowing knife down on my thigh.
You have burned yourself, you lost 2Hp. You are now under half health, be careful. You are bleeding, you have lost 1hp.
¡­ Really, turning around so that I''m on my stomach, I''m now getting to the part that''s going to hurt a bit more than the rest, but that''s just one guy''s opinion. I put the knife back into the fire to reheat, I quickly run my hands through the flames to burn of anything that might do more damage to the wound, one hand holding the waterskin and the other one¡­ I dig into the back side of my thigh, fuck! I''m seeing black dots again, I really need to get my old pain level back, then this would not have been such a big problem. I pull in some much needed air, putting the waterskin down into the open wound and¡­ pressing, spraying water down into it, cleaning it for pus and any other kind of bacteria that might be in it and with only one place for it to come out¡­ the water starts to runs down my thigh, mixed with blood, I also see pieces of the leg, just as I feared, if I had not cleaned it out, it would properly have given me some lovely little infection to deal with.
You have cleaned up the wound, making sure that nothing inside can infect it, doing so you have gained +1 [Wisdom] You are now under half health, be careful. You are bleeding, you have lost 1hp.
Black dots form in front of my eyes, I need to act fast now. Pouring the last of the water over the wound, I grab the knife once more. Deep breath, deep breath, as I breathe out, I press the knife into the wound.
You have burned yourself, you lost 2Hp. You are now under half health, be careful. You have stopped the bleeding!
That was a close one, I grab some fresh bandages from the first aid kid, a quick look and I can see that, I''m starting to run low on bandages, all I can do is hope for no more mistakes, on my part or fathers. I cast a look at the old man, he is still out for the count, I might as well rest up a bit too, regain some of my energy. After some looking around, I find some of our smoked meat and after some more looking, in fathers backpack, I finally dig out some of the leftover bread, time to get some much needed dinner. After I have enjoyed my meal, and I have had a change of cloth, I decide that father has been laying still for too long, I''m sad to say this, but it worries me, that he has yet to wake up. Mother, once told me that when I was born, she checked my status by ¡®connecting¡¯ with me. I''m sad to say, it scared the living daylights out of me, I mean who want one''s mother to ¡®connect¡¯ with one, - I get sister and brother or sister and sister or even brother and brother, but mother and son, no way that''s way out of my league. But after some explaining, on her part, I found out that she simply, had placed her hand on my forehead, I was very relieved by that fact, I tell you. So, here goes nothing, I sit down in front of fathers unconscious body, placing my hand on his forehead, better go with the safe route. ¡°Show Status¡± A few moments tick by and then a window pops up.
Name: Raval TrovrarAge: 30 [Adult]
Race: HumanSex: Male
Level: --- [Hidden]Health:59/60 [Unconscious]
Stamina: --- [Hidden]Mana: --- [Hidden]
Target is knocked out, time to regaining consciousness, approximately 10 hours.
Ten hours¡­ hell, all I did was hit him on the head with a log¡­ come on, old man, you can do better than that right? Not that I''m going to be getting an answer anytime soon. Well, I might as well take a quick nap too, seeing as I will need some time to heal up. Raval''s POV I need to get him to safety. I need our boy safe and sound. In my condition, I can only defend him so much, there are too many of them! I have to save him, or I will never forgive myself! Think, you darn old fool, think! I need to find a way to get our son back home safely, there is too many spiders here, have they made a nest close by, perhaps? No matter, I will carve a part out with the first daylight, their sight weakens in the light, after all they are hunters of the night. Even if they have a lair close by, there is no way their queen will leave to hunt for prey herself, so we will be safe, from the real threat, these young males are still not used to hunting humans so we have that going for us at least. But I''m afraid, the amount of them here definitely suggest a lair close by, the aggressiveness of their flocking around our camp, tells me the sorry truth, which I don''t really want to look at, a lair, this close to our home, we will need help getting rid of them, luckily their silk and eggs are in high value, so finding the help might not be that hard. If I can''t find a way to get the both of us to safely, then I will lure them away, if I continue towards their lair, they will leave the boy alone, protecting the lair comes before hunting prey, that''s the way their minds work, like bees or ants, they are soldiers before hunters, procters before soldiers. Yes, I can go ahead, Elisa will forgive me, I''m sure of it. The next thing I know, is darkness. Chapter 16 - Countdown Chapter 16 - Countdown Riin''s POV Asperd Isle - Fall, Bottom of the Asperd Mountain Range. So, after my little nap I decide, that it is time for some payback, a quick check on father and a massage of seven hours left until he becomes a person again, or at least a person with a bump on the back of his head and not just a easy target if the spiders were to somehow get inside of our camp. Now, let''s see my own status.
Name: Riin TrovrarAge: 8 [Child]
Race: HumanSex: Male
Level: 2Health: 25/30
Stamina:40/45Mana: 70/70
Yeah¡­ I really need to work on my health more, buuut¡­ that will be a problem for later on, when I''m not surrounded by giant spiders, that''s trying to eat me. But really if I don''t get working on it soon, I will end up an easy target for my coming enemies, I really do need to think up a plan for that, later. Now, however, it is time to see how my leg is doing¡­ I slowly get up and start to put some weight on it¡­ okay, so far so good, as they say, I can at least stand on it. Next, is moving, I slowly starts to walk along the rock wall, then when I''m sure that I will not lose my balance, I starts to walk around the fireplace, yeah¡­ I can definitely still feel it, that''s for sure, but still, I can move about without reopening the wound, so that''s good news, see, burning the entrance / exit holes of that type of wound works wonders, no bleeding or at least not on the outside. What I have to be careful of is if the bleeding starts from inside the wound, while I''m sure that it did not hit any large blood vessels, when it priced me, it still went clean through my leg¡­ so bleeding will happen if I like it or not. Oh! that''s right, I still have those herbs, that I found on the way here, the [All-Heale] plants. While they are normally applied to a freshly opened wound and require two weeks time to prepare before they will work their magic and speed up the healing of the wound, if I can speed up my healing process by grinding the leaves into a fine paste and then boiling that in water, drinking it as a thick soup instead, in theory, it should work, all I can do is test it out, to see if I''m right or not, there is just one little problem¡­ we have no more water left¡­ fuck, my life sucks real big sometimes, really, fuck it. Okay, next option on the list, using the paralyzing poison from the spider''s fang, the one that I saved earlier, the problem there is that I have no use how much is good and how much will end up with me being paralysed for some unknown period of time¡­ okay, let''s go the safe route, shall we, and by the way, if I end up paralyzed, I''m going to kill every last one of you darn green motherfuckers, just so you know, consider yourself warned, my dear spiders. Picking up the cut off fang, I squeeze it a bit, letting some of the poison drip into the fire. Here goes nothing¡­ I lift the fang to my mouth and let a drop fall in¡­ bitter¡­ but I need something to act as a painkiller, if I''m to move around without being too distracted about my new wound, so all I really need is a tiny amount of toxin to numb the pain, my problem is laying in the amount I need to use for this to happen¡­
You have ingested [Giant Forest Spider] venom! Paralysing level 5% Additional information: [Analyse Poison] shows that it has a paralyzing effect on the body. Dose: Unknown [Skill Locked]
Five percent? does that mean that if i reach one hundred percent it will become a ¡®full¡¯ paralyzing of the body? So different percent effect the body different¡­ five percent is doing a good job of diminishing the feeling of pain in my leg¡­ So between five percent and one hundred percent the effect of the poison will ¡®change¡¯ huh.
You have found a clue behind how poison affects the body, by doing so you have gained +1 [Wisdom] Knowledge added to [Analyse: Poison] skill.
Okay, so let''s see what we have to deal with¡­ I have seven hours to deal with the problem at hand¡­ that being tons of big ass spiders, man I''m so glad that I don''t suffer from arachnophobia, that would be a pain for sure. Okay, so I got two problems at hand, first we are surrounded by critters and second but most important in my book, we are out of water¡­ my best guess is heading further into the mountain range keeping to the route father planned for us before we were attacked, since I''m sure that father would not plan for a trip without knowing where the streams and rivers run, in case of us running low on water. So, it''s decided that I will head closer to the mountain range. But first I need to check my equipment, knives, check, leg wound, looking good and the spider venom is working, check, cloth and other normal easy to bring items, check, looking at the fire keeping the spiders at bay, I can see that I will need to add more wood to it before heading out¡­ let the countdown begin!
6:60:59
I jump over the fire once more, taking the blunt force of the landing on my good leg, wasting no time, I sprint ahead into the forest and rock area that marks the starting of the mountain ranges rise. I''m going to lure the spiders as much away from the campsite as I can, then do a quick turnaround and pick up some more firewood. Dodging an attack on my left, I jump to avoid the legs of an extra opponent joining in the fight, a rolling fall and a leap to the right and I''m clear of tree attackers, continuing my sprinting up the rocky hills behind our encampment, I''m starting to see that the ¡®stats¡¯ one gain is also affecting my body more, I''m clearly becoming faster at avoiding attacks against me. The moonlight is shining brightly, even as I run around with overgrown spiders trying to make me into food, I can''t help but to admire the view, out here there is no city lights, no noise, just the sound of the forest and the moon shine showing the way ahead. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. A quick leap to the right to dodge an attack once more and I make it to the forest line, time to get some firewood so that the old man don''t end up as a night snack. Heading over the hill and into the forest, I see no spiders following me at the time, so i start to pick up sticks and throw them over the hill and ¡®down¡¯ into the small valley of rocks and the likes to get as much burnable material as I can as fast as I can. Fifthteen minutes or so tick by with me running around like a insane person picking up all the wood, small enough for me to throw and sticks that, I can see within my range of the hill that I''m targeting as my place of landing my throws. Ten minutes later and my first break from this stick pickup game comes in form of an attacker trying to jump me as a bend down to grab a new one that I had just spotted, lucky me or I would have had a new headdress in form of a spider stuck to it¡­ yeah not my thing, so the spider leap over me and into a tree, head first¡­ d¨¦j¨¤ vu, well not that I care, I will use any advantage that I can get while having to do pest control. I set off to follow its jump and bring my knife down into its head for the back of, the drops to the ground with me still laying on top of it, disgusting.
6:35:59
Not long after the first one is down, two more joins the fight, must be the ones that I outran before, when I left the camp to gather some more firewood. One attacker leaps straight unto me¡­ they are starting to be very easy to read, I duck under it and slice it up from below, it lands on the other dead one, adding to the pile. The last one hisses at me, baring its fangs and jump to attack, I meet it mid jump as I ramp my knife into its head, and twitch it to do some more damage. Three down, now I need to get the last bit of firewood to the camp and then I will need to find water, after all it is one of the fundamental things for us to live for, you can be a strong fighter but without food and water, you will not last long, no matter your strength. Heading back around the rocky hill, I greeted by a few new arrivals, screeching at me, great more experience for me. I know that I''m grinning like a mad person, but what can I do, the feeling of killing is one I grew up with, the need to strike down at the enemies, that desire my life, I will never give up this life of mine, for it is mine alone, no longer am I a puppet in my father''s ranks, no longer will I be used as he sees fit, so for that reason alone will I fight - I shall never be another one''s puppet again, never. Ups, got to keep in together now, dodging an attack on my left side, I strike out at my opponent and slice off some of its legs in the process, making it unable to reenter the fight, while it is spinning around on the ground, I leap into the head of another one, ending its life as the knife cut open its head. I sidestep an attacker to my right, jumping back and slicing off some of its front legs, making it fall down on its.., ass? doing a rolling fall backwards, I get under one that jumped to attack from behind, cutting up its abdomen, making it fall to the ground in a mess of green goo and screeching¡­ but soon it is silence as its life drains from it. I reengage the one with no front legs, jumping into its range of attack and ramping the knifes from each side into its head, then ripping them out, ending in a result with a spider brainmass all over the ground. Other than the spider spinning around in a circle to my left, there don''t seem to be any attackers in the area for now, good, time for some research, on what makes them trick. Walking over to the spider laying on the ground, missing its right side legs, it hisses at me as a walk closer, clicking its fangs together making a lot of noise, hmm better fix that first. Grabbing one of the sticks laying around I stuff the stick into its mount, then as it bits down, I swing my knife slicing off its fangs¡­ ahh, that worked wonders! no more hissing or screeching at me. Now next thing on the list, its legs, the left side is still trying to strike out at me, better fix that too, no need to get stabbed by a stray leg, now is there. Getting to work on the legs one by one i cut them off.
By being exceptional cruel, and torturing a defenceless opponent, you have gain the skill [Torture]. You revel in the pleasure of causing pain on others, whether to extract information or simply for the sake of causing suffering, having a mentality to perform such acts of evil you have gained +1 [Wisdom]
Huh? Torturing¡­ exceptional cruel¡­ you revel in the pleasure of causing pain on others, what the hell is this!? it''s a fucking spider! a simple minded critter, a insect! I will show you Torturing, when I find a human, you fucking message system! Oh, well onwards with my little study. After some hard work on the study of the spiders anatomy, the different segments of it are much clear to me, it seem like the spider will ¡®survive¡¯ as long as the head, thorax and abdomen areas are left intact, it will remain relatively alive and responsive. That''s great to know, now ending let''s end my little meeting with it, slamming my knife into its head and slicing it up. Getting up, I walk over to my pile of firewood, and start throwing it into the fire keeping the spiders out, better get this train moving.
5:40:59
Chapter 17 - The queens lair A bit longer than normal for the weekend - hope you guys enjoy it Chapter 17 - The queens lair Riin''s POV Asperd Isle - Fall, Bottom of the Asperd Mountain Range.
5:30:59
You have slain a [Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience. [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [16]! You have slain a [Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience. [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [17]! You have slain a [Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience. [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [18]! You have reached level 3! [Bloodlust Aura] now affects level 2 creatures! You have slain a [Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience. [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [19]! You have slain a [Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience. [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [20]! You have slain a [Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience. [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [21]! You have slain a [Giant Forest Spider] by doing so you have gained 200 experience. [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [22]!
Checking up on my battle massage I see that I have gained a level and my [Bloodlust Aura] is beginning to look as something that can be of use. Stacking the wood in the fire and rechecking up on father, I''m set to go. Heading towards the mountain range in a light run, no more than half an hour passes before I''m met with the sight of a bunch of giant spiders staring down at me from the outcroppings of rocks scattered about the place. More fighting, more killing, ahh what a joyful night this is becoming. Engaging in battle once again , I jump to meet my first attacker, a knife priced into the underside of its thorax, and it drops dead. Bearly do I get out from under it as two new ones jump me from each side of, falling down flat on my back I strike each of them in the head form below, as they crash into one another. I push myself out from the pile of dead insects, just in time to stare at a set of jaws aiming towards my head, that is poking out, a quick blocking with the board side of the knives, and I avoid a bite straight to my face. Twitching the knives around and pushing them up into the head of the opponent, I slice out a ¡®V¡¯ looking part of it, mostly containing its fangs and eyes. Great now my buried in dead spiders¡­ and coverd in spider goo¡­ just fuckig great.
4:55:59
For some reason, when I finally got myself dug out from underneath the pile of dead insects, there are no other spiders in sight¡­ strange, I''m sure that there was a small force looking down at me, when the fighting started. Hmm, oh who cares¡­ not me, I did not look forward to getting tons of experience¡­ ah, who I''m trying to kit, of course I''m sad! All the killing I could have done!
Spider venom is diminishing form your body! Paralyzing affect 2%
What? Shit¡­ as soon as the message pops up, I feel the pain coming back. Well, not like it''s spider fangs I''m going to run out of considering that I just dug myself out from underneath three of them. Turning around I cut off a dang form the one closest to me, letting a drop enter my mount.
You have ingested giant spider venom! Paralyzing effect increased by 5% Total effect on the body is now 7%
Shit, did I take too much? a quick check on my movement and reaction speed and I see that I''m still good to go. Hmm, should I just pick up as many of them as I can carry? if I can bring back more fangs I can craft poison that is not normally found around here¡­ then again there is still the pile in front of the campsite I can use. Yes, I will not gather any here, for now I need to find water and rather fast, I''m running out of time judging by the sun light starting to show. Orientating myself of my surroundings, I set of in a light run, heading northeast up the mountain side. Twenty minutes or so into my run I spot the signs of an animal trail heading up into the mountain forest, following the trail I will surely find water that much I learned from father with his endless talks over dinner about finding shelter and water if I should ever get lost in the forest outside our home¡­ our home? where did that come from¡­ Forget it, I need to get moving. Following the trail I keep getting higher up into the mountainside, the trees go from high and green, to a smaller but more security root base. Hmm, better keep an eye out for a suitable tree to cut the bow form. Yew tree¡­ yew tree, need a yew tr- I cut of my thoughts as a screeching sound from behind warns me in time to duck down, before getting a spider in the face. The spider more or less flies over my head just as I duck down, well timed. Drawing my knives I leap after it and strike down, slicing open its abdomen. Shit, I don''t really have time for this, I need to find water, better increase my speed a bit. With knives in hand, I start to run faster, still following the trail up hill. Ten minutes, into my running I finally hear the sound of running water coming ahead of me, good thing I decided to listen to father endless blabbering, about survival in the wild. Five more minutes and I''m sure that the stream is just up ahead, the one problem I''m facing now¡­ yeah, you guessed it, spiders and it seems that they are very unhappy about my presence here, not even when I was killing them did they hiss this loudly. Ah, come to me my sweet experience, come to me¡­ Ups, haha, better stay on track, need to get water.
4:05:59
We have reached a still stand, no one is moving and as far as I can tell they are not blinking either¡­ wait, do spiders eyes have eyelids? Ah! I did check on it, when I was studying my spider before¡­ ugh, how annoying, that is going to bug me for awhile, I need a new subject to check it on. I''m interrupted by two spider making a move, leaping from the branch they were standing on. A quick dodge to the left and I bring my knife straight down into its face, ending it, spinning around and jumping after the other one, I land behind it and strike down into its abdomen, splitting it open. Movement out of the corner of my eye warn me to jump to the right, just in time to seen a set of jaws snapping shut where my arm was, a quick sprint forward and I''m in range to strike, bringing my knives down in a double horizontal line, slicing off its fangs and cutting open the head part that holds a great number of its eyes, it drops to the ground. I need to move! I don''t have time for this¡­ well saying it is easier said than done, the number has only dropped by four, but they are not retreating by the looks of it¡­ okay, guess I have to lure them a bit away from the cluster fuck they are in now, or I will be in trouble if they decide to swarm me, with numbers on their side I can''t hope to kill them before they get a bit in. So, run and hit it is¡­ erm hit and run? well that won''t work since they are up in the trees¡­ yeah, run and then lure them to me, then I will strike them down! The run and hit tactic is born.
3:45:59
As I sprint through the forest with them after me, I keep thinking about father, he seemed distressed about the amount of spiders that was gathering around us, for the old man to be so lost and out of hope¡­ My thoughts stop as I run around a rock, and come face to face with a cave filled with webs¡­ and I''m talking massive amounts of it, more web than cave, that much webbing¡­ webs...web? Hmm. Cave of web¡­ cave of webbing...cave of webs? Ugh, I''m hurting my head over this. A deep hissing unlike the one I have heard so far comes from the entrance off, not that I get much time think out it as my team of pursuers catch up with me, no time to think fighting that many in the open is bad news, but the cave is a smaller point where I can focus on a single attacker at a time, creating a bottleneck using the cave. Stepping into the cave entrance, I get the feeling that something big is in here with me¡­ the hissing sound from inside is deep and low, a creature bigger than what I have ever encountered before, ah¡­ I''m getting too excited about this¡­ keep it together, focus at the task at hand. As I make a move to enter the cave, the spider that are following me goes crazy, they all rush to attack at the same time¡­ there is it that ¡®hive mentally¡¯ they are all moving as one, scary¡­ not, come and get it, you darn critters! I keep to the left wall as I walk sideways into the cave, in case of attacks from inside.The ones from the outside, more or less smash into the entrance getting sort of stuck in the opening¡­ fucking insect, no brain at all. A wave of attacks follow, as they push themselves into the opening. I spring into the first one pricing it head, a jump backwards and a vertical strike down into the head of another one, a dodge to the left and one more goes down. A hissing sound from behind, a sidestep to the right and the attacker goes down. One of them has somehow crawled onto the cave ceiling and is use that to do an attack while upside down, a quick jump straight up and a knife prices it head, it drops down just as I land and leap backwards as a new attacker joins, getting the dead spider to fall on the new arrival, a well placed strike to the head and it too drops dead. It''s getting cramped in here, I need to move further in.
3:10:59
Luckily for me the sun rays brightens the cave making it easy to move around. As I move further into the cave system, I find more and more web covering the cave walls, but I do take note of the non stickiness of it¡­ hmm, that''s not the word¡­ well, that aside I move along the left wall. A three part way is up ahead¡­ I will stick to the left side, clearing out the areas one by one if I have too. The deep hissing is growing louder with each step into the darkness, once more I''m glad I don''t fear the darkness. I enter what seems to be¡­ for lack of better words a food storage room, the amount of webbed up creatures in here is¡­ truly amazing. From what I can make out, there is a bunch of deers some¡­ wolves? memories of mother and father''s attack resurface, I will kill them! But for now I need water, but this is such a nice place, looking around I spot a¡­ is that a fucking bear? It''s huge¡­ focus¡­ I get my act together, and just in time to dodge an attack from behind, a swipe of hand and its down, time to move. Making my way back towards the main corridor I''m attacked once again, they seem to be showing less and less regard for their little life''s, not that I care it''s great for me, they are easier to kill this way. Before I have walked to ten feet or so, out of the storage room I have been attacked four times, after the one that almost took my head as I was looking at the bear¡­ two of them more or less smashed into one another trying to attack me in the narrow corridor, one came charging at me, no breaks¡­ and the last one was just as stupid, I''m telling you, they have no regard for their life''s. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. As I reach the main corridor, I am unsure if I should head left further into the cave or head straight into the corridor across from the storage room¡­ better clean out all the rooms before heading further inside. After that though, I make my way across and into the caves to the right of the entrance. The main pathway is getting more and more narrow the further in I get. After a few steps inside the new area, I come to a fork in the road, so to speak, the corridor splits into three ways again. Left is it, walking into the entrance to my left I''m met with a truly disrupting sight after I enter a small circular room. Clusters of eggs, secured to the walls of the small room with the spiders web, are small light green eggs¡­ and if I didn''t know better I would say that they were¡­ well, pulsing. Better get them out of the way. The moment I begin to move towards them, I''m attacked by a spider form the corridor where I just came from, as I spin around and bring my knife into its head, I notice that this spider looks different from the ones I have met so far. This one is darker in color and its front legs seems almost¡­ like they are made from bone. It''s legs are longer and thinner and its rear end - the abdomen, is long and slim, compared to the ones so far, hmm¡­ is it a different gender? oh well, it''s dead anyway. Turning back to the eggs, I squat down to get a closer look- still, having the entrance in sight - at the weird green moving eggs¡­ yep, fucking disgusting looking. Well, moving onwards. I poke the eggs with my knife, as I do so, they bounce a tiny bit¡­ aliens. The knife breaks the eggs surface and a slime substance sipes out¡­ I start to poke each egg, breaking them one by one. Three more ¡®egg¡¯ room later and three of those strange looking spiders, and I end up back at the main corridor, to my right I see the sun from the cave entrance, straight ahead of me is the ¡®storage room¡¯ and behind me the four ¡®egg¡¯ rooms. I need to hurry up, the sunlight is not lighting up the cave entrance that much anymore, meaning that it is now higher in the sky, than when I entered the cave.
2:00:59
Turning right down further into the caves deep, I start my walk, careful not to step on any loose stones that will alert unwanted enemies ahead. The further I get inside the more downhill it goes, but when I hear it! the sound of water¡­ sweet lovely life giving water! In my haste to get to the water, I fail to notice the loose stone in my path. The stone gets kicked on to the cave wall and makes a ¡®Z¡¯ motion down the slope, plus a lot of noise. Soon after the stone has disappeared into the darkness of the caves deep, I hear the sound of hissing and screeching, growing louder by the second¡­ ¡®facepalm self¡¯. Now I have two options, retreat back toward the egg rooms or push forward to find the source of the water, that I''m hearing. I need water, so forward it is, quickening my phase uncaring for anymore loose rocks on my way forward. As I more or less run into the deep, the sound of both running water and spiders grow in strength, I reach a split in the road, turning left I hear the water so that where I will head to, but before that I need to take care of the five or so incoming attackers. Man, I really need to get this show moving. A sprint and I''m in between two of them as I run past them I slice up their abdomens leaving their insides to flow out, a side step to the right and a knives goes into one head, a dodge to the left and one more is down for the count. A dodge to the left then right and a knife goes into the eyes and out the side of it head as I move past it, annoying more is coming. I move to meet one that has jumped to attack cutting it up as I pass by, slicing one more spider abdomen up and a few legs in the process, as I move to strike one of those weird looking ones. Finally I get a quiet moment, using that I move left towards the water. Two more of the wired ones go down before I reach the source of water that I have been hearing. Then I see it¡­ running water and its forming a small pool. First things first, clean of the goo and intestines from the spiders so far, done. After that I get to work on filling up mine and fathers waterskins, as I stand there knee deep in the pool, I spot some glowing stones in the water, removing them from the pool I hold what seems to be a glowing quartz gemstone with the typical hexagonal form to it, pure white almost see thru.
You have obtained a neutral [Lightstone]! Let it guide you in the dark.
Ohh¡­ cool a [Lightstone], - better grab as many as I can carry - not that I get to admire it for long as a new attacker find me. I walk slowly out of the pool, so not to lose my footing, the spider is hissing at me from the ¡®shore¡¯ off¡­ ah, that''s right there is only a few spider that can survive in water, and this kind done look to be one of them. A quick leap as I reach the edge of the pool and I price it''s head, need to move, need to check the cave fully and then I''m heading back to father, I so hope that he is still unconscious, and don''t wake up before I''m back, that would be a fucking huge disaster. Armed, with my new lightsource I move deeper into the cave, soon I''m met with a ¡®V¡¯ section, quickly taking the left as I see the ¡®end¡¯ so to speak of that corridor. Two wired spiders down and I''m looking at a very strange egg, compared to the ones I''ve seen so far. This one is dark green in color and it''s¡­ well, kind off glowing a bit. Better leave this for now. As I head down into the unexplored part of the main corridor, I''m greeted with a deep and rather scary hissing sound, if I must say so. Descending into the depths of the cave, I''m attacked by a couple of spiders, a few well aimed stabs to their heads and four goes down. As I walk further down, the hissing and screeching just grows in volume, until the moment that I''m starting at the source of the noise. Ever seen one of those massive egg lay ant queens?... well, let me say it this way, I''m now a tiny bit scared of the mommy spider¡­ once again I''m reminded how scary mothers can be. Her body is more or less composed of her head and there in a set of freaking huge fangs, a set of two legs on each side of her thorax, - Yes, I know spiders have eight legs in all, but no way in hell I''m telling her that. Her front set of legs are equipped with a bony sword looking end, like the last part of her legs fortified themselves to give her a means of attack and defence at the same time, with the span of just under three feet long, they are both strong and sharp looking. Her abdomen or what was supposed to the her abdomen, is now a big and long ¡®bloated¡¯ more or less light green in color. Behind her more of those weird looking spiders are carrying eggs around. Yep¡­ they for sure have a hive mentality, of that I''m sure, after seeing this. A few of the normal spiders are also around, guess this is like a boss room, heh!
1:30:59
You have entered [The Forest Queen''s Lair]!
Forest queen¡­ well, I guess it really is a boss room then, nice! Let''s go and kill ourselves a queen, I''m glad father is not here right now¡­ I can let loose and have some fun¡­ heh.
[Bloodlust Aura] now active.
I just know that I''m grinning like a fool now, but I can''t help it! Ahh¡­ I don''t care anymore, kill I wanna kill! Slaughter it! Rip it apart! I want to kill! I want to tear its legs off! Come, itsy bitsy spider, let''s play together, it will be fun, so fun! Ups, almost lost it, focus! The queen hisses at me, guess it felt my aura, so much for a surprise attack. I move at the same time as two of the ¡®normal¡¯ spider set of in a sprint to attack me, I leap towards the closest one, cutting its abdomen down the side. The next one, gets a knife in the head, two more is already coming towards me, a side step and one is down. A dodge and a roll and one more drops, a wired one joins the fray, a double swipe and a few legs go flying off as it drops dead with a hole in the abdomen. I jump back just in the neck of time to avoid an attack from the queen herself, one of her bony front legs smash the rock floor as it slams down in front it me, sending small rocks flying around. Ah, that was close. ¡°You missed me,heh.¡± A hissing is all the reply I get as two of the wires ones jump me. After some jumping around to avoid the queen''s claws, I finally get the two lured away from her range of attack. Two quick stabs and they go down, now time to play with the queen herself. She is hissing loudly at me, baring her fangs. Ahh, what a sight to behold. She sweeps her one leg at me, I sprint and let myself roll under the attack, continuing to sprint towards her I ready my knifes. I kinda feel like poking a sleeping lion with a stick¡­ my knives compared to her are, well... really small! The other leg follow in a swipe to bring me down, okay time to put my speed and balance to the test. As she sweeps down to attack me I leap onto her massive front leg, as I land I start to run up it, until I find with I''m looking for, the link between the different segments of her leg. I bring my knives down with all the force I can muster as the wired position I''m in as I stand on top of her one front leg. My aim is true, the knives price into her weak link and cut open two long line where the blood like goo starts to seep out. Not that she is taking the laying down, nope¡­ She is full on going no crazy, the moment the knives price her legs she swings it towards the rock wall, I of course has depart that trip, no way I''m willing getting slammed into a stone wall. Luck must be on my side, - or my aim with the knives at least - as she smashes her leg into the wall, stone flies around the place and the leg bend in a weird angle, clearly damaged beyond use. I in the meanwhile is running along her side, as I make it too her abdomen area, I ram my knife into her bloated up area, as soon as the knife makes contact with it, my arm up the my elbow gets ¡®sucked¡¯ in¡­ Fuck! Eww! Nasty motherfucker. Well¡­ my plan to open a ¡®hole¡¯ was a success at least so that''s good, ripping my out to the point where only the knife is cutting her ¡®skin¡¯ I sprint along her side slicing up her¡­ ass.
[The Forest Queen] has been enraged!
Huh, enraged? That sounds bad¡­ wait, wait! Chapter 18 - Rage of mothers Got done a bit earlyer than planed, hope you will enjoy. Chapter 18 - Rage of mothers Riin''s POV Asperd Isle - Fall, Bottom of the Asperd Mountain Range - The forest queen''s lair.
00:50:55
Scary! Scary! Shit¡­ leave me alone, you crazy overgrown ass ugly spider! She has completely lost it! She is screeching and hissing like a mad, swinging her front legs around without caring around the broken one. Foul smelling drool is being sprayed all around the place as she is turning her head around looking for me. The left side of her abdomen is leaking a ¡®fine¡¯ dark green substance all over the floor. I need to bring her down way faster, than she is dying now, her one bone front leg was ripped off completely when she smashed it into the floor in an attempt to hit me, now it''s laying back near the entrance, not that she seems to notice it at all. Wait!... I need to kill her faster and she is missing her one front leg¡­ heh-haha, I can use that! I just need to avoid her drool long enough for me to get the leg, if it''s that, I''m sure that it can price her chest part¡­ erm area¡­ head? Fuck, why can''t you just be a normal spider lady! why do you have to be an overgrown egg laying poison spitting ugly thing! I dodge a large dose of drool and jump under one more crazy attack, but I''m quite sure that she is no longer attack me, just the whole area¡­ zik zarking in between her wild attacks, I make it to her stump of a leg. Up close, it looked almost like a sword¡­ heh, well why not use it like one than. Grabbing my knives I slice of the last part of ¡®real¡¯ looking spider leg, the bone comes up and forms a natural ¡®handle¡¯ where the link with the rest of the legs should be. Sweet, just got myself a sword, and a cool looking one at that!
You have obtained [Forest Queen''s Claws -Left]! Type: Sword Subtype: Vain Sword Material: Spirit Bone - Queen
Oh it has a name, oh well, here I come you ass ugly bitch! I get the type but the subtype¡­ later. With a much larger weapon in hand I stuff one of the knifes in my belt. I leap back just in time to avoid a strike with her other bony front leg, dodge to the left I make my way towards her backside, a few intense minutes tick by as I dodge and jump like a crazy person to avoid her attacks and that darm poisons drool that she is spitting all around. Making it to the back I jump onto her fat ass and make a run towards her head area, as I run up I''m slicing her back open with her bone sword, karma¡­ how it works out sometimes. As I make it to her head I swing like my life depends on it - and it does! - bringing the sword in contact with her head, it cuts clean true her shell, her big body spasms a few times then falls to ground unmoving. Ahh I did it! Hahaha I''m alive!
you have slain [The Forest Queen] by vanishing the queen you have gained 700 experience, by clearing [The Forest Queen''s Lair] you have gained a bonus of 100 experience!
In the mass of spider that I''m standing in I can''t help my to grin like a madman, I mean I just killed a dungeon boss or something like that if the message is anything to go by, heh. Ah that reminds me I better head back towards father and the camp, - before he wakes up. Grabbing the other bone sword from her, not like she will need it anymore anyway, I''m now armed with two cool looking swords.
You have obtained [Forest Queen''s Claws - Right]! Type: Sword Subtype: Vain Sword Material: Spirit Bone - Queen --- [Forest Queen''s Claws - Set] detected, applying starts bonuses: Added + 1 [Dexterity] Added + 1 [Strength]
00:14:35
I strap the swords on my back using some of my shirt, now it''s time to hurry back to the old man, as I begin my sprint out of the cave, I remember that weird looking egg, it will make for a great omelet! taking a detour I run to pick pick up the egg.
You have obtained [Queen Spider Egg]!
Huh, well guess it''s going to be a high quality omelet, heh. I run out of the cave with the egg in one hand and a knife in the other, you never can be too careful in the forest. After a while I can finally see the rocky hills where the little cave that we used for our camp is, finally! Man I''m beat, I''m really out of form¡­ then I hear a horrifying sound! I turn the hill and come face to face with a sight more terrifying than that spider queen¡­ the sight of a grown man crying like a baby. ¡°F-Father!¡± He looks up with tears down his face and snot running down into his beard, his eyes become big and even more teary, it''s horrifying on a whole new level of horrifying. ¡°Riin Trovarar! Where in the worlds have you been!¡± His voice booms out, but the only thing I see is snot flying about. Hmm, how to deal with this... ¡°I have been keeping the fire going so to keep honoured father from falling ill, after father passed last night.¡± That was as close to the truth as I will get, just hopes that he buys it. ¡°I...I passed out? But¡­¡± I have no clue as to what he is mumbling about. At least dry of some of all that snot off! It''s really disrupting to look at you know? ¡°Father I found an egg, we can make some omelet. I''m sure father would feel better after eating some.¡± Father stares at the egg I''m holding forward, for a long time a the while his eyes keeps on growing in size. ¡°B-Boy! Where did you get that egg?!¡± Hmm, where¡­ where¡­ oh well. ¡°A cave just up the trail while I was looking for water for father.¡± ¡°A cave¡­ You went into a cave¡­¡± He seems to be loose it, glad I''m armed, but it''s sad if I have to drop the egg, I really miss omelet. ¡°What were you thinking!¡± He is full on yelling now, yet he has not moved from the beds, still sitting against the wall. Mumbling to himself, words even I can''t hear. ¡°So, do father not like omelet?¡± He looks up at me with big eyes. ¡°Boy! That egg is a [Queen Spider Egg] that is not something you make food off! How, by the gods you got hold of it without meeting the queen is a m-¡± He stops himself as his eyes look over my shoulders. His eyes grows in size once more, truly amazing if you ask me. He drags a hand thru his hair. ¡°Boy¡­ is that¡­ a¡­ set of [Queen''s Claws]?¡± Hmm¡­ better play it safe. ¡°Huh, [Queen''s Claws]? Ohhh, father knows what they are?! I found them next to the egg. Are they'' good? They look really cool right?¡± His face somewhat relaxes, then he starts to smile then full on grinning like a mad and then he blows into a full on laughing mess. While he is laughing I have sat down, my leg is killing me, I really overdid it today, with all that jumping around I''m going to be sore for a few days to come. Amazing how much that man can laugh¡­ and so much snot in that beard¡­ I have gone over and grabbed some smoked meat, as it seems like the egg is not eatable, what a shame, really. As I''m chewing on my fourth price of smoked goodness, father finally seems to have cleaned down, at least he starts to talk again. ¡°[Queen Spider Egg] and [Queen''s Claws], for you to gain them both is truly amazing, boy!¡± Hmm, is that so? ¡°Oh, are they special, father?¡± ¡°Yes, very much so, boy.¡± He gets up from his seat, I slowly take hold of the knife still hidden in my belt. He walks over and places a hand on my head¡­ ruffling my hair around¡­ fucking¡­ ¡°I will tell you about them on our way back, boy. For now we need to find a suitable yew tree for your first bow! Than we are heading home, I''m sure Elisa is worried about us.¡± The way he says it makes me feel worried¡­ We walk a few miles along the mountainside looking for a suitable mountain yew that is of the right age. An hour into our walk and we finally find a yew tree, that father likes, he brings out his axe and gets to work cutting the ¡®branches¡¯ that we need off the tree. With the work done, we set our sights at home, starting the two day walk down the mountain range and though the dense forest of Asperd. ¡°[Queen Spider Egg], is also a [Familiar Egg], when one uses mana and infuses it on a [Familiar Egg], one can gain a [Familiar] that is bound to one''s shard, it will obey one''s command if it can, they are truly amazing creatures, [Familiars] that is, you are lucky, boy. [Familiar Egg] are rare to come by, they require a few conditions to be met before they come into existence.¡± Hmm, obey my commands huh, well I guess that can be of use, even if it''s a spider. ¡°[Familiar Egg] are created in a [Lair] or dungeon, depending on where you are from, but it''s all the same in the form a creating a [Familiar Egg]. The [Lair] must hold a [Queen] and a handful of proctors. If the [Lair] is home to a [King], a [Familiar Egg] can not form. To think that a [Lair] was this close to our home, it''s truly a freighting thought to think, but if you say that all the [Lair] had where the egg and bones of a defeated [Queen], than another [King] or [Queen] must have slain her¡­let''s hope that it has traveled up the mountain, and not deeper into the forest.¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
You have learned out [Familiar Egg]¡¯s and [Lairs], [Dungeons] as some countries calls them, you have gained + 2 [Wisdom] You have gained the skills [Knowledge: Lairs/Dungeons] and [Knowledge: Familiars]
Our trip home continues towards home, as father teaches me about the [Familiar Egg], [King] and [Queens] that guards the [Lairs], that I have ¡®acquired¡¯ the egg form, not that he will ever know that is was not another [Queen] or [King] that killed the creator of the egg but me, his own son. Never telling him that, ever. On our last day of the trip home he stares long and hard at the bone swords strapped on my back, he then makes a deep sigh, huh? ¡°[Queen''s Claws]... The weapons of the [Lairs] keeper, A spider keeper will have two kinds of weapons of a [King] keeper of the [Lair] it will have small but very sharp bone ends known as [Kings Knives], a dagger type weapon, they come in a pair of four. While has a [Queen] keeper will wield the bone weapons known as [Queen''s Claws] a sword type weapon, that comes as a set of two.¡± Father smiles as he look as me. ¡°What they have in common is that they are a weapon subtype called vain. - ¡± I listen more carefully now, I really need to know about this. ¡°The [Vain] subtype lets one use magic in combination with the sword or poison arts, the bone swords are also called, [Spirit Bone], they are living swords, so to speak.¡±
You have learned about weapon types and a subtype, you have gained the skill [Knowledge: Weapon subtypes], [Spirit Bone] type added to database. You have gained +1 [Wisdom]
Ah, and to think the old man was this smart, who knew. We are on our last bit of tour before we hit home, who knew that one could miss a person''s cooking so much as I do right now¡­ ah, life , how funny you are. Elisa''s POV Asperd Isles - Fall, Herbalist¡¯s Hut. Gone. They are gone, that is the only thing going through my mind as I sit there looking out at the forest. First it was that they were late for dinner, Raval promised me that they would make it back in two days time for the evening meal. But as time went by and their meals grew cold, I started to worry. So I waited up, waited for them to come into the garden, smiling and apologizing for making me worry so much, but they never came¡­ The tears keep falling down, what shall I do, I can''t seem to get my body moving. The numbness I''m feeling is so, so strong. So, I wait, sitting here with table ready for dinner, all that is missing is my family, my love, my c-child. Oh! my poor sweet innocent little baby boy! Light come from the garden as the sun set. My tears are now that of happiness as I run out the kitchen and slams the front door open, running towards my love,my child. I embrace them in a tight hug, I''m never letting go, never ever ever letting them go! ¡°Mmm-Mo-Mother! Can''t breathe, I can''t breathe!¡± Ahh, the sweet sound of my little baby. How I missed them, my sweet, sweet child! ¡°Dear, you are killing him¡­¡± Killing him¡­ Killing -- ¡°WHAT? WHERE IN THE WORLDS HAVE YOU TWO BEEN?!¡± They are both starting at anything but me. Arrr, no you don''t! ¡°GROUNDED!¡± ¡°YOU ARE BOTH GROUNDED! GO!¡± Riin¡¯s POV She is standing there in her nightdress stomping the ground and pointing towards the house. Grounded¡­ what the hell is that? I mean I know the term ¡®you are grounded¡¯ but does that mean I have to stay in my room? Does it even hold the same meaning here? Ahh, and I so wanted to rabbit stew! ¡°YOUR ROOM¡¯S NOW!!¡± Guess that''s my answer, man woman¡­ Shit, crazy woman, the hell is wrong with her? Was this what father was worried about? I can see why. Well I guess I can use some rest my leg is really killing me. ¡°Goodnight, mother¡± She gives me the crazy eyes, so I more or less run to my room, what? no way I''m dealing with one more bat ass crazy woman anytime soon, I will just let this one go, I think she was very worried about us, but who knows, women are very weird creatures after all. I sit in my room, listening to mother yelling and crying at father and much to my horror, father seems to be crying too¡­ hell man, grow up will you. I start to get ready for bed and have just taken of my pants, as the door flies open, amazing that it''s still hanging by its hinges. It''s not that I''m a shy person but anyone would be surprised to be jumped in like that, while almost naked¡­ much to my displeasure, I tell you. Not that I get a chance to get some cloth on. ¡°Oh! my sweet baby!¡± I''m bear hugged by mother, and it seems that she is not done crying, yet¡­ ¡°Oh, sweetly Raval told me how brave you were! I''m so proud of you my baby boy!¡± Kill me now¡­ I got tears and snot down my back, just end me already, this is fucking disgusting¡­ not that she seems to notice my discomfort at all. ¡°S-So brave¡­¡± And so the crying continues¡­ here I am standing in my underwear, getting hugged by mother, while her tears and snot slowly, painfully so, makes their way down my back¡­ It''s moments like this I wish I had my knives at hand. I''m interrupted from my thoughts by mother high pinch half scream or is it a cry¡­ I can''t tell, really. ¡°Sweety!! What happened to your leg?!¡± Huh?... ahh¡­fuck my life, so much right now¡­ ¡°A spider-¡± And that''s as far as I get in my explaining, and earshatteing yell breaks out from mother, and if I didn''t know better, I would say that she is in a state of fucking fury right now¡­ where the hell is my pants! I need my knife! ¡°RAVAL!!!¡± My poor ears! Christ woman, control yourself, will you! Father''s steps is heard as he is running up the stairs, as he comes crashing into my room, his eyes is looking for any treats, no need to look that far man, she right in front of you. I''m more or less ripped out of her hug and spun around so my front is facing father, hell is loose¡­ ¡°What is this? You said it was safe out there! Raval!!¡± And¡­ more crying. Father follows mother''s finger as she point to the front of the burn scar that is covering up the stab wound form that darn spider. His eyes grow is size, opening and closing his mouth for a while, before he seems to find his voice again. ¡°Riin!!¡± What, don''t put the blame on me man, it was you who wanted to go hiking, in a spider infested forest at that! Not that I''m ever going to say that, no way. Time to use the ultimate weapon! Doggy-eyes! ¡°B-but, father was ill! I had to get water, I didn''t want father to die!¡± Mother is now looking at father, ha! Take that old man! ¡°Dear, are you okay?¡± Her voice is once more the sweet and caring one that I''m so used to. ¡°I''m fine sweetheart, I just passed out, I guess the stress got me¡­¡± He drag a hand thru his hair and sighs, he walks over to me and mother and kneels down, then he looks straight in my eyes¡­ shit. ¡°Boy, I''m sorry I failed as a father¡± Huh? Failed, what the hell is he on about, did I hit him too hard? ¡°Oh, dear you can''t blame this on yourself, you were passed out.¡± Mother walk over and hugs father¡­ he looks¡­broken¡­ ¡°Father¡­ did not fail¡­ father is a good father, always happy and I don''t care about the wound¡­ Father is good¡­¡± Words that seems to be stuck in my throat, words I swore never to speak, but this is not him, this is not that man, that monster¡­ I can do this, this man took care of me even when I did not want him near me, he was always trying to make me laugh and showing me how much he cared for mother and me. Yes, this is not that monster of a man. I can say it, just this once. ¡°I love father!¡± Raval''s POV The boy''s left leg, has a rather large burn wound, that is covering the middle of his thigh, a spider Eliza said, a spider wounded my little boy, while I was not there to protect him, I have failed¡­ I have failed my family! ¡°Boy, I''m sorry I failed as a father¡± I''m fighting to hold back my tears and I know my voice is shaking, but right now I don''t care! Our little boy, he had to bare the pain of such a wound, he too young to know that kind of pain, and to even close the wound with fire, how much did he suffer? ¡°Father¡­ did not fail¡­ father is a good father, always happy and I don''t care about the wound¡­ Father is good¡­¡± He seems to want to say more, seems lost deep inside his own mind, Eliza is looking at him, holding a hand over her mouth to cover up the sound of her small cries, as tears stream down her cheeks. We stare at eachother, out sweet little boy has never been one of many words, but when he did speak up his words always held a deep meaning and understanding of his surroundings, many times too much for his age, but we love him! So it is our pride to take of him, and now it is our pride to listen as he try to speak words that seems unfamiliar to him. His deep in thoughts, after a long time he looks straight at me. ¡°I love father!¡± Ahh, I now know the meaning of life¡­ The pride I feel, I feel invincible! I can''t keep back anymore, I embrace both him and Eliza in a hug. We sit like this, for a while, on the floor kneeling and hugging our sweet boy from each side off, who seems a bit lost in the middle of our crying mess. His eyes grow big for a second, as it seems like he forgot something. ¡°I love mother too!¡± We laugh, while hugging him tightly. ¡°I know, sweetie, I know you do¡± That night we fall asleep in his room, while hugging our precious son tightly. Chapter 19 - Traveling to Flood Village Chapter 19 - Traveling to Flood Village Riin''s POV Asperd Isle - Fall, Herbalist''s Hut That was the worst night of all nights! The pure horror, no person should behold such horror, ever. To be hugged, while only wearing underwear, by one''s parents¡­ the power of words are scary! I will never say them again, never! By pure luck they both snuck out in the early morning hours, or I think they tried too¡­ they were really horrible at it, not that I slept at all that night, no, I was stuck between two mad people! After getting up, I went downstairs to eat breakfast, much to my surprise mother have prepared a bath for me, with healing herbs mixed in the warm water, by the smell of it. ¡°Sweetie, come while the water is still warm. I mixed the [All-Heale] plants that you found on your trip together with [Amrans] it will help speed up the healing process, after your bath, we will apply a mix of [Base Mullein] and [Kelventari] to help heal the burns, okay?¡± [Amrans], the lilac flower, that blooms in the spring, mother must have some dry ones saved up. The [Base Mullein] is the tall yellow stalk flowers in mother''s garden, they grow year round. [Kelventari] a small green forest plant that also grow year round, but I''m nowhere near being good enough to find them in the dark of night, while I''m sure they were around when we were on our trip. ¡°Thank you very much, mother¡± I step behind the linen that serves as a wall between my bathtub and the rest of the kitchen, slipping down in the steam warm water, I relax and let the herbs work their way into my pores. After a while father joins us, from outside, as he enters the kitchen he gives me a bright smile. Yeah, I''m never saying those words ever again. ¡°A message came.¡± He holds a letter in hand, weaving it around as he goes and give mother a kiss and a hug. ¡°Oh, from old Reinhold at Wave Inn?¡± Who the hell name their kid ¡®Reinhold¡¯ ? poor poor kid, I say. But, Wave Inn, was that not the place mother and father stayed last winter? ¡°Yes, were you expecting a letter from him?¡± Mother is laughing at father, while trying to grab the letter he is weaving around. ¡°Don''t be jealous, my love, he is far too old for me, and I have you and Riin.¡± She tiptoe up and kisses him again, while grabbing the letter from him as he embraces her, get a darn room! I''m trying to take a bath here, fucking hell people¡­ ¡°And to answer your question, dear. Yes I was waiting for a letter, we are going to spend the winter there, I don''t want to take any chance of that last winter repeating. So I told him to book our room, plus an extra one for Riin, all that was left, was a letter, telling me when he was ready for us.¡± A week has gone by with mother and father, being in a extremely good mood, since ¡®that¡¯ night. Mother has spent the week gathering up her herbs and dried plants, carefully placing them on one of the small hand pulled wagons, in the shred. Father has filled up his wagon with pelts and bow materials, even the yew that we got from our trip¡­ Seems like we will stay longer than the winter, better get my stuff packed up as well, not that there is much. I start filling up the old backpack with the few pieces of clothing that I have, the small pouch that I made and¡­ well that''s kind of it, it''s it?¡­oh! the omelet egg! I need that as well, I can''t leave that here. With the egg taking up most of the top layer of the pack, I call it the end, in trying to fit more stuff into it, the rest I can carry on me. The morning light falls in my window, as I sit and study my new swords, [Queen''s Claws] I understand the name now, the simple yet strong streamline design, as the two and a half feet slim bone comes into a perfect handle with a small tunnel down into the bone itself, truly a queen''s weapon, or at least a lady''s weapon, the weight is just under two pound each. In the week that has gone I have made leather straps to my belt to hold the swords, I also made a harness to hold them on my back, but for now I will use the belt straps, on the side of the backpack and have them there. The small knife is hidden inside the cloth that I have coves the belt with, what better safe than sorry, you know. My travel clothing is composed of my trusty boots a pair of thick linen pants, a trick long armed shirt and of course my leather belt, that is undercover as a normal kids cloth slash, heh, be fooled, fools. Well, it''s not like the two swords can be hidden very well, but who cares, if they come, I will kill, it''s that how the saying goes¡­ or is it something else, hmm it seems wrong somehow¡­ oh well, no matter. Now, all I have to do is wait for mother or father to come and say that it is time, time to leave this place¡­ what is this feeling? As I ponder over the new feeling that I''m having, a knock on the door sounds. ¡°Sweetie, we will be leaving in an hour or so, can you be ready then?¡± Hell¡­ will it ever end? gone is the wired feeling that I was having, it is now replaced with a growing annoying feeling of being called sweetie, all the fucking time! Deep breath, deep breath¡­ ¡°Yes, mother.¡± I hope that she will not call me that when people are around, the embarrassment. An hour passes with me rechecking my ¡®gear¡¯ and making sure the egg is safely secured in my backpack, I recheck my room for anything I might have missed and find nothing, making sure the window is closed, I walk downstairs to find mother. ¡°Good timing, sweetie, I was just about to go and get you. Are you ready to go? Is everything packs? Do you -¡± And there we are, another endless stream of question, lucky for me father comes into the kitchen, breathing heavily. ¡°Dear, the wagons are ready and¡­¡± Mother, stops mid sentence to look at him. ¡°Oh, now? Okay, sweetie let''s goooo.¡± She smiles and does, believe it or not, a fist pump in the air. As we get ready to head off, father closes up the doors and windows and is nodding to himself and doing a ¡®hmph¡¯ sound, each time he close a window or a door¡­ these people¡­ We start our walk southwest to [The Flood Outpost], there we will wait for a boat to take us over [The Flood], a river that separate the Asperd Isles into two and from there a walk of a few hours to [Flood Village], where we will be staying the winter, or so they say, but judging by the amount of thing they are bringing, we will be there longer. Half a day, will be passing with the walk, to our first destination. Father says that the [Lightstone]¡¯s that I found in the spider caves pool, can sell for a good prize in [Flinty Village] a day''s horse ride west from [Flood Village], so I hope that some people from that village will come by in the time we are staying there, so I can get some money. Father told me that [Flinty Village] is a mining village, - the only one on Asperd Isles. The trail southwest of out from our home is one that we rarely use, father hunts inland towards the mountain range, and so do I when hunting for game. So this road is a new sight for me, and I''m getting a good chance to look at it, as mother stop every five feet to pick herbs, not that I mind and father seems to be used to this happening, as he is not reacting to it. So far the trip is going slow and easy with mother picking herbs and father whistling a random tune. I''m using the time trying to spot herbs up ahead before mother goes to them, so far it''s hard as she seems to zigzag around from herb to herb with no stopping to look for them, just how good is she at spotting them? it seems like I have a long way to go before I''m near her level. ¡°Want to play a game, sweetie?¡± Hmm, a game? what can we ¡®play¡¯ seeing as we are in the middle of a forest, but let''s humor her, shall we. ¡°Oh, a game? Yes, let''s play!¡± She seems happy about my reply as her eyes brighten, and she gives me a big happy face¡­ grinning face? ¡°Okay, you saw the book mother has, on plants right?¡± Saw? I fucking read the thing, two times¡­ well I guess that counts as seeing it too. ¡°Yes, mothers plant book!¡± Okay, I feeling stupid now, but hey! none of them has thought me to read yet, so how else shall I describe her book? ¡°Yes! Now let''s see how many plants you can find as we walk, if you find a lot, mother will get you something, when we reach [Flood Village]!¡± Get me something¡­ hmm, that sound like a fifty fifty chance of being my win, and a chance of spotting plants like mother.
You have received a small request from your mother! Spot ten herbs kinds of herbs, along the trip to [Flood Village], if you can spot more, you will increase your chances of getting a reward!
Huh¡­ a freaking quest? like in them games? hmm, so in another way it differently a promise that she is making. ¡°I can! I remember lots and lots of them!¡± I really do¡­ and their names, not just the stupid picture of the plant. ¡°Okay, let''s go! can you find the plants for mother, sweetie!¡± And so it begins, my first quest, - find and call out herbs. I jump down from my spot on the back of fathers wagon, so I can spot them and point to them, as I walk beside mother.The first one I spot since our game started is, [All-Heale] and that one I know, that mother knows, that I know the name of, one of ten. My next find comes at a cluster of larger rocks along the trail, [Bastit], a small succulent, ¡®that, when crushed, tends to repel parasitic insects, including mosquitoes and the like. It has a pungent but not unpleasant odour.¡¯ Or so the book said, see I remember it! Ha, two down, eight to go. A while passe before I spot anything that I''m sure of, as we hit a small stream along the trail, I finally see one! A [Dainabush], is a creeping, thorny vine, much like a bramble. It has blue bell shaped flowers and in autumn, it carries dark blue or purple berries that have a strong effect on mammals, those who eat them fall asleep. Hmm, this is proving more difficult than I thought I would be. As we near the edge of the forest, - according to father. I finally spot my fourth herb, and a rather weird one at that, the [Hart¡¯s Tongue], a fern resembles a deer''s tongue. When eaten, it serves to decrease the users libido. [Kelventari], the berries of this plant, are applied to help treat burns. Five of ten, huh. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. With my focus on the plants around me, we reach the edge of the [Asperd Forest], the place I have been staying, for almost nine years now. Still I''m five herbs form the count of ten¡­ we have reached a grassland with rocks laying around the place, guess the mountains is showing even this far away from it. As we walk on the trail leading out of the forest I spot something that I''m sure is a rare medical plant, [Saddilia] a tree that has dark red wood, and equally dark blue leaves. It''s small, trucked in between some rocks along the path. Hmm, can it really be? ¡°Mother, that one.¡± I point towards the rocks, waiting for mother to see if I''m right. ¡°Ah! A young [Saddilia]! Dear! Stop!¡± Father, who has been ignoring us the whole time, turns at mother''s yelling. ¡°What is it, love?¡± At this point mother is truly excited. ¡°Our sweet boy spotted a young [Saddilia]! Amazing right?¡± Father, - who has no clues on plants and herbs just smiles. ¡°Oh, really? That''s amazing, good job, boy¡± Mother has at this point abandoned the wagon and gone to the small three. I understand her excitement, it is a very rare three, the nuts that grows from it can increase one''s [Intelligence] and [Wisdom], while the chance is small of it happening there still is a chance.After mother is done gathering the nuts around the three, we head onwards towards the outpost. Along the way I spot a useful herb, [Shepherd''s Purse] a small plant that can act as a bandage by stopping the bleeding temporarily. Seven of ten! just a few more to go! Half a day''s traveling comes to an end as we finally reach the outpost, and along with that the coastal view. There we are greeted by a few builder as they carry wood around the place, ah right, they are building a bridge. As we wait for the boat to come, people gather around us, I rest my hand on my hidden knife, I don''t like them being this close to us, there are too many of them. ¡°Ah, I heard you had gotten a son! How fine he is, what''s your name son and how old are you, hm?¡± ¡­ am I required to answer them, I wonder. Well, I can''t be rude with mother around, better address them and get it over with. ¡°My name is Riin, ma''am and I''m eight, greeting nine this year, sir.¡± There done, now go away people. Huh¡­ did I mess up? nobody''s saying anything and now that I look they are just staring at me, my grip on the knife slowly tightens. ¡°Ah! So polite he is, Elisa! That''s such a great kid, you have gotten yourself.¡± Mother smile and thanks them, they start to talk about other things, I slowly make my way out of the crowd, going down to the riverside, not that it looks like a river to me, just part of the ocean, if I''m honest about it. There on the rocks I find a rather large patch of [Attanar] moss, which when applied to the forehead of a sick person, will cure fevers, I scrap the patch of the stone with a smaller flat rock that is laying around. Two more, I can make it! With the moss rolled into a smaller form, I walk along the waterside looking for more coastal plants. Closer towards the settlements buildings but still near the water I find my ninth herb, [Arfandas] If the stem of it is bound up in the dressing of a fracture, it will double the healing of the fracture. I''m surprised to find it here as it normally requires colder weather, I guess winter is closer than I thought. As I make my way around the outpost I finally find my tenth herb, the [Arkasu] a small plant with a tick sap that helps to heal wounds when applied to them. With all my findings in hand, I make my way back towards the wagons, and to find mother so I can get my reward! I circle around the buildings and come to the trail we used to enter the small encampment, I greet the few people that I pass with a simple nod, no need for words here. I spot father, who looks to be bantering with the builders about something, as I walk near them I start to hear their conversation. ¡°Ohh, that some fine wolf pelts you got, Raval. You interested in trading it?¡± Oh, trading, so they are not using money¡­ but items for item of equal value or something father can use as we travel, by the sound of it. ¡°Ah, might do. What do you have for trade?¡± ¡°You looking for pelts or materials, Raval?¡± ¡°The pelt I will sell in the village, if you have some materials, from around here, now that would be great.¡± Hmm¡­ I wonder if I can sell or trade the herbs I find too? walking past fathers group, I find that mother is looking around the place, she seems worried. I make my way over to the side of the wagon she is at. ¡°Mother, is something the wrong?¡± At the sound of my voice, she spins around looking at me. Why¡­ does it look like she is about to cry? ¡°Oh! Sweetie! Where did you run off to?¡± ¡­ She fuckimg went and did it, calling me sweetie while we are around people. ¡°I went down to the water.¡± I lift up my hands, showing off the herbs that I have been carrying here, guess I better explain to her that I went sightseeing for plants. ¡°I went looking for coastal plants, that could be useful, for mother.¡± Her eyes fall on my outstretched hands still holding the herbs. ¡°Oh, sweetie. You found a great deal of them I see, and you even took them to me, let''s pack them up, shall we?¡± She is smiling as she carefully take the plants, one by one, and pack them up and onto the wagon. ¡°Elisa! The boat is here.¡± A man wearing a white linen tunic, which is covered in dirt, comes cover to us. ¡°Let us help you, with the wagons.¡± Mother smiles and thanks the man, as he starts to move the wagon towards the small dock build off to the side of the outpost. Father join us at the dock, he seems to be in a good mood, guess he got some useful items, for the wolf pelt. As we get our wagons loaded down in the boat, we wait a while until some food and building materials, by the looks of it, are unloaded. As the last of it gets off the boat, we are told to take our seats. The boat is seems to be a board boat, with a wide deck for transporting larger items, I''m quite sure it can ferry a few cows or horses at a time. It uses both a sail and paddles, to transport its cargo and passengers across. Mother is looking at the herbs that I pointed out during our trip, plus the does I collected during our downtime in [The Flood Outpost], she seems to be thinking about something, not that I care really. A quick glance to my other side and I find father with a rather weird facial expression¡­ is he seasick? but there is not a single weave¡­ ¡°Wow, sweetie, you really did find ten different plants for mother. I''m so proud of you.¡± Wait, why are you completely ignoring your husband¡­ ¡°Erm, mother is father okay? he looks¡­¡± Hmm, how to describe him without sounding rude¡­ not that I get the chance as mother answer me before I find a word fitting for his looks. ¡°Oh, he is fine, sweetie. He just can''t handle sailing, that''s all.¡± She is smiling at me, why does she find it funny? I look at father again, he seems like he really is feeling it¡­ so hope he is not going to start puking. ¡°So, what shall we get you, in the village?¡±
You have completed your mother''s request. Finding ten different kind of herbs along your travel to [Flood Village]. You are now reliable for a reward. --- By finding a rare herb, [Saddilia], you have increased the amount of money your mother will spent on your chosen reward.
With me pondering over what to get as a reward, we reach the other side of the isles. The men paddling the boat, helps unload the wagons and help father get out of the boat, it seems like they are used to him, since they just laugh a bit and pat him on the back, while wishing us a good trip the rest of the way. As the sun is setting we can see the outline of the village in the horizon, our last walk begins, soon we will be in the rooms mother has gotten for us. With the last rays of the sun, we enter the walled village, - even if the walls are wooden poles. A small sign, hanging over the door of a larger two stories house, marks the end of our journey. Chapter 20 - Arranged marriage Hmm, steadily dropping around a 100 views each chapter. what am I doing wrong¡­? Chapter 20 - Arranged marriage Riin''s POV Asperd Isle - Winter, Flood Village - Wave Inn The winter is slowly coming to an end, and with it my eighth year in this world. The snow was not as strong this year, but we did have a few people coming to get mother, as they cout a high fever. Currently a young pair is sitting in the common room with mother and father, they seems to be talking about a rather serious thing, as none of them have been laughing at all during the conviction. Time to get closer. I seems to catch the end of a sentence. ¡°- as we would really like to thank you, for the help you provided, that year.¡± Mother and father are not saying anything, come on, speak up will you¡­ a few minutes tick by without words, are they done? ¡°Are you sure? We are not a rich family, so we can''t offer much.¡± Huh? Are they blackmailing them, if so they are about to meet their end. ¡°Yes, we are sure, if not for you, we would not have a child at all and I no wife.¡± Okay, I''m officially lost, just what are they talking about? ¡°If you are truly sure, than I see no reason to not accept, the proposal.¡± Wait a fucking minute¡­ why the hell does this sound as a interview for a - father''s voice interrupts me from finishing that line of thought. ¡°Yes, if that being so, then we gladly accept your daughter into our family.¡± Even my mother seems eger by the idea. ¡°I''m sure that, Ailith will be great for our son.¡± Wait¡­ our son, as in me? Words have been spoken, that can never be taken back. ¡°Shall we have them meet, tomorrow?¡± That is the last I hear as I make my way towards the room mother has gotten prepared for me, tonight I will commit suicide! The rays of the sun falls into the window of my room, not that I find it refreshing, no this means that I will be meeting my further bride-to-be. Fuck me and my fucking life¡­ why do it always end like this, I know, I''m not a good person, but arranged marriage, really? Where is my chance at love or even sex with a few people who fits my taste? Do you really want to control me too, are you just like that man? If so our ways shall soon part¡­ A knock sounds on the door to my current room, it is soon after followed by mother''s voice. ¡°Sweetie, are you awake yet?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I in a bad mood, from a night of thinking over the proposal, that was made, a really bad and grumpy mood, I can''t even be asked, to mind my tone. ¡°I''m coming in, okay sweetie?¡± As the sound fades, mother slowly opens the door, she scans the room, until her eyes falls on me. Elisa¡¯s POV ¡°Yes¡± His voice is strained, even from behind the door can I hear that something is not right, the reply lagging any kind of his normal politeness. What is wrong with my little boy? Even if we have been here for some time I have yet to see him express any form of dislike for the village or its people, I wonder if he had a bad night''s sleep. ¡°I''m coming in, okay sweetie?¡± I open the door, not finding him at the desk I look around, he''s sitting on the bed leaning against the wall, but what stops me from stepping into the room, the thing that freezes me on the spot, are the look in his eyes ¡­ cold, my sweet little boy who is always showing me a smile, is now staring at me with emotionless eyes. A chill runs down my spine, is this what Raval talked about, - the moment they were being chased by forest spiders and he was more scared of our boy, then anything the spiders might do? I seems to be frozen, unable to step back or look away from the coldness of his eyes, only the sound of his voice breaks me out of it and even that seems cold and distant too. ¡°Does mother need something?¡± Need something, did I? Ah, the proposal from last night! I swallow once, clearing my throat, wetting my lips, ¡®you can do this, Elisa¡¯. ¡°Sweetie, there is someone father and mother, would very much like you to meet.¡± He stares at me for a while, the cold eyes never blinking, was his eyes always this emotionless? ¡°When?¡± When, is he asking when, of course he is, stupid me! ¡°Today, we will be eating dinner at their house, okay sweetie?¡± My throat feels dry, I can''t help but to think that he is scary, unsettling to be near. ¡°I understand, I will come down later, so for now mother, leave me be.¡± The words are spoken in a cold tone, uncaring, unfeeling, emotionless words. More than a request to be left alone it''s like it''s an order, and to speak the truth I am more than willing to leave the room, yes, I will give him some space for now. ¡°Ah, of course sweetie, take your time okay.¡± He gives me a nod, but unlike normal times, its lagging the smile that is always with it. I close the door as I back out of the room, turning around I head into our own, I need to talk to Raval about this. ¡°Hmm, so it happened again, huh?¡± ¡°I''m telling you, his eyes¡­ they were so very cold, what shall we do, love?¡± ¡°Hmm, I guess, he is at that phase, huh¡­ the rumoured ¡®rebellious phase¡¯. Well, I will have to talk to him, can''t have him going around with a scowl on his face all day, now can we.¡± With that said, Raval stands and head for the door. Raval''s POV Knocking on his door, I enter without waiting for an answer, can''t have the boy scaring Elisa. I find him sitting on the bed look really bored and just as Elisa said, his eyes are the same as on that day, yet, I feel no bloodlust from him, guess he just really is in a bad mood. He is the first to address me, his voice too seems cold. ¡°Father.¡± As always his straight and simple when he speaks, as not to waste time on words. Dear me, I''m really having this conversation now? well, guess I am. ¡°Boy, what are you moping around for?¡± A minute passes as he stares at me. ¡°Moping, me?¡± Huh, hell¡­ Is he even aware of the face he is making, right now? ¡°What do you mean, you, of course it''s you, you scared your mother half to death, giving such a cold look to her. So I will ask again, what are you lying around and moping for, huh?¡± Minutes pass, his eyes never moves from me. Than he, makes a face as if to say something, but closes his mouth again, by the gods, this boy¡­ ¡°If you have something you want to say or ask, do it, boy.¡± Ah, is he in a bad mood since he didn''t get the gift from Elisa yet, for finding the herbs? ¡°Hey boy, are you mad at Elisa for not getting a gift for finding the herbs? is that it?¡± One of his eyebrows goes up¡­ guess not, hmm, what else can he be in a bad mood about? Hmm, this rebellious phase sure is a tough on you. ¡°The marriage proposal, I heard last night¡­¡± ¡°Ahh, I see.¡± Huh? When? How? I soon get my answer, as he continues where he left of. ¡°Last night I went to get water, when I came back, a couple had arrived, you all seemed busy so I stayed in the kitchen.¡± His eyes ever weaver from mine, those pale grey eyes, staring straight at me. ¡°I stayed out of hearing range, didn''t want to disrupt your conversation, but then I heard about their daughter, and that you accepted the proposal, and that we are meeting them at dinner¡­ guess, I just got in a bad mood thinking that I have to marriage this girl I never met before, that''s all.¡± While he talks, I can do nothing more than stare at my son, and then I start to laugh at the whole situation. Riin¡¯s POV He is laughing at me¡­ again¡­ Mother comes in thru the door behind him, look a bit confused, well she is not the only one, that is being confused at the moment, that is. I''m not really sure why it is that father is laughing at the moment, but first things first, father said mother got scared of me, even if they are arranging a marriage for me, I don''t want her scared of me¡­ something inside of me screams at me to try and fix it, so here goes. I push myself of the bed and go to stand in front of mother, I''m ignoring father at this point, I bow by the waist in front of her. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.¡°I seemed to have scared mother, with my bad mood. I ask for mother''s forgiveness.¡± I stay like this, not that it last long, no, I''m grabbed into a hug of death, by her. ¡°Oh, my sweet boy, of course I can forgive, you, silly!¡± While I''m still getting hugged to death, she addresses father. ¡°Raval, why in the worlds are you laughing at my sweet boy, huh?¡± Mama bear mode, I tell you. ¡°Sorry, it''s just that-¡± He is kind of crying a bit at this point¡­ mother looks down at me, for help? ¡°Erm, last night I went to get water, when I came back, a couple had arrived, you all seemed busy so I stayed in the kitchen. I stayed out of hearing range, didn''t want to disrupt your conversation, but then, their daughter came up, and that you accepted the proposal they made, and that we are meeting them at dinner¡­ so I guess that I got in a bad mood, over having to marriage this girl, that I''ve never met before¡­¡± Mother is staring at me for a while before a small sound passes her lips. ¡°Oh.¡± We are now sitting around a small table in mother and father''s room, guess a talk is on the way. ¡°Sweetie, do you know, that we don''t have much money right?¡± Can''t say I find it a problem, but I guess, we don''t. While we have been staying in the village, I have seen more and more people, that seems to look down on mother and father, while they respect mother for her knowledge on herbs and medicine, they don''t seem to be as respecting as one would expect people show their doctor. ¡°Are we really poor?¡± ¡°Ah, yes I''m that afraid we are, sweetie.¡± Hmm, so we are low on the ¡®food chain¡¯, huh. ¡°You know, sweetie, since you are such a smart boy I''m sure that you have seen that a lot of the people living here, live with a pair of elders too. Ah, sure did see it, but how the fuck is connected to being poor¡­ ¡°You see, normally the woman marry into the man''s family, but sometimes if the woman''s family is better of or the man''s family have an older brother, the man marries into the woman''s, do you understand, sweetie?¡± So, the family that is better of basically gets a free caretaker for when the parents gets old, and in case of more children, the eldest of them gets the house, so to speak. ¡°Yes, mother.¡± ¡°But, you see, father''s family didn''t like mother, so we ran off and came here, so we have no one to support us, and running of like that, you see, is looked down on.¡± Hmm, I see now. ¡°So the reason mother and father only come to town is that no one wants to trade with you, or are they not willing to pay the real amount the product is worth?¡± Both mother and father are looking surprised at me now, well, it can''t be helped this time. ¡°That''s right boy, while they will need new bows and they like what we have for sale, they do not like the way we live. Even if some treat us nicely, many dislikes the fact that we are without elders.¡± Hmm, that''s mother''s family, but what about father''s side? ¡°Does, father''s family not like us, as well?¡± Father looks at me and gives me a smile, guess not. ¡°Ah, you see boy. Father, has an older brother, who is holding ownership over my family''s shop, in [Rey].¡± Oh, so in this chase mother''s family was the one that should have been living with us, but why are they against father''s family? ¡°Why do mother''s family hate father''s family?¡± ¡°Ah, haha well you see mother is from a small village southwest of [Rey] called [Stritken] and the believe in [Rey] has always been that it''s a poor man''s village, so marrying into or from that has always been very much looked down on.¡± Ah, I see so mother''s family, being from a place where they are looked down on by the neighboring town, might not take kindly to a boy from the ¡®rich man''s town¡¯ coming and taking their child away. And the so called ¡®rich town¡¯ would probably not look kindly on a girl from the ¡®poor man''s village¡¯ marrying into their town. Okay, with all that down and away, comes the question of the day. ¡°Why, are you agreeing to a marriage proposal for me then, if you both married out of love?¡± Or at least hope they did. For a short while they just sit there and look at me, then father rub his beard. ¡°Well, I guess we just wanted to make sure that you had a place, if we are not here I mean.¡± Not¡­ here¡­ as in gone, death, never to return again. That a dark place I just went, let''s take a deep breath, shall we. ¡°Huh, but you are not old yet.¡± Okay, that came out sounding extremely childlike. What I meant was that they are both really young and have like no grey hairs and all that old people shit. ¡°Well, you know sweetie, no one lives forever, even we will get old someday.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Well, boy, why not join us for dinner and see the girl, no one is saying you have to marry her. Actually, thinking about it, that would be a crime, since both she and you are too young to be marry.¡± Okay¡­ when is not too young than? ¡°When, can one marry than?¡± ¡°When you turn fifteen, you are considered an adult, at least in our kingdom.¡± Nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen. Seven years before I can marry¡­ I see, so I got seven years to spent on adventuring around, huh. Not that I have told them, anything about my plan for seeing the island that we are currently on. For tonight I will have dinner with my bride-to-be, and see if she fit my taste at all, if not, well then there is no way in hell that I''m marrying her in seven years. Father, knocks on the door to a rather big two stories house, it seems to be build of what looks to be bricks, not that I''m sure at all, a moment after, a elderly man opens the front door, he greet us with a smile. ¡°Ah, welcome, welcome, come inside, come.¡± His voice shakes a bit as he speaks, like the elders voice tend to do, he steps aside and we enter into a lit hallway. ¡°Good evening, elder.¡± Father, is respectful as he greet the old man, guess it''s a thing here - respect your elders. We follow him to what seems to be the dinner room, here we are greeted by an elder lady and a young man, I recognise him from the common room at the inn, last night. ¡°Good evening, sir, ma''am¡± He is polite towards father and mother, I will still be keeping an eye on them. The old lady speaks up. ¡°My daughter has made dinner, it is ready in a moment.¡± She smiles, her voice to shakes a bit. She turn and look at me, huh, did I do something? ¡°Ah, so you are the lucky boy, who will be the husband of my little angel, what''s your name, boy.¡± Hey, hey now, don''t go and decide shit on your own lady¡­ manners, manners. Remember they are old people, just take a deep breath, they will be dead soon, anyway. ¡°My name is Riin, elder.¡± I make a small bow as I greet her like father greeted the man at the door. She smiles at me, and reach out for my hand, I let her take it, still have my knife on me, what¡­ never met an old crazy person? ¡°Oh, so polite you are boy. Come and meet Ailith, I''m sure she will like you.¡± With that said she gets up from her seat and more or less drags me with her, well¡­ as much as a old person walk zero miles an hour can drag a person. We reach a room down the hallway from the dinner room, she opens the door and inside I find a¡­ wait¡­ is that a freaking baby?? What the¡­ ¡°Elder, mind if I ask her age?¡± ¡°Ohh, she just turned two.¡± Okay, two¡­ Fifteen to marry able age, she is two¡­ seven years for me to be of marriageable age and then add another seven year¡­ Twenty two when she is fifteen, what the fuck are these people thinking? The dinner went by slowly some formal talk and a lot of smile and nodding¡­ feels like I''m watching politicians talk. As we walk back to the inn I just have to ask mother and father of that age different is normal. ¡°Mother, I''m twenty two when she is fifteen, is that normal?¡± Both mother and father looks at me, smiles and nods. ¡°There is ten years between your father and me, sweetie.¡± Okay, I guess ten years age difference is also normal, seeing that both of them don''t find it a problem. Well, this is another world I guess¡­ the rest of our walk back is quite. Chapter 21 - Adventure time Chapter 21 - Adventure time The Asperd Isles, part of the first human ruled kingdom, named from the very isles themselves, Asperd Kingdom. Consisting of two large islands and a smaller, uninhabited one, it is split into six regions. They range from the far Northern drifts, with its snow covered mountains and frozen lakes, to the small hunting post in the southwest, there in the mountains of the north, springs a river that runs down south, splitting into three branches, one runs east and out into the ocean, marking the border of the north. Further down south it in two, one running along the snow covered land and into the north side of the Canyon Bay, giving the bay a year round fresh water supply, if needed. The last branch of the northern river flows into the a chasm, that marks the beginning of the Asperd mountains, known as the canyon region, it holds one of the two cities of Asperd, Bay City. From the canyon rises the largest mountain range, the Asperd mountains it stretches for more than hundred miles, surrounded by forest, it hold some of the oldest and strongest carnivores of the land. Crossing the river, that parts the Asperd into two, The Flood its name is, one will reach the smaller of the two, here the flinty mountains springs and boards the south coast, with a lush forest and a mining village, the flinty region hold the most income, with the help from Flinty Bay, the port city of the Asperd isles. On the north half of this island the Stoney mountains rises for a mere forty miles, covered in thick forest and surrounded by hills, the Stoney region has yet to see any settlements. Far south at the end of the Asperd forest, the island named, The Lost Isle, once said to hold a temple, lost in time it marks the last land before the ships reach the open sea, with its single mountain and the forest reaching the island''s coast. Riin''s POV Asperd Isle - Spring, Flood Village In the spring of my tenth year I finally free, or at least from following father around all day. My last year as an apprentice under the teachings of father, the art of crafting bows.
Congratulations, you are now trained in the art of the making bows. The craft skill, [Bowyer] has been added to your skill list. You have gained the ability to get more detailed information on the bow you are handling.
My last two years had been with father in the shop, behind our new house. Yeah¡­ they moved us into town, when the marriage proposal was accepted by the locals. Something out all having to agree to let newcomers move in, we even had to rebuild an older house, before we could move in completely. To say I was unhappy, that the village people wanted to make father and mother work, would be the understatement of the millennia. So, what can a boy do, well to start of with I used my great gift, the art called the way of speaking¡­ Heh, to get the people around the village to help out. Well, I bribed them with free medical plants and other good stuff that we had laying around in the root cellar, let''s be honest about it, no one does anything for free,but add some kind of reward and people will help out, so that''s what I did and after a few months out rebuild new house was standing there, looking all handsome. With father in the small workshop and mother mixing herbs in the kitchen, all was going well¡­ Yeah, now I''m bored sitting here doing nothing. Over the last years I had been studying the omelet egg, and with all my knowledge on spiders and this word, I found it unwise to release a giant spider in the middle of the village. I have been studying the map farther had and it shows a lone island to the southeast of the Asperd mountain range, if the map is anything to go by, it will take me eight to ten days of walking along the coast from the Flood Outpost] and then I will have to find a way to cross over. But the island seems to be perfect for the egg, it has a forest and a mountain and the best of it all, no one lives there. So, that I my plan, get strong enough to let mother and father make me travel alone and then head for the island, release my giant spider and rule the island. First things first, I need the endurance to last at least ten days of walking and running, and ladies and gentlemens, I just don''t have that, in the poor excuse of a man''s body¡­ the sad and cruel fact of life. So, I had one of my bright ideas, I heard that the next village over is a mining one, so my plan is pretty simple. Go there, dig stone, carry stone, gain endurance, see so simple, yet so brilliant. And as a added in bonus, I was thinking of learning a bit about how to construct a mine, if I can get some easy riches, the I''m all the more happy. In morning sun, marks the start of my new plan, after my morning exercises I head down the hallway and into the kitchen where I''m greeted by mother who is putting fresh bread on the table. ¡°Oh, your up early, sweetie, good morning.¡± ¡°Good morning, mother.¡± I walk over and sit down opposite of her, a quick look around for father''s boots and I find them gone, meaning that he is either out the back, working in the shop or is somewhere else entirety, probably with Ailith''s father doing whatever it is bored old men do. Okay, here goes nothing and if all goes wrong I still have the gift mother owes me, from the quest I did for mother when we first arrived here, yeah¡­ so I like having favores to call in if needed. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.¡°Mother, I have been thinking¡­¡± I look up from my meal to see if I have her attention, I do, she is smiling and looking at me, waiting for me to continue. ¡°Before Ailith and I are of age to marry, I would like to see some of the island.¡± She stares at me for a short while before nodding for me to continue. ¡°I wish to travel to [Flinty Village], and see how they mine and produce metal products of their own mine. Like, how father hunts with his own crafted bows.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She sits there staring into nothing for a while, then looks at me again. ¡°I will have to talk to your father about this, and see what he thinks.¡± I give her a nod, completely understanding her reasoning. ¡°I understand, mother. Please do take your time.¡± I leave her after finishing up breakfast, taking my now daily run along the village wooden walls. As I step inside, the house, I¡¯m greeted by both father and mother at the dinner table, father''s voice breaks the silence. ¡°Boy, come sit.¡± I step inside the kitchen, and take my seat in front of him, a smile to mother as a greeting, she seems to me grinding up herbs for something. ¡°Goodday father.¡± His rough laugh sound out at he shakes his head a few times. ¡°Always so polite, boy. Anyway what is this I hear?¡± He stares at me, waiting. ¡°I wish to see the island before marrying with Ailith. Since there is quite a few years, before we are of age, I wanted to use them to look around a bit.¡± He sits and stares at me some time too, just like mother did. A few minutes passes by before he gives a ¡®hmph¡¯ sound, then breaks into a small laugh¡­ luckily it only last a short time, thanks to mother, who clears her throat. ¡°Always a smart, boy.¡± I''m unsure, if I have to answer that, or even if it''s a compliment or an insult, so I keep quite for the time being, he soon continues. ¡°So you want to travel and see the island, huh.¡± I just give a nod. ¡°Well, you are not really a child anymore¡­ So, I don''t see why not, you going to [Flinty Village], that is.¡± He sits there and stares at me for a few moments before speaking again. ¡°If you can be ready in two days time a trade wagon, will be coming here to stock up and different products that is not found in [Flinty Bay], it will then turn and take the trip back. I''m sure that we can talk with the driver and get you a ride to [Flinty Village].¡± With my parents permission I could finally being to move up in the world, after all only the strong survive. With father securing me a ride with the trade wagon, I had time to think about what to bring. After a small talk with mother, about the omelet egg, we decided that for now is was safe in my room, where no one knew of it. I left my swords in my room too, the set of [Spirit Bone] was worth too much to take along in case of a bandit raid, since I could defend myself fine, with a knife and a bow. I packed light, only bringing a waterskin, my knife and father gave me a new one, ¡®in case of an attack¡¯, he said. A spare set of cloths, the five [Lightstone] form the spider cave, and a quiver of arrows, a gift of father. Mother gave me a two small leather pouches with herbal ointment in them, a mix of healing herbs and muscle pain relaxing cream. As a gift from them both I got ten silver coins, a first sight for me, the coins was a small square with a pressed thin line in the middle of the coin following the square edge around. When I asked of the worth of one silver coin, I got told that each coin would get me a room and food in a town''s inn, while not the best room or food. All that was fine by me as I had planned to sleep under the open sky, after my trip with after I found that even a rock and be a good pillow if used right. So, by my count I had at least to ten days roof over my head, if I used the them at an inn. I would get money from my four remaining [Lightstones], as I would be keeping one of them for myself, from what father told me, they were highly sort after by miner as they did not make gas pockets blow up. I planned to see if the miners would need any free help carrying stone and such out of the mining area, in such manner I could work on my strength and my endurance at the same time I looked at how a mine was built and well¡­ mined in a safe manner. According to the map father had the flinty mountain in with the mining village used for supplies, had forest surrounding it and a forest ment animals, animals ment food, so I felt pretty safe even if my money ran out before my trip home. Now all there was left to do was wait my day, and then I would be off on my real first known adventure, come at me monsters and bandits. But really, the two days father spoke of was today and tomorrow, then on the third day the trade wagon would be heading back towards [Flinty Bay], hopefully with me on it. I found myself humming, ¡®adventure time¡¯ repeatedly over the next two days, which mother found very funny as she would giggle, whenever she found me humming to myself. Chapter 22 - Old Baul Arrow in the knee - I so very much wanted to use that, but I did not! Chapter 22 - Old Baul Riin¡¯s POV Asperd Isles - Spring, Flood Village The two days waiting for the trade wagon to get here, was used on preparing me for the dangers, of traveling on the road, courtesy of my dear mother. On the day of my departure, father took me to meet the driver for the trade wagon, an old grey haired man by the name, Baul. Baul was the driver of a wagon pulled by two horses, together with him was two men, each riding their own horses. Protection detail, I guess, so the whispers of attacks on the road, was probably more than just old granny''s talk. The two guards gave a nod as a greeting, when we reached Baul. I decided to name them, guard one and guard two. Baul had cleared a seat for me, in the back of the wagon, while father talked a bit with him, not that I didn''t care to listen, at this point I really just wanted to go off on my own for a bit. ¡°Take care of yourself now, boy.¡± Father''s hand landed on my head ruffling my hair into a big mess, he gave a laugh at my expression when he was done, well good for him. He then held eye contact with me for a short while, before turn and looking towards our house. ¡°I mean it, Riin. You take good care out there now, don''t play the hero, okay?¡± A smile formed on my lips before I could stop it, I am sure that I''m not going to play the hero, if I can gain something from it, the I might go and check it out. ¡°I will, father. Take care of mother.¡± That drew a new laugh from him, before he gave a short nod, turned and walked away, home to what was probably a crying wife. Baul, turned out to be an overly happy old man, with him singing the first few hours of the trip. I use the time to relax and power nap as we had a long trip ahead of us. We came to an inn just after the sun had set, [Outpost Inn] it was named¡­ these people and their naming sense. Baul, rode the wagon around the back and a boy around my age, took the horse into a small barn. Guard one and two, then covered the wagon with a big blanket made from treated leather, to shield it from any bad weather, I guess. He gave me a smile and waved for me to follow him, speaking as he walked. ¡°Come, come, boy. Let''s get some dinner.¡± With that said, he proceeded to walk inside from the back door, or what to me looked like the back door, might just have been the kitchen door, who knows. Inside I was met with a rather large common room, a small desk that functions as a bar, run along the wall which hold the stairs up to the second floor, a few tables are spread out around the room, all in all its build is build like that of [Wave Inn]. Baul, followed by me who is followed by the guards, walk over to a big bearded man, who is tending the bar, He greets Baul with a smile followed by a rather loud laugh. ¡°Haha, what''s this Baul, have you finally taken on an apprentice?¡± Baul too laugh and shakes his head a little. ¡°No, no, this one is getting a ride to [Flinty Village], now what''s on the menu tonight?¡± We were shown a table in the corner and are served, what I believe to be stew of some kind. After dinner, Baul took me up to the room that we would be spending the night in, a fourman bunkbed room. ¡°It''s not much, but it''s better than a night in the stable, haha.¡± With that comment the old man went to undress and proceed to the bed, the two guards had yet to join us, but my guess was that they would soon. ¡°Get some sleep boy, we are leaving before sunrise.¡± A snoring soon followed, luckily for me not as loudly as fathers, I stripped down to by pants and crawled up the small ladder to my bed for the night. An hour before sunrise I was awoken by the guards closing the door as they left, a quick check of their beds proved that they had taken their few items with them out, getting ready to leave. I crawled down the small wooden ladder and proceeded to get dressed, just as I had gotten fully dressed did the door reopened and Baul entered with a smile on his face. I wonder if the man is a morning person, who can be so happy before the sun is even up. ¡°Good morning boy, good, good, you are up and dressed, we are ready to leave, grabbed you some bread and butter for the trip.¡± With that he placed a package on the small table at the end of the beds, by the smell I would say that it was my breakfast. ¡°Come down as soon as you are down, we leave then.¡± I gave him a nod and grabbed my backpack, as I turned to grab the food I heard him leave the room. ¡°I will be down by the horses, boy.¡± A quick recheck to see if I had missed anything and then I was heading for the stable. Giving a greeting nod to the innkeeper, I left out of the back door. Getting met by the wagon ready to go, the guards on their horses and Baul in the driver seat, I quickly stepped around to the back and got up using the small two step ladder. ¡°Off we go, off we go.¡± Baul''s happy singsong voice sounded, as the set the horses in motion. As the morning sun rose the speed in which we traveled at increased as well, I sat there enjoying my bread slowly along the way. With not much to see, other than the road, the forest to our left with the [Flinty Mountains] rising up deep in it, and grassy hills to my right, I decided to rest some more. Some time later I got awoken by the voice from guard one. ¡°Wake up, kid.¡± I open one eye to look at him in a questionable manner, but soon I was up and awake, as his words registered in my mind. ¡°We got company.¡± Looking up ahead of us, I found five men on horses, armed with swords and two bows, from what I could see. ¡°Bandits?¡± The first guard looked over at me from the corner of his eye, without losing sight of the newcomers. ¡°Yes, are you any good with that bow? We might need some help if more showup.¡± I gave a nod, slowly bring the bow into my hand and readying an arrow. ¡°Focus on the archers, kid.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± In such times, I always found that a clear reply and few words worked best, keeping the focus on the target at hand. Baul, slowed the wagon as we neared the men blocking the road, soon coming to a hold, when one of the sword carrying ones held up his hand, as a signal for us to stop. The man who had held up his hand, gave a smile, showing a lag of mouth hygiene at that. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.¡°Good greetings to you.¡± The guards seemed to tense up a bit, I kept ready as Baul answered the man. ¡°Greetings to you too, if you could move a bit so we could pass, it would be much appreciated.¡± I could hear that even as the old man smile, his voice was tense. A laugher broke out from the group, at Baul''s words, the guards at each side of the wagon, tensed up even more. ¡°Haha, of course good sirs. That is, as soon as you have unloaded yours goods.¡± ¡°Ah, well then we might have a small problem, since I can''t go and give away, my goods to all who asks.¡± At the the front guy doing all the speaking, gave a overly loud sigh. ¡°Ah, I see, what a shame, well then boys.¡± At that the group of men behind the went for their weapons. I hooked the arrow and drew back the string, the timing had to be spot on here, the moment the man turned to grab his own bow, I stood and took aim at one of the archers in the back, then released the arrow. My aim was true, as they say, hitting the man square in the face, making him drop dead, four to go. The faces of complete and utter shock, would have made me roar with laugher, if not for the situation we were in. As the archer dropped down from his horse, the guards drew their own swords, guard one even went and smiled, as he looked at me. The surprise of having one of their men killed soon faded, the bandit in the front, growled and drew his own sword. I hooked one more arrow staring at the last archer, daring him to go for his own bow. The two guards got to work on the ones closest to them, clearly better trained the the bandits at fight on a horse, they was taken care of rather easily, with only minor cuts. As the most talkative of them, decided that running would be the best option, he was cut down as he turned his horse around, the archer got an arrow in the chest, courtesy of my pretty self. The fight ended with the archer dropping to the ground more dead than alive, guard two put him to the sword, darn experience stealer, oh well, as long as we are alive. I wonder how much experience I got from that guy.
You have killed a human - [Bandit], a lawless person. Doing so, you have gained 100 experience.
I looked around the area for a few minutes, before Baul''s voice sounded out. ¡°There are no more, boy, or they would have been with the others.¡± He looked at me as I jumped down from the wagon, walking over to get my arrows back. ¡°Are you okay, boy?¡± Okay? does he mean like mentally okay? if so, who knows¡­ ¡°I''m fine, sir. Just need my arrows back.¡± Guard two, laughed at that comment, looking over, he and guard one had started to search the bodies of the dead ones, when done, they dragged them to the side of the road. ¡°What is going to happen to the horses?¡± I really want a free one, and since I helped kill off the bandits, I think that deserves a free horse. ¡°We will take them to [Flinty Bay] to sell, why boy?¡± Huh, why¡­ is he fucking stupid or what, of course I want one, idiot old man. Raising a brow at his comment, I walk over to a black one, standing near the first bandit that got his end by my arrow. Patting it on the neck, or whatever that is called on a horse. ¡°Mind sparring me this one?¡± I look over to judge his reaction. He sat still, just looking at me for a bit, while the guards drag the dead off. ¡°Boy, do you know how much a horse cost?¡± Nope, no freaking idea, but I guess that he is about to tell me, I shook my head, seeing as I don''t see how that has anything to do with the horses that he has just gotten for free. ¡°One like that, can easily go for around seventy gold pieces, and the saddle alone can cost as much as ten gold pieces.¡± Mother fucker¡­ that''s a lot of money, still I truly don''t see the problem here. ¡°I see, so with the four horses and saddles you have gained three hundred twenty give or take a bit, more or less for free.¡± He stares at me for a short while, looking deep in thought. ¡°Good with numbers I see, boy.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± Man, I really don''t want to have to fight with this guys guards, over a stupid pony, well horse, but still not give me one as a thank you would be a fucking dick move, just saying. ¡°So, you want me to give you, a child, a horse with saddle, for free, worth eighty gold pieces at least.¡± Deep breath, deeeeeep breath, I look him in the eyes as I begin to talk again, making sure he knows where I''m standing on this. ¡°You would have been outnumbered, had I not shot down two of them, and had the talkative one, decided to fight instead of trying to run off, even if they were untrained in fighting on horseback, you would probably have lost the encounter. You don''t look able to join in on the fight so, it would have been two swords against, three swords and two bows, who by the look of this guy, could have gone into close combat with your guys. So, I don''t see how giving me a horse that you have gotten for free is a big problem.¡± Baul, seem to grumble a bit after my rant, only stopping when guard one speaks up. ¡°Boss, the kid is right, even if he is a bit rude about it.¡± Ha, take that fucking old senile man, Baul looks over to guard two, who also gives a nod in agreement with guard one. He gives of a heavy sigh. ¡°It seems that the horse with be yours, boy. You should however, fix how you talk to your elders, mind you.¡± ¡°I will be, polite towards my elders, as long as what is said or done, is not unreasonable, mind you, sir.¡± Fuck you, you stupid ungrateful little money grinding asshole, not that I would say that outloud, nope, I instead put on a smile, and give a ¡®thanks¡¯ to the very reasonable and helpful guards. So, I have learned a few new things, as we have made our way towards [Flinty Village]. One, getting on a horse is hard when you can''t reach the fucking saddle, two, riding hurts your butt like hell, how I''m going to be able to move, better question how the fuck will I get down from here, I can''t feel my legs or my ass for that matter. I seems to have been give a ¡®fuck my ass hurt¡¯ look on my face as the guards gives quite a few laughs at their end, each time I accidentally move to much in the saddle, yeah, yeah very funny. Chapter 23 - Spices and rocks Happy friday, Mistakes below, will be fixed! Chapter 23 - Spices and rocks Riin''s POV Asperd Isles - Spring, Flinty Village Never ever in my life has I been so overly happy to see a bed, just getting up here, was like getting run over by a truck, each step was like, someone trying really hard to cut my legs off, so painful, shoot me, cut me, stab me, I don''t care, anything but this kind of pain. Note to self, muscle pain is a bitch, a fucking pain in the ass. We reached our destination with the setting sun greeting our entry into the village. I said my goodbyes to Baul and his men, as they would be leaving again at sunrise, I booked a room for the night, a cheap one, the bed was pushed to one side and a space to walk along it was just to the other side, it was more like a cabinet for cleaning items than a room, around eight feet in width and around twelve feet in depth, with just enough room for the bed and stepping inside to the room once the door was closed. It would do fine for the night, and of course I also got a stable spot for my newly acquired horse, I named it,Coal, since it''s black and all, great right, the small room and the stable spot cost me one silver coin, so I did save a bit of money in the end, around fifty copper if I got the prices right. As the morning sun began to light up the room I was staying in, I decided that it was time for me to get up and start doing something with my day. I went out the backdoor, which I found out was just a door leading to the stable, and not really a backdoor used by the staff of the inn, so anyway I went outside, to check on Blackie, before heading out to scout the surrounding forest area. The horse was eating someone that hay or wheat thing they get, I need to find out where to buy that stuff before riding out alone, I gave him a pat on the neck and went towards the small gate leading towards the forest. As I neared the southwest gate, I got greeted by a guard, better to polite here. ¡°Good morning, sir.¡± The guard looked at me, as I greeted him. ¡°Morning to you too, young one. What brings you to the gates so early?¡± Ah, I thought that this might be the case, them needing to know, why one wants to leave the village so early, I saw no reason to lie as I had plans to be going out often during my stay here. ¡°I wish to gather herbs in the forest, sir.¡± ¡°Herbs¡­ you are a young herbalist then.¡± ¡°Still in training, sir.¡± ¡°Well, when should I expect you back?¡± Hmm, let''s see¡­ a few hours should do the trick I think. ¡°I plan to be back within a few hours hopefully, sir.¡± ¡°I see, off you go then and good luck in your hunt.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, sir.¡± I have a last goodbye wave to the guard, as I entered the more overgrown forest area, with the village to the north and the [Flinty Mountains] south, with the rising sun in the east, I found it easy to move deeper into the forest, with all the guiding done for me by mother nature, and so my little journey into [Flinty Forest], started. As I walked on the trail formed by the villagers I soon found myself by a small river flowing down from the mountain, I find the well known lilac flowers [Amrans], hanging over the river stream, walking over I pick a good stack, as I can both boil and grind them. After picking up a good amount, I continue my walk into the forest, along the way I find a few of the more easy to spot healing herbs, getting my hands on a good stack of [Coltsfoot] and [Adder¡¯s Tongue], both are used to heal and treat infected wounds. As I set my sight for the village, my backpack, is filled with [Kelventari], [Base Mullein], used to treat burn wounds, but I must say that I shed a tear when I came across a small growth of [Larnurma]. This herb is used to relieve muscle pain, so I was over the moon with happiness when I spotted them, only downside is that i need to grind them into a paste that need to then be boiled into a fine cream, which can then be applied to my poor legs and ass. The walk back goes in a slow pace as I keep my eye out for anymore herbs, I spot a pound, with a few deers drinking. I stop and slowing lower myself into a crouching position, getting my bow out, in a slow movement, I hook and arrow, waiting, just as I am going to shoot the bigger of the deer''s raises it head, looking to my far left, then sets off in a run for dear life¡­ so much for my free dinner, out and away they are. I soon find out why the was in such a hurry to leave¡­ so, I think i said this once before, but just so we are completely on the same page here, bears are fucking huge animals! A quick sucking on my finger, tells me that I''m against the wind, thank fuck for that, I tell you. So here I¡¯m, sitting like fifteen feet from a freaking brown bear¡­ I know for sure that I have no chance of outrunning it, climbing a tree is a no go too, I mean, they a known to be extremely good climbers, so thats leaves me with two options, one, hope it just walks away after drinking its fill, two, killing the bitch. So, the only reasonable thing to do is of course to kill it, I hear bear meat is good eating, and I can use that pelt, my problem here is in the distance between us, the first arrow will be the counting one, that for sure, here goes everything and my life, if this goes badly, so crossing my fingers. I take aim for its softer head parts, that in this case being the eyes, okay let''s make this shot count, I wait for it to raise its head, as it finishes its drinking, than I draw back as much as I can, to get the much needed power in the first shot, I shoot to kill, aiming for its right eye. As soon as the arrow is released I reach to grab a new one, the first one hitting its target but sadly not killing it on the spot, I¡¯m once more made aware of just how weak a child''s body is. The bears roar resound in the quiet forest, releasing my second arrow as it turn fully towards me, hitting it in the chest area, it rears to the side as the arrow burrows into the flesh, spilling blood as it moves its head, baring its teeth at me. As it roars once more at me, I release my next arrow hitting it dead center in its open mouth, the roar is cut short as it falls down breaking the arrow in half. I stand there for a short time, staring at the dead creature, not really believing it to be dead. Only as the blood paints the surrounding ground red, do I move closer with a new arrow hooked and ready to fire, for good measure I fire the hooked arrow into its neck as I move near it, all that does is puncture its skin, leaking more blood. It''s dead, the arrow that hit its open mouth must have reached its brain, killing it on the spot, luckily for me.
You have slain a [Brown Bear], you have gained 100 experince and +1 [Dexterity] for your quick reacting in combat against an overwhelming odds!
So here I''m with a massive dead bear¡­ my problem? how in the world am I going to get that back with me¡­ okay let''s see here.
You have gained experience in [Tanner], by collecting a [Brown Bear''s] hide.
One rolled up bear hide, check, lots of good meat¡­ or at least I think it''s good, I mean in base, it should work the same as a cow right, with how the good meat is placed, I sure hope it is since I went with it like that, cutting the prime meat like it was a cow, I also cut some smaller pieces of meat to use as bait meat. Putting it all on a stick and then carrying it like that, so not to mix the fresh meat with my newly acquired plants. So with a backpack full of plants and a stick with bear meat on it and carrying the bear pelt on tree sticks tied together, into ¡®A¡¯ form with fresh branches from bushes, I once again made my way back with the sun starting to set in the west. Reaching the forest gate, I was greeted by the same man for the morning. ¡°Oh, the young herbalist returns, I see.¡± His face took on a kind of funny look, as the got a better view of what I was carrying with me. ¡°Boy¡­ i-is that a¡­ bear pelt?¡± I had to give a smile at the look on his face, like he just got cheated from getting his favorite meal. ¡°Yes, sir. I got attack on the way back, so it was either me or the bear, and the bear lost.¡± The guard stares at me for a short while, he then smiles at me. ¡°Well, young one, I''m truly glad that the bear lost.¡± I smile back at him. ¡°Me too, sir.¡± He opens the gate and I walk in. Getting back to the inn, I rebook my room from last night and a stable spot, after a few words with the innkeeper I find my way to the kitchen, there I''m greeted by an women in her mid-forties. ¡°Ma''am, I was wondering if I could borrow your fireplace for the night?¡± Smoked meat, is best when smoked over a steady and even low flame, and the camping fire is just not cutting it, I want to smoke some of the meat, if I can trade some of the large cuts for other meat that would be great. The kitchen lady stops her chopping and turns to look at me, her eyes have a sharp look in them, so very unlike mothers kind eyes. ¡°Ma''am? I''m no ma''am, kid.¡± I must have been looking a bit confused since she does a ¡®snort¡¯ sound and a small laugh mixed together into a weird sound. ¡°I don''t to that formal stuff, in my kitchen, kid. I''m Greta, and who might you been?¡± Looking more closely at her, she looks as if she might not have come from this kingdom, but I can''t really be sure. Oh well, since she said she don''t like all the formal talk I can relax a bit on that end. ¡°I''m Riin, so can I borrow your fireplace?¡± Greta made her weird laugh once again and wave me into the kitchen itself, and walked over to a big fireplace, made of large stones place against the wall in a half circle with a small overhang made from hard leather, - the kind use in the blacksmith''s blowers, - leading out the side of the wall. The setup made it the perfect meat smoking fireplace, just want I needed. Five hours into my meat smoking progress, Greta came to check up on me or her kitchen, don''t really know which one but who cares. ¡°Seems as you gave the gate guard a good shock, this evening, kid. Killing a bear, I was told.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.She looks over at the meat smoking, than looks back at me. ¡°That bear meat, kid?¡± I turn to fully look over at her. ¡°It is, just small pieces, I have yet to cook the bigger ones.¡± With that said, I turn back to keep an eye on my meat. Greta stares a bit at the meat, then turns to me again. ¡°What you say to trading the bigger meats for some spices that are good for smoked meat.¡± Hmm, well how can one say no to that offer. ¡°Sounds like a deal to me.¡± Greta laughs, then turns and walk into her kitchen and starts pulling some small wooden containers out from different shelfs. ¡°Okay, I have a few here.¡± I walk over to the kitchen table she was standing at, looking down into the containers in front of me. ¡°I got some black pepper, onion, rock salt and ginger powder. So what do you say, boy?¡± Pepper and ginger¡­ how did she get hold of tropical spice plants., the trade wagon, maybe? I walk over to my backpack and find four small leather pouches, - the once I made a few years back, that I have yet to find any use for, since I have not yet gone and made any herbal creams or collected any herbs that needed to be held in a small container. ¡°Where did you get the pepper and ginger from, our weather is not warm enough for that kind of fruit to grow here.¡± She smiles down at me. ¡°Smart kid, you are. They are brought from the trading ships that comes from the eastern lands, the bring many goods with them, and we trade our iron and copper for some of the rare items that they sell.¡± I see, the onion powder, I can make myself if I can get her to show me how to make it, I mean the name is really self explanatory. ¡°So the rock salt is from here?¡± She does that snort laugh again and nod her head. ¡°Yes, a group of hunters sometimes bring back a few pounds of it, they seems to get it from the south coast caves.¡±
Your skill, [knowledge - Asperd Kingdom, Asperd Isles], has gained new information.
I got Greta to give me, a pouch full of the ginger and black pepper, in return I gave her the rest of the bear meat, that being most of the bear really, not that I lost anything since I wanted to trade it anyway, and getting tropical spices for some meat seems like a good deal to me. She also told me how the onion powder was made, all the while roaring with laugher, so much that the innkeeper came to check on her. It seems that she found it extremely funny that I knew about the required temperature for growing pepper and ginger, but not how onion powder was made. Well, she explained that it was made by leaving thin sliced onions to dry, like sundried tomatoes really, then the dried onions are grinded into powder and there you go, onion powder on demand. For the knowledge I obtained a small stats boost.
Your extraordinary wisdom on foreign plants and growth temperatures, has gained you, + 2 [Intelligence].
So as I sat there smoking my meat I was really satisfied with the day or the morning really. The morning sun, marked the end of my cooking, I took of a price of freshly smoked bear meat to get a taste of my hard work, a good amount of chewing later, that I was smiling to myself, not bad for my first try of anything other than hare and small wild, not bad at all. Now time to clean up and get a hour or two, before heading forwards the mine. After my short nap, I set my sight at the mine, why it was called [Flinty Mine] is anyone''s guess, since it produced copper and iron on the most part, bad naming sense, I guess. Walking along the road leading southeast, I made my way up a small hill where I was met with a big two door gate, with four men guarding it. Confusing me for a moment, before one of the guards spotted me, and made his way down from the wall towards me, stopping in front of me. ¡°Kid, this is not a place to be playing at so move out of the way.¡± Ah, the image of his head on a stick, a few deep breaths later and I was ready to talk to this stupid grunt. ¡°Ah, sir. I''m not trying to play on the road, I''m heading to the mine to see if they c-.¡± My voice and drowned out by the yelling and massive dust cloud from the other side of the wall, the grunt spun around amazing fast for his amount of brain mass, setting of in a run towards the gate as two of the other guards pushed it open. In the confusion I took the time to run after them to see what all the fuss was about, I soon got my answer, a collapsed entry blocking the whole mine. A few people was already trying to remove some of the fallen rocks, while others was dragging a few wounded away from the collapsed area, one voice sounded over the noise of the still falling rocks and yelling. ¡°Get the wounded the the gate! Bring the fallen rocks to the quarry site, don''t block the road, move it!¡± Locating the owner of the voice, I found a fucking hulk of a man standing near the mine entry, yelling orders as he took some freaking huge rocks off to the side. For now, I needed to get in good with that man as he seemed to be the brains around the mining area. As I started to walk towards him, I found that he really was a freaking hulk¡­ man¡­person? My five feet and three inches, - which I might add, I think is a good height for a ten year old, I would even say that I was high for my age, still made me look like a fucking dwarf compared to this guy''s height, my guess is that he is well over six feet, I''m telling you hulk in medieval clothing and with muscle to go with the whole hulk look. As I finally got through the horde of bodies, I had to fucking poke the guy for him to notice me, hell, next time something like this happens I will fucking stab the guy in the kneecap. He stopped yelling long enough for him to look down on the source of the poking to stare at me for half a second, then looked away to continue his loudness, that this close up sounded more like a bomb siren going off non stop. Oh, did he fucking just ignore me¡­ son of a fuc- mother fucking- you little bit- deep breath, take a deep br- fucking price of fucking shit, I will show you, you fuck- fucking ass hulk person. I turned around and began to walk back towards the gate, not to leave mind you, no to help the wounded, so I can show that hulk that I''m useful, fucking bastard. As I reach the wounded that has been laid out in a line, set down my backpack and pull out the stack of dried [Amrans], I put them to dry when I smoked the meat, luckily for these guys, I find a large kind of flat stone and a small rounded stone that fits in my hand, amazing how fast I found the perfect ones for the job, since I''m kind of standing in a stone paradise, dragging the big flat stone back with me and having placed the small one in my pocket, I find a spot to set up camp. A man bringing over another wounded worker, and I think that he might be looking at me or down at the herbs that I have taken out and placed on my large stone, that I will be using as a base for my grinding, well at least his feet are pointing towards me, my guess is spot on, as he starts to talk. ¡°Kid, is that a medical herb?¡± I''m focused on grinding down the dried [Amrans] to a more workable state, so I don''t look as I answer him. ¡°Yes, if you got time to stand and talk, get me a fireplace going and some boiling water.¡± Can you believe the laziness of people, here he is surrounded by wounded people and he stops to talk¡­ what has the world come to¡­ ¡°Eh?¡± Hell, lazy and lacking brain cells. ¡°Fireplace, boil water, go.¡± Why do I have to deal with this kind of people, why me¡­ he turns around and runs off, leaving a faint. ¡°Right away.¡± Fifteen minutes later and I have a fire and boiling water next to me, thanks to my newly found lackey, that has been running around getting all the items I needed to get a low fire going so I could cook the grinded up [Amrans] in a soup like texture, normally it would be a water like texture but time is lives as they say. I took a portion of the boiled [Amrans] of the fireplace and started to work on making it into a cream, to be applied directly to any cuts they may have gotten. While neither the cream or the soup is the [Amrans] optimal use, it will do the trick, since I don''t have the time for a week long preparation to make it into the water like potion that it can be make into, right now time is of the essence, even if I can only get forty percent out of the plant like this. I was my hands in a bucket of fresh water, grabbing a wooden bowl, I scoop up a small amount of the herbal soup and walk over to the closest person that looks able to drink the soup. ¡°Here, it will speed up the healing process of your wounds.¡± The man looks at me then the soup bowl, then back at me. ¡°What in it?¡± ¡°[Amrans], a healing herb that greatly increase the neutral speed of healing wounds.¡± I once more move the bowl towards him, he nods once and grab it, slowly drinking the warm soup. I walk back and find my lackey waiting next to the stack of bowls. Sitting down once more I start to scoop up more soup into the bowls and hand them to him. ¡°Give it to the ones who is awake and able to drink it by themselves.¡± He nods eagerly at my order, running off with a bowl of soup in each hand. An hour later and all the ones who was able to drink the soup, is now slowly being helped away, but just by looking at them one can see that the wounds are starting to heal up, not bad if I must say so myself, not bad at all. My herbal cream is just ready, so I stand and bring it over to the closest unconscious worker in the line. Bringing the bucket of water and some linen bandage, thanks to lackey, I sit down next to him, I start to clean his wound of any dirt, then I apply a thin layer of the cream the help the healing along, I then carefully bandage him up with help from lackey. Looking over my handiwork I''m satisfied, so I move on to the next one, not that I get very far as the hulk gets in my way, by grabbing my arm. ¡°What do you think you are running around and doing to my men, you damned brat.¡± I look up at him, then over to lackey and then down at the empty spots of the workers that I have already helped, and I just kind of snap, right there and then. Chapter 24 - Overseer galore Real life stuff got in the way of uploading, sorry. But here it is, hope you enjoy. Chapter 24 - Overseer galore Riin''s POV Asperd Isles - Spring, Flinty Village, Flinty mine ¡°Are you completely blind or are you just lacking any amount of normal brain cell in that head of yours, you fucking idiot, just how stupid can you get, I''m trying to help the people who got hurt here, so let me go, you mindless barbarian.¡± Ah¡­shit¡­ now I have gone and done it, I''m sorry mother¡­ and also father, thanks for the wonderful years you gave me, your offspring, accidentally might have pissed off an idiotic fool with no real amount of functional brain cells left in that head of his. My ¡®little¡¯ erm¡­ outburst, have stopped quite a few of the men working around us, some of them are even looking at us with an half open mouth and big eyes, ah, I really went an did it this time, me and my temper. A few moments tick by as hulk stares down at me.
You have been hit, resulting in a broken nose.
Yeah¡­ it''s not like the sound of my face getting crushed by a fist the size of my head, didn''t make it clear that I ¡®broke¡¯ a bone or two, broken nose, my ass, it''s a fucking crushed nose bone if it''s anything. Black dots form in front of my eyes, as I blink to try and adjust to the sudden pain of having a fist smashed into my face. Fucking hell, it hurts, I so hope the herbs that help heal broken bones also helps make use that here is no lose bone shards sitting around doing more harm than good. Gritting my teeth, I glare at the hulk of a man, who is looking down at me with a equally pissed of face. ¡°What the fuck!!¡± Ah, it hurts to yell, that fucker I will get him for this, I swear! ¡°How dare you talk like that to me, you damned brat!¡± ¡°Huh?! You, ask what I''m doing, do you not have eyes in that big bloated up head of yours, huh?¡± Aw aw aw, my poor nose, I had so forgotten, just how much a broken nose hurts when you try to talk. ¡°You lit-¡± ¡°Galore! What in the worlds have you done to the kid!¡± The voice, that I quickly recognize as belonging to the inns cook, Greta¡¯s voice brooms out, interrupting him from saying anything more. He stops his once more raised hand, to looks towards the owner of the voice. ¡°Kid, you mean this damned brat?¡± ¡°Watch you mount, if you want any dinner for the next year.¡± Hulk or Gelore as he is apparently named, let''s go of my arm, and as soon as he does, I get grabbed by Greta, and spun around to face her, presumably so she can get a better look at hulks handiwork. ¡°Wife, why are you so worried, over a brat like that.¡± Woah, hold up¡­ wife? Hulk and Greta are a thing¡­ poor Greta, I say, having to live with such a mindless specimen of a man. ¡°Oh my! Look what you did to his nose! What man hits a child!¡± Muhahahaha! Take that you fucking brute, hitting me for speaking my mind, if I had no use for you, I would have fucking stabbed you by now. ¡°Come with me, I have a few medical ointments at home. If I remember correctly there is one for mending broken bones.¡± I just nod my head as I don''t feel like speaking with my nose all flat and bleeding down into my mouth as soon as I open it. Guided by Greta, I get half dragged back towards the village as she yells at people to move. As we reach the inn, she turn to one of the small houses that lies behind the stable. So now I''m sitting and waiting for her to find the cream to treat my broken nose. A few appliness of the cream and my nose is look and most important feeling a lot better, the nose is already starting to show signs of healing. I got a free meal at the inn and my room and stable spot free for the next seven days time thanks to Greta, or should I say, Galore¡¯s money, anyway free logging is always welcome. I also made it into a daily thing for me to walk around the forest in the mornings, looking for herbs that could be of use. As I came to gather a great deal in the weeks it took for my nose to fully heal, I had to borrow Greta''s shed to dry out the herbs before using them. With my walks in the forest I sometimes came across small game, so I started to put up snares to see if I could catch anything. With that my [Survival] and [Trap] skills gained some experience, the more the better I say. I stayed for free at the inn, thanks to the miners families paying for my room and stable spot. With my nose still mending, I had to relax so the healing progress is speeding up the repair of the bone. So, I''m placed myself behind the inns stable making a frame big enough to hold the bear hide. My plan, I want to try and make myself a set of leather gear, like the ones in adventure games, preferring leather equipment over linen cloth, seems to me like the best way to get a good set of cloth that will not rip if cut. So, I begin my progress of sitting up the framework the dry out and treat the semi-fresh bear skin. A few hours of fiddling and I have a self supported wooden frame, one big enough hold the whole pelt. After a day of drying the pelt and me sitting around and using the time to getting to know, Blackie - the horse, that I got from Baul. - I have prepared the leather for use as clothing, meaning that I have made is soft enough that I can work with it and sew it into cloth, while it will still be hard enough to take the impact of light blows and any roiling around on the ground that I might be doing. I used my old linen cloth as a baseline for drawing up my new clothing, then I scratch the inside surface with my knife, making a soft outline of the old pants. After a few hours of fiddling around, I finally got to a result, that I was very satisfied with. The pants were made with agility in mind, they most of all reminded me of those pirate pants that has a slim waistline and are ¡®baggy¡¯ around the thighs and knees, then closes into a tight set just below the knee. New pants in hand, I felt that I had just a bit more resistance to that big hulk, that now I was ready to face him again, and hopefully not get my face smashed in once more. After a good nights rest, I once more made my way towards the mine, all the while I was hoping for some better luck this time. As I reached the gate leading to the mining area I was met by the hulk himself, he was talking to one of the guards by the gate, they looked like they were talking about women, judging by the smug look on their faces. Soon after I got near the gate, hulk and the guard stopped their talk and turned towards me, my thoughts?... shit I''m in trouble now. The guard turned to face hulk and seem to wait for him to address the kid ruining their conversation. ¡°Ya¡¯ know this kid, Galore?¡± The hulk himself was staring hard at me. ¡°Yeah, he''s the brat that helped a few weeks back during the rockslide, with the wounded, the herbalist kid, you know?¡± The guard turned to look at me once more, after a once-over, he turned towards, Galore again. ¡°Ah, yea¡¯ the kid Tom, talks about.¡± Tom? guess that''s the name of the guard for the forest gate, oh well. After his statement he looked between hulk and me, a couple of times before turning his attention fully towards me. ¡°Ya¡¯ have my thanks kid, if not for ya¡¯ help lots would have had problems from the injuries, ya¡¯ did them good.¡± ¡°My pleasure to be of help, sir.¡± He burst out laugh and waving me off. ¡°Sir! Haha, good one kid, good one.¡± He then turned to Galore, gave a small weave of goodbye and headed for the stairs that lead to the wall surrounding the village, all the while laughing and talking to himself about being called a ¡®sir¡¯, I don''t get the fun in that but who cares, right. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. All the while I was busy, looking at the laughing guard, Galore was staring at me, hard, I might add¡­ after awhile, he finally spoke up. ¡°So¡­ my wife¡­ she said you want to try working in the mine¡­¡± He was scratching his hair and looking around while talking to me, oh! feeling guilty over smashing my face in, are we now. Well, I better answer fast, before the hulk lose it. ¡°Yes, I want to see if it''s something that I want to do for a living,¡± At that comment Galore¡¯s eyes grew a bit, he then made what I think was a ¡®hmfp¡¯ sound, or it could have just been a straight out growl at me, in that case I''m sticking with the ¡®hmfp¡¯. ¡°A living of it you say, just how easy do you think mining is, you brat?¡± Ah, there we go again. ¡°Hey hulk, I''m not a ¡®brat¡¯!¡± ¡°Oh, so thinking that you can ¡®just¡¯ start up are mine is not something a brat would think?¡± Deep breath, riin, they are not aware how much you know, they are ignorant people, yes, just plain stupid, that''s it, they don''t know better. By the look on hulk face I might have growled a bit at him, that is to say he was not looking happy at all, not one tiny bit¡­ ¡°Erm¡­ what I mean is, if we can increase the output of metal from our land, we will in turn be increasing our overall wealth.¡± Hulk, was now staring at me, with a look I have not seen before, I would even dare say that he looked kind of smart. ¡°So, what you are saying, kid¡­ is that if we increase our mines, we increase our income.¡± I''m speechless, the hulk is smart! ¡°Yes.¡± That was all I could think of saying, man who knew he was a smart person! ¡°Well, you seem to know what you are talking about even if you are just a kid, kid.¡± Ah, I will take that as a complement and not an insult. ¡°Yes, if we can get more than one mine, up and going we can produce more metal. There are the [Stony Mountains], what? fifty miles north of here, has anyone been mining there?¡± Galore was at this point staring into midair, thinking I guess, after a few minutes, of that he turned to face me again. ¡°As far as I know, no one has mined in those mountains, but I will ask around to see if some of the elders know anything about it, I say even if you are still a kid, your idea sounds solid.¡± he stood a moment before looking towards the gates. ¡°Yes, I will talk to the elders, I like that idea of your, kid. Meet with me in the morning and I will let you know if the elders think the same.¡±
For setting in motion a grand building of a new road and mining area, you gain +2 [intelligence].
Elisa''s POV Asperd Isles - Late Spring, Flood Village Raval came bursting through the door with a massive grin on his face. As I was in the middle of mixing the right about of dried herbs, I almost knocked over my chair at his entrance. I gave him my ¡®what are you thinking look¡¯ and his smile fell a tiny bit, he walked over and kissed me. ¡°Sorry, my dear, I simply got too excited and didn''t think of your work.¡± I couldn''t help but not be mad at him, with that puppy face he was making. ¡°So what made you become so excited, love?¡± And his grin was back as he weaved a letter in his hand. ¡°It is form [Flinty Village], shall we open it?¡± I half and half ripped the letter out of his hands, my sweet baby has written me! As I open the letter I got quite the shock, the letter was not from my sweet boy, but from the Inn''s cook, I gave a look to Raval to see his face, it too was looking a bit funny. ¡°What in the worlds¡­ that kid¡­¡± Ah, I had to agree with my dear husband on this one, opening the letter, I was met with a finely written text. Dear ms. and mr. Torvar I write to you, since I have notice that the sweet kid, have yet to send a single letter. After his arrival he has settled in fine, for a three weeks time he got his room and stable spot for free since he had gotten a lot of people happy, by helping out after the rockslide at the mine. Each morning he leaves at sunset to go gather herbs in the forest, and each time he brings back a large about of herbs, so much that he has started up a small storage of them in my houses shed, where he hang them to dry. I looked at Raval after rereading that a few times over. ¡°Stable spot¡­ how did he get himself a horse?¡± ¡°Well, he''s a smart kid, so who knows how.¡± Raval, patted me on the small of my back, looking back at the letter to read the rest. The elders has taken kindly to his idea of traveling to the [Stony Mountains] to open a new mine. They whole village have been running around and getting ready for the journey, my husband, Galore and Riin had a small run in at his arrival but now they are talking as if they have known each other all their lives, it is funny what equal stubborn minds can create. They have made the whole town move at their wish, as they get ready to move the mining operation to the north. Ah, my sweet bright kid, what has you gotten yourself into now¡­ ¡°The [Stoney Mountains], just what kind of things, did he set in motion, now?¡± Raval''s face was set in a scowl while looking at the letter. Wait¡­ they are traveling to the Stoney region, that means bandits¡­ oh no. ¡°Dear, it''s that the region where the most bandits brand together?¡± All he did was nod while reading on. A group of experienced miners and a small group of hunters together with a few guardsmen from the village, will travel with them. My husband promised me to look after Riin, while they are out there, the time set for the main group is one year. I wish you the best, Greta cook of flinty inn ¡°Ah, my sweet little boy.¡± ¡°If he set all this in motion then he must be growing up, our kid, haha.¡± Yes, while I fear for his safety, I trust in my child, I have to trust him. Riin''s POV Asperd Isles - Late Spring, Flinty Village A few weeks after Galore¡¯s first talk with the elders of the village, we finally set the plan in motion. With the first sun light we set off towards the northern mountains in the region named [Stoney Region]. Five big wagons, pulled by two horse each, we took our first steps out on this new adventure. A group of ten miners plus Galore, a small group of four hunters and a group of ten guards, we set our sights at the road ahead, I of cause rode on Blackie. The course that was set for us would take us a bit west on the road towards [Flinty City], from there we would head straight north into the forest surrounding the mountains. We started out slow ride out from the village in the late spring. Galore''s POV I had promised Greta to keep an eye on the brat, not that I thought that he would need it, he had a special kind of air around him, the air of a soldier¡­ that brat might be young, but he is quick thinking and fast on his feet and by the look of his face that time that I hit his face, he made not a single sound of crying. Yes he might be a mere brat but the act like a man, I can only respect that about him. I look forward to see this next year in the mountains, I wonder if he is just as tough as I think he is, this will be a good year. Chapter 25 - Reaching the mine Chapter 25 - Reaching the mine Riin''s POV Asperd Isles - Late Spring. First day of travel, Flinty region. The trip to the base of the [Stoney Mountains], would take around four days of travel, of we did not hit any ¡®bump¡¯ in the road so to speak, with the speed we were going at. On each wagon a guard rode with the drive, in the front three guards rode on their own horse and in the back two guards rode behind the last wagon. I had taken up a spot between the second and third wagon, finding it a good spot to shoot from. The sun was slowly rising up, as we traveled along the main road, a short command and a signal went out from a hunter traveling alongside the first wagon. At his signal the guards in the front turned towards the hills on our right, our first real off-road trip begun. As we slowly made our way across the grass plains, the sun marked midday, we had yet to see anything of interest, I was told that we were too close to a village for any bandits to come this way. So, I sat there getting more and more aware of just how much my ass was killing me, the longer we rode on and by the looks of things we had no plans of stopping anytime soon. A good fifteen or so miles into our journey and the guards at the front gave a yell for a full on stop, it seem we would make camp here tonight and thank my ass for that. Camp was made up of the horse tried to the wagons, as there were no nearby trees, the wagons was move into a ¡®U¡¯ form with the opening towards the north, as to spot incoming attacks, I guess. The campfires was set up in the small area within the wagons, and the sleeping bags laid out along the side, with the horse at the back, away from the entrance. I had seen Galore looking at me a few times along the way, yet he had not said a word to me, not that anyone was really talking much, just resting up, since as soon as we reached our destination, we would begin work on the new mining area and houses,stable and walls. So, I really don''t blame anyone for not wasting energy talking. Food was prepared in form of smoked meat and bread, one of the hunter was talking about getting a stew going as soon as we reached our end camping spot, I for one second that plan. Any kind of stew, sound like a good plan, after four days of nothing but smoked meat and bread, my sleep came easy as soon as I hit the pelt laid out. Second day of travel, Stoney region. We once again set off with the first light, even as the wagons set of in a slow pace, I was fully awake the moment I got up on the horse, or should I say, the saddle¡­ my fucking ass and thighs are killing me! I completely forgot to use the herbal cream, that I brought with me, against muscle pain, not okay, not okay at all, my poor little ass hurts so much, who ever made the invention of the car and car seat was a genius! Who said horse was the way to go! A motion up front caught my attention, I look towards the hunter riding on my left. ¡°What''s happening up there?¡± The man looked over towards me and gave a small shrug with his shoulders as he returned to look ahead. ¡°Probably, us passing into the [Stoney Region], I guess.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Our road started to get more and more hills as we continued north, so the ¡®start¡¯ of the hills marks the beginning of the next region¡­ As the day progressed we made little headway inform of moving, the hills and rocks made our speed drop significantly, much to my regret. The slow speed meant more traveling and more day in this damn torture device of a thing, saddles are not meant for normal city people, I will tell you that right now.When the sun was setting we had only traveled about half the distance of yesterday, meaning that we had to at least add half a day to our traveling plans. Camp was set and food was eaten, soon the snores of the men and the sound of the horses, was the only thing remaining in the dark of the night. Third day of travel, Flinty region. We, like the days before set off at sunrise, slowing once more making our way towards the mountains in the horizon. As the day passed, it was slowly becoming more and more clear to all, that the trip towards the decided spot, was going to take a few more days to reach. When the sun was starting to set we reached the other side of the hills, which was apparently named [Flinty Hills], even if the where in another region. When sitting at our camps, I overheard the hunters talking about the progress so far, it seemed that we had only traveled about eight mile for the last two days, meaning that our speed was reduced by half in the hills. I was checking up on the state of my bow, when a shadow fell over me. My first reaction was to reach for my knife, second to get out of the attackers range and third, I was cursing at myself for my lack of awareness of my surroundings. When I finally got a look at the person who had gotten close, I found myself staring at the hulk himself. He was staring at me all the while grunting about brats being spooked too easily, I just stared back at him, waiting for him to state his business, with me, after a few moments he finally did. ¡°I think it''s about time we talked, about what your job is going to be, when we start working.¡± Hmm, I had foreseen this would come, but he had moved faster than I thought, he would, I gave him a short nod. Galore sat down on the other side of the fire, shifting around a bit before continuing. ¡°You seem like a smart kid, so I might take you with me into the mine.¡± Might¡­ being the bad word here¡­ I needed to convince him that I was useful, if not anything else. But first I needed some more information on how they would mine, and most important of all create the mine itself. ¡°I have a few questions, if you have the time for them.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He stared at me for a short moment, before nodding for me to continue. ¡°How did you locate the spot that was chosen and how do you intend to start the mineshaft?¡± He made that growling sound again then began to speak. ¡°The spot for the mine was located by a three man scouting team, that the elders of our village pointed out for them to look at together with a few other spots, does that answer your question?¡± I have a short nod and he continued his speech. ¡°As to how the mineshaft is created, that is done by choosing an already weak point in the mountain, say a small neutral formed cave that end after a few feet or the spring of an underwater stream. In this case it was chosen from a small cave entrance.¡±
You have gained knowledge about [Mining]! Learn the basic of the mining trade for it to be unlocked, 1 of 4 has been cleared, how to locate a possible mining area.
Hmm, interesting. ¡°How come the mineshaft in the village collapsed on you?¡± He looked at me for a long time before saying anything. ¡°The support beams that helped to hold the weight of the stone above it was not strong enough, so the beams broke, therein collapsing the ceiling, creating the rockslide you saw that day.¡± Hmm¡­ ¡°So, how was the beams made?¡± ¡°Made, what do you mean by that?¡± Ah, I see so the support beams might have been simple wooden logs cut to fit the opening of the mine¡­ ¡°How was the mine opening or the mine as a whole, being supported, was the wood a soft or hard type and was the wooden beams supported by metal?¡± He was frowning at this point. ¡°Hmm, the beams was made from oak trees¡­ but I don''t know what you mean by metal support¡­¡± Ah, so the wood itself was not supported. ¡°I mean if the wooden beams holding the ceiling was ringed with metal to help it support the weight of the mountain.¡± Galore was scratching his head at this point. After a few minutes of this, he finally began to talk again. ¡°So you are saying that to help the wooden beam support the weight you add this ¡®ring¡¯ of metal to the beam itself, do I understand this right?¡± I gave him a nod, seems like I will have to explain it a bit more. ¡°The ring acts as an extra form of support to the beam itself, by strengthening the beam from splitting.¡± He looked at the fire for a while, thinking probably, a while late to looked back at me over the fire. ¡°I see, by strengthening the beams, we strengthen the weak point, we create as we mine.¡± I nodded at that, seems like he got the base idea of it.
You have gained knowledge about [Mining]! Learn the basic of the mining trade for it to be unlocked, 2 of 4 has been cleared, how to build a solid mineshaft.
Fourth day of travel, Flinty region. After our talk last night, galore had gone back to his own campfire and talked with the other miners, soon after I went to bed myself. The moment the sun rose, we set off once again, like clockwork. We rode with the speed from the first day, making good progress, as we got closer to the forest border, marking the last of our travel. We reached the forest as the sunset. That evening as the moon rose in the night sky, galore told me how to react if a gas was found in the mine or how to survive if a rockslide was happening. As for the gas release in the caves, he explained that most gas types that was common in the mountains was acting like smoke, meaning that is would always seek upwards. He also explained how to best survive a rockslide while inside the cave, - sometime while building and expanding the mine, a wall or ceiling would collapse. - if such a thing happen the people on the ¡®inner¡¯ side, the once without an exit, would first of all move as far back they could as soon as a rockfall was detected. A rockfall or slide would normally start with a steady stream of dust or small loose rocks falling, and in a matter of seconds the ceiling or wall would collapse. The short time one had to get away was the important ones, the moments one had to get the rest of the working men away.
You have gained knowledge about [Mining]! Learn the basic of the mining trade for it to be unlocked, 3 of 4 has been cleared, how to survive underground.
Fifth day of travel, Flinty region. At sunrise, the hunters set out to find the easiest part for the wagons, to reach the cave, that would become the new mine. The rest of us spent our time cleaning out the nearby area of anything edible. I swear, miners might know how to survive falling rocks, but they know shit about what to eat from the forest floor, more than once did I have to yell at them to stop someone from picking up a poisonous fungus or try and pluck off some very unhealthy berries from the small bushes. At midday the hunters returned with good news, they had found the cave, and a easy or easier way than what we was looking at, from our camp. So, the wagons slowly went on guided by two of the hunters, the rest of us, - being, me and a handful of the guards with their own horses, - was going to take the more direct way to the cave, and so we did. The ride itself was uneventful but I did get a few edible plants from the forest along the way, around six o¡¯clock we reached the cave. I had been told it was a ¡®crack¡¯ in the mountain¡­ If they call that a mere crack, than hell if I want to see anything bigger. The ¡®crack¡¯ was around thirteen feet high and a good nine feet wide. Well, enough staring at a opening in a enlarged rock, time to do some work, I walked over the the first man with an axe in hand. ¡°Erm, where do I might find a axe of my own?¡± The man who I guess was a miner took a double look at me before breaking into a roar of a laughter¡­ Ah, the day I will make you bow before me and beg for me to spare your pathetic live will come, for now all I can do is wait for the goon to finish is laughing. A few minutes later I was rewarded with Galore, coming to stand next to the goon looking between him and me. ¡°What you done now, kid.¡± I gave him a long hard look without saying a single word, needing time to not yell at the hulk. ¡°I have not done anything, I merely asked if he knew where I could get an axe myself.¡± He gave me a short look, before pointing over his shoulder at a wagon father away from us. ¡°Over there, kid.¡± Before turning to face the still laughing goon. ¡°Stop standing around, Berth, we have work to get done.¡± I for one had given up on the goons state of mind and made my way to the wagon with the tools in it, soon finding myself an axe. Making my way to a nearby tree, that I found to my liking for what I had in mind, I started to cut into it. Half an hour later, and I had myself most of what I needed for the plans that we had collected on the way here to survive at least a week, now for securing a place to do the building. I move from my workplace to go look for Galore, who was in charge of the whole area. My luck was with me after a few minutes of looking around the place. ¡°Hey, is there any place near the cave that I can set up a shelter, without it being in the way of your building plans, for the next weeks time?¡± At that he raised a brow. ¡°Why just for the next weeks time?¡± ¡°Because I hope that we have a better place to store our food by then.¡± He gave a smile at that, looking around the place near the cave for a few moments, before starting to walk towards the s¡äcliffside, waving for me to follow him. A good twenty some feet away from the cave itself, we stopped. ¡°Here should do fine, you fine with this spot, kid?¡± Shaking my head at his constant usage of the kid word, I gave a nod. He in return gave a small laugh and turned to walk off, before stopping. ¡°Don''t stay up too late, kid. We have a lot of work to do in the morning.¡± ¡°Roger that.¡± After setting up the poles that would work as guide line for my walls, I called it a day. A few feet from my spot I started up a campfire, as soon as the fire was going, I went to sleep, tomorrow the real work would start. Chapter 26 - Graves in the forest Proofreader:Aapjuh Chapter 26- Graves in the forest Fifty miles or five days¡¯ travel from the small mining town of Flinty Village, in the Stoney region of the west isle of Asperd isle, grows the forest known as Stoney Forest, it surrounds the smallest of the isles mountain ranges the Stoney Mountains. In these mountains, a small group has set up camp, near one of the many openings that spring from the mountains deep, here a few builds new stand. A long hut, the sleeping quarters for the men working at the site, a few feet behind that is a smaller square wooden building with a small stone room next to it, making up a small root cellar, this small hut and cellar make up the supply room for any food that finds its way to the camp. In front of the long hut an equal long building is standing, with one side open and the backside closed off, a small stable for the horses brought with them. In a half circle, with the starting point from the cave opening, in a thirty-foot radius a wall is starting to take form, with only one exit out into the surrounding forest. Riin''s POV Asperd Isles - Early Summer. For two month, we have worked to secure ourselves in the newly formed encamp, making a place to storage food and a place to sleep, that was not under open sky, not that I mind sleep under the open sky, it just after almost four weeks, I really needed something that reminded me of a real bed, three weeks and a few days, that''s how long it took for the sleeping hut to be completed with beds for thirty people, so we had a few spare beds. The longhouse, - that was what the sleeping hut really was, - had its own fireplace built into the end wall, made of small flat square stones, that Galore, himself had cut and placed. The horses, have gotten their stable and a small food storage with a root cellar was added, so the hunter team and I, - Yes¡­ Much against my will, I was added to the list of people able to find edible thing in the forest and so I found myself on the team that gathered food every so often. Well it did mean that in the two months¡¯ time we had stayed here I had gained quite the experience in the skills, [Cooking] and [Tanner], I still found it a bit hard to make food from scratch but it was slowly going better and better. However, with my increased training in tanning the hides that the hunters got from the deer¡¯s and boars, I was starting to see just how much one''s skills, affect one when they started to reach the intermediate skill level. Well, enough about me tanning hides and cooking stew, tomorrow is where the good thing starts, it''s tomorrow that Galore has said that he will take me into the new mine! I will learn how to use a pickaxe, even if I have been swinging it around to get used to its weight, I have not unlocked the last of the four demands to become a miner, so I hope that tomorrow will bring me some more luck. With the first rays of the sun, I''m up and in the cloth, today is the day I become a miner¡­ man? man miner¡­ hmm, oh well. I go outside and wait for the rest of the mining team to get themselves up and moving, lazy fuckers¡­ An hour later they finally get out of their beds and starts to find some food. Thirty minutes later and we are going mining, finally, Galore is talking the men, giving them today''s work plan, who goes where and with whom. Today, Galore is going with a man named Heca and me, as the tag along, Heca gives me a nod for a greeting, a man of few words it seems, it''s fine by me since, I don''t care for idle chatter. As we start to move into the newly build mine shaft, galore is quizzing me on what I will do if a rockslide happens or what I will do if I smell or ¡®see¡¯ gas. To the question with the gas I simply pull out my [Lightstone], makes them stop short in their tracks, Galore is the one who speaks first. ¡°A [Lightstone]¡­ It has been a good few years since I last saw one¡­ Where is it from? boy.¡± ¡°A cave near my old home.¡± Not like that''s wrong. ¡°Oh, I see, where was this cave located? Your old home, do you mean the place called ¡®The herbalist''s hut¡¯ by the trading caravans?¡± Hmm, he knows of place itself, if so I don''t see why I should not tell him¡­ Let''s have him give me some information first. ¡°How come you want to know where it is, so badly? There were only five [Lightstone] when I was there and a lot of dead things.¡± At that comment Heca raises an eyebrow, yet remain silence, Galore on the other hand make his ¡®hmfp¡¯ growl sound and waves a hand in the air. ¡°You misunderstand me, kid. The reason I ask is simple, really, a true [Lightstone], is a crystal that has somehow absorbed the light itself, they are fascinating, so I merely wanted to see from where it came, nothing more.¡± We continue for a short while without more words between the two of us, until Heca speaks up. ¡°What dead things.¡± I half stop in my steps, before walking on, while taking. ¡°A large amount of [Giant Forest Spiders].¡± No need to tell them how they died in the first place. ¡°Hmm, saw a boss?¡± Boss¡­ does he mean a [King] or a [Queen]. ¡°A dead [Queen].¡± ¡°Hmm, lucky that it was dead, they are very aggressive, [Queens] that it.¡± Tell me about it¡­ They are not just a little aggressive, they are fucking insanely aggressive, not like I''m going to tell you that, so I go for a short answer. ¡°I see.¡± But that makes me think, how come he knows about [Queens] in the first place, I mean it''s not a common thing to walk into. ¡°Have you seen a [Giant Spider Queen] before?¡± I can''t help but to ask him, at that he only nods, moments pass before he speaks again. ¡°In my younger days, we found one, in the caves, on the south side of [Flinty Mountain], ugly she was¡­ Melted two men to the bones with the liquid poison. I still hear their screams, even to this day¡­ sometimes, I wish it was just a bad dream, but no, I saw it¡­¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. After that we walked in silence. On a side note, man I''m glad that I avoided that gooey shit that time, who knew that it melted skin and bones¡­ After a twenty-minute walk, down into the mine''s main shaft, we reach the end or where we are to continue, a stack of ten or so logs lay to the side out of the way, support beams, I guess. My attention is turned back to Galore, as he pokes my shoulder. ¡°Now kid, watch me and repeat what I''m doing, got that.¡± I nod as he walks over to the left side of the wall, he rises the pickaxe above his head and swing down, repeating the motion a few times before a slice of rock falls to the ground. ¡°Now you try.¡± And so, I do, try that is. Rising the pickaxe up and above my head before swinging it down into the rock wall in front of me. A good hour passes by with my hacking away at the stone in front of me, then just as I''m about to throw the stupid pickaxe away for getting nowhere, I get a message.
Congratulations! You''ve learnt how to use a Pickaxe. By completing the four objectives you have gained the skill, [Miner].
And so, we work the day, until another team tells us that it is time for dinner, grilled deer, we are told. Looking back at my handiwork, I don''t feel like we have reached very far in the time we have been working¡­ Not far at all, but Galore and Heca seems to think that we have done fine, how I do not know, I mean how can seven feet, be much? But then again, I guess that it is pure rock we are hitting at.
Doing hard physical work you have gained +1 [Strength]!
Doing continuously hard physical work you have gained +1 [Strength]!
Doing hard physical work over a long time, you have gained +1 [Strength]!
Doing hard physical work with no end in sight, you have gained +1 [Strength]!
The summer passed us by in a blink of an eye, we hacked away at the rock day in and day out, never giving up. Summer gave way to Fall and the leaves turned orange and yellow, still all of us was giving it our best, a crude road was made from [Flinty Village] to us, still calling it a road was a bit like calling a cat a lion, it was just wagon tracks in the dirt. As the summer ended so did our peaceful season or mining, with the new season came a problem, bandits. I knew that there were bandits in these parts but up until now, we had not seen anything to them, but I''m assured by the hunters that they had seen tracks of the bandits all late summer. So, we were being watched, huh. One evening as we sat by the fire eating our dinner, the two guards at the gate suddenly let out yells of surprise, soon arrows were flying about. Time to play a bit I guess, ahh how I missed this! I ran to a small building, next to the food storage hut, grabbing my bow and arrows. Running up towards one of the small watchtowers, that had been built after the hunters found tracks of the bandits, that would be my point of attack. Reaching the tower was one thing, a lot of zic zag running and a few moments later I was crawling up the small rope ladder, soon I was standing with a good viewpoint of the battle taking place down below me. A quick count on my part, gave me a circa amount of twenty something bandits, so we were pretty evenly matched in numbers at least, time to shoot some foolish insects down. Breath, relax, aim to kill, shoot, and so the first arrow went off and I''m the proud owner of a headshot, one down, many to go. Arrows filling the sky, men yelling, cries of pain and suffering, how sweet the sound is to my ears, how I missed the sound of agony! More I want more! [Bloodlust Aura] is now activated, range [81] feet. As if a drop had fallen into a still pond creating rings in the calm water, just like that my desire to kill, let my bloodlust run rampage. As a level five I had a [Bloodlust Aura] skill of level four, anything from that level and under was effected by my desire to kill them. Ah, like a storm at sea it passed over all of them, some even fell to their knees, begging, they were easily killed, only adding to my own storm of blood. Five, fell begging for it to stop, what they saw I don''t know and I really don''t have the time to care for such weak things. [Bloodlust Aura] ranged increased to [86] feet. At the end of the surprise attack I had reached a range of ninety and I got a nagging feeling that I needed to let the shard show me what I missed in message. But first things first, relaxing by the campfire and getting some well-deserved food! The bandits were taken care of and the bodies of the fallen insects was brought to rest in a spot next to the outer wall side, for us to bury them in the morning. Their weapons and any other items was taken off them before they were dragged to the side, I for one made sure to grab some arrows and some small coin. Later that night as I lay in my bed I checked my messages.
You have survived a raid. You have gained +100 experience for surviving the attack! During the raid, you took down nine attacks, of the type [Human - Bandit], by doing so you have gained +900 experience. The skill [Bloodlust Aura] has gained [90].
The morning sun marked a new day in the camp, yet were there normally was a laughter to be heard, a silence was now pressing down on the breakfast table. Galore rose from his seat with a solemn face, looking around on the lot before speaking. ¡°Last night was¡­ a surprise for all of us¡­ but luck was with us, and we are victorious!¡± A roar was let loose from the table, before galore raised his hand and silence fell over the table once more. ¡°We have won¡­ but we also lost two good men¡­ let us pray for their spirit to pass.¡± All the men bowed their head down, some mumbling for themselves, some merely sitting quietly for a short while, before looking towards Galore once more. Taking a quick look around, I found that indeed two was missing¡­ their spots empty, two of the guards. I did not remember their names nor really their faces, yet I found a slow uneasiness building up inside of me. A feeling of loss? No, that cannot be the feeling¡­ can it? The day passed in a blur, men dug a hole outside the walls for the fallen bandits, where they were put down and burned. Galore, said something about necromancers being able to use the dead if they were not burned before burying them. Our ¡®own¡¯ was placed inside the walls, in the west end of the camp, a place we had not yet used for building. Two graves were made, and like the bandits the remained of the two guards was burned before burying them beneath the earth. The only thing marking their places was a small stack of stone and their helmets that was placed above the dirt. That whole day, nothing but silence filled the camp, the only thing breaking it was the sound of the pickaxes hitting the rocks deep inside the mine. No one laughed that day, no song filled the dinner table that evening and as the night came upon us, a resounding silence was all that was left of the day after the raid. But as the say, life must go on or something along those lines, I think and so it did. Slowly the laughter and jokes returned to the encampment, yet a cloud was above our heads, for we now knew that we were not alone out here in the forest, and winter was closing in on us faster than any of us liked. The uncertainty of not knowing, if or when a new attack would come or how many would attack us, it was slowly making people stressed out. I for one had problems of my own, Galore had been looking my way a bit too much lately, I can only stay low and hope he leaves me be. Galore''s POV [Bloodlust Aura], the first blood magic in the spell line, yet to call it a spell would be wrong, for it is nothing more than the user''s will and desire to destroy to end the lives before him. Like the soldier carry himself in a certain way, like a second set of clothing. Likewise does the desire to kill cling to the skin of the users of [Blood Magic], but unlike the soldiers whose aura bring ease, the ones who wield the old art of pure desire to kill¡­ No, they have their own aura, one that makes grown men shake and sweat run down from the back of their neck. They carry the aura of death with them, as they unleash it onto the field of battle, their enemies will tremble before them, for they know¡­ that the tire power behind the aura comes from the act of taking lives. Yes, the scent that clings to them is death. Here in this forest surrounded by attackers, here within our walls of security¡­ We walk next to a beast, a killer¡­May the gods have mercy on us should he grow tried, for only they know what made such a young soul become so twisted by the desire to end all. All I can do now is watch him, make sure he is using his body to release some energy, so it will not be us he decided to release it on. Yet, the eyes which he looks at me, they tell me that he sees me, that he knows that I''m watching him¡­ Chapter 27 - Snow in the mountain Chapter 27 - Snow in the mountain Riin''s POV Bottom of the Stoney Mountain - Stoney region, Late Fall. We were forced to moved in small groups of three to five, when we went out hunting, with fresh tracks of our enemies, being found almost daily, yet only once since the raid, had the hunting group encountered the bandit in direct combat. Unluckily for the enemy, our hunters were far better archers than the ones that was encountered that day. They left none alive, killing them quickly of fear for alluding any nearby allies that they might have. So, for now our food was slowly becoming more and more smoked meat, since we needed any food that we could get our hands on to last as long as possible and with the weather slowly becoming colder each passing night, any meat are sure to last even longer. But as the weather change so does the growth in wild vegetables, so what we have in the storage becomes even more treasured. Still, I know that some stuff grows even in the winter, it is just that much harder to find, but I''m not going to give up on looking. Once a week I tag along with the hunting group to find anything that will add flavour to our meals, I even went and used some of my spices that I had traded myself too from Greta, just to get the taste of something else than pure smoked meat, much to the joy of the others that evening. Still with the winter at our doorstep we are finding it harder and harder to locate any traveling packs of animals, and with the constant threat of bandits ambushing us on the hunts, we dare not go on more than a half day trip from the encampment. At the new moons coming we will have rabbit stew - yeah, I''m still calling it rabbit stew, just deal with it. It is going to be a surprise for the rest of the men, on our hunt we set up some snares and got lucky, in all we got ourselves five hares. They will make for a good stew, together with a few of the winters vegetables that I had come across over couple last trips, wild carrots, beets and a sack of apples. I was very excited when I found the small apple trees that still had a good amount of fine apples on them, needless to say that I went to work on getting them all with me back to the camp. Yet, if this continue for long I fear that we will be finding ourselves with a shortage of food sooner rather than later. Our diet the last few weeks has been more and more meat and no bread or vegetables to speak of. I know of a cold resistant corn type, but I can''t for the life of me remember the name¡­ It will come, the name, just like lightning from a clear sky¡­ As if all the trouble with the food was not enough, Galore is still watching me, so I have taken to sleep with my knife under my pillow, better safe than sorry, as they say. The time in the mine is now mostly spent with Heca, he is a man of few words, a former soldier and a old friend of Galore, so he got the babysitting job it seems, not that I mind him really, he is far easier to read than Galore. Just as the season changed we finally got our very own blacksmith building up and running, with its own smelting oven. So far we have been making a good amount of copper bars, we even found some iron. I had asked why it was not smelted into coins and was told that only the royal blacksmiths has the tools to make copper, silver, gold and lastly platinum into coins, so we had to deliver our copper and other coin metal to the noble house of Asperd. At that moment, I was like, waaaiiit a moment¡­ We have a noble running this island of ours? The answer was¡­ Yes, of course we had a noble household, I know silly me for even asking such a thing¡­ So, I did the only thing one could do in such a situation, I spent the few days pestering Heca about information of the noble houses of our kingdom. So after a good deal of time Heca finally had enough of my constant talking and asking that he told me the basic, that according to him, ¡®Any citizen, with respect for himself should know.¡¯ Or so he said, guess mother and father didn''t get to that point in life yet and honestly I can fully understand them, I mean what good is these nobles anyway? I have yet to see a banner or a single man talking of any noble house, so yeah, I''m fine without that part of respect for myself, really. On the other hand, I do need to learn more about this place, therein the pestering of Heca and I just enjoy pissing him off, I mean his face as he gets annoyed, what''s not to like. Anyway, the kingdom''s noble houses was a followed. House of Eastfair, the most powerful of the noble lines, also according to Heca, it was the house of the current queen, queen Laila''s birth house. The house of Eastfair governs form the middle east cost to the capitals border, marking it as the biggest of the houses. House of Edgefield, rules over the central part of the country, even as the land they govern over is small compared to other noble houses, they hold their own in form of pure wealth. Marked by many as one of the most powerful and influential houses. House of Zormengrand, governs over the land surrounding and the great forest of Zormengrand. With their eleven crafters the house of Zormengrand stand at the top of the houses since no other house hold power over the elves, who inhabits the Zormengrand forest. House of Ehathhold. One of the guardian house of the kingdom, the guard the northwest borders against attackers. With their hold spending west over, the house of Ehathhold holds great power in its own right. House Glorvlesf, rulers of the southern borders. Gatekeepers of the south, they are named, for they guard us from the everlasting wars of the south, the warring tribes of the dessert and kingdoms of the land beyond that. House Bellfort, the second smallest noble house, the guard the north side of our kingdom, Bellfort, the walled city of the northern border. Their land is small, but they are all that stand between the kingdom and the lords of the vast nord, the land covered in snow year round. They also deals with the inhabitants of the northern lands, they are most known for the trade in cold iron, a type of metal only found in the cold and polar climates. And after much talking he finally got to the part that had any meaning for the normal citizen of Asperd, the noble house that governed the cost.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. House of the Isles, the smallest of houses in terms of land, wealth and power. Yet they had guarded the kingdom''s coastline with their small islands and surrounding any navel attackers that feared cross into their waters, getting surrounded from many places. As such they had held their seat of power in the kingdom, with many trading ships crossing into the Isles waters, bringing with them goods of far off kingdoms. With the threat of not letting in trade ships they had held onto power that governed the Isles, weak, in all but the mind. With my curiosity satisfied, I gave Heca some peace, much to his delight. That was until I came to think of Gerta, she had more¡­ Well¡­ european, look to her, with her blond hair and pale skin, that is all I could compare her too at the moment. He is so going to strangle me¡­ Ah, the joy of life. ¡°Hey Heca¡± A deep growl was my only answer, not that is was anything new, it had more or less become his first response to me, whenever I opened my mouth. He really was not a man who enjoy taking part in long conversations or for that matter talking in general. ¡°Galore''s wife, Gerta, is she for the northern lands?¡± He sighed before giving me a nod of confirmation. ¡°How did they meet, if the north is closed off?¡± He stopped his work, turning to glare at me before taking a deep breath, calming himself is seems. ¡°Galore comes from Bellfort, as to how they met each other, that I don''t know. Now work.¡± Ending the conversation with a glare my way. Hmm, if he is from Bellfort, can it been that Heca is too? ¡°He--¡± As I started to speak he turned around, rather fast I might add, for one who was mid swing, and threw the pickaxe my way. I jump to the side in a rolling fall narrowly avoiding the sharp lump of iron thrown my way. And while I''m not proud of saying it, it let out a really girly scream as I jumped to avoid the flying object¡­ I mean, I could have died! Holy shit on a stick! Let me get the fuck out of here until he cools off and so I ran up the mineshaft, with as much speed as one could have on an uneven stone floor. As I more or less jumped out of the mine, I got few looks, my answer? ¡°Heca has gone crazy!¡± A few of the miners placing the raw iron ore into the smelter just laughed it off. ¡°Cus¡¯ ya¡¯ be talkin¡¯ to much.¡± I gave him big innocent eyes, as I ran past him and the other miners, yelling back towards them. ¡°I would never do such a thing!¡± All I got as a response was more laughing. Elisa''s POV Flood Village - Flinty region, early winter. Half a year my sweet boy had been away, half a year I had done my best to not run after him as I got the letter, telling me that he was going to follow along on the opening of a new mining outpost in the Stoney region. He had been gone for almost ten months now, I just needed to believe in him once more. Believe that he would be fine out there in the wildness that was the Stoney region, the lawless region¡­ I had to believe, I just had to, I mean, he was a smart kid, fast learning and quick to improve, so I had strong hope for him, yet I still found night where I sat at the window looking into the night. He was almost a fully grown up man, I had to start to let him go¡­ Still I had four years before I really had to let go of him, my sweet child. As the first snow fell, we heard the first reports of increasing bandits near Flinty Village¡­ my first thought was to my child, was he doing fine, had they been attacked, was he alive? I prayed to the gods that night and the nights since. Galore''s POV Bottom of the Stoney Mountain - Stoney region, mid winter. The snow keeps slowly falling and had done so for the last six weeks, with no sign of stopping anytime soon. The hunters are having a hard time locating any type of wild in the increasing layers of snow, yet with the help of the kid they have made reheatable stew of the game that they do catch. While they may be great hunters, they are not miracle workers, with them being forced to stay within a day travel from the camp, there is only so much they can do and food is slowly becoming less and less. I had a two man team scout the surrounding area to see if they could find out where the bandits that we kept finding tracks of where located, but still after a week there is no word of them, it is starting to worry me. Have they been taken prisoners or killed, I don''t know and I don''t like not knowing things. Heca is still watching Riin, I had not told him why he needs to watch the young man, yet¡­ No, I do best in not telling him of the blood magic, he would surely try and kill the boy. While I too hate blood magic, I do not wish dead on the child, but Heca, he would kill him, not that I can blame him for his hate of that foul magic¡­ his whole family was after all ripped to shreds in front of his eyes by that same magic¡­ We have to last the winter, in spring, a fresh batch of guards will come to change out the ones that are here now, the same with some of the hunters, so we just have to last the winter¡­ we have to. Riin''s POV Bottom of the Stoney Mountain - Stoney region, mid winter. Snow, smoked meat and hacking away deep within the mountain¡­ That is all there is to my life at the moment it seems. Weeks of snow with no sign of it stopping anytime soon and with that much snow, we are saving outlets food ration, so that means smoked meat and stew. I''m telling you now so that we are clear in this¡­ I am really starting to hate the sight of smoked meat - even with spices on, and the rabbit stew is also starting to give a bland taste in my mount. Smoked meat rolled in cabbage, smoked meat with garlic and let''s not forget smoked meat with dill sprinkle over it¡­ And not least, Stew with a fine mix of rabbit and apple, beets, green onions and carrots¡­ Yeah, I''m so done with smoked meat and stew, when this trip is over. Once again we head into the mine after breakfast, it took two weeks of me hiding out at the blacksmith''s hut and a good long talk between Galore and Heca, before we were on speaking terms with one another again, or at least before he was not trying to kill me the moment he laid his eyes on me. Two hundred twenty some days we have been digging into the depths of the earth, with a good mining speed of around forty feet mined ¨¢ day, give or take, sixteen hours in a shift of two man rotating four hours each. We have reached just around four miles deep into the main shaft, the only mining shaft that goes down into the deeps of the mountain. We have gathered mostly copper and iron ore, a single gold vein has been found too, all in all we are getting a big fortune out of the mountain. As the snow falls and the white veil lays itself down on the roof of the mountains and the forest is filled in a white blanket, we dig in the darkness of the earth, away from the blazing cold winds and the ever falling snow. At mid winter, we made a break in our constant hacking away in the deep. We had been mining away at our wall for around two good hours, the other team had taken the last of the ore with them back, when it happened, a cracking sound that shook the very floor we were on. As if it was not there, the floor and lower wall broke apart from the shaft and gave us an unexpected view of¡­ Well, darkness and nothingness and so we fell, down into the darkness. Chapter 28 - Attack in the dark Chapter 28 - Attack in the dark Riin''s POV Underneath the Stoney Mountain, mid winter.
You have been rendered unconscious.
That was all I managed to see as we into the darkness of the earth. A sharp pain in the back of my head, awoke me from the sweet nothingness that was my unconsciousness¡­ Yeah, reaching up to my head I could feel a small bump forming, giving me a massive headache as it swelled in size, but the good news was that I felt no wetness on the tips of my fingers, meaning that there was no cut made by what had hit me as we fell. Slowly opening my eyes I, all I could see was darkness¡­ Yeah, I had to close and open them a few times before finding out that the place itself for devoid of any light, with the exception of a small, all to well known, light. Now you might be wondering why the fuck is the idiot crawling all the way and not walk, well ladies and gents, it''s fucking dark as is zero light except for the small source that is my [lightstone] a good twenty feet away or so, my point in all this is, no way in hell that I''m walking when I can''t even see the fucking floor. Did that get my point across? Good, now onwards. A good thirty minutes or so of me crawling my way towards it in the dark, bumping into a lot of fucking small stones and sharp thing, led me to the small light source, my [Lightstone], I must have dropped it as we fell¡­ Hold on a moment¡­ Ah, I knew that I was forgetting something this whole time, Heca. Now where is that insane old man? ¡°Heca, where are you?¡± Not that I expect him to answer me, but lo and behold, a few small moans of pain was let out a few feet somewhere behind me. ¡°Heca?¡± ¡°Hmm, ahh¡­¡± With the small light source in hand I make my way towards the sound. More grunts of pain is the only answer I receive as I make my way towards him. ¡°Heca, speak up will you, it''s hard to find anything in this stupid darkness.¡± ¡°Ahh, kid is that you?¡± ¡°Yeah, who else just fell with you¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, I get you. Are you alright, kid?¡± ¡°Other than a bump on my head, I''m fine.¡± At that point I finally get to him as I shine the light on him i get to see exactly why he was moaning and oh boy, he has all the right he wants to be grunting out in pain. His fucking shin bone is sticking out of his leg. ¡°So, how bad does it look, kid?¡± While he seems calm I have no intention of risking a panicked old dude in this fucked up place so, I of course answer to the best of my ability. ¡°It''s just a small cut, you will be fine in no time.¡± ¡°Ha, so the message telling me, that I have a broken leg, is just to be ignored.¡± ¡°Yeah, it''s over reacting.¡± He laugh a bit before falling quiet once more. We sat there for a few minutes, before I can''t hold it in anymore. ¡°So, do you think anyone is coming to find us?¡± Heca gives a weak laugh before answering my question. ¡°Yes, they will come for us, but I fear that it will take too long for me, boy.¡± Hmm, he is right. The bleeding has not stopped but is it not fussing out either, it''s a steady flow, well we can try and fix that, no way I''m staying in this place with a dead body, he is more useful alive. ¡°Well, I got a little training in first aid, so hold still for a moment, okay?¡± ¡°Do it.¡± Ah, he knows that I will have to poke his leg a bit for this to work. Reaching up and tearing off some of his shirt, I get ready but before that I want to make sure that he will not try and hit me. ¡°This is going to hurt a little bit, hold still and¡­ Try not to hit me.¡± A small weak laugh is my only answer, here goes nothing. Taking a deep breath before putting my hand in the exposed bone, I slowly sink my other hand down into his wound, I need to make sure that when I push the bone down I don''t hit a blood vessel, feeling no exposed veins, I retract my hand. ¡°Okay, the good news is that you have no cut blood vessels, now I need to push your bone back in place. You ready?¡± A small grunt is all I get, while is was having a hand in his leg he was only breathing heavily, that is one though pain tolerance, I tell you. Getting myself in a position to push the bone down in one good go, I calm myself before doing my best to let all my weight fall on the bone in one quick motion. A strangled scream was all he let loose as I set the bone in place, one though guy I tell you¡­ I bandage the wound with the strips from his shirt.
You have gained the skill [First aid] by tending to a wounded person. For knowing how to help the broken bone in place, you have gained +1 [Intelligence].
Well, that''s useful. ¡°All done, how are you holding up?¡± A few laboured breaths was my only response for now, so I sat down and waited for him to be able to talk normally again. After having tended and closed up the cut as much as I could, I waited for him to catch his breath before asking him my next question and if you want my opinion the most important one at that. Minutes ticked by while we sat in the darkness, with the [lightstone] as our only company, against this unknown place, that we accidentally had found ourselves in. ¡°So, how long do you think it will take for them to get down to us?¡± See? It was an important question, I can be smart sometimes, you know, what followed was a deep silence. ¡°Well depending on the strength of the rock surrounding the hole we fell in it can take some time, seeing as they first have to secure their own way down.¡± Well, that did make sense. But what I found worrying as well was our lack of food or water for that matter. While I was thinking about that problems hours went by, Heca never being a big talker didn''t seem to think that he needed to say anything, also kept quite in the hours that followed. Many silent hours after our fall, something happened, weak glowing lights started to light up our surroundings, giving up a better view of what was down here. ¡°Heca, something is happening.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± We sat there and looked on as the area around us slowly showed itself, small mushrooms lit up the cave¡­ Well, I say ¡®cave¡¯ what it really looked like was an underground world of its own, even with the new light, I had no sight of the ceiling. ¡°What in the¡­¡± Heca, interrupted me in my crushing. ¡°The Underdark.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°That is what this place is called, The Underdark.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Wait a fucking moment, we are in a complete new land¡­ Area¡­ Place? What the fuck is going on here. ¡°So¡­ How big is this Underdark place?¡± A ¡®hmph¡¯ sound, that was followed by a small laugh sounded from Hecas general area. ¡°This Underdark place¡­ don''t make me laugh kid, did your parents not tell you anything.¡± Oh, no you don''t shithead, don''t even go there or you will lose your head very fast.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Don''t you dare insult my parents, Heca¡± I felt the weak sting in my hands, telling me that I had broken the skin as I fisted my hands but I paid it no mind. A few moments of silence followed. ¡°Oh, I''m sorry kid, I meant no harm by it.¡± Too long, he took too long to apologise, that fucker. Just you wait, you will find me to be patient as hell when I want to see someone suffer, just you wait. ¡°Well, how about it, how big is it then.¡± ¡°The whole world.¡± Huh? Does he seriously want to tell me that this place that we are in spans the whole fucking world¡­ How? ¡°What about oceans?¡± ¡°There are said to be non, only massive lakes.¡± Holy fuck¡­ Not that I get to ponder moreover this, as a low growling sets a stopper for anymore questions I might have. As time ticks by slowly the low growling is soon followed by footsteps, heavy footsteps, on that note and all too soon we get to see the owner of those feet. Let''s just say that I''m glad for the light given by the mushrooms, if that thing found its way to us in the dark than we were loyalty fucked, not that we have a very high chance of survival now but still, man I''m grateful for those small mushrooms. What is staring at us or more likely, Heca, who is pretty much unable to move is¡­ Well, how to describe this¡­ Now I would call it a mutated bear in two legs, but the walks is just plain out weird, it''s ¡®legs¡¯ are small and it''s arms are too long, it almost has a gorilla type of build to it, but the white pelt looks too much like a bear, but the face is kind of cat like I would say¡­ all in all a weird looking fucker. ¡°Oh, no no no no¡­¡± Judging from how Heca is reacting the cat-bear-gorilla-thing is bad new for us. I whisper to him. ¡°What is that thing?¡± ¡°Quaggoth.¡± Okay, that didn''t help me at all¡­ a Quaggoth, and how the fuck is that even pronounced?
Quaggoth is pronounced, kwah-goth
Well¡­ That''s helpful¡­ All the while I have been staring at my message, the Quaggoth has moved closer to Heca, while it''s focus is on him I am slowly moving away from its sight. ¡°Kid!? Where are you going!?¡± Oh, shut the fuck up, you fucking parent hating asshat. As he makes more noise, the Quaggoth growls louder at him, I slowly make my way behind it. On that note, man I''m glad that it is covering up its ass with a leather loincloth, I mean who needs to see some naked bear butt, yeah, exactly, no one, that how many. As I finally get myself behind it, it has made its way fully towards Heca. ¡°Kid!¡± Pussy. The Quaggoth, gets down in a more crouched position as it takes a sniff as Heca. At this point, he seems to lose it, just a tiny bit as he decide to takes a swing for its head. A deep growl is heard as it moves away from the incoming hit. It lifts its arm and grab a hold of his wrist, a cracking sound soon follows. Aw, that got to hurt, judging by the small scream that he lets out it did in fact hurt. As is it growling at Heca and holding one of his arm, I find that I will get no better chance than this and so makes my move. I rise from my crawling position into a run, my aim? It''s back, the seven feet something tall thing is now down to around four feet, as it is bend down over Heca, I pull my knife as I run as fast and silent as I can in the half lit place. Knife raised, I aim for the back of its neck, seeing as I will most likely not get a second change, my aim, is the vertebrae and the blood vessels and nerves that run along there. I somehow manage to jump onto its back, grabbing hold of any fur I can, I ram the knife down to its neck, a deafening roar is released from the creature as the knife gets borrowed down into its neck, my hand still on the knife I rip it out as the Quaggoth stand up, knowing that time is of the essence, I twist the knife in the wound trying to do as much damage as I can in the short amount of time it''s takes it to stand up from the moment I landed on its back and the knife was rammed down into its neck. I feel the bones as I twist the knife, just as it reaches behind its head to grab me, I rip the knife in between it''s vertebrae and pull out, kicking myself of its back and hopefully out of its reach. My not so graceful landing aside, the Quaggoth turns around to face the new attacker. But in the end that is all it ever manage to do, just as it stares at me it drops to the ground, talk about anticlimax.
You have slain a [Quaggoth - Thonot] granting you 700 experience. Being quick thinking and having fast feet, in an overwhelming situation you have gained +1 [Intelligence] and +1 [Dexterity]. Bloodlust Aura has gained 1, [91]
That was a bit too close, I so hope we get picked up soon, then again, Heca does make for a great escape goat. Speaking of Heca¡­ He looks a bit shocked. ¡°You¡­ It¡­ How¡­ That¡­¡± And he is making as much sense as a stone at the moment¡­ ¡°Wait here, I will see if there is anything that we can use as a fire, there must be something burnable down here¡­ It can eaten right¡­ ?¡± I mean it is in essence a bear, right? All he does is nod his head, if it is for the part about the fire or the eating part, I don''t know, so I can only assume, that it covers both of them. I leave the dead bear and the [lightstone] with Heca, as I move towards the phosphorescent fungus, I hope that there is some kind of moss grow down here that we can use as fire material or anything dry at all. What feels like hours later in this half lit dark, I finally find what seems to be some kind of dry moss or plant, scraping it of the rock wall, I make my way along the wall looking for more. I find what looks to be normal cave mushrooms, that I bring back with me as well. As I made my way around our camp in a small circle always keeping the [Lightstones] light in sight, I found, to my great relief I might add, a small stream flowing in the rock floor. Getting on my knees I dipped a finger in the water, ice cold, fucking freezing I tell you, but nonetheless it was precious water an extremely good find in this dark place. Looking back towards Heca, I save the location in my mind and moved back to him, time for some food, but before I left I took a good few mouthfuls of nice cold water, ah, so refreshing. As I step into the light, Heca looks up at me, startled, by my sudden appearance, what a weakling he is proving to be. ¡°I found some edible mushrooms, out there.¡± He gave me a questionable look, what you fucker don''t like mushrooms? ¡°If you don''t like eating mushrooms, you don''t have too, you know¡­¡± He looked at me for a short while without saying anything, well suit yourself, shithead. I pulled out the burnable plants, that I had found on my walk and started to made myself a small fireplace. With a little persistence, - that meaning me hitting two rocks together for an hour, I got the stones to spark and finally got a the fire going. As the flames started to burn strong, Heca finally graced me with some wise words. ¡°You sure, that they are edible, the mushrooms, I mean?¡± ¡­ What did I tell you, wise, wise words of a complete moron, who don''t know anything about plants and their abilities and not a thing at all about mushrooms, so why do he even open his mouth, I truly do wonder. ¡°Yes, I''m sure of it.¡± Idiot. ¡°Hmph, so how are we going to survive off a few mushrooms, boy.¡± Moron. ¡°Did you forget about the bear already?¡± He gave me a utterly confused look, oh for fucks sake, why did I have to get stuck here with a brainless dimwits of all things. ¡°The Quaggoth¡­¡± His eyes grew very big. ¡°You¡­ You can''t be thinking of eating that monster!?¡± Well¡­ Yes, yes I in fact can and will do so. I have lived of rotten food just to survive, - thanks to daddy dears, so a dead bear is not on my list of things that are non-eatable. So instead of wasting more words on the shitface, I simply gave him a firm nod. ¡°It''s a monster! You can''t eat it!¡± Can''t¡­ who''s going to stop me, him? He has one good leg and one usable arm left, the fuck he''s gonna do? And what''s with the fucking yelling, I''m not deaf, yet at least. ¡°Heca, I will not starve down here when there is fresh meat right in front of me. End of discussion.¡± ¡°That is madness, boy! To eat of a monster!? Madness, I tell you!¡± ¡°Starving is madness.¡± Seeing as Heca and I had very different opinions on what was and was not acceptable to eat, we ended up with him staring at me as I cooked the meat of the Quaggoth on the hot stones and him after a very long time nipping away at the mushrooms that I had collected on my walk. After the meat was well done and cooked, I took my first bite, much to Hecas great horror and dismay. Hmm, not bad, a bit on the chewy side but not bad at all and so with Heca distrusted face I finished my first small cut of meat, I think I deserve a little delici for my hard work so far. ¡°What in the good gods, are you doing, boy!?¡± ¡°Hmm, oh, I''m getting the best parts as a little treat for my hard work.¡± ¡°Treat! You call that a treat!?¡± Crist man, I''m not fucking deaf, you know¡­ ¡°Yes¡­ They hold a lot of protein, it''s good for you, you know?¡± ¡°How in the world is, its eyes and hearth good for you!?¡± At this point in time he was really breathing heavily, like an¡­ obese man trying to catch the train. ¡°This is blasfemi!!¡± Huh¡­ are you shiting with me¡­ blasfemi? Don''t talk to me about blasfemi, I would strike god should he stand in my way or breaks the neck of death should he try and take me¡­ oh, done that once¡­ heh heh. ¡°Blasfemi?¡± ¡°Yes! To consume the flesh of a monster!¡± ¡°Now, now Heca, don''t joke with me, you have eaten monsters before too, I even cooked some of them for you.¡± Ah, his face, I so wish that I had a camera right about now. ¡°No¡­ No¡­ I have not! I have not committed such a sin!¡± ¡°Is a monster not defined by the [Challenge Rating]? If so you have eaten monsters each time you eat meat.¡± A deep silence had fallen over our little camp and then a roar of anger was let loose by Heca. ¡°You imbecile little brat!!¡± Speaking of overreaching¡­ ¡°Am I wrong?¡± ¡°You!¡± Ha, speechless are we now, since I''m fundamentally right. ¡°To gain experience, you must first slay a ¡®monster¡¯, a monster is defined by the [Challenge Rating] given to it by this world. Different monsters have a different rating, for a deer to a dragon, they are all ¡®monsters¡¯ in the eyes of this world''s system.¡±
You have gained +1 [Intelligence] for your reasoning behind ¡®monsters¡¯ and how one define such.
See, even the world system agrees with me on this one, take that shitface. After our little ¡®conversion¡¯ I proceeded to cut out the hearth and its eyes, snack time, yum yum. The eyes as with any eyes was a bit salty but not bad at all, the hearth was just as chewy as any other hearth. ¡°Blasfemi, I say.¡± I gave Heca one short look. ¡°Did you enjoy the mushrooms?¡± ¡°Yes, so what? That has nothing to do with this, blasfemi.¡± Oh, how wrong you are¡­ ¡°Oh, so you want mushrooms to eat and I don''t want to hear of your complaining about what I choose to eat or not eat, do we understand each other.¡± He looked a me a short while before opening his mouth once more, yes, that''s it be careful what you say, old man, or you just might find yourself without any food source, in this dark and cold place, not to mention about the lovely water. ¡°I''m starting to think different of you, boy.¡± ¡°Oh, really now?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± At that point at had finished up my lovely hearth.
You have consumed the flesh of a dark inhabitant, - consuming the eyes and hearth of your fallen foe. By committing such an horrible act, you have you have gained the skill [Darkvision], granting you the ability to see in even the darkest of places.
Horrible act¡­ come on! It''s was a fucking bear¡­ man even the system messages are after me now¡­ Chapter 29 - A light in the dark Chapter 29 - A light in the dark Galore''s POV Mines of the Stoney Mountain - Late Winter. For two weeks we have been dragging stones and rubble out of the mine and we are only now seeing the hole which swallowed them, a opening to the Underdark. This is bad news, with the raid a few days ago and the stress of having opened up a ¡®doorway¡¯ to the Underdark, the men are in bad shape. With the death of one more guard and Heca and Riin somewhere in the deep and no sign of the two hunters that I send to scout out to location the bandits encamp, we are now down to a mere nineteen men. I can only hope that Heca is keeping the young boy save for the foulness that is the Underdark. As for the two scouts¡­ I can only pray that they are safe and sound but unable to return for some reason unknown to us. Nothing can be done for the dead guards, all we can do for them is grant them a proper burial is this unforgiving place. Now, we dig down, down in the dark, down to find what been taken from us. We can only pray that they are somehow fine, if not the only thing that remains for us to be done then is to bring back their body''s to give them a proper burial. We shall not and will not, let their ghosts walk the endless darkness that is the Underdark, no, alive or not, we will bring them back home to the surface. Yes, that is only proper. Riin''s POV The Underdark - Time, unknown. Skill: [Darkvision] Is the extraordinary ability to see with no light source at all, out to a range normal for the creature using the skill, - sixty feet in total darkness. Darkvision is shows only black and white, - colors cannot be discerned. It does not allow one to see anything that they could not see otherwise, like say, invisible objects are still invisible, and illusions are still visible as what they seem to be. Likewise, darkvision subjects a creature to gaze attacks normally. The presence of light does not spoil darkvision. Or so sounded the description of the skill text at least. So, if my fantastic ability to count, in this case the light and lack thereof, of the glowing mushrooms is just a tiny bit correct¡­ I have just managed to spent my eleventh birthday, in what is essential, a fucking big dark underground hole, filled with glowing mushrooms¡­ Oh, well believe it or not it, this one here is not my worst birthday, that I have had¡­ And that is saying something considering that I''m in a fucking dark underground hole, with, might I add, a more and more annoying old man¡­ But, as I said not my worst, not at all. Oh, now you might be saying, ¡®The fuck is worse than being stuck in a dark hole.¡¯ Well, I can name a few. First, waking up in the hospital and finding out that you missed you fifth birthday, all because of your older brother blowing up the building you were in, - not that it was abnormal in my father''s family might I add, no, it was that that finding out that you had been in a coma for a few months and that in those few months, your sweet older brother had tried to off you no less then fucking eight times. Now,that made it bad. Or how about the time I spent my tenth birthday getting beaten up by my sweet father for missing an appointment with him by two fucking minutes, the following weeks was spent in the hospital mending my broken body back to health. But the top my list, have to be the day father told me that we would be spending my fifteenth birthday together as family should, that day he asked me to killed my older brother, - mind you, not that I liked the fucker, but what was the bad part was that I was ordered to bring back with me, his daughter of twelve. That night, was spent looking and listening to her screams as she got raped and beaten again and again, so many times that I lost count, before he finally made me kill her. Not that it was my first time seeing someone get raped, I just don''t enjoy seeing another man''s dick, that''s all. Oh, and of course that time, I was still not completely into the idea of the whole sex thing, seeing as cry and tried up was the way to go about it. Even as she lay naked and bruised on the floor, covered in blood and semen, begging for us to stop, not even noticing that none was touching her at that point, now that''s a fucked way to have one''s birthday. If you are wondering why father wanted my older brother dead, I believe it to be that he had fucked some young girl that my father liked to do, as you can tell by the story, he did not like to share his toys. I believe that my brothers wife and two remaining children was sent to work in one of his ¡®shops¡¯ as he called them, the places he sent women to be used as birthing more than sex toys for those who could pay. The wife and oldest daughter of eighteen ended up in his ¡®shops¡¯ and youngest daughter of ten ended up being sold on the black marked for a good deal of money. See, told you I had some pretty fucked up birthdays. Oh, I later got over the whole crying and begging part and found that if you broke them before doing them, they tended to be grateful towards you and let them fuck them without crying or begging or having to be tried up. Like having them seeing their mother or sister getting raped and beaten up, or treating to sell their younger sibling on the black market, yeah one worked on a lot of the younger ones. As I got older I found the younger one less appealing and went towards more mature ones. Now, they could be a bit stubborn but nothing a show of their younger sibling or another women getting fucked and beaten over a month could not change¡­ Ah, thinking of all that makes me want to have sex again¡­ Shit¡­ Okay, think of not sex, thi- Ah, Heca to the rescue¡­ ¡°Boy, we need water, so stop eating and go look for some.¡± As you might can hear, our ¡®relationship¡¯ has not improved over the last days, weeks, who knows, for how long we have been stuck down here, it has come to the point that I might just give him a very poisonous mushroom for dinner. But for now I have to restrain myself, I might need him, if more monsters come along our little trail. Yes, thanks to my newly acquired skill [Darkvision], courtesy of the now dead bear, I have found small trails in a good mile radius around us, monthly along the small stream. So, we might see more, unwelcome, guests in the near future, I mean most creatures need water, I can only assume that it is the same down here¡­ ¡°Chill out, I will go look for some when I''m done eating, you can wait that long.¡± ¡°Ungrateful brat.¡± ¡°Oh, I''m ungrateful?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Senile old man!¡± ¡°You!¡± Ah, the red color in his face tells me it''s time to run along and get some water before he pops a vein, as you can hear we have grown a lot closer, well at least to the point of him not trying to kill me when I open my mouth. But the time we have been here is starting to show, it is getting harder and harder to find food and the bear is down to its last forarm. So, if nothing happens soon I fear that we will truly starve down here¡­ As I walk along the water''s edge looking for anything I might have missed the other times, that I went to get food or water, anything new would mean that there had been others.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. A few days later as we are resting near the small campfire, we starts to hear noises down towards the small stream, loud and uncaring if their were being heard, they move towards us. Thanks to the [Darkvision] ability, I see or rather I smell¡­ some children sized, small human like creatures, I believe them to be the monsters known as [Goblins], if I''m not mistaken. Oh, and do note when I say children sized¡­ I mean that they were approximately the same size as a ten year old kid. From the looks of it there were five walking and two on what looked to be¡­ Well, overgrown wolfs, if I had to say anything about them. Yet, they did not seem like wolfs, something about them made them feel more clever, more dangerous, than any normal wolf would have. Behind them walked another goblin, this one seemed to be smarter than the others, it was dressed in a rusted metal piece of some kind, it also had two short swords with him. So, ten enemies was now making their way towards our camp and all I had to fight with was a fucking kitchen knife¡­ Fuck my life¡­ I don''t stand a chance attacking them head on, so I move in a half circle around them, praying that they do not hear, see or smell me. I need to take out the smart one, the one with the chest piece, if I can get his weapons I might stand a chance or at least a better chance then what I can with a kitchen knife. I don''t know if they can smell me or what not but I will have to give it a try, it''s better than kneeling over and dyeing anytime. I complete my half circle around them, as they move towards our campsite, now I just need an opportunity, where I can attack with the most chance of killing. They reach our campsite in a few minutes, talking in their own language, I presume. Yelling and pointing at the dead bear, the two riders move the wolf like creatures towards the corpse, now is my change, I attack. I only pray that their yelling, is drowning out my running, as I move as fast as the terrain allows me to. My hand goes to cover its mouth as my knife slits its throat, letting the warm blood coat the blade in red. I withdraw the knife and put it in my belt, taking up the two short swords, that he was carrying. I make a dash towards the closest one of the [Goblins], one of the walking ones, as he turns around to face the noise of my feet, I let the sword swing towards him, slicing of his head, two down. The rest of the [Goblins] seems to stop in their movements for a short moment, giving my just enough time to move into close range of my next target. I trust the sword into its chest and rip out the blade through the ribcage, it drops to the ground in screams, as I move toward the next one. I make it a few steps before I''m forced to jump backwards to avoid the jaws of a snarling beast. We are at a still stand, the screams of the last [Goblin] has died, leaving only a corpse in its place. Three normal ones and two on the wolf beast''s remains, I might be able to deal with the wolf beast one-on-one, but they have a rider as well, leaving me open to attacks if I chose to focus on the wolf beast and if I make the rider my focus I open myself up to the jaws of a beast¡­ Shit, shit, shit, what the fuck do I do!? One of the riders make a move towards Heca, who like the coward he is has been pressing himself up against the corpse of the dead [Quaggoth] like his life depended on it¡­ Well, in a way it does, does it not¡­ I have no time to care for him, not if I want to live that is, and as it just so is, I do want to live. As the small group split into two parts, one for Heca and one for me, I''m forced to jump back once more as a new bite comes my way. Soon I''m far away from the campfire as the beast and the [Goblins] keep up their endless attacks and I keep on dodging them as I keep on moving away, I need to find a narrow passage to try and force my attackers to come at me one versus one and not as it is not. Galore''s POV The Underdark - Time, Early spring. Finally we have reached the bottom of the rockslide¡­ They fell into a cave of The Underdark, with ladders rope, we have made it after five weeks of digging and removing loose stones. Now, armed with fire and weapons we look for them in this endless darkness. No more than a half hour passes before we hear the sound of fighting. ¡°Find them!¡± They have no weapons! They will be pray for anything down here, even the weakest roams in packs. Oh, god be alive, hold on, we are coming! ¡°There, look light!¡± A guard spots the light of a torch ahead of us, we move as fast as this dark place allow us to. As we near the light, it becomes clear that a fight has happened here. A dead [Quaggoth] with most of its meat missing and a few [Goblins] with a single [Worg] are standing near it. Then I see it¡­ Heca. He is a mangled mess of blood and bone, what''s left of his looks to be a treated leg, a broken bone? We attack the killers, nine versus three [Goblins] and a [Worg], this fight will end soon. Riin''s POV The Underdark - Time, unknown. After a short run I make it to a narrow corner, turning around it corner, I wait. I can hear the sound of fighting form the campsite, did they get Heca, if so nothing can be done about it, but who is fighting now? The first to turn the corner is the wolf beast with the [Goblin] rider, now is my only chance before they both can attack me, I thrust the swords into the skull of the wolf beast, they meet some resistance but other than that go in just fine. As the wolf beast drops dead I rip out the swords out jumping for the dazed rider who is half covered by the dead beasts body, a quick stab in the chest does the trick. I hear a yell in that weird language and is more or less tackled to the ground by a [Goblin], in the fall one of the swords, the one I used to stab the other [Goblin] with, gets pulled out of my hand. As if that was not enough the little fucker bites my other arm, weakening my grip on my last sword. I make a fast decision, with my free hand I reach for my knife and in a not so elegant way I stab the knife into my attacker''s throat, leaving blood to start pouring down onto me. The [Goblin] drops dead, a smelly dead thing unto me¡­ Great, just fucking great, now I''m going to smell of dead fish cooked in puke¡­ ¡®Show battle report¡¯
You have slain the [Goblin Boss] doing so you have gained 200 experience. [Bloodlust Aura] has gained a range of [92] feet. You have slain a [Goblin] by doing so you have gained 50 experience. [Bloodlust Aura] has gained a range of [93] feet. By killing your enemy in a horrorful manner you have imposed [Fear] on your remaining opponents. You have slain a [Goblin] by doing so you have gained 50 experience. [Bloodlust Aura] has gained a range of [94] feet.You have slain a [Worg] by doing so you have gained 100 experience. [Bloodlust Aura] has gained a range of [95] feet.You have slain a [Goblin] by doing so you have gained 50 experience. [Bloodlust Aura] has gained a range of [96] feet.You have slain a [Goblin] by doing so you have gained 50 experience. [Bloodlust Aura] has gained a range of [97] feet.
Worg, so that was what the wolf beast was¡­ I''m making my way back to the campsite, I''m out of breath, but I need to check on the state of things. Swords in hand and the knife hidden in my belt, I slowly make my way back, I will loot the corpses later. I turn the corner and find¡­ ¡°Old man!¡± Galore turns around at the sound of my voice, he is together with some of the guards and a few miners, they were the fighting I heard before, haha. ¡°Riin!¡± He makes he way towards me in fast steps, if he is going to hit me I might just take it, I''m so so very tired at this point, I can barely stand up. Firm hands grabs onto my shoulders and shakes me a bit, ah that does it, I lose my strength to stand and only the hold on my shoulders is now supporting my weight. ¡°Whoa, kid, are you okay!? Are you hurt!¡± My sight are going back, ah, I''m going to pass out, how lame. ¡°Dead ones behind me...loot the-¡± And my world goes black, the yelling of my name fades into nothingness. Galore''s POV Mine of the Stoney Mountains - Time, Early spring. After cleaning up the area and getting the loot of the [Goblins] and the [Quaggoth] and [Worgs] pelt and the weapons and few items they had on them, we make our way out of the dark. With Riin in my arms we walk the way back in silence, today I have lost a good friend but save a child¡­ The gods work in wonders ways, that we mortals may not understand¡­ Riin''s POV Mine of the Stoney Mountains - Time, Early spring. I awake in one of the beds in the longhouse. The sound of the birds singing tells me and winter has ended and what I hope is spring has come, yeah it has to be¡­ I mean no way we was down there for that long¡­ Right? Chapter 30 - Darkvision Chapter 30 - Darkvision Riin''s POV Mine of the Stoney Mountains - Time, Early summer. As I got energy back in my body I got outside in the lovely air with the sky and the sun and the chipping of the birds and the rustling of the leaves, ah, freedom. Heca had died in the [Goblin] attack, but Galores group had taken care of the last attackers before I got back, but they had found Heca dead when they arrived at our campsite. Saved me from killing him myself, it seems blasphemy is a taboo here and eating a bear on two legs is against the teachings of the gods, or so I found out by listening to the men who came to our rescue down in The Underdark. They were very upset that the [Goblins] had eaten of the [Quaggoth] even stating that it was against the gods will, blasphemy, as for me I really don''t get what the fuss is all about and I don''t think I will anytime soon. And if they are yelling blasphemy over monsters eating monsters, than finding out that it was me that was eating the bear down there would properly make them freak out completely,so what they don''t know won''t hurt them, as they say. With summer comes out return to the [Flinty Village] and our part of the mining work ends here Galores group will come back in a year''s time to switch with the group coming in to change places with us. But we are less than when we left, two hunters is still missing and three guards dead and buried here, together with Heca. That has left us with twenty to return, out of the original twenty-six people who left. As we pack up our things and get ready to leave, I get ready to start my own trip, I will travel with them out of the [Stoney Forest] and head east out towards the river, then head down to [Flood Village], where I will get my new supplies before heading to [The Lost Isle], let''s hope all go as planned. The day we were heading out had come and the new arrivals had just come in the gate, a few greetings were passed between the men and a update on what has happened is passed to the new captain of guard and the lead mine worker taking over form Galore. We set off with the sun rise and begin our journey home. After a few hour of riding, I came to think of the name of my horse¡­ Blackie¡­ Named so for its black coat, but now the name reminded me all too much of the time in The Underdark, so my brilliant self came up with a plan, renaming the horse. My problem in all this, is that I''m not really the best person to name things¡­ So going along the lines of the other name and after a few hours of thinking out it I finally find a name I''m happy with, Coal, And so our day long ride came to an end at sunset, just outside the forest''s edge, where we set up camp for the night, tomorrow I would begin my travel alone. Night fell over the camp and the snores of the men resounded in the quiet night, I myself used the moon''s light to check my bow and arrows, they had been left alone far too long, but according to Galore, no one had touched them while we were gone. The bow got a new string and the arrows was fine so I left them as they was. Galore has already been informed of my parting with the group and after a longer talk, agreed with my plan. First day traveling alone. First the out of the [Stoney Forest] and my seventy miles west begin with the sun painting the sky in the morning colors. If I can make sixteen miles ¨¢ day I will be back home in around four days give it take, if all goes as planed that is. My farewells is said and done and I set off in a steady pace along the edge of the forest, which I will be following for the whole day. Galore gave me the skins of the [Quaggoth] and [Worg] that ¡®died¡¯ down there, as a parting gift. The looted weapons were used as backup weapons in the camp, should another raid happen, the more people with weapons the better chance of survival one have, on the plus side I did get two silver coins from the looting of the [Goblins], Galore think they might have gotten them of unlucky adventures that have gotten lost in the deep, since as far as he knew, none had been into The Underdark on the isles, but as he said The Underdark spans the whole world, so who know where they gained the silver. My ride has been uneventful and as the sun starts to set I decide to not make camp and keep moving as my travel companion, - that being Coal, does not look like it''s tried yet. With the help of my newly acquired skill, [Darkvision] I keep my even pace, as the sun starts to set. The night is quiet and only the sound of Coals even steps resound in the night. As midnight approached, I decide to make camp, with the warm weather I do not need to make a fire, a lone tree makes a good stand in stable post and Coals saddle a pillow and my sleeping bag, a nice welcome bed, soon I''m fare of in my own little dreaming world. Second day traveling alone. The day passed uneventful, that is if you don''t count the muscle cramps from riding and my ball tingling as they rubbed against the saddle. I had happily forgotten the awkward teen years where all your dick did was stand to attention, but as life would have it, I was once more forced to have a boner on at random times, like riding along the forest edge and just like that tada, boner. Third day traveling alone. No moon was lighting my way tonight as I rode along the last stretch of forest, so once more [Darkvision] proved to be a lifesaver. My trip was stopped by the sound of men singing and the weak light of campfires, from what Galore had told me, no one should be out this was, that was except bandits and other riffraff, and that was his words, not mine. So not taking my chance I pulled Coal to a stop and tried him to the closest tree, grabbing my bow and arrows, I began to move closer to the campsite. As I moved closer and closer, I saw horses and good deal of armour, well as they say, if you can take it it''s yours. So as any other responsible person, I decided to rid the world of the people in the way of my new and shiny items and animals, some people, so rude, I tell you. Know thy enemy or something like that, was said by a smart person at some point in a fight, and for all intents he was right, if you know your enemy you can defeat them much easier then when you don''t know them. Which makes total sense, so why the fuck he got so famous for it, I have no clue¡­ But whatever, I started my little sneaky walk towards my soon to be new best friends for the rest of their short lives, not that they had a clue about what was coming their way. I did a half circle a good thirty some feet away from the campsite, making sure to keep low and silent as I moved around to get a closer look at what I had to deal with. At my count there was six bandits at the campfire itself and one drunk by the horses, talking to himself or the horses, who knows with drunk people, right. There was also the high chance that their was others in the tents that was set up, which I had no chance of getting close too. Plan, plan, what to do, kill the drunk and shoot them dead, hmm that would be a good song, not that I''m ever going to fucking sing that out loud, people might think that I had gone crazy and that would be no good at all, to much trouble to deal with an angry or scared mob. But in all seriousness kill the drunk of first would be a easy task he is half passed out anyway and away from the rest of them. So here we go, I begin my stealth walk towards the horses and the drunk. Slowly, slowly moving closer, past one horse, letting my hand slide along its body, telling it were I''m the whole time. Past two more horses, I''m now behind the drunk, slowly drawing my knife, closer. He is mumbling to himself, drunk words that I don''t understand, just before I raise my hand to plunge the knife into his throat, do I remember that horses freak out at the scent of blood. Fuck that was to close, slowly I undo my cloth belt and starts to wrap it around the blade, I''m kind of amazed that he has yet to notice me, drunktard. Finally done I flip the knife around and in a rather perfect move, if I must say so myself, I cover his mouth and ram the shaft of the knife into his temple, knocking him out cold. Then I slowly drag him away from the campsite, when I''m sure the horses will not freak out so much, I cover his mouth once more, you can never be too sure when doing stuff like this. In a quick move, I slit his throat open making him bleed out in seconds.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
You have slain a drunk [Bandit] by doing so you have gained 25 experience! [Bloodlust Aura] range has increased to [98] feet.
Okay, they are [Bandits] for sure, glad I was right it would have been a mess if they were not. Moving around so that I have a clear shot of the ones at the campfire, they sit there laughing and singing, not knowing that they are one less in their little group. Carefully I sneak closer and take aim at one of the [bandits], closer, slowly without making a sound I sneak closer and then I let go of the arrow, fast and very much deadly it flies into my targets skull. Quickly I aim and fire into the group of drunk and confused [bandits] who seems to take a moment before they know what''s going on, shoot to kill and so I do, one more goes down with a well placed headshot. Tree down, I take my win and pull back into the darkness of the night. A state of panic and confusion quickly spreads between the now four remaining [bandits]. As I''m pulling back, one of the surviving ones bend down to take a look at his now dead friends, I act fast drawing an arrow and take aim, fire and it hit his chest clean through, he drops with the arrows flying back up as he hits face first into the ground. They start to yell. ¡°Attack, we are under attack!¡± ¡°Boss!¡± Oh, so there was more than the seven, good let them come out into the ¡®light¡¯. One of the tents ¡®doors¡¯ swings open and a rough looking man steps out, looks around for a quick moment before his eyes land on my handiwork, then he starts to yell as well. ¡°Get out here ya¡¯ lazy idiots! Quit fucking the bitch!¡± Bitch? There is a women here? Hmm, well now is this not just getting more and more interesting as we go. While they have been yelling and running around like headless chicken I have moved from my last spot, like hell I''m staying still so they can find me. I stay out of the campfires range of light, moving around the campsite. As I move one of the tents ¡®doors¡¯ open up and a stupid looking guys sticks his head out. ¡°Ya¡¯ called boss?¡± ¡­ I gotta give that boss some points for taking is so calm as the idiots, who apparently is an idiot looks at the man, he raise one eyebrow and sighs. ¡°Yes, you idiot, get dressed we are under attack!¡± Oh, not so calm after all, hell that would have been heard miles away, the man in question looks at him and then nods, before ducking back in the tent. I can use this, I sneak closer and sit myself up for a nice shot as soon as they come out of that tent. The rest is running around getting their things together and yelling, so stupid with a shooter out there running around like idiots, with no form of real combat training, perfectic if you ask me. Soon the ¡®door¡¯ is once more opened and a new face is showing itself, dead was the idiot who met the arrow head on, I let go and soon he drops dead in the door opening and down he goes. The next I hear is a female screaming, in the yelling I''m not able to figure out if it is a young women or and girl, but one thing''s for sure the scream is not from an elderly person, here I''m without getting a women and they are fucking a young one! Man they are pissing me off, that''s for sure. ¡°Coward! Come and fight!¡± Huh¡­ Is he stupid or what? Why the fuck would I walk into a camp full of enemies and try to fight them head on, idiots all of them, but I do not take kindly to being called a coward. Activate [Bloodlust Aura]!
[Bloodlust Aura] activated, maximum range.
The effects of the [Bloodlust Aura] is shown immediately after as the remaining two of the bandits, that are the closest to me drop to the ground in a crying mess, leaving the three other ones standing with a look of utter confusion. The one standing next to the ¡®boss¡¯ moves to take a closer look at his friends, that is at the moment a crying mess that is their comrade and I take my shot, the arrow hit him clean in the chest and he drops to the ground in a scream of agony before silence falls over the encamp. Four [bandits] left, I take aim once more at one of the once lying on the ground crying for it all to stop, the arrow hits him the back and by the looks of how he is bending in a weird angle to try and pull it out it did not hit the shoulder blade,soon his cries stops and he draws his last breath. The two standing one looks on as their comrade dies, they turn and run into the night, fools. I shoot the last one lying crying on the ground and move to catch the two last ones. Deactivate [Bloodlust Aura]!
[Bloodlust Aura] deactivated.
Now the true hunt begin, in the dark of the night the prey flees into the wild believing itself to be safe, but they are wrong, oh, so very wrong. The last ¡®normal¡¯ [bandit] i find hiding by a tree not even twenty feet away from their campsite, cowering and crying like a little kid, oh, you poor little fool, I sneak beside him and draws my knife, a quick jab into his exposed neck and he drops dead, without even knowing what killed him. I leave his corpse there, for now i need to locate the last one, the so called ¡®boss¡¯, who was the first to turn tail and run for the hills. I continue forward into the forest, my prey is running, running scared around in the dark. A smile has been on my lips for a while now, as I hunt I feel the pure joy of their fear, I can almost smell it! For ten minutes I follow the heavy breathing ¡®boss¡¯ though the forest, as he running fearing for his life, it is pure joy I tell you! Ten minutes later and the ¡®boss¡¯ is resting against a tree, I take take aim and carefully shoot his thigh, he falls to the ground in a scream. I move closer, he tries to pull himself up with the help of the tree trunk, I shoot, hitting his arm, the arrows is now a good two inches buried in the tree. His screams of pure anger and agony mix into a beautiful song, I stand and admire my work awhile, the sun is rising, I better get moving. I close in on my last remaining prey, time to play before he die of bloodloss. I move closer to him, firing an arrow into his other leg, he screams again, what a pretty voice. ¡°What a pretty voice you have there.¡± He looks up at the sound of my voice. ¡°You?! You are one of the ones who attacked us!?¡± ¡°Ones? Hmm, I don''t remember bringing other people into my hunt.¡± He looks at me for a while, confused and lost for words. ¡°Impossible! How can one child kill ten men!?¡± ¡°Well, for one I much smarter than you, it''s very simple if you think about it.¡± I smile at my little helpless prey, drawing a new arrow, I''m not stupid, no way I''m going close to him as long as he life a hand. He looks at the bow and arrow and his eyes finally figure out what I''m about to do. ¡°Stop, kid! Stop this madness!¡± I smile my sweetest smile at him and fire the arrow into his shoulder, he screams as it tear his flesh apart. ¡°Truly a beautiful voice.¡± His eyes grow with unspoken horror as he finally seems to figure out that I''m not going to just kill him. ¡°I-I know things!¡± ¡°So do I¡± I smile at him again as I draw a new arrow. ¡°I h-have lots of go--!¡± His scream breaks what he was saying as I fire an arrow into his other shoulder, his breathing is getting more and more heavy. ¡°You gold and items will be mine, when you are dead, you know.¡± ¡°I-I¡­¡± ¡°hmm? You what?¡± I fire one more into his other thigh, his screams no longer hold anger only pure argorny. I take aim to his head, since I don''t have all day, his eyes grow big. ¡°I will serve you!¡± ¡°Oh? Will you now?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± I smile at him, his eyes become so very hopeful, like a small kid who know nothing, how sad that his dreams will be crushed. ¡°What do I need a broken droll for?¡± I let go of the arrow, his face hold a pure look of terror as it breaks his skull. Show combat report.
You have slain a [Bandit] by doing so you have gained 25 experience! [Bloodlust Aura] range has increased to [99] feet.You have slain a [Bandit] by doing so you have gained 25 experience! [Bloodlust Aura] range has increased to [100] feet.
[Bloodlust Aura] range has increased to [100] feet, maximum range reached! Killing now collect [Blood Knowledge], Skill to use [Blood Knowledge] is locked.
You have slain a [Bandit] by doing so you have gained 25 experience! [Blood Knowledge] collected [1]. You have slain a [Bandit] by doing so you have gained 25 experience! [Blood Knowledge] collected [2]. You have slain a [Bandit] by doing so you have gained 25 experience! [Blood Knowledge] collected [3]. You have slain a [Bandit] affected by [Bloodlust Aura] by doing so you have gained 25 experience! [Blood Knowledge] collected [4].You have slain a [Bandit] affected by [Bloodlust Aura]by doing so you have gained 25 experience! [Blood Knowledge] collected [5]. You have slain a [Bandit] by doing so you have gained 25 experience! [Blood Knowledge] collected [6].You have tortured a [Bandit Captain] to dead, by doing so you have gained 450 experience! [Blood Knowledge] collected [7].
Chapter 31 - Slavery Proofreader: Kagenesti Chapter 31 - Slavery Riin''s POV Edge of the Stoney Forest - Time, Early summer. Fifth day traveling alone. I walk over to the dead ¡®boss¡¯, not bothering to take the arrows back since the three might have bent the arrowhead. He don''t have much on him, a dagger, - better than my kitchen knife, so i take that one and five silver coin in his pouch and nothing else of value on him, with that done I turn and walk away. With the earliest light of the morning sun I make it back to Coal, who, if you want to know, is still standing where I left him without a care in the world, chewing on the grass around him, untying the knot on his reins I pulled him towards the other dead runner. Looting the money from the dead bandit, a mere two copper and one silver, dragged my lazy horse towards the new silent bandit camp. A quick check up on the rest of the horses to make sure they were tied up, before starting to look around the dead bodies. But my clean up work was stopped by soft cries in one of the tents¡­ Ah, almost completely forgot about that. Walking slowly over to the tent ¡®door¡¯ I readied my knife behind my back as I opened the tent ¡®door¡¯. What is was met with was a naked young woman, - about twenty I would guess. If you look away from the blue and purple marks and knife scars marring her body and the dried up sperm, she was pretty beautiful, with long copper coloured hair going to the small of her back and if the light was not playing tricks on me she had clear green eyes. Her hands were tied behind her back and her feet were tied together as well, not running anywhere like that. Her eyes grew big as I entered the tent completely, she open and closed her mouth a few times, before trying to cover herself up by pulling her knees to her chest. I walked over without a word and pulled a blanket over her body, not that I was embarrassed by the sight of her nakedness but she didn''t seem to be able to have a conversation with me while being naked. I sat myself on the makeshift bed on the other side of the tent, as far as way from her as I could without going outside, not that a few feet does anything in my opinion but it seemed to calm her down just a tiny bit. With that done we sat there looking at each other for a bit¡­ finally she seemed to want to talk to me. Her voice was hoarse, properly from screaming, but otherwise clear, one of those voices that is just calming to listen to. ¡°T-The bandits?¡± ¡°Dead.¡± Her eyes grew even bigger for a few seconds, I waited for her next question to come. ¡°All of t-them?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Silence passed between us for a few more moments. ¡°T-Thank you.¡± She didn''t seem to have anymore that is wanted to say at the moment, so now it was my turn to ask the questions. ¡°Where are you from?¡± She took a moment to let the question sink in before answering. ¡°I come from a small fishing village on the mainland.¡± Mainland¡­ Guess that''s why she didn''t bother with giving me the name of her village as I would have not have a clue where is was located anyway. ¡°You are far from home then.¡± She looked down as she answered, her voice a mix between sad and angry as she spoke. ¡°Yes, very far indeed.¡± ¡°How did you end up here?¡± She quickly looked up at me again, her mouth opening and closing, a while passed without her answering my question, okay, I''m not going to waste my time on a bitch who is not going to talk. I stood and moved toward the ¡®door¡¯. ¡°No!¡± Her voice was desperate. ¡°D-Don''t go!¡± I turned to face her once more. ¡°Are you going to answer my question then?¡± Her eyes grew moist, but after a short while she nodded her head. ¡°M-My family s-sold me.¡± And then she broken down into a crying mess. Does slavery perhaps exist here as well, if so a lot of easy money can be made, I need more information on this. ¡°Why?¡± A while passes as she draws in air and calm herself down enough to talk again. ¡°M-My stepfather needed money to b-buy a new b-boat, s-so they s-sold me.¡± Okay, not really the answer I was looking for¡­ Let''s try that again. ¡°Is that legal?¡± She drew in a few more calming breaths before continuing, as she speaks up she is looking down at the dirt on her feet. ¡°It is, yes.¡± ¡°So our kingdom has slavery?¡± Her eyes quickly look up at me before they fall down to the dirt on her feet again. ¡°Y-Yes.¡± Hmm, that''s good to know. ¡°What marks a person a slave?¡± At that she slowly turn to the side revealing a roughly one inch long and one inch wide, kind of eighth in a square form or it might just been a square with a horizontal line in the middle, on the top of the side of her shoulder. ¡°That is?¡± Her eyes dart quickly to mine. ¡°The slave mark of Asperd Kingdom.¡± ¡°I see.¡± With that I stand, I need to loot the rest of the bandits so I can get moving again, I walk over the dead bandit on the floor and start to check his pockets for any coins he might have on him. Northing¡­ I move to check the bags on the floor, all the while the young woman is staring wide eyed at me. I find a pouch with ten silver in it, a iron or perhaps it''s steel, dragged and a bag of unwashed cloth by the smell of it. I put the ten silver in my own pouch and move the dead body to the side so I don''t have step over it as I leave the tent. Once more I''m stopped by her desperate cry. ¡°W-Wait, Please!¡± I turn halfway to look at her once again. ¡°W-Where are you going!?¡± I raise a brow at this question, which seems to kind of give itself as I''m standing in a fucking tent ¡®door¡¯ ¡­ Women I tell you, no brain cells. ¡°Out, I left a mess.¡± ¡°A-Are y-you coming back, r-right?¡± I give a short nod before walking out, I''m not done question her, so of course I''m coming back, silly little girl. Outside my little clean up starts by the two dead guys who seemed to have pissed themselves as I used [Bloodlust Aura], haha, it was no wonder that the other three looked so confused at them when they dropped down, grown men pissing themselves, haha. Two more fine daggers and twelve silver coins to my growing collection, I drag them into the campfire, remembering about the drunk I took out I go to retrieve him from the field, ten copper¡­ drunktard, he too goes in the fire pit. After a little hard work with the rest of them I have eight bodies sitting in the campfire cooking slowly on the last flames, I''m now a total of fifty copper and twenty silver richer. I decide not to drag the captain and the last runner back, to much of a walk with deadweight, hehe, did you get it, deadweight, ah, I''m the joker himself. Starting with the ¡®half-tents¡¯ I look for anything useful or worth coin. I find four oak bows of normal quality, a good hundred some iron tipped arrows, two simple iron swords, a romance book¡­ I have half a mind to throw it out but decide to save it for mother. Fifteen silver and five copper, two good iron tipped spears and a simple silver ring. Now it''s time for the ¡®boss¡¯ tent. As I open the tents ¡®door¡¯ I find a disturbing sight, if I have to say so myself. A young girl around eight or so, missing her left arm and left eye, the other arms hand is nailed to the wooden pole holding the tent up, her weight is supported by her as she is standing on her toes to not worsen the wound on her hand. She too is naked with fist marks in the fine colour range of yellow to dark purple and if I''m not all that mistaken the dried stuff on her is sperm, the mark at the left arm socket looks to be a burn mark, while the eye is from a knife or a fork by the looks of the extra cuts down her cheek. Her legs are bound by a chain to the pole so even if she lost her balance she would have no chance of escaping her guard. The slave burn mark is placed just above her right breast, below the collarbone. Her body was malnourished and her small form was nothing to really look at, as I looked her over she was shaking so much that I would not have been surprised if she passed out from fear. Speaking of the sun¡­ She fucking passes out¡­ Fucking hell, all she had to do was keep herself awake¡­ Sighing heavily, I move to get her down as she is ripping her hand in two by the looks of it, I grab hold of her and pull out the nail, fresh blood coat my hand. I slowly lower her down to her knees, I then undo the chain around her feet. Grabbing the nearest blanket I wrap it around her, I rip a part of and wrap it around the wound to stop the bleeding, with that mess done I can finally start to look at his stuff.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. After looking through his items I''m a good two freaking gold and fifty silver coins richer, what the fuck does he need all that money for anyway, but who cares now they are mine. I also find two scrolls in a leather casing, with the slave mark in the middle of the paper, slave owning papers perhaps? I need to ask that woman about that. I find the right part of an iron shoulder plate set. Very nice if you ask me, still a little big for me but very useful for some light and easy protection. All my fine new items are placed next to Coal, I walk back into the ¡®boss¡¯ tent and grab the still unconscious girl, I then bring her into the tent with the women, I need some more answers. As I walk into the tent that the women is waiting in I spot her still sitting in the same place that I left her in¡­ Well, at least she didn''t try to run away. I place the still unconscious girl next to her, she looks horrified at the small form next to her, I rise a brow at the look she is giving me. ¡°Do you have something to say?¡± ¡°E-Eh, n-no of course not, I-I''m sorry.¡± Her eyes fall down to her feet once more. ¡°I need some questions answered.¡± A quick look up at me. ¡°Anything I can help with I will.¡± A smile forms on my lips, good I like this type of woman, the obedient kind. ¡°I found papers with the slave mark in them, are they the ownership statements?¡± ¡°Y-Yes, you need to redo the blood seal.¡± Blood seal, are they using blood magic for the slave marks? ¡°Redo?¡± ¡°T-The last owner of the papers was the b-boss, if he is really dead, you need to redo the blood seal to c-claim the papers.¡± ¡°And if I don''t desire to do so?¡± Her eyes grow big and frightened, she half jumps out of the bed, letting the blanket fall down around her, leaving her body fully exposed for me to see, she then falls on her knees in front of me. ¡°P-Please! Y-You have to, please!¡± Well this is a first, begging to be reenslaved, never saw that coming that''s for sure, something along the lines of ¡®oh please give me the papers¡¯ or ¡®please set us free¡¯ but not this. We sit there for a while, her naked on her knees begging me to enslave her once more and me just staring at her. ¡°Why should I do the blood seal, you will only be extra mouths to feed.¡± She looks at me, tears form in the corner of her eyes, slowly falling down her cheeks, small sobs begin to escape her. ¡°P-Please, the s-slave mark can not be undone once it''s p-placed on the body. I-If no one hold o-ownership of the papers, t-than w-we will s-suffer horribly until we d-die from the magic within the m-mark itself.¡± Hmm, so the slave mark is like a life sentence¡­ Mixed with a form of blood magic¡­ But if that is so, the slave brand on the body and the mark on the paper, they must ¡®only¡¯ be connected by magic¡­ If blood magic really is used in the making of a mark and to identify the owner, then blood directly on the slave brand itself should work as well¡­ In theory at least.
You have understood a small part of how [Blood Magic] works as markings!
Hmm, so some of my theory is right, well let''s try it out nothing else to be done. ¡°How do you know who holds ownership of you?¡± Her quiet sobs stop for a brief moment, she cast a quick look up at me. ¡°T-The status m-message will change.¡± Ah, so the world system will change the ownership according to the bloodmark, smart. ¡°Will I get a message as well about this?¡± Her eyes grow big with newfound hope. ¡°Yes!¡± Good, time to see if my little theory is spot on. I take out my dagger, her eyes quickly dart to the weapon as she pushes herself away for it, I cut into my fingertip. ¡°Come here.¡± She slowly crawls towards me, I grab her arm and press my bleeding finger onto the brand, holding it there for a short while. While I do so I keep ¡®pushing¡¯ my will of ¡®branding ownership into the mark¡¯. After few seconds goes by with this, something starts to happen, the brand starts to glows in a soft red color before it fades away as if it had never happened.
You have gained ownership over [Slave: Lark]! You have gained the [Blood Magic] skill [Blood Mark]!
Okay so it can be done with only doing a blood renewing on the brand itself and not the paper, time to experiment a bit with my new ability on the broken slave. Hm, I need more information to gain anything more useful out of this. ¡°If an ownership paper is destroyed, what happens to the slave?¡± Her eyes grow wide and she starts to shake a bit, still after a few breaths she answers my question. ¡°The brand on the slave will release a magical fire from within, resulting in the burning of the body from within.¡± She is visibly shaking at this point. ¡°Only the body burns and nothing around it?¡± She shakes her head slowly¡­ That''s not an answer, annoying. ¡°Speak up!¡± Stupid woman. Her eyes dart to my knife for a quick moment when I raised voice. ¡°O-Only t-the b-body, not a-anything e-else.¡± Ah, it seems raising my voice spooked her quite a bit¡­ Oh well, new question. ¡°How fast does the burning of the body happen?¡± She is looking at her feet, still shaking. ¡°A-Around an h-hour or so?¡± ¡­ Did she just answer me with a fucking question, I raise an eyebrow at this, not that she can see it as she is staring hard at her feet. Hmm, so if my idea holds then my blood mark on the slave brand itself should overwrite the magic on the paper¡­ So, even if the paper is stolen or destroyed, the blood mark will still stay on, marking the slave as mine. Time to do some testing! I move to the still passed out girl on the bed, placing my bloody finger on the slave brand on her chest. I wonder if the [Blood Mark] works the same as the [Bloodlust Aura] skill, where it can be activated with a ¡®word¡¯, no harm in giving it a try. Activate [Blood Mark].
Skill [Blood Mark] activated, slave brand overwritten. You have gained ownership over [Slave: Ellette]!
Okay, first part of the test complete, time for part two. I stand and walk over to the leather casings which contains the slave papers. I find the document which has, Human - Ellette, Age eight, in the top middle written on it, and tear it up, now I will have to wait and see if my theory is somewhat true. At my little ripping of the paper Lark is staring wide eyed at my handiwork the whole time, looking from the ripped up paper and over to Ellette who is still out, amazing if you ask me. ¡°Wait here until I''m back.¡± She is still shaking and looking nervously over at Ellette, but answers be fast enough. ¡°Yes, master.¡± I rise a brow at that, it is the [Slave Mark], making her address me as ¡®master¡¯? Oh, a question for another time for now I need to prepare some food and find some more water. The time spent here is adding an extra day to my travel plans, but the loot is worth it for sure. I make my walk into the woods with my bow in hand and quiver on my back, following the signs of the foot depression in the dirt and the broken sticks, after a steady five minutes walk I find a lake, with a small stream. I fill up the ten waterskins the bandits had with them and put them into a small makeshift shoulder bag. With water no longer being a problem, I focus on setting up a few snares for the night, some fresh meat will do me good. Food and water done I make a quick round around the lake to see if anything edible is growing there, other than a small pouch of forest berries, I have no luck, but it''s okay I still have all the food from the bandits camp that need to be eaten, what I don''t eat will make it back home. Speaking of home¡­ How does mother and father feel on the whole owning slaves issue? Hmm, I will leave that alone for now, if they hate them, I guess they can be sold for some easy coin. I make it back to the camp and give the horses some water, put some more firewood on the campfire and start to warm up some of the meat and vegetable the bandits have left over, a quick and easy meal for my hard work. Hopefully by tomorrow evening I will be back home, for some of mother''s cooking. My relaxing is broken by Lark''s voice. ¡°Relax, please relax, Ellette.¡± Ah, the brat is finally awake. I make my way to the tent, walking in I''m met by the sight of Lark holding Ellette down on the bed. Had I been in an older body and had Ellette not been a child with parts missing I would totally dig the double chick combo. Ellette is trashing around the bed, seemly trying to escape, brats so annoying to deal with I tell you. ¡°What is going on here!¡± The small ¡®fight¡¯ stops the moment they hear my voice, not that I''m sounding very manly, being in puberty will do that to you. They both look ¡®up¡¯ at me, their eyes wide, I find it a tiny bit funny that they fear a eleven year old¡­ Kid, yes I''m not an adult, yet! Lark is the first to speak up. ¡°F-Forgive us, m-master, she was j-just scared when she a-awoke.¡± Scared of what? I was the last thing she saw before passing out and no matter how you look at it, I''m not a scary looking person. I mean no matter how you look at it, there is nothing scary in a four feet something young kid walking in a tent door. I give Ellette a once over look, she begin to shake the moment my eyes fall on her. ¡°You are no longer tied to a tent pole and have a blanket covering your body, exactly what is scaring you to the point of you trying to run away, do tell.¡± Her shaking only gets worse the longer I stare at her, fucking hell this is why I hate dealing with brats, always sucks fucking cry babies. Moments tick by without any answer from her, my anger keeps growing, her quiet sobs and her shaking is just getting on my nerves. I let out a small growl at my annoyance at the girl. ¡°Fine! Have it your way!¡±
[Bloodlust Aura] activated.
The moment the aura hits them, they both freeze in their spots, they are not moving a muscle and by the looks of they they are not breathing either, not that it is my problem at this moment. ¡°Speak up, girl!¡± All I get is wider eyes and more shaking, shitty brats and their annoying crying. I take a deep breath, calming myself.
[Bloodlust Aura] deactivated.
They both fall as far back as they can hugging the blankets around them, staring wide eyed on me, but she still don''t speak. My jaw is getting thicks, that''s how annoyed I''m at the moment, don''t kill her, don''t kill her, she is worth money, do not kill her, deep breath, relax and count to ten, breath in, breath out, deep and calming breath. After my little relaxation time I open my eyes to the sound of a blanket falling, only to find Lark kneeling in front of me, her head pressed down in the ground, - still naked I might add, the brat on the other hand, is still frozen on the bed. I look down on Lark, I don''t understand this woman, why is she protecting the girl so much, from what she has told me she is alone here, meaning that the brat is not family, so why. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Her voice is shaking as if there is no tomorrow. ¡°P-Plea-se f-forgi-ve h-her, m-mast-ter.¡± It takes me a moment to understand her shuttering with her head presses down in the dirt floor. Then it clicks, she want me to forgive the fucking brat for completely ignoring me¡­ no way, not a fucking chance in hell. ¡°Get up and go check on the food.¡± Her breathing stops as I speaks, but she finally acknowledge my order. ¡°Y-Yes, m-master.¡± By the sound of her voice she is on the brink of crying, not that I care, I can''t stand being ignored by anyone especially not a fucking brat. Doing my best impression of a welcoming smile, I turn my focus onto Ellette. ¡°Now, how to best deal with insubordination, won''t you tell me?¡± Tears run down her face and she is shaking, yet she remains silenced. ¡°Fine have it your way, girl.¡± If she has no intention of talking, she has no need for her tounge, I pull out my knife as I move towards her, I grab her jaw and force her mouth open, my fingers slide into her mouth. Nothing¡­ Hmm, well that explains a lot. The girl is also missing her tongue, which much be the reason that she is not talking¡­ Well, has she ever fucking heard of nodding or shaking her head¡­ I pull my fingers out of her mouth, drool is not my thing. If the wound is anything like her arm or eye, she will need something to help the healing of the skin, I need a closer look. ¡°Open your mouth, girl.¡± Scared eyes are looking down at the knife in my hand, oh for fucks sake, I put the knife back in the belt. She slowly starts to open her mouth. ¡°Lark! Get in here.¡± My shouting seems to scare her again as she clamps her mouth shut, I raise an eyebrow at that. The tent door open and reveal Lark¡­ Naked¡­ Fuck me, it''s like taking care of a bunch of fucking children, I can only shake my head at this. ¡°Find some goddamn clothing to wear, woman.¡± Her eyes grow big and her breathing quickens. ¡°F-Forgive m-me, master.¡± I wave her off, I''m not even going to go there, no way that I''m having a ¡®please make sure to put clothing on¡¯ conversation with a twenty year old. ¡°The food?¡± ¡°R-Ready, master.¡± Good, finally something other than the dried meat that I have been eating for the last few days, I walk out, time to eat. I also need to make food that Ellette can get down without damaging her wound anymore, perhaps some long cooked meat or finely cut grilled meat¡­ I need to think about that. For now she will have to deal with the veritable stew. Minutes tick by with them not showing¡­ how long does it take women to put cloth on anyway. ¡°Are you two dressed?¡± ¡°Yes, m-master.¡± Okay¡­ Do they need some fucking command to out of the tent or want¡­ ¡°Well, get out here then.¡± They slowly come out from the tent, unsure and uneasy, they in a way remind me of newborns. ¡°Come sit, eat, we leave at dawn.¡± They stare at the empty log across from me, slowly they move towards it, always keeping me in their sight. I can''t for the life of me be asked to care about what they are thinking, I''m hungry and for once actually tired. Chapter 32 - The last stretch Proofreader: Kagenesti Chapter 32 - The last stretch Riin''s POV Edge of the Stoney Forest - Time, Early summer. Sixth day of travel. An hour before the sun rose, I with Lark and Ellette in throw, went to revive the snares and any wildlife they might have in them and to get the two of them with me to the lake, they were in a big need of a bath. With a note on their need on a bath, we left. They both quietly started to cry and if you ask me why, I have no idea. If I had to make a guess I would say that they were crying from a form of happiness as neither of them did anything to indicate that they would dislike a bath. So we grabbed some towels and made our way to the lake. As we walked Ellette kept herself a half step behind Lark as we walked and Lark kept herself two steps behind me to my left whenever the small trail we walked along allowed her, we soon arrived at the lake. ¡°Take your time and wash yourself, I will go check on the snares that I put up in the meantime.¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± Hmm, she must be more at ease today or she might just be too tired to think about who she is talking to, but it''s still good to hear her voice with the shuttering, so who cares for the reason. Giving a quick look over to Ellette and making eye contact with her. ¡°Your answer?¡± Her eyes grew big for a short moment, before she seemed to remember what I told her the evening before. The evening before Letting my finger out of her mouth, I dried off the drool on them and look at the frightened child in front of me. I let out a heavy sigh, this was going to to create some problems in the long run, so we needed some ground rules for communicating with each other. But before all that unneeded some more information on this child before me, as I had no intention of adding trouble to my plate. ¡°I will ask you a few questions, nod if yes and shake your head if no. Do you understand?¡± A few moments passed before a slow nodding of her head came. Good, let''s begin with some very straight ones. ¡°Your name is Ellette?¡± A nod. ¡°Your eight years old?¡± A slight pause, then a nod. Going good so far, let''s take some of the more hard ones now. ¡°Did you come from the mainland?¡± A nod. ¡°Did you get sold by your parents?¡± Teary eyes and a quick nod¡­ So, basically the same situation as with Lark, is it the norm to sell your fucking kid for coin or what? ¡°Did the bandits do that to you?¡± I make a small hand gesture at her face and arm, tears form quickly in the corner of her eyes, before she slowly nod her head. ¡°What it the bandits captain?¡± A nod, the tears are now running slowly down her cheeks. I didn''t know an eye with the ¡®eye¡¯ could still shed tears, guess it comes down to if the tear canals were damaged or not. ¡°Do you want to know how he died?¡± Her head snaps to me, her eye staring straight at me without blinking, a few quick nods. ¡°He died begging for his life.¡± A few seconds pass before a light shows in her eye, and a bright smile forms, grinning from ear to ear, happiness and joy shining out of her. ¡°I will do my best to ask you in ¡®yes¡¯ or ¡®no¡¯ question from now on, to make it so you can answer me, understand?¡± A nod. ¡°Good.¡± Present With her being unable to speak in the common sense of the word I had asked her to nod or shake her head as an acceptable form of answering, as so she was at of this moment was nodding her head as fast as her body would allow her too, quiet a funny looking sight really. ¡°Good.¡± Not much was said as we walked back to the camp, Lark was tasked with reheating some breakfast for us and Ellette¡­ Well, I had her help Lark as I cleaned the deer, gaining some experience in [Tanner] as I worked. The tents were taken down and packed on the horses, the loot was likewise packed up and soon we were ready to leave the camp behind, much to Lark and Ellettes liking. But before we moved out, I make it clear to them that I do not have to time to chase after them should they decide to run, and if they decided to try and run away, anything they had experienced so far would feel like a blissful dream. Having made my point we set out for the last two days of travel, - yes, two days, me in my happiness of getting a home cooked meal from mother forgot that even as we reach The Flood, we still have to travel a day down river. With Lark and Ellette sharing a horse I have the other nine extra ones tried up in a long line getting pulled along as we move along. The trip is peaceful and as the sun starts to set we reach The Floods western shore, we are now on the last stretch home. We make camp, well I say camp but it is really more of a campfire with a bunch of horses tied to a few drift logs and tree bedrolls on the ground. The dinner comes in form of freshly grilled deer rib on open flame with spices on them and some potatoes baked on a more or less flat stone, a fucking feast fit for a king if you ask me, I have completely outdone myself this time. After dinner Ellette was sent to bed, as she was half asleep during the dinner itself, that finally gave me some alone time to ask Lark more about slaves and the rules they have to abide by. ¡°I have a few questions that I would like you to answer for me.¡± Lark looks up from her fourth plate of tonight''s dinner, quickly chewing the current mouthful before answering me. ¡°Of course, master.¡± ¡°So slaves are legal to trade and own, yes?¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± ¡°Both Ellette and you were sold as children, correct?¡± She freezes up a few seconds before answering me. ¡°Yes, master.¡± ¡°Is it normal for families to sell their children as slaves?¡± She sits there for a while, doing a ¡®hmmm¡¯ sound. ¡°I would say that it is the not norm, but it is definitely not something that is frown upon for the poor class to sell their children into slavery. The money that is normally gain from selling a single child can feed a family of four for around a year if they spend the coin wisely.¡± It''s funny how she speaks without stuttering when explaining something, yet when she is required to answer directly she clams up and starts to become scared and nervous, resulting in her shuttering. Well, that explains why both Lark and Ellette was sold young, now for the next few and more important questions. ¡°Both of you was sold by your parents, and that it is legal for parents to sell their own children. How does the kingdom deal with slave not sold from childhood?¡± ¡°E-Erm, do you mean criminals, master?¡± Hmm, I guess I didn''t form the question well enough. ¡°Well criminals too, but I''m more thinking about if someone is kidnapped and sold, is that possible or is it considered a crime?¡± ¡°M-May I answer the part about the kidnapping first, master?¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± ¡°As far as I know, the land of House Glorvlest is the only noble house to openly trade in kidnapped people, but I have heard rumors that House Bellfort is also trading in ¡®lost people¡¯. The kingdom as a whole does not see kidnapping and selling people as a good thing but if the victims is of a poor family nothing is really done to stop the people who sell them off as slaves.¡± ¡°Hmm, so if you have power it does not matter if you kidnap a whole village as long as you can pay of the right people to get away with it¡­¡± Ah, didn''t mean to say that out loud. She is looking down at her feet, her voice holds a sadness to it. ¡°Yes, master is correct.¡± A few minutes pass before we speak again. ¡°What about the criminals then?¡± ¡°Anyone caught doing a crime will be punished, if the crime is committed two times the person will be branded as a slave.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. So you get one chance and that''s it. ¡°Any crime that will lead to dead penalty instead of slavery?¡± ¡°Killing law abiding citizen, I-I''m so s-sorry, master. The laws differ between the Noble Houses lands, so I''m unsure just what other kinds of crime will grant the death penalty, f-forgive me.¡± Hmm, so each noble house acts as a state or small region within the kingdom itself. ¡°It''s fine, so killing a citizen is banned in all the Houses?¡± She breaths out, relieved that I''m not mad, it seems. ¡°Yes, master, that is the law of the king.¡± Hmm. ¡°How about if one is attacked and kill a person, is that self-defense or a crime?¡± ¡°If one can prove that the other part attacked first it is not a crime to defend oneself from harm.¡± Well that''s good to know. Now, I just need some all-around questions answered and I should not have any extra trouble dealing with slaves and the rules surrounding them. ¡°Okay enough about that. Answer me this, you say that a poor family can sell a child and live for about a year of the money they get, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that is correct master.¡± ¡°How much are we talking about here? How much was you sold for and how old were you?¡± She sits for a while, quietly just staring at her feet, I will give her a few more minutes before starting to get pissed off at her. After all, recalling getting sold off by your family for a fucking boat must not be that fun. ¡°I-I was ten, w-when they s-sold me.¡± A few tears run down her cheeks, I wait for her to continue. ¡°A-As far as I k-know, they got f-fifteen g-gold for m-me.¡± Fifteen¡­ Fifteen gold¡­ Wait a fucking minute. ¡°Fifteen gold, are you sure that was all they got?¡± She looks at me with big eyes. ¡°I-I''m sorry master, I-I don''t understand¡­¡± ¡°You said, the ones who brought you paid Fifteen gold coin for you, correct?¡± ¡°Y-Yes, master.¡± ¡°Are you telling me that a horse is more worth than a slave?¡± She looks at me for a moment before she slowly starts to nod her head. ¡°Y-Yes, master.¡± ¡­ Are they shitting me? So it goes like this so far. Slave, poor people, house, job, horse¡­ that seems fucking wrong!? ¡°But you said that the owner of the slave don''t pay for having them, other than food and shelter, right?¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± ¡°Then the price is just plain out broken¡­¡± ¡°I-I don''t u-unders-¡± ¡°My horse costs at least seventy gold according to the trader that I talked with, but a child slave costs only fifteen gold? I don''t get it¡­¡± She is looking at me like she has no idea why I''m making such a big deal out of the price between a slave and a horse, that the look she is giving me right about now. ¡°E-Erm¡­¡± I look at her, but she remains quiet. ¡°Do enlighten me.¡± ¡°E-Erm, s-slaves are d-disposable, m-master.¡± ¡­ Are she telling me as soon as that mark is put on them, they are no longer seen as ¡®humans¡¯, let''s clarify that. ¡°Tell me, what would happen to a married man, who slept with a slave and it was found out?¡± ¡°N-Nothing, master.¡± ¡°Is it not infidelity?¡± She is slowly shaking her head. ¡°No, master.¡± ¡°What if the slave got with child?¡± ¡°I-I don''t know, master.¡± ¡°Explain.¡± ¡°M-Most female slaves are given a drug that prevents them from becoming pregnant.¡± I see¡­ ¡°So married men are fully allowed to sleep with a slave and is that seen as normal?¡± ¡°I don''t know of anyone who see it as wrong, master.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I see.¡±
you have gained a basic understanding of slavery in the Kingdom of Asperd, skill gained [knowledge - Asperd Slavery]
Lark soon joins Ellette to get some much needed sleep, if the yawning is anything to go by, I on the other hand still have some things I need to figure out before we reach Flood Village. Since my little talk with Lark, I have been thinking about the worth of a slave compared to that of a horse. I now see that a horse in this kind of life is more worth than a slave, my idea behind this is that even if you buy a slave for say, ten gold, the human body only hold on so long for hard labor which I assume that the slave will have to do each day, combine that with example rape and daily beatings, a person can only live so long with no modern care. A healthy horse on the other hand would only need a nights rest before it is ready to ride again, a thirty year old horse is still a good horse for a normal day''s workload. So with that little problem out of my brain, I''m free to think about my plans for when I get home. I will have to make a deal with Baul, even if I dislike that old man, he is the only one who seems to be running a trading caravan from one end of the island to the other. I want to leave two horses for mother and father, so that gives me eight to sell, if I go by his price I should get a minimum of sixty gold per horse, giving me a minimum outcome of four hundred and eighty gold. If I can sell the weapons to the village guards I might earn some coin there as well¡­ Yeah, let''s leave it at that for now. Seventh day of travel. Lark''s POV I''m awoken by a hand on my shoulder, shaking me while my name is being whispered. The sun has just showed itself, even the birds are not yet fully awake yet. It has been years since I have had a good night''s sleep and years since I was not awoken by either kicks or being dragged around by my hair. This ¡®new¡¯ way of getting awoken, it makes me uneasy in a way, no one is normally nice to slaves, ever. I open my eyes to see my new master give a nod to me and move over to Ellette, shaking her awake as well, while slowly and in a calm voice calling her name. Soon we are around the campfire, eating some leftovers from last nights meal. While my new master is only a child, I fear him more than any of my other masters. One, who can make a bunch of thieving murderous criminals cry and beg like children is no one innocent, that much I know. I too has felt his power and seen his magic, in the dark he moves as if there is no darkness at all, he is less human than those bandits where. Yet, there seem to be a kind side to him as well, the way he understood Ellette¡¯s fears, the gentle way he wakes us up on. He prepare all the meals himself, even if I think that just because he doesn''t trust us yet. He gave us cloth to wear and a horse to ride, yes I''m sure the child has a gentle side to him. Like I''m absolutely sure that if we try to run and he catch us in the act, we will suffer like nothing before. The horses are packed and soon we are on our way down south, along the large river which is more like part of the ocean itself. The only sound heard are that of the horses hooves, the river and masters humming are all that echoes as we go along the riverbed. We ride along the riverbed for a few hours before master starts to talk, his voice that of a child yet his words carry more weight than the greatest of kings, his word is law and to survive we will obey. ¡°We will reach the village by sunset, be sure not to mention anything about how the bandits died, if you wish to live that it.¡± He does not look back at us as we ride, yet Ellette still nod her head with eagerness and I still answer. ¡°Understood, master.¡± ¡°Oh, and not a word about my magic either, understood?¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± Ellette looks up at me, she seems unsure if master have ¡®heard¡¯ her answer as well. ¡°Master, Ellette to understand the order.¡± My voice is much weaker than when I answered him before, I don''t know if he will be angry with me for speaking up. Ellette too looks uneasily at master, waiting for anything to come flying our way. Yet all that come from him is a short answer. ¡°Good.¡± Soon after he is humming softly again. Hours pass and the only stop we get is when master has to pee, as he gets back on his black horse again he once more speak to us. ¡°Oh, I don''t know if my family likes slaves so keep your mouths shut and speak only if spoken too, do not look at them and no not speak to them, understood?¡± This time he half turns around as he speaks and await our reply. Ellette nods her head violently, yet looks uneasy about the whole meeting of new people. ¡°Yes, master. I understand.¡± There are two kinds of people in this world, people who treats us like something lower than pigs and people like master who at least use our names, yet when he is not opposed to violence, that we already know. Any other kind of people are liars, no one treats other people well if they don''t have anything to gain, that is the first lesson you learn when you become a slave. I''m taken out of my thoughts by the sound of master calm voice. ¡°There it is, Flood Village.¡± A mid sized village surrounded by wooden walls comes into view as we pass the top of the small hill. The short time I have to prepare myself seems to all but disappear, as the gate opens for us and all too soon closes behind us. We come to a halt, outside a house, that seems to also hold a workshop as well. As soon as we come stop, the front door swings and a middle age women comes storming out, tears run down her cheeks but she is smiling so happily as she run towards the horses. ¡°Oh, my sweet child! Your home!¡± Master gets all but ripped from his horse, into a hug that seems to hurt a bit judging from his facial expression. Yet, to my amazement he remains in the woman''s hug, giving her soft pats on the small of her back. ¡°I''m back, mother.¡± A roar is heard and both the horses and us jump a bit as a big muscled man with a full beard comes from around the corner. Ellette is shaking so much that I have to hold a tight grip around her as I''m unsure if she is about to pass out from fear. ¡°Son!¡± Master turn around as much as he is allowed in the iron grip of his mother, only to be embraced into a give more painful looking hug from the big man. ¡°Father, I can''t breathe.¡± Master voice is clear, even as he is slowly running out of air, I''m impressed that he has not raised his voice at all. The woman looks up from master to us, I hurry and low down not meeting her eyes. ¡°Sweetie, who are these two, if I might ask?¡± The big man releases master from his hold and too looks towards us. Master raise a brow at his mother, but says nothing for a while. ¡°Mother, this is two people that I rescued on my way here.¡± Master opens his mouth and is about to speak again when his mother interrupt him. ¡°Children come down from there, you must have had a long journey, come, come.¡± She weave us down, yet we don''t dare move, for we have not been allowed to interact with anyone but master himself. Master sighs before speaking to us. ¡°It''s fine get down.¡± As Ellette is slowly moving so she can get down in a jump the big man moves in and grab her around her waist lifting her down with ease. Oh, no! No one would ever help a slave willingly, the man has not yet realised that we are slaves! The moment Ellette feet hit the down she drops to her knees, even from the horse I can see her shaking. ¡°What''s wrong little one?¡± The man''s voice is deep like a rumble. Master slowly walks over towards the whole deal, will he punish her!? His hand reaches out toward Ellette, ruffling her hair, huh? I¡­ I don''t understand. ¡°It''s okay Ellette, he is not going to hurt you, come get up.¡± A new roar is released from the man, Ellettes shaking just gets worse. ¡°Hurt the child!? I would never!¡± Master sighs again, before grabbing Ellette shoulder and pulling her up on her feet. The woman now lets out a small scream or in the same volume as a scream. ¡°Oh dear child! What in the world has happened to you!?¡± She runs toward us and all but rip Ellette out of master grip, the small cape falls off her shoulders, revealing the slave brand and her injures, the man''s deep rumble of a voice is then heard. ¡°By all the gods, what has been done to you, little one!?¡± Master is pressing two finger into the bridge of his nose, by the looks of it, it seems that he is having a headache. ¡°Mother, Father, will you for the love of all you hold dear calm down, you are killing my poor head.¡± Both the woman and the man turn to look at him, the woman then looks at Ellette again. ¡°Mother. she is mute, ask her in yes or no questions if you really wish to speak with her that much.¡± Both the woman and the man looks at master, before the man slaps the back of master head. ¡°Boy, that is no way to speak about another person when they are right in front of you.¡± Master sighs again, before turning around enough to reach Ellette and point at the slave brand. ¡°See that.¡± This time to women is the one to answer. ¡°Don''t you hit my sweet child you big baffoun!¡± And in a much calmer voice is answers master. ¡°Yes, sweetie I can see it, but I do not see your point.¡± A moment of silence pass without anyone saying anything, then master speaks up again in a very ¡®to the point¡¯ voice. ¡°They are slaves.¡± ¡°I can see that, sweetie.¡± Master looks over towards his father, waiting for an answer. ¡°I''m not blind, boy¡± Master seems a bit confused and to be far so am I. ¡°They are slaves¡­¡± Both the man and the woman nod their heads, agreeing with him. A few minutes pass before master speaks up again. ¡°I don''t understand¡­¡± Neither do we master, neither do we¡­ ¡°Treat others as you want to be treated, you know this child.¡± The women has placed a hand on masters head, slowly petting him. ¡°Are you like against slavery?¡± The woman once more answers masters question. ¡°I do not believe in treating other people bad, slave or not, will lead to a bright future.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± The man and woman hug master once more. It is master who speaks first after the family hug. ¡°Do we have a place to store these horses? I''m planning on selling them to old Baul, when he gets here.¡± The bearded man smiles at master before answering. I''m sure the inn can hold them for you until Baul gets here, but how did you come by so many fine horses¡­ And do not tell me they are stolen, boy.¡± ¡°Huh, I would never do such a thing father. I got them of a bunch of dead drunk bandits.¡± Master is smiling at this point, master is walking a fine line between the truth and pure lies. ¡°And the two young ladies?¡± ¡°Saved them of the bandits as well.¡± The man smiles at this. My hand gets gently touched and I look down to see the middle age woman smiling up at me. ¡°Come, let us get inside. I''m Elisa, it nice to meet you both.¡± She has taken Ellettes hand in hers and seems to be waiting for me. ¡°F-Forgive me, my lady!¡± ¡°Oh dear child, there is no need for that, just call me, Elisa.¡± As I get down of the horse she smiles once more before walking towards the door. I look at master, who manage to catch me staring at him, before he nods and waves me towards the house. Chapter 33 - Greetings and farewells This chapter is NOT proofread, will be in the new year. Updates will be slow ( or in short chapters if people would like that ) until next year as I have personal things before we hit the 24. dec. Chapter 33 - Greetings and farewells Riin''s POV Flood Village, Flinty region - Mid Summer. The first morning after I got back, went by with mother almost hugging me to dead every half minute while lightly crying about how much she had worried and missed me and father having to repeatedly save me from her claws. I really don''t know what to feel about this show of such strong affliction, that I have been missed in such a heartfelt way. Should I smile, should I cry of happiness, I just don''t know. Luckily for me at dinner time she had calmed down a bit, or at least enough for me not to die from getting hugged. But it did make me think back to before I came here, before I knew how a parent show love to a child. I more then ever come to realise that I know nothing of love, or how to show it to another. That I in way a way in empty inside, not that I don''t know how to show a smile when I''m happy or things like that. No, I say that, I''m empty based on the fact that I have come to realise that I do not feel love, in the sense of the word. Does it come from mistrust, I have yet to figure out. For now father have the horses in the stable at the inn, for free as mother is the only ¡®doctor¡¯ around these parts they wanted no payment from us, not that I''m complaining about it, but father seemed to find it a tad insulting for some reason unknown to me. Lark and Ellette has been taken in under my mother''s loving care, I have yet to try and talk to them as mother seems to be very much so against slavery. Both of them have gotten new clothing, real dresses, I recognize the dress that Lark is wearing but not the one Ellette is in, well I guess that it is better than them running around in old man clothing. Guess between all the hugging she had time to ask one of the neighbours about a old dress. By the smell of them they seems to have been given a bath with some of mother''s strong flowers, like modern times perfumes. The first daylight all too soon goes away and dinner is served by mother and Lark, a boar back and to my great joy there is also bread with butter, I almost let a tear fall at the sight of real newly baked bread. We are all sat at the table to eat, much to my displeasure both Lark and Ellette is there as well, all thanks to mother and fathers ¡®don''t treat them any different than you would us¡¯. They seem to have misunderstood something, I will never treat two whores as I treat my family, not even for a fucking second, but for the sake of peace between us all I say nothing both the two slaves sitting at our table and eating food prepared by mother. The second day passes with me getting the horses ready for old Baul to come look at them all morning, by midday they are some very shiny horses, still smells like horses do but nothing to do about that fact. Their hooves are coated in oil to give them the illusion of grandness, they are groomed to, - if I must say so myself, perfection. The saddles have been treated in fat, like any leather product, they are now almost looking brand new. The old trader arrives just an half hour after I have finished treating the last saddle to its new look. Father is with me for the trade, but is staying in the background. The guards are more this time and not any of the guys from over a year ago. Baul greets father with a handshake and some pretty words, father is the first to speak after the greeting. ¡°Baul, are you still into the horse business?¡± The old man''s eyes almost shiny at those words, yep still looks to be a greedy fucker. ¡°Of Course I''m, if you are looking for a fine horse I got a few good ones.¡± Father smiles at this, he then turns towards me and weaves me over. ¡°You still buying them as well.¡± Baul is look at me for a short while before he smiles down at me, the smile that says ¡®Oh, so you want to sell it now, huh¡¯, I as the gentleman I''m smile back. ¡°Oh I see you are back, kid. Did you have a good time?¡± ¡°Yes, I learned a lot. If you are still looking to buy a horse, I have one that I''m looking to sell off.¡± We both stand there smiling at each other for a few seconds before he answers. ¡°I''m always look to acquire good horses.¡± ¡°I''m glad to hear that, shall we.¡± I give a weave towards the inns stable. ¡°Yes, lets.¡± We walk into the inns stable, where my mornings hard work is standing looking like a million. Looking behind me, I see the face the old man is making while looking at all the horses lined up. ¡°As you can see, I have come across a few horses on my trip home.¡± His mouth is opening and closing a few time before he manage to answer me and even then the answer is weak. ¡°Yes, I can see that.¡± I wait for him to take the horses in, before talking to him again. ¡°I have all of them up for sale, if any of them catch your eye.¡± He is still looking at them, time to push him a bit. ¡°I mean, it would be a shame to let them all end up on the dinner table.¡± At this father raise an eyebrow, while grinning at me, from behind Baul. That wakes him up, in a loud voice he almost yell at me. ¡°Dinner table! Are you out of your mind, kid!¡± I smile at him. ¡°Whatever do you mean?¡± ¡°They are fine, no perfect horses! They are not for eating!¡± I''m really about to piss my pants just holding my laughter in. ¡°Ah, but I''m afraid that a family like mine can''t afford to keep them, that why we hope to sell them off, so that they won''t have to end up as dinner.¡± ¡°I will buy them all!¡± Ha, got you old man. ¡°Ah! I''m so glad! Let''s talk prizes.¡± Father has been called to his workshop by two hunters, so that leaves me alone with the old man. ¡°I will give you fifty gold for each horse and two gold for the each saddle.¡± I give him a long hard stare. ¡°I seem to recall a time where you, yourself told me that a fine horse can easily go for seventy gold and a saddle can cost as much as ten gold prices¡­¡± He stare wide eyed at me for a minute or two before his head turns a dark red color, high blood pressure much? ¡°That was over a year ago, kid. The prizes have changed since then, with the bandit attacks increasing, the roads have become unsafe to travel.¡± ¡°And you have hired more guards to keep your goods safe, I saw.¡± ¡°Yes, what do that have to do with anything?¡± ¡°So, the ¡®unsafe¡¯ factor that you talk about and claim to be lowering the prices of the horses, does not count for you, in the same way it would a normal traveling man.¡± At this point he is glaring at me, well too bad for him, that I''m not some stupid blue eyed kid, that know nothing of supply and demand. ¡°Don''t insult me, kid. I did business before you were even born.¡± Kindergarten much? ¡°If that is true, then you of all should understand the value of a good horse in time of uncertainty.¡± ¡°Your point in all this?¡± ¡°Pay me the coin they are worth.¡± After a few more insults on his part, the amount pair horse was set to sixty-five gold and each saddle to five gold, a good seven hundred gold in all. The weapons, - the four daggers, the spears and swords and the four bows, were sold to the village guards for a sad amount of fifty silver. Father said that it was a far amount see as I had gotten them for ¡®free¡¯, I strongly disagree with that. Mother on the other hand was a bit more on the logic side of things, making a point that all the weapons would help defend the village so the price was fine, I still can''t see how fifty silver is fine for that many weapons but I kept my mouth shut since they saw the price as completely fair. On the other hand, I did keep the one hundred arrows and the iron shoulder plate for my own use, given that I still have to grow a bit for the shoulder plate to be of any real use. The silver ring I held unto as well. The book, I gave to mother who in return gave me a bone crushing hug and one of those ¡®Aww, my boy is so cute.¡¯ looks, that gave me the chills. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The day went by as I returned to my room to stash my hard earned money, in the floorboard under my bed. All in all it was a good amount getting stuffed down into the little room that as of now getting filled up. Seven platinum coins worth one hundred gold each, two gold coins and a pouch stuffed to the brim with one hundred and sixty-three silver coins. Not that I''m forgetting my hard earned sixty-seven copper coins, all of them had been placed into another small pouch. As I sat in my room, with the old map of the Aspred Isle out, planning how I would get to The Lost Isle, a knock sounded on my door. I waited to hear my mother''s voice but instead Lark''s voice sounded from the other side. ¡°Master, dinner is served.¡± I turned to look out my window and saw that the sun indeed was on its way down, that late huh? ¡°I will eat later.¡± ¡°Understood, master.¡± I listened for her steps as they got weaker and weaker down the stairs, then returned to look at the map in front of me once more. A knock sounded again, this time followed by mother''s voice. ¡°Sweetie is something the matter?¡± I looked up and out the window again, not much time had passed if some at all. ¡°Nothing is wrong, mother.¡± ¡°Then why not come down and get some dinner?¡± If I were to say that I would rather eat alone that with the slaves at our table, a fight would have broken out and my timeplan would be ruined. ¡°I''m in the middle of some studying, mother. I will come down and grab something later, okay?¡± ¡°Okay, sweetie. Your father and I are leaving to the village meeting in the morning, so we might not be there when you wake up.¡± ¡°I see, have a good meeting, mother.¡± ¡°Thank you, be sure to get something to eat before you go to bed, okay?¡± ¡°I will, mother.¡± I was awoken by the sound of knocking on my door¡­ Is this some new thing I have to get used to? If so I''m not loving it. I finally get a good''s night sleep only to be awoken by someone. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°It is Lark, master.¡± ¡°Has mother and father left for the meeting?¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± ¡°Is there a reason that you are waking me up?¡± ¡°Ma''am, told me not to let you sleep too long.¡± Ah, mother you fucking bitch. ¡°Get in here.¡± The door slowly open and Lark steps into my room, she walks over to the bed and gets on her knees while looking down on her hands that are resting in her lap, at least she has manners. If I had the body for it, I would so do her, nothing like a good fuck in the morning, but that will have to wait a few more years. ¡°Tell me, who is your master?¡± ¡°You, master.¡± ¡°Hmm, so how come you follow my mother''s ordre.¡± At this point I''m awake so I see no point in staying in bed, getting up I walk to my closet and get some clothing. Her eyes look up as I stand up but she quickly look back down again, when she sees me all naked. Weird to her I should just be a kid, seeing as I''m not of age yet, oh well. ¡°How do I create the papers used to state ownership of you?¡± At my question she spins around and almost throws herself in front of me, her head landing on my still bare feet, at this point all I have on it underwear and pants. ¡°F-Forgive me, master!¡± Her body is shaking. ¡°Shall I take that as you don''t know or that you won''t tell me?¡± I feel her soft lips on the top of my foot. ¡°I-I''m s-sorry if I o-offent you, master.¡± Her lips press down on my foot between her words, the feeling of her lips on my bare skin have giving me another problem¡­ Yeah, I have a hard on, not that I''m into feet kissing or anything like that, it''s purely hormones playing their part here. That and her begging, is what has giving me a boner and let''s not forget the fact that it is morning, let''s just pretend that it''s not there for now. ¡°Do you know how to create the paper?¡± A kiss is all I get as an answer, her body still shaking, is she trying to test me, if so she picked a back time to do so, I''m not a morning person. ¡°Answer me, slave.¡± A small moment of silence passes before she speaks. ¡°I-I do, m-master.¡± ¡°Well, do speak.¡± Her head still hovering over my foot, she finally begin to talk. ¡°The slave brand is drawn on a paper with the slaves blood.¡± She take a deep breath as she finishes answering me. Huh, well that''s simple but it confirms my thoughts on the way the slave brand works, that the true brand is the one on the slave. That the paper is a merely a easy way of stating ownership over the slave. I walk over the my desk and take out a paper, the warmth of her lips leaving my foot. ¡°Go get, Ellette.¡± She get up on shaky legs and move to the door, where she stops for a few moments. ¡°Get moving.¡± A weak nod and she leaves. A few minutes tick by before she returns with Ellette behind her, I sit on the chair waiting for them with a dagger and a piece of paper. ¡°Come here, Ellette.¡± She slowly moves towards me but stops the moment she see the dagger on the desk, her eyes begin to grow teary and she slowly backs up. I release a sigh, annoying brat. ¡°Get over here now!¡± As my voice grows in volume she stops in her tracks. ¡°I will not say it again.¡± She slowly begin to move towards me again, as soon as she is within range, I grab hold of her wrist. With nowhere to run, she begins to shake. ¡°Be still, I need a new paper made, the soon you cooperate with me, the soon you can get away from the knife.¡± At this she slowly nod her head, good time to get it done. A small poke in her finger and a square with a line in the middle later and she is almost running out the door. I let her leave, I''m having a bigger problem than a slave running of scared of a knife. Yeah, I still have a hard on¡­ Which at this point is starting to hurt a bit. I walk over the my bed and get into a good spot¡­ Wait a moment, look over at the door, Lark is still standing there and look at me. ¡°You can leave.¡± I loosen my belt and¡­ The fuck¡­ ¡°I said leave.¡± Instead of doing as she is told, she moves into my room and closes the door behind her. She walks over and kneel in front of me and slowly raise her hands to my belt, I look down at her as she works to loosen the pants. ¡°What a needy slave you are, going around touching your master like this.¡± I grab her hair and pull her head near my hard on. ¡°Let''s see, if you can be of any use, shall we?¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± She lowers her head over my hard on and let her mouth swallow me whole. Ah, I almost come there and then, I can feel the back of her mouth as her tongue licks the length of me. I manage to hold on a full three minutes before I press her head closer and fill her mouth with my cum. Her head still pressed down onto me, I take a few breaths getting my breathing under control again. ¡°Clean up your mess.¡± She starts to suck and lick me clean, swallowing my sperm. I pull my pants up and redo my belt, Lark is still on her knees in front of me. Her breathing is a bit quicker than normal and her face hold a weak shade of red, but other than that you can''t see she just sucked someone off, I''m impressed. She is the first to speak up. ¡°Was I of use, master?¡± Oh, is this all about not being sold of? ¡°Yes, now go get me something to eat.¡± She stand and leave my room as if nothing happened, whore. The day passes and soon nightfall arrive, tomorrow is the last day here. I fold the two new slave papers and put them on my disk. Reaching for the omelet egg.
[Blood Magic] detected, would you like to infuse [Blood Magic] treat into the egg?
What does the blood magic treat do?
[Blood Magic] treat turns [Forest Queen Egg] into [Blood Queen Egg], would you like to infuse [Blood Magic] into [Forest Queen Egg]?
Oh, a blood queen sound very interesting indeed, infuse.
Infusing [Blood Magic] into [Forest Queen Egg], this will result in a [Blood Queen Egg], time until infuse is done:72:00:00:59
Seventy-two hours, not bad at all. As the sun rose in the sky, my backpack was filled with everything I might need or it was strapped onto it. A hand axe, a mining pickaxe, my two bone swords and a rolled up bundle of fifty arrows, the bow over my swords. I felt ready to take on the world, or in this case the four day journey to reach the coastline from where I would have to cross over to The Lost Isle. The evening before, I had managed to talk to both Lark and Ellette, giving them strict orders to protect both mother and father with their lives in case of any attacks happening while I was away. The omelet egg was secured in the top of my backpack with a few pieces of clothing as a form of protection against any random bumps that might come on the way. I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, there I found mother at the dinner table eating breakfast not with father but together with Ellette, much to my displeasure. I was then greeted by a bright smile from mother, that fell as soon as her eyes took in the packed bag on my shoulder. ¡°Good morning swe-, are you leaving?¡± ¡°Good morning to you too, mother. Yes, I''m leaving after I have had some breakfast.¡± Her eye became moist and a look of longing showed in them. ¡°I see¡­ Where will you go this time, if you don''t mind me asking?¡± ¡°I was thinking of heading for the old house and then up into the mountains from there.¡± There is no need to tell her that I plan to stay on a deserted island for a year''s time, just to test my stills. ¡°Ah, do be safe.¡± I feel a smile form as I speak. ¡°I will mother, I will, so worry not.¡± But I know now that the ones that loves you will always worry if you like it or not. Mother gives me a short smile, before turning her attention to her food again. We eat in silence before she walks me to the front door, something is missing¡­ Ah. ¡°Mother, where is father?¡± She looks at me with a sad smile. ¡°He was called to work with the other weapon craftsmen at Lord Jalim''s request.¡± ¡°A nobleman?¡± A short look of shock covers her face before she shakes her head slowly. ¡°Ah, no child. He is the Lord of the Isles, Lord Teador Jalim, High Guard of the Isles.¡± Another fancy title for another useless person, it seems. ¡°Ah, I see and Lark?¡± ¡°She went with him to help out, you know how bad of a cook that he is.¡± She let out a low chuckle at that. I give her a smile, now the question remains should I worry about it or not? While mother seems sad that he is called to serve the man, she seems calm about it, for now I will leave it be.A short but teary farewell is said between us and I take my first steps about on my first really solo adventure. Chapter 34 - Bugbear Proofreader: ---- NOT YET POOFREAD ---- Chapter 34 - Bugbear Riin''s POV The Flood Outpost, Asperd region - late summer. First day of travel. After my farewells to mother and a short talk to the guard at the gate, I had walked down the road to the small port for the boat that was to take me over. It had taken me a few hours to get to the over side of The Flood, with the boat that carried goods over. Once there, it took me a good time to locate a worker willing to sell me a boat. Even after locating one willing to sell it took a good half hour to haggle it down to a price that I was okay with, in the end I had to pay a handful of silver coins. Five silver, a fucking robbery, for an old boat that looked like it would sink if a seagull landed on it. Even so, he was the only one willing to part with a boat, so it left me with no choice. The timer on the egg slowly going down, as I make my way along the coastline, towards the most southern point on the eastern island of theAsperd Isles. My arms were starting to burn with the same rowing motion for hours without end, finally as the sun started to set I found a okay spot to duck the boat in, along the otherwise rock infested coastline. I can only hope there is more like this spot up ahead, as I have a good three days¡¯ trip with boat left. Camping outdoor is always a relaxing experience, when nobody''s there to annoy you or disrupt your sleep. I let a small fire burn out as I rest my head against the seat of the boat, yes, I''m sleeping in the boat. Second day of traveling. By first light, I''m out on the water and rowing away like a mad, my goal is the second ¡®bump¡¯ in the land a good 18 miles up the coats, so I have my work cut out for me. I keep close enough to the coastline that I can swim if necessary but enough distance to it that the underside of the boat is free of the rocky bottom underneath. As I near my goal for today''s travel the sun have set and the moon is slowly starting to show itself. Once again, I''m thankful for the darkvision skill, even if others call it blasphemy, something I have yet to fully understand. Gods and all that crap, what good are they if you lie helplessly in the dark without anyone to hear your cry for help. What good are a god, if no matter how much you beg on your knees, your siblings still die around you. Yes, I shall never place my trust in a god, not then and not now. So if eating to survive is a sin, then I shall sin as none before me have. Be it a god or not if it''s dead will mean me living, then I will do all in my power to kill that which stands before me. I have been thinking as I was rowing my little boat, I''m not set to be on the ocean life, not one bit. My goal is reached as the sun sets on the horizon, land sweet land. I make my camp with the last remaining sunlight of the day, and enjoy a bite of mother¡¯s homemade bread. Checking the time on the egg, I get a window that shows me that there is, [23:09:59] hours left before the chance is complete. At midnight, I''m awoken by the sound of growling or at least I think it''s a growl, after blinking a few times the darkvision skill does its work, showing me the world in shades of grey and white with a few blacks mixed in. There on the left side of the fire next to my small boat is a¡­ Well I would say a bear on two legs¡­ But is just seems wrong to call it a bear¡­ Perhaps it is a humandroid bear race? It is growling or grunting is more like it. Dressed in what seems to be simple pelt and leather, an a simple used axe is strapped on its back. From the place where it is it looks to be between six feet and six feet and some ten inches. It is looking around my boat and worst of all touching my food and completely ignoring me, as if i don''t exist in its little world, now that is pissing me off. I reach out to my side and grab my swords, standing up i spring into a jump and aim for its back, with a speed i had not expected it spins around and rams a clawed hand into my right shoulder, I feel the claws sink into my muscles, the warmth of my blood socking my cloth and the bitter scent of blood, now that''s going to leave a scar for sure. Now like hell I''m going to let it harm me without give some back, I swing my swords in arc into the upper chest of my opponent, drawing two deep cuts into its chest in directional lines, blood for blood.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. As the first light of the morning sun, greet a small camp on the southern coast of the Asperd Isle east island, what greets back is a blood-soaked ground is shown to the world, a messed and bloody corpse of a Bugbear lies on the ground and not far from it lies a young boy. His shoulder is a soaked in thick cakes of clocked up blood, his breathing is heavy and uneven, yet a scary looking smile is on his face a battle has been won and a foe has been slain, only the victor is laughing now. As the night becomes morning I lay on the bloodied ground to out of breath and strength to move an inch, just breathing is painful, I might have a cracked rib or two. what a horrible way to wake up, shitty bugbear thing. my status is flooded with;
You have been hit, you are bleeding.
You have been hit, you are bleeding.
You have been hit, you are bleeding.
You have been hit, you are bleeding.
You have killed [Bugbear - Scout] doing so you have gained 700 experience. For enduring a long-lasting fight, you have +2 [Strength] and +2 [Dexterity]. [Blood Knowledge] collected [8].
I have small cuts all over my body but the worsts it my shoulder, the claws run down on my chest, but luckily my nibble escaped the carnage. The bleeding has slowed down since I revived the injury, but underneath all the cloaked up blood the bleeding is still continuing. My head is spinning and my sight is doubled, overall, I feel like shit. I slowly get up in a sitting position, with just the help of my left arm¡­ Yes, definitely seeing double, I have lost way too much blood for me to be in good health. After a very slow and uneasy walk to my backpack and a good break to see just a little bit more straight, I finally found one of the potions mother has made that I borrowed from her, not that she knows that, yet. This potion is made with the single purpose, to exponential increase the body''s own recovery, in other words it''s a healing potion. I didn''t think that I would have to use one of them now, since I only got my hands on two, but it can''t be helped. Most of my morning and noon went by with me resting against a tree and slowly crewing on some of the smoked meat that I had packed. As I got a bit better and my sight started to not show me two of everything I looked at, I moved myself over so I could carve out some of the bugbear meat. Drawing a knife, I cut out thin slices and put them up to dry in the smoke still coming from the campfire. I left the carcass of the bugbear, its hide smelled of piss and shit, but I did take its axe with me. By nightfall I was in such a state that I could move around, without stumbling all over the place looking like a retard. I packed my newly smoked meat into a piece of leather and strapped it with a woven string of cut out leather. As everything got packed into the boat I slowly made my way up the coat, no way I''m staying one more night in a danger zone, I value my life and if one of those took my hours to slay I have no idea what to do if more comes along. So, in the dark of the night I set out to let the current carry my little boat along the shore, closer and closer to my goal, The Lone Isle. Lark¡¯s POV Road towards Flinty Village, Flinty region - Late summer. We have just left the Inn named Flinty Inn, a inn working as an outpost to the traveling people of the east region of the Isle: We are traveling together with a band of weapon makers from the northernmost end, they come from a city called, Bay City. even hunters from the snow-covered outpost seems to be in the mix, the other travelers refer to it as the Northern Outpost. There are also people from a Village called Rock Village and builders from an outpost called the Flood Outpost, a small building post on the east side of master village. We now seem to be moving towards the village called Flinty Village and from there to the port city of the isle, Flinty Coast City. From here it seems by the talking of the men and women that we will travel by boat to the Lord of the Asperd Region, and meet up with him in a port city called Vernport, not that a slave like me will see such a great man. How many days by ship it will take to reach the city of Vernport, I don''t know. Masters father, Sir. Raval, is in full talk with some of the other bowyers about the calling of crafters to the lord, it seems to be creating some confusing about just what is happening for the lord to call all weapon markers to him. I have no interest in all this, all I desire is not to be thrown away, while master have a short temper, he seems to have little desire to use mine or Ellette¡¯s body for anything. While he does not seem to deny any advances towards him made in that regard, he does not seem to seek it out himself, at least not yet. Ellette seems to be completely safe from him as he barely cares to look at her, when not ordering her to bring him food, for that I¡¯m overly happy. That child has seen enough to scar her mind for life, even a knife in the hand of ma¡¯am makes her tremble with untold fear. I have little to hope for as my body is in damaged beyond hope, so I will likely soon once more find myself pressed underneath a man''s body, but as a slave I can do nothing to chance that fact. While Sir. Raval does not seems to show any interest in me, the same cannot be said from the rest of the traveling band, eyes follow my body whenever I move, and hungry smiles show all too well the know lust hidden beneath. Chapter 35 - Blood and bone Proofreader: ---- NOT PROOFREAD YET ---- Chapter 35 - Blood and bone Riin''s POV The Lone Isles west coast, Lost region - late summer. I had let the waves of the night carry me along the shore, as morning came I started to slowly row over the crossing to the cost of The Lone Isle, by midday the boat hit the rocky shoreline. The timer is down to five minutes and I''m now just sitting here and staring at a shiny red spider egg, according to the status it''s it now called a [Blood Spider Egg]. Soon the sound of the egg hatching can be heard among the sound of the waves hitting the shore.
Familial link with [Blood Queen Spiderling] has been established.
As the message popped up in my mind''s eye, the ¡®small¡¯ spiderling turned to stare at me, or I think that it is trying to stare at me¡­ I mean, it has freaking eight eyes! How am I supposed to know where it is looking? While I say ¡®small¡¯ it would not be wrong to place it at the size of a rabbit, so I guess while it is a small spider it is bigger than small game. It''s body reminds me of the black widow spider, the head seems to be formed of bone mass just like the legs, it''s ¡®back¡¯ has what seems to be plates of hardened chitin on it, protecting it from any attacker that might use its softer back as a way to bring harm to it, if I didn''t know any better I would say that the baby spider has learn from its mother''s mistakes¡­ But that would just be insane. A voice entered my mind, or not really a voice as much as a single word, the thing that mattered the most for the being before me. ¡°Hunger¡± While crude in its way, the word said still made sense to me. I pulled out a piece of smoked meat and placed it in front of my new companion. It''s small front legs moved to pull in the meat, after poking its fangs into it, two new words entered my mind. ¡°Not prey.¡± Ah, smoked meat, while being food does not meet the standard for a spider to feed from it. That put me in a bit of a dilemma, the fact that I had no fresh meat at hand. ¡°Hunter.¡± As if sensing my dilemma, the spiderling provided the answer, it was and is a hunter, even as a newborn, I had only one advice to give, no, more than a advice, it was an order to be followed without fail. ¡°Do not die.¡± In response to my answer as new word came. ¡°Understood.¡± Faster than I would have thought possible for that small a creature, it ran of into the forest in front of me, as I lost sight of it, I realised that I had no chance of finding it again. Just as that thought entered my mind, an immediately understanding of how fare and in what direction it was came over me, I see, so this is the familiar link created from magic when I branded the egg itself¡­ After coming to the conclusion that I could do birthing but wait for the little one to return to my side I decided to set up a camp at the cost, with that decided, I dragged the boat onto the shore and after a hell of a battle of swearing and a lot of crude curses, I finally got it to rest upside down against one of the bigger trees. I now had what could only be said to be a very simple dwelling, but for the night, it would do. Picking up stone and making a small pit in the ground, I got fallen sticks and lit a fire. Time for some sea food! After a light meal of clams and the meat from small crabs, midday had come and the sun was high in the sky. Checking on my shoulder and redoing my bandage with some trouble, I decided to walk down along the southern coastline. After a half hours walk a message popped up for me.
Familiar link has granted you, [Blood Knowledge] [9]
My walk slowed down to a stop as I looked the message over once more. So, the little one had killed something and I had gained [Blood Knowledge] from it, even if I have yet to find the use for the knowledge, I know that it is somehow connected to [Blood Magic] in one way or another. After that I continued my down the coast, picking up clams along the way and throwing them into a makeshift shoulder backpack made from a piece of linen that I got from mothers drawer, keeping the linen wet and the clams fresh, I continued my walk. Over the span of four hours I got my [Blood Knowledge] to twelve, go forth my little one, bring me back knowledge! How nice it was to do nothing other than take a walk and still gain something from it. Still I was under the impression that spider and snakes are the type of animal that eat few times during a month, perhaps I was wrong? But then again the bigger the animal the more it need to eat to outway the energy it burn during its hunt for food, so maybe four meal a da-
Familiar link has granted you, [Blood Knowledge] [13]
Forget I said anything¡­ Keep on eating to your hearts contents as long as you leave some food for me. After five hours of walk I reached a river flowing down from the mountain at the centre of the island, a quick sip showed that it was freshwater, I quickly filled up my water pouch and took my fair share of the free running water. After having gotten my fill, I turned around and made my way back towards the campsite.
Familiar link has granted you, [Blood Knowledge] [14]
Familiar link has granted you, [Blood Knowledge] [15]
Really now, how much are you going to eat in a single day¡­ Ellette¡¯s POV Flood Village, Flinty region - Early Fall. Master has been gone for five weeks now, I''m left to help with taking care of masters house together with masters mother, madame Elisa. Lark too has left together with masters father, Sir Raval, with orders to take care of his needs from madame. When Lark left master was asleep, but I think that Lark will be alright since master told us to protect Sir Raval and madame Elisa with our lives if it came to that. So, even if she left without telling master, I think she will be forgiven, I hope she will at least. I''m awoken by the gentle hands of madame Elisa shaking my shoulder and calling my name with a motherly voice. I fight hard to keep the tears back, treating me so kindly even if I''m just a filthy slave. Our morning goes with meeting up with masters fianc¨¦e, miss Ailith, of almost four years old and her mother, going to the to the forest edge to look for useable herbs and edible plants. It seemed as miss Ailith is learning the herbalist craft from madame Elisa, but what do I know of such things. I miss Lark she is my only friend, madame Elisa is very kind and sweet to me unlike any other owner I have ever met, but she is masters mother, not my friend. I hope Lark is okay, I miss her, I even miss master, just a tiny bit. Riin''s POV The Lone Isles, Lost region - Early Fall. I have gone and done it¡­ Of all the things that I could possibly forget, I fucking went and forgot the most important thing in the life of a loner, yes, I forgot the fucking spices¡­ I mean how could I go and do such a thing? The spider which I have yet to give a name is just out there eating its way in small animals and what not, for over a month I have had a steady increase of [Blood Knowledge] that has as of now reached [50], yeah¡­ That thing is a eater alright. In the weeks after I arrived here, i have made it all around the island, that alone took me a week to make it back to the small ¡®boat house¡¯ that i made on the first day of me getting here. For seven days I walked along the coast line, trying to get my bearings of the island. The northern half is a dense forest, that cover most of the base of the mountain, except a small area towards the south, along the river that flows from within the forest, most likely coming somewhere from the mountain. The wildlife so far has been the normal forest wild, I did meet a single bear, but kept my distance from it, as I was no need to have it killed, when I had no chance of getting it back with me to the camp. The second week was spent along the river, which led to a cave entrance after a full day''s walk. The river flowing out from within the cave itself, so my guess is that the source is deeper in the mountain somewhere. After my little camping trip in The Underworld, I really did not have any strong desire to travel down into the cave and most important no reason to, as I had all the food and fresh water that I would need, for the time being. The third week, was spent on me getting to know the mountain a bit better, and at the end of the week, my hard work up and down the mountainside paid off. On the north-eastern side of the mountain above the shade of the thick forest, a small village or just enough to count it as a cluster of houses, was carves out from the mountain rock itself. From the bottom of the mountain a staircase was also cut out of the mountain, most of all it reminded me of some fantasy dwarven village or something along does lines. Walking up the stairs lead me to a larger building in the form of a temple, meaning it had the large pillars carved out on each of a heavy looking wooden door, the wood itself looked rotten but were reinforced with a form of metal, most likely iron. Along the stairs leading up a fine cut channel with flowing water was cut out of the ¡®wall¡¯ that made up the one side of the stairs, following the stairs up, past the temple led me to a ¡®outcropping¡¯ near the top of the mountain which held its own little freshwater lake from where the water flowing. I spent the fourth week bringing my supplies from the boat back to the ruin village, exploring the abandoned houses, many of them was simple holes with a higher level for a makeshift bed, a small tunnel leading from the one side of the bed and to the outside making all warm air from the fireplace flow underneath the bed, creating a warm surface to sleep on. Making even the coming winter seem as a thing that could not be that hard to overcome even in this abandoned place. Checking out the nearby surrounding forest, where to my great surprise and joy I found a hot spring, meaning that the ¡®lone¡¯ mountain might at some point in time have been a volcano or at least have an underground water flow close to magma. That made me wonder how that happened since we saw no lava or a great increase in heat when we were digging in the Stoney Mountains¡­ After a great deal of think and getting nowhere, I came to the conclusion that this world''s ¡®core¡¯, that is if it even have one and earth''s must be at different depths, yep, leaving it at that. The village itself also had its own primitive smithy with its own forge, even if it seemed a bit weathered by the passing of time. So if I did get the great urge to go digging in the ground again, after my trip to The Underworld, I had a place to process the ores and work with the metal. The tool was just in need of some cleaning and a few of them needed some new handles. Another find was a small ¡®cave¡¯ that was cut into the side with the most shade during the day, I decided to think of it as the storage house for the longer lasting foods. After a great effort on my part and hours on hours of looking around the forest and that darn mountain cave, I had to my great joy secured a minimal amount of spices and rock salt from the cave on the west side. Other than some rather large bats the trip to find out if the cave had the right conditions to create or from salt, it was a easy and uneventful trip. The hours spent staring at the forest floor was likewise relaxing and I can even claim to have enjoyed them a tiny bit. With a larger than fisted hand rock salt and a few strong tasting plants hanging to dry, I found myself in a good mood as I went to the hot spring to take a relaxing bath after a hard weeks work, - not that I did not bath the other days, just that I restrained from using the hot spring to much as it left me open to any surprise attacks. So, while I was soaking in the steaming hot pool and enjoying the sight of the setting sun colouring the sky in a fine purple, my happy mind quickly got turned into a very confused state as my little one returned to me¡­ Or, something like that is what I would have liked to have said, but the word ¡®little¡¯ could not in any shape or form describe the being before me now. Before me, on one of the larger rocks surrounding the hot spring, stood a tree feet something high eight legged, eight eyed blood red spider. With its pure bone like front legs and dripping fangs it looked like something out of a horrorshow. If I had not sensed it approach me with the familiar link, I would not have known it was there, even with me never lowering my guard and keeping an eye on my surroundings, I had not heard it get this close to me. That to me proved just how strong the ¡®monsters¡¯ of this area was and just how much I had yet to learn, in a world without technology, where all that counted was your own senses. A smile formed, just thinking about how much stronger my own awareness had become and how long the road to master is was, yes, I''m still young. The bath ended with the spider starring at me as I stepped out and wrapped a towel around my hips, we began our way up the stairs. The following days went with me getting a stock of food in forms of meats and vegetables. With the leftover pots in the houses, I made small containers of packed potatoes and onions, some wild carrot and a few edible wild berries, that were put in the smaller clay pots. Slowly the sixth week passed and the preparations was done, a large ¡®gave¡¯ was dug and wood was slowly getting burned into its longer lasting cousin, charcoal. The wood that ¡®survived¡¯ was used in the small fireplace inside the house I had chosen to stay in. The warm coming from the burning wood helped the skins and pelts that I had hug to dry. Thanks to the little one, I had a good supply of hide from the animals it had killed during the weeks it was away, all I had to do was convey that I wanted it to show me the ¡®fallen prey¡¯, that alone had taken me quite some time to get it to understand. But after finally understanding my point it had run off with a ¡®follow¡¯, to say it was spread around the forest would be to say a plain crash could be contained in one''s front yard. I''m say this now I spent a over a week just getting to all the different, kill spots. Almost nine weeks have passed since I arrived at the island, I finally get to see one of the unknowns of this small village, a sealed iron door, after all my travels around the island, this place was the only spot on this island that held any sign of civilization. As the morning sun bathed the mountain in the warm glow, I was staring at the massive door that blocked my part to the place with I''m sure was some form of temple. With the winter closing in the air is slowly getting colder, so for now I want to see if there is anything inside this sealed off part. Elisa¡¯s POV Flood Village, Flinty region - Late fall. It has been nine weeks since Raval and my sweet boy left, the letter that I revived this morning was disturbing¡­ war is coming. According to Raval¡¯s letter, the lands of the south is coming together and when that happens war always follows. All weapons craftsmen has been called to the nobles homes to start producing weapons for the new recruits that will soon fill the front. I can only pray that my boy stays out in the wildness, lost to all, I don''t wish him to see the coming battle up close, no mother wishes that for their child. War, at such a time¡­ my hand has unconsciously found its way down to my stomach, slowly running circles over the small life growing in there. I hope our new addition to the family will not be born in a time of war, but that seems to be a fragile hope to cling on to in this time. A cup of steaming warm the is put in front of me, Ellette gives a small smile before she returns towards the downstairs, properly going to clean or do something. I leave her be she seems more at ease doing something than sitting still, even when I tell her not to over do it, she only becomes restless sitting down, so best to leave her to do what she seems happy about. I cast a fleeting look at the letter once more, before putting it down in the drawer, I don''t need the stress it will add. I know Raval and Lark should be safe while marking weapons. While I have no idea what my sweet boy is up to out there, I can only pray to the god of the wild to keep him safe from harm. Riin''s POV The Lone Isles, Lost region - Late Fall. After hours a hammering away at the massive doors I finally get a breakthrough, the doors slow start to open as I push with all my might.
You have entered The Sealed Temple. You have gained +50 experience.
Huh? Oh who cares¡­ getting my back straight after almost breaking it from all the pushing, I get a ¡®shit just hit the fan¡¯ feeling. Why? You might ask. Well, it might be the countless glowing pair of eyes staring back at me from within the darkness or the fact that even with the sun in the sky the inside is not showing any signs of lighting up. ¡°Prey?¡± The word is more of a question then a statement. ¡°Hell, if I know.¡± In this case I''m glad that I had started to carrying my swords with me everywhere, getting a strong grip on the handles, I take a step into the darkness before me. The sounds of bones rattling and far out cries of war sounds as I step inside, staring back at me from the shadows is skeleton after skeleton, armed with swords and spears and a few wooden shields. All of them staying within the darkness of the temple, I wonder if it got sealed for a reason?If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Let''s hunt us some bones.¡± ¡­ Great now I''m starting to talk to the little one. The sprint into the darkness and the horizontal swings of the blades, followed by the sounds of bones breaking into pieces on the stone floor, the ¡®clinking¡¯ of the weapon sliding away into the mass of approaching enemies. From the sprint into a spin, aiming for the necks, the sound of rattling as more circles around me, soon I''m surrounded by eyes glowing in the darkness. I feel a freedom in the endless waves of swords, spears and the shields being bashed towards me. The amount of bones on the floor is slowly and steadily growing, the sound of droplets of blood hitting the cold floor is drowned in sound of the crashing sound of shatters bones crushing underneath countless feet. The drops of sweat the runs down the chin and the fleeing of the sting as flesh is cut, all of it screaming to the body ¡®I''m hurting!¡¯, yet the sea of attackers keeps coming and coming, slowly and steadily pushing the body to the brink of destruction. In the endless slaughtering of countless attacks the sound of my heavy breath and laughter is mixed with the sound of the ¡®screaming¡¯ whispers of the undead. The chilling of the air and the feeling pure terror clings to anyone in the surrounding area, yet none of the members locked in mortal combat feel it as the endless battle continue. The sun has long since disappeared behind the horizon and the moon is now the only witness to the battle of will, the soft almost unnoticeable glowing in the eyes clouded and on the edge of conciseness is all that is testament to the burning will in the boy. It hurts to breath, it hurts to even move, it burns as I twist around and block an attack coming from the side. My legs gives away under the stress, my knee hitting the floor filled with shards of bones, the feeling of the skin breaking. Yet, I don''t know if the blood is mine from now or mine from before, I have long my sense of awareness of when I spilled that pool or this pool of blood and the scent of my sweat tells me that I have long since overused it, if the shearing jolts was not a warning. While slow and in itself rather useless alone, the mount gathered here borders on the insane, I can only keep this up for a bit more, time to clear a way out of here. Slowly with unsteady legs I force my used body to move, one step, two steps, slowly I inch closer to the door. My world has begun to become a blurred version of its former self, nothing is standing still even the ground has desired to start moving as if was the sea. The cold night wind of the outside greet me as I stumble on to the pathway and unsteadily down the stairs into the house with a half dead fire and a ready made bed. Wood¡­ I need to place wood in the fireplace or I will get sick the cold wind and the layer of sweat coating my body. With a great deal of concentration and half assed cursing, I finally get the pieces of wood into the fireplace. A quick once over of my body tells me that none of my wounds are fatal and with that out of the way, I fall unconscious onto the fur covered bed.
Messages have exited fix amount, now compiling the incoming amount. You have slain [Skeleton - Warrior] x50 by doing so you have gained a combined amount of 2.500 experience. [Blood Knowledge] has increased to [100], [Blood Knowledge] has reached its maximum amount. You have slain [Skeleton - Spearman] x30 by doing so you have gained a combined amount of 1.500 experience. [Blood Knowledge] has reached maximum amount.
[Blood Knowledge] exciting amount has been transferred to [Knowledge: Blood Mark], [Blood Mark] has evolved into [Binding: Blood Seal]. [Binding: Blood Seal] uses [Blood Knowledge] [100] to bind the blood of the sealed to the will of the caster. Blood becomes the scaffold that control the body itself.
¡­ ¡°The real in fucked up thing is that even if I got eighty of them down, the fact is that there were countless more.¡± The little one has been sitting on the wall for a while now, staring who knows where with its many eyes. Since it is my sole companion in this place I might aswell talk to it, not that I expect an answer. On the holder hand it seems that what I knew as [Blood Mark] is really called a [Blood Seal] or at least its true form is [Blood Seal]. So in conclusion to that, even if I ¡®learn¡¯ a spell it might be a misunderstanding of the ¡®true spell¡¯, but the [world] seems to acknowledge that I in parts understand the spell or have a vague understanding of the mechanics of how it works. It seems that casting the spell will require [Blood Knowledge], so working with the fact that not all spells cost mana¡­ There was this manga I once got my has on where the main character was fighting using his spirit energy as a base for releasing his spells.
You have gained a more complete understanding of what [Mana] is made of. [Mana] stat has been evolved into it more pure form [Spirit Energy]. By understanding [Mana] and [Spirit Energy] you have gained +2 [Wisdom].
Well, this is getting more and more interesting as we go on. With regards to all those skeletons the must be guarding something valuable, so once I get them down I will have myself some fine loot waiting for me, but for now I need some goddamn food I''m fucking starving and a bath. A day''s rest and a good meal and I was once more in front of the temples doors, as I had suspected, the skeletons had not moved from the darkness within the temple grounds, as I stood there and stared at them all they did in return was stare back. A last check on the condition of my swords and I was ready to go and bash in some skulls, heh, in the most literal sense of the word. My breath is coming out in short huffs, my heart is breathing so loudly that is it all I can hear, sweat and blood is getting mixed up as it runs down my body, yet I can''t stop grinning like a darn fool. Slowly I trim away at the mass of bones blocking my way, day and night, all I think of is killing the enemy that is in front of me.
Messages have exited fix amount, now compiling the incoming amount. You have slain [Skeleton - Warrior] x50 by doing so you have gained a combined amount of 2.500 experience. [Blood Knowledge] has reached its maximum amount. You have gained +2[Strength] and +2 [Agility] by continuing to push your body to its limits.
How long has passed? A week? Two weeks? More? I can''t tell, all I know is that it is winter and the snow is slowly falling, covering the mountain in a layer of white. Winter mean that another year has passed and I will be twelve¡­
Messages have exited fix amount, now compiling the incoming amount. You have slain [Skeleton - Warrior] x20 by doing so you have gained a combined amount of 1.000 experience. [Blood Knowledge] has reached its maximum amount.
It''s getting harder¡­ With the increase in space they more faster than before, it''s getting increasingly difficult to dodge their combined attacks, even if they lack any form of teamwork.
Messages have exited fix amount, now compiling the incoming amount. You have slain [Skeleton - Warrior] x10 by doing so you have gained a combined amount of 500 experience. You have slain [Skeleton - Spearman] x5 by doing so you have gained a combined amount of 250 experience. [Blood Knowledge] has reached its maximum amount.
Small cuts litters my whole body, but I''m starting to get a body finely tuned by and for combat, my own reflexes and the speed in which my body retracts is starting to equal themselves out, meaning I''m starting to move more like my old self. The little one has been hunting in the nearby area for a short while now, but as of how much is has been killing and eating, I don''t know since I haven''t gotten any message for a while now.
Messages have exited fix amount, now compiling the incoming amount. You have slain [Skeleton - Spearman] x5 by doing so you have gained a combined amount of 250 experience. [Blood Knowledge] has reached its maximum amount.
I encountered a new kind of skeleton today, a more heavily armoured one with a halberd as a weapon, it took me for a surprise and I had to get out of there before getting hurt, I only got five other skeletons down before having to retreat¡­ It''s bugging me, my lack of skill. But as of now that''s problems has to wait as I''m running out of smoked meat and my storage is almost empty, so it''s time to do some hunting. As night falls I move out, in the cover of the dark I begin my search for prey, while moving towards one of the small lakes near the ¡®village¡¯ I spot the trail of a group of wild boars, I begin my stealthily walk towards the lake. A short walk after and my works pay off in from of a group of seven boars and that is not counting the small¡­ Piglets? Are they even called piglets when it''s a boar? Or is it a boarding?¡­ Yeah, let''s go with piglets for now. Drawing my bow I wait and after getting a clean shot for the side of one of the boars I shoot, the arrow goes straight into the hearth and only a high pitched whine of surprise, is left as it drops dead. The rest runs off in a mass of grunts and whines of confusion, leaving their dead companion behind.
You have slain a [Boar] by doing so you have gained 50 experience. [Blood Knowledge] has reached its maximum amount.
The trip home is the hardest part as I have to drag the fucking thing behind me, but as the sun stars the rise I finally make it to the village. Dropping the boar next to my large outdoor campfire, I get to work. A few hours has passed and the meat is looking like it will be enough to last me for at least the winter time. Now time to deal with the problem at hand, the skeletons with the heavy armour and halberds. At my count there is around twenty ¡®normal¡¯ skeletons and ten of those other fuckers. If I deal the the easier ones first, I can focus all my attention on the more dangerous ones afterwards. For now I will focus on avoiding them the best I can and if given the chance I will test their amours strength.
Messages have exited fix amount, now compiling the incoming amount. You have slain [Skeleton - Warrior] x10 by doing so you have gained a combined amount of 500 experience. You have slain [Skeleton - Spearman] x10 by doing so you have gained a combined amount of 500 experience. [Blood Knowledge] has reached maximum amount.
It took me two weeks to clean out the remaining ones, two weeks of fearing for my life and running around in random patterns as not to get hit by their large swings and a good amount of lying flat in the floor to avoid more hits. Yet even with all that one of them managed to slash my back, leaving me with a long cut from my left shoulder plate and down to the right side of the ending of my rips. By pure luck the force of the hit and my jump to get away from the swing worked in my favour and while the wound hurt like hell, it was not life threatening. Even so I spent a week resting and applying a healing mix of herbs and some long baths in the hot springs, as I hoped that the minerals in a hot spring, was somewhat the same as in my old world. By my counting I have so far killed of around one hundred ninety skeletons in this room alone, leaving me with ten heavily armed ones, they must be some form of last stand to whatever they are guarding. I need more power to break their armor as the only thing that has worked in killing them off is cutting of their darn head, [Bloodlust Aura] has no effect on them, must be since they are unable to feel fear as they are dead. As of now I''m in a staring contest with ten armed skeletons, they stare at me from within the confines of their ¡®area¡¯ and I stare at them from the outside, looking for anything that might help me kill them. A few days have passed like this and I''m not that much closer to finding an answer other than overpowering them with pure force¡­ And let''s face it a fully armoured body versus a kid is not going to brood well for the kid, me that is. So, as my old teacher used to say, ¡®If you can''t beat them, it means that you are lacking in strength and need to train more. So what are you laying on the ground for boy, get up!¡¯. The sound of laugher reach my ears, ah, I''m the one laughing, yes that old man had his way of speaking that''s for sure, so let''s train. Endurance, speed, raw strength that is what I need to kill my enemy, so that is what I will push myself to get more of. The snow is slowly falling and the air is getting thinner the higher up the mountain you go, at the top of the village by the lake I train. Surrounded by snow and cold wind with a small amount of food and a small campfire, I begin to train my body. Push-ups, with rope made from old rope I start on during some intense jump rope workout, I run the top to bottom part of the village and back again to the top. I start doing longer and longer runs, slowly I lower my intake of food each time I find that I can do a push-up / run training section and feel that I have energy left. I train my balance my standing on my hands and doing push-ups. Training, training, train to get stronger than ever before, it''s all I can think of. My stats improve slowly as I begin breaking down my body, just to rebuild it again. The sun is shining down on my as I take my run along the shore, two and a half day I can the length of the whole island in, I takes me a week to walk around. The wet slippery rocks and soft forest floor, none of it seems as challenging as it did before. Over the course of a half year I have made my body a fine tuned machine with an amazing reaction time, so much so that even if my foot should slip as I jump along the wet rocks I''m fast enough to find my footing before losing my balance. All my muscles are fine rebuild from scratch, after intense training to build up stronger ones. The little one resides inside the cave on the south side of the mountain, after locating it, I left it to become stronger aswell, feed and grow. Now that I have improved this body of mine to the limit of what can be done to a child''s body without destroying or damaging my growth, it is time to see if I have improved at all compared to my enemy. Once more I''m in front of the temple with the same undead hollow eyescockest staring back at me. My swords in hand, I spring to attack. A quick stab straight for the jawbone of the one closest to be, a twist of my hand and the force of the strike is directed toward the bare neck vertebrates of the skeleton. That is all I get as the blade of a halberd makes its way toward my head, I dodge, jumping back and landing outside their area I chance target and moves to attack a new enemy, same tactic, clear a way to reach the vertebrate and ends its so called life before it has the chance to attack me. As I repeat the new way of attacking my window of attacking and killing my enemy grows smaller and smaller as they starts to know what I''m up to. Five to go, the floor is a mess, broken bones and parts of the floor and pillars is laying around the place. Wait¡­ The pillars! I can use them to remove some of them from the fight, springing into action I run towards the two to the left and get their undivided attention, aggro I believe the word is in games that makes you fight a group of monsters at the same time, aggro - it''s something like gaining the attention of the monster and keeping it on you. I slip behind the pillar and do a ¡®Z¡¯ from the wall to the pillar to the wall where I let myself lose momentum and drop down onto the head of one of my attackers, crashing in the helmet and head at the same time, as of now all I can do is leave my sword sticking out of the helmet of the dead skeleton. A quick dodge and a dash towards to one left alive and bone meets bone in a crushing wave of force, the losing part drops down, tree to go. Getting my sword back from the helmet and running like a mad I make it to the other end of the room. Repeating my success with the pillar I kill to more, my swords are looking a bit beat up, but it is bone after all. Now, I''m face to face with the last survivor of the two hundred skeletons, that stood in my way at the beginning. Almost an entire year has passed with me killing and training and killing some more, not that I mind it. But it is good to see an end to things, as I sprint to attack and the halberd is brought down towards me, my half years worth of training myself to a near death and vomiting point has finally paid off as I redraw my swords from its broken-in head.
You have slain a [War Skeleton] x10 by doing so you have gained 1.000 experience! [Blood Knowledge] has reached its maximum amount.
All there is left as a trace of their existence here, is the broken bones and old rusted armor, nothing else remind the world that two hundred undead lurked within this locked up and forgotten temple. In a way I wonder from where they came, was they from this lost and misplaced village or from a different place altogether? Not that answers will be mine anyway, not now at least. For now I need to look at my reward, the thing that they were guarding even in dead. My feets are sleeping and my body has grown cold sitting on the floor, the coldness of the wind stopped bothering me a while back, all is nothing compared to this, me reward. Elisa¡¯s POV Flood Village, Flinty region - Early fall. Just over half a year has passed since Raval and my sweet Riin left to do what they must. Raval, called by the noble of our land to do his ¡®duty¡¯ for the kingdom and my sweet boy to strengthen himself, as he called it. I don''t know why that boy needed to become strong in the way he was looking for, but the look in his eyes told me to let him go, that even if I clung to him and begged, he would need to go. Not bound by a sense of duty but by a single minded need to be better than he was. A hunter from Flinty Village, reported that a few men had died in the Stoney Mountains, bandits they had said. But, they told of the newly found part to The Underworld, the world beneath us, a world of pure darkness. The hunter told that the guards had saved to miners from that endless darkness, a man, that had died in a goblin attack down there and a young boy. Right there I knew, that my boy had seen true darkness, as the hunter told that they had starved and had been forced to eat the underground musrooms and ¡®wildlife¡¯, but I knew from story''s that no wildlife lived within that darkness or not wildlife as we saw it. My sweet boy, what did you see down there I wonder, what did you expirence for you to return with that look in your eyes? Ah, who am I trying to fool, that boy has never been one to complain and even cry as a infant, always looking always thinking. Do you know my sweet baby boy, soon you will become an older borther, I hope your travels will bring you back to me. I push myself up and waddle over to the door has the knocking increase in volume. ¡°I''m coming, I''m coming.¡± I open the door just as Ellette comes running down the stairs, a horrified expression painted on her face, silly sweet child, still she wait for me to punish her, I would never. She comes to a stop behind me, as the door fully opens up and gives way to the sight of a man dressed in a chain mail armour and bare the Siegel of Lord Jalim. The man steps back and gives a short bow and greets us. ¡°Good day, ma''am, young miss.¡± ¡°Good day to you as well, how may I be of assistance?¡± He makes a quick salute before answering me. ¡°Lord Jalim, calls all able men to arms for the coming war against the tribes of the desert lands.¡± He clears his throat before he continues his little speech. But all that goes through my mind is that my dear husband is now getting send to the battlefield and thank the gods by sweet boy is not here. ¡­ by the kingdom''s laws any male is to join in the coming war. By the names on the list of the village elders, two men is to be staying in this household.¡± I look at him for a short while, does he not know? That Raval has already been sent to help the lord prepare for the war? We stare at each other for a while before I shake my head to clear my mind. ¡°Yes, two men live here, my husband and my son, but none of them is to find here, I''m afraid.¡± I barely finish my sentence before the young soldier speaks again. ¡°And why is that so, ma''am.¡± I give me a pointed look, to interrupt a person when they themself even demanded an answer. The young man looks behind my quickly to see one of the other two soldiers behind him give him a disapproving look. ¡°My husband, Raval Torvar has been working together with the rest of the weapons crafter from the isles, for over seven months now.¡± The young soldier give an ¡®oh¡¯ sound before holding up a hand as to tell me to wait for a moment before running back to the two waiting soldiers were he starts to fumble with some pieces of paper, before he come running back. ¡°Ah! My deepest apologies ma''am, the papers seems to be misplaced. As for your son then?¡± ¡°He left for a short trip for our old logging, a day after his father was called to draft, I-¡± My voice cracks, he is out there I know, I know he is out there! ¡°I have not seen or heard from him since.¡± The soldier stares at me and I at him. ¡°Might ma''am be so kind and to tell us the way so we can go and see if he can be found there?¡± I almost laugh, it''s not like I''m given a choice in the matter. ¡°Follow the road towards the flood, and cross to the outpost from there follow the dirt trail towards the northwest. From there follow the trail half a day, before long you will reach a lone hut in between the threes.¡± He give a short nod before turning half around where he stops. ¡°Thank you for your time and I wish you a good day and will send a prayer for your coming child. Ma''am, young miss.¡± With that he turns and leaves with his fellow soldiers, be safe my son. Riin''s POV The Lone Isles, Lost region - Early Fall. Books¡­ Scrolls¡­ That is the shit those fucking skeletons was guarding, books¡­ Who came up with the idea to let Underdark guard books!? When I find that person I will fucking strangle them to dead! Half a year spent on killing them and training so that I could kill them and what do I get out of my hard work!? FUCKING BOOKS!! That''s what I get. Ah, life is so not fair, not at all¡­ Well, I might as well find out what''s inside those books since I wasted so much time getting to them. Winter. A broken of pillar works as my chair, the light stones as a lamp. These¡­ Books¡­ They are amazing, no unbelievable that is what they are. When I was small mother told me of the other realms that existed out there and these books tells of one of them, the Shadowfell, the realm of the dead. Shadowfell, rules by a deity called the Raven Queen. Home to the eternal undeads known as vampires and the rotten yet ¡®alive¡¯ mages of old known as lichs. The books and scrolls speak of a ¡®gate¡¯ to the Shadowfell, a way into the realm of the dead even as a living. Late Winter. I found it! The so called ¡®gate¡¯ it''s a spell of a kind a spoken chant and a sacrifice of one''s own soul, or part of it. Once the chant is spoken one will be ¡®transported¡¯ to the realm of endless night, a shadow of this world. I must prepare! Food and water, check. Clothing, check. Weapons, check. Random items of use, check. Little one, check. Now to make use that all is as it should be and I have read all that I need to know. How I''m ready to go to the realm of Shadowfell, grant me more power, more and more until the world bows before my feet! Ups, I''m getting myself all excited, heh, can''t have that. The books tells one to be in a calm state of mind and body, so a form of meditational state I guess. I sit on the floor in the temple forgotten by the world, soon I will to be gone from this world. Breath in, breath out, deepen the breaths, focus only on the self. Forget the world, forget the sounds of the wild, of the wind. Forget everything. Breath in. Deep breaths. Calm your beating heart. Until all that is left of this world is the soundless darkness, the white calmness, the self. ¡°Death comes to one and all, it is only right that a piece of me goes ahead, to greet the queen of night.¡± Darkness takes hold of me and my world fades away into the nothingness called unconsciousness.
By offering a piece of your very self you have gained affinity with, [Shadow]. Magic of the [Shadow] type has been unlocked for use, spell gained, [Shadow Walk].
Chapter 36 - Into the shadows Chapter 36 - Into the shadows Riins POV Shadowfell, Region Unknown - Date Unknown The sound of the wind hitting something broken was that woke me from the sweet nothingness, the feeling of a cold rough floor, the taste of stillness in the air and a complete lack of light, that was what surrounded me. Slowly I got myself up in a sitting position, darkvision did it''s work and the room lit up around me in dark shades. Much like the smaller room I had been in before I lost my consciousness, the room was a mirror of that, twisted into a dark form of its true self. Plane of Shadows, it had been called in one of the books that I had gotten my hands on, a twisted world of the mortal realm, even the wind gripping the broken door seemed to be black. Looking around I could see none of my packed items, the only things in my position is the cloth on my back and the swords I had in my hands as I lost consciousness¡­ Well, had better find myself some food. I stand on uneasy legs as I begin to move away from the room, my grip on the swords handles increase as the broken door give away to a view of death or more like a deserted landscape twisted into a horrid form of its ¡®true¡¯ self. The shadow realm truly is a twisted version of the mortal realm, the words keep ringing in my head again and again. The mountain is nothing but a pile of massive rocks, as if a meteor had landed on top of it, broken and ruined. My stomach grumbles, for how long was I out? Looking around I start to collect broken off sticks to get a fire going. As my luck, would have it the sound of growling reach my ears moments before a shadow is being flung towards me. No, the shadow is not thrown at me but had by in self jumped towards me. The shape of a big dog appears before my eyes, as if stepping out of the shadows itself. Only one word comes to mind as I stare into the yellow glowing eyes, twisted. The amount of teeth¡¯s in a jagged row, lagging any form of skin to cover them, the bones that has become spike like sticking out of the¡­ Animal, it''s a dark horrid form of a dog. The quick break in its momentum as I push myself to the side and it spins around letting out a feral snarl at me, as I let my sword slice into its side as I jump away. Thick¡­ blood, like glue, slowly leaves the cut. It wastes no time in jumping at me once more with its jaws wide apart, ready to bid down onto my flesh. Animal, human, they are all the same when in the air, I push myself to meet the dog in its jump towards me, pushing my sword into the head, feeling the flesh and skull give away to the momentum of the jump and the sharpness of the sword. Only a short whine leaves its mouth before we are both thrown to the ground by the sheer force of its jump, with a heavy sound we tumble into the dirt. Well, I guess dinner is fixed.
You have slain a [Shadow Hound] by doing so you have gained 450 experience! You have gained [1] [Shadow Affinity]!
Hmm, no [Blood Knowledge]? Oh well, I don''t have to luxury of thinking more into it now, not knowing what lurks out here. I drag the dead dog or hound as the world system calls it, in front of the broken door and begin to cut into its thick hide. After a good amount of work, I finally get the hide free from the meat and begin the work of cutting all the meat into easy to handle bits. I grab my stack of half-forgotten sticks and head back into the room. Once there I remove one of the broken stone plates acting as a floor, creating free access to the dirt beneath. Having dug out a hole I begin the work or putting sticks down and smacking two rocks together, trying to create fire. What feels like hours afterwards, I finally get a small fire going. The first real light I have seen in the place. Sticking the meat on a larger more durable stick I begin grilling up some meat, man in some way I really miss vegetables. A while after the meat is finally cooked enough to eat and I devour the lump with glee.
Ability to gain [Shadow Affinity] has been increased.
I have come to realize that this world does not have a day-night cycle, but is in a constant cover of darkness. Not that I did not know that, I mean I read about it, but still as they say seeing is believing. What I have come to believe as the ¡®night¡¯ of this world is the colder period of the so called ¡®day¡¯. At this time the wind picks up and the world grows even more unforgivable than in the ¡®day¡¯ time. I have been walking around slowly seeing more and more of the area around me, doing this I have seen what the writers of the books and scrolls ment by ¡®a twisted and horrid realm¡¯. The dog that I killed after arriving here is what you would call a lesser beast of this world. Like a twisted version of its former self, it feed on anything it can take down and runs from anything it can''t. It''s hide is a mixture of the normal skin and a type of natural hardened leather, woven together it forms a mixed skin of hide, that it wares as its suit of armour. The room that I awoke in has become my base of operation. I have somewhat fixed the door, I''m glad that''s it is a single door and not a double door, that seals the room from the rest of the ¡®world¡¯. What''s left of the temple in this realm is broken stone pillars and large wall pieces, some of it I have used as a improvised fencing, that and some rows of spiked wooden sticks. I hear them in the night as the wind takes, they howl. I think of this as week one counting by the darken winds, yet it is beginning to flow together, as I see everything in shades of black and dark grey. I found a small pond of water around twenty minutes from my base, it tasted normal. I kind of had expected it to taste different than the mortal realms water. Week Two I got attacked by two dogs as I was out walking the area. I''m sure now that they process shadow magic in some form. They blend into the shadows like a chameleon would blend with the surroundings. I''m glad I spent that half year training like a madman. I jumped backwards and got rammed by the second one that was at this point still in hiding. The sword to most of the force behind the charge at me, but I''m sure that I got my ribs pressed. I repaid in full by stabbing my sword into it chest, piercing it''s hearth. Letting go of my sword stuck in the beast I''m forced to retreat backwards once more as the other one charges towards me again. I avoid and a cat and mouse game begins, with me being the mouse¡­ One of its bone spikes slash open my left upper arm, drawing blood. It jumps and I fall to the ground. Fending of the jaw of hell with my sword I''m slowly losing the battle, it is now or never as the beast draws back to once more bite at me. A turn of the sword and using the ground as a helping hand the dog charges to bites down and is speared by the sword. Covered by dirt and blood I treat by wound the best I can. I then begin dragging the dogs back to base.
You have slain a [Shadow Hound] by doing so you have gained 450 experience! You have gained [2] [Shadow Affinity]!
Congratulations! You have reached level 6! You are well ahead of your age and race. You now have the chance to select a free spell. Choice One, [Blood Magic: Blood Orb]. Choice Two, [Shadow Magic: Shadow Grasp], please select your choice.
Hmm, can I gain more information about the two spells? More information! ¡­ ¡­
[Blood Magic: Blood Orb], create a orb from your own blood, controlled by your will. [Shadow Magic: Shadow Grasp], use your own shadow to hold an opponent grounded. Please select your choice.
Well, it says free spell so I must get the choice to gain the spell that I don''t choose now later, right? Yeah, let¡¯s hope so. [Shadow Magic: Shadow Grasp]. ¡­
Spell [Shadow Magic: Shadow Grasp] has been granted to your memory.
You have slain a [Shadow Hound] by doing so you have gained 450 experience! You have gained [2] [Shadow Affinity]!
A sharp pain pierces my head, making me fall to the ground hold it, fuck fuck fucking fuck! This hurts more than I broken skull. My sight goes black and when it returns I only see dark dots, fuck! No, warning label!? I get up from the ground, not that it matters much now, I''m fully covered in dirt and mud. Dragging the death dogs back, I drop to the ground holding my head, a fleeing look at the door tells me it''s closed and to the best of my ability locked. I pass out from the pain. Week Three
Experience: 525 Next level: 31.475
Strength 26 [+1] Dexterity 26 [+1]
Constitution 13 Intelligent 25
Wisdom 20 Charisma 10
The hell¡­ Oh man, you gotta be taking the piss on me¡­ I stare and stare on the small window that show up in my mind''s eye, yet nothing changes. I don''t know what I''m most unsatisfied with, the amount of experience to I get a level or the really low stat in my charisma¡­ Yeah, life sucks balls with hair on. It the system saying that I''m ugly? Looking down at myself I don''t really see anything that would make me ¡®ugly¡¯ in that sense¡­ It can''t be my dick right!? I pull my pants out and take a hard-long look¡­ Nope, looks normal to me, in some ways better than my old one¡­ Man, can''t believe I just said that - I send a small apology to my old body''s lower part, but really it does, I mean the dick I have now, - fuck this is starting to confuse me¡­ It''s more or less completely straight from the base to the head, grabbing a feel, yep, a good size, I would say. Man, the system has gotten me to ramble on about my dick! Okay here and now let''s not talk more about my dick and focus on something else¡­ Like¡­ My body? For a thirteen year old, I don''t look bad at all, I think. I''m not thin or fat, my body is mostly finely trained muscles, some scars, yes, but nothing my makes me look plain ugly I would say. Well, I guess that I''m not a pretty boy or an ugly child, just normal I guess. The weeks here have taken a toll on my clothing, so with the dead dogs I must make something that will replace the clothing I''m having on now. The intestines will be used as string, first they must be cut into long strips then put up to dry. I will treat the hide as any other hide and hand it to dry as well. Now, the waiting begins. Slowly the days pass and the growling and howls of the hound¡¯s sound as I sit in my little hut waiting and taking care of the fragile intestines as I use as little energy as I can, before I must go out there among the beasts of the shadows. I drink the last of my water from the water skin, today I will need to go out there, my cloth is of no protection from the attacks and my shoes are starting to look worn out as well. I need firewood as well, so I will need to go out. I put down the bone needle carved from the bone of the dead dogs, with a lot of hard work I might add. Grabbing my swords and the water skin I strap to my belt. I go the door. As the door swings open I set off into a sprint towards the lake. I run in a quick tempo as I keep an eye out for the dogs lurking in the shadows. I can see the lake, but I know they are around, the moment I stop they will strike down, jaws wide apart and ready to rip away my flesh. Swords ready I do a quick full spin around, - they here!, I come face to face with a pair of glowing eyes and a set of sharp fangs heading my way. Shadow Grasp! As I yell out the spells name in my mind, I can feel my own shadow move about, like a part of you is sleeping and you start to massage it to get the blood flowing again. I feel a part of my grab hold of the dog''s front legs forcing it head first into the ground before me. I''m in awe, yet I can''t waste any time. I ram the sword with all my might down into the top of the hound¡¯s head, destroying flesh and crushing the skull. I get to time to rest as a new attacker strikes from the right, my almost healed rips get a two hundred something lb. slammed into my body, destroying anything that might have healed. A good strike from below open its throat, a mix of the thick blood and the sound of air escaping the body in a wrong way fill the battleground for a short time before a new attacker make its move. With no room to move I use my trump card again. Shadow Grasp! Much like the first dog it slams into the ground a short distance ahead of me, now it become as battle of will and strength. I must move the body that is half on top of me and hold the feral dog¡¯s jaws from getting any closer to me than they are. I lose focus for a split second, it strikes. A paw of jagged overly long claws strikes down towards me. I swing the sword with all the force I can from the bad spot I''m in. The sword get stuck on the bone, half inside the massive leg, but I stopped the strike. A wine and a growl is released from the dog as it''s skin is priced and flesh sliced. Shadow Grasp! I get a hold of it once more, dark dots form in my view, over use of mana!? How much did the spell cost!? Fuck! I slice the back of the neck ending its life. I need to get back to the room now! Scooping up water in a hurry I move as fast as I can back towards the base, as my sight blackens and the sound of wind resounds in my ears. The door closed, I collapse in a mess of sweat.
You have slain a [Shadow Hound] by doing so you have gained 450 experience! You have gained [2] [Shadow Affinity]!
You have slain a [Shadow Hound] by doing so you have gained 450 experience! You have gained [2] [Shadow Affinity]!
You have slain a [Shadow Hound] by doing so you have gained 450 experience! You have gained [2] [Shadow Affinity]!
Note to self, don''t use [Shadow Grab] more than two times a day and focus on the target of the spell when cast!Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Week Four For the past week, I have been mending my busted rib cage and trying my hardest to made clothing out of the hide from the hounds. Spending my time out only to collect firewood and only in the ¡®day¡¯ time, the time with the least amount of activity from the beasts that hunt. I have made a pair of simple pants, they are a slimmer version of my old ones, more tight fitting then before. The shirt was a whole different matter altogether, in the end I decided to made a long-armed shirt with a hood on it. Hoping it will give me more stealth since more of myself is hidden beneath the hide of the hounds. The sheer work of sewing with the beaded intestines and a crude bone needle took all of my patients, but in the end, I''m very happy with my work. The connection of my swords keep getting worse and worse, but the question remains how do you mend a sword made of a type of bone? That got me thinking for quite a while. It says spirit bone, vein type, when checking its information window, so how about trying to infuse mana directly into the sword.
You have discovered a way to strengthen spirit weapons with vein type by yourself! By doing so you are granted +2 [Wisdom]!
The rest of the days I spent resting and mending my body and infusing all my mana into my swords. Week Five A week of resting had done well for my pressed ribs, and I had time to get my new clothing to sit well on my body. The mana I spent purring into the swords had granted me the skill [Mana Infusion], as I sat there putting mana into one of my swords the systems popped up with.
By continuously purring mana into an item of the vein type you have gained, [Skill: Mana Infusion]. The skill lowers the rate at which your mana is consumed when infusing an item that accepts mana.
And so, I spent my week, sitting cross legged in front of the slowly burning campfire with a sword in hand, in my new leather clothing. Resting, I needed time to get my ribs back on track again, if i kept on getting them damaged I would add permanent damage to them and not just the pressed, sore and half broken conditions they were in now. Week Six Two weeks of sitting still, only going out when water or wood for the fireplace was needed had made me a bit restless. By the time my ribs were fine and dandy I had a great need to run around like a mad screaming ¡®I''m free, I''m free!¡¯ but I did not do that as it would have been almost hundred percent suicide if done. I mean one is the all the beast would be ¡®Oh, free meal¡¯ and second would be that I would regret it just after having done it as I would have been looking completely and utterly stupid by doing so. While I sat inside and waited I came to think about my plan here, in my extreme excitement of getting to another realm, I kind of lost it and just went with it. To my great regret, I don''t know how to get back home, well that not quite right I know how I get home, just not know. Does it make sense yet? Good! Now let''s find out if there are any settlements near here, they should know how. One of the books authors, wrote that there are many ways to ¡®walk¡¯ among the planes. For Shadowfell, one of the options are a Darkstone, a magic stone that connect one point in the mortal realm with one in the shadow realm, but with this method both must be place one have been before or the previous owner of the Darkstone has been to. So, with no money I need something to banter with if I find people here. Luckily, I know that most inhabitants here speak common, so as far as that goes I''m not going to have any problems in talking to them, that is if I can find anyone. The ones I''m most likely to find using a Darkstone is some kind of elf race according to one of the books, they were described as ¡®Shadow Cursed¡¯ known as shadow fey or a more commonly used name for them is Shadar-kai. They seem to be the main users of the Darkstone''s and might also be the one who has designed them for all I know, even if the books said nothing about the method to craft or create a Darkstone. The Shadar-kai, is one of the native people of Shadowfell, usually slightly taller than an average human. They are supposed to have a gray skin tone and dark eyes, their culture seems to embrace body piercings and tattoos, according to the book''s author. He also states that they live a society working by the rule of meritocratic, - a rule based on power and prestige of deeds, I like these guys! The Shadow Curse, is a curse affecting the very soul of a being. If a Shadar-kai is anywhere else than Shadowfell, when stunned or knocked unconscious, a part of their soul is sent back to the Plane of Shadow. A shadar-kai missing parts of his or her soul is a weakened member of the tribe. The author states that, ¡®The curse has made shadar-kai bitter and prevented many from staying on the Prime Material Plane¡¯. But for those of them that wish to stay on the Prime Material Plane or the Mortal Realm in Daily speech. The Shadow Curse can be prevented by a using a item called ¡®Gal-ralan¡¯, which in essence is a ¡®iron armband with needles¡¯ that kept the shadar-kai''s soul and body connected but also caused constant pain. With that I see they almost all the race chose to stay and alive their lives in the Shadow Plane. Another option is a gate, but again not something I can made myself as it involves runes, while I would very much like to know how to write and use runes, I simply have no clue where to look for them or anyone who might know how to use them. But when I read about a gate and runes I was like ¡®Wow, so much like that old movie with a space gate!¡¯. But after reading the note the author had done on this part, it worked more like a door then anything. The third option and what I hope to use is called Rift Walking or Shadow Crossing. Shadow Crossing is used by performing a simple, [Shadow Passage Ritual]. Saying that, ¡®Places where the boundary between the world and the Shadowfell are thin are known as shadow crossings.¡¯ Must mean that there exist more or more is created as time goes by. I mean, ¡®Some intersections are naturally occurring, the result of ancient planar conjunctions or catastrophes. These crossings often occur in low-lying, deeply shadowed spots¡ªforested hollows, mist-blanketed bogs, or the bottoms of caverns and ravines. Other junctions form in places where the forces of death are prevalent¡ªgraveyards, battlefields, and other places that bore witness to mass death.¡¯ can''t really mean anything else, can it? My only problem on this is that while the author had the way ¡®here¡¯ covered, - ¡®Where shadows lie thick in the world, you can push aside the veil and step into the Shadows.¡¯ The way back was not in any of the books he wrote. But the book did state that ¡®On rare occasions, travelers have stumbled into it by accident¡¯. But what is does says it that when active, shadow crossings permit travelers to shift from the mortal world to the corresponding location in the Shadowfell, - Again my problem¡­ What interest me the most is, ¡®Few shadow crossings are continuously active. Most activate only under the right conditions, such as certain times of day, certain days of the year, or when various celestial phenomena take place, eclipses or new moons, to name a few.¡¯ But if I do manage to find a crossing then according to the book, ¡®Travelers can activate a dormant crossing, by using the Shadow Passage ritual, - which by my own opinion is much easier than having to create a new portal or using one of those pesky Planar Portal ritual.¡¯ had a good laugh at that one. But most important is the note, ¡®When you perform this ritual, you shift yourself and up to eight allies from Mortal Realm to a corresponding location in Shadowfell or from the Shadowfell to a corresponding location in the Mortal Realm¡¯. But for all this to happen or for me to get a chance to get home I need to locate some people. For that to happen I need to move from where I''m currently at. But for me to move I need to be able to carry items or anything other than my swords and a handful of firewood, so that made me think of the options I have. After much thought, I came up with the idea to create a backpack out of one or two skins from the hounds, since they seem to be the easiest to come across in this area. Having decided on a plan of action I went and settled in, waiting for night to fall. As the winds grew darker I began to hear the howling of the hound, marking my time to hunt. Having found the area near the pond to be the most crowded spot, I got myself ready and headed out. Opening the door, I begin my run towards the pond, swords in hand and eyes open. I don''t have to look long as only a few hundred feet from my house, I''m attacked by the first dog, making me break momentum from my run to do a full stop so that I can jump backwards. Their attack pattern is simple, too spot once you get the hang of their movements, making them easy prey. For that is what they had become to me, prey, made food and clothing, nothing more. The hound turns to attack me again as I slice one of its legs off, not my aim but hey what can you do. A high-pitched whine is let loose from the dog, soon a feral growl is send my way. A few more side steps and some close calls and I bring down my foe.
You have slain a [Shadow Hound] by doing so you have gained 450 experience! You have gained [2] [Shadow Affinity]!
I return for the night with my prey in hand. Week Seven The week is spent hunting down one hound after another getting enough materials to craft a good-sized backpack. Three more hound die by my blade in the following week and I add a long slice in my right low leg to my growing collection of scars.
You have slain a [Shadow Hound] by doing so you have gained 450 experience! You have gained [2] [Shadow Affinity]!
You have slain a [Shadow Hound] by doing so you have gained 450 experience! You have gained [2] [Shadow Affinity]!
You have slain a [Shadow Hound] by doing so you have gained 450 experience! You have gained [2] [Shadow Affinity]!
Slowly the skin from last week are starting to be ready for working. Week Eight Working on the hide of one of the hounds I use the in-between time to create more tread from the hound¡¯s intestines and to my great annoyance I will need to craft at least two more bone needles at the rate I''m working them. I begin to work the bones into smaller pieces from which I can select the most promising bits from. One hide is ready now all there is left is waiting for at least one more so I can begin my work of sewing together a traveling backpack. Week Nine As I sit and sew patches of hide together I don''t see much change in the weather, in fact I don''t believe that this realm has the whole mortal realms year cycle, from spring to winter. I''m starting to see better in the dark or should I say I''m starting to see colors outside the house without the help of the light from the fire. My only conclusion is that my prolonged eating of ¡®shadow dwelling animals¡¯ had made a change in my body and the way light and darkness is processed within my brain. While doing the mindless work of tanning the hide and creating thread form intestines, I have come to think about the fact that I don''t really know where to look for people. I know that there are supposed to live people in the woods, as so I guess that will be my best bid on finding anyone at all in this forsaken place. While I do say forsaken, I have nothing against it, in fact I feel quite at ease here. Week Ten I finished my work travel backpack today, while waiting for the rest of the hide to be ready I have smoked all the hound meat that I got from the past weeks. I packed them into what remained of my old cotton shirt, I did my best to wash it before packing my meals in it, just so you know. Week Eleven Today begin my first day of travel into the wildness that surrounds me, my goal? Civilization or any clue as where it might be at least. I know from the few records that was written down in the books that a few big cities exist with Shadowfell, now the only thing I need to do is find one of them or even a small town or village. I begin to walk in a steady pace along the animal trails that exist with the forest, hoping that I somehow with find a road or the likes. This week alone I have been attacked by eight stupid dogs and I took down what I think or at least hope was a deer. It had antlers, so since it was smaller than a moose, in my head it was instantaneously catalogued as a part of the deer family. I found that [Shadow Grab] works wonders on fast but weak animals like the deer, when the only thing you have is a pair of swords to work with. I also learned that anything over two uses of [Shadow Grab] has me dizzy and down with motion like sickness, from over using my mana.
You have slain a [Shadow Hound] by doing so you have gained 450 experience! You have gained [2] [Shadow Affinity]!
You have slain a [Shadow Hound] by doing so you have gained 450 experience! You have gained [2] [Shadow Affinity]!
You have slain a [Shadow Hound] by doing so you have gained 450 experience! You have gained [2] [Shadow Affinity]!
You have slain a [Shadow Hound] by doing so you have gained 450 experience! You have gained [2] [Shadow Affinity]!
You have slain a [Shadow Hound] by doing so you have gained 450 experience! You have gained [2] [Shadow Affinity]!
You have slain a [Shadow Hound] by doing so you have gained 450 experience! You have gained [2] [Shadow Affinity]!
You have slain a [Shadow Hound] by doing so you have gained 450 experience! You have gained [2] [Shadow Affinity]!
You have slain a [Shadow Hound] by doing so you have gained 450 experience! You have gained [2] [Shadow Affinity]!
You have slain a [Shadow Deer] by doing so you have gained 10 experience! You have gained [2] [Shadow Affinity]!
Still thinking back on that last one ten experience is nothing compared to one of those fucking dogs or even a giant spider, no offence little one. While walking along on my way, I have been thinking about how to get in contact with my little one, all I know is that no distance can break the familiar bound since it''s created by some kind of ancient magic or so father told me, now I can only hope that it holds true. Week Twelve I have been walking in a steady pace for the past two weeks are so, a few hounds has been trailing close behind me for the past few days without getting close enough to launch an attack, yet close enough not to lose sight of me and in turn I of them. I don''t know if they smell the blood of their kin on me or they only see me as food but getting followed by a growing group of beasts is starting to become a serious matter. I can no longer ignore them as their numbers are now over ten, not something I can handle with ease. I will have to play it the smart way and wait for any stranglers that stray from the pack and kill them off. Elisa''s POV Flood Village, Flinty Region - Early Summer. Three seasons has passed us by since I saw either of my beloved family, Raval is according to his letters still working on the new weapons for the coming war but fear that even the weapon markers will be send to the front. No word has come from my sweet child, I fear the worst but hope for the best. I pray to the goddess of the wild to guide him home to us. It is hard to believe that our family has grown by one, Ellette has been a great help with the little one, a girl. I have given my sweet little baby girl the name, Laila. It is an old name meaning ¡®guardian of the wild¡¯ and I pray that you will come to know your father and older brother¡­ So as I pray I hope that by naming my newborn by one of the goddess old names that it will please her. Chapter 37 - Hunted Proofreader: BrokenOlive Chapter 37 - Hunted Riins POV Shadowfell, Region Unknown - Date Unknown Week Thirteen
You have slain a [Shadow Hound] by doing so you have gained 450 experience! You have gained [2] [Shadow Affinity]!
After almost three weeks of tracking me on my journey I finally managed to get a stray from the pack making their numbers reduced to nine. One less massive over fanged overgrown dog to hunt me down and try to eat me, to which I''m very glad. I left the carcass of the dead hound in hope that the free meal will slow them down if they take the time to stop and eat or even fight over the dead body. I continue my walk along the forest in hopes of finding signs of life. The hunting for me stopped for about ten hours, after I had slain the hound, I presume that they must have stopped their hunt for me, to eat their dead kin, a free meal. That is I saw nothing of them for around ten hours, during this time I slept and rested as much as two hours before I continued to move along the forest, in a slow run for four hours before resting again for two hours. During the two hour rests I checked my supplies and kept the amount I needed to carry with me to a bare minimum. When I first saw the hounds glowing eyes and heard their growls again, I had to move a good distance from where I had slain the dog. Soon our cat and mouse game began anew, with a pack of hungry beasts on my tail. Week Fourteen Little under an hour ago the hounds chanced their behaviour from following behind me at a safe distance to all of us to actively sniffing the air and making small bark like sounds, this increased in volume and now they have set off to somewhere ahead of me. So now I''m in a run to follow them, they must have gotten the scent of something eatable ahead. If it''s something that not dead and smoked hound meat, I''m so going to fight for it. With my light load I''m running at a good pace, but let''s face it dogs are faster any day of the week. Still being able to see the butt of at least one of the pack members is all I need to keep tabs on them. We have been running for around half an hour, when I hear the sounds of fighting, voices! I hear fucking voices! I increase my speed as much as I can without wasting too much energy. After around five minutes of this fast running, the hounds ahead of me starts to fade into the shadows more and more, they are not going into hunting mode. The voices are growing louder and louder by the second. I along with the pack of hounds come crashing into a rather open space, - I would have called it a clearing if the was a normal forest. But like with anything else here this is a twisted version of a clearing, rocks in the form of spike like formations are all around the place. In this place, a group of young men are fighting a large group of hounds, a quick count reveals fifteen adding the nine that came with me a total of twenty-four hounds are now surrounding the group. Any other place and time, I would have let them deal with it themselves, after all only the strong survive in the world. But today is not that day where I let my potential rescue force die in front of me. So, let the fight begin and hope that I survive. Bloodlust Aura, ten feet range!
[Bloodlust Aura]has been activated. Range set to [10] feet.
If I limit the range of my aura I can fight without worrying about affecting the group as long as I keep myself at least ten feet away from them. Throwing my backpack against a tree, I draw swords. I will use the hounds single minded focus against them, bringing myself in between two I ram my sword into the brain of one and in a spin, I force both swords down on top of the neck of the other one, two down. A jump over the dead body and I slap my swords into the side of another attacker heading towards the group, slicing open its abdomen, it will die shortly if I leave it but I can''t take the chance, pricing its eye socket it drops dead. A growl from behind makes me spin around coming face to face with a hound growling at me. It seems as if it doesn''t know what to do with me, stepping back and forth, good the aura is doings it''s job. I jump to meet it, attacking first. One sword aimed for its head another ready to slice it open from the side off. It jumps straight up, a quick readjustment in the angel and the sword swung from the side ends up buried deep in the neck of the animal. A quick look towards the group reveals that three more hounds have been slain, they seem to be doing okay as far as I can see and more hounds are surrounding them as the fight continues. I bring two more hounds down before a scream pierces the sound of growling dogs. A fleeing look at the group and I spot the problem, one of the young males has been knocked down by one of the hounds and he being torn apart alive. Nothing I can do about it from here, I turn my attention back to the problem at hand. The four growling dogs staring me down, one jumps at me. I slice its throat wide open. Just as I withdraw my sword I feel the tip of a pair of canines break the skin on my left arm.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Shadow Grab! The pressure of the bite is stopped by the skills hold on the hound, I quickly withdraw my arm from its hold. Stabbing my swords into its brain as I do. Shit! With my aura, active I can afford to use shadow grab again, fuck! I messed up! Focus you dipshit!! Focus or you will die! A jump to the side and my swords slice the neck open on another hound, one more, focus. My breathing is getting heavy and I¡¯m not without wounds, small ones but wounds nonetheless. It jumps at me and I try to avoid it the best I can in this place of dead bodies. Finally, I bring my sword down into the back head severing it vertebrae from it brain. Two more goes down. I''m out of breath, sweat and blood is getting mixed up, yet, I can''t stop. If I do stop I can lose my only way home, I must push myself even more, to survive and to get home. I steady myself with one sword as I bring down one more hound, I can feel my legs. I see the claw come swinging down at me but that I can do little to fully avoid it. The pain is dizzying, I grit my teeth, refusing to scream even if every fibre in my body begs me to. I swing my swords blindly as the blackness still clings to me. Finally, I get my sight back enough to finish off the attacker. With the break in attacks I stumble towards my backpack to find something that I can bandage up the wound with, while all this going on, there is only one thing on my mind and that is, ¡®Man, I fucked up big time.¡¯ I''m just glad that it not my dominant eye. On the bright side, I can be a real pirate now! I mean real pirates only have one eye anyway, wait¡­ Does this world even have pirates!? Ah man, if they don''t, I''m just a plain mildly disabled person¡­ Not that I can''t live without my right eye, it''s just the fact that some might see it as a liability, but there is nothing I can do about it now. I find a piece of my old shirt and rip a string off thick enough for me to get it all around my head and tie a knot. A new wave of dizziness hits me as I tighten the knot, I steady myself against the trees log. A noise behind me makes me spin around, bringing my sword into the head of a new hound. I can''t keep my focus any longer. Bloodlust Aura deactivate!
[Bloodlust Aura]has been deactivated.
Having decreased the amount of mana didn''t seem to do much for my sorry state and the dizziness only increase as the seconds ticked by. With my sight, all blurry I spotted two remaining hounds bend on fighting to the last man or dog I guess. They had their focus on a wounded member of the group, leave me to try and move towards them. That task was easier said than done, begin exhausted beyond my limit, barely keeping myself standing and my body screaming in pain over having lost an eye. I was for all intent and purpose not fit to pick a fight with two overgrown dogs bent on killing and eating everything they could. But if I were to give up I would most likely lose my sole chance of getting back, back to my own realm. So, I kept dragging myself towards the growling dogs born from a horror movie gone wrong. But hey what can you do, right. Coming into reach with them I did the only thing I had any energy to do. ¡°You dumb mutts look this way¡± All the while swing my sword in - well let''s face it, - pathetic weak swings. Making me look like a baby with a rattle. On the bright side, my plan seemed to work as one of the dogs spun around to face me. The bad this was this, I had no energy whatsoever to move from my spot or in this case defend myself well enough to make it matter. So overall? I''m very much screwed right now. I feel the impact from the hound more than see it jumping at me, once more I''m sure I cracked a few rips. The jaws close in on my face before the dog freezes in place. That is all I need to see before I pass out on the spot, dog or no dog, I can''t keep myself awake a second longer. Week Fifteen I fade in and out consciousness. I hear voices of men and women. I am burning up. I feel the sweet touch of something cold. I''m in so much pain I want to die. No even if I''m hurting, I want to live. It hurts so much. My eye burns. My body burns. I want it to end. Week Sixteen I want to live. I want to kill every single dog out there. It hurts to breath. It hurts to move. I feel myself being dried clean, I must be sweaty. I feel people next to me, yet I can''t seem to find the energy to open my eyes¡­ no eye, open my eye. A woman is hovering over me I can smell the sweet fragrance from her body. She here again, her hands gently cleaning my chest from the layer of sweat. I''m sure I''m having a very high fever. She lifts my head and I feel a cold thing being gently pressed against my lower lip, liquid hits me. Water, sweet water. I know she''s in the room, close by. Always staying close by. Week Seventeen The fever has come back, I''m sure. My body burns. No, my eye burn so much, so that I want to claw it out. It hurts. I grit my teeth¡¯s, I''m not one to scream in pain. My throat hurts. Did I scream my throat to this sorry state? We are back to me being dried clean by the gentle hands of the woman and me twisting in pain so unbearable that I wish someone would knock me the fuck out already. Week Eighteen I feel fine. Had a few moments where I was sure that I was going to kick it. I can breathe without it hurting at all, meaning that at least two weeks has gone me by while I was down with a fever. I''m in a bed made with some kind of linen sheet. The room itself is simple, a bed and a fireplace and a chair. I lay there for a few moments getting a feel for my body and its condition, feet moveable, legs no damage that will hinder my movement. Stomach and chest feel fine, the brushing and pain from the fractured ribs seems to be in good shape. Hands good, arms working. Now to the last and most serious part, taking a status on the wound sustained to my right eye. I gently remove the bandage covering the wound. Hmm, so my eyelid is intact, well that''s better than what I had expected to find. The eye itself it there but no light enters my sights. Closing my left eye, I wait, after a few seconds I give up hope of receiving any light or any form of use from my right eye. But it remains in the eye shocked at least. Lifting myself up on my elbows I get myself into a sitting position resting myself against the wall. Taking a closer look at down myself, I find that I''m more or less naked. Well things just keep getting better and better, don''t they? Wrapping the blanket around my lower body, I slowly stand. Having spotted a change of cloth on the chair I strike at my target. Now with my lower half covered up, next order of the day is to find out what the fuck happen when I passed out in the middle of a battlefield. Show waiting messages!
Messages have reached max limit, messages have been combined. You have slain a great number of [Shadow Hound]¡¯s to a combined number of 14. You have gained 5.850 experience by doing so. You have gained [26] [Shadow Affinity] in this battle. [Shadow Affinity] has reached first rank, ability [Shadow Rift] has been granted to [Familiar: Blood Queen Spider]. [Blood Queen Spider] has slain an enemy you have gained [2][Shadow Affinity]. You have lost consciousness.
Chapter 38 - The Shadar-Kai Proofreader: BrokenOlive Chapter 38 - The Shadar-Kai Riin¡¯s POV Shadowfell, Region Unknown - Date Unknown Week Eighteen Having gotten dressed and checked up on the events after I passed out I can now see that my little one must have been the stopping power behind the jumping hound as I lost consciousness, this new skill Shadow Rift, it has gained, it seems to be somewhat able to pass into this realm for a short period. That is what the man named Uwan told me at least. Apparently having a familiar in the shadow realm is a rare thing, meaning familiars that are outsiders to Shadowfell, that is. According to Uwan this is why they have showed me a good deal of respect letting me stay inside a home for treatment instead of a medical tent. It also helps that I defeated a great number of hounds on my own, saving the lives of four young warriors. Or that was how Uwan put it when I asked him why they spent so much time treating my wounds and fever. All in all of the fifteen that went out five died or were close to death before I arrived at the scene. Two died while I was there. One was knocked unconscious mid fight but succeeded in slaying three hounds by himself before he was knocked down. A young girl killed off two by herself. A pair of brothers slew three hounds together, making them share the kills. The last hound was slain by a group of four and here is when it gets a bit complicated, since the four who slew the hound was not family they do not get to claim the kill as their own, not even the one who struck the killing blow. To sum it up they are left with no kills making them lesser warriors that must submit to the stronger ones. When Uwan asked me to place my hand on a stone he brought with him to the room, I asked what the stone did and was told that it showed the number of beasts killed. So, in other words it shows others the world systems message window. Placing my hand on the smooth stone a sign lit up, writing that I could not read, but it reminded me of the old counties of China or Japan types of letters. So here we are two people staring at a flat stone with a weird sign on it. If I must say anything it is that Uwan has a funny look and that is not counting the many piercings covering his whole face. Tilting my head a bit to get a better look at the stone I nod towards it. ¡°Is something the matter, Chief?¡± Chief is how others address him, while it would be more correct to address him as a warrior chief. After all the title of chief is given to the strongest of the village. Uwan is slowly shaking his head before a loud laugh leaves his mouth, turning fully towards me. ¡°You¡¯re a powerful warrior, young one!¡± Having said that he slams his hand in my back with a great deal of force making me also fall face first into the floor. ¡°You have slain many of the shadow hounds that plague these lands, many more than our own young.¡± He seems to be mostly talking to himself so I leave him to it. ¡°You have proven to be a great ally on the battlefield and a strong warrior even when wounded, you push on with no fear or pain.¡± Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this but all of them seem to be of a super masochistic of nature, something about a curse or ancient spell cast on their race. They are to the extreme when it involves pain or pleasure. Me? I just have a very high pain tolerance and that¡¯s all, not into pain on purpose. Well at least not on my own body. ¡°I and the elder council has spoken and we have decided that by proving to be a great warrior and a master of a strong familiar from the mortal realm. We hereby grant you the title ¡®Friend of the Shadar-Kai¡¯. Uwan brings out what looks to be a old stone knife and pulls my arm into his hands, he then dips the knife into a bowl with a black-bluish paint in. Lifting the knife up from the bowl he looks into my eyes. ¡°May this mark show your strength on the battlefield and the rank in our mists.¡± I give a solemn nod at this. Uwan presses the blade down into my skin, just under the shoulder. I bear the pain, it¡¯s nothing more than a prolonged cut or getting a prison tattoo.
You have gained [Brand: Friend of the Shadows]
Feeling like I have to speak up I look at the chief. ¡°I thank you for this great honor, chief.¡± He in turn gave a short nod and a pat on the back. ¡°Rest young warrior, let brand do its work.¡± My sight fades and I black out¡­ Again! I fall into a restless sleep. I dream. Dreams are of the world in shadows that covers the world like a blanket, yet I find that I''m able to move with no problem at all. Dreams of a throne with a raven on it, yet the raven is a woman or is the women a raven, I don''t know. I dream of an endless march, a walk with no end. The raven woman comes to us, she shows us the end of the march. I dream in a restless sleep. When I come too this time Uwan is sitting on the chair and four children are kneeling in front of my bed. I throw Uwan a ¡®What is happening here¡¯ look. He gives me a smile and makes a grunt before standing. As the sound registers with the group they straighten their backs but keep their heads down. ¡°Welcome back among us, young warrior.¡± ¡°Thank you, chief.¡± We stare at one another for a few moments, a smile forms on the chief¡¯s face. ¡°Ah I see, you have met the queen of night.¡± He nods, it seems to be more to himself than me, once more. I have read about ¡®her¡¯, the Queen of Night, the goddess of the shadow realm. I tilt my head a bit, how in the world could he have known that? Uwan give a small laugh before speaking. ¡°You want to know how I know? I feel it young one. We are her children. All Shadar-Kai will know that the queen has welcomed you into her lands and will treat you as a guest, a member of our kin.¡± I run my finger lightly over the brand carved into my arm. ¡°I see¡­ The tattoo, this brand has such powers¡­ Truly amazing.¡± Uwan gives me a smile once more. ¡°Indeed, it is, young one.¡± I smile back to him. Silence passes between us. Okay, I guess I must ask before anyone will tell me exactly why there is four people kneeling in front of my bed. Hmm how to start¡­ ¡°So, mind if I ask who these people are, chief?¡± I nod my head down towards the still kneeling children or young adults I guess, they look to be near my age. Uwan beams me a new and improved smile before he begins to talk. ¡°Ah, I''m glad you asked!¡± So am I, since it seems he would not have talked about them before I asked myself, meaning they could have been sitting down there for a lot longer than they have now. That is not even telling when they started sitting in front of my bed¡­ He weaves his hand at the group, while having a disappointing look on his face. ¡°This group is the four that survived the battle against the Shadow Hounds but were unable to kill any beast by their own hands.¡± At the end of his little talk he looks more angry than disappointed if anything. At his rather harsh words the group in front of me clench their shoulders a tiny bit as he stresses the word shadow hounds. Well I guess I could have left some if I knew it would have been seen as such a big problem. ¡°Since they are unfit to be named warriors in our clan, the council has decided that they be given to you.¡± Woah, hold your horses. ¡°I don''t think I quite understand what you mean when you say ¡®give them to me¡¯. Would you mind explaining, chief?¡± Uwan looks confused for a split second before nodding. ¡°Ah, of course. A young Shadar-Kai unable to slay a beast on the first hunt is not seen as a warrior of our kin. Those who survive the first hunt but is wounded and therefor unable to battle will face a new hunt to prove themselves. But the ones like these four -¡± He almost growls out ¡®the ones like these¡¯, a taboo has been committed that much I can tell. ¡°- that come back from the first hunt free of any life-threatening wounds¡­ That is proof of their cowardliness. Weaklings. We and The Queen have no need for such in our mists, normally they would be sent to Gloomwrought and sold to earn some coin. But the Seer of the council have seen them serve The Queen in the mortal realm. So therefor we feel that they would do well to serve under you in the mortal realm.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I look down at the four kneeling in front of me. Three males and a single female. Small drops of sweat runs down from the forehead of the boys, the girl is shaking a little bit but seems to be holding up a tad better than the boys. I look at Uwan once more. ¡°When you speak of serving me, what do you mean?¡± He smiles once more, a cold smile as he looks down on them. ¡°Your will is their command. Think of them as slaves born to kill. They are no longer of our kin but The Queen seems to still have use for them and we do not question The Queen. All we ask is that you bring them with you.¡± Hmm. ¡°Let''s say that I do. What prevents them from attacking me when I bring them to my home realm?¡± Uwans eyes grow big for a short moment before returning to the normal relaxed state. ¡°We are children of The Queen, should we try and defy our fate we will be banished from these lands, not even spineless cattle like them would dare to defy a Seer.¡± ¡°And a Seer is a messenger of The Queen?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I like Uwan, straight to the point with things. ¡°So, you are sure they will obey my every command?¡± ¡°If they don''t, they are directly defying The Queen''s command and no child of hers would dare to do such a thing.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Uwan cast one more cold look at the children below him before heading to the door. ¡°Do what you want with them, they live you serve you now, so that they can fulfill The Queen¡¯s command.¡± I give him a nod as he bids me farewell for now. I let out a sign. We have been sitting here for a few hours now, night has come and they have not moved from the spot Uwan left them in. They must have lost the feeling in their legs by now¡­ But then again they might get a kick out of that, the pain of sleeping limbs. I rub the bridge between my eyes, they are giving me a headache. They are nothing more than a problem. And the problem doesn¡¯t seem to have any intention to go away anytime soon. ¡°Names.¡± They react by jerking their heads up at the sound of my voice, they remind me a bit of Ellette. The boy to my left starts out. He bows his head down to the floor before speaking. They all follow this as they state their name. ¡°As you command, this one''s name is Ashko, my master.¡± He is thin of build, weak looking. The girl speaks up next. She is of a slim build, but her form is well defined. ¡°As you command, this one''s name is Ivani, my master.¡± Hearing her call me master makes my dick harden¡­ hormones I tell you, then again I always had a thing for submissive people and an even greater thing for maids. Following her the two other boys speak in turn. ¡°As you command, this one''s name is Shagi, my master.¡± ¡°As you command, this one''s name is Theadis, my master.¡± The two last ones are more heavily built than the first boy. ¡°I assume that the First Hunt is held at a set age?¡± Ashko, bows down once more before answering my question. ¡°As you command, the First Hunt is held when a group of ten to fifteen people come of the age fifteen, my master.¡± I look as he is bowed down before me, wicked things run amok in my mind, I need sleep. ¡°I see, so you are all Fifteen¡­ Hmm, of legal age¡­ But that will have to wait for tomorrow, now I need some sleep.¡± They bow down as one and speak as one, creepy in a way. ¡°As you command, have a great night''s sleep, master.¡± Week Nineteen I wish I could blame the lack of sleep on the fact that I want to play and humiliate Ashko, but seeing as I have slept fine the last night I can''t really blame the sleep. I blame him then, his slim and weak looking body. The feeling of overwhelming power when he bows down in front of me, exposing himself. I want to make him cry and moan, beg and scream. He wakes the sadistic nature of me. Not that Ivani is any help either, while she is not weak looking she shows me the same pose, as if telling me to do what I want with her body. Shagi and Treadis is to well-built to turn me on in that way, but with the right amount of training I might end up using them as well. But right now, I need a bath. Ahh, there is nothing more relaxing than a hot steaming bath to calm one''s mind. Or that is what I would have said if I could ignore the fact that four people are kneeling next to the tub I''m in¡­ I cast a quick look towards them and see that nothing has changed the last half an hour. They are still sitting there looking at me. I close my eyes trying to ignore them. ¡°Don''t you have better things to do than stare at me taking a bath?¡± Judging by the voice, Ashko answers my question. ¡°As you command, what task shall we do, my master.¡± Huh? Are you telling me that they have been following me around all morning just so that I could give them something to do¡­ You gotta be fucking kidding me¡­ I turn to look at them. The clothing they are wearing covers their bodies fully, like a jumpsuit. I can only make out their general form underneath it. To make them of any use I need to see the whole structure of their body. I wave a hand at Ashko. Might as well do it here since we are in the bathing area. ¡°Stand.¡± His eyes grow for a second before he in a shift motion stand up. ¡°As you command, my master.¡± ¡°Strip.¡± It is hard to judge but I would say that I''m eighty percent sure that he just blushed. He fumbles with the clothing, letting it fall. His body is of a slim build, but it''s not like he is underweight, just slim. He is shaking a bit, but it''s not cold in here so must be something else. I let my eyes see every inch of his body, indeed he is my type, weak looking and submissive. I''m glad that the tub hide my growing hard on. I wave my hand again. ¡°Good, put your clothes on and go to my room.¡± ¡°As you command, my master.¡± He quickly picks up his clothes from the ground and pulls his pants up in a hurry, cute. It leaves me smiling as he fumbles a bit with it. He almost runs out of the room and if my eye didn¡¯t deceive me he had tears in the comers of his eyes, is he tempting me? I point to Shagi. ¡°Stand. Strip.¡± ¡°As you command, my master.¡± His voice is deeper than Ashkos, he stands and strips. Not blushing or ashamed at all of his body, but then again, he is well built unlike Ashko. I look him over and nod. Waving at his clothes. ¡°Good, wait in my room.¡± ¡°As you command, my master.¡± He bends and picks up his clothes before leave the room. I point at Theadis. ¡°Same deal.¡± ¡°As you command, my master.¡± He is up and standing naked rather quick, a nudist? Same well-built body as Shagi, he will need the same kind of training. I give myself a nod. ¡°Good, wait in my room.¡± ¡°As you command, my master.¡± He grabs his cloth only pulling up the pants before opening the door to leave. This leaves me with only Ivani. ¡°Stand.¡± She gets up on unsteady legs. As I suspected, she is shaking. ¡°Strip.¡± She slowly let her bindings off and the clothes fall to the floor. Her body is covered in black and blue marks, someone beat her. A frown forms on my face. Someone laid their hands on what was mine. A clear bluish line is around her wrists, someone bound her. Her front is a mess of fists and what looks to be kicks. Yet they left the face alone so the clothing would hide the truth beneath. ¡°Turn around.¡± Her eyes are tearing up, as she slowly turns around letting me get a full view of her back. Lines, she was whipped. ¡°Put your clothes back on.¡± ¡°As you command, my master.¡± Her voice is bearing the signs of her shaking. I stand and dry myself off before getting dressed. For now I need to treat the bruising, they must have plants that are able to do so here as well. We need to visit the local healer. For now, the who can wait. ¡°Follow.¡± ¡°As you command, my master.¡± We walk out the bath house and towards the healer''s home. Eyes follow us as we make the trip, I ignore most of them but is stopped in my tracks by a group of four young people, three males and one female. They are the ones who completed the hunt by slaying one or more hounds. I raise a brow at their obvious attempt to block our path, when nothing is said from them after a while I decide to talk. ¡°Is there something you want?¡± They look among themselves while smiling all cocky at one another, before a boy speaks up. ¡°I''m Thieraven.¡± His smile gets a tad bigger. ¡°Okay¡­ And what do you want from me?¡± He gets a look that says, ¡®how dare you¡¯ written all over it before opening his mouth again. ¡°I''m Thieraven, the strongest of the hunt this year outsider!¡± I give him a once over, well-built but if I remember correctly he only slew three Shadow Hounds. Impressive but nothing compared to my kill count. ¡°Your point in all this?¡± ¡°Hand over that toy.¡± This is one of those people who just don''t get a hint. ¡°Toy?¡± He gives me a look as if I''m a complete retard. ¡°Yes, outsider, the toy you are dragging around! Give it to us now!¡± Ah, well I had hoped that I was wrong but I guess that failing the hunt is a big thing here. Marking the fails as objects instead of clan members. Sad that he made a mistake, well in a way good since I need to get into shape again. ¡°That toy you speak of is mine and mine alone so get lost.¡± His whole boy screams ¡®I''m going to hit you in the face¡¯ long before his fist even makes it near my head. I do a spin and use his weight against him, throwing him over my shoulder and into the ground. One of the boys come at me, I do a well-formed kick to the temple lope and he is down for the count. His brother attacks, his swing is heavy but easy to dodge, a few quick hits to his solar plexus and he goes down with a grunt. I turn to face the girl. She is ready to attack yet waiting. ¡°Lady''s first.¡± She does a high kick to my blind side, clever but it leaves her open to attacks. I step inside her range and give her a well placed fist in the solar plexus as well. She falls to her knees grasping her stomach. At this point in time the first guys has gotten up again, I wait for him to come at me. As he takes a step forward a clap resounds in the air soon followed by Uwans voice. ¡°Enough, Thieraven.¡± The young man stops and looks toward the sound, at the sight of Uwan he bows his head. ¡°Forgive me, Chief. The outsider did not want to let go of the toy.¡± Uwan cast a look towards Ivani before he looks at me. ¡°You gave her to me, correct?¡± His laughter resounds. ¡°That is correct, young warrior.¡± He turns his head towards the downed group of young people grunting in the dirt. ¡°Young ones, he is out of your league.¡± The only one who react to his words is Thieraven. ¡°But chief he is an outsider!¡± Uwans voice grows cold as he speaks. ¡°This outsider is chosen by The Queen! So, watch your mouth young one. He is a mighty warrior far more capable than any of you.¡± One of the boy''s bow his head before speaking. ¡°May I ask how capable he is, chief?¡± ¡°Fourteen and that is only the number of the hunt, his clothes were made from the hounds as well as his belongings, do you now understand?¡± Huh are they comparing kill counts? The four bow their heads but only Thieraven speaks up. ¡°I still believe that as a warrior I''m stronger than that outsider, please let me prove it, chief.¡± Uwan looks at him for a moment before looking at me, letting out a sign. ¡°Young warrior would you accept the duel with young Thieraven.¡± I throw a look at the young man, one of the types of people that just don''t give up unless they are broken, guess it can''t be helped. ¡°Yes, bu-¡± I barely manage to avoid the sword swing thrown at me. That fucking shit got a sword!? I''m at a great disadvantage in this fight, unarmed. I quickly jump back as he takes a new swing at me. Can I kill this fucker!? ¡°Is this to the death?¡± Uwan answers my question in a rather relaxed voice. ¡°No, just until one of you admits defeat.¡± ¡°By any means?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good to know, chief.¡± Activate Bloodlust Aura!
[Bloodlust Aura] has been activated. Range set to [100] feet.
The effects of the spell show instantly. The young ones drop to their knees grasping their heads and hugging themselves. I throw a look at Uwan, the only sign that he is feeling my spell is a few drops of sweat on his forehead. Other than that, he is standing with a relaxed posed and he is fucking smiling. I turn my attention back to Thieraven, who is of this moment half crying on the ground in front of me. ¡°Surrender!¡± All I receive from him is more crying, pussy. I walk towards him and drag his head up by his hair to look at me. His eyes are shut closed with tears streaming down. ¡°Look at me.¡± I shake his head a bit, I need to end this quick. ¡°Look at me, Thieraven!¡± He slowly opens his eyes to look at me. ¡°Do you surrender?¡± A weak nod. ¡°Speak!¡± In a mess of hiccups and with a broken voice he finally speaks up. ¡°I surrender.¡± Deactivate Bloodlust Aura!
[Bloodlust Aura] has been deactivated.
I stand, looking over at the smiling man called Uwan. ¡°If that is all I have things to do, chief.¡± ¡°It is all.¡± I leave with a nod of farewell to him, giving a wave for Ivani to follow me. Finally, we can make our way to the healer. Chapter 39 - Broken toy Proofreader: BrokenOlive Chapter 39 - Broken toy Riin¡¯s POV Shadowfell, Region Unknown - Date Unknown Week Nineteen Having required the medicine to tend to Ivani¡¯s little problem the week had passed with me trying to adjust to my blind spot. With no more problems from the group, I decided that I would use the time to train me and my little crew. I needed to play to each''s strengths and weaknesses. Lifting to build on the muscles of Shagi and Theadis, playing to their strong build. I would need to build up Ashko¡¯s stamina before starting any training with him, so running laps and a few sit-ups and push-ups would do for starters. Ivani lacked the same body strength of any male being female but she would be able to use her well defined body to close in on any target that has sexual lust for females. So keeping her body''s naturals forms would have to take priority over any training. Yet I would have to build enough muscle strength for her to handle a hand to hand combat against a physically stronger opponent. She will do the same running as Ashko. I will have to join them in the running, I need to rebuild by body after three, almost four weeks of being bedridden. Having laid a solid plan for the next four weeks, I spring my plan in action. Week Twenty Shagi and Theadis seems to be doing fine. They are following my orders well, a high amount of meat to fuel their intensive training program. Ashko and Ivani is dragging along out of shape. Week Twenty-one Small signs on Shagi and Theadis have appeared, they are on the road to becoming stronger. Ashko and Ivani is now able to run the laps, but are a lot slower then I would like them to be. Week Twenty-two Progress is being made. I have Shagi and Theadis do laps to build stamina. Ashko is doing more push-ups and sit-ups. He is starting to look lean instead of the weak look he had before we started training. Luckily for me he is still keeping his slim looking build. Ivani is getting to a point where she is soon ready to move to combat training. I need a refresh anyway. Week Twenty-three We have begun with the basics in hand to hand combat. While I keep teaching all four of them the basics I focus more and Ivani and Ashko. Since their bodies is of a smaller build, I need to make sure that they can defend themselves in close combat more so than Shagi and Treadis. Week Twenty-four Our four week long training is slowly coming to an end, while they will need to keep training they have the basic building blocks laid out for them now. So now I need to get them some weapons and armour that will fit the each one''s style of fighting. While I want Shagi and Theadis to use more heavy armour and weapons, I need finer weapons and lighter armour for both Ashko and Ivani. As they finish today''s training I take a walk to the blacksmith to see if he has anything that looks like I can pay for it. I have found something that I want no matter what, he says that it is normally referred to as a ¡®drow crossbow¡¯ since they tend to use them the most, but that its real name is a hand crossbow. It''s a small crossbow that is strapped to the low arm and can fire six bolts before one has to reload it, much like a medieval form of a gun. Small and compact, it is able to be folded and hidden in the sleeve. The price is out of this world¡­ I need something to bargain with. Uwan must know of something that can match the price of three such hand crossbows. Elisa''s POV Flood Village, Finty Region, Early Spring Two long and lonely years have passed us by. On that fateful day that both the love of my life and my young son left with a farewell and a promise that they would return home safely to me. If not for the presence of my sweet daughter, I would have gone to look for at least my son. But that would be madness in itself. I have great knowledge in plants and their habitats but I''m not a person who can survive by myself in the wild that surrounds us. I have asked the fishers and hunters to look for anything that would tell me where he went. I have told the traders that come to rest in our village to pass the word that he is missing in hopes that some might know something, anything. The seasons passed us by and no word of his whereabouts were found, even if many looked for him in their trips for food. As a mother I know that he is alive, my boy can''t be dead. My love has been sending less letters the closer they get to the front lines, young men and old men, walking along in a steady line. Most will not return, I pray for them. I pray that my Reval will be spared the war¡¯s horror. I pray that my sweet little girl with see her father and brother, just once, that''s all I ask. Oh Levert, I pray that you will watch over my beloved in the war to come. Oh, how I pray that I will see that smile of his again, just once more. My sweet boy, what are you doing? Come home¡­ You are strong and brave, gentle and considerate, so don''t make me worry so much, please. Some of the villagers think you have deserted the kingdom and have fled into the mountains, but I know that you don''t know that kind of fear, no, what you fear is something else and I pray that in time you will tell me what your fear is. A fear that makes you cold to all love, did you come with regrets from a past life. The nightmares that plague you in your sleep, the way your body refuses to relax as I hug you gently in my arms, what did you leave behind? What war rages behind those grey eyes of yours? Oh Riin, my sweet child. Your name means the beginning and the end. Did I ever tell you that? Come back to me, let me see that gentle smile of yours even as your eyes show no sign of that happiness. I need to tell you so much, how can I do that if you are not here? Riin¡¯s POV Shadowfell, Region Unknown - Date Unknown Week Twenty-five After a long week of running behind Uwan, nagging him to tell me of a way to make some fast money or money at all. But as my luck would have it I''m getting nowhere with the man, he is like a fortress¡­ Or is it castle? Hmm, keep? How does that saying go again? On the bright side, the extra week of training is doing wonders for my little team of handmade soldiers. So, other than nagging Uwan for some useful information I spent my time looking around the village and found that they have a really good set up with crafters, farmers, and veteran soldiers to guard the wall surrounding the village. But as always, with me staying in one place for too long with no form of entertainment I''m growing bored as hell. So as of this moment I''m lazing it off on top of one of the guard houses at the northern gate. The weak sound of hoofs reaches my ears, making me peek down along the road. Three riders on black horses are riding towards the gates, they yell something to the guards who react fast by opening the gate for them as they pass them in full gallop. People move and give them way as they continue towards Uwans home, that has peeked my interest. ¡°They are not from this village, are they?¡± The guard below the roof that I¡¯m lazing on answers me calmly in that relaxed tone that Uwan also tends to use on me. ¡°No, they are from the border.¡± This realm has a border or does he mean a land border? ¡°Border?¡± I swear that I hear him let out a little sigh before he answers me. ¡°The border that marks the blessed land of The Queen and the that has been corrupted by Orcus.¡± That¡­ Just gave me more questions than answers. ¡°Erm, I hope that you don''t mind me asking, but who is this Orcus guy?¡± The guy lets out a small laugh before he answers me, while I don''t believe that he is laughing at me but at something I have yet to understand about the Shadar-Kai. ¡°Young warrior, how can you come to this realm and not know of that vile demon?¡± Erm, will he laugh at me if I told him that I read how to in a book? The books I read said nothing about some demon¡­ Wait, demon!? ¡°Did you just say demon? As in a demon from hell?¡± ¡°Hell? Do you mean, Baator? No, Orcus is the so-called prince of undeath, or so he claims. He is the lord of the one hundred and thirteen layer of the Abyss, known as Thanatos, heard of it?¡± I let out a laugh, cold and bitter. ¡°Hell, or Baator as you call it, I know. This, Abyss is not the same?¡± ¡°No, but they are both outer planes, if that is of any help to you.¡± Our conversation is stopped by Uwans right hand man, Zahar calling my name and wavering me down to him. ¡°Seems as if you are requested, young warrior.¡± ¡°It indeed does, I thank you for your time and teachings, warrior.¡± Having slipped down from the roof and half run my way to Zahar, I stop in front of him. ¡°You need me?¡± ¡°Yes, follow.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I like Zahar, he is a man of very few words, like very few. I follow along after him, as we walk to the centre of the village Uwan and three men that I suspect of being the three riders from before is standing on a platform. Zahar turns and holds a hand up, signaling me to wait here. I stop in my tracks, giving him a nod. He continues up on the platform and takes his spot behind Uwan. Soon I''m joined by my little gang. Uwan raises his hand and silence fall over the hundred or so people gathered here. His voice booms over the crowd. He speaks in the Shadar-Kai¡¯s own tongue, I cast a look at Ashko who quickly gets going translating. ¡°Warriors! The Undead march toward our Queen¡¯s land!¡± A roar is let out from the people. ¡°Shall we let this uncleanness walk all over on her land?!¡± ¡°Nooooo!¡± A earshathering roar is let loose from the mass. The language matters not, a no is a no and man are they saying no. ¡°We shall ready our weapons and aid our brothers and sisters in defeating this menace!¡± Lots of noise follow that all in all just means that it is a big fat yes. ¡°Rest now for tomorrow we ride to war!¡± The crowd spreads out to their houses, following their leader''s order. I''m about to turn around as well before I''m stopped by Zahar who is waving me towards him. I walk toward the platform with my group. Uwan is there, waiting with the three riders. I greet them with a smile and a light bow, a show of great respect. No way I''m insulating unknown people. ¡°How many I be of help?¡± Uwan smiles and turns to speak with the three riders. They look towards us before answering him. A movement to the side makes me turn my head to see Ashko look down at the ground¡­ I know that look, he is about to cry. I turn my head toward the group, or more specifically, the person who seems to have greatly wounded my little cute Ashko. ¡°Judging by the way he is looking right now, you insulted him greatly. Would you mind retracting that insult, warrior?¡± The cloaked rider looks at me, even if the hood hide his face. The pain comes before I register that he has made a move on me. I cast a quick look down my side, judging from the amount of blood that leaks from the wound it is not deep but the point is clear as day. No. ¡°I must insist, warrior.¡± The blade is pressed lightly deeper into the wound, the warm blood runs down my throat. The blade is withdrawn just as quick as it came and the man jumps backwards as a long bone prices the air space that was him moments before. Wait I know the bone¡­ I spin around. ¡°Ahh, little one!!¡± I gently lay a hand on the leg of my little one, a clicking sound is the answer but the real answer resounds within my mind. ¡°Prey¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, not right now little one. Oh my how you''ve grown! You are such a big girl!¡± ¡°Not¡­ Prey?¡± ¡°No, I''m fine little one.¡± I give her a smile, patting her leg a few times. ¡°Father¡­ Save?¡± Ahh, she is so cute! ¡°Yes, I''m fine, thank you little one.¡± Just as she came without a sound she returns into the shadow, silence follows. I turn to look at the surprised faces of people around me. ¡°Isn¡¯t she a little angle?¡± Uwan is giving me a look that says ¡®really?¡¯, while Zahar has the same look that he always has, nothing new there. The person with knife turns and speaks to Uwan who in turns nods a few times. They continue this back and forth for a while before Uwan turns to face me. ¡°Young warrior, how do you say to help train the young warriors who has complete the hunt?¡± ¡°Erm, why?¡± ¡°The warriors will leave for the war, but we need to keep training them up so no one becomes weak.¡± At the last word Ashko looks down into the ground again. ¡°Erm, I don''t know¡­¡± Uwan gives me a knowing smile. ¡°We have talked and have agreed that you will be rewarded with weapons of your choice to you and your vassals.¡± Oh my. I give a bright smile to him. ¡°When do we begin?¡± He lets out a loud laugh before answering. ¡°Many young warriors will come to train here in the followings weeks. You will be training them as you have trained your vassals.¡± ¡°Ok, sounds simple. What''s the catch?¡± ¡°You will train them until we return.¡± ¡°Armor. I want fitting equipment as well then.¡± His rumbling laugh sounds before they begin talking again. ¡°We have agreed that we will accept your request for armor as well. Let the Lady witness this agreement between warriors!¡± My brand feels warm for a moment and I know deep down in the back of my mind, know that she knows, the raven lady. We say our goodbye and return to my quarters. Shagi, Theadis, and Ivani wish me a goodnight and leaves. Ashko lingers back, he want to say something yet he remains silent. I let out a small sigh. ¡°Speak or leave.¡± He kneels before me. ¡°As you command, I wish to thank you, master.¡± Ah, he looks so adorable kneeling down infront of me, I want to do wicked things to him. ¡°If that is all you can leave.¡± He stays kneeling before me, hesitating. I bend down grabbing his jaw, making him look up at me even as he casts his sight down. ¡°If you stay here I will use that body of yours for some entertainment, do you understand what I''m saying?¡± A look of confusing is my answer, I let out a small laugh at his utterly confused look. Bending down closer to his face. I lick the side of his throat before biting down hard until the sweet and bitter taste of blood hits my lips. He does not move, only letting out a small yelp as I bit down. I draw back, licking my lips as I do. Ah, tears has formed in the corner of his eyes, I smile at the sweet look. ¡°Well, do you understand now?¡± He opens and close his mouth a few times as I look at him. Finally he slowly shakes his head before speaking up. ¡°Ha-Have I offended you somehow master?¡± I laugh, he looks so lost¡­ So broken, I want to mess him up. As I laugh, a few tears run down his face and he starts to mumble. ¡°Forgive me.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°I''m sorry that I''m weak.¡± ¡°Please forgive me, master.¡± I break as he says the last line while looking up at me with a utterly broken face with tears running down. I rip his head up towards me, looking into his teary eyes. Ah, I can''t help smiling. ¡°You want me to forgive you so much?¡± ¡°Y-Yes, master.¡± ¡°Would you do anything?¡± ¡°Yes, anything, master.¡± I let go of his jaw pushing him away as I walk to the bed to sit down. A smile is on my face this whole time, time to play. ¡°Strip.¡± He almost rips off his cloth, standing naked before me. ¡°Good. Kneel.¡± He looks confused but follows my order, kneeling down. I smile at him. ¡°Play with yourself.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ah, he looks lost as he flushed pink, I almost start to laugh but manage to look at him with a straight face. I stand and walk over to him, coming to a stop before him. ¡°Did you not what me to forgive you?¡± His eyes grow big. ¡°Yes, I do, master.¡± ¡°Then do as you were told.¡± He slowly brings his hand down to his little cock, he is shaking, ah I love messing him up. I walk back to the bed to sit down, watching him. Teary eyed and flushing a light pink while shaking slightly, he sits, kneeling on the floor with his legs half spread out playing with himself. A while passes before he seems to be nearing climax. His breathing becomes shorter and he lets out small moaning sounds. He is leaking a bit. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that you could come.¡± He looks up at me in a face of horror and his face grows a fine shade of red. He has stopped playing with himself. ¡°Did I tell you to stop?¡± He looks lost, confused, and embarrassed beyond belief, what a great look. Slowly he begins to play with his hard cock again. Panting, he speaks up. ¡°B-But master, I¡­¡± I raise a brow. ¡°You want to cum?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Beg.¡± Tears form in his eyes. Ah, what a sweet sight. ¡°Please, master.¡± He is leaking so much. ¡°Please what?.¡± I give him an innocent smile. His eyes grow even more teary. ¡°Please, master. Let me cum!¡± Let''s push him a little more. ¡°Ah, you want to cum?¡± He is breathing quick now, he¡¯s so very close. His voice thick with need. ¡°Yes! Please! Master!¡± ¡°Oh so you want to cum, that didn''t take you long. Do you like getting watched as you play with yourself my little toy?¡± ¡°M-master!¡± I stand up, walking over to him again, looking down at him. ¡°Ah, you are leaking.¡± I grab his jaw as I bring my lips to the bits mark from before, flicking my tongue over it, making him flinch, his body shakes for a short moment as he cums on the floor in front of my feet. I let out a laugh, tears run freely down his cheek as he sobs before me. ¡°I''m s-sorry, master.¡± ¡°Forgive me, please.¡± ¡°Don''t throw me away!¡± ¡°Don''t throw me away, mama!¡± The words echo in my mind, how many times did I cry out those words to a mother who cared nothing for me, wanted nothing to do with me? I pull him into my arms and carry his shaking body to my bed. As I put the sobbing mess down in the bed and pull the covers over him, I gently wipe the tears away. ¡°Forgive me, please.¡± ¡°How can I throw away something so cute looking as you?¡± ¡°I''m sorry, forgive me, master.¡± My words fall on deaf ears, but it matters little, he is mine, they are all mine. Lark, Ellette and Shagi, Treadis, Ivani and Ashko, every hair, every drop of blood is all mine! No sleep comes to me this night as I memorise of a long forgotten time that plagued me. As a child calling, begging for his mother to not leave. Week Twenty-six At the break of dawn or Shadowfell¡¯s equivalent to a dawn, a knock sounds on my door. ¡°Yes?¡± Varo, Zahar¡¯s youngest son enters as he casts a quick look towards my bed before turning to face me, wow that''s one cold man. ¡°The second in command, has requested that I assist you with the training of the young warriors. Making sure that they do as told.¡± Oh, so Zahar got me some help to handle the troops, when he gets back I need to give him my thanks. By the looks of things they will be arriving soon. I stand and do some stretching, waking up my cold body. ¡°When will the first group arrive?¡± ¡°Within a few hours I suspect.¡± I let out a yawn, man I need a bath. ¡°Let me grab a bath and I will meet you at the centre.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± He lingers, he want to say something. I raise a brow at him. He shakes his head before turning to leave, oi, oi not so fast, dude. ¡°Is there a problem that I need to know off?¡± He turns to face me again, once more casting a look over at Ashko¡¯s half naked form. ¡°You should not let that toy take the bed away from you.¡± I smile. ¡°Thanks, I will remember that.¡± He gives a nod and leaves, closing the door behind him. I grab some new pants and head for the bath. As I reach the bath Shagi and Theadis exits, the moment they spot me they kneel and speak as one. ¡°Greetings master, we hope you have slept well.¡± ¡°Ah, didn''t sleep.¡± They look up in a half shocked, half surprised at my words before quickly looking down again. ¡°Well, get dressed we will be busy from today on as we get guests.¡± ¡°As you command, master.¡± As they get ready to leave I remember that I left Ashko in bed. ¡°Oh and go wake up Ashko as well.¡± The bow and turn to their quarters. ¡°He''s in my bedroom.¡± They turn, bow and half run to my room, why are they in such a hurry? Oh well. Ashko¡¯s POV Shadowfell, Region Border - Year 1352 of the Second Age I''m awoken by someone shaking my shoulder. Ah, Shagi and Theadis. My head hurts and my eyes sting, I cried way too much last night, I''m a complete mess to look at. I push myself up, where am I? Ah, masters room. Shagi is looking at me with worried eyes, Theadis seems to be looking for my clothing. The first to speak is Shagi as always. ¡°Can you stand?¡± I nod. Yeah¡­ Not the first time they have found me naked in a man''s bedroom or somewhere else for that matter. After the hunt and before we were ¡®given¡¯ to master, a lot of men took a liking to my skinny body. I don''t hate them or anything like that, since I failed the hunt it was only natural that something like that would happen. I just hate how weak I look. Theadis hands me my underwear and pants, giving me a nod as he does. ¡°How did you know I was here?¡± ¡°Master told us to wake you up and meet him at the centre, the survivors from the hunt will be coming from the border villages to train under master.¡± ¡°Ah, that''s right they were talking about that last night.¡± Shagi gives me a half smile, he know that I kind of toned out the knight''s words after he kept insulting me. Ah master! He got wounded! I look up at Shagi. ¡°Is master okay!? He got cut by the knight!¡± Theadis gives a nod while Shagi speaks up. ¡°Yes, he seemed fine when he went to the bathhouse. The cut seemed small.¡± Ah, thank the lady. I find myself relieved with a burden off my shoulders, so to speak. If I had been to blame for a serious wound on master¡­ No, I don''t want to think about that. Theadis is looking hard at the floor now, oh¡­ ¡°Don''t stare at it!¡± I flush pink. He up looks at me. ¡°His?¡± Ahhhh! Why are you asking such things, Theadis! ¡°No! It''s m-mine¡­¡± Shagi cast a look down at it as well, great just stare at it! ¡°If he did you on the floor, how did you end up in the bed?¡± Ahh, Shagi, how I hate when you ask something like that. ¡°He didn¡¯t really ¡®do¡¯ it with me.¡± I know by now that I''m flushed pink, I hate it, blushing I mean. ¡°Oh¡­ Then why did you mess up the floor?¡± Shagi! Well it''s not like they haven''t heard or seen me in less embarrassed or messed up situations. ¡°He made me strip and p-play with myself.¡± ¡°Oh, so he is into men as well.¡± Who cares! I am in so much need of a bath right now. ¡°So¡­ He didn''t do you?¡± I spin around looking at shagi, man I must be so red right now. ¡°No! He just looked at me while I d-did it, now can we forget it happened, please!¡± I hear Shagi let out a small laugh. I know he is not laughing at the event but at me being so embarrassed about talking about it. Easy for him to say, he is a pervert that is doing it all the time with Theadis. He likes to get looked at while doing it and being done¡­ I don''t, I find it so embarrassing that I could dig my own grave. Ivani come crashing into the room, almost slamming into me, with a worried look. Theadis steadies me with a hand on my back. ¡°Ivani? Are you okay?¡± She looks around before spotting what she is looking for. ¡°Master is fighting a knight from one of the northern villages!¡± We yell all at once. ¡°What!?¡± She has grabbed his swords and is half out the door as she finished telling us what is going on. I grab my shirt and we all run after her. Chapter 40 - Bootcamp Proofreader: BrokenOlive Chapter 40 - Bootcamp Riin¡¯s POV Shadowfell, Region Unknown - Date Unknown Week Twenty-six So, here we are, waiting at the centre of the village for a bunch of young men and women to come spend their time here, training themselves. At present the only ones here are Ivani, Varo, and me. ¡°So, how many do you think will be coming, Varo?¡± I''m getting impatient waiting for people to show up, I hate standing still, doing nothing. ¡°Well if the report that the chief received is correct, there will be arriving around fifty in all, today that is.¡± Why does it sound less and less like I''m going to have time to relax¡­ ¡°Today¡­ Do you mean more will be coming?¡± He gives me a look that says, ¡®Of course there will, silly human.¡¯ Yet he says nothing but gives me a short nod. Around an hour after we arrived at the centre the first horses passes the gates, lead by a elder man, the younger warriors follow him to the platform we are waiting at. He casts a quick look at Ivani, his face turns to a look of disgust. Ivani lowers her head, staring hard at the ground. Don''t stare at what''s not yours so hard. ¡°Is there something you would like to say about my servant, warrior?¡± He turns to look at me, Varo seems to be ignoring the exchange completely. The elderly man is staring hard at me, I stare back. Then I feel something¡­ No, not something, like he is trying to strangle me. I find myself smiling, I like these guys from the north, they don''t speak things out but test the strength of the other person. He is using some form of Shadow Grab, how amusing. ¡°I will gladly play with you, warrior. But I don''t know if you want to have a fight right here.¡± The man stops staring hard at me before his hard looking face turns into a smile. He speaks but I''m unable to understand him, I cast a look back at Ivani. She quickly does the translation for me. ¡°He asks why not here¡­¡± I look at her, raising a brow in question to her stopping, but she seems to be reluctant to say it. I look at Varo for help. ¡°Runt, I believe the word is.¡± Oh, he insulted me, so he wants to play. I want to test my strength against a warrior of the Shadar-Kai. ¡°Get us some room.¡± Varo speaks up and soon the group of young hurry to the edge of the centre. I wave Ivani back too. ¡°Yo, old man don''t blame me if you get hurt. It''s been too long since I let loose.¡± A laugh is my response, good, very good. Let''s hope this works, like Uwan told me. Focus and speak. Little one, prey is before me. Attack to kill. ¡­ Focus, picture her in my mind''s eye. ¡­ Prey? We hunt now? Yes! Hell yeah it worked! If not for the fact that I''m unable to move, I would be jumping with joy right now. The rather cocky look on his face is replaced with surprise as he barely avoids the beautiful marble coloured leg of my little one as it rips open the air, aiming at his chest. My turn to smile, fucker. ¡°Ivani, get me my weapons.¡± ¡°As you command, my master.¡± She runs off to grab them from my room and hands them to me the moment she returns, Shagi and the others come back with her. They stand behind as well, she must have had time to tell them about the fight. Ah that''s right I don''t need to hold back against this guy. Activate Bloodlust Aura!
[Bloodlust Aura] has been activated.
Ah, I must hand it to the Shadar-Kai of the north, they are a tough bunch, while the closet of younger ones fall to the ground, they seem to be focused on the battle in front of them. Varo pulls my little gang out of the aura range, need to thank him later. There! The restraints that holds me snaps as the onslaught of attacks continues from my little one. I set off with the aim to kill. I make it within sword range before I''m stopped in my tracks again. Two times, my max use of Shadow Grab. He is not showing any signs of being exhausted from overusing his mana. A sword is swung towards me. My turn, bitch! Shadow Grab! The spell breaks his assault long enough to give my little one an opening to stab a front leg into the guy''s arm. Releasing me from the binding. I bring my right sword into the side of my opponent, drawing more blood. Something is wrong! He is smiling! Just like that he vanish from my sight. My binds is removed and I get into a stand to defend myself. How the hell did he vanish!? Where, where is he! Prey gone? Keep looking! Looking¡­ A quick look at Varo and he does not seem to be surprised at all about a guy vanishing into thin air. Is it a trick? No. I can''t feel him or his will to attack anywhere. Where did he go?! ¡°That''s enough. Call off your child, young one.¡± His voice sounds from behind or around me. Infront? No. I can''t sense him. I look at Varo who gives a nod, confirming that it is safe. The hunt is over, little one. You did good. Father, happy? Yes, very. No more prey? No prey. I sleep. Yes. Deactivate Bloodlust Aura!
[Bloodlust Aura] has been deactivated.
Stolen story; please report. ¡°Done.¡± The elderly man steps out a few feet infront of me, a small smile on his lips. ¡°You fight well for a human.¡± I smile back. ¡°And you fight well for an old man.¡± He lets out a small laugh. He then turns to Varo and speaks a few words, in return Varo smiles and gives a slight bow. He then turns back to face me. ¡°I will leave the young of my village to train under you.¡± ¡°So, this was a test?¡± All I receive is a smile before he pulls up his hood and turns towards the horses. So a test¡­ I hate being tested, I really do. I turn to Varo. ¡°So what now? Do we wait for the rest or start training now?¡± ¡°We can start as soon as you are ready.¡± Well let''s get this started, shall we? I jump up on the platform so that I can see them all. Fifteen young men and woman has come. ¡°Okay! Gather up!¡± They slowly gets closer. ¡°Get moving! We don''t have all day!¡± They move a bit faster but still slow. So the first I need to do is teach them to move when I tell them too. ¡°Make a line of five and row of three! Move it!¡± ¡­ They are so slow¡­ Tsk. ¡°Shagi, Theadis get them in a line. I don''t have all day for this.¡± ¡°As you command, master!¡± They jump down from the platform and get the slackers into a line of five and with two people behind each person in front. Finally we can begin. ¡°Second and third line move five steps backwards!¡± After a tiny bit of guidance from Shagi and Theadis, everybody is lined up nicely for my next plan, but first. ¡°Remember how you are standing now! From now on you will stand like this when you are called!¡± It really is the most basic line up for military training or any efficient group training, with the five step between the trainees no one will crash into each other when doing an exercise. ¡°Okay, listen up! We will start with running along the outside of the village wall! Get moving!¡± Someone speaks up, a young man by the sound of the voice. ¡°How many rounds do we need to run?¡± I give my best bright and sweet smile before answering. ¡°Thank you for asking that! Since you went to the trouble to ask you will all be running until you drop!Now get moving!¡± Groans and the like sounds from the group, but they slowly move to the gate. ¡°Shagi, Ashko, Theadis go to a corner each and keep an eye on them. Ivani, you come with me.¡± ¡°As you command, master.¡± They run off, Ivani comes to stand behind me. I turn to look at Varo who is glaring at the group making them move just a bit faster. ¡°Ivani, go to the gate and wait for me there.¡± ¡°As you command, master.¡± I walk up to Varo, I need to ask him about that vanishing trick that the old man used. ¡°Got a minute?¡± Varo turns to look at me. ¡°I have been told to assist you if possible.¡± So¡­ That''s a yes? Yeah, lets call it a yes. ¡°How did that old man vanish into thin air like that?¡± He gives me a smile, his eyes land on the brand on my arm. ¡°The ¡®vanishing¡¯ as you call it, is a gift from the lady. Shadow walking, it is called by those who wield it.¡± Shadow walking? Wait, I have something like that. ¡°When I arrived here I was gifted the skill Shadow Walk, is it not the same?¡± He shakes his head slowly, seemly thinking about how to answer my question. After a short while he starts to explain. ¡°Shadow Walk, the skill you were granted is a twin skill of the Shadow Walking skill, if you can call it that. The hounds you have seen meld into the shadows, yes?¡± I nod, yeah, meld is the right word to describe how they become half shadow. ¡°That is the Shadow Walk skill, in that form they are more shadow than beast and so, unable to be harmed by normal weapons and spells.¡± He looks at me, I give a nod and he continues. ¡°Shadow Walking is a gift granted to The Queen''s knights. While it is Shadow Walk it is not, only the blessed of the lady can truly use what we call Shadow Walk. That is what they call Shadow Walking, it is and is not the skill, Shadow Walk.¡± So that is why he is saying that it is a twin. ¡°The users of Shadow Walk is merely mimicking the true skill, I see now. Thank you.¡± He gives a smile. ¡°Oh, one more thing. You called him a knight and not a warrior, how come?¡± ¡°He directly serves the lady. It is the greatest honor a Shadar-Kai can obtain.¡± So a knight is much higher in the food chain, good to know. ¡°Thank you for your time.¡± I make my way to the gates tower time to laze about as others work.
[Knowledge: Shadar-Kai], has been obtained. [Knowledge: Shadow Magic], has been obtained.
Week Twenty-seven During the last week a total of fifty young warriors arrived and joined the dead run along the outer wall. The original fifteen is able to keep it up most of the day, I will let them run for a week more, just for the fun of it. When one drops down unable to move on the rest is called to a halt where ever they are on their run and made to do twenty push-ups before they are told to run again. The ¡®dropout¡¯ is made to stand at the gate with the arms straight out from the body for as long as I can see that they need the rest for. The moment that their breathing is relaxed and even, I focus on any shaking they might have and as soon as they are fit to continue to run they are sent on their merry way. Shagi, Ivani, Ashko and Theadis is spread out along the wall with a barrel of water for the needy, I''m not that cruel. I asked the guards to inform me if anyone starts to mess with what''s mine. Luckily nothing has happened as of yet. So, for now they are all running like mad men and women, much to my amusement. Week Twenty-eight The suicide running continues, less and less are becoming ¡®dropouts¡¯. When a runner is showing signs of falling the closest ones with enough stamina has begun to take shifts in carrying their fellow runner. I''m very happy, it only took around a week to make them do such great teamwork. Week Twenty-nine The group continues to improve their teamwork. I have given the groups names depending from where they hail. The closest village to us is the northern village with the original fifteen, I gave them the nickname G1. The second group to arrive was also from the north with a group of ten and was given the name G2. The third group to arrive was from the northeast with ten people, they got the name G3. After them two groups from the northwest arrived within hours of each other. One group of five males, that got the name G4. And a group of four females and a lone male, they got G5 as their name. That way it is much easier to figure out who is who, man I''m smart! G1 is now spending the morning hours running and the rest of the day in a mix of push-ups, sit-ups and squats with the break being, yeah you guessed it, more running. G2 is slowly gaining on G1. G3-5 has much better teamwork between them and so is able to keep up the running in a even pace. They will all be going for one more week of running before they will trade it for the push-ups, sit-ups, and squats with the break of running. I had my little gang run along with them for this week, they looked so bored just standing and looking at all the fun happening. Of course I''m not forgetting Theiraven and his little gang but they are from this village so I don''t count them as guests. I''m not counting the ones that did not complete the hunt due to injures. They are all allowed to train with the rest of course, a few extra people at this number does little difference. Week Thirty They have been doing push-ups, sit-ups and squats for the whole week now, most of the complaining is stopped by giving them a group punishment consisting of log carrying and when it is dropped they get to do push-ups until they throw up. Today is the last day of the week, they get a rest day today most are sleeping it off in the tents they are lending. A few is sitting by the fires chatting. The young from the northern villages seems to be more respected than the other villages young, I wonder why. I will go find Varo, he must know. I find him at the gatehouse where he is talking to a guard, I wait outside for them to be done. He walks out and greets me. ¡°Young warrior, is there something that I can assist you with?¡± ¡°More like a question I need answered, if you please.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°It seems like the young from the most northern village is more respected than the rest, is there a reason for that?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. They are the border village, the first stand against the undead legions, the frontline so to speak.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. So they are respected by their kindred for begin the ¡®wall¡¯.¡± He gives me a smile and nods.
[Knowledge: Shadar-Kai], has been obtained.
¡°Ah, that reminds me, I want to take the group hunting, is there a place that can work as a good hunting ground for a group of ten people?¡± He raise a brow at that. ¡°Only ten?¡± ¡°Yes, I want to split them up and mix them. Force them to work across villages.¡± ¡°Ah, excellent. I will talk to the hunters if they know of a ground that can house a group that size.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Week Thirty-one Today would have been a good day if not for the fact that two of the boys decided that Ivani looked too hot to pass up. I''m almost tackled by Theadis as he comes running. Informing me of the bad news. He leads me to the tents where they have forced her down and stripped her. Ah, to be young and die so. No, killing them would be bad, I at least have to ask Varo if I can kill them. I step into the tent and rip the guy at the top off, throwing him back into Theadis. ¡°Hold him!¡± ¡°As you command, master!¡± I grab Ivani around the waist and pull her to me. And for good measure I stomp on the face guy who has yet to get up. Earning me a painful sounding groan. Shagi and Ashko come crashing into the tent as well, I wave them over. ¡°Ashko, take Ivani to my room and stay with her.¡± He is shaking but reacts quickly, wrapping her in a blanket and leads her away. ¡°As you command, master.¡± ¡°Shagi, get that piece of shit up and standing!¡± ¡°As you command, master!¡± He quickly moves and grabs the still groaning guy by the throat pulling him to an uneasy stand. ¡°Go to the centre and wait for me there! Do not let them out of your sight!¡± ¡°As you command, master!¡± I walk out the tent and straight to Varos¡¯ house, who by the time I get there meets me halfway. He too looks angry, if it is me he is angry with or whatnot, I don''t know and right now I just don''t care. The first word out of my mouth is. ¡°Can I kill them!?¡± ¡°No, they are guests.¡± He quickly continue as it seems my facial look is not looking to good. ¡°But you are allowed to punish them as long as they remain alive at the end.¡± ¡°So, you are saying I can make them into limbless things!?¡± ¡°No, they still have their use as warriors.¡± ¡°Can I beat them within an inch of their life?¡± ¡°As long as they don''t die, then yes.¡± As soon as I have my answer I spin around and march to the center where my prey awaits. Chapter 41 - White Rage Proofreader: BrokenOlive Chapter 41 - White Rage ¡°The abandoned infants cry is rage, not fear.¡± - Robert Anton Wilson. Riin¡¯s POV Shadowfell, Region Unknown - Date Unknown Week Thirty-one The centre is filled with people, Varo is speaking with a angry looking face but I have no idea what he is saying and no one is close by to translate it for me. I spot Shagi and Theadis together with two guards who is holding the young men in what looks to be a painful grip. I get eye contact with Theadis and wave him over. He speaks to one of the guards who grabs hold of the guy that he is holding on to before he comes running over, kneeling in front of me. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°What is going on?¡± He wastes no time in explaining things for me. ¡°The two young warriors have committed a grave sin by trying to claim something what was not theirs to claim. Since they have tried to take something without the owner''s permission, they will now be punished until you, master, is satisfied.¡± He takes a short break inhaling some air before continuing. ¡°The second in command¡¯s son, is also explaining why this is a great sin and warning everyone else not to lay hands on others property before they are given approval from their owner.¡± He stops and listens to Varo who is still talking, too much for my taste. I want to tear them into tiny bits as painfully as is possible without them dying on me. I''m burning with so much rage that my body feels cold. Theadis speaks up again. ¡°The second in commands son, is telling everybody that you have slain a high number of Shadow Hounds and that you have gained the respect of two knights from the northern Villages and most importantly, that you have been given a mission by The Queen and that we belong to you and are part of that mission. So unless you allow it we are not to be touched.¡± Hmm, so a clear warning. While Varo has been talking and Theadis has been translating the whole ordeal I have been wrapping my hands in strips of cloth, no need to damage my own body when beating up some trash. ¡°You are now allowed to start the punishment, master.¡± Ah, when was the last time mere words let me feel such release? I once read somewhere, a quote from some long dead man that said, ¡®Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything which it is poured.¡¯ I found myself laughing so loud and uncontrolled that I started to tear up. If that quote holds any truth behind it, then let me burn from within. Let me burn with a pain so strong that no words can describe it, let me feel the searing pain as I melt. For I''m left bare, an empty shell that holds nothing but rage. A rage burning so hot that it is blinding any that dare look within. Do not take that rage from me for I fear to become empty once more, to feel not even my body being broken apart. If rage is the only true emotion I have left within me, then let it boil and burst from within as long as I feel something. That is what I thought when I read that. If me laughing were from the words burning themselves within my mind so strongly that it hurt or from the fact that I had nothing but rage left, I still don''t know and might never. I remember feeling the wetness on my cheek and thinking that somewhere within I can still feel, even if it is just a spark of an ember. I found a peace settle somewhere deep within me. Even as that small ember was drowned and forgotten by waves of pain from the wounds that would come.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I found that quote so very fitting as drops of warm blood hits my face. Well at this point the top part of my body had become like a twisted painting of war, the bare skin covered with lines of crimson red. I ignored all around me as I poured out my hated on the flesh beneath me, ignored the sting as my fists made contact with the bruised body. I burned with a long forgotten rage so hot that I felt like I would burn up if I stopped. Varo''s POV It is said that we became a twisted race from the curse that plague us, that we seek the pain just so we can feel anything but the madness that nest beneath our skin. But as I look at this young human in front of me I feel like our madness is nothing more than a way to say that we were alive, that we existed to feel that we were here. When the seer told us that she had seen four young Shadar-Kai bow before the human child and that the young was stronger than anything we would be. We all thought that the young was the ones that had completed the hunt. How shocked we were when she informed us that the young we had cast away where to become more powerful than any of us. ¡®She have seen his fate and she has given her blessing and has gifted him aid.¡¯ But how could we give aid in form of weaklings? Had we failed our Queen? ¡®What we have cast out is now his.¡¯ We all knew that those who failed to show themselves as warriors had no place among our kin, were we really to give him such weaklings, such cowards? But we do not dare question our Queen for she sees all and knows all. So we gifted the cast out to him as we had been instructed. When the young had carried the unconscious boy into the village with words of how he had jumped into the battlefield and taken on many hounds and how he had lost his eye but kept on fighting. How he had saved the wounded with shadow grab and of the legs that came from the shadows themselves to protect him as his body failed him. None knew what to do, so we decided to mend him back to health. The chief''s wife mended his body and when the fever broke, we waited, the lady would know his fate and she did. By each visit the chief was more and more convinced that the young boy would fulfill the fate our Queen had spoken off. ¡®He shall bear my mark for his mind lingers in the dark.¡¯ When we were informed by the chief that our guest had used blood magic I was amazed that such a young child could use such strong magic. The Queen must want to use this, so we shall observe him. When one of her knights saw that outcasts severed a marked one he was angered, but the child responded by insulting the knight for glaring at what was his, angered, the knight tended to show him his overwhelming power and drew his sword. ¡®The legs of from the shadows¡¯ came forth as a well grown blood queen protected him, her white bone legs that rip the very air apart. ¡®She has given her blessing, for he has given a part of himself to her.¡¯ The shadows mingle with his shard and fuel his power and that of his bonded ones. ¡®He shall aid our young as the battle rages on.¡¯ And so it was decided that he would train the young so that they would have something from one that the Queen put trust in. A knight came along with the group from the northern village, he had heard that the young human had taken a liking to the gift but wanted to see the skills of this ¡®little human¡¯ as he called him. As he a fight with the boy, the boy started to smile and I felt the power of his rage, that which is known as the Bloodlust Aura. Ancient is the art of blood magic, cruel is the wielder that binds the fate of another, old is the will that brand the blood. Bloodlust Aura, while we call it blood magic, it''s roots stretch much deeper than the mere blood and the power to control that. Not even we descendants of the Queen have a word strong enough to describe the power behind what is known as bloodlust. Our saying ¡®Ancient is the art of blood magic, cruel is the wielder that blinds the fate of another, old is the will that brand the blood.¡¯ Is not for the young but for the old, so that they remember what power runs in our blood. ¡®Blood is the coin of the soul.¡¯ The humans say, but they know not the depth of those words. The blood is filled with our will, our emotions, our memories, our very being, humans know nothing when they speak of the shard, they speak of the very beginning of their soul. Bloodlust Aura¡­ The will to lay waste to life itself, the burning hunger of the end, the desire to slay all in ones wake. I can only pray to the queen that she has seen such powers of destruction used to slay the undead and the restless that defy their fate, for I fear the powers that brand the soul and the very essence of one''s very being with rage so hot that others kneel before it. His smile as he strikes his target, his eyes as they burn with an untold anger, one so bottomless that even the abyss seems too shallow to hold it in, how deep does his hated run? But I find myself wanting to ask what the Queen saw in such a soul, one so filled with what we call madness that it leaks into the very air around him. I want to know how he can look so calm as he lay staring at the night sky, what holds him together? I want to ask, yet I fear the answer. I fear that which lurks beneath such a calm surface. He smiles as the screams of pain fills the air, he smiles as he is dragged away from the bloody mess beneath his feet, he laughs as he is released on to the next one, a never ending madness burning in those eyes of his. Our madness now seems like a mere drop in the ocean, whereas his is a madness that rivals a never ending storm. Lost Chapter - Our fate Proofreader: BrokenOlive Lost Chapter - Our fate Events before the hunt. Theadis'' POV ¡°Tomorrow is the day of the hunt, it will mark us as true warriors of our tribe¡­ While I, like all her children, wish to serve our lady, I don''t see the merit in the hunt. It is nothing but an outdated ritual from the first age were the demons roamed the lands and the aspiring young went out to prove themselves in combat. So, how does killing a pack of Shadow Hounds compare to the young of that time?¡± ¡°H-hey! What are you t-talking about at a time like this!?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Ah, I guess it''s considered rude talking about something unrelated during sex¡­ ¡°At least pretend that you are looking at me!¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Ahhh!¡± Ivani''s POV I feel the desperate feeling behind the blow as it lands, forcing my body to bend over, yet being unable to as my arms are tied up. I let out a groan as the pain shoots up my body. I hold back the scream that threatens to burst out as the whip sweeps along my back, I feel the burning it leaves as its own personal mark. Fist after fist and kick after kick hits my body, the last more desperate to be felt then the one before. Each burning mark left by the whip screams out to me one thing and one thing only, ¡®don''t leave us, don''t abandon us!¡¯. I want to answer them but the rag in my mouth leaves me unable to. My body is left bruised and beaten on the cellar floor, nothing I haven''t felt or tried before, it¡¯s just this time there is a lingering feeling in the air that says we were here, remember us. And I do, I really do. Not by the marks you left on my body but the feeling in which you so desperately tried to brand yourselves into my skin. And how could I forget my own father and mother? Shagi''s POV Ah, there is nothing better than sex, it''s just the best relief for stress there is¡­ If my partner would at least look at me during it! ¡°H-hey! What are you t-talking about at a time like this!?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± !! Hmm!? Is that al- Ah, yeah that''s the spot. No, no focus on the problem at hand, Shagi! ¡°At least pretend that you are looking at me!¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Ahhh!¡± Yeah that''s it, more right there, deeper, ahh, I will forgive him for today. Ashko''s POV The great hunt is tomorrow, I''m so nervous that even just thinking about it makes me shake. If I can slay just one Shadow Hound I will be accepted by the clan and I will be able to marry someone and move out of here. I don''t hate living in the orphanage but I strongly wish to create my own place in the clan. Tomorrow I will become a warrior! A proud member of our village! But for now I just need a good night''s rest so I''m ready. ¡°Ahhh!¡± ¡­ A good night''s rest¡­ That is so much easier said than done¡­ Events during the hunt. Theadis'' POVThis content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Seven¡­ Ten¡­ Fifteen¡­ Nineteen Shadow Hounds, an over average pack but not uncommon, I just need to survive the fight. And while doing that I better keep an eye on those two¡­ Ashko is frozen in fear it seems and that girl is not moving at all. Shagi seems to be bored and might be thinking of sex again, if the smile that is on his face is anything to go by¡­ Ivani''s POV Ah, mother¡­ Father, I think you might have been a bit too violent yesterday. My body wouldn¡¯t move as well as I would have like it too, I think that I will be killed today. I''m sorry for leaving you both. Oh, that boy from the orphanage seems to be aware that I''m not at my best, maybe I wouldn''t die today after all. Shagi''s POV ¡­ My ass is killing me¡­ can someone remind me again why I''m in the middle of the forest surrounded by snarling hounds and a bunch of kids who is throwing themselves to their own death? Ah, seems like there is only two,- well, three I guess,- other people that have their mind set straight. That girl who has not move much since we got here and Theadis who thinks the whole hunt is pointless. Ah, and of course there is Ashko but¡­ Hmm, how to say this¡­ I think he might have passed out standing up¡­ Ah, no he moved a bit, guess he is just scared. Ashko''s POV I''m scared! I''m scared! Someone just got bit in half! I don''t want to be here! I''m scared! My body won¡¯t move! Theadis'' POV Four hounds has been killed but at the cost of three lives. This is such a pointless and wasteful battle, why can''t we prove ourselves at the border? Why must lifes be lost at the hands of mindless beasts? Wait¡­ Something is nothing right¡­ Three¡­ Ten¡­ Twenty¡­ Twenty-four! Why is there more Hounds then before! Where did they come from!? My question is answered as a shadow figure joins the battle. ¡°A¡­ Human?¡± ¡°Hm? Oh! Sure is!¡± Ashko''s POV There is so much blood! Why did it end up like this!? Why must we fight here? This is not a battle! This is a massacre! A slaughter! ¡°A¡­ Human?¡± Huh? A human? What does he mean, a human? I force myself to look where Theadis and Shagi are looking¡­ What is a human doing here? This is wrong! Why must he end up in this meaningless slaughter as well! I can''t look at this anymore! Shagi''s POV What I would not give for a bed and Theadis naked over me¡­ ¡°A¡­ Human?¡± A human naked over m- wait what? ¡°Hm? Oh! Sure is!¡± Messing up my daydream¡­ But what is a human doing out here? We are far away from any major city and even further away from Gloomwrought¡­ ¡°Oh, is it me or are there more Shadow Hounds than before¡­¡± ¡°More¡­ Twenty-four, by my count.¡± Leave it to Theadis to sound so calm and composed in the middle of total destruction and annihilation¡­ But leaving that aside, man can he fight! Ivani''s POV ¡°A¡­ Human?¡± What? Ah, that sure is a human boy. He gives of the same feeling as Father and Mother does¡­ He seems to like being on the battlefield as well. Ah, he is strong. Theadis'' POV He is moving swiftly between his kills¡­ Seven Shadow Hounds has been slain by his swords alone. But he is not unharmed by the battle, yet he keeps on smiling¡­ He enjoys fighting¡­ He enjoys the thrill of the battle. Ah, that must have hurt¡­ He might lose his eye¡­ Ah, he is down¡­ Is this his end? Ashko''s POV There is so much death, so much blood, yet¡­ Yet I can''t tear my eyes of the fight in front of me, the way he moves as he strikes down the Hound in front of him. Even hunt and clearly out of breath he still fights! Truly amazing! Ah! No, don''t die! He is down! So much blood is coming from the right side of his head, did the hounds claws hit his eye? No! That is a shadow rift! What! Is that massive bones!? It looks the same as his swords! Events after the hunt. Ivani''s POV Ah, I knew that failing the great hunt was very bad, but to see the hateful looks on Mother and Father''s faces as we returned was the worst. I''m sorry! But they still love me, I know! Even if no one likes me, mother and father loves me! I can feel it! They still show me their love. I know father, I love you too, hit me with all your might, show me your love. Mother, mother I can feel the love behind each of your blows as the whips cracks down on my tender skin, I know you love me. And I know that we soon will part, like all the others who have failed the great hunt. I wonder how life in the city will be? Theadis'' POV Ah, as I had guessed choosing not to participate in the hunt gained me the wrath of the tribes warriors and everyone else, for that matter. Well, not like I didn''t know this would happen¡­ For now we are waiting in a cell. Who knew one could miss a real bed so much? ¡°Your head is in the wrong place again!¡± ¡°Ah, my bad.¡± Shagi''s POV The hunt has ended, and let me just say that not killing anything proved to really piss off the elders. But what would you have me do? Stand and watch as my partner is sold off to the mines? No way I''m letting him go that easily! I took me years just to make him have the slightest interest in me at all and even then just getting him to have sex¡­ Like hell I''m letting him go! Who cares where we go as long as I can stay with him and have his hot body and look into his eyes as we make lo- ¡°Your head is in the wrong place again!¡± ¡°Ah, my bad.¡± Each and every fucking time I tell you! That brain of his hold no interest in anything related to me! Grrr! Ashko''s POV I failed¡­ I''m a failure¡­ A weakling¡­ A spineless coward, I hate my weak self. I hate this weak and cowardly body. I wish I could have fought like that human¡­ ¡°Ah, you feel so good!¡± Ignore them, ignore them. If this body had been strong, I would not be here, pressed underneath warrior after warrior. I don''t blame them nor do I hate them, this is my punishment for being this weak. ¡°Use your tongue more!¡± Ah! Don''t rip my hair so hard! It hurts! ¡°Ah, your awake!¡± Hmm? Ah, I''m back in the holding cell. Ah¡­ They had sex again¡­ No surprise there really. Wait¡­ He is fiddling with his clothing¡­ ¡°Why are you looking so nervous Shagi?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, erm¡­ Well while you were out for the count¡­¡± It''s not like Shagi to be this silent, what''s going on? ¡°Yes¡­?¡± It''s Theadis who answers me. ¡°We are being given as a gift or something to that human.¡± Huh? Chapter 42 - Beasts of the shadows Proofreader: BrokenOlive Chapter 42 - Beasts of the shadows Riin''s POV Shadowfell, Region Unknown - Date Unknown Week Thirty-two Let me tell you that waking up and feeling like you ran head first into a train is not a fun thing. My body screams out in pain as I sit up in the bed, I cast a look down at my hands as I feel the sting of torn skin. Why can''t I remember much from yesterday?`Let''s see, I woke up and started to do the planning for the groups that was supposed to come with me to do some real training in the wild, that¡¯s all I remember¡­ My hands tells me that I was in a fist fight, I do a quick check on my body and find no sign of any hits landing on me. Meaning that the pain I''m feeling is my body working overtime trying to fix my broken muscles from me doing too much. So I beat up something or someone, that much I get¡­ What pisses me off is the fact that I can''t remember the event, did I black out? How annoying. I get myself dressed lightly and head for the bathhouse, I smell of blood and if I''m not wrong, I''m covered in the stuff. Ignoring my body''s protest of me walking around I make my way to the baths. Judging by the thickness of the shadows it''s just about to become dawn, I like morning baths. Pouring the hot water over my body I get the full view of the amount of blood on me¡­ No wonder I smelled of blood. Drying off I walk back to my room, I have plans that needs to be completed so I can get the items Uwan promised me. To train a bunch of people into the best possible shape that I can so that I can get my hands on the reward, those lovely hand crossbows and for that, I can deal with a bunch of hormonal kids for a while¡­ Wait a fucking moment! I remember what happened now! Those son of bitches tried to get a quick fuck in on Ivani¡­ Theadis, then came to get me¡­ Shagi and Theadis dragged them off and I send Ashko back with Ivani to wait in my room¡­ Ah man, this is giving me a headache of another world. Let''s see, if I sent them back to wait for me and they are not here, then how long was I out for!? Or did I send them somewhere else and I just don''t remember? Ah who cares, I will find them at some point. Yeah that''s it, so let''s ignore it for now. Having decided on the groups that will be hunting together, I make my way towards Varos¡¯ house. The young I meet on the way give me a slight bow avoiding any eye contact with me, did I forget something else? A few knocks on the door and Varo opens up, giving me a smile. ¡°Good morning young warrior, what can I help you with?¡± Varo is the same as ever so for now I will ignore the young weirdos on the way here. I hand him the paper with the five groups with ten people in each. ¡°I made the groups, I just wanted to know if I should change anything or are they good to go?¡± As I talk he looks over the names with the same stone face as always, but every so often his eyes looks towards me. ¡°No, I see no problems with the groups. You can start next week. I will let the hunters know to inform you of the route that you will have to take, is that acceptable?¡± Next week? Fits me fine, I need to get my body up to standards and ready anyway. ¡°Yes, that is fine. Thank you.¡± I turn to leave but is stopped by Varo¡¯s voice. ¡°Wait¡­¡± I stop and turn around to face him again, waiting for him to speak. He stares at me but says nothing. ¡°Erm?¡± He shakes his head slowly while closing his eyes, when he opens them again he speaks. ¡°No, it''s nothing young warrior, you can go.¡± Is he getting sick? Can they even get sick? Or is it just old age gaining in on him? ¡°I see, have a good day.¡± He smiles, giving me a wave, sending me on my way. So, now I have a week to chill out before I can get going with the hunt. I better find Shagi and the others. I make my way to their living quarters and find their rooms. Knocking on the door to Shagi¡¯s, it is opened shortly afterwards making me come face to face with a shocked and confused looking Shagi. He quickly seems to pull himself together before swinging the door open and stepping back to give me room to enter and kneels on the floor, where he greets me. ¡°I wish you a good morning, master. How may I be of use to you?¡± The room he lives in is simple much like the sick room that I spent my time in the first three weeks here, only thing is that this room has no fireplace. I hand him the list of people. He carefully takes it before waiting silently again. ¡°Inform those people that they will be joined together for training from next week on. This week will be a rest week and time to prepare anything they might need outside the village. Get Theadis to help you out. Understood?¡± ¡°As you command, it shall be done, my master.¡± ¡°Good.¡± After a last look around I take my leave. Week Thirty-three Armed with swords and a few bows the first group takes the first steps outside the gate, marching in two lines we begin our long walk towards the valley to the west of the village. Of the four that I have to chose from, I''ve taken Ashko with me for the first trip, I want to see just how much the training has improved his skills. The sounds of matching steps on the moist ground gives off a relaxing feeling, but we all know what lurks in the shadows around us. One moment of weakness and we will become prey to whatever predator that hides here. As the day turns to night we set camp, three people will be on lookout the whole time and another one making sure that the fires never run out. The watch will change every two hours, making sure that the lookouts don''t lose focus. Morning comes without any attacks, yet no one relaxes and our walk continues soundless as to not attract any unwanted attention to ourselves. Two more days before we reach the valley where we will be spending the remaining week hunting and living. The soundless journey continues with only the weak sound of our steps marking our progress. Night falls and we begin our lookout rounds. The night is eerily quiet, we are being watched. As the girl who keeps the fires comes to my tent, I grab her arm. A weak sound of shock is released from her, I quickly slam a hand over her mouth. ¡°Quiet, we are not alone.¡± Her eyes grow big before her body becomes tense under my touch. ¡°Wake everybody up as silently as you can.¡± She nods before turning around to do so. I cast a look at the other two keeping watch and they seem to have sensed that we are not alone anymore too. Our hands grip our weapons hard, the few of them that had bows are placed in the middle of our little circle. The minutes become hours but no one moves an inch. We feel it in the air, something is looking at us, something big and very strong. Dawn comes yet we stand still unmoving. No one is relaxing. There!! I can''t help but to blunt it out. ¡°A gargoyle¡­ ?¡± Someone gasped and someone lets out a weak whisper. ¡°No, they are supposed to be extinct¡­¡± I can''t help but to comment on that. ¡°It doesn''t look dead¡­¡± The same person answers back with a half angry half desperate voice. ¡°That right there is a [Nighthaunt]! They belong to the old plane, not here!¡± ¡°Old plane?¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Someone else answers that. ¡°Before the Queen, shadowfell was known as the plane of shadows, you know?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Another plane existed here, the plane of negative energy, the old plane.¡± ¡°And¡­ How long ago was this?¡± Someone lets out a heavy sigh. ¡°In the first age, over ten thousand years ago!¡±
[Knowlegde: Shadowfell] has gained more complete information.
My comment to all this? ¡°Shit.¡± Silence passes between us. ¡°Anything else you know about this Nighthaunt?¡± ¡°Only what the old tales told us, but what if-¡± ¡°Just spit it out!! Right now we need all the information that we can get!¡± Someone speaks up, another one than before. ¡°I remember that one of them once lead a large army of undead towards the Queen''s palace. Slowly things start to flow in. ¡°They are weak to daylight.¡± ¡°They are strong spell casters.¡± ¡°Ah! They supposedly used something that drained the life from whoever touched them.¡± I wait wanting more information but nothing comes. But I come to the conclusion that it does not work alone, meaning that while we see it we are not seeing the mass of undead that it leads. We need to get back to the village, if something that old is here while a large army march towards the queens city that means that more forces are moving at the same time. We need to get out of here now! If we get trapped between a legion of undead, we are done for. ¡°Gather the fires we are moving, now!¡± ¡°What about our things?¡± ¡°Leave them we need to get as far away from that thing as we can, and we need to warn the villages that something like that is here, now move it!¡± ¡°Keep formation!¡± ¡°Keep the fires going.¡± We move at a painfully slow pace, but we are making our way away from the gargoyle. It''s pearly eyes stare at us as we slowly back away. Never does it blink or move but just before we turn a corner its head turn slightly. The moment we are out of sight a ear piercing scream breaks the silence. It sends chills down my spine, so this is fear? A feeling long forgotten but now is not the time to linger on a mere feeling. ¡°Run!¡± I''m glad I made them all do so much running till they dropped. ¡°Don''t break away from the group!¡± ¡°Move as one!¡± Even at our pace we are at least a twelve-hour run from the village. We are stopped in our tracks by a wall of flesh, rotten corpses. I cast a quick look around. There! The pearly white eyes stare back at me. Think, think, think! That''s it! I move into the group and find the person I''m looking for. ¡°Ashko!¡± ¡°Yes, Master?¡± Yes! He is not out of breath! Good, now I just need two more who can run with him. ¡°Who is still in good shape? Speak up!¡± A girl calls out from somewhere behind me. ¡°I''m good!¡± A boy to the side of me speaks up as well. ¡°I''m fine too, what do you need?¡± Yes! This might work, none of them are out of breath at all. ¡°I need the three of you to run ahead and inform the village that we will be under attack within hours! The rest of us will make a hole for you guys. Understood?¡± The boy speaks up in a angry voice. ¡°You want us to abandon the rest of you!?¡± ¡°What!? No! How did you¡­ No, kindly send someone to come help us out, afterwards will you!¡± His angry look turns to a smile, whatever works for you dude¡­ ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°Roger!¡± ¡°Master!? How can I just abandon you here!¡± Ah. ¡°That is an order!¡± He looks like he might cry but holds it in well, he kneels on the ground. ¡°A-As you command, it shall be done, my master. I want to smile but it would be very wrong to do so in this situation¡­ Yeah, it would. ¡°As soon as I give the order you three run ahead. Got it?¡± A unified ¡®yes¡¯ from the two young warriors and a ¡®yes, master¡¯ from Ashko. Okay, let''s give them the space they need to make a break for it, shall we! I wanted to see them work as a team against beasts like the Shadow Hounds, but I guess any opponent would do really. For now we just need to clear a part for the messengers to get clear and then block any would-be pursuers¡­ ¡°You three, stay in the middle don''t use energy fighting. The rest of you move as one, killing only the ones blocking our part for now. Move out!¡± We move out, staying in a small pressed circle as we force our way through the mass of undead. Each one focusing on keeping them at bay more than killing them as for now we just need to get the report of what is happening here to the village as fast as we can. Hacking and slashing down anything that comes close to us; arms, heads, it doesn''t matter, it all gets put to the sword. A yell from the ¡®front¡¯ of the group lets me know what we have pushed our way through the mass. ¡°We are out!¡± Now it''s time for the runners to make their move. ¡°Runners to the front, move! Anyone else block any of them that tries to take after them!¡± Shouts sound out agreeing, now the real fight begin. They take off, fast, I will give them that. A few undead try to take off after them but are quickly dealt with. ¡°Form a line! Hold the line!¡± A line of swords now blocks the undead from the path of the runners. We need to keep moving or we will be swarmed in moments. I see the familiar skeletons and what I can only think of as zombies and something that moves a bit faster then them¡­ Ghouls, I think the name is, anyway they are faster and seemly stronger than the slow-moving zombies. I also spot a few zombie hounds and skeleton hounds in between the mess of bodies. ¡°Keep moving backwards! Slowly!¡± How many have we killed since we let the runners go? How far have we been forced to move back? We are holding our line but the constant fighting with our life on the line against a brainless mass of meat is starting to show. While we will need to rest the undead keep on attacking us. We will need a break soon. I step back, fending of the swing of a rotten arm. Think! A chance to get a break, think! Shifts!! Grabbing the shoulder of the male next to me, I lightly push him back and move to the next one, a female, grabbing her shoulder as well. ¡°You two! Move back, take a break!¡± We continue fighting, stepping back. Ten minutes and we have reached the two resting. They move to my left and starts to fight once more. Good. I grab the two next people on my right. ¡°You two! Your turn!¡± Good, this we can do to keep up, I hope. Female Runner''s POV We have been running for a few hours now, only the three of us. Not a single word has passed between us since we started running¡­ The servant of the human is looking ahead, he had a steadfast look in his eyes. Nothing of the despair that was in them when he was told to go ahead of his master, no now the only thing remaining is the end goal. We push forward, we were chosen to run due to the fact that we were not out of breath and that the human seemed to have faith in that boy named Ashko. But he is not the only one who wants to prove himself here, I too want to prove that I can be counted on even if I''m a female warrior. I''m not naive, I know why most warriors are males, our race is slowly dying due to the lack of females among us, but I want to stand on the front line! I want to become one of the lady''s trusted knights, the greatest honor one of our race can receive. So when I heard that a human male had gained the Queen''s honor and was granted four Shadar-Kai to serve him, I knew that I would have to go and train there. When I saw him for the first time, I was baffled, why would our great and all wise Queen grant such a young boy the honor of receiving her mark? But again and again he proved to not be a simple human, he was cold and uncaring yet at the same time showed great loyalty to his comrades¡­ A young mage? But what need would the Queen have for such a foul magic? What can he possible do that we as her children can not? But I do not question our lady for she guards the fate of us all and if she has decided that she is going to need that human then we can''t be late in getting help to him! Varo''s POV A guard come crashing into the room with a weird look on his face. ¡°Sir, you better get out here. Some of the young have returned with dire news.¡± ¡°Lead the way!¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± As I run to the gate following the guard I see three of the young who left for the week. Something has gone wrong! They have returned to early and there are only three. Wait, that is one of the vessels for the boy. The first to speak is that boy. He is out of breath but unlike the two others he seems to be refusing to fall down. ¡°Please! Send help! A Nighthaunt!¡± What¡­ No, they are long gone from this world¡­ But looking at the breathless young and the terror they seem to have seen I must believe in them. ¡°How far from here?¡± The boy''s face seems to go through a lot of emotions all at once before he answers me. ¡°Eight hours fast run from the valley! It lead a large group of undead, sir! M-master told us to warn you of an oncoming army.¡± He draws in a breath. ¡°Please sir, send help!¡± If they are against a terror of old they will need all the help they can get, elleven went out and three came looking for help. How long will eight youngsters last? ¡°Prepare eight horse at once we need to get them back! And ready the defences!¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± Hold on young ones we are coming! Riin''s POV The last light of the day has passed and the endless fighting continues, we have made small rests along the way but even with them we are starting to lose focus as we continue the fight. How many have we killed so far? I stopped counting after I reached fifty in total between the skeletons and the zombies but I did bring down two of those ghouls and one of the zombie dogs. Worst smell ever! The pearly white eyes shine behinds the mass of dead, letting us know that we are not out of the woods. A scream of pain is released to my left. I cast a look as I strike down another zombie. A female has her arm ripped off below the elbow, it''s now nothing more than a mangled mess of leftover meat. The two who are resting runs to rejoin the fight. Good, they are thinking fast now, without me even having to yell at them. ¡°Hold the line!¡± I slip out of the line and drag her away from the fight. It''s bleeding strongly now, if nothing is done soon she will be dead within a few minutes. I look around and spot one of the guys who holds a torch. ¡°Give me one of those torches!¡± A female comes running with hers and as soon as I grab it she is back in the fight. Very good. I look down at the girl in front of me. ¡°Hold still I need to close the wound!¡± Between the grunts of pain and the small sobs, she answers me with a surprisingly clear voice. ¡°Just do it.¡± Okay¡­ sure, let me just press a burning stick into your open and bleeding stump of an arm, nooo problem miss. She is in a great amount of pain and even as she tries to hold in her screams, she can''t, as the fire burns the torn flesh and close up the blood vessels, she passes out from the sheer amount of pain as the body goes into a state of shock. The two who need their rest comes and takes over the tending of the girl, carrying her further away from the battle. Blood drips from the small wounds and our breathing leaves a trail as we move back, each and every one of us is covered in cuts and breathing heavily, but none of us will back down. A skeleton hound leaps at us and has its skull bashed in the moment it comes into range. Still the feeling that the Nighthaunt gives off never leaves, always letting us know that it is near. A shout from behind makes me turn my body to the side so I can see what''s going on. ¡°Look!¡± And man do I see it, black riders. I can''t help but to smile as I see Varo''s face among them. Grabbing the one to my right and the one to my left. ¡°Move out! Get going!¡± We are now five people holding the line. I hear the shouts and cheers as the riders pick up the tired young and rides off. A quick look and I see that the wounded girl is also being carried off. ¡°You two move out!¡± Just three people hold the line now, we just need to buy some time for the others to get on the horses, just a bit more time that''s all I ask. It should work, with all the killing I have been doing it should work! Deep breath, focus. Little one, I need time to get out of here, help me! ¡­ A short moment and the shadows rip open as the legs of my little beauty shows off the striking power and speed of the giant spider kin. I leap back getting out of range. ¡°Your hand!¡± Varo to the rescue, heh. I grab his outstretched hand and I''m pulled onto the horse. We turn around and set off towards the village. Good job little one! Pull back! Father¡­ Safe? Yes, thank you! I go now. Yes. Over the sound of hooves hitting the ground Varo yells back to me. ¡°Are you okay, boy!?¡± ¡°Yes, but let''s hurry back! I doubt that gargoyle will stay put!¡± ¡°Your right! That beast will attack us as soon as it can get its army there!¡± Chapter 43 - Ablaze Proofreader: BrokenOlive Chapter 43 - Ablaze ¡°She was beautiful, but she was beautiful in the way a forest fire was beautiful: something to be admired from a distance, not up close.¡± By Terry Pratchett. Riin''s POV Shadowfell, Somewhere along the northern border, Date Unknown Week Thirty-three A few days have passed after we got rescued from the mass of walking dead by Varo and the other guardsmen and made it back to the village. The night was spent without much rest as all able bodies ran around preparing the village and its walls for the coming assault. The ride back to the village had been swift on the shadow horses, not much was said between us as we spent the small time we had resting up. The Shadar-Kai call them nightmares, the horses are meat eaters and hunt in packs in the wild, crazy if you ask me, a freaking meat eating horse¡­ As the first daylight of Shadowfell¡¯s lighter darkness lights up the world around us, the restless army of the Nighthaunt marched towards the villages gates. We are now surrounded by a swarm of undead that relentlessly tries to get pass the gates and over the walls. The only ones who are left in the village and is able to fight is around fifty guards and fifty young people and that is not counting the normal villagers who are helping with the wall. Fires are lit along the wall and as the undead climb up they are burned by the ready guards and villagers that stand guard. Why do I feel like I have been in this kind of situation before, trapped behind a wall¡­ Oh that right I have! Why me¡­ What did I do to deserve this¡­ I mean I''m a good person, sure I have killed a few people but I mean they had it coming so you can''t really blame their downfall on me. So, why do I always end up surrounded by things that want to kill, eat me or both?! Oh well, I will get them for this at some point I swear, the smell of rotting flesh and the constant noise, it''s hell! Well, since we have been sitting here doing mostly nothing, I got a good chance to check out the outcome of the fight in the forest.
Message have been compiled into a smaller text. You have slain [Zombie] x50 granting you 2,500 experience and [Skeleton] x40 granting you 2,000 experience. 2 [Ghouls] were also slain by you granting you 400 experience and 1 lone [Zombie Hound] fell you, granting you 200 experience. In this battle, you gained a total of [186] [Shadow Affinity].
The problem with being trapped is that you tend to run low on or even out of essential items like food, and at the current moment no one knows when anyone will come close to the village. But Varo did say that a travelling caravan of some kind of race that he called ¡®plane travelers¡¯ are expected in a few weeks so that''s a bit of good news. For now the food that is in the village is being given in rations to make it last as long as it possibly can, luckily we don''t have to worry about water as the village has its own well. But that just leaves the problem of how the fuck does he think those plane traveler guys are getting inside the village¡­ I mean we are fucking surrounded by a stink bomb known as the living dead, but hey, what do I know. Oh, did I mention that I almost got fully tackled by Ashko when we returned with Varo, apparently he felt really bad that he had to leave me behind. But as I told him no one would have made it back if not for him and the two other runners and the safety they provided to each other as they ran. I will just keep quiet about the sole reason that I selected two more people to run with him¡­ I only let them run along so that they would work as decoys if they were attacked. They might have been training for a few weeks but they have not been pushed like Ashko and the others. For the time being I have sent Shagi and Theadis to help carry the heavy wooden planks and iron to reinforce the gates and repair the wall. It will help to build up their base strength while making use of them. Ashko is running messages from and to the different people and workers around the village and along the wall. When he gets a break between the running he is bringing me and the others food and water. I want to build up his endurance and I''m limited within the village so I have to make use of what''s available to me, I will break down his body and rebuild it stronger than before. In the meantime I''m having Ivani receive hand to hand combat training by yours truly. Since the assault on her, I have come to realise that while I did train them all from the start, the base of a female''s muscle mass is vastly different from that of a males. Her upper body is much weaker as a base then any male her age, even if that''s not counting Ashko in the mix. The problem I found was that as she is being held down the difference in strength became too vast between her and her attacker, if male. Since I can''t really remove the gap between the male and female body build, I have decided to teach her how she can get out of a hold done by a much stronger opponent. I hope that this will help her should she ever get attacked again and no one is there to help her or if she is unable to avoid a direct confrontation. While I will focus on the release holds that she will need, I want her to learn choke holds, and if I find a chance I want her to learn how to break the neck vertebrae with both her hands and her legs. So while she might be a fast runner and an amazing archer she is still too weak when it come to close combat, so for now that will be my focus to improve on. Other than that I get to enjoy a beautiful girl lightly dressed and covered in a thin layer of sweat, now there is just something hot about that, if you ask me. So as we train I enjoy the sight of her and her heavy breathing as I pin her down on the ground again and again, feeling her full body under me. At some point I will have to get a taste of her. Week Thirty-four The day and night cycle with the undead continues as one is struck down while two more seem to take its place, the only good thing is that no one has been in close battle with them since they have yet to breach the gates or make any real damage to the wall. As the week slowly comes along, it becomes more and more clear that at some point they will breach the gates, we repair it the best we can but they just keep coming in waves. We created an extra layer to the wall to buy us some more time, using an oil substance that burns for longer periods of time. But like the mindless dolls that they are, they obey their master''s call and continue on walking straight into the inferno before them. On top of the high stone wall we stand and watch them as they walk closer and closer to the fire before them. We watch them as they stepped into the wall of flames and as the flames engulfed those who walk within them. We behold the bodies as they burn up yet keep walking. We look on at the bodies of the damned as the fire burns out the last remaining spark of anything resembling life as they fall to their knees becoming only ashes. As endless bodies are set on fire by the raging sea below us and only the blacked wind reminds us of the ones who walked beneath us as their ashes get swept away. More take their place in the ever burning sea, as the flames engulf one and another steps in. Like clockwork they keep on walking ahead into the blazing flames in rows of long gone men and women, with only their shell reming but even that will soon become one with the wind. We look on as the wall we build of fire becomes a living sea of walking bodies set ablaze. Again and again they walk in neat rows, like soldiers walking to their own death and even as everything around them burns up, they keep walking until their legs give away. In a way I found it to be a beautiful sight to behold. The flames seems to move on its own as it licked up against the rotten flesh as they walked into it. The sight of the moving bodies burning brightly below us without a sound passing their lips. An ever moving sea of living flames set in motion by the dead.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Why do you smile like that young warrior? Do you know those lost ones?¡± Varo''s deep voice shakes me back into the moment that we are in. Ah, seems like I was smiling more than I knew. Lost ones? Is he referring to the undead burning to a crisp below? ¡°Ah, no I don''t know them. My apologies for my smile.¡± ¡°Death comes to all child, do not pity the fallen for they shall be with loved ones again soon if the lady wills it. Do not apologies for your smile, for the undead, only peace await in death, so smile and laugh for their suffering has come to an end.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± ¡°To be bound even as they have come to their end, the foul creature that bound them to this fate will feel the queen''s wrath soon enough.¡± As they burn up below us Varo keeps talking in that slow and calm voice of his as he looks down on the walking flames. Never does he show pity or sadness as the hundreds of undead takes their last steps to their own end. No, he seems more happy if anything. Is he happy that they will not be free to return to their lady? Even if we smile for two different reasons, we stand side by side in silence and watch as they walk their last march before crumpling to their knees and returning to the ground. Truly a beautiful sight this living sea is. Week Thirty-five Week three of being hold up in the village, after a week of looking at burning corpses I got bored and decided to do some exercise and have now started the same training as I did the winter before I traveled here. So, I started to do some basic running of four hours combined with fifty push-ups and fifty sit-ups and rope jumping for one hour. I made Ivani do twenty sit-ups and rope jumping with me. Ashko is doing the whole program but with half the push-ups and sit-ups. I have Theadis and Shagi do everything that I''m doing plus weight lifting with the help of iron from the smithy. The fire burning the undead has died down and only the slightly blacked ground and the taste of burned flesh in the air remains as a tale of what went on. The sound of the flickering flames is no more to be heard in the night. We have run out of oil to pour down and set fire to. So now we are back to sticking spears into the heads and chests of the ones that wander to close. I kinda miss the sound of the fire, I found it smoothing in a way. As they say ¡®You never know what you have until it''s gone.¡¯ who knew that they had a point. Week Thirty-six Four weeks have passed since we got stuck inside the walls of the village and today they breached the western gate or at least they made a hole in it. I must admit that I''m very impressed by the strength of the undead and their constant barrage against the same ¡®door¡¯ for weeks at an end. Just slamming themselves against it until they break down like broken dolls with their strings cut and is then eaten by their kindred before they move to do the same thing as their predecessors. But we have a different problem at our hands, food. We have about a weeks worth left and by the looks of it the undead are not going anywhere. We have received a fire signal today. Well¡­ I say fire signal but really it was just a burning arrow that was fired high up into the air. According to Varo it is a message that they know we are trapped and that help is coming. When I asked when this help might be arriving he gave a vague answer of ¡®soon¡¯ ¡­ When the fuck is soon!? You don''t tell trapped and hungry people that help will be here ¡®soon¡¯! It''s like telling a woman in labour that the birth will be over soon, ever seen a eighteen hour labour!? That''s not soon for that woman trying to squeeze out a human, that''s fucking forever! There is a reason that the brain forgets the amount of pain it was in during a childbirth¡­ Fucking great, now I''m thinking about child labour while surrounded by the overwhelming smell of decomposing flesh¡­ I really need some fresh air. Week Thirty-seven Soon turned out to be a few days later, without the flames raging beneath the wall I found rest on top of one of the guard towers and it is from there that I''m watching this whole ordeal take place from above. An older male is suddenly standing in the village centre, but as none of the guards seems to think of him as a threat I came to the conclusion that he is either a knight or a retried one, if they can even retire that is. Varo greets the older man with a slight bow, yeah he is definitely someone high up the food chain, that''s for sure. They talk back and forth, while I can''t hear what they are saying from here I can see that some sort of problem has arrived, if the elderly man''s facial expression of utter shock is anything to go by. By the time I have made my way down from my spot and head towards the centre where they are standing, I''m joined by Ivani, who is walking a few steps behind me. I guess she will be helpful if they start talking in their own language and I need a translator, as I get within hearing distance Varo turns to greet me. ¡°Young warrior, you have great timing.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°This is Elder Cree of North Rock, the village that lies on the border and safeguards the pass. He will slay the Nighthaunt, with that gone we should be able to handle the undead gathered here.¡± Hmm, they need an elder to slay a gargoyle, is it really that strong of a monster? ¡°I see, will you be able to do so alone?¡± The man named Cree looks at me for a long time, his eyes are old yet he doesn''t seem weak to me at all, finally he speaks up his voice calm like Varo¡¯s. ¡°A Nighthaunt is an enemy best fought alone, where it has no one to suck the life from and no one to manipulate. But fear not young warrior I walk with the lady''s blessing.¡± Okay¡­ I guess that''s the best answer I will get as a yes(?) to the being able to handle it alone? But while all this is fine and dandy it does not explain why I ¡®have good timing¡¯ at all. ¡°So¡­ What do you need from me?¡± Varo gives me a smile or I think it''s a smile or it might be a very sadistic looking smirk, but I hope not. ¡°You will prepare the young to march out, we shall end this plague that walk on our lady''s land. Go now, we fight at dawn!¡± A fight? I get to let loose some pent up frustration! Sign me up man! Ah, I''m grinning so hard that my cheeks are starting to hurt. ¡°We will be ready!¡± ¡°Ivani, gather the others at once! Meet me in front of the tents!¡± She kneels before the moment her name leaves my lips. ¡°As you command, it shall be done, my master!¡± Ah, just a few more years and I will have my fill of that bouncy body of hers! But for now I will let off some ¡®steam¡¯ on the walking punching bags that we are about to be unleashed onto. Before the tents, a small wooden chair has been place for me, I sit and wait for the rest of the young warriors to gather around. Shagi is standing on my right and Theadis on my left, Ashko is keeping himself half hidden behind Shagi¡¯s larger frame, I wonder if something happened while I was busy with training Ivani? Speaking of the devil, she comes running up to me and kneels before my feet. ¡°As you have commanded, all the young warriors have been brought before you, my master.¡± Ah, the way you let the word ¡®master¡¯ pass your lips makes me want to do so many things to you¡­ But for now I have to focus on the job at hand. Standing up I wave Ivani to the side before speaking the the crowd in front of me. ¡°Listen up! By dawn we shall cleanse the land of the undead that surrounds us!¡± Cheers and a few roars are let loose. ¡°The Nighthaunt will be dealt with by Elder Cree from North Rock! We will thereafter begin the assault! Am I understood!?¡± ¡®Yes¡¯ and ¡®understood¡¯ is yelled from the mass. ¡°Rest! For when dawn comes we go to war!¡± Chapter 44 - Dawn Proofreader: BrokenOlive Chapter 44 - Dawn Raval''s POV Asperd Kingdom, The south wall, Late fall. For almost three years we have been fighting against the armies of the south. The first year I was made to help craft bows and the second year I was sent to ¡®help¡¯ closer to the battlefield, making sure that the bows were holding together well enough. As the third year came we moved closer and closer to the real battle, we did less and less craftsmanship as the weeks passed until we were sent to fight. If I''m to end my days in this sandbox then I will stand side by side with the young, I will not cower behind the wall as the nobles do. If my end shall come then let me end will all my pride intact so that I may face the gods with my head held high. As the first rays of sunlight hits my face I allow myself a short moment to think of a better place than here, not just any place but my home. I close my eyes and recall the smiling face of my sweet Elisa, my beloved wife. I think of my cool headed son and what he might be like in a few years. Forgive me, my beloved, forgive me, my boy, for I will not survive until dusk. Forgive me, my ever loving wife, for I will not see your smiling face again nor will I get the chance to feel your soft skin under my hands again, forgive me. Son, I pray that you grow up to become a strong and outstanding man. I will pray for whatever darkness that clings to your soul to go to the afterlife with me, let me rid you of that burden. I''m all too soon reminded about where I am as the scream of the wounded and the dying echoes around me. I''m too old to fight head on with the people of this land, my body can''t handle the strain anymore. The rain of arrows fall. ¡°Sir! Please get back, please!¡± Ah, why do you follow me out here on this field of death? I send you back with the traders, why are you out here? ¡°Lark? What are you doing here!? Get away from this place! It is no place for a young women to be in!¡± A look of confusing crosses her face for a short time but as always she is a quick thinker and answers me shortly after. ¡°I''m sorry, sir! I can''t go back.¡± Silly child what are you saying? ¡°What are you saying? Go back now!¡± She shakes her head violently while pushing herself forward between the mass of fighters. I wave her back. ¡°Go! Get away from this place!¡± Go, leave, run! Why are you coming close!? Why? ¡°I can''t leave you, sir!¡± Why must you push me to do this? I force the words out of my mouth, they sickens me to my very core. ¡°Lark, leave, return home, that''s an order!¡± She never stops moving towards me, never does her steady look weaver as she forces her way between the fleeing men. You silly girl, you will die here, don''t you know that? ¡°I can''t, sir. I promised master that I would stand by your side!¡± Boy!? What did you tell her!? ¡°I don''t care! Leave, you will die here!¡± She is almost by my side. No, turn around¡­ Run you silly child. ¡°I''m not leaving you, sir! I promised!¡± ¡°What did you promise him?¡± She is by my side now, patting as she answers me. ¡°That I would not let you die alone!¡± ¡­ You silly boy, all life''s precious you know. ¡­ I grab her hand as the sky blackens. ¡°You kept your promise.¡± She has tears flowing down her cheeks but as she answers she sends me a beaming smile. ¡°Yes.¡± Riin''s POV Shadowfell, Somewhere along the northern border, Date Unknown. Week Thirty-eight Five days has passed since Elder Cree killed the Nighthaunt, five days of hacking away at the endless bodies of undead coming at us. Standing in this mess of a battle I think that I preferred it when the Nighthaunt was giving them commands, at least then they were moving in a way that was predictable, now it''s just a cluster fuck of restless man eating rotten bodies coming at us at random. But nonetheless the terminating continues day and night, we move in shifts so that there is always someone killing them off. The Shadar-Kai seems to have a deep rooted hate for the undead, I understand that it has to do with The Lady being a goddess of fate and a guide to the death, but their hate seems to me more like that of a child trying its hardest to get the parent¡¯s attention. I should know¡­ For they remind me too much of myself when I lived with the women that I called mother¡­ ¡°Master.¡± Ivani¡¯s voice brings be back to the present, turning in the direction of it I find her kneeling in my line of sight. Impressive if you ask me, taking into account that I''m resting on top of a tower and she is on the ground. Hmm, what a nice view, I''m glad they don''t have bras here, heh. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The second in command¡¯s son wishes to speak with you, master.¡± Oh? ¡°Tell him I will be there is a few minutes, will you.¡± ¡°As you command, it shall be done, my master.¡± She bows her head before standing up and running off in the direction of Varo¡¯s house. What a shame, really, I was enjoying the view very much, oh well. I push myself up to a sitting position. What is up with Varo¡¯s ability to interrupt my peaceful moments? Maybe he- a window popping up stops anything I might have thought about him.
[Bloodmark]: Link to [Slave: Lark, Human] broken due to: Death.
Lark. ¡­ Lark went with my father. ¡­ Lark is. ¡­ Dead. ¡­ I gave her a order to never leave his side. ¡­ No, he might still be alive. ¡­ Yes, he couldn¡¯t have died! He just couldn¡¯t have!¡­ But Lark is dead¡­ And knowing my father, he would not let her die before him¡­ Even if she was a slave. ¡­ No, he might have ran. ¡­ Who am I kidding? ¡­ Of course he would never run and leave a young women to die in his stead. ¡°Master?¡± There is a chance that he is still alive. ¡­ A chance that it''s only Lark who''s dead¡­ Yeah, Lark could have died of a disease¡­ Or¡­ Or¡­ ¡°Master¡­?¡± An animal attack? Fuck! I can''t think straight! ¡­ Think! Think god darn it! Use that brain of yours! Breath in¡­ deep br- ¡°Mas-¡± ¡°SHUT UP!!!¡± Ivani''s POV The last few weeks since master returned from the forest after having been attacked by a Nighthaunt''s undead has been a constant fight against their relentless attacks. Master had taken to teach me hand to hand combat with focus on holds and locks as he called it. He is just as relentless in his teachings as the undead is in their attack. My body is covered in sweat from the moment I wake up to the moment I drop unconscious on my bed. I can''t count the time I have been thrown to the ground and held down, unable to breath until I was at the brink of passing out just to be released and told to ¡®do it again¡¯. I kind of wish master would use me as his heated looks implied that he wants to, I''m jealous of Ashko in a way, master showed interest in him. Other than the looks of lust I get when we train, he has not laid his hands on me or asked me to his room¡­ Am I doing something wrong? Do I not have a desirable body? Is my chest too small or too big? Do I smell, I hope that''s not it! It was master himself that told me to train more! Argh!If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I saw Ashko at some point running like a madman around the town bringing water, food, and messages to the different guards and groups located along the wall. Theadis and Shagi are working by carrying wooden logs around the town, looks heavy. One of the Elders arrived today as the first daylight came to us, bringing news that the Nighthaunt was brought to its knees, now the cleanup can begin. We work in teams to avoid them wandering around and getting picked up by something else. I heard the guards talking about there being more Nighthaunt''s in the area but I don''t believe them, Nighthaunt are entities of old for them to suddenly appear, that''s just nonsense. The second in command son waves me over as I''m drying myself off from another training session with master. I dislike this man, he was one of the people that tried to get us to look bad infront of master. I give a slight bow, I don''t owe this man any respect but I cannot be too rude to him since his father holds a good rank within this town. ¡°How may I be of help?¡± His eyes looks me over, down my lightly moist body, I can feel his mind thinking of ways to get me, I ignore it. He gives a slight smile as he seems to think of something, I can only hope master don''t give me to him. ¡°Get your master to meet me at my house, I have news that would be of interest to him.¡± ¡°I will go find him at once.¡± I''m glad to be out of his sight, he too old¡­ I mean he''s around my grandfather''s age, not that I mind sleeping with older men it''s just sex but if I have to give my body to someone then I would rather it be master. I walk along the wall and find master on top of one of the guard towers, I wonder if it''s that good up there? Master tends to sleep there a lot so it must at least be peaceful¡­ And here I am, ruining his peaceful moment¡­ ¡°Master.¡± A short moment pass before I hear his voice, it''s thick with sleepiness. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The second in command¡¯s son wishes to speak with you, master.¡± ¡°Tell him I will be there is a few minutes, will you.¡± ¡°As you command, it shall be done, my master.¡± I bow my head before standing up and running of in the direction of the second in command son''s house. The sooner I get the message to him the sooner I can go back to training again. Seventy-six¡­ Seventy-seven¡­ Seventy-eight¡­ Sev- My counting is broken by a foot giving me a ¡®push¡¯ to my rib cage, ah and here I was almost at eighty ¡®push-ups¡¯ as master calls them. Looking up at the foot I find the owner¡­ The second in command¡¯s son and he is looking at me with a promise of pain¡­ ¡°When you came back and said a few minutes I expected you to inform me if he was going to be more than a few minutes! I have guests waiting! Go find him you useless cowered!¡± I nod and run off to the guard tower, master is normally never late to anything¡­ I find him sitting on the roof still, his back to me, why is he not moving, did he fall asleep sitting up? ¡°Master?¡± He is not reacting but he is mumbling to himself¡­ Is he talking to that familiar of his? I better wait until he is done. ¡­ He stopped mumbling but he is still just sitting there¡­ A hand is placed on my shoulder, I spin around and find Ashko looking at me with a nod towards master and answer him in a whisper. I shake my head I don''t know what is wrong. ¡°Why are you here?¡± He answers back in the same low voice. ¡°The second in command¡¯s son is really angry that master is not at his house. He told me to go see why you had not brought master to him.¡± His cheek is slightly red, I guess that the second in command¡¯s son ¡®pushed¡¯ him too¡­ We look at eachother for awhile before Ashko takes a deep breath. His voice is slightly higher than mine ¡°Master¡­?¡± He is not reacting to Ashko''s voice either¡­ But he soon after starts to mumble to himself again, what do we do now? ¡°What are you two doing? The second in command¡¯s son is really angry.¡± Shagi''s slightly lowered voice sounds behind us and we both spin around to find him and Theadis standing and looking at us. ¡°Master is just sitting there¡­ Not reacting to us calling him at all¡­¡± ¡°Oh? Let me give it a try.¡± He smiles and takes a deep breath before half yelling out to master. ¡°Mas-¡± Not that he manage to say much before master¡¯s voice makes him close his mouth faster than I have ever seen anyone do so. ¡°SHUT UP!!!¡± Master finally turns toward us, but I now wish that he did not. He has the same look on his face as when he beat up the two young warriors who tried to sleep with me. Pure rage. His voice breaks the chatter of the town and the guards come running out of the tower looking for the source of the yelling. Riin''s POV ¡°SHUT UP!!!¡± Master, master is that all they can say!? I''m trying to think here for fuck sake. When will they shut their traps!? They keep yapping! Can''t they get a clue when I don''t answer them!? Stupid little shits! I should just shut them up for go- ¡°What happen to your face?¡± Did some peice of shit touch what''s mine again? Great timing, I''m in need of a punching bag right about now. Guess I didn''t get the point across last time¡­ ¡°E-erm I fell, master.¡± World''s most lame excuse¡­ Is that all he could come up with? Oh well, I can''t be asked to care too much about that now¡­ Why they fuck are they all just standing there? Argh, my fucking head! ¡°What do you want anyway?¡± Wasting my time¡­ ¡°The second in commands son is requesting that you come to his house as soon as you can, master.¡± Ah, that''s right I was on my way there when all this shit came crashing down on me¡­ ¡°What does he want?¡± If it''s something random I''m going to fucking kill him. ¡°A caravan of plane travelers is waiting for master in his house.¡± Plane tra- Ah! Awesome timing! They can get me back home! ¡°Why the hell didn''t you say that as the first thing!¡± Wasting my fucking time playing a thousand questions, shit. I dont have the time for this crap. I almost kick the door in as I enter Varo¡¯s house, shitty rotten door if you ask me. I find seven people looking rather shocked at me, what? I don''t have time to waste on knocking. ¡°I''m here so what do you need? I''m in a bit of a hurry, I heard that you guys can travel to the mortal realm, is that true? If so I need a lift.¡± Varo looks even more shocked than the rest of them, what, never heard of non-polite speech? Come on, come on, answer me you fucking greezers! Wait¡­ They don''t look that old, oh well, what''s said is said. The eldest looking man of the bunch speaks up first. ¡°I give greetings to you as well young warrior. What seems to make you in such a hurry to return to your home plane, if you don''t mind me asking?¡± What the fuck is up with today and the thousand questions!? ¡°A slave of mine was just killed and she is together with my father who left to join up with some nobleman, I need to go see what is happening as soon as I can. Now can you get me there or not?¡± They all share a look, what am I missing? Something is wrong here? The older man speaks up again. ¡°Do you not know child? A war has raged between the Asperd Kingdom and the Southern Lords armies for the last three years now¡­¡± War¡­ A war¡­ Lark is dead and a war is going on, father left to help out the nobleman of our region¡­ But that was only about a year and a half ago¡­ Right? ¡°What do you mean with the last three years¡­ Since I¡¯ve come here not more than a half year has passed, at most one and a half year since I last saw him¡­¡± Did I count the days wrong due to the constant darkness? No¡­ Even if I counted it wrong I did not mess up with that many weeks¡­ What the fuck is going on here? This time it is Varo who gives me a sad look. Tell me for fuck sake! ¡°What!?¡± ¡°Boy¡­ The time in the twin realms passes much faster than the mortal realms time, Shadowfell¡¯s time is estimated to pass about double the rate of your home realm¡­ Did you not know?¡± Did¡­ I¡­ Not¡­ Know...? NO! I DIDN''T FUCKING KNOW ABOUT IT! SHIT! FUCKING FUCK PIECE OF FUCKING SHITTY SHIT! Think how many weeks did I spend here¡­ Twenty.. Thirty¡­ Thirty-eight? Yeah, that sounds about right¡­ Fuck it¡­ That means I have been here almost two years¡­ ¡°Two years¡­ I have been here almost two years¡­¡± Varo looks at me with a shocked face, what the hell are you looking so shocked about, huh? Are you not the one that just got told that they spent two years in some godforsaken village in the middle of nowhere surrounded by mutated shit that wants to eat you! ¡°What do you mean with two years¡­ Just how long did you spent out there before you found our young?¡± Why the hell does it even matter? ¡°Some fourteen week, that is if I''m not all wrong about the passing of days...Why?¡± ¡°F-fourteen weeks?¡± Fucking hell why does it even matter¡­ ¡°It doesn''t matter now anyway¡­ So, can you or can you not get me back?¡± The older man stands and walks the few steps over to me, and lays a hand on my shoulder. ¡°The Lady of these lands trust in you and so does her people, we came here on Elder Uwan''s word child, we came to bring you home.¡± Ah, home¡­ That word sounds strange¡­ Yet I find myself longing for it. All I can do is smile to the men standing here. The burning rage is slowly disappearing and I''m left tried. ¡°Thank you.¡± I''m coming home, mother¡­ I''m coming home¡­ Father¡­ Father, a word I used to hate and despise¡­ Now I find that I said it too little and too late¡­ So, this is what it was¡­ Grief¡­ So, this is the feeling called grief¡­ The emptiness¡­ The rage¡­ The helplessness¡­ I never told him ¡®I love you, father.¡¯ not with my feeling of the figure I knew as a father and now¡­ Now I find that I''m too late¡­ Too late to tell the man that it was not him I hated, that it was another¡­ Grief¡­ I don''t like this feeling¡­ The feeling of something trying to rip your insides out with its bare hands and it is slowly succeeding¡­ I don''t like this feeling one bit. A light squeeze on my shoulder brings me back to the room, to the men staring at me with feelings of understanding this grief¡­ But they don''t¡­ They don''t understand that it is not the grief that is slowly killing me from the inside but the fact that I did not tell the man that I cared about him and now it is too late. For even if my life ends, I shall not cross paths with him again¡­ While he shall walk on the white planes of the afterlife, I¡­ I shall burn in the everlasting fires¡­ I don''t fear this¡­ I don''t fear my death that is to come, what I fear is the fact that I shall never lay eyes on that man again¡­ Never shall I see his smile as he calls out to me¡­ ¡°When do we leave?¡± Ah¡­ Even my voice is a bit horse, well it''s all good as long as I don¡¯t start to cry. ¡°At dawn, young one,¡± ¡°I will get my things packed up.¡± Varo speaks up just as I turn to leave. ¡°Fear not for the death, young warrior. You shall meet again at the Queen''s palace.¡± I can''t help but to smile, a bittersweet smile¡­ ¡°No, that man and I shall not meet, not even in the afterlife, our paths are too far from each other. As far as the shadows of this place and the light of the Feywild.¡± He speaks no more, for I have made my point as clear as the daylight that alludes this place. I take my leave¡­ I need to get away from the eyes that hold pity in them, I can''t stand the sight of them feeling pity for me. I don''t need their pity, what I need is for them to bring me back home¡­ ¡°Home¡­¡± Ivani''s sweet voice reaches me. ¡°Master?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I turn around and find the four of them standing in my door peeking in, they seem unsure if they should enter¡­ Its not like them, come to think of it I did yell quite a bit at them¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there and block the door, get in here and help me pack.¡± They slowly come into the room, looking around¡­ They want to say something, they might as well be standing with a darn sign saying ¡®May we please have a word.¡¯... Brats¡­ Ah, I find myself smiling. ¡°Speak up if you have something to say.¡± ¡°Master let us come with you!¡± Theadis voice is as clear as the night sky. I look at them and into their eyes, they will come with me even to the unknown of my world, all I have to do is say the word. ¡°No. You will stay here.¡± ¡°Master!?¡± The four of them speak up at once, a cry of defiance. The first to form a longer question is Shagi. ¡°Master, please tell us why you do not want us with you. Are we that unreliable?¡± I laugh out loud at that. ¡°Unreliable? No, you are not. The reason is simple-¡± They are staring holes in my soul, wanting to hear the answer. It seems that they have all but forgotten about the things that has happened the last few weeks¡­ ¡°- You have your own war to fight in. Prove yourself in it and I shall deem you worthy to stand by my side and serve me as the lady want. But if you can''t even handle the undead that roam this world don''t think for one second that you can handle my world.¡± They look at me with big eyes, I see shock and shame pass by¡­ Fucking brats¡­ No, I''m a brat as well, am I not? Yeah, this body of mine is but a child¡­ ¡°Heed my command and follow!¡± They hurry and kneel in a line before me, ah¡­ that brings back memories of the first time I laid my eyes on them, heh. ¡°We hear and obey, Master!¡± Ah, so eager they are¡­ But who am I kidding, I''m just as eager to see that battlefield, to prove that the time spent was not a wasted time. Yes, the time to prove myself has come, wait for me¡­ Wait just a short while. ¡°Go forth and slay the undead that plague your lands! Prove to all that you are my warriors! Show them my faith in your abilities to fight, your strength to stand with your head raised high on the battlefield! Only once you have slaughtered your enemy shall you be allowed back by my side! Now, go out onto the world with your heads raised high and scream at the top of your lungs that you are the rulers of the battlefields! Become my sword, become my shield, become my shadow!¡± The unity of their voice rings out clear in the lightly lit room. ¡°As you command, we hear and obey, master!¡± The last of the light slowly fades away as the day finally comes to an end, now I eagerly await the new dawn.