Chapter 43: Goren: An Attempt at Revenge

  Goren woke himself up with Temporal Override. It was an ability he had asked from Dolos in exchange for agreeing to stop killing Spellsword. In addition to that, he still had two "wishes" he could ask from the god, but he decided not to waste them for the time being.

  Temporal Override allowed him to wake up earlier in the loop. Instead of waking up in the morning like usual, he could now set the time – so long as it was still on the same day. And this run? Goren set it to a second past midnight.

  Why?

  Aric Kelltins had to pay.

  Goren didn’t give a damn about Kelltins being an Axul or that the Axul even still existed. That motherfucker had caught him in the loop before last, chained him, killed him, and forced him to respawn trapped by those same chains. And that wasn’t even the worst part. Kelltins had driven some kind of conduit into his gut, draining him of something he called the Essence of Darkness.

  "What. The actual. Fuck?" Goren whispered.

  Spellsword had come through, though. Surprisingly…

  Goren suddenly felt a pang of guilt for killing the guy eight times before. At least this time, for a change, he had let him kill him.

  "Hopefully, Spellsword got enough XP to make it worth his while." he muttered under his breath.

  Even if he didn’t, Goren had made a promise to find him early in the loop. Why? To agree on a truce.

  But not before taking care of one important piece of business first: Aric Kelltins – Noctyra – Whatever.

  Like hell he was going to let that bastard walk comfortably after what he’d done.

  The night was still young. No matter how skillful Kelltins was as an Axul, he wouldn’t expect Goren to come at him this early. Still, Goren knew better than to underestimate him. He wasn’t carrying any of the weapons he usually looted from the adventurers he had killed in the tomb. He would have to use his skills alone to accomplish this.

  Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself. "One step at a time." he whispered.

  He made his way to the kitchen, grabbing a handful of blackberries from the bowl on the counter. The bush outside had been their mother’s pride – something she’d cared for deeply. Supposedly, his good-for-nothing father planted it when they bought the house. The bastard abandoned them long ago, and Goren had wanted to incinerate it more times than he could remember. But his mother insisted it stay. He had no choice but to go along with her wishes. He didn’t want to see her cry no more. Eventually, he cared for it in her stead ever since she was hospitalized.

  Despite his anger, Goren found himself chewing on a handful of blackberries whenever he needed to clear his head. There was something about the taste that worked for him. Or perhaps it wasn’t the taste…

  He moved quietly, checking on his younger brother, Ben, in his room. The little rascal was fast asleep. "Good."

  Grabbing his usual, under-leveled gear, Goren slipped out into the night. His destination - Welandia, a small village not far from his own and Moonvale's cursed tomb. He knew Mikaela’s guild was staying there for the night – the same guild to which Aric Kelltins belonged.

  ***

  Goren approached the inn the Burning Suns were staying at, using the cover of night to his advantage.

  He didn’t know which room Kelltins was staying in, but that was a minor detail. He’d improvise. Mostly.

  Activating Living Shadow, Goren melted into the shadows, becoming nothing more than a faint silhouette of his own figure. He traversed through the veil of shadows, slipping past the inn’s exterior and reappearing inside the empty lobby.

  The space was silent and empty. Perfect. But Goren chose to be more cautious – muffling his presence to anyone who might’ve been awake and could Distance Gauge him out.

  He found the inn’s guest ledger behind the counter, and flipped through its pages. His finger trailed down the list of names, looking for the damned Axul.

  “Leskins…Lenaria…Mikaela…Oh! Kelltins. Room 13.”

  He grinned. “Found you.”

  Now to find Room 13.

  Activating Living Shadow again, Goren disappeared into the nearest patch of shadows, hopping from one to another until he reached the second floor, where he reemerged silently.

  He approached Room 13 cautiously, activating Enhanced Distance Gauge to confirm Kelltins’ presence inside.

  He was there. But more importantly, his breathing…

  He was awake.

  “You can come in, Rogue.”

  Kelltins’ voice broke the silence from inside the room.

  Disappointed, and also surprised that the man was already awake, Goren sighed. He unsheathed his daggers and pressed down the door’s handle, pushing it open.

  ‘Was this somehow related to his ancient magic?’ Goren wondered. He already witnessed first-hand some of the abnormal things the Axul magic can achieve.

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  “Axul magic?” Goren asked sharply as he stepped in. He shut the door behind him without taking his eyes off Kelltins.

  The room was sparse, simply furnished: just a bed, a table, and a chair. On the far side, under the lone window, stood a cupboard. Kelltins sat in the chair, arms resting on the table, seemingly lost in thought.

  He shook his head in response to Goren’s question. “No. This was a sleepless night even before I gained awareness.”

  “Insomniac, then…”

  “Hardly.” Kelltins rolled his eyes, sounding irritated. “You’d never understand what it feels like to be the last of your – “

  “Stop.” Goren cut him off, a grin spreading across his face. “All this emotional nonsense might impress Spellsword. He’s the listening type of guy. Me? Not so much.”

  Kelltins didn’t look impressed. “So, what now? You think you can kill me with – “ he gestured lazily toward the daggers in Goren’s hands – “this crap?” His tone was mocking. “Give me a break. Even with all your stolen loot, I beat you before. Now? You don’t even have that.”

  Goren let out a laugh, brushing these facts off, though he suddenly felt less confident...Could it be?

  “Did you just use your Axul magic to spook me off?” he asked, sounding suspicious.

  Kelltins sighed heavily, dragging a hand down his face, looking exhausted. “Not everything is ‘Axul magic’, you imbecile.”

  Rising to his feet, Kelltins crossed the room to the window, staring out at the quiet night. His posture was tense, his shoulders drawn back. “Either way, you don’t have to worry about me anymore. I’m out.”

  Goren thought he’d misheard. “You…what?”

  “You heard me.” Kelltins said calmly. “I’m out. Tomorrow – I guess today – I’ll inform Lady Mikaela that I’m withdrawing from the quest – and her guild.”

  “Yeah, I got that part.” Goren replied, his voice filled with disdain. “I was referring to the part where you thought I cared about any of this. I’m here to make you suffer for what you did to me. I’ve killed Spellsword eight times for less.”

  Kelltins sighed, unfazed. “I thought we’d already established how pathetically weak you are compared to me. If you want to waste another loop, go ahead. I’ll grant you a swifter death this time.”

  Goren didn’t waste a second. He lunged, his daggers slicing forward.

  Kelltins’ eyebrow shot up in surprise. “For real?” he muttered, but his reflexes kicked in and he blocked Goren’s initial attacks with practiced skill.

  Goren knew he couldn’t use his magic, or else Kelltins’ guild members might wake up and join the fray. Still, his strikes were relentless. His left dagger shot toward Kelltins’ ribs while the right aimed for his throat. Kelltins twisted, narrowly avoiding the first blade and deflecting the second with his forearm. He retaliated with a quick jab to Goren’s gut, but Goren sidestepped, bringing both daggers down in an overhead strike.

  Kelltins ducked, then immediately pressed forward, countering with a low elbow strike at Goren’s chest. Goren pivoted, the blow hitting his shoulder instead, but it was enough to compromise his initial attack.

  Despite Goren’s high level, Kelltins matched him blow for blow. It was maddening. What was the point of this time loop if he couldn’t overpower Kelltins, an Axul? Worse still, it was clear Kelltins wasn’t even trying his hardest. He wasn’t even using magic.

  Suddenly, Kelltins grabbed Goren’s wrist, twisting just enough to force the dagger out of his grip. With a quick shove, he sent Goren stumbling back, creating a brief gap between them.

  Goren’s roared in frustration, his anger boiling over. He hurled his remaining dagger at the wall with such force, it embedded deep into the wood.

  “You’re not even trying!” he snarled. “You smug, annoying, shitty Axul.”

  Kelltins chuckled, amused by the outburst. He retrieved the dagger he’d disarmed from Goren and tossed it back to him.

  Goren caught it. With another growl, he hurled it at the wall next to the first, the blade quivering as it struck.

  “We’re done here?” Kelltins asked as he returned to the chair.

  “Fuck you.” Goren muttered. “How am I supposed to defeat Erebus when I can’t even kill a shitty level 87 Axul?”

  “Shut up, Rogue!” Kelltins snapped, clearly annoyed by the comment. “You will treat my people with respect.” He sighed deeply, visibly weary of the conversation. “Axul levels are a lie – or at least that’s what my father told me. The System can’t analyze our level correctly. We’re far stronger than what we appear.”

  “Stupid freaks of nature…” Goren grumbled, leaning against the wall. He hated himself for not being able to exact his revenge on the man who had tortured him. “So, what? You just quit, and that’s it?”

  “Yes.” Kelltins nodded, averting his gaze to the window. “My father would’ve been furious about this, but he could never understand…”

  “Understand what?” Goren asked, angry, but mostly at himself.

  “What Erebus actually is.” Kelltins replied. Then he paused, as though recalling something. “Oh, right – you were already dead by that point.” He shook his head. “Aidan knows, though.”

  "Aidan?" Goren raised an eyebrow.

  "Seriously?" Kelltins rolled his eyes. "Spellsword..."

  “Oh, right..." Goren muttered before he suddenly snapped, his frustration growing. “Spellsword can’t even remember anything! His System sucks!”

  Kelltins shrugged indifferently. “There has to be a good reason for that. I don’t care either way.” He looked spooked as he recalled something. “When Erebus touched me…it wasn’t like what my father said it would be. I didn’t feel honored. I didn’t feel like I achieved something great. There was just this cold, empty, suffocating, purposeless Darkness. Nothing more.”

  Goren let out a bitter chuckle – his only counter to Kelltins. “Welcome to the real world, you mutt. A world where the embodiment of Darkness isn’t something you should worship. But what can I expect from a shitty Axul? Your people died because they worshipped that thing, didn’t they?”

  Kelltins jumped from his chair, his anger threatening to explode. “You motherfucker, you know nothing about us or our beliefs! That’s the last time you insult my people, you hear me? Next time, I’ll kill you!”

  “Fuck you…” Goren muttered coldly. “You don’t scare me. You’re just an idiot who worshipped the literal embodiment of destruction. You think you can preach to me? Your people might’ve been strong and exceptional, but they were an actual embarrassments to humanity. No one alive should ever worship death – and I say that as someone whose job often entails taking lives.”

  Kelltins sighed, then chuckled. “Preached to by a fucking lowlife…”

  “Rich coming from a remnant of a dead bloodline…” Goren shot back.

  Kelltins' laugh only grew louder.

  “You’re something else, Rogue, I'll give you that.” Kelltins said, shaking his head. “Thank you for coming here tonight. I needed this.”

  Goren rolled his eyes, uninterested. “You realize that your quitting means nothing, right? As long as Spellsword and I keep fighting, and until we win, you’ll respawn here. You’ll have to quit over and over.”

  Kelltins nodded solemnly. “I’ll pay the price of constant repetition. Just make sure you get rid of that thing.”

  "You won't help?"

  Kelltins shook his head slowly. "I won't set a foot inside that tomb ever again..."

  Goren sighed, still frustrated, but something suddenly clicked in his mind. “The shard?”

  Kelltins smiled faintly and reached to his pocket, pulling out a small shard of grey stone. “Take it.” He said, tossing it to Goren. “If anyone deserves it, it’s you.”

  Goren caught the shard and inspected it briefly before storing it in his inventory. The System flagged it as Darknessbound Core (Shard C) - a Key Item, no less, confirming his suspicion – it had to be what Dolos had told him about. He had no idea what it did, though.

  “What now?” Goren asked, eyeing Kelltins.

  “Now you’ll bring it to Aidan and tell him what I told you.” Kelltins replied, his voice softening. “Destroy Erebus. Please.”

  Goren smirked, unable to resist a final jab. “So, the last Axul is a quitter, huh?”

  Kelltins’ reply was nothing like Goren had expected. “It appears I was never the last...just a dirty half-blood...”

  In his many runs, Goren had explored a large portion of the tomb, learning many interesting things. But some questions remained unanswered...him being marked was one of them.

  'Perhaps?' he thought to himself as he eyed Kelltins thoughtfully.

  "What do you mean?" Goren asked, continuing the conversation, excitement filling his voice. "Tell me more about your people and the Destroyer."