That was my path out, Nepaty Citadel.
Go there, find transport, and travel even further west.
But if it was destroyed, it's all over.
How would I go to an easier region? I would need to take a few days rounding south until I reached the next big city. I could try buying one of Vute's mounts and go for it, but how far could I go? What path would I take? I could easily get lost, or even attacked on the way.
In the east, there are legendary monsters, and in the west, there's an invading army? I'm being pinched down to this village. This is bad, really bad. I should have left as soon as I could-- no, would that even matter? The attack would still happen before I could reach anywhere near safety. It's like no matter what I had chosen, I would be put in danger.
I'm starting to wonder… are the devs of the game putting me through this?
First the labyrinth arena, then that dragon-tiger, followed by a village where Willrus was in, which an insane leader wanted to kill us, and now this? An invasion blocking my way out? It's like they are playing with me. It's like they think I'm having fun with this shit. I fucking hate this. Why are they forcing me to do this? How can I tell them to get me out? How do I make them free me?
Vute: "Strider, enough! What are you doing!?"
I snap back to reality. The big brown wolfkin stares at me as he grips my right arm with a hint of preoccupation.
"I'm sorry."
I let go of the old sheepkin I was lifting by the collar. He falls seated over his legs in a shaken state of mind.
"I'm sorry, I didn't… I--"
Vute: "Just back away, don't scare them like that."
Vute turns his back on me.
Vute: "We need more healing medicine!" – he yells at a group of wolfkins bringing crates closer. – "Bring the emergency supply."
There are more than one hundred sheepkin laying on the streets, the great majority in a bad shape, if not by sickness or injury, it was of hunger. More than a dozen fainted once they saw the village's houses, and another few were already unconscious before the first fireworks exploded in the distance, their guiding signal that brought hope back to their eyes.
Everyone was helping, doing something. But I couldn't move. The wolfkins didn't expect me to do anything, especially after my stunt against the sheepkin's leader, both beast kins had me in a lower reputation just because of that, so I couldn't muster the energy to force myself in.
I'm the type of person who needs to be called upon to do something in real life, I'm an introvert for what they say. I'm not good with social situations, especially not after I secluded myself from the world after I decided to live on my own so long ago. The only times I socialized were in the game, when I had to take my food delivery, and occasionally when I took the trash out.
So obviously, I'm not good with people, being in the middle of so many made me only feel uncomfortable, so I decided to leave this to the ones who knew what to do and went back to my room in the inn.
I like to play games because they are simple. They ask you to do something and you do them. Its intricacies are ruled by logic and logic alone. All you need is your rationality and sometimes quick reflexes, if you do it right you're rewarded. You aren't looked weird if your tone is slightly off, if your gaze is somewhere else, or if they see you differently.
Socializing is something I never understood about. I could manage to do it for work, but… to choose it in goodwill? I can't understand it.
What's so fun in talking with other people?
I never got that answered no matter how many times I tried.
But after the years passed by in solitude, I came to a realization: I wasn't living my life the way I wanted to. I forced myself to think that my actions didn't matter if I accomplished something in the end, but that exact way of thinking is what made my legs sink in the mud. The more I stood in the quicksand, the further down I went.
I know the correct answer is not as simple as "just be more social", that isn't what I want to do either, but it's a fact that I was doing things wrong. Everything was incredibly empty and without any purpose, and it repeated itself day after day for as long as I remember. And if I don't do anything about it, it'll keep on going.
I need to adapt a way to fix it. I was putting that idea on hold until I could finally retire from being a professional grinder, but now… I'm feeling that this game might not end so soon. I wonder if I should begin searching for that new phase of my life already.
One big problem I realized was my constant running away from my problems. If there was a slight disturbance I would prefer taking the smoother path. Maybe that's where I developed myself wrong. As my older brother once told me, I should keep on trying until I get better at it. So, I'll give that a try, and see how the results go.
That was one reason why I decided to exit my room. I should stop evading people, and start helping the way I can.
Vute: "You calmed down?"
The brown wolfkin stopped me before I could exit the inn, halting his search for something below the reception desk to stare at me with seriousness.
I look at him with some hesitation.
"I'm okay now, I'm sorry for getting boiled up."
Vute: "Don't worry. Just don't do that again."
He looks down and continues to pick up some of the many paper rolls over his desk, so I walk out.
Vute: "And Strider… we are going to have a gathering with some of the sheepkin soon. I'll just prepare some things and when Guni is done patrolling the surroundings we will discuss what happened to them. You're invited, if you want to come."
I look back at him with a frown.
"You sure?"
Vute: "You're a Hero, I think you'll be a huge help in sorting what is going on. Besides, there's something we need to discuss as well."
"About the heroes' disappearance, I suppose."
Vute: "That's… right. And I'm sorry I sounded angry at you before… know that I don't resent you, everyone was on the edge there."
I take a long breath in and let it go before answering.
"…Okay, I'll think about it."
I start walking away, going towards the center of the village.
Vute: "I mean it." – He steps out of the inn, making me stop midway. – "Before… at the trial of Nemi's death--, I thought hard about it. And I realized that I was following Nate without thinking by myself, and you were the one who almost paid for my mistake. I thought that… because he had more experience and was the leader, that the only right path was to follow him. Maybe the disappearances and the fire in the forest made me on edge, made me kind of lost, you know… but now that Nate is out and I'm responsible for everyone's safety, I will try to stand for myself. But I need people to help me make the right decisions. …I will hear first and act later. I won't act like Nate. So, I really would appreciate it if you participate in the gathering."
I hesitate to answer and a few seconds of silence fall between us.
"Don't worry… I'll go." – My voice is serious, almost challengeful. I look at him from over my shoulder, my eyes sharper than ever. – "I too want to know what happened. And what to do next."
Vute nods confidently, and I continue my path.
The first thing I did was activate my Divine Vision and see the great scope of things.
There isn't one sheepkin in full health, all of them have some amount of Decay tainting their health bars in a black fog, decreasing their HP and Energy full capacities and regenerations. That effect is only triggered when you receive too much damage, use too much Energy, or when a skill that gives such a status effect hits you, generally poison. From what I remember of some missions, NPCs also have the Decay effect if they are tired or hungry, so treating those accordingly should make them heal over time.
Everyone already has a resting bed and food to eat, so there is nothing more to do on that end. The real problem is the sick and injured, those were being treated with medicinal herbs, special teas, and healing magic. Dilsu, the priestess, is the strongest healer in the village but even she couldn't cure the Decay effect, making all her efforts futile.
That's where I find an opportunity. I have an inter-skill in my arcane and trickster sub-classes that nullifies minor effects and negates part of Decay. That, whatever, is a skill that only works for me. But by using it with my Skill Resonance, I should be able to echo it to all allies nearby, as I did with my Speed Boots way back in the dungeon, it will cost a lot more energy but that's the only way this can work.
And well… if they are considered as an ally, that is.
I don't know how that works here, but from what I remember it didn't work on neutral NPCs before, like static guards, merchants, or those wandering civilians. I guess it would break the game in some parts if it did, some players would be able to abuse it to amplify the skill's effects in the middle of missions in the cities. But trying won't cost me anything, so why not?
I gather my courage and step toward the worst patient I could find, clenching my hands to hold my unease.
"Dilsu, can I try something?"
The Priestess turns to me, her golden hair and blue eyes covered by the white veil and her wolf ears poking the cloth from below, her face is covered in sweat and her tired breath shows she's on the brink of collapse. She used too much Energy, the Decay effect is also beginning to affect her, but even so, she keeps on standing and acting valiantly as a holy priestess on duty.
"I think I can help."
Dilsu doesn't speak, hesitates to nod, and steps back.
She was trying her best to heal an unconscious twelve-year-old girl of the sheepkin, her light-grey wavy hair matching her sick pale skin. Her health bar is more than eighty percent black already, no matter how much you heal her, she won't wake up it seems. Not only that, but I see a poison icon I can't recognize below her nametag. In her state… she might never wake up again.
I warily open my character panel, go to my skills and tap a couple of them to equip my Status Nullification and the Skill Resonance.
My legs begin to tremble a little with anxiety. Differently from any other skills I used before, this one I don't have much practice on, I don't even remember what it looks like, so can I really activate it?
I regret not testing it before walking here.
From the moment I went into the game until now, I managed to instinctively activate what I wanted as if it was my own muscles, though I feel like part of the trigger was being in a risky situation. I still vaguely remember having a difficult time activating my Speed Boots the first time, I only actually used it after imagining every aspect of it and remembered pressing the button I always placed that ability on.
But this is the exact opposite of that, I don't know how it looks like, I don't have any specific button that I used to place it, nor I would consider myself in a situation of risk. So, how I'm going around it?
I look at the little girl leaning in front of me, her pained expression making her dire situation obvious.
[ Torai Nawaga (Level 22) {HP: 17%/17%-} ]
I need to try, at least.
I breathe deeply and activate my Skill Resonance, the power quickly wraps my body from head to toe and waits for my next skill to echo it around. And with my building determination, hoping to cure her and overcome my fears. I stare at her sweating face and…
Status Nullification.
…
Nothing.
I straighten my posture and try again, my eyes widening with my screaming thought.
Status Nullification!
…
I extend my right hand at her. I imagine the darkness on her health bar to diminish, to be pushed back to zero, her pale skin getting color, the status effect disappearing.
[Status Nullification]!!
…
It's like the game doesn't even recognize what I want to do. I don't feel anything, not even a hint of activation, no matter how hard I think of its name, it will never trigger.
"Status Nullification!"
The Priestess behind me startles, and a few people around glance over in curiosity.
My arm shakes, so I hold my wrist with my left hand to stabilize it, trying my best to ignore my surroundings and focus on the little girl. I imagine whatever power I have growing and shaping itself. I push it into my hand, my blood flows faster, and imagine it releasing something that will cure her. Some miraculous magic that only this world had.
"Status Nullification!!!"
…
The little girl's closed eyes flinch, but the black health bar doesn't budge. It didn't work. As I had thought, it wasn't going to be that easy. Using that skill was so use-specific that I didn't equip it often, much less use it, I only unlocked it because it's a good one to have in theory but because skills are limited to six at a time, there was always a better one to put in its place.
Is that it?... I can't use a skill I have, only because I don't know how it works?
Would I need to learn it from some mage or something? There's none in the village it appears, the Decay effects are not being cured, after all. There's clearly no time to go elsewhere to find someone who can teach me. So, is this it?
But that doesn't make any sense… why could I use my speed boots, my blink, my daggers, the shadow cloud? Nobody taught me those. It was instinctive, but I never actually used those abilities in real life, so how did they activate? It's purely visual? That doesn't make any sense at all.
I think for a moment until an idea comes to mind.
I activate my Speed Boots. An echoing ping goes around me, the magic blue boots wrap around the little girl's feet, and behind me, I hear its wings poping on the Priestess as well. Dilsu looks at her legs confused, not understanding why would I activate it.
My eyes close as I try my best to concentrate.
I activate my Invisibility and my body disappears. The Priestess frightens unsure if I was sucked into another dimension and if I need help.
I activate my Blink, I teleport to the same spot I'm standing, going only a little up in the air before falling back to the ground, the invisibility fading away in front of everyone. The Priestess shrieks quietly behind me in a scare and goes two steps back.
I hesitate for a second and activate my second teleportation, the Arcane Blink. My body disappears for a moment, I feel the entire world shrink to a single point of energy, then I pop right back where I was.
The Priestess looks to her sides, searching if anyone could help and thinking I might be having a stroke.
"I think I get it now."
I open my eyes and stare at the child laying on the bed, her health bar near the ninety percent mark of the fuming darkness.
There's always one thing in common when I activate my skills. I feel the power moving toward specific places before getting out of my body.
In the same way I can visualize my skill cooldowns, I sense the blue flow of energy to be released below the skill icons and pass through. All I need is to make sure the minimum energy required is there to open the gates.
When I first used a skill, my body must have memorized how much and where to use it, so I do it instinctively. But if I were to manually control it… I might pull this off.
Within my mental space, I collect a watery cloud of energy and push it around, it wobbly moves without much precision, its erratic movements spilling its content out and dispersing back to the void.
It's not easy, but… if I just…
I use all my focus, shutting my eyes tight and ignoring the noises around me. I gather the energy into a massive ball and slowly move it towards the Skill Resonance's gate. The cooldown clock reaches zero and I push the cloud against it.
It activates, and once again I feel the energy wrap around my body, waiting for the next skill to be released.
Okay… now to be sure this is actually working…
As if the blue fog was being sucked into the center of a galactic spiral, the ball of energy grows. Not sure how much I need, I take whatever I can and carefully drag it over the Status Nullification slot.
The moment I press its corner, the valve opens and the imaginary ball of energy bursts out like a popped water balloon. My body trembles as if I'm in an earthquake, I see myself lifting in the air and my body shining cyan.
The energy contained in me hazardly explodes and a one-dimensional ping scoots out as a growing circle of electrical charge around me. Soon after, I fall back to my feet.
The wave hits everyone who was observing, taking all of them by surprise. At first, nothing appears to happen, but faint cyan particles begin to emanate from their bodies, as if their skin were peeling its impurities out to the air in shining flakes of paper.
Some gaze at their hands, others point to each other in awe, the children trying to catch the floating snow in midair, and the rest look at the sky where the cleansing particles calmly lift towards. It's as if, for this brief moment, little stars were going back home.
I look at my arms, seeing that my body isn't shining anymore, and I sigh in relief.
The Priestess hurries to the child's side, placing a hand over her forehead to check the temperature and looking attentively at her face, still skeptical of the strange lights coming out of her body. The black bar in her health decreases in a swift swoop, going all the way down to fully cured, the poison icon also popping out of existence.
"I lifted the Decay effect," – I smile at the Priestess. – "She can be healed now."
Dilsu looks at me and then back at the child hesitantly, she joins her hands in prayer and the sick girl is surrounded by a green aura, her small scratch wounds close and her skin gradually regains a healthy pinkish color.
"Good… It worked."
I sigh once more in relief, way deeper now, the weight of possible failure lifting from my shoulders.
But that's weird… it worked too well. It should've nullified only twenty percent of the Decay.
I stare at her clean health bar, with not a trace of darkness left.
I know my Skill Resonance amplifies it by the number of people being affected by the echo, but it's minor, maybe it might go to thirty percent tops, but… there is nothing left… Did the game change the skill?
I open my character panel and check.
No… does it work differently for NPCs?
Vute: "Hey!? What was that just now?
I turn to look to my left.
[ Vute Difivi (Level 82) ] He walks worried toward us in the distance, his nametag hovering over his head.
Huh?
I glance just above the focus of my vision, at my own status bars in the corner of my eyes.
[HP: 3710/3710]
[EN: 1#/3680]
What?
[EN: #/3680]
When did I--?
My vision blurs, my Divine Vision forcefully being shut down with no more energy to sustain it. The next thing I know is that I'm sitting over my legs, unable to focus on anything, all noises around me muffled.
I ran out of energy?
Vute: "Strider? What happened?"
I can't move no matter what I do, my body is completely numb.
There's no way… I just activated a few skills.
I visualize my mental space where the skill icons are, seeing the Skill Resonance at 1629 seconds of cooldown and 2843 seconds for the Status Nullification.
The Resonance… how many were affected by it? For it to have this much cooldown… did it--? The whole village…?
I try to look around, but the world spins with it and I collapse to the ground, everything quickly fading away and becoming silent.
Everything is black.