“Fuuuuuuh!”

  Grant couldn’t hear his own scream as his body was thrown forward by the shockwave, twisting, twirling, and cartwheeling limply. He’d aimed his jump at a ledge, but the force of the explosion had pushed him forward, and he tumbled in an uncontrolled dive toward the trees below.

  He clenched his teeth and mentally commanded Short Flight to activate.

  His downward plunge instantly stopped, and he drifted, waving his hands and kicking his feet to pull himself out of the spin. The timer on the ability ticked, and he was still a mile above the ground below, putting hundreds of yards between himself and the cliffs a second.

  Grant stared down toward the forest canopy, wishing he could continue floating peacefully. The sun had crested the horizon, and fluffy clouds drifted above his head. There was a river winding through the forest, nothing but green and yellow leaves as far as he could see. He couldn’t sense the cold on his skin with Demonic Regalia, but he could feel the crisp air in his nose, filling his lungs with every breath. Lying there, suspended in the air far above the beauty, beyond the grasp of Bay’kol and her sycophants, was a serenity he had not felt in many days.

  But Demonic Regalia’s Skill wouldn’t last forever. It was called Short Flight, after all. Maybe one day he would find a Skill on the Store that let him fly. Until then, he’d have to settle for gliding, putting as much distance between himself and Bay’kol as he could with the time he had left.

  That and not splattering across the ground.

  He checked his Status.

  [Health Points: 68/136]

  [Mana Points: 64/72]

  [Buffs: Mark of Bay’kol]

  [Debuffs: Mark of Bay’kol]

  [Available Points: 235,491 Points]

  Grant opened the Store. The woman’s Spell had been called Investigate. After a short mental command, it showed on his Store page.

  [Investigate (45,000 Points)]

  [Rarity: Common]

  [Affiliation: Soul]

  [Prerequisites: N/A]

  [Cost: 5 Mana]

  [Cast Time: 1 Second]

  [Enhances the Campaign Interface with additional details about Status effects, Items, and sapient beings. Note: Identify will integrate with Investigate to create a Hybrid Spell.]

  Grant squinted at the Spell, a million questions running through his mind. Why was the Tomb Fiend’s Phylactery hidden in Bay’kol’s stronghold? Why did destroying it give him so many Points? And why did the illusion just so happen to shimmer at that exact time, leading him straight into the chamber?

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  He shook his head. None of them were as pressing as the one at the front of his mind. What rank was Bay’kol’s Curse? The explosion must’ve injured her, but if she survived, she would chase him down in hours. He didn’t know the limitations of her Mark, but she’d boasted she could find him anywhere. That it made him hers, like the cultists who served her every need.

  With Investigate, he could learn the Curse's rank, but that would do him little good if it was an Epic-rank Curse. Buying Investigate would leave him with too few Points to buy Greater Cure.

  A long, high wail ripped him from his thoughts. Anger, frustration, despair all mixed together. Bay’kol had survived the rockslide and risen again.

  [Greater Cure (200,000 Points)]

  [Rarity: Epic]

  [Affiliation: Healing, Soul, Curse, Poison, Disease]

  [Prerequisites: 14 Base Intelligence, 14 Base Wisdom]

  [Cost: 5 Mana]

  [Cast Time: .5 Seconds]

  [Range: 3 Yards]

  [Remove any Curse, Poison, or Disease up to the Epic rank from the target. Any Curse, Poison, or Disease Cured with this Spell may be Stored and inflicted upon a target instantly. Can Store up to five Curses, Poisons, or Diseases at one time.]

  Storing what I Cure? He hadn’t read the Spell description fully yet, but its Point value made far more sense now. If anyone ever cast a Debuff on him or an ally, he could turn it around on them for five Mana. He pushed the information to the side and made the only decision he had.

  [Would you like to Purchase Greater Cure for 200,000 Points?]

  Yes.

  [You have Purchased Greater Cure!]

  He cast the Spell on himself. A gentle blue light flowed over him, and he received a Notification.

  [You have Cured Mark of Bay’kol!]

  [Mark of Bay’kol has been removed.]

  [You have Stored Mark of Bay’kol.]

  Bay’kol roared again. He didn’t feel any different, but it sounded as confused and frustrated as a wyrm’s cry could. He'd also lost the Buff that had increased his Resistances to Poison and Disease, but he could Cure himself of either, now.

  He waited until Short Flight had three seconds left, then pressed his tongue into the back of his teeth and deactivated the Skill.

  The wind ripped at his ears and tears streaked his cheeks, his stomach climbed to his throat as he plunged toward the ground. The brown-and-green forest surged at him, closer and clearer with every second. He could hear the splashing of the river, see the droplets sparkling as they hopped from its surface. He activated Short Flight again to stop his plummet, then canceled it. Sharp leaves and barbed twigs scratched and welted his skin, and he landed on a branch, then slid down the brown trunk.

  He looked over his shoulder. The cliffs loomed over him, even from miles away. They were the only thing between him and Bay’kol, and he could hear her stirring, boulders and rocks sliding off her carapace. He might have been Cured of her Curse, but she knew which direction he’d gone.

  Grant was exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to sit on the forest floor and close his eyes. There was food on the Store that he could buy with his Points. There were Skills and Spells he could still afford.

  But she would never stop hunting him. Rest could come later. He needed to put as much distance between himself and this forest as he could. He dug the ball of his right foot into the ground and pushed off. His feet pounded against the dirt, rock, and snow, running toward whatever lay south of the cliffs.

  He slid over harsh terrain, recalling the events of the past week. He had been stabbed, burned, Cursed, almost frozen to death, Poisoned, beaten, buried, and flung from a cliff, and there was more to come. If the World Notification was what Grant thought it was, his name was currently the most known word on the continent. Someone out there would put all the pieces together eventually, asking how a commoner with 487 Points had destroyed something belonging to one of the Four Commanders.

  There was only one thing left for him to do. Grant needed to go south. South was where Roland, Ayers, and Lira must be. He knew deep down that they were all alive, but they might be in danger. If their experience on this world was anything like his, there was an enemy in every shadow.

  Bay’kol shrieked in the distance again. “Oh, shut up you baby,” Grant spat. Being honest, he had no idea how he was still alive. Dumb luck was his best guess. Making it to the Third would take more. He needed a team, and there were only three people on this world he could trust.

  End of Part One