Misfit’s Journey

[Iron Will (Epic)]

Your mind has been probed countless times and has remained unbroken to this day. Prevents pain and emotions from affecting your rational thinking, giving you a clear mind even in dire times. The effectiveness is determined by Willpower. For each upgrade obtained the skill will add 50 Willpower worth of stats to the effect of the skill (Current bonus:150). Negates all kind of mental manipulation of skills and items under Epic-grade.

This was the description of my second Epic-grade skill. Iron Will. Epic was a high and according —now proven by this skill’s description— two grades higher than Common, the lowest rank.

It was fair to say that the skill saved my life. If your mind or heart broke, the clan would dispose of you, and while I was different from other prisoners, I wasn’t sure if that would have been any different for me.

I survived because my will endured. In the end this brought upon me many years of torment, but, hey, I was still alive.

It was ironic that the skill brought me more Willpower the more torture I endured. All this time, Malik just lowered the chances of me breaking.

The thought that Malik had helped me with getting two Epic skills made me chuckle. Then again, Malik was not the brightest star in the sky.

The bastard was only good for punching, stabbing and destroying things with his hands. Taking that weird hobby of his into account, maybe he was just crazy.

The next skill was the only one that I had used consciously until now.

[Identify (Common)]

Allows you to identify the Species and level of other living beings. Provides detailed information on skills, classes and species of your status. Individuals that are 100 levels or more above you cannot be identified. The information displayed can be falsified by skills, items or magic. Doesn’t work on inanimate objects, including corpses.

It was about what I expected. The restriction of hundred levels above me was new, but nothing too dramatic. The only person who I imagined had reached such a level would be Malik.

A simple rule in my mind formed. If you see something the skill can’t identify, run for your life and never look back. I had not seen many people of high levels in action and I wasn’t too eager to find out.

Should have used it more often…

I winced a little as I stepped on a small stone.

And the pain is back. Wonderful.

I clenched my teeth and kept going. If I just ignored the pain and didn't dwell on it, Pain Tolerance would soon kick in. Hopefully.

Easier said than done…

I closed my status with a simple thought, feeling a little proud that I could already handle my status so well.

We continued to move through the forest at a good pace and Seth and I had almost caught up with the other three at this point. I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief that we were putting distance between us and the cave.

For me, that was the best pace to not completely deplete my stamina and overexert my body. I appreciated that the others did not leave me behind.

As we drew closer to the others, I could hear them talking to each other, but I couldn’t tell the contents of their conversation. Maybe they were discussing something relating to me, maybe they had finally decided that I was a burden.

Took them long enough, I chuckled.

Suddenly, the tranquility of the forest was shattered by a deafening horn blast, resonating throughout the trees. The sound was uncomfortably close.

“I think they know,” Seth commented. He continued marching, his footsteps slowly getting faster. All our steps grew faster, even mine.

As we hurriedly made our way through the forest, I caught a glimpse of something in the distance. Suddenly, dozens of small lights came into view, flickering in the darkness. My heart sank as I realized that they were the torches.

“Oh, they definitely know!” Bennet warned in a low voice.

We all broke out running, our differences in physical stats made clear. I was lagging behind the rest, but thankfully, the darkness of the night wasn't hindering my vision too much. I could still make out the shapes of the others ahead of me, so I just had to follow them.

Although we most likely left behind a bunch of traces for the clan to follow, the cover of the night would make it more challenging for them to actively pursue us. Additionally, we were still maintaining a lead on them.

But even with our head start, we were still at a disadvantage. After all, our goal were the bridges that I have heard of, as they were the only real escape route to make sure nobody could follow us. Unfortunately, it was a clan member I got this info from, so they knew our goal and probably its location.

That meant, the clan didn’t even necessarily need to catch up to us, they could simply wait in ambush at the bridges and wait for us to arrive. Since, they knew about them, they obviously also knew the location where they were located.

“Shit,” I cursed under my breath, my stamina approaching zero.

A wave of relief wash over me as we finally reached the edge of the dense forest. I was beginning to doubt if we would ever make it out alive. But now, there it was - the end of the forest, marked by a deep cut in the earth that formed a ravine stretching out before us. It was a sight to behold.

The ravine was so deep that I couldn't see the bottom, but I could hear the distant sound of rushing water echoing up from below. It was both awe-inspiring and terrifying at the same time.

I took a deep breath and turned to the others, then scanned the surroundings. Not a single bridge in sight.

“The bridge!” Bennet shouted, pointing in the far distance to our right.

I was impressed by his ability to see in the dark that was even better than mine. Maybe one of those skills…

Without wasting more time, we ran along the edge of the ravine. My lack of stamina became noticeable as my running speed slowed significantly. My breathing was rapid and I felt sweat making my hair stick to my face.

As we continued to run, the ravine loomed to our left, a gaping maw in the earth that seemed to stretch on forever. The sound of my ragged breathing was the only thing that filled the air, drowning out everything else. At least, I still couldn’t hear any clan members.

For a brief moment, I felt a sense of panic rise within me. What if we never found the bridges? What if we were running blindly into the unknown, straight into the waiting arms of our pursuers? But then, I pushed the thought aside. I had come too far to give up now, and I refused to let fear get the better of me.

My body had been pushed to its limit, and I couldn't help but feel defeated by my own physical limitations. With each step, my legs grew heavier and my chest felt tighter. I struggled to keep my head up, feeling like my neck was made of lead.

Despite my efforts, exhaustion and pain soon took over, and I stumbled, my legs giving out beneath me. In that moment, I was certain that I would fall and be left behind, at the mercy of the clan pursuing us. But just as I was about to hit the ground, a pair of arms caught me, holding me steady.

I looked up, bleary-eyed and disoriented, and was met with the familiar brown eyes of Seth.

I was grossed out and disgusted, similar to when Lisa had touched me, but my body was too weak and tired to struggle. Maybe because of that, I could keep my cool and acknowledge that I was being helped.

“Well, I would feel kinda bad leaving you behind. I know you don’t like this, but bear with me for little more, okay?” He smiled a little as he began running.

I had some trouble controlling the impulses that urged me to struggle and break free, but eventually, those died down and I let myself be carried.

Look at me, being carried by a human…

After an indeterminate amount of time, Seth slowed down again. His voice entered my ears.

“Ah. We have a problem,” he said, his eyes narrowed.

I looked around and it did not even take a second for me to understand. Three men stood before us, swords in their hands and the tips pointed our way.

[Human — Lvl. 45]

[Human — Lvl. 56]

[Human — Lvl. 58]

They had already caught up. This truly was a problem.

Seth was higher in level than them, but they had the numbers and I had no idea how good of a fighter Seth was.

“Let me down,” I whispered to him.

If he was to fight, then carrying me was going to be a hindrance. Seth quickly followed my suggestion and let me to the ground as one of the clan members spoke up.

“We got lucky, lads, we found the chief’s pet,” the one with the highest level grinned, licking the edge of his sword.

Creepy bastards.

Seth slowly drew the sword he had stolen from one of the humans I killed. The clan members chuckled.

“You think we are scared?”

I did think thirty levels were quite the difference and that they should be a little more careful, but it seems there was safety in numbers. Or maybe not.

“Fine, th-“

Before he could finish his sentence, Seth swung his blade. He was too far away to hit one of them, but the two humans over level 50 still dodged and I soon knew why.

The level 45 human just stood there, unmoving. I was confused… until his head slowly rolled to the ground. The man had been beheaded in a second.

“Shit! A Skill!” One of the humans cursed.

“You bandits were never the smartest bunch,” Seth spoke coldly, getting back into a stance.

Angered by the loss of their comrade, both barbarians attacked him at once, swinging at him, but Seth avoided with a simple step back. He then quickly stepped in again and slashed at the lower-leveled human, cutting off the hand that held the sword. The man falling to the ground at Seth’s feet.

The other man had already built some distance, predicting Seth's retaliation strike.

“ARGH!” The man who had lost his arms rolled on the ground, blood dyeing the grass beneath him red.

“And you never were the best swordsmen,” he grinned, stabbing his sword into the throat of the wailing man.

“Fuck you!” The last human shouted, swinging again and again, but Seth simply deflected his attacks. However, he wasn't given any opportunity to attack.

The barbarian's barrage of attacks came to a stop, as he breathed heavily. I wanted to laugh at him, but as someone who would be out of breath after a single of those swings, I kept my mouth shut. Still, a small smile crept on my lips.

Suddenly, the barbarian's eyes landed on me. Seth followed his gaze and also looked at me. The barbarian smiled and rushed towards me. Seth moved quickly, trying to intercept him, but the barbarian was already swinging at me.

Fearing what was to come, I closed my eyes, I heard something being cut, blood splashing, a pained groan and a scream, but there was no pain, no feeling of cold iron digging into my flesh.

I opened my eyes again. Seth stood before me, his arm on the ground. His other arm, holding the sword that pierced through the barbarians stomach.

“Bas…tard,” Seth pulled the sword back and the barbarians lifeless body dropped to the ground.

Seth stabbed the sword into the ground, holding his shoulder and crouching down.

I looked at him, confused.

“What?” I blurted out. My mind failing to make sense of the situation.

Seth looked at me with a smile that didn’t help hiding the obvious pain he was in. He staggered, barely keeping on his feet.

“Why would you save me?” I rushed to his side, not knowing how to help the injured man.

Seth and I were strangers. Worse, I hated his kind. In my mind, even knowing that he and his group helped me greatly, humans were still not creatures that saved others while suffering. They were supposed to be more selfish and opportunistic.

Yet, he saved me. Twice.

“Why would you lose an arm for someone like me?” I asked bewildered by his actions.

He simply smiled at me.

“As a knight, protecting the weak is not only my purpose, but my duty. It doesn’t matter who you are. If I deem you worth protecting, I will.”

I looked at him, dumbfounded.

“Now, they won't be the only ones that have caught up, so go while you can. I will stay, maybe I take one or two more with me.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked him.

Seth looked at me, then surveyed the forest around us. After a short while, he looked back at me.

“As much as I enjoyed talking to you, we don’t have time. Run, escape and live.”

Seth had created an opportunity for me to still make it, even after the clan had caught up. If they were already here, some of them might already be on their way to the bridge. If I still wanted to make it, I would need to move. Now.

“Thank you, Seth,” I bowed slightly, a gesture of appreciation I had picked up somewhere along the line.

I intended to escape and while this had a bitter taste to it — one that even I did not understand —, I would still show my appreciation for my savior.

“No worries,” he gripped the handle of his sword. “And tell the others that I died a hero, alright? This might get you into some trouble with Carla, but I hope you can respect my last wish?” His tone was light, but I nodded seriously.

“I will make sure to tell them.”

With these words, I turned around and started running, not daring to look back.

“Thanks,” was the last word I heard from behind me.

I ran and ran, uncaring for my stamina burning out. This was my last chance, which Seth had sacrificed himself for. I would reach that bridge and when it’s the last thing I did.

Then, in the distance, I saw something hanging over the ravine from this side to the other.

It was a slim, rickety-looking thing that seemed barely sturdy enough to hold its own weight, let alone the weight of a group of people trying to cross. But there it was, the only way forward.

I could already feel myself losing speed again, but I pushed through until I finally stood right before it. I saw Bennet standing on the other side, Lisa and Redhead were also almost over on the other side.

I did not hesitate a single second and stepped on the first plank of the bridge. A gust of wind hit me, shaking the entire thing. I instinctively grabbed onto the side ropes for stabilization, regretting it instantly as I was reminded of the holes in my hand.

“Argh!” Shit, this is horrible. When did the cloth come off?

When the pain hit me, my sense of pain returned. Pain Tolerance had done its job well, but without noticing, the cloths from my hands had loosened and vanished at some point. The pain was agonizing as the old rope scraped against my wounds.

Despite the searing pain that coursed through my body, I clenched my teeth and pressed on. I kept moving forward, my determination overpowering my agony. Every step felt like walking on broken glass, but I refused to give up.

Things were progressing smoothly, until suddenly, sharp pains shot through my body. One in my right shoulder, then another in my left, followed by a searing pain in my stomach. I clung to the ropes to keep myself standing, but looking down, I saw three arrowheads had penetrated my body. Blood filled my mouth as yet another arrow hit me in the chest, and I coughed up a puddle of blood.

“Ah…”, I exclaimed, almost dumbfounded at the arrows hitting me like a bucket of cold water, ripping me out of a hopeful dream.

My hands weakened, losing their grip on the ropes, and I tumbled to the ground. The bridge shook, my body landing on the wooden planks beneath.

The pain was quite literally killing me and I actually felt Iron Will activate. Things were looking bad, but I refused to give up. With every last bit of my energy and strength, I pushed myself up, pulling myself up on the ropes.

I looked forward towards my goal.

Sorry Seth… things look real bad…

Bennet, Lisa and even Redhead had made it already. Their expressions varied from concern and pity to shock and fear, but their gazes were fixed on me, maybe that was why Bennet did not notice Redhead, no Carla, grabbing the sword hanging from his waist and swinging at the ropes. Cutting them.

The bridge began falling and I got one last glimpse at the red-haired woman, who was delivering me to the reaper himself. Death was coming for me.

My awareness of my surroundings vanished, my body numbed and even the feeling of the fall vanished. Eventually, my mind was hulled in darkness as everything just seemed to cease to exist.