Chương 8: Learning the Basics

Oscar and Gita waited for Bruno to give Brock and the others a tiny bit of supplies to help them get going. Amari still had the coins that Terry had given them, so they split it equally amongst them all. Oscar ended up with two gold pieces. It might have been a lot of money, or it could've been nothing, but it was better than nothing. Finally, the time for goodbye came. It was awkward, but despite their short time together, it felt like he'd known them for a lifetime.

Oscar's anger at Brock had mostly subsided, however, he still acted cold towards him. Brock had managed to inspired him, though. The loss at Ardeo's hands had told him that he needed to be stronger. This second chance at life wasn't what he had in mind, but he'd be damned if he'd become the same introverted coward that he'd been on Earth. In order to become someone that Brock and the others could rely on, he would work hard to level his class and gain more powerful skills.

With nothing left to be said, Oscar and his group set out first. Their destination was the grand city of Dynarus, the place that Bruno said was essentially his home. It was a little frightening to see what kind of city could make a man like Bruno. Oscar had inquired into why Bruno wasn't going to go after Ardeo again, but he told him that he needed to tell his faction first, lest they die to him without relaying his whereabouts.

It wasn't like he was all too keen to go back after Ardeo again, so he didn't offer any resistance. Dynarus was about a three day walk from where they were. The only thing that would slow them down was the weather, but it seemed to be summer in this world. Whether or not the seasons were the same as on Earth remained to be seen. So far, aside from the magic, the two worlds felt about the same. While there had been mention of monsters out in the woods, not a single oddity had been spotted.

There were deer, squirrels, rabbits and likely the other staples of Earth lived here as well. As their first day of travel came to an end, Oscar decided he might as well ask and learn more about this world.

"How come we haven't come across any crazy monsters so far? Are these woods patrolled by local guards or something?"

"Nope, there aren't any patrols this far out from Dynarus or any of the neighboring smaller towns. Adventuring groups generally take a request to kill monsters that had been sighted around these parts, but it's rare for them to visit the city. The [King] of Dynarus has made some… questionable decisions regarding the cities allotment of [Guards] and the treatment of adventurers. Truth be told, it's a miracle that these lands haven't become infested.

Adventurers can only do so much after all, and it's not like local towns have overflowing coffers." A city that was supposed to be quite large didn't have many [Guards]? That defied just about everything Oscar had ever read and seen in fantasy media. Usually [Guards] were bountiful and always around to harass folk.

"The most worrisome beast that pops up around here are the osciliopods." Bruno noticed the confused look on their faces and continued to describe them.

"Nasty insect like monsters that can burrow into just about anything. They're hunted early before they can mature into adults. An osciliopod that's grown to maturity is a threat that challenges even the strongest of men. While it's a massive threat, there's not many adults around these days as it's agreed upon by all that they need to be exterminated. You always got to be vigilant, though. They might be hunted, but for whatever reason they haven't evolved to care.

If anything, over time they've moved closer and closer toward towns and settlements." Bruno truly loved to talk whenever he got the chance. It was unfortunate that he said he'd kill Oscar at any point if it felt right because Oscar enjoyed listening to him speak. Well, most of the time. When he was being purposely contradictory and obnoxious, Oscar and Gita learned to just stop talking to him. Which was most of the time now that he thought about it. So actually, he rarely enjoyed when Bruno spoke.

But he had his moments when he could be charismatic.

"Have you two really never experienced an osciliopod attack before? Where are you even from?" Bruno was far from dumb and it wouldn't take long until he realized just how clueless they were. When Oscar didn't answer, he didn't push, letting them keep this secret for now. It was clear that the [Gambler] was curious, though, and unfortunately, it was impossible to lie about a world that he knew nothing about.

"Well, if we encounter a nest of the demons, don't try and fight them. Just run. Not even I want to mess with them." Bruno shook at what Oscar presumed to be an old memory.

"Praxios bless me that I never have to hear their evil shrieks ever again. That voice of theirs alone is enough to change a man."

"What's so bad about them? If they're insects, can't I just stomp on them?" Gita asked. This was the first time she'd spoken up in awhile, but he had noticed a positive change in her attitude since splitting off from the old group. Bruno let out a short but loud laugh.

"Even if you could find one small enough to step on, good luck actually applying enough pressure to crack their carapace. What's most likely to happen is it'll wrap itself around your leg and start feasting. Then you'll get to experience the joy of wondering whether or not it incubated eggs into your body!" Oscar paled and he saw Gita let out a small shiver. Bruno laughed once more and slapped Gita on her shoulder.

"There's more horrors they can inflict but that's enough monster lore for today, I think. Before the sun goes down, Oscar, I want to see your class in action. I've never heard of a class like yours before and with it coming from Calus… I need to know what we're dealing with." Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Oscar was more than happy to oblige this request. He'd been dying to try his new skill out for awhile now.

Except for [Nullify], that one still felt unable to be used again for awhile longer. The weird instinct he had about his skills told him that it'd be a few more days until it'd be ready again. Which seemed more than fair to him, after all it did allow him to cheat death.

"[Malleable Shadow] lets me create weapons from my shadow. Maybe it can do more, but I've only used it to make a spear once so far," Oscar explained.

"Hmm… try sticking with just creating a simple dagger for now. Let me see what you're working with."

"[Malleable Shadow: Essence of Dagger]," Oscar spoke the skill and watched as his shadow pooled up into his hands and formed into the shape of a dagger. What was interesting this time was that he still had leftover shadow to spare. The excess shadow returned to it's natural role as being his true shadow, but just slightly smaller. Bruno also noticed this and made a comment to himself about it that Oscar couldn't understand.

"Okay, first thing I noticed, that's an evil-ass skill name, but fitting as allegedly your class is from the Abyss itself. Second, is that your shadow is a resource. Try casting the skill again, but focus on making something larger." When he cast the skill again, he focused on making a regular sword, one that was a bit smaller than Ardeo's. The sword didn't replace the dagger and instead he found himself armed with both. His shadow returned to its rightful spot, but this time more diminished.

He felt that he could maybe make another dagger, but that was it.

"That's quite the level-one skill to obtain, but most specialized classes have a core skill they work around compared to the general nature of most other classes. I think if you level up more, you'll be able to have better control over your shadow allowing you to use less of it during creation. Now, your other skill, you said it was a passive skill that negated a blow? Can you use it again, or does it need to recharge?"

"It feels like it needs a few days to be ready again. I think it only works on a really severe hit," Oscar said.

"Hmm, well, I wouldn't rely on that skill going forward. It's no doubt nice to have, but usually skills like that have a cost… and considering where this class came from… I don't think it'll be a cost you want to pay. I'd say turn it off unless you truly feel threatened." Oscar didn't know he could disable a passive skill, but when he visualized doing so, he discovered that he really could. The idea of there being an unknown cost attached to the skill made him worried about what it might have already done to him.

As of right now, felt completely normal. And since that skill had saved his life, he was more than fine with paying whatever it had demanded. Still, it was something to keep in mind going forwards. Hell, it was possible that Bruno was just saying that so he'd always have a free chance to kill him.

"Last thing before we can call it a night… spar with Gita. Show me how capable the two of you are in a fight," Bruno said as he grabbed two sturdy sticks off the ground and handed it to them. Gita wasted no time and charged at Oscar. The first swing came at him fast and connected with the side of his face. Oscar reeled from the blow and fell onto his knees. He recovered quickly and was vigilant to not let it happen again. The two exchanged attack after attack, neither able to hit the other.

Gita moved around him like a smooth current, her movement like a dance that only she knew the rhythm for. In contrast, Oscar was like a hurricane, each movement from him jagged and rough, aimed at disrupting her flow. Gita launched a series of consecutive attacks, each one with careful precision and thought put into where she aimed. Oscar knew he couldn't match her rhythm, and so, he didn't try. One of her attacks smacked his left arm, but he didn't flinch.

Pushing through the light, dull pain, he put his weight into a strike of his own and aimed it at her in such a way that it forced her to pivot away from the next strike she had planned. Oscar barely missed, but that was fine by him. His hope was that Gita would be off balance now, so he tried to seize control of the tempo. He sent a swing aimed at her knees, with the hope of knocking her down.

It sounded like a good plan in the moment, but Oscar must have misread the fight, because Gita, who was as calm as ever, jumped high over the blow, landing a bit to his side and smacked him over the head. The blow dazed him slightly, but determined to not be a complete loser, Oscar wildly threw at an elbow. This time the blow connected, her yelp confirming it'd actually been effective as well. Oscar turned around grinning, ready to gloat, thinking his cheap attack had somehow won him the battle.

Except when he saw Gita… she punched him squarely in the face. Oscar crashed to the ground cradling his nose. Bruno had seen enough and called the fight in Gita's favor, ending the duel.

"Boy, you have good instincts, as you had the right idea on messing with her rhythm, but… damn you are absolutely lacking in dexterity. Awful technique and form… but I did like that cheap shot of yours," Bruno said. Gita looked smug, but he had words for her as well.

"And you, Gita. You have elegant movement and can read the fight well just like Oscar, but your attacks had zero weight behind them due to your desire to look impressive. You also need to be more prepared for a foe that's been cornered to try something desperate. Were Oscar not a bumbling idiot, he very well could've capitalized off that opening created by his elbow attack." Both Oscar and Gita took the feedback in stride.

He didn't know what Gita was thinking, but shit, it wasn't like he had really fought like this before. In his opinion, they'd both done pretty well. Bruno, having concluded his brief lecture, left them to begin setting up their camp for the night. Oscar had to admit that he was slightly impressed by the man. He was no doubt a carefree individual, but he felt that it was because of how confident Bruno was in his own skills which was what allowed him to live the way he did.

"We don't have much food to split amongst us all, so eat lightly and get some rest. Tomorrow, we're heading to Ascot. It'll be about a three day detour, but I trust you kids feel strong enough for the extended journey,"" Bruno said. Gita looked confused and after a moment, so did Oscar as he realized what was wrong.

"Didn't you say that we were headed to Dynarus?" she asked.

"We are… just not yet. I had two leads in this area. One was Burgen's Hill and the other was the small, and peaceful town of Ascot. There was a report of an earthquake not too long ago. Might be corruption disrupting the earth, or most likely, just nature. But still, we are in the area so might as well see," Bruno said.

"Besides, I'm not too keen on returning back to Dynarus right now. And not to mention how much of a hassle it'd be to get inside as we'd be forced to deal with the stinky sewers. Trust me, you two are going to love Ascot."

"Why would we have to take the sewers?" Oscar asked, unsure if he wanted to know.

"Did you cheat someone in a bet?"

"Huh? No, nothing like that. Oscar, didn't I tell you that I hate gambling?" Bruno said, his expression showing genuine disgust.

"Anyway, you guys don't care about something so boring as my story. Lets call it a night, shall we?"

"The fuck you mean lets call it a night?" Gita asked, changing her pitch to mock his words.

"We're stuck with you for the time being, so do us this favor and elaborate." Something in Bruno's eyes told Oscar that this was going to be something that should have been said long prior to now. Bruno let out a heavy sigh and somehow found the audacity to roll his eyes.

"Goodness children, it's not that big of deal. But if you really must know… I'm currently wanted for the murder of a high ranking official that was on the Grand Council of Torralgia."

That night, when Oscar went to sleep, a wall of text appeared within a strange void of nothingness he found himself in. A voice that if he had to describe, he'd say it was a fluid mix of both male and female, spoke to him. Level Increase! [Abyssal Acolyte Level 2] New Skill Obtained! Skill: [Lesser Dexterity] Obtained!