A blinding light covered Grimm's eyes. It was so bright that she felt that her eyes were on fire, making her groan. As the light faded out, her eyes met with something spectacular.
===[FORT IVERN]===
The ancient fort stood atop a hill, overlooking a landscape painted in twilight hues. Below, forests stretched into the distance while mountains hung themselves at the horizon.
It was a stark contrast to the dark and gritty space of the dungeon.
Jean stood beside her, his armor gleaming in the fading light. "Fort Ivern," he said quietly. "Once a proud outpost of the Kingdom, now just another ruin claimed by darkness."
"What happened here?" Grimm asked, still taking in the scene.
Jean's expression turned dark. "The world is in turmoil. Affected by the fog spreading from the castle of the Lost Empire. Being in contact with this fog without any protection can turn humans and even animals into demonbeasts."
With complicated expression, he continued, "The fog you see in the distance... It resurrects the dead and turns the living into undying monsters. Reviving from what little remains of theirs body." He turned to look at Grimm directly. "I searched the entire fort. You were the only survivor."
"What happened in this rich, peaceful country? What causes the fog to spread? To investigate that, I have come here. But please don't worry. Until we reach the land of fairies, protecting you is my priority right now."
His words made Grimm gulp her saliva. A cold breeze swept through the castle grounds, carrying the scent of decay, making sure to remind her that this was not what she was expecting as a main character. Grimm nodded, grateful for his guidance. "Thank you."
Looking at Grimm with interest, Jean suggested, "For now, explore on your own a bit. I want you to learn to survive independently, just in case we get separated. I'll be watching."
Grimm understood the unspoken message. 'Another training...'
Taking his advice, she began exploring the fort's upper level. Near a crumbling wall, she discovered a small pile of wooden boxes. Her hands instantly rummaged through them. After going through the boxes, her fingers suddenly found a bundle of green plants tied with a cloth band.
She held them up questioningly toward Jean.
"Ah, [Medical Herbs]," he said, approaching. "Very valuable. When consumed in the right amount, they help regulate mana in the body, regenerating wounds and scars. BUT! Remember, these aren't spell components. Don't try to follow a mana pattern when using them. That could kill you. Just consume them directly when needed."
Grimm carefully stashed the herbs behind her chest shield, nodding her understanding, making Jean look away with a slight blush of her action. Her chest was not that big, but it was indeed prominent.
"Let's head down," Jean said back, trying to hide his embarrassment, pointing to a staircase that descended into the fort's lower levels.
The stone steps looked extremely worn out, maybe because of all the battles that could have taken place there.
Both of their footsteps echoed in the stairwell as they descended.
As they stepped down, the air suddenly grew slightly foggy and thicker, carrying the unmistakable stench of decay.
"Grrr! Raff! Raff! Haff!"
The very instant they reached the bottom, three humanoid shapes launched themselves from the side of the wall. Their skin hung in rotting tatters, exposing white bone and blackened muscle.
Their hollow eyes held no intelligence, only hunger for flesh. Their teeth were rotten to the core, yet they seemed to have enough energy to tear apart a normal human.
Jean remained calm, even smiling slightly at Grimm, who seemed to be taken aback. His hands slowly took out his sword and held it like a blunt weapon.
"[Hollows].", Knowing that Grimm had no memory, Jean explained. "Not poisonous, extremely weak. Anyone can deal with them with minimum to no experience. They're slow because their bodies seem to have been rotting away."
He nodded toward one that had separated from the others. "Deal with that one. I'll keep these two in check."
His words made Grimm slightly relieved. 'At least I don't have to deal with all three of them alone...', Her thoughts washed away the next instant as she drew her dagger.
The lone [Hollow] shambled toward her, arms outstretched, jaws making a snapping noise as it rushed towards her.
'It's slow, like Jean said.', Grimm circled it cautiously, analyzing its movements. When the creature lunged clumsily, Grimm darted. Her hand instantly slashed across the back of its legs, slicing off its tendons.
-Bang!
The [Hollow] collapsed to the ground with a moan.
Moving quickly, Grimm sliced through its wrists and legs, immobilizing it further. Then, with a single powerful stroke, she beheaded the creature.
The head rolled away, the body slumping into stillness.
"What just happened...?", Grimm stared at her hands in surprise. The dagger had cut through bone with unexpected ease. As her compatibility with the body progressed, her strength seemed to have skyrocketed.
"Good technique," Jean commented with a slightly loud voice as he dodged the attacks from the two hollows around him. "Methodical and thorough. But remember, in a real battle, you won't have such luxury of time."
"Hahaha!", He laughed out, as he instantly gestured to the two [Hollows] he had been holding at bay with his sword. "Let's see how you handle these. I'll watch over you."
-Boom.
With that, Jean instantly jumped onto the high wall that was tens of meters high into the air. A small leg print formed on the place he was previously standing. And all that was with such ease that he made it seem effortless!
Sadly, Grimm had no luxury to think about it because of Jean releasing the creatures. As if losing their target, the hollows immediately lurched toward Grimm.
"Graff! Grr!"
Without hesitation, Grimm rushed forward. Her body felt so flexible now that she felt the confidence she never had before.
Her hands instantly slashed her dagger in a wide arc, decapitating the first [Hollow] in a single fluid motion. The second lunged at her, but Grimm evaded the lunge, using the small momentary gap of the creature's momentum against it.
-Slick!
Grimm struck the neck of that creature and once again severed another monster's head.
But as soon as she was done, she found their body turn into brown dust and flow away with the light air that flew across the fort.
The corpses left behind two [Medical Herbs], making Grimm grimace. 'The people who might have been previously carrying it had turned to such creatures.', Her lips pressed against each other as she once again felt like vomiting.
"Damn it.", She cursed lightly. Her hands instantly collected the two herbs and also touched the black smoke from the place where the three hollows had died. "Fifteen souls," she murmured. 'The total souls in my body are 25.'
But looking at her actions, Jean frowned momentarily but shook his head. Grimm noticed his expression and asked, "What's wrong?", Her neck felt crampy looking at Jean, who was standing on the tall wall.
"Rummaging through the dead... it's not very honorable," Jean admitted. "But these are desperate times. The world is ending. Old customs matter little now. Now, let's move ahead."
As soon as they were done talking, two more [Hollows] emerged from a side corridor. Maybe because of the sounds of the fight. Looking at them, Jean silently and smugly smiled back at her, encouraging her to handle them.
"Huff", Grimm sighed silently and instantly dispatched both creatures efficiently. This time, she absorbed ten more souls from their corpses. Sadly, there was nothing extra left by them for her use.
"Let's go now.", As soon as Grimm was done, Jean instantly flashed by her side and instructed. "East."
They followed the passage until there was a split way, one going to the north and the other going to the east, and on the east side, it formed into a small courtyard.
As soon as they walked in, they found an [Executioner Pig], the monster that looked like the one Jean had killed earlier.
It was rummaging through broken boxes, its back to them.
Grimm gestured for Jean to stay back, to which he nodded back.
She crept forward silently, dagger ready. When close enough, she struck hard at the creature's neck.
-Slice!
The slice to the back of its neck didn't kill it but left it stunned and wobbly.
"Squuek! Oink! OINK! AUUGHHH!"
The pig-creature let out a pained squeal, almost childlike in its distress. Its hands twitched as it tried to stop its blood from flowing out of its almost sliced neck. Grimm's mind went blank for a moment.
Biting her lip, she steeled herself and stabbed again, driving her blade deep into the creature's throat. It collapsed with a final, gurgling cry.
"I am sorry...", Grimm felt a chill flash through her body. "Why such a cruel thing...", Her mouth opened itself slightly. Her mind felt convorged. Even with killing so many enemies, she still felt... Bad killing them.
Grimm silently took the extra [Knife] left by it and absorbed ten more souls. Her mind felt depressed, but she didn't say anything aloud. She knew that the monsters wouldn't hesitate in killing her.
Ignoring her distracting thoughts, she walked towards the boxes the monster was in front of. In the boxes the monster had been searching, she discovered a strange brown, crystalline, tree branch-like substance.
"[Frigid Pine Resin]," Jean, who was silently looking at her, explained. "Crush it and apply it to the edge of any weapon, and it will temporarily gain ice properties. Very useful against certain enemies."
Jean then led them northward, through twisting corridors. They encountered another [Executioner Pig] and two more [Hollows].
Grimm easily dispatched them with increasing skill, collecting twenty souls and a peculiar item from the pig's pocket.
"A [Dung Pie]," Jean said with distaste. "Disgusting but useful. It causes poison when in physical contact with enemies." Grimm grimaced but pocketed the item nonetheless.
Then they turned west, finding a few secluded broken boxes. A small blue orb pulsed with gentle light, sitting atop a fallen stone.
"A [Blue Soul]," Jean commented. "Crush it, and your body will absorb its power, increasing your physical defense against both physical and magical attacks. It's quite useful. There are mainly seven types of colored souls - green, purple, red, blue, and yellow, ashen, and white."
"But there are also some rare cases where a 'Black Soul' is also formed. It is one of the rare colored soul and can enhance all your attributes, be it physical or magical!"
Grimm took the orb, feeling its cool energy through her gloves. She crushed it in her palm, and blue light seeped into her skin. A sensation of hardening spread through her body, as if her very essence was becoming more resilient.
They continued their exploration, heading north through an archway. But as soon as they reached the crossway, suddenly, Jean stopped, his expression turning serious.
"This way leads to the castle of the Lost Empire," he said quietly. "To my... fated land." He placed a hand on Grimm's shoulder. "It's much too early for you to go there. For now, let's head to the lands of fairies."
Grimm understood the unspoken meaning. 'I am still too weak, and Jean didn't want to lead me into a danger I couldn't face.'
"Follow me," Jean said, turning eastward. He walked toward the fort's outer wall, where part of the structure had crumbled away, offering a path down the hillside.
They emerged onto a balcony overlooking the vast landscape.
The sky had deepened to orange, making it seem as if the world itself was burning.
Wisps of unnatural fog drifted across the valleys below.
"The wind is eerie here," Jean said, his voice carrying a weight Grimm hadn't heard before. He stared out at the dying day, his profile hard and resolute. "Even now, countless people are suffering because of the fog and the demonbeasts," he continued. "To save them is my duty."
He turned to Grimm, hesitation briefly crossing his features. "Which is why I wish for you, too, to lend your strength to this cause. Please... Even an undead can become a hero. I'm sure of it. Please tell me if you are willing to help them..."
Grimm fell silent. Her eyes looked down at her hands, the leather glove was marked with blood and dirt.
'I know I am a coward. I... I am scared. I don't wish to kill anyone... But perhaps this was my purpose, the reason I had awakened in this broken world. Is this my destiny? My goal? To save everyone?'
She raised her head, meeting Jean's gaze with newfound determination. "I promise you to help as many people as I can. I will do anything in my power to save as many people as I can that are in harm's way or are suffering."
The wind silently blew by.
It felt so dreamy.
Soon, they will be parting ways, for better or for worse. But Grimm had already decided.
She would do what she had promised.
Relief washed over Jean's face. His shoulders visibly relaxed. "Thank you. Truly... I am sure God is watching over you, too." He smiled lightly. "Well then, let's hurry."
They turned to leave, heading toward the path that would take them down from the fort.
Just as they took their first step the air was suddenly filled with the thunderous flapping of massive wings.
A shadow passed overhead, blotting out the dying sun.
Jean's face transformed with shock and alarm. "A Drake Helkaiser!?" he shouted, shoving Grimm roughly to the side.
In one fluid motion, he drew his sword and spun, hurling the blade skyward with incredible force. Grimm felt the air leave her lungs as she fell, the stone hard against her shoulder. "UGH!"
"Kraghhh!", From above came a deafening, inhuman scream that echoed across the ruins of Fort Ivern. Suddenly, a huge flame descended the place where they were standing.
.
.
.
"GUAaaAAAaAAAAAA!!! It BuRns!!! NOOOO! My body! My BoDy, Is iN fLaMes...!! Why...!!? Why EvEn HeRe..!?"
A scream echoed.
Jean was on fire.
"No, NO, noNONONONONONOONO!!! I still!! Not yet...!! I can't die yet!! I don't want to die...!!!" Screams weaken, "Bur...ns... No... Can't... aAAaaaa..."
Then, a final whisper hung in the air.
"G... God..."
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[2422]
Don't forget to give me a comment, reply, or power stone! They give me motivation!
Thank you!
-SR_2027.
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