Gleam of Darkness

by Elian Tars

  Suddenly, my eyes stopped on a two-story house, which was waiting for its turn to be swallowed by the flames. A few more minutes and the flames would take over it. Why did I have the urge to run into it?

  This is Bon’s house, I realized.

  That guy had been the son of a chief, and if I had still intended to find something and, in that way, justify putting myself at the risk of being burned alive, I couldn’t allow myself to waste any more time on self-doubt. There wasn’t a better place to get some much-needed information than the house of the chief’s son. What if I found something that had remained hidden from the enemy’s eyes?

  The door of the house was wide open. Having rushed inside, I almost fell because I stumbled over yet another corpse. It was a woman whose head had been pierced by a crossbow bolt. Having seen the poor woman, I felt my heart ache and rage start to grow in my chest. Where did those feelings come from?

  Well, of course... She was Bon’s mother, for crying out loud! It would have certainly been very useful to find out what this peasant woman had known, but paying the price by feeling this sort of pain wasn’t worth it. And this was only 10% of the whole synchronization process?! I had to do something about this strange connection at some point…

  But there was a lot to do besides that. Everything in there had also been turned upside down, from the cabinets that were wide open to the piles of clothes on the floor. It seemed like there was nothing to do on the first floor. Maybe I should take a look upstairs? The bedroom had to be there, and if the chief had a stash, then where else would it be?

  Villager Bon thinks that you should check the basement. The survivors could be there.

  How interesting… Oh well, I should trust villager Bon, since there was no time to check both upstairs and downstairs.

  “Hey! Anyone alive out there?!” I shouted as loud as I could. “It’s me, Bon!”

  In response I heard a muffled knock. I didn’t realize right away where the sound was coming from, but I turned my head a few times and my eyes stopped on an old dresser. I ran up to it, got on my knees and put my ear to the floor.

  “Boom, boom!” I heard it more clearly this time.

  I got up, walked around the dresser and put my hands on it. I pushed and pulled, my muscles were as taut as they could be, and for the first time I praised the villager for building up my strength.

  Rumbling, the old piece of furniture gave in; after sliding it to the side I saw a wooden hatch cover with an iron latch… Which meant that Bon’s mother did not intend to let those who were presently knocking get out by themselves. Perhaps she thought a savior would come? I wondered who she thought that savior would be.

  The rusty latch slipped to the side with a screech and the lid moved, almost bumping into my head.

  “Thank you” muttered the black-haired girl, who was about 18 years old, as she hastily got out of the basement.

  Villager Una

  Level 8

  “Hurry up!” Once out, the girl, wearing a simple black dress, reached for the hatch. This time another head emerged from the opening; the head of a teenage girl with freckles.

  Villager Rina

  Level 2

  “Ahem-ahem” coughed Una. “Get to the exit, faster,” she pulled the girl to the door and glanced at me.

  I was about to leave them and dive into the basement, when my throat tightened and I received a system message:

  You are experiencing a moderate carbon monoxide poisoning. With every passing minute you will lose 10% of your maximum HP.

  I should last more than five minutes, unless, of course, the effect increases. Well? Should I take the risk?

  “Help! My mom is in there!” The clear voice of a child reached me. I turned around and saw a boy in the doorway desperately clinging onto the hem of Una’s dress as if he was trying to keep her from running away. “She can’t get out! Help her, please!”

  The black-haired girl turned around irritably and hissed:

  “She’s beyond help! If you want to live, run with us!”

  While trying to figure out what was happening, I came to a realization. I caught myself thinking that, even in spite of the chaos, murder, my resurrection and an extremely uncertain future, I couldn’t simply leave someone that had been caught in a deadly trap.

  “Come with me!” once on the street, I grabbed Una by the nape of her neck. “Where’s your mother?” I asked the kid.

  Peasant Slay

  Level 1

  “That is our home!” He pointed at the nearest building, which was completely engulfed in flames.

  “We have to go, Bon! Before you suffocate! Ahem-ahem...” tried to say the black-haired girl, but she choked and let out a muffled cough instead.

  I looked at the three of them. If they had the exact same debuff as me, then Slay would die first, in about three minutes. Rina would be the second one to die, in about three and a half minutes. But Una… hmm… She had been next to the little girl. The poisoning took 10% off one’s HP. Going by the numbers next to the health bar, displayed in percentage, she should be on the same level as the little girl. So why did she have more than half of her HP left?

  “I saved you! I will not let you die so easily! You do realize that once you get out you will end up in the dark woods? Can you survive there on your own?” The girl stopped resisting and looked at me angrily. Well, it seemed like my improvised warning hit the mark. “Cure the children and cover me!” I told her. Una nodded reluctantly, thus confirming my presupposition that she had healing abilities.

  Slay’s house had already been completely on fire when I rushed in. I had to breathe through a piece of fabric. It didn’t protect me too much from the gas, but at least it was something. I saw the boy’s mother almost right away. She was lying unconscious on the floor near the far wall, dressed in a grey dress and a cap. The leg of the poor thing was pinned down by a massive beam.

  Villager Jonna

  Level 6

  “Wake up! Wake up, please!” I ran up to her and started slapping her cheeks. She opened her eyes, wheezing. “I will lift it, and you must crawl out!” I explained quickly, as I was grabbing the hot piece of debris.

  Grunting and pushing, I was able to lift it a couple of inches.

  “А-а-а!!!” I yelled, having a hard time holding up the weight of the beam.

  Strength increased by 1.

  Jonna was able to get out, and I threw down the piece of wood with great relief.

  “Faster!” I said, struggling to breathe. I grabbed her hand, helping her to her feet. The woman was limping heavily and could not move without my help. Also, she had less than 10% of HP left.

  I wondered if you would die once your HP reached 1. After all, there would be no slaying hit. Or maybe the gas and fire would take care of that and send me to respawn regardless?

  “Una, cure her!” I yelled as I was getting out of the burning house. Although the black-haired girl had been standing at a distance, she was still waiting for me. I was relieved to see that she hadn’t decided to take off, leaving us without the healer’s support.

  “Okay, but there won’t be enough mana left to cure you,” the girl said, without hiding her satisfaction.

  It took a moment for her palms to shine with a warm light and Jonna’s HP went up. Una restored half of the woman’s HP, but, unfortunately, with a damaged ankle, she could not do anything else.

  “Now it’s time to get a move on!” I yelled, giving Slay’s mother my shoulder for support. “We’re going to climb over the fence!”

  “There are no other options, the gates are blocked!” grunted the black-haired girl.

  Fortunately, it all went without a hitch, although I was nervous when I decided to let Una climb over the stockade first. But, to the healer’s credit, she didn’t run away. Apparently, the woods at night were even scarier than I thought. She climbed over and the children and Jonna followed. I was the last one.

  “Let’s go! We need to get further away,” I said, as I was pick
ing up the woman again, confused as to why I didn’t receive the notification about the quest completion. Perhaps I had left someone burning alive in the village and had failed the quest as a result.

  We made our way through the tall grass, toward a dense forest. We made a little break when we were about five hundred yards away from the dark, spreading trees.

  “Phew… finally…” Una crushed the grass when she stretched herself out on the ground. Jonna and the children sat down neatly next to her. I stood, watching the village as it burned to the ground. If I happened to leave anyone behind, there were definitely no survivors left there anymore.

  “How did you end up in my basement?” I asked the teenager and the little girl, already assuming what the answer was.

  “Your mother saw us on the street and managed to hide us there. What’s so confusing about that?” said the black-haired girl.

  “She wanted to help the others, but…” said Rina, but her squeaky little voice failed her, and the little girl began to cry.

  “She didn’t have enough time to save anyone else,” Una finished dryly.

  “However, she saved you. Then again, so did I” I said coldly, glaring at the healer.

  “Hmm, yeah…” she admitted, embarrassed.

  “And after everything my family has done for you, you want to leave with something that doesn’t belong to you?”

  “What are you talking about?” the girl frowned.

  “You know what I’m talking about, Una. Well? What did you take from the basement? It’s time to give it back.”

  “I didn’t take anything!” she protested. “There wasn’t anything to take!”

  “There was nothing left in the room after I brought you out, I checked,” I calmly lied and turned to the little girl. “Well, Rina, tell me which one of us is right, Una or I?”

  The little girl, continuing to sob, cried with renewed energy. Taken aback, I thought for a moment that I was wrong and that I was pressuring the healer in vain, but then I changed my mind and turned to her again.

  “You even managed to upset the girl. Shame on you…” I nodded and stretched out my hand. “That’s enough. Give back what’s rightfully mine.”

  The girl snorted disdainfully and pulled out an old, tattered book seemingly out of thin air. The process resembled the way I had taken the pitchfork from my inventory after the fight with the Little Spider.

  “Here,” she grumbled, handing the loot back. “I wasn’t going to keep it for myself. I was just trying to save the item, so I took it. But now I’m a little bit ashamed.”

  “The Small Encyclopedia of Lloyd Koala” the inscription on the cover stated. Although the night had finally fallen, the light from the moon and stars as well as the glow of the fire on the horizon provided enough light to see the carved letters. Or maybe it had something to do with my night vision?

  “Don’t know what you need it for,” continued Una. “You can’t even read,” the girl grunted loudly.

  “And you can?” I asked her indifferently.

  “What about me?” She was confused at first, but then she stuck out her chest and said: “Of course I can!”

  Was she lying? Or was she actually more educated than the other villagers? It was an interesting question… As was this one: how did the chief of this most ordinary village imaginable get an Encyclopedia? I was certain that it was very rare. I had to study this book, but in a more relaxing atmosphere.

  “Open up the inventory.” I ordered mentally and saw the grid with its eleven slots. Ten were empty; the first one had a smaller copy of my pitchfork. I visualized in my mind that I was placing the book into the next cell and it worked! The Encyclopedia had disappeared from my hands.

  “Keep going,” I stretched my hand to Una again. The girl had opened her mouth to argue, but after seeing my frown, she decided not to cross swords with me.

  “Here!”

  She handed me four Gold Coins of the Duchy of Oruel, which I immediately hid in the inventory as fast as I could. The money didn’t need a separate slot, but an inscription appeared under the cells.

  “Ok, let’s eat and get some sleep,” the girl said cheerfully and walked away.

  “Wait!” I called out.

  “What more do you want?” Una asked peevishly.

  “That’s not everything. You kept the most precious item for yourself, didn’t you?”

  “Listen, I’ve had enough of your accusations!” She put her hands on her hips. “We have to get some rest and leave for Ekheim in the morning.”

  “You think it’s safe to stay here for the night?” Jonna asked quietly, clutching her tired son to her chest.

  “No,” the healer said with a smirk. “But it’s safer here than anywhere else. We’ll stand guard so that others can get some sleep. Until then…”

  “Don’t think you’re off the hook, Una!” I cut her off. “Give back what you owe me!”

  Or I will make you I wanted to add, but I shut up just in time. She was a higher level than me, and so was her HP; it was better not to push it. But damn it, I wanted to see what this girl was trying to hide so badly!

  It wouldn’t have surprised me if she had sent me to hell. I had to back off, reluctantly. However…

  “Argh! I’m sick of you!” Una tossed something small in the air, something that was barely gleaming in the moonlight. I jumped forward, caught the ring and immediately inspected it.

  To see the inscription and use the item, you must reach level 10.

  I decided not to wear it and placed it in my inventory. I looked at Una again. She was sitting on the grass and eating a loaf of sweet bread with milk. Why did she return it? Was she afraid that I was gonna do something? Maybe it was because, from her point of view, I managed to survive an encounter with the riders. Perhaps she thought that she shouldn’t take me for granted.

  Speaking of “surviving”, how did Jonna and her son manage to survive? I was curious to find out, but by merely asking this question, I was putting myself at the risk of running into the same question, and I really didn’t want to answer that.

  Other things were more urgent…

  I completed Villager Bon’s quest from. I found the survivors and I want to get my reward I mentally enunciated every word.

  Quest “Search for Survivors” has been completed.

  Body synchronization: 20%

  XP received: 2157

  Level up.

  Current level: 6

  Level up.

  Current level: 7

  Chapter 4

  The Road to Town

  I get two levels for one quest? Not bad! Despite the fact that I hadn’t experienced any difficulties either. I completed the task without encountering any enemies. I wondered how the rewards were calculated. The treasures I had had to shake out on my own. And the quest was closed when I mentally turned into Bon… But that was not a problem. If I don’t approach the quest giver, then I won’t finish the quest just yet. Two levels, though… Obviously, the amount of experience gotten depended on how important the job was to the quest giver. That was clever and very practical.

  My whole team was spread out on the grass and having dinner. Watching them eat made my stomach growl.

  You’re feeling hunger. You should eat before your hunger increases and weakness sets in.

  Wow, do physical needs get measured in figures out here, too? What was interesting was that I was a bit thirsty and needed to get some sleep, but I still hadn’t received any notifications about it.

  “Show me information about my physical needs” I sat on the ground and turned on the system.

  A needs window, consisting of three-colored stripes and signs, appeared before my eyes. The first one was called “Food”. Half of the scale, from 0 to 49, was colored red. The second, yellow one, showed 50-74; and the last, green one, showed 75-100. At that exact moment it fell to 74 and moved into the yellow zone, so I received the notification.

  There was no description, but I assumed that debuffs would
show up once my needs reach the red zone. I was in an average state at that moment, and the green gave a positive effect. However, when the scale was full I hadn’t noticed anything. Oh well, there was still a lot I had to learn about the game.

  With a tired sigh, I estimated the rest of my needs. “Liquids” would soon fall below half. I also needed to take care of the “Sleep” and “Need to go #1” categories. Not only could I see these parameters in the form of scales, but I could also feel them in my body. There were others, like “Communication”, “Spiritual food”, “Physical pleasure”, “Adventures”, “Self-Realization”, and so on and so forth. Some of them were framed with a wrought, gold edge, some with silver, but most of them didn’t stand out.

  Unable to find any information about the positive and negative effects of the needs, I gave up and closed the window.

  “Well, tired of self-exploration?” I immediately heard Una’s voice. The girl spoke quietly because the children were asleep. “Let’s decide who will be on watch tonight. There are six hours ‘till morning. I suggest that we each stand watch for two hours.”

  Hmm, it was pretty reasonable. She was a clever one, this Una. A healer, educated, and so young...

  “Agreed. You go to sleep. I’ll stand guard first, then Jonna, and then you, Una. Any objections?” The girls shook their heads. “Good. Oh, and another thing…” I paused. “I don’t have any food or drink, but for everyone’s safety, we all need to be in good shape.”

  The healer clicked her tongue in irritation and materialized a bottle of brew and a loaf of bread. How much food did she have?

  “You owe me,” she snorted while handing me the provisions. She contemplated something for a second and then pointed her hand at the starry sky. “So, when the Moon touches the left foot of Karus, wake her up,” she pointed Slay’s mother with a nod. “And you wake me when the Moon reaches the shoulder of Ilonida.”

  The constellations in the game were very different from what I was used to seeing in reality. Here, they looked like real human figures, not clusters of stars, in which only astronomers could distinguish meaningful images.