You killed the Dusk Lizard

You regain 80% Essence

Lee smiled as the small black circle formed on the outer ring of his tattoo, bringing his total to 123% Essence. He returned to the Keeper promptly and pondered what to spend his Essence upon. Strength was perhaps a mistake in retrospect. With his Savage Cry skill, he seemed to gain plenty of damage—for a single strike at least.

“Am I able to change my choice?” Lee asked. “Can you take back the Strength and allow me to spend it upon something else?”

“No,” the Keeper said as she took his hand into her own. “Not to my knowledge. You must choose wisely. I cannot undo what you have chosen.”

Lee nodded as he considered the attributes hovering before his eyes. Having practical knowledge about how the various levels affected his ability to fight gave him a whole new perspective on what was valuable and what was not. Constitution certainly had great value. If he had more Health and natural defense, even a bite from the lizard would not threaten to kill him instantly. Although with its poison, even a single bite would still kill him eventually. So that probably wasn’t a good investment right now.

Dexterity might be helpful if he found something like a bow, but there was nothing like that here.

“Are there weapons to be found in that forest?” he asked.

The Keeper shook her head. “I wouldn’t know, but I would assume so. Other chosen have always returned to me looking far more well-equipped than when they departed. So there must be treasures of all kinds to find out there.”

Attacking from a distance certainly held advantage, but he couldn’t increase his Dexterity preparing for something he might not ever find. And if it were questionable that he would find a bow, then anything arcane, requiring the Will attribute was definitely out of the question.

That left the choice between Agility and Vigor. He pondered the definitions again.

Agility

Your ability to move quickly and nimbly, avoiding damage and detection by foes.

Vigor

Your ability to recover from exertion as well as endure physical strain. Determines both your stamina pool and your maximum burden allotment.

Being able to avoid attacks seemed his main means of defense at the moment, but he wasn’t certain what 1 point of Agility would actually do for him.

“Is there a way to find out how an investment in an attribute will affect me?” he asked.

The Keeper looked skyward thoughtfully. “I do recall tomes containing such knowledge, but as for where to find them…”

She ended her statement with a shrug and a smile.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

Lee nodded. Experimentation would be is only guide for now. But his resources were limited and he needed certainty in combat in order to win. Lee closed his eyes and made his choice.

You have gained a Level!

Your Vigor has increased by +1

He checked his Stamina next.

Stamina 15/15

Great…Three whole points, he thought sardonically. He’d need to increase his Constitution much further to have a decent pool of stamina to work with it seemed. But still, three points was three points and that equated to an extra attack. Lee spent half his remaining Essence to save his memories again.

“Stick with raising Vigor for higher Stamina. -Lee”

You lose 12% Essence.

Memory Saved.

As the crystal formed, Lee realized there were now two of them lying on the stone floor. One now obsolete.

“What do I do with this?” Lee asked, pointing to his older memory.

The Keeper tilted her chin, examining it. “Well, since you’ve already saved a more recent memory, I suppose it isn’t of much use to you anymore.”

“Yes, I know,” Lee said. “And it cost me a lot of Essence to create as well.”

The Keeper shrugged with a smile. “Such is the nature of saving your memories. It’s a chance you take either way.”

He sighed. “Yes, I suppose. Nothing guaranteed me winning against the lizard again.”

“Your strength will guarantee you in the future. And your skill. The more confident you are in your abilities the less you may need to save.”

“That’s true.” Perhaps he shouldn’t have saved again. But with only 23% Essence left after leveling, the cost was cheap. He would have to use that as a strategy in the future. Save when the cost was low.

“So what about this one then?” he pointed to the older crystal. “Can I regain Essence from it?”

“No…it only has value if it’s a memory you do not already own.”

“So what do I do with it?”

“I can keep it for you, if you wish,” the Keeper said. “Just in case you, for some reason, you ever return here without a stored memory. I would always have it to give to you.”

Lee shrugged. “A good enough use for it, I suppose.”

As the Keeper picked up the crystal and dropped it into a pocked within her robes, a new thought occurred to him.

“Do you per chance have any other crystals upon you? Ones that perhaps you may have saved for me before?”

She blinked at him, apparently surprised by the thought. “Why…I honestly don’t know. Let me look.”

The Keeper checked several pockets within her robes and his heartbeat sped when she finally produced a large purple stone into her hand. “Could this be one perhaps?”

Small Memory Gem

Contains a special memory or message.

His heart sored with elevation as he took it from her. “It must be.”

The Keeper smiled. “I’m glad. I’m sorry. I did not remember I had that at all.”

Lee studied the purple gem a moment. It was certainly different than the memory crystals. Where the crystals were yellow and rough like natural diamonds, the gem was instead refined, polished with an amethyst hue and cut in an oval shape.  

What sort of memory could this be?

His past perhaps?

Who he truly was?

“I’m going to use it,” he said. “It must have been important if I gave it to you to keep.”

“Yes. Assuming it was you who gave it to me.”

Lee furrowed his brow. “What?”

“There are other Chosen Ones. Perhaps it could be the memory of someone else.”

That thought gave him pause. “Can I use someone else’s memories?”

The Keeper shrugged. “A memory is a memory.”

“What if it’s your memory?”

The Keeper blinked. “But I’m not a Chosen One. I can’t save memories like that. Don’t be timid. I have a good feeling about it. I know my duty is to aid you. I don’t think I would give anything harmful to you. Perhaps it’s even knowledge of how to open the door and rid the curse from this world.”

Lee nodded and rolled the gem in his palm.

It could be someone else’s memories. It was a different color, after all. Was that significant perhaps? Although in reality, even if they were thoughts from his past self and not someone else, his past self was as distant from him now as being another person anyway.

There was some freedom in being a blank slate, he admitted. Free to choose whatever path he desired, independent of his past. But the memory could hold some kind of warning or advice as well. Or knowledge of how to open the door as the Keeper had said. Knowledge was power here.

Memory was power.

“I’m going to use it,” he said.

“Are you certain?”

Lee nodded.

He crushed the gem in his palm and the world faded around him.