Chapter 1- la! la! Ishar-mla!
Her life was good, or at least she thought it was, after all as a member of society who worked herself to the bones just to support herself and to take care of those crushing student loans…in a sense she did contribute to society right? Like Christ, just thinking about the size of the debts and their interest rate sends a shiver down my soul.
The folly's of youth, mayhaps I have fucked up along the away?
Nonetheless she had a good life, she had loving parents…all the normal stuff that normal people have. Yet it still doesn't explain why she found herself in the void, or would the term abyss fit it more as it stretches on for what seems like forever?
She didn't know nor did she care, and so she closed her eyes and prayed to god, not for salvation but for good luck and to give her she didn't break in the loneliness that will follow as her mind will degrade till it becomes a vegetable, incapable of thought or speech, much less being able to feel.
So please. Oh Lord, hallowed be thy name, grant me strength to withstand your trial.
"Even if that is the case…I was never a religious folk, merely one who grew up in one" with a final prayer she opened her eyes and saw the void, or what she assumed to be purgatory that awaits those who are to be judged. "I wonder, does hell and heaven exist? Like in those various fictions and myths?" she muttered curiously, looking at the nothingness before her eyes that stretched on for eons up till the archetypal infinity.
After all it was a passing thought of everyone wasn't it? Does Heaven and Hell exist? Do gods exist? Are myths real? A passing thought that quickly plagued her mind and made her impatience soar as her body got worked up for it.
Curious, no, should it be particular?
"Uhm…what?" She asked as a mechanical voice spoke, making her look everywhere for the source of the voice.
Matters not, I guess your perfect enough
"Is that you, God? Or one of his angels?" She asked out of curiosity, feeling her heartbeat with excitement at the prospect of having her thoughts and feelings confirmed.
God or one of his Heavenly hosts? Funny.
[Gamers Mind] — Perk
When in combat or stress the user's emotions will be numbed to a certain degree allowing for logical thinking and action.
[Gamers Body] — Perk
All you need is your Hp to live and not die.
"That's uh…huh, gamer?" She asked, confused at the meaning of the words in front of her that were presented in a light see through blue screen. Finger trembling, she looked at the screen with disbelief before a twisted grin slowly etched itself into her face, a mockery of her pitiful self just a scant few seconds ago ""You're serious and aren't actually a part of my imagination right?" she asked, feeling doubtful as it was a miracle.
Yes, yes I am, now choose
[Fighter] [Support] [Mage] [Ranger]
Looking at the screen and choices she couldn't help but giggle in delight as an option of a lifetime presented itself before her. That's right, it was the Gamer. The path of cheese. Infamously known for being able to make one speedrun to omnipotence.
And the smut…good lord and the copious amounts of smut.
Well, not that she expected it and she's still halfway thinking that it's a figment of her imagination made from boredom or insanity, after all the eternal darkness coupled with nothing to do would surely make her insane from the isolation. After all she's not like those people who can endure isolation in pure darkness for years without breaking.
After all, I'm just a normal girl with a wee bit of a cringe personality.
Still…Fighter, Support, Mage and Range, huh? Stroking her metaphorical chin she hummed and looked at the options that the Game presented her. Fighter would mean close combat, something that wouldn't suit her as that would mean going face to face with enemies in melee combat, something she would rather stay away from as blood was iky and ew.
Mage on the other hand, while it's certainly very attractive to use magic, something she would never have dream of doing, hell just thinking about casting legendary spells and their effects already makes her want to choose the class.
"But it's not, how do I say it…to my taste? Preference?" An idiotic thing to be sure, skipping on magic of all things when she may face magical foes in the future, but hey, she's always been one to ignore cool stuff like this, or rather always ignoring the optimal and efficient path for the sake of fun. "All that's left is Ranger and Support…I can make a guess from what Ranger is and Support as well" hovering her finger between the both of them she sighed and ultimately chose support of all things.
Why did she do it? Because she can, and why not? Second life means double the stupid choices, duh.
[Choose Specialization]
[Healer] [Alchemy] [Bard] [Engineer] [Priest]
"Ha…hahahahahhahahahaha-HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" I laugh, I laugh the hardest I've ever left as I felt my chest well up in rumbustious laughter as the sound of my still beating heart echoes across the void from how hard I'm laughing.
Hilarity? Absolute.
With no hesitation I tap the bard and giggle, stiffening my laughter to no avail as the screen disappeared, leaving me a stifling mess as I tried to control my laughter but couldn't as the edges of my lips continued widely smiling at the most idiotic class in history.
Class Skills obtained
[Song of Bereavement] Lv 1/100
A song that heavily weighs on the hearts of your enemies. Slows down their speed and makes them sluggish in combat.
Choose Race?
"Random" I blurt out while shivering all over the place. I couldn't help it, it was absurd, the gravity of my choice still hasn't hit me yet and I don't even care if this was even a dream or reality. But what I do know for sure, is that this heart pounding moment proved that at this moment I was having fun, and why wouldn't I continue doing so? Yes, even if a small part of my mind whispered how idiotic it was I merely shoved it at the back of my head as I continued to giggle in childish glee.
And the world?
"Random"
Interesting.
[Fate/GO-LostBelt 5]
I felt my blood freeze as I stared at those words, all sense of energy left me right this moment as my mind digested those sweet and ominous letters that the Game showed.
"Ah…" I leaked out a small sound as my throat constricted and tightened. Anxiety and fear ran at an all time high as I lost all sense of the world around me, my heart pounding registered as a hammer slamming down on a nail.
I was fucked…no. Frowning I clicked my tongue as I felt my conciseness disappear. Slowly the dark void broke into a kaleidoscope of light, my dulled sense barely registering the feeling of something swimming inside me as motes of light broke off and entered me.
Well, try to not die.
Those final words lulled me to sleep as everything went dark.
"Hnnng" I groaned, no, I yawned as I steadily got up and breathed in the fresh breeze of the sea. Glaring at the sun it took me a few seconds to register how blue and green the scenery felt. No longer was it a dark void but instead it was a beautiful outdoor type of scenery, the type I would hardly ever see in an urban area heavily modernized by technology.
Looking down I grasp at the swaying grass, marveling and giggling as I've finally touched grass.
I guess I'm no longer a basement dweller, eh?
A small joke only I would know as I looked up and saw the sky. It was blue, like how I remembered it was, except it was much more clearer and pure? Well I can't exactly put it into words but it feels much more natural and beautiful. "Maybe this isn't so bad after all" I muttered before staring at the open sea stretching as far as the horizon.
"This would be a nice relaxation spot if I wasn't in a death world" I mutter as at the corner of my eye a bluish screen popped up, reminding me of where I was. Lostbelt 5, and with no machines in sight it was clear I was in Atlantis. Licking my lips in nervousness I looked at the screen and asked.
"Can you show me my stats?" In an instant a screen showed up.
Race- ?
Hp 20/20
Mp 50/50
Class- Bard Lv 1/100
Str- 10
End- 10
Dex- 10
Int- 10
Wis- 10
Cha- 10
Luc- 10
"This doesn't show much…" I muttered as I clicked on the Bard class and watched as a second screen popped up.
[Bard]
A class that uses music to influence the battlefield or a battle. 3 Cha and 2 Int upon level up.
"300 Cha and 200 Int upon max level…ugh" grimacing I tighten my hand and feel something in my grasp. Glancing at my left hand I look down and see a guitar…no, it was not a guitar but an instrument I had no knowledge of. "Then again it doesn't matter what it is." Picking it up I touched one of the strings and watched it vibrate as it produced a sound. Plucking the string again I hummed as I played it for a few more times.
"This is nice" I hummed as I plucked the string again except this time I opened my mouth and sang a melodic tune until my voice grew hoarse from the vocal strain and my fingers felt heavy and listless, numbed from me continuously playing a tune and melody I didn't know up until today.
So this is my skill? Automatically makes me a natural and plays the tune automatically? Interesting.
[Song of Bereavement] has gone up a level
Level up two times.
"That's…..nice" I muttered, gasping for air as my mouth felt the driest it's ever been.
"What sorrowful music to come from such a beautiful young lady on this fine day" turning around I see a pirate, or rather a handsome man finely dressed in clothes that practically say he sails a ship.
"And you are?" I ask without much trepidation as I know he's one of the servants that helps the protagonist. The man smiles and loves his head and does a gentleman bow.
"You can call me, The Courier as I run supplies and help people travel on this sea" he finished with a small smile "And may I ask what your name is, pretty lady who would look better with her bangs down?"
"My name…" right, I never did name myself did I?…and they weren't kidding when it came to his obsession with bangs, nonetheless my name…it's at the tip of my tongue, whispering in my head like nails scratching at a chalkboard. "I…I don't know" I mutter while staring at the sky as I felt different from before, like if someone took a part of me away and replaced it with something else.
I didn't like it, but as the saying goes it was my fault for randomizing it and really, I was running high on the Bard class being an option.
"Mhmm, ok, I can tell you're lost and confused, just like one of my clients" clients…Charlotte? It would make sense, wouldn't it? She did say she traveled to that island where they meet that protag via someone named The Courier.
"Can I go with you?" I asked out of curiosity and desperate measure as I saw a couple of demonic beasts dead at the corner of my eye.
"Of course! What kind of gentleman would I be if I refused a lost and confused lady request!" I nod as I follow him and look at the corpse of the demonic beasts before covering my nose at the repugnant smell they give. "I wouldn't recommend staying here for much longer, the Demonic Beasts would be attracted by the smell"
Feeling a question came up, I decided to ask him out of curiosity "Did you by chance kill them?" I mutter as I see a bit of bullet holes littering their body.
"Naturally. I couldn't let a gorgeous lady's performance be disturbed now could I?"
So that's why I leveled up.
At the dawning realization I gave him my thanks as we approached the ship and got onboard.
"Oh, hello mister Courier" a cute brown haired woman followed by an Angel greeted us before looking at me with wide and curious eyes "Who is she?"
"Hello beautiful lady who would look stunning if she let her bangs grow more" he casually said such a ridiculous statement with a smile on his face. "While trying to find a Hydra scale I heard a beautiful voice singing and got distracted by it and by chance I found her"
Her eyes widened with sparkling eyes(?) as she looked at me and my instrument with joy. "I'm Charlotte Corday, what's your name?" Before I could answer he spoke first.
"She's amnesiac so she doesn't know"
"Oh…" she looks downcast at that revelation.
"Anyway, after I put this hydra scale in storage we'll set sail to Hestia Island" and he leaves in a good mood, leaving me alone with Corday as she struggles to find a good way to start the conversation.
Deciding that awkwardly standing here isn't going to do anything, I get my instrument in a playing position. "Want to hear me play a song?" I asked her, making her eyes widened.
"Yes!" At her receptive voice I found a small box and sat down on it before plucking at the string to get a feel and began by letting my voice out, striking that high pitch tone perfectly as my fingers plucked at the string faster and my voice picked up pace as something was different about this song. It wasn't the melancholic one I played on the hill, this one was more joyful and upbeat, almost as if I was playing a new song with a new tune to not disappoint my audience with a sappy song.
It was different. My finger slowly numbed as I pushed through the pain, each breath made my heart pound louder and louder, drumming my ears and darkening my vision as all that showed was the brunette with beautiful blue eyes who bobbed to the music I was playing. With that simple gesture I pushed forward, forcing my hands to remain steady even as they wanted to slump down in exhaustion from over use. My throat aches and hurt but I continued and pushed through until I hit the metaphorical last note and stopped.
"That was wonderful" her happy smile and clapping brought a smile to my face. "What's the song called?"
"I…I don't know" confusion colored my face as I looked down at my fingers and found it out that whole yes I'm exhausted they looked fine from exerting them that much twice, even my throat was the same as I've hit high notes that wide I've taken me years of practice to perfect.
Is this the power of the bard class? Making me a genius when it comes to music?
"What about Corday?" I said out loud and looked at the brunette who had a confused face at my question "Corday since seeing you made me play this joyful song" her eyes widened in shock making me stare at her with a bit of anxiety.
After all, regardless of what I may be, this is my first time composing a new song, much less playing for somebody else…you can say that Charlotte's words are going to have an impact on my self confidence.
"It's embarrassing for a song to be named after a failure, but if my presence made you happy then I'll accept"…what a roundabout way to say yes.
Skill created
[Corday- Song of Dawn] Lv 1/100
An upbeat song named after a cheerful woman. Makes your allies feel refreshed to tackle on the day.
Interesting…so I can create my own songs which will count as skills? Interesting…no, this opens up many possibilities.
Glancing back at Charlotte I hold on to the box as I wobble for a bit, not from exhaustion but from the ship moving. "I guess we're finally leaving for Hestia Island, isn't it?" The brunette nods.
Shifting on my seat so that it's comfortable I lightly kick my legs back and forth and pick up my instrument "Want me to play the song again?" I get a happy nod as I pluck my fingers upon the string again, bringing to life the upbeat melody except this time I'm no longer playing in the dark but with a music sheet.
Metaphorical of course as my skill refines a bit of my stance to better play the song. Certainty, that's what I feel like. Not a bumbling fool grasping at the dark but someone with a clear road ahead, infinitely better than when I first played it.
Not long did I feel the ship come to a stop as I played the final notes with a dramatic flair that somehow lined up with the song and didn't mess up its tempo.
[Corday-Song of Dawn] has leveled up
So just playing the skill works?…no I should've known. A skill gets more powerful the more you use it is basically common sense when it comes to video games.
Clapping sounds take my mind away from my inner thoughts as I look at where the clapping sounds are coming from. "What a beautiful and joyful tune, just what I needed to continue on with the day" barmelotte?…let's just call him courier for the moment, he'll reveal his true name in the future.
"…thank you" I mutter as I get up and look at Charlotte who also claps as well making me nod with a smile.
"Just one moment, let me grab the materials that were needed" he leaves and returns with a satchel that smells weird.
Covering my nose I stare at the satchel and glance at Charlotte that she's also doing the same thing.
"Relax. Hydras are one of the apex predators on this island so drowsing it in Hydra blood should keep a few Demonic Beasts away"
That…that made sense in a way. "It's still smells though"
"Hahahahhaha, sometimes you just have to put up with things for survival" I nod as I looked around once we got off the ship.
The gentle breeze of the wind with the comforting smell of the sea. The hypnotic and relaxing sight as waves crashed upon the shoreline like only to recede back into the ocean. Yup, this place was truly relaxing in its own right, much better than being on a hill if I were to say so myself.
"Do you like the smell of the sea?" I glanced at Charlotte as she asked me that question and nodded. An indecipherable part of me felt at ease with the shore, as if something inside of me resonated with the crashing waves that came and went as easily as blinking an eye.
"It's nice" I mutter as I bend down to feel the waves crashing upon my fingers and sinking into my legs.
"Hmm…I'm pretty sure they've never ventured this far from the forest" hearing Courier's voice I look at him and then turn to see what he's looking at and freeze in place as I spot four wolf like creatures prowling and growling as they slowly make their way towards us.
"Uhm, mister Courier, you just said that they normally don't come out from the forest?"
"I did, yea" he readied his pistol. "Get ready, here they come!" With ease he fired both of his matchlock pistols, slowing them down even as he backed up as they started running towards us. Within seconds the beach sand is thrown up from the high speed movement as he appears much farther away from his original location where one of the beasts lunged at him.
Uh, uh! Shit, the fuck do I do?!
"Don't worry…Uhm, uh…don't worry I'll protect you!" I dumbly looked at Charlotte as she pushed me away and fell down on top of me, protecting me from having my face mauled by the demonic beast that opted to attack me. Faster than my eye can follow I barely saw Charlotte use her knife and slashed at its side before feeling something grab me by the shoulder and throw me away. "Sorry!"
Crashing down upon the sand my body ached and bones creaked at the sudden action that I could barely process. Clutching the sand I shivered as my heart contracted and pumped more blood, increasing the circulation and demanding more oxygen as I could just barely make out the inhuman speed of the two servants. Seeing one of them stop enough that I could see I felt my heart freeze as Charlotte's was shown, one of the beasts biting her arm before she stabbed it in the head with speeds I couldn't even follow, killing it for good as it lifelessly fell to the sand and staining it with blood. For a second I saw blue eyes of pain and conviction before turning into worry as she rushed towards me.
"Ah, I'm sorry, it's just that the demonic beast was closing in and I had no choice but to throw you away" I ignored her pleading as my mind was preoccupied with the fact that I almost died if it wasn't for her. A quick claw or bite and I would've died.
No heroic moments or standoffs, no last stand…just a quick death with no renown…
I….I'm weak, it's pathetic, so the only words I have to say are just…. "Thank you"
I hate it…this sappy feeling of powerlessness…then again it's my fault isn't it? I chose the Bard class because I thought it'll be funny…looks like my stupidity is coming out to get me,
Leveled up 7 times
I ignore the game's prompt as I focus on her bleeding arm and a pang of guilt hits me. Looking around I see a small piece of my clothing so I rip it without much thought before pressing her to lend me her hand.
"You don't have to…my body will recover in a few minutes" I look at her wound and notice dense magical energy slowly forming and molding around her wounds, almost as if there's a mistake in the blueprint that's being corrected by the ambient magical energy that's being absorbed.
"Still, it's bleeding" it was stupid, I know. Helping a servant when in the age of gods they'll heal in minutes from how dense the magical energy was in the atmosphere. But it didn't change the fact that I was doing this for myself to lessen the guilt gnawing inside of me as she continued to bleed.
"…very well" I smile at her confirmation and begin wrapping her bleeding hand, taking note of how small and surreal it was to have those soft and dainty hands wield a knife, much less dispatching those beasts with minimum to no effort.
"Does it hurt?" Seeing her confused look I continue before she can respond "the wrapping"
She looks at her arm before shaking her head and smiling "Nope, there's no discomfort, I'm even thinking of keeping it on!" I sigh in relief that my makeshift bandage was praised.
Does she have to be that happy?
A lingering question as Charlotte looked at the makeshift bandage with a giddy smile on her face as if that was the most important thing in the world if her goofy smile is anything to go by.
It shouldn't be THAT bad, right?….oh right, I've forgotten, but she's really simple, simple in the way that she's easy to manipulate….
Smiling, I left myself up and cleaned the sand from my dress…dress? Looking down for the first time ever since I've awoken, do I spare a thought at my attire.
Risqué. That's the only words I can describe it as much of my thighs are exposed save for my important bits that are thankfully covered by clothing.
Something isn't right…
Frowning I bit my thumb as I went over everything I knew but came up blank…
I…I remember the game, the actions I chose, even then…why do I feel I'm missing something?
"Master?" Hearing those words I snap my head towards the brunette who uttered them and stare confused as the courier guy glances at us before focusing on looting the demonic beasts.
"'Master'?" I paraphrase the word as she nodded. Quite happily at that, too. "Why?" I ask, a bit confused as to why she's all of a sudden calling me master…not that I mind as having someone powerful calling me master is a boost to my own ego, I'm just a bit confused like cmon won't anyone be confused if they were randomly called master by someone else you just barely knew?
Case in point I'm confused and don't know what to say, hell do I even have magic circuits? Am I even compatible with this world magic system?
Clasping her hand in a prayer, she closed her eyes and muttered words before opening them and giving me a smile "Because I'm sure it was destiny that we both met!"
"…..ok?"….is it that easy to get attached to someone?….I'm confused…life didn't prepare me for this.
"Ah, but I can understand not wanting a useless servant like me" and now it feels awkward with how she said it.
Now how do I go on about this…?
Then, in a flash of divine inspiration, as if the collective conciseness of a species that assimilates cracked open my head and shoved its divine wisdom into my juicy brain, did I look her in the eye and tilt my head.
"What is a master?" Amnesia, I don't know anything at all.
"A master?" She puts a hand under her chin and thinks out loud. "Hmmm…what is a master?" She muttered to herself with a complicated expression.
"A master in the simplest of terms would be one who leads a servant to battle" looking at courier who finished looting and is approaching he continued "At the same time they can be used to stabilize a servant's existence and help them fight more efficiently" I do an 'ohh' sound.
"Sure" I nod before continuing "How do I do that?" I ask before something hot coursed through my body. Burning hot as if I was lit aflame as something within me swirled and came alive, burning me from the inside out.
Hurling over I grasp at the sand and gasp, I take in air and exhale it as I did my best to deal with the pain by concisely focusing on anything else besides the searing pain that made me want to blank out.
"Master?!"
Contract….Established…updating information on the familiar tab
Familiar tab?…no never mind that!
Gritting my teeth I book it to the ocean and jump in, immediately groaning as the mild water cools down my body, suffusing the heat that was boiling my body from the inside.
"What the hell…was that?" I gasp for air as I glare at the screen that popped up in front of me.
New Skill gained
[Magic Circuits-?] Lv Max
Circuits of the soul that are used to invoke mystery or magic. Higher quality and quantity allows for greater output.
Quantity- 80
Quality- A
I narrowed my eyes at the question mark that appeared next to it, as if an itch was being scratched to be just enough to irritate me.
What exactly does it mean?
Closing my eyes I let the gentle sound of the waves hit me before opening my eyes as Charlottes appeared instantaneously next to me, causing a massive ripple that threw me off balance that flipped me over.
With a small grunt I flip myself over and look at my servant who has an apologetic look on her face.
"It's…it's fine"
"Huh?" Her eyes widened like she wasn't expecting that.
"It's just a bit of pain, nothing to worry about" replying with a confident smile manages to ease her doubts. I glanced over at Courier who looked at the scene with a rueful smile and proceeded to ask him a question now that Charlotte calmed down enough to play with my hair "How far from the village?"
"With all these demonic beast it would take us about half a day" then he glances at me "But with this fine young lady it'll take us about a day so we'll have to camp out for the night"
"Uhm, are we sure camping out in the forest would be a good idea for my masters safety?"
"Of course, she'll have us working around the clock to keep her safe" she visibly makes an 'oh' sound before looking at me with a smile. "Don't worry Master, I'll make sure no harm comes to you!"
"Thank you"….I seriously need to work on my social skills more to deal with outgoing people like her.
"Hmm? It's kinda nice?" I mutter as the wind shakes the leaves creating a rattling sound that heightened my fears as lush green is everywhere no matter where I look. Leaves rattling with the wind, small insect noise, the usual shiver down my spine from the occasional appearance of a demonic beast.
But, the pure natural, hmm, feel of the forest makes it calming enough that even though it's dangerous, I want to just lay on the ground and sleep.
…
…..
…
….
"I think my legs hurt" I mutter in resignation as I fall to the ground, legs completely unable to continuously support me after walking for so long.
"Master?!" Charlotte quickly comes to my side and gives me her lap so I can rest my head against something soft that isn't hard like the ground.
I'm…tired…ah, no wonder…why does it hurt so much?
My eyelids struggled to stay open, my vision blurred as my mind slowed to a crawl, barely capable of making sense of what Charlotte was saying as nothingness encroached my vision.
The warmth of her lap brought an image that still persisted even as everything about me was blanked with nothing to grasp at.
That's right…she also gave me one….a lap to rest….ugh
Groaning, I glanced up at the blurry image of the brunette before closing my eyes, letting sleep claim me as I no longer dared to resist.
Bang
Opening my eyes I got up on pure instinct and looked around, glancing at my surroundings with wariness as I took it all in. Looking at the few demonic beasts that may be dead I frown and click my tongue as I remembered where I'm at.
Focus.
Feeling my hands clamp with sweat, I lick my lips and gulp down the urge to scream as a growl reaches my ear, a step crushing a branch just loud enough to send my heart beating in panic as adrenaline starts kicking in.
Leveled up two times
"…..huh?" With blinding speed the demonic beast spurts out blood from the neck and across its stomach as it lets out a pitiful roar before falling down with a small thud.
"Ah, master! I didn't know you'll wake up so soon" the familiar female voice instantly assured me of my safety. Letting lose a sigh I didn't know I was holding. I look at Charlotte who's…for the better word bathed in blood, astronomically so.
"Charlotte?" Grimacing, I cover my nose as the stench of blood reaches me from where she's at. Gulping down the rising bile I signal with my hand to not come any closer.
Ugh! I can taste it on my tongue.
Hearing footsteps I turn to the side and see the courier walking up to us with a small creature on his hand before he looks at me with a smile.
"Ah, welcome back to the living madame, you gave us quite the scare when you collapsed, especially the young miss over there" he nods to where Charlotte is "If it weren't for the wandering demonic beasts she would have stayed by your side"
"Hm" I nod and mutter a few words of gratitude as I look at the demonic beast that's currently being warmed up by the campfire that Courier made.
Even then I still hosted my hand to my nose in an effort to block out the horrid smell of burning flesh that reached it. Still didn't stop my stomach from churning as I heard flesh sizzle and boil from being burned.
The difference between cooking a dead animal and a ready made product is this much?,,,
I grimace as I lean back on the trunk of a tree before letting out a sigh that felt like it was going to become a common occurrence.
First near death and now this…I.m not cut out for the wilderness much less the impending conflict between cheldea and Atlantis…ah, i'm fucked. I'm so fucked I can feel my blood circulating faster and my breathing quicking. Come on, deep breathes, deep breathes, just like how we remembered, just how we used to do it.
After a few minutes I felt my breathing go back to normal. Biting my thumb I push away unwanted memories as I stare at the campfire.
Now's not the time for panic, focus, otherwise we'll die.
And that was the problem, I was going to die. Lostbelt 5, Atlantis, the world I was sent to, more precisely where I was sent to. Unnecessary stuff aside, this takes place during the age of gods where a lot of powerful shit roams. Not to mention the fact that the gods have their physical bodies with one being in fucking space!
And then you have the army being led by Oddysus patrolling the sea in case there's any rogue servants…what can I even do? Join Cheldea and hope I don't pull the short end of the stick that has them lose in this timeline?...What other choice do I even have? I'm a bard…
Mentally pulling a list of my skills I go over them and sigh.
Even if I wanted to be a support I don't have much to offer other than a small refresh and a debuff that probably wont do anything to battle hardened warriors…why did I choose bard again? What in Gods fucking name did I even dare to think that choosing Bard of all classes was even a good idea?
"Ahhhh…I…I don't want to die…" not yet, I don't want to die just yet, I still wanna explore, I still want to experience what fantasy is like. Gritting my teeth and anger I grab my instrument and pluck at a few strings to distract myself.
After all, that's all I can do right? Is play this fucking guitar looking thing and create new skills to survive.
Once, twice. I let my fingers touch the cords to make a few sounds before taking in a deep breath to solidify what I want to play, to crystalize my feelings in this cold wind that not even
Ting
A sound comes out from the strings, sounding heavier and more lively, but not in the joyful way, as I continue plucking at the strings. Sorrow, anger, despair…and hope. What comes and and slowly forms as I begin singing the vocals is a song that is neither melancholic that would crunch one's heart or uppity that will revitalize someone just by listening, no, instead it's one of a hardened heart, a worn down soul tired of war, of the battlefield yet still going, still killing, still moving even as it gets more and more heavier the longer they go.
It hurts
I cry a final farewell.
Why doesn't it stop?
This is my new life.
When will it end?
When there's nothing left that could threaten us.
Will I live?
We will…that I could promise us.
I̴̧̛͚̝̬͎͙̦̗̟͔̤̲͔̔͒͆̆͐̎͋̓̉͋̉̒͌̌̔̐̌̄͗͑̈́̀̑͑̒̿̀͘͘͝ͅs̶̢̢̡̘͍̖̬̝̰̗̟̜̯̜̬̪̲̯̜̖̹͕̩̀͋͒̎͌̔̆̑̀́̆̈́̄̀̆̇̾͂͋͌͗͛͘͘h̸͍̝́͆̅͗̓̎͌͗̎͛̋̑̾͐͘̚ȃ̷̢̧̩̠̩̗͎̖̺͠ͅr̷͍͌̿͑͊́́̅̋̇̿̃̆̍͌̅̋̚̚͝-̶̨̥͓̮̤̦̭̙̭̞̩͉͔̺̜̞̘̲͇̯̺̜͍͓̤̮̟̦̭̝̤̂̀̉̄͊̽̈͒̽̚M̴̡̢͉̬͕̳̣͙̻͙͇̳̤̥̺̦̲̦̺̘͈̣̝̟͌̈́͗͊̅̾̂̂̄̿ͅļ̸̛̙̼͉̯͇̰̫̜̻̺̟̊̒͗̏͗̓̓̑͛̓̀̉͌̈́͑͋͘̚͠͝͝á̵̤̮̺̄̊̆̅̅͘̕.̵̛̞̻̲̬̈́͊͋͆̄̐̈̇̿͌̌̈́̉̇̑̇̓̊̂̉̃͗̒̃̚͘͠͝͝ ̶̢̛̺͕̰̳̯̝̰̝̩̝̼̝̰̮̍̓̒̓̀̉̋͛̅̒͆̕͘̚͝W̴̛̤̰̤̰͍͈͈̜̙͈̜̮͚̻͖̦̮̹̳̐̽̇̇̿̂̓̈́̉̊̎͑́̓̑̈̚̕͘͝ȩ̶̞͈̥̭̩͕̬͉̻͕̰̘̉̅̐́̀͋̈̽͒́̓͋̒̉̚ ̵̡̧̨̯̲̤̤̖̼̝̬̪̰̗̙̩̭̯͕̲͉̗̙̠̝̱̥̍͂̓̊̈͊̍̇͗̓̅́̾͜͜͜͝ẅ̸̨̡͖͍͇̖̹̞̲͎͎̝͍̩̠̠̼́͒̉͋̌̆́͌̅̾̊͗̕͜͝͝ͅȉ̴̧̢̨̺͇̞̳̪̺̝̦̼̲͍̺͉̙̥̬̜͓͕̯͕̼̠̬̤̐̒̚͜l̸̡͈̠̯͚͕͙͈̲̥̮̲̹̝̪̼̫͈͉̊̿͛̈́̔́̊̀͌͝͠ͅl̷͎̬͂̍̂ ̸̡̝̩͉̲̱̟̭̩̫̺̮̼͛̂̇͛͋͂̍̅̀̍́̾͛̂̀͒̀̕͝l̷̛͕̪̮͕̻̖̱̩͕̼̘̮͈̓̂̿̊́̍̒͒̃͐͂̀͂̈̐̉̀̒̎͆̀̏̕͠͠į̷̨͎̭̣̫̮̯̝̗̘͍̝̝̳̹̬̻͔̬͖̭̘̻̝̬̙̮͙̮̼̱̲͗̔̿̎͂̌̈́̎̌̄́͒̑̎̓̈̂̄̾͌̈́͆̚̚͝͝͠͝͝v̶̢̧̳͇̩̞͚̫͔̹̥̱̞̰̰̩̻͔̱̖̗́͂̑̎͑͛̊̍̑̈̀͐̀͋̎́͊͘̕͝e̶̢̧̙̩͈̯͕̗̦̦͙̻͍̥̖͙͎͚͉̪͋̈́͒ͅ ̷̟͍͖͍͇̣̤̝̬͍̣͎̯̝͉̽̓̓͊ą̵̧̼̬̖̠̠̘̺̱̠͙̜̙̯̼̪͇̙͊̏́̆̓̎́̌͌̆̂̇̏̇̋̚̕̕͝͝͝ṇ̷̡̡̤͍͎̱͔̤͇͎̯͎̞̗̙͖̰͎̻͕̫̫͉̱̅̏̓͛̅̀́͐͋̓̓̃̂̈́͆̀̇̈̓͂̍̂̔͛̕ͅͅͅd̷̛̛̜̼̪̦̟̫͕͉̼̯̘͖̫̰̪̤̞̘͒̊̈̅̈́̀͊̓̈́̿̌́͗̽̽͐͗̉̋̍͒́̒̌͗̔͘͜͝͝͝ͅͅ ̵̨̮̥̝̹͔͒̈͆̉́͐̄̅͂̕͜͝ͅt̸̛͎̼̤̭͍̖̹̤͎̬͓͒͐͋h̵̨̼̬̰̓́͛͊̓͂͠r̵̢̧̢̢̧̡̟̟̯͚͍̯͔͖̫͖͔̜̳͖͕̖͓̗̥̻̱͍̍͊̒͛̂͌̈̊̈́̂̉͗͒̚͝ͅͅͅį̵̪͇̟͚̥̳͖̣͙̝̀͗̅͐͜v̷̨̨̧̛͔͔̪̪̌̍̈́̽͂͐͑̇̽͆͛̇̐͂̀̄̓́̿̽̎̀̀̚̕̚͝é̸̡̨̛͔͔̙͇̘̼͕͓̝̠̫͇̖̠͓̮̻̭̫̗͎̾͛̉̃͒́̇́̀̽̚̕͝͝ͅ ̴͕̹̺̭̥̩̣̙̆̉͑̀̆̒͊͐̍̆̋͊̒͒͋͘͜͠
Playing the final notes I change the tune to one of conviction.
It's funny isn't it? This is all we could do, one good stab or bite and it's over…and yet we dream of living.
With one final movement I stop and bask in the warm air of the campfire and the small breeze of the night's wind as my heart begins beating again. My stilled lungs begin their intake of oxygen and my trembling fingers rest on the ground after their arduous work. Parched, empty, dry. My mouth waters as the roasted smell of the demonic beasts wafts into my nose.
"I'll live…I won't die"
Skill Created
[Tungsten] lv 1/100
A song made up from conviction to celebrate the battle thorned path. Allies' conviction is renewed, increasing combat abilities. May impact the enemies morale as well.
So I decided to make a new fic. Cross posted in QQ as well.