NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 23: Why the Runes?
‘That can’t be...’
Eyes wide, I stared down at my chest. The angle made it hard to see, but undoubtedly, there under the fluff were dark scars, tracing the same lines as the runes: Never-Dying.
‘Shit.’
A shudder ran through my body. More than scars, it suddenly felt like a brand - just another way for that bug to screw with me. The damn creature didn’t want to lose its toy it brought from another world, so it made me unable to die.
Did it have fun watching me struggle on?
‘Actually...’
Doubts put cracks in my rage, choking it down a little bit. Yesterday was the first time I’d seen the bug since I came into this world. As far as I knew, it hadn’t shown any interest in me until that deranged asshole called it, which was rather annoying considering that without it, I’d be happily going about my ordinary life.
A bit of a stretch, but by this time, I could have my own little flower shop and maybe a loving husband and child. Instead, I was a freak, running naked through the woods, condemned to live this shitty life, whether I liked it or not.
‘Why?’
My chewed nails dug into my palms as I clenched my hands into fists in a vain attempt to fight off a surge of fury - and a whole lot of sorrow. Try as I might, the unfairness of it all drew a hushed bestial growl from my throat.
‘Why me?’
The question I would most likely never know the answer to. And perhaps it was even better that way. What would it change if I did? Nothing, nothing at all.
Better to ask, why the runes?
Was the bug watching me now from the shadows somewhere, enjoying the show? Somehow, it struck me as much more likely that the damn critter just wanted to make sure that I would languish in this world no matter what. To think that it would do so out of the goodness of its rotten heart sounded simply ridiculous - more likely to fool the bastard.
‘Yeah, that would actually make some sense...’
No doubt I was alive and kicking, so to speak, but the damn bug killed me, just like the deranged asshole wanted. Admittedly, the notion of him paying for basically nothing was kind of satisfying. Why not bring me back to life just once, though? Why the runes...and the weave, for that matter?
Okay, the weave wasn’t hard to figure out. Obviously, I got it because of the runes. And it was the bloody runes on my chest that kept me from dying, not the weave, so...
‘...well, shit it.’
Whatever the damn bug’s intentions were, they were beyond me.
Like, why send me here? Was this a random place, or was the critter hoping something would make dinner out of me in this forest? It couldn’t have known I’d run into the old merchant, could it?
Unless...unless the two were in cahoots.
Perhaps the old man traded with the bug before, too.
Scratching at my hair, I let a growl escape my lips, this time deliberately. There were so many unknowns that it was giving me a headache. Like seriously, what the bloody heck was going on? Was I really just a puppet in that bug’s twisted game? Certainly not something I could find the answer to on my own. Who to ask, though? The old merchant?
“I know, Sage. First, the weaves,” I remarked with a soft laugh when my tail gave me a slap, a gentle reminder of what mattered and a way to keep my mind off things that would give me nothing but a headache.
So, I went back to what I wanted to do in the first place: find some useful weaves. Before long, I had the Grid full again - actually; it took quite a while. Too long, in fact. But yeah, I finally had a Grid that didn’t give me shivers just from looking at it.
─◇────────────────────────────────────────
Name: Korra Grey
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Age: 27
1st Array: Slave
Master: None
Sigils: 97 - ○○○○○○
─◇────────────────────────────────────────
Weaves: 1st Array (6/6)
Eleaden Standard Language (General):___15 glyphs - ⦿⦿
Indomitable Will (Slave):___________108 glyphs - ⦿⦿⦿⦿
Thrifty Drinker (General):____________0 glyphs - ⦿
Equilibrium (General):______________0 glyphs - ⦿
Hunger Fortitude (General):__________0 glyphs - ⦿
Spatial Domain (General):___________ 0 glyphs - ⦿
─◇────────────────────────────────────────
“Quite the weave set, huh Sage?” I said to my tail, which I pressed to my chest, quite pleased with my pick. Sure, none of the skills sounded as powerful as [Never-Dying], but I didn’t really need the weave if I couldn’t die, anyway.
At least, that’s how I justified it to myself not to feel so lame. Mostly, it was a caution not to reach for something the bug had its fingers in that kept me from picking it up. Actually, thinking about it, I don’t think it had fingers at all.
“I know, I know.”
Reminded once again by Sage not to dwell on things I could do shit about, I scrambled to my feet, and after checking the branch I had thrown on the ground last night, I gazed towards the ruins, more questions on my mind. Should I go there? With [Thrifty Drinker] and [Hunger Fortitude] among my weaves, I should be able to hold out a little longer now, even without any glyphs engraved on them. Besides, that should change pretty quickly, given my thirst and hunger, so...it was more a question of whether the old man was waiting for me there - in an ambush?
Of course, the most sensible - and a little bit cowardly - thing to do would be to avoid the place. But was it? Not going there now would put me at the risk of never finding the ruins again. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t find any weave among the available ones to help me with my sense of direction.
On the other hand, [Equilibrium] should help me in escaping through rooty terrain if need be and thanks to [Spatial Domain], I should know in advance about anyone sneaking up on me. And those two should be good weaves, like really good ones.
Seriously, while not sounding as powerful as [Never-Dying], those were weaves I acquired through all my mutations. With my wings, I gained access to [Maneuverability], which got replaced by [Great Balance] when I grew Sage. And so on until [Equilibrium] stood among my weaves. Same with [Spatial Domain]; in addition to [Nocturnal Sight], I gained a weave of [Peripheral Vision] with the mutation of my eyes and [Awareness] when my ears sprouted from my head.
Actually, [Spatial Domain] was a bit new to me. It certainly wasn’t among my weaves before I turned into a full beast. But unlike [Beast], this one didn’t make me sick just by looking at its name.
Anyway, convinced by myself of my readiness, I made the decision:
“The ruins it is.”
─◇────────────────────────────────────────
Thrifty Drinker
General Weave
0 glyphs - ⦿
⦿
In a time when every little sip of water counts,
you can survive on less throughout the droughts.
─◇────────────────────────────────────────
Equilibrium
General Weave
0 glyphs - ⦿
⦿
You can say goodbye to unwanted falls, unexpected stumbles, and straight out splats,
for you can twist like a tumbler, move like a dancer, or land with the grace of stray cats.
─◇────────────────────────────────────────
Hunger Fortitude
General Weave
0 glyphs - ⦿
⦿
With hunger striking,
you find it less biting.
─◇────────────────────────────────────────
Spatial Domain
General Weave
0 glyphs - ⦿
⦿
You are one with the surrounding space,
and in it, you will not miss a single trace.
─◇────────────────────────────────────────