Ken set down the last barrel and collapsed onto a nearby crate. "I've been at this for what... an hour and a half? And found nothing. I need to get back to actual work." He scanned the room, noting the absence of food. "Still surprised by the running water. Whereâs it even coming from?"
Filling another cup, he drained the water, it was cool and crisp. Like filtered water that had been chilled before coming out of the faucet. Kenshiro wiped his brow, taking a long pause to relax. He had been up for hours, and now the sun hung halfway in the sky outside. Surprisingly, he felt well-rested, maybe due to the hard work of the previous day. He had been so tired after all that work cleaning things up that he slept like a baby, even on the hard chair in the office. What puzzled him more, though, was his lack of hunger. The thought nagged at himâthe Devour skill had consumed plenty, yet he wasnât feeling the effects of nourishment.
He had used Devour to clean up random debris and refuse from around the temple, but heâd also consumed the bodies of the cultists. The thoughtâwas he a cannibal now?âkept intruding into his mind. He shook it off, grabbing a broom to continue his work, the repetitive tasks helping to push the darker thoughts away.
Throwing himself into work was something he was good at, too good sometimes.
After sweeping both the storage room and the main hall, he kicked the refuse out into the garden at the front of the temple. As he did so a notification popped into view:
Quest Complete!
Reward: +1 Attribute Point.
Ken smiled at the simple sense of progress. Completing quests like thisârather than making deals with devilsâgave him a welcome sense of stability. It was like ticking off items from a checklist, something he needed but didnât want to admit.
With the temple clean and the cultistsâ bodies disposed of, Ken felt that sense of pride that you can only get after a deep clean. Like looking at a perfectly decluttered garage or perfectly cleaned house. Tasks now done, he sat back down to figure out his next move. For now, no more notifications had appeared. He was on his own to figure out what came next.
He took a mental inventory. First, he needed to try the skill he'd gained from the dru'ven he'd... mercy-killed. If he was going to survive, he should at least understand what his new skills could do. Extending his hand, he activated the power he'd instinctively known how to use after consuming it.
His hand began to glow, and the shadow beneath him deepened. The darkness coalesced, pooling on the ground in front of him. As the black condensed over the course of the next twenty seconds into the shape of a wolfâstanding waist-high, its body a swirling mass of inky black smoke. It was like the wolf itself was made of a pitch colored shadow. Against the sheer blackness of the wolf, the summonâs teeth and eyes stood out, bright white against the ebony tendrils forming its body.
Skill: Summon Shadow Wolf.
Name your summon. This is a binding contract. Once completed, it cannot be reversed.
Ken thought for a moment before smiling. He didnât have to log the name inâhe just spoke it.
"Sombra."
Sombra. The name meant shadow in Spanish, a nod to the dog Ken had always wanted but never got around to adopting. Kenshiro had always loved dogs. Tara, not so much. Kenshiro had tried most of his life to convince those closest to him to get a dog, but it just had never worked out.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
When he was a kid he begged his parents to get a puppy to no avail. During college, they didnât allow dogs. And when Tara and him finally moved in together he found that Tara was not a huge dog fan. She saw them as smelly and intrusive. Yet, she had slowly started giving ground in the past couple of years. Now, in this strange new world, Sombra felt like the right name.
Sombra accepted. Shadow Wolf skill renamed: Sombra.
Ken inspected the wolf. It wasnât just a creature of smoke and darknessâhe could feel a faint connection to it in his mind, small emotions filtering through the link. Curious, Ken tried to push a command through the bond, but it seemed like verbal commands were still needed. "Sit," he said.
Immediately, the wolf sat. Testing further, he added, "Lay down." Sombra complied without hesitation, behaving like a well-trained dog. Ken reached out and patted the wolf's head, feeling the cool, pillow-like shadow that made up its body. To his surprise, the connection in his mind emanated joy.
âGood boy, err, girl?â Kenshiro mumbled before getting the distinct impression that Sombra was indeed female.
âWell, good girl thenâ The shadow wolf wagged her tail.
He spent the next few hours testing the wolfâs abilities. It could follow verbal commands and retrieve objects Ken clearly visualized. However, he couldnât issue commands mentallyâverbal directions were required. He also noted that the wolf consumed mana to summon, but if it died or dissolved, he could resummon it with the same personality intact.
He also found that Sombra had her own little personality, and wasnât just a mindless creature that would obey orders. Sombra wanted to do things. Wanted to help, and most of all, wanted praise from Kenshiro, which he was all too ready to give.
âArenât you just the smartest shadow monster!â Kenshiro scruffled the wolfâs ears, pleasure and joy projecting into his mind from the wolfâs link.
In the mood for distraction, Kenshiro continued to experiment with his abilities, starting with his Devour skill. Since he had been using the healthing skill he found that his body would seize up if he tried to move while using it, much like the ooze had. If he tried to walk while absorbing something he would be forced to stop.
âGuess I canât walk and chew food at the same timeâ¦â Ken tried to make light of the situation.
Not wanting to
Over the next hour he finally discovered something new. If he absorbed something into his hand, starting the devour skill, paying attention to when it activated there was a small pause between activation and initiation of the skill. A moment where his hands become a bit translucent. If he absorbed something directly into his arm during that moment, he could slow the process, taking 10 to 30 minutes to absorb an object instead of the usual 30 seconds to a minute. However, he could move and even summon Sombra while it was in his system.
âAlright!â He celebrated. His distraction gaining him a bit of utility.
With these observations noted, he pulled up his character sheet. He still had one more thing he wanted to figure out today.
Attribute points.
After some trial and error, he realized the attribute points could be assigned to individual attributes rather than entire aspects. Focusing on his Constitution, he willed one point into it, watching the number tick up from 14 to 15.
He felt no immediate change but was content to see how the system worked. Curious, he tried raising his Fate attribute but found it locked. Only the other seven attributesâStrength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Spirit, Will, and Luckâcould be altered. He decided that increasing his health might be the best strategy for now, so he spent more points, raising his Constitution from 15 to 20.
As soon as it hit 20, golden light wrapped around him, energizing his body. He felt stronger, like he could endure anythingâa result of his health points more than doubling. His muscles felt solid, his core stable, it was the difference he felt between every day when he was skinny, versus going to the gym regularly for a year. He just felt better. Like he had trained for a marathon and was now ready for the race.
Satisfied, he left one attribute point unused, unsure of where to spend it. More than satisfied, he closed his character sheet and laid down in the office, avoiding the grimy mattresses in the living quarters.
Just as he settled down, another notification appeared:
Quest: Long-Distance Relationship
Description: Go to the local town and discover if there is a better way to communicate with godlings in Hevin.
Reward: +1 Attribute Point.
Bonus: If we could also find out how to consecrate the temple as well, I think I can improve your class a bit. - Tara.
Ken stared at the message. "A better way to communicate with godlings? What...?" His questions only seemed to multiply. He looked over at Sombra, who sat by the door, vigilant and unmoving. The wolfâs presence brought a small comfort, easing the loneliness heâd been feeling.
âConsecrate? Hevin, like Heaven? Whaaaâ¦?â Kenshiroâs concussion deepend.
With a quiet command, Ken called Sombra over, and the wolf obediently lay beside him. It wasnât much, but having the creature there made him feel less alone. As he drifted off to sleep, Ken's thoughts circled back to Tara, and the hope that somehow, he could speak to her again and solve whatever this bizarre situation had become.