Chapter 30 - With MY Arm

<p>As I stare down the Raging Bull that was the size of a semi truck, breath billowing out of its nose in hot steam that threatens to coat me in nasty cow snot, I call out.<br/><br/> "Any day now, Eni!"<br/><br/> Eniyala focuses on her glowing rod. A blue flame sigil slowly draws itself above the rod, and five spears begin spiraling into shape above her head. Her forehead glistens in sweat as she puts her entire concentration on the spell.<br/><br/> But I don't have that kind of time.<br/><br/> With a roar, the Bull begins charging at me with its giant horns. <br/><br/>[Raging Bull has activated Skill Anger Charge.]<br/><br/> "Fuck," I pant, dropping a point into Agility and another into my Magic.<br/><br/>[Stats taking effect in 3…]<br/><br/> I leap diagonally forward, drawing my body in as I roll. The Bull is moving too fast to completely dodge, and a deep gash opens in my right leg as I catch myself rolling onto my feet. The big male cow sees its horn tinged with red and roars in delight. "The fuck?" I mumble to myself in confusion. If I wasn't boosted by Underdog, I'd have lost my leg there.<br/><br/> "Klum! Ready!"<br/><br/> "Took you long enough!" I shout back, focusing on the Bull for a final attack.<br/><br/>[Critical Eye+ was activated.]<br/>[Select target area.]<br/>['Front right leg' was selected.]<br/><br/> An X appears on the Bull's leg, by the knee joint. I grin. "Hey, ugly!" I call out, setting my sword high near my shoulder. It snuffs angrily, before charging at me full speed, its horns turning a dark greenish hue.<br/><br/>[Raging Bull has activated Skill Bash.]<br/><br/> As two horns reach speedily to douse themselves in my blood, I dodge under the beast, pulling the sword back behind me before swinging it up. The blade draws a heavy crescent shape as it traces a line behind me before cutting through the back of the Bull's leg.<br/><br/>[Critical Mark has been hit. Dmg was adjusted to 350%.]<br/><br/> Slick!<br/><br/> I cut so cleanly through the leg of the Bull that it travels past, cutting partially through its back leg as it collapses to the ground with a large WHAM! <br/><br/> "Ignios Stand!"<br/><br/> A whistling sound cuts through the air as five fire spears impale themselves into the Bull's side and neck, killing it. I sit back in exhaustion, scrolling through my rewards. "Fuck, that makes the tenth one. It's cool they give so much EXP, but why are they so strong? And why so many at once?"<br/><br/> Eniyala chugs a flask containing a Mana recovery tea. "Every beast we've fought is at least Level 10, probably because that's when the EXP requirement reduces and you can pick a class. Still, this many in just 5 miles seems ridiculous."<br/><br/> I nod, glancing behind us. Luckily, Monster and Beast bodies degrade quickly if you don't harvest anything, otherwise there would be a much more definite trail of bodies from the Bulls, Rams, and even one or two Llamas we had come across, all of them aggressive.<br/><br/> Looking back to Eniyala, I make my way to my feet. <br/><br/> She had gone to see a priest in Estraia before we left. While they did stay in a church dedicated to 6 of the 7 Gods and often prayed, the name was actually just a class name, and they wore quite normal clothing. They were similar to the Cleric class, with one vital difference: they could unlock the Class Choosing within a Statbook. I was only just now reaching Level 8, but I would have to go do that soon. It was rumored that the better the priest, the rarer the jobs you could get, but that clearly didn't matter to Eniyala as she got her family's special class, Spellsmith. I hadn't gotten to ask many questions about it, but it had changed her stats to match the class and she hadn't adjusted yet.<br/><br/> I looked her up and down to ensure there weren't any injuries, trying not to let my eyes linger too long anywhere. We had ditched the simple clothing to buy proper armor for ourselves, and obviously baggy armor wasn't very effective.<br/><br/> I had sold most of my Boars, the remaining Lower Canine, and one of the Analyze Skillbooks to pay Eniyala back and buy myself armor. We had essentially the same set — light black material covered with a simple, light chestplate, and plates of finely crafted metal protecting the shoulders, forearms, lower legs, knees, and sides of our thighs. The last of which had to be custom fitted to both of us, which I ended up watching with more interest for both than I care to admit.<br/><br/> As my eyes run over her slim body, trying not to stop anywhere for too long—<br/><br/> 'Klum! How is my favorite disciple?'<br/><br/> "Good!" I yell out loud, causing Eniyala to stop looking over the Bull and cut her head sharply at me. "What?" She asks, confused, but I wave her off as Alyphia continues.<br/><br/> 'I see. Not interested in anyone other than your patron, are we?'<br/><br/> I was so nervous I was sweating, and forgot to reply in my head. "N-no, of course not. You're the best, after all, Alyphia!"<br/><br/> Eniyala, who had been listening to only one side of the conversation, felt her jaw drop to the floor. "She can talk to you?" she mouths, and I nod weakly.<br/><br/> 'Hahaha, you flatter me, disciple. I was worried you might use MY arm in ways I would not appreciate. Anyways, I have paid some of my fee to the World Lines, so I am now here to continue watching over my little chosen one!' Her words are followed by a small squeal of excitement unbefitting of her grand demeanor, but as if she doesn't realize I can hear her own thoughts, I listen helplessly as she giddily thinks about how long it will take me to become a Saint. 'Maybe next week? He sure does pass my expectations, so probably even less than that!'<br/><br/> I stare blankly past Eniyala, who begins to worry that my soul was sucked out of me. She waves her hand in front of my face, shaking me back into reality. "I'm so glad you get to watch over us," I say, so Eniyala has context. Her eyes widen in shock, but I press on. "So what are World Lines?"<br/><br/> Eniyala instantly grows a 'what the fuck?' look, and Alyphia is completely quiet, even in her thoughts, for a long moment. After a long while, she finally responds. 'You will learn more about them soon enough. I apologize that I cannot say more. Anyways, I shall let you continue your journey now. Do not forget I am always watching you! If you need help, of course.'<br/><br/> And with her offer (that was obviously a poorly disguised threat), her presence disappears.<br/><br/> I sigh in relief, flopping onto my back next to the dismembered leg of the Bull. Eniyala comes and crouches down next to me.<br/><br/> "Huh. I thought Klum cut off one leg, not two," she teases as she pokes the Bull's leg, then me. I groan, and she gasps, the even look in her eyes widening slightly in mock surprise. "It's alive!"<br/><br/> "Har har, ya damn bully," I say, throwing UnHoly Raze into my Inventory. Looking at the leg, I thought about how long it had been since I had properly used Critical Eye. It had upgraded into an active skill, meaning I had to now manually turn it on and pick a spot. Still, the damn thing worked like a charm, so I couldn't complain. I inspect the cut on the leg, marveling how cleanly I severed it, as Eniyala stares at me. "So… she can talk to you?"<br/><br/> "Yeah."<br/><br/> "In your head?"<br/><br/> "…Yeah. Sounds crazy, doesn't it?"<br/><br/> "I wouldn't have believed you if your arm hadn't done that." She points to my right forearm, which has a metal plate protecting it. But, now engraved in a dark black of the dull silver of the metal is the same sigil on my arm. Slight tendrils of smoke roll gently off of it as she continues. "It was glowing the whole time."<br/><br/> "Ah… fuck."<br/><br/> Eniyala pats my shoulder somewhat sympathetically, but it also feels condescending at the same time. "Anyways, the city's roofs are in sight, so we're close. Let's get going." With that, she stands, already walking. I don't wait long before I jog to catch up.<br/><br/> "So, you're really getting into that fighting style, huh?" She asks. I nod, remembering the slash against the last Bull. "It still needs a lot of work."<br/><br/> "I like Raeki's name for it. It does feel like a Stormy Night type of style. Very depressing, just like you."<br/><br/> "I'll have you know, I am an avid believer of gender equality. I'll smack you upside the head right here."<br/><br/> Although Eniyala could be considered somewhat a 'proper girl' aside from the fact she constantly liked to flip people (mainly me) off, she looked ready to fistfight. "You lost that bet last time."<br/><br/> "I went easy on you."<br/><br/> "Really? Because you looked like a squirming cockroach that wouldn't die even after getting crushed.<br/> <br/> "You're so lucky I have so much self restraint."<br/><br/> "Don't forget how humble you are."<br/><br/> "Exactly! Now you're getting it."<br/><br/> She doesn't laugh, but I don't miss the small smile on her face, just for an instant, before she turns her head away.<br/><br/>- - -<br/><br/> Watching the scene in an area that seems as though it was space itself, Alyphia smiles to herself. "What an interesting party you have found," she says fondly, watching her disciple playfully bicker. "Do you think so, too, Einsti?"<br/><br/> Another man with blond hair that almost reaches his shoulders and pulled into a tight ponytail, nods. "That girl is most definitely going places. I've had my eye on her for a while."<br/><br/> "Oh? The grand Einsti, almost as picky as I, is thinking of choosing another candidate already?"<br/><br/> The man scoffs as he continues to watch the two bicker. "While I have great say, you know I am no longer the one with the final choice here. But, my disciple has a good eye, so I am sure she will make the right choice either way."<br/><br/> Alyphia nods gently. 'You may bring great change to this world, Klum,' she thinks fondly. 'We certainly shall see.' With a smile, she lays down to rest.<br/><br/> After fighting back and forth with the World Lines, she was still incredibly exhausted, after all. And she was still stuck with such a punishment, too!<br/><br/> * * *<br/><br/>[Name: Klum]<br/>[Age: 18]<br/>[Lv: 8]<br/>[EXP: 1960/3200]<br/>[Health: 39/45]<br/>[Mana: 38/52]<br/>[Stamina: 22/45]<br/><br/>STR: 8 MAG: 6<br/>AGI: 15 DEX: 10<br/>VIT: 7 INT: 11<br/>Free Stats: 7<br/><br/>ACC: 12<br/>DEF: 8<br/>POW: 8<br/><br/>[Skills: Klum's Reincarnation (Unfound), Sword Saint's Sigil (Unfound), Critical Eye+ (Super Rare), Underdog (Super Rare), Analyze+ (Super Rare), Skill Hermit (Rare), Erratic Movements (Rare), Slash+ (Uncommon), Sprint (Common)]<br/><br/><br/>[Party Leader Stats]<br/>[Name: Eniyala Ignios]<br/>[Age: 19]<br/>[Lv: 13]<br/>[EXP: 1020/5120]<br/>[Class: Spellsmith]<br/>[Health: 45/45]<br/>[Mana: 111/160]<br/>[Stamina: 16/45]<br/><br/>STR: 10 MAG: 27<br/>AGI: 10 DEX: 10<br/>VIT: 7 INT: 13<br/><br/>ACC: 10<br/>DEF: 8<br/>POW: 20<br/><br/>[Skills: Spellbind (Ultra Rare), Spell Create (Super Rare), Magic Eyes (Rare), Analyze (Rare), Magic Heart+ (Rare), Sprint (Common)]<br/><br/>[Spells: Fist of Ignios, Ignios Stand, Fiery Fingerblades, Ignios Arrows, Ignios Smithing, Flaming Boost, Enhance, Healing Waves]</p>