Rune and his Instant Kill, Nick Venom [new reading txt] 📗

uniform for any new adventurer.

Lyla looked around her surroundings, patting her stomach. She had been fed by Rune with some sandwiches before embarking to the destination Rune had in mind. The pair stood on a dirt road that swerved around trees towards a rookie dungeon. The dungeon was guarded by two men in iron armor.

“I need to level up your skills if possible,” Rune said. “Do you know your skills?”

Lyla nodded, playing with the dagger in her hand. “It’s Enhanced Strength and Enhanced Speed, master.”

Rune stared at her. “Rune, not master.”

Lyla bowed. “I’m sorry… Rune.”

Rune shook his head before patting her head. “Get up, we need to do some training today. We should be able to kill goblins and slimes on the first two floors - that’s if it isn’t busy today.” He remarked, heading towards the dungeon’s entrance. One of the guards noticed him quickly, most likely utilizing a skill, and waved him over.

“Just you two?” He asked.

“Yeah,” Rune responded in his deep voice. He was slowly adopting his deep voice as his own. His normal lighter voice was being shelved as many recognized it.

“Hmmm…” The guard squinted his eyes at them, analyzing their build. “A human dressed in a cloak. You’re most likely a mage or an assassin. As for the girl… A slave with good combat skills. You’re good to go.” He told them, motioning to the other guard, who stood farther into the dungeon than him. The second guard nodded his head, opening up the entrance. “Don’t be in there for too long. The parade will start soon.

Rune jerked his head back, staring dumbfounded at the guard. “A parade? For what?” He questioned him.

“The Hero Party’s back. The Royal Family is celebrating their return with a parade on the main road. It’s also a half-funeral for the death of Rune.” 

“How… H-How did he die?” Rune questioned.

The guard shrugged his shoulders. “They haven’t released the cause of death yet. Rumors said he died at the hands of the Demon King.” 

Rune nodded, stroking his chin. “Oh… okay.”

“Well, hurry up before it starts in a half-hour.” The guard said, pushing them inside the dungeon. Rune nodded, taking the lead. He led Lyla into the dungeon, entering the first floor. The first floor’s enemies were slimes, a simple monster to kill. 

“Kill a slime,” Rune demanded, pointing at a green slime.

“Yes, Rune.” Lyla charged forward, extending the dagger in front of her. She struck at the slime, nicking its core. The slime counterattacked by firing off three blobs of its slime at her. The attack did no damage to her, bouncing off. The attack only damaged children, never adults. 

“Do it again, strike at its core. That’s the only way to kill it!” Rune shouted. He glanced down at his palms, feeling a change in him. When was I this demanding? This is not me. Unbeknownst to him, when the figure granted him Instant Kill, the skill fused with him and shifted his personality around to forge a new one. Due to him being barely conscious, not being able to remember the figure, or him responding to the man’s questions, he couldn’t understand why he was changing; and he couldn’t understand his newfound potential. 

Lyla nodded, charging in for another strike. She sprinted towards the slime, who tried to jump away, but was caught by her quickly. She extended the dagger past her body, the weapon breaking through the slime’s outer gooey shell and piercing its core. The slime exploded, leaving a solid metal ball in its wake. The metal ball was a monster part that could be sold for cheap by children and low-level adventurers. 

Lyla turned around, staring at Rune for congratulations. He gave her a small smile, approaching her. Lyla cringed as he neared her, expecting the smile to turn into a menacing grin that would have a raised hand attached to it. She was correct to assume Rune had raised his hand, but not to strike her with it. Instead, he patted her head, avoiding hitting her brownish-red ears. 

She looked up at him, one eye opened. “You’re…. You’re not going to hit me?” She questioned.

Rune shook his head, taken aback. “Why would I hit you?” He asked.

“Because…”

Rune shook his head, turning away. “I am not your last master. I won’t hit you. Hurry up, we’re venturing deeper into the dungeon.” He told her. Lyla nodded, blushing slightly. She followed him as they went farther into the dungeon, encountering clumps of slimes instead of solo ones. 

“Kill them all!” Rune demanded. Lyla nodded, charging forward. Why would I hit you? Rune’s words followed her, but she didn’t mind that. She smiled as she neared the slimes, striking the first one faster than earlier. She pierced the core in her first attempt, glancing at Rune. 

“Good Lyla, keep it up!” He shouted loud enough for Lyla to hear. It only increased her blushing. She then turned her focus back on the slimes, charging at the next slime.

I feel bad if I push her, but if we’re going to kill the so-called heroes, I need her to be stronger. I’m basically useless without any offensive skills, so she’ll have to be my sword. I can’t have her dying on me when dealing with Avom. She needs to be strong enough to kill a human. Hopefully, I have enough time to toughen her up before we strike. I need at least half a year before I strike. 

Lyla finished with the slimes, glancing at Rune. “Good, now that you understand how to deal with slimes, let’s move down a floor. We’ll be dealing with skeletons next.”

Lyla’s eyes widened. “Skeletons?” She questioned, her voice shaking.

Rune approached her, patting her head again. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you out if anything happens. Let’s go.” He pushed her forward, letting her take the lead. They went down to the second floor, now encountering clumps of skeletons faster than the slimes. 

“Get rid of them all!” Rune ordered, watching as Lyla struggled with the skeletons. Most of them were armed with shortswords; none of them had bows. 

Rune cringed as a skeleton nicked Lyla, spilling blood. It was a small amount, but that didn’t give Rune any relief. Want to help her? All you gotta do is stare at the person you want to kill and say, “Curse the Gods, let my foe crumble under me.” As simple as that. A foreign voice entered Rune’s mind. He looked around for the person who entered his mind but saw nobody. It was only Lyla nearby. There was nobody else in the space, especially not close enough to whisper into his ear.  

Rune turned back to face Lyla, seeing her being overwhelmed. “High Heal!” He cast, pointing his palms at her. He healed her small wounds in an instant. She was able to push forward, clearing the first few skeletons. 

Who said that? It wasn’t my subconscious? But it sounded really familiar. Hmmm… 

Lyla cleared the skeletons, turning around to face Rune. She had a small smile, nervous to let the smile extend any further. 

“Okay, let’s call it a day. The parade should be happening soon.” Rune said, beckoning her closer. 

She approached him, stopping five feet from him. “Yes, Rune.” 

Rune nodded. “Oh, and don’t call me by my name in front of others. I don’t want them to know my name… for personal reasons.”

Lyla nodded. “You are the hero that was said to be dead?” She then clamped her hands over her mouth. “I’m sorry, Rune. I didn’t mean to say that.”

Rune shook his head. “I’ll explain it later, but yes. I was part of the Hero Party, but, because of some stuff that happened, I’m now proclaimed dead. I’m a ghost of sorts. Well, anyway, let’s go.” He cast Cleanse on her, getting rid of any dirt on her. 

“Let’s go to the parade, then return home. I’ll have to fix up the house, though.” He turned around, taking a step forward. However, he stopped short and turned around, staring at the ground. “Also… I’m sorry that I pushed you and shouted at you. It’s not because I hate you or anything, but… I need you to be strong enough.” He looked at her. “Strong enough to protect yourself and me.

Lyla nodded, smiling. “I understand, Rune. You are my precious master.”

Rune nodded, blushing. He turned around, coughing into his fist. “Well… Uh, let’s go before the parade ends.” He was embarrassed.

Lyla let out a small laugh, staring at Rune as they headed out of the dungeon. You were right, mom. I would find myself a good master. He cured my illness and even cares about me. Thank the Heavens for him. Thank you, Mom and Dad.

 

TBC…

Episode Three "Parade"

“What are we looking for?” Lyla asked, glancing around. She was dressed in a cloak to prevent her from being seen by Avom or any of the older heroes. 

“Well, I wanted to look around the parade. It is to celebrate my death, anyway.” Rune remarked, keeping his head low. He didn’t want to be sighted by anybody who knew him. “I’m going to check out a nearby tavern for information. You can walk around and enjoy the parade, just be careful. Don’t let anybody see your ears, especially Avom. Keep your distance from them.” He brought out a few spare coins, handing them to her. “It’s not a lot, but should be enough to buy some stuff here.” 

Lyla nodded, staring at the coins in her hands. The coins were bronze and silver. “Thank you.” She said as she glanced at Rune, who patted her head over her cloak. 

“Make sure to have some fun. I’ll be back soon for you.” He said, turning away. “Remember to stay away from Avom or any of his buddies. Don’t let them get you,” he warned her before walking off. He headed to a tavern that was well-known for information. If you stayed in the tavern for a few hours, you would find what you were looking for. 

Lyla watched as her master left her, her gaze lingering on Rune before he disappeared into the crowd of people. People were forming alongside the main road to watch as several magic-operated floats, similar to ones on Earth, passed through. The floats were of the Hero Party, a dead Demon King, and dead demons and not-dead humans. It was a parade that showcased the casualties and important events of the Hero Party’s adventure. It was stunning for Lyla to see, amazed by all of the murder and blood, which was slightly censored as the blood was being blocked by other objects or people. 

Lyla fought through the crowd, approaching a booth selling handmade bracelets. Several tens of bracelets laid waiting for buyers, made of different materials. 

The owner of the booth, an elderly woman, looked up at Lyla. She was sitting on a wooden chair behind the booth. “Morning, miss.” 

“M-Morning,” Lyla muttered, staring at the bracelets. One of them caught her attention. It was a dark blue bracelet with a metal-like appearance. It was paired with a similar pink bracelet that looked the same. “What are those?” She asked the owner.

“Pairing Bracelets. The blue one is for the man and the pink one for the woman. It’s for couples.” She explained. 

Lyla blushed, looking away from the bracelets. “Oh,” She muttered.

The owner smirked. “I’ll sell it to