Frozen in fear I stood there, watching the beast pummel through my newly acquired home. A few moments had passed and now the thing was inside the overhang stirring about in there seeming to be looking for something. I would be running right now trying to escape, but the damn curse had told me not to move. So, against my better judgement I listened to the damn thing. It would be any minute now and the creature would have my scent trail and instantly spot me. I know for a fact; I smelled like a gym locker room after a football game. That did not help my overwhelming anxiety and to make it even worse I left my club in there.

In the faintest of whispers, I regrettably tried speaking out to the ring. "Curse. What do I do?"

The words barely escaped my lips before the monster froze mid-motion. Its snout hovered above the ground, and its ears twitched as though it had caught a sound it didn’t quite understand. My heart hammered in my chest, a deafening rhythm that drowned out the faint hum of the forest around me. It was as though my very pulse might betray me, pounding so loudly I was sure the beast could hear it too.

Slowly, it lifted its massive head. Glowing eyes, like molten embers, scanned the trees with a predatory precision. I froze, my breath caught in my throat, my body betraying me as it refused to move an inch.

Then, that sound, low and guttural, a growl that sent shivers down my spine as the beast pressed its nose to the earth again. A horrible snuffling noise filled the air as it began to trace the ground, following my trail.

It knew.

An earsplitting whistle cut through the air and the beast lost all interest, immediately running back in the direction it came from. In a single second the thing had disappeared. It would have easily caught me and tore me to shreds.

“That,” a smooth, sardonic voice cut in, “was a goblin chief’s mount. If he hadn’t recalled it, you’d be glistening bones by now. Quite the shame, really—I was looking forward to the visual.”

My mouth opened, but no words came out.

“Don’t just stand there!” the voice snapped, suddenly urgent. “They don’t exactly travel alone. Move, you dolt!”

I sprinted back to the overhang while glancing left a few times just to be sure the beast wasn't coming back with an entourage of goblins. Making it inside without any issues, I picked up my club and got the hell out of there.

--------

I ran until my body refused to go any further, collapsing against my will onto the forest floor. My lungs burned, each gasp of air tearing through me like sandpaper, and my chest heaved as though trying to suck in the entire forest's supply of oxygen.

The mountain loomed behind me, its jagged peaks mocking my failed attempt to scale it. The ring had insisted, not worth the time or effort, it claimed. I didn’t know if it was the curse’s logic or its twisted sense of humor, but I listened. Against my better judgment, I veered away and ran, devouring as much distance as my legs could manage.

Now, sprawled on the dirt, I felt every ache and bruise earned from the relentless pace. My throat was parched, so dry that even swallowing was painful. I severely needed water. My thoughts were a jumble, but one need screamed above the rest: Find a town. Find anything.

Pushing myself up onto trembling arms, I glanced around. The forest was unyielding, its canopy too thick to see the sky. The dawn sunlight filtered through in fractured beams, doing little to guide me. The air was stifling, heavy with the scent of damp earth and rotting leaves.

“Liam,” The cursed voice whispered in the back of my mind, smooth and maddeningly calm. “This isn’t the best look for you. Gasping like a dying fish, flopping in the dirt. Very inspiring.”

“Shut...up...” I managed to wheeze, not having the energy to muster any real venom.

“Oh, my apologies. Would you like me to arrange for the goblins to come back and finish the job? Maybe then you’d get some proper rest.”

I ignored it or at least tried to. But his words lingered, gnawing at my already fragile composure. I needed to keep moving, but my legs felt like lead, my head spinning with exhaustion and dehydration.

Get up.

The thought wasn’t mine. It was the rings, laced with an irritating blend of mockery and genuine urgency.

“I’m trying,” I muttered.

“Try harder,” it snapped. “Because if you pass out here, the forest creatures will find you before any town does. And trust me, they won’t be offering a warm welcome.”

I hated that it was right. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself onto my knees, then my feet, every movement a battle against my body’s protests.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

“Atta boy,” the curse crooned. “Now, let’s aim for not dying today, shall we?”

Staggering forward, I pressed on. The forest seemed endless, the trees stretching endlessly in every direction. But I refused to give up. Somewhere out there, salvation or at least water had to be waiting.

----------

"Finally!" I muffled out with eyes wide in pure adoration.

"Am I really seeing this?" I asked the ring, not wanting to believe my eyes.

What laid out in front of me in all of its glory was a creek, all too excited I dashed to it. It was only about three feet wide and a foot deep at best, but the water it would supply me would be a life saver. When I got to the side of it, I instantly got on my knees and dunked my head in. The water was cool and refreshing, giving me the chills as it ran down my back. I reached out my cupped hands for the glorious liquid to take my first drink. As the first bit of water went inside of my mouth and started down my throat, a figure appeared before me and spoke.

I sucked in all the water and instantly started coughing it up, hard enough to feel the urge to vomit.

"Do not fret youngin'. I am here, the great inventor and master tinkerer. My name is... well most people just call me Bram, but you... you can call me... Master Geargrind." The little man spoke to me coming off a little too smug and conceited for my taste. After coughing up the remaining water in my lungs I replayed what he said in my head.

"Bram? As in the Bram? Where the hell have you been!? You were supposed to be helping me fix your fuck up!" I asked confusion slowly turning into frustration

Taken a back the man's face contorted through a few expressions before finally responding. "I had just been released from my punishment with the divine Nexa, as you can see, she has stripped me of my physical form. I am sorry for the pain I have caused you, but I am here now to set things right. You will be back home before you know it." Bram said trying to make this conversation as civil as possible.

The possibility of going back home had never occurred to me, I thought I would have to spend the rest of my existence in one of these backwater worlds. Calming myself down through a few steadying breaths I decided to respond. "How are you so sure that returning home is a possibility for me? Also, what use will you be if you don't even have a physical body? I know you could probably scout the surrounding areas for me but besides that. Sorry, but I don't see how you will be of any value." I stammered it all out and kind of felt bad as soon as the last of it spilled out of my mouth.

"You are quite the insufferable little twit, arntcha. How about for starters you open up your menus and check the damn tabs really carefully, before you start making assumptions on who is worthless and who isn't." The ire in his voice building over towards the end.

I opened up my menu and looked at the tabs again, as the "Grand Inventor" kept yapping. Knowing for sure I didn't miss anything of importance.

"The greenskins you got lucky with would have taken me mere seconds to dispatch with the amount of power I control. I would not be able to do much with the warg, but once I start leveling when I figur-..."

I found it right under the companion's tab, how did I miss it before, I thought cursing to myself.

Bram Geargrind

Level 1

Stats: Intelligence: 10

Wisdom: 10

Charisma: 10

Mana: 120 (100 base from being a Bound Entity)

Bound Entity: Spectral Manipulator (Bound Entity cannot exceed 100 yards away from assigned Bearer)

Abilities: Possession, Whisper of Deceit

Experience Progression: 0/250 XP (Shared from completed quests with Host. Experience outside of quests is not obtainable.)

"The only way to harm a bound entity is by magical force, or to derive it from mana for extended periods of time."

Staring at the screen, I was curious on how he had already gotten abilities. Opening up their descriptions did not disappoint.

Possession: Spectral Manipulator is able to occupy and control the bodies of creatures with lower intelligence. The control is not absolute strong-willed creatures might resist or break free over time. (Mana Cost: 10 + 5 additional mana per minute while occupying a creature)

Whisper of deceit: Alters the thoughts or perceptions of nearby creatures, planting ideas or commands they may interpret as their own.

I quickly ran my hand through my hair. "Fine. You can possess things. Great. But how does that help me get home?"

Bram’s smirk faded slightly. "Well, getting you home is... complicated. But you’re not alone in this, Liam. I might be bound to you because of some divine punishment, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to fix this mess. Besides," he added with a mischievous glint, "you’re the only person I’ve got right now."

"You’re insufferable."

"And you’re stuck with me," Bram shot back cheerfully. "So, shall we get moving? I’ve got a feeling we’re about to make some very poor decisions together."

"Hold on a minute, I still haven't gotten a full drink yet and I've been dying with all the figh... How did you know about the goblins? You mentioned greenskins something about you could've done better, how did you know about that?"

Bram's transparent body distinguished a little looking to have deflated under my questioning. Cursing mentally, he searched his brain for any explanation, but nothing was coming to mind, and he needed to answer now or else the whole thing would blow up in his face.

"I... Uh. Nexa has shown me everything you have accomplished this far. She wanted me to know everything you had faced since my arrival. You know... She is a goddess; such matters are simple for her."

I eyed him suspiciously, but not having any reason to mistrust his word I went along with it for now.

After taking my tenth handful of water, I felt full. The water tasted kind of off, almost kind of musky in a sense, if that makes any sense at all. I decided to ask Bram about it, maybe Nexa would've let him in on some useful information.

"Bram... Why does this water taste... off? I didn't notice it before, but there's definitely a tang to it."

"I can't solve everything for you... Hold on a sec." he said as he disappeared from sight.

I eyed the stream and decided to look deeper into the water, from what I could tell it looked clean. I wonder if there's a weird tasting bacterium on this planet, or if the water just tasted gross here. I'd always preferred my carbonated beverages anyways. Before I knew it Bram was back and dying of laughter.

Between rolling laughter, he told me "You are... going to be... pissed."

With him being that overjoyed I was getting scared..."Knock it off, what the hell is going on? What is it?"

He calmed a bit wiping away fake tears from his eyes. "Theres a town up that way about 90 yards over that slight incline."

"Theres also a bigger stream up there with a little dam holding back most of the water."

My eyes widened in excitement, instantly climbing to my feet. "Are you serious? Eyes gleaming with the thought of quests. "Wait, what does that got to do with the taste of the water?"

With a cough that suspiciously sounded like another round of a laughing fit starting he stated, "The towns men are emptying their houses waste buckets... Upriver from you."