《Homestead Survival》 001: System Impact, Welcome <27 July 2024, Denver CO, 0630> [Theo] "It''s like I said last week, Theo," Mr. Pesset said with a slimy tone, "Victor has simply been performing better. I wish I could help you out, but at this time, I don''t think that you deserve a raise. Besides, you are too emotional." Theo rolled his eyes, "Yeah and last week my hand writing was ''too messy'' don''t worry I get it." "I''m glad you understand Theo, now get back to work." Mr. Pesset turned in his chair to begin typing. "Yep. Have a good day." Theo said, and stood up walking out of the building. He worked night shift, and not surprisingly Mr. Pesset had forgotten. He was notorious for picking favorites. Theo got into his car wishing he had more money to buy a new truck, and left the parking lot outside the dilapidated building he worked in. He was about to go back to the slum flat he called home when he decided other wise. "I have a four day weekend, might as well enjoy it." Theo muttered to himself, and instead turning west at the next light to head to the highway and then up into the mountains. three hours later, Theo found himself at the foot of the Grand Mesa, two minutes from his favorite campground, passing a sign that said ''Hamish waterfall trailhead''. Before setting up camp and racking out for the night, Theo decided to take a quick hike. "Three miles round trip, and I have maybe an hour and a half of daylight left..." Theo thought for a moment, "I can work that." He pulled over at the trail head, and grabbed the daypack he kept in his car for just such occasions as this, and then took off at a brisk pace.
[Julia and Courtney] "Why did we do this hike when we are doing the overlook tomorrow?" Courtney asked Julia as they trudged down the trail to the trail head. "Because," Julia said, breathing in between words, "we both... agreed to it... and said... we should... exercise more." Courtney grumbled and was about to respond when a deep voice spoke up from behind them, "On your left ladies." They both stepped to the right, and watched as a tall man practically jogged past them with a pack that was larger than someone moving that fast had any right to carry. They both watched him pass and then stepped back onto the trail to continue at their pace. Courtney spoke up, "He sure was moving." "True," Julia said, wondering where she was going with this. "But I did get a good look at..." Courtney started to say and Julia''s groan cut her off, then both of them started giggling. "No, but really, did you see his legs?" Courtney asked. "Yeah," Julia said grudgingly, admitting to herself that the man had a rather nice pair of calves. "I know you liked those dad calves." Courtney teased. "True," Julia said, mixed feelings rising up. Part of this camping trip was to take her mind off of her most recent breakup. "Come on, maybe he knows something that we don''t, we should hurry up." "Okay," Courtney agreed, respecting her friend''s wish to not talk about anythign right now. They hiked at a slower pace as they chatted for another twenty five minuets when they heard a pair of feet descending the trail. They both looked and it was the same man. He saw them coming and stepped to the side letting them continue their upward progress. He spoke again, "You got about a half mile to the top and probably forty-five minutes of sunlight left, good luck!" As quick as he had stopped and let them pass, he started off and was jogging just as quick downhill as up. Courtney looked at her, "Okay now you can''t argue that he wasn''t hot, and the fact that he apparently did the trail that quick... I wonder if that stamina applies elsewhere." They both laughed, and then Julia looked at the setting sun, "Well regardless of his bedroom prowess, he is probably right, about the distance and the daylight. Do we wanna try and push through, or do we head back." Courtney thought for a moment, "we should head back and get a jump start on drinking." "Sounds like a plan," Julia said turning back, "just remember not to get too sloshed, we are doing the overlook tomorrow." "Okay mom..." Courtney said in an exaggerated voice.
<28 July 2024, Grand Mesa CO> [Julia and Courtney] "It is to damn early, and I am way too hungover for this." Courtney grumbled. "I tried to warn you last night," Julia said, nursing her own headache, but faring far better than Courtney. "we have gone like a mile and we need to be to the top before five thirty we wanna see the sunrise." Courtney grumbled, "fine, fine, fine. I''ll get a move on." They continued to hike for a while when they heard a semi-familiar voice call out from behind them, "On your left ladies."
[Theo] Theo was glad he had decided to work for the sunrise overlook hike. He knew he could not jog it like the waterfall hike the other day, but he liked to push himself so he started fifteen minutes later than he normally would have. His breathing came smooth and even as he pushed his pace a little faster. He heard grumbling ahead of him, and then he saw headlamps lighting the trail and the lights revelaed the two women from yesterday. He smiled, thinking to himself, "Good for them." As he approached he spoke up and slowed down so as not to scare them by running at them out of the dark, "On your left ladies." They slid to the right side of the wider trail letting him pass on their left. One of the women called out to him, "good luck!" "You too!" Theo called back before he picked his pace up again.
[Julia and Courtney] As the man passed them once more, pushing a pace that she was not sure how he maintained it, Julia called out, "Good luck!" His voice from the dark called back, "You too!" Then Julia and Courtney were alone again. Courtney looked miserable, but stood up tall, "alright lets go." Julia raised her eyebrows as she started to push harder with her friend. "What got into you?" "He is going to be at the top," Courtney said, her tone playful, "and either you can talk to him or I will talk to him, but if we can''t get there to have a conversation with him, then its a moot point." An anger bubbled up in Julia''s heart, "I...." she paused, then took a deep breath and responded to Courtney, "I agree, lets get going."\ The next six miles were eaten up faster than either woman had ever done this particular hike before, and over the next hour and half that it took they didn''t once catch a glimpse of the man. Courtney was breathing hard, "who the hell is he, and what kind of cyborg is he that he can hike like this with a massive pack." "Just think..." Julia said between breaths, "Cyborg... Penis." Both of them laughed as they labored to reach the top. A sign on the side of the trail told them that they only had a few hundred yards to go. "Let''s go!" Courtney cried and they both gave one final push just as the sunrise began to apear.
[Theo, Julia, & Courtney] Theo Was sitting on the collapsible camp stool that he kept in his pack and heating some hot chocolate with a Sterno can when he heard giggling and then a female voice called out, "Lets Go!" A few minuets later both of the women he had passed a while ago stepped on the flat surface of the overlook. They had made it to the summit of the hike just as the sun crested the horizon, casting light across a breathtaking scene. Before the three of them the grand Mesa was lit up. One of the women, the blonde, spoke to the other, "Alright Julia, I forgive you for waking me up so early. This is worth it every time." "I''m glad Courtney," The brunette apparently named Julia, said, and was about to continue speaking when she got cut off. Theo had been letting them chat quietly when he had seen something that made him blurt out, "What the fuck is that?" In the distance, the still visible moon had a bright burst of eerie light blue light that momentarily outshone the rising sun. Halfway between the moon and the horizon was a cube that seemed to shimmer with the same blue light. The cube, as the three of them watched, approached the moon and impacted it, sending a visible cloud of material into space. "What the hell!" Julia said, turning to Courtney "We should go..." She trailed off as writing began to appear in her vision. Theo and Courtney would have responded but they was also seeing the writing. >System Node Installation Complete. > Planet: Y-7F63C-3 > Local Designation: Earth > Beginning Planetary Analysis The next two minuets were frightening, as no matter how much Theo, Julia, or Courtney struggled none of them could move. Theo even saw a bird in the distance frozen in the air. > Planetary Analysis Complete Results to Follow > The Planet Y-7F63C-3 has met the requirements to be inducted into the system. It fails to meet several physical requirements, but the system has approved remedial reformation to solve this issue. All other issue will be resolved over the next 17 Delshak.... > WARNING! - Conversion Error Detected > Engaging Localized Unit/Name Conversions... > Earth has met the requirements to be inducted into The System. It fails to meet several physical requirements, but The System has approved remedial reformation to solve this issue. All other issue will be resolved over the next 60 days as the ambient mana is elevated to a galactic minimum. At this time all sentients over the age of galactic majority (16 Earth Years) are requested to describe what type of class they would like. This process will be automated for all others going forward. > Users please accept the System when prompted. After all of this was read, they were able to move again and Theo, Julia, and Courtney, along with every other sentient on the planet, heard a voice in their head. "User, do you accept the System?" Before Julia or Theo could respond, they heard Courtney laugh, "Haha, what the fuck, I must still be hammered. No Fuck off drunk system thing." As soon as she finished speaking, a gout of flame that matched the blue color of the light from earlier, erupted around Courtney, and in a moment, she was gone as if she had never existed. "Coutney!" Julia cried out. "What the fuck!" Theo said, jumping to his feet from his stool, now able to move. Again they heard the voice in their heads. "User, do you accept the System?" "Yes", Theo said hoarsely not knowing what to expect. When he didn''t burst into flame, Julia followed suit, fear filling her voice. "Yes, I accept."
[Theo] "What do you desire to be? You may respond silently in your mind to all future System queries." The System voice said in his mind. Theo''s mind immediately played out fantasies of adventure and battle, in his mind Vikings ran wild and warriors faced evil. All of this happened an the voice began to offer him a variety of classes. Theo was about to pick when he decided to stop and think for a moment. "Can I ask you to show me a list of the best possible classes for me?" Theo thought and got a response in moments. "Understood. Processing. Please pick one of the following base classes, as they have the highest compatibility with your skills, abilities, and desires." Theo was presented with a list of five classes.
  1. Homesteader - A basic class that focuses on things such as farming and building a personal home.
  2. Small Holder - A person who owns or manages an agricultural holding smaller than a farm, this is a beginning path to a noble class.
  3. Countryman - A class focused on the survival of the class holder at the expense of those around them.
  4. Reaper - A class that focuses on harvesting, has a unique form of combat.
  5. Son of the Soil - A person who works the land or who keeps livestock, especially on a farm. This class has high evolution potential.
[Julia] "What do you desire to be?" Julia''s mind immediately panicked. Fantasies of adventure and battle, all ended in death. She did not know what to do. She had played games, loved some of them, but for the most part, she had no desire to throw herself into conflict. "I want a class that will let me survive. Can you help me pick?" Julia''s internal voice was pleading by the end of her statement. "Understood. Processing. Please pick one of the following base classes, as they have the highest compatibility with your skills, abilities, and desires." After a strange thrum of power Julia was presented a list of three classes. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
  1. Sanctuary Keeper - A hybrid class that excels at maintaining a stronghold, providing defense during battle, and offering restorative abilities.
  2. Hearthwarden - A class deeply attuned to maintaining and defending a homestead.
  3. Caretaker of the Grove - A class that acts as the bridge between nature and civilization, ensuring the land around the homestead flourishes.
[Julia and Theo] Julia and Theo picked their classes and then they waited, unsure of what to do. Almost fifteen minuets later, a message appeared. >Final Classes Selected. Welcome, Humans, to The System. > All Sapients secured in their current area. Begin Remedial Reformation > Current Planetary Surface Area: 196.9 Million Square Miles > Galactic Planetary Standard Surface Area: 25.127 Billion Square Miles. > Surface Area to be increased by a factor of 127.613 > WARNING: Gravitational balance of Star System impact probability: 93.7% > Querying for solutions.... > Solution found. Entire Star System to be Remedially Reformed by a factor of 100. > Begin Scaling... Theo and Julia were reading messages as quick as they appeared. As they read a blue barrier popped up around them, blocking off a roughly 25 foot by 25 foot box around them. They looked at each other. "What the Fuck is going on?" Julia asked hoarsely. "I don''t know," Was all that Theo could say in response as they watched reality begin to reshape itself. > Size Scaling: 10% Complete > Gravity increase detected. Begin Mana Seeding to negate. > Size Scaling: 15% Complete > Mana Seeding: 5% complete. Both Theo and Julia took a breath and felt Alive. "What the hell!" Theo said, flexing his arms feeling like he could throw a car. "This is insane." Julia said, feeling the power flood her body as well. > Size Scaling: 25% Complete > Mana Seeding: 20% complete. At the same time Julia and Theo felt something wash through them, and instinctively knew that they could now access their class skills. > Size Scaling: 55% Complete > Mana Seeding: 60% complete. Before their eyes space seemed to warp as the Grand Mesa was expanded, and then suddenly split into several Mesas that were many times the size of the Grand. > Size Scaling: 70% Complete > Mana Seeding: 100% complete. > Mana Seeding Complete, Begin Mana Condensation. > Mana Condensation Rank: D - 63% Suddenly Theo and Julia saw a message in their eyes. > Local Area Message: > WARNING: You are in what has been designated as a high mana density zone. It is recommended that you accept teleportation to a low mana density area. Staying in this area presents many potentials for gaining power and strength, but also drastically increased risks. Please decide in ten seconds. Theo read the message and quickly decided what to do, silently he responded to the message. "I will stay. Julia was panicking, she didn''t know what to do, she thought for a moment, and tried to think of what her dad would say if he were still alive. She knew he would say that sometimes risks had to be taken, but not to get hurt doing something too risky. > Local Area Message: > WARNING: Five Seconds To Decide. "Okay." Julia said out loud not sounding very excited at all. "I will stay." > Local Area Message: > Thank you both for choosing. As a reward for the additional risks you have elected to take, you will be granted a reward after System Induction is complete. > Target Mana Density Rank A+ > Mana Density Concerns Negated, Continuing... > Size Scaling: 76% Complete > Mana Condensation Rank: D - 71% They watched as the messages appeared one after anther. > Size Scaling: 80% Complete > Mana Condensation Rank: D - 75% > Local Area Message: > Mana Condensation Rank: C - 15% > Size Scaling: 85% Complete > Mana Condensation Rank: D - 90% > Local Area Message: > Mana Condensation Rank: B - 27% As they felt the strange powerful sensation getting stronger and stronger. > Size Scaling: 95% Complete > Mana Condensation Rank: D - 99% > Local Area Message: > Mana Condensation Rank: B - 87% > Size Scaling: 98% Complete > Mana Condensation Rank: D Average Achieved. > Mana Condensation Completed *> Local Area Message: > Mana Condensation Rank: A - 97%*** > Size Scaling: 100% Complete *> Local Area Message: > Mana Condensation Rank: A+ - 100%*** > Activating User Systems and Interface Abilities... > System Initialization Complete. Once Again Welcome to The System. A bright string of text floated in the air for a moment before Julia and Theo; it seemed to be a location indicator. "Grand Mesa of Summer huh?" Theo said to himself, looking around, oblivious to the woman standing next to him. The small plateau that over looked the former Grand Mesa had once been a couple hundred feet long and fifty or so wide, now it was several miles long and nearly a mile wide. The rough prairie grasses and native plants seemed to have been rejuvenated, and were healthier than Theo had ever seen. "What now?" Julia asked to no one in particular. Theo and Julia both jumped and turned to face each other. Theo spoke first. "Wait you decided to stay too?" "I didn''t stay because of you!" Julia blurted out, as the idea of being stuck in the woods with a strange man made her concerned. Theo shrugged, said nothing and packed his things up, before turning and walking away. He was preparing to head out and find a place to camp for the night when he heard a thump behind him, two small golden chests had appear. Each had a holographic display hovering above it that had either ''Theo'' or ''Julia'' above it. "That must be the reward that we were promised." Julia said, sounding dejected, as she stepped up to her chest. "Welp, let''s see what the system gave us." Theo said, opting to be cordial as he stepped up to his chest and placing a hand on it to open it. Instead of opening it, the chest dissolved as soon as he touched it. What was left behind was a pile of items. They both quietly scooped everything up, Julia casting weary glances over at Theo. Theo stood up, and turned his back to Julia. Heading deeper into the forest on the new larger overlook. "Where are you going?" Julia called out. "Away," Theo said without stopping, "good luck."
[Julia] Julia was shocked. She waited for something else to happen, another prompt to appear, or something, she distracted herself for a moment by going over her reward from the chest. Julia had a bracelet, a yellow gem, and a shirt in addition to a small pile of gold coins with strange symbols on them. She examined the shirt, and realized that she instinctively knew what the shirt was. " Tunic of Thermal Oblivion. It will keep me at a comfortable temperature in any natural temperature. This is all fucking weird." No matter how weird it was she realized that she would appreciate the warmth that it would provide. She then looked at the bracelet and suddenly knew what it was. "Aegis Bracer, redirect a portion of damage that I would take to someone else. Well that is fantastic, I would love to not take damage, and I would love to have someone else here. What the FUCK!" Julia then sat down and cried a little bit.
[Theo] Theo had moved rapidly to find a place to go over what he had been given, and was currently sitting on a stump in a small clearing, roughly a quarter mile from where he had left the brunette woman Julia. Part of him wanted to go make sure that she was good to go, but she had made it clear that she was here for her own reasons so he would leave her be. Instead he was looking at the objects in his hand. Theo had a Strange looking garden trowel, a dagger, and a yellow gem. Theo noticed that each item projected a sense of what it was into the mind of the holder, and that if you focused on it, it would give you details. "A Master Tool that takes on the shapes of a massive number of different tools. A Grade ''C'' dagger, and a skill gem called spatial storage. Interesting, how do I use this?" Theo said to himself, trying to trigger the use of the skill gem, and failing. He shrugged after several minuets and put it in his pack. "Alright lets figure this class out, and see what we can do." Theo said, using the instinctive knowledge that the System seemed to give him to open his status screen.
Theodore Oskar Sorrenson, Son of the Soil - 01
Stat Full Base Level: 1
STR 14 13 Class: Son of the Soil
DEX 13 12 Race: Human
CON 15 14 Age: 25
INT 12 11
CHA 9 8 Titles Earned: 1
META 13 12 Personal Mana Rank: B-
"Okay, so I seem to be Constitution heavy and Charisma light," He chuckled to himself, "that sounds about right." He looked at his skills and quickly read their use. "Claim, Farming, and Strike. They seem simple enough but I get the feeling that they will change as I change." He was about to delve into what he could do with them when he heard a scream from where he had left the Brunette, and no matter what she had said, that was not something he could ignore. He stood, taking his Dagger in one hand and the master tool in the other, forming it into a long handled woodcutting axe. "Guess it''s time to save a damsel."
[Julia] After wiping her eyes, Julia had come to a conclusion. She was a little bit in over her head. "That''s fine though," Julia said to herself, "I can do this. I made the decision, so I will deal with it." She thought of the tall man who was somewhere out in the woods and grumbled to herself, "why did have to blurt out what I did. I don''t want to misconstrue anything, but have a big burly man around would not hurt my situation." She shook her head, "No use lamenting the past, lets look at this status screen I know I can access." As she performed the mental twist that was required for the status to open, and marveled at how she simply new how to do this now. She continued to be impressed as the status screen opened.
Julia Brahmin, Hearthwarden - 01
Stat Full Base Level: 1
STR 8 7 Class: Hearthwarden
DEX 11 10 Race: Human
CON 18 17 Age: 23
INT 16 15
CHA 13 12 Titles Earned: 1
META 14 13 Personal Mana Rank: B-
Julia had played video games with her ex, so she had a pretty good idea of what the stats were, "Okay, Strength, Dextarity, Constitution, Inteligence, Charisma..." She trailed off as the only one that she did not know stumped her. "Meta... like metaphysical?" She shrugged and then looked at the skills that she had. "Okay, three skills. Bond, Ward, and Retaliate. They each have ranks, types and descriptions. First one..." Julia mentally clicked on the skill, once again impressed how she simply knew these things now thanks to the System. " Okay first skill, Bond is a Rank S Special skill that allows the user to bond to another user. This does not bind them in death. This does provide many unique abilities and perks. Can not be reused until the target of Bond dies." Immediately she was frustrated, "Fucking great, the super special unique skill that I have is to bind myself to another person, and the only other person here is a craszy woodsman who is hiding in the trees somewhere!" Another thought, entered her mind, but she crushed it quickly, "No, its probably for the best that Courtney is not here..." She moved on quickly from the thoughts of her former friend. "Okay second skill, Ward is a B- Rank Skill, allows the user to place a ward on a surface, the ward will provide a basic level of protection and minor functionality depending on the level of the user." Julia thought about this for a moment, and then cast Ward using the inherent knowledge that came with the skill. A small rune of arcane origins apeared, and glowed with a faint blue light next to her. She smiled and cast it several more times until she had a small circle of runes roughly six feet across in which she stood. "Okay so I can use rune circles to protect myself that is nice to know that I can have some basic safety." Julia thought about laying down another ring of runes around her current one, but decided to check the last skill she had before doing anything else. "My last Skill is Retaliate, its A- Rank passive that says ''When the User, or the target of Bond (Rank A- or higher) is delt damage, strike back at the attacker, dealing damage based off of the User''s CON and META. Can stack with target of Bond''s attack skills.''" "FUCK!" She cried out at the universe, "I bet this whole class hinges around that fucking Bond skill. Why the fuck did have to decide to stay out here!" She was about to walk out of her circle to try and think of a solution while she looked for something to eat when a low growl stopped her in her tracks. In front of her was what she would guess was a mountain lion. She stepped back from the ring of runes, and waited, hoping that the circle would protect her. The Lion jumped at her, and she screamed. [Theo and Julia] Julia watched as the Lion struck a shimmering barrier, and the rune on the ground that had stopped the Lion, glowed and seemed to shatter. In a panic she recast Ward, and another rune bloomed into place. Just in time to receive the next lunge of the Lion. A system message appeared. >Local Message: Combat System Engaged. As she finished reading the message and recasting Ward yet again, she saw a tall form sprint out of the trees with weapons in hand and all three of them suddenly had nametags floating above them. {Summer Lion, Level 03, A+} {Theodore Oskar Sorrenson, Level 01, B-} {Julia Brahmin, Level 01, B-} A moment later, Theo slammed bodily into the Lion knocking it back. Julia felt a burst of power as Theo must have used a skill, the hand holding the dagger lunged forward scoring a line of blood on the Lion. In response the Lion growled and lunged forward raking his claws across the shoulder. Julia meanwhile was desperately casting Ward over and over, layering her small protective wards four, or five deep. She watched as Theo hacked and slashed at the lion, and the lion lunged in and out of Theo''s attacks, doing more damage than Theo could. It was becoming painfully obvious that Theo could not win this battle on his own. Julia desperately thought to herself, "What the fuck do I do? I don''t have a skill or a weapon to help someone I am not bonded to. wait I could Bond him..." As she debated what to do, the Lion lunged at Theo who looked like he was on his last leg. She finally decided that she had no other options. She willed the Bond skill to activate. >Local Message System Activated: >Reality Alteration Engine On-Line >Localized Combat Hold Initiated >Local Chrono Stasis Field Initiated >Skill ''Bond'' Initiated Do you wish to activate Bond on User: Theodore Oskar Sorrenson, Son of the Soil - 01? This action can not be reversed or changed until the death of the target. Please confirm. "I do." Julia said out loud, and she and Theo who were frozen in time, along with the Lion, both felt an influx of power rush through them. >Initialize Skill. >Subject Theodore Oskar Sorrenson does not meet minimum requirments for bond formation. > Issue: Health is too low >Solution: Activate Healing** Theo caught his breath as he felt a wave of energy wash over him invigorating him and healing all of his wounds. > Both Subjects now meet minimum Bond requirements > Begin Bonding... Energy so abundant you could almost see it in the air between the two of them pulsed faster and faster until it was thrumming through the air between them so fast it felt like a solid bar of power. Finally it snapped into something that they both knew instantly would be permanent. "Congratulations on being the first of your planet to cast an S-rank Skill successfully! This does not grant you a Planetary First title. Due to the nature of the Skill that was cast, please take note of the following information." Suddenly, writing floated in the air in front of them. > Bond cast successfully... > The following effects are active now: > 1. Achievement sharing (Both, limited) > 2. Location Awareness (Julia Only) > 3. Skill Enhancement where Appropriate (Both) > 4. Due to nature of Bond, Skill will level up with use of enhanced Skills and Bond effects instead of repeated use. > Please note that as you both level, gain new skills, and exercise the bond, it will unlock new effects. > Long live the bonded pair. "What the fuck." They said in union. 002: Companions in Suffering [28 July 2024, Grand Mesa of Summer A+] [Theo and Julia] "What the fuck?" Julia and Theo said in perfect unison. They could each feel the other person. For Julia she felt what she could only describe as a pillar of strength and force. For Theo a vast ocean of determination and ability. >Skill ''Bond'' Complete >Reality Alteration Engine Shutting Down >Local Chrono Stasis Field Disabling in 5 seconds >4 Seconds >3 Seconds >2 Seconds >Local Message System Disabled >Local Message: Chrono Stasis Disabled >Local Message: Combat Hold disabled As these messages faded the Lion, who had been stopped mid-lunge continued its strike towards Theo. Theo took the blow and then fought back with his Strike skill. At the same time Julia felt her Retaliate skill pull on her power. She felt it flow through the Bond and into Theo''s attack. The attack landed on the Lion and a gaping wound appeared on it''s side. The Lion yowled and swatted at a now slightly off balance Theo. It received another attack from Julia''s Retaliate skill for its trouble. As the Lion tried to figure out what had struck it, Theo brought down the Master Tool in axe form, slamming the axe down into the meat of the Lion all the way to the eye of the axe. The Lion yowled and Theo cast Strike, slamming his dagger into the top of the Lion''s head. With a crunch the dagger passed through the head and its tip protruded form the underside of the Lion''s head. The Lion dropped to the ground, dead. >Local Message: Combat Complete >Local Message: Calculating... >Local Message: Congratulations! Users Theo Sorrenson & Julia Brahmin have leveled up! >Local Message: Users Theo Sorrenson & Julia Brahmin have have both Gained a Planetary First Title "A-Rank Killers" thanks to their Bond. Theo felt energy wash through him and all of his wounds closed up, he even felt stronger and healthier than before. Julia felt the same, and as they both watched the body of the Lion faded into sparkling shards, leaving behind a small pile of items.
[Theo] "Congratulations Theo, you have leveled up, as a part of your System Reward for staying in a High Mana zone, the rewards for leveling up have been increased until level 5. You, and your Bonded Pair, have slain a monster with a higher level and higher mana rank than you, your rewards have been increased. Please wait a moment while your rewards are adjusted." Theo waited for a moment, then the voice spoke to him once more. "As a reward for leveling up, you will be granted a skill and allowed to pick one skill to upgrade. This in in addition to the Class based level up rewards, and your Racial level up rewards. Congratulations once again." >Private Message: You have been granted the skill ''Defender'' as a reward. >Private Message: Please select one skill to upgrade. Without hesitation Theo selected Strike. >Private Message: Skill ''Strike'' Has been upgraded to Rank B+ from Rank C-. Skill does 25% more damage. >Private Message: Level Up process complete.
[Julia] "Congratulations Julia, you have leveled up, as a part of your System Reward for staying in a High Mana zone, the rewards for leveling up have been increased until level 5. You, and your Bonded Pair, have slain a monster with a higher level and higher mana rank than you, your rewards have been increased. Please wait a moment while your rewards are adjusted." Julia waited for a moment, then the voice spoke to her once more. "As a reward for leveling up, you will be granted a skill and allowed to pick one skill to upgrade, the skill can not be Bond. This in in addition to the Class based level up rewards, and your Racial level up rewards. Congratulations once again." >Private Message: You have been granted the skill ''Stanch'' as a reward. >Private Message: Please select one skill to upgrade. Julia thought, thinking of the fight, she only had one skill that delt damage, but it was dependent upon her new ''bonded pair'' as the System called it. She thought about selecting Ward in case he ran off again. "He did come running to fight something when he heard me scream. He can''t be all bad if he would do that for a stranger. Julia thought, and then sighed, deciding to take a gamble on him and selecting Retaliate for the upgrade. >Private Message: Skill ''Retaliate'' Has been upgraded to Rank A from Rank A-. CHA based damage multiply increased by 2 points. >Private Message: Level Up process complete.
[Theo and Julia] What the fuck do we do now?" Julia asked as she looked around the newly expanded world, and reveling in the feeling that leveling up had brought to her body. "Why don''t we start here," Theo said turning to her and offering his hand, "Hi, my name is Theo Sorrenson. I guess I am now a level two Son of the Soil, and I have no clue what the fuck is happening any more than you do." Julia laughed at that and took his hand shaking it, "Hi, Theo, I am Julia Brahmin, and like you I guess I am a level two Hearthwarden. And yeah, not a damn clue." Theo nodded, then got a serious and mildly dangerous look on his face. Julia had to admit that the look was one that did something for her, or at least it would have if not for it being directed at her. Theo spoke his tone still normal but all friendly tones were gone. "Good to meet you Julia, now please tell me exactly what it is that you did to me?" Julia took a step back, and spoke rapidly. "I saw you were fighting the Lion and I thought you would not win the fight. And I couldn''t just let you die after you came to help me, but the only skills that I have that could help are only usable for the person who I use the skill Bond on." Theo thought for a moment, then spoke, still dead serious, "What does Bond do?" She quickly explained to him what the skill did, and how it had let her passive skill do damage to the Lion when it attacked him. Theo nodded, "So that is why that Strike did so much to it." Julia nodded and wondered if she had made a mistake with trusting this complete stranger. Theo sighed and took a breath, when he spoke all notes of threat were gone. "Welp, it seems like we are stuck together for the next little bit at least. Can I interest you in some bottled water and maybe a trail bar?" Julia nodded, realizing that she had not eaten all that much today as she had expected to have a massive lunch with Courtney. Theo lead her back to where he had set up camp. On the way they grabbed all of the loot from the Lion. When they got there, Theo quickly started a fire with some wood that was lying around, and gave Julia a bottle of water, and a couple of trail bars. Julia nibbled on the bars and sipped water as she watched him work, and get the fire going. "So," Theo said as the fire crackled away, "first of all, I am sorry about your friend." Julia let out a long, heavy sigh. "It''s fine, she was one of my oldest friends, but she has not always been the best of friends. I was actually coming on this trip with her to have one last fun weekend with her before I told her we should go our separate ways." Theo sat quietly for a moment as Julia wiped a few tears from her eyes. "As much as I hated her for what she did, I still care you know?" "I do," Theo said a far off look in his eyes, "may I ask what she did?" Julia laughed, "After watching her get vaporized like that, and after realizing that the world is now a whole new place, I am not as mad as I was, but it was shitty. My boyfriend of six months just told me four days ago, that he was leaving me for someone else. I figured out that it was for Courtney, and when I confronted him about it, he admitted that he had been sleeping with her the entire time we were together." "Oh, ouch." Theo said, his tone telling her he commiserated with her. Julia laughed her laugh sounding more like a sob. "Ouch is right, I mean what the fuck!" Julia started crying and Theo awkwardly reached over and patted her on the shoulder. "I know that I don''t really know you," Juila said with tears running down her face, "but you are the only person I expect I will see for a fair while at the very least, and I need a hug." Theo smiled and moved to sit next to Julia and embraced her as she quietly sobbed. After several moment, Julia pulled away, "Thanks. And sorry about that. Probably not what I would call a great first impression." "Not a problem at all." Theo said reassuringly. "I am always happy to hug a pretty woman. Now moving on, we do need to discuss what happens next. As it seems that you need me. And I would not hate having someone else around." Julia thought for a moment, "You''re right, what the fuck do we do?" "Well lets think about that one," Theo said, taking a drink of his water bottle. "We are effectively at least seven hundred miles from anything that we could use after the expansion, we have limited supplies, and we both want to continue surviving." "Right," Julia said. "So we have a couple choices to make," Theo said, holding up one finger, "First we have to decide what our goal is. Is it to get back to our homes and pray they are still there, or is it to make a new home, or is it something else entirely?" He ticked another finger up, "Second, we have to decide how to approach what has happened. Do we play it safe and avoid using skills and the system, or do we lean into it and see how far we can take it?" He held up a final finger, "And third, we have to decide how we are going to deal with other people. From what the system said, not everyone got the loot we did, so people might want it, and I don''t think we should give it up." Julia was quiet for a moment, "Okay, can I cast my votes?" "Shoot." She took a deep breath, "So first, I think we need to make a new home. I imagine that the cities fell into chaos when this happened, and not much remains of our home." Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Theo patted her shoulder lovingly hearing how sad that made her, she pressed on though, "Second, I think that we need to lean into it. It feels like a game almost, and that feeling feels dangerous. We can''t treat our lives like they are something to be expended." "Agreed," Theo said. "And lastly," She paused, she looked up at Theo. He seemed nice enough, but he was not what Julia would call delicate. He was six feet four inches tall and looked like a Viking warrior. "I have no idea what we should do. Part of me wants to help everyone, but another part of me wants to hide all of my stuff from everyone." Theo looked at her, his eyes searching her own, and he nodded. "Understood. So then, we have goals. First should be shelter. To that effect, I think that we should use some skills." "Well maybe we should look for any skills that may have changed from the bond and share what our skills are?" Julia asked remembering what one of the messages had said. "Good call." Theo said taking a seat opposite her once again, "You want to go first or should I?" "Go ahead," Julia said, curious as to what his class skills might be. "Okay so to start with I had three skills, Claim, Farming, and Strike." Theo said, "I also just got one called Defender. Each of those is pretty self explaining. Claim lets me claim things, Faming makes me better at things related to farming, Strike lets me do a combat strike, and Defender reduces the damage I take by five percent. Two of those however have little notes is how I would describe it." "Notes?" Julia asked wondering what he meant. "Claim has one that tells me any land that I claim will also be owned by you thanks to our Bond. and Defender has one that tells me that if it is you that I am defending I will will take fifteen percent less damage instead of five percent." "That is pretty good." Julia said, "Okay my turn. I started with Bond, Ward, and Retaliate. I just got Stanch. Bond is the skill that I used on you, as I explained earlier. Retaliate is the passive skill that let me add to the damage that you did. And ward was what let me create that circle of runes that was protecting me. Stanch seems to stop blood or bodily fluid loss until the target is damaged again, or unless someone removes the skill." She checked for the notes that Theo had mentioned. "As far as notes on my skills only Bond has any, and it basically tells me that we both have limited achievement sharing, I can tell where you are at all times, and that we both receive skill enhancements where appropriate." Theo nodded. "Okay that is good to know. Now I think that its time that I test out the Claim skill." Julia watched as he stood and activated the skills on the land they were standing on. A collumn of power that seemed to descend from the sky slammed into the ground through Theo. He smiled, "This is a weird feeling but I can tell that I own the land, and you should be able to as well." Julia stepped forward, and as as soon as she crossed the invisible line of land that Theo had used claim on, she felt at home. "I can." Theo closed his eyes for a moment, "I think I can claim the whole overlook." "Claim the overlook?" Julia said, looking around at the several square miles of the Overlook. "Well I figured I would claim this overlook and we can build here," He explained, "it might mean a little more work getting materials up here but its easy to see anything coming and there are not to many ways up." Julia looked around at the changes. The overlook had been just under a hundred and fifty feet long and fifty feet wide, with a slightly higher point at the north end, and a pleasant trail down on the south end. "You want to claim the overlook?" Julia asked again, still unsure that he was able to do what he said he could. "Yup." Theo said, taking off towards the edge of the overlook. "Alright let''s see how this works." The flood of power rushing through Theo seemed to continue flowing through him. He instinctively knew that he needed to walk around the land he wanted to claim. "Up for a walk? I have to go around what we want to claim." Julia nodded, glad that she had worn her good hiking boots rather than her cheap tennis shoes. They spent the next four hours with Theo walking as close to the edge of the nearly one thousand foot cliffs as he dared. Theo could feel the power that was flowing through him washing into the earth and rock beneath him. He could also feel it flowing away from him slightly to the cliff edge. around the edge of the overlook as power poured into the land marking it as theirs. The only change that Theo noticed as they walked was that when there was not a natural edge to the territory the energy did not flow away at all and created a rather defined line. When they got back to where they had decided to leave the gold on the ground due to its assumed weight, Theo felt the energy snap to connect and complete the loop. Three things happened in rapid succession. First a torrent of energy that they could both feel descended from the sky and filled in the center of the loop they had walked with the same power. Then two messages appeared, the first was simple, indicating that Theo and Julia had gained a title. The second one was far more substantial, and also far more interesting as it revealed several things about this new world they found themselves in.
Land Claimed Successfully!
Property ownership on the surface is defined by both breadth and depth, with rights extending vertically in a straight line. For this the Planetary First Claim of Planet Y-7F63C-3, The depth will be measured from the top of the mesa to its base, known as the Threshold Depth. This boundary marks the transition point between the Mesa Strata and the Surface Strata. Surface Sovereignty grants exclusive control of the soil, structures, and resources within this defined vertical space. However, the Threshold Depth may be extended in the future to encompass the complete depth of the Surface Strata, and later into the depths of the First Subterrane. Beyond the Threshold Depth of the Surface Strata lies the dominion of the First Subterrane, governed by those who call the depths home. Access through the Threshold Depth requires explicit permission from its stewards, maintaining a delicate balance between surface and subterranean interests.
"I know I seem to be saying it a lot right now," Theo said, "but what the fuck." "Seriously," Julia said, reading the notice, "''...governed by those who call the depths home'' is pretty damn ominous if I do say so myself." "Yes, but..." Theo trailed off considering the notice. "But what?" Julia asked, wondering what he could have picked up from that message. "The fact that they would even give this heads up would tell me that they intend to abide by this, or at least that the System will attempt to enforce this, and considering that it just reshaped our entire solar system, I would be willing to bet on the System. But I could be wrong," Theo shrugged, "Either way it seems to me that this would only be an issue if we suddenly took up tunneling as a hobby, and expanded the deed as it says is possible." Theo dismissed the notification, "Alright we have land." "We have beautiful land," Julia said taking in the sights around her. To the north a massive bluff of solid white seemed to be under a completely isolated snow storm. The north east held a picturesque tree-scape of red and orange leaves on an equally massive mesa. The south west held what could only be described as a vibrant flower field, rain storms floated above the expansive blooming fields. "If this is summer," Theo said thoughtfully, he pointed north, north east, and finally south west, "Then they must be Winter, Fall, and Spring." "Okay, then what the hell are those?" She pointed to two bluffs in the east and south east, and a third in the north west. "And those are just the Mesas we can see. I get the feeling that this whole area is a network of Mesas now." Theo looked to the north-west, and large purple crystals floated in a perpetual twilight. Long, shifting shadows seemed to move into and out of beams of light that they should not be able to. Faint ghostly glows coated ripples in the air over the Mesa. Deep in his gut Theo did not like this mesa. He turned to look at the south-eastern mesa with Julia. Pulsing light patterns filled a fiery sky with streaks of vivid colors ranging from red to deep violet. All around the strange and exotic plants that they could only barely see the landscape itself seemed to bloom in extraordinary ways. Theo whistled, "Wow." "It looks so cool," Julia said, and they turned together to see the last mesa to the east. If they were forced to pick a word to describe it, they would both say ''Magical.'' Swirling energy fields and glowing glyphs covered the environment. In addition to the surface of the mesa, surreal phenomena like floating islands and strange portals seemed to fade into and out of reality. "I know that the world just changed forever," Theo said, "but damn this is all really cool." Julia nodded, and shook herself, "Okay, now what, we should at least try and get a camp set up before night fall." Theo nodded, "Well let''s get some firewood together at the very least and see what we can do about shelter. Then before we go to bed we can finally do an inventory of the things that we have." "Sounds like a plan, lets stick together." Julia said, following after Theo and picking up kindling while he picked up larger sticks. They walked for an hour collecting a decent amount of firewood, before returning to the area of the fire Theo had started. They dropped their piles of sticks, and started their inventory of supplies. "What do we need gold for out here?" Julia pondered to Theo and herself at the same time. "That is a fantastic question, maybe..." Theo fell silent, then shrugged, "actually I have no idea." Julia chuckled at that, "Okay so what''s the situation?" "Currently we are stuck in the middle of nowhere on an overlook attached to a mesa of eternal summer with no way back to civilization after the end of the world." Theo said snarkily earning himself a punch to the shoulder. "Oh you mean other than that?" "Of course." Julia said with a smile. She got the feeling that he was trying to downplay how bad it was with the gear that he had. Unfortunately she had not brought much more than the clothes on her back. "Okay, here we go..." Theo said and began listing off things as he pulled them out of his large backpack. "One Backpack, Seven granola bars, Two quarte size Nalgene bottles, One Rain Jacket, Two Disposable Ponchos, Five Hundred feet of five-fifty cord on a spool, A first aid kit, Two space blankets, Five M.R.Es, three and a half Cans of Sterno, One half-Pint container of Hot CoCo mix, One ''Compendium of Colorado'' maps book, Two headlamps A Ziplock of miscellaneous batteries A Mixed bag of first aid, sunscreen and other general medical stuff Three knives of various lengths One box of matches, One lighter, One magnifying glass, One 10x10 camp tarp One set of sweats Two pairs of socks One water filter, One pocket notebook, and a few pens and pencils. Oh and one collapsible camp stool." Theo finished the list patting the stool that he was sitting on. Julia''s mouth had fallen open around the hot chocolate mix, "You were hiking that fast with all that on your back!" Theo shrugged, "I like to be prepared and it helps me to stay in shape." Julia gave him a once over with her eyes and shrugged, muttering "I guess I can''t argue with results." Theo blushed deeply, then cleared his throat, "Well I guess that does not include anything that you have and the stuff we got from the System." Julia looked ashamed, "I regret to inform you that, all I have is this water bottle and some bug spray and sunscreen. I was not anticipating being seven hundred miles from anything. As far as the stuff from the System, I have this bracer, the tunic that I am wearing and something that was called a Skill Stone." "Hmm," Theo said poking at The stuff they had gotten from the lion, "This looks like a hide, three inch long claws ten of them I think, several teeth, and finally three gold coins and seven silver ones. The stuff that I got from the System was the dagger, a skill stone and the Master Tool." "The Master Tool?" Julia asked, confused. Theo picked up the Axe from where it leaned on a tree within easy reach and willed it into the shape of a shovel. "Apparently it can take the shape of most simple tools. We also have our phones and I have a watch, but I do not know how long they will last. Phones will probably be useless in two or three days at most." They both checked their phones and saw that they were black screens. Julia sighed, "Or they got bricked by whatever the System did." "Or that," Theo said looking thoughtful, "did you have anyone you would want to be calling you?" Julia was about to answer, when he shook his head, "Sorry, I know that we are kind of stuck with each other, but I shouldn''t pry. Anyways, that is about our situation." "That isn''t great." Julia said, ignoring the pang of panic that threatened to come out. "No, it is not." Theo said, his brows knit together in thought. "Why don''t we build a little bit of a shelter, then get a fire going and eat a granola bar or two each, and focus on food and improving our shelter tomorrow." Julia said. "Sounds like a plan," Theo said a bit absent mindedly, and Julia knew he was going though any options that they had. They worked well together, quickly coming up with a plan and executing it. She watched Theo lift a massive log into the top of an a-frame they had lashed together with 550 cord and decided she was glad he was who she was stuck with. As he started to layer some sticks over the large log, she started using one of the knives Theo had brought to make some simple tent pegs. As they worked together to lash the camp tarp down over the stick frame they had built Julia began to wonder what they would do about bedding, and it finally hit her that while the shelter they had built was somewhat spacious. Theo was a large man, and due to the fact that no two objects could occupy the same space at the same time, they would end up snuggled together. She began to worry, but then realized that if it was could she would probably be grateful for the warmth. She stood up and began casting Ward in a large circle around their camp. As sky darkened, Julia wondered if they would be okay and continued using her Ward skill around the perimeter of the camp. When the sun finally set, there were several layers of Wards around the camp. Theo looked at the shelter then at Julia and handed her a space blanket. "You go ahead and sleep in there, I can stay by the fire." "No, I..." She started to protest. "Look I get that you are stuck with me, and if it turns out that nights are cold as hell here, then we can revisit this tomorrow. But I am not about to force you to sleep with me in such confined quarters." Theo said, and then shrugged awkwardly, "Besides I like the stars." Julia felt a great surge of relief. "Thank you Theo. And thank you for everything today. I hope you know that even though we just met, I really appreciate everything." Theo smiled a big grin that melted Julia''s heart a bit, and spoke, "And I appreciate all that you have done. Lets get to sleep and get to work on whatever needs doing tomorrow. Night night, Julia." "Goodnight Theo." 003: Lost and Found System Style <29 July 2024, GRAND MESA OF SUMMER , A+> [Theo and Julia] The sound of birds chirping woke them both. Theo handed Julia a Granola bar and they sat quietly munching their meager breakfast, after this meal they were down to five granola bars. Theo stood stretched and finally spoke. "Okay, so plan is water, food, shelter, other. In that order." "Any ideas?" Julia asked. "No," Theo said sullenly, "lets scour the overlook, and if we don''t find anything, we can start to work our way down the trail to the mesa. If you find anything that might be useful, please by all means, bring it back to camp. I don''t want us to split up but I think that we have to. If you encounter any danger, you sprint back here, and stay in the wards you set up, and yell as loud as you can. Deal?" Julia was hesitant, but she nodded. "I think it is for the best as well. Why don''t we plan on meeting up every three hours." Theo nodded. "Okay good. Other than the fact that my watch is just as bricked as the phones Why don''t we call it noon. I think that is roughly three hours." Julia chuckled and put on her best rough-and-tumble-cowboy voice, "See ya at high noon partner." They each took a water bottle and a granola bar. Theo, grabbing his empty pack, headed to the north west and Julia went to the north east, they planned to work in line with each other from north to south so that if one of them called for help they could potentially hear better.
[Theo] The first thing Theo did was walk to the cliff and look out over the world. Where yesterday they had tried to see what each mesa held, today he was looking for what was between them. As he looked off the north west corner of the overlook, he saw about a thousand feet below him the lip of the Mesa of Eternal Summer, and roughly a thousand feet below that he saw the valley between the mesas. In that valley a large lake with a river feeding it from the north, and a river leaving it from the south sat. "Well at least we have a source of water we can head towards if we have to." Theo muttered to himself. He turned slowly to his right, following the valley that surrounded them, and saw another river that came from the north and flowed out of sight to the east. The trees in the valley looked gargantuan. probably two hundred feet tall, which compared to the ten footers that were growing on the overlook and the fifty footers that he thought he could see on the mesa of summer below him, it was intimidating. As he kept turning he noticed a strange plant that he had never seen before, it shimmered in the sun where it hung off the side of the cliff. It seemed to have strange golden berries. It was only a foot or so over the edge so he lay on his stomach and leaned over to pick some berries. The berries were warm to the touch. He didn''t recognize them so he simply placed the large berries into his day pack hoping they survived until he and Julia could figure out how to identify them. He looked around for anything else that might be useful, and other than Julia looking around her side of the northern most end of the overlook, he saw nothing so he started south.
[Julia] Julia was admiring the view for a moment, when she noticed Theo lay down and stand back up, he caught sight of her, and then turned south and began working his way to the tree line to search for water and food. She shook herself, "Okay lets get on with it." Julia looked around the small field of Prairie grass that comprised the northern most end of the overlook and came to the same conclusion Theo had, that there was nothing they needed at the moment here. So she walked south, taking her time to be on the lookout for plants that could be eaten. As she got into the tree line, she noticed some familiar bushes to her left, and walked over to find a small glade in the trees that had blackberries and strawberries growing there, she picked a small handful of each for herself to eat, and made a mental note of where the plants were. "I think we can make jams and jellies down the line to preserve them without much else," she mumbled to herself as she pressed further south. She walked for a dozen or so steps when she saw a strange stone that she was sure was not there the other night. "Well we were in a bit of a rush and looking for a camp rather than odd things." Julia said as she walked around the small cube of sapphire blue crystal-like stone. It was six inches to a side and had a beautiful sheen to it. She reached out her hand and touched the stone feeling the same warmth she had felt when she had gained her class. She carried the stone with her as she moved on. She continued on and shortly came across a golden spire of crystal almost seven feet tall. Comfortable heat radiated from the crystals and a light, similar to the light of a setting sun emanated from it. "Okay this could not have been here last night. Where the hell is this all coming from?"
[Theo] As he crossed into the tree line and lost sight of Julia, he got nervous. From what he knew of the woman she seemed intelligent and he did not think that anything else would happen, but he could not help but worry for himself and his new compatriot. As he walked, he spotted a bush covered in raspberries. "Sweet, I love raspberries!" Theo exclaimed with a smile, pocketing a handful of the berries to munch on as he walked. Theo continued his zig-zagging pattern and walked in toward the center of the overlook. He stepped into an oddly square clearing and felt something. He could tell that this land had an effect, but he was not sure what it was. He decided that he would deal with it later and continued his trek. The next thing he found several minuets later, was a glowing crystal spire. "This I would have noticed last night." Theo walked around the spire, feeling the heat coming off of it. Finally he broke a piece off of the larger spire, and placed it into his pack. He continued his search for water. As the first of their check-ins loomed, Theo cut back into the center of the overlook, intending to head to the camp when he came upon a small plinth of stone roughly a foot tall, on top of it seemed to be a slab of obsidian, two inches thick and roughly six by eight in length and width, on the surface a singly sharp angled symbol had been carved. He picked the stone up, and the plinth dissolved into the ground. Theo was hesitant, as he had seen Raiders of the Lost Arc one too many times, but nothing happened so he stuck the stone into his pack, and walked into camp at nearly the same time as Julia.
[Theo and Julia] "Hello," Theo said with a grin, "glad we both made it back." "Me too," Julia said good naturedly, "So did you find anything?" "I did," he said pulling out the strange berries and the weird obsidian stone. "I also found a raspberry patch." "Oh, yay!" Julia said with excitement as she pulled out the strange cube placing it on the ground, "I also found a berry patch it had strawberries and blackberries. I also found this." "It''s kind of odd how much food is in the area isn''t it?" "I guess, but we are also talking about levels and skills." Julia said, "it seems like this system, whatever it actually is, wants people to get stronger, so it makes a certain amount of sense that it would not want people to struggle to survive." "I guess," Theo nodded, "Here is the real question, how long can we live off of berries before we run into severe malnutrition?" "I don''t know," Julia picked up one of the strange golden berries that Theo had picked up, "what are these?" "I have no clue, they were growing on the side of the cliff and looked interesting." Theo said, picking one up himself, he squeezed the berry, it was firm and warm. He squeezed harder and it suddenly burst unleashing a flood of juice and golden flesh over his hand. "They seem to be almost like a gourd." Julia said rotating one of the berries centimeters form her eyes. "So do I eat it or should we wait?" "Let''s wait a while and see if this burst berry does anything strange to my hand, if not then we can go from there." a half an hour went by with the two of them chatting about what they should do if they can''t find any real water, or if protein becomes an issue. Julia looked at Theo''s hand, "It looks like you hand is okay, how does it feel." Theo examined his hand, and it felt fine, "I think it''s okay. So do we just go big or do we play it safe?" "Neither of us played it safe by opting to stay here, so I think we continue the trend and go big," Julia said with a noncommittal shrug. Theo handed her a berry, and took one in his own hand. He raised it in the air, "to long life and a life of love long held. May this not be the end." They looked at one another, and both popped the berries in their mouth, biting down and filling their mouths with the juice and flesh of the berry. "You really are a drama queen aren''t you," Julia asked as they prepared to go back to their respective sides of the overlook and continue the search. "Yeah, yeah," Theo said, secretly grateful that they had been okay, "how was I supposed to know that it was a delicious?" Julia laughed at him and then stretched a little bit. She caught Theo giving her a quick once over, but decided not to say anything. "Alright, break time over! Lets get back to it." "Understood," Theo said giving a mock salute, "be safe and holler if you need me." Julia turned and disappeared into the woods, with Theo heading the other direction.
[Julia] Julia quickly made her way back to the warm crystal that she had found last and began to work her serpentine pattern back and forth once more. As she walked, wondering if she should gather loose wood for the fire since she was close to camp, she came across a rock that felt off. She looked at the rock, images of mimics flashing through her mind. She picked up a small stone and lobbed it at the strange rock that was nearly as large as she was. There was no sound, and no impact. The small stone sailed through and came out the other side. "What the heck," Julia said. She picked up a small stick this time and threw it. It also passed through the stone, "Weird." Julia picked up a longer stick and poked the stone, and after a few moments, she realized there was something there, it was smaller than the stone, but not as hard as she would expect the stone to be. After passing the tip of her finger through it rapidly, just to make sure it was not a mimic. Julia stuck her hand completely through what she had determined to be an illusion. After several moments of feeling what was inside, the illusion burst and she was left squatting down next to a small leather pack. She picked it up carefully and could feel several items inside of it. She shrugged and tossed the straps over her shoulder deciding to examine it more later. As she pondered the strange pack that now resided on her back, she proceeded with her searching, and several minuets later found yet another of the warm glowing crystals. She rested for a moment next to the crystal. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "I wonder if we can move these crystals," She asked out loud to the world around her, "like could they be used to keep us warm if we go to the snow topped mesa?" She pondered the crystal for a moment as she basked in the heat it provided, finally she decided to move on, She soon found a patch of wild carrots that straddled the border of the trees and a large field of prairie grass that covered the south of the overlook and much of the way down to the mesa. After harvesting several carrots and leaving the rest for later she continued searching and quickly a patch of raspberries that had a single bush of the large golden berries that Theo had brought back. Julia decided it was break time and sat down in the warmth of the sun as she slowly ate raspberries and juicy golden berries.
[Theo] Theo moved quickly back to where he had left off his search. He walked to the edge of the overlook and gazed once more at the fantastic view in front of him. Having learned to look down thanks to the golden berries, he glanced down and noted an entrance to a cave roughly twenty five feet down the cliff. The cave looked like it was roughly circular with a diameter of about eight feet. "Spelunking later," He said to himself turning back to the area he had yet to search and gazing out on the southern prairie grass field. He found a cluster of blackberry bushes and picked a handful to munch on as he continued the search. He followed the tree line to the midpoint of the overlook before turning back and winding through the prairie grass. after a while he came upon a singular strawberry bush. He stopped and stared at it, as underneath the bush was a massive strawberry that was not connected to the bush. "That isn''t suspicious at all," Theo said, the sarcasm nearly suffocating him with how thick it was, "okay, first test." Theo, in a tried and true method of human kind, threw a rock at the giant strawberry. As soon as it hit the strawberry, the berry burst and dissolved into a shower of golden light, much as the reward chests had the previous day. On the ground, Theo found fifteen gold, twenty seven silver, a coil of leather cord, two bone needles, and a bundle of cured meat that Theo estimated to be roughly five pounds. "What the hell is this? Is this a stash that someone left behind before all of this? Or is this a new System thing?" Theo was very confused, "If it was here before why did it look like a giant strawberry. It has to be a System thing." He thought for a moment, wondering what he should do, or if he should even trust the goods that had just fallen into his possession. Theo shrugged and scooped everything into his pack. As he finished and continued, on his way he saw Julia take a seat amongst some bushes and smiled before continuing his search, planning on coming back up her side if he finished first. As he worked his way down, he found one more of the large glowing warm crystals, and then he felt more than saw the edge of the land he had claimed. He ''felt'' the edge with his mind. He instinctively knew that he could claim a fair bit more land, but he somehow new he would hit a limit. He walked over to the edge and heard a strange thrumming noise under him. He looked down and roughly five feet under him was another cave. He lay down to see if he could reach the edge, and it was a couple feet past the tips of his fingers confirming his earlier estimate of five feet. "Welp we can try this one and see if it is worth it to look into the others." Theo said before climbing back to his feet. He notes that Julia has risen to her feet once more and was moving towards him once again.
[Julia] After consuming several mixed handfuls of berries, and taking a break while she watched Theo work his way down the west side of the overlook, Julia had come to a conclusion, "Theo sure is nice to look at." She had thought this to herself as she watched him dutifully search the rest of his side of the Overlook and then start working back up her side. Now as she watched him out of the corner of her eye, she could not help but find him attractive. "At least the guy I''m stuck with is good looking and seems to be a gentleman. I guess it could be much worse."
[Theo & Julia] "Welp, you find anything good?" Theo asked as he offered her a hand, and pulled her to her feat with ease. "I did, I found some strange stash that seemed to have ilusions on it." She patted the rock bag on her shoulders, "this was in it." "Interesting," Theo said, then handed her a piece of cured meat from the strawberry stash he had found, "this came from a similar stash that looked like a giant strawberry." Julia took a bit out of the meat and let out a happy sound, "it''s good." Theo smiled and took a piece for himself, "So, now what is the plan?" "Well," Julia said, taking another bite from her meat stick, "if we are serious about making a new home here, I think we should get to it." "Well that raises questions." Theo said, his brows furrowing slightly with concern, "what''s the plan as far houses, and if we build a house, are we living together, or are we doing separate cabins. Do we do one big cabin with two bedrooms? What are your thoughts?" Julia blushed slightly at the thought, "I think we should focus on getting a roof over our head for now." Theo nodded, "That should be relatively easy, we can do a simple one room cabin with two bunks for now, and then decide what to do from there. Does that sound like a plan?" Julia nodded, "I have never done anything like build a cabin before, so you will need to instruct me how and what to do." "Honestly, I have a task for you, but you will probably hate it, and it will drive you slowly insane." Theo said with a chuckle. "What is it?" Julia asked a note of regret already tinging her voice. "We need lots and lots of moss, so I need you to gather it." "How much?" Theo smiled, "More than you are imagining that is for sure. We nned to pack it between layers of log." "Oh," Julia said, deflating somewhat, "so like a A lot, a lot." "Yep," Theo said, trying to sound reassuring, "A lot A lot." Julia stretched slightly then squared her shoulder, "Well, no time like the present." Theo smiled and they both got to work with what time they had left in the day. By the time that they were both sitting at the fire in the dark, munching on berries and meat sticks, Theo had managed to feel dozens of trees, and Julia had collected a veritable mountain of moss. Theo began to arrange things to go to bed by the fire once again, and Julia was doing the same under the tarp shelter. Theo lay down next to the fire, "Good night Julia." "Good Night, Theo." She said, falling asleep to dream of moss.
<30 July 2024, GRAND MESA OF SUMMER , A+> The next morning found Theo stretching, as Julia just started crawling out of her shelter. She took a moment to fully wake up, and then the two of them ate some more berries and meat sticks, even dipping into a bundle of meat sticks from Julia''s rock bag this time. "More moss?" Julia asked, dreading the answer. "More moss," Theo confirmed, "I know it sucks, but it will be immensely helpful." "Yeah, yeah," Julia said begrudgingly, as she rose to her feet from where she had been sitting and moved to find more moss. The entirety of the day was spent by Julia looking for and gathering moss and bringing it back to where Theo was digging. Using the Master Tool, Theo was digging down roughly two and a half feet in a ten by twelve area, when he completed that, he gathers stones with flat tops and laid them into the floor. tamping dirt in-between them so they lay relatively flat. By the time Julia called it quits he had completed the floor and laide two logs on all sides. "Good work Julia." Theo said, stifling a yawn, "sleep good." "Mhmm," Julia responded, both of them falling asleep quickly.
<31 July 2024, GRAND MESA OF SUMMER , A+> As the sun rose, Julia was already up and about. Rather than gathering moss today, Theo had asked her to help him lay in logs. She worked with him, first laying down a layer of moss as Theo cut any grooves or notches that the new log would need. Then the two of them would lift the log into place and thanks to how Theo was cutting them, they stacked together like Lincoln logs. They were taking a quick break to eat some of their dwindling meat sticks, when she marveled at the two foot tall walls of the cabin. "Is it normally this easy to do this?" "No," Theo said, shaking his head, "I can only assume that it is the stat gains we seem to get for different things making it easier and the titles that we have." "Titles?" Julia asked, not really having dug into all of the tabs available to her in her status. Theo nodded, "You should go look at the titles that you have." Julia shrugged and navigated there. She realized that she had four titles. She looked at each of the blue boxes that hovered in her vision.
Planetary Unique: Class
The holders of this title were the only ones to select their class upon planet induction.
STR DEX CON INT CHA META
1 1 1 1 1 1
Bonded Pair
This person is Bonded to another by the System.
STR DEX CON INT CHA META
0 0 0 0 0 0
Planetary First: A-Rank Killers
All attacks made agaisnt creatures with a higher mana density than you, are 25% stronger
STR DEX CON INT CHA META
2 1 1 0 0 0
Planetary First: Land Claim
All efforts on land you own are 10% easier.
STR DEX CON INT CHA META
0 0 1 0 0 2
"Hmm," Julia hummed to herself, "I guess that being extra strong, as well as having everything be easier is what we have going for us." "That was my guess," Theo said, biting down on one of the big juicy berries. "Well, let us not bash what we can take advantage of," Julia said with a smile, she teasingly pushed Theo''s shoulder, "get up you big lug, we have things to do." "Big lug huh?" Theo asked with a smile, "I guess I can be rather lug-like. But I do have bad news for you." "Oh and what is that?" Julia asked. "We need more moss." Julia let out an exasperated groan and trudged off to find more. That night they ate in a state of exhaustion and then fell asleep in mere moments.
<01 August 2024, GRAND MESA OF SUMMER , A+> [Julia] As Julia worked alongside Theo, packing moss into the gaps between the logs to provide some level of insulation, she wondered at what had happened. "I am sitting next to a man that I have known for roughly seventy two hours, helping him build a cabin that we will share, because we are trapped several hundred miles from anything even remotely resembling another human being." Julia could feel herself start to panic. Theo''s voice cut through her thoughts, "You okay?" Julia nodded, "Just... letting reality hit me a little too hard." "I know what you mean." Theo said, his tone somewhat dark. Julia knew that those words were not meant to anger her, but she felt a hot flash of anger. "How could you know what I mean?!" Theo looked a little surprised. Julia continued, "How could you know huh? What do you think you know about me. I met you like less than a week ago. We are trapped out here! Did you think that you were just so smooth that I was swept off of my feet at your presence. I..." She trailed off as she blushed, realizing that she was shouting at the top of her lungs. Theo stood up. "I think that you might need some time to yourself. I will go ahead and take a walk." Without another word he stood and disappeared into the woods. Julia, for the second time, sat down and cried.
[Theo] As he left, he heard Julia start to cry. Part of him wanted to go and try and comfort her, but he also knew that she was more or less right. He didn''t know her all that well. And she did not know him all that well. While they were both stuck out here, and the world was essentially an unknown at this point. Theo sighed, He wanted to be able to work with Julia and as it stood he thought they could end up being friends, but if she was prone to these outbursts... Theo was interrupted mid thought, when a strange and nightmarish creature that looked like bundles of fleshy threads stepped our from the woods and spoke. "I have been tasked to speak with you, System User Theo Oskar Sorrenson." 004: System Message <01 August 2024, GRAND MESA OF SUMMER , A+> [Theo] Theo was shocked, the creature looked like something from the deepest parts of his nightmares. "Wh... What?" The creature shifted in a way that sent shivers up Theo''s Spine. Then the voice that had not really registered the first time spoke again. It''s deep bass tones overlayed incredibly high-pitched tones and a spine shivering sense that there were more voices he was incapable of hearing. "The System has tasked us to speak with you System User Theo Oskar Sorrenson. If you know the location of the other System User, designation Julia Brahmin, please lead us to them." Theo was about to speak, when a thought occurred to him. "I feel like I could not fight against you, but I have to ask how do I know you are not here to harm me, or to harm Julia?" "Please take this." The creature said and then waved a thready hand, a small disk of light formed and a crystal appeared, dropping to Theo''s feet. Theo grabbed the crystal hesitantly and new that it was a skill. A moment later Theo knew in that strange way what this was. It was a skill called Identify. Theo was about to speak, but the creature beat him to it. "If you hold the skill crystal to your head and focus on the idea of absorbing it. You will acquire the skill." The creature paused for a moment, and then spoke again. "Also to assuage any concerns you might have, We swear on our name and the System that We mean you no harm, and have not or will not do anything to harm you. We swear We are here at the behest of the System." Theo felt a surge of power unlike anything he got when he used a skill. Intuitively, Theo knew that this was not something just anybody could do, and that swearing on the System was not something one did lightly. Theo nodded, and then pressed the crystal to his head. A moment later he felt a new skill available to him. The creature seemed to know that he had succeeded and spoke. "Please use the skill on Us." Theo reached out, and the creature reached out as well. A touch was all it took and the blood drained out of Theo''s face at what he learned.
[Julia] After wiping her face and taking a few breaths, Julia realized that she might have over reacted, and that in all honesty, Theo had been a perfect gentleman to her the entire time. She had not exactly offered up her history or anything else about herself, and Theo had not pressed. She also realized that trying to have any conversation after they had both been exhausted from a day of labor might not be the best move. She was about to go look for Theo as she didn''t think that he had gone far, when a voice spoke, its strange qualities sending shivers down her spine and carrying it farther than it should have. "The System has tasked Us to speak with you System User Theo Oskar Sorrenson. If you know the location of the other System User, designation Julia Brahmin, please lead Us to them." Julia froze. She could not hear Theo''s side of things. but she could hear this strange creature. The next part that she heard as she began to spam her Ward skill, was the voice invoking the system. Then she heard Theo''s voice growing closer after a few moments.
[Theo and Julia] As Theo lead the creature back to their camp, he wondered what Julia was doing, and if she was still crying. He wondered if he should say something to the creature next to him, that was apparently called a Nar''Och. When they brok through the tree line into the small clearing where Theo and Julia had been building their cabin, he saw Julia looking panicked, and layering more and more Wards around their camp. "Julia, this is..." Theo looked at the Nar''Och, "I am afraid that I did not catch your name." "We are called by many names, but in this case please call us Oreburn. It is a name that We find rather pleasing. Especially when spoken by creatures with your vocal structures." The Nar''Och said. Theo nodded, turning back to Julia, "This is Oreburn, he..." Theo was about to ask about gender, when Oreburn beat him to the punch. "Explaining the eccentricities of Our people would take the better part of a century, please use whatever language you need to describe me. But just know that We probably have more in common with plants and Fungi native to this world than you." Theo nodded again, feeling rather foolish. "Oreburn here was sent to speak with us, by the System." Oreburn waved a vine-like appendage and another skill crystal appeared next to Julia. "We have already gifted User Theo with this skill and will provide it to you as well. Place it to your head and focus on the idea of absorbing it." Julia picked it up and after a moment placed the crystal to her head, and the crystal dissolved into her flesh, just as it had for Theo. After a moment, Oreburn held out an apendage, and asked Julia to Identify him. Julia touched the offered appendage, and then her mouth fell open.
Identification of Target
Subject: Oreburn
Level: 738 Mana Density: S+
Class: Catastrophe Tamer Special: System Emissary (Temporary)
Species: Nar''Och Other: N/A
Description
The System has tasked this creature to have a talk with you about some things that you should know. If you were in a Starting zone it woudl be given to you in another way. The System recamends that you do not anger this being. Making freinds with strong entities is always recamended. Nar''Och are colonys of microscopic organisms that manifest and control hordes of large, humanoid spirits that can leap up in the air to incredible heights. Nar''Och use these ethereal puppets to gather resources and defend themselves against predators, but also to enjoy themselves through the art of dance. Nar''Och are best capable of manipulating the physical world through their spirits, using them to move objects and even create complex structures and reusable tools. Nar''Och are sometimes considered a scourge by civilizations, but it is suggested that no species ever try to go to war with them. For some reason The System tends to use the Nar''Och as emissaries and general tools when it needs to directly interfere with something. As such they have developed the second name of ''The System''s Children.''
Value: N/A Status: Neutral
"I... I..." Julia was a little shocked. She could not quite figure out what it was that she should say. Oreburn spoke, "Now that the three of us are here, We would like to assure you both once again that We mean you no harm. We recognize that Our presence can be considered poorly by some. Though We think you are more shocked at our level than anything." Theo and Julia nodded. Oreburn''s strange threaded head nodded as well. "It is natural for a planet that only had induction a few days ago. We have been tasked to contact all of the System Users on this planet who have chosen to reside in the potentially dangerous areas that have been designated with A- or higher Mana. Also any areas that are more than a month''s travel from a starting area. Your current location falls into both categories, and while you are safe in this area, that can and probably will rapidly change, so We came to you first. Over the next several weeks We have thousands of humans to speak to. After We tell you some critical information, We will provide you with the month of food and water that the System grants every person upon induction. Then due to your location, We will answer three questions from each of you. So while We understand that you probably have many questions please wait and listen, and then think on your questions carefully. Do you understand?" Theo and Julia nodded with wide eyes. Julia gestured for Oreburn to enter their camp. "Please continue, Oreburn, come take a seat, and if you would like food, we do have some." Oreburn was about to cross the Wards when he stopped. "We have loved the Ward skill for many decades, it was one of Our first skills as well. Let Us help with you protection for this night at least." With a wave of an appendage, a circle of glowing cyan rune circles, far more complex than Julia''s appeared encircling the camp. Then Oreburn continued into the camp taking a seat, and its threads moved in an inspecting manner. "You have already started construction on a habitat. This is good. And the layering of Wards is also fantastic. For a race not born to the System you are doing well." Theo took a look in their stash of food, and shrugged, he set out an MRE, two granola bars, and one of the System meat sticks. Oreburn made a very snakelike tongue flicking motion in the air and moved to where Theo stood. Oreburn gestured at the bag of batteries. "May We have a couple of those as well?" "We do not consider them food." Theo said hesitantly. "It will not harm Us, and We think they smell exquisite." Theo shrugged and handed the bag to Oreburn, as the batteries and phones had no use since the System seemed to have shut them down. They all ate quietly as Julia and Theo watched Oreburn eat the MRE, and Granola bars without even opening them, then began to slurp down the batteries. When he was done Oreburn made his equivalent of a smile, "that was quite delicious and We appreciate your hospitality. Now onto business..." Oreburn began to speak, telling them of many things, some of it they had already figured out for themselves. But they did as he had asked and listened. The things that they really took note of were easily summarized. Firstly, they were actually doing quite well, compared to many others, especially those who were trying to hold to the old ways, and the old governments. Secondly, they were roughly ten thousand miles from the closest humans. Thirdly they were in a very unique position as to their classes and specifically their apparent class compatibility. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! After the first three points, he started telling them of many things having to do with life beyond Earth, and The System itself. The fourth point that Oreburn made was to specifically point out that each planet was permitted ten System Recognized family houses. These houses were similar to medieval royal families. Earth would eventually have the opportunity to have ten houses. For his fifth point, he made it clear that Earth was now a very small player on a very large intergalactic stage. He made a point of saying that Theo and Julia''s hospitality with him boded well for them, and he highly recommended that Theo and Julia make connections where they could. Oreburn talked at length about the houses that already existed in the Galaxy, and almost as a non-point he mentioned that many of the houses would be sending people to Earth to try and harvest resources and get their hands on things that were considered rare. His sixth point was to strongly suggest that Theo and Julia both be open to the idea of forming one of these families together. This caused some slight blushing on both of their parts. But they continued to pay rapt attention as Oreburn talked.
[Oreburn] The hivemind that was Oreburn was pleasantly surprised, and it''s internal discussion reflected this. "We will achieve the desired information distribution rapidly thanks to their compliance." A mind calling itself I-1 said. Another mind, I-2, spoke next. "Should We reward them for the hospitality to encourage it in the future?" "These acids and metals that the male provided will be a great boon to some of Our efforts!" I-3 said. As He spoke, Oreburn''s minds were simultaneously doing many things. Two were handling the conversation with Julia and Theo. One to distribute the information that the System had tasked them to do so, the other to monitor Julia and Theo''s body language to ensure that they understood all that They were saying. One was handling the use of magic to breakdown the food and materials that had been provided to Them. And as always, all the un-tasked minds were in communion with The System. One Mind broke from it''s communion to process the chatter of the other tasked minds. This individual mind, calling itself I-4, spoke to itself, just as they all did, to try and prompt feedback from any of the other minds incase it chose poorly. "We have been tasked to distribute knowledge and basic skills to many individuals." This prompted another mind, calling itself I-5, to break it''s communion with The System, and begin marking off Julia and Theo from their System quest log, and being tracking the next person they had to talk to. I-4 continued, "We have a certain amount of discretion available to us as far as what we can provide, and we can always give a gift. We are limited by some things." Another mind, calling itself I-6, broke from Communion, "As per The System, We may not grant any skills above what the individual''s lowest ranked skill is, and We may not take any direct actions that would impact the development of these beings in any drastic shape. We are permitted to reciprocate gifts, and of course, We do like hospitality." Every single mind spoke in union, "We do like Hospitality." I-6 dropped its name and took up Communion once more. I-4 went back to its musings. "We should certainly reward these two. Concurrence?" Every mind spoke in union once more, "We Concur." I-4, its task complete, dropped it''s moniker, and resumed Communion. One of the oldest minds, one with a permanent name, dropped its communion. "We shall grant them something from our personal goods, in adition to the System granted supplies we were bid bring." Quartermaster said. "We shall give them...." Quartermaster took a moment and listed off what it woudl give to the two humans. Once again all of the minds spoke in union. "We Concur." I-2 spoke next. "We believe them to understand what We need them to understand." I-2 dropped its name and resumed Communion. I-1 Spoke out loud. "We believe that you understand everything We need you to. We will now uphold our earlier statement, please ask Us three questions each. We will answer to the best of our abilities." As I-1 waited for the questions that the humans would ask, Quartermaster completed moving goods from the personal inventory of the collective, into a bag to be given to the humans. Quartermaster completed It''s task and then resumed it''s Communion with The System.
[Julia and Theo] Julia and Theo sat there for quite a while, listening to Oreburn speak on several topics. Luckily Oreburn seemed to be quite the teacher, and was good at conveying what they needed to know. Finally, he said the magic line, "We believe that you understand everything We need you to. We will now uphold our earlier statement, please ask Us three questions each. We will answer to the best of our abilities." Oreburn waited in silence, Theo looked at him. "Please give us one moment to come up with some questions." "Of course." Oreburn said. Theo looked at Julia. "Do we collaborate or should we each ask our own questions?" "Theo..." Julia said, unsure of how to express her feelings, still somewhat raw from earlier. "I know that I might not be who you want to be stuck out here, with, but I guess what I am asking, is do you want to continue working together or should we ask questions centered on you going your own way?" Theo asked. As he looked at the conflicting emotions that were barely contained in Julia''s eyes he wished they had a little more time to discuss what had happened with her earlier outburst. Julia took a deep breath, and nodded to herself. "I am sorry for my earlier outburst, but I still think that we have been put in a unique position, I would like to continue to work together." Theo was about to respond when Oreburn interjected. "We apologize for interrupting, but We would offer advice to the two of you prior to your questions. This is based on Our noticing of the use of the Bond skill." Theo and Julia looked at Oreburn who continued. "The Bond skill is one that is somewhat well documented. But it is also incredibly rare, while it is not uncommon for it to be used between strangers, it is not recommended. If you have bonded..." He trailed off and Julia and Theo glanced at each other and then nodded together. Oreburn continued, "then We would make best efforts to get along, because you are in a far more unique position than you know for a variety of reasons, but that is all that We can offer you." Theo thanked him then turned to Julia and they had a quick mumbled conversation. Theo then turned to Oreburn, "Okay, thank you for waiting. My first question is, what are all the ways that our situation is unique, and can we take advantage of them." Oreburn''s head twitched to the side. "That is a question that We could spend hours discussing with you. Instead I offer you these three points. Firstly, this mesa on top of an elemental mesa is incredibly peaceful for an area of A- mana density, normally you would not have survived in an A- territory for more than an hour, you could potentially establish areas of mana absorption once planetary travel becomes possible. Secondly, on the northern end of this..." Oreburn seemed to be searching for a word, Julia interjected, "We have been calling this place the Overlook as that was it''s name prior to the changes the System made." "We thank you." Oreburn said with a terrifying smile that seemed to shift across his face. "The northern most end of this Overlook has a Thronehold. We know you are working to complete a structure here, and you should finish it so that you have shelter, but We would recommend you build a keep of some kind as quickly as possible on the Thronehold. The third and final thing is that you have already met four of six requirements to establish a Family like I was mentioning earlier. So that you know having a family is something that has immense boones later. And just so you are aware the requirements that you are missing are a seat of power, and Legacy." They let that sink in for a moment, then Theo nodded. "Thank you, we will alternate asking." Oreburn nodded and then focused on Julia. Juila thought for a moment. "You mentioned that we are roughly 10,000 miles from the nearest human settlement. To me that implies that there are closer non-human settlements. Please can you tell us of the three that are closest and if we should try and establish any relations with them?" Oreburn let that strange smile flash across his face once more. "We are excited you caught that, We greatly enjoy dropping hints to those We interface with. The three closest settlements belong to the Goblins, the Arthintry, and the Dwarves. As to trying to establish a relationship the goblins, maybe, they can meddlesome, but they are also good laborers. You should do your best to avoid the Arthintry, but is you should come across them, show them respect without showing weakness, and you should do your best to find and interact with the dwarves, though I feel that you will have some difficulty with that." Oreburn turned to Theo. "What is the biggest danger that we face here, other than our own incompetence, and how should we deal with it?" Oreburn nodded gravely. "One of the other Mesas has an Arcane affinity, on that Mesa portals to other realms will naturally form. This is what We would consider your greatest danger. While at a later time it could be an incredible boon, but you are years away from being able to harvest the energies. As to how you should deal with it, build the Keep We mentioned earlier, so that should something large enough to bother you come knocking you have a place to defend yourself." Julia spoke up quickly. "I know that you offered us advice and wanted us to save a question, but I think it is best to seek clarity. What do you mean when you say we need a seat of power and Legacy to establish a family?" Oreburn nodded. "The requirements to start a family and reap the rewards such an action brings are six. We call them Members, Bonded, Density, Ownership, Power, and Legacy. You have the minimum number of members, you are bonded in a way that the System recognizes, You both have the required mana density, and you own enough land in a fashion recognized by the system. What you lack is power and Legacy. Power speaks to the seat of power that would grant the family ability to exert influence over an area. It can be either a structure or a mystical device or even a runic formation, but it must be something capable of projecting power over an area, most commonly a castle. As to legacy, The System grants family titles strictly. It does not wish to have to reform families every generation, so you must have a contractual agreement with the System to either produce an Heir naturally, or to adopt an Heir by a certain time. We recognize that for many species this particular requirement is the most difficult, but We would still encourage you two to found a Family." Julia and Theo bloth blushed at this, and then Theo cleared his throat, "Every time you mention The System, it feels as if you have an almost reverence for it. What is something that you can tell us about the System as it pertains to us?" Oreburn sat in silence for a moment, then he spoke, sounding as if a thousand additional voices had joined the cacophony that was his voice. "The System is life, and Knows All. You ask it to regard you, but it knows you already. While many wish to be beloved by the system few are prepared for what that means. You do not feel as if you wish to be the beloved of the System, and yet it calls to you both. It has seen your lives, and it has seen all that you might be. Honor The System and it shall bless you in ways you never could have imagined. The System is Life, and Knows All." Theo was frozen as was Julia, power had rolled off of Oreburn as he spoke reminding them just how powerful the creature speaking to them was, despite it''s seemingly friendly nature. Theo bowed his head slightly, "thank you for answering that question." Oreburn spoke, his voice returned to what it was before that question. "You are welcome. We have answered your three questions. One remains, ask it." Julia was shaken, but cleared her head with a small shake and then spoke. "If you were to give us one piece of advice outside of everything that you have already told us, what would it be and why?" Oreburn clacked it''s strange threadlike fingers together, then spoke, "You ask a good question User Julia. We would tell you to seek out opportunity from any and all sources. Conversation is key to success. In place of telling you why and as a reward for a good question We will give you one follow up question." The look on Oreburn''s face was one of apprehension. Theo watched in silence as Julia thought. Then she smiled and looked at the strange creature, "I would love it if you would visit again Oreburn, and if you wanted to bring a friend, I would not be opposed, when would you be able to visit again?" Oreburn clacked his fingers repeatedly, "You both are indeed in a unique position. We will return when you have completed a keep. We do not promise any companions, but if one happens to be in the area, We will invite them. We have answered your questions. Now I must leave you with this and be on my way." With a wave of his hand Oreburn made a chest appear. He squatted down and was about to leap when Theo spoke and tossed him the bag of batteries and two phones, "Here, they do us no good any more, if you can eat them and use them, please take them." Oreburn looked excited at the thought of eating the batteries. His head rotated three hundred and sixty degrees taking in the campsite. Then he waved his hand again and two more skill crystals appeared on the chest. Oreburn spoke in his squatted position, His voice emanating power once more. "The System is life, and Knows All. May it bless you and guide you. Farewell Users Theo and Julia, We will not forget you. The System is life, and it Knows All." With a leap Oreburn vanished into the sky traveling at a speed that should have caused a sonic boom, but was totally silent. Theo and Julia looked at each other and spoke in unison. "What the fuck." 005: Going Forward, Potential Family Planing <01 August 2024, The White House - Earlier in the Day, D-> [President Armstrong] Joshua Armstrong had his head down on the desk as if he were sleeping in an eighth grade math class. The onyl difference was that Joshua Armstrong was fifty two years old, and the desk that he was resting his head on was The Resolute Desk. A secret service agent stopped in. "Mr. President, there is a thing here to see you." President Armstrong sat up straight and took a deep breath. "What does that mean Fred?" The secret service agent was someone who the President had known for several years no, and they had become fast friends thanks to a shared interest in several hobbies. Fred, looked shaken, which Joshua knew was not good. Fred spoke quickly. "There is a creature that says it is here on the orders of The System. It asked us to identify it, and it is showing as being near level one thousand. It has a Special Temporary Title of ''System Emissary'' we can not stop this thing, I would recommend speaking to it." President Armstrong nodded, "Then show this creature in please. And see if anyone can come up with a list of questions that we need answered now in case I get an opportunity to ask some questions." Fred nodded and a few moments later, something that the President Could have never imagined prior to this catastrophe stepped into his office. The voice that spoke next was a cacophony of wrongness, but it was also definitely feminine. "Greetings System User Joshua Vern Armstrong. We are a member of the Nar''Och, sometimes called the children of the System. You may address us as Starfall." "Greetings to you as well Starfall," The president was sure that if he was not sitting down he would need a change in clothes, the raw power that seemed to emanate from the Nar''Och was terrifying. "I was told that you needed to speak to me. And please just call me Joshua, and of course have a seat." Starfall looked at one of the chairs available and then clacked her fingers together in a way that distinctly denoted amusement. "We are pleased with your courtesy, but We are confident that your furniture would not support us. We do need to speak with you. As you have surmised, and begun to adapt, your world has changed, and as a former world leader, you still have some ability to disseminate information. You should know that others of the Nar''Och are visiting each and every city of humanity, and ensuring that the people who are in charge receive this information. We will tell you some things and then at the end of what We must convey to you, We are willing to have a discussion with you." President Armstrong nodded, after dealing with the insane changes that had happened, he was just glad to finally get some answers. "Please by all means, convey what message you must then if you amenable I might want to get a couple of other people involved with our conversation if you are okay with that." "Of course. Now then..." Starfall seemed to take a breath, then she spoke again, and her voice made all who heard it tremble. "The System is Life, and Knows All. We greet you, System User Joshua Vern Armstrong, Leader of the former United States. We are Starfall, an emissary of the System and one of the NarˇŻOch. We swear on The System that all we say in this message is the truth as the System wills it. We come bearing truths that are neither negotiable nor subject to change. Listen well, for your worldˇŻs future now depends on understanding the new order." President Armstrong, who was literally feeling every word, knew that all of this was truth, the System, whatever it was, made sure that he knew it. Starfall continued. "The world as you knew it has ceased to exist. The technologies that your species relied uponˇŞelectricity, digital systems, modern medicine, and all industrialized methodsˇŞare gone. They will not return. Not through effort, nor through ingenuity, nor through resistance. The System has deemed such advancements incompatible with the paradigm now in place. Your people must adapt to new methods of survival, production, and warfare. Those who fail to do so will be consumed by those who succeed. Humanity is no longer the sole inheritor of this world. You now share the Earth with a multitude of other species, some of whom have existed far longer than your own, others who have arrived through means you cannot yet comprehend. They will claim land, resources, and influence. Conflict is inevitable. Peace is optional. How your species navigates these relationships will determine your future standing among the inhabitants of this world." President Armstrong knew some of this to be true, as reports of elves and other creatures had already made their way to his desk. Starfall had more to say."The structure of global power will soon be unrecognizable. Nations will crumble. Borders will fade. In their place, ten or more Families will rise to rule over territories that span continents, not countries. The nature of these Families is yet to be determined. Some will be human. Some will not. Control will not be given, but taken. You would be wise to understand this before attempting to preserve the remnants of your former governance. The United States, like all nations, will not persist as it was. Its survival depends on its ability to transform into something greaterˇŞor to align with one who does." Those words sent a shiver down the spine of the President, his only thought at that moment was simple. "I will preside over the end of the United States of America." Starfall interrupted his emotional distress with a final statement. "You will have choices in the days to come. You may attempt to resist, but resistance against inevitability is destruction. You may attempt to negotiate, but the System does not recognize treaties made by the weak. Or you may seek power, adapting to the new rules of existence and securing a place for your species among the ruling few. We advise the latter, if you wish for humanity to retain any sovereignty over its fate. This message has been delivered. Consider it carefully, for the world has already changed, and only those who acknowledge this will live to shape what comes next." Starfall paused in that manner of taking a breath once more, and then nodded her giant antlered head, "We have delivered our contracted message, we will now do our best to answer your questions. But please understand We can not tell you everything. So ask your questions carefully." President Armstrong feeling as if he were going to be able to breath again was about to ask for another moment to think and bring in some others when the door opened and a six year old girl ran in. "Hi dad!" President Armstrong was about to panic when he felt the power that casually emanated from Starfall suddenly suck back into the creature. President Armstrong scooped up his daughter from where she had walked up to the side of his seat. "Sarah, I am a little busy." "I know, I saw Starfall in the yard." Sarah Armstrong said with a smile and a wave at Starfall who waved back. "You know this person?" President Armstrong said in confusion. Glancing between Starfall and his daughter. Starfall spoke. "We were searching for an appropriate way to enter without causing too much of an issue with the people or the building itself when your daughter appeared and guided Us to the needed door." "Yepo!" Sarah said, with a smile then she turned to her father, "Dad, isn''t Starfall so pretty?" President Armstrong glanced at the Nar''Och woman, and did not see whatever the girl was seeing. Starfall shrugged, having no input to this. President Armstrong nodded picking something to compliment the woman on. "Yes she is honey. The glow that she has certainly is pretty." Sarah nodded without another word then jumped down from her fathers lap, and then walked up to Starfall, "I hope I get to see you again! Have fun Starfall!" "You too child." Starfall said as the girl ran out, President Armstrong was able to signal Fred to bring his advisors before the door shut. Starfall surprised him then still looking after his daughter, she spoke. "Our People, the Nar''Och, do not have children in the sense that most species do. But We have always enjoyed the innocence that accompanies the helplessness of youth." President Armstrong nodded, his thoughts on Sarah''s future with the message that was delivered. "She is why I will strive to establish a Family as you said would take over the Earth." Starfall locked her head in his direction, giving him the sense that he was being stared down, finally after what felt like an eternity, Starfall nodded. "That is good motivation, but I must warn you that you will have a far more difficult time with that than you imagine. It might be worth your while to allay yourself with those who are closer to achieving that." The president nodded just as the door opened and his advisors came in. He made introductions before starting off the discussion. "Starfall, we have many questions and we hope that you will be able answer many of them, let us start with the concerns we have for those who depend on medical equipment to survive." Starfall nodded. "No more will people who require these devices be born. The System recognizes that technologies such as yours has a place as far medicine goes, and it hates some technologies so it simply does away with the medical reason that would necessitate the technologies. You will notice that many of these people died almost immediately. Others stood up and walked away from their devices." The advisors and the President nodded. Starfall continued. "The System has ways to speak with people that transcends consciousness or ability to speak. It gave each and every one of these people a choice, the release of death, or to be placed into a cured version of their body with average fitness for someone their age. As has been seen on other worlds it is usually about forty percent that choose death with another twenty percent rejecting the System, and the remaining forty percent accepting the cured body." "That is..." The president searched for a word, but one of his younger advisors, the only one using a Skill to take notes rather than pen and paper, beat him to the punch. "That''s a little bit fucked up." Thomas Fords mumbled under his breath. "The System is Life, and Knows All." Starfall said and shrugged, "whether you are right or wrong it matters not. The System offers everyone a choice, you must be prepared to accept the consequences." This conversation went on like this for several hours, Starfall answered many questions about some potential solutions for some of their problem, almost all of her recommendations boiled down to ''find the person with the right Skill.'' Finally the advisors left and Starfall was still standing there. Joshua looked very confused about the conversation. "They don''t get it. Even after you repeated the message as you gave it to me. They don''t get it." The President mumbled. "Many are not suited for adaptation. There are very few of your species who have excelled." Starfall said. "I don''t doubt that." The President took a shaking breath. "They ignored much of what you said but I am determined to find a way for Sarah to be safe. You said that there were others who were closer to forming a family than I would ever be. Can you tell me who they are." The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Starfall stared at him. "I can not." The President deflated. He was one man, and in his initial confusion of what the System was he had selected the class Grand Administrator. "Then I have failed. I am not a warrior to keep her safe." Something hardened in his face. He locked eyes with Starfall with a fierceness that surprised the Nar''Och woman. "Will you take her somewhere she can be safe Starfall. I have nothing to give you but my life. If you would keep her safe I would give it to willingly." Starfall placed a gentle hand on his shoulders. "We do not have the ability to take her. Though we know why you ask." President Armstrong deflated once more. Starfall looked at the man. "We give you these four pieces of advice instead of any other gift. Firstly, make not the promise of your life as that has a drastically different meaning in the world you now live in. Secondly," Starfall waved her hand and suddenly a scroll was laying on The Resolute Desk. "... Complete this structure in the next thirty days. Thirdly, you your daughter and anyone you wish to prosper should focus on raising your personal mana density. And Finally, One of Our kin will be returning to this world for a reason. Possibly sooner than they think. We will have Them check on you and relay a message to someone. Think on this message carefully as they are one of the ones headed towards being a Family. The System is Life, and Knows All." With a sudden flash Starfall was gone. President Armstrong looked at the contents of the scroll and was confused. He was about to dismiss it when he shook his head. "Thirty days, I think it can be done. I need to get to work." President Armstrong set out, fully planning to get what milage he could out of being the last president of the United States of America.
<01 August 2024, GRAND MESA OF SUMMER , A+> [Theo and Julia] Theo and Julia were surprised at what all they had learned from Oreburn. They spent several moments going over several of the key points that Oreburn had made. Finally they came to the elephant in the room. "Welp," Theo said, looking at the chest, "What all do you think is in there?" "Only one way to find out." Julia said some what excitedly, "But before that we should talk." Theo nodded. "We should, so let me start. I am sorry that you are stuck out here. I know it was your choice and we are both trying to make the best of it but we really don''t know each other. If you are willing I would like to get to know you better. Not in any weird way, just in general." Julia smiled, "I appreciate that, and I would not mind getting to know you as well. And I would like to apologize for my shouting earlier, I just... I think I was having a panic attack, everything that has happened just kind of all hit me at once." "That is fair," Theo locked eyes with her, "I know that we are barely acquaintances, let alone friends, but if you need to talk, please feel free to ask." "I will," Julia said, "Now, about what Oreburn said about a Family..." "Why don''t we check out the chest first, and then we can go from there?" Theo asked. Julia nodded, the sky was growing darker by the minute, and they would need to sleep soon. They both approached the chest, and first things first they looked a the two skill crystals. It was two copies of a D rank skill called Hand of Gold. From what they could make out, the skill allowed them to store currency in a small dimensional pocket that was linked to their hand. It would also display a tattoo like number on the palm of the hand to indicate how much money was in the pocket. The user could then summon whatever coin directly to their hand for purchases. "That seems handy," Julia said, placing emphasis on the word handy. Theo looked at her puzzled, "I''m unsure if that was a hand joke, or a hand-job joke." Julia shrugged, "why not both?" They each picked up one of the skill crystals and pressed it to their heads, absorbing the skills. Then they split up their current funds. They decided to simply split it down the middle which resulted in them each having a little over twenty two and a half gold. "Now that those are out of the way, lets open the chest!" Julia said excitedly. "Okay." Theo said, touching his hand to the chest, expecting it to dissolve like the other System Containers they had encountered. Instead it did nothing. So Theo Identified it.
Identification of Target
Subject: Chest of Keeping
Level: N/A Mana Density: B
Class: N/A Special: Food stored in this chest will not spoil
Species: N/A Other: N/A
Description
This is a System generated chest. It will last one month. The system will make it permanent for ten gold.
Value: 1 Copper Status: N/A
"Well that tells me a whole lot of nothing. But I guess it is a real chest. And it saves food." Theo said. Julia quickly identified the chest as well. "I wonder if it would preserve berries and the like. Or maybe we can get it expanded. So its like way bigger inside." "Both very good questions, but it will be gone in a month." Theo said dismissively. "I mean we have the gold." Julia shrugged, "and it sure beats wondering if our food will hold out due to spoilage." "That is true," Theo agreed, "five each?" "Five each." Julia said summoning the five gold to her hand and looking at the chest, there were ten indents in the lid. They each put five gold in dropping them down to roughly seventeen and a half gold. The chest shimmered and seemed to loose some of its ethereal-ness. "Lets see what ten gold gets us." Julia said and they identified it together.
Identification of Target
Subject: Chest of Anti-Spoilage
Level: 50 Mana Density: A-
Class: N/A Special: All Foodstuffs in this chest will never spoil
Species: N/A Other: External Volume: 12 Cubic Feet Internal Volume: 18 Cubic Feet
Description
This chest is the property of Julia Brahmin and Theo Sorrenson
Value: 50 Silver Status: N/A
"It''s Higher level than we are." Theo said quietly. "What the hell." Julia said then got a concerning look on her face. "Do you think that maybe that is the level they expect people to be in an A- mana density." "Ohh..." Theo said, quietly, "Are we fucked? And why was there a level three lion?" Julia shrugged. "I have no idea. Let''s just hope that this is not an omen." "Right," Theo said trying to sound more upbeat. "Lets see what is inside. shall we?" The contents of the Chest were rather simple. After pulling it all out, they were left with a rather nice stash of supplies. Theo ran through the list, "Okay so we have about a hundred gallons of water, forty-five days of food, some basic equipment, and this." The object that he was referencing was a cube. Julia perked up, "Hey that looks like the cube I found!" Julia grabbed the blue cube that she found earlier, and looked at it. "I guess its good that we have Identify now isnt it." She cast the skill on the blue crystal cube.
Identification of Target
Subject: Dungeon Access Crystal (personalized)
Level: N/A Mana Density: A-
Class: N/A Special: Interacts with certain Skills
Species: N/A Other: Uses: 3/3
Description
This crystal generates a Demi-Dungeon of apropriate level for the user. Does not grant final rewards of a Dungeon. ????
Value: ???? Status: N/A
"Wait, it generates a customized dungeon?" Theo, who had also identified the cube asked. "I think," Julia pondered, "that it is very specifically not a dungeon. It almost feels like baby''s first dungeon. Maybe it''s meant to give people a first taste of a dungeon before they go out and delve a real one." "That would make sense," Theo said. "So then what is this purple one? Is it part of the initial supplies or is this something that Oreburn gave us. He seemed like he was maybe helping us out a little more than he normally would." "I don''t know, lets see what it says with Identification, maybe there is a way to tell, but it sure does not feel like an item that would be given to everyone." "True." Theo said as he used his Identification skill.
Identification of Target
Subject: Leveling Plain Access Crystal (01 - 10)
Level: 10 Mana Density: S
Class: N/A Special: Interacts with certain Skills
Species: N/A Other: Usable by all System Users under Level 10. Can be used once per week.
Description
This crystal is linked to a System Managed Demi-Plane. Each user is placed into a solo verison of the Plane. Upon entering the User will have four hours of access before being ejected to the place that they entered. The Access Crystal does not travel with you. It can be taken by others while a User is inside. This Crystal was gifted to System Users Theo Sorrenson and Julia Brahmin by a System Envoy in response to exceptional hospitality and courtesy. The System is Life, and Knows All.
Value: ???? Status: N/A
"Okay that is incredibly specific." Julia said, her voice somewhat concerned. "Does that mean that Oreburn has enough influence with the System that he can change what Skills display, or what Item descriptions are?" "That is mildly terrifying," Theo muttered "however both of these seem like they will be incredibly useful to us in our current situation. I think that we should use these to get some early levels, and quickly." "I agree but I also think that we should go to bed, finish the cabin, find the Thronehold that Oreburn mentioned and see what we can do to get started on making some kind of seat of power there." Julia said ticking off things that she thought they should do, "oh and also, we should absolutely identify the strange berries and things that we find." Theo paused for a moment, "Are we committing to the Family path then?" Julia blushed, but she could tell from his tone that he didn''t mean anything by it. He was simply asking. "I... I don''t know. but I think someone who is basically a God to our level two asses told us to push for it, and seemingly went out of his way to help us out. I think we should work towards the seat of power so that the option is open. If things go that way, then we are good to go, if not then we can cross that bridge when we get there and decide on a new course of action." Theo nodded, "I think that is a great way to look at it." Theo said, he tossed another log into the flames of the fire they had been keeping going constantly. "But first things first, I think that we should get some sleep, tomorrow we can get as far as we can on the cabin, and then make a plan." Julia said moving to the temporary shelter. Theo adjusted his sleeping area next to the fire, and they both went to sleep. 006: Cabin Completionists, Parental Pasts <02 August 2024, GRAND MESA OF SUMMER , A+> [Theo and Julia] The morning sun rose and woke Theo and Julia. They stoked the fire and sat in quiet as they ate one of the simple but delicious meals that the System had provided to them. After roughly an hour in which they both stretched and took a few moments to themselves, Theo looked at the cabin. As it was he would say it was eighty percent of the way to completion. "So," Theo said thoughtfully. "Theo, if you tell me we need more moss I might stab you." Julia said in exasperation. Theo raised his hands in surender, "No, no. I promise we have enough moss left, but I was going to ask you to start getting all the small sticks that I stripped from the logs and begin to weave them into a rough frame for the roof." "Oh, sure, I actually don''t mind things like that." Julia said and set to her task. Theo picked up his Master Tool, willing it to shift to an draw knife and working on the cuts and bark removal for the next layer of logs, probably one of three he would need to do. He was about to set to work in silence, when a thought occurred to him. Instead he moved the log so that he was working across the fire from Julia. "So why..." Theo paused as he pulled the drawknife the length of the log in a smooth walk, a long curling strip of bark falling from the log. "don''t we use this time..." He pulled again, "to tell each other about ourselves?" Julia smiled, her hands worked efficiently, weaving the sticks back and forth between one another, making a rough twig net with gaps of roughly four inches. "I think that sounds lovely." So they dove in. Each focusing on their work while also speaking of their hobbies and things that they enjoyed. Though both of them realized that much of that would never be seen again. Finally they got to talking about families. "So, Theo, mister space tester man." Julia teased, "Who made you how you are? How do you know how to build a cabin with your bare hands? Why are you so fit?" Julia was teasing, and if Theo had been facing her she would know that Theo''s face had just darkened. But he did answer her after a few moments. "I am like this for the sake of my late sister. Her name is Keary." "Oh, I''m sorry Theo." Julia said hearing a lot of emotion in his voice, "I didn''t mean..." "No, its fine, I just..." He paused in his work looking at the four layers worth of logs that were ready to be put on the cabin, he shrugged and grabbed another meal, handing one to Julia as well. "I hate my father, he is a rotten drunk. He beat the absolute piss out of me when I was younger. He wasn''t great with my mother and sister either but to his credit he never hit them, except for one time." Julia could tell that this was incredibly difficult for Theo so she simply ate and listened. Theo continued. "We were out camping when I was fifteen, and my dad had decided that I had not gathered enough firewood and that he was going to show me what''s what with one of the logs. Keary did not like it when he would beat me, not one bit, and she was the only one who would stand up to him. My mom I think was scared of him turning on her, but Keary didn''t care." Theo ate a couple bights as he composed his thoughts. "He picked a log up and swung it at me, hitting my shoulder, Keary picked up another log and swung it at him. He blocked it and then back handed her. It was the only time he ever hit her, and I was enraged. If it was me, I could take it, I never fought back, even when I was starting to fill out and get some muscle, I never tried to stop him. I thought that as long as he was beating me, Keary and mom were safe. But he hit Keary and something snapped in me and I attacked him. I don''t know what came over me, but after we scrapped for five minutes, my mom was able to break us up." Julia could see the rage that boiled under the surface of this calm retelling of his story, she could also see the pain that this was bringing him. Theo shrugged, seeing her looking at him. "We looked around, my dad with a dislocated jaw, and me with an orbital fracture under my right eye. Keary was nowhere to be found, so my mom climbed into the truck and told us to get in, my dad in typical fashion grabbed a fifth of jack first then got in the passenger seat. I got in the back. We drove around searching for several hours, and when we finally found Keary she was hiding in a tree from a black bear mother." "Oh shit." Julia said, anyone who had lived in an area with bears or moose or really any wild animals knew you did not get between a mother animal and its baby. It was a really good way to die. "Oh shit indeed," Theo chuckled, then took a shaky breath and continued his story. "So my mom, having always been the braver of my parents, grabs a hatchet from the back seat next to me and rushes at the bear and starts bashing it in the head." "A bit of a mama bear herself." Julia smiled. "That is very true." Theo said with a small smile, "I jumped out and started to grab the rifle that was in the bed of the truck, when my drunk fuck of a father, came over, smacked me a side, said something to the effect of ''Man''s work, not boy''s work,'' then he took the rifle, cycled the bolt and then turned the gun to the bear, and as he pulled the trigger he fell backwards too drunk to stand up." "He missed?!" Julia asked exasperated at the idea. "Oh he hit something, just not the damn bear." Theo took an almost sobbing breath. "He had managed to shoot my sister who fell out of the tree. I scrambled to my feet and tore the rifle from my dad, and then I ran forward, cycling the bolt on the rifle, before shooting the bear at point blank range. My mother rushed to my sister just as I did. We picked her up and put her in the truck. I tossed my drunk father in the bed of the truck and then my mother drove like a bat out of hell while I held Keary''s head in my lap." Silence reigned over the camp. The crackle of the fire seemed as if it was hesitant to interrupt Theo. Then he took a breath and continued. "The last thing that she said in the Truck was that she loved me and she hoped that I would go camping with her sometime soon. Just the two of us. After that she fell unconscious. We got to the hospital twenty minutes later. They rushed my sister to surgery and did what they could for the next four hours. While that was happening they put my father in a bed and hooked him up to IV fluids. The police arrived and started questioning us about what happened." Theo ate a few more bites. "When they came out of surgery, Keary was dead. They explicitly told us that it was not from blood loss, or anything after the fact, it was where she got shot. Apparently the bullet had nicked one of her heart valves. They were stunned that she had not died instantly. My father chose that moment to wake up. He heard what the doctor said. He then turned to me, and said ''You useless son of a whore, I told you shooting that bear was man''s work!''" Julia drew a sharp breath, Theo''s knuckles were cracking with how tight he was gripping his food. He took a few careful breaths, and then let out a long measured sigh, forcing himself to calm down. "I spent the night in jail because I ripped his IV out of his arm and attempted to strangle him with it. The cops were able to pull dashcam footage as well as find a trail cam that was in the area. They corroborated the story my mom told. Unfortunately, because it was truly legally an accident, and my mom did not want to deal with the horse shit process of trying to sue your own spouse, my father walked free from the hospital." "When I turned 18, my mother gave my ten thousand dollars and sent me out to have fun with my friends, looking back I did not understand what she was doing, but she was trying to prepare me to leave my dad. So when I got home the next day, I found a letter on my bed. It was from my mother stating that she could not stay any more, that I had turned into a fine man and that she hoped I understood and that one day we could see each other again. I moved out that day." Theo''s tone indicated to Julia that he did understand what his mother had done. Theo sniffled, wiped his face, and then snorffed a few bites down. "So yeah that is why I camp so much. I also decided I was never going to be a punching bag for anyone ever again, so I started lifting, joined an MMA gym and pulled the whole ''I got demons to fight'' gym guy meme thing." Julia laughed, then covered her mouth. "Oh I am sorry..." "No it''s fine," Theo smiled, "I know that I look pretty intense when I tell that story, but two years of therapy says that I am good to go!" They both laughed at that. Theo glanced up from his meal, "So what about you, where are you parents, siblings, and all that?" "My mother is gone, I don''t know if she is dead or if she is out there somewhere. She apparently just decided one day when I was about two years old that she did not want to be a mom anymore. She divorced my dad and then dropped off the face of the earth." Julia shrugged, "I don''t have nay real memories of her so its really not an issue." Theo nodded. Julia continued. "My dad died last year, he had cancer, but he was very good about being okay with whatever happened. It''s weird to say but I am at peace with his passing. He was happy until the end, and I am glad that he is not suffering anymore. I don''t know of much other family, I think I have an aunt on my mom''s side but I don''t know for sure." "Well I am sorry about your father. What kind of person was he?" Theo asked. Julia smiled, "He was great, always pushing me to do better and reminding me that I can be happy no matter what. Honestly if he was still around, I think that he would have loved this System stuff." Theo smiled sadly, "I think Keary would have loved it too. She was really getting into Dungeons and Dragons before she died." This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. They sat and finished their meals in silence. When they were done they went back to work. A comfortable silence between them. Almost an hour later, Theo spoke up, "Okay I think it is time to put it all together." "Okay so what does that entail?" "Well," Theo thought for a moment, "We finish the last couple layers, then put the cross beams for the roof. On top of those we will put your woven panels, and then we will pull the tarp from the shelter there, and put it over the woven panels. Then I think that tomorrow we go cut some sod from the prairie grass and do a sod roof. With the tarp it will be very water proof but also warmer." "Let''s get to it then!" Julia said with a smile, and they both set to work. Several hours later, as the sun started to set, They sat down, each taking another meal, Theo nodded at their nearly completed cabin "Welp its not perfect, but its good, and its better than being unsheltered." "Mmm. Mhmmm." Julia mumbled through her food. They ate quickly, and Theo looked around. "Okay I think that one of us should try the Leveling Plain." "True." Julia said, hesitant, "Who goes?" "I will leave that up to you." Theo said thoughtfully. "There are reasons for me to be the one to go, just as their are reasons for you to be the one to go, and the same for staying. So you decide what you are more comfortable with and we can go from there." Julia nodded, "Okay, I think that I will go then." "Sounds good," Theo said, picking up the purple crystal cube from where they had set it, and moving into the cabin and setting it down in the middle of the baren packed stone floor. "Alright I guess, go for it." It took them several minuets to figure out that all that she needed to do was placer her hand on top and think ''enter'' and she would get a prompt. Julia smiled, "You want to come with me?" "What do you mean?" "Well apparently it recognizes that we are under the Bond skill together, and will allow us to enter together." Julia explained what she was reading and learning from the knowledge that the cube transmitted through touch. "Oh, then yes but give me like a few minutes I think we should move everything into the cabin and get it ready for sleep before we go." The said, standing up and beginning to act on his thoughts. Julia stood and joined him and in only a few minutes, they had finished moving their few meager possessions into the cabin and were both sitting near the cube with the equipment they thought they would need. Theo nodded, "Alright, lets do this." Julia accepted the prompt, and with a strange ripping suck, they were no longer in their cabin.
<02 August 2024, Leveling Plane #73F9Q-72, Level setting 2> [Theo and Julia] Suddenly Theo and Julia were standing in a large forest clearing. Around them the forest seemed frozen, in front of each of them was floating blue box that demanded their attention.
System Message
Regarding: Leveling Plane Initial Entrance
Description
The Leveling Plane Welcomes you System Users Julai Brahmin, and Theo sorrenson. Both of you are level two. You will find a wide variety of level one and two cretures wiht the occasional level three mixed in. Do not think that you are safe here. You CAN die, and you will if you do not take this serious. The Leveling plane is happy for you to hunt its monster, but to take things back to your world at will would be problematic. So the System provides you with a Bag of Transfer. Anything you are capable of lifting will be able to fit in the bag. The bag will hold 15 items, (some items stack) and that is what you will be able to take out of the Leveling Plane. You will be ejected from the Leveling Plane when you level up, or once six hours had passed.
Note: Combat System will always be enabled in the Leveling Plane.
"So we hunt monsters for six hour or until we hit level 3." Theo said. "Sounds like a plan to me." Julia said and looked around, spotting their first monster. Hopping across the tree line in a strange skipping walk-hop was a twelve inch tall froglike creature walking on its hind legs. Theo''s brows furrowed. "What the fuck is that?" As in response a line of text appeared over its head. {Gulmgrot, Level 01} "A Gulmgrot huh? What the fuck is a Gulmgrot?" Theo said staring at the stragne creature. "It''s kind of cute..." Julia said looking at the sad face on the bipedal blueskinned body. Then she saw another. "Oh look another one!" Theo saw it, it was the same general build as the first one, but it had reddish skin. "Welp, lets get to this shall we." "Yeah..." Julia said a little sadly. "They are pretty cute though." Theo chuckled, "Well if we find an egg or some way to take one, why don''t we see if they make good pets. But we unfortunately do have to kill them." "Fine, lets do this." Julia said, picking up the staff that Theo had made for her. Theo and Julia had put on the armor that had come from the System. Julia had also equipped her Aegis Bracer and set it to redirect damage to Theo. Theo wore the basic armor and held his dagger in his left hand, his right hand held the Master Tool in the form of a wickedly sharp bearded axe. "Alright, so I guess I''ll just go in and start swinging," Theo said, he was confident in his ability to hunt with a rifle, and he had cleared trails with a machete before but he was unsure of how effective he would be in combat. Especially with an unknown enemy. "I guess so." Julia said, white knuckling her staff. "You want me to set up some Wards before we go ahead. Just in case?" Theo nodded not taking his eyes off of the small reptilian creatures. They had hissed at each other, and then begun walking at an angle away form them. Theo picked up a stone, and then as soon as Julia finished, he lobbed it at the Gulmgrots and then quickly picked up his Master Tool again. The stone sailed through the air in an almost lazy arc, doming the blue Gulmgrot in the head. It immediately crumpled, beginning to struggle back to its feet. The red Gulmgrot turned an rushed towards Theo, and a third Gulmgrot, this one green skinned, seemed to fade into reality near the red Gulmgrot and began sprinting with the red one. As they neared each other, Julia stayed standing in a ring of Wards, Theo slashed low with the axe. Immediately the red Gulmgrot lost its head. the Green one was faster and dodged his swing jumping deceptively high to slash its hand at Theo''s shoulders. Julia felt her power flow through the bond and join with Theo''s retaliatory Strike. The Green Gulmgrot dropped to the ground dead. Theo dropped his weapons and took off at a dead sprint, grabbing the blue Gulmgrot before it could finish reorienting itself. He brough the struggling creature back to Julia. Julia looked surprised. "What are you doing?" "I thought we should identify it." Theo said, both hands holding tightly to the amphibious creature. Julia nodded and then they both used their Identify skill.
Identification of Target
Subject: Gulmgrot
Level: 1 Mana Density: N/A
Class: Leveling Beast(1) Special: See Description
Species: Gulmgrot Other: See Description
Description
As an effect of the Leveling Beast(1) Class this monster always displays its level and designator to all System Users. As an effect of the Leveling Beast(1) Class, all normal behavior of this monster has been overwritten to a default aggression. Notice: This is a System modified creature purpose created based on a creature in reality. The below information regards the original creature. Gulmgrots are small, plump amphibians with sad, glassy eyes and camouflage-ready skin that dwell in misty, forested wetlands. Shy but deeply communal, they live in tight-knit groups and communicate through clicks, chirps, and whistles. Known for their elaborate courtship rituals and fierce devotion to their young, they embody both vulnerability and quiet resilience.
Value: NONE Status: Hostile
"Well that is well and truly fucked." Theo mumbled as he finished reading it. Then he paused a thought crossing his mind. Julia looked at him, he seemed to make a face that she found amusing, with his left eyebrow quirking up slightly, when he had an idea. "What? You just thought of something?" "Two things, actually," Theo clarified, "First what happens if I use Claim on this thing. And Two that description tell me that there may be a Leveling Plane that has humans in it." "That would terrible..." Julia muttered, then shrugged, "but that really isn''t something we can answer. However you should absolutely try and claim that Gulmgrot." Theo felt the build up of power flow through him and try to take hold in the Gulmgrot and then fail. The feeling and knowledge that the skill returned to him surprised him though. "Seems that I can''t claim this Gulmgrot, but if we were to find one outside of the Leveling Plane, it might be possible." "Really, that is odd." Julia said, "But i guess it does specifically say that it is essentially a murder bot wrapped in a Gulmgrot shell rather than an actual Gulmgrot." Theo shrugged and then with a quick motion broke the neck of the Gulmgrot in his hand. He glanced around the area, looking for more, and found none. As Theo looked, the three Gulmgrots dissolved with the distinctly System related Golden sparkles and Cherenkov Blue light. Theo and Julia gathered up their loot and looked it over. "Three Gulmgrot Hides, Seven vials of Gulmgrot Mucus, two hunks of Amphibian Meat, and a Minor Environmental Token: Wetlands. What is an Environmental Token?" Theo asked. Julia picked up the token and tried to identify it, then snorted in laughter. "It just says Minor Environmental Token: Wetlands. Literally nothing else, it didn''t even give me the typical display. It. Well lets put all of this into the Bag of Transfer and see what we end up bringing back." Theo nodded taking the Bag that had appeared with them and stuffing all of the loot into it. They continued like this for almost two hours, They would walk along, find a few Gulmgrots and then kill them, shoving all the loot into their Bag of Transfer. As they killed what would be the last of their fifteenth group of Gulmgrots, they both felt the energy of the System swell in them. >Local Message: Congratulations! Users Theo Sorrenson & Julia Brahmin have leveled up! >Local Message: Level Up delayed for Exit of Leveling Plane >Local Message: Forced Exit in 30 Seconds "Well that is very little warning." Theo said scooping up the loot and dumping it into the Bag of Transfer. "True." Julia said, looking around, she grabbed Theo''s arm, "Look!" Theo looked at what she was pointing at, and saw a stick creature looking at them aggressively. Over its head floated a line of text. {Stixling, Level 02} >Local Message: Forced Exit in 15 Seconds\ "That thing is creepy." Julia said, watching the way it''s inflexible legs gave it a strange wobbling gait. "Well next time that might be what we have to fight." Theo said, "I am a little surprised that we didn''t see any of them." Julia shrugged. >Local Message: Forced Exit in 05 Seconds >Local Message: Forced Exit in 04 Seconds >Local Message: Forced Exit in 03 Seconds A bright light filed their vision and suddenly they were both back in their rather baren cabin. >Local Message: Level Up Resumed >Local Message: Congratulations! Users Theo Sorrenson & Julia Brahmin have leveled up! Theo and Julia looked at each other smiling, each admitting to themselves that this leveling up sure was a great dopamine rush. 007: Level, Loot, and Furniture <02 August 2024, GRAND MESA OF SUMMER , A+> [Theo and Julia] "Alright let''s level up then we can look at what loot we got out of the Leveling Plane and go to bed." Julia said, turning to go and sit by the fire. Theo joined her and they both fell quiet, conversing with the System.
[Theo] "Congratulations Theo, you have leveled up, as a part of your System Reward for staying in a High Mana zone, the rewards for leveling up have been increased until level 5. As a reward for leveling up, you will be granted a skill and allowed to pick one skill to upgrade. This in in addition to the Class based level up rewards, and your Racial level up rewards. Congratulations once again." >Private Message: You have been granted the skill ''Process'' as a reward. >Private Message: Please select one skill to upgrade. Theo suddenly knew how and what Process did. He thought of what he should upgrade. As it stood he had seven skills now. He went over each one. Thinking how it would help in there coming struggles. Claim, Farming, and Strike were his original skills, and at the moment he was happy with where Farming and Strike were. His only thought was that Claim might let him claim more land or claim other things if he needed to. Claim was certainly an option. Defender was the skill that he had gotten from his first level up, he knew that eventually he should probably upgrade that, but he thought that it would not be the best choice at the moment. Next were the two skills that Oreburn had given him. Identify and Hand of gold. Identify was low rank and he wondered if it would provide more information if he increased it. He also was very curious what improving Hand of Gold might do. He thought about it for a moment but decided that both of them were skills that would not imediatly help him. Last was the skill that had just been given to him. He thought it over, letting the knowledge of what it did flow into his mind. "Process raw goods into materials as desired. Takes time. Having the right tool reduces the time needed. That is certainly useful, and it is Bond Enhanced. Lets see, if Julia helps me it reduces the time needed by thirty-five percent? That is broken." He through for a moment and decided that it was a toss up between Process and Claim. Finally after agonizing over the decision for a moment, he was decided. he selected Process. >Private Message: Skill ''Process'' Has been upgraded to Rank D+ from Rank F. Skill baseline time required reduced. >Private Message: Level Up process complete.
[Julia] "Congratulations Julia, you have leveled up, as a part of your System Reward for staying in a High Mana zone, the rewards for leveling up have been increased until level 5. As a reward for leveling up, you will be granted a skill and allowed to pick one skill to upgrade, the skill can not be Bond. This is in addition to the class-based level-up rewards and your Racial level-up rewards. Congratulations once again." >Private Message: You have been granted the skill ''Hearthmade'' as a reward. >Private Message: Please select one skill to upgrade. Julia thought about the past few days, all the crazy things that had happened, and quickly came to conclusion, ignoring the skills that Oreburn had given them out of hand. "It has to be Ward or Retaliate. Julia went through the fights that she and Theo had fought just moments ago and shook her head almost instantly. She remembered how Oreburn had used Ward and how complex his Wards had been and how quickly he could place a ring of them. She had thought that his Wards were very pretty. So she smiled and selected Ward. >Private Message: Skill ''Ward'' has been selected. Divergent Paths detected. >Private Message: You have witnessed a S++ variant of the ''Ward'' skill. This has acted as a catalyst and allows you to select one of two upgrades >Private Message: Option 1 - Overall increase in rank provides a boost in functionality and protection granted by ''Ward'' >Private Message: Option 2 - Ward Array allows you to place multiple Wards simultaneously in an area of effect that is roughly your level times three in feet. At your level of three, you would be able to place wards simultaneously in an area of effect that is a circle with a radius of nine feet centered on you. "Ohh!" Julia said out loud excitedly. She selected Ward Array without hesitation. >Private Message: Skill ''Ward'' Has been upgraded to Rank B from Rank B-. ''Ward'' Now has the Ward Array effect. >Private Message: Level Up process complete.
[Theo and Julia] "You sounded excited." Theo asked, wondering what she had gotten skill wise. "I was! When Oreburn used his ward skill, I thought it was so cool how he was able to place so many wards so quickly. Apparently seeing him do that and using my upgrade was enough to unlock the ability for me too!" They quickly went over the changes in their stats and their new skills. Then they turned together to the small silver chest that sat in the Cabin. It had appeared with them, and they both assumed that it contained the loot they had been able to bring back. They walked through the as of yet doorless hole in the wall of the cabin and opened the chest, it dissolved in the System synonymous golden sparkles and Cherenkov Blue light leaving a goodly pile of stuff. "Well now we know that all of the loot from the Gulmgrots stacks apparently." Julia muttered as Theo did a quick count. "We kept all the loot." Theo said. "That is good!" Julia said. "Yes but it also means that this stuff is not worth that much. Remember what it said at the beginning? It would be too costly for us to just take whatever we wanted." "I mean yes, that is what it said," Julia agreed, "But I have a theory about Leveling Planes. I think that they are meant to give children their first taste of leveling. I wonder if they limit things to instill the idea that you should only take what you need. But that also raises some questions about what the System does with loot that gets left behind..." Theo laughed as she trailed off, "You have way better theories than I do, which is precisely no theories." They both laughed, and then Julia looked back at the pile. "So what all did we get." "Well lets see..." Theo said, sorting and counting as he went, the final result was a list of goods consisting of forty-seven Gulmgrot Hides, forty-seven chunks of Amphibian Meat, thirty-nine Gulmgrot Mucus Vials, nineteen Gulmgrot Tails, fourteen Gulmgrot Vocal Sacs, three Shadow Essence Shards, and three Minor Environmental Token: Wetlands. "That''s a good haul." Julia said, "We could make leather out of the hides." "We could..." Theo said thoughtfully as he picked up one of the furless rubbery hides. "Lets worry about it tomorrow. I am tired, lets go to sleep, then we can figure out a plan." Theo nodded, and they laid out their bedding both of them laying down and drifting off to sleep rather quickly.
<03 August 2024, GRAND MESA OF SUMMER , A+> [Theo and Julia] The next morning, they both rose to the sounds of wind blowing. Julia shivered slightly. "I think that is the first time I have felt cold the whole time that we have been here." "I know, its a little strange." Theo said as they got up, and restocked the fire with wood. Each of them taking a meal and beginning to eat. Every little bit a gust of cold wind would rush at them. "Where is it coming from?" Julia shrugged, "Well it feels like its blowing in from the north." "That frozen mesa is to the north isn''t it?" Theo thought for a moment, and nodded, "I think so. Well lets stay warm today, I think I want to finish the door and maybe get some window coverings." "That sounds good, maybe we figure something else out rather than sleeping on the ground too." Julia said. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "Okay lets do that. You want to help me or do you have something that you were going to do today?" Theo asked. Julia shook her head, "No I don''t have anything, I can help." "Cool." Theo grinned, "I want to try and Process some wood into planks, and if you help then it will be much quicker." "Okay that actually sounds interesting." They finished eating and then the two of them went and cut down two large trees. They brought them back to the cabin, demonstrating again that stats really made a hell of a difference. they set about working and Theo activated the Processing Skill, and it was strange. "It''s like something else is guiding my movement." Julia said in a faint sense of wonder. "I know, it''s useful, but it is one of the weirdest feelings that I have ever felt." Julia agreed and they chatted. It was strange they were wholly devoted to their conversation but their bodies kept working, with more skill than either of them should have had with the task they were performing. After roughly an hour, they were left with a small pile of seven foot long planks that were roughly an inch thick and eight inches wide. "That was insanely easy, is this how its supposed to be?" Julia asked. "I would guess not. I have never processed my own lumber before. But its like building the cabin we are stacking productivity bonuses on top of each other. This skill has a Bonus from Bond, and we add the Title Bonus for Land Claim, plus I used my Skill Improvement on it, and then I have the Master Tool, so we always have the right tool. I think that we really have been quite lucky with what is going on, and in what classes we selected." Julia thought about that, "I mean that makes sense but it still feels too easy. And to think that Oreburn said that even better benefits await a Family." "True. So furniture. I think that we start with two elevated platforms for sleeping." Theo said, and Julia nodded, "Then I thought we could do a divider in the middle of the sleeping platforms so that we can have some privacy. then a table and a bench are probably next in order, and then finally, some shelving to store things." "That sounds like a plan, and for some of it I can imagine how, but we don''t have nails. And what about the door and windows?" Julia wondered how Theo would solve these issues. "So I think I can get the divider and sleeping platforms done with pegs, and tenon joints. As far as other stuff though, I think we need to go on a bit of an expedition. Lets go look for a cave or something that might have some ore in it, copper and tin, maybe something else. Or, we can try and find a monster that has metallic spines that we could use as nails." Theo said. "It would be our first adventure, off of the Overlook." Julia said, she sounded hesitant. "I also had a thought about that." Theo said, "We should do a run through the Dungeon Access Crystal, maybe it will give us loot, but it will at least give us a little more combat experience before we leave the relative safety of the overlook." Julia pondered that for a moment. "What kind of weapon should I look for if we have choices? I know that you have been trying to show me how to use a knife, but I don''t feel like an up close and personal type of Gal." Theo mumbled something to himself. Julia didn''t catch it, "Sorry what did you say?" Theo blushed a bright Crimson, "I uh, made a stupid joke." Julia smiled, she loved jokes. "Was it a ''thats what she said'' joke?" "Um no, I said, that you might not be an up close and personal Gal, but you''re a Gal who I wanna be up close and personal with..." Theo said, not meeting her eyes, as he knew the joke was really dumb. Julia tried to keep a strait face, but something about the massive man who had leapt in front of a lion for her saying such a juvenile joke, while also hinting that he most certainly had thought about her like that. Well it did something for her, she finally chuckled. She put a hand on his shoulder, "One day if your a good boy, and jump in front of more lions, I might hug you again." "Can''t reward that joke too much." Julia thought to herself. "OH, ouch, I mean I know it was bad, but come one, I got to fight more lions for a hug. I mean I feel like a lion is worth at least a kiss." Theo said, hoping he had read the mood right. Julia blushed, the flirty tone was something new from Theo, and she had to admit she didn''t hate it... "Oh, fine, if you fight another lion for me, I will give you a kiss." Theo made an exaggerated fist pumping motion, "Oh yeah!" They both started laughing at that. After deciding that they would each use a charge of the Dungeon Crystal, they got to work on the sleeping platforms. As they worked they chatted about what to expect. Theo finally came up with an answer for Julia''s earlier question. "So you know what you asked before I made that joke?" Theo asked. "Yeah, what weapon should I go for?" "Well with there being Mana, skills, and presumably magic, why not go for like a staff still, but one that lets you cast ranged attacks?" "Ohhh, or a wand!" Julia said excitedly. "A wand..." Theo looked at her, for a moment. "yeah that could work." "I have always wanted a wand." Julia said almost wistfully. "Really?" Theo said giving her an appraising look. "Ravenclaw?" Julia burst out laughing. "No! There was this almost fan fiction type rewrite of the story of Merlin that the author would draw these beautiful illustrations of the wands that people were using, I always wanted to have one of the wands from that story. And for the record I am a Hufflepuff according to some social media fishing scam quiz." Theo laughed, then paused, "I just realized that advertisements were not like... A thing anymore." "Oh go you really know how to talk dirty to girl don''t you." Julia said teasingly. "Ta... Nope never mind." Theo said, sounding resigned. "What I want to hear the dirty joke." Julia said in a playful tone. "I was going to say ''Taxes are gone, you can cum now'' but with a feudal family type system I realized that taxes might be worse." Theo said, blushing at the stupidity of his own joke. "God I would have cum, but that thought is sobering." Julia teased back, then her face grew concerned, "If we establish a family, does that mean that we have to collect Taxes?" "Oh fuck that." Theo said vehemently. "Amen brother." Julia said in solidarity, raising a fist. "Death to Taxes." They chuckled and finished the first platform. They quickly moved onto the second one and continued talking as they worked. Their conversations now had a subtly joking to it. Both of them felt far more comfortable then they had for several days. They finished the second platform and they moved their sleeping arrangements to the platforms. "Okay we have a choice," Theo said, "we can use the Gulmgrot hides to make something that we could lay grass and straw under to have a mattress of sorts, or we can make a divider for some privacy. What do you think?" Julia paused, "Why don''t we process the hides into leather and then decide after we see how it feels?" "Good call," Theo agreed, he grabbed the pile of hides and brought them out to the fire, "Isn''t processing hides supposed to take like a long time?" "Yeah," Julia said, "Hmm well I could feel that I could quit the task at any point with the boards so its not like we could not stop and eat." "Alright, lets do this." He activated his skill, and Julia stood up and walked to where the rest of the loot from the Gulmgrots was stashed. She came back and sat down, they each took a vial and poured about half of it into the hide they were working, and began to spread it with their hands. "ohh, I don''t like this." Julia whined, the Gulmgrot Mucus squishing between her fingers, "Oh, I really don''t like this." "You want to stop?" Theo asked. "No, but I won''t be happy about it." Theo nodded and they worked. They used about half a vial of mucus on each hide. Then thanks the magic of a Skill, they were able to work the mucus into the leather in such a way that it cured. "That is not how that happens normally, right?" Julia said, watching the literally magic change happen again. "No, not at all." Theo said, mesmerized by the process, "it is rather strange." When all was said and done, and they had both used about a gallon of water to get the mucus off their hands, only about forty minutes had passed. What they were left with were forty-seven roughly thirteen by thirteen inch cured hides that felt, okay to the touch. "I can''t sleep on these." Julia said quietly. "All I will think about is that I am laying on mucus." Theo chuckled. "Fair enough, lets do a divider." Julia nodded and they got back to work. A few cuts of wood, some wooden pegs, and all of the remaining five-fifty cord went into sewing the hides together and erecting the barrier. What it resulted in was a five foot tall and seven foot long hide divider strung from the roof and two small columns that clamped the edge of the divider and held it taught. The top of the divider was about six inches from the ceiling, and eighteen inches from the floor. "Sorry it''s not full height." Theo said from his side of the divider. He saw Julia''s legs swinging as she sat on her sleeping platform. "It''s fine, it will let us have some privacy but still allow us to let heat and cold cycle as needed." She responded. They had skipped lunch and decided that they would eat a late lunch and be done working. They sat around the fire, and Theo used some of his coco mix to make them hot chocolate, the cold gusts of wind had continued throughout the day. Julia sighed in content, her tunic keeping her mostly warm, other than her face being chilled by the gusts of cold, and her breath filled with the cent of hot chocolate. "This is good," Julia said, "thanks for sharing." "Of course." Theo said, looking into the fire. The sun still had a couple hours to set. And he was relaxed. "So before all this, what did you do?" "Oh, I don''t even know, I was kind of on-again-off-again attending school. I didn''t really have a plan." Julia said. "What about you." "You could not have paid me to go to college." Theo said, "I was working as a night observer for a aerospace adhesive manufacturer." "I''m sorry what?" Julia snorted, "that sounds like." "I got paid to watch glue dry?" Theo chuckled, "you are close, I got paid to watch glue not dry. I specifically watched the mixing vats. It was all automated so I literally was only there incase the machine broke down or something. We also did a lot of repairs to the machines, so being mechanically inclined was a must. But that is useless now. What were you going to school for?" Julia sighed, "I don''t know, my dad wanted me to go for something like business, and so I toke some classes towards that. But I love art, so I took a lot of art classes. Sculpture, drawing, that kind of stuff. But after my dad passed, I hadn''t been back." "That is understandable. If you could would you finish the business degree or get an art degree?" Julia thought for a second, "I think I would get an art degree with a minor in business so that I could do what I want while still honoring what my dad wanted for me." "That''s a good choice," Theo said, "if we can get our hands on something to draw with and some paper or something, you will have to draw something for me. I would love to see it." "Oh-ho? Want me to draw you like one of my french girls?" Julia teased. "See now I''m just thinking of you and french girls..." Theo teased right back. Julia paused for a second, "Yeah no that''s hot. I would be into it." They both chuckled and continued bantering for a while. Finally the sun started to set. Theo broke off their conversation, "Alright, I think that it is time for bed, and tomorrow we do a dungeon." Julia agreed. They both went into the cabin, and Julia quickly cast Ward, renewing the wards that she had placed on the cabin once it was completed. They both clambered under their meager covers. "Good night Theo." Julia said from her side of the curtain. "Night nigh Julia." Theo responded and they both fell asleep. As the sun crested the horizon, Theo and Julia were awakened by the System speaking into their minds.