Honestly today wasn't so bad. I'm currently chilling in my bed. Yes bed I permanently borrowed my bed from the House Valdris and I also took more things that I needed for my lair.
So I can't really complain about life right now. Well there is Gregor but like it's Gregor… Gregor can't help but to yap.
You know one of these days I'm going to figure out what the fuck Gregor did. And preferably break the curse so I don't have to hear this dude for the rest of my time hear.
Going outside the grass was Green? Surprisingly usually it's pretty dark and stuff like that and depressing but today it was a beautiful green the sun was out it was breezy and the birds were chirping birds never chirp around this area.
Going over to the lawn chair I had outside I decided to take a seat and open up a book. I've been able to read a book and a really long time and I'm just so glad I can finally read.
Just before I could open the first page a blaring irritating obnoxious noise assaulted in my ear.
[Invader on property retreat back into lair]
Looking up to the sky I side and decided to go back to the throne room. Whoever was at my front door he probably died from all the traps I hope if he doesn't die then I got to fight him and my ribs still hurt like a mother fucker.
While I waited I decided to open up the system to check to see how close till my magic is unlocked.
[System Alert: Current Magic Core – 20% Stabilized]
Note: You are still operating on borrowed system mana.
Embodiment Seal not yet triggered.
Magic Type Prediction: Undetermined
Current Vice Trajectory: Deceit, Obsession, Guilt, Sadism, conniving, Cynicism, controlling.
Current Virtue Trajectory: Patient, Vigilante, empathy
[System Alert: Current Magic Core – 20% Stabilized]
Wow thats it? I'm a good person! I love helping people. Does my whole life before this even matter? I've helped so many people without even expecting a single thing in return.
But this world… doesn't even think about a single thing I've done it only cares about now.
It doesn't even care that I don't want to do this.
It only cares what it makes me do!
I want to scream I want to fucking cry I can't take this shit the emotions bubbling me so quickly I can't manage them.
I hear the front door be kicked off his hinges as a man walks into my lair. Of course I don't see him doing this because I'm in the throne room. But I could feel my place getting degraded.
Okay if this bitch want to play and let's play. I'm going to hope that I can stop him before he gets to the throne room. Everything goes according to plan he'll die by my traps and of course in the worst case scenario I'm going to have to bomb the place as I rigged it with explosions last week.
Looking into the mirror I chanted a word in a dead language and the mirror glowed. Showing me small real time footage. Of all the mirrors in the tower. Left wing no… Right wing no… where the fuck is this guy he should be climbing up the tower to get to the throne room.
There he was.
In my kitchen.
Eating my bread.
The one I risked my ribs to steal from a Valdris trade wagon. Just munching it like this was some Airbnb.
And then this bastard had the nerve to open my cupboard like he owned the place. Started sniffing my tea leaves.
I stared at the mirror.
I blinked.
I lost it.
I teleported straight into the hallway with a dagger I keep under the throne. No prep, no fancy spells. Just pure, full-body disrespect-fueled violence.
"Hey!" I yelled, storming down the corridor like my spine wasn't cracked in four places. "You touching my fucking chamomile?!"
No answer. Of course not. He just kept walking. Casual. Like he knew I was coming. Like this was all part of the plan.
Then he said it.
"Didn't expect the infamous Scourge of Duskmoor to be so... loud."
Oh. Oh, he talks. That's worse.
"Didn't expect an intruder to have such punchable cheekbones," I said back, because pain makes me funny. Or maybe unhinged. Same thing now.
Then he turned to face me. Finally.
Taller than me. Sword on his back. White cloak. Smug expression. One of those faces that looks like it belongs on a propaganda poster or in a sermon about how not to sin.
"You gonna monologue or you gonna die?" I asked.
He actually laughed. "You're smaller than I thought."
I shrugged. "You're dumber than I hoped."
Then he lunged.
He was fast. Like "System wants him to win" fast. Every move clean, like a cutscene.
I ducked, twisted, and barely dodged a sword swing that took out half my kitchen wall. Asshole just wrecked my spice rack. Do you know how long it took to collect salt in this economy?
I backed off, flinging a kitchen chair at him. He sliced it in half mid-air like an anime protagonist on steroids.
Cool. So that's the kind of day we're having.
"Who even are you?" I snapped.
He followed up with another swing, and I swear to the screaming stone under tile seven—it was aimed at my bookshelf.
I kicked a chair into his knees just to misalign his spine a little. It bought me two seconds. Maybe less.
I dove behind the table, drew a ward rune with my blood across the wood, and whispered the activation phrase.
BOOM.
Table exploded into splinters and vinegar fire. That's what you get for breaking into my tower and not checking trap sigils carved into the furniture legs. Rookie mistake.
He stumbled back, cloak smoking, hair singed. Still standing. Because of course he was.
"You booby-trapped your dining room table?" he coughed.
"Yes," I said. "And I pissed in the tea. You're welcome."
He rushed me again, eyes glowing faint red now—yeah, that wasn't a System power. That was some old-school rune-blood enhancement. His sword started crackling with kinetic feedback, carving into the air like it owed him money.
This time he didn't miss.
His boot caught my side and yeeted me into the pantry door like I was a particularly disappointing sack of flour. It shattered. I landed on two weeks of dried mushrooms, a jar of pickled rat tongues, and my last surviving bottle of cursed wine.
Ribs: re-broken.
Dignity: last seen sobbing in a corner.
[System Alert: You are now bleeding internally. That's unfortunate.]
"Shut up," I hissed.
I rolled over, wheezing, and pulled the emergency lever next to the hearth.
It activated exactly what I needed.
The floor dropped.
And we both plummeted into the basement.
He hit first. I landed second, right on top of him with all the elegance of a drunk bat falling out of hell. We both groaned.
Then I bit him.
He elbowed me in the face. I clawed at his wrist. He tried to pin me, and I wrapped my cursed arm around his shoulder and squeezed.
Thorns exploded out of my skin and sank into his. Deep.
His magic flared up like a kicked furnace, trying to push me off.
He screamed. I screamed louder.
Not because it hurt because my arm was reacting. Feeding. Like it liked his mana signature.
[System Alert: Forbidden Interaction Detected – Cursed Seal reacting to magical signature: unknown hunter origin.]
That's not vague and ominous at all. Thanks, System.
I let go before I lost a chunk of soul.
We scrambled to opposite sides of the basement. I was panting. He was bleeding.
Neither of us looked like we wanted round two.
"Who sent you?" I finally asked.
He wiped blood from his cheek with a shake of his head. "No one you'd know."
"That's rude."
"And you're annoying."
"Oh, bite me."
"You already tried."
Touché.
He stood first. I watched him. Every movement is precise. Calculated. He was a professional, yeah—but not like the golden hero types. This guy? He was a contractor. Mercenary. A mage with a vendetta and enough time to learn how to punch curses in the face.
"I didn't come here to banter," he said, adjusting his grip on the sword. "I came here to kill the Scourge of Duskmoor."
"And instead you got... me. In my pajamas."
He hesitated.
His eyes scanned the basement again. His mouth twitched, just slightly. I don't know if it was frustration or realization, but something changed.
"...You're not what I expected."
"Disappointed?"
He didn't answer. Just turned to leave.
Like that.
Like that…
"You break into my house, steal my food, ruin my kitchen, stab me, and you're just gonna leave?"
"I got what I needed."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"Means I'm not the only one coming."
Then he was gone. Up the ladder. Through the tunnel. Gone like a ghost in a stolen story.
I slumped back onto the wine barrel and stared at the ceiling.
My ribs hurt. My kitchen was totaled. My pantry was a war zone. And now apparently I've got more people on the way?
I want a nap.
[System Alert: Magic Core – 22% Stabilized]
[Emotion Registered: Resignation]
[Viewer Comment Highlighted: "Did he just win by losing???"]
I closed my eyes.