by Sarah Lin
When he focused on the glass vial again, the box twisted into a new shape.
[Greater Health Potion
Drink to heal a large amount of health.
Rarity: Uncommon]
"It's a health potion," he declared. "More valuable than the average. The boxes couldn't recognize it at first, but the effect is obvious."
To his surprise, Meara clapped her hands together. Just once, but in the moment she did so, he caught a glimpse of a smile. It completely transformed her face, becoming something that was neither the cheerful girl she had been when they first met, nor the suicidal woman she had been at the start of the day. But a moment later she restrained herself and nodded.
"That's right. Normally I'm not skilled enough to brew potions like that, but I tried anyway. Everyone said I failed, but it seems I didn't completely."
"As for this last one..." Bloodwraith examined the glass bottle carefully, swirling the liquid inside it, feeling the mana as well as he could, and generally glaring it into submission. Eventually its box blurred and shifted as well.
[Restoration Potion
Drink to heal injuries, increase insight, and boost stamina.
WARNING: Will not restore Health or Stamina.
Rarity: ???]
"Odd. The box calls it a 'Restoration Potion' but the description contradicts itself. Is this the type of potion you gave me before? That one seemed effective, whatever the boxes say."
"Similar." Meara gave him a sly smile. "Before, I did it by accident. This one I tried as hard as I could to make a potion that would restore someone. But everyone told me they were failed or got sick while drinking them, so I grew depressed about it..."
"You can break the system." Bloodwraith stared at her, his eyes widening. He caught another glimpse of that sly smile before Meara looked away.
"I told you I was broken, didn't I?"
"We need to perform more experiments!" He couldn't quite contain his interest, jumping to his feet. "Now that I've examined the potion, will others be able to drink it? Have you tried drinking your own potions? What happens if-"
"That's enough." Meara raised a hand, all trace of her smile gone. "If you want my help, we need to have a serious talk."
Bloodwraith stared at her incredulously. "Are you serious? We're the only people who can figure this out, and we can't do it alone. What are you going to do, go back to working for some insignificant shopkeeper? Become some farmer's wife and try to forget about the time you wanted to kill yourself?"
"You never told me your name, adventurer." She met his gaze without flinching, the steel within her rising again. "I'm not going to work with someone who's withholding critical information from me. You don't seem like the other adventurers from the Forest, but how do I know?"
"There's no way to know for sure," Bloodwraith told her sourly. "I can't provide actual proof for any claims, so anything I say will be just words."
"Give me something. Please."
They stared at one another, neither backing down. He could see in her eyes that she wouldn't bend on this point. This was no peasant wench... whatever Meara was now, she deserved his respect. Besides, after what she had been through, he doubted she would run off weeping like Danniah. Bloodwraith sat back down, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Very well, Meara. You told me you remembered the Master Lich?"
"I told an adventurer about him at some point in the past, yes. Didn't he die?"
"Yes, he did. But the Master Lich had two subordinates: do you remember them?"
Meara's mouth twisted into a frown. "No, I don't think so. I just warned about the Master Lich and I never heard more about it until I left the Forest. Why?"
"Well..." Bloodwraith took another deep breath and then just pushed forward. "His subordinates were named Skullcrusher and Bloodwraith. I am... the latter. After Raigar was victorious, but before he entered a mysterious door, I used an ancient artifact to switch our souls. So he died in my place, and I took his place. But my identity is unchanged: I am still Bloodwraith, Corrupter of Worlds and Father to the Undead."
When he was finished, silence reigned. And then Meara giggled.
"Did you say your name was Bloodwraith? Seriously?"
He glowered. "Are you mocking my name?"
"Well, did your parents name you that?"
"...no."
"Then you chose it for yourself, didn't you?" Meara fell over backwards onto the boulder, trying and failing to contain her giggling behind her hands. "So you started with 'Bloody Ghost' and worked from there? Did you consider naming yourself the Sanguine Specter? I think you're aiming much too low! Why not call yourself Cursemurder McDeath, Puncher of Kittens and Defiler of Puppies?"
Bloodwraith drew himself up and huffed disapprovingly. He had expected fear or disgust, not... this. Meara got her giggling under control, but when she sat up and looked at him, her eyes still danced gleefully. "I'll have you know that name struck fear into the hearts of my enemies."
"I'm sure that it did." Meara's mouth twitched once more before she finally looked at him more seriously. "Well... Bloodwraith... what are you trying to do now? Are you planning to rape and murder your way across the land? Form another undead horde and conquer everything? Because you aren't doing a very good job of it so far."
"I... I'm not sure." Though he had been furious at first, his wrath felt... punctured. He leaned forward, folding his hands together and forcing himself to think logically. "More important than any of my ambitions is the fact that beings from outside reality are manipulating our world. And you should know that I did not just mindlessly raze the land. And I would never defile a pup... this isn't the point!"
"Oh, but it does matter, because I need to know who you actually are. Most of the adventurers who passed through took advantage of me, but you didn't. The reason why will determine whether or not I can trust you."
Answers leapt immediately to mind, both Raigar's instincts and more subtle lies. Yet staring at Meara, Bloodwraith felt all of those falling away and he just answered honestly. "I'm not sure. Something is wrong with me. I feel as though my mind is trapped in a body that has its own impulses. It tries to force me to do more... more heroic things, I suppose."
Meara tilted her head to the side, considering him seriously. She didn't mock him at all now, considering his jumbled words with a thoughtful expression. "So you think you're a mix of good and evil motivations? It could be that... but I'm not sure it is."
"What? You're going to tell me that you know how I feel better than I do?"
"You run around calling yourself Bloodwraith. I'm not sure you can be trusted with self-awareness." There was little barb to her words, however, and she still examined him carefully. "Look. I've met a lot of adventurers, and many of them talked about 'Good' and 'Evil.' I don't think I care about those labels anymore. All I can tell you is that from what I've seen, I don't think I believe it's that simple."
"I... accept that you may be right." Bloodwraith looked down at himself, the foolishly muscled body that was all he had now. How did this reincarnation work, anyway? Presumably his current body contained brain matter, and his old brain matter had decayed in his old body. Had his old thoughts been imprinted? His soul transported entirely? He struggled to figure out how that would work compared to the Wand of Soul Exchange, but then again, he was dealing with Outsiders from some incomprehensible world. Bloodwraith rubbed the amulet around his neck thoughtfully, wishing he had the magical senses to examine it more closely.
"What's that?"
Bloodwraith jolted and stared at her. In the entire time he had been traveling he had worn the amulet, even in the sauna, and no one had ever commented on it. Given the note that it was impossible to steal or lose, he had assumed it was part of him. Yet Meara was staring directly at it.
"There's something very strange about that amulet. But I'm guessing you know that?"
"The boxes call it the Amulet of Reincarnation. It says it was given to Raigar for his s
econd life in our world..."
[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 Reputation (Reputation will rise faster and fall slower.)
Perk: Enhanced Freedom (Guidelines and impact limitations have been lifted.)
Perk: Ladies Man (Easier interactions with the opposite sex.)
Perk: Clean Conscience (Limits potential trauma or regret.)]
Now that he thought about it, he wondered if the amulet could be used to manipulate him. It could obviously provide benefits that had deep and subtle effects on the world around him, so it was plausible. None of the text said anything about that, but why would it? Then again, it claimed that his freedom had been enhanced, not limited.
"Are you staring at the amulet?" Meara asked.
Bloodwraith looked up from it to give her a flat stare.
"Okay, I realize that sounded like a stupid question. But you were really staring at it, and I felt like something was different. Were you seeing one of those boxes?"
"You're right. It's floating here..." Bloodwraith trailed off as he realized that Meara was staring at the space where it had been, even before he gestured to it. "Can you see the boxes?"
"No... but I do feel like something is there. Try this. Make the box go away at a random time and I'll see if I notice."
Nodding at the reasonable experiment, Bloodwraith waited for a long time, moving his eyes randomly to avoid giving her any hints. He dismissed the box at an arbitrary moment and Meara immediately perked up.
"There, it's-" In the middle of her sentence he summoned the box again and her face fell. "No, wait, it feels the same again."
"I brought the box back." Fascinated by this new ability, Bloodwraith dismissed the box and instead stared at Meara intensely. Her box soon appeared, as mangled as before. She was confused for a moment, then her eyes widened.
"Are you looking at my box?"
"That's right."
"What does it say?"
"Right now, nothing. Ever since we met in Cresthaven, it's been too mangled to read. Presumably because of whatever broke inside you. Before, it said you were a 'Level 0 Peasant.' "
"Gee, thanks, boxes." Meara rolled her eyes and Bloodwraith found himself smiling.
He immediately cut off the expression, remembering the issue before this tangent. Where had that smile come from? His old self might have appreciated sarcasm, but he never would have spent time with a girl like Meara. Was it the old urges forcing him to respond positively to her, or something else?
"Bring back the amulet box again," Meara said. "Tell me exactly what it says."
Since that was a reasonable request no matter the source of his feelings, Bloodwraith dutifully read it out. When he finished, Meara shook her head slowly.
"No... that's a simplification, I think. It just says 'more quickly' - not how much more quickly. Not all the details are there."
"That's obviously true on the face of it." Bloodwraith frowned. "Are you suggesting that the amulet is manipulating me in some way?"
"I don't think it's that simple, I think it's part of you. The amulet is a reward that Raigar earned for starting a new life, correct?"
"That seems to be the case."
"Then the amulet probably reflects who he wanted to be." Meara tapped her chin thoughtfully, still staring at the space where the box hovered. "One thing I can say for all the adventurers I met, they all seemed driven. Some actually walked up to me and asked me what great evil they could slay, or talked about wanting to be heroes. Others made it just as obvious they were there for pure hedonism. But they all came with a purpose, so the same must be true for Raigar."
"Then that just confirms my theory that I'm dealing with his impulses. Raigar was an idiot, always shouting about defeating the Master Lich, becoming famous, and all that."
"The old Raigar did. This is his second life."
Meara reached forward and she touched the box. Bloodwraith was so shocked he couldn't even say anything, just stared. Instead of her hand passing through it without impact, her fingers disappeared into the surface. He wanted to say something, but her face was fixed in concentration and he didn't want to distract her. The text seemed to shimmer and blur before she pulled her hand back.
And promptly gave a malicious little cackle. Bloodwraith looked away from the shifting box to glare at her. "What did you do? Did you change something?"
"Oh, I don't think I'm capable of that. I just looked at your amulet a little more closely and realized a few things." She gave him an incomprehensible smirk. "Tell me about these feelings of Raigar's, oh fearsome Bloodwraith."
Though her attitude infuriated him, Meara was his only ally who could help him with the boxes, so he cooperated. "It emerges at various points, such as interacting with other adventurers. In my old life I would have killed them all when they annoyed me. Now I find myself working with them. And Danniah - the one I told you about - she should be annoying, but because of Raigar's impulses I ended up defending her."
Meara let out another cackle. When she saw his glare she tried to stifle her cackle, but failed. Still snickering, she reached out to tap the box. "Look more carefully. I delved a little deeper into exactly what those perks of yours mean. Reading between the lines, you can see a lot more about who Raigar wanted to be."
There were new lines in the description of the amulet. The first were simple multipliers that were just as arbitrary as all the other numbers that the boxes threw at him, but the last two...
[Perk: Ladies Man (Easier interactions with the opposite sex.)
- Affection with female characters will increase more quickly.
- Female characters will be more receptive to sexual advances.
- Rape will vary based on player intent, leading to romance unless intentionally violent.
- Pregnancy will not occur unless intentionally willed.
- Complete immunity to sexually-transmitted diseases.
- Sexual harassment will be ignored within limits.
- All conquered women will become amenable to harem conditions.
Perk: Clean Conscience (Limits potential trauma or regret.)
- Psychological impact of murder completely removed.
- Empathy for victims will be muted or removed when it would inconvenience the player.
- Most actions will not generate any guilt.
- If confronted with consequences of actions, negative emotional reactions will be muted.]
There was even more text, shifting as lines blurred in and out, but the more he read, the more the cold realization came to him. These were not advantages that would be chosen by someone wanting to be a shining hero. If Raigar had chosen all of these for his second life... Bloodwraith sat there, staring numbly at the words and reading none of them.
"You see now?" Meara smirked. "Raigar might have wanted to save the land the first time, but not the second. No, it looks to me like he wanted to start over and do whatever he wanted."
"Then why are you laughing at me?" Though they had not truly known each other for very long, Bloodwraith still felt betrayed that she would mock him. Yet as she stifled another giggle, her mockery didn't seem as malicious as he had thought at first.
"All those heroic impulses you said came from Raigar, all that kindness and human connection... where do you think they really came from?"
He stared at her, wishing that he was as stupid a barbarian as he looked. But there was nothing he could do to stop his mind from comprehending her words. Though he tried to develop counter-arguments, he didn't truly believe any of them. She was right... and she couldn't resist rubbing it in.
"Oh, great and terrible Bloodwraith! Whatever will we do before your horrible reign, wantonly befriending adventurers all throughout the land?"
"Shut up!" Bloodwraith grabbed Meara by the throat and lifted her into the air..
. and immediately realized just how many times he had done exactly that. She didn't seem even slightly concerned, eyes dancing as she looked down at him.
"Oh no! Mighty Bloodwraith, please don't make me 'amenable to harem conditions'!"
For a moment, his anger burned hot and true. How dare she mock him like this? He should impale her on his sword, burn down everything, show the world...
Show the world what? His anger slipped away and Bloodwraith set Meara down heavily. Even if his life had depended on it, he didn't think he could have killed her in that moment. He had been holding his view of himself so rigidly, and now it all lay shattered on the ground. Because she was right.
Something must have changed in him, because all trace of amusement vanished from Meara's face. She took a step closer and touched his arm. "Are you alright? I'm sorry, I just..."
"No, I understand. I must look like a pompous fool to you." He brushed off her hand and moved a short distance away. She took a step after him, but didn't touch him again.
"I'm actually glad... Bloodwraith." For once there was no mockery when she said his name. "If Raigar had gotten his second life, he would have done terrible things in our world. Not only did you stop him, you've resisted those impulses and haven't taken advantage of all the power you've been given. I feel like I know who you are now. And I'd be happy to work wit-"
"You're wrong." He turned back to her, eyes flashing with a bit of his old self. "It isn't that simple. I was not a good person, Meara. I've murdered people solely for my benefit. I helped the Master Lich kill so many..."
"But don't you remember? The Master Lich was probably planted by the Outsiders for Raigar to defeat, another one of their tools. You were pulled into the same pattern. You were as manipulated by them as I was."
"I don't think that's true. I remember myself too clearly - it would be too easy to blame it all on them and ignore responsibility for my actions."
Meara took his words seriously, at least. After a long pause, she spoke more quietly. "Do you want to pick up where you left off in your last life? Burn down the world?"
"I... no. I don't think I ever wanted that."
"Then this is your chance to decide again, isn't it?" She stepped up in front of him and gave him a soft smile. "I think we're all controlled by our past decisions, in many ways. But you've been given a second chance. You can decide what it is you really want."
