Lanek followed the snow leopard through the streets, feeling like he had a target on his back. He had been paranoid as it was, but knowing that the whole city belonged to an intelligence that could track him and considered him an intruder took things to a whole new level. Every sound, even just the sound of debris being blown around by the breeze made him tense up and grip his weapon tighter.
The only thing keeping him grounded was the snow leopard. The big cat looked unconcerned, yet alert. As they traversed the city, Lanek realized that they were taking a meandering path to wherever the cat was taking him. It must be guiding me around threats before I can even catch a hint of them. Might as well check out those new skills I received while we’re walking.
Lanek brought up his status and focused on his [Spirit Sense] skill.
[Spirit Sense] [Uncommon] Makes you aware of the presence of unseen forces in your line of sight. Once you are aware of the presence it will become visible to you. More powerful entities can prevent themselves from becoming visible, but you will still be aware of their presence. Scales with SPI.
Interesting, so Caelis may have been able to prevent me from seeing her. Let’s see what the other skill does, although I’m pretty sure I can guess.
[Identify] [Common] Provides you with basic information about your target. Some skills and natural abilities can interfere with this skill. Scales with PER.
Yeah, that’s pretty much what I expected.
Suddenly, he was pulled from his contemplation of his status by a growl. Looking up, he noticed the cat staring down the street while it backed toward him. It looked at him and then turned toward a nearby doorway before dashing inside. Lanek wasted no time in following it.
The cat didn’t stop on the first floor and led him upstairs. Once upstairs, the cat stared at him until he sat in the corner before it lifted itself to the broken window and peered outside. Having no other choice than to listen to his guide, Lanek waited.
Minutes passed before he heard a sound in the street outside. It was a sound he hadn’t heard since coming to this city, it was a shuffling sound. It sounded like something very large was being dragged down the street. When the shuffling thing got closer to his hiding place, Lanek could just make out a voice accompanying the sound of its movement.
He couldn’t make out what the voice was saying, its words being just at the edge of his hearing. However, Lanek found himself not wanting to know what it was saying. Every time he could hear the words it spoke he felt his limbs tremble and found himself having to hold back a whimper.
Without thinking, perhaps looking for some source of comfort, he reached out for the cat. His hand landed on the cat’s back and he felt himself calming down. He pet the cat while the sound of the shuffling moved away from the building.
As his wits returned, he froze as a thought flashed into his mind. How am I touching a ghost cat? Lanek raised his eyes to look toward the window and met the snow leopard’s wide eyes. The creature radiated surprise and crept toward him.
Lanek watched the cat warily. Was it upset that he had basically treated it like a pet? He had his answer as the cat’s nose came into contact with his hand, as if testing to see if it had really felt his touch. A moment later, the big cat shoved its head into Lanek’s hand, acting like a giant house cat looking for head scratches.
Lanek marveled at the softness of the snow leopard’s fur while it purred and luxuriated in the attention. However, as he pet the cat, he felt something underneath the pleasure, he felt sorrow. Most of all he felt loneliness.
When he focused on the feeling of loneliness, Lanek’s mind was filled with a vision. He saw the bar at the guild, filled with raucous adventurers and the big cat lounging before the hearth. Every so often, one of the adventurers would warm themselves by the fire and give the cat some pets.
The vision changed, this time to one of the bedrooms he had found in the guild hall. The cat was sprawled across the bed while a young woman was reading a book and idly scratching his head.
I see, Lanek thought as he looked down on the purring leopard, Caelis did say he died alongside the adventurers, that woman must have been his companion. No wonder he’s lonely, going from a life alongside people to being alone for centuries. Why is he still here, though? Why hasn’t he moved on?
Skill [Spectral Touch] [Uncommon] learned.
Skill [Soul Empathy] [Rare] learned.
Skill synergy detected. Would you like to fuse [Spirit Sense] [Uncommon], [Spectral Touch] [Uncommon], and [Soul Empathy] [Rare]?
Lanek’s mind reeled from the notifications from the system. Skill synergy? Fusion? What? He focused on his new skills, deciding that he should know what they actually did before deciding to fuse them.
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[Spectral Touch] [Uncommon] You become able to make physical contact with entities that do not have physical forms. However, you cannot damage those entities without the proper weapons, skills, or spells. Scales with SPI.
[Soul Empathy] [Rare] Allows you to feel the emotions and intentions those non-hostile spirits you come into contact with. Spirits may choose to share memories with you. Scales with PER and SPI.
Hmm, I see why there would be synergy there. Aside from my [Identify] skill, everything I have is related to interacting with spirits. Am I getting these skills because of things that happened back home?
Thinking back, Lanek remembered experiences he had as a child that had terrified him. Experiences like seeing shadows moving about his home and waking up to strange and terrifying figures in his room. As an adult, he had explained those incidents away as signs of an overactive imagination combined with his parents allowing him to watch horror movies. Lanek shuddered at the thought that those events may have actually been real.
Either way, he didn’t have enough information to determine if these were the reasons the System was awarding him with these skills. It could just as easily have something to do with being in a dead city.
Returning his focus to his status screen, he considered the prompt. Finally, he accepted. What did he have to lose?
You have lost [Spirit Sense] [Uncommon], [Spectral Touch] [Uncommon], and [Soul Empathy] [Rare]. You have learned [Etheric Presence] [Unique].
[Etheric Presence] [Unique] You have become attuned to the realm of spirits and are now able to interact with incorporeal entities to a far greater degree than is natural. Incorporeal entities cannot hide from your awareness or vision. When you become aware of these entities, you are able sense their emotional state and intent. Your soul is strong enough to allow you to physically interact with and damage incorporeal beings. Scales with SPI and PER.
Okay, it definitely looks like a step up. Spirits can no longer hide themselves from my sight and I am no longer limited by line of sight. I can do more than touch spirits now, I can actually hurt them. Does that mean I can punch a ghost? Weird.
Finally, I like that I can feel the emotions and intent of all spirits, not just non-hostile ones. Damn, lost the ability to see memories. Ah well, it’s not like I got to use it much in the first place. At least now I can defend myself against ghosts and stuff.
Lanek and the cat sat in silence for some time before the cat shook itself free of its scratch-induced torpor and made its way to the stairs. Understanding that they probably didn’t have any time to waste, Lanek followed the cat back outside and down the street. They continued their trek, the cat taking a more direct route now, almost as if being urged on by something Lanek could not see.
The walls loomed large ahead of him now, the promise of leaving this accursed city making Lanek pick up his pace despite his anxiety about trying to survive in an unknown wilderness. With no warning, the leopard began racing forward, forcing the human to run after him.
Trusting his companion’s senses, Lanek knew that there had to be a threat nearby. After running a few blocks, he heard it. A keening wail was tearing through the silence of the city, gaining on them steadily. Lanek didn’t dare turn around for fear of tripping and letting that thing catch up to him.
He dashed around a corner, hot on the heels of the cat, and spotted their destination 20 meters ahead of him. Lanek pushed himself as hard as he could, attempting to pick up speed and praying that the keening horror behind him wouldn’t be able to leave the city.
As he neared the gate, the snow leopard stopped and turned to face their pursuer. The cat rushed toward Lanek, but was too late. A large hand wrapped around Lanek’s head from behind and flung him to the side with enough force that he crashed into a nearby building.
He struggled to clear his mind, but every breath he took was agony. Lanek coughed up blood as he pushed against the wall to bring himself to his feet. A yowl drew his attention to his attacker, who was currently batting away at his agile companion.
Lanek blinked in horror at the creature. It stood no taller than an average person, but it seemed to be in a permanently hunched over state. The creature had visible bones poking through its raw, wet flesh.
No, that wasn’t right, the flesh wasn’t its own. The creature wore a patchwork of fresh, dripping skin draped over its body, secured in place by tied off intestines and tendons. It had several blades stabbed through its stolen flesh that almost looked too delicate to be used for combat.
Fighting off the nausea stemming from his injury and the disgusting sight before him, he took in the creature’s primary weapon. It had long arms that dragged on the ground as it moved, with massive bony hands.
Lanek gulped and used [Identify] on the horror. “Oh, fuck me.”
Crypt Stalker
lvl ???
Crypt Stalkers are undead creatures that can be found in ruins and dungeons, constantly hunting for prey. These skeletal creatures are always looking for new flesh to replace that which they lost in death. The stalker becomes more powerful when the flesh adorning its bones is fresh. Gains traits and attributes based on the source of the flesh.