Momo started with the book on the left. It was the lighter of the two, and, in the same stylistic vein as the other skill books, the cover was painted from bottom to top with smooth oil pants. It had a vaguely Impressionist feel, a Monet type playfulness in how the light streamed into the picturesque scene – a human and a skeleton holding hands and meditating in a field of wilted roses.

“It’s beautiful,” Momo remarked, smoothing her hand over the cover. She always loved the bumpy surface of an oil painting; that satisfying combination of silky smooth and erratic, like riding your hand over the surface of a sand dune.

She opened to the first page, and promptly realized that she had never actually read a skill book before. Extrius had used his Librarian skills to teach her one by proxy, but she never had to actually do anything except close her eyes and visualize. Not that you could actually read one of these things. They were picture books, only every time she gazed at the paintings within, her eyes strained like she was looking straight into the sun.

“Is it supposed to be this painful?” Momo asked, squinting so hard she could barely see the page. “I feel like my irises are about to burn out.”

“Oh, right,” Valerica said. “I knew I had forgotten something. [Blessing of the Reader].”

Valerica set her palm on top of Momo’s hand, and a lilac colored light traveled between them. The pain in Momo’s eyes dwindled, and they started to feel unnaturally numb, as if they’d been left out in the cold all night. When she moved them, it felt like jostling two ice cubes.

“Good thing you reminded me,” Valerica snorted. “I forgot just how abysmal your reading apprehension is. A couple more minutes of staring into that page without protection and you’d have two less eyeballs.”

Momo gaped. How convenient.

“But I’m good now, then?” she asked miserably. “My eyes feel like they were put in the freezer.”

“Ah, yes. That’s a good sign,” Valerica nodded. “Just don’t blink too much, or else.”

“Or else… what?” Momo mumbled.

“Not a clue, my dear. I’ve never casted this spell before, but I’m sure something could go wrong. Something always does,” Valerica shrugged. “Now read along, darling. There’s only so much of that first blessing left, and my [Time Freeze] skill will wear off soon. I can’t exist in this realm after that – I’ll be transported back, as if I was never here.”

That thought alone pulled at Momo’s heartstrings. She was just getting used to having Valerica back. She didn’t want to lose her again so quickly.

But she had a way to get to her now – probably. To travel to the Nether. And if she could find a dwarven mechanic to repair Vivienne’s bracelet, maybe she’d have a direct line of contact, too. No portal-jumping required. Both promising, but both risky.

Okay, stop being anxious, Momo reprimanded herself. Start reading.

She cast [Focus], and got to work.

—

It took twenty five minutes of total, uninterrupted concentration – something earthly Momo could have only achieved in her wildest dreams – but she did it, closing the back cover with a slam and exhaling dramatically as if she had just run a half-marathon.

You have learned the Expert-grade skill [Bone Meditation]: Once a day, you can commune with one of your undead companions in order to boost one of your base stats by 10 points for the rest of the day. This boost will apply to both you and the undead.

Wait, I can commune with Dusk? Momo thought, immediately perking up. She hadn’t gotten nearly enough one on one time with the cat recently. Having an incentive to sit down and pet the boney oncilla once in a while was certainly one of the best skills she’d gotten yet.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Ah, I remember when I first got that skill,” Valerica said, smiling nostalgically. “I used to practice it on one of the skeletons I had chained up in the Dawn’s basement. Simpler times.”

Momo sighed. That woman’s moral compass was certainly in a state of constant flux.

—

The second book was somehow easier, despite being an Excalibur-grade read. It was kind of like how when you already have a sunburn, it hurts a lot less the second time. The skin’s already dead, the nerve endings fried. It only took her fifteen minutes to skim through this book, and it didn’t hurt a bit; the plot was a lot more fun as well. Cheery even. Up until the last page.

“Oh my god,” Momo shrieked. “Why did he eat him?”

“Quite the twist ending, isn’t it?” Valerica giggled. “Skill book plots are usually so dry. But this one really makes you want to re-read it for all the foreshadowing. Azrael is a brilliant writer.”

Momo paused, looking up from the book. “Azrael wrote this?”

“Naturally,” she said. “There are only so many former Excaliburs. Sera’s written a bunch, but she only hands them out to members of her little cult. And I can’t be bothered to write any myself. Quills give me hand cramps.”

Seriously? Momo glared. I could have so many skills if only she’d learn how to properly use a pencil.

Before she could think on it further, a courier appeared in her lap.

You have learned the Excalibur-grade skill [Soul Cannibal]: Absorb the soul of a foe after vanquishing them, preventing them from returning to the Nether or reincarnating for as long as you live. You will also learn their most powerful skill, regardless of their class.

Momo’s fingers trembled as she held the page. She read the description twice over, the shock of it not diminishing even a little bit the second time. She had never read something so selfish in her life. Devouring a soul just for the sake of power.

“Valerica – I. This is evil,” Momo said, looking up at her mentor. “I don’t want this.”

Valerica pursed her lips.

“Evil is subjective, dear,” she said. “Some souls are worth cannibalizing. I can think of a few.”

Momo stared at her, not budging.

“I don’t want it.”

“What the system gives, it can unfortunately not take away,” Valerica said, giving her a sad smile. “But by all means, don’t make use of it. I told Azrael that you’d have no interest, but he was quite insistent. This is for Momo, he repeated to me, droned on and on. Your hands only, he insisted. I can only dream of why he was so unremitting.”

That took Momo aback. She had only heard the Necroknight mentioned sparingly, and had certainly never met the guy. Well, she had met one of his corpses, but that’s not quite the same, is it?

“Azrael knows about me?”

Valerica laughed. “Of course he does, darling. You’re one of my favorite hobby projects, after all. My protege. I bring you up incessantly. As such, he’s taken quite an interest in you himself. He very rarely gives out skill books, so this is something of an irregularity. I would think things over before writing the skill off entirely.”

Momo shook her head affirmatively, but she still had a bad taste in her mouth about the whole thing. Her experience with high-level necromancers was pretty much net negative. Sera was the necromantic equivalent of a deranged serial killer; Devola was crazy; Viktor Mole was just about the worst mayor a city could ask for. Looking at them as a group, Valerica’s incessant claim that she was the morally superior one didn’t even look that ridiculous. It was almost an abject truth.

In the corner of her eye, Momo noticed something she hadn’t seen in hours – the movement of a cloud. It wasn’t gliding around the sky like usual, but it did twitch. The waves, too, moved an inch from their original position. Time was pushing back against its chains.

“It seems my spell is running out,” Valerica said with a sigh. She dug into her purse and once again revealed the small glass jar with Nyk stored inside. “Before I forget, here’s your new sea companion. After her contract with Sera ended, I put her on a retainer. A quite permanent retainer, if she knows what’s good for her. She’ll help you track down Lione and travel with you to the Nether when time permits.”

Before Momo could respond, a soft hand came to cup her cheek. Valerica smiled at her warmly, her eyes painted a delicate red, like two ripe cherries. There was something soft and meaningful in her gaze, as if her eyes were whispering this part’s important.

“It’s about time I go,” she said, matter-of-fact, tucking a loose hair behind Momo’s ear; the follicle promptly disintegrated. “Now, don’t get lost at sea, darling. The waves and the wind can push you in a lot of different directions, but if you have a firm grasp on the wheel, nothing else matters.”

Valerica stood, without another word, and time released.

Wind buffeted her dress like a wild animal; the Nether enveloped her, black blobs of goo wrapping her up until she was no longer recognizable. Within seconds, her black silhouette turned white, and she became one with the mist, just another passing gust of wind.

She was gone.