Janus and Oblivion

by Noam Oswin

  “Janje is... me? But... who... who is Janje?” Janje’s voice was hollow. “Who am I?”

  Special Quest: Rooting Out Evil accepted.

  It was the clearest I had heard her speak. It was jarring, hearing her cutesy childish voice becoming one of desperation.

  “Meg says Janje is Janje.” Her childish voice came back like a switch flipped. “Meg says Janje should stop thinking unnecessary things. Stupid Janje. Janje should know better. Janje is Janje. That is all Janje is. Nothing else matters! No one will stop Janje from being Janje!”

  I possessed the mental equivalent of a bone stuck in my throat. Janje’s cheerful childish voice was magnitudes more disturbing than it had been before.

  Does Meg... always do this?

  “Do what? What is masakh talking about?” Janje’s voice paused. “Ah, what was Janje and masakh talking about? Janje seemed to have zoned off. Stupid Janje. Silly Janje. Janje is right here and Janje doesn’t pay attention. What was masakh saying?”

  I did not trust myself to say anything.

  “Hey! Why is masakh quiet? Hey! Hey! Janje is sorry for zoning off! Janje is sorry! Don’t be like Meg! Meg is always giving Janje silent treatment. Please? Please? PLEASE? PLEASE DON’T IGNORE ME – ”

  I’m not ignoring you – I tell her. I just – want to focus on a new magic. If it goes wrongly, I could die. So... could you –

  “Ah! Janje understands! Casting can be very very super dangerous! Janje will let Masakh focus!”

  Thank you.

  “No problem! Masakh is Janje’s friend! Janje will do anything for friends!”

  Janje’s voice receded from the cave once more. I was left with my to-do list, written on the floor in chalk, the soft reverberation of dripping water, and the discomforting silence of my own thoughts.

  Special Quest: Rooting Out Evil

  The disembodied voice in the cave has been ignorant of their own identity for thousands of years. A few hours of social interaction has brought about the realization that they do not know who or what they are, and neither do you.

  It is up to you to find out what and who Janje is, and deliver this information to her.

  Quest Giver: [Janje]

  Quest Difficulty: [Tier 5]

  Time Left: [Unknown]

  Quest Rewards: [Unknown]

  Quest Failure: [Unknown]

  I remembered what Janje told me about the logarithmic scale of the monster Tiers. I wondered if this applied to my Quest Difficulties as well.

  My greatest challenge so far was Meg. The monstrous Anathema whispering in Janje’s ear, preventing her from thinking about her past. I was nowhere near strong enough to defeat that creature. I did not even know how I would go about expelling it from Janje. I could not even see Janje, and if I could, it might have provided me with all the necessary insights I needed to know what she was.

  Why do I even want to do this? Was it because it was a quest? Was it because I was beginning to care for a disembodied female voice in a cave? Was I truly that starved for companionship and social interaction?

  No. No. Having Janje on my side would drastically increase my chances of living. If I learned what she had to teach, I would become more powerful, and hence, better increase my odds of survival. This was purely practical. Purely pragmatic. I had a lot to gain from helping Janje, and if, per chance, I could somehow kill Meg and absorb his powers, it would make everything far sweeter.

  Yes, this was pragmatic. I would help Janje, and in turn, Janje would help me.

  Chapter 14

  Advancement

  Nightfall came after what felt like years, and I was granted the freedom to leave Janje’s Cave and explore the outside of the Final Sanctuary Forest once more. Being a Shade was essentially being a vampire with most of the drawbacks and none of the benefits. It was a form of existence that I was desperate to permanently rid myself of, and to once more become something with legs and hands.

  Thankfully, Adolf was here to help me in that respect.

  The three-meter tall granite golem had returned a little sometime in the afternoon, covered heavily with splashes of dried blood and flecks of flesh that told me all about the activities it had done. Utilizing my [Earth Control] I fixed any aesthetic damages and strengthened the granite, before making some rough editions to Adolf.

  Alloy formation, blend: limestone, bitumen, aluminates and ferrites –

  It was damning, whenever I read my [Earth Control] skill, there was something there I had missed. For instance, the fact that I could mold mud and clay into whatever shape I desired. I could create mud.

  Mud was earth. Except, mud was earth, that was semi-liquid, or, most times, liquid. It was any combination of soil and water. Where did the water come from? I thought [Earth Control] only allowed me to control earth? All these questions were irrelevant when one could merely choose to abuse the loophole that allowed for the creation of water as long as it was muddy water.

  Adolf changed, slowly, from his feet morphing in color to the rest of his body. Gone was the Man of Granite, replaced with Man of Reinforced Concrete. Created from wetting, hardening and instantaneously drying the required combination of aggregate material, Adolf was now far, far stronger than he was mere seconds ago.

  But I was not stopping there. Certainly not in the slightest. The realization that I could change earth into muddy water and bitumen was gave me a giddy sensation as I pushed further.

  Magnetite, hematite, goethite, limonite and siderite. Liquefy and –

  A thick, dark sheen began to spread over Adolf, further and further, until the Golem was engulfed by it. I ensured there was no part of him that was uncovered by it, then, I allowed the sheen to harden.

  Most people, did not know about a substance called bitumen because they never had a chemistry tutor who was once burned by super-heated tar. A compact, glassy, brittle black little thing that is a viscous liquid or semi-solid which can be present in mineral deposits, and is one of the main ingredients in a something called asphalt.

  Apply.

  The Man of Reinforced Concrete became the Man of Reinforced Concrete with asphalt coating. A black luster not unlike that one would see in freshly made commercial highways covered Adolf’s form, adding an additional, perhaps arguably over-the-top layer of defense.

  I doubted bears, wolves, tigers or crocodiles had a bite force strong enough to shatter asphalt, or claws sharp enough to break it. If I met one that did, I doubted they could break asphalt and then break reinforced concrete.

  The asphalt coating was not intended for wildlife, however. It was intended for Kadulja, on the off chance I encountered them tonight. Of course, the trap I planned on setting could attract literally anyone else, but if it did attract Kadulja, it would be a bonus.

  I added a new set of instructions to Adolf. Instructions for movement, which required me to rewrite the previous set of instructions I gave him. Together, just as the night began to truly start, we left Janje’s Cave.

  Departing south at a leisurely pace, there were no creatures I met on my way. Adolf’s thunderous steps could be heard from quite a bit far away, but I did not mind. Heavier as he may be, he was stronger, and that extra boost in strength would be what I needed tonight.

  It was easy to know what one was looking for at night when one had [Thermal Sensing] and [Motion Sensing] as skills. When I possessed eyes, I did not need to rely on these skills as heavily as before because I could see. I lacked eyes again, although I did have some form of vision which presumably worked under the same logic as how ghosts could moan or screech without vocal tracts, hence, the two sensing skills rapidly regained their value.

  With the aid of the ability to detect warmth from far away, and the ability to detecting moving creatures, it took about thirty minutes for me with Adolf in tow to finally find something to hunt. I spotted the creature, drinking from a river, and I remembered this river as being the one I passed when I was hurrying to search for a shelter of some sort. It was small, white-fur tha
t seemed entirely out of place in a forest, with a black circular streak running from nose to petite tail.

  Yonder Bear Cub

  Lv. 5

  I’d never heard of a Yonder Bear before. Regardless, this was clearly a young of the species, and if it was present at the river, there was no doubt that adult members were close. Approaching could startle it and completely eliminate the element of surprise... but I did not need surprise when I possessed Adolf.

  I rapidly accessed my ability, [Earth Control], and conjured a sharp, pointed granite spear. I took aim, carefully, adding final instructions, and then fired.

  The bear cub cried out in pain as the spear slammed into its hind legs and skewered through them like shish kebabs. The final instructions I added came into effect, creating large equal weights on both ends of the spear. The end result was a bear cub with deadlift dumbbells skewered through its legs, preventing it from running away, and preventing it from doing anything other than crying out in pain.

  Some would argue that it was inhumane, but I would argue that it was effective. The cub’s cries would no doubt call its parent or parents, and that may in turn bring more of its kind, which meant far more enemies to slay, and far more experience to gain.

  The bear cub tried to run with its front paws, but couldn’t, as blood began to leak from the rear legs, it let out several loud cries and whines. The forest began to rustle, as the sound of something rapidly charging came from the foliage of trees and darkness, and with my [Thermal Sensing] I could make out the large form of my would be enemy.

  ADOLF!

  As programmed, Adolf began a heavy charge. Moving at speeds that an object of its sheer weight should have no right to, it charged across the space between our hiding point, rushing over to the incapacitated bear cub by the river, just as adult bear charged out and gave a loud, angry roar.

  Yonder Bear Matriarch

  Level 40

  Perfect. The adult mother bear was slightly taller than Adolf when standing on its hind legs. It brought down its right paw in an attack that I knew would effortlessly have shattered the skull of a normal human being. Adolf brought up his right hand, effortlessly blocking the blow with little damage, and it reared back his left, stomping hard on the ground and twisting in the manner of professional baseball player scoring a home run and striking the matriarch bear with a punch directly to the side of the head.

  The result was a bone-wrenching crack that echoed across the forest like a miniaturized thunderclap. The bear’s neck twisted and snapped backwards at a limp angle, her skull caved in from the point of impact, and the white-fur of the creature was stained an unmistakable red.

  Adolf’s right fist came down, slamming the creature to the ground and burying its twisted head and broken neck into the soil. The Man of Reinforced Concrete and asphalt coating entered a boxing stance with both hands raised, an unnecessary defensive gesture, as his opponent was down and out in a one-hit K.O.

  [Yonder Bear Matriarch x1 Killed]

  [21,400 Experience Points Gained]

  You have gained a level]

  [You have gained a level]

  [You have gained a level]

  [You have gained a level]

  The title [Genocidal] has come into effect for the Species: [Yonder Bear].

  [25 Genocide Points Earned]

  Typically, in fantasies and games, Golems were weak creatures of the earth, cannon fodder to be destroyed and no one truly gave thought to their creation. Making a golem from reinforced concrete and giving it kickboxing instructions was probably something no one thought of before. A way to make an otherwise weak thing become something immensely strong.

  Now, I gained four full levels from killing the Yonder Bear with no threat to myself in the least. I was two levels away from reaching Shade Level 10, and from reaching my next evolution.

  The bear cub was still crying out, still in pain and still trapped and unable to move. I allowed it to continue crying, merely to see if another creature would come out of the forest drawn to the cries of their young –

  And I was right.

  Yonder Bear Patriarch

  Level 60

  This one was large. Easily towering at six meters, with its white fur possessing numerous black streaks, a large scar running down its left eye and a dangerous feral expression, I could tell that taking it down was going to be slightly more challenging.

  It lunged straight for Adolf, and with its vast size and strength, it pushed the Golem to the ground. Fangs longer than the arm-length of toddlers bared themselves and came crashing down against Adolf’s skull.

  It was unfortunate that he attacked second. I had already killed one Yonder Bear, and because of [Genocidal], it meant I had a 10% Attack, Defense, Damage Reduction and Damage Dealt against Yonder Bears. Hence, so did Adolf.

  The Patriarch’s fangs shattered upon impact with Adolf’s skull, sending fragments of bones flying outward, and leaving it rearing backwards in pain. Adolf rose from the ground, reentering the boxing stance, and firing an uppercut directly unto the Patriarch’s lower chin. The sound of bones breaking like a stone through a glass window raced throughout the forest as the Yonder Bear Patriarch toppled backwards into the river with a loud splash.

  Adolf followed, wading into the river, raising his left foot high until it was parallel with his body, and bringing it down for an axe kick that was perhaps the most literal use of the term. I did not need to see the damages to know that the patriarch’s spinal cord was crushed instantly from the impact.

  [Yonder Bear Patriarch x1 Killed]

  [40,400 Experience Points Gained]

  [50 Genocide Points Earned]

  [You have gained a level]

  [You have gained a level]

  [You have attained the Maximum Level (10) for your current species]

  [You have unlocked suitable conditions for evolution.]

  [It is not advisable to evolve in the midst of battle]

  Finally! I resisted the urge to cheer as I was still considered in the midst of battle. My two major enemies were down, and the only other “enemy” on the field was the crying wounded bear cub.

  Except, several heat signatures began to become visible from the forest. All of them large, all of them huge, all of them charging heavily in this direction. It was almost as though they knew that I’d killed two of their members and were here for vengeance. I counted three, no, four? Five? Eight? The numbers kept growing.

  I contemplated retreating. There were about twelve of them now, seconds away from breaking through the foliage and attacking Adolf. My Golem of Reinforced Concrete could most certainly take the damage, but it would be hard with dozens of opponents to dance with.

  The river turned red and stained with blood from the killed enemy deposited within it, and I rapidly contemplated my options. As of now, I had a 20% increase in attack, defense, and damage dealt against Yonder Bears. Adolf could reasonably take down several more, and the more he took down, the more he would be able to take down.

  I can do this.

  The river was positioned to the west, and it ran from Northwest to Southeast. The clearing where the bears came from was north. I was hidden safely south, and could go up the river and flank the bears while they were distracted with Adolf. Alternatively, I could merely provide support as I was from here.

  Both. I focused on my [Earth Control] turning the ground around Adolf into slippery mud that would make it difficult for the bears to gain traction. I could do this because Adolf acted as a conduit for my powers, being made of earth and being my creation.

  I proceeded to go up the river just as the first of the Yonder Bears charged through the foliage, lost its footing, and slid carelessly over to the Adolf, who delivered roundhouse kick that tossed the several hundred pound bear aside like it was made of papier-mâché.

  [Adult Yonder Bear x1 Killed]

  [20,400 Experience Points Gained]

  [75 Genocide Points Gained]

  In the end, there was no nee
d for flanking tactics. The environmental hazard in the form of mud was all it took to disorient the charging bears and have Adolf go through them one at a time. Two charged at him, and with a 30% bonus attack and defense against them, he did not even budge as they collided with him. Instead, it was easier than ever to kill them with well-placed punches to the neck.

  [Adult Yonder Bear x2 Killed]

  [40,800 Experience Points Gained]

  [100 Genocide Points Gained]

  [125 Genocide Points Gained]

  Adolf tossed body after body into the river. The Golem was far more effective than I imagined it would be. No attacks came close to hurting it, and with each bear he took down, the less time it took for him to take down more. Punches, kicks, and the occasional bound of knee-strikes and elbow-strikes sent large mammals to their deaths.

  [Adult Yonder Bear x5 Killed]

  [111,000 Experience Points Gained]

  [150 Genocide Points Gained]

  [175 Genocide Points Gained]

  [200 Genocide Points Gained]

  [225 Genocide Points Gained]

  [250 Genocide Points Gained]

  The total kill count was at ten bears. At the sight of the dead ten bears with broken skulls, shattered jaws, caved-in skulls and crushed spines, the charging Yonder Bears stopped. They stopped attacking, and starting retreating.

  I learned my lesson from the time with the Silva Wolves. I was not going to chase after them, not when there could be a trap or an ambush in place that came from chasing after a fleeing opponent.

  When all was done, there was only one enemy left in the clearing. The wounded bear cub. It lacked the strength or energy left to cry, and the blood from its wounds had almost completely killed it, and there was no use left for it.

  Adolf.

  The Man of Reinforced Concrete moved over to the wounded trapped bear cub and trod over it like a cockroach.

  [Yonder Bear Cub x1 Killed]

  [5,400 Experience Points Gained]

  [300 Genocide Points Earned]

  [You have attained the Title: [Merciless] from slaying an injured and incapacitated enemy of no threat to you.]