Ashes of the Fallen

Sweat rolling off my face, I was completely soaked in blood and my boots were covered in shit. Literal shit, figurative shit, and all kinds of shit I didn't know of.

Body parts were everywhere, corpses were everywhere.

Katherine, was there.

Standing in the center of the light.

She stood like an angel with arms open, as I started to regain my sanity.

My heart was racing, my breath labored, my head… was heavy.

Then I realized, that my stamina bar was nearly fully depleted.

Physical exhaustion had already set in.

Letting out a sigh, I looked around the room and witnessed the carnage that been laid out. The room was a complete mess… over a hundred dead Rattanorv were spread evenly throughout. Some clusters were burnt, but most had suffered melee wounds.

I looked the part of an ax-murderer, more than a hero-adventurer.

Yet… I wasn't bothered by that fact. My anger was overflowing before the fight, during the fight, and immediately after too. Now, I felt relieved, relaxed and justified.

"Ouch," I said as I tried to stretch my arms.

One look at my body, and I was hurting.

Cold burns covered me from head to toe and half of my face felt numb. My health was critical too, at only twelve-percent. Though twenty-four seconds to live was fine enough. Katherine had the mana to spare.

Still standing where I had come to a stop, Kate beckoned me over to her side.

I obliged.

While walking, I continued to look at the destruction I had caused.

There was really an unbelievable number of dead.

Taking a seat next to Kate, she worked her magic and brought me back to life in quick order. Restoring my health first was of the most importance, and then recovering my injuries right after that.

They weren't serious injuries though.

Thinking over the details of the fight while I let Katherine work, it was rather surprising how quickly the Rattanorv fell apart. Intelligent and able to devise a strategy, they fought wisely en masse with large group tactics yet when forced into an unknown situation they broke down and panicked. Consumed by their fear, they lost all sense and barely offered any resistance.

They were physically pathetic and had no weapons, while equal in level to the [Outcast Goblins]. Without any organization, they weren't much better than a lowly fox.

Their only saving grace, was their large numbers and ranged spells.

I died the first time due to my overconfidence.

This time, my overconfidence with a slight change in strategy, decimated their entire clan. As far as I knew, this cave was now clear and free of rats.

That was pathetic.

Staring blankly at the walls that surrounded us, I finally noticed a flashing icon at the bottom of my visual field. A system message, alerting me to something… something most likely connected to what had recently transpired.

I hesitated, unsure if it was a good thing or a bad.

Well, there was only one way to find out.

Opening the message a single ding chimed. Followed, quickly, by a series of system event messages that I hadn't seen in a while. Ones that brought a smile to my face.

Ones, that were extremely special.

[You have gained the Skill: Frenzy, due to constant fighting in an Enraged State.]

[Frenzy: When Activated, the Player gains an Increase in Attack Speed and Attack Damage, and a Decrease to Negative Mental Effects and Crowd Control. Drains Endurance at a rate of 200%. Requires Enraged State to be Active.]

Ding.

[You have gained the Skill: Enrage, due to fighting furiously while in a rage.]

[Enrage: When Activated, the Player gains a 25% Bonus to Endurance. Requires an Angry Disposition. Increased Fatigue if in an Enraged State for extended periods.]

Ah, so that's how it is.

That explained a lot.

I had been angry, sure, but it seemed unnatural. During that fight I felt nearly unstoppable despite being pelted by numerous [Frost Bolts]. The Crowd Control effects from the [Frost Bolts] should have slowed me down considerably but they didn't.

My movement was hardly impaired.

I also felt stronger than normal.

It wasn't adrenaline alone, after all. Now, I knew the answer to my questions. The game had awarded me a set of new Skills, Activated Skills that had Persistent Effects so long as they were toggled on. In other words… Rare Skills. These weren't run of the mill abilities you could learn from another player or NPC that was more proficient than you… these were specialty skills.

Oh.

"You're shitting me," I blurted out after the realization had set in.

"Ah, did I do something wrong Sigurd?" asked Katherine immediately in an apologetic tone. "I'm sorry, I will be more careful."

"Ahh no, not you Kate, I'm sorry," I replied as I placed my hand on top of hers. "I was just thinking out loud, I was gifted something, from the Gods."

"Oh…" she said, trailing off.

Continuing to hold her hand, I closed my eyes as I tried to think.