It took some time but finally found a spare moments to write it.

Chapter 12. The cave.

“Argh…” I let out a sound through gritted teeth.

Currently I am in a woods around a cave picking up dry tree branches.

“Wounds don’t look deep but they sting a lot. Every step is painful… Mghhh… But I need to finish what I started.” I talk to myself to put my mind away from pain.

I notice another branch. So I bend down and pick it up.

“With this it should be enough.”

I am collecting wood to make a fire.

In my past life I remember hearing that from a large numbers of dead and decaying animals problems occur. Such as the spread of harmful pathogens, ground and surface water contamination, and pest control.

“Since it’s impossible to burry them in this frozen ground, so at least I will burn them.” I say while walking back to the battle ground.

Of course this wasn’t my first journey to the woods. So when I get back, I put branches, in my arms, near a stack of wood which I already made earlier.

“This should be enough to let me keep the fire burning for some time.”

“Now before I set fire to my bonfire… I should bring here all the corpses.” I say that as I am turning my head to the pile of dead rats.

“1…”

“2…”

I start to count them while bringing rat corpses closer.

“47…”

“48!! This is the last one, I think. Damn! Just 48? How can that be?” I got a bit disappointed.

‘…’

“Hmm… That’s it forget the 48. Official story will be ‘Me versus hundreds’. Yes, that’s the story worth to be told.” I say that while looking to the horizon and nodding to myself.

“Haaa. But I still need to cut their tails. Urgh!” Some things are simply disgusting to me.

I take one from the pile. Cold sweat drenches my forehead as I pick up my dagger and cut it’s tail.

“Well that’s one…”

As I am about to put it aside, I remember something.

“Oh my GODDD!!! Energy cores…”

I look back at the corpse without a tail and say with a disgusted face.

“In their hearts… Urgh!! I think I am going to vomit... I know I have killed them but still…”

“Keep breathing, Asger.”

*Huhh*

“Cores are important part of this world. So if you don’t want to be called a loser again, get a grip on yourself and do what you got to do.” I was preaching in a hope to give myself some motivation.

After I finish gathering all of my courage. I put rats body with it’s abdomen looking up on the ground and slice it open. With face twisted by many dark emotions, I put my hand inside.

“Ughhh… This is so ugly. Mhhhh… I wouldn’t be amazed if most of the people living in this world are sadists and psychopaths…”

“Note to myself. You are not a doctor material.”

Suddenly I find what I am looking.

“Looks like this is the heart.”

I cut it open with my dagger. And using my two fingers I pull out something hard from inside.

While holding it in my hand, I am examining it.

“It is not bigger than a nail. From few spots that are not covered by blood it looks like a grey crystal.”

“So this makes one. Ohh! I am so happy that ‘Me versus hundreds’ is just a story…” I say that while looking at the rest 47 bodies of the rats.

It took me some time until all cores and tails got stacked neatly together. But finally I am burning them.

At the moment I am looking at the bonfire and dropping bodies in it one by one.

“Today was my first adventure. This day should have been legendary. Like I have read in many novels where the main character meets unexpected enemy, thought many hardships emerges victorious ands gets kissed by a beauty…”

“… So why I am here? Smelling this stench from burning hair and skin. My legs and arms covered with wounds. My whole clothes dyed in red from blood. More over I am feeling so tired that God only knows how I will get back home without starting to sleep somewhere in a ditch. And as a highlight of the day I vomited even 3 times, while getting those damn cores. So yeah!!! Only a kiss from a troll is needed to make this day perfect.”

I finally drop the last rat into the fire.

“Haaa. I don’t care anymore. I am going home. Since I still don’t even know where that Vilmund lives…”

I pick up my items and start walking back.

After a few steps I suddenly stop.

“…”

“Even if I stepped on a shit I don’t think my mood would change anymore today. So I might as well try to look there.” As I am saying that. I turn my head and look at the cave.

I put down my items on the ground again. Walk to the bonfire and take one of the bigger branches that has one side on fire. And walk towards the cave with my simple torch in hand.

“This cave is quite big, since I don’t even need to hunch in here.”

The cave isn’t straight it is making a bit of a curve.

“Hmm? What is that?”

I reached a place where entrance light disappears and complete darkness starts. Well it didn’t matter much since I had my torch. But what picked my attention was a strange metal object like a spoon attached to the wall.

“So someone used this place. Maybe you put something like a candle in it? Either way I shouldn’t stop since I don’t have much time until the last light from my torch disappears.”

So I keep moving forward. Until now floor was littered with acorns shells, dry grass and branches. But as I am getting closer to a place, where the cave is getting bigger, there is less and less trash on the floor.

‘There is something there… I think it’s a table with a few books on it and a chair.’ I identify items in my head trying to be as silent as I can.

I walk to the table and on top the books there is a note.

“Hmm. Paper doesn’t look really old.”

After examining the note I move it closer to myself since with this dim light it’s really hard to read.

“Welcome traveler. First and most important thing DON’T TAKE ANYTHING OUTSIDE!!! This room or whatever you like to call it is protected with preservation magic and if you take something outside they will turn to dust. Well I put lights in a walls that are fueled by cores so you will…”

In the middle of me reading the note my last source of light disappears.

“Just great! I can’t see anything… Lights in the walls… Fueled by cores…” I immerse myself in a deep thought.

“It might be that spoon thing. I guess I need to put a core in it.” I say it with a joy in my voice.

“…”

“But first, where is the God damn exit sign?” I say that while trying to find my way using hands.

“Ah light, my old friend!”Words leave my mouth as I reach the entrance.

‘It took me some time, few falls and crashes, but I found my way.’

As fast as I can, I walk to my bag and pick up two small cores from it. One is just incase extra. And with a smile on my face I turn back towards the cave.

Once more I stand in front of that metal spoon.

“I hope this works.” With excitement and a bit of fear I say that while moving my hand with a core in it.

The moment I place that little crystal on the spoon. Thing that looks like a vein brightens up until it starts to glow with light blue color. This vein goes all over the cave making it really bright.

“Wow. This is amazing…” I am at a loss for words, from how beautifully it looks.

‘Now with this I can easily read what’s on that table.’

I rush to the table, sit in the chair and pick up that note again.

“Bla… Bla… Ah here we were. …so you will be able to study here easily. I am… No it should most likely be I was Asa Geirolfrdottir, a White witch. I got lucky in life and found a loving husband. We lived together nearby. After spending some time I noticed his interest in magic. So I decided to teach him few skills. But problem is Northmen has too little intelligence and thus are unable to use any usefull magic. And no those few battle auras, which require only strength and hardly any intelligence, I am not counting. Ha ha ha now that I look back, I guess, I was a stubborn person… To make story short it took me decades but I managed to make few strong efficient skills to help a Northmen warrior in a battle. My only regret is that my husband died before I could teach him any of them…

My whole work is on the table. While some other stuff is in the shelf behind you.

Now I think it is finally a time for me to go. Since a cold lady is waiting for me beyond the Last line.

I only hope that you will leave this place as you have found it.

Asa Geirolfrdottir.”

*Author’s note: Just in case. By saying a cold lady I mean death.*

“Well not one of the nicest stories. But that’s how life is.”

I put the note down on the table and turn back.

‘But a shelf. How did I miss that?’ I wonder as I am looking at it. In it there is about 40 to 50 books and a small glass globe with another note.

“That’s a lot of books. Somehow I am already getting a headache…” I rub my forehead with my right arm while looking at these books with a tired expression.

‘And another note…’

“This crystal globe is a tester. Once you learn to manipulate you inner energy a bit. Put your hand on it and let it flow inside the globe. It will show you what kind of aptitude for one or the other element you have by giving you a Title. For your knowledge there is 5 categories of aptitude: very low, low, medium, advanced and high. Of course high aptitude only has witches and it is already shown from their birth . But don’t worry to use a magic person only needs a low. Well if you are one of the unlucky ones, who get very low, I am sorry but GET OUT OF HERE!!!” I read the note loud.

“In other words even if I have a high intelligence, but I only get very low aptitude with an element, my magic will be pretty much useless…”

“Such lottery with my luck. I think I already know what I will get…”

“Anyway I should go home. Since I can’t run with these wounded legs, I need to go now or I won’t be able to get back before dark.”

I turn towards the exit and leave. Of course I don’t forget to pick up that core, which I put in a spoon.

Once I am outside I pick up my items again and go back towards a road.

Since I am tired, my speed is really low. It takes some time until I reach a place where I lost track of it.

I look around and notice a person coming from the west. It is a rough man with long beard like most in here.

“Excuse me. Can you show were Vilmund Geirson is living?” I ask him.

“You are lucky. I am Vilmund. So you must be that Gurd’s brat. Why are you coming just…” He stopped in a middle of a sentence when he saw my bloodied clothes.

“What happened to you? Are you ok?” He suddenly asked me with a serious face.

“It’s ok I just dealt with you problem.” While saying this I drop all the tails on the ground.

“Ha ha ha. There is quite a lot of them.” He bent down to look at them.

“48 in total.” I say it in a tired voice, wanting to finish this business faster and go home.

“Those bastards started to really annoy me at the end. So I believe for these tails, I own you 16 copper coins.” He said as he was pulling a small leather pouch.

“Here take 20 coins. 4 will be a bonus for dirtied clothes and job well done.”

“Thank you. Well night is coming and I need to go home.” I bow my head a bit while thanking him. After that I turn around and start walking.

“Take care boy.”

== End of chapter 12 ==

Well I tried to make a picture of Elise in future. So this is a spoiler. You have been warned!!!

Spoiler : I know you just accidently pushed it ;D Spoiler : Once more I got your back jack Spoiler : If you are so determined here: Spoiler : I am not an artist so I draw looking to other people pictures. This is what I got (also about faces yeah I suck at them, so I left it blank):

She has white hair, white eye pupils, red lips and long black nails. She is wearing dark brown boots, dark blue dress, held by brown belt and black long glove on her left hand