Chapter 7: The Climb
WARNING:
Suffering from [Effect: Extreme Burn] Calculating damage [error]
Suffering from [Effect: High Voltage] Calculating damage [error]
Suffering from [Effect: Magical Flames] Calculating damage [error]
Gained 32% resistance towards [Element: Fire]
Gained 72% resistance towards [Element: Lightning]
Gained 22% resistance towards [Magic: Flames]
Damage inconclusive due to [corrupted]
NOTIFICATION:
You participated in defeating 624x [Puppets: Skeletons]
You participated in defeating 58x [Puppets: Decomposing]
[War Witch] Class has reached level 78
Mana and Health modifiers have been adjusted
Unlocked access to new spells and skills
For the second time in a single day, I woke up in pain.
“You remain a mystery. Even after knowing you your whole life.” Francis spoke after hearing me groan.
“Occasionally you can be the most calculating, cold-hearted bitch I can think of, no offense to the rest of your family of course, they try their hardest to overcome your talents in that area.” He said and looked with a smile upon the carnage I had wrought.
“And other you are recklessly charging into unexplored tombs, willingly reading books that promise on their cover to devour any and all souls, or blow yourself up by calling upon an ancient god of thunderstorms to empower your spells.” He continued and then sighed.
“And despite your unholy luck, did you make it your hobby to collect curses upon your body and soul? Is that your way to mock me? Something like this will leave marks. I thought you had more control than that."
I laughed. He wasn't wrong really, my soul would give most observers nightmares at this point.
"You done?" I asked
But he was right, I did act recklessly. A possible side effect of my recovering soul and rapidly switching between two or rather three, if I counted my original, bodies.
And yet, the song of winter still held strong and the blood of rabbit still flowed through my veins. It would take a lot to take me down for good at this point.
"You are right, I know you are. But I am alive and kicking, let's just not repeat this for a while." I said.
“Sounds good to me Boss Lady, I am getting tired of saving you from yourself. Your parents would be disappointed in me if I failed."
“Hah, not so sure they would,” I said and got up to survey the battlefield, or rather what was left of it. “I am pretty sure everyone above has collectively felt or heard the explosions. We might have to hurry before they decide to actually use that whole army destruction nonsense.”
"I would have carried you while you were out but Akna had to treat the worst of your injuries first. You are gonna be left with some nasty scars tho."
"Oh no, now Mom will never be able to marry me off to that one asshole of the Schwarzglanz family." I giggled. "What an insane idea that was, I would have murdered him after a week."
"Politics, not like that's something you need to worry about now," Francis grunted in response before handing me a cloak and some rags. "Put this on. I went exploring a bit and gathered something to at least cover you, had to cut the old stuff out of your flesh."
"Scandalous!" I accused him while standing up and trying to wiggle into the tattered black pieces of clothing.
"By the way, what really happened to the soldiers?" I asked suspiciously, thinking about my previous outfit.
Francis smirked while shrugging innocently. "Well, I left them alive as your highness requested. Mindwiped them and tied them up in the summoning chamber. I also got us some money and some other valuables, smart I know. You can thank me later." He told me while pulling a small bag full of what I assumed were coins from behind his back.
"Ugh, I should have just told you to kill them. They are just gonna starve to death." I whined
"Lady Wintersong. Guardian goddess of the innocent, protector of soldiers and mercenaries everywhere." He mocked me while putting on a stupid voice.
"Fuck you, I just didn't think this whole thing through." I grumbled.
Francis just threw his head back and laughed.
"We should move, children." Akna suddenly said from behind me. She didn't look worn out even a tiny bit. Where Francis was still visibly exhausted and I probably looked like a deep-fried vampire, Akna was even more regal than before. Such was the nature of spirits and divinity I guessed.
She smiled serenely before speaking once more: "These halls are vast and some parts run way deeper than you could imagine. We should move, yes. But cautious, it would not do to strain this body of yours too much. I am sad to see one of my chosen in such a state." A brief look of sadness crossed her face at this.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
"Sorry," I said and actually meant it. "Thank you for continuously healing me anyways, whatever it is you are using now, I feel better with each step. I will take better care of her in the future." I told the spirit.
"Let's move, I need a bath and some decent food between my teeth,” Francis interjected "We can talk and plan and make promises later. I am unsure about what old spirits do for food, but I am interested."
"I am afraid you won’t find out,” Akna said with a wink. “Let us move towards the west and you will get your bath."
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On the way upwards we actually did find some more valuables. Nothing crazy, but once in a while there was a coin or a small armband made out of precious metals. I was certain we would at least be able to afford a place to stay for a while. And if not, well... I always wanted to try robbing a bank.
Francis was walking at the front, Akna in the middle and I was slumping along in the back while checking my status.
Class: [War Witch]
Level: 78
Health: 329 / 2340
Mana 2892 / 16730
Afflictions:
[Effect: Extreme Burn]
[Effect: High Voltage]
[Effect: Magical Flames]
Marks:
[Mark: Blood of ERROR]]
[Mark: Touch of the Beyond]
[Mark: Blessing of Akna]
[Mark: Holder of the Sacrifice]
[Mark: Tempest Touched]
Akna had taken the time while we were walking to explain a bit more about how the system worked. Health was... not really too accurate. It was there as a measure of potential. Even if the points dropped to zero it didn't necessarily mean a guaranteed death.
Someone being full, optimal health was apparently exceedingly rare. An underfed soldier would never reach their full potential in relation to the level they were at. But they could. Because of that a higher level mostly meant an increase in potential and noticeable durability.
A level 100 human had a maximum potential of 3000 health, ignoring specific classes, and even while dropping into the low hundreds they were still able to stay in fights with ease.
This was because that same human was simply better in every physical and arcane way than a low-level human.
For centuries scholars had tried to find out the exact inner workings of the system. However, besides health, mana, and in the case of a physical class, energy, most of it was a mystery to nearly everyone.
There were rumors of legendary beings that had ascended as they figured out the truth but Akna didn't seem to put much faith in those.
The system would show dangerous afflictions and curses so one could attempt to cure the worst of them, but details were rather sparse. It did however categorize newly created spells, but once again that was a heavily debated topic within the walls of academies and other bastions of knowledge around the world.
After her long and drawn-out lecture, we mostly stayed silent as we pondered the situation. I thought back on the information about my mutated blood and the mention of vampires. If there was one thing I learned to fear, through lessons from my family as well as personal experiences, it was immortals playing politics.
One too many times I had disturbed some self-proclaimed turf of an old vampire and had to either call in outside extermination help or offer a stupid present or offering to flatter them in order to form some nonsensical alliance. The type of vampires I knew liked playing games more than a boy surrounded by his best friends.
I would have to do some research in order to not get pulled into some stupid vampire plot.
- [Touch of the Beyond] has mutated your blood. [Vampire Lords] and [Vampire Gods] will recognize you. [Vampires] will be afflicted with [Status: Terror].
Thanks to what I had done to myself over the years of study, soul magic, and rituals, my core and blood had certainly turned into an oddity. Mutated my blood? Getting obscure metaphysical knowledge delivered like that... It was convenient.
I was not used to having access to instant feedback when experimenting with unknown magic. It would certainly make rituals and other self-focused magic a lot easier.
I sighed and glanced around. Nothing. We had been walking for more than an hour by now. The scenery did not change. Not ever. No cool chambers, no ancient knowledge to be gained, and no hidden doorways to explore. It was mindbogglingly boring.
We had to take care of the odd non-puppeteered skeleton and zombie things that stumbled into our path but that was barely worth a jumpscare.
I managed to get some boots from one of them, which was exactly the type of high-level treasure I expected while venturing through an ancient whatever-this-place-was.
Besides those bursts of excitement, we were left with skulls, slimy walls, damp ceilings, and a whole lot of mold.
I got so bored I eventually retorted to juggling some bones. Not that I had any talent in that. I wish we had brought some cards with us, could have practiced my sleight of hand skills. I kicked yet another skull down the tunnel.
"I am so fucking bored, please someone tell me we are nearly out," I whined. “I am not doubting you or anything... But you sure this is the right way?”
“It is a long way up to the surface. The city is built within a mountain after all.” Akna answered calmly.
“Ugh, I didn’t sign up for climbing a mountain!” I said, Francis just stayed silent. I guess he was busy going through his own notifications and making up his own theories about what any of the system stuff would mean for us.
I kept thinking for a while before I finally asked: “Won’t the Emperor will have the city locked down? It might be kind of hard to sneak around with everyone looking for us.”
“You underestimate both the size of the city and its inhabitants. The Emperor rules through might and magic and yet his control is limited, for he has not many willing allies.”
“Ah, a corrupt ruler? Had my fair share of experience with those" I stated
Akna answered me after pondering my statement for a few seconds: “Corrupt? Not so much, but he is brutal and ruthless. And such a heavy-handed approach breeds dissent.”
“A revolution then?” I asked
“Not quite... But I am aware of a few... disgruntled.. family members. Who would have predicted that sending ones first born into exile might create enemies close by.”
“Royal family drama special then! How cliché!" I sighed and kept walking.
We passed more endless walls and more isolated skeletons and zombies. The higher up we got the less frequent they became. These ones were never part of any army. Just people. Citizens. Whatever.
This whole place was a maze, one wrong turn and you would be lost forever. Or someone would make sure you would stay lost. What better place to get rid of murder victims than a gigantic system of tunnels, nooks and crannies, holes, and tiny rooms?
I shook my head off these thoughts and finally remembered something from when I first got here: "The sleeper thing, what does it mean? If it truly is a prophecy I will warn you. I don't fuck with those. We know very well that prophecies are nothing more than curses most of the time, I won't get roped into any nonsense like that. So, what exactly do you know?"
“-Enough to know that there is no prophecy and that she is just scheming. Stop it Akna.” A voice suddenly spoke from behind.
We all whirled around, Francis and me both instantly preparing offensive quick spells to greet... “A fox demon? Seriously?”