The taboo is enforced, you see.
I have no doubt that beside every great Monarch, there is a dedicated Meister who holds great knowledge of Attributes. Those who know the secrets of a great many Classes. These rare individuals are valued for the power they hold, but they are also feared. For, what if another were to learn their secrets? If a person, unsanctioned and unbound, by oath, or blood, were to share this sacred knowledge: the balance of power could be undone in the passing of a single generation.
Empire''s will be done: for those who are not deemed worthy, I suspect the only class their curiosity will uncover in detail, is that of the [Assassin]
....
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<blockquote>
Cobblestone Road
This is a path of stone, organized by careful hands. Though the stone is not cut to regular dimensions or equivilant size, those who built this road did so with the utmost care, so as to prevent unneeded maintenance.
</blockquote>
....
I should have tried to sleep.
Cold, wet, the stone wasn''t particularly inviting, and the ground held a smell of something rotten, but I was beyond exhausted.
Instead, though, I spent the hours getting myself free of the gag they''d placed on me, and carefully freeing some of the items they''d failed to take off my person.
They''d been a little careless, I felt. Once they took my weapons and found my armor, they hadn''t bothered to do much but tie my arms behind my back. Because of that, they''d missed the small pouch I kept tied to the inside of my belt. The one with a spare flint and a small piece of metal, but more importantly: a tiny bundle of Singing Fern.
I''d taken to preparing myself for trouble. Not quite the "getting arrested" kind, but certainly the "I fell out of the boat, and had to swim back to shore" kind.
[Hide Presence] active, under the assumption that any advantage was welcome, I managed to fish the pouch free, and through a process I''d rather not discuss, get the bundle of grass into my mouth.
I began to chew.
[Identify]
<blockquote>
Singing FernThe narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Uncommon plant that produces a noticeable hum during strong winds. Roots can be used in medicinal potions, providing an effect of [Lesser Healing] when condensed. Often used with additional ingredients, for a more pronounced effect.
</blockquote>
I hoped it worked like that said it would, because I was pretty sure Bruiser had cracked one of my ribs, earlier.
Though that still hurt pretty badly, I soon found that my mind felt less muddled, as I carried out the laborous task of chewing until my jaw ached. In time, I was pleased to find that the grass tasted a little like mint. Only... warmer-mint, if that makes any sense.
Health: 38/50
Waiting for it to take effect, I fumbled with the cloth that still had my arms wrapped, before eventually giving up on getting a hand free. Instead, I redoubled my efforts on returning the pouch to the inside of my belt. Small bit of flint, metal, and half a bundle of Singing Fern: I hadn''t swum to shore after a wreck, but I knew might come in handy down the line. Besides: even if I did somehow get my arms free, the door was bolted shut, and much too thick to try and kick down. Even if it did open, I wasn''t any more confident in my survival than I''d been on the trail into town.
Health: 39/50
Success, it seemed. Chewing was doing something.
I was happy with that. [Identify] was trustworthy, but my interpretations of what it told me were susceptible to error.
Still, I was learning, all the same.
Ever since I''d come to this world, I''d been trying to puzzle out how things fit together. Despite how unpleasant being forcefully arrested was, I''d come away with a much better picture of where I stood. Or, in this case, sat.
The Free Lands were aptly named, I felt. The people in this area lived without much, if any, oversight, but clearly not all of them were oblivious to what lay outside their borders. The Peace Keepers, at the very least, knew what I was immediately, and based on their aggression: they weren''t particularly fond of the Empire.
I didn''t find that surprising.
Hating the Empire, I mean.
The people who summoned me here and sent me to die... yeah, there wasn''t much for me to like, either. Combine that with the fact that the Empire clearly fought enough wars to have a Mercenary Companies stationed at multiple fronts along their borders, and it wasn''t hard to imagine the rest.
They certainly didn''t seem like the type of nation that would have good relations with their neighbors.
I suspected that hating the Empire was a shared sentiment for anyone not already a part of the it. An aggressive sort of country, constantly fighting and conquering whoever bordered with it? Rarely the type you would expect to be seen in a positive light.
But, as a [Summoned Hero] I was probably going to be hated by association.
Which was unfortunate.
Health: 40/50
The grass tasted awful, compared to the start. No longer a warm mint, but a moist cud. Still, it seemed to be working. The fogginess of my thoughts, at least, was clearing up.
I couldn''t escape tonight, I decided.
Not from the room, not from the Guards. If I were going to survive, I''d have to hedge my bets on biding time for the right opportunity to present itself.
Plus, I really didn''t like the way the Guards had been acting while out on the path.
As easily as they had dealt with me, the pair had been far less confident when it came to other possible of threats. Marching down the trail in the dark of night: twice, the rustling of tall grass in the wind had weapons drawn and curses murmured. Though they hadn''t specifically said there were more monsters about, it wouldn''t do me any good to pretend that wasn''t a possibility.
If I somehow managed to escape the Guards, only to get killed by another Fernwolf... I knew I''d prefer if my last moments would be spent doing something other than cursing my own stupidity.
Health: 41/50
Little by little...
I suppose that''s how it has to be, in this world.
Patience.
The longer I survived, the stronger I could get. The more pain dished out, the more I would be rewarded.
From the first moment I''d arrived, up until arriving in the cell... I had to seriously consider that for a moment.
How long had it been?
One week at the castle... Three or four months at the Mercenary Camp, then a week or so in the forest. Which, was followed another few weeks spent fishing by the cliffs...
I''d only been in this world half a year. Maybe, even less.
That was all.
Yet, I could clearly recognize the truth of things. Even though it hardly felt like it, I''d already grown at an outrageous pace. My attributes gained since arriving were nothing to scoff at. My only problem, really, was how far behind I''d started.
I was going to become a force to be reckoned with, eventually.
Living a comfortable life in modern society, I wasn''t properly built for life here. I hadn''t spent decades swinging a sword, or working a forge, or braving the elements out on a boat.
But, as a Hero: I didn''t need decades.
<blockquote>
[Vitality +1]
</blockquote>
Patience.
I wasn''t strong enough to escape. I knew that, just like I knew that the next night might be the same.
But if I were given enough time?
Well... I would think of something.