by Sarah Lin
Changing Faces
New Game Minus #1
Version 1.3
© 2018 Sarah Lin
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Prologue
A floating box was asking his name, and he hated it.
He hated it because asking someone's name was a stupid question. And because boxes shouldn't just float in the air like that. But most importantly, he hated it because it made him realize that he had no idea. Instead of a past, he possessed only hazy memories.
Whoever he was, he was lying in a filthy prison cell. He smiled slightly as he grasped a few strands of memory. He knew what a prison was and had enough context to call this one filthy. Yet something was horribly wrong, something he couldn't put his finger on. When he looked down at his body, he saw a scrawny male form clothed in rags... that didn't feel quite right, but he gave up on figuring out why for now.
Mostly because that damn box kept floating in his vision. Just a blue rectangle directly in front of him, no matter which direction he turned. It was translucent enough to see through and he saw the words [What is your name?] written in it. When he tried to touch it, his hand passed through. An illusion? Magic? He had a strong intuition that he knew something about "magic" but couldn't remember the details.
He tried to test his cell and found it infuriatingly impenetrable. For all its filth, he couldn't find any weaknesses. The stones struck him as perfectly fitted and the bars didn't budge. It was a good cell, as far as his few heartbeats of life could judge cells.
That damn box... he glowered at it, fiercely and ineffectually. "Why are you asking my name? I don't care, I want to get out of this cell!"
More text appeared: [Use your default name?]
"What?" Abruptly he had the intuition that he did care. Had he come here for some purpose? Memories swirling in the back of his mind, he spoke without thinking. "An adventurer. I want a heroic adventurer's name."
The box changed to say [Raigar]. He looked at the name, wondering if it sounded familiar for a reason. Before he could think too deeply, more text was added. [Is this name correct?]
"I don't know. It will do for now."
As soon as he agreed, the box disappeared, which was a welcome relief despite still being trapped in the cell. But the very same instant the box disappeared, he heard footsteps in the hall.
Raigar stepped toward the door - no, was his name actually Raigar? That felt wrong. He wouldn't let a stupid box name him.
Three people marched down the corridor and came to stand directly in front of his cell. The first of them was an old man, bent at the waist, fumbling with a ring of keys. On his left stood a blond woman in shining armor with a serene look on her face, while on his right slouched a woman in dark leathers who was eyeing the shadows.
Both were unusually beautiful, yet he found his reaction was a strange mix of hatred and lust. Though the sensation swelled from within him, it felt flat and alien, not part of him. He frowned, observing the feeling and wondering why he would react that way.
"Are you the adventurer we have been looking for?" The old man asked the absurd question in a rickety voice. Though the prisoner started to scowl in response, for some reason he found himself giving a neutral smile instead. That question had meant something to him, once.
"I'm sorry, but I can't remember very much."
"That's common. You've been through a lot." The blond woman gave him an encouraging smile that lit up her face. "My name is Elleane. I've guided your kind before and I will do everything I can to help you. Perhaps you have memories of another world or a desire to be a hero... I do not know what higher power has acted, but those desires have been granted. This is your new life where you can be the legend you were meant to be."
The dark-haired woman scoffed. "Oh, fuck off. It's just as likely he wants to gain power and loot." She gave him a smirk. "I'm Marrin. Don't let Elleane force you onto her straight and narrow path. You can do whatever you want here."
All the prisoner could do was blink and stare between them. Something about this felt wrong, his memories twisting in confusion and anger. "Have you... done this before?"
"You will remember as well." The old man found the correct key and opened his cell, inviting him to exit. He did so with halting steps. "The signs declared that you have been here before. We hope that you are the second coming of the great adventurer, Raigar. Do you remember that name?"
"Yes, it sounds so familiar..." But it didn't sound like his. Why were his memories so fuzzy?
As they made their way down the corridor, the old man in front and the women to either side of him, the old man kept speaking to him. "Many are confused, as you are. But have no fear, you will understand by the time you leave this place. Do you remember the Master Lich?"
"Yes. I'm sure I've heard that name before."
"Ten years ago, he terrorized the land. An adventurer named Raigar, a man much like you, emerged from nowhere to fight him. He defeated the Master Lich's foul lieutenants, Bloodwraith and Skullcrusher, and eventually the Master Lich himself. But after that, he disappeared without a trace."
All the prisoner could do was nod. Yes, that sounded familiar. Though he still lacked key memories, the names provoked in him a strong sense of purpose. Something had happened to him, something important. He was here for a reason.
"You must be Raigar, returned to us," Elleane said. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know not what evil you have come to face this time, but I know you will face it bravely."
No... it sounded partially right, partially wrong, and entirely confusing. "My memories are so... do people just disappear and return here? I don't feel like a hero."
"No true hero does. You may feel weak now, as you have just been reborn. But you have the potential to-"
Marrin knocked Elleane's hand off his shoulder and rolled her eyes. "For a paladin, she does a lot of lying. The truth is that you're not like us - you're something special. I don't know why you appear and disappear in our world, but one thing's for sure: you're going to have a hell of an adventure."
In front of them, the old man had reached a large doorway. He stopped in front of it, turning back to them and nodding sagely. "She is correct. I am the keeper of this Forest of Beginnings, from which many legendary adventurers have emerged. I believe you journey here from other worlds in order to fulfill great destinies, some wondrous and some terrible. But that is a matter only understood by those who live in this forest - once you leave, you will simply be an exceptional adventurer. You must say no more of this."
None of this sounded familiar at all. The prisoner thought back to the stories they had told earlier, trying to grasp for memories. Was he this Raigar as they claimed? Perhaps... he could remember a great battle and remembered seeing the Master Lich in combat. Yet the memory floated just out of his grasp.
"Before you leave this place, you must remember who you are." The old man slowly opened the door, revealing that it led directly into a forest clearing, aglow with midday sunlight. "We have shown you the door, now you need only find yourself to walk through it."
Ignoring such mystic nonsense, the nameless prisoner strode forward. Yet when he entered the light of the doorway, he staggered to one knee. Fragmentary memories pierced his mind, struggling to cohere into a pattern. Yes, he was certain that he had been there, fighting in the battle, but why couldn't he remember himself?
"You must remember!" Elleane stepped forward and spoke loudly. "Think back to the great battle with the Master Lich... if you are truly
Raigar returned to us, stand and claim your destiny!"
And then he did remember. It all returned clearly in his mind, Raigar and the Master Lich fighting a great battle beside the arcane ritual. Raigar eventually stood victorious, at which point a door had appeared before the great adventurer. On the other side of the door lay only swirling chaos. The prisoner remembered it all so clearly.
Because he had seen it happen while lying nearly dead on the temple floor.
He remembered Raigar in every detail, so smug and yet so powerful. He remembered how he had been defeated, but clung to life. When he saw the Master Lich fall, he had felt despair, but he had not given up. He remembered taking an ancient artifact from his robe, the Wand of Soul Exchange, and aiming it at the back of Raigar's head just before he entered the swirling door. That was when his memory had scattered to the winds.
As the memories faded, the former prisoner stood back to his feet. Elleane took another step forward, looking at him hopefully. "Are you Raigar the Valorous returned to us?"
Bloodwraith the Corrupter, Bane of Worlds and Father to the Undead, turned and gave them his best heroic smile. "Yes. Yes, I am."
Chapter 1
Elleane beamed at him and Marrin rolled her eyes, but Bloodwraith focused on the old man. He smiled warmly and nodded, as if he had expected to hear exactly that - no suspicion at all, the doddering fool. Still smiling, the old man pulled something from the depths of his robe: a silver pendant with a large sapphire hanging from it.
"Welcome back, Raigar the Valorous... though you may choose a new title in this life. I believe this is yours." He extended the pendant, so Bloodwraith tried to look suitably grateful while he took it.
Immediately another of those infernal boxes appeared in his vision.
[Amulet of Reincarnation.
Granted for a second life in Alliandelle. Cannot be stolen, sold, or destroyed.
Perk: Enhanced Learning (EXP, AP, and SP will be acquired more quickly.)
Perk: Enhanced Reputat...]
Bloodwraith waved his hand irritably at the box, barely swallowing a curse at the distraction. This box actually went away, though that meant he was waving his hand foolishly in the air. Fortunately, none of the others seemed to think him mad. The old man simply shook his head and chuckled ruefully.
"I do not know what wonders you see, adventurer, but please remember that the rest of us are not blessed as you are. Once you leave the Forest of Beginnings, you may find that such actions will disturb those around you. It would serve you well to be more self-conscious in the future."
"Right, yes. I would not want to... terrify the helpless peasants." Bloodwraith squared his shoulders and nodded heroically.
"Never fear, that is why the Forest of Beginnings exists. Come this way." The old man began walking into the forest and the women went with him.
As he followed, Bloodwraith glanced between the three of them, keeping a neutral smile on his face. He wanted to decapitate the old man and have his way with the women, but that would break his cover. Besides, his current body seemed pathetic, so either Elleane or Marrin could likely slay him. For now, he needed to play at being Raigar.
At least until he unlocked the secret of the adventurer's impossible strength.
"So..." Bloodwraith looked between the three humans and tried to improve his smile. "What happens now?"
"We will escort you through the Forest of Beginnings," Elleane said. "Outside, you should be able to make your way to Cresthaven and choose your own destiny."
"There's a nice Thieves Guild there," Marrin said. "Some good brothels, too."
"Marrin! Don't try to force your vile ways on Raigar the Valorous!"
Their petty bickering irritated him, but Bloodwraith had little mind for it: not with the stirring of necromancy ahead of him. An old part of him reached out, wanting to grasp the mana... yet this body was incapable of it. He could do nothing as a shambling creature of bone and dried skin lurched into the clearing ahead of them.
A Ghoul Lord. Bloodwraith stared at the twisted humanoid as it approached, all his instincts screaming the wrong things. He couldn't take control of it - not only would that reveal his identity, there was only a gaping void where his necromantic power should have been. And yet though he should have panicked, a strange current of calm ran through him.
Another box appeared before him and declared:
[Tutorial]
Bloodwraith waved the incomprehensible box aside irritably. How had Raigar accomplished anything with these abominable boxes constantly cluttering his vision?
"I shall hold it off, adventurer!" The old man stepped forward and cast a ray of light at the Ghoul Lord. Yet the magic only made it flinch, and it began to stumble forward, raising a hand with finger bones shaped into knives. It would be on them soon, and Bloodwraith still had no idea what he should do.
"You're the only one who can stop that thing," Marrin said. She looked alert, but not nearly as tense as she should have, given what they faced. "How do you think we should stop it? Attack from the front? Blow it up with spells? Stab it from behind?"
Bloodwraith swallowed all the answers he would naturally have given and tried to answer as Raigar. "Uh... attack boldly from the front!"
[You have chosen the Path of the Warrior.]
Wait, a warrior? Curses. Bloodwraith tried to grasp for the box, but it dissipated in front of his fingers. Before he could object, Elleane appeared beside him, holding out several weapons. "Raigar, choose your weapon and slay the monster!"
Was there no way to take back his decision? The boxes seemed utterly indifferent to his anger, so there was likely nothing he could do. Worse, he saw that Elleane and Marrin were giving him odd looks. He was supposed to be the reincarnation of Raigar, after all: he should have been familiar with all of this.
The idea of them learning the truth filled him with a deep sense of dread. Bloodwraith gave his best courageous smile and grasped the handle of the enormous two-handed sword that Raigar had wielded. "Ah, this weapon feels good in my hands. Shall we slay the monster?"
[Greatsword proficiency chosen.]
How the hell was he going to kill a Ghoul Lord with nothing but a large hunk of metal? If he worked together with the three of them... yet the two women seemed to be holding back, and the old man...
At the same moment Bloodwraith looked at the old man, he saw the conflict end. The Ghoul Lord swatted aside the old man's shaft of light and struck him across the chest, knocking him to the ground. It then immediately turned aside from his body and lurched toward Bloodwraith, eyes glowing.
Damn. Bloodwraith had trained a little with a sword a lifetime ago, but he had focused on casting spells for decades. And in any case, his body was small and pathetic, refusing to obey his commands as he tried to move. When he attempted to dash to the side to anticipate the Ghoul Lord's charge, he found himself stumbling, like a poorly controlled puppet.
And just to mock him, more boxes began popping up in his vision. Bloodwraith growled and swung his sword to make them go away.
He was as good as dead, but he refused to give up. When the Ghoul Lord came into range, he lashed out... and to his surprise, he connected with its chest. It fell backward slightly and another infuriating box of text appeared. Ignoring it, Bloodwraith focused on the enemy as it attacked and managed to throw himself to the side just in time to evade the blow.
Abruptly the Ghoul Lord gave a loud cry and charged at him. Bloodwraith froze... and yet his body began moving on some instinct he didn't understand. He ducked underneath the first swipe of the claw and swung upward, severing the undead creature's arm.
That shouldn't have even stunned it, yet it reeled backward with a cry. Bloodwraith hefted his sword overhead and brought it down in a heavy swing. Somehow, it smashed through the Ghoul Lord's skull and chest.
The battle was won. He stood there, holding his sword numbly and trying to figure out what the hell had happened. For a moment he hoped that this adventurer's body was more p
owerful than he had known, but it still felt weak. And nothing should have allowed him to break thick bone reinforced by magic so easily. It was as if some other power had fueled his actions.
His attention swung back to the old man, who lay on his back with blood soaking through his robes. When he tried to speak, he coughed up blood. Deciding that Raigar would care about the old fool, Bloodwraith bent down to kneel beside him.
"I am... not long for this world." The old man gave another set of bloody coughs and then stared up at him. "You must forge your own destiny, adventurer. Even my eyes cannot see if you will change this land for good or for ill, but your impact on it will last forever. From this point on... the world of Alliandelle... is open to you..."
With that, he slumped to the ground and his life left him. Bloodwraith stared down at him, torn between revulsion at his weakness and irritation at the melodrama of it all. He did not want to play out his part in such a farce, yet it seemed he had little choice. It had been decades since he had been able to shed tears, much less wanted to, yet he managed to generate a few by blinking his eyes rapidly.
Elleane walked up to stand beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "He gave his life to save yours, Raigar. Remember him and use that life well."
"Fuck that, do what you want." Marrin walked past them and stopped in the clearing. After a moment, Elleane moved up beside her. Bloodwraith frowned at the two of them.
"Are you going somewhere?"
"Yes, I need to investigate how such a monster entered the Forest of Beginnings." Elleane shook her head seriously. "I must get to the bottom of this, and soon. I will trust you to follow an honorable path, Raigar."
Marrin fixed him with a smirk. "And I have business of my own to deal with. You have fun in the Forest of Beginnings, but the real fun lies beyond."
With that, the two of them left him alone in the clearing.
