-tak
-tak
-tak
The footsteps echoing through the narrow hallway reached the hidden room as it reverberated against the walls, cold chill crept on the boy's spine as the stench of rotting flesh made it's way up to the boy's nose causing him gag by it's repulsive smell.
"Ghoul? Why is it here!" The boy thought in confusion as the echoes grew louder and louder with each footstep.
-drip
Noticing something was wrong he soon then looked at his left hand realizing that he had cut his own palm with a dagger to smear the dripping blood on the codex.
"Ah, was it attracted by the smell of blood?" The boy concluded as he began to formulate a plan cursing himself for doing something rash without thinking of the outcome."I don't have much time left before the ghoul get's here, I'm lucky that only a single ghoul noticed the smell of blood and made it's way down here but sooner or later a dozen or more might notice it and surround me."
Putting the books in his bag he soon then tried to lift it up only to notice that it was quite heavy and would hinder him alot, remembering a certain set of words that was written on the floating panel.
[Spacial Inventory] size: 1 box (Can store all non living things within the
area of 100 meters that will fit in a box at the wielder's will.)
He thought that storing the books inside the spacial inventory would be efficient as storing them would mean that he wouldn't have to carry those heavy books thus enabling him to run as fast as he wants, opening his bag he picked up a pant and wore them and because it was meant to be worn by adults the pants reached his below his knees and using the thin rope inside the bag he used it as a makeshift belt to tihten the short around his waist. He wanted to wear a short to add an extra layer of protection on his lower half, although it was uncomfortable and slightly hard to move around in, it was better than having nothing to cover his legs since he might trip while running or the ghoul might scratch him and besides that he can't go around running half naked can he? I mean that's common courtesy... Well considering where he is and his current situation common courtesy has no place in his thoughts right now.
In summary his plan is 'Wear shorts, tighten them up with a rope,grab my bag and hold my dagger and just run as fast as I can while avoiding the ghouls.' but he added 'cover the cut on my palm with a cloth so that the ghouls wouldn't be able to smell it hopefully.'
"Perfect" The boy expressed after completing his simple plan.
-tak!
-tak!
-tak!
Waking him up out of his fervour the footsteps grew louder and louder, tense and anxious he began to execute his plan after tying a cloth around his bleeding palm.
-3
-2
-1
-Go!
The boy counted as he sprinted out of the secret room and running through the narrow hallway where he met the uninvited visitor.
"So that's the unexpected guest huh?" The boy murmured.
The ghoul was a staggering 2 meters tall with it's body already decaying giving a smell that's gag worthy, but because of the state of it's body the ghoul just limped slowly as it's limbs are on the verge of falling off his body.
Gripping the dagger on his right hand tightly the boy prepared as he steeled himself preparing his next move... RUNNING AWAY!!!
"That ghoul's is alot taller than I expected I wouldn't stand a chance againts that!" The boy shouted inwardly.
Taking off his backpack he held it in his hands as he threw it at the face of the limping ghoul, "Eat this instead!" The boy shouted at the ghoul.
With the ghoul's limbs already growing weak because of the decomposition, it was knocked down by the slightly heavy bag that was thrown towards it giving the boy a chance to run past the ghoul.
"Thank God that worked!" The boy exclaimed as he ran through the narrow passage and up the narrow staircase.
"I gotta say the smell those freaks give off is awful!" The boy scornfully commented as a way to calm himself down after such a terrifying encounter.
After running non-stop for minutes he finally made it out the basement of the old building.
"Finally I'm out of that creepy place!" The boy celebrated inwardly as he began running once more saying, "There's no time for a quick break because the rest of the ghoul's might follow the scent of my blood."
Running out of the old building where he woke up in, he saw the bright sun in the middle of the sky signifying that it was currently noon. Waking himself up from his daydream he began to run once again towards north following the paved roads of this small city, he ran and ran for hours while avoiding the ghouls that were lurking around the corners draining him both mentally and physically as he had to think about every decision he makes so that it won't lead him to danger and it was actually a pleasant surprise to find out that I have great stamina because he didn't collapse tired although he ran for hours only taking a few breaks every now and then to reward him for his efforts his constant running was coming to a fruition as he saw the gates that leads outside the city Infront of him.
"Ah I've finally reached it." The boy expressed with relief as he began to ran towards the gate with an elated expression.
Running as fast as he could he soon reached the gates but it was closed shut, the boy was disheartened but he soon tried to find another way out. Atleast he now knew that beyond this gate is the way outside of this cursed place, looking around him he set his gaze on the walls as he observed them.
"The walls... They have ledges resembling suitable for climbing!" The boy overjoyed that he still could get out soon climbed the walls as it was already late in the afternoon at this point in time and the sun was starting to set. As he reached the top of the castle walls where he was met with a beautiful scenery a sunset and as the winds gently caressed his entire body rejuvenating him he made his decision to jump down the walls and made his way out of the small city. He has finally made it out.
===
With the wall only being 8 meters tall he was able to safely jump down from that height. Thinking it was normal she shrugged the experience as he continued to walk away from the city walls, looking from afar the city walls looked like they were made for aesthetic purposes instead of protection as the walls were too detailed and easily scalable for protective purposes. After jumping down the walls he took a minute to immerse himself and breathe in the feeling of fresh air before slowly walking towards the distant forest to look for some food. After walking for minutes he finally reached the distant forest and started foraging for fruits, he looked around him and found a fruit growing on a tree it was an apple. After seeing the apple he climbed up the tree and took a bite of the apple, it tasted sweet and the juice from the apple quenched his thirst and satisfied his stomach.
"It's a shame that I threw the bag at the ghoul earlier now I can't store fruits and hoard them." The boy commented dejectedly.
At this point it was already night time as the sun had fully set minutes ago making the surroundings dark with the only lightsource being the moonlight, althought it was really dark inside the forest the boy could still see clearly as if it was day time.
The boy let out a yawn as he climbed up a tree and made himself comfortable and slept peacefully...
The moon had now vanished and the sun rose up.
-chirp, chirp, chirp
It was early in the morning and the birds chirped happily as a boy was watching the breathtaking view of the sunrise.
-huamm!!
The boy yawned as he stretched his body, the boy then climbed higher and took an apple fruit from the branches of the tree and ate it for breakfast.
"I should take a look at those books I took from the hidden room in the library." The boy thought as he munched on his apple.
Taking out the books he soon the held the book 'Mimeisthai Combat Art Skill Book' in his hands.
Holding the book in his hands he muttered "Skill book? Didn't that panel say something about skill book and manuals?" The boy thought as he touched the crest on his shoulder.
A/N:[Magic circle of the codex will now be named as " Crest "]
Soon after touching the crest a transparent panel soon appeared Infront of him.
[ Name: ???
Codex: Protection And Enchantment
Age: 12
Race: human-chimera
Bloodline: Mixed (genetically modified)
Element: Wind,Water
Attribute: Pure Mana,Null Mana
Class: Support
Sub-Class: None
Gift: Increased Mana Regeneration ( 5x increase)
Restraint: Dwarfed Mana Core (10x Smaller than average)
Talent: Enhanced Dexterity, Enhanced Memory
Mana Core Rank: G (1st Level)
Mana Capacity: 200/200 ]
Spacial Inventory size: 1 box
Skill Books: 0/3 (special type of books and manuals can be processed
and managed by the codex to help you learn it faster.)
Would you like the codex to copy this skillbook? Yes/No
"Oh it has a new text at the bottom of the skillbook." Amused the boy spoke and answered " Yes "
Soon after saying yes the crest on his shoulder glowed and particles of light enveloped the skillbook as it slowly disappeared and the panel changed accordingly aswell.
[ Name: ???
Codex: Protection And Enchantment
Age: 12
Race: human-chimera
Bloodline: Mixed (genetically modified)
Element: Wind,Water
Attribute: Pure Mana,Null Mana
Class: Support
Sub-Class: None
Gift: Increased Mana Regeneration ( 5x increase)
Restraint: Dwarfed Mana Core (10x Smaller than average)
Talent: Enhanced Dexterity, Enhanced Memory
Mana Core Rank: G (1st Level)
Mana Capacity: 200/200 ]
Spacial Inventory size: 1 box (Can store all non living things within the
area of 100 meters that will fit in a box at the wielder's will.)
"Hmm? What's this? Ah!! The book! It turned into a sparkling wave of blue light?!!!" The boy screamed. " I HAVEN'T EVEN READ THE CONTENT OF THE BOOK YET! " The boy yelped in frustration.
Skill Books: 1/3
Skill Book:Mimeisthai Combat Art
Description-[The Mimeisthai Combat Art is a battle style aimed at immitating the fighting style of your opponent and to make it your own. It also serves as a way to read your opponents moved the longer you fight with them.]
"Wait a new group of words appeared in the paragraph, Mimeisthai Art? Why is the name of the book that disappeared written in there? " The boy confused just shut of his brain and continued reading the new text's on the panel.
Mastery: Grade 1 [ The mastery increases as you fight more and more opponents. Learning different types of fighting style can also increase your mastery over the Mimeisthai Combat Art.]
Passive: Enhanced Reflexes,Instincts And Intuition
Combat Art: 1/3
>Combat Art Mimic: "Allows you to read the trajectory of the enemy's attack overtime. Observing the the enemy fight for long periods of time will result in understanding the essence of their fighting style allowing you to replicate it with enough time. The time needed to peer into the essence of a fighting style or mimic it varies on the fighting style's quality."
>Combat Art Essence: " ???" [The owner of the codex lacks the experience and intelligence needed to comprehend this art.]
>Combat Art Pseudo-Polymorph: "???" [The owner of the codex lacks the experience and intelligence needed to comprehend this art.]
"Eh? Uhhh too confusing I'll leave that for the future me to think about." The boy huffed his nostrils and let out a huge breath while proudly procrastinating.
"But my book transferred into the panel... HOW COOL WAS THAT!" The boy expressed proudly with his eyes somehow sparkling golden like a star even though his eyes are ashen grey.
Immersed in his excitement he headed towards west of the jungle happily, he travelled on foot for hours before hearing several metal clanging as a thick metallic scent lingered on the air.
-Clang!
-Shisk!
The boy was confused as to what the familiar smell was but he soon found out, it was the smell of blood as he saw a carriage being attacked while the people wearing a blue robes lied dead on the ground as the remaining men fought vigorously againts the group of weird looking men trying to protect the passengers of the carriage.
The boy instinctively observed the fight between the group of blue robed men and the bandits until it's end, only a single blue robed man had remained as the others were already killed in action. As the remaining bandits ganged up on the poor guy he held his sword proudly as he took down many bandits with his own bloody sword before collapsing dead on the ground revealing a group of kids trembling inside the carriage behind him.
He observed the faces of the kids inside the carriage as he thought,
"There are 2 kids that are hugging the older kid that looked around my age, I'm guessing the age of those 2 kids to be around 7-8 years old and the kid the looked to be around my age be 12-14 years old." Curious and wanting to communicate with them the boy walked towards the carriage catching the attention of the nearby bandit.
"Hey boss! There's a kid coming out of the bushes walking towards us what should I do?" A man shouted to his boss.
" A kid? There should only be 3 or them according to the request? Take that kid and bring him over here! " The boss of the bandits shouted.
The boy saw a man coming towards him so he stopped and looked at the man, they both looked at each other's eyes for a good few seconds before the boss of the bandits shouted at the guy waking him up from his stupor as he picked up the boy and brought him to his boss.
"Who's this little rascal?" The boss asked the bandit while the kids trembled in fear inside the carriage.
"I don't know boss, this little guy just walked out of nowhere and started walking towards the carriage." The bandit replied.
The boy stared at the bandits boss's eyes innocently as he thought, "He looks ugly." Keeping his thoughts to himself he soon switched his gaze to the kids inside the carriage, they were trembling in fear.
"Ah... This people are the bad guys aren't they?" The boy thought to himself as he now understood his situation... Not that he could do something about it.
The bandits leader roughly held the boy's chin as he inspected the boy's face before saying, "Oi! Cage this rascal up along with those kids from nobility over there I bet we can sell this rascal for a high price in the slave auction." The bandit's leader shouted to his subordinates.
Meanwhile all this chaos was happening the boy just thought leisurely " Cool I get to meet those kids over there, well since I can't escape might aswell accept my fate. " Ofcoarse he wasn't serious about accepting his fate but he was pretty sure he stood no chance against an adult not to mention a group of them as he watched a bandit pick him up and throw him inside the carriage scaring the shit out of the trembling kids.
...
Half a day prior the the current situation.
I am Azalie Phyrion the youngest daughter of the Phyrion family head, my father recieved a letter from the royal family days prior to my departure to head towards the royal palace. The letter said that I would be picked up by a carriage on the day of my departure joining the Croes twins, since the Croes family's twins were called alongside the youngest daughter of the Phyrion family to head towards the capital. But during their departure they were constantly ambushed by assassin's and harassed by beasts as the number of their guards dwindled along side their physical condition throughout this week, tired and recuperating our guards were setting up a camp to rest for the night when bandits showed up. Injured and fatigued the guards fell one by one as I hugged and covered the eyes of the Croes twins as I saw the massacre with my own two eyes.
I watched as the last guard protecting us fell and died as the bandits ganged up and surrounded him, and with tears in my eyes I looked through the carriage window as despair crept up within me until I saw a boy around my age with black hair and dark ashen eyes walking towards the carriage. I was again filled with hope as I remembered one of the novels I used to read, ' A young girl in distress was surrounded by evil guys as a young boy appeared out of nowhere and defeated all the bad guys protecting the young girl from danger by defeating all of the enemies. ' her restless heart calmed down as she saw the calm look on the boy's face as he walked towards them.
"Despite the initial despair she felt a smile crept up on her face she remembered the novel she once read, Is this it? Is this the part when an OP male lead appears out of nowhere and beats all the bad guys as he holds the female lead in his arms and rescues her?" Azalie had such thoughts.
Filled with hope the young smiled weakly as the naive Azalie thought that she alongside the Croes twins would be rescued by that mysterious black haired kid only for her hope to be shut down and her smile crack as she saw the bandits pick up the child and brought him near their leader.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT GUY DOING? I THOUGHT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OP!!" Azalie internally screamed as she still clung on to her fantasies believing that the boy had a plan... Only for the boy to disappoint her a second time after he was thrown beside them.
Azalie's eyes watered as her hopes and fantasies were destroyed by the harsh wake up call called reality as she finally understood why her older brother curse "Reality's a bitch!" As the light in her eyes vanished replaced by a gloomy shadow.