Soulcatcher

by Sergey Zaytsev

  "What are you waiting for, pretty face?" I chuckled, taunting it with the "Uniq". "An invitation to a pedicure? Or do you need a touch-up? I will do everything quickly, do not worry, you will have time to go home to your young and hot lover to pinch each other feathers in a passionate frenzy…"

  What am I even talking about, where is this garbage in my head from?

  The important thing was that it worked.

  Deeply offended, the feathered old woman stretched out her neck and, pushing her body forward, fiercely flapped her wings. Her wide, thin-lipped mouth opened and let out a deafening, angry cry.

  A forked flash struck directly from the sky into the tip of my sword; cold, bluish flames vividly ran across the blade and slid across my hands. In an instant, my entire body was engulfed in it. It wasn't painful, just very cold. I felt petrified and unable to breathe.

  "Harpsaw" used "Freezing Paralysis" on Wisecracker.

  You receive 50 points of air damage (45 absorbed).

  Current HP: 95/100

  You are numbed for 3 seconds!

  Unable to move, feeling as if I was stuck in a slow motion sequence, I watched as the "Harpsaw" slowly stretched her wings to their full wingspan and jumped down. Flying low, some three and a half feet above the ground, she rushed towards me. I had no desire to joke anymore. Eyes burning with triumphant malice, she aimed her curved claws straight at my face. One slow flap of the wings after another... She was drawing closer…

  A panicked thought flashed through my mind: ''If it rips out my eyes, I'm done.'' Struggling against the invisible shackles with all my strength, muscles bulging, I barely managed to jump to the side. Quickly turning around, I swung the "Uniq" in a shiny, steel arc to hit the creature's back. No time to read the logs nor to care, too much information would only distract me. A handful of cut off feathers flew into the air, but the blow didn't cause any serious damage. The "Harpsaw" landed and, outstretching her wings, spun in a rapid reversal. Her attack reached me. The feathers, hard as steel, cut like a buzz saw.

  I screamed in pain. Grabbing my left side, I hopped a step backwards. Blood seeped between my fingers, soaking the torn clothes. "Harpsaw" shouted again, and again the damn lightning struck from the heavens, driving me into a cold stupor. Her signature ability recharged too fast. I was screwed unless something came up.

  Waving her wings, the "Harpsaw" took off the ground and dashed towards me. Her claws dug into my shoulders, cutting deep into my flesh. The pain was cold, kind of numb and dampened by the induced stupor. The jolt of her heavy body knocked me onto my back, but the creature cautiously took off again.

  Frantically gripping my "Uniq", I started to move. In the growing panic, I noticed that the next crystal lit up with the yellow light of Earth. Whether the battle lasted too long, or the binding process was accelerated I wasn't sure. It was probably the latter.

  Flapping her wings forcefully, "Harpsaw" rose several dozen feet.

  I knew I couldn't get up in time, but I wasn't as helpless as she might have thought. One could fight lying down. Taking my chance, I raised the "Uniq" up, clenching its hilt with all my might. The heavy creature that was diving down fast had no time to react and got impaled on the sword. My shoulders dug into the ground and my wrist twisted from the mighty impact. Her battle cry turned into a scream of agony, eerily reminiscent of a human voice. Her feathery carcass slid limply onto me and my throat clenched painfully from its putrid smell.

  Wisecracker used "Assassin's Gambit" on "Harpsaw"

  "Harpsaw" has been defeated!

  XP earned: 190

  Current XP: 838/1000

  Added entry to the bestiary: "Harpsaw"

  Show: yes / no?

  Releasing the handle of the "Uniq", I crawled out from under the creature. Breathing heavily, I examined my handiwork. The blade went right through the creature's open mouth; four inches of bloodied steel pierced the skull from the inside and stuck out of the back of the head. However, I had no time to exchange pleasantries with the defeated enemy. Stepping onto the "Harpsaw's" head, I pulled out the "Uniq" and immediately sensed a new threat as I heard the tread of many feet behind me.

  Without looking, I jumped away, turning around I found myself face to face with a giant scorpion.

  Oh shit!

  The new enemy was no smaller than the "Firetail". Its yellow-brown body was covered with a chitinous shell, the top being solid armor, but the edges of the belly looked less protected. The scorpion stopped around three steps away, examining me with a multitude of intense black eyes, set deeply in the brown carapace located on the front side of his cephalothorax[3]. The powerful body rested on three pairs of rather thin-looking, segmented legs. On its back was a waving tail consisting of several swollen segments topped with a long curved stinger. Stretching the two hefty, grasping pincers in front of itself, the creature disgustingly moved its mandibles and covered its mouth opening.

  "Desert Strider"

  Level 2

  HP: 148

  Without losing it from my sight, I began to carefully back away.

  After two fights, one had to be stupid not to understand how the creature's name was related to the abilities it might have possessed. "Firetail" hit with fire and "Harpsaw" ripped my side with its saw like wings. The wound was not deep at least. So, "Strider" had to be fast. That was all I knew about it for now. I was in trouble. Pain, as "Shield of the Novice" had promised, spread with a light burning, and the blood had dried. Otherwise, I was fine. The regeneration Ears mentioned didn't fail me.

  Still backing away, I quickly glanced back and evaluated where the tree trunk was. I had an idea that could work. The most important thing was not to let that freak touch Grant. My mentor's face was strained and shiny from sweat. The ritual wasn't as easy for him as it had seemed.

  I turned around, rushed to the tree and got behind it in one long jump. The tread of quickly advancing feet was followed by a mighty blow. The scorpion had crashed into the tree trunk. Splinters of rotten bark flew in all directions. There were neither screams nor hissing. Having no vocal cords, the monster did everything silently. Just as silently, it climbed onto the tree trunk which shook under its weight, its pincers snapping eagerly. I struck with a wide swing, and the sword hit the less protected part of the chest and sunk all the way to the belly. Thin chitin tore like cotton cloth and a colorless liquid splashed out of the long and deep cut.

  The scorpion immediately bounced, threateningly rising its claws.

  It attacked again, and it lunged at me with its stinger aimed straight for my head. But I had moved to the side and the skull crushing hit landed on a thick branch where the stinger got thoroughly jammed.

  You are done for! It's my turn now!

  Hopping on the tree trunk, I jumped onto the scorpion's back which was slippery from the rain. My weight forced it to squat. It twitched and tried to throw me off. However, the tail nailed to the tree interfered with its maneuvers. I hit it with the "Searing Flash". The blade, engulfed in fire, pierced the upper plates and penetrated the shell with a hiss. I struck again while the effect was still active. And again, with my rapidly developing skill guiding the strikes in the exact same wounded spot. "Tempest Blade" activated after the fourth strike and drained my mana to zero, but I still had vigor left! Grinning like a madman I swung again, but the scorpion's leg suddenly broke as it slumped down lifelessly. I jumped off of it.

  "Desert Strider" has been defeated!

  XP earned: 200

  Congratulations! You reached level 2!

  Current XP: 38/1500

  You received 1 skill point. Use the skill tree to distribute it.

  Added entry into the bestiary…

  At last, some progress! An honest opinion about the bestiaries - information given in hindsight is absolutely useless, so it can go where ever…

  The belated fear rolled in like a muddy wave.

  The scorpion's tail strike flashed before my eyes – were it not for the branch it likely would have str
uck me in the head. I was not sure if the "Shield" would have saved me or not. The events left me slightly shaken. Sitting down, I stuck the "Uniq" into the ground and brushed the sweat mixed with rain off my face. I needed to recover so I took a sip from the flask. It was not over yet. The respite was going to be brief. I caught myself thinking that, despite the fear, the fight had been interesting. My lips stretched into a nervous smile. I liked that. No nonsense. Digging through the settings, I opened the needed page. Basic stats had grown; energy and mana, too, had increased. However, I didn't care about that. I desperately wanted new abilities…

  How annoying. "Shield of the Novice" already reflected only 80% of damage. That was fine. Live while you can, take what you can get.

  When the promised "skill tree" finally appeared it was clear that most windows would remain blank until a certain amount of skill points was earned. The "skill tree" consisted of four columns of darkened windows, divided by a horizontal line into two unequal parts: the bottom, the so-called "roots" of the development tree; and the top, "branches", of which there were many more. There were only two highlighted passive skills.

  "Elemental Precision"

  Rank 1

  Magic attacks ignore 2% of the target's resistance.

  "Elemental Power"

  Rank 1

  Chance to trigger blade buffs increased by 3%.

  What the hell? Didn't the "elemental warrior" have the ability to impose a fight from afar, stunning the enemy's magical attacks?! I threw a sullen look at Grant. A bright blue crystal was already glowing at the altar. Bullshit... I had defeated three enemies. Pure luck or not, I had to try my best. Things could change, however. No one was immune to mistakes.

  Looking out for new dangers lurking in the thick shadows of the surrounding trees and in the bushes around the clearing, I turned my head. No one seemed to be around…

  A stream!

  Flattening the grass, the suspicious stream flowed directly from the lake up the slope in my direction. Another twenty steps and it would be close. What the hell was that crawling thing? Something magical? Still unsure where to spend this unfortunate point, I decided to test the skill system and invested it in "Elemental Precision". A couple of new "roots" immediately appeared.

  "Nascent Rage"

  Passive skill

  Rank 1 (0/100)

  Successful hits allow you to accumulate up to three attack points. The damage for each point of attack depends on the rank of the skill and the level of the character.

  "Ice Squall"

  Rank 1 (0/100)

  Activates all of the attack points. Physical attacks have 25% chance of causing frost damage.

  Type of action: finishing blow, melee.

  I then tried to invest the point Into "Elemental Power", but there was no change. The same skills at the root of the skill tree opened regardless of where I placed the point, seemingly counting only points and not their positions. Giving it a second thought, I put the point into "Precision", and confirmed it. Chance of magic attacks partially ignoring resistance was promising, especially when I could invest up to 5 points into either of the passives.

  But where the hell were the ranged attacks?! At what level would I get those? I needed them badly. Causing damage before approaching the enemy was always a huge advantage! That's why I needed magic. The rain, which I considered an annoyance till a moment ago, had stopped. Yet the "Heaven's Grace" aura still held. As it had no timer, however, I didn't know when it would end.

  By the time the stream reached me, stopping three steps away, my mana bar was two-thirds restored. More water flowed in, forming a spring the size of a pool. Should I jump in and splash around? I did not dare. With a burst, a seven feet tall water column sprang from the spring, morphing instantly into a humanoid, faceless figure made entirely out of transparent liquid. Its hands turned into long, curved blades.

  "Water Elemental"

  Level 3

  HP: 248

  As the saying goes – when it rains, it pours.

  Not only was it higher level than me, but it had more HP than the previous enemies. I also wasn't sure how to deal with it. I had no choice but to figure it out on the go.

  No more waiting and being cautious. I jumped at the "Elemental" and struck first. Charged with "Searing Flash", the "Uniq" sank into the semblance of a neck. The affected area instantly boiled, turning into steam. The enemy's health bar dropped noticeably. The next blow was pure physical damage, as the ability had to recharge. The "Elemental" clumsily parried with one of the sabers and tried to stab me in the abdomen with the other one. I tried to get behind it, but my maneuver failed as the "Elemental" had no need to turn around. It simply flowed into another position, and I found myself staring at its featureless face and sabers once more. But it was still slower, and it gave me an advantage. Physical attacks dealt noticeable damage, though not as much as the fire ones did. One of the blades, fending off the "Uniq", burst and splashed through the air. The "Elemental" had three-quarters of HP left. The "Uniq", now leveled, was significantly stronger than before.

  The "Elemental" decided that clashing blades wasn't its, well, element and proceeded to spontaneously explode. Waves splashed over me, soaking me from head to toe. Not giving me a moment to catch my breath, a thin layer of water enveloped my entire body like a blanket. It started to suffocate me. I tried to wipe the water off my face with my free hand, but my helplessly slipped right off it. The surrounding reality was intricately refracted through water lenses in front of my eyes, I couldn't even blink. Suffocation kicked in suspiciously quickly, as if the "Elemental" was sucking the air through the pores of my body. This creature intended to drown me, plain and simple. At least it was being original about it!

  Don't panic, Wise, don't panic…

  I wanted to scream in anger, but I felt as if my mouth was securely bound with tape. It was necessary to think very quickly about how to get out of such a lousy situation. I had enough mana for one more strike. I grabbed the "Uniq" with my left hand and, pressing the blade against my chest with both hands, invoked "Searing Flash". A large portion of water boiled over only to return to normal in the next moment. Several times I powerlessly hit my shoulders and legs with the blade, but to no avail. I was wheezing, my vision was getting darker. The health bar continuously bled out, point by point. I never thought I'd die so ingloriously, killed by lousy water... Useless attack points, accumulated by hits, mocked me from the interface. I discharged them with a blow to the leg, more out of stubbornness than hope of escape…

  Then I heard a rustling sound. The water coating hardened upon contact with the blade. A terrible cold engulfed my entire body and my face got covered with a thin crust of transparent ice. I hit my face with an open palm, forcing my head to jerk backwards. The ice cracked and crumbled, its sharp edges cutting into the skin. Pain was unimportant. I caught a blessed breath of fresh air.

  Wisecracker inflicted frost on "Water Elemental"!

  The "Water Elemental" has been defeated!

  XP earned: 220

  Current XP: 258/1500

  What... How?! "Ice Squall"! Chance of inflicting frost damage!

  That's what it meant to learn abilities on the move, with no real tests.

  Shaking my head and feeling completely exhausted, I tore off the remains of the ice shell. I fell to the ground just a step away from where we had just fought. Chunks of ice quickly melted in the grass. All that remained of the "Elemental" was a puddle which refused to be soaked into the soil. That's right, unclaimed and uncollected "loot". Four more bodies lay waiting for my master's greedy hand…

  Now, about that "Altar"…

  I raised my head. What I saw made me laugh nervously.

  The last two crystals activated simultaneously.

  My mana was almost at zero, and I had a third of the energy bar left. I was terribly tired, and "fun" was still in full swing. I stepped back ten paces from Grant. The "aggro" was still on me, but I would need space to fight the two arriving cre
atures. It would be easier to react and distract them away from my mentor.

  The "Altar" was already blazing with light, warning that the enemy was nearby. The crystal of Life exuded a poisonous-green glow, and Death trembled with a small spark in the thick smoke. It worried me that I couldn't see my opponents. "Uniq" in hand, I extended my arm in front of me and turned around, peering into the surrounding darkness so hard that my eyes hurt. Synchronously with the movement, the blade gently cut through the warm, moisture-laden air. It was dead silent and I could hear every single drop that dripped from the foliage.

  Come on! My nerves were stretched thin as is!

  A lingering crackle came from behind and almost made me scream. It sounded as if something dense and large had just been torn. Why did they all try to sneak from behind? As if I didn't have enough trouble already…

  Sword pointed forward, I turned on my heels. This was something new…

  Something was pulling itself right out of the bottom of the tree trunk. The roots shook and writhed like living beings, bark cracked and crumbled into a thousand of splinters. In a couple of seconds a chunk of wood separated itself from the tree trunk, collapsed in a twisted form and then slowly rose, growing into an independent being.

  "Treant"

  Level 3

  HP: 260

  Why, hello, what a surprise.

  With roots for legs, it moved like a centipede, ruthlessly tearing the turf with the weight of its massive body. A stump, five feet high, confidently sprinted in my direction, without paying any attention to Grant. I feverishly looked in both directions. Where was the other guy? The crystal was obviously glowing! Okay, so I had one guy to deal with... My mana had restored enough for one flaming blow. After that I'd have to make do with proper blade work. The only way to limit the creature's mobility was to cut off its roots.

  I took another step to the side, pulling the creature away from my mentor.

  Oddly enough, the stump continued to advance in a straight line, ignoring my maneuver. Lowering the "Uniq", I stood my ground. Intuition said something was wrong. The "Treant" accelerated at the last moment, threw up several strong roots instead of hands, and, slipping past me, attacked...the air.