I wiped my face from the water I spit up as I was drinking. "What do you mean we're hated?"
A surprised look popped up on his face. "Do ya not know? Fer the past couple hundred years they been outcasts. Ever since the Great Purge, the deities have forsaken em'."
I stand up, clearly shaken.
〈A great purge? God's forsaking the players? What happened between the time I died to now?〉
It sounded like a lot of time passed while I was in the void prior to reincarnating, so there were things I have to confirm.
This world had a calendar themselves, last I checked it was the Aurion calendar day three thousand fifty-seven. "What year is it now?"
"The gods announced a new era to acknowledge the genocide of the wanderers. It's comin' up on its second century." He turned to me, but this time it was a curious look. "Which now that I think about it, how're you here?"
My leg starts to fidget as the thought of being away for hundreds of years is realized. "I'm not sure. I was at war with a rival guild and died during it."
A memory came across my mind. It was right before I resurrected, but the images were faint and blurry. All I can remember was a massive war.
Rak looks up to me while I pace. "So yer tellin' me that yer 'guild' is responsible for the start of the Final War?"
My ears perked up. "Final War?"
"Yeah! It was the major battle before the Gods came down. It was the start of the purge."
"Gods huh!" In a split second as I tried to remember the battle, a sharp pain shot through my head. "Urk!"
I hold the side of my head in confusion. This pain seemed to linger for quite a second as my memory started to come back.
Like a movie film, flashbacks occur frame by frame. A shadow that was behind the enemy guild leader, and its power to grant buffs to the entire army.
"A shadow…"
"A what? Shadow?" Rak turns to me with a dumbfounded face. "So yer seeing things?"
"No, there was a shadowy figure at the battle, it granted power to the other guild. The leader said he contracted with a God."
"A God huh? Well, I don't know much about all of em. A shadow based God is something I got nothin' on." He sits there puzzled.
"Well, you've already been a great help, and of course not everything can be easily obtained."
I am truly grateful for Rak's help though. Without him, I'd be starved, and just recently, fertilizer for those plants.
"But besides that, I have a request for ya, think of it as payment for saving ya."
I listen intently as he asks me what he needs.
"The creature that ya ran away from, the beast one, could ya try findin him again?"
His request was a strange one. At first I didn't think much of it, it was also strange how he knew that the monster chased me.
"Sure, but how did you know?"
"I saw the tracks before bringin' ya away from the meadows. Ya said somethin' about bein' chased when you were sleepin', a beast or somethin'.Put two an' two together."
〈Fair enough.〉
I point out the tracks from where me and the beast. The footprints were surprisingly shallow, but Rak described the beast, which was called a Roppa-dachi.
The species is known for its territorial hunting grounds, however this one ventures beyond its grounds. Rak explained that could only mean one thing, a bigger predator.
This hunter was shoved out of their zone due to an Apex that is the only dominant beast over the Roppa-dachi.
"This is the beast I've been searchin for. Knowin the Roppa's personality, since it failed a hunt, it'd go back to his place to fight for it. Only way it can get food at this point."
"What's the apex called?"
"Well, it's a strange creature that I have yet to know about, but I call him Shade."
Rak drew a picture of the apex within the dirt. It nearly looked like a massive lion mixed with some sort of eldritch abomination, but the way he drew it seemed off, like he was purposefully not putting in as much detail.
"You're going to fight that?"
"I'll try my damndest." His tone lowers, as his eyes sharpen. He seemed set on this fight like he has been preparing for it for some time.
I sit there quietly trying to rest a bit. The poison from the spipents are slowly fading from my body, and the numbness as well subsides.
I tried to speak up to ease the tension but instead I just sat there eating and taking it easy.
Abruptly however, Rak spoke up to break the ice. His words shocked me. "I'm gonna need ya help with trackin the Roppa. Usin' that lycan smell would help a ton. It's better than mine."
I looked at him curious. He originally made it seem like he was pretty good at dealing with tracking or senses, but now he needs me?
"I thought you were pretty damn good at this."
"If I was, I wouldn't be spendin' all my days here in this damn jungle. I'm gettin' old ya see?" He tried to smile like an old man, but he didn't seem that aged.
I didn't know how long lizardmen lived for, so I couldn't really tell, but his face trying to crack a silly joke got to me.
I chuckled before responding. "Yeah, you saved my life. There's not much I wouldn't do to repay that."
Rak stood up and reached his hand out to me.
We clasped hands as Rak pulled me up to my feet. After sharing that nice moment together, that first friendly talk, it seems I could see myself leaving my back to him.
As we walked from the tracks, I started to realize how great my sense of smell was. I was able to hunt with it prior, but it seemed like there was a more pungent odor about. It didn't smell natural, which made me believe this was the trail of the monster.
This was a weird feeling however. It's like my primal instincts as a lycan character is slowly adapting to my body and mind.
〈I wonder how much my body and mind will adapt to each other?〉
Because of my heightened sense of smell, the tracks weren't even needed for most of the trek. Half the time, we didn't even see the dirt below the fauna.
Eventually, night fell and the jungle became dark and eerie. Only the sounds of nocturnal bugs and animals could be heard through the trees.
As we crept through the vegetation trying to make as little noise as possible, my foot landed into a massive claw marking.
The mud has been dug up and was well hidden due to the amount of greenery around.
A scaly hand ejects from my right side to halt my position.
"Hush now, it's around." This is the quietest I've heard him before.
"Alright, so let's sleep it off and come back in the morning." As I try to tiptoe backwards, Rak grabs my shoulder and pulls me back.
"We're huntin' him now."
"What? Why? You called him Shade, did you not? So why would we attack something that sounds like it revolves around the dark, in the dark!" I quietly yell this out.
"Cause, that's the perfect time to strike. At his strongest is what I want him at!"
I'm completely dumbfounded.
〈It's illogical to think that. Am I somehow in the wrong?〉
I slap myself back to reality and try to understand his way of thinking. "Why do you want him at his strongest? This is a hunt, not a fair match!"
Rak just stares at me without muttering a word. It seems he doesn't want to waste the time to explain.
Thud!
A crash sounds out from the direction that the footprints lead.
Thud!
Again…
THUD!
The crackle and snapping of a tree came plummeting down. Dust and debris flung in all directions as it connected with the ground below it.
Once the cloud of dust fades, droplets of blood rain down from a good distance away.
It was too dark to make out most of the details, but I was certain we were at the right place. However, it was the same place I was led to earlier today.
〈Is Shade the same creature as before?〉
Rak pressed forwards towards the fallen tree. We carefully skittered to the trunk of the three and investigated it.
Massive claw marks were dug into the bark. It was clear that it was due to a much larger beast than the Roppas.
We followed a trail of disrupted plant life and the blood trail until we stopped in a small clearing. It was the same clearing as before, I even saw the cave entrance, but the body that was there was nearly all bones now as the silhouette showed.
Rak stepped out into it and walked over to the stream. He took his leather waterskin out to refill it. "Rak wait! This is it, this is his den!"
Suddenly, a smell pierced my nose. It was faint and strong at the same time.
I quickly looked around the clearing to try and spot anything, but I couldn't see a single creature.
"Rak!" I quietly yelled, "I smell something around. It's almost hard to gather where it's coming from."
Rak peered his head up to search for anything around as well.
It started to drizzle. A drop of water landed on my head and next my shoulders.
I wiped off the wet spot with my right hand as I didn't like the feeling of it. Something then caught my attention. A strong iron scent hovered around me. It was stronger than before.
〈Iron? Wait the blood!〉
My head snapped up as I saw two eyes peering down at me. It was those red eyes, but I was too late.
As soon as I noticed it, a set of jaws lunged down at me. It was too fast for me to follow.
I was soon swallowed into darkness. It was hot and slimy where I was, as I was inside its mouth.
〈Was I eaten by this thing?〉
"RAK!!" I tried yelling out.
I panicked around as I gripped onto what felt like a large tongue. I held on trying not to fall into a hole as the entire fleshy cave moved into a vertical drop.
While hanging on for my life, knowing full well this thing is trying to swallow me whole, a light gleamed from my pocket. I grabbed what was in there, it was the mirror from the burrow.
I looked into it and saw my level and everything. This time, however, I saw I leveled up to level fifteen. There were extra numbers on it, to insinuate that I had points to add to my stats.
〈Wait… my levels… me EP. Can I use this like the system?〉
Holding the piece of mirror in my hand and holding onto the tongue with my whole left arm, I tried tapping the mirror to see how I could interact with it.
Nothing was working. I would swipe, tap or even stare at what I wanted.
〈Damnit, you give me this and yet you can't even explain it to me. Or maybe it isn't a physical thing? A command maybe? Like a spell!?〉
Using my thoughts, I tried connecting to this mirror. Just like I did when sensing the mana to use magic, I felt myself dive into the area with the lake. It almost felt like I could enter this place whenever I wanted.
In the middle of the water, a huge shard of crystal hovered over. It showed all my stats and the points I could add.
Now having a general plan, I tried picturing the points that increased where I wanted them.
With each level you get two stat points you can add, and since you start off with ten stat points once you create a character and one stat in each skill unless you reincarnate.
After leveling up, I have accumulated thirty-eight stat points. All I had to do was use them now.
◆◆◆◇◇◇◆◆◆◇◇◇◆◆◆
Kings' body began to shine. A bright red and white light surrounded him.
This was the same event when someone levels up within the game, so King was confused why it occurred during his stat increase.
The inside of Shade's mouth illuminated. Within it, his entire being was covered in this light.
…
King; level 15
EP: 38 -> 0(38)
Strength - 11 -> 30
Dexterity - 12 -> 26
Constitution - 9 -> 16
Intelligence - 8 -> 8
Charisma - 10 -> 10
Luck - 12 -> 20
Ding!
[Congratulations! You have leveled up! May fate be on your side!]
◆◆◆◇◇◇◆◆◆◇◇◇◆◆◆
As the light fades, I find myself brought back into darkness.
Energy surged through my body instantly and although slightly painful, I bared the feeling as it instantly felt comforting after.
Increasing a stat by even 1 point is a substantial amount. People held EP just to fake people out in pvps, so the idea of using more than 1 on a singular stat was very unheard of.
For example, if someone increases a point within dexterity, they can run ten percent faster and their Agility and attack speed is amped fifteen percent. Each stat has their own percent increases, but the fact remains that increasing stats makes a huge difference.
I closed the gap in strength between me and Shade, as I put most of my points in strength. I wedged myself within the jaws of this creature and started to pry his mouth open. It seemed it was more based on dexterity than strength, meaning I was able to overpower him slightly.
His teeth began to separate as I heard a loud war cry from behind. Rak slammed into Shade so I and Shade went tumbling around.
I jumped out of its mouth and landed in my stance to get ready. However, as soon as I looked up to Shade, he was gone.
This isn't normal. He shouldn't be this fast. But it's like I can still smell him around me.
The area around became dark. The sounds came back and I could feel and see other bodies moving around.
Dark magic was built for illusions, but it was crazy to think a monster could use magic. It was unheard of.
Monsters and beasts alike could hold a certain amount of magical properties within them, but they have never been known to use spells themselves, they were only able to produce magical effects or elements. This felt like it was born differently, or even modified itself.
The spell used was not in my list, so I had no idea what this could be. There were some spells that could distort someone's vision, or mess with a certain area altogether. Then there were some that simply projected themselves elsewhere.
It seemed like this creature was doing a combination of all those.
"Rak he uses illusions! How is he doing this? This is unheard of."
"His illusions just tamper with yer mental image. The reflectin' light off its projections created by his tendrils cause it." Rak said as he stood ready to attack dozens of yards away from me.
"How can I combat that?!"
"Steel yer mind, most people use magic to coat their eyes to see through any illusion."
"What the hell does that mean!" I start to get confused and aggravated at the situation.
Taking into account Rak's advice, I try to think about it for a second. I don't have enough training in magic to actually bring his idea into reality, but I figured it'd be worth a shot. It'll be just like using any magic, right?
This was never a feature in RTM, mostly due to illusions being a duration based spell, and the fact that most players had casters able to dispel illusions for them, but this isn't the game anymore.
I started to focus on casting a spell but instead of having it produce in my arm, I try to focus the feeling onto my eyes. All I had to do was imagine that feeling I got before. It was a warm feeling, something that perhaps felt like I was straining or flexing my muscles.
It's a bit difficult to put the concept to practice. As I was trying to do so, a faint warm feeling arose. I felt my entire body, or something even deeper than that.
Each being in this world has a system of nerve-like strands that work its way through the body. It's not a physical thing, but instead a spiritual one.
From my knowledge, this was what allowed all magic to circulate through the body allowing one to cast magic. The type of magic would depend where the flow of mana would be concentrated.
This feeling was spreading all through my body until I got interrupted by a paw swinging at me.
Rak tackled me to the ground to avoid the beast's strike. "Ya tryna meet yer maker this soon?"
"It's harder than it sounds. Can't do that when I never heard of it."
I race back behind some large rocks to bide myself some time in order to figure out how to use this skill. The idea is very tricky to get right like any abstract theory is.
My mind was processing every option and way to make this work as Rak distracted the beast for me.
Then it clicked with me.
Each spell typically is produced from a single point in the body. Attack spells usually are produced from the arms and hands, and movement type spells are produced in the legs and feet. There are a plethora of different spell options that I can use in order to understand the feeling of mana circulating within my eyes.
The level ten spell,
An ability that allows the user to gauge the potential movement of a target. This spell was mostly used by spellswords to contend against assassin based mages and long range ballistics, although it operated differently within the game.
If I think about what I can see, and perhaps mess with my visuals, perhaps I can figure out the feeling for my eyes.
I made my eyes blur, cross and even strain them. I could feel the heat rising within my corneas but I wasn't able to grasp that feeling. There had to be something to imagine in order to figure this out.
〈What about thermal vision? I can simply think of cutting off the information I don't need, like I would focus my vision on something specifically and stop worrying about what's around it.〉
With this in mind, I tried closing my eyes, and picturing just what I wanted to feel. All I felt, no what I heard, was the sounds of Rak fighting the beast. Claws scraping the ground and the breathing from the two echoing.
That's all the information I want to see. My eyes open,
As soon as I casted the spell, my vision goes blue. It's as if I'm seeing the world in code almost but not digital, more so... echolocation.
I see the streams of mana being sent around the battleground. Rak's innate magic buffs spiraling around him and a thick magic aura-like mist around Shade. It looked like Shade didn't actually mess with my mind directly, it was messing around with the area.
The mist spanned out around the clearing, and it was being pumped out by the tendrils of the beast. It wasn't the tendril that was able to draw my mind into the illusion, it just wanted me to think that.
This monster is clever, too clever.
Now being able to utilize the spell, I sprung into action.
I dashed out towards Shade in a confident sprint. Every step I took, it felt like the vibrations from my steps let me see where the surroundings were, but the fighting also allowed for me to know where things were around this.
This sight was something I could never think of replicating, it was too surreal. I didn't need to rely on color or where things were at all times. All I needed was where I was at, and where Shade was at.
It was preoccupied with Rak as I came up from behind his blindspot.
I charge up
A massive burnt gash was left on Shade's leg as it buckled in pain.
Rak used that opening to rush underneath its jaws and shove his spear into the lower part of its mouth.
It whelped in agony as its mouth and tongue were skewered by Rak's spear.
It swiped at my scaly friend but no luck. Rak maneuvers around the creature's swinging claw. It was in a panic as it flailed randomly.
Rak and I both side-stepped the swings and jumped up to its face to attack its eyes directly. Seeing that coming from us, it closed its eyes and my fist made contact with the hard shell of its eyelid.
〈Damn, it was fur huh?〉
It didn't ignore all the damage though. The eyes were still hit, but not damaged enough.
Seeing as it's struggling to hold up, we both rushed towards the beast, thinking we could finish it off/
…
Immediately however, darkness spread across the grounds.
It was different than it being night, it was pure pitch blackness. A void where I couldn't tell where I was oriented.
"Rak! You still there?"
…
The silence was more than enough to set me off. A chill ran down my spine.
〈It's always darkness lately. I couldn't deal with a creature of light. It's like every chance I get it's just dark.〉
Then a sharp pain in my back rushes to my brain as a gash opens up. "Ghuh! Ah Fuck!"
I kneel down holding my lower back.The regeneration process started to patch up my wound, but I'm still not in the clear.
"Shit shit shit!"
I cast
Panicked, I swing my arms wildly around to protect myself from the unknown. Using the fire burning around my arms, I sent multiple motes of fire in any direction, but the fire was quickly consumed by the dark.
Another strike to my leg, then to my chest.
Without being able to hear or see anything, this was a death trap.
My mind began playing tricks on me. I thought I saw Rak running towards me, but he vanished. Then I saw multiple Shade's surrounding me like a pack.
I felt it behind me and struck… Nothing.
Heard it's breath to my left… Nothing.
Its laughter was emanating from my right, yet when I looked over… Nothing.
〈This damn this is toying with me again.〉
I began to hyperventilate. My heart began to beat a million times per second.
…
I was terrified…
I was alone…
In the darkness that continues to haunt me time and time again. Was there a significance to this? I couldn't tell.
My anxiety fueled my need to want to see clearly. I didn't want to be killed by something I can't see, nor did I accept that I wanted to die now.
〈I'm going to survive this damn thing. As long as it's here, I won't be in the clear. It has to die today.〉
After a few minutes, it was as though I wasn't being attacked anymore. Something must've caught its attention. Perhaps Rak was fighting it, but how can he in this situation?
I felt mana within my eyes from
My eyes glowed a fiery red as the lights around me changed from blue.
It was like a fire hellscape that surrounded me instead of a calm ocean. Then I was able to see past the haze, past even solid objects. I only saw heat.
The circulation of mana was easily distinguishable now. I could see shapes as flames within my vision. One shape in particular, dashed around another smaller shape. I can assume that it's Shade and Rak.
It was weird how Rak could see within this dark haze, but that was good for me. He kept the beast's attention it seems.
I slowly, but also quickly walked my way over. Each step I took seemed to unleash another flash of fiery light that gave my vision more of a picture of what's happening.
The Shade looked towards my direction as the heat around me continuously increased. Its red eyes were noticeable, even in this state. Then, all of a sudden, the understanding of a spell came to mind.
I didn't know what this spell was, but it was like something that seemed to allow me to utilize the vast amount of mana I had, so I started slowly taking steps towards the shade.
The first step broadened the images in my mind. I was able to see mana like I never could before. The Shade's image was that of a chaotic spiral. It was clear it wasn't uniform meaning it wasn't natural. Rak's was dim, like the magic he uses is hidden. The creatures around showed a pale light of differing colors.
The shape of Shade began growing in size as it rushed towards me.
The second step increased the heat emanating from me. I couldn't feel anything, but I saw the shapes of leaves wilting before me. My body began to heat up like a furnace, and I craved something that I never did before, the mana of this monster.
The third step sent out chains that latched on to the larger shape of Shade on my command. It halted the beast it seems, and the mana that I saw began to act sporadic. It was clearly in pain, but I could no longer hear it.
The fourth step slowly dragged the creature towards me. I raised my hand out to it ready to touch its body.
Upon the fifth step, the large shape charged at me, but it was useless. As soon as the fifth step was completed, a shockwave enveloped the shape. Five separate waves covered it, and each one disrupted its spiritual nervous system.
My outstretched hand grasped a patch of fur under its neck and seemingly sucked up all the mana I saw. It was a mass of mana being collected in my hand
The beast howled in absolute horror and distraught. The pain it felt was beyond normality. Then the mana's shape changed, it became a wolf-like creature and lunged towards my body.
I tried to strike it before it hit, but it simply delved deep into my being, combining with my mana. Then the color surrounds me, the darkness pushed away.
It laid before my feet barely able to even lift a muscle like its entire body was in shock.
As the adrenaline within me ceases, my body contorts as I fall into unconsciousness. Not before I could catch a glimpse of Rak rushing to my side and a figure way beyond him that stood there before turning away and becoming one with the dark jungle shade.
A shadow.
◆◆◆◇◇◇◆◆◆◇◇◇◆◆◆
King; level 15
EP: 38 -> 0(38)
Strength - 11 -> 30
Dexterity - 12 -> 26
Constitution - 9 -> 16
Intelligence - 8 -> 8
Charisma - 10 -> 10
Luck - 12 -> 20
◆◆◆◇◇◇◆◆◆◇◇◇◆◆◆