Chapter 7 – Death whispered a Lullaby

*Ding*

You have released someone from the Chains of Sorrow

Your skill Shackles of Sorrow leveled up

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:Shackles of Sorrow (passive)-99/100-

The curse is still active

While he held Lily he just waved the messages away. Slowly they separated, still smiling as he looked at her.

Her long legs were barely covered by the white dress she wore. She was still pale and a little transparent, yet she was stunningly beautiful. “Hey, don’t look at me like that.”

Blushing and mumbling an apology he shifted his gaze away. Lily started to giggle seeing the man in front of her fidgeting embarrassed when a couple of minutes ago he destroyed a great evil with his bare hands while looking like a berserker from the tales she read as a kid.

Now that Lily was safe, Hall’s muscles began to ache. His limbs burned like fire and too weak to stand he had to sit down. The fatigue hit him like a hammer. His mind and his body were forced far beyond their boundaries and now it all washed over him.

“Lily, I think I have to go for a little while, all right?” Seeing Hall’s tormented body that practically screamed of weariness she nodded. “Alright, please get some rest, I’ll wait for you…and Hall, Thank you.” She quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek and with faint red cheeks, which were only visible because of her white skin, she waited for him to leave.

A little perplexed, but happy, he logged out, drank a whole bottle of water in one go and, barely able to take off his clothes, he fell onto his bed, drifting into a deep slumber, dreaming about what was to come.

When he woke up after over ten hours his stomach growled as if it wanted to yell at him for neglecting to eat. So he took care of all necessities and logged back in.

Seeing Lily sleeping peacefully on the ground left him with a warm feeling in his chest, he was glad he used the magic words to save her.

He looked around, they had to leave the tower so he put bunch of books in his inventory. They were mainly about countering dark magic and potions. He skimmed through the books he couldn’t reach before which took him several hours.

Lily soon woke up and greeted him. ”You know I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time. The slumber I fell in after my soul energy was almost gone really doesn’t compare.” Stretching she flew around him. She still wasn’t corporeal, but now she could touch her surroundings if she really concentrated.

So they both continued to search the books for those that were especially valuable or of use.

In the end he took a few dozens of books. He didn’t care much for their content as the higher he went up the tower the more the shelves seemed to be filled with books about history, towns and people long gone.

But it just felt wrong for him to leave the books behind after all he had some …final plans with the tower and destroying books, well, he didn’t like it.

He found a couple of spell and recipe books, some simple ones, others more advanced. One was about making an improved mana potion based on a wild fern combined with a glowing mushroom which only grew in caves with mana rocks.

Among all those texts he even found three skill books. One was about gaining temporary resistance to curses and illusion magic by expanding his soul energy and overwhelming the dark magic aimed at him. Unfortunately he needed a way higher level than his own.

The other two were spells he would just sell in the auction house that dealt with real money. They weren’t great but should fetch him a fair amount of money. Although he first had to reach a civilized place so he could give them to a buyer.

Unfortunately most books were already rotten by time, so there was no need to check them.

He also took the pot, the ladle and some tools for making fire. Apart from that the tower was completely devoid of anything useful.

Now came the part that made him anxious and he pushed away by searching the tower for a whole day.

“Lily, we have to talk.” He pointed at the chain between them. It still looked like black steel, coated in some disgusting dark substance that reflected the pulsating purple glow it showed at some spots.

Hall was still able to break one chain and he intended to let it be the one that bound them to each other. He somehow knew after that Lily would be gone for good. Though her soul wouldn’t be consumed by the tower, but set free, whatever that meant in this world.

“Before you are free we still have to destroy this last chain, with that you will finally find peace.” She looked almost as sad as at the moment they first met and it broke his heart to see her nod with tears in her eyes.

He had a lump in his throat. “Thank you Lily, without you I wouldn’t have made it through the last weeks.” His eyes wet, but with a smile he hugged her. “Goodbye Lily.” She clung to him sobbing. She shed tears of happiness for the time they shared and tears of grief as they had to separate. “Farewell and thank you Hall, thank you, thank you...”

Her voice broke down as she wept, her face buried in his chest. He could feel her tears on his chest as they were soaked up by his rough linen shirt. His hand rose as he wanted to give the order to break the chain.

“You could come with me you know?” She looked up to him, surprise on her teary face.

“I mean only if you want, I understand that after such a long time you desire some peace but if you’d like...”

“YES.” She didn’t even let him finish, tear drops flying from her face as she nodded furiously. “I mean, yes, I would love to come with you, but are you sure you want me on your journey? I will only be a burden, you can’t use your mana and as a banshee I don’t have any skills that would be helpful to you.” A glimmer of hope made her sad, wet eyes sparkle, she wanted to stay with him, but she didn’t want to weigh him down.

He put his hand on her head, slowly stroking it. “Don’t you worry, that way I have someone to fight with and to fight for.” Her lower lip started to tremble. “Yes, please, take me with you, please.” Her tears started to flow again and this time she didn’t try to hold them back as she smiled so bright he knew that he made the right choice.

A warm glow started to spread from the smiling Lily, it seemed to envelop her and started to spread to the shackles that tied them together. The same light seemed to emit from the wound the chain in his chest caused as it slowly closed, leaving unharmed skin.

The intensity rose and the chain was engulfed by a blinding radiance of various colors that seemed to origin from both of them. The colors seemed to interweave and intertwine, pushing away the darkness of the shackles, erasing the purple glow.

Slowly the radiance faded and left two people holding each other. The once black chain, thick as a forearm, causing a horrible wound in his chest was gone. Instead there was a brilliant glow, emitted by a beautiful, elegant string. It shined like a golden chain and it wasn’t thicker than a finger.

*Ding*

You have formed a contract with a Spirit

Lilith’s class was changed from Banshee to Familiar Spirit

Your skill Shackles of Sorrow leveled up

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:Shackles of Sorrow (passive)-100/100-

Though betrayed and left behind to die, you and Lilith didn’t give in to despair. Your mutual trust and faith in each other changed the properties of the skill Shackles of Sorrow

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:Bonds of Trust (passive)-.100%Cursed shackles changed by trust into a connection between those that chose to share the same fate

Effects:

Your soul is bound to your familiar spirit Lilith

Pain and Joy can be shared if allowed

As Lilith has no hitpoints you take damage if she is harmed

You gain all hitpoints Lilith should have as she shares them with you willingly

You lose all your mana as Lilith drains you of it unwillingly

Unknown

You destroyed the Chains of Sorrow that bound the Banshee Lilith to the Tower and by forming a contract of trust you shattered the Shackles of Sorrow.

You managed to free Lilith from the Grand Curse of Shattered Trust and protected her from the aftereffects.

For breaking a Grand Curse without protection you are punished by the magic the creator of the curse left behind

+100 Fame for lifting a Grand Curse

Title : Solitary ManFor breaking a curse of betrayal you will be marked by dark powers to keep you alone in this world

Effects:

When in a party you deal 15% less damage for every member in the party besides yourself

Familiars and Pets are not included

Effects are applied even if the title is not equipped

You destroyed the Chains of Sorrow that bound you to the Tower and by forming a contract of trust you shattered the Shackles of Sorrow.

You managed to free yourself from the Grand Curse of Shattered Trust.

For breaking a Grand Curse without protection you are punished by the magic the creator of the curse left behind

+100 Fame for lifting a Grand Curse

Title : I Stand AloneFor breaking a curse of betrayal you will be marked by dark powers to keep you alone in this world

Effects:

When in a party you receive 15% more damage for every member in the party besides yourself

Familiars and Pets are not included

Effects are applied even if the title is not equipped

Title : Damaged beyond RepairYou damaged your own soul irreparably and because you forcefully destroyed the connection between cursed chains and it’s source the remaining dark magic will taint your soul.

Effects:

Relationships with the churches of light suffer and can’t advance beyond friendly

Effects are applied even if the title is not equipped

In the beginning the messages Hall received were few and far between but now he opened his mouth in disbelief as he was bombarded with them.

He still didn’t completely realize what had happened with Lily. Her appearance changed even more than before. The pale unhealthy tone of her skin changed into a beautiful light brown complexion as if she had sunbathed for weeks.

She now wore a simple black dress with a somewhat low neckline that stopped shortly over her knees. Her delicate feet were shoeless and her platinum blond hair with streaks of red, matching the red tinge in his own hair, flowed like water until it ended between her shoulder blades. To put it simply, she was breathtaking.

If he wasn’t just hit with a barrage of penalties he would have stared at her for a while, but now his anger took control of him as he let go of Lily looking for the source of all this evil.

He found it lying beside the pedestal where he threw it to the ground and with a contorted face he picked it up to rip it to shreds. Hall put in all his strength and yet it didn’t tear.

‘God damn it, I will destroy you even if I have to throw you into the fires of hell you stupid accumulation of paper’

As he released a roar of wrath the book slowly started to give in and when his arms almost couldn’t take the strain anymore the first pages were torn releasing enormous amounts of blood and dark magic.

When the magic exploded it hit Hall right in the chest, lifting him from the ground and throwing him into the shelves behind him.

Slightly dizzy from the impact and breathing heavy he rose and assured the worried Lily that everything was alright.

*Ding*

For destroying a strong cursed object with your bare hands you are rewarded with +2 Willpower

Suddenly dust and pieces of wood started to fall from the ceiling as the tower started to shake, slowly first but soon books started to fall out of the shelves and it was hard to keep the balance.

“Lily, I think we should get out of here, the magic inside the book I just tore to bits was probably the only thing keeping this tower from falling apart.”

Running into the open they turned around when they reached the point halfway to the gate of the wall.

The sight before them was an incredible one. The tower that imprisoned them, slowly decayed in front of them, it was as time ran tremendously fast. Centuries ran by in minutes, the wooden roof caved in and shortly after the stone walls weren’t able to keep their weight anymore and collapsed, leaving only a dust cloud and withered ruins.

But instead of enjoying the show he heard a sound that made him role his eyes. ‘Great, what now?’

*Ding*

Quest: Peace of MindThe gods of light are grateful to you for destroying a great evil. The annihilation of the cursed tower was even felt in their realm.

They will reward you greatly after you fulfill their conditions.

As your soul is tainted you are not worthy to receive their blessings. Additionally they ask of you to revoke the contract you made with the spirit Lilith for she is a cursed being, only able to remain in this world because of you.

Difficulty: Unknown

Quest requirements:

Break the Grand Curse of Shattered Trust and destroy the tower the curse calls his home

Form a Contract with the cursed Banshee inside the tower

Rewards:

Your soul will be cleansed

You will be rewarded with a rare class

Failure: go against the will of the gods

You cannot refuse the quest.

Failing will result in a deteriorating relationship with the gods of light

He stared incredulous as he couldn’t believe he was getting a quest like that, he could even gain one of the rare classes. After a second he lapsed into hysterical laughter, he laughed so hard he had to hold his stomach, but it wasn’t filled with humor or joy.

When his laughter subsided he put on a grim expression, clenched his fist and let out a booming voice.

“ARE YOU SERIOUS? You let me rot inside this tower after not doing anything about it for centuries and after finally destroying that wretched place without the help of you, the so called gods of light, you ask, no, you demand of me to betray the only one who stood beside me this whole time? Because she is a cursed being in your eyes? Because I am unworthy?”

He shook with anger, spitting out words filled with rage, not caring that he insulted the most powerful beings of this world.

“I will not. You even threaten me after what I have accomplished and try to bribe me to betray the one by my side. NEVER. If the gods of light are like this I’d rather choose to not follow you nor will I bow to you. You aren’t worthy of the title gods.” His voice became calmer as he let out a sigh. “You aren’t even worthy of my anger.”

Lily looked at him with wide eyes. Because they had a soul bond she could also read the messages that appeared before him. She couldn’t believe what she just heard. With conflicted feelings, happy he chose her, guilty of what he went through because of her and scared as he cursed the gods, she waited for the god’s reaction.

*Ding*

Quest: Peace of MindQuest failed.

Because you refused to bow to the will of the gods of light you will be punished.

Your relationship with the churches of light deteriorates.

Title : Losing my ReligionThe gods punish you for refusing them.

The seven churches of light of the continent Akreton declare you a Persona non Grata, an unwelcomed person.

Effects:

Your reputation with the churches can’t advance further than unfriendly.

You are not allowed to enter the churches premises.

Healing fees are tripled.

If a member of one of the seven churches of light kills you, he will not gain infamy

Effects are applied even if the title is not equipped

He shook his head angrily. The penalties from breaking the curse were bad, but he decided to play alone most of the time anyway so he could live with that. But being declared an unwanted person by the church was something he couldn’t just brush away.

Even if he wasn’t marked as an enemy and there weren’t orders to hunt him down. Most players affiliated with the churches would try to kill him. He sighed deeply at his future prospects.

“I’m sorry Hall, it’s my fault.” Lily was dejected, she not only caused him to be penalized after breaking the curse without protection from the magic words but she was also the reason the gods stood now against them.

Hall just shook his head. “No Lily, it’s not your fault, it’s theirs and no matter what is to come, we will stand together, even if the world will become our enemy.”

Though she still felt guilty, she blushed after hearing that. Any girl in the world would if a man declared he was willing to go against the world for her.

*clap,clap,clap*

The sound startled him as he didn’t hear anyone approaching them, although he was admittedly preoccupied. As he had no weapon he decided he would use the chains around his wrist, infusing them with his soul energy and slamming them into the enemies.

Right now they were wrapped around his arms because even if they were incorporeal he and Lily could still touch them and if they were dangling around they irritated him.

So as he turned to face the source of the sound he untangled them and let them fall to the ground, while preparing to infuse them with his energy.

He wanted to wait because an invisible weapon, even an improvised one, was pretty much the only trump card he had right now as he still didn’t know if Lily had gained any combat skills with her new class.

So he took up a fighting stance, grabbing the chains he prepared for battle. What he saw surprised him. It was a beautiful woman, with a pale complexion, dressed in a black suit. With crossed legs she sat on the remnants of the wall surrounding the area where the tower stood, clapping slowly while smiling.

An eerie, dark aura surrounded her. Not evil or menacing. It was more like a nightfall after a busy day or a deep forest after a snowfall. It seemed peaceful somehow.

Still smiling she jumped off the wall and approached them. “Hey, no need to keep that frightening face, I’m not here to harm you.”

Hall believed her and relaxed, wrapping the chains around his arms again. It was not only the peaceful aura that convinced him. He could also feel a bit of her power and he instantly knew there was no way he could stand against her. It was like standing in front of a mountain that reached the skies, simply overwhelming.

“Now that is better.” She stopped in front of him eyeing him closely before her glance switched to Lily. Of course normal people couldn’t see her but she was obviously far from normal.

“I have to admit, you are intriguing me. Not only did you manage to break a Grand Curse, something that hasn’t been done in a very, very long time, you were even able to free someone else along with you.

You also chose to protect someone else while suffering greatly for it. And as if that wasn’t enough you stood against the demands of the gods, throwing away a chance for a great reward and instead you took their punishment. I think I didn’t utter these words during the last century, but I am impressed by you Hall.”

He didn’t wonder why she knew his name, she obviously watched them for a while.

“Glad I was able to impress you, but who are you?”

She opened her eyes in surprise and chuckled. “Oh where are my manners, I had so much fun meeting you I completely forgot to introduce myself.”

She took a step back and tipped her head. “It is very nice to meet you. I am Death but you can call me Grim.”

Well, that took him by surprise and he stared at her with an open mouth and wide eyes.

The woman who called herself death pouted jokingly. “Hall, didn’t anyone tell you it’s not nice to stare at a lady, people will think you’re a pervert.”

Lily was just as confused as Hall, but he regained his composure faster.

“So, you are death, that’s…unexpected and what do you mean by death, the god of death? And what do you want from me?”

Grim shook her head. “No, there is no such thing as a god of death. There are gods of the underworld, gods of the demonworld and unfortunately over thousands of years there were a bunch of beings that gained an immense power over black magic, gathered believers and started to call themselves god of death. But I am no god, I am death.

Not on the side of light, not on the side of darkness, neither good nor evil, not an enemy of the gods and no friend, I just am, for I am death itself.”

He nodded as for some reason he believed her, it was somehow obvious she wasn’t lying. “Alright, let’s just say I believe you, what do you want with me?”

She fell silent for a few seconds, her mood somewhat dampened.

“As I already said, there are beings in this world that claim to be the god of death. Not only that, there are always those that seek to hide from me.

I cannot be overpowered by mere mortals and even the gods can’t rule me, though the price I have to pay for this power is a grave one, as I can’t directly interfere with the world.

That’s the reason I also couldn’t help you. This tower and the curse within was one of the things in this world that interfered with my power as I was not able to reap the souls of those that died here. It has been a thorn in my side for centuries and I am grateful you destroyed it.”

She smiled and her pleasant mood returned before she continued.

“Don’t get me wrong, I won’t take Lily, I only mind if souls are forced against their will to remain after their deaths.

Like this tower there are places and people in this world who interfere with my work and that is something I cannot allow. Some are evil and crawl under the earth or hide in towers tall as mountains, others act under the cover of the churches trying to deceive me by gaining the gods favor. Still, as I said I am unable to interfere no matter what, so I need mortals who will help me with this cause.”

Hall nodded. “So you need mortal servants?” She shook her head, disagreeing with his claim. “No, I am not in need of servants. I don’t want mindless drones that can be controlled so easily.

What I desire are those few talented individuals that stand out even among the strongest of the strong, those that won’t bow their head to anyone, not even the gods.”

Hall looked at her confused and asked. “And you want me to be one of those few? Aren’t there others better suited? I’m weak, haven’t even gained a single level yet, why would you choose me?”

The woman giggled and though she looked mature and powerful before when she spoke about herself, she now looked like a cute young girl in her late teens.

“You should really think more highly of yourself. I saw hundreds more powerful than you, thousands of times more powerful, strong enough to rival entire armies, be devoured by curses. Consumed by power and absorbed by greed.

Though never in the thousands and thousands of years I remember have I seen someone like you. Defying curses, torment and the gods themselves although you are as weak as you are. That’s why I want you to help me, not as a servant, but of your own free will. You witnessed yourself what these curses can do, so I ask of you, will you help me?”

*Ding*

Quest: Follow the ReaperDeath itself asks you for help. When you pass her test you will be allowed to carry a part of her power.

Difficulty: Unknown

Quest requirements: Impress Death

Rewards: Hidden Class

Failure: fail the test

Failing will have no consequences

‘Wow, a hidden class and no consequences for failing, she seems a lot better than those gods.’

“Alright, but what kind of te..” Before he could ask about the test, a wall of pressure hit him and pushed the air out of his lungs. Her crushing power forced him to his knees before he even realized what was happening.

Despite being a spirit, Lily was unconscious in an instant. Though Hall was on his knees, he had no intentions of remaining there. He clenched his teeth and with trembling arms he kept his body above the ground, taking a small step and with a roar he stood up again. The moment he stood up his soul energy broke through his skin and pushed against the pressure, allowing him to breath.

It happened so fast, Death took a surprised step back and unconsciously increased her power.

Because she didn’t think he would be able to stand up, let alone push her pressure back, she put in too much strength.

This time Hall was forced to the ground so fast he wasn’t even able to stretch his arms out to catch himself and was crushed so hard he saw stars. Although the pressure was gone in instant it still took him a few moments to shake of the aftereffects.

Meanwhile Grim was laughing, beaming with happiness and with a wide grin on her face. “Sorry for that, you actually managed to impress me again.”

Hall slowly stood up, still trying to regain his balance. “What are you talking about, I couldn’t withstand your pressure at all after you increased it.”

She was still giggling. “That was not the test dummy. The test was how long you could stay conscious while experiencing the pressure I exuded at first. I was so surprised you actually managed to push back, I accidently increased it too much. It’s a miracle you stayed conscious, well it’s a miracle you stayed alive.

You know, I had a lot of helper over the millennia, people of enormous power, by far stronger and more experienced than you and yet you little human are the first one to actually stand against my power, even it was only a tiny piece of it.”

Hall smiled at the compliment and was curious what would come next.

“So Hall, you passed the test and exceeded my expectations by far. If you decide to join me in my cause you will not have to follow my orders but I expect you to help me if I come to you.

You will gain a piece of death’s, of my power in exchange for that promise.

I will not help you along your way because I cannot. I will give you no weapons, no armor and no gold. I will not hold your hand as I need someone strong enough to take care of himself.

But you will gain a part of my power, which means a class and the skills that come with it.

So, will you follow me?” Hall just nodded.

*Ding*

Quest: Follow the ReaperYou exceeded Death’s expectation and decided to join her as a companion.

Grim showed a wide smile. “It’s been a long time since I had a mortal by my side. Remember though, I won’t be watching over you all the time, but don’t worry, I will visit every now and then if I feel like enjoying your company.” Chuckling she winked at him but got serious again after a moment.

“Listen good now, you will be alone most of the time, death and its companions are avoided, hated and feared. You will experience many hardships along your way. Many battles are to be fought, many life’s to be taken. You will suffer torment and pain, loneliness and woe.

But always remember, you are one of death’s representatives in this world. You do not bow down to anybody. Not to nobles or kings, not to monsters or darkness, not even to the gods themselves.

You will have no place to call home. You won’t be part of society. You are above the system. Over it. Beyond it. I will give you a special gift, one I have not bestowed on anyone until now. From today on you are not only one of my companions. You will be THE companion. Congratulations, you are now the Harbinger of Death, my first Apostle and I expect great things from you.”

You have gained a unique class: Harbinger of Death

For gaining a unique class you are rewarded with a bonus of +5 to all stats and +200 Fame

Achievement : Death’s ConfidanteFor the first time Death grants the title of her first Apostle, the Harbinger of Death, to a mortal.

+200 Fame

Now he was glowing from happiness, he didn’t even dream about getting a unique class. All the penalties and handicaps he had to deal with from now on were gone from his mind as he was thinking about his new class.

Grim looked at him in anticipation. “Now go on, show me your status and skills. I only give you some power, the combination of your own personality and that power is what creates the skills.”

Hall nodded and opened his mouth, trembling slightly with excitement.

“Show detailed status window.”

Status WindowName:HallAlignment:DeathLevel:1Class: Harbinger of DeathRace:HumanGender:MaleTitle:Solitary ManFame:600Infamy:0-Health:1125 / 775Health Regen:1.3/ SecMana:0 / 1015Mana Regen:2.7 / SecStamina:510 / 510Stamina Regen:3.1 / Sec-Strenght:53Agility:45Vitality:45Endurance:72Intelligence:61Wisdom:64Willpower:137Luck:40-Attack:17Defense:19Magical ResistanceFire:10%Water:10%Wind:10%Earth:10%Lightning:10%Illusiion:40%Light:10%Darkness:40%+ 30 added to all stats

+ Willpower stat raised by 80 points

+ Magical Resistances raised by 10%

+ Resistance to Illusion and Darkness Magic raised by an additional 30%

+ Enables you to equip certain items or equipment specialized for this class

+ Increases attack power for attacks with soul energy

+ Unable to learn most crafting professions

+ Unknown

‘Wow those stats are incredible, though I guess that’s mainly because of the class bonus and with a higher level the bonus shouldn’t be this significant.

And what’s up with the unknown property?

It’s also too bad I don’t get any additional damage like the warrior profession but whatever, I’ll make it work somehow.

Not being able to craft items is not a big deal, have to check later what I can learn, I hope I still can get the cooking skill.

Now let’s look at the skills I got.’ “Show class skills.” He would check the other ones later.

Class skills:

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:Marked for DeathBeginner10%Marks an enemy with the promise of death filling him with fear.

Effects:

-5% stats for targets

-10% speed for targets

Only one target can be marked at the same time

Duration: 3min

Cost: 50 mana

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:Death to Everyone (Subskill of Marked for Death)Beginner10%Everyone around you fears for their lives as they see you as death itself

Effects:

-3% stats for enemies in range

-10% speed for enemies in range

Range: 3m

Cost: 7 mana / sec

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:In my Time of Dying (passive)--100%If your health drops below 10% you gain strength through your proximity to death.

Effects:

+100% Willpower

+30% to all stats

+30% speed

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:Ain’t no Grave can hold my body down (Subskill of In my Time of Dying,passive)--100%As you are affiliated with it, death holds no fear for you. Be aware though, those who underestimate death will suffer greatly.

Effects:

Should you die, you can choose to rise again within 5min

You will be revived under the effects of In my Time of Dying, the effects will last for 10min after your revival

Should you die during the same battle you will lose 3 levels and the corresponding stat points, your willpower will also drop by 5 points

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:Keep me in your Heart for a While (Subskill of In my Time of Dying,passive)--100%Those who oppose you shall remember your promise of vengeance

Effects:

You will remember the soul energy of those who kill you and can track them down within a range of 25 miles

If you face those who killed you again, they will suffer from the effects of Marked for Death

Duration: 1 month

Notification: Your skills Soul Chains and Soul Perception were assimilated by your class and reset to level 1

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:Soul PerceptionBeginner10%Through continuous training and concentration you are able to sense the energy that the souls around you carry. Through affiliation with death, soul perception is now more effective and can read if the soul is pure.

Effects:

you are able to see your own soul energy

focusing allows you to sense soul energy in a small radius around you

you can sense if a soul is pure or burdened with sin

Range: 5m

Cost: 2mana/sec

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:Soul Pressure (Subskill of Soul Perception)Beginner10%Exuding an immense amount of pressure with your soul energy can overwhelm an opponent

Effects:

can confuse, harm or even kill weak willed enemies around you

Cost: 50 mana / sec, 25 stamina / sec

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:Soul ChainsBeginner10%The cursed chains that bound you, yielded to your will and now obey your command. After being affiliated with death the chains are imbued with its power.

Effects:

incorporeal chains can be imbued with the power of your soul, allowing you to wield them

chains are invisible to others as long as they are not imbued with soul energy

current length: 1.5m

current speed of charging the chains with soul energy: 0.5 m/sec

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:Mana drain (Subskill of Soule Chains)Beginner10%If you wrap your chains around an enemy you are able to drain him of his mana

Effects:

drains 0.02%, but not more than 10 of the enemy’s mana per second

The chains have to be corporeal while the skill is active

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:Soul distortion (Subskill of Soule Chains and Soul Perception)Beginner10%Because you can sense a souls properties you are able to distort the balance of your enemies soul energy with your own while your soul chain is in contact with them

Effects:

Enemy is confused and may go into a Berserker state, not being able to differentiate between friend and foe

For every second the skill affected an enemy, the duration of the aftereffects will increase by 30 seconds.

Very weak willed enemies can be killed

Aftereffects:

Speed -15%

Defense -15%

Health-, mana-, and stamina regeneration stopped

Cost: 9 mana/sec

Only enemies with a weaker will than you are affected.

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:Judgement (passive)--100%With the power over death you are able to judge a soul in its last moment

Effects:

killing sinful beings won’t raise your infamy

killing someone with more infamy than fame won’t raise your infamy

killing someone with a pure soul will cause you to receive 3 times the amount of infamy

destroying people and objects that oppose death will raise your fame and depending on their strength may give you additional stat points

a soul you reaped will find its peace and can’t be raised as an undead or trapped in this world

freeing trapped and cursed souls will grant you fame and depending on their strength may give you additional stat points

Hall was torn, he was still incredibly happy because those skills were amazing. He also thought that the incorporation of his chains was pretty handy, he planned to fight with them anyway. But unfortunately he didn’t get any real combat skills so he would have to learn how to fight with chains. What really made him anxious was the mana cost of his skills.

Grim had wide eyes and looked like a girl who just got her first pony. “Amazing, you continue to impress me young one. I’m really glad I found you before someone else snatched you away.”

She got serious in an instant. “But remember, there is still room for growth, with time and with your own decisions your class can adapt and new skills will be created and now please tell me why you have such a weird facial expression. You should jump around in circles because you just got immensely powerful.”

He agreed with her, it was amazing, but he still had to sigh. “Yes, I’m deeply grateful for the trust you put in me and the class you awarded me with, but … I don’t have any mana, it’s been like that since the curse bound Lily and me with the Shackles of Sorrow.”

The woman in front of him just started to laugh which made him feel like a fool and he started to frown a little. “Haha, sorry young one, I forgot you are just a newcomer in this world and don’t know a lot, ah, but even if you lived here all your life you wouldn’t know I guess.

I’m just glad you still show me you aren’t all grown up, that would be boring. So listen.

Like you, this chain that symbolizes the contract you formed, is rather special. Usually a familiar and its master just fight side by side and while the familiar is bound to the master, it’s more so to stay in this world than anything else.

The bond between you and Lily here is different. You actually fused your souls and because the base for the contract was a grand curse, some properties of it remain, even if it was cleansed.”

Hall understood all that, but it didn’t solve his problem. “Alright, but how am I supposed to use magic without mana….oh and don’t call me young one, it feels weird to be called that by someone who looks younger than me”

Again she was giggling like a teenage girl. “Oh my, aren’t you charming, but alright, I’ll explain it further.

As you may have already noticed, you gained the health points of Lily while hers were reduced to zero, but if she is damaged your HP will drop, that means you share the same health pool.

Now let’s see if you can figure it out yourself, your mana points were transferred to Lily, what do you think would happen if you would use magic?”

His face showed surprise and then a happy grin, while Grim nodded.

“I see you got it. As you share a health pool, you also share a mana pool. This can be a great advantage if you fight well together but can also lead to your downfall if you can’t communicate properly or don’t trust each other unconditionally.

Oh and a small hint. Healing spells, bandages and potions will only restore your own health or mana, the rest has to be gained through natural regeneration by Lily.”

Hall couldn’t believe it, though he had accumulated a fair amount of penalties, he now had real hope that he could kick some serious ass. So his grin became even broader as he looked forward to his first real battle.

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Author’s Note:

Well, it’s finally done, that took longer than expected, hope you like it :grin:

I know there are a lot of message windows, but it was necessary in this chapter

As always, please tell me your questions, opinions, suggestions and point out any mistakes you find, I appreciate the support

I’m not entirely sure when I’ll be able to release the next chapter so bear with me please :bye: