Chapter Eleven.

<>(Zack)<>

"Hey, Big Flame," I grin at him as I stand and face him.

I stand within his temple of dark grey stones, the four gates in their places on each edge, the massive crystal from my dream floating above the altar, miniature versions floating above the pedestals around it. He radiates a warm, gentle light, one that feels akin to home.

How did you summon yourself into my Sacred Temple?

"I'm not entirely sure," I shrug. "I was sensing my Sacred Crystal and trying to figure out how to increase the rate at which the elements merge beyond simply growing stronger through the System, and realized I might be able to summon myself here, so I tried it, and found myself here."

There are at least five things wrong with that, he says seriously. I like it! You're a true Dark Knight!

"I know," I smile. "Thanks! You know, if I summoned myself into Big C's Sacred Temple, he'd probably get mad and smite me or something."

Nah. He'd be mad, and probably force you out, but he wouldn't smite you. He fears my own anger too much to do that. He's actually a big softie, as much as he doesn't want to admit it. Probably why you annoy him so much.

"Can he hear us?"

We can't observe the Sacred Temples of others, he informs me. Unless they allow us to. He's figured out you're here, and is a little upset I won't send you back and won't let him observe our conversation. You are, by far, the most fun Dark Knight I've ever seen, Zack.

"Thanks," I say. "I actually have a question for you."

Sure.

"It's not a problem, with you being, you know, one of the Crystals?"

Nah. I'm not as stiff as Big C is, he giggles. He hates us calling him that. Keep doing it!

Sounds like the other Crystals have taken to my nickname for him. Unless Big Flame's referring to me and him, and not him and the others.

I'll go with the first option.

Anyway, he interrupts my thoughts to continue. You can think of me as the embodiment of chaos, so it's not like I follow the same code as the others. The Crystal of Light of Fire is my opposite, that is, can be considered the embodiment of order. Though he probably wouldn't care if you popped in and chatted with him, too. Actually, most of us wouldn't. Actually, I think Big C's the only one's who's truly stiff about contact, though I'm still the only one that actively engages with his followers outside of special circumstances. So ask away!

"Are my dreams visions?"

Indeed.

"So I really am seeing the future?"

Sort of. You're seeing possible futures. Your gift of Sight is greater than those before you, though, and you're seeing more likely outcomes than they could. You're actually more powerful in terms of the second sight than the one who gave the prophecy.

"The prophecy that's referring to me."

So you've figured it out.

"You knew?"

We all did.

They all did? All nine of the Crystals knew that I was the one in the prophecy?

"How?" I ask. "And Big C said-"

He was cranky, because of your clash in personalities, he tells me. But he, too, knew that you were the one in the prophecy. How did you figure it out?

"The dream I had tonight," I explain. "It had the mage – the Dark Knight – use fire magic of a sort. It was violet, like my flames. Why are mine violet?"

We aren't entirely sure, he answers. But we could sense the violet magics within you, and we knew that the one who would fulfill the prophecy would possess them. There were some other clue-ins as well.

"Like what?"

Not important, he answers, and I feel like he just shrugged. But we knew you were the one in the prophecy, no doubts about it.

"Okay," I say. "Nice meeting you in-person, Big Flame! I'll be heading back to bed, now!"

See ya! He responds cheerfully. Hope you sleep well!

"Same!" I say, then return to my room.

I climb back onto my bed and allow myself to fall back asleep.

I wake to the sun streaming through my window, then stand and stretch. After my morning run and exercises, I wash up a little bit, then eat breakfast. Dressed and ready for the day, I make my way out of town.

Gonna steam up some Slimes.

Once I run low on Mana, I hunt down some of the Rats with my sword, killing more Slimes when my Mana fills up again. As a Dark Knight, I'll need plenty of it, so it's best to train it up.

The Rats range in size from the size of my foot to around two feet tall, and some of them wield swords and walk on their hind legs. There are a few that use magic, and green ones that I think are poisonous. I avoid those ones just in case, so can't confirm.

They probably are.

There are a couple of strong-looking Rats that I steer clear of, as their Health, Mana, and just looks alone tell me they're probably stronger than I currently am, just like the larger Slimes. A few are Elites or Chieftains, for both types of Monsters, but some are just plain strong.

And if these damn Stone Slimes don't stop ambushing me, I'm going to go on a rampage.

-3 Health!

THAT IS IT!

I rip the Stone Spike out of my leg, spot the Slime that fired it at me, then launch the spike at its core with all of my strength, feeling my rage bubble up within me. It slams into the Slime's core, piercing and killing it instantly.

I don't care. It's dead, and so are the two that were beside it. And soon after, the dozen Slimes bouncing around and on a nearby rock. Then another dozen and a half a minute and a half later.

By the time I calm down, I'm covered in ooze and blood, more than two hundred Slimes and Rats dead from my rampage. I'm soaked in sweat, too, my breath heavy.

As my rage clears up, I steady my breathing. My Health is dangerously low, now. I took a lot of hits during the rampage, but killed a shitton of Monsters. I'll need to see if my outfit is even worth salvaging. I might just burn it and replace it. I have enough to replace the full outfit, because of Nik.

I could even potentially pay full price for it, but ain't no way in hell am I doing that. I will haggle the hell out of them and get them at more reasonable prices.

Making sure the area is clear, I sit down on a nearby rock, closing my eyes and resting, sipping some water every few moments.

+16 Health!

What the?

Scanning my surroundings, the only thing I spot is a white-and-gold Heal Slime at Level 3 bouncing up and down a few yards away from me. It glows for a moment.

+16 Health!

Is it… healing me? Why is a Monster healing me?

+16 Health!

"Thanks?" I say, and it bounces in a way that tells me it's excited. Then heals me again. "You aren't running from me or thinking I'm going to kill you?"

It wiggles as if asking me as if I really would kill another Monster just because.

Another Monster?

What?

"Well, thanks," I make a note to ask Nik about this later.

The Heal Slime makes sure I'm fully-healed, then it wiggles at me again and bounces away. I finish recovering my stamina, then eat a little bit, stand, stretch, and return to town, stopping in the Trading Post.

"Oh, my goodness!" Jesse squeals. "Zacky! What happened to you? Why are you covered in so much blood? Are you alright? What happened to your outfit! It's covered in so many rips and tears and burns!"

Yeah, I'll burn it. And hang you by your intestines.

"Just give me my money," I drop what little loot I obtained earlier on the counter. "And make it fast, Pervert."

Jesse frowns, but performs the exchange, and from there, I head to the Dark Temple.

"Nik!" I yell.

He's in Praevar.

"Whatever," I make my way inside the Dark Temple and to its bathing rooms. I strip off my clothes and set them on fire with a Fireball, then start washing myself. "Big Flame, I have a question."

I might have an answer.

"When I was on my rampage," I begin. "I felt like there was something at the edge of my reaches, something through my rage. But it was out of my reach, I felt. Far out of my reach."

Can you describe it more?

"Like… like a sort of darkness," I say. "Something… primal. Primal, dark, and fiery. It was weird."

Ah, I think I know what you're talking about. It was likely the-dammit. Hey, I have to go, there's a situation in another Boundary that needs dealing with.

"Another Boundary?"

I'll explain when I can contact again, though it might be awhile. Notice to all Dark Knights: it'll be awhile before I can communicate again.

His presence leaves my mind, though I can still sense his power here.

Another Boundary?

Wait a minute…

Didn't the future-me reference other Boundaries? Or specifically, imply there were more than one? He said a Boundary, not this Boundary.

Possible futures involve me moving to other Boundaries. And Big Flame said that I was seeing the most likely futures…

What if those weren't two difference instances of what could happen here, but rather, things in two different Boundaries entirely?

That would explain why he – why I – showed up so late to the battle. What if I had only just arrived in that Boundary? And they were close to dying, too. Had I shown up too much later, the last City there would have fallen for sure.

It's years away, though, I decide as I lower myself into a bath to soak. So there's no use worrying about it at the moment. For now, I need to focus on the present, on killing Monsters and growing stronger, on being ready for my future team.

And for winter.

After having thoroughly turned myself into a prune – or at least, my fingers and toes – I exit the bath and dry off, then pull on a fresh outfit. That done, I make my way to the market to buy some new clothes and stock up on food.

"You dealing with the cold alright?" The lady behind the counter asks.

"Yeah," I answer.

"It'll get colder, come another couple of weeks," she tells me. "Winter sets in fast around here, and temperatures rarely rise above freezing. If you don't stay moving and bundle up warm, you'll get sick. At night, it drops well below freezing."

"Ah," I say. "So keep a fire nearby at night. Thanks."

"Actually," she says. "Give me one minute, Zack."

She heads to the back, returning after a few minutes with a box. She opens it up and pulls out a dark grey stone with crimson runes etched around it.

"We just got a large shipment of these in," she informs me. "They're heat stones. Imbue them with a little bit of Mana to activate them, and they'll run for around ten hours. Their major downside is that you can't turn them off, so once they're running, they're running. They'll warm a space around fifteen feet in diameter – enough to warm all four bunks in a room in the temporary quarters.

"There are three major downsides," she states. "The first is their inability to be turned off. The second is that they're a single-use item. The third and final one is that they cost a full silver, and is not one that you get a discount for without having at least a diamond tag. They're difficult to produce, taking a fair bit of enchanting and having at least Level 15 Enchanter as a Subclass."

"So I won't be buying them for ten copper?" I ask, and she laughs.

"No, sorry," she says. "Even a platinum-badge wouldn't get them that low, no matter the haggling power they hold."

We'll see about that once I earn my diamond badge.

"How many do you have?" I ask.

"I have a thousand of them," she answers. "Just opened up the crate a few minutes before you walked in here, straight from the inner Cities. A lot of us just got our orders in.

I can buy around eighty at full price, but I don't want to pay that much.

"So everyone uses them?" I ask.

"Most do," she nods. "There are these heat pebbles, then the heat stones, then the heat lamps. The pebbles are these guys. The heat stones are about twice the size and can be turned on and off, and last between sixteen and twenty hours, but cost four silver instead. Then the heat lamps… well, they're larger stones, can cover a much larger space, and can last anywhere from eight hundred to a thousand hours. They, too, can be turned on and off. However, they also cost ten gold."

So though they only last twice as long and a hundred times as long, they cost four times as much and a thousand times as much. At least in the latter case, it has the added benefit of covering a larger area. Unfortunately, I can't afford that, even discounted.

Best to stock up on some of the heat pebbles now, though, in case she's out when I need them. Let's see if I can haggle her down a bit.

"Can I get," I say. "Fifty heat pebbles and ten heat stones for thirty silver?"

"That's ninety," she tells me.

"Thirty-one?" I raise an eyebrow, and she laughs.

"You're not going to give up on haggling, are you?"

"Nope!"

"Ninety."

"Thirty-one!"

"Eighty-five."

"You're haggling," I grin at her. "Thirty-two!"

I manage to get her to sell them to me for forty-three, which is nearly half of what they cost. It's gotta be how adorable I am, there's no other explanation for why she'd discount something so much if they don't normally give a discount for at least two more tag ranks.

That, and because I'm so annoying, they'll do it just to get rid of me. I'll only use them if I absolutely need to, though. Unless I'm hunting Bounty Beasts, odds of me being able to just spend the money on them isn't strong. I need to eat, replace clothes, occasionally repair or replace weapons, and such.

These count as a luxury.

If anything, I can just bundle up more in another blanket or two and sleep by a fire. But this is in case I receive teammates before winter's end, even though it's doubtful. And in case the temperatures are too unbearable to manage, even with blankets and a fire.

The latter is the only case I'll probably use them alone, but there is no way in the Boundary am I going to subject my teammates to that sort of suffering unless they can handle it. Not everyone has as strong a mind as me.

Restocked on supplies and stocked up on pebbles and stones, I leave, passing through the streets, receiving a little more looks than I probably should.

I don't blame them, though – if they haven't heard of me yet, the appearance of a child here would probably stun them. Then add on that I'm dressed a little decently, even if not expensively, and they might not be comfortable with my presence, thinking I'm a rich brat who came here with the latest shipment of supplies. Whoever brought them will probably be spending a night or two, before heading back.

If they do know about me, they're probably wondering where the two extra Levels came from, or why I haven't left yet, or why I'm so insistent on staying here.

A sign catches my attention. It has no words, but it has the image of a potion bottle with a purple liquid hanging from it. I've passed this place a few times, but haven't paid much attention to it.

I could probably avoid needing to rest in a Monster-filled area if there are potions that can restore my Health.

It would be a necessary expense. I stop inside the well-lit shop, where a man in his forties sits behind a counter, mixing some sort of potion.

"Good evening, Zack," the alchemist greets me. "How are you?"

"I'm alright," I answer. "I was wondering the pricing on potions that restore Health. Those exist in the Boundary, right?"

"They do, indeed," he nods. "I'm Blaine, by the way. I'm the local alchemist, for now. Properly made, Health and Mana Potions come in Lesser, Minor, Regular, Greater, Major, Legendary, Mythical. The first three will restore ten, thirty, and one hundred, respectively. They cost fifty copper, a silver twenty, and two silver, eighty."

So the cost goes down just a little bit as the quality goes up, which is good, to me. It's so expensive for so little, though…

Then again, it takes less than twenty minutes to heal to full from empty, and with Health, if you're at empty, you're dead. Potions are probably more of an emergency thing. Actually, the weaker ones might be useful for starting Adventurers, now that I think about it. Odds are, they'd be in a party with stronger people who could probably afford a couple of them when they first start out. That, or someone who could heal them.

Ah, right. I still need to ask Nik about that.

"Alright," I say. "I'd like to buy three regular Health Potions for ten silver."

"That's twenty-eight."

"Ten."

"Twenty-eight."

"Ten."

"I've haggled against Nik," he tells me. "Insisting I allow you to pay only a third isn't going to work against me."

"Eleven."

"Twenty-eight."

I haggle him down to thirteen. I still pay less than half the price.

Done with that, I wish him a good day and leave, making my way to the Dark Temple.

"Niiiiiiiiiiiik!" I yell when I return. He should be back by now. "Niiiiiiiiiik!"

"Jeez," Nik steps out of a hall. "You have access to the Temple, yet you still do that."

"Yeah," I say. "Hey, I have a question."

"When don't you?"

"Imma stab you."

He dodges.

Asshole.

"Alright," I say. "So earlier, I went into some sort of rampage that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Slimes and Rats in the fields to the west. During that rampage, I almost went into some sort of extra form of rage. I asked Big Flame, and he was answering, but then he said he had to go and gave that announcement."

"He does that every now and then," Nik shrugs. "No one ever knows what he's doing when he becomes unreachable, though we can still sense his power. It's like he's focusing on something elsewhere."

Another Boundary, no doubt.

"Yeah," I nod. "Do you know what it was?"

"I might," he nods. "But I won't confirm it for sure, in case I'm wrong."

"Okay," I say. "After that happened, I was low on Health, so I sat on a rock to heal since, y'know, everything around me was dead, meaning I wasn't really in danger. Then a Heal Slime started healing me. I know they don't have attacks, and that they don't jump at you or anything, but it was just actively healing me. Why didn't it flee?"

"It was Healing you?" He looks stunned.

"Yeah."

"And you're only a Level 4 Dark Squire?"

That implies this isn't abnormal… at a higher Level Dark Knight.

"Uh… yeah," I say. "Why?"

"That isn't normal until at least Level 8 Dark Warrior," he tells me. Yep. Higher-Level Dark Knight. "We can go into 'monster mode' at a times, if we allow ourselves to sink into our more primal side, typically through anger. For awhile, we'll be acknowledged by Monsters as one of them, and they won't register that we aren't."

"So I could've walked right by Monsters, and they wouldn't have been hostile to me?"

"Nope," he answers. "They would have thought you were one. It generally won't work against Bounty Beasts, Chieftains, Elites, and Kings, though the stronger you are, the easier it will be to affect them as well."

That is so cool.

"Thanks, Nik," I say. "I'm heading home. Talk to you tomorrow."

He nods, and I head out, focusing on summoning the Crimson Guide on the way.