Looking around the room, he was stunned several times, you could say. In one corner lay discarded dirty clothes, where one could find women's underwear, and not only that, stained with something brown. And in the other corner were the bones of beasts and humans, which was evident from the skulls. In addition, in one of the walls where the window was located, there were planks that prevented him from running out of the house.

"What the...?" - an old feeling gripped his legs or what was left of them. They began to itch, as he had not felt in a long time, as his body itched. But how is that possible? He's dead.

He was already reaching out to start scratching when he remembered the old woman's words. And suddenly he imagined how his legs were growing wrong, and how the old woman with a saw would start cutting them. As soon as he thought of it, he quickly pulled his hands away.

Better let them itch than get caught by the old woman and her saw to become a source of food. No, that's terrible, so don't give her a reason to try his flesh.

So Vallynor settled comfortably in the cauldron and began to think about the future, creating plans for all possible scenarios.

"Mmm. If you didn't know this was a cauldron, you might think it's a jacuzzi, although I've never been in a real jacuzzi. It's just a shame that I can't feel... Although, that's probably for the best. Otherwise, I would scream in pain from the high temperature of the water. Nah, from boiling water. Sigh."

I don't even know when Vallynor closed his eyes and fell asleep. He fell asleep from exhaustion or perhaps his soul was too heavily tormented. A little rest was necessary.

***

Annino, waking up, quickly got up, but the chains that completely enveloped him did not allow him to take a step. He heard footsteps behind him.

"Oh, the little wolf has woken up... Don't look at me like that. I'll quickly use magic to restore your lost leg. Fortunately, your soul didn't take too much damage and will be able to recover on its own. But I can't say the same for your friend," said the stranger approaching him.

Hearing the stranger's words, Annino wanted to raise his head, but he couldn't. Inside, he considered what he had heard. His instincts, which had never failed him before, told him that the stranger was not an enemy, and perhaps even an ally. It was strange.

But he had no choice. He decided to cooperate with the stranger. And if something went wrong, he would think about what to do later.

"I brought the flesh of the wolves I caught. They will be good material for creating a new paw, and with the help of necromantic magic, I will restore everything... Hehehe, you were created by the Duke of Mogil, oh, you were created recently. That means he hasn't fallen yet..." the stranger continued to talk.

Annino couldn't move his head to see what the stranger was doing. And she kept talking and talking, only falling silent when she needed to concentrate on magic. And so she talked and talked.

Annino even daydreamed about learning to speak and shout at the unfamiliar old lady: "Shut up!" but all of it remained only in his mind, and he tried to ignore it.

***

Vallynor didn't know how long he had been asleep. This dream helped him ease the pain and pressure that had enveloped him. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw an old woman sitting on a small chair next to him, drinking water straight from the pot using a spoon. She seemed so engrossed in the process, as if she was drinking a delicacy. What a strange thing to do?

"Are you awake? Here." - Pulling the spoon, she handed it to him. - "Come on, eat, I haven't eaten such crap in a long time."

"What?" - With a confused look, he asked, looking at the spoon in front of him, and hesitantly took it in his hands.

"I'm saying this tastes like shit. But it's better than sand. You have to take what you can get. And you, come on, eat, eat."

"I..." - He didn't even know what to say, looking at the spoon and then at the old woman. Suddenly noticing that the skin color on her hand was gray like a corpse, not black like before, he touched her a little and realized that she wasn't even as rough as before. This puzzled him a lot.

"What happened to me?" - Vallynor asked, shifting his gaze from the spoon to Baba Yaga. But still, he took the spoon and tasted his skin... Mmm, what shit! Vallynor spat out the remnants of the soup and looked at Baba Yaga. "Why does my skin taste like this?"

"Nothing unusual, just impurities from your body starting to come out, and that fills you with life. In addition, the taste of your flesh is getting better," Baba Yaga said thoughtfully.

Her words scared Vallynor, and in his head, he saw again the picture of Baba Yaga cutting off his limbs with a saw.

"Well, grandson, can I call you grandson?" - She asked, looking him straight in the eye. Her last words sounded like a threat.

Vallynor already didn't want to conflict with her, so he nodded so she wouldn't start coming up with plans to skewer him. But what if he falls for her tricks and agrees to be her grandson? Nothing? And if he refuses, it will mean that he risks ending up on the grill.

"Well, grandson, call me grandma, okay? And tell grandma where you met the rooster?" - Baba Yaga asked, looking closely at Vallynor and waiting for an answer.

"What rooster?" Vallynor asked, surprised.

"Mmm... Right. You know, maybe his name is Duke Mogil... Oh, I see from your eyes that you know him. Don't worry, I won't eat you... yet," he whispered the last words. However, Vallynor heard him very well. He was frightened, but quickly hid his fear and began to tell about how he fought against rats, and then summoned the Duke for a part of his soul and humanity.

Baba Yaga listened attentively to his story. After he finished, she replied:

"You paid a high price to summon the Rooster. Now I understand why he created this hound shadow for you. And humanity - that's too high a price."

"Grandmother, do you know what humanity is?" he asked, hearing Baba Yaga's comments. He even called her Grandmother to win her sympathy.

"Humanity is a complicated thing... How can I say it? It's necessary for the intelligent soul and all souls to have some humanity in them. It gives birth to emotions in people, makes them human, not insensitive machines. Even demons and angels have humanity, even if it's twisted. Humanity can be a first-class fuel for all kinds of spells. The problem is that there's only one humanity. And no matter how many times the soul is reborn, if it loses all of its humanity, it will forever remain insensitive, a walking golem, deprived of itself and the possibility of giving birth to beings like itself."

"Aaa..." Vallynor didn't have time to ask before Baba spoke for him.

"If you lose part of your humanity, it's not dangerous. But there will be consequences. You'll be less sensitive to strong emotions. Not always, but sometimes you may not even feel them. It's important how much humanity you've lost, and from your appearance, you haven't lost that much. You've also become weaker. Because of this, external forces can influence you. For example, I can make you become a gay zoophile... Don't be upset if you were too sentimental before. You've become... stronger."

Vallynor listened to Baba, understanding how dangerous and foolish it was to give up a part of his humanity, but he didn't regret it. If he had a chance to choose again, he would make the same deal. It was better to be alive than dead forever.

"Grandson, show your book to Grandma, I want to examine it and confirm my suspicion," Baba Yana requested.

Looking at her, Vallynor became frightened, as he had come up with several escape plans where the book was supposed to be used, and it was the only guarantee of his survival in this world.

Instinctively, he didn't want to give the book to Grandma, but his mind told him it was better not to get angry, and instead, it was a chance to learn more.

He summoned the book and gave it to Grandma, who began to examine it. Her eyes grew bigger with each passing minute, as if they wanted to leave their orbits.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"This is the Book of the Dead, the Necronomicon," he confirmed, nodding to Grandma. "The same book that God of Death wrote for his child, Death." Vallynor was stunned.

"What?" Vallynor asked in amazement. It was the first time he had heard that this book was written by the God of Death. "Wait, there is Death itself and the God of Death, according to Grandma's words. Then what does it mean? They must have connections," he thought.

Baba Yaga carefully examined the book and tried to open it, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't open it. Looking at Vallynor, she pierced the book and, as kindly as she could, said, "Grandson, open the book for your grandma. Don't be afraid, I want to examine this amazing specimen better."

Vallynor looked at Baba and began to worry. When someone says not to worry, it means the opposite, because they want something. "Don't worry, even if she wants to, she won't be able to steal the book because she recognized you as its owner," a familiar voice unexpectedly sounded in his head. At the same time, Baba Yaga wrinkled her face and smiled strangely.

"It seemed like it after all!! And here I was wondering how long you would watch. You didn't even greet me," she said, looking at the emptiness as if an old woman was looking at them from there.

"I see, hag, that everything is normal with you. Have you cursed anyone in the last few thousand years?" the voice in her head asked.

"No, although there were a few curses, they were small. Ah, I miss the old days. And how about you? Haven't died yet?" Baba Yaga replied.

"No, as you can see, still alive. I don't want to, but I have to thank you. Thank you for saving him," the voice replied.

"Thanks, shove it up your lizard ass... Tell me, why did you want to save him? You hate necromancy and necromancers," pointing her finger at the person in the cauldron who was listening to their conversation carefully.

"He's not from this world," she replied after a few moments of silence.

After a few minutes of silence, Baba Yaga spoke up: "No wonder. It spoils a few moments," she pondered, then looked at the person in the cauldron and nodded a few times.

"I see, you're not very surprised by this news," Vallynor remarked.

"Yes, not really," the old woman replied. "Although it's too bad for the boy. He didn't have much luck being transported to our world in the last moments of his existence... But you want to know more about him?"

"Yes, he must be interesting. Tell us about your days in this bleak world, Vallynor."

Vallynor thought for a moment, deciding that it would be better to tell them about it. Maybe they would learn something new. Besides, the old woman had helped him and Anino by asking Baba Yaga to save them. Vallynor simply nodded and began to speak.

Baba Yaga listened attentively, occasionally eating soup or borscht with a taste of shit. When he finished, she asked him a question: "You said that when you say words like 'status' or 'system,' terrifying demonic sounds appear in your head. What do these words mean to you?"

Vallynor began to explain what the system should represent, its capabilities, and so on. Of course, most things were very similar to online games, where there is an opportunity to develop, discover one's status, and so on. He expected to hear about this, but in the end, he heard the melody of demons.

"There are also several elements, such as missions and balance, that are not related to the word 'status.' And they are specified in the book itself," he said, handing Baba Yaga an open book. She took the book, looked at the white blank pages, and returned them.

"Very strange. Are you sure you are human? And not something else?" she asked, flashing her eyes.

"I'm 100% human. Also, a man. Why do you ask? Do you know something about this?"

"Well, if you want to know more about this, you should ask the gods. But be careful. The gods do not like mortals like us having something they consider their own."

"Okay," Vallynor nodded, realizing that the system was not as simple as he thought before. Even Baba Yaga knows a little about it. He can only get answers from the God. But if they find out, they will definitely try to destroy his soul.

"Well, grandson, your new legs are ready. So get out of my bath," the grandmother said.

Learning that the grandmother was bathing in this cauldron, he wondered what to do with all this clothing and women's panties with stains.

Wait, Vallynor began to imagine how the grandmother, naked with her butt in the shit, comes out into the cauldron and washes herself. "This means I tasted real shit from an old woman," he thought.

He realized that he did not know if it was true or just his imagination. He reflexively felt nauseous, but he still managed to hold back and get out of the cauldron, without thinking about it. He began to inspect his legs, or rather the place where they were severed.

"There's not a trace. How interesting," he said, carefully examining his feet and trying not to think about the filth.

"Nothing unusual. I could have healed you even faster if the world were still Rolan of energy, but unfortunately, it's not. So I caught a few humanoid creatures, chopped their flesh into pieces, and chose the most suitable bones to replace your legs. And the flesh of steel will become new flesh for your legs," Baba explained, watching the result.

"Baba Yaga, I'll bother you again with a request. Teach him a curse," the old woman unexpectedly spoke up.

"A curse? Hmm... You, Vallynor, do you want to become my student?" she asked, looking at Vallynor and considering the old woman's words. After some time, he nodded, confirming that he would like to learn curses.

"Good, but you must take one thing with you and give it to one girl you will meet," Baba Yaga said.

"Okay," Vallynor agreed without much thought, waiting for her to give him the item and tell him what would happen if he met this woman.

Baba Yaga, as if understanding what he was waiting for, emitted a weak laugh and then said, "Not now. I didn't know I would have a student. And now, leave the house. You'll meet your friend out there. Go through the next doors to the left."

Vallynor nodded and left the room. As soon as he did, a small room opened before him, in the center of which stood a table adorned with chains, and on the walls were shelves with jars. This time there were more jars, and something was inside them.

In addition, there were many cabinets and showcases with various things, such as books and photographs. Wow, there were living photographs here, where people moved like on videos. Interesting, are they recorded and don't react to external stimuli, or can they react to me if I talk to them.

After thinking for a moment, he approached a photograph of a creature that was shrouded in black mist. The creature sat on barren land and slept. Vallynor was only able to make out the photograph thanks to the movement of the black mist. Deciding that something needed to be done with it, he struck the photograph several times.

The creature, which had been sleeping in the mist, lifted its head and began to look around. Finally, it stopped its gaze on Vallynor. It couldn't be, living photographs really worked.

The animals, looking at him, began to emit a cry that slowly turned into a beautiful melody.

"Both of them stopped," the voice of the old woman came from behind. When Vallynor woke up, he found himself with his nose in front of the photograph, in a pose as if he wanted to enter the photograph.

And the picture itself had completely changed: there was a huge mouth, full of teeth, and it was waiting for Vallynor to jump into it. Realizing the danger, Vallynor picked up the first thing he could find and struck it.

Vallynor held a strange-looking stick in his hand and struck it several times, trying to take a photograph. But then he quickly stopped and backed away.

He ran straight to the grandmother and hid behind her back. Only his head peeked out to see how the dark mist was emerging from the photograph, slowly spreading.

"What have you done?" the grandmother asked, approaching the mist. She snapped her radula several times and clapped three times, then shouted, "Foolish, unfinished person! Quickly go back!" Gray mist was coming out of her mouth and eyes, which merged with the dark mist, and moans could be heard from the photograph. The mist quickly returned to the photograph.

Baba Yaga picked up a photo shattered into pieces of glass in one hand, while collecting the shards with the other. She placed the broken glass on the photo and then covered them and the photo with her palm. Blood slowly dripped from her claws, mixing with the gray mist.

After a few minutes, the glass appeared on the photo with faint gray lines. Examining it, Baba Yaga put the photo back in its place.

"What is this photo?" Vallynor couldn't help but ask once he realized the danger had passed and there was no longer a threat.

"This is not just a photo, it's like a prison in another dimension. But that doesn't matter," she sighed a few times, turned around and yelled, "You half-witted idiot! I told you not to touch anything. What are you doing with my back and butt scratcher?" she asked, seeing that he was holding it.

"Uh..." He wanted to drop it right away when he realized what it was for. But he stopped, seeing the old woman's intense gaze, and not knowing what to do, handed her the scratcher. Recalling his fantasies of her sawing his legs.

"You thought right, and did the right thing by returning the stick... Mmm, an interesting idea with the saw," Baba Yaga said, gaining boldness.

"What?" he exclaimed, hearing Baba Yaga's comments. Can she read his thoughts?

"Partially," Baba Yaga replied, taking the stick and beginning to scratch her back. Then she looked at Vallynor's pensive face and continued, "When I was too young and naive, I thought about such banal things as a guy, family, love, and sex. And even now, I sometimes think about sex and wait for Rooster to fulfill his part of the deal. Where was I? Oh yes, I was a young witch who was tricked by several guys in a row. Then I cursed myself for giving them the ability to read my thoughts. Now, I'm glad it only works within a 10-meter radius from me."

"You said, luckily?" he asked.

"Yes, luckily," she confirmed. "I was clever in magic and curses from a very young age. I already understood about backlash and that the curse I create must have a price. If that doesn't happen, there will be no damage."

"What?" he asked, looking at the grandmother. He was pondering what he had heard. "The curse has a price. And what is a backlash? Some kind of operator?"

"Here's your first lesson. A curse can have many functions, and for each of them, you have to pay. How to pay is decided by the creator of the curse. When someone curses another person, no matter the goal, the one who created the curse gets a backfire. And the more serious and dangerous the curse, the more damage the creator will receive. For example, a girl curses a guy for a month of complete misfortune. In most cases, the girl's backlash will have half a month of misfortune. I have devised a technique to shift this backlash onto someone or something else, be it a person or an object... Yes, yes, that girl was me, and those men deceived me. And yes, stop thinking about me with a thousand questions. And about your questioning - get out of here."

She said it with obvious annoyance.

Valynor had been silent since he heard about the curse. His mind was full of questions, most of which were about Baba Yaga. He didn't even get a chance to say anything before she started talking and then kicked him out.

Meanwhile, Baba Yaga took out a notebook from nowhere and wrote: "Valynor - small or maybe medium-level idiot," and then hid it under her old skirt.