How long have I been waiting here? I don’t know, probably at least a day.

The Chief left not too long ago, and since then I’d had some time to reflect and realised that I was perhaps being a little more unreasonable than is usual for me. And to be honest, I really wished that I could have some time to rest sooner rather than later. It probably wouldn’t have been so bad if it wasn’t for, you know, what happened the other day.

And now I’m thinking about Kaelan again. Damn it.

That anger that had since reduced to barely a simmer slowly tried to bubble up to the surface, and I desperately tried to push it back down. Taking deep breaths, I barely refrained from hitting a tree with my fragile, unStrengthed, hands and managed to enter something of a state of calm.

Despite my best efforts, however, I couldn't help but feel a sense of bitterness. Why had Kaelan been the Mage Killer’s victim? Why were they even still able to be active? Why were they even doing all this in the first place?

Thankfully, before I was able to spiral into even more questions that may never get proper answers, I heard someone walking into the clearing. Turning away from the entrance to the tomb, though at that point I was hardly able to pay attention to it, I saw that Chief Elmwood had returned already. She didn’t bring anything, so this wasn’t her delivering that potion already, and her face was etched with worry and fear.

I got the sense that something wasn’t quite right.

“Rob, I’m going to have to ask you to get some sleep. Something has happened that needs to take precedence over this tomb, and you’ll destroy yourself if you continue to be this stubborn.” Idly, I wondered if her worry was for me or for the village.

“What happened?” The difference in my tone since we last spoke looked to startle her for a moment, but she quickly recovered and explained the situation.

From how I interpreted it, the next village over had been attacked and she was worried that the same might happen here. Apparently there was something strange about the people that carried out the attack, but in my addled state that hardly seemed like an important detail.

I sighed, before standing up for the first time in hours and stretching my stiff muscles, “Alright, I’m kinda tired anyway. Do you have someone else to look after the tomb?”

She shook her head, “No, if I’m right then the tomb likely won’t be attacked until after this particular situation is dealt with, if at all. Now come, we have a place for you to rest.”

I followed Elmwood back towards the village, walking noticeably slower now than when I last walked this path, such that the Chief had to slow her walking pace so that I could keep up. The walk was strangely peaceful, and I remembered how I’d liked to just walk through the trees before my Awakening. Ever since I’d gained Lightning Steps I hadn’t really had a chance to just walk peacefully like this.

It was nice.

Unfortunately it wasn’t to last, and we soon emerged from the forest to find a group of people gathered around a lone armoured figure. For some reason, I picked up the furrows in the ground behind them before I recognised those familiar black spikes.

“Oh! Render! What are you doing here?” At my shout, Render apologised to the people around them before gently pushing their way through the crowd so that they could reach me.

“Rob, you are not looking well. You haven’t been spending too much time training, have you? That will only hinder your progress in the long run, please be more careful.” Huh, they sound pretty worried. Are we really that close?

“Oh, I haven’t had time to train just yet. I needed to make sure no one managed to get into the secret tomb in the woods over there, so I haven’t slept,” A number of people nearby glared at me as I said that, and I remembered that I wasn’t supposed to say that, “Oh uh, I meant over there.” I ‘corrected’ myself and instead pointed in a direction that was blatantly not where I came from. It was hard to tell without being able to see their face, but I suspected Render bought it.

“I see. Then you should sleep soon, there may be a dire threat that could accost this village at any moment.” At this, Chief Elmwood spoke up.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“We are aware, I have just told Rob the situation.” Render looked genuinely surprised at that, and almost sounded impressed when they next spoke.

“So you are aware of Necromancers? I had thought that the knowledge would have been lost, what with the decay of the practice in recent centuries.”

Elmwood huffed and said, “Well we didn’t know the specifics, but a nearby village has been attacked so we got the gist.”

“Ah, I had hoped that I was mistaken. Can you describe what they were attacked by, specifically? This could be vital information, in case they attempt an attack here. Though I will still need it in order to prepare to hunt them down.”

“The only one of us that saw it claimed they were walking skeletons, that mean anything to you?” Render nodded gravely.

“Yes, Skeletal Warriors were a common troop created by fledgling Necromancers who had not yet gotten completely used to the smell of decay. If they were using Zombies, or Gods forbid Ghouls, then we would be in much more danger. This is manageable,” They turned to me, “Rob, you should find a place to rest as soon as possible. When you wake you may come with me to assist with the battle. It will be a good opportunity for you to grow stronger, and the Gods smile upon those who vanquish Undead.”

“Yeah, sounds good. Chief, you said there was somewhere I could sleep right? Can you take me there now?”

“Of course, it’s not too far away now. Come on then.” She led me to a small house, more of a shack really, close to the edge of town. Walking inside I saw that it was actually about the same size as my room at the Haggard Hoarbear, or what used to be the Haggard Hoarbear I guess, maybe a little smaller. The bed was pressed up against the far wall, and the rest of the furniture was just different kinds of storage.

I guess whoever lives (lived?) here probably doesn’t spend a lot of time indoors.

Regardless of the lifestyle choices of the occupant, I said goodbye to the Chief and dropped into bed, only then realising that everything I’d taken out of the satchel had been left behind by the tomb.

Whatever, I’ll get it later. I’m too tired to-

And then I was out.

----------------------------------------

Usually when I slept I either experienced nothing, or saw visions of that other place. But this time, for some reason, it was different.

First, I couldn’t see anything. All around me was an oddly familiar darkness, like I’d been here at least a few times. After some time spent staying there, strangely more lucid than when I was awake earlier, I could finally place it.

This was the same place that I saw when I used Meditation, I hadn’t ever found a name for it but in that moment I was struck by a bolt of inspiration that I’d never really felt before. It was my mind. Or maybe my soul? But they could be the same thing anyway, I wasn’t what anyone would call an expert.

Though that wasn’t relevant. What I was much more interested in was the fact that I had arrived here accidentally, just by falling asleep, and that there were none of the usual memories and Skills like I was used to.

Hm, weird. This would’ve been a good opportunity to take a look at the Skills that I haven’t checked yet.

As I thought that something shifted and, in the blink of an eye, something beautiful appeared before me. All of my Skills were there, doing whatever it is they did with my memories to keep my skills sharp, but there beside them was something that I’d somehow never noticed before then.

Have I even been here since I got it? I guess it doesn’t matter, but it’s a shame that I haven’t been using this Skill to its fullest.

Right at the edge of my group of Path Skills, was a thick rod of something indefinable that looked inherently different to all of my other Skills, more robust maybe. Shining a brilliant cyan, the same as my Lightning except somehow more, it led off into the distance. There was something strange on the side that my mind somehow registered as a switch, or a lever. If I wanted to toggle the Skill from here, that would be how I would do it.

Without thinking about it, I had drifted closer and started to examine the rod. On a closer look, I could see the similarities between it and my other Skills. Maybe if I got them to max level too they would look the same? Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I was actually trying to accomplish by looking at it, maybe I was just curious, it’s hard to tell what I was thinking when my mind was literally all around me, in many places just out of my immediate reach.

As I circled around the Skill, Scorch Affinity most likely, I brushed up against something and whirled around in a panic. My first thought was that something was in here with me, but that was surely impossible, so that couldn’t be it. But then, what would be here that I didn’t already know about?

As far as I could tell, there was nothing there, but I must have brushed something so it was hard to trust my sight on this one. So instead, I trusted my touch. I waved my hands out in the area in front of me, feeling a little stupid but no more so than usual, and not finding anything for a suspenseful few seconds.

But then I found it. I just barely managed to touch something that I couldn’t detect in any way apart from how there was a place that my hands couldn’t pass through and immediately grabbed it. As far as I could tell it was another rod, just like Scorch Affinity, and since all of my Skills were accounted for I was almost at a loss as to what it could be.

Unless, King Slayer?

Almost before I even made the realisation, the rod revealed itself to me for just a split second. But that was more than enough time for me to see what it was and, more importantly, what it was.

The first thing I thought was that it was the reason I was here, in my mind, and though I had arrived through random chance, it almost felt like it must have been preordained already. The second thing I thought was that I didn’t recognise its colour. Scorch Affinity was the same cyan as my Lightning, when I looked at it I almost saw the Lightning Affinity, but this was different.

There was no Affinity I had encountered that quite fit what I was looking at. It felt like growth, more than that, it felt like the growth of the past, present and future. No, it was something more than that, or maybe the same. If I were to describe it in one word, all I could think of would be Potential.

And then it was gone, and I was left with just the memories of something that felt all too much greater than myself.

And then, minutes or hours later, I felt a feeling much like the unease that came from Sense Danger- only much more direct. It pushed straight through my mind and shook me to my core.

Within a fraction of a fraction of a second later, my perception of my mind shattered and I woke to the distant sound of marching feet.