Chapter 11: Loose Threads
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Siv and I walked down the street, hand-in-hand, towards a spot only she knew. Apparently, a hidden entrance to the underground section of the city, the traffic through which was usually monitored. I mentally apologized to anyone using this specific entrance, because Anir would definitely report its existence, and it wouldn't be unmonitored anymore.
"Right through here, nephew," Siv said with a cheeky grin, pulling me into an alley. For some reason, she liked posing as my aunt, which I was sure was for some fetish of hers. Weird. She cleared her throat and knocked on a wooden post four times. "Oh, my! Is that apricot pie?!" She said, obviously repeating a pass-phrase.
"You're not good at the whole subtlety thing, aunt ," I blinked at her. She smirked with pink cheeks, looking at a section of the floor, which lowered and moved to the side on some contraption to reveal a ladder. "I'll go first. I don't want you looking up my shorts."
"And how do I know you won't look up my skirt?" Siv asked slyly.
"Because I'm not a pervert. Jeez, why do I attract all of the perverts to me?" I muttered, starting down the ladder.
"Because you're so cute~!" She replied, following me. For the record, I did not look up her skirt.
I arrived at the bottom, about four stories below, to find that it ended in a smaller room, where three men waited, one standing next to a crank. I stepped aside to let Siv down, who tried to catch me in a hug the moment she thought I had my back turned, but I dodged. She played it off with a giggle and looked at one of the men. "Thanks, Jav!"
"Always a pleasure, Siv," the man nodded. "Who's this?"
"My nephew, whom I have a totally innocent relationship with!" Siv replied eagerly.
"You know I'm an actual child, don't you?" I said dryly. "Don't be weird."
"Oh, you hurt me, nephew! No cuddle time later!" Siv feigned hurt.
"Oh, no. Whatever shall I do," I stated in monotone, walking towards the arched doorway. "I guess I'll have to punish myself by never holding your hand again."
"N-no, wait!" Siv chased after me, leaving the three men to stare at each other blankly. She snatched up my hand into her grasp and cackled triumphantly. "Come on, this way! I know the best shops!"
I sighed and allowed her to drag me through the crowded tunnels, which got progressively darker and shadier the further we got from the main paths. The paranoid part of me told me she was leading me somewhere to kill me, but I ignored that part and instead focused on using <Observe>. I watched as the average levels slowly rose from twenty, to thirty, to sixty, finally hovering at around seventy. Low-tier adventurer level, meaning they were capable, but not a serious threat to me unless they got a critical hit. I had more HP than some of these people, and I was less than eleven months old.
She suddenly dragged me into a shop, which seemed to display garb of many types. This included a few cloaks, which actually did catch my attention. I stopped next to them as Siv started rambling about some dress that assuredly wouldn't fit her current physique. There were two that stuck out to me, both made of blue silk. Blue and silver were the colors of the Eil family, and this blue matched the color on our seal perfectly. I remembered seeing a tailor back on the surface, which gave me an idea.
I decided to purchase the cloaks and the dress Siv begged me for, which ran for only thirty silver. I put one of them on, for the moment, and stuck the others in my inventory as Siv led me from shop to shop, showing off various knickknacks and doobobs. I ended up buying a charm from an old woman between shops, and a ceremonial dagger from a man with three scars across his face. It was about an hour after we had entered the underground shopping area that I noticed we were being followed.
A group of hooded figures, about eight of them, were tailing us at a distance. The people between us and them parted for them, as if they knew who they were and what they were doing. Using <Observe> on them revealed them to be around level 110, which put them above the rest of the people around here. Considering a couple of them were bear Beastkin, Dragonborn, and one-star mortals, that meant a lot of points towards STR.
I forgot about them immediately, however, when I heard a yelp from down an alley. The hero complex in me showing, I created a small fireball within my cloak and turned into the alley, pulling Siv with me. Four men wearing cloaks were surrounding a pair of children, no older than seven. They all had daggers pointed at them, and one of them was gripping the younger boy's wrist tightly.
"Leave us alone! We don't have any money!" The older girl said, trying to pull her brother away from the man.
"There are plenty of people looking to buy youngin's like you~," one of the men cackled wickedly. "Nobles pay well for their playthings."
"What nobles," I demanded, standing between the men and their escape. "Tell me, and I won't burn your arms off before I turn you in to the guards."
"Huh? A kid? Get out of here before we sell you off, too," another man scoffed, waving his dagger in my direction. A glance told me it had a sixteen-rune sharpness enchantment, and another to burn upon contact with the blade. A weapon designed to cause pain, not kill.
"I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation," I wrapped a tether around his head and another around his knees, pulling hard to bring him to the ground. "Surrender, or you will not enjoy what comes next."
The man who had spoken before laughed boisterously and pointed at me. "Get him."
The other three men rushed towards me, but it was already too late for them. The <Yamato> was in my hands in an instant, and wreathed in flames the next. I brought it up into the wrist of the first man who tried to stab me, cutting through the flesh and bone as if it weren't there, and cauterizing the wound shut with the magical flames. I extended a hand, releasing a concussive blast that sent him back into a second man, bringing them both to the ground.
[Skill <Elemental Infusion> Leveled Up! (12/100)]
Siv jumped over me, bringing her fists down on the top of the third man's head hard enough to knock him out instantly, despite his constitution. Critical hits did wonders, it seemed.
I shot a fireball at the last man, but he turned the air in front of him into water and caught it, before freezing that water and shooting the resulting icicle and Siv. It embedded itself deep in her shoulder, making her cry out in pain. I grimaced and lunged forward, sweeping with the <Yamato>. The man's dagger resisted its edge for a moment before snapping, allowing the blade to pass through it and into his arm, completely severing and cauterizing it through the bicep. He collapsed to the ground, and I brought my knee up into his face as hard as I could as he did so, knocking him out cold. The last one awake was trapped beneath his buddy, whom he had accidentally stabbed when I blasted the man onto him.
I held the burning <Yamato> to his neck, singing his skin and burning his facial hair away. "Tell me the names of the nobles who purchase from you," I said, "or, in the name of the crown, I will put you down."
"Arivve, Pyiola, and St-" he stopped himself. I dragged the blade across his neck lightly, drawing blood. "Stede! Duke Stede! Now please, let me g-" an arrow shot through the man's eye, killing him, causing me to turn towards the entrance to the alley. It was the hooded folk who had been following us.
"Tsk, it seems our friend here has spilled the beans," the one of them holding a bow said.
"In the name of the crown, you say? Who are you to the King?" Another questioned, brandishing a greatsword.
"You'll know soon enough, when you're tried for your crimes," I scowled, generating a sphere of flame as I glanced at Siv. She was doing alright, despite the spike in her shoulder; her Shapeshifter healing factor managing to keep up with the rate at which she was losing health. It looked like it hurt like hell, though. "Surrender, and I can guarantee a merciful death." There was no release for these men, if they were tried. Sex trafficking and child abduction were crimes that demanded the death penalty, in Eilon, and I couldn't agree more. "Then again, I could end you here and now. Still, I'd rather find out who else you work with."
One of them let out a bellowing laugh. "You subdue three of our grunts, and you think you can take on the elites? Who do you think you are?"
"Justice." I brought my hand down, raining fire down upon the men from the flame I had escorted above their heads without their realizing it. Their hoods caught aflame, along with their hair and flesh. Only the Dragonborn was left unharmed, who rushed at me with his shield and ax. I launched a fireball at him to get him to raise his shield, then stabbed with the <Yamato>, piercing straight through the metal shield and into his arm. He cried out, dropping the shield and backing up a step, onto to ram his shoulder into my chest, knocking me back beside the cowering children and knocking my cloak off.
[-35HP]
I let out a chuckle as I got back to my feet, using <Closer> to bring myself up above him before swinging downwards with the <Yamato>, but he managed to duck, so I only got the tips of his horns, rather than splitting his head open. Still, this angered him, and he let out a beam of frost from his mouth that covered the cieling, catching my legs in the process.
[-315HP]
[Effect <Frostbite> Sustained!]
[-15HP]
[-15HP]
"Shit," I cursed, landing on my legs with a pained grunt. Behind me, most of the men had put themselves out, though they would be scarred for life because of my attack, and moved to flank me. Steeling my nerves, I sheathed the <Yamato> and brought it out, sending a phantom slash that cut one man in half at the waist, sending blood throughout the alleyway and across his friends. There it was, the first sentient life I had taken, but I couldn't think about that, right now.
I ducked under the swing of a mace and blasted a man with fire, burning through his shirt and into his chest cavity, killing him via immolation. Back flipping off his falling corpse, I went over the swing of a greatsword and cut the arms off of the man with the bow, cauterizing the wounds as I did so. I generated flames around my feet as I landed, sending a ring of fire out beneath me that caught the feet of a couple of them, making them panic and fall over. This allowed me to behead another man, and run the <Yamato> through the chest of another.
I didn't go without injuries, however, getting slashed across the back by a man with twin daggers.
[Effect <Poisoned> Sustained!]
[-30HP]
[-30HP]
I cried out and spun, kicking him in the chest with enough force to crush his rib cage in, leaving him to suffocate on his own blood as his lung collapsed. I withdrew the <Siegbrau> and drank it in a couple swigs, restoring my health by 20% before charging up a faux kamehameha and launching it at the Dragonborn. The scales of his legs absorbed the flames for a few moments before collapsing, allowing the beam to penetrate through his thighs and sever his legs then and there, instantly burning the stumps into crisps.
[Skill <Fire Manipulation> Leveled Up! (94/100)]
[Skill <Fire Affinity> Leveled Up! (58/100)]
He cried out, falling over with a whimper along with his still-burning friends. I couldn't help but grin at the sight, knowing that he was rightfully suffering for what he had done. "You," I looked to the children, "go get the guards. Lead them here, if you have to."
"Y-yes, sir!" The girl exclaimed as she grabbed her brother's hand, dragging him away. The boy himself was staring at me with his mouth agape, bits of blood splashed on his cheeks. I couldn't tell whether it was out of fear or awe; or, maybe, a mix of both.
Glancing over at the men who were still alive and conscious, who had put themselves out, by then, I deduced that they would no longer be a threat. Still, I sent their weapons to my inventory before going to Siv's side.
"Holy… shit, that was awesome," she said, grimacing as she held on to the ice spike in her shoulder. "You sure you're only, like five? Actually, how old are you?" She asked with a pained chuckle.
"It doesn't matter," I shook my head. "Can you heal that closed if I pull it out?"
"Y-yeah, but I won't have such huge boobs anymore, and it'll hurt like hell," she frowned disappointedly.
I nodded and pulled out the <Pain Transferral> skill book, opening it.
[Would You Like to Learn the Skill <Pain Transferral>?]
{ Yes } -|- { No }
I selected yes, watching as the book turned to dust, then into light that flooded in through my eyes.
[Skill <Pain Transferral> Learned!]
<Pain Transferral> (1/100)
You can transmit pain to and from whoever you're touching.
Taking a deep breath, I placed a hand above the spike before activating the skill, immediately feeling as cold pain permeated my left shoulder area, flooding through my veins. Not wanting it to last any longer than it had to, I gripped the spike and ripped it out, splashing myself with Siv's blood before the wound slowly started to heal. I felt every ounce of pain as it did so, but it was worth it, because she didn't seem too bothered by it. After a couple minutes, the hole was closed, and the pain stopped, allowing me to release the skill.
[Skill <Pain Transferral> Leveled Up! (7/100)]
"Woah, that was trippy," Siv commented, looking at me easily. "It felt like something was being sucked out of me, and I felt numb. What did you do?"
"I took your pain into myself," I said, rubbing my shoulder, which was then aching. "Man, that really did hurt…"
"You're like, the best boss ever," she chuckled, ruffling my hair. "Cute, too. Especially without that mask."
I blinked, reaching up and feeling my face before realizing that I had accidentally burned the masquerade mask off during my fight. "Damn," I muttered.
[Effect <Frostbite> has Worn Off!]
[Effect <Poisoned> has Worn Off!]
[Skill <Poison Resistance> Leveled Up! (3/100)]
<Poison Resistance>
You are 5% resistant to poison.
Any lingering pain went away, allowing me to heal fully in just a few minutes, which I spent inspecting the carnage.
[Thug (LVL 65) x4 Killed/Defeated!]
+8580 EXP
+25740 SC
[Elite Thug (LVL 110) x10 Killed/Defeated!]
+61500 EXP
+184500 SC
[Level Up!]
+2 STR, CON, END, DEX, CHA, LCK
+4 WIS
+5 Stat Points
+6 INT
+250 SC
+1 <Gacha Token>
Skill: <Fire Resistance>
<Fire Resistance>
You are 5% Resistant to Fire.
[For Reaching LVL.20 in the <Fire Elementalist> Class, You Can Now Select a Second Element! Additional EXP Withheld Until Choice Made.]
I brought up my stats and clicked the plus that had appeared beside my class level.
[Select an Element:]
{ Water }
{ Earth }
{ Air }
I decided to go with water to balance out my destructive power… and to be able to put out any fires I accidentally caused.
[Subclass <Water Elementalist> Confirmed!]
Per Level:
+1 STR, CON, END, DEX, CHA, LCK
+2 WIS
+3 INT
+5 Stat Points
I felt a burning in my eyes, and saw as the blue gate within me started glowing, though it was noticeable dimmer than my fire one.
[Skills <Water Affinity> and <Water Manipulation> Learned!]
<Water Affinity> (1/100)
+5% Skill EXP with all water related skills.
<Water Manipulation> (1/100)
You can bend water to your will.
-20mp(v)
[Level Up! x20]
+40 STR, CON, END, DEX, CHA, LCK
+80 WIS
+100 Stat Points
+120 INT
+5000 SC
+20 <Gacha Token>
Skill: <Freeze Resistance>
<Freeze Resistance (1/100)
You are 5% Resistant to Freeze.
[For Reaching LVL.40 in the <Water Elementalist> Class, You Can Now Select a Third Element! Additional EXP Withheld Until Choice Made.]
' Holy crap, I just got a lot of EXP… ' I blinked in surprise. ' I guess all I had to do was go to a bad part of town… '
[Select an Element:]
{ Earth }
{ Wind }
{ Light }
{ Shadow }
' Oh, {Light} and {Shadow} are available now… but I should probably pick {Earth}, for the physical resistance. ' I thought, selecting the element.
[Subclass <Earth Lementalist> Confirmed!]
Per Level:
+1 STR, CON, END, DEX, CHA, LCK
+2 WIS
+3 INT
+5 Stat Points
[Skills <Earth Affinity> and <Earth Manipulation> Learned!]
<Earth Affinity> (1/100)
+5% Skill EXP with all earth related skills.
<Earth Manipulation> (1/100)
You can bend earth to your will.
[Level Up! x17]
+34 STR, CON, END, DEX, CHA, LCK
+68 WIS
+85 Stat Points
+102 INT
+4250 SC
+17 <Gacha Token>
I gaped for a few moments, looking at my stats before allocating my whopping 190 stat points before looking over it again.
[Status]
-Identity-
Name: Alistair Eil
Race: Human; Beastfolk (Cat);
Age: 0 (17)
Class: Earth Elementalist(57/100)
Rank: Mortal* (1.2x)
Titles: Blessed;
Alignment: Lawful Good
Level: 57 (46/2950)
-Stats-
Health Status: 2520/2520 |2400+5%| (+24%/m)
Mana Status: 12225/12225 |9780+25%| (+48%/m)
Stamina Status: 2352/2352 |1960+20%| (+19.6%/m)
STR: 240(200) (+1*2/)
CON: 240(200) (+1*2/)
DEX: 240(200) (+1*2/)
END: 196(164) (+1*2/)
INT: 978(815) (+3*2/)
WIS: 480(400) (+2*2/)
CHA: 256(214) (+1*2/)
LCK: 376(314) (+1*2/)
Points: 0 (+5/)
[For Reaching 100 STR, You Have Obtained the Perk <Optimal Groupings>!]
<Optimal Groupings>
You know exactly which muscles to use to get the most out of any action!
[For Reaching 100 CON, You Have Obtained the Perk <Strong Bones>!]
<Strong Bones>
Your bones can better support your weight, allowing for more precise manipulation of your center of mass.
[For Reaching 100 DEX, You Have Obtained the Perk <Muscle Memory>!]
<Muscle Memory>
It is 250% easier to commit actions to muscle memory!
[For Reaching 100 END, You Have Obtained the Perk <Strainless>!]
<Strainless>
Repeated motions do not overly strain your body, allowing for unlimited repeated motions.
[For Reaching 500 INT, You Have Obtained the Perk <Ingenuity>!]
<Ingenuity>
Come up with ideas nobody sane would think of.
[For Reaching 250 WIS, You have Obtained the Perk <Conversational Foresight>!]
<Conversational Foresight>
You can guess what a person will say next, and what they would say if you said a certain thing.
[For Reaching 250 LCK, You Have Obtained the Perk <Lucky Events!>!]
<Lucky Events>
Lucky events are 100% more likely to occur!
Oh yeah, major power up.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Mhiktur
Mhiktur Thank you for reading the eleventh chapter of my story! If I didn't mention it already, I have severe memory problems. My family has a history of Alzheimer's, so that isn't a surprise. Either way, I apologize for failing to upload of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I hope the fight in this chapter, and all the loot in the one uploaded immediately after this one, will make up for it.
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Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone