He had thrown up a second time since killing Talyndra, before sitting down and balling himself up. It was horrible. He had been forced to kill her without any emotions, and the feeling of being stripped of emotions whilst killing someone was just- He threw up a third time, crying and muttering to himself.
[Health Points: 36/201 (-4) -> 32/197
[Notice: EXP gained]
[EXP (+229)]
[EXP to next Level: 125 (-125) -> 0]
[EXP to next Level: 150 (-104) -> 46]
[Notice: Level up]
[Level 5 (+1) -> Level 6]
[Notice: Status effects cleared]
[Notice: Stats up]
[Health Points: 32/197 (+10) -> 42/207 -> 207/207]
[Mana Points: 12/12 (+2) -> 14/14]
[Stamina Points: 19/100 (+20) -> 39/120 +(81) -> 120/120]
[Attack: 18 (+1) -> 19]
[Defense: 16 (+1) -> 17]
[Dexterity: 12 (+1) -> 13]
[Speed: 15 (+1) -> 16]
[Intelligence: 14 (+1) -> 15]
[Wisdom: 12 (+1) -> 13]
[Adeptness: 12 (+1) -> 13]
[Notice: Stat points gained]
[Stat points: 0 (+8) -> 8]
[Notice: Stat points remaining]
He was sick. He felt sick. He didn't want this. He didn't want to kill. He didn't want to have killed. He regretted ever accepting that mission. It was disgusting. He was disgusting- He wanted to die.
[Notice: Skill activated]
[Skill Steal, Level 1]
[Notice: Stats up]
[Health Points: 207/207 (+4) -> 211/211]
[Mana Points: 14/14 (+1) -> 15/15]
[Stamina Points: 120/120 (+8) -> 128/128]
[Attack: 19 (+2) -> 21]
[Defense: 17 (+2) -> 19]
[Dexterity: 13 (+1) -> 14]
[Speed: 16 (+1) -> 17]
[Intelligence: 15 (+1) -> 16]
[Wisdom: 13 (+1) -> 14]
[Adeptness: 13 (+2) -> 15]
[Notice: Skills leveled up]
[Bow Mastery, Level 2 (+1) -> Bow Mastery, Level 3]
[Notice: Skill gained]
[Vision, Level 0 (+1) -> Vision, Level 1]
He wanted to die. He just couldn't forgive himself for accepting the mission and doing something that horrible. He was never even looking at another mission ever again, not as long as he could remember what happened here today. It had been too much, despite everything he had gained from it. He dumped all of the stat points he had gained evenly into the seven main stats, using the last point and throwing it into [Mana Points] so that he could just move on from and ignore those points.
He had to kill himself. It was the easiest solution. If he killed himself, he would be sent back to his save state and everything that had happened would be undone. He would live with the regrets and guilt either way, but Talyndra would live, his sin would never have happened. He would be, at least partially, redeemed. The thought was extremely tantalising, tempting more even than the mission had been before he knew the state of mind it would put him in.
It wouldn't even be hard, that was the worst part. He already had access to a highly damaging weapon, he just had to use it. It was right there, the arrow he had- He had- He... He had killed her. But it didn't need to stay that way. He grabbed the arrow and tore it out from her corps and held it to his chest. It wouldn't kill him instantly, but he didn't need instantly. No, he deserved a slow death. He couldn't bare it anymore, and he plunged the arrow straight into his chest.
[Health Points: 211/211 (-110) -> 101/211]
[Stamina Points: 128/128 (-66) -> 62/128]
It had done more than he had expected it too, but with his damage stat being considerably higher than Talyndra's was when she did the same thing he guessed it shouldn't have actually surprised him. [Attack: 22] vs [Attack: 18], it was almost 25% higher than hers... One more strike would kill him. One more strike would rid him of his sin. One more strike would bring it all back to zero. He'd return back to the save state. Talyndra had killed him during his first real time experiencing this world and meeting her, but now he had done the same thing.
He understood her reasoning for what she did, she was scared, worried about her friend and had accidentally killed him because he pushed her too far. The fact that she had aimed exclusively for non-fatal- or rather low damaging areas such as his legs and hand proved as much. She just wanted to know that her friend was safe. But him? He had wanted to be stronger. He wanted power. It was greed, nothing more, nothing less. The empty nothingness still felt so vivid to him and his mind, both an eternity ago and as if it had only just ended. It was so sickening... He deserved nothing more than a dog's death. He tore the arrow back out from his chest with a new and better plan. A better way to truly repent.
[Health Points: 101/211 (-55) -> 46/211]
[Stamina Points: 62/128 (-33) -> 29/128]
He stabbed his leg with the arrow.
[Health Points: 46/211 (-7) -> 39/211]
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[Stamina Points: 29/128 (-4) -> 25/128]
A crooked smile spread across his manic, sweating face. Blood began to pour from his chest wound and he stabbed his leg with the arrow a second time.
[Health Points: 39/211 (-7) -> 32/211]
[Stamina Points: 25/128 (-4) -> 21/211]
Again.
[Health Points: 32/211 (-7) -> 25/211]
[Stamina Points: 21/128 (-4) -> 17/128]
And again.
[Health Points: 25/211 (-7) -> 18/211]
[Stamina Points: 17/128 (-4) -> 13/128]
And. Again.
[Health Points: 18/211 (-7) -> 11/211]
[Stamina Points: 13/128 (-4) -> 9/128]
Someone. Please. Anyone-
[Health Points: 11/211 (-7) -> 4/211]
[Stamina Points: 9/128 (-4) -> 5/128]
[Notice: Death imminent]
Forgive me.
[Health Points: 4/211 (-7) -> -3/211]
[Stamina Points: 5/128 (-4) -> 1/128 -> 0/128]
He thrust the arrow into his leg one final time, six other arrow wounds already in his leg, blood leaking slowly from all of his wounds. With the final thrust of the arrow the world went black, his heart stopped, and he died.
[Notice: Skills leveled up]
[Death Watcher, Level 2 (+1) -> Death Watcher, Level 3]
His mind snapped into place and his eyes shot open as he gasped for breath and began to pant.
Abel: *pant* -Talyndra... I-
I'm sorry... He wanted to run out of the house right now and apologise a hundred times to her, but there was one thing he had to check first.
--Kaelen Calder Abel Cyrus--
[Level 3], [EXP to next Level: 27]
[Health Points: 25/25], [Mana Points: 8/8], [Stamina Points: 60/60], [Lux: 13]
[Attack: 16], [Defense: 14], [Dexterity: 10], [Speed: 13], [Intelligence: 12], [Wisdom: 10], [Adeptness: 11]
--Skills--
[Forge Mastery, Level 6], [Sword Mastery, Level 3], [Spear Mastery, Level 3], [Death Watcher, Level 3], [Bow Mastery, Level 2], [Muscle Memory, Level 2], [Weapon Mastery, Level 1], [Stat Steal, Level 1]
--Sigils--
[The Sigil of Resurrection]
They were there. Not just his stats but those skills, [Stat Steal, Level 1], and [Muscle Memory, Level 2], as much as he didn't want to keep them because of what they had brough upon him they were useful things to have. Useful or not, the cost was too great, he had been made a cold-hearted killer for the length of the mission, and suspected that should he ever fall asleep again that those moments would haunt his nightmares. There had to be a way to get rid of at least [Stat Steal], it felt wrong even seeing it. It ruined the memories of the dead and stole power from them, it just wasn't right. He wanted to get rid of it, he-
[Move skill {Stat Steal, Level 1} to {Lost Stats}?]
[Yes / No]
He hated the game [System] that this world used, it had made him do something unspeakable not too long ago, but at least it had the decency to offer him this. He didn't hesitate for even a single second before going with [Yes].
[Skill {Stat Steal, Level 1} removed.]
[View current {Lost Stats}?]
[Yes / No]
[Lost Stats]? He was pretty sure he knew what he would find if he pressed yes, but did so anyway. He just had to double check his suspicions.
--Lost Stats of Kaelen Calder--
[Levels: 3]
[Health Points: 181], [Mana Points: 9], [Stamina Points: 58], [Lux: 60]
[Attack: 6], [Defense: 6], [Dexterity: 5], [Speed: 5], [Intelligence: 5], [Wisdom: 5], [Adeptness: 6]
--Skills--
[Exhaustion, Level 8], [Sword Mastery, Level 1], [Bow Mastery, Level 1], [Vision, Level 1], [Stat Steal, Level 1]
--Sigils--
[N/A]
--Status Effects--
[Burning, Tier XI], [Bleeding, Tier I]
[Reclaim {Lost Stats}?]
[Yes / No]
It was exactly what he thought it would be, every stat and skill level lost upon death collected into a single place with the option to reclaim them all, but if he did so he would die instantly due to [Exhaustion, Level 8] formed from the times he got it to Level 5 and Level 3 respectively. That was a good thing, he didn't even want to be tempted to reclaim any of these stats, even if it helped him, and if he eventually fell to the temptation then death would be waiting for him. As he wanted it, pressing [No]. Goodbye [Stat Steal].
