After eating his fill, Nedoma places the broken core inside his satchel and stares at what remains of the slime feast. “I really wish I had some waterskins right now...” he thinks aloud as he ponders taking some of the remains with him. He peers into his bag, which was already damp from the boar meat's blood and juices. The addition of slime would transform the inside of his satchel into a goblin-boar stew with the gooey substance as the broth. The book which rested inside had already grown a little soggy. “Don't really want to start rewriting it again so soon..” he said as he attempts to shake it dry. Nedoma shakes his head. “This slime is probably worth close to as much as the goblins I've killed so far, and I'd leave it over dirtying a book?”

Nedoma pauses for a moment. “Well...the plan was to kill more goblins tonight. The slime shouldn't go anywhere so long as nothing else takes it. Maybe I'll find something to carry some of the slime then. So for now...” Nedoma lays down against a nearby tree, placing his sword and shield close by as he opens up the book. “Guess I can train a little before then.”

Nedoma flipped through the pages until he arrives at the introductory section for the next skill, “Demon's Curse.”

“The spell 'Demon's Curse' is the second skill that Demon Knights learn, and is taught alongside 'Absorb Evil' when first starting out. In it's simplest form, it allows the ability to coat your weapon with magic, greatly increasing its potential in combat. Swords grow sharper, maces strike harder, shields become sturdier. The weapon in question will emit a slight purple glow, showcasing its success. The weapon must remain in contact for the skill to work, so using it on things such as arrows or thrown weapons will cause the buff to dissipate the moment it leaves your hands. Utilized in this basic way, it is an effective tool to enhance your fighting prowess.

But what spell with 'Curse' in it's name comes without a cost? It is in the advanced usage of the skill where a price must be paid. The same effect which can be applied to weapons, can also be applied to one's self. Senses can be sharpened. Legs which move and kick harder. Skin which becomes far sturdier. That same glow begins to envelop the parts of your body which you enhanced, dancing like flames wherever applied.

It is thought that each effect is borrowed from demons, who are the personification of combat itself. In this case, taking their power means taking their thoughts as well. You will find your mental state slowly fleeting, being replaced with a quenched blood-lust. As the magic continues to consume your mind, you will grow more hostile and combative to all around you, whether they be friend or foe. Some people speculate that the demon familiars which all Demon Knights eventually summon are former Demon Knights who were defeated after being consumed by this spell.

In both the basic and advanced form, utilizing the spell is the same. Imagine what you would like to enhance in your mind, wrapped in demonic power while placing your fingers on it. Then, chant By the Will of Forma, allow me to borrow the power of demons, Demon's Curse!”

“Finally, a spell that will help me during fights instead of just adding to my workload after.” He complains aloud, still displeased at how seemingly useless 'Absorb Evil' was. Nedoma placed the open book on the ground as he stood up, holding his sword in one hand while placing his finger on the edge of the blade with his other. He closes his eyes and imagines the sword in his hand being imbued with magical power and becoming stronger. “By the Will of Forma, allow me to borrow the power of demons, Demon's Curse!” The silence within the forest is briefly interrupted by Nedoma's chant as he passionately recites the incantation. Nedoma's eyes open to reveal... the sword unchanged. A shrug and slight shake of the head is the only reaction he gives as he begins to repeat the chant and continue his practicing.

***

By evening time, Nedoma readies himself to head back into the village and catch more goblins unaware. He inspects the wound on his hip from the previous night, the blood having long since stopped flowing, but the cut still remained. “I bet if I talk to the adventurer's guild they'd be able to patch me up for a price when I get back,” he thought aloud. With his belongings in tow, Nedoma leaves the slime puddle behind for now as he slowly makes his way towards the village.

As he steps through the forest, Nedoma thinks about his past as a child. We used to sometimes play in this forest back when we were growing up. Mom and dad always warned us not to go, but none of the kids ever listened and we never got in trouble as long as we didn't go to far in. To think, there might have been monsters right by us and we never knew. He paused for a moment. Well, I guess that explains why occasionally villagers would suddenly “move away,” as our parents called it.

The light within the forest continues to dim. With no wind passing through, only the soft sound of Nedoma's footsteps could be heard as he draws closer and closer to the village. The air is pleasantly cool, as always towards the end of what would have been the final harvest of the year. Shortly after the harvest completes, there is a window of time where work on the farm begins to dwindle. With less backbreaking labor to attend to, he would find more time to spend playing games with others on the farm, including Janna.

The brief snap of a twig can be heard just up ahead. The grip on his shield and sword tightens as he steadily moves forward. Whatever is up there sounds like it's waiting for me. Nedoma attempts to appear unaware as he nears the location where the sound came from. Not wanting to fall completely victim to an ambush, he stops moving and looks around. The forest is littered with trees and brush, all capable of hiding goblins within their cover. But up until now, goblins haven't seemed like the type to not immediately announce themselves... he thought as he surveyed the area.

Surely it must realize that I know it's somewhere here. But for all Nedoma's waiting did, no monster revealed itself. He stabbed of the bushes with his sword while keeping his guard up, hoping to catch the hidden adversary but found nothing. If it's a goblin that runs home and warns the others, tonight will be a bust. I have to find it.

Nedoma begins to move, taking on the guise of unaware prey to lure the monster out of hiding. Within a few minutes, he's able to ascertain that there was something following him towards his right. As he continues walking, he spots an extra thick tree just up ahead. Just as he stepped by it, he quickly slips in front of it, hoping the monster might think he was still ahead. But after leaning against the bark and patiently waiting, the pursuer appeared to have stopped as well.

Nedoma's eye twitches slightly. I don't know why I thought that would work. Alright, enough is enough. Nedoma dashes out from the tree and sprints towards the direction he had just come from, his sword raised above him. He barely catches the sight of a bush shaking and barrels towards it. “Gotcha!” He swings his sword down, ready to cut the creature in half. But the monster jumps out and blocks the strike with its weapon, a loud clang from metal on metal rings out. A goblin that reached Nedoma's shoulders stood in front of him.

Its hand grips a sword that resembles his own. After stopping Nedoma's swing it counters by launching a horizontal cut aiming for Nedoma's neck. He jumps backwards, feeling a slight gust of wind as the blade swishes just in front of his neck. That was close! “H-heh, finally something that I don't need to crouch down to hit.” Nedoma's voice slightly shakes as he tries to disregard the near fatal strike. The goblin goes on the offensive and launches multiple attacks. It's form is wild as it attempts to break through Nedoma's defense. Sword meets shield, over and over as Nedoma takes to blocking rather than evading blows.

The goblin attempts another vertical slash, this time Nedoma steps to the side as he thrusts out his shield to force the blade off to the side. “This is it!” He lunges with his own sword, the goblin screams as the blade digs through its chest and erupts through the back. It appears to lift its arm for another swing, before suddenly losing strength and dropping its sword, which Nedoma deflects with his shield as it falls to the ground. The goblin soon lay motionless on the floor as Nedoma pulls his weapon out. A direct hit...

In the dark, Nedoma cuts off the goblin's ear and casts Absorb Evil, before turning to look at the dropped sword. He picks it up and looks over at the goblin's corpse. “I'm fairly certain you didn't cash in any vouchers to get your hands on this sword.” He places the weapon in his sheath, the blade slightly peeking out while keeping his own sword ready. “Hopefully your friends didn't hear us,” leaving the deceased with those parting words, Nedoma continues onward to Ayrith.