by Noam Oswin
Muttering under my breath, I took a clear aim for Wunder’s chin. “[Diamond Bullet].”
The crack of supersonic air echoed throughout the outskirts of the Fort. The diamond bullet broke the sound barrier and crossed the distance faster than the eye could blink. The object crashed into Wunder’s chin, fragmenting and ricocheting its fragments into different directions.
“Tickles,” Wunder said.
There was not a scratch on his chin. Not a blemish. Not a mark. The same move I had once used to kill a Sage, the move that I had come to associate with the term ‘one-hit-kill’ – it did not even phase him.
With Arol, I could not even touch her, which was frustrating, but at least, there lay a hope that as long as I found what could touch her, I would stand a chance should she decide to end my life. With Wunder – it was worse. I could touch him – but I was not sure if I could harm him.
“How?”
“I’m a Barbeast.” He said as if it explained everything. “Arol and I are somewhat lax in comparison to the others, so I suppose I’ll warn you. While it’s good to have a bit of ambition now and then – that ambition will end the second you attack anyone in Fort Zyvar.”
Wunder, with his free hand that was not lugging kobold corpses, patted me on the back with enough force to almost send me sprawling into the dirt. “Don’t worry, you’ll get there eventually. In about a hundred years or so, you just might be able to leave a scratch on my skin.”
A hundred years, he said. There was no mockery in his voice. No conceit. No deception. No haughtiness or condescension. He genuinely and wholeheartedly believed that I would not be able to harm him in a hundred years. The honesty in his voice stung. Somehow, it would have been better if he was mocking me. But the earnestness – it stung.
I did not have a hundred years. I did not know how long it would be before my memories vanished. There was an invisible axe hanging over my neck, and at any moment, it could drop.
“One week.”
“What?”
I pointed with my good right arm. “In one week. I’ll beat you.”
Wunder’s eyes shone. “Is that a challenge?”
“It’s a promise.”
Wunder barked a laugh. “Then I suppose you won’t mind wagering on that, now would you?” His eyes shone with a dangerous glint. “If you can’t manage to draw blood from me within a week, what’ll I get?”
“What do you want?”
Wunder hummed, stroking his chin. “You will help me mate with Onna.”
“I’ll – what?”
“You heard me.”
“How –” I shook my head. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. I have no intention of losing.”
“That’s what I like to hear! Overconfidence and brazen recklessness make quite a duo.” Wunder said. “So, what are you wagering?”
“A favor.”
Wunder’s brow rose. “Favor?”
“You heard me,” I shot back.
“I suppose… sure, I don’t see why not. There isn’t much difference a week can make.”
Arol stared back and forth between myself and Wunder, shaking her head and muttering underneath her breath. “You’re a dead man Janus.”
“You noticed? What gave it away, the bones?”
“Do you even know who Onna is?”
“I suppose I’ll find out.”
There were no further obstructions as we continued onwards, Wunder surprisingly higher in spirits, and Arol muttering under her breath and shooting me the side-eye every five seconds. Strangely, there were no guards stationed at the gate, no sentries patrolling the walls or anything resembling an organized guard structure. The further I went in the further I could hear the cheers that seemed to fill the air of the entire Fort.
“What is that noise?”
“The Ditch,” Arol said.
“You bet on Onna and Slim again?” Wunder chipped in.
“Just Slim.” She groused. “Onna can go fuck herself.”
“I hear she does that frequently.”
“Everyone knows she does that frequently! I can hear the moans of Erzili! Erzili! Erzili! All through the day every single time I try to trance.”
Wunder sighed. “Erzili does have that effect on people.”
I got the distinct sensation that I was missing something. I did not probe. One way or another, I knew I would get answers. The further we got to the rusty, moss-covered metal, the more something felt off. The gates gave me an odd feeling. I felt like I’d… seen it before. No, that was not accurate. The feeling was déjà vu. A sensation that I had gone through this exact sequence, heard this exact conversation, approached this exact gate, a long time ago that lay as wisps in my memory.
A sharp, high-pitched whine entered into my ears and I winced. The gate started glowing as if someone had flicked a switch and lit up a thousand fireworks over the headlamps of a million cars. “Fuck!”
“What is it?” Arol asked.
“Can’t you see that bloody light?”
Wunder stared straight, squinting. “Light?”
“The light coming from the gate that’s whining!”
Arol tilted her head. Swiveling it to the gates and back, her brow rose. “Whining?”
“Yes!” I snapped. “The gates are too bright and that noise is irritating! What is that, some sort of defense against outsiders?”
The duo stared at me as if I were insane. The confusion on their faces seemed genuine enough for me to almost believe that I was. “Janus, did you hit your head?”
“Maybe it’s a unique ability?” Wunder offered, smiling sheepishly. “I certainly can’t see or hear anything. It’s just a large rusty pair of gates.”
“Maybe Leader Erzili will know what’s up?”
Erzili will know. I resisted the urge to scoff. Forcing myself to ignore the light and the noise, I followed the duo further until the gates were directly in front of me. The high-pitched whine was almost maddening, and the brightness of the gate was reaching a level that could have blinded me.
“Despicable!” a shrill voice screeched. “Despicable! Despicable! Horrible, horrible! Horrible nightmares entering into Fort! Always! Curse you! Curse you! You all!”
Startling, I came to a frigid stop. “What was that?”
“What now?”
“Fort Zyvar curses you! This Fort not for nightmares! Not for nightmares! Not for nightmares! Fort survived Ninefall, yes, Fort did! Fort survived Elvani Wars! Fort survived Devil Horde! Fort survived Anathema-War! Fort now bad! Fort now broken! Fort not for nightmares! Forgive Fort, Master Sionis! Fort not for nightmares!”
I spun around, trying to find something, anything that was talking. Wunder and Arol were losing their patience with my antics, but I did not want to believe that my sanity had gone just yet.
“You… can’t hear that?”
“The cheering?”
“No not the –” I stopped myself, turning to stare at the gate. “…yes, the cheering.”
“Fort not for nightmares! One-hundred and fifty-six nightmares in fort! Fort curses you! Fort curses you! You defile Fort! You defile Fort! Fort not for nightmares!”
“Janus?”
“Sorry, it’s nothing. Let’s keep moving.”
Marching forward through the wide-open gates of Fort Zyvar, almost brought me to my knees with an inexplicable sensation of exhilaration. I felt like electric sparks were flying through every single inch of my body like I’d consumed several dozen energy drinks and overdosed on heroin simultaneously.
[You have walked through a gate]
[HP and MP Fully Restored]
[All Negative Status Effects have been Cured]
[You have attained the temporary effect [Bastion Against the Night] from Fort Zyvar’s Gate]
“Janus?”
Calling my name, a second time made me realize my idiocy. Janus. Yes, Janus was the two-faced god in the Roman mythos. Yes, he was the god of duality. However, there was another thing Janus was associated with.
The reason the word “janitor” was created.
Janus was the God of Doors and Gates.
You have discovered a meaning of your name!
Compiling…
Compiling…
Compiling…
Compilation Complete.
Associations Found.
Trigger Found.
[You unlocked an Epithet Skill!]
Activating Epithet Skill – [Gatekeeper].
Standing still, I shook off the euphoria. My body was still overcharged with energy. My broken left arm cracked and snapped back into place, healing without so much as an effort. My entire body felt light. I felt as if gravity’s effects on me had completely vanished. My body was crackling with so much energy that I almost vibrated in place. All of these gave me very good clues as to what [Gatekeeper] did.
“Did you just orgasm from walking into the fort?”
The question came from Arol. The poltergeist was warily giving me some distance now.
“I don’t have a cock, so, unfortunately, no,” I said raising my right hand into the air and flexing it to confirm that I still retained my full range of movements. Wunder did not miss out on the subtle action.
“Your arm. It’s… healed.”
I thought about how I would explain it, my hand suddenly healing as I walked through the gates. “It’s a… special skill.”
“Ah, so you’ve just discovered your Epithet Skill?” Wunder crossed his arms. “Explains why you were acting so odd.”
“Wait, that’s his Epithet Skill?” Arol spun locking her gaze on me. “You heal all injuries when you walk through a gate? That’s so… lame. Like, what’ll you do when you can’t find a gate anywhere?”
“You… know about Epithet Skills?”
The two monsters stared at me as if I was stupid. For once, I did indeed feel as such.
“Every named one has an Epithet Skill. That’s why they’re called named ones. The more powerful and rarer names can have more than one Epithet Skill, but that’s just a rumor. You would have to be named by an extremely powerful Night-One to develop more than one.”
Of course. “Well…” I said. “…what’s your Epithet Skill?”
Wunder laughed. “That’s private information. No one’s just going to tell you what their most powerful ability is.”
“You’ll have to figure it out for yourself, that’s if you can,” Arol added, cheekily.
I put up a front of indignation. “That’s not fair. You both know mine.”
“Nothing’s fair Janus, things just are.” He patted me on the back, again, with enough force to stagger me. “Now come on Mr. Heal-Via-Gate-Entry, let’s keep going.”
Taking a step further into the fort, while trying to keep up my act of disgruntlement, a sharp sensation slammed upon my shoulders like an elephant launched from a trebuchet.
[You have found the Ancient Fort Zyvar!]
[Ancient Fort Zyvar is a claimed Domain!]
[You have entered the Domain of Erzili the Slithercreep!]
[You have taken damage equivalent to 90% of your Mana upon entering this domain without its Owner’s permission.]
[Your HP Regen is cut by 75% while in this Domain.]
[Your MP Regen is cut by 75% while in this Domain.]
[Your Attack and Defense have been reduced by 50% while in this Domain.]
[The MP Cost for all Skills are increased by 100% while in this Domain.]
[Your Intelligence and Defense will reduce by (1) for every day spent in this Domain until you are accepted by the Domain’s Owner.]
[Epithet Skill [Gatekeeper] has mitigated harmful effects from entering the Domain without the Owner’s permission]
“What in the…?” I swore, snapping my neck to Arol and Wunder. “I could have died just from entering here?”
“Could have,” Wunder said. “But you didn’t. I’m impressed Janus. You’re sturdier than you look.”
“And you didn’t think it was something to mention before I entered?”
Arol smiled. “Sniffles did tell you.”
Clenching my teeth and nearly crushing my iron gauntlets, my mind ran through a hundred ways to comprehend the bizarre nature of the nightmares. They were fine, perfectly fine, with letting me walk into what was essentially a death trap without a hint of a warning. They appeared to be friendly and genial, but there was an overlying overt lack of actual care for my wellbeing they possessed. They did tell me that they lacked empathy…
I sighed, shaking my head. I was beginning to understand the Sphinx’s words now about searching for death. Killing or fighting a monster in his Domain was a ridiculously challenging task, assuming you could enter said domain. They had the home advantage and the odds were so blatantly one-sided it was not even funny. Cutting my attack, defense, HP and MP, and then delivering damage just for entering?
“So that’s why there’s no one guarding the gate,” I said. “Not much of a need for gatekeepers if entry means instant death...”
“Oh, look who’s slowly catching up?” Wunder nudged my sides. “Keep up with the smarts and you just might impress the right people.”
“What if I’d died upon entering?”
“Then you’d be dead.” Wunder shrugged. “That’s that.”
“But you’re not!” Arol said. “And that’s great!”
“Hooray for me.”
My mind, meanwhile, was racing. The only way to disable the workings of a Domain was to kill the owner or destroy the domain itself. The Guardian protected Fort Zyvar from being destroyed, and Erzili prevented it from being taken or overrun.
“I think this is a record though,” Wunder said, rubbing his chin. “Only one other nightmare has ever entered Fort Zyvar without Erzili’s permission and survived.”
“That’s Slim for you!” Arol cheered. “He’s the coolest, other than Leader Erzili.”
“And you both thought it would be okay to let me walk through the gates despite that?”
Wunder sighed. “In truth, I did want to warn you. If you died, our wager would end prematurely. Then I realized, if you were capable of walking through and surviving, you’d certainly be able to help me with Onna. If you don’t survive, then you wouldn’t be of much help.”
“You do realize right now I’m thinking of several ways to kill you.” I turned to Arol. “Both of you.”
Wunder let out a large bark. “That’s the spirit Janus! Tell me, have you come up with anything you think might work?”
“Ooh, maybe he’s probably thinking about going for your neck. Everyone always thinks your neck is the softest place to get.” Arol clapped. “What about me? Me? Have anything you think might work?”
“Fire?” I wagered.
“Nope.”
“An exorcism?”
Arol pouted. “Yes… but you’re a skeleton. You can’t perform an exorcism.”
I hummed a soft tune, slowly thinking. “As a poltergeist if you’re immune to fire, but affected by an exorcism… then that means you have the traditional weaknesses aligning with the superstitions and myths associated with ghosts… so…” I tilted my head. “Salt?”
The smile on her face vanished immediately. Wunder went silent for several seconds as well, his brow raising higher and higher with each passing second. It had been a completely random guess, but their expressions gave it away with as much ease as playing a hand of poker with a party of drunken prepubescent children.
“You’re joking,” I said, almost not believing it. “Your weakness is… salt?”
She crossed her arms in a childlike fashion and let out an annoyed glare. “I thought you were stupid.”
Wunder laughed. “Now, Arol – you brought this on yourself. Seems Janus here might be much smarter than we thought.” His eyes locked on me. “Tell me, how’d you figure out Arol’s weakness so quickly?”
There was not much to it. “People… humans, often believed that salt could be used to ward off evil spirits, so they’d put a line of it on doors and wind
ows to prevent them from entering their houses. Some myths say that if you trap a ghost in a circle of salt, it’ll be unable to escape from it.”
“Hmph! Don’t think that’ll work on me.” Arol grumbled. “I still have my Sword of Rhamnusia, and even if you can touch me, it doesn’t mean you can beat me.”
No, it means exactly just that. I did not correct her. There was no need, as of now, to completely absolve her of the illusion that she was invincible. Knowing that she was not, as a matter of fact, utterly untouchable did more to placate me than I believed was possible. Salt was her kryptonite. There was even the possibility that other items used in myth to ward off evil spirits would work on her.
“Hey, hey, what about him?” Arol pointed, “It’s not fair that you know my weakness but not his.”
“I am different Arol.” Wunder proclaimed, thumping his chest. “I’m a Barbeast. Nothing can hurt me.”
“Nothing on the outside,” I whispered, ideas forming in my mind. Indestructible from the outside… so… like Troy? Like that snake I killed, Agkistrodon?
“On the… outside?”
“Since you’re physically untouchable from the outside, that just means your weakness is inside.” It made sense. “A suitable amount of highly toxic poison directly ingested should do you in. But let’s assume you also have regenerative abilities, it’ll be best to use a bit of poison mixed with corrosive elements, such as acid. If the inner organs are all melted and your regeneration is overtaxed trying to purge the poison and unmelt your innards, it doesn’t matter how invincible your outer shell is. You’ll die like anyone else.”
Now that I thought about it, he wasn’t truly invincible, was he? No one was. So long as basic cause-and-effect still existed, it did not matter how many dozens of levels they were above and beyond me – they could still be killed with the right methods.
Withdrawing myself from my thoughts, I noticed the duo were staring at me as if they’d seen me for the first time. There was something else in their eyes that was hard to pin down, and as much as I would have liked to believe it was recognition or acknowledgment, I knew instead that it was going to be more likely caution and apprehension.
“What?”
“You’re… amazing.” Arol breathed, with more excitement in her tone than I was comfortable with.