Arc 4: Broken Knights

Afternoon of the first day, walking for 8 hours using my Shadow Walk, I need to keep myself hidden from monsters and people alike, it will be harder if I don’t.

“Is there any good spot to camp Great Sage?”

“There might be one nearby, you still have 5 hours of until you can go to sleep. There is a small spot in a forest almost no one goes to, there are some wolves there so be careful, I recommend you to kill them before”

Well, Great Sage said nearby, not 2 hours away, oh well, the forest was like the dark forest from Wiefra. I gathered sticks for a small fire, lighting it with fire magic.

“Kid, you still have 2 hours until it’s recommended to sleep.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know, maybe kill the wolves lurking nearby? There is a pack of 12 spilled all over in a circle from you”

“Fine”

Looking around me, pairs of yellow eyes surround my camp, Feral Frenzy should take some of them out

*Use Skill: Feral Frenzy*- Dashing towards the wolves with the knives ready killing the first 4 wolves, dashing to the next group I got a scratch on my right arm, I managed to kill 2 other wolves, the rest of the pack gathered in front, 6 more wolves left to kill. Dashed in front of the burying my knife in 3 of them. 20 seconds passed already, Feral Frenzy is deactivating and entering cooldown, 2 of the wolves grabbed me by my right and left arms, dragging me from side to side, the 3rd jumped on me, fuck I need to cast a spell fast

*Use Skill: Ice Magic: Frozen Field*- The wolves started freezing little by little. Well, still impressed that I can do magic like this, Still have to finish what I started I guess, with a swift swing of my knife I killed the remaining wolves. I made my way back to the campfire, my hand, legs and feet were bloody and hurt a lot

“That was fucking hard, it took a lot of my hp out.”

“Of course it did, even if you wear armor they still give you poison damage”

“Poison? Why should it matter if I have this high of a defense stat?”

“It applies only if the armor has poison resistance status to it, currently you don't have it, from my knowledge in the demon village there is an armor shop where you can buy poison resistance armor, I also the wolves as well, you will need money won’t you?”

“Yes, but cast healing magic first, my body hurts too much”

*Use Skill: Minor Healing*- Some of my wounds started closing, the bleeding stopped or was lessened, not all of them got cured, but it was still better than having to sit like this. With my knife in hand, I cut up the wolves for meat and fur and see if I could sell it to the town. Also, the inventory seems pretty confusing now, apparently you have an inventory and don’t need a backpack, that only expands the amount of stuff you can carry

“So, how do I transfer it to the inventory?”

“Well, you can transfer it to the knife as it has its own inventory, all good weapons have their own separate inventories, you can store them there if you wish.”

“I am such an idiot. All this time the inventory existed, but I didn’t use it, I used a backpack and pockets”

“Well, it’s never too late to learn then”

The next day traveling to the demon village using my shadow walk, it’s strange that shadow walk didn’t evolve yet

“You need to use it more, it’s faster than most people. You need to use it a little more before it can evolve”

“Understood. How far until the village?”

“2 hours”

So, walking for 2 hours and my legs are almost ruined, the entrance of the town didn’t look like a proper entrance, there was no one guarding it, kinda like free passage. Passing through the gate, I took a look at the house, the only shops seem to be in the center, more of the shops and the tavern were connected to one another, it’s pretty neat.

“Well, go to the shop and sell your pelts and meat, you can get cheaper food here if you sell the meat. The fruit salads and light steak are a good combination.”

Selling all of my monster goods, I only got 5 gold pieces, it’s good for a start, but I need to start saving, it might get pretty messy soon. At least I have a good place to sleep now

The 3rd day:

Most people in the demon village didn’t pay much attention to me, like no one cared even a little, getting bad views from everyone

“So how far until we reach the spot?”

“You will get there by night, just walk on”

“Do I have enough for an armor?”

“No, that armor is 30 gold coins”

“Damn it!”

“Let’s get going, kid!”

4 hours later, I arrived at an entrance of a wide cave

“Daisuke, Emiko is held in there, she is in a cage”

*Use skill: Shadow Walk*

“So, how many guards?”

“Around 10, Emiko is in the middle, the cave is pretty straight forward in layout, be careful tho the guards are spread around in the cave, I will tell you if where you need to go or avoid”

“How is the cave layout again, Great Sage?”

“It’s circular, it does have a second floor, Emiko is sitting in the middle, you are about 500 meters from Emiko if you walk in a straight line. The cave itself is hallowed, but shouldn’t ”

Running will break my Shadow Walk, walking being my only option, my heart beats like it wants to get out of my chest. Even tho the knights can’t see me, there is always a risk involved

Reaching the center of the cave Emiko sat in a cage, she didn’t seem to move, the knights were around her, she couldn’t make too many moves

“Look, we caught her, but”

“What is it?”

“The king is dead, that kid Daisuke killed him”

“How do you know?”

“I got a message from a guard, he came here some weeks ago. You know what this means for knights, right?”

“It means that our order is broken. Broken Knights are usually criminals or people whose king had fallen. We need to do something about that Daisuke kid”

“Now that you mention it”- One of the knights cast a light spell, illuminating the whole room

“What should be my next move, Great Sage?”

“Use Feral Frenzy, cut their armor and blast them with wind magic”

*Use Skill: Feral Frenzy*- Getting my knife ready, dashing in front of them slashing their armors, I never thought that all those knights were so close together, just enough to cut all of their armor with a single dash

“What the hell was that?”

“It’s that Daisuke kid.”

This moment allowed me to dash towards Emiko and grab her. My Feral Frenzy is about to run out

*Use Skill: Shadow Walk*

*Skill Evolved: Shadow Walk Evolved into Shadow Run*- It evolved? Finally.

“Kid, you can combine your skills”

“Combine them?”

“Yes. Shadow Run and Feral Frenzy can be combined, you will get the skill Shadow Frenzy. It’s invisible Feral Frenzy, but you choose to activate the Frenzy, even when out of Frenzy you will still be invisible to everyone”

“Combine them”

#Skill Combination: Successful. The skills Feral Frenzy and Shadow Run combined and former the new Legendary Skill: Shadow Frenzy#

“What the hell, I told you to not come after me”- Emiko slapped me

“Quiet. Look, we need to make sure you are safe.”

“Moron. You could have gotten killed”- Looking at Emiko again, seeing her for the first time in weeks, her tales were wiggling from left to right, it was so cute. She wore lighter clothes than before, some light Assassin armor and a cape, she was as small and cute as ever

“It’s not the time to be a lolicon now, Daisuke. They are still after you!”

“Kid, stay put, I will deal with them”- Emiko rose up, unsheathe her 1 handed sword in her right, with the left she was ready to cast a spell

“Get away from here, kid. Now!”- Emiko pushed me away

*Use Skill: Shadow Frenzy*

“People can still hear you while in Frenzy mode, Daisuke”

Yeah, take it easy

“The knights are hiding behind some trees, they are intending to kill you Daisuke”

Emiko cast a fire bolt spell at some nearby brush, causing a chain reaction lighting everything else on fire, 2 of the knights ran out screaming, Emiko dashed towards them stabbing them both. She is killing people…

“I told you already, Daisuke.”

“You did, huh?”

“Yes. I said it's true that Emiko is a criminal and is wanted by the states just for this.”

“Damn it!”

“Daisuke, it’s needed. They will surely kill you if you don’t kill them”

“That just wrong”

“Don’t start it again, go and help her”

Look again, there were 7 corpses laying at the 2nd cave exit. Running towards them there were 2 knights at her blind spot almost injuring Emiko

*Use Skill: Wind Magic, Wind Gust*- Extending my hands forward, the magic turned into a powerful gust of wind blowing the knights away, Emiko didn’t hesitate to throw knives at them

“Where did that spell come from?”- She turned to look in my direction

I exited shadow mode, rushing towards Emiko

“I told you to run away!”

“I don’t care. You will be coming back to Wiefra”

“There!? Why should I? Look, Daisuke. Leave me alone, I have other matters that I need to solve. It’s better for you to leave”- Emiko looked around as if she missed something

“Go!”

“No, I want to follow and stay with you”

“1. You sound like an insane creep, 2. Why?”

“What should I say?”

“Be sincere”

“I don’t know either. Maybe it’s because I made a promise to someone that I will”

“You are just plain stupid for coming here”

“We need to get out of here”

“Walk, I know a good place where we can stay”

“Kid, there are only 9 corpses on the field, there is one missing”- What does Great Sage means?

“Wait, there are only 9 corpses?”

“Where is the 10th?”

“Where”- I turned my back to look around, maybe he ran away?

“Fucking Bastard!”- Emiko’s scream was deafening, a wooden arrow was lodged in her right shoulder, the shooter was hiding among the trees. Emiko stabbed the last night using his sword

“Fucker”- She stomped his corpse 3 times

“Daisuke, quick, we need to get to my house. This arrow is poisoned”- Emiko? No

“Damn it”- Emiko ran while grabbing my hand

“We have no time to lose”

2 hours later

“How much?”- Emiko was walking slower, her breath heavier, her eyes started to redden

“1 hour at best”- She collapsed, she tried moving her hands but nothing happened, neither her legs can move

“Great Sage?”

“She is still alive, she is unable to move. Cast minor healing on her”- I sat down near her, put both of my hands on her head

*Use Skill: Minor Healing*- She had gotten stable, but for how long?

“This should keep her stable for 3 hours at most”

“With what was she poisoned?”

“Belladonna Mercuria. It’s a plant that can be cured, although it’s hard. You will need to mix it with Cordyceps”

“So, where can I find it?”

“Well, no time now, get going”

As Emiko was trying to stand up, I grabbed and carried her on my back

“Damn it. The poison, it’s taking effect fast”

“Don’t worry, we will cure it, I assure you”

“What the hell you know?”

“I don’t have time to explain”

*Use Skill: Shadow Frenzy*- This was the only way I could travel, make it shorter than it actually is, waiting for the Frenzy cooldown to die down and running again, it’s better this way

30 minutes later:

Thanks to repeated us of Shadow Frenzy we made it to a cabin, Emiko specifically rushed me in this direction

“Is this the place?”

“Yes. Inside, you should find some healing items”

I opened the door, the cabin interior is pretty small with 2 beds, a fire place in the middle, a small table near a window, on the table lays a bag

“In that bag should be a potion that should keep me going for a while”

Putting Emiko on one of the beds, grabbing the bag from the table and giving it to her. She searched through it with her small hands, barely being able to grip the bottle and drink its contents.

“Great Sage, what is the cure?”

“Belladonna Mercuria is a rare cordyceps mutation, it’s a deadly poison if you drink or apply it, but combine it with cordyceps, and you have a strong healing potion.”

“Why haven’t you told me?”

“It wasn’t needed. Never thought this will happen”

“Look, this mutation is only visible at night, this kind of mutation needs to be picked with the cordyceps and mixed with water.”

“Thanks, Great Sage”

I walked to where Emiko was sitting casting minor healing again

“This will keep me up for a while. Daisuke, I don’t know with what I was poisoned with, but we need to visit a herbalist to see what they will do”

“Emiko, you were poisoned with Belladonna Mercuria, I know how to cure it”

“Where the hell do you know which plant poisoned me, asshole?”- Emiko grabbed my shirt

“Great Sage told me”

“Great Sage? You have that skill?”

“Yes.”

“Make good use of it and save me”

“Don’t move, rest easy now”

“Faster”

“I will try”

What now, where should I go?

“There is a forest nearby, walk 500 meters, cordyceps should spawn there, it might be worth a shot”

30 minutes later:

It’s almost sun-down, I still have a lot of waiting to do, Belladonna Mercuria, it only appears at night

“Great Sage, any cordyceps nearby?”

“Yes, 500 meters in front”

The thick brush of the forest made movements slower than they should be, it took me almost an hour to reach the location

“Is this it?”

“Yes”

The clearing seemed small, various plants were growing around, it was hard to differentiate one from the other

“Great Sage?”

“Let me take control”- My body had gone limp again, I am getting used to it, no longer fainting from prolonged use. My body walked up to a plant, there was another smaller plant growing out of the bigger one, I ripped the plant

2 hours later:

Hope Emiko is all right. Looking around she was writing something, she seems weaker, as if she took any more steps she will collapse

“Here, I gathered them.”

“Good, mix them. Here”- Emiko handed me the bottle

“There is some water in that bucket in the corner”

In the corner sat a bucket, strange, why didn’t I see it?

“Great Sage?”

“Yes. Just mix them, I will deal with the rest”- My body had gone limp again, walked to the bucket, filled the bottle with the plant's and water, holding it in my hands the contents of the bottle started heating until it was turned into a greenish black drink

“Here”- The feeling in my body returned

“Thanks. Get to sleep, too. Tomorrow we need to talk about something”

The next day:

“Wake up!”- Opening my eyes Emiko sat on the side of my bed

“Sorry. What was that about?”

“You need to go back to Wiefra, coming with me will lead to further trouble for you”

“Aren’t you coming with me?”- She gave me a surprised stare

“No, why would you want me there?”

“The conflict is over, the king is dead and there is nothing to worry about”

“There are a lot of things to worry about, ok? You don’t know what I got myself into. I can’t escape from this”

“Fine, I won’t leave unless you come to Wiefra with me”

“Quit it Daisuke.”

“No. I might be useful to you. You know, using my Great Sage skill”

“Well, you are right here. But I don’t know. Aside from this, you are an idiot with no life skills whatsoever.”

“Well, I will go with you.”

“Yes, as I said, an idiot with no life skills”

“I know”

“She is right. If you didn’t have me as a skill, you would pretty much be fucked”

“I know, no need to shove it in my face.”

“Good that you are self-aware, at least this time”

“Emiko, look. Maybe if you try to hide for a bit, everything will die down. Look, maybe can we go a city further away and become merchants?”

“Look, I got bounty hunters on my ass, and you are joking around. I don’t know you that much, but what I can read from you is that you are an absolute idiot.”

“Well, that was my suggestion, but”

“Well, it might work, if I do it alone. But with you there, you will blow things up like an idiot, I don’t doubt it”

“But, please, can I come with you?”

“Why do you cling to me so fucking much? What’s your problem?”

“I made a promise to Senri at the village”

“Figures”

“Please, I want to come with you!”

“Are you sure about this kid? I am going to give you one more chance to leave”

“I will go with you”

“Stubborn moron. Fine”

“Thanks”

“Ok. Get your things together, we are leaving in the morning of the next day, gather herbs and everything needed. There is a town called Celsus a few days away.”

“Got it!”

Well, I made my choice now, no turning back. What will happen, who knows? I need to keep my promise made to Senri. Emiko, well she is bad, but got to deal with her, Great Sage is just as bad, but have no choice to listen to him, both of them are fucked up human beings. I should get my act together. Many hardships are about to begin for me, all was well when I resurrected in Wiefra, it was a low-level town, money was easy to come by, everything was easy to get, it was comfortable.

My life there changed a lot after meeting the 4 heroes and becoming good friends with them, after that. I helped them with the mission they received, and this brought me here, why do I have to stick my nose in everything? Why? Why do I regret this now?