Matthew fell to his knees once the lights receded, it was like he had just ran a marathon. He couldn't control his breath and his chest burned with worrying intensity.
He glanced to the receding light of the fountain, then flinched from the sight of his eyes. Standing shakily, he began to walk away.
Hands were suddenly on his shoulder, startling him. He jumped away, turning to find a concerned Stella—Parker not far behind. Her bright green eyes filled with fright, she reached out to him.
"What's wrong? Did you see something? Are you okay?"
He disregarded the hand retreating to the White temple's exit, the cold dark of the tunnel calmed him a little.
He crumbled against the wall trying to control his shaking body, no matter how much he tried his fingers wouldn't stay still.
"All that planning went to shit, why that memory in particular?"
He forced down the memories, promising himself.
"Later. I can deal with it later."
"Matthew," an intrepid voice asked.
It was Stella again. She had followed him out. He struggled to not glare as she carefully approached. Before she could lay a hand on his shoulder, Matthew said.
"Don't." He snapped, before taking a moment to try and calm down. "Stella, just help me out and give me some space. That's all I need."
She looked a bit hurt, but nodded vigorously. "You'll be alright?"
"Of course," He answered plainly.
——
After an hour, he walked back into the temple. Watching over Parker's group, sitting in a strangely perfect circle. He sat at the edge and listened to them talk.
"Finally! We'll see if my theory was correct!" Kirk exclaimed. "Then Joey and Brian will keep their word on our bet"
Kirk, he had met before. He was an energetic boy with scattered brown hair and a very outgoing attitude. Matthew was always reminded of the people he played magic with.
Joey, a boy with bleach blonde hair and scary black eyes. Smirked, turning to Jamie beside him to say.
"Bro thinks I'll actually pay the bet."
Kirk frowned, "You coward, you were so confident back then. You'd better pay up, if Parker turns into a worm."
"I'm not scared of you man." Joey said laughing with Jamie.
Kirk was part of the fishers, there was this thin layer of disregard hunters like Jamie and Joey had for them.
Although he personally liked them, they made fishers the butt of the joke a lot. Not consciously at least.
Parker who held two shining spirit coins in his hands grimaced, he grumbled. "I'm not gonna turn into a worm, it doesn't even make sense. Why would reaching level five turn me into a worm? How would I fight?"
"Parker, you're taking Kirk too seriously. It's a joke…" Jamie said
Reaching level five was a monumental shift. Why couldn't he turn into a worm? It might make hunting sandworms easier. The ultimate hunter.
As Matthew's mind was filled with these vapid thoughts, Stella plopped beside him smiling. He offered a weak smile back, then turned back to Parker.
The brown haired boy played with the spirits in his hand, his gray eyes a little concerned as they studied the shining blue light.
They had all had the strange dreams of being the monsters they consumed.
Asha was about to say something reassuring when Parker simply crushed the blue coins in his hands. A few seconds later, he began to glow.
His veins emitted a pale blue light and he seemed a bit uncomfortable. Parker began to interact with his status which wasn't visible to them.
"So it's like Stat cards, three cards appear and I get to pick one. It says I only have… three skill slots?"
"Wait so we can only get three skills?"
"There are still Legacy skills like the ones Gareth and Thomas' group got."
"How do we know that it doesn't count towards the three?"
"Guys, can we focus on the skills I have to pick?" Parker asked. "We have…"
——
Name:Cursed edge
Rank:Rare
Descriptions: Wounds dealt with this skill fester and do not heal easily. Use three mana and ten stamina to activate.
Name: Worm of time
Rank: Rare
Description: Regenerate quicker from all damage types. Use five mana to activate
Name: Whispering sands
Rank: Fair
Description: Create a small dust storm to blind opponents. Use two mana to activate.
——
"My mana finally increased again. It hasn't gone up since I stopped using Sand worms spirits. Well I didn't transform into a worm. So Kirk pay up."
"What?! Joey said he's not paying so why should i?"
Joey smiled, "Never heard of a joke, huh? Give me my spirit coins boy."
Joey and Parker began harassing the poor boy while the others laughed.
In the end he chose Worm of Time, taking Kirk's advice.
"It's a good skill for a tank and will let you survive longer."
Parker still forced him to pay Joey for the bet, however.
Matthew casted a tired look over the loud, boisterous group of young men and women. He wondered why they were all okay with letting Parker be the first to reach level five.
It was of course a bit logical, building a good shield was important and Parker's daunting height and powerful body were perfect for the job.
He doubted it was something logical for them though.
It was just a natural process, giving their advancement up for him. Most groups had someone like that, an anchor. That one person they gathered around or all liked, Parker was the obvious choice.
He was likeable, attractive and reliable. People who were useful to others and didn't mind running through hell to help always built a solid role in a group.
As the center of the group he also exerted his influence on others, making them more agreeable and more willing to help people outside the group.
They aren't really bad people, he thought while fiddling with his glasses. It was a gold rimmed frame, old and somewhat flimsy after all its years of use.
Stella fixed him a worried stare, playing with her shiny blonde hair. There was a lot to say, but she held back.
Parker saw him and didn't understand their quiet truce. "Matthew! Glad you're alright."
Pushing aside the urge to ignore him, Matthew raised his head and nodded to reassure them.
"The wish was a bit different from what I expected."
"The armament must have been good then!" Parker exclaimed gleefully. "Same thing happened with Colin and Luke."
Stella glared at him, while also sending scared glances at Matthew. He hadn't even checked to see what he got.
"Summon it," Parker said innocently, despite Stella's little glares.
All eyes turned on him, a bit eager and envious. He wanted to scoff, why were they so happy?
They must have internally thought of him as one of them and had a shared sense of pride for the new armament.
Normally he would have said some weird shit to throw them off, but he was too tired and simply complied.
The blade was pure white, its hilt, crossguard, and blade seemingly carved from a quartz-like crystal that glittered in the red glow of the White temple's torches.
The crossguard was a cluster of fingers with sharp nails, and black leather wrapped around the grip.
The leather coiled around his hand the moment he held the sword like bandages.
Well at least it's a sword, would have been annoying if i got a magic bell.
——
[Name: Kinslayer.]
[Rank: Rare,]
[Description: A blade passed down among the kings of the lands hidden in the mists. They were treacherous people, and their leaders were the worst of them. Each king was said to have spilled the blood of at least five relatives to climb to the pinnacle. They held no beliefs, no honor, no loyalty—only the shackles of the Mists of Forgetfulness kept them together.]
[When the sword is white, your potency both magical and physical increases. After ten strikes, it turns black— removing your enhancements, but any wound inflicted will weaken your enemy. After the next ten the cycle will continue.]
[Beware, when summoned the sword will attack your mind till you die or kill your allies. It will not release you until you draw blood.]
[If dismissed, it will not return for two minutes. Increases attack power, speed and body control, decreases mental acuity and patience.]
——
Matthew frowned as a slight piercing pain rocked his skull.
"Just perfect," he muttered.