Chapter 11 – Midnight Mantle Card

Despite being injured and bruised, Lucan had a smile on his face. Blood flowed from his arm, the glove filled with water lost somewhere in the small lake. He could barely stand, but he didn't care and continued to read the effects of the enchantments.

[(Physical Attack Resistance): This mantle provides a slight resistance to physical damage. This attribute is enhanced at night.

(Wolf Senses): As a predator of the night, you are in your natural environment. Your senses are slightly enhanced. This attribute is improved at night.

(Lupine Regeneration): A good berserker warrior doesn't care about injuries; you can lightly regenerate cuts and physical blows. This attribute is enhanced at night.]

Lucan took off his torn jacket and looked at his arm, which had a bleeding wound. Luckily, the cut wasn't deep.

He forced himself to sit and activated the card.

Suddenly, a glow enveloped Lucan's entire body, and something emerged, caressing him as if it were comforting. He then realized what had happened.

"This... this is incredible."

Even sitting down, his entire body was now dressed. His torn pants were now black with details resembling wolf fur. His shirt was also black and long, and he was covered by a long black mantle that looked like an overcoat.

"I'm still bleeding..." he laughed and then fainted.

His eyes grew darker as he found himself in complete darkness. He didn't know how much time had passed, but all he saw was pure darkness. Until he saw the same landscape, a dark world with old, broken buildings. Giant sand dunes swallowed cities, and a strong wind blew. A figure in black stood in that same place, observing the dead people like a statue looking in one direction, upwards.

The figure in black didn't dare look at the sky; he didn't want to see that dark abyss with the two white moons staring back. The moons could illuminate like a false sun, but something could happen to those who looked at them.

In that sea of sand, the figure in black walked, protecting his face with a cloth. The wind threw sand at him, but he had to keep moving to the next city, even knowing no one would be there. The wind was so strong that it sometimes pushed him back. His staff became almost like a third leg, helping him stay anchored in the sand. A simple walk turned into torture, as he had to exert maximum effort to remain standing in that gale.

He passed by a broken vehicle, inside which a statue-like woman looked upward through the windshield. He sat and approached the light of a fire, then sighed. The figure in black began to fade from his vision, and Lucan woke up.

Feeling a cold touch on his neck, he quickly realized what it was.

A blade!

As he tried to stand, he was surprised by a female voice.

"Identify yourself! Who are you, and which House do you serve?"

Lucan froze, unsure of what to say. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind.

Am I going to die?

He drew his sword, but in a swift move he couldn't see, it was struck and half of it flew away.

I barely saw what hit it.

"Try anything again, and the next one will be at your neck!" said the woman.

She held a torch close to his face, preventing him from seeing who was behind him.

Why does everyone steal my tricks?

"My name is Lucan... I don't serve anyone. I was thrown into the Oblique World after a return error at my Inner Self's Bonfire."

‘Tsk.’ She clicked her tongue.

Sorry for not being your ticket out of here. I’m also sad that I can’t leave…

Staring at the torchlight and the blade at his neck, he asked, “May I know the name of the person holding my life in their hands?”

“No!” she replied curtly.

Lucan wasn't entirely in danger. He knew she was quick and trained in combat, but he had an advantage. He was leaning against a wall of the cave; he could simply throw himself backward and disappear into it with his intangibility.

A silence lingered as they stared at each other.

“Alright, alright… I’m going back to sleep then. I’m exhausted,” he said, lying back down, but she pressed the blade harder against his neck.

“Don’t move!”

“Okay, okay. Listen, I don’t know exactly what you want. You just destroyed my sword, making my situation even worse. You’ve only made things harder for me.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Fine, I feel like I need to sleep for three days… you can leave. I have no interest in House disputes.”

“You lied.”

Lucan frowned.

“Okay, I admit, three days of sleep is an exaggeration. Give me two days, and that will be enough,” he laughed but was hit on the head with the hilt of her sword.

“What the…?” he complained.

“I don’t find this funny…”

“Actually, you did chuckle a bit… I heard it.”

Is it the effect of the mantle? Enhanced senses… hearing is a sense, right?

“What family are you from?” the voice asked.

“None, I’m related to myself…”

“No, you definitely received training from a House. I found two dead wolves and this big one here, their leader, making three wolves. You’re not just a simple civilian.”

Lucan laughed.

“Look, miss. If I told you how I killed this guy here, I think you’d have a good laugh. My arm here was all messed up… messed up?”

As he looked at his arm, he realized it had no wound.

Lupine Regeneration…

She remained silent and then lowered the torch.

Lucan looked outside and saw that it was night.

How long was I out?

“You’re not just a simple civilian. Were you part of the expedition? Are you from the Academy?”

“No… I got here because of a return error at the Bonfire during my Inner Self’s initiation. I’m a resident of Earth.”

“So you say…”

She turned and started walking away.

“Wait, are you a captain by any chance?”

I need to get out of this damned place.

The girl paused for a moment and drew her sword again.

“Why are you looking for a captain?”

“Well, I just want to go home. And before you ask more questions, I found a soldier when I appeared in a place. He explained that I needed to find a captain because they had a way to get back home.”

“And where is this soldier?”

"Where else? Dead. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here. He… saved me."

In a way, it's true… he saved me from himself.

The girl stared at him.

“I’m also looking for a captain. Stay here, this is one of the safest places around. The monsters don’t come close to the territory of other bosses, and with this Alpha Wolf dead… you’ll survive. I’ll keep searching for help… and don’t follow me. I’ll come back here later.”

“As you wish.”

Good to know there’s someone else out there. In the meantime, I’ll regain my strength and explore this damned place.

“I saw a leather glove near one of the wolves I killed, it was a bit bloody. I think there are more people around…” Lucan said.

The girl, without looking back, simply replied, “It was mine,” and continued walking out of the cave until she disappeared from Lucan’s sight.

“A person of few words…”

Even lying on top of a wolf with the potential for a lot of good meat, he couldn’t carve it. His sword was destroyed.

The hammer is strong, but it won’t cut through this creature’s hide. I’m right in front of the best resources and I can’t do anything. I have a water source, but no means to purify it. I’m lying on meat, but I can’t cut it to prepare and eat.

After some time, when he was sure the girl had gone, Lucan decided to test his new equipment. With the hammer in hand and wearing the Midnight Mantle, Lucan realized it was the perfect time to test its enchantments. With the night, he could become stronger.

“Time to go after some good card drops…”

Standing with the hammer in hand, he looked in the direction of the asylum.