Chapter 1 - Unbound Part 2

It was a quite big crypt, I had to acknowledge when I finally managed to escape it.

It wasn't hard to find my way out, as I only had to follow the corpses... of the undead, as i started to refer to them, that the men had presumably defeated before making into the place I was in. It was quite intruiging, seeing the half-decayed bodies of the undead completely smashed into pieces to prevent all movement, because if not done so the body would revive again.

Actually, as I found out after inspecting them a bit, the undead were all powered by a magic crystal inside their bodies. If that or the body was not thoroughly destroyed, the bones and the flesh would recombine together again and it would be able to move once more.

Wonder which was more difficult to do – to accurately break the crystal hidden inside their body, or to continue smashing it until it lost all its drive? Well, the group had obviously chosen the latter, but I question the efficiency of that way, concerning the expense of stamina. Nevertheless, I had no doubt the undead were formidable enemies.

Still, the corridors were extensive and split up many times. I chose not to explore any of those, lest there were more enemies that even now wandered the dark labyrinth.

Without any breaks it took about two hours to traverse the long hallways and finally reach outside.

The final passage was straight. Light at the end of the tunnel. "Don't go into the light!", as some would say for a certain situation. However, this one more like represented being born anew.

The moment I stepped out of the cold and damp tomb the scenery made a turn to the complete opposite – the pleasant breeze on my skin, the fresh, tasty air, the warming rays of the sun – all was so delightful that it made me want to snuggle up and have an afternoon nap.

It would have been lovely, but alas, yet again I remind you, the unexplainable dull pain and penetrating coldness both still lingered in my body.

With a glimpse I grasped the location. High up in the clouds, overlooking tens of kilometers of dense forest, the entrance of the tomb was situated on the side of a mountain. There was much greenery down below, while from the point upwards only barren rocky ground remained.

From the forest one wouldn't probably notice the place, nor was it easily spottable from air either, as the place was in ruins. There was an indication of a once glorious site. However, what remained was only some broken pillars, fallen buildings, and collapsed monuments. The entrance archway, as well as everything else, were overgrown with various plants, which hid the place and blended it with surroundings quite effectively.

I found a small encampment nearby, likely left behind by the men when they went to explore the tomb. Nothing notable, just four relatively small tents, a heap of baggage under a blanket, and a smoldering campfire.

The dead won't mind if loot their bodies or stuff, right? However, there was nothing of interest I discovered from rummaging through their belongings. There was just the camping equipment – sleeping bags, firemaking tools, a pot and some bowls with spoons, and also a few trekking sticks lying around.

With no reason to stay there any longer, I uttered a small farewell to the tomb, to my birthplace, as it also was, and set forth, a bag of some foodstuff over my shoulder.

I didn't just start heading in a random direction, I must say, as I caught sight of a faint trail, probably what the adventurers had left on their journey there, so it was a straightforward first step.

- - -

One week later. I was lost.

Naturally, the trail the men had left in their coming faded away and became undiscernable from the rest of the ground fairly quickly. In the end there was no path at all.

The men probably had some sort of a map with them, otherwise them finding the tomb would have been extraordinary sheer luck. Perhaps one of them had it on their body, the leader probably, so it could have been a mistake not to search them.

Also, they didn't give the impression of being some sort of hunters, their equipment, teamwork and battle experience unquestionably suggested that they were something else. "Adventurers" would be the right word, as I had been calling them from the very beginning.

It was an interesting week, actually, as I learned quite a lot of things about the world and myself.

First a thing about the world.

As evident from before, the world had magic. Since I had absolutely no idea how it worked, I needed to experiment. Presumably, hopefully it had some sort of a system, so if I were to at least get one clue, I could work from that.

Well, surprisingly it came out very well. After merely a single trial and error, while testing another method, I felt a bizarre flow throughout my body that also accumulated into a one form. I chose to name them mana and mana pool, respectively, as it just seemed appropriate.

The system of magic, as I concluded from my experiments, was relatively simple – first feel the mana inside you, direct and collect it to a specific point, usually the palm of the hand, by imagination give it certain properties and, woosh, release it.

'Huh? Didn't the mages chant before casting a spell?... Well, apparently they are not required, or perhaps I have talent and can do without...'

I could only speculate, as I had noone to teach me or have something to compare to.

As for what I learned about my body.

When I felt it was time for a meal, I took out a piece of bread from the bag. However, after eating it, I didn't feel at all even slightly more satiated, so I gulped down another, which gave the same result. Perhaps it was due to my size, I wondered. So I ended up gulping down all the food, all the bread, a lot of meat, and some odd fruits.

Yet the hunger remained, as if the food had just disappeared from my stomach. It was just slight hunger, however, basically negligible and possible to ignore, at least at that point. Slowly, at an insubstantial pace it still increased.

I didn't need any sleep either, apparently, as during the week I never felt tired, no physical exhaustion nor mental fatigue. In some... okay, in most situations both of them are tremendously advantageous, so I was content with that blessing.

Contrary to that, however, there was that ceaseless ache and chill still pervading my body. I didn't chance upon nor couldn't come up with any solution to the problem. Not food, no activity or rest, no warmth spell, nothing could alleviate it. Only that one way, which the adventurers had referred to as "Drain Life".

'"Curse" is perhaps a better term for it...'

My appearance was that of a demon. Well, for one, that's what the men had called me, and two, it had rather particular characteristics. I couldn't call it neither exceptional nor freakish, as I hadn't met any other races besides humans and had nothing to compare to. I just presumed from my own distinctness that there would be some other races besides humans.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

So, the result of examining myself, as far as I could ascertain without a mirror, was – a quite muscular, fit, low in fat, sturdy body; pallid skin, near pure white even, but not the appalling pale skin with visible veins, but smooth milky kind; two thick horns on the sides of my head, curving upwards; four fangs, which also seemed to produce some liquid from their tips, perhaps poison; straight, blade-like fingernails that were so sharp that I could effortlessly slice through wood, while the toes had claws; and finally also a tail, which I discovered when I unintentionally sat on it, thick as my forearm and length about the same as my height of 2.5 meters with a harpoon point like end, flexible, and so tough and sharp that it could penetrate into rock.

Also, the black robe I had found at the tomb adjusted itself according to my shape. Meaning, though initially comparably small, it grew in length and width to suit my body. In addition, when imbued with mana, it was possible to manipulate its form and properties. I could make it as a whole or only a specific part stiffer, tougher, and stronger, giving it armor-like qualities, as well as use it as a weapon, a whip for example. Finally, since it could be separated into pieces, I arranged it into a shape I was most comfortable with – a set of clothes, namely, pants and a jacket. Like that, both my lower parts and torso were sheltered from cold and rain whenever they would befall, and my tail was not restricted and had an ample range of movement. I wondered if there were some other specific applications for it, but right now I couldn't determine.

Since I didn't get tired mentally nor physically, I could literally keep walking without stopping. I truly had a significant amount of stamina, perhaps an excessive amount even. Still, it wasn't at all troubling, rather, it was wholly beneficial and welcome.

I must have covered a considerable distance in that week, if I didn't keep going in circles, that is, not that I seemed to be. And, thankfully, it marked the checkpoint where at long last I seemed to have reached some civilization, at least drawn closer to it, as the fated encounter with another intelligent being occurred.

However, unfortunately, only disastrous events transpired from that meeting.

So, as I was leisurely strolling through the woods, without a specific purpose but keeping a single general direction, during the early morning twilight, the grass covered with dew gently brushing against my legs, a howl echoed throughout the forest.

I hadn't met any wolves during the past week, any kind of animals as a matter of fact, didn't even spot any in the distance, as far as the horizon went in a forest, so I got moderately thrilled at the off chance of finally coming across another living being.

However, it was immediately followed by a scream, a shriek, or a cry for help, as I sensed from the wailing and forebodingly urgent tone.

I promptly took off at high speed, which didn't surprise me anymore at that point, towards the origin of the two voices.

I couldn't help but become uneased, to some degree at least, as the nearer I got, the more the smothering, suffocating the stench of blood became.

At last, through the trees I noticed a figure standing. It looked like it was standing, it was tall, but also seemed to be attending to something as it crouched down, picked something up, and ate it.

Wary of the creature, I halted in my steps and laid low, observing it. Conclusively, simply, after merely taking a short glimpse, I labelled the creature a "Werewolf". When it was standing up on its two legs, it very much resembled a tall bulky human, however, only if not for the fur covering its whole body, and when it crouched down, leaning on its front limbs, or paws, you could easily mistake it for a large wolf. The warning features, however, were its bloodsoaked arms and dark red colored maw.

After taking a step closer, I caught sight of what it was so busy with. On the ground lay the body, the corpse of a half devoured being, a humanoid of sorts, but with some other differing characteristics. Namely, the werewolf was eating a demi-human.

But with that approach it also noticed me. By scent or hearing it didn't matter, it was on to me, focused on me, glaring at me with its bloodshot bright yellow eyes, and bearing its incisors dripping of blood.

It attacked right away. It was a mad, careless, intense rush full of killing intent.

But... Was it in a frenzy and had clouded judgement, and basically saw me who appeared out of nowhere as an enemy, or perhaps it was so bold, so confident in its abilities that there was no need to observe or determine the threat level of the new supposed enemy?

Well... Obviously the former, because as it made a powerful leap, kicking dirt off the ground, towards me, I merely dodged to the side and, in an attempt to grab its slightly protruding snout, ran my 10 centimeter long knife like nails right into its skull. My hand dug into and through the head with ease, killing him instantly.

I didn't mean to, really! However... The werewolf had perchance been crazed from battle, or perhaps from something else, considering the demi-human's corpse and a few fresh wounds on the creature itself, so it was possibly incapable of gauging my strength, thus ending in such a wretched state.

The demi-human's body was torn apart beyond recognition, not that I could have known them anyway, but it was still pitiful.

I gave both of them, the werewolf beast, too, a funeral. I ignited their bodies with a fire spell and burnt them to ashes in a second.

Burial wasn't to my liking. I preferred complete annihilation, as gruesome as it may sound, of the body, lest the soul was still attached to it and couldn't pass on to afterlife.

There was one thing that bothered me for some reason. Namely, why were the two this deep in the forest in the first place. Or perhaps, this wasn't that far from civilization, from a town or a village at least?

Looking at the scene, I speculated, correctly as I soon found out, praise and applause to my great intelligence, that there was a village somewhere nearby. Its inhabitants were a mixture of different demi-humans and other races, and during the night, when they were asleep, a group of werewolves attacked the place. Incapable of resisting the werewolves with superior physical prowess, the village was utterly devastated, and the few survivors who managed to escape the initial attack were hunted down through the forest as a game.

Those despicable monsters! How could they attack innocent villagers who just want to live in peace! ...Was not how I thought of it. There must have been a reason for the attack, surely...

However, following the trampled path the two had caused and pursuing the increasing intensity of the smell of something burning as I advanced along the path, I eventually came upon what I had surmised before – a village.

And the sight that welcomed me was... carnage

- - -

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