The Fool's Freedom

By initiating Class selection before the time was up, you have successfully completed the Quest: Level up!

Your reward is: Enchanted Leather Boots (Comfort)

And there they were, right next to him as if he had set them there himself before dozing off. A pair of a bit worn but sturdy brown leather boots with their very own enchantment. What the enchantment did, he had no idea and the System didn’t give any details.

He took off the oversized pair he had gotten from whatever dead body Ig-Thun had robbed, and put on the new pair. Instantly he could feel the difference as the oversized boot shrank just a bit and molded to his foot.

Alan stood up and sighed as his whole body felt more comfortable. Nothing could beat a pair of well-fitting and broken-in boots. He took a few steps, grinning from ear to ear.

His new physical attributes also contributed to the relief and smoothness of movement, but the boots were magical. Literally.

Something brushed against Alan’s mind and he needed a few seconds before he managed to consciously allow the connection to form, thankful that [Shadow Mind] didn’t simply blast the demon with hallucinations.

“Damn, you are different,” Xil’Garoth said.

“Am I?” He felt different, but he didn’t think it would warrant such a reaction out of the demon. He had a few new skills and attributes, and that was all.

“It feels like I am connected with something much darker than the mind of a regular human.”

Ah, that was it.

“I got some new protections in place, I guess. Picking [W-,”

“DON’T! I don’t want to know. There will be beings out there that can find your class with just a gaze, but until you meet one, don’t freely share any information. Knowledge is power, and half the battle is knowing what your enemy is capable of, got it?”

“Yeah, I think I do.” Alan hadn’t thought about it as he was about to blurt out his class. It made sense and he’d had similar thoughts in the beginning, but back then he didn’t have much to hide. Now he did. It was surprising the demon didn’t wait to explain those things after it had learned his class.

It was suspicious.

“What do you want?” Alan asked.

“I am just trying to help you, don’t be so paranoid,” there was a pregnant pause, “but I don’t suppose you could take me with you when you leave this place?”

Wow. “You want to follow me?”

“Well, not follow... But I am sick and tired of being here even if the food has been good recently. I want to see this supposed new world and eventually break out of my prison. The enchantment on the cube weakened significantly during the ritual, but I also lost some of my stored strength. I know things and I can also offer my silent skill and my perception. But I will also need to sleep most of the time and work on breaking out.”

That was an interesting proposal. The demon could certainly be useful, although Alan wouldn’t put it below Xil to stab him in the back. He was obviously straining to be nice.

“Sure, I will take you with me,” Alan said. There was an obvious sense of relief coming through the connection they shared.

“Thank you.”

Twist after twist. “Do you know how long I was gone for? I felt like choosing a class took me ten minutes or so, but the hall is all clean and Ig-Thun is nowhere to be around.”

“More than a day.”

That was quite a long time, and it had felt like minutes. Alan walked around while conversing with the demon, and finally saw it back in its own alcove of dead rats.

“I will go and find Ig-Thun, and then consider heading off,” Alan said and his stomach rumbled making him grimace. He was hungry. Very hungry.

“He went down the tunnel leading to the water source of this place.”

“The stream?”

“I guess. I don’t go out much.”

The demon broke the connection and Alan headed off towards the stream, taking a few candle stones on the way and putting them in his bag, which thankfully the system had made thick enough to cover their light.

Alan passed a few homunculi that didn’t react at all when they saw him and after some time reached the stream. The journey had been far easier this time, as he got used to his more than double physical stats. His stamina still sucked, but a constant stream of mana fixed that – the other miraculous effect of [One Mind, One Body].

Ig-Thun was there, his iron platform set just a short distance from the stream that passed through the cave. The man watched the moving water unmoving. A bunch of homunculi were scattered everywhere in the cave, sitting and watching Ig-Thun, who in turn watched the river.

“Hey man, are you okay?” Alan asked.

“Pinkskin Alan, thank you, I am fine,” Ig-Thun replied and turned to give Alan a smile. A tired, broken smile. The smaller set of eyes was closed while the set above them was fatigued and half closed. The shadows beneath them stood out even against his strange skin.

Alan sat next to him and watched the clear water for a bit, before taking a few handfuls and drinking them in large gulps. The cold water felt good and refreshed both his body and mind, leaving him more awake and present than he had been in a while. It also made his hunger less apparent.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Alan began, “Are your language skills improving?”

“Yes. I have a skill that lets me learn languages fast, I don’t even need to read or speak them, being close is enough. It helped me read all the books and perform the ritual. It took me a long time, but as my end is growing near, the speed I learn grows faster. Go figure. Having you around helped me do just that, although you seem to have a skill or a trait that confuses me. Have you not noticed we are speaking your language? What is its name by the way?”

They were? It was really hard to pay attention if [Tongues of the four corners] was working or not. Guess it doesn’t matter as long as we understand each other.

“English. And no, I didn’t notice.”

“English,” Ig-Thun repeated and they both fell silent once again. One of the homunculi came closer and sat next to Alan. He could recognize the patterns of its oversized brain and with no hesitation, he reached out and pat the thing on the head. Its teeth chattered in what he assumed was like a cat’s purr.

“You can keep the dagger, and anything else you find. I don’t need those things anymore,” Ig-Thun suddenly said.

“You know, the only reason we are alive is that dagger,” Alan said. It was true.

“Yes, I know. I would have given it to you if the demon didn’t make you take it.”

Steal it you mean. Ig-Thun was a lot smarter than Alan had given him credit for, and he felt a bit ashamed for judging the strange alien man. It was a bit chilling how many times he had been wrong lately.

“What did the spirit give you?”

“The truth,” Ig-Thun said, and his voice cracked for a second. “He showed me who I was before they turned me into this. The Ma- The Arzuan Alchemists, and their slaves, took me from my home… from my family. I still cannot remember all the experiments I went through, but whoever this half-a-body belongs to, it isn’t mine.” There was a painful pause, and Alan didn’t know what to say.

Ig-Thun continued, “I was human, as much as you were human. I was young, and I was an apprentice to the local [Blacksmith]. I had a father, and a mother, and a sister. I had a girl I liked. My mind, my soul… it is weak. It has been too long and I cut so many pieces to create my children… I cannot remember their names. But I see their faces, and I remember their love.

And all was stolen from me so they could have one more experiment, one more slave to forge their artifacts with a dumb smile on its face.” There was no anger in Ig-Thun’s voice, only resignation and deep dark sadness.

“I killed them all you know. When I first changed from the brainwashed pupped they had turned me into. I killed each one of them. In my anger, I killed my brothers too, and I regretted it ever since. But knowing what I know now, it was a mercy I gave them. A mercy I should have given myself.”

“You wouldn’t have remembered who you were if you had,” Alan said.

“I guess that is true. At least I know who I am now.” Ig-Thun suddenly turned to Alan and the man’s big hand clapped him on the shoulder. Alan was thankful for his new stats, otherwise that might have broken something.

“It is no coincidence the ritual succeeded when you were here, Alan. I have tried it three times before this, but it is only now that it succeeds. It might be the new world, not the presence of a Pioneer, but who knows? The tunnels shifted and the earth changed. There are various powers at work, trying to sink their claws into this realm’s soul. I may not be much, but I know this.

And be careful with the spirit. It may have helped you, but spirits do not do things lightly and do not give their help freely. There is always a price, even for gifts. I know you are feeling lucky, but that might change with time. I hope not, for your sake. I hope I am wrong.”

That was a lot to take in. Alan recalled the serenity and peace he had felt during his interactions with the spirit. A sudden sense of loss welled up inside of him, and he found himself wishing they could speak more. It was a faint feeling, nothing like Florence’s skills.

He frowned. There was no point in dwelling on the past and overthinking. His gains were massive, and only the future would show if it was for good or bad that he had set foot on this path. He would certainly not become anyone’s puppet.

I would rather go back to my cubicle. He shuddered at the memory of his office work and stood up. Past was in the past.

“So, one last thing. I got a new skill that involves a ritual. I need some things…” Alan explained to the best of his ability what the ritual consisted of and Ig-Thun listened carefully.

“It doesn’t sound that complicated. I have the chalk you speak of on one of the shelves. The mana stones are almost gone, but there are a few left. The fresh beast blood you will have to procure yourself. Take the monocle too. It has limited uses, so be careful.”

Alan nodded. Ig-Thun’s generosity seemed to have no end.

“Ig-Thun, I thank you for everything. I want to leave for the surface, and I will take the demon with me if that is alright.” Alan said. He didn’t expect the man would stop him but still waited for the answer.

“Take him, and be careful. And thank you too, friend.”

The giant hand of Ig-Thun held Alan’s for a few moments in a handshake. In the short days Alan had spent here, the strange man had earned his respect and more.

Alan hesitated, but Ig-Thun was faster, “Relax. I will not let myself die or do something stupid. I will live as long as I have left with my children. I am finally at peace.”

Alan felt relief from a burden he didn’t know he was carrying and smiled. He turned to leave, then remembered something crucial.

“Uh, how do I leave?”

“Walk the tunnel we dragged you in from, straight ahead, you will reach a room with stairs, it is the place my children found you. It might take you a few hours. Then, just climb up the stairs there. You have a few levels to go through before you reach any exit to the surface. There are a few, but I haven’t gone there myself. The rats are probably back already, as they breed fast and I haven’t sent my children to clean them since we found you. Best of luck, Alan.”

“Thanks again, I hope we will meet again one day.”

“Me too,” Ig-Thun quietly replied and turned back to watch the flow of the water.

Alan returned to the hall after testing his newly strengthened body on the slope leading to it from the stream cave. His strength really helped, and he managed to overcome it without having to tap into his mana pool to boost his stamina. He still got tired though, and it even seemed a bit faster than before. His new strength and dexterity probably expended more energy. He was also quite starved, but the water had sated him for now.

There were also 18 free attribute points, and Alan dumped them unceremoniously into the Magic stats. While raising Mind and Will was like raising his body’s attributes as well, his biggest issue right now was his shallow mana pool that he needed for almost everything.

INFORMATION:

Name:

Alan Morgan

Race:

Human

Class:

Warlock

Level:

1

Titles:

Pioneer; Madcap; Slayer; Friend of the Spirit World

ATTRIBUTES:

Strength

33

Dexterity

32

Vitality

4

Will

54

Mind

49

Magic

48

TRAITS:

One Mind, One Body; Limited Vitality; Tongues of the four corners; Survivor’s will; Shadow Mind

SKILLS:

Warlock’s Body Mastery; Synaptic Failure; Shadow Slash; Enchanted Bones; Mortal Peril

With that out of the way, Alan grabbed his spear and took three of the remaining so-called mana crystals from the pile left on the floor. He threw away the remainder of the kobold herbs he had and checked the rest of his belongings which included three Field Healing Liquids, one Field Stimulant, few candlestones. The magical chalk was easy to find too.

He even found a ragged cloak made from a pretty thin oily material that seemed like it could hold off against rain. Its ends were coming undone and there were a few holes, but overall, its biggest problem was the amount of dust on it.

He found no bottles, but there was a pretty clean jar and he grumbled as he went back to the stream to wash and fill the jar.

He quickly realized how uncomfortable he felt returning after saying goodbye.

This is not how it goes in stories.

“Sorry, getting some water for the road, bye again” Alan awkwardly smiled.

Ig-Thun didn’t seem to mind as he simply waved him off.

Alan had to siphon some of his mana to bolster his stamina this time around, as the return to the hall was a chore.

Finally, after a short rest, he grabbed his spear, checked the dagger on his waist and the other two on his belt, and headed out.

After cleaning the demon cube from the rat remains all over it, he tucked it into his bag too and asked, “You ready, Xil?”

“As ready as I will ever be.”

The two of them marched on. Well, Alan was doing the marching but it felt kind of nice not being completely alone in the dark creepy rat-infested tunnels. Then again, some rats would be welcome as choosing a class had brought him back to level one.

As he went deeper into the darkness, he decided to test some of his new skills.

The weirdly named [Warlock’s Body Mastery] came first. He directed some of his mana at his legs, following carefully the information that had appeared in his mind along with the skill. There was some warmth as he pushed and shot forward, almost tripping and hitting a wall in front of him as he lost his balance. The expenditure was higher than he had hoped, but it would be good for sudden movement changes.

It was not a skill to use recklessly.

Next, he sent a [Shadow Slash] and watched as a shadowy blade left the path of his spear tip and flew about two or three meters before dissipating into wisps of darkness. Alan couldn’t help but grin at the display. Now that was real magic, and it looked cool as fuck. The mana consumption was also not that bad, a bit higher than [Mind Jab].

With comfortable boots and a new life in his step, Alan went searching for some rats.