We got back to the city, and handed over the ears to the guild and the group of goblins. We got paid in Hex coins. Seven Hex.
If my understanding was correct, that was… a lot of money.
It was enough to pay for the 'network' or whatever these two wanted and they got their work done. We then went to the clothing shop and paid them. And once done, we booked two rooms at an Inn and I finally had some alone time.
It was sort of the best room these six floored inns had to offer. A luxury of sorts. The bed was fluffy enough and it was decorative. Spacious, clean and somewhat pleasant. It also had a nice view to a nearby pond. Or it would have been nice if that pond wasn't literally black from all the waste the townspeople throw in it. It did reflect the afternoon sun quite nicely though.
Siarre had bought me some books the last time we were in the library and she carefully placed them here. I still couldn't read but that didn't really matter right now.
Siarre had also given me twenty Pent coins and told me it'd last a whole month if I lived a semi-luxurious life and did absolutely nothing to earn money.
But if this particular job paid so damn well, why didn't other people also do it? Because goblins were rather tricky to deal with if you weren't undead and trained? I still remember how hard they were trying to defend their homes. If Escalor wasn't so high leveled and didn't have two shields, we might have been pierced several times. But many adventurers were also capable of as much, right?
Or was it morals? In my experience, it didn't matter how morally right you were, if you were desperate enough, you could basically do anything. So, I really didn't understand why goblins still existed and weren't hunted down to the absolute last.
'To maybe keep doing this?'
There was a demand. Demand for indoctrinated goblin workers and of course one-time toys. The concept was really barbaric for me. But at the same time, when I thought about it, humans always had a barbaric nature to them anyway. Goblins were really hated creatures. They ruined crops, destroyed livestock and if they found you on the streets alone, they'd gang up on you and then assault you from the back. Didn't matter if you were male or female, you were definitely going to get violated and then murdered and then eaten. So, in a way, were these people just returning the favor? Did make me wonder, who started it first?
If they were intelligent, why couldn't they come to an understanding? My mind quickly retorted back with current wars back home. Yeah, intelligence or treaties perhaps weren't the answer.
Anyway, enough of the goblin thing. I had something else to worry. Namely, hunger. I didn't feel hungry. My mind wasn't clouded. But what if it comes back?
I knew for a fact I didn't get hungry in a span of twelve hours. But if I didn't consume any flesh for long, would that repeat?
I didn't know but there was only one way to properly find out. Abstain. A very dangerous way but, I needed to know my limits first before I could do something about it. I couldn't count on those two to save the day every time either. With my use done, they were probably going to leave.
Clouded with thoughts, I tried distracting myself with my card. So shiny. So fancy. So- yeah, it was just a frigging card.
'Wait… they're different.'
Sean Jackson
Type: Undead (Skeleton)
Class: URF
Evo: 00
Level: 08
HP: 127/229
MP: 109/109
Strength: C
Stamina: B
Defense: D
Speed: C+
Affinity: Darkness, Void, Thunder.
Skill: Necrom (incomplete), Summon (F)
Weakness: Fire, Holy, Absolute Zero
***
Wait- I leveled up?
Just being in battle or- or was it the eating part? I really didn't want to think about that but- 'This thing updates in real time huh?'
Yeah, I was just trying to distract myself from the reality. But this was a pretty damn eye-opening revelation.
I did something horrible today and would probably do something just as if not more horrible the next time as well. But I didn't feel the least bit guilty, I didn't feel any pity for the goblins. I didn't feel-
My feelings. I stared at my fingers. The bones. And then the mirror on the dressing table. I saw myself.
My full self.
Bones. But I couldn't see through the bones. There was some sort of darkness in them, something veiling the insides. But when I poked inside with my fingers, there was nothing there. The same with my eyes and face. I couldn't see the inside but there was nothing there when I poked and I of course didn't feel anything.
I didn't have my Excalibur hanging and I didn't have the related organs either. Which of course explained why I didn't feel any sexual attraction when I saw particular people in town. I always thought elves were hot: especially dark elves. And although the few elves I saw were not bad looking, I never for a second felt, they were in any way, appealing. The same went for the rest of the woman of the town, even the beautiful ones. I just dismissed the thought as I was maybe just… well… not into women of these type.
But no. I didn't even possess the emotion. And all my other emotions, the feelings were also not entirely present. This checked out with how I felt when I first woke up. I couldn't feel the air pressing against my body, but I could tell something was there. I couldn't really smell anything but I could tell, whether it was foul or pleasant. My senses were somewhat dull; no, that wasn't accurate. They were different. Different from what I was used to, which was maybe why I dismissed them as 'I don't have any senses' but in reality, I did have them but just didn't know how to process the information.
It wasn't that I didn't feel. It was just that, I chose not to. And now that I really did- 'There's so much color…' A bright, new world. And very fragrant too!
Knock~! Knock~!
"Who?" Obviously only a groan came out.
"It is me, my lord, Siarre." She answered.
I guess the ring worked even from a distance? Wait, weren't their jobs over? I thought for sure they'd leave without a word. And wasn't that why she even bothered to give me enough money to function for a month?
"Come in."
Siarre wasn't wearing her armor. Rather, she'd come in a dress. A off white shirt with leather armor and leather pants on top. She seemed like an adventurer but those almost rotting skin and those barely hanging on pieces of flesh kind of sometimes threw me away. To be honest, I preferred these two in their armors. Fully armored, they kind of looked like those ten manservants of 'Sauron from LOTR' and it was kind of cool…
She came in with a small bag.
I could almost smell the deliciousness. She'd brought my meal, I suppose?
"I'm not sure if they would be to your liking but I've prepared some cooked food. I'm told although pure undead prefer fresh meals, they also enjoy gourmet food prepared with blood."
She'd baked me a steak with some potatoes and brought them in a bag. No spoons, no forks, just a bag.
I never cared for table manners, so it wasn't a big deal. I tore the steak and- soft? Delicate, the meat came away too easily and melted in my mouth. Melt in the mouth- an overused term but I had nothing better. It was simply that soft and juicy. Well-seasoned and pleasant to eat, also filling. Not to mention it smelled delightful thanks to the fresh sauce. What sauce? Blood of course!
The potatoes contrasted the taste with a somewhat different flavor.
"It is good," I said.
She smiled and then sat down on the bed. "I've come to teach you how to read, as you wanted." She produced a small board and chalk out of the air and laid them on the bed. "We can start now or tomorrow."
Tomorrow?
'So, you're not leaving first thing…'
Hmm… maybe they had some other use of me? Or were they trying to get me into something entirely different? I did trust them somewhat but not-
"We can start now but first teach me that spell you use to have storage like that."
"It is a spell yes but we use rings instead," she said, showing me her crusty fingers. "But you don't need the ring, since you have void affinity. Simply chant- 'Spacia-'"
"Spacia-" nothing happened. "Nothing happened."
"Unlike darkness magic, which is our specialty, it takes time to learn void magic. You'd need to know the basics and all that but for now, just knowing the chant should help you at least get in some practice."
"What do you mean practice? I don't-"
"Check your card. Particularly your MP."
I did. And I was missing two MP.
So, this thing still drained me?
"Spacia works by tapping into another dimension. The first few times, you won't be able to tell this dimension apart from another, so it's essential to take your time and slowly progress. Meanwhile, you can memorize the alphabets and read up." She seemed a bit… too calm.
Unsettling.
Earlier today she was a wreck, particularly when we handed over the women and children of the goblins. She was on the verge of tears. But now she was fine. And it didn't seem like she had any plans on leaving any time soon either.
Peculiar. These half-deads.
"Was it pity?"
"What?"
"For the goblins."
Her expression was hard to tell. She stared at me, not blinking. Some of the skinless muscles on her face twitched as though she was thinking what face to make. But it was not working because she was stuck between bewildered and calm… in the end, she chose calm. "Yes. You may call it pity. You may call it kindness. But… maybe it was just a feeling of relatability." A faint smile. "We hunt them for fun, they hunt us in return. We make use of them; they make use of us. We mutually benefit from each other. And yet, one party has to suffer every single time. Some has to die, some have to…" she went quiet.
Yeah, it definitely wasn't their first time doing that and they had plenty of time to think things over.
I wanted to know more of course. But at the same time, I didn't want to step on her tail. "Please teach me the alphabet so I can read."
"That, I will." She smiled, scribbling down lines and symbols and telling me how to pronounce them. "We should also do something about your voice. You wouldn't want to groan all the time, right?" A big smile and a half giggle.
'Well, that was fast.'