You have rested. Please use any Unallocated Class and Attribute Points before continuing.

I forgot I’m level 8 in all this confusion. I can see myself dumping every point I have into Constitution, but the fact is, I need to do more with the spells I have. So I put 2 points into INT and Wisdom and the last point into Luck.

Bonus Stat Luck has reached 20

You have gained the Skill Minor Lucky Star

Please allocate Class Points.

Wait, why is that still an option? Isn’t necromancy an advanced class?

The System takes a minute before churning out an answer.

Advancement options are made available according to life experience gained between levels. Selecting an option will not, in most cases, change your primary advanced class; however, it will change the skills available to you.

The System presents me with two options, Wizard or Fighter, and waits for my answer. While the thought of skills and spells inspired by the Fighter class sounds nice, I have to go with Wizard.

The System acknowledges my choice, and I feel a wave of relief wash over me.

You Leveled Up Wizard

You Leveled Up Necromancer

You have Gained 1 INT

You have Learned Strip Enchantments

You have Learned Spine Chill

You have Leveled Up Cold Extremities

You have Leveled Up Frost Armor

And while I should feel relieved and half tempted to thank the System, I can only feel one thing as I wake up. Anger. And I’ve been this angry before. But I’ve also never been this violated. Never been pushed this far. Even now, I can feel it laughing at it, the Basilisk named De’ Pollo, slithering around in my mind, probing and snapping at my insecurities. I never wanted to kill something, and before a few hours ago, I never had, but this feels different. I will kill it. Or die trying.

But I gotta find it first. I climb down from the lowered opened cage, past the decapitated bodies, and make way to the obvious exit. But then I reconsider.

There has to be an alternative path that leads down. Thinking hard, I look for alternative entrances. One is directly behind me and rather large. I can tell that was used to transport the prisoners here and probably leads to the way out. I shake my head at the thought and look for another way. There is, of course, further up the way I came with Andreen and Mixie, and while I could climb it, that leads out at best. And at worst?

Well, I will be lost no matter where I go, and that fact deflates me. I can’t possibly find it without running into more slaves, more guys capable of caving my chest in or removing my spine from my back Mortal Kombat style. And then there is the Basilisk itself, and I know—

I smack myself. I can feel it laughing as the despair rises then falls.

“Fuck you.”

I take a deep breath and then let it all out. I can figure this out. I have to. So I take stock of what has happened so far. Past the giant spiders, past the exploring of the maintenance facility, past—

No there. Right there. When I woke up the first time from the rest. When I was cursed by the black mist. When I saw the red line painting the floor, directing me down into this cave....

“Oh, I got you fucker.”

I’m still cursed, just not “as” affected by it. But the mist isn’t actually here. It doesn’t permeate the floor waiting to infect new victims, but... no, I can see it. My eyes ache, and my brain doubles over with a massive headache as my mind flashes to the Perception Stat, but I see it...

The little red line. Not just a red line but multiple branching red lines, hugging the floor, hugging the walls, and getting weaker as I turn around to follow it to the opposite entrance. I smile.

“I can do this!”

There are no red lines as strong as the one leading to the main entrance, so I take the exit at the top of a one-story cliff face. I begin to climb to it despite my short and stubby limbs and make my way up, only to have to descend. The passageway is small. It would have forced both the elves into a crouch but it is fine by me. I continue to walk down as the unused path seems overgrown with stalagmite and jutting rocks that catch and snag on clothing and force me to squeeze past. The further I go down, the worse it gets until I’m crawling on my belly. As I descend, the red line gets brighter and brighter, and fear and anticipation seem to build. I’m sweating under the pressure, knowing that I’m getting closer to a thing that can enslave worlds. What can I hope for? What can I hope to do?

Well, I’m going to find out soon enough. I hear it before I see it, the large pool of water unmistakable in the staleness of the cave. And the smell of life that wafts up the cave, as plant and animal life seem to flourish in stark contrast to the fungus and moss that cling to life closer to the cave system entrance.

I even feel the presence of insects crawling around me, and eventually on me as they take advantage of the proximity to freshwater. I don’t pay them any mind, even as a small lizard tries to crawl up my nose, I merely brush it aside and keep going. Anticipation and fear. Oh, and not knowing what I’m going to do next. As long as I don’t panic, I may be able to think. I killed an “Archfiend.” I can do this....

I can’t do this.

At first, I see people, just over half a dozen, naked, covered in tattoos, and surprisingly hairy. That wasn’t unusual now. With the moss light and my dark vision, I see the man who stole my wrench, and I also see that his arm seems to be milky white and with a hint of blue instead of the healthy pinkish red of the rest of his toned body. If it was just that, I would almost be overjoyed, but no, I see true despair. All around are the frozen forms of human men, women, and children, their faces stuck in a petrified scream, their bodies are now stone. They’re joined by elves, spiders, and other more miscellaneous creatures of various sizes in the stone garden. Some in fighting poses, others pleading for their lives. Something tells me these creatures were the cave’s original inhabitants, but I shake my head at those thoughts as I creep forward.

No, what causes me to nearly swallow my tongue in abject terror is the shadow beneath the gentle water, the shadow that can be seen so clearly when you’re staring at it from up above. That distorted shadow resting at the bottom of this underground lake can only mean one thing, but my mind refuses to acknowledge it.

“Snakes can’t get that big! They just can’t!” The little mammal ancestor inside my brain is scratching and clawing for me to escape, for me to run screaming in the opposite direction, any direction that takes me away from that thing.

“Oh fuck this!” my inside voice screams as I nearly begin my mad scramble/dash up the tunnel, but then I notice two figures being thrown to the edge of the riverbank by six men. They’ve been stripped naked and beaten, and their bodies seem overly limp. A male figure tries to get up before a foot meets the small of his back, making him cry out in pain. The woman tries to rise too, but her hands are bound behind her, and I can tell she is in great pain even from this distance.

“Exalted One!” One of the men who brought them in steps forward. He is naked and muscular like his peers’, but something like a crown adorns his head. No, it’s someone’s jawbone being worn like a crown.

“I offer humble apologies,” the man with the jawbone for a crown kneels, “for the bounty has escaped. We have retrieved the elves responsible. We have kept them whole for your consumption Exalted One!”

The water remains eerily still before the shadow widens and the snake head emerges. The Basilisk is huge. A creature more dinosaur than snake, its triangle face breaks the water tension in a slow, deliberate fashion, eyes bright gold that seem to flicker with... an emotion that I can possibly read... Its head was adorned with feathers, long multicolored plumage flanking him on both sides that reminds me of a peacock and seems to be controlled by special muscles on the inside of its neck and jaw. It rises and rises, still slowly, almost deliberately, as its body seems to hover above the water.

Then it speaks, “Most regrettable.” And like lightning, he snatches up the guard and swallows him whole. It didn’t even have time to scream. The Basilisk rises with his prey in his throat, forcing the blind man further down with rhythmic muscle contractions. You can almost follow him, going down further and further until the meal reaches the part of the Basilisk that was beneath the waves, then it spoke again,

“I assume you are in pursuit of my bounty, yes?” De’ Pollo spits out the crown, and another man picks it up.

The new leader steps forward, with the slim of the regurgitated jaw bone sliding down his face, “Yes.”

“Gooood.” And then he lowers his head to the level of his guards and sniffs with his nose and tongue. He searches and searches until his tongue flicks over the two naked forms still on the floor, unable to escape. My brain finally realizes who they are.

“Mixie.”

I watch in horror as it licks Andreen carefully and tenderly, bathing him from head to toe with its tongue before gliding its giant forked tongue over to Mixie. He takes extra time with her, licking her from head to toe as she tries to fight back but can’t. His tongue slides along her back and then underneath her to cup her breasts and slide down her legs. He seems to shiver at the taste, almost drooling in anticipation – of what I don’t know.

“You have not enjoyed this one.”

The leader shakes his head, “We are still pursuing the other elves. We felt it was imperative to bring these back whole to you for judgment before we indulge.” He turns his head toward Mixie for that last part. Lustful hunger spreads across his face, “And they are most dangerous.”

“Aww, you need to mutilate them to ensure their... obedience.”

“DON’T YOU DARE—” begins Andreen before one of the guards shoves his face into the ground by slamming his fist into the back of his head. I can see the fresh blood from here.

“Joe” Mixie screams, but her struggles are in vain.

My eyes show me an abbreviated version of their Status Screens, with Mixie on less than half health and barely any mana and Andreen in worse shape and losing health by the second. And I also see the snake’s HP, and it covers the entire room in one continuous thick line of red. I turn off Identify.

The Basilisk turns toward the man who punched Andreen and hisses, “Fool! He is dying! Make him face me noow!”

And the guard picks up Andreen by his hair and makes him face the Basilisk. At first, I am confused. Don’t basilisks have the ability to turn people who look at them into stone? But then I look carefully at the giant snake and realize something truly horrific; the fire-like glow from his eyes is really from his closed eyelids. This whole time he had his eyes closed.

Andreen is going to die. I don’t hesitate. I jump.

***********

Character Sheet

Name: Mike Sammons

Race: Dwarf

Origin : Hills

Stats : Level 8

Strength : 11

Dexterity : 7

Intelligence : 17

Wisdom : 14

Constitution : 12

Charisma: 1

Bonus Stat Luck: 20

Bonus Stat Perception: 1

Unallocated Points : 0

Unallocated Class Points : 0

Character Status

Health : 104/104

Stamina : 56/56

Mana : 155/155

Conditions : Curse of Grave Water - Greater Resistance (Your mind has proved harder to break than most, which has drawn the ire of the Basilisk! Kill it before he makes you submit), Rested

Class Sheet

Class : Necromancer Lv_2 (Wizard Lv_6) (Cleric Lv_2)

Spells Book : Tome of Mike

Cold Extremities_Lv 4:: Active Spell_Cost 14 Mana_ 1 Second Cooldown_You remove the warmth from things you touch. Deal 26 Cold Damage per second with a 25% chance of causing Chill and Frostbite. Lose 3 health per second the longer this ability is active. You can activate this ability on each extremity. Scales with Intelligence and Constitution.

Frost Armor. _Lv 4:: Active Spell_Cost 25 Mana_ 5 Second Cooldown_ Give a protective layer of Ice on a target object or creature you touch. Target gains 117 points of Elemental Armor however they lose 3 Stamina per second. Has a 50% chance of applying Chill and a 15% chance of applying Frostbite to Melee attackers. Scales with Intelligence and Wisdom.

Cause Fear. _Lv 1:: Active Spell _ Cost 10 Mana_ 3 second Cooldown_ Your perceived combat prowess has allowed you to manipulate the hidden Stat Will. Enemies you target within a short cone are forced to reconsider attacking you and have a 20% chance of being effected by Terror. Scales with Wisdom and Charisma.

Spine Chill _Lv 1:: Active Spell_Cost 15 Mana_ 15 Second Cooldown_ Target you touch suffers from Mild Concussion each time they receive Frost Damage for 60 seconds. 50% chance of dealing an additional 20 damage to Health or Stamina.

Rend Enchantments _Lv 1:: Active Spell_Cost 30 Mana_10 Second Cooldown_ Target you touch loses all enchantments and loses 50 Health for each Enchantment removed. If the target dies, gain 30 Health.

Passive Skills

Identify Lv 2 :: Allows you to see the first page of a Character Stat sheet. At second level you can perceive details of monsters by knowing their name. Glossary is unlocked.

Reduced Spell Cost Lv 1 :: Spells you cast cost 5 Mana less.

FrostBorn :: You have an increased chance of applying FrostBite and Chill. Also anytime you apply FrostBite or Chill to a target above 3x stacks gain 1 Health, 1 Stamina, and 3 Mana.

Extended Touch Range :: Spells in touch range can either remain touch spells or shoot out in a straight line for 1 meter (about the size of a baseball bat).

Multicast :: Reduce the effectiveness of a spell by 40% to increase the number of times that spell is cast by 2 at no additional cost.

Resist Disease :: You have achieved a greater than normal resistance to biological agents like diseases and toxins. You gain XP once foreign ailments have been overcome.

Resist Curse :: You possess a supernatural resistance to the effect of Curses. You gain XP from breaking curses.

Minor Lucky Star :: Increase all chances of reaching desired probable outcomes by 50%. Desired outcomes that deal damage now deal Critical Damage ( Deal 50% more damage)

Race Sheet

Race : Dwarf : A hardy race often hailing from planets known for their frigid temperatures and dangerous untamed wildlife. They are ingenuitive enough to carve into Mountains with stone tools but also diverse enough to flourish in any climate and Temperate Zone.

Racial Bonus Stat : Luck

All dwarves are born with an innate ability to Level UP the Bonus Stat Luck.

Racial Passives

Dark Vision : Can see perfectly fine in the dark. Though some users can suffer near sightedness during the day.

Hard Body : Rarely notices extreme cold or heat, Status effects and Damage related to Fire and Cold Damage is reduced by 2 and have 30% reduced duration.

Novice Dwarven Caster : Haven slayin many larger opponents with sorcery, your spells against enemies bigger than you have a 10% chance of dealing double damage.

Equipment

Armor of the Archfiend :: Armor set derived from the corpse of an Archfiend, minor

bonuses to physical resistance and poison is the most it offers

Armor Class : Light

Total Defense Rating : +10 Physical Resistance, +20 Poison Resistance

Trait : ??? (unlocked at level 15)

Workmen’s Iron Wrench :: An improvised weapon that deals moderate bludgeoning damage. Scales with strength and dexterity. Now carries the effects of Frost Armor, deals bonus Cold damage equal to ten percent of granted Elemental Armor.