Janus and Oblivion

by Noam Oswin

  “Shutila!”

  He grabbed her aside. She found herself up in the trees, panting and shaking, unable to understand –

  Gonegonegone – no spirits –

  Killing spirits was not possible. No – it was not. Killing the physical body, yes, but to kill the spirits was to kill the existence. To utterly and completely erase one’s proof of having breathed and eaten and walked –

  It was to wipe away one from past, present and future –

  “Shutila! You must be quiet – there – there is something out there.”

  It was the first time in her life she heard Vuna whisper. The first time she heard fear in his voice. She craned her neck behind the trees –

  Her chest turned to winter at the sight.

  “Vuna...” she whispered. “Listen to me very carefully. I’m going to need you to do something for me... and if... if you care for me as you claim to do... then you will do it.”

  “Shutila –”

  “Please.”

  Vuna’s gaze shot away. She could see his warring spirits. Hear their conflict and confusion. She listened to them, and she knew what they decided.

  “What would you have me do?”

  Chapter 15

  Visitors

  It had been so long since I stood on two legs that I forgot what it felt like. Intoxicating. That was the word. It was utterly intoxicating to stand and stretch my legs. It was intoxicating to be able to spread out my arm and crane my neck. No, beyond intoxicating. This level up, this particular evolution brought sheer euphoria. Pleasure. Sweet maddening pleasure not unlike the sensation of orgasmic bliss. I possessed toes that could curl and curl them I did. A body that could shudder, and shudder I did.

  Adolf stood before the massacred bears and I stood before Adolf. Almost equally, but not quite. I estimated I was about six feet seven. Adolf’s asphalt-black chiseled chest shines in the darkness and my hand extends towards it. Slowly, I touch. Slowly, I trail a finger. A thick line follows my finger along with the sound of something scraping. I look over the bony white phalanges with sharpened edges.

  I was human-like, now, but I was not human.

  Legs lacked skin, muscle and blood. Fingers lacked flesh. Sockets lacked eyes. Jaw lacked tongue, ribs lacked lungs, pelvis lacked genitalia and skull lacked brain. A new addition came in absence of everything: a long, bony prehensile tail connected to my spine. It swung in the air as I commanded. The edge of the tail was shaped in the manner of the head of an arrow, and I found moving it akin to moving a whip.

  Correction: I was vaguely human-like, not human.

  The sense of weightlessness came with the lack of organs and blood. Each step took me more than nine and a hop took me above the trees. I remained above the trees, floating slowly like a polyethylene bag in autumn breeze. My feet, human-like, with five sharpened toes touched back on the ground, gently beside Adolf.

  I lacked eyes yet could see. I lacked ears yet could hear. I lacked nose yet could smell. So, believing that it would work, despite lacking lips and tongue and lungs and throat, I opened my mouth –

  But I could not speak.

  Status

  Name: [Unnamed]

  Race: [Undead]

  Specie(s): [Stalker Skeleton]

  Monster Rank: Tier 3

  Level: 1

  HP: 2000/2000

  MP: 3600/3600

  HP Regen: 250/Hour

  MP Regen: 600/Hour

  Negative Effects: [N/A]

  Positive Effects: [N/A]

  Title(s): [Reincarnated] [User] [Gorger] [Larvae Slayer] [Jonah] [Parasite] [David] [Agkistrodon Slayer] [Genocidal] [Retaliator] [Phoenix] [Merciless]

  I felt something change with this evolution. Stalker Skeleton. I couldn’t place my finger on it. The euphoric bliss was certainly new, and never before did I feel this... serene. I should not be feeling so serene. I was a skeletal creature with sharp claws and a tail. A bipedal skeletal creature. There was a sense of accomplishment that came with walking on two legs.

  [You are now a Tier 3 Monster]

  Your minimum level requirement for evolution is now Level [100].

  Your estimated Threat Level has risen from [Devil] to [Eldritch].

  [Passives] have been unlocked!

  Several skills have been converted into [Passive Skills] having a continuous effect that do not need verbal or mental activation to occur. You may review your list of [Active] and [Passive] Skills in the Skills Menu.

  You have unlocked the Tier 3 Monster Passive Skill – [Kataramenos’ Gift].

  Skill: [Kataramenos’ Gift] Lv. Max

  Type: Passive

  Details: This is a skill awarded to Monsters of the Third Tier that inflicts varying levels of the [Fear], [Panicked], [Silenced] or [Paralyzed] effects on all living beings that encounter you. The magnitude of effect, range and percentage of success of the skill is calculated by the total number of titles you have divided by your available MP, versus the being’s resistance level plus the sum of their Intelligence and Mysticism.

  Note: [Kataramenos’ Gift] does not affect fellow Monsters.

  Note: Creatures without resistance skills, Intelligence or Mysticism, will immediately die upon exposure. You do not attain any benefits from creatures killed in this manner.

  Note: Should your available MP be [0] the calculation process will divide by [1].

  A gift? Gift? This was not a gift. A literal aura of death that killed animals and frightened people surrounded me? How was this a gift? Who was this Kataramenos and what misguided ideas did she have as to the meaning of the word, gift?

  There were two major problems that arose from this. One, I could no longer gain levels from killing animals. Two: I could no longer gain levels from killing animals. This was bad. My minimum level for the next stage was Level 100, and I could not kill animals to contribute to it. Ignoring the hidden criteria I needed to complete before I could be granted evolution, I had no feasible means of leveling anymore, unless I was fighting against something that could ignore the effects of [Kataramenos’ Gift].

  Or someone.

  So far, I had yet to kill any human being or equivalent otherwise. I massacred wolves and rabbits and bears yes, but they were animals, their lives were worth less than that of a human. Even if they were dogs or cats I would still have killed them. Could I kill a human – a sentient, sapient being to which I possessed no grudge against?

  My quest required me to kill a person called Kadulja. I suspected that this person was the same one who tried to kill me. Burned me to ash. There were personal stakes involved. Failing to kill a person attempting to kill me was where all of this madness started. Making the same mistake twice would be stupid.

  Regardless, this new... passive, was annoying. I felt like I’d seen that word before. While in my domain, the location said that the Sanctuary was near somewhere called the Kataramenos Forest. What or who was Kataramenos?

  There were more questions piling up and fewer answers approaching. The night was still young, and now that I could no longer hunt down animals with Adolf –

  I turned, slowly, to look at Adolf.

  I am an idiot. The passive affected me personally, but it did not affect Adolf, my asphalt-concrete golem. As long as I was nowhere near the vicinity, I could continue hunting as many animals as I want through him. All I needed to do was to ensure I programmed the right –

  [Motion Sense – Proximity Warning]

  [Greater Rabbit Ear – Sound Warning]

  [Sixth Sense – Danger Warning]

  I heard the rushed footsteps before I felt the telltale disturbance of an object in motion. Instinct, more than anything else I could claim to possess on my own, drove me to raise my hand and pluck a slow moving object out of the air.

  The object was narrow, thin, possessed a pointy flat end made from sharpened stone and a body made from wood. There were leaves attached to the bottom of the stick, and it took me a few seconds to realize that this, was, indeed, a crudely made proje
ctile.

  An arrow? It flied too slowly. I was surprised that someone actually shot an arrow at me. I turned my attention to the foliage and thickets of trees. It was low, soft, but I could hear it – the sound of breathing. Heavy breathing.

  [Thermal Sense] flared to life at my command. There were two humanoid figures exuding heat hidden behind trees, nigh-motionless. Adolf began moving without my need for instruction, charging directly through the foliage in the direction of the identified enemies. Trees toppled in the path of the golem, and the two humanoid shapes were forced to emerge from their hiding spot unto the riverbank littered with bear corpses.

  It had been ages since I saw people. I did know, however, that people did not have avocado-colored skins and chalky white hair. I turned my attention to the man first, as he was the one wielding the bow and with a quiver of arrows strapped to his back. His white hair was short and bristly, his body was small and lacking any form of musculature and reminded me of an awkward gangly teenager. He was short, about five feet, bare-chested, barefoot and notably lacking nipples, his groin area was covered by a small collection of leaves worn like a Hawaiian skirt.

  Vuna

  Druid Archer

  Level 5

  A druid? It explained the green skin. His companion, on the other hand, was a female. Long braided locks of white hair framed her face, the structure of which was oddly reminiscent of Asian with some African characteristics, even though she was clearly neither. A small necklace holding an emerald hung on her neck, and her chest was secured with wrappings of what I could only assume was lemongrass. She was only marginally taller, was barefoot as well, and I noted she lacked a belly-button on her slightly chubby stomach. Another Hawaiian-skirt-like apparel obscured her lower modesty. She had eyebrows and eyelashes as white as her snowy hair, and the first thing I noted about her, was that she was shaking at the sight of the dead bears. I could not tell if it was in anger or in fear.

  Shutila

  [Kadulja Apprentice]

  Druid Mage

  Level 12

  My neck spun and created an audible crack that made both Druids flinch. Kadulja Apprentice? That title – I believed the Kadulja was the name of a person, but it was entirely possible it was the name of a title. So, this Druid Mage was connected to the Kadulja?

  Trees crashed as Adolf charged after my attackers, heavy strides shaking the earth. The Druid Archer grabbed an arrow from his quiver and fired it.

  It impacted against Adolf’s asphalt covering and bounced off like a rubber ball. Adolf locked on to his attacker, and several hundred pounds of reinforced concrete created an impact like a train slamming a toddler.

  The sound of several twigs snapping filled the riverbank. The Archer rolled across the mud and earth and crashed into the water.

  “VUNA!”

  I can understand her? I rose my hand. Adolf. Cease and Desist.

  The Golem reentered his boxer-stance. The Druid Mage chanted a series of words under her breath, stumbled forward, and thrust both hands in my direction.

  “[Flower of Destruction].”

  [Sixth Sense – Danger Warning]

  A baseball sized flame soared towards me and I was insulted. I sidestepped. The flames flickering by with all the warmth of a hastily microwaved burger. Apprentice indeed.

  “[Flower of Destruction].”

  A basketball sized flame attempted a repeat performance. Again, I sidestepped.

  “[Flower of Destruction!]”

  This is getting tedious. I dodged the ball of fire, crossed the river and stood before the Mage before she could let out the spell. Slowly, I grabbed her hands and shook my head from left to right.

  No.

  Her green skin imitated winter.

  [The passive skill [Kataramenos’ Gift] has come into effect]

  [You have inflicted {Grand Silence} on Druid Mage. Druid Mage may no longer cast spells.]

  [You have inflicted {Greater Fear} on Druid Mage. Druid Mage can no longer attack or defend.]

  [You have inflicted {Paralysis} on Druid Mage. Druid Mage can no longer move.]

  [You have inflicted {Panicked} on Druid Archer. Druid’s Archer’s attacks and actions will be less refined.]

  She stared at my bony hands holding hers and metamorphosed into a statue. White. Complete whiteness. She was a marble sculpture, a chalky doll. Waving my bony hands in front of her face did not provoke a response. I sighed, mentally. Communication was out of the question.

  [Sixth Sense – Danger Warning]

  I plucked an arrow aimed at my head out of the air and snapped it. The Archer actually survived a body-slam from Adolf. I could not tell if this was the benchmark for the durability of Druids, or if I just happened to meet one particularly hardy one. Drenched in water, with liquid the color of jade pouring from his skin, he snarled something at me. There were several words I could not make out, but there was one I could.

  “...Masakh!”

  The Archer snarled some more words, knocking his bow again. I wondered if it was the [Panicked] status making him behave this way, or if he could not realize that arrows were simply not going to work.

  [Sixth Sense – Danger Warning]

  I ignored the warning and the threat of the arrow. He let loose.

  [The passive skill [Serpent Skin] has come into effect]

  [The passive skill [Steel Exoskeleton] has come into effect]

  The arrow bounced off my skull. It felt like someone poked me with a capped pen. The Archer began to go as white as the Mage. Slowly, he staggered backwards, holding unto the wounds inflicted by Adolf. His eyes flickered back and forth between myself and the Mage as he took measured unsteady steps rearward.

  He spun around on the balls of his feet and started running.

  The sight of her companion fleeing only seemed to make the Mage go whiter. It was interesting to watch. From an anthropological standpoint, a rapid discoloration in one’s natural skin color to indicate fear would have definitely helped survive. Or so I assumed. I didn’t know how long it would last, or if this was a feature just limited to these two, who were the only Druids I’d ever met.

  I really did not want to kill them. I wanted to learn. More. Where did they come from? Who or what was the Kadulja? What was this world like? I had questions upon questions and the only way I could get them was if I communicated –

  But I couldn’t speak.

  Attempting to speak did not produce any sound because I lacked lungs to draw in air, a throat to make velar sounds, a tongue to make vowels, and lips to make labial or labiodental noises. I stood in front of the petrified woman, and I racked my non-existent brain about how exactly I could start asking questions.

  I scooped a handful of mud and immediately used [Earth Control] to mold it into large English letters: I AM NOT YOUR ENEMY.

  The Mage took one look at the words and collapsed frothing at the mouth. Her body convulsed on the floor in an epileptic fit for several seconds, before going still.

  [You have inflicted {Horrified} on Druid Mage. Druid Mage has been rendered unconscious. You have permanently traumatized Druid Mage.]

  What... just happened?

  [You have attained the Title: [Demiurge] from repetitively displaying your knowledge of Antediluvian Hieroglyphs.]

  Antediluvian Hieroglyphs?

  It took me a second to remember that English letters were considered something else here. I remembered Janje saying she couldn’t read it, but I hoped someone else could. She called me scary for knowing it. She said Meg could read it –

  That perhaps should have been the first clue that something was wrong.

  The cool night breeze assaulted my bony form along with the smell of death and rotten flesh. Most of the bears Adolf slayed were lying around, littering the environment with the eventual smell of decay. For all the ‘game-like’ aspects I possessed, the sight of the dead bears that didn’t fade into pixels reminded me that it was very much real.

  The Mage was unconscious, and there w
as nothing left for me to do here. Verbal communication was already out of it, and now, so was written one. I doubted that ‘charades’ and ‘sign-language’ would be of any use in a world where simple English was unspeakable.

  Adolf. Bring.

  The man of reinforced concrete and asphalt plating picked up the unconscious Mage and tossed her over his shoulder. She did not stir or wake despite the slight rough-handling, and I turned my attention back to the sight of the massacred bears.

  Approaching one, I felt for its white fur that had been dirtied with blood and mud. My sharp fingers cut into the flesh, and I worked at a slow pace to properly skin the animal. I’d never skinned anything on my own before, and it showed in the uneven manner that I tore at the animal’s hide.

  In the end, I had a rough, dirty-white rug made from the hide of a Yonder Bear. I draped it haphazardly over my skeletal form and ensured it covered my tail. I was not expecting it to suddenly conform to my exact size and shape.

  Loot Obtained!

  Apparel: [Yonder Bear Pelt]

  You have equipped [Unworked Yonder Bear Pelt] as your primary apparel.

  You may view more information about Weapons and Apparels in the Equipment Menu.

  I never knew I had an equipment menu. There were a lot of things I didn’t know. My power did not come with a tutorial or guide to help me, so I suppose it was to be expected.

  The [Yonder Bear Pelt] was snug and fitted. It felt more like a rough leather jacket than something I’d haphazardly cut out of a bear. The transformation began churning more ideas in my head as I turned to the bears and pondered if all this while I’d been losing out on one of the core elements of most typical RPGs –

  Loot.

  I reached for the same bear I got the pelt from and slowly pulled out an eyeball.

  Loot Obtained!

  Ingredient: [Yonder Bear Eye]

  You may view more information about Ingredients in the Crafting Menu.

  Would you like to place the [Yonder Bear Eye] in your Inventory?

  ...Inventory?

  Chapter 16

  Promises

  “Masakh is back! Masakh is back! Masakh is –” Janje’s excited singing stopped abruptly. “Masakh –you – you’ve changed. You’re not a Shade anymore!”