The pain of steel ripping my flesh was not a new experience to me. Hell I have even been on the shoreline of Styx as I watch the ferryman take my targets before, laughing at me as I try to prevent him from taking me on my last voyage. This however, a tip of a knife protruding from my chest, was something that I have spent countless hours perfecting from taking, but from the other side.

I muster my will to force my head and body to turn so that I could look my killer in the face. I see her smiling and crying, words escape me as I try to ask why, as if reading my mind... "You killed him!" I ponder on the countless lives I have taken. "Why did George have to die?" She quivers I grab a hold of her and force her to look at my face.

"You.. Lucky.. No.. Revenge.." My voice rasps with my strength leaving my being. She Looks away and I grab her head with both hands, both bloody hands covered with my own life. "Face.. What.. Do.." I can barely talk anymore I can just see her eyes as I stare at them in anger, for this one has killed me, a man that has killed countless people over my 13 years of this trade. she shows both fear and pain as she cant look away from me. A smile forces it way on me. "You.. Live.. or.. Die.. Killer.." with the last word I utter her face drop into despair. That last bit I have done to this woman that originally tried to tell me about the bible, or whatever book it was again that she fallowed. showed me the damage i have caused with those words. the words of an unforgivable sin.

She start to cry out loud as I feel the cold embrace of death take me, well ferryman looks like I'm next.

*****

....

...

..

.'Anytime now ferryman'...

I open my eyes as I no longer feel the pain at my chest, and '!' I'm standing? I take even less time to be amazed at that then it would have taken to even say it. I notice that I'm in a stone room, moss is along the walls and there are gems in the... It cant be! Another discovery after another as I stop at my last one. A grave. 'Is it mine?' As I ponder the thought I see the name.

Here lies a True friend

Joshua Freebirth

De Oppesso Liber

This was what I wrote. Then that means. I grab a hold of my personage and feel what I had hoped was not true. bits of cloth covering my body, leather straps like armor well placed for comfort yet maximizing protection, Metallic plates covering key points(like the chest and thighs), and worst of all, when i push one of my arms under my chest protector, soft mounds are where my pectorals used to be. This in indeed my character that I have made. My mind races and my eyes refocus on the grave. halting all my sense of fear and doubts. I smile. "Looks like I have traversed from yet another no return." I feel my tears ride down my checks. I don't even need to check. I feel them coming from my eyes, as if this emotion vortex I am feeling wasn't enough. "Why Do I always cry when I remember you Joe." For this grave belonged to my friend Joey Joshua Halonky. the only person that I became friends with after my family died. Both of us had no friends or family, and we even met as prisoners. Both set in the same cell, pitted to kill each other by them. but I digress in my memories of him.

You might as why I made a woman, or even a Half-Elf, ridiculed as worthless since it wasn't as strong as a human or as magically gifted as an elf. I chose it because it neutralized both weaknesses yet gave the highest agility of both races. My strength was just below a human, and my magic was just below an elf, so I would be a nice jack-of-traits char. Yet the half elf had higher agility of either. This game was third person though so looking though her eyes is bit much for it to be the game. As for female, my friend already had a character in this game, and thought it would be nice to use the marriage bonuses. since they where based on your spouse, many picked the same class build. My spouse was a paladin, and I was a battle-mage. Where the status was predetermined by race, and then increased based on how you played with points going here and there based on your skill set. Since the game didn't have a set class path, you could have every skill in the game, but at a much lower level since you only had so many points at max. It didn't take long before I was maxed out with Joe's help. and with the bonus to physical stats and skills from his abilities, and his bonuses from me, we where able to make him a mage-knight, and me a battle-mage. spells/techniques on the other hand had to be learned separately from skills, by outside menu ways. like books or training. So he focused on healing and buffing and I combat.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I decide a simple test, lets see how and if I can use my skills from the game. I put forth my fist as I learned in training and punch the wall. the metal knuckle protector slams on the stone and many cracks and debris appear from the around area of my fist. I felt something. looking at my fist as I bring it back it is glowing, then the light goes out. 'Was that manna bust?' It was a skill that allowed you to bust manna into a short blast. I used it along with my unarmed skill in order to perform advanced melee magic attacks. "Lets see if I can cast a spell" Still not used to my voice I quickly face-plant into my palm.

(WN: He was too confused before to react)

'Lets see' I think about the spells I used to use. "Freeze" I point to the grave yet nothing happens. 'I don't think there was a chant or anything like that.' I look at my hand wondering. '!' I smile as I point at the grave again and it quickly gets wrapped with ice. satisfied with remember the feeling on my punch yet trying to focus it into ice encasing the grave I take a quick pose. It was short lived though as I quickly realize what I have done and melt the ice the same way and use my own sleeve to clean it.

*****

Sighing as it has been a few hours now as i just practice a few spells until I got the hang of it. "I know I shouldn't, but I still want to ask why you had to die." hitting my elbow on the tombstone. "Your still rock hard." I laugh and cry at the same time, thinking about my situation and wondering how long I have since this is most likely my last thoughts as I die. I now huddle up and hold my knees at my chest as i sit with my back to the grave. "I wonder what you would do in my situation," I turn my head to look to the right since I don't have the flexibility to look directly behind me, "Where you just as pathetic as I am at your last moments."

"It's never pathetic to honor the dead."

'!'

All I could do is look at the person that was standing at the entrance of the mausoleum that I had built in his honor.