33 The Cursed Blade: Tempest Pt 1

"I can't believe how annoying you are, your yammering is going to be the death of me." Growled Elora as she stoked the fire.

"And I wasn't even trying to be a dick this time, I think I just have a natural talent for pissing people off." Laughed Imogen while eying up a creature off to the distance.

"That you do." Agreed Elora as she got up and gathered some more sticks for the fire.

"You know what, you're not half bad; your only problem is that you don't talk for nothing." Chuckled Imogen while kicking up some dirt in an effort to entertain herself.

"I don't know if I can say the same... your company is infuriating after all." Joked Elora as she looked at Imogen's grouchy face.

"You've earned yourself a spar, you poor soul; fate has been unkind to you." Beamed Imogen while laughing in satire.

"Oh, and did you know that I stole a sheath from that baron guy; I wish I could see his face when he finds out." Chortled Imogen as she watched Elora drop a few sticks onto the fire.

"My god are you a thief too, you're seriously the incarnation of evil itself." Sighed Elora before finally pulling her gleaming sword from the depths of its sheath.

"But I might as well fight you, I've got nothing else to do as of now." Conceded Elora as she readied her blade, and got into an offensive stance.

"Wait!" "I was just kidding, I don't actually want to fight you; I know I would lose a miserable loss!" Panicked Imogen while holding her hands up, and waiting for Elora to sheath her balde.

"It almost feels like you're more friendly towards me now... did we become friends, but then again; how did we become friends so fast?" Inquired Imogen while looking at Elora questioningly as she sheathed her blade.

"Acquaintances... and it was in my best interests to do so, you could have very well ruined my life." Replied Elora as she warmed her hands by the fire.

"Oh, well that kind of hurts, but I'm sure we'll become friends in no time though; with my charming persona and all." Giggled Imogen while watching Elora sit down on a log, and remove her belt.

"I doubt it, I don't think we'd make good friends... and I'd have to bet we're not going to see each other again." Frowned Elora as she watched the fifth moon take the place of the second.

"Bah, I'm sure I'll see you again... I'll probably be doing something stupid though; like leveling a village." Jested Imogen while sticking her hand into the fire, and looking in awe as she pulled it out unscathed.

"Better not, I'd have to kill you then; I'm under oath to purge any criminal known for the deaths of hundreds." Admitted Elora as she yawned, and stretched her limbs out.

"Ah... so who even is this queen you serve, do you think she's a good person; one fit for the throne?" Questioned Imogen while accidently knocking out a flaming stick from the fire.

"She's... quite different, not the most optimal person for the position of queen; but has a good heart over all." Smiled Elora as she put out the flaming stick, and bonked Imogen over the head with it.

"Hey!" "That hurt you know... my head's quite sensitive, it really doesn't take well to being bonked." Grumbled Imogen while pulling a stick out of the fire, and attempting to bonk Elora back.

"If you don't sit down, I'll whack your head so hard you won't even be able to remember what day it is, you don't want that; now do you." Threatened Elora as she took Imogen's stick, and tossed them both back into the fire.

"Fine... well it's getting late, perhaps we should call it a night." Suggested Imogen while rubbing her sore head.

"Good idea, tomorrow we shall part ways; what's your name by the way?" Asked Elora as she flushed from not knowing what her name was after talking with her for hours.

"Imogen... and yours is Elora correct, I've heard quite a number of people say it already." Yawned Imogen while Elora doused the fire with a bucket of rain water she had gathered earlier in the day.

"Thank you, this meeting was pleasant; for however short it was." Mumbled Elora as she saw the pale visage of Imogen fade away with the light.

~~~

"Could you get off of me now, it's the morning and I think most of my bones are broken." Groaned Clarence while pounding Anastasia's feathery chest with his fists.

"No it's far too early for that, I usually get up at around noon time." Yawned Anastasia as she shut her eyes once more.

"Please I beg of you, just let me go; I can't take this anymore!" Sobbed Clarence while pointlessly trying to push Anastasia off himself.

"Oh fine, have it your way; you're far too annoying for me to rest peacefully anyways." Remarked Anastasia as she picked herself up and off Clarence.

"Finally!" "I can breath again, life's wonderful." Announced Clarence, joyfully while attempting to get up.

"Just kidding, It's far too early for me to let you go; who do you think I am." Snickered Anastasia as she dropped on top of Clarence once again.

"Goddamn it Anastasia, why have the gods woefully cursed me so!" Phonated Clarence while staring up at the bright blue sky.

~~~

"It's morning already... I still feel tired, maybe this body needs more energy than a regular human's." Pondered Imogen as she rolled off the log she slept on, and streched out her sore body.

"It seems Elora has already left... that sounds like something she'd do, but she left me a note... and a key?" Questioned Imogen while reading the note.

Imogen - "When you read this note, I'll have already departed for the capital; for my stead of guarding the queen cannot remain empty any longer. But as an apology for not being able to bid you a proper farewell, I've left you this key I found in my travels, I know what it's for; but I'll let you figure that out yourself." - Elora

"Well that was nice of her... she seems like a nice person over all, despite her being very unfriendly at first." Murmured Imogen as she looked down at the blue key in her hands.

"Now to find out what this key holds in store for me, I doubt I can figure out what it does myself, so... system; could you tell me what this key does?" Muttered Imogen while tossing the key up, and smiling as she caught it.

*𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐭: A key to the first of the three successor dimensions, requires level 10 to enter

"Is that all you're going to say, where's the darn door system; that's all I want to know for crying out loud!" Exhorted Imogen as she chopped the funny looking tree in half. "I might as well wave this key around in the air and see if something happens." Hoped Imogen while waving the key around like a fool.

"Come on, why didn't that work; it's worked before." Grumbled Imogen as she sat down on the brown grass. "Also, come to think of it; what's the chance that I would find a key like this just sitting on the ground." Pondered Imogen while stabbing her halberd through a tree beside her.

"It must be the system's doing, my luck is simply too bad for me to find something of such rarity just lying on the ground." Speculated Imogen as she took a smushed flower out of her pocket. "I just remembered you little guy, sorry for not feeding you lately; I've been busy." Apologised Imogen while caressing the broken petals.

"How many creatures do I have to kill before my quest is over, system, please be cooperative this time." Pleaded Imogen as she placed the flower on top of the worldly soil.

*𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐: Feed your flower the blood of 20 creatures - 17/20

"Finally some good news, now it's time to kill three more creatures." Celebrated Imogen while hopping off the ground in a flury.

~~~

The hunter stalks its prey with a hunger unlike its own, it watches the creature with envy until pouncing on it. With a few solid flashes of bone on flesh the head of the creature flies off leaving behind a trail of blood in its wake.

The hunter grasps the creature's desecrated corpse and wills the fallen blood upon a pretending flower, for better or worse. After the first drop of blood crashed onto the dry roots of the malicious being, the hunter wrung the leftover blood into her own mouth; one filled with teeth of retribution and atonement.

"Well that's one creature down, time to find two more." Enunciated Imogen as she sprung into action at the sight of a creature.

The beast now stalks its second prey, she jumps from tree to tree; bark sticking in her fingernails as she makes her final move.

Under the frightening gaze of a creature so strong, runs a cowardly creature full meek potential. Try as it might, it can't escape the devilish claws of terror; blood spatters the trees and the mud reclaims its former glory.

"And that's the second one done, man is this going fast." Noted Imogen while dripping some blood on her flower. "Hungry little bugger this flower is, it never seems to get enough." Observed Imogen as she poured the last of the blood into her mouth.

I guess it's time to look for more creatures now, it's actually quite fun." Chuckled Imogen while sprinting off into the wood once again.

The hunter hunts her final time, she scans the forest full of determination and spots a subtle creature feasting on a sorrowful flower. Hunger grips the hunter as she bashfully charges towards the creature on all fours.

~~~

The life of Scuntim is very uneventful, they gather the liquid of life from fallen leaves; it leads them to be malnourished with the leaves being seldom. Well once upon a time one thought it was unfair, it broke the stale habit and decided to feast on a flower for the first time in its life.

What It didn't know was that it would also be its last, because its happy little body was shredded into a smiling mess by a very unhappy hunter.

"I can't believe that creature had the gall to eat a flower right in front of me, it makes me so angry just thinking about it." Expressed Imogen as she dripped the last bit of blood needed onto the flower's roots.

*𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬: 1 skill stone and 1 evolution stone

"That's what you gave me last time, or at least I think it is; get creative, system." Demanded Imogen while draining the last bit of blood from the creature into her mouth. "Also if you will, bring up my status; it's been too long since I last saw it." Added Imogen as she dropped the creature's corpse to the ground.

Name: Imogen

Title: Heartless Bitch

Race: Tick - Adult

Age: 2

Gender: Female

Bloodline: Fragmented False Tick

Level: 11

Class: Heart Defender

Blood: 198/375

Hp: 44/44

Mp: 0/8

Str: 22

Vit: 4.4

Def: 37.5

Int: 16

Agt: 18

Quests: 0

Skills: Racial skill - Life Steal, Weak Pierce 3.0, 70/30 Luck, Negligible Illusion Resistance, Fast eyes, Fractured Language Comprehension 3.0, Heart Plate, Metal Heart, Steel Soul, Verbal Communication and False Form

"Can I put my skill stone in Verbal Communication, or False Form?" Inquired Imogen while placing the flower back on the soil of the wondrous planet.

*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐲 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬: No

"Really, that's low even for you, system; to think that I once thought you were admirable." Refuted Imogen as she chopped in half, yet another strange tree. "Wait, never mind; I never once thought of you as admirable." Scoffed Imogen while watching a comet pass through the sky.

"Anyways, could you put my evolution stone in Fragmented Language Comprehension and my skill stone in Heart Plate." Mumbled Imogen as she looked to her left.

*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐟 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬; 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐲 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐲 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝: Fragmented Language Comprehension has evolved into - Singular Language Comprehension and Heart Plate is now Heart Plate 2.0

"Really, you didn't have to add all of those bloated lies; they hurt my eyes." Exasperated Imogen while placing her halberd back into its sheath.

*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐟 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬; 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐲 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐲 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐲 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐎𝐟 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐬; 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐟 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐟 𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐬: Disagrees strongly with this mortal of no renown

"You know what, you're not worth my time; so I'm not even going to react to your stupid text." Snarled Imogen as she watched a door appear out of thin air.