"Two suns and three moons, unlike anything on Earth," Olen marveled as he gazed up at the sky. He pondered how this world could sustain its gravitational pull with such extraordinary celestial bodies. If there was a solar system above, it would be a spectacle beyond compare.
Olen lowered his gaze, noticing the snow hailing heavily on the roof with patches of snow descending on the ground. "It seems the weather changes as the night comes," he murmured.
With the flick of snow brushing against his cheek, Olen remembered the impending danger of the approaching snowstorm and called for the warriors to prepare. Time was running short as the storm grew in strength. He quickly rushed his steps toward the hall. However,
Before he could reach the hall, a sudden headache wracked his head, his vision blurring, causing him to lose consciousness and collapse to the ground.
Olen found himself in a dreamlike state, his body feeling weightless and ethereal. He was entranced by the ever-changing images before him, depicting a man with a horn impaled through his forehead, and a tail concealed beneath his back. An elder stood before the horned being, their voices resonated throughout the space, conveying their words imbued with ancient wisdom.
The words spoken by the voice seemed distant and difficult for him to comprehend. However, he felt a strange, inexplicable sensation, as if he were being entranced by the voice. His eyes glowing with epiphany, as if an invisible hand was guiding him, helping him to understand the language and interpret the images with a single thought.
‘You need my essence to further understand its mysteries. But for now, what I only can offer is our own secret. It does not hinder anyone to decipher it. All you need is for that shard of yours to do the magic’
‘Pah fin rii come wah dii prayes, heaan zu'u, fah zu'u am fin dovah do fin skies, fin dovahkiin’
‘The secret in this orb should be enough for you to decipher those ancient languages of asterian’
‘Here, also stop looking at my hand’
‘Yes, your shard. It can gather the essence that is only unique for us Dragonborn to be freely wielded by you but only a marginal of it, our essence is different from the others especially by you, a human’
‘That shard of yours, it’s unique. It’s capable of seeing things that no shard does, It examines the changes and the ripples contained from the void. It’s simple but once you know how to manipulate those energies—’
‘So it is true, you truly possess another divinity comparison to the one you have just found, so that makes it two, If I'm not wrong that original divinity shard of yours should be capable of harnessing the space and time’
‘So the council called you the Augur of—’
‘No wonder it called upon you’
Suddenly, the old man turned his head towards the void and his mysterious eye began to gleam with a golden hue, shining radiantly as it searched across space and time.
"Beware of the mortal man who holds the body of eternal," a voice echoed slowly into nothingness.
[Your understanding toward [Dovahzul] has increased moderately]
[Language proficiency has been increased]
[Your understanding toward [Essence] has increased subtly]
[Your connection towards the [Shards] has subtly increased]
[Warning an unknown presence is detected]
***
“Ugh... my head,” Olen grimaced while holding his head, lifting his eyes to examine his situation. “Where am I,” He said, with his eyes staring at the fireplace in front of him, as footsteps echoed through his ears with the sound of wood creaking going toward him.
"Liege! Thank heaven for bringing you back to our hands," Feimshall exclaimed, raising his hands to the sky.
When Olen was about to speak, he suddenly felt the corner of his mouth twitch and felt the world around him turn ridiculous at the sight of a clown clamoring in front of him. If heaven is real, then this is hell.
Olen took a deep breath and tried to recall the scene from what happened inside his memories a moment ago.
"It was that memory, but this time it's vivid and clear. But who is that man, and what presence?" Olen pondered. He surmised that the answers to his strange visions could only be found in the [Rift Shard] floating above the pillar, and the strange shard lodged inside the sword.
"Beware of the man who holds the body of eternal," Olen thought as it lingered in the deepest corner of his mind.
Suddenly, the sound of clashing metal echoed from behind the wooden wall, followed by the vacuum-like sound of a sword slicing through the air and rippling across the wall.
"Liege, we are under attack!" Alfrick shouted, his voice trembling from the freezing storm.
[Your progression [Rift Dweller] has detected a Rift Irregularity]
[Activating Escalade Procedure]
"The Rift," Olen muttered under his breath as the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder. At a moment's notice, he leaped to his feet, shouting to his companions. "Brace yourselves, something is coming."
Hearing the command of his lord, Feimshall quickly sprinted to the front of the door but paused as he gently opened the knob, casting a glance at his liege with an awkward smile on his face.
Olen shook his head and silently communicated with his companion, the evolved slime. With a thought, the slime coalesced into a sword. "This time, don't turn into a glob," Olen warned.
"Alfrick, stand right beside the door and hold your position," Olen commanded firmly, his voice cutting through the storm. "Feimshall, stand apart from the middle right of my position."
"I'll take the middle while both of you stand beside me. This should be enough to keep the enemies at bay," Olen instructed as he sprinted towards the door, flanked by his companions. The thatched roof and fences surrounding their position offered some protection from the onslaught outside.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Taking a deep breath, Olen peered through the night, his vision obscured by the falling snow and the sight of blood sprinkled across the ground. It can only be Alfrick. He knew he had to act fast to save his friend.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Olen took a lungful of air and breathed out a shout that brought waves of ripples across the surrounding area, "You ugly ducklings come at your daddy!" Olen shouted, hoping to taunt whatever creature or entity heard it.
Grabbing the opportunity, Olen turned to Feimshall and said: “Protect me at all costs, I’m going to cast a spell to divert the creature from Alfrick”
Searching his mind, Olen began to compile the words in his thoughts as he merged the symbols to create a basic spell with his newfound understanding and applied the language deciphered from the images buried in his memories. Manipulating the mana to achieve his results.
It has been a dream for Olen since he ever got here, fantasies, fairy tales, and a body he can finally walk around from once in a while. He refused to idly stand by and watch as his friend sacrifice their life to protect a stranger like him.
With a determined glint in his eye, Olen stood tall and ready for battle. He knew that the darkness ahead was daunting, but the fire burning within him was a beacon of hope. He would not falter in the face of danger, for he knew that even in the darkest of times, there is always a glimmer of light. And it was that light that would guide him forward.
[You have acquired the spell [Illuminate] resulting from the enlightenment]
[Your understanding toward [Dovahzul] has increased significantly]
[Language proficiency has increased significantly]
[Your understanding toward the [Mana] has increased subtly]
[Your understanding toward the [Arcane] has increased]
“ILLUMINATE!”
"ILLUMINATE!"
The space was suddenly filled with blinding light, illuminating every creature within its reach. An orb of light hovered in the middle of the storm, spreading its radiance across the darkness.
As Olen scanned the area illuminated by the light, he spotted a green creature that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. It had crooked yellow teeth, slimy green skin, and a pair of goggles perched on its hooked nose. It held a dagger in one hand, its blade stained with blood, and a sword protruding from its stomach.
The light revealed that the creature was a goblin, and it was dead, killed by Alfrick's sword.
Alfrick nonchalantly flicked his sword, sending the goblin's body flying into a pile of corpses. "Hmph, nothing but child's play," he said, wiping the blood from his sword on the snow. "Nasty creatures, your filth has dirtied my sword."
Olen was filled with disgust at the sight of Alfrick's callousness. He realized that Alfrick was a cold-blooded killer and that the other warrior was an idiot.
"Alfrick, leave that area immediately! There's a bigger one coming!" Olen shouted, his mind racing with the information he had just received.
[Due to your effort, the creatures has been investigated]
[Escalade] Hostiles: Goblin: 8/12, Yeti: 1, Neutral: Unidentified: 1
[Your profession [Rift Dweller] has increased largely]
It’s not even day two yet!
"Liege, your shout earlier could have been less aggressive," Feimshall said with concern, as he slowly raised his hand and pointed in a direction. "The big one you talked about is here." He slowly picked up his two-handed sword, holding it to his chest and gripping the hilt with both hands, ready for battle.
The big one is here," Feimshall warned, pointing in the direction of the approaching yeti.
As the light cast upon the yeti, it let out a deafening roar, revealing its towering height, twice that of a human, and its impressive musculature hidden beneath its thick, snowy coat. The beast was surrounded by a horde of goblins, scurrying around its massive frame.
Olen's heart raced as he surveyed the scene. "There's only six goblins. Where are the other two?" he thought, a sense of dread creeping over him.
Alfrick shrugged, "I don't see anything," he said, nonchalantly walking toward the front of the building.
Suddenly, a sound of rustling could be heard above their heads. A dagger poked through the thatched roof, aiming for Feimshall's head, but it bent against his helmet, failing to penetrate. Feimshall took advantage of the goblin's exposed position and thrust his sword through the roof, piercing its chest and leaving a pool of blood trickling from the hole.
“A helmet a day, keep the goblins away” Feimshall mused.
“Hmph, your one late second Feimshall,” Alfrick replied while gripping the head of a goblin dangling on his left arm. “That should be five for me”
Afterward, a sound of trembling shook the entire ground, as the sound of heavy breathing could be heard from a distance, with rumbling footsteps stomping from the ground.
*ROAR*
“Get ready! Get in your positions! Battle stance!” Olen shouted with a mix of excitement and fear written on his face.
Olen never imagined that he would find himself in this situation, as the thought of surviving in this fantastical world filled him with fear. But it was not a fear of the unknown, it was the fear of losing everything he had gained. Now that he had something to fight for, he would not hesitate to give everything he got, even if it meant shedding the last drop of blood.
And for the first time in his life, Olen finally knew what it feels to be alive.
"Metatron!"
In an instant, the yeti broke through their defenses, folding its massive arms and slamming them into the ground with a deafening BOOM. The force of the impact sent Olen and Alfrick flying in opposite directions, leaving only Feimshall standing, relying on his enhanced strength to block the incoming fist aimed at his liege.
"Leave this big gorilla to me!" Feimshall shouted, deflecting the yeti's fists with his two-handed sword and driving it deep into its ribs. But to his surprise, the sword only managed to pierce the creature's flesh an inch deep. "Absurd! What kind of flesh are you made of?"
Feimshall swore and thought he heard the yeti say "I SMASH!"
With the battle raging on, Alfrick stood five meters away from his liege. He had gotten back on his feet and was surveying the three goblins, licking his lips at the sight of the pitiful worms wriggling before him. "I should probably finish this faster," he thought, glancing over at Olen in the distance.
"Crap, just three goblins, with only my slime left," Olen thought, as his sword trembled in his hands from fear. But he reminded himself, 'I can do this.' He took a deep breath and focused on maintaining his calm.
Glob!
Suddenly, one of the goblins lunged at Olen, and the dagger shimmered amidst the snow piercing right before into Olen's chest. But within in a nick of time, Olen quickly dodged the attack and took advantage of the goblin's failed lunge, plunging his sword into its beating chest as it lay struggling on the ground.
Olen then turned his attention to the remaining two goblins, one of which cowered in fear and stepped back, its hands shaking as it held its dagger. But the other goblin, driven mad with fear, let out a screech and charged at Olen with wild eyes and a dagger in hand.
Taking advantage of its mad state, Olen swung his sword halfway at the arriving dagger, deflecting the goblin sword and leaving it unarmed.
Suddenly, the dimness of their shadow shrunk by an inch, as the light began to slowly lose its luster by a second. Olen's look quickly turned grim, as he already feared the spell would start to lose its effect.
Immediately, Olen launched his feet from the ground, and swiftly catapulted his sword, slashing the startled goblin in a flash. Leaving the decapitated head of the goblin rolling through the ground. ‘Only one goblin left’.
Scanning the surrounding area, Olen swept his eyes to a cowering goblin right in front of him. The goblin trashed its feet across the snow, groveling in fear as it saw the man who killed its kind slowly walking toward it with heavy steps.
While Olen was about to slash the head of the goblin, a sudden prompt quickly emerged from his mind and his eyes widened at the thought of it.
[Would you like to have the goblin to be captured or form a contract]
“Captured of course!” Olen exasperatingly shouted in the air.
In an instant, a string of energy suddenly emerged from the [Rift Shard] and struck the goblin at the forehead from a distance.
When the goblin was about to speak, Olen swiftly turned his head. Ignoring it, and while staring at the distance, searching for someone.
“There’s still one left,” Olen frowned while roaming his eyes around the area, looking for Alfrick and Feimshall at the site of the battle before the impact pulled them away from each other.
From the distance, Olen saw Alfrick with his sword piercing through the body of the goblin right through its chest, thrusting the sword further deeper into its ribs. Meanwhile, Feimshall climbed through the Yeti's body with both of his hands in the sword guarding the back of its neck.
"Aha! Big but slow, all you do is smash and smash with your two hands." Feimshall taunted.
Suddenly, the orb floating in the middle of the storm lost its radiance as darkness slowly crept over it, with the storm raging through the air as it enveloped the light.
Out of nowhere, Olen caught a glimpse of a hazy figure moving swiftly in a streak of light before his eyes. Immediately, a feeling of apprehension took hold of him, and without hesitation, he activated his ability and closed his eyes.
“Foresight” an eye slowly emerging from his forehead.