A Record of Ash & Ruin: The Grieving Lands

Book 1: Chapter 31: Blessings & Curses

Slowly, like a grave flower blossoming, the dark energies flowed into the great lizard’s cadaver, sloughing rotting flesh from thick pristine white dragon bone. A new nightmare was born, arising with it the stench of a freshly turned grave and all the majesty of the winged tyrants of the sky. The first Bone-Dragon Vizzeks came into existence with a roar and the howl of a thousand lost tortured souls.

- On the Cataclysm by an unknown Quassian Scholar circa 103 AC

Kidu was shaking me, worry and concern etched onto his features as Elwin hovered overhead. I was greeted by a plethora of messages and notifications which followed me from my dream. Somehow, I knew this was a crucial moment for me. The dream had been the stage for my first class change in this game.

You have selected Paladin as your calling

You have learned Purify (lvl.2)

You have learned Holy Aura (lvl.1) You have learned Maces (lvl.1) You have learned Shields (lvl.1) You have learned Medium Armour (lvl.1) You have learned Heavy Armour (lvl.1) You have gained Gift - Mark of the Paladin

You have gained 2 Wisdom

You have selected Reaver as your calling

You have learned Rust (lvl.3) You have learned Decay (lvl.1) You have learned Drain (lvl.1) You have learned Entropic Aura (lvl.1) You have learned Axes (lvl.1) You have learned Pain Nullification (lvl.2) You have gained Gift - Touch of the Void

You have lost 3 Strength

You have lost 3 Constitution

The flood of messages threatened to overwhelm my short-term memory. My thoughts were distracted by the sounds of the forest; unknown animals calling out to each other, hunting each other, mating with each other. With a hoarse voice, I responded to the awakening, “Give me a moment, I need to gather myself.”

I sat up and took a few seconds to sort through my thoughts and take in the notifications. Night had fallen and Kidu, by some miracle or dent of his wilderness survival skills, had started a fire from the fallen branches that had carpeted the forest floor. Elwin was scanning the forest, wary that my screams may have brought something down to our camp.

Kidu, satisfied that I was alright, went back to tending the fire while munching on another of the carnivorous Snap-Honey heads. Taking a deep breath, I decided to review my situation. Mercifully, the first thing I noticed was that I was at full Health, Stamina, and Mana after my rest. Fresh and ready to tackle the threats this cruel world would undoubtedly throw at me.

STATUS

CallingGilgamesh Level 10 Paladin of Avaria/Reaver Strength22 Dexterity16

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SKILLS & PROFICIENCIES

Pain Nullification (lvl.2) Power Strike (lvl.2) 10

Endure (lvl.3) Stealth (lvl.1) Rest (lvl.3) Backstab (lvl.2) Dodge (lvl.3) Polearms (lvl.2) Dual Wield (lvl.1) Critical Hit Mastery (lvl.2) Mining (lvl.2) Unarmed Combat (lvl.3) Hammers (lvl.2)

Flails (lvl.1) Maces (lvl.1) Shields (lvl.1) Medium Armour (lvl.1) Heavy Armour (lvl.1) Axes (lvl.1)

SPELLS & MAGIC

Heal (lvl.5) 5

Rust (lvl.3) 2

Identify (lvl.2) 1

Silent Casting (lvl.1)

Mana Regeneration (lvl.2) Purify (lvl.2) 3

Greater Heal (lvl.1) Holy Aura (lvl.1) 2

Decay (lvl.1) Drain (lvl.1) Entropic Aura (lvl.1)

GIFTS

Curse of Entropy: -20% all starting attributes. Mark of the Paladin: 10% resistance to Dark/Holy magic, 5% resistance to Physical.

Touch of the Void: 10% reduced resistance to Holy/Fire magic, 20% resistance to Mental Effects, 15% immunity to Mental Effects.

Experience to next level 2107/2583

Health225/225 Stamina53/53 Mana13/13

With the sudden addition of my new skills and proficiencies, my character sheet had started to become cluttered. Also, in a strange, yet wholly welcome change, spells and abilities that I had cast or used before now displayed their Mana or Stamina points cost on my character sheet. I noticed too that my Gifts had an explanation detailing their effects. I was puzzled as to why now, of all times, my UI had changed. Also, I questioned why I had not received any visions to give some explanation for my new spells’ functions. Perhaps it was because they were part of my Calling or class choice already? Very unhelpful, I mentally complained to myself.

However, most disturbing of all was the fact I had lost the equivalent of two levels’ worth of attribute points in Strength and Constitution. At a loss, I looked once more at my character sheet and saw that the Reaver class had been forced upon me. This was, if the pain I suffered in the dream was any clue, the reason for the reduction in my attribute points. This had the knock-on effect of lowering my overall Health and Stamina. One silver lining was the two new points of Wisdom from Paladin, which provided an extra point in Mana. I would also have to pay more attention to the gains in my ‘secondary’ attributes such as Charisma and Luck. Somewhere along the way, I had stopped my mental tally of them. I had no way to measure their effect on my ‘character,’ and I had only so much mental resource to spare on worrying about tertiary attributes. How did Luck even work? Would the universe bend itself slightly to suit my needs at high levels? Or did it just do something boring, like only work on critical hits?

The new skills were welcome, but I could not deny that I felt a certain trepidation at the thought of trying them. The mentally unsettling effects of executing the Rust spell were still at the forefront of my mind.

Too many thoughts and questions spun around in my mind. Faced with yet more conundrums, my mind began to wander down the rutted path of an unrelated tangent. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to focus.

Staring out into the distance, I ruminated on ways to test my new magic. I decided that it would be wisest to first inform my companions about the latest developments.

“The gods have gifted me with new powers,” I stated suddenly without preamble.

Kidu gave me a knowing nod and smile, before intoning solemnly, “The gods often grant their favor after overcoming great trials. I, too, have felt their touch after our escape.” Elwin, on the other hand, simply raised an eyebrow, intrigued no doubt, but willing to hold off his questions until later.

Truthfully, I had no idea what Kidu was talking about. Perhaps this was the Hunter’s way of interpreting a level up and increase in power; he had, after all, cut a bloody swathe during our escape.

“I would like to test out one of the spells. I don’t think it’s an offensive spell, but I don't exactly know what it does...” I said in a tone that inspired little confidence in my companions.

“Do what you must, we will help you observe,” said Kidu, in his gruff voice.

“I think I am going to move a bit further back...” Elwin said, as he inched away from the crackling fire.

However, waving my hand in a set of arcane motions I had already begun casting Holy Aura before Elwin could finish his retreat. I had decided against using Silent Cast in conjunction with the spell, to establish a baseline for the ‘normal’ way of casting the magic. My fingers traced strange patterns in the air and my voice started to chant a language I had never heard before. As I incanted the words, I noticed that there was a slight echo, as if another being was talking alongside me.

As my chant reached a crescendo, I uttered, “Holy Aura,” as a single pulse of golden light expanded away from me at its epicenter. The immediate area around us was bathed in its light. It was around my companions, however, where the light finally settled, as if it were warding them against the darkness.

Kidu and Elwin both held up their hands to inspect the golden light that had surrounded, then wrapped itself, around them. They looked incredulously as it played in intricate arcane patterns all about us. Then a small shock hit me as I looked closely at my Status bars. The spell had used two Mana, and my maximum Mana had also dropped by two. Quickly, I stopped the Aura spell, and the golden glow softly disappeared.

My companions still spun around, as if trying to determine to where the golden light was retreating. With a sigh of relief, I saw that my maximum Mana had risen again to thirteen, but my current Mana remained at eleven. Intriguing, I thought to myself. What would happen if I tried to cast the spell again?

Kidu and Elwin looked distracted by the disappearance of the miraculous light. Seeing this, and deciding that it was better to beg for forgiveness rather than to seek approval, I decided to cast the Aura spell once again.

This time I invoked the spell using my Silent Cast skill. I could feel a sense of resistance now, similar to a recalcitrant child going against their parent’s wishes. It took a long while, perhaps six to eight seconds, before I could complete the spell and a golden ambiance bathed us once more. It certainly took a lot longer to cast without the somatic component of the spell and, mentally, it was a lot more draining. Looking at my Status, I could see now that both current Mana had dropped a further two points to nine, and my maximum Mana had again dropped back down to eleven. I gave a silent prayer of thanks, to no god in particular, that I had not damaged my Mana reserves permanently.

“Do you feel any different? Anything at all?” I asked my companions hesitantly.

“Apart from the pretty lights, nothing. Pretty impressive though. Probably could make a few copper pieces at the next mummer’s faire,” piped Elwin, a little sarcastically.

“As the small one said. I am thinking that answers never come easy in the understanding of the ways of the gods,” retorted Kidu, “Perhaps this magic is a ward against evil and misfortune?”

Realizing that his words contained surprising insight, I nodded to him in acknowledgment. “We also need to do something about these,” I added, holding up the remains of my chains on both wrists. Casting Rust on metal that was in contact with my skin was a painful operation I honestly did not want to repeat anytime soon. Just as I was beginning to think about how to get out of this predicament, I noticed something about Elwin and Kidu. They were now free of the manacles that had bound their wrists and ankles!

“Yes, about that,” Elwin began with a smug smile on his face, “We didn’t want to disturb you while you were having your beauty sleep,” he said, producing a thin sliver of metal out of nowhere as he walked over to me.

Kneeling before me, he began work on my bindings, popping them loose from my ankles, with dextrous ease.

“Strange skills for a Ranger,” I said, looking him firmly in the eye.

“Let’s just say I had a troubled youth,” he replied in an even tone, dodging the subject as deftly as he had unlocked what remained of my bindings.

“Now for your wrists.”

I held out my wrists, and with an artisan's grace, he jigged and manipulated his crude sliver of thin metal into the sockets of the manacles. He released me from the iron in a matter of seconds, tutting as he worked. Touching my now liberated wrists in confirmation, I reveled in the feeling of greater freedom now that the metal hindrances were finally gone.

“Thank you, Elwin, much appreciated. You are certainly a good man to know to get out of a bind,” I said gratefully, testing my range of motion now that the chains and manacles were no longer there. “Now if only we could do something about these collars,” I continued, smiling wryly as I pointed to the metal at my neck.

Kidu began to raise a pickaxe in his hand, his answer to my question clear, which drew a worried glance from our Rogue. Almost jumping in surprise, I waved a hand to stop him from his obvious plan of action. Comically, this caused my loose helm to begin to slip and I had to hold onto it to stop it from falling off.

“I don’t think we need to resort to that just yet, I think my magic could weaken it a little more first!” I almost shouted. It would also be a chance to test, albeit potentially painfully, the level of control I had with my spell.

“Your choice.” He shrugged as he lay down to sleep on the green moss of the forest floor, throwing another loose branch into the crackling fire before closing his eyes.

Elwin threw a worried glance at me, “You’re not thinking of starting off with me are you?”

“No, Elwin. Have no fear, at least for the moment. At the very worst, the spell will simply turn your collar into hot slag. I am pretty confident I can heal you through that,” I said, sneaking him with a mischievous grin. “Please keep an eye out in case anything goes wrong… Maybe keep some water close, eh?”

Even with a cloud of doubt staining my thoughts, I concentrated as best as I could and brought the magic to my center. I focused on trying to tamp down the dark energies, attempting to resist unleashing its full power. My tongue spoke eldritch words of dark things in a language not meant for mortal tongues, and I could see Elwin looking visibly perturbed. With my mind fully engaged in staving off the stronger aspects of the spell, I had simply lacked the focus to use my Silent Casting skill.

My fingers, stilting in their movement, drew esoteric symbols in the air that left traces of ozone and oily dread blackness. Even as I went through the motions of casting the spell, a small portion of my mind had registered that Kidu had begun snoring already, the sounds of which would rival any great beast in a rut.

Just as the spell was about to reach a crescendo of arcane power, I felt the powers begin to subside and deflate. Sensing the time was right, I released the black lightning into my collar, causing it to heat up, but not painfully so. I surmised that I had succeeded in my experiment of taming the dark alien energies, as I had only lost a single point of Mana in casting the spell.

Smiling a cracked grin at the Rogue, “Well, it seems that wasn’t too bad. I appear to have learned how to control myself a little.” Elwin simply looked back quizzically at me.

Straining, and failing, to look down at the collar around my neck, I waited for the roiling energies to finally subside, before casting Identify on the collar to see how much damage I had inflicted on its durability.

Iron Slave Collar Durability 258/400

Thirty-six points of durability damage. Not bad, I thought to myself. Although the level two spell did more damage, it was extremely painful and required me to spend additional Mana on healing. This was the most efficient and safest way to go.

I gave Elwin a thumbs-up, and I smiled from ear to ear. Elwin just looked like he had just sucked a sour plum before saying, “After all this you want me to bugger myself? Can’t say I can find the humor in it. There are places to go for that sort of thing.”

“No, no Elwin, that’s not what I meant at all! From where I come from this is a sign of good luck... an indication of approval. You see right now I am rather pleased with myself,” I said, holding up both thumbs, placatingly smiling as best I could.

“Thought you had no memories,” the thief said in a slow calculating voice, before grumbling once again, “Bah, for that you’ll be taking next watch. Guess I’ll have to be keeping another one of my eyes on you,” he finished, continuing to gripe as he made a bed for himself from the leaves and moss the cold forest floor. With an annoyed audible huff, he lay dawn.

“Of course...” I began, before I noticed that he had already turned away. A few minutes later he was already fast asleep, his breathing shallow and even.

Adjusting the loose helmet on my head, I stared up at the dark canopy, observing only one or two twinkling lights through the thick boughs. All around me, I could hear the sounds of the forest as its denizens continued their nocturnal activities. The air was fresh and invigorating, full of the green smells of a vibrant forest, free of the stifling pollutants of my old world.

Alone with my thoughts, I began to reflect on my journey so far. Thinking back to my struggles with the amphibious Bibsis, I realized just how much I had grown in power since coming to this strange new world. My time as a slave had forged my body and soul, and I was a very different man from when I first arrived. I realized the innocence I once possessed was forever lost. I had killed, and more than once, at that. This was a world that demanded it, even rewarded it. I knew in my heart that this was no simple parody of a game. The scents, the sounds, the suffering; it was all too real. Yet despite all this, it was still a world that was beautifully virgin and full of wonder.

I thought, too, of Earth, and of the mediocre, yet somewhat tolerable, life I had lived. Every day had been a struggle, but of a different sort. There, I had to worry if I would be able to pay the bills on time; here I had to worry if I had enough Health, Stamina, and Mana to survive the next encounter with a monstrous creature. I chuckled to myself inwardly, thinking of the situations that I once considered stressful. Here I had grown tough, but I knew I had to grow even tougher still. So with these thoughts, a few hours were lost.

I touched my collar, a reminder of the sights I had witnessed and the trials I had suffered. My first gift for slaying another sentient human being. This stubborn collar was just another hurdle I had to overcome. Focusing on Identify, I cast the spell on my collar once more, needing to confirm my progress from before.

Iron Slave Collar Durability 254/400

Intriguingly, the durability had dropped another four points. Was this from general wear and tear, or was it the lingering effects of the spell? ‘Curse’ type spells in games usually took a long time to fully take effect...

I had a feeling that it would do me no favors to wait, and with six points of Mana I continued to emit the weaker version of Rust onto my collar, ignoring the oily dark energies and weak whispers that followed each cast.

After the fifth use of the spell, wishing to avoid reaching zero Mana, I tried to snap the tortured metal with my bare hands, grunting loudly in the effort. A familiar hand the size of ham grasped my shoulder and I turned to look at Kidu. His face was hard and unfamiliar in the dark flames, casting him as a monster, his blonde dreadlocks like a wild Medusan growth.

“A fine sentry you will make,” he laughed in a not-too-unfriendly manner. “Please, let me,” he said, his large hands reaching for my neck.

For a split second, I feared that he wished to end my life, and my body involuntarily stiffened. Gently he placed his giant hands on the collar around my neck, before, with a great twist, he snapped the weakened and heavily corroded metal. It fell broken to the forest floor.

“Thank you, Kidu,” awe and appreciation echoing in equal measure in my voice at his impressive strength.

“Freedom is more than payment enough,” he said, even and stern, before laughing and slapping me on the back, “But I would like to stay free for a little much longer so I will take the next watch!”

With the large man gesturing for me to sleep once more, I removed my helm and gloves, laying them down next to me before curling up into a ball. I touched where the metal once met my neck, and looked down at my wrists, now free of chains. Soon enough, sleep claimed me once again as the dark whispers followed me into her realm.