“How long are you going to stand there?” Pro said, trudging out of the bushes, a hand pressing on his abdomen.
Sana pressed her emerald wings down and flew towards Pro and placed her tiny hand over his, “I think you should take this out now.”
“Pixie, what if the blood flow increases after that. Did your small brain not think that far?”
“Sana! Not Pixie. And we can treat this wound easily. But if some poison spreads because of this, then it will be troublesome.”
Ignoring Sana, Pro continued trudging further towards the crystal-clear river. His leg had endured several cuts and his nose fractured.
“I’ll remove it when I get there.”
Pro sat beneath the lofty tree, resting his hunched shoulder on it. He removed the thorn which had delved several inches and used the water of the humming crystal-clear river to wash his wound — making it disappear, as Sana had said. He poured water over all his wounds making them disappear, one by one, now resting he opened the status screen.
_____________________________________
Name: Probus Ambany
Race: Methos (mythical)
Level: 1
Exp : 0/100
Strength: 8
Agility: 7
Posture: 7
Intelligence: 8
Abilities: Strike(Lv1) [Mythical]
______________________________________
Once an ability was learnt, it was his to use. It didn’t need any system for activation. Pro knew this instinctively.
The process to activate an ability was complex, incrementing with every increasing rank. For activation of an ability, there were particular connections subjective to the ability. There was no sure shot process for the ability's activation except for the initiation of an ability.
The first use of an ability was called initiation which was subjective to the ability and had to be performed under care or the loss of the ability could be the least of his care.
Abilities were a manifestation of the Holy power, more so for the mythical abilities directly originated from it. They consisted of three components: will, power and curse. Though, Methos’s curse was heavier than any others.
Pro knew if he wanted to get stronger, he’d have to sacrifice. Life is just an equivalent exchange. You cannot reap without sacrifice.
He walked before the crystal-clear river and sat on its bank. Sana, fixing her eyes on him, watched from far. He cupped his hands, placing them in the cold river and picked up the water.
Looking intently, at the water he started chanting in a melodious hum yet distorted language:
“I command the ominous thee,
to, me, form a piece,
no, so being shall see,
other, fore we.”
He stopped after chanting this distorted verse and poured the water down from his hands on the river and interlocking his cold fingers, he spoke again:
“Death to the light.
Death to the dark.”
With the completion of his chants, a sharp pain began to sear through his back. Unbeknownst to him, a tattoo of a miniature black snake with a ruby atop began to form on it.
He convulsed with pain but weird enough there was a hue of satisfaction as if he had procured a part of him.
The pain died soon and he could sense the incorporation of something foreign yet familiar to him.
This was the first phase of a ritual. The first phase, referred to as invocation had been completed but every ritual consisted of another aspect — instruction.
Strike.
He called out his ability and corresponding to it, tearing a hole on his cream shirt, a snake emerged from his back — extending before Pro. The miniature snake in the tattoo appeared to have emerged in reality.
The snake remained placid, drawing closer to Pro’s face. Pro didn’t feel any fear either, as he saw the snake touch his head-donned ruby on the mark on his forehead.
_________________________________________
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
You have activated the ability: Strike!
Strike[Mythical]:
Power: It is an earlier derivation of the devourer power possessed by the Mythical and firstborn race Methos. This ability has the power to strike anything.
Will: This power derivation has the will of devourer and is placid and calm.
Curse: It will take whatever it strikes.
__________________________________________
Pro felt a gleam of happiness run through his face. It was his first ability and it seemed too awesome for a first-time. He didn’t have much expectations but it seemed he underestimated his race.
“You can go now.”
The snake went back, converging to a tattoo.
“It will take whatever it strikes. What do you think it means?”
“I don’t know. But isn’t your ability too much! The ability to strike anything.”
Is there such a big difference in races, she wondered.
“Well, we don’t know how useful it is now. I need to know if it’s as useful as it seems.”
“Hm.”
Pro picked himself up and began to walk towards the forest again. Even though so much had occurred, it hadn’t even been an hour since the second Quader. Thus, he decided that he’d hunt the mice now. They would prove to be good exp and were less troublesome. They were the perfect race to test the new ability.
The only problem was that they were scattered throughout and it took him a long time to spot a group of them. He didn’t engage with other species because he wasn’t sure of the ability’s power and curse. He could risk his death but not die stupidly.
Strike.
The snake reappeared instantly beside him, waiting, calm and placid. Pro locked onto a mouse in his mind and decided to strike it. Instantly, the snake flew towards it and struck it with fangs, killing it in one strike.
In an instant, blood started to pour out of the mouse and others started to run.
Kill all of them. Pro ordered seeing the snakes flee in terror.
In a moment, like a bullet, the snake grew longer without any effort and struck all of them to death. A pool of blood filled the whole place and pieces of flesh scattered throughout.
Pro was flabbergasted. This was beyond anything he imagined. How could there be such a cheat ability?
He patted the placid snake and said, “You can go back.”
“Sana are you—”
But before he could say anything, he started to gush out a pool of blood from his mouth — akin to something he had seen just before. Pieces of flesh started to fall from his body, skinning him alive. He knew nothing now, but just the fear of death. He forgot everything except for his life.
I will die! I will die!
He strived to hold his flesh but failed. He picked up the pieces of torn flesh and place them back again in intense desperation but it continued to rip-off him ever so slightly. He placed his hand over his mouth and blood started to seep out of fingers, not stopping one bit.
He fell to the ground convulsing wildly in a pool of blood, breathing his last breaths and stopped with a jerk, not moving again.
*******************
There is something called sacrifice in the world of mystics. It is a ritual to sacrifice your life for the other. Performable by any class, this is also called the Lover’s paradox because to sacrifice your life for someone there must be love, intense love, and to leave someone on their own taking their most precious gem from life must be hatred of a nemesis.
Sana appeared to have done something like that.
_________________________________________
You have been granted the life of the other host!
__________________________________________
Pro instinctively knew who the host was why he was transferred her life.
He had been saved twice by a mysterious pixie whom he didn’t know anything about. She wanted to avenge her race and he had decided to help her out in this journey.
Fun to be with, she had become his strand of hope in a mere day being together because he had nothing of his own to hold onto. He didn’t know if it had something to do with their weird connection or if it was because she saved his life or ‘cause she put her trust in him more than he ever could but he endeared her. He loved her.
“Come out!”
The placid snake emerged again beside him — from his back.
“Why didn’t I spit out blood when I killed the first one.”
The snake remained placid, not moving.
“What if I don’t allow you to go back inside?”
This time the snake went back to a tattoo and emerged the other instant.
“You fuck— Can you explain me more about the ability or the curse at least.”
The snake did not respond at all.
“What was I expecting out of this fucking stupid hell of a sage snake.”
He turned back to the lofty tree.
“You can strike this tree and break it, right?”
The snake nodded calmly.
“Then, this tree has weakness, right?”
“Strike the weakness of this tree.”
The snake blurred and appeared back again. Simultaneously, the tree started to morph.
Its leaves gleamed with luster and life and its fruits appeared ripe and luscious. Its broken branches healed itself and it was brimming with life, more than ever. .
“Go back.”
The snake reentered his body and formed a miniature snake tattoo with a ruby atop and it struck the weakness Pro’s body had. His skin turned slick, his muscles turned dense and he could feel the liveliness brimming in his body.
________________________________________
Strength (8 → 10)
Agility (7 → 10)
Posture (7 → 10)
________________________________________
“What! Aren’t stats not supposed to be increased outside Quaders? You can even ignore the Quaders of time?”
But it didn't remove my seal and provide me my abilities. I guess the seal does not have a corporeal connection but something beyond it. Obviously it wouldn't be so easy to get that power.
He clenched his fist and muttered to himself placing his hand on his left shoulder, “I will bring you back, Sana. Even if I have to devour that holy fire for that. I will fucking raze that out of existence.”
He heaved a heavy breath and turned back to the lofty tree brimming with life.
“Come out and strike its branch down.”
The snake appeared in an instant and struck the branch which smashed to the ground with a thud.
“Strike its weakness again,” he said.
And the branch appeared on the lofty tree again as if it never broke.
“Go back”
The snake went back and transformed to a miniature tattoo, he felt his elbow crack.
Aaaaah. His hand broke from the elbow and fell down. Pro bit his lips and endured the pain, his body convulsing.
The broken hand instantly recovered a moment later and his pain withered.
Pro didn’t react much and picked up several leaves from the broken branch along with a small stick. He then removed his cream shirt and tore a piece off of it.
He gathered the leaves and placed them over the torn cloth. After sharpening the stick by rubbing it against the branch, he pierced it through the ends of the leaves connected together.
He took out a few more sticks and repeated the process forming a small bowl of leaves over a torn cloth.
He walked towards the crystal-clear river and filled the bowl to the brim. The water still was dripping out of the bowl but ever so slightly.
“Come out”
The placid and calm snake emerged again.
“Let’s go for a hunt.”
The snake did not say anything maintaining its serene countenance.