The Eternal Assassin

Thanks to Samantha's skill and her obvious experience, the three of them managed to avoid anything particularly dangerous that first day as they made their way through the forest. They did encounter a small pack of wolves at one point and a large monkey-looking creature with four arms at another, but both times Samantha managed to scare them off with a well-placed shot from her new bow. At the rate they were going Asher had been expecting to make it out of the forest in no time at all, which made it all the more surprising when Samantha instructed them to set up camp.

Apparently, they were deep enough in the forest that it would take them at least a couple of days to make it back to civilization.

Tossing another log into the fire, Asher thought about everything Samantha had told him while he listened to the sounds of the forest all around them. She had suggested they take turns watching out for any sort of danger during the night, and Asher had offered to take the first watch. He wasn't sure if it was his new healing ability or just everything that had happened since arriving in this world, but despite his severe lack of sleep, oddly enough he felt wide awake.

Glancing at the siblings huddled up next to one another on the other side of the fire, Asher smiled. He'd been an only child growing up and never had a brother or sister to fight or play with. Poking the fire with a stick, Asher thought about life back on Earth. He hadn't even been gone for twenty-four hours, yet it felt like it had already been days.

His life back on Earth had been pretty good, all things considered. Sure he'd struggled with finding a girlfriend and living in a city where rent prices were far too high, but he had a small handful of friends, a steady job, and a decent enough relationship with his parents despite their divorce when he was young. Once they got out of this forest, the question remained of what Asher was going to do with himself.

Samantha said traveling between realms is something that does happen, albeit rarely. If I wanted to go back home, I should probably start there.

But do I want to go back home?

Sighing at his dilemma, Asher pulled up his latest notification.

Eternal Regeneration – lvl 4.

Untying the bandage wrapped around his head, he slowly opened his injured eye, blinking at the sudden light from the fire as his now perfectly healed eye adjusted.

That imp shredded my eye with its claws… and I just grew a new one in a few hours. Shaking his head, Asher tensed his body, silently slipping into the astral realm. The darkened forest grew a bit lighter as all the colors around him shifted their palette, and Asher merely sat there, taking in the unique world that only he could visit and enjoy. Holding the skill for a few seconds, he finally relaxed, popping back into the real world.

I have magic powers here… I can heal destroyed organs and travel between realms at a single thought! Thinking back to how he'd felt after his life and death battle against the demon, Asher realized his body was shaking. Only not from fear.

But from excitement.

I don't think I've ever felt so alive as I did in that moment, he finally admitted to himself, replaying his final dagger thrust into the demon's throat in his mind's eye. He'd never pegged himself as an adrenaline junkie, but something about dancing on the precipice of the void with only his skills to rely on called to him. Asher wasn't one hundred percent set on staying in this world just yet, but he certainly loved his skills.

Speaking of which…

Pulling up the interface that contained all his personal information, Asher looked at all of the currently locked slots under his Spatial element. At the moment he only had Astral Dip unlocked, sitting pretty at level four. But as soon as he focused on one of the locked slots with the intention of filling it, a new message appeared.

Spend 10,000 shards to unlock new skill?

Just like Samantha said, he thought, briefly wondering if he should really go and spend all his shards right here and now. No doubt there would be plenty of equipment and information he'd need to buy in the near future, but the allure of potentially new skills was far too strong for him. Grinning with excitement, he agreed with the message and looked at the two new messages he was given.

Shards: 58,792

Distortion (active) – lvl 1 – Bend the nearby fabric of space to your whim.

As always, what a remarkably unhelpful description. Despite his internal grumblings, Asher was beyond giddy as he took in his newest skill. Focusing on a nearby rock about five feet away, Asher tried activating his new skill.

And nothing happened.

Frowning, Asher reread his new ability, scratching his head.

I guess I was trying to use my power on the rock instead of empty space. So if I focus on the space between me and the rock…

Doing just that, Asher's eyes widened as the area between him and the rock started to shimmer ever so slightly. If he hadn't known that his power was active, he probably wouldn't have even noticed the change. Tentatively reaching out hand toward the rock lying a few feet away, he stared in amazement as his fingers closed around it.

This is hurting my brain, he thought, withdrawing his hand from the shimmering space with the rock in tow. His brain seemed to struggle with comprehending what he was seeing, but as he'd shoved his arm through the compacted space, his flesh had appeared to blur and stretch, allowing him to somehow reach out and interact with the rock. It was as if there had just been less space between him and his target than there should have been. Making a mental note to ask Samantha what his new skill looked like from her perspective during their trek tomorrow, Asher quickly pulled up his interface again and purchased his next skill, this time for his Knowledge element.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Shards: 48,792

Comprehend (passive) – Lvl 1 – Process information at inhuman speeds.

Frowning, Asher looked at his newest skill. He'd suspected the skills he'd gain from the Knowledge element wouldn't be as flashy or exciting as his skills from the Spatial or Eternity elements, but this was something else entirely.

I can think faster? Hurray.

At least it's a passive skill, I guess.

Eager for something more exciting, he continued on to his last element.

Shards: 38,792

Complete Resilience (passive) – Lvl 1 – You will outlast all negative effects.

Asher reread the skill's description. His newest skill for Eternity was rather in line with his Eternal Regeneration, except where that one healed him, this one seemed to be more specific. He hadn't really encountered any sort of negative effect yet, but he imagined it would work on dangerous things like poison at the very least.

Satisfied that he'd at least gained another useful tool for survival, Asher stared at his interface, trying to come to a difficult decision. According to Samantha, elements always granted their first skill for free, with every subsequent skill costing 10,000 more shards than the one before it. He'd just unlocked each of the 10,000 shard skills for his three elements, which meant his next purchase would cost him 20,000 shards, regardless of which element he picked. And seeing as he was already down to about 38,000, he'd only be able to unlock one more skill tonight.

Ruling out Knowledge immediately, his eyes bounced back and forth between his Spatial and Eternity elements. His Spatial element seemed to provide him with skills that were more utility based, while the Eternity element was clearly trying to make him live as long as possible. As much as the thought of immortality called to him, the sheer utility of Astral Dip was unquestionable, and he had a feeling Distortion would become a frequently used tool in his arsenal as well. With two companions in tow, he needed to improve his utility more than his own survivability right now.

Coming to a decision, he focused on his Spatial element and spent another 20,000 shards.

Shards: 18,792

Personal Rift (passive/active) – Lvl 1 – Twist space into your own personal pocket dimension.

Like most of his skills, he somehow intuitively understood what he had to do to activate it. Focusing on the space immediately in front of his face, he watched as the air began to shimmer, just like when he used Distortion. Taking the rock he'd picked up a few minutes ago, Asher stuck his hand inside the shimmering space and quietly laughed as his entire hand vanished from the wrist up.

Well this is fantastic.

A few minutes of experimentation yielded a lot of information on his new skill. First, he was able to create the portal to his Personal Rift only within reaching distance of himself, but it didn't have to be in front of him. He could even create the portal behind his back or directly above his head if he felt so inclined. Second, objects could only enter his rift when he placed them there with his own two hands. Trying to toss a rock through the shimmering space caused it to sail right through as if there was nothing there. Third, his rift didn't seem to have any sort of stasis effect. He tried picking up a flaming twig and placing it into his rift, but when he checked on it again a few minutes later all he'd found was a handful of ash. Thankfully, the items he stored seemed to somehow be separated at least, as the fire hadn't spread to the roll of bandages he'd already shoved in there.

All in all, it was a pocket dimension only he could access, and he could somehow sense had a volume close to that of a duffel bag. He could only hope that the size would increase as the skill leveled, but even if it didn't, not having to lug a giant bag around would be nice at the very least.

For now, he decided to store the glass vial filled with the universal antidote he'd borrowed from the wizard tower in his Personal Rift. He didn't care all that much if someone stole his primitive matches or old rolls of bandages, but the potion was another matter.

Quite pleased with his final purchase of the night, Asher brought up his interface one more time, admiring how nicely it was filling out.

Name: Asher Holden

Class: None

Element: Spatial

Ability: Astral Dip – Lvl 4

Ability: Distortion – Lvl 1

Ability: Personal Rift – Lvl 1

Ability: (Locked)

Ability: (Locked)

Element: Knowledge

Ability: Identify – Lvl 6

Ability: Comprehend – Lvl 1

Ability: (Locked)

Ability: (Locked)

Ability: (Locked)

Element: Eternity

Ability: Eternal Regeneration – Lvl 4

Ability: Complete Resilience – Lvl 1

Ability: (Locked)

Ability: (Locked)

Ability: (Locked)

Resistances: None

Shards: 18,792

Just over a thousand shards and I can snag my next skill, he thought to himself, already seeing why shards were used as the currency for this world. If people are constantly consuming them for skills, I guess they don't have to worry about inflation or anything like that. I wonder what the most efficient way of collecting them is? I think Samantha said something about hunting monsters. Do monsters drop shards? Why didn't those imps I killed give me anything then? Or the demon?

Sighing, Asher leaned back on his log, watching the smoke drift up into the starry sky. It seemed like every answer he learned left him with two new questions. He knew he'd figure things out with time, but one thing he did understand was that this world was far more dangerous than his. He could only hope he figured things out before it was too late.

A slight glimmer on the edge of the camp caught his eye, and Asher turned to find himself face to face with a crystalline panther. Rather than fur and muscle, the predator's body looked to be made entirely of smooth, almost translucent crystal. The only part of the beast that wasn't clear were its two dark blue eyes, each staring directly at him and flickering in the light of the campfire.

[Awakened Panther] – Ice

Asher stared in awe at the predator's sleek body as it watched him from the edge of the fire. There was clear intelligence in those eyes, and he couldn't shake the feeling that the magical cat was deciding how to best go about killing him and his companions. Not wanting to give it the chance, Asher slipped into the astral realm, grabbing his daggers and getting to his feet as he prepared himself for another battle.

But the moment he shifted realms, the panther's eyes widened, and the predator turned and disappeared into the darkened forest once more, vanishing without a sound.

Returning to the real world, Asher stood there for a solid minute, his knuckles white as his fingers trembled around his daggers. Slowly, he sat back down onto his log, his eyes never leaving the dark edges of their camp where the panther had suddenly appeared.

Estimating that he had at least another hour before he was supposed to wake Samantha up for her watch, Asher tossed a few more logs onto the fire to make it burn brighter and better illuminate the surrounding forest before pulling the stone once more out of his Personal Rift, distorting the air above his hand as he tossed the stone up and down with a determined grin.

Time to start training.