Another day started for me with the sun rising, and making it thru the small spaces to my bedroom. Well, the full house was my bedroom, because there was only one room, and all I had was a bed. It was the only safe space for me, with barriers on every possible entrance inside, yet I spend there very little time. Too busy chasing... something. Power? All I ever wanted was to be safe. Fame? Most of the people here hated me anyway. What did I really want?
I kept asking myself on my way to the city center, but there was no good answer for that question in my brain. I felt kinda melancholic with all the shit going around. Aisha was pissed at me. Hatta had too much on his head, and Will... I guess he was the only one doing decently. But was he happy? Probably not.
I found him waiting. Sitting on the cart, and eating a sandwich.
- Grab some food, and let's go.
- You sure can't wait.
- I want more crystals. I've been using so many points on myself, that I have no points left. Lately, I've been thinking about my own house. I had enough of that room. I need some points.
- Fuck the house. I have one, and I barely even sleep there. You should keep putting all you have in yourself.
- Uhm... No. But thanks for the advice.
I just shook my head and went to get some breakfast and provisions for the hunt. Then we departed. Finishing our meals while walking. The way to the cave was cleaned up already, but the guards remained. We killed them and did the whole procedure of luring out the horde, killing every single goblin, and then picking up crystals. Then we went inside to finish the rest and deal with the boss. It was a piece of cake.
With a cart full of crystals, and another class point safely accumulated on my account, we returned. There was no news awaiting us in the city. Nothing happened. Blue didn't make his move, Aisha was still angry with me, and Hatta too busy to even think about anything else than his problems. So we just sold the score after splitting it in half, grabbed a beer, and went our separate ways, to grab some rest.
Everything repeated itself for two, then four, then six days. Eventually, all ten days passed without anything major happening. I liked the routine. I had enough unexpected events popping up out of nowhere. Even though, this strange feeling, that's something is coming, kept growing in my mind.
It was just too calm, and as they say, it's quiet before the storm. So I was expecting the clouds to show up, and start throwing the bolts of lightning at everybody. I was growing more and more restless with days passing.
Finally, the moment of Wills fight with the boss came, and he did well. There was no need for him, to use such cheap tactics, as I had to. He was a well-balanced fighter and could win fair and square.
- So, what was the first class you chose? - he asked me when we were returning.
- Hospitaler. It allowed me to heal. I didn't want to die, you know...
He nodded slightly.
- That's not a bad idea. Maybe I'll go with the same.
- No. You shouldn't. I can heal you if needed. You should focus more on getting stronger. Get something that will give you the biggest boost in fighting. You should aim for the wolf boss, remember?
- Yeah, yeah. Maybe you are right, but still, this healing ability sounds nice.
- You can take it when we establish a steady way of getting those points.
- I get it, I get it. Damn, I'm so excited. Maybe I'll learn how to do magic and stuff? That would be awesome. I always liked magic shows when I was young. You know, the card tricks, and stuff?
- Yeah, yeah. I know. - I took a peek at him, and he was smiling from ear to ear. - Just take the most useful thing for now, ok? You can learn the card tricks later.
- Sure thing mom. I will.
I just shook my head. Will was like a little kid, who just learned he is gonna go to an amusement park. Could I blame him for that? In normal circumstances, I would be the same. Those powers were incredible.
Can you imagine being able to heal your wounds? Shot fire from your hand at will, or put a damn invisible barrier in front of you? All of those things were amazing, yet with all other stuff happening around, I was unable to cherish them.
I had problems to fix, that didn't just live my head. They were like annoying flies, grabbing your attention even when there is some interesting tv show just in front of you, on the tv screen. The only thing it does need to do is fly close to your face, and you go berserk, grabbing your slipper, and charging at that little bug.
When we finally made it to the city, we split the score in half. 1 062 per person this time. After selling it I had 2 244 582 on my account. Also ten class points, but I immediately used them on buying the new and mysterious 'Shadow walker' class.
It had only two skills. 'Hide presence' and 'Shadow walk'. I bought them both and went on a bit of stroll thru the city, to find a secluded place, perfect for testing new skills. Alley, far away from the center and people. Very close to the city walls.
All I wanted to do, was simply check how it works. I knew I could summon this power with a simple thought, and I did. Wanting to move two steps ahead.
Everything went black, and I felt this presence. Or rather multiple presences with a mind focused only on one thing. To kill, and consume. Destroy everything, destroy me. Swallow, and turn into nothing. And suddenly I was that two steps ahead.
I just fell on my knees and threw up. My hands were shaking, and although I couldn't feel that presence, I knew its somewhere there. Waiting. Ever hungry.
That was my first meeting with 'The Void', but back then I had no idea what it was. Al I knew was that I was afraid of it. It's hard to describe. It's like a wave of a tsunami, that's about to swallow you up, but all you can do is look at it. So massive, so overwhelming. Terrifying.
I picked myself up, struggling to catch a single breath. My heart was pounding heavily, like it wanted to make a hole in my ribcage, and escape.
After a moment, I managed to collect myself. There was a bit of regret lurking in my mind. It was so damn hard to acquire all of those points, and I wasted them on something that was practically unusable. You might ask why. Well... I simply didn't want to ever return to that darkness, or whatever it was. At that moment, I had no idea.
On my way back I kept thinking about what happened. I didn't want to, but just by closing my eyes, I kept bringing those fresh memories back. It was nothing compared to that feeling when it really happened, but still was making me feel uncomfortable.
Upon return, I just put my hand on the device, and upgraded my wisdom, thinking it will help somehow strengthen my mind. I upgraded it 95 times for 25 175 points. I almost collapsed after. It made me feel super weird. Everything was different, and at first, I couldn't do anything about it, but then I managed to push it into a drawer inside my mind, and close it.
Everything returned to normal, but I still wanted to puke. Again! It was enough for one day. My greedy self pushed me to keep upgrading, but there was another voice in my head. Voice of reason. Wouldnt it be better to understand what I'm doing? Wouldnt it be better to possess that manual? It wasn't that hard to acquire. I already had one-fifth of the price. All I needed was a month in the canyon.
Something I could do now when I knew about the safe spots in that labyrinth of rocks. Still, considering my situation it was unwise to just leave when Blue was around, and probably nobody else could face him. Then yet another thought popped into my head. I could prepare Will. He was almost ready.
In a moment it was decided. I was never a hero, but Will, he could be one. He had his way with people, I didn't. He could be the savior of this place. People like me... They should remain in the shadows
I bought some food, and returned back home, formulating a simple plan in my head.
The day ended with 2 217 387 points remaining on my account.