I wasn’t strong enough to win this fight as I was and I hated that.
It didn’t matter how good a fighter I was, how much battle experience I had, nor how much training I’d undergone. As long as I fought like an Unbound, I’d continue to struggle to finish off opponents as pathetic as this Jikininki Myth.
And so what?
I’d rather die a thousand deaths than use that abomination living inside of me. The very thought of it was enough to make my stomach turn. If losing out on a decent bounty meant not having to use my Curse, then so be–
The Jikininki slashed at my face hard enough to draw blood. I responded in kind, driving my sword into the chest of the Myth and pinning it to the ground with my blade. Thankfully, the Galerose Family had evacuated this section of the city due to the influx of Rogue sightings. I didn’t have to worry about any repercussions when I took a nearby burning car and slammed it into the Myth’s body. Thanks to my [STRENGTH], carrying out the feat didn’t take that much energy.
It’d shown an aversion to fire throughout our entire fight, intentionally crawl-running as it did away from it as we fought. While I doubted how well this plan would work, I knew it had to leave an impact. I’d hoped it did, at least.
Well, it did leave an impact... The gray, spindly, six-foot skeleton of a man had a few fresh cuts and scrapes on its body. Other than that, it was completely unphased.
Goddamn it.
Once again, I was forced to acknowledge the reality of my situation: I couldn’t win this fight without using my Curse. I’d known from the bounty letter that this Myth was ten levels stronger than me at Level 30, but the letter also stated that Jikininki were uncoordinated. I’d witnessed as much, too. It flailed its arms like a drunk at a sporting event and roared before every single attack like it was certain its next attack would be the fight-ender. Still, even though I was skilled enough to keep the Myth on the backfoot I simply didn’t have enough power to kill it.
As if summoned, the Curse living inside of me began to speak. Honestly, I was expecting it to taunt me earlier. I gritted my teeth as the Curse, Fallen Star, spoke; dodging pathetic swipes from the Jikininki as the familiar, demonic voice prattled on in my head.
“SURELY YOU DIDN’T EXPECT TO WIN THIS BATTLE WITH ME IN THESE CHAINS?”
“You’re in chains and that cage because I put you there. Don’t forget your place.”
I retrieved the sword from the torso of the Myth, though doing so left me open to a swipe to my exposed left. It sent me flying through the glass window of some flower shop. Pain surged from the left arm that’d taken the brunt of that attack. I stood to my feet, brushing glass and debris from my body as the Jikininki ran straight for me. I dodged the charge with ease, sending the creature stumbling into a column of flowerpots.
“THE DIFFERENCE MATTERS VERY LITTLE. WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS THE SITUATION YOU FIND YOURSELF IN. HAVE YOU NOT GIVEN YOUR WORD TO LADY PERROW THAT YOU WOULD FIND HONEST WORK?”
I had promised her that. Mrs. Perrow was the sole reason I was even working as a Rogue Hunter. Rather than acknowledge that fact, I stayed silent. Taking that as understanding, Fallen Star continued.
“HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO UPHOLD SUCH A SIMPLE PROMISE WITHOUT UTILIZING ALL OF THE POWER AT YOUR DISPOSAL?”
“I don’t need lecturing from anyone associated with Ares. Mind your business and leave me to my fight.”
“HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO KILL ANY OF YOUR ENEMIES WITHOUT MY POWER? THE HORSEMEN WILL EAT YOU ALIVE IF YOU APPROACH THEM AS YOU ARE. YOU UTILIZED MY POWER DURING YOUR… DEPARTURE FROM THE FALLEN STAR CULT, AND IT ALLOWED YOU TO KILL OPPONENTS FAR ABOVE YOUR LEVEL.”
…He was right, and I hated that he was right. Sure, the Fallen Star cultists I’d killed didn’t fight against me, but many of them were stronger than me. Much stronger. They had higher [VITALITY] stats than I did, yet I was able to kill them with minimal effort… thanks to Fallen Star’s interference.
I gritted my teeth as the Jikininki darted towards me, mouth agape, ready to take a bite out of me. Rather than meet the Myth head-on, I ran into an alleyway and hid behind dumpsters. As much as I wanted to grow my own power, my pride refused to let me lose to this bumbling idiot. Of the two Skills I had access to, only one of them was capable of dispatching the Jikininki in a timely manner. I didn’t need to look through my Skill Codex to recall the Skill or its description. No, I’d been forced to study it for the past six years. I knew it like the back of my hand.
[SACRIFICE] - ALLOWS FOR THE ALTERATION OF YOUR PROPERTY.
There was more to using the Skill than simply thinking about what I wanted. There was a formula to it. A ritual, almost. With a shaky breath, I made my offering.
“I… want to temporarily [SACRIFICE] my right thumb.”
“IN EXCHANGE FOR WHAT?”
“The ability to temporarily manipulate fire.”
Nerves filled me as I awaited Fallen Star’s response. In all my years, this was the first time I’d ever voluntarily used [SACRIFICE]. To my astonishment, and partial relief, Fallen Star didn’t make a big deal out of that. Instead, he responded with a single word – one that turned my anxiety into instant anger.
“INSUFFICIENT.”
“What do you mean insufficient?!” I whispered. “I need my right thumb to hold a sword properly! That’s a worthy offering!”
“I AGREE. YOU ARE, HOWEVER, LEVEL 20. IF YOUR LEVEL AND UTILIZATION WERE HIGHER, SUCH A SACRIFICE WOULD NOT REQUIRE A MORE SUBSTANTIAL OFFERING.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Aaaand there it was. There was no way Fallen Star wasn’t going to get a jab in. Now wasn’t the time to get caught up on that, though. If Fallen Star required a more “substantial offering”, I’d have to give it. Now wasn’t the time to protest. Not while the Jikininki was closing in on me.
“I want to temporarily [SACRIFICE] my left arm.”
“IN EXCHANGE FOR WHAT?”
“The ability to temporarily manipulate fire.”
I clenched my jaw, bracing for the inevitable pain that’d come with Fallen Star’s next word. Based on the amusement in its voice a few moments earlier, I already knew what it’d be.
“SUFFICIENT.”
I screamed as my left arm was ripped from my body by invisible hands. I dropped the sword I’d been holding and held my left shoulder, blood gushing from the new stump as I did my best to bear the pain. At the same time, the Jikininki raised its head from the entrance to the alleyway, roar-laughing with glee at my suffering.
The Jikininki once again raced for me, but this time I sank to meet it, daring it to approach. Eager to please, the Myth roared as it opened its mouth for a bite.
Which was the last thing it ever did.
I thrust my palm forward at the Jikininki and roared along with it, blasting it with a burst of fire large enough to fill the alleyway. When the flames dissipated, the Jikininki lay lifeless on the ground, burnt to a crisp. I’d spent the last twenty minutes fighting this thing, just to have killed it in one attack. Fallen Star’s smug satisfaction washed over me, mixing with my disgust.
Before I had time to process it all, though, a familiar, medieval scroll popped into existence in front of me, falling to my feet with an unceremonious clang. A new wave of anger, disgust, and guilt filled me as I looked upon it. While the contents of the sheet weren’t offensive, the memories associated with these damn scrolls were enough to make me sick.
I couldn’t let that apprehension stop me, though. If I’d ever learned anything from the Cult of the Fallen Star, it was how to endure things you hated. I picked up the scroll, reading its contents aloud as I did my best not to recall the first time I’d ever received one of these. I failed, of course, but I pushed the memory down as I read.
LEVEL INCREASED
20 > 22
UTILIZATION PERCENTAGE: APPROXIMATELY 4.4%
Unlike most other times, this scroll even included a Stat Sheet. I wasn’t sure how he did it, but I just knew Fallen Star had a hand in that.
VITALITY: 26
STRENGTH: 24
STAMINA: 20
AURIC STRENGTH: 20
AURIC STAMINA: 20
“You didn’t need to write out the full words,” I said, unamused. “The abbreviations would’ve worked fine.”
Fallen Star laughed. “YOU HARDLY LEVEL, RUI PAYNE. AURIC STRENGTH AND STAMINA WERE STUCK IN THE TEENS FOR THE PAST YEAR. I NEEDED TO MAKE SURE YOU STILL KNEW WHAT THESE STATS ALL WERE. I’LL BE SURE TO ABBREVIATE THEM NEXT TIME.”
I gritted my teeth.
Next time…
***
Yugo sat at the edge of a rooftop, legs dangling like a child too small for their chair, and watched as the silver-haired boy cut the head off of a Jikininki. Both of his Contracted Myths sat at either shoulder… Well, it was more accurate to say one was perched and the other hovered. Er… Swam in place? It didn’t matter. What did matter was the display he’d seen mere moments earlier.
That kid down there was a Curse User! Not only that, but he had enough control over his Curse to use it properly! Most people foolish enough to Contract a Curse were either driven insane by it or old and skilled enough to wrangle it like the Mamoru Clan higher-ups. Yet, here was a kid the same age as his other two recruits doing it better than the pros!
“You know there’s far more to this boy and his ‘Contract’ than skillful control, Master Yugo,” His first Myth, The Historian, noted. “And regardless of the nature of his power, he is far too dangerous to be left alive. I know you see that rune branded into his chest.”
“Yeah, I see it,” Yugo said.
No matter where you went in Minashire, the stench of the Clan followed. Anger was his usual state of being, and it’d flared the moment he saw that kid’s brand. He’d learned from his master how to control his emotions, though. More importantly, he’d learned how to manipulate other peoples’ emotions!
“Still, his Aura Reserves were massive! Did you see them? And his level cap is untouched. That was him without a Curse Shard! At under 10% Utilization!”
As old and wise as The Historian was, everyone had their vices. Yugo intended to use that to his advantage.
“...I suppose you have a point,” The Historian allowed. “But–”
“And I’ve never seen a case like this in my life! I wonder what the nature of that boy and his Curse’s Contract is…”
The Historian shifted on Yugo’s shoulder, groaning as he decided between duty and self-interest.
Just a little more…
“Welp, if you two don’t wanna take a chance on him, I guess we can kill him to play it safe,” Yugo suggested. “Or, we can leave him alone. Let the Galeroses deal with him.”
While his second Myth, the Minashire Monitor, wasn’t able to talk due to it being a Combat-Type, it was still able to gesture and suggest certain feelings. It was like Archie’s Lochness Monster. Or was Archie’s Myth like the Minashire Monitor? Either way, his Myth disapproved of Yugo’s methods and wanted him to know that. Those emotions were mixed with another one, though: Concern. As her name suggested, it was the job of the Minashire Monitor to ensure that the Continent ran smoothly. With that responsibility came a deep love for Minashire and the people in it. It was clear to all three of them that something had been done to this boy to make him who he was. Something horrible. As the one Contracted to the Minashire Monitor, and the man cleaning up the Clan’s messes, it was Yugo’s responsibility to check in on the boy. No, his duty.
“Don’t worry, Mina,” Yugo said, his voice soft. “We’ll make sure he’s–”
“I would like to make an amendment to our Contract!” The Historian blurted, furiously flapping his wings. “You will make contact with the Curse known as Fallen Star, and you will allow me to speak with him. Failure to do so within the next twenty-four hours will result in the severing of our Contract!”
The arm-length koi fish swimming in place over Yugo’s left shoulder conjured a rock and spat it in his face, making her disapproval even clearer. If she could talk, she’d surely tell him that she wasn’t a fan of his successful manipulation tactic. He chuckled an apology, petting her a bit before responding to The Historian.
“I accept. Let’s wait for him to check in with the Galerose Family then we’ll make contact.” Yugo turned to The Historian. “And… sorry for messing with you.”
The Historian, prideful as it was, perched itself atop Yugo’s head. “...I was not swayed by your childish enticements. I have risen above my temptations, as everyone must at some point.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Nothing at all, Master Yugo. Don’t take everything so seriously.”
Yugo rolled his eyes.