Rot Heart: A LitRPG of Rot Magic in an Ancient World (Book 1 completed)

Div didn't have to wait too long for Nantosia to return with the ointment Medunir had concocted. She helped him apply it to his injured body and left him to rest.

Exhausted, Div fell asleep for a few hours.

He and En woke up at the same time and he explained how Echoes of the Rot Heart wasn't as concerning as they first thought.

(Great, more rot…)

[I'm convinced there are positive aspects to rot, En. Give it a chance.]

(It will never happen.)

Taking a moment between taking care of two other patients, Medunir popped his head into their room to tell them the battle was over. He instructed them to return home with the medicine and avoid physical activities for a week.

Still far from being in good shape, Div and En took longer than expected to reach Belilamos and Carmeta's house. Their hosts, along with their son, were already home.

"Div, En!" Belilamos exclaimed when he saw them enter through the front door. "You look terrible. What happened?"

They shrugged. "Venom."

"Have you seen a healer?" Caremeta asked, rushing toward Div and En, seemingly ready to carry them to one if they hadn't.

"Yes," Div said, raising his hand. "You didn't tell us you had a brother."

(What?)

[Oh? I forgot to tell you. Medunir is Carmeta's brother.]

"You saw Medunir? Then there's nothing to be worried about. Baldy is the best healer in the village. Sit down, we're about to eat. You're allowed to eat, right?"

Div and En were, in fact, allowed and eager to eat. They hadn't since breakfast and their stomach was empty.

On dark days, the menu was always leftovers from the day before. There just wasn't enough time to cook with the battle raging outside for the entire day. Even if there was, people were too tired to do it.

With a recent catch of Belilamos, they had prepared a rich, deep bone soup. With some bread, it would fill any stomach to the brim.

It was delicious.

Even Dubnonamos was eating more than his small body let on.

"Venom aside, how was the battle?" Belilamos asked.

Div and En were conflicted. Div was happy about the progress he made toward understanding rot, but neither the fight with the cyclops nor the one with the serpent left him satisfied. En was even more negative.

Still, they narrated it all to their hosts, to the delight of little Dubno. Like most children in Camboaci, he was already dreaming of the mighty warrior he would become.

"Do you think Vedovessa is targeting us?" They asked.

"No…" Carmeta started, only to be interrupted by Dubno.

"Diven, why do you say 'us' when it's just you?"

Everyone's head turned toward Dubno.

Right—they hadn't told him yet.

Div and En's eyes looked for Belilamos and Carmeta's faces. They didn't know what to say.

"May we tell him, Div, En?" Carmeta asked softly.

Div and En nodded. They had already made the decision to tell Dubno. Their only fear was that little boys weren't the best at keeping secrets.

But in the end, it was all just delaying the inevitable. Their condition had already been found out by many people. Sooner or later, everyone would know.

They were still determined to become their own person. To split their body into two. When they did, it would be easier if people knew.

"Dubno," Carmeta said gently. "Diven has a skill that turned him into two people: Div and En. They share the same body, but they each have their own personality. That's why they say 'us'."

"Whoa…" Dubno's mouth was wide open.

"Do you understand?" Belilamos asked.

"Yes! That's so cool! Can I do that too? I want to do that! Mom, Dad, please let me do that."

"Dubno," Div and En started. "It's not as fun as it seems."

They went on to explain all the disadvantages their cooperation entailed. It was enough to change the boy's mind. Not that it was really a concern. By the time he was old enough to awaken, he would understand it was a bad idea.

Still, Dubnonamos couldn't stop asking questions and playing with Div and En. They all went to sleep without bringing the topic of the battle back to the table.

The next day, school was closed. Since the students participated in the dark day's battle, they all had various levels of injuries and needed time to recover.

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The severity of Div and En's case finally caught up to them, and, despite a good night of sleep, they were unable to leave bed.

With so much ruined skin and flesh being replaced, their entire body was itching like never before.

Medunir's concoction was helping, but healing faster turned into more itching.

[I'm going to run Echoes of the Rot Heart so we can get out of here quicker.]

(You're going to make the itch worse!)

[That's fine, I don't think I'll feel it in the world of rot.]

(I will!)

[Have fun!]

En was flabbergasted. Since the day before, Div had been going on and on about rot. While his brother had shown interest in the powers their rot-attunement could grant them, he had never been so excited about it.

It was… good?

If Div could find some positive virtues to their mana, En was happy for him. Ultimately, he was still sure he wanted to get rid of it. Div liking it alleviated the guilt he felt at forcing his other half into it.

Not that he wouldn't push all the rot onto Div even if the latter hated it.

En wasn't proud of himself, but he refused to live with rot.

As the effects of Echoes of the Rot Heart took hold, the itch intensified. It was accompanied by the usual pus forming from the decomposition of their dead flesh.

They would have to clean their bed. And it would be hard work. There was no way this kind of stain would come off easily.

En sighed, choosing to focus on his inner world instead. He wanted to replicate his success with Rotten Spear to improve Rotten Shield and Rotten Spearfishing. However, it wasn't that simple.

The ideas behind a shield were completely opposite to those behind a spear, so he couldn't simply carry over his epiphany. As for Spearfishing, the link with Spear was evident, but it wasn't the same thing. If it were, there wouldn't be two separate skills.

No matter how much he tried, En wasn't able to put his finger on it. Maybe some practice would help, but he wasn't allowed to.

It was a shame, Rotten Spearfishing was probably the skill that was curbed the most by its rot-attunement. Even with their skill-deactivating trick, it seriously hindered Div and En's ability to fish.

Days passed in boredom and convalescence. Div and En took Medunir's warning about self-healing skills seriously and avoided exerting themselves while they recovered.

After an entire week spent at home, they couldn't wait to go back to school.

(I'm so bored.)

Div wasn't in much of a better mood. His excitement over his rot-related findings had quickly faded as he fell into the routine of running Echoes of the Rot Heart. The skill was never a pleasant experience. He'd rather be outside, researching rot's effect on things that weren't his body.

Thankfully, Carmeta had told them it was time to return to school. The students had rested enough, and it was time to debrief their performances.

Div and En were apprehensive. As much as Belilamos and Carmeta had assured them that Vedovessa wasn't the type of person to target them unfairly, they still held some resentment in their heart toward their teacher.

They, and En especially, liked fighting. She had deprived them of their first dark day battle.

At least, it wasn't as bad as Gennorina. As soon as they entered the classroom, they saw her venting to whoever would listen about her frustrations.

Of course, Div and En didn't dare to refuse, so they listened to her. The spirit of the wall of trees still refused to speak with her. It wasn't too surprising, and she had been expecting this result. However, Gennorina thought that she should be allowed to fight with the others in that case.

The wall of trees wasn't going anywhere. Why did she have to communicate with it during the battle?

As the rest of the students poured in, Div and En were glad to learn that none of their friends had been seriously injured. A few bruises, cuts and scratches were unavoidable, but their level of injury was unique among their grade.

"Good morning, everyone," Vedovessa said as she entered the room.

Everyone quieted down, sat at their desk, and greeted the teacher.

"I hope you've all had a good rest. Today, we will go over your performances during the dark day. You all did great, but there are many things you can improve. I will see you all individually, but first, does anyone have a question or remark?"

The students looked at each other, trying to see if anyone was brave enough to raise their hand.

A girl finally gathered her courage and did it. Div and En remembered her name was Ortens, but they hadn't interacted much.

Vedovessa prompted her to talk.

"Are we going to participate in the next dark day?"

"On a voluntary basis," the teacher said. "Even if the battle was controlled, I know how hard it can hit. Some of you are not made for this, and it's okay. There are many other ways to help the village."

"Will I be allowed to participate?" Gennorina asked, raising her hand only after she had asked her question.

"Gennorina, you're a druid. Brigaseta is the one dictating your assignments in battle," Vedovessa said. "That said, and this is something all of you should keep in mind, an army is not simply a collection of individual fighters. It is a team where everyone has their role. If you step foot on the battlefield, I expect you to obey orders."

"Even when the order is wrong?" A boy whose name Div and En didn't know asked.

"Always. Especially if you think the order is wrong. First of all, you are not capable of judging an order. It could look wrong from your perspective, but be the right decision. Secondly, all of you following a suboptimal order is better than if you act individually."

Div and En raised their hand.

"Diven." Vedovessa acknowledged.

"How many dark days are there left this year? And will there be other opportunities to fight?"

"Most of you should already know the answer to the first question. Maybe one, maybe three, it's impossible to tell. As for the second question, I'm glad you asked," Vedovessa explained. "Winter is slow and cold, you will not want to be outside then. But as soon as the Lien River unfreezes, exchanges will resume with the neighboring villages. We usually organize some sparring matches with their youth."

Living in Camboaci, it was easy to forget it wasn't the only Lienien community in the area. All the way from the Great Sea to Camboaci, countless villages dotted the banks of the Lien River.

While the waterway froze in winter and the dark days made trade difficult in fall, it was the main artery connecting those communities together during the rest of the year.

"We might even see some Kheironite explorers show themselves," Vedovessa continued. "Few venture this far north, but there are always some every year. Depending on their attitude, it might turn interesting."

(Is she implying we will have to fight our brethren from Kheiron?)

[If they come looking for trouble, we should.]

(Really? You're going to betray our homeland?)

[What? You would let them attack Camboaci without interfering?]

(No but…)

[I guess we'll see what happens if it happens.]

(Right—maybe nobody will come. That would be for the best.)

[Depends on who it is. I wouldn't mind seeing Seb again.]

"Alright," Vedovessa said. "Diven, you're up first. Let's move to my office."