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Ch. 4 - The Haunted Manor

Chapter 4 - The Haunted Manor

I unfold the map once we put some distance between us and the rampaging brute, pointing to a spot on the map depicting a set of ancient houses with broken walls, ruins. Nodding all around, compliments to my intelligence, we quickly make our way towards the spot, the sun starting its descent, past the midday point, going down behind our backs as we walk south-east. The journey is relatively uneventful, only broken by my mysterious skill finally leveling as I take a peeing break, looking intently at the snow melting into yellow water.

Congratulations, you have leveled-up your Skill ‘Mirror, Mirror in the Snow’ to Level 2.

You have unlocked the Ritual: Spring after the White Winter

Spring after the White Winter

Every season has its end, even the coldest and harshest of winters give way to the sun melting the layer of snow on the land, creating rivers of sparkling water that rush down the hills.

Information floods my brain as the workings of the ritual flow into my mind, giving me the knowledge necessary to call an end to the winter’s march and let the snow melt under the sun’s rays. With my curiosity threatening to explode if I do not immediately test the skill, I join my companions and tell them of the achievement. Ellaina monotonously congratulates me on the discovery and even my guide seems to be excited for the first time, interested in the strange mechanics of the ability.

Not letting them, or more importantly, me, wait, I quickly get to activating the skill. My hands almost move by themselves, information flowing to the forefront of my mind and guiding me through the necessary steps to conduct the ritual. A large circle is drawn into the snow, followed by a second smaller one. The outer circle would control the activation of the effect my instincts inform me, allowing me to add a timer or even trigger to the ritual. The inner circle controls the effect itself, melting the snow faster or slower, letting the effect go beyond the circle itself, calling the sun down on the spot, or simply producing heat to melt away the ice.

I continue drawing the circle, setting the effect to only be within the circle itself, constructing the inner circle so it would shine a ray of sun on the circle to melt the snow, the rays of the sun then blessing the ground beneath it. I step back from the circle, careful not to destroy the lines, and then follow the final instinct buzzing in my mind, letting some form of energy flow from me and into the circle itself. Thoughts jump through my mind, from Ellaina melting the snow to heal my wounds, the sun melting the snow in the rare hole of the canopy, the Timber hearths melting the powder with their warm trunks, the life flourishing in the moist and nutrient-rich ground revealed by their actions.

The circle suddenly activates once enough energy fills its lines and with a bright pulse, a ray of sunlight suddenly shoots down, striking the circle and rapidly melting the snow, though only a subtle heat wafting forth. Once the snow is completely gone, replaced by a small puddle of water grass springs forth from the muddy ground, drinking the crisp water, their stalks reaching towards the sky. As suddenly as it began the ritual fades, the power fueling it gone and the omnipresent wind quickly sends a gust of snow covering the small clearing. The grass tries to fight against the cold though the young stalks quickly die in the harsh temperatures, only a single blade left, somehow fighting on.

I look out at the happenings, the effects so clearly and obviously magical that they stop my lungs from sucking air, my eyes from blinking, fearing the dream to simply fade. As my guide starts walking, Ellaina following the spirit, my feet move on their own, my head still locked on the scenery. It takes some time for me to snap out of the wonder and I excitedly share my thoughts with the rest of my companions, my guide simply ignoring my antics and Ellaina answering with pre-designed phrases.

As the sun starts its last third of the journey across the sky I spot the first signs of the ruins, a piece of destroyed wall sticking out from the snow, a tree doing its best to grow along its side. We cautiously continue our journey, more and more signs of past civilization showing up amid the forest, the large trees giving way to smaller and younger specimens. The trees give out completely, replaced by bushes and bunches of grass, allowing me a full view of the small manor lying in shambles before us.

The roof is collapsed, taking most of the second floor with it, the structure only holding up by pure will. Walls are reduced to bare bricks and even they show the passage of time, ice and snow ripping apart anything else still left of the structure. The little snow spirit hovering in the air beside me, my guide, suddenly vanishes as we get closer to the building, quickly whispering “bye” before the snow making up his body falls to the ground. Having the time to prepare this assault, Ellaina and I make our way all around the fallen mansion, the place most likely having some kind of creature occupying it.

Besides the front entrance into the mansion, its two doors blown inwards, only rotten wood left, the backside has another entrance, most likely for the mansion’s staff. The door is similarly rotten, though still desperately clings onto its hinges, providing an alternative entrance. Furthermore, the backside of the building holds up to the decay, the second floor still having some of its walls, brittle brick holding up the roof. I spot a figure moving past one of the windows, metal grate protecting the broken glass and discouraging any would-be intruders. Once we circled the estate for the first time, I hunker down beside a piece of fencing that is still intact, trying to come up with a plan.

This location seems to have a much higher difficulty than the others so far, the lack of information forcing me to go into the battle blind. Thus, I decide not to let Ellaina go with me directly, though a little useful skill of hers could surely help me in the fight to come. With time on our side and the enemy none the wiser of our presence, I start preparing our assault, making my way over to the main entrance. While trying to stay as quiet as possible I slowly form a large circle into the snow, set to trigger when someone other than me or Ellaina crosses the ritual. Once activated it would call down an intense ray of sunlight, done by pushing the heat and sun parameters to the max in the ritual circle. However, the magic quickly shows its limits as the skill tries to keep its original intention, spring, not mid-summer. I create just such a ritual due to my suspicions giving me some hints of what or who could hide within the abandoned mansion, the glimpse I caught from the second floor supporting my thoughts, undead wandering the empty halls.

I then continue my preparations, repeating a similar circle at the manor’s side entrance, the smaller scale allowing me to push the effect to new heights, hopefully, enough to actually hurt any monster passing through and not just be a fancy spotlight. Once both entrances are covered, I return to Ellaina, my mind a little exhausted from the grand expenditure of energy. The woman remains behind the bit of wall and is doing as I told her, a small army of miniature ice golems standing around her. Half a dozen ice-clad warriors, standing to the height of my knee, idly wander around behind the cover of the ruined fence, small swords made of shimmering blue ice and a tiny little shield in their hands. Contrary to their element I almost melt as I see the little figures, the golems raising their little swords against the gigantic foe that is me. Too Cute!

Ellaina commands the ice figurines to lower the weapons and she stands up, following after me to the back entrance. Carefully stepping around the runic circle I slowly open the rotten door, the old wood quickly giving me some resistance as an object, or another blocks the door halfway open. I pray to myself that I wouldn’t be met by a gang of zombies just inside the room, knock-on wood. I push through the narrow opening and into the mansion, the stench of rotten wood and moist stone hitting my nostrils. It is cold inside, even colder than outside, the thick walls concentrating the low temperatures and perfectly preserving the insides.

The door opens into a storage space, foodstuffs stacked upon each other, apples frozen over, and a big piece of pork ribs hanging from the wall, smooth to the touch, acting as a blood icicle. I take a quick look around the room and spot the second door further into the manor, thick wood frozen shut and creating a safe room of the storage space. Having secured our entrance, I softly call out to Ellaina who hands me her small minions one after another so as to not disturb the ritual guarding the manor’s exit. Once all the ice warriors are inside, I close the door behind me, Ellaina remaining outside, giving her the ability to run away and snipe through the windows to support me while staying relatively save.

I make my way towards the door further into the manor, the little minions following after me, small feet shuffling rapidly to catch up to my large strides. Not wanting to alert the rest of the estate to the uninvited visitors, us, I take out my knife and slide it in between the frame of the door and the door itself. With small sawing motions, I break through the layer of ice freezing the door shut and then slowly and very carefully slide it open, peeking through the half-opened door. A figure stands in the corner of the other room, shuffling around on its feet, every step sending a loud clink through the room as frozen feet hit the stone floor. I let my eyes wander over the creature while holding back the barrage of the miniature golems, hastily calling forth the monster’s description.

Mahaha - Lvl. 2

Zombies of frost, their souls frozen in their time of death, never given the chance to leave their cursed bodies, forced to remain and animate the machines of flesh until the end of time.

Attribute Focus: Activity - 14

Skill Focus: Ice Strike - Lvl. 1

It becomes instantly obvious that the creature is much weaker than those I encountered before, its only skill is a meager Level 1. Still, I remain cautious, deciding to let the small golems remain behind for now, their frozen feet creating too loud of a clamor as they stride across the ground. As the zombie is turning around, shuffling over towards one of the kitchen entrances, I dash out from behind the door, hiding behind the island in the middle of the room. The door slowly moves shut behind me, the sound of the old wood groaning alerting the frozen zombie, and the creature shambles towards the storage.

I stay hidden behind the island, my heart hammering inside my chest, the rapid beating most definitely alerting the Mahaha to my position. Luckily, the creature simply shambles past me, totally ignoring my figure huddled in the shadows of the room, only a soft blue glow coming in from one of the kitchen entrances casting the room in a dark navy. The zombie is about to open the door, its hand reaching towards the handle as a knife flashes behind it and a soft moan is immediately silenced. A large wound cuts through the creature’s voice box, silencing though not killing it outright, not only just a zombie in name, but also in function, its brain or heart needing to be destroyed to kill it.

An elbow comes flying back at me, the creature not even turning around to get in a hit. A muffled call of “Glaring Shield” quickly summons a barrier of ice between my stomach and the offending limb, stopping the attack cold, hah, cold. I hastily set a stop to my untimely humor, flashing out my knife again and puncturing the creature's heart from behind. Brittle bone breaks under the force and the knife, impervious to wear and tear, breaks through its back, and impales the creature’s heart.

You have killed a ‘Mahaha - Lvl. 2’

Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 3.

You are awarded 4 Unused Attribute Points.

The notifications are quickly followed by three more, letting me know my skills are once again maxed, rising to the limit set by my general Level. Wanting to stay on top of the situation I quickly invest the four points into Activity, needing the increased balance and agility to stay hidden. A feeling of power and pure speed rushes through my body, every muscle filled to its full potential, able to harness all of its strength and control.

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I slowly lower the zombie back to the floor, dragging the dead corpse through the storage door to get it out of any overly curious eyes. With a miniature war cry the small party of ice golems goes to battle against the corpse, small swords sinking into frozen flesh and shields of ice deflecting imaginary attacks. A stern look gets the goofy spirits to calm down, the largest of them adorably turning its head to the side in a gesture of confusion. I quickly explain the situation to the surprisingly intelligent beings, and they immediately turn serious, well as serious as they are able to.

Opening the door once again, I traipse through the empty kitchen, ordering the small troop of ice soldiers to remain behind the island, only to act once I dragged a creature inside the room. Half a dozen of little nods accepts my orders and with a lot of trust in the little men, I make my way further into the mansion, staying in the shadows cast by the blue light. Luminescent ice crystals, not unlike the spell from Ellaina, illuminate the long hallways of the estate, the ground floor in surprisingly good state, no holes in the wall letting in a single ray of the sun.

Once again, the clinking of ice on stone alerts me to one of the creatures coming closer and I hastily dodge to the side, taking cover underneath a table lining the hallway, a delicate vase sitting atop it. I carelessly bump into a wooden leg in my desperate attempt at evading the patrol and the vase starts spinning precariously. Just as the vase is about to topple over a soft glow comes from my left shoulder, warmth flowing through my body and a random gust of wind in the air-sealed mansion calms the spinning vase, saving the day. The guard, none the wiser of the happenings, turns around the corner and continues its walk down the hallway, not noticing me hiding in the shadows of said hallway.

Mahaha - Ice-cold Patrol (Lvl. 1) - Lvl. 3

Zombies of frost and cold, their souls frozen in their time of death, never given the chance to leave their cursed bodies, forced to remain and animate the machines of flesh and ice eternally, only the end of time giving them any recluse from their torturous existence.

Attribute Focus: Stability - 20

Skill Focus: Deathly Gaze - Lvl. 3

The description is mostly the same as the zombie from before, though the creature is obviously stronger, not only boasting a higher leveled skill but also a class, Ice-Cold Patrol. Its focus on stability raises some worries, though I continue with my plan, carefully, more carefully, crawling forth from under the table. With light steps, unlike any of the mansion’s residents, I sneak toward the guard, a negligence of Activity allowing me to quickly catch up to the creature. Just as the zombie crosses the first kitchen entrance, I let my knife flash forwards, gliding the sharp blade through its throat and stopping any sound from escaping its mouth.

Before the Mahaha can react, I bodily push it into the kitchen, closing the door behind us and hoping the sound wouldn’t attract any of the mansion’s other residents. The zombie slams into the floor, the few rusted and frozen pieces of armor adorning its body clattering loudly, the sound hopefully sufficiently quieted by the thick door. Before the creature can get its arms under it a gang of ice golems jumps onto its back, brandishing their holy swords and axes. By thousands of little cuts, the creature is cut down, the tireless summons letting a storm of hail rain down on the downed zombie, the creature taking its last, once again, breath, as my blade slides into a gap in its armor and directly into its neck. Another kill notification fills my vision, though sadly not accompanied by any Level-up notifications, only by a new skill unlocking and ready to be added to my arsenal.

Congratulations, you have unlocked the Skill ‘Last Breeze’ at Level 1.

Last breeze - Lvl. 1

Attack your enemy from behind, viciously stabbing them in the back and suddenly ending their life, only the cold breeze of your impossibly quick movement hinting at the untimely death, a breeze before the last breath.

A silent air-punch later I am back in the hallway, carefully listening for any signs of someone having noticed our ambush. My increased Mentality assures me that no one is any the wiser and I make my way further into the domain of ice, eager to test my new skill. With the hallway clear for now, I start looking through the rooms left and right of the passage. Bedrooms filled with rotten blankets that turn to dust with a single touch, meeting rooms stinking of rotten wood and mold, papers cluttering a desk in an office, the language sadly unfamiliar to me, and the parchment frozen solid.

On and on I go, only the last room at the end of the hallway rewarding me with any action, a particularly stupid zombie repeatedly banging its head against a wall. The room is fairly spacious, larger than the other ones on its left and right, though ice similarly covers every surface, some of the grandeur of the room preserved over time. I slowly traipse over to the zombie, getting closer and closer and then activating my new skill, instincts guiding my movement. A rush of energy goes through my body as my Activity suddenly spikes upwards and my body moves at twice the speed. My blade glints in the soft blue glow coming from the ceiling and a single gust of ice-cold air blows across the zombie's neck before my blade finds its target. With unnatural flexibility and speed the beast tries to turn around, though luckily my skill-boosted tempo is enough, and my knife promptly finds its target, lopping off the creature’s head.

Congratulations, you have killed a Mahaha (Lvl. 3) - Winter Jester (lvl. 2) - Lvl. 5

A shudder goes down my back, luck having won the day this time, my foolishness at not examining the creature with Forerunner’s Foreknowledge almost biting me in the butt so bad it would be my last. Before I can go down that particularly pessimistic line of thought another set of notifications fills my view. Instead of observing every single notification I simply take a look at my status, taking in the new and improved me.

Personal Status

Name: Paul Fordstein

Age: 23

Level (Exp.): 4 (64%)

Attributes: 4 Unused Attribute Points

- Stability: 7

- Activity: 16->20

- Mentality: 20 (+10)

- Spirituality: 10

Skills:

- Forerunner’s Foreknowledge - lvl. 2->4

- Glaring Shield - lvl. 2->3

- Mirror, Mirror in the Snow - lvl. 2->3

- Last Breeze - Lvl. 1->2

Before I can make my way out of the room, the powerful corpse unnerving me, my leveled Forerunner’s Foreknowledge pings me. I look down at the dead Winter Jester, expecting the skill to simply nudge me towards an especially powerful item of the jester, though it only shows up as a minor interest. Instead, my skill nudges me towards the wall behind the fallen zombie, the wall that it repeatedly smashed its head against, the wall suspiciously showing no wear or tear from the repeated abuse. With my curiosity peaked I let my hands wander over the surface, searching for something else that would let the wall stand out and my increased senses together with Forerunner’s Foreknowledge are enough to guide my hands to the correct place.

A pulled torch and a magical glitter show later the illusion is lifted, a door left standing where the zombie repeatedly smashed its head into the wall, a hole left in the wood from the unending abuse. I approach the door, careful of any traps or other effects of having pulled at the torch, and then peek into the hole. The room behind the door is in total darkness only the light glow from behind me attempting to illuminate some of the cordoned off area. With curiosity winning out over caution I push open the door, dragging aside the jester’s body and carefully stepping inside the room.

The soft glow shining inside the fully revealed room shows a pedestal holding a round object made of cold iron, with countless shapes and symbols carved into its front. I slowly approach the stone plinth, taking in the whole room, but nothing particularly interesting besides the buckler held aloft by the platform. Before I start inspecting the obvious focus of the room I make my way around the edge of the space, sighting a piece of leather armor towards the back. I take off my white cloak and try my best at equipping the breastplate, hard leather covering my chest, flowing into softer material for my stomach, the same shape is mirrored on the back, giving me some protection from anyone trying to give me an untimely death.

Having stalled for long enough I approach the object of interest, observing it from all sides. The shield is roughly as large as my forearm if equipped, a perfect protection against any attacks from the front. Cold dark iron with a blue tint makes the main portion of the shield, a rim of purple around the edge walling in countless little runes and symbols in concentric circles getting smaller and smaller. On its back, held up by the pedestal is a leather strap and an incision into the metal that would allow one not only to hold the buckler but to also slide it into some kind of slot on one’s vambraces.

Bitter Iron Buckler - Lvl. ??

(Legacy)

A masterfully crafted buckler made of unnaturally cold iron, the low temperatures of ice and snow eternally wafting off its surface, demanding authority over the cold. Runes and symbols of forgotten origin and meaning are carved into its front, protecting, and empowering those who seek cover behind the shield, the wielder of the buckler impervious to the touch of the Eternal Cold.

Effects:

!LOCKED!

!Dome of Ice! - Unlocked at Level 5

Cold Resistance - Lvl. 5

My eyes glimmer with excitement as I am just about to equip the buckler, though quickly stop myself before I can do so. Taking a calming breath, I read through the description again, taking some more time to go through the effects imbued into the shield, namely the locked ‘Dome of Ice’. Evident by the description reaching Level 5 should unlock the ability, the only thing worrying me is the LOCKED effect, most likely released at a higher Level, though with no knowledge of its effects, it could also just be negative, not positive. I war with myself internally, my mind split between paranoid caution and overly eager curiosity.

In the end, the choice is taken from me as the door suddenly slams open, a frozen zombie stumbles and then falls inside the hidden room, quickly followed by another. I jump back, using the full power of my improved Activity, and with no other choice left quickly equip the new item. My blood runs cold, literally, as the blood rushing past the equipped shield rapidly cools, my body quickly cooling down, luckily though the effect stops as suddenly as it started. With my heart hammering in my body, pumping cold and quite refreshing liquid through my muscles I stand up from my prone position towards the end of the room and face the two attackers.

Both are of the same species I already encountered in the Mansion before, one of them a Level 3 Mahaha with the Snow Security class, the other a Level 4 Mahaha, sporting no class at all, only an interesting skill. Before I can continue analyzing the situation the Snow Security suddenly jumps at me, one leg slipping on the smooth surface, yet the zombie still flies true. I dodge to the side, throwing my body away from the much stronger creature, flashing out my slingshot-knife and equipping one of the frozen leaves. A quick pull and a whip later the projectile thuds into the back of the zombie's knee, sending the creature down again, its leg out of the fight.

Before I can recover the second zombie stumbles towards me, its body generously covered in ice, fog wafting off its frame. I shuffle back, sliding along the cold floor, my hands feeling none of the low temperature as the effects of the buckler kick in, reducing the influence the freezing temperatures have over me. The creature is almost upon me, every slow step closing the distance between us even further, panic fogging up my mind and making it difficult to act. Just as the creature is about to reach me it is thrown to the side, the second Mahaha rushing towards me but missing its target, the two zombies, while of the same species, clearly not actively working together.

I hastily get up, feet scrambling against the slippery ground and circle the room, putting the pedestal between me and my attackers. The Security is the first to get up, the regular Mahaha taking much longer to recover, every movement in slow motion, though powerful muscles hidden underneath the layers of ice. I let two more shots loose into the creature’s center of mass, its head covered by a large helmet, only allowing me to attempt puncturing its heart and letting it die that way. One shot destroys the elbow of its left arm, the hand dangling loosely to the side and making movement more difficult for the desperate creature.

Crouching down and placing the buckler front and center I brace myself for the collision one leg angled against the wall giving me a good amount of stability. As the zombie is almost upon me, I push off the wall, slamming myself into the creature and taking it down with me. In the seconds of our fall, I attempt to place the dagger’s tip somewhere vital, though in the end, the fast scuffle results only in the knife embedded above the creature’s collarbone. Desperate I push my knees into the zombie’s stomach, rear up, and smash the buckler shield down in a right-to-left motion. The cold iron soundly connects with the creature’s head, slamming it to the side and allowing my dagger, to cut through the flesh, just above its shoulder, to pierce into its head, from below the chin.

After one last struggle, the knife scraping along the zombie’s brain, the light behind its eyes goes out and a kill notification appears in my field of view. Just in time as the second zombie, finally able to get up, rushes towards me, its weight increased manyfold by the layers of ice and snow frozen to its body. The creature takes off, intending to bodily slam into me and overwhelm me with its sheer weight.