NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter-191 Distorted Spell
“We should think about earning too, we can't live forever on savings,” Stefan said.
“Being hunters is a good option until the hub opens again,” Ewan said. “Or we can be mercenaries.”
“Boss, its better if we do that after leaving here,” Kidd said. “This Vern family is very suspicious. Everyone in the town loves them, even the dead drunkards sing their praises.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Lance asked.
“Never. People living at the bottom rung hate the authority regardless of the reason. Only complaints are normal, anything else is a sign of something cooking beneath,” Kidd said. “Back in Drarith, everyone hated you guys, I even heard many curses specifically in your name.”
“Bad or good, this is what we have, and we need the Rigen,” Ewan said. “As long as they don’t affect us, we don’t need to mind them. Just keep an eye open and be careful about who you deal with.”
“Boss, they were talking about building a dome over the town to block the sunlight, and the Verns agreed,” Kidd said. “It reeks.”
“Sounds to me like they’re trying to keep the masses happy, regardless of the cost,” Stefan said.
“Let it go, don’t get involved in irrelevant matters,” Ewan said. “Lance, have you decided yet? Will you stay here?”
“I worked for the Ensils since I was a child, sir. I defended them and I killed for them. I’ve…never known anything else,” Lance said. “I know my place, but I still want to ask you, sir… Can you hire me?”
“You want to work for me?” Ewan laughed. “You already heard it, didn’t you. I’m running low on coins; we can barely afford good dinner now.”
“I don’t need any payment, sir. I just need a place to belong to,” Lance said.
“And that can be anywhere in the world, why with us? Anyway, I’m rather skeptic of people, and I’m even more skeptic of free stuff, especially when it affects me,” Ewan said. “So, my answer is no, you’ll have to find your own way. And don’t overstay your welcome.”
“I understand, sir,” Lance said and stared down at his bowl, stirring the stew but hardly taking a bite. The air tensed inside the lounge, and the rest of the brunch passed without words with only the spoon and the bowl clinking together.
….
Ewan slouched on the captain’s chair in the bridge with a caged Water Rabbit hovering before him and worked the blood threads roaming around him. He once wondered about the spell’s effect on lower-level Starons and Astylinds, but when he broke through to Step-1 and had the ability to test it, hectic schedule and external interferences occupied him. Sailing on Stormfalcon gave him free time, yet he lacked the trouble-free test subjects.
The forced delay in Vestal, however, solved both his problems, and now he could sate his curiosity as much as he wanted. Water Rabbits infested the waters around the island after all, they were a dime a dozen—he could stumble upon them just by roaming off the traveled path.
Bloodlust!
He emptied out his blood rune and pushed all the Blood-Anima he had into the spell circuit, triggering the blood threads he’d nurtured so far. The Water Rabbit wailed when the spell targeted it, and soon, its cries turned into growls. Its eyes reddened, its ocean-colored fur stood taut, saliva dripped down its mouth, and it slammed into the cage. The impact broke its skull, blood drenched its fur and trickled down, yet its rampage continued.
The cage’s deformation gave Ewan an estimate of the rabbit’s surge in strength, he calculated it against the metal’s solidity. And the final result was an increase to a level beyond Step-0 but not quite at Step-1—the rabbit lingered in between. The data was insufficient to conclude the experiment though, he needed more tests to back it up.
The spell’s effect ended when he shut his diary and put it away. The rabbit slumped down, trembling, and its heaves weakened by the second. And with a flicker of its chest, it lost its breath. Ewan examined the corpse, inside out, just to be sure. But the result came out different from what he expected, the cause of its death wasn’t the self-inflicted injury, it was old age…
The finding furrowed his brows. He had checked the rabbit thoroughly before casting the spell. It wasn’t a newborn but was far from its natural death. Yet, its end resembled the shutting down of its system…
The scare upped his heartbeat, and he dropped everything to inspect Frost’s and Orange’s health condition. Frost remained still for the obedient kid he was, but the meticulous check-up for over an hour bored Orange, and the little monkey slipped away with Toast when Ewan focused on the results. Luckily, the assessment outcome struck a contrast with what he feared, both his Astylinds were perfectly fine.
Comparing their results against the rabbit’s demise hinted at the cause—the twisted usage of the spell. Ewan used it as it was never meant to, <Bloodlust> gave the rabbit the power it could not have, and it paid the price for it. The information was vital for the understanding of the spell, but the book didn’t even touch on the possibility of it, and yet another wave of annoyance drowned him. Either his Pa never cared to test it, or he already knew the answer and took it as the obvious.
“Am I the dumb one then…” Ewan murmured.
Can't wait to read ahead? There's a free chapter available on Patreon. And it has 40+ chapters ahead of the Royal Road release on it!
You can also join my Discord.
Note: Members are charged on the day they join, and then monthly on that same date. For example, if you join on the 10th, you'll be charged on that day, and then monthly on the 10th.