I reached out, grabbed the platform of my refuge, and pulled myself up. I dried myself off with some heat, confirmed my items were still present, and wondered what I might do next. I was incredibly frustrated, but instead of letting anger get the best of me, I decided to keep a close eye on that town.
PAIN
City-state...
I muttered.
PAIN
Quite pompous.
They might come after me, so I must be one step ahead. But, for now, I needed to rest. I was soaked, strained, and bruised from tossing around in the ravine.
Passive Acquired:
Petty Mana Regeneration
The following day, I strolled through the forest searching for animals to sacrifice for my new summon rituals. There was a family of canadeer that made me put in work to catch them because it proved difficult to use Quickstep within the woods without accidentally tripping over something. Canadeer were Quickstepping fiends with black fur, their faces marred by bloody horizontal streaks.
Not only were they fast, but after slaying two of them, it was a grueling task to haul their heavy corpses back to my lair. On my second trip, I tracked them down again, but they were suddenly nabbed by two blindinus.
PAIN
Where in damnation did they come from?
I whispered to myself, but one of them raised its head from its stolen meal and sniffed in my direction. I shrugged,
PAIN
Corpses are corpses.
And slayed the two blindinus. But, since they were favored fiends, I was reluctant to sacrifice them for rituals. Instead, I spent some time raising the Earth into a floating sand dome, protecting me from the sun's rays before raising a blindinu from the dead and having it feast on its kin.
Active Acquired:
Summon: Undead Blindinu Ritual
Aptitude Increase:
Summon: Undead Canine Ritual (50%)
Perfect. I spent the rest of the morning and afternoon hunting before calling it quits.
Within the Arachnid Lair, I began my rituals by sacrificing two deer for each Arachnid Ritual. Then, I allowed them to eat the surplus deer until they were all in their second stage.
I laid eyes on the forest arachnid—the echoes of Locness screams came, but I closed my eyes, trying to suppress the memories. This forest arachnid, the largest of the four, closely resembled the Black Forest Arachnids that gave me nightmares. With dark, hairy, grotesque limbs, a dark green carapace, a light green abdomen, and red, beady eyes, it was a creature from nightmares.
I eyed the cave arachnid, the next largest but half the size of the forest arachnid—it had a flat, brownish body low to the ground, with its multi-jointed, dark brown limbs towering around it.
The white arachnid was next, and in terms of physical strength, it seemed fragile. With its thin limbs, it moved swiftly and quietly compared to the others, but I had no idea how useful it would be in a battle without any blades, poison, or fangs.
Lastly, I expected the black arachnid, the smallest and most dangerous of them. Most of its features were hidden by its hard, dark carapace. It was riddled with tiny spikes and had a round body—its sharp, curved limbs seemingly wanting to hug itself.
Each of its limbs could secrete thin strings of webbing that were practically invisible. I touched the strings and pulled back hastily as it sliced into my finger. Curiosity got the better of me, and I had the black arachnid pounce upon one of the vertical slabs I hid behind when I fought against Cabe.
The black arachnid pulled out webs beneath it as it came down upon the slab and sliced through its top, pulverizing it into perfectly sliced pieces. I could only stare at the destruction with my mouth agape.
PAIN
Fascinating...
With the sun still shining, I spent time fishing for my familiars, allowing them to reach their third and final stage—each growing roughly a quarter in size and power... well, all except the white one. It was still weak and quite useless.
As I lay in my room, waiting till nightfall, my mind recalled the guard's skill, Flying Thrust. I had never seen anything like that, but then there was the Black Knight—his eyes glowed a bright golden hue, and the Arachnid Queen—her body glowed a gold aura before turning her hair into spikes.
I thought it was a skill for a moment, but when I use Quickstep, nothing about my body emits a golden glow. I had no idea what that skill was, and after looking through the books I gathered in my room, nothing about them seemed to cover skills or magic.
I pushed my thoughts back and wondered if any Instructors or Masters had done anything like that. Hmph, nothing. I reached out and grabbed the Obsidian Gem +1 and began to study it as I continued to search my memories.
Defeated, I gave up trying to figure it out and ordered two of my skeleton Warriors to follow me into the Arachnid Lair. I left my arachnid familiars in the lair due to their size and to defend the area, less some overly optimistic dungeoneer made his way in.
There, I gave each of my skeleton Warriors a rusty pickaxe and ordered them to pick at the bases of the ruby puries.
Aptitude Increase:
Summon: Skeleton Kinan Miner (10%)
I finished feeding my familiars as night fell, and then we huddled together and set up camp on the hillside north of my lair's entrance. With my Petty En Sight and Petty Heat Vision, I waited and watched who came and left the town.
They had to be doing trading of some sort, and I was eager to find out if there were any other hamlets nearby, but unfortunately, I saw no forms of trading heading south or east over the ravine. As I was about to call it a night, I caught sight of a small group on foot, five of them, heading southwest along the road and into the forest.
They were too far for me to see any details, but that was all I needed, a mental note of when they left, and after about two hours, they would return hauling something that was recently killed. I squinted, straining my Petty En Sight to its limit—there were four of them now. Did one of them die? Suddenly, one of them seemingly turned, and I averted my gaze—I got carried away staring at them.
The same group left for the next two nights, but the times were vastly different, and they hunted for the same creature. Uninterested in the hunters, I positioned myself and my familiars north of their hunting grounds. There, I climbed a tangalow tree, gaining a good view of the number of heat images plaguing the town. There were plenty of kinans crowded within the small city.
I squinted north and spotted a dam that doubled as a bridge. A small hut, nearly blending into the darkness, sat on the western side against the river just north of the dam. The first form activity began as I saw a group of guards and a large wagon making their way over the bridge.
As before, I watched and memorized who came and left through the west and north gates over the next three days. Guards were constantly on patrol, and I forced them on a chase through the woods as they tailed after my familiars.
I eventually learned that three wagons were exporting, and four wagons were importing each night. The last wagon of the night would always arrive roughly three hours after the previous trading activity. It granted me the most amount of time to perform an ambush, but it also had the most guards. The worst part of it was that the Black Knight occasionally guarded the last wagon. They must be trading something good then.
Before commencing my ambush, we traveled further north to watch their path after crossing a bridge dam. The roads led down a gradual hill, with the encroaching forest on the left and the ravine on the right. The distance between the road and the forest was perfect, even if the trees were much shorter. I could get quick glances at the guards' armor at this distance, hoping they would not feel my stare upon them.
They wore basic iron and steel armor, and not a single one of them had enchanted armor. But I remembered hidden accessories such as rings, necklaces, and other jewelry. Hell, a gent does not have to wear it—it could be a damn enchanted handkerchief hidden under their armor. To be fair, this form of thinking was thanks to that damn town guard who revealed to me his skill ring. Thanks for making me more cautious, I thought—stupid fool.
With that thought in mind, I prepared my ambush the next night if only the Black Knight was absent. I gathered and positioned all four of my familiars along the forest edge and summoned several skeleton Slashers for reinforcement. As I crouched within the thicket and waited, I eyed the white arachnid. Maybe I should get rid of the damn thing and use the fish I was feeding it to bring back another black arachnid.
Hmm... too late now. The traders were on their way, and the Black Knight was nowhere to be seen. I grinned confidently and headed onto the road to wait for them. I was midway between the dam and the town; if any guard had Petty En Sight, they would be able to see me clearly from the walls as I could see them. The distance allowed me time to flee, but I did not want to leave empty-handed because the entire schedule would be redone if they came after me now.
I squinted as the bluish wagon with a trader strolled down the road, and the leading guards noticed me. Their formation tightened slightly as they continued to approach me.
PAIN
Good night to you gents!
I greeted from afar,
PAIN
I wish to make a trade with the owner of this party.
As their leading guard addressed me, two soldiers positioned themselves to my left and right while the wagoner tugged the reins on his horses.
LEAD GUARD
No wares here for sale.
His voice echoed calmly through his full helm.
LEAD GUARD
Now move aside.
Not like I expected them to willingly trade with a random stranger at night,
PAIN
I have plenty of gold and even ruby puries—
The leader drew his sword,
LEAD GUARD
I'm warning you! Move aside! We do not deal with black marketers like yourself!
The other guards drew their weapons, and I sighed heavily,
PAIN
Fine, let us do it your—
The wagon door squeaked open.
VOICE
What's going on?
The lead guard spun around, completely leaving himself open for an attack, but I restrained myself.
LEAD GUARD
Master Isaac! Please do not leave your wagon!
Master Isaac, a young gent seemingly nineteen or twenty, hopped out of his wagon. The first thing I noticed was his hidden enchanted clothing—(XXX) Black Fairy Thread Cloak (XXX), (XXX) Hide Boots (XXX), (XXX) Gray Leather Gloves(XXX), and his (XXX) Black Steel Tiara (XXX), gating his light pink and black hair upon his head.
I was positive the gent had more enchanted clothing underneath his cloak. However, I focused on his short physique and peculiar skin pattern, which was red, black, and white, curling around his body like snakes. I also noticed his beautiful pink eyes, which appeared to sparkle in the moonlight.
ISAAC
Why? Is it too dangerous?
He laughed, but his smile suddenly vanished at the sight of me. For a split moment, blankness painted his face, and I squinted at him—my Petty Interference tickled a bit from his mindless stare. Then, his eyes suddenly blinked a dozen times, and he gave me a broad smile, revealing his pure white teeth as he approached me.
LEAD GUARD
Master Isaac? Do you know this cow?
Isaac looked back at him and said with absolute confidence,
ISAAC
I have no clue who this person is.
He turned back to me.
ISAAC
But you sought wares, did you not?
This short gent put me off, but I nodded slowly, and he gestured to me to follow him behind his wagon.
LEAD GUARD
But Master—
ISAAC
Put away your weapons!
He exclaimed cheerfully,
ISAAC
We have a customer.
The guards slowly sheathed their swords, but not without worry. Their eyes never left me. All I could feel were their prickling gazes up and down my body.
Isaac lifted the latch and opened the back door to reveal loads of enchanted weapons and armor hanging upon the walls of the wagon and upon racks bolted to the wagon's bed—I noticed half of the weapons had an enchantment regarding Fire. In contrast, the majority of armor consisted of a mix of Petty Sight, Petty Hearing, and Petty Night Vision Enhancements. Hmph, Enhancements... They gave the wearer a boost in a passive or granted a passive skill outright. Isaac lifted himself inside.
ISAAC
You don't seem to have a sword.
He indecisively waved his arms around a few swords before approaching two swords near the back of the wagon; (Fire Affinity) Onyx Puri Long Sword of Burning, Fire, and (Power Affinity) Enchanted Black Metal Long Sword, Dominion Authority. He cupped his chin in his hand in thought. The lead guard came around,
LEAD GUARD
By the gods, Master Isaac, you can't be serious. You cannot hand her anything, no matter how many puries she has.
Isaac ignored him and grabbed the (Power Affinity) Steel Longsword, Dominion Authority,
ISAAC
As you can see, my constituents here are worried about the goods I sell to you.
He looked over at me with both swords in each hand,
ISAAC
So, therefore, I can only sell you these two or one or the other.
LEAD GUARD
Why those two!?
He blurted out in frustration,
LEAD GUARD
Why that one!?
He yelled, gesturing at the (Power Affinity) Steel Longsword, Dominion Authority.
LEAD GUARD
You've just explained how the Chief of Dagon requested such a sword.
ISAAC
Well,
He shrugged,
ISAAC
If our nightly visitor here buys it, we'll just be out of stock now, won't we?
The lead guard face-palmed his full helm before putting his hands up in defeat,
LEAD GUARD
Fine! I'm no trader—just a stupid bodyguard. Do whatever.
He turned to leave.
ISAAC
So, which one? Or both?
He asked me, and I pointed to the (Power Affinity) Steel Longsword, Dominion Authority,
PAIN
That one. I have one hundred fifty thousand puries. Enough?
ISAAC
Deal.
A loud choking sound was heard coming from the lead guard as he stomped back over.
LEAD GUARD
One hundred fifty thousand puries!?
He exclaimed in disbelief.
LEAD GUARD
You mention it was—
ISAAC
A deal.
He stated firmly, his smile fading. The lead guard shut his mouth, bowed, and returned to the front of the wagons. Isaac smiled at me,
ISAAC
Sorry about that. One hundred fifty thousand puries it is.
We completed our exchange, and he wished me well before returning to his wagon. I waited for them to be far out of sight before disappearing into the forest. That was the most unpredictable series of events I have ever been a part of.
I doubled back and watched them go. Hmm, there was something about me that Isaac was truly afraid of.
*****
That following morning, back within the safety of my lair, I quickly learned the meaning of Affinity enchantments. These enchantments affected the items, giving them abilities, and, regarding my new sword, Dominion Authority granted me absolute telekinesis over it. As a result, I could completely control the sword with my mind alone, and because of that, I could fly through the sky by holding on to the hilt.
There was no way such an enchantment would be only one hundred and fifty thousand. Many thoughts came to mind as to why Isaac feared me. Maybe he sensed my hidden vampiric nature, my familiars, or Infinity. And sensing the mana energy from a God Item would make anyone fearful.
I shook off the thought and idolized my new sword. It was indeed a magnificent weapon, and I was glad that Dominion Authority drained no form of stamina, mana, or energy from me. The limit was my mind, and with Recall Memory, I had no limits there...
Instead, while attempting to see how fast I could fly with the sword, my grip and wind drag limited my speed. However, while I sat on the sword, floating over my lair, I realized I had access to everything around me and could fly there and back in a matter of minutes.
But as I looked south, making out specs of overhang cliffs that caused the land to riddle downward like steps, the foreboding feeling seeped into my body and stiffened the hair upon the back of my neck.
My eyes were glued to a speck of a city sitting in a plot of barren land near the edge of a beach. My eyes glazed over the towering, rising sea, allowing me to finally turn away.
PAIN
Not yet.
I whispered to myself because, whatever was down there, I assumed I was not ready to face it.
*****
I continued my stalking of the town's traders and immediately noticed the absence of the last blue wagon for the next three days. But on the fourth day, it showed up on time and on schedule for the next three days.
Confident that they had resumed their schedule, I brought five hundred thousand puries and positioned myself in the center of the road. All I sought this time was hopefully a better form of clothing. If Isaac had none with him, I wondered if he would allow me to make a request.
They approached with the same formation and the same leading guard—I noticed him by the sound of his familiar muffled voice.
LEAD GUARD
You again.
He drew his sword, and so did his fellow guards.
LEAD GUARD
You would dare come back after thieving from us once?
I gave him a look,
PAIN
Stealing?
He scowled at me,
LEAD GUARD
One hundred and fifty thousand puries for such a sword?
He pointed his blade at me.
LEAD GUARD
I haven't a clue what Master Isaac saw in you that made him take his business north.
His body emitted a faint golden aura,
LEAD GUARD
But I don't fear you, cow. Now move.
I shrugged,
PAIN
Whatever. No idea what you are on about.
And I began to leave the road.
PAIN
Just wanted to make one more request and give him my thanks—
GUARD
He's a vampire!
A rear guard bellowed, and we all laid eyes on him. I took note of what was layered around his neck—
PAIN
Shit...
GUARD
And he's a gent! Not a lady.
The rear guard added as I glared at the (Skill Aptitude) Scarlet Scarf, Petty Scan around his neck. The lead guard readied himself while I sighed and released the hold on my fangs and claws.
LEAD GUARD
So that is what you are...
I shrugged again,
PAIN
What? A gent intercepting a trader to exchange in the middle of the night does not seem strange to you?
I questioned sarcastically, and he squinted through the visor of his full helm.
PAIN
You really are a stupid guard.
He charged at me. No Quickstep? I wondered as I maneuvered away from his swings. I commanded my sword to fend him off as the other guards flanked me—I Quickstepped backward and out of the way.
VOICE
What is going—
LEAD GUARD
Master Ignoc! Get back into the wag—
Again! He turned around, leaving himself open for an attack, but there was no room for kindness this time. I whipped my staff, slamming the tip against the ground and releasing the stored mana—an explosion of earthly spikes shot upwards, piercing through the guards and the wagon. It was not as if I sat around during the morning... hell, I barely slept, thanks to the endless supply of fish. Training was all I did during the day, and seeing the results before me was truly worth it.
The lead guard grunted in pain—his right arm was torn off, but he stood confidently with his sword raised and his body glowing a faint golden glow.
PAIN
What is that golden glow?
I asked as I calmly brushed off bits of dust from my shoulders.
LEAD GUARD
To damnation with you...
He growled through gritted teeth.
LEAD GUARD
...bastard!
He charged at me again but crossed swords with my mind-controlled (Power Affinity) Steel Longsword, Dominion Authority.
PAIN
Remember this?
I asked with a grin. He said nothing as he attempted to best my quick-moving sword.
PAIN
Keep it up, keep it up.
I taunted with a fat grin.
I suddenly pulled my sword back and sent it flying straight for his head, but he dodged—his fellow guard, the one that spotted my vampiric nature and was currently attempting to pull his body off the Earth spike that impaled through his gut—ate the sword through his chest.
The lead guard looked back, and I took in what he saw—the destroyed road and his fellow guards impaled and raised into the sky by the earthly spikes.
PAIN
I cannot say I had intentions of killing you all...
The lead guard fell to one knee when he saw my familiars emerge from the trees. I quickly glanced back towards Dagon and noticed a bit of commotion along the walls—nothing frantic as the gates were still closed.
LEAD GUARD
This was probably what he saw...
He muttered and looked up at me with absolute discontent.
LEAD GUARD
He warned me not to return here, and I did not listen.
PAIN
...but you attacked first.
The lead guard collapsed, and I approached his severed arm to seal the wound with Fire.
PAIN
If you survive,
I started as I approached the wagon, tilted to its side by an earth spike.
PAIN
You can live with your guilt.
The wagoner sat fearfully stiff in the tilted wagon. The horses were long gone, leaving him tightly gripping what was left of the reins, towards the point, blood dripped from his clenched fists. His teary eyes slowly panned toward me, and as he tried to utter a word, his body trembled and shook with fear.
I scoffed as I passed him and pried open the wagon—
IGNOC
PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!
I backed away from his horrifying pleas for life.
PAIN
Be quiet!
He sealed his fat lips closed as I studied his chubby appearance, backed against the far side of the luxurious leather innards of the wagon. He wore an array of brightly colored silk clothes, each enchanted with Lesser En Vitality, Lesser Disease Resistance, or Lesser Poison Resistance Aptitudes.
Although his skin had a lovely pattern of milky brown and white swirls, his chubby build was unappealing—heavily reminding me of those good-for-nothing nobles of the Fire Kingdom. His hazel eyes were leaking tears, and his brown and white hair was stained with blood.
PAIN
What happened to Isaac?
I asked as I looked around the wagon; I spotted a silver plate and cooked meat on the wagon floor.
IGNOC
He fled!
He whined,
IGNOC
He told me about you! A monster! Ah—No! I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to insult you! You're not a monster—please don't kill—
PAIN
I am not here to kill you!
I eyed the spilled meaty pile of food again, noticing the glistening grease that stained the glass plate and seat.
PAIN
You would probably die on your own. I am taking some of your wares.
He nodded in tears, with snot running down his lips. I shivered in disgust and shut the wagon door.
I went around back and forced open the back of the wagon. I sighed with relief; there was some clothing, armor, weapons, two crates of sapphire puries, boxes of books, and wrapped sheets of jerky. None of the weapons' enchantments was appealing, for each one was a Class Aptitude for Knights and Warriors. I searched the clothes to find anything that would fit me.
I eventually found some tight-fitted black hide pants that felt comfortable despite the tightness, a tight black tunic, and black leather gloves. Something caught my eye underneath the crates of clothing—a tiny square hidden door carved into the wagon floor.
I pried it open, revealing a tiny compartment of books: Skill Book: Petty Inventory, Skill Book: Petty Scan, and Skill Book: Petty Leap.
PAIN
Hmm, I found a gold mine.
Skill Acquired:
Petty Inventory
Petty Scan
Petty Leap
IGNOC
So, you're letting me live.
His voice echoed from out of the cabin.
I decided to grab a few more items since I now possessed Petty Inventory, a skill that lets me store items within a small spatial void. So, I took a crate of sapphire puries, several sheets of jerky, and as many books as I could fit inside my Petty Inventory. Doing so made my body feel heavy as I strolled over to Ignoc's door; the window his fat body was leaning on had shattered, and the glass bits on the ground were tainted with blood.
PAIN
I have no reason to take your life.
I nearly shouted at him. The sudden sound of blood dripping caught my attention, and I eyed a nearby impaled guard. Drool moistened my mouth before I realized I had never drunk blood since becoming a vampire. Now, all of a sudden, I had this desire to bite down on the guard's leaking flesh.
I mindlessly approached the guard's lifeless body, tore off his light leather armor, and bit into his arm. Ignoc, behind me, whimpered at the sight of me gulping mouthfuls of blood. The taste was like nothing I had ever tasted before. It was irresistibly sweet, and the feeling of it filling my stomach was indescribably wonderful—I want more!
I clawed the guard's neck open and gorged on the blood that sprayed at my face. Tingling sensations ran throughout my body—
Vampor Increase:
Petty Night Vision (1%)
Petty Sound Vision (1%)
Petty Blood Control (1%)
Petty En Scent Detection (1%)
Petty Danger Sense (1%)
Petty En Reflexes (1%)
Spell: Blood (1%)
Fascinating... I smiled widely—breathing heavily as I snapped out of my blood-lust trance. If I continued drinking blood, I could gain even more power. Unfortunately, I mistakenly faced Ignoc, terrifying him in a cowering frenzy as he shook the wagon.
IGNOC
Please—please—please—
He murmured tearfully as I wiped the blood from my face.
PAIN
Would you be quiet? I told you! I have no reason to—
My minions alerted me to activity in the nearby woods—I looked past the upturned wagon and watched as a variety of luminous eyes—each pair a different color—appeared from within. More vampires? I glared at the leader who entered the moonlight, his face like that of a kinan's.
LEAD VAMPIRE
I could give you a reason.