I really was right on the perimeter of the obelisk and its crater. It was all eerily quiet. Couldn’t even hear the water flowing around the village anymore. The obelisk stood at the center, its dark surface reflecting the faint light of the glowing flora and stones that dotted the cavern. And there, standing almost motionless right where I left it, was the Blacksmith Husk.

  The massive Husk was still damaged, its hammer-arm riddled with holes and ichor oozing from the wounds I’d inflicted earlier. Its spindly legs looked even more unstable now, its body hunched and swaying slightly as if it were struggling to stay upright. But what caught my attention was its gaze—its hollow, empty eyes were fixed on the obelisk, its jagged mouth slightly open as if it were whispering something I couldn’t hear.

  “What are you looking at?” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. “Wondering when I’m going to pop my head out of that hole? Thanks for believing in me, I guess.”

  The Blacksmith didn’t respond, of course. It just stood there, watching the obelisk, its presence both menacing and pitiful.

  “All that’s left, huh?”

  Then, slowly, its head began to turn. The movement was deliberate, almost mechanical, as if it was following strange programming. Its hollow eyes locked onto the house I was in, and for a moment, we just stared at each other. The Blacksmith’s expression didn’t change—it couldn’t—but I could feel its focus shifting to me.

  “Well, that’s my cue,” I said, stepping out of the house and into the square. “Pretty freaking creepy, you are.”

  The door creaked behind me, the sound echoing through the empty village. The Blacksmith didn’t move at first, its body still swaying slightly as it stared at me. Then, with a low, guttural groan, it began to shuffle forward, its hammer dragging across the ground.

  New Arm equipped, I cracked my neck and loosened up my shoulders. “I feel bad. You’re wounded, and you’re still coming for me… But then again, I was in your place earlier. I wonder what drives you…”

  My HP and SP were max. My Gimmick Meter was at zero. I had three uses of my Water Glaive.

  The Blacksmith looked like it wouldn’t take much more.

  I stopped my approach before I got in range of the hammer-arm.

  “Alright, big guy,” I said, raising my hand.

  The air around my fingers shimmered as I focused, calling on the new power. The image of a glaive forced itself into my mind first. I got the sense of how to use this power. This was the split-second where my mental image could affect the power.

  I imagined the glaive I had seen in an old video game.

  A glaive of water formed above me from thin air, looking like orbs of water were being pulled from the air to form the weapon.

  This right now was the “aiming” period. It wouldn’t last long after the glaive’s formation.

  “Let’s see how you handle this.”

  The Blacksmith let out a guttural moan. “This will be a blade you’d be proud to own.”

  The glaive went flying.

  “You weren’t good against non-physical damage, right?”

  The glaive struck true, piercing through the Blacksmith’s gray chest and sending a spray of ichor into the air. The creature roared again, its body convulsing as it stumbled back.

  Following a hunch, I raced toward the Husk while it was still reeling. Levels flickering, and countdown going, I grabbed the glaive’s handle, yanked it out, and swung wide, eyes on the head. The water blade sliced through the air and cut straight through the neck, severing the head.

  I didn’t celebrate yet. Ichor spraying, I quickly delivered more slashes and stabs–everything that I could manage up until the moment the glaive broke into hundreds of fading droplets of water.

  The massive frame fell, ichor pooling beneath its convulsing body. Its head lay nearby, its hollow eyes staring up at the cavern ceiling.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “That’s five,” I muttered, dismissing New Arm.

  The expected ding acknowledged my accomplishment.

  ***

  ? Defeat a Husk.

  +1 Level.

  ***

  “And that’s Level 8,” I said, looking toward the tip of the obelisk, where a shadow flame would have sat. “I really wonder what happened here…”

  I turned away from the obelisk and went back the way I came, resolved to put the female Husk out of her misery. The more weakened Husks I got out of the way now, the easier my climb to the next Level would be.

  I retraced my steps through the village, my boots crunching on the dusty ground as I made my way back to where I’d last seen the female Husk. The fight with the Blacksmith had been tough, but I was feeling confident. Fighting at Level 8 was noticeably different than fighting without the Levels. I was almost certain this next battle was as good as mine.

  That said, something felt off, but I couldn’t place it just yet. Everything was just so silent.

  Destroyed houses slowly became more common. I started noticing my footprints too. Following them, I emerged at the edge of the village once more. I looked around and grinned.

  “There you are.”

  The female Husk was still there, her decrepit form hunched over, her tattered ball gown spread out around her like a wilted flower. She was muttering to herself, her voice low and despondent.

  “It was the best thing I ever felt,” she whispered, over and over again.

  I approached cautiously, my eyes scanning the area for any signs of movement. The female Husk was weakened, ichor pooling on the ground in various spots.

  I approached cautiously, my eyes on her lower body. I was willing to bet that my Levels would allow me to react to the ichor jet attack better than before, but the closer I could get, the better. She hadn’t noticed me yet. If I could get close enough to strike while she was too busy being sad then–

  “This water is so blessed.”

  I quickly hopped backward, narrowly dodging the Husk that lunged from the side. Its long mouth pierced the ground in front of me, dust erupting from the impact.

  “Water drinker!” I shouted, dodging to the side as the water drinker’s clawed hands awkwardly slashed through the air–it was like it was trying to catch me in a hug.

  My thoughts raced. I didn’t get it. Why did this thing suddenly get involved?

  “This water is so blessed,” it hissed, its cloaked head turning toward me.

  Its hiss inspired me to do something. I glanced to the side, toward the river. The moment I saw it, something clicked. That was what was off–the river was nonexistent. There was no water there. It was dry. That was why everything was so quiet.

  And now this thing–

  “This water is so blessed.”

  –was pissed.

  The water drinker awkwardly swung a claw. I grabbed its needle-mouth, yanked its head to the side, and then smashed New Arm into its face and made it stumble back. The female Husk stirred at the commotion, her head snapping toward me as she began to rise.

  “Oh, shit–”

  The female lunged but this time, she landed on the tip of her toes, a short space away from me and then spun, sending her other foot out like a whip. I quickly stepped back, but right as I did, the water drinker leaped back in, its long mouth stretching in an instant. It pierced my chest like a needle.

  “Ghh–What–”

  So quickly, I felt it. The water drinker–it was pulling something out of me. The feeling was familiar, like when the hunter Husk had caught me. My vision was flickering. This wasn’t good.

  I placed a hand on the water drinker’s chest and let loose a glaive.

  “This water is so blessed!” the water drinker yelled as it went flying over the forest for five seconds. I won’t lie, I didn’t think that the Husk was so light and the glaive was so powerful.

  My eyes snapped ahead. Levels Flickering, I caught the female’s foot with New Arm, right before the kick connected. Roaring, I swung her around and into a wall.

  “It was the best thing I ever felt!”

  “Shut up, you masochist!” I yelled, driving a series of metal fists into her head while keeping her pinned.

  The woman shrieked, her limbs flailing wildly. I kept going, building my meter as quickly as I could. This time, my reactions were too sharp. She couldn’t overwhelm me this time. Her most powerful weapon was rendered useless thanks to my being so up in her face.

  The moment my Gimmick Meter was filled, I leaped off of her and shifted into New Sword.

  “This is as good as over, ma’am.”

  “It was the best thing I ever felt!” she screamed, standing upright while twisting her body like she was a wind-up toy.

  Before she could execute whatever move was coming next, my blade bits fired. Each hit made her recoil like she was an elastic doll–she was recoiling so wildly. With the shots firing like this, she’d never get a chance to counter.

  Clenching my jaw, I focused. “I’ll put you out of your misery.”

  I closed the distance and ceased the projectiles. There was nothing left to do but cut her body in half with a single skyward slash. Cutting her from feet to head.

  Her body went still, her arms stretched out and, her hollow eyes pointed at the cavern ceiling.

  Then her body split apart, ichor spraying with so much force it hissed. The two halves fell, and the battle was done.

  ***

  ? Defeat 10 Husks (7/10).

  ***