155. Wishful Thinking
As it turned out, I could only use [Demon’s Mark] once every three hours. I was surprised. A Skill with as much destructive power as that would normally take a whole day before I could use it again. But I was Level 100 now. The next time I was evolving would be at Level 150. It made sense that the Skills gained during my evolution would be somewhat exceptional.
Also, there was more to it.
“Unused Skills have both pros and cons, Salvos. Not choosing a Skill you obtained means you may never have the chance to experience what that Skill does, especially if it’s a good one. However, if you leave it untouched, there is always a chance a Skill would advance— or in your case, evolve— along with you. And those Skills become extremely valuable, most of the time. After all, upgraded Skills are generally better than new Skills.”
“Huh. That’s pretty good.”
Edithe nodded as she continued.
“That’s why I never understood why you always chose and tested all your Skills whenever you evolved. It’s better to leave the ones you think are unremarkable untouched. You’re wasting its potential, otherwise.”
While she was in a lecturing mood, I decided to prod Edithe about how leveling my Class worked. I leveled a few times since entering the Plaguelands, mostly only when I used its Skills in combat, never really during any other time.
“It depends on your Class description. As a combat Class, [Adept of the Fae] probably levels from fighting and killing things like most other combat Classes. But since it’s ‘secondary’ to your Subspecies, it only gains experience when you actively use it in battle. The more you use your ‘main’ Class, or Subspecies, it’ll detract from the leveling speed of your secondary ‘Class’. The only other way you can actually level it up is by doing things related to its description.”
I tilted my head back up, pursing my lips.
“I don’t really remember what it said, but I think it mentioned something about Fairies? And learning from them, maybe?”
“That sounds right. And it means that it’s probably not going to be easy to level [Adept of the Fae], since it requires more exceptional circumstances.”
“Aw, really?”
The red-haired woman gave me a wry smile.
“That’s the advantage and disadvantage of having a rare Class, Salvos. Beginner Classes like [Warrior] may be inferior to [Adept of the Fae], but they’re able to gain experience from simple training and doing basic drills enough times. The requirements for your Class are higher, but the payoff is better.”
I scowled at first. But slowly, I let out the biggest grin onto my face as I realized what that meant.
“More time in the Plaguelands, yay!”
“...Edithe, why?”
Daniel gave the red-haired woman the most pained expression I have ever seen on his face. She just shrugged.
“You’re getting close to Level 100 too, aren’t you? I don’t see the harm in sticking around until you’ve advanced.”
“I know that, but… just…”
I pointed accusingly at the Human man.
“You just want us to return to Human lands as quickly as possible so I have to eat your stupid food!”
“And you just want to delay it for as long as you can.”
He crossed his arms. I rolled my eyes, pausing only when I saw the outlines of Skeletons approaching us from afar. Fire engulfed my body as I turned away from Daniel.
“It’s not like we’re in any rush to return anyway, are we?”
Fiery blades appeared around me. They shot out at the undead, ripping apart their ranks from afar, even before they could come near us. He sighed.
“I am not, no. But Edithe is, isn’t she? Which is why I’m surprised she’s fine with this suggestion.”
An arrow zipped our way, and I used [Banish] to divert it away instead of dodging. I had to get whatever experience I could from these encounters for my Class.
“We told Hadrian that we’d be borrowing her for a while, didn’t we?”
“That was half a year ago, Salvos.”
Edithe was the one to speak. Turning to face me, she gave me a rueful look, even as she blasted apart the undead from the distance.
“A lot of things can happen during that time. I can’t lie and say I’m not worried about my friends. I’d like to return and help the Valiant Dreamers in whatever way I can, especially with the way the company war was looking before I left.”
“You guys were winning!”
I spoke, exasperated, waving my arms around. Another arrow came speeding at us, and I teleported it away once again. I spotted a Ghoul amongst the Skeletons. It came bounding at us, far faster than the Skeletons could hope to move.
“We were winning, only after suffering significant losses, Salvos. The Iron Champions also outnumbered us. I haven’t received any updates from my company for a long time. I’m worried about them. Just as I’m sure they’re worried about me.”
My shoulders sagged as I saw Edithe’s face turn dour. I stopped conjuring weapons to shoot out at the undead, even as the Ghoul was getting closer. Then I shook my head, concentrating at a single ball of fire in the palm of my hand.
It burned red at first, before turning blue, then white, and finally, black. It expanded into crescent shape, like the moon. A bow, with the same-colored strings attached to it. That was not all. I created an arrow in a similar way, and nocked it onto the bow.
This weapon was made of fire, but it was not burning. It didn’t exude any heat. It was entirely physical, created from magic, turned into a solid object.
[Nebular Bow: Medium Grade - A bow created from the Skill, [Nebular Construct].]
[Nebular Arrow: Medium Grade - An arrow created from the Skill, [Nebular Construct].]
I loosed it straight at the Ghoul, and the bolt dug itself deep into the undead’s chest. It stumbled from that first hit, before I fired a second one straight at its head. It let out a guttural cry as it tried to gather itself. I simply finished it off with a few more Nebular Arrows sent to its head.
“Fine. I guess we can return to the Human lands. I have a Class now, anyway. I could go and speak to Lily for advice, or ask Saffron about enrolling me into one of your Human academies to learn more about space magic.”
We finished off the rest of the undead, just like that. Even Ghouls were no longer as difficult to kill as they once were. [Nebular Spark] was a very good Skill. It created weapons that persisted even after a few days. I didn’t have to expend any magic to upkeep it. I could collect the Nebular Arrows from the Ghoul’s dead body and reuse them for future fights.
Edithe placed a hand on my shoulder, giving me a grateful look.
“Thank you, Salvos.”
I blinked. Then I beamed.
“Of course! You’re my companion, not a minion, after all! I can’t just order you around!”
Although, I couldn’t lie and say I wasn’t a little unhappy about it. I mean, this meant I wouldn’t get to see the Lich. Which sucked! Because I really wanted to see him!
Class [Adept of the Fae] Level Up!
[Adept of the Fae - Lvl. 12] -> [Adept of the Fae - Lvl. 13]
Gained 2 Secondary Skill Points!
...
Class [Adept of the Fae] Level Up!
[Adept of the Fae - Lvl. 15] -> [Adept of the Fae - Lvl. 16]
Gained 2 Secondary Skill Points!
Subspecies [Daeva Cambion] Level Up!
[Daeva Cambion – Lvl. 100] -> [Daeva Cambion – Lvl. 101]
Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!
My new Class was leveling nicely compared to my Subspecies. [Adept of the Fae] had leveled 6 times in less than a week, while [Daeva Cambion] only leveled once. Granted, I was stepping back during the fighting just a little bit, letting Daniel soak up the experience, so he could get to Level 100 as soon as possible.
We were heading back to the Human lands. We had a map and a compass, and two Humans who were able to actually read that stuff. Most of the Plaguelands hadn’t been mapped out, so navigating our way back was still a little bit difficult. However, as long as we knew the general direction we were going, we’d be able to return to the Vaun Qieuer Empire eventually.
While the Plaguelands was certainly less dangerous to us, especially since I was Level 100 now, we didn’t simply throw caution into the wind. Daniel made sure that we camped out in places where we weren't just out in the middle of the open for any horde of undead to attack us, and instead had some sort of shelter to protect us.
We cleared out a small, ruined town full of Ghouls and Skeletons before settling down for the night. It was flanked by a blight flower field to the left, and a vast, open flatland to the right. It was late, and we were forced to make do with what we had.
My companions set up their camp as they usually did, but instead of having the usual inane conversations, we were talking about more serious things. Such as what Daniel would do when he returned from the Plaguelands.
“You could always just follow me to the Brilsum Ruins, you know?”
I offered him the suggestion as he chewed on some dried meat.
“While we’re there, we could deal with that Archdemon problem and speak with Lily— kill two wild Demons with one rock.”
“The expression is ‘kill two birds with one stone’.”
Daniel snorted, before taking a sip from his flask. Was that alcohol? His face was a little bit redder than usual.
“I’m just not sure… about what I want to do. What if what Faith said really was true? That the Inoria Empire was evil? Shouldn’t I go back to help her?”
“You told us that she manipulated and used you in the past, Daniel.”
Edithe almost looked annoyed at the Human man.
“You’d be fucking stupid to trust her again.”
“I know that, I know that.”
Taking a deep breath, he drew his knees closer to his chest and hugged them.
“It’s just that— I have a responsibility, don’t I? I’m supposed to be a [Hero]. And yet, people out there are dying because I’m too scared to fight. I could make a difference. I could save so many lives. But I’m just… here. Scared. Afraid.”
“Yep, you’re a coward, Daniel.”
I nodded, agreeing with him. He let out a heavy sigh, and Edithe winced.
“Not helping, Salvos.”
“It’s the truth.”
Perhaps it was because he was drunk, but the Human man didn’t make any sort of retort. That was better for me, since I could continue.
“However, despite being a coward, you’ve been by my side, even against all odds, you still fought. You never ran, leaving me alone. You’re a coward. But that has never stopped you from fighting before. It has never stopped you from doing what you want.”
It was an attempt at cheering him up. Maybe I could have worded it better, but I had no reason not to be blunt with him. It was better for him to hear things like this. Just like when he kept his secret from Edithe for so long— skirting around the issue wouldn’t bring any results with Daniel.
“As… harshly as Salvos is putting it, she’s right. You don’t have to follow her. You don’t have to save the princess—”
“Hey! I’m a Princess too!”
The red-haired woman ignored me, instead gently resting the tip of her fingers on the back of his hand.
“You can do whatever you want. You don’t have to decide now. Just think about it, alright?”
Daniel looked up at her. He stared at Edithe with a grateful smile. Then it slipped away as he buried his face into his hands once more.
“And what about that whole Apocalypse thing? What are we going to do about it? We have to do something, right?”
This time, Edithe was stumped too. She hesitated, trying to work her jaw, but nothing came out.
“I… that’s… fuck, good question.”
“Why do you have to do anything?”
I fixed both of them with a puzzled look. The question took them by surprise. They both turned to me at the same time.
“Uh, because it’s something that affects all of us?”
“Everyone will die, Salvos. If what Xidra says is true—”
“Then it doesn’t matter.”
I raised my shoulders in a shrug. Then I shivered slightly as a cold chill swept over our camp. The fire flickered with the wind, almost growing smaller from the breeze.
“If these Dragons couldn’t do anything about it, how are we supposed to stop it? Also— what if Xidra is wrong? Maybe she thinks she’s telling the truth, but maybe someone lied to her. Neither of you have to do anything about it.”
There was a pause. Edithe and Daniel exchanged a glance, as if deciding who should speak first. They seemed to settle on the red-haired woman as she started.
“Salvos, even if—”
I raised a hand, cutting her off. A prickling sensation ran through me. The one I always felt when I thought I was being watched. But it was different this time. It felt… real. Almost overwhelming.
I leapt to my feet, grabbing my Nebular Bow, nocking it as I turned around. A heavy mist encroached on the ruined town, surrounding it from all sides. The burning fire was snuffed out as another freezing zephyr swept over our camp, and my companions drew their weapons, growing alert as the veil of darkness fell upon us.
“Someone is…”
I didn’t finish. A figure stepped out from the mist. My eyes grew wide as I saw yellow bones. A black robe. A skull with fire for eyes, glowing a bright green. An ethereal voice left its mouth like a whisper.
“Hello, my beautiful Lilian. It has been so long since I last saw you.”
[Lich - Lvl. 143]
155. Wishful Thinking
As it turned out, I could only use [Demon’s Mark] once every three hours. I was surprised. A Skill with as much destructive power as that would normally take a whole day before I could use it again. But I was Level 100 now. The next time I was evolving would be at Level 150. It made sense that the Skills gained during my evolution would be somewhat exceptional.
Also, there was more to it.
“Unused Skills have both pros and cons, Salvos. Not choosing a Skill you obtained means you may never have the chance to experience what that Skill does, especially if it’s a good one. However, if you leave it untouched, there is always a chance a Skill would advance— or in your case, evolve— along with you. And those Skills become extremely valuable, most of the time. After all, upgraded Skills are generally better than new Skills.”
“Huh. That’s pretty good.”
Edithe nodded as she continued.
“That’s why I never understood why you always chose and tested all your Skills whenever you evolved. It’s better to leave the ones you think are unremarkable untouched. You’re wasting its potential, otherwise.”
While she was in a lecturing mood, I decided to prod Edithe about how leveling my Class worked. I leveled a few times since entering the Plaguelands, mostly only when I used its Skills in combat, never really during any other time.
“It depends on your Class description. As a combat Class, [Adept of the Fae] probably levels from fighting and killing things like most other combat Classes. But since it’s ‘secondary’ to your Subspecies, it only gains experience when you actively use it in battle. The more you use your ‘main’ Class, or Subspecies, it’ll detract from the leveling speed of your secondary ‘Class’. The only other way you can actually level it up is by doing things related to its description.”
I tilted my head back up, pursing my lips.
“I don’t really remember what it said, but I think it mentioned something about Fairies? And learning from them, maybe?”
“That sounds right. And it means that it’s probably not going to be easy to level [Adept of the Fae], since it requires more exceptional circumstances.”
“Aw, really?”
The red-haired woman gave me a wry smile.
“That’s the advantage and disadvantage of having a rare Class, Salvos. Beginner Classes like [Warrior] may be inferior to [Adept of the Fae], but they’re able to gain experience from simple training and doing basic drills enough times. The requirements for your Class are higher, but the payoff is better.”
I scowled at first. But slowly, I let out the biggest grin onto my face as I realized what that meant.
“More time in the Plaguelands, yay!”
“...Edithe, why?”
Daniel gave the red-haired woman the most pained expression I have ever seen on his face. She just shrugged.
“You’re getting close to Level 100 too, aren’t you? I don’t see the harm in sticking around until you’ve advanced.”
“I know that, but… just…”
I pointed accusingly at the Human man.
“You just want us to return to Human lands as quickly as possible so I have to eat your stupid food!”
“And you just want to delay it for as long as you can.”
He crossed his arms. I rolled my eyes, pausing only when I saw the outlines of Skeletons approaching us from afar. Fire engulfed my body as I turned away from Daniel.
“It’s not like we’re in any rush to return anyway, are we?”
Fiery blades appeared around me. They shot out at the undead, ripping apart their ranks from afar, even before they could come near us. He sighed.
“I am not, no. But Edithe is, isn’t she? Which is why I’m surprised she’s fine with this suggestion.”
An arrow zipped our way, and I used [Banish] to divert it away instead of dodging. I had to get whatever experience I could from these encounters for my Class.
“We told Hadrian that we’d be borrowing her for a while, didn’t we?”
“That was half a year ago, Salvos.”
Edithe was the one to speak. Turning to face me, she gave me a rueful look, even as she blasted apart the undead from the distance.
“A lot of things can happen during that time. I can’t lie and say I’m not worried about my friends. I’d like to return and help the Valiant Dreamers in whatever way I can, especially with the way the company war was looking before I left.”
“You guys were winning!”
I spoke, exasperated, waving my arms around. Another arrow came speeding at us, and I teleported it away once again. I spotted a Ghoul amongst the Skeletons. It came bounding at us, far faster than the Skeletons could hope to move.
“We were winning, only after suffering significant losses, Salvos. The Iron Champions also outnumbered us. I haven’t received any updates from my company for a long time. I’m worried about them. Just as I’m sure they’re worried about me.”
My shoulders sagged as I saw Edithe’s face turn dour. I stopped conjuring weapons to shoot out at the undead, even as the Ghoul was getting closer. Then I shook my head, concentrating at a single ball of fire in the palm of my hand.
It burned red at first, before turning blue, then white, and finally, black. It expanded into crescent shape, like the moon. A bow, with the same-colored strings attached to it. That was not all. I created an arrow in a similar way, and nocked it onto the bow.
This weapon was made of fire, but it was not burning. It didn’t exude any heat. It was entirely physical, created from magic, turned into a solid object.
[Nebular Bow: Medium Grade - A bow created from the Skill, [Nebular Construct].]
[Nebular Arrow: Medium Grade - An arrow created from the Skill, [Nebular Construct].]
I loosed it straight at the Ghoul, and the bolt dug itself deep into the undead’s chest. It stumbled from that first hit, before I fired a second one straight at its head. It let out a guttural cry as it tried to gather itself. I simply finished it off with a few more Nebular Arrows sent to its head.
“Fine. I guess we can return to the Human lands. I have a Class now, anyway. I could go and speak to Lily for advice, or ask Saffron about enrolling me into one of your Human academies to learn more about space magic.”
We finished off the rest of the undead, just like that. Even Ghouls were no longer as difficult to kill as they once were. [Nebular Spark] was a very good Skill. It created weapons that persisted even after a few days. I didn’t have to expend any magic to upkeep it. I could collect the Nebular Arrows from the Ghoul’s dead body and reuse them for future fights.
Edithe placed a hand on my shoulder, giving me a grateful look.
“Thank you, Salvos.”
I blinked. Then I beamed.
“Of course! You’re my companion, not a minion, after all! I can’t just order you around!”
Although, I couldn’t lie and say I wasn’t a little unhappy about it. I mean, this meant I wouldn’t get to see the Lich. Which sucked! Because I really wanted to see him!
Class [Adept of the Fae] Level Up!
[Adept of the Fae - Lvl. 12] -> [Adept of the Fae - Lvl. 13]
Gained 2 Secondary Skill Points!
...
Class [Adept of the Fae] Level Up!
[Adept of the Fae - Lvl. 15] -> [Adept of the Fae - Lvl. 16]
Gained 2 Secondary Skill Points!
Subspecies [Daeva Cambion] Level Up!
[Daeva Cambion – Lvl. 100] -> [Daeva Cambion – Lvl. 101]
Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!
My new Class was leveling nicely compared to my Subspecies. [Adept of the Fae] had leveled 6 times in less than a week, while [Daeva Cambion] only leveled once. Granted, I was stepping back during the fighting just a little bit, letting Daniel soak up the experience, so he could get to Level 100 as soon as possible.
We were heading back to the Human lands. We had a map and a compass, and two Humans who were able to actually read that stuff. Most of the Plaguelands hadn’t been mapped out, so navigating our way back was still a little bit difficult. However, as long as we knew the general direction we were going, we’d be able to return to the Vaun Qieuer Empire eventually.
While the Plaguelands was certainly less dangerous to us, especially since I was Level 100 now, we didn’t simply throw caution into the wind. Daniel made sure that we camped out in places where we weren't just out in the middle of the open for any horde of undead to attack us, and instead had some sort of shelter to protect us.
We cleared out a small, ruined town full of Ghouls and Skeletons before settling down for the night. It was flanked by a blight flower field to the left, and a vast, open flatland to the right. It was late, and we were forced to make do with what we had.
My companions set up their camp as they usually did, but instead of having the usual inane conversations, we were talking about more serious things. Such as what Daniel would do when he returned from the Plaguelands.
“You could always just follow me to the Brilsum Ruins, you know?”
I offered him the suggestion as he chewed on some dried meat.
“While we’re there, we could deal with that Archdemon problem and speak with Lily— kill two wild Demons with one rock.”
“The expression is ‘kill two birds with one stone’.”
Daniel snorted, before taking a sip from his flask. Was that alcohol? His face was a little bit redder than usual.
“I’m just not sure… about what I want to do. What if what Faith said really was true? That the Inoria Empire was evil? Shouldn’t I go back to help her?”
“You told us that she manipulated and used you in the past, Daniel.”
Edithe almost looked annoyed at the Human man.
“You’d be fucking stupid to trust her again.”
“I know that, I know that.”
Taking a deep breath, he drew his knees closer to his chest and hugged them.
“It’s just that— I have a responsibility, don’t I? I’m supposed to be a [Hero]. And yet, people out there are dying because I’m too scared to fight. I could make a difference. I could save so many lives. But I’m just… here. Scared. Afraid.”
“Yep, you’re a coward, Daniel.”
I nodded, agreeing with him. He let out a heavy sigh, and Edithe winced.
“Not helping, Salvos.”
“It’s the truth.”
Perhaps it was because he was drunk, but the Human man didn’t make any sort of retort. That was better for me, since I could continue.
“However, despite being a coward, you’ve been by my side, even against all odds, you still fought. You never ran, leaving me alone. You’re a coward. But that has never stopped you from fighting before. It has never stopped you from doing what you want.”
It was an attempt at cheering him up. Maybe I could have worded it better, but I had no reason not to be blunt with him. It was better for him to hear things like this. Just like when he kept his secret from Edithe for so long— skirting around the issue wouldn’t bring any results with Daniel.
“As… harshly as Salvos is putting it, she’s right. You don’t have to follow her. You don’t have to save the princess—”
“Hey! I’m a Princess too!”
The red-haired woman ignored me, instead gently resting the tip of her fingers on the back of his hand.
“You can do whatever you want. You don’t have to decide now. Just think about it, alright?”
Daniel looked up at her. He stared at Edithe with a grateful smile. Then it slipped away as he buried his face into his hands once more.
“And what about that whole Apocalypse thing? What are we going to do about it? We have to do something, right?”
This time, Edithe was stumped too. She hesitated, trying to work her jaw, but nothing came out.
“I… that’s… fuck, good question.”
“Why do you have to do anything?”
I fixed both of them with a puzzled look. The question took them by surprise. They both turned to me at the same time.
“Uh, because it’s something that affects all of us?”
“Everyone will die, Salvos. If what Xidra says is true—”
“Then it doesn’t matter.”
I raised my shoulders in a shrug. Then I shivered slightly as a cold chill swept over our camp. The fire flickered with the wind, almost growing smaller from the breeze.
“If these Dragons couldn’t do anything about it, how are we supposed to stop it? Also— what if Xidra is wrong? Maybe she thinks she’s telling the truth, but maybe someone lied to her. Neither of you have to do anything about it.”
There was a pause. Edithe and Daniel exchanged a glance, as if deciding who should speak first. They seemed to settle on the red-haired woman as she started.
“Salvos, even if—”
I raised a hand, cutting her off. A prickling sensation ran through me. The one I always felt when I thought I was being watched. But it was different this time. It felt… real. Almost overwhelming.
I leapt to my feet, grabbing my Nebular Bow, nocking it as I turned around. A heavy mist encroached on the ruined town, surrounding it from all sides. The burning fire was snuffed out as another freezing zephyr swept over our camp, and my companions drew their weapons, growing alert as the veil of darkness fell upon us.
“Someone is…”
I didn’t finish. A figure stepped out from the mist. My eyes grew wide as I saw yellow bones. A black robe. A skull with fire for eyes, glowing a bright green. An ethereal voice left its mouth like a whisper.
“Hello, my beautiful Lilian. It has been so long since I last saw you.”
[Lich - Lvl. 143]
