《The Steel Mage: A LitRPG Progression Fantasy [Old]》 Chapter One - First Contact Jeff Nostro stared into his beer, hunched over the long bar top of his favorite bar, The Volunteer. Through the windows to his left, the blazing July sun sent in waves of heat, against which the pub¡¯s HVAC system struggled valiantly to combat. On the wall behind him, unobserved, a large flat panel TV was displaying the content of a rolling 24 hour news channel, the volume dialled down to a murmur. Beside him at the bar, his two work friends Sally and Walid continued their animated discussion. ¡°¡­and that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯ve been trying to tell you!" Sally said in an exasperated tone. ¡°We¡¯ve been made obsolete by an algorithm. There¡¯s no point in looking for a job in the same sector. They don¡¯t exist anymore¡­ Jeff, back me up here will you?¡± Jeff looked up from his beer, blinking at his two now ex-colleagues. The three of them had left together for the bar, soon after receiving the bad news at the office that morning. The customer support department was axing most of the workforce, ostensibly citing the need for ¡®cutbacks¡¯ due to a downturn in the economy. However, they all knew the real reason for the layoffs. The new computer system that management had spent the past three months installing had made nearly all of their positions superfluous. Sighing, he mumbled, ¡°It¡¯s the price of progress. I guess¡± looking sympathetically at the pair of them before turning back to his beer. Not that Jeff was overly concerned about his sudden change of employment status. He had never been the ambitious type, content with remaining in low income, low pressure jobs that allowed him to kick back in his plentiful spare time and indulge in his favorite pastimes of chilling, looking for girlfriends (rarely successfully) and gaming; online RPGs and old school table top D&D sessions. Truth be told, Jeff knew that if he had spent half the effort on his career as he had gaming, he would have been a rich man by now. Walid turned to him and raised his beer, ¡°Anyhoo, it was good working with you Jeff. Any thoughts on where your¡¯e heading now, work-wise?¡± Jeff turned to the couple and was about to reply that he hadn¡¯t given it too much thought, when he was interrupted by the sudden blare of the TV behind him. The barman had suddenly cranked up the volume on the TV, in response to the word ¡®BREAKING¡¯ appearing across the screen in huge letters. A harried looking female newsreader came on screen, her hair in disarray, hurriedly squeezing an earpiece in place whilst looking down at a piece of paper in front of her. ¡°Erm.. er.. we seem to be getting reports coming in of some sort of disturbance in Washington DC¡­ Going live now to our DC correspondent Jessica Connors¡­ Jessica, can you hear me?¡± Jessica duly appeared on the screen, but it wasn¡¯t the iconic view of the White House behind her that grabbed all the viewers attention. Hovering above the building, in full unequivocal HD detail, was perhaps the strangest sight Jeff had ever seen. Easily the length of a football field, the sleek gleaming craft hanging over the White House was undeniably alien in origin. Composed of a pearly, luminescent material, it seemed almost organic in nature. The journalist started to describe the scene, but before she could get more than a couple of words out the TV screen flickered, then went dark. A split second later the screen remained dark but began to emit an ear piercing screech. The bartender frantically pointed the remote at the screen, struggling to either turn it off or reduce the volume, to no avail. Jeff looked down at his phone resting on the bar and noticed that it too was blaring out the same tone. At his side, Sally pressed her palms to her ears in an attempt to block the awful cacophony. Suddenly, the noise cut out and the screen began to brighten, a blurred image in the centre of the screen taking on resolution and growing, to reveal a face. ¡°Holy shit!¡± Exclaimed Walid. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Around the bar, a chorus of gasps and shocked cries rang out. A few stools along from them, Kevin, an old barfly regularly to be found propping up the bar in the Volunteer, peered into the shot glass in his hand with a look of puzzlement on his mottled face, exclaiming in a slurred Irish brogue ¡°the man¡¯s fugly as hell¡­¡±. Jeff looked at the face on the TV and had to admit, the description was accurate. All eyes in the bar were fixed on the TV with rapt attention. The creature on the screen had pale grey skin, almond shaped eyes with yellow sclera and solid black centers, and a lemon shaped skull. That was where any resemblance to basic human stock ended. In place of a regular nose, a long wrinkled fleshy trunk or proboscis hung down from the centre of its face, giving the creature a vaguely insectile appearance. Atop its head, instead of hair, was a dirty ivory colored cap or crest composed of a chitin like material, resembling a diseased toe nail. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Wearing a plain white smock or poncho, from which its arms protruded, the alien was seated on a throne like, high backed chair, embellished with golden hieroglyphs or pictograms, too detailed to make out. The grey reptilian arms seemed disproportionately small, almost stunted. At the ends of the arms three black nail tipped claws descended, dangling in front of the figure. Jeff immediately scrutinized the figure, trying to discern any imperfections in the image, but could find none. It did not appear to be computer generated and the level of realism was beyond even the most recent CGI output of Hollywood. The sheer alienness of the character seemed to indicate that this was not a hoax. It, or rather he, began to speak in plain, unaccented English, albeit with a nasal twang. ¡°People of Earth, greetings. I am Vogel Cenk, the appointed representative of the Galactic Assembly for this sector. Our probes have determined that your species has now reached tech level Alpha-3 on the Halix Scale, and so under the rules laid out in Resolution 23-S/RES/2660 of the Galactic Code, you will be required to submit a champion to fight on your behalf in the next iteration of The Tournament. If your champion survives to the end of the tournament, or vanquishes all other combatants, you will be welcomed into the galactic community. ¡°However, should your champion fail to survive the trials, then pursuant to subsection 419 of Resolution 23, your species will be painlessly culled and your planetary resources will be harvested by the Vogel Ascendancy, for the betterment of the galactic community.¡± Once again, the bar erupted with loud expletives and expressions of shock. ¡°Your champion has been selected. See your devices for his likeness¡­¡± Cenk continued speaking out of vision and the screen was filled with a photo of a young man. Not just any man; Jeff stopped, staring stupidly at the screen, at first failing to comprehend what his eyes were trying to tell him. Across the room, at his usual place at the bar, Kevin shouted out in a voice loud enough for the whole room to hear ¡°Jeff, you''re on the Fecking telly, man!¡±. Jeff stood, dumbfounded, in the centre of the room, his friends Sally and Walid still in their seats, their mouths stretched in silent Os of surprise. People around him were muttering and pointing. Some had their phones in hand, aimed in his direction. The picture was from a year or so previous. Bizarrely, it was a head shot of Jeff taken on vacation, a sandy beach and palm trees in the background. Jeff recalled uploading the image to his Facebook page some time ago. The feed reverted to a closeup of Vogel Cenk. ¡°It is standard operating procedure at this stage in the process to broadcast highlights of previous tournaments, for educational purposes.¡± The feed cut to a view of a live audience of Vogels; gathered around a sunken pit, or arena, about the size of a volleyball court. Some, like Cenk wore the same plain smocks, others were dressed in more flamboyant clothing and had decorated their chitinous head covers with what looked like nail polish of different hues, giving them a more feminine air. The audience were making a peculiar chittering, rasping noise, sending a shiver up Jeff¡¯s spine. In one corner, a diminutive, grey and brown furred anthropoid huddled, clothed in nothing but a simple loincloth, clutching an ineffectual looking spear, or pointed stick. The creature resembled an oversized Koala bear, with a cute button nose. However, its eyes displayed an intelligence and warmth that instinctively made Jeff side with it. The hands holding the spear were almost human. Assailing the pitiful figure from all sides were creatures from the realm of nightmares. Something resembling a slug, but the size of a mini-van, reared up in front of the bear. A large maw like orifice opened revealing rows of razor sharp teeth. Milling around behind the slug was a pack of 6 wolves, easily twice the size of their Earthly counterparts. The ursine jinked to one side, nimbly avoiding the lunging slug-analog. It even managed to get a jab in with its spear, scoring a long shallow wound down its left flank from which green slimy blood spurted forth. Standing tall, the bear chanted words in an unfamiliar tongue, and a wave of distortion shot from the tip of his spear, bowling over two of the wolves in his path. Unfortunately two more of the wolves had circled around behind him and now pounced. Before the bear could evade them, they were on him, followed by the rest of the pack. Howling, red eyes glowing, they literally tore the bear to pieces. The scene cut to a view of what was apparently the koalas home planet; mushroom clouds rose over cities and rows of koalas were led off in chains, into the hold of a waiting Vogel ship. Never before in his life had Jeff believed in the existence of true evil; until now. The Vogels in the audience were in paroxysms of ecstasy, throwing their stunted limbs in the air and screeching, their weird rasping chitters a perverse form of laughter, taking pleasure from the spectacle before them. Jeff was wrenched from his trance state by a sharp prod in his solar plexus. In front of him a crowd had gathered, fronted by a belligerent looking man of middling years. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He slurred, obviously drunk. Pushing his face closer to Jeff¡¯s he continued ¡°What kind of game are you playing?" The crowd behind him echoed his sentiment, pushing forward and jostling Jeff, making him stumble and slide off his barstool¡­ Darkness overtook him and he seemed to be falling, falling down through a void covering an immeasurable distance. As he fell, stars and nebulae whirled and coalesced around him; vast clouds of gas shot by at blinding speeds. As he fell he dreamt. In his dream, or vision, he, or at least someone who had a similar appearance to himself, strode through an alien landscape, twin suns blazing overhead. Wielding a dark sword which seemed almost alive, the cloaked figure fought and vanquished monstrous armies, swarming in droves towards him. Strange magical energies surrounded him and emblazoned on his forehead was a symbol Jeff had seen before, but could not remember when; a hexagon inset with an eye. Chapter Two - Class Selection Jeff woke abruptly, drenched in sweat. He was no longer in the bar. Instead, he had somehow been transported to what appeared to be a vast chamber; the walls and ceilings all made of a dull grey metal. The room, if it was a room, was so large he could not make out the far side in the distance, shrouded in mist. Jeff could see no visible light source, but rather the walls, ceilings and floor of the room all seemed to glow with an even, dim luminescence. Resting in the palm of his hand was the hilt of a long scabbarded sword, with a silver pommel inset with a large sapphire, identical to the one he had seen in his dream. Withdrawing it from the scabbard, he revealed a long blade of some dark, non reflective metal, engraved with unfamiliar runes along its length. Jeff marvelled at its lightness; he had assumed from its size that it would require two hands to comfortably swing. As soon as he unsheathed it, he felt an eldritch vibration emanating from the sword. A peculiar feeling of connection and belonging came over him, a sensation of rightness, familiarity, as if he had been waiting for this moment all his life. Jeff¡¯s mind was in a whirl, still slightly day-drunk from the beers he had downed that morning. His first thought was that someone had slipped him a powerful hallucinogen. But the whole thing felt too real, unlike any drug induced state he had encountered before. He felt a sudden sensation, like the tingle you felt when someone was creeping up on you. Dropping to a crouch, Jeff looked around. Seeing no immediate threat, he straightened up¡­. Only to nearly jump out of his skin when a hissing, static filled noise filled his head. The noise did not come from any one direction, but instead was heard directly inside his head. Amongst the static, Jeff heard a voice, garbled and far away, reminiscent of the sound of an old long wave radio, rapidly being tuned to various channels across the dial. Suddenly a voice spoke clearly, again inside his head, and simultaneously, a glowing yellow rectangle appeared in Jeff¡¯s field of vision, directly in front of him. The voice was pleasant sounding, more female than male, but slightly too perfect to be real. As the voice spoke, the same words were written on the rectangle of light. Jeff was unable to pinpoint where the voice was coming from; as he whirled around, so too did the text on the yellow panel, almost like an AR display which was augmenting his view of reality. ¡°Welcome to The Tournament! I am your personal assistant, assigned to guide you through these early levels and ensure you are able to compete to the best of your ability. Would you like to begin Class setup?¡± The words were mirrored in the glowing yellow rectangle in Jeff¡¯s mind¡¯s eye. Below them was a simple dialog box: Start Selection? [Yes/No?] Jeff digested this, thought for a second then said ¡°Can I ask some questions before we start?¡± ¡°Yes certainly¡± replied the smooth toned voice. ¡°What is your name? How do I address you? Are you one of the aliens?¡± ¡°Why thank you for asking Jeff, I am not a Vogel, but I am a creation of theirs. I am happy for you to address me in anyway you please. Pick a name you are comfortable with.¡± Jeff thought for a moment and then announced ¡°I will call you Jinx then.¡± Jinx had been the family¡¯s faithful old Bullmastiff dog, long dead now. Jeff had roamed the slopes of the Smokey Mountains in his youth with Jinx at his side. It was a name he was familiar with, single syllabled and tripped off the tongue easily. Jinx¡¯s hitherto neutral voice seemed to be slightly tinged with pleasure. ¡°Why thank you Jeff, it is an honor to be named after your old, dead dog.¡± Jeff was startled that Jinx knew so much about his family history, but guessed that with the tech at the aliens disposal no detail of his private life was out of their reach. Not sure if he had detected a note of sarcasm in Jinx¡¯s response, Jeff shrugged and carried on with his questioning. ¡°Where am I? Am I on the space ship? Another question, where are the other players in this tournament? How long do I have before the tournament starts?¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°You were never on the ship¡± Replied Jinx. ¡°The moment you were selected you were transported via FTL portal to the nearest regional tournament centre on Selis 2. The other contestants are currently undergoing Class selection and proceeding through the System Tutorial. The first stage of the tournament is scheduled to commence 183 hours from now.¡± ¡°Selis 2? Where is that?¡± ¡°Selis 2 is located in the Helix Nebula, a distance of around 700 light years from Earth.¡± Stunned, Jeff sat down heavily on the ground. 700 light years! All at once he felt lost, more alone than he had ever been in his life. Jeff sat like that for a while, head in hands, until he was shaken from his introspection by Jinx. Start Selection? [Yes/No?] Jeff pulled himself together. Reaching up, he hovered his hand over the word ¡®Yes¡¯. Attempting to press the air did not yield any results. Jinx interrupted his attempts and explained ¡°the system can be accessed by thought alone. You can minimize the feed anytime, you can alter the style and layout, add and remove content simply by willing it.¡± Concentrating, Jeff focused on the Yes and mentally accepted. This seemed to do the trick as a new dialog box filled his inner vision. Warrior Magician ¡°Please select one of the class levels that best suits your personality type. You may request additional information on each class before proceeding.¡± Said Jinx. Jeff noticed that as he focused on the word Warrior, another sidebar opened up with further choices, much like the mouse hover effect used on computers on Earth. Concentrating on ¡®Warrior¡¯ revealed the following selections: Berserker A fierce fighter who can enter a battle rage. What you lack in sophistication, you make up for with sheer unstoppability. Inflict heavy damage on your enemies, whilst being resistant to most physical attacks. As you level up, your brute strength increases accordingly.Level 1 Skills: Red Mist, Juggernaut Fighter A master of the fighting arts, skilled in a selection of weapons and armor. As you progress, you become increasingly more proficient in your chosen fighting style.Level 1 Skills: Battlefield Stalwart Adept Harness the mystical power of chi, the life blood of the universe. Through meditation and practice, progress from a basic iron body to the pinnacle of cultivation: diamond level. Level 1 Skills: Cultivate, Unarmed Combat Scout You are skilled in camouflage, subterfuge and espionage. Hiding in plain sight, you are the perfect fifth columnist, striking your enemies from the shadows. Level 1 Skills: Tracking, Hunting, Stealth And the ¡®Magician¡¯ choice revealed the following: Animal Charmer Be at one with nature. You can talk to the animals, even become an animal in later levels with the Therianthropy skill.Level 1 Skills: Animal Familiar. Steel Mage Dithering between warrior and magical classes? Then this is the perfect choice for you - the best of both worlds. Combine weapon wielding with spell casting to deadly effect. Level 1 Skills: Path of Arcana & Blade. Unlock Necromancer Skill at Level 2. BardThrough the medium of music, unleash powerful magical cantrips on your enemies. You will become expert in the use of an instrument from level one, more skills will be unlocked at later levels. Heal your allies with soothing charms. Level 1 Skills: Siren Song, Banshee Wail Wizard Cast spells learnt along the way to form powerful magical effects; perform alchemical rituals to create potions to both harm and heal.Level 1 Skills: Incantation, Spell Casting Jeff read through the class descriptions with a growing feeling of disbelief. ¡°Magic? You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me¡­¡± he murmured. Jinx, assuming Jeff had posited a question, replied. ¡°I¡¯m not kidding you Jeff. In the world of The Tournament, magic is a reality. Why I believe one of your sages on Earth opined that any sufficiently advanced technology would be indistinguishable from magic. You could say that the elder races of the galaxy, with the supreme Vogels at their head, have reached the apex of technological development; our tech allows thought to be made reality. There is no limit to what can be achieved now. Besides, the wise and mighty Vogel have deemed that in order for The Tournament to be sufficiently challenging, a purely physical competition based on primitive violence would not be sufficient.¡± Jinx continued, obviously warming to the subject. ¡°As well as winnowing out inferior species before they can pollute the life-blood of the galaxy, The Tournament also provides entertainment - entertainment being the only currency remaining of any value in the universe, now that all material wants and needs can be supplied with a thought.¡± ¡°So you would have us fight and die in your tournament to keep you amused?¡± Jeff said in disgust. ¡°Exactly! I¡¯m glad to see you are figuring things out so quickly Jeff. I was worried at first that I had been allocated a lesser intellect.¡± Jinx actually chortled, a happy tone creeping into its hitherto emotionless voice. Jeff mentally shelved any further objections and decided to concentrate on the task at hand. ¡°OK, I notice from some of the class descriptions that I may be fighting as part of a group. Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes Jeff, you will shortly meet the other contestants and the forming of Parties is actively encouraged.¡± So there were two ways to win, it seemed. Either be the last one standing at the end of the tournament, or complete all the challenges, whatever they may be. ¡°Do you have any recommendations for me, or any more relevant information before I choose my class?¡± Jinx hesitated slightly before answering. ¡°It is against my core code to actively attempt to influence the class selection process. However, I will say one thing on the subject. You are carrying an extraordinary weapon, one that has elicited considerable excitement amongst tournament commentators. I would suggest a class that takes full advantage of your skills and possessions.¡± Jeff studied the Class selection table once again. Whilst playing RPGs back on Earth with friends, Jeff usually selected some variant of wizard as his class. This was mostly due to the fact that he resented being stereotyped as a fighter due to his burly physique in the real world. Now that Jeff was being asked to select a class ¡®ITRW¡¯ for the first time, he was reluctant to put all his eggs in the wizardry basket, so to speak. The Bard Class sounded vaguely ridiculous, and the Scout and Berserker Classes seemed too specialized. Without any further consideration, he mentally selected the Steel Mage class. Chapter 3 - First Blood Instantly, a debilitating wave of weakness swept over him. His skin prickled and burned, and a lance of pain shot through his skull, causing his vision to blur. He cried out in pain, but almost as soon as the pain had coursed through him, it was gone. In its place was a feeling of warmth and wellbeing, flooding through every part of his body. Jeff felt changes taking place, down to a cellular level.Laughing out loud in wonder, Jeff sprang to his feet, marvelling at the new strength which had been imbued in his muscles. Jeff hadn¡¯t been a weakling before; workouts and strength training from an early age had ensured he was in good physical condition. Now though, he felt an almost superhuman sensation of power running through his veins. His whole body felt pumped up, and although it wasn''t possible to verify, Jeff felt that he had grown at least a couple of inches in height. His eyesight, which before had been on the verge of requiring laser correction, was now so sharp that Jeff could see the far side of the room. Looking down at his hands he was able to see individual pores and the smallest hairs in such detail it was as if he was looking through a microscope. Gingerly, Jeff ran his tongue between his teeth. What the hell? The edges of his canines and incisors seemed to be sharper, longer than before. His back teeth were broader and more defined as well. Clamping his mouth shut and rubbing his chin and mouth with his hand, he noticed his jaw seemed wider, and more muscular¡­more chiseled. Pulling his phone from his jacket pocket, Jeff studied his reflection. His facial features had been definitely altered by the upgrade, as if the image had been run through a filter to make him look more handsome. Jeff once again returned his attention to the system interface, showing various statistics. DISPLAY PROFILE NAME: Jeff Nostro RACE: Human ALIGNMENT: Neutral Good HEALTH POINTS (HP): 80/80 MANA POINTS (MP): 70/70COINS: 0 Strength: 3 Speed: 2 Vitality: 2 Endurance: 1 Cognition: 3 Offense: 1 Defense: 2 Total Attribute Points: 14/200 CLASS: Steel Mage Level 1 SKILLS: Path of Arcana & Blade (F Grade) Necromancer (Unlock at Level 2) ¡°As you level up your class, new skills will become available. When your combined attribute points reach the maximum you will level up. Of course, the only way to level up is by practice. For this reason we will proceed with the tutorial shortly, in order for you to become proficient with the system.¡± ¡°And Mana points?¡± Jeff asked. ¡°Mana points are used towards the application of spells and various other magical processes. When you start on the Path of Arcana & Blade and practice your necromancy skill, you will find that the larger your reservoir of mana points becomes, the more devastating the effect of your spells will be. The regeneration of your mana reserve can be speeded up through meditation and cycling techniques. You can access all of your available skills through your display console." Jinx continued speaking as Jeff perused the array of statistics in front of him. Lingering on his inventory, he noticed that more information was available on individual items. ITEM: [Long Sword - Stormcaller] Legendary Rank - +12 Offense - Equipped The origin¡¯s of this sword have been lost in the mists of time; some say it was created by a secret society dedicated to ending The Tournament and smashing the Vogel¡¯s tyrannical rule of the galaxy. According to legend, it imbues its wielder with secret powers above and beyond those allocated by The Tournament ranking system. So somehow a Legendary sword had fallen into his possession. When he glanced down at the sword, he saw that below the silver pommel was engraved the same symbol he had seen in his vision - the eye in the hexagon. Jeff wondered once again at the selection process and how he had come to be in this situation in the first place. Jeff looked once again at the ¡®Skills¡¯ section of the display. Mentally prodding the first item on the list, revealed a window showing several new choices. Path of Arcana & Blade
  1. Infinite Sword. One blade becomes many with this technique. Transforms a melee weapon into one capable of a ranged attack
  2. Cutting Edge. Increases the sharpness of a blade 10-fold, causing greatly increased damage
Necromancer (Unlock at Level 2)
  1. Soulsucker. Used in conjunction with a magical offensive weapon, can draw mana and HP directly from the victim
Jeff selected the Infinite Sword technique and waited. And waited. ¡°Nothing¡¯s happening¡­¡± ¡°You need to use the skill in conjunction with your weapon to activate it.¡± Said Jinx. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Jeff pulled Stormcaller from the sheath on his back and held it out in front of him. Once again he activated the technique. As he waved the long sword in front of him in an arc, a shimmering line of light appeared its edge, emanating outwards away from him. SCHWING¡­ Jeff heard a swishing sound, as if hundreds of blades were being swung in front of him. Apart from the unearthly sound, there was no other effect. Jeff did notice however that a bar had appeared in the corner of his vision, showing that his mana points had been depleted, dropping from 70 to 50. Disappointed at the underwhelming technique, Jeff was about to sheath his sword when Jinx spoke up. ¡°That technique requires targets in order to fully observe the effect. Permission to deploy moving targets?¡± Jeff gave his assent. ¡°Targets are generated randomly from memories and racial archetypes from your subconscious. This will improve game play during the tournament and increase audience engagement. By the way, this feed is being broadcast live on your home planet and throughout the galactic metaweb right now.¡± Jeff made out a group of four figures, slowly moving in his direction. As the group got closer Jeff heard the noise of a revving engine. Squinting, Jeff slowly started to make out more details. The diminutive characters slowly shambled towards him, one of them twirling a gas powered chainsaw round and round his head, which was the cause of the racket. A glowing yellow nimbus the color of the system dialog hovered over their heads, indicating that more information was available. Jeff focused on the lead figure and mentally selected its stat console. NAME: Leetus Nakraz RACE: Goblin ALIGNMENT: Neutral Evil HEALTH POINTS (HP): 30/30 +10 MANA POINTS (MP): 10/10 REWARD: 10 Coins Total Attribute Points: 9 There was no mention of a class, or a breakdown of the creature¡¯s attributes in the stats console, so Jeff assumed that this was not a piece of information made immediately available by the system. The creatures were short, with green skin, pointed ears and features so exaggerated they were almost cartoon-like, but despite being non-human in appearance, they were also strangely reminiscent of the rednecks Jeff had grown up with in the Smokey mountains. Unhealthy complexions covered in bad tattoos, clothed in ill fitting farm-wear, mesh trucker hats and red baseball caps, their bodies were grotesque and misshapen. The bizarreness of the spectacle was accentuated by the sterile background the group marched through, the polar opposite of the normal rural setting in which you would find such types. The one wielding the chainsaw was wearing a full face mask made from patches of human skin crudely stitched together, from several different victims by the looks of it. Behind the rough eye holes two glowing red orbs blazed malevolently. The other two goblins started to lumber ahead of the group, slack jawed and bleary eyed, snaggle toothed mouths hanging open. Jeff pulled himself together and once more leveled Stormcaller at the two approaching goblins and activated the infinite sword technique. This time, as well as hearing the sound of blades whooshing he was able to see an effect. Multiple cuts appeared on the bodies of the two monsters; the shoulder straps of the bib overalls of the one on the right were cut through, causing his pants to fall down around his ankles, tripping him over in the process. ¡°You cut me¡­¡± moaned the leftmost goblin, blood dripping from multiple wounds on his torso and arms. A glowing bar had appeared directly over the character, revealing that his health had been reduced by 50%. Roaring in rage, he charged at full pelt towards Jeff. This time Jeff decided to activate the Cutting Edge technique; bringing the sword crashing down onto the head of the approaching figure. Jeff was equal parts amazed and horrified when the sword sliced all the way through the skull with no resistance - the creature¡¯s head, neck and upper body were completely bisected, affording a grisly anatomical view of its innards. Jeff was distracted from the disturbing sight by a tinkling, ringing sound, reminiscent of the noise an electronic slot machine makes when you hit the jackpot. In the corner of his vision a cascade of stylized gold coins rained down. Still distracted by the gory spectacle of the bisected corpse, Jeff failed to notice the other goblin bearing down on him with the chainsaw. Almost too late, he managed to grapple with the creature, preventing it from lowering the spinning blades of the saw towards him. Meanwhile, Leetus had approached from the other side and latched on to him in a bear hug. Lowering his head, he bit Jeff savagely on the shoulder. He hissed in his ear, a terrible stench emanating from his gaping maw. The goblin¡¯s teeth razored through flesh and muscle, inflicting a serious wound from which copious amounts of blood began to flow. Panic setting in, Jeff shouted out ¡°Jinx, switch them off, NOW!¡± but received no response. Jeff elbowed Leetus in the face and kicked the other approaching goblin between the legs, giving him valuable seconds to stumble back. Jeff was losing blood rapidly, a steady stream pumping out of his shoulder and streaming down his arm, causing him to almost lose his grip on the now slippery hilt of the sword. Taking Stormcaller in a two handed grip, he swung at the chainsaw wielding goblin now approaching him, simultaneously triggering the Cutting Edge technique¡­ to no effect. Jeff realized belatedly that he was out of mana points. Even without the technique, Jeff still managed to inflict a serious blow on the creature¡¯s arm, nearly severing the limb and more importantly causing him to drop the chainsaw. Jeff was about to step in to administer the coup de gras but Leetus was fast approaching, hissing and snarling in fury, his mouth and lower face smeared with Jeff¡¯s blood. Spinning round Jeff planted his foot in Leetus¡¯s face, knocking him to the floor. Losing patience with the whole thing, Jeff stepped forward and slashed down with his sword, neatly decapitating the creature, his head, red baseball cap still attached, rolling several yards away. Once again the stylised slot machine payout sound rang out and more coins cascaded down the right side of his vision. Meanwhile the other goblin was struggling to pick up the still spinning chainsaw with his one good arm. Stepping forward and thrusting with his sword, Jeff skewered him neatly through the eyehole of his leather face mask, causing the red light in the other mask hole to flicker and die out. The one remaining combatant was still rolling on the floor, his legs tangled in his overalls, flopping uselessly. Jeff stood over him, panting. Clutching at his bleeding shoulder, he shouted angrily ¡°Jinx, where were you goddammit? I told you to stop!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Jeff, it is not possible to cancel a training session until all the targets have been eliminated.¡± Grumbling, Jeff stood over the last goblin, about to bring his sword crashing down once again. Suddenly he was struck by the spectacle before him; the goblin peering up at him from its supine position, rendered harmless by its clothing malfunction, seemed almost pitiful to Jeff. Fascinated, Jeff¡¯s eyes travelled the length of the goblin¡¯s body. The attention to detail was astounding, from the bad mullet hairstyle from which two goblin ears poked forth, down to the tattoos adorning its torso. The goblin stopped struggling and stared up at Jeff malevolently. ¡°Leetus was my best good friend and you killed him¡­ Ima gonna get you back for that you hear?¡± Jeff stared down at the goblin in disbelief, feeling some qualms about killing the creature in cold blood. ¡°Jinx, this¡­ thing seems very realistic to me, does it feel pain?¡± ¡°No Jeff¡± replied Jinx ¡°It is merely a construct, like in your video games. Think of it as a something like a non player character. We cannot move on the next stage of the tutorial until all targets are eliminated.¡± Jeff reminded himself that he was in a battle for the survival of his whole species. Strengthening his resolve, he pushed the point of Stormcatcher into the creatures chest. The goblin wheezed once before expiring. As before, coins poured down the right side of Jeff¡¯s vision. Chapter 4 - To The Victor… Jeff walked over to the still spinning chainsaw and switched it off. Suddenly feeling extremely worn out, Jeff slumped to the ground beside the corpse of the NPC. Shrugging out of his ruined jacket, Jeff examined the bite wound in his shoulder, from which blood continued to flow freely. He pulled a handkerchief from a side pocket in his pants and attempted to staunch the wound.¡°Jinx, I need medical treatment for this, do you have any suggestions?¡± ¡°Yes Jeff, I think now would be a good time to move on to the next stage of the tutorial. Did you notice how you received rewards when you dispatched the targets? If you look at your system interface you will see how many coins you have been awarded and you can then access the market to make purchases.¡± Calling up his inventory Jeff saw that the statistics had changed since his battle with the goblins. NAME: Jeff Nostro RACE: Human ALIGNMENT: Neutral Good HEALTH POINTS (HP): 39/80 MANA POINTS (MP): 4/70 INVENTORY:ITEM: [Long Sword - Stormcaller] Legendary Rank - +12 offense - Equipped COINS: 87 Strength: 5 Speed: 3 Vitality: 3 Endurance: 2 Cognition: 4 Offense: 3 Defense: 4 Total Attribute Points: 24/200 CLASS: Steel Mage Level 1 SKILLS: Path of Arcana & Blade. Necromancer (Unlock at Level 2) Jeff ran his minds eye over the stats, noting a slight increase in all of the indicators. As was expected, his mana points had been reduced to near empty due to the use of his skills during the battle. ¡°Practice makes perfect Jeff¡± explained Jinx in a didactic tone. ¡°As you grind your way through the challenges of the tournament, you will see your stats grow exponentially. The next evolution of your class will take place when you have successfully grown your stats to the required level and mastered your skills. Make sure that you grow each of your attributes at roughly the same pace, you ideally need to reach the figure of 33 for each of them, this level.¡± ¡°What happens if they don¡¯t grow at the same speed?¡± Jeff questioned, noting that his Strength was more than double his Endurance. ¡°You will still be able to level up, but if your Attributes become more uneven over time you will have increasing difficulty progressing through your Class. Now, turn your attention to the coins in your inventory. You may have noticed during the fight with the goblins that you were awarded coins on successful termination of a target.These rewards are dual sourced; you will automatically be allocated coins by the system as you proceed through the challenges, and you will also be able to reap rewards and patronage from viewers on the metaweb. Try to make your gameplay as exciting as possible to entice more coins from your fanbase. Now here¡¯s how to use the coins in your inventory.¡± Jeff recalled that the goblins stat display had listed their reward value as 10 coins each. That meant he had been awarded a further 47 coins from viewers of the battle. A new option blossomed in Jeff¡¯s mind, something like a virtual catalog appearing in his inner vision. Similar in some ways to an Earthly online shopping site, the front page was a catalog of product types, divided into two main subheadings; Magical Items and Equipment. As he drilled down through the different categories, he was bewildered by the huge variety of goods on offer. Hoping for a different way to browse the list, he mentally called up a search dialog and input the concept of health, healing and medicine. Immediately the list shimmered and adjusted, now only displaying items fitting the search criteria. The topmost item on the list, an [Elixir of Health], was way outside of his price range however, costing 500 coins. Jeff adjusted the display to rank the items from lowest price first. Now he was presented with a few potential choices. The first one, a Herbalism Kit at only 5 coins was unsuitable, as the sterile environment around him had not a single plant growing in it, let alone a herb in sight. Moving on, Jeff inspected the next item on the list, a Potion of Healing for 50 coins. Still in great pain from his wound, Jeff did not hesitate and selected the potion. Instantly the coins were deducted from his balance and a new item, Potion of Healing, appeared in his inventory list. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ITEM: [Potion of Healing] Common, +50 HP COINS: 37 ¡°Well done Jeff, you have made your first purchase. Now access the potion by selecting it from your inventory list.¡± Jinx instructed. Jeff summoned the potion from his inventory and it appeared instantly in his hand. Jeff examined the item. He held a small glass vial containing a strange red liquid, fizzing and effervescing constantly. ITEM: [Potion of Healing] Common, +50 HP A single use magical potion, transferrable. Grants the user 50 Health points. Jeff cautiously removed the stopper, which appeared to be made of some substance resembling rubber, and raised the vial to his lips. Throwing caution to the wind, Jeff downed the strange liquid, which coursed down his throat and settled in his stomach. Instantly, a wave of warmth and wellbeing spread out from his gut to his whole body, erasing all of his aches and pains. Jeff stared down at his shoulder, noting in wonderment that blood had ceased to flow out of the wound, and the ragged gash caused by the goblin¡¯s teeth was visibly closing before his eyes. Jeff noted that his HP had risen back up to full, and his Mana Points were also creeping back up, still not full but they seemed to be replenishing at the rate of 1 per minute, so at this rate they wold also be back up to full capacity within another half an hour. Jeff took a moment to reflect on the events of the day so far. He felt that he should be more shaken up, especially after receiving the serious wound that he did. It seemed that the transformation he had undergone when he selected his class had toughened him up mentally as well as physically. Standing up, he moved over to the body of the nearest goblin, deciding to look through its possessions in the hope of finding something useful. Secured at its waist by a crude length of twine was a strange looking knife in a scabbard, the blade crafted from something like bone, or perhaps a long tooth. Setting it aside, Jeff rifled through the pockets of the goblins overalls and found little of interest, just a glass pipe which had obviously been used to smoke something, as it had a layer of nasty brown crud on the inside. Jeff looked at the bone knife again; by concentrating he was able to summon an overlay with more information. Glowing yellow data appeared: ITEM: [Goblin Bone Dagger] Common, +2 Offense A goblin bone dagger is usually bestowed on a child on his or her fifth birthday. Goblins are expected to use these daggers on their first hunt as a rite of passage to goblin adulthood. Experimenting, Jeff mentally pulled the dagger into his inventory. To his amazement it worked, and the dagger faded out of existence in front of his eyes. Trying again, he pulled Stormcaller into his inventory too. The sword and scabbard disappeared from his back where it was hanging and his inventory was updated once again. Jeff played around with the function a few more times, making sure that he could get access to the weapons as and when needed. He found that he could equip himself with the sword and the new goblin dagger with a simple thought, the weapons appearing straight into the palm of his left or right hand when required. Out of curiosity, Jeff pulled one of the coins from his inventory and inspected it physically. Roughly the size of a US silver dollar, one side was stamped with the likeness of a Vogel, wearing some sort of crown, the other side showed two crossed swords in a circlet of stars. Biting his lip, Jeff barely managed to stop himself from making a snarky comment about the Vogel¡¯s parentage. Moving on, Jeff continued looting the dead goblins. The next two corpses were disappointing; they had no weapons or much loot of any value, just some suspicious looking dried meat wrapped up in a dirty kerchief, and a faded monochrome photo of an old female goblin, smoking a pipe on the porch of a dilapidated shack in a forest setting. Jeff pulled the items into his inventory anyway, reasoning that storage space seemed unlimited, and there was no knowing what would or would not come in handy at a later date. Picking up the chainsaw he mentally inspected it. ITEM: [VogelCorp Ether Powered Chainsaw] Common, +2 Offense Studying the machine, he saw it was equipped with a simple throttle control on the handle, and along the side was an analog dial which showed the fuel tank was three quarters full. He pulled it into his inventory and moved on to the last goblin. A search of Leetus¡¯s corpse revealed a crude wooden amulet hanging around his neck on a plain silver chain. Depicting a three headed god of some kind, the identify function revealed the following information: ITEM: [Periapt of The Erstwhile Tree Gods] Uncommon, +2 Vitality, +2 Endurance.In addition to the vitality and endurance boost, will grant the wearer +10 HP Pulling the chain over his head, Jeff noted that it did indeed increase his HP pool, as well as adding to the vitality and endurance stats. NAME: Jeff Nostro RACE: Human ALIGNMENT: Neutral Good HEALTH POINTS (HP): 80/80 +10 MANA POINTS (MP): 23/70 ITEM: [Periapt of The Erstwhile Tree Gods] Uncommon, +2 Vitality, +2 Endurance, +10 HP - Equipped COINS: 37 Strength: 5 Speed: 3 Vitality: 3+2 Endurance: 2+2 Cognition: 4 Offense: 3 Defense: 4 Total Attribute Points: 24/200 Jeff noted that the additional Vitality and Endurance Points bestowed by the [Periapt of The Erstwhile Tree Gods] did not make it into the Total Attribute Points amount. Calling up the marketplace interface once again, Jeff decided to spend the remaining coins on protective equipment. His options were limited to a few basic choices, but Jeff finally settled on a coat of ring mail for 30 coins, which added 2 points to his defense attribute. The downside was the weight of the armor, at least 40 pounds of extra bulk. ¡°Well Jinx, what¡¯s next?¡± Asked Jeff. ¡°At this stage it is standard procedure to continue training, and work on leveling up your stats. The first stage of the tournament is scheduled to commence 180 hours from now so I suggest spending at least half of the remaining time available to you here in the sim chamber before we move on to the lounge.¡± ¡°What¡¯s in the lounge?¡± Jeff asked curiously. Visions of comfy couches and platters of delicious food passed through his mind. ¡°The lounge is where you will meet and interact with the other contestants in The Tournament, before proceeding to the first round.¡± Jinx replied. Jeff remembered Vogel Cenk¡¯s words in his first broadcast ¡°vanquish all other combatants¡± and felt a reluctance to rush to the lounge without first improving his stats as much as possible. Who knew how friendly his fellow contestants would be? Pulling a protein bar from a side pocket of his pants, he said to Jinx grimly ¡°Let¡¯s continue grinding through the training shall we?¡± Chapter 5 - The Daily Grind Jeff stood waiting, sword in hand. Despite Jinx¡¯s attempts to reassure him that deaths ¡®hardly ever¡¯ occurred during the tutorial, he was on guard for anything. This time, after the flash of light in the far corner of the sim chamber, no music, but instead a rattling sound, together with a sibilant, almost hypnotic hiss reached his ears first. With a sinking feeling, Jeff stared at the approaching shape, undulating and writhing across the floor towards him. NAME: Mistress Kessia RACE: Ningish Serpent ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Evil HEALTH POINTS (HP): 40/40 MANA POINTS (MP): 30/30 REWARD: 30 Coins Total Attribute Points: 29/200 ¡°Snakes. That¡¯s just great¡­¡± He muttered to himself. Jeff had felt an aversion to snakes from an early age. Once, while attending kindergarten at the age of 5 during a particularly hot summer in the city, he had been bitten by an escaped rattlesnake. The owner of the facility had her living quarters above the children¡¯s play area, and her boyfriend, a reptile enthusiast, had forgotten to close one of the cage doors in his vivarium. Luckily, the paramedics had administered anti-venom in time, so the symptoms of the snakebite were mild, but Jeff remembered spending the next few days tossing and turning in his bed, drenched in sweat and unable to sleep. The creature approaching rapidly towards him was like no Earthborn snake Jeff had ever heard of. He reckoned she was at least 25 foot long and thick as a telegraph pole, brightly patterned in alternating bands of purple and yellow along her length. Her massive head was hooded, like a cobra, and from her sinister mouth poked forth a forked tongue at least a foot long, hissing and tasting the air as she slithered towards him. Finally, she was equipped with a massive rattle at the end of her tail from which emanated the disturbing noise Jeff had noticed initially. Mistress Kessia paused around 30 feet in front of Jeff, coiling her body sinuously round and round until she had created a pile of her own body from which her head emerged. Peering straight at him with her inscrutable sapphire colored eyes, she opened a black lipped mouth and spoke in a decidedly feminine voice. ¡°Greetingsss Jeff. We can do thisss the hard way, or the easssy way. Your choice.¡± Peering up in the air, Jeff called out in a voice laden with scorn ¡°Come on, is that the best you¡¯ve got - a crappy Jungle Book rip off?¡± Kessia abruptly reared up and opened her mouth wide to reveal a cavernous mouth equipped on either side with two wicked looking fangs. Rocking her head back then abruptly forward, she spat an arc of fluorescent green fluid directly at his face. Taken by surprise, Jeff was unable to dodge the viscous stream in time, some of it hitting him on the side of his face and dripping down his neck. A notification flashed up on his interface. [You¡¯ve been poisoned] Ningish Serpent Neurotoxin Venom - -10HP, 30% reduction in Strength, 50% reduction in Cognition Jeff stumbled backwards, frantically wiping at the green slime on the side of his face. Luckily for him, the poisonous jet had missed his eyes, but the pain of the acidic liquid was bad enough. What¡¯s worse, Jeff felt a strange trancelike mood slip over him, reducing his ability to think straight. Shaking his head, he ran at the serpent, shouting an incoherent battle cry. Kessia uncoiled herself and darted forward to meet his charge. As Jeff approached, he raised Stormcaller over his head, bringing it crashing down on the reptile¡¯s snout. Kessia at the last moment swerved to the side and avoided being struck directly between the eyes, but Jeff still managed to slice through the scales on her right side, creating a long shallow wound from which oozed dark blue blood. In response, Kessia began to glow, scales lighting up along the length of her body as she triggered some skill. Her jaws gaped open, wider than seemed physically possible, revealing the cavernous interior of her mouth. The serpent reared up above him; still disorientated by the neurotoxin, Jeff had no time to react as Kessia dropped down on him in an impossibly fast blur, her mouth so wide he caught a glimpse of her razor sharp teeth passing by as he was swallowed whole. Jeff¡¯s head and upper body were now being squeezed violently by the rows of muscles lining Kessia¡¯s gut. He could feel his feet still sticking out of her mouth but the rest of him was being constricted brutally, and Jeff felt himself start to pass out from the pressure and lack of oxygen. He had dropped his sword on the ground as he was being swallowed, not that it would have done him any good as his arms were pinned against his sides by the peristaltic movement of the snake¡¯s digestive system. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Trying not to panic in the dark humid environment of Kessia¡¯s belly, Jeff thought of the goblin dagger and pulled it from his inventory into his right hand. Using the last of his strength he stabbed outwards and managed to pierce a hole to the outside. However try as he might, he was unable to make the hole any larger with the bone blade. Remembering at the last moment the [cutting edge] skill, Jeff was able to use the goblin knife to slice a hole wide enough to escape out of, kind of like unzipping a sleeping bag from the inside. Jeff rolled out of the gap he had created, covered in Kessia¡¯s slimy internal juices. By chance, Stormcaller was close to hand, so Jeff was able to grab the sword and swing at Kessia¡¯s head as she lunged down towards him. His strike was a clean one, and Kessia was completely decapitated; her head went flying across the floor, tongue still protruding and issuing an angry hissing sound, whilst her body slumped to the ground, unmoving. Sighing in relief, Jeff brushed himself down and examined his most recent wound. An angry blistered welt covered one side of his face, where he had been struck by the neurotoxin. Gingerly dabbing at it with a disposable tissue, Jeff managed to clean it up somewhat, and the pain began to subside. However, he felt that another Potion of Healing was required from the store. Calling up the store interface to make the purchase, he was surprised to see that the stock of coins in his inventory had not increased after defeating Kessia. ¡°Jinx, what happened to¡­¡± he started saying, only to be interrupted by a sharp pain in his leg. Glancing down in shock, he saw that Kessia had somehow come back to life and was biting into the flesh of his lower left leg. Kicking out with his other foot, he managed to dislodge the snake¡¯s teeth from his calf muscle. Seriously pissed off now, Jeff struck down again and again with his sword, succeeding in hacking off the serpent¡¯s head once more. Panting, Jeff kicked the head off to one side and then turned back to observe what happened to the bleeding stump at the end of Kessia¡¯s now shortened length. A green glow emanated from the stump, and in front of his eyes, a new head started to grow. Within a minute, a ripple ran down the length of the body and the newly grown head was complete. Kessia opened her eyes and almost seemed to grin at him. ¡°You can¡¯t defeat me that easily, Jeff.¡± she hissed, opening her mouth wide and spitting another stream of green neurotoxin at him. Jeff dodged the flow of poison and once again sliced through the creature¡¯s neck. This carried on for some time until Jeff decided to employ a different technique. Grasping her head in one hand, he used his other hand to stuff her tail into her wide open mouth. The tail went in easily and despite Kessia¡¯s struggles, Jeff was able to continue to feed the bulk of her body into her mouth; the more he fed in the smaller she got. She went from something the size of a space hopper¡­ then a basketball¡­ then down to a baseball in size. Finally she was no bigger than a golfball. Jeff continued squeezing and rolling, until with a pop, Kessia was no more than a greasy stain on the palms of his hands. Once again, Jeff was rewarded with more coins, denoting the end of the challenge. He quickly purchased a Potion of Healing from the store and downed it in one. Exhausted, Jeff flopped to the ground and let the potion do its work. Soon he had fallen into a deep sleep. Jeff awoke feeling both hungry and dehydrated. Looking through the store, he purchased a [Magical Water Flask] for 20 coins which provided an infinite stream of pure drinking water. Quenching his thirst and using the cool clean water from the flask to clean up as best he could, Jeff¡¯s thoughts turned to food. The last time he had eaten seemed like days before, and the protein bar he had found in his pocket earlier had not made much of a dent in his hunger. No food was available on the store unfortunately, so in desperation, Jeff pulled from his inventory the dried meat he had looted from the goblins earlier. Hesitantly, he took a small bite of the meat, which had the look and texture of biltong, a type of cured beef he ate on occasion. The flavour was good, reminiscent of chicken. Jeff hesitated no longer and tucked in to the tasty strips of unidentified meat. From the severed heads of Mistress Kessia which lay scattered about the floor, he harvested 12 of her sapphire like eyes; [Ningish Orbs of Mana Replenishment], which according to Jinx, would temporarily boost his available Mana points by 50%. Jeff decided to hold off on using these, reasoning that they would be more effective when he had levelled up and grown his Mana point pool. The next two ¡®days¡¯ proceeded in similar fashion. Jeff defeated a succession of system generated NPCs, managing to raise his Total Attribute Points to 67/200. He also managed to collect a variety of different loot items of varying value, including an enchanted helm that gave +5 defence, a bladder filled with poison harvested from a field of purple worms, a stout pair of magical hobnailed boots (in his size) which he liberated from a cockney speaking Orc, and a bag full of edible toadstools which gave a +5 HP buff with every mouthful. He¡¯d also built up a decent stash of coins for future purchases in the store. NAME: Jeff Nostro RACE: Human ALIGNMENT: Neutral Good HEALTH POINTS (HP): 80/80 +10 MANA POINTS (MP): 70/70 INVENTORY: ITEM: [Long Sword - Stormcaller] Legendary Rank - +12 Offense ITEM: [Goblin Bone Dagger] Common, +2 Offence ITEM: [VogelCorp Ether Powered Chainsaw] Common, +2 Offense ITEM: [Periapt of The Erstwhile Tree Gods] Uncommon, +2 Vitality, +2 Endurance, +10 HP - Equipped ITEM: [Ningish Orb of Mana Replenishment] Rare, +50% Mana Boost (temporary) x 12 ITEM: [Ring Mail] +2 Defense - Equipped ITEM: [Helm of Enchantment] +5 Defense - Equipped ITEM: [Orcish Battle Boots] - +2 Speed - Equipped ITEM: [Bag of Fairy Life-Cap Mushrooms] +5 HP with each mouthful (76% remaining) COINS: 189 Strength: 11 Speed: 7+2 Vitality: 9+2 Endurance: 9+2 Cognition: 14 Offense: 8 Defense: 9+2+5 Total Attribute Points: 67/200 CLASS: Steel Mage Level 1 SKILLS: Path of Arcana & Blade, Necromancer Finally Jinx declared that he had improved his stats enough to proceed to the lounge to meet the other contestants in the tournament. Squaring his shoulders, he pulled Stormcaller from inventory and held it in readiness by his side. ¡°Ok Jinx.¡± he signalled his ascent. Once again, Jeff fell through a seemingly endless void, dimly lit by distant nebulae and stars. The journey was far shorter than the previous time, and after only seconds he found himself standing on level ground once again. Jeff turned to look at his surroundings. He was outdoors this time; an Earth-like sky stretched overhead, punctuated occasionally with small fluffy white clouds. He stood on a vast plane which went on for miles in all directions, apart from a small mountain in the near distance. The ground underfoot was hard compacted clay of some sort, with the occasional lowly shrub or weed poking through. The totally normal looking sun hanging directly overhead gave a pleasant warmth, and Jeff felt himself start to perspire with the added bulk of the ring mail. Seeing no immediate threat, Jeff stowed the armor in his inventory, but kept Stormcaller in his hand, just in case. A new system notification popped up. Pre-Tournament Elimination Round Reach the Lounge within the time limit. Stay Alive. A flashing yellow arrow appeared in his vision, pointing towards the small mountain in the distance. At the summit an icon appeared, labelled ¡®Lounge¡¯. A countdown started ticking down in the corner of his vision. He had just under 24 hours to reach the destination. Sighing, Jeff shelved the visions of comfy sofas and some real food for now, and started trudging in the direction of the mountain. Chapter 6 - Disconnect Fracta ran across the barren landscape, heading for the mountain in the distance. Her 6 limbs were more suited for traversing the cavernous interiors of hollowed out asteroids, and on this high gravity world her mass was twice as much as she was used to; nevertheless she was making good progress, with over 132 chronos remaining on the countdown to reach the lounge.Once more she attempted to reconnect to the Hive, pouring all of her energies into establishing a link, once more she was met with failure. Never had she felt so alone in all her life. It was well known that to be out of contact with the Hive_Gestalt for this length of time could cause serious, sometimes irreversible psychological damage. That¡¯s why the Tesek¡¯s most recent exploratory forays into the outer planetary system and the Oort Cloud had required the careful placement of hive relays along the way, allowing the collective empathic flow to reach the colonists. When the Vogels announced that she was the selected champion, the species elders had quickly created a seed of racial energy for her, to fortify her on her journey, bolstering her will and giving her the strength to carry on. Looking inwards and feeling that warm seed of hope implanted in her core once again, Fracta managed to shrug off the disconnection fugue and set her sights on the mountain and the lounge at the top, now coming into view. The mountain was steep sided, almost perfectly conical in shape, with a flat plateau at the top upon which the lounge sat. Now that she had halved the distance to the base of the mountain, Fracta could see a set of stairs cut into the the sheer rock slopes, spiralling around the flanks of the peak and ending at the lounge. Fracta judged that the staircase began halfway round the right side of the mountain, so she adjusted her path accordingly. Taking a look on either side of her, Fracta suddenly noticed that she was not alone; to her left she spied an upright figure, also walking in the general direction of the mountain. On her right she noted another shape, also heading directly towards the stone staircase at the base of the mountain. As all three of them were heading towards the same point, their paths should converge shortly before reaching the base of the mountain. Fracta had got through the class selection and tutorial, aided by the strange machine voice in her head. On its advice, she had chosen the Scout class, as her race was more naturally suited to guile than head on confrontation. The tutorial chamber, with its omnipresent lighting and lack of nooks and crannies had not been an ideal testing ground for her new Skills, but she had overcome all of the system-generated hazards thrown at her, nonetheless. Suddenly, she noticed that the figure walking parallel to her on her right had simultaneously sped up and altered course slightly, meaning their paths would intersect before reaching the mountain. The cilia covering her thorax and abdomen involuntarily stood upright and pigmented chromatophores in the surface of her skin activated, causing her to change color rapidly - an involuntary process from an evolutionary past designed to scare off predators. When the approaching figure was only a couple of hundred meters from her, it uttered a bestial roar and charged quickly across the remaining space between them. Fracta scrutinized the creature as it hove into view. NAME: Ztiral RACE: Tawg ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Evil HEALTH POINTS (HP): 90/90 +10 MANA POINTS (MP): 30/30 REWARD: 230 Coins Total Attribute Points: 97 Bearing down on her rapidly was a creature that would be at home in the worst nightmares of the Tesek race; a red hued insectoid, its carapace clad in overlapping shielded segments, fully 3 meters in length. The beast walked on four legs with two further manipulators at the front, one holding a long metallic spear of some kind. From the other end of its long abdomen a large stinger extended out, curving back to hover menacingly over its head. From ridges inset in the front of its carapace, two beady black eyes stared menacingly at her, and below them a grim mouthlike orifice was guarded on either side by a couple of ever moving mandibles. Belying its animalistic first impression, the creature had some sort of crude electronic component bolted to its head, no doubt some sort of mental augmentation. An overpowering aura of killing intent emanated from the thing, extending several meters all around. Waves of almost palpable hatred swept over Fracta, causing her to shudder and lose concentration briefly. ¡°For the the Tawg Empire! And Clan Maboa!¡±It shouted. Fracta had no time to wonder how the creature was able to speak perfect, unaccented Tesek, before it was upon her. Fracta immediately deployed one of her new skills, [Shadow Walker], and to the insectoid, it was as if she simply vanished into thin air. Moving quickly, Fracta ran in a circle around it, excreting a double thread of metallic silk from the spinnerets at the end of her abdomen. After a couple of circuits, the Tawg was completely wrapped up in the sticky threads, which despite their fragile appearance were stronger than steel. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Fracta¡¯s race had long ago disdained their planet¡¯s surface, preferring instead to move skyward and populate their star system¡¯s asteroid belt. Evolving in space for aeons had tweaked and improved some of their natural abilities, such as web spinning. Unable to maintain its balance, the creature stumbled, tripping over its own legs, and sat down heavily on the ground, temporarily incapacitated. Deciding to beat a hasty retreat, Fracta immediately continued on to the staircase at the base of the mountain. Her [Shadow Walker] skill had already started to fade as she moved rapidly away. Suddenly she came to an abrupt stop, in excruciating agony. Looking back along the length of her body, she saw the heel of Ztiral¡¯s spear protruding, the rest of its length embedded between her sternum and abdomen, pinning her to the dusty desert floor. Bearing down on her fast was the red insectoid, roaring in fury, still partially wrapped in tattered lengths of her spun silk. Bracing herself against the pain, Fracta pushed her abdomen upwards and to the side with all of her limbs, freeing her from impalement and leaving the spear still stuck in the ground. Groaning in pain, she hastily purchased and drank a health potion from the store, before turning to the Tawg bearing down on her. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± She cried angrily, whilst simultaneously guessing the answer. It dawned on her that The Tawg would both gain coins from killing her, and at the same time eliminate a potential rival in the upcoming tournament. A child of the Tesek race would never have thought along such lines, as harmony, cooperation and empathy were enshrined in their society from birth. ¡°We can help each other!¡± She cried out in one last, desperate attempt to derail the Tawg from the course it was intent on. ¡°Tawg does not parlay with genetic garbage. Tawg over all!¡± Hissed the insectoid coldly, before activating another skill, causing the air to quiver around Fracta. Fracta tried to move away from the Tawg to gain some more space to defend herself, only to discover that the skill the insectoid had activated was some kind of ranged attack, designed to slow down an opponent; Fracta felt as though she was wading through a thick gel, every movement was about three times slower than normal. Quickly she deployed the other skill in her arsenal, [Paper Weight], which speeded up her movements and decreased the effects of gravity. Running sideways, she went on the attack and sped towards the insectoid, who was taken by surprise with her sudden change of tactics. Scuttling rapidly up its flank, Fracta latched herself onto the insectoid¡¯s back and, using a knife she had looted from an NPC earlier, stabbed down through one of the gaps in the creature¡¯s armor. Bright pink blood welled up from the wound she had created. In response, the Tawg attempted to hit her with its fearsome stinger, stabbing down at her repeatedly. Still boosted by the [Paper Weight] skill, she easily evaded its strikes, jinking from side to side nimbly while retaining her commanding position astride the monster. Stabbing down at another gap in the Tawg¡¯s armor, Fracta managed to once again draw blood. Despite this she noticed that the creature had lost very little HP as a result of her attacks, whereas she had only half her Health Points remaining, despite the healing effects of the store bought potion. Abruptly, the Tawg activated all four of its legs, propelling itself high into the air and then crashing back down, causing Fracta to lose her footing and land in a heap in front of it. The Tawg quickly seized advantage and grabbed her third limb with one of its manipulators, which Fracta now saw were equipped with shear like claws at the end. Snip¡­ and her leg was gone. Black ichor began to ooze from the stump, and Fracta wailed in agony. She knew instinctively that the leg would regrow within weeks, but the sight of the empty space where her third limb should be sent a visceral shiver of fear through her. The insectoid chuckled harshly, sensing her fear, and moved forward to cement its advantage, reaching out for another of her limbs to snip off. Suddenly it froze in mid-lunge, its senses alerted to a movement nearby. Fracta looked round also, grateful for any cessation in the fighting, however temporary. Striding towards them from their left was a strange, upright creature, tottering along on two limbs, with another pair of limbs hanging uselessly at its side. NAME: Jeff Nostro RACE: Human ALIGNMENT: Neutral Good HEALTH POINTS (HP): 80/80 +10 MANA POINTS (MP): 70/70 REWARD: 230 Coins Total Attribute Points: 67 Fracta took the opportunity to move back whilst the Tawg was distracted, but did not attempt to escape the scene immediately. Instead, she took another look at the strange figure facing them. In shape it reminded her somewhat of a medicinal root the elders grew in the caverns of Aureli, used to treat constipation. A stubby, hair topped node sat at the top of a column like trunk, equipped with fleshy protuberances on either side, no doubt some sort of sensors, plus a beak like structure in the middle above which two startling blue eyes resided. The being was covered in a fleshy, delicate looking outer skin, over which it wore garments of some kind. Fracta sensed a warmth and positivity in the being¡¯s aura, but also noted a steely determination underpinning it. It proceeded to open its pink rimmed slit like mouth, and spoke.¡°I think we are all here for the same purpose, the survival of our species. I see no reason for us to fight. Rather, let¡¯s work together to get through this.¡± Jeff paused, no doubt waiting for a response. Once again Fracta noted that the creature, or ¡®Jeff¡¯ as she noted from its system stats, spoke clear unaccented Tesek. No doubt the tournament was utilising the same translate function on all the entrants. Fracta immediately spoke up. ¡°Jeff, I agree. I wish only for harmony and peace. Ztiral, I beg you, reconsider your tactics.¡± Ztiral growled and reached down to pick up his spear, lying in the dust at his feet. ¡°Weak, decadent, degenerate. I will gain great honour from destroying you, and thus eradicating your species from the universe.¡± ¡°Wrong answer pal.¡± Jeff sighed, a long black blade appearing in his hand. The fight that followed was brutal, but short. Fracta harried the Tawg, sniping occasionally with her knife and entangling its limbs with her silk, whilst Jeff hacked off large chunks with his blade, empowered with a Skill that enabled him to easily slice through the monsters integument. Finally, Jeff and Fracta stood panting, looking over the Tawg¡¯s smashed and dissected corpse. They were awarded the reward coins equally by the system, and both of them immediately purchased more Potions of Healing from the store to revivify them after the arduous battle. For a moment they stood in silence, their mood somber, as they both knew that the killing of Tawg condemned its entire species to death and enslavement by the Vogels. Jeff turned his eyes towards Fracta and she noted the corners of his mouth quirk upwards slightly; reading his aura, she detected a note of amusement as he spoke. ¡°Hi Fracta, I¡¯m Jeff. Good to meet you¡­¡± He held out one of his upper limbs towards her, the 5 digits at the end pointing towards her. Fracta hesitated for a moment, still disturbed by the human¡¯s bizarre anatomy. However, realising this was a symbolic moment, she also extended one of her pedipalps towards the man, cilia along its length lighting up and strobing a rainbow patter of friendship. And all of a sudden, Fracta did not feel quite so alone anymore. Chapter 7 - The Ascent As the dust settled from the battle against the the Tawg, Jeff and Fracta had cautiously approached each other, uncertain of the other''s intentions. Fracta''s multitude of eyes examined Jeff carefully, her mandibles clicking softly. Though she was a giant fur covered spider, to Jeff her form possessed a certain beauty in its complexity, with intricate patterns on her carapace and a ceaseless ripple of multiple colors passing through the cilia on her limbs. Jeff had been hesitant at first when he saw the two monstrous creatures battling on the barren desert floor. The scene had reminded him of some old Ray Harryhausen stop-motion animation movie from the 1950s. What changed his mind was the fact that the huge arachnid was not the aggressor but was rather attempting to flee. After the short battle, Jeff had felt oddly moved when his symbolic gesture of extending a hand in a gesture of friendship had been accepted by Fracta. He sensed no malevolence from her. The opposite in fact - he had immediately felt comfortable in her presence. "Thank you for your help," Fracta said, her voice surprisingly melodic, each syllable resonating from her body like the plucking of a harp. "I am Fracta of sub-clutch 12, sector 7 grouping. I am here to compete in this tournament." Jeff processed that silently for a second then responded. ¡±I''m Jeff, from Earth. Looks like we''re in this thing together. You fought well back there. That creature didn''t stand a chance.¡± Fracta tilted her head, considering him with her compound eyes. "I appreciate your assistance, Jeff. I have never been disconnected from my Hive_Gestalt before, and it is¡­ disorienting. Your timely arrival was most fortuitous.¡± Jeff stared down at the Tawg one last time. ¡°Why did it choose to fight us?¡± He wondered aloud, a sombre note in his voice. ¡°It is something to do with its alignment¡± Fracta replied. ¡°I asked my machine helper in the training room what the definitions were. Lawful good, neutral good, chaotic good, lawful neutral, neutral, chaotic neutral, lawful evil, neutral evil, or chaotic evil.They all represent a different attitude to authority, and how we interact with other peoples.¡± She went further. ¡°You and I are the same alignment, Neutral Good, so we share a similar world-view and moral and ethical code. We may find that we naturally partner up with others similar to ourselves - the evil alignments will no doubt be our natural enemies.¡± Jeff thought about this for a moment. Although he wanted to keep his moral compass throughout the course of the tournament, he also had already decided to win at all costs. He looked across at Fracta and hoped there would not come a time where he had to make a painful decision. They took a moment to tend their wounds and divide up Ztiral¡¯s loot. As well as the system allocated reward, which was distributed evenly between them, they found some other items of value on and around the corpse. It seemed that on the demise of a contestant, the possessions held in their inventory were deposited on the ground by the side of their body. Fracta kept the spear, which on inspection was intricately inscribed with a long fractal like pattern down its length. [Spear - AetherStrike] - +10 Offense. Empowered with unerring accuracy, Aetherstrike never misses its intended target. Consumes 10 MP per use. Cooldown: 30 seconds. Jeff found a wicked looking morning star next to the insectoid. [Shuriken - Tooth of Shadar] + 5 Offense. 1. When thrown, the Tooth of Shadar follows a unique trajectory that allows it to return to the thrower''s hand after striking its target or reaching its maximum range. The shuriken''s path can curve around obstacles and corners, making it a versatile and agile weapon. 2. Ricochet Strike: The Tooth of Shadar possesses the ability to ricochet off solid surfaces, allowing it to hit multiple targets with a single throw. The shuriken can bounce up to three times before returning to the thrower''s hand. Jeff was happy to add this item to his inventory - he had been lacking any ranged weaponry and the shuriken would work well with his Path of Arcana & Blade. Jeff tore off a piece of the remaining goblin meat in his inventory and handed it to Fracta. She eagerly accepted and began consuming the flesh, her mandibles making quick work of it. A shiver passed down Jeff¡¯s spine at the sight. No vegans here - she was indeed a carnivorous creature, something he had already suspected based on her formidable mandibles. Before continuing their journey towards the mountain, Jeff decided to take a moment to review his stats. NAME: Jeff Nostro RACE: Human ALIGNMENT: Neutral Good HEALTH POINTS (HP): 80/80 +10 MANA POINTS (MP): 70/70 ITEM: [Long Sword - Stormcaller] Legendary Rank - +12 Offense ITEM: [Goblin Bone Dagger] Common, +2 Offence ITEM: [VogelCorp Ether Powered Chainsaw] Common, +2 OffenseITEM: [Periapt of The Erstwhile Tree Gods] Uncommon, +2 Vitality, +2 Endurance, +10 HP - Equipped ITEM: [Ningish Orb of Mana Replenishment] Rare, +50% Mana Boost (temporary) x 12 ITEM: [Ring Mail] +2 Defense - Equipped ITEM: [Helm of Enchantment] +5 Defense - Equipped ITEM: [Orcish Battle Boots] - +2 Speed ITEM: [Bag of Fairy Life-Cap Mushrooms] +5 HP with each mouthful (46% remaining) COINS: 489 Strength: 22 Speed: 10+2 Vitality: 10+2 Endurance: 10+2 Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Cognition: 15 Offense: 8 Defense: 9+2+5 Total Attribute Points: 84/200 CLASS: Steel Mage Level 1 SKILLS: Path of Arcana & Blade, Necromancer He noticed that his strength had significantly increased after the battle with the Tawg. The other stats had seen some modest gains as well, but not to the same extent as his Strength stat. Jeff remembered a conversation he had with Jinx, who had mentioned that it was always a good idea to balance the growth of his stats. Jeff made a mental note to focus on developing his other attributes more evenly, ensuring that they would all reach a harmonious balance by the time he accumulated the total of 200 points. The timer had been steadily ticking down, and now only 18 hours remained for them to reach the lounge. They continued on. As they trekked towards the mountain, Jeff listened intently as Fracta recounted what had happened when she had been selected by the Vogels as her people¡¯s champion.. Her voice carried a mix of pride and melancholy as she described her life within the Hive Mind and her selection as her people¡¯s champion. "In the Tesek star system, we live in a vast network of interconnected colonies, where each member of the Hive Mind contributes to the greater good," Fracta began. "We share thoughts, emotions, and experiences through a psychic link, creating an unparalleled sense of unity and harmony. But it also means that any threat to one of us is a threat to us all.¡± Fracta looked at Jeff, her antennae twitching thoughtfully. "And so, here I am, far from home and disconnected from the Hive Mind. I must rely on my own strength to survive this tournament.¡± Reaching in to a pouch built in to her abdomen, Fracta pulled out a crystalline green hexagonal prism, glowing with an inner light. ¡°This is a Hive Seed. My only connection to the Hive_Gestalt. But the connection is weak¡­ I feel.. alone¡­¡± Jeff nodded, impressed by Fracta''s bravery and resolve. He peered at the prism, wondering what tech it employed to create such a link. His cell phone had no signal so he presumed it used something other than radio waves to connect. ¡°You are not alone, Fracta. I¡¯m here. Let¡¯s get through this together.¡± He felt a kinship with her, as they both faced the daunting challenge of the tournament and the responsibility of representing their respective worlds. As they approached the base of the mountain, the landscape grew increasingly treacherous. The once-flat terrain transformed into a gauntlet of sharp rocks and deep chasms. Jeff and Fracta made their way across the last two hundred meters of jagged rocks and rubble, cautiously jumping across ravines and sinkholes. Jeff clambered across a jagged rock near the staircase, his arms and legs covered in cuts and bruises from the journey. He grimaced from the pain but pushed forward. Fracta, on the other hand, was better suited for this type of terrain. Her many legs provided stability, and her natural ability to adhere to surfaces enabled her to traverse even the most precarious of routes. Her carapace had completely healed already from her skirmish with the Tawg, showcasing her impressive regenerative capabilities. As they approached the beginning of the staircase, the pair rounded an obscuring rock and saw that there was some sort of toll booth at the base of the stairs. They approached cautiously. Leaning out through a hatch in the booth was a strange gnomish creature. It had a bulbous nose, ears that seemed too large for its head, and wiry grey hair sticking out in every direction. Its eyes were a piercing shade of green, staring impassively at them as they approached. "Morning," it grunted, despite the fact that the sun was still overhead in the exact same position it had been when they first set foot on the plain. "Fastpass, get your fastpass here," rasped the creature, waving a book of tickets above its head. Jeff and Fracta approached the booth and got a good look at the staircase for the first time. Now that they were up close, they saw that there were two staircases next to each other, climbing in a spiral around the mountain to the summit. One was a rough-hewn stone staircase, seemingly cut out of the rock of the mountain. Next to it, separated by a yellow hazy force field of some type, was an escalator - a moving staircase of some sort. Jeff and Fracta peered up the dual sets of stairs, noting that judging by the speed at which the moving stairs proceeded up the mountain, using them would probably halve the journey time to the top. "How much for a ticket?" Jeff inquired, taking the lead in the exchange. Fracta watched on, still slightly confused by the whole concept of capitalism and the exchange of tokens for goods and services. "500 coins each," the gnomish-looking character rasped, a greedy glint appearing in his eyes. That was more money than Jeff had in his possession, although through conversation with Fracta, he knew she had over 600 coins. Their combined balance would be enough for two tickets, but they would be cleaned out. Jeff turned to Fracta. "What do you think? Spend all our funds or climb the mountain the old-fashioned way?" Fracta deliberated for a second. "Let''s walk up - I''m not convinced the fastpass is worth it..." Jeff also sensed a trick of some kind. Entering the lounge with no funds seemed a tactical error to him. The gnome cranked up his marketing a gear. "Bloodthirsty predators with razor-sharp claws and teeth are eager to feast on your entrails... They lurk in the shadows!" He ended the sentence with a shout. Jeff and Fracta ignored the dire warnings of the gnome and continued up the stone staircase. As they climbed higher, the air grew thinner and more frigid, making each breath a struggle. A brisk wind picked up, nudging them as they ascended the ancient stone stairs and causing them to stumble. The wind howled through the crags, an eerie chorus that threatened to blow them off the treacherous mountainside. Mesmerizing sparks of light danced in the air, and they began to notice an unusual quality to the wind gusting across the mountain''s flanks. It seemed to carry an almost tangible energy, a magical essence that appeared to respond to their presence with growing intensity. A thick layer of ice coated every surface, glistening in the weak sunlight. Icicles hung like daggers from the rocks lining the path to the summit. Jeff found it increasingly difficult to maintain his footing on the slippery, ice-encrusted steps. Fracta, however, was faring better; her fur-like cilia had puffed up, forming a protective barrier against the bitterly cold wind. Her natural agility and experience aided her in traversing the treacherous stairs. Occasionally, Jeff noticed the familiar yellow haze surrounding her, indicating that she was using her [Paper Weight] skill to facilitate her ascent. Concern began to gnaw at Jeff as they continued their arduous ascent. Both of them had been awake for a considerable amount of time without rest, and the countdown timer showed a mere 8 hours remaining. His mind was plagued with more general worries about the tournament and his overall chances of success. A heavy pall of existential dread settled over him; his shoulders slumped, and his pace slowed. "Jeff¡­ you are such a loser¡­" a sinister voice whispered in his ear. "Just give up. You''ll never make it in time¡­" Jeff looked around sharply. Fracta had also paused, her antennae swiveling this way and that in confusion. "The wind feels...alive," Jeff remarked, the swirling, twinkling gusts of air enveloped them in mesmerizing patterns. Fracta nodded, her antennae twitching with foreboding. "Indeed. I sense a fell aura emanating from the breeze. It is as if the mountain itself is testing us, probing our abilities and our resolve.¡± Now Jeff realized the source of his anxiety. Squaring his shoulders, he steeled himself against the taunting wind whispers and pressed onward up the stairs. They persevered for another grueling half an hour, battling against the malevolent, light-infused air that seemed intent on hindering their progress. Twice they saw other contestants, whipping past them on the fastpass escalator. Each time, Jeff and Fracta were beset by doubts. ¡°You should have taken the fastpass¡­¡± the wind whispered in their ears. To distract themselves from the taunting whispers on the wind, they engaged in conversation on the way up. Fracta clicked her mandibles together, a sign of curiosity. "Jeff, I''ve been studying your physiognomy and I am curious about how humans interact sexually. Could you enlighten me?¡±Jeff coughed, his face turning red despite the chill. He hurriedly explained the mechanics of mammalian reproduction to the arachnid. ¡°I am also interested in your mating rituals. Explain please.¡± Jeff chuckled nervously, unsure of how to explain the eccentricities of human courtship, and not wanting Fracta to know how inexperienced he was on the subject. "Ah, well, you see, human mating rituals can be pretty strange. It often starts with two people finding each other attractive, either physically or emotionally. Then they might participate in various activities to get to know each other better." "Like what?" Fracta asked, her multi-faceted eyes glittering with interest. "Well," Jeff began, desperately trying to work the question out in his own head too. "They might go out to eat, see a movie, or just take a walk together. Sometimes they exchange small tokens of affection, like flowers or chocolates." Fracta tilted her head, clearly puzzled. "You exchange plant reproductive organs and sugary substances? That''s... endearing?" Jeff laughed, realizing how bizarre human rituals might seem to an alien. He also wondered how good the translation system was. ¡±Yeah, it can seem strange, but it''s a way of showing our appreciation for each other. Then, there''s also this thing called flirting." "Flirting?" Fracta repeated the word, trying to understand its meaning. "It''s a playful way of interacting, where we give compliments, tease each other, or use body language to express our interest," Jeff explained, demonstrating some of the gestures. Fracta''s antennae twitched, and she attempted to mimic Jeff''s movements, causing him to burst into laughter. "This is... highly inefficient," she commented, amused by the complexity of human social interactions. "Yeah, we humans can be pretty weird sometimes," Jeff agreed, still chuckling. "But that''s part of what makes us, well, human.¡± ¡°How about you? Any boyfriends?¡± Jeff asked curiously, but also wanting to deflect the conversation away from his poor showing in the girlfriend department. ¡°No Jeff, I have not reproduced. I have not yet found a suitably delicious Tesek to mate with.¡± Jeff was confused by the use of the word ¡®delicious¡¯ and was about to question Fracta further, but the intensity of the wind went up several levels, making further communication difficult.