Hermera
The 22nd of Elaphebolion
The Year 4631 in the Era of Mortals
Arche woke to the stench of vomit.
Pain thrummed through him, consolidated mostly in his head, but seasoned with a stabbing pain in his side. There was a pressure behind his eyes that threatened to explode at any moment, pulsing steadily with his heart. Arche cracked his eyes open and the world swayed unrecognizably in front of him, giving his already weakened stomach an extra turn.
He forced his eyes to open fully, straining against the sunlight, and realized that the world wasn’t just strange, it was upside down. Or, more accurately, he was upside down. Something gripped his right leg, snaking around his ankle and, as he focused on it, he saw a rope held him up, tied to the bough of a tree high above. He was also shirtless and had a knife sticking out of his side.
That explained the stabbing pain, at least.
“Ugh, why do I feel like I’m back in college?” he muttered.
“As if someone like you ever attended the Lyceum.”
A woman’s voice, full of scorn and derision. Too full, actually, it couldn’t have been more forced.
Arche twisted about, trying to get a look. The move cost him a couple points of Health as his skin twisted around the blade, sending a fresh wave of pain through him. The woman leaned against a nearby tree, dressed in blue scale armor that had been crafted from some creature Arche couldn’t even begin to identify. He struggled to Examine her. It took longer than it should have, thanks to his muddled mind, but it opened eventually.
Theresa Eliades
Level: 23
Race: Human
Age: ?
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Profession: ?
Trade: ?
Traits: ?
Companions: ?
Adventuring Party: ?
Health: 420 / 420
100%
Stamina: 375 / 375
100%
Mana: 260 / 260
100%
She had flaxen hair tied back into a bun and was playing with a dagger, flipping it end over end in one hand as she regarded him. He stared back, confused. She turned away, instead fixing her gaze on the forest nearby, but as he craned his head, he could see that she had deep, brown eyes.
“You,” he muttered. “Wait. Did we…?”
She sneered at him.
“You wish. Granted, the rest of the village is still laboring under that delusion, so don’t think anyone’s coming for you.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, but if it’s not too much trouble, could you explain why”—he gestured loosely to himself with his bound hands—“all this? Seems like a lot of effort.”
Her eyes narrowed, but she shrugged and answered anyway.
“I agree, and I argued as much, but Callias didn’t want you murdered outright. You’re meant to look like an accident, so we’re just going to wait for a monster to come and mangle you out of your misery.”
Arche ground his teeth and glanced around. They were surrounded by trees, which meant they were in the Sylv. A roaming monster could no doubt put him out of his misery, especially as he was. His vitals didn’t give him much hope, either.
Health: 290 / 420
69%
Stamina: 280 / 280
100%
Mana: 190 / 190
100%
Hungover — Tier 1: 02:46:29
His injury was worse than he’d thought, but still manageable. As long as he didn’t move too much, he wasn’t even losing Health from the knife in his side. That part was likely equal parts pain and lure. His max Health and Stamina were lower than what he remembered, meaning she must have removed his ring. What surprised him most was that she had left the knife in him. Sure, his hands were tied, but they weren’t tied behind his back. He supposed she felt he wasn’t much of a threat even if he got his hands on the knife.
According to his inventory, he’d been cleaned out. He couldn’t recall taking anything out, so either she could access his inventory or he’d really gone too hard with the felsbier. The latter was likely true, regardless. The hangover debuff explained his headache and rather horrible cottonmouth but he had a bigger question on his lips than the desperate need for water.
“Callias put you up to this? I can’t say I’m surprised, but I’m surprised you admit it. What if I make a miraculous escape?”
Theresa shrugged again.
“Not likely. I’m here to ensure you die. As for the village fool, he didn’t pay me to keep his name out of it. He assumes he inspires more loyalty than he does.”
“Then why bother telling me?”
“I don’t like having enemies. I’ve got nothing against you, really. If, and that’s a big if, you get out of this, I don’t want you coming after me. Why waste time on me when you could just as easily go for the guy in charge, right?”
Arche stared at her from his inverted position, his mouth twisted open in surprise.
“You abducted me, put a knife in me, and are waiting for some random monster to come tear me apart, and you’re really trying to give me the ‘it’s just business, no hard feelings’ about it?”
Theresa shrugged.
“Take it how you will. It won’t make much difference in a few minutes. Won’t be long now until something comes along.”
“If you don’t care for him, why do you take his money?”
“Enough. I’m not interested in small chat.”
“It might be my last conversation. Not exactly small for me.”
The assassin didn’t respond. She had finished playing with the dagger and instead crossed her arms, still refusing to look at him. Try as he might, he couldn’t hear any approaching monsters, which meant he had some time left to try talking before he had to resort to more drastic measures.
“You don’t like your job very much, do you?”
“What would you know about it?” she snapped at him.
“Not much,” he admitted. “But your secrets are safe with a dead man, right? You don’t look like you want to be here any more than I do, and that’s saying something. I mean, normally I would expect a little more enthusiasm out of a hired killer.”
Her eyes flashed toward him, full of anger.
“I’m not a hired killer.”
“Ah.” Arche managed a grunt, wincing as it shaved away a few more points of Health. “My mistake. It must have been someone else who dragged me here, used me as a knife-sharpener, and strung me up a tree.”
“You’re still alive aren’t you?”
“You’re still waiting for me to die, aren’t you?”
She looked away. Interesting.
“What?” he asked. “Too proud to look at your handiwork? If you’re going to kill me, you could at least look me in the eye.”
Theresa clenched her jaw and met his gaze. Arche did his best to let all animosity out of his face. He locked eyes with her and refused to blink. After a few moments, Theresa cursed and turned away.
“Malaka, I knew this was a bad idea,” she muttered.
“It’s not too late,” Arche said. “You don’t have to do this. Let me down, help me get back to the village. We both know Callias is an idiot. You don’t have to subjugate yourself to him.”
“He runs this village. He holds all the money, the guards, the power. To turn against him is to have the whole village turn against you. I would never make it back to the city on my own. Not that much good is waiting for me, there. As long as he thinks I’m in his pocket, I’m safe. A lone woman, this far from civilization. The chances are not good.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way. You still get to make a choice.”
“It’s the way it always is.” She set her jaw. “I don’t want this, but I don’t see a way out. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
Arche heard a rustle. It was far away, but it was unnatural. A chill ran through him. Something had caught his scent. Theresa didn’t seem to notice.
“You’ve never done this before, have you?” Arche asked. “Killed someone, I mean.”
“I should have gagged you,” she muttered.
“I should have told you my safe word.” Arche’s chuckle turned into a pained gasp as his Health dropped a few more points.
“Look, Theresa, it’s clear you’re in over your head. If you’re really in trouble, maybe I can help, but I can’t do anything if you leave me here.”
She kicked off the tree and stepped in front of him, her dagger held to his throat.
“How did you know my name?”
“Really not the point I’m trying to make, here. Look, offer ends if I’m dead. I can’t say my friends will be as understanding.”
There was the glint of uncertainty in her eyes. He latched onto it.
“Does Callias really strike you as the sort to leave loose ends? He’ll probably have you killed once you get back anyway. I can take him down, but not without your help. You won’t be on your own. The only way we get through this is together.”
Her face stiffened and Arche caught his breath. Slowly, she lowered the dagger.
Persuasion has increased to Level 3.
+1% Persuasion Chance (+3%)
“If I help you and you fail, I’m dead.”
“Chances are good you’d be dead regardless, so why not have a few friends by your side?”
She hesitated again, brow knitting as she weighed her options.
“How do I know you won’t try to kill me if I free you?” she asked.
“I’d rather have a new friend than a dead enemy, but at the end of the day that choice is yours.”
Theresa said nothing. She deliberated the choice for several long moments. Sweat and blood dripped from Arche to the forest floor as he waited for her to make her decision. Finally, she nodded.
“Fine.”
“Great! Now, if you don’t mind, this position really isn’t great for my hangover.”
She raised the dagger to cut the rope when something large and red burst through the bushes and tackled her to the side. Theresa screamed as the creature let loose a heavy roar.
“Oh, come on!” Arche snarled.
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He took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, then grabbed the knife in his side and yanked it out. He almost lost consciousness from the pain as his Health dropped another sixty points. Not wanting to lose momentum or give in to the sudden rush of wooziness, Arche forced his injured side to bend as he grabbed the rope around his leg. With a quick slash, he severed the rope, using the hanging end to twist himself over to land on his feet.
Acrobatics has increased to Level 9.
+3% Control of Movement (+27%)
+1% Jump Height (+9%)
Arche’s leg buckled, but he caught himself before sprawling across the ground. He blinked, trying to clear the pain of the hangover. The skill increase should have delivered quietly while he was in combat, but the aftereffects of the drinks must have screwed with the way they filtered in. He dismissed it, twisting the knife back and forth against the rope around his wrists as he stumbled toward Theresa and the creature that had tackled her. It was enormous, easily twice his size, and the only weapon Arche had was the knife.
The creature had the shaggy mane of a lion and large, bat-like wings. It stood on hind legs, with a powerful, crimson-furred body nearly twice Arche’s height. The most pressing danger, however, was a long scorpion-esque tail that waved in the air, daring Arche to approach. Arche pulled up short and Examined the creature.
Rakor
Level: 27
Race: Mantikhoras
Age: ?
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Profession: ?
Trade: ?
Traits: ?
Companions: ?
Adventuring Party: ?
Health: 1,700 / 1,700
100%
Stamina: 1,550 / 1,665
93%
Mana: 120 / 120
100%
Arche swallowed. The creature was stronger than anything he had faced, with the possible exception of the revenant. The rope came free, falling to the ground. Arche twisted the knife into a reverse grip and brought his fists up.
“Hey, ugly!”
Remarkably, the mantikhoras turned and looked at him with a face that was uncomfortably human. It resembled a man in his forties with an incredibly flat features and a deep, crimson beard. There was a wicked intelligence in its red eyes. As the creature turned toward him, Arche saw Theresa on the ground. The armor covering her side was torn, jagged blue scales were bent and twisted as blood spilled over and pooled on the ground.
The mantikhoras flexed its claws, muscles rippling as it prepared to pounce. When it did move, it was blindingly fast. Arche threw himself to the side, dodging the claws by a hair’s breadth. Even as the monster moved past him, the scorpion tail lunged for his chest. Arche threw his torso backward, succeeding in doing three-quarters of a backflip, narrowly avoiding the stabbing tail before landing face-first on the ground. He winced as his Health dropped a few points, now hovering around fifty percent.
Acrobatics has increased to Level 10.
+3% Control of Movement (+30%)
+1% Jump Height (+10%)
+1 Dexterity
+1 Agility
You have reached the Rank of Novice in Acrobatics.
You gain 100 experience.
You have reached Level 15.
As a Human, you gain 5 points to distribute each level.
Professions are now available to you.
Further leveling will be disabled until you earn a profession.
Any experience you earn will be held until you earn a profession.
Golden light flooded Arche, collecting in the wound in his side. The dull ache in his mind from the hangover was also gone, but any levity from that was short-lived. The notifications flashed and disappeared almost instantly. Arche rolled to the side and came back to his feet.
The mantikhoras growled, the threatening rumble of a big cat, and swiped a paw at him. Arche dashed in, trying to close the distance and make some use of his knife. He ducked the paw and stabbed at it as it went by. The sharp blade caught the mantikhoras’s arm and tore a hole, but the skin was thick and resisted the knife’s edge. Still, the mantikhoras grunted in pain. The scorpion tail lunged forward as quick as thought. In a stroke of luck, Arche brought the dagger up to deflect the sharpened point of the stinger but the force of it knocked him back.
He hit a tree and his back spasmed with pain. The impact shaved ten percent off his Health. The mantikhoras eyed him warily. Arche could see the cut on the creature’s arm was dripping orange blood and was held to the mantikhoras’s chest defensively. He must have done more damage with the knife than he’d thought, but the mantikhoras’s health still dwarfed his own four times over.
Arche ducked a thrust from the creature’s pincer tail but couldn’t avoid the backhand that sent him flying. His Health dropped to sixty percent, but he managed to twist himself in midair and land on his feet, sliding against the loam of the forest.
Despite the pain in his everywhere, Arche felt light on his feet. The mantikhoras was huge and faster than he would have expected, but its sheer size slowed it down. As a smaller opponent, Arche’s inferior agility was augmented by the simple fact his range of motion didn’t extend as far. The mantikhoras was taking advantage of its better range by keeping him at a distance, where it could strike more easily with its scorpion tail, but Arche’s eyes settled on the bat-like wings that spread to either side of the enraged mantikhoras. They were thick, covered in crimson fur, but looked exceedingly vulnerable to sharp knives.
Arche crouched and pulled his tried-but-true tactic of leaping over an enemy when they least expected it. Surprise registered on the mantikhoras’s face as Arche twisted forward. It worked beautifully, with one small exception.
Arche was, in fact, not faster than a striking scorpion.
The stinger slammed into Arche’s shoulder as his knife carved through the base of one wing. The force of it completely reversed his momentum and drove him toward the ground. Out of pure instinct he brought his knife up and slashed at the tail. He had expected the tail to be hard with some kind of exoskeleton, as if it belonged to an actual scorpion, but he was surprised to find it quite fleshy and his knife tore through it with ease.
The mantikhoras let out a scream at a much higher pitch than the angry roars it had showcased before. Arche hit the ground hard. One hand went to his pierced shoulder as he saw his health had dropped by an astounding two-hundred-twenty points. With barely thirty percent of his Health remaining, he felt ready to pass out. The normally red Health bar was tinged a sickly green, resembling puke more than the deep green of his Stamina. He watched his health tick down as the status effect washed over him.
You are Envenomated.
Lose 1 Health every 3 seconds.
Envenomated: 4:59:57
Arche grit his teeth. Even if he killed the Mantikhoras, the venom was too potent for him to survive. He didn’t know exactly how much damage would be done over five hours, but it was probably somewhere in the thousands. In other words, too damn much. A quick glance down told him that the veins around the puncture had turned black. The venom clotted the blood, leaving a strangely clean wound that tugged at him as he moved. The pain came a moment later, flaring through him. The puncture felt like a brand, making even his breath seem inflamed and hot in his chest and throat.
The mantikhoras clutched its tail, nearly severed by Arche’s slice. Its eyes were filled with pain and rage.
“You will die,” the mantikhoras rumbled with a voice that made the trees quiver. “You will water the weeds of my forest with your blood. I will spread your remains from every mountaintop. You will not be prey, you will be meat, and treated with no more respect than maggots.”
Arche forced himself into a standing position, holding the knife in a standard grip as he struggled to focus on the mantikhoras. The fight was leaving him quickly but he could at least die on his feet.
“Try me, bitch.”
The mantikhoras pounced, moving more quickly than Arche could react. It seized Arche in a massive claw and pinned him against a tree by the chest. Arche felt something in his back crunch and his health dropped to ten percent. Breathing was suddenly a lot more difficult. Darkness crept into the edges of his vision until he could barely see.
Death was close.
He knew it. The mantikhoras knew it. Hell, even Theresa, who was probably dead already, knew it. The monster opened its mouth wide, revealing sharp fangs and a forked tongue. Arche white-knuckled his knife and forced himself to stay conscious. With the last vestiges of willpower, he activated his Divine Body skill.
The effect was immediate.
Arche’s Health and Stamina surged as his body glowed with red light. Torn skin knit itself back together, leaving him itchy all over. His knife plunged into the arm pinning him to the tree. The mantikhoras surged forward, trying to bite his head off, and Arche surged forward as well, slamming his head into the monster’s mouth with a crunch.
He felt the impact on his forehead but there was no pain. The mantikhoras, on the other hand, reeled from the blow. One of its claws covered its face, the other was limp at its side, the dagger still embedded between the bones of its forearm. Arche fell to the ground, trying to control the flow of Mana. He needed it to last as long as possible but it was flowing out far too quickly. In a few moments, his Mana would bottom out and he would be at the mantikhoras’s mercy.
The mantikhoras bellowed in rage and rushed him. Its maw was bloody and some of its fangs laid on the ground, knocked free by Arche’s forehead. Arche pushed himself up and tucked forward, propelling himself in a flipping dropkick that he could never have pulled off without the physical augmentation of Divine Body. He hit the mantikhoras at surprising speed and, though it likely outweighed him several times over, sent it flying.
Arche landed on his feet and jumped after the monster, crossing the considerable distance with a single bound. The mantikhoras bared its teeth at him, but he paid the threat no mind. He curled his fists and hit the creature in the face three times. On the final blow, the mantikhoras’s neck let out a loud crack and twisted violently to the side. The creature fell to the ground and didn’t move. Arche felt his Mana dissipating and released his Divine Body skill, praying he hadn’t given himself Mana Burnout.
He let out a few shaky breaths and checked his vitals.
Health: 379 / 420
90%
Stamina: 280 / 280
100%
Mana: 7 / 190
4%
Envenomated: 4:47:34
He’d almost burned himself out, but he hadn’t. For the moment, at least, he was still alive. As it stood, he was envenomed and, despite his regenerated Health and Stamina, felt like the mantikhoras had used him for a punching bag rather than the other way around.
Arche noticed that he hadn’t received an experience prompt from the mantikhoras and looked at the creature more closely. It was lying on the ground, unmoving, but as Arche looked closer, he saw that its eyes were open and staring toward Arche with a look Arche recognized.
Fear.
Investigation has increased to Level 3.
+1% Chance to Spot Hidden Things (+3%)
+1% Chance to Spot Traps (+3%)
+1% Speed of Searching (+3%)
Arche dismissed the notification reflexively and stared at the mantikhoras. He could hear a small whistling as the creature’s chest rose and fell. It was struggling to breathe. Understanding came with a small wave of revulsion.
He had broken the monster’s neck but he hadn’t killed it. It was paralyzed, slowly choking to death. Arche looked at the broken thing laying before him. He almost felt pity, but mostly he felt tired. He pulled his knife free from its arm, but the mantikhoras didn’t, or couldn’t, react.
“You know, a big part of me wants to just turn away and leave you like this. Choking on air and your own bile, wallowing in fear and hatred,” Arche said quietly, still panting from the fight. “I think under normal circumstances that I’d do it, too, but killing you will make me stronger.”
Arche grabbed the mantikhoras’s head and lifted it, exposing the creature’s neck.
“Don’t mistake this for mercy.”
Arche plunged the dagger in and twisted, severing the creature’s jugular and carotid artery together. Hot blood sprayed his front, squelched between his fingers, painted the ground around them. The sharp intellect in the mantikhoras’s eyes faded and Arche dropped the creature’s head with a thud.
You have slain Rakor, a Level 27 Mantikhoras.
You gain 810 experience.
Slayer of the Mighty activated!
You gain 1,200 experience.
The experience was staggering. As great as it was, however, he was stuck. He couldn’t level any further until he chose his profession and that was not something he was ready to do. Divine Body had saved his life, at the end. He needed to learn more about the skill, but he was hesitant about using it in front of other people. His inebriated display the night before didn’t count. After all, he couldn’t reasonably be held accountable for the rash decisions of drunk Arche. That guy was a moron. Arche’s eyes went wide.
Theresa.
He whirled around and found her lying on the ground twenty strides away. Now that the fighting was over, the extent of the damage the mantikhoras had dealt her was clear.
Long slashes had laid open her torso and blood oozed out. The woman drifted in and out of consciousness, groaning all the while. If he didn’t do something quickly, she would die. He Examined her quickly, trying to see how much Health she had left. His head pulsed with pain, almost bringing him to the ground as his Mana nearly bottomed out.
Theresa Eliades
Level: 23
Race: Human
Age: ?
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Profession: ?
Trade: ?
Traits: ?
Companions: ?
Adventuring Party: ?
Health: 52 / 420
12%
Stamina: 207 / 375
55%
Mana: 260 / 260
100%
Her vitals dropped before his eyes. Arche looked around for anything he could use to bind her wounds, but his inventory had been emptied and his pants, the only clothing he’d been left with, were soaked in orange and red blood.
“I’m really sorry about this,” he muttered.
He took the knife carefully in his hand and cut at the straps of Theresa’s scaled armor. He pulled the armor away from her legs, revealing simple dark trousers. Taking great care to not accidentally stab the dying woman, he cut her trousers off around mid-thigh, turning what was left into shorts. Then he removed her damaged chest piece to reveal the tattered shirt underneath. He tore the scraps of trouser cloth into long strips and tied them around Theresa’s middle, doing his best to cover the majority of the wounds and bind them down.
You have learned a Skill.
Medicine — Level 1
Often the only thing standing between life and death is a steady hand and a cool head.
Each level in this skill improves your knowledge of natural healing.
Every 5 levels in this skill improves your Wisdom and Willpower by 1.
+2% Effectiveness of Treatment (+2%)
+1% Effectiveness of Identifying Ailments (+1%)
Arche brushed away the notification before he could let himself get distracted by why a skill like Medicine would improve his Willpower over time. Instead, he tried to focus on the task at hand. The weak bandages and constant pressure seemed to do the trick, as she stabilized with twenty Health left. Arche let loose a sigh of relief. They would both live, for the moment.
Until the venom took him, at least.