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Name: Jackal Dolmer

Level: 48

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(Unassigned MANA: 0)

Vitality: 80

Strength: 90

Magic: 130

Agility: 130

Intelligence: 70

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Class:

[Thy Blessed Pony]

[Hell Baby]

Skills:

[Foal Blessing] (Level 1 / Integration 72%)

[Hellborne] (Level 1 / Integration 78%)

[Hellish Fireball] (Level 2 / Integration 100%)

[Trailblazer] (Level 1 / Integration 56%)

[Blessed Heal] (Level 1 / Integration 100%)

[Longstrider] (Level 1 / Integration 97%)

[Horsekick Gambit] (Level 2 / Integration 100%)

[Curse of The Horse] (Level 1 / Integration 1%)

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...

...

[Your Party has defeated a Level 38 Warrior!]

[Your Level Has Risen to 50!]

[The Skill [Curse of The Horse] has been acquired!]

Night had fallen, Flaze was deep asleep. I'd be keeping watch for the entirety of tonight, as I should. She'd been the one doing all the fighting when I'd gone and knocked myself out.

I took the time to look at my notifications, finding that I'd reached level 50, and with it a new Skill.

I sucked in a deep a deep breath as I read it, keeping away the urge to jump up and down with joy.

I stopped holding myself back a second after, and leaped high enough for my head to touch the ceiling. What the fuck do I even have to prove, to a world ruined, prowled only by monsters?

_______________________

[Curse of The Horse] (Level 1 / Integration 1%)

Cursed be, they who deny the calling of a horse.

Cursed be, they who hinder the galloping of your feet.

Pervert the very blessings that you've received, and turn it against your foes, should you see them act in a way that's against your purpose.

Rob of them, what they've rob of you. A powerful hex that would leave them motionless.

10 minute cooldown.

_______________________

Curse of The Horse.

A Skill that is in all likelihood, obscenely powerful. It has to be, given its restrictions.

A cooldown that rivals my Longstrider, one of my stronger Skills to date. Its cooldown is only justified by how the Skill itself can last indefinitely. Add to that another possible restriction, a condition that needs to be achieved for the Skill to even be cast, and it's really looking like the curse should be hellishly strong for those limitations to be justified.

Then again, it could only be as strong as my other Skills but be more restricted. Not like I've got any actual knowledge that restrictions like that equate to more power.

It's just, intuitively, that should be the case. Right?

"Ba-a-a-a-aAH!" I heard the bleating of a sheep, an animal bleated its agreement of my logic.

Except it's not an animal, but likely is a monster, a sheeptaur. They're just everywhere, and they keep streaming into this building for some reason. Or perhaps not even just here, I remember seeing a good number of them roaming the streets below, earlier this afternoon.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Why are they all flocking here?

Another useless question. I shook it off, and stood, my cells screaming in anticipation as I readied myself for battle.

And then I heard a snore from behind me.

I shouldn't fight alone. I should wake her up.

I've already learned my lesson about being reckless.

I walked up to Flaze's sleeping form atop a couch. I nudged her with my snout, adding a soft and quiet whinny.

Her eyes snapped open. She woke up.

Flaze's head swiveled around wordlessly, and her gaze met my own. "What's wrong?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

The sheep walking around outside made its presence known again. This time its bleating was louder, the sound came from nearer, accompanied by the stomping of its tinny hooves.

Mine are better. The sheeptaurs only have two.

"Right." Flaze immediately got up, and so did her clone that was sleeping cross-legged on the floor.

"I demand a raise." Flaze Clone said so drily, I had to hold back a laugh. It was a joke that warmed my heart to hear.

Flaze clambered over to my back. Meanwhile her copy once again trailed ahead of us, for herself to be in danger while we are safe.

"I really need a raise. And insurance." I couldn't take it. I sobbed out my laughter in between my teeth. But Flaze Clone wasn't done. She continued, "I'm going to start a Union. A Union of Flaze's Clones. Too negotiate with our Flaze Overlord. In our Flaze Corporation."

That sent me over the edge. I whinnied loudly and laughed with wild abandon. Flaze tried to silence me, but I just pointed a hoof at her clone and then at her.

Your fault.

The true Flaze behind my back scratched at her head awkwardly, but there was metal in between. "Y-yeah... My bad."

I wrote on the ground. It's cool. I've a new skill I wish to try.

"Oh!" She hesitated, considering whether she should continue. She made the wrong choice. "Does it have to do with having a literal horse dick."

...It was only a matter of time til someone made the joke.

I shook myself, and rattled her on my back. No, you dolt. Just watch.

I listened for the sheeptaur's footsteps, it stopped right by the door. Perhaps a coincidence, more likely because I laughed loudly. Because of Flaze. Her fault.

A loud crash resounded, the door creaked and bent. The presumed sheeptaur on the other side just started bashing at it, quickly breaking off the wood into large splinters.

So these things don't know how to open doors.

Some monsters do, like goblins, or gremlins.

The door fully came off, and the monster came into view.

Predictably, it was indeed a sheeptaur. Easily visible even in the darkness of the night, specially with our stats.

[Warrior - Lvl 52]

A tad high level, but still suitable as a guinea pig. Flaze is above it anyway, at this point.

[Curse of The Horse].

I focused and I huffed, casting my skill unto the unsuspecting enemy.

Nothing happened.

The monster didn't even noticed that I tried to do anything, instead he ran for us without any warning, bleating all the way.

Flaze Clone intercepted its charge, meanwhile the original patted me on the head.

"It's okay, jackal. Everyone makes mistakes. Now blow on it one more time."

Argh! Shut up! I neighed. I knew that was going to happen. I was just testing the limits of the Skill's restrictions!

I didn't wait for Flaze to make any more fun of me as I strode up to the unsuspecting sheepman and kicked him straight in the sides. No fire, no light, no Gambit. I just wished to get its attention.

He staggered and stumbled, eyes glowing red in anger as he went berserk, but Flaze Clone once again intercepted his warpath.

Wait. No! I neighed. I need him to attack me!

Flaze cocked her head, and I wrote with my fireball what I meant.

"I... Jackal..." Flaze pretended to wipe a tear from her eye. "Have you finally awakened to your masochistic tendencies?"

No I have not! I switched to writing again so she doesn't misunderstand. It's a condition for the activation of my skill.

"Ah." Flaze intoned, like she wasn't at all convinced. But she had her clone step back regardless.

I chuckled. We really should be taking this so seriously, no matter that the monster is heavily outmatched.

I blasted the sheeptaur with a fireball, and he quickly came running my way, this time unobstructed by any pesky doppelganger.

I stood there and took a single punch, the impact rattling me to my bones.

I have been hit, I have been attacked. Let's try this again.

[Curse of The Horse].

Nothing happened. Again.

I growled at both Flze and her clone to stop laughing.

The monster cared not for out bickering nor my feelings. He jumped for me again and I tried to hop away, but a grazing blow caught my rear and I stumbled, stalling a bit while I limped away.

My attention snapped to my opponent, when I felt a connection form. a buzzing marginally simillar to when I Identify another, but different. Like a deep primal rage, shadows that wish to take over and consume the heart of another.

I knew then, that I was ready. And I didn't hesitate to cast my spell.

[Curse of The Horse].

It took hold, I felt the mana flow away and manifest into a frightening effect.

The sheeptaur paused mid chase. It seemed to have trouble even moving its gaze. His mouth moved, as if to bleat and shout, but all that came out was a raspy breath.

The arms of the monster twitched. He staggered and limped, but every movement was like he was bogged down by an endless swamp, tied into endlessly looping ropes.

Movement had not become impossible, the creature still managed to drag itself forward, hellbent on reaching me and ripping my horse face apart. But I could tell, from the strain on his face, that this was both a tiring and painful experience.

A second passed, the effect was still going.

It was almost a stun, if only marginally weaker. Though it is left to be seen if it stops magic spells like my fireball.

Another second, and the sheeptaur shuffled forward, his movements still sluggish, but a lot more present.

For three seconds the curse persisted, and then the sheeptaur suddenly blurred forward, like a raging bull that suddenly had its ropes cut.

He crashed into the clone of Flaze, and he impaled himself right through her sword. The blade slid snugly into his heart, and beyond. It was like a sheep kebab, except it was yet raw. So raw that the main ingredient remained moving, it could yet struggle.

The two of them fell, both the monster and the clone. The former's momentum had carried the other off her feet, sending the both of them rolling through the ground. Dust was blown away by the pair, and blood was leaked by at least one of them. The lamb coughed right in front of Clone Flaze's face, smearing her with the vile red liquid.

The true Flaze tapped on neck, to get my attention. "You wanna do the honors?"

Do I ever? I neighed. It's time for this kebab to become a genuine piece of barbeque.

[Hellish Fireball].

The hellfire sailed through the air, and exploded right on top of the sheeptaur, coating his fur in blood red embers all at once.

He screeched and bleated, thrashing against the clone of Flaze below who made sure to hold on and be a nuisance, no matter how she was tossed about by the panicking monster.

Some of my flames reached her, they were no longer under my control and slowly melting back into the common orange hue. I neighed worriedly at her original, but Flaze only brushed me off.

"I'm fine. I've been through worse. Don't worry about me."

But that's why I worry. I neighed. I had so much trouble adjusting, so how come you're just fine with it from the beginning?

She patted my head, and spoke in the smuggest of tones. "I'm just better. Don't worry about it."

I jumped up and rocked her on my back. Flaze held on tight, as we both laughed. The sheeptaur's cries were still very much audible in the background, its dying squeals weirdly squeaky.

[Your Party has defeated a Level 52 Warrior!]

And then he died. So fragile, is life.

Flaze went back to sleep right after, with the promise to help me figure out my new Skill in the morning.

That ten minute cooldown is going to be so annoying for experimentation.