Rumor stared at the still warm body of the cultist. The cadaver was hunched over, veins showing on his arms, neck and face, making it clear he had died in extreme pain. A steady stream of blood ran from his mouth and down his chin before trickling down into a small puddle of the ground.
"What the hell was that?"
Short Round seemed stunned senseless, while Willie was very visibly horrified. Rumor, on the other hand, leaned more towards curiosity, much like Indiana Jones.
The archeologist had also approached now, and used a gloved hand to tilt the head of the cultist up. He pinched open the corpses eyes, then worked his jaw so he could see inside his mouth.
"How adequately terrible. I have seen many types of poison. Poison hidden under fingernails, that kills with a scratch. Poison inside false teeth and vials so discrete the naked eye can miss it. Poisons slow and fast, painless and so painful even the best of spies shudder at the thought of using it. But this was no poison."
Rumor found himself nodding along.
"A curse of some sort. If someone is about to betray the Thuggee Cult - voluntary or not - it silences them - permanently."
Inside, he was cursing. He already had his suspicious when he used [Observe ] on the cultist earlier and saw his spirit and temperance stats, but now it was fairly clear that the main mode of attacks of the Thuggee Cult would be mental, not physical.
And that was bad news for him. Rumor's temperance, which would decide how affected by those attacks he was, was a measly 8. Even with the [ Thuggee Cultist Sash ] equipped, it was still only a 10.
Meanwhile, even the most average of cultists, like their now deceased captive, had 9 temperance and 8 spirit.
The only saving grace was that those low-level cultist seemed to have only [ Cultist Faith ] as a skill. But that would not be the case once he was against those with higher positions in the cult.
His bronze title, [ Not You ], would have to pull its weight. But Rumor wasn't the kind of man to rely on a single tool to see the job done. He would have to prepare.
But first, to deal with the small matter of the dead cultist in their encampment.
"Should I take him away, Indy? Or do you have anything else you want to do with the body?"
The archeologist shot him a dirty look at the way he phrased that, but then waved his hand.
"No, you can take care of it. Shorty, Willie, you should go back to sleep. I have much to think on."
"What?! You-- You expect me to sleep here?! After someone just died..."
Eager to get away and avoid a few points of sonic damage, Rumor hoisted the body over his shoulder and swiftly disappeared into the jungle.
He walked about a hundred meters before deciding it was far enough and dropping it. He didn't bother burying the body. Scavengers would see to it that little remained in a matter of days.
Uncaring for the corpse next to him, Rumor found a flat rock and sat down. He also had some thinking to do.
...
The next morning, the sun cut through the foliage to shine on the traveling group. Rumor lifted Willie onto her elephant, and started guiding the procession again.
This time, he put Indiana Jones' mount at the head of the line, mostly so he could talk to the archeologist without Short Round incessant questions or Willie's unending complaints.
"What do you think of what happened last night, Rumor?"
Surprisingly, it was the main character who breached the topic first. Indiana Jones looked down on Rumor from the top of his ride, his eyes uncannily sharp for this early in the morning.
Rumor chose his words carefully, somehow knowing that they would have a huge impact on how Indiana Jones saw and treated him going forward.
"As I said last night, it was a curse of some sort. The stories of the Thuggee Cult often mention their mastery of the foul magics. It is what they are most famous for, along with their belief in Kali and sacrifices for the god."
"And you believe that? I don't meant to offend, but over the last day of our journey, I got the impression you aren't one to be bogged down by superstitions. No such man would enter the jungle to chase cultists, or even more so, to slay the mighty beast you did back at the village."
Rumor shook his head.
"I believe alright. But I believe even more in the power of man, above all mine."
The archeologist showed no response to his arrogant words, his expression carrying simple anticipation, knowing the tester was not yet done.
"I am weak still. I am afraid of failure and death. But I also know what both of those are like, and refuse to go through them again. I was given a second chance at life, whether out of kindness or boredom I do not know. But I intend to grasp it with both hands and never let it slip away. I will succeed by my own merits, and become strong enough fate will never have a hold of my destiny again."
Indiana Jones had no context for what Rumor was talking about, of course. But he got the gist of it, and, most of all, he could see the fire burning in the tester's gaze.
Whether Rumor could truly do as he so boldly claimed was another story. But Indiana Jones believed he would try even as he drew his last breath.
And that, the archeologist who had traveled the world in countless famous and infamous escapades, so often dodging certain doom, could respect.
[ Main storyline character Indiana Jones is greatly impressed by your resolve. Relationship increases tremendously to Liked (0/5.000). ]
Rumor's pupils constricted, but he quickly hid his surprise.
This was... unexpected. To gain almost 600 relationship points, jumping a whole tier from Neutral to Liked, and with a main storyline character to boot, was out of his expectations.
Oh, he had done the same with Padmé, but back then the main drive behind it had been her shame at confusing him for a slave owner, compounded on the knowledge that he had actually freed them. It hadn't been planned, nor something he could control.
This was not the case here. While he was speaking the truth, Rumor had carefully worded his response to what he knew would appeal to Indiana Jones the most: his sense of adventure and honor. Those points had come from his own hard work.
And it seemed the benefits weren't going to stop there. When they set camp for the night, the archeologist called him over to the a group of young trees, about 3 meters tall and two fists wide.
"Here. I want you to try something."
Rumor stared at the proffered whip like it would grow a head and bite him.
This was Indiana Jones' legendary weapon, one of two items which represented his entire character. In some ways, it was even more famous than the hat that never left the archeologist's head.
And now, Indiana Jones was handing it to him - not giving it, never that. But to just get a chance to hold it-- Rumor would admit his hands were shaking a little as he took it.
[ Indiana Jones' Legendary Whip ]
[ Rarity: ??? ]
[ Requirements: Strength - 55, Vitality - 40, Dexterity - 95, Whip Mastery lvl 6 ]
[ Attack: 230/??? ]
[ Attack Speed: 170/??? ]
[ Range: 8 meters ]
[ Durability: 96/110 ]
[ Effect: Disarm - In the hands of an experienced wielder, this weapon has a 90% chance to disarm light weapons and 50% chance to disarm heavy weapons. ]
[ Effect: Last-Second Salvation - Twice a day, this weapon can perform seemingly impossible feats if the wielder's life is in danger. ]
[ Effect: Binding of the Unworthy - In the hands of those greedy or full of evil intentions, this weapon will strike back. It also greatly diminishes its attack and speed if used by someone Indiana Jones does not acknowledge. ]
[ Set: 1/2 ]
[ Set Effect: ??? ]
[ Description: One of two legendary items used by the legendary archeologist Dr. Indiana Jones, this whip has followed him through primitive jungles and forgotten temples, and saved his life countless times. ]
[ Observation: This item can only be used to its full capacity in the hands of Indiana Jones or someone he acknowledges. Any attempt to steal or otherwise pilfer this item will have dire consequences. ]
[ Observation: Your prestige is insufficient to view the full stats of this item. ]
[ Observation: Indiana Jones has willingly lent you this item. You are temporarily able to wield it to a limited capacity. ]
For over a minute, Rumor was stunned still. The whip was... completely overpowered.
It wasn't even that it had some incredible effects - they were quite simple, if a little vague. It didn't have any mythical capacities like one might expect of an item which's rarity Rumor didn't even have the prestige to see.
No, it was just the scale of it that left him dumbfounded. From the requirements to the attack and speed - the numbers were just so much bigger than he could conceive.
And that was with a portion of the weapons stats sealed away. If it wasn't for the archeologist willingly giving it to him, Rumor doubted he would even be able to lift it, much less use it.
"I-I... Dr. Jones, I don't understand--"
His stammering wasn't faked. Rumor truly was moved by the trust Indiana Jones was putting on him by lending the tester his second most precious item.
It wasn't often anyone had trusted him, and he also hadn't handed out much of his in turn. In the Quarter, trust was a rare commodity. Especially for a storyteller like him, who people always expected to betray them for a couple bucks - and they were mostly correct at that. Rumor had had very few friends, and not any he would count on not to stab him in the back.
This wasn't the case with the archeologist. Indiana Jones truly, faithfully believed in Rumor enough to lend him his whip. Sure, some of that was based on the fact the main storyline character was strong enough that the tester could never harm him or run away with the whip, but it was still more than 99% of the people Rumor had ever met had done.
It was a sign that Indiana Jones now considered him a friend, rather than just a guide. Having a quantifiable way to keep track of their relationship helped Rumor accept that. The change from Neutral to Liked was an exponential jump in status.
"I'm afraid that, by chasing after these cultists, you have already placed yourself in their crosshairs, my friend. As such, it is better if you better know how to defend yourself."
Indiana Jones patted his shoulder, and Rumor's eyes widened.
"You don't mean..."
"Here, hold it this way. Turn your wrist a little. As a beginner, you always want to make sure the thong, that is the body of the whip, pools to the side and away from your feet. It diminishes the chances of whipping yourself in the face."
Indiana Jones grabbed Rumor's hand and positioned it correctly, at the same time nudging his feet a little apart so he formed a proper base.
"Good. Now, you want to raise your elbow at an angle, while keeping your forearm rigid. A proper strike from a whip uses your shoulder, arm, elbow, and even your waist. But the real magic is in the wrist and fingers. That's where the fine control necessary comes from. Strength without form is just striking empty air."
Rumor obeyed every instruction religiously. He wasn't entirely sure of what he would get out of this, but it couldn't be anything bad.
"Twist your wrist. Your thumb should be here, while your first and second finger..."
For the next hour, Rumor learned how to wield a whip from Indiana Jones himself. His strikes, at first wild and scattered... remained much the same. He only hit the target, the trees, a couple times.
But the archeologist wad patient with him, and Rumor could feel something building within himself. Until it finally clicked when he, mostly by luck, managed to whip a tree hard enough to tear a strip of bark.
[ Through the tailored instruction of main storyline character Indiana Jones, you have managed to comprehend the skill Whip Mastery lvl 1. ]
[ Whip Mastery lvl 1 ]
[ Rarity: 1-Star ]
[ Effect: 10% base increase to attack power when using whips. Each level in this skill grants a further 2% increase to attack power when using whips. Current increase: 12%. ]
[ Cost: None ]
[ Cooldown: None ]
[ Description: Passive. A skill for a beginner in the ways of whip fighting. You still have a long road ahead of you if you wish to become a master. ]
[ Observation: You have learned this skill through special means. Future upgrade costs halved. You may level up this skill without using SP by continuing to be instructed by main storyline character Indiana Jones. ]
[ Tip: You learned this skill from main storyline character Indiana Jones. Returning to him after completely mastering this skill may yield special rewards. ]
Much like with the times he acquired [ Blade Mastery ] and [ Firearm Mastery ] Rumor felt a rush of information entering his brain.
Unconsciously, his body shifted, feet sliding a little farther apart, his posture changing, and his fingers rolling the handle of the whip - the same adjustments Indiana Jones had been trying to teach him how to do, with limited success.
The archeologist's eyes narrowed when he noticed all that. And he wasn't surprised when, the next time Rumor swung the whip, a loud snap echoed and a fresh new strip of bark was torn off.
Rumor stared at it almost in disbelief until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Indiana Jones grinning widely while in the 'audience' Willie sniffed and muttered under her breath, and Short Round clapped in an exaggerated manner.
"I was starting to think you had no talent for it, but it seems you had an epiphany. You still have much to learn, of course--"
The archeologist took back his whip from Rumor's hand, before snapping his arm backwards without even looking. The coarse leather coiled around a tree the width of Rumor's head, which groaned and then broke when Indiana Jones tagged at the whip.
Rumor gulped at the incredible display of strength and mastery. He watched the tree fall almost as of in slow-motion, then turned his eyes back to Indiana Jones, who was still smiling.
"I don't share my lessons lightly, Rumor, so take them to heart and don't get complacent. I await for the day you can show me how had you have improved. But for now, it's getting late. So let's get some rest. And, Rumor..."
Tucking away the legendary whip, Indiana Jones tipped the brim of his hat to the tester.
"Well done."