LOSING YOUR HEAD

I scrambled to think of a method to cover the enormous hole leading into my hideout as the moonsun began its transition into the moon. I carefully gathered foliage from within the woods and some branches—Recall Memory toyed with me, showing me memories of being eaten alive. Back within the safety of my room, I used some silk and wax to make a sizable flimsy cover. Before leaving, I grabbed a few things; a Tiny Phial of Healing, three thousand puries, and used a parchment to carefully grab the (???) Rings. If my luck proved to be good, I may be able to find an Infuser or Enchanter for this. Hmm? I stared at the (???) Rings—the mana energy emitting from two of them had decreased... but embarrassingly enough, I was still too afraid to unseal them.

Ready to leave, I ordered my familiars outside into the night sky before covering the hole. My arachnid's sight was incredible in the low moonlight. As we traveled northward down the hillside, it gave me signals about critters and things that were either moving or still.

We walked north for hours, occasionally halted by the undead, half-eaten corpses of rabbids, blacats with missing limbs, and fallen wolves. As I cracked the skull of a wolf's skeleton, Recall Memory reminded me of being repeatedly stabbed by a skeleton.

I replied with a grunt before my thoughts went to Cosmo, the young gent had protected me. I wondered who they were and what they were doing. Adventurers? Hmph, they sure seemed like it.

PAIN

Damned lady!

I muttered as the brute Eldritch slid into my thoughts. I should not be surprised that people like her exist. But, what in damnation could I have done? Call for the non-existing guards? Scream for help? The law of the land might as well be lawless. There was no justice to be had outside the city walls; I should have known that from the beginning. I thrust my staff, incinerating a horde of undead rabbids. I realized there were a lot of them around me, and in the distance, I saw the outline of wolves and blacats skittering away from me to watch me from afar... a few of them held undead rabbids in their mouths—easy prey for them.

Aptitude Increase:

Summon: Skeleton Kinan Shielder (50%)

Active Acquired:

Summon: Skeleton Kinan Defender

Summon: Skeleton Kinan Slasher

Summon: Skeleton Kinan Brawler

Good. I desummoned my three skeletons and replaced them. The dense-boned Skeleton Defender resembled a knight; it had a sharp-bladed bone instead of a right forearm and a wide planate buckler-like left forearm that ended in a studded sealed fist. The slim Skeleton Slasher had two long sharp bladed bones for arms, a longer neck, and an enlarged jaw topped with sharp teeth—it probably bites. Finally, the weirdly shaped Skeleton Brawler's forearms were more prominent than the rest of its arms and ended in sealed spiked fists. It also had broad, massive forelegs to support its upper body, but even standing still, it would rock back and forth.

I took the Iron Sword +3 and Wooden Shield +1 for myself—attaching the wooden shield to my left forearm before we continued north. We killed more fiends and testy wolves, but my skeletons gained no aptitude. There was still the Shielder, so I Summoned Skeleton Kinan Warrior and gave it my shield to increase Summon Skeleton Kinan Shielder's aptitude.

We walked north through the night without peace from the rabbids—undead or alive. However, I did not mind as they were a good food source for my undead. But as morning came, I had to dismiss my party of the undead. The morning wind was gentle on my bare skin, but it would be best to cover my nakedness as I approached the village. It was not much, but the string of silk allowed me to tie my robes just enough to hide much of my rudeness.

Did so in good time as a wagon flanked by a dozen armed gents upon lightly armored horses had left the village and were heading south along the dirt road. I stepped onto the road and reasonably waved at them. As they came into view, their enchantments did so as well. I skimmed over them and was bewildered by the enchantment the leading gent had upon his armor. (XXX) Obsidian Puri Chest Breastplate (XXX). Hmm? Both the prefix and suffix were translated to me as (XXX). As they edged closer, I realized there were more wagons and gents.

The leading gent was covered in Obsidian Puri armor, and upon his back, he reached for his sword—(XXX) Obsidian Puri Broadsword (XXX). I should have left, fled, or just stepped out of the way, but for some unknown reason, I just stood there, dumbfounded. Then, a glare from his golden pupils visible through the visor in his (XXX) Obsidian Puri Full Helm (XXX) seemed to pierce through me.

The gent swung his left leg to get off his galloping steed, and the instant his left foot struck the gravel road, he was gone from view. My vision twisted erratically before crashing into the soil. My headless body stood over me before stumbling and falling over.

More than anything else at that moment, I could not muster up a cognitive thought as to why. Why kill someone so blatantly? Is this how we are? Were kinans urging for blood? Urging to kill a stranger for no reason? My boiling anger hastened the loss of consciousness, and I drifted into a deep sleep.

The night of the second day, my sense of touch returned—I was drenched and cold. I could not breathe as the raging sound of rain crashed into my ears. I bolted upright, gasping for air, from within a small puddle formed within the crevices of the dirt road and mud.

The storm raged on, the wind whipping me around as I tried to stand in the slippery mud but failed. I made due on my knees, patting myself down, and felt my clothes and belongings were still on me. Lightning flashed, and I spotted my Iron Short Sword +3 and Wooden Shield +1 lying on the road. My stomach growled, and my energy waned as I crawled through the mud toward my belongings. Thank Lady Luck... I had gorged fish down until my stomach was at its limits before heading out. A proper plan for if I have not done so... I sighed, putting off the thought.

I must head back to my ruins and try this journey another time. Recall Memory continued showing me its worth. With it, I perfectly pictured my way back—occasionally tripping over mounds and falling into the mud. I pushed myself up with a frustrated groan. Damned that Black Knight... I continued, doing my best to keep my mind focused on the journey ahead.

With all of my stumbling and tripping, it took far longer to cover the same distance, but the weather soon cleared up, and the moon faded into the sun. Finally, I had light... But so did other creatures. More wolves appeared than the day before, but they were busy toying with the smaller herd of normal buffalos. Rabbids would skitter around my feet—screeching at me like annoyed alley cats. Then, they would run around, snatch their fellow dead rabbids, and haul them back into their den... surely not to mourn for them.

I suddenly felt eyes upon me, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up in danger. Before I could turn around, a griffin crashed into the ground at my rear and charged at me. I was too slow, tired, and hungry to think clearly. Faster than the first, another griffin slammed into the ground between me and the first griffin and whipped its wings. The gust of air forced me back as two more griffins landed, surrounding the first griffin. They began to berate the first one? Squawking and screeching—

VOICE

Damned fool!

I sprang to my feet and gawked at them, flying away as if I was a threat. What in damnation was that about... did I truly hear one of them speak? There was also a brief moment when I felt the activation of Petty Interference. But it all happened so quickly... I began to find myself constantly too slow to react to anything out here. With my nerves sharpened, I hastened my pace back to my ruins.

Relief consumed me as I approached my undisturbed makeshift covering. I climbed down into my lair and promptly ate and rested for the remainder of the day. I awoke the next day and spotted something odd with the (???) Rings. I noticed the mana energies on two of the rings from the day before became even less threatening; one of the rings continued to emit powerful ominous energy, and the energy radiating from the fourth one was somewhere in between.

I laid the rings before me in my room using parchments and sat down to inspect them closely. I felt confident I could unseal the two lesser rings, but the threatening mana energy emitting from them was worrying. I had never felt like this before, and I first assumed it was because the rings were too much for me to handle.

But I was unsure—it was a different type of feeling. Something about the threatening ominous energy was telling me to leave it alone...

Hmph, to damnation with it! I raised my right hand and forced my mana into one of the two lesser rings. It responded with an air-thumping wave of brown mana energy. The pulsing waves continued and slowly matched the beat of my own heart. The ring took hold of my mana, and a tugging of purple and brown mana energy began between us. The pulsing waves of brown mana prickled my skin and stiffened the hair on my head.

As I resisted the ring's grip on my mana, I felt every bone and muscle contract erratically. As the tug of war continued, the pulsing waves of mana hastened for every pulse before that was all I could hear and see. The rapid pulsing became a deafening hum as the ring and I was lifted into the air.

A thick air of mana filled the space around me and the ring. Breathing in the mana pressure became difficult, and items in my room were whipped around by the raging mana pulses. My vision became blurry—my mana was just about gone and burning pain shot throughout my body. Then, a sudden burst of mana shook the room and sent me hurling out of my room and into the Chamber.

I lay there as the prickling feeling of my body slowly returned, and the muscles in my body relaxed. I opened my eyes; I could see, hear, feel... I felt no source of curses upon me. I got up and weakly crawled back into my room. I blinked at the Ring of Earth and collapsed in front of it.

I jolted awake late that evening, cursing myself for falling asleep. I was both eager to test out Earth and unseal the second ring, but first, I had to swallow down several rapidly cooked fish to regain my energy. Afterward, I prepared myself, setting the second lesser ring before me. The mana energy emitting was slightly fainter than before. I figured unsealing powerful items increased my subconscious knowledge of unsealing.

I took a deep breath and stared at the ring. It was challenging to begin the process—nobody likes pain, even if that was their name. I took a deep breath, extended my hand, and nervously emitted my mana into the ring. Like before, this ring grabbed hold of my mana, attempting to drain it all. Light blue pulses of mana waves emitted from it and began to match my heartbeat.

Though, unlike before, I could keep control of my mana as I was lifted into the air. The process was shorter, but the last pulsing wave of mana still sent me hurling through the air, making me smash the back of my head into the stone frame above my room door and flip into the Chamber.

I groaned and massaged the back of my head as I lay there. My body felt weak, and the urge to sleep washed over me, but I forced myself to stay awake.

PAIN

No time to sleep...

I mumbled and crawled back into my room. I laid my eyes upon the Ring of Water on the floor next to the Ring of Earth. Inscribed into the rings' outer portion were hieroglyphs glowing with mana energy. I grabbed the two rings and slid the Ring of Earth down my right forefinger—the brown hieroglyphs shone brightly, projecting themselves out and around the ring before forcefully slamming back into the ring, causing the ring to burn itself into the bone of my finger.

I winced in pain—I did not expect that to happen.

Active Acquired:

Spell: Earth

PAIN

Everything about these rings is causing me pain.

I complained as I endured sliding the Ring of Water onto my right middle finger.

Active Acquired:

Spell: Water

I trotted to the Chamber, eager to test out my new spell. I tried to cast Earth at the center of the Chamber, but it was difficult. It drained a pool of my mana to form a small hardened dirt shard the size of my arm.

PAIN

What? Was that it?

I muttered as the shard fell to the ground and shattered into tiny pieces. It was like starting all over with Fire, but thankfully, I had some experience and Recall Memory, so this should not take too long to perfect.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

I squatted down and inspected the pieces—they would slowly crumble into sand at the slightest touch. But I also felt I could course my mana through it like a stable medium. I pressed my palms against the ground and felt an instant connection to the ground around me. The range was no more than five meters around and below me. I could emit my mana into the ground and, with a bit of concentration, formed tiny bumps along the hardened dirt before me.

I smiled,

PAIN

Yes, this should not take too long to perfect.

*****

I continued practicing Earth to get perfection. Far into the night, I rammed my hands into the dirt. My hands sank through as the ground combusted into sand on impact. I reached deep into the sand, and as I pulled out two poorly shaped dirt swords, the sand reformed into hard dirt.

PAIN

Almost there...

I slammed my hands into the dirt again, pulled out the same poorly shaped dirt sword, and again until I finally pulled out a decent-shaped dirt sword. I grinned at my accomplishment, but that faded as the ground beneath me dipped slightly.

When I looked down, I saw lines of cracks extending from the area where I was practicing. The ground beneath me was losing its basis due to my training. I eyed the dozen poorly shaped dirt swords and rods I had pulled out.

PAIN

I should probably fix this.

And kneeled, placing both palms against the soil, and could feel the small pockets of gaps in the soil below. After fixing the ground to the best of my abilities, I decided not to use the soil beneath me as a resource but as a medium.

I had a faster casting speed when creating Earth using the ground as a medium, forming spikes and pillars, but it used the same amount of mana as if to create Earth from thin air. Also, I discovered that forming various shapes from the ground was not that complex due to my current understanding of mana control and manipulation. So, all that was left for me was to increase my casting speed and mana pool.

By a few hours past midnight, I could quickly transmute the hard dirt into sand and back. Next, I could morph the sand into spikes, walls, hands, and almost anything that came to mind. Finally, with enough effort and time, I was able to create a flimsy thin pillar of sand that reached the Chamber's ceiling—eating away all of my mana.

That was enough training for the night, so I went into my room, ate fish, drank six Tiny Phials of Mana, and hurried into the Arachnid Lair to fix the gaping exit. I squatted several feet before the exit and placed both hands on the ground. I winced—there was a lot of stone and hard minerals with little dirt or gravel. With a bit of struggle, I had to rearrange the dirt above the hard bedrock—the ground beneath me dipped slightly. I was not planning on using the dirt but needed it closer to use it as a medium.

Once enough dirt piled above the stone and began to crack through the ground beneath me, I closed my eyes and pictured the shape of the construction I was about to form. Then, with the image stable in my mind, I slowly seeped my mana into the soil, gradually increasing the speed.

There was a brief moment of silence before the ground exploded into a sea of sand, and I gradually transformed it into a sturdy dirt and gravel staircase. Beads of sweat trickled down my forehead, but I did not falter. I continued adding a sturdy dirt door at the end of the stairway that blended in well with the cave walls. Once done, I exhaled and plopped onto my back,

PAIN

Done!

I took a moment to catch my breath before climbing back to my feet to admire my creation. It took me more than a month to obtain control over Fire. However, due to Recall Memory, I was able to control Earth almost as well within a day.

The following morning, I decided to test Water, and the first thing I noticed was how dangerously hot it was. Upon casting Water, a jet of steaming water exploded from my hands. I could use boiling hot water—if I could prevent my mana from shambling.

I could effortlessly form a sword out of water due to its fluidity but could not make it solid. Rather than being solid, it turned into a gel-like substance, and when I tested it to block an attack from my summoned Slasher, the blade arm became stuck within the Water Sword.

PAIN

Amazing...

I figured I could not use the Water Sword to attack or cause serious harm to someone wearing armor. However, I bet it fared greatly against those who wore essential clothing due to mana burn and the water's heat. I tested my mana manipulation with water, noticing how trivial it was to form shapes and objects. Remembering Cosmo's shield, I created an identical kite shield. I then used it to deflect a blow from my skeleton, demonstrating its superior effectiveness by stopping the blow and engulfing the skeleton's sword arm. I smiled; Fire Sword and Water Shield—of course!

But then I thought about it,

PAIN

Hmm... an Ice Sword would have been better.

I mumbled as the failure of learning Ice jutted back into my mind.

At the first strobe of moonlight, I climbed out of my lair and marched north again. I was sure to eat until my stomach wanted to explode and took both rings and thirty thousand puries—three gold coins. I was a fool to be friendly and welcoming. I must consider anyone I meet a threat—an unpredictable animal.

*****

Active Acquired:

Summon: Skeleton Kinan Shielder

I Summoned Skeleton Kinan Shielder, and a dense skeleton emerged, denting the soil beneath its feet. It was shorter than the others but had solid, thick forearms, legs, and feet. Sturdy circular bone shields were attached along its forearms. Spikes, curving up from its upper rib cage and sternum, protected the neck and face. Compared to the rest of my skeletons, the Shielder consumed mana at an astounding pace that I had almost depleted half of my mana just to make the Shielder last as long as the others.

As we marched north, I believed I had discovered another hidden knowledge about skeletons. They had evolved entirely, and I was not gaining any aptitude. Wondering how they would prove to evolve, I noticed something. It was faint, but I began to see the more mana I infused into them, the more their overall abilities increased. Relativity, they used up their mana supply more quickly if I made them labor harder and move faster.

I reached the dirt road and saw not a soul upon it. Like before, daylight shone down upon me, and I could not have my minions at my side as I shuffled along the road. The town ahead was becoming more apparent, and around me, I noticed dozens of tree stumps that looked recently chopped down.

I noticed a dug-out trench and aged stone barriers, both abandoned long ago. On either side of the road, I saw cheap fencing around a plot of dead, barren land. Dozens of rabbid holes plagued both schemes and next to the fenced plot of land on my right was the abandoned structure of a partially built home.

Looking ahead, the town was of a mediocre size and surrounded by an extra range of unstable wooden palisades seemingly built not too long ago. The town was currently in the process of rebuilding the eastern part of the stone wall. From the looks of it, some form of explosion had ripped through the walls.

I edged closer and saw guards strolling upon wooden scaffolds behind the town's walls. I continued, hiding my vampiric nature and darting my eyes around for any signs of danger as the road forked. I took the east road and saw it ran north alongside the massive gorge I had fallen into long ago.

PAIN

Idiotic...

The thought of it was embarrassing now. As I walked toward the town, I could not imagine telling someone such a story.

PAIN

I can only imagine the looks on their faces.

A sword-and-shield guard leaning against the stone gate pillars caught my sight; he stood up, gave me an odd look, and twisted his face in distaste. I mumbled,

PAIN

Hmph, that face precisely.

I then called out to him,

PAIN

Pardon me, sir, may I ask the name of this town?

He was reluctant to answer,

GUARD

This town it's called Dagon, Dagon City-State.

A city-state? A bit too small to be called that.

GUARD

May I ask where the devil you are coming from dressed like that and smelling like the undergarments of a troll?

PAIN

A fray from some months ago. I made it out alive, thanks to my survival abilities.

He raises an eyebrow—

GUARD

Impressive.

He looked as if he meant what he said, but then his demeanor shifted to become a bit hostile,

GUARD

So what kingdom are you from?

I stopped where I stood and shifted my weight to my heels. Was this kingdom at war? Worst of luck for me to say I came from a skirmish.

PAIN

Oh no, I am a traveler—an adventurer—caught in the crossfire.

I lied with haste, and he relaxed with a heavy sigh,

GUARD

Ah, we got a lot of those. Did you at least keep your Citizenship or Trader's Pass?

I shook my head as I continued to approach, and he shook his head with a smile,

GUARD

You need to do better than that.

I froze as he glared at me with utter discontent. My Petty Interference activated for a brief second.

PAIN

Pardon?

GUARD

Do you take me for a fool?

Ah, dammit, he must know,

PAIN

Not at all.

I responded innocently, wondering how long I could keep up my facade, but the guard raised his hand and slid off his glove, revealing a (Skill Aptitude) Copper Ring, Petty Scan.

GUARD

Stop acting as if you're innocent, you damned vampire!

Not that long, I guess. I sighed and let out my fangs and claws.

PAIN

So, what now?

The guard unsheathed his sword and dashed at me. I smoothly dodged his several thrusts towards my face and Quickstepped backward out of reach.

GUARD

Flying Thrust!

He thrust his blade between us, emitting a light golden aura as he did so. I dodged as half of my right shoulder was shredded by cuts— shit, my robes!

PAIN

Fine then!

He Quickstepped towards me, but I Quickstepped forward and jammed my staff into his face, momentarily stunning him. The guards around the wall were leveling their bows at me when I got sight of them, but they were too slow. I pushed aside the charging guard by extending my free hand and letting out a hail of flames.

The guards along the walls fired just as I finished casting, but I protected myself with a shield of solid Water —I was shocked as their arrows pierced through and sang past me— that was close! The slightly burned guard glared at me in horror and exclaimed,

GUARD

A daywalker with two spells? Impossible!

I had already lost all interest in this town and could not care less about what was impossible. I readied the stored mana in my staff as the guard realized what I was about to do and fled—too late. I let loose a cloud of Fire, exploding my shield of water into a cloud of steam and engulfing the fleeing guard as it slammed into the reinforced gates of the city.

Of course, my flames did nothing to the gates, but that was not my intent. I fled southeast within the cover of the thick steam, repeatedly using Quickstep as the sharp sounds of arrows trailed my footsteps. I kicked off the ground, leaping into the ravine because no matter what, I could not let them know where I was going.