Chapter 5: Growing Pains
"Welcome back, Otherworlder."
"My name's Kyle."
Kyle had returned to the Church for his first official training session with Linya, who looked strangely dust-covered for someone of her position. She refused to elaborate on the reason for that, simply citing the cause as 'a fickle acquaintance'.
"Do forgive me, I'm poor at remembering names." Linya replied as she guided the necromancer in training through the halls of the Church, until they entered a large room the same size as the sermon hall. "Allow me to ask you a question. What do you believe Necromancy to be?"
"Magic that makes dead things move?" Kyle guessed.
Linya nodded as she began flipping through the Necronomicon. "Though not incorrect, that is the most basic, and in most cases idealised understanding of this magic. Ah, here we go." She arrived at a certain page, and with a wave of her hand, a purple magic circle formed on the floor. Magic circles in this world gave off a certain feeling when being cast. Fire-related ones gave off the feeling of warmth, electric ones felt like static, and so on and so forth, while their magnitude amplified these effects. The circle Linya was creating didn't have much of an aura to it, so Kyle concluded it was a simple one. He was correct, as a simple human skeleton rose out of it, and went slack for a moment, before standing straight.
"As you said, Necromancy is the art of allowing the dead to move once more, generally under your command. However, in your case, you chose the Advanced Necromancy skill, and so you have the privilege of seeing the other side of this magic when the time comes. For now, I shall teach you a very useful application of your power." With another wave of her hand, the skeleton began to shake, before falling apart, and restructuring itself. It turned into different forms, ranging from a bone table to something closer to a gorilla, the bones rattling as Linya kept shifting them around, creating what was essentially a slideshow. After reconfiguring the bones into at least a dozen shapes over the course of a minute, she returned it to a human form. "Do not limit yourself to the default forms of those whose bones and flesh you take control of. Always make the most of your resources, whether that be amalgamating multiple skeletons into one bone golem, or creating an impromptu ballista."
"Ballista?"
"I have made one before from the muscles and tendons of a Cyclops and the wing bones of a Wyvern, with the horn and tusks of a Frenzied Boar as ammunition. When infused with magic, it was a wonderful weapon in my earlier days serving Lady Death, and is still a reliable one."
"Right…" So it was like legos in a way. "So I'll be training to do this today?"
"Until you can repeat what I did just now." Linya confirmed. Kyle's jaw nearly fell off. That display was basically a kaleidoscope! "Only then can you do it quickly and accurately enough to use this technique in the heat of combat." The woman showed no remorse towards the greatly demoralised Otherworlder.
"Haaaah…" Kyle sighed as he summoned a skeleton, and gave it his first go, letting the skill guide him on the starting steps. 10 fingers snapped off, and that was it. Trying to move the arms felt like he was actually trying to rip them off. He sighed again.
This was going to take a while.
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Lena whistled a tune to herself as she followed her assigned mentor, Merlin, the current Master of the Magic Tower. The witch, as she called herself, had led her to a large field, where a handful of targets had been set up in the distance. Some were red, others were blue, and many other colours were present. "Alright, lass!" Merlin addressed her cheerfully. "Time for your first lesson!"
"Do I have to hit the targets? That's simple enough." Lena stated, raising her wand to cast a spell, but received a wagging finger from her teacher instead.
"Of course it's not that simple! You can't waste mana to cast one spell per opponent!" Merlin gave a flick of her fingers, and a fireball shot towards a red target. However, instead of just annihilating the wood, the ball pierced through with a twirl of the Witch's fingers, and changed directions to hit another red target, then another, and another, piercing 5 in total before she allowed it to fizzle away. "There! Try hitting 3 red ones in a row first!"
Not wanting to disappoint herself after seeing that display, Lena attempted to recreate her mentor's spell, shooting a fireball that was notably larger than Merlin's forwards. It collided with a red target, and exploded on the spot, taking out a handful of other targets in the process. "It's a bit hard." Lena frowned, before screaming as Merlin dropped a handful of ice cubes down her back, and scrambled in an attempt to get them out.
"You can't blow away the others either! Friendly fire's a no-go on the battlefield!" Merlin called to her apprentice, who had lifted the back of her shirt up to let the ice fall out.
"Got it…" Lena muttered. This was going to be torture, wasn't it?
Merlin's smug face didn't help either.
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Tyler gritted his teeth as he brought his flag up to block a wooden sword being swung at his face, then turned it to deflect the next swing aimed at his waist. His teacher was Siegfried, the Dragon Slayer, and he wasn't going easy on the Otherworlder.
"Recite the alphabet!" Siegfried commanded, as he thrust his sword forwards.
"A, B, C…" Tyler knocked the swing aside with his flag, only for Siegfried to immediately redirect his sword.
"Louder!"
As a Flag Bearer, Tyler was expected to be in a commanding role, hence his training in melee combat, as well as a source of buffs and morale. To do so, he would have to train his ability to give speeches and orders in combat, and that involved actually being heard over the screams of his soldiers and foes alike, hence his current training session.
"A! B!" Tyler tried attacking his mentor, thrusting the tip of his flag forwards at the first opening, only for Siegfried to weave around it, grab the flag with his left hand, and smack his student in the face using his sword, knocking the Otherworlder to the ground.
"Too impulsive and predictable." Siegfried said as he grabbed two bottles of water from a nearby bench, and handed one to his recovering apprentice. "You get a 5 minute break, and then we're going again!"
"Yes sir!"
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Cassie was holed up in a room full of alchemical equipment, with a stack of books containing recipes and formulas by her side as she experimented. Alchemists were a comparatively simple profession, as it all really boiled down to getting the materials and conditions right, so for now the girl was self-studying how to make a basic healing potion. It was easy with the use of her Alchemist Skills; her hands moved like she'd done the job hundreds of times to grind the herbs, stir the mixture, and get the timing just right, and her cheat even boosted the effects of the potion by 50%.
There really wasn't much to say about Cassie, since she wouldn't need a mentor or special training until she got to the really troublesome potions, though she did groan at the fact she wasn't exempt from the physical training sessions.
For now though, things were simple for her, as she got to work on her first speed potion next.
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Contrary to the other Otherworlders, Sophie the Swordmaster was currently outside the castle with her mentor, and had been for the last week. Her teacher was the Royal Army's general, William, and today, the regiment of soldiers she was travelling with was going on a patrol around the kingdom's outskirts. As a Swordmaster, it was decided that it would be best that she get used to the environment outside the castle walls, to gain some real experience as a warrior, and she had accepted, knowing it would help her improve faster.
For the last week, she'd been tasked with slaying small monsters that lived nearby, ranging from some very rabid squirrel-like critters that tried to bite her ankles off, to a white furred fox living in the tundra nearby. Her Skills let her swing and dance about as if she had been training for years, though it was evident she still lacked the experience of the knights she travelled with.
Also, though she wouldn't ever tell anyone, she absolutely loved the horse she had been given. Her horse-riding Skills also helped enable her dreams of riding a snow white horse.
William raised his hand, signalling all the knights behind him to pull the reins and stop, before turning to Sophie. "Ready your sword, Sophie. Your next task lies ahead of you."
Sophie nodded, and dismounted from Snow White (Of course she named it that), before drawing her sword from the scabbard on her back. The grass and dirt road they had been travelling on blended into the desert that lay before them, and Sophie could make out what seemed to be a camel, with teeth and clawed hooves that were far too sharp to belong to a herbivore.
"I have to kill that?"
"A Ca-maul, as an old friend of mine used to call them." William confirmed. "One of the monsters that is considered a test for beginning adventurers and knights."
Sophie let out a breath, before darting forwards. The Ca-maul raised its head, and leapt back as Sophie's blade scratched the side of its body, drawing a deep gash that bled black particles.
What, did you think a high school age girl could suddenly stomach gore after entering a fantasy world?
The beast snorted as it charged, prompting Sophie to slide and slice at one of its legs, causing it to buckle and fall clumsily. A handful of knights laughed as the beast stood up again, albeit a bit wobblier than before. Sophie hid a smirk behind her helmet's visor as she raised her sword again.
This was much better than schoolwork.
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Mark, who I believe you should remember as the Dragon hatchling from before, had been living an isekai enjoyer's dream. He'd grown into what could be considered as the primary school version of a dragon, sporting red and black scales that were as tough as armour and properly developed wings. Following him around was a small army of various beasts he'd subjugated, like horned rabbits, a handful of birds, a pack of wolves, and a bear with 6 limbs. Things had been going well, and the isekai life had pretty much gone to his head. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried starting a monster kingdom sooner or later.
'Life is good', the dragon thought to himself as he and his pets searched for their next prey. It was a certain Salamander he'd laid his eyes on two days ago, a wonderful acquisition for his army and high enough level to gain worthwhile EXP from. He couldn't find it though, for some reason. In fact, he couldn't find anything nearby. None of the animals that had been around for the past week could be found.
Creeeeeak. Caw…caw…caw…
"Hmm?" A bird scout of his had heard a strange set of sounds, like that of an old wooden chair.
Creeeeeak. Caw…caw…caw…
The dragon frowned as he looked through the eyes of the bird, searching for the source of the unnatural sound.
Creeeeeak. Caw…caw…caw…
It was as if the forest had gone silent. The distant roars of unknown menaces, the cries of birds and other airborne creatures flying overhead, even the wind seemed to have stopped blowing, and the air began to chill. Mark's pack began to shiver, and had it not been for the hold of his Cheat Skill, they would have bolted on the spot.
Creeeeeak. Caw…caw…caw…
This couldn't be right, he was a Reincarnator! He was chosen to change the world! He was a dragon with a Cheat Skill for god's sake!
So why did something feel so wrong?
Then, it came into view.
Creeeeeak. Caw…caw…caw…
One brown and rotten wooden leg, then another, followed by two more, supporting a platform that was covered in stains of black, stepped out from behind the trees.
'Run', Mark's draconic instincts screamed. Sweat began to run down his long neck, and his body began to shudder.
A wooden pole was attached to the platform, reaching upwards before turning back downwards like a fishing rod, sporting the marks of blades, claws, and desperate scratches.
'Run', was what Mark could feel from his subjugated animals, who had once attacked him with no fear in their first encounter, and never faltered in the face of his later enemies.
A rope, torn and damaged from its old age, dangled down from the end of the pole.
In the part of the Forest he had made his home, the concentration of natural magic power was weak, making it a safe place that no strong predators paid heed to. There wasn't supposed to be anything like this here.
Limp limbs dangled in the air, having long since ceased their struggle, as black crows swarmed to eat their fill. The veins had been drained of all blood, pale as a sheet, the heart beating only once in an eternity, and yet the mouth still drew ragged, desperate breaths. Shards of what could have possibly been armour punctured the torso, letting the contents inside droop out, pulsating and leaking as they were dragged across the forest floor, fresh for the scavengers to snack on. The one intact eye that was still in its socket swivelled around wildly, before locking onto the Dragon, as the jaw shook in an attempt to open.
"H…elp…me…" The being that was once a knight begged, before the noose went tight. "Plea-"
Crack. Creeeeeak. Caw…caw…caw…
The Walking Gallows finally finished its duty, as its trophy was finally released from their suffering, splattering the wood with new paint, soon to become the next layer of dried stains. With a wretched tearing sound, the body fell onto the platform below, and a trapdoor opened up, dropping the remains into a pocket space. The rope held on tight to the head of the knight, forever trapped in an expression of agony and suffering, before it reeled back, and threw. The skull began to scream one last time as it hurtled through the air, reducing a wolf to nothing more than a bloody smear in the blink of an eye, before vanishing into the woods, leaving a skull shaped hole in the trees. A mere second later, a blast of wind burst out in its wake, slamming the smaller critters around it into the trees, causing their bones to shatter.
Only once before this, since his reincarnation a week ago, had Mark felt fear. That time, he had borne witness to a battle between two true beasts of the Forest, battling over territory. The house sized wolf had torn apart what seemed like an endless legion of monstrous ants, each the size of a cow, as they swarmed forth endlessly from their oversized anthills. The Wolf should have been outmatched by the numbers, and yet, for every ant that emerged, it flattened 10 under its claws. It had summoned twisters and gale winds that had torn apart hundreds of the insects in the blink of an eye. To Mark, who had only been a hatchling at the time, it was like watching a natural disaster unfold. And yet, the Gallows dwarfed the fear he had felt when the Wolf locked eyes with him tenfold.
Not even a whimper left his mouth, as the noose reached down into its trapdoor, and took out the skull of another victim. Finally forcing a screech out, the animals he had under his control were sent forth as sacrifices, and Mark took to the skies as quickly as he could. The Gallows wasted no time, using its legs to cave in the skull of the Bear, and a swing of its noose-turned-mace pulped the rest of the wolves. The crows descended like a blanket of death, reducing rabbits to piles of bone. When all the animals had been dealt with, the noose reeled back, preparing to throw the skull at its fleeing target.
"Ureheeheehee!" The Gallows stopped, and turned to the floating smile in the trees. "That one belongs to me! I need it alive, you see!"
The Gallows paused for a moment, before throwing the skull and hitting Mark in the right wing instead of his back, sending the dragon spiralling down, but still alive. The Gallows then reached down and pulled out its favourite severed head, that of a young Beastman girl.
"Dragon…Weak…" The head spoke in its former owner's voice, tinged with their sorrow, pain and fear, all hidden under a layer of childish joy and awe. Imagine a lava cake filled with actual lava instead of chocolate. Each sentence couldn't even be called a sentence, only a crude string of relevant words; An attempt at mimicry with no true desire to match the originals. "Obsession…Obsessed…?"
The Obsession didn't reply, and simply vanished, leaving the Gallows with its face splitting grin. The dismembered head performed the closest act it could to a scoff. "Always…Same…" With that, it dropped the head back into the folds of its storage.
"Boss! I smell blood over here!" A Beastman clad in armour burst onto the scene, and paled immediately at the sight of the Gallows. Before he could even let out a sound, the noose wrapped around his neck and went taut, before one of his friends, a human mage, had her ribs shattered in one swing of the body. Hearing the grass rustle, and the yells of numerous other people, the Gallows walked past the body and into the trees.
The locals and Guild members say that the entire party, consisting of numerous A-Rank Adventurers, was never heard from again.
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The Forest of Frenzy, as a result of the many unique and powerful creatures within, has an endless number of tales. ' The Walking Tempest' , 'The Floating Face' , and 'Creaking and Cawing' are merely three of hundreds. And yet, despite their many differences, in writing styles and interpretations over the course of years, they all tell the same moral.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Alfasolmega
Alfasolmega This's my first try at horror, I'm personally quite proud of it. Put more effort into the Gallows than I did my english exam.
Weekly Power Status
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