Cursemancer

by A P Gore

  Congratulations! You have gained +1 to Wisdom for gaining new hidden skill.

  Congratulations! You have reached 100% progression for poison orb. New skill level: 5. Progression: 20%.

  Wow, that was good. He pulled up his delta character sheet to view the overall changes.

  Name: Noah

  Class: Cursemancer

  Second Class: Zombiemancer

  Stats

  Wisdom 23

  Health: 160/330

  Stamina: 190 (6.21/sec)

  Mana: 50 (5.25/sec)

  Spirit: 230 (10.29/sec)

  Skills

  Poison Orb (Level 5): Total Damage: 31. Skill Progression: 20%.

  Dual Cast: Cast one spell from each hand simultaneously. 1% increased effect per level in the skill. This skill can't be increased by skill points.

  Current Experience: 4360/8000.

  Satisfied, Noah closed his character sheet. He was heading down a healthy character path. He loved how even one point in wisdom added to his health; that meant he could skip putting points into constitution for a few levels. Each level gave him two points in constitution, increasing his stamina and health. He wondered if the same happened with Thia, but he had no way of knowing until she leveled up. She was still at level two, and he didn't know how experience worked for her.

  “Let's go, Thia.” It was late afternoon, and Noah wasn't ready for another ambush from the birds. They quickened their pace back, avoiding any more conflicts, but Noah planned to visit the same area for more hunting tomorrow. He knew the trick now.

  Dusk was almost upon them when they crossed the town's gate. The winds were getting chilly, and they lacked jackets. His starter tunic and Thia’s shirt weren’t going to cut through, if the winds get stronger. A cold sweat beaded his forehead due to the brisk pace he had to take. The combination of his warm body and the chilly wind made him feel alive, which was nice.

  Fifteen more minutes of walking, and they would be back in the inn right in time for dinner. He increased his pace further. The other day, he also found out eating food gradually restored his life. It wasn’t as fast as Thia's healing ability or Mathial's potion, but in his current condition it would bring his life pool back to full by the next morning.

  In deference to his tired body and hungry belly, Noah decided to take a shortcut back to the inn. The shortcut passed by the main council hall. While passing around the first corner, he almost bumped into a hooded figure. The sudden stop pushed back the hood of the demon, revealing his face. It was none other than High Mage Roderich.

  “Esteemed, High Mage. I hope you are doing well.” Noah conjured the most easygoing smile he could. He’d had a bad experience with Mathial when he’d stumbled upon him last night, and he didn't want the same to happen with the high mage too.

  “What do you want, human? Be quick, I have little time.” Roderich's eyes flicked around impatiently.

  “I have a couple of questions for you.”

  “Not now, human. I don't have time for your stupid questions.” Roderich shifted his weight, stared into Noah's eyes for a moment, and walked away. But before he disappeared around the corner, a drop of blood trickled from his hand to the ground, rousing Noah's curiosity. As the high mage vanished, Noah turned into the alley Roderich had come from. Something was off about the high mage, and Noah wanted to find out what. His curiosity had never failed him in the real world, and he didn't believe this world would be any different.

  “Daddy. No.” Thia leaned back from his shoulder. Grabbing his right ear, she tried to pull him back. “Thia. Don't. Like. Go. Home.”

  “Wait, Thia. We have to see this.”

  Thia jumped down and pulled his fingers, tugging him away from the alley he was about to enter. Her face had turned grim. She was afraid of something.

  “Daddy. Go. Home.” Darkness swept across her face, and she started pulling him away with ungodly might.

  Noah pushed himself towards the alley against the little demon's pull. He managed to peek down the alley before the little one overpowered him. He spotted a large open area at the end of the alley, and there was something on the ground that emitted a brief spark of white light.

  “Okay.” Noah turned back so Thia would let his finger loose. When she did, he spun and ran toward the opening. He had to see what that shiny thing was. He didn't have to run far, as the opening was just a few meters inside the alley.

  A strange tickle in his veins alerted him. Something was off about the place. The air reeked of death. A deathly aura filled every ounce of air inside that pocket of the world. Blood painted the ground from the start of the alley to the middle, where six statues encircled a white pole. The dead body of a female demon hung on the pole. It was the second adult demon female he had seen since entering the game. He couldn't bring himself to take another step. It took every ounce of courage he had to reach inside the death-aura filled ground and pick up a crystal lying on the ground. The crystal was dark, darker than the night. He held it in his hand and turned back to get out of that frigging place. He couldn't muster any more courage. He was drenched in sweat when he took the first step away.

  Thinking about the darkness that filled the area, Noah had just taken a second step toward safety when a tail wrapped around his neck, piercing his flesh.

  He stumbled back, trying to pull the tail from his neck, but the owner of the tail was stronger than him.

  “Thia,” he shouted. He wasn't alone today. A small figure appeared from around the corner and jumped on the demon holding Noah by its tail. The unknown demon yanked his tail back instantly. Noah stumbled backward, and a red pop up appeared before his eyes. His health was declining fast.

  Thia had already jumped on the hooded demon, but he threw her off and conjured a fiery spell on his hand. A yellow flash of fire shot out from his hand toward Noah. Another pop up appeared in front of his eyes, but he couldn't read it as his vision was already blurred, so he willed to select yes and made it go away. The spell changed direction and vanished inside the crystal he was holding. The hooded figure paused for a moment, then vanished in the darkness filled open area.

  Noah's muscles relaxed as the danger passed. He wanted to check out the crystal, but his vision blurred, and everything turned red. The only thing he could see now was his health bar rapidly dropping. 100, 80, 60, 40… and then it started increasing. When it was back at 80, he felt a stream of healing passing through his wound. Thia had once again saved his life.

  Thia's health points were falling like the real-life stock market. When it reached 80, Noah pulled her tail out of his neck. She tried to push her tail back inside his neck, but he resisted, pulling her closer to his heart. She was a precious gift the game had offered to him, and he was already regretting that he would lose her soon.

  “Daddy. Need. Heal.”

  “No, sweetheart. Daddy doesn't need healing anymore. But Thia does. Let's go back and get a healing potion for you.” He picked her up and set off again for Blacksmith's Inn. He would buy few health potions today. He couldn't keep putting Thia in danger anymore.

  22. Dream

  T hia brought Noah a mixed bag of feelings that evening. Seeing the little demon girl running around him, making silly mistakes, reminded him of his daughter. And whenever she got exhausted, she would always come and rest on his shoulder, licking his ears. She had repeated the whole exercise again and again before going to sleep, proving how much he meant to her. Maybe she was his angel in this new world.

  It’s gonna be so hard to leave you, sweetheart. I wish I didn’t have to say goodbye.

  He sighed and lay down on the sheet, staring at the ceiling. Thia was rolling around him, trying to sleep. When he placed his hand on her temple, she settled down and slept.

  A burp pulled him out of his thoughts. The mushroom filled dinner was tasty, and he had feasted on it. It had made one thing clear: he needed to progress in herbalism too. The benefits were too darn good to pass up. One more thing to add to his long to-do list. He th
ought he should start carrying a pen and paper to write everything down.

  Before sleeping, Noah untangled Thia’s tail from his hand and placed it next to her. She was in a deep sleep, breathing in a natural rhythm. If not for her horns, she looked like a human child. But why would that matter to him? He shoved the thought away. She was as real as anyone in the real world. He glanced in his bag to check the status of the crystal combination mold; it still had a few more days to complete its process. He was still thinking about the modifiers he might gain on the spell gem when he slipped into a deep sleep.

  A tail struck Noah's chest, waking him. He jumped to his feet, conjuring a poison orb. His eyes scanned the cellar for danger, but nobody was there. He cast his perception spell at the unknown, but only got another nasty message from the game. When something moved on his makeshift bed, he realized it was Thia’s tail, moving around the bed constantly. She was shuddering in fear and drenched in sweat. He kneeled next to her to check her pulse; it was running like a sped up chemical reaction.

  “Oh, girl.” He caressed her temple, and the constant jerking of her tail stopped. Her creased forehead eased. He sat next to her, letting his hand rest on her forehead for a few minutes. When she stabilized, he lay down next to her; she half opened her eyes when he relaxed.

  “Daddy.” She moved closer to him, wrapped her tiny hands around his right hand, and curled up against him.

  “Sleep, baby, sleep…” His words vanished into the darkness as he was pulled into a memory once again. This time he stood next to his bed on planet Asura—a city on Spectra 33 in the real world.

  The other him from the past was working on a formula. He remembered it. It was the night he’d made a small breakthrough in the dark crystal manipulation. He’d found a catalyst in which they could store the power from the Crystal of Quantum, and it was easy to obtain. It was a breakthrough in his research.

  Even though it was a memory, seeing himself smiling like a child with a lollipop made him experience the same wave of euphoria his remembered self was.

  But then a cry echoed through the house. His former self checked on the display of Tia’s room. She was shivering in her sleep, maybe from a bad dream. He quickly grabbed his coffee mug and rushed to her room. He was right, Tia was shivering because of a dream. When he placed his hand on her forehead, she eased into a normal rhythm of breathing. When she went back to deep sleep—or at least when he thought she had—he stood to depart. Tia opened her eyes and called out to him. He looked back at her and smiled lovingly.

  “Can I sleep with you, Daddy?” she asked in the most innocent voice he had ever heard. It shook something in his heart.

  “Sorry, babe. Daddy needs to complete this research. Daddy will sleep with you tomorrow, okay?”

  She looked disappointed, but the word tomorrow brought a happy smile to her face. “Promise, Dadda?” she asked.

  “Promise, sweetie.” He moved his hand over her face once again, and she slipped back off to sleep.

  “Come on, old self. Take her to your room. You can still work while she sleeps next to you,” his present self cried in vain. His old self should have let her sleep in his room. She needed him, like Thia needed him now.

  Noah was returned from the memory with an odd feeling. He knew the promise he made that night hadn’t been fulfilled next day. He was a work junkie, but he shouldn’t have broken his promise. His eyes jumped to Thia; she was sleeping like a baby. Turning and facing her, he caressed her head before falling into a restless sleep, disappointed in himself.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Noah’s obscure dream ended with five giants kicking him in the gut. They were thrashing him from corner to corner for no clear reason.

  “Stop it, please stop it,” he cried in pain. But it wasn’t giants; it was the blacksmith kicking his butt.

  “Fock the goblins! Wake up, human. What did you do to bring the guards to my doorstep? Get upstairs. They are waiting for you.” Mathial kicked Noah again, and when he was sure that Noah’s eyes were wide open, he went back downstairs. “And tell your daughter to stop playing with my equipment. I’ll charge you double if she breaks anything in my smithy.”

  “She is not…” Noah stopped as Mathial vanished from his room. He was fast for a bulky demon.

  Noah turned onto his side and went straight into a push up position. He did a few pushups to wake his sleeping muscles. A light blue notification made his morning.

  Due to your daily workout routine, you have received +1 strength. Continue working harder, and one day you might turn into a weightlifter.

  Ignoring the snarky comment, Noah went upstairs to the bar, where three demon guards were growling among themselves while drinking ale.

  Mathial flashed a murky smile at him. “You’re paying for their drinks.”

  Noah nodded and turned to face the trio. “Gentle-demons, how may I help you?” There was nothing gentle about them. The overweight guards drooling over their mugs of alcohol smelled dirty and disgusting.

  “Head demon want see human.” One of the demons rose from his chair, towering over Noah. He was at least seven feet tall and even wider than the blacksmith. But his face didn’t suit his body. It was so small that Noah wondered if it’d stopped growing after he turned ten. He also wore cheap leather armor, torn in many places.

  “Sure. Did he mention what he wants?”

  “Go.” The kid-faced guard thrust his spear forward. The pointed tip stopped a bare inch from Noah’s face. Noah saw cracks on the metal head; the weapon needed repair. This was the first time Noah had spotted a weapon in a guard’s hand. Something wasn’t right. Did he lose his reputation with the demons? He glanced at his reputation sheet, which still showed him to be neutral with demons.

  He might just want to ask about my progress on the leaving his town.

  “Let’s go, folks.” He gave them a fake smile and walked out ahead of them. He knew the path, so there was no need to wait for them.

  Noah heard someone stumble, curse, then fall into step behind him. His sudden movement must have reminded them of their task—to bring him to the grand hall, not to drink in the morning.

  A fifteen minute walk brought them to the black hole that lead into the grand council hall. Most of the chairs were empty. The high mage wasn’t there, but the pointy-nosed high priest was there, staring at him with his sharp black eyes. For some reason, the high priest was in an aggressive state. Demon eyes turned black whenever their mind went into an aggressive state.

  The head demon coughed, grabbing Noah’s attention. It was the cough of illness, not for getting attention. “Noah.” Though somewhat feeble, his voice still held the authority Noah had heard when they met for the first time. “You have been spotted near the sacrificial ground. Do you have a reason to go there?” His eyes had turned black too. That wasn’t good.

  “Esteemed Head Demon.” Noah bowed lower. “I was heading back to the inn when I spotted a disturbance in an alley. I thought someone was in danger, so I went looking. But I wasn’t aware of the importance of the location. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have entered it.” Noah wondered how the head demon got the information. Did Roderich tell him?

  The head demon growled. “That area is off-limits for any human. Don’t go there if you want to live.” His voice had returned to a normal tone by then, and his eyes were back to normal too.

  “Esteemed demon.” The sharp voice of the high priest echoed in the hall. “If I may speak.”

  The head demon nodded.

  “We should deal with the threat right now and kill this human. He’s been nosing in our business for far too long. I heard he even petted a little demon girl.” The high priest stared into Noah’s eyes.

  A chill passed through Noah when he recognized the real threat in those black eyes.

  The head demon turned to face the high priest. “I’ve discussed this with you already. He’ll live in the town for as long as he wants. If he goes out right away, he’ll just die and come back here.” He turne
d his attention to Noah. “What about the girl, human? Didn’t Roderich tell you about the dangers she would face here?”

  “What danger, head demon? Mathial said women are not welcomed in the town, but he wanted to check with you. And I’ve been meaning to come and ask you about the girl. She is an orphan. An orc near your town’s boundaries killed her mother.” Noah’s heart pained him. The day had come when he would have to part with the demon girl.

  The head demon said, “A curse—”

  “Esteemed Demon Head,” the high priest said, “we shouldn’t be discussing the curse with a human.”

  The head demon nodded in agreement. “Human, we can’t let the girl live in our town, for her safety. I’ll ask one of my guards to take her to the nearest demon town where she will be safe. As her current guardian, is that acceptable to you?”

  A black and white notification popped up.

  Quest alert: The little demon, Thia - I. You have been asked to part ways with your little companion, Thia. Do you want to send her to a safe town? Quest Reward: Reputation gain with Head Demon and Town of Sumara. +2000. Side effect: -10000 reputation with Thia.

  Penalty for failure: Variable. Do you accept? Yes/No/Maybe.

  It was an interesting quest, but Noah knew what the right thing to do was. But before he accepted the quest, he wondered about the “maybe” option. On a gut feeling, or maybe driven by the pain of parting ways with the little demon, he selected maybe.

  “Fair enough, human. Please make your decision as quickly as possible, because it will be a decision about the little demon’s life.”

  “I will, and thank you, head demon.” Noah bowed, wondering if he should have selected yes instead.

  Noah was about to turn back when the head demon called out once again. “Human, I have a task, and I think only you can carry it out for me.”

  “I’d be glad to serve you,” Noah replied, wondering what would the task could be.

  “There is a cave to the south of the town. I used to hunt monsters there before someone with despicable power sealed it off for the demons of the Town of Sumara. But before it was sealed off, I lost my diadem in the cave. Can you bring it back?”