《Full Deck: Daggersoul in the Diamondlands》


 Prologue: A Drunken Dance

    Inkwell Mining Company owned the town and the suburb next to the ore and opal mine roughly 4 days travel outside of Kimberglade on the Diamondlands. The mine had recently found the opal vein and it had done the mine¡¯s owner, a gnome merchant, Alfius Inkwell a good turn in the market. The town as a result of the new wealth had agreed to hold a festival, paid for by Alfius to celebrate and reward the Miners.


    The town attached to Inkwell did not have the best reputation, it was a haven for those looking to lie low or get out of the jurisdiction of the capital city in the Diamondlands. The mine employed a large number of the dwarves and gnomes, and they lived in the suburb. While in the town proper was a mix of travelers, shopkeepers and permanent workers for the den-like inns and taverns. These workers and travelers alike were the several races that called the planet, The Deck, their home. The races were many and varied from humans to Avain birdfolk to tall standing short limbed lizard folk, and too many others to figure. The main races of Diamondland were Gnomes, Humans, and dwarfs. The ladder was the most respected if only middling in population and many of the dwarven families were rich and granted titles and lands as lords and nobles.


    Humans were numerous in population and middling rank and status. While the most numerous were the gnomes. This was due to the fact that gnomes worked to build families of massive proportion seeking to grow a family based on the 26 letters in the alphabet they had inherited from a stranger from another world who was a hero to the gnomes of the Diamondland lore. Children born were given alphabetical names attempting to reach the end of the letters in the pattern. It was also not rare for gnomes to have large births of twins, triplets and even a known circumstance of decuplet.


    The rest of the races in the Diamondlands were far and varied and often there were only dozens of that family or species. Several of these were moving through Inkwell mining town and they were all invited to the celebration in Inkwell, as long as they were there they could come.


    On the night of the celebration, the parents and older members of the town and community drank and sang and played. The day had been filled with games and competitions for the children and teens to get worked up and worn out, giving the parents a night off to party and enjoy as their kids slept.


    One of these revelers was not a parent, he was a gnome and a monster hunter. He was also drunk, really he was the drunk, the town¡¯s drunk. He sat in his usual haunt, an ale house in the center of the town called Tiny¡¯s Whey. Known for the strongest beer and the best cheese, and the monster hunter loved both. He had a spot at the bar where he always sat, chatting occasionally with the barmaids, the bartender, and the bar-patrons, usually in a mashed up and inaudibly slurred manner. If you could understand him, it was usually a threat in the form of a joke that was then repeated more audibly as a compliment to whomever tried to utter ¡°huh¡± or ¡®what¡± to the bedraggled and scrappy gnome. Then he would drink, his name was Koren Tidestamer.


    For a gnome, Koren was less child-like and more a tiny grizzled old bastard. He had no facial hair to hide his scars and had much brighter eyes than the dwarfs who he was often mistaken for with his more stout frame. Those eyes were blue and the only hair he did have was curly and wild and light brown springing from the sides around his head like a bush of curlroot. His clothing was usually simple, an off-white shirt that was too big for him hanging over dark tights and boots. The belt across the shirt had his pouches and components from his trade as a hunter. They were in veils and cases affixed to the belt. His face could be called handsome for his kind, but drinking and life both aged him in the 52 years he had been a drunk, a hunter and a Player.


    The scars of a life as a Player and then monster hunter weren''t anything small, but the rewards could fund a good life of drinking cheap beer and great cheese. That is really all Koren wanted with his life, but on this night there was something in store that destroyed that idea for a lifetime. This was the night that Koren and Inkwell would be destroyed.


    The attack came swiftly like a wave over a storming beach. The tidal enemies encircled and attacked the town of drunk patrons and townsfolk. The attackers were a nomadic tribe of goblins and feral races numbering around 950. It was a coordinated force that blitzed the gate, no force had been set out, no attack was ever suspected for the meaningless and populated mining town. There was little wealth in the town prior to this and it is rare for a criminal to rob their own home.


    The forces that moved in and began to cut down and plunder the town and the suburb that night were not interested in leaving anything to tell of their attack however. In the aftermath of the attack very few survivors were ever found or questioned, but they all remarked of the brutality and horrors of the night. There were a few that saw the fighters of the town that were able to get enough sense or sober up enough to fight back. In Koren¡¯s case, he was in the best state to defend and retaliate for his particular style of fighting.


    Once the screams and clanging sounds began outside Most people in Tiny¡¯s Whey ran from the bar or began to find a place to hide from the goblins. Koren was one of the ones that went out, but it was not for the same reasons as other patrons of the bar. He stood with purpose, wobbling and swaying toward the door.


    ¡°Get back here and down, you¡¯re going to get killed out there!¡± the bartender, a slender gnome beauty named Sayeen, called. Koren had always seen her as the daughter he never had. She gave him drinks and laughed easily.


    ¡°Mmmfph I gotta yer killed in may shash,¡± hurp, he ended the drunken sentence with a gross hiccup and burp.


    He drew his knives and pushed open the doors, Koren instantly threw the smaller of the two 10 feet up the street into the eye of the closest passing goblin. At a thought the knife was back in his left hand. It was a prize from his time as a player, he called it Flicker. The knife had a leaf shaped blade of steel attached to a short light handle and was ideal for quick swipes and even quicker throws. It could return to his hand at a mental command. Along with speed and power boosts he had placed on the blade using the scores he had accumulated.


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    Another goblin rushed him. Koren ducked low and stabbed into the stomach of the charging foe with his second knife Spark. The wound caught fire as the knife was withdrawn and he expertally stabbed it in again and again lighting fires with each exit. Spark was a single edge hunting knife, almost a short sword to the child sized gnome. On the opposite side of the blade was a striker flint that created the flame naming for the blade. The sparking attack could be triggered with mental or spoken command.the boosts for this weapon had come in the form of special attack specific to the blade. The two daggers could not be more different, one distinctly a tool and the other a doubtless weapon, but in Koren¡¯s hand they were an extension of his fighting style. In many ways they were truly him.


    He threw the body to the side and sighted a group, his player HUD marking the targets and filling with the readouts he had earned in the years of training and completing levels to gain his attributes, skills, special moves and abilities.


    His dance began¡­


    The goblins were in clumps of 5 or more outside the alehouse plundering and doing unspeakable horrors to the dead or dying. Koren flew high and gracefully, the Indominace attribute he had was a tire-ed up version of Swift called Soaring Fool. The notification when he had received it recalled his notable movements and ¡®goofy¡¯ postures during a Horde level fight with waves of some hopping frog monsters. He sort of emulated them here landing either in or around the groups of goblins. He then completed his special attacks and techniques from his chosen form of combat, a style called the tavern brawler or drunken boxing.


    It focused on a fighter¡¯s momentum and manipulating an enemy''s movement. He swayed to avoid and seemed to absorb a hit or strike before working with the attack to off balance or over extending the attacker. It was risky and he subsequently suffered minor hits and scratches in return for dealing a more devisting and often killing stab with either Spark or Flicker when he had the knife in hand. One of the Special Attacks he had gotten early on gave him a quick and more accurate throwing arm, it was called Range Master. He could throw the knife 15 times into a target in under a minute during training with as much as he had leveled up the move.


    Koren moved from group to group cutting down goblins and savage nomads like a violent rampaging river battering stones and obstacles. He came in contact with a larger Hobgoblin, rolling under its legs and stabbed it in the thigh from behind with Flicker. Then the foe falling to its knees would be at his smaller height and he would cut its throat before willing Flicker to his hand and throwing it again at another incoming enemy. Then another.


    Koren had completed several horde levels with swarming enemies and knew how to fight groups like this attack. He had no spells as he had focused his attention on the first magical item he had received, Spark before gaining Flicker in his 3rd level, a boss room against some large draconic dog beast.


    Koren knew how to contain his energy and he stayed relatively in the same area, he could not worry too much about his family. The town was scattered to the winds in the chaos and finding them would be like a needle in a haystack or a coin in a cap collection. Besides the other members of his clan were far more capable than even he was, most of them even still did levels and gained exp outside of them with Monster Hunting. Koren had not been on a hunt since he was last paid, he wanted to drink though that stack first.


    After several moments of fighting the street had been cleared and the groups of running enemies and fleeing townspeople subsided. His arms were ready and his feet were planted as Koren Searched for more enemies to fight, then he saw one.


    His drunken hazy sight was defined and enhanced thanks to the player HUD that he gained from his Intelligence attribute named Defiant Delinquent. It gave him several skills that were attributed to perception and insight stats despite the constant state of inebriation he maintained. They were the least on his set of stats, but with his high rank that is still better than the non-player.


    As Koren began to move down the street to more foes a new threat entered the area of his perception.The enemy was tall and wiry more of a scarecrow than a person. He even had the same straw hat and a long coat open and flapping in a breeze that seemed present to only him. He wore tight pants and a shirt of mail that hugged his frame under the flowing coat. It was all black, but the skin showing under the brim of the hat was pale on his too angular human face. As he approached 15 feet from Koren, he looked up revealing almond shaped blue eyes and black hair like torched straw. He turned to the side, his gloved hand resting a long curved hilt that sat at his belt under his coat.


    He smiled like a skull, ¡°You seemed to have handled them well.¡± His words were quick and clipped like an order given with no thought that it would be denied, ¡°I wonder how much strength you have left? Is it enough to put up a good fight?¡±


    Koren slumped forward while wailing a response in slurred and mashed words, ¡°Fick oofff! Aye yer bitkin, hurp daster fffffleet carp. Ale sht yer up for burning my town!¡±


    The scarecrow was confused and it was clear on his face. Eyebrows drawn down trying to piece together the words then the situation. ¡°Are¡­ are you drunk?¡±


    Then Koren pounced and danced once again, he was on the offensive hoping to throw off the stranger and take him out quickly. This was an enemy above the others however. He did not draw his blade but darted and dove to avoid the swipes and jabs of the two knives. He moves like a viper strikes with precision and danger. His eyes squinted watching to gain a strategy or pattern he could exploit to end the brawl, but in drunken boxing one very rarely moves with any understandable pattern.


    The stranger¡¯s opponent was not tired or exhausted, letting him know that they might be of a similar rank. This means the fight would not be simple, but it could be quick. The attacking drunken gnome was like a tornado in bluster and devastation. If one were to see the fight between them it would have seemed like a choreographed scene rather than a rapid impulsive burst as it truly was.


    Koren knew there was trouble as the foe began to draw his blade and he finally switched from the defensive movements. It did not matter as the blade came singing from the sheath with the sound of death and a single exacting movement. Korens body flew with the movement, he had one chance to work with and try to lessen the sweeping blade. It gave him some distance, but he had to accept a long and deep cut across the chest.


    He flew through the air turning and throwing Flicker as he felt the cut sting through his dullened sense and steal away his life. The knife flew true and planted in the eye of the scarecrow, Koren smiled before his body impacted the building behind him and he slumped to the ground upside down and drooling blood.


    Koren was coherent enough to call back the blade, sad to see it did not have the eyeball on it and aware enough to try and throw it again. This time the man¡¯s blade swiped it from the air and he screamed as he darted forward and stabbed directly into Koren¡¯s stomach, spine and the wall behind him.


    As Koren died his body was accepted into the ash of death, like all players who have survived to die in the real world rather than in the levels created to help them grow by the gods of the Deck. Koren was given a second chance however, but knew in a way that he could gain advantage alone. It was a chance to pass on his mastery using the tool and weapon he had most trained with during his life. His soul became bound to the knives of Flicker and Spark, so that whoever wields them in the future could call on and learn from him once they connected to the weapons and him. His equipment disappeared to be recycled into the great game of the Deck as prizes for other players to receive, possibly diminished but all was recycled.


    As for the Town of Inkwell it fell that night as well despite a valiant battle put on by the several skilled players who called the town home or were just passing through. Their abilities were great, but the number of enemies bent on killing and slaughter was greater. The Scarecrow was only one of the generals that night who orchestrated the attack and he still wears the scar of the attack he had won. The town and mine were reclaimed by the king months later but by then the looters and generals had moved on and there was barely anything left of Inkwell and Koren¡¯s existence at all.

 Chapter and part 1: Terry’s No-Good, Awful, Very Bad Day

    Terry Owens was up before even the witching hour of 3am, his faculties were nowhere near in order. He had several bad days before this, but it is repetition that makes a habit that makes it routine. Awful had become Terry¡¯s personal habit.


    It had really been an awful month, or a couple months for Terry. It all started when his girlfriend broke up with him. Four years with the same person and she just up and leaves because ¡°he was too boring¡±, as Claire had put it. Of course, Kyle, his roommate, was not too boring. She ran off with him after all was said and done. Terry found out only a week later, a week after graduation.


    Since then, his friends had been trying to set him up on blind dates. He only had a few of those friends left. Several of them sided with her on the boring argument and decided to just ghost him or write him off. The friends that he did keep were nice and helpful or at least they thought they were helping, but these blind dates were getting worse and worse each time.


    When a long term couple breaks up It often follows with the burden for the friends to choose which side they want to be on. Terry knew they''d choose Claire over him. For the most part they were originally her friends. That always seemed to happen to Terry, he never made his own friends, he always had other people who were in his life and their friends just included him.


    The people who were his ¡°friends¡± over hers, and had been setting up these blind dates, were acquaintances, tutors and other people that he was forced to spend time with and did not like to see him unhappy. This was not out of overall kindness, but because it made their work with him more awkward if he was unhappy or distracted. He had never been great at keeping up with people outside of school obligations or work obligations to see them. Terry could talk well with others when it was forced or required, but when he was left to his own devices for conversation and companionship. He was very much lacking.


    The dates had been really bad, he had gone out on 4 dates with partners he almost considered pranks for their absurdness. One was a devout Christian who spent the whole movie, she had picked to go see with him, explaining the possible future he could have in the church with her father and brother. They worked as custodial staff at the church and more hands were always welcome for praise and cleansing. He had declined dinner after the show complaining about a stomach ache. He did not contact her again.


    The next was a woman who drank 4 drinks before he even showed up at the bar and when he got there she had four more. At one point, he thought the date was going well, but he came back from the bathroom to find her making out with the bartender over the bar. He went to leave and as he was walking by, she came out of the kiss and screamed ,almost apologetically ¡°I thought he was you¡± to Terry. He shook his head at the train wreck and left her with the bill.


    Blind dates 3 and 4 were both late and even though they were seemingly normal he offended one by referring to a show she liked as okay and the other had just ghosted him for the past 3 days after their date.


    He never had a problem with being single. It was other people who seemed to have a problem with him being single. He''d never dated through high school or middle school. Claire was really just a fluke, he had accidentally hit her car with his bike. While they were talking about how he could pay for any damages. He mentioned taking her out to eat and eventually they just went on a date. He hadn''t even really been sure how they became a couple. It was just like three or four dates in which they just decided it worked and he had been happy.Terry didn''t even really feel like it was his decision to be with her. She just kept him around and then dropped him one day. Terry didn¡¯t really even feel that bad about it, if he was being honest.


    Terry was not sure about relationships entirely, even familiar ones like his mom, Terri. She entered into relationships and even got married from time to time.. Her most recent relationship was to Ron. A standoffish widower, his wife had died of cancer two years before he met Terri. He had two kids, Caleb and Sarah who were both grown and out of the house. So Ron was not happy to have another child under his roof. It was he who convinced Terri to send her son to boarding school.


    ¡°It¡¯s good for the boy to learn some independence and meet more people his own age¡± Ron said one night.


    Terri replied, ¡°he has never been away from me for that long. It''s always been him and I since his father left.¡± Terry overheard this all from his room down the hall from theirs, he was 12 at the time. Ron''s house was smaller than the ones he had lived in before. Terry had his own room, but the 2 bedroom condo was slightly cramped for three.


    ¡°He can¡¯t stay by your side forever, Terri. The school board around here is full of asses and he would get a better chance away from that.¡± Ron seemed to always have an answer to his mom''s objections. The conversation was not as long as Terry would have thought, his mom almost easily folding to the cold logic of Ron''s arguments. They told him the next morning and he was there a month later, two states away in a boarding school near the mountains. The change in setting was jarring and Terry stayed there most of the year only coming back for 2 weeks in winter and a month in the summer. This was only if his family could afford the plane ticket for him. There were half a dozen instances where he went over a year without seeing his mother at all.


    All this time without the reassurance of his family, left him behaving more formally and less intimate with classmates. The resentment that he felt to others was obvious to anyone who paid attention, and he did nothing to hide it from peers who bragged about going home to see loved ones and going on holidays. As a result he got labeled as a rude and somewhat cold individual. Terry was however liked well enough by teachers, having a thirst for knowledge and a mind for events and history.


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    Terry occasionally wrote letters to his mom, but these were impersonal and focused on what he was learning or was doing at the school. The letters and calls were more frequent in college, but often they were mean and fighting over the treatment and lack of relationship between the mother and son. Then the worst happened between the Graduation break-up and the landslides of the dates.


    Before the ghosting of the 4th and final blind catastrophe, Terry received a message from his stepdad, Ron. iIt read ¡°There was an accident and Terri¡¯s been hurt. You should try and come over if you can, she wants to see you.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Terry demanded calling him immediately, knowing it would be hard to make it over. He had stayed in the state of his boarding school for college, finding the mountains more calming and permanent than the windswept plains of his step-father¡¯s state.


    ¡°It was the other driver''s fault, he apparently fell asleep at the wheel or something like that. We were t-boned at an intersection and she was in the passenger seat. The doctor says it is a simple surgery, but you know your mother is always frightened by the simplest things.¡± Ron explained nonchalantly, and he sounded confident that she would be alright.


    But the surgery had a complication, they found something inside her, a tumor, and the only flight Terry could get was a week out. This was awful and his last week of work as a cashier in the college cafeteria, had wracked with worry over his mother''s situation. He had heard about the tumor and knew that there was not much time. Last night he had gotten a final call from Ron saying he was too late and his mother had died from stage 4 breast cancer.


    Terry still had to go back. He had no job or place here now. He barely had a home to go back to through. Everything was already packed and many of his things were shipped to save on luggage. All he had to take back now was a backpack full of odds and ends and a duffle bag for some of his clothes and his only real companion left in the world.


    Before Terry left for college, he went to his mother''s house and had a month with her after not seeing her for about 2 years. He had grown an attachment to one of the science rooms'' many mascot animals. Amphibians, reptiles and many other interesting critters were kept in terrariums around the room. He convinced his mom to get him a turtle he named Rosa. The painted shell turtle was a true friend for the 4 years he was away at college. She was adorable and tiny, only the size of Terry¡¯s palm. She had red and yellow paint stripes on her face and shell almost like a painter speckled her with many drops of their brush.


    She was in her travel container now. This was a gallon jar with air holes in the top and a collection of rocks and sticks to create a semblance of her larger terrarium. There was also a small bowl from a sushi place he liked for her water. He put one of the lettuce leafs he saved for her in as he put on his only clean outfit. The rest would be washed later when he went to Ron¡¯s for what he hoped was the last time before the funeral. He had saved a bit to get his first apartment and Terry had already talked to a few locals in the town about potential jobs, he did not want to be at the mercy of Ron¡¯s hospitality any longer then he needed to be. The only real memories he had of this step father was the lack of him during the times he came home and the fact it was his idea to send him away in the first place.


    Terry had a lanky and skinny body with a peachy freckled face. He preferred simple and colorless clothes that draped more than actually fit him. His Outfit on this day was a gray hoodie over black jeans with his black Chucks. He had a thin face much like his mothers and the other trait he had from her was his unruly brown hair. It puffed and poofed in all directions like a bush or tangle of fluffy dark cloud stuff. His eyes were the only piece from his dad, who he never met. They were blue and rather his most striking feature, people often saying they were truly memorable and very handsome. He was never able to get a beard or barley stubble, he only shaved once a month.


    He gathered up the last pieces of his kit and carefully carried Rosa down to his car. He was selling the crappy beat up ¡®98 Civic sedan at the airport to a service center. They were towing it from a particular parking area and he would get an easy $560 for the final drive of the car.


    He didn¡¯t even bother to look back as he left the college parking lot for the last time. ¡°Well that is over and this new chapter to begin, Rosa.¡± Terry often talked to the turtle, who was sitting in his front seat with a buckle drawn and secured around the jar so that it would not dump or fall over during the early morning commute. ¡°I just want some better news. I didn¡¯t get to say goodbye, but at least I can put some dirt on the grave and leave my lack of family and friends here to whatever they wanna be away from me.¡± he was rambling a bit. Terry did not like to admit his shortcomings, but really who does.


    ¡°I barely even miss her, or them now¡±, sorrow does weird things to people. It can allow them to see some things very clearly while clouding the overt and obvious. For instance right now, with this being his first and only break up, Terry could feel a strong amount of twisting and churning in his stomach. The feeling was uncomfortable and he had even thrown up from the queasiness earlier this week. This feeling on top of the abandonment and lack of closure from not saying goodbye to his own mother, had made him particularly moody and irritable, along with the nausea-inducing sickness from the worry and the breakup. In short, Terry was a wreck.


    This was no state for a person to be driving in, as he got on the interstate heading to the airport at roughly 4:05 am. He pressed hard on the gas. Terry wanted to go fast, he was moving not only to get where he wanted to go, but for the feeling of control and power. The highway was empty thankfully, no one there to see the Civic reach 85 mph and then at 88 something else happened.


    He had music on listening to whatever new rock song was on the radio, just something loud to keep him awake at the earlier hour. He was bobbing his head to the bass and drum barely noticing the lights zipping by. Wait, lights like bolts flashing around my car? It better not be the engine sparking, he thought, catching a glimpse finally. But the lights were not coming from the engine, he realized focusing on them. They were extending from a point in front of the vehicle and shooting from there along the boxy lines of the Civic. Terry was momentarily mesmerized by the streaks that danced and flashed around him and then they were in the car as well. The hair on his arm stood up like static shock off a carpet. The world felt like it slowed around him, the electric feeling buzzing inside him now and in the next second his car was gone from the interstate with a flash and a burning trail from where his tires had been.

 Chapter 2: The Joker’s Gambit

    ¡°Well you look positively awful¡­ I think that will do nicely¡± was the first thing Terry heard as he opened his eyes, he did not remember closing them. The voice was musical and casual, it was almost happy and maleficent all and once. He did not like the feeling it gave him. There was suddenly a pit where his stomach was, it was all thanks to that voice.


    ¡°Not much to look at, but they never are at first. This world can change you, but not always in the way you want¡­ yet it is always the way you need. Look at me boy and I will give you a tale before you¡¯re forced out into this place.¡± the voice said, it was like a command in the end.


    Terry looked around in almost a dreamy state, the place around him was strange. It was a void, he was floating in a white void with nothing near or far around him. Then there was a man that popped in front of him, but this man was also strange and almost stranger than the void. He wore a clown suit, all one piece with bright colors lining his puffy sleeves and leggings.  The stripes on his sleeves were red, gold, and blue. The chest part was done up with gold buttons with a green vest done up with the same buttons. There was a thick red belt with a bright red jester''s hat on the buckle. The same hat was on his head with the same colors as the stripes on his sleeves. Tinkling bells danced of their own accord on the pointed end that dangled around his face.


    That face was painted white, with black around the eyes that made them seem to pop out at you. There was red on his lips and nose and green in a circle almost encompassing that creepy predator''s smile. Yet it was a playful grin, but it was not the sort of play that anyone would look forward to. Under the hat his hair was many colors striped in a rainbow, poofing out in a curly light afro. This man was the definition of a clown.


    ¡°Hello, hello there, it¡¯s Terrence right? But you like Terry don¡¯t you. I mean, do you seem to like anything these days? You seem a bit brooding, hmmm. Well it has been hard for you¡± a screen expanded in front of them and on it played the day Clair had broken up with him. It was like there was a camera where his eyes were, it was like living it all over again. ¡°Yeah that is a tough break there, and then¡± Then it changed, the scene was now like a montage of the blind dates. ¡°These were fun to see, truly miserable you are here¡± the clown laughed and continued to taunt and jibe Terry, who was feeling more hot and embarrassed as the odd movie moved on.


    Then the scene changed again. ¡°And this was the crowning moment, where I knew I could set my cards and pull you in here for an offer and a chat.¡± The scene was not from his eyes this time. This was outside as a car t-boned another. He saw that Ron intentionally ran the red light and was hit on the passenger side by the car speeding through the green. It was night, but the streetlight showed what happened clearly and he heard his mothers scream as the car was about to hit. His head swam, Ron got out of the car yelling and screaming curses at the other driver. It didn¡¯t even seem like he realized something happened to his wife before the clip changed. Now he was in a hospital, he could see from the instruments attached to his mother. She had her face buried in her hands and Ron was white faced listening to the doctor explain the stage 4 cancer they had found. When the scene changed again a sheet on a table in the morgue with his mother underneath waiting for the funeral that was supposed to happen soon.


    Terry¡¯s eyes were wet, he had just seen the whole situation, the final moment of his mother¡¯s life and it was horrible. He felt the clown put an arm around his shoulders. ¡°I know it hurts,¡± the clown spoke very softly at first, but then went right back to the musical malevolence he had spoken like before, ¡°but because you are now alone, you can really and truly escape. Escape to the Deck!!!!¡± He spun Terry to not a screen, but a view of what could only be a planet.


    It was a mainly blue marble spinning, the land masses that he saw were alien and then familiar. The continents were in the shapes from a deck of cards, a diamond, heart, clubs, and spade almost exactly as if drawn by a practiced hand and thrown onto the ball at random. The Diamond and heart were close to one another and on nearly the other side of the world and slightly north was the spade. Between those two masses and far south, like Australia, was the landmass shaped as clubs.


    ¡°What is the Deck¡± Terry replied, speaking for the first time, his voice was croaky and hard like he had not spoken for days. He did not want to talk about what the screen had shown him. He needed a distraction from all that awful.


    ¡°This is the Deck!¡± The clown held out an arm like he was presenting a project to Terry. ¡°And you get to go there and get away from all the problems you have on your earth. This is my planet and it has very special conditions, wanna know what they are? Of course you do¡± The clown barely let him answer and Terry was just glad to not see his dead mother on the screen. The image changed as he was turned around again to face it.


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    ¡°In this world, you can have power and abilities. You can use magic you will barely be able to describe or understand. You can fight monsters and lead parties against enemies beyond explanation. All of this is in the pursuit to make you stronger and truly unstoppable¡­ Or you can just die and get that over with.¡± He explained as the images on the screen showed an animated Terry fighting and flexing and leading and at the end it showed him being struck down with an arrow to the face. This was all animated like a cartoon, not much better than stick figures, but he could tell the character on screen was meant to be him from his curly hair on the figure''s head. Terry gulped as the arrow stuck into his head and his eyes turned into x¡¯s.


    ¡°In order to help you grow and learn more about this world I have brought you here¡± the clown gestured around and the screen collapsed and went away. He walked around turning and spinning as he talked. ¡°This is my tutorial. I am a god of this world, not the only one but I think you will find that I am different from the others here¡± he said and his grin was white and menacing, the pit returned to Terry¡¯s stomach. ¡°Think of this as a test or a training to see if you can be worthy of the power you could gain in your new world. Complete this and you begin a journey only some from your world would even dream of.¡±


    ¡°But who are you, A god! What do you mean? Another world? A tutorial? I don¡¯t understand.¡± Terry was confused before, but what the clown had just said seemed to snap him out of the spell he was in.


    ¡°OH me¡­ I¡¯m the Joker can¡¯t you tell¡± the clown said with a smile. ¡°I bring others into my world, into our world really. I have two brothers. The King and his Jack. Also the King has his Queen of course.¡± He spoke like it was a riddle though it seemed plain enough. ¡°And Yes this is a whole new world, there are many worlds but that is not important, you will only see this one, The Deck for now.¡±


    ¡°After the tutorial another will answer questions for you. I wanna make sure you are capable before I get too invested¡­¡± The smile on the Joker¡¯s face was darker than the statement, it made Terry shudder.


    ¡°I guess I can give you a little bit, you see The Deck is a world of fun, trials and magic. Real magic, mind you, not card tricks or pulling this outta that. Spells and incantation and potions like in stories! and this magic is everywhere and a part of everything. You can gain the magic through trials called Levels. Levels are challenges that you are able to take part in to grow strong and become powerful. You may also win prizes in the levels. Anything can happen in these levels, mind you. That is why I am testing you. To offer you a tutorial and let you lose in a new world away from all your troubles.¡±


    As the clown talked he danced here and there as if they were not floating in an endless white void. He danced like a school-boy skipping and prancing. like this would be the most fun Terry would ever have.


    The sight was unnerving to Terry, but the words drew him in. Terry didn¡¯t have a reason to return, he barely had a plan for the next month let alone the rest of his life. This Deck seemed like it could be an escape and it seemed too good to be true. Magic? Spell and incantation. MAGIC? He said before it could change me, what does that mean? Is this all too good?, thought raced through his head.


    The clown continued unaware and still dancing. ¡°Every tutorial is different and any god can give a tutorial. Mine are not the most difficult, but I try to make them fun! I am always making things more fun, but I want you to be strong and to be better than you were before. When I bring in someone from the outside, they need to work twice as hard to belong after all. There are not just humans in this world, but peoples from all the planets and worlds and lands, that is really how it is in most places. It¡¯s Earth that is the strange one. But enough about that, we can¡¯t get side tracked. Do you want in or shall I drop you back on the road with no memory of this ever happening, you just get the feeling that you missed an opportunity, really and truly an opportunity of a lifetime.¡±


    Terry fumbled and stumbled out some words. He would try anything usually at least once, but this was a decision that seemed much bigger than the gravity the Joker seemed to give it. ¡°What about my things? Rosa and my clothes¡­ I just can¡¯t leave without telling someone something¡­¡±


    The Joker cut in, ¡°but who do you tell, and what do you tell them? I would like to be a fly on the wall with that one ¡®oh Ron I am going to go to a different planet with magic and levels.¡¯ Really Terry, do you think he would care? I mean I know a lot and that guy never liked you, so you not showing up is really just what he thinks you will do. You¡¯re barely a blip in his life, you lasted just about the same really. Or you going to say something to Claire, she was right when she told you that you were boring. You need to get some adventure on your trail before you have a lady again. Not that Claire is a lady mind you, Kyle and her were not just a thing after you two broke up, you know.. He is very exciting, well not really but I am a god and all I can do is judge¡­¡± The Joker went on and on. Each example drove it home more and more for Terry. No one back home would miss him, no one would go looking. Maybe he was boring, but this was a chance to change that.


    Terry finally got to cut into the rambling to ask one question, ¡°Can I at least get my turtle back, Rosa? She might not miss me the same way a human does, but I would at least worry about her if I left?¡±


    The Joker¡¯s smile put the pit back in Terry¡¯s stomach. ¡°Well of course, in fact let''s make her part of the fun. ¡®She might not miss you like a human,¡¯ you said. But we can make her a little closer to one.¡± with that the Joker laughed and the pit was replaced with ice and a feeling like dread. Then the clown snapped his fingers and cartwheeled away and the void started to change around Terry


    Ground came first under his shoes, a nice grass field that stretched endlessly in all directions. Out of the ground came obstacles. Some of them were just inclines, others were walls, all were made of earth. Rocks came from the ground to litter the field and he could see holes and divots in the floor, some a single step across and others he might need to leap. Tall trees of no discernible type and thick bushes came next. They created paths within the obstacles like an extreme trail head each of them twisting and turning out of sight and soon there was not much sight to see. There were too many trees and foliage like a forest untamed. The paths disappeared ahead and he had no clue how long he had been standing there watching the world change around him.

 Chapter 3: Back to Terry’s No-Good, Awful, Very Bad Day

    Level Tutorial of the Joker: Welcome to the Jungle


    Then there was a voice, Terry could not tell if it was out loud or only in his head:


    ¡°Today for consideration and tutorial, we have Terrance Benjamin Owens. Terry, as he prefers, is invited to the Joker¡¯s Tutorial ¡®Welcome to the Jungle¡¯!!! You will need to choose one of the pre-laid paths through the trees. Make your way to the end to receive a prize. This is a tutorial, complete the challenges as they come and you see fit. GOOD LUCK TERRY!!!¡±


    The voice did not seem to echo as the message finished. There were 5 different paths around him and each went in a different direction and were blocked from view by turns and the prevailing brush. Terry decided one path was as good as any other and started to make his way forward. After a few steps he stopped and looked behind him. A black wall was where he had started, it was impenetrable to sight and he knew there was no turning back.


    Terry continued on the trail. It was narrow, barely wide enough for him to walk along without turning sideways to avoid a branch or the strange bushes. What made the bushes strange, was the sticky residue on the leaves whenever he brushed against one. Something told him to not let that residue get on his skin.


    After a bit he got to a hole, he was able to step across, but the existence of the hole felt like a testing of his skills, as if the obstacles in his path would get greater and greater. The black wall behind him was not close, but he could feel it there, almost like a looming presence that pushed him forward. He began to move faster, at first it was a simple jog.


    The view around him was not pleasant and added to his unease. The trees were blocking all sight lines and Terry felt a pressure as he moved along. It had stared in his stomach then his chest it grew to a feeling of isolation from the world around him when it truly sunk in.


    Terry only partook in one type of sport in school, it was a distraction more than anything and the only other distractions at his boarding school were books and designated computer time for class work or leisure on the weekends. That sport was cross county or long distance running, Terry was not big and strong like other boys that played basketball or football. He did not have the hand eye coordination that others had honed, he had endurance. Terry used this endurance to run and jog for an obscene amount of time. His longest time on the college team was a three and a half hours circuit during the competition season. He did not do this every week, but he always tried to run a decent 45 min to an hour long run three times a week to keep fit in the off seasons of the sport. A light jog like this could be kept for a very long time.


    ¡°It is fine, you¡¯re fine. What is there to go back to? Moving forward is the best option¡± Terry often talked to himself, if he did not have his headphones in during a run. He was alone and he had a direction. This was not a dream he felt the world around him, the sticky bushes and rustling as an unseen breeze moved the branches and leaves around him. This was a world, a new world, and an exciting adventure.


    ¡°No one has done this before and I could see real magic and new races. Aliens! That sounds like a good time, really. I need new experiences! This will be fun¡± He rambled a bit knowing he was alone and there was one to respond to him.


    The next notable obstacle was another hole, this one was too large to simply step over and Terry saw it as he jogged up and did a leap.Terry was not unathletic, He also tried track in field at the boarding school, they did not have a dedicated team at his college for any running sports it was more of a club. He did a mile in about 11:06, and could keep a pace for a long period even finishing a half marathon in his freshman year in about two hours. The hurdles were his favorite, his endurance allowed him to place in several races where others became tired or burned out. The Cross County teams in his school trained and competed in large parks and had to run and practice on trails much like this.


    He jumped another hole in the path and came to a stop at the next one. It had to be about 15 feet across. There was a sort of help with this one though, two swinging rope-like vines. It reminded him of an old video game as the ropes were swinging of their own accord toward and away from him. He took a few steps back and timed his first jump to grab the swinging vine. He did a quick dart and jumped, as the rope came towards him. He grasped it in each hand and swung first back (the rope was sorta moving on its own) then forward as he prepared to reach for the second rope. He made the transition almost smoothly like an amateur Tarzan. He thought of the children''s film and the song popped in his mind, "Son of Man¡± by Phil Collins.


    He smiled thinking back to watching that movie in theaters. It came out around his birthday and he was 11, his mom took him to see it. As he moved to the next jump of three swinging vines with a log to dodge swaging perpendicular part way through, as he remembered the day itself. Terri¡¯s boyfriend at the time had really liked Disney and went with them to see the film, it had been his 3rd or 4th time seeing it actually. He had been one of the good guys, probably why he did not last long. Terri usually was attracted to drama and often made decisions to spice up a relationship. The thing that had broken Terri and the Disney guy up had been a misunderstanding between him and a female coworker that Terri thought he was too close to.


    They broke up about two weeks after that particular outing and Terry was sad to lose a buddy. He never really felt it was his mother''s fault, but as he thought of it now over 10 years later swinging like Tarzan from vine to vine, he found that he did blame his mother for that. Did she just not feel comfortable without an argument or something to push against? Her and Ron had stayed together because Ron always controlled and commanded¡­ Was that what she wanted?


    As he landed on the other side and went back to jogging his mind twisting with the questions on this past event and possible epiphany, he almost ran into the next obstacle.


    He started moving uphill. The incline was not very steep but it did turn left and right making it difficult to keep track of the path. He came to a wall, about 10 feet tall, looming in his path. It had hand holds like a practice rock climbing wall at a park or playground. They were even bright primary colors against the rock wall. It did not take him long to climb it, but when reached the top there was a small ledge and another wall to climb, this one at least 20 feet vertical.


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    ¡°Not sure I like where this is going¡± he said as he moved up to the wall and began grabbing the hand holds. He was only one grip up when he reached for a handhold and it fell off the wall into his hand. He fell back on his butt and looked at the red object in his hand then at the wall. There was a red handhold near him and he gripped it, testing. Sure enough, it came off easily. ¡°Well now, I really don¡¯t like that¡± he said looking at the wall noting the over use of these red hand holds in the design.


    He began to climb again, paying close attention to how he placed his hands and feet. It was slower going, but he got to the top without another fall. He was unhappy to see another wall, this one had similar handholds and was closer to 40 feet tall. ¡°Beginner, intermittent, and expert I guess. I wonder if there is a trick here?¡± he questions looking at the colorful hand holds. There were a good number of each, he reached for a red and it let go after a moment making it so he might have time to use them really quick before reaching for another. The yellow ones were hot to touch, he could stand the heat for a few moments giving him a chance to reach for another. The blue ones were very cold to touch and he realized that if he went from blue to yellow it could burn him less. This was going to be difficult.


    He was puzzling out a path from below when he was struck with a particular feeling. It was like in the cross country races. Often when moving through the paths in the park you did not see fellow runners till you passed them or visa versa. There was a tingle that Terry felt like a racer was coming up behind to pass him and he looked back. The black impenetrable wall was moving towards him. It was eating up the distance on the first wall now and knew he had to move.


    Terry did not hesitate and started with a yellow in his left and blue in his right. He would try his best to keep each hand to one color trying to use the blue more. With his feet it did not matter as much at first, but he felt the rubber of his sole melting after a few times using a yellow for the steps. He was about a third of the way up when the blackness swallowed the halfway point on the second wall. He did not want to look back, but he stumbled on a red and he tried to move faster.


    His hands often slipped off of the blue holds now from the cold numbness in their grip, but as he reached for a yellow, he swore there was a sizzle. That is when he found a clue. In the wall itself, there was a divot very much like the hand holds. He was about half way up when he saw this one and then another within reach of that. He moved to using them instead and the path from these divots was easier to traverse. That clown called these levels like in a video game, I guess this is like a secret or tactical way. I need to keep my eyes open here and think outside the box when I can.


    Just as Terry reached the top, the darkness behind him began swallowing the tallest wall. He continued to move forward to not be swallowed himself. There was only a small landing in front of him and he saw a decline slope leading down and around. Moving down hill was much simpler and allowed for a good increase in speed. It did not help with the first obstacle he faced, another hole. This one was no larger than a step but there was only room for one foot on the other side before another black deep hole a step wide appeared and then another. The holes were placed so that he could not miss a step!


    After 5 or 6 of the step holes, the obstacle changed to wider holes; Terry now leapt across one leg at a time. He could see ahead this theme continued. This slowed his jog considerably, the leaps getting a little further each time. He did not want to miss a jump, he recalled side scroller platformer games where the deep blackness simply swallowed up the player if they fell in, he did not want to find out if that were the case here.


    Terry looked back after the first standing long jump he had to complete. This hole was about 7 feet and he just barely made it across. Landing and huffing out a breath he saw the black wall was moving down the path of stepping holes. When he looked forward he saw he had about 3 more jumps to make. These had larger landing areas allowing him to get a bit of a start before his leap, the holes as a result were a lot longer the last was easily 10 feet across. He had to rush it for these last jumps and then sprint to stay ahead of the wall of darkness. He began a take off for the next jump.


    As Terry flew through the air he decided to keep going and not be careful as he had been on the jumps before. He landed running and flew across the second gap barely landing on the ledge before the final hole. He knew right away he was not going to make the last jump, but his momentum did not let him stop to think of another plan.


    ¡°Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh ssssshhhhiiiiittttttt!¡± he exclaimed as he ran his arms flailing for his final leap over the darkness. Running in the air as he reached for the ledge and Terry began falling short and into the hole. His hands slapped the edge and he was just able to hold on. He was slightly surprised when he swung and did not hit a wall, like he was hanging above a void holding onto a floating platform. Terry pulled up as hard as he could. This was not like climbing out of a pool, but like trying to do a chin up on a bar. The situation however, gave him adrenaline and he forced his way up enough to get a foot on and roll on to the path floor. He huffed with exertion looking back at the approaching wall. Seeing that it had swallowed all the leaping holes, he pushed himself up and began to sprint to create distance. But the next obstacle was neither a hole nor a wall.


    He saw it briefly as he came around a corner. WOOSH! Something swung across the path, and he saw a gauntlet of swinging obstacles moving left to right and right to left across the trail.


    ¡°You gotta be kidding me, man¡­¡± Terry let out still breathing heavily from the climbing, leaping and running. The darkness was eating the road behind him and he had only one way to go. He tried to get the timing right, but after the first and second swinging pole he got hit by the third. It smacked his shoulder as he tried to turn himself out of the way and he went down between two poles and turned around. He then saw the dark wall moving forward like a spreading ink stain on white paper. He did not have time to sit, he had to move.


    Terry did not pay attention to the timing and was smacked several times for his trouble. Each time he tried to make a forward fall over any of the sides. He was determined to reach the other side and not be swallowed by that black wall behind him. The poles were not hindered or stuttered as they wooshed by or plowed him over.


    Terry was so focused on getting to the other side, he didn¡¯t even notice when he passed the final swinging pole and got to the final sprint. Once he realized, he looked back to see the poles being swallowed by the darkness. Terry sprinted terrified by the possibilities the darkness held. In front of him the path continued in a decline toward an opening in the center of the thick forest. He did not have long to go, but Terry swore the darkness was gaining as he ran.


    With a last roar of exertion Terry broke out of the path to the clearing. A feeling of completion came over him and he doubled over panting, his heart racing. Terry looked back up the path to see the final moments of the darkness. Once it reached the clearing, it faded away showing the path he had run.


    ¡°Well that is a relief¡± Terry let out a contented sigh still hunched over.


    ¡°Ya you did alright, I nearly screamed when you missed that jump.¡± Terry spun around at the light feminine voice, but there was no one near him.


    ¡°Where are you? Were you watching me?¡± he questioned the silence around him.


    ¡°I was watching you, it was quite a show, and look down before you step on me or something¡± Terry followed the instructions, looking down to see a familiar turtle in the grass at his feet. It was looking up at him almost expectedly. ¡°Heya, I am your Rosa¡± the turtle seemed to smile.

 Chapter 4: I just do now

    Terry squatted, then sat arms on his knees looking at his pet turtle. She was no different than before, except the voice. It was light and bubbly, full of sweetness and strangely was very close to the idea he had of her voice in his head.


    Terry started questioning, ¡°So you can talk now hmm¡±


    ¡°Yes, the Joker told me I could, he said you asked for me¡± Rosa beamed.


    ¡°You couldn''t talk before right?¡± Terry questioned, only sort of halfway joking.


    She responded patiently like talking to a child, ¡°No I just thought a lot, now I know many things and I can say them¡±


    ¡°You do? wait, what do you know?¡± Terry had so many questions.


    ¡°Well, the Joker gave me the gift of knowledge. He said ¡® you are going to be Terry¡¯s guide and teacher for this world. You can answer anything he asks about this world.¡¯ so now I know everything¡± Rosa replied.


    Terry wrinkled his brow asking, ¡°How does that work?¡±


    ¡°It just does, now that your tutorial is done you get to use the magic of the Deck.¡± Rosa avoided the question excitedly.


    Terry just had to accept that, and a part of him was just happy he got his pet back. Even if she was talking now. He continued, ¡°alright, so what sorta magic do I get?¡±


    ¡°Let''s go find out, pick me up and take me over there.¡± She moved her body and head to point at a waist high podium in the center of the clearing. It was not wide and reminded Terry of a stool or half pillar.


    Terry grabbed the turtle, with a squeal of delight from the small creature. He put her on his shoulder. As he approached the column, swirls of silver came from the top and in a matter of quick moments created a bowl. The bowl filled with clear water reflecting the light and, as Terry peered over the bowl, the water began to ripple. As the ripples disappeared an image appeared. The Clownlike face of the Joker, Terry¡¯s could feel the pit in his stomach form.


    ¡°Oh good you got through, great to see¡± the Joker let out. ¡°And you got the girl too, happy to see it¡± His smile was not one of delight, more like a cat cornering a mouse.


    ¡°Well before I drop you on the Deck and let you loose I have some parting gifts for you. Some last tokens of your world to help you acclimate to mine.¡±


    ¡°Firstly you get 8 gifts! What you are getting is called an Attribute upgrade. It can be anything, but you only get 4 of them. They will give you Stats that will grow and define your abilities and skills. The Attributes can be anything from Capable to Deadly. The title you receive will also change you and form you into a warrior or worker in this world. Anyone who is anyone will have these skills and most never actually do get these upgrades. So be grateful that you are coming from another world, you get a free pass.¡± The joker winked and Terry did not feel luckier for seeing the predatory grin.


    With this proclamation two vials rose from the liquid, strangely dry rather than wet from the pool. Each was filled with a red liquid and stoppered with a cork. ¡°Drink up, Kiddo. I''ll explain the rest after you do that.¡± Terry was not sure he really had a choice and the unstopped one, drank it down quickly and then did the same to the other. It was like a strange party trick from the parties Terry tried to avoid, but was often dragged to by Clair and her louder friends.


    It tasted like his favorite flavor of smoothie from a shop he had frequented in the college town, strawberry and melon. It tingled going down his throat more like a soda, the taste of smoothie with the feel of soda was completely off putting. He became aware of a growing hunger as he had never gotten breakfast and he had no clue what time it was here.


    ¡°Bottoms up!¡± the Joker exclaimed ¡°gotta love that enthusiasm.¡± Suddenly Terry doubled over in pain as his inside frothed and roiled. ¡°There may be some discomfort, but it is like they say, ¡®no pain no gain.¡¯ And you''re gaining 2 upgrades.¡±


    A voice like a system message rang out suddenly in Terry¡¯s head, sounding as if from everywhere:


    You have 2 new Attributes:


    Your Initiative Attribute has been upgraded to Determined


    This title has been earned by your determination to not succumb to the darkness, and take an easy way out of your situation.


    Your Indominace Attribute has been upgraded to Wind


    Your ability to push yourself and move swiftly through the obstacles has granted you this elemental upgrade.


    Continue to complete levels to gain upgrades for your remaining Attribute Slots


    You have been granted experience. You have 0 experience. You now have 27 points of experience. you  have unlocked one utility skill.


    The Basic HUD can be used to interact with the world around you and to monitor yourself.


    His eyes had been closed tight with the pain, but as the voice finished he opened them and the way he saw the world had changed. It was like a heads up display had been added to his vision. He saw readouts for himself displaying information he blinked and turned his head but the display stayed in place. It read:


    Health: 72/100%


    Stamina: 68/100%


    Mana: unavailable


    Menu


    The items were in his vision but not intruding. ¡°I take it you can see the HUD. It is always a bit jarring seeing the information like that, but this is a skill upgrade. It interacts with your own self to allow you to see how your body reacts to different stimuli. You can look through it a bit later, it is a part of you now and you¡¯ll have all the time in the world to explore. There is so much to learn.¡± the clown continued.


    The number next to his stamina slowly ticked up as his breathing settled. It was very responsive and would probably come in handy. The number next to his life did not move and he could feel his body bruising from the beating he had taken from the swinging poles. Terry figured it was like a video game where all of this was upgradable, but before he was able to figure it out he was drawn to the Joker¡¯s instructions.


    ¡°Your other gift is your familiar pet, Rosa. I gave her a lot of information, but as a turtle she is wise, slow and patient. So she did not question anything and just accepted it and If I can give you a bit of advice kid, just do the same. Just ¡®go with the flow¡¯ as they say on your old planet and it will be smooth as it needs to be. I hopefully won¡¯t be seeing you for sometime, but welcome to the Deck, enjoy yourself, get strong and don¡¯t die.¡± The clown waved with the closing statement, and a feeling of relief came over Terry as the face faded from the bowl.


    As the message ended, the world around Terry faded away and void returned. He had an immediate sense of falling like air rushing past him. A moment later he felt sun and then hard ground. He came out of a portal and landed on stone.


    Looking around Terry saw he was in a field and it was an absolutely beautiful day with 2 suns. One was small and red, the other was large and yellow much more like the sun on earth. The area around him was a stone platform with three gateways sitting on it. Each gateway was an arch different from the others in design. One seemed to be made with balanced large circular stones, another was natural looking rocks bricks, and the last was a single piece of white speckled stone. The arches were placed like a wardrobe mirror and Terry had fallen from the circular rock arch on the left.


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    The area around the stone stage was a flat expansive field complete with low rolling hills and knee high waving grass. It was serene and picturesque as any place he had seen. Rosa had moved to his hand and was also looking around. Terry was not sure how she had stayed on him during the fall.


    ¡°Well, we are about 3 miles outside a coastal town called the Iron Bay. We should go there first, towns here can cater a bit to new arrivals like yourself. It is to the west since we are at the Heart side of the continent, go that way.¡± Rosa indicated with her head. Terry put her back on his shoulder so that they could walk and talk.


    ¡°So you know all that because the Joker gave you a gift?¡± He wanted to know more about her, but was impressed by her directional and geographical knowledge.


    She replied happily, ¡°Yep, he bestowed me with great knowledge and I just sorta know where we came out of. I know the location of all the level portals, towns, cities, rivers, lakes and monuments. Really anything that might help you interface with the world around you.¡±


    ¡°Are you okay being my guide like that, it can be a lot of responsibility. I am pretty lost here and will probably ask a lot of questions.¡± Terry put in. He never liked being waited on as he preferred to find things out for himself.


    Rosa replied, ¡°Oh I do not mind it beats being a desk ornament?¡± There was almost a joking tone to her voice and Terry remembered a time his roommate had called the pet just that.


    ¡°I never thought of you as that, just to be clear¡± Terry felt the need to say this not wanting to offend his guide.


    ¡°Oh I am aware, you¡¯re a fine owner. I am just happy to have jokes and a way to show personality.¡± She spoke so matter-of-factly and had a distinct and adorable smile.


    ¡°Can you tell me anything about the area we are in? I am also going to try out some of the options on my HUD. Just see what I can do with it as you talk, okay?¡± Terry explained


    Rosa replied, ¡°good idea you will be interested to know¡­¡± and she was off on a diatribe about the land they were walking through, which was still rolling hills for as far as Terry could see.


    He began with focusing on the Menu option at the bottom of his screen. The menu consisted of several options. Setting, Display, Personalize, Add-ons. It was like a computer start up menu, he scrolled through each selecting them by focusing on the options like a mental mouse click.


    After about 20 or so min he had a different set up for his HUD. It included a directional compass near the top, it showed he moving west and slightly south. It also showed his Health as not a percentage but a fiscal number with 250 units. He was not sure on the measurements, but the option had described that this was a HP like unit for precision and it would grow as his tolerance grew and would adjust for any health items. He kept the Stamina as a percentage. it only seemed to go back to 100% when he was idle and at full rest. As he walked it slowly ticked down and up occasionally. He simply removed the Mana read out as it was blank.  The Hud was now simply:


    HP: 150/150 HP


    Stamina: 290/300 SP


    He was also able, in the add-on menu, to paste quick select buttons to his HUD for immediate selection. He did this with an Identify and a Translate button. Both these were suggested by Rosa when he brought it up, interrupting her dialogue on the types of horticulture and farming trends of the town they were going towards. Apparently they had an interesting and new vegetable that the turtle was looking forward to trying, something known as stone-carrot and stone-cabbage.


    After 30 more minutes of facts and walking, Terry could see the town and he was happy to see his compass showed a symbol that marked the area.  It must have still been considered early in the morning as there was very little to no traffic coming in or out of the gated wall that stretched to encompass the town.


    The wall was about 15 feet up and appeared to be made of a heavy mixed gray stone. Terry couldn''t even see a mortar or other gluing material between the construction, this did not extend to the gate. It was easily 30 feet tall and the top was crenelated on either end like some medieval castle.  The doors were open and on some sort of track, they were a dark wood planking with massive bronze knockers in the center of each in the shape of a giant cat holding a loop within its mouth.


    There were two sets of 4 guards on each side. They at first looked human, but as Terry got closer he noted that they were not and in fact just humanoid. Each was different; some had animal-like faces complete with snots, whiskers and fur. One had the head of a Prey Mantis and one looked straight out of Planet of the Apes, the original .They were dressed in a coat of dark gray like an officer''s jacket over a simple tunic-like shirt. Getting closer he saw each had a different style of pants, some capris, some full length, depending on the type of legs they had.


    The Apelike guard and a guard with a sorta slim cow-like face stepped out to meet Terry as he approached. They each had different gates to their walks like being upright was not the way they preferred to move.


    ¡°Good morns there Sir'''' the Apelike Guard said, ¡°welcome to the Iron Bay, do you mind if I ask where yer comin¡¯ from and what yer business is ¡®ere?¡± He had a clipped and obviously male voice. Sorta common and sailors-ish.


    Terry was taken aback at the English, being ready to use his translate button on his HUD. He noticed that it had lit up as the guard talked, so it translated in real time. Terry slowly replied, not sure if his words would translate. ¡±I was brought here, to a tutorial. I was wanting to get some food and maybe find out more about this world and the levels?¡± The last part was a question, not really sure what would be an appropriate answer to the guard¡¯s questions.


    ¡°Oh, one of that lot aye! Well welcome to the world¡± The apeman laughed and Terry felt that his translation had worked and he was not the first person they had met from another world or being new to this place. ¡°Yer be wanting to head on to the Taverns then. That be where all you players-likes be meeting and getting together. Just ¡®ead down from ¡®ere, 4 or 6 steps. It has a big sign called Player house or summtin¡¯ ¡®ike dat.¡± He pointed through the gate and smiled happily. ¡°Stir clear of the east ¡®ide of ¡®ere, that be where the nobles and fancy folks be settlin¡¯ and you can probably get lodgin¡¯ at the inn¡¯s district near the docks for a bit of work in a kitchen or the like.¡±


    ¡°MMMiinddd ttthhee ssiggnns fforrr tthhhee rruuless¡± the cow guard put in speaking slow and dragging out each letter, so the short sentence took a while to come out.


    ¡°Sounds great, I will keep all that in mind¡± Terry remarked now slightly nervous for his first time going into an alien civilization. But as he made his way through the gate the nerves were replaced with awe.


    The reason he could not see buildings over the wall was the town was built downward into a bay. The foundations for the rows of buildings were large stone steps. Making the town itself look like it was built on the bleachers of a coliseum. The field for the bleachers was a dock district on a cyan sea.


    It was hard to count the number of steps and each had many different types and styles of building. Large cylindrical towers were focused near the bottom, other wide rectangular warehouse-like buildings were scattered here and there. Every building had a flat roof and there were people and creatures moving on the rooftops, easily viewed from above. From the gate it was a great staircase that connected each of the tiers, although Terry could see other staircases between each layer.


    ¡°¡®Elcome to da¡¯ Iron Bay, or the Stairs to the Heart.'''' ,said the ape guard as he fell back in step with his fellows. Terry nodded his head stepping down into the town.


    ¡°Well at least they were nice.¡± Said Rosa as they made their way down, ¡°There are a number of outsiders that come to the Diamondlands each year. So you are not too out of the norm.¡± Rosa put in as they started down the steps. Terry felt strange and awkward. He thought he might be a rarity in this new world, but both Rosa and the guards told him that was not the case.


    Terry responded not letting the disappointment show, ¡°Well I am happy to make a new home here and not go back to earth if I can help it.¡±


    Rosa just nodded along as they made their way down the stairs. Each level of the town seemed to be filled with shops and different sorts of inns or boarding houses. The levels were not overly filled with pedestrians, but some people moved from shop to shop. Most buildings were at least two stories, suggesting that the people of the town could live above the shops and stores. Overall it seemed a neat and tidy community.


    The area got noticeably more crowded by the ships and docks. Colorful stalls were set up along the bottom level and Terry could see from above the bustling shapes of sailors and shoppers going from place to place. The ships were interesting as well. Some were like the large cargo vessels of earth, long and flat holding many containers, these were located on the outside docks being unloaded by cranes. The inner docks were filled with what must be the idea of a pleasure craft in this world. Tall sailed boats, long and tall yacht like vessels, and medium motorized fishing craft were scattered here and there and truly of all shapes and sizes. Terry could even see some paddle boats like the ones couples could take on a lake.


    Following the direction from the guard, he soon saw a sign that read ¡®Player Tavern¡¯ on his right. The sign was not in english, but it appeared his translation button changed reading as well.


    ¡°I hope the tavern has something to eat. I am in the mood for a real breakfast¡± Terry said jovially as they turned down the lane.


    Rosa confirmed, ¡°The taverns are really like a big food court and I am hungry too. I never got to fully finish that lettuce leaf before you were sucked into the Joker¡¯s void.¡± Terry approached the tavern, a three story red brick building with the sign reading ¡®Where The Players go¡¯ hanging above the double doors. He took a breath and went in.

 Chapter 5: Build-A-Team Workshop

    ¡°Ssssoooo, you can do ssssome levels more then once and ssssome only once. It is all listed in the pamphletsssss. The goal of being a player issss two fold. To become ssstrong, potentially earning a place in some of the guard or with the crafters here in the Diamondlandssss or collecting and going to the other continentssss to play their levelssss. Thissss is not asss popular though, asss there is not really money in thissss sssssorta game other than what you earn in the levelssss. Which can give you loot that you can ssssell, but the prizesss and pricessss will vary.¡± This was being explained to Terry by a small and adorable pet ball python.


    Terry had entered the Tavern to see that it was crowded in full of other patrons. The front desk manned by a bored dwarf, complete with a medium length beard and kilt. Terry introduced himself and Rosa than the dwarf had then pointed Terry to a section of the room that was apparently full of other humans. He had been introduced to a group of other freshly out of tutorial ¡®Players¡¯. A young talkative girl had Introduced herself as Penni. She was from a planet called Terff, much like Earth from the description and they even had snakes. Terry just sort of nodded along and got some information from the two foot long snake she kept twirled around her hand, that hand had only three fingers.


    Penni had short black hair and a round cherub-like face. She wore all black and what must have been a band tee shirt on her planet as it read ¡®The Draining Isles¡¯ to his translation ability. She was shorter than Terry and was the most outgoing of the group of humans. Each had introduced themselves and only one other was from earth. He was middle aged and named John, he had a far off look in his eyes and did not really talk he just drank from his mug and stared at the other patrons.


    The first floor of the Tavern was apparently all new players or semi regulars in the ¡®low ranks¡¯ Penny had explained. Apparently the rule was once you made it past each type of level you were allowed upstairs or to get a room in the inn.


    The snake, Tempest, and Rosa had hit it off immediately and had gone over the different types of levels to him and one other fresh-out-of-tutorial player named Morris, a local of the Iron Bay. Morris was slightly Taller than Terry and very broad and stout, Terry was shorter than a lot of people though so this did not phase him. Morris had dirty blond hair and his arms were hairy with the same color, but also extremely well muscled and very toned. He was wearing a plain dirty orange shirt and blue jeans with a large leather apron. He had introduced himself as a blacksmith apprentice.


    Terry learned there were 4 main types of levels and each was set in the stage like the one he had arrived in. There were random task levels which were very unpredictable and could be done multiple times for experience and possible loot, these were often easier and a lot less dangerous. Another was the obstacle course, or platformer, level that sounded a lot like what Terry had faced in his tutorial.


    One of the gateways would lead to a Minibosses, it was actually called that. Where a larger boss enemy had to be eliminated before you could get your prizes and exp, short for experience. The levels would provide various gear and weapons, but only the prizes at the end were able to leave the level. The last gateway led to a Hoard challenge, these were apparently very tough so people often did them last and in groups. You would be placed in an arena fighting several waves of drone like enemies and could only leave once all were defeated. These sorts of levels could only be played once.


    For your first stages, a player got an upgrade to their attributes and utility skills. You would only get physical prizes if you did extremely well in the levels and the judges were the gods. Or at least this world''s equivalent, the Joker, King, Queen and Jack to keep with the theme of a deck of cards.


    They had been finishing this discussion when the snake had put in that note for Morris and Terry. Penni was waiting to get her last attribute, but had not won any prizes.


    ¡°I think I will put a party together this afternoon, and try to tackle the hoard. But you and Morris could see if there is anyone else here and go try for a Mini Boss level. It¡¯d be a quick leap in progress and you could get 3 attributes in a day. That is close to a record I think¡± Penni put in.


    Terry looked to Morris, who had only spoken to really introduce himself. Morris shrugged and they went to go talk around the room. Not every table was differentiated by race, most were mixed up and some people were even talking familiarly. Morris seemed to take the lead moving toward an honest to goodness goblin. He was much shorter than either of them and was pulling away from a table full of his kind of different races and species as they approached. He was wide set and stocky with no hair except massive unkempt eyebrow above beaty little black eyes with a pointed nose, face and ears. He was wearing straps across his bare chest attached to a thick belt holding up loose shorts and no shoes. He even had a weapon at his hip, a spiked club of some sort of dark wood. He was actually pretty intimidating till he opened his mouth.


    ¡°Morris! Good to see they let you in here, I was almost worried you¡¯d not get a tutorial, hay¡± the goblin laughed and reached up to pat Morris on the back. ¡°What is this lanky lad doing with ya, you look like the wind could toss ya bout a bit aye?¡± His laugh was high and loud and his voice almost carried over the room. He seemed genuine and nice, not like the tricksters goblins of legend from Terry¡¯s world.


    Morris introduced him, ¡°I was looking for you. This is Terry, an out-of-towner who just got here through a tutorial and we are looking to put together a party. Terry, this is Hurk Grubhul. He has been working to be a Tank since he was even smaller than this!" They both seemed to be good friends and Terry shook the hand of Hurk who seemed very pleased to meet him.


    ¡°We always get the most OOTs in the four nations, the Joker loves to put¡¯em here first, not sure why. But welcome to the world! What were you thinking of tackling first mate?¡± Hurk put in and turned to Morris.


    Morris said, ¡°I was wanting to get the miniboss outta the way, but I want at least 2 more for the group.¡±


    ¡°Ohh Aye, I know some others who wanted to tackle a mini. They are a little green, but should be okay in the group. What sorta fighting you got under your belt, lad?¡± Hurk asked, looking at Terry.


    Terry was hesitant and did not want to lie, but he had no real fighting experience at all. ¡°Well when I was young I took some martial arts classes in my home world and I have seen all the ¡®90¡¯s Jackie Chan movies¡­¡± Both Morris and Hurk did not seem impressed.


    ¡°Well why don¡¯t you and Morris talk it out a bit he can get ya something to work with and I will grab the twins and meet you at the stage outside town?¡± Hurk put in and Morris and Terry agreed to that. Hurk wandered off and Morris took Terry to the front.


    ¡°As a OOT, you get some starting supplies to become a player or get matched in a family to start your life here. If you are wanting to be a full-timer I can help get your supplies and we can do some practicing before heading out to gateway. With at least 3 attributes in you¡¯ll get a better idea of your abilities to fit a role without too much training.¡± Morris explained and they continued some idle chatting heading up to a window in the wall to get his supplies.


    Terry was given a bag and purse. The money was simple coins and Morris explained the exchanges of the money to him. The coins were bright colors and easy to remember, Green was 1, blue was 5 and Red would be 20 and up and up. Terry got just about $150 in the purse and a pack containing some easy supplies. About 3 days of meal tickets for the tavern and Morris was not against having a meal before we headed out.


    Terry¡¯s first meal in his new world was a chowder like fish soup. It was warm, creamy and filling. He was even able to procure some vegetable scraps for Rosa, who munched on them appreciatively before Morris led Terry out and to his Master¡¯s smith. He grabbed a large hammer and showed Terry to a wall of simple tools and weapons.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°These are old, but you can have any of them that you want to use or know how to use. We don''t really keep old tools around here, so these can help ya in the fight to come...¡± He explained gesturing to the wall.


    Most were slightly rusted, but were in fine enough condition. After some discussion and deliberation, Terry settled on a wicked looking pick. It had a simple wood handle and an addition of a custom leather grip. It was sized for a smaller figure, so it fit better in one hand. The head was long, curved and sharp at one end while the other was blunt like a hammer. As they left the town, Morris gave instructions on swinging the weapon with one or both hands and Terry took to it with vigor.


    It was like swinging a bat in baseball, but the head of the weapon made the swing much less controlled. Morris gave him space as Terry swung the weapon, getting a feel for the weight and motion.


    ¡°You have never had to use a weapon before have you?¡± Morris asked.


    ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± Terry replied


    ¡°A bit, but you have an alright form, it just takes practice. Life here can be a bit tough, there is a lot of magic and not all of it manifests in great and wondrous ways. More of it is dangerous.¡± Morris said. Finally away from the crowd he seemed to open up more.


    ¡°The gateways concentrate the magic but outside their influence magic generates into several manifestations.¡± Rosa explained, she was becoming more intelligent it seemed and proper the more she spoke and got used to this world.


    Morris agreed, ¡°That is why we build near or around the gateways, it is like a natural protection and can even be a good source of income and tools if you have enough players in a town. Iron Bay is a medium settlement compared to others, but I have been there my whole life. I have traveled to other towns with caravans as part of my apprenticeship.I want to travel more and grow as a crafter and player.¡±


    ¡°That could be a really nice life and I would also like to see this world more, if you are looking for company¡± Terry put in a bit sheepishly.


    ¡°If you are good in a fight I might just consider it.¡± Morris smiled and Terry smiled at the jibe.


    ¡°Is it just you? I have no siblings, but do you?¡± Terry asked not wanting the conversation to stop. He liked the easy attitude of Morris.


    Morrice replied, ¡°I have a sister, a couple seasons older. She earned all four of her attributes a couple weeks back, it was at another gateway. She should be getting back to the bay in a couple days.¡±


    ¡°Is that regular going to another town?¡± Terry asked.


    ¡°Sometimes¡± Morris went on to explain, ¡°She was born with a proficiency for healing songs. She has a beautiful voice and went to learn at a bardic school in another city. The campus City south of here¡±


    Rose elaborated, sensing Terry¡¯s questions, ¡°Some people are born with natural talents and don¡¯t need a particular attribute to awaken their magic. Healing is a rare one. Using a medium like song or gesture is common enough to teach to others with some skill in either. The campus City is a town of Universities and schools that instantly accept these awakened individual¡± Terry nodded in recognition.


    Morris continued, ¡°Schools mostly only teach people with natural talents and proficiencies or those who have money to pay for the classes. Selina and I are orphaned, so she jumped at the chance to get into the school and so did our patron. Mother Martin adopted us when it was clear Selina had a gift and got her ready for school before sending her off. I stayed behind and took a common trade.¡±


    Terry felt assured knowing family might be an awkward subject for Morris as well, so he did not dwell on the matter of him being an orphan. ¡°Not to change the subject away from your obviously talented sister, but I just realized I am not familiar with the political situation in this world.¡± Terry put in quizzically.


    Rosa took the opportunity to educate, ¡°Each continent is different, here in the Diamondlands there is what would be considered a ruling dictatorship. The dwarves are the ruling race and specifically Rudius Silverbrush Cobbletight IV is the King. His family the Silverbrush married into the ruling family and presides in the capital keep of the Silver Spire, it is near the center of the Diamondlands.¡±


    Morris continued for her, ¡°The keep is supposed to be a work of art. Created and maintained by hundreds of dwarves. Only a dwarf can rule as the dwarves were the first and main race in the Diamondlands to complete the levels though there are several independent mines like the Iron Bay around the perimeter of his territory. Lord Rudius is a very hands-on leader and sends dignitaries to these places to spread news and gather taxes. You¡¯ll probably get to see some of them if you stick around here, they are often high ranked players.¡±


    ¡°I have nowhere else to go right away¡± Terry put in. They continued to talk and banter the entire way to the gateways and once there, Morris took some time to show Terry some simple striking techniques and forms with his pickaxe. Penni and her group showed up part way through and she waved as they entered the arch that looked to be made of circle cut stones.


    After an hour or so Morris saw Hurk approaching with two others. As they drew near Terry noted they were identical in looks and small size. They were even shorter than Hurk was and shared his bald head. Both had a twirl of white chin hair, a goatee, but no other noticeable hair anywhere else. They had beaty blue eyes like crystal pools of water and round red noses. They wore alternating colors. One had a blue coat, white shirt and red pants and the other a red coat, blue shirt and white pants. The effect was almost funny if you did not see the scowls they had looking at Terry¡¯s clumsy attempts at fight styles.


    ¡°Who is the rookie? I wanna know what to put on the headstone.¡± said Blue coat.


    ¡°Please, brother, you know we can¡¯t carry the body out.¡± replied Red coat.


    ¡°You¡¯re right of course, far too many limbs to carry out anyway.¡± Blue coat shot back with a snicker.


    ¡°Great it¡¯s Siddly and Tiddly, didn¡¯t realize you two got your tutorial.¡± Morris rolled his eyes at their remarks.


    ¡°Yeah Sid got it two days ago and we were waiting to go to our next levels together.¡± Blue coat, apparently Tiddly, pointed to his brother. ¡°We can''t rush off and do whatever we want, right Morris?¡± These two just seemed like real jerks to Terry, but if they were all that were available to get through this. He was not going to try and fight back too much. It sounded to Terry like they would have enough to fight inside.


    ¡°We got the same attributes upgraded, and are looking to get them all.¡± Siddly started


    ¡°We¡¯re going to get clear of this nothing dwarf¡¯spittin town and go more in land to the tournaments at Silver Spire.¡± and Tiddly finished. ¡°I got Strength and Chill. With the time before Sid got chosen I even learned a spell for the chill.¡±


    ¡°And I got Quickness and Clever, don¡¯t gots a spell but I did lift this from me pop before heading out today.¡± He pulled a snub-nosed, gun-like weapon from his bag. It looked like a revolver, but had no hammer and no trigger guard. He also produced a small supply of green balls from a pocket.


    Hurk shook his head, ¡°not a great place to keep those¡­¡±


    But Sid cut him off, ¡°you worry too much, it takes a lot for those to break.¡±


    Terry did not know what the weapon or the ammo was, but he did not feel inclined to ask. He did turn to Morris and ask, ¡°what attributes did you get upgraded?¡±


    Morris turned to him, ¡°I passed the Queens tutorial, she gave me 3 skills and only one attribute instead of two. I got an upgrade called Endless, and the skills Inventory, Fuse, and Break. They are sorta straight forward.¡± He shrugged, explaining the 5 slots of a quick-select-like bar on his HUD, as well as a small pocket dimension he could use for small tools and other supplies.


    Hurk had the Break Spell as well, he also gained the upgrades Gains, a potential booster, and Burly, a second level strength upgrade. The twins degraded each of his and Morris¡¯s upgrades during and after the discussions to the point where Terry almost did not feel comfortable about his own skills and their potential usefulness.


    ¡°I got the Determined and Wind upgrades, my skills were straight utility though¡± Terry put in trying not to dwell too much to avoid the banter from the twins.


    ¡°You got determined? I couldn¡¯t get that from looking at you¡± Siddly put in under his breath


    ¡°Do you really have to be a jackass?¡± Terry asked almost honestly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know what jack has to do with any of this?¡± Tiddly replied without missing a beat.


    Terry was almost fed up, he had barely slept the night before and this was still his first day, ¡°I will show you how determined I am¡± he said stepping forward. But Morris held up a hand.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t, Terry. Let''s just get in there and get this over with. Once we¡¯re done, they leave for the capital, right?¡± He turned to the twins and they just seemed sneer before grinning and turning toward the Miniboss gateway.

 Chapter 6: Not So Mini Boss

    Lvl 2: Death on the Brain


    Entering the gateway was an odd feeling; it was sort of like walking through jello, but it shimmered like liquid. A refreshing coolness coated Terry and slushed off as he came through the doorway into a locker-room. There was a red digital clock reading 00:24:55 above the door on the other side of the room.


    Morris answered the unasked question explaining, ¡°We have 25 minutes in here to prepare before the mini boss. In Hoard rooms you get 15. It is one of the reasons people do the boss first.¡± Terry nodded and studied the room.


    There were 8 lockers set against the walls with wooden looking benches in front of them. The walls and floor were tiled adding to the locker-room effect. He saw another door on the opposite wall, above that was another digital clock. This door had embossed letters on it reading ¡°Onward to the Level¡±.


    Sid and Tid were already moving to lockers and opening them. They pulled out clothing and prepared to put it on. Muttering and bickering with each other as they got ready. Morris and Hurk moved to the other side, so Terry followed them. He chose a locker and opened it. Inside there was a set of clothes, some cleaning supplies, and a set of thick boots. On the door there was a long rifle like a cross bow and some bolts in quiver.


    ¡°Whose stuff is this?¡± Terry asked sort of to no one, but Morris answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s yours. The lockers generate random clothes and equipment based on your attributes. You had the Wind and Determined, right? So it gave you dexterity and agility based equipment. You don¡¯t need to use it, but it is there.¡±


    Terry shrugged, he was not sure how the Wind and Determined upgrades worked for his dexterity, so he asked Rosa as he changed. ¡°For you not being a native, the elixir that you drank modifies the host so that the upgrades can be set and your body can improve. The upgrades work across all attributes and stats like Speed or Strength, But here they are called Initiative and Indomanence. So your Wind gives you boosts to speed and agility and Determined will, boost other parts. You just haven¡¯t had a chance to notice since you have not exerted yourself since receiving them. You should gain a lot to make up for the relatively soft life you lead prior coming her¡±


    Terry nodded understandingly and slightly insulted, ¡°What do I do with you, can I just keep you in here till I am done?¡±


    Rosa replied, ¡°Yeah, I am fine with that. I can actually watch the fight from here too, put me on the top shelf¡± He did and she moved to the back of the locker, it changed a moment later to a screen and he could see a blank area on it.


    ¡°Nifty.¡± he said and closed the door on her. The clothes were like a jumpsuit, a long sleeve coat and pants both in black with a white strip up the sleeves and legs of the pants. The boots were thick and black like military combat boots from movies. There was a belt attached to the quiver as well.


    The others had similar, if not the same, outfits but they all had different stripes. Sid and Tid were red and blue, Hurk had a green and Morris had orange stripes. Both Sid and Tid had only changed their coats and used the belts, Terry could see Sid¡¯s snub nose gun in a holster at his side. Tid had gotten a Club much like the one Hurk had outside the level, and Hurk was giving him pointers. Morris had gotten a wand-like stick in his locker, when he noticed Terry eying it he replied, ¡°It acts as a spell focus. If I did not have this I would need to touch whatever I want to cast a spell on. With this I can just point and shoot. I think Sid, you and I are going to be in the back while Tid and Hurk rush in to draw attention. When making a plan before entering a level it is important to keep it flexible, you don¡¯t really know what you¡¯re facing till you get out there .¡±


    Hurk piped in at that moment, ¡°That is exactly the plan, but I will go over it now. Once we leave the doors we will see the random environment and monster we are taking on. You three¡± he pointed in turn to Sid, Terry and Morris, ¡°stay back and make your shots count. That is where the main damage will come from for now. Tid is going to stay right and I am going to stay left. Depending on what way the enemy goes we will need to stay in pursuit and keep damage coming. How many shots do you have?¡±


    Terry counted and looked up to answer, ¡°15.¡±


    Sid cut in, ¡°Enough.¡±


    Terry noticed that the bolts had different color felching. Some were blue and others green and two were red. He did not get a real chance to ask before Sid continued, ¡°let''s get out there and do this!¡± There was still 10 minutes on the timer, but he and his brother both opened the door and rushed out. Hurk and Morris both rolled their eyes and followed so Terry was the last one to leave.


    The arena was large and circular, the floor was a tiled stone and the walls were large, flat and featureless. There was nothing in the area except a pillar in the center with a screen on top, much like the bowl and pillar from the end of Terry¡¯s tutorial. The screen had two columns, one labeled ¡®boss¡¯ and the other ¡®environment¡¯. As they all entered the arena the columns gave a whirring screen like a counter randomly selecting numbers. But when the image stopped it was not numbers.


    The image under the environment was a bomb and crater looking symbol and the area round them began to take shape. ¡°Aww sick, it¡¯s a bombed out town¡± Tid let out as the flat ground became dust and debris covered. Structures came up from the ground, but were in obvious disrepair only coming up to waist or chest height and having uneven tilts and angles. There were small fires that popped up in places as well.


    The screen remained and the symbol under the Boss was interesting to say the least. It had treds on the bottom like a tank and odd arms that stuck straight out from either side. The head was a dome with a flat bottom floating above the square chest piece.


    Terry did not know what it meant, but he saw it a moment later as the boss rolled into the center of the bombed out street in front of him. It was about the size of a man made of a shiny medal. It did indeed have treds allowing it to roll well on the uneven rubbish covered ground. Its arms ended in barrels that looked to be from machine guns. The dome on its head was glass and a human brain was inside, lighting with different colors as a robotic voice came from the head.


    ¡°Now it is my turn to play¡± the boss began rolling forward and the barrels on each arm lit up as they began to fire. Single shots rang out from the guns.


    Terry dove to the left to get behind cover. The walls around him exploded as they were peppered by the rifle fire. Terry did not stay in place for long, he kept his head down and ran.


    -


    Morris saw the symbols on the screen and knew that they were in trouble. He had looked at the guidebooks and studied for classes on levels and the threats that one could expect in the areas. Seeing the bombed out environment was nice, it was easy to move in and there was a lot of cover and potential caches.


    He was not happy with the enemy however, a Death-Brain at this low level is about as unlucky as one could be. The single shot high powered rifles for arms, the tread rover design, and one random elemental based attack! All were extremely deadly and this fight needed to be handled differently then they had briefly talked about in the locker area. This would need stealth and opportunity. Morris looked to see where his teammates had made it to as he crouched behind cover from the shots being fired.


    He could see Hurk was pressed against a wall in front of him, Morris called to him, ¡°The guns are very inaccurate at long range.¡± Hurk nodded and passed the message to Sid who he could see, but Morris could not. Morris looked around for Terry not sure how he would react to the sight.


    Morris did not immediately see him, Terry had come in behind him and the walls near the back were a bit higher than the ones around him. He decided to move away from this area and try to find Terry. Morris tried relaying this to Hurk, but he had moved further up through the maze of rubble and low walls. This was turning into a fiasco fast.


    The Death-Brain was continuing to move down the middle of the path where it had spawned. Morris knew they were heavily armored in the front and less so in the back, so it did not turn or move quickly. Morris thought this was a good time to bail and try to find their missing teammate and his new friend. He liked the way Terry took an interest in everything he liked to talk about and wanted to see more of his truly outside perspective. He kept his body low and head down as he moved away along the low walls and rubble strewn ground.


    -


    Hurk had taken the nod from Morris to mean he would move off and try to flank. Tid and Sid had stayed near him and their even shorter size to him made the terrain easier for them to stay in cover. He felt it gave them a false sense of bravery.


    Hurk was older than most who had just received their tutorials. He had grown up a part of a roaming tribe of goblins and after a failed raid, the town had taken him in and healed him. No one had ever taken down the Iron Bay, and goblin marauders were apt to try and take on something everyone else failed at. There could be glory in a successful siege and goblins were nothing less than enthusiastic when it came to any possibility of success.


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    A goblin in their most base desire and being wants nothing more than to live in a chaotic bundle body and base desires. Hurk found a new one focused on training and lifting once he healed. There were other rehabilitated goblins in Iron Bay, they took him in and monitored his growth and helped him suppress the base desires he often felt. Every time he felt the desires or the pressures of his kind, he trained instead. He had become a very avid and strong individual as a result.


    This was the environment that he had trained for, levels were a real test of one resolve and cunning. A place where all his training could pay off. He had been fighting monsters outside the gateway¡¯s influence to prepare and earn a living. He only got exp for that if he came to a level and apparently the tutorial did not count his outside experience. This would give him all the rewards he had been working toward.


    Sid and Tid were not his first choice and had barely been his third or forth, but he had said he would grab team members and the twin bullies were extremely resourceful. Sid had gotten a hold of one of his father¡¯s element guns and acid ammo. This might not help immediately against the current form of their enemy, but if they could open the armor the acid would make short work of the inner component parts of the Death-Brain.


    Hurk led the gnomes around a corner to flank the enemy from the other side. Sid was obviously excited, testing if he could move out and lead, but Hurk kept him back. After the third time Hurk¡¯s hand barred the eager gnomes'' path they became fed up. Sid dashed forward with a burst of speed while Hurk was checking around a corner.


    Sid ran out and aimed the handgun, standing in clear view for the Death Brain. Sid shot first, but not by much. The shot from Sid''s gun was a good hit, but the strong armor plating was not as corrosive as the pieces inside. The shot from the Death-Brain was a lot more devastating, it was more like a rubber bullet from earth. Meant to knock down an enemy, but multiple could and would kill a player. Sid¡¯s rash actions earned him a shot straight to the head.


    He flew back and he let out an ¡°oof¡± Hurk and Tid were there in moments, picking up and bringing his body to safety behind another low wall.


    ¡°Idiot, you need to shoot from cover!¡± Hurk put in, however looking down he could see there was something else wrong. Sid had landed on his side with the shot and the several pellets in his pocket had burst. The acid was eating through Sid¡¯s pants and leg quickly. Hurk cursed the gnome''s idiocy and quickly tried to help by ripping off the gnome''s pants with his massive strength. It was not soon enough as the smell of burning flesh and Sid¡¯s screams echoed around the battlefield.


    -


    Terry moved fast, faster then he had before and he immediately understood what boost to base stats meant from his upgrades. Even when ducking down to stay in cover he felt a control over his movements that was best described as super human. When he peered again over the low walls of the battlefield he could see the robot was turned in another direction still firing its arm guns. He also got a glimpse of Morris moving in his direction.


    Terry had initially dived and ran from fear of the enemy, but with it occupied somewhere else he felt a bit less terrified. He could see the back of the robot had some sort of energy pack. The entire chassis was well armored, but the pack on the back was a clear glass or plastic allowing him to see the inner workings of the robot. There were plenty of delicate parts and components that would probably allow them to take it out if they could get something inside.


    Terry made it to Morris making very little sound and a scream punctuated the struggle happening elsewhere.


    ¡°That sounded like one of the gnomes¡­¡± Terry said close to a whisper, that made Morris jump. The blacksmith had been looking the other way and had not seen or heard Terry¡¯s arrival apparently.


    Morris put in, ¡°yeah, they were always eager and not extremely bright. I was looking for you, I know what this thing is and possible weak points. I do a good bit of studying between tasks, this is a Death-Brain. The top dome is the main weak spot if you can get past the glass to the brain that controls everything. The other best place is the¡­¡±


    ¡°...The back panel? It looks to be made of the same thing.¡± Terry finished for him. He wanted to show that he was paying attention.


    Morris looked over to him, ¡±Yep it is, I told Hurk to try and draw it so we could make a try and flanking it and breaking that panel. Once the panel on the back is broken it moves to stage 2 of its form and attack. You have a crossbow yeah? That should be enough to break though and you should be able to get off a good shot while it is turned around like that¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± Terry nodded, bringing out the crossbow and loading a bolt, one with blue fletching he saw. Using the wall to steady his shot, he used the sights to aim. He had never fired a crossbow or even a gun, the only point of reference he drew on was the hunting rifle arcade game that had been at the college bar he went to a couple times.


    He was not amazing at the cabinet, he would have bet that the calibration was off from the age and regular use from the bar patrons. Terry did feel like the weapon in his hands was easier to trust the sights of and as he fired he saw how true the bolt flew. Terry was not aware of the fletching¡¯s significance, however it soon became apparent. As the bolt flew through the air it turned into a bolt of blue light flying straight towards the target.


    The bolt punched through and lodged into the back panel. It did not break however, and the Death-Brain started the process of turning around. Morris motioned for them to move, and Terry followed loading another blue bolt. They moved to stay behind as the enemy slowly turned on its treads.


    After a moment, the Death-Brain was finally turned to where Morris and Terry had been. Terry came up to fire again, but he saw a small form rush to take advantage of the enemy with its back turned. Tiddly was going to avenge the pain his brother had endured and he ran, club up ready for a powerful down swing. He hopped into the air, higher and further than Terry thought was possible for the tiny gnome, bringing the club home on the bolt Terry had fired. This broke the back panel and started the transformation to the stage 2 that Morris had mentioned.


    The transformation started as the body of the Death-Brain gained the ability to pivot on an horizontal and vertical axis. The top frame moved quickly around and down at this new attack and the arm guns pointed directly at Tiddly as he landed. He barely had time to dive out of the way before the arm gun fired, but this time it was not the bullets. A jet of flame coated the area on the ground just out of sight from where Morris and Terry had seen Tiddly land.


    Terry could see clearly the back panel was closing as another medal piece moved into place over the puncture he and Tiddly had created. He took aim, but barely had enough time before firing again.  Even with the increased speed on the bolt it did not make it before the panel closed over with another panel of armor plating.


    ¡°Sparks¡± Morris let it out like a curse, ¡°nothing short of an explosion will get through that, we will need to work on that head dome.¡± He raised his wand and said, ¡°Break¡± with a power Terry could almost feel more than hear.


    A push of focused air came from the wand, but the distance on the spell was not enough to make it to Death-Brain and one of the low walls broke and crumbled as the spell hit it.


    Morris looked at Terry and a wordless communication happened between the two. They moved along the rubble and low walls closer to the enemy. Terry loaded another bolt noting the green fletching on the end. If blue is speed, what does the green do? I also have red in here but only 2 of them. I wonder if they are more useful.


    Once Terry got the bolt loaded, he put the stock to his shoulder, stood and fired again. He felt comfortable using the crossbow, it felt familiar and he realizes that he might have also gained proficiency with upgrades along with the stat increase. The green bolt fired normally, still with enough force to drive the hard head of the bolt into the armor plating. On impact there was a green smoke screen for a short second. When it faded the Death-Brain was wrapped in thick vines like a mummy in cloth. The arms were forced downward from the vines, but the head was still exposed. The pinned arms began to spew fire again, to burn off the vines, but they were resisting and the Death-Brain continued to spew fire. Now that he was closer Terry could hear it spewing catch phrases and insults.


    ¡°Your petty vines will not stop me¡± a robotic voice intoned as it struggled.


    Morris stood again pointing his wand, ¡®¡°Fuse¡± he spoke with power again. The vines sank into the Death-Brain with the power of his spell fusing the arms more securely in place. ¡°That will hold it a bit longer. We need to crack the dome with the brain. Look!¡±


    Terry saw Hurk rush out at the enemy, he had his club and gave a massive SMACK before reaching to grab something, Terry assumed it to be the body of Tiddly, from the ground. The hit was directly to the head and Terry saw the brain dome spin comically like a cartoon as Hurk dashed back to cover with the load in his arms


    Terry loaded a red fletched bolt, and took in a controlled breath. He moved to stand again, not wanting to miss this shot, aiming for the dome. He fired and crouched again as the dome righted and turned to the new threat. An unseen barrel on the front under the dome sprayed fire like a dragon catching the bolt before impact. However this was also a trick bolt, and the red fletching indicated it was an exploding bolt.


    Even though it did not impact, the explosion was triggered by the flame breath attack. The shockwave rocked the Death-Brain, who was immobilized, and thrown back from its spot to clatter on its side. The walls caught in the explosion crumbled and blasted debris in all directions. Morris and Terry felt their shared cover buckle under the force and wondered if the Death-Brain was down for the count.


    They peeked over the wall and saw the charred circle from the explosion. They stayed low and moved in on the still form of the enemy in the smoke cloud from the explosion, Terry loading another of the green fletched bolts. They saw Hurk rise up from a bit of low wall just outside the blast zone and he met them as they approached the downed bot.


    ¡°Is it dead?¡± Terry asked as they drew near. He could hear whirring and buzzing from inside the robot.


    As the smoke cleared they saw a large crack on the dome and some sort of clear fluid leaked from it onto the ground. The lights in the dome went out and the area began to change.


    ¡°I need help with Sid and Tid, come on¡± Hurk said now they were sure the trouble had passed. The column in the center was still standing and as Morris went to assist Hurk with the twins. Terry moved up to the column and a bowl rose from the top and filled with water like before when he had finished his tutorial. This time it was not the joker on the screen, but the Death-Brain they had just defeated.


    ¡°Congratulations on your victory, meatsacks! I have given you each exp and some rewards for your able handling. I hope to see you in the future so I may terminate you then.¡± the robotic voice intoned as several draws opened from the pillar. Terry saw there were 5 potions in a carrying case, each had their names on them. Terry grabbed the bottles and moved to follow Morris and Hurk who had the gnome¡¯s bodies cradled in their arms as they made it to the exit and into the locker room.


    No one stopped in the locker room to remove the supplied gear as the situation with Sid and Tid was close and booked no time for indecision. Hurk let out, ¡°We need to get them to a healer. Morris, bring Sid back to the Bay, we need to hurry!¡± and he busted through the exit Morris right on his tail and followed by Terry leaving the locker room and the level in a sort of odd daze.

 Chapter 7: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

    Lvl 3: The Great Deck Bake Off


    Terry was the last one out of the gateway, he instantly noticed the suns were high in the sky indicating it must be near noon or maybe slightly past. Hurk and Morris were a little ways off leaning over the figures of Sid and Tid on the ground. As Terry approached he could see neither were in a good way.


    Sid¡¯s pants were off and he had several peppered welts and wounds, but the worst was a disgusting and foul smelling sore on his hip. The skin around the wound was discolored and it looked to be bubbling or frothing, despite Hurks attempts to treat or just clean the wound.


    Tid was not much different, he had been burned along one side of his body, the skin was bright red and even blacked in some spots like an awful Two-Face mask or make up job. His clothes had protected some of his body, but both gnomes were in a bad way. Tid was unconscious, probably from the pain. At least Sid seemed to be awake, but in a good deal of distress. He was seething and hissing and cursing in a colorful string of imaginative words, far beyond what Terry thought he might have come up with in a similar state.


    Hurk was in the middle of saying something as Terry approached, ¡°There is a healer in The Iron Bay who can take care of the acid. We need to get back fast. Can you carry Tid to Mother Marin¡¯s academy estate? She has a Burn-bee ointment that can treat him.¡±


    Morris just nodded along, lifting the limp form of Tid. Hurk rose more gingerly with Sid in his arms and turned to Terry. ¡°We are going to rush back and get them taken care of.¡±


    Terry asked, ¡°Can I put these in a pack for you or something? They are all labeled.¡± He motioned to the upgrade bottles. Morris nodded to the bag on his back and Terry fumbled the potions in there. Terry kept his own.


    Watching as Hurk and Morris rushed off, he wondered if there was more he could do and he let out a worried sigh. Then a horrible thought struck him before he could make his own way back to town.


    ¡°Rosa! I left Rosa in the locker¡± Terry turned and rushed back to the gateway he had just come from. As he rushed through nothing happened. He stumbled and panicked on the other side of the stone arch. He remembered that he could only enter certain levels once, including the miniboss levels.


    Terry looked to the top part of the gateways indicating what type of level each was. He had gone in the leftmost gateway, the middle had the symbol of the hoard on it. This meant that it was a wave based fighting level, he did not feel comfortable doing that alone. If he entered the level he would have to complete the level before he could leave. The gear he had received had vanished and had been replaced by his normal clothing automatically as he left the gateway to the world outside. The last was a symbol for a task level, or at least he was pretty sure. This was a level you could do multiple times.


    In the tavern, it had been explained that the task levels were among the simplest. Often they were puzzles or simple tasks that got harder and harder the more times you entered. He hoped he could just get to the locker room and grab Rosa. He was not even sure it would be the same locker room and that scared him for a moment.


    What if Terry just doomed her to die slowly because he just walked out and could not re-enter in his panic. Terry rushed the right gateway. The shimmering filled the entrance and he went though happy to see the locker room he had expected. It was smaller however with only a bench and one locker. He moved to the locker, throwing open the door. He was met with a look of disapproval from a very small turtle.


    ¡°You left me!¡± Rosa glared.


    ¡°I was distracted,¡± Terry stammered.


    Her face changed slightly, ¡°They were not the nicest, but I don¡¯t think they deserved that¡­ But you cannot forget me in her again and now you have to do another challenge. What door did you come in?¡±


    ¡°I chose the random task, I hoped I would get in here again to get you. I am really sorry, this one should be safe. Maybe you can come with me?¡± Terry was hopeful, but would understand if she¡­


    ¡°Yeah, you better take me, that last one was terrifying. I am not going to miss what this thing throws at you next. Oh and drink your upgrade before entering.¡± She was excited and he was thankful for her tenacity after his horrid mistake. Terry had almost forgotten about the upgrade in his haste to get Rosa back and he moved to remove the cap and drink.


    It once again was his favorite flavor and even though he had expected the pain he still sat and keeled over as it followed the sensation of flavor. His eyes were closed tightly, but he still saw the upgraded type across the blackness of his eyelids and a voice spoke in his head.


    You have 1 new attributes:


    Your Integrity attribute has been upgraded to Dark


    This title has been earned by your moment of instant fear at your situation, but your ability to return to your team and face that darkness of the unknown.


    Continue to complete levels to gain upgrades for your remaining attributes.


    You have been granted experience. You have 27 points of experience. You now have 41 points of experience. You have unlocked one utility skill and one spell.


    With Darkness comes the ability to see in the dark, you can now see in low light and complete darkness.


    You have gained the spell Call to The Shadows, you can control the shadows to do your bidding. This spell costs low mana. You have gained mana, you will grow mana equal as your experience points rise.  You now have 100 points of mana.


    The spell sounded useful, but Terry was unsure how exactly to use it. Morris had just pointed and commanded with the wand. He was not sure if he¡¯d needed that or not, so he resolved to ask Morris about it later. Rosa knew a lot about the world, but she was not always the most focused teacher and Morris might be able to help him practice the spell. He took the time to add in the Mana bar back to his HUD, it now read:


    Mana: 100/100 MP


    He was not sure if the title of Dark really fit him. He sort of understood the logic in the reasoning. The Death-Brain had freaked him out, he had almost expected more of a hybrid creature or animal, not a robot that looked like a tank and shot fire and bullets. None of the other participants had seemed as scared as him. Do things like that exist in this world? I probably should have learned more about this place before I just jumped into all this.


    ¡°I think the sickness is past. I got a spell, and the ability to see in the dark.¡± Terry told Rosa.


    She nodded, ¡°Good, Morris¡¯ spells helped a lot, it should be fun using some magic. You¡¯ll be able to see all your base stat upgrades once you have all the attributes. I saw how fast you moved in the last level, that came from the Wind upgrade I am sure. It is hard to say exactly what has changed. It could be a range of things, but now with 3 upgrades you will really start to feel the power.¡±


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    Terry did feel very different, but he had rested a good while recovering from that elixir. The clock only showed about 3  minutes of prep left. So he grabbed Rosa, opened the door and walked into the level. The playing field was very different


    He stepped into what must have been a large awning or tent, it was white on the ceiling and held in place from a light breeze that came through the open side by tall poles at each corner and along the sides. The inside had several stations, more than just simple cabinets and counters, each of the 6 stations had a sink, some sort of stand mixer, cutting boards, and many cooking utensils and gadgets. Along the area beside each station was a fridge and metal shelving with baking trays. He could see draws in the station and what must be an oven and cooktop, it was like a large baking tent.


    ¡°What in the world?¡± Terry thought out loud then there was movement. 5 figures moved from the open sides to stand at each station. The figures looked like robots or advanced droids. They were about his height and had no clothes or even features to them at all. The androids were simple white humanoid mannequins. The only open station was in the back right, so he stepped up to it.


    Just as he did a voice rang out coming from all around the tent, even though he could see no speakers.


    ¡°You will have 3 hours to create a dessert and present it to our judges. You will find any and all ingredients that are needed in the replicator frigid and the replicator draw at your station. You will only pass if you place in the top 3. There is a special prize available if you win. Good luck!¡± The voice was robotic and sorta energetic. A screen at the front showed a simple timer like in the locker room and the level began.


    Terry had not had to cook for himself a lot in his teen or college years. Like most students at his boarding school he had 3 square meals a day prepared for him. In college, he had a simple dorm and a microwave. He subsisted off cafeteria food and ramen or various microwave meals. He had some idea how to bake from the home economics classes he had been a part of, but that cooking had been in groups and he did not know all their role and barely his own.


    He opened some of the draws and looked at his android competition. Each of them was moving mechanically putting together ingredients in mixing bowls and chopping other ingredients. In the draws he did eventually find helpful sheets of paper.


    They were like recipe cards, there was one for vanilla cake, another for a fruit crumble, and the last was for basic pancakes. Each looked good, but he had to place in the top three or even try to win. His mind raced trying to think of a plan or anything. Maybe I can enhance one of these with something to make it better. I like crumbles and fruit pies, maybe something with that?


    The indecision was not something that Terry liked to dwell on and after another flip of the recipe cards he had an idea. He started to get to work.


    His mom had worked in several different odd jobs and she had excelled in a few of them. When he was 8 or 9 she worked in a caf¨¦ and bakery called Debra''s Do¡¯s and Donuts or as he called it the DDD. Whenever he was sick or not feeling well he got to skip school and go to the DDD for a day of shadowing his mom, drinking soda from glass bottles and munching on rejected pastries and other baked goods.


    His favorite type of donut was an apple fritter. As he went to open the fridge, he knew most of the ingredients for a simple recipe and opened the medal door. Several bright red apples were on the shelf. He grabbed them out and brought them to the station, cut them into small pieces and scooped them into a bowl. He remembered a trick and opened the fridge again to find a single lemon. At the station he cut that in half and squeezed the juice on the apple. His mom said it had something to do with stopping the brown spots that appeared on cut apples.


    Terry knew it needed flour, eggs, salt and cinnamon. As he explained the idea to Rosa, who he had set on the station, she chimed, ¡°Probably baking powder in there too, also sugar and a neutral oil to fry them.¡± it seemed her knowledge was more than just the planet that they were on. That or apple fritters were a thing here too, Terry hoped they were.


    As he thought of the dry ingredients they appeared in the draws he opened, and Rosa gave him more instructions on the proper amounts the pastry would need. He mixed the dry ingredients in one bowl and had a separate one for the wet ingredients to add into the mixture later. The dry ingredients were combined in the mixer and oddly to Terry, the sugar was considered a wet ingredient. He did not question it; he just followed Rosa¡¯s directions.


    Terry folded in the apples at the end by hand. He tried a bit with a finger and was immediately reminded of DDD¡¯s batter, making him smile. Terry wanted them to be fresh for the judge. He moved the mix to the fridge and mixed powdered sugar, a small amount of apple juice and water together to make the glaze.


    He looked at the timer, he had 45 min left, plenty of time to finish. He suddenly realized how hungry he was and tried something out. He opened the fridge thinking about a simple ham and cheese sandwich and there it was. He took a bit of time to eat and heat the oil for frying the fritters. With 25 min left he started preparing the mounds of apple pastry. Frying them in a high walled pan and a good amount of oil.


    This had been his favorite part of the process. The pan was only big enough for 2 doughnuts at a time with oil just deep enough for the bottom and some of the sides. He put a lid on to steam the doughnuts, at Rosa''s suggestion, but just for a couple of moments. He then spooned some of the hot oil on top of the fritters to finish off the top. Each pastry was a little different. Terry smiled as he retrieved the first two and generously spooned up two more, repeating the previous steps till he had 8 amazing fritters. He had a small amount of batter left so he made a tester as he retrieved the glaze.


    Terry¡¯s mom had always given him the tiny tester fritter. He poured the glaze on and removed the tester with 5 min to spare, and when he dipped the tiny fritter in the last of the glaze, Terry was almost giddy to put it in his mouth. He was flooded with nostalgic feelings as he chewed the treat and he smiled with the memories. While he was still in a moment of ecstasy, the timer chimed and the competition was complete.


    Terry still felt nerves like a fluttering in his stomach as the judging began. Instead of androids, the judges looked like female humans, but on closer inspection each had inconsistencies with Earth or Terff humans. They were taller and almost sickly thin, their long limbs were more like a thin tree branch than anything strong or substantial. They wore plain women''s pants suits, like a group of high level executives going to lunch together rather than showing up to judge a baking competition.


    There was one at each station, Terry barley got to introduce his dessert when the judge grabbed one delicately. Her face did seem to register joy at eating the dessert, as he would have expected. She actually seemed very pleased. A clipboard and pen seemed to appear in her hand after she quickly finished one whole fritter. Terry had made 8 fritters, but as she finished writing, she looked at him straight in the eye and grabbed another. She turned and walked back to the front of the tent. Terry thought he saw a smile on her face as she turned and took a bite of the pastry. The fluttering was gone and a warm feeling of accomplishment came over him.


    A minute or two later they announced the placing in reverse order. Terry had missed some of the androids'' antics apparently. The last place went to cinnamon raisin oatcakes that were described as dry plank stomp cake. Another had apparently had a small fire in their oven while making cookies and the result they had called double chocolate, Terry wondered how the burned cookies didn¡¯t lose when they got to the top 3. Second and third were also cookies. A coconut nut cookie, that sounded very nice and second an apparently perfect dessert, the cakey chocolate chip cookie. Terry was getting hungry again when his name was given for the first place!


    Terry had never come in first in anything in his life, he stared dumbly as the androids clapped and motioned him to the front of the tent. Rosa beamed at the praise from his shoulder as the judges presented him with 3 bundles, all wrapped so he could not see the contents. Two were in blue and one was in a purple box.


    ¡°You have made a very acceptable offering today. As a token for your winning you have a choice between these three prizes, please choose wisely.¡± The judge that had tried his fritter said with a smile.


    Terry looked to the bundles, guessing he would not get a question about what was best. He grabbed the purple bundle as it was his mother¡¯s favorite color and it had been his memory of her that had helped him the most. It was slightly heavy and very solid. He examined it only slightly before the judge spoke again.


    ¡°Now I give you another spell and your experience¡± she placed a hand on his head and he felt a warm feeling move through his body.


    You have been granted experience. You have 41 points of experience. You now have 55 points of experience. You  have unlocked one spell.


    <ul>


    <li>You have learned the spell Call Wind. Call the wind to perform your commands on enemies and objects. The wind is a free force, command increased based on the amount of mana offered.</li>


    </ul>


    Terry liked this way of receiving upgrades over the delicious, but painful drinks. He felt accomplished as he walked away from the judges and the tent seemed to dissolve behind him to the white void. He was able to grab the plate of Fritters before exiting.

 Chapter 8: Making Friends in all The Wrong Ways

    Lvl 3: A Gaggle of Chaos


    Terry entered the locker room and shook out of his daze from the win. He had not received an Attribute upgrade in the last level and he wondered if the repeatable levels did not offer as substantial of rewards as the combat focused levels did. The thought only highlighted how little he actually knew about completing these challenges and about this world in general. It all seemed to highlight how dumb it was for him to not just wait and face the levels after he knew more or had gotten more information or training in the first place.


    Penni had told him that 3 Attribute upgrades was close to a record on the first day; he wondered how close 3 attributes and 2 spells was to that record. He then wondered if she was alright and if she had gotten done with her level, he wondered if her snake was alright.


    He sorta wished for a shower or anyway to clean himself, aside from the one stall and sink to the side he had barely paid attention to before. Terry looked at the timer and saw he had about 10 min left before he had to leave so he decided to unwrap and find out about the prize he had received.


    ¡°So, what was with the colored boxes for the prizes?¡± Terry remarked while sitting on the bench and placing Rosa on his knee, so she''d be easy to talk to.


    Rosa explained, ¡°The colors are like rarity or enchantment level from a video game. Blue is uncommon, so it would probably have 1 or 2 enchantments. Orange is rare and will have more specific enchantments or themes. Green is legendary and extremely hard to find and very powerful with enchantments, themes, and often benefits for the wielder.¡±


    After a moment Terry looked at the box for his bundle. He asked, ¡°What about purple?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Rosa started, ¡°Purple is unique. It is a color given to the first of a kind or one of a kind items or weapons. What you have there is something special either really powerful or just the only one someone made.¡±


    ¡°Someone makes these prizes? And I get to keep these right?¡± Terry was interested in the idea of a unique item. He just hoped it would be useful in the trials to come. He had enjoyed both levels, and he enjoyed gaining power and abilities, he wanted more.


    Rosa went on, ¡°You get to keep it. That is how players get money, you can sell items and weapons. You might want to keep these, purple items can be very useful and hard to sell because they are often specific.¡±


    ¡°Well, let''s see what it is,¡± Terry began to open the purple box.


    ¡°Please be useful?¡± Rosa said quietly under her breath. Terry was very amazed at the growing personality of his pet turtle and once again felt thankful she was here with him.


    As the box was opened, he was greeted with the sight of two very different looking knives. One in a simple and longer leather scabbard that could be attached to a belt or his thigh. It looked more utility and useful in design to the others. The smaller knife had a wider holster like sheath, Terry had only seen throwing knives in videos and movies, but it was plain that is what this was. He placed them on his lap and he could feel a tingling from the magic on the blades.


    ¡°How can I tell what they do?¡± Terry asked, sounding a bit in awe of the weapons he had won. Two definitely was better than one, he thought.


    Rosa answered him, sounding a bit in awe herself, ¡°There are a couple ways, the easiest is to focus and attune to them. It is like meditation, but you focus on the items for a short while and feel their essence and mana. You can also gain a spell or pay someone with the spell to identify them. I believe you can also get a HUD upgrade with the proper attributes.¡±


    Terry nodded and he looked at the timer, he had about 7 minutes left in the locker room, ¡°how long does attuning take?¡± he asked.


    ¡°About an hour or so, it can be different from item to item.¡± Rosa replied.


    ¡°Let''s go outside and meditate then, I wanna see what I won.'''' He got up, moving Rosa to his shoulder and left the locker room.


    The day was close to ending, the suns moving down toward the horizon in a very different and extreme sunset. Tall vibrant grass and rolling hills added to the picturesque scene and Terry took a deep breath of fresh air. It felt clean and even though he had seen injury and violence in the first level, he was happier after the memories and his performance in the 2nd level. He almost looked forward to the quiet meditation.


    He moved a little away from the gateways. He remembered what Morris and Rosa had mentioned, the gateways were safe areas due to the concentrated magic in the area. He wondered if that magic would help in his meditation. He had never been one for quiet contemplation, he enjoyed being alone, playing video games, and generally relaxing, but meditation seemed like a different state of being. He was almost happy to find that it was close to just that.


    Rosa talked him through some basics to clear his mind and focus his feelings. He was amazed at the rushing torrents inside him and when he pointed out the feeling to Rosa she explained. ¡°That is your mana. It is best to give it a representation. Like focusing on a scene such as a flowing river or biding flower so that you can represent the ideas with the power and how to use and control it¡±


    Terry felt it was most like a river inside him, flowing and careening with white rapids of turmoil and power. He felt he needed to tend it and learn to settle that turbulence and direct that power. In the meditative state he began to feel how it was done and Rosa helpfully explained as well.


    ¡°Try to focus on the objects and feel their mana. It should feel close to your own, but it will have different forms or expressions. You should be able to focus and almost read these forms and expressions like a language¡­¡± She trailed off with more lessons in a soothing and calming tone directing him.


    Terry¡¯s focus shifted to the knives and he did feel and kinship in the magic, but it was more like an uncle then a direct family member. In fact it was much like meeting a forgotten or new family member. He felt a connection, not between him and the weapon, but between the weapon and someone else almost like the weapon was someone else. A distinct personality, mood, and even a sort of intoxication from the weapon.


    After a long amount of time, Terry was not sure how long but it was probably close to a couple hours. He received a notification that provided a description, but before he could read it a feeling came over him and he was not aware of what happened over the next few minutes.


    -


    Selina Kane had had a very productive and great day up until this moment. She had returned home and even got to use her gift. She had arrived at the Iron Bay the same time as her friend Hurk. She had not seen him in years, but she was more concerned about the one he was carrying. Sid was a jerk to everyone, but being a healer meant helping the jerks sometimes. Selina had sung a healing song to him as they made their way to the infirmary. It had lines of sleep mana to put him down gently, but that should be a soothing sleep and the doctors had thanked her as she left to go to the Martin Academy to see her brother and the closest thing she had ever known to a parent.


    Tid was in a little worse shape, but Mother Martin was a good decision. Her particular spells and ornaments were very good on burns, she was a rare type of healer and player back in her own day. Selina was excited to see her at work, she had not seen it in some years since leaving her home for school.


    Morris was on the porch when she arrived and he was so excited she arrived home early. He was excited to tell her about his tutorial and his first level. Morris had apparently used his upgrade potion when she had arrived and was sitting on the porch as the effects wore off.


    Selina was happy they could explore the levels together. Then Morris mentioned that he had gone through the level with an OOT and she explained she had not met him with Hurk back in town. ¡°He might still be at the gateway.¡± Morris put in and asked her to go meet him and lead him back to Mother Martin''s; he would be staying the night there, as he wanted to keep an eye on Tid¡¯s condition. Mother Martin explained that the burns were not in an easily healed place and there might be some severe scarring. Selina was worried and interested in meeting the OOT, they were always such interesting characters.


    Selina enjoyed stories from other worlds, she met several OOTs at her school and though they were usually shy and afraid. Selina¡¯s bright smile and curiosity always helped them warm up and share. Though it was not only her personality that made others open up to her.


    Selina was very pretty, in fact many considered her beautiful. Boys often stared at her long golden hair or her bright blue eyes, or her very appreciable figure. Girls often treated her cold at first, but once they looked past the beautiful form they found a caring and truly interested person. In short, she was beautiful both inside and out.


    Selina wanted to see if Terry, the OOT Morris had told her about, would come to the academy on his own. When an hour or so passed she decided that having a walk at sunset sounded nice and set off.


    As she got closer to the gateway, Selina saw someone sitting near the stone arches, he was sitting very still and Selina recognized it to be a meditation posture. She approached slowly so as to not break his concentration and meditation.


    As she got nearer still, she saw he had a bundle of some sort in his lap, as well as a strange small four legged creature relaxing on his shoulder. He must have been focusing on the bundle trying to identify its properties. This stranger was going to be interesting, and he must have done another level to get a prize.


    Once she was about 15 or so feet from the stranger his posture and many things changed. He slumped forward looking tired, then shakily rose to his feet. His movements were swaying yet sort of deliberate, grabbing the items in his lap he tripped while standing still and took several steps back trying to right himself, his arms wheeling and flailing at the sudden movement.


    He was tumbling and struggling to stand, and he was falling back toward the center arch which lit up at his approach. Selina attempted to call out, but knew it was futile so instead ran forward to catch him. She just made it to the gateway when he started to fall in, disappearing behind the silver shimmer that filled the arch. The creature on his shoulder saw Selina and gave a frightened yelp and wide eyed panic look as she cursed and leapt to grab his falling outstretched hand still holding one of the items.


    She grabbed it and was still in the air, clenching tightly but with nothing to brace against she joined the stranger falling into the level entrance landing on top of him in the locker room.


    -


    Terry came out of the sensation with an odd weight on his chest. He was dizzy and almost felt like he had awoken from a long night of drinking. Overly sensitive and a beating in his head had him feeling awful. All this was not helped as he realized the weight on his chest was a person, a beautiful woman.


    She had vivid blue eyes like the tropical waters, and her hair was royal and golden like the sand on the same tropical beach. Her face was very pleasing to see, but the effect was ruined as she opened her mouth again to continue the diatribe of curses and insults towards his stupidity.


    ¡°You sparking idiot, do you even realize where we are, what we have to do now because you can¡¯t even stand correctly!?¡± She stared at him befuddled as he started to recognize where he was again.


    ¡°How did we get in the locker room again? What level is this?¡± Terry asked, trying to wiggle out from under the pretty, yet obviously angry woman.


    She smacked him with an open palm on the chest, ¡°I just walked up and your dumb ass toppled over like a drunken idiot! And I think this is the Hoard level so thank you for that. You better be useful in a fight dumb ass!¡±


    Terry stammered, still working to get out from under her, he was confused and disoriented, her loud voice and insults did not help. ¡°I was just trying to identify these daggers, then I felt all woozy and I sorta blacked out. Next thing I know you''re on top of me and I am in here again. I didn¡¯t try to do this!¡±


    ¡°Well¡± she scrawled and pushed herself up and off of him, ¡°we better get ready these levels are not easy, but the only reason we would be here together is if we are close to the same exp amount. You''re Terry right? My name is Selina.¡±


    ¡°How do you know my name?¡± he said, getting up himself, his head and senses still swimming.


    She rolled her eyes, she obviously didn¡¯t care too much for him or the situation. ¡°I¡¯m Morris¡¯ sister. He sent me to grab you and bring you back to Mother Martin¡¯s Academy. He is staying there for the night and he wanted to make sure you were alright. You didn¡¯t follow Hurk to town, so he figured you were still here. Why did you do another level?¡±


    ¡°I forgot Rosa in the locker room in all the confusion after the fight.¡± Terry explained looking to the floor to see Rosa crawling timidly toward the still fuming Selina. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to leave her alone after just getting here, I didn¡¯t know what else to do. So I just did the random task.¡±


    Her countenance softened as she looked at the pet crawling on the floor, ¡°Well you might be an idiot, but at least you''re not heartless.¡±


    Terry was not sure what he could say to that, so he just nodded and stood fully. His headache was dissipating and the effects did not seem like a real full hangover now. He tried to remember the message he saw before he blacked out and helpfully the message appeared on his HUD.


    Identify success. You have won a unique grade prize, Flicker and Spark. Flicker is a returning blade and is controlled by a mental command to return once thrown. Spark can add fire damage to a slash at a mental command and has a 15% to light the target on fire while this ability is active. Both weapons are soul bonded and are enhanced with the bond to their last wielder, The Drunken Master Koren Tidestamer. Advance your bond with the weapons to learn more of their abilities and gain insight to the techniques of the previous wielder.


    That message answered what the knives were and Terry thought the enchantments were very nice. He shook himself a bit then attached the scabbard to his belt, he drew Spark first. This was a hunting knife for sure, serrated on one side with a sharp tapered edge to the other. He marveled how the handle fit so well into his hand. He practiced the mental command for the spell effect and marveled as the blade seemed to glow with heat. He could stop the effect at a thought too, he put it away and drew Flicker next. The shape and feel of this blade was very different from its brother, with a leaf like blade and smaller handle with a ring at the bottom for a quick grip change. Terry felt like the knife wanted to be thrown, but for safety he just dropped it to the floor. A moment later it was back in his hand at a mental command, this could be very handy.


    He looked around to see Selina was finishing putting on her jumpsuit and then belting on a wand like Morris had used against the Death-Brain. Her movements were deliberate and practiced, not to mention she made that track suit look really good.


    She broke Terry¡¯s observations with a question, ¡°So what do you have to get us through this fight? I am a healer and very support based, but I can use this in close quarters.¡± she motioned to the slender sword on her hip. It must have been provided by the locker, but the rapier looked finely made and almost dangerous at her side.


    Terry explained the knives and some of his attributes he did not mention the soulbond feeling it was not relevant. She responded, ¡°You can probably move pretty fast and I can hide so I will stay in one place and you can keep returning to get healing as needed. We will need to make this a hit and run style battle, are you familiar with that?¡± Terry marveled at her knowledge of tactics as he nodded. He had not ever been in a battle, but he had played video games and MMOs where similar plans were made and followed.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    He stepped up to his locker not wanting to change again, even though the track suit looked fresh and laundered once again, he pulled out another crossbow and noted that the bolts were randomized and filled once again. He had a lot on his belt already, so he slung the quiver over his arm. ¡°Is this going to be another area style map, like the boss fight?¡± Terry asked, Selina seemed to have a good deal of knowledge on the levels.


    Selina nodded, ¡°It might be a bit more complex and much larger. The area sorta scales with the threat and number of enemies. I have done a Hoard before so this one might have an elite at the end.¡± Terry¡¯s eyebrows raised in question, so Selina continued, ¡°an Elite is a larger enemy like a boss, but instead of having a trick to beat them quickly they''re just tougher. It really depends on what sort of enemy we face in there, if it is a hoard of wild animals it will just be an alpha and if it is goblins it will be a chief or hobgoblin.¡±


    Terry suddenly thought of Hurk the goblin, he wondered what he would think fighting his own kind. Could Terry fight and kill another human? He tried to ask another question to get the thought out of his head. ¡°Could there be human enemies? Are these enemies even real?¡±


    Selina shrugged, ¡°We could face any threat in a level, but the enemies are more like drones. Players have tried to interact with the enemies they are based on intelligent races, but they always just end up attacking.¡±


    Terry''s mind instantly went to bots or NPCs in video games and he nodded with understanding. He put Rosa in the locker again, promising he would not forget her this time. He took a deep breath and stepped to the door, Selina following him into the area. It was slightly larger than the one he had fought in that morning. He looked to Selina, who nodded ready to get this over with.


    The same podium and randomizer began to spin up in the middle of the area, Terry held the crossbow ready. He took out a blue bolt and loaded it as the randomizer chose. 3 symbols appeared on the screen. The first was a tree, tall and imposing with other smaller bushes or smaller trees around it. The enemy symbol was a small humanoid shape with pointed ears and a stout build, Terry guessed it right away as goblins. The last was a number 12, he was shocked at the odds, 2 vs. 12, this seemed very stacked in their opponent''s favor.


    ¡°Does that seem high to you?¡± He asked Selina as the world began to change around them.


    Selina nodded and shrugged, ¡°Goblins roam in packs. It will probably be scenario based though, we might get to storm a camp or something. Stick close to me and I can hide pretty well, and you¡¯ll need to know where I am to get healing. You can always leave the bow with me, I can shoot it alright.¡±


    Terry gave her the crossbow and quiver, he then pulled out Flicker in a reverse grip. The area had become a dense jungle complete with vines, shrubbery and even bird calls. They could hear hooting and howling like a crazy festival was happening deeper in the brush and they crept forward as quietly as they could. Terry stayed close to Selina, keeping his eyes peeled for danger. He felt like this area should be more shaded and harder to see in, but he could see very clearly in the low light.


    After a short distance and the growing sounds of savage celebration, they came upon the scenario like Selina had mentioned. They were on a slight rise above a cleared out section of the jungle. Trees had been cut down and some turned into rough tents or stacked as firewood for a large bon fire that burned about 25 yards into the center of the clearing. Dancing around the fire were several small, stout and green humanoids, Terry recognized as the goblins. He counted 10 dancing and soon found the other two sitting off to the side watching the fire and celebration. One was a regular sized goblin, but wore a tall pointed hat and too big blue robes, he had a tall staff that looked like a gnarled branch in one hand. The last Goblin was not a goblin at all, this must have been the Hobgoblin that Selina had mentioned. He was taller than Terry, at least 7 feet, leaning against a massive single-headed ax. He had more hair on his body and wore no obvious armor, in fact he looked to be completely naked, seeming to rely on his hair to cover him up. It was not doing the best job though.


    Selina motioned him over to a fallen log near the area they were watching from, she aimed the crossbow and they went over the plan one more time in hushed voices. ¡°You''re going to have to move fast, not a lot of areas down there to hide. I can try and shoot a few to start off, but they are harder to hit when they move. I am going to fire some of the Vine-Wrap Bolts at the Hobgoblin, he will probably rip free, but it should slow him a bit. Look out for the one with the hat it will probably throw some spells or something¡±


    Terry nodded in recognition, ¡°Right, after you fire you should try and get away from this spot, move to that area to the right and keep down, I will probably need healing sooner rather than later and you shouldn¡¯t let them find you.¡±


    ¡°Good plan, I will try and keep to the fallen logs, I think they are supposed to be a low wall to their camp.¡± She agreed with him and that made Terry feel warm inside.


    Terry let out a deep breath and began to move forward. He was making his way as close to the group as he could while staying out of the clearing. He did not need to be too quiet, the celebrations of the goblins hid the sounds of his movement. Selina did her first shot just as he reached an area level with the bonfire.


    The bolt hit the leg of the hobgoblin and his legs were wrapped in a thick tangle of vines. He staggered and fell from the impact, but the dancing goblins did not seem to notice, only the Wizard Goblin did.


    His sleeves were too big making him look like a small green child in his robes. Terry almost laughed, but then the spell happened, it was a ball of fire that grew then shot from his outstretched sleeve toward where Selina had fired from. Terry hoped she was no longer there as the fireball exploded on impact and lit the log they had been hiding behind ablaze.


    The dancing goblins finally noticed the commotion and Terry took the opportunity. He sighted and threw Flicker, striking into the shoulder of a goblin who let out a whale and turned to where he was hiding behind the wall. With a command the knife appeared in his hand and he threw again, this time missing the goblin as several rushed to his spot.


    The knife appeared in his hand again, but before he could throw it they were on him. Terry had never been in a knife fight before, but unbeknownst to him his Dark attribute gave him basic techniques in knife and short sword styles. He felt that knowledge, it seemed to take hold and guide his actions as he went on the offensive against the gaggle of goblins.


    He could use Spark to deflect the blows from the club wielding goblins and drew Flicker to make quick cuts. He felt an immediate thrill in the hoard on one fight, a sort of intense rush of energy and precision with the new, but somehow familiar weapons. He took a few blows, but the deflections and dodging helped to avoid any direct hits. Regardless he did take hits and his health dropped. He monitored it on his HUD.


    Health: 113/150 HP


    HP was a number given to pain tolerance and the blunt weapons did big numbers to his health , but the attacks were sloppy, wild and easy to deflect and avoid.


    The biggest detriment to a knife fight was the inability to use finishers and the lack of reach with the small weapons, this did not matter however in a fight like this one. There was no focus on one enemy like dueling in shows and movies. There were only furies of fast and precise cuts to areas Terry hoped were fatal. He tried to keep himself moving and never focused on singular enemies as Terry tried to seem like a dangerous enemy, and hopefully that would make him one. He moved quickly side to side, in and out of his enemies and it was almost fun. He deflected a club, but was startled when a voice rang out in his head.


    ¡°Ooh aye, you dodging good there lad, try attacking while you dodge though. That is where you really start winning!¡± The voice was musical and yet rough. The distraction caused Terry to take a club to the thigh and he called out dancing back to create some distance. He had actually taken down 3 of the 6 or so that were on him, but it had not been easy.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t that pretty lass say something about hit and run? Why are you not moving more? They''re going to find her eventually! Pay attention!¡± the voice said.


    Health: 100/150 HP


    Terry sorta just shrugged and accepted it, he might have questions, but now was not the time for questions. He rushed forward at the remaining goblins and made the conscious decision to go with the hit and run. He thrust Spark past the guard of a goblin, scoring a decent wound on the shoulder. It stepped back in pain pulling his knife free, he was already moving past the group toward the outer walls where some goblins had split and were heading to the burned remains of the log Selina had been shooting from. He threw Flicker while running, the action seeming natural even with no training. It stuck right in the back of one of the goblin¡¯s necks, then reappeared in his hand.


    He activated Spark and slashed another goblin while running by, the enemy burst into flames from the chance ability on the dagger.


    ¡°Aye, that was timely, good slicing boy! You might be a natural wit these ¡®ere.¡± The voice sang praises in his head.


    He rolled forward and threw Flicker again as another goblin turned. His aim was low and it stuck right in the goblin¡¯s thigh before reappearing back in Terry¡¯s hand. He turned on his heel and ran the other way. Right to where the hobgoblin had been before, the massive goblin was ripping coils of vines off his legs, trying to free them. Terry let Flicker fly again, but it did not hit the Hobgoblin. It hit the wizard, who had gone invisible and happened to be in a bad spot. Terry barely registered the surprise and plowed over the figure, tossing the small limp body to the side like he was an all-star linebacker.


    He Brought the knife back to his hand and threw Flicker at the massive prone figure and scored a hit on the foot, the knife digging in deep into the sole. The Hobgoblin let out a frustrated wail and reached for the knife. Terry did not call it back right away, he leapt when he was closer to the enemy and brought Spark over his head in a two handed grip, ready for a powerful downward stab. It was a good plan, but he did not count on one thing¡­ The hobgoblin was very hearty and the damage from the knife didn¡¯t matter. One stab was never going to just end it.


    Once he landed and brought the knife home in the beastly chest, he felt the hobgoblin grab his shirt and throw him. He flew through the air, flailing with a scream and harsh ¡°Ooof¡± of pain as his back hit a tree and he fell limply to its base. His vision was swimming, but he knew he had to move as several blurry forms ran at him weapons raised.


    Health: 50/150 HP


    Terry rolled to the side and found his feet to take off running immediately, thankful of his days in track sprinting the practice 100 meter dash gave him an advantage. His lungs burned and his back ached from all the exertion, falling and fighting, he had no idea how many enemies were left.


    The goblins chased him around the clearing while he got his baring''s and tried to figure out how much of a fight he had left. He peered around the battlefield, there were 5 goblins chasing him they appeared to all be in various stages of hurt and fine. He turned his head to get a read on the hobgoblin and felt an impact as a rock sored and collided with his head. The chasing goblins seemed to have missiles and slings. Their aim was rather good as he just barely ducked another.


    He turned quickly running backwards a few steps and threw Flicker. Running backward and throwing was not like doing it in the other direction, his projectile flew high, but far and he actually got a hit on the unlucky hobgoblin who had just gotten to his feet and was joining the chase. The enemy growled in rage as the knife planted in his chest and disappeared back to Terry¡¯s hand. Terry turned and sprinted as hard as he could into the trees he had to break the sightlines and try to recreate some sort of advantage.


    -


    Terry was decent at fighting but he was more excellent at running, Selina was actually impressed. The speed and grace he showed even under the pressure of the chase had her so awestruck she forgot to keep shooting. She had moved to the area he indicated at the beginning after the fireball from the Goblin Wizard had destroyed her previous cover. She had not been seen, and had shot the Hobgoblin once more with tangling vines once she got to the new spot.


    Selina noticed her hesitation, but there was not much she could do now that everyone was moving. She had not seen Terry¡¯s full fight, but once she had settled in he had begun moving and it seemed like he never stopped.


    Terry hopped the low wall into the trees on the opposite side of the clearing, the gaggle of goblins coming up short and not following him into the dense trees. As the group stopped she pulled a red felched bolt and took aim. She wanted to hit the group as they were clustered, so the explosion would get most of them, she fired and the explosion happened pretty close to the center of the mass. Goblins flew out in all directions and the Hobgoblin turned in her direction.


    It started to move quickly toward her and Selina figured she had been found, then Terry¡¯s throwing knife flew into the massive arm of the foe. It disappeared and the hobgoblin let out a cry, he was distracted so Selina did not hesitate and fired another vine bolt. It planted in a massive hairy midsection and erupted in tangling vines that held the arms in place. The cry it let out was much more pained than angry this time and Selina knew the hobgoblins'' health had to be low.


    Terry¡¯s knife flew from the trees again then he was out of the trees, jumping and stabbing the hobgoblins shoulder With his other knife shortly after. She could smell the burning flesh from the knife''s ability as he stubbornly held on to the beast¡¯s back. She saw him raise his other hand and his other knife appeared stabbing into the other shoulder giving him handles as the Hobgoblin ran and jerked here and there trying to throw him off.


    Selina was impressed once again by the tenacity of the fighter, and she shot one of the other goblin forms trying to stand after her explosive bolt. It laid on the ground unmoving and she scanned the other bodies to confirm they were not getting up.


    The hobgoblin was really tiring now as she rose and came out of the brush. It fell to its knees with Terry still holding on for dear life and stabbing the shoulders again and again. Till it fell forward face planting and did not move.


    -


    They were walking back to the Academy after the excitement and collecting the upgrade bottles. Selina had told him not to drink it till they were at Mother Martin¡¯s, so that the pain could pass in a more comfortable place. They did not talk a lot at first, Terry wondered if Selina was still upset with him and he was really just tired. It had been a lot that first day and he was ready for a meal and a bed.


    Terry had heard a bit more from the voice, but it didn''t say anything important outside the battle. He was going to ask Rosa about the voices in his head when there was not an impressionable and beautiful woman traveling with him.


    ¡°You actually held your own really well in there, even if that is not really a hit and run style you used.¡± Selina said to him, she didn¡¯t look at him when she said it. It was like she was giving the compliment without actually acknowledging that it was to him.


    Terry nodded knowing that she was still upset, then responded, ¡°I have never really been in a fight like that before, not in real life. I didn¡¯t like the idea of not fighting straight up, I was armed and the weapons felt more familiar than I thought they would.¡±


    ¡°You get a lot from the upgrades, not just physically but mentally as well. You said you got a Dark upgrade, well that can give you proficiency with small blades and short swords. Sometimes you¡¯re born with that proficiency and sometimes you are not.¡± Selina spoke easily, but there was still a tension in her voice. ¡°You really didn¡¯t know any of this before going to a level?¡±


    ¡°I just sorta went with it. I heard what this world had and I said ¡®yeah let¡¯s go¡¯ I didn¡¯t mean to do that many levels that fast. I thought I would just do one, then one thing and another and I did them all.¡± Terry had barely time to think today about all the madness he had gotten into, so much had been going on. He did need to learn more about this world and he needed to know more before he jumped into anything else.


    The chat was a lot more idle after that. A little about Terry¡¯s world and he promised to answer more questions from Selina in the morning and from now on, ¡®as payment¡¯ she put it. Before long Terry saw the academy and understood how they could stay the night.


    The homestead was expansive, sprawling out more like a manor and plantation. The large manor was surrounded by expansive fields and a wooden fence that seemed to stretch for miles in each direction. There was a large wooden arch and gate, it was closed, but Selina produced a key that let them in.


    The house had at least 4 stores and looked to have wings like the southern plantations on earth. It was natural wood coloring, and Terry had never seen trees large enough to produce logs like these. The porch wrapped the entire length of the front and there were several soft and nice looking benches and couches situated along it. There were windows everywhere above that like each room would get a view of the rising or setting suns. Terry marveled and wanted to tour every room in the house to see the layouts and designs.


    ¡°This is Mother Martin¡¯s Academy?¡± He asked in awe.


    ¡°Yep, she is one of the more successful players on this side of the Diamond lands. She is a darling and very strong with her magic. She actually raised Morris and I before I went to my school in the campus city. It is more healing and magic focused than here where she teaches general education and player training.¡± Selina smiled at Terry¡¯s expression. Her anger at him had lessened as they talked. He was very na?ve and she imagined she might do the same if she were an OOT in a new world.


    They stepped up to the door and were met by Mother Martin¡¯s assistant and Master Servant, Gile the Flathand, a diminutive gnome in a very dapper black butler suit. He was suspicious of the late time they arrived and Terry let Selina do the talking. She explained the accident and they were led up to Mother Martin¡¯s room as she had apparently waited up for them.


    The inside of the house was as magnificent as the outside. The foyer was a tall room with two grand stairs that lead all the way up to the 4th floor, with off shots to access each level of each story. There was art and culture up and down the stairs and the halls. Terry¡¯s head and eyes could not stop moving, but he felt he could barely see it all.


    Mother Martin¡¯s room was large and must have been most of the east wing¡¯s upper floors. It was not fully lit now, but the amount of windows and chandeliers Terry could see in the starlight told him it was only due to the night that it was not fully lit.


    A large four post bed against the back wall was occupied by what must have been Mother Martin. Terry could see the years on the woman, but there was more of a timeless elder look to her then a grandmother. She seemed wise and all knowing, she was human, but there were differences that he had seen in the humans at the tavern that told him she was not from earth. Her hair was white and her eyes were brown, she looked to be very fit still and Terry marveled at just how well preserved she was sitting up in bed reading by candle light.


    This world had electricity and modern conveniences, but Mother Martin seemed to just enjoy simple things. She greeted them warmly and the story of Selina and his meeting was told once again, but in greater detail. She smiled at the adventure and told them she was tired and would more formally meet Terry in the morning. Terry did not have a problem with the dismissal as Gaile showed him to a guest room, it was bigger than any room Terry had ever called his own and soon brought him a tray of bread, butter, cheese, fruit and tea.


    He ate contentedly and before going to bed he took the upgrade, as Selina had suggested.


    You have 1 new attributes:


    Your Integrity attribute has been upgraded to Intuition


    You gained this title thanks to your quick thinking and ability to act on instinct.


    You have gained all 4 attributes and can now access a Character sheet.


    You have been granted experience. You have 55 points of experience. You now have 70 points of experience. You have unlocked 2 utility skills.


    You have gained an inventory that will grow and expand with you as you level.


    You have gained a Hot Bar to access certain items quickly.


    Terry read all this and as the pain wracked his body he fell into a deep slumber. He had not realized how sleepy he had been before taking the upgrade. Rosa much contentedly on some of the fruit and fell asleep on the table next to his bed. The day was finally over.


    End Of Part 1.

 Intermission: Koren’s Life: Before Your Education

    This was an exciting day for each urchin in the family, the guise was all part of it, dressing the part was essentially and really the reason for the trip. The 6 gnome children were concealed in an alley with their only chaperon, the aunt who''s lair was acting as home base for this operation, Aunt Norien.


    Aunt Norien was an older Gnome, struggling to cling to the childish youthful competition that the race was known for. In her youth, she was a great beauty often acting as the family''s honey pot for luring and blackmailing officials and even a noble or two. That was many years ago now and it showed in the wrinkles and lines that defined her bright yellow eyes and still full lips. Her hair lost its sheen and was now brilliant white, dampened by the green and blue scarfs she wore in and through the braids and buns. She had a patterned dress with chains of diamonds and triangles in fun exaggerated bright colors. All the color was part of the plan, it would all draw the eye and allow the collected nieces and nephews to cut purses and collect wallets and pieces from passersby.


    This street had several likely targets and even some of its own urchins, that the others could blend in with and gather news from. A urchin is an urchin''s only friend after all and playing the part allowed the gnomes to complete their quotas and get the points they would need to move on to more specialized work.


    The crime family was called the Vortex Sneak, a singular name, but it covered the entire family (even if that secret had been given away a while ago). It was tradition that kept it; however, the Vortex Sneak had been responsible for crimes all over the Diamondlands and in the present time was the largest operating crime family outside the Club. Today was special for two members in the family, in particular. It was Koren¡¯s first day as an official member, a practicing thief!


    Koren nervously hopped from one foot to another, he had turned six years old a mere three days before while on the road to his aunt¡¯s lair. They had finally finished the last of the cake last night and this was the day that Koren had truly waited for. Today he would just be shadowing an older boy and staying near to Aunt Norien then he really liked, but it did not quell his excitement. He wore a loose shirt, torn pants and sack slippers secured with tan stips of string. It was actually very close to the pajamas he liked to spend most days in, lounging with his brothers and sisters on rainy days back in Inkwell Mines HQ for the Vortex Sneak¡¯s founding family.


    ¡°... We have two new members, Diggle and Koren. You stay close to me at first. Alphey will collect you when it is your turn to shadow. Stick to each of us like glue, I am not coming to find you if you get left behind. Remember what to do if you lose your way?¡± Aunt Norien looked at Diggle and Koren pointedly. Koren always made fun of her sharp nose and it always led the way into every room. Now it was like he was string into a terrifying terror bird or other large beaked predator.


    Diggle piped up before Koren, He was slightly chubby and had always been an overachiever if it meant he got more snacks, ¡°We move back to an alley and into a shoot. We will be collected there. There are supplies in there and we can be comfortable till the end of the day. Can I go there if I get tired too?¡± Koren looked at him skeptical, You''re so lazy, he thought to himself.


    ¡°You can I guess, but we will be out here all day, and from the nature of the door, you can go in but not back out without a token of the family, and you two will not get that for weeks.¡± Norien answered and seemed a bit annoyed by the presumption of the question.she flashed her pin that acted as her own token. It was a gold coin showing an image of a storm and tornado that almost seemed to dance in the shine of the pin.


    ¡°In any case, spending the day in the nook is not what we want to tell your parents about your first day in the family business.¡± She added before motioning them all forward and everyone darted into the streets disappearing into the emerging and tired crowd.


    The next couple hours were mainly informative, Aunt Norien quizzes both new boys with memorization games. Things like ¡°How Many scarves did you see and what color were they¡± and ¡°There was a group of women just now, how many were blonde and what were the other hair colors¡± were the main conversations as the people streamed by and Aunt Norien ran her stand selling bead bracelets and accessories.


    The shop''s merchandise was a mix of mundane and actual worthless junk in the forms of charms, bracelets and chains. They all looked nice, but were a mix of lifted goods from other towns and created pieces by the children in the crime family. It was not made to get any real traffic or profit, it was a front for the urchins in the crowd to use in their purse cutting and completing their quotas.


    Koren was excited and answered the questions with a growing yearning to get to his shadowing, it was after the noon break that he got that chance. Lunch was simple, just an apple and half a sandwich, Koren like drinking the flavored water more. His aunt always put some crisp mint leaf and dried lemon peel into her jug giving the refreshing drink a cool feeling despite really only being lukewarm.


    Alphey appeared as if from nowhere and motioned him to the other end of the alley. This street was less populated. The street they had been working on all day was on the outside of the merchants and guilder quarters of this part of the capital. Shoppers used that road to get from the opening of one shop or another buying groceries or other supplies. This back area was more like a freight-way for transporting the stock of each store, large carts filled with crates and barrels were being unloaded by burley larger races and supervising Dwarfs were watching it all with a critical eye.


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    Dwarfs were often shroud and calculating business men, Koren supposed that is why they were put in charge of the continent and rule of the capital and the owned mines on the Diamondlands. He had really only had a couple scared encounters with the race, a swirly convenience store owning dwarf had chased him and his older sister from a store after catching them filling their pockets with sweets and flavored drinks. Since then he had always had a slight fear of the bearded and burly little men.


    ¡°Okay so it is a lot trafficked here, but that can make it easier as the people are more distracted by work. How much practice have you had moving casually and cutting purses?¡± Alphey asked quietly and conversationally.


    Koren wanted to impress, Alphey was first born to a rather high ranking uncle in the crime family. Koren¡¯s Uncle Horman was a funny and affable gnome who won many people''s favor with gifts that showed loyalty. Koren had been at his 3rd wedding last year and still played with the awesome party favor games that had been given to guests.


    ¡°I have had a good amount of training in each, but I haven''t done any live practice yet.¡± He told the Alphy rushing through the second part.


    Alphy smiled, ¡°Show me your casual walk, do a lap around here not getting in anyone''s way and staying away from notice and you pass. Your task once I give to a signal is to swipe one of the manifest logs from the cuppy on the cart. You see it?¡± He pointed to a small section of the cart¡¯s frame that had either been removed or a slot added holding sleeves of documents.


    Koren looked confused, ¡°Why are we taking paper when there are more valuable coins?¡±


    ¡°Well the manifest tells us what is on the cart and we can then recognize boxes and goods from the code. We can send in a team tonight to procure specific supplies and get the right things.¡± Alphy told him.


    Korens eyes grew wide as he gained understanding, ¡°That is some smart stealing.¡±


    ¡°The best kind,¡± Alphey smiled back and motioned him to the street, ¡°now git out there.¡±


    Koren looked around as he had been doing all morning, it was mainly workers, but there was an oddity. A group of Human children played loudly down the street near a cart, but out of the way of the workers. They must have been a group younger than class age and so had accompanied a parent to work. There were three boys and two small girls, the former were wrestling in pairs while the girls built some small dough homes from water and clay. Koren decided this was a good place to act in his station and work with his small frame, so he approached the boys acting nervous.


    He gave the boys simple code names in his head, it was easy as they all had different colors or a lack of hair. The bald one and the black haired boy were struggling and grappling in a tangled mess on the ground while the blond boy stood above cheering on one or the other based on who was winning. They were young, probably 4-5 years old and definitely humans, gnomes mature slightly earlier than humans despite constantly being the height of a child or teenager they gain mature features much later, usually in their 60¡¯s or even 70¡¯s. Koren was the equal of a ten year old human in development, but he looked to be the same age as the human children which was 4 or 5.


    The children were not fighting over a disagreement or with any anger, it seemed like more of some sort of game to them. That was just fine with Koren, he started cheering with the blonde kid as the tangle of limbs and the dust from the fight kicked up. After a couple minutes he positioned himself to see Alphey, who was nodding in approval. The blonde kid was seemingly just happy that they had a fourth for the game and after a few moments the two on the floor rolled away from each other and Koren figured it was his and the blonde boy¡¯s turn.


    Grapple wrestling is an art that is both simple and intensely complex. Koren had brothers and they all wrestle often enough for Koren to feel like he had some experience to draw on.  Watching two people fighting for advantage and holds seemed simple as a spectator, but in practice it was more grueling.


    The blonde was bulkier than he had seemed just cheering and calling for one or the other of his friends. Gnomes generally had smaller arms and legs and so Koren knew he would not be a match in that department. Winning was not the best plan, he figured it might be easier to lose to complete his goal.


    He twisted as the blonde kid went for him and was able to get behind the youth. Koren wrapped the boy and tried to heave him to the side and the ground, the boy it seemed knew this trick. The Blonde jumped into the heave and Koren found himself pinned under him, the fall knocking the wind from him and releasing the grip he had. He might have to remember that move for later.


    The boy twisted like a fish in arms and was sitting atop Koren in an instant, he went to complete some complicated hold on Koren¡¯s arm. In an instant Koren was pushing back up, fighting not to give up an arm in the struggle. The contest was like this for a short time, neither giving the other an inch and just Koren found that the wrestling was fun and playful despite the occasional rough areas where the boy would twist his skin or he would grind against the rough ground.


    During the entire time he would occasionally check for the sign from Alphey, who still sat in the shadow of the alley. The signal came during a hold executed by the blonde boy where Koren was on his stomach with an arm wretched up his back. Alphy gave a nod and a waving signal and Koren began to tap and call, ¡®Uncle! Uncle!¡± Then the boy let him up congratulating and allowing him to get to his feet.


    As Koren got to his feet he took a moment to swipe a manifest from the cubby and stealthfully put it in a hidden pocket in the back of his shirt. ¡°Sorry, I heard my mom call me! That was fun, see you later!¡± and he ran off waving to the boys as they got to their next match. He entered the alley once the boys were fully not aware of him and met Alphey.


    ¡°Very good job, that was clever. Did you lose on purpose too?¡± Alphey smiled, but patted him on the back and took the offered manifest from Koren¡¯s proffered hand. ¡°This looks good, you might actually get to do that trick again. There is another group up this way we should hit. Are you up to doing that again?¡±


    Koren nodded and they continued, for the next two hours he wrestled with another group. Joked with a couple little girls to get close to manifests and did whatever he could to get the manifests from the cubbys. It was a fantastic first day working with the family and he returned home that night feeling like he had contributed and learned many important lessons for the family business.

 Part 2: Re-education (aka Everything you Know is Wrong) Chapter 9: Self Help Awareness

    Rosa loved her new life already, she had always been interested more in the world around her and now it felt like she knew everything. She had lived in the terrarium her whole life and her whole life she had had Terry. He was always happy to take her in hand, play with her, clean her area and generally knew exactly what to do to keep her content, healthy and happy.


    With her new life she wanted to be direct and also return the favor to Terry. She had gained the ability to talk and knew so many interesting things about their new world and life on The Deck. Rosa wanted to help and felt like she owed Terry for all the time he had just taken care of her with only companionship as the reward.


    So she was a little scared the next day when Terry slept in. She had expected it and she was comfortable where she had been placed to sleep, it was a large gallon jar much like her travel jar. There was a difference with this jar however that Rosa appreciated, it could lay on its side and not roll allowing her to enter and exit as she pleased.


    As the hours passed and Terry remained sleeping peacefully a nagging and worried thought came into Rosa¡¯s mind and despite all she knew, she did not know how to diagnose and tell why Terry was sleeping in so long. At mid morning a servant, different from Giles, entered and introduced himself when Rosa emerged and asked after her own master.


    ¡°He had quite a day from what I was informed. He will probably sleep for a good while. I have brought you some breakfast and we will let him be. After you are done, Mother Martin has requested you come and visit her?¡± It was barely a question, more like a quiet demand. It seemed the Mother of the manor was not to be ignored.


    Rosa agreed and ate appreciatively, she was interested in talking to the old player and seeing what she might know. Despite having all this trivia like knowledge of the world she had no real first hand experience with any of the information in her head. She crawled on to the hand of the servant and was taken to the master room. It was bright with the light through the windows and Rosa noticed there was a stairway to a loft space that overlooked the room. The servant took her up the staircase to reveal a work area with a large desk and a few bookcases dotted with books and souvenirs.


    Mother Martin rose from behind the desk and stepped forward as the servant came to the top of the stairs, ¡°good morning child, did you sleep well?¡± Mother Martin¡¯s voice was rough with age, but very kind as she approached and offered a wrinkled calloused hand for Rosa to crawl onto.


    Once Rosa answered in the affirmative and transferred herself on to the worn and warm hand of the mistress of the house. Mother Martin dismissed the servant and brought Rosa to the desk, setting her on a leather document pad.


    Mother Martin began, ¡°I am not one to stall or waste time now dear, so I will go straight to the point. I want to train Terry and you, to be a player and familiar.¡±


    Rosa was nodded excited by the offer, ¡°I think that would be great! Terry did a lot yesterday earning all his attributes and beating all the levels at this gateway.¡±


    ¡°And from what I have heard, he did a good job of it as well, I wanted to ask you about the level he did solo after Hurk and Morris carried off the gnomes?¡± Mother Martin asked, and Rosa gave an explanation of why he went into the level and what happened. She did not tell her what the knives'' abilities were as Terry would probably go over all that in training.


    ¡°I see.¡± Mother Martin replied and thought for a moment, drinking from a nice tea cup.¡±There is a lot for Terry to learn, he has some instincts and natural talent. I think it is just about sharpening the skills and getting him acquainted with the dangers within a level. Morris was impressed by the miniboss and I believe Selina saw the potential. They are good kids. I raised them in a ward ship and got Selina a place at that school. They can be strong teammates for the challenges to come. Do you believe Terry will accept the help?¡±


    Rosa was happy with the assessment and replied, ¡±Oh I think he will enjoy the company and the training, he is lonelier than he lets on. I did want to ask, why is he sleeping so hard?¡±


    Mother Martin nodded, ¡°I am sure he is glad to have you along and he will be more thankful once we get you both trained up. Yesterday took a lot out of him and I mean that literally. The Upgrade potions give you power and abilities, with few drawbacks at first. The main side effect is felt later and that is a deep deep exhaustion. They repair, purify and perfect the one that they are made for. It can be deadly if you drink someone else''s, Attribute Upgrades are made personally for the player who earned them. But they change you in many ways. I have never heard of anyone getting all their Upgrades in one day let alone drinking them all, it was almost foolish and I am not sure how long he will take to recover. ¡°


    Rosa was worried, but Mother Martin reassured her, ¡°I am a very experienced healer, dear. I know the best way to treat and care for people in deep sleeps, and know that is all it is deep, deep sleep.¡±


    Rosa was thankful for the reassurance and nodded, going on to ask another question. ¡°What does being a familiar mean for Terry, I know he got a few spells, but his attributes put him more in line with skirmisher or assassin style class of player rather than a spell caster.¡± She was happy to use the knowledge gained and wanted to learn more.


    Mother Martin explained, ¡°A familiar is mainly a good focus to enhance spell-casting and element control. Terry has some of that, but you are correct, he is more melee focused for fighting. What you can do is use your knowledge to assist. You will rank up alongside him, though you will only gain attributes of your own if you move beyond the title of familiar. You only have one attribute and it is more assigned then earned, if you understand. However that will be very useful for his first levels in ways that training and research can only just touch upon.¡±


    ¡°I know, I am very weak. I don¡¯t want to be a burden to Terry, if he has to protect me when he is fighting, how can I really help him?¡± Rosa had enjoyed cooking with Terry in the random task level, but had to admit she did not feel fully comfortable being in a fighting level with Terry.


    ¡°I have had a couple of Player partners who used a variety of types of familiars and I have learned many ways of communication. For instance, did you know that this world has earth style walkie talkies? And that they work in the Level locker room and the Level area?¡± Mother Martin raised her eyebrows and the turtle smiled.


    After a few hours Rosa returned to Terry¡¯s room to wait for him to awake. She was excited to talk with him more and train with him. She felt confident, ready for her training and to instruct and help Terry moving forward in any way she could.


    -


    It was four days before Terry finally awoke to a very nervous, but excited Rosa. She had barely left his bedside over the intervening days and despite reassurances from the regular visitors Terry had, she was worried he would be out alot longer.


    He had been cared for by Mother Martin and Selina primarily, Terry blushed hearing how the beautiful blonde had slowly fed him broth and monitored his condition. He was interested in truly meeting Mother Martin especially after he heard about her wanting to train him. It did not take long for that interest to be granted as his and Rosa¡¯s conversation was cut short when the Mother and Selina came to join him in the room.


    ¡°Giles told me he heard excited chatter from this room. I am glad to see you are awake, how do you feel?¡± The madam of the house sat on the edge of his bed feeling his forehead like a caring mother. She was dressed in a light floral sundress covered in vines and plants that looked nothing like the ones on earth. It had short sleeves, but it did show that the older woman was in rather nice shape for her age with well defined arms and strong calf muscles.


    Selina set a tray down on his table. It was not piled high, but there was a good bit of eggs and bacon along with juice and toast. It smelled wonderful and Terry was distracted, missing the question at first.


    ¡°Huh, oh I feel a little weak, but mostly alright.¡± he stammered looking back at her from the eggs.


    ¡°And hungry too I see.¡± Mother Martin smiled in a motherly way. ¡°We can talk more after you eat up, go slowly or you have too much of a stomach ache for what comes next?¡± The smile was not so motherly at that turn of phrase, but it did not slow Terry who moved the tray to his lap and began to eat.


    When Terry was done, he got up on wobbly legs. Before going to see Mother Martin and Selina, he paced around the room, shaking the numbness from his limbs as he moved. Rosa had informed him that she was wanting to train him and he was excited to begin. After some quick stretches he left his room to find a servant outside waiting to escort him to his new teachers.


    He moved through the halls, Staring at the now sunlit art and decor in the halls. The sight looked even more beautiful and vibrant then it had days prior. It was like he could see with new enhanced vision. The colors and even the shadows were more pronounced with the seemingly alive light through the windows. He was led to the first floor on the west wing, down the hallway was a glass door leading to some sort of gym and training area.


    Terry looked at the machines and free weights of all sizes like the room was a fully equipt membership gym. Mother Martin and Selina turned as he entered. Selina was wearing a tracksuit very much like the ones from the levels. They told him to dress in the men''s locker room, through a door Mother Martin pointed to. As he returned the ladies were sitting and waiting for him on single person mats, he joined them and the training began.


    ¡°To my understanding these experiences were the first time you had ever fought, correct?¡± Mother Martin began


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Terry did not feel this was the time for bravado or lying.


    She nodded, ¡°I believe you did well enough to keep yourself alive, but you have a lot of areas to improve upon and even more to learn about. Did you notice the boosts from your Upgrades?¡±


    ¡°I did, I felt faster and jumped higher. The weapons felt familiar, even though I have rarely, if ever, handled that sort of thing before.¡± He explained hoping she could elaborate.


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    Mother Martin continued nodding and went on to explain, ¡°you gain extensive additions to your base stats. Stats refer to any sense, skill, or characteristic that your body and self naturally contain. Everyone has them and there are hundreds if not thousands. But the only ones that truly matter to you now are the ones affected by your Attribute Upgrades.¡±


    Terry understood, ¡°I have Determined, Wind, Dark, and Intuition.¡±


    ¡°A good mix¡± Mother Martin put in, ¡°the Wind and Determined are closely related. They are why you were faster and more agile. You will want to train with them to get used to your new capabilities.¡±


    ¡°As for Dark, that is more set along your mind stats, so it can affect your sight, reaction, awareness. You will want to train that skill by meditating in dark areas and completing games or puzzles in low light and no light. It can take a lot of getting used to, but the abilities you will gain will give you a lot of options when it comes to working in a group or alone.¡±


    ¡°The fourth attribute is very different, which of the INs did it upgrade?¡± She asked.


    Terry pulled up the notification from the days before he went to sleep and read it aloud to her, both her and Selina gave him questioning looks.


    ¡°An integrity upgrade is very rare, but not unheard of. That is a very useful attribute to gain abilities. You will probably develop more. As for that upgrade, I also have a Hot Bar '''' as she spoke a syringe appeared as if from nowhere into her hand. She smiled and it apparently returned to her Hot Bar, disappearing.


    ¡°The inventory and Hot Bar are related, but different,¡± she instructed like a teacher, ¡°the Hot Bar can place items directly in hand. The inventory needs a medium to interact with. It can just be a simple purse, bag or backpack. Once it is worn you can use it to interact with the pocket dimension you create. You can put items in the bag and remove them as needed. The convenience and use are obvious. But starting out you can only store a certain number of items. As you get stronger, complete levels, and rank up it will grow however¡±


    Terry had one more question before they began, ¡±What is ranking up and how does that work?¡±


    ¡°You gained the Attributes, but that is only the beginning. Each title can be modified or changed at particular amounts of exp. At 100 exp you will be considered a true Rank 1 Player, then at 200 you''re Rank 2. Once you get to 1000 you get to Rank 10, then at 2000 your Rank 20 and so on and so forth. I am Rank 95 for instance and have very different Attribute Titles than when I began at Rank 1.¡± Mother Martin explained things very well and Terry was impressed by her high rank


    They started with lots of instruction. Both agreed he would start weight training another time, but they wanted to see id capabilities in stretching and concentration. What ensued was basically  yoga class. Selina demonstrated the stances and Mother Martin fixed his posture as they moved from stance to stance.


    After a few hours of this training, they broke for a quick meal. After that both Mother Martin and Selina would instruct him on the best types of strategy and uses for his ability. He learned what stats were affected like before, but Mother Martin broke each down further instructing him on every aspect of the stats range. They talked about future lessons, as well that first day, making plans for how to tackle types of enemies, levels and even work with different types of companions.


    Selina was of course a healing bard with specializations in, what she called, precision weapons, ¡°I trained heavily in fencing and shoot any small arms weapon.¡± she explained to him.


    ¡°Where does that knowledge come from?¡± Terry asked.


    She nodded and continued, ¡°for me it comes from my own Wind attribute. My Wind is from my Initiative attribute, so it is more in line for action rather than your¡¯s which is from your Indominance or power attribute.¡±


    ¡°You know Indominance is not really a word right¡± Terry put in smartly.


    ¡°It really comes from Dominance, but a lot of the attributes the gods focused on had IN at the beginning, so people just added I-N to dominance.¡± she shrugged, moving on barely acknowledging his lame attempt at a joke.


    ¡°Players can have the same or similar titles, but depending on what attribute upgrades earned that title determines the stats and skills you gain from it. Make sense?¡± Terry understood that and was thankful for the explanation.


    Selina Continued, ¡°The basic stats that are most affected by your attributes become your main stats, or the areas that you will focus on when determining your style of fighting or dealing with a situation. Your HUD should have a new tab called Character Sheet where you can see this all listed and keep track of your progress.¡±


    Terry brought up the tabs from his HUD and noticed the new one as she had mentioned. He brought it up to see:


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td> </td>


    <td>


    Name


    </td>


    <td>


    Terry


    </td>


    <td>


    Rank


    </td>


    <td>


    Lesser


    </td>


    <td>


    Exp


    </td>


    <td>


    70


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td> </td>


    <td>


    HP


    </td>


    <td>


    150


    </td>


    <td>


    SP


    </td>


    <td>


    300


    </td>


    <td>


    MP


    </td>


    <td>


    150


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Associated attribute


    </td>


    <td>


    Main Stats


    </td>


    <td>


    Value


    </td>


    <td>


    Value addition each level


    </td>


    <td>


    Skills


    </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Determined Wind


    </td>


    <td>


    Dexterity


    </td>


    <td>


    7


    </td>


    <td>


    +7


    </td>


    <td>


    OOT Stand HUD


    </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Determined


    </td>


    <td>


    Speed


    </td>


    <td>


    3


    </td>


    <td>


    +3


    </td>


    <td>


    Rosa


    </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Wind Intuition


    </td>


    <td>


    Acrobatic


    </td>


    <td>


    13


    </td>


    <td>


    13


    </td>


    <td>


    Call Shadows


    </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Intuition


    </td>


    <td>


    Awareness


    </td>


    <td>


    10


    </td>


    <td>


    +5


    </td>


    <td>


    Call Wind


    </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Dark


    </td>


    <td>


    Nightvision


    </td>


    <td>


    10


    </td>


    <td>


    +5


    </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Terry nodded with appreciation, seeing everything laid out in front of him like this was jarring, but useful. ¡°So you only get this once your attributes are earned, do things change on this often?¡±


    Mother Martin explained this one for him, ¡°You can get something at every level, the values will increase and you will find new skills. You can also learn spells outside of the inherit skill based spell.¡±


    ¡°I did witness Morris use his spell, he just sorta called them out by name. I did feel something when he said them.¡± Terry questioned mostly to himself, but it was answered by Mother Martin.


    She explained, ¡°You speak it with a tone and focus on the demand. For his spells the idea is simple: Break, Forge. Spells for Selina and myself are based on will and intent, I have a spell Healing Element, there is an incantation for any type of wound one might receive and speaking these with the proper will and intent is pivotal in working the spell.¡±


    Terry pondered for a moment then asked, ¡°I have Call Wind and Call Shadow. What do these need to work¡±


    Selina answered this time, ¡°I have similar spells from my Wind for me it is a mix of command and will. First I picture what I need wind to do. It can be vague, but then the results will be too. You need a plan for it to follow. Then speak confidently, ¡®Hear Me Winds Of Healing.¡± Her voice sounded different at the end, a stronger confidence and conviction.


    There was a gentle breeze that tousled through Terry¡¯s hair and played off his skin. He felt suddenly invigorated and he even saw the improvement in his Stamina and Health meters in his HUD.


    HP: 275/250 HP


    Stamina: 115/100 SP


    ¡°You overcharged my stamina and health, wow¡± Terry noted, understanding the use of such a potentant power. However being healed reminded him of something he had not initially thought of. ¡°What happened with Sid and Tid? I have been learning too much to ask, but they are okay right?


    Mother Martin and Selina looked at each other and Mother Marthin answered slowly. ¡°I was able to heal the burn wounds for Tid, he is doing rather well, but he is not looking forward to any more battle levels. Sid is in worse shape. Hurk moved quickly to get him back to town, but the acid ate through his leg and they had to remove it. He is probably not going to be a player anymore.¡± Terry was silent at that, he hoped it made the twins less mean and aggressive, but he knew it was not good to say that outloud.


    ¡°I am sorry to hear, we can move on. That does not sound good. I am wondering what the Value section is on my sheet. The numbers seem a bit arbitrary¡± Terry had some head for social situations and could see the topic before was not something to dwell on.


    Selina seemed happy to move on and answered the question, ¡°That number is known more readily as Stat Point Value. We can go over it more in detail later on, but it will allow you to upgrade your gear and spells¡­¡± the lessons continued from there.


    Over the next few days and into about a couple weeks Terry did not participate in any more levels himself, instead focusing on training with Mother Martin, Selina, and eventually even Morris and Hurk. They joined on the first day of his training, both had completed the random task levels twice without him earning some loot to sell and keep for themselves. They were going to do the Hoard level soon.


    Terry had weapon sparring and training with Morris and Hurk gave him training in the gym in specialized dummy rooms for weapon training. Hurk was a serious bodybuilder and when they first trained together, Terry marveled at the capabilities of the small and stout goblin.


    Selina worked with him at the end of each day, with instructions on spells and how best to deal with the situation he¡¯d find in a level. It was like tactics, but it was more broad and less combat focused. Mother Martin oversaw all aspects of each of their training and stepped in on questions and during difficult lessons.


    Terry became rather adept with his knives though training with the dummies and Morris, he could not again seem to connect with the master spirit within them however. It was like the knives would not respond even though it had during the fight and He did not know how to ask questions in this and so did not bring up the soulbound properties with his trainers.


    The knives were very helpful with their abilities. He often fought with his combat gear, he gave Morris back the pick since he had his own weapons and wore them on his hips often. He spent several hours honing his skills throwing Flicker. The simple practice at throw and retrieve was almost meditative and was often an almost relaxing experience after a day of learning and training for his new life.

 Chapter 10: Loot Grab

    Level 4: Grand Circuit


    Terry and Selina entered the gateway. It had been 2 weeks since Terry had completed a level, he wanted to feel prepared, but Mother Martin told him, ¡°If you wait till you are ready, you never will be.¡± and he took that bit to heart.


    They dressed in the supplied track suits in the per-level locker room. Terry had grown closer to all his training companions, however he still did not know how they each felt about him. He dwelt on this in his nervous state before entering the level.


    Hurk was the easiest to gauge his friendship level with. Hurk came from a tribe and his social skills were very set on hierarchy, he had been a low member on that hierarchy, so he deferred to everyone. Terry could see that Hurk was mainly focused on weight training. As such, he had directly told Terry how he felt as they were resting between reps.


    ¡°I like your drive kid! You don¡¯t make excuses and don¡¯t fight back when I ask you to get something done! You''re a good partner, I like that¡± Hurk slapped a big strong hand on his shoulder, while saying this and Terry felt the praise, smiling at his new funny friend.


    Morris was almost as easy to understand, but not to read. He rarely talked about himself choosing to point out others and their abilities. He was crazy smart in the identifying of the arena symbols for Mini-Boss and Hoard levels. Terry could barely keep them straight, but Morris was quick to answer and usually even had some of the facts about the enemy or setting on hand. He was a focused and tempered person, Terry barely saw an emotion outside of contentment with him on a regular basis, this did not stop him from giving praise or thoughts on Terry¡¯s progression however, he had done just that just the day before after a simple sparring session.


    ¡°You don¡¯t second guess your moves, you know what you¡¯re going to do and get it done. It is a good ability in a knife fight, there is not enough room at that close of combat for indecision. Keep that quick thinking and you won''t be beaten often." He spoke even and clean with very little inflection and yet every word stuck in Terry¡¯s mind like a dart on a board. Morris was honest and clever, it might be a trait that ran in the family.


    Selina was not forthcoming with praise, she was, however, direct with criticism. It was never rude or said in a way that could cause offense, it was probably her looks helping there, but compliments were not her way. Selina was very direct and her opinions were often infallible. Built on simple ideas, she reinforced everything with strong book knowledge that allowed very little room for compromise. She only shared her opinions once they were airtight and not a moment before.


    Terry had no real clue, besides the opinions she had expressed when first meeting him, how she felt toward him. They had worked together going over a number of lessons and tactics to get him to an acceptable level to get back to taking on levels. However in that time she had just moved on once he acknowledged or he showed understanding for a concept. Terry did not need the praise, but some form of acknowledgement outside of the idiot or ass she had called him that night would have been nice.


    Before they had entered the level together to get some items while Hurk and Morris did their first Hoard fight, Selina had just reiterated the lesson she had taught him on possible scenarios they could be put in.


    ¡°The task will more likely be inconsequential rather than a dire circumstance. These levels have given any number of random scenarios from cooking like the one you did already to a simple math test. You should be fine and we can use Rosa to answer anything that comes up.¡± She spoke matter-a-factually.


    It annoyed Terry a little and it was not just because she was pretty and he wanted to impress her, or at least he told himself that. As such, there was a lot of nervous and tentative energy in him as they went through the locker room door into the level.


    This time the area beyond the door was much wider and open, it was a large field with some hills  and dips present in their sight range. There was a track of what could very well be asphalt winding through the countryside and it looked more like a roller coaster than a pleasant afternoon drive. To the pair¡¯s left was exactly what Terry wanted to see.


    ¡°GO-KARTS!!!¡±


    Terry was very excited looking over the different vehicles. They were loud and bright colors with stripes and race marks to help competitors or spectators spot them on the winding crazy track. Terry felt giddy at the fun he was about to have and Selina watched on and the level announcement came on.


    ¡°Racers choose a vehicle and attempt to place , In the top 3, in the Grand Circuit. The track contains many dangers, avoid them and the other racers to make it to the end.¡±


    ¡°Well it should be quick at least¡± Selina muttered loud enough for Terry to hear. Terry ignored her, not letting the somber thoughts ruin the good mood that was building. He did have a thought, however and he turned to get an opinion from a friend.


    ¡°Rosa, I am not sure you will be very safe on this, do you have any idea how you can ride?¡± Terry asked knowing that she would have a better idea then what he might come up with.


    Rosa had been learning too while Terry had been training. If she was going to be his partner in this world, she would need to learn how to best support him and his team. She had dived into learning about the different experiences people had in levels. Players had documented many experiences in playing different levels. She would probably hide out during Hoard and Mini-boss levels, but in these she could be more helpful inside the level rather than just watching. She was smart and could figure out tricks to complete levels and minimize surprises.


    It came to her as she looked up, ¡°I can map the track and tell you what is coming up. I can be your passenger with a map! Can you get me up there?¡± she pointed with her head to a tall pole with an odd set of flags attached to it.


    Terry took a moment to look, there were 3 flags each waving gloriously in the wind. Each was different; the top was blue with a crossed hammer and ingot over a tower. Under that was a yellow flag, with a card and two other cards behind it, the bottom was the standard black and white checkerboard flag. Terry pointed out the flags to Selina, who answered, ¡°That top one is of the Iron Bay, probably for the gateway we are in. The second is for Jack,  the Jack the god who controls and blessed us with these types of levels. I think she will be able to see the whole track from up there and if you signal to me we can know what turns are coming up and if there is an obstacle. I don¡¯t think this is going to be a standard race¡± She frowned at her last statements.


    One of Selina¡¯s Attributes was Flight, it allowed her to grow beautiful white feathered wings for a short time to move around on a field and heal as needed. She had not shared all her abilities with him and Terry picked up that it was not always wise to share all of his own abilities as well. You never knew if one of the tasks would pit him against another player.


    They each chose a kart, after Selina had placed Rosa on the top of the flagpole on a small platform that seemed to be up there just for that purpose. She had put the walkie talkie, more like a half black bubble device next to her, connected to the earpiece that Terry had. Terry chose his favorite bright color, blue, and Selina seemed to settle in a bright red kart. Terry¡¯s, despite being only 5¡¯6¡±,  legs were at first almost bent up to his chest uncomfortably, but after a moment the cart seemed to morph and elongate to a size that allowed for his lanky form to sit comfortably. As they got situated, other forms filled in the remaining carts, these once again seemed like androids with simple and plain human shapes.


    The Announcer gave the countdown and the racers were off.


    Terry heard in his ear directions from Rosa, ¡°Be prepared for a right then sharp left into a corkscrew, they are not starting this off easy.¡± Terry signaled over to Selina who was just to his right side pointing and swirling a finger to indicate directions. He hoped they were clear enough for her.


    The course was frantic and tight in the beginning with all 12 karts bunched after the start. The first turn thinned out the crowd as some racers jostled and fought for position, this became even more frantic around the corkscrew. Some of these droid drivers were obviously more experienced than others, bumping and drifting occurred around Selina and Terry who desperately tried to keep in the line of the track and out of the way of the insane drivers.


    ¡°One more turn and it straightens out, looks like a straight way leads to a jump so try and keep that speed, I don¡¯t see a bottom to that hole you''re going over.¡± Rosa explained as they became comfortable with the controls and entered the straightaway. Terry did not have a ton of room to build up speed for the jump, but the straight away did give the other drivers a better place as droids became less frantic on the more predictable part of the course.


    As he got to the ramp, Terry pressed even harder on the pedal hoping to gain more speed for the jump. It felt like he was going too slow to make it, but it was not easy to tell. He had cars ahead and behind too many to count in the situation to know where he was in the pack.


    ¡°Once you get outta jump, prepare to turn left and you get some bumps or something on that end¡± Rosa told him just as he saw the track disappearing in front of him. He began to soar and instantly felt the sensation of up and then free fall as he moved through the air. He saw the landing ramp shortly in front of him and he felt a moment of panic wondering if he would make it or not. The feeling stayed till he landed fully on the other side.


    Just as Rosa had informed him, a left turn suddenly appeared more like a hairpin than a gradual turn. He jerked the wheel to the left, skidding and drifting like a pebble on water around the turn. He could barely keep track of the other racers and he hoped Selina was able to anticipate the turn.


    In the following straightaway after the turn were many bumps. Short, stubby and uneven. There was no way around them, Instead they were set like an on and off pattern alternating from side to side.  The result was a bucking and jarring ride that threatened to knock Terry out of the cart, he was flung like a rag doll holding on for dear life to the cart as he sped down the knobby uneven road.


    ¡°Wide right, wide right¡± Rosa called just in time as the lumpy road smoothed out to the turn. It was an elongated set of track allowing him to settle his jostling posture and get back in the race. The gradual curve allowed him to find that Selina had moved further in front of him up at least 3 positions compared to his own. He worked to close that gap as Rosa continued to call out directions and obstacles in his ear.


    ¡°This straight-away looks like it has a climb and drop, you might be able to get more ahead here. After that there is another corkscrew, but this one is to the right.¡± Rosa called out helpfully.


    The rise was not a steep incline, but these levels being made in a void allowed for customization terrain that seemed to be whatever the creators wanted. The drop was exactly the opposite of the climb, extremely steep. He screamed down the track catching and passing other more cautious drivers, Terry felt a need to rush and use the advantage as the thrill of competition grew in him. As the course turned into the right hand corkscrew winding up on an incline he became aware that he was leading the group.


    Rosa¡¯s voice helped him focus as he continued the long coil of road, ¡°This next area is going to be tricky, it is a open area with some obstacle when you enter and leave like a gateway, looks like there is a shimmering field and several different tracks in this part that go in so many directions it is hard to see. After that though you have one more corkscrew to the end.¡± Terry soon saw the obstacles that Rosa had mentioned.


    It was an archway leading to 6 different paths, each was a round tubular tunnel making it hard to see what direction they led. A light began to shine from the front of his cart as he went through the gate and entered a tunnel.  Even with the aid of the light it was very dark and Terry found it extremely difficult to tell direction. On his first turn however he found the trick as his cart was going fast enough to use the walls as he quickly swerved to the right. The cart stayed on the ground, but the ground was actually the wall during his turn. This happened several more times as he weaved and wove through each turn making his way through the tunnel. It was unexpectedly dark aside from his light, allowing him to see the end as a small spec that grew large as he quickly approached. He could see the corkscrew as he exited and noted that some of his droid competitors had pulled out in front in the confusion of the tunnels.


    He closed some distance, but was not able to pass anyone else as he saw them approaching the finish line, except the checkered flag was not waving as the first droid passed the line and Terry saw a 2/3 flash on the banner above the line as others passed beneath. He had two more circuits to complete, or to win in this case. Confidence rose in him; he knew the course now and it would be easier to plan and pass the other drivers. Then it all came crashing down with Rosa¡¯s next words and Terry remembered something all Kart racing video games had.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Ah, Terry there are circles on the track with holographic images above them, I think they are power-up. OH NO! THERE ARE POWER-UP BEFORE EACH TURN GET THEM AND LOOK OUT!¡± Rosa¡¯s voice was frantic, which was not good.


    Terry got his first power up as he approached the turn that went into the first corkscrew. It was a shield, a pink bubble formed around his cart as he drove through the symbol. It would be hard to react and choose a power-up with the speeds they were using, but Terry did not regret getting this one as fire engulfed the shield after a missile hit near a wall on the turn he was taking. The shield held though and all Terry could feel was a slight warmth from the explosion.


    He became more wary of the other drivers, he could barely tell which was Selina and he hoped she was okay as more abilities flashed behind and around him. He saw driver''s fly past him with rocket boosts, just to crash into a wall and fly off the track. Terry got a boost power-up right before the jump and almost did the same in the turn afterward. The track became mayhem, as missiles and hazards flew from each driver, who were trying to literally take out their competitors.


    Now that Terry had drivers both in front and behind him he saw a full range of hazards being used. Puddles of black oil littered the bumpy straight away as well as some electric charge yellow goo, Terry could see it was electric from arching yellow bolts as cartoonishly wicked as crackling lightning. it seemed to flash out of the puddles and toward his cart while he drove by. On the incline and decline section he got some odd horn that blared out an obnoxious sound at the droid he passed. The droid attempted to cover its nonexistent ears and promptly veered off the track.


    He was getting nervous as they were reaching the tunnels, he hoped and tried to aim for the shield before he entered one of the closed off areas. He narrowly grabbed it entering a new tunnel then one he had used before. Terry swerved in the enclosed space feeling confident with his pink bobble, he did not suffer any hits or damage in the tunnels. But as he left, the bubble blinked away as he could not turn away in time to avoid an oil spill directly at the exit of the tunnel.


    Terry drifted tight around the last turn feeling a sense of inevitability as he reached the finish line for the third lap. As expected Rosa¡¯s voice came over the earpiece with a new warning for the last lap.


    ¡°There are more sections of the track that are changing. It looks like some sorta boost, you¡¯ll need to be precise to get them though, they look to have very tight quarters.¡± Terry saw one form directly after the corkscrew, and he swerved dangerously to get in its path. The boost was sudden and amazing.


    His vision elongated and narrowed as he was jumping to something like light speed from Star Wars, he sped quickly past two other drivers before they had a chance to react. Terry could barely react to the first turn, it was a lucky thing as he used the wall to assist his turn, almost jarring him out of the cart. The boost ended as he got into the corkscrew and he grabbed a missile power up.


    Terry sighted on the driver in front of him and was about to hit the button when he got a warning in his ear.


    ¡°That is Selina in front of you.¡± Rosa warned.


    Terry noticed it right before his finger could press the fire button that appeared on the stirring device. He just noticed a blur of golden hair and he thanked the turtle mentally for the warning. His hesitation did have a drawback, it caused him to barely miss the poodle of oil someone had left for him before. The bumpy straightway was riddled with oil and goo and what had to be mines with each bump. He had to swerve side to side to avoid these and used the boost stripes to jump at times over the obstacles. He suddenly swerved to the side as he came out of the lumpy trail. He just got back control as another racer flashed past and he smiled and shot the missile. It flew homing directly and exploded the cart to a cloud of debris.


    He was not sure at this point how many racers were left, there was too much noise and commotion  to really get a handle on what place he was even in. As if she were reading his mind Rosa piped in.


    ¡°You¡¯re in third and Selina¡¯s in second. There is no one behind you for a bit so you should be safe, just try and catch up.¡± Terry¡¯s smile stayed in place as he hit the boost coming up for the jump. This one was better placed for timing as he flew and the speed dissipated while he was in the air. He landed smoothly and drifted into the next turn a few feet behind Selina. He wondered how to make a plan with her, he might be able to help her win or vice versa, the first place prize would be the best for either of them.


    Terry pressed on the gas hard in the corkscrew, the speed seemed to be regulated around the pressure he put on the pedal. Selina was close, but the chaotic sounds of the raceway were stopping her from hearing him as he called out. As they exited the turn he was able to speed alongside her before the incline and steep decline section. He made a decision to help her instead of trying to win himself, it had to do a lot with the competitive edge he saw in her the moment she looked at him. He nodded to her hoping she understood his intent. She winked and he looked ahead to see what power up he could nab before going down.


    -


    Selina was surprised by the look Terry gave her as she reached the boost power up, he grabbed the missile next to it just as they crested the top of the drop. The first place cart was in front and not as far as she thought he was before. Then the goo dropped almost directly in her path. Terry fired his missile just as she tried to swerve to the left, but she could not use her boost in the moment she planned to. She had gotten one before and used it in the tunnel; this could be a good opportunity to do that again and sneak into 1st.


    She had mixed emotion as she roared down the hill faster than any lap before. She had been annoyed that Mother Martin took such an interest in Terry, helping him train and asking that each of them take time to train him as well. She wanted to get the levels here and move on to the capital where she could earn more money for Morris and her. But when she brought this idea to Morris, he was reluctant to move at this time. He wanted to travel the Diamondlands and complete some gateways, but not directly to the capital. He wanted to meander to the north or just east eventually rather than going to the east directly.


    Morris was different, on her return from school. This scared her, he was so vivid and full of energy before she left, now he seemed more concerned and completely unlike the excited player she had talked to before leaving for school.


    In reality it was true, but less alarming than Selina internally worried about it. Morris hadn¡¯t changed, he was always slightly reluctant, but less vocal. It was Selina¡¯s excitement for the pair to live big in the capital as players that was more infectious then she realized. She was seeing the past, the Selina-dominated discussions as concrete for the foundation of the house that was their partnership.


    She did not dislike Terry, it was hard not to like him in fact. Terry had been a great student these past weeks and teaching him had been a wealth of information for herself. However, He was a reason that Morris had used to stay behind or travel elsewhere first, so her views were clouded on this newcomer she had been asked to teach.


    In the moment, where he had nodded and she had understood, her stomach began to churn and show signs of nerves. Had she been rude or wrong towards him? Why was he making the decision to help her now? She needed to put these distractions aside as she finished the 4th corkscrew and tried to pick what tunnel she would speed into. She saw something that made the decision for her.


    One of the power-ups that had formed in front of the tunnels was a boost, she pressed on the button to use her current boost and rushed through the second as she entered the tunnel at nearly the same time as the 1st place racer. It would not be in first for long, she thought to herself.


    -


    Terry was excited for Selina, as he saw her boost into a tunnel and knew she would have a better chance at winning with that decision, now he could just worry about getting past the racer to make second. He decided the easiest way to not leave it to the chance of the tunnels was to follow and simply try and pass him. As he lined up with the proper tunnel, the power-up in front of it returned, it was not a symbol he had seen or used in the prior laps. He drove through and the button popped up on his steering wheel, meaning he would have to aim and fire or he could time the use of the ability.


    The tunnel twisted and turned sharply in unknowable directions as he tried to keep the other racer in sight. Once again he would know the end of the tunnel by the light at the end. He could smell the exhaust from the kart in front of him as he made it to the tunnel¡¯s straightaways and he jammed down on the button. A small spark emitted from the front of his cart then shot out like a bolt of electricity from a lightning machine. It hit the cart in front of him directly, the electric pulse shutting down all the functions of cart and driver.


    Terry let out a ¡°WAHOO¡± as he sped out of the tunnel into the final turn and then past the finish line behind Selina. Both karts came gradually to a stop and platforms rose underneath them moving them in the classic 1st and 2nd places on the podium. Two prizes bundles appeared, Selina getting a nice Orange bundle and Terry receiving a Blue for his place. Then came the system message


    You have been granted experience. You have 70 points of experience. You now have 95 points of experience. You have unlocked utility skills.


    You have unlocked the skill crosshair, when aiming a distance weapon a crosshair will appear in your HUD to assist with accurate aiming. When looking down the sight of the weapon, if the weapon has sighting tools, you gain the ability to enhance your sight lines for more precision.


    -


    Morris and Hurk were having a good time on the hoard level. They had gotten a relatively simple enemy in a complex setting, they were fighting corrupted ocelots revenging thru a jungle town. The corruption was close to the earth disease rabies, it made the small nimble jungle cats aggressive and gave their bite a chance of infecting anyone with a similar condition. Once bitten the droids in the town, acting as townspeople, could become aggressive attackers to the players defending and eliminating the threat.


    Hurk was not as well suited to fighting the aggressive ocelots. Their small size and quick movements found them past his guard rather quickly, in return the small jungle cats did not have a ton of health so it was quick work for him to bash one on the head and take it out of the fight. Morris had a simpler time using his new spells and the longer reach of his weapon, a bow staff provided in the locker room, in taking out the enemies.


    There were about 15 corrupted ocelots at the beginning of the fight and a total of 20 townspeople, who could be saved or alternatively turned against the players. At this point in the fight there were 5 ocelots and 3 corrupted townspeople left. Many of the townspeople had been ushered by Hurk to a point in the town, in a large central building, where they were considered safe. A few had fallen or turned before he could move them to the spot, but the teamwork of the players had given them an upper hand in the crisis.


    Morris worked the staff impressively, one of his new attributes had given him proficiency with blunt weapons and pole-arms, he usually didn¡¯t like something so long and borderline unwieldy but he didn¡¯t want to find out if he could become infected. He saw Hurk returning to him after leading the last group of survivors to the safe point, it was just in time. Hurk could not run quickly however, his smaller legs and arms pumped furiously as he saw the situation that Morris was in.


    Morris had been defending and distracting the aggressive enemies, using his staff to keep the attention on him but having no real way to end them quickly. His hits with the staff were solid, but it was harder to get a killing strike with the blunt staff. Seeing his partner return gave Morris a chance to try something, he brought the staff right smacking one of the corrupted villagers and gave the command ¡°Break¡± speaking with power as the blow landed. The droid villager¡¯s head exploded with the command in an amazing and brutal fashion. Morris smiled at the unexpected use of his spell.


    He repeated the move in quick succession on the 2 remaining villagers leaving the 5 small aggressive jungle cats. Hurk came into the fight wailing a war cry to call attention off Morris and swinging his spiked club down on the enemy. With the two there, it was quick work dispatching the final ocelots and ending the fight.


    With the end of the fight, the villagers that had been saved came from the safe house to meet and reward their saviors, ¡°Thank you both for your timely arrival! Please accept these gifts for your struggle and for saving the town!¡± The droid handed them each upgrade potions as he bowed and backed away. The two players smiled happy to have gained their full list of attributes and turned to leave the level and meet up once again with Selina and Terry.


    Morris had been slower to receive his upgrade, only getting one in each level so far, he worried that he would need to wait to receive his 4th till they got to another set of gateways. He would have his full set and be able to join Hurk, Terry and Selina in the random task level or wherever else they wanted to go.


    Morris thought of his Sister as they left to go meet her. She had approached him about just him and her going to the capital like they had talked about when they were kids, he had pretty much declined the offer now though. He liked the quieter areas he was in now and he liked working as a blacksmith, he had been accepted as an apprentice mostly to have more money and something to do when his sister left. He had always trained for when he might get his tutorial, but it had taken a while for him to get one.


    Selina seemed to have not really changed in the decisions she had decided on when they were younger, but Morris¡¯ life was different and it seemed to keep changing. He was not sure where he would be in another month or even another week from now. It was troubling to him and he was not sure who or even how to talk about it.


    -


    Selina had gotten an orange bundle and excitedly opened it in front of the group. Just by coincidence the two groups came out of their respective gateways at just about the same time and so Selina and Terry decided to do a little showing off with each of their winnings. The bundle opened to reveal a set of bracelets. There were several connected loops of bright color and intricate design, there were 4 bands on each of the bracelets. Yellow, green, red and blue bands and the other with the reverse of the same colors. Each band had a different design of fine and slight etching that seemed to correlate to an element, the red had lines for fire, the yellow electricity, the green had leafy vines, and the blue had flowing waves.


    ¡°I can have Mother Martin identify these when we get back, she has an identifying wand.¡± Selina explained running a finger along the bands.


    Terry was happy to hear that, he liked the meditation, but a wand was much more convenient. He wondered if it would say more about the daggers he had gotten last time. He unwrapped his blue bundle, it was in a box long and narrow inside were a pair of high top sneakers. Each was a different color, but still seemed to match alternating dark blues, greens and grays separated by stitching and layers of fabric. They had soft yet hard feeling rubber soles, they looked like classic Chuck Taylor''s, which he had always liked.


    ¡°Shoes have a smaller list of possible enchantments then other types of clothing, they could be sneaking boots or add a bit of speed or even just let you walk on water.¡± Morris said looking over his shoulder, ¡°They can usually adjust too, so anyone can wear them if you sell them.¡± Terry nodded, excited to see what they could do as they made their way back to Mother Martin¡¯s.

 Chapter 11: Time Off

    Terry had never been a schedule driven person, or a morning person, or a night owl. He had lived his life as dictated by the obligations that called on his time. This was not just the case for his boarding school days, but in his life with his mother as well. He never really had the control to go and do whatever he wanted and in this new world that really became a noticed feature.


    His class structure for learning and training with Mother Martin, Morris, Selina and Hurk took up most of the day. He had breakfast, lunch and dinner with the group or at least one other person and was with them throughout the day to learn and train till nightfall and then sleep. The week however was not all like this. The time structure on the Deck was set around a 30 hour day with about 14 hours of light and 16 hours of dark. This was not hard to adjust to and to make things easier there was still a 7 day week like Terry had observed back on earth.


    The days were just numbered in the primary dwarven langues and Terry picked up on the counting structure quickly. He was in lessons for each day, however as Mother Martin regulated her academy she understood the importance of breaks and weekends and so Terry¡¯s weekend was Day 7 (Selvin) and Day 1 (Grun). The rest of the academy was on a 2 month long summer break, though the season in the Dimondlands was called Sun Months. The seasons were typically named for the weather most common at that time.


    On the first weekend that Terry had off he traveled to town with Morris, where he met some townspeople and did some shopping. He had gotten some simple uniforms from Mother Martin, but they were not comfortable, mainly consisting of the tracksuit styles that were common in levels.


    Terry was amazed with the variety of stores and shops in the Iron Bay. It was a coastal shipping hub that ran along a channel called the Straight to the Heart. The channel ran swiftly up the coast of the two neighboring continents, the eastern Diamondlands and the western Heartlands. The Heartlands was a mecha for trade goods, such as cloth, food, and different accessories giving the town a heavy flow of goods and merchants.


    The Iron Bay itself had several beach mines as well that produced ores and elements that assisted in the creation of the magical technologies and accessories that gave the town its luxuries. Morris had told Terry about this over the day of shopping and generally hanging out that first weekend. As a result of all of this Terry was happy to see that fashion on the Deck for humans actually followed generally the same path as it had on earth.


    Shops catered to the variety of races and species in the town by labeling their windows with symbols. Finding clothing was as easy as looking for the man symbol and entering the shop. Once therein the clothing was simple and similar they even had denim and cotton t-shirts in a wide range of colors.


    Terry was able to buy a few pairs of jeans and a couple simple plain shirts for relatively cheap and was happy to have a wardrobe similar to his comfortable style without much adjustment.


    This was not the case for every weekend however, the next was spent going over a literal information dump with Rosa, as she unloaded hours of research on the experiences that she had been reading about.


    Rosa had taken a great liking to reading, she had become obsessed once she realized her soul attribute of knowledge gave her an enhanced and sophisticated reading ability. It was like she was making up for lost time as she poured over accounts and books of any and all genres she could in the library of the academy. Once she heard that Terry would be in that weekend, due to Morris needing to pull a few shifts at his blacksmithing job, she had pounced and spent hours going over everything from children''s tales to mathematical books on the rotation of the Deck¡¯s planet by skilled engineers and scientists.


    Not wanting to do that again the next weekend and both Hurk and Morris once again being forced to work. Terry went into town to find some entertainment of his own. He knew some of the locals, but they were all shop owners and waiters. Terry was quickly just window shopping to pass time near lunch on Selvin. He was trying to figure out a nice place to check into, Mother Martin gave him a small allowance for small jobs she had taught and left him to complete so that he could improve his skills.


    He heard a familiar voice, but could not place it till he turned and saw the person it belonged to.


    ¡°Hey Terry, good to see you, been a little bit right? How have you been?¡± The voice was that of Penni, the human who had directed him to join and complete a level on the first day. He smiled as she approached.


    ¡°It has been a while, though it feels longer.¡± He smiled, Terry was okay with small talk as that was his normal conversation style. Never having really made his own friends he generally got pretty good at talking about nothing. ¡°I have gotten all my Attributes and even made some potential teammates. What are you up to?¡±


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°I was heading to lunch, wanna join? Tell me about what you have seen in the gateways? Swap some stories?¡± Penni was surprisingly forward and Terry agreed, nearly being dragged along as Penni reached out and tugged him down the step.


    Terry at this moment seemed to take in the look of her, she was human and just about his height. She was not from Earth, but was an OOT from a planet called Turf. The differences for humans from Turf were apparently a more stocky build and only having three fingers as Penni was wider and more pronounced shoulders and hips.


    She was wearing a casual outfit of fabric shorts and a short sleeve button up that reminded him of an archaeologist from the Jurassic Park movies he had loved back home. Terry smiled at the reference in his head, she even had her long brown hair up in a ponytail waving merrily behind her as she pulled him along. It was all adorable, he thought and they entered a restaurant at the end of the step.


    They were seated at a booth and Penni animatedly asked questions about Terry¡¯s experiences so far.  The restaurant reminded him vaguely of a Thai place in his college town, the booths had a bamboo decor around the seats and light smooth wooden tables. Green was the prevailing color and there was even a lucky cat statue with three eyes on the counter next to the cat person hostess and waiter that staffed the eatery.


    After Terry told a short and lighthearted version of his first day, completing the levels and getting accepted to live at Mother Martin¡¯s academy, Penni¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°I had heard of her, of course she is a celebrity here. It is no wonder though with a story like that that she would want to get you signed on or trained up. I have been here for a month and just got my last attribute that same day you got all four. Just crazy.¡±


    ¡°I would not recommend it, I was asleep for 4 days after all the levels and upgrades. Not sure I will do that again.¡± He told her.


    She smiled which seemed to light up her slight features, ¡°It might be worth it though getting it all out of the way like that sorta sounds like a fun way to play. I think I would enjoy the challenge. Have you heard of all the different types of levels here, we had nothing like that on Terf.¡±


    They had ordered the same thing, Terry had no idea what the food was like here. It came at that moment, it was a noodle bowl with shrimp and cabbage. The dressing was sweet and tangy and it all smelled wonderful. Terry asked, ¡°What is Terf like? How different is it from here?¡±


    Penni¡¯s smiles faltered, ¡°Well it is mainly two environments, dense jungle or barren rock deserts created by volcanic activity. There are also only two races: Humans are the minority and the majority are reptiles of all varieties. Everything from lizardfolk, Crocomen, Iguanians, Draconians even, they dominate the planet. They often hunt the Humans, that¡¯s actually how I ended up here.¡± She went quiet and Terry felt awkward not realizing that is what he had asked.


    ¡°Earth is very different from that,¡± he felt a need to change the subject so he started telling her about the world of Earth and the people that made up the planet. Her expression changed to excitement.


    ¡°You mean on earth humans are the primary race, there are no others?¡± She asked surprised and suddenly excited.


    Terry finished chewing, ¡°Yeah, I mean there are a lot of races of humans. Different continents there have spawned many varieties and the mixing of these races and cultures have created even more. We don¡¯t have the magic of this world, but we have luxuries through technological discoveries and tools that create amazing and wonderful things. The music and art is awesome and the games we have are like a safe version of the levels here, except you control a character in the games more often than being in them yourself. There are games where you are the player, but they are safe and most of the time you can only get hurt rather than die in them¡­¡± She was amazed at the sound of this human dominated world and Terry and her continued talking throughout the meal and for a few hours over drinks and dessert.


    It was an amazing time and Terry even walked her back to the Player Tavern where she was staying at the end still answering questions about one obscure part of his world or another.


    ¡°You know, I was feeling the pressure of being here. We had magic on Terf, it was all element based and the reptilians kept most of the knowledge of how to use it to themselves. When I showed an aptitude for healing and the wood element I received Coil, my snake. She would become my keeper once she grew and imprinted on me¡± She told him.


    Terry cut in, ¡°I thought she was a ball python? They don¡¯t get very big on my world.¡±


    ¡°It is actually Bahl Python, B-A-H-L. It is some deity on Terf known for being vile and massive. That is why the species is named after them. She will get more intelligent and grow to about 30 feet and 4 feet thick overall. It might be different here with the attributes though.¡± Penni spoke as if this was a simple fact and Terry was suddenly intrigued and terrified. He did find it odd the Bahl existed on two planets of humans, but he did not ask after that, he only knew the demon from a video game anyway.


    ¡°In any case,¡± she continued, ¡°Thank you for your stories. I am leaving in a couple days but would you like to get together tomorrow maybe train a bit? I am heading to the capital directly to complete my final levels and see what sort of job I can get after that. Tomorrow if you want to meet up I can show you some different techniques, the knives sound cool and I would like to see them.¡± Terry agreed and he was excited and surprised to receive a hug as the girl bid him good night and went into the tavern and then presumably up to her room.


    The next day was fun as she met him at a local studio to spare and train, giving him advice and listening to more stories of his world. He decided he would have to look her up once he went to the Capital himself and see if they could catch up once he made his way there in the future.

 Chapter 12: Selina’s Next Level

    Level 5: Giant¡¯s Redoubt


    Selina Kane had spent the last several years sleeping in her shared dorm bed, which despite being very comfortable, was a smaller bed than she was used to when she left the orphanage and became a foster ward to Mother Martin at the age of 6 with her brother. The woman was more eternal grandmother then actual mother, but that suited the brother and sister just fine. During her first years with the elderly healer and ex-player, it had been determined the course that Selina¡¯s life would lead. She had a natural talent for both singing and healing and so she was always destined to be the Healer/Bard archetype of a Player.


    School had started in the fall of her twelfth year and It lasted longer for her, as she found a fire that could not be quenched by the usual six years of learning and training. She took any extra class she was allowed to and had left the school here in the summer of her 21st year, and the school would watch her future with bated breath and expectation that Selina longed to meet and exceed.


    This vast amount of learning and training in a secure and disciplined environment had distilled many benefits from lessons of swordplay, tactics, healing, crafting and other non player focused lessons. She had excelled in  marketing, art, choir and solo singing lessons. She had an emphasis in spells conducted in voice and gesture, both with and without accompaniment of music.  Her electives were leadership, management, teamwork communication and coordination, these were tested with small quick formed random teams and larger chosen teams from three to the max of nine for a Level. This was in both actual level scenarios, through the Gateways near the academy and in mock up magical simulations that were designed and developed to teach and train budding students before and after achieving a tutorial.


    On that note, she had received a Queen''s tutorial and faced a small horde of undead, perfect for her healing and radiant spells and training.  It had been 3 waves of 3 special undeads and she had passed that with a glowing review from the beautiful queen, who had said, ¡°I will watch your future with great anticipation.¡±


    However, all this praise and training and education did nothing to prepare her for the day she had, when she met Terry Owens. Nothing that player did made tactical or barely logical sense to her based on the information she had. When Selina was forced to work with him against the hoard it was the first time she remembered losing it completely on someone, and her tirade continued with his performance in the level. They had made a simple plan and Terry had been off the wall the entire time. He had barely called for aid and didn¡¯t even give her too much of a chance to help in the fight, beside some light crossbow work.


    OOTs often got in over their heads in levels and situations, but Selina thought it would be somewhat manageable. Then to top off that night, she had been asked to stay in town and help train the lost cause by the one woman she would never have the heart to turn down and it was backed up by her own brother.


    Morris was another mystery altogether, he had changed his mind about going to the capital. He was not sure where he wanted to go. On top of this nonchalance on the idea of his future, he did not seem to get the hint that she wanted him to come to the capital and try to improve his own lot. Morris was never a strong-willed individual, but when she had spent the day with her brother, Selina had started laying out plans and supplies they would need to make the trek to the capital. Morris told her that he would be taking a smithing test in a few weeks and could not leave right away, ¡°I can be a full journeyman after that test, and will not starve for work in any city. With that license I can go anywhere.¡± he had told her.


    She was flustered over a week after that day, even after getting close to Rank 3 from the raceway win she had earned with Terry the other day. That level had been a fun one and Selina had exited with a sweet reward:


    Power-up Bangles


    ¡ª-Epic Item¡ª


    Each band holds 1 charge for a single power-up according to the color.


    Red: Unleash a projectile fire bolt to home in on a enemy


    Yellow: Unleash a bolt of lightning, possible chance of chain lightning 25%


    Green: Single use vine whip, unbreakable


    Blue: Unleash a jet of water


    Selina was actually hoping to learn the spells for each of the bands, then she might get more than 1 charge. There were two bangles so she could really use each spell twice, and she could learn the spell after casting and using them multiple times or enhancing the items if she kept them to pass and used the Stat Value points after the final levels. Once a player completed the thirteen levels and Final Levels, they were able to convert the Stat Values into upgrading an item. This was actually one of the more lucrative and steady jobs that a player could do for enchanters.


    An enchanter would give a Player with inventory an item and that item could be enhanced after a level was complete. The enchantment could be made stronger or two similar items could be combined to give a single item with both items'' previous effects. Once a player did all the capital gateway levels, they could join a guild that stationed them in areas where they could rerun Boss or Hoard levels for the enchanter pool and do this on a regular basis.


    Selina was not looking for a job like that, but in order to make real money with her attributes she would want to be at least Rank 15 and get her first enhanced attributes. She had given Terry a lesson on these before they left for the raceway, ¡°Every 5 ranks you earn, an attribute should enhance, you will gain a more defined title and higher Stat increase and skills.¡±


    ¡°So the god of that level controls the rewards right? So do they control the enhancement?¡± Terry always thought backwards to Selina¡¯s point of view, but the questions were good.


    Selina answered, ¡°They create a focus stat, Like Mother Martin has focus stats in Medicine from her Intelligence attribute. It gives boosts to her stats Medicine and Wisdom, so when it upgraded it gained more boosts and focused her spell-casting and these stats...¡± She then continued to explain how that affected her job and role in a team. Blah blah blah, just got out of school to start teaching some upstart. I gotta get out of this place, and on my own way. She thought while getting ready that morning.


    Today was not a day to think about lessons or teaching, this was a day for action and she was looking forward to the team she would be working with. They had met the night before for an introductory meal and potential strategy session. LFT requests could be made at any Player Tavern, and there were private rooms where prospective interviews or meals could be had in the tavern''s basement area. Nearly every building in the Iron Bay had basements since the dwarves that built the town like living in the ground more than above the ground. As Selina got ready that morning, putting on her armor and battle gear in preparation for the boss level that would take her to the next rank, she thought about each member she had met the night before.


    The leader of the group was a wood elf archer named Nymina Lindengrove, or Nym as she preferred to be called. She was pretty as all elf races seemed to be, with a slim, angular build and sharp but delicate features to her face. Everything about her seemed to give off a pose and professionalism, till she opened her mouth and you were hit with a thick Heart accent. It was folksy, musical and sounded, to Selina, completely ridiculous, ¡°The Team and I came over across the Straight to the Heart. You know it is a faster trip from the coast to your capital then it is for the coast to the capital of Heart. We were just looking to get the levels down fast and exhausted a couple town¡¯s Gateways back home before we realized we would be stuck traveling for a long ass time before we could do the level we do best at.¡±


    Selina nodded, ¡°So you all are best at combat right?¡±


    ¡°We are.¡± This was told to her by the Avian bald eagle, one of two that was part of the team. They had introduced themselves as Fearee and Goltener, but told her to call them Hunter and Trapper. Hunter was the bald eagle and Trapper was a golden eagle. Avians were a bird-human hybrid race that had prominent bird heads with long bodies, medium talloned legs and fathered arms that ended in five fingered hands. They bore resemblance to traditional predator birds like eagles, hawks, storks and so on. The race itself was very proud and known for its great prowess as players. These two had come off as pompous at first, but once Selina had won them over with interests in their homeland and focusing her attention on them for some time during the casual chatting portion of the dinner. Their demeanor changed to affable and actually pleasant, she liked each of them very much after that.


    The last member had come in late and didn¡¯t even introduce himself when he finally did arrive at the dinner.


    Trapper had told her, ¡°The last member of our group is Smash, his nickname is sort of his role in the group. He is resting and healing and the primary reason we would like you to join us in the party.'''' As if summoned by the introduction the door opened and in walked the remaining member of the team, and it was not just his nickname that gave away his role in the group. A human, she could tell he was over 8 feet tall and had to hunch to get in the door. Nothing about him was small, he looked more like a moving house than a person as he moved forward and sat at the table without a word. His face was down, but Selina could see, his features were rough but handsome. When you are that tall and big though, she thought, you must have to look down a lot, it almost seemed sad.


    ¡°Smash don¡¯t talk much, I have worked with him since level 1 and I barely had a full conversation with him. But he is too good at what he does to let that sorta thing keep him from doing it¡­ if you pick up what I am saying¡± Nym was almost affectionate in her recognition and all that mound of humanity did was nod and begin eating.


    Taken aback by this, and not wanting to be rude by drawing attention to it, Selina instead moved to the tactics talk about the level they would meet up and take on tomorrow, ¡°So how do you guys usually tackle this sort of thing? With an established team like this, I can really just follow the lead and work on your grounds. I have no problem being flexible.¡±


    ¡°That is what I heard,¡± Nym answered, ¡°Calina Willowstark, have you heard of her?¡±


    Selina nodded and smiled, ¡°yes she was in my dorm for a while and we were part of the same team for mock levels and even the Hoard level at school.¡± Selina had liked the elf, with a druidic style of herbal healing.


    It was Nym who was nodding now, ¡°I know, I picked your name from the LFT lists because she wrote back to the family mentioning you. We share a dad, and I like to fill the team more with people I know. Last couple healers were not really our type. We can¡¯t really have you getting in the mix without being able to watch out for yourself. The way we do a Boss level is Smash here acts as our full fledged tank. He holds the attention, Hunter and I are distance and tactic calling and Trapper, well¡­¡±


    ¡°I set traps.¡± he winked a gold and brown bird eye and Selina actually almost laughed.


    Selina understood the full reason why they chose her, ¡°So you need someone who can heal and support more from a distance then, I can work with that. Also so you are all aware, I was top 5 on my team for 6 years in a row for fencing and rapier dueling competitions.¡±


    Nym and Trapper looked impressed, Hunter nodded in approval and Smash gave no visual acknowledgement he was even paying attention. Selina¡¯s eyes narrowed, but Nym saw and defended her teammate, ¡°Smash¡¯ll be grateful to hear it. I assure you, we did the Hoard level and he took a lot of damage during the fight. He has a skill to heal quickly when resting, and I will tell you now,¡± she talked around her hand to Selina. " He is not a morning person after that skill is used, so healing him during the fight is good for all of us.¡±


    Selina saw an opportunity in this, turning to Smash she offered, ¡°I can do a small sampling of my healing power and style now for you. If you still have some wounds to heal?¡±


    Smash¡¯s eyes look at ,and almost through her, at the questions and offers. He rolled up a sleeve showing a bandaged forearm, some blood had soaked it and the wound must have been nasty if it hadn¡¯t fully healed from his skill.


    She did not touch it but focused her mind to the healing spell she used most often, her song of healing, and began to sing. It did not matter fully what she sang for this spell it just had to be with purpose and her focus needed to be on the spell. After a simple and slow verse, her final note rang and Smash¡¯s expressionless face changed as the effect finalized and he removed the bandage to show the scar that would pass in a day or two. He did not fully smile, but he was content and nodded to Nym and then Selina, in a gesture that first meant approval and then gave thanks.


    Selina liked changing people¡¯s minds and his nod gave her an almost tight feeling in her chest that was more than pride at showing her abilities and being accepted. He still did not speak, but her display had cemented in the team¡¯s minds that they had made the right choice and would see each other again tomorrow.


    So now she met them at the gateway with almost awkward waves and then more personally in the locker room before the boss level. Trapper and Hunter were babbling and chatting back and forth, while Smash did some stretching and loosening up. Nym and Selina talked and gathered their equipment, Nym going over this item and that piece of armor while Selina asked what they did while equipping and filling a belt of components for her spells and some ingredients for throwing together potions she learned about in school. It was simple herbs to help her voice, or a salve that might numbed a hurting wound from types of damage her singing did not work on.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    At the 5 min mark they all came together, Smash looming in front of the exit like he was a bouncer outside a late night pub or sports bar. Hunter and Trapper¡¯s bickering conversation ended, right when Nym addressed them all.


    ¡°Aright, I am sending Trapper and Hunter forward once we get the prompt. You both scout and find the target, don¡¯t set the area up till we talk over what it might be. Use the talkie, I have the earpiece in now.¡± Nym pointed to a small device, like the one Terry had used with his pet Rosa during the raceway level. It was sleeker, and fitted for her pointed elf ear and on the Avians a connected Mic was pinned on an open leather vest where they could look down with their short pointed beaks and speak comfortably. Each of the vests looked to be studded leather over neutral colored shirts and short pants.


    They nodded and confirmed, ¡°Right¡± in unison.


    She looked up at Smash, ¡°you take point for the group and have your ears and senses active, I don''t want us finding this thing first. We will be behind and discussing potentials with the scouts so our focus won¡¯t be there till you see otherwise.¡± Smash nodded. He wore very little armor, he had large boots, with metal to cover his shins and knees his pants and shirt were almost simple, but Selina knew a Nano-mail undershirt was underneath. She did wonder how someone that big shopped for clothes. Did he have to have everything custom ordered?


    Despite all this the most impressive item in all the equipment that the tank wore was the enormous cleaver point sword in a harness on his back. Selina could barely see more than the shape of the sword for the harness and sheath, but it was massive and would surely be impressive. Selina was barely aware of how the warrior would draw the sword where it hung on his back, let alone how he might wield it.


    Nym gave her orders last, ¡°You did well last night, Smash was in a better mood this morning then I think I ever saw him in. If you have any opinions let them loose, I can¡¯t reject your ideas if I don¡¯t know what they are¡­ I can¡¯t approve¡¯em either.¡± Selina liked the forward request and respected the joking way she teased. Her drawl does give her some charisma.


    Then they went out the door and the level began.


    Levels could have many types of openings, this one would be called two-part as there was a task then the challenge. The task seemed simple enough to understand and was ultimately not up to Selina¡¯s to complete, the scouts were going to find the boss. Once the boss detail randomly spun up and an announcement was given, Trapper moved to the left and Hunter to the right. Both seemed to disappear in the environment before she even noticed them leaving.


    The environment was a cliff and sloped incline marked with a faint trail on a ground covered in fluffy white snow. This was apparently a mountain, Selina was not dressed for the occasion, but the level was not truly an environment like in the real world. The wind in the area was much less than it would be on an actual mountain, it still was present but was not cold or anything besides slightly bothersome. They began their trek, following the path before them.


    Smash took his place at the head and drew his sword, it came out too easily from the scabbard almost and most definitely because of magic. Selina wondered if the giant would talk enough to give her an explanation. The weapon was beautiful in its own right, a long handle wrapped in brown leather was simple with a heavy looking silver single edged blade that looked more like a cleaver and came to a point after about 5 feet of length and nearly glowing with magic. She figured it must be a legendary blade and resolved to ask, at least Nym, about it after the level.


    At the moment, Nym was intensely listening to the device in her ear. She spoke up after a moment, ¡°The symbol was definitely a giant so it is just determining what type before we encounter it.¡±


    Selina answered the unspoken question, ¡°There are 3 types of giant that would dwell in an area like this and one is not fond of snow so it takes out the rock giant. I think we are looking at either a Mountain or Ice Giant. Probably the former with the Rank of each of us here in the level.¡± Nym looked impressed and passed on the information. Selina was going to hit Rank 3 after this level, but the team she was with had put in their Ranks as 2-4. She found out that the lowest belonged to Smash and the highest to Nym. Trapper and Hunter were in the middle each with Rank 3 and an Ice giant was a very difficult high D to C ranked threat. Level enemies were ranked with letter classifications from F1 at the lowest to A ranks in the highest difficulty levels for high ranked players.


    They traveled along for only about 20 or so minutes before Nym was informed that Trapper had found the most likely placement of the boss enemy. ¡°It is a shed of a homestead under a jutting cliff,¡± Nym repeated the description to them as they turned to travel there more directly. ¡°No movement, but the structure is the only thing around, so it is more of a safe bet than a guess.¡± She was speaking the description word for word from Trapper, and replied to the scouts, ¡°get in position and dress the area around without calling an alarm or bringing out the giant. We will have Smash bring out the giant when we get there. Any thoughts, Selina?¡±


    Selina thought for a moment, ¡±I think they should be on the jutting cliff if they are anywhere for the fight. I can¡¯t fly here with the chance of wind picking up or anything like that. But they will have a greater advantage up there than on the ground.¡± Everyone on the team, except Smash, was more proficient with range over direct combat. She was useful in direct combat, but it would distract from her role as support and healing. She added, ¡°The wind might also make singing difficult so I will need to focus on support.¡±


    ¡°I will keep you safe,¡± Nym reassured her, tapping a short sword at her side, ¡°you just stay in the area of effect for your healing and any other support you can give.¡±


    Selina nodded and they continued on, Nym mumbling about this and that over the earpiece with the scouts. Selina focused on getting into a mind set for combat, even if she would just be watching it. Combat had not come easy to her, it was tough finding a use for fighting others even in a competitive sense. An instructor had gotten her in the right mindset for it saying, it was training in action. From then on, she had always given it her all.


    As they approached the position of the boss'' enemy, she saw the shed that Trapper had referred to. It was massive with a tall door and barely a room inside, a giant might just be sitting in there all day rather than actually sleeping or living. This was a level and not an actual world setting, so the idea of day to day life was not represented here.


    There was a faint new trail leading up to the door and the three stopped before it. ¡°This is the area outside the engagement zone Trapper and Hunter have set. The trail is the safe space that Smash will move up in and lure the giant out¡± Nym explained.


    Selina nodded and got ready for the fight to begin, expecting Smash to race up and take an aggressive posture and call out a challenge. She was surprised when he simply and almost leisurely followed the trail and just knocked on the door. Selina was equally surprised when the door opened to reveal the enemy, who looked just as befuddled as her. Nym snickered next to her, ¡°yeah Smash don¡¯t talk. But he has his own type of jokes.¡± and she smiled.


    Selina almost expected the giant to greet the massive man, but he just swung out the door with a massive rock hammer. Her guess of the Mountain giant had been correct, It was taller then Smash by chest, shoulder and head. That massive head was obscured by a wild stone gray beard that was specific to this race of giants. It wore furs and hide clothing against its cold home and they were so mixed and matched she could not have counted all the animals they once belonged to. These giants were largely antisocial and were rarely seen outside their home in the real world, here it was just a target.


    Smash dodged the first swing and began to bait out the foe deflecting and dodging the horse sized rock hammer. He could use his sword to block and defect, leading the giant out into the area that had been set by Trapper and Hunter. The first of their surprises went off in quick order as a snare shot to snap at the ankle of the giant.  It was merely a distraction, but soon the THWACK and TWANG of several traps and snares went off as distractions mounted trying to throw the giant off his raging attack. The foe was in the open now and soon arrows were shooting down from above. Selina could see the two avians, just barely, popping up to fire and retreat out of sight. Nym was calling out orders and encouragement to Smash and the others. Then Selina, not needing direction, began to sing a rejuvenating tune loud so as to bolster her teammates.


    The tune of her song took effect and the battle began to turn. Smash worked his sword out of the deflecting and blocking into a more focused and direct assault against the hammer. The control on the massive cleaver had to be tough, but it did not seem to matter as he worked to keep the edge pointed at the enemy. He worked the handle with mostly two but sometimes only one hand in practiced and precise attacks, turning the tide of the fight so that he was the aggressor and the giant a defender.


    Selina had seen several different types of large weapon fights in dueling classes and even competitions for her academy, but this was a wholly different style and almost art-form. Smash moved fluently, seeming to not be bothered by the tremendous weight of the sword. It flashed and spun in great arcs around him and he worked to keep the offensive edge in the duel. The Hammer was not clumsy either and was able to deflect more than it allowed a hit from the warrior. She saw bruises form on Smash, but the discoloration faded as her song carried the spell to heal and support her teammate.


    Selina felt it at that moment, like a member of the team. She was directly impacting this fight and it would probably have been much worse if she was not here to help. In Mock levels and her first levels she felt a companionship with the teams, but this was very different. She could feel the trust Smash had in her ability even though he had just met her, and could see the effect her information had on the traps that had been set in the battleground. She even heard the encouragement of Nym and added the lines she said to her song, singing the lines of direction out in her projected voice for each member to hear like a beautiful megaphone. Selina felt a sense of belonging in that moment, and she wanted to stay with this group, become a member of this team and go all the way to the top.


    This level seemed barely a stepping stone for them at the end, Smash ended up cutting the hammer arm of the giant clean off in a massive upswing. He then ended the battle by ramming his sword through the foe¡¯s stomach and clean out its back before it fell lifeless to the mountainside. This set off a tripwire that PANGed and let loose a stone that from above falling on the giants head as the level cleared and they got their experience.


    Selina got to Rank 3 as expected, and received an upgrade to her song called Breath of Convictions. This probably was tied to the fact that she had sung most of the battle and did not allow the wind to drown or overtake the spell during casting. Upgrades to spells like this were very common in the earliest ranks, if she had been more directly involved in the combat she might have gotten a special attack or maybe even an ability. She was excited and after they left the level everyone congratulated each other and Nym made the offer for her to join the team officially.


    Selina accepted and they made plans to meet up tomorrow and head to the next gateways on the way toward the capital. The others walked off, but there was a massive member who stayed behind with Selina for a moment. Smash spoke then and his voice was deep and quiet, ¡°Your song was beautiful and kept me going. I look forward to hearing it more in battle.¡±


    Selina was in a good mood and could barely hold back the reply, ¡°Well I might sing for you outside of battle too, if you ask nicely.¡± Where did that come from? She thought to herself, hoping it did not seem to forward.


    But Smash had good manners and only smiled as he said, ¡°of course.¡± and turned to catch up with the others.


    Selina returned to the estate of Mother Martin and went straight to see her, excited to tell her the news and how it all went. She left the elderly ex- Player¡¯s room 15 min later and went to find her brother. Morris was in the training area working with Terry before dinner. She asked him to the side and they left out the back door of the gym to talk in relative privacy.


    Morris¡¯ usual passive face was troubled at the news, Selina was too excited to notice. ¡°...and the quiet one actually complimented me at the end, it felt like I had a place there with them. I want you to come with me, you can take your test in any smith with a proper master and we could wait for you and then you could be a smith for the team till we get to the capital¡­¡±


    Morris cut her off, ¡°I want to take my test here with my own master, he knows my situation and is allowing me to keep what I make rather than sell it for a grade.¡±


    ¡°Does that really matter though, I mean a license is a license whether you get to keep anything or not.¡± Selina did not see how that was really important.


    Morris¡¯ face changed and he spoke in a clipped tone, ¡°It matters to me, if I get to keep my work. Do you even know if this team will let me tag along like this?¡±


    ¡°Well no, but I¡­¡± Selina could see the complaint, but surely they would let him come if he just showed his worth to them like she had.


    ¡°Also, what am I supposed to do for levels? Do I just pick a random team in each city you all go to or am I going to be even more behind by the time I get to the capital?¡± Morris did not even hide the venom in his logic this time.


    Selina had not thought about that and was stunned that he actually wanted to complete levels now that he had gotten his test time for the smithwork and that career path. He continued on in her silence.


    ¡°I suppose, I would just bring my team along and do my own thing behind you and the others. Did you even think about anyone else outside your plan? Terry is learning a lot from you and he is not going to be ready for another level for almost a week. He learns fast, but how would you know that? He likes learning from you, but I can tell you''re just putting in the bare minimum  in getting him ready like Mother Martin asked of us.¡± He sneered and the mention of Terry gave her the anger to strike back.


    Selina almost laughed, ¡°It is all he is worth. He doesn''t have what it takes to make it all the way. I saw him fight and he could barely follow laid out plans¡­¡±


    Morris cut her off again, ¡°He has Instinct Selina, that is his best plan. He will always do best in a situation where the odds are against him. His will to survive will keep him fighting, or did you forget that because it was not mentioned in your classes¡±


    Selina did not like having her education criticized, not even by her brother, ¡°So you are going to follow around some lost puppy, just because he has some interesting attribute¡­¡±


    But before she could fully form and put out her point, she saw something in Morris that he had never shown her or anyone, at least to her knowledge, anger. ¡°SHUT IT! He is trying, and you are just following where others tell you to go. That is fine, but don¡¯t put down others who did not have the advantages you were handed!¡± Morris spoke sharply, breathing out with each exclamation.


    ¡°I¡­ what?¡± Selina had the same look as a deer in the road seeing a car driving towards it.


    Morris could not stop himself in the tirade, ¡°I have waited here for you! Tried to be busy and do my own thing, but all I seem to be is an afterthought to your precious ambitions and goals. I was alone for years while you were away and no one was family, no one got even close. I had friends but no one was looking out for me, and no one is now. It made me hide it all and it made me sick. When you came back you didn''t even ask about what I had done before, you asked where I would go next. Well I have no clue, but I am tired of my future needing you in it. I don¡¯t need you, I got along fine without you.¡±


    With the last exclamation Morris turned and left cursing and muttering under his breath.

 Chapter 13: Learning About the World Outside Your Door

    Level 3: Ticket Counter


    ¡°Your education with me is drawing to an end, at least as far as what you can expect from levels and monster hunting and fighting. The next best lesson is doing the things we have taught you.¡± It had been a week since Selina had left with her new team and Mother Martin had taken over the final parts of teaching Terry about the dangers of the Deck and the dangers of the levels in preparation to help him become a full time player. Her lessons were more direct and had more experience behind them, the lessons from Selina had always seemed memorized out of a book.


    Mother Martin continued, ¡°Before you leave I want to tell you about the options you have as far as choosing what gateways to tackle and where to go. Remember how progression works with the gateways on each continent?¡± With the last questions she raised an eyebrow at him.


    Terry answered back quickly, ¡°A player needs to complete a total of 8 different gateways before they can gain access to the final requirements of a continent. The 9th gateway they enter leads to the 9th level which is a combination of the four scenarios found in the other gateways. After that a Player can access the final levels in the capital.¡±


    There were other stipulations as well, like only being able to access hoard or boss levels once while being able to do objective or platform levels as many times as you like before going to the 9th level. Players used this tactic to rank up and get more prizes for the final levels.


    ¡°On that same line¡± Terry asked before Mother Martin could continue, ¡°what happens if you go to each continent and complete all the single use levels?¡±


    ¡°Before I answer, name all 4 continents?¡± Mother Martin seemed to like getting another answer before he could get one.


    Terry intoned, as if reading the answer from a textbook, ¡°Diamondland, Land of Heart, The Clubs, and Ace of Spade.¡±


    ¡°Very good¡± she replied and went on to answer, ¡°no one has completed all the required levels on all the continents. High level players have beaten 2 continents, but it can be tricky traveling to all four continents for a variety of reasons and this ties into the lesson I had for today. So I will start here. Players are free to play levels in Heart, the entire land is open and very few people will stop you from playing there. This is mostly true for the Diamondlands as well with some notable exceptions. We have famously difficult to reach levels outside of the major areas that have built up around a gateway. I will expand on that later though.¡±


    ¡°Ace of Spade is a difficult place to get into and it is also difficult to access levels as they are regulated by the ruler and he controls every aspect of the gateways and who can use them. The leaders of that nation govern the use of everything you can own and truly it is not a friendly or approachable place.¡±


    ¡°The Clubs is even more-so, they have no government and are ruled by several gangs who work out of chaotic and unorganized districts. It is believed that no one enters that continent and no one completes the levels there. Even the people of Heart are banned and they are mainly just delivering food.¡±


    Terry wrote that down like a diligent student, but the question remained, what would happen if you completed all the levels?


    ¡°Now that is the lesson I want to teach today¡± Mother Martin interrupted his inner thoughts, ¡°You need to know more about the continent you are on before you can really even think of going anywhere else.¡±


    The next 2 hours were spent going over the notable towns and areas that held gateways. The continent was mainly elevated peaks and cliff lands, far strung fields and rocky badlands. The west side, where he was currently staying, was a collection of large steps leading northward where the tallest peaks on the planet could be found. Under the center there was a large drop leading to an extremely misty and massively unexplored area. The entire southern triangle was covered in thick dense jungle apparently. There were points on the cliff edge about the canopy, but very few citizens ever journey into the western and southern parts of the continent.


    There were small towns and large cities all along the western coast and steps, most were above sea level, but had a way of traversing the cliff side to establish docks and trade with the neighboring continent, Land of Heart. There were 3 towns of note, Iron Bay was the center and most populated trade center. To the south was a mixed colony and lumber post known as Teak Nest, sharing a name with the earth trees that were similarly found here; the outpost was apparently founded by another OOT from earth. The final town was to the north and was predominantly gnomes.


    Kimberglade was the oldest and most developed non-mining gnome-governed village on the Diamondlands. The race of gnomes was predominantly curious and prolific. They were daring and renowned for their tinkering and creative minds, they apparently were responsible for much of the Deck¡¯s scientific and technological advances including a steam engine that could power zeppelin-like airships. They also were notably copious as well, families often working to have many many children. Terry found it staggering that Gnome mothers could produce family¡¯s usually of 15 and up to 20 children, usually following an alphabetic naming system.


    ¡°That explains Siddly and Tiddly.¡± Terry muttered to himself.


    ¡°Exactly¡± Mother Martin had a habit for answering hypothetical questions and statements. ¡°Tiddly is the youngest in his family, at least at the moment. Mama Firladden is apparently pregnant with a future Uriddy.¡± Terry chuckled at the name as Mother Martin failed to hide her smile at the somewhat silly name. ¡°Gnomes have a shorter pregnancy, and other sorts of silly customs for families. For instance all gnomes have a single name till they are considered adults then they are given a new family name, it can usually pertain to the gnomes station or life''s work. But it is more often a joke or subtle joke to that profession or station.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Terry asked, somewhat interested.


    ¡°Well, Mr. Firladden is a Tanner.¡± Mother Martin explained


    -


    Well Terry was in class Rosa contented herself in the library with one of the house staff to assist her in collecting books. She had been hard at work any time Terry was learning from his other teachers. Rosa wanted to be a good familiar and that meant being able to help in all aspects of a level, even the combat.


    She was not foolish enough to think that she could fight alongside Terry, but a familiar could provide many advantages for their partner. She read up on any and all subjects she believed would assist and help him move forward. Mother Martin had a wide range of books, scrolls and tomes from her long life traveling over the Diamondlands as a player completing levels. Mother Martin had even allowed Rosa to read her own memoirs. She was not the most exciting writer, but her insights and Rosa''s ability to ask questions to the person involved gave a unique opportunity to gain advice that could assist Rosa and Terry.


    Rosa had taken a particular interest in magic and magical theory. As it was her only foreseeable way to assist Terry offensively, she wanted to learn more and more spells and incantations that she might be able to complete using her own mana pool.


    She had successfully cast the Light charm and was even able to gain a few points of familiar exp. Rosa could gain exp as a familiar which was different from that of a player. The description she had given to Terry was more along the line of an actual video game. In a level if she interacted with a situation, she would be granted exp along with Terry and would rank up in a danger rating reserved for beasts and monsters on the Deck.


    Since she was a knowledge type familiar it made sense for her to learn and try to improve that knowledge and magic was a very fascinating field. Her gift had been for any bit of knowledge on the Deck and the levels therein, the Deck¡¯s magic had several fields of disciple and becoming a magical theorist was not simply choosing one field to focus on.


    Terry often found her and checked in with her several times a day, as he walked in she did not look up from what she was doing, but did ask, ¡°How was your lesson?¡±


    Terry crashed into a soft bean bag and started rubbing his eyes, ¡°Pretty good, Mother Martin says we should be able to move on to the next gateway once Morris is back from the Bay and that is supposed to be tomorrow. Are you ready to rough it, away from all this?¡± He motioned to the entirety of the library.


    ¡°Oh I have been ready and I even got some answers to a question you had a few days ago.¡± Rosa answered finally looking up.


    ¡°Did you find the recipe for chocolate using the equivalent nut here?¡± Terry sat up.


    Rosa shot him a dry look with a deep sigh for his antics, ¡°not that one, but also sort of, there is a legume that grows on Heart. That can be churned into a butter that is more like chocolate, sorta like Hazelnut spread, but I meant the other thing with your knives.¡±


    Terry nodded, moving on, ¡°Oh yeah, well he has not talked to me much since the fight¡­¡±


    ¡°And traditionally he will not. You should only be able to hear the voice of a soul weapon when you are in a state near to that of the master inhabiting the weapon or if you gain insight to the connection that it has to the original wilder. I still have found no reference to this Master Koren in the knife histories and any blade histories.¡± Rosa cut him off.


    Terry could follow what she was explaining, but some of it was over his head. The daggers were unique because they contained the soul of a master of the weapons. This master could teach Terry, but he had a hard time connecting with the weapons outside of combat, and combat was ideally not the best time to learn to use the weapon.


    ¡°Since you found the weapons here in the Diamondlands it is reasonable that the master originated here. But there are not many that use mixed matched utility and throwing sets of knives, let alone two knives. There was a master who used a flame sword and a throwing knife, but this is a known and legendary set. There is also a hunter who had a very powerful knife but it is said that he was absorbed into his bow and not the knife.¡± Rosa was annoyed that the master who had wielded the set Terry now had, was not listed or documented. It just made the task of connecting with the weapon tougher and thus made the ability to use the weapons slightly harder.


    -


    A few hours later Terry and Hurk were heading off to the gateways to do another level, just for some fun and prizes. They were both close to the threshold of level 1 and Terry almost wanted to see if he could push himself over before he went north to the other level. He left Rosa in the library reading.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Hurk and Morris had expressed interest in coming along and moving to full time players as Terry¡¯s team. Morris had returned to his apprentice work in Iron Bay for a short time after his sister left town. He stated that he would take a final assessment for blacksmithing, Terry believed there was more to the situation then Morris had explained, but had not pushed to learn more. Terry recognized that Morris was a slow and calculating person and it would be rude and overstepping to try and gain more information on his new friends'' feelings about his sister leaving at this time.


    Hurk was a lot more of an open book, he had returned to the Bay a few times to see friends but always came back to the academy. Hurk was an avid trainer and bodybuilder, and the better facilities at Mother Martin mansions allowed him and Terry to work together. Terry was a good enough partner in training that he and Hurk had become fast friends.


    ¡°With this I should pass into level 1, I did a good deal of monster hunting before getting my tutorial.¡± Hurk explained excitedly.


    ¡°You were a monster hunter without upgrades?¡± Terry asked intensely.


    Hurk explained, ¡°it is not unheard of, but it is more dangerous. I couldn¡¯t really get a job in town. They might have taken me in, but I am a goblin and we have a bit of reputation. You can earn a tutorial by working in a profession or gaining a calling, anything along those lines. It had worked for others in the past so I tried to be the best I could with what I had.¡±


    ¡°Who extended the tutorial to you?¡± Terry asked. He had learned about the 4 gods and the tutorials they could offer.


    ¡°I got the Jack¡± Hurk answered unknowingly quoting the AC/DC song. ¡°His levels are the random task sort. I didn¡¯t meet him, he just spoke aloud and he pushed me to complete some random errand while escorting a NPC around. It was simple enough, but it is rare to fail a tutorial.¡±


    ¡°I know Morris said he got his from the Queen, do people here get a tutorial from the Joker usually?¡± Terry had not needed to tell anyone where his tutorial had come from.


    ¡°Oh the Joker handles a lot of tutorials, it is sorta his thing. The other gods can give them, but the joker is sorta the main induct-or for anyone joining the levels. The histories state that he is the one who initially came up with the idea in the first place and the others agreed that it could be a good way of inducting the worthy or something along those lines.¡± Hurk explained as they reached the gateway and entered the arch to the locker room before the level.


    They changed and changed subjects to more ideal topics, both feeling the anticipation before going into the situation that could be a level. Even if the random task was not usually dangerous one could not count on anything in the randomness of the levels. Terry and Hurk had their own weapon anyway. Terry had still not told anyone about the fact that his daggers could talk and he was not sure why he didn¡¯t. He felt like he needed a leg up in a world that had taught him so much and seemed to have too many secrets.


    Once they entered the level however, it was apparent they would not need the weapons. The level was a large arcade filled with so many upright cabinets and different carnival-type games Terry did not even want to try and count. Hurk instantly got excited.


    ¡°I heard this, it''s a bonus level. We just gotta¡­¡± Hurk was cut off as the announcement came from the level.


    ¡°Welcome to the ticket counter, you will have 2 hours to get as many tickets as you can from the assorted minigames. Tickets can be sold at the booth at the end for special items and prizes. Cheating will not be tolerated. Please follow the rules for each game or you will be disqualified. Left over tickets will be considered exp. However you cannot turn all tickets into exp at your current level¡±


    ¡°Yeah that!¡± Hurk said excitedly. The pair jogged around looking over the colorful cabinets and fair-style game. There was everything Terry had seen on earth and many he had never heard of before. The timer for the level appeared in Terry''s HUD.


    The pair started with a wheel game, there was a whole row of different types, mainly consisting of different levertypes to pull or push to make the large wheels spin. The ticket numbers on the wheel ranged from 0 to 250. It seemed a good place to start and get some tickets regardless of skill.


    Hurk''s immense strength allowed him to activate several and have them all still whirring for a prize as he moved down the line. Terry giggled like a little school boy as he watched the stocky Goblin heave each lever from wheel to wheel.


    Terry allowed him to continue and looked to the cabinet style arcade games. He had always loved a strong beat¡¯em up side scroller and he found one shortly he did not recognize. It was called Dragon Dogs and featured an assortment of silly dragons in a variety of colors and dogs that would accompany them through the woods and fields while defeating many fantasy type enemies. The dragons had simple bite and claw attacks along with the breath weapon that needed to cool down after use. The dog companions could retrieve items dropped by the enemies and hold enemies in place with bite attacks. The combination was fun and the items were kept in a hoard that determined the ticket count at the end of a level.


    Terry received 25 tickets after about 10 min of playing, then Hurk walked up with an actual 5 gallon bucket a quarter full of tickets in neat rolls.


    ¡°Where did you get a bucket? And all that was from the wheel games?¡± Terry¡¯s bedazzlement was obvious in his voice.


    Hurk replied coolly, ¡°it was sitting there at the end of the row once I finished pulling all the levers. I read that these rooms can be all about strategy, it is all about knowing the best games to play to get good amounts of tickets.¡± Hurk was obviously excited and continued to move from carnival games to carnival games. He was of course very good at the Test Of Strength hammer game they found, each time he won the tall tower with the bell on top grew making the feat more impressive as Hurk kept smashing the button with the provided and attached hammer.


    He was able to hit the top 6 times before it went too high for him to reach it and he moved on. Terry continued his perusal of the arcade cabinets and the occasional pinball machine, he was looking more for fun rather than actual score, happy to enjoy himself in the arcade.


    He had not been in an arcade for years; they were mostly out of fashion for home consoles in his time as a teen and adult, but there had been the occasional pizza place and bowling alley section-arcade while he was a kid. His boarding school had a rec room area with pinball and a few cabinets he could visit on the weekends, but the socializing aspect had generally kept him away at least most of the time. He had visited the most during the school breaks when he had not returned home, spending hours getting timing and hand-eye coordination skills from the small variety of games there.


    It was extremely nice to just roam and play and only feel a small pressure of time as he enjoyed the afternoon with Hurk.


    He decided to continue to speak with Hurk about his past as a monster hunter. He had gotten some basics about predators that could be found in the area outside the gateway¡¯s influence from Mother Martin and Selina¡¯s lessons. They discuss curiosities and aspects of Hurk''s life from that time. The biggest and hardest monster to fight, what was done with the materials from the creature, tactics, and even some stories from the aspects outside of the Hulk''s own experience.


    It was almost idle in nature the way Hurk went over aspects of his old career, there was excitement to the stories of fights, but they were never overly dramatic or suspenseful. Terry¡¯s favorite as the time ticked by involved Hurk and another hunter taking on a large catlike beast with 6 legs and three tentacle-like tails. It had ambushed them while they were on the path of another monster and the other monster showed up as they were about to finish off the first. It was daring and interesting and Terry became interested in seeing and fighting the beast himself.


    ¡°I would have never had a career like that or this in my original world. I¡¯d probably only see creatures like that in a zoo?¡± Terry remarked after Hurk finished and they were playing some two player hunting game complete with accurate looking guns.


    ¡°Creatures are not the only thing to worry about here, there are the bandits and shades too¡± Hurk intoned almost nonchalantly.


    ¡°What is a shade?¡± Terry asked.


    ¡°It is the spirit of the dead.¡± Hurk put it plainly.


    ¡°Ghosts!¡± Terry exclaimed missing a shot in startlement over the frankness of Hurk¡¯s statement.


    Hurk explained, ¡°oh yeah, you see our spirit is enriched by the upgrades we have accepted. The Spirit is an eternal entity even though we do not know what happens when you die. We do know that the body is only a vessel for the soul and the soul, if strong enough, can transfer instead of going on. It can be placed in an item or drawn to a place or anything like that. A soul can also be split and put in multiple places or items. This is the creation of Shades, they are difficult to deal with but not always hostile. The process is jarring and can cause traumas that cause them to be erratic and their nature makes them tough to interact with or injure. Most of the time it is easier to get away than actually fight a Shade, though getting away is not always guaranteed.¡±


    Terry¡¯s thoughts wandered to his daggers, they had only ever spoken to him in the midst of battle. Was it smart to use them? He remembered identifying them and feeling the power they possessed. The energy from the identification had caused him to stumble and feel disoriented. He needed to learn more about the spirit that inhabited them and what it could do to assist him as a player.


    When there was only 10 min left on the clock, the two counted their tickets in preparation for getting prizes from the ticket counter. Hurk had slowed down at the end, but had gotten close to 2500 tickets in total. Terry¡¯s more modest and fun approach had got him a respectable 750 tickets. He had moved to more strategy efficient games at the end under Hurk''s suggestion.


    He had been surprisingly good at the shooting gallery and ring toss games, due in large part to the boost to his perception and dexterity. Terry was excited to see what prizes he could expect and wanted to save enough to get to rank 1 at the end of the level.


    ¡°I¡¯m probably going to try and get some stuff to sell more than anything, if we are going to be traveling to other gateways we will need supplies and we cannot count on Mother Martin to always give us everything.¡± Hurk explained as they counted and discussed.


    Terry nodded agreeing with the sentiment to pay their own way. He had kept his last prize of the interesting shoes from the race.


    ¡ªUncommon¡ª


    Up-gradable Sneaky Sneakers


    These shoes silence the steps of the wearing no matter the speed the wearer is traveling. They will not stop outside noises but can have additional enchantments added to them by adding charms to the footwear.


    +5 to speed and +10 to Acrobatics while wearing


    No armor value


    3 charm slots on each shoe (minimized charms effect added)


    Terry was hoping to see a charm he could add on them for something like water-walking or anything like that. Morris had explained that the up-gradable nature was the best part allowing them to eventually match a legendary item, if he found the right charms to add.


    Once the timer ran out the area around them changed from an arcade to a glass counter filled with prizes and ticket totals. Prizes ranged from 50 to 10,000 tickets in price and they made their selection with an android who stood behind the counter. The items came in all sorts and sizes; potions, small and large weapons, pieces of armor, and rolled documents in metal tubes. Both Hurk and Terry took a while going over each and every prize in their price range before making selections with the android.


    ¡°Do we get to know the properties of anything magical?¡± Terry asked the android.


    The android answered simply, ¡°Yes, I will give you descriptions of any and all items before payment¡±


    ¡°That is what I am talking about, tell me about those¡± Hurk pointed and started going through the different prizes. It almost took them as much time to pick prizes as it did for them to get the tickets to pay for them. But by the end both Hurk and Terry left the gateway with bundles of uncommon and rare packages containing several items to sell and split amongst the new and soon to be powerful team.


    Terry received a notification as he left the level:


    You have been granted experience. You have 85 points of experience. You now have 109 points of experience. You have unlocked utility skills. Congratulations you are now Rank 1.


    You have gained the utility skill, Button Masher, your cool down between spells and special attacks is shortened. Continue Ranking to shorten this ability by .3 seconds each level.


    This was a useful ability if he had more magic or special attacks both his spells were continuous and had long cooldowns before the count on them would replenish. He could use Call The Wind twice at his current level of mana before the bar was low and he was crippled with exhaustion.


    When they got back to the house it was dinner time and Morris had arrived back so the three could have a get together to go over the gains they had gathered before leaving. They ate and kept the prize''s identity secret so as to go over it all together. Morris had apparently brought them some special things as well and was happy to see that both were now Rank 1. Terry had kept just enough tickets to put him at 100 exp and he was excited to spend and consolidate the ability gains he had gathered that night in sleep and meditation.


    But before they could sleep Terry decided to show his two new friends a custom from his own world that they would need to get used to if they were going to be an active player group.

 Chapter 14: Sleepover

    ¡°Suiting up before an adventure is rare and usually a more high level experience¡± Morris explained excitedly and they looked at the myriad of wrapped bundles laid out on the table in Terry''s room. They were all going to sleep there tonight and go over strategy and the items to sell and keep from the impressive haul in the Ticket Counter level Hurk and Terry had completed that day.


    There were also some items not from the level that Morris had made during his final assessment for blacksmithing and artificing.  He decided to use the assessment as an excuse to make some items for himself and his new teammates. He had made a chest piece for each of them with a single simple enchantment.


    For himself:


    ¡ª-Common¡ª


    Medal Chest Piece Of Novice Creation


    A reinforced protective chest piece able to equip items directly from Hotbar abilities. These items can become short lived charms with boosts to different attributes for creation and combat.


    Creates armor score of 15


    For Hurk:


    ¡ªCommon¡ª


    Leather Chest Piece Of Furious Rush


    This Leather armor is strong in protection and grants the wearer the ability to Furious Rush. This ability is a short lived magically reinforced rush in a single direction.


    Creates armor score of 15 with 5 Strength added


    And for Terry:


    ¡ªCommon¡ª


    Reinforced Nano Weave Of The Wind


    A shirt of protective and slick material that allows the user to move and traverse difficult terrain at great speeds.


    Creates armor score of 10 with 5 Dexterity added


    The shirt reminded Terry of athletic biker wear on Earth, but the material felt more sturdy. It was navy blue with a light blue accent on the sleeves, neck and chest. He and Hurk¡¯s armor could even be worn under regular clothing making the shirts extremely helpful. Terry''s shirt was also a wholly different theme than the other pieces, seeming more futuristic to the other more fantasy medieval theme.


    Hurk and Terry had collaborated on the acquisition of the prizes to maximize materials that would give them a leg up in the upcoming levels they were going to experience. With the ticket funds they had decided on 1 expensive item for each member of the team and 2-3 less expensive items while the last of their tickets were spent on prizes that could sell quickly and at a good enough price to give them some much needed extra funds for the travel expenses.


    Terry had grabbed a reasonable priced bb shotgun like rife:


    ¡ªCommon¡ª


    The Pellet Shooter


    Ammo is elemental bead pellets, this gun can carry these in cartridges for easy loading. The cartridges can be refilled with materials of the element for easy gathering.


    Aim is based on sight skill +5


    The cartridges were like disposable film cases that fit on the stock of the rifle. Terry could fill them with dirt and rocks for elemental rock pellets, water for water elemental pellets, coals for fire pellets, and so on for any different type of ammo he needed. There were 5 cartridges on the butt of the rifle and one loaded in the gun, each cartridge made 6 elemental pellets. The versatility seemed to be its best feature. Though the android explained it had a short range of fire.


    His other cheap item was a charm for his shoes that gave him an increased jump with a command word. Simple and effective, testing it out had launched him 10 feet in the air. His most expensive item was a pair of reinforced armored pants:


    ¡ªUncommon¡ª


    Exquisite Nano Weave Jeans Of The Rouge


    These pants have several (4) unfindable pockets, they add protection and grant improved features to any and all skills from the Dark and Stealth like attributes.


    +3 to armor


    +3 to dexterity


    +3 to each attribute listed


    Dark Attribute adds meld to all clothing


    They were like loose tactical cargo pants with front, back and side pockets not counting the 4 unfindable pockets. They were simple black with a boot cut fit that did not hang too low over his slim Chuck Taylor style shoes. The enhancements to his Dark attributes were simple, cheapening the mana cost of his call shadow spell, Meld, allowing him to fade into a shadow becoming nearly invisible when in the shadow.


    He had only used the call shadow spells outside of combat, however he could immediately see what uses it could have when used. He could beacon shadows to cloak himself or an ally or even blind an enemy or obscure an item or feature. The larger the shadow needed the more the spell cost, but it was usually a very small amount. With the addition of the pants the loss in mana was barely noticed.


    Hurk had gotten a new club to replace the standard bat he carried around. This one was more cudgel-like, but made of wood and not metal. It had two enchantments to enhance the swing on contact and projectile option if he swung it without hitting anything.


    ¡ªUncommon¡ª


    Ironwood Club For The Brawler And Distance Brawler


    Reinforced club has 15% chance to add force damage 50% equal to Strength on hit. When swung and nothing is hit, it produces a force attack at a distance of 5 meters in the chosen direction.


    The club had been mildly expensive being considered uncommon for its ranking. The distance attack was not overwhelmingly strong, but it could be used to distract and draw attention, reinforcing Hurk¡¯s tank style approach to most combat.


    He had gotten a nice potion case as well, complete with health and stamina potions. Hurk had some slight healing knowledge from his Backbone (intelligence) attribute and so could administer them best. He was going to take the role of healing tank in the party, till they could find a better fit for a pure healing player. The case was magically reinforced to keep the potion bottles safe and even had a charm so the contents could not be retrieved, except by the wearer.


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    The last item he had gotten was a unique item:


    ¡ªUnique¡ª


    Bracers Of Sure Grip


    Leather bands to be worn on the wrist to cover the forearm grants the ability Sure Grip, when initiated the wearer will not drop or let go of what they are holding till the command is rescinded.


    These bracers would allow him to keep hold of anything when he gave a mental command. It was an odd sensation and they had all tried them and attempted to remove a held item to no avail. It did have the stipulation where your hand needed to be able to close around the item or something attached to the item. This was usually rather easy to complete, it often would just take some trial and error on how best to hold a particular item. It could also be activated on both hands or just one at a time as directed.


    Hurk and Terry both had gotten items for Morris using the same principle as their own to meet his combat role needs. He was a creator and spell slinging fighter with skills for polearms and wand weapons. As such they had gotten him:


    ¡ªCommon¡ª


    Heat Repelling Gloves


    Glove that can stand extremely high temperatures without breaking or affecting the hands within.


    +5 to armor score


    These were not directly related to combat, but were expensive and endlessly useful in the searing heat of a blacksmith''s forge. Hurk had picked them for him for that reason and the possible application and protection Morris could receive.


    Terry had chosen a effective spell focused staff for Morris:


    ¡ªUncommon¡ª


    Staff Of The Moon Of Destruction


    This combat staff will enhance all destruction based spells and the wielder gains the Moon Ray Destruction spell with 2 uses a day.


    Moon Ray was a white beam attack that did massive damage that could be charged for more power and area or a quick beam could be shot for less, but more accurate effect. The spell was apparently radiant in damage type and at higher levels gained abilities based on phases of the moons orbiting the Deck. There were 3 moons orbiting the Deck at wildly different spiraling orbits that brought them closer and away from the planet at different times of the year, apparently several rituals and ceremonies could be performed when specific moons were in specific places in the sky.


    The final item for Morris was the most expensive of the three and probably the most expensive item they had gotten overall, like its rank it was truly unique:


    ¡ªUnique¡ª


    Cowl Of Kermin Effective


    A cowl that hides and protects the face of the wearer when worn, will effect spell potency, will improve aim of spells, will grant the user improved stealth and silent movement.


    Grants +3 to Armor


    Improved Spell aim by Sight skill +10


    Improves Stealth by movement Skill +10


    Apparently this was an item owned by a particular thief catching vigilant who stocked the streets of the capital til his untimely death. It was not soulbound like Terry¡¯s knives, as the soulbonding effect was most common in weapons of that master. While they were having their sleepover to go over all the items and prizes Morris told them of the stories of Kermin Effective.


    ¡°He was a gnome known for getting work done, well, effectively. Kermin¡¯s father and mother owned a special representation business for people fighting for their rights and against charges that people pressed against them.¡± Morris started


    Terry cut in, ¡°like a lawyer?¡±


    ¡°Yes, very good ones, they made a lot of money and left it to all their children that lived after a fire consumed most of their practice. There were only 5 children left after the fire, one left the capital to a life no one really cared to find out much about, 3 restarted the practice and did very well for themselves and Kermin took the role of a boozing socialite by night and a masked vigilante crime fighter in the later night. He was very good at fighting and concealing the identity but made a lot of money sharing his stories through a ghost writer under the pseudonym Richard Staff.'''' Terry had been drinking when Morris had revealed the name and it came spraying out his nose. Morris was unphased and continued.


    ¡°Kermin used a pseudonym for his crime fighting persona as well, he was called the Night Cloak He had the attributes of Dark, Knight, Predator and Balance. It is believed that he made all his effects and his legend grew so well that his items were retrieved by the gods on his death to be used as prizes. It is said that he preferred projectiles and rope shooters for combat and traversal.  It is believed that his Rope shooter became a soldbonded item, the wielder would be able to commune with the soul within to learn his secrets of stealth combat and being bad-ass.¡± Morris nodded while finishing and held up a series of books. ¡°If you want to borrow any, let me know I have the full collection.¡±


    Terry was actually interested in the book, he had read a few comic books when he was younger. The chat was idle after that, but something Morris had mentioned stuck out to Terry, the idea of soulbound items. He decided to hell with it and just brought up the question after looking to Rosa for affirmation.


    ¡°Morris, what is a soulbound item and what do you mean to commune with it?¡± Terry asked as a break in the idle conversation. The group was around a low table comfortably seated in soft couches and chairs.


    Morris answered lightly and academically, ¡°Soulbound items are unique level weapons and tools that were once held by a master level Player. A Player can connect and master an item, unlocking a bond to the item. Their soul will live on in the item once they die. It is believed that you must become close to the item to unlock the communication with the soul within.¡±


    ¡°How do you do that? Get close to the item, I mean¡± Terry frowned questioning the unclear answer.


    Hurk replied this time, ¡°I have heard players in the pub and on monster hunts talk about them a bit. It has something to do with learning about the soul within the item.  Like if the item was a hood like we got Morris, he might need to stop a crime to relate or show the same sensibilities as the soul inside the hood.¡±


    Rosa''s eyes grew wide and she let out a ¡°awe that made sense!¡±


    ¡°What does?¡± Morris looked at the turtle resting on Terry''s shoulder.


    Terry answered instead, deciding to finally tell the truth, he pulled Flicker from his inventory. ¡°I got these from the cooking level on my first day. The meditation said they were soul-bonded to a Drunken Master named Koren Tidestamer. While I was in the hoard level fighting goblins, I heard a voice in my head cheering me on, I have not been able to hear it since.¡±


    Hurk and Morris had both inspected the knives when Terry showed them off after receiving. They knew they were unique, but the pair of them had figured it was a linked power between two special tools rather than something like soulbounding.


    ¡°It can be a powerful tool if you figure out how to connect with them, what was your ¡®aw ha¡¯ moment there Rosa?¡± Hurk put in.


    ¡°Well,¡± Rosa answered, ¡°I have been trying to find references to the master mentioned, this Koren, is not mentioned in any record nor is there any reference to the look of the two knives. But maybe he died fighting a monster or died fighting goblins so in that time when you were doing the same you were able to connect with the weapon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah that tracks.¡± Morris had a hand on his chin as if thinking out loud. ¡°A drunken master is not a fighting style I am familiar with, but not all masters and weapons they got soulbound to are tracked. It is almost impossible to do so, usually if you kill a master or witness a master fall you¡¯re probably not going to last long after or you''re not really into writing down what you witnessed or did.¡±


    No one asked why Terry had not shared the information, and he was still not sure how to answer that question.


    Hurk put in an easy point, however ¡°you think you could just get really drunk and try using them? That could work to emulate the type of master he was?¡±


    Terry shrugged, ¡°I have been so busy, drinking did not really occur to me. But you might be onto something there. It can at least be a test to see what happens.¡±


    Hurk nodded, ¡°Mother Martin is pretty against drinking, so I can imagine there is no booze here, we can use some of the trading cash to get some testing materials.¡± They all laughed at that and Terry was suddenly more excited for their trip then he was before. Sharing a secret with his friends gave him a confidence he hadn¡¯t felt.


    They all slept well and in the morning they sold the remaining bundled prizes in Iron Bays Player Tavern. The tavern made an initial offer on most prizes, other more valuable prizes could be sold for auctions and the profits above that initial price were split between the seller and the Player Association that ran the network of taverns in each of the gateway towns and cities.


    They had been given some easy camping gear and an enchanted tent from Mother Martin for the journey north. They gathered a good amount of provisions and kept them in Terry Inventory ability. Testing showed that it kept food in a suspended state depending on how he placed it in the inventory so raw meat could be fresh till it was removed. Terry decided then and there that he loved his new world and his amazing new powers.


    The group set off up  the road with Rosa on his shoulder and friends by his side, Terry was ready and happy for the new challenges in front of him.

 Chapter 15: Team Building and Synergy Training

    Level 5: A Seafarers Ravenous Revenge


    After the parting words with her brother, Selina was conflicted with her decision to leave him. Morris told her he was fine without her and she had no clue how to react to him being upset. She had never seen him upset; his stoic demeanor had always been his most prevalent feature, yet as she thought of it more she remembered that most of those memories were of a much younger boy and not the man he was working to become. A man she seemed to hardly know.


    Selina had many other things to occupy her time now however, firstly was her new team. She had already built a rapport with them in passing, but traveling, camping and fighting with a new team had hiccups and pitfalls. Fortunately the leadership of Nym, worked to hammer out these flaws.


    Often practice was held in the evenings after the team had traveled a distance toward the capital and the next gateway. Selina grew a fast friendship with Trapper and Hunter, as her manners and respectful attitude was complimentary to their prideful and shallow nature. She and Nym being the only women around could relate and bicker with each other over non serious matters that also helped them get along.


    Selina was not having much success with the largest of her new teammates, Smash. She had tried a bit, but one can only talk to a tree for so long before one craves a response. He just nodded or grunted every time she tried to talk and his face seemed as impassive and lacking in acknowledgement or emotion. Till he finally spoke one night to break up an argument between the two avians.


    They had been fighting over some details in some old story. Smash simply put a hand on Hunter¡¯s shoulder and broke the argument by telling the story. He had a deep enchanting voice, it drew your attention and he told the story beautifully.


    ¡°There was a blue bird, he saw a fox hunting an unaware rabbit. The bird saw he had a choice to help the predator or the unaware. He also saw another bird he did not recognize watching the confrontation. The blue bird decided and flew down fast and low, startling the rabbit allowing it to run, but not knowing the danger it was in.¡±


    ¡°The fox was frustrated and stalked off in search of another meal. The blue bird was proud to have supported the prey, he did not feel the other bird behind him approaching till he spoke, ¡®you did not reveal yourself or intentions to the prey, birdy. Why is that¡¯¡± As Smash spoke for the other bird his voice changed to fit a raspy maniacal timbre, and Selina found herself leaning in to lean more of the story. ¡°The blue bird spoke back without fear ¡®he does not need to know I saved him, he just needs to be saved¡¯ the Vulture gave a sinister smile. ¡®Then my friend who will save you?¡¯¡± When the story ended Selina felt a chill down her spine.


    The moral of the story had been the discussion and as Smash ended he stated a simple moral, ¡°be kind and seek friendship, do not save for a reward unless it is that friendship. We are only as strong as the friends beside us when it comes to a fight.¡± with those simple words he rolled over and went to sleep.


    The next gateway to the east of Iron Bay was about a four day trek on the maintained roads. The town near the gateway was called Lone Stone, it was a simple Platerformer, Hoard and Boss set of levels. The gateways themselves were more of a polished set, each looking like a different color of marble. They wanted to do each of the levels in a set, one a day starting with the Hoard then the Platformer and end with the Boss.


    They chose to camp near the gateways rather than stay in the tavern or another inn Lone Stone had to offer. Dwarven towns were decidedly rough for those outside the race. If they had a dwarf in the party, they could have bartered on their team behalf and gotten them at least a fair price for anything, but the extortion for not being a dwarf was not worth it when you had Hunter¡¯s fabulous tent to stay in.


    They did not use it every night on the road because it was an enchanted item that took time to set up and needed to stay up for at least three to five days. Once set up, the tarp over the awning would create a dimensional space that could comfortably house ten people. There were five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a kitchen and a modest dining area where the team met before heading to the gateways and getting levels done. Selina marveled at the lavish surroundings, so different from the avian she had come to know.


    Hunter was more at home sleeping in a tree than in a bed, but his family was the opposite and apparently had given him the tent as a gift when he had reached the 3rd rank and left the Heartlands. The team had used it twice in Heart and Selina was happy to have her own room once she had entered and gotten a tour.


    She had made it to Rank 3, but since her team was so much higher then her the level with them would be tougher until she caught up. Hunter and Trapper were both fresh Rank 4¡¯s and Nym was the highest at Rank 6. Smash was actually only Rank 3, but his character sheet showed he had a very focused stat block of only four skills at very high amounts. No one treated her differently for being Rank 3 and she appreciated that, it might have just been because she was new and Nym harped on and on about cohesion and teamwork as important values for them all to embrace.


    They spent the day relaxing and tried a strategy that Selina was aware of for boosting experience, the late night bonus. A team could enter a gateway at any time of the day and some Players had figured that the time of day could affect the type of encounter and amount of experience a team could see and gain in a level. They all left the locker room with their randomly supplied items ready for a tough fight.


    -


    The protection of the gateway from magical and creature interference extended in every direction for about a day''s worth of travel. The gateway to the north was set in a shallow valley under the only mountain on the west coast of the Diamondland, the lone Mount Teenhee, gnomish for ¡®adolescent strife or struggle¡¯. The gnome really did have an odd sense of humor.


    The first traveling day had not been eventful, the coastal road provided wonderful views of the surrounding area''s ocean strait. The colors and nimbus clouds of the day gave Terry¡¯s mind a racing feeling of different emotion mostly cycling around excitement toward his new world. He had been here almost a whole month and was excited to see what this world had in store for him outside of the bay.


    They had made their simple camp a bit off the road in a collection of rocks that seemed easily defensible, even though Hurk assured them they were still close enough to the protection to not have to worry about monsters or manifestations at this point. This would be the camp where they would test the theory of getting drunk to communicate with the spirit in the daggers as well. Terry had gotten drunk a couple times in college with his friends and dorm-mates. Those instances had been fun, but the morning after had made the experience less worthwhile. Apparently his new world had some simple magic to help that feeling however.


    Hurk had gained points from his attribute for intelligence towards maintaining and promoting a healthy body. The skill was just called Body, he had gained from that attribute knowledge about mixing poultices and some basic herb-lore. This included a common plant to relieve hangover effects, it just needed to be mixed with the first drink and taken in the morning as a tea. The taste was mild thankfully, but when they made camp that night Hurk mixed the first cocktail, as a herby Mojito style drink that was refreshing and a great start to the night''s fun.


    Morris had made a fire and Terry took charge of setting up the simple tents and sleeping pads. With all the jobs done and the food cooking on the fire this was shaping to be an enjoyable night even if Terry was not able to connect with the knives he kept sheathed on his hip.


    ¡°...There we were in the den of Lionobra, a terrifying Lion serpent creature. Thirty feet long with the head of a lion but more like a cobra¡¯s hood instead of a mane, it is just yellow with brussels that resemble hair. Our leader was a Rank 15 mage style fighter, he could shoot energy spells straight from his palms and spoke commands like you order breakfast. We had an archer and a swordsman too but neither did too much. It is a long and fat snake but the hide is too much for simple arrows and it can even bend a crappy sword.¡± Hurk took a sip and continued his tale. ¡°My club was good at disorienting the beast, but I was so low compared to my companions I stuck without dealing harm to the Lionobra. A male can have several smaller Lionobra females. These ones are more aggressive but about half the size, mind you that is still ten to fifteen feet in length.¡± he took a bit of food and continued telling his tale.


    ¡°Now the things spit venom as well as biting ya, I am not the quickest but our swordsman and mage were. They both handled the husband and the bow-man and I just kept the wives busy, those ladies were spittin'' mad, I tells ya, there were about fifteen or twenty of the bitches in the cave and it was all fowl from the kills¡­¡± Hurk was actually very inventive with his stories and Terry could appreciate it while he enjoyed his drink and the hunter stew they had thrown together.


    Drinking had never been Terry¡¯s favorite thing, school parties were loud, crazy and just made his anxiety over take him. He could only handle a couple beers before one of his friends was carrying him up to his dorm for sleep and a rough morning. He was finding that he enjoyed it more with the simple act of fewer people and a good meal over the rough bitter beers and ruckus crowds. He was already feeling the tingle of the alcohol in his toes, fingers and chest and he was smiling rather than anxious.


    Hurk''s story was thrilling and the game he had proposed to keep them drinking was easy to remember. They simply told stories and figured out the truth vs the lies in the story and if you guessed wrong you had to finish a shot of the Dwarven spirit called Undershine. The liquor burned his throat like whiskey, but had the plain taste of vodka. Morris had chosen it because his backsmith master had always sworn by the bottle. Terry was impartial to the taste, but it did mix well.


    ¡°We each survived by the skin of our teeth, only two of us were seriously poisoned and the hospital in the village nearby had an excellent and attractive healer. She got them patched up and we got the bounty and I will not go back there again. So what were the lies?¡± Hurk finished, his eyes moving between each of their faces, ¡°Wait I will give you a hint, there were five in there so the possibility of five shots is on the table.¡± He got out the three shot glasses and filled them.


    Morris began thinking out loud, ¡°Well I know Lionobras males are the only ones with hoods and that they are the only ones that spit so the spitting female is a lie. I don¡¯t know the size of their harems though, so I can¡¯t tell if that is a lie. I am going to take a chance and go with that as the second lie¡± Morris held his liqueur very well, it might have been his size.


    Hurk replied, ¡°You''re right the girls don¡¯t spit and there were only like fifteen of them so that was the truth.¡± Hurk laughed and Morris took a shot.


    ¡°The odds in that fight seem ridiculous, why did they only send four in? I think that was a lie, along with the attractive doc.¡± Terry put in next.


    Hurk nodded, ¡°The main problem was the male, the wives get a blind rage and attach straight on so it is easy to cut them down in a traditional back to back, so there were only four of us.¡± He took a drink, ¡°the doctor really was effective and was not pretty. She was a half troll about eight feet tall, I did not mention it was a goblin¡¯n¡¯ogre village¡± He chuckled and gave Terry the shot.


    -


    Selina and the team had gotten an interesting area and mob to fight in the hoard level. The arena was a series of large sea-fairing vessels connected by plank bridges and rope-walks. There were several different types including sailing pleasure crafts, flat cargo ships and a large civilization craft. They started on the edge of a long flat cargo vessel that bobbed precariously in the waves. The sight lines were riddled with large pole masts and living cabins blocking all directions, except behind them was the uninterrupted ocean and clear skies. It was a beautiful sight and should be a lot of fun to search and fight in.


    ¡°Hunter, Trapper scout, but stay in shouting distance. Smash you take point and I will be the tail, Sel keep your sword ready this will probably be closer quarters then the terrain suggests.¡± Nym started pointing out their role. They had not fully figured out a nickname for Selina yet, they had joked about it a bit in the camps, but none had stuck.


    Hunter and Trapper took off across plank bridges to opposite ships moving quickly and quietly. They did not seem to notice the motion of the wave below at all, hoping and moving with grace and pose. Smash seemed to be too heavy for the waves to move, his massive size allowed him to clomp forward and instead of using the questionable rope bridge, he leapt to the next vessel. Nym and Selina kept close and weapons drawn, Selina had never been on a boat before, she could swim thanks to a lake near her school, but she was not sure how the level would simulate the vastness of an ocean.


    The bobbing ships were disorienting and Selina hoped Trapper and Hunter could see well enough to scout effectively. She could see them as they moved along higher vantages to the left and right. Trapper had a single edged machete like-knife, he kept low and close. Hunter had his short bow in one hand and an arrow in his other hand. Both their heads continued to scan the horizon for any sign of the mob that the level had indicated.


    Smash did not have his sword out, instead he put on gloves that had affixed iron half balls for each knuckle, it seemed he did not trust the unsure footing for his particular style of sword fighting. He would be a more up close brawler for this session.


    All this preparation did not help the team as they entered right into the mob¡¯s planned ambush ship about 4 vessels in from the starting ship. A horn sounded from their left as they stepped from the wide plank bridge. Smash had let the ladies go first as he did not seem to trust his jump for the distance and did not want to leave them stranded if he broke the bridge while crossing. As Nym stepped down off the plank the baring honk of the horn resonated across the open area and they instinctively looked to Trapper on the left. For his part, Trapper leapt and grabbed the rope ladder affixed to the mast next to the cabin he was on top of and began to climb, looking up Selina saw the hornblower standing in a crow nest, even from here there was no mistaking that this was their target, a pirate.


    -


    Terry did not have as exciting a story to tell for his part in the game, and he was not a very good liar or embellisher. He always told stories the exact way they happened and did not have the continuous stream of family or friends to tell his stories, as such his story was easily picked apart and the others jokingly convinced him to take a drink instead of them for the shoddy story work. As that was the goal of the evening, he took the shot gladly and after a moment the others did as well.


    ¡°So the cleaning lady and the lunch man were just having a date, it almost seemed normal.¡± Morris pointed out.


    Terry looked a bit coy, ¡°well the lunch man, Mr Williams, actually had a Mrs. Williams, and she was the librarian at the school.¡±


    Morris laughed, they were all a bit into their drinks at this point. Morris had held out the longest, but during his story, which was about an interesting situation involving his blacksmith master¡¯s daughter and a night stuck in the blacksmith forge area, The heavy weight had finally showed his drunken state. He had reenacted his master stumbling into interrupting Morris¡¯ first kiss with exacting fervor. He chugged down the rest of his cocktail and let out in a drunken dwarven accent, ¡°Ay leeft DA key in mud udder pants!!¡±


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    With Terry done, all three had told stories and so switched to a new game that Hurk suggested, ¡°It''s a test of strength and drinkin¡¯ based on an old level legend, about the bad platformer. He was a gnomish healer who got stuck on a platformer by himself after a trap took out his entire team before the final obstacle. He got out and became a tavern owner, his bar was full of single person and competition style games for patrons to do. It is in the town we are heading to and we will definitely be visitin¡¯ we just got to take a drink then do a stunt and then take another drink, the next person does the same stunt and then we judge for how close he got. If you can not replicate you gotta drink, if you can the original person¡¯s gotta drink.¡±


    Terry was not sure what stunts he could do, but he was sure the exertion would make them sick and more drunk. The night was going great regardless of if he could connect with the knives or not, he still wore the scabbard on his belt, as he got up for his go for the original stunt. He took a drink of the fresh mixed cocktail of the Undershine mixed with a dark purple sweet juice and felt the urge to draw them. Just go with it, do something that feels natural to this new life, and try and impress these guys too. He decided to go with a simple practice technique demo he had put together during times practicing with the knives in the last weeks.


    His absorbed knowledge of the weapons was not the same as a taught or experienced fighter. Terry¡¯s movements were slow and involved sweeps and cuts rather than lurching thrusts. He barely stepped, only completing turns and occasional sharp pivots on his front or back leg. Spark¡¯s longer edge was in his non-dominant right hand, it felt natural and the extra reach gave the more awkward hand a slight advantage. He really liked having Flicker in his left hand in case he wanted to throw it or spin the knife to a different grip after a cut. The knife had been familiar at first, with each session he felt more comfortable with the weight and length of each blade.


    ¡°How did you do that drunk?¡± Morris looked stunned as Terry finished.


    Terry looked at them not understanding at first then nearly stumbling as he put the knives in the scabbards at his hips. ¡°You know there''s a better place to put that. I always kept Spark on my thigh and Flicker, he went on my arm with a reverse draw. It makes for a handy throwing Style and it looks awesome." The voice did not come from his companions and neither of them reacted to it. Terry realized it must have been in his head.


    -


    The Hornblower Pirate wore a dirty gray tunic and a colorful bandanna on his head, his bottom half obscured by the crows nest he had emerged from. At the call, a massive bang sounded and the large board Nym had just stepped off of exploded, stranding Smash on the far boat.


    The doors and windows from the cabin to their right smashed open as more, cutlass wielding Pirates tumbled through and out the opening. They sprang to their feet with practiced ease and brandished their weapons in sinister circles with aggressive and assertive cries of ¡°Arrgg!¡±, ¡°Yarrrr¡± and other pirate-like war calls.


    Selina and Nym were not impressed, Selina raised her rapier into a classic thrusting fencer''s pose. She stabbed quickly and efficiently with two pirates, her school taught techniques in dueling, working in this match against the deceptive and hectic swings from the pirates. She worked to parry and immediately attacked in forms she had drilled for each year of her class. While doing this she hummed a restoration spell and to increase her and Nym''s restoration and stamina in what would promise to be a long and active encounter.


    There was a THAP! And WOOSH! as Hunter fired an arrow over Selina¡¯s head and into the pirate who was attempting to flank her. She spun quickly and saw an open trap door, more pirates coming up and out in dirty tunics with colorful bandanas and swords drawn. She cursed as Hunter continued to fire into the crowd at the opening and turned back to her two original pirates. They glared and came in again swinging blades in dangerous arches from both sides. She ducked and their swords met just where her neck had been moments before. Then she was bucked back as the ship suddenly rocked.


    Smash could apparently jump that gap, he just needed a running start.


    -


    The voice sounded different then it had before in Terry¡¯s head, it was more rolling and fun with a sense of mirth in the high moments after the focused practice. Terry could feel the inebriation of this entity in his daggers,  like it had taken his drunken state away and used it itself.  With that the game was lost as Terry and the others started to pepper the entity within with questions.


    ¡°This is Koren right,  I can hear you in my head.¡± He both asked the voice and told his companions. Their eyes widened.


    The voice replied, ¡°Yep that is me, and you doing well, I can walk you through a more memorized dance that will work your muscles and when sped up in a fight can be a great start to a one on one fight with any blade-like weapon, take another drink and lets get started we got a trail to go down here kid¡­¡± he trailed off as terry took a long drink, and turned to Hurk.


    ¡°Can you make me another?¡± Terry raised his drained glass.


    -


    The fight was longer than Selina would have liked, Trapper had taken out the Hornblower and collected the horn before swinging down into the brawl below from a rope attached to the crows nest. Even with his timely entrance the numbers of pirates were great.


    The levels use an average of the Player¡¯s rank to determine the toughness or number of enemies. So the fact Selina was in here with two Rank 4¡¯s and a Rank 6, was set to at least give a high number of enemies. However the night level bonus had affected both the number of enemies and the toughness of the enemies.


    All that Selina could think at the moment however, was how great the gains would be from the night¡¯s fight.


    Smash was her defense as she focused on a healing song. He dodged and punched like a lighter and smaller jabbing boxer, not giving an inch and breaking swords with his bare hands. His skin stayed intact thanks to his attributes and Selina¡¯s Healing song.


    Her songs were not about what she sang, but how she sang according to a measure of her healing mana and voice¡¯s tone. She could sing anything as long as she sang it with the proper spell and commanding tone. She used a simple wind spell to play notes through the pan flute at her waist to give the spell a stronger effect.


    ¡°I see the Hawks foe fall, The eagle atop stands Tall.


    Our leader she''s strong and fair, as fast as the storming mare.


    My hero he stands for me, protecting  from harm so I can sing


    A song to refill your bars, now feel it like the war cry of ¡®yar¡¯¡± She smiled with the ending and the spell bolstered her allies. Lunging into battle around the massive form of Smash she saw the end of the wave exiting the main cabin.


    He wore a tricorn hat and an eye-patch, his tunic was black and he had a leather waistcoat with runes glowing with red light. His pants were black loose and singed at the bottom with his high boot. Except on the left where he had a gnarly peg leg that looked to be cut from an old black ash tree, it bled red sap that gave it a mean savage appeal.


    ¡°Y¡¯all be here for me ya?¡± the Pirate lord asked and Smash drew his sword from his back.


    -


    The night went in a different, but still fun turn after the discovery of how to contact Koren. It turned out that he knew a great deal about how his particular soulbond could be enhanced, he explained it to Terry as he continued to move through the forms Koren instructed. These were ideal for improving his martial prowess.


    ¡°When you are drunk, I can use that to instruct or even control your movements. You don¡¯t need to be falling over, just a little buzz will let you connect with me. However I can gain a finer and more exacting control the more drinks you consume. I use it as a life meter of sorts¡± Koren referred to the previous level he had talked to Terry in, ¡°the hoard fight against the goblins can be used to communicate as well, since I died in a goblin invasion and all. That is like stirring up an old memory.¡±


    The movements Koren guided Terry through were swaying and graceful in slow motion, but it was obvious that sped up this style of knife fighting would be very divesting. Morris tried to move along with him, but was slower and less graceful in a constant state of drunken confidence. Terry held back laughter at his friend''s goofy grin as he played with imaginary knives.


    ¡°I cannot wait to see this in action.¡± Hurk put in around spouts of laughter and drinks of his concoction.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a while till you can do this at any decent speed, but the Wind will help.¡± Koren burped then continued in Terry¡¯s head, ¡°I had a attribute like Wind called Bow, it was from my sailing days and it gave me improved balance and grace skills. Now that you are level one, your skills will actually go up and you will be able to tell as you practice and use the techniques in battle that I''m showing you. It will help you get a particular special attack that I got when I was using these daggers. Once you incorporate those in your actions, you''ll be good as gold.¡± Koren burped again.


    Terry knew these concepts from any and all games that he had played in the arcades and on the game stations at dorm parties in college. In the video games, it was always a series of movements and buttons that culminated in an overwhelming attack combo. The difference here was that he was not pressing buttons, but had to memorize the cuts, movements and strokes of this new knife fighting style. The prospect fueled and made the practice more thrilling as he imagined using skills and combos on level enemies.


    Energized, Terry brought up his character sheet again to see what would improve as he got stronger.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    </td>


    <td>


    Name


    </td>


    <td>


    Terry


    </td>


    <td>


    Level


    </td>


    <td>


    1


    </td>


    <td>


    Exp


    </td>


    <td>


    109


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td> </td>


    <td>


    HP


    </td>


    <td>


    200


    </td>


    <td>


    SP


    </td>


    <td>


    350


    </td>


    <td>


    MP


    </td>


    <td>


    250


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Associated attribute


    </td>


    <td>


    Main Stats


    </td>


    <td>


    Value


    </td>


    <td>


    Value addition each level


    </td>


    <td>


    Skills


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Determined Wind


    </td>


    <td>


    Dexterity


    </td>


    <td>


    6


    </td>


    <td>


    +6


    </td>


    <td>


    OOT Stand. HUD


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Determined


    </td>


    <td>


    Speed


    </td>


    <td>


    3


    </td>


    <td>


    +3


    </td>


    <td>


    Rosa (Intelligence)


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Wind Intuition


    </td>


    <td>


    Acrobatic


    </td>


    <td>


    8


    </td>


    <td>


    +8


    </td>


    <td>


    Call Shadows


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Intuition


    </td>


    <td>


    Awareness


    </td>


    <td>


    5


    </td>


    <td>


    +5


    </td>


    <td>


    Call Wind


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Dark


    </td>


    <td>


    Nightvision


    </td>


    <td>


    5


    </td>


    <td>


    +5


    </td>


    <td>


    Proficiency with Knives and small blade


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Dark


    </td>


    <td>


    Perception


    </td>


    <td>


    5


    </td>


    <td>


    +5


    </td>


    <td>


    Button Masher (.3)


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Terry knew he was growing faster and more agile. He felt the change to his perception in the colors and definition he could now see the world around him. Even in the dark here at night he could clearly see the shadows that approached at his friends back, a light from the one of bright full moons glinting off the steel in his hand. That is not right! With a cry he let loose Flicker calling it back and throwing again the instant he saw it impact.


    A group of bandits had been attempting to take advantage of the seemingly distracted party, not realizing that Terry¡¯s movements were not as stumbling as his comrades. Adrenaline is a fast track to sober, however as Morris conjured his staff from his Hot Bar. His response was a strong word of command ¡°Break!¡± pointing toward the small mob of thieves that jumped from the shadows. His spell took one man¡¯s blade as it snapped in half. Then Terry was there in a flash, between the bandits and his friends.


    Hurk was completely lost in panic, the drink and the battle cowering to the side brandishing only his mug like a shield. Terry was the opposite, fueled by the intense practice he had just endured and the mass amount of spirits his Drunken Master entity had absorbed in the night of drinking. His actions were less his own and more that of Koren lashing out to protect these new friends.


    He flowed with the looseness of the drink and the skill of his acrobatic balance and knife fighting skills. It was not Terry that commanded the action, he felt a trance like being hypnotized at the county fair. He had done that once with a boyfriend of his mother¡¯s at the age of ten. The stage show was mostly a bur, but the video was hilarious. Him on stage squeaking like a chicken or rooster and crawling and barking like a dog was barely a dream to him then. However, now was a thrilling and intoxicating event, his heart raced as he took on five bandits, or watched himself do it because that is what it felt like during his actions.


    Spark was a blur using the blazing aura of the weapon to sear into leather or even at one point mail shirts, then moving to throw Flicker then bring it back to stab in the neck of another bandit. Thanks to this brutal style the fight was over faster then Terry could truly comprehend. The event felt longer in the thrill of battle and thanks to his perception being improved he kept each foe in sight and tracked the enemies till they were all defeated or dead from their wounds.


    -


    Smash fought with brutality, but the Pirate lord responded with skill. The swashbuckling fighting style was reminiscent of an assembly demonstration by the scimitar wielding duelist called Blake ¡®Terror¡¯ Smithwick Selina had seen at the academy. Blake had fought in some sporting league and was an expert in anything that required his broad curved blade.


    The assembly had started with a ten minute long demonstration of different fighting techniques and among them was the pirate lord¡¯s own swashbuckling, swiping, deliberate style of the art of swordplay. The body and sword danced as one, working to get around the defense that was Smash and his giant buster blade.


    Smash was less fluent, but with that hunk of steel how could you really put finesse in your style. The massive sword thundered and roared with sound working to cut off the blur and barrage of stabs and slices from the pirate lord. Smash was defensive, but Selina continued to sing as her mana recharged after the quick drink of potion.


    The Frey was alive around her, Nym shot spells into a crowd. Purple and blue bolts flew from her short sword toward oncoming pirate minions called by another Hornblower. The hornblower was silenced by Hunter and his never ending stream of arrows and he worked to hinder and slow the hoard, with an occasional shot toward the pirate Lord. Trapper was on her other side having just returned from an excursion down to the lower decks of the ship. He had returned wounded, but thanks to Selina¡¯s song he was soon back at 100%.


    The rush of battle was intoxicating and she felt the advantage rising as the others were bolstered by a final song then she jumped to Trapper¡¯s side and held the line.


    By the end of the level the team had taken down thirty-eight pirate minions and two pirate lords. The second had gone down quickly as he found one of the many enemy triggered devices Trapper had pulled out and thrown into other vessels. As Hunter continued to pick off hornblowers, he  claimed his count was seventeen for the night on their way back to camp. Nym seemed happy with the teams performance and Selina just looked at her HUD notification:


    Your points of experience have increased. You have 310 points of experience. You now have 467 points of experience. You have unlocked one utility skill and 2 new special attacks.


    Your ability to be unfazed by overwhelming odds has bolstered your prowess. You have achieved the Dueling rank of skill with the weapon, Rapier. Continue to fight with rapiers to enhance ability and gain special attacks.


    Special Attack: Perry, Perry, Thurst. You move your feet so fast it can throw off an opponent or group of opponent¡¯s focus allowing you to better defend and attack with lunges and thrusts.


    Special Attack: Stunning Entrance. Start a confrontation with an extra series of quick attacks allowing you to always start with the upper hand in situations where you are not surprised.


    Selina had gained a whole rank and was over half way to another with just that level alone. Selina¡¯s new attacks would make her more valuable to the team and she started to really like and accept this new life and environment change before crawling in her tent and going to sleep.

 Chapter 16: Road Work and Solo Levels

    Level 4: Leap Frog Falls


    ¡°Is that all of them?¡± Morris asked, he knew Terry could see well in the dark and trusted his more focused state after the demonstrations of the night.


    Terry continued to scan the area but answered, ¡°Yeah, at least no one else is coming out.¡± There had been eight bandits in total, each were at least out of the fight, two were moaning around the trauma from Morris¡¯ staff. ¡°How did you sober up well enough to help out?¡± Terry asked after a moment.


    ¡°I got a resistance spell that can only be used on myself after the Hoard level.¡± Morris explained simply and helped Hurk to his feet. The goblin was wide eyed after the attack and Terry could see shame from his inability to assist during the quick raid.


    ¡°Aye that is the downside, not everyone has the ability to use the booze. I often was alone more than with otters.¡± Koren still spoke in Terry¡¯s head, but Terry found he could move his own limbs and had apparently regained control.


    He turned from the others and continued to speak to the drunken warrior, ¡°What was that? Can you gain control of my body normally, because I am not sure I am a fan of trusting another driver in this seat, if you catch my drift?¡±


    Koren responded, ¡°It is part of the bond and it only happened here because we had already been working together. Also I used your drunken state to respond, like I explained earlier. I can only take over when you need assistance and grant me that. We are connected now, I won¡¯t always talk but as you grow with my daggers, I will be able to impart more of my knowledge to ye.¡±


    This was definitely a mutually beneficial arrangement, but Terry did not feel fully comfortable with the prospect of someone else driving his actions. This train of thought was interrupted when a little voice called from his tent, ¡°What happened out here?!¡± Rosa exclaimed.


    Terry could barely make out her small form in the mouth of the tent. She did not really know how to take part in the night festivities of drinking and chatting, so she went to bed. Crawling in a small jar lined with a mini blanket she had apparently been woken by the excitement. Terry went to calm and reassure her that all was well, and questioned how to best report the attack to the authorities. She of course had knowledge of that nature and relayed instruction on reporting posts that sat along the road like watch towers, with guards to report monster sightings and bandit raids to. Morris and him decided to split a watch and allow Hurk to get a full night''s rest, and in the morning they would make their way to the nearest watch tower.


    The following days of travel and camping were less excitable, apart from the occasional scrap with a crowd of stalking animals Hurk was able to clear off with sounds or intimidation tactics. He had felt awful after his pitiful performance during the bandit attack and strived to make himself be ¡®more useful¡¯ in the coming nights. They did not do anymore drunken party nights deciding wisely to complete those from now on in towns and taverns. Terry did keep the rest of the spirits in his inventory.


    His inventory was the most useful ability, he had to wear a pouch or bag for it to work. To engage it he just had to think of putting an object into or removing an object from the inventory. When he put objects in he put them in the bag or pouch, this process was quick or slow depending on the size of the object. There were rules, like the object had to fit in the mouth of the bag, this meant the size of the bag was a factor in storing and during his training with Selina and Mother Martin, he had seen it first hand. His favorite was removing a long broom from a messenger bag as if he were Mary Poppins.


    Terry could view his inventory in his hud like a video game and even add items directly to his Hot Bar which was different. The Hot Bar was a power he and Morris shared, it worked as a storage system, but the items were teleported directly to the inter-dimensional space from the hand or body and could be re-equip at a thought. This was how Morris had equipt his staff so quickly in battle. The main difference was the amount of space, Terry only had five active slots. That is why he did not bother to put his knives there while they were traveling, he practiced drawing them from the new spots on the arm and thigh till it was very comfortable.


    Terry had taken a lot of advice that he learned from Koren to heart and practiced the techniques they had discussed each night before bed or his watch. He could feel his growth during the days of travel and time of training. He saw its effects on the team as a whole as they all worked together to train and be ready for the next gateways. From this spirit of progression came a boyish trait of competition and so a wager was struck for the first level of the next gateways. They decided to each do a separate Platformer level.


    It took them a week to get to the northern gnome dominated town, Kimberglade. The town was very different from the Iron Bay, it had trees for one. The terrain around the lone coastal mountain north of the Iron Bay was very feral and teeming with plant life in a vibrant forest. The road had been walled in most of the trip with massive moss covert trees that shaded them in this branch cover. This town was built within the trees and the gnomes had done the job well, rope and arch bridges for foot traffic connected nearly every platform on several levels of buildings around the outside and inside of the massive tree trunks. Terry grinned at the interesting sights of gnomes bustling here and there across bridges and platforms as they rode up to elevating planks. The wooden elevators that appeared to use magic bellhops to direct them on what level to let people off.


    ¡°This place is a sight¡± Terry was looking out the windows around him. He had no trouble seeing out every side as everyone else was finally shorter than him.


    ¡°Yeah, gnomes have a great eye for building with the assistance of machinery and magic in difficult to claim areas. Kimberglade takes great advantage of the massive Diamond Red trees, nearly exclusive to this area of the continent.¡± Rosa instructed like an enthusiastic tour guide or teacher. Terry noticed many of the gnomes stood slightly taller at the praise of their ancestor work.


    Morris put in as well, ¡°This area is also very defensible with the low levels of platforms housing guards and soldiers while also acting as watch stations. The higher you go the more residential you get, protecting citizens with heights of defenses is brilliant.¡±


    They got off on the seventh floor and got a relatively cheap hotel room at the Player¡¯s Tavern. They were allowed to use this room at lower cost while they first completed the nearby gateway. It had two sets of bunk beds and a small table and chairs. It was decorated in scenes of fairies and fey creatures according to Morris¡¯ beast lore knowledge.


    They left their stuff in the room and then headed straight to the gateways to complete the Platformer level and see the winner of their wager. The loser of the competition, really just the last to finish, would buy the first round of drinks and after visiting the bar next door to the hotel, would have to sing in the singing competition the bar held each night. Terry was excited to see the prospect of karaoke having traveled between worlds.


    Terry had only done a platformer level via his tutorial, Rosa had explained that locker rooms in platformer levels had multiple doors leading to either solo or team playable course. This gave the Players a differing experience and the possibility of different prizes and loot. It was imagined that the rewards a solo player got for completing the platformer levels were better than the rewards one received for doing the level in a group.


    The Gateways to the level were a small way off from the city, they were made of wood rather than stone but nearly identical to the archways Terry had entered before. The three of them took the arch to the right that had the symbol for a platformer on its top, and were greeted with the locker room.


    -


    Tid had gotten a non-public facing job after the accident in his Boss level, the burns on his face were mostly healed, but the skin had a ribble-like unusual scar in places next to his left eye and down past his cheek. He had gone with another party yesterday to complete the hoard level leaving him shy of Rank 1 by thirty points of experience. He was not sure he wanted to grind up past that just yet.


    He had learned his lesson about revenge and being a full time player, he had always followed after his twin happy to be the shadow and comeback to Sid¡¯s more upfront brand of bullying. Sid had taken a different profession, one with tannery like their father, he could do that from sitting with his prosthetic leg. Sid had taken to the use of it quickly, but Tid knew his brother was depressed and disappointed with his new place in life.


    Tid had taken the job of documents inspector for the front gates, it was basically a lightly paid intern at this point, but it could get him a foot in the door for guardian and soldiering professions later on.


    Tid was going over visitor papers when his boss came in with an announcement for his team. This happened from time to time if an important person or lord was visiting near or to the city. The size and success of the Iron Bay¡¯s mining and shipping operations made it a valuable ally with the capital near the center of the Diamondlands.


    ¡°It has come in that a team of high level players is making the west rounds to visit levels and act as diplomats learning about operations in coastal mines for the king.¡± the boss explained. Tid was impressed, once you did a continent¡¯s 13th level you could go through any gateways you had previously gone through and complete more difficult challenges and levels. Players could gain more exp and could upgrade or get new prizes in these levels.


    The boss continued, ¡°we are informed to expedite and give the Alpha Displacement Courtesies during their stay. Tid, you''ll be in charge of this party and getting their stay at accommodations set understood?¡± he looked at Tid expectedly and he nodded in the affirmative. ¡°Good, work with Jity, he''ll show you where they need to stay and where to make the reservations and such, he''s done it all before.¡± he addressed him directly and as if bored with the instruction. Then continued with announcements. Afterward Tid returned to his duties before working with the gnome Jity Bottlebrush on the reservations and accommodations for the diplomats arriving in the near future.


    He always wanted to meet active high level adventurers. He returned home that night excited to see these champions, hoping he could get a tale or two out of the team when they arrived.


    -


    Terry had left Rosa in the locker with an ear piece as he entered the level. She would be able to talk to him while he was completing the course and act as a third person view from her vantage to assist. It was a considerate loophole in the levels and Terry was thankful it existed. His arena for his course was a cascading, foaming blue waterfall that fell on his left and dropped into a body of water. There were a number of platforms both moving and stationary working their way along the waterfall and he had the only objective of making his way to the bottom.


    The platforms were slippery and set far apart so that jumping from place to place was the obvious option. The first three jumps were simple hops from rock to rock, Terry slipping slightly from the water covered surface. The last jump was on the same level but the distance was greater and  Terry found a rope almost impossibly swinging from a pole that extended from the waterfall. Terry took a running start and jumped for the rope as it swung towards him, he was able to grip it and swing to the other side much like he had during his tutorial.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Upon landing on the other side he was confronted with two forms emerging from the waterfall. They were slightly smaller than him, standing on long toad legs with broad chests. They had wide mouths and beady eyes that popped from either side of their broad faces. They took up defensive stances displaying webbed fingers and toes with curved needle-like claws. Their slick mottled green, gray and brown skin was like camouflage, as they stepped forward to attack, swiping out toward Terry.


    He drew his knives and moved inside the swiping and thrusting attacks, trying to be aggressive in the beginning to gain an upper hand in the combat. The frog¡¯s skin was thick and his knife slipped more than stung the enemies. The claws dug into his back as he was grappled by the standing toads.


    Health: 280/300 HP


    His HP had doubled after Rank 1 and he learned from Rosa it would go up by fifty with each rank after that. HP was not based on actual wounds or anything like that; it was more a matter of exertion combined with damage taken from an attack. His skin still received cuts and bruises but they healed quickly as his meters filled. Terry¡¯s health would restore as he rested or applied any sort of healing aid or magic. It took about five minutes to gain a point of HP while resting at this point however.


    Terry ducked out of the grasp of the attacking troglodyte, the slippery skin working against the hold. From the lower vantage he was able to remove the long and slim legs of the monster. It¡¯s torso fell to the step and Terry made short work of its brother with his knives and the advantage he had found.


    The diligence of his training paid off in the execution of the troglodyte and he continued with the course determined to not lose the competition with Morris and Hurk. The end of the waterfall was near and Terry''s next obstacle was different from plain jumps. Terry looked down a moss and vine covered wall with a surface below for him to continue to jump and descend the falls.


    ¡°I think you have to climb that¡± came the voice of Rosa in his ear. ¡°The Vines are not natural and should be strong enough to hold you, it should be slippery though.¡±


    ¡°Gottcha, thanks for the hint, Over!¡± Terry shot back, with an exclamation at the end.


    Rosa replied as he got into a crotch to go down, ¡°Oh should I be saying that so you know when I am done talking, over!¡±


    Terry chuckled, "Sure, over.¡±


    ¡°Okay, over. That is strangely fun¡­ I mean over.¡± Rosa put in excitedly


    Terry continued to smile as he climbed down, ¡°hey can you see if there is a black wall eating up the ground behind me, like in my tutorial? Over.¡±


    ¡°I am not seeing any evidence of that, the path sorta goes back on itself, like a zig-zag along the waterfall, over.¡± Rosa explained


    Terry was relieved that the black wall had been a terrifying force in his tutorial. He descended to the next level and prepared to continue on the next wall. The vines were simple to grip and his light figure and recently trained strength gave him good purchase on the wall. As he reached the very bottom of the vine wall was met with a small drop to a platform below. He had not seen it from above because the platform extended under the wall. He dropped down and looked to his next obstacle.


    The next platform was a slight jump and lower along the falls. He let out a breath and continued on.


    -


    Morris had a low dexterity and higher knowledge based skills to assist with creation and magic based attacks he used. As such we were not fully equipped for a platformer level. His course however did have some advantages for him, it was more puzzle themed then agility or acrobatic themed. He was currently working on a puzzle based around destroying targets to make a bridge rise to the proper height so he could cross a gap.


    As the bridge came to the correct height he stepped on only to find it was already descending lower then the opposite bank. He had to continue to shoot spells at the targets to keep it at the proper height as he crossed. Morris began moving quickly to the other side of the bridge, randomly firing his Break force spell at the targets.


    He made it to the other side more exhausted from the low mana reflected on his HUD than any exertion.


    Mana: 200/400 MP


    The ¡®Break¡¯ spell was adjusted depending on the strength needed to break a target, the targets took about five mana to break, it had been a long jog across the bridge and the increased pace tested his accuracy harshly and he had missed more than he liked.


    The terrain he was working through was a warehouse foundry of mechanical devices and wonders, his next obstacle was revealed as four robot enemies rose around the platform he had stepped on to. They were made of three to five discs like wide tops set on top of each other. They had four arms in each direction and to complete the dredel motif they came to a point at the bottom and began spinning towards him. Their wild metal tornadoes¡¯ arms spun on their own accord in great speed like whipping blades.


    Morris had read descriptions of these particular enemies, Blade Tops were a simple robotic security system meant to lacerate an opponent.  Morris equipped his armor from his Hot Bar and twirled his staff, as he fired bolts of brake at the robots twirling towards him. He got two spells off before they were too close and he used the staff twirling it in dizzying patterns to block and throw off the balance of the whirling robots.


    The staff appeared to be made out of wood, but it was obviously much stronger and durable, as it bumped and dented the robots disc-like medal shells. Morris was grateful for the staff as he had trained with quarterstaff early on liking the feel and even distribution of the weapon typing. He had always known that being a Player meant fighting monsters, beasts and constructs such as these. Reading about their weakness and where they might be found in the wild was an entertaining pastime, but it was boring compared to fighting in a level.


    As the fight dragged on, he found that disrupting the balance of the top bots was not as simple as striking the discs apart. Morris took a few swiping cuts from the arms of the spinning constructs. Eventually his staff worked into the weaker areas close to each point, throwing the layers off center and sending the stacked constructs into disarray. Morris figured he was taking too long with the battle and hoped the others were slowed down so he would have a chance to not lose the competition.


    -


    Hurk felt favored in this competition, his platforming course was perfectly suited to his strength style of fitness free running. A series of low walls to vault over and several low ceilings to crawl and duck through were ideal to this strength training style. The environment was a flat plain of grassy fields, and a drill sergeant directed him along the obstacle course level. The drill sergeant was an android set on a track alongside the course, hurling insults and motivation at the participant.


    Hurk did not mind it in the least. He liked plain and simple, whether it be fighting or verbal, if you gave him the truth he liked you the most. He was reminded of Sid and Tid, wondering how the boys were doing. They¡¯re experience had tempered their personal brand of enthusiastic bullying, but they had kept their honest assessments toward other¡¯s flaws. Hurk had helped Tid get a job with some friends of his and Sid was working in his father¡¯s tanning shop. He wanted the kids to excel past their deformities and become stronger for them.


    Hurk came to a tall plank wall with a thick knotted rope to assist in climbing up and over the wall. He smiled and began to climb, happy with the exertion. He had every advantage in this competition and could surely win.


    ¡°Get on up there you, actually green, pansy! With arms like that I am surprised you can even bend at the elbow, trainee!¡± The robot drill sergeant yelled.


    -


    Terry had gone through about three levels of slippery stairs like platforms each a good jump apart. Every once and a while a slightly larger platform would be occupied by two or four toad-like fighters to challenge him. He had taken a healing potion after just completing the group of four on his current platform.


    He could now see the end and he was thankful for Rosa¡¯s view before he made his way down the long fireman¡¯s pole in the center of the platform.


    ¡°There are platforms on either side with troglodyte fighters ready to jump at and after you, They could knock you off the pole and you probably need to get out of there way at the bottom to fight any that make it down. Looks like there are six of them in total, over.¡± Rosa warned.


    Terry thought for a moment and got an idea, ¡°I am going to use the pellet Gun to shoot them once I am down the pole. Over!¡± He put the rifle in his Hot Bar, so it could be quickly drawn at the bottom.


    ¡°Good plan, minimize skin contact with the pole to reduce friction and allow you to slide down the pole quicker. Over.¡± Rosa intoned knowingly. Her practical knowledge is exceedingly helpful, Terry thought as he prepared to slide down. He used the long sleeve of his sweatshirt to cover his hands and wrapped his thighs around the pole plummeting downward to the bottom.


    He heard more then saw the toad monsters jumping from the platforms to grab the pole above him. When his feet hit the ground he rolled back completing a summer salt and getting to his feet from the combat roll. The rifle was equipped and he fired off all the shots he could before the frogs hit the ground. He shot six times, but was only able to bring down four of the frogs. The remaining two landed and the melee began.


    Terry had been fighting the entire level and so his adrenaline was already in place for the crowded brawl. He struck the first frog with the butt of the rifle before allowing it to unequip back to his Hot Bar, he dew spark and as he cut up from the scabbard on his thigh he commanded the blade¡¯s ability, he was rewarded with fire as the toad combusted and staggered blindly to the side and off the platform to the pool below.


    The second fell shortly after and he saw that two more had emerged from the falls to meet him. The third met Flicker, as Terry threw it directly from the arm holster. The one in front of it had moved aside from the throw Initially, but the backhand reverse grip of Spark soon found his throat as Terry continued moving forward in a brutal stream of attacks.


    He had scored four quick wins, but a fifth and final toad emerged and  was noticeably different, wielding a sword and shield. He seemed to be more skilled in combat then the other fighters, staying behind the shield and sneaking the sword out from different spots in striking and fast attacks. This was a  tough match up for Terry''s knives, so he jumped back and re-equipped his rifle putting Spark on the Hot Bar and throwing Flicker to buy time while reloading the magazine like cartridge of coals he had filled from a campfire a few nights ago.


    He had just enough time and fired at the feet of the frog for a clear target, The frog burst into flames from the elementally charged fire shot. Terry looted the shield that was the only thing left after the combustion claimed the enemy. He put it on his back via straps and made his way along the narrow bath to a familiar sight in the distance.


    Just like at the end of his tutorial he found a basin in a clearing to signify the end of the level. The pool of liquid within gave an image as he approached. It was the sword wielding frog saying in excited croaky congratulations, ¡° you got past me shield took it for yourself yeah,  how much could it be worth something on the outside? You¡¯ll see! Till next time my fighters. I found you quite worthy.¡± The words were oddly flowery, for a smelly toad beast. Terry nodded in appreciation as his HUD got a notification and he exited the level reading.


    Your points of experience have increased. You have 109 points of experience. You now have 156  points of experience. You have unlocked 1 new ability and  1 special attack.


    Quick draw weapon reload. Reload your rifle from your Hot Bar as long as you have ammo.


    Special Attack: Tumbul Dodge. You can evade using a rolling summer salt to gain distance from an opponent. This action will become quicker by .03 sec each level as part of your button masher skill.


    As he entered the locker room he saw the winner was Hurk and just as he entered the door opened and a bedraggled Morris stumbled in slamming the door behind him.


    ¡°It was just that close, buddy.¡± Terry smacked Morris on the back and they laughed exploding in conversation as they replaced the jumpsuits for regular clothes and Terry retrieved Rosa. This time Rosa stayed up with them as they went to the tavern for the winnings on the outcome of the bet.


    The drinking became so numerous that soon Koren was a part of the party as well at least in Terry¡¯s head, commenting on the excellent fighting displayed in the level and giving his opinion on the new special attack.


    ¡°If you were to drink in a level it could ensure that I come out to assist. There is a liquor that is the strongest, oiliest liquor on any of the continents! Or at least by what we can tell, The Club has some tribes with very particular poisons.¡± Koren chuckled with the absorbed Inebriation.


    ¡°Is it really smart to get drunk in a level? " Terry asked


    Koren laughed in his head, "It is if you know what you''re doing and if you have me on your side!"


    Soon Terry took Rosa back to the room and laid her down. He then allowed Koren to lead his meditation to identify the shield he had collected. After an hour of odd drunken meditation he identified the shield.


    ¡ªUncommon¡ª


    Shield of the Common Coin


    Feeding coins into the slot on top of the shield will absorb 100% of damage when blocking an attack with this shield. Otherwise this will work as a normal shield adding a bonus for blocking and absorption.


    There was a slit in the top center of the kite shaped medal, it seemed form fitting for a coin. The front was detailed with a gold piece that did resemble the coins that Terry had in his purse. Terry was not sure if Morris would be inclined to use the shield, but he figured it might work well for Hurk. He smiled at the gift and slid into bed.

 Chapter 17: Social Overtures and Other Terrifying Mazes

    Level 5: An Undead Factory


    After the night of drinking the team took the next day to strategize and figure out roles for the miniboss and the Hoard levels. They decided that they would like to do the hoard first as the roles they could play were more diverse and easy to coordinate.


    Terry would be the role of scout and assassin, moving in the forward position and reporting back anything of note. In combat he would work in the shadows pouncing on flanks and in opportune moments avoiding direct combat as much as possible.


    Morris would work as the bait and switch. A seemingly easy target without armor, he could turn the tides by equipping anything with a mental command. His spells helped maintain a distance based attacking style to bring in the numbers and slowly pick them off. He had received a spell called Bolt during his last rank up. He explained it as an energy bolt, low in cost and efficient in damage dealing. He would be protected by Hurk who had smiled when Terry presented the shield to him.


    ¡°Club and shield is an easy combination for a strength guy like me, I can really walk out front with this. Even if we don¡¯t have the money right now. I have some ideas on how I can build up the funds to afford this gift.¡± Hurk explained. He talked about some of the leagues that could be joined in Kimberglade, it sounded a lot like gambling to Terry. Hurk was the obvious choice for tanking in the levels as he was heavy, armored and could hit harder than any spell the others had at their disposal.


    They had spent the morning and a good portion of the afternoon going over roles, new skills and  upgrades as well as the discussion on what level to do first. They decided to relax and visit the gaming tavern, Hurk had talked about near the start of their trip to the village. Terry left Rosa in the hotel room going over a book she had begged him to pack in his inventory.


    The Gaming Tavern was a circular building taking up a large portion of the platform two levels above them, but it spanned three stories with a rounded dome seeming to take a fourth story high into the trees. Inside there were several gaming areas and levels that were open and easy to view from sight-line or televised portrait like viewing stations above the bars that occupied the center of each level. Terry marveled at the amazing sports bar!


    It was packed on the first two floors of tables, so they made their way to the third level before ordering at the bar and getting a table to watch the entertainment and have a drink. The games were all simple and quick objective style competitions for quick prizes. They could be team based or all vs all for increasingly better prizes. Each game was quick and fast paced promoting the idea of having a couple drinks before testing your luck or skill.


    Gambling also seemed to be a part of the equation, as several deals and spreadsheets could be obtained for more scheduled bouts and matches. Hurk had spoken to a person in the bar the other night about how to join these leagues. This is how he wanted to get extra money during their stay in Kimberglade.


    On one screen was a person playing a whack-a-mole like board for rupee-like diamonds, on another was a person competing in a dance dance revolution like stomping game to the bars loud bumping music. The experience was equal parts thrilling and overwhelming, Terry was laughing and pointing to each screen waiting for the highlights of the displayed games as patrons spent and won money.


    After a few drinks each of them decided to have a go, Morris and Terry would go for a team competition and Hurk wanted to try a couple solo games. After a bit of a look around they came across a sport that drew them in. The registration area for the games and competitions was a series of booths on the first floor, the one that they found themselves signing up for was a game called Swipe.


    It seemed from the description at the desk to be a version of capture the flag. A pole was in the center. Each team of two would go for the flag and try to get back to their place with the flag once they retrieved it. Each player had a set of strings on a belt that could be pulled, once that was done the flag transported to the hand of the puller. This steal idea was the fun part to Morris and Terry who both devised the strategy of Terry using his speed to catch flags and score while Morris defended the line.


    The arena for the game was deceptively small, only about four by four meters from each of the four sides. Each person got a side adjacent to their team member. Team names were simply based on a bandana each player was given to put on a noticeable part of their body. Terry tied it on his upper right arm. He was now on the blue team.


    The opposing Red Team was two gnome girls, one had black shirt and pants and the red bandana over her brown hair. She had a round smiling face and sparkling brown eyes that held mischief like a candle held a flame. The other was more narrow in the face and had shorter red hair, she wore the bandana on her wrist accenting her sleeveless top and capri-tights. Terry was across from her and she seemed to smirk looking across at him.


    They lost the game in about two min.


    Terry laughed as the tank top wearing gnome held the ice pack over his right eye. ¡°I just got excited in the heat of the moment, so I owe you an apology. At least let me get you a drink for the trouble.¡± She smiled, her name was Cinder. She had really punched him by accident, Terry had moved quickly forward only to be beaten by Cinder in snatching the flag. She had over extended her fist with the flag giving him the shiner in the process more by him running forward then her actually causing the injury. Terry pondered the likelihood of meeting two women by them injuring him, as he recalled Clair running into him in her car, before responding.


    ¡°It is not really that bad the bruise will pass, not that I am saying no to the drink. I just hope you stay to enjoy it with me?¡± He smiled with the line.


    She beamed in response, mischief shining in her eyes, as she replied, ¡°while I guess I do owe that much to your friend for keeping my sister company.¡± Morris had done a good job of defending but two on one in that sport was unfair and he was overwhelmed. He had taken the loss with the enthusiasm of anyone losing to a pretty girl however, and used the glory to entice her into going over ''strategy.¡¯ They were animatedly talking at the next table over. Terry had just learned his new best mate was a real romeo with the ladies.


    Terry thought Cinder was very pretty and he found there were things that they had common as they joked and talked over the drinks. Cinder had gotten her tutorial at a young age, but had waited to complete any levels as she worked and trained. He listened to her describing a kid sized platformer tutorial managed by the Joker.


    ¡°He was weird and creepy, I was eight and he put me into a course that looked like a giant playpen. I had to crawl through tunnels and move on a straightaway climbing walls and leaping gaps. All while he watched me with that crazy smile.¡± She told him and then took a drink while shivering. Terry returned the favor going over his own experience with the creepy clown and the level with the black wall that sped up to follow him.


    Hurk soon returned to the table not interrupting, but turning up the volume on the party. As he had won a lot of money in the solo gambling feats of strength. He bought round after round and Terry found himself having an amazing night and a kiss from an unexpected date at the end as the real prize.


    -


    Selina had performed just as well during the second miniboss level. It had been a classic pairing of beast and master, A massive panther beast of legend called Haribo and his Ranger Shadow master Tet-war-ka, the barbarian bowman. She was just wondering about the pair¡¯s interesting names and seemingly intriguing backstory when for the second time Smash spoke and explained the legend to everyone that night around a fire.


    ¡°So Tetra Warten Kareen was a scion to a wealthy family in an extremely prosperous field of growth and promotion. He basically had his whole life laid out in front of him, and he decided to throw it all away and travel into the jungles of the Diamondlands. To the south there are massive trees that settle at the bottom of a large cliff. If you can make your way down the cliff you are met with an seemingly infinite damp wet jungle, or at least that''s what I''m told. Tet decided to take his chances traveling through these lands as opposed to anywhere else. It is said that he completed levels that no one has ever even seen before. Five years later he returned at Rank 29 to the capital, he was completely wild and he was not alone. He had tamed a wild beast,  the black cat stocking at his heels answering to his words alone. He handily took on levels 10, 11, 12 and 13 by himself. He was an amazing player and absolute legend, some even believe he continues to play the levels on other continents, it is believed that he traveled to Spade and has not yet to returned.¡± Smash ended the story with a sort of theatrical palm out finger waggle that put a smile on more than just Selina¡¯s face and almost seemed entirely out of character for the stern mountain of a man..


    She kept his story in mind that night as she went to bed thinking more about the one telling the story. She had had crushes in the past and dated during her time in school. Courting was natural to her social sensibilities. However, Smash was not attempting to court her and his lack of speaking outside of the burst of exceptional storytelling made seeing common ground challenging.


    Laying in bed she resolved to speak to Nym about it, she seemed somewhat close to Smash, she had obviously known him longer so she must have some idea of how to bring him around. The next morning she brought it up as they got ready before breakfast.


    Selina timidly began, ¡°Smash has a way of making stories sound interesting, he is almost like a bard if he could only talk outside of the story that is?¡± she chuckled, making the last part a question in pitch.


    Nym responded, ¡°Hmm yeah I have only gotten conversation from him with stories. It''s mostly nods and grunts any other time. The first time he pulled out a tale like that, he just got up and left after.¡± She was rolling up the blanket she used and repacking her bag. They were going to move out that day after completing the random task level.


    ¡°Do you even know his real name, I mean Smash is a nickname right?¡± Selina made it sound like a joke but was actually genuinely curious.


    ¡°Oh it is.¡± Nym let out an almost literal ¡®HA¡± of laughter. ¡°He never gave me a name when we were first put together for a fight, the sword he had was smaller then and I just thought of him as Cutter. After a couple levels together, his weapon got bigger and blunter. Anyway he just crushed every enemy like a real bad-ass. I called him Smash as a joke and he just nodded and turned away. Been his name since.¡±


    Selina put in, ¡°He probably liked it so much, he just decided to stick with ya.¡±


    ¡°Huh you bet.¡± Nym agreed.


    They talked in casual banter after that, it did not help Selina start a conversation with the giant warrior, but it told her if she could endear herself to him he would at least stick around so she could break that ice.


    As they traveled to the next town she continued the usual task of distracting the avians with conversation so neither would complain of the time between levels. They were prone to this and Nym had tasked her with this in private when she noted Selina''s particular ability to always appear engaged in the conversation. For her part, Selina liked hearing and participating in the odd and frequent discussions and mild arguments between the two jabbering birds.


    Selina endeavored to make snide remarks that Smash might find funny as she had noted him eavesdropping on their conversations as they traveled. He seemed to appreciate humor so Selina would draw on that. Many times before the avians would become so focused on responding that they would not truly hear what question they responded to. Selina had gotten the birds ranting on ridiculous tangents before as they clucked back to serious sounding sarcastic questions she would pose.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Hunter was talking about a particular nut that he found appetizing regardless of that fact that he preferred meat. ¡°I am just saying it reminds me of the gravy, but it is crunchy.¡± He remarked


    Selina shot back, ¡°So you prefer crunchy gravy, I see.¡± her face not giving any humor to her joke.


    Trapper put in, ¡°Nuts have no place in gravy, the only vegetable that I find nice in gravy is Mushrooms.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes the stringy Mushroom, we all know how you feel about strings Trapper.¡± This was a common joke relating to Trapper¡¯s preference for raw meats. She saw the lines of Smash¡¯s mouth curve to a slight grin.


    Hunter continued, ¡°The sauce, at least, can make the meat tender more then stringy, but really I barely think anything can compare to a well cooked bulb¡±


    ¡°Yeah it is the roundness that brings in the flavor¡± Selina spoke without thinking and Hunter and Trapper both rushed to agree hardly thinking about the statement.


    ¡°Absolutely¡± Trapper let out.


    Hunter nodded saying,¡±very savory, I think.¡±


    Smash actually laughed, it was so warm Selina felt a heat from the cheer in it. Smash turned, possibly to contribute to the conversation but ended up laughing instead, nearly doubling over. The other stared in amazement, but Selina had won a real victory. A plan started to form in her head seeing and feeling the laughter, she smiled.


    -


    The next day, Terry left the locker room for the hoard level. He and the others wore the jumpsuit for ¡®team cohesion¡¯ suggested by Edna, Morris¡¯ stratiging buddy from the tavern last night. Terry looked around as the randomizer gave the team their first real test of team work. Morris recognized the symbol once it settled and the location, ¡°Its Zombies, and a factory. It will probably be close quarters and tight places more than open areas. This will be two waves and look out for the undead closer. It could be a wight or revnate.¡± Morris¡¯ monster knowledge was second to none.


    As the terrain around the grew up into what looks suspiciously like drywall and tiled ceilings, the apparent factory reminded Terry of a stereotype office building and warehouse combination. The first area was a plain room that was similar to his dorm¡¯s common area, it basically related to an office break room. There were two different exits on adjacent walls across from where they stood. The room was furnished with three small table and chair sets and a collection of vending machines that were not exactly correct. They were filled with nothing and seemed to just take up space in the environment


    Terry moved to a door and tried to open it quietly to look beyond, he saw a long hallway and heard a voice in his ear, ¡°Both doors lead to hallways. I can''t see if anything''s in there though I don''t think I''ll be able to see the enemies before you do. The screen and map are not showing every area from here. Like it won¡¯t let me help you cheat"  Terry wondered at Rosa¡¯s remarks as he had not thought of leaving her in the locker to watch his progress as cheating.


    ¡°I think either way is as good as the other.¡± Hurk put in and they took the second door Terry had checked. The hall continues to the left and then right constantly turning almost like it would go back to itself, but never did. The idea disoriented the team as they pressed on.


    Terry remained close to Hurk¡¯s back as he led though the tight hallways, ready to move in front at the first sign of danger. The number of mobs was split between the two waves of enemies. It would total twenty-nine, but Terry had no way of knowing how that would break down. They finally came to the end of the hallway, seeing a door as they rounded a corner. Hurk paused and counted down with his fingers before throwing the door open with a smash. Terry then got to see the Deck¡¯s Level version of zombies.


    He expected shambling corpses and that is indeed what he saw. He did not, however, expect them to all be unique and distinct in size, race, speed and traits. The room beyond the door was a large set of cubicles like the offices above a factory. He could plainly see where workers could sit and complete reports, calls and other boring office duties. Instead of workers there were grotess human and humanoid corpses in differing stages of decay. Some wore shreds of clothing, others wore nothing and only had bits of skin remaining, all were disgusting. The team sprang into action and combat.


    Terry enabled his new special attack, rolling forward to cover and equipping the rifle in cover. He stood and fired the rock shots aiming for the head as zombie movies had taught him. Morris did much the same, running to a cheap fabric wall and firing his new bolt spell, at least towards the zombies. Hurk took a more direct approach, storing the shield as there would be no projectiles, and double handing his cub for attacks and smashes. His short form was not visible above the cubicle walls, but Terry noted his devastation as he blasted each undead monster with the mighty blows of his club.


    They devastated the enemy, but Terry noted how few there were, only counting six shambling forms taken down in the quick chaos. He refilled a cartridge with random debris curious at what element it would produce when loaded. The debris came from a fabric wall that had met the blunt unstoppable club that Hurk swang. The office space room gave way to another smaller hall with a couple zombies that Hurk met coming round a corner and running like a mobile battering ram.


    There were three in this encounter, but Hurk knocked out two and Terry finished the third before Morris even came around the corner. He remarked, ¡°We might be near the next wave, this one seems like a sweep and clear like situation.¡±


    He was right and the next hall had a special zombie to make ten in the first wave. They opened the door to a wider and longer foyer like room with a door guarded by an awful undead wright. Its most notable features were the white pale skin and the extremely long clawed fingers. Morris warned of the withering effect it could have on a simple touch so they allowed Terry to shoot and Morris to fire bolts of magic at the creature as it began to cross the room. It ran toward them, but went down from the spells before it came to melee range. It almost seemed too easy to Terry and the others as they went to a glass elevator behind the doors it had been guarding. Once the doors closed decent began and the team could barely see in through the translucent walls due to the lack of lights.


    There were at least twenty enemies left, but they were not visible below in the tall rows of shelves in a dark warehouse, spot lights hung from the tall ceiling but were not on leaving the room as a black maze. Terry''s night vision allowed him to see the breath of the arena for the final confrontation, sprawling in every direction. He barely had time to think about the illogical design of an elevator descending to the middle of a warehouse when they reached the floor and the doors opened to shadows and growling.


    He kept his rifle to his shoulder and he exited onto the floor. Terry was the only one with dark vision and told the others to stay close as they moved from the light of the elevator. Morris and Hurk could see nothing beyond rows and sleeves of boxes and products that created the maze. The only comfort is that Terry could see in the dark and his shots would warn of the undead attacking as they moved along the rows.


    Terry tried to stay calm as the horror of the situation set in. He saw forms darting around corners but never got a clear shot as they moved along the dizzying rows in the dark warehouse. As he went into the third row he finally figured he could get a shot at one of the zombies moving in the dark distance. He had another cartridge of earth shot loaded into the rifle. His night visions allowed him to see the shot connect, but not kill the undead human at the end of the row they had started down.


    Hurk got excited by the shot and rushed forward, from his right a zombie smashed through the supply boxes that lined the shelves. It barreled toward him, spoiling for a fight with Hurk who took the injured undead human with a blow of his club. The head went flying, but the body continues to shamble forward toward the goblin.


    He went for a back swing, and at that moment was taken up in the arms of the zombie behind him. Morris raised his staff and commanded a bolt into the back of the attacking corpse, it struck but the only result was a burning scent as the goblin continued struggling with the goblin. Morris kept firing his spell into the form, but this then drew a large pack of zombies as they smashed through the flimsy walls of the maze towards the sounds.


    Terry unloaded and reloaded his rifle firing, hitting and missing the uncoordinated masses as they closed the group in. Terry did not want to get up close and personal with the zombies, in the elevator Morris had explained that the bite of a zombie was like a poison. ¡°It coagulates the blood and then turns your muscles to jelly, it is not a quick process but it is extremely painful¡± Terry did not like the sound of this. He held close and tight to his friend as he reloaded with other carriages.


    Hurk had several throwables, but most were blunt items like rocks that slowed but could not deal final blows on enemies.  He mainly had to deal with the zombies in closer combat hiding behind his shield. He was currently separated as the hoard moved in on his friends as they tried to a draw off his attackers from his excited leap into action. In any and every fight he had been a part of he had often tried to start strong and end it quickly, here however that had only caused a commotion that he did not regret.


    Terry weighed his options and drew a bottle from his inventory pouch. It was a bottle of the 90% alcohol spirit he had discussed with Koren. It was a small amount in a measured vile. The amount should get him in the range of drunk that would bring Koren to his mind and allow him to use the reaction based techniques directly with Koren¡¯s Drunken Master guidance. He pulled the cork with his mouth, swallowed the spirit. It had a dizzying feeling then all went black.


    -


    Morris was not sure how this would turn out then he saw Terry take a drink. It was impressive to see the dizzying drunken style in practice. Terry moved so deceptively that you could not see when he got hit or wounded or if he even did. He attacked with assertive offense and fights were quick and brutal. Morris could see it in Terry¡¯s eyes as the Master took control.


    The style seemed to excel the more extreme the odds became. It was set for a mob on one, like a cage animal Terry sprang pouncing into the frey in front of them. The zombies crawling from the holes in the walls met the sharp end of Terry''s longer blade as it swiped and cut in several mesmerizing attacks. The smaller throwing blade flew to the other group,  and was commanded back in quick succession dealing damage and more damage to the shambling undead mobs. Morris fired spells, but felt ineffective, till the boss zombie came around the corner.


    This was a hulking beast of a zombie, with massive shoulders and upper body almost uneven in proportions as it came around the corner and then lowered its shoulder to run at the group. The charge was effective as each member took a different tact in getting away from the attack. Hurk rolled to the side and forward in an attempt to get behind the undead charger. Morris flattened against the wall after firing off more bolts and ¡®break¡¯ spells to stop the figure.


    Terry moved deeper into the crowd fighting the zombies from the hole and was the last to react. He did not react in time, meeting the shoulder of the charging force and flying to the other end of the row they had been fighting on.He had been too focused on his attacks and did not see the wall of flesh till it barreled into him and threw him back and through the shelves. His back slammed into a massive machine he did not remember spotting from the elevator before. The pain sobered him slightly as he came out of the possession of the drunken master looking up at the massive device. Terry was not entirely sure what it might produce, but figured it met with the factory setting.


    Terry looked to where he had flown from to see the massive charger ripping its way through the hole to get another path toward him. This was not time for indecision and Terry knew his blades were no hindrance to the massive enemy. He noticed a control panel to his right and looked back up to the massive machine, it had several wheels and belts connected to conver-belts, with no real purpose, he simply remembered a quote that Rosa had read about levels.


    ¡°There are several secrets and it is important to observe your surroundings so that you can employ those secrets to work in your favor.¡± It had been in some memoir of a past player.


    Terry started messing with the controls as he heard a roar and guessed that the large undead was reading his charge to crush Terry against this wall. The wheels and belts began to move and Terry reached up using the belt to lift him up and out of the way of the undead.


    He was just in time as the wall shook from the impact of the large undead, he continued to move up. He switched to another belt before his hand met the wheel, and noted that the top of the machine was very high up, then he looked down to see the large undead small beady eyes staring up towards him. It extended a massive arm to begin climbing toward Terry, it was bent on making him fall.


    Terry ran through some options in his head not sure how to deal with the vertical fight that he had gotten into. His Pellet gun might work but it would probably kick back and he would drop it if he fired one handed. Flicker would only annoy this beast, even if he just dropped and commanded the knife back up  it would be ineffective against its bulk. Then Koren spoke to him and he agreed with the ideas.


    Riding up two more belts he found himself above the shelves, pressing his feet to the wall he leapt out and sideways toward a top shelf. He landed shackley as the shelf seemed not fully accepting of his weight, but still had the piece of mind to cut out with both Spark and Flicker at the massive back of the undead. Unthinking it reached for the annoying cuts reeling its grip high on the wall. Terry watched as it plummeted toward the ground and he replaced the knives with the Pellet gun to fire downward at the undead. It hit the round with a load smack and did not get up.


    Your points of experience have increased. You have 136 points of experience. You now have 196 points of experience. You have unlocked 1 new special attack.


    Special Attack: Bait and Switch. Magically entices an enemy to attack, you may then use a random teleport to move out of the way of the enticed enemy.


    As the message showed in his HUD, Terry realized his friends had just taken care of the other zombies and he was glad. He turned to make his way back toward them as the shelves shrunk into the ground and the pillar and bowl appeared in the near distance and even closer Morris was helping Hurk to his feet before they looked to find him and move to the completion point.

 Chapter 18: Seeing Double

    Level 6: Fire and Ice


    The next few days were spent outside the challenges as a result of the end of the zombie horde level. Hurk had not finished the level unscathed during the attack, while Terry was being thrown around, he had sustained several deep scratches from the zombies bone claws. Thankfully there was only a slight chance of poison from the scratches. It would have been worse if he had gotten bitten as there is a definite chance of toxins infecting the wound.


    For Terry¡¯s part he was extremely sore, but had been protected by his Nano weave armor and so had thanked Morris for the gift profusely. The major downside to this whole ordeal was the extra money used to extend their stay and pay for the antidotes that would heal Hurk. Healing Outside a level was difficult, but not like it had been on Earth. Magic accelerated the processes that utilized medicine from Terry¡¯s home. As a result the team was out of levels for a period of three days.


    A few hours later the team was up and discussing ideas and strategies for the next level. They had juice and water in cups around the table. Rosa was on the table watching and counting ideas with logic. Morris had a bestiary in front of him going over signs that were common across known boss level stories.


    In that three day time frame, Terry decided to introduce Rosa and Cinder. Since the night before he had wanted to see Cinder again, not just because she was beautiful and seemingly interested in him, but he found he wanted the companionship that she offered that first night. He thought about her interest in his home world and the way she had seemingly lit up at the mention of his familiar and pet. Having the two meet would be a fun and interesting experience.


    Rosa seemed a bit less interested in accompanying him to meet Cinder. Terry had set up the date through Morris, as his friend had wasted no time setting out to meet Cinder¡¯s sister, Edna, after they had returned from the level. That very night he had taken a note to Cinder for Terry, like he was some best friend in elementary school playing wing man with a girl in a separate class.


    Terry was surprised to find that the only real way of short distance messaging on the Deck, instead there was only a form of long distance instant telegram. In his mind, it seemed a bafflingly in-efficient combination of snail mail and e-mail. Morris had returned that night with a similarly affirming note, it was even folded in a special style to not stop Morris from opening and reading the missive.


    Cinder had a sweet and almost rushed scrawl, it was like she did not expect the note and had to get something out and on paper. The script was several jokes and seemingly sarcastic remarks about Terry¡¯s age and he found himself laughing as she poked fun at the maturity level of someone wanting to meet in public over coming over seeing each other in private. She mused that it seemed ¡®old fashioned¡¯ and ¡®overly polite.¡¯ Terry had never thought of it that way and wondered if courting on the deck was usually this fast or straight forward. The tone of the letter did not shame him however and he was excited that she agreed to meet him the next day in a park and then have lunch.


    -


    Rosa was nervous, not for the prospect of meeting someone new, but rather for the effects of Terry having a new relationship. Remembering back to her time in his college dorm, watching the fumbling relationship efforts of Claire and Terry was not the fondest. Rosa remembered everything from her life before gaining the knowledge gift from Joker.


    She had watched the two bicker and needle at each other, mainly Claire pointing out Terry¡¯s flaws, and had comforted Terry after fights or bad experiences it had seemed Claire had caused. There was a short amount of time before Claire and now too short an amount of time after Claire that Terry had not been in a relationship and so Rosa was nervous.


    ¡°Are you sure you are ready for this? We have only been here a few months. What if the courting rituals here involve something drastic like a ceremony with sacrifices to love gods or planting a tree in a special hard to get to place.¡± Rosa complained as they walked to the park to meet Cinder.


    Terry turned to ask, ¡°Don¡¯t you already know that answer, you have an Attribute for knowledge about this world to help me learn after all?¡±


    Rosa scowled, ¡°That is not the point, the point is you didn''t know that answer is untrue. And that is the problem¡±


    ¡°I think you will like her, she was very interested in meeting you. She¡¯s never met a creature with a shell, you know.¡± Terry put in.


    ¡°Well of course she will like me, I am just making sure she will like you.¡± Rosa shot back smartly.


    Terry rolled his eyes, thinking of a line in the letter that had suggested what might have been if he had come over that night instead of sending a note. He did feel a need to take that part of the relationship slower than she had insinuated, as he did not want a relationship built solely on physicality. That notion was put to the test when he saw her however.


    At the bar she had dressed with the idea of competing, but here she seemed to be wearing an outfit for the occasion. The dress was floral and colorful with bright yellow and red flowers with large closed buds much like a tulip. The background was white and the thin straps and short length caused Terry¡¯s mouth to drop open in awe of her beauty. Her hair was braided and clipped back with a similar flower clip to the buds on her dress. She was stunning.


    Then she turned around and any thoughts that Rosa had of her not reciprocating Terry¡¯s feelings was lost in the smile that shone from her face.


    ¡°Oh boy, I think we might have lost this plot¡± Rosa rolled her eyes in turn as Terry stared dumbly at the beautiful gnome that was clearly there to meet them.


    -


    Several days later, the randomizer spun in a whirring display as they exited the locker room for the arena. When it stopped for the environment then the enemy. The terrain symbol was obviously representing a swamp with islands of moss and earth. The thing that gave Terry pause was the wavy lines that came up from the water. He understood what it meant as the ground around them changed.


    The bog was bubbling around them and Terry got the sharp smell of chemicals as it softly popped around them. ¡°Is that acid? Is this an acid swamp?¡± He asked


    ¡°I think so,¡± Morris confirmed from behind a pinched nose.


    The Mob symbols were also easy and did not engender confidence. It was a pointed nose and a brimmed triangle hat. Properly hunched weaning robs, with a broom in hand. Morris confirmed Terry¡¯s assumption when he called it to the listening Rosa.


    ¡°It''s a pair of Hags. We need to stick together and not let them speak. Most of their spells are built up and letting them talk is a death sentence. They are stronger than they look too, but they use tricks more than close up tactics.¡± Morris detailed as they began to move through the swamp avoiding the popping puddles of acid.


    Hurk grunted, ¡°That takes out about half of my role.¡±


    Rosa replied and Terry mimicked her response to Hurk, ¡°Actually a common trick is minor illusions, Hurk can come in handy finding the real enemy during the fight, the illusions will disappear on contact.¡±


    Rosa then told Terry, ¡°They have magic senses so you won¡¯t be able to sneak up or get too close before they notice. Stay with the others for now there is no need to scout.¡±


    Terry wondered if that was good advice, but he trusted Rosa¡¯s assessment of an enemy, she had the knowledge and a book of monsters she had found on a trip to the local library. Rosa and Cinder had become fast friends after the initial date and Cinder had taken Rosa to the public library after hearing how much he liked records and reading. The Turtle had been giddy for days after just having Terry fetch her several tomes and even looping in the librarians to feed her hunger for new knowledge.


    The path through the swamp was easier to navigate for the acid as it helped show the trail that was safe and solid to step on. The smell made Terry and Morris nauseous, but seemed to have little effect on the goblin.


    ¡°It is my attribute Burly that helps me here, it gives me a boost to body functions and my goblin heritage allows me to filter inhaled toxins.¡± Hurk explained and Terry thought it was close to bragging as he smiled and let them through the marsh. Morris decided to rip the sleeves of his jacket and make a pair of masks, it only dampened the smell, but it freed their hands for fighting.


    Then they came upon the clear site of the boss enemies.


    It was a shack of a cabin, vines grew up the dark rotting wood along the windowless walls of the meager stilted home. It was five meters, at least, in air situated roughly on yellow wooden stilts covered in vines and barnacles. The barnacles were out of place, but seemed to fit the design over the setting. There was a rope ladder that looked so unused Terry wondered if the hags ever left or just had other means of getting to the door. The team viewed the hobble as they came over a rise in the land, as a moment passed and they spied the stilted house several things happened at once.


    The stilts bent and moaned pulling and moving to free themselves from the earth. The four poles were no longer poles, but legs and large chicken feet, that recalled nursery rhymes and witches to Terry. The knees bent as the house seemed ready to pounce toward them.


    ¡°They have a moving house!¡± Rosa wailed over the line to Terry as he dashed to get out of the jumping path of the now very mobile and alive shelter.  Each of them dove out in a different direction as the house leapt and landed where they had been spying seconds before.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Terry rolled to evade as the hill shook with the impacting shed. Each member had gotten away but were not separated by the legged structure of the four legged chicken hut.


    ¡°You¡¯re here for blood, but I have a proposal¡±


    ¡°We kill you instead and use your blood for a potion¡±


    ¡°So please come closer and I will give your hair a tousle¡±


    ¡°My sister and I will put our points in motion¡±


    There were two distinct voices coming from the shack and two figures flew out on brooms. One was blue skinned with a classically ugly hag face complete with warts, aged wrinkles, and a massive pointed nose. She had hair like seaweed and a robe patched with deep purple and black. The other had the same worts, wrinkles and bumps, but instead had red skin and dark red robes that were almost purple.


    Their brooms were gnarly and bowed with many knots and snares as if they were untrimmed branches from a tree. Their clawed fingers curled wickedly around the handles, till they lifted and pointed at the team firing bolts of energy.


    Terry and the others had figured for distance, but only one of them was mobile enough to match and dodge the attacks, that was Terry. He decided to draw the fire of at least one of the enemies and give the others more of a chance. The idea of staying together had been thrown completely out the window once the house had landed and spread them apart. Terry crawled the ran back up the path, trying to seem tantalizing and get one of the hags to take chase.


    Hurk jumped to block one of the bolts of energy that had been fired at Morris. The two had landed closer to each other, as Terry¡¯s heightened acrobatic skill had drawn him further away. Morris aimed his staff calling ¡°Break¡± toward the broom of one of the hags hoping to ground a foe rather than let it keep the advantage in the sky. It worked as the red hag had gone for preservation. As the broom broke, it did not appear dismayed, and once it landed far too gracefully it braided the broken end as a second wand.


    Hurk stayed in front of Morris as a shield, blocking several bolts as they fired chaotically at the duo. The idea seemed to be quantity over precision for the hag and the spells seemed to vary in color and violence. As they are in every place around Hurk¡¯s shield.


    Morris took more time trying to aim more directly, hitting the hag several times to little or no effect. She was moving erratically all over the place, running and cackling like a mad woman. He and Hurk were forced to stay in one place as they could not coordinate effectively with the loud bangs and snaps of the various spells. Then Morris got an idea, the red hag seemed to want to keep them at a distance. He had read that this was often a sign for an enemy weakness.


    ¡°HURK, SMACK¡¯EM GOOD!¡± Morris cried trying to yell over the explosion of spells. Hurk seemed to understand as he rushed forward and his shield collided with the hag while he screamed a battle cry.


    -


    Terry was running as the blue hag shot spells behind him in an epic chase. She was getting closer and closer with each shot, it seemed her broom was faster than the speed spell he had enacted.


    Call Wind had a variety of spells that commanded the element of wind, Terry had a spell that enhanced his speed called Rush of the Wind. The command was simple, simply calling, ¡°Rush¡± allowed him to sprint quickly as long as his SP and MP meters were filled. This was faster then Terry had ever run before, but it was not faster then the spells and broom the hag had at her disposal.


    He needed to get her off the broom, and he needed to do it fast. And Idea came to him with another of his Call Wind spells. He jumped, spun and called, ¡°Gale¡± while swiping an open hand back toward the flying hag. A gust of wind knocked her from the broom, the force throwing her several feet. She landed gracefully, rolling to her feet like a trained gymnast.


    His landing was decidedly less elegant in comparison. He smacked the ground with his rear, rolled backward along the ground bumping and tumbling in a heap, coming to a stop in an acid puddle. It popped and sizzled, but his nanoweave shirt and pants actually protected most of his body. He was burned in random patches that the clothes did not cover.


    Health: 125/150 HP


    He stood quickly rushing to exit the acid, it was shallow and he also found his feet protected in his Sneaky Sneakers. The hag stood about ten meters away closing the distance menacingly.


    ¡°Oh child, I will have fun bathing you in that acid pool.¡± It called to him. He prepared for a more direct flight. Or at least he thought.


    -


    Hurk was pumping the red hag quite effectively, it took the hits soundly at first but once a rhythm was established Hurk gained the upper hand. The hag was indeed weak to physical attacks, however it was a slippery foe. Morris did his best to fire shots around the hag to keep them in place, but was needed less and less as Hurk took more and more command of the battle.


    His eye wandered to the now non-moving chicken leg hut, it had not moved since the two hags had exited. He decided to leave Hurk to his duel and investigate.


    He climbed the ladder, the wear and tear had apparently been an illusion to discourage this as the effect had disappeared once he grabbed a hold of the rope. Once on the porch he found the door still open, from where the hags had exited and the contents of the home were surprisingly organized.


    There were shelves of bottles and ingredients tied in bundles, his tradesmen HUD giving values and descriptions for the items around the single room hut. A large black cauldron sat in the center on top of a roaring fire, it was like a picture of a storybook in his orphanage.


    Morris peered into the cauldron and was surprised to see pictograms and symbols that enabled the huts locomotion. Morris remembered that Terry had run off, and he figured this was probably the easiest way to catch up with his fast friend.


    Morris returned to the door to see Hurk climbing the ladder, ¡°I took care of her, right quick once she balled up on the ground. What did you find up ¡®ere¡± He called seeing Morris peer dawn at him.


    ¡°I think we will have some looting to do, but I think we should catch up to Terry before anything else.¡± He told the goblin as he reached the top and they went into the hut.


    -


    Terry was having a harder time then he had thought he would, now that the hag was on the ground. She employed a similar crazy spell firing style, but Terry did not have a way of blocking. He only had his Speed and Acrobatic skills to try and dodge the freezing effects as the blue hag shot explosions of magic at him.


    Health:100/150 HP


    Terry had small popping sores from his tumble in the acid and more black deadened patches of skin on his hands and face from the Hags ice spells. They burned with cold and if he missed his footing for a moment he sizzled in the acid.


    Health: 90/150 HP


    ¡°We have to get you some help. Can you distract with a shadow or wind trick?¡± Rosa put in. She was horrified watching her owner and friend get hit time and time again while trying to dodge and survive.


    Terry could not easily reply, the battle was drawing too much of his attention, but she had a point and his mind raced to figure a way out of this mess. Call Shadows was different to the spells that came in Call Winds. He could move shadows that already existed to shroud himself, others or cover an area. It was more useful in sneaking and hiding, but maybe he could combine the two spell groups to give him a reprieve. His MP was halved after his sprint and use of gale to ground the hag. He would have just enough for the two quick spells.


    ¡°Enshroud¡± then a pause as the shadow moved to cover the hag, then ¡°Cyclone'''' Terry moved his hands around while commanding his strongest Call Wind spell. The air came alive around him speeding up and wiping debris off the ground. Several illusions were broken as the twister moved toward the mass of shadow where the hag was hidden from view.


    The real body of the hag was not bothered by the winds, Terry had fallen for a blunder as the hag was not caught by his shadow tricks. It was apparent that magic was not effective after that display and the hag continued to fire an icy blast at Terry.


    Health:75/150 HP


    The force of the ice blast threw Terry into the air, he landed hard and the wind was knocked out of him.


    Health: 66/150 HP


    Terry flashed back to a time where a bully had thrown him to the ground on the playground. He had kept to himself in school, barely keeping friends as he was constantly the new kid after him and his mom moved here and there. This had been his first and only interaction with a bully, the massive fifth grader had called him several animated names then grabbed him by the collier before throwing him to the ground in a fit of laughter. Terry did not even know what he had done to get the bully mad. He had just turned on him like some wild animal and no one had come to save him as he had received his first black eye. This was going to hurt just as bad or Terry could fight back.


    The witch fired another bolt, it singed and broke the arm of his nanoweave as he drew it up to black the shot.


    Health: 50/150 HP


    Terry decided not to cower like he had in the past, and in one motion drew and threw Flicker at the Hag. The knife soared from his bruised and busted hand as he fought through the pain to aim at the target. A spell threw the knife off course, but Terry had two knives and the first had distracted the hag as the second tumbled toward its target.


    Spark was larger and throwing the hunting knife resulted in a less graceful yet more devastating attack. As the blade sunk into the Hag¡¯s shoulder, its effect went off. Flames burst out all over the witch. Then for good measure Terry commanded Flicker back to his hand and threw it as well. It sank into the other shoulder of the burning witch.


    Then something  happened that Terry did not expect, a chicken foot planted squarely on the hag as the hut pounced from out of nowhere onto the flaming enemy.


    Your points of experience have increased. You have 193 points of experience. You now have 229 points of experience. You have gained an upgrade to your HUD and gained the Special Attack Machine Gun Arm.


    Special Attack: Machine Gun Arm: Throw objects in rapid succession, this works best with summoning weapons or objects.


    The popping of this information meant that the other enemy must have been defeated. This was further confirmed when Terry looked up at the shack to see Hurk, peering down and waving from the door. This time as the level met into the ground and the podium appeared the Hag¡¯s hut stayed, and they were able to fill Terry¡¯s inventory up with ingredients and bobbles from the shelves of the hut.


    This idea of looting was something Terry was familiar with but had not seen in other levels, Morris explained it was usually decided on conquering an area or finding something before the level ends, in this case Morris had conquered the hut and so the items inside were rightfully lootable.


    Once they left the level, they went to the Player Tavern, who got them in touch with an alchemist who would trade for the ingredient.


    ¡°Ingredients and potions from a level are purer and more potent than what a common equivalent would be. This was placed and crafted by the gods and is purely and exactly what it says it is, that is why the healing potion you used in the level worked so well.¡± The alchemist was referring to a potion that Terry had taken in the level, it had healed his HP up fully and once he ranked up had even fulfilled the new HP he had earned in the level. He now had two hundred HP, and it would go up by fifty each rank, unless there were some other boosts involved.


    His modifiers for his skills would only go up every five ranks, and that might affect his HP, MP or SP as well. It all depended on chance and which of his attributes modified once he hit Rank 5, that was all random.


    Once the ingredients were sold it gave them a massive boost to their funds and the team made a decision. Each member would get a piece, but a portion would be put toward staying in Kimberglade for an extra week and running the Platforming level arch multiple times. This was an excellent way to gain ranks and grind further.


    Each member had an ulterior motive for wanting to stay as well. Hurk was going to take a portion and go for a league at the Sports Bar joining and competing for a larger prize.


    For Morris and Terry the reason was simply Edna and Cinder. Both admitted that they wanted to spend more time and continue to pursue a relationship with the girls. For Terry this meant dates and for Morris this came in many other more intimate forms.

 Chapter 19: Prep time and Execution

    ¡°So, what are your attributes?¡± Terry asked Cinder as they talked over another date, this one simple lunch and chatting. They were in a small diner that Cinder enjoyed, she liked meeting in lively places. It gave her the opportunity to show him something fun and to see the jovial gnomes that called Kimberglade home.


    ¡°I got Craft, Storm, Persistent and Sly. I have a lot of abilities for sneaking and climbing, as well as fast heavy burst damage. I also have a spell called Craft that allows me to make simple tools and other useful items quickly. I try to work as an assassin supporter in the levels, but I am not great at fighting.¡±  Cinder always spoke like she was not used to people actually being interested in what she had to say. There was confidence, but she always seemed shocked when Terry listened and responded directly, like she was used to people not really listening to her and just sorta blowing off what she said.


    Terry replied, ¡°What sorta things do you make? Is it just tools or is it like weapons or something? I might be able to help you with the fighting, I am not really great myself, but I think it would be better to spar with a novice over someone like Morris or Hurk. They always kick my ass.¡±


    Cinder¡¯s smile was sweet as she explained, ¡°I am sure you do just fine, but it would be great to have a partner. Edna is the only other person in the family that is interested in being a player, but she is not a close range person. It is all spells and range fighting with her. I mostly make tools, let me show you.¡± With that she took out a variety of objects from her pockets, with this date she was dressed in shorts and a loose shirt, very casual. The objects were a couple ball bearings, string, and dowels. She focused into a trance-like state and started moving her hands, grabbing and gesturing with items. After a quick moment, Terry recognized that she had made a Newton''s cradle desk toy, where the balls on either end could transfer energy and the balls could swing for a while in the stand.


    Terry¡¯s eyes were wide as he looked at the creation, ¡°that is incredible and you can just make that with motions? Does it work? Does it stay that way?¡±


    ¡°Slow down,¡± her laugh was like a stream over rocks to Terry, ¡°It will stay together for a few hours, but it eventually falls apart. I basically picture what I want and as long as the pieces that fit the design it works, I have an inventory of seemingly strange pieces to make several toys and tools. I am glad you like it.¡±


    ¡°It sounds super useful. I am excited to see you in action. When do we meet Edna and Morris? We might need to get going soon¡± Terry had a display for the time in his HUD. The upgrade he had gotten added essentials and features that could help him in practical ways like the clock and even things like temperature and direction gauges to his HUD.


    The two couples had decided to run the platforming level together as a sort of double date, for a while. Since they were all interested in becoming full time players, this seemed like an ideal way to practice, grind, and get together.


    ¡°We have a couple hours at least, let''s just keep hanging out here and we can get together soon. It is a fast trip to the gateways anyway.¡± Cinder was very much enjoying getting to know someone who seemed to like her for more reasons than just the parts of a relationship that were more physical. This was a first for her and the more she just got to talk with Terry the more she respected this sort of courting.


    -


    Selina always caught attention, but Smash was still hard to get. She had figured out his humor, however it was hard to tell when he was listening. She liked his smile when she said something outrageous, but was not leading the conversation or interaction in one-on-one situations like she wanted. The chase was fun, but after a few days it started to lose the luster. She needed something to let him know how she felt, she was not sure direct confrontation was the right thing to do just yet.


    She had talked to each of the other team members in private conversation. Nym being another woman was simplest, she could inspect the perimeter of a camp with her and usually discuss anything to find common ground. The same trick worked with Hunter and Trapper, but Smash did not seem to think he was good at eyeing the perimeter. Perhaps it was simply the fact that he just could not walk quietly at his size.


    She did get an idea one morning however. They posted a watch each night, regardless of proximity to an archway or nearby town, Nym was very wary of other players. They had three watches on a rotating schedule for the five of them. There was a night that she could stay up a bit and get the big man alone, the issue was she would be up most of the night before they reached the capital.


    She was last in the rotation then Trapper then Smash. She could wake at his watch and claim she could not sleep staying and chatting with him till the sunrise, the storybook¡¯s most romantic time. This was perfect as well as it would take place directly before they made it to the capital.


    Selina was actually a bit nervous about making it to the end of their levels, so she would have an honest reason to not be able to sleep or to rise with anticipation. They had three levels left till they could complete the final levels on the continent. She had gotten to Rank 5 during her challenges, with The Pirate level and each boss level being the best for her progression in both rank and skills. The others were still ahead of her in experience, but there was no doubt that she was a boon to the team. She was happy with her progress and often brought up her own Character sheet in her HUD:


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    </td>


    <td>


    Name


    </td>


    <td>


    Selina Kane


    </td>


    <td>


    Rank


    </td>


    <td>


    5


    </td>


    <td>


    Exp


    </td>


    <td>


    514


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    </td>


    <td>


    HP


    </td>


    <td>


    400


    </td>


    <td>


    SP


    </td>


    <td>


    450


    </td>


    <td>


    MP


    </td>


    <td>


    800


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Associated attribute


    </td>


    <td>


    Main Stats


    </td>


    <td>


    Value


    </td>


    <td>


    Value addition each level


    </td>


    <td>


    Skills


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    <td>


    Special Attacks


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Flighty Wind


    </td>


    <td>


    Acrobatic


    </td>


    <td>


    40


    </td>


    <td>


    +8


    </td>


    <td>


    Wings of Healing


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    <td>


    Perry, Perry, Thurst


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Royal Breath


    </td>


    <td>


    Athletic


    </td>


    <td>


    40


    </td>


    <td>


    +8


    </td>


    <td>


    Healing Wind


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    <td>


    Stunning Entrance


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Wind


    </td>


    <td>


    Dexterity


    </td>


    <td>


    15


    </td>


    <td>


    +3


    </td>


    <td>


    Song of Healing


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Seldom Royal Breath


    </td>


    <td>


    Wisdom


    </td>


    <td>


    65


    </td>


    <td>


    +13


    </td>


    <td>


    Rapier Fighting tech.


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Flighty


    </td>


    <td>


    Knowledge


    </td>


    <td>


    35


    </td>


    <td>


    +7


    </td>


    <td>


    Gust


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Seldom


    </td>


    <td>


    Body


    </td>


    <td>


    15


    </td>


    <td>


    +3


    </td>


    <td>


    Call the wind


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    <td>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Her progression had heavily weighted toward her magic, but the largest boost had come when she gained her 5th Rank and achieved the enhanced attribute Royal Breath. The enhancement had given each stat related to her Breath attribute a permanent boost. That pertained to her Wisdom and Athletic abilities. The higher the value associated with that stat the more she saw improvement in that field. Wisdom directly affected her amount of MP and allowed her to cast better spells and healing for her and her team. Her MP had nearly doubled after this boost.


    While her and Smash were the same rank, Nym and the others were now into the range of seven or eight and seeing significant gains to special abilities and attacks. Nym had gotten an interface upgrade for communication in levels that allowed her to send direct and company orders to each HUD in a level. It did not work outside the challenges however. Hunter had gotten a marking tool to signal where enemies were patrolling on the battlefield. Selina wondered what level specific abilities she might see as she progressed.


    On the night she wanted to complete her plan she found that it was actually hard to sleep, probably just the anticipation of talking to a crush, what if he doesn¡¯t talk back? What if he does? Nerves were always interesting to Selina. She often had tickles in her stomach before a test or assessment, the nerves did not impede her but gave her an unmatched focus to be better. She almost welcomed the sensation as she rose an hour into Smash¡¯s third watch.


    He was sitting on a log he had brought over to the dying embers of the night¡¯s fire. He looked even more hulking sitting there, not hunched like most sat, but tall and almost proud. She tried to move silently, but his head slowly turned as she came out of the tent and under the stars. Selina moved to sit next to him and even when they were sitting she barely came up to his chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m having a rough night, it is hard to sleep when we are so close to the capital and my final tests.¡± She spoke softly.


    Smash nodded.


    She continued, ¡° I hope you do not mind that I came to sit with you, I thought the sunrise might be good for my nerves.¡± She smiled up at him. He returned the smile and shook his head indicating it was alright that she sat with him. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Not daunted by the lack of communication, she once again continued, ¡°you have never been to the capital right?¡± He shook his head, ¡°Oh it will be very nice to see all of your reactions. I was there when Morris and I were younger, I was very young at the time and my parents were still alive. They took me out on a cliff side lookout, I will never forget it. The SilverSpires are almost fifty meters tall and just as wide, they glow in the setting or rising sun. There are about fifty of them, but each one is so different and fascinating it is hard to count or concentrate to see them all at once. We stood there for an hour, and the whole time felt like a story. Speaking of, I was wondering if you could tell another story for me, one about the Diamondlands.¡± The idea came suddenly as she tried to get him to respond.


    He got a slightly confused look, so she pressed on slightly expecting this reluctance. ¡°I like the way you told the other stories, the words seem to come alive with your voice.¡± She looked slightly pouting, pleading with him to speak and tell her a story.


    Smash looked down reluctantly, then looked back at her and said, ¡°I usually do not like to talk, but I do love stories.¡± She smiled happy her plan had worked and excited to finally talk with the big man. He began the story differently than he had the last ones.


    ¡°This is about the forming of the mountains here and the magic becoming obtainable, my uncle told me after he had visited here in his youth.¡± he began in a rumbling tone.


    ¡°The King was angry, he saw the killing of his creation. A mere mortal had risen to his challenge. The Mortal was a proud dwarf and he had completed many tasks for the purpose of achieving his goal, to rid the world of monsters. The Queen sat smugly as Jack watched the King''s face growing red with heat and anger, it was not good for a mortal to question the gods.¡±


    ¡°The Deck was different then it was today. A vast land of challenge and prosper for the ones strong enough to meet the challenges. The land was not one for games and magic, but there was beauty and old magic.¡±


    ¡°Before Attributes there was a magic that could not be tamed and the ones that wielded it feared it and seldom used it. For the nature of magic was unpredictable. This was simply called Wild Magic.¡±


    ¡°Wild Magic could be wielded, but only one who moved with its random nature could truly say they ¡®mastered¡¯ it. The dwarf named Ren Fell Cobblethrust, was a so-called master. He fought in battle conquering lands and besting beast after beast, he stood barely at most¡¯s waists, but he never flinched in battle. It was him, who had angered the King.¡±


    ¡°The King did not have that name then, but he was known as Beastmaster for he created all beasts. Ren had felled one of his favorites and best beasts, a dragon of Red with flame and spikes and a dreadful mind. The creature was one of vengeance and now the king sought vengeance on Ren for killing his magnificent creature and too many others to count.¡±


    ¡°In his rage he came to the land himself, landing in front of Ren, ¡®You think you can slaughter my favorite beast, and have no consequence. I shall make you a demon that no man will conquer and for your pride I will have it be tied to you.¡¯¡±


    ¡°To be tied to a beast was difficult, keeping the being alive was a duty not all were reared to, but a demon to be tied to a mortal was an awful and ugly punishment. Ren did not speak this out loud, he had already angered the god he did not want to see the god enraged. So he was tied to a demon, the child was strong and it grew slowly pausing the dwarfs'' life of conquest and glory, but under the hand of Ren it became a proud and powerful foe.¡±


    ¡°The King was impressed by the growth of the demon, but a god cannot love a demon and so a battle with a god and demon started in the world. Ren attempted to assist, but his wild magics were too weak and unpredictable to aid properly. Ren¡¯s life hung in the balance, but he was forced to watch another battle for it. The battle took many days and nights like a siege on a great fortress. In the end however the battle was won by the god, as is always the case.¡±


    ¡°Ren¡¯s final words damned the gods, ¡®you will meet your match¡¯ and then he and his power died. The god did love a good opponent and had seen a new side to Ren as he sired a demon so strong, so he placed keystones and remade the land to the Deck we now know and the stones on the grave were large mountains and he made the magics more obtainable and the challenges would no longer harm the land. Ren unknowingly changed the world.¡±


    Selina was in awe of the story and did not even notice a tear that rolled from her eye as the story ended. It was not the outcome that she had planned but it seemed to work for her as Smash looked down and saw her tear nodded and stated, ¡°I loved that story when my uncle told it to me, he loved stories of battle and valor. It might seem wrong to look at a demon with wonder, but I think the intentions of Ren can not be overlooked. He loved and cared for it as a son and it is said that his words are a truer prophecy than any seer could put it.¡±


    ¡°Your uncle sounds like a strong and noble man.¡± Selina whipped her eyes, and then asked a question. ¡°What is your real name, Smash?¡±


    He gave a weak smile, but to Selina it was the light of the rising sun, ¡°Reginald Elton Verin Tier Firestryker III.¡± He looked at her and said, ¡°I do prefer Smash.¡± and his smile grew to match hers.


    -


    Tid was worried and nervous, today was the day his plans and preparations would come to a head. The lord of the land had sent a group of dignitaries to the Iron Bay and he, Tid, was the representative, or at least the assistant who had gotten all of the events and plans in place to  welcome and serve the group during their time in the Iron Bay.


    He had found a natural inclination to logistics and coordinating duty in the past week. Socializing had been a favorite hobby in the past, but this purpose driven organization had added a drive to his work he had heretofore never experienced. He saw himself as some sort of politician planning trips for not only the levels to allow the Player dignitaries to train and grow for themselves, but to make his city seem as dependable and profitable as can be.


    Tid was very much looking forward to day three of their visit, the mining operation tour. The Iron Bay had always chiefly been a mining town and had grown to prosper well from the mining of the namesake iron veins that ran close to the channel that separated them from their neighbors, the Heartlands.  A discovery was made recently however that was said to be a real divider for the independent mine owner, a dwarf named Mikhiel Ingotshaper. The clan had grown as their namesake suggested, from creating ingots of precious metals like gold and silver in the mines near the capital. Mikhiel¡¯s grandfather had moved to the coast and started an independent mine as he was the fifth son of his father and did not stand to inherit much once his siblings got theirs.


    Mikhiel¡¯s grandfather had done well enough to mine the iron, and got the city started. Now two dwarven generations later the family had grown and had gotten much wealth from mines he had started. An interesting quirk in the iron found in the mines was a high content of particular minerals, this was found most recently by enchanters and blacksmiths to allow high levels and faster recharging runes into the objects made from the ore, giving the Bay many of its favorite amenities. The medal was highly susceptible to water, storm and earth enchantments. These were used for strong armor and weapons, but also appliances that allowed the peoples in the Bay to be very comfortable and have some of the most enjoyable vacation and pleasure spots on the continent. Tid had gained much pride in the past week hearing and learning of the tours and events the Player deligent would be a part of in the coming two week stay.


    They arrived slightly early in a creature-less carriage, usually carriages were pulled by horse or large beasts, but this was a magic operated vehicle usually won as a final level prize. They definitely had the look of high ranked Players. Tid had only seen a few people who returned after going to the capital or who were even at a rank higher than that of Mother Martin. There is an aura of strength and danger that high ranked players exude and they often sport scares and/or tattoos. These players were very much in possession of that aura and attitude.


    The first one that got out was sitting in the driving seat. She wore a long black gown, she had green skin but it was not natural, it was from an ability. Tid could tell this because she was clearly an elf with tapered ears and no breed of elf he knew had green skin. She was beautiful regardless of the odd skin color, just like an elf should be. Willowy and almost gaunt she did not walk but glided from the vehicle.


    Out of the direct passenger side came a human, also gaunt, tall and lanky. He wore a long black coat that almost reached the ground, he had a simple looking leather shirt and pants under that. The disturbing thing was his face, it was narrow to a point that must have been a chin, but seemed more like a knife. This was the only part that was visible for the rest was shaded by a large brimmed hat. When he looked up, it scared Tid, he saw deep dangerous eyes, black and gray eyes, barely human eyes, more like a predator cat ready to pounce.


    Two more men exited the back passenger area. It was a wonder that the one on the left did fit in the back because he was massive, a minotaur. Rare beings, part bull and part man, he stood at least eight feet tall and as wide as Tid was tall it seemed. He was naked to the waist up, it had to be hard to find shirts big enough, and he was very well muscled. On his hips were two revolvers in holsters, and a whip on his left as well. His pants were tight and looked like jeans, they only went down to his ankles where he sported hooves instead of feet.


    The last was a black crow avian, he was the shortest and stocky. He had a wide hat as well and beady eyes that never seemed to stop moving. He had a simple black tunic on and some sort of kilt with pockets and pouches all over it. There was a strap of leather across his chest and shoulder but nothing obviously hanging from it.


    The Green Witch, she legally called herself that and no one seemed to know what her name was before the change. The human was Hyone Jin Par Sin, he had been an OOT it was believed, came to the Diamondlands and thrived ever since. The Minotaur was Saren Carmen, the Cowboy, he based his whole identity on an earth legend he had heard from an OOT. It had amused him, Tid had read once, he apparently loved parity and puns. The last was the only one without a reputation, but it still made him obvious to point out as Tarrow Straw.


    Tid did not want to seem starstruck, but the stories of international competing high level players had featured the Green Witch and the Cowboy for years. Hyone had a stage name under Quickdraw and was consistently mentioned, but always in a dazzling description of speed and prowess.


    The team walked up to Tid, who was standing with his boss, the introductions were brief and the accommodations were shown right away. Each player had their own room at the tavern, one of the master suites with a common area for dining and level strategizing. Tid took The Cowboy and Tarrow to their side of the suite showing the impressive rooms and commanding views of the channel from the higher vantage at the top of the Tavern.


    Tarrow was quiet and rarely spoke, but Saren was almost constant with a quip or joke in a heavily accendted drawl that must have been part of his act as a Cowboy.


    ¡°OOOOeee, I see these water spots can get this here cleaner than a dwarf¡¯s mug after they raise it¡±


    ¡°HaHo there is a fine feather mattress, like i''m sleepin¡¯ in mothers sheep pen.¡±


    ¡°Darn right, that is a fine table, we gonna have to get a game a¡¯cards on this here. If we get some downtime aye Tarrow¡±


    ¡°Great Sasofrace, I ain¡¯t ever touch a pilla¡¯ that suft in my whole life.¡±


    It was constant and hilarious.


    The real touring and showing off would be done tomorrow, but Tid was sure the cowboy would be loud and boisterous the entire trip and he looked forward to that. This was going to be a great week.


    -


    Four days straight of platforming levels had done wonders for everyone''s cardio and endurance. Terry had been the obvious top for endurance followed by Morris, however speed was not always the best way to beat these levels. Terry saw a whole new side to completion as both girls showed them how to finish rather than just complete a level.


    Enda only did one level with them, she had made arrangements with a group to travel to the capital (much like Selina), but during that course they basically just followed her as she cleared each enemy and then she used the ability to teleport to a companion¡¯s location to get by each obstacle that Cinder took care of with ease. Morris and Cinder had explained her as a ranged fighter, but she had no real moment abilities whatsoever. The only exception was a set of teleportation spells that allowed her to be far from a battle at all points and use her ranged abilities. She let Cinder, and the others, get through the tough bits before meeting them once they were on the other side.


    Cinder did not have Terry¡¯s speed, but she did not need it as it was in complicated environments is where she made Terry jealous. She did every level with him and Morris and it was a marvel to watch her get through a swing trap untouched or to jump from platform to platform or duck, weave and dodge around standing stones. She had agile and quick feet, cat-like grace and enviable endurance that stunted them both the first time they did a single player race. She was done and eating a sandwich while they returned exhausted from their own courses.


    Her power set, however, included barely anything to deal with enemies in a straight up confrontation. She had stocking tactics, but the moment an enemy knew she was there she basically just dodged and weaved till she got back far enough to throw something. She kept a slingshot with special and standard ammo and smaller knives than Terry¡¯s Flicker for throwing. She had explained that she only did distance work and avoided a fight at all possible.


    They had run the levels two or three times a day till they got to just below Rank 5, then Hurk had finished with his solo and team competitions at the sports bar. During the days without him Cinder showed them how to get to the end of a level without fighting. Once they were a set of four once again, they changed up the order of how they completed levels, often running single or in sets of two to get more experience and test themselves.


    Rosa was finally warming up to Cinder as well, they had chatted amiably often, but Terry knew that the pet was sensitive to new people. This seemed to go doubly for someone he was dating, he had asked her about it on the third night of the platform level training.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to see another Claire,¡± Rosa always put things so bluntly. ¡°You really took what she said to heart at the end even if it was not true. You often think too much about what others think of you, especially when it is negative.¡±


    Terry realized that that was the first time he had really thought of his earth life in weeks. He had only been here for a bit over a month and he was already coping with the new home and the life he had created here. He did reply to her though, ¡°I think that was just what I had there, no one to tell me otherwise, no family to confort away the negative thoughts after they were put out there by others. I think that is what I missed without having a real family close by and not making friends, but it is different here. Not just exciting and dangerous but fresh and new and I think I am really finding myself.¡±


    Rosa gave a small turtle smile, ¡°I think you are too, I am glad to see it.¡±


    Terry smiled too.


    -


    Morris was sad that his new girlfriend had left for the capital, it seemed like many roads led there but Edna would be back and she was not planning on staying like other people in his life. He felt a need to go back to the Iron Bay after she left on the second day and he planned to bring it up to the others once Hurk was done with his league. Fortunately he did not need to, Hurk did it for him.


    ¡°I got a strange message from some of my goblin buddies, I think we need to go back to the bay.¡± He put in soon after he got back from the league. ¡°I don¡¯t often talk to the tribes, but I keep in contact so as to see what my kind is up to from time to time. I got a message that seemed almost cryptic telling me to get away or stay away from the bay next week.¡±


    ¡°How did they contact you¡± Terry asked, he did not know how mail worked on The Deck.


    ¡°It was an automated carrier, a bird contraption that some artificers can make to send secure messages.¡± Hurk replied. Hurk did not want to say what the message had said, ¡°...goblins have an off sense of language and you might not see it like I do.¡± he explained to Terry.


    Morris wore a concerned expression, ¡°I agree we should head back, I have not been away this long. It has been fun, but something seems to pull me back home.¡±


    Terry seemed reluctant, but put in, ¡°I am with you guys, I will talk to Cinder, maybe she can return with us.¡±


    Morris was happy to see his new friend thinking about Cinder in a similar way that he had thought about Edna. Traveling was easy for her and she had been interested in seeing the Bay when she returned. On the nights he had spent with her, he almost enjoyed the talking more than the activities. She was special and different from other women he had been with in that way, he often enjoyed the look of a person more than their personality, but she was pretty and interesting.


    ¡°How did you do in the leagues, Hurk? I don¡¯t even think you mention what you competed in.¡± Terry put in.


    Hurk¡¯s smile was easy with a lead-in like that, ¡°I did a single competition and a duo league with someone I met in that circuit. I got fourth in the single, still got some of the pot for that one, the first five to place got a piece. It was a regular strong man competition throwing boulders, pulling large carts, things like that. Each round was different and Donald came in third and invited me to a duo throw league. We got in second together. I got a good pay-out with that one too.¡±


    ¡°Well, we will have to get you back here so you can be a regular competitor then.¡± Morris put in, and the others continued on the conversation.

 Chapter 20: The Vortex Sneak

    Nights in Kimbergale were darker than in other spots around the Diamondlands. The tall trees that kept the town closed in and provided levels of walking and living areas for the mostly gnome populated town were not meant to give one access to stargazing. The layout also allowed for longer hours of business as the day and night were more artificial with created lights and hours of activity.


    The town was separate from the mining and delving towns that were more common in the area, it relied on entertainment for its tourism and economy. There were farms and groves for food and tinkers and workmen for amenities, all gnomes were natural tinkerers after all. Anyone who visited the town found their way to one of the many many entertainment hubs, as gnomes were regular show-offs as well.


    Gnomes loved to make things outlandish and extravagant, the buildings were either built with the trees around them in mind or obviously out of mind. Take the Para Parrish Art Museum, It was a dome made of glass, completely out of place on the six floors of the stacked main town. It was made of several diamond shaped glass segments that only connected via smooth polished wooden dowel separating and emphasizing the shapes between them. It had been a tricky construction, getting each pane of glass to fit and mold the shape accordingly so that they formed the fantastic dome. Inside the building was rather the same, extremely out of place.


    The exhibits were on several dividing walls and half stages like a multilevel and impossible maze. The maze within had several exits and entrances with distracting and beautiful pieces that drew the eye in every direction. It was almost impossible to see all of the exhibits in one day, making it easy to allow for repeat customers between visiting curiosities and lessons of history and art. Along with the permanent placements were a number of traveling segments that had come from other societies and communities of art and history that littered the Diamondlands, these would stay for a few months or weeks at a time to draw in veteran viewers who had seen all the permanent pleasures of the gallery.


    Famous artists and collectors had a spot in the museum, where it was believed to be the most secure for their priceless contributions. At this moment, there were not fewer than ten collectors who entrusted the museum with interesting ideas of an artistic mind. One was a collection of animal shaped rocks, not carved, but simply rocks that looked like a notable animal. Another was pieces of historical artifacts that had been quarried and believed to be from early Deck civilizations outside the capitals of each continent. One set was of particular interest to an outside party and if she had her way it would not be there much longer.


    This outside party had been to the museum to check on the items with her boyfriend earlier in the week. It was a good disguise, a date to the museum was not exceptionally romantic, but she did not like overly romantic gestures and he was simply interested in the styles of the people in the new world he was calling home. She also did not like to hit a target so close to home, but the collector was going to be moving the pieces in the next couple of days and she had been hired to collect one item and had wanted one part for herself.


    Throughout history there were several cases of theft that baffled the authorities, all were attributed to a single thief, the Vortex Sneak. She was in Kimbergale tonight and she would get her prize. The name was passed down in the family, notable for a storm of burglaries and break-ins to cover what items they were usually after. This would be different as there were no lead up break-ins, it was going to be a one time quick done job. The target was a small item to barely be missed, it was a tool, a favor, a family heirloom. Not her family, but it should have been and the collector would barely miss it.


    Cinder had not earned a last name yet, she was simply Cinder and she liked that. Traveling was an easy love for her and a permanent job or title would tie her down. Earning a living as a Player was more to hone her skills and gain experience points for more abilities. All hers were focused on unseen movement and the procurement of goods. When she was younger she stole to feed herself, then she was accepted into a new family, they let her keep the name although she was far from a third child in their eyes. The actual third sister, Cidna, was very nice but was not a proper sister to cinder. Edna had been very young when she joined the family and so Cinder was able to get along with her much better. But each of the other adopted siblings seemed to have a purpose, for Cinder it was more like a destiny that she needed to uphold.


    Cinder¡¯s family from before this adoption had been wiped out, or at least that is what she had found on her own. A probably unknown accomplishment, the assailant must have barely known that they had taken out a notorious crime family in the Diamondlands. That is the point of a sneak after all, to never be caught. She had wondered about revenge, but there was no way to know who had done the deed. It had been when she was a little girl and all she remembered was the chaos and fire of the attack the night that their original home town burned.


    After that, it was all a blur, she knew the details but told no one, she was just known as an orphan when she had passed out of the gateway near Kimberglade. The only memories of her family she had was a small diary that was hers. It told the story of the Vortex Sneak, the mantle she now bore as a responsibility to her family. She would uphold this responsibility as long as she could get paid for it, as she was really very good at stealing. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    With the effect of the leveled city, Kimberglade never truly went to sleep. People were up all day and night doing chores and jobs, so even at the late hour Cinder was not alone as she got to her first checkpoint. It was above the level of the museum and the top of the dome was right below her. The building above was a post office or rookery, filled with caged mechanical birds to carry messages between towns. There was instant messaging, but that was expensive. Each of the cages had a trapdoor and a grate from the time in the past when they had used actual birds for the task and the cages needed a drainage area. It had been over a century since then.


    ¡°Thank King for magic¡± Cinder muttered as she lowered herself into the crawl space below one of the cages. It was cramped, but had been made for a worker to get below and clean, back when the inhabitants of the cages were actual birds.


    She started to work getting through the bottom of the floor with a vile of acid she had tested for the purpose of this job. The floor melted away revealing the dome roof below. Once the hole was large enough for her to get through, she lowered herself through the floor and, due to the size of the structure below, could just stand on the curved top.


    This was the top of the museum and with her enhanced dexterity she was able to work her stance to remain in place while she activated a spell with an incantation. Focusing on the soles of her shoes, she activated the sticky spell. Her soles were in place now and she had no threat of moving down the side of the structure. She could recall it at mental command and reinitiate it when stepping, the focus was the drawback to the spell.


    Cinder began to work attaching an anchor above and cutting into the glass near her feet to lower herself into the museum. Her plan was to lower down most of the way and use the enchanted teleport ammo ball and her slingshot to get to the outer end where the items were kept. Cinder finished cutting the glass and slipped her hood over her head adjusting the mask so that it¡¯s enchantment activated.


    This hood was one of the only pieces of heirlooms left to her. It was called:


    The Dark Cloak


    The hood can give you a heightened Attention and Awareness. The hood obscures your identity so it is more likely the viewers will overlook your presence.


    It was an indispensable article for any heist, the diary that she had left with had given her the location of several small caches of stored family heirlooms like this cloak for the inheritor of the title, the Vortex Sneak.


    As she lowered into the open area under the glass ceiling her eyes searched for her target and movement hoping to trace the routes of the guards to the same movements she had memorized during her visit the day before. She had mapped the route to the exhibit in question and readied her slingshot and ammo for the task. One of her attributes was in Craft, it gave her mainly perception and identification abilities in her HUD to assist with potion and poison creation. It had been how she knew the acid she used earlier, and it helped her craft and enchant her own ammo, with the assistance of her sister.


    Edna¡¯s entire build depended on ranged spells and getting to places to use those spells effectively. She had 3 teleport spells, the ammo she had made with Cinder was enhanced with a Recall teleport. In spell form it would bring you to a location you could see and then back to your original space at a command. In ammo form the effect was timed instead of based on command, but Cinder could use it effectively. She would have two minutes to get her items and then it would put her back in the same place up above.


    Cinder steadied her breathing focusing on the shot before the tough part of the mission could begin. The yolk of the slingshot went back and fired, a moment later she was no longer hanging from the rope in the air but on the other side of the room. She moved quickly to get her exact bearing and cursed under her breath realizing she was further than she would have liked from the target exhibit.


    Silent, but quickly she moved to the glass case housing the ledger she was there for. Working hard to ignore the valuable parts of the exhibit, she began the extraction process she had devised, having to rush since the time it took her to get to this point had not allowed any wiggle room for the task. The glass cutter worked wonders, it had a dispel charm for any security measures the glass might have. Within seconds there was a hole big enough for her hand and the ledger to make it out, and her eyes lighted on another object that could be good to procure.


    Cinder moved to the second stand pocketing the ledger, the cutter went to work again and soon she had grabbed out the bluish pink crystal that could tell her a lot if she could find a spell strong enough to activate it. A memory crystal could be created by individuals connected to earth and intuition, and she remembered that her new boyfriend did have the proper attribute to learn the spell.


    Just as her finger curled around the crystal, her time was up and she was recalled back to her previous location, having to catch her bearing and the rope in the moment of disorientation from the spelled shot. It was a close thing but she was effective at not making a sound as she swayed from the rope then crawled up like she had never been in there in the first place.


    Crawling out of the space below the cages, she moved to get to her final checkpoint and go over the ledger she had obtained. A quick and almost easy successful heist was a great way to end a night.

 Chapter 21: An Overwhelming Threat

    In the morning, Cinder gave Terry some welcome and surprising news, ¡°I am going to head out to the Iron Bay with you guys.¡± She met them for breakfast that morning, he was planning to spend this last day with her going to some of their favorite haunts from the past week.


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Morris gave Terry a wink over his eggs and bacon, or the Deck equivalent to those breakfast staples.


    Cinder nodded, ¡°Yeah, I have some work to the south really, but It is not too much of an excuse to keep you close.¡± She nudged Terry with an elbow. ¡°Plus I should get more levels in. I want to do some random tasking there, it gets a bit much with platforming over and over again.¡± She stretched her back, arching it in a way that Terry could not help but stare at.


    Terry smiled as she settled back, ¡°Too bad, I was wondering how distant communication would be on this world.¡±


    Cinder glared, but it was very playful and added, ¡°oh it is nothing compared to the real thing.¡±


    Hurk cut in after swallowing a bite, ¡°well we could try and go a different way back, we didn¡¯t go the scenic route up here, but if we cut into the continent a bit more there are some nice views and landscapes before the season change.¡±


    ¡°Oh and what is the next season like in the Diamondlands?¡± Terry put in, genuinely curious.


    ¡°It is actually called Post-haul, the final of three. Pre-haul, a tame and gentle time good for planting and herd rearing. Haul for the time of crop completion and the warmest weather. Then Post-haul for the coldest months and wettest weather.¡± Rosa, ever knowledgeable, put it plainly for her person.


    ¡°Right,¡± Hurk continued, ¡°The trees in the lower parts of the forest will have changing leaves and the ground gets soft from the rain. Usually it is not a great idea to travel in Post-haul, but it is more manageable in the early weeks before the weather truly sets in.¡±


    ¡°As if traveling with three men is not going to be bad enough¡­¡± Cinder started and was cut off by Hurk putting in.


    ¡°Two men and a goblin, thank you.¡± Putting up two stubby goblin fingers at the statement.


    With a laugh around the table Cinder continued, ¡°yes, well two men and a goblin are going to be tough enough to travel with. Rosa, I might need you for girl time away from Terry, just to keep my sanity¡± She smiled good naturedly.


    Rosa replied, ¡°I have no problem switching shoulders from time to time.¡± for another chuckle around the table.


    Terry did ask Hurk and Morris, ¡°How long will the route change take? I thought we wanted to get back sooner.¡±


    Morris replied while Hurk chewed, ¡°oh it is only a day or so more, we should be okay since we sent out a message bird this morning. Hurk sent one to Mother Martin too about the message he got, she knows to trust any information we send and knows who to ask for more information on something so vague, it is the wisdom of age and popularity.¡±


    After that the chat around the breakfast was more idle, Cinder and Terry talking and flirting with each other while Morris and Hurk discussed travel arrangements. Before too long they had finished their meal and started on the road back to the Iron Bay.


    -


    Tid was nervous, even after several days of working with and escorting the party of celebrity players around the town and to and from the gateway levels.  The higher a player''s rank, the more time you spend in the levels. It was understandable as the Boss, Mobs and Tasks were more involved and tougher to boot.


    Tid and his colleagues had waited two days and nights outside the gate way for the Boss level. The team had been in the task level for eight to twelve hours on three separate journeys, then had waited a day and returned to this attempt at a Hoard level. Tid was on a shifting schedule with other attendants and was camped near the gateways, awaiting the return. This longer battling in levels was common for any player who went up and past Rank thirty or so, and from his avid following of just the Cowboy, Tid knew that his rank was forty-one. He had risen to that in just four years of full time level progression in just the Diamondlands.


    The Silverspires gates were called the final Levels; they had all four types of gates on one pedestal, but the main difference was the recording. It was a quirk of the gods, putting their temples near this special set of gateways. Clergy of the King, Queen, Jack and Joker could record and edit the trials in these gateways, often this was turned in to highlight reels and resumes for players looking for professional work or to promote their personal skills without a live demonstration. This is how a Player got renown as impressive highlights and full screenings were often used as entertainment and could even be viewed with payments, it was a prime way for the Player¡¯s Taverns to make money and promote rising stars.


    With this sort of marketing came a set of rules and bureaucracy that players were either large proponents of or greatly disliked for the waitlists and bothersome requirements. Since the clergy had to monitor these recordings, and had limited staff to edit and create reels there were strict time tables for when a team could enter a level. This process meant that final level completion could sometimes take longer than even completing the nine levels a player needed to even enter the special gateways. This restriction was not only promoted by the clergy but the gods themselves, much like a tutorial was needed to enter a level at all.


    After these levels a Player could expect a massive amount of experience and very special prizes, a player could then return to the other gateways and do any level type they wanted over and over again including the boss and hoard levels. This could give a Player a lot of options and professional players often stayed in the capital to build a name and a reputation for themselves and future family members. There were several Player families that were known for exclusively training and working their young to be the best player while staying in the Silver Spires.


    With the size of Tid¡¯s family he had several brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts and cousins that lived in the capital, not just as workers and trades people, but as full time players and or athletes in the other entertainment games that were hosted there. In fact more gnomes had family there then even the dwarves who were the main race of the Diamondlands. This was not the case for every gnome family, but there were many many massive gnome families and many of them having gotten tutorials and had gotten some levels at least. Tid learned this from looking over the records with his new job. It was boring at first, but became interesting as he dug deeper and deeper.


    Before he could get too lost in thought however, his charges emerged from the gateway levels. The team did not look that worse for wear despite what they probably experienced in the level, the Green Witch seemed to have a never ending closet of form fitting black dress and each of the other members of the team seemed to have a similar capacity for apparel in their own style. They seem to not even be winded, but he knew that along with the levels getting tougher and longer, the locker room areas got more lavish and accommodating to assist with the increase in danger and recuperation after the levels were complete.


    They chatted amiably while Tid rushed around to let them into their beast-less carriage, an automobile as it was apparently called. Tid climbed in the spacious front to direct the self-driving apparatus that navigated for the vehicle. He had directed it before, it was as simple as choosing the destination from a list displayed in the front area. The seating was comfortable, the front had a long couch like seat that could easily fit three people and probably four or five gnomes, to Tid¡¯s estimation. The back consisted of two couches facing each other and had ample leg room. As well as single seats that seemed somehow more comfortable on the side near the doors. There had to be some impressive space/room illusion going on to accommodate the height of the tallest of the group as well. The Cowboy¡¯s horns did not even scrap the roof of the automobile.


    The high level team spiraled out in each of these places and continued to chat, Tid could not hear them thanks to a divider that kept the front cabin area and back lounge area separated. Tid had learned that this automobile was a prize they had gotten from a rare bonus level the group had found in their second year as a team, and it was almost worth it to Tid to begin being a player again to try and get one of these vehicles.


    He sat comfortably in his own section, as the transport turned around and moved back to the Iron Bay on its own. He thought to himself, once I get back they will probably go to finish the another level tomorrow, it might be three or more days till they are done with that and ready to head to the next spot on their tour of levels. Tid was almost sad to see them go, it had been a big task for him to take over and the accolades that came with the touring group were very lucrative, it would be a good while before another group like this could get out here to do this sorta tour again.


    -


    The first day of travel out of Kimberglade was largely uneventful. The scenic route back to the Iron Bay went along a less traveled trail over the traditional road, almost a game trail into the surrounding wood. It was dense and the trees were just as large as the ones the gnomes had used to build the above ground metropolis. This blocked the sun, except for intense rays that shot down to create pockets of condensed and bright illumination. The sight was so distracting that Terry hardly noticed that he and the other were heading uphill, till the time they stopped and found themselves looking over an awe-inspiring vista.


    They emerged onto a jutting rock cliff that raised them above the massive pyramid like trees, in all directions. In front of them it was mainly the tops of these trees for seemingly miles in every direction, except for off to the south. From this view there was a wide expanse of trees that eventually ended into the rolling plains of hills and grass. Hurk pointed out that this was still a few days away, this was the highest point they would reach and would be spending the next few days moving downhill.


    As Terry looked around he felt a small hand slip into his and he looked down at Cinder next to him. She was smiling at his face, with a genuine delight. Terry had never known danger quite like he had in this world, but he had never known beauty quite like he had in this world either. The thought turned the slack jaw awe to a smile in seconds and he held his new girlfriend''s hand as they looked at the sights around them.


    There was no question at all that they would make their camp in the area that night, and Terry could hardly look away from the view as they prepared food and sleeping areas in the dying light. He decided that a walk in the woods would be nice as Hurk prepared a goblin travel stew from the dried provisions that they had gathered before leaving. He left Rosa with Morris, as they were conversing about some historical topic Terry had not been paying attention to. Cinder agreed happily to have some time and they walked off the trail and into the dense growth.


    A skill that they both shared was darkvision, for Terry this came from his attribute Dark and for Cinder it was her Sly attribute. Terry saw the forest in a muted colorless monochrome that gave shape to obstacles and terrain, but details for either were almost nonexistent. Cinder¡¯s vision was muted as well but still had color and life to it. She could identify dark spots and shadowed areas in the bases of trees and in the nooks near bushes and shrubs that she might be able to hide in. She described all this to Terry who was interested in how she saw the world at night.


    ¡°It is almost outlined in a color and I could use my stealth skill to move from area to area to get from place to place. I have used it in a level and a few instances outside of levels¡± Cinder explained, what made her most happy in this relationship was how genuine Terry was about learning about this place and her. Past relationships had moved faster, but had burned out quicker as a result her past partners really only had one goal when it came to her.


    Terry nodded and replied, ¡°My view can do that when I activate Call Shadows, it shows me the concentrations of darkness and how I can manipulate them. Selina told me as I get more comfortable with the spell I will have more options with how to move and use larger pieces of that darkness¡±


    ¡°I sorta envy that,¡± Cinder put in ¡°I have heard that higher rankings of Sly can gain that, but my spellcasting comes from another attribute, so I have different spells. It is more of an area of effect than that sort of finesse. Once we do a hoard level together I will have to show you.¡±


    Terry smiled, ¡°I look forward to that, I have been wondering how well you fight. Don¡¯t get me wrong, you''re super accurate with that slingshot and you can hide and get away well¡­¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°How do I contribute during a direct assault or boss battle?¡± Cinder cut him off with the exact question he was trying to tactfully ask. ¡°I have my way of dealing with pushy Bosses, true it is much more faint and distracting than a bruiser like you or Morris. But I get by and do alright.¡±


    Terry trusted that she was correct, but felt compelled to make an offer, ¡°What sort of weapon proficiency do you have? Maybe we can spare before you go into the levels at the Iron Bay? I don¡¯t have to use my knives.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate that, When fighting I usually keep my distance but some close quarters combat with the right partner might even be nice. As long as you don¡¯t hurt me too badly.¡± she winked and they continued flirting. After they went a good distance into the trees, the couple found a downed log that was comfortable enough to act as a bench. They sat in companionable silence, with smiling glances as they took in the sights of nature around.


    Before Terry could begin conversing with Cinder again, a dreadful yawl split the air and they both became alert, then several things happened at once. Cinder dived forward as a danger sense warned her of the direction of attack, she sprang forward and rolled in front of Terry as something landed right where she had been. Terry heard a voice in his head give a warning and he activated Sparks fire attack as he seamlessly pulled it from the sheath and stabbed into the large body that landed where Cinder had been an instant before. The form was that of a large black panther, but it had some glaring differences. The tail was not a smooth cat tail, it had plated segments that gave it a jointed heavy look and it ended in a bulbous stinger that shot toward where he was sitting. Terry withdrew his knife and thanks to his high speed stat managed to just dodge to the side.


    The Tail reared back to position just as fast as it had attacked and the beast reared on it hooved back feet to face Terry¡¯s new position, giving him a better look at the hybrid of panther, goat -legged and scorpion tailed monstrosity in front of him. The yellow feline eyes followed him somewhat warily after his successful attack, Terry drew Flicker in a reverse grip trying to keep the predator¡¯s attention. Then another yawl sounded and his foe was bolstered by the arrival of another identical monster. Cinder was behind them but before she could act on the beast¡¯s flank, a third dropped from the trees and stalked toward her from the left. They were not surrounded, but were clearly cut off from the way they had come, the way back to the camp and help. Cinder doesn¡¯t have a weapon for anything like this, how do we get past these things? Terry thought, keeping his eyes glued on the hooved cat-scorpions. He did hear a response in his Head.


    ¡°Your goin¡¯ to have to be aggressive, lad. These things will jump ya¡¯ soon and ya¡¯ won¡¯t have a chance then. Try a spell to separate them and yell so maybe someone will hear ya¡¯. Gotta act quick though. The las might have more up her sleeve then you think, but you gotta get these two before ya¡¯ can ¡®elp her.¡± It was the voice of Koren in his head, helping him focus. After that he went to work.


    ¡°GUST!¡± Terry shouted the command word and swiped his right hand to the side. Instantly the Call the Wind spell activated and threw the predator on the right to the side. In the same movement, Terry brought his other hand back, throwing Flicker at the remaining cat. The throwing knife buried itself to the hilt before appearing back in his hand, the cat lunged forward only slightly phased by the attack. Terry¡¯s speed helped him dodge without rolling and he stabbed both knives into the cat¡¯s side. Terry''s eyes glanced to the side to see how Cinder was doing in her own fight, but the gnome was gone and the cat was looking around like it had lost her.  After a moment of panic, Terry had no time to worry about his girlfriend as the predator with his knives stabbed into its side reared on it hoved hind-legs and turned to swipe at him. The massive claws on the paw caught his arm before and the force sent him reeling.


    He thudded on his back, losing Spark in the side of the predator and only just remembering to call Flicker back to his hand so as to not be caught unarmed by the attack.


    Health: 245/350 HP


    The attack had almost taken him down a third and in his new position he could see the other beast rising from where he had thrown it with his spell. The pain was intense and he felt a surge of panic at the loss of so much health. He then heard a sound that bolstered his resolve.


    ¡°STORM OF HAIL!!!¡± it was Cinder yelling a command phrase for a spell, and he heard a wailing meow of pain from behind him.


    With the knowledge that she was alive, Terry threw Flicker into the same beast, and recalled and threw the knife again. This was a technique that Koren had trained him with, it was like throwing many knives back to back, but with the special ability of the reappearing knife. The trick was bringing the same hand back and commanding the knife to reappear as his throwing motion was achieved. The knife landed and disappeared several times from the chest of the monster.


    He put up his empty hand in the direction of the other predator that had shaken off the spell attack, and called out, ¡°Gust!¡± commanding the spell toward the cat now making its way toward him once it was up. With his focus on Knife however the spell effect was diminished and the monster did not fly back as far as it had before, barely losing its feet and stride. As the monster reached its brother, it leapt toward him in a lunging strike, its massive claws spread in front to rend Terry off his feet and crush him beneath it. Terry¡¯s speed was his savior once again, but this time the cat got a claw in his back as he dived and rolled forward.


    Health: 200/350 HP


    Stamina: 300/500 SP


    This hit had not done as much damage, but he was starting to feel exhaustion from the fast attacks and dodges he was achieving. In the levels he had never needed to worry too much about exhaustion, his stat for the measurement was his highest and he rarely got it down, except maybe in the hoard fight against the goblins.


    His fast throwing strikes at the first beast had killed it, so he moved past it and grabbed Spark from its side, completing the set in his hands and facing off once again with the predator. He could see past it to the other fight with Cinder now as well. She was practically invisible except a hand that was extended and shooting many small hail bullets in a constant stream toward her monster.


    He had enough to deal with however and he focused on his advisory, he began to get a throwing motion ready but the beast had grown wise to his tactics. It pounced at him again, not allowing him to complete the attack. Terry went to dive forward again when Koren spoke in his head, ¡°Stab up, lad! Get it¡¯s belly!¡±


    Terry stabbed both knives up into the belly of the beast as it soared over him. Blood poured from the wounds onto him and he guided the skewered victim to the ground and gave it a few more quick jabs before turning to where he had seen Cinder and her fight.


    She was still battering the cat with hail and it was appearing to recover faster from the barrage of the hail bullets. Terry started the Flicker assault on the cat and it soon went down under the flurry of knife stabs and hail peppering. He rushed over as the beast keeled over and Cinder reappeared bending over in exhaustion, probably from the overuse of mana at the spells she had used in the fight.


    Terry put an arm around her and asked her if she was alright, she replied breathlessly, ¡°Maybe I do need some training for something getting that close.¡± Terry laughed in relief and saw she had no injuries.


    ¡°You did alright, I think. Keeping it at bay till I could get there at lea..¡±


    ¡°WHAT HAPPENED HERE!¡± Morris cut off Terry as he came rushing out of the woods, Rosa on his shoulder and Hurk on his heels. But before Terry could reply, Hurk answered the questions.


    ¡°Chimeralings, this is bad, they usually don¡¯t travel too far from the real threat. We gotta move before¡­¡± Then a multitude of sounds cut off the goblin before he could finish that statement. A massive form dropped from above a few feet away and Terry and the other were face to faces with a two headed chimera.


    It had the head of a panther and the other was a goat with large curled horns. The front legs were from the jungle cat and the back of the farm animal. It still had the scorpion¡¯s stinging tail, but the idea was completed with a set of large pitchers that extended from the beast¡¯s sides. Overall it was a monstrous and awful sight to behold, dread and fear warred in Terry as he saw the towering monster rear up and let out a baaa and roar from both heads reading for attack.


    Proving the bravery of the individual not of his kind, Hurk leapt into action smashing forward with his club. He activated the Furious Rush despite the short distance and plowed directly into the fight like a wild animal on raw meat.


    Morris only hesitated to place Rosa off his shoulder and onto the ground before heading to the opposite side of the beast calling out spells once his Staff was equipped from his hot bar.


    Both of Terry team members were fresh to the fight, but their low level spells and attacks seemed more to distract and irritate rather than actually harm the new tougher foe.


    -


    Rosa was terrified as the Night-Chimera landed and the others began attacking the beast. She was placed out of harm''s way by Morris, but she felt completely out of her league in the fight, so she decided to check the status of Terry and Cinder. The former was cut and torn, but seemed in decent enough health. The latter was haggard and exhausted, but did not seem hurt. Terry rose from his kneeling posture ready to enter the fight and before Rosa could protest he threw his returning knife and jumped into the flank side of the massive monster.


    Rosa could tell they were probably not going to be enough and she knew that magic was one of the only ways to fully harm the beast they were fighting. Yelling this out would not be as productive in the situation she was in and she thought rapidly to see how she could help, then it came to her.


    ¡°Cinder, I need you and so do the others pick me up and I can help you assist, even in your state of exhaustion!¡± she ordered not having time to fully explain.


    Cinder¡¯s head came up and she seemed to be upset for a moment at the tone in the turtle''s voice, but the look quickly faded as she saw the fight in front of her and the possible danger her new partners were in. She swiped up the small form from the ground and held her in both hands up to her face.


    ¡°Okay, what do you want me to do?¡±


    -


    Terry was nothing more than a distraction and his cuts could barely get past the defenses of the monstrous predator they were fighting. It used its claws as both shields and clubs to batter and throw away Hurk, who seemed to know he was completely ineffective, but there was nothing he could do about it except act as that distraction.


    Morris was capitalizing on the distraction with Bolt and Break Spells, but where the former seemed to do barely anything if it broke through at all. The latter seemed entirely ineffective to any part of the claws, body, legs or even the tail.


    Terry worked with his throwing knife and the shadows to keep to the beast¡¯s flank and out of the range of the massive claws. He could not get a clear shot on either head thanks to the claws that seemed whole invulnerable. He worked to stay out of the area directly behind the chimera, it was apparently called, fearing the range of the stinging bulb on its tail.


    ¡°Concentrated Twister¡± Terry commanded his most powerful spell on a spot directly beneath the bulky body of the beast and instantly a small twister of air and debris swirled up. It barely had an effect however, causing the predator to rise slightly on its left side paw and hoof. The action did give a clear shot for Morris, who began unloading spells onto the belly hoping to discover a weak area.


    Terry felt pride at the action but had to wait to produce another one.


    Mana: 30/100 MP


    With some testing he could recover Mana at about one every three or so minutes and the twister form of call wind was an expensive forty mana to cast.


    He moved a bit off to catch his breath and strategize, he had not seen Cinder join the battle but knew she was probably still tapped of mana from her own fight.


    ¡°Hey, eat this.¡± Terry heard a voice from his side and nearly jumped when he saw it was Cinder at his side holding a disgusting leaf-wrapped something out to him. She had Rosa on her shoulder and he had not even heard her move up, let alone away as he took the leaf wrap and she moved off toward where Hurk was just thrown like a rag doll by one of the claws.


    Strongly trusting both of them, Terry cramped the wrap in his mouth and nearly gaged at the taste of vegetation and dirt in his mouth. He suffered through and swallowed and his HUD updated with a plus mark above his Mana bar.


    Mana: 100/100 MP


    She had given him a recovered item, probably made from moss and vegetation in the surrounding area. She was working with Rosa on support! He smiled, readying another spell, now they had an advantage.


    ¡°Concentrated Twister¡±


    After support started and continued from Cinder and Rosa working together to identify vegetation that could assist in mana and health restoration the battle went tediously fast as the team discovered the belly of the beast did not have the protection of the claws and back.


    ¡°I have a skill from my Craft attribute that allows me to identify the properties of items and ingredients in my HUD and Rosa saved me time by navigating me to areas around us that could contain the vegetation. After that it was just a matter of mixing and enhancing so that you all would gain from it.¡± Cinder explained as they all sat around resting after the battle.


    Terry had received an equally disgusting health wrap that increased his HP and even helped to heal some of the scratches he had received in the battle. ¡°That was some quick thinking, although I hope next time we can make the wraps or crafted ingredients taste less like dirt.¡± he joked and the group gave a light and pained chuckle.


    Hurk had received the most damage, working as a distraction for the attention of the Night-chimera. Rosa had told them of the specific designation for the predator once she had a chance after the battle. Hurk was resting, but telling Morris what parts of the creator to remove to get them the most money for part trade-ins once they were back home. Morris was giving them to Terry who stored them in his inventory and was glad that the skill blocked the rancid smell of the meat and bone pieces that came off the monster.


    ¡°This creature was far beyond any of us. There is a whole other ranking system for outerworld and in-level monsters and this was considered a C5-Level threat. The most you all have seen in a level was the zombie tank, which was a D9-Level threat.¡± Rosa put in watching Hurk direct Morris. She continued to explain that monsters were given a letter and number ranking to differentiate them from humanoid players, and that she was a reliably low F3-Level based purely on her intellect. Terry was concerned by the sadness in her tone as she explained this and wondered but did not ask if there was a way that could change. It did not seem like the time to ask her that.


    There was a lot to learn and everything he had learned was very different in this world. Once they were done packing up the pieces of the monster, they returned to their camp and divided up a watch duty. Sleep was welcome, but with everyone on edge it was not long before they rose early and began the trek home in the twilight hours of the morning.