The group woke up to snores of Cawthorn. Bokbek entered their hut. “Will you be hunting with us, on your own, or will you be doing other tasks in the city?”
Victor turned to Serena. “We want to hunt right? We should do it with them then right?” Serena nodded. “Well we’re happy to come with you.”
Gargrim grumpily stroked his long beard. “Let’s go with him.”
The group accompanied Bokbek out of the hut. Bokbek pounded on his chest and howled to the apes. The same 9 apes leaped down and formed up around him as the group surrounded Gargrim, Victor, Brice, Serena, and Emilie. They walked toward the exit and the large yellow doors opened as apes on top swung them open and then closed them afterward. Victor glared at Gargrim. “Can I count on you to at least not attack Brice or Jenora until we escape the abyssal labyrinth?”
Gargrim groaned irritated. “Lad that’s a stupid question. I’m not going to kill you and you’ve already said I have to do that to kill them. I still WANT to kill him, and especially her but I’m not going to go through you to do that. The angel hasn’t stripped your title.”
“I’d considered it for how dirty he got me but his soul remained pure so I’ll allow it, for now .” Swordie noted with pointed caution.
Gargrim resumed. “I don’t understand how. He’s helping a demon, a literal horned red demon!”
Emilie growled at him. “Leave her alone. Victor makes mistakes all the time, but this wasn’t one of them.”
Serena raised an eyebrow. “Do you feel that she should be punished for being a demon?”
Emilie shook her head. “NO! She should be punished for lying to us.”
The group finally reached the lake of water with the clear crocodiles and orange fish. Bokbek grunted at two apes and then turned to Emilie. Victor translated. “You will assist with the nets. We will protect you.” Emilie took a net they handed her. Brice did the same.
Victor turned to Gargrim and Serena. “He said he’ll protect us but we are responsible for killing any clear crocodiles. They want to see us do it but Bokbek said he’ll keep us safe.”
“Gargrim you want the right side of the net? We’ll take the left.” Serena turned to the dwarf.
“Seems reasonable, you’re even more levelheaded than I remember.” Gargrim stroked his beard.
“They’re higher level than us but they’re so animalistic and simple that killing them isn’t that hard. Animals might be the easiest way to level up. Actually we might want to consider staying here for a bit Victor.” Serena noted.
“We’ll consider that later. For the moment I want to see what happens with Jenora tonight.” Victor pulled out and manifested his sword into a cutlass.
The apes spread out guarding the parameter. Brice and Emilie threw out their nets catching a few fish. They began dragging them and almost on queue two clear crocodiles darted toward the net. A quick throwing dagger into the crocodiles eyes blinded it allowing Victor to slice into it. “ Frost bolt .” Just like the snake the ice erupted from it bright red. Unlike the snake Victor killed it in a single hit as it exploded from the ice. “What the?” Another one rushed toward them and they did the same again once again completely exploding its head. “I know it’s stronger but this is unbelievable.”
Clear Crocodile 20: Experience Increase 7.1%
Clear Crocodile 21: Experience Increase 7.8%
Level 16 Reached!
Current Exp to level 17 3.0%
Brice explained. “Well your magic is improved by multiple ranks right? It’s probably 4 times as effective if it’s increased by 2 ranks so these creatures are just not good enough to pose a challenge. It’s really impressive. I’m getting good experience too. I can feel it.”
Emilie agreed. “We absolutely should consider staying here a while.”
After those three beasts were slain the others seemed to understand and didn’t return. “Oh heck I almost forgot. We should probably level up.” Victor pulled out Swordie.
Bokbek asked. “What is that?”
“Swordie can function as a tome which allows us to access our stat sheets and level up.” Victor explained.
“Hmm I guess we lost some of our stats from exercising since we didn’t exercise and starved.” Victor pondered.
“That makes sense. Use it or lose it is what the soldiers used to say.” Serena noted.
“There’s no skills or spells for me to upgrade and I have 20 stat points.” Victor pondered for a moment. “I think I should just throw more into flow.”
“Take reinforcement. If you use it diligently it might keep you alive. It’s stats do improve by level but the amount of stats that it grants you for a short period of time is huge. It would cost 3 points since you could only buy it at rank 1.” Swordie guided him.
“You’ll never steer me wrong Swordie. Lets do it!” Swordie added the 17 points to his sheet and reinforcement to his sheet.
Selected Title: Angelic Knight
Race Human: Victor Vance Vogal
Class, Specialization : Mage 9, Spellsword 7
Level: 16
Base Health : 190
Stamina: 67
Mana: 15
Vitality : 19
Speed : 72
Strength : 51
Prowess : 41
Endurance : 67
Rigor : 2
Willpower : 17
Flow : 175 (+70%)
Luck : -56
Resistance : 50% Resistance to mind control and manipulation.
Title: Angelic Knight
Skills: Speed Reading Rank 3, Academic Rank 2, Familiar Rank 2, Speechless Spellcasting Rank 2, Improved Buffs Rank 2, Rogue Skills Rank 2, Fighter Skills Rank 2, Precise Strike Rank 1, Reinforcement Rank 1 , Staunch Rank 1
Hidden Skills: Memory Retention , Luzuzal’s Delusion Rank 5 , Luzuzal’s Devout Rank 2, Luzuzal’s Promise Rank 7
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Spells: Barrier Shield Rank 2, Magic Hands Rank 2, Jolt Rank 2, Frost Bolt Rank 2, Speed Boost Rank 2, Vitality Boost Rank 2, Rigor Boost Rank 2, Prowess Boost Rank 2, Magic Writing Rank 2
Current Exp to Level 17 3.0 %
Victor passed around Swordie and the others all leveled up as well. Serena actually commented. “Oh wow I hit level 17. Must have been all those traps.”
“Traps grant experience?” Victor asked.
“Yeah they do. It’s significantly less but they do.” Serena noted.
“Brice, Emilie either of you getting low experience from fishing?” Victor asked.
Brice looked at Swordie kind of shocked. “Not really. Being bait must be considered dangerous.”
Emilie nodded. “The experience is good.”
Bokbek leaned over to look at Swordie. Victor handed Swordie to Bokbek. “Say ‘status sheet’ and then your stats will be displayed.”
Bokbek scratched his head and said “Status Sheet.” He recoiled shocked holding the book away from his face. “What is this?”
“It’s your stats.” Victor looked at the book. “You’re level 44…”
Bokbek looked at his status sheet again and then shouted in Simian for the others to try. They passed around Swordie and each looked at him hooting and hollering as they saw their sheets. “Sir I don’t mind assisting but this is a bit excessive.”
Swordie found his way back into Victor’s possession and an hour later they had a huge amount of fish. They gathered plenty of fish and all of them returned to the city. They distributed the fish and the three clear crocodiles to the group. Bokbek handed Victor the key to her cage who quickly handed it off to Emilie. In the center of the city a large bonfire was made and everything was cooked with care. The clear crocodiles once finished were brought by the group to Jenora eagerly waiting and wagging both tails furiously with her tongue flopping around dumbly outside her fangs. They fed her all three and within a few minutes she started to shrink. She turned to a devil with long horns off the back of her head and red skin. “Oh, ow. What happened?” She looked at her skin. “Oh right. The snake.” She looked up to the group and then around at the cage. “Why can I think again?”
Achievement: Redemption – Free a creature from a forced form change or corruption. Gain [lose] 5 luck. Title gained Redeemer.
Victor pointed right at her. “Because you defeated the great serpent and saved us, and then I saved you, from Gargrim, and Bokbek, and Jingles.”
“Last thing I remember was looking at my blood red hands after I killed the snake.” Jenora looked at her still red hands. “I see I’m still in a cage. Am I being executed?”
Emilie stepped up. “No, you’re not.”
“Emilie!” Jenora with her long red hair dangling down the front of her body ran to the bars. “You’re alright!”
Emilie somberly nodded. “I am alright.” She unlocked the cage.
Jenora flung open the cage and squeezed her tight lifting her off the ground and swinging her around. “What’s wrong? Too much?”
Jenora put Emilie down and her voice became somber and serious. “You’ve lied to me all this time.”
Jenora stopped suddenly feeling shot down and hanging her head. “Yeah. I guess I did. I’m sorry.”
Gargrim piped up. “You’re lucky she’s only mad at you. My vote is to kill you. Victor is the only reason you’re still alive.”
Jenora marveled reaching a level of wonderment she’d never reached before. “I guess he was telling the truth.” Brice sheepishly offered her his cloak and she took it covering up. Jenora got down on one knee to look Emilie in the eye. “I’m so sorry for keeping this from you. I love you. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”
Briefly for a moment when Emilie closed her eyes and took a breath Jenora had a bright smile on her face as though the weight of hiding her life had fallen off her shoulders. That is until Emilie opened her mouth. “I can’t be with a devil.”
Jenora’s face froze as her eyes sank down like a ship filling with water. “You can’t be with me…” The words hit her harder than the snake did. She solidified with tears starting to run down her face. “I guess it was too good to be true.” Emilie looked away trying not to cry. “Can’t you even look me in the eye when you’re saying goodbye?”
“No. I can’t.” Emilie closed her eyes and turned away sniffling.
“Why?” Jenora continued silently crying as her voice cracked so heartbreakingly every member of the group save Gargrim had tears welling up in their eyes.
“You lied to me, and you tried to eat me. I was about to be devoured whole by you. I don’t feel safe knowing you could do that.” Emilie dug her nails into her hand. “Just looking at you yesterday I wanted so badly to jump to you to hug you and to hope everything would be alright but I couldn’t because I didn’t know if I’d be torn to shreds!”
“I’d never hurt you.” Jenora insisted as her voice cracked with every word.
“YOU DID HURT VICTOR! IF I’D KNOWN I WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN RUNNING TOWARD YOU! YOU LIED TO ME AND IT NEARLY KILLED ME!” Emilie still couldn’t look at her.
Jenora slowly retracted her hand to her chest. Her voice cracked as she gasped out every word. “I’m sorry. I was so afraid of telling the truth. I didn’t want to be alone. Please don’t leave me. I’ll tell you everything.”
Emilie opened her eyes full of tears and glanced back over her shoulder seeing Jenora pant desperately trying to control herself on the edge of a massive breakdown. “Fine. We can go to the hut and I’ll listen.”
Jenora smiled cracking her frozen exterior but couldn’t recover her voice and replied in broken common. “Let’s go right now then.” The rest of them proceeded silently to their hut and sat down around the campfire outside it. Emilie sat directly across from Jenora by Serena and Gargrim. Victor offered her water and she downed the whole thing immediately.
She started to change back to her human form and Emilie shook her head. “Don’t do that. Tell it in your real form.”
Jenora complied instantly switching back immediately. “I Guess I should start by being honest about my age. I’m actually 30, and 8 years ago I worked for the Vazgal Empire near the portal to hell in the eastern empire.”
“You’re 30?” Emilie asked in disbelief.
“Yes.” Jenora paused for Emilie to answer that.
“Go on.” Emilie calmly insisted clearly flustered.
“I was born in hell and brought to Verdan as a child. Most devils, especially Vazgal and his forces, don’t use enslavement and are enemies of Kokoxol. This necessitates interrogators and torturers to gather information. I was one of those who hurt my fellow devils, and other prisoners on daily basis for information. I’ve done horrible things to others to get information.” She paused.
“Is that why you sometimes wake up in a cold sweat?” Emilie asked her.
Jenora nodded yes. “I hear their screams in my dreams, but long ago I didn’t. Long ago to me the job was well boring. The mundane nature of it all looking back was horrible. A few times through my life I had been given people who refused to give up their information and they were sent to execution. It was strange. Those I tortured often ended up alive just on account of my persuasive techniques.”
Gargrim angrily glared at Victor. “She was literally a torturer for the most dangerous archdevil alive!” He gripped his axe and Victor grabbed the Frigid Foil. “Why is she still alive?”
“Let her speak Gargrim, unless you’re looking for a bloodbath here.” Victor glared at him firmly. He shuffled back to his seat angry and glaring at Jenora.
“I worked there for years. It wasn’t until 8 years ago when finally someone was sent to my chambers. Someone I knew, my sister. She pleaded with all her soul for me to let her go, and that was the moment I realized what I was doing, and just how profoundly wrong everything in my life was. I was hurting people at the behest of an archdevil. I made a mistake and lied about her information. The information I gave them distracted them long enough for her to escape without me torturing her since I gave her a copy of the key. Despite covering my tracks directly I wasn’t blamed for helping her but that she escaped at all. I was then tortured by Razloc as a punishment for a long time. I had forgotten everything and realized how horrible I was to everyone I’d ever brutalized. Eventually the keep I was in was attacked by elves. A bolder destroying my wall let me free. I reached the ocean and found a small boat from a destroyed galleon. It had a barrel of fruit and I departed. I hopped from island to island not having any idea where I was going until I ended up in the Great Desert of Devolus. I avoided everyone wherever possible knowing that my kind would be killed on site. Eventually I stumbled upon a caravan and traveled with them. Where I met you Emilie. You know the rest.” Jenora took a deep breath from her long winded explanation with hopes hanging by a thread.
Unfortunately for her Emilie had scissors. “I’m sorry your life has been so difficult. That still can’t excuse not telling me for an entire year!”
“If I told you, which day would you no longer have rallied a group of people to come for my head?” Jenora asked swallowing and staring Emilie in the eyes. “Which day specifically? It wasn’t the day I met you or the day after that. My question is which day wouldn’t you have me killed.”
Emilie angrily proclaimed. “YESTERDAY AT LEAST!”
“How could I possibly know that?” Jenora asked earnestly and with a cracking desperation in her voice. “If I said anything in the situation we were in I was worried Gargrim would kill me! I know Victor says he’d help but until yesterday I wasn’t sure I believed he’d help even a devil. So which day was it before that? What was the earliest opportunity when I could actually tell you?”
Emilie irritated had no answer for her and instead angrily demanded. “I’m not answering your questions Jenora! You lied to me and nearly killed me.”
“I did, I’m sorry, and I’d do anything to make things better. So tell me what I can do to make it right. I know I did something wrong but I’m trying to get you to understand I didn’t know when I could tell you the truth.” Jenora pleaded.
“I might be able to think of something to make up for lying to me it’s not impossible I guess but I can’t be with someone who I don’t feel safe with. You made me feel safe and last night I had a nightmare where I was running from you and you finally caught me and ate me. I’ll never be able to see you the same again.” Emilie stood up. “We can remain in the same party, at least until we return to the guild but this is the end for us Jenora.” Emilie looked away resolved but clearly heartbroken and started walking to her room.
“Please Emilie don’t walk away.” Jenora reached out, but she didn’t even look back. Jenora’s whole body slumped forward holding her head in her hands sobbing quietly.
Victor rubbed her back as she quietly cried. “I’m sorry about everything that happened here. If we’d been a little stronger you wouldn’t have had to transform.”
Jenora shook her head. “It isn’t your fault. I should have told the whole group the truth even if it meant I died. I was so close to having you execute me just to prevent the transformation.”
“Life is full of shit sometimes, and sometimes you’re forced into it.” Victor rubbed her back. “I’ll be here to try and make things less horrible. You’re still welcome in the Stars of Verdan for as long as you want to stay.” Gargrim stomped off in a huff.
Jenora sniffled. “Lost a girlfriend and nearly died, this week has been shit and I sure feel it.”