The Fool's Freedom

Everything looked the same as it had the first day. Tall trees, wide leaves, and no way to tell direction or distance. Alan jogged carefully through the forest, constantly replenishing his stamina by using his mana. [One Mind, One Body] truly was miraculous.

The pace was low enough that his mana regen was enough to cover what was expended in stamina, leaving him with full mana.

[Warlock’s Body Mastery] was amazing too.

Still, [Efficient Basic Movement] had offered things his new skill didn’t - balance and relief and effortless grace; the latter demonstrated by Davis, as Alan had been too weak to make use of that effect. Now he felt the awkwardness of his movements, as if he was not used to his own body. He could only imagine what [Efficient Advanced Movement] would do with his new attributes.

They in turn were helping him a lot, and he felt better, but his muscles continued to cramp, unused to their new strength. And he was not used to it either. His movement was clumsy, his gait strange, and he often tripped and overshot his steps.

Maybe that’s why he ate so much. His bundle of food was drastically reduced and it had been mere hours since he had consumed a quarter of the small boar in the kobold camp.

His stomach felt fine though, which was amazing. The best kind of superpower. Now all he needed was an abundant menu that didn’t consist only of strange meats and kobold-made cheese, not that there was something wrong with either. They were both quite delicious.

Alan passed a few boars and even a Dusk Wolf but paid them no mind. They seemed to stray out of his way too, probably sensing that he was way over their capabilities. It was pointless to kill them, considering he wouldn’t be able to level.

He still didn’t know how to feel about the massacre he had caused in the kobold camp. They had not even attacked him first; it was he who had intruded and killed them in their own home. They were monsters, sure, but they spoke to each other and had their own culture. Was the system muting his feelings or was he just this way, and the System had given him the opportunity to release his inner killer?

His thoughts came to a stop and so did he, as the trees gave way to a small clear slope, covered with rocks and grass which rolled down and stopped just short of a small stream. A familiar-looking thin but deep stream. At least, Alan thought it was familiar.

It was certainly not the place they had met Davis, but there was a high chance it was the same stream. What was even more shocking though, was that there was a person next to it. Déjà vu.

A tall rugged man in a checkered shirt that had seen better days. He was holding a woodcutting axe, and humming a tune.

Alan felt excitement at the prospect of meeting a fellow human, and walked with large steps toward the unknown man,

“Hey,” he called.

The man jerked and stood up, gripping his axe. He relaxed a second later, but Alan noticed that his grip got tighter once again after the man’s gaze examined Alan’s attire.

Alan couldn’t blame him. He looked down and sighed as his clothes were once again splattered with blood. At least, the leather armor had prevented most of it from seeping into his clothes. Somehow, it was much less than previous times, thanks to the range of [Shadow Slash] most likely.

That didn’t make him look any less savage though. Alan awkwardly put the spear under his armpit and raised his hands.

“I mean no harm. I had a run-in with some kobolds,” he yelled.

“You too?” the man replied and lowered his axe.

Alan sighed in relief and walked closer, but still kept a decent distance so as to not startle the man.

“Yeah, it’s a long story. Can you tell me if there are any Sanctuaries nearby? I got separated from my group and I am trying to find them.”

The man seemed thoughtful for a second, his eyes roaming about. Then he smiled a toothy smile.

“Sure, I can lead you. It’s just down the stream,” he said.

Alan nodded. There was something in the man’s look he didn’t like. He had seen that look on humans before. He may not know monsters, but he sure as fuck knew humans.

“Thanks, man, what’s your name?” Alan said and walked closer to the man. Close enough that his spear would reach, but not close enough for the man’s axe.

Am I overthinking? Better safe than sorry.

“Roger. Yours?”

“Alan.”

The man took a step forward and switched his axe from his right to his left hand, then offered the freed hand in a handshake.

Alan took it.

A sudden sense of foreboding danger made his heart skip a beat. The man tried to pull him, but Alan was stronger now. Without thinking he boosted his legs and jumped to the side while pretending to attack with his spear. The man was caught off-guard and tried to dodge but lost his balance and stumbled backward almost into the stream.

An arrow flew past where Alan had been, disappearing into the woods. He turned and saw a second man load another arrow into an oversized bow.

[Mortal Peril] activating was a sure sign the man had experience with that bow, and his strikes were deadly.

Alan rushed towards the new target, ignoring the axeman. Alan was moving almost on instinct. He still felt some of the fatigue from the slaughter of the kobolds, but it was negligible. [Mortal Peril] activated again and Alan threw himself behind a nearby tree.

There was a ‘thud’ as the arrow hit it a split second later.

He looked towards the stream. The man with the axe was climbing towards him. He was slower than Alan by a lot. [Warlock Body Mastery] was really coming in handy for climbing slopes.

Alan once again left his cover and weaved between the trees, boosting his aching legs, trying to catch the now-running archer, who seemed to be circling so that ‘Roger’ would be between him and Alan. He was faster than his friend, but still slower than Alan.

Tough luck.

Alan once again boosted his legs and ran after the man, trying to intercept him. The distance shortened in but a few moments. They yelled words but Alan ignored them, focused on the task at hand.

Something brushed against his mind, and then there was a scream as he prompted [Shadow Mind] to retaliate against whoever had tried to attack his mind. A third foe.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a figure fall down on their knees from behind a tree. He ignored it and went for the one with the bow.

He was close now. Almost close enough.

There was a roar and Roger seemed to leap a few meters at once towards him, axe held high. Another skill. The archer chose that moment to stop and ready another arrow.

Alan grinned. [Synaptic Failure] went off just as Roger was about to reach him, and the man stumbled, feet digging into the grass. His axe fell from his hand, and he fell forward.

The archer was ready to shoot as Alan swung with his spear, still about a few meters away, but close enough. The [Shadow Slash] cut the bow into two and the remainder of the almost-spent skill cut his stomach. The man stumbled backward.

Alan boosted one last time, gritting his teeth, and jumped on him. His spear found the man’s chest, penetrating the flesh at an upward angle and exiting from the lower back.

Alan left him there, skewered on the spear, as he drew his dagger and turned around. Roger was fumbling about, trying to stand up. It was almost as if he was drunk and Alan watched as the man seemed to slowly regain his motor functions, curious at the effect of his skill.

Roger’s head rose, and he saw Alan with a dagger still covered in kobold blood walk towards him.

He raised his shaky hand, there was a bit of drool going down the man’s chin, “Don’t, please, I-.”

Roger couldn’t finish his sentence as the blade of shadows cleanly separated the man’s head from his body.

You have slain Human Adult (20)

Alan turned and scanned the tree line. There was no sign of the third enemy. They had probably run when he was dealing with the two. That could spell trouble. Humans were often worse than monsters and were most definitely better liars too.

He sheathed his dagger and looked towards the beheaded body, then towards the skewered archer.

The latter was still struggling to remove the spear while slowly bleeding out. It was futile.

He made his way to the dying man, almost in a trance.

Alan met the archer’s gaze. There was blood dripping down the man’s chin and his hands were barely able to move. He tried to say something, to reach out.

“What is your name?” Alan asked. Names were important.

The man’s eyes grew wide and he tried to answer, curse, or beg for help. Alan would never know as the last breath left his foe.

You have slain Human Adult (23)

Alan stood, there, staring.

He acted on instincts he didn’t know he had. He had acted as if they were kobolds.

What had just happened?

He could still feel his heartbeat, stronger than ever. He could hear the rush of blood in his veins. There was even a hint of euphoria. He had won.

But he had killed humans.

And so what?

He had considered the possibility that first night, on the shore of the lake with Emerson. Alan knew humans. He knew what would happen when resources were low and survival was on the line.

That is why they had tried to kill him too, probably. Levels, loot, survival.

He was nothing to them.

They had probably killed before.

They were a team.

Hunters.

They were nobodies to him.

His body shook.

Alan’s stomach rumbled and for a second, he thought he would vomit. Instead, he took a few deep breaths and clenched the handle of his dagger.

They had attacked him, and he had defended himself.

In this new world, it was almost certain he would sometimes be the attacker. Alan didn’t plan to become like them, to rob, to trick and murder. But he would have to be stronger in character and smarter in action than he had been so far.

Situations were almost always out of his control. He reacted to the world. The only reason he had survived the tunnels was that Ig-Thun had been friendly and then Thorn had appeared and saved them both. It was blind luck…

Now he had power. He had real power for the first time in his life. It was time to take charge.

He had told the strange spirit that he wanted to be free.

How to achieve that, was something still uncertain. Only one thing was known. He needed to be stronger and more decisive.

Something brushed against his mind again. And again. And again. It was like a child hitting a heavy door.

Alan turned.

There was a woman standing there. Older than him but not by much. Tears were staining her face which was warped by absolute hatred.

Alan was caught off guard by the face.

Why is she looking at me like that… Is it my fault? Why?

They had attacked him. He would be dead if not for [Mortal Peril] or his other skills. He would be dead, and they would be alive. But he was stronger so he was the one alive.

“You monster!” she spat.

I am the monster?

Again and again, the skill tried to hurt him, and again [Shadow Mind] brushed it off. The woman seemed immune to the fear effect of the skill now though. Did it only work once per target? Or was she too angry to be affected?

Alan took a few steps towards her. How much mana did she have to cast so many times? And what was she casting? The range was larger than [Mind Jab].

“What’s the skill’s name?” he asked. His voice was even, calm.

“Go to hell!” the woman screamed. Blood streamed down her eyes. She took out a simple short sword from the sheath on her waist.

Alan wanted to tell her to stop. That there was no point.

But he didn’t.

She screamed again and rushed at him; he couldn’t make out the words.

Dodging her was as simple as a sidestep. She was slow. They had all been slow once he used the mana boost, but she was even slower.

She swung again and again, until she fell down on the ground, sobbing.

“Why did you try to kill me?” he asked, not expecting an answer.

The woman looked at him, her crying face stretched into a manic smile, “Because that is the way this place works! The strong eat the weak! You were supposed to die, like all the others! Why didn’t you just die?”

“I was, huh? I guess that much is true. I should have died a while ago now.”

Alan took out his dagger.

“What is your name?” he asked. Why did he ask that? Was politeness necessary in this situation?

“Fuck yourself, motherfucker!”

The woman’s curses and life were cut short by a [Shadow Slash].

You have slain a Human [Fortune Teller] (1)

Oh? She was someone with a class. She had been surprisingly weak, though. Then again, [Fortune Teller] didn’t sound like a useful combat class. It didn’t sound like a combat class at all but, if she could tell fortunes, why hadn’t she predicted they would all die here?

Level up!

You have reached level 3 in [Warlock]!

+ 3 Attribute Points

+ 1 Mind, Will, and Magic

Alan put his new 3 points into Will almost without thinking. He had to figure out how to get the skewered archer’s corpse off his spear now.

His hands shook.

INFORMATION:

Name:

Alan Morgan

Race:

Human

Class:

Warlock

Level:

3

Titles:

Pioneer; Madcap; Slayer; Friend of the Spirit World

ATTRIBUTES:

Strength

35

Dexterity

33

Vitality

4

Will

60

Mind

51

Magic

52

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; Ritual: Ritual: Enchanted Bones; Mortal Peril