Cursemancer

by A P Gore

  Congratulations! You have been blessed with the Demon Tongue. Now you can speak and understand the demon language. Don't you think you are getting too many blessings? Did you butter up that deity, or what?

  “Come on, I earned it!” he said. Noah snapped back at the quirky comment of the notification.

  The demon in front of him jumped up and stared at him. “You speak the demon tongue?” His black eyes dilated, exposing the real color of his eyes: blood red. Other than the red eyes, the tail and horns, he looked like a thirty-year-old normal human. He wore a brown shirt and blue pants.

  Not a good sense of style.

  “Goddess Sumara blessed me with it. I'm Noah. What's your name, sir?” Noah asked, politely. He didn't want to trigger any hostile reaction. The agony of death still lingered in the back of his mind.

  “The Goddess blessed a human?” The demon’s eyes grew wide as saucers. “Come. I take to head demon.”

  Head demon.

  “Yes, sir.” Noah followed him.

  Sumara was right when she’d called it a town hanging by a thread. There was nothing that looked like a town, other than a few ruined buildings bearing testament that there had been something decades ago, but next to nothing had survived whatever happened there. Small patches of gray-colored grass had devoured the road they were walking on. Nature had taken over the buildings surrounding their path.

  The demon passed through various dark alleys. Noah kept his eyes open, absorbing as much as he could see in the darkness. Lots of houses were flattened to the ground or half broken into construction stones. An air of dread hung over the town. The air somehow smelled like death and fresh forest, simultaneously. Noah spotted red eyes peeking through the rubble of stones in some spots.

  The demon stopped after twenty minutes of walking. By that time, his tail had vanished into his pants, so it hovered no more in front of Noah’s face. That eased Noah’s mind. The title was working.

  Good!

  “Head Demon in council hall.” Demon pointed towards a small, man-sized hole below a broken pillar. The pillar barely supported the rubble that had accumulated over it.

  Fear clutched Noah’s heart when he ducked under the pillar to pass through the hole that led to a large door. The door opened into an enormous hall. In its prime, the hall must have been the heart of the city. The intricate stone work hinted at that, but now it was nothing more than rubble, occupied by some lowlife demons. Noah would be out of this town as soon as possible. He didn't want to stay there any longer than required.

  Noah sighed and entered through the large door. A huge empty space greeted him. There were small statues placed at the corners, and they still held their complete structure and figure, though time had washed over the colors of their clothes. The whole room wasn't different. Though clean, a lack of maintenance showed through the cracks on the ground that extended to the high chairs placed at the center of the hall in a half circular fashion. One large demon, almost twice Noah’s size, sat in the middle chair. He had to be the head demon. There were few other figures sitting in the chairs around the hall, but he ignored them.

  Noah rushed forward and bowed in front of the head demon, figuring it wouldn't hurt to show respect.

  “Human, what are you doing here?” His language was surprisingly accurate. Noah had expected demons to be lowlife creatures, that the small demon who had brought him here proved he was correct. That was clearly not the case.

  “Head Demon, sir. I'm Noah. I was sent here by mistake, and I would leave the town with Goddess Sumara's blessing tomorrow morning.”

  Suddenly all the heads on the chairs turned to him.

  A pointy-nosed demon coughed. His face was hidden by his hood. Only a long nose was visible peeking out from beneath the hood. “Human. How do you know about the Goddess?” His tone was normal, but he was still intimidating.

  “Yes, sir. I was sent here by mistake by another god, and she corrected it and gave me the title so I can have safe passage.” He lied, since he doubted NPCs understood anything about game errors.

  “He has the title, High Priest.” Another demon with a scar on his face rose from his chair and walked forward. He wore a long, grayish robe and a casual cotton jacket. That was another cultural shock for Noah. A demon with a cotton jacket. Where the heck was he, really?

  “I can see that, High Mage Roderich. I don’t need a handicapped low level demon telling me that.” The pointy-nosed demon spun toward the demon mage, tail poised as if for attack.

  The mage was taken aback by the sudden display of animosity and stepped back. “Apologies Esteemed. I was excited at seeing a human for the first time.”

  “They are not display pieces in your botanical garden, Roderich. They are a real threat, and I propose we finish this here and now.” The high priest turned to face the head demon, while his tail oscillated between Noah and the high mage.

  Noah’s heart pulsed in panic. “Esteemed High Priest. Please give me a chance and show me a direction. I’ll be out by tomorrow morning.” Noah flashed the friendliest smile he could conjure.

  “That’s not an easy task, human.” The head demon spoke in a deep growling voice. “The nearest human village from our town is twenty day’s distance, and looking at your level, you won’t survive that journey.”

  Noah stared at the head demon. While the high priest’s voice was threatening, the head demon’s voice put Noah at ease. But at the same time, the high demon injected a dose of reality. He was right. Noah was a low-level character, and maybe demons wouldn’t kill him because of his title, but what about other monsters? “What should I do then, Head Demon?” He bowed again.

  “You have the blessing of our beloved goddess. I doubt she still looks after us, but she surely has interest in you. I suggest you remain here for a few days, level up, and then make your path out.”

  “But, Head Demon... He is—”

  The head demon rose from his chair, towering over every other demon. “A human. I know. We despise the species, but he has the blessing. If I kill him, I’m afraid we may lose our last chance to prove our worthiness to the goddess once again. I want none of you to make any advance toward this human.” His voice rose. “Am I clear enough?”

  Panic spread through the other demons. After a brief moment, everyone said yes.

  “As for you, human. Make sure you don’t get caught in any wrong affair. Otherwise…”

  The head demon’s sharp black eyes were enough to send shivers across Noah’s spine. “Yes, Esteemed.”

  “Take this, human. It may serve you in battle.” The head demon threw a small weapon at him.

  Noah caught it, and a prompt appeared in front of it.

  Cheap simple dagger

  Durability: 40/40

  Damage: 2

  9. Blacksmith

  I t was colder outside than in the council hall, but that eased Noah's mind. The atmosphere in the council hall, with his life hanging in the balance, was too intense for him. It had been a long time since he’d felt that way. The last time was when he’d first exposed himself to the fourth dimension; the ravenous and famished aura the fourth dimension gave him was too much to take on that first time.

  He shoved the thought away and focused on the present, rubbing his forearms to ease the goosebumps caused by the cold.

  “This is a game, Noah. A game,” he said to himself, ten to fifteen times, before his breathing finally slowed. Noah was far from a combat mage in real life. He had conquered the Trials of Zeus to obtain his level five skills, but he did it with the help of a team and had acted in a support role. It was a common practice in the mage academy he’d studied in. Getting level three was easy for any real-life mage, but beyond that everyone had to go through trials. Some mage academies deployed a team for the new students, and that's how he got to level five—not that he was proud of it. He felt it had been a waste of time. He was a scientist, not a battle mage.

  His work was mostly focused on researching the fourth dimension and in
tergalactic transportation using magic. Laxania was his home for most of his adult life until he married Serena, a fellow scientist. Even after their marriage he spent most of his time in lab. Then Serena had died in a freak accident, leaving two-year-old Tia for him to raise alone. He shut his eyes and let the tears accumulated at the corners of his eyes fall. His daughter’s blue eyes called to him.

  I miss you, my love. I’ll do whatever it takes to meet you on the human side.

  Even if it took becoming a killing machine in the game world.

  Noah sliced his dagger through the air. A rush of adrenaline rippled through his body.

  “That was a fearsome attack, human.” High Mage Roderich chuckled.

  “Esteemed High Mage. What can I do for you?”

  “I’m interested in you, human.”

  Noah sized him up. What did he mean by that? “I’m not that kind of man…”

  “What kind of?”

  “The kind…” How can I say it? “You know… a man loving other men…”

  Roderich’s face reddened—a deep tomato red. “I’m not either.” Silence reigned for a short while. “Now I understand. By interested, I meant in your species. It’s the first time I’ve seen a human with my own eyes.”

  “Ah, now I understand.” Noah smiled. It was ridiculous to think about the high mage being gay. “I’m sorry, Esteemed High Mage. I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m sure you have a lovely wife.”

  His face saddened for a moment before turning back to normal. “A distant dream. Anyway, let’s talk about your living arrangements. I am tasked with easing you into the town.”

  “Yes, a place to stay.” Noah hadn’t thought about that. Finally, he would be getting a nice comfy bed to sleep on. Finally, he would get something to eat. Though he would miss the burgers he could order in his respawn room. But he bet here he could get some lovely meals too.

  “We have only one inn. Blacksmith’s Inn. The innkeeper is my friend, and I’ll get you admitted there. Let’s walk.” Roderich walked away from the council hall. Noah followed him, thinking about the nice food that surely awaited him at the inn.

  They continued walking south without speaking a single word. After Noah mentioned Roderich’s wife, the high mage became silent and reserved, making Noah wonder if he had stepped on a nerve. After a few kilometers, they reached their destination. Blacksmith's Inn was a three-story house, a better one than what Noah had seen across the town. It was made up mostly of wood and a few stones to support the corners. He suspected it was built after whatever apocalypse had befallen the original town.

  Roderich pushed open the half wooden door and went inside. A demon man with a large mustache, a brute expressionless face, and a heavy build flashed a warm smile at him until his eyes settled on Noah. Seeing Noah, his eyes turned black, and he drew his weapon.

  Noah took a step back. The demon looked like nothing but a monster ready to slay him.

  Roderich raised his palm. “Mathial, wait. He’s a guest of the town. Head Demon Rivas has offered him asylum for a few days.”

  Mathial’s gaze shifted between the high mage and Noah, but he didn’t lower his hammer. “But he’s a—”

  “Human. I know. But we have to treat him as a guest until he leaves town, willingly. Until then I hope you will allow him to stay in one of your rooms.”

  Mathial lowered his hammer, but kept it at the ready. Noah's mind was far from eased. Being in the demon town was going to be difficult.

  “If you say so, High Mage Roderich.” He tilted his head slightly, examining Noah. “And for you, human, a warning: give me a reason to kill you, and I’ll happily oblige.” He too had a clear tongue and distinctive voice.

  “I won’t let that time come, Sir Mathial,” Noah said.

  “Sir? This is Town of Demons, human. Not your regency or whatever crap you humans use. Mathial will suffice. No stupid human customs,” he said in a voice richly marinated with a sarcasm.

  “Yes, Mathial. I’ll be out of town as soon as possible. Just a few level ups here and there, and I’ll be gone.”

  “Good for you. A room will cost ten coppers.”

  “Coppers?”

  “Money. It's the same all over. Doesn't matter if you are a human or demon. I don't fill my stomach and my kegs with human blood.” Mathial grinned, clearly trying to be funny, but it scared the shit out of Noah. He hadn't forgotten the last few painful deaths yet.

  “Money?” He had some of it. He’d paid silver for the coffee, but how did he retrieve it?

  “You’re quite dumb for a human. I heard they had a great intellect and discovered many new things, but looking at you I wonder if it was just a rumor.” Mathial jumped across the bar and pulled a small pouch out of Noah’s pocket. “If I were you, human, I’d put the money inside your soul bound bag.”

  “My what?”

  “Your bag. It's soul bound. I can sense it.” He pointed at the bag hanging around Noah’s waist. “And will it to disappear, so no one would see it.”

  “What do you mean by soul bound?”

  “It’s a bag of holding, you fool. It’s bound to your soul so no one can steal from it. You just drop your things in it, and it will auto-sort. It’s strange magic, but pretty useful.”

  “Oh, I never heard about it.” Noah grabbed his bag and emptied his money pouch into it. An inventory screen appeared in his vision with twenty blocks. Three of them were filled with Gold, Silver, and Copper. He had 100 gold, 200 silver, and 500 copper. It must be the starting bonus. He willed ten copper to come out of it, and ten copper coins appeared on his palm.

  He studied the bag to read its properties.

  Bag of Holding: Soul bound. Store twenty items inside. Can be enhanced to obtain new properties and extra space.

  Noah smiled. “Thanks, here you go.” He handed the 10 copper coins to Mathial.

  Mathial smiled and handed him a broom. “Great, here you go, too.”

  Noah stared at him in confusion.

  “I've allocated you a place in the cellar, and it's dirty. Do you really think I would give a clean room to an unknown person who also happens to be a human? Our nemesis?” Mathial turned to Roderich. “Did Head Demon mention what kind of room to offer?”

  Roderich shrugged with a long sigh. “I guess he didn’t.”

  That was a bummer. And here Noah expected he’d finally found a good demon he could chat with and get some information out of. “Okay.” Disappointment leaked through in his voice. “Do I at least get some food?”

  “Yes, you get two meals included in that ten coppers. And a pint of beer, if you want. Or, if you are into something a little more exotic, I have something stored in my backyard too. But that would cost you one silver.”

  Noah looked at the barrels—probably filled with alcohol—behind the counter. A drink sounded good, but he knew his tummy might not support it. At least in real life it didn't. “What is the other thing you mentioned?”

  “Goblin's blood.” He winked, and his mustache flared with a smirk.

  Realization struck Noah like lightning. He was in a demon town, and demons would do unacceptable things. He needed to get out of this town before he encountered something he would regret.

  “What kind of food do you have?” He was worried that Mathial would try to serve him another despicable thing, and he would have to sleep empty stomach.

  “I can find a goat for you and cook its meat. I for sure know that humans wouldn't digest orc meat. And it doesn't come cheap.”

  “There are orcs here?” Noah had found no reference to them in the forums, but he knew them from the fantasy novels he had read as a child.

  “Yes, what else do you expect? Kobolds? We have them too. Their blood is good for an all-night erection.” Mathial once again laughed at his own joke, but nobody else did—including Roderich, who looked annoyed. The high mage definitely had a thing about women.

  “I’d better get out before your jokes turn wild and nasty.” Roderich waved goodbye and left a
bruptly, confirming Noah's suspicious.

  “Goat meat, then. I’ll get going with cleaning until the food’s ready.” Noah descended the stairs Mathial pointed out. The first thing that caught his attention was the foul smell. The cellar didn’t seem to have been opened in ages. He removed the thick cloth from a small window, letting some fresh air in, and then went to work with his broom. Noah cleaned the small cellar, which he could barely walk two steps inside before needing to duck down. He had never lived in such a tiny place, not even in his childhood, when he was much poorer. But this wasn't his town, so he had to put up and shut up. When he was done, he went upstairs to have a well-cooked meal before coming back down to sleep on the wooden floor. At least the food was good, and Mathial provided him a sheet to ward off the chill. He scooted into dreamland while thinking about the adventure waiting for him the next day.

  10. Spells

  D read washed over Noah before he even opened his eyes on the first morning of his stay at Blacksmith Inn. It wasn't the fresh morning he’d expected. For starters, he missed Tia and her ways of waking him up. Though she was forty-four now, in his mind she was still his four-year-old daughter.

  With a heavy heart and a foul mood, he opened his eyes to find a red notification hovering in front of him. His life was down by 20%, and a small black heart had popped up below his health bar. He rose, feeling weak and exhausted. A green bottle green bar appeared below his health bar too, and it was at the 50% mark.

  What the heck is going on?

  He concentrated on the red and green bar simultaneously. The bars expanded occupying most of his vision.

  Health: 141

  Stamina: 50

  “What the heck? Why are my health and stamina down? Did someone attack me in the night?”

  Surely not. He’d had a nice sleep and felt refreshed when he woke earlier to drink some water, but now he felt drowsy and clumsy. He slogged upstairs, looking for Mathial, but he wasn’t there. The bar was closed, and the chairs were still upside down on the tables. Noah searched the house and eventually found the blacksmith working in his smithy at the back of the house, swinging his hammer at a metal plate placed on a heavy block of iron. When he focused on the block, a property popped up with a name of “anvil.”