“How does he have Demonic Knight skills!”

“Who is this guy?”

The two remaining guys were confused that I was able to keep casting Knight skills. Not just Knight skills, but Demonic Knight skills. It seemed like using miasma compared to mana was considered a demon’s ability. Mana was associated with the light races, and miasma was associated with the dark races. I supposed there was some kind of great question about the nature of the universe given this duality, but I wasn’t going to discover it while battling for my life on this day.

“Dark lightning!” The magician cast a spell at me, apparently using a Dark Mage ability this time.

An idea came to me that I wanted to try. Since I had Mimic, I was curious about what other abilities I could do with it. I activated Karmic Espionage, and then pushed my karma out into the soldier I was engaged with and then leaped back. In short, I gave him my karma. I saw a sign informing me I was no longer Drakus. To anyone else from the dungeon, it might appear like our bodies suddenly switched places.

The lightning suddenly arced to the right and hit the surprised soldier instead. I performed a True Strike just as he was incapacitated by the lightning, and I took his life. I also reclaimed the karma almost instantly. The lightning attack he had used was targeted. That was an important aspect of making this work. He locked on to me as a target to ensure it didn’t miss. So, when I gave him the karma the lightning ended up targeting him instead.

It was a pretty exhausting ability, and I wondered if I had stumbled on something that had a less taxing skill later on down the mimicry line. It’d be like using Fire Control to make a fireball before I unlocked Fireball. Technically, it was possible, but it was also sloppy and partially just luck that it succeeded.

“Charge!”

At this point in the battle, reinforcements arrived. Another ten men entered the courtyard. The soldier and magician, now completely outnumbered, tried to turn tail and run, but they were quickly overrun and cut down in their spots. I stumbled over to the commander, feeling completely exhausted after my rapid use of skills. With my life on the line, I probably could have finished the battle, but it would have been close there. Three elite knights and a mage appeared to be my limit. Although, I imagined if most other men said that, they would likely be accused of gloating.

The commander was now sitting up, his head leaning against the wall. Carmine was taking care of him, but he didn’t seem to be doing well.

“I’d heal you, but I have a feeling healing would only damage you more,” I admitted.

My Dark Priest ability hadn’t unlocked anything that helped the undead yet. Maybe, there wasn’t anything. I was thinking of necromancy, which was another job entirely. Still, the jobs seemed like they might have some things in common like a White Mage and a Priest did.

“It’s fine..” The commander said, gasping for breath despite not having lungs.. or a chest. “I only wish.. I could have.. given.. you a promotion..”

His head fell to the side, and the light in his eyes went out. The commander died. Carmine had tears in her eyes, but I knew they came from the princess, and not Carmine, who would have no feelings about this commander one way or another.

I sighed, reaching out to grab him, intending to carry him to a spot where he could rest. At that moment, miasma suddenly shot out of his body and into my fingers. It didn’t invade my heart or mind, but instead, immediately went to the spot I was storing karma.

{Commander Stone’s Karma has been absorbed. You can now assume the identity of Commander Stone.}historical

“Huh?” I set it immediately in wide-eyed wonder.

A moment later, one of the reinforcements came up behind me and saluted. “Commander! The fort is ours! What is your next order?”

It looked like he had managed to give me that promotion after all.