Fifty.
It took me killing fifty more rats before I leveled up again. That’s not to mention that I needed to wait for the others to kill their own ten rats, which meant that it took me sitting through our group fumbling to kill rats in close combat twenty-nine times before I could get back to killing them with fire.
The good news is all that time waiting gave me plenty of time to play with my skills, I now knew that I needed to touch my target to activate drain life. That was a major limitation to the skill, but I was hopeful that this limitation would lift in the future. This hope wasn’t unfounded, at first I could only cast fireball over or under my open palm, but now I could cast it from anywhere within about two feet of my body without even lifting my arm. I think the change is because my skill leveled up, a thought that a quick glance at my new character screen showed was right on the money. I still couldn’t move from where I am standing when I cast it, but I’m hopping that’s the next limitation to lift when the skill levels up.
As I left J to looting the rat I had just burnt to death, I turned my attention back to the semi-transparent screen that had returned with my level up.
|[Level Up]|
|Class: [Mystic: Lv3]|
|Skills: [Fire Ball: Lv2] [Drain Life: Lv1]|
|Stats: [Agility: 2] [Endurance: 4] [Luck: 1] [Mana: 9] [Magic Resistance: 2] [Mind: 3] [Piety: 1] [Strength: 1] [Unattributed: 0]|
|New Skills, 1 Available: [Bind Familiar] [Summon Imp] [Summon Flame Wisp]|
I had to reread the skills that were being offered more than twice. I was getting summons, I had always hoped that the mystic class would get the chance to summon pets or something similar, but I had figured a skill like that would be a long ways down the line. I was getting them at level three, a blessing I was not going to question.
Of the summon options I immediately tossed out bind familiar, it might be an awesome skill essentially allowing me to tame any monster I come across, but it sounded like it was a one time thing and the only monsters I had access to right now were big rats. The other two options were actual summons so I could call on them repeatedly and it didn’t matter if the summon died, it also might let me summon more than one as the skill improved. I wasn’t entirely sure what a flame wisp was, wisps had been portrayed as both elemental and undead creatures depending on what fictional world they were in, but I did know what an imp was. I knew that imps and wisps both were fairly weak creatures, but I had the impression imps were stronger. In plenty of games and stories imps could fly, toss fire balls, and even use there claws or a dagger or something in close combat. Sometimes they could even turn invisible, cloud mortal minds, and do tons of other things. Plus, they could usually talk.
At this point an imp would basically be a mini version of me just able to fly and probably unable to use drain life, and if summons worked like in most games every kill it made counted as experience for me. The thought of just summoning my imp and sending it off to kill rats for me was really attractive, and that was what ultimately made me tap on the summon imp skill.
Putting points in mind, luck, magic resistance, and mana I checked my new stats as I watched my character screen fade away.
|Class: [Mystic: Lv3]|
|Skills: [Fire Ball: Lv2] [Drain Life: Lv1] [Summon Imp: Lv1]|
|Stats: [Agility: 2] [Endurance: 4] [Luck: 2] [Mana: 10] [Magic Resistance: 4] [Mind: 4] [Piety: 1] [Strength: 1] [Unattributed: 0]|
When the screen was entirely gone, I smiled to myself and tried out my new skill. I watched as a crimson magic circle made of strange glyphs appeared on the floor near me, the circle was three feet wide and seemed to be spinning and giving off red light as the glyphs twisted and moved. As I stared at the glyphs that made up the circle their meanings seemed to tickle at the pack of my mind, there but just beyond my grasp whenever I reached for them. After about half a minute there was a burst of crimson light and acrid smoke that smelled of brimstone and sulfur, and within the smoke and light was a short silhouette.
As the smoke cleared and the circle giving off light disappeared, I saw my imp. It stood at three feet tall, had light red, almost pink skin covering its small thin body, there were small wings on its back that flapped seemingly at random, and there was a foot and a half long whip-like spade tipped tail extending out from above its ass crack. What surprised me was that my imp was nude and clearly female. Its face had softer features with a clear feminine leaning that could almost be called cute, its thin form was childish in proportion but had some curves, and then of course there was the fact it had a vagina that it made no attempt to conceal.
The imp looked up at me and tilted its head as it considered me before dipping into a graceful sweeping bow that I had seen butler characters do so often in anime.
“Master, this one serves.” The voice was demure and softly servile, another surprise. As I stared at a lose of what to do with the imp I had called forth, I realized I truly knew my summon. An unpronounceable, almost unintelligible string of sounds rang out in my mind, and I understood that this was my imp’s true name and by possessing this name I owned the imp’s very being. I knew my imp as well as I knew my right hand, and I could control her just as easily.
It was a heady feeling, to so utterly own another being. It was almost intoxicating, I could have my imp do anything, it would obey my every command without fail, and it would slowly conform itself to my ideals as my holding its true name influenced its very being. I knew now that demons had no true gender, the forms they appeared as were just reflections of their personality and identity and changed as one or the other did. In time I could make my imp appear as whatever I wanted, overwrite its very identity with my own desired construction.
The power I had over this single imp was so absolute that it was shocking, and I knew I could easily lose myself by indulging in these feelings too much. Already I was changed, just by having this power over another it awakened something in me, a desire for more.
Shivering I nodded at my little imp and tried to reign in my budding internal dark lord of evil and conquest. I knew that I could issue mental commands to my little demon, just by owning its name I could control it wherever it was with nothing more than a thought. So I did just that, I directed my imp to separate from the group and start hunting rats for me.
“Of course master, by your will” My imp did a little hopping skip as it stood up and began walking down the hall heading away from the group. The imp would be fine, it couldn’t do much more than fly and throw fireballs, but that’s all it really needed to kill rats.
As I looked at the rest of my group they seemed shocked before they started gesturing at me wildly. For the first time a thought crossed my mind, a thought I had never seriously considered before summoning my imp. I didn’t need them. They were a chain holding me back, a shackle, there only use was as meat shields to divert danger from me, and now I had a much better alternative. My imp was a demon, an immortal being, death for my imp just meant a trip back to hell and a wait for me to resummon her. I owned the demon’s name, and so my desires shaped its own, and it would happily die for me if I commanded it to. I had no need for these three anymore.
Except for, maybe as experience…
I shook off that dark thought and put a humble smile on my face and gestured back at the others. I tried to convey that we should just move on and eventually they seemed to catch on that I couldn’t really explain everything that just happened with gestures alone. We went back to searching for rats to continue grinding, but all the while I turned that one thought around in my mind.
These three weren’t my friends, I didn’t care about them, I didn’t even know their names. A part of me, a dark part that had always been there, whispered that I wouldn’t feel anything if I killed them. Killing them would be like killing the rats, I’d feel nothing but simple accomplishment for the deed and maybe a little bit of satisfaction at overcoming a foe that could actually threaten me. Another part of me, a new part that had just been awakened, offered an alternative. I could use these three, control them, twist them to my desires and bend them to my will. The dark part of me that had always been there liked this idea to, and it welcomed this new part of me with open arms and warm friendship.
I shivered; I liked the idea far too much. It was a temptation that sung to my soul, but I refused it.
I had never been a good person. All my life I had been selfish and self-centered, I had little to no empathy for others, and I reserved sympathy for those few I cared about or caught my interest. I had never been a good person, but I hadn’t been a bad person either. I didn’t go out of my way to hurt others, and if something was asked of me by a peer or authority figure I typically did it. I hadn’t been a serial killer, I had been an artist and a nerd. I had controlled my darker impulses and satisfied my more twisted fetishes the normal way, with porn. I had been a normal guy, just a bit dark personality wise and very introverted.
But now, now I was beginning to wonder if I should change that.
*
I had nothing to do.
Time passed and I watched as my group slowly killed rats, occasionally I’d help out by trying to hold down or distract the rat with the others, but I wasn’t strong enough to really hold it down and I wasn’t as fast or as agile as the others. Whenever I tried to help without using magic I always hurt myself, but it did give me the chance to learn that my drain life skill does in fact heal me. I also think the skill helps restore my mana as well, but that’s harder to prove as just feeling energized after using it isn’t nearly as good a proof as watching your wounds heal so fast they close in seconds.
Hours went by and I resorted to casting fireballs and throwing them at the walls, sconces, and ceiling to keep myself entertained. I even tried juggling a fireball, I only did that once because I seriously burned myself and it took me a while to heal before we came across a rat I could drain before its head got bashed in. The rest of my group thought it was funny when I accidently burned myself, I seriously considered killing them all again and the thought held a bit more weight than before as watched them silently laugh at me.
I was on the verge of tossing fireballs at the ground to try and burn my name into the ground when it happened.
|[Level Up]|
|Class: [Mystic: Lv4]|
|Skills: [Fire Ball: Lv2] [Drain Life: Lv1] [Summon Imp: Lv1]|
|Stats: [Agility: 2] [Endurance: 4] [Luck: 2] [Mana: 10] [Magic Resistance: 4] [Mind: 4] [Piety: 1] [Strength: 1] [Unattributed: 5]|
|New Skills, 1 Available: [Curse of Weakness] [Gift of Might] [Cloak of Flame]|
I stared in confusion as my screen popped up before regaining my senses and quickly turning around so the others wouldn’t see it. I could guess what happened, my imp must have killed enough rats for me to level up even when I haven’t killed any since I summoned her. A grin that I couldn’t suppress came to my face, it was such a nice feeling to know that my imp was working hard even now and helping me level up.
As I looked at the skills I quickly decided on the curse of weakness, I figured that it was usually better to make your enemy weaker than make yourself or your allies stronger, even if could use the buff skill one multiple people. Then again, I was only thinking this way because I didn’t plan to group up with anyone and I was hoping to leave this group soon too. Strength buffs didn’t mean to much if you were using disposable summons as cannon fodder, and you yourself were a mage who doesn’t really use strength.
Without much further thought on the matter I tapped the curse of weakness skill and put my stat points in mind, mana, agility, and luck.
As the screen faded I glanced over my new stats as had become habit for me.
|Class: [Mystic: Lv4]|
|Skills: [Fire Ball: Lv2] [Drain Life: Lv1] [Summon Imp: Lv1] [Curse of Weakness: Lv1]|
|Stats: [Agility: 4] [Endurance: 4] [Luck: 3] [Mana: 11] [Magic Resistance: 4] [Mind: 5] [Piety: 1] [Strength: 1] [Unattributed: 0]|
I smiled as the screen faded away, I knew my Imp would keep the experience coming even as I wasted time waiting on the rest of my group. Sadly now that my screen was gone it was back to being bored and trying to entertain myself. I decided that I really would try and write my name on the floor with burn marks.
*
I learned that my curse of weakness required a target, and I simply didn’t want to reveal that skill to my group. A small part of me wondered if I was being an asshole by holding back a skill that could help the group, but the rest of me cautioned that it was always a good idea to have a secret trump card up your sleeve, even if you didn’t need it. So instead of weakening the rats I watched L, W, and J struggle with them, occasionally joining in and beating on a rat with punches and kicks. The entire process was slow and I was beginning to regret being a part of the group in the first place, if I had known I could kill the rats so easily on my own and that I’d be getting a summon so early then I never would have proposed grouping up. Hindsight could be a bitch.
Hours passed before L finally leveled up, we all saw his screen appear, but like usual we couldn’t read what was on his screen as it did not form words for us but instead looked like gibberish. L got all excited then after his screen went away, he held out his hand and a ghostly sword appeared in his open hand.
As we all congratulated L I stared at that ghostly sword. I had no idea how L made that weapon, but that didn’t really matter, what really mattered was that L was armed now. No matter what my endurance was I didn’t think I could survive a sword through my chest or a decapitation, after all this wasn’t a game and I didn’t have a health bar that would ensure my survival no matter the injury as long as I had some HP left. That sword could kill me just as easily as my fireballs could kill J or W.
Even after we all resumed our hunt for giant rats I kept an eye on L’s new sword. I was keeping time in my hand, and somewhere around two hundred seconds later the sword started flickering and then disappeared. L stopped and looked down at his hand, then his mouth turned down in a small frown of disappointment.
Three minutes, that ghostly sword could last for three minutes. That was more than enough time in a fight to the death, but it clearly wasn’t a permanent weapon, at least it wasn’t at level one.
A thought struck me as I watched L dejectedly start walking again. Now would probably be the best time to kill them if I was going to do that. L didn’t have his new sword, W was still only level two, and J was a crafter basically helpless in combat right now. It would take two, maybe three fireballs each, less than a minute. I could take out the two fighters before they realized what was happening, and then all that would be left was J. J might be more agile than the rest of us, and he might be stronger than I am, but he would burn all the same. J would probably only take a single fireball, two if he had higher endurance than I thought.
For a while I considered the idea, I imagined how the hypothetical battle would go in my head, I even wondered if I would get experience for the kills and how much each of the group would be worth to me. Then I let the thought pass. I wouldn’t kill the other members of my group, they hadn’t done anything to me other than annoy me by holding up my progress so the group could advance together as a whole. I may not care if they die, and I might be using them as potential meat shields, but I wouldn’t kill them when I had joined them as an ally.
As I made my decision, I decided that I would need some sort of code for myself to live by in this world. I was too free here, too powerful, if I didn’t set some rules for myself, I’d quickly give in to my darker urges and desires.
As the group went about the business of finding and killing rats I found myself in deep introspection as I considered rules that would dictate how I would live.
*
I launched a fireball at a rat without even really looking at it. I didn’t need to make any sort of motion to toss my fireballs now, I could even cast the spell while moving slowly now. I guessed that this meant that my fireball spell was now level three, regardless my fireballs now killed a rat in a single hit. I wasn’t sure if it was because my mind stat was increasing the damage of the magic or if the level of the magic going up caused the power increase, it could even be a combination of those two things.
As J went towards the rat to loot it, I had my attention drawn away from my thoughts by the appearance of my screen.
|[Level Up]|
|Class: [Mystic: Lv5]|
|Skills: [Fire Ball: Lv3] [Drain Life: Lv1] [Summon Imp: Lv1] [Curse of Weakness: Lv1]|
|Stats: [Agility: 4] [Endurance: 4] [Luck: 3] [Mana: 11] [Magic Resistance: 4] [Mind: 5] [Piety: 1] [Strength: 1] [Unattributed: 5]|
|New Skills, 1 Available: [Magic Trap] [Fire Bolt] [Mana Wall]|
|New Talents, 1 Available: [Elemental Affinity] [Summoner’s Gift] [Perfect Siphon] [Magic Scholar]|
Talents. Those were new, probably only unlocked once I hit level five. I read the names of the talents, but the names didn’t tell me enough about their effects for me to get a good judge of what to choose. I could sort of guess what each one did, but there was no way to know for sure until I picked one.
Then there were the skills. Fire bolt seemed like it would be an upgraded fire ball, magic trap was intriguing and piqued my interest quite a bit, and mana wall was clearly a defensive skill which is something that I currently lacked. In the end I caved to my curiosity and ended up picking the magic trap skill.
That left me with the talents and my skill points. The skill points were easy, I just put one each in mind, magic resistance, strength, mana, and luck. The talents were harder, but ultimately, I decided that I should get the summoner’s gift talent. My reasoning was simple, summons were going to be a major asset to me, and I had already decided I was going to pick up any summoning skill I was offered. Anything that empowered those summons was a good investment in my mind.
As my screen faded away, I glanced at it once again to see the changes I had made, but I quickly found myself distracted by new knowledge simply appearing in my mind.
|Class: [Mystic: Lv5]|
|Skills: [Fire Ball: Lv3] [Drain Life: Lv1] [Summon Imp: Lv1] [Curse of Weakness: Lv1] [Magic Trap: Lv1]|
|Talents: [Summoner’s Gift: 1/3]
|Stats: [Agility: 4] [Endurance: 4] [Luck: 4] [Mana: 12] [Magic Resistance: 5] [Mind: 6] [Piety: 1] [Strength: 2] [Unattributed: 0]|
Suddenly I understood what my talent did. My summons were strengthened, but not in the way that I expected. Summoner’s gift ensured that every time I summoned something my summon was equipped with a piece of equipment tied to their being. That piece equipment could be anything from a weapon to a piece of clothing, but whatever it was would complement the summons strength and grow alongside them.
With a smile I summoned my imp, at my mental command the crimson magic circle appeared in front of me. I waited the thirty seconds it took for my imp to appear in a flash of red light and acrid smoke, and when the smoke cleared and the circle disappeared, I saw my imp. She was still totally nude, but now in her right hand was a wicked looking serrated black dagger that had crimson vein like patterns decorating the blade.
“Master, this one has heeded your call. This one must also thank her master for the lovely dagger, it will feast on the blood of master’s enemies.” The imps voice was still soft and servile, and she once again immediately performed a sweeping as soon as she saw me. The bow was all the more impressive given she managed to flip her dagger around and hid it behind her wrist and arm as she made the bowing motion.
I simply nodded at my imp and commanded her to return to her task of killing as many rats as she could find.
“Master’s will be done.” With only that she stood up straight again, turned away, and with a hop began to fly away. I watched in fascination as her small wings beat rhythmically in the air and her tail lashed behind her. There should be no natural way for the imp’s wings to support her in flight, they didn’t even seem big enough to help her glide, so her flight had to be magical in nature. I thought about that as my imp disappeared around a corner and the group began moving in the opposite direction.
I was level five now, and I had already decided that I would be leaving the group once everyone was at least level five. That meant that after L, W, and J gained two more levels I’d be saying goodbye to them. It was for the best really, even though we couldn’t talk, interacting with other people for so long was wearing on me. I’d never been a social person, and being a part of the group was beginning to feel more like an obligation I had reluctantly taken on instead of a necessary safety measure. I could level up faster without them, and I was reasonably sure I could survive on my own without the protection of the group as well. Still I’d stick with them, at least until they were all level five, after that they were on their own.
I'm excited for when he levels up to see what skills he grabs. The way he's going now reminds me of the Summoner from Divinity Original Sin 2, and I loved that class so I'll be waiting patiently.
Thanks for the read!
Ah yes the chad elemental with thousands of buffs
Not a huge fan of complete psychopath MCs, but cold and calculating is good sometimes.