I hadn't dreamed of the banshee or the crude King. I had just remembered more of my childhood.
There was once a magical treadmill in my parents house. They got rid of it after one night I snuck in and maxed out the settings. The treadmill was meant for monsters who can hold mountains. I was four and not near that. Everyone in my body was crushed.
My parents had hired a group of people to watch me after I had first died with Stella. One of the adventurers, Eli, was a healer. She was a pretty decent one too in the church, that's how I met Rex too. Elli had seen me go in but was too late to stop me from crushing myself. Thankfully she saved me and my parents sold the treadmill.
I was unable to move the next morning. Less unable and more hurting all over. The two punches I had taken hurt more after than it did during the fight. Rolling my head over I saw Stella still sound asleep. The light from outside poured through our window. Wow I didn't even really sleep for long. The clock on the small hotel desk between our beds read eight am. Wow I just went to bed…
I stood up ignoring the pain in my body.
"Did?" I pulled my phone off the charger and looked at the date. "It's the next day…"
I had a couple of things I wanted to get done before solving the riddle. I went to the bathroom and hopped in the shower. I took off the shirt I had wrapped around my chest and let the burning hot water hit my body.
It felt nice on my bruised body. Two bright purple spots the shape of the keeper's hands were on my body. It made the already disgusting scar more visible and horrid looking. Well that sucks. I don't have a shirt besides a tank top. I pulled the shower's handle down farther, increasing the heat.
Because dragons and people can get resistances to heat and cold, showers were changed to accommodate those very unlucky people. Though I didn't feel heat I liked maxing them out. It helped increase my fire magic while not actively working on it. It was one way around the law that prevented people from training kids or kids learning skills before they were adults.
People before had taken advantage of having promising dragons, specifically unique horns like me and Stella, and trained them while they were young to become scarily strong adventurers to bring in money for the parents. Now that it was a law it was less but still happened.
I would have liked being forced to train because that's all I wanted. I sighed and opened my status that I had suffered for years to finally be allowed to use. Knowing I might need to allocate magic points differently for a class requirement I held back.
My enhancement abilities increased, fire and gravity had definitely gotten stronger. I messed around with the karma reveal skill that I had and got it to stay a little longer. Some people magically increase their adrenaline. I would definitely increase that after pushing through those hits.
I also gained a skill. The goblin's slash. Reading its description it allows for a quick slash for those light weight enough. Specifically as heavy as goblin. I can see why I've never heard of anyone using this. It's only really good for small creatures or I guess me since I can lower my weight. Though it says its incredibly reckless.
I saw the pure magic control skill in my status. I had forgotten to practice it like I was told. Thankfully in the status skill it lets you sort all skills you have. Because most people have a bunch from quality of life ones like hearing what comes from a phone. The second someone makes a skill for using a phone I would get it immediately. The headphones don't make it too outrageous.
I washed myself and hopped out of the shower. Putting on my clothes again. The none ripped ones but still unwashed I checked on Stella. She was still asleep.
Well this will let me work on the things I need done sooner. Leaving the hotel I brought some cash with me. The bruises on me probably need to be check out before I did that though I stop at a convenience store.
The quick clean ruins glowed green and washed my clothes. The hospital was near the guild for many obvious reasons. I sat in a not too long line of people.
Eventually I was at the counter and they handed me a form to fill out. Somehow, the giant bruises weren't enough. When I sat waiting to be called a couple of odd people came in. They look like adventurers, probably new.
"Please help us! We can't remember!"
"Calm down, what happened?" The clerk at the desk stood up and went around. One of the rookies shook uncontrollably. She said in a squeaking voice.
"I-it it, it hurts."
"Where? why?"
"I don't know." The studding adventurer's friend said he looked pained in some way.
The clerk might have been new or the situation was that confusing. Thankfully the nurse that would have come out for me had taken them into the back.
It was another ten minutes before someone checked the bruises. I had broken a few ribs and a bone in my right arm.
Maybe it isn't that great that I was used to pain worse than this. I couldn't even tell. They healed me and it cost twenty dollars so I was already down a fifth of what my half was.
The doctor was writing something in his notes when she asked
"You said you didn't even feel it right? And you're a new adventurer?"
"Yes. And yes."
"Did you go anywhere and maybe forget exactly all you did there?"
"Well I didn't forget the Keeper slugging me in the chest so no?"
"Oh. So you remember why." He shut his papers. "There must be something normally wrong with you to not feel it then."
"Oh! My bad. I meant by I didn't feel it as I've had all my bones crushed before.. nothing quite compares." The doctor looked at me without responding. I pointed at my left shoulder where the scare was more than obvious. "And I've been cut in half."
"Ma'am , how old are you exactly?"
"Eighteen, probably would have seen me sooner if I didn't have school."
"And all this happened. Before?"
I recounted when I cut in half to her.
"And when you said you crushed all your bones?"
"So there was this gravity treadmill, you know those right? Well I had broken into the gym at my house and max the strength out. You see I was really desperate to do magical things so I ended up crushing myself. A perk to it is that I got gravity magic from how much was pressed into my body."
"I can't help you out but physically heal you about that."
Now costume shopping. There was no text from Stella so I saw that as a, you're good to keep going without me.
Practically any shop here would have worked so I went to the closest thrift store. I bought two more shirts, one a tank top. Both of them black. Then I got a pair of long pants.
Then I looked for a costume. The easiest choice was a ghost costume. Though I decided on a dress. At least if I have to fight the Queen of the night I'm not blind. I raise the curly dress up. I don't know how much better to fight with this it'll be. Wait a minute who said I had to keep it on
My phone rang. Stella was calling me. Ughh I would have to run back to the other side of the store if I put it back now… Against my pride as an Estellé. I'll wear the dress.
Tears streamed down my face as I rushed to pay for the clothes. I'll give it to Stella when I'm done. It'll be fine. No money wasted. That was around forty dollars on the clothes.
Stella didn't stop calling me and on third I finally picked up.
"Sorry, I was buying clothes."
"You didn't tell me at all! You know how scared I was?"
"Sorry."
"Please just wake me up next time."
"I will."
"You know what day it is?"
"Yeah, the next."
"We slept through the entire day."
"You almost slept through two. Don't worry though. I got myself new clothes and checked out at the hospital. Broke a couple of bones could you have guessed?"
"Heo!"
"Sorry I'm alright. The fee wasn't high either."
"You should have woken me up. Don't leave me again."
"I did think about it but I liked the idea of getting lost."
"Heo what if your phone died and I couldn't find you. Or if you got snatched."
"Didn't think about that. Did, get a dress though."
"Why the heck would you get a dress!? And stop dodging what I'm saying!"
"Costume. When you called I knew you wouldn't stop calling so I didn't bring back the dress for the ghost costume."
"That's so unlike you wearing anything girly."
"What do you mean I have Paukena's socks? Did I mention they don't stop stretching up. Must be an enchantment."
"Are you heading back?"
"Yeah I was going to go to the church but I guess I'm saving that for when we're together."
"Oh, yes."
"Did you think I would forget?"
"No, I'm surprised you went to the hospital first."
"Alright I'm on my way. Let's get our magic re-registered, then some food preferably."
Me and Stella met halfway. She was still holding the giant cake. The walk was a little more because of how far out the store was. We arrived at the church and a different person then the one before greeted us.
"How's it going? I think I saw you two with Rex a week or two back?" The girl said, completely looking over the cake.
"Yeah we know him. Known him for a long time really." I replied.
"Oh, I'm a bit jealous he was acting so differently with you two than he acts anytime I've seen him."
"What do you mean?" Stella asked.
"More casual, not all stuck on Ocky and Toky. I was there when that relic disappeared. It's strange though about it going like that. But your karma turned negative. Does tha-"
"It's because our bodies aren't supposed to come in contact with a relic like that and since my karma's super changeable the interaction caused it to turn negative."
"Ohh that would make sense."
"You should have more faith in the gods." Stella added.
"Hmm I guess I should."
The dazed girl had light green braided hair, and two dark green horns that curved rectangularly down her head in two different spots. With one extra bump on her left horn. She had a weird shaped dress that hung by straps on her neck revealing her shoulders. Two parts of the dress hung off the sides where her arms stuck through.
The ditsy girl just turned and walked away. As she turned, under a part of her dress hung a long curved wooded rectangle with an intricate carving on it. That looks like a sword.
The room where the giant glass sat was dark until we tapped it. Once again words flashed us revealing every ability I had. We registered our new levels and abilities.
There was a counter at the bottom that we didn't even have one percent filled. Hero level of magic. That's when you're strong enough to compete with a hero presence. Presence is the peak of magic, it's the ultimate control of something and you're better at everyone with it. There are three types, lord which is the base ultimate control, then King which is the base plus being able to exert your magic over a domain. The kings and queens of the world have these, then the last which you only get from being seen as a hero. A hero presence allows you the base presence ability along with a heroic form. The requirement to be good doesn't work for the hero of chaos for some reason though. Nobody knows how he had a hero presence.
Once I was done, text popped up. "The status has detected an anomaly in your magic. Idle magic output has decreased and has been applied to your body actively."
This means that me and Stella have officially gained the first ability of being an adventurer. Like most other things, the next ability will take longer to gain.