[You have acquired the soul essence of Level 42 Second Star Order Cunning Lurking Spider
You have received Strength +56, Stamina +30, Agility +60, Mana +25, Magic +23]
[You have leveled up to level 20. You cannot acquire anymore soul essence until you have chosen a job class and well as completed its breakthrough mission. Any soul essence acquired during that time will be stored temporarily and distributed accordingly until completion]
I studied the systems messages for a moment and then moved on. There were a few more.
[Sun God's Palm Proficiency has increased to 60%: Skill can now be used to temporarily augment weapons at the cost of 70 mana points]
'So that's what that was' I had felt it towards the end of the battle with the Cunning Lurking Spider- the Lurker. During that last struggle an epiphany came at me when I realized I wouldn't have been able to win against the beast in a battle of strength it had been a simple thought really. What would happen if I used Sun God's Palm to, instead of firing a lance of flames outward, concentrate it through my weapon instead.
It was at that moment that something just clicked. A eureka moment so to speak so I followed my instinct and poured every last drop of mana i had into it. It was a gamble but if there was one thing that the descent of the Spirit Record had taught me so far was that sometimes gambling paid off more than being cautious.
'Not that I want to get used to gambling with my life anyway but what can I say...' I turned my head towards the lifeless body of the Lurker beside me and said:
"A win is a win"
Still my body felt like I got hit by a truck or something. Why did everything have to hurt so much? I mentally groaned.
Lying down on the grass like this for an eternity felt really tempting right now. Yeah I needed some well needed rest after all this. But would it even end?
A dull ache echoed in my chest...my heart. The battle for camp White seemed to be about over but what about the aftermath? Many people had died today some had been distant allies, some had been close friends and some had...been leaders.
Dulton, Mordecai...Bennet and many others like them. I threw a hateful glance at the dead Lurker.
"I hope you burn in hell bastard" I clenched my jaw and sat up trying my best to ignore all the protests my body was making.
"Fuck when did my body get so...heavy" I gritted my teeth as I pushed to stand up. I knew this wasn't about the weight of my body at all. Rather it was about my current state of weakness.
Standing up, my feet shifted unsteadily on the ground almost making me fall. First I had to retrieve Black Salamander from the depths of the Lurker's maw and then I had to regroup with the others. My roll had carried me about a meter and a half from the Lurker so it would just take a couple of steps to get to my sword and then I would get out of here. As for searching for a soul stone, that could wait until after I got a bit of rest and after laying the dead.
I barely took two steps...if you could even call then that when I heard something in the wind.
"Huh" In my exhausted state I had trouble recognizing what it was that is until...
Something heavy knocked me back to the ground. The world spun as my vision was filled the image of the gray clouds parting above, a bright ray of sunlight fell over the region almost as if it were a spotlight on a stage play.
Muddled and confused, I craned my neck to look at the weight I felt on my chest. At first it looked like a small stick was standing erect from the center of my chest. It was made of slick wood and had two extensions from the end pointing towards the sky. I reached for it with my good hand and immediately felt something warm and sticky between my fingers.
"W...what?" I muttered as if brought the hand a few inches above my face. Only then did I notice the thick red color.
A shock suddenly coursed through my mind clearing my thoughts somewhat. I recognized that liquid...it was blood. My blood.
Looking down on my chest I saw the stick in a new light.
'An arrow!'
My thoughts pulled together as though pieces of a puzzle were coming together. What was an arrow doing in my chest?
'That's a stupid question' I reprimanded myself. For a guy who had just been shot in the chest, i was being awfully carefree.
Slowly I made to stand using my one good hand to do so. Dirt stuck to my palm as I did so and then in feat that surprised even myself I managed to stand, if just barely. My vision seemed to blur and focus continuously like the unfocused lens of a camera and now that I was standing hot white pain radiated from the center of my chest.
Something rose in the back of throat making it difficult to breathe. Instinctively I brought a hand to cover my mouth and coughed. Streams of red leaked through my fingers and spilled over my chin.
At that point there were only two questions on my mind:
Who the hell shot me? And why?
I had my answer very soon. I looked forward and there standing just at the edge of the like of trees just a little bit into the meadow clearing, the silhouette of a person stood. Bow in one hand and a quiver of arrows to her back with the tail end of the arrows peeking just over there shoulder.
'Who...?'
I shook my head and narrowed my eyes forcing them into focus just long enough to tell that it was a woman and one that seemed familiar too but I couldn't quite put my mind on just who it might be. As if to answer my question the woman spoke.
"Huey Coleman for the pain you have made me suffer you deserve nothing short of death"
The voice carried the undertones of a woman but it wasn't pleasant at all. It sounded cold and caused a shiver to run down my spine. Her voice felt wrong in ways I couldn't describe, almost as if they didn't come from a human at all and yet they did and as monotone as the voice sounded I recognized it quite well too.
"C-Clara?" I before I could even stop myself.
I took a step towards her but she brought up the bow and even though I couldn't see quite right I could imagine her going through the motions seamlessly in my mind. I could almost see her pulling an arrow from her quiver nocking it to the string of the bow between her fingers, raising the bow in my direction, drawing the bow taut and then...releasing it to send the arrow flying.
The sound of something travelling sharply whistled in the air and then a flood of pain jolted from my right shoulder. A roar of pain tore through my throat and I staggered several steps backwards. One step. Two steps. Five. And finally stopped at seven.
My body threatened to fall to the ground but I forced myself to remain standing. The physical pain was debilitating but the emotional hurt was so much worse.
"W-why?" the words barely sounded like a whisper and yet Clara seemed to hear him just fine.
"YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!" Clara's almost resembled a banshee's scream.
It left me stunned into silence. I took everything from her?
Then a grave and hot feeling took hold of my mind.
"I didn't take anything from you! I saved you remember!? Me! Jace and his cruel gang had oppressed you and the other survivors in his base! You barely had food to eat, most women were abused and raped, men were murdered for the slightest inconvenience to him and his gang members! And the power that you have right now I was the one who gave you that opportunity! You, Dulton, Mordecai, Nale and Vicky!" I don't know where I was getting the energy but I took two strong steps forward. An expression of mad rage must have been twisted on my face right now and I was somehow glad I didn't have a mirror.
I continued:
"So I didn't take everything from you at all! In fact I gave you everything!"
"Wrong!" Clara shot back immediately. Her voice making me flinch. "Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!"
Clara's voice bordered on the line of madness. "I didn't need your help. I never needed your help. My brother was all the help I needed. He was all the family I needed and you... You took that away from me"