“I’m pretty sure that trying to grapple me isn’t going to help your case,” I muttered, again using a portal to drop away from the very annoyed Amy, appearing back in her path and lifting her off the ground. “You can try to listen to reason-”
Amy threw her body backwards and rolled out of my grip, hissing at me. “Why should I even listen to you? You’re trying to cut our contract short-”
Obviously; You’re acting like a rabid wolf. Why the hell wouldn’t he? Systie said.
“You-!” Amy lunged at Systie, who dodged her without effort. “I am not!”
“Says the girl jumping around and hissing,” I muttered. “Why are you so against it? It’s not that big of a deal to keep your mouth shut about me.”
“That’s not the problem!”
I sighed. “This better not be about my gods damned Mana. Cause if it is, I’m leaving right now. I can deal with a damned Mana Lock. I cannot deal with you doing all of this crap because you want Mana. Get a hold of yourself.”
Amy launched herself towards me again and I waved my hand, summoning a giant chunk of ice in her way, which she ran directly into. I then let the entire thing shatter before morphing the shards around her, trapping her in the Ice, just I’d seen Mia do once, though it was before she had [Glacier Fall]. Since [Glacier Fall] had a much larger wall of Ice, I wondered how she’d use it. I’d seen her come up with some really interesting things when Mia used her limited Skill-set.
Despite that, I had trouble doing the same things as her, most likely since I wasn’t as adept at Ice and Lightning as Mia was. However, it was enough to trap Amy for some amount of time as I tried to think of what to do with her.
Systie gave me a mental noise of confusion.
I snatched the eyeball out of the air and held her between my fingers. “I did not get myself in this mess. If I remember somewhat clearly, it was your fault to even accept the contract. I very vividly remember you haggling with her.”
Immediately, nervousness exploded in Systie. Er…
“Exactly. So this is mostly your fault.”
Hey! You’re at fault as well! You agreed!
“Yeah, cause I didn’t know what it really consisted of and you just so happened to forget to mention what it did-”
Before I could continue complaining, I heard the Ice crack. Both Systie and I stared.
Jesus Christ, she’s stronger than I thought. By the way, where’s Mia? Systie inquired, driving the topic away from her. She seems to be having the time of her life right now.
“I left her at the camp with Merry, just because I like tormenting the people there,” I said, rolling my eyes. When Systie gave me a suspicious, one-eyed look, I shrugged. “I’m not that cruel. I just told Merry to stuff Mia’s face with food. She’s clearly enjoying herself.”
I think that’s just another way to torment the people there.
Before I could respond, the Ice exploded outward with a cloud of strangely colored smoke.
“STOP IGNORING ME!” Amy yelled.
I blinked. “I…genuinely forgot Amy was in that Ice.”
Don’t feel too bad, so did I.
Amy yelled and seemed to appear in front of me in less than a second. In her attempt to grab me, she slammed face-first into a [Shard of Oblivion], which I dispelled immediately before it burst.
I should really start using my Skills more often. Especially Shard. It’s not obviously made of Abyss Mana unless you really stare at it. Hm… Maybe I should wait for that Harbinger to get back to throw a few at her. Harmony, was it? Strangely enough, I don’t dislike her, but she is kinda annoying-
Restricted Infor-
Information Unlocked
***
WHY WOULD YOU UNLOCK HER PERMISSIONS? Systie complained to her Manager, throwing a rhino at him.
He yelped as he dodged the rhino. “Whaaat? I would never.” He said. “Plus, can’t you just lock them?”
I DON’T KNOW WHICH MODEL IT IS!
“Man, you sure love yelling, don’t you?” he muttered, rubbing his bleeding ears. “Calm down, geez. She would’ve unlocked them once she consumed another Dungeon. Plus, due to the makeup of her body, she’s better than you are at resisting {Corruption}-”
Not the point! It doesn’t need unlocked permissions!
“‘It’s’ a living thing, just like you, though that’s stretching the definition of ‘living’. She has a personality and mind filled with thoughts. Though, her personality is slightly more tolerable than yours-”
NOT TRUE! I am very tolerable.
“Lies- ACK! STOP IT WITH THE DAMN RHINOS!”
***
I tried to ignore the fact that Systie referred to the System as her, but I was already thinking about it as I tossed a snowball at Amy’s face, knocking her off course. She rolled across the ground for a few moments before jumping back to her feet.
“Would you not-” she started.
“If you ask me to not do something, I will throw you against a tree and break it over your back… assuming I can pull a tree out of the ground.”
I reached for the nearest tree that looked grabbable and, using talons, I dug into the tree and, with a bit of an effort, ripped the entire thing, roots and all, out of the ground. We stared at it for a few moments, the three of us baffled. I then lowered the tree back into the ground and patted its trunk.
“Sorry, tree. I honestly thought I’d just rip you in half,” I said.
I am 90% sure that it was a Dryad, judging by how the tree didn’t just rip in half, which is a real feat of Endurance.
I cringed, taking a step away from the tree. “O’ Mother Nature, don’t smite me,” I grumbled, looking to the ground below me.
She can’t smite people. That’s her husband’s job.
“... Mother Nature’s husband is Zeus? Wait, Mother Nature exists?”
Jason, your thoughts are going in every direction except the correct one. You’re supposed to be dealing with Amy.
“...How am I supposed to not think about this-oof!”
I flew forward as Amy caught me by surprise and we rolled nearly seven meters before I got my legs under her and kicked her off of me, launching her straight up into the air, where I grabbed her with [Abyss Tendrils].
Normally, I would have to use a crap-ton of mental energy to keep someone her size in the air, but that wasn’t the case here. I wanted her back on the ground as fast as possible. I slammed my hand downwards, launching her downwards as well. I then Anchored most of my Tendril cap to keep her against the ground, using a nearly negligible 14400 Mana. Actually, that was a pretty big chunk, but worth it as she struggled, unable to escape.
I bent down in front of her and patted her head. “There, there. As I said five minutes ago, I just want to talk to you.”
“I won’t cut the contract,” she hissed.
Quickly thinking up an intimidation tactic, I asked Systie, “Are there repercussions for killing a person you’re in a contract with if it’s not explicitly stated in said contract?”
Systie was confused, but answered, Since it’s not in the contract, then no…
Amy snorted. “You wouldn’t kill me to dissolve the contract.”
Making a show of being annoyed, but internally begging whatever gods watching to forgive me, I scowled before launching a Shard directly into her leg, deliberately missing the knee, since I was actually wanting her to be able to walk again. I ignored her shrieks as I stabbed the other leg.
Holy shit, Jason, calm the fuck-
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
After I finished, I hissed. “I don’t give two shits about the contract. I just need you to quit acting like you own me. On the contrary, you’re lucky I didn’t just straight up kill you. Shut it,” I snapped as she opened her mouth to yell. She let out a weak hiss and shut up. Can I control this ordering thing? With a sigh I continued, trying to sound commanding… like a leader… like a Prince. “You will stop this idiocy and quit acting like a spoiled brat. Just because you got a taste of Mana doesn’t mean you own it.”
I could feel Systie freeze, some sort of complicated emotion bubbling up in her. She was taken aback, horrified, confused, and… scared. Of me. I shoved down my guilt and stood up, dispelling the Shards. I remembered I had one more potion in my Storage and pulled it out. However, when I was about to give it to Amy, I stopped.
Where… did I get this? I thought. I don’t want to give it away… but I can’t leave Amy like this. Why do I care so much-
Systie gave me a mental nod of confirmation. While saying this she sounded really skeptical, as if she wasn’t sure.
Suddenly, a splitting headache ravaged my mind and I nearly lost consciousness…
*???*
A boy and girl sat in a room, the boy rubbing the spines in the girl’s hair while she slept with her head on his lap. He looked over to the strange floating eyeball that he still didn’t understand, who was completely dormant next to the sleeping Serpent in the body of a child.
He… no, I sighed.
“I like spending time like this. The general is so damn annoying, so I would rather spend time with these three than her-”
The girl, [Data Lost], opened an eye, clearly having not been asleep and gave me a suspicious look. “Is that supposed to be an insult? Or is it a compliment?”
I rolled my eyes at [Data Lost]. “Weren’t you sleeping? What made you go ultra instinct?”
She hit my arm. “You know I don’t know what that is referencing, so quit it, idiot.” She sat up and wrapped her arms around my chest, pressing her face against me. “So, is it a compliment? ‘Cause you better be complimenting me for taking care of your little gremlin.”
I kissed her forehead. “Of course it’s a compliment, [Data Lost]. You do well taking care of her.”
She rolled her eyes and sighed, pressing her own lips against my neck. I sighed as I felt the telltale signs of her sniffing me. I set one of her spines in my hand and rubbed it, causing her to hold me tighter. She let out a sigh, relaxing after a second. She sat on my lap, faceing me as we held one another, content to stay like this.
Eventually, she spoke again. “Hey, Jay?”
“Yeah, [Data Lost]?”
She poked my cheek, miffed. “Don’t call me [Data Lost]. My name is [Data Lost].”
“Then don’t call me Jay.”
[Data Lost] shook her head. “Whatever. Anyways, I have a question. What do you plan to do after everything with the Dungeon and whatnot?”
I frowned. “Honestly, I’d probably go back over to Mayflower to see Leah, since she’s probably pissed. If you want to go, I’m sure we could easily get you out of whatever solitary confinement the [Data Lost] is going to put you in.”
[Data Lost] laughed. “Yeah, Auntie would do that. She's far too cautious when it comes to me. Since her daughter is ‘presumed dead’ I have to stay alive.”
I frowned. “What would you do if her daughter wasn’t?”
She blinked. “I’ve… never thought about that before. If she were alive, huh…”
[Data Lost] seemed lost in thought. Then she shook her head. “I honestly would probably keep traveling with you; I’m sure there would be some things I couldn’t afford to miss.”
I rolled my eyes. “Naturally, naturally. You just don’t want to admit I’m just the best person in the world to travel with-”
She interrupted me with another kiss. I blinked before leaning into it.
If I had to choose… I’d probably want to not be doing these Dungeon bullshit, but I’d still make the choice to be with [Data Lost], Princess and all.
*...Present?*
I blinked awake, noticing the sheer amount of Abyss Mana in the near vicinity.
What the fuck is going on? I thought, dropping myself out into a portal and into a nearby tree, a bit shaky. I feel like I remembered something important, but don’t know what it consists of, if that makes sense.
I looked around, not sensing Systie or Mia anywhere. In fact… it was like they didn’t exist at all… Wait. There’s something else.
I could faintly sense something else… {Corruption}. But unlike normal {Corruption}, this seemed more… alive. Like it had some sort of mission.
“Am I… inside my Soul?” I suddenly thought. “If so… where is it?”
I slowly turned around in a full circle, realizing I wasn’t on a tree, but some sort of platform. “Why is there {Corruption}, though? Is that what’s wrong with my memory? Or… is it what unlocked it… wait… when Julia was {Corrupted}, she used some sort of memory Magic and unlocked… Juli’s death.”
Juli’s death, huh? I’d like to say that I haven’t changed since remembering that, but that would be a lie. I think everything with Maya, Merry, and Amy is just me trying to forget about it again, angry with myself. All the outbursts are just me venting, unnecessarily being rude towards them. And me rejecting Merry… wasn’t exactly founded in the least. If I had been right in my mind, I’d have probably accepted her. But, that boat’s already sailed, too late to change it.
I looked around from the platform and sighed. “I should probably figure out how to wake up. But this {Corruption} needs to be dealt with.”
I looked down into the void of nothingness below me and gulped. “But… how do I get to it-?”
I then frowned. “Wait, this is my Soul, right? Can’t I just imagine myself flying?”
I thought hard about it, and before I could react, I shot forward like a bullet, screaming in a very unmanly way, blasting towards the {Corruption}. After a few seconds, I could see a writhing mass in the distance. It wasn’t large, but seemed to be trying to eat something. It was a shard of some sort of… I couldn’t really explain it, but it was like a piece of glass, flashing with colors. I flew over the {Corruption} and slid over the glass-like surface before I was able to stop myself using my talons.
“Shitshitshit-!” I hissed, throwing myself forward to avoid falling into the abyss below. As I panicked, the glass-like surface flashed red. Once I pulled myself up, it fell into a blue of relief before shifting back into a brown of confusion.
So it reflects my emotions? And that {Corruption} is trying to eat it? Not happening.
I flew towards the {Corruption} and ordered all the Abyss Mana around me to eat it up. Immediately, the {Corruption} began to shriek, writhing in pain. Even when it let go, it was still attacked until it finally was obliterated.
“Damn, that was satisfying.”
I tried to pull up my Status, but didn’t get a response. Huh. I guess my Soul isn’t affected by the System. Is that why I don’t have to focus on the specific Skill to use it? Also, I can still feel Mana. Does that mean the System doesn’t create Mana, but it uses Mana created by other things?
I shrugged, sensing more {Corruption} in the distance. Time for a system purge.
***
Merry grit her teeth as the person who was definitely not Jason ripped through her barriers with little to no effort, simply laughing at her struggle.
{Really, child?} It said, the words not sounding like they came out of his mouth, even though the mouth opened, segmented jaw and all. {Your struggles simply amuse me. Humans, Elves, they’re all the same to me. I never thought I’d be able to control an Abyssal before. They truly are a force to be reckoned with.}
Jason… “When He gets here, you won’t be laughing then, will you?”
The thing scowled in Jason’s face. {Oh really, Merry? Just because you were able to keep them from being killed by me, you really think you could stop me if I went all out?}
The twitch in Its face gave away its bluff. “You’re bluffing. You don’t have full control over his body.”
It narrowed Its eyes. {Hmph. Stupid eyeball.}
Said eyeball floated behind Merry, clearly annoyed that she couldn’t do anything to it. However, she was easily able to hide that annoyance by insulting It.
HA! I’ve always been better than you, idiot. I dunno why you only just noticed it, though. It was quite clear from the start. I also don’t know why you think that you’ll keep his body. I’ll be doing a thorough cleaning of his Soul after this, and set up a few “Friendly defenses” to keep you out.
A stream of… something black, tinged with red blasted at Merry, but Systie easily burned it out of the air with Abyss.
Keep trying-
“Will you shut up?” Amy grumbled, also annoyed that her poison was doing absolutely nothing. “Taunting people never ends well. Also, I want to know how that damned cockroach is still alive,” she continued, gesturing at Miana, who was in her full Dragon form writhing as black masses tried to eat away at her scales but blew up with a burst of Abyss Mana.
As a certain someone, or two someones, would say, she’s just built differently. And don’t worry, when she Evolves, she’ll be even more resistant to damage. I’m also pretty sure she got a Skill that increases her natural healing by a fuckton at some point during this.
“Why aren’t you exploding?”
I’ve blown up two hundred and forty-seven copies at this point. So I am. I just direct it into the copies. I’m almost out of Mana though… I think you’d be dead if Jason hadn’t filled me up.
“You know how that sounds, right?” Merry grumbled.
I’m fully aware.
Before Merry could retort, Jason’s body shot forward towards the two of them. Mia let out a hiss and launched herself over, blowing up a black mass in Its face, launching it back. It skidded before using Its talons to throw itself back forward. Merry gritted her teeth as she put up a barrier, even more of her precious Mana flowing away.
“Damn… you,” she hissed, throwing herself back in a panic as it slashed through the barrier.
She was too late as it grabbed her by the neck and slammed her against the ground, nearly breaking said neck.
“Merry!” Amy yelled, but had to stop as she launched herself over, dodging a few of the damnable shards that had killed Merry’s Mana to begin with.
{HAHA!} the thing roared. {I’ve caught the little healer-}
Suddenly it froze, cloak billowing behind it. It scowled as one of its eyes flashed blue before shifting back to black and empty.
{Damn boy-}
Merry took that chance to blast fire out of her mouth, at its face. She slipped out of the grip and ran back over to Amy, who let out a cloud of her most dense poison yet. However, that wasn’t the point of making it. She let it float to the still burning thing and it exploded in its face, blasting it back nearly ten yards.
Amy rushed forward to smash her hand into its chest, but missed as it used a portal and got itself behind her. It smashed her against the ground before lifting her up and throwing her straight up.
{Finally, a kill. Took long enoug-}
“Not happening.”
A blast of some much, much hotter fire exploded against Jason’s chest, a huge sword smashing into him. He was launched backward at a blistering pace, bouncing against the ground a few times. He smashed into the wall near the fort, which began to sprout more vines and wrap around him. The sword that had been stuck in the ground flew up and into an armored hand.
Red hair. Burning, plated armor. A sword the color of flames. Dark skin of a human.
Harmony, the Sixth Harbinger glared at Jason. “You threw me all the way to a stupid city in the middle of nowhere, and now you’re killing people. This is why I kill Abyssals.”
{Ah. Harmony, Harmony, the girl with a Corrupted Class. How much of a success you are.}
Harmony glared. “You… you’re not the Abyssal. What the hell are you?”
The thing grinned. {But it’s me. The one who gave you your Class! Don’t you love it?}
Harmony gritted her teeth. “I don’t know what you’re on about. But I’m going to kill you. I’m already tired of your voice.”
Without another word, Harmony launched herself at the thing in Jason and It laughed, its voice a nail on a chalkboard.
***
Leah felt like something was seriously wrong. She’d always gotten this feeling whenever Jason did something dumb, but this time around, it was worse. Like something slowly eating her from the inside out.
“Hey, Char?” Leah asked.
Char opened an eye and looked up at Leah from her lap. “Hm?”
“Does something seem… wrong?”
Char sniffed the air. “No, why do you ask?”
Leah shook her head. “I dunno. I just feel like… something is wrong. That it needs to be fixed, or else something will happen. Something horrible.”
Char looked over to the front of the self-propelled carriage and sighed. “You worry about Jason too much.”
Leah cringed, knowing that Char had hit it right on the nose. However, she snorted in response. “Worry? It’s more like wondering if he’s done something stupid and if he got hurt in the process of doing said stupid thing-”
“That's a worry. You can’t hide these things from me, Leah,” Char said, seeing through the bluff.
Leah sighed, defeated. “Look, I don’t want to seem like I… I like him or something, but I can’t calm down when he’s not obviously okay. I… I don’t know if he’s dead, if he’s in a Dungeon, or-”
“Leah, you love him, don’t you? More than Treia ever could,” Char said.
Leah could feel her face going red. “No, of course not! He’s my best friend that I’ve known since… forever, at this point. It’d be weird if I loved him. I can’t-”
Char frowned at Leah. “Why do you seem so nervous about it? Has he rejected you at some point?”
“What? I don’t even like him in that way, he’s just my best friend. You’re-”
“Wait, from where you come from is polygamy not allowed or frowned upon? If that’s the case, you don’t really need to worry about that unless you’re a Princess or something.”
Leah stared at Char. “Heh?”
The two of them went silent. Leah had the stray thought that this would definitely be something Jason would be laughing at, especially if the conversation was a completely different context.