《I turned my curse into a blessing.》 Confession "Kol!" a voice echoes as he is nudged awake. Kol wakes up to see a beautiful girl in front of him. As his eyes adjust to the sudden awakening, he can now clearly see that the gorgeous girl is his best friend, Nicole. "How long are you going to keep reading that book?" Nicole asks. "You''ve been up here the whole day." Kol knows he has read this book from the church ten times, but even after memorizing it, it still doesn''t provide the answers he seeks. "The Blood of Obedience," Nicole reads from the cover of the book. "I still don''t understand why the sisters of this church allow you to read it." "Well, if you had been with them as long as I have, you''d know they aren''t that bad," Kol replies as he picks up the book from the table and stands from the chair he was slouching in. "Yes, yes. Either that or they just want you to become a cleric like them," Nicole says, looking at him suspiciously. Kol walks past Nicole toward the exit of the library. "Why do you keep reading that anyway?" Nicole asks, almost in a demanding tone. Kol sighs. "Like I said before, I have a lot of questions that need answers," he replies as he opens the door. Outside the library is the ever-familiar quaint little town where both Nicole and Kol grew up. The town of Fallholt has a population of about 1,000 people, so almost everyone knows everyone. Fallholt lies between Lindow, the port town to the south, and Oakheart, the small dukedom to the north, all situated on a small island south of the Tree of Balance. The familiar warm breeze brushes Kol''s face as he looks up at the sky, admiring the clouds while his long black hair sways in the wind. The cluster of giant leaves is faintly visible from this distance, radiating light every morning. "I''m going to miss days like this," Kol says as he looks back at Nicole, who is already watching him. "What warm?" Nicole replies, caught staring at Kol. "Days with you," Kol says. "Please don''t tell me you thought I forgot?" "Pfft. I knew you wouldn''t forget." Nicole walks beside Kol. "By this time tomorrow, I''ll be leaving for the magic academy." The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon."Then we better make this day a memorable one," Kol says as he grabs Nicole''s hand and starts running. Although Kol will miss Nicole, he needs to change the topic of conversation as he always does. After all, he doesn''t want it; he doesn''t want the curse he received from the gods since his birth. Kol brought Nicole to a small cliffside not far from town, but far enough to be safe from monsters and prying eyes. The sea stretches toward the horizon, the tree''s leaves in the sky reaching out and eventually becoming invisible as they approach the edge. No birds or sounds from ships below, only the crashing of waves against the cliff and the warm sea breeze now and then. "Four years is a long time, don''t you think?" Kol asked Nicole as he sat at the edge of the cliff. "Don''t worry, I''m never forgetting my best friend." Nicole sits down beside Kol, her long red hair flowing, almost mirroring Kol''s black hair. "Yeah, right. You''ll probably make a lot of other friends there who are nobles too," Kol says, staring into the distance, but Nicole can feel the pain in his voice. "That will never happen. Besides, I know we''re going to see each other again," she says with a smile. Kol can''t help but blush as he looks at her beautiful face framed by fiery red hair. "You and I are going to be great wizards!" Nicole screams into the ocean. Although it wasn''t a sin to dream, Kol took comfort in the fact that they both shared the same aspirations. Even if Nicole, his best friend, was the daughter of the Duke of Oakheart and he was an orphan boy raised by the church, he believed in both of their dreams¡ªwell, in hers more than his. "Besides, you told me you''ll also be going up to Roselier''s to be one of his students," Nicole says. "Well, yes, but there''s the issue of quality in education," Kols replies, recalling that Nicole never liked comparing poor and rich circumstances since, at the end of the day, the same outcome will be produced. "But I will still do my best!" "That''s the spirit!" Nicole smacks Kol''s back hard enough to startle him, momentarily shaking off his fear of falling. They spend the afternoon reminiscing about their past exploits and adventures throughout the town. For Kol, it''s almost hard to believe that both of them are now 15 years old and have been friends since they were 10. Everyone in town and at the church always rooted for Kol, as the two looked like a perfect match. Kol, being a bookworm, and Nicole, being adventurous, are almost the perfect examples of the saying that opposites attract. Ever since they met, Kol had always secretly liked Nicole, but out of fear of rejection, he never confessed. With Nicole leaving, he thinks this is the best time to tell her rather than wait four years or find out that she has already met someone else while at the academy. Little did he know, Nicole shared the same feelings. "Nic, I''m not going to see you for four years, and I think you should know before you leave tomorrow," Kol says, looking at the beauty in front of him. Nicole''s face began to turn red at the thought of Kol confessing to her, but she knew he wouldn''t¡ªafter all, why would Kol fall for a disobedient and ill-mannered girl like her? "I like you, Nicole." Until we meet again The words that came out of Kol brought joy to Nicole''s heart, and she blushed. But the realization came just as fast, and her joy turned to anger. "Why?" she whispers to herself hiding her rage. "What?" Kol says only hearing her mumble. Then all of a sudden, he could feel pain from the right side of his face as he was pushed back. Nicole with her fists out. [HP 6/7] "oww!" Kol Screams "What was that for?" The immediate embrace of Nicole made Kol stop screaming. It was unusual for Nicole to be like this but Kol comforts her. In Kol''s mind, his confession would eventually ruin their friendship and this might be why Nicole is acting this way. The realization that Kol would no longer be her friend, that Kol would change from his usual self because of this and she might start to avoid Kol. Kol already accepted his rejection but he understands her fear of not being friends anymore, after all the last 5 years were an amazing and joyous time for Kol with Nicole. Never would Kol imagine the words he would hear from her. "I like you too." She says pulling from her embrace. Stunned from her words Kol''s mind goes blank. "I''ve liked you way before, but I''m mad that it took me leaving for 4 years for you to confess." She says as she lets go of Kol giving him a little distance. Thinking about the words she just said she could''ve confessed earlier instead of waiting for Kol but out of fear of being rejected won and she wouldn''t know what to do if Kol started avoiding her as well. Hanging out every day and having fun around the town was more than enough for her. "Starting tomorrow I won''t be here anymore. Only after 4 years will I come back. Wait for me until then." She says standing up from the cliffside. Kol still thinking blankly just imitated her and stood as well. "Until I come back, we''re gonna do our best to be great Wizards." Hearing her words that she felt the same brought a sense of regret to Kol, he could''ve told her sooner and would''ve enjoyed the years as a couple. Looking at her all energetic and fired up completely erased Kol''s regret and instead filled his mind with inspiration. "Yeah, you''re right," Kol says removing his hand from his red right cheek. The bright orange leaves in the sky glares at both of them as it Is about to set. "I have to go and get ready for tomorrow. This isn''t goodbye alright." She says as she takes the initiative this time to hug Kol one last time. Her words are like daggers to Kol''s heart as they would now part ways just after confessing to each other. But he hugs her more tightly nonetheless. "I''m gonna miss you Nic," Kol says softly into her ear. Blushing. "I know you won''t. Besides you''ve already seen me naked." She pulls back. Kol blushes as the thought comes rushing back into his head. She was changing that afternoon after a day at the beach and Kol suddenly walked in on her. He could picture her clearly her curves and red hair as she screamed and through a towel at Kol closing the door.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "I''ll see you soon. Make sure you go speak with Rosseler tomorrow." Nicole says as she starts walking back. Seeing Kol''s blank look brought amusement to her face. It wasn''t always that she could see him like this. He always acted mature even for his age and reading a lot of books didn''t give him a lot of things to be childing about especially compared to the other kids in the orphanage but he never denied a request from Nicole every time she invited him to play. Thinking back after what Kol said she now knows why he couldn''t say no to her, which made her face redder. She wanted to spend more time with him but she knew this was the best because she might just ask her dad to cancel her enrollment and stay here with Kol, but she wouldn''t like that. Being a wizard was her dream and she isn''t ready to give that up, in fact in light of what happened she is more motivated now than ever. Seeing her leave brought sadness but a new spark of inspiration as well. Just wait Nicole I''ll be a great wizard one day enough to stand by you. Kol thinks to himself. He is greeted with the cold breeze that the sea brings at night. Kol hurries back to the orphanage just beside the library where he was earlier this morning. The lights are all lit from the ground floor to the second. He could hear the kids inside kids inside making noise. It''s probably supper, as he thinks to himself. A lot of the neighbors would scold and shu the kids away whenever they plan to close or too loudly near their property, Kol never liked those neighbors. Even though the kids were loud and would sometimes interrupt his reading time he never thought of them as pests but instead guided them in playing or teaching them new things that he learned from reading, acting like a big brother to the kids. As he walked in, he was greeted by the sister Bea, she acted as the caretaker of all the orphans and would be treated like a mother to some of them, especially Kol. "Kol! Good to see you, come in supper is ready." She says as she sets the table. "Kids make some room for Kol." Some of the kids move apart making a small space for Kol to squeeze into."So, Kol I hear Nicole will be leaving for the academy tomorrow." One of the kids who was 12 years old says, his name was Raff. "Ooh. Does that mean Kol would have more time for me?" one of the little girls sitting cross the table says. "Good for her if she wants to become a wizard," Bea says passing the food across the table to one of the kids. "Bea I''m going to see Rosseler tomorrow," Kols says looking at Bea. Bea didn''t look disappointed but instead smiled at the thought. Not every orphan gets adopted it was really rare even for the young ones. Hearing Kol decide to become a wizard move up from his life as an orphan and soon make a name for himself, filled Bea with tears. No mother would want to hinder her child from his dreams, and Bea was exactly that. A mother. "of course, Kol." She says as she passes the food to Kol. "Are you gonna be a wizard too, Kol?" another girl beside him spoke her name was Angel. "I will do my best," Kol says with a smile as he looks at her. "If that is what you want Kol then please have this." Bea stands and walks towards one of the cabinets behind her. Kol knew every inch of this house and he knew that''s the medicine cabinet she just opened. Pushing some bottles aside she grabs what looks to be a scroll tied with a white ribbon sealed with wax. She hands it to Kol as she sits back down to finish her meal. "You might not have the aptitude to cast white spells, that is why I''m giving this to you as a gift," Bea says. Every kid on the table is now staring at Kol holding the scroll. "I made this scroll and infused it with white mana so the spell will automatically active after reading the incantation." She says. "I pray you won''t need it but it is better to be safe. It is a scroll of the spell ''Mend injury." "Thank you, Bea," Kol says as he thinks about his curse and how this would hopefully prevent it from triggering. My curse After the meal Kol brings some of the younger orphans to bed and reads them a few stories, some he read and some he imagined and retold in a way that is pleasing for the younger audience. After they all fall asleep, he too soon climbs into his bead and opens the book he was reading earlier. Reading to the kids puts them to sleep earlier and better for Kol since he needs a quiet space to think and read before bed, since they share a room Kol took it upon himself when he was younger to read to them. He flips through the page he once left and continued reading. The Blood of Obedience. Is a holy book that describes the birth of the God Obedience. The tree of balance is the life bringer, the guarantor of death and the judge of all things just. But it has no voice. The tree has two main trunks split from the root. ''Order'' and ''Chaos'' after a while some leaves fell from both sides and came the birth of ''Guardians'', but both factions were opposed one another and war soon ensued. The tree broke a piece of its branch and out came the ''Messenger'' who acted as the voice of the tree and commander peace between the two since neither one can be without the other. Kol''s reading is interrupted by the sudden drop fall of his head. He is sleepy. Before his vision fades, he thought about the system. Almost immediately a blue transparent screen appeared showing what seems to be a statistic of Kol''s mentality and physique. [Name: Kol (family name unknown)] [HP: 7] [STR: 9] [DEX: 9] [CON: 13] [CHA: 12] [WIS: 18] [INT: 18] [ABILITY] [1] Kol focuses on his ability hoping to read or understand it one more time in case there is something he could do. Another blue screen appears before him. [ABILITY]A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. -PERMANENT BODY ''Status effects inflicted on you can change its duration to permanent.'' This is why Kol is sheltered and is careful. The curse he had since he was a baby. Everyone in the world who is under the protection of the remaining guardians are granted a system since birth and obedience is the one who controls and monitors each individual system. Not everyone can have an ability since birth but it can be acquired through gaining favors from the Guardians or Obedience, but those who are born with one are said to be gifted or chosen for great things. Every holy book or scriptures in the church or library that Kol has been said this, but despite that after reading his ability he always asked himself. What did he do to deserve such an ability, some might even call it a curse. This is why Kol never went out a lot, he always stayed indoor and read. He never attended mass or be blessed by the priest, since he didn''t think it would chance his ability. He always panicked and shut himself in the attic as soon as one of the orphans gets sick, since getting sick means it could be permanent. Never tried to eat or drink anything he wasn''t familiar with or wasn''t prepared by Bea since being poisoned permanently is not something to be proud of. He never played with the kids for too long or even go deeper into the forest in fear of catching something he could no longer cure, that is until he met Nicole. After meeting Nicole his fear had left and he was now more outgoing, agreed to spending time with her outside of the orphanage, near the coast, by the port. Eat something new like freshly caught and cooked fish, some wild apples. Nicole may not know is but she completely changed Kol''s teenage life. Soon without knowing Kol fell asleep. He soon wakes up to Beas voice. "Kol, aren''t you suppose to meet with Rosseler?" Bea says as she tries to wake another child bellow Kol''s double bed. Kol jumps from his bed and bolts out of the room. Bringing only an empty straw satchel. His clothes although ragged and made out of the generic burlap sack one could still say it was clean. He hurried out the door avoiding any kids that are already awake and playing. "I''ve missed it, I''ve missed it." He speaks to himself running towards the cliff side where he spent with Nicole yesterday. Arriving at the cliff, he bent down in exhaustion as he struggles to search for breath. He Is then greeted with the realization that Nicole is now gone as he seas a ship in the middle of the ocean heading towards the horizon bearing the sigil of the Oakhearts. "There she goes." He pants. "Don''t worry I''ll be the greatest of all wizards, and earn my place beside that not even your father could oppose." He says to himself. "YOU HEAR THAT NICOLE! I''LL BE THE GREATEST WIZARD EVER!" screaming into the open sky. After a while when the ship can no longer be seen Kol finds his way to Rosseler''s House. It wasn''t grand or luxurious despite the rumors of him being a 3rd level wizard the highest there is, the house was crudely shaped almost as if the carpenter didn''t know what he was doing, it was covered in leaves and vines sprouting from the ground and from what looks like a tree growing from inside the house, but the house was big, equal to 2 of Kols orphanage if it was combined. Kol stood in front of the door for a second having second thoughts if he should knock or not, then suddenly he was pushed aside by someone. "Excuse me. Excuse me." He says to Kol. A man robbed in blue with green outlines who looked to be in his mid-20s carrying a bunch of dried and rotting sticks and vines in both arms. "Well don''t just stand there open the damn door." He says with a smile. "you''re one the new students aren''t you?" Aptitude test Opening the door of the building wasn''t easy due to the fact that it wasn''t attached by metal hinges but what looks like dried vines coiled together to make an even thicker vine. "Thanks kid." Said the man rushing inside with his load of twigs and branches. "Come in, come in. I''ll meet you after I get rid of these." Kol never met Rosseler but he''s heard rumors, about how he''s a Wizard who can cast 3rd level spells. Which is the highest rank a wizard could achieve. There''s also a rumor of him being a merman because they saw him help with some fishermen and he had been under water for an hour at most., or that one of his experiments went wrong and he was sent to this town as punishment. Either way if this is Rosseler, he definitely isn''t who Kol was expecting. Walking through the door Kol took mental notes of the area. How everything was full of vegetation. Plants big or small, alive or rotting, hanging from pots on the shelves or placed on the floor. It looked like a very unkept and contained forest inside Rosseler''s house. Every now and then he would pass an open door and catching a glimpse inside some of the rooms to no one''s surprise there were more plants. Kol''s heart sank as he sees a room that looked like it was suppose to be a library, but the plants found their way into the pages and is now using the books as sustenance. Eventually Kol finds his way at the bottom the staircase that leads to the second floor, but blocking the way up are two people he couldn''t recognize. To the left is a boy with his hair cut too short, standing with his back to the wall with his arms crossed wearing robes in blue and the other to the right is an elf girl, her pale-yellow skin almost reflecting the small beams of light that slip through the cracks from the ceiling. She looked beautiful, she was the first elf Kol saw in his entire life, elves aren''t rare they are in fact common but since Kol doesn''t go out much this is his genuine reaction. She wore dark blue robes with an even lighter blue outline, with gloves on her hand matching the color of her hair. Black. "You here for the lessons?" the boy walks closer extending his hand to Kol. "My name is David." "Kol. Nice to meet you." Kol looks at the elf who''s watching the whole interaction. "Oh, her don''t worry I''ve been trying to talk to her for a while now but she doesn''t respond. She may not even speak our language." David says still shaking Kol''s hand. Suddenly a door shuts from the second floor and out of the corner in comes the same person Kol saw from the outside. "Alright! Now that that is settled time to go gown to business." He says as he walks down the stairs. "I''m sure you all already know me and if you don''t, my name is Rosseler." He then walks pass the 3 bellow the stairs "follow me." As he ushers everybody to what looks like a kitchen that was attacked by the jungle. Rosseler pulls a small pot with a dark liquid inside, then fire erupts from Rosseler''s hand boiling the liquid inside. He pours the liquid to a cup and takes a sip. "Yup. That a good cup of Coffee." He says as he walks out of the kitchen again. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.The 3 following Rosseler to another room. This time, again it looked like a living room complete with furniture covered with in plants. "Sit. Sit." Rosseler points to the empty spaces in the sofa, with a small flick of his hand the greens shrunk and coiled back to the side. The 3 sat down and waited. "So. You all want to be my student?" Rosseler asked. "You all want to be Wizards?" Simultaneously all 3 gave the same answer. Yes. "Good. Now before me begin I will first test if you have the aptitude of being a wizard." He sips coffee from his cup. Rosseler then put 5 colored crystal balls in the center table and writing some sort of rune in the space between each ball. The memory flashed in Kol''s mind as he remembered seeing the same crystals Nicole stole from her father a few years back. Kol helped her activate the crystal after reading it from the book that she also stole. For Nicole is showed the color red and blue. Although Kol wasn''t able to perform one for himself before they were caught, that event cemented the decision for both Kol and Nicole to want to become wizards. "Now. Each crystal will glow their respective colors and we will know if you have the aptitude for the arcane. Don''t be discouraged if you don''t have it, I can still teach you and eventually you will be able to unlock it. It just means you''ll be spending a lot time with me more." Rosseler laughs as he takes another sip of his coffee. "You. How many sources of energy can we access to convert to mana?" Rosseler points at David. Stunned at the immediate situation everyone was caught off guard to Rosseler''s question, prompting everyone to sit up straight. "5 Sir! We call them colors of energy that we convert to mana." David says sweating nervously. "Good. Don''t call me sir, call me Ross instead if my name is long." He says now eyeing Kol. "You. How many colors are we born with as an aptitude?" He points at Kol. Kol took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "None. Aptitude to a certain type of energy is cultured after birth through the lifestyle and characteristics of each individual. That is why even if we don''t have the aptitude in your test, you can still teach us a way on how to gain one." Kol says as he continues to exhale. "Excellent. Now you girl, if a person has access to all colors do the mana mix?" Rosseler asked the elf, taking another sip from his coffee. Almost like she already knew the question or that she was going to be asked next she answered. "No, the energies don''t mix. If you are a multicolored person, the energy count of each color can be seen in bellow our Health in our system." She says laying back on her chair. Rosseler was about to speak until she interrupted. "Yes, spell use a certain color of energy to cast. This is where professions such as wizards are created to categorize spells only available to that color." She says as if she heard this set of questions before. Smiling from her initiative to interrupt him Rosseler smiles. Looks like I have quiet the set of new students. Rosseler thinks to himself. "Well then, lets begin the aptitude test." What color? Walking up to the orbs David, looked at Rosseler for confirmation. "that''s it. Just put your hand above the five orbs, then they will do the rest." Rosseler instructed. Watching David Walk up to the table gave a sense of nostalgia to Kol as he remembers his time with Nicole. ---- "C''mon. you''re the only one I know who can do this." Nicole says dragging Kol by the hand as they run. "I could get in trouble for this Nic." Kol says as he tries to catch up to her. The two find their way behind the orphanage. There is a big tree apple tree that the orphans play in but this time Kol told them not to bother them for a while. Reading the book Nicole brought with her. It was one of the most advanced books in magic Kol has ever read, but thankfully before getting caught up in all of the information, Nicole told Kol on what page to turn to because that was what her sister told her before she left for the academy. Turning to page 876, Kols took his time reading and after a few minutes he took the bag from Nicole. "It''s says here that I should set the orbs in a circular pattern with space in the middle." Laying out the orbs as written in the page, Kol could see the excitement from Nicole''s face as she patiently waits for Kol to finish. "What happens if this blows up in our face?" Kol asked. Hoping that it might change Nicole''s decision to do this, but he knows it isn''t enough. Kol knows Nicole is too stubborn and when she sets her mind on things it is almost impossible to change her mind. "that''s not gonna happen." She says. "I''ve already seen this before with my sister it not going to blow up." "You''ve seen actual wizards do this for an official ceremony. Not your frail young friend." Kol comments still writing the runes along the orbs. Despite the Danger Kol is also intrigued at what the outcome will be since this is the first time, that he can actually apply something he read. Finishing all the runes around the crystals, Kol moves back as he instructs Nicole. "Alright. Now you just need to walk up and place your hand over the space between the orbs and wait till it glows." Kols says reading the book.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Walking up the circle with the orbs Nicole places her hand over the orbs and waited. Then two orbs glowed with their respective blue and red color. The glow itself was beautiful, but nothing could compare in Kol''s young heart than Nicole smiling and bathed in blue and red. "Yes! I''m gonna be a wizard!" Nicole says while jumping with glee. Looking at the book in front of him. Kol smiles as he thinks about reading the book more. Kol loved to read, he started only because he needed to look for answers or cure to his curse, but eventually he fell in love with it. The thought of being able to produce magic that can shape reality just by reading, brough a source of inspiration for Kol. But before he could think further his thoughts are interrupted. "She''s over here!" They both turn and see coming from the corner of the orphanage 3 city guards come running, clad in leather and a metal helmet carrying spears. "Run!" Nicole shouts as she takes of running. "What?" Kol asked not prepared for these types of situations. "Dropped the book and run!" Kol looks back at the guards running towards him. "Shit!" Kol screams dropping the book and started to run. --- "Wow." Rosseler claps. David''s crystals displaying the bright colors of blue and black. The glow still new to Kol, but he claps as well. "Multicolored individuals are not uncommon. like I said, you can acquire other colors later on with practice, but having multiple colors already of the bat is rare." Said Rosseler as he points towards the elf. David sitting down look s happy after hearing what Rosseler said. If that is the case then Nicole is more special than I thought. Kol thinks to himself. "I''ve already been tested." The elf says. "My name is June; I am a three colored individual having the aptitude with blue, red, and green. I want to become a Wizard." The room fell silent at what June said. David and Kol are mesmerized at the thought that they are classmates with someone as gifted as her. Rosseler smiles from ear to ear. "Looks like it''s going to be an easy year for me." he laughs as he takes another sip of his coffee. "you''re next young man." Walking up to the table Kol could feel the tension. He knows he isn''t as great as his fellow classmates, at this point he''ll be happy with just one color especially if it''s blue, since blue is the prerequisite color for being a wizard. Even if he doesn''t have the color blue, he''s still comforted by the fact that Rosseler can still teach him how to gain the color. Kol puts his hand in the space just like Nicole did before then, closes his eyes. There is no use is thinking about it now, all I can hope for is that at least one of the orbs should glow. The bright light from the orbs is all too familiar to Rosseler, as he''s smile now bigger than ever. "Woah!" David exclaimed. June now more intrigued at the person in front of her, who is this person in front of her? Where did he come from? She asks herself now considering Kol as her competition. Kol opens his eyes and to his surprise, not just one or two of the orbs are glowing but all 5 of them. Kol takes his hands off and bright light dies. How? I''ve been in home reading all my life only until 5 years ago when I met Nicole. What could I have done to gain all 5 colors or could it be because of something else? The thoughts running through Kol''s mind. "Well, it looks like my hunch is correct. This will be a relaxing year for me." Rosseler says. Spell book Rosseler stands. "I will be teaching the three of you the basics of being a wizard, then if you want, I can recommend you to another teacher or school." He says as he snaps his fingers and a piece of paper suddenly appears floating in front of the students. "The course I give will be grueling and dangerous. In other schools my course will be stretched out for 1 year but with me it will only take 6 months. In front of you will be a contract that you have to sign in case something unplanned happens." Immediately both David and June grabbed the quills on the table and signed. (Perception D20) - 18 Kol on the other hand with trained eyes who''ve read books since he could remember was able to take glimpses of phrases in the contract. "It says here ''in case of loss of life, limbs, or cognitive function the contractor is not liable nor will he compensate the student.''" Kol reads out loud. "Are you telling me we could die?" "Of course, magic is unstable. Practicing it is always a gamble especially for firsts years like you." Rosseler rays as he reaches out and grabbing the quill on the table and giving it to Kol. Now I see why he doesn''t have many students. Kol thinks to himself. Looking at David to the side with a shock expression in his face now being able to read the entire contract almost as if he signed it without reading or thinking what it could entail. June on the other hand remain emotionless almost as if she wasn''t concerned that she could die. "Just don''t think about it." Rosseler says showing the quill to Kol. How could Kol not think about it? He is already in constant alert because of his curse and now he will be subjected to constant harm while under the tutelage of this person in front of him. The thought of his promise with Nicole is what pushed him to come here in the first place despite the danger the thought of disappointing Nicole that he gave up when she returns keeps ringing in his mind. Refusing to disappoint Nicole he grabs the quill and signs the paper. "Great!" Rosseler exclaims as he sits back down. "Well then students, I have a gift for you." Rosseler walks out of the room, then after a few minutes he comes back with 3 books stack on top of each other and lays them down on the table in front of them. Each book is covered in brown leather with no designs but what caught everyone''s eyes were the about of pages it must''ve been a thousand just from the looks of it.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "First lesson to becoming a wizard. You should have your own Spell book." Rosseler says as he grabs one of the books and starts flipping through the pages showing everyone it is blank. "Your spell book will be your bread and butter in a bad of good situation. As young wizards you should record everything that you encounter involving magic. Trust me it will help you in the future. List all the spell you encounter, description of magic you see people cast, experiments involving magic, potion ingredients, magic items, and so on and so forth. Of course, you can always buy a new blank book if the one you have got lost but the knowledge you''ve collected so far will be lost as well." Rosseler then passes everyone a book. "This book is a book I give all my students. It is enchanted by me so that when you do reach the last page it will produce more pages." Kol grabs his book and is surprised by its weight. He had never read a book with this many pages before the only thing that could come close would be the book Nicole stole for the aptitude test, he asked Kol to read when they were young. If this book was filled Kol wonders how long would it take him to read it cover to cover. "Now that you have your books, I want you all to follow me into the library." Rosseler stands and starts walking. Rosseler''s library is the same room Kol had seen as he went inside. Multiple rows of shelves filled with book and plants together, insects can even be seen making its way in between books. Kol couldn''t help but feel sadness as he sees the sorry state of the books. "I believe in the saying "doing by learning." Rosseler says as he gestures to the shelves. "Before I teach you some basic spells, I want you to try to learn and practice them on your own. For the next 3 days you will spend your entire day here in my personal library researching, practicing and learning any spells you find. These books are spell books I have stumbled upon, bought or stole from other wizards throughout my life, and now I give you access to their knowledge as well, but you cannot bring the books outside from this library. While you guys go read, I will be sitting right here, in case you need me." The books in the church''s library are nothing compared to the knowledge kept in these books. Excited Kol was the first to walk towards the shelves and started skimming through the different titles. (Perception D20) - 8 After looking around a book catches his eye. It was covered in plain black leather with the title ''Petter, Aged Killer.'' Opening the book the first thing Kol Saw was a poster of a person. It was a human male and although the sketch looked old the person looked somewhere in his 30s. he wore spectacles and short mustache with a big Wanted sign over the top of the ketch. This person was a criminal. Although the thought never crossed his mind but after entertaining the idea, of course there were wizards who are criminals. Nobody in this world was entirely good and wizard or not people still committed crimes. This is something Kol has never read before, always read holy books from the church and this made Kol curious what kind of magic would a criminal use. Opening the book and skimming through it, Kol realizes that this book not only contains this man''s spells and experiments but detailed descriptions of his crime and acts. This book wasn''t just a spell book for this man, no. It was his diary. Helping hand Entry 1- The mind is what drives people to make good or bad decisions. What would happen if that person''s mind is compromised? If that person committed murder, would it be their fault or the substance/ disease''s fault? These are things that drove me to conduct my experiments. Entry 2- I have gathered ingredients that mostly attack the mind of the person who consumes it. Some give visions that can only be perceived by the victim, others give them uncontrollable shakes and tremors, and the rest would make the victim flaccid though they are awake they don''t seem to receive any pain when inflicted upon them. White these ingredients I hope to make a potion strong enough to drive a person mad. Entry 3- I have successfully combined the potion, I call ''Mind Rot'' though I have no test subjects. I have accepted a bounty of killing some goblins from the town of Greenflower. I hope to capture some or at least one of them to test my potion with. Entry 4- The goblins were fairly easy to deal with, they were no match for a 3rd level spell caster like me. I was able to subdue 3 goblins and have placed them in separate cages in my basement. I hope the neighbors won''t be bothered by the noise. Entry 5- As of this moment my writing would be a little more about the current events since both my hands will be busy my conjured hand will be writing in my stead. Kol pauses as he takes in the information. Conjured hand? He thinks to himself is that a spell? Maybe Peter wrote it down in here and it''s a spell I could learn. Kol thinks to himself. Aside from the entries peter has made some of the pages are filled with sketches of the ingredients he gathered, so far there is nothing in the entries that indicate Peter to be a criminal. Unless you count the imprisonment of the Goblins illegal which Kol is not certain if it is. Kol looks around and sees David reading a book in the corner with frustration is his face. He must not have understood something about the book he''s reading. Kol thinks. Sees June on the other side reading and holding the book with one hand and with the other waiving in the air almost as she''s writing something in the air. She must''ve found a spell already; I have to read faster. Kol thinks to himself.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Entry 6- Goblin #1 would be my control and will be separated from the others. She is not allowed to see what the other goblins are experiencing for this experiment to work. I gave the potion to goblin #2 and #3, but I intend to not feed goblin #3 while continuing to give both of them the potions on a regular basis in order to determine if consumption of other substance would lessen the effects or not. Hold on someone''s at the door. Entry 7- I under estimated the convenience of the conjured hand spell. It''s more useful that I thought I was able to converse with my next-door neighbor while the hand administered the potion. In any case I wrote the spell down in case I found a way to modify the spell in the future. Flipping to the next page a sketch of the runes and their pattern is drawn on with the words or incantation needed to conjure it. Following the Pattern and reciting the incantation Kol''s hand starts to glow with magical rings forming in the base of his palm, the circle shatters and wraps Kol''s right hand with a blue glow. After a second the glow moves away from his hand and into the empty space in front of him still retaining the shape of Kol''s hand and it just sits and floats in the air. I did it. Kol internally screams as he now has successfully casted his first spell. Immediately after Kol is startled by his system as it popped up right in front of him. [You have unlocked blue energy] -Converting relevant stat The pop up disappears as the main system window appeared. Nothing changed in terms of his main attributes but he did notice the sudden appearance of a new attribute located under his Health. [HP: 7] [Blue En: 9/10] "This is it. I''m officially a wizard." Kol says to himself as he dismisses the window. He smiles and looks down at the book at Peter''s spell book. "I have to keep reading. Who knows what other spells I can learn." His thoughts are interrupted as Rosseler stands from his corner with a smile in his face. "you guys are fast learners. Now, copying a spell to your spell book will take time, which is why I have already enchanted every book in here including yours with the repair ability." Rosseler grabs a book and proceeded to demonstrate. "All you have to do it tear the page and attach it to your spell book. Wait a few seconds and your spell book will now magically attach it to itself as if it was never torn, while the book who''s page you got will also magically grow its missing page back." He explains. "These types of enchantment are mostly used for higher tier spell books but since I tend to do things faster than normal teachers, I enchanted every book in the library just to save time for my students." Rosseler says as he opens the door. "Copy the spells you found and we''ll continue tomorrow." Gesturing to the window. It is now sunset. Kol didn''t notice the time. As far as he could remember this only happened when he was really engrossed at a new book or when he was spending time Nicole. Never the less he did what Rosseler instructed and copied the spell into his spell book. I can practice the spell tonight. He thought to himself putting Peter''s book back where he found it. Bea is happy The three walking away from Rosseler''s house with a new sense of purpose or inspiration. "I can''t believe we''re wizards now. I can''t wait to tell my mother." David said walking along side June and Kol. "What was the spell you found?" Kol hesitates answering the question, mainly because of what book he found it from. But before he could answer David interrupts his thoughts. "I found a spell that can increase my accuracy, although it won''t last long. I have to test it tonight." He says with enthusiasm. "I found a spell that can electrocute people I touch." Said June walking beside Kol. "And she speaks!" David exclaimed. Kol was taken a back as well since the only time he heard June speak was when she introduced herself earlier. "Honestly feel free to talk to us. I mean we''re gonna be together for a year." David says. "Yes. I acknowledge that we will be together for a year, but that doesn''t mean I have to be friendly with the both of you." June says looking walking a little bit ahead of the two. As they walk a little bit deeper in town, Kol keeps thinking about the Peter''s diary entries. Did he write down the method of how he made the potion? What did he do to be branded as a criminal? "I know she''s a little bit cold but you have to admit she is a looker." David whispers to Kol. Interrupted by the thought Kol looks at June. Her figure bathed in sunset, her hair absorbing the light giving off a brown color. Kol admits, she is beautiful. Suddenly two kids start running through the street passing June. "Kol! You''re back." One the boy says as he runs towards Kol. Kol recognizes him his name is Jim. "I thought you won''t be reading to us tonight." Angel said also running towards Kol. "Bea said you''d be busy today." "Hey, guys. Don''t worry I''ll still be reading to you tonight don''t worry. C''mon it''s almost supper." Kol says as he brings the kids to the front. "Who are these little ones?" David asked as he follows Kol. June sees them split from the road and decides to follow. June doesn''t know anybody from this town and would prefer and would prefer to have some company despite what she said earlier.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. The group slowly approaches the edge of town towards the orphanage. Soon both David and June can clearly see the building they''re heading towards. "Kol. You little saint. Don''t tell me you read to these kids every night?" David says in delight. June stops and stares at the thought of what David just said. But still follows a few steps behind them. "Hmm? Yeah, I read to them almost every night otherwise I won''t be able to sleep." Kol says turning around surprised that David followed him, even more so when he spots June behind him. "Wait. You live here as well?" David asked. "Yeah." Kol says as he lets the kids go run towards the house. "You mean you''re an orphan as well?" June from behind David says. David almost jumping from June suddenly speaking up from behind him. "Yeah, since I was a baby." Kol says not putting any mind in the question. Junes turns and starts walking away from the two. "No worries. You and I will be classmates from now on, might as well be friends, right?" David says with a smile. "I''ll see you tomorrow, Kol." Waiving good bye as he leaves. The door opens and Kol sees Bea, with a bowl of salad in her left hand and a ladle in her right. She greets Kol with a smile like she normally does. Bea is a sister of the church of Obedience and it always reminds Kol and kids by her constant use of her church robes as she is wearing now. Although she has other clothes, she mostly wears them when none of her robes have been washed or dried yet. "Who was that? Did you make new friends?" Bea asked. "I like to think so, yeah." Kol replies. "Bea, I have something to tell you." "Well, this looks serious. You better come in we can talk in the kitchen while I cook the rest of supper." They both make their way to the kitchen, Bea constantly calling out names of the kids who are either too noisy or is causing some problems with other kids. "What seems to be bothering you, Kol?" "it''s not a bother actually. It''s more like good news." Kol says as he puts down his spell book. "I went through the aptitude test today." "You got the blue energy?" Bea says happily. "Yes, and.." Kol pauses for a second. Should I tell her about the 5 colors result? He thinks to himself. Kol then decides to keep that information hidden for now it might Bea''s expectations and his fear of disappointing her especially in the case that he might die in the coming 6 months under going Rosseler''s course. "I also got the white energy." Ecstatic at the news Bea put the bowl down and hugs Kol. He welcomes her hug; it wasn''t that Bea is not constantly happy. In fact, there is not a day that Kol saw her sad or miserable, but this is the first time Kol saw Bea happy for him and not just the general happy. "I knew you would get it, after spending all of those times reading those books, I got you from the church." Bea says. "Yeah. That might be it." Kol says. "I was wondering if you could teach me some white spells that could help me in the future." Bea thinks for while and Kol was ready for incase she denies his request. After all Bea has already done so much for Kol and the kids, he didn''t want to add more work for her. "I have to ask permission from the church if that were to happen." Bea says. "But it doesn''t mean I can demonstrate them for you. Tell you what I''ll write down the magic formula for the spells, but I cannot teach how to cast them. You have to figure that out for yourself unless you also want to be to the monastery for training." "Thank you, Bea." Kol gives her another hug before running out of the kitchen. Need a hand The night goes uneventful. After supper Kol read the kids another bed time story. Come morning Kol left a little early this time hoping to be able to finished Peter''s diary. On his way to Rosseler''s, Kol sees June walking in front of him. (Charisma D20) ¨C 7 Kol remembers what she said yesterday about them not needing to be friends. Respecting her boundaries Kol keeps his distance as they walk towards the same direction. He could not help but wonder if he should reach out, or she might just warm up eventually. Eventually Kol sees June knocking at Rosseler''s door. (Perception D20) ¨C 16 Rosseler comes out with a staff that looks like it has a pointed sea shell at the end decorated with colorful stones on rope wrapping around the shell. They both seem to converse, but too far for Kol to listen only until he got closer that he was able to catch the last bit of dialogue. "Make sure you let anyone leave with those books. I''ll be back soon" Rosseler waves Kol hello. "She''s in charge and don''t roam around the house." Kol looks at June entering the house, then looks at Rosseler walking deep into the forest. The two make their way to the library, Kol still keeping quiet. "Hey guys. You sure took your time." David days chewing on bread sitting on the floor with his back on one of the shelves. "Good morning." "Good morning." Kol replies as he finds his way to the shelf he left the diary. "you''re early." "Yeah. I brought bread for ross but he didn''t want any. Do you guys want some?" David asked. "Maybe later." Kol says as he remembered he also ate bread for breakfast this morning. "I''m not hungry." Said June standing over one of the shelves. "Also, Rosseler said I was in charge." David continued reading as if he didn''t mind her being in charge. Kol finds the diary and continued reading where he left off. Entry 8- The effects of the potion don''t last, I''ve estimated its duration is about 12 hours. Even though the potion only last for 12 hours I still immediately give them another dose, if the subject was a person I wonder if it will last longer. The duration of the potion is shortened for goblin #2 who is subjected to food. God damn it, its my neighbor again I swear this old man probably likes me.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Entry-9 It has been a week since I started this experiment, I am sad to say that both goblins subjected to the potion has died. Goblin #2 who had food died after 4 days of constant exposure to the potion despite eating, while Goblin #3 the one without food died after 2 days of constant exposure to the potion. I only had 1 goblin left alive and it has been 1 week now, I gave her the potion but not around the clock. Goblin #1 was given small doses every other day and she manifested the same symptoms like the others, but when the potion wore off, she went back to normal. Eventually Goblin #1 remained symptomatic even without the potion. Conclusion: If given in high doses in round the clock interval symptoms would manifest only when the victim is approaching its final hours. Potion duration can be manipulated by the about of food consumed while under the effects of the potion. Estimated duration on a none controlled environment 4 hours. If administered in small doses with a lapse in the interval symptoms will manifest early. Victim will eventually manifest symptoms even potion is no longer administered. Once symptoms manifest even without potion, death is inevitable. Estimated time of death would vary on the consumption of food. In my case victim lasted 6 hours after symptoms manifested. Entry 10- I''m bored right now. No bounties are coming in from the guild. No money as well to alcohol. I could still make a few bottles of the mind rot potion I might be able to sell them for a bit of coin. Probably pay for some entertainment at the tavern maybe bring home a girl that I could, Sigh. Who is it now? Hey, Josh. How are you? Are these for me? Thank you I love daises! Drinks? Yeah, I could go for some. It''s your treat, right? Haha, you''re spoiling me old timer. Those last sentences in the entry made Kol pause. What happened to him? Why was he writing that way? (Intelligence D20) ¨C 15 After a while of thinking. Peter said he would be using the conjured hand to write since it was more convenient. Does that mean the hand was writing down the conversation Peter was having with this Josh person? If that is so, then the hand was moving on its own during his conversation. Dropping the diary, Kol opened his spell book to the page where the spell Conjure Hand was written. Slowly concentrating the rings formed once again in the palm of his hand as he recited the words in the spell. The circle once again shattered and enveloped his hand, soon the glow detached and is now floating in front of him. [Blue En: 9/10] Waive. Kol thought. And immediately the hand waived as well. It responds to my thoughts. Kol thought to himself. "Let me try imitating what peter did." He said as he mentally commanded the hand to copy the peter''s diary into his spell book. "Alright. So, if I start reading another book will it stop?" he thought to himself as he starts flicking through another book he took randomly from the shelves. "it''s not stopping. Meaning after I give it a command it will continue to do so until I command it again to stop." Excited from his discovery, he readies himself for the next experiment. "Hand. Write down everything I say." The hand now with the quill readies itself. "Hello." Kol said and almost in tandem the hand wrote it down. Kol Continued this experiment slowly getting further from the hand and only uttering a word each time. Finally, he decides to leave the library and closed the door. This time the hand couldn''t see or hear him if it had the senses to. "Hello my name is Kol." He said, Kol then ran back inside to check. He expected the result as evidence of the entries in peter''s diary, but it still came as a shock to him. The hand in deed wrote down what Kol said even if he was in a completely different room. Kol tried this one more time, but he ran out of Rosseler''s and when he returned the hand was gone. He had come to the conclusion that the hand is magically link to Kol mentally but at a certain point in range, otherwise the hand disappears. Hypocrisy After a minute the hand disappears and whatever it was assigned to do or doing at the moment would stop. A moment before it completely disappears though it would send a mental alarm inside Kol''s mind. After a few minutes of thinking and experimenting, Kol came up with the following conclusion. The consumes 1 point of blue energy and will only last for 1 minute. The hand will follow simple instructions such as writing, bring or getting things, opening and closing door. The hand can carry around 8 pounds of weight and can go to a distance of 30 feet. If Kol or the hand are apart from each other for more than 30 feet the hand dissipates. When the spell is about to end a signal will be detected in Kol"s mind signaling him allowing him to spend another point of energy if he wants to keep the hand longer or let the spell end. Panick starts to set in in Kol''s mind as he now only has one spell in his spell book. Although Rosseler didn''t say it was a competition as to how many we can copy, but Kol didn''t want to be left behind either. Kol instructs the hand tear every page from Peter''s diary and attach them to his spell book. Having that enchantment really is useful. I''ll have to read it tonight, right now I have to look for more spells. Kol thought to himself. The hand went to work while Kol looks around. (Perception D20) ¨C 3 None of the books seem appealing to Kol, some looked badly damaged that the rest while the others had different name or title that were not appealing to Kol. Such as. Teacher Haven, Headman of fish, Captain of forestry, and so on. His search is interrupted though, as a hand holding a book is presented in front of him. ''Lady of steel'' the front of the book says in a plain blue leather, with no particular design. Looking up who the hand belongs to, Kol sees David. "Here. it''s mostly boring but normal don''t read I just skim through them and get the spells recipe that they wrote down." David said gesturing to Kol to take the book. No wonder he has a lot of spells, he skims through the book only looking for the spells inside. I wonder if June is doing the same? Kol thinks to himself. "Thanks." Kol says as he takes the book. "I think I''m falling behind I only found one spell so far." "don''t worry about it. Besides I don''t really like reading." David says as he walks back to his corner. Going through the book David gave, Kol decided to do the same and he was glad that he did. There was only one spell that this book provided and it was written in the last page. If Kol had continued the way he was, he would have spent a few more days going through this author''s life only to be rewarded with one spell. After tearing the last page Kol went back to his hand who was now just floating above his spell book.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Kol could not deny his excitement in reading Peter''s diary, though unsure of the answer himself as to why he was excited, he felt as if he owed it to the victims of Peter to figure out why he did what he did to earn the label of criminal. Entry- 11 Josh lives alone. Desperate for a partner. The old man is loaded, saving all his money from guard duty over the years until he retired. No other family left alive to miss him. Looks like I found my next test subject. He invited me to dinner again tomorrow. I better shave. Entry- 12 It has been a week since I last wrote down. Lying to this old fool is tiring, but enjoyable none the less. I moved in with him. The sex is not great since I mostly do the work but I most just vent my rage out, he just thinks since I''m young I still have the energy of a bull. I have been giving him small doses of the potion, no symptoms are evident yet for now. Entry- 13 Josh and I are now publicly showing our love for each other all around town. This procedure is needed in order for me to gather witnesses incase the old man eventually gets it. Josh is now exhibiting symptoms like spacing out and screaming out of now here in public. Josh has a fear of insects and this is what he usually sees during his hallucinations. I will now regulate the doses to every other day. I still need everyone to see that he is slowly losing his mind. Entry- 14 I am so good at lying, sometimes even I believe them. It has been a month now since I have given Josh the potion. I also stopped having sex with him after the symptoms manifested, just in case it is transferable through other means of bodily fluid. I have also modified the conjure hand spell using a bit of my knowledge with black magic, I am now able to conjure it and render It invisible. I have used this to throw or move things around the house during the days I don''t give gosh the potion. I can''t believe I am using a lot of energy for this, but I know it is what needs to be done in order for him to further believe that he is truly going mad and me who is the love of his life, will be the one to take care of him during this troubling times. Kol surprised at the entry. He stops and thinks for a while. He is reading the accounts of Peter experimenting on another person, an old man no less. Though Kol''s excitement was still there for his love of books it is now overweighed by the shear lack of empathy and mercy that Peter portrays in his entries. The tone in Peter''s diary shifted from a person who was in pursuit of knowledge and now into a complete psychopath who took pleasure in manipulating a helpless old man. (Intelligence D20) ¨C 19 Kol steadied his mind. He has to keep reading, just like Peter, Kol is also in pursuit of knowledge. But never will he allow himself push his morals aside for the sake of knowledge. With a deep breath Kol regains his composure and continues to read. Entry- 15 I have created 2 more spells to help me with the rouse. I mentioned earlier that josh was scared of insects, so I made a spell that can conjure insects. The parameters of the spell would allow the insects to crawl and bite on the person I cast them on, but it was useless for me since I wanted to convey the insects are nothing more that hallucinations. So, I casted the spell on my self and in doing so will not take any damage since I am the caster. I will make them crawl around me when I talk to Josh then quickly dismiss the spell to illustrate that it was all in his mind, all I needed to do was pretend there aren''t any bugs crawling around my face. For the second spell I would use while Josh is asleep. This spell is a little stronger and would cause significant mental damage, if used frequently on Josh I have no doubt it would kill him. The good thing about this is, whenever we were outside and Josh would take to other people while not being affected by the symptoms of potion, I would cast the spell on him from a safe distance and just watch as the people panic and struggle as to how they could help him as he writhe in pain. (Intelligence D20) ¨C 20 Despite the wickedness of Peter, Kol continues reading in hopes of understanding and hopefully copying the spell. Butterflies Turning the next page almost as if expecting it the spells are drawn in, with side notes from Peter. Kol''s happiness is interrupted when Rosseler announces that it is time to leave. While they all left, Kol ran out of the door. In a hurry to learn and practice the spells that he just got. "Hey, why are you in such a hurry?" David asked walking beside June. "I have to do something." Thinking of nothing else to Kol lied as he ran out through the streets towards the orphanage. (Dexterity D20) ¨C 18 Making his through the town he was able to maneuver through and around the busy streets of the town. He eventually arrives at the Orphanage. Though tired from the run, Kol thinks to himself as to why he needs to you learn more or to read more. "I promised right Nicole?" Kol says panting in front of the house. "I promise." He says as he makes his way to the back of the house. There he finds the apple tree where he first saw magic for the first time with Nicole. Placing his Sachel down by the tree, he first looked through his spell book looking for the spell he recently acquired from Peter''s diary. There he finds the spell Conjured Hand, but since Peter said to modify the hand recipe one has to be a Black energy user. Kol does have an aptitude for all 5 colors, he only has blue energy unlocked so far. There was no need for me to attempt the spell now. Kol turns the page and a new spell recipe awaited him, though this time it felt like a child had drawn on it. There were scribbles of random runes around the pages and crushed out notes in regards to the spell. Kol knew this was not the hand''s doing, it was Peter''s. [Insect swarm] Note: 1 This spell is easily adjusted to the preference of the caster. I created it so to help me fool an old man. I knew Josh was scared of insects; I just didn''t know which one. Note: 2 If you adjust this part of the runes, you will be able to conjured a group of a single type of insect to a random assortment. Note: 3 I''ve drawn some of the insects I think will be useful. Keep in mind the nature of the spell is still active and the victim will still suffer damage, despite the insect you chose to conjure is harmless.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The 4th note are runes randomly drawn around the page with words in the bottom describing the type of insect it represents. Spiders, centipede, Roaches, Flies, and butterflies are the ones that caught Kol''s eye immediately. Kol remembers an image of Nicole playing with a butterfly, then chasing it as it flew through the backyard of the orphanage. Though these past few days hasn''t been boring, but to Kol nothing could compare to a day with Nicole. Preparing the spell Kol''s placed the runes to his preference. Looking around he had nothing to target, but he remembers that Peter used this spell on himself and it was harmless to the caster. Kol found his confidence and began to recite the spell. The magic circle once again appeared in the palm of his hands and then shatter the moment he finishes reciting. Kol closes his hand signaling the spell that he was the target. [Blue EN: 9/10] A second after small purple mist appeared in his hand and from I, dozens of purple butterflies flew and surrounded Kol. Some flew around him while the rest found somewhere to perch upon, his shoulder, back, and face were littered with purple butterflies. Not even 10 seconds later the insects disappear in a puff of smoke. This time Kol noticed that there was no signal in his mind to keep spending energy to let the butterflies last longer. Maybe that''s just how the spell goes, it only lasts for a few seconds. Kol thought to himself. His head filled with possibilities. Kol was ecstatic at the thought of his second spell especially with him being able to modify it just like Peter did in his diary. Remembering the placement of the butterfly rune he compared the position of runes from the conjured hand spell and the insect swarm. Wondering if it was even possible. A second letter Kol let go of his doubts and gave in to his curiosity. Replacing the rune in conjured hand that was in the same position as the butterfly rune in the insect swarm spell and writing the modified recipe into another blank page of his spell book. He recites the spell almost familiar with the words from constant practice, the circle breaks and spell activated. To his surprise the spell didn''t envelop his hand before summoning the spectral hand, this time a puff of purple smoke appeared and a swarm of purple butterfly now occupy the space in front of him. The swarm did not grow, nor did any butterfly flew far away. Instead, they stayed close, visually the butterflies looked uncomfortable flying that close to each other but their wings would just pass through each other. Kol told the ''Hand'' to get his bag from the tree, and it did. This time the bag seemed to be carried by the butterflies. Kol then gave his spell book and instructed the butterflies to write down the events of this morning. The butterflies did as commanded and Kol observed from the side. The butterflies physically did not touch the item but it was able to write with the exact penmanship as the hand. Kol then came to the conclusion that the purpose of the spell remained the same but visually it changed. Having two spells that now produce butterflies Kol wondered if people would think of him differently. But Kol didn''t mind what other people thought of him, the reason why he picked such a lovely and delicate creature was because it reminded him of Nicole. And the fact that he got both of these spell from a criminal he wanted to remove any reminder or trace of Peter in this spell. First Permanent Reading the notes of the next spell in Peter''s diary, he knew it would be a challenge. [Poison beam] [1st level] Note: 1 This spell took all my knowledge in rune scribing regarding poison. There aren''t a lot of spells that directly poison the target so there wasn''t much for me to work on, but I knew I had to create something simple and less conspicuous. Note: 2 The beam is fast. It would require you to good aim. I would suggest using this spell on a none moving target or at the beginning of a battle with someone who isn''t expecting to be attacked. Note: 3 This spell would cause the victim pain in the abdomen, vomiting, dizziness, and loss of balance. But the symptoms will not last long. With my experiments with Josh, I estimated the symptoms to persist for around 30 seconds, then the spell ends. Reciting the magic words, the circle appeared in Kol''s hand once more and lingered for a few seconds. Not wasting much time Kol instinctively knew what he had to do. Kol pointed his hand away from him and aimed at a piece of rock sitting on the ground. The spell then burst from his hand and onto the rock in a sickly green hew. It left no marks on the rock nor did it fly upon impact, but Kol knew if the rock was living, it would be exhibiting the symptoms described by Peter in his diary. [Blue EN: 6/10] And with that Kol learned his 3rd spell. The giant leaves in the clouds whose light illuminated the world during the day, now dwindled. Each Leaf would give off a spray of blue and white light in a predetermined pattern as night sets in. Still in the backyard, Kol''s thirst for knowledge took the better of him as he scrambled to find the spell David suggested. "Kol, aren''t you coming in for supper?" Angel asked from the other side of the fence. "I''ll join you in a bit Ange." Kol replied, his mind still buried in the pages. Soon it was dark enough to hinder Kol''s vision. He lit a torch and prompted it upright in the corner of the fence. Soon after a few seconds of searching Kol found what he was looking for.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. It was a simple spell, and though Kol did not know why the spell was made he was sure that like Peter''s diary, there were notes describing its process. [Weakness awareness] Note: 1 The spell improves your eyesight. It will not last long, so I suggest scanning your opponent fast to locate his weakness immediately. Note: 2 Based on my experience, every time I fought against the king''s knights the spell would indicate a crack or exposed area between their armor that would normally be difficult to see during a heated duel. Note: 3 For the duration of the spell, you must focus on your opponent and never keep your eyes off of them. Blinking or looking away would be a waste of energy as it is precious time that the spell does not have. I have not experimented with it as much but I believe the spell will not work If you are blind or if your eyes are closed when you cast it since it relies on your sight. I shall confirm this theory soon. Note: 4 Do not cast the spell when your eyes are closed or are affected by a blind spell. Your time to cast this spell is better spent attacking since it will render the spell useless. My severed left arm is a testament to that. Without thinking too deeply about the spell''s description. Kol instead thought about the combination of his Poison beam spell and this. At least with a good setup, he can guarantee a near-fatal hit when the two spells are cast in succession. Not thinking twice Kol began to recite the spell, then the magic shatters as the spell took effect. Kol''s vision seemed unchanged. With nothing to test the spell on he decides to try the spell tomorrow. Then a familiar sound rand in Kol''s ears. It was his system. Opening his system, Kol''s jaw dropped. [Weakness Awareness] Focusing on a target, your magic grants you a brief insight into the target''s defenses. Provided that the spell has not ended. [Duration: 6 seconds] -> [Duration: Permanent] "Fuck." Panic sets in in Kol''s mind as he paced around the tree. Because of his haste in learning spells, he forgot to be cautious. Kol of all people should know the dire consequences of not being cautious. Kol did not mind the permanent duration of the spell Weakness awareness in his being, he is happy in fact. But his happiness is offset by the sudden realization. That the ability he has is no joke. One wrong move, wrong spell, wrong potion and it could be the end of Kol. Kol now understands a little bit more regarding his ability, which means If someone were to cast blind on him, he would be permanently blinded. The thought sends chills down his spine. Regardless of the good news he received, his fear only grew larger. "This ability will be the death of me." Kol then quickly got inside the house and went straight to bed. The kids did not wait for Kol''s story time and understood that Kol needed time to study. But they were curious about their foster big brother. Kol fell asleep almost immediately after lying down. The night was uneventful and when morning came Kol left before Bea could cook breakfast for the kids. On his way to Rosseler''s, Kol was able to spot some people going out of their houses and getting ready for the day. Kol decides to try his eyes on them while he walks. Focusing on the baker who was sweeping the front porch of his bakery. The entirety of his being glowed in a yellow hew. Does that mean if I hit him anywhere it would''ve caused a lot of damage? Kol focused once more on a patrolling guard. This time bits of yellow glinted in his elbows, knees, neck, and eyes. This spell is quite useful. The monster is Peter Inside Rosseler''s Library, Kol''s mind is now in full throttle. He knows today is the last day to get spells from the books, and although Rosseler didn''t mention how many spells they have to find, Kol didn''t want to be left behind over an unspoken competition he was convinced was happening. He walked through the library, testing his new sight on all of them. David and June mostly showed the same glowing parts, their head, neck, joints, and body. Kol did notice that even though June and David showed the same weakness areas, June''s are much smaller than David''s, which radiates outward throughout his body. Before Kol sat down in his corner of the library. Kol decides to check Rosseler, sitting on his desk with another cup of coffee. To Kol''s surprise, Rosseler did not glow. Rosseler did not show any weakness area, despite his laid-back demeanor. That''s a 3rd level spell caster for you, I guess. Kol thought to himself. Kol sat down and dove into his book. Entry- 16 I just got Josh to show me where he keeps his retirement money. He wants me to have it! He thinks he''s going to die soon, so he also gave me the deed to his house. I''m not sure if Josh can predict the future, but he''s right. He is going to die, tonight. For 3 months of constant lying and pretending. I have waited for this moment for 3 months! Entry- 17 I''m a little proud of myself. I didn''t know I could be so petty. I had to let loose; you see. All of those times I needed to wait, understand, plan, and scheme. I cannot just let him pass quietly. This might be my only chance to experiment with another person. Turning the page. Kol is greeted with a grotesque and monstrous image. The whole page is drawn so clearly and detailed in black and white. This sketch was drawn magically. The sketch depicts a thin elderly man, with straight hair almost receding from his head bound to a chair by his wrists and ankles. Certain dark patches in the old man''s skin could be signs of bruising. Long dark streaks on the old man''s chest, face, left shoulder, abdomen, and left thigh indicate cuts or slashes. Fluid-like black sketches come from the eyes and mouth of the old man indicating either vomit or blood coming from the mouth and crying in the eyes. It was already clear to Kol the moment he saw the page. This was Josh.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. (Constitution D20 roll) ¨C 18 Kol felt queasy at the thought of what Peter did to Josh and the detailed depiction of Josh''s final moments. He decided to push through and kept reading. The following pages are all sketched in the same amount of detail as Josh''s, along with side notes. A sketch of an elderly female from her head to shoulder, smiling and bespectacled. Beside it is another sketch of the same woman, but her eyes are closed with streaks of black running horizontally on her neck. "Gelian, a religious woman. She thought she was seeing and talking to her God when the symptoms appeared" the note beside the sketches said. Another sketch of an elderly man heavier than most, smiling with his eyes closed. The next sketch is of the same man with big black spots covering his head and most of his face rendering only his jaw and below visible. "Moe, a proud man. Due to the symptoms, I wasn''t able to kill him myself. The potion drove him insane to the point where he felt like he needed to continuously bash his head on the wall." (Constitution D20 roll) ¨C 13 This kept on going for the next few pages and up to 8 other sketches of before and after elderly victims. Struggling to keep everything down, Kol was glad he had skipped breakfast this morning. Kol remembers that he commanded his hand to copy the entire book yesterday. Fuck! What would people think if they read my spell book? Kol thought to himself as he continued to plunge through the book. Entry 18- God damn priests! how should I know, that white spells can make you talk to the dead? FUCK! I enjoyed the game too much. I have to get out of here. Entry 19- Fuck! My energy is running low. Had to fireball my lab and the entire street to get away from the guards. Entry 20- Of course, it had to be him. It''s now or never, I guess. Ross! I''m coming out. Long time no see Ross. How''s the tree hunting? You don''t mind if my spell book just floats there, do you? Great. How much are they paying you for my capture? Oof, I should ask for more, you know I''m not going down without a fight¡­ Fucking combos'' man¡­I was about to perfect my potion. All those experiments went to waste¡­ I''m sure you know the feeling, right Ross? All that time and effort to keep her alive¡­ only to be killed by the very procedure that was supposed to help her¡­ How does it feel? HOW! DOES IT! FEEEE¡­ Is that it? Kol thought to himself. Flipping through the last pages, Kol could no longer find any further entries from Peter. Is he dead? Kol thought until finally flipping the last blank page is a spell recipe. ''Fireball'' was written on top of the page. A small smile appeared on Kol''s face as he reached the conclusion of Peter''s inhumane experimentations on the elderly. But the main culprit for his happiness was another spell. Unfortunately, it was a 3rd level spell, it would take Kol a long while before reaching that stage. Kol stood up as he glossed over the fireball spell. A spell only powerful wizards can cast and yet he has its recipe. Kol noticed that the spell''s structure was completely different compared to the spell he already learned, this time it had more strange and complicated-looking runes. The other difference is that this time, there are no side notes from Peter. Ranked last As the leaves of the tree in the sky lose their bright color, slowly turning blue. Ross called all of his students to the center of the library with the table Ross was sitting on between them. "All right. The third day is over and I hope you were able to find spells inside my library." Said Ross as he placed 4 pages on the table face down. "June. How many spells were you able to learn?" June hands over her spell book, "I learned 8 spells." Ross looked at the book June was handing him, but decided not to take it. "Good. Kol?" Kol was between June and David. Startled by the immediate change from questioning June to him. He straightened himself to ask his master''s question. "I learned 5 spells." Said Kol. Ross remained silent, then turned to David. Did I do poorly in this activity of his? Kol thought to himself. "I learned 6," David said proudly. "All right. I made all of you look for spells inside my library and learn as many spells as you want." Ross says as he takes another sip from his coffee mug. "If you were in those fancy academies for nobles, learning 5-8 spells would''ve taken you probably a quarter of the year. Congratulations." A smile spread across all of their faces. Does that mean I''m more advanced than Nic? It only took me 3 days. Kol thought to himself. "Kol. Although you might be better than them. You are currently the lowest amongst your classmates." Ross moves a little forward, waving his hand over the pages laid down on the table. "A first-year wizard should know at least 6 spells before graduating. Since you only know 5, I''ve prepared basic spells for you to learn. Pick one at random and learn it during your free time." Disappointed in himself, Kol randomly grabbed one of the pages. Though he was in last place amongst his classmates he was nowhere near the bottom among the rest of the first years of wizards around the balanced world. Kol not looking at the page, placed it inside his satchel. Ross then placed 6 bottles of potion. 3 bottles bear the same clear blue color, while the remaining 3 a thick red fluid with almost the same consistency of coagulated blood. Ross then gave each of them papers as he walked by each of them. "For the next 3 days, you will learn how to re-create these 2 potions." Saying as he gestures to the potions on the table. "You each get 1 mana recovery potion and 1 health recovery potion. I want you to drink them and remember their taste and consistency." Ross then placed 3 straw bags on the table shaking some of the bottles.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. The three students grabbed their potions respectively, trying to follow Ross''s instructions. "Inside these bags are all the ingredients you need to recreate at least 5 of each potion. But I only need 1." Ross says as he walks out of the library door propping the door open. "Work together or work alone. Ask for help from your parents or relatives. I don''t care, but until then you are not allowed to use the library." "Why can''t you just teach us?" June says as she grabs the bag and walks towards the door. "This place is not a school young lady. I do this out of my own money and out of my own time. I''d be willing to teach you if you were crawling. But you''re not crawling, are you? You''re already walking." Ross says. Understanding his metaphoric statement, Kol agrees. If what Ross said was true and that highborn wizards would be behind them in terms of education and spell practice, means that Ross''s laid-back behavior wasn''t because of his laziness, but because of how highly he thinks of us. Kol thinks to himself, resolving all his thoughts about disappointing Ross earlier. Ross guides his students out of his house. Before closing the door on them, there were a few more words that he just remembered and failed to make clear earlier. "Oh, yeah. Until the third day don''t make your potions here. Experiment and look for a better place." Ross says as he waves his almost empty cup of coffee as he talks. "Once you''re finished, we can hold a small magic duel amongst yourselves. Look forward to that." Ross closes the door, leaving the blanked-faced kids outside. We are going to fight each other? Is that even fair? Is that even allowed? Kol thought to himself looking at David''s muscular build, then turned to June''s beautiful and calculative look. Shit. "Why don''t we try to create the potion together?" David asked Kol, as the three of them started to walk away from Ross''s house. "Sure," Kol replied, quickly thinking of an area where they could safely practice their potion-making. "We have space in our backyard." "Awesome!" David exclaims, looking at June. Kol turned to see June with her beautiful light gold skin, black hair, and what looked like a smile across her face. She was radiant. There aren''t that many girls that Kol knew and would call beautiful, but June was the exception. Her elven features only make her stand out more, and her confident and collected personality gives people the impression that she is important. A noble perhaps. (Charisma D20 roll) ¨C 11 "June. Uh. would you like to join us?" Kol says, "I mean if It isn''t incontinent for you." June gives the boys a concerned look. "You don''t have to of course. Ross said it isn''t mandatory, but.." "Your eyes." She says, "They changed." Kol blushes at the thought of her looking into his eyes. "What do you mean?" Kol asked. "His what? Let me see." David interrupts pulling Kol away from June as they continue to walk. "You''re right. It''s yellow." Yellow? Why would it be yellow? Wait. Does weakness awareness make your eyes glow? Kol thought to himself as he stopped walking touching one of his eyes. June and David stopped as well, concerned about Kol''s change. Kol concluded that the reason for his change was due to the permanent effect of weakness awareness on his body. (Deception D20 roll) - 1 "It must''ve happened when one of the spells I practiced on backfired," Kol said letting out a none convincing laugh. "I''ll think about it," June says. "What? My eye?" Kol asked. June shook her head. "About making the potions together. I''ll think about it." Junes began to walk, then turned. "I know where to find you." Beas support Night comes to Fallholt. We find Kol in his usual spot by the tree behind the orphanage. Ripping a blank page from his spell book and quickly replacing it with the page he received from Ross. (Intelligence D20 roll) ¨C 17 Enticed by his curiosity, Kol quickly memorized the spell''s recipe. The spell Ross gave was a blank Recipe, it only bore the name of the spell and its runes. Unlike Peter''s this page didn''t have notes or insights regarding the spell. After minor adjustments, Kol quickly recites the spell listed on the page. The magic circle coiling around Kol''s palm shatters a second after it''s created. Kol''s hand surged with power, ready to be thrown or ejected. Kol aimed his hand towards his favorite experiment rock and let the magic lose. Faster than a dew drop falling from the leaf it was perched onto the ground. The rock is pelted by 3 fast purple butterflies. The rock now missing, a smile widens across Kol''s face. [Arcane shot] [Blue EN: 7/10] This is. This will be good. Kol thought to himself as he realized using an arcane shot in combination with his awareness buff. Maybe then will he have a fighting chance against his classmates. No matter what I have to do my best. What about my curse? The curse just gave me an amazing buff that I can use permanently. Getting stronger doesn''t just mean learning powerful spells, I have to gather more buffs to support those spells. I just have to be careful not to get inflicted with a negative status. The thoughts echoed in Kol''s mind, and eventually, he walked straight towards the orphanage. I need more positive statuses, the best place to get those is from a cleric. Kol thought to himself as he found himself staring at 14 children around a dining table with Bea in the center, mid-chew. "Kol. What''s wrong? You look like you saw a ghost." Bea says as she brings a spoonful of food to a baby''s mouth, his name is Erl the latest member of their family. "Bea, I was thinking. Do you happen to know any white spells that can give someone a positive status?" Kol asked nervously as if the question was illegal. Wiping the leftover food that dropped from the baby''s mouth, "I only know of two, but like I said Kol. I can''t teach you without the church''s permission. I can only show¡­"The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "Yes. I want to see them." Kol interrupted. "Use them on me." A little while after dinner, Kol and Bea make their way towards the backyard. This time it was pitch black only illuminated by the torches both of them carried. "May I ask why you''re In such a rush to see my magic Kol?" Bea asked placing her torch in one of the stands on the side of the fence. "In three days, we''re supposed to have a duel. I''ll be fighting both of my classmates." Kol said, placing his torch in one of the stands as well. "Kol, I did not raise you to be a cheater. I refuse to give help." Bea says with a stern voice. "No. I don''t plan to cheat. Besides, like I said it''s in 3 days." Kol replies. "Oh, then why are you in such a hurry?" "I was thinking of a strategy, but I kind of got stuck. Which is why I coming to you. I was hoping that your spell would inspire me or give me the boost in confidence I needed to complete my strategy." Kol said as he made sure to tell the truth but not the whole truth. Bea has been with Kol from the moment he was left in a baby basket in front of the orphanage 15 years ago. Bea could tell if he was lying. "Very well." Bea reaches for Kol''s two hands and holds them. "I will be performing two spells. One Is a simple spell and the other is a 1st level spell." "Understood." Bea recites the first spell and a white arcane circle wraps around her hand. The coil lingers unlike what Kol was used to. It stays around her right hand; she then puts her thumb on Kol''s head. The coil then breaks and Bea lets go of Kol''s forehead. Kol feels a warmth of energy rushing through him, making his thoughts clearer and more consistent. "That spell will help you make better choices and give you a better outcome, although success in your choices or decisions is not guaranteed, it can increase the probability." She says with a smile. "I pray every night that Obedience will guide you." The familiar sound of Kol''s system opening right after Bea''s spell made Kol happier. [Guidance] Once, before the spell ends. the next choice or decision you make of any kind has an increased probability of going in your favor. This spell doesn''t affect combat. [Duration: 1 minute] -> [Duration: Permanent] ''Stay calm. There''s time for that later. We still have 1 more spell.'' "The next spell I will cast normally requires a bigger crowd, but it will still be cast on the both of us," Bea explains as the familiar white arcane coil surrounds her body, then Kol''s. Suddenly a rush of white energy flows through Kol, but then quickly dissipates. The spell was over. "This should help you with practicing, it will not last but it is a great help whenever you''re in a tough spot, especially in a fight." The screen then prompts open in front of Kol. This time Kol couldn''t contain his excitement and happiness. "Thank you, Bea!" Hugging her tightly, Kol cherishes the moments she has helped him and this moment was no exception. "Thanks to you I feel more confident now." "You''re welcome." She says hugging him back. "Be sure to lock the door when come inside alright?" Bea says as she picks up her torch and walks towards the back door of the orphanage . watching her leave, Kol then took another glance at what the system said. [Blessed] Whenever you attack, evade, or black the probability of success increases. Only during combat. [Duration: 1 minute] -> [Duration: Permanent] A night for potions Silence falls upon the down of FallHolt, as the townsfolk sleep soundly in the middle of the night. Kol sitting beside the dining room table, reading the parchment containing the instructions for creating the mana regeneration potion. He places each listed ingredient based on its description in the paper, since there weren''t any sketches or illustrations, this was the only way. "Ok, seems simple enough. All I have to do is mix the ingredients in order, and slowly bring them to a boil until their color changes from dirty brown to blue, which would take around 60 minutes." Kol said to himself. He removes his robes revealing a loose and rough fabric for a shirt. The fabric is comparable to a potato sack only cleaner. Kol Ties his long hair to bun and begins the mixture. Kol summons his hand, though it looks like a swarm of purple glowing butterflies. This only served as a visual effect and not its function. Kol ordered his hand to help with the delicate part of the process, parts that are described in the paper as ''carefully place the..'', ''Finely chop the..'', and ''gently stir in a constant rhythm.'' [Blue EN: 7/10] After the arduous process came the wait. Sitting by the small flame of the candle constantly heating a mixture of ingredients inside a glass apparatus held by Kol''s conjured hand, ever so gently tilting very few seconds as to evenly distribute heat. Kol observes the color of the mixture, slowly turn to blue. [Performance D20 + D4 roll] ¨C 20 After the 60-minute mark, Kol holds both potions to eye level. Visually comparing the two. ''They look virtually identical. I guess that''s a good sign.'' Kol pulls the cork from the potion Ross gave to compare their results. After smelling the fragrant aroma both potions gave his conclusion was the same, once again they were identical. Kol is pleased with the positive results so far; he then drank the potion Ross gave and quickly summoned his system to observe the effects. [Blue EN: 5/10] -> [8/10] ''Ok, I guess it can only restore 3 energy points for Mana Regeneration Potion. As described in the instructions.'' Then a sound from the system could be heard. [Blue Energy Accumulation] Your consumption of diluted ''Blue Mountain Flower'' grants you exceptional speed in accumulating blue energy, by (0.05) and increasing your total for a short period.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. [Duration: 8 hours] -> [Duration: Permanent] Kol''s mind is in scrambles, as he tries to make sense of it all. Then, he quickly compartmentalized. ''First thing''s first.'' Kol quickly took his potion, emptied it into his mouth, and then checked his system again. [Blue EN: 8/10] -> [10/10] Kol waited expecting another voice from the system. [Status is already listed. Similar status will last for its normal duration.] (Intelligence D20 roll) ¨C 23 With the information presented to him, Kol concluded that his curse does not allow him to gain the same permanent status. ''Which means I don''t need to cast weakness awareness or any of the spells I received from Bea earlier.'' ''Since I can''t have the same status means that the potion I created was a success.'' Excited about his accomplishment. Kol continued to create the Mana Regeneration Potion the way he did earlier. Following the same concept, Kol does the same thing with Health Regeneration Potion. (Performance D20 + D4 roll) ¨C 10 Though not similar in viscosity, it is still visually recognizable as a health regeneration potion. Looking forward to the system''s voice, Kol drank the potion Ross gave. [Health Development] Your health becomes pristine and new, as you recover health faster increasing your total by (0.05) for the short duration. [Duration: 4 hours] -> [Duration: Permanent] -- Morning comes and Kol is awakened by Gesh, one of the orphan boys living in the house. "Kol, wake up. I need to clean the table." Gesh said pulling Kol''s arm. Standing up, Kol hurriedly cleaned his station, stood up, and left the kitchen. "Your friend is here by the way. He''s in the living room." Gesh says as he wipes the table. ''Friend?'' Kol thinks. The living room was always filled with laughter since this was the central hub for most of the youngest kids. Here they can play and learn as Bea watches over them. This time however there was no laughter. Kol could only hear one voice echoing through the hallway. A familiar voice. Inside the living is David sitting on a stool, surrounded by children. Bea is at the corner repairing a child-size shirt with thread and needle. ". but when he woke up, his wife was no longer on the bed. All that was left was leaves and branches." David read. "She''s standing by the window." A little girl whispered unaware of how loud she was. "Shhh." The kids simultaneously turned towards her. "Alright, Alright. Sorry." She quickly shrunk down in a comfortable position. "He felt cold when the husband turned to close the window. There she was, His wife. Covered in vines, roots, and leaves. Then, she.." David said letting the pause linger, watching the kids tremble in anticipation. "She attacked him!" The kids burst into screams and ran around the living room, constantly bumping into each other. David sat back down clenching his belly in laughter. "Isn''t it a little too early for scary stories?" Kol asked. "Look who''s awake. Hey, they''re the ones who asked for it." Picking himself up and dusting his clothes. "So. Where can we create those potions?" David asked. Kol and David walked towards the backyard. Kol instructed David to place his bags down by the shade of the tree and wait for Kol to fetch a wooded table. "No, need. Watch." David said, then recited a spell. The circle wraps around his fists and shatters. The ground shakes, then bursts open as a 5ft cube of earth erupts. "It''s not pretty but sturdy," David says as he cleans the surface of any loose earth. "Alright. This will do nicely." Kol says, surprised to see David use his magic since they will duel after 3 days. ''wouldn''t it be more advantageous to hide the spells you know?'' Kol thought. "So. let us begin. Please lay out all your materials on the ''table''." Kol says gesturing to the earth. "Wow. Taking charge already. I''m assuming you already know potion making?" "Nope. The only experience I have is from last night." Helping David Time passed as Kol observed David create his potions. Though David followed the instructions as best he could, his ingredient preparation was abysmal, to say the least. Chunks of redcap instead of finely sliced, watery instead of paste-like consistency and he was unable to get the timing of heating the apparatus when mixed. Kol couldn''t blame him since this was his first time preparing such a potion. Everyone started this way. Concluding the only reason, he was able to accurately copy the potion was because he had help in the delicate preparation by his hand. Otherwise, it would take an experienced alchemist to achieve such a feat. "I''m not cut out for this potion-making stuff." David said, "I prefer the hacking and slashing type of activity." ''Hacking and slashing?'' Kol thought. "Why did you join Ross''s class?" Kol asked. "It''s because of my dad," David said, with a visible destain when mentioning his father. "He wants me to be like, a city guard. Climb the ranks you know." Both of them sat by the tree''s roots covered in shade. "Recruitment won''t start until 8 months from now so I figured I''d spend my time doing something else," David says while picking up a pebble to throw. "It doesn''t hurt to go against my dad''s wishes. He hates wizards you see." ''Hates wizards? Why?'' Kol thought, then a wave of realization fell as he remembered the brutality and inhumane procedures Peter subjected his victims to for the benefit of ''knowledge''. "Yeah, I don''t blame him," Kol said without thinking how it would affect David. "I never expected that from you." "Based on what I''ve read so far. There are some pretty despicable wizards out there." David falls silent. Throwing pebbles every few seconds. "Listen, if you do join the town''s guards, I''m sure you''ll be excellent. Especially with a background of being a first-year wizard, you''ll be unbeatable." Kol says in hopes of lightening the mood. "Oh, I know I''ll do great," David said with a smile. (Insight D20 + D4 roll) ¨C 6 "Good, now what do you say we finish this assignment of yours?" They both stand. Refreshed from their short recess, Kol made a few notes for David to follow and even demonstrated a few of the parts that would otherwise be ruined If not done properly.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. After a few hours and a few bags of trying, David was able to recreate the potion, although not perfect it is passable by Kol''s standards. "Dude, you''re the man. I don''t think I would be able to pass this task without your help." David as he plops down to the dirt out of exhaustion. "I''m sure you''d be able to do it¡­ eventually." "Nonsense. I can see why you want to be a wizard. You got the talent for it." ''Talent?'' Kol thought. "No. I didn''t know any of these things. Not until recently." "Wait. Why did you become a wizard then?" David asked. "If you didn''t know you had the talent for this stuff why risk it?" "Well. I don''t hide being an orphan. I''ve been here since I was a baby." Kol said as he stared at the orphanage, the once bright paint now filled with tattered and filled with old and new drawings. The window on the 2nd floor creeks from the wind revealing bunk beds inside. "I want to be a wizard because I want to change the faith most people would impose upon lowly orphans like us. No birthright, no backings, no parents, or no family doesn''t mean the bottom is the only place to be." "You weren''t put up for adoption?" David asked. "No, people usually adopt kids because they need help with chores or work. I can''t do physically strenuous activities because of my build so I remain indoors, and even then, I can''t do household chores. Who would want to adopt a useless boy who only knows how to read?" The backdoor swings open taking both of their attention. Angel comes out with ¨C another angel. Holding Angel''s hand, her tall and curved features, her light gold skin exposed from her tight black shirt that ran just above her belly. Her shorts were of no help as well in covering her skin. Not that she needed to. Her elf ears now pronounced gently carrying portions of her black hair. It was June. "Kol! Another one of your friends showed up!" Angel shouted. Kol and David quickly ran towards them. (Perception D20 + D4 roll) ¨C 13 Catching the last bits of their conversation as they grew nearer. "Oh really?" June says. "Yeah, her name was Nicole," Angel replied. "But Kol says they are just friends." "Looks like you made it. Now that I finished my assignment, I would be happy to help you with yours." Said David cutting the conversation between the two girls. ''What was Angel telling her?'' Kol thought as he looked at June. June approaches the boys but only looks at Kol. "You seem different today," Junes says. Unaware of what June means, Kol just stated the obvious. "I lack sleep. I stayed up late making the potions." "Oh? And did you finish?" June asked. "Yes." Kol stiffens up. The way June looks at Kol and her manner of speaking feels almost like an interrogation. As if Kol was caught doing something he wasn''t supposed to. "I can help you if you want." Kol offered. "That won''t be necessary. I''ve already finished mine." June replied. "Since you are finished. I would like to ask for your accompaniment tomorrow." ''Accompaniment? Tomorrow? Just the two of them? A date?'' Kol''s mind raced as his face went red. "Both of you." June clarified. "Why do you need us to come?" David asked. "I just want to be ready. I don''t have that many clothes for a few nights in the woods." June replied. "Why do you need clothes for the woods?" Kol asked. "Look, I am already in an advantageous position and I will not jeopardize by answering that question." She replies. "I am however willing to admit that I need help navigating the port town south of here. so would you accompany me or not?" ''Advantageous position? I thought I was competitive; this kind of thinking is just crazy.'' Kol thought. But it wasn''t below him to decline a request from a girl. Especially from June, who barely talks. "Alright, we''ll show you around," Kol replied. The Cold winds As the shade of night comes, Kol fights his urge to fall asleep, even after a tiring day with his classmates. In his bed, he lay awake with his system open. [Name: Kol (family name unknown)] [HP: 7+(1)] [Blue EN: 10+(1)] [STR: 9] [DEX: 9] [CON: 13] [CHA: 12] [WIS: 18] [INT: 18] [ABILITY] -PERMANENT BODY- [Weakness Awareness] [Blue Energy Accumulation] [Health Development] [Guidance] [Blessed] His eyes widen at the change. A person''s strength is measured by the amount of HP or energy they have. More HP means you''re sturdier and less likely to die anytime soon and more Energy means more and stronger spells can be cast. These things can reach a maximum, capping at the 50s or so. It can still be increased through artificial means such as potions, spells, and artifacts. ''With this, I can get stronger faster.'' Kol thought to himself in excitement. ''I hope you''re doing as well as I am Nicole.'' The morning comes and Kol readies himself for the day. He wore a duplicate of his shirt from yesterday, a loose white shirt made out of potato sack cloth, wearing shorts made of the same fabric that goes down just below his knee. There isn''t funding from the church to give orphans better clothing. Though it didn''t bother Kol before it did bother him when he met Nicole, but there was nothing he could do to change his fashion. The first piece of clothing that he got was actually from Ross when he gave out robes for the three of them. Tying his long hair to a bun, he wraps his potato bag tied by a string around his shoulder with his spell book inside. Making his way downstairs, he greets Bea good morning. "No class today, Kol?" Bea asked, tending to the baby.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "No. My classmates and I are going to Lindow today." "Do you have money?" "No need. We''ll just be accompanying our friend." ''Is she, my friend?'' Kol thought. "Nonsense. This is for you." Bea grabs Kol''s hand and drops 4 silvered leaves. The balanced world dedicates its entire life to the order and chaos tree. The tree''s leaves hands millions of miles above the flat world simulating daytime and nighttime as the leaves glow from bright gold-yellow in the morning to dark blue at night. Because of this, the world conforms to 1 type of currency. Which is copper, silver, and gold melted into a mold that looks like a leaf. "Bea, no. I can''t take this." "Kol. Don''t worry about it, go and have fun." Bea smiles. Kol hesitated a second but nodded and went on his way. Kol wasn''t a big spender, though he received a few coppers from the library for cataloging their books, he did not know what he could spend It on. In the end, he would just buy food or snacks for the other kids. He thought of doing the same now if not, then he would just return the money to Bea. Kol finds his way down David''s neighborhood. David drew a crude map of Fallholt, with arrows indicating where to pass or what to look out for. Eventually, Kol found what looked to be the correct house. It was a small house, and though it wasn''t as run-down or dilapidated as the orphanage, there were still signs of it being unkempt. Cobwebs on the protruding ceiling, dusty window covers, the plants beside the house though alive but barely. The cold wind catches Kol''s face. The faint crack of thunder from the distance alerts him. Though the sky remained clear, Kol concluded a storm was on its way. Another faint crack of thunder from a distance, at the same time David''s front door swings open. David''s face was red, a smile across his face covering an unknown feeling. His eyes looked swollen, and faint purple mark on the left side of his lips. "David, are you ok?" Kol asked visibly concerned for his friend. "Yeah, it''s nothing." His laugh felt fake to Kol. "let''s go. wouldn''t want to keep her waiting." (Perception D20 + 1D4 roll) ¨C 6 Muffled voices from inside the house diverted Kol''s attention. They seem to be arguing. A man''s voice was the only one he could discern, and then the sound of something fragile like glass shattering could be heard. ''His father perhaps?'' Kol thought. "let''s go," David demanded, pulling Kol''s hand. Kol''s concern for his friend drowned in the confusion of events presented to Kol. Though he was concerned, Kol knew David would just dodge any question Kol would ask. Left with no other choice since this was the first time encountered such a problem, Kol decided to remain silent and follow David to the meeting area. The area where June asked the boys to wait for her is on the edge of the town. An archway with the words ''Welcome to Fallholt'' is found indicating the boundary of the town. A dozen single-horse carriages with their coachman on top line the road. People could walk from Lindow to Fallholt, but it would take an hour and the uphill walk would normally deter most people. The carriages are meant to carry people between towns on predetermined paths. To go from Lindow to Oakhart a person must ride to Fallholt first, then take another carriage from Fallholt to Oakhart. Each carriage can carry a maximum of 4 people not counting the coachman. If all of the carriages are out the people would normally wait in line for the next one to come. This is a very good business to get into if not for the lack of procuring a horse Kol would often entertain the idea of making this his livelihood. "You''re late," June says waiting by an empty carriage. "let''s go, otherwise luie will leave us." "Oh, no miss I can wait. Though Agui here might not agree." An elderly man spoke atop the carriage caressing the brown horse it was attached to. "let''s go. Agui doesn''t like the rain." "You rented a carriage for us?" David asked. "I didn''t want to walk." June clarified. "Obviously." "Obviously." The two boys repeated. 183 years old David immediately positioned himself in the front of the carriage with Loui. Kol assumes he did this to avoid any questions from June regarding his face. The carriage would occasionally cross another carriage carrying other people the opposite of where they were heading. David kept Loui company, talking about horses and their care. David seemed happy to talk to them unless he was hiding his real emotions about horses well. He genuinely looked happy. The complete opposite of what Kol saw a while ago. "You said you needed camping supplies, and you don''t want to lose your advantage from the class." Kol turned to June. "Does that mean after our duel, we''re going camping?" "No. but it wouldn''t hurt to be prepared." June says as she crosses her arms, sitting across Kol. (Insight D20 + D4 roll) ¨C 9 ''I know you''re hiding something.'' Kol thought. "What are you staring at?" June asked catching Kol staring at her. "Is this your first time going to Lindow?" "No, I was here once before, but things have changed since then, things might look different now," June says looking at the graying sky in the distance. "Change? Everything looks the same as before." Kol corrected. June sighed, "57 years ago it was different." June said. The realization hits Kol. How could he have forgotten that June was a high elf? In the balanced world, elves were divided into 2 subraces, A high elf, like June preferred the study of the arcane and mingled with other races. The other is wood elves who preferred the company of animals and forests. Though both have a shade of Gold on their skin the distinguishing factor would be their growth. High elves grew as they age up to 1500 years old, while wood elves would reach maturity first and stay aged at 1500. "I can see it on your face piecing it together," June said. "I am a high elf, I''m 183 years old. By human standards that would be around 16 or 17 years old." "I see," Kol said awkwardly, not knowing what to follow up with after the revelation of her age. "I have a question for you," June said propping up and turning to face Kol. "I know you lied about your eyes, but now it''s more than just your eyes. You seem more confident."If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Kol averts her eyes, preparing how to answer her question. ''Should I lie?'' ''She already caught me in a lie what makes you think she can''t tell this time?'' "Is your sudden change related to that girl you like? Nicole, was it?" June asked. ''What?'' "Like her? Where did you hear that?" flushed from her question. "The little girl from yesterday." ''I''ll double down then.'' Kol took in a deep breath and seemed to relax his before-tensed body. "No. I''ve been experimenting with my spell recipes. When I fail the spell backfires and sometimes causes random effects. My eyes are a testament to that." Kol said confidently hoping to not get caught. "As for my confidence, which I wouldn''t call it that. It''s more of comfortability, getting familiar with how things work especially in our classes with Ross." (Deception D20 + D4 roll) ¨C 22 "Comfortability huh?" Junes looks at Kol, then turns to David. "I see." ''Nailed it'' Kol cheered internally. After a while, the group''s carriage arrives. The entrance has the same busy atmosphere where carriages are waiting for passengers. The familiar archway that says ''Welcome to Lindow''. The port town of Lindow is situated in a way that the main road would divide the town and the sea. The facing east, the town would be on your right and the sea would be on your left. The road would then stretch for until a quarter mile where the sea would gradually disappear into the cliffside. The majority of the town is above the sea and held aloft by planks of wood. Multiple ships docked that sway from the waves, the guards patrolling in groups inspecting every language or passenger that comes and goes from Lindow, the smell of fresh air, freshly caught fish, urine, feces, and probably something that found its way underneath the wooden floor and died. A completely different aura compared to the lazy town of Fallholt. "Here you go." June hands Loui 5 gold leaves, as she dismounts from the carriage. "Wait for us until we get back. Alright?" "Yes, miss." Loui salutes with 2 fingers showing confirmation of their deal. "So. Where do you want to go?" David asked, turning his head to June. "Like I said, I want camping gear. But before that." Junes reaches into her bag. "I told my mother I hired a guide. She gave me money for the guide, since there''s two of you. Just share." June hands 5 gold leaves to David. Both of their jaws dropped at the sight of gold just for them. People would normally be able to save for 1 gold if they probably worked for an entire month. Confused as to who June was for letting go of 5 gold so easily. "Alright. Lead the way guides." June gestures forward. Energized by the leaves they received. The boys imitated Loui and saluted June as well. "Yes, miss." They both exclaimed, then laughed at their goofiness. Reaching the docks, the cold wind was no longer subtle to their skin. The first thing Kol noticed was a ship in the ocean heading toward the island, behind it was a growing cloud of darkness, streaks of light illuminating the cloud ever so often followed by a loud crack of thunder. This wasn''t good. Kol thought he would spend the whole day in Lindow, but they might be heading back a little past noon. David and June noticed the incoming storm as well. But their expression changed almost as if something didn''t add up in their thoughts. "Let''s go. Let''s not waste any more time." Kol cleared the air. "Yeah, it''s this way miss." David was still consistent with the joke. Into the storm David and Kol already planned where to take June. A general store for Adventurers that has garnered popularity over the years is called ''The Ebon Siren''. Though the store is a bit expensive, they knew it was no problem for June. A bell rings as the shop door opens, almost as if being transported to a different dimension. The shop looks clean and tidy, and the air smells like pine trees, a single floating light in the center room of magical origin illuminates the room making it look cozier and homier. Other patrons inside the shop aside from the group tend to mind their own business. A lady speaking to one of the patrons, turned and saw the group coming in. She dismissed the guy and walked towards the group. She was around her mid-20s, and her black hair bounced up to her neck, adorned with beads and stones around her neck, waist, and hands. Her horns protrude inwards like a ram''s and her skin a pale blue with dark patches of blue. She was a tiefling. "Hi, welcome to the Ebon Siren. My name is Shaphi," She approaches June. "You''re in luck today we have half off on caps and hats." She directs the group to a wall where the capes are displayed. None of the group was interested in the capes. Kol wasn''t paying attention. Looking around the room Kol could swear he saw the same person walk by. "Hey. Where are you going?" David asked. "I''ll be looking around." Kold turned to see Shaphi showing June a leader backpack. "Stay with her. I''ll be back." Everything in the shop was labeled and segregated properly. A shelf full of necklaces, rings, coats, shows, and other apparel. Barrels of long staffs of different designs, brooms, and swords. Then, Shaphi is in the corner talking to another customer. Kol turned to the group and saw Shaphi endorsing a small canister. ''that''s something you don''t see every day.'' Kol thought to himself. Waiting for the customer to leave, Kol approached the second Shaphi. "Hi, young man. My name is¡­" "Shaphi, I know." Kol interrupted. "Well. What can I do for you?" "I''d like to know why there are two of you?" Kol gestured to the other Shaphi. "4. The other 2 are doing the office work." She corrected. ''4? How?'' Looking closer at the Shaphi in front of him. (Investigation D20 + D4 roll) ¨C 16 "You''re Illusions," Kol concluded. Looking at her more clearly, Kol squints as to see clearly. Occasionally her form emits dust that floats and then fades.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. "Excuse me?" Shaphi says covering her chest. Kol goes red as the realization sets in. "Forgive me. I was just interested in the spell that''s all." Kol said avoiding her gaze. "I doubt you''d be able to cast it. It''s a 2nd level spell." Shaphi said. ''2nd level? Damn.'' Kol thinks "Alright. Thank you. Sorry again for the.." Kol walked away not finishing his sentence. Another glance on the shelves then Kol left. The shop was too expensive for him. Kol went to a local bakery, a place he was familiar with. This was a place Bea would normally frequent. After a while, Kol left with a basket of bread, cookies, and a blueberry pie. Kol spent most of the money Bea gave him, leaving him a few coppers for himself. Heading back Kol sees David and June by the docks next to a ship swaying from the growing waves. The sky is darker than he last saw it and the winds carry a chill in the air. "Hey, you left so I bought you a backpack as well," David said showing the brown leather backpack. "Thanks," Kol said. "If June is right. At least we won''t be camping empty-handed." "I know," David said. "All this talk about losing an advantage over us are lies, am I right June? You gave us clues so we can also be prepared. You didn''t want us to fail." "Please, why would I give you clues?" "Cause we''re your." David paused with a grin on his face. "Friends!" Kol laughed along with David''s playful teasing. Suddenly their attentions were taken by the sound of a bell ringing across the ocean. A ship approaching the dock in full haste can be seen by all passersby. Behind it was the storm, strong and bellowing approaching the docks matching the speed of the ship. The guards, now gathering in the area where they expect the ship would land. "what''s going on?" David asked. (Nature D20 + D4 roll) ¨C 19 "That''s not a normal storm," Kol said "What?" Junes asked. "The storm is chasing the ship." Kol looked into the sky. "The wind is pointing opposite to the ship. The ship''s sail is enchanted, yes. That''s why it can go against the wind without being pushed back, but the storm should be going in the opposite direction. Away from the ship." "But it''s not." David continued. "Yes, something is wrong with that storm." The concerned look on their faces quickly disappears as horror sets in. Nearing the docks the ship''s bell falls silent. Muffled voices screamed louder and louder as the ship grew closer. The sound of water splashing as if someone fell overboard. Soon the screams were discernable. The ship''s men jump off the ship screaming in fear, screaming as they swim ashore. Those who stayed remained on the edges screaming for help, begging to be noticed. The storm meters away behind them. Kol looked around, the guards sheathing their swords to help the swimmers, some stayed vigilant their sweat visible with clear fear and confusion enveloping them. ''What''s going on?'' Taking a quick count, there were 11 guards in total at the edge of the dock. Turning to June, who probably has more experience with these things, Kol only saw a reflection of his expression. Confusion. At the edge of the dock, a stray swimmer could be seen struggling to pull himself up. ''Should I help him?'' Kol thought. (Dexterity D20 roll) ¨C 12 ''Why wouldn''t I? It''s the right thing to do.'' Kol took a step, and then David ran past him towards the swimmer. More alert and faster than Kol. Helping the guy up the dock, Kol saw several more swimmers being helped by the guards. Setting the basket beside the man, Kol could see the man was struggling to breathe. Probably out of exhaustion. But no physical injuries. ''What got them all rattled?'' Kol asked himself. "What happened?" David finally asked. The man shook and grabbed David by the shoulder. "I knew it was a bad idea; I knew it, but I couldn''t tell them fast enough." He then turned to face the storm. "They took it. And now they have come for it." Their ship rammed the docks causing most of the people to fall. The sound of men screaming, asking for help, for forgiveness, for mercy, to be released, to be spared. Then, the screaming stops. Darkness covered the area, the cold wind accompanied by rain felt like being sprayed by shards of glass. Streaks of light part the clouds, then a thunderous roar. The storm is here. Fish Men Kol''s ears ring, he can''t hear anything. Looking down David is trying to pry the man off of him. Kol turned; the basket of bread was already wet from the rain. He then turns to June who is standing behind them. She was looking at where the crash was, her face pale. ''What is going on?'' he thinks as panic sets in. He snaps out of it. "We have to go. David, we have to," Kol shouts, his voice muffled by the rain. The heavy rain obscured Kol''s vision, someone appeared to have climbed the docks. He sluggishly stood up and walked towards the group. Then, a harpoon shoots out of the water, piercing the man through his chest. Buckets of blood gushing out of him. Gargling blood, the man tried to scream. But he couldn''t. The chains attached to the harpoon tightened, then the man was pulled back into the water. ''Fuck.'' A figure leaped onto the docks from the sea, then another one further ahead. They were bipedal, their skin looked taught, covered in scales similar to a fish, though to them it looked like armor. They wore no clothes; rusted chains circled their shoulders connected to the end of a harpoon held by their webbed hands. They bore no neck their head resembled that of a carnivorous fish. ''What are is that?'' Kol thought, seeing the creature engage in combat with the guards. Soon the sound of spears and harpoons clashing could be heard. Killing one of the guards by impaling its rusted harpoon through his stomach upwards, its tip jutted out the man''s jaw. The man falls limp on the creature''s weapon. Soon another guard came to aid his buddy who was taking on the two monsters by himself. The guards were trained men of the island. They can hold their own against these two, even managing to wound them, but due to the heavy downpour, these men came no close to killing any of these monsters without additional aid. Another figure came out of the water near Kol and his friends. Its eyes were as giant as a plate. it darted around, then fell onto Kol near the edge of the docks. It opens its mouth, the long rows of teeth yellowed from poor hygiene. Salivating. ''Shit. We have to move'' Kol Thought. The creature leaped in their direction. Within a few seconds, it was already behind David, who was helping the swimmer. With both of its webbed hands, it stabs the harpoon right through David''s thigh. Rivers of blood gushed from the wound. David screamed in pain accompanied by a horrified look as he saw the creature in front of him.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Without a second thought, Kol summoned the magic circle onto his palm, pointing towards the creature that stabbed David, the magic shatters. Out came 3 purple butterflies rushing through the air and hitting the creature directly on its back. Its body jerked on impact, then turned to Kol removing the harpoon from David''s leg. David screams again. [Blue EN: 8/11] ''It didn''t even cut it. Damn.'' Kol thought as he stared down the pointed edge of the harpoon. The creature pulled back its arms holding the harpoon, hoping to do the most damage. All of a sudden, a whip of electricity wrapped itself around the creature''s head, forming what looked like a leash. Following the leash, Kol saw it was June who conjured it. She pulled on the leash and the creature was dragged across the docks by its neck, if it had any. Writhing in pain with constant jolts of electricity. ''Good job.'' Kol thought. A man''s scream cuts Kol''s thoughts, as he sees him with a harpoon protruding through his neck. The creature sees Kol. It throws the guard''s limp body away, then runs towards the Kol. ''Another one? Really?'' There were two of these creatures, one June had by a leash, and the other was running towards them after disposing of two guards. The sound of weapons clashing behind the one running towards them, made Kol realize that there were more of these creatures fighting other guards around the dock, because of the heavy rain Kol and the others couldn''t see anything past a few meters. The creature stopped running as a ball of magical fire zips through the air past the creature. It missed. It then turned and gave out a gargling high-pitched scream and continued running. This time towards David. It was he who shot the ball of fire. "Run. Hurry!" Said, David on the floor holding his thigh with one hand and the other pointed at the creature. "Run and get help!" his voice strained. Fear and paranoia have Kol standing in place. His mind races at multiple possibilities and consequences. Their vision was obscured by the heavy rain, sounds were muffled by screams and clashing. The storm was a big factor In this attack, though it couldn''t affect magical flames, it did its job by turning the battlefield to the fishmen''s advantage. The swimmer that David helped got up. And ran towards town screaming. Kol turned to June; she was struggling. The fish tried to attack her, but his harpoon managed to wound her left shoulder. A choice was now laid in front of him. Help June or David. Kol summoned his magic again and shattered in his hand pointing towards the creature running towards David. ''She can handle herself.'' Kol thought. A swarm of purple butterflies appeared from purple smoke and surrounded the fish, biting it. But the fish just swatted them away. -it wasn''t enough. [Blue EN: 7/11] "What does it take to kill you bastards!" Kol screamed out of desperation. "Kol!" June''s voice muffled by the rain. Kol turned to see June, her arm bloodied and breathing heavily. He looked down to see the fish no longer struggling, her whip out of sight. Its eyes are grey with its mouth open. It was dead. ''She can kill them,'' Kol thought. With barely enough of a plan, Kol was desperate. But it gave him a sense of direction to lean towards. ''All I have to do is bring them to her.'' he said to himself. Kol focuses on the incoming fish man. The creature glowed, but the light shrunk every time the creature moved. After timing the glow, Kol found his target. Kol focuses on the spell and recites it by memory. A green glow wrapped around Kol''s hand forming the familiar runes, and then it shatters. Revealing a sickly green beam of light striking the creature on its weak spot. The gills it used to breathe are located above its shoulder and connected to the head. The beam of light strikes true, solidifying for a fraction of a second then turns liquid. It was Peter''s poisonous spell. [Blue EN: 4/11] Iron Taste David is now unconscious due to blood loss, June struggles to reach David trying to give him aid. With one of the fish-men approaching them, Kol used a spell, that he was unaware of what it does. Peter described the spell as causing symptoms equal to that of being poisoned. Though Kol knew how to cast it, he had never targeted a living creature out of fear that it might be something he couldn''t handle. Based on Peter''s notes this spell was effective on living creatures. Kol used the spell to stop the creature before him without any other option. The creature stops as the sickly green ray of light erupts from Kol''s hand and hits it square on to gills. It convulses as puss and boils appear in its body. The creature grabbed its chest, its mouth gasping as if unable to breathe. His scares wither and his grey skin turns green and purple. It fell to its knees on the docks, then with its last breath, it gulped as much as it could before falling to the ground, prone. The Fish was dead. Kol''s mind goes into a short celebration upon killing the creature, then fear sets in. It was one thing reading about the spell''s effects and another witnessing it in person. What kind of a sick person would subject someone innocent to this type of torture? Kol turns to see June cradling David''s unconscious body. The three of them were drenched from the rain, the distant sound of battle fades ever softly. Kol took notice of this, eventually, the battle would end, its outcome uncertain, Kol knew he should help. Otherwise, it won''t matter whether David will be all right or not, they''re all going to die. "Go. Leave David to me." June commands. "Right. I''ll go find help." Kol declares as he runs towards a nearby guardsman doing battle with one fish person. As Kol approaches the guard, the view of the once-obscured docks becomes clearer as he gets closer. A crashed ship splits the docks in two. On this side where Kol was the deck is littered with bodies both of fish and men. The floor itself is no longer wood, but instead, scores of vibrant colorful corals decorate the floor. Upon some time of focus, Kol understood these were no ordinary corals. The bodies inside the thick patches of coral growth appeared to be stabbed, cut, and impaled by them. ''First the fish people. Now the freaking corals too?'' Kol thought. Eventually, he got close to the guard who seemed to have taken a lot of damage from the fish person. "I''m here to help," Kol said, summoning his magic in his hand. A puff of smoke then a swarm of purple butterflies surrounded the fish. [Blue EN: 3/11]Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. It didn''t do anything. ''Right, I forgot.'' Kol says to himself, trying to summon Peter''s spell once more. Then, The whole shipyard shook, and a crack of lightning tore through the sky. Replacing the roar of thunder was a deaf wail of a woman. The scream was so high Kol could swear his ears were bleeding. All of the combatants stopped and turned to their origin. Kol turned to the crashed ship, on top of the railings was the figure of the woman. She then jumps onto the sea, followed by more fish people. The fish fighting the guard in front of Kol stopped when it heard the woman scream. It then stabbed the guard while he was distracted. Red rushed out of his backside. The guard turned to Kol. "Run, kid." He said, coughing blood. Kol reached out his hand. The fish man then leaped into the water, its chains uncoiling. Following its direction, the chains led to the harpoon embedded in the guard''s torso. The chains tightened beneath the water, it tugged and pulled the guard into the water. Kol chased after the guard up to the edge of the docks. But it was too late. He would be too deep for Kol to chase by now. Another guard joined Kol over the edge. "Captain!" he screamed dropping his spear. The sound of splashes can be heard, as one by one the fish people leaped back into the water. ''Is it over?'' The rain lightens, and the dark clouds soon dissipate allowing a few rays of leaf light to poke through. Without the heavy rain, Kol could now see clearly. Looking over the direction of where he came from, he saw June and David being attended by 3 men with similar cuirasses as the guards. June catches Kol''s eyes and waves gently. From this distance, they couldn''t hear each other. Kol smiled and nodded. Hoping June understood. "Are those your friends?" the person beside him asked. He was an elf, wearing the garments of Lindow guards. Kol just nodded. "Thank you for trying to help the captain, if only I was a little faster, I would''ve arrived a little sooner." He said softly with a smile. "Don''t. I didn''t do anything." Kol clarified. Kol told the truth. He intended to help prevent the worst outcome of the battle, but in the end, he was useless. ''I might as well have just watched on the sidelines.'' Kol thought to himself. A person on top of the crashed ship shouted, grabbing the attention of Kol and the elf. "They took something from the ship, Sir." "Any ideas as to what it was?" the elf replied. "No, sir. But the captain of the ship managed to escape the attack, he''s by the barracks right now." "Good. I''ll meet you there." The elf then turns to Kol. "You should be with your friends. We''ll call on you when we need to." Kol took a few steps. Then hears the elf mumble something. Kol turns to see the elf, red gushing from his mouth and stomach. His blue Lindow armor stained as a rusted harpoon protrudes through his back towards his stomach. "No!" Kol screamed as he ran back to catch the elf. The chain once again tightens, then he''s pulled back into the ocean. Red patches of blood paint the sea. Without giving Kol a chance to think another harpoon shoots out of the ocean. Kol could only feel pain. In this entire battle, Kol was never attacked or wounded. The long metal was cold to his skin as he held his stomach. The taste of iron built up in his throat. Kol knew what was going to happen next. With all of his might, he grabbed the chain and held on, firmly planting his foot on the wooded floor. ''I won''t give you the satisfaction.'' Kol thought, holding onto the chain and waiting for the pull. He planned to pull against it and hopefully drag the fish out of the water. The tug came, as expected. [Strength D20 + D4 roll] ¨C 7 the next instant, Kol poured everything he had onto his arms. But he found himself already in the water. Tree Folk Staring at the fading light, slowly being swallowed by the dark sea. The sharp pain in his lungs pulsates throughout the body every time he tries to breathe. The air bubbles escaped his mouth, watching them float towards the surface. His vision fades to nothingness. -- "Obedience, Guides those who are worthy. Today we will be celebrating the arrival of Kayil Nola, a well-known priest of the Obedience church." Kol was a well-read man, especially in the scriptures of the church. Their books are the only ones that could give him answers regarding his ''curse''. Even then he did not know of a priest named Kayil. The church like everything has a set of rules set by a hierarchy of people. The person will start as a student of the church, learning spells and helping the church. When you graduate, you become either a cleric or a nun, they are the ones being sent to aid people outside of the church and spread the word of Obedience. When you''ve achieved a certain amount of merit or fame, you can become a priest or priestess. Those in charge of guarding and protecting their church and the followers under them. Only then when you reach this rank will you be able to learn healing magic. Healing Magic is precious in the Balanced World and not everyone can access it. But there are those under the church permitted to learn only healing magic despite not reaching the Priest rank. These people are called healers and are taught the most basic healing spells. Healers can normally be found in their temple healing the sick and injured. For a price. "Kol, come with me," Bea said as she grabbed Kol''s hand. "Kids behave, we''ll be back. Raf, look after them." "Don''t worry," Raf replied. Kol never wanted to come to the ceremony, all he wanted to do today was just stay inside and read. But he could never say no to Bea, the woman who watched over him and his fellow orphans since he was a baby. Bea was a nun, a follower of the Obedience church tasked to watch over the Oakheart Island orphanage. Of course, she would be present in this ceremony. The church and other private organizations provide financial stability for the orphanage. Their presence is a way for them to show their thanks. "Where are we going?" Kol finally asked. Moving through the crowd pulling Kol''s hand, "I want you to meet Kayil. He was my teacher back when I was in the church." Bea said. The crowd cheered taking Kol''s attention. He looked to the front of the church, there he saw Kayil.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. He was young, probably someone who just reached his early 20s. he was slender and tall, decorated with gold leaves around his neck, and gold vines crawled down his white robes. The sigil of the church, a tree with some sort of ribbon or cloth wrapped around It, all in gold in front of his robes. ''This was Bea''s teacher?'' Kol thought. "I welcome everyone who came out to greet me. It is such an honor to be here with you today. The Duke of Oakheart has graciously invited me to stay in their castle for the remaining time I will be here on the island. But rest assured I will be going through all of your homes, together with a few of my healers. I promise you, people of Oakheart. In the name of Obedience. Nobody will be knocking on death''s door while I am still here." The crowd cheered, everyone in tears and glee. ''That was bold.'' Kol thought. Kol has read enough to know that healing magic has the power to bring someone back from the inch of death but to openly taunt death was another story. Kol could not help but smile. At the back of the church, Kayil is being tented to by 3 other people in white robes. Plain white with no decorations or any hint of gold. Clearly distinguishing who has the power among them. "Careful with those chests. The church will not forgive us if a whole chest of scrolls becomes unused." Kayil said as he turned towards Bea. "Well look what we have here. It''s been a long time, Bea." "You too your Holiness," Bea says as she bows her head. "Please, I think I''ve earned the right for you to refer to me casually." "Be honest, K. I know you liked being praised," Bea said with a playful tone. ''K?'' "Don''t tell anybody, they might stop doing it." The two broke into laughter. Kayil then noticed Kol standing behind Bea. "Who''s this?" Kayil asked. "K, I''d like you to meet Kol. He''s one of the orphans I''m charged with." "Well, hello, young man." Kayil reached his hand out for a shake. Kol stayed quiet behind Bea. Not because of shyness, but fear. Kol wasn''t fond of going outside because of his curse he didn''t know when and where a sickness would come. "Well, isn''t he shy," Kayil said looking back to Bea. "What can I do for the both of you? I know you didn''t just want to catch up Bea." "Kol constantly stays inside the house and just reads. Just like you used to K. I was wondering if this was something similar to what you had back then." "That would be very unlikely. But it wouldn''t hurt to try." Kayil said as he squatted down. "Come here young man, let me just check something." Kol was hesitant, but after hearing the purpose of this encounter was to help him. Despite Bea not knowing what he was, it was worth a try. Besides who better to help him than a priest? Kol reached out his hand. The moment their hands touched, Kayil pulled back. His face contorted then quickly covered with a smile. "I''m sorry Bea, but he doesn''t have what I have," Kayil said. "But he is gifted." "Gifted? You mean." "Yes. He is a tree folk." Kayil Clarified. Tree folks are people with specific abilities, such as the one Kol has. It is said that occasionally the Tree of Balance would suffer from cuts and wounds due to its growing age. When this happens the tree''s sap would fall onto our world blessing the individual it touched. The creature will not gain anything from this blessing, in some cases they aren''t even aware they are blessed. But the child of that individual would gain the blessing in the form of skill or ability unique to themselves. Kol was already aware of this. But it was something he wanted to keep a secret, especially from Bea. Tree folks are not common but they aren''t rare either. In the town of Fallholt alone Kol could count at least 11 kids who were tree folk. "Though I do not know the skill or ability he possesses, rest assured he doesn''t have it." How we first met "You never told me you were a tree folk," Bea said after looking down at Kol. "I don''t like my ability," Kol muttered. "it''s a curse." "Listen, kid. The Tree gave you that ability for a purpose, whether you like it or not. You''re stuck with it." Kayil said looking towards Bea. Kol knew what Kayil said was true, but at the same time, he didn''t want to admit defeat to the faith submitted to him. All those times reading and researching the answer to why he was given such an ability was always vague and dismissive, which is why Kol asked a different question. "You''re wrong," Kol said with a stern voice. "I don''t have to be stuck with this. I can get rid of it." Kayil pulled back, then turned to Bea with a concerned look. "The fruit of the Tree can get rid of it." A look of disappointment washed over the two as they closed their eyes. "Kid. The Fruit of the Tree of Balance is a myth. Nobody has even come close to locating the tree let alone set eyes on its fruit." Kayil said. "Kol, if this is why you''re always inside, reading. I understand. But to question the tree''s will is to question Obedience herself." Bea said. "No. you don''t understand I don''t want to be like this." With that Kol took off, disappearing amongst the crowd. Kol went to his usual spot behind the orphanage. Despite being a bookworm who stays inside, this was his favorite place. A place without much noise and can provide shade during the day when he wants to read¡ªthe apple tree behind the orphanage. ''I''ll find that tree, I''ll show you.'' Kol thought to himself, tears rushing down his face. He began to take a stick and drew on the ground, still mumbling to himself. A branch fell beside Kol. Instinctively he looked up. A girl with bright red hair in an elegant black dress pressed between branches. The beams of light poking through the leaves hide most of her facial features, but a girl she was. "Sorry. I was trying to get an apple until you came and there. Alone. Crying." She spoke. Kol''s face goes red. He quickly wiped the remaining tears on his face.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "I wasn''t." Kol sniffled. "Crying." "Relax, don''t worry your secrets are safe with me." The girl said, maneuvering herself through the branches to jump down. "Who are you again?" Kol asked. The red hair jumped from the branches, landing gracefully beside Kol. Mesmerized by the sudden beauty in front of him. Kol couldn''t think of anything except her. "Listen. Don''t tell anybody I''m here." She says dusting herself off. "Hello. Did you hear me?" Kol''s mind is still blank. "What first time seeing someone as pretty?" She says sarcastically. Without even thinking Kol immediately replied. "Yes." Her face goes red. Both of them hear heavy footsteps from the corner of the orphanage. Red quickly darted towards the apple tree. Making herself small intending to hide behind the tree. "Psst! Remember you never saw me." She said quietly shouting over to Kol. Out of the corner, 3 women appeared, they had red and gold matching cuirass. A pointed metal helmet and red leather paddings over their arms. They all carried spears with their shields on their back. They were Oakheart guards. They walk over to Kol, giving only a few meters between them. The lady in the middle spoke first, her voice firm and unwavering. "Kid, have you seen a girl pass by here, she should be around your age?" the lady said, scanning the area and not paying attention to Kol. ''Should I tell her the truth?'' Kol thought to himself. Kol''s eyes darted toward the girl behind the tree, looking desperate. Kol''s heart melted. "She had red hair, right?" Kol asked. "Yes, that''s her." The woman replied. "Why are you looking for her? Is she a criminal?" "No. She''s the youngest daughter of the duke." One of the women from behind replied. "Look do you know where she is or not kid?" ''Damn it. Of course, she''s a noble.'' "I think I saw ran through and went towards the church," Kol replied. The ladies clicked their heels together as if given an order, then started marching towards the church where Kol was from earlier. After a few minutes of waiting the girl came out of hiding. "Thanks. I owe you one." "Don''t mention it." Kol said, "Lady Oakheart." Red paused for a while. She took a deep breath, then continued. "don''t call me that. I already get enough of that at home I don''t need it from someone my age." "What should I call you then?" Kol asked. "Nicole would be enough." "Well. ''Nicole'' I''d advise you to leave and look for somewhere else to hide. If they come back and find you here it might bring trouble to the orphanage." Kol said sitting down the tree. Nicole looked around the vicinity before she continued. "Why do you care what happens to the orphanage?" She asked. "It''s not like you''re an orphan." Gesturing to Kol''s attire. Kol didn''t what he was wearing. Bea wanted them to be presentable because she wanted to introduce us to Kayil when he arrived. She gave the kids old but proper clothes and passed down the orphanage for certain casual events. From the pile of clothes, Kol was able to pull together a casual suit and tie appropriate for a 10-year-old, with black shorts and oversized leather shoes that Kol placed pieces of cloth inside to make it fit. "What if I am?" Kol asked. Nicole gave a stunned look. Mostly because of what she said regarding the orphanage, if she only knew she might not have said such a thing to Kol. "Forgive me. I didn''t mean to." She said sitting down beside him. "Is that why you were crying?" "I wasn''t crying." Kol clarified. "And no, that''s not the reason why." "Well. Who better to open up to than a stranger? Stranger." She gestures to Kol. Kol could not help but smile in the presence of someone as beautiful as her sitting beside him. Her skin was fair with no imperfections she was perfect along with her bright red hair. The signature of the Oakheart family. "I''m Kol." Eden The searing pain radiates from Kol''s stomach. Kol wakes up to find himself in a dark room only illuminated by a distant torch. Sitting upright on the wooded seat where he lay. The room was small and wooden, the wood itself was not well kept. Mold, algae, and corals grow from the cracks between planks. To the south of the room, there were bars of rusted iron replacing the wall. Water flows inside the room through the bars submerging the floor up to Kol''s ankles. The small waves rushing in synchronize with the crashing sound from outside of the room. He was inside a ship. Adjusting his vision to the faint light of a torch, Kol notices 3 other beings inside the room. 2 of them were already familiar to him, but the other wasn''t. "Good his awake." The elf guard said, half of his face illuminated by torch light. "What happened?" Kol asked, still groggy from his sleep. "How long was I out?" "Easy. Don''t push yourself. You were badly injured." The elf said slowly approaching Kol. ''Badly injured? How come you''re doing fine you took the same harpoon as I did.'' Kol thought looking at the handsome elf in front of him. "They took us here after the attack, we don''t see the canopy to tell the time that torch is the only light we see, though we assumed 4 to 5 days have already passed." He said, "Occasionally they bring us food, and sometimes Eden comes to check on you." "Eden?" The other human guard sitting in the corner stood up and approached the bars. The captain of the Lindow guards, Kol remembers the elf addressing him that way before they were captured. "The Sea hag who runs this place." He says as he kicks the other person crouched in a fetal upright position. "This rat here is to blame for that." "I''m sorry. I already told you we were only given orders." The man stood up revealing 2 tusks protruding from his lower jaw, his nose was big and flat, with grey skin and a pronounced forehead. He was a Half-orc. The captain and the orc started going back and forth. Without paying attention to their conversation, Kol looked around to make sure everything was accounted for. Kol still has his spell book inside his bag beside him, he was using It as a pillow this whole time. Trying to keep his nerves together, the cold air sets in. Kol notices the water level receding. Kol decides to Open his status. [Name: Kol (family name unknown)]Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. [HP: 5/7+(5)] [Blue EN: 10+(5)] [STR: 9] [DEX: 9] [CON: 13] [CHA: 12] [WIS: 18] [INT: 18] [ABILITY] -PERMANENT BODY- [Weakness Awareness] [Blue Energy Accumulation] [Health Development] [Guidance] [Blessed] ''4 has been added. That means at least 4 days have passed.'' Kol thought to himself. ''What about the duel?'' Upon thinking Kol''s mind is flooded by thoughts of the island. The orphanage, Bea, Nicole, his classmates, and his teacher. Eventually they all quiet down. Kol''s emotions under check he decides to put matters into his hands. He doesn''t intend to stay in this place any longer. "We have to get out of here." Kol declared. "If you don''t mind, I would like to ask what are your abilities and your names." Kol''s Voice sounded firm; his confidence made everyone in the room quiet for a few seconds. But everyone then responds. "My name is Drew; I used to be the 3rd captain of the Lindow guards. I''m a 2nd level red energy user." Said the rough-looking man, though he was muscular, his build was still small comparable to Ross''s. The only thing differentiating him and the elf in terms of rank is that he had a logo of Lindow in his shoulder pads, while the elf didn''t. "I''m Balfir, a high elf second in command of the guards. I am a first-level red energy user." The elf says The half-orc looked disappointed but still complied as the two guards glared at him. The Half-orc sighs, "I''m Zar, but I don''t use any energy." Upon hearing all of their introduction it was Kol''s turn. "My name is Kol, I''m a wizard, and with your help, I think we can find a way out of this place." He declares. "I''m sorry how old are you?" the orc spoke, "are we really going to follow a child?" "Shut up. That child was able to kill one of those fish monsters. While I wasn''t even able to wound one on a one-on-one fight." Interrupted the captain. "I was only able to kill one when I had help from another fellow guards'' men," Balfir said, surprised at the captain''s statement. The orc stayed quiet. "How do you intend to bust us out?" Drew asked. "Yes, how? I''m curious myself." The greasy voice of a woman silenced the room, Everyone tensed in fear, she was shorter than Drew standing on the other side of the bars. Her long wet black hair covers her face. 2 webbed and clawed hands wrapped around the bars, her sickly pale skin similar to a corpse left on a body of water to rot. Her smell was sour like that of a fish drying in the sun, Though Kol could not see her face, he could feel the fear from his 3 companions. This was Eden. ''Where did she come from? I didn''t even hear her move through the water.'' Kol thought. "Well?" she said dragging her words. "I''m waiting." Kol took this opportunity to take control of the matter. currently, he is aware he couldn''t defeat Eden. But he can try provoking her to learn more about her. "I will find a way out of here, mark my words," Kol said approaching the bars. Eden began to laugh hysterically. Then she stopped, slowly revealing her repulsive face to Kol. She looked horrid as if her face was a victim of an accident from falling off a cliff head first to the ground. Her eyes were protruding through her skull her eyelids were red and inverted it was bigger than a normal person''s, and her lips chipped from dryness despite being wet herself. Teeth similar to that of a shark crudely lined her mouth causing difficulty for her to close it fully. [Wisdom D20 + D4 roll] - 4 Her and Kol''s eyes locked. Then a sound rang inside Kol''s mind and the familiar blue screen popped up beside him. [Frightened by Eden] You are in a state of constant fear over the Sea Witch Eden. For the duration of the effect, you subconsciously move out of her sight. [Duration: While looking at her] => [Duration: Permanent] Kol sighs in disappointment. Playtime Her form turned liquid as she passed through the bars, she walked towards the center of the room. Slowly approaching Kol. Her deformed face was right next to his, he could smell the halitosis wafting off of her every breath. Kol''s Avoiding her direct gaze Kol looked for his companions. Each of them cowering in a fetal position in every corner of the room. ''What is wrong with you? Now is your chance to attack her.'' Kol thought to himself, unwilling to admit his deep fear. "I like you," Eden says as she pulls away looking at the rest. "Mother will surely like you too. She likes them fresh." ''Mother?'' Eden then walks towards the bars her form liquifies once again, then reforms on the other side. "Mother will be here in 5 days," She looked towards the other companions. "We have much to prepare." She then snaps her fingers, the sound echoes through the wooden dungeon. Then, two fish-men came running towards her, harpoons at the ready. They stood behind her, waiting for her command. "You like them?" She says as her hand floats over to one of the fish. "They''re my babies. Aren''t they cute?" giving one of them a kiss. "Take the elf." She said, her voice changed from playful to demanding. The fish then opens the cage, pulling out a set of keys from its waist. Drew tried to fight back but was easily pushed aside, while Zar remained in his position cowering. They take Balfir by the arms, one fish on each side as they carry him outside. The fish locked the bars and then presented Balfir In front of Eden. Balfir looked strong, second only to the captain, and yet there he was. On his knees shivering from fear in the presence of Eden. "Are you going to kill me?" his voice shaking. "Branches no, I just want to play with you." She says holding a crooked smile. She then turns to Drew and Zar inside the cage. "I''m going to play with all 3 of you." Eden snaps her fingers again, and the fish lifts Balfir by his arms once again and then starts dragging him past Eden.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "Careful now. You wouldn''t want to injure your new Daddy now, would you? Take him to my chambers." Eden turns to look at the cage one more time, then leaves. Following the same route the fish went. As soon as Eden leaves, the pressure in the room disappears. The fear they felt quickly shifted to anger and disgust. "What''s gonna happen to him?" Kol asked. "Isn''t it obvious? She''s growing her army." Drew said the whites in his knuckles began to show. "This is all your fault." Gesturing to Zar. "We didn''t intend for any of this to happen," Zar said. "She wasn''t here when we came a few weeks ago. How could we have known that it would bring the wrath of someone as unnatural as her upon us?" "Her wrath?" "What happened if I may ask?" Kol interrupted. The two turned to Kol. Drew was unwilling to let go of his anger and just sat in the far back of the corner. Kol then turned to Zar, who seemed shocked and full of regret. "We''re a shipping vessel, we ship goods from Pilwin to Garford. One day we spotted a shipwreck near the borders of Oakheart, on one of our routes. Our captain wanted to investigate, in case people needed help. But the ship was empty from what I heard." "You weren''t with them?" Kol asked. "No. I stayed in the ship. Anyway, the ship was empty apart from one thing. A chest. It was filled with gold leaves, books, scrolls, and other valuable items that only nobles could have. At the time we didn''t think any of it, so we brought the chest back with us." "Yes, that always is the best idea," Drew added from the corner. "It was a treasure chest; we couldn''t just leave it behind. From that day a storm started following up. Only then did we realize the mistake we had made. When the fish people started attacking, we went straight to Oakheart since it was the closest." Kol took his time thinking to himself. He concluded that Eden was not here during the time Zar and his men took her treasure and the treasure was just left unguarded as opposed to Eden leaving the treasure as a trap for others to take and capture. The reason for this is due to the response time the fish had between taking the treasure from the shipwreck and boarding the shipwreck. Meaning Eden left her treasure unguarded and stolen, which she then needed to get back by attacking a town. ''What is so important in that pile of treasure?'' Kol asked himself. "You''re one of Ross''s students, aren''t you?" Drew said coming over from the corner. "Yeah, though it''s only been a few weeks." Kol clarified. "So, how do we get out of here?" "I used to have a plan. But after witnessing what Eden can do to us just by her sheer presence I need to think of a new one." Kol thinking about his previous plan which is to just blast through the wall and use the bars to fight their way out of the shipwreck would now be useless when Eden shows up rendering everyone immobile. Now he has to think of a better one. "If we were to fight our way out do you think you can handle it?" Kol asked. Drew stopped to think for a while before giving his answer. "If we fight our way out, I can handle a few if I have help, I won''t be much use alone. These monsters are stronger than me." "In any case, I want to observe them for a while before sharing my plan. Do you think you can wait for a few days?" Kol asked. The toll of what Kol was asking did not register to him. Waiting for a few more days means Eden can use them for her playtime. "We need to do this before her mother comes. Otherwise, we will have 2 problems on our hands." "Right. Her Mother." He doesnt swing that way The fish comes once a day to give them their rations. A mixture of corals, fish, and seaweed. Although it looked unappetizing the 4 had no choice in the matter, they needed to keep their strength up. For Kol he needed to heal and recuperate, for the 3 it was a matter of keeping up with Eden during playtime. For the past three days after Kol woke up, they timed the basic schedule of the comings and goings of the fishes. Since there is no sign of morning light their timer begins when one of the fish comes and collects the utensils left by the previous fish during meal time. Today was Zar''s turn for playtime. After Drew was dropped off, he never spoke, he just crawled up in one corner and kept silent. "Do you have anyone waiting for you outside?" Balfir asked Kol. Caught off by his sudden question, Kol took a while before replying. "Yes, I have people waiting for me." "You''re lucky," Balfir gave a small smile. "I have no one." "Really?" "Yes, they all left. I am the only one left in Oakheart." He said reaching into his chest, he pulled out a locket. "Last I heard she was already making small sentences." Balfir opens the locket revealing the ketch of a baby beside the sketch of another elf woman. "She''s beautiful." "Thanks," "Your wife?" Kol already finished the question before realizing the sensitivity of it. "Wife another elf," Balfir replied. "I''m sorry I didn''t mean to." "It''s alright." He says as he pulls the locket off of his neck and hands it over to Kol. "Here. if any one of us deserves to escape, it should be you." His tone was heavy, determined. In the face of so much conviction Kol folded. Taking the locket and placing it inside his bag. From the corner, Drew approached the two and sat beside them. He looked tired and defeated. Kol knew playtime with Eden was taking a toll on them, sooner or later their window of opportunity would vanish. Kol volunteered to come up with a plan out of desperation to escape. Only now did he feel the heavy weight he placed upon himself. His mind was full of doubts, full of possibilities, one mistake, and their lives were forfeit.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! "Where are we on the plan?" Drew finally spoke. Kol was reluctant to reveal the plan circling his head. But he knew these people depended on him. Whether they like it or not, at the very least he was able to form a foundation to which they could add on. "We will be escaping tomorrow," Kol said taking a deep breath in before continuing. "But for this plan to work we will need Zar, he will be the key to our escape." The guards looked at each other in confusion but quickly dismissed all of their Ill notions regarding the half-orc. After sharing his plans with the guards Kol remained silent and waited patiently for their feedback. Surprisingly they both agreed. "Honestly, your plan is more thought out than mine, which makes it better than mine," Drew said as he patted Kol''s head. "I planned to just rush them and break down the bars." They broke down in laughter. Their laughter felt strange. As if the small flame of a campfire in a dense dark forest in the middle of the night. After going through what they have been through the past few days, laughing felt weird. As if they don''t have permission to laugh. After their laughter dies down, the distant splashes of water can be heard approaching. The fish bringing in Zar. They open the bar doors and then throw Zar inside. ''The timing is off, that was too short for playtime.'' Kol thought looking at Zar on all fours. The barred door closes and the fish walks away. "Kid, you better come see this," Drew called. Kol rushed over to see Zar, pale, cold, and sweating profusely. "I''m sorry, I had to," Zar said turning over and dropping to the ground, prone. Zar lay on the floor, his flat lower half submerged in the salty water. The dark water reflecting the torch light begins to turn red. Following the blood, its source was Zar, his lower region gushing red. "What did you do?" Balfir asked his voice concerned. "All you had to do was go through it and do what she asked," Drew said holding his upper half above water. "I don''t swing that way," Zar said before fading to darkness. After a while, the group placed Zar in the single plank of wood held aloft by two sets of chains tied to the wall. This was the bed where Kol woke up. "This won''t change the plan, would it?" asked Balfir. "Of course it will, the guy is unconscious what can he contribute?" Drew asked looking at Kol. "Look I never liked the guy but even I know he cannot go far. Bringing him would only jeopardize the plan." "Are you suggesting we leave him, captain?" "No, what I''m saying is what if we wait a few more days? Wait until he heals." "No, our only opportunity is tomorrow. Before her mother visits." Kol clarified. "Why? it''s only her mother." Drew asked. "Right now, all of the information I''ve gathered is still valid. When her mother comes things might change. Maybe Eden will no longer need you for her playtime. Maybe she''ll double the guards. She might even relocate. Any change to their current routine will result in the current plan''s failure. To remedy this more days and more time is required to study them again to formulate another plan." Kol said hiding his anger. "We have no choice; we have to do it tomorrow." "And what about him?" Drew asked. "The two of you are the only melee fighters we have; both hands must be free to protect us." Kol took a deep breath. "I will look after him as long as you can watch our backs." "Where would we be without?" Drew asked. "We''d probably be dead from following the captain''s absurd plans." Blfir said with a small giggle. "It''s settled then. Tomorrow, we escape." -- "Interesting," Eden says looking at the prison cell through a crystal ball. "Mother will like you indeed." It begins On the 4th day, one day before Mother arrives. Kol decided to check his status, hoping to be fully healed. After all the wound in his gut no longer ached and bled. Though the wound is still present. This was normal for the people of the balanced world. Thanks to the status their condition rapidly changes based on the individual''s HP. [Name: Kol (family name unknown)] [HP: 9/7+(9)] [Blue EN: 10+(9)] [STR: 9] [DEX: 9] [CON: 13] [CHA: 12] [WIS: 18] [INT: 18] [ABILITY] -PERMANENT BODY- [Weakness Awareness] [Blue Energy Accumulation] [Health Development] [Guidance] [Blessed] [Frightened by Eden] Comforted by the increase in health and blue energy, Kol decided to talk to his companions in the hopes of running through their plan once more. Kar was already awake and no longer bleeding, though he still felt the pain and was walking sluggishly. This assured Kol that they no longer had to move as slowly as he had expected to. "Remember, once playtime is over when you''re brought back make sure to note which one of the fish has the keys. We''ll handle the rest when you get back." Kol assured both of them. Eden''s selection was not difficult to discern, she said before that she was saving Kol for her mother. That leaves the 3 of them, Eden used one of them each day. After Balfir on the first day, then Drew, and after that was Zar. Unfortunately, after mutilating himself, Eden now has to choose another for her playtime. It boiled down to either Drew or Balfir. On cue, the 2 fish came and took Drew for Eden''s play time. "Nothing to do now except wait," Kol said to himself. After some time had passed the group''s nervousness was evident. Balfir paced in the center of the room, every step displaced the water on the floor. Zar kept on checking under his red-stained pants, hoping it would immediately heal or maybe regretting what he did. Kol sat beside Zar tapping his foot on the surface of the water.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Why did you do it?" Kol finally asked looking at Zar who was checking under his pants again. "I know you''re still a kid, but once you understand who you are you''ll know." ''Was that a riddle?'' "You''re right I don''t understand," Kol said looking down. "Can I ask you another question?" "Sure kid," Zar said relaxing and leaning back on the wall. "You knew we were planning on escaping," Kol said turning to him. "Yet, you cut yourself anyway." Zar tensed trying to expect what Kol''s question would be. "I want to know what you will do if we succeed. If we did escape, what would you do then?" "Well. What if we don''t?" Zar said. Zar''s answer sent shivers down Kol''s spine. It made him wonder if the kind of world he read in all of those holy scriptures was false. All those books filled with goodness and kindness are being spread worldwide. Where was it? Balfir''s ears perk up. He looks to the two on the bench. Red magic circles around Balfir''s, shattering and replacing it with red translucent armor. Though the shape was pronounced at certain angles it can''t be seen. "they''re coming," Balfir sat beside the door. Zar laid back down on the wood as Kol stood beside him. His heart pounded as multiple circumstances flashed through his mind. ''This is it. Obedience, guide us.'' Kol thought to himself. Soon the splashes of water could be heard, Drew was coming. The group each turned to one another signaling their readied state. Then, the doors opened and Drew was thrown inside. "Help us, please! I think he''s dead." Kol shouted to the fish pointing towards Zar''s body. [Deception roll D20+D4] ¨C 22 The fishmen looked at each other. The one with a harpoon on its back gestured to the key bearer to check. It approached the body beside Kol. Balfir stood up behind the two fish and so did Drew, who stood between the two fish. Kol looked at Drew who gave him a reassuring nod. ''We begin.'' Kol focused on the fish before him, the same area glowed. Its gills. Kol thought of every spell he had in his arsenal, only one had shown to be the most effective. It was Peter''s spell. Blue magic circled Kol''s hand pointing towards the fish before him. A sickly green beam of light erupts from his hand as the circle shatters, hitting the fish. [Blue EN: 17/19] The fish starts spilling its guts out from the poison. Behind it, Balfir grabs the harpoon on the fish''s back. Before the fish could react, Drew tackled It to the flood and held it in place. Balfir then came up to its face and stabbed its harpoon through its gaping mouth. Zar stood from his board and combined his hands into a fist, striking the back of the fish Kol attacked. Killing it. Seeing the fish lay lifeless in its vomit, Kol looks up to see the other one still struggling while impaled by a harpoon. He summons his magic once more shattering it to summon a swarm of purple butterflies to attack the prone fish. Looking at the butterflies, Balfir pulls the harpoon and stabs the fish once more. Leaving it lifeless on the floor. [Blue EN: 16/19] The prison cell fell silent, making the crashing of the waves from outside more pronounced. The party looked at each other. Kol almost smiled from their small victory, his voice then turned low and hushed. "Get torch from outside," Kol said tossing the key to Drew. "Zar, can you walk?" "I can. Don''t worry about me." The door swings open and Drew comes with the torch from outside. "Why the torch?" Balfir asked. "Unlike you and Zar, me and Drew can''t see in the dark." "Let''s go," Drew said picking up the harpoon. The party moved out of the prison cell. Greeting them was the wooden floor that ends after another room beside theirs, the wood then turns to dark water and stone that leads down into darkness. "Remember, this is only a piece of a ship, the rest of the way is stone," Balfir said. "We''re inside of a cave," Drew said coming behind them. "Our goal is to leave this place, that means no unnecessary fights and no splitting up, if we encounter Eden, Don''t engage. its not worth it. " Kol said in a hushed voice. Her children Staying close to the shadows the party goes down the cave. The water slowly gets deeper¡ªthe sounds of the waves crashing from outside echo throughout. The cave itself looked roughly carved and not naturally forming. Based on Drew and Balfir''s descriptions, the cave would form tunnels that fork, twist, and turn connecting to different parts of the ship and other cave alcoves. The tunnel the party followed split towards their left. "The fish would lead us through the left tunnel." Said Balfir in a low tone. "Yeah, it''s the same for me," Drew confirmed. "And if we go straight?" Kol asked staring down the only other way. "I don''t know we were never taken that way." Said Drew. [Perception D20+D4 roll] ¨C 6 Kol tried to look down the tunnel to the left, but all he could see was darkness - One of the perks of being a human, No dark vision. Balfir pulled Kol to the side noticing his destain. "There''s one of them down there, just standing on guard," Balfir told the group. "Ok. Tell me if he notices." Kol said as he summons his hand, floating it across the tunnel towards the unvisited side. The tunnel was empty. Kol looked at the party silently giving them a signal. The party understood and Balfir immediately looked toward the tunnel with the fish. They waited a few seconds, then Balfir signaled. [Stealth D20+D4 roll] - 22 Kol went first slowly crossing the tunnel''s opening and immediately pressed his back to the cave wall. Kol Looked at the yellow-tinged outline of the party, giving them an ok sign. Drew waited for Balfir, and soon he was beside Kol. Zar and Balfir followed in the same fashion. Balfir took point while Kol stayed in the back, this was because of Balfir''s dark vision and Kol''s floating torch. Eventually, Balfir''s tensed posture fell, then turned to the party. "It''s clear." Kol sent the torch to the front, revealing a small carved-out make-shift room. the room was filled with hooks in various sizes, some still had fish on them. Nets hang on the walls, including different types of rusted knives. Various corals and seaweed filled baskets, barrels, and creates. A table made out of a wooden board held together by a rope tied to a big rock below it. This was a kitchen.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The party immediately grabbed anything they could find edible and ate to their fill. Only being given food once a day made them skinny and malnourished. Balfir grabbed another harpoon laid out in the side. Now the two guards were armed. Drew wrapped one of the nets around his shoulders, Zar and Kol each took one of the rusted butcher''s knives. [Perception D20+D4 roll] ¨C 15 Kol started looking around and found nothing else that the party might need for their escape. "Hey, kid. What next?" Drew asked interrupting Kol''s search. "We passed phase one, now we''re at phase two. What we need now is to play smart and be careful. We need to look through some of the rooms without being noticed, this is why we need Zar." Kol said chewing on some seaweed. "Me?" Zar asked. Zar was not aware of this. Kol didn''t have the chance to explain everything clearly due to his mutilation. "Yes. I''m not sure if you noticed but there is no daylight here. I was able to tell when it was morning or nighttime because of the height of the tides that washed in our cell." Kol says as he pulls two strips of paper he ripped from his spell book. "The paper I have in my spell book is waterproof and I''ve labeled how high the tide goes, which is nighttime, and how low it goes which is daytime." "Which means?" Drew asked. "Which means, it''s night time. Eden will have sex with one of you for the majority of the day and I hope will be sound asleep at night." "No, she''s not sleeping. She''s giving birth." Zar cut in. The whole room went quiet. "What do you mean giving birth?" Drew said shoving Zar to the wall. "I mean she''s giving birth." "No, that''s impossible. How could that be?" Balfir asked. His face was visibly confused. Kol contemplates the news, and then it clicks. "The fish people," Kol said. "The fish creatures are her children." "Fuck, that means there''s probably more of them." "Probably, she showed me her nursery. That''s why I did what I did. I didn''t want to father such a creature." Zar said with pain in his voice. "Either way," Kol said separating Drew and Zar. "We''ll cross that bridge when we get there, right now we have to focus. When we leave this place, obviously we''re going to need a boat. Zar has experience sailing, whenever you see something that you think we need in making a makeshift raft, you call it out and as long as it isn''t nailed down. We''ll grab it." "Alright." "Boat building it is," Drew said heading towards the entrance. The party follows. Silently maneuvering in the shadows, there is only one way left and it''s through the fish in the left tunnel. After Balfir confirms the fish is alone. Drew was up first. Drew threw his harpoon straight through the fish''s leg immediately taking it to one knee. Before it could react, another harpoon shot through the air impaling it through the chest. The fish, now prone and gargling blood. Zar and Kol came rushing making giant leaps through the water, lessening the sound of splashes in the water. Kol summons his magic once more, not opting to waste his energy. He decided to not use Peter''s spell. Shattering his magic the purple butterflies came once more and swarmed the fish. [Blue EN: 14/19] Zar then came up and quickly stabbed it through the eye with a rusted knife, leaving it motionless. The party is now faced with a choice as the tunnel now splits into two. On the left is where the three pass through when it is time to play with Eden, while the other side provides the unknown. "If we go through there it will lead to a small room similar to the kitchen but with a bed," Drew says as he pulls the harpoon from the fish''s body and points towards the left tunnel. "let''s go right," Away from the playroom Going down the unknown tunnel, the water begins to get deeper. After Kol testing the height of the water it appears to be the same, the reason it is getting deeper is due to the tunnel carved in such a way. The tunnel will soon split gain. Following the closest tunnel to the left, the party finds themselves in a small storage room. the room itself is made out of old wet wood, inside it is boxes of empty crates, barrels, and beams of wood. There are pick axes and shovels, as well as the occasional bags of sand, and stone. [Perception D20+D4 roll] ¨C 17 Looking around Kol was able to find a roll of rope that could probably be as long as 30 feet. "What do you think, these will do?" Drew asked the half-orc. "we''ll have to test them if they can handle our weight, but if we each have our barrel, I think it would do." Said Zar. "It will be difficult. It just lessens our time to look for the exit." Kol added. "Since this doesn''t have a sail, we''ll be at the mercy of the tides. When they find out we''re gone and chase after us, who do you think will be faster, us on barrels or fish people?" The group knew Kol was right. "We''ll each take a barrel. Just in case. But our priority is looking for something to use as a sail" The group then grabbed the barrels of the appropriate size and wrapped them around their backs using the rope and net they found. "The bed sheet." Said Balfir looking at Drew. Drew looked confused for a while, and then it clicked. "You''re right, but I thought we would avoid that area," Drew asked. Then the party turned to Kol. Kol took a few seconds to think. "All right, that''s where we''re going next," Kol confirmed. "At least by then all we need to worry about is looking for the ¨C Balfir pushed Kol to the side, putting his pointer finger to his lips and shushing everyone. [Stealth D20+D4 roll] ¨C 8 Kol is still finding his balance from being abruptly pushed, splashing water as he finds his step.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Balfir keeping watch, notices two fish pass by. One of them notices the splashing coming from the storage room and decides to approach, while the other keeps walking. "Fuck." Balfir mutters to himself, signing to the party that one of the fish is approaching. Everyone readies themselves. Unfortunately for both Drew and Kol, they could not see anything in the dark. Every time the party approaches a fish or is hiding, they leave the torch somewhere far away to not give away their position. In this case, the torch was off since it would be difficult to hide the torchlight in a small storage room. The fish approaches the storage room, its harpoon pointed towards the room. Kol was unsure where to look due to the darkness. All he could hear was the fish''s footsteps on the water. Then, a white light emanated from Balfir''s Harpoon striking the unsuspecting fish entering the room and setting it on fire. A second attack came from the front as Drew lunged forward with his harpoon, the fish set on fire now clearly visible and no longer hindering his vision. With a harpoon on its stomach and back while on fire, the fish squirmed and pushed Drew back. With a fair amount of distance between it and Drew, holding its harpoon with both hands it retaliates by stabbing Drew in his belly. The blood gushed as the fish pulled the harpoon leaving a hole through Drew''s stomach. Kol blinked summoning his magic again as a green beam erupts from his hand, hitting the lit-up fish. making it puke before falling lifeless to the ground. "Captain are you all right?" Balfir quickly went to his side. "Yeah, it''s nothing." Drew stood up gingerly, "I''ve had worse." "We have to go otherwise the other one will notice his friend is gone," Balfir said while helping Drew up. The situation is now dire, so far, the group has had luck on their side. Drew''s injury made them realize that this escape was not as easy as they thought. Kol struggling to keep the plan together, decides it would be best not to fight until Drew can move properly, meaning going toward the playtime room is not a viable option anymore since that was also the direction the other fish was heading. "Let''s go the other way." Kol issued. "What? I thought you wanted the sheet for a sale?" Drew asked. "Right now, avoiding any more fights will be the top priority. Look at you." "let''s avoid this fish''s companion for now," Kol said kicking the lifeless body floating on the water. "The other way is the best option." "What if there''s more down there?" Zar asked. "Then we turn back or look for another way." Kol clarified. The group looked concerned with the abrupt decision Kol made, but ultimately it was best to follow the Wizard. A common thinking of people of the balanced world, where blue energy users are regarded as the highest of the color ranking. The group ventured in the opposite direction of the playroom, the tunnel where the two fish came from. After a while of sticking into the shadows, Balfir and Zar took point as they could naturally see in the dark. The two stopped as the tunnel split once more, but the decision was clear which way to go. Straight ahead is another room whose floor and walls gradually turn to wood. It was another part of the ship. This information falls in comparison to what Balfir and Zar saw within the room. " "What is it?" Asked Drew. Balfir went silent looking into the room. In the center of the room here lies a chest filled to the brim with a mixture of gold, silver, and copper leaves, along with different gems, ornaments, and artwork of immense value. "The treasure chest. It''s here." said the half-orc. She noticed The party found the treasure. The very treasure that brought the sea witch to the town of Lindow. The room itself is small, the pile of money overflowing from the chest in the center. Shelves filled with weird skulls, different bones, empty flasks, and vials filled with unfamiliar objects. In the corner of the room lies a long sword, beside a wooden table. Balfir lit a few torches left inside the room, making their shadows dance in different directions. With the room now lit both Drew and Kol could bask in the presence of the treasure. [Wisdom D20+D4 roll] ¨C 10 The different colored gems and coins mixed with the dancing light of the torches almost made it seem not real. The value inside this chest is enough to make someone live lavishly for their entire life with extra to spare. Kol looked around the room. Aside from noticeable weapons and portraits, there was no protection. No safety system whatsoever. Surely a treasure of this magnitude and the witch''s previous behavior, she would post guards or booby trap the place. ''That''s stupid of her to leave this unattended.'' Kol thought to himself. "I''m grabbing as much as my pockets can carry," Balfir said as he went through the pile, taking a fist full and shoving it into his pockets. "Leave some for us," Drew said laying his harpoon down, and started imitating Balfir beside him. Soon Zar did as well. Kol wanted to do the same but the priority was to leave this place as soon as possible. Kol went directly to the table in the corner. Papers littered the table''s surface, written in a different language, sketches of runes, monsters, people, and locations. Nothing grabbed his attention as important to the task at hand. Opening one of the drawers underneath the table Kol found a book. The book itself was covered in black leather with its corners decorated in gold, in front bore the title ''Black runes''. Kol''s eyes light up as he opens the book before him. Kol brought out his spell book and quickly transferred the black book to his. Books regarding the understanding of runes were already rare, this book, in particular, is even more so. The knowledge regarding the runes of volatile and unpredictable color of energy such as black is even rarer. The book would probably cost a quarter of the treasure chest in the middle. After Copying the book, Kol then proceeded to the drawer beside it. Inside the second drawer were pages written in common. They were spells scrolls. Checking on the scrolls Kol noticed they didn''t have a trace of energy In them. The scrolls were defective, most likely the result of someone getting interrupted halfway through finishing the scroll. Nevertheless, it was copied by Kol.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Drew came by beside the table, grabbing the dragon-decorated long sword beside it. "Did you find what you were looking for?" Drew asked. "No, but I''ll keep looking." Kol went to the shelves opposite the table. Looking through the shelves, Kol is interrupted by Zar. "Hey, I found this cloth underneath the chest. It''s not pretty but this will do." Zar said pulling out cloth behind him. "If we find the exit, we can use the rope to tie the barrels and attach this cloth as a makeshift sail." A went across Kol''s face. "We can use one of the harpoons to prop up the sale," Kol suggested. "About that, we can use this," Zar revealed a long metal staff that is a few inches taller than Kol, on its tip is a short chain attached to an oil lamp making it look like a flail with a long handle and a very short chain. "This is for you." "For me? Why?" Kol asked. "It''s magical, and since you can''t see in the dark. This is perfect for you." Zar held the staff and then spoke, "Gravis." The oil lamp dangling by 3 chains on the tip of the staff lit up. "See," Zar said. "The good thing about it is that it doesn''t cast any shadows made by its light." Kol thanked Zar, then took the staff from him. The good news echoed in Kol''s head. The plan he has been concocting for the past few days is coming to an end. Although it wasn''t the perfect plan, it was the best he could do given the circumstances they were in. Kol then continued scanning through the shelf. Some of the vials were empty, some were filled with unusual ingredients labeled and unlabeled. Kol looked through the labeled vials, knowing the risks, especially with his curse when it comes to unlabeled potions. There were only 3 labeled potions. Though there were no instructions or notes as to what they did, it took Kol''s Notice. Feast bug, Devil''s Eye, and leeches of life. Kol placed the small vials of potions inside his bag. After going through the shelf, Kol approached the party who was now by the chest seemingly waiting for Kol. "You people. Always so predictable." Eden''s voice echoed through the room. The whole party is now on high alert. "Damn it, they know where we are." Drew unsheathed his longsword. "How?" Balfir asked. Wondering how they were found out, Kol contemplated the question while readying staff pointing towards the entrance of the room. [Intelligence D20+D4 roll] ¨C 18 The treasure chest. "It''s the chest. It must''ve been enchanted with something." Kol explained. The feeling of guilt washed over the three, as they scrambled to return the leaves they took from the chest. "What do we do now?" Zar asked. "We fight." Said Drew. "No, that''s suicide." Kol interrupted. "No offense kid, but I don''t plan on being this bitch''s plaything forever." Drew clarified. Stuck in his delusion of Eden taking them to prison once again or his companions would wait for another opportunity to escape, Kol didn''t realize what his companion would be subjected to if they were captured again. Coming from the entrance of the room 6 fish people appeared, equipped with harpoons in one hand and daggers or bucklers in the other. Eden soon followed behind them. "I am very disappointed in you. I thought you were happy here, with me." Eden asked with one eye covered by her black wet hair. "Just when Mother, is about to arrive." Kol inching backward from fear. Not noticing everybody is doing so as well. "Kill them," Eden ordered. "I need to get ready for Mother." The fish sprang into action. More will come Immediately after Eden left, the fishes moved into action. The party already had their weapons drawn and, upon hearing her order to kill them decided their lives will not end today. Kol scanned through the group of fishes hoping to catch any sign of hesitation, but unfortunately for him, there were none. These fishes obeyed Eden''s commands to the letter. They were her children after all. Kol acknowledges what he has to do, looking for his resolve to preserve his own life. Kol summons his magic and shoots a beam of green light from his hand, striking one of the fishes going for Zar. The fish struck by Kol''s magic immediately fell on its knees emptying his stomach on the cave floor. [Blue EN: 11/19] One of the fish jumps to confront Balfir, attempting to stab him with his harpoon in one hand and a buckler in the other. Balfir quickly parried the fish''s attack, unprepared for another attack from another fish beside him. The harpoon pierced through his shoulder leaving a gash on its wake. Balfir yelped in pain as he stepped back from the 2 fishes. "We''re outnumbered." He screamed. Balfir then encircled the tip of his harpoon with red magic, engulfing the weapon in bright white flame. Swinging his weapon in a wide sweep in front of him, striking the 2 fish simultaneously and severely burning them. "And I''m running low on red." Leaping towards the fish in the far back, Drew muttered a word incomprehensible to the party. Bringing his long sword down, its blade swallowed by red flame striking the unprepared fish embedding the burning blade halfway through its shoulder. "don''t waste your spells," Drew shouted to the group. "More will be coming." Zar quickly ran towards the fish Kol struck, who was still vomiting. Zar then Brought his butcher knife down to the back of the fish''s head. Chopping it clean off. Zar then looked around. "Captain. Look out." Zar shouted. Behind the fish, Drew attacked another was waiting. The fish then moved beside its companion, quickly retaliating and stabbing his harpoon on the same wound Drew had from being hit earlier in the storage room. Reopening the fresh wound, leaving a river of blood to pour out. "No." Kol noticed Drew in the far back being ganged on by two fishes. Right in front of him was Balfir, also doing battle with 2 fishes. Currently, only he and Zar were unoccupied.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ''Save our spells?'' Kol thought to himself as he struggled to come up with a solution. He had no experience in hand-to-hand combat, let alone trained in weapon fighting. ''If only I was stronger.'' The words echoed through his mind. Choosing to ignore Drew''s statement. Kol summons his magic once more. Aiming for the fish who stabbed Drew, the sickly green light strikes true on the fish''s gills. This time they somehow resisted the urge to purge its stomach. Kol then moved to the far corner, away from direct combat. Hoping to gain a clear view of who to support. [Blue EN: 8/19] One of the fishes fighting Balfir noticed Zar behind it, the fish then turned and plunged its harpoon into Zar''s left leg. Zar was already slow in moving due to his mutilation, the new wound to his leg made him fall to one knee. Zar screamed in pain, pulling the harpoon out of his leg. The fish strengthens its grip on the harpoon, thrusting it with both hands towards Balfir. Balfir maneuvers to his side to parry the thrust failing to recognize the fish''s feint attack. The fish then turned its thrust into a swing catching Balfir''s exposed chest, sending him flying backwards. The urgency of the situation now escalated, as Balfir''s motionless body lay on the ground a distance away from Kol. The group was now left with 1 fighter short. Drew with a harpoon lodged in his stomach, stood. Forcing every inch of his muscles to move as he sees Balfir''s unconscious body on the floor. Drew then screams as red magic circles around his body. The magic shatters, empowering him as his eyes glow red. Drew swung his flaming long sword with all of his might at the fish in front of him. Slicing it in two, leaving only its bottom part standing perfectly still while its upper half missing. Drew then turned to his right left side to the remaining fish beside him. Swinging his sword one more, Drew cleanly sliced its fish head off. Leaving only 2 remaining fish alive. Drew fell to the floor exhausted from his magic. Red magic is the most common and primal source of magic. It mixes the physical attributes of the individual with magic, making the red-colored individual perfect for close combat. Some red spells use specific movements an individual must perform as part of their recipe to activate. Unlike blue spells which require an individual to verbally or mentally recite the spell to activate or white spells which require an individual to be holding or in the presence of a holy symbol or artifact while verbally or mentally reciting the spell. Due to Drew''s Exhausted and bleeding state, he now lies unconscious on the floor. Zar still fighting the fish in front of him, was only able to block its attacks. The fish uses the length of the harpoon to its advantage not letting Zar close for an opportunity. The fish on top of Balfir''s body brings its harpoon over its head ready to impale the elf''s body, and suddenly gets surrounded by a swarm of purple butterflies. [Blue EN: 7/19] The fish turns and notices the source of the insets and sees Kol in the corner. The fish growls, it then tosses the harpoon up in the air quickly catching it at a preferable angle. It tries to hurl the harpoon toward Kol, only to be stopped by a butterfly finding their way into its eyes. After removing the remaining butterfly, the fish charged at Kol. Kol was able to deflect its attacks with his metal staff. Kol, realizing his energy almost depleted could only use the most basic of his spells. Once again, the magic in his hand shatters as a swarm of butterflies surrounds the fish, causing it to momentarily swat most of it away. [Blue EN: 6/19] Making side glances Kol noticed Zar having difficulty as well when dealing with his fish. Taking the opportunity of Kol''s misplaced attention, the fish in front of him stabs its rusted harpoon to Kol''s shoulder. Kol''s blood gushing out. [HP: 6/16] In the bag Reeling from the pain in his shoulder, Kol glanced up to see Zar on his knees facing his fish. Zar was no fighter, it was a spectacle for him to last this long. Though Drew blamed Zar for the witch''s attack on the port town, he did not despise the half-orc. Zar was already coughing blood. He looked at Kol once again and gave a slight smile. Before Kol could react, the fish impaled his harpoon onto Zar''s eye socket. The harpoon''s tip protruded at the back of Zar''s head. He was gone. "No, no, no," Kol muttered. "It wasn''t supposed to end like this." Out of anger, Kol pointed his staff toward the fish before him. Summoning his magic once more, shattering on the edge of the staff. The Green beam strikes true on the fish causing it to convulse and shake, as it purges its meal onto the floor. [Blue EN: 3/19] Seeing his companion vomiting, the fish who killed Zar rushed over. But was struck by another green beam. Causing it to drop on its back as it chokes on its vomit, killing it instantly. [Blue EN: 0/19] Kol went up to the fish purging before him. There was only one left. Though Kol was certain more would be coming, he was content to at least avenge his fallen friend. With both Drew and Balfir on the ground and witnessing Zar''s death. Kol''s anger boiled inside of him. Striking the fish with his staff as much as he could and as strong as he could. Kol screamed, letting out his frustration at the entire predicament he was in. "I don''t think," Kol said as he lifted the bent metal staff from the lifeless fish before him. "I tried my best Nicole." Kol took one last deep breath before falling backward. His consciousness fades as the room darkens. -- In a room made of carved stone, two female figures stand over a crystal ball. "you''re right Eden, he is interesting." The tall figure said as she patted Eden''s head. "he''s smart, this one. You have no idea how much I wanted to play with him," Eden said giggling while she stared at the ball. "Why didn''t you?" "I.. I was saving him for you. Mother" "Very good. But this doesn''t change the fact that you broke a rule, Eden."Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. "Of course not, Mother." "I will be using your room for now, bring him to me." Mother said as she walked away from Eden. "I''ll think of your punishment in the morning." "Right away Mother," Eden says smiling as she grabs the crystal ball and binging right up her face. "What about the others?" "I''ll leave their fate to you, right now I just want to rest." Said Mother. Mother leaves the room as Eden orders a few of the fish to fetch Mother''s gift. -- Kol wakes up with his whole body in pain, his shoulder patched up in bandages. He found himself in a giant bed with silk pillows and sheets. Kol looked around the room and it was filled with shelves filled to the brim with bottles, potions, and ingredients. Work tables filled with books and papers. Kol climbs down from the bed; he notices he was only wearing the shorts he used when he left for Lindow. His shirt was gone, only bandages. Kol hurriedly looked for his bag and found it a top of a table close to his bed. Checking if the items he had were accounted for. [Perception D20+D4 roll] ¨C 20 Beside his potato sack bag lies another. A small sling bag made of what looked like leather, it had patches of hair in certain parts, and in its opening were rows of flat teeth similar to a cow or a horse but much smaller. Kol picked up the leather bag and opened it. It was empty. Kol then looked around the room filled with magical ingredients and potions. Kol''s curiosity got the better of him despite being in a dangerous place. ''Good thing I found an extra bag.'' Kol thought to himself as he smiled. Kol grabs a few colorful corals from one of the shelves and puts them in his new leather bag. Suddenly Kol noticed there was no weight in the bag. Three corals may not have been heavy but they still had weight to them, despite dropping the corals inside he didn''t feel them drop. Kol opened the bag and saw nothing there. "What the?" Kol inserted his hand inside the bag, hoping he was just imagining things. Then from inside the bag, a faint glow appeared and, in his hands, a piece of coral appeared. Kol''s mind raced as he held the bag outward. To Kol, he just won the jackpot. In ''The balanced world'' Wizards can enchant weapons and items, while the rest of the colors alone cannot, they always require the blue energy to do so, thus making all enchanted weapons and items rare. Even rarer if the enchantment came from a sentient magical creature such as a hag, demon, devil, or spirit. While Drew''s flaming long sword was rare it is nothing compared to the bag Kol now has in his possession. Kol already knows about its enchantment, reading about something so rare and expensive did not leave Kol''s memory so easily. The bag has an enchantment of void space, it can carry any number of items and can keep food preserved when put inside it. To retrieve the item inside one just needs to think about the item and it shall appear. Immediately the thought of the chest filled with leaves flashed upon Kol''s head. A knock on the wooden door snapped Kol from his daydream. "May I come in?" a soft female voice from the other side of the door said. Kol quickly placed the leather bag inside his old bag and hoped it would not be found. He then grabbed one of the hefty corals on the shelf and stood beside the bed. The coral hidden behind him. The door opens. A woman with long black curled hair, in a real straight black dress walks in the room. She was beautiful. Her perfectly symmetric face to the size of her chest and back, her red voluptuous lips formed a soft smile. The way she walks through the room, the way she carries herself as if that of a high-ranking noble. ''Who is she? Have they come to rescue me?'' Kol thought. A familiar sound rang in Kol''s ears and the system prompted a message. [Charming Beauty] You are charmed by ''Desherine, Mother of hags and witches'' and find her the most beautiful creature you have ever set eyes on, it is difficult to lie to her and deny her requests. You cannot bring any harm to her or insult her behind her back. For the duration of the charm, you will protect her and come to her aid even if it means death. [Duration: 4 hours] => [Duration: Permanent] "FUCK!" Kols Playtime She looked so elegant, so pristine, so beautiful. It did not matter to Kol that she was older than him, she was the kind of beauty any teenager would crush on as soon as they saw her. The type of woman any man would cheat on their wife with. A beauty that deserved to be royalty. She locked the door behind her and approached the bed. "You won''t be needing that." She says as she points behind Kol. She circles the bed opposite Kol, slowly untying a series of laces keeping her dress on her person. "Do you know who I am, Kol?" She says as a layer of her bottom dress drops, leaving only a thin skirt layer. He hesitates to answer because of her charm affecting him. Kol is unsure whether what he says is what he wants or if it is because of her charm controlling him. "Yes," Kol answers. She stops untying when she hears his answer, then turns smiling at Kol. "You''re Eden''s Mother," Kol says. "Desherine." Her smile widens, "I have to admit I underestimated you." Pulling on the last lace, dropping her entire black dress, leaving only a tight black laced corset around her. "Tell me Kol, do you know what hags use for currency?" She asked. [History D20+D4 roll] ¨C 7 Kol''s mind goes blank, trying to focus on keeping immoral thoughts away as he stares at her perfectly curved body. "Look at you all flustered, do you like what you see?" "Yes," the words escaped Kol''s mouth faster than he could catch it. "Sweet boy." She says crawling onto the bed cat-like, keeping her eyes on Kol. "We deal with corrupted souls, baby boy." ''Corrupted souls?'' Kol thought of the past few days since the attack on the port.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ''Is that what playtime was for and not growing a fish army?'' "Do you want to get out of this cave, baby boy?" she says interrupting Kol''s thoughts. Without thinking Kol immediately responded. "Yes." "Perfect." She says sitting on her knees upright on the bed. "We witches have a quota of souls to fill," flipping her hair to one side exposing the skin of her neck. "Who do you think hasn''t filled their quota?" The lamp inside Kol''s head lights up. "Eden." "Very good, baby boy." She says Unlacing her corset. "So, here I am with a dilemma. Since Witch law dictates, we cannot kill a fellow witch. How can I, the Mother of witches kill another witch?" "You want me to kill your daughter? But she''s your daughter." Kol asked. "Mother is only a title I possess, I am not literally her mother. But I don''t want you to just kill her. No. I can see a lot of possibilities where I can use someone like you." The thought of her using Kol repulses him, but because of the charm, it will be difficult for him to escape this situation. "I don''t want to be your puppet." Kol declares. "Why don''t we make a deal?" She says dropping the corset, exposing her skin. Kol''s mind goes blank at the sight of her two heavies but manageables. "Kill Eden for me." She says crossing the bed and standing before Kol. "Kill her for me and you''re free." She grabs Kol''s hand and pulls him towards the bed. Kol only looked like a puppy thirsty for water before her. She then kisses Kol, quenching his thirst. "Go on baby boy, have your fill." She says as Kol takes the lead, moving all around her face down to her neck. ''Snap out of it. Don''t take the deal.'' Kol mentally struggling. "Do we have a deal?" She asked letting Kol get familiar with her body. "What happens If I don''t kill her?" Kol asked as he pulled away from her chest. "Then," she says pulling his face in for a kiss. "Your soul is mine." Kol''s body heated up; this would be his first encounter with a woman of this caliber. Being a teenager he had indecent thoughts around women especially when near Nicole. But he never acted on them. Picturing the perfect night about Nicole after they had wed. All thoughts of Nicole disappeared. "Of course, to be fair. I will not send you out while you''re still injured." She says as she lay on the bed. "What do you say, baby boy, do we have a deal?" Kol looked at the beauty before him. Contemplating about the deal. Taking into account that she would heal him, a one-on-one battle with Eden, especially the Fear status he acquired just by being close to her. Kol quickly had the idea of attacking her from a distance. Hiding in the shadows might be a good strategy. With the price of freedom on the line, this was Kol''s only chance. If he succeeds, he can come back with more men to free those who survived. It was now or never. "We have a deal," Kol replies. Desherine''s eyes darkened, her iris black while her pupil turned red. Then I turned back to normal again. "Excellent." She says as she relaxes herself. "Well. No successful deal should go without a celebration." She then spreads herself before Kol. "It''s your time to play, baby boy." Hearing those words, Kol attacked. The Brave Kol wakes up to find himself alone in the silk sheets. He could not remember the last time he slept so peacefully, even when spending the whole day reading, he couldn''t reach that level of ease when it came to sleep. Kol walked over to the table beside the shelf where his bag was, after opening it his heart made a little skip. The leather bag was still inside. Kol then puts his shorts on and the leather bag around his shoulders, the contents of his previous bag in it. Kol then checks his status. [Name: Kol (family name unknown)] [HP: 17/16(+1)] [Blue EN: 20/20] [STR: 9] [DEX: 9] [CON: 13] [CHA: 12] [WIS: 18] [INT: 18] [ABILITY] -PERMANENT BODY- [Weakness Awareness] [Frightened by Eden] [Blue Energy Accumulation] [Charming Beauty] [Health Development] [Guidance] [Blessed] It looked like what the witch said was true, she did heal him. The room then shakes, startling Kol. He glanced at the room again, looking for his shirt, yet he couldn''t find it. The room then shook again, distilling dust and lost rubles from the carved-out room. Equipped with only the void space bag, his spell book, a few potions, some unread spells he found in the treasure room, and his worn-out shorts. He hurriedly left the room. As he leaves, he finds himself in the same carved-out tunnel he was once in. Though it was dark, a light at the end of the tunnel illuminated the path to his left, leaving the right covered in darkness. Faced with the obvious choice, Kol made his way down the tunnel. Once again, his feet broke the water''s surface that led up to his shins. The tunnels continue to shake in irregular intervals, each time it does the tunnel cracks and creeks. Whatever is making the tunnel shake exhibits significant force. The thought of something bigger or more dangerous than Eden inside the tunnels made Kol question whether it was a good idea to have taken the deal. After all, it was because of his unclear planning and arrogance with his capabilities and power that led him to that situation in the first place.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Approaching the light, the exterior of the room looked familiar. Yet, Kol could not help but question. Where were the fish? When they were trying to escape the fishes were almost in every corner of the tunnel, guarding rooms, and patrolling around the caves. The room itself looked bright, with shelves and tables on the sides. The contents of each shelf and table seemed scattered around the room; only until the room shook did it make sense. Catching his balance Kol then smiled. "It''s still here." He said to himself. In the center of the room was the seemingly untouched chest of leaves and gems. Kol then opened his bag and paused. ''Isn''t she going to notice when I touch this?'' Kol thought to himself. The room once again shakes interrupting Kol. Rubble fell onto the treasure prompting Kol to look up. In the carved-out ceiling of this room lies a giant crack, that seemed to be getting bigger after every shake. ''It''s gonna fall eventually.'' Looking at the treasure, Kol had an idea. He starts scooping the treasure, pouring each leaf and gem into his bag that didn''t look weighed. After a few minutes, Kol finished transferring all the leaves into his bag. He took one more walk around the room, finding the staff Zar gave him and the sword Drew used. Kol''s stomach then churned as he saw Zar''s severed head floating with a hole through his eye down to the back of his head in a bubbling clear blue liquid inside a glass jar, with a note that said ''Head, ears, teeth, and tongue of the brave.'' clearly indicating that his friend is now a treasured ingredient for the witch. Kol''s face drowned in anger as he placed his friend inside his bag, hoping to give him the freedom he deserved. He looked around once more making sure none of his other friends were also here. After confirming they weren''t, he then moved to the entrance of the room and waited for the next quake. When it came Kol then recited the magic inscribed in his book and shattered it in his hand, pointing it towards the already racks roof. Three purple butterflies then launched from his hand causing a small explosion of force to the roof causing a cave-in. The roof collapsed onto the treasure chest causing a cloud of dust to form. The hole left in the room did not open to an exit instead, it only made the loose rocks fall. Kol then heard splashes of water from the tunnel he came from, causing him to hide behind the rubble. [Stealth D20+D4 roll] ¨C 17 4 fish then pass by the room not noticing the collapsed roof, hinting to Kol that something else must have their attention. Probably the source of the quakes. After waiting a few minutes, Kol decides to follow them. Thinking he would be able to kill Eden if she was distracted by something else more powerful and if the source was under her control or her doing, Kol would at least be able to make a proper assessment of what to do next. Following the fish, the tunnel then becomes unfamiliar as they go through a different set of tunnels he and his companions took. Giving a good distance between him and the fishes Kol used the staff to light his vicinity. The shaking has now stopped. Reaching the end of the tunnel, Kol could already feel the fresh air enter his lungs. He then hides in the corner allowing the fishes to go first. Kol waited for a few seconds then the sound of clashing could be heard from the direction the fish went. He then sneakily approached the opening of the room and peeked inside. Kol''s heart drops at the sight before him. ''She tricked me.'' The words repeat themselves in his mind. "She knew. I''m confident she knew. She knew they would come." Kol told himself as he broke down to his knees in front of the entrance. "there''s a survivor." A voice echoed through the cave. In front of Kol is a group of people, 8 who are covered in white and gold armor intricately detailed with branches, roots, and leaves with the symbol of a tree wrapped by a cloth on their shoulders and shields, they were the paladins of the church of Obedience. 10 wore padded and leather armor that Kol was all too familiar with, they were the guards of Oakheart and Lindow. In the center of the room making orders and taking charge was Ross, beside him was a priest who Kol remembered but did not expect to be here. It was Kayil. Besides the two was the source of Kol''s turmoil, The severed body of Eden. "I''m screwed." Red hair "Thank the tree. You''re alive." Kayil said as he approached Kol. "Junner, take a team and sweep through the area. There might be other survivors." A Dwarf with a braided beard approached. He was bulky due to his armor but what set him apart from the other paladins was his white cloak. Kayil then knelt before Kol, "Are you injured?" he asked. Before Kol could respond Kayil grabbed his amulet of Obedience, the white magic glows forming a circle around the amulet. After reciting a short prayer, the magic then shatters and envelops Kol in a warm white light. Though the magic did not affect him because he was already healed, Kol still welcomed it and pretended it worked on him. "I have to admit, kid. I wasn''t expecting to see you alive." Said Ross standing over Eden''s mutilated body. "Judging by how powerful she was, I thought you''d be dead." Ross smiled. "Don''t mind him Kol, Bea, and I always knew you were alive." Said Kayil. "Bea? Is she here?" Kol asked. "No, she could not leave the kids alone. But she fought tooth and nail to make this riad happen. I had to get some help." Kayil gestured to the paladins around the cave. Kol felt mixed emotions, not only was he rescued but the reason behind it was thanks to Bea. Though she was not here, it was good to know that at the very least someone cared about him. The thought of facing Eden already made him question his sanity, especially now. Knowing that a group of paladins and a 3rd level wizard found the encounter with Eden difficult. Kol''s mind then stops at the thought of his deal with Desherine. "Alright boys, time to nut up we''re going in," Ross ordered the men. "Kol, you''ve been inside. Is there anything in there that we need to be aware of?" Kol thought for a few seconds. "There were others besides me. I don''t know where they are or if they''re ok." "Alright. We''ll take it from here." Ros then puts his hands on the floor a green circle then forms around the floor beneath him. The magic then shatters leaving behind a swarm of rainbow hummingbirds that quickly filled the room. "Go and report back what you find." Ross then nodded to Kayil and signaled the rest to follow him.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Kayil then grabbed Kol and assisted him to the exit. Once Kol felt the warmth of the daytime, his eyes watered. A few meters away from the island was the duke''s ship. The ship was big but was nowhere equipped for war, it was known for being fast amongst all others. The duke normally would use this for his travels when visiting the king, though the rescue team was small it was clear to Kol that his rescue was nothing but a happy accident of an extermination project. Standing at the head of the ship was Oakheart''s number 1 fighter¡ªthe Fencing Knight Ella. She was covered in her tight leather suit, with plate armor on her shoulders and greaves. Her thin needle-like sword in her hand and her long flowing red cape in her back matching her Red hair. Kayil and Kol was being hoisted up the ship. This gave Kol the perfect opportunity to confirm his imagination. He always thought they were inside an island with the cave opening submerged somewhere underwater, but he was wrong. The island was a giant stone jetting out of the water like a small spire, the entrance occupied the majority of its base making it look like a cavity on a sharp tooth. Water is not directly flowing into the cave; it is only the excess from incoming waves that crash into the entrance. "I told you; you won''t need me." A firm female voice interrupts Kol. "This whole mission has been a waste of my time." "Well, it would''ve been faster if you had gone instead of me," Kayil said, helping Kol up the main ship. "What are you talking about? I did not ask you to help Rosseler. He''s more than capable of handling that witch alone." "Yes, but I went just in case. And it''s good that I did since we found a survivor." Kayil is making a small courtesy bow to Ella. Ella then approached the two embarking on the ship, each of her footsteps carried a weight Kol could not understand. Her presence alone made everyone except for her knights avoid her. Kol struggles to maintain eye contact; he can never imagine acting so casually in front of her. This was always the case whenever Kol would have the pleasure of interacting with her. "So, you survived?" she asked. "Barely, my lady," Kol replied as he glimpsed at the person before him and then quickly gave a bow. She was always beautiful; every time Kol would see her the thought of Nicole having the same mature look when she reached adulthood always lingered in his mind. After all, they look almost the same. "Good. My sister would be pleased." Said Ella as she looked over to Kayil and nodded. "Go inside and rest." "If it is alright with you my lady, I would like to stay. I had companions inside while I was being held prisoner. I would like to wait for them." Kol''s face then flinched as if waiting to be attacked. Everyone in Oakheart knows Ella to be the most powerful Arcane Knight on the island. The duke himself was a powerful wizard but to say that the people of Oakheart love, obey, and fear him would not be correct. People would be more inclined to say that the reason they love, obey, and fear the Oakheart family is because of Ella. Kol would not have understood what he felt at this moment if he never encountered Eden. Kol had a similar reaction if not greater to when Eden placed that curse on him. Kol understood. All this time since he met Nicole, every encounter he had with Ella was met with the same reaction. Kol was internally petrified by her aura and presence. Though there was no signal from the system, this was genuine. Kol feared Ella. Ella then turned and walked to her position in the front of the ship. "You may do as you please." The 3 spell casters of the island After a few minutes of waiting, Kol found a barrel on one side of the ship and sat. Kayil left Kol and rejoined the group inside with Ross. Looking around, with nothing to do but wait Kol was left to his thoughts. He thought about the fact that Nicole would find out about his capture and would think less of him or worse she would find out about his playtime with Desherine. Images then flashed inside Kol''s head last night and tried to comfort himself in the thought that he did It to survive. The thought of his deal with Desherine now poked his mind, trying to recall what their deal was about. The deal was for him to kill her daughter since she could not do it herself. If he succeeded in killing her, he would then be free. But if he didn''t Desherine would then own his soul. "But she said she only values corrupted souls. If she hasn''t done anything yet even after Eden''s death does that mean my soul is not corrupted?" he said to himself. A call from a distance interrupts his thinking. Kol then hurriedly went up to the edge of the ship, looking down the ship and seeing the team leaving the cave''s opening. They carefully navigated the loose rocks on the shore before embarking on small boats. Once on board, Kol took a good look at them. Though they just came out of a battle, not one of them had any injuries. The most unusual for Kol was their morale, the team composed of Dwarves, Elves, and Humans were all merry¡ªthe complete opposite of what Kol had imagined. The last one to get on board was a person with tattered armor similar Lindow, covered in dried blood and filled with scars throughout their exposed body. Concluding that Kayil healed his wounds, Kol then rushed to him. It was Drew. "Kid. You''re ok." Drew said with a smile on his face. "I thought I was the only one left." Drew''s eyes started to water and the once joyous rescue team began to quiet down, Kol''s on the other hand began to pour. "I''m sorry. I thought we could do it. I really thought.." Kol started crying. "No, if it wasn''t for you we wouldn''t have gotten that far." Drew said reaching for his pocket. "His wounds never healed, it only got worse after the fight. But with what little moment he had left, he told me to give you this."If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Drew then took out a small locket from his pocket. The locket Balfir showed Kol with the sketch of his daughter. Kol then fell to his knees sobbing. Their grief however is interrupted by Ross. "I''m sorry to interrupt this touching reunion, but we have business to take care of." He says walking to the front of the ship between Ella and Kayil. "Brace yourselves." The dwarf paladin then instructed everyone to hold on to the ship''s railings. "What''s going on?" Kol asked the dwarf. "We must prevent any harm from falling upon anybody else in the future, and to assure that we have to destroy the witch''s lair to prevent any other beings from inhabiting it." The dwarf explains. Wiping away his tears Kol focused on the three ahead of them. These three alone are the strongest beings on the island of Oakheart. Magic circles formed around their persons. Ella then summons a beautifully gold-engraved rapier from the air. She takes a stance pulling the handle to the side of her face with one hand and the other behind her. As soon as her magic breaks she then unleashes 3 quick stabs in the direction of the spire. Three separate explosions then erupt from the outside of the spire destroying a huge portion. The once shark tooth of a spire was now a pile of rubble like a mass of rocks protruding from the water''s surface. The explosions woke the sea making the boat rock from the waves. Kayil''s ring glowed a bright yellow light while muttering a prayer, he then raised his hands to the sky. The magic around him breaks as the clouds darken above the broken spire and 5 lightings then tear through the sky, striking the spire''s remains. Each strike warmed and electrified the air, the earth shook at each strike increasing the intensity of waves. The spire no longer looked like it was before after the thunderstorm, now only an uneven platform of an island remained. After the two went, Ross finished his spell. His magic broke around him, and a few seconds passed, and then the sea roiled beneath them. Ross performs a few swift movements with his hands. The sea then sank in level revealing the broken island, the sea then rose tilting on its side. The wave then crashed and washed the island away. When the boat settled the three then started conversing. The people on the boat cheered and applauded the efforts of the three. Their feats were nothing short of legendary. Kol couldn''t help but admire them even more, especially Ross. Ross is a 3rd-level blue and green spell caster though he is not the only 3rd-level spell caster on the island he is known for being a passive nature lover, while Kayil to Kol''s knowledge is a 3rd-level white spell caster and Ella is a 3rd-level red spell caster. "C''mon lad, let''s go. I''ll take you to your quarters." The dwarf said as he signaled some of the guards to help Drew up. Kol looked to Drew and the guards came. "It''s ok kid, I''ll look for you after I get checked up," Drew said with a smile. Kol was then led inside the ship. The ship had 6 private rooms, each able to hold at least 2 people. A kitchen and 1 mess hall for the crew to eat but it has been converted to a max shift sleeping quarters for the paladins and guards. Kol was brought into one of the empty rooms and again left in silence Alone with his loot Sitting in his room Kol now had more time to think. Kol locked the door behind him and then took off his bag. Remembering what he took from the treasure room, the bag then spat out everything except for the leaves. He placed the ''witch light'' on the bed, a metal staff with a short 3-linked chain on its end attached to a lantern with a candle inside it. Looking at the staff Kol remembered that it was Zar who gave it to him, the half-orc whose head was now inside a glass jar beside him. Kol looked away and decided to keep the staff as a memory of Zar. Although Zar gave Kol the magic word to activate the candle, Kol had no idea what else it could do. It would be best if he could go back to the shop in Lindow to have it appraised. Kol then saw the sword lying on the bed. Drew was the one who found and wielded the sword so it would be best if he returned it. Besides, Kol has no experience in wielding bladed weapons. Aside from the different gems laid out on the bed, Kol remembered getting a wooden box inside a desk. Opening the box Kol found 5 blue spells and 3 black spells. Aside from the spells, there was a note. The note: If you are reading this it means I am dead, I pray you are not too late. I was captured by the sea witch not long ago and constantly tortured for information. The witch is after my spell forger but I will take its location to my grave. Its location I entrust to you. Please. We hurt & heal without moving. We poison without touching. We bear the truth & the lies. We are not to be judged by our size. What are We? The riddle caught Kol off guard, but the casual mention of a spell forger took his attention the most. Spells naturally come from 5 of the main colors blue, black, green, red, and white, which are called base spells and although you can substitute runes from each color to create a different form of spell it still came from an original spell. Kol remembered the Conjured hand spell made by Peter was also adjusted later on by black runes to turn the hand invisible. The people of the balanced world are capable of creating their own base spells as long as they are knowledgeable enough, but only up to the 1st-level. Base spells made above 1st-level would then require a spell forger.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. There were only 8 registered spell forges in the balanced world and the people would then create a recipe for a spell they wanted to be created and then send it to 1 of the 8 spell forges to create it. Overseers would then screen the requested spell to be created and would deny or approve their request. If Kol found the spell forger the man in the letter was hiding, he would no longer ask for the overseer''s permission to create his spells. The idea of making his own powerful spells only fueled his dream to become a wizard. Kol then took the letter and read through the riddle once more. [Intelligence D20+D4 roll] ¨C 17 ''Word.'' Kol thought to himself and after speaking the word he waited for something to happen. But nothing did. Kol then concluded that if he was right a specific word needed to be said to activate the box or that he was wrong about the riddle. Either way, Kol was in no rush to solve it right now since he was still a 1st-level wizard. Kol then put the box back into the void bag then looked through the papers of spells to add to his collection. Amongst the blue spells there were Fog, alarm, and nimble 1st-level spells and mist movement and wither for 2nd-level spells. Amongst the black spells there was rebuke, infect wound, and innocent blood. Kol''s eyes glistened with excitement for each spell he collected the more powerful he became, though he was not able to cast any black spells now. hopefully the future, he will and could put the spells to use. now is not the time to test them it would be best if he just copied each of them to his spell book. Kol then opened his status. [Name: Kol (family name unknown)] [HP: 17/17] [Blue EN: 20/20] [STR: 9] [DEX: 9] [CON: 13] [CHA: 12] [WIS: 18] [INT: 18] [ABILITY] -PERMANENT BODY- [Weakness Awareness] [Charming Beauty] [Blue Energy Accumulation] [Health Development] [Guidance] [Blessed] To his surprise even after a day had passed his energy and health didn''t increase. He concluded he reached his maximum and it will not grow unless he has reached a specific age or reached his 2nd-level wizardry. The other thing that caught his attention was that he remembered he used to have 7 permanent curses but now there were only 6. Remembering what happened before, Kol''s face lit up. Now he knows his curses aren''t completely permanent. What was missing was his fear for Eden. Eden was killed and thus the effect of fear no longer applies to Kol making it useless and was removed from his status window. Kol then questioned if there were other ways to remove the permanent effect inflicted on him. Kol then put everything inside his void bag making a mental note of the three potions he found inside Eden''s playroom since they weren''t labeled Kol wouldn''t dare to test them yet. Leaving only his staff and sword Kol made sure to hide the void bag inside his bag. "Wait. Won''t they question where I got these since I got on board shirtless?" Kol asked himself. "Maybe I should keep it inside for now." Someone then knocks on the locked door. "Kid, are you there?" Rosseler''s voice came from the other side. Panic hen sets in as Kol struggles to find a place to hide his staff and sword. "Just a second." He shouts. Back in Lindow Without a place to hide them Kol had no choice but to lie about it if Ross would ask about them. He placed the staff and sword behind the door which would at least cover them if it is opened. Kol then unlocks the door. "Come in." The door opens to Rosseler with a mug in hand. "Are you alright?" Ross asked before taking a sip from his coffee. "Yes, I will be." Ross then walks inside the room leaving Kol by the door. Kol left the door open to keep the weapons hidden. "You''re not mad at me, are you?" Ross asked as he sat on the bed. "I mean for not rescuing you sooner." "No. Why would I be mad?" "Well, if I knew you were alive I would''ve." He takes another sip. "I heard what you did when you were captured. Trying to escape like that was bold. Stupid. But bold." "Thank you. I guess." Confused whether to take it as an insult or not. "When you''re ready you can come back to class." "Really? What about the duel?" "You don''t have to worry about that since all three of you already suffered enough, you most of all." "I would love to rejoin your class, sir." "Good, ''cause the two are no fun. They will also be happy to know that you''re alive." Taking another sip. The thought of David and June hasn''t been frequent, but he always welcomed it. To return and learn more about magic with them would be the greatest, especially with how competitive both Kol and June were. "Now that, that is settled. I best be off." Ross stands from the bed. "Of course. Thank you for your time, sir." Kol said keeping the door open for Ross to go through. "One more thing before I leave." Said Ross with one foot out the door. "You didn''t happen to make a deal with her now, did you?" -Fuck! "Deal what deal? "Kol answered. [Deception roll D20+D4] ¨C 14 Ross sighed.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. "It''s ok I''ll find out eventually." He continues out the door. "One of the servants will bring you a new set of clothes. We''ll be back to Oakheart by morning." The door then closes, leaving Kol alone to his thoughts once again. After a while, one of Ella''s servants came knocking and presented a high-quality black long-sleeved turtleneck and black pants. Kol hesitated but eventually accepted the gift. Kol then spent the night inside his room alone and by day he is awaken by the servants informing him their arrival. He first placed both weapons into his bag before leaving. Drew accompanied Kol as they walked out of the ship but to Kol''s surprise, the people didn''t bother them. Although the attack was a big event their rescue must not have been known to the people. "Tree''s, it''s good to be back." Said Drew. "If you have time kid, I would like to give you a gift." "A gift? For what?" Kol asked. "I know you''re going to do great things in the future and I want to help with that." Drew said with smile. "Come to the barracks when you''re free, I have something to give you." Before Kol could answer his attention was taken from Kayil who called his name. "Kol!" Kayil shouted. "I''ll see you kid." Drew said as he walks down the ramp leaving Kol up the ship. "Hey, forgive me for leaving early. We were supposed to go back to the orphanage together but I am called for another matter." Said Kayil. "It''s ok, Kayil I don''t mind." "Alright, Ross already left but he told me to give you a message," Kayil said. "He said so go back to class whenever you were ready." "Yes, I will don''t worry." "Alright. Now if you will excuse me, I have a meeting with the bishop." After he left Kol then walked down the ram, the passengers of the boat then followed minding their own business. Though Kol was thankful to them his awkwardness wins over and decides to mind his own as well and find his way back to the orphanage. Walking down the dock, he couldn''t help but remember the attack that happened a few days ago. He remembered the storm that followed the ship and thought what kind of spell it was a how amazing would It be if he was able to acquire that spell. Kol then walks down the wooden road of Lindow until he finds himself in the shop he visited with his friends before ''The Ebon Siren.'' Kol walks in to find the place still empty aside from the 4 blue tieflings running around the shop. "Good morning how may I help you?" asked Shaphi. "Hi, I''m here to have some items identified." Kol replied. "Of course, that would be 3 silvers per item." Said shaphi, "But If you want to buy the spell it would be 5 gold." Kol contemplated about the amount but if he would encounter more items in the future that would require further identification it would be best if he buy the spell. "I will take the spell." Kol says. Shaphi appeared shocked at Kol''s decision but after looking at Kol''s high-quality garbs she thought of him as a man of wealth. "Of course. May I tempt you with something else within the shop." Shaphi now blushing at the idea of someone rich and powerful would spend his wealth in her shop. Kol was taken aback at Shaphi''s behavior, this was not how he remembers her. Although what he back then was an illusion of the original. "Do you sell robes?" Kol asked. "I''m looking for a black one." "Yes, sir we do and may I tempt you with something else?" Shaphi said as she plays with a scroll in her fingers. "If you only plan on buying one, then I would suggest getting this spell as well. It will greatly help you in the future." "What is the spell?" Kol''s curiosity peaked. "It is a simple but very rare spell that can clean you and your clothes. With this, there is no need for you to physically wash your high-quality clothes." Said Shaphi with a smile. The idea of not needing to but another set of clothes amuses him and it would greatly reduce his labor and he wouldn''t not have to alternate clothes. "How much would that set me back?" kol asked. "The identify spell and the robe would already be 6 gold." Said Shaphi, "And the ''clean clothes'' spell would be 20 gold." The smile on Saphi''s face was big. [Insight roll D20+D4 roll] ¨C 8 Although shocked by the amount Kol could not help but understand why since it would be a very useful spell. "Deal." Kol said. Red Master After making the deal, Kol puts everything he bought inside his leather bag. The thought then crossed his mind. ¡®Now that I have money. I would be able to buy some of the most powerful and useful spells I couldn¡¯t normally get access to.¡¯ ¡°Excuse me. Do you sell spell books?¡± Kol asked Shaphi. ¡°We do. Some of our spell books are from the most prestigious and renowned academy.¡± Shaphi said with a mischievous smile. ¡°I would like to look at them please,¡± Kol said. Shaphi snapped her fingers and after waiting for a moment her clone came out pushing a cart filled with books. Kol¡¯s eyes widened at the assortment of books before him, but he kept composed. He then went up to the cart and glanced at some of the covers and titles. ¡®Pyro techniques of Ralo¡¯, ¡®Tree of The Mountain¡¯, ¡®ruins without glory¡¯. Titles that Kol had never even heard of, but none of them piqued his interest after flipping through a few pages. All of these books were life stories of great wizards and their journey through discovering and mastering their craft and none of them seemed like something he would enjoy. ¡®I guess Peter¡¯s diary set a bar for me.¡¯ He thought to himself. ¡°What¡¯s the matter you don¡¯t like them?¡± Shaphi asked. ¡°These are the same books nobles would read in the academy. People would pay a huge price for some of these.¡± ¡°I know. But they all seem boring to me.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say it didn¡¯t hurt but these are the only ones I have.¡± ¡°Do you have something that a bad person would want?¡± Kol asked hesitantly. changing parts of the question so he won¡¯t raise any unwanted attention. The last thing he wanted was to be labeled as someone up to no good. Shaphi thinks for a minute, then looks at her clone gesturing to the room she came from with her head. ¡°I think I have just a few,¡± she says with a smile. The clone then brings out three books. The three appear to be bound by black leather, but only the book in the middle has a web-like design made of silver or metal. ¡®Women of joy.¡¯, ¡®Inventing the Elements.¡¯, and ¡®slaves of silver.¡¯ Kol did not expect the first book, though he could not blame her if she misinterpreted it that way. The other books, though, piqued his interest. But before Kol could lay his hands on them Shaphi stood between them. ¡°These books are one of a kind. I only came upon them when a wizard who has nothing else to bargain with and out of desperation sold me their book.¡± Shaphi said with a grin. ¡°So, you can only imagine how much they are worth and the valuable secrets they hide.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. [Insight D20+D4 roll] ¨C 10 ¡®Really? I doubt the first one is even from a wizard.¡¯ ¡°Have you read them?¡± Kol asked. ¡°I skimmed some of it. But I can assure you they are 100% genuine spell books.¡± ¡°How much for the 2 books?¡± ¡°Sorry, but I can only sell them to you as a set.¡± Shaphi smiled. ¡°I can let you have them for 20 gold.¡± ¡¯20 gold?? Fuck. Fine.¡¯ ¡°Deal,¡± Kol said after a sigh. ¡°Great!¡± Shaphi exclaimed. ¡°Let me wrap all of them for you.¡± While waiting for the clone to appear with the wrapped books, the bell on the door rings signaling a new customer. ¡°My lady, are you here for the delivery?¡± Said Shaphi beside Kol. Kl turned to see the beautiful emotionless face with red hair. It was Ella, accompanied by a handful of her knights. ¡°Let me go get them for you.¡± Shaphi said leaving the counter. ¡°My lady.¡± Kol bowed before her. ¡°You left the ship early,¡± said Ella. ¡°Yes. I was hurrying to get home but stopped by this shop first to get them some gifts.¡± [Deception D20+D4 roll] ¨C 18 ¡°I see.¡± Still bowing his head Kol wondered what to say next. The commanding pressure she emits is more than enough for Kol to sweat. ¡®Should I just come back for the books later?¡¯ he asked himself. ¡°Has your energy grown?¡± Ella asked breaking the awkward silence. ¡°Yes, it has grown but currently is has peaked.¡± ¡°What number is it now?¡± ¡°My blue energy is at 20 at the moment.¡± The knight behind Ella quickly put his hand over the hilt of his sword. ¡°You should know better not to lie in front of my lady, boy.¡± The knight said. ¡®Lie?¡¯ Ellas hand quickly gestured the knight to stand back. ¡°Look at me.¡± She spoke. Kol stood straight and looked towards her, keeping his composure steady, and locked eyes with her. ¡°And what level of spells can you cast?¡± Ella asked. ¡°Only the first, my lady.¡± ¡°Impressive.¡± Hearing her words fueled Kol¡¯s self-esteem, and after a bit of calculation, he quickly dropped to the floor in a turtle position. This movement shocked even the proud Ella. ¡®This is the best opportunity I have.¡¯ Kol thought to himself. ¡°My lady, I implore you to take me as your student. I promise I won¡¯t disappoint.¡± Kol exclaimed. The knights beside Ella quickly reacted and a cacophony of insults erupted. ¡®My lady doesn¡¯t need an orphan like you as a student.¡¯, ¡®You are not qualified to be my lady¡¯s student.¡¯, ¡®the likes of you would only taint my lady¡¯s image.¡¯ And so on but they all went silent when Ella gestured. ¡°You will have to prove yourself.¡± Said Ella. Delighted by her words, a smile appeared on Kol¡¯s face. Although hidden from them since he was in a position of kissing the floor. ¡°I will do my best to accomplish any task you command,¡± Kol replied. ¡°Not right now,¡± Ella said and upon hearing her words Kol¡¯s smile dropped. ¡°You cannot serve two masters. Finish your study with Ross, then come find me.¡± ¡°As you wish, my lady.¡± Kol¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he now had a way to learn red spells and from the greatest warrior on the island no less. Kol stood from the floor with a happy expression plastered on his face at the same time Shaphi returned with a box filled with potions. ¡°Here you go my lady, everything accounted for and in pristine condition.¡± The original explained. ¡°That would be 300 gold.¡± Ella gestured to her knight as he produced the leaves from his pouch. ¡°Lend this boy the tome of clear mind,¡± Ella said Shaphi looked surprised, making double glances towards Kol. ¡®Tome of what?¡¯ Kol asked himself lost in thought. ¡°I would lend him mine but it¡¯s up the castle and I¡¯m too lazy to get it,¡± Ella said. The great warrior of the island is a fierce and formidable individual but is lazy. Though the people of Oakheart feared her they still wonder how she came to be a great warrior with the type of lazy person she is. ¡°As you wish my lady. I shall lend it to him.¡± ¡°Good. He will return it when he¡¯s finished.¡± Ella said as she turned to leave, ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t my lady.¡± Kol said giving her another bow. Home again After leaving the shop, Kol stopped by the local bakery. He remembered that before the attack in the docks, he was supposed to bring sweets for his fellow orphans. After spending a gold leaf from the bakery, he made his way to the carriages outside of the Lindow; there he paid a man for a ride back to his town. The sky was clear and the winds were warm, the complete opposite of the last time he was home. Carrying a basket of treats and his bag on his shoulders, Kol made sure to look a bit presentable for his family. He wore the black, long-sleeved turtleneck and black pants he got from the ship, though he only wore burlap shoes. But this was only noticeable when people would pay attention; otherwise, the length of the pants would be enough to cover it. Kol knocked on the familiar dilapidated door he grew up with and waited patiently. Kol could hear the playful laughter and bickerings of his brothers and sisters until the door opened before him. The shocked expression on Angel''s face was priceless for Kol. "Kol!" She shouted and quickly went to hug him. Though her height only reached up to his chest, Kol had to maneuver the basket out of the way for her. "Everyone, Kol is back!" She shouted, running back inside. The children then raced to the door, quickly hugging him. Angel had to grab the basket in case anything had happened to it. Kol was bombarded by questions, hugs, and kisses. But he was in no mood to answer any of them; the only thing he could think of was how happy he was to be back home. "Alright, alright. I''m a little tired, but I brought you guys treats. Go to the kitchen and have some," Kol said with a smile. "C''mon, let your brother rest," Rafi said from the corner. The 8 kids then left and went straight to the kitchen, still bickering over who would get there first. "You look pretty well for someone who''s supposed to be dead." Rafi smirked. "I know. That''s because I left all the ugly with you, remember?" Kol said. Rafi gave Kol a hug, and Kol welcomed it. "We knew you weren''t dead." Though younger than Kol, Rafi was not the type to cause trouble. He loves the family he has in the orphanage and would always respect and follow Kol as if he were his own big brother. Kol wasn''t the type to lead the orphanage or be the best example for them, given his solitary nature, but Rafi still obeyed and followed. This was just the sort of person he is and the type of environment Bea would cultivate among the kids. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "It''s good to see you again, Raf," Kol said, separating from him. "Where''s Bea?" "She''s upstairs praying," said Rafi, closing the door behind them. Kol gave a hesitant look, but before he could speak, Rafi already knew what he was about to say. "Go. I''ll look after them." Kol rushed upstairs. In the hallway of the 2nd floor, a small shrine of Obedience stood beneath the window. It was a small table with a framed sketch of the balanced tree with two trunks connected to one base and another of a woman with six arms respectfully holding a dagger, a sword, a branch, an opened book, and a lute. She was of slender figure, covered in cloth with her mouth covered. Surrounding the 2 sketches were 4 lit candles. Before the shrine was Bea, kneeling with her head down and her hands together. Kol took a step forward, and the floorboards creaked, stopping him in his tracks. Bea turned to the sound and smiled. She rushed towards Kol and gave him the biggest hug. "I''m home," Kol said, holding back his tears. "I know," she whispered. When the excitement died, the children and Bea gathered around the table to share the meal Kol had brought for them. Kol then shared his story of what happened to him after the attack on Lindow, only leaving the gruesome parts out for the kids, the encounter he had with the Queen of Witches, and all the treasures he found. After listening to his story, some of the kids felt inspired and couldn''t wait to learn magic since the people who saved Kol used magic, and it was what gave Kol the means to survive inside the cave; some wanted to be like the paladins and guards who both saved and accompanied Kol in the cave, while the others wanted no part of any and would just like to stay in the orphanage with Bea; the excitement and adventure weren''t what they were after. Hearing the children laugh and joke about their dreams was something Kol didn''t think would bring him happiness, but it did. Kol vowed to himself that he would help give them the life they deserve or at least help them achieve their dreams. With that in mind, Kol excused himself from the table, claiming he was tired from his journey and would like to rest. "Of course, Rafi and the kids fixed up the old broom closet we had just for you," Bea said. "Yeah, I helped as well. Come let me show you," Sham said, grabbing Kol''s hand and guiding him to the broom closet. Sham took Kol to the 2nd floor between the boy''s quarters and the girl''s. The broom closet was where all the cleaning materials were kept, but when Sham opened the door to Kol''s surprise, it was empty and clean except for a single bed. "We never lost faith and knew you would come back. So we cleaned it for you and even brought one of the beds." She said, holding Kol''s hand. "We know you don''t like noise, and you like to read, so we thought you would like a place of your own. It''s not much, but we will always be beside you, and Rafi can read to us now instead of you." The gesture made Kol speechless. "Don''t you like it?" "No. I love it." Kol picked Sham up and hugged her. "Thank you." The thought of his family not believing he perished during the attack warmed his heart. But also gave a hint of suspicion. Their faith in him almost felt like they knew he wasn''t dead. Sham left Kol to rest. Alone with his thoughts once again, the first thing he did was to remove all the leaves in his bag and begin counting. After a few hours of tirelessly forming a comfortable pattern of counting, Kol was able to come up with a definitive value. "I have 1463 gold leaves in total."