"..."
Blankly staring at the three runes in my hands, I felt as if these things had suddenly become a lot more common than I had initially thought.
If we were to refer this timeline as the 2nd run, something I thought about after some time, the 1st run, which had been the one I had initially appeared in granted me three runes.
The Blaze rune and the Vine Rune, two items that helped me sincerely, one in the combat of a boss monster and the other in a horde of undead while the Inferno Rune I only started to use in the 2nd run.
Actually, now that I think about it, didn't I receive that rune from Cherry?
If so that made the total number of runes I had received four in the first run.
'Hm... Now that I think about it, I really didn't receive that many runes during this run.'
Sure it's only been a day since I entered the sewers and I've already received two runes but it wasn't as if they were that common right?
Right?
Not exactly looking forwards to the pain I would soon be receiving if I were to use these runes, I looked around me and instantly began to move and form a barricade.
First off, it was definitely not a good idea to use the runes in the middle of the pile of corpses literally overflowing the sewer channels.
The accumulated black and orange blood would probably attract more monsters that still had their sense of smell intact.
Second, I should probably stimming myself with the tonic, I'm starting to feel a hole form on my neck due to the numerous tonic jabs at my neck.
It just goes to show that the regenerating powers of the tonic weren't all powerful.
Third, I should change my head to a human one- scratch that, it can stay a flaming ball of fire.
Fourth, forget whatever hell to the nose that was and run away.
Feeling as if my nightmares would be dominated by that... scent that couldn't be matched by the fire, iron and ash of war, I subtly looked at my inventory filled to the brim with various miscellaneous items.
Shifting out several items during my running away, funnily enough, it was only when I truly found out that I could repair my armor with the crafting table in my inventory that I began to experiment with my powers.
It was also how I found out by combining several of the same item, a much bigger blockier version of it would appear in my inventory.
Minecraft much?
Well whatever.
Having combined several wooden scraps into bigger and bigger wooden scraps until they formed planks, although I was tempted to form a crafting table right then and there to experiment some more, I was more occupied with the task at hand.
Making sure that I was safe and protected in the sewers so that i could use the Runes and leave.
It wasn't as if there was anything of interest here, if anything, I wanted to get the hell out of here.
This place was just plain weird.
'But to do that, I need to find a safe place.'
It would be to much to ask for the undead to just be dumb enough to ignore the fact that severely out of place pieces of wood were in the stony grimy sewers of green right?
'Actually now that I think about it, haven't their brains rotted by now?'
Pausing my actions briefly, I nevertheless continued and hurriedly slinked underneath a surprisingly roomy sewer grate.
Ignoring all the protests of my body when I rubbed against the unknown black grime with an uncomfortably soft and sticky texture to it, I held it in and continued to crawl towards the mystery space.
Why was I suddenly crawling into the mystery space?
Well I might've gone a bit crazy slaughtering hundreds of scorpions, zombies, undead archers, rats, worms and even those weird ass bats that kamikazed themselves every chance they got.
I was also extremely exhausted and was just going with the flow of whatever decision I was making no matter how stupid it seemed at the time of making the decision.
'Besides, I think my gamble paid off.'
Looking up, I glanced at the minimap hovering at the edge of my vision noting that this place was completely cut off from the rest of the world with only one entrance and exit.
And coincidentally enough, it was also one of the little hideouts that Cherry had told me about.
'So I'm not completely crazy for suddenly crawling into that hole, go me.'
Giving myself a pat on the back, I observed my surroundings.
Despite being one of the supposed hideouts of the previously crazy twin called Cherry, this place was surprisingly bare.
Save for a gathering of blankets in a makeshift cushion and a rough drawing of a knight in armor posing like a hero on the wall, there was nothing else in the little room but a wheel of cheese
'Why even is there a wheel of cheese in the sewers?'
Half tempted to taste it for the hell of it, I took back my hand for fear of infecting myself with whatever the hell disease rested within the wheel of cheese.
Ignoring the wheel of cheese that seemed surprisingly intact for something in the sewers (With the rats and all) I turned to the alcove I had just exited out of and...
Blocked it.
With all fifteen of my wooden blocks, they all served one singular purpose.
And that purpose was to make sure that I could use the two runes in relative peace.
I'll be in constant pain while doing it sure, but it was better than being in pain while undead were roaming around the sewers with a craving for human flesh.
'Now that I think about it, why the hell are literal skeletons hungry for my flesh? They don't have anything to eat wit- And I forgot that they are infected with a disease with an above 100% mortality rate'
Slapping myself in the face, I took in several deep breaths to hype myself up and stared at the two runes in my hands.
The one in my left was the one I had received from Cherry and was presumably from the Bronze Guard captain Cherry seemingly fell in love with.
This one bore the symbol of a modern day wrench funnily enough.
The one in my right was from... Something.
Honestly speaking, it was kind of hard to find out which was what when you were surrounded by constantly moving undead trying to kill me.
It didn't help that I was using the Vine rune that could now manifest burning red flames on its body at the cost of its life to get rid of several dozens at a time.
The blaze runes flames covering my body didn't count.
'It could honestly be that scorpion but then again I can be mistaken'
Shaking my head, I refocused my gaze on the rune in my right hand bearing the appearance of an orb bearing the cyan sigil of a box.
It reminded me of the beekeepers box that my friend kept, but back to the topic at hand.
'Which one should I use?'
A dilemma older than time (not really)
It was a life and death situation (Maybe?)
I'll be in constant pain no matter what (Definitely)
'Anyways, it doesn't matter what I'll choose, I'll be in constant pain no matter what.'
Shaking my head, I raised my hand and infused mana into the rune on my left hand.
A symbol of gears forming above the rune with a wrench tightening its bolts.
The symbol that had little variating from its previous counterparts soon seeped into my body and began to carve its existence into my body in the form of tattoos.
If only I hadn't taken out the other rune and held it in my hands so that I could use it after the first rune was done using my body so that I could get this damn thing over with quickly.
Oh what a folly I made.
"GAAAAAGGHHH"
Briefly seizing from the insane pain that clutched my body from the deepest pits of hell, I slammed my head against the wall
Flames licking the wall, the wall itself shook for a moment before breaking apart when I hit the wall once more with the back of my head.
And although my skull was nearly splitting in half, the wall broke apart, revealing a hidden alcove containing as fate would have it...
Another rune.
Adding to the fact my mana was now moving regardless of my will to carve its damn existence into my body.
Despite being in abject pain in all senses of the word, I wasn't so out of it to not understand what would happen if another rune was added to the mix.
Fear filling my eyes, despite all of my wishes, the rune tipped over the edge allowing me to briefly see the face part of a clock on its surface.
'ohno'
Colliding against my body, a clock, a gear with a wrench and a beekeepers box all floated above my body before suddenly surging to the untouched parts of my skin.
Carving their very existence into my flesh I seized against the ground and cursed out the first name I thought of.
'CURSE YOU FUN! ACK!"
---
A certain God with an ever shifting avatar but constantly visible eyes sneezed.
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Tree