"Nice boar." I told Pixie, who seemed to enjoy her place under my armpit. Supporting me, she said nothing. She held me up as I walked through the forest loam. I saw buildings of Le blossom or whatever the town's name was in the distance.

I told her I was fine to walk. She didn't listen. Maybe I feel shaky. Maybe I hit my head. Maybe I am my head. Smelling something sweet, something spicy. Scott's been taking up our backs the whole trip.

How we got through the cemetery past the undead, I fail to recall. There were pink explosions. So there's that. The smell of the princess's blood. Spicy sweet smell.

As we approached Lbess-whatever, a brown robed figure met us. "Lay him down." He said to Pixie. She put me on the dirt, my muscles slackening as rest called. "Let me see," he reached out his hands to Pixie's face, brushing back her hair. "A blunt wound. Did you fall?" "I fell," Pixie said. I saw the brown robes eyes snuck a look at Scott, then at the edge of his shield. I looked myself. There, on the edge of Scott's shield, blood.

Brown robe gazed at Pixie. "I'll treat you first. Have you any coin?" "No, I don't need healing." She told him. "You must know who I am? I have seen you with knights touring Lbesslaum." Pixie's eyes widened for an instant, then shrunk. She smiled, waving her hand. "I come from the far east. I have been told I look like some princess by admires, but it is only the quality of my appearance that is of a princess, sad to disappoint."

It was then, from my choice spot on the ground I saw a bulge in the crouching Princess's skirt. That bulge. The shape, semi-circular, changing the shape of her skirt slightly. It poked out near her butt, a small smooth bump. Smooth, crafted smooth. The golden candelabra she picked up in the tomb! When did she stow that away?

"Hmm. If you are not a Princess of a certain kingdom, then how will you pay for your healing? You, and your friend here, you both need it." Is brown robe talking about me? "We're fine." Pixie told him, again. "My name is Geradt, of Lbesslaum Guild. I am an experienced healer of the finest sort." He stared at Scott's shield, then met Pixie's eyes. "For now, I will treat you. I expect payment for my services, you will pay at Lbesslaum Guild."

Pixie waved her hand as if trying to shoo him off. Geradt stopped her, his hands closing in on her head. "Please, if you cannot make the payments then be a debtor at least. You will have your health today and tommorrow, you will live, live to work. These wounds are not ones I can stand to see untreated. Do you understand what I am saying, Princess?"

Looks like her act of Princess Pixie lookalike from the far east didn't fool Geradt in the least. Pixie let Geradt grab her head, her eyes shining.

A green magic circle expanded from Geradt's broad palm. The swelling on the Princess's crown reduced. A tear streaked down her face. She wiped it away. Geradt let go, Pixie retreated. A sad look on Geradt's face confused me. "I see." He said mournful.

Geradt looked down at me, leaning in, his hood covered his eyes, revealing a generous nose. His hands patted places I'd rather not mention. "Were, were you hit by some foul magic? This is a strange wound." I can feel the wind tickling.

Didn't Scott use [Combat Log Management] to save me from the dwarf skeleton bite? What's going on? How does it look down there?

Scott stepped in, towering over me. A grim look on his face. Then, staring at the center of my waist, his eyebrows rose and his mouth turned into a circle. Geradt mouth turned thickly downwards. He put his hand on the center of my waist. I saw a green light.

Geradt stood up. A bemused expression on his face. Then, his eyebrows raised high. "I see. So it must be. I will leave it to you to manage a wound as strange as this."

I am deeply concerned. "Scott."

He looked at me. "You're fine. You're going to be fine."

I blacked out.

Dwarf skeletons tacking me in my legs lit up my dreams. I saw myself laughing as I stabbed sledgehammer bandit. Laughing as I chased a bunch of bandits through a flower field, daggering them freely and euphorically. I don't remember being so happy daggering all those bandits, the dream felt wrong, in the haze of sleep I failed to correct it.

Then, I found myself in a garden. There, Pixie walked, somber. The smell of carnations drifted through the wind, pink flower petals raining around us. She crouched down over a flower, cupping it in her hands, pink light glowed from her palms. The flower wilted, turning grey, then black. I approached the crouching princess, loving the smile on her face and eyes as she watched the flower in front of her wilt. I drew my dagger. I felt a grin spread across my face. Raising my dagger high, I swung down.

"Woah." My eyes snapped open as I said it. My hand reached to the center of my waist to check if everything was in place. Everything is in place. I leaned up, realizing I lay in stable hay. No one's here. My eyes then went straight for the center of my waist. Pulled down my pants. I puzzled at what I saw. Discomfort grew over me as I kept looking. Sweat trickled down my face. This is fine, right? It's fine. It looks fine. This is fine.

I stood up, blood snaking up to my head, I held myself against the wood of the stable, horse neighing as I stood there a moment, letting my heart pump blood into my limbs. I stretched. Paced around the hay, lifting my legs, working out the muscle kinks.

I checked my status looking for something to do while my body woke up.

[Main Character A]

Level: 22 (Dagger-er)

STR:Sloth Grip

DEX:Cougar(rowr!)

INT:Anglerfish

WIL: W i z a r d ~ w o o ~

Skills: Dagger +5. Kick +1.

Effects: [Carnation](Curse)

Inventory: Dagger. Super Expensive Ruby Bracelet.

Yeah, [Carnation](Curse). That's why. Flower petal. There is a flower petal on the center of my waist. Scott. Scott. Why didn't you say anything, Scott? Now I'm worried if he thinks this is a tattoo I got, and was always there. What'd Geradt say, "this wound I leave to you" some cryptic wording. Curses.

Plus side, levels. Sloth Grip? Is, is that good? I tried gripping the wood, testing my strength. The horse whinnied in the stable over as the wood turned to splinters in my hand. I sat there in the hay, half weeping as I pulled out the splinters.

I set out from the stables, snooping around to check no Pixie or Scott was conveniently returning as soon as I woke up. It wasn't long before I got lost in town. And, it wasn't long until I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning, I saw the smug eight dagger elf.

"Oh. Good morning, Princess. I came to check on you after hearing some fearsome news about your nether regions."

"You can stop smiling, Flynn."

"It is times like these in which it is best to smile to one's fullest."

I hate this elf. "What are all your daggers even for?!"

He pointed to each one in sequence as he spoke his explanations. "Throwing dagger. Cheese dagger. Parry dagger. Leverage dagger, open traps doors and wine casks. Whittle dagger, doubles as letter opener. Puncture dagger, for armor, chipping ice. Sharp dagger, for everyday use."

"You rehearse that?" I asked. "Of course," Flynn spread his arms wide. "Entertaining my friends with my eccentricities is my duty to them when I have their worthy company."

"Weirdo." I said, but, I wish I had a cheese dagger.

He swung an arm around me, his eyes zeroing close and glowing. "Ah, I see from my [Perception] skill that you have slain zero boars but seem to have run afoul of the Lich in the south I specifically warned you about, didn't you? Fast growing Hero, you are."

I pushed the elf off me. "Didn't even get to the Lich. What's this, curse, you can see the [Carnation] effect, right?"

Flynn nodded, holding his chin between thumb and the side of his forefinger. "Strange name, that. It's sad, but you'll have to bear with it. After all, you have no money, otherwise I'd refer you to Vizar. The [Upgrade] Wizard I mentioned. He is an expert on Heroes, happens to be an expert on curses as well."

I flipped out the Ruby Bracelet. Flynn's hand sought it at high speed. I twisted, backing off, bending. "Damn," Flynn said, as I squirmed away.

"Did you just try to steal this?"

Flynn laughed, both palms out and facing the sky. "If I wanted it, I'd have it." I doubted his words. Maybe my Dex is good enough I can compete with him, now? I want to believe.

"Well well," Flynn continued, his voice lightening. "You made out well for yourself. I'm proud of you. When the day comes that you have this countryside turned inside out when your heart has rotted, I will slay you quickly and painlessly with my cheese dagger as a sign of respect for your resourcefulness."

Is he joking? Oh yeah, Heroes are known to be troublesome in this world. Flynn the Dagger Sage of the Forest can't be that bad of an elf if he's treating me as a promising newcomer instead of a walking cataclysm.

"Anyways. Shall we go sell that off, together? You'll have plenty left over for Vizar's services and then some."

Flynn started ambling away, trusting me to follow, and I did. Better this elf than handing my goods off to Pixie to sell.

"Vizar? That's the Wizard's name?"

"His parents wanted him to be a Wizard so badly they named him Vizar. He prefers to be called Wizard because people still tease him about his name. Don't tell him I told you, he'll curse me."

"Sure." I will tell him. I will definitely tell him.

Flynn handled the exchange of money. I caught him pocketing some coins for himself. Drawing my dagger, he drew his cheese dagger. As we faced off, he pulled a few coins out of his pocket and added them to a small brown pouch. He handed it to me. Flynn told me to pay Vizar about this much kroner, and that much rupee. I sheathed my dagger.

He lead me down the streets of Lbesslaum. Neat rows of closely stacked stone bricks of muted colors spanned the place, with tiny alleys perfect for a shanking at every corner. Heading into a small shop I would have otherwise missed, we found a long grey haired man shielded behind a thick desk and surrounded by towering walls of books. Next to him on his desk a crooked cone hat lay bent at a thousand angles. Though he looked to be sleeping, his eyelids slowly rose.

"You bringing a tramp in, Flynn?" Vizar grumbled.

"Better than a tramp, he's one of those Heroes from another world you love so much. I'll leave you two to each other's company." The elf snuck out as Vizar rose, his limbs extending his frame in his grey robe to his full height. Tall, for a wizard.

The floor clacked as he walked past me, heading to a bookshelf behind me, he selected a tome, rifling through it. Closing in on me, Vizar skipped page after page, alternating glances between me and his book. Then, he shut it, grim faced, he spread his lanky arms wide. "How fortunate for a Hero to turn up at my doorstep. How fortunate indeed. That cheese daggering elf could use a shallow grave or two, wouldn't you say?"

I nodded. Vizar looked me over. His eyes scanned, as if trying to obtain as much information as possible before he asked another question. Seems like Vizar would love to have Flynn's [Perception] skill.

"I see you have a dagger."

I nodded. "I've been cursed. Somehow."

Vizar's murky grey eyes glimmered under his bushy white eyebrow. "Name?"

"It says on my status, [Carnation](Cursed)."

Vizar grumbled. He plodded back over to his desk, folding his height back into his chair, he picked up an empty smoking pipe, chewing on the end of it.

"I quit this habit after I left the Royal Court." He wiggled his pipe for me to see. "Still like the feel of it, even if I can't abide the smoke anymore. You are lucky, Hero. Many Wizards or Clerics would have a fortune from you just to 'treat' a curse like that. They would never have guessed the truth behind why curse would fade away on its own."

I have concerns.

"What is it? I have a flower petal mark on my, waist." I began to pull down my pants, but Vizar shook his pipe at me. "Keep those trousers high where I can see them. You, you will be fine. You will live. However, I cannot say the same for the stupid Princess who cursed you. Which one was it?"

Pixie's going to die? Should I out her, here? No, caution first. "Princess?" I told him. I'll play dumb.

Vizar chewed his pipe. "Princesses in the royal family, you see, are trained in a special type of magic that only royals possess. Royal Magic sacrifices the lifeforce of the caster, allowing them to drain lifeforce and cast spells that would otherwise be impossible, like [Hero Summoning]. From youth, they are given some small living thing to tend to, such as animal husbandry or gardening, ant farms. They are taught to drain the lifeforce from these creatures, killing them in the process, and gathering lifeforce for themselves. It's expected that they are to use this lifeforce in the dire situation that a Hero is needed for their country."

Vizar removed the pipe from his mouth, setting it down. "But there is no such dire situation I know of. This is strange, for a Hero to be here, in Lbesslaum. We have nothing but a few skilled adventurers, a sleepy town surrounded by dangerous foes. This [Carnation](Curse) is no doubt a Princess's magic. I've taught a few princess's in my time who tended flowers. Already, I have a sense of who it must be. Foolish girl. Seems her pride became the end of her."

Vizar swung out a hand. "Your situation, you see, you can save her, Hero. The point of having Princesses train with flowers and bugs to drain their lifeforce is because the spell goes both ways. It's a delicate battle between the lifeforce of the Princess and the lifeforce of the infected. This cocky girl I knew, she wanted to become a knight. She thought that she could take the lifeforce of a foal that her physical ability would reach great heights. The foal won, and she died."

Vizar quieted. I had to prompt him to continue. "You said I could save her?"

"Not even a royal sacrificing their lifeforce could heal her. This is a battle of lifeforce between the cursed and the caster, and you are a Hero. Your strength is no doubt beyond hers." He stopped. "Unless you killed yourself for her sake."

Nope. "There, uh, actually I had two more things I wanted to ask about..."

"I see you are not willing. I don't blame you. Though, those at your age tend to be taken by passion easily, if you are going to kill yourself for her, make sure you value your life that little, first."

Silence drifted between us, and I launched into the next topic as soon as I thought it possible.

"Can, can Heroes be sent home? Asking for a friend."

"No. The fool princess promised you that?"

"Well, not me."

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Princesses may appear demure and harmless, but behind their innocence lies cold hearts. You were deceived. Why, merely the amount of lifeforce alone it would take to send a Hero back home would be enormous. And there is no record of it ever being performed in recorded history. Such a spell is fantasy."

Heavy, heavy. Scott isn't going to be happy to hear that. What about his family? That means me too. I haven't really had time to consider going home in the first place. Now that the door behind me is shut, I feel trapped. I drew my dagger.

"Thanks for all your help, Vizar. Would you mind using your [Upgrade] on my dagger?"

We settled on a price, but, it was pricey. After that heavy conversation I think I gave in a little too fast, but I'll blame my mood tanking. Vizar did a few arcane movements, summoning a grey magic circle under the dagger, it enveloped the small blade in a dull light. "It is done. Interesting weapon for a Hero." I took it, checking it with my status.

[Dagger]

Broad leaf blade forged by a dwarf as a masterpiece at the height of his art. Hilt lovingly hand-crafted by an organic vegan non-GMO High Elf during his love tryst with a very sexy dryad. The handle fits to your palm and fingers like glove, giving you a mysterious desire to stab.

Unequipable. Because you're worth it.

Skill: [Curses Into Blessings]

Further upgradeable, if you further upgrade it.

Kills if you stab right.

I turned the dagger over in my hands. Black blade, dull, so light can't bounce off of it while I go in for a stab. The hilt is muted in width, but the hand guard is thick, so it'd be perfect for catching a blade swung against it, protecting my hand from a sword blow. And it does feel snug to the grip. I don't know what I was missing before with this silly smooth handle. I daggered the air in joy. Ohhh, I didn't know life could be this good.

It's, this is a hell of an upgrade. I'm lvl 22 and I got this now? I feel special. Oh and [Curses Into Blessings]? Better ask Vizar.

"That is interesting." He said. "Very interesting. Please, check your status."

[Main Character A]

Level: 24 (I Have A Dagger)

STR:Sloth Grip

DEX:Cougar(rowr!)

INT:Anglerfish

WIL: W i z a r d ~ w o o ~

Skills: Dagger +7. Kick +1.

Effects: [Carnation](Blessing)

Inventory: Dagger.

"My level went up by two."

"Heroes tend to level erratically. As abominations to this world's rules, their levels grow off mysterious metrics, not combat or practice."

Is getting a dagger upgrade really enough to level by two? And, my level did go up rather fast. I thought it the daggering. Why would I level to 22 from some undead I barely fought? It was suspicious. I'll contemplate it later.

"Dagger skill went up by two. And, [Carnation] used to have (Curse) by it, now it says (Blessing). What does it mean?"

Vizar's brow furrowed. He rose, heading towards his bookshelf. Opening a book, he began to return to his chair, stopping next to me.

"Good for you. I think. I must study on this further. Come back in a few days." Vizar grumbled himself with his open book back behind his desk. I left the shop same pensive mood.

Checked the roads to make sure I could get back here without Flynn's help. When I meet the elf, it's him coming out of nowhere. Heroes are known trouble. Has he been tailing me since I let told him I'm from another world? Flynn implied Geradt told him about me, this time. With the flower petal teasing.

In light of Vizar's insight, I contemplated what to do with the local princess. Pixie's a [Hero Summoning] machine. She has a good reason, then, for not using her pinkballs on her adventure here with the knights. It would have drained her lifeforce. How did that damn thing hit me, anyways? Maybe it's like, shrapnel, or something? She is dying because of this.

I stretched my legs, wandering town, checking out the shops now that I had money and knew it's value. Knowing I'd have to explain why I have anything new on me when I get back, I immediately came up with the excuse Flynn bought it for me. Then I got worried if that lie would get complicated down the line if/when they meet the elf who may/may not be stalking me. I narrowed my eyes and cut through a few alleys, holding my dagger handle.

What to do? What is there to do? Go back to Pixie at the stables? I feel better than earlier, that's for sure. First, I'll go back to the stables and check the flower petal down there again, see if it changed.

The stables lie empty. I checked, flower petal same. Horse is gone. It doesn't say (Curse), it says (Blessing). That, it sounds good, I want it to mean what it says. My suspicion isn't going away though. I paced around the stable, hand jamming into my knight's clothes, I jangled my coins. I could eat. I have money. My stomach growled. I entered the Inn.

It'd be best to worry about death and such after a full belly, a smile spread my mouth. What unique delicacies will this Inn of another world hold?

Barren tables spread across the entryway cutting short into a cramped countertop. Behind the counter, there was no one. However, a person, namely Pixie, the dying princess, had her head strewn across a table. I saw her hair and shoulders. A low groan rattled out from her, then, a growl from her stomach.

On the table in front of her sat a golden candelabra. I walked over. Standing over the princess who cursed me, I snatched the golden candelabra. Long breath in. I stared down at her mound of hair, the nape of her neck perfectly open. I toyed with my dagger handle. Then, I looked towards behind the bar, listening for sounds of human activity.

Pulling out a chair for myself, I sat down across from her. "Should I put you out of your misery?"

She raised her head. Pixie's eyes reminded me of a zombies. Her hand cradled her face and she leaned on her elbow, staring off and away from me.

Seems like the Princess prefers silence to me. Possible topics of discussion to break the ice filled my socialization buffer. There's, food, I am hungry, yes. She didn't seem to notice the golden candelabra I swiped. How long had Pixie sat here, in an empty Inn? Who is she waiting for?

Pixie leaned further into her hand, squishing her cheek. Sinking her head down, down, until her chin touched the table. Then she rolled her face back into the table, an errant tuft of hair.

Her magic. Breach the whole lifeforce drain thing. That would shatter the silence. It would be easier to dagger her. But, I can't just dagger her just like that. For one, my [Carnation] effect is (Blessed), now. Had I still been in a situation of (Cursed) and learned what Vizar told me, I might have had to consider daggering. Self-defense. But there's also the second reason, which is more important. She's the one who's most likely to die here, given what Vizar said about the foal.

Complaining about her leading us straight into the graveyard, also an option. But, I doubt she knew... but, then why would she take the golden candelabra with her? Nah, she's poor. Desperate. There's no way she'd lead us into Lich territory on purpose. But. Supposing she did...

If she lead us into the Lich's territory to steal riches, then it makes sense. Right now, she has two Heroes with her, both not very strong. She's sleeping in a stable. Out of money. And, that was before she started dying.

The way she supported me back here, holding me up, why would she be so eager to do that? Why didn't she leave that to Scott? She had to know she messed up. Part of her spell hit me. She knew right away.

This girl, she must believe she's going to die.

"Yeah." I coughed. "You hungry?" I said to her. I got tired of my own thinking. I didn't ask to come to this world, and, well, I'd rather not have her die, but there isn't much I can do except dagger myself, is there? Except hope this (Blessed) means something.

She answered my "You hungry?" with a growl. Not from her stomach, either. Unbenefitting of your station, Princess.

"Well. Um." I carefully considered what to say. Good things. "I leveled up."

"Oh." Pixie said.

"I, uh, I [Upgraded] my dagger!"

"That is nice." Her head remains on the table.

"You know." I'm running out of will to continue, here. Guess my W i z a r d ~ w o o ~ WIL status isn't anything to brag about. "I, I, got a new status effect. [Carnation]. And it, it says (Blessed) after it!"

With snakelike speed the Princess's head rose. Her eyes widened, dark circles plodding around her eyelids, before her eyelids narrowed.

"What, what does that mean? What's [Carnation]? Are," She swung a fist in front of her mouth, hacking a cough. "What is this unnatural status effect?"

Her tone is significantly brighter now. I shook my head. "Yeah, I just have, [Carnation](Blessed)."

She searched the floor, as if she missed something. Then, her hand grasped around the table in front of her, swiveling around in her seat as she reached for something that wasn't there.

"Did, did you see a, there was an item here. Did you see it?"

I smiled with my eyes. "It's in a better place now."

Her eyes turned into slits as she pulled her head back. With a face like that, you don't need to use words to suspect me, my Princess. She sunk her body onto her hands, staring into the table.

"[Carnation]. (Blessed). Huh." Looks like a light switch turned on in her flower garden. She rose. I rose with her, blocking her way out. Chances are good she's going for help. That might mean scraping up thugs to murder me. That is, if she knows as much about this curse, or more, than me. And I'm betting she does.

(Blessed) or (Cursed), easier for her to off me to be safe. Can't let her out of my sight. I need to distract her. "You're going to miss food. You look like you really need a meal, it's fine, I'll treat." I jingled my pocket. It's a little late to be hiding money.

"Money..." Her face lit up at my jingling coins, hands raising. How desperate are you? Does just the sound alone make you that happy? Given the circumstances, I realized that, yes, she did just lose the last of her knights the other day. Now she thinks she's going to die. And her golden candelabra was just misplaced.

She looked from side to side, a blush on her cheeks. What's this?

"I, have to go, to, tend the flowers."

The mention of me being (Blessed) made her intent on one thing right away, I'm sure. She's going to gather some murderers to kill me, or going to pee. Yes, I'll bribe her. She wants money, I'll give her money, at least that will get her to calm down, for now. I pulled out some money, handing it to her. "Your allowance." Pixie accepted it with a shining smile.

Wait, why are her hands still held out. She smiling at me unexpectedly. Has she deduced that indeed I am the culprit who stole her golden candelabra? Is she hoping that I will return it?

She looked up at me, snide. "My allowance is too light."

"Don't you have to go tend to your flowers?"

"Garden shears are expensive."

"The garden is just part of an extended metaphor from your 'tending the flowers', so the garden shears have no monetary value or purpose, here."

She pulled back her hands, flash-pocketing the money in her skirt. Sadness darkened her. She looked down. She's not moving. Like an icicle. This part here, this is an act. She might, for real, be sad about her knights dying, or her imminent doom. Her mood has improved.

And what's really important is that I'm keeping the candelabra. It's mine now. Caught in a cold moment, a battle on the tundra of wills, the two of us faced off. One, hoping the other would grant them what they desired. Another, standing firm against the tide.

Our standoff broke as a dwarf with a cheese wheel pranced in. "Been waiting long? Had to step out," the dwarf unloaded a gas bomb from his ass. "Ho ho ho, fat one."

The moment lost, I turned, and smugness emboldened me as I looked down at Pixie from my high ground. Pixie's smile grit.

"Shall we eat?" I, majestically, offered.

"You will treat, you said. I need a meal, you said. Is that correct?"

My face twitched. Curse you.