《Cold Steel Dig》 Chapter 1: Taken My little brother frantically tapped away at our shared laptop. He¡¯d been on it literally all day. I leaned on the bar area of our kitchen that smelled of toast and poked him with my barefoot. ¡°Come on. It¡¯s totally my turn.¡± He ignored me. The time on the microwave went up another minute. I waved my hand in front of his face. ¡°Stop it, Kelly!¡± He screamed. I stepped back at the unexpected reaction then took a good look at the screen. He¡¯d been playing some kind of 2D mining game but it had turned into a psychedelic first person cutscene. A stunningly beautiful man in elegant robes appeared from behind a carved rainbow crystal wall. He strode to the screen¡¯s center. ¡°So, another human child has found their way to the entrance of my kingdom.¡± His smile was oil crawling towards a fire. ¡°I, Prince Nenveri Esreth, invoke the law of three. Your first choice is to leave and never come back. Your second is to defeat me. And your third is to willingly join the children who¡¯ve failed before you in the Garden of 1000 Kindnesses. Am I not magnanimous?¡± A pop up appeared with those options listed. Matt looked like he was about to press something so I grabbed his hands. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You can come back to this game later.¡± ¡°No!¡± He pushed me away. ¡°He has Megan. I have to get her back.¡± ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t. I just saw her playing outside with one of your other friends.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not Megan.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°You¡¯re 11 not 5. You should know the difference between a game and reality. Now get off. It¡¯s my turn.¡± He pressed 2. ¡°I know the difference between a game and reality. Megan is in trouble and I have to save her. Just let me fight him and I promise that I won¡¯t tell mom you¡¯re seeing that stoner.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not going out and Jake isn¡¯t a stoner.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what mom said.¡± I bit my lip. Mom only judged people by how they dressed, but I''d still be grounded if she found out. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Human child, you have chosen 2. Remember these rules,¡± Prince Nenvari said. ¡°Your machine will take damage when your spurious body does. You no longer have infinite chances, only three deaths and rebirths. If you die your third time, or if you look away from your machine you will lose, forfeiting your freedom. Are you ready?¡± ¡°Woah. This mining game is dark.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± Matt said. I had no idea what was going on, but it looked like Matt¡¯s avatar used a shimmery pickaxe to swiftly mine through squares of rainbow crystals above Nenvari. The obsidian stones above those fell in waves, but the prince sidestepped every time one neared him Matt¡¯s avatar dropped next to Nevari. The Prince drew a sword and stabbed him. An electric current visibly ran through the laptop. Matt screamed and jerked his hands away from the keyboard.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. A black screen with the words, ¡°Press to Continue,¡± appeared. ¡°Don¡¯t continue. This game is obviously some kind of virus.¡± The scent of scorched plastic wafted from the computer. The edges of the screen were visibly seared. Viruses could do that, right? My idiot brother pressed enter. Nenvari appeared in a cutscene polishing his blade. ¡°So, you¡¯ve returned,¡± He said then shrugged. ¡°I suppose I didn¡¯t give you much choice. En garde!¡± The 2D game appeared. Matt switched from a pickaxe to a sword and charged his avatar at Nenvari. The Prince shot a bolt of light at Matt. He dodged by destroying a crystal block and moving above in one stroke. ¡°What? Swords can be used to mine now?¡± ¡°Shut up, Kelly.¡± Nenvari stepped under Matt, going for the kill. Matt destroyed a block to his side, sending the boulder above him hurtling towards the boss. The man flattened under the stone and then appeared beside it. He wiped the blood from his lips. ¡°Alright, child. If you can do that 83 more times I shall concede defeat.¡± Matt began hyperventilating. I rubbed his back. ¡°Okay, this game is getting you too worked up. I¡¯m turning it off.¡± ¡°No. I can¡¯t afford to lose.¡± Nenvari shooed the obsidian boulder and sent it flying towards Matt. Matt dodged up but he hadn¡¯t noticed a slightly darker square. A web of black enveloped his avatar and he died. Another bolt of electricity ran through our laptop, and another Continue screen appeared. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re done.¡± I closed the laptop. ¡°No!¡± Matt grabbed my wrist and tried to pull it off. ¡°I had one more chance.¡± ¡°You had no chance. This game is a virus and I¡¯m going to remove it.¡± A cool white mist blew out of the closed computer. I stepped back. ¡°Matt, get away from there!¡± It was too late, the billowing mist had already enveloped him. A laughter like burnt mulled wine echoed through our kitchen. When the area cleared the elegant Nenvari stood in Matt¡¯s place. His white robes flowed unnaturally around him. ¡°I¡¯m thankful to you, Miss Kelly Knight.¡± He gave me a slight bow. I did not return it. Anger and fear made sticks of my legs and a trunk of my spine. ¡°Where?¡± I choked out, still not believing what was in front of me. ¡°Mr. Matt Knight is quite safe and happy in the Garden of 1000 Kindnesses.¡± ¡°Something tells me that, ¡®Kindness,¡¯ doesn¡¯t mean the same thing to you that it does to me.¡± He frowned. ¡°Nonsense.¡± A vein ticked in my forehead. ¡°Whatever, just give me my brother back!¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Why not? You¡¯re the one doing all this, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I am obligated to follow the rules, and so must you.¡± His face suddenly appeared too close to me and his icy hand gripped my chin. I had no time to react. An indescribably cold chill ran through me. He tilted his head, like a curious kitten. ¡°Odd. You¡¯re a not a child, nor are you an adult.¡± His eyes glanced at the completely ruined laptop. ¡°Nor can you challenge the game with that device. In this instance, I shall make a deal with you.¡± He released me. I sucked in a breath. ¡°I shall allow you to challenge the game within the Realm Under the Hill, instead of on your crude machines. But since I have invoked the law of three I must also give you two more gifts. The powers of a spurious body, and attire befitting an empress. Am I not magnanimous?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not. If you were you would give me my brother back.¡± His irises shrank to menacing pin pricks. ¡°You insult me, and by law I must return insult with a wound. And so I regretfully add a flaw. Your body will feel pain when you die.¡± I held back a colorful curse. ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s just get this over with.¡± ¡°First do you acknowledge and reject your two other choices, to either join me or have your memories edited before swearing to never play the game again?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± I said, jaw tight. He leaned down and gently kissed my forehead. For the first time in my life, I wanted to stab someone. Chapter 2: Battle Miner As if high on pain medication, I walked next to Nenvari, through a long warping silver corridor. Sounds shifted. Somehow up became east and down became north. My stomach rolled and settled. I closed my eyes. When I opened them again I wore an embroidered emerald dress made in the Victorian style, constricting corset and all. I also found myself in a vast room made up of intricately carved blocks of stone. Behind me, a man with charcoal stained fingers sat at a desk reading an old fuchsia paperback. As I approached I made out the letters of the curly title, Lady Whitfield¡¯s Scoundrel. I cleared my throat. He jumped to his feet, dog-eared his page and eyed me critically. ¡°What can this old man do fer ye, me lady?¡± ¡°I need to know how to get to Prince Nanveri¡¯s kingdom.¡± ¡°Uh huh. And what are ye lookin¡¯ to do when ye get there?¡± ¡°Challenge him.¡± ¡°Bad idea, me lady. No one has defeated him yet.¡± ¡°Yeah, I got that impression, but I have to do it anyways. He¡¯s kidnapped my brother.¡± ¡°My Lord has spirited away many youngins. It''s what he does.¡± ¡°Well, he shouldn''t. And I''m going to stop him from ever doing it again.¡± He leaned in with squinted eyes. ¡°Are ye, now?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Everyone has failed so far. And frankly, ye don''t look like any kind of battle miner.¡± I grinned, ¡°Sir, I won''t take shade from a rough miner who reads romance novels.¡± He noticeably blushed. I held out my hand for him to shake. ¡°Kelly Knight.¡± He bowed over it, even though he remained sitting. ¡°Merchant Meeks, Miss Knight.¡± ¡°I need you to make a battle miner out of me.¡± ¡°I can do that if you¡¯ve coin to pay.¡± I patted my pockets for change and realized that I wasn''t wearing my jeans. Great, it looked like the sadist prince screwed me over again. I slumped my shoulders. ¡°The prince left me here with no money at all.¡± He sighed. ¡°Tell ye what. The basic set is the cheapest. I¡¯ll loan it to ye and ye can pay me back as soon as you¡¯ve the 50 coin fer it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± He nodded.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± He handed me a thin blue coverall, an orange safety vest, a helmet with an eye shield, a belt with a cargo satchel, and a very basic pickaxe with a yellow handle. The items immediately replaced my dress. I grabbed for my cargo satchel. When my fingers brushed against it I knew that my dress was inside, as if it sent the information directly into my brain. I slung the pickaxe over my shoulder. ¡°Alright Merchant Meeks, what do I do now?¡± ¡°The best way to learn is through doing. So just enter a wall-mine and have at it.¡± ¡°Wall-mine?¡± He pointed to the floor, a long line of stone cubes had the number 6 carved into them. A few blocks away another long line had the number 5. I walked to the nearest number 6 and stood, unsure of what to do. ¡°What? Ye want to know how to travel the mines?¡± I nodded. He scratched his beard and black dust fell out. ¡°Alright, don''t be doing this just yet, but what yer gonna do is grab your pickaxe tight and will yourself to go in a direction, much as how you will yerself to walk.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± He nodded. I grabbed my pickaxe tight and looked at the ground. ¡°And Miss,¡± he said, grabbing my attention. ¡°Be mindful of falling rocks.¡± ¡°I will. Thank you.¡± ¡°Be seein¡¯ ye very soon.¡± I looked to the stone floor and walked down. The ground crumbled into non-existence and I fell about 8 feet. My new shoes never touched the floor, instead, I hovered in the middle of the room made from a boulder to my right, two stone blocks, and two opposite walls that were made from some kind of rough glowing stone. I willed myself to go through them but nothing happened. Were these walls the representation of the game''s background and the screen? I willed myself to raise up but my head hit a clear sheet of something unnatural. I tapped on it and scratched at it but it refused to budge. I was trapped in the mine. After taking in a calming breath I peered down. My visor lit with a heads up display, showing me a circular area with a 6 block radius. I needed to go three blocks down and two right to mine my first cube of something the HUD called Gluttonous Nickel. I went down three, stones breaking with a thought, then I flew right two. I paused at the sight of a nickel boulder. It had holes in it like Swiss cheese and shimmered as if covered in oil. Checking my map, I noted that two boulders were above it and I had an empty space above me. Did I just will myself to enter its space or did I have to wield my pick? I examined my tool. On its shaft, glowing numbers showed 34/40. That must be its durability or however many blocks I could go through. I tightened my grip on it and flew forward. The Gluttonous Nickel disappeared and I suddenly knew it was in my satchel, and that it would fetch me 10 coins. I also noticed that the boulder above me didn''t fall while I stood directly under it. I moved over one and watched as the two boulders fell. Then the second boulder fell towards me. Too surprised to move out of the way, it smashed into me. The sickening snap of my bones breaking. Crushing pain. Darkness. *** When I came to the world was gray and silent. A figure in a hooded robe with a towering scythe stepped into view. ¡°Would you care to continue, Miss Knight?¡± A voice like a deep void said. I stared into the handsome but grayscale face of the person under the hood. His eyes were the deepest ebony and stared at me with no emotion as if I didn¡¯t exist. I swallowed. ¡°Are you Death?¡± ¡°I''m a reaper. You may call me Mr. Black.¡± ¡°What happens if I don''t wish to continue, Mr. Black?¡± ¡°I''ll take you to your next journey.¡± ¡°Home?¡± ¡°I''m afraid not.¡± ¡°That''s not a choice.¡± ¡°I doubt that you''ll say the same when you''ve died for the hundred thousandth time.¡± My heart stuttered at the thought but I hardened my resolve. ¡°Still, I have to continue.¡± ¡°Then follow me.¡± He walked into the gray beyond and I followed. Chapter 3: You Die, You Learn As soon as the main cavern came into focus I ran to Merchant Meeks¡¯ desk and slapped it. He closed his book and looked at me expectantly. ¡°Why didn''t you tell me I had to die to leave the cave?¡± ¡°How could I know ye didn''t?¡± ¡°I don''t know anything. I didn''t know that sometimes rocks fall off other rocks and¡ª.¡± ¡°¡ªMiss Knight, dying is how ye get the knowin¡¯ of things in this world. And dying is how ye begin anew.¡± I couldn''t accept that. ¡°How do I avoid dying?¡± ¡°By knowin¡¯ ahead, thinkin¡¯ ahead and bein¡¯ quick on yer feet. But ye¡¯ll still die. Nothin¡¯ fer it.¡± My hands shook. Despite the pain and terror of death, I had to go back into that mine. Matt was in the Garden of 1000 Kindnesses but I couldn¡¯t trust it to be kind to him at all. I went to number 7 this time and willed myself down but nothing happened. I stared at Merchant Meeks. ¡°Don¡¯t go lookin¡¯ at me like I betrayed ye.¡± He pointed at the ground next to me. The number 6 was lit on each of the floor squares. ¡°Ye¡¯ve claimed that mine now, It¡¯s yers. But ye be careful. It changes with every death.¡± I nodded. ¡°And be sure ye pay up ¡®fore ye leave.¡± Oh, right! I stepped back up to his table and handed him my Gluttonous Nickel. ¡°40 more to go.¡± Someone tapped my shoulder and I screamed. I turned to see a creepy, potbellied fairy with bluish skin and polished obsidian eyes. ¡°Wh-What are you? Where did you come from?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been here the whole time, Miss Knight, you just haven¡¯t seen me. I¡¯m Tasker Phenic.¡± ¡°A-Are there other things I haven¡¯t seen?¡± He smiled showing rows of black needle-teeth. ¡°Many.¡± As cold tingles ran down my spine I automatically scrutinized the room, searching for invisible monsters. ¡°So,¡± I tried to say casually. ¡°What do you do?¡± ¡°I give you tasks. Your first is killing a Man Faced Spider and bringing me it¡¯s carapace. Complete it and I¡¯ll hand over a magic crystal that can save you from death. But be careful, the more of them you use before dying, the more you have to use.¡± What? A chance to avoid death? ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do it.¡± I walked to one of the blocks marked with a 6 and glanced back. Phenic flew next to Meeks and they exchanged something gold. They were betting on me and against me. I wanted to stop them, to say something, but it was pointless. I willed myself into the mine and appeared at the top of a long tunnel. My mini-map showed that down 3 and to my left 1 was some kind of energy bubble and behind it were two boulders of nickel, there for the taking. I didn¡¯t want to touch the energy just yet, in case it was some kind of explosive so I mined around it, quickly collecting the ore.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Up close, the energy appeared as glowing green ripples in a pond, if the pond¡¯s surface was 3 dimensional and floated in mid-air. ¡°The only way to learn is by doing.¡± I willed myself into its square. It popped, creating hundreds of small bubbles that rushed into my pickaxe. Its durability said 40/40, and a feeling similar to stepping into icy air conditioning on a hot summer¡¯s day overwhelmed me. ¡°Okay, so I need to save these until the last possible moment because I don¡¯t know how often I¡¯ll find them,¡± I said. ¡°... And now I¡¯m talking to myself.¡± I sighed and moved down a few blocks, then I noticed a spider on my minimap trapped in a 4 block vertical corridor with a boulder to the left and near the top. I really wanted anything that could prevent death. I moved down to the block above the boulder and waited. After a few heart-pounding moments the spider in my minimap crawled down to the bottom of the pit. Within a blink, I stepped into the block¡¯s area, destroying it, and freeing the boulder for rolling. After moving over and down I rolled the boulder into the corridor. It tumbled down crushing the nasty insect. ¡°Whoop!¡± A black shell with a very fleshed out human face grown on it flew into my cargo satchel. Then I noticed two more nickel boulders down3 and left 5. they were surrounded by boulders and a very solid and uncarved block of stone. I figured, that if I was quick enough I could get in and out before the rocks collapsed. It would also make me square with Meeks. I would risk it. Clutching my pickaxe tight, I traveled to the precarious area. For a solid minute, I stared at the two boulders, working up the courage to risk getting crushed again. ¡°I can do this!¡± I bolted into the two nickel boulders. They wobbled, but I immediately flew out. The stones collapsed. I flew back through several blocks to avoid the avalanche I¡¯d created. A massive black spider with a human face on its back crawled into my space from below me. I sucked in a breath. It jumped forward and dug its fangs into my shoulder. My blood boiled. Screams echoed through my body. Darkness. As I once again faced the gray world of the reaper, my heartbeat slowed. I stared up at Mr. Black¡¯s uncaring face. ¡°Would you care to continue, Miss Knight?¡± I would get no sympathy here, but I didn¡¯t want to go back into the mine. Still, I said, ¡°Yes.¡± *** ¡°Are we even now?¡± I asked. Merchant Meeks grinned. ¡°Yes, miss. Be sure ye come back when ye have inventory worth 100 coins so I can exchange yer pickaxe fer a better one.¡± ¡°I will.¡± I handed over the spider carapace to Phenic and a Death Saving Crystal appeared in my inventory. I needed to only use it when I had to, or when I couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Your next task is to find and destroy a Fae Mushroom Trap. They will make you briefly hallucinate before killing you.¡± ¡°How do I destroy that?¡± ¡°The same way you destroyed the spider.¡± A woman cleared her throat behind me. I jerked towards the noise and saw a thin dark elf in purple trousers and a flowy silk shirt that reached her mid-thigh. ¡°Miss Knight. I¡¯m Keymaster Korren. While you¡¯re down there if you come across any boxes that happen to have keys in them would you kindly give those keys to me? I shall exchange your first two for a weapon. Then your next four for a better weapon.¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°What do these weapons do?¡± ¡°A variety of exceedingly advantageous things. The most prevalent is to send a projectile through blocks to eradicate traps and monsters.¡± ¡°That sounds a little too good to be true.¡± She smirked. ¡°Well, they do require you to charge them with kinetic energy.¡± ¡°And, like, how do I go about doing that?¡± ¡°Why, by shattering 20 carved blocks, of course.¡± I held out my hand. ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°A pleasure.¡± *** As soon as I entered the mine I noticed a box in my mini-map. I flew towards it shattering blocks as I went. I froze when I saw it with my eyes for the first time. A massive crate made from gunstock stained oak filled a whole block. Magic symbols crawled all over its surface in an ethereal color changing scrawl. I tried walking through it, as I did with everything, but it stayed in the same place. It didn¡¯t even roll away like the boulders did. But. Maybe it would fall? I knocked out the block under it and watched it break. A giant spider crawled out and immediately jumped toward me. Time froze. A bell-like voice spoke in my mind. You are about to die. Want me to save you? The spider¡¯s fangs were inches from my face, dripping poison. I swallowed, body shaking with fear. ¡°I think choosing death like this is worse than suddenly dying.¡± Then you choose to continue? I didn''t want to die, especially not by a spider. But if I used it here and died in a few more blocks I would pointlessly be out a crystal. Licking my parched lips, I said, ¡°No.¡± Burning pain. Screaming. Darkness. And once again, I looked into the reaper¡¯s world and the dark scythe-wielding thing within. I sneered at Mr. Black¡¯s cold face and wondered if, behind those black eyes, he laughed at me. ¡°Would you care to continue, Miss Knight?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Chapter 4: All Death and No Play As I prepared to knock out a block under a box, I prayed it didn¡¯t have another spider in it. So far, I¡¯d found ten boxes, one with a key, four with nickel, two with spiders and three with delicious magic ripples. I escaped one of the spiders but the other killed me right away. I put my pickaxe under one arm and used my hands to slap both cheeks. ¡°Enough stalling.¡± Gripping my pick''s shaft firmly, I entered the space then swiftly flew back a few blocks. It crashed, shattering. A gold skeleton key floated in the center of block¡¯s space for a second before flying into my inventory. *** I ran up to Korren. ¡°Keys!¡± With a mental call to my inventory, the two gold skeleton keys appeared in my palm. Before handing them over, I noticed one had a pattern of leaves etched into it and the other thorns. She smiled. ¡°Excellent. Hand me your pickaxe.¡± I did as she asked and the dark elf pulled out a bow made of shadows that had a string of white light. She muttered a quick chant and the pickaxe merged with the weapon causing a brief ripplein space. She presented it to me as a tailor would a fine suit, and placed navy archer¡¯s gloves atop it. I took the gloves first and they appeared on my forearms. Then I reached towards the bow. I believe that my hand would touch a mist-like substance, instead, I felt a cold texture like sandblasted glass. I nearly jumped in surprise. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°This bow has a range of two blocks. But I have superior ones in my inventory. Deliver more keys and I shall upgrade yours.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± I had to assume that the bow acted similarly to my brother¡¯s sword which he¡¯d used as both pick and weapon when battling Nenvari. I stared into its shadowy shaft, searching for where the stats were. None appeared but, similar to my inventory, the information rose to the surface of my mind. My bow had 52/52 durability and a charge of 0/20. I walked to Meeks and grinned. He raised both brows. ¡°That be a fine startin¡¯ weapon, Miss.¡± ¡°Thank you! But since it¡¯s replaced my pickaxe I¡¯m not sure how I¡¯m supposed to upgrade it.¡± He grinned. ¡°I take care of that. Ye just hand me ore worth 150 coins.¡± I held out my hand. ¡°Agreed. I should have it now.¡± We shook and the ore disappeared from my inventory. He took out a pencil-like blue crystal. It wobbled in his hand like an upset cat and shot into my bow. Sparks flew. My durability rose from 52 to 56. I grinned. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Ye¡¯re welcome miss. And yer next upgrade ¡®ll also be 150.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good news. It really surprised me when the price jumped the last time.¡± ¡°The price¡¯ll rise again after 6 upgrades. Then it¡¯ll be 200.¡± I frowned. ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need te use a higher grade crystal te get the same 4 durability points.¡± ¡°What happens if you use the lower grade?¡± ¡°If yer lucky ye¡¯ll get 1 point. But it¡¯s not worth the risk.¡± ¡°What if we use the higher grade crystal now?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll break from getting too high of an upgrade too soon.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I supposed that made sense. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Meeks!¡± ¡°Welcome, Miss.¡± I waved to the three cavern dwellers as I walked to my mine. ¡°And do bring me 4 mushrooms from those traps,¡± Phenic called. ¡°Will do!¡± *** After a good fifteen minutes in the mine, I dodged a spider. Hallucinations filled my vision. I walked through my mine. Its walls flashed, becoming funhouse mirrors. My brother appeared, but he looked different. His ears were pointed, his eyes glowed blue, and he carried a book of magic. ¡°Hey. We have to get out of here. We have to go back home.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I belong here, Kelly. You go home.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be selfish! Do you know how worried mom is going to be when she gets home and finds both of us gone?¡± He floated backward. ¡°No. You¡¯re selfish. I¡¯m happy here.¡± I flew toward him. He sped away. I couldn¡¯t catch up. My eyes watered with my desperation to reach him. Air stopped filling my lungs and for a brief moment, I saw the trap around me, mushrooms pulsating with rancid-sweet smelling spores. You are about to die. Want me to save you? I licked my lips and swallowed. ¡°No¡± Burning. Everything felt like burning. Once again the hateful gray world appeared with its master. ¡°Would you¡ª¡± ¡°Yes!¡± *** I made a stupid mistake, misjudging where the rocks would fall. Stuck, but still alive, I pushed on all sides. You are about to¡ª ¡°No.¡± My lungs became fire. I passed out. As I woke in the gray world I was grateful that the rules of the mine didn¡¯t force me to suffocate for however long it would have taken my human body to die. I was less grateful that I had to feel pain in the first place. ¡°Would you¡ª¡± ¡°Yes!¡± *** After 20 minutes of carefully traversing the mine, I saw a long empty horizontal space towards the bottom of my map. Hoping that it was the entrance to fight Nenvari I rushed towards it. This could be it. This could be the end! Rocks fell. I must have missed something in my hurry because a vertical line of boulders fell towards me. I sidestepped between two boulders and a box. I calculated poorly. The line of boulders closed my only exit. You are about to die. Want me to save you? I almost said yes. I wanted to say yes. But if I couldn''t make it down there without cheating then I couldn''t defeat whatever waited for me beyond those empty spaces. Also, I wanted to save every single crystal for the fight with Nenvari. ¡°No.¡± My lungs burned and I passed out. I took off my belt and threw it to the dark ground. ¡°I can''t even!¡± ¡°I do not understand what you''re saying.¡± ¡°Can''t I just stay here for a while? Please?¡± Mr. Black didn¡¯t say anything for a few seconds. ¡°Time does not pass here. Stay as long as you need.¡± I curled into a ball, eyes watering, but I didn''t cry. I hadn¡¯t earned the right to. A warm but tentative hand rubbed my back. I stilled. I never expected this bit of kindness from the heartless Reaper. ¡°Mr. Black?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± I cleared my throat. ¡°Please, tell me a story.¡± The ringing of silence stole through the air. I figured it was a longshot but I wanted help forgetting the pain and aggravation. He cleared his throat and as he spoke his voice sounded more human than I¡¯d ever heard it, as if it had lost its Reaperness. ¡°There once was a girl named Suzan with braids of chocolate brown Her older brother adored her up and down the town He worked to be immortal with power over death She worked to support him with too little rest His first day of reaping, the first soul he reaped Was an old woman named Suzan, over whom he wept Too long had he taken to grow power over time and death While the clock had stopped for him, his sister aged to her last breath¡± When he didn¡¯t continue I knew he¡¯d finished. After a few minutes of resting and allowing myself the comfort of a person¡¯s touch, I began to think. Was the story about him, or about some reaper from the past? Perhaps I was over thinking it and every reaper learned the nursery rhyme, taking it as a warning to not spend too long in learning their powers.That sounded more reasonable than him having a tragic past. Either way, I was grateful. ¡°Mr. Black?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You''re a really awful storyteller.¡± ¡°I know.¡± With a laugh, I stood up. Before he could get up I squeezed his hand. ¡°Thank you. I''m ready to continue.¡± He stared at his fingers with a seriously confused expression. ¡°Follow me.¡± Chapter 5: The First Floor Boss Part 1 There was nothing like a weapon upgrade to make a girl feel powerful. After hours of careful ore gathering, I upgraded my bow to have a durability of 72, a range of 3 blocks and a charge of 16. With a smile, I waved goodbye to everyone before entering the mine. I carefully descended, nearly going straight down, only pausingto collect ore close to me while ignoring those further away. After about ten minutes I again noticed that long horizontal corridor at the bottom of my map. Had I finally reached the end? I broke through to the empty space faster than I thought possible. It went down for a good four blocks creating a massive room that echoed with silence and smelled of rain. When I saw Merchant Meeks standing at the bottom and carrying a giant sword I flew back involuntarily. ¡°What are you doing here? Have I reached a save point of some kind?¡± ¡°Afraid not, miss. Ye see, I¡¯m the protector of the first floor. To go beyond, ye first have to fight me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I like and respect you.¡± ¡°Sometimes ye haveta fight the folks ye like and respect, especially if ye think they¡¯re wrong.¡± ¡°But what if I kill you for good!¡± A wide grin appeared on his face. ¡°Glad to see ye care. I cannot die here, miss. It¡¯s both a curse and a blessing.¡± ¡°If you control who comes and goes, can¡¯t you just let me onto the second floor?¡± ¡°I may be stoppin¡¯ ye from continuing, but I¡¯m also protectin¡¯ ye from all the gruesome things below. I don¡¯t think yer ready te face¡¯em. And even if I did, ye¡¯d still need te prove it.¡± My hands shook. Just what could be worse than what I¡¯d already been through? I couldn¡¯t begin to guess, and it didn¡¯t matter. I had to save Matt. ¡°Fine, let me through.¡± A section of the rough glowing wall opened beside me. ¡°Then this next room¡¯ll be our battleground. If ye die here, ye¡¯ll come back until ye win.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± I imagined continuously going down the mine every time I lost and the thought did not please me. ¡°No miss, it¡¯s not. Ye shoulda upgraded yer equipment a few more times. At least gotten yerself a better weapon than that silly bow. It¡¯s not too late. I can wait.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. And I prefer bows.¡± ¡°Then we fight at the sound of the gong.¡± A section opened on his side and he entered. I followed. The lighting in the new chamber had a lavender tint. My mini map showed a line of stone blocks overhead with boulders above them that sat like waiting cannon barrels. Traps and magic bubbles were strewn about on some of the layers below, but no spiders crawled through open areas on my map. The sound of a gong rang through me like a speaker¡¯s bass on full volume. I immediately broke every block I could see until my bow¡¯s charge filled. A nocked arrow of spinning light appeared. I didn''t actually have to pull it back to fire unless I aimed diagonally, otherwise, it would automatically fire in the general direction I willed it. Meeks barreled toward me and I flew at him. When he entered my range I mentally released my arrow. A blast of energy enveloped three blocks, leaving two stone bricks unharmed but decimated the third block Meeks had just broken. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He blinked out of existence for a second and appeared next to the block where he¡¯d died. Shocked that he hadn''t disappeared right away, I spent too much time staring at him in my mini map. He moved forward. I moved back. He swung. Everything stilled. You are about to¡ª ¡°No,¡± I said, possibly from denial that I died so stupidly fast. Even though the blade didn¡¯t touch me, it¡¯s invisible force tore into me like a million needles. I watched as my arm split into a thousand paper thin triangles of blood and flesh. ¡°Would you¡ª¡± ¡°Yes!¡± *** I reappeared where I started. The cavern looked the same. ¡°No change?¡± ¡°Give up, miss. Please?¡± Meeks'' cheeks lacked their normal red hue. I glared. ¡°I will not! Now would you please tell me why everything looks the same?¡± He looked around and shrugged. ¡°This be called the boss room. Every floor has one and they¡¯re different fer each floor.¡± He ran a hand over the wall as if treasuring it. ¡°Te keep things even, the room doesn¡¯t change but my memories of it do. Fer example, I remember cuttin¡¯ ye down, and I know I¡¯ve been down here too many times te count but I couldn¡¯t remember the lay of the mine for even a million boulders of Cold Steel.¡± ¡°So I have an advantage if I can memorize the map?¡± ¡°Ye have no chance against me miss. At least not with the equipment ye have on. Please, give up.¡± ¡°No!¡± The gong sounded and I bolted downward. I didn''t bother attacking and instead worked on memorizing the mine. Meeks flew after me. He came so closethat I couldn''t focus on the map. I rammed backward, avoiding his sword only to smell mushrooms. Meeks exploded and I waited for him to reappear but he didn''t. For a second I thought I''d won, then the walls changed into two towers made from my dead bodies. ¡°Oh, I''m hallucinating.¡± You are¡ª ¡°No.¡± After the burning, when The gray appeared, I paced. ¡°Would you¡ª¡± ¡°I need a moment.¡± He nodded. I peered at him as he stood calmly with infinite patience. Well, at least I could think out loud and not feel my sanity crumbling... unless this was all in my head. No, I''d get nowhere thinking like that. I''m perfectly sane. Right? I cleared my throat and opened my mouth to start talking about the boss room. ¡°I''m perfectly sane, right?¡± Okay. I hadn''t meant to ask him that. ¡°As much as anyone who¡¯s died as often and as painfully as you have.¡± ¡°You''re not helping.¡± ¡°I''m not here to help.¡± ¡°Bringing me back to life feels like helping to me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I am, just as Merchant Meeks is the first floor protector. Even if he hates it, he cannot stop being it.¡± ¡°You think he hates it?¡± ¡°I could not say. And aren''t you stalling?¡± I flopped to the ground and rolled around. It felt like cold and nothingness, which was odd. ¡°Okay, I''m stalling. I need to think of a way to memorize the layout of the room. If I try, I get distracted by Meeks coming at me. Once I memorize it I can lure him into traps and kill him.¡± ¡°Often, the only way to memorize something is by going over it again and again.¡± ¡°You¡¯re basically telling me to die over a hundred times until I''ve memorized how to go through the boss room. Then come up with traps and die a hundred more times until it works.¡± ¡°Do you have a better idea?¡± I blew a lock of hair out of my eyes and stood. ¡°I''m ready to continue.¡± *** Merchant Meeks took off his helmet and swept his hair back. I must have imagined it but I thought his hands shook. ¡°How many be this now? 15, 30?¡± ¡°24,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯ll never win against me.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± The gong sounded. I barely reached a box I¡¯d broken the previous time before my flesh exploded into triangles. *** Merchant Meeks¡¯ skin looked like wax. When he saw me he covered his mouth and turned around. It sounded like he was hyperventilating. ¡°Are you alright?¡± His breathing normalized. ¡°Miss, enough. Just admit yer defeat and go rest in the Garden of 1000 Kindnesses. It''s a nice place. A much kinder place than the mine.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Ye won''t have to die anymore. Ye won''t have to scream like that. Please, miss?¡± ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°Let¡¯s fight!¡± Chapter 6: The First Floor Boss Part 2 Merchant Meeks avoided the boulder trap I¡¯d set up for him and jumped forward, slashing toward me. I dodged down. With a grunt, he followed. After racing through several blocks he stabbed at me. Seeing it coming, I rammed left three squares, collecting a boulder of nickel and a ball of energy. My Bow¡¯s durability jumped to 72/72. After ramming down through several more my energy arrow appeared pulsing with ivory light. Seeing him coming I turned and released the charged arrow at him. It bathed his block with light. Having seen him take too many of those without a scratch I bolted backward. ¡°Kill me ten more times like that, miss, and ye just might win.¡± I¡¯d already done it ten times this session. Did that mean he had the equivalent of 20 hit points with me doing 1 damage each time? This was so hard! I collected another boulder of nickel as I ran from him and passed a mushroom trap I''d memorized the position of. He followed me directly and passed through the hallucination trap. He yelled in pain and clawed at his skin. Within a tenth second, he blinked out of the trap and appeared above it. ¡°Clever, Miss!¡± I winced but kept moving. I¡¯d almost charged my bow again. Ahead was a block with several boulders above it that would make the perfect trap. I destroyed the block but had misjudged how close he was. Want me to save you? ¡°No,¡± I said, with too much sulk in my voice. How did I even die this time? A wave of crushing pain overwhelmed me as I had apparently gotten caught in the fallout of my own trap. ¡°Would you care to continue?¡± The gray world between life and death appeared before me. ¡°Please let me rest here for a little while?¡± He nodded and sat down, setting his scythe across his legs. I sat down behind him and leaned against his back. ¡°You were close this time.¡± ¡°I really wanted to use a Life SavingCrystal.¡± ¡°It''s possible that it could have worked, but they are very tempting for miners. If you use one once you¡¯ll want to keep using them. I¡¯m impressed that you¡¯ve stopped yourself for so long.¡± ¡°I''m saving them up for when I battle Nenvari.¡± He didn''t say anything. ¡°What? You think it''s a bad plan?¡± I had been saving them, assuming I could use them in the last fight but I didn''t remember Matt using any save crystals during his game, but that could have been because he had used his up getting there in the first place. ¡°That¡¯s not it. It''s just that I''ve never seen him.¡± ¡°Huh? But he¡¯s in the mines and you¡¯re the reaper for the mines, right?¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I am, but he is not. When you enter the area to fight him you are entering his kingdom and I have no jurisdiction there.¡± ¡°So, when I die fighting him some other reaper will save me?¡± I didn''t like that idea at all. ¡°Maybe. But it''s more likely that Nenvari will save you himself.¡± ¡°Wait, he¡¯s a Reaper?¡± ¡°No. He¡¯s a magician, who happened to learn a few things from the Reapers.¡± ¡°Do you know anything else about him? Like why he¡¯s kidnapping children in the first place?¡± ¡°I don''t know much else. Just that those who leave to fight him never come back.¡± We sat in silence for a moment. I couldn''t get my mind off of the Life Saving Crystals so I willed one to come out of my inventory and onto my hand. It cast a yellow light making it extremely eye-catching within the gray world. ¡°Whoa!¡± ¡°Please put that away. It''s too Bright and might bring Others.¡± ¡°Wait. There are others here?¡± ¡°What do you think this place is?¡± ¡°My own private death? I don''t know. I didn''t really think about it. I''ve been too busy memorizing the mine layout and working to get Matt free.¡± ¡°It is the space in-between life and death, and there are far too many things here. Things that feed off unprotected souls. That more than anything is why Reapers carry a scythe.¡± I swallowed and put the crystal away. ¡°I need more information about Nenvari and about the other bosses.¡± ¡°Yes. I''ve often found that information is better than a weapon or money.¡± ¡°What? Really?¡± ¡°Money and weapons will not last forever. Information can. And it is often both a weapon and profitable.¡± I leaned against him harder. ¡°But how do I get information about him?¡± He said nothing. ¡°I''ll find it deeper in the mine, won''t I?¡± ¡°The mines contain uncountable dangers and treasures. Look for those that matter, not for the ones that sparkle.¡± ¡°Vague as always. Is that, like, something you were trained to do?¡± ¡°Are you ready to continue?¡± ¡°Not yet. I was so close. I think I''ll beat him given a few more chances. I just need to watch out for his sword.¡± ¡°As you say. However, the beings in the mine may surprise you.¡± ¡°What? Does he get faster when he gets down to 25% of his life?¡± ¡°I cannot reveal specifics.¡± I sighed. Stupid Reaper and his closed mouth. *** When I reappeared in the room Meeks looked like he¡¯d just thrown up. His hands shook visibly. ¡°We¡¯ve been at it fer four hours already. Don''t ye think yer parents will be worried?¡± ¡°If I don''t win, I''ll never see them again. Start!¡± ¡°I don''t want te,¡± he said. I froze. ¡°Ye think it does nothin¡¯ to me te see a child die over and over by me own hand? And screamin¡¯ with pain every time? This wasn''t what I agreed to.¡± He hung his head. ¡°I''m not a child.¡± The gong sounded. ¡°Ye¡¯ve won, Miss. and frankly ye were ready for the next level twenty minutes ago.¡± ¡°No, I haven''t won. If I can''t defeat you I''ll never win against Nenvari.¡± ¡°Ye don''t have te be ready for him right this second. Ye¡¯ve been gone near a day already, what¡¯s a few weeks or months?¡± My mom would definitely ground us but after dying so many times I didn''t fear her. ¡°Well, I haven''t killed you. I don''t accept your defeat.¡± ¡°Miss, I cannot keep goin¡¯. I concede.¡± Merchant Meeks disappeared. I couldn''t believe it. It was too easy. Suspiciously easy. ¡°Get back here so I can beat you!¡± After a minute, an ethereal wind picked me up and threw me out into my mine. Three chests sat on the floor in front of me and behind them a hole sunk into the ground to the next level. I stepped forward and someone grabbed my shoulder. I swung around to face an old woman in a brown dress withan apron. ¡°Miss Knight, I''m the Brownie Mattie. Since ye defeated¡ª¡± ¡°I didn''t defeat him.¡± ¡°¡ªSince ye defeated Merchant Meeks ye must choose yer prize. The right chest has a weapon upgrade in it. The middle ¡®un has a pickaxe upgrade. And the left ¡®un has a tome of history and a guide to etiquette.¡± Weapons and pickaxes were temporary. Knowledge was forever. ¡°The books.¡± She nodded and vanished in a poof of smoke. These mines were so weird. I opened the left chest and two books flew into my cargo satchel. Since I couldn''t let myself die just to talk to Meeks or review the books, I decided to see what were the horrors I was being protected from in the floor below. Chapter 7: Honey Badger Dont Give Instead of the gray stone blocks, I found the whole place covered in intricately tattooed sandstone. Instead of stone boulders, I had to worry about ice balls. Two new traps appeared, a nozzle and a block covered in yellow goo I assumed was honey. Lastly, there were badgers instead of spiders. But how badgers could be worse than spiders, I had no idea. I decided to go after the new type of ore that glittered in my heads-up-display called Mystical Aluminum. As I traveled towards it the durability on my pickaxe depleted twice as fast. That just meant that I needed to do more grinding for ore. With a name like Mystical Aluminum, I expected something silvery. What I found was a ball of translucent purple metal. No wonder it was called, ¡°Mystical.¡± I stepped into its block and the aluminum appeared in my inventory listed as 25 coins. Over twice as much as the Gluttonous Nickel. This made all of my effort to reach here magically worth it, and in a much more real way, totally not. How many more floors did I have to pass through to get to Nenvari? 2 more? 10 more? If I asked Meeks, Phenic, or Korren would they tell me? Oddly, I wasn''t in a rush to get to the end. I don''t know if I subconsciously understood that I had far too much to learn before I even attempted it or if there was something about the mine that made me believe I had forever to finish. Thinking of the reaper¡¯s poem, I wondered if it was more a warning to me that I shouldn''t tarry because in this world, I may be immortal-ish with infinite time, but my brother and family were not.I shuddered at the thought of letting 100 years pass only to find him as an old man in whatever hell he experienced in the Garden of 1000 Kindnesses. I slowly made my way down, collecting Aluminum and the rare batch of Nickel. I noticed a badger in my mini map with a hallucination trap a few blocks below it. It appeared to only be able to go left and right over the solid ground, unlike the spider that could crawl anywhere. I assumed that meant I could make it fall into the hallucination trap. After carving an area under the badger, I cleared a path to the trap. Then I waited for it to get to the other side of its sandstone cage and punched through. The spider had moved slowly allowing me to outrun it. With the badger, as soon as I punched a hole into its area the giant bolted toward me almost as quickly as I could blink and I barely dove out of the way before it fell. As it hit the trap, sending a puff of spores through the block, I relaxed, which was a mistake. Even though I was diagonal from it, it¡¯s claws reached toward me. Fortunately, my honed reflexes from many hours of fighting Meeks kicked in and I dodged up. The badger snorted and rubbed the spores onto the now bare walls of the trap block. Then it jumped onto the block I''d vacated and I moved up again.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. It glared up at me with red angry eyes and its sharp yellow teeth visible. Unnerved, I backed up enough to charge my bow. I heard it snort once more and it jumped up one and used its giant claws to dig into the walls. Then it did it again. Really freaked out, I shot my arrow down at it. It fell but didn''t die. It made a stuttering creepy barking scream as if hyping itself up and jumped toward me. I moved right to avoid an ice boulder and saw one of the yellow traps. Maybe it was a honey trap for the badger? That was a thing right? Badgers liking honey? I didn''t have much time to think because the monster ran toward me. Since it was slower going up than left and right I went in a stair step toward the yellow trap while ignoring the delicious ore I¡¯d missed on my downward dive. When I finally reached it I let out a sigh of relief. The block was coated in glorious falls of yellow honey. I swiftly cleared an area around the trap and my bow charged. The badger jumped to just before the trap as I stood on top of it to better look at the monster. It had a skunk patterned long face and fluffy ears, but something that angry wasn''t cute at all. It''s furious gaze bore into me, and I thought for a moment that it was going to attack me instead of go for the honey. Then it moved into it and it''s pink tongue darted out to lick the walls. Both trap and badger disappeared. I rested my hand against the wall and sighed. Badgers were so mean and scary! I continued down the way I¡¯d come, collecting ore as I went. I was dangerously low on durability. I tried to remember where I¡¯d last seen an energy orb but couldn''t. Soon, an energy orb bubbled at the corner of my map and I went for it. One away from it my durability depleted to 0. My bow shattered into a mixture of fragments, both glassy and smoky. You are about to die. Want me to save you? ¡°No.¡± From the front and back walls of the cavern, lightning gathered and struck me. I couldn''t think. My body jerked uncontrollably. Fear shot down my spine. The sweet gray world of Mr. Black made it all go away. ¡°Congratulations on defeating Merchant Meeks and choosing knowledge.¡± ¡°Are you trying to make me angry?¡± ¡°No. Why would you be angry?¡± ¡°I didn''t win. He gave up.¡± He sighed and leaned against his scythe. ¡°This too is a form of winning, that many attempt to complete through subterfuge.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°By not giving up and forcing Merchant Meeks into doing something he loathed over and over for hours on end, your determination and constant refusal to lose reached his heart. With his conscience, he couldn''t allow this torture of you and himself to continue. Especially when you were already getting close to defeating him.¡± ¡°But it doesn''t feel like I deserve the win.¡± ¡°Not everyone receives what they deserve. Trust me when I say life is often better for it.¡± I sighed. ¡°You really love to lecture don''t you?¡± The corner of his lips turned up. ¡°I don''t lecture, just shepherd those through the right path.¡± ¡°Right. You have fun with that.¡± I slapped my face to hype myself up for facing Meeks. ¡°Anyways, I''m ready.¡± ¡°Then follow me.¡± Chapter 8: Upgrades - Unedited I appeared in the main cavern. Meeks sat at his desk reading a romance novel titled, The Devilish Rogue¡¯s Caress. Keymaster Korren stood to one side studying a key with a jeweler''s lens. Tasker Phenic reached up to tug on her shirt. She looked down. ¡°What?¡± He pointed to me and flew up on effervescent wings. I walked up to Merchant Meeks and set my bow down. He jerked in his seat but didn¡¯t look up. ¡°Merchant Meeks. I know you love your romance novels but you have a customer here.¡± He slowly peered up at me. ¡°Yer less angry than I thought ye¡¯d be.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had time to calm down and really think about things and I know you did what you had to.¡± He nodded. ¡°So, can a girl get an upgrade?¡± ¡°Aye miss. How much ye got?¡± I grinned. ¡°Bank, Mr. Meeks. I got Bank.¡± ¡°Let me see.¡± I handed him my inventory pouch and he tapped the glowing screen on its top. ¡°925! Not bad, Miss. considering it took ye 4 hours te get 600 for yer previous upgrades.¡± Tasker Phenic snorted with derision. I shot him a glare. ¡°What? I¡¯ve never seen anyone as slow as you. 4 hours to barely get ore worth 600 coins! You¡¯ve only upgraded your bow two times and you¡¯ve only earned 8 of my crystals!¡± ¡°Hey. I happen to be very careful down there. If I die I actually feel it, unlike the other people who come down here.¡± ¡°So what? It¡¯s just a little bit of temporary pain. It can¡¯t be as bad as all that.¡± I shared a look with Meeks. ¡°A weakling is what you are. Both you and our dear Merchant here.¡± ¡°Ye can get 5 upgrades, Miss. And ye¡¯ll have 25 coins left. Yer next upgrade¡¯ll cost ye 200.¡± ¡°Deal! How many can I get at 200?¡± ¡°5 more after that. Then it¡¯ll jump to 300.¡± ¡°You¡¯re killing me here.¡± He took out two pencil shaped crystals and three thicker crystals with a clearer color. The two pencil ones wiggled and shot into my bow, then the other three. ¡°That¡¯s the cost of upgrading, Miss,¡± he said. ¡°But, Phenic is right about one thing. Ye do need to stop being so afraid of death here and start mining faster.¡± ¡°Perhaps I could help with that,¡± a new voice said as something clanking tapped my shoulder. I turned around and had to look down to stare into a new face.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°You are such a delightfully adorable child,¡± the small creature said. She looked like a very short human with a pudgy face, bulbous nose, and a tinker¡¯s hat. Probably irritated at my staring, she tapped my forehead with her thin tall stick that curled at its tip. A lantern was chained to the top of it and it hit my chin. ¡°Armorer Engra¡¯s, my name.¡± As I rubbed the spot the square lamp had dug into, I heard groans from all around. ¡°What are ye doin¡¯ here Engra? And visible at that?¡± ¡°This child needs armor, and I happen to need something from the second and third levels of the mine.¡± ¡°And what might that be?¡± ¡°For the second floor. Honey! Glorious, glorious honey. It¡¯s for my special Honey Wine.¡± ¡°Come off it. What¡¯s the real reason? Honey from this mine ain¡¯t worth your level of crafting.¡± Korren crossed her arms under her breasts and raised a brow. ¡°Indeed. For a single armguard, any village of Dark Elves would gladly trade a thousand pots of our exquisite Precipice Honey, made by bees we¡¯ve selectively bred for millennia, who have access to the finest and rarest of flora.¡± Engra waved at Korren to stop. ¡°Relax. I¡¯m not offering her good armor. Just my old work from when I was an apprentice. It¡¯s not worth the metal it¡¯s made from.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard of your apprentice work,¡± Phenic said. ¡°It¡¯s known for blowing up in people¡¯s faces.¡± She looked at me. ¡°Child. I will offer you a set of armor if you collect 10 honey traps.¡± ¡°Miss Knight. I will offer you one Death Saving Crystal for every honey trap you destroy.¡± ¡°Um. I accept both.¡± Engra¡¯s laugh sounded like the jingle of small bells. ¡°There you have it.¡± Feeling awkward looking down at her, I sat. ¡°But I don¡¯t understand why you would want honey from the mine and not from Korren¡¯s people.¡± She tapped her nose. ¡°I could scent it on you, even though you¡¯d died.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªDear child! You encountered a badger, correct? No, no, don¡¯t answer, I can tell from your face you did. And did the badger eat the honey trap or attack you when it had the chance?¡± ¡°It ate the honey.¡± She nodded sagely. ¡°Mine Badgers are the most critical of honey connoisseurs. And mines are very regular. If one honey trap is so good a badger will die to eat it then you can rest assured that your mine has the best honey.¡± ¡°So, how do I collect it?¡± She pointed a finger at me. ¡°You have to figure that out yourself. Not all mines are the same, you know?¡± I guessed a direct answer was too much to ask for in this place. ¡°And what will your armor do?¡± ¡°Not too much. If you¡¯re about to die it will teleport you once to a safe square within a radius of 3. And after that, you¡¯re on your own until you die and it resets.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s almost like a free reusable Life Saving Crystal?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°You haven¡¯t used one of them yet, have you?¡± ¡°No.¡± She giggled and winked at Phenic who glowered at me. ¡°In that case you delightful little girl. I will give you a gift.¡± She pulled out a crudely made tiara with a blue gem at its top. ¡°Wear this instead of that bulky helmet.¡± I took it. My helmet appeared in my inventory and the tiara disappeared. I assumed it was on my head. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What does it do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an upgrade. A very slight upgrade. Instead of having the information projected in front of your face. It will appear in your mind, much the same way your inventory does. Also, it has a scanning radius of 10 blocks.¡± I raised both brows, impressed. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t thank me, sweetpea. Just get me that honey. I need to present a gift to King Zoichenrei in a few days and if it¡¯s not ready by then I¡¯ll be done for.¡± She made a throat-cutting gesture, tilted her head to the side and stuck her tongue out. ¡°I will. It shouldn¡¯t take me too long to get it. A half day at most.¡± She nodded. I stood and moved to talk to Korren. ¡°Is the war going so poorly then that you have to offer your scraps to children?¡± Phenic asked. I stilled. This was the first news I¡¯d heard of the strange world outside my mine. ¡°Goraitheshselan is not at war,¡± she said. ¡°Everything is perfectly fine. And if you talk like it isn¡¯t, even down here in these mines that are not technically within the kingdom, something could happen to you, Tasker.¡± He snorted but did nothing to contradict her. That more than anything made me believe that things were not as they seemed or as simple as the mining game first lead me to believe. Chapter 9: Upgrades 2: The Search for More Honey ¡°Korren!¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ve collected more Keys. Do I have enough for a weapon upgrade?¡± ¡°How would you like to try a different weapon instead?¡± ¡°Different weapons didn¡¯t help my brother against Nenvari. I¡¯d like to stick with the bow.¡± She smiled. ¡°Then I too have a proposition for you. The second floor of the mines has small platinum keys in ebony wood boxes. If you bring me two and give me the rest of your current keys I shall give you a fantastic bow upgrade. But I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t upgrade it anymore for only the keys you have on you.¡± ¡°What will this bow upgrade do?¡± ¡°It will allow you to kill things that are twice as difficult to kill as your first floor monsters.¡± ¡°So, badgers?¡± ¡°It will destroy badgers.¡± ¡°Deal,¡± I said, shuddering at the thought of facing one of them again. ¡°Pleasure doing business with you, as always.¡± I waved goodbye to everyone and dropped into my mine. When I didn''t see the new sandstone blocks I froze and scrutinized the mini-map information that inserted itself in my head as naturally as memorizing the location my direction-challenged mom parked the car. Challenges on the map showed me that I still started on the first floor. I groaned. I didn''t get a free pass to the second? Lame! Unfortunately, there was no getting ahead in this world and no point in stalling. I clutched my bow tight and sped downward. It only took two minutes to get halfway to the second floor. The map in my head made traveling so much easier. My body practically dove on its own, taking care of traps and monstersI''d beaten many times before by using learned tactics. And then I disn''t seethat a blockheldup a massive amount of boulders instead of only one and the avalanche killed me. I sped through the re-spawn process, not even saying hello to Mr. Black. When I re-appeared everyone looked like they were about to laugh at me. I held up a finger. ¡°Don¡¯t. Just, don¡¯t.¡± They all laughed anyway. Phenic pointed. ¡°Half a day, she says. More like half a year.¡± Heat built in my cheeks. I slogged back to my mine and re-entered it again. This time I¡¯d do better. Maybe I should go slower as I get used to my new brain map? I made my way past the first-floor traps. I knew I could go faster but I didn¡¯t want to risk dying just yet. It took around 8 minutes but I reached an area where some of the sandstone blocks began to bleed into the stone. So, instead of a sharply divided floor, I now had a mine with a mostly divided floor. When I passed a huge nozzle that was connected to a metal box I noticed that it began glowing white. I dropped down and watched as a line of ice spread through three blocks, freezing any solid areas in its path and creating cubes of ice where there had been only empty space. ¡°Huh.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I made a path under the nozzle and stepped to the non-ice spouting side. It fell and crashed into a million pieces. Curious, I traveled to the ice and placed a hand on it. The cold burned but didn''t really hurt me. My current durability was 45/92. I willed myself into one of the icy areas and it shattered. Durability still 45/92. Interesting. Not sure how I could use that just yet. I traveled down, collected several boxes, ores and delicious energy bubbles. There weren''t many badgers, but I avoided them like a nasty stench. I found a honey trap and shot a charged arrow at it, hoping that destroying the trap would be the same thing as collecting it. The beam of light turned the trap into dust and a wax fragment appeared in my inventory to give to Phenic as proof of destruction. Eventually, I neared a spot where a honey trap and a nozzle sat across from each other. Maybe if I freeze the trap? I stepped between the two until I saw the white flare. Just before ice magic bathed the area, I dodged down. When the nozzle stopped, the honey trap appeared frozen. I moved into its block, shattering the honey. Two samples of the sweet substance appeared in my inventory. I would have gawked but the nozzle began to glow in my mind map. I dodged down once more. Okay, so I received two for freezing the trap with a nozzle thendestroying it, but finding another immovable trap positioned perfectly next to an immovable nozzle was unlikely to happen again. I fLeedown, collecting a few more boulders of mystical aluminum ore and found another box that helda platinum key. Soon another honey trap with an ice boulder above it appeared in my mind map. Could it be so simple? Either way, I¡¯d collect honey or wax. I zoomed towards it and easily rolled the ice atop it. The honey froze and shattered. A yellow light zoomed into my bag and I knew it was a single sample of honey. Huh. Maybe I¡¯d collect the honey faster than I thought. I continued down, searching for more. I saw another one that had ice near it. After studying the layout of the area I knocked out a block causing an avalanche to crash into the trap. This time something white traveled into my bag and I knew it was wax. So, I could assume that with the nozzle I would get a possible guaranteed 2 honey samples, but with the ice, I might get 1 honey sample or 1 wax. I sighed. At this point, my durability was dangerously low and I didn¡¯t have an energy bubble anywhere near me, but I could get another aluminum, bringing me up to 200. I went for it. As soon as I collected it I heard the voice. You are about to¡ª ¡°No.¡± My body jerked. Shocking Pain. As the gray world appeared before me and I sat. ¡°Mind if I stay for awhile? I have a book or two I need to read.¡± ¡°Are you certain? You don¡¯t have to read them immediately and you¡¯re on a roll with collecting that honey.¡± ¡°I know, but I want a break from the mine.¡± ¡°Then, go ahead.¡± *** I let the giant history book drop onto the gray floor and lied down. ¡°This book is the driest thing I¡¯ve ever read. I don¡¯t think my current body can sleep, but this book is making me wish it could.¡± Mr. Black jerked his head to the left and gently sniffed. ¡°Actually. It would be for the best if you did sleep every now and then. Your body may not need it. But your mind certainly does.¡± He bent down and grabbed my shoulder. ¡°Sleep.¡± *** I dreamed that Mr. Black swung his giant scythe at a demon of fire and pain that towered 1000 feet high. I dreamed that his charcoal blood poured onto the gray floor like thick oil. I dreamed that he yelled words that slipped past my eardrums. I dreamed that he patted my head and collapsed beside me. I dreamed. Right? *** I jerked awake and found myself in the cavern, Merchant Meeks calmly reading his novel. ¡°Where is¡ª¡± I tried to say, Mr. Black, but his name refused to leave my lips. Was this also some kind of magic? ¡°How long have I been here?¡± ¡°Ye only just got here Miss. Is something wrong?¡± Yes. ¡°No,¡± I said. A chill ran down my spine. Were we not allowed to speak of the reapers? I quickly paid for an upgrade and went back into the mines. The urge to immediately die again diminished as the fear that if I did die, I¡¯d have another reaper rose to the surface. I didn¡¯t want another reaper. My breaths came in gasps. I clutched my head and felt the new tiara. Calm down. Calm down. It was just a dream. I¡¯d hallucinated worse things before. When my heart started to beat at a normal rhythm I began to make my way down the mine, but I couldn¡¯t concentrate. The worry choked me and I soon died anyway. Chapter 10: History The gray world and a cloaked figure appeared before me. My heart pounded in my ears. ¡°Would you care to continue, Miss Knight?¡± the voice of the reaper said. With a voice like that, who could tell if it belonged to the same person? I swallowed. ¡°Are you Mr. Black or someone else?¡± Ever so slowly, the reaper looked up and I saw his familiar face. My heart squeezed with relief. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Did you have a nightmare?¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t real, was it? You didn¡¯t fight off some giant demon that was like 100 times larger than you?¡± ¡°Dreams in this place can often be strange.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not an answer.¡± ¡°Do I look like I could fight off a demon?¡± ¡°Are you hurt?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Miss Knight. Are you ready to continue?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Why, nothing much at all.¡± I realized at this point that he either couldn''t tell me or wanted to protect me. I refused to believe it was just a dream. ¡°Fine. Since I''m here, mind helping me with this etiquette book while I try to once again decipher this history?¡± He held out his hand and I placed the thin book on his palm. With a cool flip, he began reading. I pulled out the history once more and wanted to cry as I saw the small cursive font. After a few minutes, I set it down and rubbed my eyes. ¡°Ugh. How does one even pronounce a name this long?¡± He glanced down. ¡°The Kingdom of Go-rai-thesh-se-lan. It¡¯s not that difficult,you child.¡± ¡°I''m not a child!¡± I said and continued reading.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. He snorted. ¡°Seriously, how is that a country name?¡± ¡°Your realm has country names like Turkmenistan and a sentence like The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, yet you¡¯re complaining about Goraitheshselan?¡± ¡°Seriously. Dumb. Name.¡± ¡°Keep reading.¡± *** After far too many hours within the gray, I set the book down and stretched. My body could keep going but my mind was about to break. Mr. Black tapped on the page and scrolled his finger along a sentence. It appeared highlighted in a pinkish gray. ¡°Did you... did you just write in my book?¡± ¡°I used magic to highlight key sentences you should pay careful attention to when you do your first read through. It will go away if I will it.¡± ¡°What do you mean first read through? You think I¡¯ll need to read this more than once?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I paused. There were actually a few parts in my current book that I wanted highlighted. ¡°Do you think you could teach me that?¡± The corners of his lips turned up. ¡°You don¡¯t ask for much, do you?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s that hard.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Right now you need to become a battle miner. Reaper magic won¡¯t help you.¡± ¡°Okay, how about a pen highlighter then?¡± For the first time since I¡¯ve known him a look of utter horror crossed his face. ¡°To vandalize a book?! Never!¡± He thought for a second. ¡°You drive a hard bargain. I shall teach you this one thing, but that¡¯s it.¡± He placed his palm on my forehead and whispered slippery words. Within a half second, he¡¯d finished and begun highlighting sections of the book again. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± He nodded. I saw the passage I wanted to highlight, a part about how Nenvari and his half-siblings led a battle against the invading light Fae. I tapped my finger at the beginning of the passage and along the sentences. A line of pink-gray left my finger. With the swipe of my hand, I erased the highlight. I giggled. ¡°Miss Knight. Don¡¯t get carried away. And don¡¯t use this technique without me there or you¡¯ll put yourself in danger.¡± That sobered me like nothing else could. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± He nodded. After a little while longer I neared the end of the book. I read a passage that had me stop. Then I re-read it. ¡°Wait. It says here that Nenvari¡¯s stepmother, Queen Fedreicio decided to create the Cold Steel Project and Nenvari was against it at first for moral reasons, but after months of debate caved and decided to lead the project himself. It doesn¡¯t mention what it is or why it was necessary. I think it¡¯s related to this game. "If he was against this game at first then maybe I could convince him to be against it again?" He held his hand out for the book and I gave it to him. ¡°Hmmm.¡± He flipped a page. ¡°You may be right about thegame but I''d need to know more about the man. Do you mind if I look through this history now?¡± ¡°Sure. Actually, can I leave it here with you while I go collect more honey? I need a serious mental break.¡± ¡°You trust me far too much.¡± I rose a brow at him. ¡°I trust you to bring me back to life, what¡¯s a book?¡± He pulled out a piece of paper, waved a hand over it and handed it to me. It was an agreement that I would lend the reaper, Mr. Black, my history book until, at least, the time of my next death. I used my new pen magic to sign my name. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Chapter 11: Cake When the main cave came into view I turned and grinned at Merchant Meeks but froze when I saw everyone wearing party hats and eating cake.A baked pastry scent permeated the air. I know I''d been in the space between death for least a day while reading the history book, but I remembered only being gone brieflybefore dying. Certainly not enough time to hold a party. ¡°Um. How long have I been gone?¡± Phenic coughed. ¡°Why, you¡¯ve been gone a whole month. We all thought you were dead.¡± The blood drained from my face and I stumbled. ¡°But I thought time froze while I was dead.¡± ¡°Time moves in mysterious ways down here,¡± he said. ¡°Haven''t you ever heard the stories of the Fae? People leaving with a creature only to return home and find that a hundred years have passed.¡± ¡°Oh no! Oh no, no, no!¡± I looked at Engra who had paused with a fork full of fluffy white cake halfway to her lips. ¡°You¡¯re still alive!¡± She cleared her throat. ¡°I''m so sorry. Did you get in very much trouble for not having the honey?¡± Phenic¡¯s sick grin made my stomach churn. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s alive thanks to Korren.¡± Her eyebrows rose.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°I am so sorry. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?¡± ¡°Calm down and have some cake, miss,¡± Meeks said. ¡°But it¡¯s been a month!¡± ¡°No, it hasn''t. It¡¯s only been five minutes. Phenic is pullin¡¯ yer leg.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Korren said. ¡°This was all your elaborate joke? I wondered why you rushed to get us hats and cake for your birthday.¡± ¡°Phenic! Why would you do that to me? Also, happy birthday.¡± ¡°Thank you, my dear. And I did it because it¡¯s funny. Don¡¯t I deserve some humor on my centennial?¡± It didn¡¯t make a lot of sense to me but he wasn¡¯t human so I let it go. ¡°Sweetpea! Do you have my honey?¡± Engra said, setting her cake down on Meek¡¯s desk. ¡°I have three samples for you.¡± I handed them over. ¡°And two waxes for you, Phenic.¡± I received my two death saving crystals. Since I was there I upgraded my other items too, receiving an upgraded weapon and more durability. In my head, my stats appeared something like this:
Battle Miner Kelly Knight Ore Worth: 50 Death Saving Crystals: 10 Weapon Charge: 0/15 Weapon Damage: 2 Durability: 96/96
I walked over to the glowing 6 on the floor. ¡°You¡¯re sure you don¡¯t want any cake?¡± Phenic asked. ¡°You know, this body doesn¡¯t get hungry anymore, and as good as the cake looks, I¡¯ve heard stories about how if you eat anything under the hill you¡¯ll never be able to go home.¡± ¡°That is a bunch of propaganda, miss,¡± Meeks said. ¡°Thank you anyways, but I need to finish getting Engra¡¯s Honey. I was really scared when I thought I¡¯d missed my deadline.¡± They waved and I dropped into the mine. Chapter 12: Etiquette After what felt like an hour of carefully planned mining I needed one last Honey. The problem was the badger blocking my way to it. Well, it wasn''t exactly blocking, more like, if I didn''t kill the badger, it would kill me first. If I had enough durability I would charge my bow and destroy it but I only had a few points left, with no energy bubble in sight. The honey trap sparkled under a cage where a badger crawled from left to right. Above that an ice boulder perched, ready to crush. My only path to victory lay with drilling down into the cage, dropping the ice, and then using my last four points to drill under the ball so it could drop onto the honey. After waiting for the badger to walk to the far end of the cage, I created a hole directly above the honey and pushed the boulder. In my mini map, I saw the creature turn and hiss. I took the chance and dropped down next to the ice then dug into the floor. I moved left under the boulder. The badger dropped into the hole I¡¯d created. It raised both claws and froze. I was trapped in my own plan. You¡ª I could say yes. It would be so easy. But then I''d have one less Death Saving Crystal for the fight with Nenvari. One less chance to succeed at saving Matt. ¡°No.¡± Its sharp claws tore into my flesh. Bones snapped. Pain. Blackness. ¡°Would you care to continue, Miss Knight?¡± Mr. Black said. He held my book in one hand, his scythe in the other. ¡°Not just yet. Did you finish that?¡± ¡°Many times over. For me, it''s been weeks.¡± The realization hit me that he could spend years in the place between life and death without ever seeing me. No wonder he treated me differently every time we met. And how long had it been for him since he fought the demon? Apparently, long enough that his severe injuries had healed without a trace. ¡°I don''t think I''m ready to reread that history so, go ahead and keep it until another death.¡± ¡°Then what do you plan?¡± I held up the etiquette book. *** The manners of the Fae courts were strange and ethereal. They would never ask a direct question, only imply it. They took pleasure in figuring out what each of them wanted through their subtle hints and use of quotes from classical Fae literature. They punished courtiers for bad insults and celebrated the good ones for years. Deciphering the book made my head feel like someone hit me in the temple with a soccer ball, even when the author wrote for 10-year-old readers.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. My eyes ran over a highlighted section for the tenth time and I finally registered what it said. I set down the thin book as adrenaline ran through my system. ¡°I figured it out!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± He peered over at me. ¡°In order to defeat Nenvari and rescue all the children, I need to challenge him formally! ¡°If I win, I free the children and he and his kingdom agree to never kidnap them again. If he wins, he''ll get me.¡± I grinned at Mr. Black. ¡°I''m afraid that won''t work.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Right now, you are already in a challenge with the Prince. If you win you only get the children, not an agreement to never again kidnap children from your realm. And if he wins he already gets you. There is not a sufficient incentive to change the challenge.¡± ¡°So what would be sufficient?¡± ¡°First, discover why they¡¯re taking children.¡± ¡°I thought kidnapping was just what the Fae did for entertainment.¡± ¡°They have been known to steal a child now and then, but a scale this large is unusual. Why are they doing that?¡± ¡°I don''t know. Maybe they¡¯re siphoning off their life force or something to save someone?¡± Mr. Black snorted. ¡°Why would they need to do that when their magic can heal any wound? And the rich can hire Reapers to bring back the dead?¡± ¡°Then, I don''t know.¡± ¡°Find out and offer something of nearly equal value or something Nenvari cannot say no to.¡± ¡°I''m stuck in these mines and everyone is as closed-mouthed as you. How am I supposed to find out more information about what they¡¯re doing with the children?¡± ¡°Win against the next floor protectorsand select information as your prize.¡± ¡°Considering what I went through with Meeks that is harder than it sounds.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Well, I better get started on that.¡± ¡°Reread the history first.¡± ¡°But all it has in it are wars against Light Fae with an emphasis on, generals, kings, princes, and princesses. It doesn''t tell me how to defeat Nenvari.¡± ¡°No, but knowing who the people are around him and what he''s been through will give you a greater understanding of your enemy.¡± I sighed a tapped my chin. ¡°He''s been through so many wars. He''s going to be impossible to beat.¡± ¡°Not impossible. He''s also seen long periods of peace when he let himself relax and forget the horrors of war.¡± ¡°Kind of how I let myself relax here. I notice that I take things slower every time I stay here for long periods of time.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Okay. I''ll reread it and then I''ll prepare to defeat the next floor boss.¡± ¡°Don''t take too long. Every minute you''re in the mines is a minute you''re away from your home and family.¡± It had already been over a day. My mom must be worried sick. ¡°I''ll try not to tarry.¡± I blinked. ¡°Look at me using words like, ¡®tarry.¡¯ Stupid Etiquette book.¡± ¡°It''s for the best that you internalize it. You never know if you¡¯ll slip up when it becomes important not to.¡± I eyed him. ¡°That kind of sounds like you know from experience.¡± ¡°I''ll take you back now, after all.¡± ¡°Aww, did I hit a little too close to the truth? Hey, don''t glare at me like that. Fine. I won''t mention or ask about it again. But I do find it suspicious that only the rich can afford Reapers and yet you''re working in these mines for, as far as I can tell, no money.¡± ¡°You don''t know anything about my situation. Nor can I speak of it. Now, follow me, Miss Knight.¡± ¡°All questions and no answers makes Kelly a sad girl.¡± ¡°Stop dawdling or the things between life and death will haunt you.¡± I ran after him. Chapter 13: Armor It took several more trips but I finally handed Engra the last piece of honey. ¡°Thank you, you adorable little girl! Now I just need to make my wine and I won''t die.¡± ¡°I''m not a little girl. And you owe me armor.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± She held out a small cube and I took it. Knowledge of the cube¡¯s contents jumped into my head. ¡°Keep the upgraded inventory too, as a thank you for being so timely.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I said but she¡¯d already disappeared. Inside the gold cube that was carved with runes I found a Necklace of First Degree Armor and two bracelets with a similar name. Confused, I took them out and studied them. It didn''t look any different from a ruby necklace with a silver chain and two matching bracelets, although the metal did shimmer with rainbow-colored light rays as if nearly bursting with magic. Oddly, it smelled like Thanksgiving Dinner. ¡°Intriguing,¡± Korren said. I held them towards her and she leaned in with her jeweler¡¯s eyeglass. ¡°This is obviously apprentice work.¡± ¡°Is it that bad?¡± ¡°No. You see, apprentices often have crazy ideas masters would never consider. Most of the time it¡¯s because the masters know better, but every once in a while they''ll come up with something brilliant that may not have worked as intended, but does have a unique usage. This is one of those.¡± I eyed the armor skeptically. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®May not work as intended?¡¯¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure what she was trying, but full body armor usually isn¡¯t confined to a single necklace and two bracelets. Most of the time you¡¯ll want your arms, head, torso, and legs all covered in metal or leather armor. Then that set has its own properties. ¡°This Necklace has a single property. To teleport the wearer within a 3 block radius, just before they¡¯re struck with a life-threatening injury. And these bracelets throw up a shield that kills whatever tries to injure the wearer.¡± ¡°Does that mean I get two saves?¡± ¡°No. This a set so they work in concert.¡± Her brows rose. ¡°Interesting!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I was confused. An item like this would surely be the worth the silver to make it, but this isn¡¯t silver.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I waited for her to continue. When she didn¡¯t I said, ¡°Then what is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s cold steel.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard anything so idiotic!¡± Phenic said. ¡°Using cold steel for armor. That¡¯s... That¡¯s... dumb and wasteful! You use it for a sword blade, for an arrow head. It would burn any Fae who tried to wear it. What would be the point in armor you couldn¡¯t wear? Did she make it as a joke?¡± The dark elf studied me. ¡°Well, I suppose if one was human they¡¯d have no issue wearing it.¡± I put the necklace and two bracelets on and sighed with relief. Despite whatever Nenvari did to my body to make it not need food or sleep, and despite repeatedly returning from the dead, I was still human. ¡°Phenic. Here are three more waxes. Did you still want me to collect it or did you need me to switch to something else?¡± He glared at the necklace in distaste even as he took the three waxes and gave me my crystals. ¡°I¡¯ll take either wax or honey, now that Engra is gone. One crystal for one wax, four for honey.¡± ¡°Sounds good!¡± ¡°Oh, and do use a crystal this time.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m saving them for the fight with Nenvari.¡± He snorted. ¡°You think you can use a tool in a fight without practicing with it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll use them when I¡¯m ready to use them. What¡¯s your problem with me anyway? Every time I come back you start a fight with me.¡± Phenic disappeared with a pop. This reminded me that there were still many invisible things around, watching me. I shivered. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, Miss,¡± Meeks said. ¡°He¡¯s just dealin'' with stress as best he can.¡± ¡°What is he stressed about?¡± ¡°Hasn¡¯t seen his family in a long time.¡± ¡°Then why doesn¡¯t he just go visit them?¡± Meeks shook his head. ¡°For the things that live down here, leavin¡¯s not so simple. And that¡¯s all I can say on the matter. Yeready for some upgrades yet?¡± I nodded and handed over my old inventory satchel. ¡°1100! You¡¯ve done quite well this time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m slowly getting faster.¡± I waited to hear a derisive comment from Phenic then remembered that he¡¯d just disappeared to sulk or whatever it is black toothed fairies did. And when did I have a memory like a goldfish? ¡°Ye can get 5 Upgrades now. The next 6 will be 300 each.¡± ¡°You¡¯re killing me here Meeks.¡± ¡°Ye want the upgrades or not?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± He took out 5 crystals and they shot into my bow, one at a time. In my head my new fully filled out stats looked something like this:
Battle Miner Kelly Knight Ore Worth: 100 Death Saving Crystals: 23 Keys: 2 Platinum, 5 Gold Weapon Charge: 0/15 Weapon Range: 4 Weapon Damage: 2 Durability: 116/116 Armor Teleport Radius: 3 Armor Charges: 1/1
¡°Hey Korren, how many keys do I need to upgrade my weapon twice?¡± ¡°At least 8 platinum, but the more gold keys you have, the more I can afford to give you a better quality crystal.¡± I nodded. ¡°Well, I better get on that.¡± After waving goodbye to the two I dropped into the mine, ready to test out my new armor. Chapter 14: The 2nd Floor Boss Part 1 As soon as the familiar patterned stone came into view the urge to test my armor almost overwhelmed me. I couldn¡¯t use the free out until it really mattered, such as getting attacked by one of those terrifyingly scary badgers. With an involuntary shudder, I soared down. After an hour of precise mining, I observed an obvious gap in my mini-map, similar to the first-floor boss¡¯ gap. I froze. At this point, I wasn¡¯t ready to face the protector. There were too many upgrades I needed and I still hadn¡¯t tested my armor. After not listening to Merchant Meeks and dealing with too many deaths, I considered myself more cautious than I had been. Instead of mining down, I flew up, gathering the ore I¡¯d missed. Unfortunately, since I wasn¡¯t used to mining in an upward direction, I soon drilled into a very long badger cage. The soft growl vibrated through my bones. From across the room, the creature¡¯s angry eyes locked on me. Fear ran down my spine as it darted towards me and filled my vision. I jumped up two blocks and ran into an ice ball. The monster climbed, claws gouging holes into the walls. Expecting it, but still freaked out, I moved to the side. Ice smashed into the beast. It let out a scream. The ball froze and crushed it to death. I sighed in relief and moved up one when the ice beam hit me. I only had a moment to register my mistake. The map in my head changed giving me a brief moment of vertigo. Soon I realized that I¡¯d teleported to just above the nozzle that had almost killed me. I rested my hand against the stone. Okay, I could have handled almost dying a little better. It¡¯s not like I wasn¡¯t used to it by now. Okay, no, I totally wasn¡¯t used to it but I was trying my best. If I couldn¡¯t get accustomed to vertigo after my armor¡¯s teleport feature I wouldn¡¯t be able to use it in battle. Since the next boss waited a floor below Meeks¡¯ it had to be harder than my previous battle. Good preparation and getting used to my new stats would ensure my victory. I clenched my jaw and made my way up. *** Days of grinding later my stats looked something like this:
Battle Miner Kelly Knight Ore Worth: 100 Death Saving Crystals: 45 Keys: 1 gold Weapon Charge: 0/13 Weapon Range: 5 Weapon Damage: 2 Durability: 164/164 Armor Teleport Radius: 3 Armor Charges: 1/1
I traveled down and touched the last block. At this point, I could go on to the boss, but really, I should collect more ore and honey.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I turned and shot up. Half an hour later, I almost died in a rock fall but was saved by my armor; unfortunately, it teleported me into a square next to a spider and I died. ¡°Would you care to continue, Miss Knight?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ve got ore to mine and crystals to collect.¡± He rose a brow at me. ¡°I''d like to point out that you''re stalling.¡± ¡°I am not stalling.¡± ¡°Then you''re procrastinating.¡± ¡°In what way? I¡¯ve barely spent any time here and I''ve done my best to improve.¡± He took his hand off his scythe and crossed his arms. The scythe stood straight as if it too looked down on me. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do you really think getting a few more death saving crystals and durability upgrades will improve your chances with the Second Floor Protector?¡± ¡°How can I know that? Every time I ask someone about it they change the subject or pop out of existence. I''ve even taken the advice from my Fae etiquette book and implied the question. They laughed at me. Laughed!¡± ¡°It won''t change anything. Go face the protector now.¡± I eyed him. ¡°This is the most anyone has acknowledged the boss¡¯ existence.¡± ¡°I''m getting tired of watching you.¡± That staggered me. ¡°I thought you were my friend.¡± He sighed. ¡°I like to think so. And as your friend, I''m telling you to stop. You''re ready as much as you can be.¡± ¡°You think I don''t know how over-prepared I am? I feel like I''ve wasted these past three days. My brother is in some kind of fae hostage area, I assume, and my parents have no idea where their daughter and son are. They probably think I''ve run away with Jake and Matt or that we¡¯ve been kidnapped by some sicko who is doing terrible things to us.¡± Horrifyingly, my eyes started to water. ¡°But if I go up against this next guy, whoever they are, and I fail. If I''m not prepared... I''m my brother¡¯s only hope. I have to do this, I¡¯m partially responsible for him getting taken in the first place.¡± My eyes widened and I covered my mouth. I had no idea my feelings were still being influenced by that. Shouldn¡¯t I have overcome these emotions of making a horrible mistake through my many deaths? Through trying my best to rescue everyone? But somewhere, deep inside the mistake ate at me. Mr. Black¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°How are you responsible?¡± I said nothing, too engrossed in my thoughts. ¡°Did you force him to play the game? Did you? No, of course not.¡± ¡°I closed the laptop when he still had one more chance. He¡¯s smart. He could''ve had a plan.¡± He snorted. ¡°Most children who play the game spend all their crystals to immediately get to Nenvari. They barely bother to upgrade their weapons and durability except through their human money. This gives them substandard upgrades.¡± My eyes grew large with every sentence he spoke. This was the most I''d heard about other players since I''d started. ¡°My point is that the next floor protector won''t be easy to fight, but you''ve been ready to face the challenge for far too long already.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I nodded and slapped both cheeks. Since I still had my bow in hand the tingle of smoke and glass pinched my cheek. ¡°As soon as I get back I''ll go down and face them.¡± ¡°Good,¡± he said. ¡°Oh, and don''t expect me to tell you when you''re ready for the next protector. This is a one time situation and it will cost me.¡± ¡°What?¡± He started walking. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I chased after him and found myself standing in the main cavern. ¡°The next time I see him he better be okay or I''ll...¡± ¡°Who are ye talkin¡¯ about, Miss?¡± Merchant Meeks asked. Once again I tried to say his name but my mouth wouldn''t move. Frustrated I stomped my foot. ¡°I''m going to face the next boss. Any advice?¡± ¡°Give up,¡± all three said at the same time. Actually, Meeks said, ¡°Give up, Miss,¡± Phenic said, ¡°Surrender now. You don''t have a chance,¡± and Korren said, ¡°I suggest you spare yourself the trouble and concede,¡± but it was basically the same thing. ¡°No!¡± I put my hands on my hips. ¡°You all keep saying that. It makes me think you have no choice.¡± All three disappeared and I threw up my hands in defeat. ¡°Fine. I''ll do this on my own. Not like I expected help anyway.¡± I flew into the mine and made it to the bottom of the second floor in record time. Three chests sat arranged in the center of the room. The familiar sound of wing beats echoed and the effervescent wings and potbellied body of Tasker Phenic flew into view. The smirk he made with his many-toothed mouth had me suppress a chill. ¡°I should have known.¡± Chapter 15: The 2nd Floor Boss Part 2 ¡°Of course it''s me,¡± Phenic said. ¡°The moment you beat Merchant Meeks you became my opponent.¡± ¡°Is that what all that weirdness was about? I was your opponent so you wanted me to feel attacked?¡± ¡°Those were tests to see how you handled a variety of situations.¡± ¡°Did I pass?¡± He sniffed. ¡°As if I''d answer that.¡± ¡°So I passed!¡± I said, messing with him because I needed some kind of revenge. ¡°No! You did no such thing!¡± I wagged my finger at him. ¡°No take backsies.¡± ¡°Who said any¡ª¡± He sneered. ¡°Think whatever you like, it''s time for an explanation.¡± ¡°Isn''t this another battle?¡± ¡°I''m sure you¡¯d love that! No. It''s not. We¡¯re going to have a little race.¡± ¡°A race?¡± I said with derision thick in my voice. ¡°The first floor was a handshake compared to this, you child! That floor tested your current fighting ability. This floor is about speed. We have two finite rooms with the exact same ore, monster, box and trap placements. Whoever gets to the bottom first andhas collected the most amount of ore wins.¡± "So even if I race to the bottom, if you have more ore I still lose?" "Correct." "What if I''m first but we have the same amount?" "You''ll win," he grudginglysaid. I thought about it for a second. It didn''t seem toohard. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°You only have 200 chances. If you lose all of them you''ll be sent to the Garden of 1000 Kindnesses.¡± ¡°200? I bet I could do it in half.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± he said in a way that warned me that I''d spoken the wrong thing. ¡°That doesn''t mean I actually bet that.¡± ¡°But that would make things so much more interesting.¡± ¡°I''m too young to gamble.¡± ¡°Down here you''re not,¡± he said. ¡°If you win I''ll give you 700 crystals, but if you can''t defeat me within 100 chances you¡¯ll begin to use them immediately.¡± I frowned. That seemed uneven. ¡°Is there some reason you need me to use them?¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°That is none of your business.¡± ¡°If you''re not going to tell me then no deal. Let''s go now.¡± His pointed ears twitched. ¡°Fine! The things here often resort to gambling to stave off boredom. We place wagers against things like, how many hours it takes them to get to the floor protectors, how many deaths it takes them to succeed in a given task, and how long they can resist the temptation to use a crystal.¡± ¡°You bet on me?¡± ¡°I bet against you. That you''ll use a crystal before you reach the third floor.¡± ¡°So, if you win our wager then you also win those.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I thought for a second. This could be my one chance to get more information. ¡°What others do you have that are about me?¡± ¡°That you''ll completely fail before defeating the third-floor protector.¡± ¡°You¡¯re definitely going to lose that one. What else?¡± ¡°That you¡¯ll last no more than 5 minutes after you defeat me. But I doubt you''ll even win.¡± I began to suspect I couldn''t change our challenge based on his others. That left me one option. ¡°Throw in the answers to 7 questions and I''ll accept.¡± He snorted. ¡°Not likely.¡± ¡°600 crystals and 6 questions,¡± I tempted. ¡°No crystals and only 6 questions,¡± he replied crossing his arms. ¡°500 and 5,¡± I said, copying his gesture. His eyes narrowed at me. ¡°100 and 1.¡± ¡°333 and 3,¡± I said. He rose both of his needle-thin brows. ¡°Interesting. Pulling in the rule of three. I accept.¡± ¡°Good. And if I ask something you don¡¯t know or can''t speak about you must say you can¡¯t answer and it also won¡¯t count towards my 3.¡± ¡°Fine. In that case, you must imply them so I can laugh at your attempts.¡± My cheeks burned. ¡°If I imply them, how will you know I¡¯m asking?¡± ¡°Please. Being on the receiving end of your implied questions is like being hit on the head with a warhammer of stupidity.¡± ¡°Thanks a lot,¡± I said, not thankful at all. ¡°Since we¡¯re done betting, let¡¯s open up the boss room.¡± Two doors slid open on either side of the hallway. He entered his and I entered mine. The thin room had blueish lighting and a chill that sunk into my bones. Oddly, my mind map had expanded to show Phenic¡¯s location. A low drumbeat echoed through the room. An invisible stick tapped a rim. Then once more. The shock of a familiar gong crashing made me jump. Phenic dove down. I followed his movements as close as I could, speeding faster than I''d ever dared to. I took an aluminum, pushed ice onto a badger, crashed a box onto a nozzle destroying both. He collected another ore and rammed into a wall of mushroom traps. Instead of dying he teleported below it 3 blocks. I followed his movements too closely. When I rammed into the trap my armor saved me from death but instead of moving 3 down I moved 3 up. I had to assume the fairy could control what direction his armor teleported him. He likely had a few more of those cheats hidden somewhere. A leftover ice bolder sat on a sandstone block above me so I destroyed it. Ice crashed into and obliterated the trap then fell through, killing the human-faced spider below. By the time I¡¯d passed the mushroom traps Phenic had a huge lead. My heart beat like hummingbird wings. Even pushing myself to a dangerous speed, wouldn¡¯t let me catch up. Dread crept into each move I made until the walls glowed with bolts. Light burned my eyes. My muscles froze and jerked. A spike of fear. Shocking pain. As the gray world appeared I sucked in a breath. I collapsed into a sitting position on the grey ground. Just how was I supposed to defeat a cheating cheater? I didn''t even get a chance to use a death saving crystal. ¡°Would you care to continue, Miss Knight?¡± And how could I have forgotten Mr. Black? I scrambled up and hugged him. ¡°Are you alright? What was the price you had to pay? Please tell me you¡¯re still you.¡± I stared into his fathomless jet eyes waiting for his answer. Chapter 16: A New Technique Mr. Black winced. ¡°I''m fine, Miss Knight. Please don''t hug me.¡± I didn''t know what his body looked like, but I could feel the hardness of his ribcage through his cloak and skin. He squirmed so I released him and stepped back. ¡°What happened to you?¡± ¡°I''m fine.¡± ¡°You''re not fine. You''re injured and you''ve been starved.¡± ¡°It''s nothing.¡± I crossed my arms. ¡°How long have you been gone?¡± He looked away. ¡°Not long enough.¡± He slammed his scythe against the ground and I jumped. ¡°You should not have made that wager with Tasker Phenic.¡± ¡°Don''t change the subject. I want to know what punishment you had to go through and why.¡± ¡°It¡¯s unlikely that you''ll win against him in the first 100.¡± ¡°I think I can. Now answer me.¡± ¡°That''s my business. It shouldn''t concern you.¡± ¡°You getting punished because of me makes it my business.¡± A smirk twisted his lips. ¡°What if I agree to explain my situation if you win your wager?¡± ¡°Sounds like you assume I''ll lose.¡± He walked towards the gray expanse. ¡°Take it or leave it.¡± ¡°I''ll take it!¡± I said and followed. *** When I reappeared in the blue-tinted room Phenic darted around like an excited fly, laughing maniacally. ¡°Do you want to know why you''ll never win against me, Miss Knight?¡± I said nothing. ¡°You fear.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid.¡± ¡°But you are. Don''t you notice how you shrink every time you come close to a trap or a badger?¡± ¡°Okay, they¡¯re scary but I¡¯m not afraid to face them.¡± ¡°It''s not good enough. Your unconscious fear has you slow down when you should speed up. And 100 tries isn''t enough to get past that kind of fear.¡± I clutched my bow tighter. ¡°You think so, huh?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I''ll have to prove you wrong.¡± The gong sounded. We both dove into the mine. I had milliseconds to discover that this boss room didn¡¯t stay the same like the first one had, taking out an advantage I¡¯d been counting on.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. I clenched my jaw and collected a boulder of aluminum. This time I didn¡¯t follow him and chose my own path. This time I paid attention to my own actions. As I neared a line of mushroom traps I didn¡¯t notice myself slowing. An ice boulder sat on a ledge. I pushed it on top of a mushroom trap with empty spaces below it and followed. As I neared the traps it outpaced me. The garden of shrooms grew larger and the sharp jolt of adrenaline hit me. I zoomed past the traps and around the boulder. Phenic wasn¡¯t a square ahead of me yet but after facing several more traps he was. Then he used his cheating armor against a badger and became 4 ahead. Paying so much attention to my mental state slowed me down even more and I quickly died. After doing it five more times I found myself back in the gray world with the judging figure of Mr. Black looming over me. ¡°Give me some time.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I sat, poorly attempting the lotus position, and concentrated on my breathing to meditate. Truthfully,I only pretended to meditate, but I still tried. After an hour of resting like that, I started to drool. I wiped my mouth. ¡°What exactly are you trying?¡± ¡°I don''t know. To rid myself of fear?¡± ¡°Whatever that is, it''s not working.¡± ¡°It''s called meditating and I never could get it right. To me, it always felt like sleeping without the sleep.¡± He cleared his throat and turned away from me. That was a strange reaction for him. ¡°What? Do you know of a way to get rid of fear?¡± ¡°You''re human. You''re supposed to experience emotions.¡± I stood up. ¡°You know of a way but you''re not telling me because I''ll win the bet.¡± ¡°I''m not telling you because it''s dangerous. Also, because the only magic I agreed to teach you was the pen magic.¡± I waved off his last statement. If he had a technique that could help me I had to learn it. ¡°Mysterious reaper pen dangerous or something else dangerous?¡± ¡°Reapers must stand in front of newly dead souls and shepherd them to their next journey. They can''t risk feeling sympathy or emotions for the people they briefly meet since they may decide to break from their job and revive a soul that should die, or escort a soul that should live. When it becomes unbearable, we have been known to use a technique to stop those emotions.¡± ¡°Can you teach it to me?¡± ¡°It''s too dangerous for you.¡± ¡°How?¡± He stared down at me for a long moment, then sighed. ¡°When you''re constantly in pain or afraid, removing those emotions sounds like a good idea. But it removes the best parts of you.¡± ¡°Fear is not my best part.¡± ¡°But empathy is. Your will to fight is.¡± ¡°But won¡¯t I be able to turn it off and on?¡± ¡°Yes. You can at will but¡ª¡± ¡°Then please teach it to me.¡± ¡°You don''t realize how dangerous it can be.¡± ¡°I can''t use that as an excuse when children have been kidnapped. Not when I can save them.¡± He patted my head and I glowered. ¡°That emotion is what I¡¯m trying to protect.¡± ¡°Let me try it and decide for myself. Please?¡± His mouth thinned and his brows lowered. ¡°Fine! But if I think you¡¯re abusing it I¡¯ll scour it from your memories.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± ¡°I¡¯d have to.¡± He pressed his hand to my temple and once again whispered slippery words. When his magic stopped he crossed his arms. ¡°This is the last time I¡¯ll let you coerce me into teaching you a Reaper technique.¡± I grinned. ¡°Thank you! How does it work?¡± ¡°Press your thumb to your ring finger, on either hand.¡± My right hand trembled a little as I touched my thumb to my ring finger. I admit that when I heard about a technique to remove fear, I imagined it being relaxing, like a day at the spa. Instead,I invited the incarnation of death to inhabit my body. Ice ran from my mind outward as if I¡¯d been flash frozen. My tense muscles relaxed and the determination and urge to find and save my brother vanished. I¡¯d suddenly become a different person. If I could have been afraid, the fear of how unnatural this state felt would have sent shudders of terror running through me. To top it all, I had no urge to let go of the chilly peace. Mr. Black grabbed my fingers and parted them. My hands shook and my legs became melted glass. I fell to my hands and knees. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°That was what you asked for.¡± After sitting back, I looked away. ¡°It was like...¡± ¡°Being dead. I¡¯m familiar with it.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for that.¡± He nodded and hope appeared on his face. ¡°Would you care to have the technique removed from your mind?¡± ¡°Not yet. It¡¯s a terrifying state of mind but I¡¯m not going to give up on it yet. I think I can use it if I get enough practice.¡± I ignored his disapproving stare and the regret that I¡¯d been its cause. ¡°Are you ready to continue?¡± I swallowed. ¡°Yes.¡± Chapter 17: Death Mind I stared at Phenic while clutching my bow. Nervousness ate at me as our silence stretched. The drumbeat started. Each time the stick tapped the rim my pulse jumped.Then the gong crashed. I flew down and grabbed every piece of ore I came to. As soon as I saw the badger cage, I touched my left thumb to my ring finger. I was cold, I was death. There was nothing to fear or empathize with, only the course I¡¯d set and had to follow. I passed through the cage, ignoring the badger. As it fell after me I did not fear it. Three boulders of aluminum appeared in front of a nozzle. I grabbed each and traveled down just before the ice would have hit me. The badger froze in my place. I passed a spider and collected another piece of ore. I missed one but kept going. I passed Phenic by several blocks. The first time I''d ever had a real lead on him and no feelings of excitement raced through me. Four badger cages were lined up near the finish line. I barreled through each one. The badgers barely registered my presence before I passed them. The yellow finish line appeared in front of me. As I crossed, it shattered into gold dust. Phenic used his armor¡¯s teleport ability and completed the race a half-second later. We stared at each other and suddenly we were back at the top. I hadn¡¯t won because I¡¯d missed that aluminum boulder, but I didn¡¯t die because I was first. ¡°What did you do?¡± He asked. I didn¡¯t feel the need to answer him. ¡°How did you get rid of your fear?¡± The drumbeat sounded, then the gong. I mechanically repeated everything I¡¯d done. The race didn¡¯t last very long at all. I still missed an ore and I still came in first. When Phenic crossed the finish line again he glared at me. ¡°Answer the question, Miss Knight!¡± Even if I¡¯d wanted to, I couldn¡¯t. *** I burned through 20 of my tries in that state until I became stuck in a honey trap for the second time. Honey covered my mouth and nose. Air no longer reached my lungs. I felt no fear, only the burning in my chest, but that did not upset me. Nothing could upset the dead. When I entered the gray I stared at my open left hand. It ached. My head had filled with cotton balls and I shook it to rid myself of them. Mr. Black crossed his arms and glared down at me. ¡°What?¡± One brow rose on his disappointed face. With a jolt of fear, I realized that if I didn¡¯t explain myself he would take the technique away from me. Holding out my hands in a calming gesture I said, ¡°Okay. I overused it, but I¡¯m still figuring things out.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Were you planning on wasting 20 of your tries like that?¡± ¡°No, but when I actually won that first time, I just kept going.¡± I frowned. ¡°I think Phenic is scared of me now. Or super angry.¡± ¡°He¡¯s both. But as far as I¡¯m concerned the fairy deserves whatever comes to him.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°He told you to rid yourself of fear.¡± ¡°He was right.¡± ¡°Plenty of children make it past his floor.¡± That startled me. ¡°How? He¡¯s so fast.¡± ¡°Only because he doesn¡¯t care enough to try that hard with them. He also doesn¡¯t have anything wagered against them.¡± I covered my eyes and grimaced. ¡°So I made this floor way harder than it should have been.¡± ¡°They have the advantage of your realm¡¯s internet, as well.¡± Right. The kids could go online and see how other people defeated this challenge while I had to figure it out from scratch. I relaxed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. If I can¡¯t defeat Phenic at his best then I¡¯ll never defeat Nenvari.¡± ¡°The reason I broughtup the Tasker is to warn you. He loves to use strategies that affect his opponent¡¯s psyche, like telling you that fear is the reason you can¡¯t win. He wants to make you waste your chances to defeat him until it¡¯s too late.¡± ¡°And it worked until you taught me that technique. What should I call it anyways?¡± ¡°Death Mind.¡± I shivered. ¡°Accurate. I kind of hate it, but I¡¯m willing to use it.¡± He leaned towards me. ¡°Miss Knight. You¡¯d be faster without it on all the time.¡± ¡°How is that possible? I slow when I¡¯m scared.¡± ¡°But you have the will to win, and it''s that will that drives you forward.¡± ¡°Then I need to find some kind of balance. I need to practice turning it on and off.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather you didn¡¯t use it at all, but if you¡¯re going to anyways then I¡¯ll help.¡± He sat down cross-legged and somehow managed to set up his scythe so it stood behind him. After he opened his arm in a welcoming gesture towards a spot in front of him, I joined. ¡°I want you to activate it then deactivate it.¡± With the touch of my fingertips, I became infused with death¡¯s avatar. I had one task. I had one purpose. Deactivate the Death Mind technique. But I did not want to deactivate it. Mr. Black rubbed the tip of his nose and stared at me for a long time. I did not comprehend what he saw but when I couldn¡¯t stop it myself he opened my fingers. ¡°Again.¡± With a smirk, I said, ¡°Careful there or I might start calling you, ''Sifu.''¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°Now, Miss Knight.¡± ¡°Fine, fine.¡± *** We must have trained for days in the space between life and death, though I couldn''t feel how many since my stomach had long ago stopped growling relative time at me. Eventually, when I was able to regularly force myself out of the Death Mind technique, Mr. Black pursed his lips and said, ¡°Good enough.¡± I re-appeared in the blue-tinted room. Phenic rose both brows. ¡°Are you able to speak now?¡± He asked in his usual derisive tone, except it had an undercurrent of fear. ¡°For now.¡± ¡°How did you do it?¡± Drums started their counting down again and I smiled. ¡°I can¡¯t talk about it.¡± The gong crashed and I waved goodbye. It must have surprised him because he gave me a one block head start. This was my chance. I pushed myself to collect ore after ore until a room with a spider appeared at the edge of my mind map. Fear crept up my spine but I had a plan. I pressed thumb to ring finger long enough to pass the monster, collect a piece of aluminum and create an avalanche that destroyed the spider and a nozzle. By the time I''d released the technique Phenic used his cheat-armor, leaving me behind by a block. I pushed myself faster, planning two or three challenges ahead. My plans succeeded and I soon caught up to him. He passed an ore and didn''t go back for it. I flew ahead, seeing the goal with hope in my eyes. When I was 4 from the end, Phenic caused an avalanche and crushed himself. Instead of dying, he appeared a block ahead of me. He crossed the finish line and I followed after with anger like a structure fire burning within me. He had a second armor charge! Chapter 18: Once More ¡°You cheated!¡± Phenic flashed a smug grin. ¡°I¡¯m no cheater.¡± My vision changed and I recognized the top of the boss room. ¡°You have two charges on your armor! How is that not cheating?¡± ¡°You¡¯re only angry because you didn¡¯t know I had them until I was forced to use them.¡± ¡°Let me guess. You didn¡¯t use it those other times because you didn¡¯t need to.¡± ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t,¡± he said. ¡°No point in showing all your cards while the game is still being played.¡± The drumbeat played once more. ¡°Speaking of which... You have 72 more chances to defeat me. Are you feeling lucky? I know I am.¡± The gong sounded and this time I accidentally gave him a head start. *** Anger and frustration built inside of me as he won time after time. There had to be something I was missing. Mr. Black wasn''t any help either since he''d told me everything he could. I didn¡¯t push him for more. The last thing I wanted was for him to show up emaciated again. As I traveled down the thin room for the 58th time I couldn''t take it anymore. I grabbed my charged bow, saw the fairy fly a few squares away from our shared wall, aimed my arrow at him and let loose. I expected it to hit the coarse wall and shatter into a thousand sparks of light. Instead, the badger on his side took the blow and disintegrated. It shocked me so much I let him gain another block on me. His speed hadn¡¯t changed. Did he not realize what I¡¯d discovered? All this time, I''d assumed I couldn''t hurt him because it was a race. But I was a Battle Miner, so why couldn¡¯t I attack him? At the very least I should be able to for 4 squares into his side of the mine. Had Phenic¡¯s misdirections been played at levels so deep that they kept me distracted from even guessing something so simple? I lost focus and slammed right into a honey trap, and then a mushroom trap. ¡°Would you care to continue, Miss Knight?¡± I glared. ¡°Why do you always have to be so cryptic with everything?¡± He didn¡¯t respond. I sighed. ¡°Would it have been so hard to tell me that I could attack Phenic through the wall?¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I should stay a neutral party. It¡¯s part of my responsibility and that responsibility is what I am. What I need to be.¡± I stared into his face. Its apathy reminded me of who he was when we first met. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that.¡± The silence between us grew like a flood in the desert. ¡°Do you have a plan?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going to be patient. It¡¯s the only way.¡± ¡°Then, good luck.¡± *** I stared across the room into Phenic¡¯s eyes for the 83rd time hoping that this would be my opportunity to fight back. He yawned. ¡°Are you ready to give up now?¡± ¡°Never!¡± I put my hands on my hips and grinned. ¡°How about you give up.¡± He snorted. ¡°Be realistic.¡± I rose a brow. ¡°You be realistic.¡± His smirk made him look so smug. I wanted to punch his face. The gong sounded and I bolted into my side of the room. I collected ore after ore, bypassing the first few single traps. My bow charged just before I hit a badger room and I barreled straight through it. The monster followed and adrenaline hit my system. A row of honey traps blocked my passage, but I used my charged arrow to blast a hole in it and burst through. The badger stayed behind to eat one of the remaining traps. Phenic had had trouble with his badger and fell two blocks behind me. He ran into the trap and teleported to 1 in front of me. I knocked out a block under a box to get to an ore and collected a platinum key. Phenic missed that ore and gained a head start on me. I wouldn¡¯t let him keep it. I shot through a spider cage, collected an aluminum ore and dodged a huge tower of ice boulders. They fell after me but I sidestepped in time and collected another aluminum. Phenic trailed behind me by a block once more. My weapon charged. I clenched my fist around it and focused, my attention split between planning several steps ahead and on phenic¡¯s position. I dodged a mushroom trap. He crashed into it and teleported to one square ahead of me. The yellow finish line appeared at the edge of my mind map. This was my chance! I collected a boulder of aluminum at the center of my map and shifted right two. He shifted left, bringing us closer together. Using my map I aimed my arrow at where he would be and released. When he entered that block my weapon¡¯s energy blasted him. Instead of him dying, the area 3 squares around the fairy turned into glass. It didn¡¯t matter because he stilled as if trapped in the glass while I continued down and shattered the yellow finish line. I grinned so wide my mouth hurt. For the first time in too long, I¡¯d actually won! My body swayed from side to side and I moved my arms like I churned butter. I couldn¡¯t help myself. With a glower, Phenic broke the glass blocks and lowered into the end room. ¡°You actually won. When did you figure it out?¡± ¡°About 25 races ago.¡± ¡°And you kept it to yourself the whole time?¡± ¡°What was it you said, ¡®Why reveal all your cards when the game is still on?¡¯¡± ¡°Close enough.¡± We teleported to the top of the room. A wind deposited us outside where the three chests sat like three beautiful Christmas gifts. ¡°Now you have a choice. A weapon, a new pickaxe or knowledge.¡± ¡°Knowledge.¡± ¡°Are you sure? With what¡¯s waiting for you next I highly recommend you upgrade your weapon.¡± ¡°Knowledge.¡± He sniffed disdainfully. ¡°Have it your way.¡± Phenic, the weapon chest, and the pickaxe chest disappeared. ¡°Hey!¡± I yelled into the echoing room. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to talk after? Also, what was that glass thing?¡± Only silence answered me. I opened the chest instead. A book flew out and zoomed into my inventory. Its title appeared in my mind, An Introduction to The Garden of 1000 Kindnesses, Basic Magic Casting and the Realm Under the Hill. Chapter 19: The Terrors of the Third I¡¯d heard of books with oddly disconnected titles before but this one took the dry dusty cake. That said, the title hinted at the information I desperately wanted. I almost opened it right there except that I¡¯d rather read it while in the gray where I had Mr. Black to bounce ideas off of. Despite my literary urges I needed to explore what trials waited for me on the next floor. Unfortunately, my mind map couldn¡¯t pierce the ground so I breathed in and dropped down. Immediately I discovered that the blocks on the third floor had leafy vines of green and brown that grew into a certain familiar magical pattern. I traveled down one more. My durability read 158/164. I guessed this meant each floor had blocks that were 1 point harder. This also meant that if I had full durability I could punch through 54 vine blocks. In my mind map, various illuminated boulders glowed like mini moons. I passed one and approached a copper boulder that sparkled with encrusted diamonds, or some other kind of magical gem I was unfamiliar with. I stepped into it and the ore for Shimmery Copper listed in my inventory for 100 coins. The amount staggered me. Just one copper was worth 4 times the aluminum! I flew down and noticed a door similar to the boss battle doors. Curious, I approached it. Three blocks from my target I giggled. At two away I stopped and uncontrollably laughed. There was something horribly, terribly wrong. My body refused to move any closer or any farther. My eyes watered. I covered my mouth to stop myself. I couldn¡¯t. From out of the hole, black spines tasted the air. Doom pressed down on me as if aching to get inside my skull. I laughed harder. The thing crawled out of its hole, like an octopus with dozens of tentacles, each one, a many-segmented black widow''s leg. Its limbs propelled the thing toward me like a swarm of thin inky eels dragging a rock. I had to break out of its mind control. Perhaps.... It swam through the last block to reach me as I pressed my thumb to my ring finger.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The death mind technique pushed back all the fear and insane laughter that had squirmed within me, after all, insanity could not affect that which was death. As soon as my laughing stopped I flew back several blocks. The creature stilled, wrapped its arms into a drill-like shape and spun toward me at bullet speeds. I dodged down several squares and charged my weapon. The thing turned around and finger crept to the tunnel I¡¯d made. It peaked over the edge. I shot my arrow at it sending out a burst of energy. It did not affect the beast. I guessed that Phenic was right about the weapon; unfortunately, I now had to figure out how to destroy the creature without one. As I stayed still it closed in on me. I dodged to the side, beneath a boulder of light. When it came after me again I sidestepped once more. The light ball crushed the monster leaving only a few twitching tentacles to show it had once been there. I released the death mind technique and shuddered. My stomach churned. If I could have thrown up I would have. Just how were ordinary players supposed to defeat that thing? Oh right. Other players had a screen and a whole other realm between them and these monsters! On my mind map, the door the creature originated from did not disappear. Curious but super cautious I worked my way back toward it. When I reached the door I swallowed then entered. I glided through a thin passageway into a small 6x6 room with a box, three ores and a crate of TNT that I suspected would kill me if I tried to collect it. With a shaken mind, I smashed the box, gaining an energy bubble and collected the ores. Were these prizes for defeating such a horror or was it just a stash the monster happened to be hiding in? Whatever the case, I left the room and steadily worked my way down the mine, collecting 4 more ore for my troubles. I neared a block with mostly green vines, except at its center, where a splash of crimson peaked my curiosity. A rotted meat scent wafted from it so I used my free hand to cover my face. I flew right up to it and touched the warm vines. When nothing happened I entered the block. The vines suddenly parted exposing a gorgeous red flower. Of course, that was when they curled back in, trapping me. My heart pounded faster, but I did not freak out. At least, I didn¡¯t until they wrapped around me and dragged me, head first, toward the flora¡¯s center that opened to reveal a round mouth and spiraling thorn teeth. When I entered the mouth of the flower, my point of view and angle shifted. I found myself upright and standing near a woven basket. It had a hole in its side and was surrounded by a 1 block radius of empty space. The sound of fluttering came from within the basket along with several calming coos. To get a better look, I entered the radius. A rainbow-colored swarm burst from the hole and flew at me. The birds¡¯ razor-sharp beaks and predator-eyes stopped inches from my body. You are about to die. Want me to save you? Seriously? I survived creepy tentacle monster only to die by a bunch of birds? I sighed. ¡°No.¡± Ten thousand needles stabbed into me, ripping my skin apart. The pain lasted far too long as each of my limbs was slowly torn away, shred by tiny shred. Chapter 20: Truth of the Reapers ¡°Would you care to continue, Miss Knight?¡± I put my hands on my hips. ¡°I won the bet so start talking.¡± ¡°No one likes a sore winner.¡± I rose a brow. ¡°Very well. Please sit down.¡± When we were both in comfortable positions across from each other he steepled his fingers. ¡°I¡¯m not very powerful.¡± I scoffed. ¡°I saw you fight a giant demon.¡± ¡°Want me to explain or not?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± He sighed. ¡°To those outside, it appears as if reapers are singular entities that help souls cross to their next journey or come back from death. In actuality, we have a vast hierarchy where the date of each reaper¡¯s graduation determines their place within the organization, with the Council of Seven at the top. These Seven determine the rules each reaper abides by as well as how they¡¯re disciplined.¡± He sucked in a shuddering breath. ¡°I broke a rule. Serving here is my punishment.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± A pain filled laughed coughed out of him. ¡°I killed someone the Seven wanted to keep alive.¡± I stopped breathing, unable to imagine him killing anyone. He had to have some explanation, some reason that made sense, but I¡¯d leave that question for another time. ¡°They let me off easy but gave me rules I must comply with. Each one I break will make me suffer a prescribed torture.¡± ¡°So, telling me I¡¯m ready to face Phenic was against the rules. But what was the punishment? And why is that a rule?¡± ¡°In this place, I must remain neutral. I¡¯m only here to revive the miners or take those tired of death to their next journey. I don¡¯t know for certain but I suspect the Kingdom of Goraitheshselan has paid the council in some form of power to keep these mines like this.¡± ¡°But what about the punishment? And why didn¡¯t you get tortured when you taught me those two techniques?¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°I saw an imbalance between you and the others. I corrected it.¡± ¡°Because the other players aren¡¯t physically here and also have access to the internet. I¡¯m guessing they have a physical avatar of some kind that¡¯s invisible to me.¡± He nodded.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Okay, I get it. But what kind of sadistic torture could make you look so thin and bruised?¡± ¡°Life and death mana starvation and bombardment.¡± He smiled. ¡°I can see from your face you have no idea what that is. How to describe it?¡± He tapped his chin thoughtfully. ¡°To become a reaper is a long arduous process. The first steps require forcing one''s own body to survive solely on life and death type mana for all nutritional requirements. This also removes the need to consume nutrition, sleep or use the restroom.¡± ¡°That sounds suspiciously similar to what Nenvari did to my body.¡± ¡°In a way. Yes. But It would depend on the type he used to turn your body into that of an avatar¡¯s.¡± ¡°Wait. You have to eat mana?¡± He chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t eat it. After becoming a reaper it naturally flows into my body from wherever it is nearby. Which is everywhere, even here.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s so plentiful then how did they starve you?¡± ¡°My senior brought an Orethelian box into the space between and forced me into it for, to my perspective, several months. It¡¯s a device similar to your realm¡¯s vacuum chamber except it¡¯s for mana. And when my body was thoroughly starved they let me out and bombed me with arrows of pure death mana. It wouldn¡¯t kill me, but it hurt a lot. Like being starved and then choked with rich food.¡± ¡°Your society is seriously messed up.¡± ¡°That was only a mild punishment. And to be fair, I knew the consequences.¡± ¡°Okay, don¡¯t help me if you¡¯ll be punished. If you''re hurt like that again....¡± ¡°I won¡¯t plan on it but if I do help, they may put me in the Oubliette of Broken Walls for a hundred years or more which is like Solitary confinement but for reapers.¡± ¡°If that happens, I¡¯ll break into it and find you.¡± He patted the top of my head and I glowered at him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t happen. Now, do you have any other questions for me?¡± I took out the book. ¡°Feel like doing some reading?¡± ¡°Always,¡± He said then jerked his head to the side and sniffed the air. ¡°But I think you¡¯ve spent too long awake already.¡± He reached out towards me. ¡°I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m not letting you¡ª¡° ¡°Sleep.¡± Before unconsciousness took me I heard a female reaper¡¯s voice say, ¡°You¡¯re too kind, little brother.¡± *** I dreamed of a conversation I couldn¡¯t understand. The words swayed and jabbed at my very essence and I knew that not understanding them was the only thing that protected me. I dreamed of four reapers descending to take Mr. Black away and a fifth kneeling down next to me. She had thin eyebrows, a scar down her lips, and a lizard tattoo on her hand. Her eyes narrowed. ¡°...She¡¯s far too resistant.¡± The woman¡¯s icy hand grabbed my wrist. The cold burned. I struggled. ¡°Shhhh. Sleep.¡± *** I awoke screaming. My hand brushed against the floor of the main cavern and everyone peered at me, confused. ¡°That was a dream, right?¡± The three shared a look. ¡°Absolutely,¡± Phenic said. ¡°Sometimes you dream about fictional beings or people when you die and are reborn.¡± ¡°Are you talking about the...¡± I tried to say reapers but the word wouldn¡¯t come out. ¡°Whatever you''re trying to say. It was all in your silly imagination,¡± Phenic said pointedly. As he stared me down I understood that I shouldn¡¯t know about the reapers, but since I did know, I shouldn¡¯t talk about them. Not that I could. My hand shook. ¡°Yeah. It was just a bad dream,¡± I lied. I had no idea what Mr. Black and those others spoke about but it couldn¡¯t be good if he forced me to sleep again. No matter what, I hoped he was safe. Chapter 21: Shopping Spree ¡°Ye look like ye saw a ghost miss,¡± Meeks said. ¡°Was the jadinfray that terrifying?¡± ¡°What?¡± I said, startled out of my thoughts. ¡°The black mind-controlling spirit creature that loves holes and small flora,¡± Korren said. I stared at her dumbfounded and then I realized she¡¯d just described the tentacle monster. ¡°It¡¯s called a jadinfray? No, don¡¯t answer that. More importantly.¡± I stood up and walked over to Korren, determined to think of anything else besides Mr. Black. ¡°You have to be the third-floor boss.¡± ¡°Third-floor Protector,¡± she corrected. Phenic groaned. ¡°Why admit it?¡± ¡°Unlike fairies, dark elves do not lie. Besides, knowing in advance can¡¯t give her any more of a head start than she already has thanks to your loss.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a low blow for you.¡± ¡°Besides,¡± I said, ¡°it¡¯s pretty obvious that she is. I mean, you and Meeks were the first and second floor bosses, so... duh.¡± ¡°The girl has a point,¡± she said. I figured it was a long shot but asked anyway, ¡°Can you tell me what kind of test awaits me on your floor?¡± ¡°Guess.¡± ¡°Wait, guess? Not, ''No?''¡± She nodded with a smirk. ¡°It has something to do with weapons doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Correct. And don¡¯t ask about specifics because I can¡¯t answer.¡± ¡°Then can you, at least, tell me how to upgrade my weapon so I can defeat a jadinfray?¡± ¡°To upgrade your weapon¡¯s damage I need four diamond keys.¡± ¡°Stop right there! Are these keys literally made from diamonds? Because that sounds like they¡¯d be worth a small country.¡± ¡°What? Diamonds? I suppose they¡¯re worth more than gold but even in your realm they¡¯re not uncommon, just controlled so they appear worth more than they really are.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m going to get a headache.¡± ¡°You have a spurious body. Aside from outside forces, your head can¡¯t ache,¡± she pointed out. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get you your 4 diamond keys.¡± I turned to Meeks. ¡°From all the mining I did during the boss battle I have ore worth 18,000 coins. How much can I upgrade my durability?¡± He scratched his beard causing dust to puff out of it. ¡°Not as much as ye¡¯d think. Yer next 4 should cost 550, the next 7 I can let ye have fer 800, the 7 after that¡¯ll be 1100, and the 6 beyond that¡¯ll be 1600. To make short work of the math, ye can get 18 upgrades.¡± ¡°Wow! I guess that¡¯s what happens when I focus on collecting ore as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, ye¡¯ve reached the point where upgrading is gonna get harder.¡± ¡°At 1600 an upgrade, I guess it will. I¡¯ll have to do most of my mining down on the third floor.¡± I sighed. ¡°I really wish there was some kind of teleport system like we had for the boss room.¡± ¡°Sorry, Miss. Miners don¡¯t have anything like that.¡± I placed my bow on the table and Meeks took out 18 crystals with 4 different sizes and clarity. They shot into my weapon, one after the other increasing my durability from 164 to 236. When he finished I turned to Phenic.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I still have honey to give you in exchange for Crystals. Also,¡± I held my had out and grinned. ¡°I¡¯m here to collect the first half of my bet.¡± He opened a pouch on his belt and several hundred crystals flew out and into my inventory, bringing me up to 515, including the ones I received from destroying or collecting the honey during my time spent in the boss room. ¡°A pleasure doing business with you,¡± I said. He harrumphed and crossed his arms. ¡°I¡¯ll give you another crystal if you can bring me the rainbow feathers from a bird''s nest.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want to hurt the birds. I mean, they¡¯re cute feathery birds.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have a problem killing spiders or badgers.¡± ¡°Spiders are creepy and badgers are mean. They attack me without reason. From what I¡¯ve experienced, the birds are only protecting their nest.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not forcing you to kill them.¡± ¡°Please give me a different task.¡± He sneered at me. ¡°Fine. Kill two jadinfrays.¡± ¡°Two!¡± ¡°You said you wanted a different task. Take it or leave it.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll take it.¡± I walked to my mine and flew down. Part of me urged myself to jump into a mushroom trap or two so I could make sure Mr. Black was okay, but time didn¡¯t matter in the gray. The next time I saw him seconds or decades could have passed to his perspective. To stop myself from thinking too hard I pressed my ring finger to my thumb and dove in with my goals in mind. *** I reached the third floor in 20 minutes. Apparently, Phenic¡¯s boss room doubled as a training room for speed-mining. It cost me my armor charge and left me with the low durability of 74/236. I searched my map for a hole in the wall but couldn¡¯t see one. Below me were two Copper ore next to an energy ball so I moved down and collected those, bringing my tank up to full. At the edge of my map I could see a TNT crate next to a purple box. I flew down until I was 5 away from the crate. Fortunately, my bow charged as I neared. I shot my arrow at the explosive. A wave of heat and sound hit me. According to my map the TNT blew up 3 blocks to either side of it but did not touch the diagonals. This included the box that had been below it. A shimmering key flew into my inventory and was listed under the name, ¡°Diamond key.¡± I stopped the Death Mind technique and took out the key, my curiosity biting at me to take a peak. I thought a diamond key would have the same shape as a skeleton key. It did not. The key, if I could call it that, appeared fist-sized, roughly cut, and sparkled with imbued magic. Some greedy part of me really wanted to keep it, sell it and live off the money earned. I could pay for Matt and I to go to college. We wouldn¡¯t have to work during school either since this would totally pay for it. Of course, it was highly unlikely that I¡¯d be able to keep anything from this realm after I defeated Nenvari, so what was the point of imagining the impossible? I sighed and checked my map for holes once more. There, at the corner of my map, near the wall, a doorway sat like a Death Saving Crystal goldmine. After invoking my mental technique I flew towards it, finding several boulders of light resting nearby. I crept up to the hole and stopped 2 blocks away. The jadinfray crept out of the cavern like a many-fingered hand digging out of a grave. I floated back several, down 1 then over 1 more so I floated directly under a light boulder. The creature twisted its arms into its bullet form and shot after me. It had to slow down to fall one. I jumped back just before it reached me, crushing it with the light ball. I released my mental technique and placed a hand to my pounding chest. That thing was so creepy! If I could, I¡¯d avoid them. Oddly, I did not get anything from the creature to hand over as proof of its death. The cave it left behind appeared empty so I drifted into it. The doorway opened into a nearly vacant 3x3 cavern that had 15 yellow mini cubes hovering in the center square. I touched one and heard a voice in my head. Looks like your weapon isn¡¯t charged! Want me to charge it? No! Pick me! One of the other cubes said and spun. No, me! I nearly staggered with shock. Here was a way to charge my weapon. They were also semi-intelligent, which was a little disturbing but I could get past that if I tried. With everything that I¡¯d experienced lately I hadn¡¯t even thought about charging my weapon externally, but it made sense. If these dark fae used weapons like my bow outside the mine, they would have to charge it in a way that didn¡¯t require kinetic energy. These jiggly boxes were the answer. I collected all fifteen and left the cavern, determined to check with Korren about their use and how to purchase more. Unfortunately, I was so distracted by my thoughts that I ran right into a pair of slithering vines that wrapped around my legs and waist. I used my will to jerk out of their grasp but ten more vines shot out, bound my limbs together and pulled me towards a rotten smelling flower. You are¡ª ¡°No.¡± The jagged fangs slit my skin sending my blood down its pitcher. Screams tore from my throat. Pain. Blackness. The gray world chilled my skin and a cloaked figure with a scythe stood before me. This reaper had a feminine silhouette and wielded a scythe with a powerful and streamlined form. I clenched a fist to calm the rage that burned within me. ¡°Where is Mr. Black?¡± Chapter 22: Missing Pages The woman turned to me. Her cheekbones and eye shape appeared similar to Mr. Black¡¯s but she had a cruel twist to her scarred lips. As she stepped toward me and cupped my chin, fear ran down my spine, freezing me in place. ¡°I did nothing with him.¡± She turned my face from side to side. ¡°Say, whatever were you planning to do with yourself when you became a full adult?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you if you explain where Mr. Black is.¡± ¡°He¡¯s safe. On a mandatory vacation.¡± Did she expect me to believe that? ¡°What? You think reapers don¡¯t take breaks?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying. I thought he might be in trouble because of me.¡± A derisive snort escaped her thin nose. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s in trouble all right but it¡¯s nothing that requires punishment. If anything he may even get out of his punishment early.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I told you, now you tell me.¡± I grimaced. ¡°A doctor. I want to be an ER doctor.¡± Her pale arms stretched out as she theatrically yawned. ¡°Boring.¡± ¡°In what way is it boring?¡± ¡°Well, for one, you can only use science to bring people back from the dead. Aaaand... that pretty much makes it boring. Now, let¡¯s get you back to the mine.¡± ¡°Not yet!¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not like my brother, I don¡¯t have all day. Except that I kind of do, but I don¡¯t want to spend it with you.¡± ¡°When will Mr. Black return?¡± ¡°In two of your days.¡± I eyed her. ¡°You better not be lying to me.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± She patted my cheek a few times like she wanted to slap me. ¡°Or what? What if I am lying to you? You¡¯re a miner, Kelly, not a reaper. What do people in your realm say? Oh, yeah. ¡®Get real.¡¯¡± She laughed and started walking off. I ground my teeth and followed. *** When I reappeared half of me was relieved that Mr. Black would return in a couple days and the other half wanted to punch his sister in her reaper mouth. I also didn¡¯t want to face the fact that she was a little, well, right. I wasn¡¯t a reaper. What I knew about their world barely scratched the surface. Plus, I needed to focus on my goal, save Matt and the other children from Nenvari¡¯s clutches. After that, if I discovered she wasn¡¯t telling the truth, I¡¯d deal with her somehow. In the meantime, I had other issues I needed to take care of. I trotted over to Korren. ¡°I¡¯m curious about something. It¡¯s obvious to me that the magic I¡¯ve seen in my weapons and armor is powerful. The dark fae can use them outside of the mines, right?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re inquiring about taking your items home with you, in the impossible to think of scenario where you do return, then no. It is likely that Prince Nenvari would only allow you to leave with your realm¡¯s children and your clothes. Possibly not even your memories would survive the trip back.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°That¡¯s not what I was asking. I want to know if you have a way to charge my bow without relying on mining¡¯s kinetic energy?¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°Yes. We do, but it¡¯s not for you.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t allow the miners here access to that magical technology.¡± ¡°What if a miner already has access to them?¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°Then I¡¯d have to ask the miner how they acquired these items.¡± ¡°And if said miner found them in a jadinfray hole?¡± ¡°Jadinfrays should be rounded up and torched. Do you know how many items they¡¯ve hidden within their caves, thought lost for all eternity until some child comes along and picks it up?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Too many.¡± I grinned. ¡°Since said miner already has some why not sell more to them?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t; however, if you find any more items that shouldn¡¯t exist in the mine, I might exchange said item for a recharge cube.¡± ¡°Awesome! I¡¯ll hold you to that.¡± I looked to my mine, took a step forward, and stopped. If I did go down there, I¡¯d only end up dead and back in the in-between with a reaper I didn¡¯t trust. ¡°Hey, Meeks! Do you guys have a break room?¡± ¡°Yes. But no, ye can¡¯t use it.¡± ¡°Then where am I supposed to read my book?¡± He stood and pulled out a second chair from his inventory. ¡°Ye can sit next to me if ye like, Miss.¡± With a smile, I did as he suggested and retrieved my new book. Finally, I had the chance to read it. Merchant Meeks sat back down and picked up an emerald green novel with the title, ¡°The Earl¡¯s Secret Seduction.¡± My book sounded way more entertaining. I turned to the first page. ¡°Welcome, dear child from another realm, to the beautiful School for Industrious Magical Learning, The Garden of 1000 Kindnesses.¡± I closed the book and took a deep breath. So not cool! I was stuck mining here while Matt was basically Harry Potter? Calm down. It wasn¡¯t like he wanted to be a wizard, or whatever they call them down here. In fact, it could be as bad as a concentration camp. I kept reading. ¡°¡®... and you will enjoy a lovely private suite with your own bathing facilities and weekly massage?¡¯ What is this! A spa?¡± I closed the book again. ¡°This is a lie, right, Meeks? It¡¯s actually a torture chamber, right?¡± ¡°No, miss. It be right. What? Are ye not happy yer brother is gettin¡¯ treated well?¡± ¡°No, I am. It¡¯s just that this whole time I assumed a place with a name like that had to be disgusting and cruel. This sounds too good to be true.¡± ¡°Speakin¡¯ from experience. When things seem too good to be true there¡¯s often a hidden cost or a heavy debt that must be paid later. And that¡¯s all I¡¯ll speak on the matter.¡± I kept reading. The book described a beautiful campus with friendly staff and too many perks. The only thing they asked the children to do was learn magic. That rang my suspicion bell. Why kidnap children and force them the learn magic? What was in it for them? Besides, kidnapping in the first place seemed idiotic. Did they not realize how many children would jump at the opportunity to go away to a magic school? I guessed that the fae couldn¡¯t understand us humans. And then I guessed that their country might have few magic users and fewer people willing to learn so they¡¯d decided to import and raise wizards for themselves. If that was the case, then why humans? Perhaps learning magic had a high cost so they decided to shove it off onto another realm¡¯s people. I couldn¡¯t figure it out and boredom overwhelmed me after trying, especially when the next section was an introduction to basic magic. When I turned to that part I found most of the pages already torn out. My heart sank. ¡°Phenic!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What is this!¡± He flew over to me and I waved the book at him while pointing to a chunk of missing pages. ¡°What? I didn¡¯t do it. It was probably like that when you received it.¡± ¡°The only spells here are basically useless. What is this? How to light a candle? How to chill the air around you? And these several pages are stuck together. It¡¯s almost like you don¡¯t want me to learn magic.¡± His wings buzzed furiously. ¡°Hey! I said I didn¡¯t do it.¡± That was when I remembered that I¡¯d taken the book out just before the reapers appeared. Could one of them, or even Mr. Black¡¯s sister, have ripped them out? With a mental call, I put the book back in my inventory. I supposed I had better confront her. ¡°Hey! Where are you going? Apologize for your accusation before you leave.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I called back while running to my wall-mine. Chapter 23: Blame As I entered my mine I decided not to kill myself just to speak with the reaper. It seemed wrong, even if suiciding wasn¡¯t going to permanently kill me. I flew down, passing obstacles at the fastest speed I could, only pausing to gather the items that crossed my path. When I reached the third floor I dodged a birds nest and collected a copper bringing me up to 2325 coins. Below me sat a sea of light boulders, and a few blocks below that I noticed a cave door. Without any chunks of copper on either side of the sea, the journey around it would be too expensive at 3 durability a square. There was one path through the light boulder mess and I took it. Gripping my bow in both hands, I flew down 2, causing an avalanche of 1. I sidestepped. Several boulders sat directly above, waiting for their chance to murder. After preparing myself mentally, I jumped down, sidestepped eminent death and fell another 3. The boulders cascaded after me. My heart raced. As soon as I passed into open space I backed away from their rumbling fall until I floated a single square from the jadinfray door. I laughed and couldn¡¯t stop. Air barely made it into my lungs before it escaped. Dread and recrimination pressed upon me. How could I have forgotten to activate Death Mind? The spider tentacles crept out of the hole. My eyes watered. Both hands clutch the bow¡¯s shaft in a position that, considering my air stealing laughter and the strong grip it had on my mind, made it impossible to reach my thumb down those last few inches. The creature pulled itself to me and wrapped its arms around my head. I stared into its spiraling reverse-drill maw. My view switched. I floated three blocks below the monster, safe. My body shuddered. So, I learned not to grip my bow shaft with both hands. Go me! With an angry jerk, the jadinfray disappeared back into its doorway. I activated Death Mind and approached it again, this time from below. As soon as I created a corridor in the vine jungle it burst forth. I dove back down the way I came then created a tunnel over and up to where the light avalanche had landed. As soon as the jadinfray reached the bottom of the well, I sidestepped. Several light boulders crashed into it. I released my technique and took in a breath. To the victor goes the spoils? Shaking with adrenaline, I floated into the cave to see it filled by an enormous golden fork with embossed patterns in rose gold. It totally looked like something a sophisticated dragon would use.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. With a shrug, I stepped into its square. When it entered my inventory I froze. It was listed as, ¡°Cursed Fork of Etengradius.¡± Great! Now I had a cursed object on me. Hopefully, it wasn¡¯t something that would affect me unless I brought it out. I exited the cave and traveled down a few more. An arrow appeared in my bow. I neared a box above a light boulder that rested atop a cliff. At the bottom of the chasm sat a TNT crate. I shot my arrow at the box. It shattered and a second diamond key flew into my inventory. Only 2 more to go! Because I could, I pushed the boulder off the cliff. I meant to stop at the cliff¡¯s edge but slipped past it by one block. It shouldn¡¯t have mattered since I was 4 away from the TNT. When the light boulder hit the explosive a blast of heat hit me. You are about to die. Want me to save you? In my mind map, I saw that the light boulder somehow made the explosion larger, causing both ball and crate to disappear! I grimaced. This was not going to be pleasant. ¡°No.¡± Everything burned, and then it didn¡¯t. At least it was fast. The gray appeared before me along with the female reaper. ¡°Feel like continuing, Kelly?¡± ¡°What I feel like is asking you what happened to my book.¡± ¡°Why do you have to be so frustrating? Everyone else is perfectly fine answering a yes or no question.¡± I crossed my arms and glared. She rested her giant scythe across her shoulder like a fisherman would a pole. I watched the silence drag on between us in the same way I would eye someone blowing a huge gum bubble, waiting for it to pop. ¡°Okay! Fine. I did it. I tore the pages from your book before I put it back in your inventory. Happy?¡± ¡°Give them back.¡± ¡°That¡¯s no way to ask for something, Kelly.¡± I ground my teeth, ¡°Please?¡± ¡°No can do.¡± ¡°I said, ¡®Please.¡¯¡± ¡°And the Crown of Goraitheshselan says, ¡®Hello.¡¯ Well, not exactly that, but close enough.¡± ¡°I thought reapers were supposed to keep things even within the game?¡± ¡°This is keeping things even. Besides, it¡¯s not like I took all of the spells you can learn. I did leave you a few. Sure they¡¯re the weakest ones but if you get creative I¡¯m positive you can...¡± She burst out laughing. ¡°Okay, no. I can¡¯t keep a straight face. They¡¯re totally useless. I mean, what are you going to do? Light a vine on fire? And then what? You can¡¯t do anything with it. Hah!¡± I tightened my fist to prevent myself from smacking the person who was supposed to bring me back to life. ¡°What¡¯s your name, anyway?¡± ¡°Call me, Mrs. Charcoal, or just Charcoal.¡± ¡°What, you¡¯re married?¡± ¡°That question¡¯s a little personal, isn''t it? I much prefer to talk about how even the spells I left you will be too difficult for you to learn.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Well, you have to be smart to learn magic by yourself. Smart and imaginative. Which, you are not.¡± Her smile was predatory. Fury tinged the gray world red. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you think. I¡¯m going to learn that magic and I¡¯m going to use it in useful ways!¡± ¡°Heh. Sure, Kelly. Prove it, if you dare.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Chapter 24: A Single Point of Mana Sitting at Meek¡¯s desk, I read the first page on learning basic magic. Then I read it again. After one more time, I still couldn¡¯t concentrate. Nothing came to mind except bad comebacks I should have said to Charcoal''s comments. I knew I was not dumb or uncreative. I knew I would be able to use magic; after all, I¡¯d learned the Reaper Pen magic from Mr. Black and I knew I used that magic like I breathed it. My stress overwhelmed me so I activated the Death Mind technique. Anger melted into apathy. I allowed myself several minutes of that state before I stopped. Fortunately, it allowed me to clear my mind enough to focus. I studied that section of the book for several hours, afterward, I understood that magic was the most precious resource of the fae kingdoms since they used it for practically everything. There were two types of magic sources; Internal, refined mana that came from within a magic user and constantly refilled; and External, which had various sources such as attributed ambient magic, filled crystals, magic generator items, magic abundant plants, contracted demons and more. Internal magic was difficult to grow but was inexpensive. External magic was quick and easy to use, but generally was attributed with a type and could only be used for specific things. Also, unattributed external mana, the stuff used to charge my bow, had a hefty price and often came with an uncomfortable level of sentience. My book didn¡¯t go into much detail about the why of things. It did explain that, even though most people relied on the abundant and expansive external magic, societies still needed people who could use the internal stuff. Internal magic users could power any spell or item as long as they had enough mana, but not all spells or items could use external magic, even the non-attributed kind. I also understood that the reaper magic Mr. Black imprinted into my mind used an external ambient death-type mana. This explained why I could so easily use it. My problem? Each of my spells required refined internal mana. I didn¡¯t have that. Apparently, diffuse internal mana attributed with the 9 main mana types existed within everyone. An internal magic user was someone who had taken their diffuse mana and refined it into a Core, a Lake and a Satellite. Usually, a teacher helped them with that step, but I had no teacher. I had a book. It came with instructions. At this point, I would have given up on the idea of learning magic except that I absolutely needed to shove Charcoal¡¯s words back in her face. With a sigh, I put my book in my inventory, closed my eyes and tried to ¡°see¡± within myself. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, miss? Book gettin¡¯ ye down?¡± ¡°A little. I¡¯m trying to create a mana core.¡± Laughter surrounded me. I glared at them. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You,¡± Phenic said. ¡°You¡¯re trying to create a magic foundation from scratch. That¡¯s rich.¡± ¡°Miss Knight,¡± Korren said, ¡°Don¡¯t bother. You¡¯re a Battle Miner. You attempting that is like a tailor believing he can pick up a Nightglass harp and compose a sonnet.¡± I scooted my chair back and my vision changed. When my back hit something my breath stopped. I found myself on the ground, a broken chair under me. With burning cheeks, I picked myself up and walked over to her. ¡°Then can you teach me?¡± ¡°Most sane dark elves would never bother to learn anything pointless. I am quite sane. Besides, you have to start learning magic as a child. My people do not remain children for long.¡± ¡°Are you alright, Miss? That chair shouldn¡¯t have collapsed like that.¡± My eyes narrowed. ¡°I have a cursed item in my inventory. It can¡¯t affect anything while it¡¯s in there, right?¡± ¡°This has not been a good day for you, has it?¡± Korren said. ¡°I meant to ask you to trade it for a weapon charging cube like you promised.¡± ¡°Let me take a look.¡± I handed her my inventory. One elegant finger tapped her dark cheek. ¡°Yes. I believe I can. But I¡¯ll need to collect something first. It may take some time. To protect you and us you must stay here.¡± A chill ran down my spine. ¡°Is it that bad?¡± ¡°Phenic!¡± ¡°I¡¯m on it.¡± He pulled out a roll of silver thread. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I carry unicorn hair on me for just such occurrences.¡± ¡°And I always thought you paranoid,¡± she said. ¡°Set your inventory down on that floor tile and you sit over here,¡± he said pointing at two adjacent squares.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. After I did as he asked he took the string and circled it around my inventory and then my floor tile. He placed a crystal on top of it. ¡°The containment area appears stable. I¡¯ll return within two days,¡± Korren said and disappeared. Dread made my stomach churn. ¡°So, how long do I need to stay here?¡± ¡°Until she comes back,¡± Phenic said. ¡°Can¡¯t I use my other inventory and start mining while I wait?¡± ¡°Do you want this whole place to collapse?¡± I remained quiet and swallowed. Since I had the time anyway, and I didn¡¯t need sleep, I decided to attempt the instructions despite everyone insisting that I couldn¡¯t or didn¡¯t need to. Taking calming breaths, I closed my eyes and focused on the first step, seeing or feeling the diffuse mana within me. Because of the Reaper Pen, I knew what it felt like to gather diffuse external death-type mana. I didn¡¯t know how long I sat there, searching within myself for a familiar something but I eventually found it. A small speck of internal death-type mana floated in my shoulder. To me, it appeared as a stationary gray dot. Now for step 2, gather mana into my center. Finding my center of gravity was easy, the hard part was dragging that spec of mana to it. I pulled. It resisted, trying to stay motionless. Eventually, I placed it where I wanted. Finding and collecting the other death-type mana took effort and time but I gathered all of the internal death-type mana that had been spread throughout my body, a whole drop worth. Now I needed to find and gather the life-type. I searched for the opposite of death. In my mind''s eye, this appeared to me as a golden swiftly spinning spec on my heart. Forcing it to my center was like herding cats that were wet, inside a burning house. Through frustratingly hard effort I did it. It took way too long to gather the rest into a golden drop next to the gray. I tackled the other types. Black spacetime had a tendency to twirl at oscillating speeds. Bronze metal/earth had tremendous weight. White light moved with formidable speed. Blue air traveled as if weightless. Aquamarine and translucent water drifted unexpectedly in a direction I didn¡¯t want it to go. Fire sparked with flame-colored energy and burned brightly every time I shoved it. Red heart/mind kept trying to fly back to where I found it. I took one death particle, one life, one time, one light, one metal, one air, one water, one fire and lastly, one of mind and layered each into a lopsided ball. Then the process repeated itself. Too many hours later I had a sphere about the size of a tennis ball. For the next step I refined it. I took the orb and spun it while also compressing. A surface began to form. I squeezed and turned it faster. As the whole thing shined with light and energy the excess attributes burned away, along with some of the mana, leaving a perfect spherical core. The next step made me wait and watch. My soul reacted to my lack of mana and so, like any organ, it did it¡¯s job and produced pure mana. Since pure mana attracted itself the mana the soul produced, would collect around the Core like a dense asteroid field orbiting a sun. Since my core was very tiny, I watched as this happened over the course of 6 seconds. Without the mana being diffuse it wouldn¡¯t pick up an attribute. I continued onto the next step. On the outer edge of the Lake a small amount of mana began to form a ball. I compressed it into a little sphere about 1/100th the size of the core. I spun it and gave it a slight orbital decay so it would gather mana and spiral in. Eventually, when it reached the core, it would increase my mana by a significant amount, of course that all depended on how much mana my core had. According to the book, most people started out with around 10 mana units or points. Of course, the only way I could know how many points I had, would be to cast my first spell. I opened my eyes. ¡°So, you¡¯re finally awake?¡± Korren asked. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re back? Already? How long has it been?¡± ¡°Three days.¡± ¡°Three whole days?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve already taken care of the fork and given you the recharge cube in payment. Phenic also gave you the crystal for killing those two jadinfray.¡± ¡°Oh. Thank you!¡± She handed me my inventory. I put it back on my belt and immediately took out my book. I turned to the first spell every magic user learns, ¡°How to Light a Candle.¡±
Candlelight Mana Cost: 1 Range: 2 Blocks Description: Creates a small flame lasting 4 seconds. Used to light a candle or other flammable objects.
Below this description was the actual how to cast, which was a little like a recipe in my mom¡¯s cookbook. It had something called a spell diagram, which appeared like a small section of a block¡¯s tattoo marks. ¡°¡®To cast for your first time, use a simple candle?¡¯ Hey, Meeks. You have a candle I can buy?¡± ¡°I can give ye a whole bushel for 5 coins.¡± ¡°Deal!¡± I collected them, took out one and placed it on the ground. After sitting cross legged I stared at the wick. Apparently, each spell was different and had variations that were mental, physical, vocal or other. The candle spell, being the simplest one, required only to have a spot where I planned for the fire to appear, the spell diagram memorized somewhere in my brain, and a will to cast it. The diagram, a simple squiggly line and two curved c¡¯s on top of each other, didn¡¯t take long to memorize. To be safe I spent some time actually drawing it with my finger. Similar to the Reaper Pen, I wouldn¡¯t need the diagram in the forefront of my mind to cast it. Of course, if I forgot the spell diagram it would stop working. With the candle on the floor in front of me I cast the candlelight spell on its wick. My mana core completely drained and a torch sized flame appeared on the wick, sending enough heat my way that I jerked back. It lowered to a normal size. Small flame my butt. I watched my core. It took 30 seconds but it refilled. My lake had not changed size but the Satellite orbited a little closer. ¡°So,¡± Korren said, ¡°you learned magic after all. What do you think?¡± I stared down at the flame a little speechless. ¡°All that work and I only have 1 mana point?¡±
Battle Miner Magus Kelly Knight Ore Worth: 2325 Death Saving Crystals: 516 Keys: 5 gold, 11 platinum, 2 diamond Weapon Charge: 0/13 Weapon Range: 5 Weapon Damage: 2 Durability: 236/236 Armor Teleport Radius: 3 Armor Charges: 1/1 Mana Points: 1/1
Spells and Techniques known: Reaper Pen, Death Mind, and Candlelight
Chapter 25: Casting Magic Like the good people they were, Phenic and Korren laughed at my plight. ¡°We did tell ye it wasn¡¯t worth it,¡± Meeks said. ¡°I thought I¡¯d at least have 10 points.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it and focus on minin¡¯.¡± That couldn¡¯t convince me to give up. I dug into my book and began to re-read the part on mana, then the various spell descriptions and their costs.
Personal Weather Cost: 5 Points per Minute (note: cost may increase in extreme heat or cold environments.) Range: Self Description: Creates a zone of cool or warm air around you at your preferred temperature.
Minor Telekinesis Cost: 3 Points per Minute Range: 4 Blocks Area of Effect: 1/4th Block Description: Allows you to move an object with your mind up to 25lbs.
Minor Cleanliness Cost: 4 Points Range: 2 Blocks Area of Effect: 1 Block Description: Allows you to clean an area of 1 Block. You may be included within its AOE.
When I¡¯d finished I breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn¡¯t stuck with one point of magic and when I gained more I could learn those spells. Increasing internal magic was simple and there were several ways to do so. The first was the easiest and most straightforward, I could cast magic repeatedly, in the way it was meant to be cast. That meant spells designed to hurt monsters wouldn¡¯t help me improve a significant amount unless I used them on monsters. For the second I could focus internally and manipulate my satellite down its path. This would take 20-100 times longer and wouldn¡¯t help increase the speed at which I recovered mana like repetitive casting could. For the last, I could consume special supplements, but this way could hurt a body in the long run, especially if those supplements came from a poor quality source. These being my only options I decided to practice casting candlelight. One long boring hour later and my satellite, a little larger than my Core, touched its surface. They burned brightly as they spun into a larger sphere. A second satellite formed in the aftermath of my mana increase.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. I pulled out two candles and cast the spell on each, one after the other. These two casts once again completely drained my mana. Fortunately, it took the same 30 seconds to recover from the two spells, but it seemed like it would take over twice as many casts as last time to improve my mana again. Satisfied with my improvement for now, and itching to actually move again I took out my bow and dropped into my mine. It felt good to once again dig my way through stone and sandstone, collecting ore and energy orbs while killing spiders and badgers. This time I was determined to get to the bottom of the third floor. It was time I focused on defeating Korren. Most importantly, I needed to scour the third floor for the new boxes to upgrade my weapon. I reached the third floor¡¯s vine blocks and plowed my way through. Above a birds nest, I saw a jadinfray hole with a box two blocks over it. With morbid curiosity, I activated Death Mind. I dived down, destroying the vine block under the box. It crashed onto the jadinfray hole and an energy orb appeared from within it. It blocked the hole so the creature couldn¡¯t exit. That was unexpected. I didn¡¯t think I could block a doorway like that. I flew down and collected the energy orb then skirted around the bird¡¯s blast area. The jadinfray squirmed out of its cave and slowly crept toward me. When it floated into the birds¡¯ area the nest started shaking. I expected that at any moment the raptors would burst from their nest to defend themselves. I was wrong. The jadinfray wrapped its tentacles around the woven basket-like nest. Apathetically, I watched as it devoured. A few droplets of blood sprayed onto my face. It did not seem like the monster would disappear like the honey and badger did. I moved under a light boulder, readying my attack. One by one, the voices of the birds silenced until none remained. The jadinfray trilled and bulleted toward me. I waited until the last moment and stepped back. The moonstone crushed it leaving bits of its spider tentacles peeking out from beneath. When I separated my fingers I crumpled to the vine floor and put my head between my legs. I sucked in deep breaths. Why hadn¡¯t I done anything while Death Mind was active? I could have at least tried to save the birds instead of letting them die like that. Nothing should die like that. I wiped the blood from my face and onto the vine ground. Mr. Black was right about the technique. I should only use it when I absolutely had to. I swallowed. For the first time since I¡¯d been here, I desperately wanted to leave. Matt was hanging out with his friends, learning magic and getting massages. I could join him, a devilish thought whispered. But, actually, I wanted to go home. I missed school and my friends. I did not want to go to some magic school that was suspiciously good to its students. So, I would continue to fight. I would continue to use that technique. My hands shook. Just thinking about activating it again made my stomach leap. I took out two candles and cast the candlelight spell, over and over. Awhile later, about halfway to my next mana point, my heart calmed down. After picking myself up and putting away my candles I flew back to the jadinfray cave. Within it rested a clutch of huge eggs, twice as large as an ostrich¡¯s and made out of stone, dirt, and gold. In my inventory, they were listed as, ¡°Metal Dragon Eggs x12,¡± with the text colored gold. At least this item wasn¡¯t cursed. I dived down and came to another sea of light balls with a single path through. With a sigh, I stepped down three, over one and misjudged the speed of the boulder avalanche. You are about to die. Want me to save you? Wait! That didn¡¯t make any sense. I still had my armor. I glared at my mind map and realized what happened. Thanks to a pair of vine traps I¡¯d mistaken for regular vines there was no safe place within my armor''s range that I could teleport to that wouldn¡¯t immediately kill me. ¡°No.¡± The familiar gray world appeared with a familiar tall reaper. ¡°Would you care to continue, Miss Knight?¡± I grinned. ¡°Mr. Black!¡± Chapter 26: Reaper Returns I wrapped my arms around Mr. Black and squeezed tightly. He let out a soft grunt. ¡°Are you okay? Did they hurt you?¡± He awkwardly patted my back. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine. I was only on vacation.¡± ¡°Are you sure vacation isn¡¯t in quotes?¡± ¡°Miss Knight, I¡¯m not really the hugging kind of reaper.¡± ¡°Too bad, you¡¯re being hugged,¡± I said but released him, still smiling. ¡°What does a reaper do on vacation anyway?¡± ¡°I paint, read, watch the white herons fly over a lagoon and spend a lot of time not thinking.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that get boring?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever been so exhausted you couldn¡¯t form a thought?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve played soccer so, yeah.¡± ¡°Exactly. But on a lighter note, you found something in the jadinfray cave.¡± ¡°I did.¡± I showed him my inventory. ¡°Are they important?¡± His eyes grew wide. ¡°Metal dragons are very rare and special. You may be able to use them to bargain for your realm¡¯s safety. But you shouldn¡¯t let anyone know you have them.¡± ¡°I have a second inventory. I¡¯ll move them there.¡± ¡°Good idea. Also, I see that you learned magic while I was gone. You¡¯re the first miner here to do that.¡± ¡°Really? That seems odd.¡± ¡°After the first two batches of information, who would ever suspect the third would hold magic?¡± ¡°I can see that,¡± I said. ¡°Also, your sister upset me so I decided the best way to get back at her was to prove her wrong.¡± He chuckled without mirth. ¡°Charcoal lies and manipulates. She¡¯ll tell you one thing to make you do another and by the time you''re finished you realize that you¡¯ve wasted time and she has what she wanted.¡± ¡°Why would she want me to learn magic?¡± I saw him about to speak and held up a finger. ¡°Wait, I figured it out. I annoyed her so she wanted me out of her way.¡± ¡°That could be it.¡± He didn¡¯t sound convinced but he also didn¡¯t elaborate. ¡°And you know what? She stole some of my spells! She admits it but won¡¯t return them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to get those back but it will take some time.¡± I hesitated. ¡°Only if she doesn¡¯t drag you into anything.¡± ¡°She always drags me into things. That¡¯s what family does.¡± I sighed, reminded of my own situation. ¡°True.¡± ¡°You know, becoming a magus wasn¡¯t a waste.¡± ¡°A magus? Is that what you call magic users here?¡± That did explain my title update. ¡°No. A mage or wizard or witch, depending on the person¡¯s school of thought, is someone who people turn into a magic user. A magus is someone who becomes one on their own. It is much more difficult because they¡¯ve done everything themselves. Magi gain a deeper understanding of how magic works and behaves. This will make learning and casting spells easier.¡± ¡°So by becoming one by myself I might be better at it than my brother would?¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°It¡¯s very possible.¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± ¡°The downside is that it took you 3 days where it likely only took your brother a few minutes. Also, they tend to begin with a little less mana.¡± That explained my single point. ¡°Right, there is that.¡± I took out my book and showed him the pages that were stuck. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll be able to return the missing pages but I hope you can separate these.¡± He took the book and studied the pages, flipping it back and forth while intently studying. ¡°I can, but it will take some time. Would you be willing to leave this here with me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He wrote up a contract and floated it over to me to sign. It was the same as the last one so I signed. He flipped past the spells to the section on the Realm Under the Hill and his lips turned upward. ¡°I remember learning about this when I was younger. When you live in one place all your life, you don¡¯t realize how little knowledge about the realm and it¡¯s people you have. I suppose the same could be said for you and your world.¡± ¡°Probably.¡± I rubbed the back of my neck. ¡°I¡¯d rather stay here and study the book with you but I¡¯ve spent too much time away from the mine. I feel like, if I don¡¯t go back now I¡¯ll lose my edge.¡± An understanding smile appeared on his face. He nodded. ¡°Then follow me.¡± *** When I reappeared I walked over to a number 6 floor tile. I yelled back at the group, ¡°Hey, Phenic, give me a task.¡± ¡°Kill 4 jadinfray.¡± ¡°4! Last time it was only 2!¡± ¡°They¡¯re easier for you to kill than I thought. Besides, by killing them you also get a prize from Korren.¡± Childishly, I stuck my tongue out at him. Just before I was about to drop into the mine I felt a familiar tap on my shoulder from a walking stick and lantern. ¡°Engra!¡± I turned to see the artificer. ¡°How did your honeyed wine turn out?¡± ¡°Thanks to you, you adorable thing, it became the talk of the kingdom.¡± ¡°Are you here for more?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind but more that¡¯s not why I¡¯m here. I heard you reached the third floor and as I mentioned earlier, there is something down there I need.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not in one of the jadinfray caves, is it? Because I have no control over what I find there.¡± ¡°No, no. It¡¯s the birds.¡± My eyes narrowed. ¡°You don¡¯t want me to kill them, do you? Because I already told Phenic that I won¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m not a monster. I have contraptions that you can use to capture them and their nest in one whole piece.¡± ¡°That depends on what you plan to do with the birds and why it has to be me and my mine.¡± She grinned. ¡°For starters, unlike most other bodies running about, you¡¯re here in person. You can actually do complex things like take a device, activate it and throw it at an object. They can¡¯t. Controls that complex were never designed into their game.¡± I nodded. It made sense. ¡°I¡¯m not the only real person down here though, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not. There are definitely other things around here. But what you want to know is why it has to be the number 6 mine. Well, it doesn¡¯t. I just like you. Besides, you have the armor I made.¡± I smiled. ¡°I need them because they produce some of the finest magic imbued feathers around. Perfect for this armor set I¡¯m building. And before you ask, I¡¯m merely gathering the dropped feathers. I won¡¯t kill them for a harvest and once I¡¯ve finished collecting I will donate the birds to the various sanctuaries across the realm. Sound good?¡± "Absolutely!" ¡°These 16 contraptions I built should safely capture and contain any creatures within a block. They¡¯re a little buggy, as I¡¯ve only just invented them so I made twice as many as I need.¡± ¡°How do they work?¡± She brought out a steampunk looking ball with a button on top. It¡¯s smelled strongly of oil and metal. ¡°Just press this and throw it at the nest. The device, if it doesn¡¯t explode in your face, should swiftly expand around the object it hits plus anything else in its block.¡± ¡°Wait. It¡¯s going to blow up in my face?¡± ¡°Of course not. Probably. Just follow the instructions and everything will be fine. I¡¯m not asking you to do it for free either. In exchange, I¡¯ll upgrade the range and charges on your armor. If you do well I''ll give you another task after you reach the next floor.¡± Worried about my dragon eggs, ¡°Will living things be okay in my inventory?¡± ¡°Right! The awful inventory that you had at first only had about 2 hours of air for a human-sized creature. The inventory I gave you should keep anything living in a stasis for about two weeks. Unfortunately, that¡¯s not enough time so I want you to use this.¡± She handed me another small cube, this one blue with intricate writing scrawled on each side. I put it in my pocket along with the other inventory she gave me. The contents appeared in my mind, ¡°Experimental Cage x16.¡± I smiled wryly. ¡°I think I have too many inventories.¡± ¡°Oh! And if you can bring me back at least 10 nests I¡¯ll treat you to something really amazing.¡± ¡°Deal!¡± Chapter 27: Cages When I reached the third floor I stayed away from any doorway. Yes, I had a task to kill jadinfray but for me, it was too soon to use the Death Mind technique. I approached my first nest. The closer I came the more the scent of sour droppings hit me. At two blocks away from the nest, I took out the ball. Did Engra say that there were instructions that came with it? With a shrug I pressed the button and threw it, aiming at a feather that stuck out of the nest¡¯s siding. It flew through the air but missed the nest completely. A block below, it hit the ground with an unimpressive fizzle. Smoke snaked out of the ball. A few birds peaked out of the nest. Their heads turned in various directions the way raptors did. I stilled, hoping they were like Tyrannosaurus Rexes and could only see movement. Or was that just in a movie I saw once? They ignored me and attacked the contraption until it was pieces on the floor. When the birds left I took out another orb and pressed the button. Light filled my vision. A loud noise blasted my eardrums and turned into ringing. My hands burned. Pain dimmed the world. I screamed but could not hear. My throat ached from the effort. My eyes were open but I couldn¡¯t see. I blinked repeatedly. Uncomfortable while hovering in midair while unable to see I floated down and sat. Vines dug into my bottom. After a while, my eyes slowly adjusted. I laughed in muffled hysteria. I¡¯d been injured but hadn¡¯t died. This was a new one. When my vision cleared I noticed my hands. They were like charred rare steak. What was worse, they didn¡¯t hurt and smelled of barbeque. My stomach tickled my throat, asking me to throw up its nonexistent contents. Perhaps my body would go back to normal the next time I died. I should have been thinking of a way to suicide, but even now, I couldn¡¯t force myself to do it. I sighed. With hands like this, I couldn¡¯t throw anything and definitely not the cage. But I had played soccer for many years so maybe... I took out another ball. Pain shot up my arm. My eyes watered. Okay, bad idea to grab the orb with my severely burned fingers. I swallowed and dropped it onto my foot. I bounced it a couple times to get its weight and to press the button. When the vibrations of the activation click ran up my foot I tossed it up one more time and kicked it at the nest. It impacted. Tiny mechanical pieces burst out in all directions. Azure light connected the pieces and rearranged itself into a tightly woven cage. Birds exited the nest and swarmed but they could not get through the contraption. A fog that smelled of oranges congregated within and the birds all flew back into their home. The device and the nest both zoomed toward my pocket and into the new inventory. Experimental Cage x13 Nest with 48 birds x1 One down nine to go. I stared at my hands. No way could I continue with burns like this. I doubted that I could hold my bow. If I couldn¡¯t hold it, I couldn¡¯t mine, right?Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I focused on flying down through the block under my feet. It just felt like my gravity increased a bit. I couldn¡¯t continue forward, and I couldn¡¯t suicide because thinking about it revolted me. But why didn¡¯t the mine kill me like it did when I¡¯d trapped myself? Was it the amount of oxygen? Fire could eat oxygen. I took out 10 of my candles and using my uninjured elbows, awkwardly placed them in a circle around me. Apparently, a bushel was 56lbs, which came out to be a lot of candles. This also made me wonder if miners were somehow rich-ish in their realm. After taking a deep breath I cast Candlelight on one then another. Obviously, I didn¡¯t want to use my hands to light the other candles and this was a great opportunity to cast more magic and hopefully gain another point of mana. I continued casting until all 10 candles were lit. I blew them all out and started over again. After about a half hour I once again watched as my Satellite, a little over half the size of my Core, fall into it. With a flash of light, they combined and another Satellite appeared at the edge of my Lake. Did everyone gain only a single mana point each time they, for lack of a better definition, leveled their magic? My hands started to itch and I peered down at them. On the tips of my fingers and at the edge of the burn on my forearm newly healed flesh had appeared. Even my archer¡¯s bracers seemed to regrow. Was I self-healing? Was this what it meant to have a spurious body? If I could heal, that meant I wasn¡¯t done here, it would just take time, of which I had plenty and none at all. Engra hadn¡¯t given me a time limit on this, but every day I stayed away from home probably had my parents believing we were dead. I couldn¡¯t keep doing that to them. I sighed. Not like I had a choice. Now that I had three points of mana, wasn¡¯t there a spell I could learn? I tapped my chin. Right, Minor Telekinesis! I totally needed that. Unfortunately, Mr. Black had my book but I remembered most of the spell description from reading it earlier. I just hoped I remembered it correctly. If I was right, this one required a will to cast it, enough mana and a memorized spell diagram. The diagram looked like four dots in a square with a curvier squiggly line on top and to the right, a backward capital s with a c at the end of it. It had been fairly simple which was the only reason I could recall it. After writing it in the air a few times along with the Candlelight spell diagram to ensure I didn¡¯t forget it, I felt more confident. Of course, this might not be the first or last time I overestimated my brain. I concentrated on a single candle and cast Minor Telekinesis. For a brief moment I thought I hadn¡¯t remembered it correctly, then my mana drained. Relief flooded my system and I focused and willed the wax to lift slowly into the air. It did so. I grinned and lost concentration. It clattered to the floor. ¡°Tch.¡± Did I still have it cast, or did losing concentration mean I had to wait 30 seconds and cast it again? I tried to pick it up with my mind but it wouldn¡¯t budge. So, there was more to this spell than the page mentioned. A teacher would have been useful. Since my only recourse was to learn by myself I cast it on the candle again. I turned it as I lifted it up. Within 10 seconds I recovered a single point of mana. A wild thought entered my head. While concentrating I cast the Candlelight spell on the wick. The candle shuddered as the wick caught fire then I dropped it. The fire turned to smoke as it fell. Huh. I guessed that I could cast another spell while concentrating on a first but I needed to practice before I tried that again. I cast Telekinesis on the candle once again and waited. My mana refilled. Another 30 seconds went by and my Core drained completely. The candle did not move from where I willed it. I also noticed that my Satellite didn¡¯t move quite as much this time as actually casting it again would have, but it still orbited significantly closer than casting two Candlelight spells would have. I kept holding it, trying to see how long I could go. About 15 minutes later my mind started to wander and I dropped my concentration. I was about 20 percent of the way to my next mana point. If I could get good at this I could hold my mining tool. That would allow me to continue even with my hands messed up. It would also help me train my mana while I worked. I returned the candle and took out my bow. With a jolt of pain, I released it onto the floor. I willed it to move up. My mana drained and it did as I commanded, floating in the air as if carried by a ghost. I took a step down while focusing on the smoky shaft. The strain was like carrying a full glass of grape juice to the table while trying not to spill on grandma¡¯s white carpet. Fortunately, my body moved one below and my weapon came with me. After doing that three more achingly slow times an arrow knocked. With its sudden appearance, I lost concentration and it clattered to the floor. Sighing with frustration, but picked it up again and continued down. Chapter 28: No Maps Since I couldn¡¯t see any nests nearby I decided to collect the several nearby copper ore. During my travel, a box and nest appeared on my mind map. I also dropped my bow several times trying to get to my next possible diamond or death if a spider crawled out of it while I was unaware. When I reached the box I prepared myself to fire upon any monster that could crawl its way out. I destroyed the blocks underneath the container and watched it crash. Surprisingly, a diamond did appear. I collected it. That done I flew toward the nest leaving that necessary 1 block between us. I put away my tool and called for a cage. When it materialized in my hand I winced. The burns itched so bad and using them to hold anything made it worse. Since it worked so well last time, and since I didn¡¯t need my feet to dig through blocks, I dropped the ball on my right foot, kicked it up a few times like a hackysack until I felt the button depress then punted it. It flew in a shallow arch and hit. I once again saw it separate and cage the cute little predators. What, no blowing up my foot? No capturing myself? No dud? I guessed that not everything in this realm had to kill or hurt me in some way to work. I flew after 3 more ore but since I concentrated so hard on levitating my weapon, I once again failed to notice a vine trap. I found myself teleported, but in a direction that revealed 2 more pieces of ore and a box. Conveniently, my weapon came with me. Those traps were becoming the bane of my existence. I collected the copper and once more prepared myself to face any monster that appeared. I dug underneath it. It broke open. To my pleasant surprise, a fourth diamond key appeared! ¡°Whoop!¡± I threw up my hands but lost concentration. The smoky bow fell down a tunnel, landing near a jadinfray hole. My hands shook. I thought for a moment that I¡¯d just collect my bow and move on. Why risk my life for a mere crystal and a possible recharge box? But that was my fear talking. I thought I¡¯d understood the dangers of the Death Mind. I thought that using it as much as I had made me an expert. I¡¯d been wrong and now I feared to lose who I was more than I cared about not losing this game. That was unacceptable. Winning against Nenvari was the only way I could save Matt and the others. I had to win, even if I risked succumbing to the Death Mind''s psychopathic apathy. Slowly, I flew down the tunnel. At 3 away I used Minor Telekinesis to lift my bow and bring it closer to me. With a calming exhale I crept closer by two and began laughing hysterically. My bow crashed into to the ground. The creature slithered out of its doorway. Fear of the monster and fear of the Death Mind froze my thoughts. The jadinfray trilled happily and waved its spider tentacles. My eyes began to water and my throat hurt from the laughing. As I watched the tentacles drag the creature¡¯s black body toward me thought I wouldn''t be able to move, but my instincts to not die overcome my fear and ever so slowly I touched my thumb to my ring finger. My laughter stopped and the pain and itching turned into an annoying existence I tolerated. I picked up my bow with my free hand and traveled down 2 blocks then darted under a light boulder. I waited for the creature to near me. It bulleted forward. Just before it reached my block I moved away, crushing it under the bright rock. I released the technique. With a jolt, the fear and pain returned. ¡°Ow!¡± I dropped the bow and hissed with pain. ¡°Geez.¡± Just how in the hell could my Death Mind technique self be so nonchalant about experiencing pain? I checked my hands. About half of each finger and all of my wrist appeared healed, unfortunately, my right palm, where I held my bow, looked worse. Still, I was happy that at least this time I overcame my fear. Now I had to do it again. No big deal. Facing death, facing an existence of pure apathy, I did that every day.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. I swallowed. Since I had a hole to scour for prizes I slowly climbed back up and into the cave. Inside I collected a giant crystal ball that entered my inventory as, ¡°Crystal Ball of Ancrick.¡± *** ¡°Would you care to continue, Miss Knight?¡± ¡°Tch.¡± I had kept going, almost reaching the end and collecting enough ore to bring me up to 4125 but I accidentally crushed myself and wound up in the gray. ¡°Not yet. I can¡¯t believe I trapped myself so easily.¡± He smiled. ¡°To be fair, you might have been okay if you hadn¡¯t dropped your bow.¡± I rubbed my palms together. ¡°At least me dying has healed my hands the rest of the way.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the way of things here.¡± He smiled sheepishly. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m not ready to give you your book back.¡± ¡°Huh? Why not?¡± ¡°The spell that holds the pages together is more complicated than I first perceived, with layer upon layer of spells and traps for any who unravel it. I ordered a tool that should help me get past them without destroying the book but it may take two or three actual days to reach me.¡± ¡°Oh. Is your sister that good?¡± ¡°Charcoal has a few hundred years on me. She knows things I¡¯ve never heard of.¡± I sighed. ¡°Since I need to wait anyway I may as well read the next section.¡± ¡°I read through that and frankly, some of it is inaccurate and some is outright lies. If you¡¯re willing to trust me I can give you a summary of the truthful parts. It¡¯s the least I can do since I¡¯m making you wait so long.¡± ¡°That does sound better than reading it by myself.¡± He sat down. Not wanting to feel awkward, I did the same. ¡°There is no map of the Realm Under the Hill because it is not a single world with a sun moving around a galaxy that is hurtling through an ever-growing space. It¡¯s more like a vast unending bath filled with bubbles of various sizes and shapes. Each of these bubbles is, for lack of a better definition a country. They vary in size from a few meters to several thousand Earths.¡± My eyes grew large imagining it. I remembered seeing a video where someone went into the desert and created a scale model of the solar system where the earth was the size of a marble. Seeing how far apart the planets were in comparison blew my mind. This speech was having the same effect. ¡°Wait. So are the bubbles worlds?¡± He raised a brow. ¡°I said they weren¡¯t.¡± ¡°Okay, then how do they function? Like a Dyson sphere?¡± ¡°How do you know what a Dyson sphere is?¡± ¡°My mom listens to a lot of SciFi books while taking me to school.¡± ¡°No, they function in different ways. One or two may act that way but a majority of the ones I¡¯ve seen are a bubble with horizontal layers. Some have a kind of sky with a light and dark source, and others are completely underground. But they almost all have layers. For instance, one could have a light source layer, gas layers, a ground layer, and several underground layers.¡± ¡°So like a spherical jar that someone has layered colored sand in?¡± He brought the tips of his fingers together. ¡°Perhaps ¡®bubble¡¯ gave the wrong impression. The countries in the realm have shapes more chaotic and nonsensical than the countries from your world. They also brush up against each other in odd and often inconvenient places. Where they touch it creates a doorway from one country into the other.¡± ¡°Wait, so where are we?¡± ¡°In-between life and death.¡± I rolled my eyes at him. ¡°You know what I¡¯m asking.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re in a very small bubble. It is basically these mines. And at the bottom is the entrance to Goraitheshselan. Because that country is so large, and these mines so small, this bubble falls under that kingdom¡¯s responsibility. It also connects with several other smaller countries.¡± ¡°So, if I wanted to, could I get from here to some other country that wasn¡¯t Goraitheshselan?¡± ¡°You could. That¡¯s likely how Engra comes and goes. If you knew your way around the local countries you could even find a different entrance or access to one of the light fae countries. But leaving would be the same as conceding defeat to Nenvari.¡± A sharp laugh escaped my lips. ¡°So, I can¡¯t even go on vacation. Not that I was going to.¡± ¡°You should also be wary of traveling. While the rules of magic stay the same within the realm, the rules of each country may vary significantly. In one country, wearing red will have you marked for murder, in another, eating any local food will trap you there forever.¡± ¡°Woah! First of all, scary. Secondly, I was told the whole food thing was a myth.¡± The corner of his lips turned up. ¡°Reapers tend to have more experience traveling the countries than your average mine dweller.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± ¡°It can be frightening but one of the overarching laws of the realm is that everyone who enters a new country must have a copy of the bubble¡¯s rules appear in front of them in a language they understand.¡± ¡°Wait, why didn¡¯t that happen to me?¡± ¡°It''s only between countries, not between realms.¡± ¡°That¡¯s stupid.¡± ¡°Do you want me to continue?¡± ¡°You just told me I¡¯m in a bubble country that might look weirder than a gerrymandered district and has rules I don¡¯t know about. I need some time to process all this. Preferably while mining.¡± ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll take you back now. But you shouldn¡¯t be too scared of breaking the rules here.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because this is one of the countries where the rules are built into living here.¡± ¡°So that means?¡± ¡°If you can do it, it¡¯s not against the rules.¡± Chapter 29 Part 1: Weapon With a Hint of Silver I appeared in the main cave and ran straight for Korren. With an excited grin plastered on my face, I shoved my inventory and weapon into her arms. ¡°I have four diamonds, plus a bunch of random keys and one jadinfray cave item.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll update your weapon and give you a recharge box. If you include your other keys I can afford to give you a good quality upgrade.¡± ¡°Please do!¡± She took out a purple crystal with silver veins running through it. It shimmered with energy. I cocked my head to the side. The crystal bucked wildly and shot into the bow, causing the weapon to shatter and reform itself. The mana infused metal crawled up and down the shadowy shaft like splintered lightning. After she placed the weapon back in my hands I peered at it from all directions. I touched the metal vein and felt subtle vibrations as if I touched that suspicious humming box I always walked past on my way to school. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It''s Superior Silver. This mine doesn¡¯t have any in it, but other places do.¡± ¡°Is it better than Cold Steel?¡± ¡°Not for killing fae but definitely for bows. Even a little will improve a bow greatly.¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± I partially turned towards Meeks, too excited to finish upgrading and test out my bow¡¯s power, but I stopped myself and look back. ¡°By the way, how many do I need to upgrade it next?¡± She half-smiled causing a dimple to appear on her cheek, ¡°Bring me 8 diamond keys and I¡¯ll upgrade your weapon charge from 13 to 12.¡± Since I was lucky last time when I found two in a row, 8 sounded like a lot. ¡°And after that?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Worry about that after you get your next upgrade.¡± I sighed and walked up to Meeks. His nose was inches away from the pages of a fuchsia book with the title, ¡°The Superior Swordsmith.¡± Except for the cover, that had a handsome elven smith embracing an elven warrior woman, it didn¡¯t sound like a romance novel at all. ¡°Hey, Meeks!¡± He startled and his face turned bright red. He shoved his book under the table. ¡°Aye, Miss?¡± ¡°I have enough ore to upgrade a couple times.¡± He smiled and waved me over. I handed him the tool. ¡°Ye have 4125 and at 1600 ye can get 2 upgrades bringing ye up to 244.¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± That meant that at the third level I could go through 81 blocks before my durability ran dry. That seemed like a lot, but I had noticed that the further down I traveled, the harder it was to find energy orbs. With my consent, he upgraded my tool. I waved goodbye and slinked over to the Armorer. ¡°Hi, Engra.¡± ¡°Hello, dear girl! Do you have them already?¡± ¡°Two of the cages blew up.¡± ¡°Oh no!¡± ¡°But I managed to collect two birds. Also, it¡¯s not like you didn¡¯t know that might happen, since, you know, you gave me that really quick warning.¡± She ignored my barb. ¡°Did you sustain injuries?¡± ¡°I did, but it¡¯s nothing compared with the pain of dying over and over again.¡± I stared into the distance, remembered, and shuddered. She patted my forearm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I rested my bow on my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll collect the rest as soon as possible.¡± She nodded. ¡°Thank you. And I¡¯m sorry my invention hurt you. I owe you and I won¡¯t forget that. I swear it.¡± Not sure how to respond I nodded and dove back into my mine.
Battle Miner Magus Kelly Knight Ore Worth: 925 Death Saving Crystals: 516 Keys: 0 Weapon Charge: 0/13 Weapon Range: 5 Weapon Damage: 3 Weapon Recharge Cubes: 17 Durability: 244/244 Armor Teleport Radius: 3 Armor Charges: 1/1 Mana Points: 3/3
Spells and Techniques known: Reaper Pen, Death Mind, Candlelight, and Minor Telekinesis
Current Tasks and Quests: Kill 4 Jadinfray: 1/4 Capture 8-10 birds using 12/16 cages: 2/8 Collect 8 Diamond Keys: 0/8 Jadinfray cave Items to be exchanged for Weapon Recharge Cubes: 0
Chapter 29 Part 2: Weapon With a Hint of Silver I dove for the third floor, the urge to try out my new bow egged me on. In 15 minutes I reached an area with vine blocks, which had to be some kind of personal record. A jadinfray hole appeared in my mind map and my pulse jumped to max speed. Now that I had a weapon this powerful I wanted to try to kill the monster without activating Death Mind, but I didn¡¯t know if my crazy plan to stay back and fire arrows would work. Since I¡¯d used my bow on several traps to get down there so fast it wasn¡¯t charged. I rammed through a few blocks until an arrow three times the width of my previous upgrade appeared. It had a small silver tip at the end. When I stopped three squares away the jadinfray¡¯s madness pressed down on my mind. A chuckle forced its way out of me. Fortunately, I was still in control. Several minutes passed as I waited but it didn¡¯t show itself. Somehow the monster knew I was too far away to be fully under its control. Just how intelligent were these creatures? Maybe it was instinct, or maybe they were semi-intelligent. Obviously, not so much that they knew to avoid my light boulder traps, but still intelligent enough to know I wasn¡¯t close enough. I grimaced. If I moved up by one I¡¯d have to use Death Mind, but if I didn¡¯t then I couldn¡¯t coax it out of its hole. But I was getting ahead of myself. First I¡¯d check that my upgraded weapon could kill it. As much as I trusted Korren I still needed to verify that it worked. Once I accomplished that then I¡¯d find a way to kill it without that technique. After touching thumb to ring finger I took a step forward and stilled. Slowly, the jadinfray¡¯s tentacles slithered out of the hole. When its body fully exited I let my arrow loose. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The blocks before me shook as a thick energy blasted from my square through 5 others. In my mind, a disbelieving screech rang and silenced. I released Death Mind and collected some weird music box from within the cave to exchange later. The idea struck me that the monster had to go off some kind of spatial instinct since it couldn¡¯t tell that I used a technique to bypass its hysteria. Then maybe... An even more crazy and idiotic idea came to mind. I didn¡¯t even think it would work but I had to try. I traveled deeper into the third floor and searched for another hole. It didn¡¯t take long before I found one. I stepped into the sweet spot where I didn¡¯t need a technique but was still under its influence. As a giggle left my lips I cast telekinesis on my bow and moved it into the next block. I waited, letting myself giggle, but not losing concentration. Just when I thought this idea was too stupid to work I saw its black tentacles testing the edge of the doorway like cautious fingers. I held my breath. The jadinfray glided out of the hole. I willed my arrow to release and, to my surprise, a white-hot blast of energy burst forth. Just before the light hit, the monster dove back into its cave. ¡°Tch.¡± Well, the execution was awful but the idea had a surprising amount of promise. I might even use it against Korren. And at that thought, I heard an enraged shriek from the doorway. The monster bulleted toward me. I barely had time to blink before my armor teleported me to safety, three vine blocks below. My hands shook. In my mind map, the monster sped through the cavern in all directions searching for me. It was obviously not satisfied. Huh. Maybe I could use its anger against it. I bulldozed through enough blocks to give me a recharge, while also collecting several more ore for my wallet. I then flew to the back of a hallway 5 blocks deep where I could attack from. The monster turned a corner. Its screech of anger sent a shiver down my spine. I let it swim after me for two blocks then I released my arrow. When the light engulfed it a scream entered my mind. All in all, my idea hadn¡¯t worked exactly as I¡¯d planned this time but it would the next. I¡¯d just have to wait for the monster to move forward by a block so it couldn¡¯t escape my blast. Chapter 30: Dumb Politics - Rougher Than Usual After I collected its item I decided to work on upgrading my armor. I flew towards the closest bird nest and took out a cage. It was not lost on me that I could use Telekinesis to move the cage from one block to the next, however, I could only use it to either move it or press the button. At this point, I didn¡¯t have enough mana to cast it twice. Nor did I know if I could keep two going at once. Since it seemed to work last time, I dropped the ball onto my foot until I heard the click. The world vibrated and a flash of light blinded me. Pain shot through my foot. I screamed and dropped to the vines. I curled in on myself and my injury and sucked in deep breaths to ease my pain. Soon my injury numbed like the last one had, but when I looked at it, I could only see charred raw meat again. At least this time it was my foot and not my hands. Obviously, I needed to think of a better way to handle these things. Perhaps I could throw it up in the air, try to use Telekinesis to activate it then, as long as it doesn¡¯t blow up in my face, I could toss it to the nest. Of course, my aim wasn¡¯t great. Or maybe... I flexed my arm and touched my puny bicep. Maybe, I just didn¡¯t have enough upper body strength. When I returned home I should start lifting weights. Naw. When I got through this I would go on a vacation, and just play games. That thought made me grimace. On second thought, no games. TV was good enough. So, if I couldn¡¯t toss it and press the button using telekinesis, then maybe I could hold it with that spell and press the button with my bow? I took one out, cast my spell on it, stood as far from it as possible and pressed the button. I closed my eyes as soon as I felt the click but nothing happened. I then willed it to float over to the birdcage. Before it could make it all the way there the cage activated. It attempted to create a cage partway around the nest then, when it wasn¡¯t able to fully enclose around it, the pieces turned black and fell to the vine floor. The birds didn¡¯t like this and flew in a circle to kill anything that tried to harm the nest. Some of them saw me and entered my block. Before they could use their beaks and talons to sever my flesh I bolted away. Fortunately, they didn¡¯t follow. My guess was that they refused to get too far from their home. I was on the right track here, but the execution was poor. I thought it over and wanted to slap my forehead. Once more, I took out a ball and cast telekinesis on it, but this time I had it a little closer to me. I took my bow and held it like an awkward bat. Since it was made of shadows, silver, and magic instead of wood, I figured it wouldn¡¯t get hurt if I used it like this. I then waited 30 seconds till my mana refilled and swung. The button depressed with a click and flew toward the birdnest. I noticed it veering off course and cast telekinesis on it again, but this time I only used it to fly it closer to the nest. The ball exploded and captured the birds. As soon as it reached my inventory I threw up my hands and whooped. Then I did a little dance while hovering in the air. Only wincing slightly when I accidentally used my injured foot. Three down, five or seven to go, with 9 cages left. I frowned. The next several better not explode on me or I¡¯ll be out a much-needed upgrade to my armor. *** I was able to kill another jadinfray and capture another two nests before I made it to the bottom of the third floor. When I saw the obvious room below I swallowed down my trepidation. Soon I¡¯d go down there and challenge Korren. It seemed like she would be the last boss before I reached Nenvari. I didn¡¯t know if that was true or not. I doubted Engra was a floor boss, considering that she came and went at will. The others just stayed in their same spots, not really moving or going much of anywhere. I guessed Korren did leave to get supplies that one time, but was she really completely gone from this bubble or just gone from where I was in this ¡®country?¡¯ Mr. Black said that this mine was small, but small was a relative term. Earth was small compared to the sun, after all. I did not break through to the next level. Instead, I made my way back up and mined as many boulders of copper as I could handle, bringing me up to 2150 coins before I trapped myself in between fallen light stones. ¡°Would you care to continue, Miss Knight?¡± The gray surrounded me and I placed my hand on my hip. ¡°Does a bird attack when it¡¯s nest is disturbed?¡± His lips curled into a smile. ¡°The ones in this mine certainly do. Are you ready to go now?¡± I shook my head. ¡°I think it¡¯s time I had another lesson. I¡¯ve wrapped my head around the bubble concept for now.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. He nodded and we sat down. ¡°There are many kingdoms that consider themselves Light Fae or Dark Fae. There are much more that don¡¯t consider themselves either, but those aren¡¯t important to you now. Probably not ever.¡± ¡°Yeah. let¡¯s skip over those and go straight to the kingdoms near me.¡± ¡°Very well. There are 3 kingdoms of Dark and 5 of light in the area near here. The largest and most furious with each other would be Goraitheshselan of the Dark and Seirei Vohinthaslan of the Light.¡± ¡°Vo what now? Sorry, what was that last one?¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°Pronounce it Say-Ray Vo-Hin-Thas-Lan.¡± ¡°What is with all these weird country names?¡± He sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t expect them to make sense to you. They make sense to the people who live there and that¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°What do they mean to the people who live there? If I know that I¡¯ll be able to remember then better.¡± ¡°Nice try, Miss Knight. If you hear what they mean you¡¯ll remember that and not the actual name.¡± I snorted and crossed my arms. ¡°If you have the names memorized the next I see you, I¡¯ll tell you what both mean.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± I said the new name in my head, over and over again. He waited for me and when I was sure I had it down I nodded at him. ¡°I¡¯ll start with the country you know, Goraitheshselan. It is a vast country spanning at least 3 Earths worth of land with many resources and people; however, too many wars in a short period of time has lowered the population and the resources to a fraction of what they once were.¡± ¡°Wait, wars with who?¡± ¡°A small skirmish here and there with the other Dark Fae countries and some of the 5 close Light Fae countries but mostly with Seirei Vohinthaslan.¡± ¡°Which is why you mentioned them.¡± He nodded. ¡°Precisely.¡± ¡°So, why are these countries all going to war?¡± ¡°For the most part, Greed or a difference of opinion, or resources or jealousy of their brethren. And sometimes to control their populace if they seem to be on the verge of revolt. You know, the same reasons your countries go to war, but the people at the top of these countries should know better, what with the youngest being three thousand years old.¡± I sighed. ¡°What about religion?¡± He smirked. ¡°It¡¯s not religion that forces people to go to war, it¡¯s the people who use their religion as an excuse for war that causes it. But to answer your question, the Fae do not believe in any religion. That¡¯s not to say there are not subsets within each country that believe in spirits, a god or gods. It¡¯s just that the ones at the top do not.¡± ¡°Okay, so what is the difference between Light and Dark? It isn¡¯t good versus evil is it?¡± He shook his head. ¡°No. It¡¯s not about morals or who is better at one thing or the other as much as the Light Fae pretend that is the case. It¡¯s actual literal light and dark.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The Dark countries do not have a light layer in their country bubble. Or it¡¯s so small that it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Are you saying the Dark countries are all underground and in darkness?¡± ¡°They have light sources throughout the ground but not an actual large usable layer of light. None, except for Goraitheshselan.¡± ¡°Wait. If they¡¯re considered dark, why do they have a bubble with a light layer?¡± ¡°Because it was originally a Light Fae country. Then some Dark Fae with superior weapons discovered it, massacred the few people who were there and took it for themselves.¡± ¡°That¡¯s messed up.¡± He just stared at me. ¡°Do you not know your own country¡¯s history?¡± ¡°Hey, I had nothing to do with any of that.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what the Dark Fae who were born in Goraitheshselan think, as well.¡± I sighed. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°Well, eventually other Light Fae Kingdoms found a way to travel to this country and when they discovered what had become of their unrelated brethren, they swore vengeance. But really, they just believed that a country that had once belonged to Light Fae should continue to belong to Light Fae. And thus, they have skirmished and had all-out wars off and on for millennia.¡± I rubbed my temples. ¡°Fae politics makes my head hurt.¡± ¡°Do you want me to stop here?¡± ¡°No, let¡¯s finish this.¡± He nodded and pulled out my book and opened it to a page with various portraits and names listed beside them. ¡°It¡¯s better if you look over this section about the royalty of Goraitheshselan yourself.¡± I rose a brow at him and he nodded for me to continue. In the book, King Zoichenrei, who I assumed was Nenvari¡¯s father looked like an older, less handsome version of Nenvari, with long pointed ears and bushy eyebrows. Oddly, he didn¡¯t look much older than his son and could easily be mistaken for his brother. Queen Fedreicio, was stunningly beautiful with very dark russet skin, pouty lips and a wry smile, but her eyes looked too calculating. Under her name, it mentioned that she was originally a princess from a different small Dark Fae kingdom called Braivou. When I reached ¡°Prince Walkornsi¡± I groaned. ¡°These names are seriously the worst. You don¡¯t expect me to remember any of them do you?¡± ¡°Just keep reading. If you¡¯re going to deal with Nenvari it¡¯s important to know who the people are around him.¡± Prince Walkornsi had tan skin, in between his father¡¯s and mother¡¯s and a little pudge on his face. He also had sad but bright blue eyes and looked only a little older than Matt. It listed him as third in line for the throne. Princess Gramalsa looked even more beautiful than her mother, with a genuine smile that reached her eyes and pointed ears that were a little too large for her face. If these fae aged in a similar way to humans then she was a few years older than me. She was listed as second in line to the throne. Lastly, my eyes rested upon the familiar and far too handsome face of Nenvari. He didn¡¯t look like the evil narcissistic child snatching thing he was. In the image, he had a gentle smile with dimples on both cheeks, a thin nose, and a strong jawline. I could tell that he was only the half-brother to the other two because his skin had no red-brown tones. He had the same blue eyes as the other two and his name was listed as first in line to the throne. I frowned. Odd, how they sent the heir to go protect the country by being the final boss of the mine, but I guessed he might have considered it an honor or something. I closed my book. ¡°What next?¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re ready? Wouldn¡¯t you prefer to go challenge the mine again?¡± ¡°Trying to get rid of me?¡± I smirked and he looked panicked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know you¡¯re not your sister. Anyway, I¡¯d like to finish this lesson once and for all. No putting it off just because it isn¡¯t filled with action and death.¡± He chuckled. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised how often history is filled with gruesome deaths and the vilest actions.¡± Chapter 31: The Monarchy of Seirei Vohinthaslan - Rougher Than Usual I snorted ¡°I doubt I¡¯d be surprised by that.¡± ¡°Is that a challenge?¡± ¡°Try me.¡± ¡°Then we should start with the history of Seirei Vohinthaslan.¡± ¡°I¡¯m literally almost dead from boredom.¡± He flicked my forehead. It didn¡¯t hurt much but I still said, ¡°Ow!¡± and rubbed it. He rolled his eyes. ¡°It is a vast country spanning at least 25 earths, and with thousands of smaller country bubbles under its control.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s so large why don¡¯t they call themselves an empire?¡± ¡°Because in the Realm Under the Hill, even this much is not enough to call a country an ¡®empire.¡¯¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Fortunately, we are not anywhere near an empire, so let¡¯s return to Seirei Vohinthaslan who has a long and sordid history. All of which, we¡¯ll skip...¡± ¡°What? I thought you wanted to surprise me?¡± ¡°... Until we get to the current era.¡± I glared. ¡°Where we find this massive country has issues controlling its populace. It also has issues controlling the Queen Ruler¡¯s massive amount of heirs and her hundred consorts.¡± ¡°Wait. So the Queen is the leader of the country. She has a bunch of husbands and tons of children? How does that even work?¡± He shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s been alive for well over 25,000 years and remains unaged.¡± ¡°No, I mean...¡± I trailed off as I realized how inappropriate that question was. ¡°Never mind. I don¡¯t want to know.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Probably for the best.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°So, within the past few hundred years, the heirs, who help rule the various sections of this massive country have been too harsh on the people under their rule which causes the people to nearly uprise and try to fight against their rulers. ¡°Usually these near uprisings are quelled by the swift death of those responsible for it, but when things get out of hand and the people look like they are about to revolt, the queen announces a way as a way to clear the excess.¡± ¡°What do you mean by excess?¡± ¡°Excess people, excess creatures, and excess unwanted heirs that cause more problems than they¡¯re worth. And what a more convenient target could there be than a Light Fae country in Dark Fae hands.¡± ¡°But, creating a war just to shut up her people sounds stupid. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to instead address what¡¯s wrong and fix it?¡± ¡°Oh, you sweet little human child.¡± ¡°Hey! I¡¯m not little and I¡¯m not a child.¡± ¡°These aren¡¯t the small representative democracies you¡¯re used to. These are massive monarchies that have many races, religions, monsters, and lands on a giant scale. As you are now you cannot comprehend its complexity.¡± ¡°I can comprehend it just fine.¡± ¡°Perhaps you could if you had enough time. But for one royal family to control all that for over 25,000 years? You cannot be prepared for the intelligence and manipulation chops that the queen of Seirei Vohinthaslan has had to have in order to stay in power that long and not get murdered by her children who, at this point, likely hope she dies soon without a reaper around to bring her back.¡± ¡°Okay. I admit that we don¡¯t have anything like that on my world. So what¡¯s next?¡± He brought out my book again and opened it to a different page. 5 large colored portraits and at least 200 small ones littered its surface. ¡°Read this.¡± I groaned. ¡°What? All of it?¡± ¡°You only have to memorize the top 3, but read all of the names and portraits.¡± I picked up the book. The first image was of a Light Fae woman with high cheekbones and thin lips in a regal pose. Her name was Queen Ruler Vasena and even though this was a flattering portrait her eyes looked hard and unyielding. Princess Yoishay was the first heir to the throne. She had had of siblings before her who had been murdered or killed in wars. Judging by how innocent and happy she looked I felt sorry for her. In her description, it listed her as beloved of the country¡¯s people. Consort Gaerm was first consort to Queen Vasena. He was not Yoishay¡¯s father, but he was her longest-lived husband. Though handsome in the way all these Fae were, he also looked like he could murder a couple of people if they looked at him poorly. I hadn¡¯t really compared the two families before, but I had to admit, that I liked this one less than Nenvari¡¯s and his people kidnaped my brother! After I had finished reading and studying the pictures of the Light Fae¡¯s children my head hurt and I decided that this was a good point to get some mining back in my life. ¡°I¡¯m ready to go back now.¡± He nodded. Chapter 32: Enough For Armor - Rougher Than Usual After all that reading it felt like I¡¯d been gone from the mine for a week. I quickly exchanged my 3 cave items for 3 weapon recharge cubes and my 4 jadinfray kills for one crystal. Phenic smirked. ¡°For your next crystal, I want you to kill 8 jadinfray.¡± ¡°That¡¯s twice as much!¡± He crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°Well, you now have an upgraded weapon. It¡¯ll be easier to kill them.¡± I grimaced and without resorting to rude gestures, I walked back to my mine for another run. During this run, I collected 1 diamond key, killed 2 jadinfray, and captured 4 more nests in the same way I had the previous run before dying by a vine trap again. I returned immediately, ignored the trio and went straight back into my mine. I just needed one more nest and I had three chances to get it. Hopefully, all three didn¡¯t blow up in my face. I flew down, collecting ore as I went until I reached the third floor. Since it was in my way, I killed another jadinfray using the same technique I¡¯d come up with earlier and collected another item. As I continued down, collecting another 500 coins worth of ore I thought I wouldn¡¯t find another nest. That somehow the gods of this mine were playing a joke on me and denying me the one thing I wanted. At least, until I saw one next to a crate of TNT and with a vine trap on the other side. There. That was the last one I needed. Since I didn¡¯t want to risk blowing myself up I traveled to the opposite side of the nest. I pulled out my cage and stared at it. This could be it. The last one I would ever use. I cast Minor Telekinesis on it and waited thirty seconds. When my mana had refilled I hit it with my bow. Light flashed, blinding me, my ears rang and I flew back several feet until I crashed into some vines. My nose filled with sulfur and burning. Underneath that strong scent, I could just make out the stench of rotten meat. Still blind, I could only feel the slithery vines wrap around my ankles and waist. My head swam but I struggled. A moist warmth touched my skin from what I assumed was the mouth of the trap. It jerked me forward. I screamed. Then I was safe in some other square. Even though I could not see, I could still visualize where I was on my mind map. There were many boulders and a Jadinfray cave nearby.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. I sat atop a boulder, feeling a slight warmth coming off it, which I figured was its light. After several minutes, my vision still hadn¡¯t returned. It wasn¡¯t even blurry, just gone. Fear shot down my spine. Had I destroyed my vision? My hand crept up to my face. I winced when I touched my raw skin. How long would this take to heal? It had to heal when I died right? Should I continue to mine and only rely on my mind map? My stomach twisted at the thought. Could I even use minor telekinesis if I couldn¡¯t see the object I wanted to move? Maybe if I started off holding it? I brought up my memorized spell diagram from the back of my mind and drew it over and over again just to make sure I still had a good grasp on the spell that had become such a vital part of my gaming strategy. I held my bow in both hands and cast Minor Telekinesis on it then released my bow. I could see it in mind, though my mind map had never been very detailed. I focused on pushing it away from me and up one block. I heard the slight crunch that told me I¡¯d mined through a block. My bow, in my map, appeared inside of the now empty block above me. My surprise broke my concentration and I felt a hard whack on the top of my head. Pain and dizziness briefly overwhelmed me. I crouched down and rubbed my injury. ¡°Geez! Thanks a lot, gravity.¡± When I was not about to fall on my butt I knelt awkwardly on the boulder and ran my hand around it to try and pick up my bow. After flailing around for ten minutes I finally found it and picked it up. I floated up to the center of the block. Curious, I threw my bow at the wall. I heard it hit something solid and slide down. My cheeks burned. For some reason, my bow worked for mining and firing when I used magic to move it but not when I didn¡¯t. I once again knelt and awkwardly picked up my bow. It was a good thing I was alone down there or I was sure I¡¯d be embarrassed enough to die. Once I had my bow in hand I realized that I only needed a few more casts before I earned my next mana point, and since I was blind anyway I cast minor Telekinesis on my bow and just focused for a good fifteen minutes before I saw my Satellite add another mana point to my Core. Next time I died I¡¯d have to learn the next spell, minor cleanliness. How that would be useful, I had no idea. By this time I was able to see blurry images. It wasn''t enough to actually see anything specific but I figured I could at least take another shot at the last giant bird cage. Especially considering that the worst case scenario was that it blew up in my face again. When I reached the appropriate block I grabbed my second to last cage and cast telekinesis on it. I rotated it in the air so its nebulous button appeared to face me. After taking in a nervous breath, and waiting for a little under 30 seconds for my mana to refill 3 points I slammed my bow onto the button. In my mind map, I watch the ball soar. When I saw it pass the cage and fly toward the TNT I cast Telekinesis on it again. With a mental yank, I forced it back to the right square, just before it exploded. The cage enveloped the nest and zoomed into my third inventory with the other nine. ¡°Whoop!¡± I did a little dance then lost my balance and crashed into a wall. That didn¡¯t matter because I was going to get my next armor upgrade! And after that, I¡¯d upgrade my weapon two more times so I could finally challenge Korren. Chapter 33: A Notebook and an Attribute - Rougher Than Usual When I cracked open another box, hoping for that elusive diamond key a spider jumped out and devoured me. I sent myself directly to the gray. ¡°Would you care to continue, Miss Knight?¡± ¡°Of course I would! I¡¯ve got armor to collect.¡± ¡°Right, but before you do, didn¡¯t you promise to recite the memorized names for me?¡± I groaned. ¡°I allowed you not recite them last time because you appeared to be in a hurry.¡± ¡°Okay, Let me think!¡± I put my hands to my temples like a certain lovable stuffed bear. After a second he said, ¡°Start with the country Nenvari comes from.¡± This one was easy since I¡¯d been exposed to the name so many times. ¡°Goraitheshselan.¡± ¡°Good, Now the major Light Fae kingdom.¡± This one was harder. I knew it sounded like Say, Rayvo, hint that land. ¡°Seirei Vohinthaslan.¡± ¡°Good, now the queen, first consort and heir of that country.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t in the deal.¡± ¡°I did ask you to memorize them.¡± It took a minute for me to remember what funny names I gave them but I managed it. ¡°Queen Ruler Vasena, Consort Gaerm and Princess Yoishay.¡± ¡°You did well.¡± I sighed. ¡°I do want to be a doctor. I can¡¯t be one if I can¡¯t memorize stupid scientific names which are about as awkward as these, though they tend to make more sense.¡± He chuckled. ¡°And what about¡ª¡± ¡°Enough. Tell me what the country names mean.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°Very well. Goraitheshselan is a combination of words that basically mean A Beautiful Darkened Land Under Light.¡± ¡°That¡¯s anticlimactic.¡± ¡°And Seirei Vohinthaslan is also a combination of words that mean essentially, The Celestial Land of Exquisite Loveliness and Strength of Spirit.¡± ¡°Oh. I can see how its actual name is easier to say than that.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t going to tell me what all those royal people¡¯s names mean, are you?¡± ¡°Do you want me to?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s get you back to the cave so you can claim your new armor.¡± That was when I remembered my mana point. ¡°Wait! I need to learn my next spell.¡± ¡°Very well then. Please take your time.¡± ¡°Will do!¡± I grinned. ¡°This is my fourth mana point.¡± He eyed me skeptically. ¡°Miss Knight, how many mana points did you start with.¡± ¡°One.¡± He coughed in obvious surprise. ¡°What? You said magi tend to start with lower mana than mages.¡± ¡°Yeah, 6 or 7. But you only had one?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you?¡± ¡°I would have remembered that.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ve already come to the conclusion that I am not the greatest magic user. I¡¯m fine with that. Now please hand over my book.¡± He took out my tome and placed it gently in my hands. I reviewed the simple spell, Minor Cleanliness. It was a little different from the others in that I had to think of what I wanted to remove from an area before I cast the spell. It didn¡¯t actually remove the dirt or what I considered dirt from an area, instead it gathered the individual components that made up the dirt and formed them into solid balls in the center of the cube. They would then either go into my inventory or fall depending on what I willed them to do. It was such a weird spell description. Its complexity made its cost understandable. It also came with a more complex spell diagram. I wrote it in the air with my finger. Two rounded triangles on top of each other but with no bottom, A backward C with quote marks on top, and a line that looked like two elongated parallel S with a circle on top. It was hard to memorize. I kept writing the symbols wrong because they were almost similar to letters I was familiar with. After watching me for several minutes Mr. Black took out a blank leather-bound notebook and handed it to me. I blinked. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°I have a lot of free time, so I sometimes write or draw. I generally keep extra notebooks on me.¡± ¡°I mean. Is this for me to have?¡± ¡°Think of it as an apology for my sister¡¯s behavior.¡± ¡°Thank you, but you don¡¯t have to apologize for her behavior. You¡¯re not her.¡± ¡°Still she¡¯s family.¡± My lips twisted into a wry smile and I nodded. I began writing the spell diagram using the reaper pen. He cleared his throat and I looked up. ¡°Also, If you use your own internal magic for the reaper pen, you can use it without me being present.¡± ¡°I can use my own magic for it?¡± ¡°Now that you¡¯re a magus, yes.¡± I started to use reaper pen but tried to use my own magic. Since I had no idea what to do I just automatically continued to grab the plentiful ambient death mana. He sighed. ¡°You need to grab the mana from your core, pull it out and convert it into death mana, then use that.¡± ¡°Oh. I thought I needed to cast a spell to access my mana.¡± He shook his head. I swallowed and tried moving the mana in my core. It slipped out of my mental fingers like water. I tried it one more time, but the same thing happened. ¡°You¡¯re doing it wrong.¡± ¡°You can see me?¡± ¡°I try to let others have their privacy so I cannot unless I strain myself to look. If I could have seen you earlier I would have known that you only started with one mana point. It¡¯s just obvious that you¡¯re having trouble from the look on your face.¡± ¡°You know what I¡¯m doing wrong then?¡± ¡°Since when has the pen magic ever needed that much mana?¡± I blinked. So I was grabbing too much? I pulled a few particles of condensed mana from my core and connected them together like a string. I pulled them to the finger I planned to write with and paused. ¡°How do I add an attribute to it?¡± ¡°For someone who hasn¡¯t died this part would be particularly difficult. But you know death. You know it intimately, how it feels. You¡¯ve used it as a weapon in your mind and as an ink to write with. You¡¯ve removed it from mana before. It is everywhere and nowhere. All you need to do is twist the mana so it catches the death within you.¡± It was strange. As he spoke I knew exactly what he meant, like it was so obvious I should have realized it before now. The only way I could describe it was that I twisted the mana until it reflected the many deaths I¡¯d experienced. Each of the condensed particles I infused with death expanded and I was then able to use it to write. The first thing I did was draw a bad cartoon of a grim reaper. Mr. Black¡¯s pale finger touched the sketch. ¡°May I have this?¡± I nodded and he pulled the page out of the notebook. He looked at it, an amused expression appearing on his face. I then continued to use the reaper pen to draw the spell diagram. After a while, I yawned and stretched. ¡°Since I¡¯m here, there is something I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Why does my bow work when I¡¯m using Telekinesis on it, but not when I just throw it?¡± ¡°Where does Mana come from?¡± ¡°The soul but¡ª¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± I raised a brow. ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever wondered why your pickaxe, bow, armor, and inventory always stay with you when you die?¡± ¡°I thought that was your special reaper magic.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I couldn¡¯t bring the items with you when you died, but doing that for one person is no big deal. Please keep in mind that I¡¯m the reaper for everyone in the mine area of this bubble country.¡± ¡°Wait, so if I hurt myself up in the main cave?¡± ¡°Since it is not part of my assignment there is a great chance I wouldn¡¯t be able to save you. But don¡¯t worry. It is highly unlikely anything can hurt you up there.¡± I nodded but still felt a hint of unease about the main cavern now. ¡°So,¡± I said, working through the previous part of what he said. ¡°These items are somehow connected to my soul?¡± He nodded. ¡°And since your mana is part of your soul and part of you, using it on them allows you to use them. It also explains why you have been so attached to your bow.¡± ¡°Huh? No, I just like my bow.¡± ¡°Most of the spurious bodies have several weapons within their tool that they can call forth at any time. You¡¯ve focused specifically on your bow because inside you feel like it''s part of you and that there is no need for another.¡± He was wrong. I just liked my bow, but I doubted that I could convince him. ¡°Anyways. I think I have this spell diagram down well enough. I think it¡¯s time I get back and claim my armor.¡± Chapter 34: Armor Upgrade - Rougher Than Usual I decided to deal with that which I could, namely Engra¡¯s birds. I grinned at the woman and waved her over. ¡°I have them!¡± Her body visibly relaxed and she trotted over. I dug into my pocket and pulled out the inventory with the cages and nests. Something else fell from the pocket and clattered to the ground. When I saw that it was my dragon egg inventory the blood drained from my face. I bent to pick it up but Engra was closer. As soon as her little fingers grasped the cube she stilled. Her hand went up and I felt the air around me still. It was like I went from being in a breezy lake to being inside a small vault. I also noticed the world around me was silent and slightly blurred. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°A privacy area. We need to talk and I doubt that you want the others in the mine to hear.¡± I crossed my arms, trying to alive my panic. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°I can see what you have planned,¡± she said. ¡°It won¡¯t work.¡± I licked my lips. ¡°What do you think I have planned?¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°You want to exchange these dragon eggs for a change to the challenge that exists between you and Prince Nenvari. You want his Kingdom to stop kidnapping the children on your world.¡± I narrowed my eyes at her. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. While you¡¯re off mining I do talk with the others, you know. They¡¯ve told me how you hope to defeat Nenvari and stop Goraitheshselan from taking more children. Now you show up with a clutch of eggs from one of the most rare and powerful types of dragons? I put two and two together.¡± I held out my hand for it. ¡°I¡¯m not giving them to you.¡± ¡°I can see that. And I¡¯m not going to take them.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not?¡± ¡°No. I told you before that I owe you. This warning and explanation is me paying you back for the pain you¡¯ve suffered because of me.¡± She sighed and looked at the cube longingly. ¡°I also do not have the ability or the resources to hatch and raise these metal dragons. But what I will do for you is give you the inventory I was going to use for the birds.¡± ¡°But I thought you needed it.¡± ¡°I have another.¡± She grinned. ¡°There is a saying we artificers have. ¡®Why make 1 with four times the materials when you can make two?¡¯¡± ¡°That actually doesn¡¯t make a lot of sense.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Obviously ignoring me, she pulled out a similar cube to the one I held in my hands and handed it over, then the inventory with the dragon eggs. Relief at having them back rushed through me. That was when I noticed the contents of the new inventory. Not only did it have two earrings in it that had similar names to my other armor pieces, it also had an outfit. I could finally change out of my old miner¡¯s cloths! The new wardrobe must have been my reward for getting the two extra nests. ¡°Use this new inventory to hold the eggs so you don¡¯t accidentally murder them, then hand me that empty inventory and the one with the birds.¡± I did as she asked with a light hearted grin. When she had safely pocketed the inventory, she pulled out the last cage. ¡°You should keep this. Who knows, it might come in handy.¡± I nodded and put it with the dragon eggs in their new home. ¡°Thank you, Engra.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, sweetheart. I know I can¡¯t stop you from your course of action, so I want you to be as safe as possible.¡± She smiled. ¡°If you are to succeed you need to keep your eye out for any other treasure like those eggs. Don¡¯t just blindly give them all to Korren in exchange for recharge cubes. While many of the items you bring may have her losing income the rare good one has her making back more than she¡¯d lost and then some.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that sound a little evil?¡± She shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s just how business works. Anyways, if you find enough amazing items, it¡¯s possible you could combine them and the dragon eggs to get your wish. It¡¯s still very unlikely, that you¡¯ll be able to convince the kingdom so don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡± I nodded. ¡°Thank you, Engra!¡± ¡°I¡¯m rooting for you!¡± She disappeared and I couldn¡¯t help but be thankful that it was her who found out and not one of the others. I took out the earrings which looked like long rectangle rubies dangling from cold steel chains. When I put them in my ears I felt safer and more protected. I willed the new outfit to supplant my old one. My heavy boots were replaced with soft leather dress shoes. My one piece denim miner¡¯s coveralls changed to a pair of comfortable black trousers and a forest green silk shirt. Instead of the orange miner¡¯s safety vest, I wore a long flowy duster that matched the deep red color of my armor. It had spell writing and intricate leaf designs throughout in coldsteel thread. Lastly, my archer¡¯s gloves were replaced by bracers that matched the duster. ¡°Ye look like a real magus now, Miss.¡± I grinned at Meeks. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°A set of clothes made by Engra on a battle miner, it¡¯s almost a waste,¡± Korren said. ¡°Hey.¡± She sighed. ¡°You have no idea what you have there.¡± ¡°I have a gift from a friend.¡± She tilted her head and stared at me in silence. ¡°You know, perhaps it¡¯s not a waste after all.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure why she changed her mind but I ignored her and turned in my item for a recharge cube. Despite what Engra said, I still believed those cubes would be invaluable. I waved goodbye and determined to not take a break until I had upgraded not only how many blocks I needed to go through to charge my weapon but also my range.
Battle Miner Magus Kelly Knight Ore Worth: 3250 Death Saving Crystals: 517 Keys: 1 diamond Weapon Charge: 0/13 Weapon Range: 5 Weapon Damage: 3 Weapon Recharge Cubes: 21 Durability: 244/244 Armor Teleport Radius: 4 Armor Charges:2/2 Mana Points:4/4
Spells and Techniques known: Reaper Pen, Death Mind, Candlelight, Minor Telekinesis and Minor Cleanliness
Current Tasks and Quests: Kill 8 Jadinfray: 3/8 Capture 8-10 birds using 1/16 cages: Complete! Collect 8 Diamond Keys: 1/8 Jadinfray cave items to be exchanged for Weapon Recharge Cubes: 0
Chapter 35: Something Different - Rougher Than Usual Many days earlier... Matt Knight didn¡¯t know how long they kept him in suspended animation. He knew that days had passed because the room¡¯s light had changed from bright to dark several times and he knew that too many figures entered and left the room like watching security footage on 50x speed. In his room, the walls were made of stone, there were windows high up, barely within his vision. They let in light but didn¡¯t show anything he¡¯d call sky. Three other humans stood in front of him frozen. Underneath each kid was some kind of sigil with a glowing green crystal atop it. When the light faded once more time returned to normal. His body still refused to move. A sickly but well-dressed creature with green pointed ears and a bald head waddled into the room on two twisted legs. Its intelligent black eyes scanned each of them. A shiver ran down Matt¡¯s back when its gaze landed on his. His vision blurred with wetness. Was this where Megan went? If it was he needed to find her. They needed to work together and find a way out! The creature began walking around and paused in front of each kid. Each time it stared into their eyes they nodded. Afterward, each one sucked in a deep breath and walked away. The girl stretched, the boy leaned against the corner and the teenager scanned the room, face stoic. The first kid, the only girl, was around his age. She¡¯d tied her curly hair in 2 cute poof balls. The second kid was short and chubby. He muttered in accented English. The third was a teenager with bleached platinum hair. He had sharp eyes and was around Kelly¡¯s age. The creature stepped up to Matt and straightened its gold-trimmed crimson coat. He stared into its eyes and its voice spoke in his head. :I¡¯m Virtanen. You are now a student in the Garden of 1000 Kindnesses. Unless another child defeats Prince Nenvari, there is no returning to your realm. Nod if you understand.: He didn¡¯t nod. How could he when he was already planning to escape with his friend? :So, Megan? Megan Goldberg? She¡¯s an excellent student. Perhaps you¡¯d like to hear from her?: His arms and torso felt likethey were in an invisible clamp. He thought :yes,: and his gut twisted. The creature left, closing the wooden door. He heard a lock click into place. It returned a few minutes later with a familiar girl behind him. She had black hair and stepped carefully as if not wanting to make any loud noises. Relief flooded Matt¡¯s small body. Virtanen stared at the girl and she peered back, somehow unafraid. She nodded and smiled at Matt who gulped.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not bad here.¡± He tried to speak but words wouldn¡¯t come out. ¡°They don¡¯t have me brainwashed or anything but, Matt, it¡¯s a magic school! We don¡¯t have to learn anything else, just magic!¡± He shook his head wanting to ask about their family and wanting to return to see them. ¡°Look, somebody is going to defeat that boss eventually so we may as well enjoy ourselves while we can.¡± He shook with disagreement and started breathing heavily. Matt had faced Nenvari already. He was impossible to defeat. Their only way out was to escape. The creature looked into Megan¡¯s eyes again. She nodded. ¡°There is no escape in the Garden. Only fun and magic. But, don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll see that soon enough. And then we can have so much fun together! All you have to do is nod.¡± Perhaps they could escape if he was free? He bit his tongue and nodded. His body was released from the invisible clamps. Suddenly, the creature jerked and the sound of a knife entering flesh repeatedly filled the room. Virtanen dropped and Matt saw the bleach-haired kid hold up a folding knife drenched in blue-black blood. For a brief moment, Matt froze in place, unable to move to save himself. ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s get out of here,¡± the kid said. Relief that he wasn¡¯t about to be murdered overwhelmed him. ¡°You just killed that thing!¡± The first girl screeched. The chubby kid started muttering in Spanish. Matt picked up the word ¡°loco.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked. ¡°Orin Son. You?¡± ¡°Matt and this is Megan.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done that,¡± she said. ¡°Nice to meet you, but we have to get out of here before more of these things arrive,¡± Orin said. Matt nodded. ¡°There¡¯s no point to this,¡± Megan said. ¡°There¡¯s no escape.¡± Everyone filed out of the room, ignoring her and into an enclosed hallway. It looked like it continued forever to either side. ¡°Which way?¡± ¡°To the right!¡± The girl with the poof-ball hair said. Not having any better ideas they jogged in that direction. After five minutes the girl whispered, ¡°Something¡¯s not right about this.¡± ¡°I agree. What¡¯s your name?¡± Orin said. ¡°Asia Brown.¡± Orin tapped the chubby kid¡¯s shoulder who jumped away and held up both hands. ¡°Don¡¯t, man. This is not a good place.¡± He held up his hands ¡°Fine. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Samuel Martinez.¡± Matt grabbed Megan¡¯s hand. ¡°Start looking around. We need to find an exit.¡± ¡°There is no exit,¡± Megan said. After twenty minutes of running, they still hadn¡¯t come to a good stopping point. ¡°Let¡¯s try one of these doors at least,¡± He said and pushed open a door. ¡°Wait!¡± Megan yelled, but it was too late. Behind the door stood Vertinan. He stared into their eyes and smiled with red sharp teeth. :Now that you¡¯re done playing such fun games please follow me. You have orientation soon with the others.: Orin stepped forward, knife in hand. With a gesture from the creature the steel crumpled into a ball and landed at his feet. ¡°It¡¯s useless to fight the teachers here,¡± Megan said. :Was that what you call fighting? It looked more like gentle joking around to me. Now, follow. We only have a little time left.: Without looking back, it turned and walked into another doorway. Matt started forward along with Megan and surprisingly Orin. Samuel grabbed Matt¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Yo, kid,¡± he said with a slight accent. ¡°Are you seriously going to follow that thing? It¡¯s creepy, man.¡± Matt peered after it, his stomach twisting. ¡°We don¡¯t know anything about this place. So, yeah, I am.¡± Chapter 36: Weakness - Rougher Than Usual I laughed when I faced Korren and handed her the 16th diamond key. It may have taken me a couple days but my range upgraded from 5 to 6. I¡¯d already upgraded my charge down to 12 and I¡¯d collected 6 more Death Saving Crystals. Since it took 8 jadinfray to equal 1 crystal, that also had me increase my Weapon Recharge Cube count to 69. I used my cleanliness spell to wipe the small amount of sweat and grossness from my face. Using it felt unsatisfying. I really missed showers. I¡¯d almost give up a weapons upgrade just to experience one again. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to reach the fourth floor!¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Phenic said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I bet you 1100 Death Saving Crystals that you can¡¯t defeat Korren without using one of my crystals.¡± My gaze darted to Korren who calmly watched us. ¡°And if I lose?¡± ¡°Give me your earrings.¡± ¡°You want me to give up part of my armor? No way.¡± ¡°Fine, then give me the clothes Engra gave you.¡± I narrowed my eyes at him. ¡°They¡¯re my clothes, what are you even going to use them for?¡± ¡°That¡¯s my own business.¡± He stared at me. Just as I was about to tell him no, because I didn¡¯t know what the fight with Korren entailed he added, ¡°After you go down there I won¡¯t be able to offer you this bet.¡± I looked down at my new clothes. I liked them. I liked that they came from a friend. But they were only clothes and Phenic was offering 1100 crystals. I swallowed. ¡°Okay. I accept.¡± He looked like a cat who¡¯d convinced its human to feed it early and I immediately regretted my impulsive decision. *** I reached the bottom of the third floor and broke into the boss room. Unsurprisingly, Korren stood in the center, a war hammer resting on her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± I said and floated down to her. The corner of her lips turned up. ¡°Indeed, Miss Knight.¡± She cleared her throat and adjusted her shirt sleeve with her freehand. ¡°I would be remiss if I did not try to talk you out of this battle.¡± I laughed without mirth. ¡°I¡¯ve already been through two of these conversations. Next, you¡¯re going to tell me that there¡¯s no way I can win against you and that I would save everybody time and effort if I would just give up and let Nenvari take me. Well, it¡¯s not happening.¡± ¡°No. I want to tell you... to explain to you that below our feet is a floor with creatures far more dangerous than you¡¯ve ever faced. If you do not stop now, if you choose to continue, there¡¯s a very real chance that you¡¯ll die. Actually die. And nothing will be able to bring you back.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. My first urge was to scoff, but truthfully, out of everyone I¡¯d met in the mines, Korren had been the most realistic and honest, even if she was wrong sometimes. She always told me, in her calm classy accent, exactly what she thought. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that even if I defeat you, if I¡¯m not careful I could still die on the next floor?¡± ¡°Yes. Please give up here. It will save you a lot of effort and may save your life.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I can¡¯t. I¡¯ve come too far to give up now.¡± She sighed. ¡°You¡¯re too predictable, Miss Knight. Don¡¯t expect me to go easy on you.¡± ¡°Good! If I can¡¯t defeat you here then I¡¯ll never defeat Nenvari.¡± ¡°While that is true you must keep in mind that, while you are battling to save your brother from a magic school that treats him well, I¡¯m fighting to save you from permanent death. If you were here like the others of your kind it wouldn¡¯t matter. But you¡¯re here in person. Your soul is here.¡± I tightened my grip. My bow felt cold against my skin. ¡°What are the rules? And don¡¯t be like Phenic and try to obfuscate the way I can defeat you.¡± She smirked. ¡°The rules are simple. Your goal is to hit me with a killing blow. Each time you do I will switch to a more powerful weapon. When you hit me the 6th time I will be out of weapons and you will win.¡± That actually sounded doable. Much easier than Meeks or Phenic. I narrowed my eyes. ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡± ¡°I will have 2 types of disposable weapons. I get five of each type. Also, and this is the most important part, you only get 5 chances to defeat me before you fail and get sent to the Garden of 1000 Kindnesses.¡± My mouth dropped open. ¡°But I had like 200 chances with Phenic and infinite with Meeks.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ll have only 3 with Prince Nenvari.¡± ¡°That just sounds unfair.¡± ¡°When has this game ever been fair to you?¡± I clenched my jaw. ¡°At least you¡¯ll get to go back to the main cave between losses but this will be the only floor you get to do that.¡± I nearly dropped to the floor in shock. ¡°Wait? I get to go back? That means that Phenic tricked me. That means I¡¯ll have to watch him gloat about how I¡¯ll lose our bet!¡± She sighed. ¡°Miss Knight, never wager when you are not positive you can achieve victory.¡± ¡°I¡¯m new at this. Where I come from we don¡¯t make bets on things. At least not until we turn 18.¡± She smiled down at me. ¡°One of your weaknesses is that you¡¯re too honest and you take everything at face value.¡± ¡°I was able to defeat Phenic using deception.¡± She shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean at all. And using deception one time and being successful does not make you a good deceiver.¡± I bit my lip. ¡°I never said I was. I know that people are deceptive. They lie all the time to themselves and others. And they cheat to get ahead. But I don¡¯t want to be like that. I¡¯ll use deception in a fight as a tactic if I have to, but I¡¯m not gonna live my life deceiving and tricking others. I also don¡¯t want to live in a world where I need to assume everyone is lying to me for their own gain. I don¡¯t have the time or energy for that.¡± She smiled at me. ¡°Engra was right, you are an adorable child.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a child.¡± ¡°Choose to live your life how you like, but be wary, because the worst people will tell you the truths or lies you want to hear, the ones you believe in, to deceive you for their own benefit.¡± I raised a brow at her. ¡°You don¡¯t need to lecture me about that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s one thing to know that, it is another to recognize it.¡± ¡°So, are you saying all this because you¡¯re planning on twisting the truth somehow?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m telling you this because it¡¯s something you¡¯ll need to know in the future.¡± ¡°Since when were you an oracle?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a logical deduction from the knowledge I know, so don¡¯t argue with me.¡± ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s start.¡± She nodded and two doors opened. Chapter 37: A Series of Weapons - Rougher Than Usual When I entered the green tinted boss room I immediately scanned my mind map. Vines covered the area below our feet. There were a few vine traps and light boulders but no jadinfray caves. Oddly, recharge orbs lined the edge of the room. I licked my lips and my heart sped. Despite the difficulty of this situation, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a thrill at the thought of another fight. Korren hefted her symbols covered war hammer. The weapon had a long golden shaft with a hammer and spike on its tip. I easily recognized the metal since I¡¯d mined so much of it, Shimmery Copper. ¡°You only have experience facing a sword, so you don¡¯t understand that the weapons we use are more a representation of power and energy, than what you understand as a weapon. Take my war hammer.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Around me, the sound of a familiar drumbeat ran. ¡°They were originally invented to be a way to damage armored enemies without needing to go through full plate. They were very effective.¡± The gong sounded and Korren grinned. A chill ran down my spine and I had the realization that her war hammer could probably bypass all the charges of my armor. I bolted down avoiding a boulder and vine trap. Korren followed. When I¡¯d gone 12 squares and Korren 6, her hammer started to glow. She hefted it above her head and swung it. The blocks in a half circle around her burned with energy. When the light dissipated the nearby vine traps and a boulder had disappeared. ¡°What? Did that thing just destroy a boulder?¡± I was so shocked I let her get three squares closer to me. I pulled on my bow, aimed at her and released. She vanished and reappeared with a sword. I flew down as fast as I could. Her voice echoed through the mine.¡°The sword was, of course, the first tool designed entirely for the purpose of killing another sentient creature.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°No, duh.¡± I collapsed a mass of boulders to force her to go around and continued my charge. ¡°With a sword, you can slash or stab your opponent. Parry or block.¡± I didn¡¯t need it but I collected an energy orb anyway. After traveling another couple blocks my bow recharged. I aimed my arrow at Korren but when she saw that she started traveling in a nonconforming zigzag pattern making it impossible to tell what square she was aiming for. Her sword glowed and she slashed. This sword worked differently from the one Meeks had. 4 blocks around her glowed with intense energy. She was still for long enough that I fired into the glow, hoping it would disappear before my arrow reached her. The glows canceled each other out. I sighed. Of course, they would. I burst through more blocks and recharged my weapon. I traveled around a couple traps and boulders. Korren closed in. When she was three squares away I thought I still had enough room so I didn¡¯t think anything of it until her sword began to glow and my vision changed. My armor had teleported me 3 squares away and lowered to 1 out of 2 charges. I swallowed and bolted down. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t give me a break. ¡°Watch yourself!¡± She tossed something that looked like a grenade. It traveled through vine blocks and landed 6 away from her. But having a grenade in a world like this was ridiculous. At least that was my thought up until I once again vanished and reappeared a few blocks away. ¡°That is one of my ten auxiliary weapons, Miss Knight. Do keep count.¡± I swallowed. This battle was not going well. With only my life left, I had to keep my distance from her. After taking a deep breath I bolted down until my weapon once again had a nocked arrow. I pulled back and waited for her. She zagged on her fourth square to me, but I had the range and I saw the move coming. I loosed my arrow and she vanished once more. When she reappeared 5 squares away grasping a familiar bow. ¡°You¡¯ve used this weapon for a long time now, but do you know what it¡¯s symbol is?¡± Too stressed to come up with a coherent answer I called back, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Rangers or something?¡± I sidestepped a TNT crate. She flew after me without stopping her lecture. ¡°The hunt. Forest dwellers who must hunt or starve, and warriors who march in sending volley after volley at enemy troops.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I swallowed and moved down one more block. My bow charged and I aimed at where I assumed Korren would land. When she was a square out of my range she stopped. In my mind map, I saw her pull back on her bow and aim. I dodged left but she hadn¡¯t been aiming at me. In my hubris, I¡¯d let myself become level with the bottom of the TNT crate from earlier, which I became aware of when terrible heat caressed my skin and familiar words whispered in my mind. You are about to die. Want me to save you? ¡°No.¡± Chapter 38: Loser’s Remorse - Rougher Than Usual The gray filled my vision. I dug my fingers into my hair, dislodging my tiara and slumped to the ground. The metal band clanged and spun down like a coin. ¡°Considering what you were up against and what you used for your weapons you did okay for your first try, Miss Knight.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like it. I mean, she has 6 weapons and I only reached the third. On top of all of that, I made a dumb bet with Phenic!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Seeing as he didn¡¯t know I explained the bet to him. He frowned. ¡°That sounds like an imbalanced wager.¡± ¡°Right? What kind of a person does that make me? Letting these clothes go to that sharp tooth fairy who won''t even be able to wear them?¡± The corner of his lips turned up. ¡°I don¡¯t think you know what the clothes represent.¡± ¡°They were a gift for getting 10 nests instead of only 8. And they look good on me.¡± Mr. Black sat down next to me and picked up my tiara. He handed it back. I shoved it on my head. ¡°Do you remember nothing of the etiquette book?¡± ¡°I remember everything about challenges and implying questions.¡± ¡°Re-read the part about giving and receiving gifts.¡± A sense of dread hit me like a sledgehammer and I immediately took out the thin blue book. My eyes darted over the words. I realized I wasn¡¯t actually reading them and started over. With each word, I read my horror morphed into a sharp stomachache.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. I snapped the book closed and sucked in a tempered breath. ¡°If I lose these clothes to Phenic it will mean that I¡¯ve thrown away my friendship with Engra. If I throw away my friendship with Engra I won¡¯t receive more armor upgrades. If, however, I win the bet with Phenic, Engra will be so tickled that I won with her gift on the line she might give me another gift in return.¡± ¡°Right.¡± I sighed. ¡°I wish I could take it back.¡± ¡°You could.¡± ¡°Yeah? How?¡± ¡°But by doing so it would be considered worse than losing. Engra probably wouldn¡¯t talk to you again.¡± ¡°Ugh! Why are people so complicated?¡± He didn¡¯t say anything, he didn¡¯t have to. I let out a deep depressing sigh. ¡°I¡¯m ready to go back.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± He never asked things like that. ¡°What? Is my book ready? Does it, like, have an awesome spell I can use against Korren?¡± ¡°Not quite yet. And I¡¯m pretty sure if the book had any spells like that Charcoal would have removed them.¡± I sneered at her name. ¡°What I wanted to ask is if you feel like you used everything in your arsenal to defeat Korren.¡± I thought about it for a second. When I realized what I didn¡¯t use I tapped my forehead with the edge of my palm. Like an idiot. ¡°No. I didn¡¯t use my weapon recharge cubes! I didn¡¯t use any of my spells! And I didn¡¯t use my environment effectively like Korren did.¡± ¡°There is no excuse for trying to hold back on using your items, anymore, not when you can collect more and not when Nenvari is a floor below this.¡± A chill ran down my spine as it hit me. This was the last battle before Nenvari. He was right I couldn¡¯t keep sandbagging. I couldn¡¯t keep making dumb mistakes. ¡°Also, do you really think you could you have even used your spells in that situation?¡± ¡°Now that I think about it, trying to use my weapon from afar like I did with the jadinfray wouldn¡¯t work because Korren would see what I was doing and act against me.¡± I sighed. ¡°Also, you¡¯ve never used your crystals or cubes." ¡°I¡¯ve been saving them for Nenvari. But I guess I don''t need to do that anymore. " I thought about the yellow cubes for a second. "They''re in my inventory but, unlike the crystals, they don¡¯t ask to be used.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing they need to be out of your inventory.¡± ¡°But if that¡¯s the case how do I carry them with me?¡± ¡°That is a question you need to answer for yourself. Fortunately, you¡¯ll have all of your time on the way back down to figure it out.¡± Chapter 39: Taking the Sand Out of the Bag - Rougher Than Usual I appeared in the main cave and walked up to Korren. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering something for a while now.¡± Her eyes studied mine. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°How do you all get back here so fast?¡± Her tense shoulders visibly relaxed. ¡°How do you know we even left in the first place?¡± I opened my mouth to ask about that confusing question when she moved on. ¡°So, have you decided to buy other weapons? I¡¯m sure I can offer you a good deal.¡± I was actually still happy with my bow but her words piqued my interest. Perhaps knowing what each of the other weapons did and how they worked would give me a leg up. ¡°What can I buy?¡± ¡°A war hammer for 40 diamond Keys, and a sword for 60 diamond keys.¡± ¡°What about an upgrade for my bow.¡± ¡°A single emerald key.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen those.¡± ¡°Nor will you. At least not until you defeat me.¡± ¡°You have 3 other weapons though right?¡± ¡°I do. But you can¡¯t afford them, even with 100 diamond keys.¡± ¡°Seriously? What about Emerald Keys?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Also, aren¡¯t diamonds more expensive than emeralds?¡± ¡°No in fact, good quality emeralds are far rarer than diamonds.¡± Apparently, I couldn''t afford any new weapon without taking several months just grinding diamonds. ¡°Fine. I guess I¡¯ll stick with what I have.¡± I walked over to a number 6 floor tile. ¡°I¡¯ll see you down there.¡± I dropped down and burrowed through several blocks before taking out a yellow Weapon Recharge Cube. It glowed like a lantern. Looks like your weapon isn¡¯t charged! Want me to charge it? The yellow cube twisted like a lemon jello cube. My book did mention that items that charged other magic items could often be semi-sentient. ¡°If I do, what happens to you?¡± It spun in a circle then made a loop in mid-air I fulfill my purpose and experience the bliss of non-existence. I jerked away from the cube, surprised that it actually responded to me. After clearing my throat delicately I continued. ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to use you now but I do later, but I don¡¯t know when later?¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Huh? ¡°I mean. I¡¯m going to fight against someone and I¡¯ll want a power-up at just the right moment but I don¡¯t want to waste you if I don¡¯t need to.¡± I see. So you want me to follow you and you¡¯ll use me when it¡¯s time? ¡°Yes!¡± And when is the time? Okay, not the easiest thing to talk to but I was making progress. ¡°When I say.¡± Okay! Unsure of what would happen to the floating cube I moved down a block. It followed as if connected to me by a seat belt. When do you say? When do you say? Is it now? How about now? ¡°Can you wait in my inventory and, I don¡¯t know, come out when I ask you to?¡± Nope! I can¡¯t leave your inventory. No, ma¡¯am! My head started to pound. ¡°Then what about you being quiet until I call on you?¡± Oh! I can do that. I can, I can, I can! I continued down in silence for several blocks and nearly collided with a mushroom trap when it said, Well, I can but the other¡¯s might not. I held my breath. I stared at a bulbous mushroom inches from my face. Slowly, I glided away from the edge and grabbed the yellow cube. ¡°Don¡¯t talk when while I¡¯m mining. I need literally all of my concentration.¡± Oooo. You¡¯re a miner. That¡¯s super yellow! ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll stop talking until I tell you I need to use you.¡± Okay! But how do I know you want me and not someone else? Oh! I have an idea. How about we do code phrases! Just say ¡®Yellow cubed alpha charge!¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m not saying that. Why would I say that?¡± But it did bring up a good point. If I had multiple cubes out I needed something I could say that would allow me to charge my bow without Korren knowing that was what I was doing. I took out a second cube that was just as yellow and jello-like as the other. Looks like your weapon isn¡¯t charged! Want me to charge it? A cube with a higher pitch said. I sighed. ¡°No.¡± Oooo. She said no! She said no! The higher one agreed. I almost wanted to not use them at all. Almost. But then I thought about losing to Phenic and seeing his smug grin in my head had me clenching my fist. ¡°Okay, enough you two.¡± Enough, she says! ¡°Stop! You!¡± I pointed at Lower Pitch. ¡°When I say Al, you charge my bow.¡± Okay! Oooo. You have a command! I want a command! ¡°Fine. You will be Doh.¡± Okay! I sighed. ¡°I mean, can¡¯t I just use one code word and then give you each a position? No! No way! We get too excited in the heat of the moment. Oooo! Yeah, we do! We forget numbers. ¡°Then why would you remember names? Names are way harder!¡± They spun in front of me for a moment. Hey Al, would you remember a number. I don¡¯t know, Doh, would you? Ogee. No, Al. I forget numbers all the time. Ooooo, yeah. Me too. ¡°Okay, just stop. I¡¯ll stick with names.¡± Or I could just use shortened Spanish numbers and Al. I grabbed my bow and stared down. Time to test them out. Chapter 40: A Versatile Weapon - Rougher Than Usual I made it to the third-floor gap again where Korren waited for me. ¡°Back so soon? I thought you¡¯d be gone at least a day licking your wounds or attempting to find enough diamonds to buy and sword or war hammer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with my bow, thanks.¡± ¡°I also see your little army of recharge cubes behind you.¡± She waved at them with a smile. The wiggled in reply. I¡¯d released 8 recharge cubes and given them the names Al, Doh, Tray, Qua, Sin, Say, Set, Ouch. That last one was supposed to be Oach but somehow Al managed to pull my hair as I named it. Are we ready? I think we¡¯re ready! Ogee. I hope we get used. Being used is the best! Ogee! A vein ticked in my forehead. Korren chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re not very good at controlling them are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good enough.¡± The doors to the boss room opened and I entered. The drumbeat started almost immediately and I positioned myself as far from Korren as I could. ¡°Having so many recharge cubes out might a nice crutch for you, but what do you think will happen to them when you die?¡± ¡°Huh? Wouldn¡¯t they returned to my inventory like my bow does?¡± ¡°Your bow and your inventory are soul-bound. Those recharge cubes are very much not bound to your soul.¡± I looked at my yellow spinning cubes. I¡¯d used two earlier to test them out and if I lost these 8 I¡¯d be down to 59. But if it aided in defeating Korren, and helped me to understand how they work, their loss was worth it. Not that I liked the idea. Using sentient things to charge my weapon made me uncomfortable, even knowing they were annoying magic boxes that wanted to be used. The gong crashed and I dove down. Here we go!If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Ogee. I focused on getting away from Korren as fast as I could. ¡°I told you to shut up while I¡¯m fighting. Ouch!¡± Yeah, you did. Oooo! Here I go! Yay! A yellow cube to my left spun and brightened, then it shot into my weapon. Koren erratically zigzagged through the vine tiles above me. She hefted her war hammer. It was one of her most dangerous weapons if she could get close enough to use it. I aimed at her and waited until she closed the distance. When I knew I had her I fired. She dissolved and reappeared a few blocks away, sword in hand. I bolted down and nearly ran into a vine trap before sidestepping it. My bow charged on its own. I turned to fire but her sword charged. An idea struck me. I waited until she came close enough then released my arrow. She swung and a row of squares around her lit with energy. My blast slammed into it, not hitting her at all. ¡°Set!¡± Oooo! here I go! My bow recharged. As soon as the blocks around Korren disappeared I loosed another arrow. She vanished and reappeared with a bow in hand and a smirk on her face. A chill ran down my spine. I couldn¡¯t let her get me again. At that thought, she tossed a metal egg at me. I bolted away from it. It landed where I had been and exploded. The heat of its blast licked my back. After running straight down for ten blocks a glowing arrow appeared nocked in my bow. I pulled back to fire but she was out of range, with her own arrow pulled back. If she was out of my range then I must be out of hers. She released and I had just enough forethought to dodge left before her energy blast hit my block. I bolted downward. I couldn¡¯t believe that her bow had a larger range than mine. Had I not noticed it last time because she killed me through a TNT blast? Wait. I stopped. Since she no longer had a charged weapon I could kill her without fearing her. My realization came too late as she¡¯d already started zigzagging. I kept a careful eye on her and attempted to move erratically myself. Oh gee, you¡¯re trying! The voice almost distracted me from noticing how close Korren was to a TNT box. Just before she fell within the range of the crate, I fired. It blew up taking her with it. Even from where I stood I could smell the blast and feel its heat. When she appeared on the map again she had a strange weapon. It looked like a small sickle on a huge chain connected to a heavy metal ball. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Kusarigama.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± I considered activating Say but decided to actually see this new weapon in action first. Worst case, she hit me and I teleported elsewhere. ¡°Kusarigama, also known as the chain-sickle. It seems like such an unusual weapon doesn¡¯t it? At least to you. And frankly, its range is nowhere near that of the bow. But it¡¯s very versatile.¡± I backed away from her and collected an energy orb to replenish my slowly depleting durability. She backed away too and became parallel with me, almost as if inviting me to kill her. Her weapon glowed and she spun the weighted end over her head. Chapter 41: Grenades, Mines and Pistols - Rougher Than Usual ¡°Say!¡± I yelled, charging my weapon. Ogee. It¡¯s my turn! Korren darted towards me and threw a grenade. I dodged down 4. The egg sailed toward where I had been and exploded. I aimed at Korren who had followed my downward fall to remain parallel to me. With the release of my grip, the arrow flew at her. She swung the weighted end of her weapon and threw it at the square in front of her. The block lit up just before my blast would have destroyed her. When both blasts disappeared she closed the distance. For a second I was too shocked to move and by the time I did it was too late. She fell upon me, slicing through my me with the sickle part of her weapon. I would have burned with energy but instead, I appeared 4 blocks away. ¡°What was that?¡± I called and dashed downward. ¡°Did you just use the weapon to block and then attack? That¡¯s so not fair!¡± ¡°Who said that battle is fair, Miss Knight?¡± She said while following after me. A flat grenade zoomed toward me. This time I had the forethought to cast telekinesis on it. It stopped blocks below me. Korren had a pretty awful aim. With a grin, I dropped it and moved up one, out of the grenade¡¯s 3 block radius. The device exploded and I once again teleported 4 farther down. With a scowl, I noticed that it had had a 5x5 block single direction blast.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Korren chuckled. ¡°That was a landmine.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to chuck landmines at people!¡± ¡°Says who?¡± ¡°You just aren''t. It totally has a direction!¡± I only had my life left which meant I had to at least get to the next weapon before I died. Unfortunately, Korren had a glowing chain-sickle. If I was going to kill her, it had to be with TNT or something she didn¡¯t expect. I moved down one and willed all but one of my recharge cubes back inside my inventory. She tossed another landmine at me. I cast telekinesis on it and used my magic to throw it back. It exploded. The ball weight on her kusarigama lit up the block in front of her before the blast reached her. Vibrations caused dust to fall off the vines and walls. Korren then darted toward me. I fell a few blocks until my bow recharged then released my shot in her face. She vanished and reappeared several blocks away with a pistol in her hand. I stared at it dumbfounded. ¡°Of course, you¡¯d be familiar with this, coming from your realm. It¡¯s a bit different than the other weapons, isn¡¯t it? It can go through most armor like nothing, and you can shoot round after round as long as you have them.¡± My mouth felt too dry. ¡°Sin!¡± Here I go! I pulled back on my charged bow. Korren loaded the pistol with some kind of giant shell that radiated energy and pointed it right at me. I loosed. She fired. Sound blasted my eardrums. As a wave of golden energy filled my block. You are about to die. Want me to save you? ¡°No.¡± The golden light shot through me. Pain stabbed through my mind. My world went dark. ¡°Would you care to continue?¡± I sighed. ¡°Yeah.¡± Chapter 42: It is THE Answer I appeared back in the main cave, heart racing and needing some answers. My feet carried me to Korren. ¡°What exactly was that? Why are there guns here?¡± Her lips contorted into a half-smirk. ¡°Miss Knight, with TNT in the mines did you honestly expect that we hadn¡¯t learned to weaponize explosives? Even if we hadn¡¯t, we could have learned from your world. Although, I¡¯m fairly certain some trickster spirit brought the concept of black powder over from our realm to yours, but that¡¯s beside the point.¡± ¡°How can I buy a pistol like yours?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± She sighed. ¡°Look, even if I could get you a pistol, you wouldn¡¯t be able to use it without the bullets, and those are impossible for me to give you.¡± ¡°Impossible? Really?¡± I said, voice dripping with every ounce of sarcasm I could inject into it. ¡°It¡¯s against the rules of the game.¡± ¡°Then how do you have them?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a floor protector, and the things I shelter the upper floors from are far more dangerous than you can comprehend.¡± ¡°I can comprehend more than you think.¡± ¡°Not like this. The things down there could terrorize the beasts that reside in your current nightmares.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s a good thing I don¡¯t sleep.¡± ¡°At least until you¡¯re forced to.¡± I hugged my bow and stared at her to see if she would back down. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to find out for myself when I defeat you.¡± ¡°For your sake, I sincerely hope you fail.¡± I stuck my tongue out at her and dropped into my mine. *** ¡°Again?¡± Korren said as I broke into the space between floors. ¡°Yes again.¡± ¡°Last time you arrived with alacrity.¡± ¡°I just grabbed a few more items to replace the charges I¡¯ve lost.¡± She nodded, and the doors opened. I floated into the entrance closest to me and pulled out 7 cubes, naming each the same as the last set. Ogee! Here we go! Oooo, yeah!Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Remember to stay silent while I fight, or I won¡¯t use you.¡± Did you hear that? Oooo yeah, I did! I sighed. The gong sounded, and I flew into the vines. ¡°Set!¡± Ooooo! Here I go! My weapon charged and I hit Korren before she could start zigzagging. She reappeared close, sword in hand, a smirk on her face. When she reached a block from me, she rose her sword high in the air as if to slash but then tossed a landmine. It exploded in a fiery blast. I appeared 4 blocks away filled with anger and 1 less charge on my armor. She could do that again, without giving me a chance to defend myself. I flew far enough away that my weapon charged. She dashed after and reached the point where she couldn¡¯t dodge my attack. Before I could release, she threw a grenade at me. I smirked and fired anyway. A blast of energy engulfed the metal egg causing it to blow up both itself and Korren. ¡°You¡¯re getting better at this,¡± she commented. ¡°This mine creates fast learners and quick thinkers.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t deny that. But even as fast as you are, you can¡¯t defeat me.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± I said. ¡°Sin!¡± Ooo yeah! An arrow appeared. She tossed a landmine at me. I cast telekinesis on it and threw it at her. Unfortunately, casting magic had distracted me enough for her to leave my line of sight, so it blew up without doing any damage. I ground my teeth and backed away. Korren kept far from the various TNT crates that littered my map. I also couldn¡¯t rely on her throwing another explosive anytime soon now that I knew the trick. An idea formed. I didn¡¯t like it, but it was the only reliable way of defeating her superior bow. She zigzagged until an arrow became nocked in her weapon. I flew under her and 7 blocks away, exactly within her range. She paused and pulled back. ¡°I¡¯ve got you now!¡± I cast telekinesis on my bow and flew down even as I moved my weapon up. But Korren had already released her missile. Just after her weapon¡¯s energy blasted my weapon, I released my charge. Energy consumed her, and she appeared several squares away with the kusarigama. ¡°Hah! Intriguing.¡± I grinned. ¡°I thought I¡¯d be too slow on that.¡± ¡°You were not. But you¡¯ll be too sluggish for this!¡± She bolted to the side. I was starting to recognize her zigzag pattern, but I wasn¡¯t good enough at it to risk losing a weapon charge cube. ¡°Qua!¡± My turn! The cube spun happily and flew into my bow. Korren lobbed a grenade at me, which I avoided then barely sidestepped a vine trap smelling of rotten meat. The dark elf hovered close to a TNT crate, but just out of its reach. Then I noticed that a vine trap rested above it with a light boulder on top. Light boulders made the explosions larger. I aimed for the trap and released. When my energy harmlessly missed her, she scoffed, right up until the TNT blast hit her in her smug elven face. ¡°Tray!¡± Once again my bow charged. She appeared but I didn¡¯t let her have the chance to use the kusarigama and blasted her immediately. I knew what was coming next and yelled ¡°Doh!¡± Korren armed her pistol and aimed it at me. With my bow recently charged I fired toward her but missed completely while destroying a vine trap that had been behind her. ¡°Tch.¡± I bolted down and collected an energy orb to recharge my durability. ¡°Oh, Miss Knight. Soon you¡¯ll understand just how pointless it is for you to progress further.¡± ¡°Other¡¯s have beaten you, so will I!¡± ¡°But the others had infinite chances.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± She tossed a grenade at me. I barely dodged its blast. Did she just say that to shock me? I rushed down several more blocks until my bow charged. Again She blasted the pistol. This time I noticed that it went out 3 blocks at the base and 5 blocks forward, making a long T shape. I could defeat the gun. It had less range than I had! Korren reloaded. I leveled out until we both floated on the same line of blocks. She charged forward. I backed up. When I willed my bow to fire, she flew up and blasted me. Just before the energy hit me, I reappeared 4 away from her with no more armor. ¡°Al!¡± She was so shocked by my closeness that I didn¡¯t even need to stop her from dodging. I shot, hitting her with a solid blast and she vanished. Eight blocks away from me, she appeared, a gentle smile on her face, at least that''s what it looked like in my mind map. In her arms, she carried a massive scythe that already glowed with a charge. It was even larger than the one Mr. Black had. She started floating toward me, vine blocks bursting in her wake. Just what exactly was the range on that thing? Would I even have the chance to hit her before it cut me down? And why did Korren have a reaper¡¯s weapon? Chapter 43: End of a Glorious Battle ¡°This is a battle scythe. Its origin is the original scythe that farmers used to harvest grain and cut grass.¡± I brought out another cube. ¡°Charge me up!¡± Oooo yeah! Korren cleared her throat. ¡°In your magicless realm, it is only useful as a farm implement. Here its usefulness as a weapon comes from its symbolism. The symbol of the harvest. And what is a war but the reaping of lives?¡± A chill ran down my spine. I had the urge to move toward her and cut her down but decided that if I did so without knowing what this weapon could do, I¡¯d likely lose. ¡°You¡¯ve done well so far, but this is where you die.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Unless you can outrun this.¡± I heard the smirk in her voice. She hefted the scythe and swung it in a complete circle. At first, its killing light reached 10 blocks straight up and 3 right. Then it began to move in a circle around her. As it moved, it became faster. I watched for a moment; open-mouthed as it decimated any trap and TNT crate within my mind map¡¯s view. I rushed down. The swooping energy scythe neared me. The air crackled with energy. As thescythe reached the bottom of its arc, I managed to fly a single block outside of its reach. A torrent of wind battered me. ¡°Good job! But it won¡¯t last,¡± she said. In my mind map, I noticed that her weapon was still charged and nearly ran into a vine trap. Korren laughed. ¡°Face it. You can¡¯t win.¡± I¡¯d have to find a way. Sure I had 2 more chances if I did end up back at the main cave, but that was the thing about chances, just because I could get here once, didn¡¯t mean I could easily repeat what I¡¯d done, especially since Korren now knew the tricks I would use against her. I had to treat this as my final opportunity. As I bolted farther down into the boss area, I pulled out another three recharge cubes and named them. Korren chased after me. As she closed in on the spot near a TNT box, I paused and aimed. Just before she reached it I fired. The box exploded, and a scythe of light appeared in front of Korren, protecting her from the blast. Great. It could shield too. When the light disappeared, I could see that her weapon still had power. ¡°Trey!¡± Oooo. Here I go!This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. An arrow appeared in my bow, and I pulled back. When Korren came closer, I released. She saw the missile coming and sidestepped it. I took in a deep breath and darted down passing traps and moving around badly placed boulders. ¡°Don¡¯t expect to win against me with that silly bow of yours.¡± This was ridiculous. I couldn¡¯t wait until I saw a chance, I had to make one for myself. ¡°Don¡¯t expect to win against me with that slow scythe!¡± I called back. My durability reached a dangerously low number, so I zoomed to the side to collect another energy orb and recharged my bow again in the process. Korren snorted. ¡°We¡¯ll see about slow. I was going easy on you before.¡± ¡°Hah! I could beat you blindfolded.¡± Instead of spinning, she slashed down in my direction, but I was already moving to the side and down. The energy blade appeared a block from me. Sweat ran down my brow at its closeness. ¡°Haa,¡± I said shakily and then continued stronger. ¡°Missed entirely.¡± ¡°Then tell me how you like these!¡± Like a master swordsman, she repeatedly swung her weapon causing energy scythe after energy scythe to form. With each one, I barely escaped with my life. Fortunately, I remembered my speed training with Phenic and flew down, faster and faster. Since she had to stop every time she attacked she couldn¡¯t keep up. There had to be something I could do even if she didn¡¯t run out of charges. Her saying I couldn¡¯t defeat her with my bow was obviously smack-talk, but it could also be a hint. She was focusing on short fast swings that created a single scythe that didn¡¯t destroy the field and, judging by how she always moved directly above me, on my position. Perhaps... I saw my target, the thing that had been the bane of my existence on the third floor. I used her too intense focus on me to guide her toward it. ¡°Eeeep!¡± Vines wrapped around her torso and legs. Was this going to work or did she have some way to get out of it? I watched her struggle in my mind map. Her scythe glowed as if she were about to use it against the trap but, as if it had sensed danger, one of the vines tore the weapon from her. She appeared 4 away from the man-eating vines, with her arms crossed in disappointment. My environment changed, and we stood next to each other in the long hallway between floors. ¡°Was that merely incredible fortune on your part?¡± ¡°A wild guess that happened to pan out. Let¡¯s just say me and those vines are old enemies.¡± She smiled then looked at me with seriousness. ¡°You can still give up, you know. Right here, right now.¡± ¡°I have to save my brother. I have to save those kids who got into this game without understanding the consequences.¡± ¡°Even if it means risking your life?¡± I opened my mouth to answer, but she held up a hand. ¡°I know you¡¯re young and youth tends to make your kind idiotic and brash so before you answer me, really think about it. When you go down there, you might die. No coming back, no entering your afterlife. What is down there will rip out your soul and devour it. Do you understand?¡± I didn¡¯t answer right away. Instead, I did as she asked and thought about what could happen to me. Were those strangers worth the risk? Was it even my responsibility? I looked down at my perfect uninjured hand at where a freckle rested on the top of my right knuckle. I found my answer. ¡°I may not be a hero or a soldier or some public servant. It may not be my job or responsibility to rescue those kids. It may not even be my responsibility to rescue Matt. But I¡¯ve come this far. I¡¯ve learned magic! And I¡¯ve even had my body changed to the point where I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m still human. ¡°Right now, as far as I know, I¡¯m the best chance these kids have to go home. How can I sit here and say that my life is worth more than theirs and just give up because I might die?¡± Korren swallowed and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. It was hard to breathe. ¡°You¡¯re such a good child. Don¡¯t you dare die down there.¡± I hugged her back. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡± She let me go and patted my head. ¡°What do you choose? Weapon upgrade? Pickaxe upgrade? Or information?¡± ¡°Information.¡± ¡°You sure, dear? You could know everything you need to know already. And you might find a special weapon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± She sighed. ¡°Well, I did try. This isn¡¯t going to be like the others.¡± ¡°What? No book?¡± ¡°No book.¡± One of the three chests behind Korren slid across the floor to rest in front of me. Carefully I knelt down and opened it. That was when the vision started. No, it was more than a vision. It was an experience with emotions, thoughts, sights, and smells. It was of my enemy. Chapter 44: Memories Prince Nenvari Esreth marched down one of the elegant palace corridors, this one trimmed with gold vines and studded with diamonds. Every now and then he¡¯d pass a statue, a painting or a mirror. One such mirror caught his attention as his countenance within it appeared flushed. On his forehead, a vein throbbed making his most regal face a study in anger. Like this, he couldn¡¯t confront his father and stepmother. He took several moments to hide his fury, and decided on how to best make an entrance. Using spells he created a massive cloud around himself and threw open the doors. He stepped through the cloud and fog billowed out in front of him as he paced to the center of the room and presented himself. A few of the queen¡¯s fairies-in-waiting fluttered off to the side. He sent them a discreet wink. The private council room was warm and scented lightly of persimmons. The white marble floors had recently been waxed. Several comfortable sitting pillows had been arranged with decadence in mind and a few of the more trusted courtiers lounged upon them. The only chairs were two crystal thrones where the king and queen sat. Apparently, his entrance bored them since his stepmother leaned in and whispered to his father. The king laughed and she ran a finger down his cheek. He kissed her gently. Nenvari could tell, by how his father didn¡¯t immediately stop and appear regal that she had him enthralled. How she¡¯d done it when the palace was on a constant vigil for any nefarious use of charm spells or other mind-altering magics, he had no notion. It took a moment longer than he preferred but he curved his lips into a polite smile as if he wasn¡¯t raging within. He clenched his fist but hid it behind a fold of his robes. When he opened his mouth to speak his father held up one finger. Further proof of enthrallment. Too fast that he almost didn¡¯t pick it up a sour scent wafted through the room and disappeared. No, he had only imagined it. The sight of his father kissing that woman made him want to regurgitate and could have easily accounted for the scent. Instead of a spell, despite how disgusting he thought it, they might share true love. King Zoichenrei finished the kiss then turned forward to face him. ¡°We shall activate Project Cold Steel. It is decided.¡± ¡°That project is an abomination that should be cast into a rancid ditch. Earlier this month, you agreed.¡± ¡°That is in the past, my son.¡± ¡°Shall I further convince you to desist with this inappropriate mission? If you give me enough time I believe I can.¡± His father sighed, probably at his use of questions. ¡°Other countries have created and succeeded with similar plans in the past.¡± ¡°Never to the extent Queen Fedreicio has requested! I cannot let our kingdom be responsible for thousands of¡ª¡± ¡°We need thousands of mages if we¡¯re to survive the next attack from the light fae.¡± Nenvari had a moment of doubt. But only a moment. ¡°Regardless, taking this many children from their homes who will not understand what will inevitably happen to them? It is fundamentally wrong.¡± Queen Fedreicio shot him a too concerned smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, son. The game I propose¡ª¡° ¡°Nothing you propose¡ª¡± King Zoichenrei tapped his nail against his armrest. A very quiet sound but it commanded attention from all around him, even Nenvari. ¡°You shall listen to your mother.¡± Nenvari clenched his teeth ever so slightly. She wasn¡¯t his mother. Fedreicio nodded to her husband and continued. ¡°The game I propose shall keep the children safe in their world. It will challenge their perceptions, intelligence and their ability to discern for themselves so only those with sufficient aptitude can reach the unbeatable last obstacle.¡± ¡°Nothing is unbeatable.¡± ¡°We have our ways to guarantee this.¡± Zoichenrei nodded happily. ¡°If we give them all infinite chances to defeat the game, it will allow us to send in an overpowered opponent for the final challenge.¡± ¡°And what in that statement makes stealing children and forcing them to fight for us sound like a moral thing to do?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not asking them to fight while they¡¯re children. We¡¯ll need to spend years training them. And human children grow fast.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°That does not change the facts.¡± Fedreicio scratched her black nails down her crystal armrest. ¡°Prince Nenvari, Fae have always enjoyed a changeling child every now and then.¡± Zoichenrei patted her hand. ¡°Let him be. He has a fondness for humans.¡± The queen¡¯s eyes darted to the king briefly, which was as much of an expression of shock as he¡¯d ever seen on the witch¡¯s face. She had good reason to be surprised since his father never hinted at Nenvari¡¯s human mother. ¡°You think you¡¯re correct because our kind has taken children in the past? Can you say even one thing that sounds like a fine idea?¡± His father glared at him. ¡°My spies have seen movement from the Light Fae leadership in Seirei Vohinthaslan. We have maybe 10 years before they attack us and start another war. And we¡¯re still recovering from the last conflict. If you have a solution that is better than Project Cold Steel, state it now.¡± ¡°Why can we not hire mercenaries from the kingdoms that we have alliances with and post them along our kingdom¡¯s entrances?¡± The king''s eyes sharpened. ¡°Hiring mercenaries will show our weakness to other kingdoms. We also lack sufficient funds to hire the forces we need.¡± The queen frowned. ¡°Even if 10 years pass we will still have inadequate coinage. But Project Cold Steel will solve both of these problems.¡± Nenvari stopped himself from narrowing his eyes at his stepmother and instead stared at the heavy emerald necklace that coiled around her long neck and rose a telling brow. ¡°It is curious how impressive coffers could be depleted in such a short amount of time.¡± Her eyes flashed with anger and her lips turned upward into a false smile. ¡°It has gone to rebuilding the nation.¡± His father cleared his throat, a warning to Nenvari if he¡¯d ever heard one. ¡°Son, the time for your daily training arrives.¡± He knew when he was being dismissed. ¡°I take my leave. But I ask that you reconsider or as the heir I shall call upon the Law of Optimal Design.¡± The queen sucked in a breath. ¡°To use your thousand year veto¡­ But they¡¯re only human. And we¡¯ll treat the children far better than what they receive within their world.¡± ¡°Only for a short amount of time. Then we¡¯d force them to repay our kindness with their lives. Can you truly not see how unacceptable this is?¡± The king frowned. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this further, later.¡± Nenvari bowed deeply to his father and barely to his stepmother before he left the room. *** Nenvari, now dressed in lightweight robes with minimal armor used his sword to bash through 10 wooden dummies. He cast magic to repair them, a spell similar to the one reapers used to bring people back from the dead, and used the magic spell Cleanliness to remove the sweat and dirt from his body. A long-legged messenger, dressed in red and gold livery scuttled up to him and handed over a letter with the queen¡¯s seal. He broke it, frowned at the message calling him to a meeting and nodded to the courier. It bowed and crawled away. He hadn¡¯t expected to meet her so soon, but he should have. By saying he would use his veto power, he had thrown her an ultimatum. *** Nenvari changed for the occasion into white robes that had magic flowing through them. They were half aesthetic and half a defense against charm based spells. At this point, he was certain the two merely doted on each other, but suspicion was what kept him alive this long, so he planned to heed it. Since these were private chambers and not a council room he nodded to the herald statue next to the door. It melted like liquid gold and flew into the room through the cracks. Five minutes later he still stood behind the door. This was an obvious ploy to show the Queen¡¯s power over him. He refused to let it affect him and instead used the time to decide his opening moves. The door swung inward and he strode into the middle of her receiving room as if he owned it. The queen sat in a comfortable chair and gestured for him to take the opposite seat. After scanning the room magically for traps he did so. ¡°Listen, son.¡± ¡°And when have I ever given you permission to call me that?¡± Hurt crossed over her eyes, a subtle manipulation. ¡°Very well.¡± The metal herald appeared by her side and whispered to her. She nodded and the door opened once more to a maid wheeling in a tea cart. The girl served them both tea, bowed and left. It smelled of suspicious herbs. He didn¡¯t dare touch it. With his lips turned up in a practiced smile that held a tinge of anger, he stared at her. She could have waited for the tea to arrive, but instead purposefully had it interrupt their conversation to keep him from getting too comfortable. She took a sip of her tea. ¡°We haven¡¯t always seen eye to eye, but we both want what¡¯s best for this country.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no secret that I adore my kingdom, and wish it the best. You, on the other hand, seem to keep your love well hidden.¡± ¡°You must understand, I too wish this country well. It is my home now, and the most beautiful place Under the Hill. That is why I think we can find some common ground if we talk out our issues here and now. If by the end of this conversation you don¡¯t agree with me I will drop the project and work towards finding some other way to save Goraitheshselan.¡± He stopped himself from narrowing his eyes at her offer. It smelled of schemes and ploys. ¡°And in return for this conversation loaded with obvious pinecone presents?¡± Her brow twitched. ¡°If you keep an open mind to the possibilities you may not even need to use your veto.¡± *** What must have been hours later, Nenvari returned to his almost bare chambers. He rubbed his temple. His head pulsed with pain but that was the side effect of the mind-blowing conversation he¡¯d had. How could he have been so wrong? Her exact phrasing was lost to him, but essentially she¡¯d pointed out that doing a wrong for the few was right if it helped the many. She also had received some disturbing news from her spies that the Light Fae might come a few years sooner than expected. If they did, Goraitheshselan needed those mages and soldiers to fight for them. The only way to do that would be to start training immediately. If he could turn back time by several years he would do so! He regretted it, but Project Cold Steel was their only way forward. To prove his commitment to it he¡¯d even agreed to become the game¡¯s last enemy. This also gave him the noble goal of being his nation¡¯s first line of defense if their foes found the way into the kingdom through the mine. He should have agreed to meet her much sooner. To think of all the time wasted! Chapter 45: Charit and Hertzor The day Kelly and Matt entered the Realm Under the Hill... ¡°What? Ya need me to go too, bro?¡± Charit Quee asked while wiggling to show disappointment. It followed its kin over to the communal area deep within their underground hive. Hertzor held two memory chests in its bulbous black tentacles and rested one of them on the scarred table in front of Charit before shrugging a limb. ¡°Yeah. We got a special commission.¡± Hertzor opened its own memory chest. After a few seconds, its body transformed into a human child, about 10 or 11 years old with sandy blond hair. Clothes were also in the chest, which Quaa shuffled into. ¡°Wasn¡¯t I going next week or somethin¡¯?¡± He, because it was a he now, scowled with his puffy human lips. ¡°Get over it.¡± His voice, deep and scratchy, did not match the child at all. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s a short-term job. We¡¯re supposed to kill off these kids soon.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I use this dub¡¯ to start my break?¡± ¡°What? You wanna to go for a holiday in these bods?¡± He spun. It shrugged. ¡°They grow.¡± ¡°Forget about it. We got two months max. Then we go to another money maker.¡± ¡°Fine. But you better give me the higher quality of the two bods.¡± ¡°Just open it already.¡± Charit turned one coal colored tentacle into smaller digits and opened the box. Memories poured into its mind of a life very foreign to it. The human girl, Kelly Knight, lived an utterly unadventurous life. She¡¯d focused most of her energies on soccer, friends, and studying to go to someplace called Harvard. The strange goober didn''t even have thoughts about romance, for herself, which led to her not getting a lot of the naughty references her friends would say. Her parents, on the other hand, doted on her and thought she could do no wrong. The only odd thing, other than her being a human who lacked a sense of romance, was how obsessive the girl could become.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Charit twisted its formless body to match the teenager¡¯s then colored every inch based on the diagram embedded within the memories. Clothes sat at the bottom of the chest so she, because Charit now shared Kelly¡¯s gender, put them on one awkward limb at a time. She looked at Hertz-Matt and grinned. ¡°Hey, I got an idea.¡± Her voice sounded more like it belonged to a frog than Kelly. ¡°Since we¡¯re only gonna be here for a couple of calendar pages, how about we have a little fun?¡± ¡°Fun?¡± ¡°Make our dub¡¯s loathed like a nasty stench in a small room.¡± On his face, which slowly melted like a hot candle, a wide smile grew. ¡°Now, that¡¯s not a bad idea. Usually, we got to play nice, but this is a fast mission so who gives a squat?¡± *** Char-Kelly and Hertz-Matt appeared in the kitchen in the exact place where their originals had disappeared. It smelled of burnt plastic and the lemony scent of used magic. Char-Kelly immediately ran over to a cupboard and started tossing boxes of old cereal and unused cans to the kitchen floor. Some of the bites flew out of the boxes and scattered. ¡°What you doin¡¯?¡± Hertz-Matt asked. ¡°Lookin¡¯ for booze, duh.¡± He snorted. ¡°What? In this house? Ain¡¯t this family dry or somethin¡¯?¡± She opened a cabinet and found some expensive looking china. A menacing chuckle passed her lips. ¡°Huh? Is it? I guess we can save booze for celebratin¡¯. Let¡¯s start with some vandalism and then cause some real damage.¡± She grabbed a plate and tossed it onto the tile. It shattered into three large pieces, one of which flew at Matt. The boy backed up a few steps. ¡°Woah! Careful.¡± ¡°Careful,¡± she copied sarcastically. With a smirk, she grabbed a teacup and threw it at his head. It shattered on impact. A line of blood poured from the wound. ¡°It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t seal up some minor injuries.¡± With narrowed eyes, he touched his hand to his forehead and scowled. A contemplative expression crossed his face. ¡°Heh. Now there¡¯s an idea.¡± A frying pan rested on the gas stove. He slapped its handle causing it to spin off the grill and caught it. After swinging it a couple of times in midair he ran over and bashed Char-Kelly in the temple. The sound of bones cracking and pain ran through her senses, causing her world to spin. ¡°Hey, that hurt!¡± ¡°So did that cup!¡± ¡°As if.¡± She grabbed a stack of plates. He crouched low to attack again. Using her long stride, she closed the distance and aimed the dishes at his forehead. Keys dropped. A strangled gasp echoed through the kitchen, one that came from neither of the doppelganger siblings. Chapter 46: Ruminating on an Abhorrence I blinked away the vision of Nenvari and felt like throwing up. That person had been so determined to do the right thing and find a different way, but one super long conversation and a Star Trek-esque phrase and the man just gave up? I¡¯d never respected him, and now that I know he has a reason for kidnapping children, I still don¡¯t respect him. People shouldn¡¯t do bad things because it¡¯s convenient or because it¡¯s not illegal. Also, I really wanted to punch him in his too pretty face. Maybe it was just my bias, but people shouldn¡¯t look that good. Briefly, I considered that he¡¯d been charmed somehow, but he¡¯d made precautions against it. Also, he hated his stepmother, so him believing that she would do such a thing in his obviously over paranoid mind made sense. From what I¡¯d seen, though, Queen Fedreicio was a woman in love who just wanted to help her new country. Sure she was doing the wrong thing, but to that woman¡¯s limited perspective it was obviously the correct thing to do, even if it was awful. That didn¡¯t mean that I wouldn¡¯t stab her if I could. It irked me that I didn¡¯t get to hear the conversation between them, but I figured that the important part was its result, not the contents.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. At least now I knew what was happening. The kids they kidnapped were being trained as mages so they could fight for Goraitheshselan when they were adults, or, if the queen was correct, in just a few years. This also let me see how off-base I was with the dragon eggs. While I¡¯m sure they could help, they were nothing compared with the safety of an entire nation the size of several Earths. I just needed something equal to that. I slumped. A hand rested on my shoulder and I jumped. When I turned Korren stood behind me with a look of sympathy on her face. ¡°You must realize now how ridiculous it is to fight against people that powerful. If you want to, you can give up.¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, Korren. Now more than ever I understand how much I have to fight, and I¡¯ll keep searching for a way to do so. Maybe I¡¯ll find something in the caves.¡± She looked at me with sympathy and regret. I took up my bow and smiled weakly. ¡°Hey, before I go, is there any way you can recharge my armor? It looks like it¡¯s still zero out of two.¡± ¡°I apologize but, I cannot. The game recharges your items or removes charges when you come into a boss room, but besides that, there is no reset.¡± I snapped my fingers. ¡°I knew it was a long shot.¡± With a quick wave goodbye, I dove into the fourth and final floor of my mine. Chapter 47: Schooled Magic Matt Knight and the others found themselves in a large ornate room covered in thick red carpet with five desks, one for each of them. Three of the walls were covered in carved wood panels with hints of gold-leaf trimming. The last wall, the one they¡¯d face when they sat down, stood out because of its blank greenness. :Take a seat. The teacher will be here momentarily,: Virtanen said. ¡°Should I leave with you?¡± Megan asked. :Stay with your friend,: he replied, including Matt on the response. :You will be ahead of them by a few weeks but it is necessary for his mental wellbeing.: Megan nodded and sat down. Matt took his lead from her and slid into the cushy chair. Asia and Samuel sat together leaving one spot open on the other side of Matt. He noticed Orin eye the chair. ¡°You all don¡¯t trust these creatures, right?¡± ¡°They¡¯re not so bad,¡± Megan said. ¡°And they¡¯re teaching us magic. Real magic!¡± Orin shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to learn magic. I want to go back.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Matt said, though he did kind of want to learn magic too. ¡°But what choice do we have? At least this way, if we learn, we might be able to use it to escape somehow.¡± ¡°Dude. What happens if learning it forces us to stay here? What if it means we can¡¯t leave?¡± ¡°Of course we can leave. If not then why have a rule saying that, whoever beats Nenvari can rescue us?¡± He visibly relaxed. ¡°Okay. You have a point, but I still don¡¯t trust this place.¡± ¡°What I want to know, Mr. white hair guy,¡± Samuel said, ¡°is why your first impulse was to stab that thing.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Asia said. ¡°That was too violent. Are you in a gang or something?¡± ¡°Or something,¡± Orin said. We waited for a second but he didn''t elaborate. ¡°Yo,¡± Samuel said to Asia. ¡°I think this guy is yakuza.¡± He scowled at Samuel and dropped into his chair. ¡°Dude. I¡¯m like half Korean. Yakuza are Japanese.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to stab any of us are you?¡± Matt asked, a little worried now that everyone pointed out the danger of having someone around who didn¡¯t hesitate to murder sentient beings. ¡°Look, as far as I¡¯m concerned, we¡¯re all in this together. So, let¡¯s work on breaking out.¡± Everyone nodded, even Megan, but he still felt an undercurrent of fear for the violent teen.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. A beautiful elven woman stepped into the room from out of nowhere. She had long wavy hair and happy brown eyes. Matt felt himself relax in her presence, but he noticed that Orin had dug his finger into his palm and sat up straighter. What a seriously weird guy. ¡°Hello, and welcome to the school within the Garden of a Thousand Kindnesses. Here, aside from a requirement that you go to your few magic classes each day, you can do what you want as long as the garden allows it.¡± Her voice sounded the way staring at a magnificent waterfall felt. She tapped the blank wall and her name appeared written on it. ¡°I¡¯m Professor Zornitsa and I¡¯ll be teaching you beginning magic. The first step is to gather, compress and purify your magic into a Core. So I¡¯m going to go around and place my hand on each of your backs. Is there anyone who would like to go first?¡± Matt¡¯s eyes went wide. Samuel, who looked smitten rose his hand. ¡°Yo, professor, you can put your hands on me first.¡± She sent him a blinding smile and walked behind him. Her thin hand pressed against his back and she closed her eyes. Samuel¡¯s eyes grew huge and sweat appeared on his brow. ¡°Woah.¡± It didn¡¯t take longer than 5 minutes but when it was finished he looked drained. ¡°You did very well, Mr. Martinez. I can tell that you have at least 9 whole points of magic. That¡¯s a little lower than average but nothing terrible.¡± He frowned. ¡°Magic,¡± she said and moved to Asia who flinched. ¡°Comes from the soul, and replenishes from the soul.¡± The girl clenched her fists and closed her eyes in pain. Even the professor¡¯s soothing voice didn¡¯t make her ease. After 5 more minutes, the girl relaxed. ¡°It appears as if you have 11 points of magic! That¡¯s slightly above average. Very good!¡± Asia did not look very good, she looked like someone had just shoved a raw yellow potato down her throat. Matt felt a hand touch his back. He tensed and dread nearly overwhelmed him, until he heard the calming voice. ¡°Magic is everywhere. Including within your body, even though you come from a world without magic. What do you think this tells you about yourselves?¡± Megan raised her hand and then said, ¡°It says that we might not even be originally from our realm.¡± ¡°That is one theory, Ms. Goldberg.¡± A sucking sensation pulled at the center of his body. Small particles of something tore from their positions and crammed into a ball. A jolt of low-intensity pain ran through every part of his body. It compressed down into a hot flash. Sweat poured down his back and forehead. Then it stopped and he saw the magic Core within himself. ¡°Wow! You have at least 17 points of magic, Mr. Knight. That¡¯s impressive. This is by far the most potential I¡¯ve ever seen in any human.¡± She muttered something under her breath and stepped over to Orin. The teen stood from his chair and backed away from the professor while waving his hands in front of him. ¡°I don¡¯t need to learn magic. I¡¯m good. Can¡¯t I do something else?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what the deal was, Mr. Son. You lost, and so you must learn magic here.¡± Her form vanished from her position next to Matt and reappeared behind Orin with her hand on his back. He let out a scream and dropped to one knee. She frowned. ¡°I see. You¡¯re almost an adult. How old are you exactly, Mr. Son? 15? 16?¡± He stood. ¡°I¡¯m 17. I turn 18 in a few months.¡± ¡°Not quite an adult for your culture and yet not still a child. No wonder it pains you so much.¡± He swallowed and turned to face her. ¡°If I can¡¯t learn magic, just send me home.¡± ¡°Oh, you can still learn. You¡¯re barely within the window. But to make it easier on your body, how about you do it yourself?¡± His eyes narrowed. She placed her hand on his shoulder. ¡°You see this?¡± He nodded. ¡°This is what a life infused magic particle looks like. Remember this.¡± A book appeared in her hands and she shoved it into his chest. ¡°You have 48 hours to create a Core, Lake, and Satellite following the instructions in this book. If you do not have it created by then I will do what I did to the others with you. And I¡¯m afraid it will hurt you very much.¡± He stared at the book, hands shaking, and nodded. ¡°Now. I believe this is enough for today. Please follow the heralds to your chambers.¡± She gestured to a door that suddenly appeared with golden statues of men in uniform on either side. The statues came to life and bowed. The heralds walked out of the doors as if they were made of liquid metal, and the uncertain group followed. Chapter 48: If You Can’t Take the Heat When I dropped into the floor I expected crystal blocks similar to what I saw when Matt fought Nenvari; instead, the first thing I noticed, other than the intense lung searing heat, was that I was surrounded by blocks of pure magma. I tried to swallow. Saliva dried on my tongue. There was, without a doubt, no way I could continue down without something... Then I remembered the useless Personal Weather spell and flew up and back into the floor protector¡¯s space. My body instantly cooled down to a reasonable temperature. ¡°Back so soon?¡± Korren teased. ¡°As if you don¡¯t already know how impossible it would be for someone to mine down there without magic.¡± I pulled out my book and frowned. The spell needed 5 points to cast initially, but I only had 4. Granted, all my Telekinesis use over the past two days had made it, so I¡¯d nearly reached my 5th point, but I still had about 5 percent to go. I focused on my bow and cast Telekinesis on it. It floated away from me a few blocks. ¡°It¡¯s not impossible,¡± she said. ¡°Miners who reach the fourth floor purchase a device that blocks heat.¡± I eyed her. ¡°And how much does something like that usually cost?¡± ¡°You¡¯d have to ask Merchant Meeks.¡± I shook my head. ¡°For now I¡¯ll stick with magic. I need to up my mana points anyway. I¡¯m still not even halfway to what normal people start with. Probably not even to what most magi start with.¡± She tapped her chin. ¡°I have a theory about that.¡± My gaze focused in on her and my bow clattered to the floor. ¡°You could be naturally ungifted.¡± I sighed. ¡°Or, when Prince Nenvari turned you from a normal human into a human with a spurious body, he may have used your innate magic to do so, leaving you with only a fraction of your original magic.¡± ¡°But if he did that, wouldn¡¯t it have built back up over time?¡± ¡°No, because spurious bodies require a constant stream of magic to stay stable. I also don¡¯t think that he did exactly that to you.¡± ¡°Then what did he do?¡± She paused. ¡°I¡¯m no mage or magic expert, but knowing the few things I do, I believe he used part of your magic and part diffuse magic to remake your body.¡± I cast Telekinesis on my bow again and floated it back over to me. It just figured that Nenvari would steal most of my magic for his own purposes. ¡°That might explain it.¡± ¡°It would make more sense that he¡¯d use only the magic in your body to make a self-contained system, but that is unlikely since the amount of mana you would have needed to produce before whatever he did would be staggering.¡± ¡°Thank you for telling me your theory. Unfortunately, it doesn''t help me right now." She frowned. ¡°I suppose it doesn¡¯t.¡± I concentrated on my spell and Korren watched me. After just under ten solid minutes of holding my bow aloft, my Satellite once more expanded my core by one point. ¡°Woot!¡± I immediately opened my book to the Personal Weather spell description. It was similar to Telekinesis in that it required a learned spell description and concentration to keep it up, but it was different in that it needed me to will it to be a certain temperature/ wetness/ dryness and shading. It was literally my own Personal Weather. If I wanted to, I could even make it always snow around my body. Then I could wear blue and go around carrying a gun while calling myself Ms. Freeze. Not that I would.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. I took out my book and journal and started copying the more complex spell diagram. It looked like a circle under three parallel squiggly lines, next to a backward e with quotation marks next to it. To the right of all of that, I drew a line that looked like a dragon. I used the revised Reaper Pen to copy it over and over again. After a while, Korren spoke up. ¡°That is a dangerous magic, Ms. Knight.¡± ¡°What? Personal Weather?¡± ¡°No. The other.¡± I stilled, realizing she meant the Reaper Pen. ¡°Huh? Why? I mean it can¡¯t hurt anything or anybody.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Sometimes just knowing something can prove dangerous. So do yourself a favor, and avoid using it if you can.¡± ¡°But like this it¡¯s safe.¡± She disappeared, apparently getting bored with me already. When I was satisfied that I¡¯d memorized Personal Weather and had gone over the other spells, I cast it so I would be just a little cooler than I usually preferred. I flew into the fourth floor once again. This time the magma blocks around me didn¡¯t cook me from the inside out. Logically, I could use Personal Weather and Telekinesis at the same time. Of course, if I didn¡¯t time it correctly I¡¯d end up roasting myself for 30 seconds while I waited for my mana to return. I studied the layout in my mind map. Below me sat an obsidian boulder, the same kind used in the final boss level. To my right, I had three magma blocks, a clear area and then a freaky snake thing that had coiled itself around a chest. Well, it wasn¡¯t fully a snake since its upper body appeared to be some kind of fishman if said fish had been the kind that preferred magma to water. It held a lantern and a bell with its webbed hands. To my left, I had several blocks and then a boulder of Cold Steel. I grinned. Finally, I¡¯d get to see what this metal looked like in its raw form. Quickly, I dug through the blocks and reached this new ore. Like the previous ones, it was huge, taking up a whole block. At its size, I bet that it could make over 100,000 swords. Like my armor, it glowed with rainbow-tinged magic, but it also felt cold, even with my Personal Weather up. It was so magically icy that it caused the edges of the magma blocks around it to turn black. When I collected it, I gasped and my mind froze in shock. 600 coins for one! If that was the case, then just what kind of dangers down here did I have to face to make the cost worth it? At the edge of my map, I saw a ruby scorpion crawl inside a cage. Suddenly, a translucent elf in a white dress floated up through solid blocks of magma and obsidian balls. She stopped near the creature waiting for it to come closer, then she screamed. The scorpion broke into a million tiny versions of itself and fled. The ghost, for that was what it had to be, laughed and continued floating toward me. Maybe it was a good ghost that I could reason with? Korren¡¯s reminder that things down here could literally kill me, ran through my mind. Best not to tempt fate. I flew back the other way and decided to take the chest from the fishman-snake. Maybe I could lure it away somehow and crush it under a boulder? Or, I could find a boulder above it, roll it over and crush it that way. If I ran through 7 more blocks, I could charge my bow then kill it as long as my bow didn¡¯t need an upgrade, which it probably did. With a sigh, I decided to try to lure it to under a nearby obsidian stone. I approached the fishman-snake. When I stopped 3 blocks away, it paused in its slithering. It coiled around the box and peered at me with its beady black eyes. With a fluid motion, it rang the bell. The sound was beautiful and pure. I stepped closer. This time there two rings vibrated through me. Wetness ran down my lips, and I hesitated. When I touched my finger to the moist area, it came away red with my blood. That was a warning if I¡¯d ever seen one. I swallowed. I had to approach it again to see if my way of luring it was indeed viable. Besides, if I needed to I¡¯d use a Life Saving Crystal. When I stepped one block away, the creature lifted the bell. You are about to die. Want me to save you? ¡°What? I don¡¯t even get to see what it does?¡± The crystal didn¡¯t respond like the Weapon Recharge Cubes would have. ¡°If I explain how it¡¯s surrounded by glowing magma and doesn¡¯t need a lantern, you think it will be lenient with me?¡± Still no response. I sighed. ¡°What happens if I say ¡®no?¡¯ Will I get sent to the space between life and death again?¡± Yes. I stared at the monster. It was probably going to kill me with sound. That had to be easier than everything else I¡¯d suffered through. Right? ¡°Then, no.¡± Time resumed. The bell rang. Pins stabbed my ears; pressure crushed my temples and my limbs locked in place. Then it crashed again. Just where was that crowbar tearing apart my skull? And just how did the world get so wiggly? A third boom. Waves of sound beat at my skin, but it was my soul that ripped out of my body. I was weightless. For a brief moment, the gaze of hundreds of hungry inhuman apparitions eyed me as if I were the first meal they had seen in centuries. Just as I thought they would pounce I appeared within the grey. Chapter 49: Open Book I shook with adrenaline and fear. ¡°Okay, that was way worse than I thought it would be.¡± My vision of the gray world blurred and wetness caressed my face. I wiped my cheek and stared at the tear I didn¡¯t recall expelling. My lips twisted into a scowl and I glared at it. Sure that was scary, but it didn¡¯t require waterworks. ¡°Did you learn anything from that death?¡± ¡°Yeah, kill everything on the fourth floor with great prejudice. Great, great, great prejudice!¡± He chuckled and patted my head. I stared up at Mr. Black. ¡°By the way, why does Korren have a scythe?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a strange question. Is there some reason why she can¡¯t have one?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t scythes reaper weapons?¡± ¡°Reapers use scythes, but others can use them as well, though not to the same effect.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°May I please see your book? I have a way to take apart those pages.¡± I handed him the weighty tome, and he pulled out a clamp-like gadget. He made the book float in midair and turned to the stuck pages. He placed those pages in the device then spun a lever. Once they were secure, he flicked a switch. The clamp opened, causing the pages to separate a little. Once again slippery words exited Mr. Black¡¯s lips. He jammed his hands between the pages and pulled out colorful threads. His ebony robe moved with a hurricane force wind that didn¡¯t touch me at all. His hands blurred as unwound the threads. For an hour I had no idea what he was doing, but I was too fascinated to turn away. Finally, he pulled one last long multicolored thread. It vanished. He pushed up on the switch and unclamped the pages. The book floated down to me and I grasped it with both hands. ¡°Okay, that was totally cool.¡± I flipped through the unstuck pages. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It was the least I could to make up for Charcoal¡¯s vandalism. So, what spells did she keep you from learning?¡± ¡°Minor teleportation, Minor Swap, Flameless Light, Minor Shock, Minor Area Shock, and Minor Haste! These are really useful spells!¡± ¡°That would explain why she kept them from you.¡± ¡°If these are this useful then what must the ones she tore out be like?¡± ¡°Knowing her? They would probably break the challenge in your favor.¡± I sat down and swallowed. ¡°The problem with all of these spells is that they cost between 6-15 mana points. And their diagrams get way more complex. I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯ll be able to memorize these.¡± I opened the book to Minor Swap. The diagram looked as complex as a page of kanji.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°You¡¯ve learned your spells one at a time. Perhaps you should keep doing that?¡± ¡°Yeah, maybe.¡± I pulled out my notebook and began copying the spell, Flameless Light.
Flameless Light Cost: 6 Range: 10 Blocks Description: Creates a floating ball of light within range that can either stay still or float alongside you. This light lasts up to 10 minutes.
Its spell diagram was only slightly more complicated than Personal Weather, but that slight complication made it ten times harder to memorize. I kept getting the curve wrong on one of the squiggles and misplacing an upsidedown y. After a half hour of copying, I slammed my forehead into the notebook. ¡°Ugh! I need a break. I need to fight things and find emerald keys to upgrade my weapon, so I can kill whatever is on the fourth floor.¡± ¡°Then, follow me.¡± *** I appeared back in the main cave. ¡°That didn¡¯t take very long,¡± Korren pointed out. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t have any armor charges left, and I tried to take a chest.¡± I searched the eyes of the cave¡¯s occupants waiting for them to say something. ¡°Of course, then the monster hit me with its bell.¡± Phenic snorted. ¡°It¡¯s called a slinfi. And walking up to it as you did is the worst idea possible.¡± ¡°I know that now!¡± I blew a lock of hair out of my eyes. ¡°And why does it have a lantern when light surrounds it?¡± ¡°To keep the wraiths away,¡± Korren said. ¡°That ghost thing?¡± She nodded. ¡°So, if I kill it can I steal its lantern?¡± Phenic rolled his eyes. ¡°Of course not. The lantern is soul bound to it.¡± ¡°What, seriously?¡± ¡°The bell, on the other hand, will drop from the slinfi. And I¡¯ll give you a crystal for every bell you bring me.¡± ¡°Speaking of crystals," I said. "Didn¡¯t we have a bet about how I would totally defeat Korren without using a one? I distinctly remember owning that bet.¡± I motioned for him to hand over my winnings. His cheeks flushed with color. ¡°Fine!¡± He tossed me an inventory cube that had 1102 crystals in it. ¡°Woot!¡± I did a ridiculous little dance. ¡°The other two are for the jadinfray you killed.¡± With a grin, I transferred them over and tossed the used inventory back. I turned to Meeks who looked up from his fuchsia book with a raised brow. ¡°I have 244 so on the fourth floor I can go 61 blocks before needing an energy orb. Unless I see otherwise, I think my pickaxe is fine.¡± ¡°If you say so, Miss.¡± He casually flipped a page and continued reading. I swallowed and cleared my throat. ¡°How many upgrades can I get for 5050?¡± He set his novel down. ¡°3 leaving you with 250 coins. And after that, it will cost 3600 per upgrade. But instead of the 4 points, ye have been gettin¡¯ ye¡¯ll only get 2.¡± ¡°3600 for 2? That¡¯s an insane markup!¡± ¡°Yes Miss, But here¡¯s the thing. Yer tool is starting to approach the maximum durability a pickaxe can have.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s the point in mining ore then if I¡¯m so close to my max durability?¡± ¡°Yer not there just yet. And there are other things ye can purchase.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Both of his brows rose. ¡°What? You think it was a mistake that I have candles, mining clothes, and gear?¡± ¡°Oh, right. So, what do you have?¡± He smiled. ¡°Many varied things. Even devices that make walking through the magma mines a breeze, but let me ask ye this. What is yer goal?¡± ¡°To defeat that ¡ª¡± I stopped myself from saying a nasty description, ¡°Nenvari.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m tellin¡¯ ye this honestly, focus on getting as many upgrades for your durability that ye can. Because yer not at the end yet, and even though 61 blocks seems like a lot, in theory, it isn¡¯t. Not when yer runnin¡¯ for yer life.¡± I nodded. He took my coins and my bow. Three crystals shot into it changing my durability from 244 to 256. When we had finished, I walked to my mine and called, ¡°Hey, Korren!¡± ¡°Yes, Miss Knight?¡± ¡°Get a weapon upgrade prepared because I¡¯m going to come back here with an emerald key!¡± Chapter 50: A Death Saving Crystal On the fourth floor, I knocked out a block from under a box and darted to the side as it fell. From the rubble, a giant scaled ruby scorpion crawled out. It scuttled after me, and since it appeared to be affected by gravity, I flew up several squares until my bow charged. Its tail attempted to strike my feet. ¡°Ha! You can¡¯t get me!¡± Just when I was about to leave, it vibrated. Soon its scales burst out into a million tiny scorpions. The strong scent of saffron filled the immediate area. A chill ran down my spine as they swarmed up the walls toward me. ¡°Eep!¡± After flying several more squares, I fired. About half of the scorpions fell from the wall dead. I backed up until I was directly under an obsidian boulder. I sidestepped. The rock plummeted, crushing them like the bugs they were. A ruby flew into my inventory from its corpse. Okay, that was unexpected, but at least I escaped it. Of course, knowing this mine, if it attacked me in either form I¡¯d die in excruciating pain. Another shudder ran through me just thinking about all those horrible bugs crawling all over me. On my mind map, I noticed another box, but this one was too close to one of those weird slinfi. Since it wasn¡¯t worth the risk, I started back down and came close to the middle of the mine. A ghost appeared at the corner of my map but so did a box. I figured that as long as I avoided the ghost I¡¯d be fine so I carefully floated to where the box was. When I shattered the magma under it, the container broke into pieces. An energy orb appeared. With a sigh, I collected it. I must have triggered something because once my durability was 256/256, the wraith charged toward me. I flew back, mining through several blocks until I hit a boulder. I flew under it and waited. The wraith neared me, passing through solid magma as if it wasn¡¯t there. Even with Personal Weather up sweat ran down my forehead and into my eyes. I blinked. It flew forward, ethereal claw-like hands aiming for my neck. I backed up letting the boulder fall. The boulder did nothing to the ghost. When it¡¯s grotesque screaming face neared mine I expected to teleport. Everything stilled. You are about to die. Want me to save you? But I had an armor charge left! And there were plenty of places for me to teleport to! How did it kill me?The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Maybe she was able to ignore my armor? That did make some sense since the monster wasn¡¯t physical. ¡°If I said, ¡®no,¡¯ would I go back to the space between life and death?¡± No. ¡°What?¡± No, you would not go into the space between life and death. This creature is attempting to possess you. And if it does, you will die, and your soul will take its place here. There will be no saving you. I swallowed. ¡°Then yeah. Please save me.¡± Very well. For a moment, time rewound, until the monster was further away. All of the squares around me in a 3 block radius became encased in sandalwood scented glass. I placed my hand on the new material. It felt cool, but not frozen. It also thrummed with a hint of used magic. The glass hadn¡¯t replaced what was in the blocks so I could see the wraith, another boulder to my bottom right, and many still burning cubes of magma, but they were trapped within the substance. I¡¯d seen this before. Phenic used this at the end of our battle. I¡¯d always wondered what had happened there. My hand tightened on my bow, and I traveled into one of the glass blocks. It shattered. Curious I tried to go into the glass area that had an obsidian boulder inside of it. It too shattered like it was nothing. Awesome! No wonder Phenic had such disdain for armor if this was what he used all the time. It occurred to me that I¡¯d need to learn to use this in battle. I¡¯d have to try and get close to Nenvari every time I died so I could take his life. I broke out of my glass surroundings and continued to mine downward, searching for more boxes. One appeared at the corner of my map, but it also had a fishman-snake near it. My first urge was to continue past, but then my bow charged. After I stepped close enough to be within range, I fired upon it. Instead of destroying or just not doing anything to it, the monster fell off the chest and wobbled around for about a minute. If it was susceptible to my bow, even a little bit then I might be able to distract it enough to get the box. Maybe I could even risk taking a look at that chest! After using a recharge cube, I traveled down until the box was between us. I fired at the creature. Energy burst from my weapon. I bolted forward without hesitation. When I passed through where the box had been I collected my first emerald key! As the creature struggled to slither up and attack me, I opened the chest¡¯s lid. A giant golem the height of a whole block stepped out. His Red-light eyes locked on me. He moved a massive stone foot and turned to face the fishman-snake. The golem then picked the slinfi up by its scaly neck. It struggled, so the rock man grabbed its bell and threw it to the magma floor. The hand that held the creature¡¯s throat squeezed. Stifled screeches reverberated out. Chills ran down my back. I almost wanted to save it, but then I remembered how it threw my soul out of my body. The slinfi went limp and disappeared. The golem had no mouth but I still heard his monotone speech as he said, ¡°Traveler from the realm beyond, you released me.¡± I cleared my throat. Sure, the golem stated the obvious, but he could kill me with his bare hands so who was I to tell him to stop? ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°I have no way to repay you right now, and more of my kind may be held prisoner within these chests. Please release them and if you ever find your way out of this accursed mine, the Golems of Atrebesh will repay you.¡± No treasure; no, ¡°we¡¯ll fight for you;¡± and no, ¡°hey, let me help you;¡± just a promise to repay me at a future date. But I also felt sympathy for them. If I didn¡¯t succeed then, my fate wouldn''t be much different from their own. I sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can.¡± I held out my hand. ¡°Kelly Knight.¡± ¡°Barerock Golem.¡± Amazingly, his huge stone hand gently encircled mine, and we shook. He bowed, causing bits of rubble to run off his large frame and then he disappeared. Not A Chapter This is not a chapter, I just don¡¯t have any other way to let you guys know. I am super sick. Other authors might be able to edit and post stuff when they are going back and forth between their throne and shivering in their bed but I am not one of them. I hate to do it but for today, possibly tomorrow, and Saturday I won¡¯t be able to post anything. I¡¯m also taking the 24th and 25th off. This means no posts for a possible 5 days. To make up for it I¡¯ll extend my one post everyday until the whole book is up here.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Thank you for your gracious understanding, - Rochester Chapter 51: Horrors of the Fourth I picked up the bell, turning its silver body this way and that. No ring or jangle echoed from it, likely from its lack of a clapper. So, how did it make the sound? Maybe if I¡­ I pulled my mana into the bell. It started to get very cold. Was it working? I swung the instrument. Silence surrounded me. Burning cold pierced my gloves. As pain hit my fingers, I dropped it onto a magma block. A cube of ice appeared around it. I waited, but after several minutes it still hadn¡¯t melted. Right. Don¡¯t mess with weird weapons I don¡¯t understand. Sighing, I put the bell in my inventory. I continued down, collecting the rare orb of Cold Steel and butchering a couple scorpions with obsidian boulders. A group of steel appeared on my map, and I flew towards it. When I stepped into an empty block that was slightly shadier than the one next to it I found myself teleported several blocks away. ¡°What the?¡± I focused inward on the square in my mind map. It was darker than the area around it! Wait. Wasn¡¯t Matt killed by a dark trap when he fought Nenvari? It must have been pure dumb luck that I hadn¡¯t run into these before now since they were way harder to tell apart than the vine traps. I continued down and over, collecting the 3 steel orbs. I looked down for a moment, and a black dot appeared in my mind map. Within myself, my Satellite fully fused with my Core and I gained my 6th mana point. I could learn another spell! When I looked back in the direction of the black dot, it appeared again.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Weird. Maybe my map was malfunctioning. Did Meeks have a better one? Ink colored hands appeared in front of my eyes. The glassy black bug eyes embedded in each palm stared at me. Everything froze. You are about to die. Want us to save you? ¡°What?¡± I turned my head, and at the corner of my eye, I saw a too-thin bipedal monster. Where a human face should be was instead an open maw filled with shark teeth and a long pink serpent''s tongue. I shuddered. It will take two of us to save you from this. ¡°Why? Is dying from its hand worth two deaths somehow?¡± No. You¡¯ve already used one this life, so it will now take two. ¡°Will it be 3 next time?¡± If you choose for us to save you now, then 4 of us will save you next. I swallowed. So double each time. ¡°If I say no, will I get sent to the place between again?¡± Yes. I stared at the monster. I hadn¡¯t even seen it coming aside from the few specs of black. I turned back around and closed my eyes. ¡°Then, no.¡± A hand grabbed my forehead as teeth ripped into the back of my neck. Sharp pain. I screamed. I couldn¡¯t move. I couldn¡¯t feel anything below my neck. My breathing came in shallow gasps. Why hadn¡¯t I died yet? I looked down. Its long neck bent at an unnatural angle and its teeth wrapped around my unfeeling arm. Ghost sensations ran up the limb. With a jerk, it tore my appendage out and slowly slurped it up like a noodle. My vision went black. When the gray appeared I dry heaved onto the floor, body shaking. A cold hand rubbed my back. ¡°That was bad. Really bad.¡± I wrapped my arms around myself and curled into a ball. How the hell was I supposed to defeat something that I couldn¡¯t see or sense and that appeared from nowhere? ¡°Keymaster Korren did tell you that the horrors on the fourth floor were worse than the third.¡± ¡°Yeah! But she didn¡¯t say anything about being eaten alive!¡± ¡°Would it have made you stop?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Even now that you¡¯ve experienced it?¡± I swallowed. ¡°At least I didn¡¯t have to feel it.¡± ¡°Not this time, anyway.¡± Depressing words if I¡¯d ever heard them. I pushed myself to my hands and knees, and dry heaved again. When I focused on just breathing, it helped me forget. After a while, I remembered. ¡°I reached my 6th level in magic.¡± He snorted. ¡°You mean you have 6 points in magic. So you¡¯re closer to being an actual Magi.¡± ¡°Yeah. I think I¡¯ll work on learning my new spell. In fact, I want to reach the 7th level before leaving here again.¡± He eyed me carefully. I could tell he was worried about my mental health. I was concerned about it too, but I was determined to return to the mine, even after being eaten alive. After all, it had been just another death. ¡°Very well.¡± I turned the page to Flameless Light and started practicing the diagram once more. Chapter 52: Enter the Garden Matt and the others fled the classroom following the gold heralds. They passed through various hallways, each one more different than the last until they left the school entirely. A garden with small trees and shrubs sprung up around them. The sky shimmered with deep blues, and high above, a series of lights lit the world as if several dozen suns worked to create daylight. They walked along a white cobblestone path until they reached a wall of tall hedges. Two giant fairies made of marble held back the encroaching leaves creating a massive entryway that their path continued through. ¡°This is the Garden of 1000 Kindnesses,¡± Megan said. ¡°We¡¯re basically free to go anywhere here, and if we need to find our way back to our room or to the classrooms, we just follow the path with gold stones.¡± She pointed at the right edge of the walkway where the stones sparkled with the auriferous metal. ¡°Gold takes you where you have to go, here. It¡¯s the first kindness in the garden.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense,¡± Orin said. ¡°If every gold path takes you where you need to go then how can you tell you¡¯re on the right way?¡± She gestured behind them. When Matt glanced back, he noticed that the stones had changed to a metallic red. ¡°What happens to the kids who try to leave the garden?¡± he asked. ¡°They come back.¡± ¡°What do you mean they come back?¡± Orin asked. She shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s the second kindness. Whenever someone tries to leave, they always reappear wherever they¡¯re supposed to be.¡± ¡°So,¡± Orin said, ¡°If we don¡¯t know how to escape the garden, we can¡¯t?¡± ¡°Look at it this way,¡± she said, ¡°if we try to leave and go the wrong way, it won¡¯t kill us.¡± Orin snorted. ¡°So you say. But you haven¡¯t tried to take off.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I like it here.¡± His eyes narrowed. ¡°Don¡¯t you miss your family?¡± ¡°Well, yeah, but they don¡¯t miss me.¡± ¡°How you figure?¡± ¡°Because my replacement is there. In fact, all of your replacements are there.¡± As everyone took in the gravity of what that statement entailed only the sound of their footsteps broke the silence.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The thought of someone living Matt¡¯s life while he wasn¡¯t there sent a chill down his spine. What if his replacement got him grounded? Or worse, what if when he returned, his parents would rather have his double because he was the perfect version of Matt who didn¡¯t argue back or play games too much? ¡°No,¡± Orin said. ¡°I guarantee that if I have a double, they¡¯re dead by now.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± Asia asked. He nodded. ¡°And if they¡¯re not, they will be soon.¡± ¡°Man. Your family is messed up,¡± Samuel said. He studied the teenager as he clenched his jaw and tightened his hand into a fist. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a liar,¡± Matt said drawing Orin¡¯s near-black gaze. ¡°No family I know would do something like that to their own kid.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Orin smiled and ruffled Matt¡¯s hair then trotted ahead, getting closer to the heralds. Matt scowled at his retreating form. ¡°Not everyone here is from a good family,¡± Megan said. ¡°Sure, but he basically said that his parents killed him. That doesn¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of place you were raised, but not everyone comes from a nice family,¡± Asia said. ¡°What? You¡¯re saying your parents have tried to kill you?¡± ¡°No. My parents are awesome. But I have some distant family members who don¡¯t live in the best situation. Let¡¯s just say that when we have family reunions, I hear some unpleasant things.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see once you meet the others,¡± Megan said. They exited the hedge maze and continued along the path until they reached arched double doors that stood alone in a small meadow. The heralds pushed the doors open. Matt almost jumped in surprise as they led into a hallway with gray and blue marble tiles. Wood panels his mom called wainscoting covered the bottom third of the wall. ¡°I got it from here, heralds!¡± Megan said. The gold statues bowed to her and began to slither back the way they had come. ¡°Everyone, please reach toward the wall.¡± She stepped in front of everyone like a tour guide and held out her hand. A gold key appeared. Matt did the same, and a blue crystal materialized in his palm. He frowned. When he looked to the others, he discovered that they also had keys that looked nothing alike. ¡°This is your personal item. You don¡¯t have to worry about ever losing it because it¡¯s soulbound to you. To get it back all you have to do is enter this dorm then do this. And when you want to go to your room, it will guide you.¡± Orin held a sizable green emerald and frowned. A laser-like light shot from it onto the floor in the shape of an arrow. It pointed down the hall. Matt¡¯s own sapphire key did the same, while some of the others who had metal keys had to deal with them nearly jumping out of their hands, at least that¡¯s what Matt assumed since they all jerked forward a step. ¡°Hey,¡± Samuel said, ¡°what about food? They¡¯re feeding us, right?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. Food will show up when you get hungry. It¡¯s the fourth kindness.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m hungry now so why haven¡¯t any enchiladas shown up?¡± ¡°Maybe the garden thinks you should go on a diet?¡± Asia said. ¡°I don¡¯t need a diet,¡± he said with a grin, ¡°I just have a little fluff." Matt stopped worrying about the group. Instead, he trudged back out the door. ¡°Where are you going, Matt?¡± Megan yelled. He looked back. ¡°I want to find a way out.¡± Orin appeared conflicted. ¡°I have to figure out magic on my own over the next two days. If you still haven¡¯t discovered anything I¡¯ll help you explore.¡± ¡°Guys,¡± Megan said, exasperation evident in her voice, ¡°it¡¯s pointless. The garden is huge. In class, they said it was like, several hundred miles long. Even if you knew what direction to go, it would take weeks to walk across without some kind of flying carpet.¡± Matt continued to walk toward the garden. ¡°And just because you won¡¯t go hungry doesn¡¯t mean it isn¡¯t dangerous!¡± Chapter 53: Baby Scythe My 7th mana point burned inside my Core. I grinned and held my hand up for a high five. I received a soft touch instead of the expected smack. I scowled at Mr. Black. His broad shoulders raised and lowered with a heavy sigh. I shoved my hand towards him, and he slapped it properly. ¡°That¡¯s better. Now I just need to learn Minor Haste.¡± ¡°You may want to take a break.¡± ¡°Nope. I¡¯m learning another spell.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been here for almost 8 hours already, and you¡¯ve been awake for much longer.¡± I paused. ¡°Time is still frozen here, right?¡± ¡°Of course. But your mind needs a break, even with your spurious body.¡± I turned the page to the next spell I could learn.
Minor Haste Cost: 7 Range: Self Duration: 1 Minute Description: When you cast this spell your body and mind work 1.25x their regular speed.
I studied the complicated diagram and a headache formed above my right ear. ¡°Where do I even start with this?¡± ¡°From the beginning.¡± ¡°It¡¯s in the shape of a star. Where do stars begin?¡± ¡°The left corner?¡± ¡°Good idea!¡± I started copying it from the left corner, and when that didn¡¯t work, I remembered how one of my math teachers taught me to draw pictures by breaking them up into thirds. From there it was a simple matter to copy out each third. As I did so, I realized that it was actually a series of interconnected squiggles and letter shapes that formed a star. Soon I had it copied several times. On my fifth attempt, Mr. Black said, ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to sleep?¡± At the word sleep, I grabbed my book and darted several blocks away. While the gray world wasn¡¯t actually separated into blocks, I couldn¡¯t help thinking about distance by that definition. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare put me to sleep. Every time you do something bad happens. Like you being punished, killing that demon, or going on vacation. I actually think that I don¡¯t even need sleep anymore and that you putting me to sleep was just an excuse to get rid of me.¡± He studied me. ¡°I see. In that case. Go to sleep, and I promise nothing bad will happen this time. No demons, no sisters, and no prisons. After that, if you think it hasn¡¯t helped you I¡¯ll never ask that you sleep again.¡± ¡°Only if you promise you¡¯ll still be here when I wake up.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± I put my book and notebook away. Mr. Black placed his hand on my forehead and said, ¡°Sleep.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Within moments I drifted off into a peaceful, dreamless rest. *** When I awoke, it was to Mr. Black¡¯s frowning face. ¡°Ms. Knight. You almost died while on the fourth floor.¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± I said. ¡°I did die. Then I came here.¡± His eyes narrowed. ¡°You had to use a Death Saving Crystal.¡± ¡°Oh. That.¡± His fingers tapped impatiently on his scythe¡¯s shaft, and I sent him a sheepish smile. ¡°You should have mentioned that to me immediately.¡± ¡°What? Can you do anything about it?¡± ¡°What do reapers do?¡± ¡°Um, bring people back from the dead or escort them to their next journey?¡± His left brow rose. ¡°But the wraiths are in the mine. If you could have escorted them, wouldn¡¯t you have done so already?¡± ¡°They are a product of the mine from when it was without reapers. So, you¡¯re correct when you say that I cannot do anything about them by myself; however, you can help clean them up.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re giving me a way to fight them?¡± ¡°It is not that I¡¯m giving it to you as much as I¡¯m lending you the ability.¡± ¡°Ability? But I thought you weren¡¯t going to teach me anything else.¡± ¡°Trust me when I say that I don¡¯t do this lightly.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯m ready to learn.¡± ¡°First, tell me if sleeping helped you?¡± I stood up and stretched then thought about the haste spell. Its diagram was a little fuzzy in my memories, but I could recall it with ease now. I peered at him. ¡°Okay, I admit that I do feel a little better after resting.¡± ¡°A significant amount?¡± ¡°Not really. Maybe a little bit?¡± He nodded and looked thoughtful. ¡°Wait? Does that mean I can¡¯t learn the new technique or whatever it is?¡± ¡°You can learn it. And from what you¡¯ve said, you will need to sleep at least four times a year from now on but preferably once every other week.¡± I laughed. ¡°You¡¯re talking as if I¡¯m not going to go back to normal after the fight with Nenvari.¡± He stared at me, no emotion on his face. Wait, was he using the Death Mind Technique? ¡°I¡¯m going to go back to normal after I defeat Nenvari, right?¡± His lips didn¡¯t even twitch. I laughed without mirth and stared down at my hands. ¡°So, what? I¡¯m just going to stay like this, even if I defeat him?¡± ¡°Are you ready or not?¡± I had guessed that not having my body go back to normal might happen, but no one had explicitly said anything until now. I sucked in a deep breath. His silence had given me the answer I was looking for, but not the one I wanted. But at least he was instructing me how to take care of my body once this was over, and against his better judgment, he was giving me another technique. ¡°You better not get in trouble for giving me this.¡± ¡°I had it approved while you were asleep.¡± ¡°Good, then I¡¯m ready.¡± He pressed his hand to my temple and once again whispered slippery words into my ear. It may have been my imagination, but I thought I understood one or two words. A picture formed in my mind.
Reaper Technique: Spirit Sleep Cost: 10 external or 7 internal death-type mana points. Range: Touch Target: One Soul-type Being or Self Duration: Lasts 1 minute to 8 hours depending on target Description: Touch the target and say ¡°Sleep.¡± As long as the target is [@~~*~~#^~~~`%] then you can put it to sleep.
I frowned. ¡°There is something in the description I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°I suspected there would be since you¡¯re not a reaper.¡± ¡°I know, but what is it?¡± He grinned. ¡°Proprietary information.¡± ¡°Yeah, no kidding.¡± ¡°There is also this.¡± He took out a blue and gray plastic scythe that looked like something Mattel would make for toddlers. ¡°Dude. What is that?¡± ¡°Next time you encounter a wraith. Use the sleep technique on them, then bop their head with this. It will call any nearby reaper to take the spirit away.¡± I didn¡¯t really want a baby''s scythe, but I grasped its textured plastic handle. When I attempted to take it from him, he wouldn¡¯t let go. ¡°The reapers are entrusting you with this, Ms. Knight. Don¡¯t abuse it. If you do, you will not be given a second chance.¡± I swallowed. ¡°I would ne¡ª¡± ¡°Stop. Don¡¯t say, ¡®never.¡¯ Say that you will endeavor not to.¡± I repeated the words, and he let go. The scythe was lighter than a Styrofoam cooler. ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Trust me, Mr. Black. The last thing I want is to get on the bad side of the person who brings me back from death.¡± He relaxed. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about you getting on my bad side, Ms. Knight. I¡¯m worried that the others allowed this at all.¡± Considering how corrupt I knew them to be he had excellent instincts. ¡°Take out your bow.¡± Confused, I did as he asked. Immediately the toy scythe flew out of my hand and was sucked into my weapon, disappearing as if it had never been. I stared at it confused. ¡°When you need it just think of it. It should be similar to how you will your pickaxe to appear.¡± ¡°Will Korren or Meeks know it¡¯s in there?¡± ¡°Of course not. Now, are you ready to go back?¡± I took out my book and reread the Haste spell. ¡°You know? I think I am.¡± Chapter 54: Matt’s Exploration For the fourth time that week, Matt continued down the path while keeping the red metallic stones in view. Something in his gut told him he was on the right way to go. He turned a corner and found a huge garden filled with every kind of water feature. There were stone waterfalls, koi ponds, and massive Grecian water fountains that had many half-naked sculptures of women and men. He snickered at them. One water feature was unlike anything he¡¯d ever seen before. It was made up of water floating in midair and formed into geometric shapes that changed every minute or so into a new pattern. Curious Matt walked up to it. He waited until it changed shapes, this time into several cubes and placed his hand on the surface. It felt wet to his touch, and he pulled his hand away when he saw that it was about to change. This time spheres and pyramids appeared. Giggling, he shoved his hand into an orb. When he tried pulling his hand back, it wouldn¡¯t come out. The shape changed again and this time water covered his head. He screamed.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. His vision changed and he appeared completely dry but in the worst possible place, his classroom. Everyone stared at him, including the professor. ¡°There you are, Mr. Knight! You¡¯re already way behind the other students. Even Mr. Son has caught up, and he was two days behind, but here you are out playing in the garden instead of memorizing your spell diagrams.¡± ¡°I got bored,¡± Matt lied. She stared at him and rubbed the bridge of her nose. ¡°Why is it always the blessed ones who cause the most trouble?¡± Matt sat down at his desk and turned the page to Minor Cleanliness. The spell diagram she wanted him to learn barely looked like anything to him. What interested him was the note someone had scrawled on his page. ¡°It¡¯s time we start working together.¡± Chapter 55: Prep Work When I appeared in the main cavern, I stared at Meeks, Phenic, and Korren. I don¡¯t know why but it hit me that since I was so close to the end, I should make real plans for what I needed to defeat Nenvari. From what little I remembered about his battle with Matt he could take 84 hits before the player won. Knowing what I knew now about the game, that number staggered me. How did they expect any child to win with odds like that? Oh right, they assumed that no child could do it, at least not with only 3 tries. That was why they were always so confident. Other than a battle like the one I had with Meeks, I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect. I could only guess that I¡¯d need at least 84 weapon recharge cubes for each of the three times. A number that came out to 252. I wouldn¡¯t use all of them, but chances were I¡¯d need extra for the later attempts when I regularly missed Nenvari. The first two times, I likely wouldn¡¯t get very far so I¡¯d have to be prepared to only go all out on the third one. Another two upgrades on my range and weapon charge would be nice, but I wasn¡¯t even sure the bow could upgrade that much. As for Death Saving Crystals, to have eleven solid chances after my armor failed I needed 2047. That was 422 more than I currently had. Meeks told me I needed more durability, and after thinking about it, at 64 blocks per energy orb, even if I were to score a hit on Nenvari every block I traveled, I wouldn¡¯t kill him before I had to find an energy orb to recharge my pickaxe. This sounded like a nightmare to do while in the middle of a battle. I took in a deep breath and stepped up to Korren. With a grin, I handed her the emerald key along with my bow. She smiled at took out a purple crystal threaded with silver. ¡°So,¡± I started, ¡°will this allow me to kill scorpions and those chest snakes?¡± ¡°Not exactly. It will still only daze slinfi but for far longer than your previous weapon. As for the scorpions, as long as they are in their giant form yes, but as soon as they separate you¡¯ll have about a fifty-fifty chance to kill them.¡± I frowned. This was the first time my weapon damage upgrade wouldn¡¯t completely destroy everything on a floor. Was this not the last damage upgrade then? Or maybe it would have been if I¡¯d chosen weapons instead of information. Either way that had been my choice and I didn¡¯t regret it. ¡°How much are the next upgrades?¡± ¡°There a 5 upgrades in the emerald price range. The first two are a combination range increase and charge decrease. The next three are charge decreases.¡± ¡°How much are they?¡± ¡°4 emeralds each, but good luck finding them with any amount of alacrity.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°I found my first one pretty fast.¡± ¡°An absolute fluke, I assure you.¡± I sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t sugar coat it for me.¡± She smirked. With a heavy sigh, I handed over the jadinfray cave items I¡¯d found to bring my recharge cubes back up to 64 and walked up to Phenic. I crossed my arms and grinned. With a flourish, I handed him the bell. It disappeared behind him, and another crystal shot into my inventory. ¡°A little bird told me that you were killed by a Still Man.¡± My smile instantly disappeared. ¡°That¡¯s what that evil thing was called?¡± ¡°Not pleasant are they? And near impossible to kill.¡± ¡°So does that mean you¡¯d be willing to give me say 422 Death saving crystals if I did kill it?¡± His brows rose. ¡°You have a specific number in mind?¡± My cheeks burned as I realized my mistake. His sharp teeth shone as he grinned at me. ¡°I¡¯d say, for such an impossible task as killing a Still Man you¡¯d deserve at least 700 crystals.¡± ¡°Deal! No takebacks¡± I said before he could renege on the deal. There was no telling how many times I¡¯d need to use a death saving crystal save myself from a ghost in the meantime. He chuckled as I swiftly stepped over to Meeks. He had another romance novel, which didn¡¯t surprise me. The titles never seemed to overlap, as if there were an infinite number of romance novels out there. He dog-eared his page and smiled. ¡°Yes, Miss?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to earn 40 more durability points at least, but I don¡¯t have enough for an upgrade yet.¡± He nodded. Someone tapped my shoulder, and I jerked around. The short artificer smiled up at me. ¡°Engra! You¡¯re back sooner than I thought!¡± ¡°Hello, my dear! How could I stay away after I heard about your little bet with Phenic?¡± I blushed. ¡°Well, I knew I¡¯d win,¡± I said more boldly than I felt. She laughed. ¡°Good! I have a little proposition for you.¡± I swiftly sat down and nodded my readiness to listen. ¡°You see. I have an idea for a gift for a princess of a neighboring country. I¡¯m trying to woo her business away from my horrendous rival. Since she just adores unique dresses, I have this idea to use some of the rubies that those scorpions horde to create a brilliant one. I want you to collect 42 of them, and in exchange, I will upgrade your armor and your mind map. Can you do that?¡± ¡°Absolutely, but it will take some time. Several days to a week at least.¡± ¡°Perfect. There is no rush, and I¡¯ll just wait around here, annoying Merchant Meeks,¡± she said with a glint in her eye. He groaned. ¡°Ye know ye can wait in our break room.¡± ¡°Nonsense. It¡¯s only standing around for a couple of days. Who couldn¡¯t do that?¡± ¡°Your time is more precious than that, artificer,¡± Korren said. Engra winked at me and waved me off. With a grin, I strode to my mine.
Battle Miner Magus Kelly Knight Ore Worth: 3125 Death Saving Crystals: 1626 Keys: 0 Weapon Charge: 0/12 Weapon Range: 6 Weapon Damage: 4 Weapon Recharge Cubes: 69 Durability: 256/256 Armor Teleport Radius: 4 Armor Charges: 2/2 Mana Points: 7/7
Spells and Techniques known: Reaper Pen, Death Mind, Spirit Sleep, Candlelight, Minor Telekinesis, Minor Cleanliness, Personal Weather, Flameless Light, and Minor Haste.
Current Tasks and Quests: Collect 5 sets of 4 Emerald Keys for weapon upgrades: 0/20 Collect 42 Rubies for an Armor and Mind Map upgrade: 1/42 For every 1 Bell exchange for 1 Crystal: 0 Jadinfray cave items to be exchanged for Weapon Recharge Cubes: 0 Collect Ore worth 3600 to add 2 to Pickaxe Durability: x0 Golems rescued: 1/?
Chapter 56: Wraith As soon as I stepped into my mine, I cast haste on myself and bolted down. One moment a spider appeared at the edge of my map and a few seconds later it was at the top. I was so focused on the spider that the mushroom trap I ran into didn¡¯t even register until I had teleported 4 away. I spent a second mourning the waste of my first armor charge before continuing again. Several more minutes later, my mind caught up, and everything else around me appeared slower. I passed honey badgers who ran at me, without the blindingly fast quickness they had when I first went up against them. I stopped haste spelling myself regularly when I reached the vines on the third floor. I spent a good 30 minutes and picked up another 6 jadinfray items for trade. When I reached the fourth floor and had to switch Haste for Personal Weather, I was already over 10% of the way to my next mana point. Within the magma blocks, I collected several steel ores and rescued 3 more golems who courteously killed the slinfi for me, and allowed me to take their bells. After I picked up my most recent bell, a wraith floated onto the edge of my mind map. This was the perfect chance. Curious, I willed my bow to change to my pickaxe. It did so without a second of hesitation. Why hadn¡¯t I tried doing this before? Oh right. I hadn¡¯t needed to. I willed my bow to change to the scythe, and the toy appeared. I frowned at it and used my free hand to press against the blade. It was hard plastic, like one of those toy baseball bats, but it held up surprisingly well. On the handle, embossed in a large friendly font was the name Whistlebomper TM. I looked up at nothing, not sure if Mr. Black could even listen in.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°This better not be a joke.¡± The ghostly woman floated slowly towards my direction. My whole body tensed as I prepared to cast the sleep spell for the first time. She came closer and laughed. I held my breath. Her gaze shot in my direction and her eyes began to glow red. She screamed, her voice echoed through the magma, but it was nothing compared with the bell of a slinfi. I sailed towards her. She darted towards me, hands in front of her like claws. If I¡¯d gone for her head, she would have had the reach to get me first, so instead, I grabbed her wrist. It didn¡¯t feel solid precisely, but the feel of it was familiar. Perhaps it was a consequence of spending so much time in the space between life and death. ¡°Sleep,¡± I said, just before her claws dug into my shoulder. Her ghostly form went weak, and she fell limp. An odd thing happened then, while most of her stayed elf shaped she appeared fuzzy around the edges. I took my toy scythe and raised it above my head. Wait, was I supposed to use the stick or the blade? With a shrug, I bomped the top of her head with the blade part. The scythe shuddered uncertainly but held together. I had imagined that the ghost would just disappear. Instead, a woman I¡¯d never seen before wearing black robes and carrying an ancient farmer¡¯s scythe came into focus. It wasn¡¯t like she appeared, it felt more like she¡¯d always been there and only now could I see her. Using her scythe¡¯s handle, she placed the ghost in a chokehold. It woke and began to struggle and wail. In that familiar slippery language, she whispered something to it, and the wraith wept in silence. The reaper took one look at the toy in my hand, and a derisive snort-laugh escaped her before she vanished. I had the distinct impression that I could still use the toy, in the same way, a child used a plastic bat, but that didn¡¯t mean it wouldn¡¯t be hilarious for others to watch me. I sighed. And I still had days or weeks of doing this stuff before I could even think to challenge Nenvari. Chapter 57: The Still Man and a Dark Trap The black dot appeared again. I still had my second armor charge, and since it wasn¡¯t a wraith that could ignore armor, I started to build confidence. I had a plan to let it attack me, and when I teleported, I would use my knowledge of its position to attack it with my recently charged bow. The glowing arrow now had twice as much silver crackling through it. A perfect plan which would net me 700 Death Saving Crystals. I floated down, destroying magma blocks as I went. The black dot blinked in an out. ¡°Come on you creep, I¡¯m right here. The perfect snack.¡± I concentrated so much on the appearance of a black dot that I nearly ran right into a scorpion. When I saw its giant stinger about to attack me, I released my arrow. The energy decimated the creature, leaving only a small ruby. I watched it fly into my inventory. My vision suddenly changed. On instinct, I pulled out a recharge cube. Do you¡ª ¡°Yes!¡± My bow charged again, and I fired it at where I had been. I licked my lips and waited. Had I gotten it or was I too late? After about a minute I began to feel a little stupid and climbed back up to where I had been. There was no trace of the still man but in this realm that didn¡¯t mean much. Bug-eyed hands appeared in front of me. You are about to die. Want me to save you? ¡°Yes!¡± I observed the hands as the crystal rewound time. They didn¡¯t reach from behind me as I thought they would. Instead, they were there one moment and gone the next. It hit me then, the reason the creature was so hard to beat was because it teleported! The area around me turned to glass. No, the Still Man wasn¡¯t embedded in any of the blocks. Its teleportation range must be enormous. I needed to try and get away from it since I didn¡¯t want it to consume me again. That was disturbing enough once. With a few well place Haste casts I flew further into the fourth floor; unfortunately, I completely missed a darkened square and rammed straight into a trap. Shadow tentacles gripped my wrists and waist and sucked me toward its center. My skin and bones felt heavy as if I¡¯d been caught in a riptide or the gravity of a black hole.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! You are about to die. Want us to save you? ¡°No.¡± In the span of what felt like years my body shrank and lengthened. My bones cracked and shattered. I screamed. Skin tore away from the dust that was my bones and the gore that was my muscles. My whole self was sucked into the center of the dark trap. When I appeared in the space between I just stared at Mr. Black for hours or maybe days. He didn¡¯t ask me if I¡¯d care to continue. I think he saw on my face that I needed time to process what had happened. When I was finally ready, I cleared my throat. ¡°That was a hallucination right?¡± He didn¡¯t respond. ¡°At least tell me I didn¡¯t literally take years dying in there.¡± ¡°I believe it took several minutes.¡± I nodded. ¡°At least I didn¡¯t waste years.¡± ¡°Not physically, anyway.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d prefer being eaten to that since the Still Man had severed my spine.¡± ¡°Would you care to continue, Miss Knight?¡± ¡°Not just yet. I need to learn the next two spells. Because I¡¯m going to need them if I¡¯m to kill the Still Man.¡± I read over their descriptions, and Mr. Black peered at them from over my shoulder.
Minor Shock Cost: 8 Range: 8 Blocks Description: A tiny bolt of lightning escapes from your fingertip and hits a target that you can see within range causing the target to stand still for 20 seconds. You must have line of sight to use this spell otherwise it will hit anything that is between you and your target and stop. May cause some damage but will not kill.
Minor Teleportation Cost: 10 Target: Self Range: 3 Blocks Description: Allows you to teleport to a block within range. Can only be used to teleport into a safe block. If there is anything within the area where you teleport to this spell will destroy it. There are some items which cannot be destroyed by this spell and so teleporting to that square will not work, but the price of the spell will still be paid.
¡°At the rate you¡¯ve been going, it¡¯s going to take you awhile before you have enough mana to cast these.¡± ¡°I know. Can¡¯t I just stay here and cast haste a bunch of times until I¡¯ve leveled my mana enough?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve actually looked into that. While you could indeed spend years here casting nothing but haste repeatedly to earn more mana points, it¡¯s not good for you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Here you¡¯re more soul than material, and within the mines, you¡¯re the opposite. If you¡¯re constantly using this place to level your mana quickly, there will be consequences to that.¡± ¡°But it should be up to me if I want to pay those consequences right?¡± ¡°Since I¡¯m the one keeping you here, it¡¯s actually up to me, and I say they¡¯re not worth it.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t I deserve to at least know what they are?¡± He shook his head. ¡°They are the type of consequences that don¡¯t sound bad until you¡¯ve experienced them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Please, trust me on this.¡± I eyed him. ¡°Okay. But what about what I¡¯ve already learned here?¡± ¡°You were at such an insignificant amount that it didn¡¯t affect you much back then, but the more mana you earn here, the worse the consequences will get.¡± ¡°I still think you should tell me what it is.¡± He stared at me for a moment then smirked. ¡°Imagine a karmic force editing your external fortunes, so you inevitably become something like a professional karaoke singer.¡± I snorted at the lousy joke then got back to memorizing the increasingly complex spell diagrams. If he didn¡¯t want to tell me, then I couldn¡¯t force him. Chapter 58: Three Choices Matt dragged Orin down the path between water features. ¡°Are you sure we should be going in this direction?¡± Orin said. ¡°Yeah. But don¡¯t touch the water or you¡¯ll end up back where we started.¡± ¡°I liked the previous path we were on better.¡± He stepped around a small koi pond that had an orange and white fish circling each other. ¡°What makes you say that path was better?¡± ¡°This one seems like it¡¯s going to end here.¡± ¡°No look!¡± Matt pointed to where the pathway continued through hedges that had almost grown over it. He started to run off towards them, but Orin grabbed the back of his shirt stopping him. He looked back with a scowl. ¡°Let me go first.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± He crossed his arms and pouted as he watched Orin¡¯s platinum hair vanish behind the hedge. After a couple minutes, he was tired of waiting and jogged over only to almost run into him. ¡°It looks safe so far but keep your eyes open.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± He traveled through the hedges, passing statutes and flower gardens. Each new item looked mundane but had an air of hidden viciousness that made Matt want to stop and take a closer look. He would have it Orin hadn¡¯t pushed him along. It took almost an hour, but they reached a clearing where three wooden doors stood straight up without connecting to anywhere. Each of the entries had a cutely painted dryad sculpture holding onto it and preventing it from being opened. Each one had black glassy eyes, but their shapes were different. The leftmost was short with her hair up in a bun. The middle was chubby and tall with a pixie cut. The right one was too thin with carved long curly locks. There was no other way to continue forward.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Matt looked at Orin who jerked his head in the direction where they¡¯d come from. Matt nodded. No sense in staying when they couldn¡¯t keep going. They took one step away when a voice said. ¡°What? You¡¯re not going to enter?¡± A second voice said, ¡°Shh. They¡¯re the human mage children. They¡¯re not supposed to know.¡± ¡°Oops.¡± Matt turned to find that the sculptures that had appeared so still were now alive. Orin¡¯s eyes narrowed at the three dryads. ¡°No. We¡¯re going to enter your doors.¡± Middle rolled her eyes. ¡°Great, now look at what you did.¡± Right winced. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Which one will you enter then?¡± ¡°There are two of us,¡± Matt pointed out. ¡°We should enter two doors.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not acceptable,¡± she replied. Left ran a hand through her hair. ¡°Oh, just let them. It¡¯s their funeral.¡± ¡°The rules are clear. Only one door.¡± Orin stepped closer to the center dryad. ¡°Where do they lead?¡± ¡°One leads to death, one leads to a prison cell, and the last will take you where you want to go.¡± ¡°And it''s different each time you try,¡± Right whispered. Orin pulled out a silver knife he must have taken from the steak dinner he¡¯d had last night. ¡°How do you know where we want to go?¡± Middle snorted. ¡°Please, you want to find a way back to Earth. It¡¯s so obvious.¡± He smiled. ¡°So, there is a way back.¡± Left snorted. ¡°You did it now, Middle.¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t see you talking.¡± ¡°We choose to go through the middle door,¡± Matt said. ¡°Oh?¡± She said. ¡°Then let¡¯s see what¡¯s behind right.¡± ¡°No! I¡¯m too embarrassed.¡± ¡°Just do it!¡± The thin dryad on the right reached over and turned her door¡¯s handle. It swung open to reveal a room full of flames. The heat escaped, drying up the moisture in the area. ¡°Do you want to change your answer?¡± Middle asked. ¡°No,¡± Matt said. ¡°Yes,¡± Orin said. Matt looked at Orin and pointed to the door with the fire. ¡°Trust me. Statistically, in this situation, it is better to switch doors.¡± Middle nodded. ¡°Very well. But first, answer my riddle.¡± Matt groaned. ¡°I hate riddles.¡± ¡°What can speak but holds its tongue, is black but is red all over?¡± Orin cast Candlelight at the ground. A tall flame rose and went out. The three very wooden dryads jerked away from the blaze and shivered like a cold chihuahua. The teen ran up to the middle and put his blade to her throat. ¡°The answer is you after I¡¯ve lit you on fire and stabbed you a few times.¡± Middle gulped. ¡°That¡¯s the answer.¡± Left frowned. ¡°That¡¯s not the answer we were looking for.¡± ¡°Shut up. It¡¯s good enough. Let them through.¡± Left reached over and pulled her door open. The door had a curtain blocking their view. Matt twisted his hands in his school robes. ¡°How do we know if this is the right one?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± Right whispered. ¡°Not until you jump through.¡± Orin stared at Matt. ¡°I¡¯ll go. You, head back.¡± ¡°No. We go together.¡± He grabbed Orin¡¯s hand. ¡°Matt!¡± ¡°Together or not at all! And if you go alone I¡¯ll just run after you.¡± The teen sighed. ¡°So freakin¡¯ stubborn.¡± They both entered the door. Chapter 59: The Answer Matt fell through the darkness. He screamed. ¡°Shhh,¡± Orin said. A tug on his hand calmed him down. At least he wasn¡¯t going to die alone. The drop turned into a glide when a mirrored box appeared in front of them. They crashed into one of its sides and through it. He closed his eyes, thinking they were going to crash again, but they stopped. The center of the room had a square pedestal with pictures on all sides. He sighed. ¡°Looks like we chose poorly. I said that we shouldn¡¯t have changed our answer.¡± ¡°I know you did, but statistically there was twice the chance of getting what we want if we switched.¡± Orin sighed as well and sat cross-legged on the marble floor. He leaned up against one of the mirrors. ¡°Maybe they figured you¡¯d know that so they switched the answer?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± They sat for a good 5 minutes until Orin straighten his posture and said. ¡°Or, maybe we did pick the right door, but this is a punishment for threatening the door dryads with violence instead of actually solving their stupid riddle.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He pointed to the mirrors. ¡°Look, there is something off about them.¡± When he waved his hand the mirrors didn¡¯t move at the same time. ¡°And look at the pedestal. It has pictures of the same tree only at different seasons. Quick, what season is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s still fall, but in a few weeks it¡¯ll be winter.¡± He waved his hand again. Matt noticed that two of the images waved even before Orin did and the other two waved after. One was closer to actually waving with him than the others. The teen started to rotate the pedestal but didn¡¯t get it farther than a small partial turn.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Help me move this.¡± Matt pushed with everything he had, and the heavy pedestal moved. A quarter turn later and it clicked into place. ¡°One more.¡± Sweating after only moving it that much he repeated the process. This time it was even harder to turn, but they eventually hear the same click as last time. Nothing happened. ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Orin said. ¡°We¡¯ll have to think of something else.¡± He leaned against the pedestal. It moved to the side effortlessly. He threw back his leg, preventing his fall. ¡°Or you could get lucky,¡± Orin said and held out his fist. Matt fist bumped him, and the teenager pushed the pedestal the rest of the way. One of the mirrors flew open, showing a passageway back out into the Garden of 1000 Kindnesses. They were in an alcove with only one way they could go. Orin took the lead, and Matt crept behind him. Soon they heard someone rolling something huge. ¡°Ye¡¯d think people what can afford somethin¡¯ like this here sparkler ball, could afford a spare inventory for luggin¡¯ it around.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called the Crystal Ball of Ancrick. And they can¡¯t spare one because some thief has been making off with them. The steward is very upset.¡± There was a crunching noise. ¡°Stop! Stop! Stop!¡± ¡°Relax Dobb. It¡¯s the ground what broke, not the ¡®An¡¯ what¡¯s it.¡± There was a loud sigh. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m havin¡¯ a smoke.¡± ¡°But we only have a few feet left. The castle¡¯s right there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m smokin¡¯ now.¡± After a few seconds, a nasty cigar scent wafted past Matt, and he shuffled his feet. He whispered, ¡°We should go get it before it¡¯s in the castle.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know if this is what we¡¯re looking for, and if it is, we don¡¯t know how to use it. Let¡¯s see if they say anything else.¡± A few more cigar puffs flew by. ¡°Why¡¯s this ball so important, anyhow? Why we gotta take time out of our busy day to carry it, huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a mage thing. Apparently, if a mage places their hand on it and thinks of a place, it shows it. And if that mage has some pixie dust, they can throw it on the ball, and it will take them there.¡± ¡°What? It¡¯s some kind of teleporting device? Don¡¯t the mages already have spells for that?¡± ¡°Well, kind of. That¡¯s mage business. But this is the strongest scrying device in Goraitheshselan, so let¡¯s make sure we get it to the viewing chamber safely.¡± Matt stared at Orin wide-eyed. The teenager once again had his knife out like he was about to stab those people. He grabbed his weapon wielding wrist and shook his head. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t matter. We don¡¯t have pixie dust. And those people are just doing their job.¡± Orin put his knife away. ¡°You¡¯re a bright kid, little dude. And you¡¯re right. We know where it is so I can scope out the security around it while you focus on finding some pixies in the garden.¡± ¡°How are we supposed to find out what pixies are anyway?¡± ¡°This is a school,¡± he pointed out and shoved a vine away from his foot. ¡°There has to be a library in it somewhere.¡± ¡°Also, how are we supposed to find our way back here? I don¡¯t think those dryads are going to let us return this way.¡± Orin pointed behind the workers. The stones were painted gold. ¡°We have our way back pointed out to us. We just need to remember what we do along the way, and it will be simple to get back.¡± Chapter 60: Teleporting Madness The man-faced spider crawled towards me. I unleashed another Minor Shock spell. A thin bolt of lightning burst from my hand and arched towards the creature¡¯s 8 red eyes. It hit, and the beast flipped over then curled its legs into itself. It looked dead, but it wasn¡¯t. Dead spiders disappeared. After two days of grinding on my quests and casting magic whenever I could, my Satellite combined with my Core and I gained my 10th mana point! I self-fist-bumped. I finally had the amount of magic ordinary people started out with. But more importantly, I could finally cast the teleportation spell that I¡¯d been dying to use. The spider¡¯s leg twitched, it was about to come out of its stun, just as my mana fully replenished. I chose a target three squares to my left where a stone block was and willed myself to be there. My vision changed. I floated in my new location, but I was also 10 mana points down. The spider stood back up and continued on its way. I grinned, remembering when those monsters used to scare me. I immediately stopped grinning. Now what scared me were darkness traps and Still Men. I also needed to get used to using this new spell. I cast Haste on myself and bolted down, within 30 seconds my mana had filled up, and I used Teleport, bringing me close to a mushroom trap. I sidestepped it and continued on. In less than 30 seconds I renewed my Haste and flew. I closed in on a sea of boulders that I¡¯d typically go around. Instead, I teleported and completely bypassed them. Combining those two spells like made traveling to the fourth floor a breeze. I missed seeing a slightly dimmer block and flew feet first into a dark trap. I teleported 4 away and stopped. My armor was down to 1 out of 2 charges. Speed was fun when I could burrow my way down, but the fourth floor, as always, needed speed tempered with finesse. Also, I had to slow down so I could keep Personal Weather up. With 10 Mana points, it only took 15 seconds to regain the 5 points needed to cast personal weather, but that was 15 seconds where I nearly boiled to death, so I decided to avoid that if at all possible. I slowed my pace, killed a few unlucky slinfi and freed an equal amount of golems. Near a scuttling scorpion, I saw a box! Was this finally my 8th emerald? I hoped so. It seemed to take hours just to find one. I traveled to it, used my bow to swiftly kill the scorpion and gained another ruby. When I was sure I was safe, I knocked the block out from under it. It crashed, and my 8th emerald appeared. ¡°Yes!¡± It had taken way too long to get to this point. At this rate, It would take me 3 to 4 more days until I was fully prepared and ready to face Nenvari. I hunted a few more scorpions, ran into another of those blasted dark traps, taking my last armor charge, when I came across something unusual at the bottom of my mind map. Instead of blocks made from magma, there were blocks made from a beautiful rainbow crystal. Huh? I swiftly flew to one and placed my hand on its cooling structure. With a thought, I broke through it, and it took 5 durability from my pickaxe. I remembered these. They were the crystals Matt had fought Nenvari in. That meant I was getting close to the boss room. At 274 durability that meant I could only last 54 blocks against Nenvari before I needed a recharge. The black dot once again appeared on my mind map. ¡°Not again.¡± I rushed to a nearby recharge bubble, bringing me up to full. Since I was traveling through cool crystal, I decided against keeping Personal Weather up. This time I would attempt to run from the Still Man. I cast Haste and flew down. Crystal shattered at my touch. After several minutes traveling this way I relaxed. I had to have escaped it by now. A wraith, this one a dwarf, floated nearby. He kicked an obsidian boulder off a cliff and laughed. With a Still Man in the area, I couldn''t risk accidentally running into this ghost, so I turned my bow into the toy scythe and readied myself. In my map, I saw him visibly shudder and turn in my direction. His form blurred and it took moments for him to attack me. I flew back, grabbed one of his attacking arms and yelled, ¡°Sleep!¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. His momentum carried him through and past me, but he eventually crumpled to the ground. I bomped his forehead. Unsurprisingly a reaper I¡¯d never seen before appeared and placed the ghost in a chokehold just like the previous reapers. He took one look at my toy and doubled over with laughter. It took the wraith waking up and beginning to struggle before he stopped and faded away. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s right, get a good look at the girl with a toy scythe.¡± I waggled it. It made an unpleasant sound like the blade was about to come unattached from the handle, so I stopped and changed it back to my bow. You are about to die. Want me to save you? I closed my eyes and groaned. Again? ¡°No.¡± Getting eaten alive was still a horrible experience. *** I rushed through the rebirth process, barely waving hello and goodbye to Mr. Black before I appeared in the main cave. With a giant grin on my face, I said, ¡°I did it! I have 10 whole mana points!¡± ¡°Congratulations,¡± Phenic said, ¡°You¡¯re now at the starting point of most other magic users.¡± I stuck my tongue out at him. He smirked. ¡°Kill the Still Man yet?¡¯ ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then point your tongue at somebody else.¡± ¡°Oh, stop throwing shade and give me my crystals.¡± He sighed and gave up the goods in exchange for my bells. I turned to Korren. ¡°I took a break from jadinfray items, but I have my 8th emerald!¡± She sent me a give me motion, and I handed her my inventory and bow. ¡°With this, you¡¯ll be able to reach 8 blocks away, and you¡¯ll only need to go through 10 to charge your bow.¡± I did a little dance. Just a tiny bit closer to my goal! I turned to Engra. ¡°I still don¡¯t have the rubies saved up yet, but I got a few more.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it and ¡ª¡± The ground rumbled, and everyone froze. The lighting in the main caverned went from blueish to red, and an alarm sounded. I looked at Meeks whose face had gone pale. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°The mine¡¯s been infiltrated by the Light Fae. They¡¯re after its heart.¡± ¡°Its what?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time to explain.¡± There was a loud pop, and I suddenly knew I could fly within the main cave as I did in my wall-mine. Also, what had once been an empty space was now filled with many motionless spurious bodies and several creatures like goblins or dwarves who were obviously battle miners. Above me, the dark ceiling cracked and crumbled. Light Fae creatures and beautiful warriors dressed in silver and gold dropped from the ceiling. They floated halfway to the ground. ¡°This force is just the distraction,¡± Korren said. ¡°Right now we¡¯re attempting to protect the heart of the mine. If it gets destroyed, it will take the mine and everyone with it. Hopefully, they¡¯re just trying to capture it, which would mean them turning it off. That would still kill the people within who don¡¯t escape to one of the boss rooms, but it will mean only a few years of going through each mine and cleaning it out instead of a completely dead country bubble. We can do that, but let''s get to them before that happens.¡± ¡°Meeks, Phenic, you know what to do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m helping too!¡± I yelled. We didn¡¯t have much time. The people Korren called ¡°a distraction¡± were already shooting down any miner that moved with bows similar to my own, but the blast from the bows was thin and long as opposed to the giant block filled shots I usually gave off. Oddly, those miners would go down, flash for a second and return as if they hadn¡¯t just been killed. Mr. Black must be working overtime. Then I noticed one that died but didn¡¯t come back and a chill ran down my spine. Could he not always get people who died up here? Hadn¡¯t he mentioned something similar at one point? I swallowed. I just had to hope my crystals worked. ¡°Ms. Knight. Find someplace safe to hide,¡± Korren said. ¡°No! I can fight. I defeated You, Phenic and Meeks. Don¡¯t expect me to act like someone who can¡¯t help just because there¡¯s trouble.¡± Phenic laughed and took out a small gun. ¡°You only beat me because I wasn¡¯t allowed to use my weapons.¡± He flew up and started circling around the enemies, attacking them with the small weapon. It hit them with a direct beam of light. Every person hit dropped like a brick hitting a window. Meeks smiled at me sheepishly. ¡°To be fair, Miss. I was the one who gave up. You didn¡¯t actually defeat me.¡± He pulled out his sword and started to block near every weapon blast that came after him and the people below. A few were let through, and bodies flew through the air. I glared at Korren. ¡°I know I couldn¡¯t defeat you without using trickery, but you can use all the help you can get.¡± ¡°Alright, but stay close. If you¡¯re about to be attacked, then you hide behind me. And don¡¯t you dare cause friendly fire or I will punish you.¡± With a gulp, I nodded. ¡°Are you ready?¡± I quickly reviewed my stats.
Battle Miner Magus Kelly Knight Ore Worth: 7425 Death Saving Crystals: 1656 Keys: 0 Weapon Charge: 0/10 Weapon Range: 8 Weapon Damage: 4 Weapon Recharge Cubes: 104 Durability: 274/274 Armor Teleport Radius: 4 Armor Charges: 2/2 Mana Points: 10/10
Spells and Techniques known: Reaper Pen, Death Mind, Spirit Sleep, Candlelight, Minor Telekinesis, Minor Cleanliness, Personal Weather, Flameless Light, Haste, Minor Shock, and Minor Teleport.
Current Tasks and Quests: Collect 5 sets of 4 Emerald Keys for weapon upgrades: 8/20 Collect 42 Rubies for an Armor and Mind Map upgrade: 23/42 For every 1 Bell exchange for 1 Crystal: 0 Jadinfray cave items to be exchanged for Weapon Recharge Cubes: 0 Collect Ore worth 3600 for 2 durability: x1 Golems rescued: 35/? Survive Light Fae Attack
I pulled out 8 pre-named weapon recharge cubes. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Chapter 61: Pixies Matt pulled another book down titled, ¡°Pixies,¡± and flipped through some pages. He stopped on a full-color image of a vast area filled the grape vines. A massive amount of pixies flew around it, carrying tiny bags of manure and buckets of water. Some lovingly wiped down each grape with a yellow cloth. Several mansions for pixies lined one garden wall in all the colors of the rainbow. When he read the description, he jumped from his chair, causing it to clatter to the floor. The librarian, a tall dark elf, glared at him. He ignored the man¡¯s stare and bolted from the room. Orin had just left their class, so Matt skidded to a stop in front of him and shoved a book at his stomach. ¡°Oph. What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the pixie dust we need.¡± ¡°Dude. This is a book.¡± ¡°No. I mean. The pixie dust is here, in the garden. We just need to go collect it. It even has directions.¡± Many emotions passed over Orin''s face but awe was the most prominent. ¡°We can go home.¡± Matt grinned. ¡°We can go home.¡± ¡°Lead the way!¡± It took them awhile but they passed through two large wooden doors described in the book. They had the words, ¡°Pixie Winery,¡± printed in an elegant script on each side. When Matt caught his first glimpse of the vineyard, he froze in open-mouthed horror. Smoke rose from the burnt remains of the grapevines. The colorful pixie mansions looked like a fire tornado had taken revenge on them.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°What happened here?¡± Matt asked Orin. Orin¡¯s eyes were wide, and he looked pale. ¡°This... It looks like...¡± ¡°We were harvested,¡± a high pitched voice said from behind them. Three pixies appeared before them, looking like glowing three-inch tall elf people with dragonfly wings. Each one had soot on their clothes, in their hair, and on their face. ¡°Who would harvest you? And why?¡± Matt asked. ¡°It was for your dust, wasn¡¯t it? The Dark Fae king did this to you.¡± The one who¡¯d spoken sighed. ¡°The King would never.¡± ¡°He¡¯s ill,¡± the smallest one said, her voice higher than the others. ¡°This was the queen¡¯s doing. Apparently, the little of ourselves we could spare each day wasn¡¯t enough for her, and she had to harvest all of us.¡± ¡°We¡¯re the only survivors.¡± ¡°You want our dust too, don¡¯t you?¡± Orin nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why we came. Can you spare any?¡± Matt stepped on his foot. ¡°What? Their situation doesn¡¯t change ours. We still gotta get home.¡± ¡°You want to go home fairy boy?¡± The largest of the pixies asked. Orin¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Not home exactly. I anywhere on Earth will do. What of it, tiny man?¡± He twinkled with laughter. ¡°I think we can spare enough to get you there, but do us a favor, cause as much destruction and chaos on your way out as you can.¡± The teen smiled with a vicious savagery that sent a chill down Matt¡¯s spine. ¡°Gladly.¡± They took out a small bag that must have been large for them and floated it over to Matt. He took it. ¡°Thank you! I¡¯m so sorry you lost your home because of the queen.¡± ¡°You little mages better hurry along.¡± An alarm screeched in Matt¡¯s ears. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The largest pixie grinned showing sharp teeth. ¡°Just another part of our revenge.¡± ¡°Warning!¡± A disembodied voice said near his ear. Matt jerked his head to see who spoke but couldn¡¯t find anyone. ¡°Every non-combat personnel please follow your golden path back to your safe zone. The Garden has been invaded.¡± The warning repeated and the blood drained from his face. When he turned back to the helpful pixies, he discovered that they¡¯d disappeared. ¡°We have to find Megan and the others.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Chapter 62: The Chaos of Battle Korren stared at me hard-eyed for an instant. I didn¡¯t know what she was thinking until she said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going to teach you a new weapon technique.¡± ¡°Do we have time for this?¡± ¡°No, so listen. This is something you can only do outside of the mine because of the rules within it.¡± I nodded. She pulled out her bow and a recharge cube. The bow immediately lit up. A stray shot barely missed us, and I dunked in response. Korren aimed at the unfortunate light Fae and fired in a blast similar to the one he¡¯d used. It pierced his silver armor, and he fell to the ground to lie on top of a miner¡¯s body. Korren¡¯s bow hadn¡¯t lost its charge. ¡°Whoa!¡± ¡°Out here you can adjust the amount of energy put into each shot. Teaching you this will hopefully lessen the deaths on our side.¡± The large group of Light Fae traveled closer. The man who¡¯d gone down earlier disappeared and I knew the Light Fae¡¯s Reaper had saved him from a real death. ¡°Okay. But how do I do that?¡± ¡°The same way you¡¯ve done everything in the mines, just will it. Also, you¡¯ll need to think of the amount of energy in the shot. Try to stay around 1/50ths and aim for vital areas.¡± ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± Then I called, ¡°Ouch!¡± Oooo. It¡¯s my turn! Yay! With my weapon charged I aimed for a nearby soldier who was concentrating on pelting Meeks. I pulled back on my bow and focused on using only 1/50th of the energy I usually used. When I released my arrow shot towards him but he was too far away. I flew towards the battle. Almost immediately another stray energy beam bolted toward me. I only just managed to sidestep it but hit something substantial. ¡°Opf,¡± one of the miners who¡¯d joined the fight said. ¡°Watch it!¡± ¡°Sorry!¡± Okay, so fighting in 3 dimensions without a mind map to tell me where everything was located was way harder than I suspected. For the most part, the Light Fae stayed in a formation, but many separated from the group to cause chaos. One such person flew straight at me. I pulled back on my bow. He pulled back on his. We fired. Amazingly our shots canceled each other out. His eyes grew wide, and he flew back into formation. That was when I noticed that towards the top and back was a helmeted woman. The formation was obviously protecting her. I narrowed my eyes at them. Just what were these tricky Fae trying? The soldiers shot at Meeks, and amazingly he used his sword to create a shielding wall of energy. Only a few shots broke through and hit several miners. They dropped and reappeared over nearby mines. I made it my goal to get that female figure and flew out of the fight. After casting Haste on myself, I bolted around to the back of the formation. Everything was so chaotic that only three soldiers, two women, and one man noticed my approach. I cast Shock on the man and shot my bow at the left woman. It pierced her thin armor and tore a hole in her chest. A thin sword slash came at me. I dodged up, but pain burst in my mind. My foot ached, but I had no time to look at the damage. I cast Shock on the remaining woman who had her mouth open to call something back to the others. My lightning hit her, so she didn¡¯t have the chance to warn them. I fired on the stunned man then the woman.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Their bodies fell and disappeared. I swallowed. At least I hadn¡¯t actually killed them. My target turned to look behind herself I cast Shock once more, and it hit her chest. Her body jerked with electricity. I pulled back on my bow again and hit her head, which sent her helmet flying. Immediately I recognized the face. ¡°Princess Yoishay?¡± She was stunned, but that didn¡¯t stop the others from turning in my direction. I swallowed. Oh, why hadn¡¯t I focused on getting enough mana for Minor Area Shock? As I saw the sea of arrows soar towards me, I had a sudden realization. I had one cage left. Wasn¡¯t having the beloved heir of an opponent now worth more than a few thousand mages later? The blasts hit me, but my armor sensed the killing blows and my vision changed. They didn¡¯t expect me to change locations so they must have assumed I¡¯d been killed. Instead, I flew above them completely unnoticed! Hands shaking I took out my cage. Oh Engra, this one better not be a dud. I licked my lips, closed my eyes and clicked the button. It didn¡¯t explode! Quickly I threw the cage onto Princess Yoishay. It hit her head and expanded 1 block, this happened to include several of her retainers whose eyes narrowed. Then they were in the cage. It flew towards me and disappeared into my inventory alongside the dragons. For a second I couldn¡¯t believe I¡¯d done it, neither could the soldiers, but they probably had centuries of training, and aimed at me. I teleported away, but that didn¡¯t stop them. A few arrows hit my shoulder and my bow carrying arm. I dropped my weapon but continued my mad dash. When my mana refilled enough, I cast Telekinesis and brought my weapon back to my hand. I don¡¯t know when he did it, but Meeks had stepped in front of me. He swung his sword creating a massive shield. ¡°Go on, Miss!¡± I flew towards my mine. Engra sat calmly within a golden protective bubble. Maybe I could convince her to let me have the armor and pay her back later somehow? Suddenly an unfamiliar figure in black robes with a scythe stood in front of me. I stopped. Everyone stopped. In this place where the existence of such a powerful being was never acknowledged, a reaper stood among us forcing everyone into near-paralysis at the incongruity of it. Three calmand demanding words exited his lips. ¡°Let her go.¡± Inch by slow inch I backed up. My terror nearly overwhelmed me, but then I hardened myself to it. I¡¯d already faced death too many times to be frightened of three words. ¡°No!¡± ¡°Then die.¡± Far too fast, he lifted his scythe into the air and swung. The blade aimed to catch my back. Amazingly it stopped before the edge touched me. The reaper growled. ¡°What are you doing Zainir? Wasn¡¯t this job punishment enough?¡± I had no idea what he was talking about until he pulled his scythe back and Mr. Black stepped in front of me. My reaper sent me a gentle smile that I knew was him telling me not to worry. As if! ¡°Mr. Beltza. Why are you in my mines? This is my jurisdiction.¡± He snorted. ¡°Obviously I¡¯m here protecting my benefactor.¡± ¡°Reapers do not protect. We only guide or bring back to life.¡± He shook his head in disbelief. ¡°You always were the righteous idiot.¡± ¡°And you were always the first one willing to bend your morals because others were doing it.¡± Mr. Beltza smiled like a deadly zombie. ¡°Between the two of us, I guarantee that I won¡¯t be the one facing the oubliette.¡± No! He promised that he wouldn¡¯t do anything to get into that much trouble. Just then a loud clank echoed through the massive cavern and the number 1 mine¡¯s blocks, from the outside edge in, turned from stone to dead, cracked concrete. A voice in my ear said, ¡°Error. In self-defense, the mines are shutting down.¡± Everyone seemed to remember that they were in the middle of a fight and began trying to kill each other again. ¡°Miss Knight, I believe now would be a good time to escape.¡± My dumb eyes started to water. ¡°You better stay safe!¡± Mr. Black, no Zainir, grabbed Mr. Beltza¡¯s scythe shaft. ¡°Come. This isn¡¯t the place to fight.¡± The two reapers disappeared, but I had more pressing matters. Namely, my mine was the sixth, and while it seemed to take a while for the blocks to turn into concrete husks of their former magical selves, I needed to enter mine and try to get to Nenvari. This was it. I had no other chances to defeat him. All I had to do was get to the bottom. Then I saw Engra. With a grimace, I made the detour her way and nearly bashed into her before coming to a stop. ¡°Please give me the armor upgrade.¡± ¡°Do you have the rubies?¡± I waved to the chaos around us and pointed to the floor. ¡°Please. I have to leave, like right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. If I don¡¯t create a dress worthy of a queen I may...¡± I didn¡¯t hear the rest of what she said. Instead, my mind focused on ¡°worthy of a queen.¡± I took out the dress Nenvari gave me, back when this all started. Engra gasped. ¡°Will this do?¡± ¡°Do you have any idea what this is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s something I can¡¯t use to save my brother, while the armor is something I can.¡± She bit her lip and shoved an inventory cube in my hand just in time for my mine to begin its shut down process. I didn¡¯t think and jumped into the cold, familiar stone. Chapter 63: Race to the Bottom I flew down several blocks and paused. Before I continued, I needed to put on my new armor. Briefly, I worried about Mr. Black and the others but staunched that. If I survived, there would be time to worry later. Engra had prepared four simple rings in the same ruby and steel style as the previous parts. They fit perfectly onto my ring and index fingers on each hand. There was also a circlet in the same fashion, which replaced my tiara. My internal map became 4 times more detailed and expanded my radius by 4 blocks. It also included a top-down map, though it only showed a single line of blocks. I couldn¡¯t help but think that it would have been useful in the fight earlier. Best of all, though, the armor Engra had given me, increased my charges and range by 2! All the blocks on the second line began to turn gray and within moments became cracked concrete. I moved down several more lines and watched them from my map. When the third line started to turn gray, I realized that I shouldn¡¯t waste my time staring. I cast Haste on myself, and when I¡¯d recharged enough, I cast Teleport. My mind stayed focused on planning ahead and keeping a steady lead on the dying rows. That was until I ran into a sea of boulders that, without teleporting twice, there would be no direct path through. In normal circumstances, I would have teleported to save on durability, but I didn¡¯t have a full minute to waste. With gritted teeth, I bolted around the sea. The concrete came closer, making me lose most of my previous lead. When I reached the sea¡¯s edge, it started to hit my row. I barely escaped onto an easier path and continued to cast Haste. Mushroom traps and spiders flew past me. I collected whatever precious energy orbs I could to keep my durability up. Then I reached the sandstone where I passed badgers and destroyed any honey blocks that got in my way. In the vines, I grabbed another energy orb and almost ran into a vine trap. Vindictively, I blasted it and moved past, casting Haste again to boost my speed. I used a light boulder to destroy a TNT crate that blasted a box. The content, a diamond key, flew into my inventory. At the edge of my map, I saw a line turn to concrete and envelope a nest. It turned to stone and shattered. The loss of avian life hurt my heart, but I didn¡¯t have the time to mourn. When I reached the magma blocks, I immediately put up Personal Weather, but this also made it so I could only cast Haste when I absolutely remembered to which, as I passed scorpions and dark traps, wasn¡¯t often.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The concrete formed around a slinfi. It turned to stone and shattered. With a heavy heart, I hoped the golem preferred death to being trapped. When I moved farther down, lines of crystal blocks appeared on my map. Unfortunately, nearly every square had a wraith within it. A chill ran down my spine. How was I supposed to get through that? Fear made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I stopped, too shocked and horrified to continue. The ghosts stared up at me waiting. Did they want me to send them to the reapers? Did they consider this their last chance to move on? No, they likely believed this the final time they could steal my body, but I wouldn¡¯t let them. Briefly, I wondered if they became wraiths when something like the mine shutting down happened in the past. Would I share their fate if I didn¡¯t reach the bottom? The concrete moved to the next block reminding me that I had a time limit. I gritted my teeth and fortified my mind for what I was about to do. With a thought, my bow became a scythe, and I flew towards them like a Valkyrie. Well, a Valkyrie with a toy weapon. They rushed toward me. I stole the death type mana from the area to make any of the ones who touched me fall to sleep. Bomping each head was barely an afterthought as I risked my life casting Sleep as fast as I could. I pushed through the lines of ghosts and into an open room 6 squares wide but became surrounded in the process. One ghost came after me, claws outstretched. Sleep. Bomp. Then a second. Sleep. Bomp. Then a third and a fourth! On my sixth one, the reapers finally began to appear to collect them. But they didn¡¯t help. Their eyes focused on me as I was continuously attacked by ghost after unending ghost. The concrete hadn¡¯t stopped its descent either, despite me wishing it would. The line of death was only four rows away. I moved down a little more. When 30 reapers crowded my map, time stopped, and I couldn¡¯t move. ¡°There should be enough of us now,¡± the first I¡¯d called said. Within the span of a blink both reapers and wraiths vanished. Time resumed. I shuddered and wrapped my arms around my body. That was too close. Another line turned to concrete, once again reminding me that I didn¡¯t have time to get emotionally stable. I flew several more blocks and collected an energy orb. That was when I saw the black dot. Oh no! Not here! Not now! But of course, it would have to be here and now when I was so close to the end. I swallowed and cast haste on myself. When that hateful dot appeared again, I realized that it was much more detailed than it had been thanks to my upgrade. I could make out what direction it had come from and what direction it teleported towards. Judging by its movement, the Still Man was also attempting to flee the line of death. But I doubted that it would leave me alone to save its own butt. I had to do something before it did. A desperate idea came to mind. I waited. The concrete line moved closer. Still, the monster didn¡¯t try to attack me. When the feel of magic fizzling out of the crystal blocks above me ran over my skin, the Still Man struck. His hands appeared near my face, but I¡¯d been waiting for this. I cast Minor Shock on its wrist and soared away. The creature writhed in pain, unable to move or teleport as the concrete enclosed it and turned it to dust. Many blocks later I came across the empty lines that represented the end of my long race and the beginning of my final battle. With dumb watering eyes and a heart beating super-fast I burst into the room. Chapter 64: Last Goodbyes I admit that I thought the room would contain Nenvari so when I stepped into it and saw the three chests with three familiar faces behind them I stumbled to a stop. Meeks, Phenic, and Korren waited for me. Above me, the last line turned into concrete trapping me in the boss room. I cleared my throat. ¡°Aren¡¯t you all supposed to be fighting up there? Is it done already?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe she still hasn¡¯t figured it out,¡± Phenic said. ¡°Figured what out? Are you guys hiding a secret from me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a secret, Miss,¡± Meeks said. ¡°We just don''t always explain to others that we¡¯re not fully here.¡± ¡°Technically,¡± Korren said, ¡°we¡¯re temporary clones created to protect the floor and the miners.¡± ¡°So your real bodies are still up there fighting?¡± Phenic flicked the tip of his nose. ¡°Our real bodies are safe in the break room having lunch.¡± Korren crossed her arms and raised a brow at him. ¡°Although, when we saw the infiltration team nearly reach the heart I had to step out to shut down the mine. With it down they can¡¯t fully kill it.¡± ¡°Which I still say was unnecessary,¡± Phenic said. ¡°If we¡¯d all stepped out, we could have taken care of them.¡± ¡°Obviously, we couldn¡¯t risk that!¡± ¡°Guys! I¡¯m glad you¡¯re all safe, but what are you doing here?¡± Meeks smiled. ¡°We¡¯re here to give you one last gift before you fight Prince Nenvari.¡± ¡°Three gifts to be exact,¡± Korren said and lifted the lid of her chest. A new bow flew out. It was made entirely from Cold Steel and pulsed with magic. My eyes grew wide. ¡°I thought Cold Steel wasn¡¯t good for bows?¡± Korren grinned. ¡°Usually it isn¡¯t, but I know a good artificer or two. It also helped that I made quite a bit of money off those treasures you found in the jadinfray caves.¡± She made a give me motion. I flew over and handed her my weapon. With a gesture, she had each bow rise and spiral towards each other. A bright light stung my eyes, and I turned away. When I peered back, they had merged into one. This new bow shimmered with a bright light and flew toward me. I gripped its surface and felt metal beneath the brightness. It warmed my hand. Magic vibrated under my fingertips.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°This should make your arrows extra deadly when you shoot them at Prince Nenvari.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± I put my bow away and hugged her tightly. ¡°I¡¯m going to miss you.¡± When I stepped back, I saw her lower lip tremble a little and her eyes water. She blinked rapidly and cleared her throat. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you too, Kelly.¡± Phenic coughed, and I turned to him. ¡°So, I noticed that you managed to win our bet, after all.¡± I grinned. ¡°I sure did!¡± He tossed over an inventory cube that held 700 Crystals. I quickly transferred them over and threw it back. ¡°Since you won¡¯t see me again, you should probably ask your three questions now.¡± In my rush to get down here, I¡¯d almost forgotten about those! Plus I had to ask them in a non-questioning question. ¡°Um, I get the feeling that Princess Yoishay will make a good bargaining chip to force Nenvari to change our deal.¡± ¡°Should you phrase it in such a way that makes him have to change the challenge or have something worse happen, then there is a large chance you could.¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m looking for ideas on how I can defeat him.¡± He chuckled. ¡°When facing a superior enemy, the only chance an inferior can succeed is if they use surprise to their advantage.¡± I scowled. Even I could figure out something like that. I couldn¡¯t think of what else to ask him, so I grinned. ¡°It would be good to know if you¡¯ll miss me.¡± ¡°Miss Kelly Knight. You have brought a significant amount of frustration to my life in such a short time. But you¡¯ve also brought humor. Yes. I will miss you.¡± He coughed, his shoulders tensed and he blushed brightly. He flew down to rest a hand on the treasure chest. ¡°I know I don¡¯t usually handle your pickaxe upgrades, but I was able to get you this.¡± The lid opened. A gorgeous pickaxe with Irish knots carved into it appeared. It flew towards my bow and disappeared into it. I willed the pickaxe to show so I could take a better look at its intricate design. ¡°Despite what I¡¯ve said. You¡¯ve helped me win quite a few bets. This is thanks for that.¡± I frowned. ¡°Wait. My durability hasn¡¯t gone up at all.¡± His cheeks turned a darker shade of purple. ¡°That¡¯s because this will give you the ability to spend 5 durability to destroy boulders.¡± He harrumphed and crossed his arms. With a broad smile, I gently hugged him. His tiny arms wrapped around my neck briefly before he said, ¡°Do stop clinging to me.¡± I let go. ¡°Thank you! I do believe I¡¯ll miss you too, you cranky old man.¡± He snorted and looked away. I turned to Meeks who wore a sheepish smile. ¡°Ye¡¯ll have to open this gift yerself when we¡¯re gone. Ye see, Miss, I managed to find a lost memory that should shed some light on the real situation.¡± ¡°Real situation?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a memory stolen from Nenvari.¡± ¡°How did you find it?¡± He winked. ¡°An old miner still has connections.¡± ¡°Will it help me defeat him?¡± ¡°That depends on how ye use it. Either way, it¡¯s too dangerous for us to see, so this is goodbye. I hope I never see ye down here again.¡± I bit my lip, and a tear made its way down my cheek. I flew over and hugged the dusty miner. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you and your dumb romance novels.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll miss ye too. Be good, Kelly.¡± He hugged me back and then all three disappeared. I wiped the wetness from my face and sniffed. This was it. From this point forward I was entirely by myself. No Mr. Black, no Korren, no Phenic and no Meeks. But I had their lessons. Hopefully, that would get me through this. I opened the last chest. Chapter 65: The Truth ¡°If you keep an open mind to the possibilities,¡± the queen said, ¡°you may not even need to use your veto.¡± Prince Nenvari didn¡¯t like it. He didn¡¯t trust her. But he could risk a single conversation. With a smirk, he said, ¡°Very well. Try to convince me, but don¡¯t bother with your previous statements as I¡¯ve heard and dismissed those already.¡± She took another sip of her tea and gestured to his. ¡°First, why don¡¯t you drink your tea? It¡¯s quite magnificent. You¡¯ll regret it if you don¡¯t at least take a sip.¡± As if he¡¯d trust anything she gave him. ¡°I politely decline.¡± She shrugged one shoulder as if it didn¡¯t bother her. ¡°I understand that you¡¯d prefer to use mercenaries, but they are not loyal.¡± ¡°They are trustworthy enough.¡± ¡°But not as devoted as people we train up ourselves. We can coerce them through kindness, respect, and freedom.¡± ¡°And if that doesn¡¯t bind them to us?¡± ¡°In the rare instance, it doesn¡¯t work? Well, there are other ways. Harsher ways that still leave them connected to us.¡± ¡°There is a cost to those ways.¡± ¡°Yes. People who are charmed are never quite as adept as those with a clear mind. They often forget things. It¡¯s like they have a concussion. That¡¯s why I wanted so badly for you to agree with me without resorting to this.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± He said, but that was when it hit him. He turned his head, and the world spun. What was this? There was a strange slightly chemical and herbal scent to the air that he only just now picked up. ¡°I did tell you that you would regret it if you didn¡¯t drink your tea.¡± Of course. They¡¯d been searching for magical means to charm people, not chemical. He reached for the tea, but Federico grabbed it first and pulled it away. ¡°You!¡± He glared at her gold glowing eyes. His head hurt. *** When the memories had finished playing, I wanted to smack myself. It had been so obvious that he was under her control. I really should have seen it earlier, but I¡¯d let my prejudice against him blind me to that fact. Of course, now that I¡¯d seen the truth it changed what I needed to do. The chests were gone, and I found myself alone in the crystal room. Whatever had been in that last chest also healed my body and replenished my missing armor charges. To my left, I saw a flash of white. I turned towards it, but there was nothing there. Breath touched my ear as I heard the familiar voice. ¡°So, another human child has found their way to the entrance of my kingdom.¡± I jerked around, but no one was there. ¡°Show yourself!¡± ¡°Hmm. You. I remember you.¡± Another flash of white appeared to my left, and I jerked towards it. Nothing. ¡°Behind you.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I turned and stared into the beautiful face of Prince Nenvari Esreth. I recognized that there was something off about him now compared with how he was in the memories I¡¯d lived through. But he was the same as when I first met him. The same oily smile. The same glassy eyes. He wasn¡¯t the thoughtful and powerful prince within his memories. ¡°Miss Knight was it? Have you come to attempt to defeat me? It won¡¯t work, you know.¡± I swallowed. The way he spoke was different as well. Like a scripted character within a game, not an actual person. ¡°What the hell did Queen Fedreicio do to you?¡± He frowned. ¡°My queen hasn¡¯t done anything to me.¡± ¡°I want to renegotiate the terms of our challenge.¡± He rose a brow and let out a slow deadly, ¡°Oh?¡± I swallowed because to me that one syllable said that I walked on dangerous grounds. ¡°I have captured Princess Yoishay, beloved heir to the monarchy of Seirei Vohinthaslan. But I have to negotiate with both you and the queen because what I need, I need from her.¡± Suddenly he disappeared leaving me with only a whispered voice in my ear. ¡°Wait.¡± What the hell had I gotten myself into? I stood in the bare room for maybe 2 minutes before my world spun. When it stopped, I stood in a throne room with black marble tiles and walls made of ebony wood. Gothic windows trimmed in gold leaf let light into the overly dark room. There was only a single throne made from a live tree. The room had no scent, from that I realized that this was an illusion. Prince Nenvari appeared next to her and bowed deeply. She ignored him, her calculating eyes stared into mine. I stood up straight. ¡°You¡¯re not really here.¡± ¡°Insolent child.¡± An explosion sounded in the distance which caused both her and me to turn towards it. From that, I realized that she was under attack at this very moment. I smirked. ¡°You don¡¯t have a lot of time, do you? So I¡¯ll make this quick.¡± Yelling sounded, and she raised a hand. The noise cut out. ¡°You will, will you?¡± ¡°I have Princess Yoishay of Seirei Vohinthaslan. You can use her to call a many-year truce between you and her country.¡± She snorted. ¡°If her mother sent her anywhere near where you could capture her then she¡¯s likely the next child she¡¯s planning to off. She¡¯s not worth negotiating for.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re underestimating how much her people love her. But considering what you have to do to get people to side with you, I¡¯m not surprised that you don¡¯t understand.¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°Are you insulting me, human brat?¡± ¡°On Earth, we have dictators, and the one thing they fear is that the people will rise up against them. As far as I can tell, Queen Ruler Vasena is a dictator of the worst sort, and the reason she wants to get rid of her child is because she¡¯s so beloved. If you spread the word throughout her country that you¡¯re willing to negotiate her safe return in exchange for a long-term peace agreement I¡¯m positive that you won¡¯t need children from my world to be your army of mages.¡± ¡°You think you have this all figured out when you don¡¯t know anything.¡± Nenvari had a frown on his face like he was trying to work through something. Queen Fedreicio clutched at her armrest. ¡°What do you want in exchange for Princess Yoishay? The release of your people?¡± ¡°What I want is three things. The first is the return of my people, the second is a promise from the ruling family of this country that they will never steal children from my realm again. The third is that you immediately release Nenvari from your thrall.¡± He stepped toward me. ¡°I¡¯m not under my queen¡¯s thrall.¡± ¡°Calm.¡± He stopped. I looked at him. ¡°The fact that you call her, ¡®my queen,¡¯ should be proof enough.¡± The queen stared at me with hard eyes. ¡°I decline. Seriously, child. As soon as you fight Nenvari, you¡¯ll be mine, and if you¡¯re mine, the princess will be as well.¡± ¡°No. If you don¡¯t agree to my terms, I will release her and her retinue right here.¡± The queen glared. I closed my eyes and breathed. I had hoped to negotiate, to avoid fighting altogether but¡­ I hardened my resolve and opened my eyes. ¡°Then let¡¯s make changes to my challenge instead.¡± ¡°Then, if my son wins I will receive Princess Yoishay, I will keep taking children for my army, and I will get you. Nice attempt but no, thank you.¡± ¡°No. If I lose you get to keep Prince Nenvari, the children and myself, but I will release Princess Yoishay. If I win, you will release Nenvari from whatever effects you have him under, free the children, and Goraitheshselan will never kidnap more kids from my realm again. But, Goraitheshselan will get Princess Yoishay.¡± ¡°So I win either way? I admit that you¡¯re close to having me say yes.¡± ¡°How about I add in a dozen metal dragon eggs? Wouldn''t dragons would make better weapons than an army of mages?¡± ¡°Fine, but Goraitheshselan receives the dragon eggs whether I win or not. And instead of 3 chances to defeat Nenvari, you only have one.¡± What! Only one chance. I racked my brain for what to do next, and I thought of something crazy. ¡°Then, in keeping with the law of three, let¡¯s say on his third death I win.¡± ¡°Insolence!¡± ¡°Relax, my queen. No one has hit me more than twice and lived. The likelihood of her victory is inconceivable.¡± That information staggered me. Just how powerful was this guy? ¡°Very well, if you¡¯re certain.¡± He nodded. A paper and quill pen appeared in front of me with the terms we¡¯d agreed on. It already had her signature and the King¡¯s. I read through it carefully, not trusting her to stick to our agreement as stated. When I was satisfied that it said what I wanted, I used my altered reaper pen to sign. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw me do that, but she didn¡¯t stop me. ¡°With that done, Nenvari, fight, and win!¡± ¡°As you will it.¡± Chapter 66: Keep Moving Orin Son jogged down the path but tried to stay slow enough so Matt could to keep up with him. An explosion rocked the ground, and a steady breeze blew past them. The gold path that had been going straight for some distance suddenly switched at an intersection and curved off to the left. He heard a whimper, and the footsteps behind him stopped. They didn¡¯t have time for this. ¡°Get up,¡± Orin said. ¡°We have to get to the shelter.¡± Matt shook. He apparently wasn¡¯t moving. ¡°Alright little dude, I¡¯ll carry you, just get on my back. We can¡¯t stay here.¡± He hefted the kid to his feet and knelt down with his back to him. Clumsily, the Matt wrapped his legs around his waist and his arms around his neck. He clung too tightly. He tapped Matt¡¯s hand. ¡°Can¡¯t breathe.¡± ¡°Sorry!¡± The kid loosened his grip. ¡°Just hang on. We¡¯ll get there soon.¡± Although whether or not they¡¯d get there in one piece, he wasn¡¯t sure. Orin took off running and heard the kid squeak, but he didn¡¯t complain. After about twenty minutes he started to see signs of fighting. A sliced branch here, scorched earth there and a broken statue around the corner. He couldn¡¯t tell where they were heading, but he didn¡¯t think that the gold path had their best interests at heart. He slowed down, because of the intense training, he grew up with, the short run didn¡¯t make him feel out of breath at all. ¡°Hey, little dude. I¡¯m setting you down here. There¡¯s something I need to take care of up ahead.¡± Matt nodded, trusting him. He didn¡¯t know how this kid was raised, but he must have come from a really awesome family, unlike Orin. He ruffled the boy¡¯s sandy blonde hair. ¡°Make sure you hide.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Using all of his stealth training he snuck forward down the gold path. After turning 3 more times, he reached an area with various different Fae in battle. He slid into the wall¡¯s leaves and stilled his breathing. It helped that the people were too busy fighting each other to notice him. The familiar red and black uniforms of the Goraitheshselan knights stood out to him against the silver and gold of what had to be light Fae. The red guards were losing. Seeing how he and Matt were considered their mages that meant their side was losing. He thought briefly that if he explained their situation to these people, they might let them go but shook his head. No, there was a chance that they would take them for themselves which meant he couldn¡¯t risk getting exposed. Instead, he waited. After a few minutes of parries, thrusts and energy blasts the remaining red guard fell to the three white knights. They turned their back to him and gathered together. ¡°What next?¡± ¡°We¡¯re done here. We need to reach the next point.¡± On second thought, perhaps he could just stay hidden and let them go past. ¡°But the mage school is just up ahead. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to join the main phalanx when they attack.¡± ¡°If you want to go up against thousands of mages go ahead. I¡¯m not going to stop you.¡± ¡°To the next checkpoint then.¡± The guards turned Orin¡¯s direction. If they continued going that route, they would reach Matt. He waited until they passed, then jumped out and cast the spell he¡¯d only recently been able to master, Minor Area Shock. A small field of electricity burst out from him. The guards jerked in place, stunned. Orin grabbed the hilt of the idiot guard who¡¯d lost his helmet or forgot to wear one. He twisted his wrist. The warrior let go, and Orin used the hilt pound his temple. He collapsed.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Unfortunately, by then the other two guards had recovered. ¡°A mage student?¡± The left one said as he moved towards one side. ¡°With some martial ability,¡± the one on the right said, as he stepped to flank. Orin snorted. He finally had a decent weapon, like he would lose to some jerks in tight pants, especially not when he could already see what they planned. From the way he placed his feet, Left was going to attack him to try and draw his attention, which would let Right go in for the kill. Too bad for them Orin had become obsessed with magic and had already made plans to use it in battle. When Left lunged at him, he cast teleport and appeared behind the soldier. He rammed his blade in between the man¡¯s helmet and breastplate. He collapsed and disappeared. Right didn¡¯t stop his charge and began thrusting at Orin. Orin still hadn¡¯t recovered enough mana to use teleport again so he jumped back as far as he could then rolled to the right. He attacked the man¡¯s feet as soon as he could because the soldier had been about to slice right through his neck. Instead, the man jumped back. His sword began to glow. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to waste a weapon charge on a student but this is getting ridiculous, and you killed Evans.¡± Orin swallowed and stopped himself from reliving that murder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry he¡¯ll be back soon enough. Can¡¯t say the same for you.¡± He could feel the magic coming off that sword, and it was way more than anything he¡¯d seen. His mana just barely renewed, and he used teleport again just as the soldier swung down. He appeared behind the man and slit his throat. His body disappeared. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, and he turned to see the soldier he stole the sword from stagger to his feet. ¡°Give me my weapon back, Dark Fae mage!¡± He snorted and charged forward. Sword guy dug into his pocket and threw something that looked suspiciously like a grenade. Orin, cast haste on himself and ran around the soldier who stood as if gloating. He then pushed the man¡¯s own blade into his neck. He disappeared, leaving only a scabbard and a few yellow cubes. A flash. An explosion sent debris flying. Orin fell to the ground and covered his neck. When he stood up, a message appeared in front of him made of light attributed magic.
You have killed a Knight of Seirei Vohinthaslan with his own blade, severing his soul bound connection with it. This sword is now soul-bound to you.
¡°Huh,¡± he said, flicking the window. It disappeared in a bunch of white sparks. ¡°That¡¯s new.¡± Another box appeared before him that sent chills down his spine.
You have killed Light Fae Warrior x3 you have earned 15 experience
What was this? And why had it only popped up now? He flicked the box again, and it disappeared. What? Did he have some kind of character sheet now, filled with stats? He thought about a stats page, but one didn¡¯t appear. Maybe later? Was this some kind of after effect of training with magic and being in the Realm Under the Hill? ¡°Orin!¡± Matt yelled. The boy tackled him, and he grunted with the effort to stay upright. ¡°I heard the explosion.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he said and peeled the child off him. He attached the scabbard as he was trained to do and sheathed his sword. He then picked up a yellow cube. Oooo. Do you want to use me? The voice said in his head. :What are you?: He thought back. I recharge your weapon. :Not right now.: The yellow cube flew up to spin quietly behind him. ¡°Hey dude, is this thing distracting?¡± He pointed to it. Matt peered up at him, obviously confused. ¡°What thing?¡± So, it was invisible to others. He picked up the other two cubes and sent them spinning next to the other one. ¡°Still need me to carry you or are you alright now?¡± He nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Sorry. I was just so scared and when I heard the explosion, and I thought you might need help.¡± ¡°That was a dumb thing to do. Next time you hear explosions you run away from them. Understand?¡± Matt nodded, but Orin didn¡¯t believe the kid would do as he said. *** They jogged on, not as fast as Orin could go alone but definitely quicker than they had on the way to the Pixie Field. They approached their dorm entrance, but it had an orange force field surrounding it. Matt was about to run right into it, so Orin grabbed him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Orin then yelled. ¡°Hey, is anyone in there?¡± Megan dashed out. ¡°Matt? Orin? What are you doing? Get in here. We¡¯re under attack.¡± ¡°Get Asia and Samuel. We¡¯re going to use this chaos to escape.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t,¡± Megan said. She pressed her hand against the orange field, and it didn¡¯t move past it. ¡°We¡¯re stuck.¡± ¡°Someone call my name?¡± Samuel came into view. He¡¯d lost a lot of weight and looked healthier than he had when he¡¯d first arrived. Asia walked up right behind him. ¡°What¡¯s this about escape?¡± Orin grimaced. ¡°We discovered a way out of here,¡± Matt said. ¡°We were just picking up our last needed item before we let you guys in on the secret.¡± They all had shocked expressions on their faces. He really didn¡¯t want to, but he supposed if they couldn¡¯t come with him then he should stay behind as well. Just as he was about to say so, Megan said. ¡°Don¡¯t let us stop you, leave.¡± Matt¡¯s eyes became saucers. ¡°Of course we can¡¯t leave you here. We¡¯re not inhuman.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand because from the beginning all you could think about was leaving, but I want to stay here.¡± ¡°Me too,¡± Asia said. ¡°Me three,¡± Samuel said. ¡°Sorry muchachos, but you¡¯re on your own.¡± ¡°But, Megan. What about your family? If you stay here, you¡¯ll never see them again.¡± ¡°Matt. I hate my parents. They¡¯re always arguing, and they ignore me constantly. Here, I don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± Another blast rocked the ground. ¡°You better hurry while you still have a chance.¡± Matt stared at Megan like he didn¡¯t even know her. Orin grabbed the kid¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Come on we gotta go.¡± Orin led him through several familiar turns. ¡°Am I doing the right thing? Should I have stayed?¡± Matt asked. Just how the heck was he supposed to know? ¡°Yeah, dude. If you stayed, you¡¯d never see your sister or parents again. Besides, magic might be cool and everything, but in the end, it¡¯s not your family. And this place, it isn¡¯t your home.¡± ¡°Yeah. But I¡¯m glad at least you¡¯re here with me.¡± Chapter 67: Smack Talk The queen¡¯s chamber disappeared leaving only Prince Nenvari and myself within the room. Two doors opened to the left. Nenvari vanished. I assumed he¡¯d gone in but instead his voice came from behind me. ¡°It would be so much easier for you if you¡¯d just give up.¡± I spun and stared right into his dark eyes. ¡°That¡¯s not an option.¡± He was way too close, and I could see how the corners of his lips turned up into a smirk. ¡°Because you need to save your brother?¡± I tightened my grip. ¡°Yes, and I need to save you.¡± ¡°Child, I don¡¯t need saving.¡± I straightened my back. ¡°I¡¯ve traveled through the mine, experiencing painful and terrifying deaths. I¡¯ve fought with and learned from dear friends who I will never see again. I¡¯ve held my own against creatures that steal sanity from any that go near them. I am not a child!¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Your friends? You mean a dumb miner, a greedy fairy and a clan forsaken Dark Elf?¡± ¡°Korren has taught me about weapons. Phenic has taught me to think beyond how I usually do. And Meeks has shown me how to be compassionate to those I would even see as an enemy. You have no right to talk about them like that.¡± ¡°And what about your reaper, Mr. Black?¡± He chuckled. ¡°Do close your mouth. I¡¯m the one who asked the reapers to take care of the mine, so of course, I can speak about them.¡± He tapped his chin with one manicured fingernail. ¡°But what¡¯s this? He¡¯s revealed himself outside of the space between life and death when he shouldn¡¯t have.¡± ¡°Leave Mr. Black alone!¡± ¡°Are you sure? I could help him out of this precarious situation.¡± ¡°I trust him, and I don¡¯t trust you. Not while the Queen has you in her thrall.¡± He leaned in as if to whisper in my ear and instead kissed my cheek. He laughed and vanished from my sight. I caught a glimpse of him disappearing into the boss room leaving me with only one phrase. ¡°Then come kill me if you can, Miss Knight!¡± Glaring, I wiped my cheek and ran after him into the opposite door. Chapter 68: Final Boss Unlike the other boss rooms, the light hadn¡¯t been tinted with a color. The walls, the crystal blocks, and even the dark traps all appeared brighter on both my mind map and through my regular sight. The familiar line of boulders rested above me. What struck me the most was that Nenvari wasn¡¯t visible on my map. Did I need to find him? The drumbeat started, and I tensed. I focused my perception on searching for him. Obviously, he wasn¡¯t hiding behind the TNT boxes, the mushroom traps or the random bird nest, so where was he? When the gong¡¯s bass rumbled through my body, I burrowed down. Within 10 blocks my weapon charged and Nenvari came into view. At my current durability, I could only move 44 more blocks before I needed another energy orb. He waited for me, white robes flowing around him a smirk on his face. ¡°Why are you down here? Shouldn¡¯t you have started with me?¡± ¡°Whoever said the way things have been done before now was the only way they could be done?¡± Before he finished speaking, I pulled back and fired at him. He disappeared. Within a second he¡¯d had teleported to a new location but in complicated armor lined with silver. Instead of the sword, he carried an already charged pistol. Light attributed mana floated around him like clouds. ¡°And you call yourself strong?¡± ¡°Oh, Miss Knight,¡± he said, flying three squares toward me. ¡°I always like to give up one armor charge. It makes my opponent believe they¡¯ve got me.¡± ¡°I do¡ª¡± He shot me, and my vision changed. My eyes widened. He moved another three squares. His gun, which was different from the one Korren had, charged again. ¡°So soon?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Knight but my Queen needs these children. My country needs these children. It needs people like you.¡± He fired again, and even though I ran in a zigzag, he still hit me. With two armor charges down I had 2 to go. I didn¡¯t let being hit again stop me from flying further. When I was 10 away, he finally couldn¡¯t hit me, but I could now only go 28 more blocks before I needed a recharge. I couldn¡¯t see an energy orb on my expanded map. He fired once more, but I just managed to dodge out of the way. I shot at him, but he vanished. I barely stopped myself from hitting a dark trap. ¡°Tch.¡± He reappeared 10 blocks closer to me, and a chill ran down my spine. That wasn¡¯t teleportation from his armor that was actual teleportation. He shrugged. ¡°You can use teleportation. Why shouldn¡¯t I?¡± I ground my teeth and flew further down. When he aimed at me, I used my own teleport to travel a few squares lower. ¡°Ouch!¡± My bow charged and I fired at him. He teleported again just before my blast hit, as if it wasn¡¯t a bother. A playful smile appeared on his face. How could he be this powerful? I tightened my grip on my bow. ¡°Set!¡± He fired. I did the same. Our blasts canceled each other out... Well, they almost didn¡¯t. Once my shot cleared, I noticed that if I¡¯d stood just two blocks closer, he would have hit me. That urged me to run again, this time go lower and hope I ran into another energy orb. Just why hadn¡¯t I focused more on increasing my durability? ¡°Say!¡± I yelled, but it was too late. I teleported 6 blocks away from where I¡¯d been. Only 1 armor left. As I ran down, he fired at me again, and I blasted back. My aim was off but he also missed. After running for so long, and needing to sidestep as many traps as I had, I had 10 durability left. ¡°Sin.¡± I needed to calm down. He flew at me. I fired. He teleported too close to me. I could feel the heat coming off his weapon. I backed up two blocks, and the world around me froze. You are out of durability. Want me to save you? ¡°Yes!¡± Light surrounded me, and I had a charged pickaxe again, but I was down 1 of my 11 Death Saves.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Nenvari¡¯s laughter reverberated through the mine. I pulled back on my bow and fired at him, completely missing. Despite not liking the Death Mind technique I really needed to think clearly, so I touched thumb to middle finger. That was when Nenvari and I began to dance. He moved forward, I moved back. He fired, I fired. He almost killed me two more times, taking my last armor and using my second use of my Death Saves. Soon I had only Al left from my named weapon Recharge Cubes, and I called for him. Ooooo yeah! Finally, my turn! I aimed for Nenvari and fired, but he teleported. We were almost in the same block. He yawned. ¡°Haven¡¯t you had enough of this, Miss Knight?¡± I cast Minor Shock on him. He gritted his teeth and froze in place. I took out another recharge cube. Looks like¡ª ¡°Yes!¡± Just as he came out of the stun, I fired. He reappeared 7 blocks away in another set of armor, this one more fantastic than the last with sharp angles and light attributed magic wings stretching out of his back. He held a blood red sword and pointed it at me. ¡°Nice try, Miss Knight. Because you¡¯ve worked so hard I¡¯ve decided to let you see the final form I¡¯m allowed to take within the mine.¡± ¡°Nenvari, you¡ª¡± A ball of energy appeared on the tip of his sword, and he stabbed toward me. I ran once more and collected the single recharge orb I¡¯d been able to find. When the ball was inches from my head, I could feel the sparks of magic radiating off it. I had a feeling that if this thing even brushed my skin, I¡¯d be dead even if I still had any armor charges left. You are about to die. Want me to save you? ¡°Yes!¡± Time rewound to where the ball was in the previous block then the squares around me in a two square radius turned to glass. 3/11. I pulled out 8 more recharge cubes and named them. Oooo! We¡¯re ready! Yeah, we are! ¡°That glass isn¡¯t going to save you for much longer. Others have tried, you know, but none have beaten me in this form. Actually, none have even gotten to this form.¡± ¡°Whatever,¡± I yelled and bolted toward an obsidian boulder. ¡°Ouch!¡± Here I go! I pressed up against the cold stone and pulled back on my bow. After aiming, I released. He once more raised his sword and threw that ball at me. It went right through the boulder. You are¡ª ¡°Yes!¡± 4/11. I soared further down. ¡°Set!¡± The next time he fired at me I shot back. His orb of unyielding destruction blew past my energy blast like it was a light breeze. You are¡ª ¡°Yes!¡± I flew through the glass and just made it to a recharge orb before he once more shot me. 5/11. ¡°This is going to get tedious, Ms. Knight.¡± ¡°Then give up!¡± I yelled back. He chuckled. ¡°I know! I shall switch things up instead.¡± Winds of energy spiraled around his sword. Oh. I had a bad feeling about this. I bolted as far away from him as I could. He released the spiral energy, and it tore through every block it hit. Not even at my most awesome could my weapon destroy blocks like this attack could. I swallowed and used my magic to teleport away, just before the spiraling spear of hurricane force could carry me away with an awfully severe possible death. After swallowing hard, I said, ¡°Blowing wind at me now?¡± ¡°If that doesn¡¯t suit your taste then why don¡¯t you try my lightning?¡± He raised his hand above his head, and an enormous ball formed that looked like a miniaturized thunderstorm. I grinned. ¡°Lightning needs line of sight!¡± ¡°Maybe yours does. Mine is a little more¡­ advanced.¡± Right, though I was sure he was limited in what he could use in this country bubble, I needed to remember that this guy still had two thousand years to level his magic. Not wanting to get hit by whatever effects that lightning would give me, I flew in the zigzag pattern Korren taught me. The ball appeared in the square where I had been going but missed me entirely. That was when it burst and spread out. You are¡ª ¡°Yes!¡± 6/11. His shock spell actually killed me, but mine would barely stun him! This was so not fair. I stepped out of the glass cage and once again caught the wrong side of a thunderstorm. 7/11. I tightened my grip on my bow and growled. With this near death, I noticed that it spread in a 4 block radius. I broke out of my glass cage and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that attack getting a little boring for you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain you wish I¡¯d stop.¡± He tried it again, but this time I escaped the radius before it hit. Unfortunately, he¡¯d prepared for that and somehow figured where I¡¯d dodge. A wind spear flew towards me. You are¡ª ¡°Yes!¡± 8/11. This was getting out of hand. I was down too many lives. Somehow I needed to reverse his momentum. This time I readied a weapon charge and teleported out of my glass cage so I¡¯d be within range. I aimed and released. He didn¡¯t even bother teleporting, he just stepped left, out of the way with a smirk. ¡°Tch.¡± I flew down, collected another energy orb, sidestepped a mushroom trap and grabbed a cold steel boulder. He sent another ball of light speeding towards me. 9/11. Again, I readied my weapon aimed and released. Again he dodged left, only this time he immediately shot back. I didn¡¯t have enough mana to teleport or time to avoid it. 10/11. He was so overpowered that even with my bow charged there was nothing I could do. I was going to lose. I¡¯d become their country''s mage, they¡¯d probably put me under a thrall like Nenvari so I wouldn¡¯t control my own actions. And Matt and I would never see mom and dad again! I bit my lip. And the water in my eye, that was totally from dust and not at all from all the hopelessness I felt. I once again charged my bow. Nenvari flew closer and to the right to be above me. ¡°Let¡¯s put a stop to this, Miss Knight. You¡¯ve been through so much pain and death already. We both know you¡¯re going to lose, but you don¡¯t have to die. Just say the word, and I will spirit you away to my garden.¡± That was when I noticed something. A mistake. Something so small only the most powerful being wouldn¡¯t consider it a possibility. Especially if he were under a thrall that had him in a state of near concussion all the time. There was a dark trap above him, and he was directly to the right of a line of boulders, and he was two blocks left from a TNT crate. Of course, my plan hinged on what I noticed him continuously doing over the past few attempts I¡¯d made. I slowly flew up, so there was only one crystal block between Nenvari and myself. ¡°You think you¡¯re so strong don¡¯t you?¡± He opened his arms wide. ¡°Haven¡¯t I proven to you that I am?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not, Prince Nenvari. You¡¯re weak in a very significant way. I bet I could even kill you using my weakest spell.¡± He smirked as if thoroughly entertained. ¡°Oh? As far as I know, you don¡¯t have any real damaging¡ª¡± I grinned wide and shot up at him. Instead of teleporting, he dodged left, just like he had been doing, towards the TNT crate while I cast Candlelight just barely inside it. The explosion blasted through his square. Chapter 69: Deal As soon as the explosion cleared and Nenvari was nowhere to be seen, and I found myself teleported back inside the empty boss room. Minutes passed, and I waited for anything to happen. Would the blocks start collapsing? Would I just appear back home now? And the biggest question, where was Nenvari? As time crawled by I had the horrible feeling that this wasn¡¯t the end. That he¡¯d lied. That I¡¯d have to defeat an even more powerful version of the prince. If that was the case, I wasn¡¯t sure what I¡¯d do. Then he blinked into existence, his hands and knees on the floor. No longer did he wear the spiky armor. Instead, he had on simple white robes. He shuddered, in clear pain but he made no noise. Then I realized he must have done that Fae thing of going invisible but the agony and probably the confusion of waking up from a concussion-like thrall must have been so overwhelming that he couldn¡¯t stop himself from reappearing. I floated down and rested a hand on his shoulder. For several minutes we didn¡¯t say anything, and then his muscles relaxed. I sat down, so did he.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°You know, I thought for sure that the queen would find some way to go back on her word. But judging by how you look, it¡¯s easy to see that you¡¯re no longer under her influence.¡± ¡°And you, Miss Knight, should know better than to approach an enemy who is pretending to be disabled.¡± I smirked. ¡°Pretending, huh?¡± ¡°Not that you would have a chance at damaging me, even while I was incapacitated.¡± ¡°So¡­ Do I get my brother back now?¡± He stared at me, his piercing blue eyes sharpened and he stood up. ¡°Right now, my country is being invaded by Light Fae. I have to go protect it first. I also have to deal with my father¡¯s treacherous wife.¡± Sweat ran down his brow. I wanted to tell him to continue resting but, I knew well that there were some things worth pushing oneself past the breaking point for. ¡°What about the children from my world?¡± He grimaced. ¡°Because of the invasion, they¡¯re locked into shielded accommodations. The children will have their memories wiped before we send them back to their world.¡± A distant look crossed his face. ¡°Except there are several who didn¡¯t enter the shelters and are still in the garden. Your brother is one of them.¡± I shot to my feet. ¡°But your country is being invaded. He could get killed!¡± He held out his hand to me. ¡°Help me, and I¡¯ll take you to your brother right now.¡± I grabbed his hand without thinking. Chapter 70: Matt’s Sister Orin grabbed Matt¡¯s hand just before the kid tried to run out of their hiding place. He dragged him back and placed a hand over his mouth. ¡°Shhhh,¡± he whispered. ¡°There are guards over there.¡± He peered around the corner. In fact, there were too many guards all wearing silver. Where exactly were the guards in red? Did this mean this sneak attack by the Light Fae was working? A light appeared in front of them and pain hit his head. Prince Nenvari from the game that started this all showed up standing next to a girl around his age dressed in wine red. They had apparently chosen the exact worst place they could enter because the guards surrounded them. ¡°What a terrible choice you¡¯ve made here this day,¡± the Prince said. He raised his hand, and thick bolts of lightning shot out stunning most of the enemies before him and killing a few.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. The girl in red yelled, ¡°Ouch!¡± which seemed to Orin as something really weird to say, until she started firing thin light arrows at the people who tried to sneak up on Nenvari. The prince, for his part, raised his sword and mowed down each soldier in front of him. They attempted to cut him down but he didn¡¯t even bother parrying, he just cut through their swords. Within two minutes the guards had all disappeared. ¡°Matt! Where are you?¡± The kid struggled in his arms, and since it appeared that they were in the clear, he released him. He ran towards the young woman in red. ¡°Kelly!¡± Wait? Wasn¡¯t that the name of Matt¡¯s sister? She opened her arms wide for a hug. When the two embraced a previously invisible soldier appeared behind the boy. Orin didn¡¯t hesitate, he pulled his new sword and used teleport to get directly behind the man. Using all his strength, he stabbed him in the back through his thin leather armor. The soldier let out a soundless scream and fell to the floor. Chapter 71: Race to the Queen As soon as I stepped into Nenvari¡¯s kingdom, a book popped into existence in front of me. I sent it to my inventory and readied for a fight. We had appeared within a crowd of soldiers. At first, I thought I¡¯d been betrayed, then he called out to the people around him. From that point, I knew I had to watch Nenvari¡¯s back. Sure, the guy was a cannon, but even those couldn¡¯t fire when sabotaged. In short order, we teamed up and took care of the mob. When the last man fell to my bow, I looked around. Fear gripped my heart. Where was Matt? Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be here? ¡°Matt?¡± I asked softly then yelled, ¡°Matt!¡± The bushes behind me rustled, and I turned. My brother dressed in some kind of indigo Fae robes burst out of the foliage and darted over. I grinned and widened my arms for a hug, counting on Nenvari to have my back. He jumped into my arms, and for the first time in, to my point of view, months I received a proper familial cuddle. A shadow fell on my face, and I opened my eyes. A Light Fae assassin held a sword above his head and began to stab down at my defenseless brother. I saw Nenvari out of the corner of my eye gather electricity, then a blade of cold steel stabbed through the soldier¡¯s chest and he disappeared. Behind him, holding the weapon, was an Asian teenager with bleached platinum hair. He grinned. That was when text appeared in front of me.
You have killed Light Fae Warrior x7 you have earned 35 experience
¡°What the?¡± ¡°You see them too?¡± He asked and flicked at something invisible. I followed his lead and did the same to my text. It disappeared in a sparkle of light attributed mana. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Ignore those,¡± Nenvari said stepping a little too close to me. ¡°You¡¯ve promised you¡¯d help me.¡± I hugged Matt closer. ¡°I will. But first¡­¡± I turned to Platinum. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°He¡¯s Orin. My friend. We found a way to escape the garden, and we were trying to get there.¡± ¡°In the middle of this battle? Are you crazy?¡± Orin opened his mouth to respond, but I cut him off. ¡°Don¡¯t. I don¡¯t care. Get Matt to the exit. I¡¯ll come back soon.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°What about the other children?¡± I grinned. ¡°They¡¯re going back home, though they won¡¯t remember any of this.¡± ¡°You defeated the boss?!¡± ¡°Hey, Prince Nenvari, did I defeat you?¡± He snorted. ¡°Only in that, you killed me three times as per our agreement.¡± ¡°See? I won!¡± ¡°Dude, Matt, you didn¡¯t tell me your sister was a bad¡ª¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this.¡± Nenvari flicked his sleeve behind him and nearly flew to the doors of the main palace. I ran after him but called back, ¡°I¡¯m trusting you to get Matt to safety!¡± Orin and Matt ran after me, and I scowled. ¡°I¡¯m coming too. We¡¯re not leaving without you!¡± ¡°As the little dude says,¡± Orin explained. The prince flung the doors open, and a wave of fire burst out to envelop him. He vanished and reappeared several... blocks? away floating in midair. It was going to be hard to start using feet and yards again. A ball of energy appeared at the tip of Nenvari¡¯s sword. An enormous metal dragon stepped out of the hallway, growling like it was about to eat us all for dinner. The scales on the beast were made of silver, and shimmered beautifully in the daylight. Its mouth dripped molten steel, and each claw made an indent in the marble steps. I ran to Matt and used my body to shield his. Nenvari flung the energy ball at the dragon. The blast turned the creature¡¯s head but didn¡¯t make a dent. The monster flapped its wings that looked like liquid mercury. I grabbed Matt, Orin held out his hands for him, so I passed him to the fellow teen. I took out my bow and fired the rest of my weapon¡¯s energy at the Dragon. One of its scales looked a tiny bit singed. ¡°Just when you think you¡¯ve seen the strongest thing something else always comes along,¡± I said. Nenvari chuckled. A bolt of energy burst from Orin¡¯s fingertips. I doubted that it even tickled its scales. ¡°Good thinking.¡± Nenvari created another ball, this one naturally filled with a lightning storm but far stronger than the one he¡¯d used against me. He threw it at the dragon, and it went down but didn¡¯t die. The prince soared so quickly that I figured he¡¯d cast some kind of super extra quick haste to improve his speed. He stabbed his sword into the dragon¡¯s gold eyes. It vanished.
You have helped kill an Adolescent Metal Dragon x1 you have earned 75 experience
I looked at Orin who nodded. He too had gotten the same screen. I flicked mine and wondered again at how I was able to defeat such a person. Right, the rules of the mine must have really handicapped him. Said person then flew to the entrance of the palace. I tried to fly as well and nearly fell flat on my face. I heard him snort and looked up. He peered at me with a raised brow. Apparently, Nenvari was using some kind of spell. I could fly in the mines only because the rules of that country bubble allowed it. See I was smart. I could figure things out eventually. It took us a several more minutes, and I earned quite a few more experience points by the time we reached the Queen¡¯s chambers. ¡°What makes you think the queen is in here?¡± ¡°Because this attack is too well planned. I believe she asked them to attack us to give her time to murder my father.¡± ¡°And since you were under her thumb she believed she could take you out at any time.¡± ¡°Shhhhh,¡± he said. The doors opened, and we stepped into the room. Chapter 72: The Queen’s Sin When Nenvari opened the door to the Queen¡¯s room, he expected many things. To see his father sick, to see his stepmother poisoning him, to see her holding a knife to his throat. What he didn¡¯t expect to see was what he did. The queen sat on a bed with the king¡¯s head in her lap. It wasn¡¯t attached to his body and blood flowed down her legs to pool on the floor. And he knew. He knew she¡¯d paid off the reaper that had protected their family for years. He knew she¡¯d convinced Seirei Vohinthaslan to send an initial war party to the palace so she would have an excuse to kill his father. He knew she had the Light Fae enter the mines to kill him, leaving her in charge until his half-sister came of age. The mine dwellers were probably supposed to murder Princess Yoishay as well, letting both sides get rid of undesirable heirs. And the reaper that appeared was likely going to let her die, but she was captured instead. An unbelievable rage burned in his heart. He screamed and let out a torrent of the most potent attacks he used on human-sized opponents. He didn¡¯t even remember which ones those were and used them by instinct.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. When the dust and debris cleared there was a hole through the palace, but the queen sat untouched. She smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not here.¡± Her body and the bed flickered in and out of existence. ¡°You did all of this.¡± ¡°Figured it out did you?¡± She laughed. ¡°I¡¯m so weary, my son.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your son!¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not anymore. I also see you brought a little backup. It¡¯s too bad it¡¯s useless.¡± Miss Knight stomped towards her hologram as if she were going to fight it, but Nenvari put a staying hand on her shoulder. ¡°When I saw how the battle was going I realized the light Fae had betrayed me. Good thing I¡¯d planned for this and had pixie dust on hand to bring me and my retinue back to my real country. With my husband dead, and my children away at the Collegium, why should I stay here?¡± The head in her lap dropped to the floor and flickered out. ¡°Good luck saving your kingdom from the Light Fae, King Nenvari Esreth.¡± Her form disappeared along with her cruel laughter. His legs were stiff, and he was too furious and bereft to even think of what he needed to do. A small gentle hand touched his. He nearly jumped but comported himself. ¡°I guess. I should give this to you.¡± When the hand disappeared, it left an inventory filled with a dozen metal dragon eggs and a cage with Princess Yoishay and several of her retainers. He tightened his fist as his determination grew. ¡°I have to stop this war!¡± Chapter 73: War’s End To me, maybe a few minutes passed before Nenvari to did some magic awesomeness. His voice blared out to the whole country explaining that they had captured the Seirei Vohinthaslan¡¯s Heir, Princess Yoishay and that he would negotiate her return in exchange for an immediate cease-fire and 100 years of peace. From the hole Nenvari had made, we saw lines of light streak into the air and disappear. ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± he said. They¡¯re gone. ¡°I suppose their princess is indeed beloved.¡± Nenvari, Matt, Orin and myself walked through halls scorched from fighting to a throne room. Rubble from the ceiling and walls littered the floor. Blood bathed sections where there had been visible fighting but horrifyingly, no bodies lined the chamber to account for that much lifeblood. Off to one side was the giant orange ball I had taken from a jadinfray cave. ¡°Hey, that was mine.¡± ¡°What?¡± Matt said. ¡°That¡¯s the thing we need to use to get back home. You had it, and you let it go?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know what it was.¡± Now that I thought about it, Engra had been right. I really should have spent more time studying the objects I gave to Korren before handing them over. After his speech and after he brought us all to this room, Nenvari stared at the elegant gold throne. He dusted the seat off as if he were just going along with what he needed to do. I bit my lip. He was my enemy but he never really was. I walked over to him, leaving Orin and Matt bickering about something. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡± He sucked in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°My father had been alive for thousands of years. You cannot comprehend living for that amount of time.¡± I swallowed. ¡°No, I can¡¯t. Not really, but when I was in the mines, I died several times in a dark trap. It made me experience lifetimes of agony in moments.¡± I sucked in a breath. ¡°I also died by mushroom traps. You have no idea how many times I¡¯ve seen horrors, family members showing up, getting killed, killing me. Betraying me.¡± I choked up. My eyes started to water. ¡°Everything I experienced in the mines was awful, but it¡¯s nothing to actually losing a family member in such a horrible way. So, I am so very very sorry for your loss.¡± He looked back at me, eyes wider than usual. I wrapped my arms around him and gave him the squeeziest hug I could give. ¡°It¡¯s okay to cry when you¡¯re ready,¡± I whispered. He didn¡¯t hug me back, so I released him. He eyed me sideways, and a smirk appeared on his lips. I knew he was putting up a front, but whatever helped him deal with his father¡¯s death, was alright by me.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Oh, the straightforward Kelly Knight,¡± he began, his voice deep and full of meaning. ¡°You are by far too bright.¡± He leaned towards me and whispered conspiratorially, ¡°I¡¯d love to steal away your light. And make a place for you in my kingdom this¡ª¡° ¡°Prince Nenvari!¡± a shocked voice said from the left. I jumped back by a foot at least. A near monster appeared, dressed in red velvet with gold trimming and two messed up legs. ¡°What, Virtanen? Good help is hard to find, and I¡¯m trying to appeal to Miss Knight to stay and...¡± I shook my head, though my cheeks were burning for some reason. ¡°I need to go home, Prince Nenvari. All of us need to.¡± He sighed, ¡°Then please, let me erase each of your memories.¡± ¡°No.¡± He sighed and took a moment to respond. ¡°It will be difficult for you if you remember.¡± ¡°They¡¯re my memories. If I lose them, it will be like losing the friends all over again. Besides, I¡¯m also taking my inventory with me.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do that,¡± Virtanen said, and stepped toward me. Nenvari held up a staying hand. ¡°Because you saved me and protected my kingdom I will grant all three of you this request. Though it comes with steep consequences.¡± ¡°What do I need to pay?¡± I asked. He shook his head. ¡°The consequences are that you¡¯ll live in a magicless world, and be unable to explain what you saw and experienced to anyone but each other.¡± ¡°You mean they won¡¯t be able to hear my explanations?¡± ¡°No. They¡¯ll hear them and think you¡¯re all insane.¡± I looked at Matt who gazed at me with wide eyes. ¡°What do you say? I¡¯m going to keep my memories, but you might be happier not remembering.¡± My eyes darted to Orin. ¡°Or you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard,¡± Matt said. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to forget, even if I can¡¯t talk about it. And if I forget, who will you talk to?¡± I bit my lip and hugged him. ¡°As if I¡¯d let you take away my memories,¡± Orin said. ¡°I like doing magic.¡± ¡°About that,¡± Nenvari said. ¡°The realm you come from is near magicless. How this will affect each of you will be different.¡± ¡°Like me?¡± I asked. ¡°Because my body is now a spurious one?¡± Nenvari looked at his hands. ¡°Because of the thrall that woman put me in, I don¡¯t remember what I did to you. I apologize, but I won¡¯t be able to turn you back.¡± ¡°I understand. I knew this would be the case a while ago, and I don¡¯t hate you for it.¡± ¡°I do have one question,¡± Orin said. Nenvari raised a brow. ¡°What are the white screens?¡± He ran a finger down his cheek. ¡°Hmmm. It¡¯s something people see after they¡¯ve been in the realm for a while. It happens in the larger and less controlled countries like mine. After a month, of being here and after the first time, you kill something while in Extreme Danger they can appear. Since you aren¡¯t staying, don¡¯t worry about them. They¡¯ll go away as soon as you return home.¡± The way he said, ¡°Extreme Danger¡± sounded like he¡¯d capitalized the first letters. I didn¡¯t think much of it, and honestly, I just wanted to go home and see my mom and dad. I awkwardly bowed to Nenvari and walked over to the orange ball. The others followed after me. ¡°Miss Knight,¡± he said. I turned to him, and he tossed something at me. I caught it with Telekinesis and brought it towards me. It looked like a simple gold compact. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°If you ever change your mind about returning, or if you ever need some advice, use that to contact me.¡± My face grew warm. I knew I should reject it. I would never come back here. But I put in my inventory and bowed to him deeply as my etiquette book said I should. I turned back to the colossal orb. ¡°So, how does this thing work?¡± ¡°Let me do it!¡± Matt said. He ran up to it, pressed his hands against the orb and concentrated so hard that he stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth. The image of just outside our home appeared. It looked so much smaller than I remembered and like a tornado had thrown debris all over it. ¡°Alright, now what?¡± Orin took out a pouch and poured the contents all over the ball. A vortex appeared, and Matt jumped right in. ¡°Wait!¡± I called, but it was too late. Orin jumped in after. I took one last look at the long, sad figure sitting on his father¡¯s throne before jumping in myself. Chapter 74: Home Again The sensation was unpleasant, like going through a giant slide in the middle of a pitch black night. When we were dumped on the street in front of our house, I worried that someone might see us since it was the middle of the day, but the block was barren of people. Everyone was either at work or in their houses. ¡°I guess this is goodbye,¡± Orin said. I scowled at him. ¡°Where do you live? My parents can give you a lift.¡± ¡°Kelly, he doesn¡¯t live anywhere. His parents killed his changeling.¡± My scowl deepened. ¡°A what?¡± ¡°Apparently, to throw off suspicion, they replace each of the children they take with a doppelganger of some kind.¡± ¡°So are you saying that our doppelgangers could be in the house right now?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s Saturday, otherwise they¡¯d be at school, right?¡± Then it hit me. My perfect grades, my perfect attendance. My doppelganger better have kept up on those, or I¡¯d strangle it myself. Orin looked down. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll need back up.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re offering then, yes! I absolutely believe we¡¯ll need back up.¡± He nodded. ¡°You have a plan?¡± ¡°If they¡¯re there, then confront them and ask them to go back to the Realm Under the Hill. If they refuse. Well, are you prepared to kill?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little harsh?¡± I patted Matt¡¯s head. ¡°That¡¯s why confronting them is the first option.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m prepared to kill.¡± He said that a little too gravely as if he¡¯d personally had to kill far more than he liked. ¡°When we¡¯re done, don¡¯t you dare try to run off. We are going to talk about what happened to you two in that garden.¡± We walked up to our empty driveway. ¡°You think Mom and Dad are home?¡± ¡°If they are, they left their cars in the garage.¡± I threw open the door and marched into the house. Mom stood in the kitchen cooking stroganoff. She looked haggard, with bags under her eyes and hair in a messy bun. She didn¡¯t have any of the usual makeup on her face. She stared at me and looked confused then angry. ¡°Kelly! Did you break out again? And what¡¯s with those clothes?¡± I ran up to her. She flinched. I hugged her. ¡°I missed you so much.¡± I couldn¡¯t stop the tears falling down my face.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Kelly?¡± My dad¡¯s voice. I cried harder. ¡°What are you doing out of your room? Don¡¯t tell me. I just repaired that window!¡± ¡°Daddy!¡± I ran at my dad and threw my arms around him. He too flinched but took it better than Mom. I heard Matt throw himself into Mom¡¯s arms. ¡°Kelly? Matt? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Guys,¡± Orin spoke up. ¡°We have to take care of the doppelgangers.¡± ¡°Sure, be the voice of reason,¡± I sighed and let go of dad. I wiped my cheeks. ¡°Dad. You may not believe us, but we were taken and replaced by lookalikes.¡± They both looked relieved like they believed me. Mom started crying. ¡°I knew you two couldn''t have done all those horrible things.¡± Just what things were they talking about? ¡°Where are they?¡± ¡°We couldn¡¯t handle them,¡± Mom said. ¡°Kelly, the other you brought fake drugs to school and sold them to the students. You¡¯ve been expelled.¡± I started hyperventilating. I touched thumb to ring finger and calmed myself. One step at a time. No emotions. I just needed to murder my doppelgangers. No, first ask them to leave. I stepped out of my parent''s embrace and walked through the hallway to my room. There were gouges in the door frame, and they¡¯d replaced my door with a metal one that locked from the outside. I pulled out my bow and a cube. In my mind map, I saw the pair relaxing on my bed, which appeared broken. I also saw Orin come up behind me and my mom and dad behind him. I unlocked the door. A voice like my own but scratchy and angry sounded from behind it. ¡°It¡¯s about time. I told you we were starving hours ago!¡± I threw open the door and pointed my bow at them. My mom and dad stifled shocked gasps. ¡°Leave, or I will kill you.¡± ¡°Heh. Kelly? I thought you were supposed to be gone for good. In the garden. Never to return.¡± ¡°You thought wrong.¡± A voice much deeper than Matt¡¯s came from a person who appeared exactly like him. ¡°What? My boy Matt¡¯s here too. Hey, Mom. You don¡¯t really think they¡¯re us do ya?¡± ¡°Yeah, mom. They¡¯re the obvious fakes,¡± other me said. I stepped deeper into the room. Orin came in after me, sword in hand. ¡°I said go back to the Realm Under the Hill or die.¡± ¡°Heh. Go ahead and try brat. I know you could never hurt a fly.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Orin asked. ¡°If you¡¯re her friend, then you must be a goody-goody too.¡± I used the cube to charge my bow and shot a warning towards their feet. A hole tore into my wood floor. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I¡¯m the one who defeated Nenvari.¡± Fake-Matt tapped Fake-Kelly on the hip. ¡°Hey, look at her free hand.¡± Fake-Kelly cursed like a sailor. ¡°Alright Kid. We¡¯re going. But if I ever see you in the Realm, I¡¯ll kill you, and you won¡¯t see it coming.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m never going back there. And if I do, I¡¯ll kill you first. They shimmered away in a golden light and relief flooded through me. That was when I felt the knife hit my stomach. Pain shot through my mind, and I had just enough adrenaline to shoot an arrow at the once invisible fake-Matt. It screamed and disappeared. Orin seemed to attack air, but a screech broke through the room, and a fake-me fell to the floor and disappeared. I shuddered.
You have killed a Doppelganger and earned 7 experience.
Wait. Weren¡¯t these supposed to go away once I reached Earth? I saw Orin frown and flick his information box away. ¡°Oh no! Kelly,¡± my mom yelled and turned Matt¡¯s face away. ¡°Mom. I¡¯m fine.¡± With a wince, I pulled out the knife. The pain made the world dim for a second then I was back to normal if a little more bloody. ¡°Kelly,¡± Dad said. ¡°We need to get you to a hospital. We need to put pressure on the wound. You shouldn¡¯t have removed that knife!¡± ¡°Mom, Dad. First, there are some things we need to talk about.¡± ¡°That sounds like my cue,¡± Orin said and turned to leave. I grabbed his arm and held tight. ¡°This is Orin. He¡¯s saved Matt and me several times now, so he¡¯ll be staying with us.¡± He swallowed. ¡°Thank you, but¡ª¡± ¡°No. You¡¯re staying here unless you have a better option lined up, and then I refuse to let you go unless I see this better option for myself, you hear?¡± He nodded. ¡°Secondly, I¡¯m not entirely human anymore,¡± I said as my wound and clothes slowly repaired. Epilogue I sat on my new bed in the middle of the night, eyes wide open.
You have failed the quest, Go To Bed!
Grimacing, I flicked the box¡¯s corner. Nenvari had totally lied about those boxes not showing up again. And they kept getting worse! I could, of course, call him on the compact he gave me but¡­ My face burned. No, tempting as calling him was I wanted nothing to do with the Realm Under the Hill. It had been months since I¡¯d returned and I still couldn¡¯t sleep unless I cast the Sleep spell on myself. Most nights I didn¡¯t bother. Why sleep when I didn¡¯t need to? Why dream about all the horrors and pain I went through to come back? I sighed. Months, and I couldn¡¯t repair the damage to my reputation that the doppelgangers had done in the little time they¡¯d replaced me. I was forced to go to counseling. My friends all hated me now. And my grades were the worst!Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. And Harvard was definitely off the table. Although, maybe I could sell my diamond keys on the black market and... as if I knew anyone in the black market to sell them to. The lights went out and turned back on. Something paper rested in my hand. I brought it to my face. In an elegantly scripted letter said, ¡°To the Honorable Kelly Knight of Earth.¡± A chill ran down my spine. The envelope had a gold wax seal that looked like wheat. I put my nail under the wax and opened the letter. Inside I found paper made of a thick stock which I pulled out and opened. Something fell onto my chest, but I ignored it for now. I read the note. Then reread it. It described my acceptance, and generous full scholarship into the Independent Collegium where I would study magic for Time, Life and Death. I snorted. As if I¡¯d ever go back. I tossed the letter onto my battered nightstand and picked up the paper that had fallen out. In scratchy letters, the note said, ¡°To save Mr. Black, do NOT reject their offer.¡± My hands shook. Kelly Knight will return in Reaper Studies