Aris staggered through a dark complex of tunnels, leaving behind a smeared trail of bloody footprints on the cold stone floor. He was thankful that he could at least see now; a bright golden glow emanated from his newfound weapon, basking the narrow hall in light. After experimenting while he wandered along the lonely halls, he discovered that he could summon and dismiss the blade at will with a thought, sparking in and out of existence in his palm.
"Humph. Neat." Thought Aris, flicking the weapon around aimlessly.
The blade only extended about as far as his forearm, before curving into a vicious golden tip that arched backwards like a fang poised to strike. The light that it emitted seemed to crackle with intensity, jagged lines of golden electricity twisting jaggedly along its surface.
He had expected to feel shell-shocked from the events that had preceded, but his mind felt oddly numb to what had occurred. Aris was no stranger to using force, especially during his time wandering the city. Metro areas without business to support them had become dead zones, without safety nets or regulations, ruled only by those with the will and capacity to use any method necessary to survive. But slaughtering something, soaked in its blood after sinking a knife into its heart was a line he never thought he'd have to cross.
Not to mention the fact that he had no idea what to make of the now-dead monster. His brain seemed to short-circuit when he tried to grapple with its existence. He wondered whether this was some personal hell that he had been sent to, only to suffer and die, or if everyone, including his mother, had been sent here only to perish at the hands of the abomination.
So he stumbled onwards, tensing before each corner, fully expecting to see another horror awaiting him, until he came to a grinding halt as he observed from afar a light spewing forth from a monolithic doorway. Sinking to one knee, Aris peeked around the corner, dismissing his weapon. It was too far and bright for him to make out what lay behind the open doorway, but a scrambling of claws on stone and ragged breaths reached his ears, echoing throughout the chambers. He could only guess that it was one or more of the creatures, and these ones wouldn't be asleep.
Distraught, Aris placed his head in his hands. Taking on one monster while asleep is one with, but trying to fight multiple at once, all of which would be awake and trying to rip his head off would be impossible. Trying to not sink into despair, he decided to take stock of his assets. Maybe there were some benefits to this nightmarish world. He'd been hesitant to use the system again, since he wasn't sure what happened to his real body when his consciousness went into the orb. If he was left defenceless in reality, it would only take one bit of bad luck for there to be no more Aris. With that said, he didn't have much of a choice.
"System"
His surroundings faded from view as he found himself once again floating in the flawless white orb.
"Welcome, Last Light." Greeted the formless voice.
"Hello again." Replied Aris. The ancient book once again appeared before him, idly floating along. "You didn't say anything about danger this time. Is this place safe?" He queried, eagerly waiting for a response.
"Negative. The pocket dimension is only a mental barrier that segments mind from body. Last Light's physical body is still located within the Stairhouse. However, no beings with hostile intent have been detected in the immediate vicinity." Stated the system in a matter-of-fact manner.
Aris cursed. He'd have to make this quick.
"Can you warn me in case something approaches?" He asked.
The system paused.
"Yes." It finally answered.
"Good enough. You mentioned a stair-house? Is that where I am?" Aris grabbed the book as he asked, flipping to where he'd left off earlier as he listened to the response.
"Limited information available regarding the Stairhouse. Increase slayer level to access restricted records."
"Slayer level? Actually, don't answer that." He said, skimming past the section labelled 'Titles'. All Aris was interested in was the chapters labelled 'Weapons' and 'Abilities'. Dedicating precious time to something useless like 'Titles' would definitely end up getting him killed.
There was still only one entry under the weapons list, and Lightning Dance was the sole occupier. There was no change, save that it now read:
[Current souls: 1/7]
[Reward: ???]
"Reward? Hm." Aris muttered to himself. The sight sparked a thought in his mind. Maybe this place wasn't designed to kill him, if it had mechanics that provided him with a reward. It seemed more like something was testing him. Flicking over to the next page, Aris felt the blood drain from his face.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Aris cried, pointing at the page as he looked accusingly around the orb. "These are worse than useless! I'd stand a better chance if I didn't have any of these abilities, if that's what you call them. Is 'innate' supposed to be synonymous with useless or something?"
The page read:
[Abilities]
[Glass Cannon]
[Innate Skill]
"What better way to showcase the majestic nature of Light than through the refracting power of glass? Careful how you handle it… glass is a fragile thing."
[Increases damage taken tenfold.]
[Increases damage output tenfold.]
Aris quickly skimmed over the description, looking for a more agreeable ability. There were only two others. One was unintelligible, like the system had an error in displaying it. The writing was warped and gave no hint as to its description. The other read:
[Uncut Gem]
[Innate Skill]
"No jewel started off as beautiful, it had to be ground and chiselled into its final form."
You gain the ability to consume unlimited Catalysts, among other benefits.
[0/7]
[Catalyst available]
Aris stared at the counter, unsure of what to make of it. Realising, he exited the system, rifling through his pocket. He chuckled as he did so, realising how insane he must look in a ragged business suit covered in blood and who knows what else.
Finding his prize, he opened his hand to reveal the tiny red ball that had appeared after he had slain the beast.
"The description read consume… So bottoms up I guess?" Asked Aris quietly before tossing the miniscule orb into his mouth. Suppressing his gag-reflex at the thought of where it had been prior, he managed to swallow it without too much fuss. But as soon as it hit his stomach, Aris knew that he'd made a mistake.
Falling to the ground, he screamed silently as he tore helplessly at his throat. It felt like someone had poured hot coals down his gullet, searing everything down to his stomach. It felt like an eternity, until his wailing turned to whimpering, which in turn fell into silence as he breathed deeply, cradled up on the floor.
"Congratulations, Last Light. Red-grade Catalyst consumed. Title awarded." The system paused before continuing. "Curse awarded."
As the system's voice faded, Aris realised that it was too quiet. The constant movement from the monsters had disappeared.
Rising swiftly to his feet, he summoned the system one last time. If the monsters were aware of his presence, time was running out. Skimming through to the newly awarded curse, Aris could have laughed at the sight of it. It was perfect.
[Grimm's Protection]
"The Grimm were once an ancient race that wandered the great forests of Ichor, and it was said that their hide protected them from even the most fearsome blade, before their bodies grew corrupt and twisted."
[Your skin is nigh impenetrable.]
[You are greatly susceptible to Darkness.]
Drawing in a deep breath, Aris returned to his body and stepped out into the hallway, immediately confronted with three of the same abominations, or Grimm's, as he now knew them, gazing ravenously at him only twenty paces away. Now that he knew what to look for, he could see the once noble protectors of the forest hidden under the corruption that had twisted their horns and malformed their bodies. Raising his blade before him, Aris focused on the enemy set before him, pushing all of his other thoughts and feelings aside. Even with his newfound power, this would be a test of everything that he was worth.
Pushing with all his might through his rear foot, Aris took off, diminishing the distance between him and the monsters in a flash. In surprise, the frontmost Grimm backed up, rearing on its hind legs as it bellowed at him. Aris had been counting on it. He ducked under its swinging paw, slicing the creature's side from belly to its spine. Spinning around, he raised his dagger, expecting another blow. But the creature was dead. Despite his daggers length, the slash had cut the Grimm clean in half. The other two looked at him, their fur prickling on end as they assessed Aris with a newfound cautiousness.
Grimacing, he circled around the two beasts, understanding that this would be a very different fight with the element of surprise lost. He would have to be quick on his feet to avoid getting flanked by the second. His skin might be almost impervious, but his whole body might still get flattened by one crushing blow if he wasn't careful.
The Grimm to his right suddenly lunged at him, claws bared. Sidestepping, Aris deftly thrust the dagger up beneath the monster's head, killing it instantly. As he tried to yank Lightning Dance from the creature's skull, he wheezed as the last Grimm made contact with his back, sending him flying back across the hall. Striking flat against the wall, Aris stumbled to his feet, dazed. He threw a sluggish block with the dagger as the monster swung at him, only succeeding in wounding its paw before it rammed him once again into the wall, making Aris drop his blade. This time, the Grimm didn't let up the pressure. Trying to crush him with its mass, the oversized bear leant into the wall, applying lethal pressure to Aris' frame. His eyes went blurry as he felt a rib crack. Without thinking, he dismissed the dagger and re-summoned it, plunging the golden blade into the beast's back repeatedly until the pressure let up. The creature slumped against the ground, breathing its last. Aris leaned against the wall, panting, wincing with pain as he tried to straighten up.
Observing the carnage that lay before him, Aris gathered himself together after a moment, preparing to move on. There was little more for him here, and he needed to find somewhere safe to recover. Rising, he set off down the stretching hallway towards the room where the light had shone from, with his dagger in one hand, arcs of golden light arcing across its edge, and three tiny red orbs in the other.