ed off, “Hm, I suppose so. Perhaps I should lighten their armor. Anyways, I can give you another one. Why must it know archery?”

I grabbed a hand out in front of me, “Imma catch the arrows.”

Torix’s gaze turned curious, “Catching? You intend on catching its arrows?”

“Yes.”

“Well then, let me know if it gouges out your eyes. I have several potions planned, and a few of them require the eye of a troll. Perhaps your eyes should suffice.”

My face dulled, “Thank you so much for your support.”

Torix cackled before turning back to his work, “I do try from time to time. Good luck, disciple.”

A portal appeared before another knight wearing the same armor walked out. In its hands, a crossbow glistened with several bolts in it. A loaded quiver hung from its back, and it turned towards me with the same competence as the knight before it.

We walked into the middle arena before I smashed my hand into the ground. The stone cracked under the force of my blow. A few more clashing blows, and edges of the stone bent upwards in sharpened crags. I cupped a few of them in my hands and tossed them toward the knight.

“Throw these at me. I’ll be catching them. Toss them harder and harder over time.”

It set its crossbow down on its side before tossing the stones at me. The process repeated, just like with the deflection training. I gained the skill Catching before the knight chunked stones like a pitcher in baseball. A few more hours of this passed before we swapped to arrows.

Ok, so, I may have taken a few arrows to the knee before I started catching them. I ensured my safety that way by asking the knight to aim at my legs. The progression for my skills began once more. We hammered away at the task, and the training turned into a routine for several days. As Torix forewarned, the remnant friend took her sweet time arriving.

Torix embittered at that fact, but he kept his words about her tame. Ish. In the meantime, the lich kept his eyes on the runes to uncover the ritual’s secrets. He took samples of my blood, running different tests on it. Alongside the necromancer’s machinations, Althea tinkered with her cannon. She inched closer to recreating it, exploring the machinery’s mechanics.

She practiced her meditative restructuring during her downtime, gaining greater control of her forms. Her lapses turned rare then disappeared altogether. She and I talked during breaks, and we discussed the outer world. To my surprise, Torix joined in, and both he and Althea cared a lot about Earth and its customs.

Simple concepts like cars, fast food, and stoves set their eyes aglow with curiosity and bewilderment. To them, I lived in an ancient, undeveloped world, and for that reason, they hungered for humanity’s history. We’d all sit together and talk about it while roasting a bear harvested by Torix’s minions. Althea and I ate while Torix listened. Those were good times.

I laughed more than I thought I could during those talks.

historical

They proved to be brief respites in my harsh training schedule. Torix kept the pressure high by adding requirements here or there. When a single knight couldn’t challenge me anymore, Torix placed two. Then three. Althea joined in on the fun at that point, though she only practiced for a few hours a day. Her progress exceeded my own because I hit a sticking point.

Torix and I both recognized that I plateaued against the minions. All these skills I learned, they came together somehow. I could feel it, but I just hadn’t taken the final step for a unique skill’s completion. Althea, on the other hand, thrived by using her reformation abilities. She created massive claws and whipping tendrils all while staying sane. It left me intimidated by her at times, but in a good way.

I wanted to know if I could win a fight against her now.

Tumbling through my mind, those thoughts raced during my practice rounds. Althea and I handled a group of knights surrounding us. Torix lectured us in the meantime, the lich having taken a break from studying the runes. He drilled us in tactical combat, ensuring we handled mages well.

Against a caster, I ducked under a bolt of ice before the ghoul in front of me froze in place. It snapped me out of my combat flow, the ghoul’s muted, petrified forms unnerving. I turned around, finding all the ghouls frozen along with Torix. I turned to him, “What gives?”

Torix turned to Althea, “It would seem your employers want you back.”

Althea’s eyes hollowed, “They..They do?”

Torix lifted an arm, an undead BloodHollow bat landing on his arm. It let out its shrill screeching, and Torix nodded, “Indeed. If anything, they’re more ravenous for your presence than expected. It’s quite a conundrum, in fact. You’re anything but highly leveled, and you lack combat experience.”

Torix glared at Althea, “Is there anything you wish to tell me?”

Althea took a step back, letting her arms fall to her sides, “Nothing that you haven’t already heard. I told you guys, I literally know nothing. It’s like my life was a haze before coming here. This is the first time I’ve ever heard real sounds or tasted real food. I’ve always been in my armor, sedated till I couldn’t even think straight.”

She blinked, peering around in a panic. As if underwater, she gasped for air, “I-I don’t know why they want me back. I don’t want to go back. I really don’t.”

She trembled, but not from her transformations. A deep fear, one carved into her mind by unseen people, it lashed at her. It turned her strength into weakness. Althea’s face flushed and her eyes watered. Torix stepped up, placing a hand on her shoulder,

“It’s quite simple, my dear. If you wish to return, do so. If you do not, then don’t. Why are you acting as if you have no say in what happens to you?”

Althea shook off her panic, Torix’s words calming her down. She turned a hand to him, “I can’t stop them from taking me back.”

Torix spread his hands to us both, “We are here to help you, should you need it. Aren’t we, disciple?”

I gave her a thumbs up, “Eh, why not. It gives us something to fight.”

Althea rolled her eyes at me, “You battle crazed lunatic.”

I pointed at her, “Hey now, you’re the one that made all these enemies. I’m just finishing them off.”

Torix scoffed, “I’ll be doing most of the work here. Now-” Torix opened his hand, creating a sphere of pure white with jagged edges. It spun with great force, until the edges no longer blurred. Torix pulled his hand back, recoloring the sphere with an area outside the cave. Two robed beings inspected the area near where Althea and I fought.

One stood tall as an elephant, massive veins throbbing underneath its robe. The smaller one glowed a reddish aura with a fist-sized, black crystal in his hand. Torix leaned over them, “Ooh, they appear to be holding valuables.”

Above their heads were two messages, telling me next to nothing about them outside of their levels. Torix opened his status while murmuring, “They’ve cast masking magic for their statuses. We’ll capture them and interrogate them forthrightly.”

Althea raised a brow, “I mean, you guys aren’t exactly the best at interrogating.”

Torix’s eyes flared red, “Oh darling, there is nothing that escapes me..And I mean nothing.”

My skin crawled at that. Panning my thoughts back, Torix’s trust in Althea hadn’t added up since the beginning. The lack of security, Torix accepting her answers, even his friendly demeanor, none of it made sense. Torix turned himself into a lich for security’s sake. He was a cautious man, and he treated Althea like a book he’d read front to back. It was like he read her mind. Under the lich’s piercing gaze, I gulped.

He just might have.

Torix flipped his status to us, “That lack of escape includes their status updates. You both may read mine.”

Elthodriss, Berserker of Yawm | Level 672 – Elthodriss is a devotee to Yawm of Flesh. Elthodriss is one of his upper advisors, and a member of a race of giants. Elthodriss specializes in strength and constitution, being a brute for Yawm.

With his overwhelming stature and brutality, Elthodriss can crush most enemies with ease. He’s been granted pieces of dark magic forbidden by Schema. Elthodriss connects with unknown methods for excessive flows of energy. He engulfs in madness, becoming insanity incarnate, a being without control or reason or mercy.

Elthodriss fights with Kelto Drainer by his side. Kelto controls Elthodriss during this berserker state.

CHANGED FOR USER: At your current level, one swipe of his fist would splatter you against the wall. Pray that you die, or else you will be taken back to Yawm of Flesh. Far worse fates awaits you there than mere death.

The first status spawned a roaring unease in my chest. I murmured, “So, Torix, these guys are a pretty high level.”

At ease, Torix lifted his chin high, “Which is precisely why I’ll handle them.”

I read on.

Kelto Drainer, Endower of Yawm | Level 459 – Kelto Drainer is a devotee to Yawm of Flesh. Kelto acts as a sort of puppeteer for the brutes within Yawm’s ranks. Kelto uses mind magic for controlling them when they are channeling the magic of the Old Ones.

Despite his role, Kelto is more than able when it comes to fighting on his own. He uses mind magic mostly, focusing on bending the user’s will to his own. His elemental and dark magic are of particular note as well. Kelto can overcharge a user with energy and mana as well, making them oversaturate. This makes Kelto dangerous in close combat.

CHANGED FOR USER: Avoid facing it at all costs. You are but fodder for him.

I narrowed my eyes at the mention of mind magic, but I lacked time to explore it further. Torix pushed up a pair of imaginary glasses, turning to us both,

“Hm, it would appear you’ve fallen into the grips of Yawm of Flesh. You mentioned a plant and the name Alm. They were close approximations.”

Althea’s eyes widened, “Exactly. I wasn’t lying.”

Torix peered up, deep in thought, “Hm, this is troubling. I only know of Yawm through rumors and hearsay. There’s not much known or openly recorded on him by Schema, and what I do know of isn’t pretty.” Torix shook his head at me,

“My condolences for your homeworld for having attracted his attention.”

I waved my hands, “Wait a minute..World? You mean the planet?”

Torix stayed silent, a tense moment passing over us. I spread out my hands, “Torix, come on. Answer me.”

Torix sighed, and he placed a hand on my shoulder, “We’ll speak of it later, along with the consequences therein. Know this – this Yawm fellow may have set his eyes on this planet ever since the dimensional rip within BloodHollow.”

My jaw slackened, “You’re serious? I couldn’t have stopped this?”

Torix pulled his hand back, “I don’t believe so. I know this is a lot to take in, but we have very little time as is. Right now, these are soldiers from a far greater force. They may have landed here, unbeknownst to me. These may be mere scouts searching the nearby area.”

I put my hands on my head, “Wait..You’re telling me there’s more of these things?”

Torix peered at the tunnel, “Indeed, and this also verifies my suspicions about Althea. Her energy signatures are unusual, and I believe that the Old Ones are involved, somehow.” Torix eyes Althea, “Isn’t that right?”

Althea frowned, “Uhm..Probably?”

I looked at my hands, the armor wriggling, “What kind of energy is my armor absorbing from her then?”

Torix stepped onto a blot of dark mana,

“I don’t know anymore.”