3.
Roann awoke in a cold sweat on the ground, the memories of a broken moon playing across his vision. What was that? A prophecy? A memory? It felt too real to be just something his brain had created to cope with what had happened. And what had happened? He remembered the shards of smoky glass entering his hand and then the burning swell of power that overcame him. He felt sick.
"Roann?! What's wrong?" a female voice spoke out. He looked up and realized Claire was now next to him watching him intently.
"I-I don't know." he said shakily. "Had a weird feeling, then saw some crazy thing. It felt like I was going to destroy the moon for some reason.." he trailed off, feeling stupid. Someone can't just cut the moon in half he thought to himself.
Claire looked at him carefully, then stood up. "Rufio, do you mind carrying him to Bastion Falls? He looks like he wouldn't be able to walk right now." Roann started to protest but Rufio walked over and laid next to him.
"Don't worry about it, Roann. I've carried everyone in this group at least once before due to something or other. You're not as bad as Yaun when he sprained his ankle." Rufio said in his deep baritone.
Yaun blanched and sputtered in indignation. "My ankle wasn't sprained! You could see mah bone through the flesh!"
Roann watched as Rufio and Yaun argued then realized he had a notice in the corner of his vision. Mentally tabbing it, it said:
You have absorbed Essence Shard of Greater Weaponry
You have gained the Essence of the Scythe
Ability unlocked: Dance of the Reaper
Stat Increased -
Strength + 2
Dexterity + 3
Constitution + 2
Looking through his menu to the abilities tab, he opened it and saw one of fifteen slots was now taken up with the Dance of the Reaper ability. He read:
Dance of the Reaper
Unranked - 0.00%
Passive - Increases ability and training with Scythe style weapons.
Increases damage done by Scythe style weapons.
Active - Turn into a Dancer to death itself, falling into a trance that will see any enemy entering your zone of influence cut down.
Mana cost - Low Continuous
"It looks like I unlocked an ability with that shard." he said to Claire and Katarina, both of who were looking at him with worry.
"Yes, that's normal." Katarina said slowly. "What isn't, is someone being able to absorb them without a ritual, then passing out into a heap while muttering something about an oath." Roann stared at them.
"I did what?" he asked in confusion. Claire slid an arm under his and helped him up, her slight frame barely straining to help him. Rufio waited, lying next to Roann, and leaned towards him so he'd have an easier time getting on. Sliding up, he felt a wave of dizziness rush over him.
"Thanks Rufio." He managed, before closing his eyes and sinking into the bears fur, falling back into the darkness.
-
"What do you think that was?" asked a gruff voice. "I don't know. Maybe it's just a normal Reborn reaction to essences? But I've never seen anyone absorb one so fast or without a ritual. Then he just glazed off and had a vision or at least that's what he said." The second voice was clear like a chiming bell.
Opening his eyes, he saw Claire and Yaun sitting at a wooden table in a room slightly bigger than a normal bedroom would be. The walls were a cheap brick lay with a hearth sitting in the far end wall, heating the brick and dirt floor. The door in the corner was closed and the bed he was laid in was one of four in the room with his scythe leaning against the wall closest to him. A window between two of the beds showed a semi-busy town street beyond bathed in an afternoon glow. Noises came through of people buying wares and children playing.
"I know i'm starting to say this alot, but what the hell?" Roann managed to croak out.
Claire stood quickly and went over to the bedside. "Roann, are you okay?" she asked with worry on her face.
"Yeah." he answered, sitting up. He actually felt better than normal, like something akin to coffee was pumping through him. "If anything, I feel completely energized." He pulled himself out of bed and stood before her. "Is there somewhere we can go to train? I want to try my new ability."
She looked a bit nervous. "Are you sure you're okay? You've been out for a few hours now."
He glanced out the window. "How long? Where's Rufio and Katarina?" She put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back onto the bed.
"They've gone to get dinner." she replied. "Wait until they're back and then maybe Kat will be up to training with you a little in the inn's courtyard."
Yaun let out a yawn in the corner, his gruff beard shaking with the movement, and put his feet up into the now unoccupied chair across from him.
"Aye boyo, you should rest before training, especially with Kat. She's a vicious one, let me tell you." Yaun said with a knowing nod of his head. "But, she'll teach you better than most any other warrior out 'der."
Roann nodded and sat back. He was excited to try out this so called ability. He hadn't done much against the small monsters he had encountered up to this point and if Rufio wasn't a loveable companion, he probably would've been bear food.
"Uh, where does Rufio sleep?" he asked. "There doesn't seem to be much room in here."
"Oh, don't worry." Claire replied. "He prefers the stables because of his size. We mostly choose our accommodations on how the stables are kept. Can't let Rufio sleep in filth, can we?" She handed over a bottle. "Here." she said, "Drink, you need water. You've been sweating this entire time. Also when you're done with training, you must bathe yourself. Kat and I are not going to be stuck in a tiny room with two people that smell like overripe Meshrooms."
Yaun glanced over and laughed at the look of disgust on Claire's face, causing his belly to shake.
"The lass is right. My smell doesn't go away so easy so there's no reason for two of us to stink up the room. I'll go with ya to try and get some of da grime off of me too."
Roann heard a loud sniffing sound from the window and looked over to see Rufio's big head poking itself through the window from the street.
"I don't think it's that bad." said the bear in his deep voice.
"Well, of course you don't, you like the smell of rotting fish, don't you!" said Claire with a huff. She walked to the door and pulled it open to allow Katarina to walk through a moment later, a small crate of supplies in her arms. She sat it down on the table and swiped Yaun's feet from the chair.
"Get your feet away from the table that holds our food." she barked at the dwarve who seemed to find this amusing.
"Me and Rufio eat sitting on the floor most of the time and we never complain about your feet being near our eating areas." he said with a chuckle. Rufio nodded in agreement through the window and Katarina rolled her eyes at the both of them.
"Katarina?" asked Roann while Claire began arguing with Yaun about proper hygiene, "Could I ask you a favor?" She looked over at him with a curious expression.
"Sure, what's up?" she replied
"I was wondering if maybe you wouldn't mind giving me some pointers on using my scythe? I have to admit I'm absolute garbage at fighting and should probably learn something from someone who both Claire and Yaun said would be my best bet." Her face lit up.
"Absolutely, are you ready to start now? The courtyard is probably big enough to be able to show you proper stances without you hurting anything around you. We'll start with basics then we'll see what that ability of yours can do." She seemed even more excited than he was, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
-
A short time later Roann was standing in an enclosed courtyard built behind the inn, the evening sunlight casting orange light over the area. The stone and polished wood of the inn was accented in the space by crawling ivy and bright flowers climbing the trellises which formed a natural looking wall of plantlife. Claire, Yaun, and Rufio were gathered around a grill raised on stones with Claire preparing some strips of meat and cut vegetables for cooking. Katarina stood ahead of him on the other side, a quarterstaff held in one hand it's tip pointing skyward. She adjusted a few straps on the light metal of her arms while she waited on him to finish checking his stats.
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Stats
Name - Roann Thomas
Race - Human (Reborn)
Age - 26
Alliance - Unknown
Class - Unknown
Rank - Unranked
Path - Unbound
Essence shards - 1/5
Abilities - 1/15
Strength - 14
Dexterity - 13
Intelligence - 11
Wisdom - 9
Constitution - 12
Perception - 10
Charisma - 12
Luck - 18
Ki - Unknown
His stats had increased by him gaining his first ability, not by much, but it made him smile knowing that getting stronger was an option here. Hell, it might be his only option. The memory of the Buzzwings and Branch Lurkers surfaced. Shuddering, he closed the menu and hefted his scythe into both hands. He had to learn his new weapon if he wanted to survive in this new world.
"Are you ready, Roann?" she asked walking closer, "I'll start by showing you a stance to help you keep your balance and control your weight evenly as you swing your scythe. It is a polearm, so you must be wary of the reach and weight of your strikes. Too little and you'll easily be deflected, too much and your movements come under the scythes control. It is a strategic weapon, usually used by specialists of polearms. Not many would use it as a starting weapon. Would you not prefer a sword or even a staff like mine to begin with?" He shook his head.
"I've already chosen my weapon and the ability I got gives me a boost when training with scythe weapons. If anything, I think training specifically on managing my scythe movements will help me more than changing it up. I have a scythe essence now after all."
Her eyes widened. "You have a specialized weapon essence? It didn't give you polearms or bladed weapons?"
"Yeah, it's called the Essence of the Scythe. Why? Is it rare?"
"Rare is an understatement. Most weapon Essences are more of a broad spectrum of weapons, such as polearms as I mentioned. They cover everything from spears to scythes, to quarterstaffs. Usually this leads to choosing two or maybe three different weapons and becoming proficient with those." She looked him over, sizing him up. "Having a specialized Essence is something I've only seen once before, and that man was the most unmatched swordsman I have ever met."
"What did I tell you?" Claire called over. "Reborns are ridiculously lucky. I'd be surprised if we get a free night at the inn just because you slept here."
Katarina looked slightly annoyed. "Well, we'll see if it helps. Come, let's start with a basic stance for readying for a fight." She shifted her legs apart into a wider stance, slightly crouched with her staff in both hands slightly tilted forward, while her core remained straight and shoulders squared. "This will be your general positioning for staying in place and using the length of your weapon to your advantage. In this stance, you can move your upper body freely while maintaining your balance." She shifted her spear, letting it glide through her hands like silk, as she whirled her torso into 3 seperate strikes, each hitting Roann hard in the right leg, left arm, and sternum in such rapid succession they almost felt simultaneous. He felt the air leave his lungs.
He collapsed, wheezing for breath. "Oof, Kat, did you have to hit him already? The boy wasn't even in position yet." He heard Yaun say although Roann heard the chuckles behind the concern. Pulling himself into a slightly standing position, he readied his scythe in front of him trying to mimic the way Katarina was standing.
"How else will he learn to be quick on the mark?" she called out, her eyes never leaving Roann. She raised her staff again into position. "Are you ready this time? I want you to try and stop at least one of my strikes." she asked with a small smile playing at her lips. He watched her closely, trying to read where her attacks would come from. It was no use, the rapid blows quickly thumping him with a little less force this time. It seemed like she slowed her attacks to try and gauge what he could react to.
Eight more attempts later and Roann was lying on his back with his scythe next to him, breathing heavily, and feeling like he had been trampled by a rhino. He hadn't managed to block a single hit and Katarina stood above him, frowning slightly. The sun had started to set by this point and the meat and vegetables were sizzling on the grill. An attendant came out to light torches in brackets along the wall with a small red crystal.
"You weren't joking when you said you were garbage at fighting. I have trained children with more speed and grace. Why haven't you activated your skill yet?" She watched him suspiciously. He opened up his ability menu and read the text of his skill.
Dance of the Reaper
Unranked - 0.01%
Passive - Increases ability and training with Scythe style weapons.
Increases damage done by Scythe style weapons.
Active - Turn into a Dancer to death itself, falling into a trance that will see any enemy entering your zone of influence cut down.
Mana cost - Low Continuous
"Well, with how it reads, I'm not sure how to activate it for one, and two, I don't want to risk hurting you. It says I'll enter a trance that will cut down anyone in my zone of influence, whatever that means." He stood again. She looked contemplative. Seeming to come to a conclusion, she shifted into starting position again.
"Okay Roann. Activate it. Feel your mana leading your power towards your scythe." He stared at her then down at his scythe.
"And uh, how do I do that?" he asked.
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
"How do I feel my mana? I have no idea what that is or how to use it." he said with a shrug. He could hear Yaun absolutely guffawing over this news and he glanced over to see Claire laughing too. He felt his face grow a little hot. "Well, I'm not even a day into this stuff so give me a break." He was pretty sure mana was going to be an energy for his abilities like in most games but didn't want to assume anything that might end up with him being killed by random magic energy.
"Hmm, how should i explain this?" she said straightening up and walking right up to him. "Mana is your inner battery kind of. It fuels not only your abilities but your body and mind as well. It courses through you like blood but in different pathways. Mana comes from your soul and cannot be touched unless you have connected with your own Soul-Spark." She closed her eyes and focused, then she put her right hand out and a small blue flame of ethereal energy sprang to life. It was beautiful. It seemed to glow with a power that felt like Katarina. Opening her eyes, she lifted the Spark to show off the aquamarine shifting to cerulean, which changed again to periwinkle, all shifting in the flames depths with cloud like white splotches racing throughout.
"That's a Soul-Spark?" he asked in amazement.
She shook her head. "You can't materialize a full Soul-Spark, that would be crazy. That would be like taking your heart out of your chest and showing it off to the class. No, this is a projection of my mana in the form that shows what our affinity is. Mine is an air affinity. Hold your hand above mine and try and focus on the energy going through your palm."
He put his hand up slowly and pushed his hand through the swirling flame. It did not burn but felt like a warm stream of water flowing up through his flesh. It was a strange feeling and something inside of him stirred gently at the feeling of mana opening up his connections. A hot feeling rose up in him and he closed his eyes. He could still see the mana going through his hand like it was a lightshow behind his eyelids. The sky-blue of her mana ran through him and he could see something slowly trailing it's way from inside of him to reach out to hers.
A rainbow tendril snaked its way up through his palm and into the blue flame waiting at the surface, igniting it into a new projection.
Roann opened his eyes to see Katarina staring in amazement at his palm. In it was a flame, just like the one she held below his hand, only this Spark was an ever-changing swirl of multi-colored light with a pillar of pitch black running through the center. It was the same light that had split the moon in his vision.
He nervously looked up at her again as she kept gaping at the projection of his Soul-Spark.
"Roann, you have an affinity for.." she blustered, looking worried. Her demeanor had shifted suddenly and she quickly moved her hand away from his. The flame went out without her mana to show his the way out. Turning, she half ran to Claire and began a hushed conversation. Claire looked over and said something to Yaun and Rufio, both of which started packing up the prepared meat and vegetables to take inside their room. He walked over to them and Claire quickly grabbed his wrist, pulling him to the doors that led to the guest rooms.
Arriving into the room, Claire quickly went to the window and closed the drapes then waited as Katarina followed Roann in. Yaun followed shortly after and Rufio poked his head through the drapes.
"What's going on?" he asked in confusion. "Was there something wrong about my Soul-Spark?"
"Wrong isn't the right word. There's nothing wrong with you per say but your affinity is troublesome for people around here. The Magic Guild actually pays bounties for people with your affinity to be tracked down and brought to them because of the power it can bring. Kingdoms fight over it, wars have been waged over a single person possessing the affinity." Claire said, her crimson eyes showing worry in them.
Katarina sat at the table, her mood grave. "Roann, you have an affinity for Chaos. All of your abilities will be unbelievably powerful when you rank them up, some even having effects that I can't begin to explain, and you can access the... Chaotika." A chill seemed to go through the room at the word and Roann questioned whether he even wanted to know what this Chaotika was. He decided he didn't.
"What should we do about it?" he asked. He felt alone all over again.
"You're not going to do anything about it." said Claire. "Just keep it hidden for now until we can see how far along your abilities will take you. Maybe there won't be anything to do and you'll use chaos as a template for your abilities. The power held in chaos is undeniably one of the strongest forces in magic."
Silence permeated the room until Yaun stood up, "Enough of that. As long as he doesn't show it off we'll be fine." he said and walked over to the food they had prepared then started digging in.
"Hey, bring me some!" said Rufio, watching Yaun with a hungry expression on his face.
They all seemed to relax a little now that they were back in their room and they all began to eat the roasted vegetables and grilled meat. Roann could feel Claire and Katarina watching him every now and then but they didn't seem to want to address the issue right now. He worried that they would see him as a danger now and wouldn't want him to travel with them. He had felt alone and afraid of a world he was dropped into with no explanation and they had helped him with almost no reservation. Besides thinking he was a sex-crazed barbarian to begin with, Claire had been more helpful to him than anyone could have asked for.
For the next half hour, they ate in relative happiness, with Yaun telling Roann about various Dwarven favored Essences and how he had an affinity for stone. They piled the rest of the food onto a singular plate and put it on a stand in front of rufio, who gladly started chowing down so as to waste nothing.
"Alright, you two, go take a shower. Kat and I will go after. Yaun, watch out for him." Claire spoke from across the table and the two men stood, ready to go wash up for the night.
-
Roann laid in his bed later that night, his muscles aching from the beating Katarina had given, and thinking over everything that had happened to him over the course of that day. He had awoken in a forest with nothing, not even clothes, and managed to fight and kill monsters. He had been wounded a few times, and had fought back to escape from being eaten, then met Claire. His thoughts focused on her for a minute. Why was she helping him so much? Sure, he was pretty much helpless and pity could be a big part of it but he couldn't help but feel like Claire saw him as more than just a lost puppy dog. Then there was the rest of the group. Yaun, Katarina, and Rufio. They too seemed authentic in their attempts to help him and Katarina had actually taken the time to try and teach him, then showed genuine worry over him having a chaos affinity. Maybe with the new friends he'd made, this new world wasn't going to be too crazy. that was his last thought before rolling over and drifting off to sleep, the last vestiges of consciousness dreaming about the rainbow flame with an obsidian black center that represented his Soul-Spark.