by Han Yang
The bottom of my walking stick hit harder, and I extended my stride.
A shriek ripped out of some creature’s mouth and two sections of flames careened into the woods.
The sound of wood crackling continued with an occasional pop, but it seemed Dersa had won the fight.
“Stupid legs, stupid old body,” I grumbled, finally nearing the bend.
When I rounded the corner, I saw the cart awash in flame. The mare neighed with fright, trying to free itself.
A fallen tree revealed a sprung trap. The trunk prohibited the mare from pulling forward. The large tree had fallen between the horse and the cart, pinning both and harming neither.
I deduced the cart had become a victim in the fight that ensued. My eyes darted for the hero.
Dersa laid against a tree root on the right, her guts spilled open and her arms hung limp. If she wasn’t dead already, it was coming.
Two scorched bodies of unrecognizable monsters lay a few feet from her. A single large colorful orb hovered over each of the dead, and I licked my lips with greed. Talk about a score.
A second later and an orb hovered over Dersa, informing me she had reached the afterlife.
My fast walk brought me to the remnants of the fight too quickly, and I realized my error too late.
“Varrvav!” a brutish voice said from behind a tree.
I jumped out of my skin and blurted, “Oh shit.”
A ratkin humanoid leaned out from behind a tree, raising a crude bow and arrow.
I cringed, tossing my arms in front of my face, and instinctively turned sideways.
Twang!
The monster released his arrow.
Crack!
A hard tug yanked the walking stick out of my hand, and it clattered on the rough road. I peered out from my turtle maneuver to see an arrow embedded in my best weapon.
“Trasvaaava!” the ratkin cried out.
I shifted to glance at a dagger wielding, four-foot tall mythical creature. I had to shake my head to believe it really existed.
Gray fur, long white whiskers, and a leaf over its crotch. The short snout, beady eyes, and large ears left me wondering who created such a vile beast and for what purpose.
My foe snarled, spittle flying from its mouth.
When the monster charged with a brandished knife, I squeaked with a jolt. I had to move. Every second counted.
I reached down to snatch my walking stick off the ground and cried out from a hip popping out of joint.
My old leg slid out, and I fell a second before the ratkin arrived. Oof, I landed with a thud.
Huge, wide eyes gazed down upon my sudden collapse, and I thought I was a goner.
The monster jabbed down, too late in its efforts. A foot kicked into my thigh and the ratkin went soaring.
“Saracar!” the beast cried out. “Linssarrrr.”
I lay on the dirty road, failing to get up after my fall.
When I shifted to glance at my opponent, I saw frothy blood escaping its lips. Green eyes gleamed with hatred, illuminated from the cart’s blazing inferno.
I rolled to my side, pulling out my dagger.
My free hand went over my hip and through Toneba’s memories, I said, “Heal self.”
A pop sounded, sending my hip back into place. With laden arms, I raised to my feet.
The mythical rat man grimaced as it rotated from face down to its side. The hilt of a dagger protruded from the monster's chest.
“Sucker,” I said with a chuckle. “Serves you right for trying to kill an old man.”
For a fleeting moment, the ratkin’s eyes pleaded, and I sensed an intelligence. The creature knew better than to yank the blade free.
Interesting.
I may not be a hunter, a woodsman, or a medieval knight, but I strode over to the wounded creature with an evil grin spreading across my face.
The monster shook its head no.
I nodded yes.
Another shake no.
My nod yes emphasized when I peeled back my teeth, letting my determination show with a sneer.
Death equals life, and I was oh so tired of being old. When I loomed large over the ratkin, it grew desperate and yanked the blade free.
Blood spurted, and I stepped back until I turned, walking away quickly.
The ratkin stumbled, gaining its feet with an arduous effort. A determination set into is very being. Blood bubbled out of its mouth with each raspy breath.
Oozing red pulses of thick blood ejected out of its chest, telling me the wound was likely fatal.
The two of us must have been a sight.
Me, power walking away from a monster I towered over. My gait awkward, my pace tediously slow, and my joints doing snap, crackle, and pops.
The lumbering monster struggled, slowing with each step while blindly thrusting its knife as the beast’s vision waned.
I paused, waiting for it to get closer, but a raspy cough resulted in vomited blood, and the ratkin collapsed with a wet smack.
Walking over slowly, I saw the chest rising and falling ever so subtly.
“How do I kill you?” I asked.
His gurgled reply didn’t help in the slightest.
“Sharp point into the fleshy bits it is,” I said, readying my dagger so it pointed down.
I didn’t trust my body to lower itself, so I flopped onto its back like a belly dive in a pool.
Squish!
My blade slid between the back ribs. I sat on the beast’s back and stabbed down a dozen times until the body stilled.
A moment later, I recovered from my exertion. I let out a grateful sigh when a colorful orb appeared over the corpse.
With a grin, I closed my eyes, found my center, and waved my hands over the Zorta.
A stiff resistance fought me with determination. I grunted, swirling my hands faster, increasing my effort through sheer will. The orb’s resistance faltered until it shattered.
The Zorta zipped into my being, and I felt euphoric.
Claim or Consume Zorta
Interesting. That’s new. I need to be young.
I selected Consume Zorta.
Zorta: 1.398 - Consume (Yes) - (No) - (Drop)
Yes! This was so much more than a stupid rabbit.
At the same time, I kinda hoped they’d be worth more. I didn’t relish the idea of killing ten thousand ratmen - like at all. Still, this was great, and I mentally selected yes.
Consume for Age reduction (Yes) - (No)
I selected yes. A blast of golden light enveloped me until I flinched from the bright display. I could feel the exuberant magic dialing back the clock as my skin tightened.
A few teeth popped back into my mouth. I chuckled, not minding one bit. The feeling was divine, and I welcomed the conversion from old to a bit after my prime. I so wouldn't miss the constant aches and pain.
Aging: 22 years, three months until death.
“Victory is mine!” I shouted triumphantly. Instinctively I cringed, realizing there might be more enemies. I quietly exclaimed, “Yes!”
I jumped a bit, did a jig, and cheered while looking around.
Feeling like a million bucks, I strutted over to my fallen walking stick. I surveyed the area during my walk, seeing a few things needing my attention.
The mare wanted free, and three orbs rested over Desra and her kills. After snatching my best weapon off the gritty road, I went to the mare first.
Using my bloody dagger like a saw, I cut through thick leather. She tried to bolt the second she was free, but I yanked back hard to halt her flight.
Her headshakes lost to my level one strength somehow, and I guided her to a tree away from the flames where she stopped panicking.
After a quick haphazard knot, I secured her and patted her neck. “I promise you’re fine.”
The horse neighed unhappily but calmed.
I raked her side with my nails where her harness had flattened fur and she enjoyed this.
The thought crossed my mind
that I could kill her for Z, and my heart jumped to no instantly. Poor girl had a shitty life as is. Maybe I could change that.
“In Tarb, you’re getting a pedicure,” I said, and she snickered as I left. “Back in a jiff.”
The cart collapsed onto itself, spraying cinders into the night. I jolted from the finality of the creation. I kinda hoped I’d get to claim the yew wood and sell it along with the cart.
Avoiding the licking flames and popping embers I went to the ratkin’s body who I had killed first.
As I bent down, my blasted knees still cracked, but in a much different way. I scoured the body.
Was I a kickass ninja or mighty knight? No, no I was not. I did happen to play video games on occasion and read a whole lot of books. I sure as hell wasn’t going to forget about this little shit’s loot.
I found some rocks in a purse, the dagger, and a single gold nugget sewn into the fur I patted down. Score. I threw it all into the bag.
I walked over to the scene of the fight. A partially melted sword rested between Desra and one of the charred bodies. I nudged it with my boot, disappointed that the blade was junk metal now.
My hands reached out, and I channeled my Zorta retrieval spell. I closed my eyes, focused my core magic, and sought the orb.
The orb held almost no resistance, shooting into my being rapidly.
Hmm… Maybe if they’re dead longer it's easier. Or maybe they died so thoroughly, the soul lacked an ability to fight. I’m sure my research in Tarb will tell me.
Claim or Consume Zorta
Again this claim option. Wonder what it’s for.
I selected Consume Zorta.
Zorta: 1.217 - Consume (Yes) - (No) - (Drop)
I selected yes, also curious as to what the no produced. Probably a trade item. The more I thought about the issue, the higher that probability became to me.
Consume for Age reduction (Yes) - (No)
I selected no.
No surprise options showed up and I had auto skipped the recharge option earlier.
I went into my stats.
Zorta: 1.217
Nordan Score: 100
Ostriva Score: 0
“Okay, maybe a kill is a hundred points. At least I have Zorta to start leveling up this newb body,” I muttered.
Done with the orb, I stomped on the charred body to see what came free. A sparkly gem shined from the soot.
I plucked it out of the charred body, and after I used my robes to clean the gem, I saw a small ruby.
“Nice. This will go perfectly with my coins,” I said happily.
I walked to the next dead ratkin whose body still smoked.
This time, I tried the spell with my eyes open. I planted my feet, hovered my hands over the dead beast’s orb, and willed to me.
Like the other crispy ratkin, this orb didn’t fight me. The colorful magic zoomed into my belly button and I received a prompt.
“So cool,” I whispered.
Claim or Consume Zorta
I selected claim.
Claiming the ratkin as a minion will result in you earning Ostriva points. This is your only warning about this action having consequences. Do you wish to proceed? (YES) or (NO)
“Minion,” I blurted. “Mother of mercy!”
I figured it out. Or at least my mind connected logical dots. Whether they were accurate or not, remained to be seen.
I arrived in a dead body.
My soul was linked to the dead. Hell, I didn’t even know if the younger version of Toneba was morphing to look like me or the old man.
I started muttering, “Death. Death is life, life is death. I’m dead on Earth. I came through the portal incorrectly. Oh man. She better be able to fix me. If she can fix my parents, then she can fix me. Yes. That has to be it. As for my unknown magic type…”
I gasped. Checking my stats.
Magic Type: Healer
Healer Level: 1
Magic Type 2: Necromancy
Necromancy Level: 0
I blurted, “I’m a necromancer.”
For an extra second, I kicked the corpse, and immediately regretted my decision.
Ash flew everywhere, billowing high. Some even landed inside my mouth. After an excessive amount of spitting and washing out my mouth, I saw a prompt.
The ratkin minion option has been removed due to excessive damage.
Consume Zorta (YES) or (NO)
I selected yes. I didn’t want this old body anymore. Time to go from mid-seventies to mid-fifties to mid-thirties.
Zorta: 1.52 - Consume (Yes) - (No) - (Drop)
I had a feeling this number prompt was put in place after people picked to consume over use for trade. Maybe I couldn’t extract consumed Zorta, and this was a second warning. That had to be it.
I mentally selected yes.
Consume for Age reduction (Yes) - (No)
I selected yes, and the golden glow washed over me again. I basked in the transition, loving every second of the magic.
My pirouette was perfect. I grinned with glee as I felt myself becoming younger. Skin tightened, muscles contained a renewed tension, and a sudden energy fed my spirit.
“Yes!” I exclaimed, not so loudly this time.
When the magic finished, I stretched in exuberance.
“Just you and me now, Desra. The final chapter in this little battle,” I said, searching the trees for the bow the ratkin I killed had used.
I found it tossed aside and snatched it out of a bush. I doubted it was worth much, but it did shoot.
When I arrived at Desra, I tossed the bow by the ruined sword.
A nasty smell wrinkled my nose, and I concluded it was likely because her guts reeked in a rotten way. I bent down without any knee pops.
When I squatted, I bounced a few times for the hell of it.
Desra's frozen eyes remained open after death. I saw two strings around her neck. I lifted both until they fell over my head. Both purses clanked with coins inside, and I felt vindicated in my actions.
Her dagger on her belt gleamed with jewels.
“Don’t mind if I do,” I said.
Her staff had exploded in flame. She had probably overcast or something. Wasn’t sure and didn’t care too much.
A part of me wanted to leave her orb where it was, but the idea of stealing her soul’s power felt… wrong.
However, it wasn’t like she could use it, and I came to a resolute decision.
I stood, casting the cultivation spell to salvage her orb before a ratkin could. The spell wrapped the orb, tugged, and failed.
“Oh damn, didn’t see that coming,” I muttered.
I went into my stats to browse my increases. A dozen stats needed to be increased. I selected Cultivation.
Cultivation 1 -} Cultivation 2 = .001 Zorta. (YES) or (NO)
“At least the early ones are super cheap,” I muttered then selected yes.
I wasn’t sure how much an upgrade helped, but it was something.
Closing my eyes this time, I reached out with my spell. I grabbed onto the orb and before I could tug, an alert hit my eyelids.
Resurrect Desra Faymire (YES) or (NO) - Selecting (NO) will incur Ostriva points.
“Uh… well, shit,” I grumbled.
I didn’t answer at all and dug into her bag to find more rope. I bound her hands behind her back using the best granny knot I could.
After a few cinching tugs, I hoped they’d hold her.
I even pulled the dagger out of my belt and slammed into a tree for her to free herself with later.
With her bag on my back, I stared down at the ruined sword and shitty bow. Eh, she could keep those and the cheap dagger.
The way I thought about it, she was getting a great deal losing her materials for her life to be restored.
I went back to the prompt and selected yes.
A blinding light shot down from the heavens, and I staggered from the pull that connected me to the purple lightning.
My vision faded, d
immed, and went black all in a fraction of a second.
I shuddered from the spell pulling at my very fiber. Pain racked my soul, and I wanted nothing more than to be free of the sudden torment.
“Arrrrggggg!” I cried out.
BOOM!
I blasted back, rolling from the conclusion of the spell.
I spat out blood that mixed with the dry dirt on the road. A fit of coughing caused dirt to dust into my mouth, and I smacked my lips in annoyance.
When I caught my breath, I saw Desra struggling against her bindings.
Her guts no longer hung free, and her pale coloration had returned to an angry red.
Then, as if I had flipped a switch, she calmed.
“By Tew and all the gods, thank you, Damian,” she said with utmost relief. “You even left a knife, you sweet darling. Sorry for earlier.”
Her hands came free of her binding, and she hopped off the dirt in an instant. She confidently waltzed over to me as I recovered.
Uh oh.
I scampered to my feet defensively.
“You sure did turn out handsome. I figured you weren’t Toneba,” she said with a swagger.
“Uh… what do I look like?” I asked.
“Sandy blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and a powerful jawline. The girls are going to chew you up,” she said with a sinister laugh.
I gulped, worrying I was about to be turned to cinders. She softened her laugh and held up hands to show she meant no malice.
“How did you know?” I asked.
“Toneba said he was dying last night and we could have his coins for taking care of him. That and he wanted a burial to return to the soil. Just like the olden days, now we use fire,” Desra said, coming closer until I grew uncomfortable.
She folded her arms when I whipped out her dagger. “That’s from Rexa. I can understand giving you the coins if they were mine, but I’ll need my blade and the coins. Do so, and I’ll reward you.”