Shielded by Seals [Chapter 15] (Patreon)

Heading to Denver for Litrpgcon later today! If anyone is attending, I'd love to see you. I'll still post tomorrow, but off Monday as I make my way back.

Also, this is a fun chapter as we shift toward the lion's share of Book 1.

ToC: https://www.patreon.com/posts/132353583

Fall crept across the meadow, coloring the leaves, chilling the breeze, and increasing the amount of activity I could hear in the distant village below the manor. I frowned, pausing in aiming a Silk Shot at a swinging hippo; the sounds of cheering were spreading up the valley.

What exactly is going on that has these people so happy…? I wondered. I shook my head and focused. Finding out what the normies were fixated on could wait-

I paused. I felt an old bitterness seeping through me. I lowered my hand. Isn’t this what I had thought in the entirety of my previous life? That it wasn’t worth bothering with what excited other people? And what did I have to show for it?

A corpse in a room, all alone?

I checked my Status Screen.

Status

Name: Osiris Scowl

Level: 3 (Score: C+, D)

Roles: Child (Proficient I, 88%), Genius (Basic, 97%)(11 Months, 4 Weeks, 2 Days)

Traits: Mana Hungry (Beginner II, 39%), Mana Adjusted Physique (Apprentice, 74%), Accurate (Apprentice, 68%)

Skills: Emit Mana (Usable, 91%), Clean (Usable, 22%), Silk Shot (Usable, 7%)

Tamed Beast: Mud-Guzzling Hog Lvl 15 (Toad)

Relationship: Intimate

Potential: Mundane

Fighting Ability: Lvl 20

Over the past several months I pushed constantly, increasing Proficiency on all of my Skills and Traits. However… the Tiers had grown large, so improvement wasn’t quick. Emit Mana was the closest, with Mana Adjusted Physique, Accurate, and Silk Shot following. But-

One day off of grinding won’t affect me. I released a long breath. My eyes sharpened. Or rather… it might actually help ground me. I think it’s time that I have some social interaction in this world, apart from my homicidal caretaker…

With that in mind, I forced all the small objections and excuses to the corner of my mind and marched my way down the road. Of course, as I neared the entrance into the woods, a new network of seals shimmered in the air. As I walked through them, they tightened and pulled me back. I couldn’t say I was surprised, but it was still disappointing to have my worries confirmed.

“Argyle…” I gritted my teeth and glared back up at the manor. Wasn’t this great personal growth? And I was completely prevented from following through?!

My marching changed destinations. I went back to the manor, went up the stairs, and went to Argyle’s study. The door was ajar and I shoved it the rest of the way open-

I froze.

Father hunched in the corner. His hands had sunk into a pool of shadow on the ground. From the pulsing of tendons on his arms, his fingers were active within that strange darkness. His breathing was heavy, filling the area with the sound of the panting of a disturbed beast. That heavy pressure he briefly unleashed to cow Toad lurked in the study, slowly accumulating on my shoulders the longer I looked at the scene.

I quietly shut the door. Okay, Argyle appears busy, let’s not disturb him…

I gritted my teeth and returned to improving my Skills.

The temperature dropped even further. Occasionally, I woke up to find the meadow was coated in frost. Toad grew coarser fur, and grew fatter, to resist the temperature. One morning, a few days after I walked in on Argyle shadow nonsense, I brought up the cheering and asked if I could go down to the village to look.

Argyle waved a hand. “It’s a village of transplants. It’s not worth our time.”

To my great shame, my tongue got caught in my throat and I didn’t push further.

Yet this just meant I could completely dedicate myself to grinding. I gritted my teeth and stirred up my Mana Pool.

Your Trait Mana-Adjusted Physique has reached a new Proficiency! Apprentice -> Usable. The boost increases. Fineness of control over the body has grown. Your body’s natural potential has increased.

For increasing Trait Proficiency while a Child, the Role Child has gained Proficiency! +10%.

For increasing Trait Proficiency while a Genius, the Role Genius has gained Proficiency! +4%.

Your Role Genius has reached a new Proficiency! Basic-> Beginner I. Your Potential increases: your Mana Pool naturally deepens each time you gain a Level. You gain additional feat-based Proficiency. You might occasionally gain addition Proficiency for activations. By observing another person using one of your Skills at a higher Proficiency, you have a chance of gaining Proficiency.

Time limit for Genius has grown! +8 Months

“My potential increased?” I felt a flash of excitement. Yet just as quickly, I schooled my features into sharp focus. “Potential is one thing… but I don’t have time for my potential to come into play. Less than a year now…”

I resumed my training. As always, the presence of notifications provided a halo of motivation.

Your Skill Emit Mana has reached a new Proficiency! Proficient I-> Proficient II. The impact force of the Skill increases. Your ease of activating the Skill increases. You may adjust the size and shape of the emitted Mana. Your Mana Pool deepens.

For increasing Trait Proficiency while a Child, the Role Child has gained Proficiency! +10%.

For increasing Trait Proficiency while a Genius, the Role Genius has gained Proficiency! +2%.

Your Role Child has reached a new Proficiency! Proficient I-> Proficient II. The ease of earning Proficiency slightly increases. Your Score naturally develops. Certain taboos become less effective on you. You develop a small, natural resistance to foreign seals.

For increasing the Proficiency Tier of a Role, your Role Genius +5% Proficiency!

“A natural resistance to seals? But its small.” I looked at my skin. Even blessed with this resistance, my skin didn’t begin regurgitating Argyle’s dangerous seals. I gritted my teeth. “But these tiny advantages, when they are all added together-”

I pushed my body. My Silk Shots whizzed through the air, clipping the hanging stuffed animals and swirling around them like holiday streamers.

Your Trait Accurate has reached a new Proficiency! Apprentice-> Usable. The likelihood of activating Accurate has greatly increased. Accurate can affect almost all physical actions.

For increasing Trait Proficiency while a Child, the Role Child has gained Proficiency! +5%.

For increasing Trait Proficiency while a Genius, the Role Genius has gained Proficiency! +2%.

…

Your Skill Silk Shot has reached a new Proficiency! Usable-> Proficient I. Silk Shot activation time decreases to almost nothing. Mana Cost sharply decreases. Tensile strength increases. Your Mana Pool deepens.

For increasing Trait Proficiency while a Child, the Role Child has gained Proficiency! +5%.

For increasing Trait Proficiency while a Genius, the Role Genius has gained Proficiency! +2%.

…

Your Skill Clean has reached a new Proficiency! Proficient I-> Proficient II. You release a constant small effect of Clean around you. Clean can affect even metaphysical messes. Your Mana Pool deepens.

For increasing Trait Proficiency while a Child, the Role Child has gained Proficiency! +5%.

For increasing Trait Proficiency while a Genius, the Role Genius has gained Proficiency! +2%.

I clenched my fist. This round of grinding showed great results. Accurate became Usable and all of my Skills were at Proficient I. Then there was the most recent boost from the Child Trait: a resistance to seals. Just imagining those black symbols that sank into my skin made me want to vomit. How much more resistance would I need to rip my way through the barrier?

Speaking of restrictions, how much larger did my Mana Poll need to become in order to understand those medallions? 

And then- My eyes narrowed as I daydreamed about a sudden solution to all my problems.

“Boy, come here for a second.”

I raised my head. We were outside, fat flakes of snow descending around Toad and I. We had been rolling together giant snow balls and then I blasted them to pieces with my Emit Mana; really, at this point, I would try anything to break the monotony of the grinding. Even blasting dolls had lost its novelty.

Argyle crunched across the snow and frowned down at me. “What are you wearing?”

“Blankets,” I responded, raising my arms. I had thoroughly searched the manor for clothes suitable to my tiny body, but could find none. And the rooms with other clothes were largely filled with rotting corpses. So I could only repurpose blankets and drapes I found in the closet into clothing suitable for playing in the snow.

Argyle scratched his cheek. “You look like a cultist.”

I couldn’t decide if this was supposed to be a compliment or not. Considering how many murders this Father of mine committed… it was hard to tell.

“Anyway, look.” He kneeled down next to me. To my surprise, his eyes were surprisingly clear and red. Not just the irises, but around the edges, as though he had wrestled with this decision. “I… well, we’ve worked through our shit together, haven’t we? I need to go for a time. Do you think… can you handle it?”

I looked at this body’s father. He worried for me… but still plotted to use me for his experiments. It was hard to take his goodwill seriously. Had I not been a reincarnated soul… what are you thinking? Leaving me alone like this- I’m not even three yet. 

Are you a father, or aren’t you one? You can’t have it both ways, Argyle.

Yet. Yet I wasn’t a fresh, innocent soul, willing to be swayed by his brief shows of affection and care. I knew his plans… and I would not allow them to come to fruition.

I spoke in a light voice. “I’ll be fine.”

Finally, free rein in the manor!

“Good kid. Heh.” Argyle smiled at me and straightened. Despite myself, my heart twitched as he used a finger to wipe away a tear. “Your tenacity to live… You got that from me. Then I’ll be off.”

Now, I realized that he had a packed bag waiting by the door. He reached out and a massive, hard to describe how massive, tendril of darkness stretched out from his hand and plucked up the handle. Then he reeled it in. My face went blank, observing that casual display; it seemed my training still had a ways to go.

His figure gradually disappeared into the shadows of the trees. I suppressed my shivers and rolled my shoulders. For now… no sudden movements. Take it easy-

“Now!” A voice hissed.

I pivoted in surprise. A figure in a ninja outfit dashed up to me and slapped my shoulder. I only had time to see an emerald spider embroidered on their outfit before I felt overwhelmed with sleepiness. Toad hunhked in surprise, but my consciousness was already dissipating.

What the hell! Argyle has been gone for five minutes and…

…I’ve already been kidnapped…?

… the… escape… without a hitch…

*****

Keekri scanned the surroundings. Chosen Scowl had just departed and left a small gap in the seals which would soon tighten back into an impenetrable defense. Although there was a chance of attracting attention, it would be difficult and costly to act later.

He gestured to a subordinate. “Subdue the pig and bring it; clearly, they have entered into a taming bond. Madam Fang will wish to view the creature to test his potential.”

Keekri reached down and cradled the toddler in his arms. He felt slightly squeamish, subduing a young one so decisively, but for the Fang Family, he would do it. He glanced down at the child and felt a flash of envy.

If my own potential was this high… if I had received a rare and powerful variant of the Silk Shot Skill…

…would I just be a tool of the Fang Family…?

He suppressed those doubts. After his subordinate had inflicted a Sleep Sting on the pig and loaded it onto a cart, the two hurried away from the manor, right as the seals began to settle back into place.