Cursed Explorer of the Arcana

[The Class Skill [Arcane Focus] has reached lvl 67.]

[The general Skill [Serene Spellcrafting] has reached lvl 55.]

These last two days I must’ve turned into a villain for most creatures calling the forest their home.

The curtain of fire I’ve conjured has been slowly crawling northward for two days now, eating away at anything in its path. In the first few hours, it took my care and attention for the fire to spread properly, reaching far and wide and becoming a veritable shield along my journey.

It burned away the sweet smell, the vile trees with the fruit of false dreams and…

[You have triumphed over the enemy [Southern Goliath Bat - Wind lvl 84] - [Night Prowler - Dark lvl 23].]

[You have triumphed over the enemy [Blood Blossom Bobcat - Nature lvl 91] - [Feral Venom Fang - Life lvl 61].]

[You have triumphed over the enemy [Amber Star Firefly - Light lvl 35].]

…

[Congratulations, you’ve unlocked the general Skill [Indiscriminate Slaughter lvl 1]. Would you like to replace one of your Skills?]

Oh c’mon, I’m not a psycho, shoo!

I'm under no illusion, the amount of progress I receive for each of these kills is most likely negligible, considering these beasts are more or less incapacitated and only indirectly killed by me. With that said quantity has its own quality and I’ve been receiving quite a number of notifications for a while now, albeit less and less by the hour.

So why is that? One of the options, first, the storm passed here maybe a day earlier and the trees had already finished their feast by the time the fire claimed them. Option number two, the storm never passed here and all I’ve been doing for the past hours is destroying the homes and families of hundreds of beasts…

Not that I have the ability to stop the inferno anymore. The flames stretch as far as the eye can see, covering the skies above me with dirty grey clouds and marching on relentlessly. Trouble of this scale requires a Big Fluff level intervention.

Speaking of the old elk… the fact that he hasn’t shown up yet despite his principles makes me believe I’m no longer in his territory, the lucky charm won't save my ass anymore. I still had to deal with a few beasts, barely hanging on to their life yet somehow still breathing after the firestorm washed over them… Killing those poor bastards was mercy, nothing else.

Then there are the ones who weathered everything with barely a scratch and are now ruling over the rubble like kings of a county lying in ruin. I tend to avoid them as far as I can.

[You have triumphed over the enemy [Hungering Devouring Locust - Fire lvl 44].]

These things again…

“The edge of the woods can’t be that far now. Or at least I really hope it isn’t.” By now I’m no longer even trying to suppress my crazed ramblings.

I’ve been all alone for far too long. That and the fact I haven’t slept for more than two days now. I need to stick close to the inferno to stay out of harm's way, weird way to do it I know, but it takes an hour or two for the survivors to claim the lands and that’s more than enough time for me to be on my way.

More importantly, I’m still not comfortable with closing my eyes after the last dream I had, or rather the way I woke up from it. Any cover that ever existed has been burnt to ashes by the fire and I really don’t want to wake up in a cocoon of roots or with a beast already sizing me up.

“Can’t be that much more!” I repeat my mantra while forcing my exhausted and slightly injured body to move.

A wild mix of angst and conscious stubbornness is driving me forward even now, even after deep exhaustion has set in. If my Status could display stamina that number would be scraping the barrel by now… and things go only downhill from here.

“If I start moving west now I could go arou-” My little solo planning session gets interrupted when something bursts out of the ground just behind me.

And I’m not even surprised anymore. Startled a little, sure, but not surprised.

Hiding underground takes first and second place on the podium of the most popular way to survive a forest fire while countering it with magic comes in at third. I’ve had beasts ambush me just like this before and I’m pretty sure this attack won't be the last.

My next footfall sends tremors through the ground, following which spikes jut out of the earth to do quick work on my newest wanna-be attacker. The last two have been weaker than me even and I have equally low expectations for this one.

The lack of grunts, howls, or other beastly noises of pain along with the distinguishable sound of flesh being torn to shreds surprises me for a second. I expected my counter-surprise attack to at least leave the beast slightly wounded, or pinned down, or anything really to earn me the upper hand but that didn’t happen. The reason for that is simple. My opponent has no fur, legs, or even arms… it’s a damn snake, a big one.

[Snake lvl 69]

Looks like a normal snake except for the large head, the spear-like tail, and the patches of dirt covering its back.

I really hope to get a better version of Identify sooner rather than later because I find this one a bit lacking.

It takes me a moment to register the snake… snaking past the spikes intended to turn it into a pincushion since thinking, in general, has turned into a task of monumental proportion. No amount of Intelligence or Focus can replace the lack of sleep that’s been dragging me down for a while now.

Thankfully instincts and movements practiced day after day can take over the reins now that tactics and deceit have left the room.

I still comprehend the way the snake’s tail shoots out to skewer me with the help of Premonition. I can still take a measured albeit wobbly step to evade before slicing it off with a wave of my hand and a blade of whistling wind. I can still capitalize on its moment of weakness to form dozens of needles made of ice to blind the serpent and basically seal its fate.

The basics have taken over, nothing flashy, nothing excessive, just the bare minimum to kill whatever is after my life. The energy spared by ditching thinking as a whole is instantly used for every mechanical movement, squeezing my already dried-up reserves even further and probably worsening my situation, not that I have a choice.

[You have triumphed over the enemy [Tidal Kodiak Badger - Water lvl 56].]

Finally. This was easier than-

A kill notification, the blue window marking the moment Malor claims another soul… except the snake never stopped thrashing. The crippled tail swipes my leg accidentally or not, which in turn gives up my position to the blinded beast, opening its jaws wide and lunging for the kill.

The flop mixes up everything and with my mind already in shambles, it takes a bit longer than usual to understand the world around me. I’m still me though, and I’m good. It’s no coincidence I picked a Class with additional Speed and Endurance per level while also boosting my Dexterity from time to time. Dodging is the most superior form of defense hence the Speed and Endurance… that’s the only thing keeping me going right now.

The hair only on my arms stands up as I sense the marble-like fangs vibrating, growing ever closer to my skin to enact revenge for the pair of gleaming gems some call the mirror of the soul. I find the eye for an eye concept totally fair, except for when I’m on the receiving end.

Elemental Burst discharges a pulse of electricity all around, stunning the snake just long enough to stop its jaws from closing on my shoulder. The dagger-sized fangs still rake across my skin but that’s just a minor nuisance, not even worth a yelp or a hiss in the heat of battle.

I straighten my right hand, covering it with a flittering layer of ice and turning my limb into a deadly blade before shoving it through the snake’s chin. The beast goes still with blood gushing out from its wound, nevertheless motionless does not mean dead. I’ve learned that the hard way.

My arm is still stuck almost up to the elbow in the snake’s head but instead of melting the ice and freeing myself, I decide to rid myself of the burden as a whole. And create a sizable explosion in my palm.

The lack of thinking shows its side effect again as a veritable rain of blood, bone fragments, and other organs I don’t want to even think about splatters me head to toe.

[You have triumphed over the enemy [Tremor Serpent - Earth lvl 69].]

Now it’s dead.

[The Class Skill [Armory of the Arcane] has reached lvl 68.]

[The general Skill [Dodging] has reached lvl 59.]

[The general Skill [Pain Tolerance] has reached lvl 30.]

[The general Skill [Premonition] has reached lvl 64]

I don’t even have the strength to freak out or start bitching about my circumstance, all that’s left is getting back to my feet and following the wall of fire.

[Congratulations, you’ve unlocked the general Skill [Martial Instinct lvl 1]. Would you like to replace one of your Skills?]

Martial Instinct: Some instincts are engraved at birth while others are forged through struggle and the will to live. Innerous battles have tempered you to the point where fighting has become second nature, an integral part of your being, guiding your decision past what the mind is capable of. Temper the soul and erase all hesitation as regret is only temporary while death is eternal.

“Switch The Art of Movement!” I command my Journey Guide, too tired to remember my parents’ chiding about mental commands.

I need this now more than ever.

Valka Pov:

“Move, faster you useless pieces of trash!” The panicked voice of my newest owner is almost music to my ears.

Almost.

Sadly that tune is lost in the wind that carries the sound of flames consuming the horizon as far as the eyes can see along with the desperate roars of a thousand beasts. We noticed the smoke far in the distance hours ago but have continued on our journey in hopes of outrunning the fire and sticking to a schedule our captors seem to value more than their own lives.

That decision came back to bite us when the winds from the forest picked up and painted the sky above us gray along with driving the first beasts out of hiding. By now we’ve escaped the worst of it, putting enough distance between us and the tree line, but an inferno of such scale promises more than just a few burns for those in its path.

“Sir, we have to leave,” One of the low-ranked soldiers tries to reason with his superior. “the nearest city is only-”

“Silence!” But the prideful old fool refuses to listen. “As the swords of Turan it is our duty to protect the land and its people from any and all threats including mother Aelion herself. Prepare yourself to stop the stampede or else they’ll wash over our southern borders and take the people we’ve sworn to protect with them!”

I can respect his dedication if nothing else. Even when the horizon is red and grey, even as the ground is shaking and otherworldly howls are filling the air his sense of duty prevails. A man of firm values but little intellect. I’ve seen very little of this new world, of Eborden, but if it’s anything like our mountains after an avalanche then we’ll be eradicated.

“Soldiers, slaves, prepare for battle!” His speech surprisingly manages to raise the faltering morale of his troops. However the same can’t be said about us with these cursed collars around our necks.

As if responding to his call to arms the forest erupts in a tide of claws, fangs, fur, and violence. The beasts are desperately fleeing the inferno that has mercilessly claimed their home with only one direction to move towards.

“Still better than hauling stones or being locked up in a cage.” I mutter, obeying the collar for a change and preparing for a proper hunt.

[Bear lvl 85]

[Racoon lvl 45]

…

I’m not worried about my life, surviving tough situations is my specialty and if this fight drags on I might have a chance to finally rid myself of these hateful chains. All I need is that piece of paper their leader has in his satchel and enough pressure on the troops to escape.

“Advance!” Comes the order leaving no room for defiance.

Our lives were bought to fight for a cause we don’t consider our own and it seems now is the time to prove our worth. The line of shield infantry lines up as the vanguard, except they are not the ones standing truly at the forefront of our formation, ready to suffer the brunt of the approaching stampede.

It’s us, the exposable ones, thieves and murderers, fugitives and victims all sentenced to the same fate and all lumped under the umbrella of ‘guilty serving their sentence’.

“What a joke.” I mutter before cocking my arm back to meet the fastest of the incoming horde.

Valka

Age: 12

Nephilim

Mana: 2310/2310

Free Points: 6

+140/hour

Might: 603

Intelligence: 78

Mana: 231

Speed: 330

Focus: 120

Willpower: 140

Endurance: 495

Dexterity: 98

Fortitude: 217

General Skills:

Manaforged lvl 68

Identify lvl 56

Resting lvl 37

Relentless Advanace lvl 51

Pain Tolerance lvl 47

Sharpened Instincts lvl 46

Intimidate lvl 31

Survival lvl 41

Stamina lvl 55

I. Class: Battle Maiden - Life lvl 74

Brawling lvl 70

Fast Recovery lvl 66

The Body’s Grudge lvl 45

Power Burst lvl 62

Budding Strength lvl 36

Beastly Perception lvl 39

II. Class: Unruly Slave - Lightning lvl 3

Oppressed lvl 2

Obey lvl 2

Serve lvl 1

III. Class: *Locked*

Just like most beasts, this wolf has also decided that a small army of humans and some other races is a lot less threatening than the relentless wall of fire and thus attacked the thing it can actually bite. Except we hit back.

My fist dents its snout and stops the canine’s momentum in midair. I don’t waste much time on the half-dead mutt, forming claws with the fingers on my other hand and tearing its throat out in one swift swipe.

[You have triumphed over the enemy [Full Moon Coyote - Dark lvl 57].]

Just as the bulk of the waves is about the crash into us the true threats, the beasts of colossal proportions make themselves known. Covered in scales, feathers, or skin, some on two legs while others use no less than seven to walk, and let’s not even mention the size of their claw and teeth…

The previously blazing morale is instantly extinguished among the rank of the soldiers but they know better than to start fleeing one by one. Holding the formation is the only chance we have… except that part wasn’t issued in orders.

“No, not that one.” The shouts come from our backline. “Grab hold of the Blessed, the Battle Queen will have great use of that one!”

Oh crap, that’s me.