Chương 11: Fit for A King

Lord Cathartic stands up from his throne and takes a few steps towards me. I barely hold my ground and stop myself from backing away. He gets really close, so much so that I can smell the scent of death that clings to him. My intuition flares up and informs me of the obvious fact that this is not a nice man. Luma stirs from her slumber and peeks her head out from my hood, then hides again. Luckily this lord doesn't have a spirit sense skill. He scratches his chin, "Well, young hero, it is very simple.

Serve me willingly or as my slave."

"And if I refuse?" I ask, knowing the answer. His aura flares, but I don't feel the effects. Not in comparison to Ferdinand, who gasps and collapses onto the floor. Perhaps something about my heroness makes me resistant? The Lord tries to threaten me.

"You won't refuse."

"You know what, I think Ima refuse. Thanks for the offer though, perhaps I'll see ya around!" I then turn around and walk back towards the door. I really shoulda known this place was bad news. In hindsight, it is all clear now. The guards that met me instantly, the overly polite captain, the fancy escort vessel. Oh and most of all, those looks I received on my way to the throne room were not of acknowledgement. They were of pity. I take four steps, then a fist wraps around my throat.

I really hope I've got some tricks in store for escaping bad situations. Ima need them real soon, if the hand cutting off my breath is any indication. I try to struggle, but it only makes me lose consciousness faster. While I am no expert in bad situations, this definitely seems like a bad situation. — The bed I awoke in is very comfortable, definitely not something a prisoner should get. I even have a toilet and a comfy chair and table to sit in.

There is even a strange device in the wall that drops water from the ceiling, for bathing perhaps? This feels more like a guest suite than a dungeon. It is a room fit for even a king. Though, the door locks from the outside. So I am definitely not allowed to leave. Plus, I have no idea where I am or how long I was unconscious. For all I know they used spells to keep me asleep and drag me across the entire city. There is one consolation though.

"Yip Yip!" Luma says, rolling around on the bed and trying to gain my attention. I sit next to her and give her a few bellyrubs, as one does when a cute fox asks for them. It seems that Spirit Sight must be fairly rare, if not a single person has noticed her yet. Which is useful, like, imagine if I could use her to spy or something. Perhaps she could even run errands!

"So, little fox. How do you propose we get outa this place? As nice as it is, I really don't intend to wait around."

"Yip?" The fox tilts her head and then jumps off the bed. She walks over to one of the walls and then to my amazement, she simply walks right through it. I burst out into laughter when she returns and points her paw towards the wall.

"Thats a neat trick, but I can't walk through walls. Or if I can, I would have no clue how."

"Yip."

"Hmm, Luma what do you say the odds are that everyone in this castle is absolutely loyal to the lord?"

"Yip!"

"Right, there must be some that are either pretending or just visiting. So, how do you feel about going to find one?" Luma's eyes sparkle at my proposition and she bounces around a bunch.

"Yip Yip!" I think she is happy with that plan.

"Well do be careful, we don't know if any others will be able to see you. But I feel if you find someone that can, they would be willing to help." Or so I hope at least, I am no expert in prison breaks after all. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Yip!" Luma says and then nuzzles against my leg, I scratch behind her ears. Then, she walks away and through the wall. Strangely enough, I can still feel roughly where she is, but it isn't very precise. With nothing else to do, I check over the room just to make sure there is no route of escape. I even try summoning a weapon, but it seems I cannot. The room must be enchanted to block my storage, and likely other escape-oriented skills.

I try punching the wall a few times, but all I get out of it is a few bruised knuckles. Well damn, guess the only thing I can do is simply wait and hope Luma is successful before someone comes to do who knows what to me. So, I meditate. Sinking deep into my mind, I let the world fall away and focus on myself. Mostly I try to focus on my different channels, trying to understand how to influence them. Stamina is by far the easiest, as I already manipulate it on a regular basis as I just move normally.

But the others are far harder. Vital works to heal me automatically, so while I am sure I can control it, I don't think it is that important at the moment. Mana is of course used for magic, of which I know nothing about. Sure, I can imbue it into equipment – at least by my old methods – but even then I am only following instructions written by mages. My actual understanding of magic itself is basically nothing. I know that you have to bend it into various shapes, and then impart your will onto it.

But as for how to start that, I've got no clue. Plus with the whole system thing, it probably fucks it up and makes it a lot different. So, I focus on my spirit channels. Spirit is my highest stat, and it seems very important to learn how to use it. I can clearly use it in ways that others cannot. It already serves to power my senses, so what other things could I use it for? The first thing I try is to affect it. Similar to stamina, I have a resource for it. Which thus means it is useful for something.

So, I try to guide it a little bit towards my hand. Nothing happens, the spirit energy flow stays exactly the same. With the stamina it seemed to move according to my actions and desire. Yet when I try to do the same for the spirit energy, it is like it merely passes through the energy. I ponder it for a while. Then I nearly slap myself for how much of an idiot I am. Of course the mind and body's desires can't affect spirit energy. It has to do with the spirit after all.

So it would make sense that to control it I would need to use my spirit itself. Problem is, I have no fucking clue how to do that. Like, did I even have a spirit before yesterday? Alas, I have nothing better to do, so I try. Emptying my mind of all thought, I try to sink even further into the meditation. The world around me fades even further, until it is like I am all alone in a sea of blackness. My body tingles, and I can feel I am doing something. I wander around for what feels like ages, but then I spot it.

A single white light in the distance. I will myself towards it and it grows larger and larger until I am quite close. It is shaped like me, though it is completely transparent and I can see all the channels running through it. It reminds me of before the goddess had us start our corestone thingies. When all my skin was like that. I reach back in my memories to how my body felt at that time. The copy in front of me glows brighter and I can start to feel something change in my body.

Moments later, two notifications appear.

'Ding' New Skill Unlocked, [Spirit Actualization (Rare)]'Ding' Skill Upgraded, [Meditate (Common)] -> [Spiritual Resonance (Uncommon)] I did something, that is for sure. It seems that unlocking skills requires me to do something myself first. Then it probably makes it easier to do again. Which is quite helpful. I check out the two descriptions. [Spirit Actualization (Rare)] By taking a voyage deep into yourself, you have learned the shape of your spirit at a fundamental level.

With this knowledge you can make the concept of your own spirit less abstract. The less abstract a spirit is, the more it can affect and is affected by the physical world. [Spiritual Resonance (Uncommon)] You have tapped into your inner self and resonated with your own spirit. This both improves the effects of meditation, as well as allows you to influence spirit energy while in resonance. Control is based on your mental stats, familiarity with the concept, and desire.

What you can do with this control is up to you to figure out. It seems that I have done something cool. I definitely feel a bit different at the moment. It is like my very being is singing along to some tune. Though practice in actual applications of these concepts will have to wait. While I cannot perceive the outside world, I can still feel my bond with Luma. Based on that, I can tell she is getting closer to me. Also, I get the faint hint that she is quite excited.

Which I hope means that she found someone that can help me break out of this place. Meditating is fun and all, but I would much rather do it in a place that isn't keeping me prisoner. I leave my meditation just as an explosion sounds in the distance. It shakes the room, causing dust to fall from the ceiling. I hear lots of footsteps rush past my door, and then shortly after I hear a promising sound.

"Yip Yip!" Shit, I am going to owe that fox so many scritches.