I opened my palm, looking at the black ring. Even now, I could still feel its hunger, the ravenous need of consuming everything. Power beyond anything a mortal could ever imagine. What was left of Kai’Jin was a mound of ash. An elite ice troll shaman disintegrated with a single touch. The girl was still unconscious, but her breathing was even, and the blood loss stopped. She had white, long hair, and pointy years framed her youthful face. She wore a leather outfit with a couple of pouches on her belt. An elf. She was an elf. This forsaken world might still have a chance of redemption.
As I was too exhausted to even get up, I reckoned I should check my stats and maybe attribute those skill points.
Name Astrarias Titles Herald Level 7 HP 16/170 MP 2/170 Body 10 Mind 10 Soul 10 Skill points remaing 18
The system presented itself as an older generation RPG. Body should represent all the physical aspects like strength and dexterity; mind should be related to intellect and spell casting, and soul should be about charisma, wisdom, and intuition. All equally important, but right now mind and soul would prove of little value. Being smart would not help me run faster from the horde of potentially vengeful and blood thirsty trolls, and reasoning with a wild animal would be a fast way to end the story. The current circumstances dictate I put all my points in Body. And I always wanted to be jacked. Just as I confirmed my action, a surge of physical power washed over me, and I could feel my muscles swelling up. I had renewed vigor, but still not nearly enough to venture out in the night.
As I was preoccupied with the important task of checking out my biceps, the elf girl squirmed in her sleep, a low moan escaping her lips. Worried that she was hurt worse than I thought, I scurried over to her, leaning over and looking for any signs of blood and trauma.
She suddenly woke up, and for a second our gazes met and I was lost in a sea of green. Instead of eyes, i was sure she had two emeralds. And then she screamed and punched me in the face.
I fell on my back, and blood started flowing from what I believed to be my poor broken nose. This world seemed to have an unpleasant habit of making me bleed every present opportunity. In a flash, she was over me, a knife pressed on my throat. By this point i was thinking I have become some kind of magnet for sharp, pointy things.
“How long have you been watching me sleep, pervert?” for such a cute, innocent girl, her tone meant business. “You have five seconds to respond or you will bleed out like the animal you are!”
“Ok, ok, ok. I was just making sure you were not too hurt! Kai’Jin roughed you up pretty bad. That’s all, I promise.”
She frowned, not yet fully convinced, but at least the knife was no longer close to any major artery. “Kai’Jin doesn’t leave any survivors. Where is he? Are you two working together?” and we were back to the knife dangerously close thing.
Instead of answering, I just pointed at the big ash pile in the middle of the room. Her eyes grew large, and I could see the shock on her face. “That was you? You killed Kai’Jin the cruel?” she turned her head towards me , and I could see fear setting in. For a moment, I thought about how should I explain the fact that I used the powers of an ancient artifact given to me by the one and only Mother of Void. So I did the best next thing. I lied.
“As much as I would like to take the credit, he did this to himself. When he came after me, he had a crazed look on his face. He took a vial from his poach and drank its contents. He started screaming and then a red flame engulfed him.” I hoped this was a good enough answer.
“Indeed, blood shamans are notorious for using dangerous potion to enhance their powers. Serves him right, crazy troll!”
“Now that we settled this, could you perhaps allow my lungs to function properly? Its getting pretty hard to breathe down here.” Her face changed from contemplative to utter embarrassment, practically jumping off of me and giving my ribs a last good kick.
“I am sorry! I am terribly sorry! How rude of me!” she was now bowing in front of me at speeds never before seen, and her ears became a powerful shade of red.
Now, in general, laughing feels good. But when you do it with a multitude of broken bones and probably a concussion, it suddenly hurts. A lot. Seeing me writhing in pain must have made her feel even worse, so she picked up one of her pouches, rummaging through it. She took out one small bottle containing a blue liquid, and she handled it to me. I took it from her, looking closely at the liquid. “I hope whatever this is, it won’t have the side effect of ending like our murderous friend over there.” I remarked, half in jest, half serious.
“Oh no, absolutely not. This is a high-quality healing potion. We elves have standards, not like those dirty trolls!” she seemed innocent enough, but to be sure I willed the system to run a check on it.
Potion of unknown origin. Analysis incomplete due to insufficient points in
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
[Mind] status.
Elegant way of insulting my intelligence. Maybe dumping all my points into bigger muscles was not such a good idea. Nothing I could do now. I popped the lid open and I downed the potion. It tasted amazing, like a cool drink in the scorch of summer. I could feel my bones mending and my wounds closed up. In just a moment, I felt anew.
“Wow, this is amazing!” I barely uttered. I found it hard to believe something like this even existed.
“It’s of outstanding quality, but is still is just a potion. Is this your first time using one?” she threw me a confused look.
“Yea, where I come from we don’t have this kind of stuff.”
“You don’t? That must be terrible! Where do you come from?” Now she seemed genuinely upset. She wasn’t a bad per… elf. She wasn’t a bad elf, even if a bit naïve.
“It’s a faraway land, called Europe. We are usually too busy fighting ourselves to create something like this.” I bet my luck on her, lacking geographical mastery. And I was right, as she didn’t ask another question about my history.
“I am Astarias. And I am afraid I have nothing to give you in return for this potion except my undying gratitude.” After taking the magic bottle, I returned to my corner, my eyes heavy with and tired.
She averted her gaze, shyness present on her face. “T-this is nothing, really! I should be the one to show gratitude for saving me.” and she bowed for the 99th time. “You must be exhausted. The potion heals the body of wounds, but it can’t replace sleep and food. Rest now, and I will keep watch.”
Through falling eye leads, I could see her getting up and heading for the tunnel. Before disappearing, she turned to me and said, “Elwyne. Elwyne Windblade. And thank you.”
And I fell asleep.
An endless ocean, but the water was red. So red. Beneath the waves, I could feel a ravenous power reaching out to me, demanding more. Always more. It was never enough. It could never be. The Void has no bounds.
I was above a castle in the middle of great plains. It stood in ruin. Before it, an old man with grey hair and bent shoulders cried heavy tears. Next to him, a girl with fire in her hair and fire in her eyes, flames whipping around her with furry.
I was in a ballroom, puppets dressed in fine cloth and velvet, all wearing intricate masks covered in precious stones. Pulled by many strings, they all danced in a lifeless show. In the middle of them stood a young man, frozen like a statue. He wore no mask, but his hands covered his face.
I was in a chamber, decorated with opulence. Everything shone brightly. There was a large bad, encrusted with gold, the carved posts showing the head of a ferocious animal resembling a wolf. Between all the silk and scented mist, stood a beautiful woman. She was no goddess, but she was also no mortal. Her priestesses worshipped her naked body in a delirious dance of flash and skin. With one eye she cried, and with the other she laughed.
Through one window, I could see a blood moon casting crimson light over the world.
I was now at her side, the heat of her body radiating with power. She caressed my face, and her plump lips whispered in my ear.
“The Jester hides behind the smile. Do not trust the blind animal for it sees behind the veil. The stars hate. The stars hate. A scythe can cut, but a shield protects. Find your shield, Astarias. And come to me.”
And I woke up, drenched in cold sweat. I opened my eyes, and the smell of cooked meat hit my nostrils with a vengeance. My stomach painfully reminded me I haven’t eaten since arriving in this world. Elwyne stood at a small fire, two chunks of meat roasting above the flames.
“You are finally awake! If you didn’t wake up soon, I would have eaten it all.” She smiled at me, small dimples showing on her face. She had a beautiful, innocent smile.
“Then we would have had to duel to the death.” I came closer to the fire and grabbed a stick, biting the meat with ferocity. It tasted like pork, but it was more flavorful. And the texture was different, a bit more chewy. But in the state I was right now, even seasoned dirt would have been a good option.
“It is delicious, thank you!”
She blushed again, looking the other way. “I am glad you like it. Ice troll meat is hard to cook right. It needs special herbs to make it taste as good.”
Before I could spit it out, Elwyne was rolling on the ground, laughing at me. So that’s how it was going to be. That was a declaration of war.
When she finally calmed down, she took her own stick and started eating. “I caught a Skarid while you were sleeping. It is not the best prey, but these lands offer little.” I didn’t know what a Skarid was, but as long as it did not speak, I didn’t care. After we finished this frugal breakfast, an awkward silence fell upon us. I could see that Elwyne wanted to say something, but she kept fidgeting around, not daring to speak.
“We both saved our lives. I think we are well past formality. Say what you have on your mind.”
“Yes. Well. I-I was wondering where you are heading now. I have to return home, and, I, uh, I think it would be safer to travel to-together. At least until we leave the Frozen Valley. Only if you wish, of course!”
Now her ears were completely red, and she nervously played with a strand of her hair. I liked her. She was young, yes. But she was a warrior. That was clear enough. And I had absolutely no idea where to go next, and meandering through the land was not a solid plan.
“I go where the road takes me.” That was a cool line. "I would love to be your travel companion."
“Really? Awesome!” she jumped up, but she quickly composed herself, clearing her throat “I mean, wonderful decision! Yes. Definately a most excellent decision.” I held my laugh in. I didn’t want to make her even more uncomfortable.
“These lands are foreign to me, so I will follow your lead.” she left the room first, and I made the first step to follow her, when a thought crossed my mind. I turned back and went once again to the tomb. Black. From hilt to point, the sword was all black. He, whoever he was, would sure not mind me using it. If it had half the power of this ring, it would prove of great help in my quest.I picked it up, feeling the coldness of the strange material. It was lighter than my current weapon, but the edge looked deadly sharp. And it crumbled in my hand.
“Don’t push you luck, boy!” a voice echoed in my head. Yes ma’am. Message received loud and clear.
I hurried after Elwyne, who awaited me in the pedestal room. On our way out we passed by the body of Jin’Jin, and she I could see her shudder. Outside, the same white canvas welcomed us. The sun was up in the sky, but the cold bit us harshly. I couldn’t wait to get out of this hellhole.
“The journey should take us three weeks, but the weather will be much more tame after we escape the Valley. If we make haste, we can leave it behind by night fall. And I really don’t want to spend another night here.”
“You and me both. I would kill for a patch of dry land right now.”
And so we began our travel home. Well, her home, but I always wanted to visit an elf city. We must have been walking for an hour, and Elwyne was just telling me how he found the cave where I almost became troll drink, when a deep, powerful sound broke the silence of the land. A dark rhythm fell upon us, speaking of blood and battle.
Elwyne froze in place, all color leaving her face.
Terrified, she whispered two words.
“War drums.”