by Elian Tars
It seems that I wasn’t able to keep a straight face; Una chuckled and added: “Luckily for you, we’re on your side. Thanks to the pendant you can resist any enemy up to level 153 and alive to tell the tale because the Will Keeper reduces the stat cost by fivefold,” she pat me on the shoulder, then returned to her horse and jumped into the saddle. “Let’s go!” she ordered. “We’ve wasted enough time!”
Chapter 5
The Third Journey Begins
The horse stopped. Startled, I woke up, ceasing to nod off, and looked around. The sun was already at its highest point. Surprisingly enough I managed to get some sleep during the ride. But my body was now numb and in a desperate need of a soft bed and a hot bath… What a naïve body.
Hulne was in front, while Jerome was covering us. We, the three participants of the bloody slaughter, were in the middle. Before we set off, I traced a route with my finger on Hulne’s map that would help us avoid detours and the hunting lodge. I wanted to check my resurrection point, but that was precisely why I couldn’t let the Followers of Rugus see it. Especially his Disciple. Una was a clever girl and she could put two and two together. There was no need to reveal something as important as that to such unreliable allies.
I involuntarily remembered those carefree days that I spent together with Vella, when we were trying to get to the treasure that Bon’s father had hidden. Living on our own was easy, but the actual owner of the house appeared soon enough. I wondered how Ilsa was doing. But, most of all, I wanted to know what happened to my dog. I should admit that, from time to time, I thought about throwing caution to the wind and leading our group to the hunter’s lodge. What if Vella returned to it, concluding that there was no point in waiting for me in the forest?
To hell with these reckless thoughts! Caution above all else! As for Vella… She’ll be able to take care of herself for a bit longer.
About thirty minutes later, Una announced that we’ll have a short rest. As soon as we dismounted, I beckoned Berg over. When he approached me, I took the Core of the Wisdom Tree I got from Una out of my inventory, clenched it in my hands and said quietly, so that only the ranger could hear:
“Create the Altar of Darkness.”
Just as before, the wood turned dark and changed the inscription.
“Wow…” Berg muttered, taking my gift with reverence.
“Pray as often as you can,” I told him, “thank your Patron for your success and devote your deeds to him.”
“Thank you,” he nodded. I smiled with the corner of my mouth and decided to leave him alone with his God.
Followed by Una’s curious gaze, I walked to the road. The ranger was standing with his back to the girl and was far from her, so she definitely wasn’t able to read the name of the Altar or see the process of creation of the valuable artifact. However, all these little things didn’t prevent her from guessing what had just happened.
“When I was in the Abode, I inquired about the wood that you asked for,” she chuckled when I came near her. “Honestly speaking, I’m surprised. I have never thought that someone would need to create an Altar with their own hands. You can buy them your Patron’s temple…” she made a significant pause but didn’t take her beautiful dark eyes off me. Getting no reaction, she continued: “Or they can’t? Not in your case?” the girl wanted to make me answer her question.
She was quick-witted and she understood a lot that much was certain… But I refrained from confessions. She can guess all she wants. She ought to put that pretty head to work.
“I was wondering,” I changed the subject. “How are you able to heal? Remember when we fled from Listeri and you left me to the Wolves?”
She frowned and then shook her head.
“I really hope that you just wanted to see my reaction. This is not the kind of world in which you should whine and hold grudges over little things. I couldn’t help you back then. Time is the only thing that can remove the effects of the Weakening Potion. The only thing I could’ve done in that situation was, in my opinion, saving others. By the way, all the three of them safely reached Ekheim. I took them there. Thanks to you. Luckily, you survived the fight with the Wolf. So what’s the point in feeling aggrieved?”
I nodded curtly, accepting her explanation as I was satisfied with it. I understood her motives; they were even somewhat noble and quite rational and I was glad to hear them. However, nothing had changed. I held no childish grudges, but I had more than enough concerns. She could say whatever she wanted, but her sincerity, even if it was genuine, changed nothing. It only meant that Una could sacrifice me or Berg without a second thought if she decides to save herself or the other members of her group. I didn’t want to be used as a pawn.
Her mentioning the Weakening Potion didn’t go unnoticed. I was right when I guessed that Una managed to suddenly go from level 8 to 96 — she had already been a high level at that time.
“Speaking about healing,” the girl continued, “I don’t understand your question,” she shrugged.
“I’m just curious,” I said calmly. “How common is it to find a healer among the Followers of Rugus? As far as I understand, one Patron can give different skills to different people, but all of them are similar in one way or another. Healing doesn’t really go with control.”
Una frowned again and looked at me appraisingly. She then snorted approvingly.
“Not very common,” she said curtly. “Now let’s mount. The rest is over!” the girl loudly announced and headed to her horse.
I stayed on the road, waiting for Berg. Turning around, he started walking in my direction. I noticed the Altar in my companion’s hands and froze in utter bewilderment. It wasn’t the Altar that I had made for him but a different one, made of stone. The ranger put back into his inventory.
Several thoughts rushed through my head at once. Was Berg praying to another God? If so, which one? His former one? Stop…! But I saw that stone in Berg’s hands before, during one of the halts at our last journey to the “Territory of Decay”. I didn’t pay much attention to it back then. Portable Altars weren’t so rare.
But this situation was different. He could now have only one Altar. The Altar of the God of Darkness.
I didn’t want to start questioning him in front of everyone, so I decided to save the conversation till our next break. But I kept looking over at the ranger. There was nothing unusual about him. He was behaving as usual — looked around intently, and shooting Spiders that would appear on the road from time to time.
Three and a half hours later, Hulne announced the long-desired halt. Once again, I pulled Berg to the side and quietly asked him:
“What God do you serve?”
The ranger’s eyes widened. He looked puzzled.
“He didn’t say his name”, he replied carefully. “But he let me call him the God of Darkness. Why do you ask? Did something happen?”
“I saw that you have a different portable Altar,” I said. No point beating around the bus.
“What?” he asked in surprise. “What are you talking about?’
“Come on, Berg,” I shook my head, “lying doesn’t suit you.”
“But I really don’t have another Altar!” the ranger tried to convince me.
I felt myself getting angry, but I managed to calm down.
“A small stone obelisk. What could it be, if not an Altar?”
His face suddenly became gloomy. He lowered his gaze and sighed heavily.
“Ahhh, that’s what you are talking about… Look,” he materialized the mentioned artifact and showed it to me.
“What is it?” I asked the system.
Athefeh’s Tombstone
The situation didn’t get any clearer. Wanting to get any sort of an answer, I looked at Berg who was staring at me with reproach.
“That’s wife’s tombstone,” he said in a low voice. I still didn’t understand what he was trying to tell me. Berg let out a heavy sigh. “She was from Ishiria, a sandy land in the south,” he said quietly. “The
y burn their dead there and scatter their ashes to the wind. There’s no point in digging a grave. Relatives just order these tombstones to honor their dead,” he pointed at the stone obelisk and put it back into his inventory.
Well this is awkward… I suspected treachery, but Berg was just talking to his late wife. Shit, this dark world with all of its intrigues was gradually killing everything human in me. But who could have ever guessed that our grim ranger was so sentimental that would talk to his dead wife about his day? Shit… Shit…
“I’m sorry,” I said and bowed.
“Apology accepted,” he answered calmly. I hoped that he really forgave me and won’t hold a grudge. We had enough secrets and disagreements; there was no need to make another big deal out of nothing.
However, I was still feeling guilty. I always tried talking to the person I had a conflict with, hoping to distract them and see their reaction. But babble while riding wasn’t really convenient. Besides, Spiders began to appear more often. The little ones kept out of our sight, but the bigger ones attacked us. They were usually level 20, which was pretty decent, having in mind that there were several more hours of riding left until we reached the border of Decay.
My desire to talk to the ranger didn’t go anywhere. I had an issue I really needed to discuss with him. So when Hulne announced that it was time for another breather, I pulled Berg aside yet again.
“Look, our Patron told you to help me with everything, right?” I said, beating around the bush.
“Right,” the ranger nodded.
“So you and I are in the same boat, right? We’re doing the same thing?” He nodded again, looking at me with a slight suspicion in his eyes. I decided to be straightforward. “Tell me, what personality skills have you upgraded? Can you give me an advice? What should I pay attention to?”
I was afraid that he wouldn’t like to talk about such personal things. Anyone in this world had the right not to say who their Patron was. I supposed that the same goes for skills. However, Berg decided not to make a secret out of it. After reaching level 50 he received, just as he was supposed to receive, five personality points and spent a point on Purposefulness, Willpower, Resourcefulness, Equanimity and Insularity each. According to Berg, everyone had the right to learn any skill. Even at his training camp, the trainer could advise you, but he couldn’t order you.
That seemed wrong to me as you could roughly estimate in which way the troops could develop. You could figure out the perfect build… Oddly enough, the authorities here gave people the freedom of choice. If you thought that being a war commander best suited your personality, you could easily upgrade Leadership. After that you could upgrade, say, Riding. After all, a professional cavalry was considered more valuable than infantry.
“However, that applies to commoners and our kingdom,” Berg explained. “Ancestral noblemen, I think, are forced to upgrade what their fathers tell them to. As for other kingdoms... I don’t know. There are places where socio-military classes exist. Maybe their elders also order them to learn something specific.”
That made sense to me. A ruler had to possess a certain set of skills. Even if you didn’t have a natural knack for them, nothing prevented you from upgrading the necessary skills in the menu.
Learning about the other kingdoms was really interesting, even if it wasn’t much. The world was pretty big and it definitely extended beyond the six towns that were marked on my modest map. Who knew, maybe I would have a chance to broaden my horizons. It would be good to expand my knowledge about the local geography, history and culture by then.
But not now. I was still confused, even after talking with the ranger. I had four unspent personality points; six everyday points; and eight skill points. I wante to sit in a quiet tavern and think carefully about how to use them efficiently, but reality was harsh. Once again I was going into the decayed lands and nobody knew what awaited us there. The Followers of Rugus spent a lot of money to prepare me for this journey and I still wasn’t using my potential to its full extent. Deciding to fix that, I hoped that Berg would give me some advice…
Yeah… Upgrading every skill was possible, but there was nothing to be gained from simply balancing of your stats. For now, I needed to focus on one thing. Two, at best. Maybe three at some point…
What was I to do now? Upgrade Gloominess further?
What use did it have? Why did I unlock it in the first place? I remembered that it was a necessary condition for learning Blind Eye. Besides, I got a nice bonus; low level players and characters didn’t bother me unnecessarily. Truth be told, being an introvert, I liked it. But that wasn’t a good reason to spend personality points.
What would a good reason be then? Profit and strength for sure. A new skill, for example. What if I found an item like the Ring of the Rascal that let me unlock Blind Eye, and needed, let’s say, Resourcefulness? Or some other personality skill…
So what now? Should I wait some more? Save more personality points?
The sun was setting down; we got off the road and into the forest and were gradually reaching the border of Decay. I still couldn’t decide what to do…
Nobody could help me; nobody would give me an upgrade guide and show me what to do exactly. All of the skills were good, but I had to choose…
I wanted to choose Gloominess. Something was drawing me to upgrade it so badly that I thought that they were actually my thoughts. Were they? Or were they enforced? I listened harder to the voice in my head… It was definitely mine.
My mind was fighting with my intuition and it was losing. In the end, I gave up and made excuses. First of all, I would spend only half of the points. I would compare the changes and make my final decision. Secondly, it couldn’t hurt to level it. Blind Eye depended on it, so other, similar skills could also depend on it. I really liked Blind Eye.
With a heavy heart, I added one point to Gloominess.
Nothing happened. I closed the interface and noticed the surprised stares of the people around me.
“Is it just me or did he become even more loathsome?” I heard Jerome grunting, from the rear of the line.
Something did happen after all. However, the gained effect was quite a useless one. Why did I do it for God’s sake?
Stop that! What’s done is done. One shouldn’t change horses in midstream.
“Upgrade Gloominess to level 3,” I said mentally.
A triumphant smile appeared on my face a moment later. Just as I thought, personality points couldn’t be spent only to scare people away! There were some actual bonuses to it.
Gloominess
Level 3
Attention: Your personality is almost in harmony with your element.
Skill unlocked: “Trident of Darkness”
“Hey!” Una cried in exasperation. “Are you upgrading Gloominess back there?”
“Yeah. Don’t pay attention to me,” I waved, trying to find the new skill in the Combat and Special Skills column. Here it is…
Trident of Darkness
Level 1
Active skill
Cost: 250 mana
Cooldown: 12 seconds
Deals an extra 120 points of damage to your main target when attacking with your main weapon, and 50 points of damage to three secondary targets. Grants 20% chance that one of the targets will receive the “Horror” status effect or “Tranquility of Darkness”, depending on how loyal the target is to the Darkness.
Cost: 2 skill points
I learned the skill, turned my gaze toward the sky and thanked the Old Man. I will do the same with the Altar in my hands once I’m alone. For without my Patron’s will I would have hardly gotten such a useful offensive skill.
I let out a sigh of relief. I planned on spending only two personality points. But my experiment proved successful. Upgrading traits that you were prone was more advantageous than getting a completely new personality trait. So why not to keep upgrading what I already had?
“Upgrade Gloominess to level 4.”
; Nothing special happened, but that was to be expected. I hoped for level 5 milestone.
“Upgrade Gloominess to level 5.”
Pleased with the result, I grinned.
Gloominess
Level 5Attention: Your personality is almost in complete harmony with your element.
Skill unlocked: “The Aura of Darkness”
But my triumph didn’t last long. Another, quite an unexpected, system message appeared:
Attention: Your resurrection point has been destroyed. You have lost 10% of your rebirth energy.
Chapter 6
The Aura of Darkness
For awhile I just stood there blinking in confusion.
“Is everything okay?” Berg, who was riding in front me, asked anxiously, having been looking at me over his shoulder for some time already.
“Huh?” I asked back, still baffled. “Yes, everything’s fine.”
“But we’re not fine,” we heard Jerome grunting again. “Your very presence makes us sick. Why would anyone ever need to upgrade Gloominess that much? It’s disgusting!”
“Jerome! Enough!” Una raised her voice, staring suspiciously at me. “Are you really all right, Bale? You don’t look well. Are there side-effects from upgrading Gloominess?”
“I’m okay…” I said again.
“Maybe our perception got warped because of his high Gloominess…” the girl muttered thoughtfully, turning away.
I tried to get a hold of myself and analyze the situation. Let’s start from the beginning…
“How much rebirth energy do I have now?”
A familiar scale with the numbers from 0 to 100 appeared in front of my eyes. It was 30% full. I felt relief. Well, how could I not?
As soon as I read the notification about the destruction of my resurrection point, I blamed Una at first. She had been waiting for us near the cemetery which meant that she also resurrected there and could quite easily have come to the conclusion that her fellow villager Bon, if he died, would resurrect near his home village as well. There were some flaws in this assumption, but sounded realistic. The Gleam of Rugus could have assumes where I would resurrect. When she went to her God’s Abode to prepare everything for the trip, she could have also ordered her men to destroy my resurrection point… That was my assumption. However, I almost immediately doubted the logic behind idea. As far as I understood it, people couldn’t identify other people’s points of resurrection. And if Una had sent her men to the Listeri Cemetery, they could have accidently destroyed the girl’s point of resurrection.