Broken - Chapter 3

"Little Sol!" A beautiful woman called her son's name. Bright red hair draped down to her shoulders. Her eyes that normally looked like they could spit fire showed a smile as warm as the sun at the sight of her son playing.

"Mom! I missed you!" I dropped my toys the second I heard the voice and ran forward and jumped up to her. She caught me in her bosom and hugged me.

"You should have birthed a girl instead..." A large man also entered the room. He had black hair and a stout face. He had bulging muscles. He had a scar down his left eye. He was a fearsome sight to anyone who didn't know him.

"He's a mommy's boy.." The woman poked her tongue out at her husband and ruffled her son's hair, "Besides, do you think he wants to hug you before you have taken a bath! You smell like a gorilla..!

.........

Solar woke up. His head hurt like hell and he couldn't move. He wrist and chins were wrapped in branches. He couldn't even imagine where he was. Was he caught? He was in too much pain, and the pounding headache became stronger. He could only stay conscious for so long until he passed out to the rhythmic sounds.

Creeak... Creaak...Creeaak...

Creeaaak... Creeak...Creaaak...

.........

The rain poured down. I was on my knees in front of the gravestones. I couldn't stop myself from crying. Tears ran down my cheeks.

"Mom! dad!" I screamed to myself. I punched the gravestone with my 9-year-old fists. They were already bloody and bruised.

"Why did you leave me!" I screamed. My voice filled with sadness, rage and helplessness, "Why! why! Why!"

"Solar Volcanus!" A stern middle-aged had walked up from behind me and said, "Time for practice!"

"Nooo!" I snapped at him, "I don't want to practice!"

The middle-aged man became angry and picked me up easily and screamed, "You good for nothing unfilial kid, respect your elders and do what you told!"

"No! Let me go!" I tried to escape. I bit the man's hand, but couldn't get through his skin. It only served to make him furious.

The man retaliated and slapped me hard in the face, again and again, "Shut up and listen to me, your useless parents are dead! You hear me! They are dead! Dead! So just shut up and listen to me when I order you to do something!

.........

There wasn't a nice bed waiting for Solar as two Ents threw him into a cell. He awoke as he face-planted on the ground. He groaned and opened his eyes. His headache was slightly better, but it was still like having a rock concert in his head. He was in a small room. It was devoid of anything, just bare rock. There were thick metal bars in front of him. I'm in a prison cell...Outside stood two large Eent's.

He used Inspect on the Eent's. It had levelled up twice from the constant spamming he had done with the skill while travelling the cave.

Corrupted Ent

Level: ??

Broken down and corrupted.

"Broken down and corrupted, maybe the Ents are like brainwashed slaves?" The injured man pondered on the additional text added by the system. He decided to put it on the side for now. He was too injured to even think about trying to escape, so he decided to check the notifications he got from the fight.

Let's at least check out what I gained from the fight.." Solar muttered and opened the notifications.

Skill gained, Last charge!! + 1 skill points

Level up! You are now level 5

Level up! You are now level 6

Achievement gained! + 1 skill point

Last Charge (Passive) (Uncommon)

Gains a last surge of strength when close to the physical limit. After activation, the body will enter a weakened state.

Level Surpasser (Uncommon) (1/5)

Defeat something 10 levels higher than yourself

+ 2 Attributes

Solar Volcanus

Level 6

Achievements

Class: LOCKED

Skills:

Stats:

Attributes:

Strength: 18,7 | Base 17 x 110% |

Dexterity: 15,4 | Base 14 x 110% |

Vitality: 22 | Base 20 x 110% |

Endurance: 20,9 | Base 19 x 110% |

Intelligence: 15,4 | Base 14 x 110% |

Free attribute points: 4

Free skill points: 5

He could feel that his whole body had become stronger. He was too injured to feel the full extent of his progress, but he could feel the effects of the increased attributes. There wasn't really anything to do. Minutes passed into hours as he just sat on the ground. The Ents were unmoving. Broken and corrupted huh? The monsters made from branches felt like robots, or rather machines, just guarding his cell.

"Hey.."

"Hello..."

"What's up.."

No matter what Solar said they were unresponsive. He noticed that he gained skill points every time he gained an achievement or learnt skill. He decided to trust his gut and save the points until he actually had a need for them. They might come in handy.

He had received the skill unarmed combat from his first fight. He had been thinking about it for a while. He got it at level 7, which he assumed was due to his previous knowledge. He thought about an idea and tried it out.

Volcanus sat down in lotus position. He breathed out and in, focusing on every exhale and inhale, clearing his mind. Some time passed before he suddenly noticed tiny tiny specs of blue floating all around him. He lost focus and they instantly disappeared. Curious about it, he tried again. It took a few tries before he got the hang of it. With every breath he took the blue specs were pulled slightly closer to his body. It took a long time before some of the blue particles actually travelled down his throat.

They slowly followed his inhales and dispersed through his body when they had been pulled down to his belly. He felt an uplifting effect on both his mind and in his body. Almost rewarding in some way.

T0 - Meditation, Lvl 1(Uncommon+)

Through breathing exercises, temper the spirit with mana.

+ Increase mana and health regeneration

+ Calming effects on the mind

"Didn't get any level in the skill, but it looks effective?" Solar said to himself. With nothing else to do he continued with the meditation. He lost focus a few times but became more and more proficient with it. He felt that his wounds became noticeable better, except for his left forearm and calf.

Footsteps interrupted his focus. He opened his eyes and saw an Eent that towered over the other ents. It was probably around three or four meters high.

Corrupted Elder Ent

Level: ??

Broken down and corrupted.

Two Blood Faries jumped down from the Ent's shoulders. Using a pair of small wings that unfolded mid-air they landed lightly on the ground.

One of the guarding ents unlocked the door clumsily. The door opened and all the ents entered first. There wasn't even a chance of retaliation as the ents used their branches and bound Solar up. He was held in both his wrists and ankles, position right up like an X.

One of the Fairies entered the room with a weirdly shaped trinket; a hexagon-shaped metallic object, with once side where there was countless of tiny branches. On the other side, there was a hollow tube sticking out. The monster ordered the Elder Eent to move her closer to him. She stood face to face with Solar who looked at her fearfully.

He was terrified. He had fought some monster, and he had had it tough the later parts of his childhood, but this was completely unknown to him. Killing monster ats and eating them was one thing. Almost dying to a huge cannibally rat was also one thing, but being completely unable to do anything while a monster staring at you was on a whole different league.

"He-hey what are you do-doing? Solar stuttered and asked?

She smiled deviously and cut him on the cheek with a long stroke. She then tasted the blood. She licked her lips and continued to look at solar with the same expression.

"First time I meet a native in this world and he's just a little cub..." The fairy made a sigh and ordered the Eent to get the bucket which was placed under the hollow tube. Looking at the terrified humanoid who was about to undergo blood-draining she giggled while pushing mana into the trinket, "Even if he's a cub, it will still be fun to watch him break...Hii Hiii Hi"

The branches came to life and burrowed themselves in Solar's chest. He didn't even have time to protest. They spread out on his whole upper area and began to suck blood from all parts of his body. There was a yelp. He screamed like a raging beast. The pain was unimaginable. It felt like thousands of burning needles stuck him tens of times every second.

Skill T0 - Pain Resistance, lvl 1, gained!

Pain Resistance level up! x1

Pain Resistance level up! x1

Pain Resistance level up! x1

.....

The pain continued for what felt like an eternity before it finally stopped. The sadistic fairy was rather satisfied with the blood quantity put away the device. She left rather quickly with the Elder Ent probably having somewhere to go, while the two other Ents went back to the same place as guards.

Solar was sobbing for the first time since he was a child. Weak, alone and traumatized the young man had huddled up in a corner trying to escape the cold and harsh reality.