《Axe from North》 Chapter 1. The day when I died. Chapter 1. The day when I died. *Beep* *Beep* ¡°Ahhhh! It¡¯s already morning.¡± I heavily open my eyes. *Beep* *Beep* ¡°I heard you the first time!¡± I say while trying to turn off the alarm clock. I guess it¡¯s a time to introduce myself. My name is Markus Ryley born about 16 years ago and the 3rd child of my family, or as I refer to myself ¡°The Phantom son.¡± Most likely you are wondering why, well it¡¯s because I¡¯m somewhat of an oddball while my siblings, let¡¯s just say, ¡°Shine brightly.¡± Speaking of bright¡­ ¡°None! Not even one damn cloud! All that praying¡­ Stupid dancing¡­ And not even one!? God must be ignoring me, as usual...¡± Depressed I slowly walk from the window to my wardrobe and begin the tedious task of dressing myself. While I¡¯m still putting my pants on, my door opens without even a knock ¡°Damn forgot to lock it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still just getting up?¡± said beautiful girl who looks like a doll with her slim body and long brown hair. ¡°Did nobody teach you how to knock?¡± I say with an unpleasant expression. ¡°Hahaha! As if there¡¯s anything worth hiding!¡± said my sister Lily who is 2 years younger than me. She¡¯s also the 4th and youngest child in our family. ¡°Did you come just to mock me?¡± I said with a tired expression, ¡®Her looks and personality really don¡¯t match up.¡¯ ¡°No, mother said to tell you that breakfast is ready.¡± Most likely it¡¯s already cold. That¡¯s how it has always been here and most likely how it always will be. My oldest brother is an amazing swimmer and what I mean by the word ¡®amazing¡¯ is that he¡¯s training for the next Olympic games¡­ My second brother is pretty much a genius who even skipped a grade¡­ and my dear little sister, not counting that personality of hers, plays violin and has a voice like an angel, ¡®No matter how much it pains me, even I have to admit that.¡¯ Now we come to me, the amazing ¡®I did my best, but sadly failed¡­¡¯ So yeah, most of the time in this family I¡¯m kind of ignored and left alone¡­ ¡°Thank you¡± I say with a smile. ¡°¡­¡± My sister turns around and leaves with a sour expression that only makes her look cuter. Is it so disgusting to see me smile? Oh well, even on such a hellish day that sour expression on Lily¡¯s face made me feel better. ¡°Yeah, we are definitely brother and sister¡± I chuckle a bit while turning around and looking at my reflection in the mirror. Before me stands a short guy wearing glasses with only his pants on. His upper body has no visible muscle; on the contrary, he¡¯s so skinny that you might think he hasn¡¯t eaten for months¡­ ¡°Haaaah, I look like someone who was just recently released from a concentration camp¡­¡± as I inspect my body further, my mood darkens. ¡°¡­ I probably need to find time to at least do some jogging, if I continue to spend all my time playing video games and watching anime, even when I die I¡¯ll look like this¡­¡± On New Year''s Eve I made a vow to myself that I would change, and with summer break in sight I plan to start my workouts! Of course nothing drastic, only about a half hour to an hour a day of light training should be a good start. ¡°Just you wait! Before I go to college, I¡¯ll become a different person!¡± while I¡¯m pumping myself up with a motivational speech. I finish putting my clothes on and leave the room. ¡°Surprise, surprise!¡± What I find when I descend the stairs is an already cold omelet with a glass of juice on the table. ¡°Haa¡­¡± With a sigh I move to the table and the omelet of course, goes inside microwave for few minutes. Well it¡¯s not a big deal but what really get¡¯s to me is that I¡¯m not called to eat together with everybody else¡­ Well I could wake up earlier, but what¡¯s the point if I would feel like an uninvited guest...? After having my breakfast I head out. ¡°I am going! Have a nice day!¡± I shout it as always while about to leave. ¡°Take care, Markus.¡± I hear back while closing the door. The voice came from the other room so it wasn¡¯t loud, but I could clearly hear my mother¡¯s words. Normally no one responds to me, so this was really strange, but with the smile I brush it off and say ¡°okay!!¡± determined not to be too negative. Because of that I walk down the street smiling, you see I don¡¯t really hate my family, after all they are still my family (apart from my sister), so I still want to be on good terms with them and feel a part of it (of course excluding my sister because I hate that double face bitch). Not even in my worst nightmares I would have imagined that it was my last conversation with my mother¡­ I¡¯m walking to a meeting place; you see today my class is having a school trip. We will be visiting two museums; I believe one has to do with war and about the other¡­ I have no clue since I am not interested. Anyway, today I will have to put my survival skills to the test¡­ ¡°Ah¡­ Damn I¡¯m already here¡­¡± My meeting place was about 15 minutes by foot from my house, so I got here faster than I wanted to, I see people in the distance so I make my way over to them. As I¡¯m walking over to them I notice my teacher, she¡¯s wearing simple plain clothes like always. I believe her age is about 35 years and she¡¯s married, but I¡¯m not 100% sure about that. She looks at me and nods to herself. From what I can see apparently I am the last to arrive. ¡°Sorry for being late.¡± I say to my teacher, though I¡¯m not very sincere, since I would have preferred not to come here at all, but if my mother would have heard about me purposely skipping a school trip then¡­ Heaven help me! I hear some of my classmates start to laugh but my special skill ¡®Ignore all¡¯ is already on. ¡°Hey Markus!¡± ¡°Yo! Coming last like always.¡± Todd Kaminski and Josh Hurrell greet me, these two are something I might call friends. Since both of them are hard gamers I can at least have a normal conversation with them, unlike with most people. ¡°Todd, Josh.¡± I greet them ¡°what¡¯s new?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Nothing new, same old.¡± While Todd was speaking the bus arrived. ¡°Everyone get inside and find your seat!¡± Shouted teacher. Since the bus stopped near us, those two were the first to get inside, next it was my turn, I was stepping through open bus doors when suddenly someone charged in and pushed me aside. ¡°Ugh¡± I groaned while hitting my leg to the door. Pain surged through my knee. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± said the person who charged in, It was Robby Haan¡­ He had mocking smile on his face so I knew that this was no accident. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. He¡¯s something like the top dog in our class, and for the past few years he would go out of his way to make my life hell. Another reason why hardly anyone talks to me in class, since they see me as a loser¡­ and no one wants to be friends with loser. ¡°Rob, be more careful¡± said Kaitlyn Enslay following him, She¡¯s the most beautiful girl in our class if not the whole school, with her slender body, long dark brown hair and deep blue eyes which seem to look straight into your soul. She looked at me and gave a simple smile. ¡°Why are you defending him it¡¯s his fault for not looking around!¡± Adan Dauer said with an insulting tone. ¡°Stop stalling and all of you get inside!¡± shouted teacher from the back of the line. In my class there is 25 students, 5 of them make something like a top group, which I call ¡®five clowns¡¯ of course when no one hears. These ¡®five clowns¡¯ consists of Jarvis Gervase, Adan Dauer, Alease Liddell, Kaitlin Ensley and their leader Robby Haan. They are a group of friends who spend most of their time together at school. Why am I grouping Kaitlyn together with them? The answer is simple, because everything is her damn fault. It took me some time to understand this, but apparently Robby has wanted to make Kaitlyn his girlfriend for some time. While Kaitlin on the other hand friend zoned him for unknown reasons. So he took his frustration out on me, her neighbor (yes I am that beauties neighbor and childhood friend). Maybe not really friend but she was the only one who at least talked with me when we were little (yes even as a child I was a person of a few words who stayed mostly alone). But as we got older¡­ Let¡¯s just say in the last few years we haven¡¯t really had even one descent conversation. Robby doesn¡¯t care about that, he was frustrated, and so I was a perfect punching bag for him. But as Robby was bullying me Kaitlin somewhat took my side and that made things even worse. In other words, we are just going in circles with me taking all the pain. ¡°Ahh¡­ Why can¡¯t they just leave me alone¡± I mumble to myself, because of those two love birds who can¡¯t sort out their feelings I have to get beaten up, my money is taken and on top it all I am called loser by everybody (well Todd and Josh are also called weirdo¡¯s so¡­) on daily basis. Finally with my throbbing knee I get on the bus, of course as a last person not counting teacher. And of course I sit alone¡­ With the start of the engine our journey begins. The bus leaves our hometown and is heading for the city; it will take about three hours until we will arrive at our destination. Since I was the last to board the bus I got a seat at the front of it, behind me I hear a lot of laughing, giggling and shouting. Apparently everybody is having a great time. ¡°How annoying¡± I whisper. By the way, my two buddies are siting in the same row as me, just on the other side of the bus. And from the looks of it they are deeply immersed in their own world. I turn silently to my window and go back to doing what I am good at. That is trying to be invisible. ¡°Mhm¡­ Maybe all that nonsense from the Internet wasn¡¯t just crap.¡± As I look through the window I notice that it¡¯s starting to rain. (PR: where did he look at the internet??) I just keep siting here and looking through my window silently, watching the road go by like it¡¯s the most interesting thing in the world. I managed to sit like that already for about an hour undisturbed. ¡®All hail skill of invisibility!¡¯ I shout in my head. By the way it¡¯s not just raining anymore because right not there¡¯s a goddamn storm! ¡°It looks like I am really talented at wishing for rain, but it could have started a few hours earlier.¡± While I proudly look through the window, a small tomato hits the seat in front of me. While understanding that I was the target, out of reflex, I look back. There are a number of people looking at me and grinning while some are even giggling. ¡°Damn these bas¡­¡± *BOOM* suddenly I hear an explosive sound that interrupts my thoughts. I think it was one of the front tires. *Screech* The bus driver hit the brakes but there is a heavy storm so the road is completely wet. *Screech* ¡°kyaaaa¡± *screech* I heard some of the girls screaming, the situation really got worse fast as the bus started to spin a little. *Screech* As I looked straight, I saw that we are taking a dangerous turn, and if we don¡¯t stop we will slide down the hill. And the bus started going sideways¡­ ¡°This will not end well¡­¡± *Screech* We really are just stupid kids, trying to look cool by not wearing the god damn seat belts¡­ As I was trying to grab mine, the whole bus shook as it left the road. ¡°Noooo! We will go down!!!¡± someone shouted. Meanwhile I was still trying desperately to pull my seat belt on, but I couldn¡¯t control myself so every time it just got stuck. We started to slide down the hill. But I guess we hit something because the bus started to roll down. Everything happened in an instance. When I came back to my senses the bus was already was on its roof. As I was lying down on the floor (roof), I felt some tingling sensation in my hand; I looked down and noticed that it¡¯s bent weirdly. Strangely I didn¡¯t feel any pain. ¡°Aaargh¡± I heard moaning from around me. So I looked and saw some of my classmates lying down, not moving, others gripping some parts of their body like arms, legs or head. Near me I noticed Todd. Blood was coming out of his nose and his eyes were just staring lifelessly. This was truly hell¡­ and most likely shock and adrenaline was what still kept me going. ¡°I need to get out of here¡­¡± while saying that I tried to get up. But I immediately had fallen back down. ¡°Strange why is it so unstable? Wait¡­ Don¡¯t tell me we¡¯re still falling!?¡± I turned my head and saw that we were still going down pretty fast. And what¡¯s more right in front of us is a huge tree (I feel like I have to mention this but everywhere around is a grassland, and only this one tree at the foot of the hill¡­). ¡°Ohhh! Shiiitttt!!!¡± I shout the only word that came to mind¡­ In that instant I heard a crashing sound, the impact was so strong that I flew and hit the side of the bus really hard. Immediately a huge pain ran all over my body, but just as suddenly the pain started to numb. Evidently my last breath was leaving me. Everything bit by bit was getting darker¡­ == End of chapter 1 == Chapter 2. Is this heaven? Chapter 2. Is this heaven? As my last breath left me and my vision started to get darker I knew that ¡®this is it¡¯. My end was coming and I saw no flashbacks like some say. It was only getting colder and darker. The first thing I felt was regret that I won¡¯t be able to play new game that will come out next week and I waited for it more than a few years¡­ Now I am starting to ask myself ¡®is heaven real?¡¯ or ¡®what will happen to me now?¡¯. As I don¡¯t have answer for them, fear starts to take control of me. Because of the unknown that I am facing. I know that it¡¯s been only few seconds, but they were longest in my whole life. It looked like time stopped for me. They were so long that I wanted for my death to come faster since this was pure torture¡­ Finally my vision was getting completely dark. And I am seeing the last rays of light. But before darkness completely takes over me suddenly something moves. ¡®Did somebody move? I guess there got to be some lucky bastards to survive. Well I never had any luck so fuc¡­¡¯ my consciousness starts to get foggy. I feel nothing. I hear nothing. But I still exist in this darkness. ¡®So dark.¡¯ ¡®So dark.¡¯ Suddenly a ray of light came to me. Gradually getting bigger. Well I don¡¯t see it, but strangely I can see it or more likely I ¡®feel¡¯ it. And no I am not talking about touching it with my body. It¡¯s hard to describe. But this ¡®feeling¡¯ is coming from all of my existence. ¡®Wait I think this light isn¡¯t getting bigger but instead I am getting closer to it. So I guess I am no longer in my body¡­¡¯ As I am getting closer and closer. I start to feel warmth. A really nostalgic warmth. Like after a long journey you finally are coming home to your family which is waiting for you with warm smiles and just cooked dinner (well a home to which I always wanted to come back). I don¡¯t know what is waiting for me ahead but the idea ¡®that I just didn¡¯t disappear¡¯ is already putting me in a better mood. It¡¯s really impossible to tell how long I have been travelling. But I think it¡¯s been quite a while. And it looks like I am getting close. Since what started as a ray now is like blazing sun in front of me. And I am full of anticipation of what is waiting for me ahead. My destination is so close. It looks like if I thrust my hand forward I will be able to touch it (well if I had hands¡­). But suddenly some kind of different force came out of nowhere and surrounded me. This force started to pull me away from where I was going before. Once again I can¡¯t say how long I was being dragged through¡­ Hm¡­ Let¡¯s just say space. But it¡¯s been really long. And that blazing sun became once more just a small ray of light. ¡®It doesn¡¯t feel right¡­ Somehow this shouldn¡¯t have happened. Maybe I was deemed unworthy and now I am being dragged to the bottom of hell?¡¯ Fear is starting to take shape inside of me again. ¡®Ugh..¡¯ Wait what was that? It felt like I went through something. ¡®U..¡¯ And once more. These things that I don¡¯t understand starts to really annoy me. Feelings of me going through something which is like some kind of ¡®barrier¡¯ is steadily increasing in number. Looks like I am starting to pass more and more of them. *Blink* ¡®Now it¡¯s even blinking as if someone is photographing me¡­¡¯ ¡®Aarrgh! What¡¯s going on here?¡¯ These walls and blinking started to go really fast and non stop. This is making me dizzy for some reason. I am starting to feel really not well. Then suddenly blinking stopped and darkness was around me. ¡®Damn it did I really go to hell?¡¯ I wonder while rubbing my stomach to feel better. ¡®Wait, wait, wait! I am touching myself?¡¯ I notice that this darkness is different from before it¡¯s more familiar. ¡®It feels like my eyes are closed¡¯ so I try to open them. Brightness floods me. ¡®Ahh this feeling. I am back in a body.¡¯ It takes few seconds until my eyes adjust to the light here. And when they do all I see around is a mist. ¡°Ugh¡­ This brightness¡­¡± I hear familiar voice behind me. I turn around and what I see is a bunch of people. People who I know. And the one who complained like I thought is Robby. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I thought that I died.¡± ¡°I also think that I died back there ¡­¡± ¡°Same here. Also my leg broke when we rolled with bus. But now it¡¯s ok.¡± ¡°Sooo¡­ Is this heaven?¡± ¡°¡­¡± It didn¡¯t take long for my classmates to start a heated discussion about where we are now. Also this place is covered in mist so u can¡¯t really see anything apart what¡¯s close to you. I don¡¯t hear anything except us, nor do I fell any wind. I look down and floor is perfectly white. ¡°At least it doesn¡¯t look like hell.¡± Says someone and I unwillingly nod. As I am looking around I notice something what at first I missed. The thing that here including me is in total just 19 people. So not everybody is here. ¡°Oh! Yeah!¡± I remembered the last thing I saw before darkness. ¡®So there really was those who survived.¡¯ I immediately try to scan through faces to see who is here. Apparently all of ¡®five clowns¡¯ (well they were sitting together), also both of my buddies and some other stupid bunch. Well it looks like teacher, driver and six of my classmates got vitality of a cockroach. While looking around I notice that Todd and Josh saw me and on their tired faces I could see small smiles started to rise. ¡®Sheesh! Damn these idiots are you happy that I died together with you?¡¯ I complain in my head while smiling back. Can¡¯t be helped I guess I will go talk with them¡­ ¡°I welcome you all here.¡± Someone said in an old mans voice. Everyone turned to the side. Most likely everybody thought that they would see an old man, but what was in front of us could be best described as a ¡®ball of light¡¯. ¡°WTF?¡± Almost at the same time was said by pretty much everyone. ¡°Ah! Where are my manners I am Lyru the highest spirit of this world knows as Raghel. And also I am the one who brought you here.¡± Definitely it¡¯s that ball who is talking. ¡°W-What? H-How? No more importantly why?¡± Said Robby. Trying to make sense of what is going on. ¡°To clear your confusion I guess I will start from the beginning. You see I have power to predict future. And I saw that a huge disaster will befall this world of Raghel. For that reason I brought you here¡± said ball of light in a deep old mans voice. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Wait! Let me guess you want us to save it?¡± inclined Robby. ¡°Oh! Great I will not need to explain too much.¡± ¡°But why us?¡± Asked Ama¡­ Asked some random girl (please don¡¯t judge me, but I can¡¯t remember her name¡­). ¡°You see there are many possible futures. And from those possibilities your group of people has the highest chance to bring success.¡± ¡°But that doesn¡¯t give you the right to kidnap us.¡± Looks like Robby regained a bit of his composure. ¡°I did not kidnap you. You all died and were already traveling to Spirit kingdom.¡± ¡°Spirit kingdom?¡± Asked the most calm person here. In other word me. ¡°Yes. After death souls go there. It is a spiritual world out side boundaries of this universe and time itself. I will not go into the details of what happens, if you were good or naughty in your life. But don¡¯t worry you don¡¯t spend there your eternity. In the end, the moment comes when all must enter the cycle of life once more.¡± Tried to explain for us this¡­ Spirit. ¡°Outside of time?..¡± Murmured quite a lot of people including me. Apparently he heard that. ¡°Yes. When a Spirit kingdom is involved, time loses it¡¯s meaning. For example. How long do you think it was since you died?¡± ¡°I think no longer than a day¡± Robby butt in once more. ¡°Ha Ha Ha ha. Using your world time it¡¯s been over a 500 years. That¡¯s how long you been traveling to the Spirit kingdom. So everyone you knew is already long dead and traveling there.¡± This damn spirit with a laughing voice brought to us such shocking news. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. You will get there eventually and memories of all your past life¡¯s shall return. And you will be reunited with most of people, who you knew.¡± He tried as if to call us down. ¡°Ok. So as I understand we had to go to this ¡®Spirit kingdom¡¯. So why do we have to do anything here, for you?¡± In a quite annoyed voice asked Robby. Well he¡¯s not the only one who is annoyed. Even if I hate the guy but in this situation I got to agree. We are no soldiers. Why do we need to fight for this unknown world? Since I am guessing this ¡®disaster¡¯ is most likely some kind of set like in all those games ¡®ancient darkness is rising once more, so a brave hero must stand in the name of humanity¡­ bla.. bla.. bla..¡¯. ¡°Do not worry. I am not such a bad guy to ask of you favors for nothing.¡± It looks like he was waiting for Robs question. ¡°Oh?¡± looks like idiot took the bait¡­ ¡°I will let you live again. By rebirthing in Raghel. Do not worry you will keep your memories. Also to each of you I will give my blessing. So from birth you will be above others and when you grow up something as a top fighter will be quite within your reach.¡± To me he sounded like a salesman who trying to charm you with his product. Because most important thing like always is written in small letter. Since no matter what kind of blessing it is, we will still have to struggle to reach the top. Everyone around was silent most likely deep in thought. So I took this chance to ask ¡°we had to go to this ¡®Spirit kingdom¡¯. So if we reincarnate now and here will it not affect us later when we die?¡± ¡°Oh! Quite a good question. And an answer to it is no. I got permission for this let¡¯s just say ¡®job¡¯.¡± Old man¡¯s voice sounded quite surprised and amused at the same time. ¡°Also if you have these powers why can¡¯t you do something about this ¡®disaster¡¯ yourself? And what do you mean by ¡®disaster¡¯?¡± It¡¯s been bothering me. ¡°Yes, why can¡¯t you do it yourself?¡± Looks like some of my classmates decided to join in on our conversation. ¡°There are rules and laws set by the higher being that stop me.¡± To me he sounded quite angry. ¡°So getting you here and hopping for the best is the most I can do¡­ Even thought fate of the entire world depends on this. I can only place such a huge burden on you. This is also a reason why I can¡¯t give you a new grown up bodies¡­¡± Was he now sounding tired or depressed? ¡°And about what it is¡­¡± he made a pause as if going into a deep thought. ¡°Sorry but I can¡¯t say it for your own good. Since if all of our pasts is written on stone, when our future is on a small, frail, little flower. That means some thing must go down in their natural order. Also what life is without some surprises. Ha, ha, ha!¡± ¡°Mmh. So should we do it?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Some from the group started wondering. ¡°Do not worry we will do what you ask of us.¡± Full of pride said Robby. But somehow I believe he has other goals in mind. Since protecting those in need is not for someone with his personality. If you ask me he¡¯s more of a person, who will use everything and everyone to gain what he wants. I thought there will be at least few who will argue with him. But it doesn¡¯t look like it. Well I also am uncertain about this ¡®Spirit kingdom¡¯. So I better stay here and live once more remembering who I was, who I am and most importantly who I want to be. ¡°Great! But I have one condition. You all need on your 20th birthday come to Talabauim, the capital city of Ramir kingdom. And show yourself before the king. Also since you will be born in all corners of this world, this most likely will be the first time when you shall see each other again.¡± ¡°So who wants to be the first to reborn?¡± In a happy voice asked Lyru. Well it doesn¡¯t really bother me but others¡­ Some girls are even crying as saying goodbyes¡­ I can¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Let me be first.¡± I say while walking forward. ¡°Good. Ah one last thing. All of you will have star shaped mark on your right shoulder. Show this and you will be allowed to meet king on your 20th birthday. Remember this because those, who fail to meet him, will lose my blessing.¡± While being serious explained spirit. ¡°Ah! When I reborn I will be a guy right?¡± I almost forgot that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if I can¡¯t control rebirthing process, but know this gender doesn¡¯t change So let¡¯s begin¡­¡±calmed me old man¡¯s voice. ¡°Great so it up to my luck what I will be¡­¡± I already got demotivated since I have none. Lyru started shining. So brightly that I had to cover my eyes. Before I could notice anything it suddenly became dark. ¡®Nice! Darkness again¡­¡¯ == End of chapter 2 == Chapter 3. My new family. Chapter 3. My new family. Darkness and emptiness surrounded me only for a moment. It didn¡¯t take long until wave of emotion and feelings surged through me once more. ¡®I can¡¯t really see anything but it feels like I am in water. Lyru talked about rebirth so I guess I am still in it. In my mothers belly...¡¯ Out of nowhere drowsiness took over me. For some reason I feel really tired. So I dozed off. ¡®Damn! That was nice sleep. I feel like newly born.¡¯ ¡®Ah. Wait I am still not¡­ Ha Ha¡­¡¯ I try to joke. Well there is nothing better to do in this situation. ¡®Mmm. Normally it would be annoying but somehow that thumping of mothers heart is really calming me.¡¯ ¡®Ok¡¯ I decided to move my limbs and get better feeling of my new body. I start by moving my legs gently. *tap* ¡®Opps! Sorry mother for giving you my falcon kick.¡¯ In my mind I make image of myself bowing my head down and apologizing. After apology I try moving my arms and touching myself. ¡®But it is really hard to control them.¡¯ I put all my concentration to moving my body. ¡®Oh. It looks I am already quite big. Most likely it won¡¯t be¡­¡¯ Once more I am starting to feel really tired. It took only few moments until sleep came to me. ¡®Ahhh!¡¯ I shout the moment I wake up. ¡®It¡¯s really annoying but I got to be careful. It looks like I don¡¯t have a lot of stamina. I am still baby so I need to take everything easy.¡¯ ¡®I got to take care of my new body. I will definitely won¡¯t repeat mistakes of my past life¡­¡¯ ¡®Haaa¡­¡¯ I sight heavily remembering my old life and my family. ¡®I wonder how they have reacted to my death?¡¯ I know they were lousy as a family, but still I kind of miss them even including that annoying double faced bitch. ¡®No, no! I won¡¯t get depressed. I got to move on. It¡¯s a new life, a new beginning.¡¯ I thought while trying to move my arms. I know I said ¡®I will take it easy¡¯, but I got to do something, to not let past take over me. It¡¯s been some time, maybe week. Can¡¯t be more precise since my new room came without a clock or windows. But ¡®that day¡¯ finally came. ¡®Phew¡­ I am prepared. I am not afraid. Now show me this new world!¡¯ I shout to give more confidence to myself since I am really nervous. Of course this monologue is still in my mind, since I can¡¯t make a sound at the moment. And the only way of communication with outside is by using my falcon kick. Mothers muscles is starting to push me out. Well I can¡¯t really do anything in this situation so I am leaving everything to nature. ¡°#O*&%^$#*(*) &*%*% 7%*&(^%& $^$^&__¡± ¡°$&#%$#$!!!¡± As soon as my head got out I started hearing talking around me. Of course I can¡¯t understand ¡®well it¡¯s a different world.¡¯ Someone embraces me. ¡°%$& %&*^%!¡± Suddenly I remember that my eyes are still closed. Most likely I was too nervous to notice it. So I am trying to correct this mistake of mine. For a moment light blinds me ¡®ah it¡¯s been so long I didn¡¯t even notice how much I missed it.¡¯ The first thing I see is the man who is holding me. ¡®Wow¡¯ what I see before me took my breath away for a moment. The man, which is most likely my father, has a scar over his left eye about 6 ¨C 7 centimeters long, thick eyebrows, full face beard which is also more than few centimeters long, strange red straight line like a tattoo starting from below one eye and ending below the other. His hair is dark brown and quite long, going below his shoulders with some small braids weaved in them. As much as I could see his arms are bulging with muscles and he is wearing what looks like a fur vest. ¡®He¡¯s ¡®The Man¡¯. His looks¡­ One word ¡®Macho¡¯. Is he even human?¡¯ I am still in shock. ¡°%#*& @%&)*(&? @^%)_(*&.¡± Asked woman in a deep voice. Since I was still shocked by how my father looks I didn¡¯t really pay attention to it. I immediately noticed that my new father frowned and looked at me. ¡®Huh, what? Did I do something? Oh yeah I am not crying. Need to start crying before I get slapped.¡¯ I remembered hearing somewhere that new born need to cry. ¡°(^^&%$ &%^ *(^*)(&^$.¡± Said a woman again. ¡®Sad thoughts, sad thoughts¡­ Shit I can¡¯t concentrate at all¡­¡¯ My father is taking me in one hand and turning me a bit sideways. ¡°Wouaaa wouaaa wu wu wouaaaaaaaaaa.¡± I am starting to cry from the bottom of my soul. ¡°#$%# %#&#%.¡± said father happily. ¡°#$^&. *^% *&*^$%^#.¡± said woman in a deep voice apparently my mother. Father started to move towards bed. Well I guess you are wondering what made me cry. Right? Answer is really simple I saw my new beautiful mother. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡®It isn¡¯t a woman. It¡¯s a monster, I am telling you it¡¯s a monster from heeeelllll.¡¯ Don¡¯t be alarmed, these are just some thoughts in my head now. ¡°Wouaaa wouaaa wu wu wouaaaaaaaaaa.¡±. Ahh, youth. There was a time I had hopes and dreams of a beautiful mother and a loving family. ¡®Damn you, Reality, you heartless bitch!¡¯ Once more don¡¯t mind me. It¡¯s just some random thought. ¡®Ok! OK!!! Ok! Need to calm down. Let¡¯s look at this rationally. She is my mother¡­ She still might be a good mother¡­¡¯ ¡®No, no, no it¡¯s not how good of a mother she will be. The problem is what kind of CREATURE she is.¡¯ You know I am really trying to calm down, I really do. But ¡­ ¡®And here I was amazed by my father. About how manly he is. But he¡¯s a frigging LADY compared to my new MANLY mother. Her whole body is full of huge bulging muscles by the way of course they are bigger than fathers. Like it should be. Her hair is brown about my fathers length, currently they are really messy, sticking to her face from sweat. Adding more to the charm of my new mother. Strange no beard somehow I was really expecting it¡­ And also I didn¡¯t want to look a lot, because it made me feel like wanting to vomit, but I saw hear body and it is full of scars¡­¡¯ ¡®Ahh, I don¡¯t care anymore. Please LYRU are you there!! Smite me if you can! I changed my mind, let me go to that spirit kingdom.¡¯ One must always know when to fight and when to give up. Of course I am not running away, I just think someone more suited should take my place. ¡®Lyyyrrrruuu!¡¯ ¡°$% $%! %^$&(*%^ &%$ &$*#$!¡± laughed my new father but my mind was already occupied by serious praying to the spirit in heaven¡­ ==== ==== Father¡¯s point of view. ¡°Gurd! Gurd!¡± I heard my wife¡¯s voice from inside the house while I was chopping wood. I immediately put my axe down and run inside. ¡°What happened, Jensina?¡± I ask in an anxious voice. ¡°It¡¯s time. My waters just broke down. Hurry, help me get to the bed.¡± I see a speck of fear in my wife¡¯s eyes which was really unusual. Since I know how fearless she is. But it is our first child. We prayed to the heavens and all spirits of nature that our firstborn would be healthy. My wife especially. And I don¡¯t think she can handle another death after her sister Friin. ¡°Come lie down. I am going to prepare warm water and some towels.¡± I said while putting my wife on the bed. Which is simple straw covered with bears fur I warmed water on fire and took clean towels, which we prepared before hand for this day. I and my wife been in few other child birthing¡¯s so we knew well what to do. The labor was long and I believe really painful but my wife is a strong and brave person so she never let it show. ¡°I already can see a head just a bit more.¡± I said with a smile. ** From hear on MC heard them but didn¡¯t understood. Their words is what meant to be in place of ^$#@#$$ ** ¡°Come on dear you can do it¡± ¡°Push!!!¡± Sweat is running down my spine, since this is the most important moment. Finally the child is born. And as I am carefully wrapping him in a towel. ¡°It¡¯ a boy!¡± I shout happily to my wife. I look to my wife and I can see that she¡¯s really tired. Her hair is a mess and body is covered in sweat. Her breathing is deep and heavy. Bringing new life to this world is truly not easy. ¡°Is he ok? Why he¡¯s not crying.¡± As Jensina asks me, I understand that I let my guard down too soon. We were even told ¡®if child cries you will know that his lungs are working fine.¡¯ And here I almost made a fatal mistake. ¡°Give him a gentle slap on the butt.¡± Says my heavily breathing wife while focusing all her attention on child. I try as gently as I can turn him sideways in my hands. ¡°Wouaaa wouaaa wu wu wouaaaaaaaaaa.¡± But suddenly he started crying on his own. As if knowing what worried us. What a good son. ¡°Didn¡¯t even need to hit.¡± I give a wide smile while saying this to Jensina. I could clearly see that she was really tensed up all this time. Since only now her body is relaxing a bit. ¡°Good. Let me hold him.¡± Asks my wife in a tired voice with a hint of joy. ¡°Wouaaa wouaaa wu wu wouaaaaaaaaaa.¡± Boy is still crying while I am taking him to his mother in bed. And right before I give him to his mother he stops. ¡°Ha, ha! He really knows, who his mother is!¡± I laugh happily. While standing near bed, where my wife with a smile on her face is holding our firstborn. ¡®This is truly a miracle of life¡­¡¯ == End of chapter 3 == Chapter 4. My diary. He is a teenager in a body of a baby. So as children have huge imagination. I tried to think how it would look. In the end I made this strange chapter. ################# Chapter 4. My diary. Prisoner of hell. Entry number 17. ¡®I have been stranded here for what looks like about two weeks. At least I think. Oh god has it been longer? It¡¯s really hard to keep track of time with all this NAPPING TIME.¡¯ I take a look around to see if I am alone. *scratch* ¡®I know what they are doing. First they are making me lose track of time and when I become disoriented they will make me accept strange thinks like MUSCLES. And then I least expect it BAM you are one of us.¡¯ *scratch* ¡®It took me all this time but I finally acquired this secret weapon, the Spear of death. Ha.. Ha.. Ha.. Ha.. (Mad laugh). I am currently in the process of upgrading it, by making it sharper using floor. I will not lie it¡¯s hard and tedious work but I think it will pay back in the future. Yeah you damn gorillas won¡¯t take me alive.¡¯ As I was about to release another mad laugh. I was horribly betrayed. *Growl* I instantly turn to stone. ¡®Need to admit this was a brilliant move. Even if you are my arch enemy HUNGER. Such a low punch I definitely didn¡¯t expect.¡¯ One must never lose composure even facing certain death. *Thump* ¡°@$ is %$*^% $% Asger %%&$?¡± Voice came from the direction of steps. *Thump* ¡®Damn that monster heard me. But there¡¯s no need to panic. I will utilize my ultimate chain attack using falcon kick and then following with the Spear of death. Sorry before hand, it¡¯s nothing personal.¡¯ I quietly give my apologies while preparing. ¡®Now come! Just you and me. It¡¯s a final show down.¡¯ ¡°Ah buh.¡± Don¡¯t judge I am still a child but never less it¡¯s a war cry of a man, before releasing his combo attack¡­ ¡®If I won¡¯t survive¡­ Remember me¡­¡¯ ===== ===== Jensina¡¯s point of view. It¡¯s been already twelve days since I gave birth to our little Asger. Yes me and Gurd had discussed this when I was still pregnant. It took us some time. But we came up with two names one if it¡¯s a boy and one if it¡¯s a girl. And so his name is Asger. A proud name which means the spear of god. Currently Gurd is out. He went to market. Since a caravan of traders from southern human kingdoms came to our town, Landamot. Even thought I am already at my full strength from birth, I stayed at home. As Asger is still only few days old so he need constant watch. Our house is simple, like most in our town. It¡¯s made from two floors. First floor consist of kitchen, hall and small pantry room. Stairs from hall lead to second floor which has only two rooms. One is my and Gurd¡¯s bedroom while the second will be Asgers. If we are going to have another child Asger will have to share. Currently I am in the kitchen making stew with rabbit meat for dinner. And Asger is playing in the hall. He already started crawling and can sit up by himself of course only for a short time. But never less that is making us both, me and my husband, really proud. Since most other kids need at least to be three weeks old until they can do what Asger can now. ¡®He¡¯s definitely going to be a strong warrior.¡¯ Prospects of his future are putting me a bit at ease because here in North only strong survive. This land is not so forgiving as the weak southern lands of humans. While I was thinking about our little boys future a thought ran through my mind ¡®Hmm. It should be about¡­¡¯ *Growl* ¡®Heh, heh. Mothers always knows what their children want.¡¯ Well I finished preparing food so now it only need time to cook. I put everything down and walk to Asger since he¡¯s already let me know that he¡¯s clearly hungry. ¡°Oh is my little Asger hungry?¡± I say upon entering hall. Earlier, when Gurd brought wood for fireplace, a little branch has fallen down. And Asger rushed to it full of curiosity and even know he¡¯s still playing with it in his hands. The moment I walk near him I squat down to pick him up. And then something unexpected happened. ¡°Ah buh.¡± A cute sound was let out by my little Asger while clumsily turning towards me. But he most likely still can¡¯t control his body well since his leg moved forward awkwardly. That made him lose his balance and fall on his back. I could see little tear drops forming in the corners of his eyes. Probably he didn¡¯t like falling down on his back so he moved his arms forward as if asking to be picked up. But even in this situation he still had that little branch in his hand. All this movement and that beautiful sound made me so happy that I wanted to pick him up and embrace him with all my might. But I knew it would be really bad so I had to hold back. ¡®Ahh¡­ It¡¯s so hard.¡¯ ¡°You are so cute while little. Ok, give me that little branch since it¡¯s time to eat.¡± When I tried to take it he held it with his both little hands and it was so adorable. ¡®He really likes it. Hmm I wonder why? Any way I better give it back to him later.¡¯ ===== ===== Prisoner of hell. Entry number 69. ¡®This is Markus Ryley, also known as Asger Haraldson, speaking.¡¯ I once more inspect my surrounding. But unfortunately this time I am not alone since the one with beard is also in the room. ¡®Following my last encounter with that monster I understood my fatal mistake, that I was too impatient. Even thought I put up a great fight, which should go into history records for future generations, I lost... I simply could not overcome that brute force which my opponent showed. Even when she¡­ Oh god it¡¯s so hard. Even when she ¡­ Ripped my Spear of death from my trembling hands.¡¯ I almost burst into tears remembering my incompetence. ¡®What ever the case mistakes are so we could learn from them.¡¯ I calm myself down. ¡®So after my defe¡­ my battle of Waterloo I understood that I will never win in strength. For that reason I needed new, improved plan. To devise it I had to understand faults in the last one. Even to a point of disassembling my equipment. Days or maybe even months went by as I, all alone, had to work through this hardship.¡¯ Nostalgia takes over me as I remember those days. ¡®In the end after long discussions with myself I came to two conclusions: Number 1. I had too many enemies (hunger and that gorilla). Number 2. I didn¡¯t take into consideration her insane strength.¡¯ At the moment I was nodding to myself since this will help me move forward. ¡®This was a huge brake through. I don¡¯t want to brag but this is kind of equal to the discovery of the wheel. Hahahahah¡­ When you know your problems all you need to do is to over come them.¡¯ Yes I am now full of satisfaction, of being superior to these gorillas. ¡®I will start by explaining Number 2. The problem is they are too strong. So I decided to observe them, gather intelligence and win against them with my superior brain. All the gathered intel I put in my secret notes.¡¯ Since I am being watched I have to move with stealth to pick up my notes from my secret stash. Before getting to my secret stash I put in some feint moves so it should be ok. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡®Well let me begin my report: 1. I will start with pretty obvious thing. They can¡¯t be humans. In other words it¡¯s a new species I never encountered or heard about. So I decided to call them ¡°Arnoldinum Schwarzenirium¡± or shorter Terminators. (In the name of my favorite actor). 2. From observation it is quite clear that this species has quite a number of specimens. Since over the time I was able to count even seventeen new faces. (It was really unpleasant since most of them wanted to touch me). 3. Apparently males are weaker than females. (Battle strategy: always start from the weaker one). 4. From as much as I could glimpse through the door or windows, I saw snow. (This totally doesn¡¯t help me). 5. One thing I didn¡¯t understood was strange red marks and lines. Is it some kind of symbol or a trait of species since everybody had them. In different places and shapes but never less they all had. (Note to myself: might be worth investigating). 6. It took me some time but I started to get a hang of their primitive talk. And learned that they call me Asger Haraldson and I am in some isolated town of Landamot. (Not very important). This is all I was able to gather¡¯ I linger a bit over my notes before putting them back. ¡®Now let¡¯s get back to problem Number 1¡¯ While putting back my sheet of notes I take out another item hidden in my stash. ¡®I have to defeat one enemy at the time. So I decided to start from hunger. With using my superior knowledge it¡¯s going to be easy. Really I don¡¯t even feel challenged. I will simply use tactic, from ancient times, that was always effective. It¡¯s name is HUNTING.¡¯ With narrow eyes I look around the room while holding in my right arm the one and only Spear of death¡­ number two. Of course this Spear of death¡­ number two is way better than the previous one. It¡¯s so much better that I don¡¯t even know where should I start my explanation. So let¡¯s just say it¡¯s way more awesome. After observing room for some time I notice movement in a corner of the room. This is going to be an easy game, but today I will finally feast like a king. ¡®You poor thing. You don¡¯t even notice death coming for you. Say your prayers COCKROACH!!¡¯ I shout while standing up to use another special skill Dash. *Bam* Suddenly door opens loudly. With my supreme coordination I manage to stop in the middle of my skill, Dash. I turn around to see what happened. But what I see makes me weak in my knees. I even drop my precious weapon, the ultimate Spear of death¡­ number two. As pure fear takes over me all strength in my legs disappear in an instant. And not being able to support my own weight I fall heavily backward. ¡®Heaven have mercy on me¡­¡¯ ===== ===== Gurd¡¯s point of view. My dear wife is currently out. She said she wanted to make something special today, since it is exactly 30 days since our boy has been born, and dashed out trough the door. So today I am staying at home to keep an eye on our little Asger. I take a small peek at our boy. Noticing, that he is still quietly playing, I turn back my attention to the small figure of a wolf that I am making out of wood. It¡¯s a hobby which I picked up some time ago. Since sometimes it really helps to get by over these long winter evening. I look through the window and see that sun still didn¡¯t reach the highest point in the sky. ¡®Hm. There is still some time until noon.¡¯ Normally at this time I wouldn¡¯t even be at home, not mentioning sitting comfortably before a fireplace, in a chair while carving. For last few days was pretty much a snow storm and only just this morning it subsided. I can imagine that right about now everybody in our little town most likely is working hard while clearing roads. Not to mention inspecting buildings if there is any damage. Of course, if some house was really destroyed, pretty much whole town would gather to help. There should also be some patrol groups scanning surrounding woods and roads. You can never know what such storm might have bought here. While continuing to carve I take another peak at Asger. He¡¯s crawling towards kitchen ¡®did something pick up his interest?¡¯ Suddenly he turned around and started crawling towards weapon chest. ¡®Hahaha. Going to pick up your toys again?¡¯ Some time ago he started putting under that chest his things as if hiding them. ¡®So what will you pick from there?¡¯ What father doesn¡¯t find every little action of his child interesting? When he gets to the chest he puts his little arm under and pulls out a yellow leaf. ¡®Hahaha. When I found it in the woods I knew he would like it. I just needed to drop it accidently while bringing logs for fireplace.¡¯ Interesting thing is if you give him something he won¡¯t take it no matter what. But if you drop it accidently he will rush to it immediately. From the time he picked it he carried that leaf for day not letting it go. Sometimes making some holes in it with his branch. ¡®After all this time he¡¯s still guarding that leaf like a treasure. I wonder what he sees in it?¡¯ After looking at it for some time he made movement like a nod and putted it back. While at the same time he took out his branch. ¡®Why does he love those branches so much?¡¯ For the most of the time, since his birth, he held a branch in his hands as if some kind of weapon. At beginning he had a smaller one but one day we noticed that it was broken in half. But Asger held strong and didn¡¯t even shed a tear as his favorite toy broke, he only looked at it as if trying to understand what happened. So I decided to find a new one of course a bit bigger and sturdier so it wouldn¡¯t break so easily. After I found a suitable branch, once more it was dropped by me accidently. I pretty much stopped carving and now only look at what my little boy will do now. But he done something I can¡¯t believe. ¡®He stood up. He stood up!¡¯ I shout in my head. ¡®It¡¯ impossible other kids take about two moths until they can stand up while human children I heard even need about a year!¡¯ I don¡¯t want to ruin this important moment to my boy so keep silent and only watch. As he awkwardly move one leg to the front and try to make a step. *Bam* Suddenly door opens loudly. Asger tries to turns around to look but in the process he drops his branch, loses his balance and drops on his butt. But never less my wife, who just came back, had enough time to see him standing. Since I can see a big smile is on her face. ¡°Oh it looks like we are having some bear meat for a dinner. Nice catch dear.¡± == End of chapter 4 == Chapter 5. Look mommy, I am already 1 year old. Chapter 5. Look mommy, I am already 1 year old. Prisoner of hell. Entry number 1356. *Slap*, *Slap* ¡®Dude, get a hold of yourself. You are Markus R.. Ah yeah Asger Haraldson now, but all of you can call me The Chosen One¡¯ *Slap* ¡®Stupid delusions. What¡¯s wrong with me?¡¯ I am a bit panicking since not long ago I noticed that sometimes I tend to go deep into uncharted territories. Currently I am in my room. Which is on a second floor of our house. It is quite small with only one window facing what I believe to be east. In front of a window stands the most ordinary table with two chairs I ever seen, of course everything is made of wood. And let¡¯s not forget the bed which is beside that table. Of course it¡¯s just a haystack with fur on top. I look at my bed and shake my head. ¡®What to do? Even if sleeping on that bed is quite comfortable but now with lice in it¡­ It became really hard to get some nice rest.¡¯ I don¡¯t think that I can find any solution for this now. ''I have been here for one whole year already, so a lot has happened.¡¯ Even in this strange state I still managed to learn my parents language. Well I still only talk in two or three word sentences but this is definitely a huge step forward. This also makes my parents for some reason way happier than they should be. Another achievement I am proud of is that I learned to read a bit. But with this one I got really lucky. Since in my whole house, no as I can understand, in this whole town you can hardly find more than a few books. But somehow my father managed to find one near entrance to the town while patrolling. Most likely some trader dropped it. But anyway the most important part is that he planed to use it like any wise person would do, by putting in the fireplace¡­ Luckily I managed to convince father to give it to me. It was a short book about eatable plants and fruits. ¡®Yeah. No books¡­ But we got full chest of gear: battle axes, daggers, few swords, shields and some kind of throwing weapons. This is definitely a picture of a warm and peaceful family.¡¯ Apart from that chest full of nice toys, my parents own a small mirror. It is like a treasure in this house. But most importantly is that I had a chance to get a glimpse of how I look. Well I am a still young and my appearance will keep changing. But apparently I have dark brown hair, similar to my father¡¯s, face is like most of the children still innocent, but what really got my attention is this red line, like tattoo. It is starting over my left eyebrow and makes some awesome pattern while going down and ending at the level of my ear. ¡®Damn with it I look so badass. The player is in da house, so mothers hide your daug¡­ Pffff¡¯ *Slap* ¡®This one was particular disturbing. Normally I wouldn¡¯t be so against fantasies like that, in reality who would. But currently I''m in a different situation because this is the land where Arnoldinum Schwarzenirium runs wild. And even a thought about those terminators makes me¡­ Urgh!¡¯ Shivers run down through my whole body. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. At beginning I thought that only my mother was this strange. But I was, to my disappointment, wrong. From spying I mean listening to my parents I came to one simple conclusion why men here can even look at those ¡®women¡¯. That is because muscle equals strength and strength here equals beauty. In other words it¡¯s very advanced stage of Muscle fetish. ¡®Damn perverts.¡¯ I mumble to myself. ¡®Somehow future really looks bleak to me¡­¡¯ I should change subject before I get really dispirited. ¡®Haa¡­ I got to admit this body is amazing. From my knowledge, one year old babies should be learning to walk properly. While I am already standing tall. Can¡¯t really tell how tall I''m because there are no ways to measure myself. But I am definitely way bigger than I should be.¡¯ Full of myself I look over my body. Suddenly I notice something disturbing. ¡®No no no no no no no¡­ This can¡¯t be happening to me.¡¯ What I saw was small bulges on my arms. ¡®Damn it all!!! I am infected. Medic!!! I need a medic!!!¡¯ At the moment if anybody would have went into my room they would have seen me rolling on the ground and from time to time thrusting one of my arms into the air as if calling someone. ¡®No no no no no I am a frigging baby terminator, so do I need to go back into the past and kill Sara¡­¡¯ *Slap* ¡°Gabuh¡± I let out a sound as it was a heavy, full of love to myself slap. ¡®Ahhhhh. Am I going insane? If I am. I am certain only for one thing, that everything is my new mother¡¯s, Jensina¡¯s, fault. Most likely it¡¯s some kind of mental trauma which I incurred while she breastfed me. Well of course if you can call those things breasts at all, since it totally look like really really well trained dude¡¯s chest.¡¯ Ah this is making me remember my old wounds. ¡®How to explain how damaging it was? Let¡¯s just say after feeding I had urge to rip out my own eyes. Or there was one time, I believe it was Entry number 73, when I hunted down a cockroach, cooked it over our fireplace and eaten it. Just because I didn¡¯t want to see those bulges of muscle with nipples. Of course later I vomited but that¡¯s not the point.¡¯ Remembering all of that made my whole back wet from a cold sweat. ¡®God if I am alone suffering like that and other are reborn comfortably like nobles with beautiful mothers¡­ I am so going the Terminator on them¡­¡¯ Some thoughts run through my mind to which nobody should pay any attention. == End of chapter 5 == This is how imagine it. God I am terrible at drawing people :perche: Map This is a rough map of the North, where mc is living. With time I will put more names and maybe change a bit to match the story. But I wanted to make one even if it took me about 3 hours :drinkT: Levels from 0 to 4 need 25 points, from 5 to 100 need 30 points, from 101 to 200 need 35 points
Points for level
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1 Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.2 3 4 5 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 12025 50 75 100 130 280 580 880 1180 1480 1780 2080 2380 2680 2980 3330 3680
Chapter 6. Asger, you are still too young! When I was writing chapter 6 I noticed that it was starting to get really long. But most importantly mood in changed a bit to sad as mother was telling some story to mc. So I decided to make 3 smaller chapters instead of one long. Chapter 6. Asger, you are still too young! The Sun is still only starting to rise in the East. But I am already pacing through my room fully dressed. I am wearing my usual clothes. A bit big wool tunic, which goes down and ends like skirt, trousers made also from wool, leather belt and shoes. While adults don¡¯t wear that much. Instead of trouser they put on something like shorts. Also they wear sleeveless wool tunics or fur vests, or go half naked with just some arm guards. That last part was including women, but it isn¡¯t such a big deal since they look like men either way. As for their boots they reach almost to their knees. Apparently it is that they could move better. I wonder how they don¡¯t freeze outside? ¡°Damn I am so excited like a little kid.¡± The reason is what my parents told me yesterday evening. ¡°Haaaa¡­ You are growing up really fast, Asger.¡± My father gives a deep sigh as he looks at me doing some push ups. I got a feeling I have to explain something. You see at the moment I am extremely bored and I always wanted to do this like a tough guy in my past. Well my arms are swelling either way, so doing some push ups will hardly make a difference. ¡°Already over 2 years old¡­¡± He thinks a bit and turns to my mother. ¡°Dear, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time to let him see the town?¡± ¡°Now that you mention maybe we should. Also I heard that old goat tomorrow shall take a new group. So we might put our Asger in it.¡± Mother get¡¯s quite excited. ¡°Well Asger what do you think? Do you want to¡­¡± ¡°Freedom!!!!!¡± I shout while running to my room with one arm raised high in the air. Of course I am running to my bed while thinking ¡®if I go to sleep now, then tomorrow will come faster!¡¯ I know. I know. This is how little kids act waiting for Christmas. And that¡¯s how we get to the current me. The me who didn¡¯t sleep a wink. ¡®Why do I feel like a part of me was crying without a break?¡¯ ¡°Come on rise you god damn ball!¡± I say through gritted teeth while standing before my window. At the moment my right hand is in such position that from my point of view it looks like I am holding the sun. Sweat is running down through my whole face and dripping on the floor. And at the same time it¡¯s as if I am hearing these word in my head ¡®use the force Luke¡¯. ¡°I am definitely getting a hang of this. Since it¡¯s moving¡­ I am telling you it¡¯s moving!!!¡± Well I stood there for about an hour so the sun had to move, but that¡¯s not the point here. Most important part is that I am this desperate. Of course I tried to get out few times before. I even used 2 out of 3 my best plans. Plan A was simple and sophisticated. ¡°Mom, dad can I go outside?¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.¡°No!¡± They both answered at the same time. Making me lose any hope of using Plan A in a near future. So Plan B came into motion. It was also simple but less elegant then Plan A. ¡®Oh here comes my chance¡¯ I secretly waited until my mother opened the door and then I activated my skill ¡®Dash¡¯. So I ran with all my might, but the moment I passed my mother she grabbed me by the collar of my tunic and literally threw me back about a whole meter. That was the first time one of my parents used a brute force against me. It gave me a shock and maybe put a little fear of my mother, who didn¡¯t even look back, just stormed through the door and slammed them behind her. After a crash and burn of my Plan B I decided for some time to stay low. And not use Plan C. ===== ===== Jensina¡¯s point of view. Finally the time came which I feared the most. ¡°Mom, dad can I go outside?¡± Asked my little Asger. I take a look at my dear, he looks at me and we both say ¡°no!¡± at the same time. ¡®He still doesn¡¯t understand how dangerous it is. Well I can¡¯t blame him since everyone doesn¡¯t when they are little. But a fearsome fact speaks for it self that about 2 kids die every year.¡¯ I look to my son with worried eyes. Few days later that sneaky boy decide to run past me. ¡®He he you are still too young¡¯ I tried to grab him but at that moment I felt that something is near our house. So in a rush I might have used a bit too much strength. But this wasn¡¯t a time to worry about that. After moving Asger back inside I closed our door which is heavy and reinforced with iron. Now knowing that he¡¯s safe inside, I went to look for whatever dared to get so close to my house. The closer I walked to the presence, the better I felt it. This is a skill everyone learns here at some point in their life. ¡®Hmm. It doesn¡¯t look like anything strong¡­¡¯ After turning a corner of our house I see a white fox eating my chicken. ¡®Thieving bastard¡¯ I cursed it in my head. I start running with my full speed and since fox was preoccupied with chicken, she failed to notice me fast enough. At the last moment it tried to start running but it was already too late. As I already launched a kick at it¡¯s abdomen. Of course I used my full power, so after the impact fox flew about 10 meters and hit the tree. While I walked to her, fox didn¡¯t move even a bit. ¡®But need to be safe¡¯ so I snapped it¡¯s neck. These White Foxe¡¯s, unlike their cousins in Southern lands, have really sharp claws and teeth. But what¡¯s worst they are really fast. Even if for adults their nothing just a small fry, but for kids it¡¯s another matter¡­ ¡°Sorry Asger but I still won¡¯t let you go outside for some time¡­¡± I say while looking at fox. I lift my head up and look around. ¡®If a fox has a mate. They will hunt together. So to be safe I should look around some more.¡¯ == End of chapter 6 == Chapter 7. My mother’s tale. Chapter 7. My mother¡¯s tale. ¡®This is it, the moment of truth.¡¯ I look in front of me with excitement as my mother is opening the door. ¡°Well, Asger, if you are ready lets go.¡± Said mother with a smile on her face. Now that the door is open and I can finally go out, many different emotions run through me. From excitement to fear, from joy to sadness, but no matter what step after step I walk forward. The moment my foot first time touches the snow, a bit cold wind runs through my hair and the freshness of nature floods my nose I understand simple truth ¡®it¡¯s good to be alive.¡¯ My father was already outside so when he saw me dazzled by everything he didn¡¯t say anything and simply smiled. ¡°Ok let¡¯s go. We don¡¯t want to be late. Or that old goat won¡¯t stop nagging us for days to come.¡± With my mothers words I awoke from this trance. Noticing that my parents already started to walk, I followed them close by. While walking I saw something like a barn. It was quite big and from inside could be heard, what I think is sheep sounds. Near it I saw a chicken pen with 19 inhabitants. Our house is on something like plains. There are just few trees. With all this snow I can¡¯t be sure but I guess that some farming is going on here. Futher there is quite a number of other houses with barns and all, in this plain. About 200 meters to the east, to the direction where we are going, I can see a palisade ¡®that¡¯s most likely the town.¡¯ There is just one thing that I tried not to see. Since it is a huge fault in this world and something that¡¯s most likely is going to haunt me for the rest of my life. It¡¯s name is ¡®field toilet¡¯. ¡®New world, adventure and even being a hero everything sound really fine and dandy, but when the business number two calls for you¡­ When a toilet with pluming becomes a simple bucket and toilet paper transforms into a straw. You understand that a fairy tail has ended and harsh reality has slapped you in the face once more. And a great spirit is nothing more than a simple, street conman.¡¯ ¡®When I grow up I will definitely make my dream come true. And my house will have a toilet with flushable water. The only problem is: where do I acquire some pipes? This might be a pro¡­ Oh!¡¯ I was so deep in thought that I didn¡¯t even notice how we walked to the gate. ¡®Well it is pretty much what I expected. A bunch of wooden houses just packed together. But something just doesn¡¯t match up. How did this get here?¡¯ I am a bit puzzled as I look at the ground. As my father noticed this he started explaining. ¡°Interesting right? This isn¡¯t some dirt road. This is one of the three main roads between North and Southern human kingdoms. These roads were made about 1000 years ago by combined forces of Northmen and Humans. And it took about 100 years to finish them. Originally this town was just a simple worker camp but at some point people started bulding houses and making families here. Now this is a rest point for all travelers and merchants.¡± He sounded a bit excited while telling this story. ¡°Let¡¯s not make him wait.¡± My mother said while walking inside. And as we were following her, father was still explaining about how people of Landamot was patrolling this road to make it safer for travelers and bla¡­ bla ¡­ bla¡­ ¡®I got a feeling that I should never ask him again about this.¡¯ The town wasn¡¯t really small from what I saw. Because I already counted about 70 houses and we still didn¡¯t reach a center. There were also some smaller dirt road going sideways with more houses around them. Along a main road was mostly shops, taverns or inns. And quite a number of taverns and inns were even made from stone. Buildings aside, there was another thing that really caught my attention. What I saw was a kid calling two different women his mothers and some dude with a huge black beard his father. ¡®That¡¯s really strange. Maybe I should ask my parents for an explanation?¡¯ If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. But once again as I was about to talk, father started first noticing where I was looking. ¡°Asger¡­¡± There was a short pause. ¡°Let me tell him that.¡± Suddenly mother spoke. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Asked for some reason worried father. ¡®I am getting a bad feeling, that I am asking things which will open old wounds.¡¯ I was disciplining myself for not thinking about others. ¡°Don¡¯t worry I am ok.¡± Mother calmed down father and continued. ¡°Asger, you see here in north normally a birth rate of men is a bit lower that women. Also while growing there is more deaths of boys than girls mostly because of their stupid, hot temper, to charge into danger.¡± As she was saying that my mother rolled her eyes while father just grinned. ¡°So there is a rule that when a man grows up he will have more than one wife. So this is why that kid no almost everyone will have two mothers, some even more.¡± My mothers tone changed to serious. ¡®Why I am so unlucky? It isn¡¯t enough to spend my life alone and miserable. Noooo!!! You have to take even more than one of them as your wife and then you have the pleasure to feel what true despair is¡­ Lyru I am so sorry for calling you a conman, so please drop at least an ounce of luck to my side.¡¯ Once more I start to lose hope while thinking about future. ¡°You also had another¡­¡± Mothers hard tone somehow brought me back from delusions and made me listen to the story again. ¡°She was my sister Friin. Both of us married your father about 5 years ago. The three of us lived in the same house happily until that fateful day.¡± She makes a small pause until continuing. ¡°She was a member of patrol group. And their job is to search and exterminate all dangerous monsters in surrounding areas. Well those groups consist of at least 10 people so it isn¡¯t really that dangerous mostly what they get are some scratches. But that day was different, since they found not a monster but a nightmare which was brought by a howling winds of a storm from a far North. Those nightmares are more often called as Ice Wyverns. It is a huge creature, bigger than our house, with a sharp claws and teethes, which can tear through iron like paper, and breath, which can freeze to death any living being.¡± She was telling me this story while looking straight into my eyes. ¡°What happened then? Did they retreat to call for help?¡± Somehow I really got into the story to the point I even got a goose bums. She shook her head. ¡°No. This is a story told by those who survived. But remember this,Asger, never let fear take over you when you are in the middle of a battle.¡¯ She lingered a bit over this as if telling the one and only rule by which everybody should live. ¡°My sisters group was the first to encounter that beast. But I told you it was after the storm because of that more than few patrol groups were there. So after hearing sounds of battle 3 more, who were close by, came to help. The battle was as bloody as it can get. Some charged the wyvern with their weapons trying to make it bleed while others using magically hardened steel chains held it to the ground. The most agile jumped on its back trying to cut off it¡¯s wings. The fighting went on for a long time. Even with it¡¯s wings cut off the beast didn¡¯t gave up, still using his claws and teethes, Ice wyvern showed what a true nightmare he is. In the end home came back only 12 warriors out of 40. And one of them was my sister. But her wounds were too deep and to cure them a really strong healer would have been needed. In the end Friin and Ragnhildr, another warrior who came back from that battle, sailed to the other lands¡­ And now their names will forever be etched on the stone in the place where the beast has fallen.¡± Mother finished her tale with tears in the corners of her eyes. == End of chapter 7 == Chapter 8. The teacher. Chapter 8. The teacher. For about 10 minutes, until we reached our destination, we walked in a complete silence. And only just now, heavy mood was broken by mother. ¡°Asger, this is one our village elders home. His name is Ull Thorginson. He has a nasty personality so always act politely, when you are talking with him.¡± ¡°Understood, mother.¡± I answer her. ¡°Go, there, and wait with other kids. They all should be around the same age as you. And I will go find Ull and talk with him about you. After his teaching ends don¡¯t wander and wait for us we will come to pick you up. Do you understand, Asger?¡± ¡°Yes I understood no wandering around.¡± Once more I answer her. It looks like that satisfied her, since she with a nod stood up and went inside the house. ¡®Now where I am supposed to go?¡¯ As I turn around looking I hear children from around the corner of the building. So I walk there. ¡®I knew that by my looks I am bigger than a normal two year old should be. But now when I see others¡­ They appear to me like five or six year old kids. So with this growth do we become adults at just like ten years? Or what?¡¯ Some questions pop up in my head. But before I can dive too deep in them. I am distracted by someone. ¡°Oy, who are you?¡± Some brat asks me when he notices me. Well I think that it¡¯s he. Since we all wear pretty much the same clothes, have the same short, army cut, because of lice problems. That makes discerning boys and girls really hard. But it already looks like a girls are a tad bit bigger. ¡°I am Asger Haraldson. And you ?¡± Well in my last life I was somewhat antisocial. Might as well try to improve that. The one who is asking stands in front of all the kids as a leader. Somehow I already don¡¯t like him. Anyway in total I count 12 kids. From what I see in this group is seven girls. Four kids are talking between themselves. One girl is siting silently alone. While others are standing behind the brat. ¡°Are you from inside or outside?¡± He totally ignored me. That brat, but never less I will show you a composition of a older one. ¡°Outside. And what of it?¡± Since I think he is asking do I live in town or outside it. ¡°I thought so. Since I never seen you around I had a hunch you will be from the fields.¡± Somehow that sounded like an insult towards me. ¡°Well and who are you? You still didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± I trying to not sound annoyed but it¡¯s really hard. ¡°Who do you think we are some kind of friends that I should tell you my name?¡± After saying that all that bunch started laughing. ¡®It¡¯s official I hate his guts¡¯ I thought to myself as I walked away from them. Since I didn¡¯t knew anyone and had nothing to do I walked to that lone girl and sat on the bench near her. ¡°Hello, I am Hege Aladottir.¡± Said in a whispering voice the girl. ¡®Well at least one person is polite.¡¯ I feel like I have found a little green oasis in the middle of dessert.. ¡°Nice to meet you I am Asger Haraldson.¡± Even if I was really irritated, I try to look calm and polite. ¡°Sorry but I am a bit sick so I can¡¯t speak very loud¡­¡± Using her body language and voice she made it look like this is the worst thing, that might happen. ¡°Because of that everyone laughs at me.¡± And at the end she added this in a really silent voice. ¡°Ah. I see¡­¡± I started to feel pity. Since I wasn¡¯t a stranger to bullying. ¡®And what¡¯s more a cruel destiny of becoming a terminator¡­¡¯ ¡°Everyone settle down now and let me count you.¡± Said the old man the moment he came. Even thought, all his hair even a moustache is white, his back is hunched a bit forward and his face is full wrinkle, but still you would think that he¡¯s a young man from his movements. ¡®What an energetic grandpa.¡¯ ¡°13¡­ Good¡­¡± he mumbled to himself. ¡°So which one is Asger?¡± Old man asked while scanning us. ¡°It¡¯s me, sir.¡± I suddenly stood up and said this with my head a bit bowed. ¡®I got a feeling getting on his bad side would be a huge trouble.¡¯ ¡°Good, better than Jensina.¡± Once more he mumbled to himself and nodded. ¡®I think I just dodged a bullet.¡¯ I think while brushing some imaginary sweat. ¡°Well kids follow me inside.¡± He must be some kind of legend since everybody is following in order and silence. Even that brat. He leads us through the back door into a quite wide room. Inside it there is benches put in rows, while in front of them stands a single chair. On wall there are also few maps hanging and some pictures. ¡®This really makes me feel like I am back in school.¡¯ ¡°Everyone find a place to sit.¡± He said while going to the chair. ¡®Does he always talk in that strange monotone voice?¡¯ It took about few seconds for everybody to find their places. Of course I and Hege are sitting in the back. While that brat is trying look diligent and for some reason sat at the front. ¡°As you already most likely know I am Ull Thorginson.¡± He introduced himself like a real teacher. ¡°I do not like when kids are shouting over each other. So if you want to ask or say something raise your hand first and only speak when I ask you to.¡± ¡°You are still really young. So at beginning I will only teach you about a world and nature. Later on you will learn reading and to count just enough so you wouldn¡¯t be lost on your journeys. And finally, you will learn the hardest stuff about beasts and their weak points when you are much older.¡± ¡®I think I know more about things in a world than anyone in this whole town. And I already learned how to read while counting was always easy for me. So the only thing I am interested in, we will leave it for later¡­¡¯ I was starting to lose interest in these classes. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Do you understand?¡± After asking he once more scanned us all with his eyes.. ¡°Silence. Good. Either you understood or are too dumb to understand¡­¡± He nodded to himself again. ¡®Wow. He definitely got a strange character¡¯ ¡°Now I will tell you some basic knowledge. If there is those, who know this already, please stay silent.¡± It sounds to me like he¡¯s reading some invisible instruction book. I guess I will have to blend in. So even if I will know most of the things, I will try to look interested. ¡°The most basic what everyone must know is your status.¡± ¡®?? I am already lost. WTF is he talking about?¡¯ what¡¯s more there are only few who look lost. ¡°Now everyone think ¡®Status¡¯ in your mind.¡± After saying that he stopped talking and is just looking at us. ¡®What? Ok. STATUS.¡¯
Status Window
Level4RaceNorthmen
Strenght12Defence8
Vitality8Inteligence42
Stamina6Vigor10
Agility3Presence1
Resistance
Water0%Earth0%
Ice1%Fire0%
Lightning0%Darkness0%
Poison0%Alcohol0%
*Titles*
A strange like a computer window appeared before me. It was even a bit of see through. ¡°You must be shitting me. Upppss.¡± I accidently said that out loud. ¡°I am sorry, teacher.¡± Said out of reflex, while bowing my head. Everyone started to laugh silently. Only Hege looked at me with scared expression. ¡®I am finished¡­¡¯ I looked at Ull, but somehow he just nodded to himself and once more continued in his monotone voice as if nothing happened. ¡®Phew. It looks like once more I dodged the bullet.¡¯ Apparently he liked it. Since few years later I heard that he told to all new groups of children one more rule. To always call him a teacher. ¡°To make it disappear think ¡®Status¡¯ once more¡± About an hour later he finally said. ¡°That¡¯s it for today I will see you all after a week.¡± With that apparently our first lesson ended. Ull, no I should call him teacher, forbade us of checking our ¡®Status¡¯ as to not get distracted in the middle of his stories. Of course I listened to him since who knew what kind of other bombs he might drop. But until the end there were only few points that interested me. It looks like that status window and some kind of partner system is something like an ancient hereditary magic. And it is impossible to tamper with it. It¡¯s like a sun. You see it, feel it, but you can¡¯t touch or change it. Also this partner system is used in marriage and slavery some how. But he didn¡¯t go into the details today. So now I am in a big rush to get back home and quietly check this ¡®Status¡¯ in detail. ¡®Ah almost forgot. I need to wait for my parents¡­¡¯ Remembered that as I was already walking towards the street. So I stopped to think what to do. ¡°Ughh¡± sound escaped from my mouth as some kind of force pushed me forward and almost made me fall. ¡°Look where you are stopping field boy.¡± With a grin on his face said that snotty brat. ¡®Huh. I had enough! No more!¡¯ With a resolve in me I hastily walked to him and pushed him back. ¡°Is it fun pushing others around?¡± I ask him while he looks a bit dumbfounded. ¡®It looks like I hurt his ego. He grit his teeth and comes at me. But since I was fully expecting this I grab his thrust forward arms and start to push him back a little. ¡®Apparently he¡¯s a bit weaker.¡¯ His eyes suddenly narrow slightly. As if from anger or some kind of resolve. ¡®What are you planning to do now?¡¯ I think while looking at the brat. But I am too slow to react as he moves his right leg behind mine. And with little force he makes me fall. With this I learned my huge fault. That I was never in a fight before. And such things as predicting my enemy movements is way harder than it looked in a movies. But this is not the end. As I and that brat was fighting other kids stood around us and looked. Even the moment, when I started to fall, behind me was a boy. In the end he literally became my cushion. While still being on top of him I accidently touched with my right hand a place that I shouldn¡¯t and noticed two things. That our class had not seven but eight girls and that his no I meant her punch was flying to my face. So that¡¯s how my first fight has come to a conclusion. ¡°I definitely deserved that.¡± Mumbled to myself walking home with my parents. As I was holding my left hand near the eye which was in pain while looking at the right one with a little grin. == End of chapter 8 == Chapter 9. My stats. Few notifications: I decided to use this < > when he is opening a screen; And some bad news. My holidays just ended. So from tomorrow I am going to work, this means my releases will slow down greatly (maybe to 1 ¨C 2 chapters a week). And on Sunday I got my last test ( I even need to do 2 reports for it). Yes, I am busy person. In other words this week I will try to make at least 1 chapter, but don¡¯t expect much. Chapter 9. My stats. I was sitting on the chair in my room with a heavy expression on my face, not counting the blue eye. ¡°The things I have learned today¡­¡± I mumble to myself deep in a thought. ¡°First of all this ¡®Status window¡¯ I can¡¯t touch it and apparently I can only see mine. Others can be seen only when they are using magical tablet. And in this town only chief has it.¡± This is what I learned in class. ¡°Second thing is the existence of energy cores. They can be found in the hearts of every beast and monster you slay. These cores are mostly used in two ways. As a fuel for magical items and as something similar to what I call an experience. The strangest part is that you need to boil these cores in water and when they melt, drink the mixture. Apparently this should increase your inner energy or something like that. But in the end your stats and level will go up.¡± I remembered, what I got out from my parents, when I asked them to explain some stuff in detail. ¡°So if I sum everything up. Only one word emerges in my mind ¡®game¡¯.¡± I frown a bit. ¡°And this thing¡­¡± While saying this I think ¡®< STATUS >¡¯. Once more before my eyes starts to float this strange screen.
Status Window
Level4RaceNorthmen
Strength12Defence8
Vitality8Intelligence42
Stamina6Vigor10
Agility3Presence1
Resistance
Water0%Earth0%
Ice1%Fire0%
Lightning0%Darkness0%
Nature0%Wind0%
Poison0%Alcohol0%
*Titles*
¡°Those who created this magic really wanted to make it feel like a game. Hmm¡­ Thank you!¡± Even if I am a bit confused for now, but deep inside I am really grateful. From the furrowed face and heavy atmosphere someone might think that I really hate this. But in reality this is how I show that I like it. In my past, even when I played online games, I was always wandering alone. Only on rare occasions I would join parties or guilds. But even then, since I never followed hot topics, I always stayed as a silent member, who hardly talked. Don¡¯t pity me, since I liked it that way. I found simple joy in reaching my goals like better equipment or higher level, which to most looked impossible. Since to reach it one needed to play not for fun, but sacrifice himself to the cause... To the grinding. ¡®I feel like the old flame inside of me has been rekindled once more.¡¯ I thought to myself as some old emotions surged through me again. There are mostly two kinds of people in games. Those who go with a flow and those who know what they are doing. ¡°I can¡¯t charge blindly. Need to first create a plan.¡± I try to calm myself down. ¡°What is on this screen is pretty much basics. Only this ¡®*Titles*¡¯. What¡¯s that?¡± I say as it picks up my interest. ¡®Hmm. Well it won¡¯t hurt to try¡­ < TITLES >¡¯ I say it in my head with a hope that it will do the trick like with a ¡®Status¡¯. To my amazement the screen which floated before my eyes suddenly changed into different one.
*Titles*
Blessed
¡°Wow!¡± I let out a shout. ¡° Blessed? Ah yeah. Lyru said something about this. And also that mark, on my right shoulder, it should look like a star. But for the most of time it looked like a dot. And even now it¡¯s shape hardly looks like a star. I guess it needs time to form.¡± I started to wonder, remembering last moments before rebirth. ¡®Now is not the time. Need to focus!¡¯ I noticed that I was getting distracted. ¡°More importantly will it also show, what it is?¡± ¡®Right... < BLESSED >¡¯ I concentrated all my attention on the screen while thinking this. And I wasn¡¯t disappointed as it changed again.
Blessed
Increases every stat by +10%
¡°In other words from each ten points I get one bonus. Nice one, Lyru!¡± I say it, while giving a thumbs up and looking at the sky through my window. ¡°Now I probably should check everything while at it.¡± I wonder loudly. ¡®< LEVEL >¡¯ I wait for a bit, but nothing happens. ¡®Ok¡­ < RACE >¡¯
Northmen
Race who focuses on strength. Special trait: strength x3, defense x2 and vigor x1,5 times increases easier than other stats.
¡°Pretty good, but a part of me wants to really shout: shiiitttt!!!!!!¡± after I let out some of my emotions, I once more concentrate and continue. ¡®< STRENGHT >¡¯
Strength
It determines power of your muscles. Increasing points in strength makes body more muscular. Especially race¡¯s based on it.
¡°¡­¡± ¡°Does it mean, if I don¡¯t increase current points in strength, I won¡¯t become one of those terminators?¡± I ask as joy runs through my face. ¡®This old fear is really strong.¡¯ I think to myself after taking better control of my emotions. ¡®Next¡­ < DEFENCE >¡¯
Defense
It shows resistance to physical attacks. Increasing points in defense makes skin harder to penetrate, but it doesn¡¯t lose, it¡¯s softness and flexibility.
¡°In other words skin becomes like an amour. So what would happen in a hospital if you needed a shot?¡± ¡®Next¡­ < VITALITY >¡¯
Vitality
It shows how full of life you are. Increasing points in vitality makes wounds heal faster and your life longer.
¡°I am definitely maxing this out!¡± I immediately state this after reading about longer life. ¡®Next¡­ < INTELIGENCE >¡¯
Intelligence
It shows your understanding of the world. Increasing points in intelligence makes your soul essence stronger. Letting you increase number and level of spells.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Heh. Expected this.¡± ¡®Next¡­ < STAMINA >¡¯
Stamina
It shows your will to not give up. Increasing points in stamina does not let you get tired fast. Allowing to perform your actions longer.
¡°Another basic thing.¡± ¡®Next¡­ < VIGOR >¡¯
Vigor
It shows your energetic side. Increasing points in vigor makes you a true beast in a bed. Also slightly increases wound healing speed.
¡°WTF is wrong with this one? I even got it in a special traits¡­¡± ¡®Next¡­ < AGILITY >¡¯
Agility
It shows how efficiently you can move your body. Increasing points in agility makes you able to change the direction of the body in an more efficient and effective manner. Slightly counters strength¡¯s special effects on a body.
¡°This could be answer to all my prayers!¡± I say this while reading the last sentence of the description. ¡®Next¡­ < PRESENCE >¡¯
Presence
It shows your influence. Increasing points in presence allows you to intimidate others more easily and expands your range of detection.
¡°Oh this one is also interesting.¡± I mumble to myself while reading the description. I take a look through my window. ¡®Sun is still up. I should not waste time.¡¯ With this I finish my inspection and using both of my hands I slap myself on the face. ¡°I am a gamer till the end and collecting points is what I like the most. He he he. With a plan, to spam agility and vitality. I should start the game!¡± I say while rising from a chair. ¡°From what my father said there are two methods to increasing your stats. But since I still can¡¯t hunt monsters for cores. I will simply have to train. Well what ever the case I would have started from this anyway. Since considering later stages, from what I understand, it is better to consume cores with trained body.¡± I close the door to my room and walk towards the stairs. ¡°With a lot of running I should be able to increase my agility at least a bit.¡± I wonder to myself. ¡°With points as my goal no one will be able to stop me now!¡± I almost shout this. ¡°Mom, I am going outside. I will just run around the house.¡± I say while walking towards a door. ¡°You father is hunting and I need to prepare this boar and fishes for smoking. So NO OUTSIDE!¡± She was especially clear on the last part. ¡®You got to be kidding me. Am I already stopped before even starting?...¡¯ I stood there for a moment thinking about how to get around this obstacle. Then suddenly an amazing idea came to me. So I turned around and looked at simple wooden stairs which with 14 steps led to a second floor. And decided ¡®this will be my first training ground.¡¯ I walked to the stairs, took a deep breath and started to hastily climb up. It didn¡¯t take long until I reached the top. So once there I turned around and started climbing down. After reaching bottom I turned around and again started to go up. I continued to do this until finally mother came into a room to look what¡¯s going on. ¡°Asger, what are you doing?¡± she asked while wiping her hands in a cloth. ¡°Nothing I just want to train so I could increase some of my stats.¡± I said this as I was looking at her with a few drops of sweat already on my face. ¡°Ha hahaha. Good boy, but it won¡¯t be easy to raise them even by one point.¡± She tried to warn. ¡°I understand.¡± After giving her an answer, I started to climb the stair again. And so after going up and down for more 12 rounds, I am already sitting on the floor near the stairs and breathing heavily. ¡°Damn my stamina is too low¡­¡± I took few more heavy breaths and stood up. My legs were already throbbing a bit, since this was the first time I moved so much since birth. But I gritted my teeth and walked straight to the kitchen. ¡°Mother I need a full pot of water.¡± We have a well somewhere, even thought I haven''t seen it. So there is always two buckets of fresh water in a kitchen. My mother just smiled at me, took a pot, sipped some water and gave it to me with words ¡°train hard¡±. ¡°Thanks.¡± While saying this I took a pot full of water and walked back to the stairs. I put it down on the floor and stated to run up the stairs again. But now after going five times up and down I decided to sit down on the floor a bit and take a sip of water. Few moments later I stood up and started to climb up once more. This is how I started to use a small breaks from time to time. As time went on and I continued to climb up and down, I hardly noticed anything else. Since I already reached such a state of mind that only one word sounded in my mind which drove me forward ¡®points¡­ Points¡­ Points¡­¡¯. I didn¡¯t even notice as at some time mother came from kitchen and started watching me. Nor did I notice my father, who already came back. I long ago stopped running I was hardly even walking now. Since my hair, clothes and face was wet from sweat you might think I was poured all over by the whole bucket of water. Each step was making me feel like my legs were on fire, but never less I still climbed while only seeing the top. I put one leg before the other not stopping until I reached my goal. ¡°It can¡¯t be I didn¡¯t even manage to get one frigging point¡­¡± I say it through heavy breathing while laying down on floor. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to gifff up until I at least goffff one point, but I gufff I have to admit defeat since I can¡¯t make another round.¡± I am still trying to catch my breath so some words didn¡¯t came out well. ¡®Wait this isn¡¯t really a game. So no notification¡­< SSTTTAAAATTTUUUUUSSSS !!!!>¡¯ I shout loudly in my head.
Status Window
Level4RaceNorthmen
Strength14Defence9
Vitality8Intelligence42
Stamina8Vigor10
Agility4Presence1
Resistance
Water0%Earth0%
Ice1%Fire0%
Lightning0%Darkness0%
Nature0%Wind0%
Poison0%Alcohol0%
Titles
¡®Yes, I have done it! I have increased agility by 1 point!¡¯ I am really on the cloud nine now. Looking through the screen I see both of my parents, with bright faces, climbing up the stairs and holding a small tunic. But then something caught my attention. ¡®Wait! Wait! Wait! Didn¡¯t I had 12 strength before? No¡­No¡­ No no no no no¡­NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!¡¯ A scream from the bottom of my soul is heard in my head. == End of chapter 9 == All those tables was a pain in the ass .... Hope you will like it and have a nice day! Chapter 10. Summer festival. At the beginning I thought to make this chapter small. But as I started to write it things I wanted add just kept on piling up¡­ Chapter 10. Summer festival. ¡°Nghh¡­¡± I let out a painful sound. With the feeling of pain, which comes from my legs, I open my eyes. The first thing I notice is the simple wooden table with a chair and a window over them. ¡°So I am back in my room.¡± I say while trying to look around. ¡°I guess, I passed out¡­¡± I just keep talking, trying to distract myself from these burning legs. ¡°Damn it! I must have really pushed myself way beyond my limit.¡± Almost shout while rubbing my legs. *creak* As the sound reached my ears, I turn my head. What I see is mother entering my room with something in her arms. ¡®What is she carrying? Wait isn¡¯t that meat, bread and ¡­ Tea?¡¯ Especially tea made me confused, since we had only little of it for some honorary guests. ¡°Good you are already awake. Asger, I brought you your breakfast. Just sit in your bed!¡± Mom said as she was walking to me. I immediately done what she asked ignoring all the pain that came from moving. ¡°Here¡¯s your breakfast.¡± She put something like a wooden tray on my knees. As I was looking at what was in front of me small tears appeared in the corners of my eyes. ¡°What is it? Does it hurt so much?¡± Mom asked in a bit of worried voice. I just shook my head. ¡®It isn¡¯t pain. This is just¡­ I always wanted to feel being cared like this.¡¯ Of course I didn¡¯t say anything. Only watched at the tray with teary eyes in silence. ¡°Well then why are you waiting? Dig in!¡± Said mom with a smile on her face. As I was starting to chew meat and bread down, I looked at the tea. ¡°But why tea?¡± I wondered. ¡°This is a reward for you. Since yesterday you made me and you father proud.¡± ¡°Huh? But I didn¡¯t do anything special.¡± ¡°Yesterday you trained really hard. And no one does this kind of thing at your age. Since it¡¯s pure torture, because of low stamina. Normally everyone starts when they are at least over 3 years old and have no less than 10 points in it.¡± She said looking at me with a huge smile. While mom was talking I pretty much finished my whole breakfast. ¡°Ah. Can you explain how to get only agility stat? Since yesterday even thought I raised 1 point in it but I also got 2 points in strength.¡± This is what bothers me the most. I want to increase my agility to counter strength. But if I get more strength than agility it kind of loses the whole purpose. Mother just looked at me for a few moments until she said. ¡°Strange question. But anyway it is impossible. To increase agility you must move. To move you must use muscles and while using them you gain strength.¡± After thinking for a bit she added. ¡°Don''t waste your time on it. Due to our racial characteristics, it is very difficult to get points in agility and intelligence. So train your strength and defense, while doing this you will end up increasing other stats.¡± Mother picked up tray from my knees and started walking towards door. ¡°Ah and one last thing. DON¡¯T YOU DARE GET OUT OF THAT BED TODAY¡± These words of my mother, made shivers run down through my back. ¡°Phew. I guess this is what high level presence looks like.¡± I said with some cold sweat on my forehead. ¡°Haaa. While I was living here I kind of got used to seeing those ter¡­ Those Northmen. But still I don¡¯t want to look like them. I agree trained body is what everyone wants, including me, but not to the point where your neck is as thick as an average persons leg¡­¡± I give a deep sight seeing as my fate is going into one direction. ¡°Anyway I will go for agility and will hope for the best.¡± I decided to change my fate by trying till the very end. ===== ===== First two days I stayed in my room. On the third even if my legs were still numb, I already tried to run a bit. But it was really uncomfortable so I stopped. When the fourth day came I decided that it¡¯s already time to start light training. But this time I decided to change tactics to only running in circles and no stairs. On the fifth and six day I continued my running. Increasing it¡¯s time by a bit everyday. Of course I decided not to use ¡®until I collapse¡¯ training anymore. Since consequences were too big. And now on the seventh day I am going to my teacher¡¯s house again. ¡®< STATUS >¡¯
Status Window
Level5RaceNorthmen
Strenght16Defence10
Vitality9Inteligence42
Stamina9Vigor11
Agility5Presence1
Resistance
Water0%Earth0%
Ice1%Fire0%
Lightning0%Darkness0%
Nature0%Wind0%
Poison0%Alcohol0%
Titles
¡®Hmm. Running is a bit less effective than training on the stairs. Since I got 1 point less in stamina than last time. And strangely my level increased but nothing happened. I guess it doesn¡¯t do anything aside from showing how high it is¡­ But there is still one problem. Should I be concerned about this vigor?¡¯ I was analyzing my achievements in the past week. Being in a deep thought I didn¡¯t notice how fast we got to our destination. ¡°Asger, I will be coming to pick you up so wait for me here.¡± Dad said to me. I nodded to him and went into the teachers house. Few kids were still missing so I had to wait for about 10 minutes until class started. And when it finally started I was able to learn few things but the class ended way faster than I wanted. For me the most shocking moment was when teacher changed his monotone to more passionate one. Apparently further in the North there is a number of villages which looking in map makes something like a line. So they all are called ¡®The Last Line¡¯, since they are like a boundary between the end of civilization and complete wilderness. But most important part is that every Northmen must venture there at least once in their life and join a patrol group. Otherwise you can¡¯t be called a true warrior. ¡®Hm. I think I will also go there later to check it out.¡¯ I was thinking about teachers story while waiting for my dad. ¡°Did our little boy forgot his way home?¡± Once more this idiot is bothering me. ¡°I was just told to wait. And the one who is little isn¡¯t me. If you don¡¯t believe, come and stand near me.¡± I look at him with a small grin on my face. He grit his teeth. ¡®Oh looks like I hit a bulls eye¡¯ I muse myself. I shift my body in preparations of his sudden attack. But from behind me I hear my father shouting. ¡°Asger, come! Let¡¯s go home.¡± In the end I just turn around and walk away. ===== ===== Just like this, weeks, even months went on. Before I noticed about 5 months have passed by. Bringing us to the middle of the summer. And yes since Landamot is in a bit of the southern region we get even 3 months of summer, 1 month of spring and also 1 month of autumn. And today is a special day. Since today is summer festival. Of course it will only start at the evening and will end in the morning. Whole town is preparing for it. Bonfires is being built, full carts with barrels of mead and ale are brought in and meat is being stacked into real mountains by hunters. *huff* *huff* I keep my rhythmical breathing while doing sit ups. At some point I decided to try other methods of training. So now as to not get bored I change training method every day. *huff* ¡°Asger, stop training. Also come and wash your sweat off.¡± Shouted my mom from the first floor. ¡°Ah I guess it¡¯s time for festival to start.¡± ¡°But before going let¡¯s take one more look.¡± I say with a bright smile. Because I really like to look at my growing stats.¡¯< STATUS >¡¯.
Status Window
Level12RaceNorthmen
Strenght91Defence66
Vitality26Inteligence47
Stamina42Vigor29
Agility34Presence2
Resistance
Water0%Earth0%
Ice2%Fire0%
Lightning0%Darkness0%
Nature0%Wind0%
Poison0%Alcohol0%
Titles
¡°All my stats are starting to look good. Except presence. And even that second point I got is apparently from level increase.¡± ¡°Also that intelligence¡­ I got few points from classes but still to gain more in this environment is really hard. But I will really want to learn at least few spells in the future.¡± I said this with a somewhat frowned face. ¡°Well got to hurry or that monster will get mad.¡± I have been calling mom like this for a few days. The reason for this is our conversation about levels. ¡°Mom, what¡¯s your level?¡± Since after I hit level 12, I started to wonder if I am becoming an op character like in all those novels. ¡°Level? What was it? Let¡¯s see¡­ Oh 351. So did you want to ask anything else?¡± Asked my mom. ¡°No. No. It¡¯s nothing.¡± After saying that I just silently went back to my training. That didn¡¯t demoralize me. On the contrary it made me more determined even thought I knew that a long road is still in front of me. It wasn¡¯t long until we left our house and started walking towards the town. ¡®Ah¡­ I really can¡¯t wait. I want to see how does that tablet work.¡¯ This is what made the most exited about this festival. Apparently all 8 year olds are no longer considered as children. From that point on they are something like teenagers, who can make their own choices like picking a craft and similar¡­ But before that, on summer festival they must prove themselves to the whole town using a tablet. If their level is below 80 they are being seen as weak, if it¡¯s above 100 they are considered top of their generation. ¡®But really, when I am 8 years old, no matter what, I will definitely be above level 80.¡¯ I don¡¯t want attention but being at the bottom is the worst. Finally we reached main square. The moment we came. I was flooded by the smells of boiling stews, roasting beefs and by the sounds of music. This square is massive most likely made for occasions like this where entire town comes together. On one side of it I can see something like a platform made of wood. On it musicians are playing. What¡¯s more these musicians are humans and one of them is a beautiful woman. Maybe it¡¯s because it been so long until I saw a beauty, but my eyes were as if glued on her. She had long blond hair and her lips were a bit furrowed as she played her strange instrument looking similarly like a harp. ¡®How long has it been since I saw a woman who I thought is beautiful?¡¯ Well I read in novels and saw movies with beautiful women warriors in my past life. But in this town I never saw anyone like them. Most of them were ugly or with somehow deformed faces from fights¡­ ¡°Asg¡­¡± ¡°Asger!¡± Someone called me. ¡°What are you doing? Come.¡± It was my mother. I wiped my droll¡­ Ah I mean wind blew some dust on my face, so I had to clean it. And immediately followed my parents. In front of the stage dancing was going on. But we didn¡¯t go there instead we went to the opposite direction, towards where all the food was being prepared. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. The closer I got the more alluring this delicious smell became. ¡°How have you been Ulfhildr?¡± My father asked a woman with a huge scar on her face. ¡°As you see still living.¡± While roasting some beef she answered to my father and started to laugh. ¡°How¡¯s your husband?¡± Now it was my mom who asked. But after this I stopped paying attention to their conversation. ¡®Ah this nice smell is making me hungry.¡¯ Thought while looking at roasting boar. ¡°Ah! Asger, do you want some?¡± Asked a girly voice. ¡°Huh?¡± I was still confused since my whole focus was on the boar. ¡°You were looking at it so intensely I thought you wanted some.¡± After turning my head a bit to the left I noticed a big brown eyes looking at me. ¡°Hege? What are you doing here? And also yes please!¡± ¡°I am learning from my mother how to cook.¡± She said while taking two wooden spits already prepared with meat and some grilled onion rings. Hege turned towards me and while giving both of them she said ¡°here you go.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ Thanks!¡± I said while gulping down my saliva. Without waiting too much I took the first bite and was amazed by how good it was. ¡°Mmm¡­ This is really delicious. Don¡¯t worry Hege. Work hard and I am sure that one day your food will taste as good as your mothers.¡± This is something that came from my heart. Suddenly I got a strange vibe that something is not right. So I looked sideways and noticed my parents with Ulfhildr, Heges mother, looking at us. ¡®Wait¡­ I think I just raised some bad flags.¡¯ I say in my head as I am remembering the conversation a few seconds ago. ¡®Need to fix it and fast, before something happens which I might regret for the rest of my life¡¯ Don¡¯t get me wrong she is a nice person, but here body is transforming into a terminator¡­ And that¡¯s it. ¡°Also if you ever need some help don¡¯t be afraid to ask me. Since you are like a little sister to me who I never had. So no matter what I will always do my best to help.¡± After saying that I take another look at my parents. And it seems that they returned to their conversation. ¡°Okay!¡± Said Hege cheerfully. ¡®Phew, I think this was a really close call¡¯ ¡°Asger, if you want to go look around you can do so, but come back here after 8 year olds finish showing their levels.¡± ¡°Ah and just in case something happens ask for help. People from this town lookout for each other.¡± Said my mother while father was still talking with Ulfhildr. I looked at Hege, but she was already busy putting meat on spits. So I decided not to disturb her and turned my attention back towards the stage. It took me some time but I am finally standing near the stage. ¡®What an inspiring melody¡­¡¯ I think this while listening to it with one word written on my face ¡®bliss¡¯. Of course seeing the sole beautiful flower in this garden of weeds has nothing to do with it. My eyes are just by accident looking that way. Finally music stops and musicians leave the stage. ¡®Damn I just got here and they already finished. This was way too fast.¡¯ I mumble in my mind. ¡°Finally you moved! Ha ha ha. You just stood there for about an hour already looking like a complete moron. Ha ha ha ha.¡± Said a somewhat boyish voice from behind me. ¡®I don¡¯t even need to see him to know who is talking. It¡¯s that moron Elis. But really what a strange name. No wonder he didn¡¯t tell me back at our first meeting.¡¯ While thinking this, bliss from before is already being replaced by sourness. ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked with a tired voice. It¡¯s not like I really hate the guy. At first I thought he will be like Robby, from my past, but soon I noticed that I was wrong. Elis was getting along with pretty much everyone in class. Apparently he is using some kind of strange pattern for friend making. By being a bastard at the beginning he shows who¡¯s the boss. But later with some confrontations he will try to befriend you. And strangest thing is that it works¡­ Well at least not in my case. Since we became more like rivals, fighting after each class, than friends. ¡°Nothing. I am just waiting for a town chief to start his testing.¡± Said Elis. ¡°Yeah. Me too.¡± I gave a simple answer. We stood for a few minutes in silence until I finally asked to destroy this awkwardness. ¡°I am interested. Do you train your body? Since I managed to increase my stats quite a bit, but you still put a good fight, even thought I win every time.¡± ¡®Did he just blush for a bit¡­ I must be imagining things.¡¯ ¡°Yeah¡­ You suddenly became so strong. But I didn¡¯t want to fall behind, so I started training.¡± Being recognized is putting me again in a good mood. ¡°Oh. Finally it¡¯s starting.¡± Said Elis in a serious voice. As I looked forward, I noticed a really big person with already quite a lot of grey hair walking on the stage. In his hands was a strange stone tablet which was about the size of A4 sheet paper. The moment he got to the center, he said: ¡°I hope you all are having a good time. But I want all of you to stop what ever you were doing for a few minutes. Since there is a bunch, in total even 17, young lads, who are waiting to show their achievements. So as to not make this long, let¡¯s start.¡± While he was still speaking boys and girls walked towards him in an orderly line. ¡°Vandrad Ivarson!¡± Said chief in a loud voice so the whole square could hear the boys name. And the first boy in line moved forward. I know that they are 8 year olds now, but if I would have seen them for the first time, he definitely would have looked like a middle schooler about 12 to 14 years old. This is because by the age of 10 our growth spurt ends and we pretty much reach the max height, in other word our growth slows down. But at the age of 10 we still only look like the heavily trained humans. So from that point we gain more muscles and start looking more and more like a real Northmen. He stood in front of the chief and put his right hand on the table, held in a sturdy mans arms. Suddenly an enormous screen appeared above them.
Status Window
Level86RaceNorthmen
Strenght861Defence713
Vitality161Inteligence53
Stamina314Vigor317
Agility95Presence49
Resistance
Water0%Earth0%
Ice11%Fire3%
Lightning0%Darkness0%
Nature0%Wind0%
Poison0%Alcohol0%
Titles
¡°Wow the screen is soooo huge!¡± I was a bit amazed. ¡°Huh? Of course this is the biggest as it can get. Chief specially made it like this to show everyone.¡± Elis quite proud of himself explained to me. ¡®Why do I feel like I just lost? Anyway just looking at his stats I can already see how he trained. Most likely lifting some kind of weights since his agility is really low. And his intelligence is similar to mine¡­¡¯ I thought this while evaluating this boys stats. ¡°Not the best but still pretty good. Now show us your Titles.¡± complimented the chief. But he had none. ¡°Next. Gudrod Biolfrson.¡± Announced the elder. And so one after another they showed their levels. Only one person had 79 levels, while the rest was from 80 to 100, but no one had more than a 100. Also no one had a title. Finally chief announced the last persons name: ¡°Alfhild Manadottir¡±. When I saw her I immediately noticed something different about her. While all the rest of girls, still looked pretty normal, comparing them with older women. They already had quite a lot of bulging muscles, like someone who done heavy training in gym. But this Alfhild comparing with others looked smaller and weaker. Her hair was light brown color, put into a pony tail and still reaching below her shoulders. ¡®Maybe she is some kind of crossbreed between a human and northmen. But she is definitely the most beautiful local which I have seen.¡¯ I was a bit mesmerized by her. ¡°I guess she is¡­¡± Elis mumbled to himself so I couldn¡¯t hear everything. Finally with her right arm on the tablet a huge screen appeared again.
Status Window
Level97RaceNorthmen
Strenght431Defence397
Vitality139Inteligence1223
Stamina187Vigor285
Agility188Presence41
Resistance
Water2%Earth3%
Ice26%Fire1%
Lightning1%Darkness1%
Nature0%Wind0%
Poison2%Alcohol0%
Titles
¡°Why does she have such a huge intelligence? No one even had over 95.¡± I am dumbfounded for a bit from what I see. ¡°She must be a White Witch.¡± Said Elis in a really serious voice which I never heard from him. ¡°White what?¡± I try to inquire more. ¡°Just look¡± was the only answer I got from him. ¡°Almost 100 I expected nothing less from you. Now show us your Titles¡± Once more repeated the chief And the screen changed to another one.
*Titles*
White Witch
White Witch
Reduces all racial special traits. Intelligence increases by x3. High affiliation with ice magic.
¡°White Witch? What is that?¡± This is the first time I hear this. ¡°Witches are born in every race. Like elf¡¯s has Green Witches, demonic races has Black Witches, we have White witches. To be born as one is a rare chance about 1 in a 1000. I don¡¯t know about other races but here in North after the test, when they are 8 years old, they all travel to Deirdalgil, the magic school for White Witches.¡± Explained Elis while looking to the stage. ¡°How do you know so much?¡± I ask him. He looked a bit at me confused. ¡°Do you mean you never saw one? In our town, there are 3 of them.¡± ¡°Ah. I never met them.¡± I have to admit I didn''t spend a lot of time in town. I take another look at him and start to wonder. ¡®He is smallest in our class and knows so much about it. Is he¡­¡¯ ¡°Say can a man be born with something like this?¡± ¡°No. Only women.¡± He answered fast without even thinking. ¡°I see¡­¡± Maybe I imagined too much. Anyway since it finished and musicians are getting back on stage. I need to go look for my parents. ¡°Well I have to go. Till later.¡± I say while walking away. == End of chapter 10 == The MC heard Elis name wrong thinking that he''s a boy. But later her name I will write as Elise. This is just so you don¡¯t get confused later. Well I think I wrote most of what I wanted. So its time to move on. And in the next chapter mc will have a few years of a time skip. Next chapter I hope to write a bit interesting since I got something special planed for him. Chapter 11. Rats... Chapter 11. Rats... ¡°Ahhhh¡­¡± I yawned as I woke up.. I take a look through my window and see that the sky is already getting brighter. ¡®I guess it¡¯s time to get up.¡¯ I say as I am stretching my limbs. ¡®Time really flies by. It feels like just yesterday I was a toddler and now I am already 5 years old.¡¯ *zzzz* ¡®Yeah I guess it¡¯s no longer ¡®my¡¯ but ¡®ours¡¯ now. Damn me and my long tongue.¡¯ I think while looking to the second bed in this room. Roots to this problem goes even back to the festival. When I thoughtlessly told Hege that she is like a little sister which I never had. After that my parents started to think that it¡¯s already time. And bam we are here, in the room which was once mine. My parents named her Ingvil. Only few days ago she started to sleep in my.. our room. Since she is already about 1 year old. I put my clothes on as quiet as I can and walk through the door. As I am descending the stair with a yawn, I hear talking in the kitchen. ¡®Looks like mom and dad is already up.¡¯ So I go to greet them. The moment I enter kitchen I say happily: ¡°good morning.¡± ¡°Ah. Asger, good we have been talking about you.¡± Said my father with a smile on his face. ¡°And what about me?¡± I carefully try to inquire. ¡°We think that you are already quite strong and smart to take care of yourself.¡± Now said my mother while starting to cook two more eggs on a frying pan. Most likely for me. ¡°Yeah¡­ But I feel like this isn¡¯t the end.¡± I am starting to get really suspicious. ¡°Ha ha ha! Don¡¯t worry boy. We just think that you can do some work on your own.¡± With a laugh told my dad. ¡°Oh. Great and what kind of work is it?¡± With an excited voice I asked looking at my parents. ¡°Well earlier today as I was cleaning outside I noticed Vilmund Geirson walking by. He lives quite further in the plain. Anyway we started talking and he mentioned that there is a huge rat problem around his farm. In other words I got you a job, to kill some rats.¡± While telling me this, my father looked at me with a face that said ¡®make me proud ma boy¡¯. ¡°OK! I got it to kill some rats, but with what?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry I will give you a good dagger. Just after you kill a rat cut her tail. Vilmund will give you 1 copper coin for 3 tails of rat.¡± Says my dad as he was already walking towards our toy chest. ¡°Wow! A real dagger¡­ But one more question how do I find his house?¡± This is a bit of a serious matter since I am not really good at finding places. ¡°Opps I think I got a bit too excited. Wait for a moment I will draw you a simple map.¡± ¡°And while that scatter brain is drawing, you should first eat.¡± Said my mother with a serious tone while looking at both of us as if at little children. It took me few minutes to finish my omelet. By that time my father already stood holding a dagger and a sheet of paper, while my mother stood beside him with a bag. ¡°Asger, this might take a while so I put in some smoked meat with bread, canteen of water, dry towel and a fire striker.¡± Said mom while holding the bag. I walked towards mom and picked it up. It was simple leather bag with one long strap to put over my shoulder. After putting it on I turned toward my father. He gave me a dagger and belt with a scabbard where to put it. ¡®Yeah¡­ This is so awesome.¡¯ I think as I am putting the belt on. After that my dad gives me a map that he just draw. ¡®What is this line? Ah¡­ I really get the feeling, that I am so gonna get lost¡­¡¯ While looking at the map I get a bit worried. ¡°So with everything ready I guess it¡¯s time to go.¡± I say it already going towards the door. Because I am a bit impatient since this will be my first adventure. ¡°Yes. Good luck. Ah one last thing. Rat¡¯s are pretty much the weakest being here in North, but if there is more than one don¡¯t risk fighting them. Do you understand?¡± Asked in a bit worried voice my mother. ¡°Ok! Ok! If I see more than one I will run.¡± I try to calm her down. ¡°Then, have a good hunt.¡± Now with a serious face said my father. And so my first journey has started. While walking away I still hear my mothers words as they were going back inside the house. ¡°It seems like just yesterday he was playing with branches¡­ Children grow up so fast¡­¡± Said my mother in a somewhat sad voice. Not far from our house is a dirt road going from town towards deeper parts of the plain. The moment I got on the road, I faced toward west, took a deep breath and started walking. After I knew I was some distance from my home I looked around. ¡®Nobody around¡­¡¯ I grabbed the dagger from my side and thrust it forward. ¡°You damn rats I am coming for you!¡± I said in a serious voice. ¡®Ah now I definitely feel like on the quest.¡¯ With a huge smile on my face I continue my journey. < STATUS > Since I didn¡¯t have anything interesting going on for the past 10 minutes of walking¡­
Status Window
Level54RaceNorthmen
Strenght489Defence385
Vitality96Inteligence119
Stamina198Vigor173
Agility127Presence14
Resistance
Water0%Earth0%
Ice7%Fire0%
Lightning0%Darkness0%
Nature0%Wind0%
Poison0%Alcohol0%
*Titles*
¡®Numbers are going up pretty nicely. Except presence. I still don¡¯t get what mother meant by saying about feeling the essence to raise it but whatever¡­¡¯ I wondered, as I was walking ¡®Well numbers look big but only now I am becoming stronger than normal human. So to be someone, who can shatter rocks with bare hands, will be mission impossible for years to come¡­¡¯ Some time ago, when I still had 408 strength, I tried to lift up an anvil which weights about 70 kg. It was quite hard thing to do but I managed to get it of the ground. I remembered as my gym teacher once lifted up a barrel which weighted 70 kg to help in cafeteria or maybe just to show off. Anyway from that I came to the conclusion that around 400 points in strength is normal grown up mans strength. ¡°But the problem is a standard average strength of humans in this world¡­¡± I say it out loud while thinking. ¡°Ah who cares! And this walking is taking forever I better start running.¡± And so I started running at my comfortable speed, in which I wouldn¡¯t tire a lot. As time went on I sometimes passed one or two houses scattered alongside the road. This really put me at ease, since if I got lost, I could always ask for directions. Especially at this time. Even though spring is coming, ground is still covered in thin layer of snow. I was running for nearly an hour until I suddenly stopped. ¡®That¡¯s it. I am officially in the middle of nowhere. I am definitely no longer on the road since a forest is starting ahead¡­ I probably should go back the same way I came and try to find road again¡­¡¯ ¡®This is the reason why I hate countryside. No God damn road signs.¡¯ I started to shout in my head as I was looking around. *Scratch* ¡®Wut?¡¯ I suddenly squatted down as low as I could and with eagle eyes started to scan direction from where the sound came. ¡®Shit just got real. Need to be extra careful. Who knows what kind of demon will show.¡¯ I was so concentrated that sweat started to show on my forehead. ¡®Wait isn¡¯t that a rat?¡¯ It had grey fur and really long tail. Also it was eating something while holding with it¡¯s front pawns. ¡®You got to be kidding me¡­ I am supposed to hunt them? It is friggin bigger that a fucking cat.¡¯ Sorry for the language but at the moment I am a bit in a panic mode. ''Interesting thing I didn''t see any cats here. There were some dogs in town who looked more like horses than¡­¡¯ I started to shake my head. ¡®No no no. Stay focused Asger! We came to kill some rats that means we gonna kill some rats!¡¯ Part of me was dedicated to the cause. ¡®But damn this thing no longer can be called a rat.¡¯ Well only one part of me, while all the rest whined. After long debates I finally drew out my dagger and gripped it firmly. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter even if it¡¯s Splinter himself! I am gonna do it.¡¯ I got up a bit and started as silently as I could walk towards it. Suddenly the rat finished eating and walked deeper into the woods. ¡®Did it notice me??? No, I don¡¯t think so. Maybe I should try following it?¡¯ This is my first time doing something like that, so I really don¡¯t know how to act properly. In the end I decided to follow it. Since I was afraid to scare it away, I kept a big distance between us to the point I hardly seen it. But this wasn¡¯t a big problem with snow I could track it easily. ¡®¡­¡¯ I am getting annoyed while watching this rat. ¡®It¡¯s really starting to get on my nerves. I have been following it for about an hour and we hardly moved 500 meters from where we started¡­ It¡¯s eating nonstop¡­¡¯ I complained in my head while still keeping an eye on this rat. Again after finishing its meal rat started to move. ¡®This is the last time! You hear me? The last!!!! Next time you stop I am definitely jumping on you.¡¯ Once more I waited until distance between us got quite big. And once more I started to follow it. ¡®Oh! Finally!¡¯ I got excited. Since after following for already 5 minutes I still couldn¡¯t see this glutton. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I am trying to be careful not to make any sounds, so my movement speed is really slow. Even thought I have been tailing this creature for another 15 ¨C 20 minutes, in reality I moved maybe 300 ¨C 400 meters. The trail is going through some kind of clearing. ¡®Looks like somebody lived here.¡¯ I think as I see old foundation of the house made from stone. As I keep going further to the northwest I find a small river, maximum 2 meters wide. It is still completely frozen. ¡®Hm. Looks like this fella is going along side it.¡¯ I am really getting in to the role of a hunter now. As I am following rats footprints in the snow, I notice others looking the same as my rats. ¡®This is it! I am getting close.¡¯ As the number of tracks keep increasing they start to intersect between each other. Until finally whole ground is covered in them. I lift my eyes to look ahead and what I am seeing is a wall of ice. ¡®I guess when summer comes this thing becomes a waterfall.¡¯ While looking to a about 4 meters tall wall of ice, I comment in my head. ¡®No time to be amazed!¡¯ I concentrate back on tracks again. ¡®It looks like they are going behind a waterfall?¡¯ Since all the footprints lead to a small hole on the side of that waterfall. ¡®Most likely there is a cave. But this hole is too small for me¡­ More over inside should be really dark, so I will be at disadvantage¡­¡¯ I just stood there and wondered what to do. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I let out a sound while looking around. Suddenly a brilliant idea comes to me and I turn back to the frozen waterfall. ¡®This might just work!¡¯ With a grin on my face I stand once more in front of that ice. Only this time in my hands is a rock bigger than my head. ¡°He he¡­ DIIINNG!!! DOONNGG!! Is anybody home?¡± I shout while throwing it with all of my strength towards the frozen waterfall. *Bang* *Crash* With loud sounds almost half of that wall of ice broke and shattered on the ground. ¡°This should definitely get their attention.¡± The moment I finished saying this I heard numerous sounds coming from inside the cave. *Squeak* *Squeak* ¡°Um sorry mother. I think, I just didn¡¯t listen to your advice.¡± I say it out loud while drawing my dagger. With my weapon in hand I anxiously waited for rats to show themselves. The first one climbing over all that ice was a bit confused looking around. The moment it noticed me it stopped moving and only looked for a few seconds. Suddenly it started running towards me. ¡®So you think, you have a chance?¡¯ When it was right in front of me I stepped on it with my right leg, using all my weight. While still holding it with my foot I stabbed the rat with a dagger. ¡®The feeling of cutting through flesh is disgusting. Somehow this isn¡¯t a pleasant and exciting adventure as I thought it would be¡­¡¯ With a sour expression on my face I pulled out my dagger from the dead rat. As I lifted my eyes up because of not being able to look down any more. I noticed tens and tens of eyes looking at me with anger. *Cough* ¡°I ¨C I was wrong! Maybe we should talk? Ha ha¡­¡± *Squeak* *Squeak* And the horde of rats started running towards me. ¡°I definitely have bitten more than I can chew!¡± Shouted as I was gripping my dagger tightly. All that mass of rats was running towards me with 2 leading the parade. I shifted my body a bit to the left. And with my right leg I kicked one of the leaders like a ball, away from the others. As it was still flying in the air, I already started running after it. The rat flew for a few meters and hit the rocks, but it was still a live. So before it could even stand up I already thrust my dagger in it¡¯s body. ¡®I can¡¯t stop, got to keep moving.¡¯ Without even waiting a second I am starting to run again. I take a look backwards and see that 2 rats are about 1 meter closer than others. ¡®A chance!¡¯ So I stop and face them. As rats are getting closer to me, they opened their mouths and showed their sharp teeth¡¯s. But once more using my right foot I pressed one of them to the ground and stabbed the other while avoiding it¡¯s mouth. Even thought I am moving as fast as I can, I couldn¡¯t give finishing blow to the one under my foot. Before I could manage that I had to jump backwards since few faster rats already tried to bite at the arm that held the dagger. Only by pure luck I didn¡¯t lose my balance and fall on the ground. ¡®This was a really close call.¡¯ I am now running in circles, sometimes jumping on bigger rocks or going between the trees. And every time I am hoping that 1 or 2 stragglers will appear from this huge mass of grey fur. ¡®I see 3 targets.¡¯ I think to myself when seeing that 3 rats lagged behind the horde by few meters. So I lead them all around huge boulder. After running about 200 degrees around it I suddenly jumped on the rock and climbed to the top. I noticed where the stragglers were and jumped. With all my weight I landed on one of them. And felt as bones are breaking under my foots. Now it was time for my old tactic. I pressed second rat to the ground with my right foot and went for the third. In a blink of an eye I stabbed them both to death. But I got careless as I didn¡¯t notice the fourth one. It charged at me and sank it¡¯s sharp teeth¡¯s in my left leg. ¡°Arghhh!!!¡± I shouted while already thrusting my hand with dagger towards the bastard. I stabbed it once but bastard still held strong. So I pulled out and stabbed again. Only now it¡¯s jaw muscles released me. But I had no time to worry about my wound, since the horde was already coming back at me. ¡®Damn with this leg I can¡¯t move as good as before.¡¯ Sweat is already dripping down through my face. ¡®Need to change tactics.¡¯ While avoiding the mass of rats I am looking for solution. I ran another circle and now I am coming back towards the bolder again. ¡®Right! I should try it this way!¡¯ I keep on running towards the rock. The moment I am in front of it, I jump on it again, But this time I stop at the top. *Hahh* *Hahh* I breath heavily while looking around. It took rats few seconds until they started to climb the bolder. ¡®Since they are coming from every side I need to watch my surroundings.¡¯ Even thought all rats are trying to climb but only few are showing good progress. Especially three of them. Two from in front of me and one from behind. Because their mobility is heavily reduced I only need to avoid their heads. First I kill those two then the one behind me. But not even having time to get my breath back I turn around and kick with my leg. Since five more of them climbed up. Four of them lost their grip and is rolling down as for the last one, I finish it with my dagger. In this manner I fight in this little fort of mine for nearly an hour until the last rats falls victim to my sharp weapon. *Hahh* *Hahh* I sit on the boulder breathing heavily with my clothes drenched in blood and sweat. ¡°After I killed the first one¡­ *Hahh* ¡­I don¡¯t think I would have continued¡­ *Hahh* ¡­this job. But I guess such things as morals disappear in the middle¡­ *Hahh* ¡­ of life or death situation.¡± I say that while looking at the pile of rat corpses on the ground. ¡®Damn mother will never let me go outside again.¡¯ I think that as I am looking at my wounded and scratched legs, and arms. Suddenly a screen appears in front of me.
Notification
You have gained a new Title
¡°New Title?¡± < Status >
Status Window
Level56RaceNorthmen
Strenght491Defence388
Vitality109Inteligence119
Stamina233Vigor174
Agility128Presence20
Resistance
Water0%Earth0%
Ice7%Fire0%
Lightning0%Darkness0%
Nature0%Wind0%
Poison0%Alcohol0%
*Titles*
¡°I can already see some changes.¡± < Titles >
*Titles*
Blessed; The last one standing
< The last one standing >
The last one standing
Even if your enemies are coming at you in hordes, in the end through sheer willpower you stand tall. +10 vitality; +30 stamina; +5 presence.
¡°Yes! With this I got 11 vitality. Ha ha ha! Screw the strongest in the world¡­ I will be the oldest in the world. Hell yeah!¡± == End of chapter 10 == I wanted to write few more parts but it¡¯s already evening and I am tired so¡­ I will put them in a next chapter. Chapter 12. The cave. It took some time but finally found a spare moments to write it. Chapter 12. The cave. ¡°Argh¡­¡± I let out a sound through gritted teeth. Currently I am in a woods around a cave picking up dry tree branches. ¡°Wounds don¡¯t look deep but they sting a lot. Every step is painful¡­ Mghhh¡­ But I need to finish what I started.¡± I talk to myself to put my mind away from pain. I notice another branch. So I bend down and pick it up. ¡°With this it should be enough.¡± I am collecting wood to make a fire. In my past life I remember hearing that from a large numbers of dead and decaying animals problems occur. Such as the spread of harmful pathogens, ground and surface water contamination, and pest control. ¡°Since it¡¯s impossible to burry them in this frozen ground, so at least I will burn them.¡± I say while walking back to the battle ground. Of course this wasn¡¯t my first journey to the woods. So when I get back, I put branches, in my arms, near a stack of wood which I already made earlier. ¡°This should be enough to let me keep the fire burning for some time.¡± ¡°Now before I set fire to my bonfire¡­ I should bring here all the corpses.¡± I say that as I am turning my head to the pile of dead rats. ¡°1¡­¡± ¡°2¡­¡± I start to count them while bringing rat corpses closer. ¡°47¡­¡± ¡°48!! This is the last one, I think. Damn! Just 48? How can that be?¡± I got a bit disappointed. ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s it forget the 48. Official story will be ¡®Me versus hundreds¡¯. Yes, that¡¯s the story worth to be told.¡± I say that while looking to the horizon and nodding to myself. ¡°Haaa. But I still need to cut their tails. Urgh!¡± Some things are simply disgusting to me. I take one from the pile. Cold sweat drenches my forehead as I pick up my dagger and cut it¡¯s tail. ¡°Well that¡¯s one¡­¡± As I am about to put it aside, I remember something. ¡°Oh my GODDD!!! Energy cores¡­¡± I look back at the corpse without a tail and say with a disgusted face. ¡°In their hearts¡­ Urgh!! I think I am going to vomit... I know I have killed them but still¡­¡± ¡°Keep breathing, Asger.¡± *Huhh* ¡°Cores are important part of this world. So if you don¡¯t want to be called a loser again, get a grip on yourself and do what you got to do.¡± I was preaching in a hope to give myself some motivation. After I finish gathering all of my courage. I put rats body with it¡¯s abdomen looking up on the ground and slice it open. With face twisted by many dark emotions, I put my hand inside. ¡°Ughhh¡­ This is so ugly. Mhhhh¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be amazed if most of the people living in this world are sadists and psychopaths¡­¡± ¡°Note to myself. You are not a doctor material.¡± Suddenly I find what I am looking. ¡°Looks like this is the heart.¡± I cut it open with my dagger. And using my two fingers I pull out something hard from inside. While holding it in my hand, I am examining it. ¡°It is not bigger than a nail. From few spots that are not covered by blood it looks like a grey crystal.¡± ¡°So this makes one. Ohh! I am so happy that ¡®Me versus hundreds¡¯ is just a story¡­¡± I say that while looking at the rest 47 bodies of the rats. It took me some time until all cores and tails got stacked neatly together. But finally I am burning them. At the moment I am looking at the bonfire and dropping bodies in it one by one. ¡°Today was my first adventure. This day should have been legendary. Like I have read in many novels where the main character meets unexpected enemy, thought many hardships emerges victorious ands gets kissed by a beauty¡­¡± ¡°¡­ So why I am here? Smelling this stench from burning hair and skin. My legs and arms covered with wounds. My whole clothes dyed in red from blood. More over I am feeling so tired that God only knows how I will get back home without starting to sleep somewhere in a ditch. And as a highlight of the day I vomited even 3 times, while getting those damn cores. So yeah!!! Only a kiss from a troll is needed to make this day perfect.¡± I finally drop the last rat into the fire. ¡°Haaa. I don¡¯t care anymore. I am going home. Since I still don¡¯t even know where that Vilmund lives¡­¡± I pick up my items and start walking back. After a few steps I suddenly stop. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Even if I stepped on a shit I don¡¯t think my mood would change anymore today. So I might as well try to look there.¡± As I am saying that. I turn my head and look at the cave. I put down my items on the ground again. Walk to the bonfire and take one of the bigger branches that has one side on fire. And walk towards the cave with my simple torch in hand. ¡°This cave is quite big, since I don¡¯t even need to hunch in here.¡± The cave isn¡¯t straight it is making a bit of a curve. ¡°Hmm? What is that?¡± I reached a place where entrance light disappears and complete darkness starts. Well it didn¡¯t matter much since I had my torch. But what picked my attention was a strange metal object like a spoon attached to the wall. ¡°So someone used this place. Maybe you put something like a candle in it? Either way I shouldn¡¯t stop since I don¡¯t have much time until the last light from my torch disappears.¡± So I keep moving forward. Until now floor was littered with acorns shells, dry grass and branches. But as I am getting closer to a place, where the cave is getting bigger, there is less and less trash on the floor. ¡®There is something there¡­ I think it¡¯s a table with a few books on it and a chair.¡¯ I identify items in my head trying to be as silent as I can. I walk to the table and on top the books there is a note. ¡°Hmm. Paper doesn¡¯t look really old.¡± After examining the note I move it closer to myself since with this dim light it¡¯s really hard to read. ¡°Welcome traveler. First and most important thing DON¡¯T TAKE ANYTHING OUTSIDE!!! This room or whatever you like to call it is protected with preservation magic and if you take something outside they will turn to dust. Well I put lights in a walls that are fueled by cores so you will¡­¡± In the middle of me reading the note my last source of light disappears. ¡°Just great! I can¡¯t see anything¡­ Lights in the walls¡­ Fueled by cores¡­¡± I immerse myself in a deep thought. ¡°It might be that spoon thing. I guess I need to put a core in it.¡± I say it with a joy in my voice. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But first, where is the God damn exit sign?¡± I say that while trying to find my way using hands. ¡°Ah light, my old friend!¡±Words leave my mouth as I reach the entrance. ¡®It took me some time, few falls and crashes, but I found my way.¡¯ As fast as I can, I walk to my bag and pick up two small cores from it. One is just incase extra. And with a smile on my face I turn back towards the cave. Once more I stand in front of that metal spoon. ¡°I hope this works.¡± With excitement and a bit of fear I say that while moving my hand with a core in it. The moment I place that little crystal on the spoon. Thing that looks like a vein brightens up until it starts to glow with light blue color. This vein goes all over the cave making it really bright. ¡°Wow. This is amazing¡­¡± I am at a loss for words, from how beautifully it looks. ¡®Now with this I can easily read what¡¯s on that table.¡¯ I rush to the table, sit in the chair and pick up that note again. ¡°Bla¡­ Bla¡­ Ah here we were. ¡­so you will be able to study here easily. I am¡­ No it should most likely be I was Asa Geirolfrdottir, a White witch. I got lucky in life and found a loving husband. We lived together nearby. After spending some time I noticed his interest in magic. So I decided to teach him few skills. But problem is Northmen has too little intelligence and thus are unable to use any usefull magic. And no those few battle auras, which require only strength and hardly any intelligence, I am not counting. Ha ha ha now that I look back, I guess, I was a stubborn person¡­ To make story short it took me decades but I managed to make few strong efficient skills to help a Northmen warrior in a battle. My only regret is that my husband died before I could teach him any of them¡­ My whole work is on the table. While some other stuff is in the shelf behind you. Now I think it is finally a time for me to go. Since a cold lady is waiting for me beyond the Last line. I only hope that you will leave this place as you have found it. Asa Geirolfrdottir.¡± *Author¡¯s note: Just in case. By saying a cold lady I mean death.* ¡°Well not one of the nicest stories. But that¡¯s how life is.¡± I put the note down on the table and turn back. ¡®But a shelf. How did I miss that?¡¯ I wonder as I am looking at it. In it there is about 40 to 50 books and a small glass globe with another note. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of books. Somehow I am already getting a headache¡­¡± I rub my forehead with my right arm while looking at these books with a tired expression. ¡®And another note¡­¡¯ ¡°This crystal globe is a tester. Once you learn to manipulate you inner energy a bit. Put your hand on it and let it flow inside the globe. It will show you what kind of aptitude for one or the other element you have by giving you a Title. For your knowledge there is 5 categories of aptitude: very low, low, medium, advanced and high. Of course high aptitude only has witches and it is already shown from their birth . But don¡¯t worry to use a magic person only needs a low. Well if you are one of the unlucky ones, who get very low, I am sorry but GET OUT OF HERE!!!¡± I read the note loud. ¡°In other words even if I have a high intelligence, but I only get very low aptitude with an element, my magic will be pretty much useless¡­¡± ¡°Such lottery with my luck. I think I already know what I will get¡­¡± ¡°Anyway I should go home. Since I can¡¯t run with these wounded legs, I need to go now or I won¡¯t be able to get back before dark.¡± I turn towards the exit and leave. Of course I don¡¯t forget to pick up that core, which I put in a spoon. Once I am outside I pick up my items again and go back towards a road. Since I am tired, my speed is really low. It takes some time until I reach a place where I lost track of it. I look around and notice a person coming from the west. It is a rough man with long beard like most in here. ¡°Excuse me. Can you show were Vilmund Geirson is living?¡± I ask him. ¡°You are lucky. I am Vilmund. So you must be that Gurd¡¯s brat. Why are you coming just¡­¡± He stopped in a middle of a sentence when he saw my bloodied clothes. ¡°What happened to you? Are you ok?¡± He suddenly asked me with a serious face. ¡°It¡¯s ok I just dealt with you problem.¡± While saying this I drop all the tails on the ground. ¡°Ha ha ha. There is quite a lot of them.¡± He bent down to look at them. ¡°48 in total.¡± I say it in a tired voice, wanting to finish this business faster and go home. ¡°Those bastards started to really annoy me at the end. So I believe for these tails, I own you 16 copper coins.¡± He said as he was pulling a small leather pouch. ¡°Here take 20 coins. 4 will be a bonus for dirtied clothes and job well done.¡± ¡°Thank you. Well night is coming and I need to go home.¡± I bow my head a bit while thanking him. After that I turn around and start walking. ¡°Take care boy.¡± == End of chapter 12 == Well I tried to make a picture of Elise in future. So this is a spoiler. You have been warned!!! Spoiler : I know you just accidently pushed it ;D Spoiler : Once more I got your back jack Spoiler : If you are so determined here: Spoiler : I am not an artist so I draw looking to other people pictures. This is what I got (also about faces yeah I suck at them, so I left it blank): She has white hair, white eye pupils, red lips and long black nails. She is wearing dark brown boots, dark blue dress, held by brown belt and black long glove on her left hand Chapter 13. Test. Chapter 13. Test. ¡°Phew I made it!¡± I say that as I am looking at the last rays of sun from the entrance of my home. With one hand I open the door and enter inside. ¡°I am back!¡± I shout that happily. ¡°Oh Asger how did it go?¡± Full of excitement came my father from second floor. ¡°What happened to you? You are all covered in blood.¡± Said my mother as she saw me. ¡°Ha ha ha! You might not believe me but I found a rats lair. And before I knew it hordes of them came at me. There must have been hundreds of them. I slashed left and right, killing one after ano¡­¡± ¡°How much coins did you get?¡± Interrupted mother with a straight face. ¡°Ah ¡­¡± I found a problem with my story. ¡°Jensina, how can you ask for such a trifle thing?¡± Inquired my father. ¡®Thanks dad.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s because his story sounds really familiar to someone, who told me that he killed hundreds of wolves.¡± Said my mother giving a glare to my father. I didn¡¯t really get what¡¯s going on. But my father just went quietly to a chair in front of a fireplace and sat in it. She turned her look back to me and asked again. ¡°So how much coins did you get from Vilmund?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ That is 20 copper coins.¡± I said that while also going to a fire place. ¡°20 so you mean you killed 60 rats?¡± Asked my mother quite amazed. As I picked up a branch and started to a poke fireplace. I said in a silent voice. ¡°No only 48.¡± ¡°And from your appearance it looks like you didn¡¯t listen to me and charged at them. Am I right?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± I said in a really down voice. ¡°Haaa. What I am going to do with both of you? Well I am glad that you came home with only few scratches, but don¡¯t do something this reckless again.¡± Said my mother. ¡°I am going to get you a warm water. You should clean yourself.¡± She said while leaving for a kitchen. And just as she walked through the door I heard her say: ¡°like father, like son¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry one day they will come. And then we will shine ma boy.¡± This time talked my father from his chair. ¡°Who will come?¡± I asked not understanding what he was talking about. ¡°The hundreds of enemies.¡± He said looking at me with a smile on his face. ¡°¡­¡± After washing myself I went to bed. *yawn* ¡®I guess I overslept a bit too much¡­¡¯ I comment in my head as I see that sun is already up. I get up, go down the stairs and eat my breakfast like any other day. ¡°Mom, I am planning to go study somewhere.¡± I say that with a serious voice. ¡°What? Where?¡± ¡°Rats had a lair in a cave. After killing them all I went inside to check and found there is a lot of books about magic. So I want to go and study some of them.¡± I explained everything trying to convince her. Since I know if my mother will say no I will have to forget about the cave for some time. ¡°Hmm¡­ Ok! You can go. Since you proved yourself yesterday. But if anything dangerous shows up, you RUN.¡± She especially emphasized the last part as she looked straight at me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry I am not an idiot to fight someone who I have no chance to win over. Also I still didn¡¯t eat the food you gave me yesterday. So I will just take it and go.¡± I said in a happy mood. I picked up the same bag from yesterday and walked through the door. ¡®Phew. For a few second I thought she will definitely say NO.¡¯ Once I got on the road I started running immediately. Since even if I run to reach a cave will take about an hour. In other words every day I will spend at least 2 hours on the road. ¡°Day isn¡¯t infinite. Need to hurry.¡± Said as I looked at the sun already climbing up in the sky. So I picked up my pace. An hour later I am already inside a cave. As I was coming here, I came to a conclusion that the first thing to do is to test myself for magic. ¡°So the first of all I need to learn how to manipulate my inner energy.¡± I talk to myself while looking through the books in the shelf. ¡°No¡­ Not this one¡­And not that¡­ Ah here we go. ¡®Basics of magic¡¯ a title I was looking for.¡± I pick up the book and walk to the table. I don¡¯t know how long it was but I read a whole book in one go. Maybe not really read as more likely ran through it. ¡°This book contains about 100 pages, but there is a lot of talking about the same thing over and over like explaining to a little kid. And if you cut it out, the essential information would take only about 10 or so pages¡­¡± Somehow I got annoyed reading it. ¡°So a witch and magician is basically the same thing. The only difference is in a talent. Since magician will never surpass a witch of the same level.¡± ¡°What¡¯s more it is good to know that most people have at least low aptitude for an element.¡± I am a bit at ease since I know that my chances are looking quite good. ¡°In a book it was written that controling the inner energy is quite easy. Only for a first few times I need to imagine something like a waves of water and move them through my body. In time I will get used to the sensation and will be able to do this easily.¡± I remembered the most important things. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I sit on the ground with my legs crossed like I saw people do while meditating. Since I feel that¡¯s how you should learn magic. ¡®Ok! Let¡¯s think the waves of water¡­ The waves of water¡­ Oh I am really starting to feel something. Now let¡¯s move it.¡¯ I continue to concentrate intensely. To the point where even beads of sweat appear on my forehead. ¡°I am definitely feeling as a some kind of force is moving inside of me. Who knows I might be a genius at this.¡± But suddenly this force is starting to run uncontrollably in me. *Fart* ¡°Ah! Maybe this was a wrong energy. Damn it!¡± ¡°I should start aga¡­¡± *Sniff* *Sniff* ¡°I am feeling too much of the negative energy is in here. I should probably move outside closer to the elements of nature.¡± As I am still saying that I stand up and run outside. ¡°Ah now this is what I am talking. Fresh air and nature. Since meditation pose didn¡¯t worked I should try to sit comfortably.¡± I walk towards a nice smooth stone and sit on it. *Huhh* *Huhh* I make a few deep breaths and concentrate again. ¡®Energy within me like the waves of water¡­¡¯ I try to move those imagined waves towards my right hands palm, but nothing happens. I keep on trying over and over, and over. Until after a long time I fell some kind of tingling in my palm. ¡®It¡¯s hard to tell did I succeeded or did my hand just went numb.¡¯ I move my arm a bit but it looks everything is normal. So I try again to move those waves. ¡®I am finally making a progress.¡¯ Joy runs through me as I feel tingling again. ¡°But strange I didn¡¯t notice anything. Only this tingling after trying to move it inside of me. Maybe I am wrong? I should probably test it on that globe.¡± I get up and walk back to the cave. *Sniff* *Sniff* ¡°Negative energy is gone let¡¯s proceed.¡± I say that after I finished checking my surroundings. I walk to the shelf, pick up that globe and put it on the table. While standing nearby, I put my right hand on it. ¡°One more time. Let¡¯s concentrate on the waves of water going to my palm.¡± First time I try but nothing happens. So I try a second time and the feeling that I felt not so long ago return to my palm. Globe under my hand suddenly starts to shine. And a familiar see through screen appears before me again.
Notification
You have gained a new Title
Without even waiting for a second I think < Titles > to look what I got.
*Titles*
Blessed; The last one standing; Son of Thunder
< Son of Thunder >
Son of Thunder
Be proud since lightning is running through your veins. +35 intelligence; +20 agility. Advanced affiliation with lightning magic.
¡°Yes!!!! Can I get an AMEN!¡± I shout from the bottom of my lungs as I read the message. == End of chapter 13 == A bit of answers to posts under chapter 12 ======== Nasir05 asked ¡°that is an amazing drawing, think you can give me some links where you learned how to draw so well?¡± I didn¡¯t learn how to draw anywhere (I was too lazy to go to art school or even learn it¡­) because of that I copied a stance of a character from another picture and put my clothing, hair and shit like that. (If I would need to draw it from the beginning till the end it would really suck¡­) ======== Slime313 asked ¡°Good chapter, i wonder how he will progress with his build. I can see him becoming something like an elemental swordsman. (High int and High strength)¡± So do I. ======== Nekosama asked ¡°wait isn''t elise is northmen and northmen is all muscle body. but your drawing showing her a beutiful and nice body o.O¡± I thought I made it clear in past chapter that Elise will be a White witch. In chapter 11 i wrote ¡®Reduces all racial special traits¡¯ meaning no high strenght and only light, normal muscle builds for witches. ======== lightflash94 said ¡°.... still waiting for his Vigor skill Very Happy especially after seeing Elis''s drawing.¡± I am planing to do a funny situation where I will make him suffer because of vigor. So wait for like 4-6 chapter ;D Chapter 14. It’s Elise! It¡¯s a small chapter done in a short time. Chapter 14. It¡¯s Elise! ¡°I will be going.¡± I said that while going through the door. ¡°Take care!¡± Shouted my mother from inside. It¡¯s already been few week since I gained new Title. And every day from that time I have been going to my cave for studying. ¡®Haaa¡­ Somehow learning magic is harder than I expected.¡¯ I sight heavily while thinking about what I managed to reach in this period of time. Apparently before I can start learning any of the awesome skills, I need to be able at least wrap the elemental energy around my hand. And that is really hard¡­ So today like every other day I am running on this road towards the West. But when I climb up the hill I notice something out of the ordinary. ===== ===== Elise¡¯s point of view. Today my mother sent me with a task outside of town. I have to bring a package to my relatives house, who lives in the plains. ¡°Ah¡­ What a nice day for a walk.¡± I comment while looking at the clear sky, where sun is shining brightly. ¡°Few more week and summer should finally come.¡± I added with a smile on my face. ¡°Oh. Who we have here!¡± Shouts someone from behind me. So I turn around to look who. And I notice as Asger, from my class, is running down along the road, towards me. ¡°Yo, Field boy. What are you doing here?¡± I greet him. He frowns a bit after hearing how I called him. ¡®As long as you are going to make that face, I will call you by that name.¡¯ I think with a little laugh in my head. Well it¡¯s not that I hate the boy, but we got a interesting relationship of rivalry. So it¡¯s my kind of duty to get on his nerves. ¡°I am traveling somewhere. And, Elis, I got a name! It is ASGER!¡± He almost shouts the last part. ¡®If you are annoyed so much by it, maybe you should first stop cutting my name!¡¯ Of course I don¡¯t say that out loud. Since this would kind of mean my loss. ¡°Field boy is also a good name! So what¡¯s the problem?¡± I ask trying to look as if I don¡¯t understand. ¡®He he he.¡¯ ¡°And here I am trying to talk with you normally like with a decent person. But you¡­¡± He¡¯s clearly getting angrier. ¡°You mean you can be even more of an idiot? Ha ha ha.¡± This time I could stop laughing a bit. ¡°Tch.. Even thought I noticed some time ago but I tried to be understandable, so I didn¡¯t pry into your condition.¡± ¡°Excuse me? What? Condition?¡± I really don¡¯t get him. ¡®Maybe this sun completely fried his little brain¡­¡¯ ¡°I mean just look at yourself. You are smaller than any boy our age. So I was being considerate and didn¡¯t ask what kind of illness it is.¡± As he was telling this I could clearly see a pity in his eyes. I am dumbfounded. ¡®No one really notices this in here.¡¯ This is what I was told by Aesa, one of the White witches who lives in our town. And even after sometime I noticed this myself. ¡®So how is it that this idiot did it?¡¯ As I think this in my mind I am becoming a bit nervous. ¡°What are you talking?¡± With all my strength I try to fake it. ¡°No need to hide it. I can see from your face that you are lying.¡± He said that while putting his arm on my shoulder and looking straight in my eyes. ¡®¡­¡¯ I think for a bit. ¡°Haaa¡­ Just promise me not to tell this to anyone. Promise me with your honor as a warrior on the line!¡± Better I say this and silence him now, before he has a chance to tell others too much. ¡°¡­ Ok! I promise with my honor as a warrior.¡± He answered me in a serious tone after thinking for a bit. ¡°Haaa¡­ I don¡¯t know how you noticed that something is wrong, since others doesn¡¯t. But I guess I got caught. You see I was born with a title of a White witch.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡®I didn¡¯t want anyone to find out my secret. Since when people know who we are. They start to act differently.¡¯ ¡®Some look at us with a pity, because by North standards we are bound to look ugly. Others start to keep their distance, since they think we are some kind of holy beings. So in the end we are left alone with no friends or those who would love us.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s why I want to have as much friends as I can have. At least until time to leave to Deirdalgil comes.¡¯ ¡®So what will you do when you know, who I am?¡¯ I look at him questioningly. ¡®As expected. His face is becoming a pure shock with his mouth and eyes opening widely. This would have made me laugh if the reason would have been different.¡¯ I think this as sadness is taking control of my heart. Suddenly he shakes his head and starts walking. As he goes by me he doesn¡¯t say anything. I can only hear him mumble something under his nose. Since I always feared to be ignored and left alone, emotions suddenly surge through me and tears are starting to form in a corners of my eyes. ¡°No no no¡­ How can this be? What kind of nonsense is this?¡± He almost shouted this. So I turn around and notice him looking at me with a confused expression. He doesn¡¯t wait for anything and continues: ¡°are you kidding? You mean to say that you a friggin GIRL?¡± All emotions that ran rampant in me just now disappeared and I was able to say only one word to his comment: ¡°what?¡± ¡°What ¡®what?¡¯ How can a brat like you be a girl, more over with a name like Elis?¡± Now he looked almost angry. ¡°It¡¯s Elise! ELISE!!! You!... You, field boy!¡± I don¡¯t know why but I suddenly got angry at him. He looked at me for some time, but without saying even one word, turned around and started walking. After going for about 20 meters he turned his head back, looked at me again and he waved his hand, as if giving up, while shaking his head. I just kept standing there and looking at him, until he finally disappeared behind the next hill. ¡°Ha Ha Ha¡­ That idiot! That¡­ Asger, is truly an idiot.¡± I suddenly burst out laughing. ¡°Well I shouldn¡¯t waste this nice day.¡± I say that while starting to walk with a smile on my face. == End of chapter 14 == There is quite a lot of people asking about how often I release. So know this I AM A WORKING PERSON (11 HOURS A DAY AND 5 DAYS A WEEK), I AM NO LONGER A STUDENT. In other words after work I am too tired (today was exception) so I mostly write on weekends, meaning about 2 chapters a week (be happy I think I will write 2 more this week if plans don¡¯t change) People talked about his weapons. But I am thinking I am gonna stick with an axe because of the title (axe/shield ; axe/axe or axe/hammer I still didn¡¯t made my mind. But I think I will give him a skill to make a shield of magic so¡­). And about him being Thor. Yeah I had something else in mind but in one of the chapter comment someone mentioned lighting and I thought it was a nice touch so BAM we are here. Chapter 15. A bug. Chapter 15. A bug. ¡°Ah another sunny day!¡± I say while walking outside. ¡°Well let¡¯s start such a nice day with a good run.¡± I say as I am warming up my muscles before starting my training. ¡°Ah wait, Asger!¡± Shouts my father from the barn. ¡°Huh? What happened?¡± I turn back to the side from where I heard a voice. ¡°Do you need my help with something?¡± I add as I am beginning to walk towards him. ¡°No, I just wanted to give you something.¡± He has a big smile. I notice that he is carrying something wrapped in a old cloth. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I ask with a puzzled expression. ¡°When I was about your age my father made me an axe. So now I am giving it to you. Since a real one is too big and that dagger¡­ Well anyways take it.¡± ¡°Wow thanks. It was made by grandpa?¡± ¡®I know mothers parents are still alive, since we went to them few times. But now that I think, father never mentioned about his.¡¯ I got a bit curious but still my whole attention on the package. Father unwraps the cloth and gives it to me. As I am holding this small axe, I feel that it is perfect for the current me. Even more its has quite a beautiful fire carvings on both sides of it. I touch it¡¯s edge and notice that it is remarkably sharp considering it¡¯s age. As father sees me occupied with his gift. He speaks with a bit of nostalgia in his voice: ¡°Yeah, my father is one of the best blacksmiths in the North. When he was young he traveled the wide world. And in one of his journeys he made a dwarf friends, which taught to him an art of blacksmithing. And today he lives in a village of Gilja.¡± Even though I am interested in my gift, but this is a rare chance to hear about this awesome grandpa. ¡°Gilja?¡± I ask my father hoping for him to continue. ¡°Yes. It is one of the Last line villages. If you take the northern road from Geirland you will find it.¡± Explained dad. ¡°You see he says that it¡¯s too boring to live here¡­¡± My father almost snorts in the end of his sentence. But holds back and continues. ¡°Even if he is a stubborn, old fool he at least makes a decent equipment.¡± ¡®I was planning to see this Last line in future. But now I am definitely going and Gilja will be my destination.¡± I thought with a burning wish to meet my grandfather. ¡°Well I held you back from your training too long.¡± ¡°Thanks for the gift. I will definitely use it when the time comes.¡± I say looking at my father with a big smile. He suddenly started to laugh as he was already going back to the barn. But before going to far said: ¡°It is a good weapon. Just watch over it and try not to hit any rocks with it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± I say loud enough for him to hear. ¡®Somehow I feel, like I just got an expensive heirloom.¡¯ I tie this axe at my right side to the same belt, which is holding dagger on my left and after taking a few deep breath I start my daily exercise. Even if I call it an exercise, I simply run for a half of day until dinner. Other half I study magic. ¡®It¡¯s been almost two months from that day when I found a cave. Time sure flies by.¡¯ ¡®At first I thought magic is hard to learn. But I was wrong. Basics are quite simple. The problem is that you need a lot of patience and time. Since you require to build something like a pathways in your body before being able to use magic. At least that¡¯s what was written in a book.¡¯ It helps me to pass my time faster if I think over what happened or make strategies for the future. ¡®Since that book was written by a human magician it is hard to tell how much I can trust it. But apparently at least humans need from about 4 to 6 months to learn a second step.¡¯ First step is being able to feel inner energy. It takes only day or few. Second step takes much longer. Since you need to keep moving that energy in one part of your body until it can finally flow easily and in the end manifest outside. ¡®I am not really sure, but I think, yesterday I almost succeeded in forming my element¡­ So two months might be enough to me. Meaning it will take 10 more until I finish training the rest of my body (both legs, other arm, torso and my head).¡¯ Well I wanted to train my whole body, but it didn¡¯t take long, until I understood that it is impossible. Since it was as if trying to solve two puzzles at the same time. As I was deep in thought, time just flew by me. ¡°I should probably turn around and start heading back, if I want to be on time, for dinner.¡± I say after taking a look at the position of the sun. ¡®And another half of day almost gone.¡¯ In reality I am more worried about the other half. I have stopped going to the cave after about a month. Reason for that is a huge core consumption. Since to keep the lights on I need to use one rats core for one full day. After more than a half of my loot just disappeared I decided to find other places for my meditation. Sometimes I use barn or house and sometimes I simply sit under the tree. As I keep running and breathing rhythmically, I suddenly remember: ¡®Ah right¡­ Tomorrow is again that day.¡¯ ¡®I really don¡¯t want to go to class anymore¡­¡¯ ¡®I know that Elise told me a huge secret, but I gave my word! Am I so distrustful? Yes, I know. I was angry at the beginning. Of course it¡¯s not because I took a GIRL seriously as my rival, after all they are strong, but because I was misled! And really not because of the rival thing¡­¡¯ ¡®Either way what matters is her constant attention on me. It is driving me crazy. Every time I turn towards her she tries to fake it as if looking somewhere else. But when I take my eyes off of her, I can feel her glare returning as my whole skin becomes really prickly. I even feel her stare after the class while walking home¡­¡¯ ¡®Maybe I am getting paranoid or maybe I am simply going crazy¡­¡¯ My wishful thinking. ¡®I can think what ever I want. But deep down I know what is going on. Haaa¡­¡¯ With a tired look I let out a sigh. ¡®I got a STALKER!¡¯ If at the moment you looked at me from a side you would notice a disgust written all over my face. ¡®I must be extra careful! Otherwise I might end up with a dagger in my back for slipping a wrong word in a wrong context.¡¯ While running home, I nod to myself. ¡®Somehow class loses it¡¯s fun when you need to be afraid for your life. But still I kept on going for one thing. That is points in presence. Her glare is so intense that I get even one point for every two classes.¡¯ ¡®But this is truly a training from hell. It is so hard, that after only getting my first point I already tried to give up.¡¯ I called Elise away from others and told here: ¡°Don¡¯t worry! You can trust me. No matter how much I am tortured, I will never tell them your secret!¡± As I was saying that, I used as a strong voice as I could. Since making her believe in me was the point of this conversation. She stood for a few seconds simply looking straight at my eyes. And after putting her arm on my shoulder without breaking the eye contact she said: ¡°I believe in you.¡± Without saying anything else she walked away with a big smile on her face. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.¡®And with this it was finally over¡­ This is what I want to say¡­ So why is it that the next time we met her glare has even intensified? Did I do something wrong?¡¯ I started to wonder. ¡®Ahhhh!!!! How much longer do I need to suffer this? How much longer do I need to wake up in the middle of night, drenched in a cold sweat from a nightmare?¡¯ My expression got really tired ¡®I must have really pissed off someone important in one of my past life¡¯s. To be so unlucky ¡­ Why can¡¯t I live my life in peace?¡¯ *Author note: I got a feeling to explain this part. The thing is I don¡¯t really tolerate a perverted mc¡¯s in a child bodies (somehow it doesn¡¯t sit well with me). Theory for this is he used to be a loner so not really good at reading other people feelings also¡­Damn I got to censor this, don¡¯t want to spoil¡­ * Still cursing myself for all the unlucky things and misery, I finally came back home. ¡°Ah Asger, good I have almost prepared dinner so wait a bit.¡± Said my mother when she noticed me coming inside. ¡°Ok! Call me when it¡¯s done. I will be sitting outside.¡± After my little sister was born, house became really cramped. So I try to spend as much time outside as I can get. By the wall of our house there is a simple wooden bench. I walk to it and sit down. ¡®Might as well train my magic.¡¯ I decide to not waste time. At the beginning I needed to imagine waves of water. But after so many tries it became simpler. I only need to push energy from deep inside of me towards my arm. To get the same tingling sensation in my palm. So like all the other times, I poured this strange, imaginable energy, since I can¡¯t feel it, to my hand. And like all the rest of times, this tingling at my palm was the only indicator showing that I succeeded. That is until today. ¡°Arghhh! What is this?¡± I said through gritted teeth as a burning pain ran through my whole arm. ¡°MMmmm¡­ This is the first¡­ Argghhhhhh¡­. Don¡¯t tell me I done something wrong and damaged it?¡± I move my arm to examine it. ¡°Well at least I can still move it. And this pain is starting to lessen.¡± ¡°That scared me a lot. I wonder what just happened?¡± I say while looking at my hand. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Could this mean that I succeeded?¡± I gulp down all saliva in my mouth as an extraordinary idea came to me. ¡®Calm down and concentrate.¡¯ I look at my hand intensely while holding it in front of my face. ¡®One more time let¡¯s move the energy to my palm.¡¯ I think as I am gently as possible moving this imaginable force to my arm. There is no tingling, but I can clearly see the difference. As a small lightning bolts start to run between my fingers. ¡°Ha ha ha! This is awesome. I am a friging Gandalf.¡± I say as a huge joy floods me.
Notification
You have gained a new Title
¡°What?¡± Suddenly appeared screen took me by surprise. ¡®< Status >¡¯
Status Window
Level65RaceNorthmen
Strength569Defense399
Vitality110Intelligence253
Stamina242Vigor184
Agility157Presence26
Resistance
Water0%Earth0%
Ice7%Fire0%
Lightning5%Darkness0%
Nature0%Wind0%
Poison0%Alcohol0%
*Titles*
¡®< Titles >¡¯
*Titles*
Blessed; The last one standing; Son of Thunder; Magical knight
¡°Magical knight? In what way do I look like a knight?¡± I almost shout at the screen. *Snap* I make a snapping sound with my fingers as I say: ¡°I know what this is. It¡¯s a fucking bug¡­¡± ¡®< Report >¡¯ ¡°Tch! Anyway let¡¯s take a look at it.¡± ¡®< Magical knight >¡¯
Magical knight
You are one of the few, who can wield a sword and fire bolts of magic. Even thought you are great at both, you are master at none. But combining them makes you a force to be reckoned with. +50 strength; +50 intelligence.
¡°Knight¡­ Sword¡­ Nonsense like this is what makes you want to quit!¡± Anger runs through me. ¡°Stupid bugs¡­ Well at least it gives some nice stats.¡± ¡°Asger, dinner is ready!¡± I hear my mother shouting. ¡°Yes¡­¡± I answer in a tired voice. == End of chapter 15 == Thanks *bludvein* for pointing out my mistake. About his weapon I came to a conclusion. He will have 2 small axes for throwing and speed, but also he will have a two handed battle axe for bigger opponents (smaller one¡¯s will be at his side while bigger one on his back) My plan was to release this chapter yesterday and by tomorrow make another one. But shit happened as yesterday my car¡¯s side mirror got knocked off¡­ So I spent yesterday about 5 hours going through scrap yards looking for a replacement. Sadly my car is really old so I failed. Since I live in a eastern Europe ordering a new mirror is a bit too expensive In other words I might not make another chapter by tomorrow. Chapter 16. Wolves! 5568 words in this chapter¡­ This is the longest chapter which I have written until now. And it took so much time¡­ Since after writing it I try to make it nicer by rereading it again and again (out come of this rereading: chapter is about 800 words longer¡­). I think from now on I will try to stick with a shorter chapters of 1500 ¨C 2500 words Also I want to thank you all. At the moment I even find my story in a best rated section with a number of 45. That¡¯s a really nice thing to see. I can only hope I will not disappoint you in a future. Chapter 16. Wolves! Days just went on one by one without anything interesting happening. I like always kept training, my father started collecting wood for winter and Elise sometimes glared, sometimes frowned at me and sometimes gave a strange look, which made me really uncomfortable. ¡®I am starting to think she will never stop doing this¡­¡¯ So in this manner my days went on for about a month. At the moment our whole family is sitting outside and enjoying warm summer evening. ¡®At least as warm as it could get in the North.¡¯ Ingvil is playing with flowers and I am of course sitting silently while training my other arm. My mother is talking with father about daily things and at the same time keeping an eye on my little sister. Sometimes she even glances at me. I hear them, but I don¡¯t pay much attention to their conversation. ¡°Ah! I almost forgot. Today I met Bjorn and he told me something worrisome.¡± Said my father while caressing his brown beard. Mother looked at him showing that she is interested. ¡°He said that for almost two weeks the patrol groups didn¡¯t encounter any wolves.¡± I think I can hear a little bit of worry in his voice. ¡°How can this be possible?¡± Asked mother. ¡®Well I have heard about it few days ago from my friend. But why are they so worried? Isn¡¯t it good that beasts disappeared?¡¯ I start to wonder while listening to them. Our house is positioned on the plains, west of town Landamot. Here are only few smaller forests. But towards the east land is covered by a dense forest which span hundreds and hundreds of kilometers. Patrol groups are scouting only its borders to find anything that ventures from within it. ¡°I don¡¯t know usually every week they killed about 10 of them. But now¡­ Something is going on but the problem is just what?¡± ¡°And what does Bjorn thinks about this situation?¡± Asked mother with a worried voice as she was giving a glance to me and my sister. ¡°Well he¡¯s Bjorn¡­ Always excited about strange and dangerous things. But apparently quite a number of people are feeling uneasy and with each passing day a number is increasing.¡± Said father in a serious voice. ¡°To be expected. As much as I can remember, such thing never happened¡­¡± Added my mother. ¡°Indeed¡­ I heard even town chief is worried. He is even planning to make an expeditionary force to venture deeper into the woods.¡± ¡°From your voice you sound like in a thought. Are you thinking about joining it?¡± Asked my mother now looking straight in the eyes of my father. ¡°Ha ha ha! I really can¡¯t hide anything from you.¡± Answered father with a laugh. ¡°Haaa. If you think this is right, then pick your axe and walk forward¡­¡± After giving a deep sight my mother started speaking in a really serious voice while looking at dad. ¡°¡­ without a fear of darkness.¡± Added my father and for reasons unknown to me both of them started to laugh. I just looked at them with a face showing, that I clearly don¡¯t understand what is happening. Apparently my mother noticed my look and said: ¡°Asger, you see this is like a tradition, which comes from ancient times. More than a 1000 years ago, before trade agreements were made and 3 great roads built. We Northmen waged endless wars against human kingdoms and pillaged their villages. So as parents sent their children to battle, only this one sentence was their goodbyes, their support and their blessing.¡± ¡°Long goodbyes is not for us, boy. So this is enough to show your love or friendship.¡± My father added to mother''s explanation. ¡°Well enough about that. So how is your levels climbing up Asger?¡± He continued with a smirk on his face. ¡°Yes, lately you have been spending a lot of time just sitting. At the beginning you were so energetic about training, but now¡­¡± Also said my mother with a worried expression while looking at me. ¡°Well I am progressing quite well. My level is already 68. Also even now I am training.¡± I answered looking at them. Well it¡¯s not like this a secret. They never asked and I never told about my stats. ¡°68 that¡¯s quite high for your age¡­¡± Said dad with a pride in his voice. ¡°But what do you mean you are training even now?¡± Asked mother with a puzzled expression. ¡°I am learning magic.¡± I answered it as casually as if saying that the sky is blue. ¡°Magic?¡± Almost shouting said both of them. ¡°Um boy where did you get such a strange idea as ¡®magic¡¯? White witches can use it but the rest of us are not suited for it.¡± Tried to explain my father. ¡°Yes. Why are you always doing everything backwards? First interested in agility and now this¡­¡± She looked down and shook her head, with a sad expression, while saying this. ¡®I think she is on the brink of crying¡­¡¯ ¡°Why are you reacting like this is the end of the world?¡± I am somehow starting to get annoyed by them. ¡°How can we not react like this? If your son is wasting his time on nonsense like this¡­¡± Said father with a worry written all over his face. ¡°Nonsense? Are you saying this is nonsense?¡± I lift up my right arm and show them lightning bolts running between my fingers with a huge grin on my face. ¡°Asger¡­¡± Only said mother with astonished expression. ¡°That¡¯s lightning¡­ How did you pull this off?¡± Asked father. ¡°I told you, I am learning magic. And my aptitude with lightning is advanced. Ha ha ha.¡± For some reason their reaction made me laugh. Mother and father just looked at each other and after nodding they turned back towards me. ¡°Since you made so much progress already, we won¡¯t stop you.¡± Said mother. ¡°But know this boy you are playing with your future. So we hope you will not regret this later.¡± Added my father with a serious voice. ¡°Thank you.¡± I felt like I needed to say this now. ¡°But promise me this. If before your test on summer festival you still have not progressed far in this ¡®field¡¯, you will keep on training like a normal boy.¡± Looks like this idea really doesn¡¯t sit well with my mother. ¡°Ok. I promise¡­¡± ¡®Lucky I already trained one of my arms. Otherwise if I had nothing to show to them, I might have been in deep trouble.¡¯ ¡®I was too naive. Next time I should most likely think hard before answering anything related to my stats.¡¯ I decide to give this matter a status of ¡®Classified¡¯ from now on. ¡°Haaaa¡­ So much tiring news. And sun is already disappearing beyond the horizon. So I guess we should call it a day and go to sleep.¡± In a tired voice said my mother. And that¡¯s how another day came to an end. It didn¡¯t take long until sun has risen again and a new morning has come. ¡°Ahhh...¡± ¡°Mnghh¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Ahhh!!¡± With a shout I wake up. I am breathing deeply while looking around with my forehead completely wet from a cold sweat. ¡°Ohh just a dream¡­¡± I calm myself. ¡°That was a really disturbing one.¡± I dreamt that it is already a summer festival and with my hand on the magical tablet, I am showing my status to all townsfolk. Everything went well until I decided to show my magic with some kind of ultra skill. As I was preparing to shoot it, I felt a killing glare. And with a corner of my eyes I noticed a murderous look from Elise. So as a chill ran through my skin, my magic failed and only a huge ball of smoke came out with a sound of ¡®pooof¡¯. Whole square started laughing, except my mother who was crying in the corner and repeating same sentence over and over: ¡°please, forgive my retarded son!¡±. What¡¯s more taken over by anger I also started shouting: ¡°It¡¯s not my fault. It¡¯s that god damn witch¡¯s.¡± At the same time pointing towards Elise. After that she started screaming: ¡°You broke your promise! I knew I needed to kill you long ago!¡± And suddenly she began to run towards me with a long dagger in her hands. Being afraid for my life I tried to get away from her and somehow in a process I managed to lose all of my clothes. And here came another surprise. My body was abnormally freakish even by North¡¯s standards. So in the end everyone started laughing even harder¡­ As I was standing there completely naked I once more heard my mothers screams: ¡°please, forgive my retarded son!¡± ¡°God this was¡­ I don¡¯t even have words to describe wtf was this.¡± I say while sitting still shocked in my bed. ¡°I need to get some fresh air¡­¡± I get up form the bed, put my clothes on and walk down the stairs. ¡°Ah looks like our little magician is awake.¡± Says my father as he sees me coming down. ¡°Please, I already had a huge tiresome nightmare about this¡­¡± From my voice you could easily understand that I have no will to joke around. ¡°Ok ok. It clear that you really had an unpleasant dream from your looks. So I will let you off the hook for now.¡± Sounding like he is not letting this matter go so easily said dad. ¡®I got a feeling my parents will get a heart attack, when they will see my stats¡­¡¯ I make a comment. ¡°Thanks, dad.¡± After this. It didn¡¯t take long before I had my breakfast and was already prepared for another marathon of running. So without wasting any of my time I start going towards a town. ¡®Ah! This is what I needed¡­ I am already feeling much better now.¡¯ Feeling a fresh air and a soft breeze surrounding me, I think to myself. Few minutes later I reach town. From this point on I take the cobbled road, which leads toward Hisargafl. This is the place where I have been jogging for quite a while. ¡°Patrol groups are hunting down any dangerous monsters alongside it. So it is safe for your training.¡± This advice, from my father, was the reason why I started using it. As I keep on running leisurely forward. At a speed which doesn¡¯t take my breath away or make me break a sweat. I take my time and look around enjoying beautiful nature. Since I can do this only for a short time. It won¡¯t take long before white snow will return to the land. From time to time as I am going on, I pass by merchant groups that are going to one or the other direction. Well they are mostly human males. And only on a rare occasions my eyes can have a pleasure of seeing a slim figure of a woman. ¡®Ah¡­ Seeing all these normal people around me again. I just can¡¯t help it but get nostalgic remembering my past.¡¯ I think with a small smile on my face as I remember bustling streets full off cars, huge shopping malls and my old home¡­ ¡°Asger, looks like you are energetic as always. Ha ha¡­¡± Suddenly a voice wakes me up. ¡°Oh Osfrid! You are patrolling today again?¡± I reply to the younger man from the group. I used this road everyday for a month already. By doing this I constantly met patrol groups. So in due time I made a few acquaintances. And this Osfrid is one of them. I get along with him quite well, most likely because he¡¯s still, if I am correct, 18 years old. ¡°So how was todays catch?¡± I ask him. ¡°Just small fry. Only few foxes...¡± He says with a wave of his hand as if they were hardly worth any attention. ¡°But try to be alert today.¡± Suddenly his voice for some reason became very serious. ¡°Why?¡± I immediately as him back. ¡°Ha ha ha. This guy he keeps on insisting that he heard a wolf¡¯s howl somewhere in a distance.¡± Says another older man with a dark brown beard. ¡°But I really did.¡± Osfrid¡¯s voice lost all seriousness from before. ¡®He must have it rough being in the same group with everyone at least twice older than him.¡¯ I pity the guy. ¡°Well we scouted the area but found no traces of any wolf.¡± Said a very hulky female warrior with a big scar on her face, as she was walking by. I am not great at recognizing people emotions but I think she frowned a bit. ¡°But to be safe don¡¯t go too far.¡± This last part she added while looking straight at me. ¡°Understood. And thank you for your advice.¡± I bowed my head a bit to show my gratitude for an advice. After all she¡¯s the captain of this group. I say my goodbyes to them and start to run along the road again. For one more hour I keep on going in my comfortable pace. Well I could rush it and start on using my top speed. But one day after making some tests and calculations I came to a conclusion, that few extra points are not worth killing myself over them. So yeah I am enjoying my new life. I take a look at the sun in the sky and after considering the road to get back I immediately stop. ¡°Well it¡¯s about time to turn back.¡± I turn around, make a few stretches and take a deep breath. This ritual is like a tradition, which I do before every run. So now with preparations done I am already starting to move. Suddenly my all insides start to twist and only one word rings inside my head: ¡®DANGER!¡¯ Cold sweat immediately soaks my whole body. And with mind only focusing on how to escape, my body runs automatically towards the nearest tree. I have to admit. In my whole existence I have never climbed into a tree before. So if anybody asks me now, how I got into this huge one, I would simply answer: ¡°Don¡¯t ask such hard questions.¡± Few seconds passed. I am still hiding inside the tree and only barely able to hold myself from shaking. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Why did all of the alarms in my body suddenly went on?¡¯ I have so much questions but what¡¯s worse not even one answer. *thump* *thump* In a distance I start hearing a sound which is coming closer with every passing moment. ¡®It sounds similar to a cavalry ride from the movies.¡¯ My eyes are running wild going left and right trying to locate the source of this sound. But it doesn¡¯t take long until I notice a movement on the other side of road, on a small hill, by the edge of the forest. At first I can only see shadows moving between the trees, but shortly after a wide, grey mass emerges from them. ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯ I ask myself with my eyes glued on it. ¡®Wait is that wolves?¡¯ As this moving mass gets closer I make out individual beings. ¡®So many of them¡­ And they are so fast¡­ I have no chance to escape them if they notice me.¡¯ I understand that who ever is caught by that, only a certain death awaits them. ¡®First ones already reached road, but I still don¡¯t see the end. There must be thousands of them¡­¡¯ I gulp down my saliva. ¡®Oh deities in heaven or hell please give me luck at least this once to remain unnoticed.¡¯ I try praying in my mind. I can¡¯t say if praying helped or I am just lucky today. But they don¡¯t run towards me. Instead they turn south and move along side the road. ¡®Shit¡­This is bad they are all going towards the town.¡¯ Flashbacks of people I passed on the road surfaces in my mind. ¡®If I just had a cellphone¡­¡¯ I fell so helpless now. This huge mass didn¡¯t linger long in front of me. It took maybe few minutes until they all disappeared from my sight and ran south. From just this you can easily see the extreme speed of wolves. Many mixed feelings run rampant in my heart. And tears start to form in the corners of my eyes, thinking about those who will die today. ¡®What new world? What hero? I might have a different body, but I am still a helpless weakling deep down, like I used to be.¡¯ I curse myself for not being able to do anything to help my family and friends back at home. The more I think about them, the worse I start to feel. Since I don¡¯t know if after this day I will have home to return to. As dark thought started running wild in my head time lost its meaning. So it¡¯s hard to tell wherever it was 10 or 20 minutes. But out of nowhere I heard a shout, which woke me up. ¡°Please anybody help!¡± A man almost screamed this. I lifted my head up and noticed a middle aged human with short, dark hair, wearing a travelers clothes. He was panting heavily while running for his life from 3 wolves that chased him. ¡®Judging by clothes he must be a merchant. But what¡¯s this a black wolf?¡¯ As dark clouds disappear after the storm, so did my mind cleared up as I saw what is happening before me. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Please¡­ Arghhh¡­¡± The man was desperate. ¡®But it looks like wolves are only playing with him. Since they don¡¯t give him any fatal wounds.¡¯ I don¡¯t know by coincidence or by fate but he is running straight towards my tree. As they get closer I see something really unusual. ¡®Now that I take a better look that wolf isn¡¯t black. But instead he is surrounded by some kind of dark mist¡­¡¯ ¡®Simple wolves are already bad news but this hell hound definitely looks more dangerous¡­¡¯ I start to panic a bit. While I was still studying the dark one. Exhausted merchant reached my tree and stood with his back touching it¡¯s trunk. Suddenly he pulled a dagger. ¡®Damn it! Are you serious? There is tons of other trees. After all we are close to a fucking forest. So why is it that you are planning to make your last stand here?¡¯ As I notice, that I am getting in danger also, fear starts to get the better of me. ¡®Ah¡­ But if I just do nothing and allow him to get slaughtered, I can guarantee that I will regret this for the rest of my life.¡¯ My consciousness finally speaks. ¡®Also even if he dies, being so close wolves will still smell my scent. So chances of 2 vs 3 is nicer than 1 vs 3.¡¯ Gives a green light my selfishness. I take a deep breath and slowly pull my dagger. ¡®This is the breaking point which will show if I still am Markus Ryley or have I become Asger Haraldson.¡¯ ¡®Since something so brave and stupid Markus would never do¡­¡¯ I criticize my past myself. Two grey wolves move to the sides of merchant while the hell hound, with his mouth showing sharp teeth, is slowly walking straight to him. ¡®It¡¯s as if that dark one is taking pleasure from torturing it¡¯s prey.¡¯ I comment in my head as I am observing the situation below me. Merchant is standing with his short blade in a hand while shaking from fear like a leaf. He already can see that this is the end since other wolves cut his escape routes to the sides. ¡°Grrr!¡± The hell hound stops and growls loudly with his saliva dripping from the mouth. This makes merchant twitch even more. ¡®Now! Let¡¯s do it!!! Bombs awaaaayyyyyyyy!!!¡¯ I shout in my mind as I jump from the tree with a dagger in my hands. At the moment dark beast is about 2 meter away from the shaking man and also directly below me. So I shift my body in hopes of stabbing it the moment of impact. It took only a blink of an eye until I came down crashing on the hell hounds back and at the same time thrusting my dagger with a full force of the fall, directly at his skull. As my blade is piercing it¡¯s skull I fell a huge resisting force, which almost knocks it out of my hands. But in the end my grip on the dagger wins over as I drill though the beasts skull and into it¡¯s brain. It makes only few stagger before falling down dead on the ground. I don¡¯t waste time on getting my weapon out of the hell hounds head. I simply pull out my axe and jump on my feet.
Notification
You have gained a new Title
¡®What get out of my sight you piece of shit. < Disappear >, < Disappear >, < Disappear >, < Disappear >.¡¯ Since even the smallest mistake might mean my death. So with ? th of my vision getting blocked I get really angry. ¡°Wha¡­¡± Merchant is still in shock. Finally screen disappears from my sight. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ I get a bit confused as I see other two wolves. Standing still and shaking their heads as if they both got a huge blows to them. ¡®Who cares¡­ This is my chance.¡¯ With these word in mind I hold my small, sharp axe and jump towards a closer one on the left side. Still being a few steps away from it, I already turn my body sideways in a preparation for the strike. By swinging my weapon backwards a bit. And the exact moment I get close to a wolf. I let it cross the distance between us with a full strength, while still running at the top speed. Since I don¡¯t know how tough my opponent is, I try to land on it the most powerful attack, I can use now by combining my strength and a law of inertia. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Wolf is still in a confused state as I deliver my attack directly to it¡¯s throat with a shout. My axe tears through the beasts skin quite easily. And as it goes deeper inside I start to feel some kind of small snapping along the wooden shaft of my weapon.. ¡®I just crushed it¡¯s throat. This should definitely be a killing blow.¡¯ I think to myself, still waiting for a confirmation. For a few blinks of the eyes it looks like everything stopped. Me, wolf and time itself. Only when blood begin to seep through the gap of my axe and it¡¯s skin, I begin to breath again. ¡®Two down and only one left.¡¯ Thinking this I turn my attention towards the last beast. But what I see in front of me isn¡¯t good. ¡°Ggggrrrrrr¡­¡± Wolf starts to growl as it comes back to his senses. ¡°For the love of God! Move!¡± I shout to the merchant. Since he¡¯s still standing frozen at the same spot, which is now between me and the wolf. ¡®That idiot he¡¯s an easy target¡­¡¯ I with a haste pull my bloodied axe from the now dead body. And run as fast as I can closer to the tree. Since I still don¡¯t know how strong my enemy is, I try to be careful and stay close to the only cover, my old pall made of wood. Now three of us make something like a triangular, while me and merchant stands in one line wit a tree growing between us. ¡°Oi you piece of shit come here!¡± I try to attract it¡¯s attention from a still shaking man. It hard to tell wherever it¡¯s my shouting or the bloodied axe that works, but¡­ ¡°Ggggrrrrrr¡­¡± Wolf suddenly turns his head towards me and growls, showing his big, sharp teeth. Not waiting for anything he leaps straight at me with his mouth wide open. ¡®Shiiittt!!!!¡¯ I scream in my head as I am trying to avoid an upcoming attack by shifting sideways. Today luck really isn¡¯t on my side. Since even if I managed to evade his mouth, the beast is too fast and I fail to completely avoid him. ¡°Ughh¡­¡± I let out a sound as my body loses it¡¯s balance after a collision with wolfs shoulder. As I am falling on the ground with my hands still flailing. I can pretty much already guess that this is my loss. ¡®That bastard doesn¡¯t waste even a second before charging.¡¯ I curse while seeing my death coming. But I am not afraid, on the contrary I am unexpectedly calm as I close my eyes. ¡°Aughh!¡± Suddenly wolf let¡¯s out a shriek full of pain. I hurriedly open my eyes and notice the beast jumping away, a good few meters from me. ¡®What has happened?¡¯ While thinking this I hear a shaking voice. ¡°Run boy!¡± It was the merchant. I jump back on my feet as fast as I can. And at the same time putting my whole attention back on the wolf again. It doesn¡¯t take a huge imagination to figure out what happened after I see a dagger sticking out from one of it¡¯s back legs. ¡°Grrrr¡­¡± It growls once more, with it¡¯s attention now going between me and the other man. ¡°Ha ha you forgot him, idiot!¡± I laugh at it. Of course there isn¡¯t even a hint that I also have put the man out of the equation. This time wolf roars loudly and jumps straight at me again. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me he understood.¡¯ I wonder while seeing it¡¯s reaction. But now it¡¯s speed isn¡¯t even half of what it was. So I easily evade it¡¯s attack. ¡®But his speed is still great. I won¡¯t make it if I try to hit him with an axe¡­¡¯ Since I don¡¯t have time for a swing, I try to get the best outcome this moment by kicking him. But I am performing this attack from a standing position with no swing back. So as I deliver my kick to it¡¯s abdomen, wolf only releases a small growl before getting away from me. As it runs away, I can see that it¡¯s condition is already quite bad from the beasts heavy limping and breathing. Once a wolf gets about 4 meters away from me, it stops and turns back. ¡°Ok let¡¯s try to make this the last stand off.¡± I say this while we look each other straight in the eyes. I take a better position by shifting my body as I am tightening grip on the axe, while wolf once more shows it¡¯s teeth. For a blink or two we just stood like that. And I have to admit strangely it felt like this is how it should have been all along. As if in this world there is only beast, me and nothing more. Such tranquility doesn¡¯t continue long. It gets dispersed by a sudden rush of the wolf. As it¡¯s pawns with the help of it¡¯s strong muscles dig into the earth. ¡®You or me, my friend!¡¯ With this thought in mind I starting to swing the axe with both of my hands. While still being about two meters away it already jumps at me with it¡¯s jaws wide open. From past experience I have expected this. So I used all the strength I can muster as I began to swing my axe in an upward trajectory and straight for my enemies neck. Everything happened so fast that before I noticed anything I am already standing with my face covered in blood while the 3rd wolf is lying on the ground in a big puddle of the red liquid with his head twisted unnaturally. *Huhh* I breath loudly as I am looking around with my mind completely blank. I can¡¯t say if it is from excitement or shock of almost dying. But I simply stand there. ¡°Thanks! I own you my deepest gratitude.¡± Suddenly brings me back to reality the merchant. ¡°Instead you should thank goddess of luck since you decided to pick a tree in which I was hiding.¡± I say back to him. ¡°Maybe. But no matter what luck I would have been slaughtered by them if not for you.¡± While saying this he shook his head a bit as if trying to forget a bad nightmare. ¡°I am in a greet debt to you.¡± He added looking at me. ¡®I am not so ignorant of the world. So I can easily see that you aren¡¯t very rich. Also I don¡¯t have plans which would involve money for a near future¡­¡¯ After thinking for a bit I say to him: ¡°We helped each other. So let¡¯s just leave it at that.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Before he could protest I interrupted him: ¡°also I will take wolf cores as my reward.¡± ¡°Well¡­ Ok¡­ If you are fine with just that. By the way my name is Nestor Yellott. As you can most likely guess I am a simple merchant from Ramir kingdom.¡± With a bit of the brighter note introduces himself the man. ¡°Ah. Nice to meet you. My name is Asger Haraldson I am from town of Landamot.¡± I try to return his politeness. ¡°Pleasure to be an acquaintance.¡± He shows great manners for a one talking with¡­ Let¡¯s face it I am still a brat who isn¡¯t even a six years old. ¡°But this is strange¡­ This was the first time I saw a this kind of wolf. I have seen before wolves with a black fur, but nothing like that one.¡± As he is still wondering what it was. I decide that I should collect my cores. And for that I am walking to the dead hell hound. ¡°Huh it¡¯s no different from the other two wolves¡­¡± I say it out loud after seeing a completely normal dead wolfs body with my dagger in it¡¯s skull. ¡°Really the mist is gone¡­ I wonder what does it mean?¡± Says a merchant with a hint of interest in his voice. But I don¡¯t have time to idle long. ¡®I need to get back and see what happened back in town.¡¯ So I pull out my dagger and get to work. Five minutes later I stand with a three cores in my hands. Two yellow and one small blue core, from the one with a mist. I already learned this some time ago in a class that cores have different colors. And by it you can determine it¡¯s quality. Their rank up goes like this: Grey < White < Yellow < Blue < Red < Purple < Black. Grey ones come from the weakest creatures like rats, while black ones are legendary. For a reference matter Ice wyvern gives a big red core. ¡°Wow! So young and already so efficient with a blade. That¡¯s North for you.¡± Says merchant ¡°I already had a great practice.¡± I answer him while remembering a mountain of rats. ¡°Let me see¡­¡± Says Nestor while looking at the cores which I hold in my hands. ¡°Hmm¡­ These two yellows should be worth about 2 gold coins each. But this blue even thought it¡¯s a bit small, it still should fetch about 9 gold coins.¡± He quickly evaluates them. I look a bit at the crystals in my hands. ¡®Shit! I got no idea if that is a lot¡­ And if I ask about it I will definitely look like an idiot¡­ Got to change the subject.¡¯ ¡°Anyway I need to get back to the village. So I will be saying my goodbyes.¡± I try to end this conversation as quickly as I can. ¡°Ah I am also going there.¡± He says with a smile. ¡°Going south might be really dangerous now.¡± I tell him this already walking towards the road. ¡°Why?¡± he asks in a serious tone walking beside me. ¡°Well the reason why I hid in a tree was a huge horde made of thousands upon thousands, of wolves. And they all ran along side the road towards the town.¡± For a few moments he got silence. But after thinking a bit he spoke: ¡°Either way I am still going south. In other words please take care of me.¡± ¡°Just please wait a bit until I pick up my backpack.¡± And after saying that he dashed off. ¡®Maybe I should just take this time and run?¡¯ I started to wonder. ¡®But because of this situation I was able to overcome my fears¡­ Ah what a pain in the ass¡­¡¯ I thought while waiting for him. ¡®Wait¡­ I think I am forgetting something¡­ Hmm¡­¡¯ ¡®Right I believe I got a notification for acquiring a new title.¡¯ This helps me to get in a better mood. ¡®< Titles >¡¯
*Titles*
Blessed; The last one standing; Son of Thunder; Magical knight, Shadow killer
¡®< Shadow killer >¡¯
Shadow killer
Armies will march, battles will be fought and innocents will die. For darkness is coming. So pick your weapons and fight for all that¡¯s good. +15 to all stats; +0.25% Darkness resistance
¡®Ahh¡­ This is definitely the reason why Lyru got us here¡­¡¯ == End of chapter 16 == Some questions and answer to the coments under chapter 15: Q: Many asked me to make a picture of mc. A: I will try next week. But I will remind you, I am not an artist, so if I fail I will not post it. Q: Promicent: thx for this chapter Very Happy a bug --" i thought it will be monster bug lol..elise the stalker!!!(yandere?)..will he enter other academy far from his village?cant wait to see his harem and lightning axe...and can u describes his current appearance...i hope his dont have bulky muscles like body builder A: This will be too big of a spoiler if I answer everything, but about his appearance. He still is too young so I don¡¯t want to go into too much of a detail. But I can say this later on I won¡¯t make him on the absurd level of the northmen, but he will still look like someone who almost live in a gym. In other words intimidating to other races. Q: lightflash94: 1.how about letting him learn blacksmithing it will open open some new path for him. 2. he can static charge the anvil and his hammer while black smithing ( make his hammer is like an eletric magnet that he active it when swinging down to add to the force) the more hits he does, the more static charges make the force stronger A: 1. In a vrmmo I would support this idea, but this should be like real life so it would take many years to learn this craft. In other words I don¡¯t want him all the time hammering an iron. 2. Hmm charge I think I got an idea from this so thanks. Q: bludvein: If he''s going to exercise anyway, he should get his father to teach him how to use that axe. Or are Northmen kind of just learn as you go? A: Well I mostly think they learn from life. But later on his father will teach him some skills (Battle auras I mentioned earlier) Q: shuiko: sooooooooooo when is Elise going to jump his bones? I sort of want to see Elise force him to marry her early on in life and they travel together... hehehehehe A: Well he¡¯s still too young but it will come. Hehehehehehe Well that¡¯s it¡­ Finaly of to play some Dying light Chapter 17. The horde is coming. I took two week of vacation from works so yeah all weekend I didn¡¯t write even a sentence. I was lazy playing games and reading novels¡­ (And it¡¯s definitely not because I read whole spectral regalia in one go and understood how great it is while my work kind of suck. At the same time shaking my will to write¡­ *cough* if not for people reading this I would have started other story. I even planed two new one¡¯s about vrmmo and other simply about the person who is born in a kingdom torn by wars (¡°Soldier¡¯s life¡±)*cough* ) But I am back and with a new short chapter which I wrote today. I had plans to also include fighting and aftermath but since it would take few more days to write. I came to a decision to cut it shorter and give it to you today. Chapter 17. The horde is coming. Osfrid¡¯s point of view. (Note: To those who forgot he is a member of patrol group mc talked with in previous chapter.) ¡°Today was really disappointing¡­¡± Said a mans voice. ¡°Yeah¡­ No game at all.¡± Agreed one of the few women in our group. But I didn¡¯t pay much attention to them. At the moment I am taking a look back with a worry. ¡®Be safe, Asger.¡¯ I think to myself. Since I like that brat. He¡¯s a hard working, always cheerful and somehow really easy to get along person. ¡®It would be sad to find you dead.¡¯ I add while turning back at the road. ¡°Are you worried about that boy?¡± Asked our captain in a strong voice. I got a bit shocked since she rarely talks and especially with me. ¡°Ha ha. A bit¡­ I don¡¯t know why maybe because of a howl I heard earlier, but I am feeling really uneasy like something bad will happen.¡± I try to answer her as normally as I can. After all this is one of my rare chances to talk with this beauty. This goddess of war with a perfect body, which can only be sculpted by heaven itself. Is also a reason why I tolerate being in this group, even thought everyone is older and look at me like a kid. ¡°To me he looked quite smart. If anything happens he will find a way to get through.¡± Said captain. ¡®I will have to give a thanks to Asger later. Since he gave me such a chance to talk with her.¡¯ ¡®It is hard to believe that with legs, which can snap trees in half, and arms, which can crush boulder, she is still single¡­¡¯ I think to myself while admiring her. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s a fun lad. It would be sad if he died.¡± I try to keep the conversation going. She looked at me for a bit with her face marked by a huge scar, starting over her left eye, which is white and looks like made of glass, and going down towards her chin. Then with a small nod she turned to look back at the road. I heard from others about this. Apparently she once had a husband but he died the day she lost the sight in that eye. It happened some years ago in a battle against the ice wyvern. ¡®Damn it the conversation is coming to the end. I need to say something¡­¡¯ I rack my brain in a hopes of chatting with her a bit more. ¡°Um¡­¡± I stopped myself after noticing here expression. Her face is becoming really tensed while looking back from where we came. Suddenly in a loud voice she roars: ¡°Run as fast as you can! To the town! Something is coming and really fast!¡± Without even looking back I dash forward. Since I know that I won¡¯t be able to see or hear anything. Captain has high presence. She can detect huge animals even over 1 km distance. So if she says we have to run, we do it. As we climb on the next hill I can already see the town of Landamot in a distance. ¡°Keep going, don¡¯t droop your pace.¡± Shouts the captain. ¡°Andrea, what¡¯s coming? That it is able to make you so nervous?¡± Asks one of the women our captain as we start to go down the hill. ¡°There is too many of them so I can¡¯t identify the enemy.¡± ¡°¡­¡± After her answer no one spoke. We are already few hundred meters away from the gate as we notice a bunch of merchants leaving the town. ¡°Get back inside! Gate guards call an emergency!¡± Shouts in a strong voice our captain. Town of Landamot has four gates leading west, south, east and north. Each gate is every day guarded by 3 or 4 warriors. Their duty is to stop unwanted guests and sound the alarm in times of emergency with a gong, positioned near each gate. I heard last time an alarm was called when about 150 years ago a huge bandit group tried to infiltrate Landamot in hopes of assasinating some prince from southern lands. As we reach the gate. *Dong* We hear loud, strong sound. *Dong* When we enter the town we met the merchants and guards with the same puzzled expressions. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Asks one of the warriors on duty today. ¡°A horde of monsters is coming. We need to close the gates!¡± Shouts captain with sweat drenching her forehead from all the running. After seing us and hearing this merchants with fear written on their faces run deeper into the town. ¡®I didn¡¯t believe this can happen but she is even more beautiful than before.¡¯ I think in my mind while looking at Andrea. ¡°Enough daydreaming come over here you lover boy¡­¡± With a smile says Gunnar. ¡®That bastard¡­ We would get along much better if he didn¡¯t annoy me so much with those stupid remarks¡­¡¯ I almost mumble this loud. As I am going to help move a huge wooden door, reinforced with steel. There is five of us pulling one side. ¡°Come on¡­ Pulllll!¡± Shouts Gunnar thought his gritted teeth. ¡°1¡­ 2¡­ 3¡­ Pullll!¡± And again. ¡°Damn they are stuck quite well¡­¡± He comments ¡°Once more 1¡­ 2¡­ 3¡­ Pullll!¡± ¡°Shit these doors are hardly moving. Does nobody remember to inspect them from time to time?¡± He yells this while looking at the guards. But they only shrug their shoulders. This is to be expected. Town of Landamot was built about a 1000 years ago. After peace and trade treaties were created between south and north. Finally stopping bloodshed which went on for ages. Combining this with the fact that town is inhabited by strong warriors. These hardly penetrable doors have never been used even once, from the time they were built. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Ahhhh¡­ One more time pulll!¡± We try and try but to no avail. ¡°They are here¡­¡± Says our captain looking towards the hill from which we came. *Thump* *Thump* Suddenly I hear the charge of the horde. ¡°Forget the doors! Come here and form a line!¡± Shouts my goddess of war taking position in the middle of the gate. Northen and southern gates are the largest ones with almost 6 meters of width for merchant carriages to pass. So 8 of us and 3 guards will be just barely enough to leave no gaps. As I walk to take my position I see as a mass is rolling down the hill with no end in sight. ¡°Oh! Look Osfrid! Here comes your wolves. Ha ha ha¡­¡± Says Gunnar and almost everybody starts to laugh. ¡®Oh I hate him¡­¡¯ ¡°Enough chit chat. Not even one gets in! Hahhh!¡± Says captain and at the end of her sentence, she activates defensive aura. Her whole body covers in a small, hardly seen, red mist. ¡°Hahhh!¡± ¡°Hahhh!¡± Not waiting for anything. Everybody follows captain and activates their own. Including me. The horde as a masive wave of the ocean is rolling down the hill and with each passing second coming closer to the town. Like everybody else I slide one of my legs back, turn sideways and lift my shield up holding it with my whole body. In a preparation to take enemy charge head on. ¡°Since northen district is full of warehouses, ins for merchants and stables. It will take a few more minutes for reinforcements to come. So we only need to delay them.¡± Says captain as wolves get close to the town. ¡®We don¡¯t need to win. Only to hold out long enough for other to come.¡¯ I keep repeating this to myself as I tighten my grip on the straps of the shield and the hilt of my axe. In the last seconds before the collision with that mass of sharp teeth and red eyes, captain shouts: ¡°pick your axe and walk forward¡­¡± ¡°¡­ without a fear of darkness!¡± We all in unison shout back as we hold our shields tight and wolves finally not slowing down jump at us. == End of chapter 17 == Answer to questions from chapter 16: Q: Khress: isn''t she a white witch? so doesn''t she have to go to a school in a different place? or does it not matter cause the 1k wolves kill his hometown? A: Didn¡¯t you read manga, novel or watched anime. Don¡¯t you know about such thing as a stupid, impossible coincidence. Like meeting in a dungeon or on the road while traveling¡­ Seriously¡­ Q: nasir05: and I bet he got some sweet levels ups from killing the black wolf A: To make it clear to everybody such thing as experience doesn¡¯t exist in my story. In their place I put cores which work as energy source for magic and magical devices and increase energy level in your body (gives stat points when eaten). Since I don¡¯t really like a experience system except in a vrmmo. In other words even if he kills a hundred wolves he will only get few points from moving a lot (also cores). Q: bludvein: Oh, and 0.25%, really? +15 to all stats is fairly nice, but I''d think he''d at least get 1-5% darkness resist if you were going to add it at all. It''s a little too insignificant as is A: It¡¯s a bit of a spoiler but I am planning to make titles stackable (In other words after killing another shadow it will give +30stats and 0,5% resistance). Thinking about future I put it so low. Q: bludvein: I forgot to ask before, but do the red tattoos have any real significance beyond "this is badass looking"? It was mentioned that he was going to look into it during the early chapters and then seemed forgotten. A: Imagining them I felt like they should have something like tribal tattoos. So they don¡¯t really have a deep meaning. I will try to think more about this but I doubt I will give any important role to them¡­ Q:Ariakan662: Love the story so far. My only suggestion is that he should do more exercises other than just running. His strength keeps increasing but in real life, how much strength can you get from just running. Never seen a buff marathon runner. A: Yes but his racial trait is strength x3. Meaning even if he do nothing simply walk or by lifting a cup of tea his strength will still increase bit by bit. Q: Decieve: It was a bit hard to read in some areas (won''t harp on it because I CBF correcting it) i could get through it though o_o. A: Is it really hard to read? Then sorry since English is only my second language (I write in word so it at least correct my grammar) and I don¡¯t have a pr Q: bludvein: Gravity aptitude doesn''t even seem to be a thing going by resistances. If it exists at all it would probably be a subset of Earth. Speaking of which, there doesn''t seem to be a wind resistance either, which seems a little strange. Not having Light resistance makes sense since that probably includes healing and purification, so being resistant to it would just be dumb. A: My reaction reading this: Hmm¡­ Ok¡­ Ok¡­ Wait what holy shit!!!! *Running away from my pc* After some thinking I came with a solution I will put in wind if you name me another magic (I like when a table of stats is perfect without empty spaces) Ice ¨C White witch (Northmen) Earth ¨C Green witch (Elf) Darkness ¨C Dark witch (Demonic race) Water ¨C Blue witch (Humans) Fire ¨C Red witch (Dwarfs) Lightning ¨C Yellow witch (Beastmen) Maybe: Wind ¨C Grey witch (Fairies) Your suggestion: ??? ¨C ??? witch (extinct race) Only witches are locked to their racial magic. While others like mc can be born with different aptitudes. Meaning even if that race is extinct there will be character who will use it. Suggest in the comments (light and gravity already mentioned earlier but I would like something else) Chapter 18. The attack on Landamot. Chapter 18. The attack on Landamot. (Note: This chapter is a direct continuation of previous one.) Osfrid¡¯s point of view. Wolves without a stop jump straight at us. *Crash* *Snap* With a loud sound followed by a quieter one, wolf hits my wooden shield. Force of impact is so strong that I slide back about few inches. ¡®Now I need to finish it with my axe.¡¯ I am preparing to cut it in half as I notice my attackers body falling down lifelessly. ¡®Did it brake it¡¯s neck from impact?¡¯ I wonder while looking at a second wolf charging over it¡¯s body. So I grip tightly the handle of my axe and after moving my shield a bit away, I finish it with a swift hit to it¡¯s head. ¡°This is wrong¡­ Wolves don¡¯t charge to death like this!¡± Shouts Gunnar while pulling his axe from another dead beast. ¡°Wrong or not, just kill them.¡± This is definitely our captains sweet intimidating voice. Now after we stopped them, fighting is becoming more fierce. As our enemy is starting to use tactics. As few try to get my feet the third one, by jumping on it¡¯s brethren backs, with it¡¯s mouth wide open charges for my throat. I lift my shield up to intercept it, while at the same time I chop down the heads of those who try to bite at my legs. ¡®Damn, it won¡¯t be long before they will be able to jump over me.¡¯ I think this while looking at the growing pile of dead bodies in front of me. ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± I pretty much shout swinging my axe at another one. I finish this one really fast and lift my shield up once more, waiting for the next prey. ¡°On my command all take a step back!¡± Roars captain. So I withhold my next attack in anticipation of it. ¡°Now!¡± And we all as one take a big step back. Wolf standing in front of me uses this opportunity and jumps straight at me. But I already expecting this, meet him with a cold steel of my axe. ¡®There is no end to them!¡¯ I think this while swinging already at the new guest. ¡°Argghhhh!¡± Suddenly I hear a painful shout of a man from my left side. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I have no time to look sideways. ¡°Bastards they got someone¡­¡± Answers Gunnar. Hearing that anger wells up inside me. ¡°Just die!¡± I let it out from the bottom of my lungs as I swing with my whole strength at another beast. But I make a mistake. I fail to notice a second one. And this costs me a huge pain as it¡¯s sharp teeth digs into the flesh of my right leg. ¡°You bastard.¡± I say through gritted teeth while gripping the handle of axe so tightly that my knuckles become white. Without waiting for anything I let it taste my blade. But this is my second mistake. Since I concentrate too much on killing a lone wolf biting my leg, I miss another one, already jumping on me. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ By pure luck after letting go of my axe, I still manage to catch it, by the jaws, and barely hold these teeth from biting to my face. But this victory is short lived. Since I lose the balance and start falling down with a wolf right on top of me. As I am falling, I hear someone shouting my name. But since my attention is focused elsewhere I can only guess who it is. *Thud* With a dull sound I hit the ground. Still keeping at bay those razor sharp teeth from biting me. At this moment my face goes completely pale almost like a fresh snow in winter. As I see movement about 50 meters away from us. That is wolves, numbering in tens, simply jumping over the wall and going into the town. ¡°Arrrghhh!¡± A scream gets out from my mouth as a burning pain comes from my left leg. Making me focus my attention back on what is in front of me. ¡°I¡­ Will¡­ Not¡­ Die¡­ Today!¡± I say this putting all of my remaining strength into my arms. With one arm I hold it¡¯s upper jaw, while with other I push it¡¯s lower jaw. Making him open wider and wider. From the force I put in, my palms start to bleed, as it¡¯s teeth cut into my flesh. But I ignore the pain and continue with the pressure. It doesn¡¯t take long until I finally hear a snap and his lower jaw loses all resistance. The beast let¡¯s out a pained sound. I pay no attention to it or to the mix of blood and saliva that is dripping on may face. I just grab by the head and twist it hard, with all my might. After which I hear another snap and the beast finally goes quiet. The pain in my leg screams to me that there is still job to be done. So without a rest I push wolfs body to the side and try to sit up while pulling my dagger from the belt. But before I manage to do that, another set of sharp teeth¡¯s is jumping straight at me. ¡®Shit¡­¡¯ Only one word comes to my mind as I know that I won¡¯t be able to stop this one. But a few blinks of the eye later something unexplainable happens. ¡°Auww! What?¡± My expectations of dying with my throat ripped, in my own puddle of blood, does not come to life. Since what I get is only a head butt from a wolf. It takes even a few second to overcome the confusion, of how I am still alive, and kill the damn beast with my dagger. As I drop it¡¯s body away, I see something which amazes me even more. The wolf, which was biting on my leg, released it and now is simply standing while shaking it¡¯s head. ¡°They stopped moving. Use this chance and slaughter them!¡± I hear the shout of my goddess. And with those words everybody immediately charges forward. Not slowing down they swing their weapons left and right leaving behind only ground littered with bodies. I try to stand up but with both legs wounded like this it¡¯s a hard job. Then suddenly I see a twinkle, a bit further over the heads of my comrades. *Thump**Thump**Thump**Thump**Thump**Thump* And the sounds of something hitting the ground followed with the wines of the wolves reach my ears. ¡®I heard about this. It¡¯s the rain of ice blades destroying everything below them.¡¯ I comment to myself as I hear the cries of the beast, while they are cut to shreds. I turn my head back and see hundreds of warriors running towards us in many groups. And the largest of them about 60 people is being led by chief¡¯s wife Gerd, a small woman with long white hair. Clearly of a respectable age, judging by the number of a wrinkles I can see on her face. (Note: To those who didn¡¯t get. Chiefs wife is a white witch.) ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± She says looking at me with those white, piercing eyes while still being some distance away. ¡°I don¡¯t know we were just coming back from patrol and then captain suddenly sensed them. So we ran back.¡± I blurt out everything I know. Men and women, holding axes and shields, around us not slowing down run straight through the gate and into the battlefield. Looks like wolves regained their senses and a heated battle is starting again. ¡°I also saw wolves jump over the wall and get inside over there.¡± I add this while pointing to the place. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. She frowns a bit and while looking back at those, who came with here, says: ¡°Ingvild take 20 warriors and go search the alleys. Others help outside.¡± After giving few precise orders she turns back at me and looking at my wounded legs say: ¡°Don¡¯t move I will try to heal your wounds to some extent.¡± ===== ===== Asger¡¯s point of view. ¡°Come on can¡¯t you walk faster? It would be nice to reach the town before we die from an old age¡­¡± I say quite annoyed while looking back at Nestor. (Note: Reminder Nestor is a merchant which mc saved from 3 wolves.) From his deep breathing and forehead drenched in sweat I can tell that it¡¯s impossible for him to go any faster. But situation is dire and I am really anxious to get back home. ¡°Sorry, kid. This old man is going as fast as he can.¡± He answers me while breathing heavily. ¡®Oh for Christ sake! I should have bailed, when I had a chance.¡¯ I think this as I rub my forehead with right hand. ¡°Say kid is that a star birth mark on your arm?¡± Out of nowhere he asks me. ¡°You mean this? What about it?¡± I ask lifting my sleeve up to give him a better look. ¡°Amazing! Now that I take a better look¡­¡± He goes silent in a middle of his sentence while examining it intensely. ¡°What? What? Speak up! Or are you just stalling for time so you could rest?¡± Anger can be heard in my voice. I need to be somewhere but instead I am stuck here with this turtle. So yeah I am really irritated¡­ ¡°Ahh¡­ you caught me, boy. But your pace is way too absurd we were walking so fast that you could say we ran for the past hour¡­¡± He almost whines. ¡°You are a grown up so how can you look so weak in front of a little kid? Where is your pride?¡± I try to taunt him a bit. ¡°My pride long ago left and now is taking a break.¡± He retorts back. ¡°And little kid my ass.¡± He silently murmurs to himself. ¡°If that¡¯s all let¡¯s just keep going on.¡± I have no will or time to deal with this child. ¡°Ahhh¡­ But about that mark I didn¡¯t lie it¡¯s interesting because I saw similar one.¡± He says as we start to walk again. ¡°You saw someone with the same mark?¡± I ask him quite shocked. ¡®Did he meet someone from the class?¡¯ In my head runs many thoughts so I stop and wait until he gets close to me. ¡°Who and where?¡± I just ask him two simple questions while looking straight in the eyes. Since my voice and facial expression suddenly become really serious. He asks: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± After looking at my serious face for a bit he continues: ¡°I can¡¯t really say who, but in one of the noble parties, back at home, I saw a boy walking around with a similar mark also on his arm... So now, that I answered you question, can¡­ Oh¡­ My¡­¡± Suddenly he stops in the middle of the sentence and looks to the distance, with a face twisting in sadness and disgust. Curiosity wins over me so I also look in front of us. Trying to see what disturbed this merchant so much. ¡°Is that¡­ Bodies?¡± I ask after seeing something lying down on the road about 200 ¨C 300 meters ahead of us. ¡°¡­¡± He didn¡¯t say anything. In the end both of us remained silent until we reached the part of road dyed in red. ¡°We got lucky¡­¡± Says Nestor silently. But since I was close I still managed to hear it. The ground is one massive puddle of blood. What¡¯s worst bodies are ripped apart. Some arms and legs are even lying down a bit further on the grass. ¡°Is that a human heart¡­ Gubhh!¡± After seeing this I finally break and empty my stomach. After vomiting everything I ate today, I get up while cleaning my mouth with a hand. I take a look at my pain in the ass and notice him getting down near a female body without any limbs. He looks at her for a moment and then closes her still open eyes. ¡°Did you know them?¡± I ask him. ¡°I met them a few days ago in a village along the road. They were a fun bunch¡­ So after taking care of my business I was in a hurry hoping to meet them again in Landamot. And keep on traveling together.¡± He tells me this while still looking at that females face. ¡®I don¡¯t really know what to say¡­¡¯ I have never been in a situation like this before so I said only this: ¡°You have my sympathy.¡± ¡°Ok¡­ We can¡¯t stop here. We need to move on.¡± Nestor says as he gets up. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we burry them or something? It just doesn¡¯t fell right to leave them like this.¡± Saying this I try to not look down much. ¡°Now is not the time for that. After we reach the town I will ask someone to come back with me and help.¡± I believe heard a determination in his voice. And so without looking back we keep on going forward. == End of chapter 18 == To those who still don¡¯t know you can find how much points you need under map. Like I promised I tried to make a picture of main character. But it wasn¡¯t so fun drawing him as Elise. So I kind of rushed it. In other words it¡¯s of lower quality. I tried to draw him walking but somehow it doesn¡¯t look right to me¡­ So if anyone is good at drawing I would be pleased if you helped me ;D (by redrawing him) Spoiler : Maybe I will try to give it another go for Asger but it won¡¯t be any time soon ( I am speaking about months). LiefzDel: About healing. If Wartech said that everyone can heal but some better then other than its fine. I dont know how he will do it but i think you could probably use fire magic to seal the wounds by burning them or rise temperature of body to help fight with sickness (or maybe someone real good can burn just harmfull viruses, bacterias and parazites in the body). Nature probably rising regeneration rate, regrowing new cells and maybe limbs. Water - well you can destroy specific cells by osmosis, offset blood loss by bit, or maybe stop bleeding by dehydratating blood from wound. Lightning - Defibrilator? (kinda useless but still). Earth - fixing broken bones. Darkness - killing viruses, bacterias, parasites, cancer cells. Those are just mine ideas, so I think Wartech will add something. A: I am thinking more along the lines of magician/witch simply using inner energy (magic) without an element. By injecting it through touch (like giving a life force). Something like that. ********IMPORTANT********** If there are sentences that are wrong in you opinion write corrected version below in a comments. Help me make it smoother to read for others. ****************************** Chapter 19. I am back. Chapter 19. I am back. ¡°Once we climb over that hill we will see the town.¡± I say while pointing to the lone hill still quite far away. ¡°You put up with me for long enough. I know that you are impatient to get home to your family.¡± Nestor looks ahead. ¡°Since we are so close to the Landamot you can stop worrying about me and start running.¡± After saying this he turns back to me and gives a simple smile. For a few seconds I have to admit, I was tempted. But remembering all the dead, which we passed on the road, I am kind of reluctant to leave this strange companion behind or maybe I am simply afraid to see what happened to my town... Either way: ¡°I have already suffered you for almost a few hours, so ten minutes more or less will hardly change a thing¡­¡± I state my intention to not leave him. ¡°He he he. You are a good person deep inside¡­¡± With a small snicker he says this. ¡°Ha ha. Is that a compliment I hea¡­¡± With a laugh I say back. And then it suddenly hit me. ¡°Wait what do you mean by ¡®deep¡¯. You sound like I am a bad person on the outside.¡± I give him a sharp look while saying that. ¡°Pfff¡­ How can you think that badly about me?¡± He sounded almost insulted. ¡°Huh? Then why are you looking in the opposite direction from me?¡± I ask with one of my eyebrow lifted up. ¡°Oh I just think I saw a beautiful bird over there.¡± He says now in a completely serious tone. ¡°Bird¡­ Ha ha ha ha ha!!!¡± I started laughing sincerely from the heart. It didn¡¯t take long before he also joined in. I believe a little laugh is what both of us needed the most at the moment. ¡°Ahhh¡­ I feel somewhat refreshed now.¡± I say this still wiping away tears of laughter with my hand. ¡°Yes on days like this, the best medicine is laugh.¡± In his voice I hear a bitter experience. So I hold myself back from inquiring anything more. ¡°Now that I think about it. I didn¡¯t finish asking you a question about that birthmark.¡± He looks at me with eyes full of curiosity. ¡°Ah you mean why I got so serious earlier?¡± ¡°Yes. That was a really strange reaction, which I got to admit made me somewhat interested.¡± Says Nestor in a calm voice. ¡°There is a story behind it.¡± I answer him. ¡°There is always a story. That¡¯s what I am counting on.¡± He says with a small smile on his face. ¡®Hmm¡­ Lyru never mentioned that we should keep it a secret. But still¡­ Ah who cares!¡¯ For a few seconds I wonder what should I say. ¡°Fine I will tell you, only if you promise to keep it a secret.¡± ¡°Ha ha ha. Don¡¯t worry I will tell no one.¡± From that laugh and his tone I get the feeling, he doesn¡¯t take me seriously. ¡®Oh this should be fun to watch.¡¯ I muse myself a bit. (Note: In many novels mc¡¯s always hide their past even thought no one asked them to. It kind of gets on my nerves. Since you think they would tell at least to one person. And that¡¯s how this talk was born.) And so I started retelling my story from the beginning. ¡°It all began on that day¡­¡± With each sentence I tell him I can see, as his face change bit by bit from a smiling one to that of a pure shock. And as I come to the part of Lyru his jaw drop so low, to the point where I start thinking that it broke. ¡°Now we all live again in this new world.¡± With this I finish my story. With a huge grin I look at him. ¡°A¡­ Y¡­ Wha¡­¡± He tries to say something but it just doesn¡¯t get out. ¡®Ha ha. He kind of looks like a fish, out of water, now. With his mouth opening and closing.¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t want to sound weird but I am getting a lot of satisfaction from this.¡¯ I think this while looking at Nestor¡¯s facial expressions. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± He sights and looks straight at me. I think I can see a bit of fear in his eyes. ¡°I would like to shout stop spouting bullshit. But strangely deep inside I believe what you said to be a complete truth.¡± ¡°Ha ha ha¡­ Of course it¡¯s a true story.¡± I say this while wiping away a few drops of sweat on my forehead. ¡®Not counting the part where I acted like a hero with his broken legs and arms till the very end.¡¯ I add in my head. ¡°But why do you need to meet the king Corbin?¡± He asks confused. ¡°I don¡¯t really know myself. But I guess he will be expecting us. Since if a bump like me comes to the palace guards and says: ¡®Yo, I here to meet the king.¡¯ Their natural response will be: ¡®Get the fuck out of here.¡¯ And I highly doubt, I will have the skills needed to sneak inside.¡± Since I don¡¯t want to lose my blessing, I have been thinking a lot about this. ¡°Maybe there will be a prophecy from church.¡± Wonders Nestor as he rubs his chin. ¡°Prophecy?¡± I ask lifting my eyebrow. ¡°Yes. Sometimes they announce about huge disasters weeks before they come and about droughts or floods which will come next year.¡± He answers me. ¡°But what is this disaster you heard from that spirit?¡± He adds in a worried voice. ¡°That bastard didn¡¯t tell. But after today I have a feeling, that it got to do something with that wolf covered in a black mist.¡± I say with a frown on my face. ¡°Ah! That one! Yes, it was definitely a strange being.¡± Saying this he looked down, most likely trying to remember what happened. ¡°Oh we finally reached our destination!¡± I shout this since only few meters is left until we will get on top of the hill and will be able to see Landamot in full view. ¡°I think I got a bit too immersed in a story of your life. Since I kind of forgot anything else.¡± Says Nestor with a chuckle. Normally I would have laughed also but at the moment to see what happened in town is more important. Finally I start seeing houses and with each step I take, more and more of them come into my sight. ¡®So far everything looks normal. But it¡¯s hard to tell the real situation.¡¯ Finally I spot a northern gate. ¡°What a view.¡± Says merchant with a bit of surprise in his voice. It is understandable, since what we see is breath taking. Whole field, in front of the gates, is covered in bodies. To the point I can¡¯t even see a green patch of grass between all that grey fur. ¡®Looks like they were stopped.¡¯ I think this while looking at a big number of people moving around the gate. Some are simply standing and some are already dragging bodies into the neat stacks. ¡°But what happened there?¡± I say a bit worried as a circle of about 10 meters in diameter caught my attention. Because in it land is completely red. It¡¯s as if something squashed everything there. Nestor noticing where I look says only one word: ¡°Magic.¡± ¡®Huh. So that was done by magic?¡¯ I am a bit amazed. For a moment I wonder who could have done that. ¡®Most likely one of the white witches¡­¡¯ ¡°Ok! Enough of sightseeing, let¡¯s go.¡± With these words I start walking down the hill. It didn¡¯t take long, until someone noticed us and started running in our direction. ¡®It looks like a male but you never know. It might just be a small woman.¡¯ I have been living here for some time already. So I kind of got used to them. At least to the point where I no longer want to vomit after seeing the beauties of the North. As we continue to descend from the hill, that person got close enough for me to notice a beard on his face. ¡®Yep it¡¯s definitely a male. After all no matter how odd it sounds women don¡¯t have even a smallest moustache. But they have extremely hairy arms and legs. From what I can see locals don¡¯t mind it. On the contrary they call it being sexy, while I call it ¡®look what I eat for a breakfast¡¯. But everyone is entitled to their own opinion.¡¯ I got a bit of the track here. As that person gets closer I start to notice a familiar traits. ¡°Dad?¡± I shout questioningly. Since I am still not 100% sure it¡¯s him. ¡°I thought it might be you, Asger. Are you hurt?¡± He shouts back still from quite a distance. ¡®Yep, it¡¯s him.¡¯ After hearing this I get reassured that it¡¯s my dad. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Yes, I am perfectly fine!¡± I shout again. ¡®Wow he¡¯s fast.¡¯ It doesn¡¯t take long for my father to reach us. As he gets near me he kneels on one knee. And after making sure that I am fine he hugs me tightly. ¡°Do you know how worried we were. Especially after hearing that you were on the road before wolves were spotted.¡± While breathing deeply from the running, he says in a worried voice.. ¡°I would have ran to look for you myself but chief forbade everyone from leaving. So I stood all this time by the gate waiting for you to come back or for a patrol to leave and tag along.¡± Saying this he hugged me so tightly it even hurt a bit. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got lucky. Since after feeling danger I had enough time to hide in a tree.¡± He finally let go of me and stood up. ¡°That¡¯s ma boy.¡± He said this now with a relieved smile while rubbing my hear with his big hand. ¡°That¡¯s not all he even saved my life by killing three wolves.¡± Suddenly said Nestor. My dad looked at him from ground till head as if only noticing the man just now and said: ¡°And you might be?¡± ¡°Ah where are my manners. I am Nestor Yellott, a merchant from kingdom of Ramir. I have been traveling toward your town as three wolves attacked me and your son here saved my life.¡± Somehow he looks and sounds different compared to how he was before. ¡°You managed to fight and win against three of them?¡± With a doubt father asks looking at me. ¡°Not really. I got first one by surprise. Second was confused and didn¡¯t move. But the third regained it¡¯s senses before I managed to kill it. So in the end I only fought with one wolf.¡± I try to explain. ¡°Ha ha ha!!! Now that I can believe. But it still is a huge feat worth of celebrating over.¡± Say my father with a laugh, sounding extremely happy. ¡°May I ask¡­ Um¡­¡± I look a bit at Nestor. ¡®That¡¯s one helluva of a poker face.¡¯ ¡°Gurd.¡± Says my father to the merchant. ¡°May I ask Mr. Gurd was there any damage to the town?¡± My father frowned a bit. ¡°We lost some¡­ But what you Asger mentioned also happened here. In the middle of the battle all wolves simply stopped moving as if getting really confused. More over when they started moving again most of them lost their will to fight.¡± ¡°Lost their will to fight?¡± This part got me really interested. ¡°Yes a very strange thing. They suddenly turned around and ran back to the forest.¡± Explains father with a bit of astonished look. ¡°You mean some of them still got away?¡± I ask this while looking to the field littered with bodies. ¡°Some? Ha ha ha ha¡­ What you see there just looks a lot. But in reality more than half ran back to the woods.¡± He says this hardly holding his laughter. I am somewhat dumbfounded by this. It¡¯s kinda hard to believe that lying down there isn¡¯t even half of them. I take a look at Nestor and notice that he is in a deep thought. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I ask him. ¡°I am thinking why wolves would suddenly stop moving. And I am coming up with only one explanation for it. They stopped moving after you killed the black one.¡± He says with a worried face. ¡°Black one?¡± Interjects my father. ¡°Yeah from those three wolves one was really strange. It was completely covered in a dark mist¡­¡± Continues Nestor. ¡°Have you ever seen anything like that, dad?¡± I add this looking at him. ¡°I have never even heard about anything like that¡­ We should probably report this to the chief.¡± Says my father with a huge frown on his face. He turns around and starts to walk back towards the town with us following right behind him. In the mean time we talk about many things. Like it was Osfrid and his group, who stopped wolves at the gates and similar ones¡­ It didn¡¯t take much time before we finally reached the gate. Here for me is waiting another surprise. The moment I step into the town with a fast moves Elise emerges from the shadows and embraces me. ¡°I am so happy you are all right, Asger.¡± She whispers this in a kind of trembling voice, while holding me tightly, straight into my ear. At this moment I am so lost that I don¡¯t know what to do next. ¡®Should I hug her back? Maybe I should say something?¡¯ With eyes wide open I look at dad. ¡°She has been coming regularly to check on your status.¡± Bastard says this with almost an evil grin on his face. ¡°Ah! I need to go otherwise my mother will get really angry.¡± After saying this, Elise just dashes off. Everything happened so fast that I didn¡¯t manage to say anything or move even an inch. ¡°WTF?¡± Nothing more came to my mind. ¡°Looks like someone got a girl.¡± Says Nestor almost laughing. But instead of a mock, his words act as if a force which pushes me in to a direction, that I kind of disregarded long ago. ¡®It can¡¯t be¡­ But looking at the bigger picture it really looks like Elise likes me¡­¡¯ ¡®Nobody before ever saw me as a boyfriend material¡­ Ah what a nice person she is.¡¯ I think this as a warm smile brightens my face. But suddenly it disappears as a strange thought runs through my mind. ¡®Wait¡­¡¯ ¡®Wait¡­¡¯ ¡®Something is wrong. I might have missed this earlier because I am constantly surrounded by gorillas, but now¡­¡¯ ¡®I know Elise is a white witch so she might even become someone I see as beautiful. And having a person like her care for me, should put me on cloud nine. So why is my response so weak?¡¯ ¡®More over as much as I remember, I never even had one lustful fantasy after being reborn in this world.¡¯ While I continue with this monolog in my head, one simple answer dawns on me. ¡®No no no no no¡­ This can¡¯t be the case! It just can¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t want to be a fucking impotent!¡¯ Oh I am feeling that the tears will soon start to come out. ¡®Especially since I still didn¡¯t even got a chance to do anything¡­ Or to do anybody!!!¡¯ It¡¯s official tears are coming out. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry to the chief. We shouldn''t make your mother worry for too long at home.¡± Says father. ¡°Please, dad! I am in a middle of a huge crisis here.¡± I say this since I am now definitely not in the mood of meeting any chief. ¡°Asger?¡± He gets a bit worried seeing my expression of total despair. ¡°I just noticed that I can¡¯t imagine having a wife at all¡­¡± I answer him in a voice without any emotion as if I have already given up on this world. ¡°Ha ha ha¡­¡± Suddenly I hear a rough voice from the side. So I turn to look and notice that there is quite a crowd looking at me and grinning. ¡°Boy every man from our race is like that while they are young.¡± Says a completely bold old man sitting on a barrel. I am only able to get his age from looking at his brown beard which has a few strands turning grey. ¡°What do you expect boy, after all your vigor stat is still not active¡­ So enjoy it while it lasts. Ha ha ha¡± And the whole crowd for some reason started to laugh really hard. ¡®So this is normal. Haaaa¡­ I worried for nothing.¡¯ I am relieved to know that everything is functioning like it should, but why I am getting a bad feeling about my future? ¡°Enough chit chat, let¡¯s go.¡± Says father after spotting that I got better. ¡°Well we will be parting here. I am going to look for an inn here. Come and find me when you are free.¡± Says Nestor with a small bow of his head. ¡°I will definitely come to visit you.¡± After saying this I turn around and follow my father. == End of chapter 19 == The kitty had to go and take a nap, but it left a note: ¡°I¡¯ll be back¡±. In reality I removed it because of technical problems¡­. Chapter 20. Chief. Like I told you yesterday a new chapter. But next one I think I will make only for a weekend. Also from Monday my vacation ends and I am going back to work. So I am planing to make this story like one chapter a week. Chapter 20. Chief. Havarr¡¯s point of view. I have been chief of this beautiful town of Landamot for over 50 years. I don¡¯t even remember when or how it began but people at some point just started to come to me with their problems. At times there were even lines to my door. And I got to admit I always liked to help them by giving advices. But today is a bit different. Today is one of those days I hate being a chief. ¡°So how many did we lose?¡± I ask Brondolf in a heavy voice. He¡¯s the one who holds the rank of commander in town. Meaning all captains report directly to him. And like in any other town this rank is given to those who have the most respect among warriors. Those who meet him for the first time can get quite confused. Since Brondolf is one of the smallest northmen I ever met. He¡¯s hardly taller than a human. Maybe this is a reason why he always worked the hardest. As he would be the first to come and the last to leave. In due time he managed to earn recognition from his fellow warriors because of such stubbornness. And about 30 years ago he was given this rank, when the previous commander has retired. ¡°6 warriors and¡­¡± He paused for a moment and frowned deeply while looking at the floor. Clearly seeing something more. ¡°... 17 children.¡± ¡°Haaa¡­¡± I sight. I have known him for many years. So I can pretty much guess that he is blaming himself for the death of those kids. I try to help my old friend: ¡°Something like this never happened in these parts of North. I have heard about monsters night raids near the Last line. But here never! It¡¯s not your fault, Brondolf, that we were caught by surprise this time. ¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ But I have never thought about checking whether or not if those old doors can even be closed.¡± He said shaking his head. ¡°If the doors were closed situation might have gotten even worse. Since the wolves would had lost interest in attacking the gate and would have dispersed and attacked the houses outside. More over they somehow even managed to get over the wall¡­ So looking at the bigger picture it''s better that they stayed open .¡± Suddenly interjects my dear wife, Gerd. Since this is such a serious matter both of them, Gerd and Jodis, is in the room. ¡°I understand that. But still deep inside I feel responsible¡­ Anyway I am putting two patrol groups each made of at least 40 warriors. First one will scout the road, while second with a few carts will collect all dead bodies along the way.¡± Says Brondolf. ¡°Good. But just in case send more groups. For at least few days I want everyone to be on high alert.¡± After I say this the short man nods and leaves. ¡°I am worried about him. Events like this can give a huge burden on ones mind.¡± Says Jodis after Brondolf left the room. ¡°Yes. We all need to be strong on days like this.¡± I say this as I rub my forehead with a hand. *Knock* *Knock* ¡°Come in!¡± I shout to the person waiting behind the door. And a quite young man, maybe not even 100 years old, get¡¯s inside. The man bows his head and says: ¡°Good day my name is Gurd Haraldson.¡± (Note: I plan to make their average life span about 250 years.) ¡°Ah! You are that person which wanted to go outside to look for a kid. So has the boy came back?¡± Suddenly says Gerd. ¡°Yes, he has. This is also a reason why I am here. He saw something out there, which I believe is important.¡± With those words he turns around and says in a strong voice. ¡°Come here, Asger.¡± And immediately a boy almost runs inside. As he enters I can see his eyes running wild around the room until he notices my wife, Gerd. Apparently she also caught that. ¡°Do you see anything interesting?¡± She asks with a smile. I want to laugh as I see his ear becoming a bit red from embarrassment. ¡°I am sorry I don¡¯t spend much time inside the town. So I have never before had a good look on a witch.¡± He says in a kind of shy voice. ¡°Oh and what do you think when you see one from this distance?¡± As much as I remember my wife always liked to watch children reactions to her appearance. ¡°Your white hair and eye pupils look a bit scary. But your clothes look much nicer than local ones.¡± *Smack* ¡°Boy you are being disrespectful.¡± Suddenly says the man giving kid a small smack to the top of his head. ¡°Ha ha. Don¡¯t worry it¡¯s ok.¡± Says Gerd almost laughing. ¡°Haaa¡­ Let¡¯s get back to the subject. What do you want to tell us?¡± I ask looking at the boy. ¡°Ah!¡± He let¡¯s out a sound as if remembering a purpose why he came here. ¡°As I was training, a bad feeling came to me, so I hid inside the tree. And then all those wolves came. But they didn¡¯t notice me and ran straight to town. I can¡¯t say for sure how long I stayed in that tree, since I was scared a bit. Anyway at some point a merchant showed up while being chased by three wolves. And what¡¯s important is one of them was covered completely in a black mist, as if surrounded by darkness.¡± ¡°Kid, I have never heard about such wolf. Aren¡¯t you exaggerating something just to show off in front off your dad?¡± I say in a tired voice. I don¡¯t have any strength left to listen to some childish fantasies. ¡°But it¡¯s true. After I killed it with a surprise attack, other two wolves stopped moving for a moment. I also even gained a title ¡®Shadow killer¡¯.¡± Kid tries to convince us. ¡°I met the merchant. He also said that he saw a wolf covered in a black mist.¡± Adds child¡¯s father with a serious face. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± I give a sight. Because it¡¯s hard to believe that something like this might be true. As I look around the room I notice that Gerd is making a really worried face. ¡®Hmm? Does she know something?¡¯ I wonder. So I try to ask her. ¡°Ger¡­¡± But before I can say anything, she interrupts me. ¡°Dear bring out the tablet, we need to see that title.¡± ¡°Why are you so fired up? Do you know something about this black wolf?¡± Asks Jodis before me. ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell. But first we need to see that title.¡± Answers Gerd. So without saying anything else. I get up from my chair and walk to the chest. I unlock it with a key, which is dangling under my neck, and pull out the tablet. Since last time I used it in the summer festival, I change it¡¯s energy level that the screen would be perfect for this room. ¡°Come kid. Show us that title of yours.¡± I say this while beckoning him with one hand. He strides through the room and puts his right hand on the tablet, which I am holding. And almost immediately a screen appears over us. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Shadow killer
Armies will march, battles will be fought and innocents will die. For darkness is coming. So pick your weapons and fight for all that¡¯s good. +15 to all stats; +0.25% Darkness resistance
¡°Wha¡­¡± Only comes out of my mouth as I read what¡¯s written on the screen. ¡°Kid was saying the truth¡­¡± Says amazed Jodis. ¡°Oh! My! Oh!!! MY!!!¡± Only says Gerd before dashing to the second floor. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I try shouting to her. But I hear no answer. Only about a few minutes later she comes back with a book in her hands. ¡°Do you know something about this strange title?¡± Asks Jodis. Gerd looks at the book and says: ¡°White witches apart studying magic have something like a groups. Where they do one or the other thing. Like create clothes. Just like that I joined a group which studied kingdom of Astana¡± ¡°Where is it? I have never hear about such a place.¡± I say looking at her. ¡°Of course since ancient ruins, which are found here, in North, and beyond the Last line, are what¡¯s left of it. Anyway long ago a party of adventurers while searching one of the ruins found 4 books protected by powerful magic. It took centuries until my predecessors finally managed to translate the language, in which they were written. And here I hold a translated copy of one of the books.¡± She explains to us. ¡°So in it there is something written about this black wolf?¡± I ask her. She looks at me for a few moments and without saying anything opens the book ¡°It¡¯s name is ¡®The last days of Astana¡¯. I will now read a part from it, which I believe might be important: Finally the fateful day is nearing as all of my kin is gathering in Whitewood. For one last march. We all knew that this day was coming from the moment a first forerunner was spotted a decades ago. Galaris, we called them, which translated from an old tongue means ¡®shadow¡¯. A formless being able to take control of a less intelligent creatures. For years we tried to persuade foolish humans, stubborn dwarfs and prideful elves about the dangers lurking beyond the known world. But they were too blinded by the hatred to each other, which came from decades of warring. So today we stand alone. Preparing for a dangerous journey across the mountains. Our scouts already report a massive war hordes of orcs, goblins and trolls, followed by a few black dragons, on the move towards this side of Raghel. Since we don¡¯t want to waste time and manpower on these small fry¡¯s, we will take the harder path to avoid them. We will march straight to the heart of all evil, Azamir, where the crack between this world and the void exist. And from where a true masters of night are coming. May the goddess of light smile upon us all. And help us stop them once and for all¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± As Gerd finishes reading a complete silence surrounds this room. No one speaks even a word. Then suddenly a boy breaks it. ¡°That bastard! Hah disaster? It¡¯s more like a fucking apocalypse...¡± *Smack* == End of chapter 20 == Few answers. Q: Trollzor: I want ask something about the tribal tattoo since the only one who has it is his family. A: Not everyone has them on the face. Also all men has a beard so litle of the face you can see there. And more over they aren¡¯t anything important. I just wanted mc to have one¡­ Q:Yukino: Thanks for the chap tech sama~ Despite being the race of gorilla, he wasn''t even ten yet so it should be normal that he won''t get boner from that A: I wasn¡¯t trying to write about the boner but more about not having no urges¡­ (Anyway they kinda go hand in hand so¡­) ************* Special (these people should go and by a cookie for good work ): Grimlaw for answering :
Ignis Wrote: [ -> ]I Love this story, the characters are great. I agree with you... it pisses me off that the MC doesn''t share his secret with anyone.... But, for me its a bit more specific. It pisses me off that the MC doesn''t share with his immediate family.... Not some strange merchant he just met.... But honestly, your family is most likely to believe you, and if you tell them that you need help to save the world, they will do everything in their power to help you train, learn magic etc... Get tutors, talk to the town to get you special treatment, like extra food for a growing boy... the List goes on an on. Anyhow thanks for another great chapter and reading my rant... Love the joke about the vigor stat. Looking forward to the comments about his Insanely high vigor stat during the coming of age ceremony.
It''s way more easy to tell things like that to a stranger, because it''s more likely that nobody believes you. Wouldn''t want your parents to think you''re mentaly sick and worry about you. But a stranger, especialy a traveling merchant, you most likely won''t see him again so it''s not important if they believe you or not.
gadexxx Wrote: [ -> ]Story do far so good, but one thing concern me. He at lvl65 has 1940 points total, so if u look at your table point it shows that he has quite avarage stats for his lvl. And that''s my point, though he has tons of blessing which burst his stats, and none burst his lvl, so i think he has to little less stats than he should has.(sry for my eng but i end school quite long ago and my eng is bit rusty)
Lv is just an easy way to compare, without counting all the stats together. Because you gain lv through accumulating stats, regardless if the are from training, consumated cores, or titles. It''s impossible to gain more stats without gaining lv in the process, and impossible to gain levels if you didn''t gain stats. If he had more stats, his lv would be higher. I think his lv is pretty high for his age, he got 61 lv in 4 years and has still a little more than 2 years for the last 15 to get over 80 so he is no weakling. The 35 to get over 100 and be considered really strong (for his age) should also be possible. And LiefzDel: For giving an idea about a Bear brigade. Chapter 21. The world of tastes. It¡¯s been some time almost 2 weeks¡­ Finally I finished this. At the beginning I got sick a bit so I was in no mood to write. Later I don¡¯t know maybe I lost some of my motivation but somehow this chapter just didn¡¯t want to be written. And also this week I started working again after vacation. But the problem is we got transferred to some little town (it has only 1 small shop, where u can hardly find anything¡­). And the house where company put us is¡­ No TV, internet, microwave and you can forget about pc ( we 10 people live in a small house with main floor and the attic (no doors except to the outside) more over I and the other 4 got beds in the attic, which has 0 electrical sockets). Finally for a weekend I am back at home¡­ This week I am taking brothers old laptop and got myself a internet for 15 euros (only 10 gb a month and after I reach that limit internet speed will fall down drastically, anything else is too expensive for me¡­). God I hope it will work there... Anyway I think I will ask for permission to get a donation button. In case there is some really nice people who like this story. Chapter 21. The world of tastes. With a frown on my face I walked beside my father. At the moment we are leaving town and going home. ¡®Damn, I let my tongue slip there¡­¡¯ I think as I am remembering what happened at the chiefs place. ¡®Haaa¡­ I didn¡¯t expect them to question me so much. I hate being interrogated, since I am a bad liar. But I must have gotten lucky because they believed in all that bullshit. Ha ha ha¡­¡¯ Instead of telling them all of the truth I changed it a bit. In the new version I have no memories of the past, nor I know the other star holders. Also all of this I learned in my dreams and because I though that this is just my fantasy I never told anyone about it. After I finished my tale, I saw their faces becoming paler than a snow as if they already are seeing armies of evil marching toward us. Then the white witch suddenly stood up and said: ¡°I must go and meet with the elders in Deirdalgil . This is a very, very serious matter.¡± With this the meeting ended and we were free to leave. I look at my dad walking beside me. ¡®I love being part of this family. So I don¡¯t want them to see me as a some kind of freak. That¡¯s why¡­ I will just have to lie my ass off.¡¯ As I was boiling deep inside my head, I didn¡¯t notice how time just flew by. One moment we are still in town and next we are already standing in front of our house. Dad walks to the door and knocks a few times. ¡®Hm¡­ Looks like door is locked from inside.¡¯ I think looking at my father. Suddenly I hear a sound of a door latch being lifted. And immediately the door opens, with a small squeak from the iron hinges, and I am almost instantly tightly hugged by my mother. ¡°I was so afraid that we have lost you¡­¡± She says in a somewhat emotional voice. ¡°I am fine, mom. So you can release me now.¡± I am a bit embarrassed and her grip is bit too tight too. ¡®Yep, she is a tough mama¡­¡¯ ¡°Ha ha ha ha¡­ He¡¯s not just fine, he¡¯s a real fighter. Our boy took down three wolves and saved a merchant. More over after talk with chief and his wives it looks like he has a great destiny ahead of him.¡± I think I can hear pride in my fathers voice. My mother looks at dad for a moment, when with a bright smile she turns back to me, while still kneeling down. ¡°Are you now? Then we should celebrate this.¡± About two and a half hour later. ¡°Ughh¡­ My bed. Where are you?¡± I say crawling up to the second floor. At the beginning I still didn¡¯t understood what their ¡®celebrate¡¯ meant. But as my mother started cooking meat with special sauces from human kingdom, I started to get the big picture. And when the smell came I thought, I died and went to heaven. You might be thinking that my reaction is a bit exaggerated. But try eating food without any spices or seasoning for months or years and you will get the point. North is full of strong monsters, ancient ruins, dungeons and still unexplored lands. It¡¯s a paradise for any adventurer. But because of a cold climate it is suffering from a lack of food. Long ago this led to Northmen attacking human settlements and pillaging their villages. To stop raiding parties human kingdoms would join forces and lead massive armies, while thousands upon thousands of northmen tribes would rally under single banner and march to help their kin. This continued for many ages. To the point where ¡®Tarin¡¯s Gap¡¯, connecting North and South, became better known as a ¡®Hell¡¯s Gate¡¯. A single place, where you can literally feel a death¡¯s presence, as the whole place is a one massive graveyard with countless lives lost over the course of time. Until finally about 1000 years ago Brent Keen, a king of Ramir, achieved an impossible by making one of the greatest trade agreements in the history of the world. Even today he is still remembered with respect and known to everyone better as a ¡®Brent the Pacifist¡¯. To this day traders are journeying thousands kilometers in hopes of getting rich. They bring vines, jewelry and most importantly food from southern lands. Of course a simple bag of flour cast with preservation magic costs about 30 ¨C 50 silver coins. But what they all are really after is the piles of cores in North, which nobles, from their kingdoms, are fighting over. Anyway what I meant is that the food was special and not the regular simple meat or eggs¡­ ¡°Ah¡­ Here is my pile of straw.¡± Words get out of my mouth as I am nearing my bed. ¡°Come here! Daddy wants to embrace you¡­¡± I says while falling down on it. *Burp* ¡°I hope to celebrate like this again¡­ Food was extraordinary¡­ But those three mugs of beer was unnecessary¡­¡± I talk to myself, lying face down on my bed. Apparently dad thought that three mugs is a must, for a three wolves I killed. I got to admit I was intrigued to taste it, so I didn¡¯t resist more than needed. ¡®I thought it would taste better. I don¡¯t understand why they like such bitter drink so much¡­¡¯ I try really hard to not let my mind drift away. ¡°Next time¡­ I¡­ Shou¡­ Just¡­ S¡­ *Snore*¡± Without even finishing what I wanted to say I venture to the land of dreams. And with this a long and tiresome day finally comes to an end. *Chirrup* Sounds of birds singing and bright rays of sun entering through the window. Tells everybody that it¡¯s another beautiful day. ¡°Urghh!! Ahh! Can¡¯t that fucking bird just shut up?¡± I say in a tired voice while rubbing my head. ¡®Looks like Ingliv is up already.¡¯ I come to this conclusion after seeing an empty bed. ¡°Damn I need to get up. Even thought I feel like throwing up¡­ But I am so thirsty¡­¡± I agonize over what to do. With slow motions I get up, put on my clothes and walk down the stairs. ¡°Ager!¡± Shouts my little sister. She is already starting to talk. Of course it¡¯s only one or two words which can be understood. ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah¡­ Morning to you too.¡± Still I say this in a tired voice and wave to her. She smiles brightly looking at me and goes back to playing with a small sculpture made of wood. ¡°Oh, Asger, you are up already. How are you feeling?¡± Asks my mother with a wry smile. ¡°Like I have died and now I am in hell¡­¡± I answer to her. ¡°Ha ha ha ha¡­ I told Gurd that it¡¯s a bit too early. But he insisted, since it¡¯s something like a tradition¡­ Anyway it¡¯s harder at first few times but later you will get used to it.¡± Mother started explaining with a smile on her face. ¡°Tradition?¡± I inquire. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s an old thing. To let young warriors taste beer after they brings home their first loot. But normally they are already over 8 years old before that. Ha ha ha. Why is it you do everything unlike others?¡± Answers mom. ¡°Why are you asking such hard questions first thing in the morning. Ahhh! I am feeling extremely weak from nausea¡­¡± I say to her with a face twisted in pain. ¡°Mmm. I will prepare a special herbal tea, it will help you. But I have to warn you, it tastes really bad.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care as long as it helps!¡± My mother gets up and walks to the kitchen. While I on the other hand not feeling good enough to walk and sit in the chair, just lay down on the floor. ¡®Ah! Get used to this? Never!¡¯ I state this as I am lying on the floor. About five minutes later mother comes back with a cup of her tea. ¡°Try to drink everything in one go. It will end faster that way.¡± She says while giving me a cup. ¡®What¡¯s with this explanation? Is it poison or something?¡¯ I wonder looking at the greenish liquid in my hands. ¡°Whatever! *Huhh*¡± I make one deep breath and start gulping it down. ¡®Oh my god! WTF is this? It is so horrible.¡¯ A few thoughts run across my mind as I drink it. I think even tears are coming from the corners of my eyes. But I am not 100% sure since my all senses are being attacked by this green slime from the underworld. ¡°How can this¡­ This thing make me feel better?¡± The moment I finish drinking I shout with teary eyes. ¡°Ha ha. I told you it tastes bad, but give it some time and you will be back on your legs.¡± She says with a wink. My mother takes the cup from my trembling hands and walks back to the kitchen. ¡°Life sucks¡­¡± I say silently while holding back my tears. But strangely that toxic drink works like a charm. In about 10 minutes nausea started retreating and about half an hour later I am back on my feet, feeling much better. ¡°Haaa¡­Well I have to admit that it works. But I wouldn¡¯t be amazed to see that my vitality has dropped by a few points¡­¡± With a sight I talk to myself. ¡®< Status >¡¯
Status Window
Level72RaceNorthmen
Strength607Defense431
Vitality132Intelligence277
Stamina266Vigor209
Agility183Presence44
Resistance
Water0%Earth0%
Ice8%Fire0%
Lightning5%Darkness0%
Nature0%Wind0%
Poison0%Alcohol1 %
*Titles*
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. (Note: he has darkness 0,25% but I left at 0 % because I don¡¯t want to start writing such small numbers. When he gets over 0,5% I will write as 1%.) ¡®1% to alcohol¡­¡¯ ¡°Ha ha ha ha¡­¡± I started laughing after noticing it. ¡®Anyway my stats are climbing pretty nicely¡­ I wonder how others are doing?¡¯ I start thinking as I look at the screen in front of me. I suddenly face palm myself, after I remember something important. ¡°Cores!¡± I say only one word. ¡°Mom! Where is the cores I brought yesterday?¡± I shout while running to the kitchen. ¡°They are in your room on the table.¡± She answer the moment I get inside. ¡°Thanks!¡± And without stopping I turn back. ¡°Wait! Do you want to try them?¡± She suddenly asks me in a serious voice. ¡°Yeahhh¡­ What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°This is a really serious matter! So bring the yellow one to me and I will show you how to do it.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Ok!¡± With that I run back to the second floor. After I enter the room, I immediately notice them. Three cores neatly put together on the middle of the table. I grab the yellow one and run back to mother. ¡°Here!¡± I say as I am giving it to her. ¡°Great! Now listen, Asger. It¡¯s not hard to prepare it. You simply need to boil it in a water and about 5 to 10 minutes later it will be ready.¡± Mother says this while putting the core I brought into the pot with water. ¡°But the most important part is knowing how much you can handle.¡± ¡°There is a limit?¡± I immediately ask her. ¡°Of course you idiot. This is a pure magical energy, which your body need to change to strengthen itself.¡± She explains to me. Mother picks up the spoon and starts to stir carefully the water, which is starting to boil. ¡°And what happens if you drink more than you can handle?¡± I ask her looking at the pot. ¡°The energy will start destroying your body from inside. And if you drank way over your limit, you might even die.¡± *Gulp* ¡®I guess nothing is simple¡­¡¯ I am starting to worry. ¡°Ha ha¡­ I might have scared you a bit too much. But don¡¯t worry I think you should handle yellow one easily. But that blue one¡­ In your place I wouldn¡¯t touch it before you get to about a level of 150.¡± Finally she dropped the serious tone and laughed a bit. ¡°That means I will have to wait for years before I will be able to use it¡­ What a bummer¡­¡± ¡°Of course! Blue cores, even small ones, are on a completely different level than yellow ones. To get it you need to buy it, but it costs a lot, or to hunt monsters like a brown grizzly, but they are very a tough opponents, equaling a warrior of a around 250 - 300 level. That¡¯s why for a kid to have one is a strange thing.¡± Speaks my mother while shaking her head. ¡®Oh! What is this warm feeling? Ah, yes it¡¯s a pleasure of being superior to others. Ha ha ha ha¡­¡¯ I muse myself. ¡°Alright it¡¯s done.¡± Suddenly says my mother. I look at the pot. The core is gone and water has became a bit yellow. ¡°Now we need to wait until it gets colder.¡± My mother tells me. ¡®Ahhhh¡­ How much longer? I can¡¯t wait to try it.¡¯ I know it¡¯s been only a few minutes but it felt like an eternity, while waiting and just looking at it. ¡°Ah¡­ Impatience of young people. Ok enough of drooling over it, since it¡¯s time.¡± She says while giving me a cup. ¡°But remember don¡¯t rush. Drink slowly and after about half of a cup wait for a few minutes before continuing.¡± She warns me again. I, hardly listening to her, scoop my first cup of a bit yellow water and drink some of it. But suddenly a smile from my face disappears. ¡®What? All this anticipation and nothing? It tastes just like a normal water¡­¡¯ I am dumbfounded a bit. ¡°Ha ha ha ha¡­ Oopps! Did I forgot to mention that cores have no taste?¡± Tells me my mother with a big smile across her face. ¡®You b¡­ Ah¡­ No it¡¯s my fault for expecting something¡­¡¯ With my expectations shattered I look at my cup. ¡®Anyway I still need to drink it all¡­¡¯ I think this while I looking at still almost full pot. In due time bit by bit I finally finished it. ¡®I am somehow feeling tired a bit. I guess I will just go to my room and rest¡­¡¯ I think while leaving kitchen. ¡°Asger, before consuming the other yellow core wait for a few days or even better for a week. And let your body rest. Since if you rush this too much, it later might bite you back.¡± Mother gives me another advice. With this I walk back to my room. And lie down on my simple bed. ¡®Wow I am starting to feel tired as if I have worked all day long¡­¡¯ I am somewhat amazed at my condition. ¡®I wonder did my stats change? < Status >.¡¯ And a blue screen like always shows in front of me.
Status Window
Level73RaceNorthmen
Strength619Defense440
Vitality137Intelligence279
Stamina269Vigor213
Agility186Presence44
Resistance
Water0%Earth0%
Ice8%Fire0%
Lightning5%Darkness0%
Nature0%Wind0%
Poison0%Alcohol1 %
*Titles*
¡°Wow I got a whole level and points worth about few weeks of training¡­¡± ¡°If others are born rich, they might be a somewhat hard to surpass¡­¡± I start to worry a bit. == End of chapter 21 == I had quite a tough time writing it for some reason. Next chapter: time skip to when Asger finishes training his body for magic and starts to learn some skills¡­ Some question LiefzDell asked me I think might be interesting for others. Q: There was few questions I meant to ask + some small bits that dont add up: 1) Wolves - from rats, dogs and peoples i got impression that northern creatures are bit of giants. On the other hand, wolves seamed small, probably around normal size, which begs question, how they were able to get over the wall designed to hold out big northern creatures (I suppose dogs are big because of extensive breeding) + how it is possible they give so relatively high quality core (simply said they should be weaklings - I was thinking they maybe got some regeneration ability to offset it or something), and if they are so big, then simply said they dont need to jump so much as they do. So how big they are? Personaly i imagine them somewhat biger then earth wolfes (90x180 cm and waight up to 50kg - well record is 86kg but that was beast) so about 140x280cm (they would still need to jump to get throat of male north Very Happy ) with waight of around 200kg (basicaly like tigre on Earth) with high agility and minor regenerative powers so they deserve having yellow cores. 2) Number of kids deaths - sorry but 17 seemed disproportionate (as is story now it would seem almost 1/8 of kid population - since from 8 they are considered teenagers and groups of kids in each age were still too small - Asgers pears number 13 and there was 17 of those 8years olds), that are not small loses but almost crippling genocide for city (too little of new blood). 3) Witches dress different - does that have significance? Something like enchanted robes making casting magic easier or maybe status symbol? 4) Army of bad guys - since they came from north of last line and were composed of orks, goblins, trolls and dragons, can I assume they are monsters naturaly inhabiting cold climates in your story or were they something like subspecies adapted to cold, maybe creating primitive sociaty beyond last line? 5) Strenght of dragons - considering they were labeled "small fry", are black dragons weak in comparsion to other dragons (maybe they have only small purple core - I dont see them weaker then Ice wyvern. So how strong are they. Well that is all for now. A: Ok lets begin: 1. I cut out this part from text and left it as mystery. But wolves pretty much worked as one (under mind control) So they made something like a pyramid and jumped over each other. 2. I told earlier to you I will write that there were few groups making more of them. Also by kids he meant those who are still not warriors (from age 1 to 14) 3. No. Since northmen dress simply with clothes mostly made from leather. While witches... ( look at Elise picture got pretty modern) 4. Maybe I wasn''t really specific but the kingdom of Astana''s territory was current North + Land beyond The Last line. Army of orcs came from other side of the world ( Meaning from a different continent beyond the North pole) 5. They are strongest in this world. (But the main treat is beings from other realm, which comes through the crack in dimensions. So knowing this Astana''s forces abandoned their kingdom and marched to fight beings from other realm before their numbers were too big and hopefully close it.) Chapter 22. Skills. Part 1. I want to put up a donation button and for that reason I have to change a title of the story: Re: Axe from North ----> Axe from North Yeah it¡¯s a short chapter and I wanted to wait until I wrote part 2 to put like a full chapter but I was asked... So next chap might also be not long. But will try to finish on this weekend. Why silent so long? Life happened to me¡­ I even had work for 9 days straight without a weekend. Also sorry for not being able to get into the mood of writing in these living quarters, which my company provided for 10 of us. My bed is in a corner behind the chimney and yes this is an attic... This house wasn¡¯t made for living¡­ It¡¯s more like to sleep after you get too drunk in a party¡­ Chapter 22. Skills. Part 1. Finally the crisis with wolves came to an end. But never less it left deep marks on our wooden walls and in our hearts for years to be. The first morning that came after the attack was dedicated to mourning, for those who will never return. To give our respect a tombstone was commissioned of stone. It will depict a strong warrior of North, wearing leather armor with iron helmet, which has bull horns, and holding a simple axe and shield in his hands. While standing in a defensive pose and facing off three fierce wolves. At least that¡¯s what my parents told me. Since I pretty much slept through that day after drinking the yellow core. On the second day town celebrated like there was no tomorrow. This time I was able to participate or more to the point I was dragged in by my mother. Of course I kept my distance from any alcoholic drinks and went directly to the main square. It was bustling with people going one way or another, or simply listening to the chief, who was standing on the stage, in the far end of the square. In this moving mass it took me some time until I was able to get closer. It came as a small surprise to me, but it looks like all cores were collected and handed to the chief. Not even one was stolen¡­ Apparently Northmen are quite prideful. So they might kill you, but rest assured, they won¡¯t steal from you. In other words what was going on here was awarding ceremony. In the end Osfrid''s group and gate guards gained 30 cores each for holding beasts back. Families who lost their loved ones gained 20 cores. To every Northmen, who joined the battle, chief gave 3 cores each. But what came as a surprise was that even I gained 5 of them from him. To sum everything up, a huge number was given away that day. But from what I heard about 2000 still remained in the treasury of town. Weeks later a rumor have spread like wildfire around the town. That chief has made a massive order from dwarven blacksmith''s. Many started speculating for what purpose those new weapons were made, but only few of us knew the truth... War is coming¡­ ***** Days went on. Life in town returned to it''s usual pace little by little. With only a few exceptions. Like an increased patrol or tripled guard numbers. But the most disturbing one happened in my class. As I found myself sitting near Elise. I can¡¯t exactly guess what¡¯s going on in her head but she suddenly changed a seat from a front row to the back, which me and Hege were using. I get it that she kind of likes me. But with a zero desire from my side¡­ I¡¯m really having a blast focusing on what¡¯s important at the moment rather than trying to satisfy my lust. In other words with Elise becoming more clingy I feel like there is an invisible rope around my neck and with each passing day it is just getting tighter. ¡®Wow¡­ How much have I changed. If I would be able to meet my past self. And say that girls attention is so suffocating. I think Markus would most likely kill Asger for being a douchebag¡­¡¯ I wonder, as I¡¯m bored from simply sitting and moving my inner energy. ¡°Time sure flies by¡­¡± A rough voice suddenly awakens me from the train of though I was having.. I turn my head and look at my father, who is sitting in his chair and looking at the lit fireplace. ¡°Huh?¡± I¡¯m somewhat surprised. Since for the last half an hour both of us just sat quietly. While dad was carving some wooden statue, I sat on the floor and trained my right leg in magic. By the way it is the last part of my body, which still needs to be trained. After this I will move on to the next stage and begin learning some real shit. Hell yeah!!! ¡°What I mean: you are already over six years olds and closing in on your seventh birthday. But to me it¡¯s as if you just yesterday sat in the same spot playing with your little sticks¡­ Ha ha ha ha¡­¡± He starts to laugh, while gazing at the fire, as if seeing something funny in there. (Note: The mc is about six and a half years old. For the sake of reference: he was born in the late September. And the current time is around march or april. Wolf attack happened in the middle of the summer. So around 7-8 months have passed.) ¡°Ahhh¡­ Please stop talking about that. Those days were ¡­ Ohh! God, I don¡¯t even know what that was¡­¡± I say to him in a tired voice, as I am trying to suppress some lingering memories from that time. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡®They are extremely embarrassing¡­ Like one time after finding some old cloth. I put it around me and started calling myself a BATMAN.¡¯ Disturbing memories flash in my mind again. ¡®Fuck! Erase! Erase! Erase¡­¡¯ I face slap myself trying to get my composure back. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is our little Asger ashamed?¡± Now he is definitely trying to mock me¡­ ¡°No¡­ I have no idea what you are talking about.¡± I say back to my dad with a best poker face, which I can manage to make at the moment. ¡°You mean you already forgot how strange and at the same time interesting you were back in those days?¡± Asks dad holding back a chuckle. ¡°As much as I can remember, I was always normal¡­¡± I just used a skill from my past life. It¡¯s name is ¡®Complete Denial¡¯. ¡°Normal? Normally children¡¯s first words is ¡®mama¡¯ or ¡®papa¡¯. But yours was a really strange one¡­ You would crawl to the dark corner and shout ¡®baman¡¯. Hahahahahaha¡­¡± I think my dad gave up on holding his laughter back. ¡°That does sound like me¡­ But I am afraid you are mixing up something. Because this never happened!¡± Once a skill is used you must hold your ground till the very end. No surrender or retreat no matter how stupid you might sound. Dad without saying a word just looks at me. And few seconds later he starts laughing. ¡°Ha ha ha¡­ Anyway for me, your father, it is one of the most beautiful memories, which I will remember for the rest of my life.¡± ¡°Dad¡­ Ugghhh!¡± Before I¡¯m able to say anything, burning pain pierces through my right leg. ¡®It¡¯s official I¡¯m a Magical kni¡­ Um¡­ Fighter! Yeah, let¡¯s go with that.¡¯ I think this with a grin on my face, while rubbing the right leg. Since it really is painful. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you ok?¡± Suddenly inquires dad with a worried face. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just finished preparing my body for the arts of magic. Anyway it¡¯s already late, so I think I will go to bed.¡± As I say this I¡¯m already limping towards the stairs. It¡¯s a bit hard to climb them up, but with gritted teeth I manage. As I¡¯m little by little going up, I hear my fathers voice. ¡°See, you don¡¯t change. Still doing strange things. Ha ha ha¡­¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± With a shake of my head, I return to the task in front of me. Suddenly he starts to laughing really loudly. And before going into my and Ingvils room I even hear: ¡°Stubborn like his mother! Ha ha ha¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t an easy task to get some rest with this throbbing leg. But still after some difficulty I succeeded . ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Suddenly I¡¯m woken up by a small spike of pain in my chest. ¡°Wake up! Wake up! It¡¯s morning, Asger!¡± Shout¡¯s Ingvil. Lately she gained a nasty habit of jumping on me every morning¡­ ¡°I¡¯m up.¡± Only after I say this to her she leaves me alone and runs to the first floor. ¡®Everybody say hello to my frigging alarm clock.¡¯ While thinking this, I follow her with my eyes, until she leaves the room. ¡®¡¯ It kind of became a habit of mine to check my status every morning.
Status Window
Level89RaceNorthmen
Strength758Defense550
Vitality160Intelligence297
Stamina317Vigor279
Agility246Presence49
Resistance
Water0%Earth0%
Ice10%Fire0%
Lightning6%Darkness0%
Nature0%Wind0%
Poison0%Alcohol1%
*Titles*
¡°Hu hu hu¡­ Even thought it¡¯s becoming a bit harder to get points from training, but those 7 yellow cores really boosted me. Some gave more points and some less but in the end I gained around 8 levels worth from them. The only down side is they increase based on racial traits. So I got a lot of strength with defense and little of other ones¡­¡± ¡°All in all cores are great. But one must always be careful and know his limit. That¡¯s why I only drank it once a week. Not that I was in any rush since I doubt I will be getting my hands on them for some time.¡± I spoke my mind out loud while looking at the blue screen. ¡°Ok. It¡¯s time to get up.¡± Even thought I would gladly sleep for a bit more, but today I¡¯m going back to the cave. So if I don¡¯t want to wander in darkness I shouldn¡¯t waste time. After eating breakfast and preparing my bag. I start my journey to the cave again. == End of chapter 22 == Chapter 23. Skills. Part 2. Well another short one. These days I don''t really have time for a long one. I was nicely surprised as I got a donation, since the button appeared a bit late. I would have liked to thank that person but not knowing his nickname I hit the wall. So I came up with an idea. If you donate me send a pm with your name and amount so I would know that is you. And below every chapter I will create A Hall of Fame where your nickname will be written. It will be my way of saying thank you for your support. Chapter 23. Skills. Part 2. "It''s been some time from my last visit to this place." I say looking at the once more frozen waterfall. Since there have been no need to come here and waste my rat cores. I haven¡¯t been to this place since the last spring. "Day is too short to be wasted." With a small smile on my face, I pick up quite a big rock. ¡°Ahhh. This bring backs some memories¡­¡± I say throwing it. Few moments later I¡¯m already standing in a bit of a damp room, which is illuminated by a calm blue lights intricately weaved into the walls and ceiling. ¡°Well, I¡¯m back¡­¡± Without waiting any longer. I move directly to the table with neatly stacked notes. I pick up the first bundle of papers tied together with a red cord. Strangely even in this environment they still look almost new. ¡°That¡¯s magic for you...¡± I express my astonishment before starting to read them. ¡°Dear guest, these notes are made to help a Northmen understand what magic truly is. But since unlike me, a witch with ice attribute, you might have a different one. I will be only teaching the basics in here. Anything else I¡¯m afraid you will have to find out yourself. Let¡¯s begin with a few facts. To everyone it¡¯s a common knowledge that we are a race oriented toward strength rather than intelligence. And it¡¯s a fact to everyone in the world that we like dwarves under the mountains will never use magic. Of course not counting witches, who by some are even considered to be a completely different race. So let¡¯s try to prove them all to be wrong. First off all. How does one uses magic? In reality it¡¯s a quite simple thing. You only need to pull out your inner energy and concentrate it. But to do this one needs to have a high number of intelligence. Otherwise you will run out of inner energy before making anything and faint. But do not worry after years of studying I found another way in some old books. Instead of concentrating energy outside your body, you do it inside. This way your attacks might be a bit less powerful, but you will need only about tenth of the energy required normally. Most likely right about now you are asking: why nobody started using this long ago? Well because there is a catch¡­¡± ¡°Of course, there is always a catch.¡± I¡¯m starting to get annoyed since things are never simple. I move my eyes back on the paper and continue reading. ¡°Collecting energy inside the body gives quite a burden on it. I tried it myself and I only succeeded in collecting a small amount before enormous pain flooded my senses. So only strong and tough people can do it without hurting themselves. In other words I think it should be perfect for Northmen warriors.¡± ¡°Wait a moment! So I might still be too weak to learn anything decent?¡± ¡°Haah, why do I feel like going in circle?¡± I let out a sight. ¡°I train my agility and learn magic, so I wouldn¡¯t be a simple muscle head dependant on strength. But now it appears that to escape one¡¯s destiny is impossible¡­¡± ¡°Haah¡­¡± I sight one more time before collecting my thought and moving my eyes back on the paper. ¡°I do not know how old you are so just to be safe I will write this: If you have less than 500 points in strength and defense in my opinion you shouldn¡¯t even try this.¡± ¡°So I hardly pass minimum requirements ¡­¡± I thought this might be the case. ¡°I assume you have already learned to release magic and passed the second stage. So lesson number 1: Instead of simply moving the energy and realizing, hold it inside your arm. Remember if you start feeling even a smallest pain release it immediately. NOW GO OUTSIDE! DON¡¯T EVEN DARE TO TRY IT IN THE CAVE!¡± ¡°Wow, so bossy.¡± I say putting notes back on the table. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. With a frowning face I start walking outside while thinking: ¡®I know it sounds easy, but I bet it will take quite a lot of time until I get the hang of it¡­¡¯ The moment I put my feet on the shattered ice at the entrance to the cave and feel cold winds of north tickling through my clothes. With worlds: ¡°Hell no!!!¡± I turn back. Just in case of something unforeseen I decide to stay far away in the cave so the winds wouldn¡¯t touch me, but not so deep as to be too close to the room. With a suitable place found I decide to start my training. But no matter how much I tried not even once have I succeeded. And with sun getting closer to the horizon I decided that it''s time to head home. Next day was also a failure, as were the days that followed after it. Until finally on the seventh day. ¡°Day like this is a pure blessing. No wind and sun is shining brightly on cloudless sky.¡± I¡¯m in a good mood. Since last few days I trained my control over inner energy with a harsh winds blowing from all sides. ¡®Maybe there is some kind of trick which I¡¯m just not getting¡­ No matter what I do energy just gushes out with a few static charges showing between my fingers.¡¯ This is starting to get on my nerves. Because last six days I wasted sitting on the bench at home without any improvement. ¡°Haahh¡­ I know whining won¡¯t help¡­¡± My mental fatigue is at its peak. ¡®I will try it a bit more and if nothing happens, I¡¯m going back to training my body.¡¯ I look at my right arm. ¡®Ok, move the energy and hold it in my arm. Ball¡­ Ball¡­ Concentrate it into a ball¡­¡¯ I intensely glare at my hand. Trying to see if there is any static, since to make matter easier you can¡¯t feel this fucking energy. ¡®Ball¡­ Make a ball¡­¡¯ ¡®Ball¡­ Ba¡­ Huh?¡¯ Suddenly I am bombarded with a strange sensation. It¡¯s hard to explain it but I can feel that something is forming in my hand. ¡°Aghhh¡­ Dammit pain! Pain! Pain!... Ahhh¡­ Release! Release!¡± Sorry for losing my coolness, but I¡¯m in a bit of hurry trying to protect my hand. Before I manage to grasp, where I¡¯m aiming, a small, small ball of bright light flies out of my hand and straight to my dad. In a mere second it closed the distance of about 10 meters and hit him in the neck. ¡®What have I done?¡¯ A huge number of emotions surge in me. Fear and despair of losing member of my family starts to claw their way through my mind. Until I find myself shaking and without any strength to move forward. At that moment my dad rubs his neck while saying: ¡°Strange¡­ Mosquitoes this time of the year? What is this world coming to¡­¡± And like it was nothing he goes back to chopping down the wood. As I am regaining my senses, I say: ¡°Fucking mosquitoes¡­¡±. Right about now I finally notice a familiar blue screen.
Notification
You have gained a new Title
¡°What?¡± ¡®¡¯ Without wasting time I decide to check what fresh hell is this.
*Titles*
Blessed; The last one standing; Son of Thunder; Magical knight; Shadow killer; The Grand Archmage of Northmen
¡°WTF??? Grand¡­¡± I¡¯m somewhat dumbfounded. ¡®¡¯
The Grand Archmage of Northmen
Stand with dignity for you are the strongest magician of your race. Vitality +10; Defense +20; Intelligence +60; Presence +5 Attention: if position is lost title is nullified.
¡®Yeah right The Grand Archmage of Mosquitoes. At least stats are good. But¡­¡¯ I start thinking while looking at what¡¯s written on the screen. ¡®But if I show this title to others together my awesome skills, I¡¯m definitely going to become the laughing stock of the whole world.¡¯ ¡®...I see, so there is only one solution for this. To use my supreme skill: ¡®Complete denial¡¯.¡¯ == End of chapter 23 == Chapter 24. Preparations. I hardly find time to do this¡­ God chapter 24 and mc is still just 8 years old¡­ That¡¯s the speed of a snail xD. What can I do. Since for me this is the most interesting part: the origin. Anyway don¡¯t expect the ultra op mc. Who can single handedly destroy armies. Since I like when the story got some realism in it. So sorry for those who I disappointed. Also this was supposed to be Skills part 3. But because of time skip I left it as a stand alone chapter. Chapter 24. Preparations. "497..." "498..." "499..." "500!" "For today it will be enough." I say getting up. "Can''t idle..." I wipe away more than a few beads of sweat from my forehead and without wasting any more of my precious time I start running towards the usual place. As my legs are taking me through the dusty road to the training ground, I use this time to relax a bit. "Shit... Shit... Shit... I''m behind a schedule today again. It takes way too much time doing even 500 push ups... And there is only one month left till the fucking festival." I begin to nag at myself like usual these days. Reason for this is my huge urge to show off *cough* I mean my competitive spirit has been lit. And it¡¯s making me only think about my goal of being a number one. To the point that for a past few months I even gave up on agility and am completely devoting solely to the strength. Since I need a strong body to use magic on stage... '''' Once more I decide to check my status and level. Lately this table is turned on pretty often with a hope, to see a new point added to my pool, or with a burning passion in trying to get the second one.
Status Window
Level132RaceNorthmen
Strength1215Defense845
Vitality217Intelligence431
Stamina501Vigor473
Agility368Presence66
Resistance
Water0%Earth0%
Ice14%Fire0%
Lightning9%Darkness0%
Nature0%Wind1%
Poison0%Alcohol1%
*Titles*
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" The moment I saw the blue screen a laughter, which makes me for some reason remember villains in anime, leaves my mouth uncontrollably. ¡°I will definitely be the star of the evening. Ha, ha, ha! Well it¡¯s a given after all I will be one of the older ones. Since even though theoretically I will be 8 years old, but practically almost 9, with only few months left till my birthday.¡± I¡¯m really excited. This will be my first time standing in the front rather than being always forgotten in the back. ¡®Huh? Already here?¡¯ While analyzing my stats and thinking something new I didn¡¯t notice how fast time flew by and my destination was already in front of me. As I stand on a small hill I look down to the valley which is at most about two kilometers wide. It is completely surrounded by smaller or bigger hills, but the most important part is that trees are for some reason are growing only on the outskirts of it. So the center of the valley is a nice plain with a small river flowing through it. In other words perfect place for training. I start running down the hill avoiding bushes and trees which try to get in my way. But even in this relaxed state a part of me is working nonstop scanning surrounding. I learned to be always cautious the hard way. As about seven months ago I took another stroll to the cave and almost died from a sudden attack. Apparently a pair of white foxes thought that my cave is a nice place to call a home. Anyway in the end I gained two small yellow cores, a few painful scratches and a lesson that I should never let my guard down¡­ Suddenly trees begin to be densely packed together. To the point that I have to stop running and start walking. ¡°But really such a valley, surrounded by a ring of trees so dense that a ray of sun is nowhere to be seen, makes one imagination run wild¡­¡± I wonder loud trying to make my way to the center. I even asked my parents about this place, but apparently it always was this way¡­ ¡°It¡¯s kind of sad that whatever happened here is long lost to the river of time¡­ Haaa¡­ Anyway I should just concentrate on my training and slowly but steadily move forward.¡± I say finally getting through the last bush. With a few looks around I rush straight towards a pile of rocks laying further ahead. When I get closer to them, I find a comfortable spot to sit down. Not waiting for anything else I immediately start gathering my magical energy in the right hand. It only takes a second before a small prickles warns me that I already reached my limit. So I release it from my hand and form it into a bolt. ¡°Now that I think back the first one was only a small charge, but I wonder what my father would say if he got hit by this? I¡¯m pretty sure this would hurt quite more than a bite of a mosquitoes.¡± With a small grin I say while looking at about 60 centimeters long electrical charge, which is the shape of a small spear. What¡¯s more as this small, bright light emitting spear is floating in front of me, my ears are being filled with a sound of a electrical crackling. Warning anybody around that it¡¯s a condensed lightning. *Note: In the name of imagination Electrical crackling* ¡°It looks like a simple thing but it took me so long until I reached this point¡­¡± I say while gently wrapping my fingers, covered in magical energy, around it. The moment I feel that it is firmly in my grasp I throw it forward with a full power. And in just a blink of an eye my electrical charge is already more than a 100 meters away. ¡°This is why I like this place: wide, empty space.¡± I say not letting it out of my sight. It doesn¡¯t take long before the spear is starting to close in to the edge of the field. And as it is about to crash into the trees, it begins to turn. ¡°Haaa¡­ This is the best I can do. Making it fly along the ring of trees surrounding this field is already so hard.¡± I sight a bit while still staying focused. In the end I manage to hold out for about 20 circles before I crash my little plane. ¡°Dammit! Magic is no joke. Once you are able to do something and think about celebrating, you notice that there is a thousand more steps to improve it. And the worst part is that it takes too long to learn even a smalest thing. As it took me a whole month to make it float, another month to touch it and about two more months to simply make it turn¡­ I¡¯m beginning to understand why magicians are often portrayed as geeks and shut-ins¡­ You got to have no life if you want to achieve something great¡­¡± I speak to myself while taking a short break. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Well let¡¯s try again!¡± I shout a bit, trying to motivate myself. I straighten my back and am about to prepare to gather my energy as an idea suddenly comes to me. ¡°Hmm¡­ I have been practicing this one skill for ages¡­ How about I try something new?¡± I ask myself while racking my brain. ¡°And I think I know just the thing I want to try. Ha, ha, ha.¡± As I get excited, a small laughter leaves my mouth. I immediately stand up and run away from the boulders, where I was sitting, and further to the center of the valley, where ground is completely flat and only a small grass is growing. ¡°As much as I remember there was always one skill that gave me a goosebumps while watching a show. Nothing can be more badass than a energy blast, which blows everything around you away. It is one of the top priority skill I want to learn. But how do I make it?¡± I immerse into a deep thought. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Most often they strike ground and make everything around just disappear¡­ Hmm¡­¡± I speak my thoughts out loud while rubbing my chin. ¡°Since I don¡¯t have anything at hand to use as a conductor, I should collect energy in my legs and let it run wild. Ha, ha, ha¡­¡± Once more a sinister laugh takes over me. Few moments later after calming myself down I begin to collect magical energy in my legs. The hardest part is to imagine what I want it to do. Since from the moment you begin gathering your energy it must have a purpose and once you release it. The magical power will do what you wanted to do. Of course you can still manipulate it later, like making it float or fly, but to change magic from one to other is impossible. So now I¡¯m imagining a blast which will happen once the energy runs into the ground. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I release a groan after a sharp pain pierces both of my legs. Clearly I reached the most I can gather. ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡± With a shout I force my energy out of my legs and into the ground. *Whoosh* Suddenly my vision blurs and mind begins to black out. The last thing I hear is a loud wind blowing sound. ***** ¡°Ahhhh¡­ Dammit¡­ What happened?¡± ¡°My whole body hurts like I have just been hit by a car¡­¡± I say still with a closed eyes and not moving a muscle as every inch of my body is hurting like hell. ¡°Have I used too much energy?¡± I say while finally trying to open my eyes. Suddenly a light floods me and it takes a few moments until I get used to it. ¡°Huh?¡± What surprises me is a familiar blue screen floating in my vision of a clouded sky.
Notification
You have gained a new Title
¡°Well let¡¯s see what I got this time¡­¡± I say clearly not in a good mood, while still laying down on a grassy field.
*Titles*
Blessed; The last one standing; Son of Thunder; Magical knight, Shadow killer, The Grand Archmage of Northmen, A Lucky person
¡°Lucky person¡­ Why do I feel that this is going deeper and deeper into the uncharted territories?¡±
A Lucky person
There are always people, born under the lucky star, and who are called a Lucky Bastards by others. So congratulations on becoming one. Increases every stat by + 5
¡°Somehow I feel like I have just been mocked¡­¡± I say while reading a text in front of me. ¡°Anyway what have I done to deserve this?¡± I begin to wonder. ¡°Ugh..¡± With few painful moans I start to get up and look around. In doing so I notice as my clothes are almost ruined and a great part of my body is covered in red Then suddenly my eyes are caught by a small crater some good 50 meters away from me. Where earth is as if blown away by a huge force and is littering around it completely covering the green field. ¡°What? Wasn¡¯t that where I stood?¡± After seeing what happened to ground where I just was, a few beads of a cold sweat began to show.. ¡°Am I lucky because I survived that? Ha, ha.¡± But I cut my laughter short, as I notice something. Right in the middle of the hole I made there is some kind of black rock. Well at least it¡¯s part is showing covered in dust. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± My interest is picked up. ¡°I¡¯m begining to feel with my guts that I might truly be a lucky bastard.¡± I say with a small smile on my face. == End of chapter 24 == Some answers: Trololo: Q: is he going to be able to combine his electricity whit his defensive aura and have something like red lightning instead of red mist A: Maybe (in reality I never thought about this, so thank you for this). Alex798: Q: Why mc doesn''t approach Elise even without sexual desire? Why don''t make her a girlfriend and when vigor unlocked- go berserk with her? A: Well call me a romantic but I think it should be a bit more natural. Also I don¡¯t think this goes well with mc (previous virgin/loner and no urge what so ever now). ......................................................................................../\.................................................................................... ...................................................................................../......\................................................................................. ................................................................................. /..../\....\.............................................................................. ................................==============================================............................ .............................//...........................................,-------------,.............................................\\........................ ..........................//......................................--<{ Hall of Fame }>--........................................\\..................... .......................//.................................................''-------------''..................................................\\................... .................===========================================================.......... .......................................................................---< 1. Khress >---....................................................................... .............................................---< 2. LiefzDel >---.............---< 3. Exomoria >---....................................... ............................................---< All those who want to stay aonymous >---......................................... ................===========================================================........... ...............................................................Thank you for your support!............................................................ ................===========================================================........... P.S.: I will put only the nicknames from forum. So you will have to pm me to not stay anonymous. Chapter 25. The black rock. This was only supposed to be a first part of longer chapter and second part would have contained a festival. But I didn¡¯t manage to write the festival part this weekend. Also apart from working I am studying where u need to take a 2 week course and a few months later have a written examinations. So it''s time for my examinations (5 of them in total. Each every Saturday plus I need to make a report for each of them). In other words I will be so busy that I am afraid I won''t be able to write the festival part for like a whole month (will try to make it faster but who knows...). So in the end I decided to put this. And sorry beforehand if another chapter will take a bit more time to wait. Chapter 25. The black rock. "How much more of this torture I must suffer?" I ask my mother with a huge irritation in my voice. "At least for one more day." Answers my mother calmly. "Tick!" "Did you hear that?" I ask her. "What?" "You didn''t hear as my points are going down the drain?" I ask in a silent voice while my eyes are running around the room as if searching for something. For a moment, though, she looks at me wonderingly and only says: "Huh?" "Ah! Never mind..." I answer her a bit dispirited. "Anyway it''s only a fourth day. No need to make this to be a big deal. On the contrary you should thank me for not grounding your sorry ass for coming home half dead..." After saying this with her hands on the hips, she gives me a stern look. "Stop your whining! Today you stay in bed and I don''t want to hear anything else apart from: Yes, mother!" She continues in a harsh voice, but the moment my mother finishes, she turns around and finally leaves my room. Not even giving me a chance to say anything. "Well I have to admit... It really is a miracle. From that state to an almost full health in just three and a half days. I guess this is where vitality shows it¡¯s value. But this doesn''t change the fact that I''m still simply laying around in my bed!" I begin to get annoyed again knowing that festival is rapidly closing in. "And what¡¯s more that black thing is still where I fount it. Even thought I was too weak to dig it out, at least I had enough strength to hide it under few layers of dirt.¡± I add in a hushed voice, which shows how worried I am. ¡°I guess¡­ In this situation I can only wait and pray to the higher powers¡­¡± **** The next day came as it should have and brought a new, and bright morning with only a few small clouds in the air. ¡°Ah¡­ I swear to God, I can smell it in the air. The intoxicating aroma of FREEDOM!!¡± I shout the moment I step outside through the door. Since only a few minutes ago my mother lifted the ban to leave a room. ¡°Well it¡¯s time to check what Santa has brought for me. He, he, he¡­¡± With a smile from ear to ear, I start running. On the road like always I pass people going one or the other way. Normally I would say at least ¡®Hi!¡¯, but at the moment I¡¯m so focused that I hardly notice them and keep on using my full speed. It still takes some time, but in the end I reach my goal and stand on the edge of a hole, I made before. ¡°Huhh¡­¡± I breathe heavily, while scanning the ground. ¡°Huhh¡­ Looks like¡­¡± ¡°Huhh¡­ Nobody touched it¡­¡± With these word I finally fall down on the ground and lay there still for a few minutes. ¡°Damn, it¡¯s been ages since I ran so hard¡­¡± I say getting up. ¡°Hmm¡­ But I should have taken something to dig with¡­ Well whatever.¡± I say jumping into my little crater. First I start by cleaning the dirt, which I put in to hide it. ¡°I didn¡¯t have much strength to inspect it before, but now that I look closer it isn¡¯t perfectly round. Also this thing doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s a manmade¡­ More over this black rock is giving of a feeling that it¡¯s out of place. Hmm¡­¡± I talk to myself while taking a moment to look at my finding. ¡°It might be a meteorite.¡± This is the only explanation I can think on what it is. ¡®¡­¡¯ After simply looking at it for a moment I shake my head and begin to dig around it. Since I¡¯m doing everything with my hands it takes about 5 to 10 minutes before I free it completely from the bonds of the earth. And what I hold in my arms is a somewhat round rock, only a bit bigger then a basketball ball, which might weight about 20 kilograms. ¡°It¡¯s definitely an asteroid¡­ It might contain something rare, since I got that title... But sadly I don¡¯t have any knowledge about minerals and things like that.¡± I¡¯m becoming a bit angry, since all I see is a simple black rock. And I have no way to tell if it¡¯s made from gold or from just some cosmic shit¡­ ¡°I should take it home and ask my parents for their advice.¡± Finally with a plan in mind I don¡¯t waste even a second for anything else and start running home. ¡®He, he¡­ Others might call me paranoid, but the less eyes see, what I got here, the better.¡¯ I think while avoiding the road and people traveling on it. In the end I¡¯m back in our yard, dripping wet with a cold river water and breathing heavily from a much longer and harder path, which I took avoiding the road. Never the less a small grin creeps on my face: ¡°Still unnoticed¡­¡± Suddenly my mother runs outside from the house: ¡°What happened to you?¡±. ¡°Ah nothing serious, I just decided to play a spy. More importantly do you know what this is?¡± I say directing here attention to the asteroid. ¡°This¡­ Is¡­¡± She says slowly, while looking at what I got. ¡°A rock?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you are asking me? Because I¡¯m the first one who asked.¡± I¡¯m becoming irritated. After all the bushes I hid in and all the mud I crawled through to avoid people and monsters alike¡­ I admit, I expected more. ¡°No need to get angry. Sheesh¡­ What kind of kid have I raised¡­¡± She says shaking here head. ¡°Anyway I don¡¯t know much about those thing, but your dad might know more. So come, let¡¯s go inside. You can ask him about it yourself and at the same time I will get you some new, dry clothes.¡± After this she signals to me with her hand to walk first. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡®I guess she won¡¯t let me go anywhere before I change my clothes.¡¯ I think while walking inside. ¡°Dad! Dad! Do you know what this is?¡± I immediately charge to him the moment I get through the door. ¡°Huh?¡± He¡¯s a bit dumbfounded by my sudden attack. So I repeat myself: ¡°This! Do you know what this is?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Let me see it.¡± He only said while taking it with his big arms. ¡°Completely black¡­¡± Only murmurs my dad, as he spins it around in his hands. Suddenly he pulls out a knife and hits my asteroid a few times. ¡°Tough¡­¡± he murmurs once more. ¡®I guess he also doesn¡¯t know.¡¯ I think to myself, while noticing the frowning face of my father. I¡¯m about to curse this damn rock, as I notice a change in my dads face. Like he just though an idea. Instead of hitting it he scratches the surface with a blade of the knife and then immediately sniffs the rock. Not able to contain my excitement any longer I ask him:¡± So, what do you think?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ It¡¯s hard to tell. But this particular smell is something my father described to me in one of his stories, when I was young.¡± He says still looking at the rock wonderingly. ¡°What story?¡± I also add in my head: ¡®For Pete¡¯s sake, can¡¯t you just tell it?¡¯ ¡°Well my father always was and is a blacksmith till the end. So even his stories always circled around metals or forges. He especially liked to tell me about Narilium, or more commonly known as a ¡®Tear of the heaven¡¯.¡± He pauses a bit before continuing. ¡°It is an extremely rare material, only found in rocks that fall from the sky, which requires a special melting method, only known by the best blacksmiths. By the way that old fool also learned it.¡± The last part he says with a small disdain. ¡°Anyway legend says that equipment made from that metal is practically indestructible, as it can¡¯t be damaged by even a dragons breath. And this is not the end. Somehow it is naturally imbued with magic, which increases the wielders power and control over his inner energy. In other words Narilium is the most desirable material in the world by magicians and fighters alike.¡± With this he finally goes silent. ¡°And you think this is that Narilium?¡± I ask almost shaking from all the excitement. ¡°Well the smell and color is just like my father told, but¡­ Narilium is so rare that there is maybe like a few hundred items made from it in the whole world. So to believe that you found some is really hard¡­¡± He says with a huge doubt in his voice. ¡°So¡­ What should I do with this ¡®Not 100% sure that it¡¯s Narilium¡¯?¡± I ask him. ¡°For now just hide it. Later if you still want to find out, you can travel to one of the Dwarven kingdoms or in worst case go and meet your grandfather¡­¡± From the tone of my father it sound that he would rather travel to the Dwarven kingdom than meet the grandfather. ¡®I don¡¯t know at this moment, am I supposed to laugh or cry?¡­¡¯ I think to myself. ¡°Haaa¡­ So where should I put it?¡± I ask my dad in a dispirited voice. ¡°Put it behind the chest under the stairs.¡± He says while pointing with a finger. I take that, for some reason way heavier than before, lump back and walk to the wooden chest under the stairs. As I¡¯m putting it down behind the chest, I hear my mother climbing down the stairs. Most likely with a new set of my clothes. I get up and for a few seconds still look at that black rock. ¡°Fuck this shit I¡¯m going back to training.¡± I murmur under my nose before I turn around. == End of chapter 25 == ......................................................................................../\.................................................................................... ...................................................................................../......\................................................................................. ................................................................................. /..../\....\.............................................................................. ................................==============================================............................ .............................//...........................................,-------------,.............................................\\........................ ..........................//......................................--<{ Hall of Fame }>--........................................\\..................... .......................//.................................................''-------------''..................................................\\................... .................===========================================================.......... .......................................................................---< 1. Khress >---....................................................................... .............................................---< 2. LiefzDel >---.............---< 3. Exomoria >---....................................... ............................................---< All those who want to stay aonymous >---......................................... ................===========================================================........... ...............................................................Thank you for your support!............................................................ ................===========================================================........... P.S.: I will put only the nicknames from forum. So you will have to pm me to not stay anonymous. Chapter 26.The day of the test. I also made a picture it will under spoiler somewhere in the middle, but don''t expect much, since I didn''t put in so much time and effort as in the other pictures. Anyway I hope you will like this chapter. Chapter 26.The day of the test. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± I make a small sigh. ¡°So, this is it?¡± I say turning my head to the horizon, where the last rays of sun are painting the sky in a beautiful crimson red. ¡°Well nothing more can be done ¡­¡± And on these words I release ropes which I have been holding in my hands. *Thump* Immediately a low sound comes from behind my back as a heavy rock hits the ground. ¡°Ropes¡­¡± I only say while turning around. Lately I started using an old tactic from the TV. To carry weights as I am training my body. And even thought I was doing this for only a short time I believe strength points have been increasing a tad bit faster. ¡°Now¡­ Home¡­ Supper¡­ Bed¡­ A perfect plan to end the day.¡± I say with a cheerful smile on my face. And without waiting any longer I start to head back. Since today I didn¡¯t train my magic, I stayed quite close to our house. So it takes only about ten minutes before I set foot in our yard. The first thing what I notice is a young girl with short brown hair carrying chopped wood from the pile, and stacking them neatly near the barn. As she notices me a small smile creeps on her face. ¡°Oh you are already back, brother?¡± ¡°Ingvil, what are you doing?¡± I¡¯m a bit puzzled since she really hates doing anything except playing around. Suddenly my still cute little sister puffs up her cheeks a bit, as if trying to look angry but before she can say anything to me we are interupted. ¡°You better start moving! Just because Asger is back doesn¡¯t mean you are finished. Sun is almost gone and you still got a lot of logs left¡­¡± Suddenly a strong voice of my mother reaches my ears. To my amusement this makes my dear little sister jump a bit as she starts running with logs in her arms. I turn my attention towards the voice and notice our mother sitting on the bench near the house with her arms crossed. ¡°What happened? What did she do to get this punishment?¡± I have to admit I¡¯m really interested. ¡°Punishment? No¡­¡± My mother answers shaking her head a bit. And then continues: ¡°This is training. Normally all kids need a little push at the beginning¡­ A little¡­¡± ¡°Haaa¡­¡± Suddenly out of nowhere she makes a deep sigh. ¡°I prayed to all spirits of the North that Ingvil would be atleast a bit like you¡­¡± Mother says looking at my little sister while having a distant look. ¡°Huh? What do you mean by that?¡± I ask her. She turns her attention towards me and after staying silent for a few moments, starts to talk. ¡°Well even thought you did so many things backwards and made me at times really worried about your future, you always moved forward by your own strength¡­¡± At this moment she nods a bit. ¡°No matter whatever the obstacles you met they were always overcome with sweat and gritted teeth. And that is a really commendable trait, which makes us both, your father and me, proud to be your parents.¡± After saying this she suddenly turns away from me and looks at Ingvil: ¡°Unlike this little miss, who needs to be kicked in the ass at every turn. What¡¯s more I got to babysit her all day, because if I turn my eyes away she immediately starts slacking¡­¡± As I look at our mother¡®s expression I can clearly see that she is tired. ¡®Dealing with stupid kids is definitely a pain in the ass.¡¯ I think with a small grin on my face as I looked at Ingvil. ¡°Anyway Asger you are a bit early today. Normally you come back when it¡¯s already dark.¡± She turns her attention back on me. ¡°Huh? Ah!¡± A bit surprised I think what to say. I scratch my head and with the best smile I can make on my face, I say: ¡°Well since tomorrow is already the day of a summer festival. So I thought that today I will take it a bit easier.¡± After listening to me my mother doesn''t say anything. She just slowly scans me from head to toe with her eyes and turns back to the direction of Ingvil. Finally after a few moments of silence she heavily sighs and says quietly: "Tomorrow... Time sure flies by..." ¡°Either way I guess you are hungry? Right?¡± Suddenly as if awoken up from a deep thought she asks me. I say nothing and only give her another big smile. ¡°Ha, ha, ha¡­As always. But I think you will have to wait for a while. Since your dad occupied the kitchen not too long ago.¡± ¡°Oh! So he went fishing?¡± I immediately ask. Fishing is kind of my dad''s hobby, but he can do it only when the ice is gone. So every summer he spends quite a lot of time near the river. Normally the caught fish are smoked or dried for winter, but if a catch is big enough he prepares a delicious dinner out of it. ¡°Yeah¡­ Today he came back home with a smile from ear to ear while holding a full bag¡­ He¡¯s still the same little boy deep inside. Ha, ha, ha¡­¡± As mother remembers what happened today she laughts lightly. ¡°Hmm¡­ Well then. I guess I will go and check how is he doing.¡± I speak with a hope in my voice that it won¡¯t take long before the supper is served. As I am opening our house¡®s wooden door, I hear my sister¡®s voice from behind me. ¡°If bro is taking easy today, then so do I!¡± She states this almost as if it¡¯s a fact. ¡°Huh? You what?! You lazy¡­¡± I decide it¡¯s better for my health to not get involved in their chat, so I immediately close the door once I¡¯m inside. ¡®I wonder who she takes after¡­¡¯ A thought runs through my mind as I¡¯m walking to the kitchen. ¡°Hey, dad! How long till it¡¯s done?¡± I say loudly, as I get closer to the room. The moment I walk inside, I notice him standing near a table, covered in plates and knifes, while holding a fish coated in flour in his hands. ¡®What a mess¡­ It¡¯s like a tornado went through here¡­¡¯ I hold my tongue not daring to say anything. Man has to eat, only then he can joke. ¡°Huh? Asger? Back already?¡± Asks my father with a few white patches of flour covering his face. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Is the only word that comes out of my mouth, while my eyes are running all around the room, which could be called the kitchen once. ¡°Sorry but you will have to wait a bit.¡± He says with a warm smile to me. ¡°I see... I will be upstairs. Call me when it¡¯s done.¡± As I''m turning around I hear my fathers cheerfull: ¡°OK!¡° ''God... One day I come home earlier and I learn so many new things.'' While thinking about what I saw, I climb up the stairs. The rest of the evening went like any other. We ate together, laughed and talked about almost everything. My parents once more asked me about my progress, but I avoided answering it and only said to wait for tomorrow with a grin on my face. Anyway in the end, after all those ups and downs of the day, I find myself back in my bed. Looking through our little window at the starry sky, while feeling excited and nervous at the same time. **** ¡°Mmmm¡­¡± I let out this sound while stretching my body. The moment I open my eyes, I¡¯m immediately attacked by bright sun rays. Not being able to overcome the flood of light and colors I close them again. ¡®Ugh¡­ I wonder what time is it?¡¯ It takes me a few seconds before I try to open my eyes a second time. ¡°Huh? Looks like Ingvil is already up.¡± I say as I notice her bed is empty, while looking around the room. ¡°Well it appears I have overslept.¡± I begin to wonder loudly, as I notice the rays of sun pouring through the window. ¡°This is what you get for staying up almost until morning¡­ Dammit getting nervous like a little kid... God I really hate this part of myself¡­*Yawnnn* ¡± The self criticism is interrupted by a loud yawn. ¡°Haa. Whatever the case I should try to get up.¡± ¡°The test will be taking place a bit after the noon. So judging from what I see behind the window, I don''t have much time to spare.¡± I say while slowly crawling out of my bed. ¡°Hah...¡± *Slap* I make a sharp sound slapping my face with both of my hands. ¡°Ok, Asger! It''s your day!¡± I say loudly trying to give a motivation boost to myself. It''s hard to tell whether it helps or not, but I immediately get up and put on my summer clothes, which means my short woolen trousers, hardened leather boots and dark brown leather vest. After taking a few more glances around the room, I went out. It took me about one and a half hour until I finally stepped out through the door and into the yard. Of course not alone but followed by my whole family. ¡°Come on, witnesses of my greatness! Stop dragging your feet, because the star can¡¯t be late to his own show.¡° I say in a somewhat anxious voice. "Pfff... Witnesses of what? Stupidity and ignorance?" Says my dear sister and shows her tongue. ''That little...'' As I curse her in my head and shoot murderous glances from my eyes, our father just laughs and says: ¡°Ah that¡¯s what I call family bonds.¡± ¡°Enough playing around. We should start moving.¡± Finally says mother after closing the door. Our journey to the town was quite short since our farm is close. But even in this short span of time I still managed to piss off my sister. Apparently she really dislikes being ignored. Ha, ha, ha. Anyway as we get closer to the gate. I try to put my sister out of my mind and concentrate completely on what is ahead of me. The moment we step in through the gate we are swept away by the smells of roasting meat, by the sounds of music and by the masses of people walking all around. Well I¡¯m somewhat used to this by now, since smaller festivals happen quite often. But Ingvil¡­ ¡®Ha, ha, ha¡¯ I start laughing inside as I notice my little sisters ¡®wow¡¯ expression. ¡®I guess I had the same stupid look years ago¡­ Ah¡­ Youth¡­¡¯ I start to feel like an old man. Suddenly a shout awakes me from my train of thought. I look at the source and notice a carriage, pulled by two grey horses, coming in to town. It is stacked full of barrels. Since the road is crawling with people going one way or the other, it is hard to move forward especially with such a big cart. I stop paying attention toward an angry driver and turn to my parents. ¡°Ok people. I got no time to spare so I will be taking my leave now.¡± I say this giving a look to them. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t disappoint me, boy.¡± Says my father with a grin on his face. ¡°We will try to stay as close to the stage as we can.¡± Adds my mother. With a nod of a head I turn around and walk away. Each step I take the sound of music becomes louder and the smells more intoxicating. But I hardly pay attention to anything and keep on moving towards where the stage is. Once I reach the center of town. The number of people increases drastically. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I express my annoyance, since the stage is on the other side of the plaza. ¡®Well going straight is clearly shorter, but going around is faster.¡¯ So I decide to avoid the main mass and walk around, while keeping my fast pace. Even though the number of people is les, I still need a great deal of concentration to not run into anybody. It takes me more than a few minutes of fast walking before I get close to my destination. ¡°Asger!¡± Suddenly my concentration is broken as I hear someone shouting my name. I immediately look around trying to find a source. It doesn¡¯t take long before I notice Hege looking at me and waving. She is standing closer to the buildings and a bit away from the main body of the crowd with the three of our classmates. Even though in the beginning she had a rough start, but in the last years she got quite close with most of them. In reality a whole class is getting along pretty well, of course if we don¡¯t count me. But that is to be expected since I¡¯m much older (at least spiritually) and smarter than them. ¡®I guess I¡¯m the biggest loner in our class, since I hardly talk with others. Yep, please call me the Lone Ranger.¡¯ I think, while walking towards them. ¡°Asger, it¡¯s been some time. For the last few weeks you didn¡¯t even come to class.¡± She greets me by giving a simple hug. ¡°Yeah. I have been busy training.¡± I say while looking at the group consisted of one boy and three girls. ¡®But damn¡­ It¡¯s really hard to believe that they are just over eight years old.¡¯ Since there is a lack of mirrors I don''t have much of the opportunity to evaluate myself. So meeting people of the same age is quite an eye opener. ''I know I should be used to this by now, but never less it still amazes me how a 8 ¨C 9 years old kids can look like high schoolers or even close to the college students. What¡¯s more girls are already taller than boys and Hege is no exception. To look her directly in the eyes I already need to look up...'' ¡°Haaa¡­¡± I sighed knowing the bleak future. Even though we are still somewhat like a lightly trained group, from this point on we are on a macho road. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You got so silent and your face starts to look a bit pale.¡± Suddenly I¡¯m asked by Anna, one of my classmates. ¡°Ah, sorry¡­ Don¡¯t worry I just thought about my future. Ha, ha, ha.¡± The laughter at the end was more like a desperate try to hide my fears. ¡°More importantly. Have you heard about Elise?¡± For some reason in a serious voice asks Hege. ¡°No. What about her?¡± I inquire. She looks to others then back at me and says: ¡°Asger, she is a white witch¡­¡± After a few moment of silence and making a really worried face she continues: ¡°Elise told that herself in the last class.¡± ¡°Yeah, it was a huge shock to us all.¡± Adds Svarn, while shaking his head. ¡°What¡¯s more from that day on nobody knows what to say to her. Also she herself began to keep a distance from everybody.¡± Says Anna frowning a bit. ¡°So¡­?¡± I ask getting the feeling that they want to say something but are beating around the bush. ¡°Well we thought you could go and talk with her.¡± Says Hege with a smile on her face. ¡°Huh?¡± For some reason I¡¯m beginning to feel a huge pain in my butt. ¡°Well you know... You two have some kind of relationship, so... Go and talk with her.¡± Suddenly the smiling face of Hege changes to a determined one and she starts pushing me forward with both of her hands. ¡®Yeah... We tend to talk, but that''s it... Moreover Hege got quite strong. Well I don¡¯t really resist but it also doesn¡¯t look like she is giving it her all.¡¯ I praise her a bit in my head. ¡°Ok! Ok! I got it. I will go just stop this nonsense.¡± I say in a tired voice, finally giving in to her request. After hearing me Hege immediately smiles again and points toward the other side of the stage. ¡°She is over there. Good luck.¡± ¡®Ahhh... This is annoying.¡¯ I think starting to walk. ¡®The worst thing is I don''t know what to say¡­ Haa¡­ Being bad at keeping a conversation sometimes really sucks.¡¯ As I¡¯m walking past the stage, I begin to worry what to tell or do in such a situation. Finally as I turn over the corner behind the stage I notice her. Standing there all alone as she leans against one of the few trees growing in the plaza. Her hair is tied back in a ponytail with a few loose strands, which from my point of view almost cover her expressionless face and a distant look. Her slim figure is covered by a simple white dress made from a wool. It has short sleeves and ends just above the knees. But what catches my attention the most is a red tattoo climbing up on one of her legs like a ferocious snake. Spoiler : ¡®Huh? I never noticed that before. But now that I think back, I have never seen her with a skirt...¡¯ I nod a bit to myself. ¡®Anyway even if I can¡¯t tell what is sexy, I can still appreciate a true beauty of the Northen flower.¡¯ ¡°Haaa¡­¡± I sigh again. ''For some reason I just can''t stop doing that today.'' I add it in my mind. Immediately after that I say loudly enough for her to hear me: ¡°Elise!¡± She turns towards me and instantly her whole face brightens up as a smile begins to form. ¡®God. I think my heart just skipped a beat.¡¯ I think while being mesmerized by a goddess in front of me. ¡°Asger¡­¡± I hear Elise say in her angel like voice, which sounds nothing like your average woman of the North. Since their voice is harsher and much closer to a man¡¯s. Not saying anything more. She starts walking towards me with her hips swaying from side to side and her ample breast dancing to the rhythm of the movement. ¡®¡­ In past, if such a woman, who stepped out from a cover of the magazines, walked towards me like that, without a bra¡­ Let¡¯s just say I would have had a really hard time dealing with a situation and a big embarrassment to hide. But here and now I almost don¡¯t notice anything else other than that charming smile of hers¡­¡¯ I wonder in my head. ¡°So I heard you told everybody your little secret.¡± I say as she gets closer. ¡°What can I say?¡± She speaks still walking and once she takes her place by my side, Elise immediately hooks our arms and says looking straight at me with those deep blue eyes of hers: ¡°I couldn¡®t put it of any longer.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Is all I¡¯m able to mumble, while being stunned by her action. As I¡¯m still thinking what to say, her face suddenly become darker, a complete opposite of which she had a few moments ago. ¡®What happened now?¡¯ As I¡¯m starting to panic, I notice that the force with which she holds my arm is increasing. And at this point it looks more like she is hugging it with all of her strength. ¡®Yeah¡­ Still nothing!¡¯ I state in my mind while noticing that my arm isn¡¯t just touching but rather it is being completely buried in one of her soft mountains. ¡°Asger¡­¡± Suddenly I hear her somewhat trembling voice, trying to tell me something. ¡°I want you to stand in lines by groups.¡± Out of nowhere I¡¯m awoken by a grumpy voice of a teacher. As I turn around I see that others are already gathering around. Between them I also notice Hege, looking at us with a big smile, while showing me a thumbs up. ¡®OMG! Don¡¯t tell me I was in that promised land, in that couples world?¡¯ I¡¯m surprised since this was the first time something like that happened to me. Of course if we don¡¯t count times between my old self and PC. ¡°Anyway what did you want to say?¡± I focus back on the girl by my side. ¡°Maybe later.¡± But she says to me with a smile once more on her face. ¡®¡­ She really looks like my little sister, who tries to smile after crying for some time.¡¯ A thought runs through my mind, but I hold my tongue and simply nod. While around us people are already starting to form four lines. And from what I see other groups are somewhat bigger than ours, having even around 20 members. ¡°Asger, in last class teacher told us that our group will be the last one to go on the stage. Also people confident in their abilities should stay more at the end of the line. In other words I will be the dead last. But you should go and ask levels of others to find your place.¡± Says Elise in a somewhat tired voice as we walk to our classmates. Once the first line is formed teacher walks to them and starts writing each person''s name in order. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I think for a few seconds and move to a place right behind Elise. ¡°Asger, what are you doing?¡± She whispers with a worry showing on her face and it¡¯s not just her. Quite a number of others turns back, toward me, with a questioning looks. But I simply laugh and say: ¡°Ha, ha, ha¡­ I will be the last one.¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­ I think you don¡¯t understand. My stats are quite high plus I¡¯m a witch, so if you go after me, you might get overshadowed.¡± She desperately tries to explain this, but once more I simply laugh and say: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I made my choice.¡± I think she wanted to say something more, but it was finally our classes turn. Teacher walks to the first person, which is a Svarn from earlier. More over from what I see around pretty much all boys are standing in the front of each line. ¡®Well I guess girls are already overpowering us¡­¡¯ I think shaking my head on how unnatural this is. ¡°Mister¡­ Asger?¡± Suddenly I¡¯m awoken by the teacher, who is standing already near the second boy. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± I say with energy in my voice looking at him. ¡°Are you comfortable there, in the back?¡± Old man says still focusing on the paper while writing the name. ¡°Yes. I like it very much. More over nobody breathes on my back, which I really hate.¡± I say as I shrug my shoulders. ''Well it''s a habit from my old self to always keep people in my field of vision.'' I add in my mind. As I say this, quite a number of boys and girls start laughing, but teacher doesn¡¯t say anything and only continues on taking the names. Once it is my turn he looks at me, shakes his head and mumbles: ¡°Kids these days.¡± Then walks away. ¡°You really are an idiot¡­¡± Says Elise silently. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. On the contrary I¡¯m really smart.¡± I shot back at her. ¡°Ha, ha, ha. Maybe, but at best you are still a smart idiot.¡± She laughs looking at me. While thinking what to say, I hear a loud, strong voice: ¡°It¡¯s been already one year and once more it is time for our little kids to show what have they been doing up until now. Wherever they have been slacking or working hard it is time to reveal it all. So I call forth the first one: Askell Javardson.¡± With these words the first boy runs up the stairs and onto the stage. Once he put his hand on the magical tablet a huge blue screen appears over the stage.
Status Window
Level81RaceNorthmen
Strength819Defense692
Vitality146Intelligence49
Stamina302Vigor281
Agility91Presence47
Resistance
Water0%Earth0%
Ice10%Fire0%
Lightning0%Darkness0%
Nature0%Wind0%
Poison0%Alcohol0%
*Titles*
¡®At least he made past level 80. But his stats aren¡¯t anything impressive.¡¯ I think as I look at the screen. Like that people went one after another showing their stats and titles. A small number of people had other resistances like few present in fire and one had a 1 percent in earth. ¡®I wonder how he got that?¡¯ But other than that they had nothing more interesting to show. From the first group strongest was with a 98 level. From the second group with a 99. At the moment the third group is almost done as there only two girls left waiting for their turn. Suddenly a chief¡¯s voice rings: ¡°Hilda Bergdottir¡± and one of the two walks on the stage. Per chiefs instructions she puts her hand on the tablet and immediately the blue screen flashes over them.
Status Window
Level94RaceNorthmen
Strength963Defense788
Vitality174Intelligence58
Stamina347Vigor326
Agility107Presence53
Resistance
Water0%Earth0%
Ice12%Fire0%
Lightning0%Darkness0%
Nature0%Wind0%
Poison0%Alcohol0%
*Titles*
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡®Well her stats are on the high side, but still nothing too impressive¡­¡¯ ¡°Show us your titles.¡± Says the chief the screen changes into the smaller one.
*Titles*
The Defender
¡°Oh¡­ The first title!¡± He says in a happy voice. As the words of chief ring in the plaza, I can hear that sounds of shouting and laughter, coming from the crowd, are calming down to the minimum. ¡®Well finally this is getting interesting¡¯ I think to myself.
The Defender
You bravely stand your ground and protect those, who are behind you. +35 Defense.
Finally chief with a nod of approval says: ¡°You can go now.¡± And as she walks of the stage, she is followed by the voices of people cheering for her. ¡°Let¡¯s continue. The last member from her class Danica Ormardottir.¡± As the chief on the stage says loudly the other girl starts walking. When she gets on the stage I can hear some from the crowd shouting ¡®That¡¯s our Danica!¡¯ ¡®Looks like someone is popular.¡¯ I think hearing that. She puts her hand on the tablet and the blue screen shows.
Status Window
Level103RaceNorthmen
Strength1066Defense864
Vitality189Intelligence64
Stamina381Vigor339
Agility121Presence58
Resistance
Water0%Earth0%
Ice12%Fire4%
Lightning0%Darkness0%
Nature0%Wind1%
Poison0%Alcohol1%
*Titles*
¡°Oh¡­ Level 103.¡± I murmur loudly. After hearing me Elise adds: ¡°Yeah¡­ She must have worked hard.¡± ¡°Seeing kids like you I already feel assured that the future of North is in good hands.¡± Says the elder in a very happy tone. As the girl shows that she has no titles and turn around to walk back. The crowd explodes into a huge wave of applause, shouts and whistles. ¡®Looks like some people are getting into the party mood with all the alcohol.¡¯ I deduce, while listening to the crowd. ¡°Finally we are left with the last class which consists of 13 kids. Now let''s see what they have to show to us.¡± Roars the chief¡¯s voice. And so it is time for my classmates to start climbing the stairs. First is Svarn. His level is 83. Boy after him is also 83. Well all the rest show these levels: 85; 86; 89; 88; 91; 89; 93; 97; 98. Pretty similar to what the other three classes showed. ¡®But Hege really surprised me there. She was such a shy and meek person¡­ Now she is one of the top with the level 97¡­ I guess you really can¡¯t judge a book by its cover.¡¯ As I was thinking about Hege¡¯s level, chief announced Elise''s name. She turns towards me and while giving a wink says: ¡°It¡¯s my turn. Till later.¡± As Elise walks to the stage, her carefree expression changes, and from her few glances back I can see a look of determination. The moment she walks on the stage chief says: ¡°Well... Elise, come and put your hand on the tablet.¡± Then suddenly he adds: ¡°Wait... You are not the last one?¡± Elise only shakes her head lightly and walks without a stop until she reaches the elder. Suddenly she gives a fast glance back at me and then puts her hand on the tablet. Once more a blue screen lights up in the air.
Status Window
Level103RaceNorthmen
Strength467Defense421
Vitality141Intelligence1338
Stamina198Vigor299
Agility191Presence43
Resistance
Water0%Earth1%
Ice25%Fire4%
Lightning1%Darkness1%
Nature0%Wind1%
Poison0%Alcohol0%
*Titles*
¡°This generations is truly a surprise. A second person with such an outstanding level and what''s more a white witch.¡± He says this quite silently, but I''m able to hear that because the crowd is reacting differently from how they were as a person with the same level was on stage. Unlike before, when a cheer filled the town¡¯s center, as Danica walked on the stage, now people murmured silently and pointed at Elise. ¡°Show us your titles.¡± Says town chief with a loud voice, which fills the hushed plaza.
*Titles*
White Witch
White Witch
Reduces all racial special traits. Intelligence increases by x3. High affiliation with ice magic.
As the screen changes and a single title appears ''White witch'', the murmuring intensifies greatly. ''I kind of get them. They see witches with respect, but at the same time they pity those women...'' I shake my head in annoyance. ''But can''t they see how hurtful this can be for a person in question.'' ¡°Thank you girl. Now you can go.¡± Says the elder in a really warm voice. When Elise turns around and starts walking back, I notice her solemn expression. Not being able to bear it anymore I start clapping with all my might. As if something unexpected happened, everyone attention focuses directly on me. ''Shit... I don''t care anymore. Even if I look like an idiot...'' This situation is quite hard for me, since I don''t like to be noticed, but never less with my ears burning from embarrassment I keep on clapping. Just a few moments later I hear someone joining me and I don''t even need to look to know that it''s Hege. It doesn''t take much time before others start to join in and by the time Elise reaches stairs leading from the stage, almost half of the gathered people in the plaza are applauding for her. Of course no huge cheer or anything of the sort, just a simple applause. ¡®Phew¡­ May nobody dare say that I don¡¯t help my friends.¡¯ I think still clapping with a few beads of sweat on my forehead. ¡°Now I call the last person, Asger Haraldson.¡± Suddenly the chief¡¯s voice roars in the air. ''Finally...'' Is the only thing I think, while starting to run towards the stage. The moment I get close to the returning Elise, she out of nowhere grabs my arm with one hand, pulls me closer and while holding my head gently with the other, kisses me on the cheek. ¡®¡­¡¯ I got nothing. I¡¯m just standing frozen in her arms with those warm lips pressed at my cheek. It¡¯s hard to tell how long we have been like this, since my mind simply shut down. But I doubt the moment lasted longer than a few seconds, before I stopped feeling the burning heat on my cheek. As my mind is starting to reboot, I find myself still being held by her with our heads pressed together. ¡°Asger, you silly boy¡­ Once I really start to want something, I can become quite aggressive. Ha, ha¡­¡± She slowly whispers in my ear but this time for some reason her voice sounds more devilish than before. Finally Elise releases me and not saying anything more walks away. ¡°Um¡­¡± Is the only sound that leaves my mouth as I follow hear with my eyes. ¡°Right!... Stage!¡± It takes a few seconds before I remember where I am and what¡¯s going on. With my thoughts back on track I rush to the chief. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Asks chief noticing that I¡¯m a bit lost. ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ But I got a feeling that one day I will find out.¡± While saying this I shot a few sideway glances back towards where Elise is. ¡°Well then there is no need to drag this any longer.¡± He says pointing to the tablet. ¡°You are right.¡± I say confidently, while putting my hand on the tablet. ¡®< Status >¡¯ Immediately like all ways a blue screen appears over our heads.
Status Window
Level136RaceNorthmen
Strength1259Defense878
Vitality226Intelligence445
Stamina509Vigor485
Agility374Presence68
Resistance
Water1%Earth0%
Ice15%Fire0%
Lightning9%Darkness0%
Nature0%Wind1%
Poison0%Alcohol1%
*Titles*
Just a few seconds ago I was surrounded by the noise of a festival, the shouts of anger here and there accompanied by loud laughter were heard, while people partied with mugs of beer in their hands. Now those mugs are frozen in mid air and dead silence is ruling the place, as the entire crowd is looking at the table above me with their mouths open. ¡®Ha, ha.. Feast your eyes for an amazing me is in front of you.¡¯ At the moment I¡¯m having a huge ego boost. ¡°T-titles¡­ Show us your titles¡­¡± Says the chief in a silent voice. Clearly still surprised by what he sees at the screen. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± I say loudly. ¡®< Titles >¡¯
*Titles*
Blessed; The last one standing; Son of Thunder; Magical knight; Shadow killer; The Grand Archmage of Northmen; Lucky person
¡®Ahh¡­ The feeling of superiority¡­ I like it.¡¯ I think looking at all people still stopped in their track while reading what¡¯s written over my head. Well there are a few little children running around hardly paying attention to what¡¯s happening but I¡¯m not bothered by them. ¡®Those idiots wouldn¡¯t be amazed even if god himself descended right here.¡¯ ¡°Shadow¡­¡± Mumbles the elder. Then he looks at me and says: ¡°Oh! So it¡¯s you.¡± ¡°So the elder still remembers me.¡± I say with the smile, while trying to hold myself from saying something stupid like: ¡®You bet it¡¯s the great me.¡¯ At least out loud. ¡°How can I forget you, when every time you stand in front of me you say or show pretty much impossible things.¡± As he was saying this his eyes drifted back to the screen. ¡°Such number¡­ Some I know, some I don¡¯t. Well then don¡¯t waste time any longer and show them all.¡± Somehow the chief regained his composure. Even though the crowd is still pretty much gaping at the screen. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ I think for a moment in what order to show them and then I start. ¡®First let¡¯s start with¡­¡¯ ¡®< Blessed >¡¯
Blessed
Increases every stat by +10%
¡°Hmm¡­¡± Is the only thing I hear from elder. After all he already knows this one. ¡®Then let¡¯s go with¡­¡¯ ¡®< Shadow killer >¡¯
Shadow killer
Armies will march, battles will be fought and innocents will die. For darkness is coming. So pick your weapons and fight for all that¡¯s good. +15 to all stats; +0.25% Darkness resistance
Only more of a ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ I hear from him, but a crowd started to get rowdy as I started to hear whispers and murmurs. ¡®Moving on¡­¡¯ ¡®< Lucky person >¡¯
Lucky person
There are always people, born under the lucky star, and who are called a Lucky Bastards by others. So congratulations on becoming one. Increases every stat by + 5
¡°I have heard about it. But never met anyone having this title.¡± Says chief with a shake of his head. ¡®Next one¡­¡¯ ¡®< The last one standing >¡¯
The last one standing
Even if your enemies are coming at you in hordes, in the end through sheer willpower you stand tall. +10 vitality; +30 stamina; +5 presence.
¡°Well this one is quite common among adults, but how did you manage to get it?¡± He asks looking at me, but I just shrug my shoulder and say: ¡°I got lucky.¡± ¡®Now let¡¯s show this one¡­¡¯ I focus back. ¡®< Son of Thunder >¡¯
Son of Thunder
Be proud since lightning is running through your veins. +35 intelligence; +20 agility. Advanced affiliation with lightning magic.
¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Asks chief not understanding. ¡®And to the next one¡­¡¯ I move on not letting him to ask too many questions before the right time. ¡®< Magical knight >¡¯
Magical knight
You are one of the few, who can wield a sword and fire bolts of magic. Even thought you are great at both, you are master at none. But combining them makes you a force to be reckoned with. +50 strength; +50 intelligence.
¡°Again! Boy, are you able to use magic?¡± He now inquires looking at me. ¡®And the big finale¡­¡¯ I ignore him a bit and continue. ¡®< The Grand Archmage of Northmen >¡¯
The Grand Archmage of Northmen
Stand with dignity for you are the strongest magician of your race. Vitality +10; Defense +20; Intelligence +60; Presence +5 Attention: if position is lost the title is nullified.
¡°The grand archmage of northmen¡­ Explain what do these few last titles mean?¡± Asks elder while looking at me with a serious expression. And it¡¯s not just him. Apparently the crowd also is looking at me with puzzled expressions. ¡°What more do you want me to explain? Everything was already written in there.¡± I say with a grin on my face while moving my arm from the tablet. ¡°What was written makes no sense, because we unlike humans can¡¯t use magic.¡± Tries to explain the chief. ¡°Can¡¯t use? It¡¯s more like we don¡¯t use. Ha, ha, ha¡­¡± And as I start laughing electrical discharges appear around both my arms. ¡°W-what?¡± Only the elder says noticing my arms. ¡°This is not the end.¡± I say as an energy starts to focus in front of my palms. Immediately two balls of lightning, as big as a tennis ball, forms in each hand. When this happens I move my hands closer to each other, merging them. Suddenly a small electrical discharges starts to shoot out from between my fingers creating a nice crackling sound. ¡®It¡¯s time!¡¯ I think and move my palms away. As I do this a huge lightning bolt fires to the sky with a loud bang that resound through all town. ¡®I hope you liked it. After all I have prepared this especially for today.¡¯ I think with a satisfied expression while looking at the people whose jaws dropped down for a second time today. I came up with it some time ago. This skill may look badass, but it has almost 0 of destructive power. In other words it¡¯s just a nice light show, perfect to impress this crowd. ¡®Ah! Yes this is it. That moment.¡¯ I think and start to raise slowly my both hands with signs of victory, while the crowd in front of me is still astonished by the act before. Suddenly as I¡¯m still raising my arms, a single sound pierces through the silence that dominates the plaza. ¡°Boooooooo!¡± I stop moving for a second, still hoping that I imagined it. But as the sound doesn¡¯t stop I dart my eyes at the crowd looking for the source. It doesn¡¯t take long before I notice a young girl shouting from the bottom of her lungs. ¡®Ah¡­ Of course¡­ My dear little sister¡­ I¡¯LL KILL YA!¡¯ I think with a smile on my face while looking at her. Mother is the first to react by giving her a smack upside the head to make her stop. Anyway this whole situation as if awakens people from a trance and plaza is suddenly filled with a sound of laughter. ¡°Ahem!¡± Chief clears his throat quite loudly. ¡°I don¡¯ know what to say. In my life I saw many talented children, but never to this extent.¡± Saying this he shakes his head as if still hardly believing in what he saw, while the laughter in the plaza subsided and the crowd is starting to listen to the chief¡¯s words. ¡°Well there were a few that even managed to reach levels over 120 and get the recognition of everyone around them as the geniuses of their generations. But you¡­ Stand here in front of me with a level that is in a complete different league and with lightning that shot out of your hands, as if it was nothing.¡± Says the elder looking at me while caressing his beard with his left hand. ¡®Well I could have had an even higher level if I didn¡¯t spent so much time playing with magic, but I think I will keep it to myself...¡¯ I think while listening to the elder. "I cannot say what future has in store for you, but I truly believe you, Asger Haraldson, will become legend of North and a hero of this town." Chief says this with pride in his words, especially the last part. And immediately the crowd explodes with a shout of congratulation. Some are even saluting me with their mugs before drinking. ¡®Um¡­ I think this is the best moment to leave.¡¯ I think this noticing the atmosphere in the plaza. And as I walk off the stage I give a few waves to the people cheering for me. == End of chapter 26 == ......................................................................................../\.................................................................................... ...................................................................................../......\................................................................................. ................................................................................. /..../\....\.............................................................................. ................................==============================================............................ .............................//...........................................,-------------,.............................................\\........................ ..........................//......................................--<{ Hall of Fame }>--........................................\\..................... .......................//.................................................''-------------''..................................................\\................... .................===========================================================.......... .......................................................................---< 1. Khress >---....................................................................... .............................................---< 2. LiefzDel >---.............---< 3. Exomoria >---....................................... .................................................................---< 4. Flameraptor >---................................................................. ............................................---< All those who want to stay aonymous >---......................................... ................===========================================================........... ...............................................................Thank you for your support!............................................................ ................===========================================================........... Chapter 27. Attention. Haaa... What can I say?.. Just it''s summer people! Anyway back to small chapters. Chapter 27. Attention. ''Ahhh... Years of work and I couldn''t even enjoy those delicious fruits of all that labor because of some stupid brat...'' A bit angry I start thinking about the punishment I will give to my little sister, as I leave the stage giving a few waves to the crowd. But my train of thought is disrupted by what I notice ahead of me. "Huh?" Suddenly I exclaim surprised, as I''m approaching my classmates gathered at the end of the stairs. ''Haa... This is going to be tough.'' I think, pretty much guessing what''s going to happen. The moment I get closer to them my fears come to life as I''m immediately flooded by shouts of congratulations. "Um... Thanks." I say in a pretty meek voice, because for some reason standing here in front of them is more pressuring for me than back there on the stage. What¡¯s worse is that they are trying to shout over each other, so my eyes are darting back and forth uncontrollably between them. ''Dammit people! Can''t you speak one at the time?'' I almost scream in my head while trying to nod, showing my gratitude, to everyone around. Don¡¯t get me wrong. I got nothing against being praised and hailed by others but there are limits to everything. Luckily for me the wave of congratulations starts to dwindle down. And as I finally begin to breathe more easily hoping, that this is over, an attack of questions hits me in full force. ¡°Wow! How did you reach such level?¡± I hear some boy asking. ¡°What does the title of ¡®shadow killer¡¯ mean and what did you do to get it?¡± Inquires a girl¡¯s voice. And many similar questions keep on coming one after another. ¡®Huh? Where is Elise?¡¯ A thought runs through my mind as I remember that I still didn¡¯t see her. Since I¡¯m mostly surrounded by girls, which are already taller than me, my view of what¡¯s further ahead is blocked. So I climb up two steps back on the stairs, where I have been ambushed, to look over their heads. Finally I notice her standing all alone again about 50 meters from where I am. ¡®Something''s not right.¡¯ I think as I see her looking at me with a really serious expression. I lift my right hand and wave to her, but she just takes a deep breath, shakes her head, which appears to be directed more to herself than to me, and after turning around walks away. ¡®Something''s really not right!¡¯ I add now becoming really worried. So I immediately rush down the stairs and into the wall of people. Some noticing my action ask: ¡°What happened?¡±, but I don¡¯t say anything and simply keep on moving forward. Even thought they try to make a path for me, it still takes a minute or two before I¡¯m through and by that time she is already gone. I look around trying to figure out where Elise might have went and while my mind is focused on this task, I hear a rough voice from behind. ¡°Asger Haralson.¡± So I turn my neck to look back and I see a man standing there. His face is carved in wrinkles and all of his hair has already turned grey, but strangely the body itself remained untouched by time as if it was still in its prime - rippling with muscles. Behind him stood two women which like the man in front of them have already reached the autumn of their life. Judging by a few wrinkles chiseling at their faces. The first one is a tall warrior, more than a head taller than me, who have seen countless battles, all recorded in the scars painting her body. The other one is a complete opposite with her slender and shorter body, which is still quite nicely curved, if I had to add. But the most intricate detail about her is hair, which is still white as snow. ¡®The time is really merciful here in North¡­¡¯ I think as I see these three grandpa¡¯s standing in front of me, knowing that each of them is easily more than a few hundred years old. ¡°Chief?¡± From my voice it is easy to tell that I¡¯m a bit surprised. ¡°I want to talk with you. Do you have a moment?¡± He says in his imposing tone. I give one last glance to where I last saw Elise and after thinking for a few seconds I finally say: ¡°Fine¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite loud out here. If we want to have a decent conversation, we should move somewhere quieter.¡± Suddenly I point out Jodis, if I remember her name correctly. ¡°Good idea! Let¡¯s go to our house and chat over a cup of tea.¡± Says Gerd sounding a bit excited to me. Since I got nothing in particular to do, nor I have to be somewhere, I agreed to their offer. About 20 minutes later we were already sitting around the dinning table at the chief house with four steaming hot cups of tea in front of us. ¡°Asger¡­¡± After saying my name chief got silent once more, as if not really knowing what to say or ask. I used this moment to take a sip of tea. ¡®Ugh¡­ Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t like it. How can they enjoy this muck¡­¡¯ I think having a bitter taste in my mouth, which I try to hide as much as I can. ¡°Haa... I will be blunt with you. How the heck did you learn magic?¡± Finally after pondering for a few moments the chief continues. ¡°So you want to hear my story¡­¡± I say wondering where to start. ¡°Yes! Yes! Tell us everything.¡± Says Gerd showing her excitement. ¡°Well¡­ It all started back then¡­¡± I begin my story from the day I went to hunt rats. As I¡¯m recounting what I have been doing up until now, I notice two very different reactions. While Gerd is almost all the time nodding her head and even giving words of praise, town chief and Jodis on the other hand are staying silent with an expressions of disbelief. ¡°¡­ and currently I¡¯m training my control over the skill.¡± Finally my tale comes to an end. ¡°Ha, ha, ha¡­ You are truly something, Asger. Being able to achieve all this on your own¡­¡± Gerd keeps on praising me. ¡°*Cough* Yes¡­ That is something hardly believable¡­¡± Says chief still in a serious voice. ¡°Haaa¡­ To tell you the truth, magic always amazed me and today for a moment I thought that I will have a chance to learn one or two tricks before I go to meet those who left before me. ¡± He adds now in a somewhat softer voice. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Huh? What are you saying? The boy sitting in front of us is a living proof that it is possible.¡± Says Gerd looking at chief. ¡°Ha, ha, ha¡­ Gerd, this is not for us.¡± Suddenly interjects Jodis while shaking her head a bit. ¡°We are warriors born to fight. Hard battles is what excite us and makes our blood boil, while death is just an old friend, who will we all meet one day.¡± She adds with a somewhat distant look. ¡°But¡­¡± Gerd tries to say something. ¡°Listen, dear. If I had to waste years by sitting and learning magic, I would go completely mad. So the things this boy told are impossible at least for me and I¡¯m guessing for quite a number of Northmen.¡± Explains chief. ¡°Mhm¡­ I guess you are right. But still there might be few who will be interested. So tomorrow morning I will travel to that cave and inspect everything.¡± After thinking for a bit says Gerd. ¡°Umm¡­ Sorry to interrupt but I told everything, so if you don¡¯t need anything more from me, I will take my leave.¡± I suddenly speak noticing that my presence is not needed here anymore. ¡°No, that will be all.¡± Says chief. ¡°But you hardly touched your tea.¡± Says Gerd noticing a full cup in front of me. ¡®Damn it! She just had to remember that muck.¡¯ I mutter in my mind, while saying with a smile: ¡°Oh! Right!¡± So I stand up, grab that damn cup and gulp down everything in one go. ¡°Goodbye!¡± I say with a slight nod of my head. Without waiting for anything more I turn around and walk towards the door. ¡°What an interesting kid.¡± I hear Jodis¡¯ voice behind me while I¡¯m stepping out of the house. But I hardly pay attention to it, since I¡¯m only thinking about one thing: ¡®Water! Water! Water!¡¯ While storming out of the house with my face twisted by anguish, as tears are forming in the corners of my eyes. **** ¡®Maybe I did something that offended her?¡¯ I''m wondering about Elise¡¯s actions yesterday. ¡®Ahhh! If only I had a chance to talk with her¡­¡¯ In the corners of my mind I''m blaming myself for not being able to find her. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± I make a deep sigh. I have been racking my brain about what happened for the past hour, from the moment I woke up. Trying to put Elise out of my mind I turn over in my bed and look through the window at the sky, where I see how the first faint beams of morning light push away the darkness of the night. ¡°Well¡­ I believe it¡¯s time to repay my dept.¡± I whisper silently to myself. I slowly get up from my bed and take a look towards my sweet little sister. Noticing that she is still sound asleep I, as silently as I can, walk to the corner with a chest. Trying not to make any loud noises with slow movement I open the chest and pull out a bucket full of water, which I stored in there before going to bed. Still in slow movement I pick it up, close the chest and walk to her bed. ¡®Don¡¯t take it personally I¡¯m just repaying my debt.¡¯ I think, while standing in front of her with a big grin on my face. Not waiting for anything else I grab the bucket with both of my hands and throw all that water on her. The moment her eyes dart open I shout: ¡°BOOOHOOO!!! To you too, my dear Ingvil!¡± And immediately I rush towards the door, with the bucket still in my hands. ¡°You¡­ You¡­¡± Ingvil tries to say something, while sitting in her bed, dripping wet. ¡®I guess she was caught by surprise. He, he..¡¯ I think with a blissful smile painting my face. Finally as I¡¯m already climbing down the stairs I hear her shout: ¡°ASSSSHOLEEE!!!!¡± ''Ahh... Truly a moment to savor...'' == End of chapter 27 == ......................................................................................../\.................................................................................... ...................................................................................../......\................................................................................. ................................................................................. /..../\....\.............................................................................. ................................==============================================............................ .............................//...........................................,-------------,.............................................\\........................ ..........................//......................................--<{ Hall of Fame }>--........................................\\..................... .......................//.................................................''-------------''..................................................\\................... .................===========================================================.......... .......................................................................---< 1. Khress >---....................................................................... .............................................---< 2. LiefzDel >---.............---< 3. Exomoria >---....................................... ........................................---< 4. Flameraptor >---..........---< 5. bludvein >---........................................ ............................................---< All those who want to stay anonymous >---...................................... ................===========================================================........... ...............................................................Thank you for your support!............................................................ ................===========================================================........... bludvein - thx for answering many questions that I was lazy to Chapter 28. Goodbye. Finally finished this chapter... It got delayed because like i told in a comment before 07. 20 (on monday) was my birthday so that weekend I pretty much wrote nothing... Then next sunday my pc broke luckily problem was only with a power supply unit... Hope you will like it. Chapter 28. Goodbye. The moment I climb down the stairs, I take a glance back, where I can still hear Ingvil''s angry shouts. A small smile surfaces on my face. ''Anyway after staying awake for so long I''m really hungry.'' Focusing now my full attentionon the kitchen. "Hmmm hmhm hmmm..." Maybe because I''m in such a good mood, I start to humm some old tune from my past life as I''m walking through the room. Suddenly the front door to our house swings open, revealing a giant shadow standing there. "Mother! You scared me there for a second..." I say in a relieved voice after noticing that it''s truly her and not some big grizzly. "Ah! Asger, the person I''m looking for." She says directing her look towards me. "Huh? Why?" I ask a bit worried. "Just now a girl from your class came and is asking for you." She says pointing behind her with her thumb. "Is it Elise?" My voice carries a small spark of hope in it. "I don''t really know their names but it''s the one with a title of White Witch." She answers with a small frown on her face. "Thanks!" Is the only thing I manage to say rushing past her. The moment I get outside, I immediately notice her standing near our bench looking around. She is wearing the same white dress and her hair is tied back in the same pony tail like yesterday. "Elise?" I say in a quiet voice, as if almost afraid to be heard. Even though I had so many questions forming in my mind just a few minutes ago, but now, as I look at her somehow nothing really matters. "Wow! That was fast..." Elise says in a bit surprised voice. "Anyway come here and sit. We need to talk." She adds pointing to the bench with her hand. ''Uhm. Nothing good ever comes after those words.'' I think to myself. "O-ok." I say in a somewhat meek voice with my eyes cast down. Remembering her actions from yesterday I''m a bit reluctant, but in the end I still take the seat. ''Ok! Asger, the best course of action for you now is to play along and agree with everything she says. Even though it''s still unclear what you did wrong yesterday just nod your head.'' I think while trying to look apologetic. But what comes next is something I haven''t even dreamed about. Elise with a relaxed expression get''s closer to me and gently slides her left arm around my neck as she sits on my lap, like this is her usual place. "Wow! Wow! Wow!" I only shout as confusion and embarrassment takes over me. But Elise pays no attention to me and with her arm makes a few fixes to the dress while she crosses her legs taking a more comfortable position on my lap. ''God¡­ It¡¯s hard to admit but it looks like I¡¯m a pathetic loser!'' A thought almost putting me to tears flashes through my mind. Because I''m still sitting with my arms spread in the air, while I''m trying to decide where to put them. And my eyes are darting all around, since I''m afraid to make eye contact with her, knowing that it would be an overkill to me at the moment. Also it''s too embarrassed to look down at her smooth white thighs revealed by a too short dress or at those swollen, braless breasts and erect nipples in a near see through white dress. Don''t get me wrong! I like women. I mean I really like them, but only from a comfortable distance. Like once there was a girl from other class who I had a crush on, so I kind of stalked¡­ I mean watched over her for about a month. But I never talked with her. Not even once. "OH? Is our little boy afraid of a little skin ship?" She practically whispers this to me, since her face is so close to mine that I can easily hear each breath of hers. "M-Maybe."As always in a situation like this my mind is completely useless. She chuckles a bit noticing my nervousness. After some thought I add, while still avoiding the eye contact."And isn¡¯t it a time you stopped calling me a boy." "So what would you like me to call you? Huh? A man?" She asks me in a somewhat mocking tone. "..." I remain silent trying to figure out what to say and not sound stupid. Noticing that I''m stuck she continues with a small grin on her face: "Ha, ha, ha... Well if you were a man and not a boy, your left hand would be resting on my tights and your right one would be wrapped around my waist." "I - I can do that." I state trying to convince mostly myself as I slowly start to move my arms. "Hoh! But that''s only a first step. Next you should lift me up and take me to the barn, where you will prove to me that you are truly a man." She says in that sweet, innocent voice of hers. As her words hit me, my eyes widen from a shock. ''Wait a moment! Did she just suggest what I think?'' I start to wonder. "Pfff... Ha, ha, ha..." Elise suddenly starts laughing. "That face... That face was amazing. Don''t worry I have been having many private classes with Gerd so I know very well about this ''Vigor''." She says still chuckling a bit. "That''s not nice..." I say shaking my head a bit as I feel that I¡¯m being led by the nose here. "Oh, right! About faces what was that reaction yesterday?" I suddenly remember a problem that was keeping me awake for quite a while last night. "Yesterday..." Saying this Elise frowns a bit, at least that''s what I notice from a few small and fast glances. "Well you see I had a lot of things to think about." She adds. "Things?" I inquire. ''I was worried all night and she just had ''things'' to think about...'' I¡¯m a tad bit angry. "You see at the beginning I was planning to say my farewell to you and leave. But after you pulled that stunt I understood that I don''t want to let you go and most likely never meet again." She says looking at me with a warm expression on her face while keeping only a few inches of the distance between us. I notice it from a few more glances I make her way. Apparently I''m getting used to this situation slowly, since the glances that I shoot her way are gradually getting longer. Suddenly she frowns a bit and says: "But as I was starting to think about how to hold on to you, you surprised me again with those stats of yours." "Yeah, I worked hard..." I say with pride not understanding that she isn¡¯t complimenting me. "Haaa... You are a bad boy, Asger Haraldson." She says with a sight. "What? Why?" I say with a questioning face. "I''m leaving to Deirdalgil today. And because of those stats of yours I lost quite a huge load of confidence.¡± She says in a serious expression. "You are leaving? So soon... Wait a moment¡­And what does my stats have got to do with you losing your confidence?" I ask her quite lost. "Umm? Hello! Didn''t you heard what chief said yesterday about you becoming a legend?" Once more I can hear bits of anger in her voice. "And what about it?" I ask her. ''I feel like Elise is trying to explain something to me but I still don''t get hang of it." I think as I try to understand her. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "Well there is going to be quite a number of girls who will start to pay attention. After all, who wouldn''t want to be married to a legend? Evena strange one like you." She says with a hint of worry in her voice. At least that¡¯s what it sounded to me. "I¡¯m sorry... What? Who''s going to marry who?" I ask completely dumbfounded with my spider sense shouting ''DANGER'' in my head, as I look directly in her eyes. Is it because of my sudden courage to look her straight in the eyes or the stupidity of my question, but for a second or two we simply stare at each other, while she continues to sit right there in my lap with my arms wrapped around her. ¡°Huh?¡± Is all she says after the silence with a questioning look on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®Huh?¡¯ me and explain yourself. What is this nonsense about those¡­ Girls¡­ Paying attention to me?¡± I ask with a sour expression. ¡°Ok I will try to make it simpler for you. Think about this for a moment: we live in a land where a strong and muscular people are the standard of beauty plus there is a 1 to 2,5 ratio of male to women in our town. So what do you think will happen to you from now on?¡± She speaks in a serious voice and looking directly in my eyes. To tell you the truth I understood her the first time, but I still had some hope. So now after hearing these tragic news I sit silently still looking at Elise. But my body is stiff and eyes are lifeless like a dolls, because at the moment somewhere deep in my mind I¡¯m shouting and crying at the same time: ¡®AHHHHH! Damn those terminators¡­ Everything was going so well¡­ Fuck.. Damn them! NOOO¡­ Why? Why? WHYYYYY?¡¯ Suddenly Elise''s expression softens up and she puts her soft and warm right hand on mine, which is resting on her tights. Then she moves her head closer and starts to speak so silently, that it felt like she is whispering into my ear: "Asger this is also the main subject I wanted to talk to you about. I want you to promise me with your pride as a warrior on the line that one of your finger will be mine." Elise says something so strange that I even wake up from my despair. "What? Do you want me to cut one of my fingers and give it to you?" I ask with a dumbfounded expressions. "Seriously? You said that you are smart yesterday, but somehow you are asking one dumb question after another..." She says shaking a head. And immediately she add: "Listen up. Rings on the fingers of the left hand indicate slaves, while rings on right hand indicate partners in marriage. So then I say that I want you to promise me your finger what do you think I mean?" "It can''t be... You want to be my wife?" I ask quite shocked. "Yes. I already thought and decided that you will be the father of my children. Since this is also your fault you will have to take responsibility and promise me that when we meet again one of your fingers will be free for me no matter what." Elise says with a serious expression. ''OMG... Don''t tell me... It''s a fucking proposal??'' I shout from surprise in my head. "Y-you got to be kidding..." I say with a doubt. "Do I look like I''m joking? This time I''m dead serious." Elise says to me. ''... To be with a girl like Elise...'' As I think this I take a few glances at hers nicely shaped body sitting on my lap. "Asger? Why do you stay silent?" She asks in a somewhat worried voice. "Ah! Yeah, yeah! I promise this to you." I pretty much shout this. Suddenly Elise''s eyes lit up and a warm smile spread across her face like the sun lighting up the sky. Seeing this I got mesmerized by the beauty in front of me and didn''t notice how her right arm moved. So when her warm hand gently touches my cheek I''m a bit surprised and I try to turn my head away. But she catches me by the chin and holds it firmly. As I want to ask what she is doing, Elise''s face closes in on me and she presses her lips against mine while holding me tightly with her arm around my neck. Few moments later she releases me and stands up. She looks at me and says: "It''s time for me to leave. Studies at school should take about 5 to 6 years. After which I will come back. And if you decide to leave before my return then at least tell your parents where you are going so I can find you... Remember that you promised Asger! Well then... Goodbye!" Some moments later, I still sit frozen from shock as my eyes follow Elise walking away in big strides. And while I have been spacing out I failed to notice the crimson red ears of the girl, who just declared that she will be my wife, as she walks away so fast that some might say that she was running. With Elise''s silhouette gone from my sight I''m left pondering whether this was reality or just a wonderful one time dream. And as I touch my lips with a slightly trembling hand I finally break into laughter: "Ha, ha, ha, ha..." Even if it wasn''t that long, and wasn''t the kind of kiss I saw in the movies, but I can say with a complete certainty that when our lips touched, I just knew I will remember this moment for the rest of my life. == End of chapter 28 == ......................................................................................../\.................................................................................... ...................................................................................../......\................................................................................. ................................................................................. /..../\....\.............................................................................. ................................==============================================............................ .............................//...........................................,-------------,.............................................\\........................ ..........................//......................................--<{ Hall of Fame }>--........................................\\..................... .......................//.................................................''-------------''..................................................\\................... .................===========================================================.......... .......................................................................---< 1. Khress >---....................................................................... .............................................---< 2. LiefzDel >---.............---< 3. Exomoria >---....................................... ........................................---< 4. Flameraptor >---..........---< 5. bludvein >---........................................ ............................................---< All those who want to stay anonymous >---...................................... ................===========================================================........... ...............................................................Thank you for your support!............................................................ ................===========================================================........... Chapter 29. Correcting my mistakes. It¡¯s been a long time since I last time posted. Lately I been busy plus I think I lost a great deal of my motivation. At the beginning I was really into this story but now¡­ Not so much. This doesn''t mean I will drop it completely but it became harder to write since I get distracted more easily. I wrote this chapter because people didn''t really like the goodbye so... Also I have already wrote about half of the next chapter. I will try to write some more today and hopefully get it done soon. But no promises here since my brother is at home and we both like playing csgo... Chapter 29. Correcting my mistakes. ¡°Ha, ha, ha¡­ To be pleasantly surprised like this. Ha, ha, ha¡­¡± I¡¯m overwhelmed by my emotions rampaging deep inside me. As I''m laughing a thought runs through my mind. ¡®¡­? Wait. Did I even say ¡®Goodbye'' or ''Till we meet again'', or anything of that kind?¡¯ I start pondering. A worry begins to seep into my heart, making it look like the happy mood from before was just a distant dream. "Haa.." A sigh escapes from my mouth as I''m rubbing my forehead. After a few moments of thinking I come to a simple conclusion: ¡®Shit! I think I didn¡¯t¡­¡¯ I slowly lower my head down as I let my fingers slide through the hair. "Ahhhhh...!" Finally a shout leaves from my mouth. It''s hard to say if it''s because of the frustration, or because of all the anger I''m feeling towards myself. ''What''s wrong with me? Why do I suck at dealing with opposite sex so much?'' I begin to ask myself the same questions I asked in my past life. ''Haa.. And here I thought I was making a great progress...'' I start to criticize myself while still sitting with my head down. "Noo..." I say silently. Suddenly I lift my head and look forward with a determination showing on my face. "What am I doing? This isn''t a done deal. There is still time!" I say this and immediately stand up. My lips curve into a small grin and with a jump I start running as if my life depends on it. Seconds later I''m already speeding up on the road towards Landamot. It takes me close to five minutes of running before I finally notice her beautiful figure in the distance. Since there is more than a few people on the road, I hold myself back from shouting her name and keep on closing the distance between us. Finally when there is left about 100 meters I slow down and say loudly: "Elise!" *Haah...* , *Haah...* I make a few louder breaths before it becomes steady again. While my eyes are glued on her as she slowly turns around. "Asger?" She asks with confusion. As she looks at me questioningly I keep my mouth shut and start walking towards her. It''s not because I try to look cool, but because I want to put a few final details to the speech, which I prepared while running. ''Ok! Elise... Everything happened so fast before, that I even forgot to say my farewells. That''s why I had to chase after you to say this: These upcoming years will be long and lonely but I will wait for the day, when I will meet you, my northern star, again... Yeah... That should do it.'' I think as I''m taking one step after another. Finally the distance between us becomes just a couple of meters. Feeling that I''m close enough I gather all of my courage and start speaking: "Elise..." "Did something happen?" She asks hastily, while a worry is showing on her face. "No, no, no..." I hurriedly try to calm her down, while wanting to get back to where I was interrupted at the same time. "So why are you here now?¡± For some reason she sounds a bit angry. ¡®Why is she mad? God dammit I really don¡¯t understand how a woman¡¯s mind works¡­¡¯ Since I said nothing she asks again: ¡°So..?¡± For some reason I begin to feel under a huge pressure. ¡°Um¡­ That is¡­ I mean¡­ AHH¡­ WHY IS IT SO HARD?¡± Again I shout from frustration because it looks like I forgot my speech. But not wanting to miss this chance I keep on talking: ¡°Well I mean¡­ Goodbye¡­ A - And¡­ I really hope we will meet again since I think¡­ I - I might like you¡­ Quite a lot¡­ Also if I leave Landamot I will go only to one place, it¡¯s a Last Line town Gilja. My grandfather lives there and I have some business with him.¡± ¡®That should be everything.¡¯ I think trying to remember if there is something else I wanted to say. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Suddenly I notice that my hands are shaking quite a lot, so I move them behind my back in an attempt to hide it. As I was talking I avoided looking at her face since it would have been too overwhelming for me, but now I finally lift my eyes up to look at her expression. ¡®Huh?¡¯ What I see is Elise just standing there frozen like a statue with her mouth slightly open. It takes a few seconds before she regains her composure and her full lips slowly curve into a small smile. She takes a sudden step forward, then another one, and before long Elise is already in front of me. Without a word or any hesitation she leans in and her warm, soft lips press against mine. Somehow the warmth that I feel from her body drowns all the reasons and doubts inside me, so I pull my hands, which mystically stopped shaking, and put them on her waist. This last act just proves that my main computer is completely down and the body is currently under control by it¡¯s stupid cousin: ¡®Guts¡¯. For a seconds or two we stand like that. Then Elise slowly moves her lips away from mine and whispers to me: ¡°Sorry, Asger. But I really need to go because my mother wants us to reach Holt before nightfall.¡± She gently pushes us apart and with a smile says: "You know I worked quite hard to create a nice memory to remember and for a moment it looked like you would ruin all that work, but what happened here I think will make a much better one..." Suddenly she closes the distance between us again and hugs me tightly. "So I will say this one more time: Asger Haraldson stay well until we meet again." She sounds a bit saddened. So what else is there to do other than to hug her back and say:"Yeah... You too, Elise." Finally with the words of goodbye said we silently separate. I head back home while she moves forward. **** After walking for about a minute, before starting to climb down the hill, Elise turns around to look at Asger''s back in the distance and with a small shake of her head says: "Ha, ha... That idiot finally admitted liking me... Ah..! I mean my dear, foolish husband your fate is sealed now. Ha, ha, ha..." == End of chapter 29 == ......................................................................................../\.................................................................................... ...................................................................................../......\................................................................................. ................................................................................. /..../\....\.............................................................................. ................................==============================================............................ .............................//...........................................,-------------,.............................................\\........................ ..........................//......................................--<{ Hall of Fame }>--........................................\\..................... .......................//.................................................''-------------''..................................................\\................... .................===========================================================.......... .......................................................................---< 1. Khress >---....................................................................... .............................................---< 2. LiefzDel >---.............---< 3. Exomoria >---....................................... ........................................---< 4. Flameraptor >---..........---< 5. bludvein >---........................................ ............................................---< All those who want to stay anonymous >---...................................... ................===========================================================........... ...............................................................Thank you for your support!............................................................ ................===========================================================........... Chapter 30. As time goes by. Part 1. Chapter 30. As time goes by. Part 1. *Yawn* It took me about five minutes to catch up with Elise, but more than halfan hour passes before I finally step back into our yard. "Yeah... It''s going to be a long wait." I whisper silently starting to miss her already. *Yawn* "Damn. I think I will go and take a nap." I say feeling quite sleepy, most likely because I hardly had any last night. As I¡¯m walking towards the house, my father strides out of the barn and says whilst noticing me: ¡°Oh! You are finally back.¡± ¡®For some reason he looks impatient.¡¯ I think to myself. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Is the only thing I let out. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s so early in the morning and you already look so tired.¡± He says with a small shake of the head, as if not liking what he sees. ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep well last night, so I¡¯m planning to take it easy today and rest.¡± I explain to him. ¡°Rest? Asger, you are not a kid anymore, so it¡¯s about time to grow up.¡± He says with a grin. ¡®Shit¡­ I have a bad feeling about this.¡¯ I think to myself sensing that something is up. Suddenly the grin from his face disappears and now in a serious voice he continues: ¡°Your training starts today! So in the upcoming years I will be teaching you many different things. For example how to track, kill, skin and preserve the meat of your prey.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hearing this I just stand frozen with expression painting my face which says: ¡®I¡¯m sorry what?¡¯. Since I¡¯m not saying anything, my father decides to ignore me completely and just keeps on talking: ¡°Anyway first thing first, you need to get some real weapons.¡± He makes a few small nods to himself before continuing: ¡°Go eat your breakfast but don¡¯t take too long because we need to go meet my good pall Ulv in town.¡± ¡®Ulv¡­ Ulv¡­ If I¡¯m not wrong, he should be the town¡¯s blacksmith¡­¡¯ I think for a few moments try to remember who he is. ¡°Haaa¡­ Fine¡­¡±I say in a low voice as I start walking towards the house. **** I tenderly touch my cheek. ¡°Uhggg¡­¡± A moan escapes through my gritted teeth as a sharp pain pierces through me. It¡¯s already been around a month since the day of the summer festival and since my father started training me. Well at least he calls it training, while I think the name: ¡®Hit the punching bag¡¯ is more fitting. ¡°I was so naive.¡± I cannot help but state the obvious noticing the double edged axe leaning against the chair on which I¡¯m sitting. ¡°It¡¯s quite the bad ass weapon¡­ The only double edged axe Ulv had to sell.¡± I mumble to myself looking at it hardly with any emotions in my eyes. Suddenly some flashbacks surface in my mind: how I chose my new weapon with excitement and joy; how I imagined being a great warrior on our way home; how I heard my father explaining the first lesson; how I immediately tossed the axe away; and how I ran with all of my strength. ¡°And I would have succeeded in my escape, if not for my mother who suddenly appeared and caught me.¡± I whisper under my nose with a slight hint of anger while still remembering that day. ¡°That time she literally dragged me back while holding my head with one of her thick arms tightly wrapped around my neck as I thrashed and screamed like a little girl.¡± Well this behavior is normal when you see your father having a huge grin on his face while saying: ¡°Well brat, lesson number one: enduring the pain. Ha, ha, ha¡­¡± Of course once he stopped laughing,he tried to explain why. Apparently the reason being something about a fighter, who instead of giving in to the pain manages to overcome it, and counterattacks. Or something similar like that since I didn¡¯t listen well because at that moment I was already tossing the dead weight away and preparing to initiate my escape plan. Anyway from that day on I was forced into sparring with my father. Well he gives me some pointers on how to avoid or attack and that is great. But the worst part is he doesn¡¯t hold back at all. The moment I show an opening I regret it dearly. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡®And the fact that I¡¯m knocked out cold at least once every day is just proof on how much he loves me.¡¯ I¡¯m trying to stay positive. This thought almost makes me laugh, but through sheer willpower I hold it in. Since I got more than a few heavy hits to my sides yesterday, now even breathing is not an easy feat. In these hard days I learned how important vigor and vitality is. Since thanks to them smaller bruises heal almost overnight and even the bigger ones only stay for a few days. So even if by the evening I¡¯m beaten to a pulp, in the morning I¡¯m already in a good enough shape to get some more¡­ Either way like this we train for six days and on the seventh I¡¯m given a free day to rest. So here I am, back in the cave, sitting in this uncomfortable wooden chair, all beaten up from yesterdays training, while studying the spell I found last week. ¡°Asger!¡± Suddenly I shout my name with anger in my voice. ¡°For crying out loud can¡¯t you stay focused? *slap* ¡± I say loudly as I slap myself for motivation. Immediately a wave of pain rolls over my cheek and charges at my brain. ¡°Ahhh! Damn it, I forgot how much it hurts¡­¡± I curse myself for being careless. ¡°Anyway I don¡¯t have time to waste on thinking about my stupid dad.¡± I say this looking at the lights illuminating this place. After all my supply of rat cores is not limitless and I have already burned through most of my reserves. So I lower my eyes back onto the table where there lies a big, old book and concentrate my attention once more on the text I was reading before. This book has no page numbering, but if I had to guess from the thickness I would say that there is about 1000 of them and the page I¡¯m currently reading is somewhere in the middle. As I was skipping through the pages full of stupid and useless skills I found one which caught my attention. It¡¯s name is ¡®Boost¡¯. Basically it allows the user to increase his or her bodily functions for a short amount of time. And since it¡¯s pretty much useless for magicians who avoid physical labor. This skill is considered to be a 3rd tier spell. All skills are grouped in tiers by their usefulness and the 3rd tier is considered to be the lowest. In other words most magicians would describe those skills like: ¡°Nah¡­ I got no time to learn that shit.¡± ¡°First cover your body in the element, then collect a small amount of your inner energy in the muscles¡­ Hmm¡­¡± Without noticing I read the line out loud. ¡°Wait¡­ What¡¯s this: ¡®For skill to work the energy outside and inside the body must be synchronized.¡¯ Seriously WTF does that mean?¡± I say with a hint of despair in my voice. It takes maybe a moment before everything just piles up inside me and my frustration level hits the maximum. ¡°AHHHHHH!!!! Fuck this shit!¡± I shout loudly and toss the book away. I take a few deeper breaths and lean back in my chair. ¡°After waiting for a whole week and having a dream of becoming so fast that nobody could catch me¡­¡± I say in a calmer voice. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± I make a sight and direct by attention back on the book, which now is lying on the ground about 1,5 meters from me. Without saying anything more I stand up and slowly walk towards it. ¡°Why is it never easy? I¡¯m tired as hell and every part of my body is screaming even from the slightest movement. What¡¯s more this cave is pretty far so to get here requires a lot of strength and willpower¡­¡± I complain to myself as I¡¯m picking up the book. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± I give one more sight and walk back to the table. ¡°Seriously I got a fucking title stating that I¡¯m a lucky bastard, but why is it that I don¡¯t feel like one at all?¡± I complain one last time as I¡¯m searching for the page with that boost skill again... == End of chapter 30 == Chapter 31. As time goes by. Part 2. A short chapter... Sorry that you have to sufer me... Chapter 31. As time goes by. Part 2. Gurd¡¯s point of view. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± I give a small sigh looking at the first rays of sun starting to show over the horizon. ¡°Asger really likes to take his time in the morning¡­¡± I grumble waiting for him. ¡°But seriously it¡¯s hard to believe that it¡¯s been already more than 4 months since the day I started teaching that brat.¡± I mumble whilst turning my attention towards the ground which is already buried under a thick blanket of snow. Suddenly I hear a small squeak from the opening door behind me. I immediately look back and see my brat slowly creeping out of the house with a very dejected expression. ¡®Ha, ha, ha¡­ I think I looked the same when my old man was teaching me¡­¡¯ I chuckle a bit remembering those bitter old days. ¡®But back then it took me only about two months until I figured out what was going on. So it¡¯s quite strange that my brat with all that intelligence still doesn¡¯t get it¡­¡¯ I think looking at him. ¡°So, Asger, are you prepared for another exciting day?¡± I ask him loudly. ¡°Ughhh¡­¡± He just lets out a sound which is similar to an animal growl, as he keeps on walking towards me. ¡®I remember about a month ago he asked me if we could stop this training, because according to him he gains fewer stats comparing to the days he trained alone¡­ That foolish brat¡­¡¯ I¡¯m feeling somewhat of a disappointment, since I thought he would show a little bit more motivation. ¡®Back in the days then he first revealed to us that he can do magic. My wife Jensina and mediscussed a lot and we came to one conclusion: He either will be someone great, or he will be just another village idiot. And today I can admit that he definitely has a lot of potential to become something amazing even though he is just too blind to see it himself.¡¯ ¡°Haaa¡­ Fine let¡¯s do IT!¡± Finally Asger shows a little bit of spirit as he gets into the defensive stance in front of me. A small grin creeps on my face as I take a step forward closer to him and immediately lungemy right fist at his face. Asger instantly reacts and bents back a little while diverting my attack with his left hand. As my first attack misses his face by a hair''s breadth, I start turning as I launch my left fist straight at his stomach. Once more Asger manages to avoid it by twisting his body a bit. ¡®Then how about this?¡¯ I think amused as I keep on turning around with the momentum and attack his head again, just this time with my right elbow. Noticing this my brat ducks a bit and with his hand pushes my attack upwards to miss his head. While at the same time he lunges his body towards me preparing to strike my stomach with his left elbow. ¡®Ohhhh¡­ But I¡¯m not finished.¡¯ As he evades my first attack I don¡¯t stop and instead I keep on using the momentum of the spin as I launch my left fist towards him. On the contrary to what I expected he doesn¡¯t try to evade but instead he increases his speed as he tries to land a hit on me. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. In the end my fist finally connects with Asgers side making him stumble a bit. But at the same time I notice a small tingling sensation from my abdomen. ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Shouts Asger through the gritted teeth and starts rubbing his side. ¡°Ha, ha, ha¡­ You abandoned your defense¡­¡± I say while laughing. ¡°Well it looked that I would be hit anyway so why not?¡± He says with a face still slightly twisted by pain. ¡®You really make me proud, brat¡­ Over the course of our training I always maintained the power and speed that was a bit above yours. So if you made a step forward I also made one. Even thought you didn¡¯t notice, your reflexes and fighting skills got so much better that in a period of four months you managed to reach such a stage which would take other double that time.¡­¡¯ I think looking at him. ¡®But sadly I can¡¯t let you know that because the biggest enemy of every warrior is his ego.¡¯ I add in my mind. ¡°Asger, I think we should move on with your training.¡± I say in a bit serious voice. ¡°Right¡­¡± He stands up and makes a defensive stance again. ¡°No, no. I mean we should advance your training.¡± I say with a small grin on my face. Strangely Asger''s face becomes quite paler, but I divert my attention away trying to not see it and continue: ¡°What I want to say is I believe it¡¯s time for LESSON NUMBER TWO!!¡± *Whooosh* Suddenly I hear a sound as if a gust of wind started blowing even thought I feel none. ¡®Huh?¡¯ This picks my interest, so I try to look in the direction of the sound. Before I have time to see anything I hear another strange sound but this time much further in the distance. *Thump* ¡°Huh? Asger?¡± I ask confused because brat is gone. I look around but he¡¯s nowhere to be seen. ¡°ASGER!¡± This time I shout loudly hoping to hear some answer. ¡°Did he pull some kind of magic trick on me?¡± I ask myself loudly while looking to the strange track about 1 meter wide on the ground. And it looks like some kind of force just pushed snow to the sides as it uncovered the brown earth. ¡°I have never seen anything like that before.¡± I say looking at the strange sight. Since it begins from where Asger stood, I immediately start running in the direction it leads. It doesn¡¯t take long before I notice a figure hardly 200 meter from where we were, lying down on the ground, in the snow, just outside of our yard. I rush towards him hoping that nothing wrong happened. As I get closer I notice that he is unconscious but what catches my attention mostly is a bid red bump on his forehead. I lift my eyes up towards the big old tree growing in front of us, then back at the bump on the brats head and say to myself: ¡°Yeap¡­ Great hero¡­ My ASS!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± I sight a bit, grab him by his left wrist and start walking back to our yard while dragging him behind me. Then suddenly I shout: ¡°Jensina, he''s unconscious again!¡± == End of chapter 31 == Chapter 32. As time goes by. Part 3. At the beginning I was intending for ''As time goes by'' to be a time skip consisting of a few short stories, but somehow each short story became a chapter... Anyway tomorrow I think I will post another very short chapter. What I mean by very short: if this one has 2000 words, it will have just 800. Chapter 32. As time goes by. Part 3. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± I make a sigh. ¡®¡¯
Status Window
Level144RaceNorthmen
Strength1297Defense969
Vitality245Intelligence473
Stamina546Vigor519
Agility420Presence70
Resistance
Water1%Earth0%
Ice15%Fire0%
Lightning11%Darkness0%
Nature0%Wind1%
Poison0%Alcohol1%
*Titles*
¡°Seriously¡­ Just 8 levels in an almost six months? That is lameeee, Asger. To the point that someone might mistake you for having a LIFE in this game world.¡± I say shaking my head in a disappointment. Lately this became an especially big issue for me, so every time I look at my stats, I get quite pissed off. I pick a small canteen from inside my coat and drink a few gulps of water. Of course there is a lot of snow all around me but I prefer it in a liquid state so I always keep the canteen warm close to my chest. ¡°I blame dad and that stupid training of his for this situation¡­ At least what he is teaching me now is somewhat more interesting and I get a bit more free time than before.¡± I speak my mind out loudly even though I¡¯m completely alone. This is my way of venting my frustrations. ¡°Haa.. That stupid dad¡­¡± I make one more silent mumble before going back to practicing my skills. I take a few quick glances around to make sure that nobody is watching me, since I always feel like they are judging me. Especially when I¡¯m in the middle of making something or trying new things. But once I¡¯m done and satisfied with the outcome it¡¯s quite the different story. Yeah¡­ I have brought quite a lot of unresolved issues from my past life¡­ Noticing that there is no one on the road as far as I can see I start to concentrate. I¡¯m currently using a dirt road near my house which leads towards the town. Suddenly an electrical crackling sound fills the air as my body gets covered by a small static charges appearing all over it. Immediately a feeling of power and energy floods my body and makes me feel like I have just consumed way too much energy drinks. But sadly this ¡®Boost¡¯ skill only gives me a great speed and pretty much nothing else¡­ So after some thinking I have decided to rename it into the ¡®So Long (silent: Sucker) !¡¯. ¡®This time for sure¡­¡¯ I think as I look straight ahead, towards were I put ten rocks, as big as a fist, in the middle of the road with spaces of about four meters in between them. I grit my teeth and start running. Immediately most of my view blurs out and I can only somewhat make out what is straight ahead of me. And if that wasn¡¯t enough I start to feel the enormous wind pressure from which my eyes automatically want to close. Trying to keep my teary eyes open I notice a black dot. So to the best of my ability I turn to the left and once the second one comes into my view I make a sharp turn to the right. And this way I zig zag between rocks until I pass the last one. Finally I stop and look back. ¡°Yes!¡± A happy shout escapes from my mouth as I notice that I managed to avoid all of them. Feeling a bit tired I decide to take another break and lay down on the white snow. ¡®This skill would be much more awesome if it didn¡¯t have so many downsides¡­¡¯ I think looking towards the white clouds in the sky. ¡°Haaa¡­ I remember seeing TV shows and reading manga where people would be able to increase their speed and use it to overcome all the obstacles. Haaa¡­ So why is it that my skill sucks so hard, so very hard? It¡¯s pretty much impossible to control, energy consumptions is so huge that if I run about 500 meters without rest I would literally pass out from tiredness and if that wasn¡¯t enough, there is NO SLOW MOTION!!!¡± For some reason I feel very tired physically and mentally. ¡°Ah! If reality would now appear in front of me as a person, I would SLAP her with all my might and say thank you for your great support.¡± I mumble to myself while looking at the passing clouds. ¡°OH! What do we have here?¡± Suddenly I hear a mans voice. I lift my head a bit and see a young man coming closer to me. His dark brown hair, on top of his head, are woven into one long braid, reaching below his shoulder while the sides of the head are cleanly shaven. What I can¡¯t say about his beard that didn¡¯t see razor for at least a few weeks. ¡°Osfrid?¡± I ask with confusion showing on my face. Last time I saw him was before I started my training with dad. And as long as I can remember he always had a long hair but it was simply tied into a ponytail. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you forget the good old me?¡± He asks with a big grin on his face. ¡°You just look so different.¡± I say as I sit up and thrust my left arm up. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Osfrid comes closer, grabs me by the hand and with ease pulls me up. Finally when I¡¯m back on my two feet he says: ¡°Good to see you, Asger.¡± ¡°Ha, ha¡­ Likewise.¡± After I say this he releases my arm. ¡°But seriously Osfrid what¡¯s happened to your hair?¡± I say quite surprised. ¡°Well¡­This is the power of love my friend. Ha, ha, ha¡­¡± He says while laughing. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You see about five months ago I wanted to propose to Andrea. So I bought from a merchant a good razor for 14 gold coins to clean myself for the occasion. Anyway I always wanted to have a style like this but it¡¯s very hard to get a good, sharp blade for shaving here, in North¡­¡± Happily explains Osfrid. ¡®I heard this from father¡­ That long lasting, good quality razors are only made by dwarfs and because of that their price is quite high. So not many northmen buys them. Anyway¡­ WAIT!! WAIT!! WHAT??¡¯ ¡°You¡­ Proposed¡­ To¡­ Andrea?¡± I ask shocked and add in my mind: ¡®That captain which looks like gorilla?¡¯ ¡°Ha, ha, ha¡­ Not just proposed.¡± He says while showing his right hand to me and adds: ¡°I married her.¡± Amazed I look at his hand and on the thumb I can clearly see a golden ring which isn¡¯t real but more like painted on his skin. Suddenly word: ¡°Wow!¡± leaves my mouth. ¡°You see, if you try hard, even a beauty like her one day can become yours. Just never give up.¡± He sounds like a teacher explaining the way of life to his student. This is one of those situation when I don¡¯t know how to respond: whether to laugh or cry. ¡°But¡­ Isn¡¯t she much older than you?¡± I ask him. ¡°Asger, we live only once so no need to be picky. Who cares about 50 years here or there? Relationship is simple if you want her then do her.¡± Calmly says Osfrid. ¡®Ah!!!¡¯ I scream in my head as for some reason I imagined how Osfrid and Andrea make love¡­ ¡°Ughhh¡­¡± I say with a small shake trying to forget the image of two robust bodies, covered in sweat, while being tangled with each other. In reality just now I came really close to vomiting, but noticing my pale face and shocked expression Osfrid misunderstands me and says: ¡°Don¡¯t be jealous for me. I¡¯m sure soon enough you will find a great woman yourself.¡± ¡®If god is merciful I won¡¯t ever meet such a woman.¡¯ I think, and after a moment I add: ¡®Maybe I should start praying just in case.¡¯ ¡°Anyway what are you doing here?¡± He asks while looking towards the rocks placed by me on the road. ¡°I¡¯m training my skills.¡± I say happily that the topic for our conversation got changed. ¡°Really can you show me?¡± Osfrid asks a bit exited. ¡°Mmm¡­ Sure!¡± I answer him and start looking around to pick a target. I chose a tree about half a meter think and about 50 meters from where I am. ¡°This skill is a combination of two other skills. The first one is an ¡®Attack aura¡¯, which dad has been teaching me lately.¡± I say looking at Osfrid. Just like father taught me I concentrate and tense all of my muscles. As I put more and more pressure on my body I imagine fire spreading from deep inside me. And just like that imaginary fire I begin to feel how my heartbeats steadily increase and suddenly a power starts rushing into my veins. As this power spread through my whole body, a small red particles start to penetrate my skin which creates an illusion of red mist covering my body. Once I learned this skill I understood how simple it is. It¡¯s just an adrenaline rush controlled by a small amount of inner energy. So yeah nothing fancy. By the way attack and defense auras simply exist because if one strengthens both of his parameters at the same time, he will simply burn his energy very fast. This way aura will last just a few seconds. ¡°The second skill is a boost used by magicians.¡± Saying this I immediately let my inner energy surge within me. Small electrical discharges start appearing over me. But what¡¯s interesting is that they for some reason suck up my red mist of ¡®Attack aura¡¯ and becomes the bright red in color. Seeing me covered in bright red electrical discharges Osfrid whistles and says: ¡°I have to admit this looks badass.¡± Hearing him my lips curve into a smile and I say pointing with my finger: ¡°Look at that tree.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± He replies in an excited voice. ¡°I decided to name this attack simply as ¡®Hello¡¯.¡± I say while forming my right arm into a fist. And I rush towards my target. In a blink of an eyes I¡¯m already in front of the tree swinging directly at it with my full force. *Bang* The moment my fist connects with a tree a noise rings as wood splinters scatter to all sides. For a second or two I just stand there unmoving, until I finally direct my attention onto the place of impact. What I notice is like a small crater surrounding my arm while it as if a drill went deeper and reached even a core of tree which is about half a meter thick. Happy with the performance I start to relax and as a tensions starts to leave my body, a huge wave of pain floods my mind. Immediately I pull my arm out and start rubbing my completely numb hand by now. While frowning a bit I think to myself: ¡®If only I had a bit bigger defense then I wouldn¡¯t be¡­¡¯ *Whoosh!* I hear a gust of wind as it passes over the of the trees. *Crack* *Crack* Suddenly my thoughts are interrupted by the sound of breaking wood. Instantly I turn my head towards the source and see that a tree is already not standing straight as it was at first. Maybe because it happened so fast I just stare at it blankly and the thought that I could be in its path doesn¡¯t even cross my mind. Instead for some reason I just loudly shout in my head: ¡®Timber!!¡¯. Only as it finally hits the ground with a loud sound, I wake up from this trance and notice how close it has fallen. As I stand there drenched in a cold sweat, I hear Osfrids voice: ¡°That¡¯s definitely a great way to say ¡®Hello¡¯¡­¡± == End of chapter 32 == Chapter 33. As time goes by. Part 4. Like I said a short chapter... Also I have an unusual request. Can you people post in the comment the chapters of other novel that has a sexual content. I want to get an understanding of how much other people depict it her, since in a few chapter MC will finally prepare to leave town and this story after all has a mature tag... (so just leave links to those chapters because I''m too lazy to read whole stories to find it) Chapter 33. As time goes by. Part 4. Few weeks later noticing that I already completely understood how to use auras, my father, while mumbling under his nose: ¡°He¡¯s learning too fast¡­¡±, decides to move forward with my training. That¡¯s why today we are standing in a forest not very far from our house. ¡°If you are hunting a small animal, the best way to kill it is by a ranged attack. And since neither your mom nor me are good with bows we don¡¯t have them. So instead we use daggers or our axes.¡± Explains my father. He pulls out three daggers from inside his fur vest and says: ¡°Look and learn.¡± He moves one leg back a bit, twists his body and with a fast hand movements throws the first one. *Thump* Instantly it is stuck in the tree, about 15 meter from us, up to it¡¯s hilt. Then he throws the other two, one after another. *Thump* *Thump* Both hit the same tree as the first one and both stuck to the hilt. As I look with big, round eyes full of amazement, my father says to me while walking to recover his daggers: ¡°Once you throw like that, I will start teaching you how to hunt.¡± After he pulls out all three daggers, he walks back and gives me one saying: ¡°Now you try.¡± I try to copy his stance as best as I can and after concentrating for a second, I throw it with all my strength. With a huge force dagger flies directly towards the same tree that my dad hit. My lip start to curve into a smile, as a hope of success appears deep inside me, but on the last second it spins in the air and hits the tree with a handle. Since I used a lot of power, the dagger, instead of dropping down after bouncing of the tree, flies up into the air, while spinning. *Squeak* Suddenly I hear a small scream. I look up towards where it came from and see a little squirrel pierced by the dagger and pinned to the tree trunk at the height of about 10 meters from the ground. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.For a second I look at the squirrel then I direct my attention towards dad and say in a calm voice: ¡°I¡¯m a frigging genius.¡± For a moment he looks towards my kill and then says in a commanding voice: ¡°Well then, Mr. Genius, go and fetch my dagger.¡± **** A beautiful red rays of setting sun paints the sky as a lonely figure walks on the dirt road, leading through plains. That tall, over two meters in height, figure belongs to a boy named Asger Haraldson. ¡°Ah! Finally that long winter is coming to an end.¡± I say loudly while looking at melting snow, while walking home. ¡°In a few months it will be a whole year since I started training under my father.¡± I say absentmindedly looking around. For the last three months I have been learning how to throw daggers or at least that¡¯s what I have been saying to my dad. Since he allows for me to practice alone, I decided to play the stupid card and act like I still suck at it. So in reality from those three month I only have spent maybe one month seriously studying the art of throwing, while all the rest of time I played with magic. ¡°Asger?... Asger Haraldson?...¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I only say focusing my attention towards the person in front of me. It¡¯s a young, not over 20 years old, woman, which is taller by almost a whole head than me. She has a light brown hair, hairy eyebrows, square face, neck thicker than my thight and a body which wouldn¡¯t lose to a Hulk. In other words a beautiful maiden of the North. ¡°Y-yes! T-that¡¯s my name.¡± I answer her a bit shakily. ¡°Ha, ha, ha¡­ I guess I wasn¡¯t wrong. So what are you doing here?¡± She says looking around. ¡°Well I finished my training and now I¡¯m walking home.¡± I say while pointing towards direction past her. ¡°Ha, ha, ha¡­ I see. Working hard¡­ That¡¯s great, but sometime one must also relax. So come, let¡¯s go to the bar. It¡¯s my treat.¡± She says giving me a wink. Suddenly I look to the left and say: ¡°Wha¡­¡± As she directs her attention toward where I¡¯m look, I mumble words: ¡°So long¡­¡± and instantly start running along the road at an incredible speed. Tears start to form in the corners of my eyes for many reasons: because of wind pressure, because a creature from my darkest nightmares just tried to pick me up and mostly because I remembered that I showed her the direction of my house¡­ == End of chapter 33 == Chapter 34. As time goes by. Part 5. Finally in the next two or three chapters mc will leave his hometown... I really stretched the begining stage far too long. Chapter 34. As time goes by. Part 5. *Gulp* *Gulp* I drink a few gulps of beer from my mug, while sitting on an empty barrel in a corner of a town plaza. Songs, music, laughter and delicious aroma of grilled meat fills the air intoxicating everyone around with a festive mood. *Gulp* I take another sip of beer, as my eyes scan the platform on the other side of the square, where musicians are playing some songs. And yes lately I got used to drinking beer. At first it was somewhat bitter, but after my father made me drink it on every little occasion, I kind of got used to it. Anyway the drinks menu here, in North, is pretty small. It¡¯s either beer or water and on a few rare occasions you can taste some tea or wine. There is no cola, no cappuccino and you can¡¯t even get a frigging juice. So yeah¡­ For that one delicious bottle of cola I would literally kill a man without a second thought. ¡®Haa¡­ I would have rather stayed at home and trained.¡¯ I think looking leisurely around me. ¡°So do you think there will be any exceptional kids this year?¡± I hear Anna''s voice, as she asks me a question. ¡°It depends on what you think is exceptional. If it¡¯s someone like me or a white witch, then my answer is: no.¡± I say shaking my head and after a moment I add: ¡°But if it¡¯s someone who reached level 100 or a bit above, then I think there will be one or two.¡± ¡°Ha, ha, ha¡­ Someone like you¡­ Ha, ha, ha¡­ That¡¯s impossible¡­ Ha, ha, ha¡± Suddenly Skur burst into a laughter and the mug, full of beer, start splashing around from all the shaking. ¡°Yeah¡­ Level 136¡­ It¡¯s even hard for me to imagine how you have to train to reach it.¡± Agrees Tola, while nodding her head slightly. Well at least I think Tola is her name. ¡°Well¡­¡± I pause for a moment, as I look inside my mug. Noticing that maybe two full mouthful is left, with a small frown I continue speaking: ¡°In my opinion level 136 is quite reachable. One just simply needs to start training at a very young age. I say this because, if I didn¡¯t spent a lot of time on magic and instead only focused on physical training, I think I could have reached even up to even level 150¡­ *Gulp**Gulp*¡± After saying what I wanted I finish all the beer that was left in a single go. ¡°150¡­¡± I heard a few of them whisper. Finally I lift my eyes up and notice that a number of them are having quite shocked expressions, while some are even frowning a bit, most likely trying to determine if what I said is truth. ¡®Haaaa¡­¡¯ I make a sigh deep inside my heart as I think: ¡®Even thought I picked up this spot, which is covered in shadows and somewhat away from the main mass of people, they still found me.¡¯ My eyes run around nine bulky figures, that are standing in front of me or sitting on other barrels by my side. Well Anna, Skur and Estrid are from my class. Tola and Inga I remember from the last summer festival, they both were in the third group of kids to go on stage. But the rest¡­ I honestly have no idea who they are, but judging by their looks they should be at least a few years older. I turn my head to the right and thrusting my hand with an empty mug, I say: ¡°Please refill.¡± After all this miracle liquid is the only thing that helps me to be calm in this situation where I¡¯m completely surrounded with my back to the wall. And I can clearly say that these few older women didn¡¯t just come to simply say ¡®hi¡¯ because they have even brought a fucking barrel full of beer. In other words they do not intend to let me go that easily. ¡®Haaa¡­ What an irony¡­ In my past life I always wanted to be popular with women. Who knew that dreams sometimes come true¡­¡¯ I chuckled a bit in my heart, as I think this. ¡°Here.¡± I hear a rough voice from my right. ¡°Uh.. Thanks¡± I say taking a full, to the brim, mug with beer. ¡°Ha, ha, ha¡­Well I think being able to use magic is equally amazing as reaching a level 150 before the testing.¡± Says a bulky woman sitting on my left, as she looks straight at my eyes. *Gulp* *Gulp* ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯ Noticing that somewhat flirtatious look I drink a few mouthfuls of beer and for some reason remember my mother''s advice to be careful. Apparently females at my age are very, very competitive. To the point that they might even start fighting between each other, especially to get position of a first wife. This is quite understandable since male and female ratio is 1 to 2 and sometimes even 1 to 3. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Maybe.¡± I answer her with an indifferent attitude. ¡°Asger for some time I was quite interested in that title: ¡®Shadow killer¡¯. What does it mean?¡± Anna asks me. *Gulp* *Burrpp!* ¡°Ugh.. Sorry! Anyway it means that a huge war is coming with a fate of this world on the line.¡± I answer her honestly. Clearly I¡¯m getting more talkative. As I look around I can notice a glint of excitement in each of their eyes. ¡®God damn these barbaric women. Nooo¡­ Scratch that. These barbaric men with some women parts, clearly love only three things in this world: a cold and strong beer, a fight to remember and of course a passionate sex.¡¯ I think while looking at those fierce and massive figures surrounding me. ¡®The problem is they are very open minded about sex, so they go at it like rabbits in a heat. Even now every darker alley will be filled with sounds of moaning.¡¯ As I think this, a few shivers from disgust run through my body. *Gulp* I drink once more from my mug. ¡®Seriously just because it¡¯s impossible to have kids before the marriage and you have an option to be infertile whenever you want after, doesn¡¯t mean one should go sleeping with everybody around¡­¡¯ I slightly shake my head thinking this. ¡®Well at least once married they settle down a bit, but those who are unmarried¡­Haaa¡­ May God spare their souls¡­ If my vigor has been activated by now I could literally point a finger at any of them and say: ¡®You, let¡¯s go.¡¯ That¡¯s all it takes to find someone to sleep with¡­ Nahh¡­ I guess it wouldn¡¯t even come to it. They would have dragged me somewhere away from the prying eyes long ago¡­¡¯ I¡¯m starting to seriously worry about the next few years a bit. ¡°War? How can a title be connected with a war?¡± Asks Skur in a curious voice. ¡°Well then does anyone remember what the title description said?¡± I ask them back. ¡°Huh? I believe it was something about armies¡­ And some kind of darkness¡­¡± Says the hulk sitting on my left. ¡°It said this: ¡®armies will march, battles will be fought and innocents will die. For darkness is coming. So pick your weapons and fight for all that¡¯s good.¡¯ And I got this title after killing a wolf, which was possessed by some kind of shadow. Anyway I told about this to the Chief . Apparently his wife Gerd knew something about this, so long story short something big is going down in a near future.¡± I answer. ¡®Boy, this really gets me talking.¡¯ I think looking at the half empty mug again. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± After a moment of pause I continue speaking: ¡°But don¡¯t tell this to anybody else, since chief kept this to himself I guess he didn¡¯t want to start a panic or something like that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry we won¡¯t spread any rumors! You can trust us.¡± Says Anna and everyone around nods their heads in an agreement. ¡®Ha, ha, ha¡­ They even talk like men: ¡®You can trust us¡¯. So dependable¡­ Ha, ha, ha¡­¡¯ I laugh inside from this situation, as I take another sip from my mug¡­ About a week later I found out that pretty much all the people in town knew what¡¯s coming. And everything I said during the festival became a public secret. Yeah¡­ Trust us¡­ My ass¡­ In the end the whole town entered the state of a great excitement as if little children the last day before the Christmas. They started going around buying new weapons, armors and shields. What¡¯s more after a town meeting it was even decided to build a new wall¡­ Well at least they kept things wrapped up, so that this knowledge wouldn¡¯t reach the ears of the merchants or travelers from the Southern lands. At first I fought that they don¡¯t want to worry them or something, but it appears that they simply think that all the honor of fighting in this battle should belong to the North. Plus the weak humans would just get in the way. Yeah.. Now I understand why Chief didn¡¯t say a word about this before¡­ It¡¯s because these people have a too many screws loose in their heads!!! I even heard some say: ¡°Great Ancestors, I hope I won¡¯t die from boredom before the fighting will start¡­¡± ¡°Seriously, I had to open my big mouth¡­¡± == End of chapter 34 == Chapter 35. Life and death. Part 1. Ah... It takes so long to finish a single chapter for me... Writing this story seriously feels like doing homework. I''m really lazy to do it but once finished there is a nice feeling inside xD . Anyway those who still read it I hope u will like it. Chapter 35. Life and death. Part 1. I step into my and Ingvil''s room with a mug in hand and walk towards the table. As I sit down on the chair, I look through the window, where I see the sky and clouds already painted in a bright red color. ¡°Haa.. Another day comes to an end¡­ Hmm¡­ I guess it should be ready by now.¡± I speak my mind loudly. ¡®First things first. ¡¯
Status Window
Level153RaceNorthmen
Strength1403Defense1053
Vitality257Intelligence484
Stamina582Vigor552
Agility459Presence74
Resistance
Water1%Earth0%
Ice16%Fire0%
Lightning12%Darkness0%
Nature0%Wind1%
Poison0%Alcohol2%
*Titles*
¡®I wonder how much my stats will increase.¡¯ I think memorizing numbers shown in front of me. Finally satisfied I turn the screen off and I lift my right hand, which is holding the mug, while turning my head slightly to the right I say: ¡°Happy birthday Asger! And may the future be full of pleasure, joy and fun.¡± Then I turn my head to the left and say: ¡°Thank you, my dear friend, Haraldson. And I wish the same thing to you too. Ha, ha, ha...¡± After musing myself for a bit, I move the mug closer to my lips and drink everything in it, not leaving even a single drop. Don¡¯t worry I didn¡¯t reach that bottom stage of the alcoholism where I happily get drunk alone. At least not yet. What¡¯s inside my mug isn¡¯t beer but instead a slightly blue water. My level passed 150 barrier quite some time ago, but I decided to give myself that blue core, which was tempting me for so long, as a gift on my birthday, which is today. ¡°Yeah still tastes like water¡­¡± I speak my mind, while inspecting the mug to check if I drank everything. It doesn¡¯t take long before drowsiness starts to kick in. So I stand up and walk straight to my bed hoping to have a good night¡¯s sleep. Next morning the first thing I do is check my status.
Status Window
Level155RaceNorthmen
Strength1421Defense1066
Vitality264Intelligence487
Stamina587Vigor559
Agility463Presence74
Resistance
Water1%Earth0%
Ice16%Fire0%
Lightning12%Darkness0%
Nature0%Wind1%
Poison0%Alcohol2%
*Titles*
As my eyes run through the text shown in front of my eyes, a smile slowly appears on my face. ¡°It could have given a bit more¡­ But still gaining one and a half level overnight is still pretty awesome, knowing that it would take me around three weeks to gain this much by training.¡± ¡°Ha, ha, ha¡­ I guess this is a good way to start a day.¡± I say cheerfully while stretching my arms. **** Few weeks later, like every day lately I run towards the town. Once I get closer to it I increase my speed and start using all the covers I can find. Because there are a very dangerous predators roaming around. Locals call them ¡®women¡¯, but I tend to use the name ¡®Terminators¡¯. So as I¡¯m trying to remain unnoticed by those annoying, wild gorillas, I finally get on the main merchant road and start running as fast as I can to the south, away from town. About an half hour later I stop. Satisfied that I¡¯m not too close nor too far away from Landamot, I step off the road and head into the forest. In the last few months my father occasionally started taking me on the hunts with him. And everything was going smoothly until my one little encounter with a wild boar family. I don¡¯t want to go into the details now, but the long story short I understood that my tree climbing skill could use some improvement. So about three weeks ago I started coming here to train. I decided to call it: ¡®Project: Tarzan¡¯. I walk past the first line of trees and head a bit deeper, so that no one could see me from the road. Of course I only train at the outskirts of the forest, because monsters rarely come her. Most likely over the course of many years they learned that this is our, northmen, territory. But even thought it¡¯s relatively safe here, I still had a few let¡¯s just call them ¡®encounters¡¯. A week ago I killed one white fox, which gave me only a large white core, and just yesterday I met an already injured wolf, from which I got a medium yellow one. Once I can¡¯t see the road anymore I pick a tree. I walk closer to it and start climbing it¡¯s trunk, using all the bumps and cracks. Of course I don¡¯t just climb up and down like some idiot¡­ No¡­ Satisfied with a height of about 7 meters I stop climbing and get on one of it¡¯s thick branches. By the way most of the trees here are quite tall and thick. ¡®That one.¡¯ I think after scanning my surroundings. I take a few quick steps forward, while trying not to lose my balance, and jump with all my might. ¡®Aaaaah-ah-ah-ah-aaaaaaaaahh!¡¯ Suddenly I scream in my mind feeling my insides move, while adrenaline rushes through my whole body. Moments later I grab a branch in front of me with both of my hands and immediately it starts to bend down from my forceful landing. Suddenly it releases the sound, which lately I started to hate the most. *Crack* , *Crack* ¡®Shit...¡¯ Not waiting to see if it will truly break I release my grip on it and fall down. Luckily there is another branch big enough to hold my weight just below my feet. ¡°Ha, ha, ha¡­ This is awesome¡­ With this training my agility is growing up really nicely, my skill in tree climbing is becoming a top notch and most importantly I can''t remember when I had so much fun.¡± I speak to myself preparing to climb higher for another jump. **** If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.¡°Well it¡¯s time to head home.¡± I say standing at the top of a giant tree, which might be close to 50 meters in height, while looking towards the already setting sun. Suddenly I turn around and start to jump from one branch onto the other until I finally reach the ground. I shoot a few glances around, inspecting if there are no uninvited guests, rub the left cheek of my butt, which is still somewhat sore from the hard landing earlier today, and start to head home. ¡°Haa¡­ And again a long winter starts¡­¡± I say feeling a cold breeze. ¡°Summer is way too short for my taste¡­¡± I grumble as I walk leisurely towards the road. *Grrr* ¡°Oh... The dragon inside my stomach is already awakening. I better hurry up and start running hom¡­¡± I don¡¯t just stop speaking but rather I freeze completely in my track. Looking directly ahead I notice something that shouldn¡¯t be there. What I see is a gorilla covered with a completely white fur standing in the middle of the road, with it¡¯s back towards me. ¡®Um¡­ Should I run, should I stay, should I try fighting it or maybe it¡¯s tamable?¡¯ I¡¯m a bit at a loss meeting a creature like this for the first time. Suddenly it lifts it¡¯s head and turns it towards me. My eyes immediately go wide open as I notice it, which is a slightly different from what I remember a gorilla should have. Instead of a normal monkey like face it has a two quite huge, dark blue in color horns, protruding from it¡¯s forehead, a sharp teeth, which looks like a sharks, with no lips to cover them, and no eyes¡­ Seriously not even one and instead of them there is just a two shallow dents. But the most disturbing fact is what it has between it¡¯s teeth. ¡®It¡¯s a frigging arm, with fingers and all. Except maybe just one tiny detail: where the fuck is the rest of the body below the elbow?¡­ Ah¡­ Sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t notice it is lying below the creatures front feet.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s run¡­ Definitely run¡­¡± I say and immediately dart back into the forest. *Ggraawwwlll* I hear a loud roar from behind me. ¡°Fuck. It¡¯s just my luck to run into Onorilu.¡± I say remembering it¡¯s name from school. Apparently it¡¯s an old name meaning ¡®The eyeless hunter¡¯. It has no eyes, but it¡¯s control over presence is unparalleled, to the point that it can see/feel even better than a normal being. What¡¯s more it¡¯s very strong. The youngsters already are around level 300 and as they matures over the course of many decades they can even reach the level close to 600. ¡°Shit¡­ I didn¡¯t sense it at all¡­ Fuck.¡± I say running as fast as I can between the trees and all the bushes around. *Crack* *Snap* I hear some branches breaking. ¡®Damn it! Seriously? It¡¯s already in the forest? There was like a one hundred meters of plain field between the road and the woods.¡¯ I curse in my head. I remember teacher saying that it is extremely fast in a straight line. That¡¯s why instead of using my skill ¡®So long sucker¡¯, which most likely would have won me just a couple of minutes, I ran back into the forest hoping to gain some distance between us here. ¡®Fuck, fuck, fuck¡­ I can hear him getting closer¡­¡¯ I curse some more. Noticing that plan A, which is me trying to outrun it in the forest, is pretty much doomed to meet the fate of Titanic, I decide to initiate plan B. ¡®Let¡¯s see if ¡®Project: Tarzan¡¯ is useful.¡¯ I think darting my eyes around and scanning the surroundings. Finally my eyes lock onto the thick branch which is growing about three meters above the ground. As I get closer to it, I jump up with all my might and grab that branch with my bare hands, just like an eagle grabs it¡¯s prey. After all a single mistake may cost me my life. Once my hands are firmly holding the branch, I immediately pull myself up. Standing on it I don¡¯t even look back but instead I keep on climbing higher as fast as I can. ¡°Phew¡­ God that was scary.¡± I finally say feeling somewhat safer at the top of the tree. I look down and notice my pursuer standing still with it¡¯s head turned directly at me. ¡®Ugh¡­ That creature looks like it just escaped from someone nightmare.¡¯ I think as a few shivers run down my spine. *Ggraawwwlll* Suddenly that nightmare opens it¡¯s bloodied teeth and releases a piercing roar. While my ears are still ringing from it¡¯s scream, the beast doesn¡¯t waste time and charges towards the trunk of the tree I¡¯m currently sitting in. ¡°No, no, no, no, no¡­ You can¡¯t be thin¡­¡± I¡¯m cut in the middle of the sentence as the tree suddenly violently shakes. *Crack* *Crack* A very disturbing sounds reach my ears from down below and before I can think of what to do, the tree starts to slowly tilt to one side, gaining more and more speed with every passing moment. ¡°I will not die here.¡± I shout and jump away. I try to grab other branches with my hands while falling, but they all are too thin and break under my weight. Luckily at least they slow down my fall. *Crack* *Crack* *Snap* *Thump* ¡®Come on, come on.¡¯ I¡¯m still trying to grab one or the other branch as I hear that the tree behind me already hit the ground. Without any luck a moment later, with quite a number of scratches on my body, I also hit the ground. Even thought I feel some numb pain all over me, I don¡¯t pay much attention to it and instead try to get up back on my feet as soon as possible. But as I¡¯m preparing to flee again, from the corner of my vision I notice that the bastard is already close by. My body automatically moves by instinct turning slightly sideways and lifting my left arm to shield more vital parts of my body. Before I can process of what¡¯s going on I¡¯m already hit by a huge force, so huge that it literally sends me flying back. ¡°Agghhhh¡­¡± I shout from pain, as the distance between me and my attacker just keeps on getting bigger and bigger. Suddenly I crash into something hard, most likely a tree. Since I had strapped my axe on my back, the pain is even greater than it would have been. *Thump* And just like that I limply fall down on the ground. For a moment I just lay there hardly even breathing before my brain starts to register what just happened. *Cough* *Cough* I cough a little because I breath in some thick liquid. ¡°Ahhh¡­A¡­ Ah¡­¡± I want to scream from all the pain, but just a low sound leaves my mouth. ¡®Need to get up.¡¯ A single though emerges in my mind. ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Once more only a muffled sound leaves my mouth as I want to shout. Tears start to run down my cheeks, as I try to stand up. But my body doesn¡¯t listens to what I want, especially my left arm, which completely has lost all the strength in it. After a few failed attempts to stand up I give up and just sit with my back to the same trunk of tree which caused me so much pain. ¡°*Cough* I¡­ must¡­ look¡­ like shit¡­ Ha, ha.. Ughh.¡± I say looking at my somewhat limp left hand and bloodied clothes, while feeling some of it still in my mouth. ¡®One of my eyebrow must be cut, since I can feel some of the blood trickling down over my eye.¡¯ I think feeling somewhat annoyed because it¡¯s hard to keep that left eye open. I spit some more blood out from my mouth and it lands directly on my chest, but I hardly care about it. Instead I lift my head to look where that eyeless monster is. Because of the teary eyes everything is quite blurry, but I can see where it roughly is. ¡®Looks like it¡¯s just standing there.¡¯ *Ggraawwwlll* Suddenly it roars again and starts to charge at me once more. ¡®I guess¡­ This is the end.¡¯ I resign to my fate and as I do my consciousness starts to fade. Darkness begins to shroud my vision and the last thing I see is those two shadows rushing to rip me apart. ¡®Two?¡¯ == End of chapter 35 == Chapter 36. Life and death. Part 2. Had this done... For some time... I''m seriously a lazy person [th_015_orz-v2.gif] Anyway there will be Life and death part 3 some day. But I really doubt I will make it any time soon (most likely again a month later...), because on the june 2 I need to present my graduation thesis which is still only half way done... [th_085_.gif] Oh.. I''m so tired of writing this story... I mean I got it figured out pretty far ahead ( like another 30 or 40 chapters), but writing... Ughh... It took me like 8 hours to write just this one chapter [th_093.gif] Chapter 35. Life and death. Part 2. ¡°¡­d¡­¡± ¡°¡­d¡­¡± ¡°Ughh¡­¡± ¡® Wha??¡¯ I groan as my consciousness slowly returned bit by bit from the land of dreams. But for some reason it¡¯s very hard to get a grip on reality, because my mind tries to slip back into the darkness every moment it gets. ¡°¡­id¡­up.¡± Once more I hear that strong, commanding voice in a distance. This time I don¡¯t give in to the tiredness, but instead I fight it. Finally I force my eyelids to slowly rise up. The first thing I notice is my own body covered in dust and blood. ¡°Kid! Stop dreaming and get up!¡± Shouts that voice. Being still half asleep I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on, but I automatically lift my head up and direct my attention towards the source of my disturbance. What I see is quite a tall man standing about 10 meters away from me. Because of the helmet he¡¯s wearing and a long, thick beard, which is reaching his chest with a couple of braids weaved in it, I can¡¯t clearly see his face. But judging by the grey and white color dominating on his hair, I would say that he already saw his share of life. Apart of that spiked, iron helmet he is also wearing a long, sleeveless tunic made from a leather with fur showing here and there. And on top of that warmly looking tunic lies a neatly crafted chainmail protecting his upper body. On each of his arm is a gauntlet, made from a some kind of white metal, with a brown fur sticking out from under them. And finally his legs is mostly covered by the long boots, which reach almost to his knees. In his left hand he is holding a square shield, which is quite heavily damaged, from what I see, and in his other hand he is tightly gripping a big ass axe, which I would most likely require both of my arms just to simply swing. ¡°Get up and run!¡± Suddenly shouts the man. Still not fully awake I start to frown not understanding what he wants from me and am preparing to give him a piece of my mind for disturbing my rest. But at that moment I notice that a chainmail on his side is slightly damaged and his clothes in that place are strangely wet and darker in color. ¡®Blood?¡¯ This single thought makes my eyes go wide open and finally remember what has happened to me. Only now I now notice that the person in front of me is standing in a defensive position with his shield raised up. And only just now I notice that quite a number of trees in the surrounding is either broken or have a huge scratches on them. Slowly looking around I finally find cause of the problem, which caused all of this. Some distance away stands Onorilu, that god damned gorilla from hell. It¡¯s once white fur now is mostly painted in red and there is a number of flesh wounds all around it¡¯s body. One of it¡¯s horns is covered in blood, while the other ends in a stump. And there is saliva mixed with blood dripping out of it¡¯s mouth, but it¡¯s hard to say who¡¯s it is. ¡®I must have missed quite a show.¡¯ I think looking at the tattered beast. *Ggrrr* *Ggrrr* The bastard releases a few growls as it moves slightly sideways. ¡®Looks like it¡¯s hesitating.¡¯ I think looking at it¡¯s behavior. *Ggraawwwlll* And just as that though crosses my mind, it roars loudly and starts charging towards the man. While pointing it¡¯s last remaining horn, the beast rushes at an amazing speed directly at him. Just before the shield and the sharp horn makes contact, that person slightly turns sideways and by the breath of a hair manages to avoid the beats attack. At this moment the red mist seeps out of his body and he swings his axe in an counter attack, striking at the gorillas hind leg. *Raaarrrww* The beast releases a loud roar, as the axe digs into the flesh, As I hear it¡¯s roar, joy fills my heart, but it doesn¡¯t last long because I notice that the axe didn¡¯t even reach the bone before stopping. ¡®Clearly that bastard has a huge defense¡­¡¯ A though that worries me greatly forms in my mind. And as I was thinking this, that nightmarish gorilla finally stopped it¡¯s charge, turned around and immediately jumped back, towards the warrior, with it¡¯s jaws wide open. At this moment I personally would have tried to avoid this attack at all cost, but strangely he just stands there as if rooted to the ground. Suddenly that tattered shield, he is holding in his left hand, begins to suck the red mist covering his whole body, until it becomes bright red in color, almost like it was just taken out of the furnace. As that eyeless creature is about to sink in it¡¯s shark like teeth into his neck, he immediately swings his red shield and smashes it directly at the beasts head. The moment he hits the beast a loud bang, which reminds me the sound of an explosion, can be heard and as the creature is knocked away from him, a ring of red particles scatters into the air, from the place of contact, as the shield returns to it¡¯s normal color. ¡°Wow¡­¡± I¡¯m somewhat amazed. ¡®To be able to knock back that giant gorilla even just for a few meters, that shield bash must pack quite a punch¡­¡¯ I think this to myself. For a second or two onorilu looked lost, before he finally rushed away for about ten meters, almost to the same spot he was before the attack. ¡°Why are you still here?¡± A strong voice asks me, while slightly startling me. Before I can say anything he turns his head towards me and continues: ¡°You should run¡­ I don¡¯t have enough strength to win this fight¡­ At best I can hold out a few more of it¡¯s charges¡­ ¡± Not knowing what to say for a moment I simply look at him, at that tattered shield, at the scratches on his clothes and the damaged parts of his chainmail, at the blood trickling from his wound, which is painting his clothes in a darker color, at the grey beard, which is now mostly covered in red, at his haggard breathing and at that broad back of his, which is now slightly hunched forward¡­ A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. What I see makes an in impression to me that a single stronger gust of wind would be able to topple him¡­ But that is until I notice that glint in his eyes, through the slits of his helmet. As I look at those unyielding eyes, of a true warrior, I begin to feel pretty pathetic¡­ Seeing that I¡¯m just sitting there he sights and says: ¡°Haaa¡­ You are still young, this should not be the place where your journey ends¡­¡± Then after a short pause he adds: ¡°I can give you only a few minutes¡­¡± And turns his head forward to face the beast again. *Ggrrr* It starts to growl again. Suddenly the person in front of me lifts his shield up and strikes it a few time with his axe, creating two loud bangs and shouting towards the beast: ¡°Come here you fucker, if you are not afraid!¡± As I keep looking at his back in front of me, a strange fire is unexpectedly lit up deep in my heart and a strong emotion takes over me. I lift my right hand and start unbinding straps that hold the axe on my back. Finally I grab it¡¯s handle and use it to push myself of the ground. I will not lie the pain is insufferable, to the point that I almost give up and fall back again. But strangely I grit my teeth and just keep on getting up while looking at that broad back in front of me at the same time. Tears are running down my checks and my knees are shaking , but I keep pushing myself up. This new found power is not an anger or an unyielding will to survive, no¡­ It¡¯s just a stupid wish of a foolish person. A wish that makes me ignore the pain and push my body to the limit. Yes¡­ A simple wish, a simple desire to at least once stand alongside this great person and say that I¡¯m not afraid while looking straight into the eyes of death. A truly foolish wish¡­ ¡°Aarrgggh¡­¡± A shout escapes through my gritted teeth as I finally straighten myself up. ¡®Well¡­ I¡¯m up¡­ Now what?...¡¯ I think breathing hoarsely, while finally standing up and scouting my surroundings. Then suddenly the man speaks: ¡°Ha, ha, ha¡­ You see that wasn¡¯t so hard¡­ Now all you need to do is just run towards the road¡­¡± ¡®Run¡­ Huh?¡¯ I frown a bit as I think this. *Ggraawwwlll* The beast roars once more. ¡°He will soon charge at us¡­¡± he warns me, while getting into a defensive stance again. ¡®Run¡­¡¯ A single word resounds in my mind. I focus my attention on that monster in the distance. ¡®Run¡­¡¯ My hoarse breathing starts to slow until it completely calms down. ¡®Yeah¡­ I should try running¡­¡¯ As I think this, a sly grin appears on my face. Suddenly the familiar sound of electrical crackling fills the air and a sensation of strength returns to my worn out body, while strangely somewhat numbing the pain at the same time. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡­ Kid are you alright?¡± My companion asks in a quite worried voice. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I just give a simple answer. Even though I had enough power to activate my skill, but I¡¯m seriously afraid that in the current state of my body I won¡¯t be able to use it properly and most likely will fall down before I will even get close to that bastard. ¡®I need to forget the pain and tiredness, so I could push this beat up body to it¡¯s limits¡­ I need to become angry¡­ I¡­ I need to be in a STATE OF RAAAAGGGGEEE!¡¯ I start screaming in my mind trying to get angrier. I put more force into my right hand and grip the handle of my axe so tightly that the knuckles on my hand turn white, while I keep screaming in my mind: ¡®Charge¡­ Kill that bastard¡­ Kill¡­ Kill¡­ Killlllll¡­¡¯ It takes just a moment before every muscle, in my body that is still functioning, tenses up and a powerful war cry leaves my mouth: ¡°Fuckkk YOOUUUU!!!!!¡± As this war cry from the depths of my soul rushes out of my lungs, I dart forward with all the strength I can muster at the moment. Instantly my vision blurs out, but I can still make out a single dot, that eyeless head. It take less than a blink of an eye for me to cover more than 10 meters and be already in front of the beast swinging my axe. But even with this amazing speed it still somehow manages to react to my attack and shift his body sideways just enough for it¡¯s head to leave my attack zone. Even thought I still manage to I notice this, but sadly my body is incapable of following it, so I decide on the next best thing. And with everything I have, I hit it¡¯s frontal leg. But as my blade makes contact with it¡¯s skin, it feels like I have just hit the steel wall. Instantly a wave of pain rushes through my arm, as if it is being ripped off, and my grip on the axe immediately loosens up. What¡¯s more I lose my balance and fall down on the ground. After rolling and sliding for about six meters I finally stop. ¡®Mmm¡­ That god damned gorillas skin¡­ Mmm¡­ Must be made of a metal¡­¡¯ I think feeling the burning sensation all over my body. *Skreeeee¡­* Suddenly an ear piecing shriek attacks me. ¡°Ohh¡­ For crying out loud¡­ Ughh¡­¡± I say feeling my head splitting in half. I want to cover my ears but none of my arms want to work properly. It takes a moment before I slowly lift my head up to look at what¡¯s going on. And immediately my lips curve up as I notice that bastard screaming from pain and trashing on the ground still with my axe stuck deep in it¡¯s leg. ¡°Ha, ha, ha *cough*, *cough*, ha, ha¡­ It¡¯s ¡®HELLO¡¯ bitch!¡± I shout feeling overjoyed from finally seeing that bastard suffering. ¡°Arrgghh¡­¡± Suddenly I hear a loud shout from the side. As I follow the sound, I notice my mysterious friend rushing forward with a huge force. The moment he gets closer to that gorilla, he immediately swings his axe down and straight toward it¡¯s throat. Blood splatters everywhere, as the blade digs into the flesh, but he doesn¡¯t stop and swing his axe again and again, until he chops it¡¯s head away. With a huge pool of blood under his feet, he straightens up and looks at me. He takes a few deeper breathes and with a smile on his face says: ¡°Ha, ha, ha¡­ That was seriously amazing kid¡­ Ha, ha, ha¡­ By the way my name is Skegg¡­ Skegg Dansson¡­¡± == End of chapter 36 == Little spoiler: At the end of chapter 38 the MC will finally leave the town and begin his journey. [th_084_.gif] Finally I''m getting to this point and it took me just what? 1,5 years? Ummm... Yeah... Awesome [th_0gotas.gif] Chapter 37. Life and death. Part 3. Chapter 37. Life and death. Part 3. ¡°Haaahhh¡­¡± I let out a sound as I relaxed my body. ¡°I¡¯m Asger¡­ Haaah¡­ Haraldson¡­ Haaah¡­¡± I make a loud breathing sounds while laying down on the ground. ¡°So Asger, how did you do it?¡± He asks looking at me. But before I can say anything he begins muttering as if talking to himself: ¡°Well it looked like a lightning magic and that dash looked similar to that bastards, but¡­ We can¡¯t use magic and the red color¡­¡± ¡°*Cough* Yes¡­ That was magic... Haaah¡­ Haaah¡­ And red battle aura¡­ Haaah¡­ Haaah¡­ You¡­ Seen this skill before?...¡± My breathing is rigid and I¡¯m dead tired, so even speaking in short sentences is quite hard. ¡°Ah! The battle aura and lightning¡­¡± He nods slightly and shifts his attention back on the beasts body while speaking to me in a strong and somewhat proud manner: ¡°Who do you think I¡¯m? I¡¯m Skegg Dansson, the bull of the North. I traveled far and wide, seen thing that others can hardly even imagine and hunted beasts which most don¡¯t even meet in their nightmares¡­ But still I got to admit it¡¯s my first time seeing a northmen, able to use magic.¡± ¡°Well¡­. Haaah¡­ It¡¯s hard but possible.¡± I say to him. ¡°I see¡­¡± While saying this, he once again nods slightly. Then suddenly he swings his axe with a huge force and strikes at the dead beasts chest making a big gash. As he sticks his arm through the gap into it¡¯s chest, he murmurs in a hushed voice: ¡°Che.. Back in the good old days I would have taken this bastard out single¨Chandedly¡­¡± Skegg pulls out a small pebble from the dead body and turns back to me while speaking: ¡°During my travels I met a lot of different people. Good and bad alike. Anyway there was a time I fought alongside some human troops. Their leader, Gillian, was a strong lightning magician and a quite stubborn bastard. Well every time he was about to be hit he would move instantly a few meters to the side. I believe he called that skill ¡®Dash¡¯ or something like that¡­¡± As he cleans the pebble in his arms, I notice a crimson red glint. ¡®It¡¯s a red core. This is the first time I have seen one.¡¯ I think looking at the small crystal in his hands. At this moment Skegg turns his head and for a few seconds looks towards the depths of the woods. ¡°It¡¯s getting dark pretty quick. We should start heading back.¡± He says in a commanding voice and pulls out my axe from the dead body. Then with a fast pace he walks towards me and with a single hand lifts me up like a sack of potatoes. ¡°I know you are wounded and tired, but right now we have to reach at least the road.¡± He says in a serious voice, as he tries to help me get on my feet. Before long we finally start walking with me using Skeggs shoulder as a support. But each step I take makes my legs feel like they are on fire. ¡°Ughh¡­¡± I let out an occasional groan of pain, but I keep on moving. I have to admit. If I was alone, I seriously doubt I would be able to do something like this in such a state. But when a complete stranger is sacrificing himself so much for my sake, I also somewhat feel obliged to push myself over the limit. Especially so when a person in question got a frigging stab wound and he¡¯s acting like it¡¯s nothing. ¡°Haaah..¡± My breathing is getting louder, as we keep on walking without a stop. Being so close to the man, only just now I notice how wrinkled his face is under that helmet. ¡®Just how old is this guy?¡¯ A thought runs through my mind. ¡°Ha, ha, ha, ha¡­¡± Suddenly Skegg bursts laughing. ¡°W-what?¡± I ask a bit startled. ¡°Ha, ha, ha¡­ I just remembered something my first wife used to say. You see whenever we would get in a situation like this, she would always say: ¡®We can¡¯t stop now¡­ We must keep on moving¡­ We will rest once we are dead.¡¯¡­¡± Even though he was laughing but I could still hear sorrow in his words. ¡®Rest once we are dead huh? That¡¯s definitely a northmen philosophy.¡¯ I think to myself somewhat amused. ¡°She sounds like a fine woman.¡± I say feeling that this is the best thing to say, even thought I might somewhat disagree with it. ¡°Yes¡­ Asfrid was quite a woman¡­¡± He says in a slightly hushed voice. I look ahead trying to avoid seeing Skeggs sorrowful face. ¡®Haaa¡­ Why can¡¯t you remember some funny stories? Dude, I¡¯m beat up to the pulp and I¡¯m tired as hell, so why do we need to speak about sad things?...¡¯ I think to myself. But when the next moment I glance at him, strangely I find Skegg frowning instead. I want to ask what¡¯s wrong, but he suddenly starts speaking: ¡°Seriously¡­You are an interesting person, you know that, Asger Haraldson? A northmen who can use magic. Ha, ha, ha¡­ By the ancestors, one day you will definitely become a legend, which parents will tell for their children¡­ Ha, ha, ha¡­ Ahh¡­ I just wonder what kind of story it will be¡­¡± ¡®Huh?¡¯ I look at him questioningly. But as if not noticing my look, he continues speaking: ¡°You are still quite young and a whole life is ahead of you¡­ Haaa¡­ Remember death always comes earlier than you might have expected, so live every day like it would be your last, without any regrets... Find some good women to keep you a company, make some friends, make some enemies and who knows maybe one day you will say: ¡®I had a great life.¡¯ Ha, ha, ha¡­¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Suddenly he gives the puzzled me a wink and pushes me forward, making me take a few meters before I managed to stop. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I ask looking back. ¡°Nothing. Ha, ha, ha¡­ I¡¯m just going to meet my wives and some old buddies. That¡¯s all. Ha, ha, ha¡­¡± Skegg says while laughing and then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he adds: ¡°Ah! Here take this.¡± He takes off a small metal plate hanging on a simple cord around his neck and tosses it to me. ¡°On one side there is a map showing way to a still undiscovered ruins in the Far North and on the other side¡­ You can find the names all of my comrades who perished on the journey there.¡± Suddenly his face becomes somewhat sorrowful as he speaks: ¡°I guess we were never meant to reach that place, as even the weather itself was against us. Haa¡­ Anyway if you ever get the chance to find it, leave that plate at the ruins. That¡¯s¡­ My only wish, my only regret.¡± At the end of his monologue he equips his axe with a shield and turns back. For a moment I keep stand still looking at his back not knowing what to do. ¡°Go forward and don¡¯t look back!¡± Suddenly he shouts to me in that strong voice of his. It doesn¡¯t take long for me to understand that something must be coming after us and that he is preparing to meet it or them head on. ¡°B-But¡­¡± ¡®how can I just run away?¡¯ ¡°Ah! Do you still have some magical tricks, that you can use?¡± Suddenly he asks me. ¡°I could probably fire one, maybe two lightning bolts.¡± I say somewhat disappointed in myself. He slightly shakes his head and says: ¡°Go! Let this old man have the honor of becoming part of your story. Ha, ha, ha¡­¡± Strangely I didn¡¯t hear even an ounce of doubt in his voice and even his laughter sounded very sincere. ¡°GOO! Or I will cut you in half myself.¡± He shouts again in a very commanding tone this time. Reluctantly I finally turn around and begin limping away with a heavy heart. ¡°Feeling other people is quite hard especially at such a distance, but I believe there is quite a number of them on the road... Anyway it was a pleasure meeting you, Asger Haraldson.¡± When I¡¯m about ten meters away from him, he suddenly says to me. I look at him and say in a serious voice: ¡°Thank you for saving me¡­ I will never forget you¡­ Skegg Dansson, the bull of the North.¡± I turn back forward and limp towards the road, but this time at a much faster pace and with a glint of determination noticeable in my eyes, as a single thought repeats in my mind: ¡®People on the road¡­¡¯ ¡°Ha, ha, ha¡­¡± Suddenly I hear a deep rumbling laughter coming from behind of me. But I don¡¯t look back again and only rush forward. About ten minutes later I finally emerge through the last thicket and into the grass field. The distance from where I left Skegg till here isn¡¯t that far, only about five or six hundred meters, but it was enough to make me feel like dying was the better option. ¡°Haaaah¡­ Haaaah¡­ Haaaah¡­¡± I breathe heavily while looking around. Sun is gone, so it¡¯s pretty dark, but I still manage to make some humanoid shapes in the distance. ¡°EEEEIIIII!!!¡± I shout as loud as I can, while lifting my right hand up in the air. Immediately I notice some shadows starting to run towards me, while a few stay behind. Once they get closer I recognize a six giant and bulky figures with their weapons already in hand. ¡®Ha, ha, ha¡­ This must be the first time that I¡¯m so glad to see those mountains of muscle. I think I could even kiss them.¡¯ I laugh a bit in my mind. Before they reach me I point towards the direction of where I left Skegg and say: ¡°Help¡­ One more person there¡­¡± The woman, with the most square face I have ever seen, nods slightly and darts into the woods with four others following her. While the last one slows down and walks towards me. Seeing this I finally relax a bit. Immediately the right hand, which I somehow lifted before, goes limp again, the taste of blood, which I already forgotten, reappears in my mouth and the legs, which carried me out of the woods, starts to shake until finally they give up to the weight of my body. But the one who stayed behind catches me before I hit the ground. Luckily for me I¡¯m in such a bad state that I didn¡¯t notice how I got carried like a princess for a moment or I would have suffered also a mental trauma for the rest of my life¡­ Anyway as she gently lays me on the grass, my mind finally drifts away into the land of dreams. == End of chapter 37 ==