CHAPTER 8 – More Than A Feeling...
I stayed North keeping the hill on my left. An opening in the forest ahead showed a small meadow full of green grass and sprouting flowers, which was odd. There’s not many open areas not filled with trees in these parts, “Maybe it’s some rich guys back yard.”
As I walked into the field all of the hair on my body stood and I felt an odd sensation, like rubbing a balloon on your head and sticking it to the wall, but instead I felt like the balloon. Let’s just say it felt really fucking weird but it didn’t even last a full second, so I ignored it.
Upon entering the meadow strong gusts blew directly in my face. The warmth of the breeze and its growing strength stirred the old noggin. Only 50 feet back there was no wind at all.
“Who knows. Suck it up.” I gave myself a little pep talk as I continued across the field.
With the sun leaving me on my own, I came upon a small nest of creatures.
They were tagged as ‘Aberrant Wildlife’. I removed my sledgehammer as I approached the clustered group.
“Hey Dipshits!” I yelled at the group of system dubbed, ‘Gelid Beetles’.
The chitin on the beetles turned from a dull navy, to glowing royal blue as they turned to face me.
“Gelid is cold right? Something like that anyways. Fuck it, Come on!” I egged them on as I charged at the first.
I brought my hammer down on the back of the first beetle only to have the sledgehammer rattle my hands, I saw no damage on the beetles outer shell, but that didn’t matter. I came out here to expend energy and release my pent up fury.
This is perfect.
Twenty exhausting minutes later, eight shattered beetles littered the field. My health had dropped below half, my left arm was frozen solid, and only one stubborn bastard remained.
I swung my hammer in a circular motion with me at the center, but before releasing the built up rage and delivering what was to be the last strike of the night, I blinked.
The instant my eyes closed the feel of wind blowing against my hands triggered something within.
I was suddenly a young child again, riding in my fathers old F-150.
We were driving to his hunting camp, I was around 13 years old. It was a sunny day in early fall, the air crisp and clean. It was a silent ride, my father was pissed off about something from the look on his face. I just sat there with the window rolled down and my arm hanging out, playing with the wind.
The air rushed through my fingers as we traveled down the highway. I forced my hand down then let the wind carry it back up as I waved around lapping up the sensation of the air passing through my fingers. Every time I moved the angle of my hand, the wind forced it in a different direction.
I tried controlling my hand from being violently tossed back whenever I changed angles again and again until I grew bored.
When I let go, the wind carried me wherever it wanted. I felt at peace as I once again reveled in the swirling air around my arm. I focused on the emotion I felt in that moment and something clicked in my soul…
It was more than a feeling.
I closed my eyes to enjoy the serenity.
When I opened them I was back in the middle of the forest mid swing.
I felt the wind blowing against my hands and kept the sensation and emotion I felt riding in my fathers truck in the forefront of my mind. Flowing with the breeze, becoming part of the twister.
As I brought my sledgehammer around to finish the rotation, I felt a foreign power building around me that surged into every fiber of my body. I let the hammer pass just over the shell of the beetle and leapt into the air, letting the wind carry my hammer over head until I joined.
There was an expulsion of raw power as I slammed my hammer into the tough chitin of the last Gelid Beetle.
The strike sounded like a thunder clap as the loud boom echoed off surrounding mountains.
The sound reverberated through the forest in all directions and the strike completely obliterated the monster.
The wind continued roaring around me.
I looked up at the Mana bar in my HUD and it was down about a quarter of the way.
“What the...?”
I could still feel the power like it was now a part of me. I felt the winds spirit and temper and somehow understood it, how it can be violent, yet so soothing.
I stopped in the middle of the clearing to focus on this epiphany, it was as if every bit of my soul was screaming that it had to be now.
I sat down on the weirdly comfortable padded grass. Time passed by, leaving me in a focused trance until a breeze came through. The leaves rustled overhead and the breeze scuttled through the grass around me before encasing my body.
Still concentrating on the breakthrough, I peeked through cracked eyelids to see the slightest clear glow surrounding my arm. I could feel wind engulfing me but noticed not even one blade of grass twitched. I looked up and not not one leaf swayed.
Still aching from my injuries I drank another fruit punch healing potion, leaving me with a handful.
I reached a finger down to the grass, once within a half inch the grass blew away from my finger and I finally realized what it was, I was encased in a barrier of wind.
After a few more minutes spent walking around testing my cool new barrier I noticed a slight aching in my bones, then a migraine slapped me right in the face.
I opened my HUD to see my Mana completely depleted. The wind that once soothed me shot off violently in all directions, leaving me in the center of the small field.
“Time to get back to camp and check on the Duke,” I told myself, walking with a headache that felt like melting brain cells.
Scared it was a one off, after the headache dulled I thought back to the sensation, then with a small mental flex the breeze came to me, soothing once more.
I kept the aura or spell surrounding myself on for 30 seconds then cut it off, this time focusing on control. I needed to make sure I could safely use this around Arthur without sending him off to the Land of Oz.
So as I cut the power so to speak, I focused on drawing it back within myself.
The wind dissipated against my skin, feeling as if it were absorbed into each and every pore. I felt rejuvenated.
With my experiment over and a basic grasp on how to activate this newfound power, I continued to camp. As I walked toward the edge of the first meadow, I was trying to think of a way to sneak up on my dog when.
BONK
I walked head first into something.
A tree?
It was dark out but I had plenty of moonlight still, even at the edge of the clearing.
“I don’t see anything?”
I started walking again, but after 2 steps I slammed my face into nothingness, just as hard as the first time.
I held my arm out straight to feel whatever it was. Some sort of barrier stood in my way. It felt like it didn’t belong as static electricity spiked the hairs on my arm upon touch.
Confused I spoke, “Notifications.”
The most recent notification read,
[Title Unlocked! Magic Man]
I pulled up my Character Sheet to take a look at the new title first. It read,
Magic Man: While below 50% health, all spells deal 25% Increased Damage—“Abracadabra Homes.”
“Did this thing really just quote that? It’s gotta be something else...” I said as I reopened my notifications to read on.
[Congratulations! Spell Unlocked! Retaliating Wind—This is not unheard of but you are the first on this planet to awaken a magical spell without using a Spell Tome, Crystal, or one of the many other simple methods used in learning a magical spell]
“Retaliating Wind, huh? Mouthful. I have no clue how I taught myself magic. But Ehh, cool.” I continued to scroll through kill notifications.
[You have killed Gelid Beetle (Aberrant Wildlife)]
This notification repeated multiple times, then I finally saw what happened and now know why I am walking into an imaginary wall.
[You are about to enter Dungeon Rift—“Tomb of Wind”—Find a different path if you do not wish to enter this Rift.]
[You have now entered Dungeon Rift—“Tomb of Wind”— Release the spirit of Shu the Tempest to exit Dungeon.]
“Are you fucking kidding me!? You couldn’t give me a heads up?” I was yelling at this thing in my head, whatever the hell it is, as I continued to voice my frustrations.
After a few more minutes and many more curses, more than a drunken sailor as my mother would say, I focused on changing my Notification Settings.
“Okay, SO! I don’t want kill notifications popping up every time I’m fighting, and I don’t want anything else to pop up if I’m fighting! UNLESS, its vital to my survival. In which case, I want it out of the center of my vision but bright enough to stick out! That way I don’t accidentally stumble into an alternate dimension or some other BULLSHIT! If I am not fighting and I am wandering around, then PLEASE! Please, allow notifications to show up. Especially those of me entering some Multidimensional Rift!” I focused my intention and felt this entity in my head comply. My intent being to show the important notifications like you would see a subtitle, only at the top of my periphery.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Glad we got that out of the way. Not sure how this works or if you even understand me. Also, I sure as shit don’t know whether you’re some super smart, super quiet AI or maybe a god playing puppet and fucking with people somewhere over the rainbow out in the cosmos. Let’s try to stay on the same fuckin’ page so I can stay alive!” I started through the woods on a mission to find this tomb.
Before I could get more than a few steps a new notification popped up in my vision.
Quest!
I already knew what this was but I opened it anyways.
[New Quest! “Life’s a Breeze” – Release the Spirit of Shu the Tempest to exit the dungeon.]
I dismissed the quest and continued through the woods looking at my surroundings to keep track of where I was. Only now noticing how different my surroundings really were.
The trees were spaced more than they should be for being in the middle of the woods, the ground which is normally covered in leaves and weeds through the seasons was now grass up to my ankles. The side of the mountain that I was following went from that of a normal tree covered “green mountain” hill face, to open areas covered in pebbles and sandstone boulders going up as high as the eye could see.
As I walked, I left a path of broken sticks pierced into the earth to be used as way points to follow in case I need to come back this way to get the hell out. After a nice long walk the sun rising in the distance, I finally came upon another clearing.
At the edge of the clearing between the few scattered trees was a cliff that went straight down for what looked like a mile.
I looked up to see a gorgeous otherworldly landscape of rocky mountains, taller than anything I had ever seen, this definitely was not my planet.
At the bottom of the mountains were sprawling valleys littered with a thick magical array of vibrant foliage, every color known was spread throughout the sea of bright purple and orange flora that consumed most of the land. The lush fields were separated by rivers and streams all leading to a vast and tranquil expanse of cerulean water far off in the distance, the lake seeming to demand attention and admiration.
Peeling my eyes away from my beautiful surroundings and pushing away the thoughts of an early retirement and a new home, I turned to my destination.
The massive mountain standing in front of me was taller than anything I had ever seen. Made of sheer vertical sandstone. It looked like something you would see a pro climber scale on one of those TV specials, but taller.
Carved into the bottom of the rock face was some type of symbol surrounded by writing that looked like a mixture of hieroglyphs and Lord of the Rings elvish writing. The symbols made up a bigger picture of what appeared to be a tornado or twister? Whatever the difference is.
“Well… This is definitely the entrance to ‘Wind Guy Tomb’. Very subtle and hidden. But how to open the door?..” Speaking aloud I looked closer, almost instantly figuring it out.
“Oh. Right. Where is the easy button when you need it.”
At the bottom of the twister, a hand sized circle with some writing around the rim.
I placed my hand within the circle and pushed. Nothing.
“Ah, obviously.” I activated the new skill I just acquired and pushed again.
The once smooth sandstone fragmented, a fissure beginning at the ground ran up the wall as more and more of the cliff became divided.
While working on opening the tomb I found my spell list and read over Retaliating Wind.
Retaliating Wind (Soul Awakened)
Epic—Level 1
Wind Magic
Cost 5 Mana Per Second
Create a Wind Barrier that absorbs 25% of Damage dealt on Caster and Ally to return to a designated target or wide area, Barrier Heals 3 Health Points Per Second
Surround yourself and One ally you physically touch in a slim barrier of Wind Magic that absorbs damage and slightly heals. Upon ending spell, send out a violent gust towards designated area or target dealing absorbed damage.
I took a step back as rocks and debris rained from the mountain. The crack finally taking a horizontal turn about 20 feet up the face. The complete outline of the stone entrance now visible, and the ground at my feet rumbled as the troll sized door cracked and finally opened.
“Got a harder difficulty mode for me?” I giggled at my own stupid jokes like a complete tool when all of a sudden.
I was slammed into the ground.
“Fuck!”
Looking up I caught a glimpse of my attacker but only for a fraction of a second before a giant Talon crushed through the skin and meat of my thigh. Before I knew it I was rag dolling 30 feet in the air.
I selected my sledge hammer, after a few seconds it appeared.
I swung my body weight back and then up at the creature, using the force built up to barely clip its wing which sent the two of us spinning back to the ground.
“Ooomph,” I slammed into the ground with a loud crack, the air quickly vacating my lungs like a guy who failed to pay rent for 10 months and now the sheriff is at the door.
The creature was on me before I could attempt to take a breath. I swung my sledge hammer at the talon shattering the grip on my leg before we got too high again.
We were still high enough though.
I fell ten feet to the ground, the little breath I was able to get back, also packing up and leaving with my insides.
Before the talons could snag me again, I brought the sledge overhead, slamming it down to the ground with a mighty swing that crushed the giant talon moving in to grab me once more.
Using my newfound strength and speed I ran and threw a straight kick as hard as I could to give myself space. The kick sent the monster back into the rocky cliff head first, causing a cloud of dust to form as more shattered rocks fell to the ground.
This gave me more time to size it up.
[Ba—Tomb Protector]
[Dimensional Guardian]
This ‘Ba’ thing was really something to behold. It looked young, with toned muscles and beautiful glossy obsidian feathers that stretched out in a wingspan a few feet wider than the Seven foot tall birdman.
Its legs and torso were that of a mans, with long, sharp talons for feet. The arms gave one hell of a reach advantage, being unusually long for its body.
Although having a being like this trying to kill me was horrifying, it was actually quite a beautiful creature. The head of a bird with a golden beak to match and eyes that looked eerily human.
In the top right of my vision a notification came shining into view.
*System Notice- Non-integrated Life Form
“What the hell does that even mean?! Not important!” I yelled while choking up on my sledge and getting ready as he returned to his feet, or talons I suppose.
He stared at me for a brief second, cocking his head to the side as we met eyes.
Then he struck, moving with a grace that I’d never seen. It was like something out of a movie or one of those Anime shows, so careless and free with speed that was hard to track.
“Ah shit, pretty sure I just pissed him off” I whispered to myself, watching the bird guys face change from the bored, uninterested look it had been, to one with deadly ambition and a shit load of anger.
With one flap of his wings he covered the 40 feet between us in a flash, flying head first at me before flipping at the last second and thrusting his talons in attempt to disembowel me.
I managed to raise my sledge just in time, catching his momentum with the handle.
I spun around, changing my grip to the bottom of the handle then I swung like I was attempting to hit a home run.
The Ba pinwheeled through the air but corrected mid flight. He looked like he was about to dive again.
I cast Retaliating Wind.
He darted closer and I braced for impact, only to see the Ba stop suddenly to let out an ear piercing and disorienting screech.
Instantly, it felt like my ears were bleeding and the world was shaking. I involuntarily dropped my weapon, a purely defensive reaction to cover my ears and hopefully dull the pain.
It felt like getting a lobotomy with a half inch drill bit as my brain turned to mush.
All I could hear was radio static now as the light grew dim, “Mahp, Mahp. Mahp.”
I fought through the pain, reaching my blood soaked hands to the ground to retrieve my weapon.
The Ba saw this and flapped his wings again, only this time in front of his body to send a gust of wind so strong that it tossed me through the air.
I came to a stop when my midsection hit a tree with a loud CRACK that originated around my ribs, the crack was accompanied by the THUD from me hitting the tree.
I attempted to get to my feet, regardless of the agonizing pain that was screaming at me to lay down.
The Ba quickly followed up not giving me any time to recoup.
I was able to get to one knee before my new friend flew forward at breakneck speeds slamming into me with his wing and shoulder. The hit smashed me into the tree again with a shower of blood, wood chips, and bark. They fell from the sky covering me like the rice on my wedding day.
I was getting worked over, the Ba laid into me like a martial arts master fighting a 3 year old.
Punch after punch destroyed my body and face. I was barely able to block any of the shots, he was just too fast. Occasionally he tossed a kick out that sliced through the meat of my thighs like filet mignon, making it nearly impossible to get to my feet.
I felt my title aura “For The Family” trigger as my health bar grew smaller. The onslaught thrown at me seemed to never end.
I used my new strength from the stat boost to fight through the blows and get to my feet.
Still in defense mode with my arms up in front of my face, I attempted to bob and weave away from the bigger KO shots thrown.
I looked for any opening to attack but I couldn’t find any holes. I put my boxing skills and knowledge through the biggest test of my life as I kept inside with my own take on a Philly Shell defense, I threw a few jabs to try to force him back but failed miserably. The tree against my back was the only reason I was still on my feet.
I’m getting whooped.
It was like when a MMA fighter smelled blood and knew they had their opponent rocked so they jump on the opportunity and throw everything.
Only there was no “gassing out” or as one dipshit announcer likes to say, “Blowing their load” for this monster.
It was a swarm that didn’t let up. As he swung relentlessly, I heard the Ba speak for the first time.
“It’s not yours to wield! I will tear it from you!” A young and angry voice entered my mind. It sounded almost innocent but there was no mistaking the power behind it.
It was the voice of the Ba.
After what felt like the hundredth punch to my head, I could barely see out of my eyes and my ears were still ringing from the shriek or the punches, probably both.
I probably looked like swollen Shrek with ears mixed with Stallone at the end of Rocky 2 during his famous, “Yo Adrian, I did it” quote.
My Health bar was dangerously low. I opened myself up for more damage as my arms dropped to my side. A mean right elbow sprayed a stream of blood from my face, and I felt my “Bring It” title trigger.
Enough playing possum...
I grabbed onto the Ba’s wings and dragged him into me, locking him in a bear hug so we were face to face.
I stared into his eyes and smiled.
I released Retaliating Wind with a mean headbutt, focused right in the face of the birdman.
The Ba’s head snapped back violently. The back of his head slapping his own spine between his wings.
The rest of his body followed as I released the hug.
He flew back through the air slamming into the rock face one last time.
Suddenly, a violent tornado fell from the sky kicking up dust to cloud the area.
I rolled, swiftly retrieving my hammer and bracing, but the twister disappeared just as fast as it came.
I prepared for another assault as the dust settled but one never came.
“Where the fuck did you go Birdman?!” The words whimpered out of my destroyed face.
I was looking through the slight haze for him as the dust finished settling but he was nowhere to be found.
It was like the tornado swallowed him whole.
I looked down into my hands where I held chunks of feathers. I released my grip and they turned to ash.
“Ughh... Well shit.”
I fell back against my new tree friend and opened my inventory to snag a health potion. I drank and watched the gouges across my legs stitch up through tunnel vision as that too slowly healed, my mid then far peripheral vision finally returning.
I took a deep breath then let it out, “Guess I have to go into that fuckin’ hole now.”
Without any further fanfare I stood to my feet and limped into the Tomb.