Chapter 13: No Risk, No Reward

Chapter 13: No Risk, No Reward

Jack approached the door. The glowing glyphs never ceased as Jack went around the room and now that he was closer to the door, he could almost make sense of some of the runes on it. It was a strange feeling, like remembering something you never knew, but he knew that this must be because of that Runic language proficiency that he gained earlier. It was enough to get a general impression that it was asking a question, but he was still making sense of what it was asking. There was also a slot on the door to insert something, but that was all Jack could tell.

“I’m going to regret this,” Jack said making up his mind and before he could change it, he reached out and touched the glyph. “Please don’t knock me out in a room full of dead bodies.” He said that last part almost pleadingly. He wasn’t sure if it would do anything, but the last time he touched the runes, his understanding of them increased. Maybe if it happened again, Jack might be able to understand enough to be able to read them.

Sure enough, as if in answer to Jack’s request, the moment he contacted the glyphs, the runes leaped onto his skin as they did before. They crossed his skin faster than the last time, but the burning sensation of their passage remained the same. This time he was ready for it as they sank into his mind, and he fought back as the energy threatened to overwhelm him again.

It didn’t last long, but it still left him panting from the effort. Still, he managed to stay conscious, which was one victory. A small victory sure, but he was willing to take anything right now. As he was recovering, the system screen started coming up confirming what Jack was hoping for.

*Language Proficiency gain: Runic (20%)*

+1 Int.

Willing to risk bodily harm for small intellectual gains. This path can lead you far if it doesn’t kill you first

Jack closed the messages with a thought. He wasn’t expecting that last message, but it made sense. The system was always watching. “Well, no risk, no rewards as they say.”

+1 Int.

You are starting to understand the nature of this new world. Careful, there is a line between calculated rick and gambling

*Intelligence has reached the first threshold: Unlocking access to more System Features*

Jack blinked. In an instant, everything changed. It was like his mind opened. Jack never felt like his mind was restricted before, but after that moment, he couldn’t believe how free he suddenly felt. It was like having a constant pressure in your head that you have become accustomed to and never noticed until suddenly it was gone. “System features?” Jack muttered reading the last message.

With a thought, Jack pulled up his System screen and started looking through it. It didn’t take long to find the changes. Several new options for organization appeared. There were ways to schedule reminders, a catalog feature that allowed him to search for and bring up anything he had come across or discovered instantly, and even a snapshot features that should allow him to take pictures of what he was looking at to peruse later. The clarity of the information was unbelievable. It was like he had gained something close to photographic memory in an instant, or the second-best thing.

Jack was excited to look into this further but the glyphs still shining in front of him, remained a constant reminder of the current situation. “Later,” he said. “Let’s see if I can make sense of this now.”

Looking upon the glyphs again, there was still a lot Jack couldn’t make sense of, but there was one part he could. It translated clearly in his head. “What is the truest aspect of fear?” The moment the words left his lips, another screen popped up in from of him.

*Quest Received (Mandatory): Keeper’s Trials – Candidate*

-Complete the four trials of the Akashic Keeper Trials – Candidate (0/4)

Time Limit: 1 Month

Rewards:

-Grants Candidate access level to facilities in the city of Kharzast and advance trials

-Support class (Rare)

-access to future class options

Failure: Death

*Quest Received (Mandatory): Akashic Keeper Trial - Trial of Fear*

-Complete the Trial of Fear

Reward: Akashic Keeper Skill

Failure: Death

“That’s not good,’ Jack said as a fog started to fill the room. The light from the torches gave the fog an ethereal look, like something out of a horror movie. The sound of scraping metal met Jack’s ear as the air in the room started to fill with a putrid scent and through the fog Jack was able to see four shadowy figures rise from the ground. Jack could only see a vague sense of the shadowy figured through the fog, but going by where they rose from, he was certain. They had to be the skeletons that were lying around the room. But something was strange. He only saw four shadowy figures, but he was certain there were five skeletons.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Jack didn’t have much time to think about that before the closest of the skeletons rushed toward Jack in a shambling run. There was a flash of steel, and Jack was dodging before he knew it. Instinctually, he tried to back away from the skeleton, but there was another flash of steel from a different direction. He barely managed to bring up the sword to block it in time. Jack had enough time to glimpse another flash of a glowing rune, this time etched into the blade of the skeletons, before he was dodging another attack.

The mist made it hard to see details even as they were standing only a few feet from him. It hid the skeletons’ attacks until the moment they were coming at Jack. He quickly found himself surrounded as he blindly dodged, rolled, and blocked through the room. Jack tried to attack back whenever he could, but it was unrelenting. Every time he tried to attack back, his swing would cut only mist, or bounce off the skeleton’s armor and then he was back to dodging again.

Jack’s wounds quickly accumulated all over his body as more strikes hit him ripping his clothes apart and staining what was left red. Twice, Jack had to cast Mend just to keep his wounds from preventing his movement. But he knew if this continued then there was only one way for this to end.

“Can’t… let this… continue,” Jack said between breath as he finally managed to get some distance from them. Somehow, he needed to take control of this situation. Jack needed to focus one and keep the others away. Maybe if he kept close to one, Jack could keep that one between him and the others. It wouldn’t be long before the others would be on him though. It was time to see if his skills worked with other weapons.

With a plan in mind, Jack charged towards one of the skeletons that was on the outside of the group. Upon getting within range of the skeleton, Jack immediately ducked into a roll to avoid a swing coming at his head. He ended where he was hoping to place the other skeletons in a line behind each other. Forcing them to move around each other to reach Jack and gave him a little more time to focus on only one.

Still, Jack waited. He knew that he wouldn’t have many opportunities to get this right, so he needed to make sure each one counted. He blocked one strike, and then another. It was on the third block that he felt something different. A split-second opening as the blade deflected off his sword.

Jack wasn’t going to waste the chance. Concentrating all his energy into his arms, Jack used his Focused Strike to strike at the skeleton’s neck. It tried to block the strike, but it couldn’t bring its weapon up in time. Instead, it managed to get its arms between its neck and Jack’s strike, but it wasn’t enough to fully stop Jack’s strike. It cut cleanly though the skeleton’s unprotected arm but missed the skeleton’s neck.

Jack heard the skeleton’s weapon clanged as it fell to the ground, moments before seeing the skeleton crumble into a pile of metal and bones before him.

“Wait, what?” Jack said leaping back as the remaining three closed in on him again. He was not expecting that to happen, especially when he failed to hit his actual target all together. A lot of thoughts went through his mind. Could the skeletons have health points like how he did? If that was the case, could he kill them by attacking their toe? Or was there another reason?

He needed more information, but he wasn’t given much time to think about it long. Jack had to maneuver through the strikes until he was again on the far side of the skeletons, once again placing them in a line in front of him, he was going to figure this out. Trading blows with the skeleton, he was more aggressive this time. Attacking as much as he was blocking. Moving to keep the skeletons behind each other. He landed three hits on its leg and two on its chest and head, but the skeleton was completely unphased by the attacks.

Jack had to cast another Mend as he focused on the fight. What was different about this time? With few options remaining, Jack attempted to cut off a limb from this skeleton. Concentrating once again, he felt a similar surge of energy flow into his arms right before he swung his Focused Strike, this time at the skeleton’s leg. The strike landed cutting cleanly through the bone as it had with the previous skeleton and it fell to the ground, but it didn’t crumble apart like the previous one.

Instead, it kept on attacking. It slashed at Jack’s leg at the same time the remaining two skeletons both swung at Jack’s head. Jack managed to block the two coming for his head, but the one coming for his leg hit with full force, cutting his thigh. Jack screamed in pain, and with a surge of adrenaline, he kicked out with his good leg at the skeleton’s arm knocking the sword from its grasp.

The sword went scattering across the ground, and Jack heard the tell-tell noise of the skeleton crumbling apart. “That’s it,” Jack nearly jumped for joy, and probably would have if he hadn’t just injured his leg. The reason only four of the five corpses rose from the ground was that somehow the swords were sustaining the skeletons. He needed to separate them from their weapon.

Jack cast another Mend as he carefully kept his distance from the last two skeletons. His Mana was starting to dwindle, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to cast it too many more times.

Jack knew what he needed to do now though, and that understanding gave him confidence. The moment the pain disappeared from his leg; Jack went on the offensive. With only two of them left, it was much easier to move around and only have one to focus on. Jack approached the situation with the same plan. Focusing on his blocks and waiting for the opportunity to present itself. A few minutes later, Jack had another sword clanging across the floor and another pile of armor and bones.

“And then there was one,” Jack said. The now lone skeleton attacked with renewed vigor. The speed of its attacks caught Jack off guard. He couldn’t get his guard up in time to block or deflect the blows. The skeleton didn’t give him a chance to get away or heal this time, forcing Jack to stay and not giving him a moment to activate his skills.

Desperate, Jack attacked back matching the skeleton’s fierceness. Jack swung hard, aiming each strike to hit the skeleton’s hand or arm blocking and dodging only when he had to. Most of his attacks missed, and without the focus aim of his skill, even the strikes that did land had little impact. Still, Jack kept up the onslaught of attacks. Taking a strike for everyone he landed. Watching as his health got closer and closer to zero with even passing second.

It wasn’t until the eighth strike Jack landed that he felt it crack into the Skeleton’s bone. In an instant, Jack focused all his strength and pushed through. A cracked bone wasn’t good enough. He wanted that hand gone. Energy surged into his arms again and Jack’s sword cut through.

The beautiful sound of the last sword hitting the ground was Jack’s reward. He collapsed, all the strength leaving him. He hit the ground at the same time the skeleton crumbled into a pile as well. For a while he lay there on the ground breathing deeply as the backlog of System Notifications started appearing in front of him.