The Fool's Freedom

The swipe almost caught him in the shoulder, but Alan managed to deflect in a clumsy move with his spear and took a step back from the weight behind the hit. The impact had almost thrown the spear out of his grip and left his hands tingling.

He watched in amazement as more and more of the wailers stopped their screaming attacks and instead moved towards him. Their postures started changing, some standing up and walking on two legs, instead of all fours like they had until now. Their arms grew longer before his eyes, the claws became more refined, and dangerous.

They are… adapting? Fuck me sideways.

Ashlyn seemed to have sensed the change as well and arrows started raining on those who got close to him, giving him the chance to end them with a well-placed [Shadow Slash]. He killed two and the third one threw itself out of the blade’s way, surprising him once again.

This was bad. Not super bad yet, but it was moving in that direction.

The System was surely fucking with them, always rising the difficulty.

Or maybe it is not the System, maybe it is something or someone.

Alan made his way backward, deflecting clumsy blows and sending blades of shadow flying, cutting off rotten limbs and heads. It took him some time until he was only a few meters away from the ruin Ashlyn stood on and he prompted Xil’Garoth to stop his skill.

“They’re evolving!” he barked. They had killed a lot of them, but no one had leveled up. Did the levels come from the difficulty of the fight or the quantity of slain foes and their levels? There was no understanding of the System. And there was also no end to the monsters in sight. The descending darkness made it that much harder to see how many were lurking in the shadows.

“I can see that,” Ashlyn replied. One of her quivers was already half empty.

“Should we retreat?”

“If the demon can keep his skill active, I can deal with them in close combat. They are clumsy enough, and I am strong. You should try to conserve some mana and use your spear more.”

“What level are you, Ash?”

“Nine.”

Damn, she was right and damn, she was strong. It was a good opportunity to train his spear skills, especially with someone as strong as her at his back. He didn’t feel that attached to the weapon, but it offered much-needed safety in such a situation, and it was great for killing rats without bending down as he would need to do with a dagger or sword.

Why am I thinking of the fucking rats again?

Alan shook his head and took a stab at one of the closest wailers. His spear sank and he pulled it out, leaving a hole filled with rotten goo and maggots. The wailer didn’t seem to notice the new wound.

Fuck.

Alan decided to take a different approach to things. His mana was slowly regenerating, and he used just a bit to boost his next swing. He held strong unto the spear, as dropping it would be embarrassing even if it wouldn’t be fatal with Ashlyn standing above him, keeping vigil.

The empowered swing left a deep groove in the chest of the wailer, the tip of the spear not long enough to bisect it fully. Still, its upper-upper body seemed to hold onto a thread of flesh as it toppled backward, sending the thing to the ground.

Huh. Alan ignored the rest of the incoming wailers and watched as the maggots tried to reconnect the rotting tissue. It was fascinating. The little worms brought pieces of flesh, regurgitating at times or taking it from other parts of the body, making a bridge that slowly pulled the halved torso together.

“Alan!”

Ashlyn’s yell made him snap out of it and he dodged another swipe. They were closing in on him, removing any openings and creating a wall of disgusting flesh all around. There was still a lot of space left though.

Curiously enough they stopped a few meters away, having trapped him between the ruins and their encirclement. If they let out their dangerous screams now, Xil would have to react fast. They just stood there though, watching the fight.

Alan was sure Ashlyn would jump in and fuck them up if it became too dangerous so he fought without restraint. A single thought bothered him though.

Are they using me to learn too? The fuck?

One monster walked out and in an already familiar motion swiped at him. Alan dodged with no issue and swung with his spear, letting it slip just a bit out of his grasp before he tightened his fist around it, so the tip reached the monster’s knee and cut right through. The thing fell to one side and Alan quickly cut its chest open. The moon beetle light from the cages dangling on his belt took care of the rest as it burned the maggots, leaving behind only chunks of rotting flesh and a crystal.

You have slain Wailing Carrion (19)

The rest of the monsters once again showed no reaction, and instead, another one walked out.

This is getting very creepy. But it is an opportunity.

Alan dodged again and again, using some of his mana to replenish his already low stamina, as exhaustion was starting to make him sluggish. He dodged and cut at the knee, using the same strategy as before, before executing the monster. He considered bowing for a moment, as the absolute silence of the crowd around him was making him quite nervous and annoyed.

Maybe they will clap?

You have slain Wailing Carrion (20)

There was a pause. A wailer stepped out, but it didn’t get closer. There was wiggling as flesh moved and slowly its legs grew longer, the knees disappeared, and the heel of their clawed feet rose to take their place, on the other side. Alan watched with bewilderment and disgust.

This was getting out of hand. They were supposed to be HIS grinding stone, not the other way around!

They were adapting, but the change was ridiculous. This wouldn’t stop him from cutting off a leg or two if they were in range. Whoever or whatever was directing these changes had a very different way of thinking to his own. Or even compared with most humans.

The creature now had something akin to animal legs rushed him silently, using its new limbs to propel itself forward like a dog or a cat would, and Alan stepped away from the now familiar if faster swipe only to barely manage to raise his left hand at the last moment and block the second blow coming at him.

It hurt like a motherfucker and would most certainly leave a bruise, but it hadn’t sent him flying into the ruins behind, nor had it broken anything. The enchanted bones probably helped. His leather bracer had surprisingly made the blow easier to tank too.

Thanks, Ig.

Rage bubbled in Alan’s chest and he sent a horizontal [Shadow Slash] at the thing, cutting it from the shoulder to the ribs, before finishing it off with a second.

You have slain Wailing Carrion (20)

That seemed to finally enrage the rotting audience, as they started moving towards him as one. It was quite intimidating and he felt like a star in a zombie movie.

He looked at the flattened heads, the many empty eye sockets littering them, and the few actual unblinking eyeballs. Even zombies looked better.

The things seemed to want to press him against the ruin Ashlyn was standing on, determined to give him no chance of escape. They had used him to learn, and now when he had broken the rules by using his skill again, it was time to dispose of him.

Not even a dinner. Use me and throw me away.

Their encirclement gave Alan a sudden idea.

“Hold a bit longer, Ash,” he called without bothering to look toward her, guessing that she was going to go crazy on the things any second now.

He started casting [Shadow Slash] forcing the skill into the spear tip but refusing to let it go. He then cut the air with his spear in a wide arc, almost a hundred and eighty degrees from his left flank to his right. The spear went slow, without intent to deliver pain, and throughout the movement more and more mana poured out of his pool into the skill.

The creatures seemed to sense something was wrong and a few broke off from the slowly closing wall to rush at him.

The slow movement of the spear was getting harder and harder to control without breaking the movement and Alan felt the strain in his muscles. The spear was growing heavier by the second, and holding on to it was making his hands numb.

The experiment took more than half of what he had remaining in his mana pool.

The result though, was worth it if he could say so.

There was sweat running down his face as he finally let the skill fly and fell on one knee. The control he had to exude to hold [Shadow Slash] in place was unlike anything he had done until now. The mana violently struggled against his will, searching for escape, until he allowed it to fly.

A thick and wide crescent made of the darkest shadows flew at his enemies in half a circle, widening each moment, decimating the rotting flesh as if it wasn’t even there. It didn’t leave a thin cut either, obliterating the Wailing Carrions in a way that his [Shadow Slash] never could.

The messages rained at the back of his head, and Alan grinned. This was power. Maybe a tiny fraction of what was possible. But this was his power.

You have slain Wailing Carrion (17)

You have slain Wailing Carrion (21)

You have slain Wailing Carrion (19)

You have slain Wailing Carrion (22)

You have slain Wailing Carrion (22)

You have slain Wailing Carrion (23)

You have slain Wailing Carrion (18)

You have slain Wailing Carrion (24)

…

Level up!

You have reached level 4 in [Warlock]!

+ 3 Attribute Points

+ 1 Mind, Will, and Magic

It was hard to make out the details of the wailers who were still living beyond the half-circle of death he had created. But he could see their shapes, despite the descending darkness.

They stood, unmoving. Some screamed their terrifying voices belonging to humans and beasts, but Alan couldn’t care less about that as he used his spear as support and stood up.

His blood was boiling.

“Come on!” he screamed with all his strength, cutting through the misery of their wailing, “Come at me!”

The remaining shapes hesitated, then almost as if ordered turned, and started walking away toward the depths of the forest they had crawled out from.

Alan ground his teeth at the scene, disappointment bubbling in his chest. But there was also satisfaction. The stuff of nightmares, all rotting flesh, and magic, were fleeing from him.

The voice of Ashlyn brought him back to the earth, and Alan looked at the girl on the stone block above him.

“Damn. If I was straight, I’d find you so hot right now,” she said and beamed at him.

Alan exhaled and sat down on his butt. His aching muscles were killing him and he poured some of his shallow mana into stamina, trying to alleviate the exhaustion. Then he burst into laughter.

Soon he heard the soft thump of Ashlyn landing next to him, having jumped from the stone block at his back. She smiled at him and without waiting anymore started gathering the crystals by first turning the wiggling maggots into dust with her moon beetles.

There were a whole lot of maggots. And a whole lot of nasty rotting flesh. Alan sat and watched her carefully move through the carnage he had created with his skill.

This was it; this was what was missing from his life. The excitement, the risk.

To be alive is to constantly improve.

To be alive is to overcome limits.

Stronger and better every day.

The System had allowed him to do that with his own strength, and whatever happened, he would be grateful for the chance. He had spent too long just existing, and now he had finally started living. The only sad part was it had taken multiple close brushes with death.

He had goals that were as distant and unclear as the stars now, and he was hardly who he wanted to be. His past still chased after him and the unlucky star he was born under was still out there somewhere. He was not free from his life-threatening condition, nor was he free from his own deeply buried shadows and worries.

To the world around him, he was just an ant trapped in a forest that seemed to have no end. The spirit that had helped him could have probably squashed him like a bug! He wanted that kind of power! No, he wanted even more!

His smile widened at the thought of the road waiting in front of him.

“What are you daydreaming about?” Ashlyn asked. He hadn’t noticed she had walked back to him.

“Stuff,” Alan replied.

“Here, this is yours,” Ashlyn dropped a small pouch filled to the brim with roundish crystals, “There are about 27 of them here. Good job.”

“We should share,” Alan said. Without the safety her very presence provided him, he would have never dared to try or do any of the things he had. She had been his rock many times before, and she continued to do so.

Just when did I become so confident in her abilities?

“Fuck off. Those are yours. Don’t make me finish what the wailers started.”

Alan opened his mouth to argue, but instead, only blood came out, dripping down his chin, leather armor, and onto the grass below.

“Alan! Are you hurt?” Ashlyn went down on one knee, trying to find the wound.

“No,” Alan barely managed to say. His vision swam, and his chest burned. There was no pain, only weakness that was spreading like a tidal wave across his body.

Fuck.

STATS:

INFORMATION:

Name:

Alan Morgan

Race:

Human

Class:

Warlock

Level:

4

Titles:

Pioneer; Madcap; Slayer; Friend of the Spirit World

ATTRIBUTES:

3 free points

Strength

36

Dexterity

33

Vitality

4

Will

64

Mind

52

Magic

58

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: Enchanted Bones; Mortal Peril

TITLES

Title: Pioneer

A title given to all intelligent beings that have been newly integrated. A new age is upon your people and you stand first in line.

Grants the option of choosing between a basic starting skill or a suitable starting skill without the requirement of a class at level 1.

Grants access to at least one basic combat class during class selection and you can advance one skill without meeting the requirements upon choosing your class.

Title: Slayer

You have done what few can do, killing an enemy more than twice your level before choosing a class, earning you the title of Slayer.

You are more resistant to effects causing fear.

+5 to Strength and Dexterity.

+10% to Will.

Title: Madcap

In a short period of time, you have experimented on yourself, jumped recklessly in danger’s way, participated in forbidden ancient rituals, and almost guaranteed your death to the best of your ability multiple times. Yet, despite being your worst enemy, be it due to blind luck or cunning, you still live.

+5 Mind

+10% Mind.

You have met so many times with death that you have developed a sense of when you are in mortal peril. You have been granted the skill [Mortal Peril]

Title: Friend of the Spirit World

You have met a powerful being from the Spirit World and lived to cherish the memory. For better or for worse that experience has left its mark on you.

Spirits can sense the mark and will treat you accordingly.

LOCKED

TRAITS

TRAITS

Trait: Tongues of the four corners

You understand most widely spoken languages in the merged worlds.

Trait: Survivor’s will (Rare)

You persevere through hardship and pain, dancing between life and death and holding on only due to your strong will.

+10% to your Will attribute.

Mental attacks affect you less the closer you are to death.

It takes more to kill you than it would a regular human.

One Mind, One Body (Epic)

To pursue the perfection of one’s will and mind will also improve the flesh and blood. You have achieved a balance between your inner self and your physical self that few throughout history have come close to.

You cannot assign attribute points to your Strength and Dexterity.

Your Strength and Dexterity have a base cap of 25.

30% of your base Will attribute is applied to your Strength.

30% of your base Mind attribute is applied to your Dexterity.

You can replenish your stamina by consuming mana

Trait: Limited Vitality (Epic)

The effect of raising your Vitality is greatly lessened.

Your Vitality grows weaker with time. Straining your body will speed up this process. If Vitality reaches 0 you will die.

Shadow Mind (Rare)

Your mind is a fortress, giving you protection against mental attacks. The strength of the shield is determined by your Will attribute.

You can sent back a vision inducing fear to anyone who attacks your mind.

SKILLS

Warlock’s Body Mastery (Rare)

A Warlock who had taken a step on the Path of Flesh and Bone knows every muscle fiber and drop of blood in their body, allowing them to slightly aid movement and the natural processes of the body by consuming mana and stamina.

You are now able to slightly strengthen specific muscles with mana for a few seconds. Builds fatigue.

You can aid digestion by redirecting your natural mana regen

You can slightly improve natural healing by consuming mana and stamina

Synaptic Failure (Rare)

Cause temporary synaptic failure to your target, affecting motor skills, casting, and cognitive thought. Cannot be used in quick succession. Casting time depends on the Mind attribute. Effect on non-physical entities varies.

Shadow Slash

Slash with your weapon, sending a blade of shadows that travels a short distance before dissipating.

Ritual: Enchanted Bones (Rare)

You change your bones, making them stronger and allowing you to store mana in them.