2024-01-31 19:14:00Ezra felt a tingling sensation in his right hand, and his thoughts immediately went back to that peculiar incident in his room. He quickly hid his right hand behind his back and then turned to Aurelia.
Normally, whenever a system panel flickered into life, it would be visible to all in the nearby area. But strangely enough, no one seemed to be bothered by Ezra’s Gunsmithing screen.
After staring at those present around him for a while, Ezra realized that they could not see his Gunsmithing system display, and the information floating in front of his eyes was only visible to him.
Suddenly, Ezra felt an unbearable pain shooting up his right arm, and he could tell something was squirming under his skin.
“Not again,” Ezra mumbled under his breath, his hands turning cold and his face rapidly losing color.
Aurelia wanted to talk to Ezra and comfort him, but he hurried back to his room without a single word.
Although Ezra was quite used to being ridiculed by those around him, things had gone way too far today with the two Rodel girls humiliating his whole family all because of his crippled hands.
However, Ezra did not think too much about the incident because he had another troubling matter occupying his mind. It wasn’t normal for a magic user to suddenly unlock the Gunsmithing talent, and he knew it had something to do with that mysterious eye.
As soon as Ezra entered his bedroom, he locked the door from inside and pulled up his sleeves. He walked right up to the mirror beside the bookshelf and lifted his right hand.
The strange eye popped up again, startling him.
“What on earth are you? Did someone hex me?” Ezra questioned his own reflection.
Suddenly, a small mouth opened under the eye, flashing a set of pearly whites and a thick red tongue.
“Greetings, Lord Loris! My name is Gremory Marlin. I was the king’s favorite Gunsmith when I was still alive. But those jealous mages conspired against me and cursed me to be trapped between life and death, chained to a rock inside a cave infested with ghouls. I did not expect to see the light of day again…but here I am, bound to your hand, young Lord.”
Ezra stumbled backward, and his mouth fell open. At first, he was too shocked to speak, but gradually got a hold of himself and asked in a firm voice, “And how exactly did you become bound to my hand?”
“No idea!” the mouth replied. “I suppose it had something to do with the curse the mages put on me, but I haven’t figured it out yet.”
“Go back to where you came from. This isn't normal! I don’t want you on my hand!” Ezra snapped back.
"I am afraid I cannot do that, Lord Ezra. You and I have developed a very deep connection. In fact, I'd go as far to say I have become an inseparable part of your arm now." The lips curled into a grin as Marlin uttered those words.
“I get it now! You are the reason I cannot open or close my fist properly. This is why my hand keeps trembling every time I try to hold something!”
The eye closed its lids, but the mouth continued speaking. “I knew you would suspect me, but I assure you, I had nothing to do with crippling your hands. It was due to the accident you keep talking about, so do not blame me, young Lord.”
“And I’m just supposed to trust you?” Ezra asked in a garrulous tone. He grabbed the knife from his table and prepared to stab the eye again.
“I would advise against that!” The eye opened once more and stared directly at Ezra. “You cannot get rid of me so easily. You have already tried once and failed.”
“Shut the hell up!” Ezra snapped at the Gunsmith and took a stab at the eye, but the knife’s blade cut his own skin, and the eye disappeared. He muffled his scream by gritting his teeth and pulled the knife out of his hand.
The eye reappeared just below the wound, its pupil glowing red. And then the mouth appeared, its lips curled into a devious grin. “You see what I was trying to tell you? If you want to be rid of me, you will probably need to slice off your arm. But even then, there are no guarantees in life, especially when it comes to mages and curses.”
“I don’t believe you! I am pretty darn sure you’re the one who’s been leeching on me like a parasite and crippling my hands!” Ezra tried to yank out the tongue, but once more, the eye and the mouth both disappeared before he could touch them.
As Ezra pulled his other arm away, the eye and the mouth popped open again. “I am not your enemy, Lord Ezra. If anything I’ve always been a well-wisher. If you do not believe me, I cannot help you.”
“Would you believe a creepy eye that suddenly popped open on your arm and started talking to you?” Ezra asked.
“I…would hesitate,” the Gunsmith replied. “But trust me, I did not choose you as my host. In fact, I never wanted a host. This has been equally unsettling for me as well. But since we are together now, we might as well become allies.”
“Why should I believe you? For all I know, you just want to feed on my magic.” Ezra stared at the eye and then added it as an afterthought. “Maybe that’s the reason why you chose me. I was a child prodigy with an E-level magic talent.”
“Let me repeat what I said for the third time. I did not choose you, Lord Ezra. You must have come into contact with some cursed object that bound me to your hand,” the Gunsmith replied. “Don’t you remember anything at all?”
The Gunsmith’s words refreshed Ezra's memory, and he faintly recalled having burned the tip of his right index finger when he tried to touch an ancient relic in a gun museum. He had passed out for a few seconds following that, and when he’d woken up the relic had turned rusty.
“I remember touching a hammer at a gun museum,” Ezra replied. His eyes widened as he recalled another detail. “The name G. H. Marlin was inscribed on the handle. And there was a placard with a date…1460.”
“It’s the year of my birth,” the Gunsmith replied.
“It’s 1650 now. Almost two hundred years! How can you be alive after all this time?” Ezra asked.
“I suppose it had something to do with the curse. But I’m not quite sure if this can be called being alive,” the Gunsmith replied. “But still…it’s better than being trapped in a cave.”
Ezra took a deep breath and calmly tied a bandage around his bleeding hand. Staring directly at the creepy eye, he asked, “What do you want from me?”
“Nothing,” the Gunsmith replied. “Your noble blood has already provided me with enough sustenance. And those healing herbs helped me awaken from my dormant state. I just plan on repaying the kindness by helping you achieve your goals.”
“How?” Ezra asked, ignoring everything else he just said.
At this, the lips on his hand curled into a wide grin. “I am no mere commoner. I was a Legendary Gunsmith back in my day. I can help you modify, repair, and create any gun you wish. With me by your side, you can unlock your true potential! All I ask is your cooperation. Together, we will be unstoppable!”
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The upturned black carriage slowly sinking in the mud, had turned into a feasting ground for the necrophages prowling nearby. But these slimy creatures neither resembled Ghouls nor Drekavacs. At first glance, it was easy to mistake them for Merfolk due to their scaly bodies and fish-like gills. However, their sharp black claws and long white fangs gave away their real nature.About thirteen of them were gathered around the carriage, fighting for the best share of the food and tearing out lumps of flesh from the dead horses lying in the mud. Seeing no human bodies around, Ezra concluded the cultists must have ditched the carriage upon entering the swamp and proceeded on foot from this point onward.“The cultists are already here. We should be careful,” Ezra cautioned the Count as he slid out of the saddle and dismounted from his horse. It was far too dangerous to ride any animal into the swamp, leaving him with no choice but to walk.“We are losing time here. Let’s go in and kill thos
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Ezra rummaged through the pile of ashes on the ground, hoping to find that one elusive clue that would lead him to Tanya. But all he managed to get his hands on was a pile of disjointed bones buried amidst the heap.“God, how I wish you were here with me, Marlin. I could really use your help.”The thought of summoning Vorus’ departed soul to this mortal plane crossed Ezra’s mind for a moment, but as he looked at his shattered Mystic Lamp medallion, he remembered the necromancer had destroyed his old relic, vanquishing the Tainted Djinn.“Damn it, Vorus. You are a pain in the behind even after your death!” Ezra clenched his fists, anger, and frustration surging in his heart. Even after killing all three necromancers, he had learned nothing about Tanya’s whereabouts.As Ezra’s pocket watch ticked the minutes away, his heart raced faster and faster. He knew he barely had a couple of hours to locate Tanya and free her before the other cultists sacrificed her.The sound of heavy footsteps m
