Chap 6 gift of the dead

I gingerly raise my right hand and touch the side of my face… Oh, gods… I start at my lower jaw, and it’s dry, cold and cracked.(is this even skin?) I slowly bring my hand up toward my cheek but it’s not there… I feel the ridges of my teeth where my cheek should be and realize that all the skin from my right canine tooth to my ear is gone.(How the fuck am I still alive...WHY am I still alive?) I spread my hand out in its entirety and realize that the scar is from my right temple to my lower jaw bone.

….Just what happened to me?

New title: Mostly dead

A gift received from arch necromancer Mortimer. The blessed area is immune to any and all forms of damage, magical or otherwise. If shown, the blessed area will allow you to ally yourself with the undead as they will recognize you as their own.

Demerit: most sentient races will mistake you for a member of the undead if they spot the blessed area.

Affects:

Skill: commune with the dead

Skill: Terror Gaze

Skill: Phantom Eye

New skill: Commune with the dead

A passive skill that allows you to talk to, hear and interact with the dead/undead.

New Skill: Terror Gaze

The haunting look of your fully exposed face can make even the most hardened of soldiers shake in their boots. This effect will wear off after 3 roughly seconds, depending on the viewer's mental fortitude. The higher your skill level the worse their fear gets.

Demerit: instead of fleeing some weaker observers may fly into a fear-driven frenzy and attack you and yours randomly

New Skill: Phantom Eye

Your right eye is now part of the spirit world; channel magic through it to see beyond the physical plain.

Currently, you can see someone's aura when the eye is activated. The lighter an aura the purer their emotional/mental state. The higher your skill level the more you can see.

Demerit: when this skill is not activated you are blind in this eye

10 mana/second

You know If it weren't for the whole, fucking up my handsome face thing, I’d be able to appreciate these skills

“Hey, Jon? I’m sorry about your face but maybe we can fix it.” Renise gives me a reassuring look and walks closer to me.

“It’s alright Renise, I’ll be okay...let's just loot some bodies already and get out of her.” I turn my head so that she only sees my good side.

“Just remember that you don’t need depth perception to punch someone into oblivion with your crazy demon strength…” She looks up into my eye and smirks kindly,(man she is like a whole head shorter than me, and I don’t think I ever noticed until now) as she puts her hand on my shoulder, “After all you owe me an escort home.” Renise pats my shoulder twice and walks away. (I wish I had more friends like her when I was this age)

I watch as she walks away I’m speechless.(I wish my female friends were more like her when we were her age.)Looking away from her glorious backside that is still observable even when covered by a cloak, I scan the battlefield for someone to loot.

I start walking in the opposite direction of where Renise went and start checking random bodies.

**break**

After about an hour I have searched several dozen bodies for loot and found several dozen coin pouches in a currency I assume is the same as D&D.I’ve also found some more clothes, some rope, a crossbow and 15 bolts, a lone grappling hook(why is this here if there are no nearby cliffs… how odd) and now I’m shuffling through the things of a large, heavily armored brute, that must weigh half a ton.

{Hey Jon?}

(*grunt*MOVE YOU BASTARD!….Yeah Krowola?)

{What was your life like in your original world?}

(I thought you saw my memories?)

{Not exactly, I only saw the most recent ones from as far back as your death.}

(Is that so? Well okay then since I’m not doing much other than looting bodies and trying to ignore the creeping anxiety concerning my disfigurement.)

(You see, back in my old life I was a forty-six-year-old man that examined the bodies of the recently deceased in order to determine their cause of death. In doing so I sometimes helped the authorities catch the criminals that made the bodies dead to begin with.)

{Do you remember what you looked like?}

I stop trying to relieve the oaf of his battle ax and close my eyes. I visualize the last time I looked in the mirror and I really wish I took a closer look at my reflection because the image is very blurred and inaccurate.

(I was about 5foot 9 and 210lb, about the same weight I was back when I was twenty like I am now. Throughout my entire life I had a crewcut, and by the time I was in my mid-forties, my brown hair had grown some silver sideburns. I had some wrinkles but I think was handsome enough for my age. Unfortunately, I died single and a virgin, but I genuinely believe that it was because my life was simply not meant to play out that way.)

{So you never fell in love?}

(I’m not really sure. Now please don’t misunderstand, I did occasionally develop a crush on a classmate or someone similar but most of the time they either had boyfriends already or were simply not that into me. So because my lack of relationship experience I can’t really say if any of what I have ever felt was actually love.)

{Do you think you could find love here?}

(With my face as it is now? I somehow doubt it, and besides what’s the point of finding someone to care about when my job is to kill arguably the strongest guy on this planet. However, if I were to survive this whole ordeal I don’t see the problem with starting a romantic relationship with some woman.)

{Some woman like Renise perhaps?}

(Maybe but why do you care.)

{I care because I pledged eternal servitude to you and from what you told me I think it is safe to say you don’t understand women at all.}

(Well you're not wrong, but regardless there’s no point to any of this romantic conjecture until after I kill Rei.)

{So you’ve made your final decision about what you’re going to do with him then?}

(Unfortunately, I have, if negotiations fail I’m taking this sword and turning him into a popsicle.)

{Wait for a second sir, you’re still going to negotiate with even after what happened to your face?!}

(Of course! I may be in another world but my Hippocratic oath states that I must “tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.” And if I can help it, I’m not going to break that oath again… we saw what arrogance got me with the necromancer.)

{But you got your order to kill him from, not one, but two gods. Shouldn’t that nullify “playing god”?}

(Well I did tell him I would stop the war but I never said how...and besides if he does say no, then I guess I’m getting revenge for my face after all)

{Leave it to a human to be so sly}

(Leave it to a dragon to be so arrogant. But tell me Krowola, what else are humans supposed to do when we don’t have wings to fly with, or claws to scratch with, or teeth to bite with?)

{.....You may have a point there I’m sorry sir.)

I breath deeply and open my eyes which were still shut from trying to remember my face.

(It’s fine, I’m just on edge is all so I apologize. Anyway I don’t think I’m going to get any more stuff from this guy so we might as well get back to Renise.)

{Yes sir...um if you don’t mind sir I could always cover your face with my armour.}

(no thanks, we’re less likely to be ambushed by bandits on the way there if I look to intimidating)

{As you wish, but you should look at the ground first before we leave}

(Huh, why? )

I look down and discover a small smoking hole had started to form in the ground beneath me. (The hell?) I touch my right cheek and look at my fingers. “Ah fucking hell, I’m drooling acid!” (wait what the hell is wrong with my voice, and how did I not notice this earlier with Renise?) Without my cheek and part of the right half of my lips, my voice can’t pronounce anything that requires lips so the last thing I said sounded like “Ah,shucking hell, I’ng druhlling ashid.”

(Toggle acid breath off)

{So have you changed your mind about getting a mask?}

(*sigh* I would prefer not to but I guess there’s not much of a choice now is there?)

{No but I can still help you.}

At that, the armor slithers up my neck and starts to fill in the hole in my face. Fuck this feels so weird with the warm edges of my skin meeting the cold armor where a numb gap used to be. But is this it? The armor has only covered half my face where I was “blessed” and to be honest this probably won’t make me look better.

{Okay I’ve finished, now try speaking again}

(Um okay...) “Alright, how does this sound?” Oh man, that is weird.

(Hey can we do something about the double voice sound effect? Because it sounds kind of like there are two of me talking at the same time.)

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

{Sorry but I have to keep your cheek semi-liquid in order to move with the rest of your face. Also as a side note, I did decide to cover your eye socket as well so that you’re not mistaken for a zombie}

*deep sigh*(Whatever let's just get back to Renise and get moving)

*break*

Standing on the edge of my big ass crater I look around for Renise and see a vague outline of someone moving on the other side of the crater. (That must be Renise, let's see what loot she has gathered so far.)

{But we are all the way over here how do you plan to get over there quickly?}

I jog about twenty meters back, stop, and turn to face the crater. (Watch this.) I clench my teeth and get into a sprinting position. {Jon stop, you’ll never make it!!} (Sorry but I need a better idea of my natural abilities if I’m going to survive in this world.) 3{Jon, please}2{would you at least use magical reinforcement} 1{Jon, seriously, I’m not sure I can cushion your fall well enough to keep you perfectly safe} BLAST OFF!!

I launch myself forward and sprint toward the ledge. As I approach the ledge I lower my body into a crouch AAAND LEAP!! (WOOO!) “WOOO!” The figure jumps and turns to look at me as I’m halfway across. (Heeeey that not Renise.) Regardless whoever this person is they have a large hammer, and they’re holding that hammer like a baseball bat. OH NO, NONONONO!!

My arms are flailing wildly “HOLD ON I’M NOT GO TO HUR-UH OH!”

*WHAM!*

My midsection is slammed by the corner of my crater and no amount of armor is going to prevent me from pissing blood later.

(Damn you... depth perception...)

“‘Scuse me lad but would ya mind tellin me why ya thought it wise to jump that there damnable crater and scare me near shitless with yer screamin?”[???]

I look up at the source of the gruff vaguely scottish voice and see a short, broad-shouldered, bearded, man in purple and gold plate mail.

“I honestly couldn't say, I thought I could make it, and it seemed like a good idea at the time.”I give the mystery man a pained shrug but it goes unnoticed as he throws his head back in a deep hearty laugh.“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *sucks in air like a vacuum cleaner* That’s a good one. But if you don’t mind lad do ya think you could answer me seriously, or do I have to introduce ya ta ma hamma, Agnis? [???]

The man lowers his war hammer down next to my head and starts to gently swing it like a golfer lining up for the perfect shot.

“Okay, okay I’ll tell you, geez. My name is Jon and I jumped over here to find my friend, Renise.”[Me]

His eyes widen slightly in an act of clear recognition.

“Hold on lad, yer the friend that Renise mentioned?”[???]

“Ummm, I guess? I healed her up after that huge explosion.”[me]

“Oy, then why didn’t you just say so in the first place? Here ya go lad, let me help you up a bit.” The man drops his hammer, reaches down, and grabs me by both of my shoulders whilst yelling, “heave ho lad!” At that he grunts slightly and throws me over his shoulder and onto the ground behind him and land on my back.

“Greetings lad, my name is Sheamus”[Sheamus]

Sheamus leans over me and shoots me a wild grin. “So tell me lad, how is it that someone as scrawny as yerself can leap a hole that stretches wider than a whoores arsehole.”

(holy shit this guy makes sailors look tame.)

“Well Sheamus, I -

“ Wait Sheamus don’t kill him!” Renise jogs up from behind Sheamus and pulls him away from me as stand up. “I know he’s may look dangerous but he’s actually the friend I mentioned before and-

“It’s okay Las we have already established that fact, I was merely wondering how he hopped across that crater.”[Shamus]

“And as I was about to say, it was magic.”[me]

Sheamus shakes off Renise and looks up at me. (So this is a dwarf huh?){That’s correct, and please note his squat figure, squared ears, and large beard as these are the trademark features of most dwarves.}(Neat)

“ Just magic huh? That’s a bit disappointing but I suppose that's to be expected.” The dwarf shrugs his shoulders. Which earns a slight glare from renise.

“So are we all set to get going Renise?” Renise looks at me quickly and she stutters slightly.

“S-sure, but could you use your bag and carry some of what I grabbed?”

“Sure” I open my bag while Renise piles in three short swords, 3 potions of varying colour, several books, 3 robes that held the human king's insignia, and 1 more that was in the same style of her own robe.

I look at Sheamus and Renise “Okay, this seems good. Are we all set to head towards the kingdome then?”

Sheamus shrugs “Sure I am as long as long as ‘am not asked for directions.”

Renise smiles while rolling her eyes at our dwarvish companion. “Yes, I even found a map so that we don’t get lost.”

“Alright then, let's go and you can lead Renise.”[me]

*page break*

We walk for what feels like hours in mostly silence until we stop in front of a road leading into large, dense, forest.

“Okay so according to the map if we just follow this road through the forest we will reach the nearest town by mid day tomorrow at the latest.”[Renise]

“Okay, so I guess that means we’re camping then?”[me]

“Unless ye can magic us a house? Aye, I would say that is the case lad.”[Sheamus]

“Shamus be nice, and besides night fall shouldn't be for another five hours, so in the meantime let's get going already.”[Renise]

“Yes ma'am.”[Sheamus and myself] we looked at each other and laughed as we walked into the woods.

“So what is the name of this town we're headed toward?[me]

Sheamus turns to look at me and does so with a confused face.

“Don’t tell me you missed it on the way here lad?![Sheamus]

“What? Oh, I figured Renise would have told you already I’m not from here.[me}

“Aye, she told me you were a rookie merc. I just assumed that ye would be smart enough to stay at the nearest village instead of risking your life out here with the goblins, orcs and the occasional owlbear.”[Sheamus]

Renise and I glance at each other an I flash a quick but grateful smile before returning my attentions to my small compatriot.

“Well Renise did tell you I was strong, didn’t she?[me]

“Don’t worry Jon I kept your pride intact.”[Renise]

Aye lad, that she did. The girl told me all about that armor ya stole.”[Sheamus]

“Well technically you can’t steal from a dead man, and the dragon willfully allowed me to take the armor after I beat it in a fair fight.”[me]

“Bah, semantics! The point is you fought a spirit, not the actual thing. Because I can assure ya those are much stronger. [Sheamus]

“Oh so you’ve fought dragons before then[me]

“Well no, but I use to raise them in the colosseum until I joined the military.”[Sheamus]

I look to Renise for confirmation but she’s just smirking as she says “Yes “joined”, after getting fired from the colosseum and sentenced to the military.”

HEY! It was an honest mistake that anyone could have made![Sheamus]

“What happend, did a dragon escape?”[me]

“If only. No, instead our friend here got drunk one day and while taking care of the baby dragons he gave one them a taste of his ale.(Oh, this is can only lead to good things.) Unfortunately infants aren’t known for holding their liquor, so imagine the look of surprise on all the coliseum staff when they find everything on fire, the monsters and prisoners escaping, all while this poor fool is using a hungover dragonling as a pillow just outside the coliseum gates.”[Renise]

Renise smirked mockingly at Sheamus as he blushes furiously. “Aye, it seem that curtains are not as fireproof as a fire drake with alcohol enhanced fire breath.”

We all have a good laugh until a low guttural scream comes from our right.

(Um, what the hell is THAT.) {Goblin.}(Yeahhhhh. Fuck that. Acid breath, toggle ON)

Standing a few meters away is a small green skinned man with a pot belly and long lanky arms. His eyes glare at us while his long ears twitch and his stance lowers “grrrrAAGH” [I shall name you Shorty] his skinny legs project him forward and lift my right arm with an open palm. “FUCK TODAY!!!”

His vulture esque nose collapse in on itself as it meets my armoured palm and I close my fingers around it’s fugly bald head. “You picked a bad day to get out of bed pal.”

I snort and spit a loogie onto it forhead. Renise and Sheamus watch with a horrified interest as a festering blister burrows a ever widening hole in the screaming goblin's skull. “BLARGAPHARGYMUDDERFADDACAMPGRANADA-aaaaauuhhh!!!”[Shorty]

The little man stops squirming and drools dumbly while the hole in his face gazes back at me empty and smoking. I drop Shorty and his limbs sprawl out like limp noodles.

“Doodeeaaaa” Shorty mumbles.

I turn to my friends, “So shall we get going?”

“Are just going to leave him there?”

I roll my eyes annoyed. I thought this war was to keep these races subjugated, and now she’s feeling sympathy for them? She should just pick a side damn it… at least she can.

I withdraw my sword and draw a line in red across the monster's neck.

Wiping the blood on his loin cloth and resheathing my blade I ask again. “So shall we go?”

“HUMAN SCUM!!”[A goblin wearing feather hat}

(Oh come the fuck on, can I not go a day without someone trying to kill me?)

“Sorry but no. Fights rake in the views, now get to it before we get bored!”[Rignath]

What a douche. (magic missile!) a bolt of green shoots from my hand and detonates the head of Mr Feathers who was standing just left of where Shorty started.

“Anyone else want to piss me off today?!”[me]

A group of fifteen goblins surround us in a circle on the road.

“You’ve done it now lad.”[Sheamus] we group up back to back.

“Stay near Renise, I’ll handle this.”[me]

Uh… sure lad if you think ya can”[Sheamus]

I look to the large goblin directly in front of me, and acknowledge the dagger in his hand.

(Idenify)

Poena of the green nail tribe

These creatures simply a stronger, smarter version of regular goblins. The green teeths are the most inhuman of the local tribes due to their preference to keep humans of all genders slaves rather than simply killing tjust the mails like the others of their species.This tribe’s members are also fond of raping either gender of their slaves when bored.

Race: green nail hobgoblin (grey skinned variant)

Level:20

Class: skill snatcher,

Title: the grey death, goblin chief

Size class: normal

skills: butcher, mighty leap, harden skin, lesser mental fortitude, rage

This specific hobgoblin is pissed you killed its father and brother

(Krowola, remove the armor from my scar.) {Jon?} (Do it)

The cold removes itself from my face and as it recedes so does the color from the faces of Poena and his friends.

“I will survive you.”

I swivel my head from right to left and make sure every one of them can see my face.

After a few seconds, a couple of them have already pissed themselves while some straight up fainted but Poena just glared with a frightened anger. His dagger at the ready

I walk towards him slowly.

“Grah-” Poena takes a half step back but keeps his eyes locked on to mine.

The other goblins scream and flee as I get closer but Poena stays frozen.

When I’m within arm's reach I finally stop(I guess I may as well try this now, Phantom Eye!)

Almost immediately my sight is flooded with an array of colors, and Poena is covered in a grey-yellow mist. (hmmm, Phantom Eye off)

I reach forward and grab him by the face (Krowola bring us to the astral plane) {*chuckles* Yes sir}

My eyes close and open to a familiar black room with the only difference being the confused grey hobgoblin in front of me. {Sir I’m not sure I recommend this} (why not?) {He may be high level but I’m not sure he is worth taking.} (Don’t worry about it. I have good feeling about this)

“H-human, explain!” (It speaks)

“No need” I raise my right fist and throw my hardest punch.

His eyes widen as my first crushes both his forearms that do nothing to stop my anger.

He flies backward somersaulting over himself when he hits the ground.

“HUMAN, WHY?!”The hobgoblin screams, with tears in his eyes. His arms held loosely at his side, mangled and torn. They bleed a grey yellow fog.

I rush forward and grab his throat.

“Because in one day I was murdered, sent to another world, assaulted by a dragon, and lost half my face to a necromancer. Then if THAT wasn’t enough you midget goblin FUCKS show up and attack me just when I finally think things are going my way.!!”[me]

“Bad day… brother dead.father dead. Tribe starving...dying. The bad day both.” Poena coughs and gives a wry grimace. He shows all three rows of his rotting yellow teeth.

I gently put him down.

“Yeah, bad day for us both.

(soul manipulation)

Suddenly a wave of emerald bursts from my hand and tears away a large chunk of Poena's yellow-grey aura. “Don’t worry I won’t kill you, after all, we both have a family to get back too, and I’ll need this to do it. But here you can have this.” I take a sliver of my soul and shove it into his chest.

He immediately heals and looks at me curiously

I absorb his aura and turn away “I’m sorry that this was necessary and I hope that you and the tribe survive.”

“Me too”

I close my eyes and open them to find myself with my hand still clutching Poenas face but I drop him quickly.

Turning to my group I point down the road saying, “No more interruptions let's get going.”

New skill: Butcher

Because you absorbed part of Poena’s the hobgoblins soul you have gained one of his random Skills!

Your cuts are more precise and have a higher chance of creating the perfect cut of meat.

Increase your skill level to make more complex cuts and to increase speed, while decreasing stamina cost

Cost 10 stamina/second

(put the armor back up.) {....Yes sir}

The cold rises again while we walk the goblin horde who are still terrified of me and trip over themselves in terror as I pass. Renise looks as if she’s about to throw up. Her face is pale in the afternoon sun.

Sheamus has lost his jovial nature and is frowning at me. He is in clear distress in regards to my actions.

I look down and notice a small speck of yellow on my chest plate.

It now makes up the outline of my jade sword, keeping it separate from the black and purple. (A new addition to the insignia each new sole…. interesting)

We keep walking until sundown without ever looking back.