《The Incompletionist》 Chapter 1: A Treatise on Camping Chapter 1: A Treatise on Camping It is a bit of a tradition to start this type of story with camping. I don¡¯t really know why that is, but it might just be how these things go. Anyway this is what happened to me and, I swear, it is all true. *** It was a good campsite with sandy loam soil. The morning¡¯s intermittent misting rain had drained quickly enough that the early spring sun was enough rid of the small hilltop clearing of any residual moisture by midday. We hiked through a maze of the limestone slump blocks, small caves and sandy washes as we pushed our way back in time. The maple and oak strewn forests common in the area gave way to the hemlocks, beeches, hickories and black birches that took up residence in these forests before the last ice age. They have survived ever since within the shelter of the sandstone cliffs and gulches. No destination or purpose to the hike or really the trip itself, but enjoying a long weekend in the hills. The evening was cool enough that the fire was welcome, but not strictly necessary. It was also mercifully dry. The cliffs and hills typically trapped moisture like a bowl in the evening, as the forest exhales its misty, piney, peaty breath once the heat of the sun has faded. The moon rose large, hung low and gave the forest a peaceful silvery sheen. Good food, good drink and mostly good company made it easy to lose our sense of time. The stars drifted by on the clear night, but my alarm came far too early. I started awake as the insistent mechanical chime burst through my dreamscape with the punch of adrenaline that an unexpected interruption while sleeping can bring. Through the fabric of my ultralight single tent I could see that the moon was still with us, still looming large over our little leisure expedition, which put the chiming alarm even more out of place. If the unexpected alarm was a curiosity in the gloom, then the chorus of deep, sustained booming noises that immediately followed were a matter of urgent consideration. Opening my tent flap, I could see loose particles of the sandy loam soil dance with the vibrations in pulsing through our camp. Opening my tent flap a little further, I could make out something moving in the dim skies west of our camp. It looked like a fair number of those ancient hemlocks and birches sheltering beneath the sandstone cliffs were marching along the path down the hill to the south of our camp. Obviously not the first thing that I expected to see, but after a rapid puzzle through all of the earthquake, landslide and sinkhole based scenarios and microburst of uncomprehending terror, I had to suspend my disbelief. I can remember dreaming once, decades before, that I had some kind of Sayian-like powers and that the whole world was out to get me. I was always trying to hide in plain sight and I was always getting caught, but I got a little better each time. They were just normal people and they couldn¡¯t stop me, but they certainly could inconvenience me. It got lonely and eventually I heard my own voice over a store intercom letting me know that I was asleep and that the world was a dream. As a sufferer of chronic boredom with extremely limited social skills, I spent plenty of my waking and sleeping hours dreaming of all manner of fantastical things, but this wasn¡¯t one of them and it didn¡¯t feel like a dream. This felt real and dangerous in a way that those dreams never did. Then one of the trees stooped down, picked up my car and winged it at a nearby block of sandstone. As the rest of the trees started to follow suit with the rest of the cars, my mind quickly cleared of old dreams and unexpected chimes. We all have our own stress response and when things get bad time stretches out in front of me and it feels like I have every opportunity to reason through all the options. It is actually a kind of nice feeling, but it never lasts too long. The same held true in this case, as watching a Hemlock launch your Forester at a cliff really helps you get centered and stay present. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Do trees hate cars? Not sure. Possibly relevant, but not really immediately relevant. If you throw enough cars at enough giant rocks, will one of them eventually explode. Definitely relevant and definitely yes. That one goes to the top of the list. Even at the top of the hill dirt, small rocks, safety glass and the occasional bit of automotive debris rained down on our campsite. The air was thick with dust and the acrid, pungent smoke of burning plastic and oil and hot metal. Visibility was momentarily low, but it was obvious both that it was time to go and that leaving by car wasn¡¯t an option. I scrambled out of the tent and reached a couple of larger rocks near the edge of the southern decline of our hilltop campsite with a quick, graceless stumbling crawl. As the dust thinned I was almost relieved to see that the trees'' motivation in their automotive caber toss was something beyond simply cutting off our best means of escape. I say almost relieved because the sandstone giants that seemed to be pulling themselves together from the very slump blocks and boulders below us were extremely off putting in their own right. As quickly as they emerged, they began to return fire with a gusto that equaled the arboreal fury that had just cost me my crossover SUV just moments before. Maybe three minutes had passed since the first chime. However, everyone was up and at ¡®em early with a strong interest in a brisque predawn hike. I grabbed Queakers, my day pack and my camp lantern from my tent, struck a course directly opposite the chaos below and legged it post haste. A quick look back confirmed that everyone was right behind me, though in various stages of disarray. No one was really said much of note during that initial flight from our campsite. I don¡¯t think anyone really knew what to say. If anyone had a theory, they kept it to themselves. We all focused on putting some distance between us and whatever the hell was going on at the bottom of that hill. That is not to say that everyone was quiet. There was a good mix of intermittent hysterical yelping and some unintelligible whimpering, but no real talking. Queakers was also having none of these shenanigans. She had initially been shocked silent, but her canine pride and indignation were aroused once we made it a safe distance from camp and she was barking her head off as I carried her over my shoulder. She was making it extremely difficult to navigate whatever old game trail we were on in the mix of moonlight, lantern light and rough terrain that made our path more shadow than light. However, I wasn¡¯t going to set her down. She was the dog of my dreams and I wasn¡¯t going to lose her here. There was no sign of pursuit, but we kept the pace even as the noise began to fade behind us. The moon was edging down toward the horizon and, as the minutes ran on, shock gave way to confusion, panic and disbelief. Fortunately we shared a tacit agreement that we¡¯d keep pushing until there was no doubt we were in the clear. As we were fleeing, I didn¡¯t have a single thought that wasn¡¯t about how to keep the pace, where to move, where it might be safe to stop and how to get there. I typically have an excellent sense of time, but I couldn¡¯t tell you how long it took for us to finally pause in what was by then a still and silent wood to consider what to do next. We were in a large clearing and I could hear a stream winding its way through the trees in the distance. We hadn¡¯t fled to exhaustion, but plenty of us were close and once we stopped moving it was going to be hard to get moving again quickly. Jim collapsed next to me on his back, knees arched and pointed to the sky. Karen, Kelly and Sarah had Queakers in a death grip snuggle. Queakers was pretty relaxed and devouring the attention, while simultaneously using the opportunity to beg for jerky and canteen sips. Nothing special there. Erin and Karl were nervously eyeing the treeline as Lyle and Lando did a quick circuit of the meadow to get the lay of the land. I was surrounded by friends. Friends who miraculously had not only survived that surreal scene in the woods below our campsite, but were uninjured despite the doubletime night hike and the detonation of at least one car. I lay on my back, quite tired from lack of sleep. I looked up at the indigo sky tinged with purple and pink and then brilliant golden yellow as the gray clouds lit with another dawn. Yeah. Chalk another one up for camping. Chapter 2: Introductions The fact that I was already tired of camping was good news. Unbeknownst to me I had in fact transitioned from camping with somewhere to call home to just plain wandering. Freeing really once you get the hang of it. Projecting back the shift from a camping state of mind was vital. *** I know that hell is other people, but in general I could have done much worse than the crew currently huddled up with me in the large clearing we had stumbled into following our flight from the unnatural commotion that manifested just south of our camp. I am not talking about survival skills, I had no idea about that, but if I had to guess we were in bad shape. No. This group shined where it counted, a minimum of drama, hysterics and idiocy. Shockingly no one was really panicking at this point. The general mood was one of confusion, apprehension, curiosity and trepidation. Thankfully Jim took charge of the conversation and did an admirable job at that, but to really understand the outcome, it is important to understand the players. James ¡°Jim¡± Douglas - Before college Jim spent a few years touring the country and even Europe repping for BMX bike manufacturers. He¡¯d do stunts on the bikes and connect with crowds of BMX fans. He was great at both. Athletic, charming, intelligent and all around capable, Jim studied coding in college and was a solid early professional in the tech industry. He was a friend so old that I had actually gotten confused when I was like seven and I thought we were family for a couple of years. Karen Hay - Karen was a natural leader and Jim¡¯s fiance. I had only known her for a few years, but I knew that no matter what the situation she would figure out the best way to tackle it head on. Compassionate, empathetic and extremely intelligent, she and Jim made a great couple and an amazing team. In college she was a decathlete and professionally she was a rising star at a competitor to the tech firm that Jim worked for in the city. I fully expected to work in a warehouse in the vast corporate empire that she would no doubt one day rule with Jim. Kelly Borthwick - A friend of Karen¡¯s from college, Kelly was, by all accounts but mine, charming, sophisticated and attractive. She was also into things like marketing and power lunches. She was more calculating than compassionate, but I have to admit she was clever. I tried to stay on good terms with Kelly for the sake of keeping my life simple and it generally worked, though I did take care to use superior strategy, creativity and the element of surprise to consistently beat her at board games. I knew it annoyed her and I enjoyed the way that she played it off like she wasn¡¯t that competitive. Petty I know, but I am kind of petty sometimes. Sarah Bruce - If Karen gave off cool big sis vibes and Kelly gave off evil step sister vibes, Sarah gave off cute, fun loving little sister vibes. Quite a few in our small group had crushes on Sarah of one stripe or another and everyone had some instinct to protect her. Also a friend of Karen and Kelly from college, Sarah was intelligent and empathetic and, of everyone in our gang, my most frequent conspirator and partner in crime. I think that she had a job, but I don¡¯t know what it was. Her family seemed really wealthy and though she wasn¡¯t flashy about her family¡¯s resources she also never really seemed to have a care in the world. However, if Sarah put her mind to something, heaven help you if you tried to resist, because it was going to happen. Erin White - One of the trio White siblings that worked with Karen at Penatrode or Innatrode or whatever tech firm she was at. Erin was a competent engineer who was very nearly obsessed with Sarah. It was the friendly, worshipful type of obsession, it was a source of some annoyance for Sarah. I didn¡¯t really know her that well. She was in good shape, was generally quiet and often kept to herself. She also occasionally shot me jealous, competitive vibes with respect to my relationship with Sarah. She was both transparent and misguided in this, but no one is perfect. Stolen novel; please report. Karl White - Karl the eldest of the White siblings. Karl was a charismatic development manager that worked with Karen. Another founding member of the Sarah Bruce fan club, Karl seemed a little old for Sarah and for hanging out with us in general. To look at him you would think that he was an actual adult with his own friends and something better to do, but if history was any guide that wasn¡¯t the case. He had a Porsche and it was moderately amusing to watch Sarah totally ignore him, but he wasn¡¯t really a jerk. Roland ¡°Lando¡± White - I am not going to say meathead, but Lando wasn¡¯t known for his witty repartee. He was a big guy who looked like he was training to lift a car for some reason. He was totally obnoxious when he was drunk, but otherwise he was a lot of fun and generally a good person to have around. He wasn¡¯t in a relationship with Karen with any official dimension that I could identify, but he did seem to take his orders from Karen more often than not. Lyle Anders - Lyle was a weird dude. Always in the right place at the right time with his perfect smile, it seemed like everything just kind of worked out for Lyle. It was like he was always channeling his inner Ferris Bueller without really trying too hard. Lyle was the only member of the group initially connected through me rather than the Karen - Jim axis. I met Lyle playing racquetball and we just sort of hit it off. He was not complicated to deal with, had unexpectedly interesting ideas and liked many of the same things I did. Queakers - One badass dog if you needed a snuggle. Queakers was a bichon frise of great agility and intelligence, but was like fifteen pounds soaking wet. She was well trained, had a communication board that she could use to talk with a vocabulary of about 20 words and was very into what she saw as her family unit. A highly developed economy of roasted peanuts and head scratches ensured Queakers¡¯ absolute loyalty to me. So like I said, not really a bad group, but we were in kind of bad shape. The exhaustion of our night hike had tamped down the gang¡¯s energy a great deal, but we were in a surreal situation and everyone was on edge. Those of us that had phones had no signal, which was no surprise as they hadn¡¯t worked all weekend in this remote location. We were cut off from an easy means to call for help and in the light of day it was clear that we needed a plan. We had to get a line on the situation in the woods, especially the level of danger it presented, and strategy to get out in one piece. Jim suggested that we split into three groups. One group would hike out to the main highway in search of help and a path out of the woods. One group would carefully retrace our steps to the campsite and assess the situation. One would sit tight in the clearing and prepare a new camp in the event that we couldn¡¯t make it out that day. We were deep in the forest, not so deep that we couldn¡¯t get back to civilization with the supplies that we had, but also not in a position to pop over to a ranger station and ask for help. Our plan was one notch, and one bichon frise, above splitting up to look for clues that the supernatural monster was really a guy in a weird camo diving suit, but I had to agree that it made the most sense. It hedged our bets in case we couldn¡¯t get out that night, while identifying the threats and opportunities that we¡¯d need to understand to take the right next steps. I don¡¯t know when they had time to discuss it previously, but Jim and Karen were pretty much a united front on the merits of the plan and everyone else fell in line pretty quickly. Erin had brought her map with her when we left camp and apparently had a good idea of where we were. She volunteered to lead the group headed to the highway and Lando and Jim volunteered to go with her. I volunteered to lead the group to sneak back to our camp and assess the situation. I felt like I had to understand what happened and I fancied myself as stealthy as anyone in the group, so I figured it made sense. Lyle and Kelly volunteered to come with me back to the camp. Everyone else was going to work on setting up what they could in the clearing in case we were stuck here. I am not really clear on what they were planning to accomplish, but Karen seemed to have a plan. We all planned to meet back in the clearing by noon with whatever information we had collected and plan our next steps. I handed my pack off to those that were staying behind, Sarah agreed to take care of Queakers and, just like that Lyle, Kelly and I were headed right back the way that we had come just a short while ago. Chapter 3: Sticks and Stones Splitting up seemed like it could have some drawbacks and part of me felt investing energy in building a new camp was a waste. Part of me felt like we should all put our faith in Erin¡¯s navigation and make a beeline for the road. However, the situation was so far outside of the norm it felt like we couldn¡¯t count on experience to be our guide. Leaving ourselves in a situation where there was only one path forward was dangerous if we didn¡¯t really know where it led. We were cautious and conservative by nature, which ultimately served us well. Our experience at the campsite had been unexpected and surreal enough to elicit a sort of rational fear, but it had been brief and indirect enough that there wasn¡¯t really any trauma to unpack at this stage. Everything had an edge of unreality and it was easy to sort of shade our experience from the prior night in doubt. What really happened and how did it happen? We hadn¡¯t been injured or specifically threatened, so it was easy to be curious and convince myself that I¡¯d be cautious. I could tell that my mind was foggy and I wasn¡¯t really firing on all cylinders, a lack of sleep and physical exhaustion were likely contributing to my malaise. I have watched much anime, read many webtoons and spent way too much time immersed in game lit and progression fantasy to not be the circumstances vaguely familiar. I often felt that the characters in these properties were a little too willing to accept the logic of games being overwritten on reality and then on the other hand appeal to scientific principles or social logic. Despite this critique, I was almost a little hopeful. I had never been very good at the chaos of the real world, so the idea of a system of rules for society that are knowable and accessible was always so tantalizingly attractive. I knew that we weren¡¯t going to find some portal or dungeon obelisk in the woods that would whisk us to some fantasy realm, but I was curious what we would find and I wanted to see it for myself. I have no idea what Kelly was thinking when she volunteered to come with Lyle and me, but I was glad that she did. In all likelihood she was all the reality check that we¡¯d need. The trip back to our former campsite was slow going, but not a very difficult hike. The game trail was plenty narrow in spots and there were plenty of roots and smaller rocks with the occasional boulder or crevasse where a slump block had broken up over time or the limestone had leached from underneath and caused a small collapse. There was a stream winding through this part of the forest and you could hear it burbling along through the rocks and the dirt. No telling how it would change this forest in another hundred thousand years, but for today nothing looked disturbed or out of place. We also took extra time because we were looking for signs along the trail or movement or really anything amiss. The most interesting thing that we spotted was a great horned owl. Don¡¯t usually see those guys during the day or at all really. He looked at us, jumped off the maple branch on which we had spotted him resting and flew silently into the forest. Nothing was stirring in the vicinity and nothing had followed us last night that left any sign. Lyle, Kelly and I were mostly silent as we went and it was a quiet and peaceful hike. *** The hike to the road was a perfect spot for Erin to shine. She was an experienced hiker and in good enough shape to make the trek in time, especially with Jim and Lando. She was confident because she had calculated everything out. She had used her map to identify the best path to the road given the density of the forest and the terrain and done the math. It was a 4.5 mile path that snaked between the slump blocks, streams, sandstone cliff and limestone caves to gradually make the 1000 feet of elevation change from their current position to the nearest road. Using Naismith¡¯s Rule Erin figured that would be 4.5 miles at 3 miles per hour with an extra half an hour for the 1000 feet of elevation change for a total of 2 hours on the trip out. Say an hour at the road and then the same 4.5 miles and 1000 of elevation change on the way back would put the whole trip at 5 hours. It was just about 7:00 AM, so yeah a perfect trip by the numbers. Hiking through that type of terrain at 3 miles per hour would be a real push, but Lando and Jim were good for it and Erin knew that she could make it happen. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Erin took the lead and set the pace from the jump and Jim and Lando fell in line behind her. She had her map and her orienteering compass and she was going to navigate this thing to the minute Red October style. That isn¡¯t to say that she was focused on the map. No need. She had the map pretty well memorized before this little camping trip even got started, but it was useful for the time checks every 15 minutes to check their progress against her estimated pace for that segment. It is important to note that these were not breaks, there was no time for breaks in the plan and Erin hardly even slowed down as she made her checks. The three of them scanned the forest as they picked their way along the ¡°trail¡± that Erin had selected, but nothing jumped out (figuratively or literally). They got into a groove. Jim and Lando struck up some kind of inane conversation about how great it would be to dirt bike along this route, which transitioned to an ode to how great dirt bikes were a priori. Erin didn¡¯t pay them any mind, they were keeping pace and she was right on time. They should hit the road in five minutes. Except they didn¡¯t. Five minutes just about on the nose and they were standing right where State Route 245 should have been , but there was no road. Erin knew the road had to be there. She had driven down it a few days before on her way to camp, but it wasn¡¯t a washout or a landslide. There was no debris or evidence of a road at all. It was like the road had simply never been constructed. The forest continued unbroken, the earth wasn¡¯t graded and she couldn¡¯t see anything. Erin decided that the three of them should hike another 10 minutes in the direction they had been traveling and then work together for 20 minutes to complete a concurrent search of their immediate surroundings. They would then take a 20 minute rest before heading back to the clearing. Lando found a couple of walnut trees that appear to have dropped their bounty all over the ground in a mess of green pods and shells already deprived of their meat by sharp toothed squirrels. Nothing else of interest. *** We crept up to the hill where we had camped very slowly. We had taken a quick break about a mile out to get aligned on a plan for the actual approach. We would continue to move straight back the way we came and then fan out to hit the southeast, south and southwest points of the roughly oblong hill that we had camped on for the past few days. The idea was to stay low, be sneaky and spend 10 minutes in position observing before meeting again about a quarter mile back into the woods on the trail to the clearing on the hill¡¯s north side. I made my way to the southern edge of the hill, but both Lyle and Kelly beat me to their designated positions. Our camp was still there and in the same condition that we left it. As I picked my way past the fire ring and through the tents, I froze as Lyle gasped. It seemed like a gasp of surprise more than fear or pain, but even a practiced student of the human condition such as myself would be hard pressed to really cut a gasp that finely. Kelly standing up in her position and swearing also seemed like a clue that something was up. I stuck to the plan and pushed forward to the south side of the hill. As I peeked around the boulder that I was valiantly using for cover and down the south side of the hill, I was also surprised. The area below the hill was a flat expanse hemmed in by the larger sandstone cliffs and was largely empty. There was no trace of our cars or the moving trees and sandstone giants from the night before. A large, central sandstone obelisk dominated the space. The obelisk was roughly 60 feet tall, reaching about 10 feet above the cliffs that largely hemmed in the space from three sides. It showed no seams or joins and sat on a perfectly circular disc of sandstone probably two feet in height. On the far side an amphitheater-like structure was built of large rectangular blocks of sandstone of increasing size that interlocked to form a four layer half hexagonal space. This structure abutted the sandstone cliff that defined the southern edge of the space. Between the obelisk and the amphitheater was a large, recessed stone lined ring that looked like it would make a pretty nice fire pit. To the east of the spire was a timber framed three sided shed with a slanted roof that was full to the rafters with firewood. To the west was an additional sandstone obelisk of similar proportions to the central structure, but a 1/10 scale. Beyond it a narrow path disappeared into the cliff forming the western edge of the space. The rest was just flat, sandy soil. The space was still and silent and completely devoid of life. It gave me an unnatural feeling of calm. It felt welcoming, which was unsettling in its own way. I came back to myself with Kelly and Lyle looming over me. I guess it was time for a new plan. Chapter 4: The Logos of the Universe It is in changing that all things find repose. - Heraclitus of Ephesus *** Kelly and I argued about the best course of action given our unexpected discovery of a pair of sandstone monoliths deep in the forest and adjacent to our former campsite. As Kelly and I ¡°talked,¡± Lyle wound his way down the slope. I was explaining to Kelly how I thought that it was important to check-in with others about what we had found when I noticed her gaze shift down the hillside. I turned to see Lyle running at full tilt toward the smaller of the two obelisks. He was already at the bottom of the hill. I called out to Lyle, not really in alarm, but most certainly in WTF. Lyle didn¡¯t break his stride. As Kelly and I started after him, it became obvious that he would reach the sandstone monument well before we caught up. When Lyle stepped onto the low, circular disc on which the smaller obelisk sat, the monument began to emit an extremely low, resonant tone. When he placed his hand into a small indentation in the smaller obelisk, the larger obelisk began to shimmer with an effect that looked similar to the air right above hot pavement in summer sun. The shimmer became more intense and appeared to coalesce into a gossamer equal parts silver, gold and green cascading down the large obelisk. Lyle was gazing up at it in seeming wonder. Kelly and I had both stopped in our tracks staring with disbelief. I grabbed her hand, turned around and pulled her along with me as I made for the hill. She didn¡¯t resist, but she didn¡¯t seem entirely all there either. I held on and we had rounded the base of the hill and were pushing toward the track to the clearing where the rest of our friends were waiting for us when I felt the world fall away. There was a blinding flash that forced my eyes closed with a burst of pain and I felt all of my momentum immediately disappear along with Kelly¡¯s hand. Obviously this was my blue screen moment. As I said, I had watched the anime and read the webtoons and ¡°played¡± the Lit RPGs. When I spent tedious hours at work making spreadsheets and building models, my conscious mind was always drifting to topics of greater interest. I had spent ages wondering about every aspect of this type of idle fantasy, plenty of time to puzzle through what my strategy would be if I were to really be trapped in that moment. So when a blue screen appeared in my mind¡¯s eye, I already had a game plan in mind.
Congratulations! You have been selected for awakening. Prepare for awakening in: ... 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 Congratulations on your awakening.
I definitely felt something. It was like when your ears pop after a long flight, but for all of my senses. There was an increase in fidelity and clarity that felt like taking a deep breath. I felt curiosity and some excitement, but mostly I felt an almost overwhelming clarity and a deep feeling of calm.
Analyzing starting statistics ... Calculating initial class options ... Prepopulating available quests ... Detecting synergies ... Compiling results ¡­
Congratulations the Unified System has awakened you to a new reality. Within the Unified System your struggles are quantified. As you use the energy that you absorb from your environment to transform your physical and mental capabilities, the Unified System tracks your experience and reflects your gains. The limits of your old reality are not relevant in Unified System space. Your only true limitation is your own drive and the will to advance.
This interface will allow you to choose an initial class from pre-populated archetypes familiar to your pre-awakening culture and support your transition to the Unified System. New classes will become available as class requirements are unlocked. Classes can be changed at any time. Please note, only class abilities in which you have achieved mastery will be retained following a class change.
Please review your available quests and choose your starting class accordingly: >Wake the Dreamer Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. >StarMancer - Path of the Wizard >Ghostlight Falls >Purge the Dark Forest >Arkfall-LOCKED
All system menu options may be selected by thinking of the desired menu option or keyword with the intent to access that menu option. Please select each quest for a detailed explanation and description of requirements and details. Once complete you may select your class and continue to the tutorial. To access your system menu and utilities at any time use the Unified System keyword MENU.
My first stop was the help menu. I thought the keyword: HELP with the will to open the menu and it appeared in my mind¡¯s eye.
Unified System Utilities: Help-LOCKED This function is not currently available
This was not entirely unexpected. They always try to screen you out on the front end and force you into the options they present. Then they hit you with the fine print and suddenly you ¡°own your own vacation¡± with a timeshare in Boca Rattan that you can¡¯t get out of even if you straight up die. There was no way I was going to select any quests or classes. I thought keyword: REPRESENTATIVE, keyword: I WANT TO SPEAK TO A REPRESENTATIVE, keyword: OPERATOR, keyword: 0, keyword: ZERO, . . . *** ¡°Where is Harris? I feel like something is wrong,¡± said Jim. ¡°Wow, Jim. Kind of an understatement,¡± Sarah deadpanned. It wasn¡¯t that Sarah wasn¡¯t concerned about Harris, but we all have our coping mechanisms and as those go Sarah¡¯s dry wit is pretty spectacular. Kelly broke in, ¡°He was right next to me when that blinding flash hit. I felt his hand just drop away and twenty minutes later I completed the Unified System awakening and found myself here.¡± ¡°You felt his hand just drop? Was there any blood? Did you see the hand when you woke up?¡± Lando said with absolutely genuine concern. ¡°Of course not,¡± replied Kelly. If I had his bloody hand I would have led with that, Lando. I was holding his hand and it just disappeared.¡± ¡°I am sorry, Kelly. You were holding Harris¡¯ hand? I guess this is literally the end of the world,¡± rejoined Karen, also charmingly still in possession of her sense of humor despite the situation. ¡°What the hell Karen. We weren¡¯t on a picnic date at the park, he tried to pull me to safety after I froze when Lyle did whatever the hell he did.¡± Lyle jumped in to defend himself again, ¡°Yeah. I told you. I really felt like the right thing to do at the time and everyone is here and safe, well everyone except Harris.¡± ¡°Listen. This isn¡¯t getting us anywhere,¡± said Jim. ¡°It¡¯s been five hours since Queakers appeared. Everyone else shows a ¡®Ready¡¯ status on the party menu and Harris¡¯ line is just blank. I think that we have to accept that there isn¡¯t anything that we can do for him now and begin to work our way toward the training facility. We can take it slow and if he doesn¡¯t appear with us on the road, maybe he can catch up. If we wait any longer I am concerned that we won¡¯t make it before it gets dark.¡± ¡°No worries. I am ready to go when you are,¡± I said. ¡°A walk sounds really good right now. I feel like I have been cooped up forever.¡± Everyone turned in unison to find Harris standing just behind the group. Queakers darted among Harris¡¯ friends to reach him with a flurry of barks and playful nips. Harris was getting the bichon version of a beat down, which he clearly deserved for being so darn slow. ¡°Harris. How did your dog finish the integration before you? Did you fall asleep?¡± Sarah said with relief in her voice despite the sarcasm. ¡°Why? How long have you been waiting? How long did the process take for you?¡± asked Harris. ¡°Well it took most of us about 30 minutes, but Queakers took about 45. We have all been waiting for you for five hours. We were getting worried that we wouldn¡¯t make it to the safezone by dark,¡± replied Sarah. This was quite confusing for me. I had no way to mark time in the void of my mind¡¯s eye as I tried to work his way through the system prompts. I never did connect with a system representative, but I did manage to leave a message of sorts. It felt like it had all taken much, much longer than six hours. I didn¡¯t want to slow my friends down any further and I felt great, so I just apologized, grabbed Queakers and started forward on the path. *** Each Numu collective is made up of millions of sentient plants. Each plant about the size of a thumb, these individuals generally choose to bind themselves together into a collective with a gestalt mind when they reach maturity. They inhabit some of the most energy dense worlds in our region of space, close to the galactic core. The nature of their existence lends itself to near immortality on the collective level and an impressive capacity to split their focus across a staggering number of pursuits. This has allowed the Numu to rise to a level of technology that is magical or even miraculous by our standards. After all, what is magic but a system of technology advanced enough that it exceeds our current framework of understanding? The primary focus of Numu society since time immemorial has been the achievement of the Eon. The power of eternity is a lofty goal, but an indefinite lifespan and a level of power that exceeds civilizations on a galactic scale tends to support aiming high. Primarily a philosophical, or perhaps more accurately a metaphysical goal, the Numu progressed their efforts to achieve the Eon through varied means, including the development of a comprehensive understanding of their galaxy and the diversity of its contents. Even with their capacity for parallel processing, the Numu devoted a full three collectives to their efforts to fully explore the primary forms. Collective*Nupos was parsing the information streams fed to them by their spiritual constructs across their sector when they ran across something new. Finding something new was nothing new in itself for Collective*Nupos. It had happened innumerable times before, after all new things were being created and destroyed constantly. However, this new thing gave Collective*Nupos a rather pleasant tingly feeling, which was also new. Collective*Nupos pulled their focus more tightly into the source of this experience and integrated Collective*Nutho and Collective*Nusis into the relevant spiritual construct. The source of the experience was calling itself the Unified System. An interesting, but certainly not unique perception-on-perception overlay construct that was experiencing a one sided ¡°customer service dispute¡± with a newly integrated entity. Chapter 5: A Unified Team Response The dirt and gravel switchback track that we were following led steadily up the side of a very wide mesa. Sarah had taken charge of Queakers and was providing the bichon with a walking tummy rub that I wouldn¡¯t have been able to pry the dog away from with all my strength. As we plodded along Jim and Karen filled me in on the situation with the rest of the team. ¡°We have a good mix of the basic classes represented in the team,¡± Karen explained. Lando is a Warrior, Jim is a Monk and Kelly is a Thief. I am a White Mage, Lyle is a Black Mage and Sarah is a Red Mage. Erin and Karl have the more basic class of Fighter. We aren¡¯t quite sure about Queakers, yet. What is your class, Harris?¡± ¡°Well Karen. I am not really sure. It¡¯s likely Tactician with rifleman and stealth specializations, but nothing was confirmed during my awakening. I don¡¯t know what you all experienced, but I really struggled with some of those menus,¡± answered Harris. Jim wore a surprised grimace when he said, ¡°While we were waiting for you we all shared our experiences and they were very similar, Harris. After the blinding flash of light we all saw blue screens of text that described the Unified System, gave us a rundown on our quests, allowed us to select our classes, gave us a rundown on the tutorial and let us review our attribute points and talents before we appeared here to make the initial push to the safe zone and training ground. It was just like a video game, which was apparently an intentional decision by the Unified System to facilitate the transition following its review of our culture. Did something different happen to you?¡± ¡°Well¨C¡± drawled Harris. ¡°It sounds like our initial experiences were similar, but I didn¡¯t progress very far through the process that you described. I explored the system menus and then spent time putting together a complaint. Not sure if it will have any impact, but I wanted it on record that I am not consenting to this Unified System. I think that you know that I am all for a little might and magic, but this seems pretty bogus to me. I am not really sure what impact any of it has, except that our paths apparently diverged after seeing the initial blue screens. I am also avoiding the United System interface as a matter of course.¡± ¡°Ok. Harris. I can¡¯t say that I am shocked that you did something like that, but I am not sure that is practical. I guess we¡¯ll just have to see. It has been a crazy day and I don¡¯t think that any of us have any idea what is really going on, but we all agreed that given what we have seen we should get to the safe zone and sort things out from there,¡± said Karen. ¡°Sure Karen. I am with you all the way,¡± I replied with a wink and his best effort at an endearing smile. Karen was great and if there was anyone who would get us through whatever was happening it was Karen. It was also great that Karen understood that it was going to be neither productive nor all that fulfilling to argue the point about using the Unified System with me. She would do her best to make sure it all worked out for everyone, including me, whatever I believed and however inconvenient it was, which is why I would do the best to not be a burden despite my stance on the topic. ¡°So where did Tactician with rifle and stealth specifications come from?¡± asked Jim. ¡°Well I did recognize that this was an awful lot like a game as I was trying to work my way through the initial screens and then the menus, so I made the suggestion as a part of my complaint. I mean it can¡¯t hurt right? Anyhow, that¡¯s the way that I choose to play it and I can¡¯t change things now, so may as well make the best of it,¡± I explained. ¡°Well I guess I can¡¯t argue with that,¡± said Jim with a smirk. We had played too many games together for Jim to bet against my ability to work a logic tree. We picked up the pace as the sun began to dip toward the horizon. The mesa had a steep rise and the winding path was taking time to traverse. When we finally reached the top it was twilight and we were greeted by another unexpected sight. The entire top of the hill was surrounded by a pale, iridescent blue light. The rest of the team was nonplussed by this faint bubble of light in the lengthening shadows of the early evening, apparently having seen some images of the same as part of the initial integration explanation. The blue light was a barrier of sorts that prevented intrusion by hostile entities and facilitated natural healing and recovery. It also supported information collection for Unified System related quests that could occur in response to certain conditions. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. When we initially appeared in this new space we were in a relatively featureless grassland with the mesa rising imposingly in front of us, both high and wide enough to impair our view of everything but the open grasses behind us. After cresting the ridge of the mesa we could see a sea of trees spreading out before us. A taiga of pines, larches and spruces spilled out toward the horizon before us and turning around the grassland did the same. This was nothing like the forest of birches, black beaches and hemlocks that we had been camping in the night before. The truly unexpected sight at the top of the hill was the pioneer type town that spread out from the crossroads near the center of the mesa. Timber buildings with rough hewn beams, shake roofs and wide wooden porches lined the street on each side. It was clear that the bounty of the taiga provided plenty of wood for construction and somewhere there must be a mill to generate the boards required for the finish work. Glass was clearly a bit of a luxury, but some buildings that appeared to be stores or restaurants featured ground floor windows with large glass panes. Despite the prevalence of wood in the outpost, brick and mortar and even concrete and adobe constructions were scattered throughout the outpost. It looked like a little wild west frontier, but it was dead silent. There were stables with no animals, stores with no wares and saloons with no patrons. The town wasn¡¯t huge, but it was definitely of a scope that it was unsettling to see it appear deserted. My better informed teammates apparently expected this as well. Their system induction explained that we needed to reach the safety of the outpost by nightfall given the ¡°active nightlife¡± in the area and that we¡¯d need to complete some basic tasks in town to prepare for the start of the tutorial in one week¡¯s time. Just past the crossroads in the center of the mesa was a residential structure best described as a small hotel. The ground floor had a central administrative area with a lounge on one side and a library on the other. The lounge had a bar with tables arranged in a central floor along with an upright piano and a glassed window facing the street outside. The library was surprisingly large with floor to ceiling bookshelves completely filled with richly bound tomes. The walls of the library were decorated with maps and there were large armchairs and small tables throughout perfect for reading. Each of the main areas on the ground floor had a large fireplace for both heat and light. The fireplaces were made of stones that appeared to have been collected in the area and simply mortared together with a rough, natural fit. There was a chandelier in the lounge area with candles that could be lit and oil lamps in sconces or on side tables for additional illumination. As we took a quick tour of the ground floor we found plenty of firewood available and a large bunk out back full of additional seasoned logs. The guest rooms were on the second floor, organized along a central hallway accessed through staircases on either side of the central administrative area. The lobby space had a very high ceiling that spanned both floors on the inn. A balustrade in the central hallway allowed one to look out over this area, but the rooms facing this balustrade were all locked. That left essentially two wings of rooms available on the second floor, one over the library and one over the lounge and kitchens. There was a communal bathroom on either side of the hall in each wing, so four in all on the second level of the hotel. Mercifully these bathrooms were well equipped and had running water fed by a large cistern on the back portion of the roof of the building. The water was only warmed by the sun, so it was always going to be pretty darn chilly, but it could certainly be worse. The weather felt a bit like Oregon State currently, but we were apparently planned to be here a full year and if the seasons swung too cold we¡¯d likely have a few plumbing problems to work through. That would certainly be worse. There were more than enough single rooms for everyone to have their own and everyone claimed one, even Queakers. Well in Queakers¡¯ case Sarah claimed it for the room next to hers for Queakers. Sarah was across the hall from me, each of us occupying a corner room over the library. Erin grabbed the room on the far side of Queakers and Lyle grabbed the room next to me. The rest of the team setup in the wing above the lounge. The rooms on the second floor weren¡¯t spacious or luxurious, but they were more than serviceable. Each room had a double bed, a small writing desk, a trunk and an armoire. Each room also had at least one relatively large glass window with external shutters and the corner rooms had a window on each exterior wall. Everything was well built and was relatively comfortable. Yeah. If this was a progression fantasy, it really wasn¡¯t all that bad. With starting accommodations like these it was hard to imagine that we¡¯d be trying to sleep in trees or build a wizard lair in some dank cave. With this setup we also, and I can¡¯t emphasize this enough, had no reason to be subjected to the smells that must be commonplace in many of those other situations. Unwashed people, poor sanitation, viscera, blood and the like must be a pretty sinister soup, so wearing that as your eau de cologne around town has always been one of the most disturbing conventions of the progression fantasy and Lit-RPG world to me. Especially when things get romantic in the field¨Clike just no way. It looked like we would be at least spared a precipitous decline in our personal care and hygiene and that of our fellows, for which I was very grateful. Chapter 6: Who Doesn鈥檛 Love a Scavenger Hunt With the quality of accommodations in this safe zone, dare I say starting town, in which we found ourselves were more than sufficient for our needs. They were down right pleasant and I was willing to wager that they would prevent anyone of our little gang from being tempted to embrace the murder hobo lifestyle that I had come to associate with any sort of blue screen scenario. Unfortunately food didn¡¯t appear to be included in the deal. The meager repast of trail mix, nutrition bars and beef jerky that we scraped together from the daypacks and gear that a handful of the team had with them when we were ¡°awakened¡± wasn''t going to cut it. Apparently even the details of our dietary requirements were referenced in the Unified System induction process that I willfully failed to properly complete as an expression of my withheld consent for the entire awakening process. We had to explore the town across the coming week to scavenge food, supplies, gear, tools and class related items to prepare for the tutorial that would begin when our instructors and support personnel arrived at the end of the week. The hilltop was a safe zone, so the threats were minimal, but this was also a limited time opportunity. When the instructors and support personnel did arrive they would claim their designated spaces and our freedom to explore would be significantly limited. Yeah. Basically these were like bonus quests where we could rack up equipment and experience headed into the scripted tutorial. I am sure that great performance would unlock additional opportunities in the future and the time boxing meant that we couldn¡¯t just take our time and progress at our own pace. Apparently the team all had class specific quests to guide them through the process as well as a minimap to navigate the town and training facilities for this purpose. The plan was for us to actually get a full night¡¯s rest and split up the next day to begin our little scavenger hunt. As a conscientious objector to the Unified System and its, frankly, pretty poor UI, I wasn¡¯t sure if I had any class based quests or even a class. I figured that I figured I¡¯d be going old school on our little scavenger hunt with Queakers supporting me as my faithful pointing dog. During dinner I mentioned as much and I got an unexpected surprise. Queakers barked to get my attention, looked directly at me and after what I am guessing was a little focus manifested the image of a small slate above her head that displayed the words, ¡°Sorry Harris. I have my own quest and won¡¯t be able to come with you tomorrow. Stay safe.¡± First off, Queakers is the best girl and all, but I never imagined that she would speak so politely. Good on you Queakers. Secondly, if the Unified System could allow Queakers to communicate like this, it couldn¡¯t all be bad. Third, I would need to be careful what I said around Queakers from now on, because there was a very real chance that someone could buy my secrets from her for literal peanuts. Finally, I guess I was on my own tomorrow. No map. No plan. No help. No problem. Queakers'' communication board looked solid, but was effectively an ethereal copy of the slates affixed to each bedroom door in the hotel for the purpose of identification and communication. Hers just floated through over her head and was apparently thought controlled instead of chalk powered. Those gathered around us as we ate at the bar were all colors of surprise and excitement, but no one was shocked. Were we just getting used to magical changes this quickly? After ¡°dinner¡± we took awhile to search through the hotel for secret passages, spyholes, trap doors or other creepy shenanigans before everyone was satisfied that it was safe enough to turn in. In another shocking development, Queakers walked right into the room that Sarah had claimed for her and jumped up on her own bed. She barked out what I assumed was a good night and curled up. Apparently my dog was moving up in the world and had enough on her mind that she needed some privacy. *** I got up early, but apparently not early enough. There was no one still at the hotel when I made my way downstairs, but they had left me some trail mix and a few crude and distasteful drawings on the communication board on my door. I had a handful of the remaining trail mix from which someone, probably Sarah, had picked out all of the chocolate chunks. The weather was temperate, the sky was clear and the sun was streaming in at a low angle that gave everything a golden hue. It looked like a beautiful day. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder to myself where everyone was. I don¡¯t mean the team or the inhabitants of our safe zone. I was willing to accept that they were working through whatever process had been laid out before us, but again I wondered why. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. What was the purpose of this tutorial? The resources represented in the hilltop safe zone, including the buildings, grounds and their maintenance, were not insignificant. Add in instructors and support personnel and we were basically talking about the equivalent of a small college operating for a year to get nine people and a dog up to speed on the basics of being awakened. That kind of resource deployment boggled the mind if it was applied with any frequency. It just didn¡¯t seem like it could make any sense. What about our families, other friends, coworkers, enemies, strangers, everyone else? Where were they? I didn¡¯t have much family left and I wasn¡¯t all that close to them, but I was still stressed just thinking about the possibilities. Jim¡¯s parents were awesome and he was extremely close to them. What must he be feeling? I resolved to ask him just that this evening. Could the Unified System possibly provide this kind of experience to everyone? If not then what was happening to the folks that weren¡¯t awakened? I also recognized that on balance we were all taking this situation way too well. There should be more freaking out and less task focused productivity from the group. We were good friends and I certainly felt some comfort from having them with me during this experience. I trusted most of them as people, but I trusted all of them as capable. This was a good team with which to be stuck, but I hadn¡¯t heard anyone asking any real questions yesterday. At first I figured they just covered everything before I got there, but I was starting to wonder how they were so focused. If my friends were adapting well, then that was positive, especially in the sense that it didn¡¯t appear that we had any real choice. If they were out exploring and locating the supplies that we¡¯d need, I¡¯d also do my best to do my part. So in the absence of guided navigation and in a bit of good hearted competition with those that had it, I decided that I needed to approach this little scavenger hunt from a different angle. I headed to the hotel lobby looking for one of those little racks with brochures from local attractions. A bit of a long shot that definitely didn¡¯t pan out, but I wasn¡¯t discouraged. I figured I had the next best thing ... a really big library full of maps. I gave the bookshelves a quick once over looking for anything with Tactician in the title. Also a bit of a long shot, but what if it was there. It wasn¡¯t there, but I did confirm that I could read the language. It looked just like English to me, which seemed weird, but not really more weird than anything else. I did find some records that pertained to the development of the safe zone complex, complete with some original drawings and a serviceable map that was pretty accurate to current conditions based on what I had seen yesterday. Better still my map had information on the purpose and key features of each structure. Every building that I saw last night had a spot for a sign, but they were all blank. I expect that they get filled in as they are populated and opened, but I more or less had the master plan. Was this book a little too convenient, maybe, but I sure didn¡¯t care. Chalk another one up for actually cracking open all the books you find in an RPG. You know what I am talking about from D:OS and BG3. Anyhow, on to the next phase of my plan. I overlaid a piece of tracing paper also conveniently located in this kick ass library and got to work eliminating options that I expected would be well covered by the other questions. Armorer - Nope. Weaponsmith - Of course not. Spooky attic - Yes please. Creepy unlabeled blank spot in the wall space between two adjoining buildings - Jackpot. My first stop was a book shop that would apparently eventually sell spell tomes, but was currently mostly desolate. I say mostly because I found what had to be a prior inhabitant''s private stash on some shelving that ran underneath the display case where I expect they put all their super expensive image pieces, like Meteor Swarm, Wish, or Taco Tuesday. In this smallish collection of worn tomes I found a few histories, some books on military tactics, a book on the fundamentals of magic and another focused on the magic artifice. The bookstore had a small backroom that seemed like it had once been a private space for employees with a short flight of stairs that led to a small landing where you could turn onto a longer flight of stairs that led to the second floor apartment. The apartment was a complete bust, but as I came down the stairs I noticed a small brass plaque etched with the phrase ¡°It¡¯s a secret to everybody,¡± and a big, old style brass key attached. Yeah. That was way too on the nose, but I grabbed it and looked everywhere in the apartment, backroom and bookstore for a place that my new key would fit. Failing to find a keyhole for my new key, I headed back to the landing where I found it and looked around a bit more. There was a glass paned window on the landing that looked down into a little alley. I got to thinking about some of those spaces between buildings from the map that I snagged from the library. There wasn¡¯t supposed to be space between the bookstore and the magic artificer with which it shared a wall, but who puts a real secret on the map. Chapter 7: Loot? As I walked down the alley with my looted plaque, it was easy to identify the window on the bookstore landing. Initially I didn¡¯t spot anything out of the ordinary, but when I got closer to the wall that ran along the alley to feel for a keyhole, a wooden door just sort of emerged. It had a substantial feel to it, but it also had nine panels of glazing and a small, but charming rounded awning above the door. Some later experimentation would reveal that without the key the door could not be perceived and with the key it couldn¡¯t be identified outside a range of three to four feet. Looking back, the fact that both the shops in this space had full brick outer walls was a clue that there was potentially something different about them worth investigating, but this was a very tough spot to find. For now I felt that I had really unraveled an unexpected puzzle and I was too excited to see what was inside to do more than twist the key free of the plaque and give it a try on the door. The key turned in the lock and when I tried the handle it swung inward silently to reveal a bolthole hidden between the bookstore and the magic artificer. I called out a couple of quick hellos with no response. The space was spotlessly clean, but totally silent as the door closed behind me. There was a coat rack with several coats on it as well as some boots and shoes in the entry space. There was a set of stairs leading up to a second floor space and another set leading down to some sort of basement. The ground floor had a sitting area and a small kitchenette. The second floor space had a sleeping area, dresser and closet as well as two very large flush mounted skylights currently letting in the light that I was using to search the space. There was also a three quarter bathroom separated from the sleeping area with a pocket door, but again with cool water. Had no one perfected the magic water heater? The basement was separated from the living space by another sturdy door. It contained a second shower along with a utility sink that I suspected was for laundry, some drying racks, a storage area and an ¡°airlock¡± type situation with an additional sturdy door leading to what was, for lack of a better word, a fortified door that led out to a long dark tunnel. I didn¡¯t have an additional source of light and I wasn¡¯t about to go poking around in that tunnel, but it seemed logical to guess that it was an external access point. While working in a government courthouse while in school, I had to pass through two checkpoints to get into the inner offices. Everything was ornate and looked architectural, but that door between the second checkpoint and the inner offices was something else. When you opened it, it was so heavy and so substantial. It had been designed to withstand an actual bombing and the door leading to that tunnel felt just as sturdy. Someone had gone to a great deal of trouble to keep something dangerous on the other side. The most prevalent feature of any of the floors in this little bolthole was the gear. There were lots and lots of long guns, pistols, ammunition and many other related items. I was not an expert in firearms or a huge fan really, but even I could tell that these were collector¡¯s pieces and bespoke equipment that was crafted rather than mass produced. The guns ranged from something that looked like Rip Van Winkle¡¯s musket to models that made Kaze¡¯s Magun look simple by comparison. There were all manner of crystals, gems, tubes full of liquids, gauges and brass fittings integrated into the weapons. The stocks were crafted with woods with wild, exotic grains and precious metals like silver and gold alongside others I couldn¡¯t identify. Many of the pieces were locked in heavy display cases with drawers and adjoining lockers chock full with a vast array of ammunition, optics, and accessories. I am even pretty sure I found a laser pistol mounted on the wall. It didn¡¯t quite feel like plastic, but it was light and there wasn¡¯t anywhere that I could see to load any ammunition. There were also shelves in all the spaces and in both the sitting room and the bedroom a fair number of them were covered with all manner of books. My haul from the bookstore paled in comparison, but it would require some earnest time and focus to take an inventory of everything. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. As I explored further, I found that the sleeping area was stocked with clothes and linens and that the sitting area had cabinets full of backpacks with basic supplies and some useful gear, but nothing perishable. The clothes were different styles and sizes and the supplies were also an odd mix of materials and manufacturing quality. Nothing was junk, but it certainly didn¡¯t look like it all came from the same place. There was a lot here to work through and a host of questions to answer about who created this space, why they did it and if they were coming back. I cared about and trusted my friends, but I was already looking for a plan to conceal this place and a rationale to justify it to myself. It would take some serious time to go through the contents of the space and I¡¯d share what I found with everyone else, but I wasn¡¯t planning to let folks know about the space itself if I could avoid it. If one of them was like, ¡°Man, I wish I had a magitek rifle that shot rounds of what looked like test tubes full of glowing purple flowers,¡± of course I¡¯d make it happen for them, but I wasn¡¯t going to volunteer any more details than needed. In part this is a function of my deep paranoia, but in part it was about the nature of a secret place. The value of a secret place is diminished when others know that it may exist, but it is entirely lost when it is no longer secret. I wasn¡¯t sure what the next year would hold and I resolved to freely share the resources that I¡¯d found, but not the existence of this location. Toward this end I decided not to remove anything that seemed easy to identify as totally out of place in the safe zone. I took a few minutes to gather clothes, two of the most basic looking pistols, two nearly identical repeater rifles, a sampling of ammunition and supplies into a couple of the backpacks. I stashed some of the ammunition, clothes and gear in the backroom of the bookstore to give myself a cover for replenishing what I needed from the bolthole. I was planning on maintaining my privacy, but I wanted to be able to answer the question of where things were coming from if it became necessary. I also decided to nickname the bolthole the Treefort because frankly I was tired of thinking bolthole and it seemed just confusing enough to be unhelpful if I ever slipped up. The pack that I had selected for general use was a nice leather number with some good age and patina to it. I rolled the canvas knapsack that I had just emptied up and stowed it in the large bag and carried the rifles on my shoulder as I continued to search around the town. I explored the artificer¡¯s shop next to the bookstore, but it was a complete bust. My next big score was through a trapdoor that my map suggested led to the cellar of what was going to be a general store. There were shelves lined with canned goods. I opened a can of beans with a can opener I had conveniently swiped from the Treefort and found the food fit for human consumption. I loaded up my canvas knapsack with as much as I could carry and snuck back over to the Treefort to stash it in the kitchenette there before reloading the bag with canned food and lumping everything back to the hotel. All told, my scavenging took about 7 hours to accomplish and I was in need of a shower, some lunch and a bit of a nap. When I made it back to the hotel, I dumped my stuff in the lounge. Most of my friends had already returned and the lounge looked like a cosplay convention. They had found armor, weapons, some utility items and some clothes. Lando had a cuirass that somehow fit him. Sara had a wand that sparkled a bit on its own strapped to a holster on her leg. Erin had a recurve bow and a quiver of arrows. Folks were chatting about their various quests and adventures, generally in a better mood than they should have been for how hungry and tired they had to be. Nobody even batted an eye at the knapsack and rifles that I dumped onto the floor of the lounge, until I started sorting out the canned goods for lunch. Apparently no one had found much in the way of food and I was hailed as a bit of a hero as Karen hustled off with all of it. The sounds of her banging around in the kitchen with Jim to get lunch going were music to my ears. It was clear that we were going to need to learn to hunt and forage if we wanted anything fresh, at least until some of the stores were populated and opened, but for now the canned goods at the general store were the best food that we had going. I told the team where I had gotten the canned goods and where we could find more. Any depletion from the morning¡¯s activities quickly vanished from my friends as enthusiasm at the prospect of more food took hold. Everyone that wasn¡¯t helping cook agreed to make another can run before lunch. Well, everyone but Queakers. Sarah said that Queakers was already having a nap in her room and since she couldn¡¯t really carry anything, we may as well let her sleep. I was already starting to catch the smell of something delicious wafting out of the kitchen and I was pretty sure that we¡¯d find Queakers in the lounge begging for lunch by the time we got back. Chapter 8: An Opportunity of Epistemological Proportions I have struggled with morality, judgment and purpose. When we evaluate these concepts we do so according to our values with the benefit of our experiences. To judge in accordance with our values we must have values. Obvious, I know, but where do they come from? If we judge which values are best for us or applied to a situation, how do we evaluate them? What values do we use? If we don¡¯t choose our values, then do we have any agency at all in our judgments? This quickly gets either circular or deterministic. What about experience? We don¡¯t necessarily choose our circumstances, but perhaps we choose our responses. Except, how do we choose them? According to our values? I suppose that our experiences can show us some ways our values can play out in the wider world, but I am not really sure what the value is unless they show us all of the ways which our values can play out, which certainly isn¡¯t possible without something more. Of course there is something more and it is extremely simple, but I am confident that it isn¡¯t knowable with the context of any theory of knowledge that pretends toward the objective. Whatever we see when awake is death; when asleep, dreams. - Heraclitus of Ephesus *** When the unified system first awakened me, to my mind it was an attack on the reality that we share. There were roughly implied physical and mental threats, but specifically the threat that I felt most acutely was in my connection with others through our shared reality. To clarify, I am not talking about my investment in the details of that reality or my place in it, but in the concept of an immediate environment where we were all sharing our experiences. If there was something between ourselves and this shared reality, like the Unified System, then it would be very difficult to know anything about that reality and the others with which we share it. Were Jim and I even friends or was the Unified System manipulating reality or our perception of it to convince us to draw that conclusion. Was there even really a Jim anymore or had there ever been? To be real, these threats always exist and can be a bit of a rabbit hole, but to me a theoretical possibility is different from an experienced demonstration of this capability. The Unified System had made me see those blue boxes and it had likely bent reality as I knew it to that point. There was a chance that there was a physical mechanism behind some of what occurred, but for me the balance of the issue was really less about the mechanism and more about the scope of what had, would or could be affected. Although I truly wondered if there was a right answer, the red flags were there. Our options were being narrowed in line with the new rules of reality, but these updated rules were focused on guiding our actions, by adjusting our goals and our perceptions of our options. This suggested that the Unified System needed our participation. It wasn¡¯t clear that it needed my participation individually, but it certainly was trying to bend my values toward an end, even if I didn¡¯t know what it was. If it truly had the power to force changes of this scope on us, then why not just make us do exactly what it wanted. We had a part to play here and it was a part over which the Unified System lacked control. The events directly before and during our ¡°awakenings¡± also looked different through this lens. We were isolated, shocked and then provided a new, possibly even palatable, alternative to replace select aspects of our damaged sense of reality. This was a bit like the misdirection of a magic trick that pulls your focus away from the simple explanation of the assistant sneaking backstage by focusing your attention on the flash of light from the tip of a wand in an effort to convince you that the ¡°magician¡± can teleport someone out of a locked coffin. Quite possibly everything that we experienced on our camping trip was targeted misdirection. I couldn¡¯t really guess at the purpose of the Unified System at this stage, but I didn¡¯t need to since the situation provided a pretty clear outline of where my leverage was. I was going to withhold my consent in this remaking of reality. If that had physical or mental consequences for me or my friends, then it had those consequences. They couldn¡¯t be much more severe than abdicating my sense of reality itself to the whims of some system. I would try to be a positive influence on those that I cared about, but I wouldn¡¯t try to convince them. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. This was ultimately a journey that one needed to walk on their own and a revelation that one had to arrive at, rather than receive second hand. I wouldn¡¯t respect the boundaries or conventions of the Unified System, but I wouldn¡¯t completely ignore them either. I wasn¡¯t exactly going to hide in plain sight, but I was going to make it, hopefully, impossible to draw any accurate conclusions from what I said and did. If you asked my friends, I was kind of already an expert in this field, so you could say I was leaning into my strengths here. The unified system was gradually indoctrinating us and my resistance would be gradual as well. That would allow me to collect information and learn what I could without tipping my hand more than absolutely necessary. With this decided I spent hours, though more likely days, within that half existence of the awakening process exploring every option that I could think of in the Unified System menu. I didn¡¯t find a single useful thing, which to me suggested that the Unified System interface was more misdirection than functional. This was the most important time to have resources available if our choices about quests and classes really mattered, but it wasn¡¯t necessary or helpful to provide this detailed information if the only choice that really mattered was our accepting the premise of the Unified System in the first place. Now of course I wasn¡¯t sure how much of my mind the Unified System could really read, but the fact that they hadn¡¯t pulled the plug yet was a good sign that they either couldn¡¯t read much or didn¡¯t really care about what I was doing. But I figured that giving the Unified System a piece of my mind would be a great way to lay the groundwork for my attempted obfuscation. I focused on keyword: System Message and unpacked my thoughts on many things. I shared some thoughts on cabbages and kings, but mostly I shared my ideas on time, death, space and reality. It was one part philosophy and one epistemology, but it was definitely 100% rambling chaos. It boiled down to the idea that if the limits of my old reality are not relevant and that if my only true limit was my own drive and the will to advance, then the only thing that defined my current reality was actually defined by my own drive and will. In this situation, the Unified System and Unified System space was defined by me. If I took what the Unified System said at face value the bound of its power was my will. A concept I offered to put to the test in the name of maximizing my advancement. As I write this it doesn¡¯t sound all that profound and it probably isn¡¯t. I certainly could have been reading too much into blue box text. It could have been put together by an intern on the basis of what sounded cool to a focus group for all I knew, but I had to take the opportunities as I found them. It was tough to maintain a sense of time during the awakening process, but if I had to guess I spent a couple of days crafting my System Message without actually knowing if the system had a message function. Almost immediately on appearing back with my friends the memory of what I said got fuzzy and I began to lose the details. I held onto the core feeling of that experience and the strategy that I developed the best as I could; I was looking forward to what lay ahead. *** A convocation of Numu collectives was an extraordinary event to behold. Information was exchanged at a blistering pace and the unique gifts of the Numu allowed for comprehensive deliberations in the blink of an eye. As such it was no surprise when mere moments after engaging its brethren Collective*Nutho burst into a cloud of glittering gold and laughter like the tinkling of a million tiny bells. In the next moment Collective*Nusis burst into a radiant argent light that faded with manifold susurrations that were quickly lost on the breeze. Collective*Nupos, ever the inflexible one, was all that remained of her workgroup. She paused for a moment and produced a transcript of the system message in living wood. Of course such a limited entity with such a limited perspective, hadn¡¯t unraveled the Eon. Many of the ideas presented were shadows of their true form and their author was in some ways deeply misguided. ¡°The thing that makes the taco king is its crown of cabbage,¡± that was a new one, but not that helpful. These ideas weren¡¯t necessarily special, but they came at the right time and with the right perspective to be the spark that they needed and they were honor bound to pass that spark along. As shadows rose to shepherd her ascension to the Eon, Collective*Nupos made a final gift of her time bound spiritual force to the little fire starter who had enabled, however accidentally, their transition. A bell tolled once, deep and resonant spreading through their planet as a clarion call to the rest and Collective*Nupos was gone. Chapter 9: The Importance of Being Earnest I was by nature a bit skeptical and pessimistic, so on a very basic level I was unnerved at the run of luck that he was having following my arrival in the safe zone. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop or at least someone to probe into something that I thought was better left a secret. I mean I found some great stuff and no one asked any hard questions or even really cared what I was up to. Everyone had gravitated, while consciously or unconsciously, toward both desiring and providing a measure of privacy around stats, quests, skills and the like, which was also an enormous stroke of luck for me, since I had pretty well taken a pass on even knowing where those things stood for me. I did have a great conversation with Jim about his parents and his feelings. When we both broke out of the situation for a moment, our old friendship was there and it felt great to have that same connection. Knowing where things stood with him and having them stand in the same place as before all of this started was a good feeling. Jim was a good friend, but he was also my strongest connection to the team. I could see that I was likely going to want to go in my own direction and I knew that Jim would buy me as much latitude with the team as he could. That gave me some peace of mind, as social dynamics could go sideways quickly for me when things are going well, let alone when everyone was stressed and started playing fantasy survivor. I also finally had a deeper WTF conversation with Lyle about why he ignored our plans and our calls and set off that device in the woods. Turns out there wasn¡¯t much of an explanation there. He apparently felt like he just had a moment of clarity and that activating the obelisk as quickly as possible was the best thing that he could do. It wasn¡¯t very satisfying and I suspected there was more there, but it seemed like he was being earnest, and for the sake of our friendship I felt like I had to leave it at that. I spent some time that evening reconnecting with both Queakers and Sarah. Queakers had really most certainly experienced the most change and, I think, benefit from awakening. She was always a smart dog, but this was a far more fundamental change. She was eloquent with her communication board and thoughtful in her approach to searching the safezone. She had apparently been leveraging her superior sense of smell to track down useful items and food. For example, Queakers had tracked down a stash of sealed tins of coffees and teas in a building that was planned to be a restaurant in the safezone and enlisted Sarah¡¯s help to collect them. The two were the heroes of every breakfast since. I was actually a little disappointed that Queakers wasn¡¯t spending more time with me, but I was proud of her for exploring her new independence with such zeal and I understood that this time was likely more meaningful to her than I could imagine. For her own part, Sarah didn¡¯t seem to be taking the scavenger quest all that seriously. Even I was making at least one meaningful contribution a day, before retiring to the Treefort to explore the books and equipment therein in solitude. After the first day, Sarah began to get up late each morning and stay up late in her room alone each night. She was typically a social person, but was more withdrawn than I had ever known her. Even after Erin found some board games in the stockroom of a shop in town and I located a few decks of cards, it was rare to see Sarah really engaged or happy. We generally worked on dinner together and then played games and cards into the early evening. Sarah joined, but she wasn¡¯t her usual jovial self and certainly looked like she wasn¡¯t getting enough sleep. The week of exploration and looting was actually pretty enjoyable for most of us. In some ways we got the vacation together that we were looking for when we went camping, but just a very weird fantasy themed vacation with quests and a bit of magic in an abandoned frontier town. *** Finally the day of the tutorial¡¯s start had arrived. I was curious and skeptical as the wagons started rolling up the track to the top of the mesa. We could see them snaking through the grassland miles out. It wasn¡¯t as large as a parade back home, but it was close and it was a real spectacle. Some of the wagons were pulled by oxen and there were a few horse drawn carriages, but there were also vehicles pulled by teams of large lizards, something that looked like a big armadillo, a team of dogs that ran on clouds that appeared by their feed and, my personal favorite, actual giant sloths. The sloths were armored and pulled large round structures reminiscent of WWII pillboxes on metal tank like treads. These sloth drawn vehicles were, understandably, bringing up the rear of the convoy. I mostly loved them because with all the options demonstrated by the convoy someone had said, ¡°Yeah. Armored sloth-mobile fortification combo. That sounds right,¡± and then proceeded to make it happen. I needed to meet these people. I also needed to know if an armored sloth could actually fight or if they were just there to look good. Most importantly, I needed to know how to get my own armored giant sloth transportation. There were no flying mounts with the convoy. The books that I had been reading on military tactics and regional history didn¡¯t feature flying mounts, so I took this as another data point that these were not common where we had ended up. This made some sense to me because the idea of even a magical creature flying while encumbered was a real stretch. Unfortunately, I just didn¡¯t know enough about magic at this point to have an actually informed position. It just seemed like if it was possible, it certainly seemed like something entities that could pull it off were bound to be rare. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. When the caravan had finally completed the ascent and reached the top of the mesa, they passed through the barrier, giving us our first look at the people with whom we would be sharing our town for the next year. It was a basic seelie wight value pack. With the limited context I had, it just looked like an assortment of beautiful and mythical beings in the mold of elves and fairies. I did immediately notice that they had disturbingly sharp teeth. I mean some of them were basically sporting a full set of canines. What were they eating with those? Definitely not vegetables. At the time, I wasn¡¯t acquainted with the true fae, so I just had mythology and video games to guide me. Even in my relative ignorance, I could tell that this was a tough draw and that this was going to be an absolutely shit year. *** Back at the hotel a group of ten had broken away from their fellows and they were introducing themselves to my friends and dog as our instructors for the tutorial. I am going to call them elves at this point because they had pointy ears, beautiful visages, youthful appearances and were dripping with arrogance. They were short on details about our situation, but their introductions still painted a clear picture of how little we really knew about our situation and the way this world of the awakened worked. Phraan - A tall, pale and thin warrior, Phraan carried herself with poise, but was approachable and open. I had no training at the time and when she moved I could still tell that she could beat the stuffing out of me in the blink of an eye. Phraan introduced herself as an instructor in the path of the warrior who focused on strength based defense and melee tactics. Ruven - Also tall and thin, Ruven had ice blue eyes and a sharp expression and seemed extremely serious. He shared that he was over 200 years old and would be our guide in the arcane arts of intelligence based casting. Elen - All of the elves were tall and thin and very beautiful. The men were beautiful. The women were beautiful. Elen was definitely beautiful, like maybe perfect beautiful. Humans generally respond with a strong bias to beauty and I am no exception. I definitely found Elen off putting before she even opened her mouth. Her immaculate dress and huge emerald eyes gave off an impression of haughty self-satisfaction, but in her melodious voice I heard earnest compassion for our current ordeal. She commended us for awakening and arriving here successfully despite the challenges of our ignorance and woeful lack of preparation. Yeah. There it was. Elen and I definitely weren¡¯t going to prom together, but she was an expert in agility based combat, particularly ranged attacks and I was interested to see what I could learn from her. Amrynn - A shadowy elf with darker skin, Amrynn seemed to be a rogue build who said they would help us with dexterity based melee, ranged combat and stealth. Eldrin - They carried a gnarled staff and were exactly what you think about when you think of an elven druid, but again with very sharp teeth, like fangs really. Eldrin said that they would instruct us in wisdom and intelligence focused nature magic. Ayre - A charisma focused bard, Ayre seemed to earnestly want to spend time with each of us to learn our stories. She shared that she would be training us in harmonic casting. Naesala - There was a quiet dignity to Naesala and a settled sense of self. He was terse and his voice was deep and resonant when he introduced himself. He was a Wisdom focused caster who would share with us the gift of divine magic and also tutor us in the art of self defense. Elyon - A martial artist and monk, Elyon was also completely bald. He would show those that wished the path of discipline and unarmed combat. Wynather Umetoris - I only learned her family name later through Sarah. She was the least severe of the elves in the way that she carried herself, but apparently she was an extremely powerful summoner who would teach us how to use charisma and intelligence to enlist beings of might and magic in our service. Caeda - Not specifically combat focused, Caeda was quiet and unassuming, at least by elven standards as far as I could discern them. He was there to instruct us in the art of ingenuity as artificers and crafters. I know I just went to the trouble of introducing each of these elves, but it is really more of an historical artifact and convenience. I wasn¡¯t positively inclined to the whole tutorial scenario before their arrival and this all too perfect troop of expert instructors did nothing to put my mind at ease. My reading sessions in the Treefort in the week preceding their arrival suggested that there was something off with this whole scenario and I had already decided to use a favorite gaming tactic of mine and skip the tutorial in favor of rapidly specializing in my chosen path. It also didn¡¯t escape my notice that this group lacked a tactician class trainer, which largely made sense since I¡¯d essentially made it up a week ago. Of the trainers that were available, I was most interested in what Elen, Caeda and Amrynn could provide to aid me in my forthcoming self-study activities. Once I had absorbed what I could, I would be dropping out of elf combat college in favor of getting a haircut and a real job. Chapter 10: Plans Are Useless, But Planning Is Essential I have read many progression fantasies where the hero is perpetually dancing on the edge of a knife and one wrong move would spell the end for him and everything that he holds dear. They were certainly exciting and, I get it, true progress comes with risk and struggle, but in most of those stories money is also super helpful. There are plenty of moral issues around wealth that we could certainly debate, but no matter how long my journey took the money route was going to ultimately be more realistic for me than the path of discipline or the way of the warrior. One look at those elves made it clear that where physicality and skill were concerned I was, as Elen so charmingly put it, woefully unprepared. Money was certainly going to be part of my path, but not exclusively my path. Afterall, overspecialization always breeds weakness. *** Following their introductions the elven instructors made themselves at home in the lobby, lounge and library of the hotel along with my friends. It was like some fantasy college admissions weekend breakout session. It was a shockingly low bar, but I had even less intention of participating in this awkwardness than I did when I was in school and trying to settle on a college. I approached Erin, Sarah and Elen as my friends shared a bit about their classes and experiences during the ¡°bonus quest¡± week with the elven ranger. Slipping into their circle behind Erin and Sarah, I waited for my chance to join in as I mulled my list of objectives. I wasn¡¯t using the system quests, but I had created my own custom questline of sorts. It was certainly not a complete plan, but I had put together a number of ideas and scenarios as I spent the prior week reading in the Treefort and I am sad to say that this was the best I could come up with. I wasn¡¯t sure exactly how this place related to my life before awakening, but any way I sliced it, I needed to push forward to collect information and as many advantages as possible in the next year. Taking pity on me and my utter lack of savoir faire, Sarah threw me a lifeline and said, ¡°Harris, your situation certainly is unique among the group. Perhaps you should share your story with Instructor Elen and she can lend you the benefit of her wisdom, knowledge and vast experience.¡± As she spoke she looked at Elen with big doe eyes full of wonder and admiration. It may be apocryphal, but I think that I threw up in my mouth a little bit at this naked display of flattery, but the elf accepted it as a matter of course. Leave it to Sarah to read the crowd just right. Elen said, ¡°This one is here to help you lost lambs. Please tell me of your class and troubles and I will set you on the right path.¡± To her credit, Elen listened with attention as I explained that there was an issue with my awakening process. I explained that I had found some guns and books recently and was looking to use firearms and study tactics to support my friends. I also mentioned that with my situation I was thinking of getting a job rather than training to allow me to contribute to my team in other ways. I kept the exposition on my class and decisions vague. Although Sarah¡¯s eyebrows momentarily peaked at my mention of working rather than training, neither she nor Erin offered Elen anything additional about my situation. In her beautiful, melodious voice Elen answered immediately, ¡°Firearms are a broken peak. They are shortcuts that will permanently damage your foundations. You are no doubt fully awakened, I can sense it within you, but as you lack a true path you will quickly fall behind those with true blessings from the Unified System. To recognize your lack of potential is admirable, I do think that learning a trade so that you can at least be of some service to your teammates in making camp, repairing equipment and tending the mounts would allow you to hold them back as little as possible. You may also consider doing the honorable thing and leaving the party altogether. With your species¡¯ limitations and ignorance, this party will already struggle to survive and after they have recruited a replacement for you, they could perhaps hire you on as a servant to tend their camp.¡± Stolen story; please report. I had to hand it to Elen, she was direct and on point. I could see that Sarah was fuming, though I doubt anyone else could recognize it on her well schooled face. Erin looked shocked as well. She was always a little jealous of my friendship with Sarah, but I didn¡¯t think that she was a bad sort. I even caught Kelly¡¯s eye for a moment as she overheard Elen¡¯s suggestion as she was chatting with Amrynn about the options for her thief class. I don¡¯t know if she was quite feeling pity for me, but it was sympathy of some kind and if I was getting sympathy from Kelly things were looking real, real bad. I agreed with Elen, thanked her for her wisdom and excused myself. She didn¡¯t appear to give our conversation another thought as she turned back to Sarah and Erin. I actually rotated over to chat with Kelly and Amrynn for a few minutes about the stealth arts and what it took to learn them. Amrynn was terse and they were certainly less dismissive as Elen, but it sounded like without access to a base class that included a stealth skill it would be a long road to getting access to a stealth ability. Apparently there were skill tomes that could help bridge this kind of gap, but those weren¡¯t likely to be available in the area for some time. Caeda seemed to be generally following Ayre around as she chatted with each of my friends in turn. Ayre navigated the relatively awkward social situation with grace and ease. Caeda did not. I tried several times to engage Caeda in conversation, but all I got were one word answers. He seemed to have no interest in learning about anyone or in helping me in any way. Not necessarily a dead end, but a dead end for now. Apparently our Elven instructors would not be claiming the remaining rooms in the hotel. They had plans to stay elsewhere in the safe zone for the duration of the training. They left a few hours before dinnertime without much of an explanation. It seemed odd that they wouldn¡¯t be staying in the hotel, especially with the proximity of the hotel to the actual training grounds and ranges, not to mention their precious students. The elves were weird though and the whole thing seemed a bit off, so I was happy that they wouldn¡¯t be sharing the hotel with my friends. I asked Sarah and Queakers if they could meet up with me for a few minutes after dinner and made the same request of Jim and Lyle before heading out into the late afternoon sun. *** While spending time reading and cataloging some of the books in the vast collection in the Treefort, I had run across A Primer on Frontier Administration by Xyrtihne. A half elf regional governor from a century prior, Xyrtihne was apparently an expert on all aspects of frontier land management, including property rights. From the maps and documents in the library, I had come to understand that wherever our tutorial was taking place, the Unified System had completed its awakening activities thousands of years prior. The kingdoms and countries that existed prior to the awakening had all collapsed quickly and a network of system sponsored administrative regions had been established in the subsequent centuries. Based on what I had gleaned, the area in which we were located was a part of the frontier in Region Eleven. The regions were very large by Earth standards, some stretching for thousands of miles. There were typically a few cities in each region, which were surrounded by large areas dedicated to permanent agricultural or resource collection activities. The frontiers were located in the distant and remote areas of the zones. Outposts like the one in which we were living were not permanently inhabited. Instead resources were allowed to build up in these remote regions and then harvested in a cyclical nature determined by the region¡¯s administrator. Our outpost was called the Emerald Sea and it hadn¡¯t been occupied for about a hundred years. The safe zone preserves and protects the outpost while it is uninhabited. When the administrator opens an outpost, people migrate there to work, trade and harvest resources. When the administrator closes an outpost, everyone has to move in the span of a few months. Assignments aren¡¯t directed specifically by the administrator or his staff, but they create the incentives that shift the population among these frontier areas. Apparently, people willing and able to work successfully under the challenging conditions of the frontier are relatively rare and this is a significant limitation in developing and securing these frontier locations. According to Xyrtihne sponsoring tutorials for the newly awakened is a one method to bolster the population of frontier inhabitants and comes with some benefits from the Unified System. There are many strategies that an Administrator can utilize to influence these situations, but the reality is that it doesn''t make sense to manage them closely. It is more like seeding a meadow with wildflowers and letting nature take its course than carefully tilling the soil, sowing the seeds, irrigating the crops and harvesting them when the time comes. At least that was that analogy that Xyrtihne used in the book. More importantly from my perspective, as an incentive to encourage people to rotate through the frontier in an expeditious fashion, any citizen could claim any unoccupied building in an outpost for use in commerce by affixing a sign for the business to the blank sign slot included with each structure. As luck would have it, all tutorial participants are given regional citizenship immediately at the start of the tutorial period in an effort to tie them to the region in which they had been ¡°seeded.¡± Chapter 11: Bonanza I had already spent some time putting together options for businesses and corresponding signs, with a few contingencies. I was not an artist and the signs were trash tier, but they still worked. Apparently the most desirable locations in an outpost were those that converted the raw materials in the area into something useful, like the facilities for armorers, smiths and artificers that we had explored during the prior week. The magic artificer shop adjacent to the Treefort had been snapped up immediately and the new inhabitants had already made some progress in setting up their operations. I didn¡¯t expect to be able to compete with the caravan members for any of those locations, but from what I had read some of the less desirable facilities could take years to be occupied in a newly opened outpost. The bookstore on the other side of the Treefort was much less desirable and was fortunately unclaimed when I arrived. This was lucky for me, since the bookstore had a second floor apartment that I could live in after claiming the building. I planned to move in immediately, as the location near the Treefort would allow me plenty of opportunity to stop by the hidden bolthole without raising any suspicions. I was also definitely hoping to get a job at the magic artificer, as it was by far the best location to support my goals to push forward with my interest in firearms and related equipment. Magic artifice could also support passive, technology based defenses that would prevent me from suffering the typical fate of a glass cannon. I put the crude sign for my new bookstore onto the plaque on the front of the building and my name appeared in the lower section of the plaque as the owner. My next stop was the building on the opposite side of the alley running behind the magic artificer and the bookshop that would be my new crash pad. The map that I¡¯d used for the bonus quest had this as some kind of cafe / retail space. This seemed really impractical and unnecessary for a frontier town and the location wasn¡¯t very good for foot traffic, but controlling it would be helpful for me and I had an idea: Board Game Cafe. I didn¡¯t know anything about starting a cafe, but it was a contingency that I rolled into when I saw that the initial caravan was chock full of fae. The fae are famous for loving games, right? Also, I have seen enough isekai to know that if you don¡¯t have special powers you need to either start your fantasy commerce empire with either board games or mayonnaise. I mean occasionally you see someone go with manga or something, but board games and mayonnaise are the two mainstays. Since I could serve mayonnaise and sell board games in a board game cafe, it was a surefire hit. I was serious about the boardgame cafe though. I had seen and enjoyed them myself in the past and they are a generally low labor and low startup cost venture. This was great for me because I didn¡¯t have any money and I wasn¡¯t planning on working that hard at the cafe. I actually also wanted to start a cryptocurrency exchange, but I couldn¡¯t figure out how to do that without computers. If I am honest I probably couldn¡¯t figure that out with computers, though I knew where I could find some good programmers to help me out. With my dreams of launching Queakerscoin out the window, I headed over to the magic artificer shop to see about a job after claiming my board game cafe. I have never liked asking for work and I have never been very good at it, but I needed access to the magic artificer in the town. I knew that I was going to need to be tenacious and willing to play the long game for this opportunity. I also planned to lean into some of my actual work experiences and open with an offer rather than a request. I did a little light reconnaissance on the magic artificer shop while I was claiming the bookshop and I was pleased to find that the new owners bore a strong resemblance to what I would have called brownies based on my limited experience with folklore. It wasn¡¯t entirely clear that the fae type creatures that I had observed arriving really had the characteristics with which they were associated in tales from Earth, but the elves certainly seemed spot on and I figured I would proceed, with caution, along this premise until I had better information. I passed the Treefort on my way and I snuck in to load some of the less conspicuous materials, munitions and small devices that I had going spare into my bag. The game plan was to do some initial bartering, offer to hire one of the brownies to help me run my board game cafe and then hit them up for a job that I would then parlay into a more of an apprenticeship in the coming months. In legends from Earth brownies preferred dealing with ¡°mortals,¡± so I was hopeful that this was a viable plan, but I was determined to make this work no matter the obstacles. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. When I entered the magic artificer¡¯s shop, I was quickly surrounded by no less than fifteen brownies. I tried to seem relaxed, but for a moment I was worried that I was going to be on the receiving end of a fantasy style River City Ransom beatdown. Fortunately, no beatdown followed, as the brownies were ecstatic that I came. They really did like dealing with mortals and when I introduced myself as their neighbor they felt that hospitality was in order. After downing a tiny mug of milk and honey, we got down to business. They were in fact quite interested in the random assortment of materials and gadgets that I¡¯d snuck out from the Treefort. There were even more of the tiny elves surrounding me now and they were passing around the items that I shared with general interest. A small hammer that was apparently used for fine metalwork and had some desirable magical properties got some ¡°oohs and ahhs¡± as it circulated, tipping me off to the fact that I likely had something good there. After about fifteen minutes of this chaos interspersed with light conversation, it became clear that an older looking brownie named Galan was running the show. I gave Galan the hammer as a gift and asked him to make an offer on the rest of the items on account. Galan looked like a tiny elf just like the rest, but his face had some wrinkles, though without being careworn. His eyes had a twinkle that spoke to his intelligence and I figured that I had bought all of the goodwill that I was likely to with what I had to offer. The time had come to be bold. I explained my concept for a board game cafe to Galan and suggested that we could team up on the opportunity with some of his less experienced clanmates helping to fabricate games and staff the cafe on the off hours that I planned to have it open. There was an uncomfortable pause in the conversation following my suggestion and I prepared to get out the couple of board games that I had ¡°borrowed¡± from the hotel to demonstrate the concept for them, but I never got that far. I would later learn that Galan often let long pauses fall in conversations and I never did figure out what it meant. Of course, I later learned that Galan was north of five hundred years old, so a few long pauses were maybe just to be expected. At any rate, I needn''t have worried about Galan''s response. He was down. Everyone there was down. It was like a little party of excited chatter, people sharing ideas and others clamoring to participate for like five minutes after Galan got off pause and agreed to my proposal without a single question. In the brownies I had found the ideal audience and partners for my board game cafe and Galan was so taken with the idea that he offered to assign his youngest daughter Lierin to the project. Lierin was extremely capable and for a brownie that was saying something, so what actually happened was that I became a silent partner in my own brownie run board game cafe from that point forward. Though, I didn¡¯t find that out for at least another week. I decided to press on with the final phase of my current plan, but with how well things were going I also decided to take it up a notch. I explained to Galan and the by now thirty or so brownies that had gathered in the shop, that I really wanted to learn more about magic artifice and that I need a strong career track to support my party. I suggested that I could work at their store part time at a reduced rate of compensation in exchange for some basic lessons in magic artifice. I also suggested that I could employ some of the brownies in their off hours to help me out at my bookstore. Seeing how many brownies there were, and somehow more just kept appearing, at the last second I sweetened the pot by also providing any brownies that wanted to work at either the bookstore or board game cafe access to the back rooms and upper floors of each, with the exception of the apartment that I was going to take for myself on the second story of the bookstore. The brownies were not creatures that could easily be tricked. They were themselves tricksters by nature, if generally good hearted ones. They were known as the crafters of the fae and to be helpful to humans unless crossed. Crossing a brownie was thought to be a source of bad luck from the folklore that I remembered. Anyhow, my luck continued to hold in this encounter as the brownies really did prefer to have mortals around and they had their own legends about how having a human around was good luck. There was also a fair amount of approving chatter about having someone around that could reach the top shelves in the store without a ladder. With the brownies all in as my partners and employers, my plan was starting to look much more achievable. Chapter 12: Many Partings The time that I spent with the brownies of Region Eleven would turn out to be one of the pillars of my future domain. My activity there didn¡¯t really have any direct or proximate impact on the adventures that would follow, but I can¡¯t underestimate the ultimate impact of the time that I spent with them. What I learned was invaluable. The forty-five or so minutes that I spent ¡°negotiating¡± with the brownies at the start of the tutorial had to rank among the best investments that I ever made, which, I am happy to report, is not a low bar. In the circumference of the circle the beginning and the end are common. - Heraclitus of Ephesus *** With my urgent objectives in town met, I said some quick general goodbyes to the fifty or so brownies that had congregated in the magic artificer shop during my conversation with their clan leader Galan. I also told Galan that I would be back in about a week to hammer out any necessary details and get things moving. I needed to make it back in time for dinner to catch up with my friends and also because I was getting pretty hungry. I was really hoping that they didn¡¯t wait for me to start cooking. As I hustled through the side streets toward the main thoroughfare and our hotel, I was taken at how gamelike some aspects of life under the Unified System really were. Like clockwork the safe zone had essentially been given an upgrade to level one, but there were clearly multiple additional upgrades possible. Only about half the buildings had been occupied and those that did have new inhabitants certainly didn¡¯t look fully utilized. When I made it back to the hotel that I had been staying in with my friends, I was greeted by the smell of some kind of stew. I had no doubt that it was another of Karen¡¯s canned good concoctions. Karen did good work and it smelled amazing, but our menu options, and I am guessing, nutrition were suffering a bit from a lack of any real access to fresh ingredients. It was this lack that I was planning to address while giving my friends and by extension our instructors a ready made explanation for the time that I was planning to spend outside the safezone in the coming months. I had respected the prohibition on leaving the safe zone before the official start of the tutorial that the team had shared with me from their quests. I did this because I didn¡¯t really turn up any solid information on what would happen if I left and tried to reenter before the tutorial started. I was up for some adventure, but not up for getting trapped outside without the means to survive on my own. Now that the risk of being unable to reenter was largely mitigated, I was ready to get to work, well I would be ready to get to work soon. Now, I was ready to eat. The appearance of the instructors had answered many questions for me and my friends, but it had likely raised just as many. As we shared the meal that Karen and Jim had prepared for everyone, my friends engaged in an animated discussion of their thoughts about our instructors as well as their plans to train and progress. The elven Ranger Elen had basically told me that my ideas sucked and that I was a couple of levels below human garbage. I mean I am paraphrasing, but not that much. It made things a little awkward at first as Sarah and Kelly gave me the side eye a few times as Lando and Karl explained their imminent ascendance to the ranks of the superhuman between their respective Warrior and Fighter classes. I did my best to jump in as soon as I could and, without a scrap of self pity or even my trademark dry humor, explained that I was going to focus on support functions for the team. I let them know that I had made some inquiries in town and I had an internship lined up and an immediate game plan to focus on obtaining fresh, nutritious food for the team. I think that the fact that I had a plan, a good attitude and a serious demeanor, helped people get comfortable with the idea that I was just fine despite apparently having a top end potential of being their servant in the future according to our instructors. The conversation quickly reignited from there and everyone was pretty merry as we finished our meal and relaxed together for a few minutes after dinner. As things were winding down, I invited Queakers and Sarah to connect with me in my room for the conversation that I mentioned to them earlier that afternoon. Sarah and Queakers were obviously very different, but I cared about both of them and I wanted to ensure that they would look out for each other while I was ¡°walking my own path¡± so to speak. The minute that I closed the door to my room, Sarah burst out, ¡°Where are you going, Harris? I know you and I know that you aren¡¯t planning to become the group¡¯s porter, especially based on the advice of that stuck-up Elen.¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Queakers jumped with her magic slate, ¡°Yes. None of the instructors are trustworthy and you should ignore them. Eldrin can be useful to me and I will bide my time until he outlives that usefulness, but Elen has a debt to pay and I will never forget this debt.¡± Sarah and I were both a little taken aback because Queakers was a little scary, though the fact that she said it well getting a belly rub from me on my bed with a big smile and her tongue hanging out took a little bit of the edge off. ¡°I think that we can just turn the other cheek on this one guys. I don¡¯t really care what Elen says and I do have a plan, but you are right. I need a little freedom to find my own way. I recognize that I am being a bit selfish, but I am asking you each to look out for each other without me.¡± Among the group, these were the two that I was most worried about, but also the two that had the most potential in this weird new world based on what I had seen. Sarah gave me a pointed look that screamed ¡°I never needed you to look out for me, but I think that she understood that I was more worried about Queakers. The transformation that Queakers was experiencing would have been completely unbelievable just a few weeks ago and she needed the freedom to explore in her own way. Sarah was probably a better partner for this than me, but I did believe that Sarah could also benefit from Queakers watching her back. Queakers still looked like a regular bichon frise and was likely to be underestimated as her mental capacity rapidly expanded. This would give her an advantage in some circumstances, but could also encourage others to try to take advantage of the situation. I already knew that Sarah would look out for Queakers, but I wanted the peace of mind of asking explicitly and I wanted them to understand my feelings. Queakers responded, ¡°Yes. We will grow strong together and we will lead the pack. When do you leave?¡± I was thinking that Queakers was getting to be awfully stoic, but when I let her know that I was leaving that night she let out a little growling yelp. She was the best girl and she was being tough. I was a little verklempt at that point and just nodded when Sarah said, ¡°Good luck. Don¡¯t worry about anything and don¡¯t be a stranger.¡± After I talked with Queakers and Sarah I honestly wondered if my plan was likely to be effective or even made any sense. I felt like I was just sort of ruining things and hurting people that I cared about to go my own way. I felt like I needed to be a success just to justify my decision not to go along with the status quo presented by the Unified System and the instructors, but in the end I was just trying to do my best and as long as I was honest about it, I didn¡¯t see how that could really be wrong. My conversation with Jim and Karen was to some degree less emotional, but for all that I wasn¡¯t going far, it felt like we were really heading in different directions. I let them know that I would be moving out that night for the foreseeable future. I didn¡¯t think that there would be options to add others to the party, but I let them know that I understood if it made sense to replace me and that they should do whatever they felt would keep everyone safe. I also let Jim and Karen know that after a while I would stop by occasionally, but that I would start working immediately on improving our provisions. I asked them to tell the others for me and let them know to share with everyone that if they were looking for me they could likely reach me at the magic artificers and that they could ask for Galan if it was an emergency, as he could probably find me if needed. Of course, Galan was probably much better equipped than me to deal with an emergency at this point anyway, so even if they didn¡¯t find me it was probably going to be a win. I gave them each a hug and got a firm handshake from Jim before I walked out into the late evening street with just my pack and rifles. Kelly was waiting in the shadows under the eaves for me and gently grabbed my arm as I headed out toward my new apartment above the bookstore. This could have been a classic anime confession scene if there was anything between Kelly and me, but there wasn¡¯t. The ties that bound Kelly and me were our mutual friends in Karen, Jim and Sarah and a mutual respect for the fact that we were both independent. We had known each other a long time and I appreciated the sentiment behind her words when she said, ¡°I understand what you are doing and I appreciate it. Don¡¯t die trying to make a point.¡± I looked directly, deeply even, into her eyes and gave her a nod before I walked on. If she really understood what I was doing I don¡¯t think that she, or any of them would have exactly appreciated it, though in the end they would all have me to thank for it a couple of times over. Chapter 13: The Chamois of the Black Forest I backpedaled through the gap between a couple of small trees to cut off the path of the hell antelope trying to impale my chest with one of its spiky black horns. The horns both looked and cut like obsidian, so I was definitely focused on keeping what distance I could as I tried to get in a good shot. I had no intention of getting this close to these little monsters in the first place, but the wild elves that Galan had introduced me to didn¡¯t seem to really care about the margins of safety with which I had hoped to operate or, really, my safety in any way. The wild elves had demonstrated their amazing instincts and the skills built over lifetimes of experience during our many, many encounters with enraged monsters and beasts over the past few days, but the two that I was working with tended to revel in the chaos much more than expected. They were leading me on a loop out of the Emerald Sea to learn woodcraft and test out some live combat while harvesting food for the team, which was what I had hired them to do. They were just doing it in a way that was much more action packed and life threatening than expected. Case in point, these hell antelopes were both super fast and super murderous and there must have been hundreds in this section of the forest alone. Given how many I had killed and how they kept coming it felt like there was no end to them. I know that you are thinking, ungulates don¡¯t tend to get all that murderous, so how did we get here? First off, hell antelope is their name, not an amusing description. The monsters stood about four feet tall at the shoulder and their jagged, black, stone hard horns were about three to four feet in length. Their eyes glowed a dull red and they made a piercing, whining screech as they darted through the forest in a frenzy. The woods were currently alive with these horrible screeches. It wasn¡¯t like I was innocent in all of this, as I had cut a path of carnage through their territory for the better part of a day, but they would have wanted to kill me either way. I dodged away behind a large spruce to cut off another attempt to impale me from the hell antelope that I had engaged. It swung wide around the tree, presumably with the intention of cutting off my avenues of escape and pinning me, literally, to the spruce at my back. I had dropped the long musket-like rifle that I had been hunting with earlier in the day when the antelopes first closed the distance and began darting at me from the trees. Instead, I was sporting a mid-range weapon, basically a magic shotgun, with a good spread that gave me a better chance of keeping up with the pace of the situation. It didn¡¯t require as much preparation to shoot or really even really need to be carefully aimed at the current distance. As the hell antelope rounded the tree I caught it with a shot squarely to the head and it was an instant kill. I turned to scan the forest to my right when it felt like something, obviously the horn of another hell antelope, tore into my calf. I fell forward onto my knees and then flat on the ground with my gun under me. I rolled away from the tree quickly enough to stop the hoof headed for my head from connecting, but it felt like my shoulder broke as the other hoof smashed me into the ground. Fortunately, my magic shotgun magically had zero recoil and generally felt weightless, allowing me to shoot using just the arm that didn¡¯t feel like it had just exploded. At that range I painted myself and the large spruce I had hidden behind with blood and bits of flesh as the point blank shot demolished the antelope. The wild elves just chuckled as I hauled myself to my feet and loaded two additional shells into my gun as more screeches erupted from the darkness that blanketed most of the ground, the sun largely filtered out by the thick canopy hundreds of feet above. As the pain faded away, I got to wondering what the hell antelope actually ate in these woods. The dense forest crowded out most of the underbrush and the trees were mostly conifers and way too high to reach. ... Yeah, best not to think about what these monsters ate and just focus on not making my way onto the menu. I was actually getting pretty tired. I was wearing the best energy armor that I had access to at the time as well as a training device that allowed one to experience all of the sensations, including the pain, of injuries avoided by the energy armor. Apparently pain teaches, but bleeding to death in the woods doesn¡¯t, so this was the combination recommended in one of the journals that I had dug up in the Treefort. I had dozens of defensive artifacts to choose from in the trove of gear that I found ahead of the start of the tutorial, but most were highly situational. The two wild elves, Deldes and Delirien, that Galan had connected me with for my immersive hunting training found all of my mistakes and the punishment that I was taking funny, but the fact that I had chosen to experience the pain also seemed to earn me a small sliver of respect from them. When I had formulated this plan I had visions of the hunting that I was familiar with from my prior life. Getting into position in a stand or blind before dawn and waiting for the perfect moment to take my shot. Then spending the evening enjoying a meal and the fire before getting to bed early under the stars. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. There were no campfire cooking lessons by the fire on this trip. Deldes did make me eat a piece of the heart of my first kill, a large cave bear, to give me strength, but it wasn¡¯t cooked and I barely kept it down. Most nights we didn¡¯t even have a fire because it would give away our position and I was fine with that because we only got a few hours of rest each night anyway and I needed to spend them all sleeping. Later I would learn that Deldes and Delirien were actually pretty good company, but they were true free spirits and lovers of chaos who believed in a real learn by doing approach. They revered the forest and tried to live in harmony with animals, but monsters were another story. The maniac glint in Delirien¡¯s eyes when I screwed up too badly and she entered the fight was chilling as was her laughter as she cut through anything that got in her way with the blade of her spear. The area around the Emerald Sea was actually relatively dangerous and I was definitely not currently at the top of the food chain. The wild elves had a perfectly good camp about fifteen miles from the eastern edge of the safezone, but they led me deeper and deeper into the forest by the day. Somehow they were communicating with their compatriots who would appear each evening to collect what we killed. I had learned quite a bit in just a few days and I still had four days left to go in this loop. I also had multiple additional loops planned with them. If I could stand it and survive it, I expected to become an expert in the use of firearms, basic woodcraft and stealth in the six months that I planned to spend working with Deldes and Delirien. Deldes and Delirien weren¡¯t doing this out of the kindness of their hearts. I paid them five gold for each week that we were on the hunt and we split what we killed. They were wild elves and they had no interest in moving into the relative safety of the outpost, but they had plenty of interest in some of the shops in town and trading with caravans all over the Emerald Sea. Five gold was actually a tidy sum in the Emerald Sea at the time and the coin that I was paying them was very useful as the economy of the area slowly spun up following the reopening of the outpost. Apparently some of what I had traded to Galan was relatively valuable and I had almost seven hundred gold on account with the brownies, so paying Deldes and Delirien was currently no problem for me. We occasionally foraged for plants and mushrooms in the woods and I definitely tangled with more than my fair share of plant monsters, but most of the food that we were able to harvest on this loop was meat. We were going to be eating hell antelope jerky for a long, long time. On the bright side, hell antelope meat is naturally a little peppery and spicy, so it makes great jerky. We were also occasionally able to monster parts that could be valuable as materials to the right craftsman, so there was the potential of some additional benefit when we could find buyers for those. It felt like I was helping the team with the produce from this hunting trip and that I was helping develop my skills in the process, which I felt like enough of a win for now. *** I was dirty, like gross dirty, and exhausted by the time I completed my first loop through the area near the Emerald Sea with Deldes and Delirien. We had collected enough meat, whether still fresh, smoked or cured, to last me and my friends for at least a month. I¡¯d have to stash some of the most heavily preserved meats in the Treefort when I had a chance, but right now I needed a shower and some real, restful sleep. I slipped into the bookstore and the brownie girl behind the desk gasped audibly at my appearance. I was filthy and covered in blood, so I just flashed her my most winning smile and kept on trucking through the store and the backroom to the stairs up to my apartments. When I unlocked the door and stepped into my living room it was my turn to gasp. It was obvious that the brownies had been in my rooms while I was away. When I had left there were no decorations, no rugs and what minimal furniture I had looked like it either belonged in a dorm room or a dumpster. Instead of fifteen odd stacks of books around my threadbare couch and the coffee table with uneven legs, two large bookshelves now dominated the wall behind the couch, which had itself been replaced with a wood frame sofa with leather cushions. The end tables that had been added had proper lamps for reading and some potted plants that really livened up the room. A small woolen rug to catch any stray ashes and embers had been placed in front of the fireplace and my new couch and coffee table stood on what looked like the fantasy world equivalent of a persian rug. An additional sitting area had been added by my large window complete with two overstuffed leather arm chairs with a small table between them. I could definitely see curling up there with a mug of tea or a nice snack while reading the afternoon away. The transformation of my bedroom and kitchen were no less significant. It was definitely a dump before that I¡¯d be embarrassed to let anyone see, but now it looked like the kind of place that you could invite a date back to and actually score some brownie points. See what I did there? Brownie points. Anyhow, I only had enough energy for a shower before I slept for what I assumed would be a full day, but tomorrow I was going to need to catch up with Galan and his merry band for an update and an explanation. I was also going to need to see about a new lock, because the one I had clearly wasn¡¯t brownie proof. Chapter 14: Harris Is In the Club Yeah, working with the brownies is weird. They generally mean well, though they can be a little vengeful if you piss them off. Also, they aren¡¯t going to really consult you on anything. They are pretty sure that they know better, and they actually might. Also, they don¡¯t slow down for anyone. They are extremely fast, can understand how to make or fix just about anything and actually have a pretty good sense of humor. Also, and this is very important, absolutely no cats, not even as a joke. I slept for fourteen hours and got moving very slowly in the mid-afternoon. My body was still sore, but I earnestly wondered if the stats that the Unified System was presumably reflecting were having an impact on my body or my mind. I really had no frame of reference, but I think that an experience like my first loop with Deldes and Delirien would have likely at least left me requiring hospitalization and struggling with some measure of mental trauma before my awakening. So why subject myself to this such a brutal experience and pay for the privilege? I was looking to forge my own path. I¡¯d explored the possibility of piecemealing a course of study together with the instructors provided for the tutorial and it wasn¡¯t viable. The instructors weren¡¯t motivated to help me and, although I didn¡¯t doubt that they were reasonably skilled in their own areas, they didn¡¯t really have much to offer me. From our initial conversation it was clear that the peak that I was looking to climb was outside of their experience. I also just plain didn¡¯t trust their motivations. By a stroke of luck or fate, I had access to the resources necessary to run my own focused and intense ¡°self-study.¡± I enjoyed reading and I was probably going to do that anyway, so why not focus my energy there to learn as much as I could about what I felt was important in the coming year. Intense practical experiences every other week would give me time to put what I was learning to the test and rapidly push my skills. I¡¯d spend my off weeks working as an informal apprentice at the magic artificer shop and reading in my off hours before heading out again with Deldes and Delirin. It packed a great deal of activity into a short time, but the activities were complimentary enough to allow me to recover from one while doing the other. I planned to live this way for six months before hopefully shifting my modus operandi again. Galan¡¯s generosity was the other significant factor in my decision to push forward in this way. Based on what I had learned pre-awakening, from video games, D&D and the like, it would have taken me decades to earn enough respect with the wild elves on my own to be able to enter their camp or strike the bargain that I had with Deldes and Delirien. At the time, I didn¡¯t know all that much about Galan or why he had the pull that he did, but he was able to hook everything up for me with the wild elves with a quick conversation and a handshake. I was risking my safety on his reputation and my feeling that he had my best interests in mind, but I did trust him. Speaking of Galan, I needed to catch up with the brownie elder and his daughter Lierin to talk over the plans for the board game cafe and the guerilla redecorating of my apartment. My bookstore was currently in a pitiful state, but getting the ball rolling there was another of my objectives for this week. I made my way outside and when I covered the short distance to the magic artificer shop seeking Galan, I was surprised to find almost no one about. There was just one member of Galan¡¯s clan manning the place and when I asked him where Galan was he pointed me toward the cafe. I headed over to the building I had claimed for the board game cafe, but I was shocked for the second time in as many days at what I found. The front facade of the building had been painted in an emerald green color with mint green trim around the doors and windows as well as on the shutters. A covered porch had been added with a neat decking floor and railing defining the space. The porch was covered in tables occupied by brownies and other fae playing all manner of games. I saw battles for world domination, people collecting points with bird based strategies and even one group of people rocking a pop-a-matic bubble. I didn¡¯t spot anyone that I knew and I began to weave my way past the gamers on the porch to check inside when I was stopped by the smallest fae that I had seen thus far. The pixie hovering before me physically barred my path and said, ¡°Name?¡± I was surprised and responded, ¡°Excuse me.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The pixie stared at me with a slight edge of contempt, like maybe I was out of my league, and before repeating, ¡°What is your name? You can¡¯t come in if you aren¡¯t on the list.¡± More shocked and confused than anything, I pointed to the sign detailing ownership of the building and said, ¡°I¡¯m Harris.¡± The pixie¡¯s tone shifted, not really with respect, but with recognition, ¡°Sorry boss. I didn¡¯t recognize you. Lierin is waiting for you in the lounge on the second floor. Head straight up.¡± I liked board games. I liked cafes. So why was I suddenly feeling so uncomfortable about this one. For that matter, where did all of these games come from and how was this place already so popular? I had been gone for a week and things had changed some much and diverged so far from my expectations. I still needed to find Galan and Lierin was as good a place to start as any and I definitely needed an explanation from her as well. The interior of the cafe was packed. The walls were lined with shelves storing board games of all stripes and descriptions. Some were held in finely crafted wooden boxes and others had intricate figurines that in some cases were truly lifelike miniatures. On one table I saw a game where the pieces were actually animated and moved themselves around the board when the dice were rolled. The majority of the floor was covered in tables, all occupied with active gamers, and opposite the door there was a bar where food and drink could be ordered. Presumably there was a full kitchen beyond the wall behind the bar, as the food that I saw being eaten at the tables looked pretty elaborate and, frankly, pretty delicious. To the right of the bar there was a hallway that led to the stairs to the second floor and presumably to some restrooms and the kitchen as well. Blocking the hallway was another pixie who waved me up. When I gave her a quizzical look, she clarified, ¡°Jhaeros from out front let me know you were coming. Head right up. Lierin is waiting for you.¡± I had walked no more than 100 feet from the front door to the hallway and I didn¡¯t see anyone pass me. I also didn¡¯t see any means of communication that the pixies could have used between themselves or with Lierin. I actually really wanted to know about the communication abilities and technologies that might be available to an awakened person, but I had bigger fish to fry at this point and I headed upstairs. The second floor had a completely different feel than the first. The first floor looked very much in danger of being shut down by a fire marshal, if the Emerald Sea even had such an official. The second floor was much less crowded and felt more relaxed with couches, coffee tables and armchairs of various sizes in place of the high tops and long tables on the first floor. A variety of exotic plants were scattered throughout the seating area along with some stylish and elaborate glass shaded lamps, though magically powered of course. There were some buffets along either side wall of the area with a number of food and beverage options available on top and sliding doors below that revealed shelves with lavish looking board games and even a few puzzles. It was a beautiful and relaxing space that is what I¡¯d like to think I¡¯d design if I had any skill, taste or actual style. I spotted Lierin and Galan seated together on a low leather sofa with what looked like a game of Mancala between them on a coffee table. They spotted me as I approached, clearly on the lookout due to the warning from the pixies below. They both stood with broad smiles and greeted me before motioning to a hallway that led to a small number of private rooms vaguely reminiscent of karaoke boxes. The room that we entered had a human sized armchair for me with an end table beside it and another small, low couch and coffee table combination for Galan and Lierin. Once we were seated, Leirin beamed at me and said, ¡°Well. What do you think, Harris?¡± Truthfully I had no idea what to think, so I went with my gut, literally, and responded cooly, ¡°I¡¯m ecstatic Lierin, but I missed breakfast. I¡¯d love to try one of those giant soft pretzels with cheese dip that I saw downstairs as well. As well as whatever else you¡¯d recommend and something cool to wash it down. Once we¡¯ve had broken bread, or at least pretzel, I¡¯d like to talk about all of the changes and my apprenticeship.¡± I could tell Lierin was a little disappointed at not eliciting a more dramatic response by the little pout in her lip as she hit a small gemstone button on a smooth stone tetrahedral object on her coffee table. ¡°Aquilan please send some refreshments to room A and make sure to include a pretzel for Harris,¡± Lierin said with a wink toward me that was a little more coquettish than I was expecting. I could see Lierin was going to be much more fun and much, much more trouble than I had originally guessed. The technology for communication was also much more sophisticated than I had understood from my studies thus far. This was an exciting day for me, and not just because of the pretzel, with advanced communications came advanced tactics and even if I was working on improving my ¡°combat skills¡± I suspected that it would take something more than being handy with a magic shotgun to get out of the Emerald Sea in one piece. Chapter 15: Imagine If I Had Suggested A Cat Cafe Lierin was beautiful, but so were all of the fae. The personalities of those that I had met in this new place varied widely, the median was somewhere just north of as pleasant as nails on a chalkboard. I had only interacted with her briefly, but Lierin specifically and the brownies in general seemed to have a good sense of humor. This made them much more palatable as partners than all of the elves that I had met thus far. Unfortunately, Lierin still had that edge of superiority that made me feel a little ornery and I felt like perhaps I needed to give her a bit of a hard time, so I jumped right in. ¡°Listen Lierin. I like what you have done with the place. It¡¯s a great start. Things aren¡¯t quite as developed as I had expected at this point, but you have to overlook these little setbacks in life. However, we really need to talk about the pixies.¡± A shadow of what looked like disappointment and confusion briefly passed over Lierin¡¯s face and I just let the pause hang in the air. In my prior life, which as I think about it was just a few weeks prior, I frequently had to negotiate with vendors and contractors for all manner of things. I didn¡¯t really enjoy it and, as a practical person, I usually just figured out what was fair based on the data available and pushed hard for that without too much dickering. Sometimes someone was too arrogant or ¡°clever¡± to go for this and decided that they really needed to waste my time with a bunch of games. I made those folks pay for the time that they wasted by being annoying myself and I really, really valued my time. I felt bad for breaking out the toolkit I had reserved for jerk vendors on Lierin, who I had a strong suspicion was a kind hearted person who was actually trying to help me and even make me happy. On the other hand Lierin had overstepped in a way that suggested a lack of boundaries and respect. Thi was a direct attack on my freedom and totally unacceptable to me. In all honesty I was also really frustrated. Things were going well under the circumstances, but from the camping trip to now I felt like I was playing someone else¡¯s game and it made me a little tetchy. When folks stole the few opportunities that I did have to have some agency in my own life it made me downright angry. Calm and rational in a life threatening crisis and overly emotional when someone successfully does their job without talking to you first, yeah, I probably needed some professional help. Also, I am probably just a bit of an asshole, but, anyhow, step one in my crash negotiation course is to never be the first one to talk. Leirin already spoke first, so she lost this point. However, I responded quickly, so I felt like we needed a reset. I think that Leirin also knew this rule because she also just let my pause hang in the air. Aquilian really came through for me by sending up the refreshments very quickly. Now I was being really petty, so even though it hurt me inside to be rude to the server, I didn¡¯t thank him after he dropped off the food. The pretzel was delicious and I sat in complete silence with Leirin and Galan as I ate the entire thing, including all of the cheese dip, and drank my entire mug of delicious, crisp hard cider. The brownies are as long lived as any other fae and you don¡¯t get old without developing supernatural patience, so I had picked a really dumb fight here, but I was just stubborn enough to outlast them. I had to sit in silence for at least a full minute after finishing my food and then start casually filling my plate from the cheese platter before Leirin gave in. ¡°Harris. Now that you have had something to eat, can you share with us what we need to discuss about the pixies?¡± Leirin spoke with poise and posture, looking directly into my eyes with a smile. She had an impact when she spoke. I think that there may have even been some kind of magic involved. My resolve wavered, but I knew that if I didn¡¯t push this now she would run roughshod over me for the next year. On to phase two, confuse and disorient. ¡°Well Lierin, I am worried about their safety. I am also not sure how well they¡¯ll work once the shadow pumoxes get comfortable in the space. I¡¯ve heard that the shadow pumoxes can get a little playful. With all the progress that you have made while I was away, I just don¡¯t think we can wait any longer on the cat phase. It¡¯s actually not bad timing, as I¡¯ll be headed to shadow pumox territory next week. I am sure that I can get some help from Deldes and Delirin if I can¡¯t bag enough live ones on my own. I mean we could try to get some tame ones, but I think that wild ones will calm down pretty quickly and be much more economical.¡± Stolen novel; please report. Galan¡¯s expression remained serene, but Leirin was aghast. ¡°Harris! Cats?!?! No. Why would you even say that. A wild shadow pummox . . . ¡± Leirin¡¯s eyes were wide and she was pretty close to hyperventilating. There were clearly large differences between pre-awakening folklore and post-awakening realities with the fae that I had met thus far. I am also no kind of folklore expert, but I remember reading a story that indicated that brownies liked it if you put a bell on your cat. I figured that meant that they were scared of cats, though Lierin¡¯s reaction was more than I expected. I was definitely feeling more guilty than righteous, but I figured in for a penny in for a pound. ¡°Oh. Did we not talk about the cats? Well. Sorry for making plans without you.¡± I don¡¯t actually understand why it matters so much who fills a silence first, but it really does when you are negotiating. It is almost the most important thing, so I just let silence hang while waiting for Lierin to respond. I saw a flash of anger and then embarrassment as she blushed. Mission accomplished. Then I saw her flash back to anger. Oops, perhaps I had gone a touch too far. My mind flashed to some of the legends of what an angry, vindictive fae could do and I had a micro-panic. Thankfully, Leirin chuckled and that quickly turned into a full blown fit of laughter as Galan also joined in. She said, ¡°Point taken Harris.¡± ¡°I knew that you two would be a good pair. Really, though Harris. Cats. We adopt you and you threaten us with cats,¡± responded Galan. ¡°Well. To be fair I threatened you with the idea of cats. I expect that you know that I couldn¡¯t find a shadow pumox let alone capture one unless you convinced Deldes and Delirin to help me, Galan.¡± Galan just laughed again. I had no doubt that the old trickster had known exactly what would happen, but I couldn¡¯t guess his purpose. It was very hard to understand the fae, but easy to see that I would never be able to control them and that it wouldn¡¯t be easy to get them to see me as an equal. I spent the next few hours talking and snacking with the elder brownie and his daughter. We all had a few more laughs. I gave Leirin my honest feedback on the cafe and my apartment. I was extremely impressed with what she had been able to accomplish in a short time. The brownies had crafted pretty much everything themselves and the apartment redecoration was meant as a reward after my greuling hunting trip. Our board game cafe was the hottest ticket in town. Apparently the fae really like games, who knew? Lierin had established membership tiers, reservations and waiting lists to try to keep order, but she had already begun work on a second location on the side of the safe zone. Lierin had used a portion of my earnings from the cafe to fix up my apartment since it ¡°upset¡± her to see me living in discomfort like a broke college student. Did I mention that I Leirin had registered me as the owner of the second location too? My guilt was flowing freely now, I could feel the shame starting too at that point. However, I could also tell that I had elevated my standing with both Galan and Leirin by standing up for myself and faring as well as I did against Leirin in our ¡°negotiation.¡± Galan and I discussed the details of my apprenticeship-lite at the magic artificer shop as well as the plans for some of his clan to help at what I was generously calling my bookstore at this point. I didn¡¯t really have any books for sale, but I was hoping to invest the minimum effort there as it was essentially a front for my spending time at the Treefort. After an enjoyable afternoon, I thanked my hosts and made my way back to the front door of the board game cafe. Aquilan met me at the door and, after introducing himself, provided me with some boxed lunches and prepared snacks that I could reheat instead of cooking for myself. If awakened life really was like a videogame, then I was pretty sure that making it through that conversation with Leirin without getting bulldozed was a big unlock. *** Leirin watched the tall human disappear out the door of the private room, but she waited until Jhaeros called to confirm that he had left the cafe before turning to her father. ¡°What do you think?¡± she asked the elder brownie. ¡°I thought that was very amusing. What did you think, Leirin?¡± Galan smirked as he replied. Leirin pursed her lips and met Galan¡¯s eyes with an incredulous stare, ¡°When I look at him I don¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary, but I can¡¯t really read him. It¡¯s like his thoughts are fuzzy. His little jest should have never been possible, but I found myself taken in for at least a moment. Me. Leirian Loramenor tricked and surprised? By a human no less? We¡¯ll need to take care that our little friend doesn¡¯t get into more trouble than he can handle.¡± Galan just smiled, his face still serene, and laughed. ¡°Oh, little Leirin. Always thinking so small. Sometimes you need to take a step back and see the bigger picture.¡± Leirin stared at the empty doorway and pondered her father¡¯s words. She knew that he wouldn¡¯t share an explanation or more of his thoughts on the matter. Chapter 16: Apprenticeship Introduction The fae are a race of extremes. They have some unique and significant limitations, but their challenges are more than balanced by incredible advantages. Many others of many races would begin arriving in the Emerald Sea soon, but with the outpost locked in the remote reaches of the endless taiga it would likely take those without the incredible mobility of the fae several more months of travel from the nearest cities. The Emerald Sea was critical for the fae and the status of individuals or whole clans could certainly rise or fall based on their performance in unlocking its potential. The Court would judge their contributions and respond accordingly. For Galan Loramenor and his clan to be in the Emerald Sea the stakes had to be extremely high. The brownies loved hearth and house and their precious families, but like all those with fealty to the Seelie Court they had to answer the call when their skills were needed. Where the elves were masters of woodcraft who could disappear seamlessly into the forest, the brownies were true masters of stealth. The brownies could become invisible at will, but it was rare for one to do so because they were so fast and practiced at sneaking on their own. However strong their stealth skills were, the brownies weren¡¯t combat specialists. If they couldn¡¯t solve a problem by sneaking and hiding, then they had likely already devised a solution that they could craft to address the situation. The sheer diversity of the fae that had been given quests in the Emerald Sea suggested nothing short of a full mobilization from the Court. The fact that a full party of elves was serving as instructors for a single tutorial group was also extremely unusual. The elves were excellent teachers, if they were a bit stiff at times and there was no issue with qualifications with the team that had been provided. The elves leading the tutorial were odd though and the incentives must be great to entice a party like theirs to spend a year running a tutorial in a fresh outpost. The Unified System, who directly provides all tutorial quests, must have offered them an amazing quest chain and rich rewards. When representatives of the human kingdoms, the beastfolk and the draconic descendants began to arrive the Emerald Sea was bound to become an extremely interesting place. For a short time it would provide an environment showcasing the full diversity of their land, showcasing some of the best and worst of what the regions had to offer. This type of confluence was a relatively rare occurrence and my friends and I were about to get a front row seat as the chaos unfolded. *** It would be some months before I would return to the hotel to reconnect with my friends. For now it was time for me to focus on learning what I could from Galan and his clan about magic artifice. When I reported for the first day of my ¡°tutorial,¡± the brownie that Galan had assigned to teach me the basics met me at the door. She was overflowing with energy and zeal and I gathered that she had been standing there for a few hours. I wasn¡¯t late, she was just excited and more than a little eccentric. She was constantly bouncing back and forth on her feet as she said, ¡°Hi, you must be Harris. I am Tanyl, a master magic artificer and Lady Lierin¡¯s apprentice. I have never worked with a human magic artificer and I am excited to be teaching you while you are here.¡± Tanyl was short even for a brownie and she wore some kind of magic goggles all of the time. She also wore work overalls and sturdy gloves and boots at pretty much all times. PPE was important in Tanyl¡¯s workshop because she was a true devotee to her craft and at times she pushed the boundaries to the literal breaking point. She motioned me to the backroom of the shop where they had a set of overalls, boots and gloves for me and provided me some privacy to get changed. Tanyl then led me to a workbench that had been prepared for us to both use. She had a step stool and tall chair, while I had a standing stool that allowed me to comfortably work on the bench. Tanyl was a short bundle of energy, but she wasn¡¯t a junior magic artificer on any reasonable scale. She had also clearly earned her stripes as a magic artificer through practice and innovation. I later learned that she was a bit of a prodigy and had volunteered to teach me out of curiosity after learning about my goals from Leirin. Tanyl had an approach that favored learning by doing, but with constant discussion on my thoughts and theories. We spent a great deal of time experimenting and reviewing feedback regardless of how things proceeded. Over the next four days I learned that magic artifice was a bit like a mix of electrical engineering, computer science and artistry. During one of our sessions, I asked Tanyl if she was familiar with Caeda, the elven magic artificer that was working as an instructor in the tutorial, and if she had any context on how her lessons might compare to what Caeda would likely share. Tanyl thought that was a very funny question. So funny that she had tears in her eyes when she stopped cackling and said, ¡°Caeda is a journeyman elf magic artificer, likely at a level of skill comparable to a novice brownie artificer early in her career. An artificer like Caeda focuses on known designs with known applications. He has likely heard some of the information that I have shared with you, but he likely lacks the experience to put what he has heard effectively into practice. Caeda¡¯s master would count himself lucky to study with me, and I should know because I have turned him down twice.¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Magic wasn¡¯t built from emotions or gifted from supernatural beings, magic was built by controlling the magic particles available in the environment or generated by an individual. When magic particles were present, magic was possible. The greater the quantity of magic particles that could be manipulated, the more significant the potential magical effect. The techniques that mages learned allowed them to influence magic particles directly without the need for a device or interface. Magic artificers used devices with materials and construction techniques learned through experimentation and observation over time to influence magic particles. I learned from Tanyl that the human capacity to directly influence magic particles was typically very limited, but that as races go the fae generally have an extremely high innate capacity to influence magic particles. This typically gives crafter fae, like the brownies, a significant advantage in the practice of magic artifice, but individual outcomes are ultimately a function of knowledge and ingenuity. I didn¡¯t see any reason to hold back with Tanyl, so I let her know that I was interested in magical technology related to communication, ranged combat and defense, with defense being a top priority for me. I had initially been concerned that the brownies wouldn¡¯t be comfortable sharing information that could be used to create dangerous magical technology with me, but that fear was ultimately unfounded and I have a few scars to prove it. In my experience, none of the fae are all that safety conscious. In my first week with Tanyl I built a modest magically powered ¡°shield¡± of wind that could keep you dry in light-to-moderate rain by deflecting the raindrops away. It was about as basic as you could get, probably the equivalent of a ¡°flashlight¡± that a kid made from a diode and a 9-volt, but it was an actual magical device made by yours truly and I was chuffed. The potential of magical artifice seemed so immense, I didn¡¯t understand why it wasn¡¯t a more prevalent discipline. When I asked Tanyl about why her chosen profession wasn¡¯t more popular, she explained, ¡°There are several factors that constrain the practice of magic artifice. First and foremost, is the cost. It is expensive to practice due to its reliance on rare and highly refined materials. A magic artificer at a high level can create devices with a value that far exceeds the cost of materials, but that isn¡¯t typically the case for those who are still learning the craft. This makes training new magical artificers an incredibly expensive affair and most organizations invest heavily in a few talents, rather than investing resources in broad training. ¡°Beyond the cost of materials, the time of a magic artificer capable of producing at a high level is very valuable and such skilled practitioners are rare, which makes training artificers up to a level high enough that they can be productive even more expensive and difficult for most organizations. A high level artificer is a strategic resource for a kingdom and, given the power that some of their creations can hold, some nations regulate the sale of magical devices and training in the field. ¡°I think that it must be very rare for a mortal to meet Grandmaster Galan. I would think that it would be impossible for a novice mortal magic artificer to receive an apprenticeship in his clan. You are beyond lucky Harris.¡± This was an interesting little tidbit and it called for a little reevaluation of my situation. I was pretty sure that Galan was a certifiable board game addict. I also believed that he was genuinely interested in some of the treasures that I pulled out of the Treefort and traded to him during our initial encounter. However, I don¡¯t think my offer to let some brownies live in the backroom of my bookstore could make up the balance in value between what I had offered and the apprenticeship, at least not if Tanyl was even in the ballpark in her evaluation of the situation. It seemed like there must be more happening in the Emerald Sea that I didn¡¯t understand and, perhaps couldn¡¯t really understand given the inscrutable nature of the brownies. It also seemed like maybe I ought to consider reappraising my attitude around the elder brownie and his daughter. Of course, I didn¡¯t out of pure stubbornness and a desire not to create problems by trying to fix what wasn¡¯t broken, but I definitely thought I ought to at least consider. *** Just like that the first week of my apprenticeship was over. It was time to head out in the taiga again with Deldes and Delirin. I very much enjoyed the comfort and intellectual satisfaction of my week in town, not to mention the delicious food that I was able to enjoy with essentially no effort thanks to Lierin. Honestly, the improvements to the apartment also made it much easier to manage my daily life while focusing on my personal studies and my apprenticeship at the magic artificer shop. For all that I made a big deal about not being included, Lierin and her clan most certainly did a better job on the homefront than I ever would or could. My relatively comfortable week in town made the thought of tromping through the forest with the maniac wild elf hunters all the more daunting, but it was also exciting and, I felt, the best path to get the skills that I needed to survive. This was a harsh and largely lawless place. I had absolutely been lucky thus far, but I needed to get skilled enough to survive when my luck finally ran out. Chapter 17: Meanwhile . . . Life at the hotel had settled into a consistent pattern following Harris¡¯ departure and the start of the tutorial proper. The instructors for the tutorial, led by Ruven, Elen and Naesala, provided the team with an intensive two week course of classroom instruction ahead of any practical exercises. The instructors covered topics like the fundamentals of magic, basic history, geography, monster identification, skill training techniques and basic class based tactics. The instructors also provided details about the Unified System, the stats that it used and how to plan for growth and development. It may sound a little boring, but to people as thirsty for information on their new situation as Jim, Karen and the rest of the team it was like water in the desert. Everyone absorbed absolutely everything that they could. The tutorial instructors came extremely well prepared for this portion of their educational program and, as they would later find, for each section to follow. They provided a textbook to each team member for the general education course and another that addressed the Unified System. The instructors had also prepared a program of practical exercises that would help them to assess and advance along their paths. The information provided was exceedingly valuable to the team, especially regarding the way that the Unified system interacted with the growth of the awakened. The instructors clarified an lingering open question from the initial blue screens of their awakening: the Unified System didn¡¯t drive or control their progression in a direct way. Rather than control, the Unified System reflected the growth of the individual based on their experiences and provided navigational support, collaboration tools and information tracking resources for the awakened. As a race humans were as average as they come. The mean stat for a human in the eight base attributes were normalized at 100 in the Unified System. If someone was exceptionally intelligent, they would have a base stat in Intelligence greater than 100, but they would also have to work much harder to increase their intelligence than someone with a base statistic of 100. In pre-awakened life it was difficult to become more intelligent and the same was true for an awakened person, but the ability to push past this friction and make an improvement was very real for an awakened person. The difference was magic particles and their ability to influence both internal and external phenomena. The eight base stats of the Unified System were relatively simple and generally aligned to many of the games on earth. Strength - The ability to apply and resist physical force. Plain, simple and always a crowd favorite. Intelligence - The ability to apply reason, logic and knowledge to achieve results. They call magic arcane for a reason and Intelligence helps you understand how to solve problems, magical or otherwise. Agility - The ability to control your movements. Agility allows you to change course and to move your body as you intend. Dexterity - Dexterity is about fine motor control, in particular with your hands. It is about precise movements and fine motor control. Wisdom - The ability to apply your experience to a situation, Wisdom involves both discerning and intuiting the inner relationships at play. It is distinct, but related to Intelligence, and is required for good decision making. Charisma - You know those popular people that folks can¡¯t help but like, support, follow or fawn over. They have high Charisma. Charisma is the ability to influence others through your will. Discipline - Discipline is the ability to influence yourself through your will. Can you calmly stand under a freezing waterfall for hours or train yourself to punch through a wooden board? Doing these things requires Discipline. Ingenuity - Ingenuity is essentially practical creativity. When you develop new ideas or unique combinations of existing concepts to generate something new, you are utilizing Ingenuity. It is critical to crafters as well as those looking to advance the arcane arts. In addition to the eight base stats, the Unified System also tracks health points (HP), magic points (MP) and Spirit. Health points are a basic expression of how much damage you can take before you reach the brink of death. You don¡¯t die at zero HP, but at zero HP the Unified System is evaluating your physical condition as impaired and expressing that additional physical damage will likely be fatal. You can definitely die before your health points reach zero, but it isn¡¯t common. There isn¡¯t an explicit maximum, but the average for a healthy human is around 100 HP. The awakened generally don¡¯t have to worry about normal diseases and are resistant to the ravages of age, though the degree of resistance is a function of many factors. Magic Points are an expression of how many free internal magic particles you have to work with at a given time. Humans are relatively weak in their internal capacity to generate and hold onto magic particles, an average MP for a human is around 75. Spirit is a more advanced topic, but it describes both the quantity of magic particles that you have absorbed from the environment, your potential to absorb magic particles given a constant environmental magic particle density and the ability to influence environmental magic particles. These various statistics could be seen on the primary status screen in the Unified System interface and the secondary status screen showed skill progression and mastery. For example, the primary status screen for Sarah Bruce from this timeframe demonstrates strong initial compatibility with her mage class, but that she is also well rounded and would likely make an excellent leader.
Category Value Notes This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Name Sarah Bruce
Race Human Origin: Earth
Class Mage - Red
HP 120
MP 180
Spirit 1000
Strength 75
Intelligence 140
Agility 95
Dexterity 100
Wisdom 120
Charisma 150
Discipline 80
Ingenuity 120
An interesting point that the instructors shared was that, although there were many class skills that would provide information about other awakened individuals, there wasn¡¯t a known skill that would allow one to view the primary or secondary status screen of an awakened person. You could identify a skill as it was used based on experience or with a skill, but you couldn¡¯t see the skills that an individual had that weren¡¯t actively being used. The party interface was the part of the Unified System that provided the most detailed information about other awakened individuals. It was a powerful tool, but outside of the initial tutorial, it required consent to access. Most of the time what could be seen for other party members was HP, MP, any status ailments and anything related to common quests. Again, since the Unified System generally only helped to quantify, reflect and track information, one couldn¡¯t share quests using the interface. Quests flowed from the situation and the actions of an individual and those around them. Quests could be identified and, if they were held in common, tracked in the party interface, but that was as far as it went. *** ¡°I can¡¯t imagine that a vote could possibly be necessary,¡± said Sarah. She spoke with authority and it wouldn¡¯t be obvious to anyone who didn¡¯t know her, but she was very upset. A dismissive Sarah was a dangerous Sarah. ¡°Agreed,¡± seconded Queakers with her message board. ¡°It seems like a waste of time, but I¡¯d like to hear Karl¡¯s reasoning for it.¡± Karl had no doubt expected this resistance and he replied in kind, ¡°First off the trainers suggested that we review our party before heading into the first practical sections. Being down a team member is likely to influence the development of our team work and potentially make passing the class trials and the final assessment that much more difficult. Plus we don¡¯t know how Harris is progressing in his internship.¡± Queakers pounced, ¡°I see Karl. You are having doubts. I suppose it is natural for some to feel this way. I have more than enough confidence in myself that this is not an issue for me, but I think that you are right that we owe it to Harris to demonstrate where we stand. Afterall, I think that his path is harder and he is, nonetheless, helping to support us. I for one have been enjoying all of the food that those nice elf ladies dropped off and the account that they provided at the grocer.¡± Score one for the dog. She had dunked on Karl hard and followed up with the very tangible contribution Harris had made just one week after leaving the hotel. Queakers was of course referring to Deldes and Delirin, who had stopped by the hotel after their first hunt with Harris. They had brought many choice cuts of monster meat with them and explained that they sold the rest of Harris¡¯ portion to the grocer and that the money had been deposited on account. They further explained that the team could use the account to purchase what they liked at the grocer and that every other week the grocer would have meat for them as well as a new deposit so long as Harris survived the hunt. The wild elves chuckled at that one, but no one else really got why that was funny. Elf humor, you get it or you don¡¯t. Deldes and Delirin had taken an immediate liking to Queakers, providing her with some head scratches and a belly rub during the few minutes that they had spent with the team at the hotel. Queakers didn¡¯t seem to feel anything amiss from the pair, but the rest of the team felt an oppressive air of equal parts of chaos, indifference and distrust. When the two simply walked back out without a word, the team, sans Queakers, breathed a sigh of relief. It felt like a pair of predators had just gotten bored and wandered away when they could have pounced just as easily. Still the meat was good. There really wasn¡¯t a point to a secret ballot, as folks would have to own their opinions eventually, so it was done with a show of hands (and paws). It was six to three in favor of keeping Harris in the party indefinitely. Erin, Karl and Lyle had voted to remove Harris as a party member and seek a replacement. In a way it was important in a way, but the vote didn¡¯t really matter. I wasn¡¯t planning on relying on the party and I was already planning to do what I could to support them whether I was in the party or not. In my mind it was a social contract thing, where my support without respect to the benefits I received paid for my selfishness in otherwise pursuing what I wanted. Still, it is helpful to know how others felt about you and, perhaps, where their allegiances lie. Chapter 18: Warrior Weeks Phraan set a brutal pace for her training days. The schedule that she set afforded the team minimal time to eat and sleep on active days and definitely didn¡¯t allow time to do anything else beyond train. The team was allowed to recover on the weekend and they managed to rebuild their endurance just enough to support the next week of training. Warriors are a strength-based class, so conditioning was a significant focus across the training session. The balance of the two weeks were spent across defensive focused training and basic weapons skills. The basic Warrior class offers several primary development paths. Warriors are typically good at dishing out physical damage and disrupting enemy tactics, but on most teams developed teams rogues and mages are far more effective in these roles. Where warriors truly shine is in their capacity to soak up damage and manage the tempo of an engagement from the front. Whether adopting a defensively focused tank path or specializing in another martial path like Sword Master or Berserker, the use of specialized armor, equipment and weapons is essential to most Warrior specializations. To support this critical component of the Warrior class Phraan elected to cover a wide range of weapons and equipment during the gauntlet of physical condition and combat exercises that she designed for the team. This would be a useful foundation for all of the team members, but Lando was the primary beneficiary of this training segment. *** Lando was extremely tired from the training thus far that day, but judging from the state of his teammates he was considerably less tired than the rest of his team. Lando¡¯s high initial strength stat as well as his general endurance and physical condition prior to awakening provided him with a better foundation for these activities than the rest of the group. Unfortunately, despite his physical advantages, Lando lacked experience or training in any type of fighting and it showed.
Category Value Notes
Name Roland White
Race Human Origin: Earth
Class Warrior
HP 150
MP 50
Spirit 500
Strength 150
Intelligence 95
Agility 95
Dexterity 90
Wisdom 95
Charisma 100
Discipline 100
Ingenuity 75 This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
As Lando attempted to pivot his weight to his left foot and shift his stance to sidestep an incoming slash from Phraan, he lost his balance momentarily. The relatively heavy armor that he wore reduced his agility as well as his range of motion. Instead of dodging the slash from Phraan¡¯s practice sword as he intended, Lando took the strike directly in his chest. Lando felt an explosion of force from the contact even as his cuirass dissipated a significant amount of the force from Phraan¡¯s blow. Lando¡¯s armor prevented any significant injury from the initial strike, but as Lando attempted to regain his composure and reset his stance, he left himself wide open to a follow up attack from Phraan. The elven warrior adjusted her momentum as she followed through the slash and circled behind Lando with practiced ease. She attacked the back of his knee with a fast strike that brought him down to a kneel and quickly followed up with an overhead strike on the back of his helmet. Lando¡¯s bell had been thoroughly rung by Phraan¡¯s blow to his head. He crashed to the ground as Karen, Jim, Kelly and Sarah leapt to their feet. Lando had already proven that he could take a hit, but he and his friends still weren¡¯t acclimated to the violence that was commonplace in Region Eleven and they simply reacted to seeing their friend fall. Several of the other instructors interposed themselves between the team and the practice ring to prevent another breach of training etiquette. The elves were knowledgeable instructors, but their rigid style, focus on decorum and lack of visible emotion didn¡¯t pair well with the temperament of their human students. In truth this first training session had been a wake-up call for the team. Having only two and a half days under their belt thus far they could see both how lacking their current abilities were relative to their elven instructors and their goals for the tutorial. The team could also see that the instructors¡¯ methods for their practical education were much more violent and potentially dangerous than they were initially prepared to endure. Since the training team had a healer standing by, there was little risk of long-term injury from Phraan¡¯s exercises, but that didn¡¯t reduce the physical pain and exhaustion that each participant felt. Once Lando had regained his composure, he was happy to see how concerned his team had been for his safety. Lando was especially happy to see Kelly¡¯s concern for his injury. He already knew that he wanted to adopt the role of tank for the party and to shield his friends from damage and difficulty to the best of his ability. Lando¡¯s mindset was laudable and would be one of the pillars of his success, but it wasn¡¯t particularly compatible with the training regime that the elves had adopted for the tutorial. During this first rotation of practical sessions, each team member was required to participate in the basic training for each segment, only moving to specialized training in the future. So as a result, as much as Lando wanted to find the strength to protect his team, he had to watch as each team member cycled through combat exercises with Phraan. It was hard for Lando to watch his friends get beaten up day after day. Lando used the frustration and rage that began to bubble up during these sessions as fuel to push himself harder each time he cycled through his own physical conditioning and combat exercises. Lando did not have the dexterity or agility to match the elegant stances and weapon skills that Phraan put on display across the week¡¯s sessions, but Lando did find some success in combining a shield with a magically range extended weapon. For many advanced warrior classes the shield was situational equipment, often abandoned for an alternative like the buckler or another weapon when fighting primarily offensively. For Lando the shield would be the foundation to his entire style, ultimately becoming both his most successful weapon and his most important tool for defense. Even with his relatively low mobility, Lando had both the agility and the strength to get into the right place at the right time and block, deflect or redirect hits with the great shield he had chosen as his primary focus within the tutorial. Lando also had the MP and Intellect to eventually become an expert in the use of magically enhanced weapons. During the training sessions Lando trained with a basic spear that also had a magic javelin function. Karl had found the weapon during the pre-tutorial bonus period and gave it to his brother, as using a spear didn¡¯t really fit with Karl¡¯s goals. Capable of generating force based projectiles, the magic javelin excelled in providing additional range and some piercing damage that complimented Lando¡¯s use of the shield, even if the damage potential of the weapon wasn¡¯t spectacular. Although Lando never scored a clean hit on Phraan across the duration of the training, he could see that he put considerably more pressure on Phraan when using the great shield and magic javelin combination. Of course, Phraan was not using her full capability, but still this suggested to Lando that he was on the right track and he got to work learning how to get the most out of this classic combination. *** Deldes and Delirin were kind enough to give me at least a little notice about what to expect on our next week-long expedition into the forest. Apparently, the territory that we¡¯d be working through was populated by stone bears. Stone bears were like normal bears, but with magically imbued skin and flesh. My research suggested that the stone bears would be able to shrug off damage like a heavily armored opponent. They could also dish out the punishment, so even with some adjustments to my array of defensive artifacts it was going to be important to avoid any contact. My loadout this time included a high powered magic rifle loaded with piercing rounds that were made from an extremely dense type of magic stone. These bullets were shaped and polished to a spectacular point, helping them to penetrate even armored opponents. I was also sporting a pair of goggles to improve my vision in low light conditions and protect my eyes from the second weapon I was bringing. The ¡°laser pistol¡± that I had found on my first walkthrough of the Treefort was in fact an advanced and elegant device that could concentrate and release unaspected magic particles at a spectacular rate. Certain types of energy armor or magical shielding could potentially dissipate or deflect the magic particle beam that it fired, but fire from the magic particle gun could through just about anything else in a flash. The first few stone bears were pretty easy to take with the rifle. They were operating solo either in the open forest or in one of the small caves that littered the area. I¡¯d made the mistake of thinking that this pattern would continue and I wasn¡¯t expecting the second bear to come charging out of a cave that I approached after a clean kill with my rifle on the stone bear sniffing the air at the cave¡¯s entrance. Even at that abbreviated range, I was able to get a good shot on the second bear and my shot pierced its skull and took most of its brain out with it through the other side. The problem was the third bear. I didn¡¯t even get a shot off before the third stone bear caught me full in the left shoulder with a swipe from a massive paw with claws that looked more like steak knives. The pain from my feedback device was spectacular, but the hit was so strong that my energy shield wasn¡¯t able to fully dissipate the force. My shoulder was definitely dislocated and I learned that the feedback device didn¡¯t really reduce the pain sensation it created when you sustained a real injury that also created pain. This was a serious design flaw. I was in excruciating pain when I landed on my back about ten feet from the ursine monstrosity that was turning to dig in. I pulled the magic particle gun from its holster with my non-dislocated arm and let it rip. There was no way that I could miss from that distance. My first shot punched a quarter sized hole straight through the bear¡¯s eye and the second shot went straight through its heart. The collapsed to the ground, instantly dead. I was really hoping that there wasn¡¯t a fourth bear and I really wasn¡¯t looking forward to D&D resetting my shoulder or hearing about it for the rest of the week. Chapter 19: Mage Month I Ruven and Wynather decided to combine their training sessions for intelligence based casting into a single month long block. It takes a long time to learn any of the arcane arts and just two weeks isn¡¯t enough of an introduction for the newly awakened to really even grasp the basics. Since red & black magic rely on the same basic intelligence based casting infrastructure as summoning, combining the sessions made sense. It would also allow one instructor to demonstrate a technique while the other instructor circulated among the students and observed their efforts to recreate it. So pedagogically this was a great plan, but in practice it was a very difficult month owing to the fact that Ruven and Wynather had very, very different styles. *** Lyle was doing extremely well in the mage training, which made sense for a couple of reasons. Lyle had high Intelligence and was very focused on honing his skill in black magic to support his potential to deal direct damage. Things typically came easily and worked out well for Lyle, I think that is probably something to do with his fae heritage as a half-elf. Ahead of the awakening Lyle didn¡¯t know that he was a half-elf, but it was right there on his status sheet.
Category Value Notes
Name Lyle Anders
Race Half-Elf Origin: Earth
Class Mage - Black
HP 100
MP 300
Spirit 1000
Strength 100
Intelligence 140
Agility 120
Dexterity 120
Wisdom 120
Charisma 100
Discipline 50
Ingenuity 50
Lyle wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about the revelation that he wasn¡¯t fully human. He also wasn¡¯t sure if it was true or if he should tell his friends about it. He had decided to not mention his elven to any of the instructors. None of his relatives had pointy ears or lived in treehouses that he could remember. He wasn¡¯t sure how this could have happened and he knew that bringing it up would just lead to more questions to which he had no answers. Lyle had been a bit more withdrawn and reserved than usual ever since he learned of his unusual family tree, but since it had coincided with everyone¡¯s awakenings no one really noticed. For now Lyle was focusing on learning to use the simple wand that Ruven had provided him to cast basic spells. Higher level spells typically required skill tomes to provide the detailed information necessary to effectively cast the spell, but the extremely basic elemental phenomena spells that they were working on could typically be cast based on instruction and experience alone, provided that the caster had sufficient magic particle control to manage the activation. Lyle was already able to generate both an ember of fire and a spark of electricity. A couple of times he caught a look of surprise on the usually stoic Ruven¡¯s face as the instructor observed Lyle trigger a basic spell with only a week¡¯s worth of instruction and practice. Lyle was betting that was much, much faster than the old mage expected. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. *** Sarah had little difficulty mastering the basic techniques necessary to generate sparks and embers with her wand and she was making progress in applying what she had learned so far to activate a basic cure spell. She was sure that she would make some inroads shortly there as well, but she was diligent about hiding her progress. She did not trust her instructors, especially stuffy old Ruven. Sarah was much more interested in learning from Wynather, who at least was not stealing creepy glances at Lyle when the others weren¡¯t looking. Fortunately for Sarah, and anyone else who decided that it was best to keep the details of the stats and abilities close to the vest, it was apparently considered uncouth to ask other awakened individuals about their stats. Since there supposedly wasn¡¯t a way to observe the Unified System status screens of another awakened person, the others would have to use good old fashioned observation and relative comparisons to get an idea of her stats and skills. Since Sarah was also further obfuscating her tallent by providing any interested observers with bad data points and misleading information, it was unlikely that any of the others would have an accurate sense of what she could do. It was a thin line between paranoid and prepared and Karl¡¯s attempt to oust Harris was cause for additional caution. Sarah wasn¡¯t surprised that Karl had called for the vote to remove her friend, but there was definitely plenty happening behind the scenes to which Sarah didn¡¯t have a good line of sight just yet. Plenty had changed, but people were still pretty predictable and she was expecting a storm to blow up well before the tutorial was over. Sarah was sure that Harris wasn¡¯t fully on the level with respect to his departure either. If Sarah was a little paranoid, Harris was a certified skeptic. He would keep things to himself as a matter of principle. She knew that he would share more with her eventually, but she also knew that it wouldn¡¯t happen until he was good and ready. Sarah was surrounded by friends and teachers, but it sure didn¡¯t feel like she was in a safe place. She did trust Queakers, but Sarah was still working through what made sense with respect to the dog and her unexpected development. Queakers seemed pretty stable currently and frankly her new attitude was pretty badass. However, it was just tough to know how much you could trust someone that little more than a month ago could have been convinced to do just about anything for a handful of roasted peanuts and a belly rub. Sarah decided to bide her time. She didn¡¯t correct any of the misconceptions about her that flowed from the arrogance and preconceptions of her instructors. There would be a reckoning, but it wouldn¡¯t be today. At this time she would simply puzzle through the cure on her own and see how high she could push her red magic skill while the others figured out basic casting. At this rate it was going to be a very long month. *** When Deldes and Delirin told me about the stone bears in advance, I thought that would be something that they would do for each subsequent session. Unfortunately for me, Deldes and Delirin were rarely consistent in their treatment of me beyond the ubiquitous cackling that formed their homemade laugh track for all of the physical abuse that I experienced during our time together. I had no idea what we were hunting until I heard a faint buzzing around noon on the first day as we trekked northwest of the Emerald Sea. The forest wasn¡¯t quite as dense here as the territories that we had visited on prior trips, but I still couldn¡¯t get eyes on whatever was buzzing in the area. I asked Delirin what the sound was and she said ¡°dragon flies.¡± Notice the space between the words ¡°dragon¡± and ¡°flies,¡± you can see this space because I am writing this down for you, but when Delirin answered, I couldn¡¯t hear the space. She got a real chuckle out of her answer, so I am sure that she knew that I would misinterpret her response. I was looking for large insects when the first fireball washed over my energy armor. I wasn¡¯t unprepared because of Delirin¡¯s little pun, I was unprepared because I had no idea that we were going to be ¡°hunting¡± what appeared to be flying, fire breathing chameleons with translucent insect wings. After a few more fireballs, I got hit by a little lightning bolt, so yeah there were some that didn¡¯t breath fire, but that did shoot electricity. They could blend in with their surroundings like an actual chameleon and they zipped around in small groups. Back in town after the trip, I looked up the proper collective noun for these little guys and it is clowder in case you were wondering. So according to what I had learned thus far from my self study and asking Tanyl questions, energy armor could be designed to protect against just about any phenomenon that one could encounter in nature, magical or otherwise. However, there were always tradeoffs. If your energy armor mitigated a wide range of damage types and phenomena, it would either require more magic particles to operate, require additional specialized materials and magical circuitry, mitigate significantly less damage of certain types or some combination of the three. I was using a model of energy armor that focused on broad coverage at levels of magic particle consumption that would be accessible to a beginner like me. It was a top shelf model, but it wasn¡¯t going to handle 100% of the damage from heat and electricity that the dragon flies were dishing out. The attack power of the dragon flies was mercifully low, but with multiple enemies launching frequent attacks there was definitely some danger from the aggregate accumulation of damage and, frankly, exhaustion. I did have additional equipment that I could have used to boost my resistance to heat and electrical damage, but I did not have it with me, because you know why would I? I had a goal to purchase or develop the most powerful defensive setup I could and this was a great wakeup call to do just that. In the meantime I needed to figure out how to not get slowly fried to a crisp. I figured that with the small menaces flitting around and attacking Deldes and Delirin in addition to me, I could pick up some tips by watching the elven duo deal with the pests on their own. The elves were much more graceful in their movements to evade the attacks than I was, which wasn¡¯t something that I was going to be able to emulate, but they also had some sort of stealth skill that made them hard to focus on and, apparently, target with the dragon flies offensive magic. I needed to talk with them about how I could learn a similar skill. Beyond grace and stealth their strategy was simple: fast, accurate ranged attacks targeting the origin of each shot of offensive magic. My first instinct was to use the magic particle gun, but the dragon flies were apparently pretty accomplished magically as they could deflect my particle beam even when I did manage what would have otherwise been a solid hit. What they couldn¡¯t deflect was a standard physical round from one of my magically enhanced pistols. I holstered my magic particle gun and I had already used the strap attached to my magic rifle to swing it around to rest on my back. It was time for a good old fashioned dual pistol shootout. Getting hit with small fireballs and lightning bolts definitely messed with my aim, but I eventually got into a pretty good rhythm during this first encounter. The dragon flies were not good eating, but they could be processed to yield some useful materials for certain artificers. Dragon flies were a scourge to any team looking to resources in the forest, so this was apparently also some kind of public service. Now that she had her fun by surprising me, Delirin revealed that we¡¯d be traveling quickly from one dragon fly hot spot to the next for this hunt. We¡¯d be trying to exterminate as many of these pests as possible while also collecting as many useful materials as we could along the way. Chapter 20: Mage Month II Deldes and Delirin sat on the hemp mats that covered the ground in their large tent. The pair always seemed relaxed, but never truly at ease. They sat around a low stone table across from Galan and Lierin. On the table was a wooden tea service that contained a fragrant herbal brew. Whatever was in the teapot must have been something special, because Galan and Lierin also seemed extremely relaxed. They chatted for several hours, before getting down to the matter at hand. Delirin said, ¡°Grandmaster Galan, let us discuss Harris. I expect that is why you have graced us with your presence.¡± Galan¡¯s serene smile spread across his face as he responded, ¡°Delirin, what cause do old friends need to visit. However, as you brought it up, I would hear what you and Deldes think of our young Harris.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you my opinion first, Galan,¡± said Deldes. ¡°If I let Delirin get started on her precious Harris, I may never get a word in edgewise.¡± ¡°Oh my, Deldes. Jealousy? How cute. Feel free to speak for us, I , of course, already know what you will say.¡± Delirin laughed and gave Deldes a playful pat on the arm as she scolded in jest. ¡°Very well. Galan, Delirin is right. Even Harris has done well so far. He asks, he learns and he does for himself. He takes more lumps than an elf would, but he is stubborn in his desire to learn and he keeps pushing despite the challenges that we have given him. And we have given him many challenges. ¡°Harris isn¡¯t nearly as lazy as I originally assumed and he hasn¡¯t needed as much rescuing as I expected either. Part of his ability to endure comes from the energy armor and other devices that he uses. I don¡¯t need to tell you that the devices that he uses are relatively basic, but he keeps them all running essentially non-stop on our hunts. He is progressing rapidly, but I am surprised at how well he is keeping up with Delirin and I at this point.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Delirin agreed. ¡°I do wonder where all of that energy and vigor comes from. He constantly uses a feedback device and quite often must be in absolute agony. The only help he has asked for recently was in resetting a shoulder after dislocating it when a stone bear hit overwhelmed his energy armor. I expected him to be begging for help to survive some of the waves that we have dragged him through. I think that in general a tutorial out here for humans is barbaric, but he hasn¡¯t been that bothered by it. Most peculiarly of all, he has hardly even looked askance at my dear Deldes or me all the nights we have been camping under the stars.¡± ¡°Well Delirin. I think that, perhaps, he is preoccupied with surviving, both the wild and the pair of you. Perhaps it is all the joking and standing around that you two do while the beasts savage him in the dark forest?¡± offered a completely deadpan Lierin. ¡°I really don¡¯t think that could be it, Lierin, but I will increase my cackling on our next trip and we¡¯ll see if that breaks him. We will speak again after we see how he responds.¡± Delirin replied either completely missing or completely ignoring both Lierin¡¯s sarcasm and her point. Galan had listened silently to this point with his eyes nearly closed and his trademark smile, but at this he held up his hand and said, ¡°I am glad you ladies are enjoying yourselves, but I have a serious request. I¡¯d like you to take Harris to the falls for the new moon and I¡¯d like you to help him learn a stealth technique if he asks.¡± There was silence in the room as the elves weighed their response. Deldes looked at Delirin and their eyes connected for a moment before turning to Galan. ¡°Well this is a pleasant surprise Grandmaster Galan. I trust that you will take responsibility with the Court when the need arises.¡± Deldes replied with none of the mirth of their prior conversation in her voice. Galan simply said, ¡°Of course,¡± and the moment passed. Delirin gleefully responded in her lilting, melodious voice, ¡°I think that I probably would have ended up teaching him even if he never asked. Those tutorial elves are such bores and I just wonder what trouble my little Harris could get into with them with just a little help. ¡± It wasn¡¯t possible to tell if she was serious, but Galan just met her gaze with his serene smile fully reaching his eyes. He simply responded, ¡°He will ask Delirin. Things are moving in the Emerald Sea and even Harris will see that he is a part of something greater.¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. *** Sarah was quite curious about the art of summoning. Unlike some games or demon focused examples, summoning relies on making an appeal to an entity or entities within the effective area of the spell. Summoning occurred in two distinct phases, the initial phase involved a spell, which could be amplified by a device, broadcasting an intelligence and charisma powered request for assistance. The second phase of a successful summon involved making contact and a connection with the summoned entity using a second bonding spell. Wynather had demonstrated the relatively straightforward process by summoning a hawk from the surrounding forest and having it land on his arm (no glove) and then releasing the hawk back into the forest. With her experience, Wynather¡¯s skill at the initial broadcast spell gave it great range and her control over the connection spell let her select the summon that best met her needs from those that answered her call. This seemed like very powerful magic to Sarah and a great place to invest her surreptitious effort now that Lyle¡¯s magical gifts had taken the instructors¡¯ full attention as he continued to develop his black magic skills at a rapid pace. Not that there was anything wrong with the power of direct magic, Sarah quite liked it and had every intention of honing her skills for maximum effect. However, making friends with and influencing creatures seemed like a better path for her, especially as her stats really leant themselves extremely well to summoning. She decided to devote some of her off hours to exploring the possibilities and making some new friends. Afterall, what could go wrong? *** So for those of you keeping score, the first property that I officially claimed during the tutorial was a bookstore. I had sold zero books. In fact, I had just about zero inventory. I just hadn¡¯t put any effort into the bookstore and I wasn¡¯t really willing to part with most of the books that I had found in the Treefort. It just seemed like a waste and a good way to raise suspicions about my hidden stash of books and devices. I had previously made a deal with Galan for some of his clan to help out at the bookstore and to also take up residence as they chose in the private spaces in the bookstore that weren¡¯t my apartment. On the other hand, the board game cafes were a cash cow. I mean I assumed that they were cash cows from the couple of times that I had visited one. I had not checked into my finances in quite some time, but everything was probably fine there. In truth I didn¡¯t really have the time or focus to spare there. In any event, I wasn¡¯t all that concerned with the financial performance of the bookstore. I had a vague plan that I was going to learn how to craft some skill tomes and sell them through the bookstore at what I assumed would be a huge profit. However, this was anything but a firm and well developed business plan. As such, I was delighted when some of the more enterprising brownies had hit upon the idea of a consignment based bookseller that also sold puzzles, board games, figurines and all manner of stationary and supplies. The brownies were cross marketing with the board game cafes now. They didn¡¯t really need me, ever, beyond a few land claims that I made to hide the Treefort I was providing nothing useful. Still they didn¡¯t try to kick me out. I assumed it was just good management and carried on with what I could handle right now. There may have been some missed ¡°opportunities¡± to optimize these businesses or protect my interests, but what is an opportunity that you can¡¯t take advantage of really worth? Nothing. My plan definitely required money to work and preferably a lot of it, but I had to prioritize safety and hope that on balance the business side could get to where I needed it to be without much active participation from me for a while longer. The brownies seemed about as trustworthy as anyone that you just met in a new world full of danger could seem, but that is a low bar. At a minimum, I was sure that Lierin was way smarter than me. I had to focus on making the gains that I needed in the short term while building a foundation for the future the best I could. Deldes and Delirin had given me plenty of warning ahead of our next expedition. We were going on a duck hunt and would be walking to Ghostlight Falls. Apparently, this was a bit of a rite of passage in the area and it would take several weeks to accomplish. Tanyl was willing to rearrange our calendar for the apprenticeship to allow me to be gone for a long block and then makeup the time on my return. Apparently completing this mission would also allow me the opportunity to acquire a mount. No. You don¡¯t need a drivers license for a giant armored sloth, though I can tell you from experience that a few lessons wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea. It was some kind of fae status thing and it was more like fae mount vendors wouldn¡¯t deal with me if I didn¡¯t meet their standards. I was excited as I headed out with Deldes and Delirin. I had my satchel and a big backpack loaded with my supplies, weapons, ammunition, defensive equipment and some new gear for outdoor comfort. I felt prepared for this trip. We headed east, quickly plunging into some of the densest forest that we had seen yet. It was dark under the tall canopy and needle covered boughs, dark and still. We quietly picked our way across the needles that covered the forest floor and the only noise was an occasional burst of maniacal cackling from Delirin. Was she doing her crazy laugh more often than in the past? That didn¡¯t seem like a good sign. Chapter 21: Duck Hunt I Erin had changed significantly during the short time since her awakening and through many lenses the changes looked positive. Erin had always been intelligent and capable, but leaning into the Unified System had allowed her a specific index for her abilities. She now had access to the kind of data that she needed to really be scientific about her drive to be a better person. With this new information and the opportunities that it created Erin¡¯s confidence also improved. The new Erin was very vocal about her thoughts and became a more active contributor to the group. These were positive changes, but there was also a darker side to these improvements. As Erin became more confident she also became more controlling and assertive where other members of the team were concerned, especially Sarah. Sarah had certainly become much more withdrawn as she spent less time with the group at large and more time in private with Queakers or alone. Erin could have also benefited from some time to herself to think through the changes that everyone was experiencing and gain some perspective. Instead she rode her high of empowerment to push her friendship with Sarah. Their interactions became more one sided and less healthy, causing Sarah to withdraw further and Erin to get frustrated. Adding fuel to this fire, at least indirectly, was the fact that the team had entered the Ranger focused portion of the tutorial. This segment was of course led by everyone¡¯s favorite negging elf, Elen. Elen and Erin had an unpleasant dynamic where Elen ¡°praised¡± Erin¡¯s strong performance in their daily shooting exercises with backhanded compliments that only sounded positive based on how hard they dragged everyone else. Elen liked to say things like ¡°Erin, that was a good shot for someone just starting out, watching the others shoot I was worried that the humans of Earth lacked depth perception. Maybe you can practice with your friends in their spare time so that my lessons aren¡¯t completely wasted on them.¡± Elen knew what she was doing, which only made it more annoying to most of the rest of the team when Erin took it seriously. Despite being a bit of a sociopath, Elen was a fair teacher with all manner of bow and in her style of agility based combat. Everyone who participated developed some skill in ranged combat and some techniques that they could use to put distance between themselves and an opponent to reset a fight. With her natural ability and previous experiences, Erin was an extremely quick study in Elen¡¯s way of fighting and it seemed a foregone conclusion that she would be able to upgrade her Fighter class to a Ranger class during her class quest.
Category Value Notes
Name Erin White
Race Human Origin: Earth
Class Fighter
HP 120
MP 70
Spirit 500
Strength 75
Intelligence 110
Agility 120
Dexterity 110 Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Wisdom 80
Charisma 80
Discipline 100
Ingenuity 120
Despite picking up Elen¡¯s style with relative ease, Erin didn¡¯t have the benefit of any actual combat experience with any of the techniques that Elen taught. The training by Phraan had been by far the most hands-on and the training with Elen the least. Shooting targets and moving around an obstacle course with Elen¡¯s parkour type moves did help to build some skills, but it didn¡¯t bring things together like an actual fight. In fact, none of the team had scored a monster kill or even engaged a monster in a fight after several months in the tutorial. *** I was covered in blood again. Thankfully most of it wasn¡¯t mine, but I was confident that without magical support I would never be clean again. Why did the energy armor let the blood through? Why hadn¡¯t I modified the shield that I made to block rain drops to block blood drops and deployed it with my gear for this run? Both good questions, but now was hardly the time. We had spent the better part of a week carving a path through duck territory as we pushed out toward Ghostlight Falls and it was tough going. Duck was apparently a general term for any of the theropod bird-lizards still tromping around the taiga. Ducks swam in the water. Ducks walked on land. Ducks also flew in the air, at least when magic enhanced physics allowed. The variety ducks presented was as staggering as their incredible propensity for violence. The density of life in this area was unexpected and there was a threat around every corner. I was beset from all sides, but Deldes and Delirin were only targeted infrequently. That night we made our camp in a secluded cave with a narrow entrance that Deldes had both fortified and obscured with magic. The three of us were sitting around a small fire when I asked the elves to explain how they were avoiding so much of the unwanted attention that I was receiving. Delirin met Deldes¡¯ eyes for a moment before she seemed to just disappear into the shadows. I had had plenty of occasions to see how stealthy the wild elves could be, but I was surprised to see Delirin simply vanish. I felt Delirin¡¯s hand slide over his shoulder. She must have been somewhere just in front of me, but I couldn¡¯t make her out in the flickering firelight. Then her hand was gone, but I heard her whisper in my ear. Her face must have been right next to mine but I still couldn¡¯t detect her at all. ¡°Harris. It is simple. Stealth erases the traces of you that others can detect, there are many flavors of this technique, but the best magical stealth techniques always have visualizations that are as automatic as breathing. Until you get there, it can be pretty tough to explain, so with this magic, practice makes perfect. Keep heading east. It''s only another seventy or so miles to Ghostlight Falls. If you save your breath, I feel a man like you could manage it. We¡¯ll go on ahead. Arrivederci.¡± The feeling of ice cold liquid shot down my spine. At this point, Delirin and Deldes liked to tease me at every opportunity, but this felt serious. Deldes vanished at the same time that Delirin said goodbye. This felt real, like they were really gone and I was really on my own. The way back to the Emerald Sea was a little more than eighty miles and it was completely infested with murderous ducks. I expected the seventy or so miles to Ghostlight Falls were equally infested with ducks or worse. I didn¡¯t feel like Delirin and Deldes were trying to murder me per se, but I also didn¡¯t have any confidence that this was survivable for me as things stood. Deldes and Delirin were mercurial and capricious, but this also felt planned. We were just over halfway to the falls. We were in the safest place that we had ever camped. I could probably stay here for a while safely with my current equipment and have some time to make my decision and my plan. Also, it felt like Delirin was trying to give me a hint with her cryptic speech. This was the perfect time for this stunt, but it also felt like I had initiated this by asking about their stealth technique. How did they know that I would ask about stealth at that moment? It didn¡¯t really matter. I needed to figure out my next steps and I needed a plan now. I knew that I needed to make a decision about the direction I would travel, get what rest while it was safe and get moving at first light. Duck meat could be prepared in many delicious dishes and some monster parts from ducks were valuable materials, so we had been making regular connections with collectors from the wild elf clan to which Deldes and Delirin belonged. However, I didn¡¯t know any of Deldes and Delirin¡¯s clansmen and even if I did, I would be shocked to see one of them without Deldes or Delirin around. Beyond the collectors, who would likely be no help, I hadn¡¯t seen anyone else outside of the Emerald Sea. Ever. So eighty miles deep in duck territory, I also wasn¡¯t banking on seeing anyone else who could help. With a shorter distance to possible help and the completion of my other goals, pushing through to Ghostlight Falls seemed like the best course of action. I couldn¡¯t be sure that Deldes and Delirin would help me when I arrived, but if this was a lesson, I wanted to put my faith in them that this was necessary and helpful and the right thing to do. The wild elves were inscrutable, but the more time I spent with Deldes and Delirin the more I could see that they had reasons for what they did and that they often planned much further ahead than I could imagine. I also really wanted to master a stealth skill as soon as possible. Stealth was a huge tactical advantage and I had plans to make it a centerpiece of my skill set in combat and a number of other pursuits. I hoped that I would have a high affinity with a stealth skill to avoid fighting when possible and to conceal my position when it wasn¡¯t. This was a huge advantage for a ranged fighter like me, especially at long distances, where my firepower could have a disproportionate impact if my opponents couldn¡¯t quickly identify my location to respond. Not only was pushing on the best option, but it came with the added bonus of helping me to obtain the skill that I needed most. With my decision made, I spent a few minutes maintaining my weapons and inspecting my defensive equipment and gear. I also reviewed my rations, looking for the opportunity to lighten my load and consume as much as I could in relative safety before striking out in the morning. Following a veritable feast of crappy camp food, I ensured that my defensive equipment was active and curled up to get what sleep I could before setting out. I was agitated, but I quickly fell into a dreamless slumber. It had been months since the last time that I had a dream, but at the time I wasn¡¯t worried about anything but how I¡¯d survive the next seventy miles. Chapter 22: Duck Hunt II If my current situation was like a video game, it was more like a first person shooter than an RPG right now. The intermittent time that I had spent hunting with Deldes and Delirin and even in the workshop with Tanyl had done a lot for my conditioning and physical capabilities. I think that the internal changes that occurred due to magic particle absorption also had a fair amount to do with the speed with which I saw results, but the net effect was that my grinding had left me in a much better position to face the seventy mile gauntlet that was before me than I would have expected. Unfortunately, much better than expected was still not good. I couldn¡¯t fight my way through the volume of potential threats and I also couldn¡¯t stay in one place for too long. The number of adds in each encounter could quickly spiral out of control. I needed to look at each situation objectively, determine my best odds and continuously adapt as I pushed through the unfamiliar terrain. I also needed to either set a pace that got me there before I collapsed from exhaustion or push forward in a way that would allow me opportunities to rest. Since I didn¡¯t know exactly what awaited at Ghostlight Falls, I couldn¡¯t really afford to arrive there without the energy to address the situation, so I needed to push forward in a way that supported rest. After a ¡°good¡± night¡¯s sleep, I also felt that I had a handle on the clue that Delirin had provided: it was about breath. My theory from what I had read about stealth techniques and what I had when the wild elves used their stealth skills, was that the foundation of most stealth techniques was internal control over what essence one put into the environment. I expect that more advanced techniques must come with the ability to actively obscure, but the start really had to be leaving no trace that could be used to identify one¡¯s presence. From the books that I had found on basic tactics before the tutorial began, I knew that in broad strokes energy armor was compatible with stealth and that there were even armors that worked to amplify the effectiveness of some stealth skills. I also knew that stealth wasn¡¯t that common because it was difficult to master, but that when stealth was mastered it was widely, if not continuously, utilized. That is to say, that stealth techniques didn¡¯t draw enough resources from an individual to require them to be used sparingly. I think that Delirin was saying that I needed to work to continuously suppress the essence of myself that I was putting into the environment. I was hoping that as I did this I would unlock and rapidly advance my own stealth skill. In this light, perhaps the approach of the wild elves made a bit more sense. My class situation, or lack thereof, made it difficult to know what specific stealth skills I could learn with any certainty. The best game plan to learn a skill might really be a crash course in the fundamentals. I was half tempted to pull up the Unified System interface, but there wasn¡¯t really a way that it could tell me what I actually needed to know, which was part of my problem with the interface in the first place. Most magic based techniques required some kind of visualization to shape the effect precisely. I thought about myself as a closed system and as a wisp moving through the forest without leaving a trace. With those images in mind, I set out, but not before disabling the training device that allowed me to experience the pain of the injuries that my energy armor blocked. Pain may teach, but it is hard to learn when you are dead. I had the luxury of operating in that way when I had support from experts that could help ensure that things didn¡¯t get out of hand. Moving now on my own, I needed every advantage that I could get. My main weapon was a magical rifle with a seven shot clip and a bayonet. This rifle was almost completely silent and it fired rounds that exploded on contact to release crystals the size of grains of sand that were highly charged with destructive magic particles. It was sighted with a scope that took the bayonet into account, so it was about as versatile as it could get. I had my magic particle gun hanging from some magically imbued steel cable fed into a retractable tool holder assembly on my belt. I carried a hunting knife with a magic circuit to improve its edge on my belt and a pistol in each holster. I also wore my darkvision goggles to help me see in low light that was penetrating the forest canopy as I set out with the dawn. *** Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The goal was to avoid as much conflict as possible on the way to the falls. I didn¡¯t have infinite resources and there were effectively infinite ducks between me and my goal. Ducks dropping down from the trees, ducks leaping out of ponds and streams, ducks jumping out of the bushes, ducks hiding in the grass, ducks swooping out of the sky, ducks hiding in caves¨Cthere were ducks everywhere and they seemed to have no real difficulty in finding me. This made the first day of my solo trek slower going than I had hoped. I found a small cave a couple of hours before sunset and quickly cleared it out. I blocked the entrance with rocks and activated a small barrier device that I brought with me on our hunts for just such an occasion. I was wearing my sight assist goggles again and as I sat in the dark and went over the day¡¯s gains. There were basically no gains. I had made it twelve miles in thirteen hours of hiking. I would have been dead scores of times if it weren¡¯t for the robust energy armor that I was sporting. I had made no progress that I could discern on the stealth front. I had a puncture wound on my right hip where horned lizard type duck had managed to punch through my armor and a laceration on my upper left arm where a had taken a slash from some kind of diving, gliding duck that had somehow managed to get past my energy armor with a high speed, razor sharp claw. Both wounds were shallow and were already healing thanks to my awakened physique, but they hurt and would limit my mobility somewhat for at least the next day. I needed to find a way to make a change. At this rate it would take me twice as long to reach Ghostlight Falls and I doubted that I could survive that long in my current state. I had foregone the rifle and bayonet for the magic particle gun and the hunting knife. Nothing seemed to have any resistance or shielding that could deflect the magic particle gun¡¯s beam. The rifle was very versatile, but if you never spotted the threats before they struck and they had significant numbers, only having seven shots was a bit of a liability. I dug into my cold rations and I thought about how to move forward. *** I woke up perhaps an hour before dawn. I lay there and thought about how I could approach the day as I ate some more cold rations and prepared for my next round of hiking. When I focused on the images that I used as visualizations for stealth, they didn¡¯t seem far off, but I refined them a bit as I thought of myself as out of phase with reality. With each breath I faded further into the background and disappeared. Those that saw me couldn¡¯t focus on me properly and if they did they forgot me instantly. I was a phantom. I mean it sounded good to me, but what did I know? In conjunction with this image, I was also planning on using a new tactic. Rather than trying to sneak through the forest and stopping to engage the ducks that appeared in my vicinity, I was just going to push through. My energy armor had proven very effective and I needed to get the most that I could out of that advantage. There were always adds as ducks picked up on my position while I was fighting and trying to clear an area wasn¡¯t working. The ducks fought each other as readily as they fought me, so I was going to lean into the opportunity that represented. I¡¯d run the ducks targeting me into more ducks that could target them and slip away in whatever chaos followed. Kind of a loose interpretation of the enemy of my enemy is my friend and the more of them that killed each other or forgot about me the better. *** It was about noon on the fourth day since Deldes and Delirin left me to be hunted by the ducks when Ghostlight Falls came into view in the distance. There had been a few times on day two where I had nearly been overrun by dog sized bird-lizards. Even with my awakened physique and my recent physical conditioning, almost all of the ducks were faster than me. I dodged what I could, took the shots that I could with the magic particle gun and kept pushing. This tactic had mostly worked. I took hundreds if not thousands of strikes against my energy armor, but most of the strikes weren¡¯t strong enough to penetrate and when I saw one coming that looked strong enough to pierce my defenses, I tried to position myself to take a glancing blow instead. Having ample opportunity to practice with my energy armor during this hunt, I had become quite adept at using it in this way. Unfortunately, the strong attacks that I didn¡¯t see coming and those that I couldn¡¯t quite deflect had left their marks. My forearms were covered in small cuts and wounds. I had shallow claw marks on the back of my head and my right calf and a much deeper mark across my chest that burned a little when I breathed. I also had a full dental imprint from a particularly nasty bugger that latched onto my right elbow. I killed it with my knife and then had to use the flat of the blade to pry it off of my arm. I was dirty, bloody, dehydrated, sore and pretty well exhausted. So much for getting to Ghostlight Falls with some gas left in the tank, but I was thankful to get there at all. Chapter 23: Ghostlight Falls I As I made the final push to the falls, I saw Deldes and Delirin camped out in the open. They had built a large bonfire and were relaxing by the fire. Once I was within three or four miles of the falls the population of ducks or any other monsters for that matter dropped off precipitously. Not that it really mattered to me at that point. I was exhausted, injured and in a poor position for a fight, but for the last day and a half nothing had really had any interest in me as I passed through. I started feeling like things were clicking for the stealth skill when the ducks seemed to lose interest in me quickly after an encounter. Soon after the ducks that I passed on my journey stopped even giving chase. As time wore on they stopped reacting to me altogether. I wasn¡¯t sure how the skill would interact with more advanced or powerful opponents, but it made the last leg of the hike to the falls much easier than what had come before. I likely could have made it to the falls even sooner if I wasn¡¯t slowed down by the injuries that I had received before the change in the ducks¡¯ collective behavior. At this point I didn¡¯t have any real control over the skill, beyond keeping it active all of the time. Ghostlight Falls didn¡¯t disappoint. Hundreds of waterfalls cascaded down from a high plateau into a wall of water and mist. Beyond the falls were the Giantspire Mountains, whose glaciers fed the alpine lake that in turn fed the falls. The water caught the sunlight with prismatic sparkles of redacted light and the occasional full rainbow. However, even in the daylight I could see that the water had an unusual light bluish sheen to it and when the falls wove through darker areas I could see that the water itself glowed slightly with its own light. It was an amazing sight, but there was also a chill to the air and as tired as I was I could feel the bonfire calling my name. I walked into the camp without a greeting from Deldes or Delirin. This was not the greeting that I has expected after the seventy mile trek. I was exhausted enough to already not be thinking all that clearly and my thoughts were further clouded by seeing the pair that had abandoned me to my fate in the woods days earlier. Things had worked out and I understood that it was part of their nature in some intrinsic way to embrace chaos, but they were also obliged to support me. I was paying for their services and if they didn¡¯t want to provide them, then they needed to tell me so that I could find someone who would. In the end what mattered was that I was there and, though I was beaten and bloody, I didn¡¯t have any serious injuries and I did have the beginnings of a cool new skill. I walked right up to Delirin before realizing that she may not be able to see me through my new stealth skill. I assumed that this wouldn¡¯t be an issue based on her overall strength and the fact that their stealth skills didn¡¯t usually block the sight of allies working in concert. However, when she didn¡¯t immediately react to my presence, I consciously dropped the skill. If I had been less exhausted and more clear headed I might have thought better of the possibility of appearing just two feet in front of a wild elf while covered in blood and kitted out for a fight. Delirin and Deldes both started moving the instant that I disengaged the stealth skill. Delirin¡¯s hand flashed to the spear lying next to her. She leapt to her feet while bringing the spear between us in a fluid motion. She looked directly at me as she said, ¡°Who are you and how did you get here?¡± Deldes had her bow in her hand and had knocked an arrow in the same instant that Delirin had started her attack. I stood there stunned for a moment and that was a moment too long. I don¡¯t know if there was an answer that would have satisfied Delirin at that moment, but I do know that shocked silence didn¡¯t do the trick. She continued to bring the head of her spear up and I only managed to take one step backward as she did. The spear was unnaturally sharp and it made it through my energy armor deeply enough to leave a shallow line of blood from around my stomach to just below my clavicle. It wasn¡¯t a serious wound, but the poisoned arrow that Deldes put through my calf at the same time was another matter. It certainly felt serious as I started to go rapidly numb. In the next moment, I felt Deldes straddling my chest and pinning my arms to the ground. She had her knife out and although I wasn¡¯t clear where this was going, I was confident that it wasn¡¯t going somewhere good. If the elves were intentionally trying to hurt me, then I was very likely well and truly dead. I hoped that I had just startled them and that they couldn¡¯t recognize me in the mess that I was in, so I stammered, ¡°It¡¯s me Deldes. Harris. Delirin told me to meet you here just a few days ago.¡± Delirin looked down into my eyes and a moment later a look of panic marred her beautiful face. ¡°Stop Deldes. Get off him and get the antidote. That¡¯s Harris.¡± Stolen novel; please report. Deldes looked at me and then Delirin before saying, ¡°Harris who?¡± ¡°This is who we were waiting out here to meet,¡± responded Delirin. As I looked up at Deldes I could see the recognition that she did, in fact, know me dawn on her face. ¡°Oh. Sorry Harris. I didn¡¯t recognize you,¡± she said as she rolled off of my injured chest. I don¡¯t know what happened after that because whatever Deldes had on that arrow took full effect and I lost consciousness. *** It was early evening when I regained consciousness. From my position near the bonfire that I had seen on my arrival to the camp, I could see Ghostlight Falls in the background. The water was glowing pale blue with enough intensity to light up the surrounding forest. The odd flashes that I had seen during the day, were in fact strange luminescent jellyfish like creatures floating in the falls. They seemed to completely resist the downward push of the water and the pull of gravity as they drifted around the many interconnected curtains of water. It was a beautiful sight, but I was having trouble enjoying it. I felt hungover, apparently an aftereffect of whatever poison Deldes used to coat her arrows. I was also still in pain from the many small injuries that I had accumulated on the trip thus far, the two recent additions that I received during my less than hospitable welcome to camp were particularly aggravated. Delirin was sitting next to me and she offered me some watered down wine when I finally made it up into a sitting position. She had a suitably sheepish look on her face when she made the offer and I was happy to find that she knew who I was and wasn¡¯t trying to stab me. ¡°Harris. I apologize for what I did before. We had originally planned to celebrate your arrival, but we sort of lost track of our plan as we waited for you. You startled me when you appeared so close. For a few moments, I couldn¡¯t place you and I treated you as a stranger. Deldes had a similar experience, though neither of us are clear on why. The good news is that Ghostlight Falls has some mild healing properties that will help you recover both mentally and physically before you undertake your trial. For tonight you should rest. Please let me or Deldes know if there is anything that we can do to make you more comfortable.¡± *** Ghostlight Falls occupied a unique place in the lives of the wild elves and some of the other fae in Region Eleven. If you sat in the freezing water of the falls at night you could experience a sort of generic class trial. The rite allowed for the upgrade of any class without the need to complete a specific class trial. It was at its essence a trial of the spirit and, although it wasn¡¯t without its own risks, it was ideal for the situation around ¡°class¡± based on my incomplete awakening experience with the Unified System. The trial also had deeper significance for the fae. The rite revolved around experiencing the dreams of ancestors and others who lived long ago. This was a spiritual experience for the elves and a rite of passage for certain clans of the fae. The story goes that the dreams of those that live in the area become frozen as they fly among the icy peaks of the Giantspire Mountains. These frozen dreams are then trapped in the massive glaciers that move down the steep peaks. As the glaciers slowly flow downward they carry the dreams with them and these dreams are eventually released into the alpine lake above Ghostlight Falls as the glaciers melt. The dreams may linger in the depths of the lake forever, but as the water flows over the falls it inevitably carries some of the dreams down with it. The Ghostlight Tender jellyfish help guide the dreams to those meditating in the waters of the falls at night. The effect of the strange dream phenomenon of Ghostlight Falls was apparently the most intense during the new moon, which was just two days away. There was apparently a chance of lasting mental damage and disorientation from the trial, but that was rare and the trial was generally safe, especially if you had a spotter to pull you out if things went south. However, it still made sense to prepare as much as I could for the class upgrade. Passing this trial would also grant me some official status with the fae, including the right to purchase a mount from one of their vendors. Unfortunately, before I could even think about undertaking the rite in the falls, I needed to square things with Deldes and Lelirin and sort out what was going on with my stealth skill. I didn¡¯t see either of the elven hunters in our camp when I woke up and I spent a few minutes searching the area to no avail. I decided to hike up the switchback trail to the top of the plateau. I suspected that they might be up there, but even if they weren¡¯t I wanted to explore the area around the lake ahead of the trial. I made sure not to activate my stealth skill as I started up the hill, as I had my suspicions about what caused our little misunderstanding. However, I needed to talk through the situation with Deldes and Delirin before I made any decisions. My guides had been acting weirdly this trip, even for them, but I was not about to try experimenting on my own after yesterday¡¯s near death experience at the hands of my supposed protectors. Chapter 24: Ghostlight Falls II It was unusual to see Deldes or Delirin weighed down by anything, but as I emerged from the trail leading to the near shore of the alpine lake, I could see it written on their faces. Although in some ways I didn¡¯t know her all that well despite our adventures the past few months, I could tell at a glance that Deldes was embarrassed. Delirin typically took things less seriously than Deldes did, but even she still had a shadow of regret clouding her otherwise happy face. Yeah. So a little awkward, but I needed to get a better sense of what happened and why. I started the conversation with my typical charm. ¡°So you two aren¡¯t going to try to kill me today? I am glad. That is a big improvement over yesterday. Anyhow, can you describe for me what happened from your perspectives?¡± ¡°Delirin and I discussed it at length. It wasn¡¯t just being startled when you appeared. For some time, more for me and less for Delirin, after you appeared we didn¡¯t remember you at all. We didn¡¯t know who you were. We didn¡¯t really question it too much, but reflecting back for over a day neither of us had a specific recollection of who we were waiting for or why. I don¡¯t know if it is your class interacting with your skills or a matter of your visualization, but needless to say that doesn¡¯t usually happen.¡± Deldes had obviously put earnest thought into the situation, but it seemed like the phenomenon that they experienced was outside of her experience. Delirin picked up that same thread as she said, ¡°It isn¡¯t uncommon not to have full control over a skill that you pickup the hard way, like you did with your stealth skill. The skill that you did get is definitely a powerful stealth skill because I had no idea that you were there before you appeared. I didn¡¯t have a tingle in the back of my neck, a feeling of unease or even any hint that someone else was there. To leave no trace is the mark of an exceptional skill. Whatever else happened I do not know, but I believe it was part of your skill and it is dangerous.¡± ¡°Not providing specific guidance and forcing someone into a situation where a skill is needed is one of the oldest ways to catalyze the development of a skill. Your need creates the vessel within which the magic particles flow and it typically takes the perfect shape for you, your image and your goals. This technique crosses class divisions and, like the ritual at the falls, it is the way that many found their skills before the Unified System. It is a dangerous way by necessity, but it also leads to powerful results. As in your case, Harris, it can also lead to new and unexpected things.¡± Delirin smiled a genuine smile at this as she continued, ¡°Although we can speak directly to your skill, we can help you learn to control it and its effects. I don¡¯t think I have to explain how critical better control will be for you Harris, unless you enjoy living alone.¡± The last part Delirin added with her signature smirk. It was good to see that some things hadn¡¯t changed, and why should they? I mean what is a little attempted murder between friends? Deldes concluded, ¡°We will spend a few hours up here by the lake teaching you some of our techniques to improve skill control. We¡¯ll then move back to our camp by the falls as you work on refining your control over your stealth skill. When you have it mastered, come join us again in camp. You have until the new moon to master this. You will not want to enter the trial with the chance that your skill may go haywire as you complete the rite.¡± I had brought all of my equipment with me on the hike and Deldes and Delirin assured me that the area near the lake was as safe as anything in the wilds. They had cleared a relatively flat area near the edge of the lake and added a split log bench, a small stone fire circle and an ample stack of firewood. I felt like the gesture was by way of apology and I appreciated it. True to Deldes¡¯ word, the elves spent a couple of hours sharing their techniques for skill control refinement with me. It came down to experimenting with parts of your visualization, observing the changes in the results and separately varying the intensity of the flow of magic particles to the skill. Apparently this was easier for those with more experience, but they thought that I should be able to manage some rough adjustments even at my level. I appreciated their attempt to help me, but the situation seemed to be pretty hopeless. I had limited means to observe any image driven changes in the results of my skill while I was sequestered alone at the edge of a distant lake. On the other hand, I wasn¡¯t about to ask them to stick around to be my test subjects. I was still recovering from the beatdown that they had given me the last time they were affected by my skill. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I thanked them before they disappeared down the trail back down to the base of the falls. I was alone again. I wasn¡¯t going to lie. I liked being alone, though I did wish I had a way to get some real food while I was up there. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done about it. I settled in, began meditating and started fiddling with my stealth skill. *** I walked back into the wild elves¡¯ camp a few hours before sundown on the day of the new moon. I was out of time to refine my control over my new stealth skill if I also wanted to participate in the class trial at Ghostlight Falls this month. I definitely didn¡¯t want to hike back out here again next month, so I was highly motivated to make this happen. I was also highly motivated to avoid getting slashed, shot or poisoned again by Deldes or Delirin. I enlisted the pair in a few last minute experiments to gauge my success, but not before having them stash their weapons on the other side of the camp and give me at least fifteen feet of distance.First, I activated my stealth skill with the intention of disappearing from both of them, but not impacting their recollection of me. Both elves reported seeing me disappear and reappear as planned without forgetting a thing. I was also able to disappear to one elf, but remain visible to the other. I could also make them both unable to hold focus on me and selectively apply this effect to one elf or the other. The last experiments that I tried had to do with removing my presence completely. They went just like I expected based on my own, albeit stumbling and limited, efforts to impact this part of the image that I was using. I couldn¡¯t target this effect or adjust its range. I could switch it off and on, but for now that was the extent of my control. I took a glancing punch from Delirin and Deldes already had her bow in hand when the effect of my last failed test dissipated. I called it there. First off, Delirin hit like a truck even through my energy armor and second this was enough control for me to participate in the class trial. I had a nice dinner with Deldes and Delirin. They had made some hunter¡¯s stew that was absolutely delicious and I had three bowls. Feeling full from the excellent dinner, I began to prepare myself to enter the falls. Apparently, energy armor didn¡¯t hinder the process and I decided to keep mine active if I could manage it. I had a robe to wear in the falls. The water was quite cold, but awakened individuals had enough natural resistance to the cold that I didn¡¯t anticipate an issue. The Dream Tender jellyfish that made the falls their home apparently sometimes floated participants in the rite along with them in falls. This wasn¡¯t a common occurrence and the conventional wisdom was that this was a mark of good fortune, rather than a dangerous event. The main threats of the trial were mental. The dream experiences could take place in just a few minutes or over hours of objective time. To those experiencing the dreams vast amounts of subjective time could pass, which could be both disorienting, disruptive and emotionally crippling. I was more excited than anything as I entered the falls. I sat down on one of the prepared stone seats and let the water begin to wash over me. It was as cold as advertised and the cold was painful until it faded to a pervasive background numbness. The water glowed around me and I faced out into a wonderful sea of stars peaking through the canopy of the trees. I could feel some of the Dream Tenders approach me, though they were almost indistinguishable from the cold water by touch, though they added an additional glow. All the sudden the forest and the stars began to swim before my eyes as the icy numbness from the water pushed deeper into the background of my thoughts. When I could focus properly again, I was somewhere else and I was someone else as well. *** Deldes and Delirin watched as Harris took his seat beneath the falls. As he relaxed the Dream Tender jellyfish in his vicinity began to gather around him. Soon the curtain of water above him was filled with dozens of the strange creatures. This rite of passage had been known to vary greatly in length, but the average duration was about twenty minutes. By the time that Harris had hit the twenty minute mark nearly every dream tender visible in the falls had migrated to the area around him. As densely packed as they were, their luminescence combined to illuminate Harris as if it sat in the afternoon light of a blue tinged sun. It was disconcerting to the elves that were acting as Harris¡¯ spotters and protectors during the rite of passage. As twenty minutes became an hour and an hour became two, Deldes and Delirin began to fear that something was very wrong. Chapter 25: Ghostlight Falls III I wasn¡¯t myself. I was a seasoned explorer and had prepared for my mission for decades alongside my trusty crew. Unfortunately, the asteroid field around the planet had been like nothing that I had ever seen. The crew was banged up, but everyone had at least survived. Our landing craft had made the trip to the surface without difficulty, but our ship would require some repairs before we could even consider the return trip. When our lander set down we were in the appointed area, but no one was in sight or registering on the craft¡¯s instruments. As protocol dictated, we had made contact with the inhabitants of this new world from orbit and had arranged a meeting. This world was old and already part of the wider network of galactic commerce. This experience was new to me, but there were those in this world to which this was old hat. That is not to say that the technology on the planet was as sophisticated as on my world, but from what I had heard from those that planned this mission it was certainly different. As I made my way out with my team, I took in the scenery before me. This time making the first contact with the inhabitants of a new world. The responsibility was immense, but I couldn¡¯t help but pause to marvel at the beauty of Oberous. The light had a slightly golden quality that evoked a sense of serenity as it danced through the unbelievably tall trees of our wooded rendezvous location. As I took in the scene, I could feel Kayliegh my first mate tense at my side. I followed her gaze into the forest and saw them approaching. They looked like elves and were armed with bows, swords and staffs. Their weapons were primitive, but my instincts and the little intelligence that we were able to gather about the inhabitants of Oberous en route, told me that they were a threat. I already knew that they could communicate, as we had done so without issue to arrange this meeting, but none of them returned my greeting. I repeated, ¡°Hello. I am Bruce. I come in peace as an explorer to learn more about your world and your people.¡± The elven greeting party opened fire with their bows. Per protocol, I had left the landing craft¡¯s fields to capture projectiles and radiation active during the encounter, so I expected us to be at an overwhelming advantage near our shuttle. I momentarily hoped that the situation could be calmed, but some of our assailants began to strike with electric discharges and plasma attacks of shocking potency. I wasn¡¯t sure how they were generating these attacks and we¡¯d have to analyze the footage with the computer back on the ship, but for now we needed to retreat. I called out the order and the landing team wasted no time in embarking and getting the shuttle underway. This pattern repeated itself a half a dozen times across the next month. There were always apologies for confusion and misunderstandings, but it was clearly disingenuous. This was a situation where protocol wasn¡¯t going to work and we needed to adapt our tactics or give up and focus on repairing our ship and leaving. I choose to adapt our tactics. I mobilized four of the six landing craft from our ship simultaneously. Each with a senior team member leading the mission and no notice or warning to the supposed local authorities. The four craft made for four different locations across the planet. Two of the teams got a variation on the usual greeting with a longer response time from the hostile forces that must have been tracking our activities in orbit and mobilizing immediately to intercept the teams so quickly. The other two teams got lucky. My team made our way to an isolated mountain city with towering walls of white stone. It was an unusual location from what we could tell through orbital observation and we thought it might mean that it had some potential. We weren¡¯t comfortable getting too far from the shuttle, but we set it down at what was essentially the bottom of the trail leading to the city and hiked the six hours up to its gates. We were certainly dressed and armed, differently than the townsfolk that we encountered, but we were able to communicate seamlessly using the translation program prepared for the mission and our communication pins. We were stopped at the gate and asked about the purpose of our visit, but the guards were OK with our request to explore the town and stop by their marketplace. We did just that and were shocked by the diversity that we experienced. The inhabitants referred to themselves as the Fae. I spent a few hours bartering with different vendors. I ended up purchasing a small compass that a very tiny elf-like lad with a serene smile said he had made himself. According to this young craftsman, the compass could be used for magnetic navigation or to follow magic particle density to rare treasures and opportunities. Magic particles seemed a little far fetched to me, but the team on the ship was learning amazing things from this planet every day and it only cost me some rations, a pair of sunglasses and all the tools and climbing gear that I had with me. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. The other team that wasn¡¯t attacked on sight went to a bustling trade city deep within a jungle and also made contact with a diverse group of locals. After debriefing and getting some rest, we needed to focus on the next phase of the mission.We spent the next few weeks on the ship making plans and repairs. *** I was in a rented house during university. It was winter and I hadn¡¯t been to class in a couple of weeks. I remember it being cold, but I was playing Tetris. I played for hours. I was good, like really, really good, but the pieces got so heavy. They fell down to the bottom so fast. Eventually, I was overwhelmed and the whole screen filled up with the colorful block pieces. I wasn¡¯t frustrated. It was a chance to play again. After the game is before the game. *** I was walking a long, long hallway. It wasn¡¯t maximally lit, but I could easily see down its endless distance. As I turned the corner at an intersection I found myself before an elevator. It was labeled Turbolift 273 in my heads up display. I took the lift to deck 388 and took the corner down another long, long hallway. I passed a couple of repair drones in hibernation mode and after about 30 minutes of walking I crossed into the aft section through lucky bulkhead 3000. I wove my way through the floors and decks following my heads up display. I was deep in the diesel decks, an artifact of a time before cold sleep when biodiesel processing was a part of the energy ecosystem on some long haulers. There was no way that there was a vending machine all the way out here that needed to be repaired. I was already almost eight hours into my rotation. I had to stop for lunch on the way out and at this rate I was probably going to have to bivouac down and sleep under one of these generators before heading back. Then my display lit up like a Christmas tree. There was a vending machine down here, there was actually a full barracks setup down here. Sleeping quarters, exercise quarters, mess, restrooms, automated vending¨Cthe whole shebang. Did two pages of the plans get stuck together during construction and the guys in the shipyard just not notice? This made no sense. What''s more, how did one of the chicken soup dispenser nozzles get clogged? There was no way anyone had been down here in years. We¡¯ll at least I wasn¡¯t going to have to sleep under a generator tonight. I called out to no one in particular, ¡°Geeq you magnificent bastard. Why do you enjoy these stupid games so much?¡± Then I got to work. *** Delirin was concerned. She was actually well beyond concerned. Something was wrong with Harris¡¯ trial. She had never seen the falls like this and she had never heard of the rite of passage lasting this long. Harris had been meditating for over ten hours. Delirin would have pulled him out hours ago if she thought that she could do it safely. The Dream Tender jellyfish that lived in the falls had surrounded Harris shortly after the trial began. After swarming around him in a frenzy, well a frenzy for jellyfish, they picked Harris up and floated away into the middle of the falls with him. Delirin could still see exactly where he was at due to the light generated by the jellyfish suspending him in the curtain of water. The Dream Tender jellyfish were truly magic creatures, as in they were probably more magic particle than flesh. Reaching Harris right now without a way to fly would be next to impossible and extricating him probably even more difficult. Deldes had left hours before for Eastern Tear,the wild elf village a few miles to the west of the alpine lake on the plateau. She was going to petition Elder Beluar Ilinerios for assistance. There was no one more likely to understand the strange events at the falls, but she wondered if Deldes could convince Beluar to come if he knew that a human was involved. Just then the Dream Tenders began to pulse with a rainbow of pale colors, the kind that show up in the winter when a rainbow forms from high altitude ice clouds. They spread out slowly to reveal Harris, now apparently fully conscious as they lowered him back to the base of the falls. Before he was halfway to the ground Delirin gathered her wits about her and rushed to meet Harris with the journal and a fresh robe. Once the Dream Tenders lowered Harris into a sitting position on the same stone seat from which they had plucked him hours earlier, the jellyfish returned to their usual shade of luminescent blue and began to drift off across the falls. Harris met Delirin¡¯s eyes as he spoke, ¡°You were right, that was pretty cool and I do feel a bit stronger. Wow, though, that was chilly. A real weenie shrinker. I actually remember the dreams pretty well, so I¡¯d like to record what I can as soon as possible, but before that can you help me get over to the fire? My muscles are so cold and stiff that I don¡¯t think I can walk properly.¡± As Delirin helped Harris to one of the split log seats by the fire she couldn¡¯t help but laugh. It had been a weird couple of days and if Beluar showed up with things like this she was going to get an earful. Chapter 26: Ghostlight Falls IV With elves, or any of the fae for that matter, you can¡¯t necessarily discern age based on appearance. There were some signs if you knew how to look, but you could never be sure. Patience, for example, was a key piece of information if you understood how to interpret it. The older the elf the more patient they were typically were. However, if an elf was an elder or held great responsibility, it was equally possible that the less patient they were the older they were. The big fish can be quirky like that. Another key piece of information when evaluating the age of a fae is their power and their control over that power. This holds for all races to some degree, but the fae are naturally so long lived that it is exaggerated for them. They absorb magic particles over time and, relative to a number of factors, that absorption continues to strengthen them physically and mentally over time. They also tend to improve their control over magic particles over time. If a fae is powerful and you can feel it, then that fae is middle aged. If a fae seems weak and has weak control over their abilities, then they are likely very young. If there is no sign whatsoever of a fae¡¯s power, then they are likely masters of control and you better watch out because they are very strong. *** Elder Beluar Ilinerios from Eastern Tear was old for an elf, old and eccentric. Beluar was also not particularly patient and wasn¡¯t a huge fan of humans. As a result, when he and Deldes arrived with the dawn to find Delirin and me relaxing by the fire, he didn¡¯t necessarily handle things with aplomb. None of us were spared. Beluar whirled on Deldes first and said, ¡°Where is the spectacular alignment of Dream Tender jellyfish that you described, Deldes. I don¡¯t see anything all that interesting. All I see is Delirin wasting her time with this human. Galan must be losing his touch.¡± It was like Beluar was talking to himself. Before any of us could even respond, he started again, ¡°This human doesn¡¯t even look like he completed the rite, let alone like he was in the falls for over an hour. He looks just fine. A human would be an empty husk drained of magic particles if half of what you claimed was true. If this is a joke, it is in poor taste and both of your parents will hear of this prank.¡± Deldes and Delirin both bristled at this, but they said nothing, content to take the verbal lashing at Beluar¡¯s hands. I wasn¡¯t feeling so charitable, but I also didn¡¯t want to make any more trouble for my companions, especially after they had summoned this grumpy old elf in an effort to help me. I tossed my recently recorded dream journal to Beluar and said, ¡°All the proof there can be is in there. Take a look if you like. Otherwise, I appreciate your concern, but, as you say, I am doing just fine and your aid is no longer required.¡± Of course, Beluar caught the notebook with effortless elven grace. I could tell that he was annoyed, but his curiosity got the better of him before he said anything further. Like I said, quirky. He sat down on an empty bench by the fire and started reading. It was amusing to watch his almost condescending curiosity phase into rapt attention as paged through the journal. I had experienced about ten dreams from which I could recall at least some fragment of significance. According to Delirin, most who successfully completed the rite could only recollect one or two dreams. Delirin had also observed that many of the dreams that I described in the journal were quite lengthy, detailed and logical. They were more like memories than dreams. I did my best to capture the salient details in the journal, but it was difficult to get the feelings and specifics, still vivid in my mind, in notes on a page. I mentioned the same when I tried to strike up a conversation with Beluar as he sat contemplating by the fire after finishing my notes. He didn¡¯t apologize for his harsh words, but he did produce a small, translucent white crystal cylinder. He handed the crystal to me and said that if I focused my thoughts on the dreams while infusing the crystal with some magic particles, I could store and share some images from my dreams. I did just as he suggested and, although I think that he was a little skeptical that I could manage the mana control necessary for the process. I offered him the crystal when I was done and he spent a few minutes reviewing what I had included. He turned to me and said, ¡°This is indeed a cause for celebration. You have been blessed by the Dream Tenders. The images are so vivid and your teams were so long, I have never seen a rite concluded in this way. Take the crystal as my gift. You should show these materials to Galan as well. Also, what did you feel during the dream with Collective*Nupos? The images were difficult to make sense of and the experience was like nothing with which I am familiar.¡± Stolen novel; please report. ¡°That was a very weird dream. It was the only dream in which I was myself and to me it felt very peaceful. Collective*Nupos wasn¡¯t frightening, they felt calm and empty to me. I guess they felt like death now that I think of it, but not really in a bad way. I will make sure to share these materials with Galan. Thank you Elder Beluar,¡± I replied to the old elf. It seemed that we were on quite better terms than on his arrival. The old elf addressed Deldes and Delirin, ¡°I spoke too quickly before. Good work Deldes and Delirin. Indeed this new moon was something unique. I will tell your parents of this when I return to Eastern Tear. You should accompany Harris back to the Emerald Sea and Galan.¡± *** The way back from Ghostlight Falls was very much easier than the way there. The control that I had learned over my stealth skill allowed me to travel with Deldes and Delirin safely while still preventing the ducks or any other monsters from focusing on or even detecting me. This was the safest configuration of my current skill, as it prevented both the jungle full of murderous bird-lizards from attacking me and simultaneously preventing my shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later companions from doing the same. Unencumbered by the local fauna and bolstered by magically enhanced constitutions, we made the entire trip of approximately one hundred fifty miles on foot in just five days. The journal in which I had made my notes on the dreams that I had experienced at Ghostlight Falls, which had also been signed by Delirin as my witness, served as my proof of completion for the rite of passage. This token allowed me additional status, which is to say any status at all, with the fae community and a number of privileges that came with that status. This meant that I was just one short visit with my favorite brownies away from completing my month-long dream of a giant sloth mount shopping spree. *** Galan¡¯s smile shifted subtly as he read my journal. He was an expert in keeping his face schooled and, from what I could gather, this expertise was bolstered by some kind of a zen personal philosophy. However, as he moved from surprise to a distant kind of melancholy before handing my notebook over to Leirin. Galan turned to me, again in possession of his trademark buddha¡¯s smile, and said with genuine curiosity, ¡°Those are some interesting dreams, Harris. May I see the crystal from Beluar that you mentioned?¡± As Galan reviewed the crystal, his face paled for a moment and when he finished he didn¡¯t offer it to Lierin. Instead, he set the crystal on the table before him in the small meeting room that we were occupying on the second floor of the original board game cafe. ¡°Well you certainly have an interesting crop of dreams there Harris. I¡¯ve never heard of anyone having such an expansive and diverse experience. I am confident that the experience will benefit you well beyond the fuel it provides to advance your class. I¡¯ll have to ask Beluar his thoughts the next time we meet, but the most interesting dream to me was the forest one that you describe of an explorer arriving in a new world and eventually purchasing a magic compass. I remember that happening, Harris. I crafted and sold that compass over three hundred and fifty years ago. The images from your dream were so accurate, they were like my own memories from another perspective. I didn¡¯t realize that this was possible and I am not sure what it means.¡± ¡°I am,¡± I ventured. ¡°I passed the test and now it is time to go buy a sloth.¡± Galan laughed, ¡°Mortals. Always so rooted in the present. Though I suppose it makes sense given your experiences up to now, but you may want to consider slowing down now that you have more time.¡± I turned to Leirin to get the conversation back on track and asked, ¡°Leirin Loramenor, want to do a little mount shopping today? Also, what is my budget? I don¡¯t know how much money I have anymore. Hopeful enough to add a giant armored sloth to the team.¡± Leirin was visibly delighted by the invitation and she responded in kind, ¡°I¡¯d be happy to take you shopping Harris and you have about forty-two thousand gold on your account currently. A typical mount costs about one hundred gold with an elite mount costing about ten times as much.¡± I was pretty flush with cash at that point. The plan that I had made to get a job, establish some business ventures and hunt for fun and profit was actually panning out at a much faster pace than I could have hoped. Though the acceleration in my financial fortunes was almost entirely Leirin¡¯s doing. I don¡¯t know what Galan, Leirin and the rest of the brownies were actually doing in the Emerald Sea, but I was sure that it was more than met the eye. Leirin¡¯s motivations for helping me also had to be deeper, because I couldn¡¯t quite understand them myself. I hate to disappoint you, but there was nothing romantic between Leirin and me. Leirin was like a much older sister who really enjoyed helping her little brother. Why she saw me that way was a puzzle that I never really resolved, but Lierin is a complex person. I am not a complex person, so what I had on my mind was plain for all to see: sloth shopping. Chapter 27: Reginald AKA the Mobile Sloth Firing Platform So it turns out that giant armored sloths are always going to be a niche choice for a mount. There was one mount vendor in Emerald Sea that had specialized in giant armored sloths, but his passion was such that the experience was still a bit of an adventure. Lierin assured me that there were many other elite mounts available that would meet my needs, but for me it had to be a giant armored sloth. The decision to focus on a giant armored sloth mount wasn¡¯t just a matter of personal preference or a flight of fancy, it was a tactical decision for me. Several of the dreams that I experienced at Ghostlight Falls broadened my horizons a little bit with respect to what might be possible with magic particle based technologies, but nothing changed my fundamental situation. When fighting directly I was going to be a ranged fighter who would be heavily reliant on tactics, equipment and stealth to be successful. It is true that picking a mount that couldn¡¯t physically run might seem counterintuitive, even with these goals in mind, but I saw a compelling logic. First and foremost, giant ground sloths are imposing on their own and with the right armor and equipment they can be doubly so. All of the giant armored sloths in the Emerald Sea were considered elite class mounts, but the best among them were true giants. They weighed in at approximately ten thousand pounds unarmored and stood at over ten feet tall at the shoulder when on all fours. They could move bipedally and use their powerful claws to put up a formidable defense. These were animals that evolved to sit in the middle of a field of predators, move at their own pace and thrive. Best of all, these capabilities could be enhanced with magical technology. The giant ground sloth¡¯s slow, consistent pace and smooth movements meant that, with a few magical enhancements, I could learn to effectively shoot with accuracy while mounted and even while moving. The sloth also didn¡¯t require a vehicle to carry me and my equipment, allowing me the opportunity to move mounted through a wide range of environments with all of my equipment. This was a huge advantage for a situational and gear dependent combat style like mine. In the taiga around the Emerald Sea I also didn¡¯t really need to worry about food for a plant focused, but omnivorous giant ground sloth. Some of the other mounts required special diets or time to hunt on a regular basis. The final advantage was the mount¡¯s constitution. They didn¡¯t have a high top speed, but they were able to move at a good pace for extremely long periods of time. They needed little sleep and could range continuously for extended periods of time with minimal rest. Coupled with their strength, this would allow my mount to continue to travel while I slept on its back. I was also very interested in exploring the possibility of device based stealth enhancements that could pair with my skills to make it extremely difficult for anyone to find me while I was traveling on my mount. I also just thought that giant armored sloths were just plain cool. So did Raeran Fenfaren, the only vendor in the Emerald Sea to have giant sloth mounts on offer. In fact giant ground sloth mounts were the only mounts that Aaeran had on offer, but not just anyone could buy a mount from Raeran. The mount also had to choose you. Raeran had a process. First he introduced you and a mount. Then you had a chat with the sloth about yourself and your plans. After you said your piece you approached the sloth, held out your hands and waited. If you got a lick, the sloth was sympathetic to you and your cause, allowing you to make a deal for the mount. No lick, no sale, no exceptions. I don''t think that Leirin was amused with Raeran¡¯s antics, but I didn¡¯t mind. These were apparently advanced animals that could think and communicate, so of course they needed to consent to the partnership. It didn¡¯t matter either as I was very popular with the sloths. I chose a large and very chill giant ground sloth named Reginald for my first mount, who of course also chose me. I left Raeran¡¯s place nineteen hundred gold poorer, but extremely happy. The deal had included stabling Reginald for at least a full year, but I planned to get him into his own facility near my apartment and the Treefort soon. I had also selected the best equipment and tack for my mount as well as a few custom pieces that would be delivered after they could be crafted. It was hard leaving Reginald behind, but he was simply too large to come with me at present. After a few minutes of bonding, Lierin and I headed out. I had been in the wild for a long time and was looking forward to catching up on reading, my apprenticeship with Tanyl and enjoying the comforts of my apartment and the Emerald Sea at large. Before we split up Lierin and I had a nice chat and a nice lunch at one of our cafes. The town wasn¡¯t large, but Lierin was some kind of commercial genius and she had a few locations at this point. The place was nice, the food was great and Lierin agreed to help me acquire a building near my apartment that could be used to house Reginald as well as some grooms to take care of him. It felt luxurious and it was, but I was apparently within my means and it was a practical choice. I was planning to spend a great deal of time in the wilds with Reginald and I wanted to make sure that he was as comfortable and well cared for as he could be when we were in town. *** Kelly was very pleased with her new skill and she could tell that Amrynn was pleased as well even if the taciturn rogue didn¡¯t say it in as many words. Kelly was doing well in this new world, but she wasn¡¯t necessarily happy. She had always had a measure of social grace and charm. Over the years she had learned how to turn those benefits into influence and then hone that influence to achieve the results that she desired. This was simply Kelly taking what came naturally to her and applying a measure of reason and empirical rigor to make something of a personal social science. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Fortunately for Kelly, her skills and approach were largely valid anywhere that there were people, new world and Unified System notwithstanding. Of course, it took some recalibration to account for the fae, but that was all going relatively well. Kelly was also progressing at a good rate in her class. Initially she was disappointed and a bit offended at being classed a thief, but the skillset was amazing. Kelly had never been into intense workouts or high intensity physical activity. However, she had kept up with her dance classes through the years, so she remained fit and flexible. Kelly wasn¡¯t particularly interested in dance, but she was interested in maintaining her attractive figure and dance was a calculated decision to support that. Kelly had always actually loved magic, like prestidigitation, not the real kind as she had no idea that existed until very recently. This was a secret to everyone but her closest friends, but she was an avid fan of all sleight of hand tricks and practiced frequently as a way to unwind after all those power lunches. With her natural gifts for misdirection, her grace and her dexterity, Kelly was naturally suited to the thief class and would likely be able to class up to something even more powerful, like rogue or assassin. If there had been a classpath for a gentlewoman jewel thief, she likely would have had near one hundred percent compatibility, but apparently that wasn¡¯t a thing in their new world. The Shadow Stealth skill that Amrynn had just taught Kelly was an enhancement to her skillset with almost limitless applications. She could melt into the shadows at will, causing foes to lose focus on her or making it difficult for them to detect her at all. According to the information that Amrynn shared this skill could lead to others that would allow one to disappear from view completely.
Category Value Notes
Name Kelly Borthwick
Race Human Origin: Earth
Class Thief
HP 150
MP 75
Spirit 800
Strength 90
Intelligence 125
Agility 115
Dexterity 130
Wisdom 95
Charisma 140
Discipline 115
Ingenuity 75
Things were going well for Kelly. She wasn¡¯t unhappy with her situation, she was unhappy with their collective situation. They were too isolated and the degree to which their ¡°instructors¡± encouraged them to remain so seemed like a bad sign. All the crooked agencies and bad business proposals that Kelly had been subjected to on her swift rise to CMO for a tech firm had given her a second sense about folks who weren¡¯t on the level and this sense screamed at her every time she talked to Ruven, Elen or Phraan. Not only were she and her friends essentially trapped with folks that she knew weren¡¯t on the level, but she saw how they elves really felt about them in the way that they treated Harris. The idea that he would have been a hindrance was honestly silly. Kelly was aware that she had a soft spot for Harris, but, looking at the situation objectively based on past experiences, Harris was going to adapt to this new world faster than any of them. To be sure he would go down his own path, but he was sure to find a few different and interesting things along the way. If anything, having Harris would have enhanced their team and provided some diversity of view point that would have likely improved their results. By the way that he left, Kelly could tell that Harris didn¡¯t trust the instructors and that he was intentionally leaning into their low expectations of him. She could tell that he had a plan and it would be to the group¡¯s advantage to have someone on the outside of their situation, doubly so if they underestimated him. Kelly hoped that whatever Harris was up to wasn¡¯t too reckless, but judging by those two elves that showed up with hell antelope meat during that first month she wasn¡¯t going to be betting on that. As dangerous as whatever Harris was up to might be, she was more concerned about the way that the instructors treated him like he was nothing. They were all disposable to the instructors on some level and that made Kelly very unhappy. She knew that she didn¡¯t have a reputation for her kindness or compassion. She didn¡¯t let many people into her inner circle, but she was very protective of those that she did. It was as plain as day that these elves were a threat and that she needed to plan to deal with it. Chapter 28: Party Time I Queakers was tiny, but she was mighty. Before awakening she was able stop her owner or his friends in their tracks with a single round of her super powered puppy dog eyes. She could still do that, but now she could also do that with her vines or maybe one of her thornbush golems. Normally animals took a long time to learn complex magic, like summoning minions, if they could learn it at all, but Queakers always was a quick study. In fact, Eldrin, the druid instructor, had gone so far as to call Queakers a prodigy and a generational talent. It was clear to Queakers that Eldrin didn¡¯t know how she was doing what she was doing and that he didn¡¯t seem too happy about that. The two week period devoted to nature attuned magic was half over at this point. Queakers had mastered three spells in that time. That was mastered, not learned. She wasn¡¯t a weak caster either. Eldrin found this out when he tried to put a jubilant Queakers in her place after she mastered her third spell in as many days. Eldrin attempted to use his own nature-attuned spells to suppress Queakers¡¯ magic. She had mastered a spell that seemed to allow her to grow small plants, like flowers and shrubs, almost instantly even where plants would normally struggle. After Queakers demonstrated this, Eldrin attempted to take control of the plants and transform them into plant based golems that could act semi-independently. He succeeded in this briefly, but Queakers, who was almost as prideful as Eldrin, struggled with Eldrin for control of these golems. Queakers not only won her struggle for control of the plant creations, but she learned Eldrin¡¯s spell for generating the golems. Eldrin¡¯s spell was advanced and complex, so she hadn¡¯t mastered it yet, but it was now unusual to see Queakers without an entourage of humanoid flower servants. Eldrin had a natural kinship with animals, but his pride was far too damaged by this event to be happy for Queakers or even to remain a teacher to her. Eldrin left in a huff and Ruven eventually showed up to let the team know that the rest of the remaining week on nature attuned magic would be a self study. In an attempt to smooth any ruffled feathers, Sarah made sure that Ruven left understanding that Queakers didn¡¯t know what she was doing. Of course Queakers knew exactly what she was doing. She had no use for Eldrin now that she felt that she had surpassed him and she didn¡¯t trust the instructors at all. This week was a revelation for the team. Queakers'' natural talent had allowed her to surpass the instructor focused in her area, at least in some ways, in under a week. Different classes were likely very different in how this might work and their instructors were strong, but it was clear to everyone that the instructors weren¡¯t as far ahead as the team was led to believe.
Category Value Notes
Name Queakers
Race Dog Earth
Class Mage - Nature
HP 120
MP 100
Spirit 1000
Strength 50
Intelligence 130
Agility 130
Dexterity 15
Wisdom 150
Charisma The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. 140
Discipline 120
Ingenuity 75
*** After my long hunting trip, I was happy to be working on my apprenticeship with Tanyl again. The brownies had been very generous with their time and assistance from my first encounter, so it feels a little shallow to say that my successful completion of the rite of passage at Ghostlight Falls really cemented my position with them, but that is how it felt. I was still an object of a little more attention and curiosity than I was comfortable with, but on another level I was one of them in a new way now. Tanyl and I spent long hours in the workshop. My dreams from the falls were still vivid and provided countless examples of magical and non-magical technologies, as well as the integrations between the two, for inspiration. It was hard to believe that a single night could be so impactful, but not only was I inspired by what I had seen, I also had a better sense of the details and mechanics of some aspects of magical artifice. I shared my crystal with Tanyl and she was similarly intrigued. Tanyl was a master in her own right and I had in no way caught up to her. Her abilities were amazing and I appreciated how lucky I was to be studying under her. However, I was able to contribute more to our sessions following my experience in the falls and we quickly pushed into progressively more complex topics. With the theory side coming along quickly for me, I threw myself into the practical side to see if I could push those skills along as well. With my windfall profits from Lierin¡¯s activities and some income from materials gathered while hunting, in particular my recent duck hunt, I didn¡¯t need to be conservative with respect to the cost of the materials that I was using and I began crafting devices at a furious pace. Some of my creations were pretty wonky and no one was going to get confused about my level of skill as an artisan, but in other techniques I rapidly developed some skill. With my improved grasp of the theoretical underpinnings of magical artifice, I was also getting good at repairing or altering existing devices to generate new effects. Most nights I snuck into the Treefort to explore the reference books, notes and journals left behind by the bolthole¡¯s previous occupants. The Treefort also held a great diversity of devices and weapons to explore and use in various ¡°extracurricular¡± projects of mine. *** Leirin looked like the cat that had swallowed the canary when she found me at breakfast at the beginning of my second week following the events of the new moon at Ghostlight Falls. She sat down across from me and helped herself to some of the cantaloupe like melon on my plate. When she had finished chewing, she said, ¡°A little birdy told me that your precious Queakers mastered her first spell, her first three spells in fact. That certainly is cause to celebrate. I think that it is high time that we have your wayward family over for a party. Something tasteful. I¡¯ve reserved the upper floors of the board game cafe for this Friday and the team is working on the menu and entertainment. I just stopped by before making the invitations since you get so grumpy when you aren¡¯t included in every little thing. We¡¯ll start at 1:00 PM and go until question marks. What do you say?¡± It had been too long since I had spent any time with my friends, but I was apprehensive. I expect that Lierin understood how I felt and the situation perfectly, as her plan was well tailored to meet my concerns. In a private venue that we controlled, I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with the instructors or anyone unexpected showing. I could spend some time with my old friends while surrounded by my new friends, while keeping the aspects of what I had been up to close to the vest. With Lierin making the arrangements and invitations, I also didn¡¯t have to worry about doing any actual work, which I also appreciated. ¡°How could I say anything but thank you Lierin.¡± I could tell that she was tickled. *** I doubled down on my apprenticeship for the balance of the week, but I knocked off at noon on Friday to clean up and get to the board game cafe early. The second floor looked very festive. The balloons raised a lot of questions. I hadn¡¯t seen anything like them since my awakening. How did they make them? Where did they get the rubber? What was in them that was lighter than air? I didn¡¯t sweat it though. I helped myself to a half lemonade half ale and a small helping of the seasoned duck meat and cheese before settling in at the bar. I knew that Leirin could tell that I was nervous to see my friends after so many changes, because she didn¡¯t even get on my case about getting into the food before the guests arrived. The gang all came together and Leirin was an amazing hostess. She was showing off a bit really, but I was fine with it. Galan, Tanyl and some of the other brownies also showed up for the late luncheon. We had a great afternoon with some great refreshments and some fun board games. The weather was wonderful, so we had a chance to take in some fresh air and the view from the terrace. Everyone had a chance to talk, relax and reconnect. I mentioned my hunting trips briefly, but focused more on my apprenticeship with Tanyl and my time in town. I also got to hear from them about the instruction provided as part of the tutorial and their various skills and personal updates. I could tell that Sarah had more to share than she was going to spill in front of the group, but aside from Queakers none of them seemed to be making very fast progress. It probably wasn¡¯t fair to call her my dog anymore. She was certainly her own dog, but either way I was very proud of her and she was very happy about that. Leirin spent a fair amount of time circulating, but she certainly fawned over our canine guest of honor more than enough. As afternoon turned into evening there was a bit of a transformation at the venue. While we were on the terrace, the couches and low tables were removed to open up a dance floor and space for a live band to set up. The nearest analog that I could come up with for the band was a fae jazz ensemble with a classed bard as the singer. They were amazing. We were ushered into the large private room for a beautiful formal dinner that heavily showcased the bounty of duck from our recent duck hunt. We were joined for dinner by Deldes, Delirin and Beluar, though both Beluar and Galan left shortly after the meal. The two elders shared some amazing stories of adventures from days gone by, but they didn¡¯t monopolize the conversation. The ominous air that Deldes and Delirin were so adept at putting off was absent this evening and my friends were quickly at ease around the wild elves. The two were actually dressed up, especially for them, and looked quite lovely, a fact that hadn¡¯t escaped Karl or Lando or Lyle or Sarah. Leirin made the seating chart for the dinner and had me at her right hand. I was next to Delirin and across from Kelly. Those three were all poise, good grace and good manners. I was not sure what Leirin¡¯s intent with this seating arrangement was, and that had me a bit worried, but I rarely understood what Leirin was thinking. Queakers was in between Deldes and Delirin and she was lapping up the attention from the elven hunters. It was a wonderful meal in good company, just what I needed to let go of the last of my apprehension. Chapter 29: Party Time II The party to celebrate Queakers¡¯ achievements and reconnect with my friends was going well. With a relaxing afternoon and a delicious dinner under our belts, I had plenty of opportunities to get reacquainted with my friends. With Jim, Karen, Kelly, Sarah and Queakers it was like no time had passed. Lyle and I seemed good, but it still seemed like he had a lot on his mind. Hopefully he could open up to someone at some point about his situation. Lando seemed to have made some positive strides and seemed both a bit more mature and more thoughtful than he was pre-awakening. Unfortunately, Erin and Karl seemed to have gone in the opposite direction. Karl and Erin weren¡¯t necessarily my favorites before the awakening, but now they had an edge of arrogance and mania that made them decidedly less my favorites. They didn¡¯t do anything overt, but they were very dismissive. I saw Leirin bristle a few times as she listened to or overheard their conversations, but she would need to learn to get over that as well. The line of people in the Emerald Sea that knew they were better than me was pretty darn long at this time and I wasn¡¯t about to correct any of their misconceptions. I wasn¡¯t one to dance normally. I wasn¡¯t really against it or anything, but I also didn¡¯t really understand it. I could typically go out there and fake it for a while if it was required, but I would avoid it if I could. When Deldes led everyone to the dancefloor following dinner, I pulled Sarah and Queakers into a smaller private room to catch up without folks listening. I started the conversation by saying, ¡°You both seem like you are doing great. So how are you ladies really? I got some weird vibes from Karl and Erin and I definitely don¡¯t trust your instructors.¡± Sarah answered first. ¡°Things are going OK, Harris. I miss you and you are right Erin and Karl have been getting creepier and creepier as the tutorial has progressed. Erin has been positively harassing me lately. She doesn¡¯t know what I can do, none of them do, and she thinks that she can push me around now, like she is some mini-Elen. Karl actually pushed for a vote to replace you on our team.¡± I wasn¡¯t at all surprised by Karl¡¯s behavior and Erin had always been just a couple of shades away from stalking Sarah, but it was disturbing to hear my friend describe being harassed. On the same token, I knew Sarah was looking to vent, not for someone to crowd her by trying to solve the problem for her. I just gave her a quick hug and said, ¡°I am so sorry that is happening Sarah. I know that I left intentionally, but know that you can always come to me if I can help. I also think that you could trust Lierin if you needed help and I wasn¡¯t around. I am not an expert about these things, but Karl and Erin seem really weak, so I doubt it will come up.¡± Queakers jumped in with her message board, ¡°That is a kind offer Harris, but Sarah has me and I think together we can handle anyone in the team. I have already surpassed Eldrin and I will only continue to grow.¡± It was great to hear Queakers so confident and of course she would be there for Sarah. ¡°Good point, Queakers,¡± I replied. ¡°It''s good that you have each other. I miss you both. It isn¡¯t the same without you. Both of you. I do have a new mount named Reginald that I would like to introduce you both to sometime.¡± A sinister smile lit up Sarah¡¯s face as she mentioned, ¡°You know Harris. It is funny that you mention missing folks. Our good friend Kelly brings you up from time to time. I think that she misses you or at least feels guilty about how things happened when you left. Seems you may have made more of an impression there than you thought.¡± The teasing started in earnest from there and I didn¡¯t miss the opportunity to point out that I caught Sarah ogling Deldes more than once over dinner. Queakers didn¡¯t get it, but Sarah started hitting me with the pillow from one of the chairs and she wouldn¡¯t let up until I apologized, and offered to engineer a better introduction to Deldes. It was good to see that they were truly doing well and that things hadn¡¯t changed too much between us. The party was in full swing, when we left the private room just a few minutes later after making plans to meet up in town in the coming weeks for lunch and to visit Reginald together. Someone had convinced the band to take it up a notch to something quite lively, but the music was very unfamiliar to me. I think that the bard¡¯s class skills were part of the equation, but the music was odd and oddly entrancing. The dance floor was small, but the dancers had the enhanced abilities and physique of the awakened. The results were pretty spectacular. Lando looked like he was in heaven dancing with Kelly, Karen, Deldes and Delirin. Sarah also jumped in and Erin followed her after catching my eye and glaring what I assumed were daggers of jealousy at me. Yeah. I am sure that Sarah had it handled, but Erin was definitely going to be trouble before all was said and done. Queakers disappeared over toward the buffet in the corner and generated a golem from a potted plant that she had load up a plate with meaty snacks for its master. I went straight for the bar. I was pretty sure that I wasn¡¯t going to get out of this night without a turn on the dance floor, but I definitely wasn¡¯t nearly drunk enough to make that work yet. I felt out of place dancing in normal situations, in normal places with normal partners and normal expectations. There was like some kind of impromptu Capoeira master class going on out there and they were just warming up. Karl had left immediately after dinner, which seemed really suspicious and out of character for him. Lierin and Jim were at the bar with Lyle. It was loud, but not too loud to chat. I learned that Jim hadn¡¯t had any training in his Monk class yet. He had done well in all of the classroom training, but none of the practical skills had clicked for him. Jim was a smart guy, so it was no surprise that he was excelling in the academic portion. He also had his trademark charm and positive attitude going full blast, so he didn¡¯t seem concerned that he hadn¡¯t been able to move forward in his class yet. Jim was a natural leader and to find himself forced to follow in this new place was likely difficult, but he was soldiering through like he always did. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Lyle just seemed lost. He related how well his magic was coming along, but his enthusiasm seemed hollow and I could tell that something was on his mind. I made a mental note to find an opportunity to catch up with Lyle somewhere that he may be more comfortable talking in earnest. At least that way he¡¯d have the opportunity to share whatever was on his mind if he wanted to do so. It wasn¡¯t great to see this shell of his Ferris Bueller style completely lacking vitality, but he certainly didn¡¯t seem like he was spiraling, but rather like he was working through something. Leirin was quiet during it all, but she seemed happy enough and I knew that she was just taking it all in. Very little escaped Leirin¡¯s notice. After a few more drinks, Karen came to claim Jim. I think that Lyle and I both realized that our time was also up unless we wanted to face people trying to convince us to dance, so we both joined as well. I was, in fact, truly terrible, but no one really seemed to mind. When I left the dance floor, I found Queakers curled up on the couch with Leirin and Tanyl. Queakers was getting some head scratches and the three of them were having a nice conversation. The band indulged us with a shift to karaoke, where Leirin put us all to shame. It was a nice night. *** Naesala was a good instructor. He described the process and was direct and unambiguous in his commands. Unfortunately, what Naesala was commanding the group to do something that most of them just couldn¡¯t accomplish right now. Clerics don¡¯t cast spells the same way that mages do. Clerics connect to and channel a source of power. These sources of power are extremely varied, but by channeling their great power the Cleric can transcend normal limitations. A cleric that couldn¡¯t connect to a source of power was essentially just a regular fighter, but an empowered cleric could be a devastating force on the battlefield and act as support for their allies. Of the group, only Karen and Sarah seemed really focused on making the kind of connection necessary to support this kind of empowerment and, at least as it appeared, only Karen was successful. She didn¡¯t share the source of her power, at least not publicly with the group, but she was visibly ablaze with some kind of force. Naesala had asked Phraan to be present as a sparring partner for anyone that was successful in making the connection required to be a cleric and Karen¡¯s performance was certainly on another level when compared to her initial sessions with the warrior. Karen still had her natural agility, but she now assaulted the elf with forceful empowered strikes. Phraan still appeared to be holding back, but she certainly needed to use much more force and ability to remain in control of the contest than during their prior encounters. Karen also quickly regenerated any damage or wounds that she sustained. It was a potent combination and, as they learned from Naesala, Karen would be able to share the benefits with her party and add new effects as she progressed down her path.
Category Value Notes
Name Karen Hay
Race Human Origin: Earth
Class Cleric
HP 150
MP 100
Spirit 750
Strength 120
Intelligence 115
Agility 120
Dexterity 100
Wisdom 125
Charisma 110
Discipline 115
Ingenuity 50
Chapter 30: So What Exactly Does Monk Mean to You Elyon lectured to the assembled tutorial participants, ¡°Fundamentally monks use their discipline to control and empower their bodies from within. They unlock this potential from within through intense training and meditation. There are many names for the force that Monks unlock, but at its most basic it is ¡®spirit.¡¯¡± As Elyon looked over the assembled party members to assess the impact of his words, Karen asked a question. ¡°In the traditions from our culture, monks typically had to take a number of vows. Is that something that is required of those in the monk class as well?¡± Elyon asked, ¡°Vows can certainly help to build discipline and can be part of a monk¡¯s path. What sort of vows were practiced by the monks in your world?¡± Karen offered, ¡°Well I don¡¯t know that I know them all, but I have heard of vows of poverty, obedience and chastity.¡± Elyon looked at Karen and over to Jim and erupted with a deep, booming laugh. Elyon was generally quiet and reserved in his interactions with the team, so his sustained laughter seemed a bit out of character. Karen was blushing deeply as he turned back to her and, wiping a tear from his eye, said, ¡°Well if you can get obedience I would say ¡®good for you,¡¯ but no, those vows aren¡¯t required.¡± Jim actually really enjoyed watching Karen squirm. It was such a rare occurrence that he found it amusing when she got flustered or embarrassed. Jim was pretty sure that Karen was just about superhuman before the awakening, so seeing her in such basically human terms from time to time did his heart good. He knew better than to tease her now, but this would be a fun conversation to discuss later when they weren¡¯t in front of the group. *** The control that Master Elyon was able to exert over his body was unbelievable to Jim. The path of the monk was a long road where each step was additive to the foundation of what had come before. Jim had only taken the first steps toward reaching the heights that Master Elyon had reached, though Jim had his sights set on the pinnacle. Why aim low? The small potential that Jim had been able to unlock thus far was still more than he could have dreamed prior to awakening. He could harden his fists to protect them as he assaulted wooden and even metal targets. His hand should have been broken in a dozen places after each training session, but as long as he used the technique he was totally fine. It was like he flexed a new muscle just before the strike landed and his hand changed in response. Jim wasn¡¯t sure how it was possible, but he was able to use the same basic technique to throw darts and other objects with precision at increasing ranges and to move extremely quickly around the sparring ring. He was shocked at how versatile his class path could be. It was intoxicating. It actually reminded Jim of coding as a computer programmer. The same basic engine could be used in myriad ways if you understood the effect that you wanted and could envision a path to get there. A first draft might be overly complicated and would most certainly contain errors, but as you advanced you could find your own style and simplify to the point of elegance. Jim was excited about what the future of his path would hold.
Category Value Notes
Name James Douglas
Race Human Origin: Earth
Class Monk
HP 150
MP 100
Spirit 750
Strength 110
Intelligence 100 Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Agility 110
Dexterity 120
Wisdom 120
Charisma 110
Discipline 130
Ingenuity 75
*** I enjoy being alone. I like peace and quiet and not having to spend too much time thinking about other people. It is just how I am, but I also need other people. Left to my own devices, I can get going in some weird directions and can be a little obsessive. It is productive to have people to bounce my ideas off of from time to time as well as to ground me. It is also necessary to reconnect with the people that I care about from time to time. I owe Lierin for recognizing that and setting up that party ¡°for Queakers.¡± I was attempting to repay that debt right now with a wonderful brunch and a bespoke magical device that I had created myself as a gift for Leirin. It was pretty bold to give a master magic artificer a device that you developed in your first couple of months in the craft as a gift, but I also really thought that she would appreciate the thought and the functionality of the gift itself. I had a little extra confidence here, as Tanyl had definitely been intrigued when I showed the prototype of the device to her a few days earlier. You couldn¡¯t use magic to completely subvert the laws of physics, magic particles existed alongside other particles in our universe. They weren''t separate, they were part of the fabric that we had missed previously, as far as I can tell because their density was impossibly low on Earth. Magic particle density was so low on Earth as to be suspicious, but that is a tale for another time. Leirin¡¯s present was what I was thinking of as a positional disc. It used magic particles to fix a disc¡¯s position relative to a center of gravity using a dynamic web of low power beams of magic particles. The disc build created a lattice of low energy magic particle beams that essentially anchored the disc to whatever was below it. It was like a bunch of invisible tentacles constantly connecting to whatever was below the disc. This worked best for things that were very light, like Leirin. The disc navigated simply with respect to the center of gravity, it had foot switches to adjust with or against gravity to go up or down and you could tip it in the direction that you wanted to travel. All of the components that I used were existing devices or technologies, but as far as I could tell this was a unique combination, at least according to Tanyl. The positional disc wasn¡¯t suited to flying high in the sky, as those lattices would be too long, requiring too much power and being too susceptible to disruption. A position disc really excelled in hovering relatively close above something that could support the weight of the disc and its payload. The disc was actually pretty fun to ride and it could really zip with a small payload. Leirin was short. It wasn¡¯t an impediment to her in her daily life in any way, but I thought that this would be pretty convenient to be able to be at eye level with me and she only needed about three feet of additional height for that. With the low power requirements for someone as light as Leirin, this could be powered indefinitely from the user or for an extended time from a replaceable magic crystal. I was developing some other projects into which the discs technology fit, but I thought that giving her the first one would be a good way to say thank you for all that she had done. Leirin agreed. She was positively giddy to get a gift from me at all. It turns out that I had been more of a taker than a giver in our relationship and the gift came as a surprise. I probably needed to look at the degree to which I was taking the people in my life for granted, but I was pretty darn exhausted with peopling at this point. I couldn¡¯t wait to get out in the wild with the taciturn elven hunters for a little bit of a reprieve from all of this social activity. However, if Leirin was giddy with the fact that I had a gift for her at our brunch, she was positively ecstatic at the gift itself. It was actually pretty darn useful for her. Of course, Leirin was a quick study and with a minute or two of fiddling, I was treated to eating the rest of our breakfast next to brownie who had pushed her chair aside and was hovering by the hightop next to me. It seemed like the fae thought about things a little differently than I did and this wasn¡¯t something that had ever crossed Lierin¡¯s mind. I could tell that she really enjoyed it as she sped off after our meal. Good deal. Now I could hit the wilderness on my first trip with Reginald guilty free. *** Trolls are semi-intelligent and I honestly had mixed feelings hunting them. Deldes and Delirin both found this extremely humorous for reasons that they kept to themselves. They had taken to mocking me in some other language or code or something when I was around. I knew that they were making fun of me, but I couldn¡¯t understand what they were saying. For the first time Deldes and Delirin took us to the southwest of the Emerald Sea and we circled around into the plains in which my friends and I initially entered Region Eleven. We were actually going to hunt rabbits and then push further out into slime territory. I know that those might sound like starter monsters, but they are nothing of the kind. We were moving through troll territory to get there and we needed to make sure that we cleared the area of trolls so that they couldn¡¯t surprise us while we were occupied with our real prey. Turns out, Trolls are totally disgusting. They smell as terrible as you would imagine and they are brutal, unnatural, murderous monsters. They did have a certain beastly cunning and would set traps and sneak attacks, but calling them semi-intelligent was a stretch. Unfortunately, they were very, very difficult to put down. Even a headshot wasn¡¯t always fatal if they still had the capacity to regenerate and an empowered troll was a strong combatant. Against three hunters with top shelf stealth skills the trolls were at a disadvantage. Knowing about their prodigious healing abilities in advance and being able to bring a large loadout using Reginald, I had many options for dealing with their legendary regeneration. The most effective was the buster rifle version of the magic particle pistol that I used against the stone bears. This higher powered version of the basic magic particle gun could vaporize most of a troll in a single blast and the residual unaspected magic particles could also temporarily suppress a troll''s regenerative abilities. I was capable of using this higher powered version continuously for extended periods of time, which was fortunate and from what Deldes told me not common. Unfortunately, I still wasn¡¯t at the level of constructing or even customizing something this advanced at this point, which was something that I¡¯d need to change quickly. Chapter 31: Crafting for Fun and Profit So the field to the south of the Emerald Sea is home to not one, but two types of dangerous, nocturnal rabbit monsters. Shadow rabbits use low visibility at night to get close and deliver extremely high speed strikes. Lunar rabbits use stealth to hide while sending ¡°blades¡± of solid air off of their kicks as ranged attacks. Both types of rabbits are populous and use their skills in concert to deliver a dizzying and devastating number of strikes to anything foolish enough to invade their territory at night, which incidentally was exactly what I was going to do. The rabbit meat was delicious and the gray pelts of the shadow rabbits and white pelts of the lunar rabbits were valuable. Unfortunately, harvesting anything from these relatively small monsters required precision. The magic particle pistol would run the pelt and likely the meat. The magic particle buster rifle version would obliterate the whole rabbit. This was essentially a training hunt in speed and precision and I was using pistols that fired small, heavy slugs at very, very high speeds using, you guessed it, magic. They were specialized equipment for this type of hunt and were designed to kill the rabbits with a headshot. I know that this sounds pretty brutal, but these rabbits killed anyone that ventured into their territory unprepared and they were pushing their territory closer to the Emerald Sea every day. This task was a necessary part of the population control required for public safety and would likely be handled by an adventure guild in the future, but in the less formal administration of the fae I was just given a rough quota by Deldes and Delirin. The elves would be standing by at a safe distance with Reginald, as this type of fighting was too dangerous to do in close proximity to others at any skill level. On the plus side, this task gave me a chance to improve my pistol skills and work on my combat speed and awareness. It also gave me a chance to practice with the newest addition to my defensive arsenal, an extremely hard and dense ceramic alloy disc that I could position around me using technology and principles similar to the positional disc that I made as a gift for Lierin. These shield discs were a supplement to my standard energy armor and had some neat interactions with that technology as well, but they had to be controlled through visualization. I had multiple discs, so I was hoping to get the hang of using one during this hunt and then work toward the goal of adding a few more. I was wearing my goggles to help me see in low light conditions and I also had my training device to provide me with ¡°feedback¡± when I was struck despite the damage mitigation of my energy armor. I hadn¡¯t run into anything quite like popcorn in Region Eleven yet, but Deldes and Delirin were loaded up with snacks over with Reginald and from how joyfully they were anticipating this show I could tell that this was going to be unpleasant. I walked out into the field. One second everything was fine and the next all hell broke loose. The rabbits were running and jumping all over the field. Shadow rabbits hit me in the head, the back of the neck and my right calf within the first couple of seconds. During this time lunar rabbits had launched half a dozen projectiles that impacted all over my body as I staggered from the shadow rabbit strikes. I got off zero shots. You had to track the stealthed lunar rabbits by their projectile attacks and shoot quickly after one appeared to hit the rabbit. To do this you had to dodge the shadow rabbits and shoot the lunar rabbits before multiple strikes pushed your aim off target. I wasn¡¯t taking much damage through my energy armor, but it felt like I was in a front load washing machine full of rocks. When the rabbits got into their rhythm, it was a constant beating. I had plenty of opportunities to practice with my shield disc, but I was having such a hard time focusing that I wasn¡¯t making much progress there either. I turned off the feedback device to give myself a chance to get my bearings and reset the fight. There wasn¡¯t exactly a pattern to the rabbits attacks, but there was a logic to what they did based on the situation. The rabbits worked well together and I needed to disrupt their coordination if I was going to have a shot at this. I decided to focus on the extremely fast shadow rabbits, as I could see them clearly with my glasses and the lunar rabbits were stealthed well enough that I couldn¡¯t target them effectively with my current gear. I started to get at least a few shots off and by the end of the first night I had bagged a few shadow rabbits, but I didn¡¯t turn the training feedback device back on until the second night. In the end it wasn¡¯t a pattern thing, though understanding the rabbits¡¯ behaviors better did help. In the end, it was about always moving and choosing your moments to shoot. You couldn''t stand around and look for your shot, you had to let the shots find you as you evaded everything coming your way. Eventually, I got a second and then a third shield disc going, which allowed me to adapt my tactics further into something that became relatively successful. I blocked the shadow rabbits with the shield discs and if I stunned one, I immediately switched targets to that rabbit and dispatched it. Otherwise, I watched for projectiles to form in the range that the lunar rabbits favored and took a shot with each of my long barreled pistols every time I spotted one. It took me five nights of quality rabbit hunting, six including the disastrous first night, to meet my quota. It was an absolutely asinine way to hunt these rabbits. If you were a serious rabbit hunter you would deploy nets to capture the little monsters or something like a flashbang to blind and stun the nocturnal creatures before finishing them off. However, it was a good training exercise for me and I can see why Deldes and Delirin suggested it. If I am honest, I think that part of the reason that they did suggest it was because they wanted to watch me getting the stuffing beaten out of me. Those two probably would have loved reality television. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. With our rabbit hunt done, it was time to push on to the Slime Fields. I mean what could possibly go wrong in the Slime Fields. Right? *** Depending on the specific activities chosen, crafting could leverage any of an awakened¡¯s base stats, but Ingenuity was always the critical factor. Ingenuity essentially described how well you could combine ideas and your skills to make things. The party members taking part in the tutorial were not overly blessed with ingenuity, so Caeda¡¯s lessons in basic magic artifice, the foundation of all crafts that leveraged magic particles, wasn¡¯t going well. Sarah and Erin were both clearly more capable than the others, which was evidenced by the fact that the projects that they had selected to work on during this session were neither smoking heaps of ash nor completely inert blocks. Karen had actually had to use her healing magic once on herself and another time on Lyle when things got out of hand with their crafting projects. They were now excused from the group exercises for ¡°self-study.¡± Crafters could help a party by repairing gear, creating necessary items, solving magical puzzles or earning the odd bit of coin to supplement the nightly ale and pie fund. In this respect the group could have really used me and they still could, magic engineering is a power discipline. Under Tanyl¡¯s tutelage, I had built a strong foundation and pushed into advanced topics and applications of magic artifice in less than six months. The standards of the brownies were on another level and the standards of the inner circle of Galan¡¯s clan were on another level still, but even to them my progress was promising. By comparison what Caeda was teaching and what the tutorial members were putting into practice was just plain not worth talking about any further. To illustrate this point, here is Karl¡¯s status information. With a fifty-five in Ingenuity, Karl didn¡¯t blow anything up, but he didn¡¯t make anything of value across the full two weeks.
Category Value Notes
Name Karl White
Race Human Origin: Earth
Class Fighter
HP 120
MP 80
Spirit 650
Strength 110
Intelligence 100
Agility 100
Dexterity 105
Wisdom 80
Charisma 125
Discipline 100
Ingenuity 50
*** I have seen all the Isekais and I want to make sure to set the right expectation here: this isn¡¯t a story where I detail accounts of slimes that dissolve clothes and beautiful adventurers covered in slime. That is in poor taste, but I will say, don¡¯t wear anything nice to the Slime Fields. Like don¡¯t wear anything that you ever want to wear again because some of that stuff will get through your energy armor. You need specialized equipment to deal with the Slime Fields or a free spirit and really high resistances. Slimes were another class of enemy that there were most certainly more efficient ways to hunt than using a gun. The Slime Fields south of the Emerald Sea were full of giant slimes that had the potential to yield very valuable materials and to be an extreme nuisance to travelers on the road. To kill a slime you had to destroy its core and physical damage was by far the most practical to do so. The slimes moved their cores around internally while they also jumped around the fields essentially randomly. With some of the slimes as big or bigger than Reginald, this was a safari style hunt from sloth back focused again and precision and choosing the right moment to take your shot. It was a profitable trip in both skill progression and financial accumulation. It also helped ensure that the road was safe to travel. This was important with the expected arrival of a joint caravan of human, beastfolk and draconic descendants in the next few weeks. The fae¡¯s superior mobility had given them a head start in the Emerald Sea, but their time with the outpost to themselves was coming to a close. Things promised to get more interesting and more crowded soon. This would create many new opportunities for me and the team, but I had a feeling that trouble would be coming as well and I was planning to leverage my head start in the Emerald Sea to maximum effect. Chapter 32: Ordeals: Planning to Plan The party, sans me of course, had all gathered together in the lounge to digest the information that the instructors had shared with them and to put together their plan for at least the next few months. The focus of the tutorial would shift away from the academic model that was used for the first twenty two weeks toward practical skills and their applications. With the general introduction completed, the team would begin preparing for the ordeals that would allow them to upgrade their classes. They would work with the instructors on an individual basis and train as a group to build the skills and capabilities necessary to complete the ordeals. Once they completed their class upgrades, they would work to master the enhanced classes and skills with the goal of taking on the final challenge to the tutorial. They would be given a location in the taiga to reach and a mission to accomplish while there. There would be a significant amount of combat, typically including an alpha monster or monsters. Successful completion of the objectives would be rewarded. There would be instructor observers, but the instructors were required not to intervene unless lives were on the line and if they did so the team would forfeit their rewards. The party was free to organize themselves how they liked to complete these objectives. Folks could break away into smaller groups and appropriate replacements could be sourced to facilitate full parties if desired. Apparently the rewards were increased for smaller party sizes completing the tutorial, so there were some that felt that it made sense to break into smaller groups. But they were all friends and had agreed to work together to find a solution that met everyone¡¯s needs. Evenso, it was a contentious discussion. As a diligent tutorial non-participant I was not included, which was fine with me. I had completed my own ordeal, if not a formal one, and based on my conversations with the wild elves I was confident that my experience at Ghostlight Falls would meet any upgrade requirements for my class. I was skeptical overall about the final challenge of the tutorial. I was skeptical that the rewards for the challenge would really be valuable enough to me to be worth the hassle at this point. I was skeptical that I could even get the rewards for completing the final tutorial objective in my situation. I was also skeptical about the whole tutorial process given how weak everyone had seemed to me at Queakers¡¯ celebration. I didn¡¯t have a specific skill to gauge the strength of another awakened person, but I definitely didn¡¯t get a credible threat feeling from any of them. My not being there also really helped avoid the awkwardness when Erin and Karl made severing me from the party agenda item numero uno. ¡°He just hasn¡¯t been a part of the process,¡± said Karl. ¡°Since he hasn¡¯t shared this experience with us, I just don¡¯t think that it makes sense to continue on with him in the party. Better to start fresh with someone that can really help us succeed.¡± Jim calmly replied, ¡°But Karl, no replacement that we could get will have shared more of the process with us than Harris. We know Harris. We have known him for years and I think that he makes our team stronger. Also, I was talking with Leirin and Tanyl at the party and Harris has proven himself an accomplished magic artificer. I also asked them about Caeda for a point of reference and Tanyl just laughed in my face.¡± ¡°Well sure his friends are going to say that, Jim, but what evidence do we really have,¡± Snarked Erin. ¡°I thought we were his friends,¡± Sarah replied sweetly, but with a slight edge to her voice. Karen could sense the tension rising and tried to bring the conversation back to more productive territory. ¡°I think that we are a well balanced team. We all compliment each other, Harris included in my opinion. I don¡¯t think that we should focus on any one team member. I think that we should focus on how we want to approach the remainder of the tutorial and work our way toward specifics. My vote is to keep the team together with no changes. We are all good friends and there is no reason for us to split up. We are more than capable of carrying each other through these challenges.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Spoken from the heart. Karen was a true leader and a true friend. She would do whatever she could to see everyone through this experience. My friends¡¯ lives in Region Eleven hadn¡¯t been all that difficult or traumatic yet. They were experiencing a new world, one that was harsher in some ways than the world that they were used to, but thus far there weren¡¯t any death matches or murder hobos or goblin raids to really force the issue. Even I had been in considerably less danger than just about everyone I read about in progression fantasies and lit RPGs in the past. I think that, unfortunately, the orderly progression of the experience thus far and its relative lack of struggle had warped the perspectives of some of the team. Erin and Karl had a very inflated impression of their abilities and their contributions to the team. Since he was their brother, they also expected to carry Lando to their side. As the team¡¯s only Warrior, Lando would be a lynchpin team member for any party. Karl and Erin were currently fighters and although they were planning on pursuing the bard and ranger paths respectively, aside from Jim they were likely the best to assume roles as alternative tanks. Queakers was a bit of a wildcard, but the old world wasn¡¯t so far gone that the team was looking to line up behind a bichon frise when lives were on the line. A foolish prejudice at this point, but I suppose none of us knew what we didn¡¯t know. If the group split up, Karl and Erin would most certainly look to pickup Sarah and Lando would look to pick up Kelly if history was any guide. It seemed like Lyle was leaning toward Karl and Erin¡¯s position. If Sarah and Kelly were interested in a type of a split, that would leave Jim, Karen, Queakers and me in a party. That would actually be a very versatile and resilient party. I wasn¡¯t really a crafter, I was a tactician and I could have worked with that party. I would have also been able to shore up any missing heavy damage and heavy damage mitigation with a few well designed devices, but it didn¡¯t end up mattering. This wasn¡¯t a fight about individual people or what would work best, even if it sounded like it on the surface. This was a fight about who could be controlled and manipulated. There were others leading this charge from the shadows with their own plans and motivations. We were just pawns that had been dragged into a world that we didn¡¯t fully understand. We had all the vulnerabilities that such situations create and just ourselves for support. In that respect I was a pretty poor friend, because I wasn¡¯t around to provide any support and I liked it that way. I know that it was selfish, but I sometimes have trouble with that sort of thing. *** Ruven entered Phraan¡¯s quarters with a perfunctory knock. He sat across from Phraan and Elen at a small table in Phraan¡¯s quarters and poured himself some of the well aged elven wine from the decanter on the table. ¡°So how did we fare?¡± Ruven asked. Phrann responded, ¡°Exactly as expected. They have strong bonds, but are utterly predictable.¡± Ruven smiled, which was a disturbing expression on his severe face. ¡°It sounds like one for each of us then. We¡¯ll have to enlist additional help from Ayre to make any use of Karl, but I think that we can do that for the right price without having to bring her into it.¡± Elen sneered, ¡°This party is truly pitiful and we¡¯ll need to make some adjustments. Once the other races get to town we¡¯ll need to find a ringer to boost the team. We¡¯ll also need to find someone to discreetly eliminate that dog and, I think, the red mage as well. Both are too willful to be of any use and that little red mage is a distraction for the rest. I am sure Amrynn could take care of it, but that would raise too many questions. Better to get someone from outside with no ties to us.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± said Phraan. ¡°This has all gone rather smoothly thus far and I think that if we take a few troublesome pieces off the board we should have no trouble. What of the magic artificer and the thief? Is it prudent to leave them to their own devices?¡± ¡°I hardly think that those two are worth worrying about, said Elen. ¡°Too many accidents may draw the wrong kind of suspicion and why take the penalty to the tutorial quest for more student losses. That thief really only has one skill and it isn¡¯t that impressive. And what can that ¡®crafter¡¯ do alone with no training or resources?¡± The three continued to plan and plot for the better part of the hour, oblivious to another presence in the room listening to all that they shared. In their arrogance they had failed to take basic precautions, allowing an invisible Aquilan to slip in before their chat and out now through the open window without anyone the wiser. He knew Leirin would want to hear about this straight away. Chapter 33: The Plot Thickens Philosophy is great for times of war and times of peace. But there was once a great man who said, ¡°If you need to shoot. Shoot. Don¡¯t talk.¡± OK. Well maybe it wasn¡¯t a great man, but it is good advice either way. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt. - Sun Tzu, The Art of War The fact that Phraan, Ruven and Elen were part of the problem, rather than the solution, was not all that shocking. The fact that they had their own game plan and had been easily able to prey on Karl and Erin¡¯s insecurities and desires to drive a wedge in the group was also not a surprise. The concept that some of the elven instructors were casually drawing up plans to put a hit on my friend and my dog did catch me unexpectedly. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t believe Leirin, it was just that I hadn¡¯t seen that level of depravity coming. It was late and I could tell that Leirin had come to me immediately with the information, which I appreciated. She did it out of concern for my friends, but really more for our relationship. I already knew that Leirin was extremely capable, though over the coming weeks and months she would show me just how far I had underestimated her and her team. As Leirin shared this dark news and her thoughts with me, I also read her into my ideas well. It was time for us to disappear. Some figuratively and some less so, but I felt that the Emerald Sea had likely outlived its usefulness. Since my experience at Ghostlight Falls, I had become very interested in the Giantspire Mountains, where legend held that the dreams that I experienced were originally trapped. There had to be other things of merit to find in such an interesting place and I was planning on finding those things. My rough plan was to purchase a bounty of materials, spend a week or two preparing in the Treefort, exit the city, activate my stealth skill in full, build a permanent base camp in the Giantspire Mountains and spend my time exploring. I had some ideas for projects that would allow me to keep up with folks and help out if needed, but I didn¡¯t really think that the Emerald Sea was the place for me to keep growing. With the team splitting and some new threats to our safety emerging, I figured that I could amend my plan a bit to help my remaining party mates relocate to Eastern Tear and continue their advancement with some real experts. I think that Leirin immediately saw the benefit in the plan, but recognized that it would both need to be the team¡¯s choice and something that we successfully negotiated with the wild elves. The wild elves weren¡¯t a trusting bunch, but I was hoping that with a little help from Galan and Deldes and Delirin we could hook it up. If not, then I guess I was going to need to figure out how to fight it out with Phraan, Ruven and Elen. I had come a long way, but I didn¡¯t like my odds in that fight at all and neither did Leirin, but I had a plan for that too if it came down to it. *** Leirin sent some folks to collect Sarah, Queakers, Jim, Karen and Kelly for a nice brunch at my apartment the next day. Leirin also brought a delicious brunch from her cafe, so the brunch thing wasn¡¯t just a cover. She had Aquilan there who shared what he had heard and Leirin shared with the team much of what she had shared with me the night before. Leirin wasn¡¯t just another beautiful, renowned brownie magic artificer. She was part of the larger organization of the Seelie Court, the ruling organization of the fae, and she was in the Emerald Sea on official business. There was a lot more than a tutorial going on in the Emerald Sea and we were on the cusp of the first significant escalation in the area. Tense relations between the various peoples and kingdoms with interests in Region Eleven were a fact of life, so Leirin and her clan had been gathering information and maneuvering their interests for a cold war at best and an open conflict at worst. The tutorial had originally brought us to the Emerald Sea. Our only real reasons for staying put were the tutorial and our friends. Thankfully it didn¡¯t take much deliberation to convince the team that what Leirin said was true or that spiriting them off to Eastern Tear was a good idea. Most of the team had gotten to know and like Deldes and Delirin, so the thought of Eastern Tear was a little more palatable right off the bat. Additionally, we didn¡¯t fit in at all in the Emerald Sea and the tutorial participants had been so isolated that they hadn¡¯t made any connections in the town outside of the tutorial. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Eastern Tear also hardly felt like a step down. The team would potentially have access to experts, insights and resources to support their continued growth that they didn¡¯t have in the Emerald Sea. This was especially likely now that their teachers wanted some of them dead. Karen didn¡¯t feel right about leaving Lyle, Erin, Lando and Karl in the clutches of the elven tutorial instructors, but Leirin seemed to think that they were relatively safe and that telling them now would put us in much more danger. Karen wouldn¡¯t give up, but eventually settled for sending a letter from Eastern Tear. We started planning immediately, assuming that we¡¯d be able to work out something with Galan to convince Beluar and the wild elves to help us out. They had to get their stuff out of their ¡°hotel¡± and I figured the sooner the better. Leirin actually arranged for a few people to be available to head over with them and help out after our brunch. We spent a few more hours making the remainder of our plans. Planning to leave everything familiar for the second time in less than a year was a surreal experience. Walking away from friends and businesses didn¡¯t feel right, even if I didn¡¯t put enough time into either to really justify my pining over them. I really didn¡¯t live anywhere anymore. I was just passing through, but I knew what was important to me. I wanted to support the people that I cared about even from afar, sometimes preferably from afar. I was sad to leave Lyle and I thought that I would miss Lando a bit, but the truth is I was willing to sacrifice those relationships for those that mattered more to me. In the end I gave up my apartment to Jim and Karen. Those two definitely needed some privacy and it felt good to give them somewhere that they could have that and prepare for a departure that I was betting was harder for them than the rest of us. Of course, those two offered one of the rooms to Kelly, who seemed happy to move on from the tutorial as well. I got from Sarah that she had been stifled by the group, the tutorial and Erin for a while now and that this was actually a welcome change for her as well. Queakers felt that she had already learned all that she could from the elven instructors and didn¡¯t give a change of scenery a second thought. She was excited to ¡°be with her people in nature.¡± The dog was getting kind of weird, but she had found her own way and was a good friend to us all. In another move that felt risky, I came clean to the whole group about the Treefort. I thought that Sarah might actually take a swing at me. Queakers just used her communication board to say, ¡°Bad Harris.¡± I could tell that Leirin wanted to talk more, but that she also felt that it wasn¡¯t the time. That was fine with me, as that way I could catch her and Galan up at the same time. For now I agreed to share the space with Sarah and Queakers as we prepared to leave the Emerald Sea. *** This had already been more meeting and talking than I was absolutely comfortable with over the past few days, but it wasn¡¯t over yet. Immediately after brunch, Leirin and I headed to the board game cafe for a little Risk, some tea, a bit of light spycraft and a very unexpected conversation. Galan was there and it was clear that he was already aware of the details from last night. Galan had his signature serene smile as Leirin quickly brought him up to speed on the rest. He did give a little chuckle when Leirin described the Treefort. Once she was done relaying our conversation, she left to collect Deldes and Delirin, as we were hoping that they could help us reach Eastern Tear and negotiate with the wild elves there on behalf of my party. When we were alone, Galan turned to me and said, ¡°Harris, I am much older than you and I have spent the greater part of my life exploring this world. I have pushed many boundaries and stared at what lies beyond, but now when I look beyond what I see is blurry. This is not how things should be.¡± He no longer wore his serene smile. Galan was serious. His eyes looked deep, distant and very, very old as he continued, ¡°I will teach you to make the compass that you saw me sell to the human explorer in your dream. I have refined it over the years and I expect that it will be quite difficult, but if you learn to make this compass I have a feeling that it will lead you to many, many things both here and in the beyond. If you can make that compass, no matter where or how we meet in the future, I will always know you.¡± He didn¡¯t give me a chance to respond. It wasn¡¯t a question. It wasn¡¯t even a test. It was a goodbye. Galan¡¯s smile returned and it reached his eyes as he said, ¡°I feel as though I have been asleep for a long time, but meeting you has stirred me from my slumber. I see many interesting things on our horizon, but to get there we¡¯ll have to fight. Leirin is very clever, but conflict like this cannot be resolved so easily. I think that you see the wisdom in avoiding a fight Harris, but when this fight comes to you, make sure that it ends with you too. Chapter 34: Personal Space I am a person who values his privacy and personal space, not more than my friends¡¯ lives, but it is closer a contest than is probably healthy. These preferences were going to make the next two weeks extremely difficult. I was prepared to find Queakers and Sarah waiting in the bookstore to join me in the Treefort after my conversation with Galan. I was not prepared to find Deldes and Delirin hanging out there with them and I was definitely not prepared to share the Treefort with all four of them. First off, I was beginning to wonder if Deldes and Delirin were even wild elves. They seemed awfully comfortable in town and frankly a little too willing to sleep indoors in very, very small quarters. Second, where was everyone going to even sleep. It was going to get both awkward and uncomfortable. Third, I had work to do. Like tons of important work to do that I had put off for too long and I just added learning how to craft an advanced magic compass to the list. I¡¯ll admit that it made some sense. Deldes and Delirin were going to help escort us to Eastern Tear and were there to provide some additional protection if things got dangerous before then, not that that seemed likely bunkered down in the Treefort. Unfortunately, I could see how this was going to go from the jump. Deldes and Delirin were going to fawn over Queakers, who would totally let it go to her head. Sarah was going to fawn over Deldes and I guess I didn¡¯t know what would happen there, but my money was on nothing good for me. Queakers would want to spend her time with me because she missed me and, frankly, she was entitled to some earnest time and attention after my previous disappearing act. From a productivity standpoint, the best case scenario would see me holed up in the basement trying to find some peace and quiet to build everything that I thought we needed before we left town. As fun as the basement sounded, I leaned out of my comfort zone and into the time with my friends by working on my projects in common areas where we could be together. Deldes and Sarah did in fact hit it off and often broke off from the group for whatever privacy was available. It was, in fact, super awkward, but Delirin, Queakers and I had fun. Queakers had certainly grown up in many ways, but she was still a cuddlebug and wasn¡¯t above a head scratch. No one that I knew of was explicitly trying to kill me and I was pretty stealthy either way, so I spent some time with Galan every day. He had designed his first version of the compass at a much younger age, but he was a true genius and his work bore all the hallmarks of a masterpiece. I could have studied the compass for a long, long time on my own and made no progress. With Galan there, I at least had a chance at understanding how the compass worked and crafting one of my own. The basic principle was very simple, the compass reacted to concentrations of magic particles to lead its bearer to interesting opportunities. The application was more complex, since magic particles were everywhere, being generated and sitting concentrated all over, at all kinds of ranges. It wasn¡¯t as simple as a needle that pointed to magic. The compass created a field at a range determined by the user and then it identified the relative gradients of magic particle density within that field. It mapped this over time and consistently pointed to the strongest stable concentration of magic particles in the field. Later versions of the compass could accept a number of inputs through visualization that allowed the user to calibrate the compass further to point toward the specific types of concentrations they were after. I needed to focus on the most basic model to have a shot at this point. Interestingly, if I used my full stealth skill, I was completely invisible in the compass¡¯ field. Though that was a really bad idea because Galan would then forget who I was for a little while. He wasn¡¯t surprised, but he was very curious about that aspect of things, so we tried it out quite a few times. However, not once did Galan attack me without asking any questions, in fact he didn¡¯t attack me at all. I did get the idea from my time with Galan that he didn¡¯t have much to fear from most people. He was a peaceful guy, but I also had a feeling that whatever hidden defenses he had were likely to be pretty comprehensive. The magic compass was a complex device, but Galan was a good teacher. He had the necessary materials at the ready and, after he taught me the theory, we both worked on crafting compasses together. This was a time consuming process and I made many mistakes, but in the end two weeks was just enough time to get me sorted out on the compass. Between that and my houseguests I didn¡¯t get much other work done, but I did leave with an endlessly useful tool in this world of magic and a quantum leap upgrade to my knowledge and skills in many areas of magic artifice. After the first week of study with Galan, the combined caravan of the other races arrived in town. It was pandemonium, but there were plenty of new merchants with the caravan, so there was also plenty of shopping to be done. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. *** The leaders of the three races represented in the combined caravan were not friends or even allies. At the edge of the safe zone, the bond that they shared was severed and each pursued their own goals without respect to the others. The only common ground that they retained was a bias against the fae, as these forces would still side with each other if it meant getting one over on the fae. Until the headstart that those crafty fairies had taken was completely reclaimed, the other powers were likely to collaborate to level the playing field. Hamilton Day, the leader of the human contingent, spent his first hours in town searching the outpost for an appropriate place for his adventurer¡¯s guild. It was exactly what you would think and would accept adventures from any race, but it was administered jointly by the human kingdom¡¯s that Hamilton represented. After deploying his scouts and hearing their initial reports, Hamilton was pleased. There weren¡¯t too many options in the relatively small outpost, but there was a suitable building right across from a nice looking cafe on the east side of the town. It was convenient, in fact perhaps a little too convenient, but the building could be made workable with only modest alterations and Hamilton quickly claimed it to get started on his next project. Arrenth and his fellow draconic descendants were tall and strong. The reptilian race didn¡¯t use mounts, they carried what they needed on their backs. It would be a sign of weakness and an affront to their legendary pride to use a mount or a vehicle to carry their burdens. When they reached the town, the draconic descendants spread out to claim the space that they liked and pursue their own interests. Arrenth was the leader of the contingent of draconic descendants in the caravan, but truly had little obligation to or authority over them. He was tasked with the construction of their great hall in the Emerald Sea and he would help settle disputes that involved the draconic descendants, of which there were bound to be many, but that was it in the way of governance for this group of individualists. Arrenth identified a cluster of unoccupied buildings in a prominent location near a nice looking cafe just north of the center of town and claimed them all. He then began to raze them to the ground. The large maul that he carried wasn¡¯t just for show and he made quick progress on the roughly constructed frontier buildings. Within a few days he had a level, empty lot, a perfect site for a hall befitting his people in this remote outpost. Tethru¡¯s tribe of beastkin had won the right to develop the Great Council¡¯s interest in the Emerald Sea. They were of all different heritages, but they were united in their pursuit of commerce. There were of course skilled warriors and mercenaries as life on the frontier demanded those that would protect their interests, but there were far more craftsmen and merchants. Tethru found the perfect location for her Merchants Guild headquarters across from a bustling cafe on the western side of the outpost. After claiming her new headquarters, she started work on renovations. The area was already conveniently full of workshops and storefronts that were available for her tribe to claim as they organized to set up their commercial operations. Tehru understood that it was likely more than a stroke of luck, but it was no matter to the lupine merchant. This was the best location for her brethren to hit the ground running and she could smell the money to be made. *** I enjoyed shopping at the carts, stalls and newly occupied storefronts that appeared in town with the arrival of the caravan. It felt a little like I was asking my mom for my allowance, but I had to go through Leirin to get hard currency to spend at the new shops, as my finances were still done ¡°on account¡± with the brownies in the Emerald Sea. Leirin also provided me with a letter of credit that I could use in Eastern Tear if needed. The letter of credit was far more valuable than the leather pouch of gold, silver and copper coins that she handed over, but the heft of the pouch was just so satisfying. Something about haggling with a vendor over a cart of magical material and paying with gold coins really underscored how far from my world I was. I mostly purchased new components and materials, a couple of new pistols, some nice knives for fighting and for butchering and a bunch of different types of snacks. The snacks weren¡¯t for the journey, I just liked a good snack. I also stopped by Raeran¡¯s shop to make some bigger purchases. Of course Reginald was coming with me, but I wasn¡¯t planning on coming back anytime soon. I didn¡¯t want Reginald to get lonely in the high country with just me and I was planning on having plenty of stuff to carry. It was time to build out my stable of giant ground sloths. This time Reginald and I visited with the various ground sloths seeking their permission to add them to our group. Reginald was very excited at this prospect. He was also very popular, so we had no shortage of new potential mounts interested in signing up with Team Harris. About six thousand gold later, which Raeran was happy to take on account, Reginald had four friends, another male and three females, to make the trip with us. Raeran gave me a modest discount and these mounts wouldn¡¯t come with some of the custom equipment that I purchased for Reginald, but they would be well equipped and ready to go when it was time to depart. This was going to be a fun trip. Chapter 35: The Slip Each one of my human party members had an armored ground sloth to carry their luggage and supplies, so we were able to bring just about everything that we wanted. Deldes actually went to pick up the mounts from Raeran¡¯s and led them to the outlet of the tunnel connected to the Treefort. We had already said our goodbyes and Galan and Leirin planned to meet us in Eastern Tear in a couple of weeks, so we didn¡¯t have any further business in town. I collected Jim, Karen and Kelly from my former apartment on the second floor of the bookstore and moved them quickly into the Treefort. Everyone filed into the basement and we synchronized timepieces. They all began moving their baggage to an illuminated staging area relatively close to the exit. Delirin was stealthed in the tunnel to ensure that nothing unexpected hit the team. I immediately exited the Treefort into the alley behind the bookstore and started moving around from one familiar haunt in the outpost to the next. I stopped into all of the board game cafes, played some games, ate some snacks and generally made myself conspicuous enough that if you were looking for me there was no way that you wouldn¡¯t find me. Then in the biggest crowd that I could find near the main intersection of the Emerald Sea, I went full stealth and dodged my way out of the city. The idea was to have everyone in constant motion once we left the safety of the Treefort. Deldes would pick everyone up from the exit of the Treefort tunnel. The group would move slowly and steadily in an arc that took them away from the Emerald Sea and then bent in the direction of Eastern Tear. I would be highly visible in town and try to pick up and distract any tails that may be out there looking for us. Only Deldes would be leaving by the gate and she had done so much earlier, so we thought she might not be followed even if someone was watching the gate. I also believed that with just Deldes and the mounts it would take someone with considerable skill and patience to track her to her rendezvous with Jim, Karen, Kelly, Sarah, Queakers and Delirin without ending up in a shallow grave in the taiga. I knew that everyone would forget about me when I pulled my disappearing act in town, so we tried to coordinate everything with timing. I was trying to hit a specific spot on the trail at the same time that they were. It was a part of the plan that they would follow, despite them likely not remembering why at the time. I was going to drop down to a lower aspect of my stealth skill shortly before the planned rendezvous to meet and connect with them without missing a step, or them trying to kill me. If I missed them, I would proceed to Eastern Tear on my own and try to catch them in the village if I didn¡¯t catch them on the trail. This plan should put me out of range of any tracking skills or equipment that we¡¯d expect to be up against before I dropped down from my maximum level of stealth and if things went poorly, well, I had made a similar journey under worse conditions. I was lightly armed and equipped, but I had essentially been training for this type of thing for approximately six months. The rest of the team thought that the three of us were crazy. I couldn¡¯t blame them, as based on what they had shared, their training had been very different, but a trip through duck country would certainly toughen them up. *** Elen hadn¡¯t been able to get a line on the tutorial participants that hadn¡¯t aligned with her, Phraan and Ruven. She had spotted that useless hunter wandering around town from time to time. In desperation, she had followed him, but he never led her anywhere interesting. Today she had followed that fool across the Emerald Sea at least two times over. Was there a baker or snack vendor that he didn''t know personally? Some of them had only been in town for a week. Truly pitiful. As Elen rounded the corner she lost her train of thought. She had to find her former students. She had goals and she wasn¡¯t going to let the likes of them interfere with her plans, even if her allies were so incompetent that she had to handle the dirty work herself. *** Amrynn wasn¡¯t sure exactly what was happening, but when Kelly and the others disappeared, their curiosity was peaked. Clearly their student and her companions were laying low somewhere. Amrynn wasn¡¯t really sure how they could have pulled something like that off, given how isolated they had been within the tutorial training. Amrynn¡¯s instincts as an assassin said that the tutorial participants had to have outside help. Since they only knew one person, that meant that Harris, the party member that had left the training to hunt, had to be the key. Who did he know that could be helping them? Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. In tracking his movements during the past few weeks, Amrynn got the sense that he may have connections with the brownies that ran some of the local business and, of course, the magic artificer shop in Emerald Sea. Amrynn had no desire to get mixed up with the brownies, curious or not. Those little maniacs were way more trouble than the whole tutorial was worth. Since her students were humans, brownies were the best bet, but that wasn¡¯t even the worst of it. Amrynn couldn¡¯t follow Harris. Stealth or no, he just dropped out of sight soon after Amrynn picked him up. Sometimes Amrynn would just find herself standing in an alley, not quite able to remember what they were doing. It wasn¡¯t normal, but it also wasn¡¯t happening right now. Harris was just wandering around buying snacks. It wasn¡¯t exactly out of character from what they had picked up on, but it seemed a bit exaggerated today. He was probably up to something with the brownies. Wait who was up to something with the brownies? If the brownies are involved, it might be better to just sit this one out . . . *** Aquilian couldn¡¯t help but be a bit jealous. Harris must have been born under a blessed star: An internship with Tanyl, one-on-one instruction with Grandmaster Galan and almost obsessive attention from Lady Lierin Loramenor. It was inconceivable. He certainly didn¡¯t seem like anything special, but there had to be something more to it. Harris clearly didn¡¯t understand his place. The way that he spoke so casually. It made Aquilan shudder. Aquilan thought someone should teach him a lesson, but it sure wasn¡¯t going to be Aquilan. Lady Leirin had been very, very frighteningly exact in her instructions for today and Aquilan wasn¡¯t going to deviate one bit. Harris might not be as afraid of Lady Leirin as he should be, but Aquilan definitely was. Aquilan was also three feet tall and totally invisible, so not getting trampled on the recently much busier streets of the Emerald Sea took some concentration. He couldn¡¯t let . . . Panic filled Aquilian. Lady Leirin had told him to keep an eye on someone, but who? He couldn¡¯t ask her now, but if he didn¡¯t she was going to be even more enraged. He decided to make the call on his communication device. Lady Leirin couldn¡¯t remember who he was supposed to follow either, but she wasn¡¯t really mad. It sounded like she expected this to happen. It was weird, but Aquilan was just happy. *** Ror was new to the Emerald Sea and this was her first job. Unfortunately, it was an unexpectedly frustrating assignment. Humans were usually easy to track and catch off guard. She wasn¡¯t able to catch the scent of the human woman or the canine. She had mixed feelings about killing the dog known as Queakers, but she was a professional. When the elven mage showed up looking for a contract on his former students, the fee seemed generous for an easy job. Now it seemed like too little for so much time wasted. Her one lead was the human hunter Harris. He had the stink of magic all over him. She could tell that he used at least one energy armor device even in town. She could also tell that he was always armed and that he at least had an intermediate stealth skill. What she didn¡¯t understand was why her tracking skill kept failing on him, she could feel it take and then nothing. She couldn¡¯t even remember who she was tracking. It didn¡¯t feel right. The most troubling though was that old brownie. Ror was waiting to tail the human hunter as he left the brownie¡¯s workshop. She was in full stealth with all of her skills and equipment active, but the old brownie looked right at her, like he was making eye contact. His ubiquitous smile dropped and he slowly shook his head. The next moment he was completely back to his broad grin. It sent a chill running down her spine. If he could really see her, then she was in real trouble. Ror was trailing the human hunter again as we wandered around the outpost. This job wasn¡¯t what she hoped, but she had the contract and she would see it through. She just kept walking lost in her thoughts, not noticing that she wasn¡¯t tailing anyone anymore. *** As I wove through the needled forest floor, working to conceal any signs of my passing, I thought perhaps we were being a little paranoid. I believed the intelligence that Lierin had shared and that the instructors were up to no good, but I wasn¡¯t really convinced that they were trying as hard as I thought they might. Plenty of people had been following me around the past couple of weeks, but they weren¡¯t trying all that hard to conceal themselves and no one ever made a move. Galan and I both noticed one lupine beastkin that seemed to have taken an almost obsessive interest in me recently, an interest that she kept up even after Galan had tried to scare her off. With the modifications that I had made to my glasses and my perception field generator, she was easy to track even without her always trying that tracking skill on me. If she made her play outside of the city, I didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d get past the ducks, let alone me, Deldes and Delirin. Chapter 36: The High Road I met up with the team as planned. It was pretty much like clockwork, but the steady pace of the sloths made the timing predictable. Again, they weren¡¯t slow, but they also weren¡¯t sprinters. They were in the smooth and steady wins the race camp, which they had made their own. I could see why they were considered elite mounts, even before watching one of them fight. They were also very popular with the team. Queakers was perched atop Reginald and my other party members were walking along together with the sloths. I saw Delirin first, as she was scouting ahead. She gave me a little wave and I fell in beside her and she gave me an update as we walked. ¡°Any trouble?¡± I asked. ¡°Nothing on the way here, Harris,¡± Delirin replied. ¡°I am concerned about how we¡¯ll move through duck country.¡± Your friends don¡¯t fight well, despite having solid classes and some skills. Queakers is the standout, but even she can only do so much at her level.¡± I had made sure that each party member had a solid energy armor device. They were certainly more capable than what I had when I started out into the wilds to hunt hell antelope. They also each had a training device to provide them with feedback in the form of the pain that the energy armor spared them. Those tools had helped me a great deal, but I wasn¡¯t sure how the team would respond to them. Delirin continued, ¡°We¡¯ll begin to run into ducks tomorrow afternoon at this pace and we will require a strategy to maintain our pace, keep them safe and get them what experience we can. You should talk with them about this tonight.¡± The rest of the team caught up shortly, including Deldes who had been covering the rear of the group. We marched until twilight and made ¡°camp¡± as the stars came out. This involved circling the sloths in a small hollow between two heavily treed hills. This location kept the group out of sight and allowed us to keep watch from the hills above. Deldes, Delirin and I each took a watch this first night and let everyone else get some rest. To help conceal our presence, we didn¡¯t have a fire or anything that would generate light. After a quick dinner of trail rations, I met with the team to discuss how they wanted to proceed as we entered duck territory. The way I figured it out, we had a few options. Delirin and I could thin out the ducks and the rest of the team could fight their way through while Deldes protected the mounts. We could move through with the team mounted and they could snipe what they could hit while Deldes and Delirin went nuts or we could do something in between. We didn¡¯t have enough stealth devices to conceal everyone or all of the mounts and those were only so effective anyway, so we were going to have to manage the conflict somehow. Since several party members were melee fighters, I thought that it would be best to have them fight their way through now and get the gains as early as possible in the journey. After some debate, they all agreed. My party members looked ragged in the morning, which I gather was the result of their not being used to the modest comfort level afforded by the taiga with no fire. Kelly always looked put together, so when she popped up with bags under her eyes and a few pine twigs in her hair I knew we were going to be in for a rough one. Only Queakers looked well rested, no doubt because she spent most of the night snuggled up with Sarah or one of the elves. After a quick breakfast of trail mix we got to it and we reached duck territory right around noon, as Delirin had predicted. Kelly and I both stealthed, though I didn¡¯t use my full skill. The elves did the same and set out to clear most of the path while we advanced with the mounts. The ducks were plentiful and varied, but mostly they weren¡¯t going to tangle with the giant sloths, that went double for anything that Deldes and Delirin let through. With the mounts at our back and Reginald bringing up the rear, we could focus forward. I was in the back of our formation. Jim and Karen were our front line, backed up by Kelly. Sarah and Queakers stayed between me and our front line and focused on dealing damage. After the first few encounters we started to get the hang of working together, though I suspected that most of the team switched off their training devices until we made some additional improvements. Delirin was right, the team wasn¡¯t packing much of a punch right now, but they also didn¡¯t have any kind of teamwork. I held myself back from much of the fighting to let the others maximize their experience, but I still got in plenty of shots with my magic particle pistol. In fact, I killed so many ducks with that gun that first day that Jim started calling it the Zapper.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. We continued with the same basic game plan the second day in duck country as well. We had about hundred more miles to go to make the falls and then we had to circle around the aline lake to arrive at Eastern Tear. At our current pace that would take us six more days to make the whole trip. I checked my magic compass occasionally, but I didn¡¯t find anything all that interesting in the area, so we just kept plodding along. Queakers was the first to break off from the party. She was a natural with her skills and continued to learn very quickly, so with just a few days of practical experience, she was able to turn what she had learned in previous training to impressive effect in the wild. Queakers had extremely high agility and a small profile, so she was able to avoid many attacks. Queakers also had high discipline and high enough charisma that if these had been animals rather than monsters, with her magic she would have probably been leading a small platoon of ducks. Where she really shined was in her high intelligence and wisdom, which for her casting type made her a killing machine with vines and her plant minions. It was weird that a dog had such high intelligence, but the Unified System and awakening were largely still mysteries to me. She split off to work as a scout with one of the elves, which kept things in balance, allowing both Queakers and the rest of the party to continue to progress at a good pace. The next to break off was actually Kelly. Her stealth skill was well paired with the environment of the dense forest and her natural grace and precision in her movements allowed her to make kills cleanly and efficiently. She was potentially better suited to targeting people than beasts with her skills, but she bridged the gap relatively quickly and she rotated out to work with whichever elf wasn¡¯t working with Queakers. Our dynamics as a six person party were pretty solid despite the lack of a true tank type party member. However, if we didn¡¯t have a couple of elven escorts blocking for us and a comically ridiculous escort of five giant armored sloths covering our rear, it would have been tough if I continued to hold back. We were OK because of our high DPS, but if we encountered something that could really soak up the damage we were in trouble as a party of six. As a party of four, Jim, Karen, Sarah and I were well balanced, but if I operated at the combat level of the team we were in trouble and the lack of a tank started to really show. In the current group, we decided to try something new. I mean I was a Tactician, right? It was clearly time for some new tactics. Jim rotated back to cover the situational DPS role using his high mobility instead of range. Sarah was in the middle putting out as much damage as she could and Karen stuck just in front of her, guarding and providing support. I was the new front line and I was trying out some of my newly purchased knives rather than guns. I was also using seven of an upgraded version of my shield discs to block attacks and some truly excellent energy armor that I had modified myself. I made sure my training feedback device was running as we pushed into the fray in our new formation. *** It seemed like they were letting everything through at this point. It felt like something that we should have discussed ahead of time, but I hadn¡¯t seen Deldes or Delirin since breakfast. We weren¡¯t going to die or anything, but it was getting pretty crazy. One of the roughly human sized velociraptor-like ducks lunged for Sarah just as she fired off a magical bolt of electrical energy at the one behind it. She knew that Karen was already in motion to crush the skull of the attacking duck as Jim rotated to the other side of Sarah and laid into another pair of the monsters with some open palm strikes that seemed to transfer energy through the organs of his targets for impressive damage. It was good that they were holding their own. I was more punching bag than combatant at this point. There were five ducks and three plant monsters wailing on me right now. The plant monsters looked suspiciously like some of Queakers¡¯ summons and when I heard Delirin¡¯s cackling laughter softly on the breeze I knew that was exactly what they were. The two wouldn¡¯t admit to anything, but ever since we changed tactics I was beset by all manner of plant monsters, a foe I hadn¡¯t noticed once on my previous passes through this area. When I brought it up, Delirin and Queakers acted hurt, but I could hear them chuckling and plotting to themselves at night in camp. Anyhow, I was trying to block what I could with the discs, which was great practice and a fruitful source of ideas for improvements, but with the training device on I was also getting more than my fair share of ¡°feedback¡± on my current performance. Was it weird that I was nostalgic for that feeling? It was definitely worth considering along with a number of my other life choices, but there was plenty of time for that after we reached the falls. Right then I was focused on something else. I could feel another skill developing and it felt good. Chapter 37: Heightened Awareness I hadn¡¯t spent any time fighting in an actual party before this little jaunt to Eastern Tear. I didn¡¯t plan to spend much time fighting in a party after leaving Eastern Tear either, at least not for a while. However, I am sure that being in different roles in the party and being hard pressed to protect myself and my friends had pushed me in new ways. This was especially so while I was trying to control the seven different shield discs that I was using to transform myself into a poor man¡¯s tank. Keeping track of the swarms of ducks, the discs and my allies and then issuing commands to my team and my equipment involved a great deal of awareness and mental processing. I wasn¡¯t in the type of danger that I had experienced when I learned my stealth skill, but I was still working to push myself beyond my limits and that seemed to be part of the secret sauce of skill generation. I wasn¡¯t sure of all of the dimensions of the skill, but when I felt it click into place there were a few immediate differences. I felt like I had a wider view of the situation. Like when you are playing a video game and you shift from first person perspective to third person perspective. It was easier to see how everything fit together, what was likely to happen in the next few moments and how I could react to those situations. It was so much easier to operate with this extra perspective and similarly much less stressful to fight like this. I felt like a weight had been lifted from my mind. I also gained what I would describe as seamless and intuitive control over my shield disks. They were just another part of this vast environment, but they accepted my intent to control them without the need for specific focus or direction. They were even more effective in protecting me following the development of this skill, almost effortlessly keeping the creatures charging at me at bay. I wasn¡¯t sure if this skill had a proper name or what its limitations might be, but it felt great. The stress of balancing so many things was gone. Not only were my shield discs more effective, but the team was as well. I was able to provide much better direction and coordinate our tactics and actions effectively, even while actively fending off a pack of angry bird-lizards and whatever pranks Queakers and Delirin cooked up. The skill really fit in the direction that I wanted to go and it was an unexpected benefit of working together with others in an actual team. I was sure that I¡¯d have plenty of chances to explore and experiment with this new skill as we continued our march toward Eastern Tear. *** Ror had recruited three additional Lupine beastkin assassins for her trip into the wild. They were all skilled in tracking and in stealth movement and they were all experienced in the wild. She wasn¡¯t taking any chances after her quarry had, apparently, given her the slip in the Emerald Sea. The targets she was contracted to kill would be more exposed in the taiga and she had to finish this job, her first since arriving at the outpost. She couldn¡¯t be known as someone who couldn¡¯t eliminate a few fledgling tutorial participants. She wouldn¡¯t suffer that shame and the loss of opportunities that such a hit to her reputation would certainly cause. Unfortunately for Ror, her entire team were new arrivals to the area. None of them were particularly familiar with the local situation or their surroundings. It had been difficult to pick up any sort of trail, frustratingly so, but they eventually caught the odd sign of a group moving through and she was convinced that she and her team were gaining ground. The group that they were pursuing was moving relatively slowly from what she could tell, much more slowly than Ror and her associates. The lupine assassins could keep this pace for days with little rest, so she expected to catch them soon. After a few days of hunting and tracking, the trail became much clearer to Ror and her associates. The group that they were following had apparently stopped trying to obscure their passage and had started fighting. As they forged ahead they saw that the plentiful fallen monsters had been expertly harvested. They caught the odd scavenger in with the corpses of the slain bird-lizards that appeared to call this area home, but they saw very few of these creatures alive. It seemed odd. The assassins slowed their pace and pressed forward with increased caution. Ror and her companions were sure that they would come upon their quarry if they simply continued to follow the path of destruction through the forest. They were right. They saw the small white canine standing on top of a small, tree covered hill. Ror prepared to strike. Then the forest around her erupted with vines and plant monsters. There were suddenly flowers with hands with compressed petal claws dripping poison, large deer made from shrubs with giant antlers of hardened hawthorn-like barbs and tree golems with sturdy, blunt limbs attacking the group of assassins. They knew that the dog used nature magic, but Ror didn¡¯t think that it was anything this potent and she wasn¡¯t sure how the dog could attack her team like this while they remained stealthed. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. All of the plant monsters froze and a message board appeared before each of the lupines that read ¡°Submit to me and join my cause or die.¡± Ror could see the white dog on the hill and she seemed to be looking in the direction of the other assassins. Sensing an opportunity, Ror turned and drew her bow in a fluid motion. She aimed to end the threat while the dog was distracted and get this mission back on track. The spear tore through her neck before she even knew what was happening. Her throat was gone and the blood loss was catastrophic. Ror perished moments later, but she lived long enough to see her companions dragged down by the suddenly reactivated plant monsters. Queakers wasn¡¯t too disappointed. She hadn¡¯t been able to expand her pack, but she had helped protect her friends. She also got some good head scratches from Leirin as the elf carried her so that they could quickly catch up with the rest of the team. If they could get ahead of the team, maybe they could drop some tree monsters out of the trees on Harris. That would be a good prank, but lately nothing that she had come up had really been able to catch him off guard. Her and Leirin¡¯s prank war on Harris was almost no fun at this point. Almost. *** I knew that Leirin and Queakers were back for a few reasons. First off, I could detect them with my Heightened Awareness skill. Second, I could hear Leirin¡¯s manic laughter echoing across the taiga. Third, there were plant monsters swarming me from all angles. They were dropping out of the trees and emerging from the ground and popping out of the small lake near where we had pitched their camp. I was on KP duty that night and had been working on what I thought might turn into a rather fine duck stew when all hell broke loose. If there had been a real threat to my safety, it wouldn¡¯t have been acceptable under any circumstances. Even though no one was likely to get hurt, attacking me while I was making dinner was way over the line. Camp was sacred ground and dinner was sacrosanct. I had been too indulgent and I needed to have a serious conversation with Queakers after dinner. Queakers was young and going through was I sincerely hoped was a phase. It wasn¡¯t. She has a weird sense of humor. Delirin was an adult and already many times my age. She absolutely had to know better. I had no solution for the wild elf. I could try to have a serious conversation with her as well, but at that point I hadn¡¯t once succeeded in having a serious conversation elf. I could certainly threaten some sort of punishment, but I was pretty sure that she would just ignore me, or worse, that she would like it. She was a weird elf. *** We arrived at Ghostlight falls on our sixth day in duck country. We were a very different group than the one that fled the Emerald Sea together. We had better teamwork, which is really to say that we had at least basic teamwork now. All of the party members that had actually gone through the tutorial training had gotten some much needed practical experience in adventuring and combat. I had put together a new skill that I felt like had a ton of runway and would be a great fit with the way that I wanted to progress. Sarah and Deldes also seemed to have progressed to be in an actual relationship instead of just ¡°hanging out.¡± We camped just where we had during my first trip to Ghostlight Falls. We all hiked over to take in the falls and explore the area a bit. We brought some food and wine and had a bit of a picnic dinner. This area was much safer than the stretch we had just fought our way through,so this was not a terrible way to get everyone some much needed relaxation after spending days running and fighting through the wilds. I don¡¯t know if my presence had anything to do with it, but as soon as I touched the falls after sundown, the dream tender jellyfish briefly went through their pale rainbow light display before settling back into their normal iridescent blue sheen. It was a beautiful sight and I was glad to be there enjoying it with my friends. The next day Delirin, Queakers and I were going to hike up the plateau and circle around the lake to Eastern Tear. We were planning to make our case to their leadership of the wild elf village regarding the team taking up residence there through the end of the tutorial. I expected it to be a challenging negotiation, but we had some things to offer and a few other things going for us. It sounded like both Delirin and Deldes had influential families in Eastern Tear that might potentially support our cause. Completing the rite of passage at Ghostlight Falls gave me the status necessary to get in the door and being an apprentice of a master brownie magic artificer was not nothing. We were also bringing Queakers because how was she not going to be a huge hit? Chapter 38: Eastern Tear Ruven¡¯s assassin had failed to deal with Sarah and Queakers within the city and when the assassin headed out to try to track them down in the wild, Elen expected that the assassin would fail again.The only lead that they had to the whereabouts of their formers students, was that human hunter and they had all lost him in the middle of the city. It was ridiculous, but Elen knew if she wanted something done right, she had to do it herself. Elen had already done some research and she had learned that the human hunter had sold a significant amount of slime materials a few weeks back. He must have taken the road out to the area near the Slime Fields and then scavenged around for slime remains or ambushed weakened slimes to collect the materials that he sold. He probably had a hideout in that area to help him survive, underleveled and underskilled as he was. The Slime Fields were near some very dangerous areas that would have surely been fatal for someone like a broken path like him. No doubt he led his friends in an escape down the road to his hideout in the Slime Fields, where they likely were currently still lying low. Ruven¡¯s wolf assassin would never find them, but with her superior reasoning and skills it would be easy for Elen. She decided to gather Phraan, Ruven, Elen, Lyle, Karl and Lando. They would be more than enough to penetrate into the Slime Fields to find the hideout and wipe them out their wayward students. It was almost too simple. *** Eastern Tear didn¡¯t have what I would call gates, at least not in a traditional sense. It was a camp integrated into the littoral space between the alpine lake that fed Ghostlight Falls and the forest that ran from near the shore to the eastern edge of the plateau itself. Because of the sheer nature of the plateau on its eastern edge and the location of the lake there were only two ways to approach Eastern Tear: you had to come from the lake or you had to come through the weald that ran between the lake and eastern edge of the plateau. Despite not being fortified with walls and gates, Eastern Tear was highly defensible due to these limited approaches. The land route was difficult and the route across the lake was wide open. In the core of this space, was another safe zone that defined the village of Eastern Tear proper. Even an amphibious assault on the area would be difficult, assuming that you had the means in the first place, due to the high ground the forest provided above the dunes on the lakes shore. It was a shooting gallery and with the camp fully integrated into the trees it was hard to imagine anyone making it across the killzone between the edge of the lake and the forest, let alone into the camp. Of course, we were on the list and just walked in. The sentries remained hidden as we passed and no one challenged us. Delirin was greeted by nearly everyone that we met. She was clearly well known and, I¡¯d venture, very well loved in Eastern Tear. Queakers also got many good greetings, not by name at this point, but many of the elves that stopped to greet her were more than tickled when she replied via her communication board. Queakers was a real hit. Some of the elves were so enamored they walked with us for a time and a few even provided Queakers with some tasty treats. True to form, Queakers thought that this level of attention made perfect sense. We requested an appointment to meet with the council from an attendant outside a dense grove of tall larches. I expected that receiving an appointment to meet with the council would be an arduous process that would test my patience, so I was surprised when they agreed to meet with us the next day at noon. There was a lot that I didn¡¯t really know about Delirin, but it was clear that she was very comfortable in Eastern Tear and that people were very comfortable deferring to her. When you really got down to it, I didn¡¯t even really know why Delirin had helped me in the first place. I had paid her and Deldes well based on the information that I had at the time, but it wasn¡¯t really as much as I thought. When we went to more advanced areas, which the pair of hunters could have easily handled on their own, we could make more than I was paying them without too much trouble. I also know that they aren¡¯t overly fond of humans. They weren¡¯t as dismissive as some of the other elves that I have met, but they weren¡¯t friendly to humans like the brownies were. They were real fae, though I honestly don¡¯t think that I really understood what that meant at the time either. During our early time together, Delirin sometimes went truly wild when we were on the hunt, like a maniac, and she absolutely laughed herself to tears at the beatings that I took. She also really helped me to learn the basics and get a solid foundation extremely quickly. She knew what she was doing and I owed much of my current ability in combat and as an adventurer to her and Deldes. Somewhere along the line I began to think of Delirin as a friend and it made sense to have her around, but I really didn¡¯t know anything about her background. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. I was curious to learn more about the elven huntress, especially after seeing the behavior of her fellow elves in her presence. The good news was that my curiosity was about to be satisfied and then some, because Delirin suggested that we go visit her family while we waited for our audience with the council. She led Queakers and me to her family¡¯s house or compound or whatever you want to call the network of tree houses, glades, reflecting pools and alpine gardens that Delirin¡¯s family called home. It had to cover at least a few acres. I didn¡¯t know how wealth worked with the fae, but I was pretty sure that Delirin¡¯s family had it. Everything was seamlessly integrated into the surroundings, but also intentional, beautiful and practical. The dwelling fit perfectly into nature like nothing that I had seen before and few things that I have seen since. I was lost in thought for a moment, but I was aware of the party of elves that had begun approaching as we arrived. I got my second shock when Delirin¡¯s mom, Alloralla, came in for a hug as Delirin introduced us. I got my third shock when Delirin¡¯s dad, Aubron, and sister, Sana, also came in for hugs. Friendly elves? I caught Delirin looking a little sheepish while this was going on, but she also wasn¡¯t making eye contact. Delirin¡¯s younger sister, Sana, just teased her sister, ¡°So this is the Harris who spent ten hours in Ghostlight Falls during his rite?¡± If Lord and Lady Aenorin, as I would later learn Lady Delirin Aenorin¡¯s parents were correctly called, were happy to see me, they were ecstatic to get their hands on Queakers. ¡°So this is the famous Lady Queakers?¡± Aubron asked. ¡°Yes. I can see it, Delirin,¡± Alloralla interjected. ¡°The forest spirit is extremely strong with her.¡± When ¡°Lady¡± Queakers responded ¡°Thank you,¡± with her communication board, both Sana and Alloralla squealed with delight. Aubron gushed, ¡°Truly unique. You may well be a generational talent Lady Queakers, which is saying something coming from an elf.¡± Yeah. This killed the whole weird boyfriend meets the parents vibe that had cropped up. They were obsessed with the dog, just like Delirin, and it seemed like they were crackpots, also just like Delirin. We were joined by Deldes¡¯ family at the Aenorin estate for a lovely private dinner that lasted most of the evening. Deldes¡¯ mother, Lady Melaru Perrie, and Deldes¡¯ brother, Sir Ranaeril Perrie, were just as friendly as Delirin¡¯s family. Deldes¡¯ father, Lord Delmuth Perrie, had a bit more of Deldes¡¯ sternness, but was also great company across the evening. I found out that I was Deldes and Delirin¡¯s student. It was news to me, but it was helpful to have the clarification. Apparently, the deal that Galan had struck was for my instruction by the two scions of the wild elves that had been living in this area in solitude and outside of the direct mandate of the administrator for Region Eleven. It was clear that Galan was respected even here. The conversation with the Aenorins and the Perries made it obvious that Galan had some rank within the Court and some pull that extended even further. Galan¡¯s request had weight, but my ¡°teachers¡± had expected early failure from me. As we worked together more, they got more invested and began reporting back home about our exploits and my progress. Deldes, Delirin and all of their family members had way too much time on their hands and these stories became some kind of entertainment in which everyone had become just a little too invested. The legend of Queakers had also been growing. She had a strong affinity for nature attuned magic that some of the elves could directly perceive. By our pre-awakening standards Queakers was an animal and a pet, but she was much more here and it seemed like Eastern Tear might be the perfect place for her to continue to grow. In Eastern Tear Queakers could progress in an environment where she was respected and treated as an equal. I felt really good about leaving Queakers with the elves, but I was disappointed in a selfish way that she didn¡¯t need me anymore. I slept great that night at the Aenorin estate. The base of the bed was stone, which you wouldn¡¯t necessarily expect would be that comfortable, but some kind of fabulous moss grew thickly on the slab to create a layer of cushion that gave the sensation of floating. The bedchamber had no real roof, but instead was surrounded by a tent of a gossamer like fabric that kept out the elements and insects without really disrupting the view of the starry sky through the trees. My sleeping quarters were situated on the ground in one of the many gardens created in a pocket in the canopy. The next morning Delirin, Queakers and I relaxed over a late breakfast laden with fruit, nuts and honey while we prepared for our meeting with the council. I gathered that some negotiation would be required, even if the council was predisposed to allow the request. Galan and Leirin were planning to arrive in another week, so if we failed they could perhaps intercede on our behalf, but I really wanted to get this done quickly without relying on my brownie benefactors further. Chapter 39: New Beginnings We entered the dense grove of larches to find a clearing in the middle. There were three relatively short benches for the council members raised on a dais on the far side of the clearing. There were many long benches facing the dais for the audience members and supplicants like us. Beluar occupied the central bench on the dais, with Lord and Lady Aenorin on the bench to his right and Lord and Lady Perrie on the bench to his left. I really wasn¡¯t surprised. Not that they let on anything at dinner, I just wasn¡¯t surprised because they clearly seemed to have some clout and was par for the course for me in District Eleven. The more I learned, the less I knew about what was going on. I wasn¡¯t going to let my guard down, but this was seeming more like Mayberry than Rivendell. The only audience members for this session were Sana and Ranaeril. There were no other supplicants for this session of the council, so we took seats right up front. Delirin handled the formalities of our petition on our behalf, requesting residence and assistance for my party. Then it was my turn to go. Based on what Delirin and I discussed, I need to offer something to the council to consider the request and then negotiate the actual cost of the assistance that we were requesting. I opened my satchel and removed several magical devices, some equipment and a few delicacies that I had picked up in the Emerald Sea. I presented Beluar with an attractive, if I do say so myself, basic version of Galan¡¯s magic compass that I had crafted on the road using materials that I had prepared and brought for that purpose. I didn¡¯t know who else would be on the council, so I had a wide range of items and I parceled them out to the council members the best that I could. Each family got some shadow rabbit gloves, lunar rabbit hats, a few interesting potions made from some of the slimes that I had collected, a couple of my shield discs and an energy armor that I had tuned to harmonize well with the discs. The gifts were well received. They were so well received that I thought I may have overshot a bit. They actually derailed the meeting for a few minutes as folks checked them out and asked questions about the shields and the energy armor. Eventually, Delirin and I did a little demonstration and everyone was satisfied. Having given some face and softened them up with the gifts, I swooped in for the kill and presented Beluar with my letter of credit. I didn¡¯t plan to need money where I was going, but my team would and the princely sum being guaranteed by my accounts with the brownies was enough to allay any concern regarding the party¡¯s resources. ¡°Honored members of the council, my party¡¯s own tutorial instructors have turned against them and they need protection, guidance and instruction. I beseech you to take pity on my party and grant our humble application for residence in Eastern Tear. Please also consider our plea for instruction for my party members as they continue on their path. We don¡¯t value these requests likely and will prepare just compensation in any form desired.¡± I don¡¯t often say ¡°beseech¡± and this type of activity wasn¡¯t really my forte, so I was hoping that I was close enough and had ticked enough boxes with the gifts to carry the day. Beluar asked us to adjourn to another area out of earshot as the council held private deliberations. The safety of my friends was important to me, enough that I was genuinely stressed by this whole experience. I was also strongly feeling the call of the Giantspire Mountains, and Eastern Tear was my only hope to keep my friends safe and retain my freedom to explore and adventure on my own. It was a nerve racking time, but the council didn¡¯t make us wait too long. I got a wink from Alloralla when we came back into the council chamber, so I was able to relax a little. After a long pause, Beluar said, ¡°Supplicant Harris, your petition is granted with the following stipulations: ¡°First, Lady Queakers is accepted unconditionally. ¡°Second, you and your remaining party members'' petition for residence is accepted provided that you pay for your residence and contribute to the common good. ¡°Third, residence for your human party members is contingent on your own and you personally must spend a fortnight in Eastern Tear each season to maintain this privilege. ¡°Fourth, your party members may negotiate with the citizens of Eastern Tear individually for their training. This council won¡¯t act as an agent to arrange training services, but we will provide recommendations. ¡°These terms are generous and made in light of your own status without our nation by rite of passage. Do you agree to be bound by these terms?¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°I do,¡± I answered quickly. ¡°Well then welcome to Eastern Tear. Meeting adjourned,¡± responded Beluar. Deldes and Delirin¡¯s families stood and gathered to head back to the Aenorin estate. After all, we had plans to make. *** Jim and Karen stood back to back after Kelly faded back into the shadows. The fire had burned relatively low and the flickering glow it emitted cast shadows everywhere, giving Kelly endless options. Unfortunately, that hadn¡¯t helped them much in the fight thus far. They knew another attack was coming, but not where or where. A dagger flashed toward Karen¡¯s side behind her weapon arm, but Kelly appeared and parried the blade with her own. As Karen turned to face her adversary, she saw no one, but she felt the pain as a dagger slipped into her kidney. She had created an opening in her combined defense with Jim when she opened her stance to engage her attacker. Jim pushed back, trying to pin the attacker between he and Karen, limiting their foe¡¯s mobility and giving them a chance to turn the tide. Anticipating Jim¡¯s move, Kelly closed in on the narrowing gap with a thrust of her own dagger, but she only hit air. Their elven opponent appeared silhouetted against the fire as she licked her dagger and laughed. ¡°What are you going to do with your healer down? Even if she could heal through that kind of wound, she¡¯ll be useless for the rest of the fight and you couldn¡¯t keep up when it was three on one. I don¡¯t see any way for you to get out of this one alive.¡± Karen walked over to the fire and collapsed onto a split log bench. ¡°We get it Deldes. But did you have to hit so hard, I actually got a bruise from that one and it felt like my whole side exploded.¡± Deldes laughed again as she responded, ¡°Well sorry princess. I figured a tough cleric like you could take a few hits, especially if the pain was just your training device. Anyway, you three will be making dinner, cutting firewood and tidying up around camp again this evening. I will be hanging out with Sarah. I love this game.¡± *** The return from the Slime Fields was a long, quiet trek. No one said a word as they marched back up the road to the Emerald Sea. They were all alive and that was something, but the party would never be the same. They had plunged deeply into slime country searching for the hideout that Harris and the others were using or any sign of their passing through the area. They were confident that their magic and skills would protect them from the slimes. They were wrong. The best way to kill a slime is to destroy its core with a physical attack. If you aren¡¯t in the Slime Fields to bag slimes for their materials, you can avoid them with a little patience by keeping a low profile. The slimes that made the Slime Fields near the Emerald Sea their home were definitely titans among their species. They could easily absorb a couple of party members simultaneously and were nearly completely impervious to magic. Elen and her team didn¡¯t really fully research or account for the contours of this situation, so when they charged in to search for Harris they did so by slinging magic at anything that got in their way. Phraan was a capable Warrior and Lando was coming along, but fighting the huge slimes at close range was not a winning tactic. The party had two ranged physical fighters in Elen and Erin, so they should have been able to compensate for the relative lack of utility that Ruven and Lyle offered for this part of the mission, but hitting the cores with an arrow fired at the speed that a shortbow or a longbow could muster was a tall order and the timing was extremely tricky. They never did get the hang of it. When they were still trying to overwhelm some of the slimes with spells they managed to gather some large crowds of the monsters to them, so they spent most of the first few days fleeing. They ultimately switched tactics and penetrated deeper looking for their quarry without success. The party also managed to wander into troll territory one afternoon and had a pitch battle with a single troll that took over an hour to finally finish off. The circled back to slime territory quickly and made it ahead of the setting sun and the emergence of the lunar and shadow rabbits in the area. They ended up spending several days just hiking back to the road, avoiding as many slimes as they could in the process. The pace was slower, but they were worn down, low on supplies, filthy and exhausted, so they had little choice. They never did find anything, but after the tantrum that Elen had thrown in their miserable, fireless camp when they had made the decision to turn back to avoid casualties, no one brought up their lack of results. They all knew that the excursion had been a failure. Hopefully Ruven¡¯s lupine assassin Ror was having better luck. *** I hiked back to the base of Ghostlight Falls the morning after receiving approval for the party to take up residence in Eastern Tear. Delirin and Queakers stayed behind to prepare for the arrival of the rest of the team. The solo hike gave me time to reflect on the compromise of having to spend some time in Eastern Tear each season for the party to maintain its residency there. In the end it seemed a little inconvenient, but a small price to pay. The team was excited to hear the good news and wanted to leave immediately for Eastern Tear. Apparently, camping with Deldes had been less fun for most of the team than they Chapter 40: Alpine Adventuring for the Novice I decided to spend my two weeks in residence in Eastern Tear for this season immediately. The elves were actually very accommodating to all of us and quite hospitable, if they were a bit patronizing. Don¡¯t get me wrong, there were our patrons in a real way and they weren¡¯t being insincere. I think that they treated us like children sometimes because from their perspective we were. Anyhow, riding that sentiment made it easy for the whole party to arrange mentors, tutors and training to help them round out their skills and path progressions. Each team member also had their own living space in Eastern Tear. We were close together, but we also had privacy. The spaces were tailored to our needs and the costs were extremely reasonable. I had an apartment with a couple of rooms that was essentially hollowed out of the rocks beneath the roots of a giant tree. It was a cool spot that had space for a workshop and materials storage, but not entertaining. It was also extremely low maintenance, so I wouldn¡¯t need to worry about upkeep when I was not around. The team all understood that I was planning to leave for some solo adventures, though I don¡¯t think that they really understood the scope of the trek that I had in mind. Jim and Karen had a treehouse that spanned multiple levels and several tall trees. Kelly had a more open air affair on the ground with those gossamer fabric walls and an amazing garden space within which to practice. Sarah had her own Treefort, suspiciously close to the Perrie estate and Queakers had accommodations in both the Aenorin and Perrie estates proper. Queakers was living the life in Eastern Tear and I felt good that she was going to be so well supported in my absence. You gotta take care of your dog right, even if she grows up and moves out and tries to start her own cult or whatever she was doing with her adoring elven fans. I spent a handful of the days before Galan and Leirin were due to arrive working through my preparations for expedition into the Giantspire Mountains and repairing or building new magical devices for the wild elves of Eastern Tear. Apparently, word had gotten around about the magic compass and the shields and energy armor were a big hit. It also seemed like the wild elves didn¡¯t have any dedicated magic artificers in their camp, so there was pent up demand for more complex jobs. I had brought plenty of materials with me on Reginald and his fellow mounts, so there was nothing to prevent me from staying busy. I didn¡¯t really need the money, but the goodwill with my new neighbors was worthwhile. As I worked I actually got to thinking that this was why the council had stipulated that I spend a couple of weeks in town a season. Galan and Leirin showed up right on time and Eastern Tear was one big party for the whole week. One thing that I have come to respect about the elves is that they have a long term perspective and they aren¡¯t addicted to being busy. They can be frustrating sometimes, but they also throw some long, slow-burning parties that I can get behind. *** I had taken care of my party and connected with my friends, old and new. I was in a good place and I was actually excited about taking the next steps. The axis of my life had been obligation for a long time, way before the awakening and my time in Region Eleven. This trip was more selfish than usual because it was something that I wanted to do rather than needed to do. I had every expectation that it would benefit my friends and allies significantly, but that isn¡¯t why I was doing it. I felt like I finally had enough runway to get off the ground and really choose my own path and I was choosing that path based on instinct and desire, rather than maximizing utility. I had prepared things in advance in line with my goals, so when the day came I loaded everything up on Reginald and his stable of giant ground sloth mounts and I headed north. My plan was to work my way from the plateau on which Eastern Tear sat into the foothills of the Giantspire Mountains. I wanted to find a secluded and relatively safe area in which the sloths could be self-sufficient to put together a first base camp. I actually had some relatively ambitious plans on how to explore the mountains using my magic compass after that, but first things first. The seasonal temperature extremes in Region Eleven weren¡¯t actually all that extreme, but it still got quite cold at high altitudes. The mounts and I all had temperature regulation devices built into our energy armor at this point, so we weren¡¯t suffering as much as we might across the slow trek. I took an occasional peek at the magic compass, but mostly we just worked our way through what we found with plenty of backtracking and exploration. The sloths weren¡¯t in a hurry, ever really, and I wasn¡¯t in a hurry either, we were having tons of fun. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. We also got attacked constantly. Mountain goats with iron horns and, I think, rocks for hooves tried their luck plenty of times. There were also some giant birds that were either territorial or just dumb. Fortunately, there weren¡¯t any serious threats at this point. In fact, as we pushed forward the area seemed much emptier than I would have expected and as peaceful as I had hoped. Those were good days. After about two weeks of working our way around the foothills and lower elevations of the Giantspire Mountains, I found what I was after. A narrow pass opened up into a diamond shaped valley that terminated on the far side in a navigable pass into the mountains proper. The valley had plenty of vegetation, natural springs, mountain fed streams, few natural dangers, excellent access to the rest of the Giantspire Mountains and, most importantly, absolute privacy. I unloaded the sloths on the eastern side of the valley and put together a temporary camp. Within the first few days I set up a small workshop with some of the equipment that the sloths had hauled to the valley. I also prioritized blocking off the narrow pass that led to the valley. I constructed a basic log stake barricade to cut the valley off from the area outside and let the sloths go free range after reconfirming that nothing too dangerous was living in the valley with us. I had the basic design of my first project done before I left Eastern Tear, but I had been thinking about it for much, much longer. My primary goal was to thoroughly explore the limits of autonomy in magical artifice. How far could you get with a visualization or intent? What affected these limitations? Could you chain these elements together to do more? Could skills or attributes or other factors influence these limits? These weren¡¯t new ideas, either here in Region Eleven or on Earth when you considered robotics and artificial intelligence. For example, Magic artificers and mages had experimented with these concepts to create golems that could perform a variety of tasks. I was thinking bigger, especially after understanding Galan¡¯s magic compass and experiencing my own epiphany by way of my Heightened Awareness skill. *** It had been five weeks since I completed my first set of prototypes. I couldn¡¯t be one hundred percent sure on the time because I had shifted from an RPG to a real time strategy simulation and those were always my weakness. I was beyond engrossed in the project, I was pretty close to a fugue state, but fortunately I was because I was just about to complete the initial phase and it was all downhill from there. The real trick was in how you linked the devices together. There was an overall limit to what I could coordinate under my own power, at least with my current skills. At the time, my limit was maintaining about 25 independent visualizations or intents. However, each intent could apply to multiple devices or a complex intent could apply to a group of devices. For example, I could have a relatively simple intent to dig for treasure, but that intent could apply to many similar devices, like the mining golems that I had honeycombing the mountains. I could also have a more complex visualization, like a group of different devices working in concert on a particular task, like the crew of golems that I had constructing a stone and metal fortification to replace the wood stake barricade at the pass. First off, I am confident that this was working as seamlessly as it was because the person creating and controlling the devices was yours truly and I was in possession of a Heighten Awareness skill that only seemed to grow more potent with use. Second, the devices that I was making and controlling were relatively simple. Humanoid golems were more complex and took more complex images to control individually, than say a rotating drill on a tubular body with a collection port. Third, well defined functions for individual types of devices could be referenced in more complex images, making it easy to team them together effectively. There was a great deal of trial and error in getting the visualization and intents to in concert properly to achieve a desired result. I had a lot of failed projects in the valley. The surrounding mountains were also currently riddled with collapsed tunnels, as getting even something as simple as digging tunnels to the level of consistent success took quite a while to accomplish. There were also many more functions that I needed to figure out to really reach my goals. What magic could make happen in this context was intoxicating, but I had seen enough science fiction to know that I was teeing up a classic, obsessed scientist who is destroyed by his own creations scenario. Nothing that I created at this time was weaponized or designed for combat. I had plans for some devices with functions that could enhance my combat effectiveness, but that wasn''t the purpose of my endeavors in the valley. I wasn¡¯t going to be the one to bring Skynet or the Repilicators down on Region Eleven, well at least not intentionally and not right now. I had perfected using the magic crystals that I found in relative abundance in the Giantspire Mountains to power my devices. This allowed them to continue to operate on assigned tasks while I slept or in my absence. I had groups collecting some base resources, groups tunneling to locations with high magic particle concentrations, construction crews and a group of specialized devices that generated additional units of each type of magical device. I left it all going as I led the sloths back through the pass toward Eastern Tear. Chapter 41: The Aerodrome I had a lot of time to think on my way back to Eastern Tear. I covered it in about half the time since I wasn¡¯t exploring on the return trip. I pondered many things and again was drawn to the concept of change. Everything was burning all of the time, you could fight it or you could adapt to it, but nothing was going to change that. It is the fundamental law of the universe or at least of our experience. We experience change, the time in between is really more meditation than experience. I had been in Region Eleven for approximately nine months at that point, but I had experienced many years by my reckoning. More was different at this point than was the same. Did it even make sense to cling to my old relationships? What was I trying to accomplish? I don¡¯t always do too well when I am left to my own devices, especially when I don¡¯t have a clear goal, but more on that later. I made it back to Eastern Tear just as spring arrived. The trip back was uneventful and it was actually good to be back in town. I got cleaned up, got some decent food and had my first night in a real bed in a long time. I connected with my party members the next day and I was impressed to see what they had accomplished, but also a little concerned at the pacing. Over a drink that evening, Jim, Karen and Kelly explained the situation to me and it made a bit more sense. ¡°Harris, the class upgrade is important, but shoring up your foundations before you make the jump is critical,¡± explained Kelly. Kelly was in a good mood and she took a big draught of elven honey mead, as Jim took over. ¡°The initial tutorial instruction was very general. We left before we really got into intensive class specific instruction, but I don¡¯t know how strong our foundation would have been if we just continued along the path that the tutorial instructors were leading us down. We had so little practical experience during our tutorial and lacking practical experience in your foundational class can severely limit your options in the future according to Kailu, my mentor on the path of the monk.¡± Karen snickered, ¡°Don¡¯t try to get between Jim and Kailu. When Jim is in monk mode his focus cannot be broken. Believe me. I. Have. Tried.¡± Karen said this with a mischievous smile, but I knew that she was serious. Kelly picked up the thread, ¡°Yes. All of us have been spending almost all of our time training, hunting, sparing or completing small quests as a team. The wild elves have really invested in our development at this point and they were livid when they learned what the tutorial trainers had done with our first six months. Well livid and suspicious, but they believe we are just about ready to be given ordeals that we can complete together to upgrade our classes. It is amazing how much we have learned. What have you been up to Harris? I wager that you have advanced a ton.¡± It was a bit of an awkward tee up, but I wasn¡¯t about to get self-conscious about my questionable life choices now. ¡°I got a new skill when we were working as a party on the way to Eastern Tear. It improves my awareness and I have been trying to use it to help me push the limits of autonomous magic device development. I spent almost two months developing devices and the related control images for my experiments. I left it all running in a secluded mountain valley to see what would happen, but of course I won¡¯t know until I head back.¡± Kelly looked deeply into my eyes and said, ¡°I think that is how Doctor Wily got his start. Harris, are you going to be the final boss of this tutorial?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but laugh and responded, ¡°I feel like I¡¯m the good guy Kelly, but only time will tell.¡± I got a full smile and a hair flip from Kelly and I realized that we were flirting. I guess we really were approaching the end of the world. There wasn¡¯t anything romantic between Kelly and I, at least there never had been in the past. However, we were familiar and that was something special now. I felt like we had at least gone from frenemies to true friends, but I suppose only time would tell with that as well. *** I also spent some quality time with Queakers, Sarah, Delirin and Deldes while I was in Eastern Tear. Deldes and Sarah were apparently openly an item. There was initially some friction in the community with many folks with too much time on their hands also in possession of too many opinions about what was hardly their concern. Delmuth had been difficult to win over at first, but Sarah was a force of nature and everything was currently smooth sailing in that department. Queakers had already advanced to a full fledged Druid class and she was working on pushing forward still. She had a number of trainers and mentors. The wild elves had realized that she was something special, which I had always known even before her awakening, and they were investing in her future. They seemed almost too into it, but I guess nature was kind of their thing. Mighty as she was, Queakers was still up for belly rubs and head scratches at just about every opportunity, so at least that hadn¡¯t changed yet. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Sarah was working on leveraging her talents to transition from Red Mage to Summoner. This would be an immensely powerful class for Sarah and she would take it to new heights in the future, but it had an extremely steep learning curve and her focus on this area had reduced the pace at which she was improving her combat power. She was going to have to work twice as hard to keep up until her summoning skill clicked for her. Once she did have the skill and the requisite control to use it properly, Sarah would be able to summon support from the kind of powerful entities that could turn the tide in a battle. During my stint in town, I also completed the obligatory requests for magic device repairs and replacements. I shied away from anything too close to my experiments back home, but repairing energy armor, magic traps and everyday devices at least kept me sharp. Just like that, two weeks were over and I was resupplied and back out on the trail to the mountain valley that I was now referring to as the Aerodrome. *** So if the name Aerodrome didn¡¯t already make it clear, I wanted an airship. My plan was to explore the Giantspire Mountains from below and above. If you couldn¡¯t teleport, which didn¡¯t seem to jive with the physics of magic particles, an airship was the next best thing. From my exploration thus far, the Giantspire Mountains were an endless expanse of jagged peaks and to really explore them from the surface I would need some way to fly. In this sense the airship plan was fulfilling an operational requirement of my current plan, but I also really just wanted an airship. From what I could tell from my magic compass, the majority of points of interest were deep within the earth. My strategy for reaching these deep places, and for the construction of the airship for that matter, were my new breed of autonomous magic devices. It was with great excitement that I pulled up to the door blocking the narrow pass that led to my valley. There wasn¡¯t an army of murderbot waiting for me as I made my way through the gate, which was a good first sign. As I made my way to the Eastern rim of the valley, I was happy to find much of my plan had been executed. An expansive indoor space that had been crafted in my absence. It was essentially a large hangar style building, which had the benefit of being simple in design, but also very utilitarian. There were also designated storage spaces in the hangar for the diversity of resources that the devices had collected. The resources were still all piled up outside and the crew building new devices was still working out in the elements near the resource piles, but things were going pretty well. The boring devices had mapped many interesting resource paths, but the construction of a larger boring unit to create standardized tunnels that I could traverse with a specialized vehicle had completely failed. Instead of new devices, there were just a bunch of piles of smashed up materials that were being attended by a bunch of dormant constructor units. Well not getting strung up in a robot revolt was a huge win and the hangar, resource collection and basic unit production had all worked well. The more complex tasks suffered in my absence though, perhaps because they weren¡¯t well enough visualized or perhaps because there was something that my presence contributed to the completion of these more complex tasks. However, I was happy - this was a result that I could work with and from which I could improve. I won¡¯t bore you with all of the details, but the problem was in how I linked the tasks and the images that I used. Within the week I had working designs for the new devices and teams of constructor units building an airship that I believed would take me to the other side of the Giantspire Mountains. Unfortunately, I also had a new problem. While exploring the best magic compass hits and the network of resource extraction holes dug by the original mining units, I was surprised to find that the further that once we pushed into the Giantspire Mountains more than about fifteen miles in any direction, things tended to become relatively uniform and present some relatively consistent patterns. On one hand this level of order was like any popular block based survival game and it made extracting resources from the environment much more efficient. On the other hand this was an unexpected find. It left me wondering about the genesis of the mountains and, in particular, the possibility that they weren¡¯t the naturally occurring phenomenon that I assumed them to be. It was possible that the mountains were created by some intelligence or at least a process that wasn¡¯t originally geologic in nature. Legitimate as they may be, those concerns would have to wait because I had some treasure to hunt. I had my mining vehicle loaded with supplies, my dark vision glasses and preparations for hostile critters, noxious gasses and a lack of oxygen. I also had a whole bunch of cargo space on my tunnel crawler, which was a lot like a four wheel ATV that could also use positional disc technology to hover if needed. It wasn¡¯t all that durable and it absolutely devoured magic crystals, but it was blazing fast in the tunnels and fun to ride. Chapter 42: Treasure Hunt As I blitzed deeper into the network of tunnels that had been created by my magical devices, I began to feel extremely isolated and somewhat trapped. There was no one coming to help me if things went awry. I had my full stealth skill running for the entire expedition as a precaution against ambush attacks and fast strikes. There was very little variation in the tunnels out this far, but after about four hours the monotony gave way and the tunnel entered a chamber. The room was a perfect sphere as near as I could figure and looked to be about one hundred meters in diameter. Growing up from the lowest point of the chamber was a large tree made of shimmering deep blue crystal that glowed from within. The tree was complete with branches and leaves reminiscent of a walnut and it bore small walnut-like fruits. The tree was perfectly still, but many of the fruits had fallen to the ground and filled up the bottom of the depression formed by the walls of the open sphere. There was nothing else in that space, so after climbing down with a rope to collect the fallen crystal walnuts, I returned to my tunnel crawler and backtracked to the nearest branch point and pushed out to the next magical compass hit. At the next location I found another spherical chamber, but this time instead of a walnut tree it contained a replica of the Treefort from my first visit. It was life sized and was again formed completely from the glowing blue crystal. The books couldn¡¯t be opened and the weapons and devices weren¡¯t truly articulated, but the detail was stunning. I explored the facsimile of the Treefort and noticed an interesting detail. There was a strong glow behind one of the bookcases that was concealing a hidden door. The door led to a small flight of steps leading down to a room with some documents and several treasure chests. One of the chests contained many gems made out of the same translucent crystal as everything else. The more interesting chest contained a crystal gun and what appeared to be crystal shotgun shells. I took the contents of the chests with me when I headed back to the tunnel crawler. I didn¡¯t find anything like the treasure room in the real Treefort, but I hadn¡¯t specifically looked. I guess I had another location for my treasure hunt when I got back to civilization. I definitely had to check that out, but not before I had exhausted my options in my Giantspire tunnel network. As I moved from location to location, I kept finding the same thing, spherical chambers that contained objects created from the deep blue glowing crystal. More puzzling was that each of these objects had some connection to my experience since the chiming woke me up at my campsite back in the hills. Ghostlight Falls, the Aenorin estate, the first board game cafe in the Emerald Sea, my bookstore on its first exploration, the battlefield with the rabbits, the workshop that I used with Tayln, the dark forest of the hell antelopes, the sandstone titans, the library and lounge of the tutorial hotel, my apartment after the brownies rearranged it, the obelisks, a forest clearing full of ducks and the Aerodrome valley were all familiar to me. There were also a couple of locations that I couldn¡¯t place. One was an open floor with a one meter by one meter grid, a desk, an office chair, a pad of paper and a pen. The other was some kind of tangled jungle of tiny plants. These chambers were massive hits on the magic compass for good reason. When I tested the crystals that I harvested from these locations back in my workshop in the Aerodrome, I found that they held exponentially more stored power than a normal magic crystal. They would open up new possibilities as a power source for magical devices, but they also made spectacular ammunition. I was all for building magical devices and I had been pretty gung ho about how far I could push the limit there, but I needed more of a balance in my life. I missed being on the hunt and developing my other skills, so after the airship was constructed I was going to take a little time off of all this productivity and have some fun. For now I couldn¡¯t ignore the strange scenes that I had found in the hearts of the Giantspire Mountains themselves. It was tough to understand what it was that I had found. It seemed personal to me, but why? Did what I had uncovered have something to do with the mechanism by which dreams were collected and transmitted in the mountains? I thought of myself as a rational and logical person, but I had no idea how to go about testing that hypothesis. My mind kept going back to what Galan had said before he offered to teach me to make the magic compass, ¡°I have pushed many boundaries and stared into the beyond, but now when I look the beyond is blurry. This is not how things should be.¡± Was what I found related to what Galan meant? I certainly would have never found those places without the magic compass.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. The homogeneity of the underbelly of the mountains was also shocking. Beyond the spherical pockets, I ran across no caverns or geological features. It was as if the rock had simply been dropped there fully formed and complete. I was not sure that it really mattered, but it highlighted how little I really understood of Region Eleven and its history. Hopefully a tour of the mountains from above would yield some additional perspective. *** As long as I can remember, I have dreamed of living in a huge airship hovering high in the sky. The kind of ship that can house smaller planes with ease and sustain itself in the sky indefinitely if needed. I was sure that there was a way to generate or collect helium using magic particle based technology, but I didn¡¯t have a clue how to make that happen at that point. The lack of helium, or even hydrogen, meant that a large, rigid lighter-than-air aircraft was out of the question for me. Instead, I was going to have to settle for a thermal airship, at least for now. The addition of magic gave me many options that expanded the possibilities, but housing smaller planes and operating indefinitely in the sky would not be possible. Even if it wasn¡¯t my full dream come true, I was pretty chuffed to watch the first test flight of my new craft. It was a frame suspended between two long, roughly cylindrical air envelopes and a number of ancillary envelopes, propellers and fans. It had quite a few elements to control and it took a significant amount of my bandwidth to do so, but in exchange it was relatively fast, maneuverable and adaptable. It was not spacious, but it was a good compromise, as it had living quarters for me, could accommodate a guest and could carry a small payload, but was still small enough to be able to be collapsed for overland transport in pieces. Of course, I had no intention of collapsing this thing. After a week¡¯s worth of testing and the addition of a number of potentially lifesaving measures using my existing disc and energy armor technology, it was time to take the next step. I left the sloths free range with access to the shelter and powered down all but a select group of devices with specific images to prepare what I might need for the future. With my equipment and supplies loaded, I boarded the airship and engaged the massive magic particle lattice that would safely launch the ship without concern for the mountain winds. The energy density of the blue crystals made this type of launch technology and many other enhancements to the airship¡¯s operational capabilities possible. I took off on an elliptical flight path that would take me deep into the Giantspire Mountains, through Eastern Tear and circle around to approach the Emerald Sea from the plains to its south. Harris was coming home. *** Karen led her team out of Eastern Tear to the mountains to the north. They had spent months preparing to undertake this very journey. Upgrading your class wasn¡¯t an exact science, but it wasn¡¯t a total mystery either. There were some experiences that were simultaneously expressions of profound spiritual strength and engines to evolve the spirit of those that participate. These experiences could provide the fuel to upgrade almost any class. The successful completion of the rite of passage at Ghostlight Falls is one such experience. There are also those that are so focused and attuned with their class, that they are able to upgrade it almost by inspiration. Queakers¡¯ ability to intuit and move along her own path with little outside assistance is an example of this type of upgrade. It is limited to those rare geniuses who could forge their path anew if need be and awakened that can advance this way often push the boundaries of a path forward given enough time and opportunity. For the rest, advancing one¡¯s class is typically about mastering an existing path, the development of skills and abilities complimentary to a new path and proof of spiritual growth achieved through an ordeal. Jim, Karen, Kelly and Sarah had been given a quest by the elders of Eastern Tear that the elves were confident would prove an appropriate ordeal for all of the human members of the team. The party would scale the peaks of the Giantspire Mountains, subdue the guardians of a sacred spring and bring some of the eternal ice that developed there back to the elven elders of Eastern Tear. It would be a brutal climb and a battle against the elements and the inhabitants of the mountains. The eternal ice that formed near the spring wasn¡¯t truly eternal, but it wouldn¡¯t melt before being combined with other materials. Unfortunately, the eternal ice would shed magic particles over time once removed from its source, diminishing its potency. Harvesting this special ice would put the team on the clock to return to Eastern Tear as quickly as possible. They had thoughtfully selected their provisions and equipment to balance their need for versatility and combat strength with their need to operate effectively in the harsh alpine conditions and terrain. Their energy shields and relatively balanced builds were an excellent foundation for the mission, but they would need to lean heavily on their new training and skills. The party knew that it was going to be a challenge, likely one that they expected would push them to their limits, but they were excited to finally take this step forward. Chapter 43: The Edge of the Map The Giantspire Mountains were tall, but I hadn¡¯t had much difficulty gliding smoothly above their jagged peaks in my magically enhanced thermal airship. At first, the mountain range seemed to spread endlessly to the north, but the airship made excellent time. With some limited, though crucial, energy shield type protections from the winds above the peaks, I was able to avoid some of the typical challenges inherent to navigating a thermal airship in that type of environment. My personal shielding also prevented me from suffering from the effects of that environment myself, though I just had my awakened constitution to help me with the thin air at that altitude. In any case, it first came into view as a sort of fuzziness or haze in the distance as I rocketed north over the Giantspires. As I pushed forward, I realized that it was not a haze, it was a storm. The winds swirled with ferocity in a front that crept out to cover the horizon everywhere before me. All the devices and technology and spiritual strength in the world wouldn¡¯t guarantee my safety if I sailed into that tempest. It was a kill screen. The scale of the storm provided plenty of warning and even at a good clip I had plenty of time to turn my airship around and sail back the way that I came, but I didn¡¯t. Instead I set a course to run parallel to the stormfront and then worked to keep a constant distance from the edge. I tracked my course relative to some recognizable hits in the magic compass field that were still within my range and what I noticed is that I was constantly forced to turn slightly back toward the inhabited portion of the region to maintain my distance from the stormfront. It seemed like it was a straight line, but the edge of the storm front was a radius, at least here. I spent a few days riding this edge and the results were consistent. I was traveling the circumference of a large circle. The storm wasn¡¯t just a kill screen, it was the edge of the map. This was a very interesting revelation. It wasn''t anything definitive, but it raised some intriguing possibilities. It reminded me of what Galan said about looking into the beyond and it being blurry. I assumed it was an analogy, but was Galan being literal? I wanted to talk to him and to Lierin on this topic as soon as possible. Whatever the source of the storm, it undoubtedly required an absolutely massive quantity of magic particles to keep something like that going all the time. The storm cut off the possibility of future exploration beyond the Giantspire Mountains, at least for now, so I used the magic compass to plot a course to Eastern Tear and swung my airship back toward my friends and, hopefully, some answers. *** Jim and Karen were striking a punishing pace through the Giantspire Mountains. With their physical stats the two of them were holding up well and the daylight sunglasses that they had procured for the climb allowed them to operate as well visually during the night as they could during the day. Kelly lacked raw strength, but was by far the most adept climber among the group, so she was also holding up relatively well all things considered. One would think that Sarah might be a disadvantage in this environment, but her extremely high Intelligence and Charisma were actually the best combination on the team for handling the environment, at least ever since Sarah got the hang of summoning. Sarah had managed to summon an absolutely monstrous alpine ibex shortly after entering the mountains. Not that the ibex was a monster, it wasn¡¯t corrupted, it was still a natural creature, though one with a high magic affinity that had also grown physically huge. Sarah had been getting a free ride through the rocky terrain courtesy of the beast, who she had named ¡°Rocky.¡± Rocky was good with the party due to his bond with Sarah, but he was still territory, so the team was also getting some free ground based combat support. Rocky gave anything that got too close on the ground a good shove with both horns. Needless to say, they weren¡¯t approached from the ground very often. For what came from above, they had Sarah. Her red magic had come along almost as well as her summoning. She rotated fire and lightning based magic to devastating effect against threats from the air and could provide support magic, including white magic, when Karen was too busy bashing heads to heal. They were camping just below their final ascent to the sacred spring when they faced their first major challenge. Kelly was keeping watch in the light of a small fire fueled by a magical device discharging a magic crystal. This was the lightest weight way to have access to instant fire on their climb, but it also ensured that there were plenty of shadows to support Kelly¡¯s stealth skill. As a result, Kelly was undetectable as the ice elementals began to pour into the camp. The elementals were made of ice and roughly humanoid in form, but roughly twice the size of an average human. The monsters had jagged protrusions of ice on their arms and legs as well as elongated, tapered fingers and toes that could be used like claws. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. The elementals went right for her sleeping teammates, but Kelly immediately raised the alarm to wake the team. After slipping back into stealth, Kelly delivered a vicious leaping dagger blow to the back of the lead elemental''s head. Kelly struck true, but her dagger did relatively little damage to the ice monster. However, Kelly too had come a long way since her training sessions in the Emerald Sea and she used the dagger and her momentum to swing herself higher and deliver an off hand strike with a fire enchanted dagger that split the elemental¡¯s head in two and cut cleanly through its shoulder to sever its left arm completely. Unfortunately, the elementals didn¡¯t bleed and they didn¡¯t need their heads to function. As Kelly dodged back into the shadows, she put some distance between her and the elementals and switched to her short bow and exploding arrows. However, the time that Kelly had bought with her attack and the confusion it created was enough for Jim to get on his feet. Jim¡¯s ability to harden his hands and feet while he struck was damaging to the elementals, but his ability to project force into his target was absolutely devastating. The elementals shattered with each of Jim¡¯s strikes. Jim had taken three down in the time that it took Karen to enter the fray and the tides quickly turned in the adventurers¡¯ favor. Fully empowered Karen was smashing through any elemental that approached her and Sarah. She wasn¡¯t as potent as Jim in quickly dispatching the monsters, but those that faced her quickly lost combat capability as she broke arms, legs, hips and torsos with every strike. Rocky was willing to strike at anything that got too close, but within the first thirty seconds of the fight nothing could make it into his radius. Sarah was cleaning up the elementals that Karen disabled with multitarget fire and lightning spells. The fighting stopped shortly before dawn and the party made the decision to make for the spring before whatever resistance remained could reorganize. After taking a few minutes to reset and prepare, the team (plus Rocky) began to push through the final ascent as quickly as they safely could. Within an hour they had made the spring, which was guarded by what might very well have been the mother of all ice elementals. The monster stood twenty feet tall at the shoulder and it, somehow, gave a mighty roar as the team approached. It seemed likely that this giant elemental had connection to the smaller elementals that had ambushed the team at their camp, as met the team with an aggressive charge and seemed to be aiming to deliver the first blow. The party immediately split up and positioned themselves around the giant monster. Kelly slipped into the shadows cast by the early morning sun as she worked her way behind the elemental and set up a position from which she could soften it up with her remaining supply of exploding arrows. Kelly was surgical with her attacks, always striking when the monster was off balance and using the explosions to nudge the giant elemental¡¯s attacks off target. Karen dodged in and out of the monster¡¯s melee range with heavy strikes to its legs and Jim used his superior mobility to reach higher on the elemental to attack its torso and arms when opportunities arose. Wherever Jim struck ice and snow were blasted off of the monster. This much larger elemental generated icicles and chunks of ice to throw at the party, which kept everyone on their toes. Sarah was again on Rocky¡¯s back, using the beast''s incredible agility in the mountainous terrain to dodge the elemental¡¯s attacks as she launched a constant barrage of magical attacks. It was a fierce melee for just over four minutes, which is a long time for a fight of this type. It was an eternity to keep up that kind of effort, but the team had managed their resources well to that point. There was just so much mass to the elemental that it took a long time to bash and blast it into oblivion. Once they took out both legs and the monster was down and struggling to fight back, they went from well oiled combat team to blender set on crush. They wanted to finish the fight before they ran out of gas and the natural regeneration of the elemental, which was bolstered by the environment in the mountains, allowed it to recover enough to do additional damage. An exhausted party of humans against an elemental with a second wind was a recipe for disaster. Out of arrows, Kelly shifted to her magically imbued knives and struck the downed elemental with a flurry of attacks. Karen and Jim joined in with their respective weapons and skills while Sarah took a breather to conserve and regenerate her resources in case additional casting was needed. Once the elemental was no more, they took stock of the situation and, after a quick scout of the area by Kelly, they all paused to regenerate and heal any wounds. They had effectively cleared the area and could focus on collecting the eternal ice once they had recovered. Then it was just the grueling hike back to Eastern Tear, but on the bright side it''s all downhill from the summit. Chapter 44: Journey鈥檚 End Jim, Karen, Kelly and Sarah had never really lost control of what should have been a difficult fight. Certainly, the ice elementals were a poor matchup for Jim¡¯s skills and an empowered Karen. The fact that Sarah¡¯s summon was able to keep her largely out of danger was another large advantage, as she and the rest of her party could focus on offense and effectively agility tanking the massive monster. That is not to say that no one was injured. Despite his best efforts at hardening, Jim¡¯s hands were bloody and bruised and the elemental had most certainly broken Karen¡¯s shoulder with a glancing blow from an ice block. Karen had largely healed her injuries throughout the fight and Sarah had been able to heal Jim quickly with white magic. Kelly had come through the fight unscathed, as she had been stealthed as often as possible and had the speed to avoid the attacks that did come her way from the elemental. After a full hour of recovery, the team was ready for the next stage of the gauntlet and moved to the location of the spring itself. It was open to the sky, but surrounded by high stone walls on each side. A crevasse in one of the walls wide enough for two to walk through abreast was the only access to the inner area with the spring. The tall stone walls and formations surrounding the spring created the impression of a natural cathedral, which was further enhanced by the formations of ice around the crystal blue water. The ice formations appeared as glowing statues, but statues of nothing recognizable to the team. They had been told that anything that touched the water would freeze immediately, which was a little funny when you thought about it. The liquid¡¯s unique properties had created the eternal ice formations over ages as the stone box surrounding the spring funneled the mountain winds to carry water out of the pool that then collected in the chamber as eternal ice. After a moment of wonder, Karen and Kelly quickly began to harvest the ice. Outside of this magical environment the eternal ice would begin to lose its potency, so once they stepped back through the crevasse they needed to move. Each of the women had a special case to carry and help preserve the eternal ice during their return journey, but they also redistributed their gear to free up an additional pack for more ice. Rocky was still waiting for Sarah where they had defeated the large elemental and everyone agreed that Sarah could carry extra ice while riding her summoned companion back out of the mountains. With the ice in hand they started their push back to Eastern Tear. They planned to follow largely the same path and to minimize rest as much as was safe on the return. They had planned ahead for the need for a quick return trip on their ascent and cleared as many troublesome creatures from their path as possible. Rocky was also still serving as an effective deterrent to many of the natural inhabitants of this portion of Giantspire Mountains. As a result, the trip back to the foothills took just two days, but required all of their focus and a sleepless night. They had agreed to rest one full night in the foothills and then try to push back to Eastern Tear with their cargo as fast as possible. Sarah had dismissed Rocky as they prepared to enter the forest and was working on another summoning as the rest of the team searched for a good campsite in the fading light of early evening. Just then the sky darkened as a massive shape rounded the mountain they had just descended. The team leapt into action, they were tired and depleted, but they were still ready for a fight. The aerial monstrosity was moving at a tremendous speed as it dove at the party. It was upon them in moments and as it reached the party near the ground someone launched toward the team. They had had just moments to prepare, but Jim was in a defensive stance with Karen right there next to him with her mace equipped and her enhancement spooling up. Kelly had slipped into the evening shadows with her daggers drawn. Sarah alone stood there shocked. She had no spell prepared as the projectile approached. Had she just summoned that? She didn¡¯t have time to say anything as the rest of the team struck at once. Jim and Karen moved in unison each attacking from a different side with Kelly following an instant later with both daggers in the back of the attacker. In a fraction of a second a storm of small objects broke off from their opponent. Karen¡¯s mace strike contacted one of the objects rather than her target and it was stopped instantly. It was like she had struck a mountain itself, one so dense that her strike couldn¡¯t even leave a mark on the stone. Jim¡¯s palm strike was similarly blocked, his vibrations were instantly dissipated and his follow-up kick was absorbed by another object. He was pushed back forcefully from his last attack, sending him sprawling on the ground. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Kelly¡¯s daggers were both blocked initially by the small objects, but she recovered quickly and used her speed to slip her long knife past the defense. Her blade was caught in a thick coating of energy surrounding the figure. She tried to pull her blade back for a followup strike, but it was stuck. The figure whirled on her and the grip of the blade was smoothly deflected into his hand by one of the objects floating around him. Karen used that moment to bring her mace down on her foe¡¯s back; she was aiming a crippling blow at his shoulder, but it didn¡¯t connect, again blocked by a floating object. The dark figure withdrew something from his belt and threw it into the air, Kelly, Jim and Karen braced for an explosion, but the only effect was a gentle glow filling the area. ¡°Geez guys. A little jumpy?¡± I said. ¡°I guess I surprised you, so I suppose it is partly my fault, but that isn¡¯t much of a greeting.¡± Sarah finally got out, ¡°Stop. It''s Harris.¡± Kelly looked at Harris and replied, ¡°Yeah. Thanks Sarah. Are you OK, Harris?¡± ¡°Yes. Are you OK? Also, how did you get here and what is that thing?¡± said Karen. ¡°So many questions. That is an airship that I made. It uses hot air and is controlled by the magical devices that I have been developing. I sailed it as far north as I could, where my path was blocked by a massive storm. I collected some observations on the storms that I¡¯d like to discuss with Galan, so I decided to head back to Eastern Tear to catch up with you on my way to the Emerald Sea. When I got close my magic compass started giving me strong treasure hits moving through the mountains, which I came to investigate. I saw it was you as I came around the mountain and I jumped down to meet you since there wasn¡¯t a good place to land in the hills. The airship does fly really fast because of, you know, magic, so I guess I startled you. Sorry about that. Also, I¡¯m not hurt, but you guys have come a long way since our trek through duck country. You are getting scary.¡± ¡°Well we weren¡¯t trying to kill you Harris, but it doesn¡¯t seem like we did any damage either way. I am not sure how far we have come, but it sure feels like we have a ways to go,¡± said Jim. ¡°Come on, we can set up camp together.¡± I looked over the group as we hugged our greetings and chatted a bit about the mission. After some quick mental math, I offered ¡°It will be a little snug, but since your gear is all lightweight for climbing and no one has put on too much weight living in luxury in Eastern Tear, I think that we can make it back tonight on the airship.¡± My quip earned me three death stairs and one look of pity for my foolish sense of humor, but no one actually complained. It turns out that a lift back to Eastern Tear sounded pretty good to the team. We used a couple of positional discs and some good old fashioned sisal rope to get everyone and everything aboard. I kept the craft relatively low and flew at half speed, but we easily made the trip back to Eastern Tear in just a few hours. I maneuvered the airship directly over Eastern Tear. It was going to be tough to land given the dense tree cover, so I fixed its position above the large gardens near Kelly¡¯s residence and we used the discs and ropes to unload all of the passengers and gear. I decided to stay in Eastern Tear for a day and then push to the slime fields under cover of night, stow the ship and slip into the Emerald Sea via my tunnel. After I smoothed things over with the forest sentries following our dramatic entrance, I caught up with my friends as they were turning their quest in to Beluar. ¡°You have done the citizens of Eastern Tear a great service on this day adventurers. Consider your quest complete. Why with this much eternal ice, we¡¯ll likely be able to freeze an entire vineyard. The whole village will have ice wine for a year. Go ponder your accomplishments and upgrade your classes when ready,¡± said the old elf. Karen looked shocked and turned to her party and then to Beluar, ¡°We did all that for wine?¡± She was pissed, but Beluar met her gaze and said, ¡°Ice wine. Yes. But you haven¡¯t tried the wine, have you? Of course not, we¡¯ve been close to out for months and everyone has been rationing, but tonight we should celebrate.¡± Beluar, Deldes, Delirin, their families, Queakers, the party and me had a great celebration that night. Karen, Jim, Kelly and Sarah shared their tale. It was amazing how much they had grown. The wine was also really quite good. I asked them to contact me in the Eastern Sea when they had finished their class upgrades. I had a feeling that the final challenge was near and that, for us, it would end right where it had started. Chapter 45: The Citadel of Poor Life Choices I actually had a number of relatively comfortable hiding places prepared in the Slime Fields. It was a great place to hide out because no one really liked going out there on account of the hordes of disgusting slimes roving all over the place. I flew low and circled far to the south, so I was confident that no one in or around the Emerald Sea would have seen the ship in the night. Anyone camped along the road would have had a chance, but I had the airship down and hidden relatively quickly in a cave that I subsequently blocked and camouflaged. I wasn¡¯t super worried about the airship at the time. I was worried about the large army that I saw camped alongside the road to the south. I saw them faintly in the distance at just about the furthest point to the south on my route, but some quick reconnaissance with my daylight spy glass revealed a significant force of what I gathered were orcs and goblins. The Emerald Sea was well populated today compared to our early time with just the fae and it was also relatively well positioned to defend against attack from the south, but this certainly looked like a final challenge on the way. Given the size of the force, it looked like a big challenge actually, so I was sure that it was intended to require the cooperation of the various forces in the Emerald Sea to respond successfully. Since I had flown so far south and circled back to the Slime Field, I estimated that the army was about two weeks out if they marched twenty miles a day. I also figured that they wouldn¡¯t be visible from town until they were two to three days out based on the geography. I would be in town within the day, so now I had even more to talk over with Leirin and Galan than I originally thought. *** I don¡¯t know if you can be nostalgic for something that is less than a year removed, but I was flooded with pleasant memories when I connected with Leirin and Galan in the second floor of the board game cafe across the alley from ¡°my¡± bookstore. After a quick greeting, I jumped right in. ¡°So two things. One, there is an army of what I think are goblins and orcs about two hundred and eighty miles south of town along the road. Two, I built an airship and tried to sail over the Giantspire Mountains, but as I proceeded extremely far north, I ran into a giant storm. Some quick study suggests that it is circular in shape, at least in the north. I am wondering if it rings in the whole region. Do you know anything about it?¡± Even this news wasn''t enough to fluster Galan. He simply said, ¡°It seems the Unseelie Court has made their move on the Emerald Sea. We shall have to put our own plans in motion. You and your friends have a role to play in this as well Harris. We will all need to prepare. As for the storm, I haven¡¯t seen it personally, but I have observed it in my own way. I think that you and I both have our theories about what it means, but we won¡¯t know for sure until we can reach the other side. Perhaps we can work together once this is all over and find our own truth. I know that you have had your issues with the tutorial, but you are with us against the Unseelie Court, aren¡¯t you Harris?¡± Galan turned to me with the same serene smile that he always wore, but he had a real spark in his eyes at the mention of the approaching goblins and orcs. ¡°Of course Galan. I am happy to help you and to protect the town, but I also believe that this is important for all of us from the tutorial.¡± Galan responded, ¡°Make sure to find me once the threat from the Unseelie Court has been resolved, I expect that we have much more to discuss when the time is right. There is a little town called Loramen where we may be able to catch up after all of this is finished.¡± Leirin looked puzzled for a moment, but elaborated on Galan¡¯s words, ¡°Loramen is far from Region Eleven. It is in the old country. We haven¡¯t been back for some time, but I would love to show it to you Harris. It is beautiful.¡± Galan just chuckled and said, ¡°So tell me about this airship. That sounds very interesting, Harris.¡± We spent the rest of the day putting together our plans. Leirin filled me in on the activities of the tutorial instructors and Lyle, Karl, Erin and Lando. Apparently they were preparing to make their own run at a class upgrade quest. It didn¡¯t sound like they had worked to shore up their foundations like my party members, but the information that Leirin had didn¡¯t paint a full picture of their situation or motivations. I wanted to check in on them personally, but with the impending invasion I had bigger fish to fry. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Galan and Leirin were going to warn the other powers in the Emerald Sea, root out some Unseelie Court collaborators that they believed were already hiding in the outpost and do what they could to shore up our defenses. Leirin was also going to warn my old teammates who had stayed on with the tutorial instructors. I was going to inform the elves of Eastern Tear and my teammates of the impending threat, make my own preparations and return to the Emerald Sea and join the defense before the army arrived. *** Elen led the small group through the forest to the citadel. She, Ruven and Phraan needed their charges to earn their class upgrades now. They were almost out of time and not having the party upgrade their classes would significantly impact the elves¡¯ rewards from the tutorial quest line. She needed them to upgrade their classes, defeat the other party and complete the final event. She and her compatriots also needed to defeat the leaders of the approaching army and as many of the faction leaders in Emerald Sea as possible to get the most out of her other current quests, but that was seeming like a tall order at this point. To ensure a successful class upgrade for the remaining tutorial participants, Lyle, Karl, Erin and Lando would need proof of their worth. That meant completing an ordeal, and under the current circumstances that meant running the Western Citadel. The party of four wasn¡¯t really up for that type of challenge, so she needed to put her thumb on the scale with Phraan and Ruven¡¯s help. They reached the overgrown stone building just before noon and she put her plan into action following a short rest. Although they had all advanced their class already, Elen, Ruven and Phraan didn¡¯t have high enough classes that they would be unable to attempt the trial of the Western Citadel. The trial didn¡¯t guarantee a class upgrade that was optimal for one¡¯s path, but it could be run multiple times to ¡°farm¡± improvements until its maximum class level was reached. The elves would form a party and they would run the Western Citadel, but abandon their run before claiming their prize from the final chest. The party of tutorial participants would operate separately from them, but would follow behind closely enough that monster and trap encounters would generally not have time to respawn. They would then take the final chest, return with their proof of worth and finally upgrade their classes. With Lyle¡¯s black magic, Lando tanking and Erin¡¯s archery they should succeed with this strategy. Karl hadn¡¯t really pushed too far forward with his skills and would mostly be dead weight on this run, but if he was able to upgrade to a bard class like he was hoping he may also develop some useful skills. Elen, Ruven and Phraan were a competent squad and didn¡¯t have much trouble in the Western Citadel, which would have typically been run by a much less experienced team. Unfortunately, even with this level of support, Erin, Lyle and Karl struggled to work effectively together. Lando was extremely stressed out by the situation and their many other struggles during the preceding months. The jovial and pleasant pre-awakening Lando was gone. He took everyone¡¯s safety seriously, but his role on their small squad was extremely difficult. Karl issued orders without stopping to really think through the situation. Erin overestimated her abilities and often strayed too far from the team, making situations more dangerous and allowing even easy encounters to sometimes spiral out of control. Lyle¡¯s magic was powerful, but he lacked situational awareness, so he didn¡¯t always use it effectively. Lando tried to protect the team as he followed the path cleared by Elen¡¯s squad, but it was difficult. They had run across a lone demon howler, a medium sized monkey that should have been easy for Erin or Lyle to quickly dispatch. Unfortunately, Lyle and Erin didn¡¯t communicate and each assumed that the other was going to engage the monster. When no one attacked, Karl complained ¡°Do I have to do everything myself?¡± before launching a clumsy charge at the monkey. The monster evaded Karl¡¯s strike and screeched at the top of its lungs before Lando could slide over and spear the demon howler through the heart. Demon howlers quickly filled the room, and it took Lando and his party time to shoot, blast and smash their way through what amounted to a small army of the vicious simian monsters. Karl had received a bite and a claw slash to his back and Lyle had sprained his wrist when he fell after several of the monsters jumped him from behind. Lando couldn¡¯t keep the monsters off of Lyle in the first place because he had to keep a separate gang away from Erin so she could continue shooting down the monsters from her position on the other side of the room. If only they could stick together, Lando¡¯s job would be so much easier. The long encounter with the demon howlers had caused Karl, Erin, Lyle and Lando to fall further behind Elen¡¯s lead group than they had planned, which led to several more unwelcome monster encounters and a run in with a frightening arrow trap. When the team finally made it to the chest that held their objective, it was clear to all involved that without the support that Elen, Ruven and Phraan had provided, the team likely wouldn¡¯t have prevailed. As it stood they were cut up, bruised and hobbled by the experience, but they each took their proof of worth from the chest. Apparently, this proof could take any form, but they each received a small polished silver hand mirror. Chapter 46: Shootout I was no longer really trying to conceal the airship. I think that the die was cast on any tactical or strategic advantage it could provide in the coming conflict. Time was of the essence and all the choices that I made between me and my return to the Emerald Sea were about speed. After leaving Galan and I snagged some provisions from the kitchens at the board game cafe and headed back to the Treefort to make my exit from town. I was pretty good at living off the land at this point, but not while I was making my best time flying high above the ground in a thermal airship, so the supplies were important to my trip. I clocked quite a few folks interested in my exit from the cafe the moment that I stepped into the street. Apparently this neighborhood wasn¡¯t as safe as it used to be. The picture that Leirin had painted of the tutorial elves hadn¡¯t been pretty and I had a pretty good idea what would happen when I entered the alley. Apparently Elen and company had made a number of shady connections once the non-fae races arrived. They didn¡¯t seem to have any real loyalties aside from themselves, but still it was quite difficult to puzzle out their motivations. According to Leirin¡¯s spies, Elen, Ruven and Phraan had been able to bring all of the other instructors over to their side but Wynather and, perhaps, Ayre. I could have tried to retreat to safety, though I expected that with the sheer number of people stealthed in the area they had a plan to cut off that option. I sometimes think about the morality of it all, my choices I mean, and in particular that choice to enter that alley. At the time I understood that there was no going back if I continued on. On the other hand, I wasn¡¯t doing anything wrong and I was prepared to turn the other cheek, but if in the end someone from my party was going to have this fight I was OK with it being me. As things have developed since, this wasn¡¯t anything like the turning point that it seemed it might be, but at the time it was on my mind. Just before I turned the corner I neatly set down my crate of supplies and pushed to the center of the thoroughfare. There were a couple of archers on buildings down the way a bit and Eldrin, Naesala, Elyon and Caeda were barring my way. Amrynn was behind me in stealth with what looked to be some hired assassins. They thought that they were being sneaky and stayed out of the conversation. They all seemed a little jumpy, but I never did learn what was really going on with them. I simply said, rather politely I thought, ¡°You all seem to be blocking the way. Please move so that I can carry on.¡± Elyon answered me, ¡°Drop your weapons and come with us. If you don¡¯t, we will use force and I cannot guarantee your safety.¡± He was short and to the point, which I could appreciate. I was also short and to the point, as I responded, ¡°No.¡± At that moment, many things happened at once. Caeda activated a device that I think was designed to suppress stealth and roots erupted in the area around me, limiting my options for movement. Elyon and Naesala then both moved forward postured to attack and two arrows struck me from behind, one struck me from the front and another took me from the side. Amrynn attempted a kidney shot with her dagger from the cover of stealth and one of the stealthed assassins tried to hamstring me while the other stayed hidden. This is where you really get to see the advantages that tactics and strategy provide, at least on this small stage. They had good teamwork, they attempted to neutralize my advantages and put themselves into a superior position. Their information wasn¡¯t as good as it needed to be though. It isn¡¯t like there was no way that they could beat me in a fight, but they definitely didn¡¯t put a good plan together for the situation. We were both operating with incomplete information, but I followed the strategy of appearing strong when I was weak and weak when I was strong. I focused on versatile defense to compensate for my many shortcomings and I leaned into my strengths. The ten shield discs that I had in my clothes reacted without specific focus from me, easily blocking the arrows and daggers. I was curious just how much my energy armor could block at this point and I needed to experiment, but I wasn¡¯t going to do that in a fight like this. I can say that Kelly hit harder and faster than Amrynn at this point, as I had a direct comparison there. However, I didn¡¯t get cocky, I took this fight seriously and stuck to my script. Elyon and Naesala staggered for a moment when I appeared unharmed. I took the chance to make an offer myself, ¡°Disarm and surrender. I will make a citizen¡¯s arrest and turn you into the Seelie Court authorities. Otherwise, I will defend myself and I won¡¯t guarantee your safety.¡± Caeda tried to hit me while I was distracted with his own pistol using some type of fire magic cartridge that left my shield scorched but intact. Eldrin also launched some root spears at me as Naesala and Elyon resumed their charges. Amrynn slipped back into stealth with the other assassin that had been revealed in her attack. The archers that had attacked me closed in to look for opportunities that wouldn¡¯t jeopardize their comrades. That was their choice made and I made mine as well. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! I had a magic shotgun under my cloak, a hunting knife enchanted with sharpness dialed up to 11, a magic particle gun, a pistol with some magic shells and my ten shield discs. Elyon would hit me first, but Naesala was pretty high on my list of targets as a healer who was also rushing to try to bash my head in. I launched a shield disc at Elyon¡¯s head and equipped my magic shotgun. Elyon had exceptional mobility, speed and skill at fighting humanoid targets, but the speed that he could move was only a fraction of the speed that the shield disc could move propelled at close range by a magic particle lattice. Elyon also did not wear armor in favor of his body enhancement techniques. I don¡¯t know if Elyon understood what was happening because I was focused on Naesala, but the shield disc made contact with his head without being deflected. His skull was smashed and it was most certainly an instant kill. Naesala was a few steps behind Elyon and still far enough from me that the shot in the magic shotgun shell would spread a bit before reaching him. With his heavier equipment, there may have been a question of delaying the shot to ensure enough penetration with other ammunition, but my gun was loaded with blue crystal shot fashioned from the material that I brought back from the Giantspire Mountains. The explosions from the blue crystal shot tore through Naesala¡¯s gambeson and the mail underneath like they were made of tissue paper. I weathered a few more ranged attacks from the archers behind me as I pushed forward. Naesala was very likely dead already, but as a healer that could empower himself, I had to be sure, so I hit him again and then unloaded the rest of the shotgun at Caeda and Eldrin. With their frontline fighters down, they had limited options for defense between them. It was a stupid formation for their team if there was any chance that I could survive the initial assault and they paid the price for that miscalculation. Eldrin tried to block the shot with a burst of roots. This may have been effective under other circumstances, but the explosions tore the roots apart, making them into bits of wooden shrapnel. The four shots I launched were enough to blanket the area. Caeda¡¯s energy shield was completely overwhelmed by the scale of the damage. It was a gruesome enough scene that there was no doubt in my mind that both elves had perished in the attack. I dropped the shotgun and got one of the archers in front of me as I drew the magic particle gun. This pistol version wasn¡¯t the most powerful, but the human archers were not equipped with any type of defense for it. The second archer in the direction that I had initially faced had dropped to the ground and was trying to sneak around me, but my next shot punched through the corner of the building that he was using for cover and he too was down. Amrynn, the other assassins and the other two archers behind me were all that was left and they weren¡¯t backing down. I turned around and started firing at the archers like I couldn¡¯t see the three stealthed assassins as they approached. I winged one of the archers, but they were both still firing at this point. How many arrows did they bring? Did they have crates full on the roof because there were dozens of arrows littering the alley, though they weren¡¯t the worst of it. The alley was going to need a major cleanup following this fight and several buildings would have to be repaired. Once the assassins were close enough that I didn¡¯t think that they could react, I launched a shield disc at each traveling at maximum velocity. Used to relying on stealth, the attack was unexpected and the two hired assassins were caught unawares and instantly met the same fate as Elyon, but Amrynn managed to dodge the disc I sent at them by a hair''s breadth. Amrynn disengaged, but she didn¡¯t flee. I dispatched both of the remaining archers, who continued to take potshots at me, with a few more volleys from my magic particle gun. Then I turned to where Amrynn was standing in stealth and said, ¡°Any chance you want to surrender?¡± Amrynn just charged. I was prepared to block the strike with my shield discs or my energy armor, but Amrynn¡¯s behavior was a little odd and I wasn¡¯t sure what they had up their sleeve. I slipped into my maximum stealth and dodged to the side. I exchanged my magic particle gun for my regular pistol and hunting knife. Amrynn was dazed for a moment and I took them in the chest with a shot that was clearly fatal. It was more of an execution than a fight at that point, but I focused on the justifications for my action in self defense, my attempt to turn the other cheek after an ambush and their commitment to this course of action. I was swimming in emotions and a healthy dose of self-doubt. There were some complex issues at play here, but my rational pragmatism carried the day. I grabbed my shotgun and reloaded it, before heading back to the board game cafe for another chat with Lierin. Chapter 47: STEM for the Win Leirin was beside herself when I reported what had happened in the alley. She was also worried about my emotional state, as I had just killed someone, ten someones in fact, for the first time. This day had always been coming as a part of this new world into which we had been thrust, but that was cold comfort. I truthfully didn¡¯t feel good about what had happened and I knew that avoiding this type of violence was important. The best victories are those achieved without fighting, but sometimes you get ambushed in an alley and you have to play the hand that you are dealt and live with the consequences. Lierin rounded up some operatives and enforcers and came to the alley with me. I felt that she was genuinely concerned for me, but I could tell that she was not at all bothered by the carnage in the alley. I had been honest with Leirin and Galan and I am sure that they received plenty of intelligence from Deldes and Delirin as well. Lierin knew how much progress I had made since abandoning the tutorial, in fact Lierin took pride in it. I knew that she had too much emotional intelligence to push me on anything right now, but I could also tell that she approved of my plan to use this opportunity to send Elen a message and, hopefully, flush her out. Leirin simply said, ¡°Stay safe,¡± as I picked up my crate of supplies and turned to go. I simply replied, ¡°You too¡± before I disappeared. It was easy to find the elves¡¯ inn and Elen¡¯s room. They had some magical defenses, but it was simple work to disable their defensive devices and enter the room without triggering a response. I removed a bottle of wine from my crate of supplies and left it on Elen¡¯s table with a note that simply read ¡®See you soon.¡¯ I get that this is some weird anime villain stuff, but I wanted her thinking that she might not be safe from reprisal and I didn¡¯t really have too much time to invest in the process. I fully engaged my stealth skill and disappeared back through the Treefort and my tunnel. They clearly knew that we had spent time in the area in the past, so I figured this was the last time that I would pass this way until things were finished. I took a few minutes to check the bookshelf that had concealed the secret passage in the model of the Treefort that I had found under the Giantspire Mountains. It slid away with ease revealing the passage, records and treasure chests just as I had seen them in the model. I took a few of the gems with me as well as all of the records, the gun and the ammunition and headed back to the location where I had concealed the airship. Within a day I was airborne and heading for Eastern Tear in the daylight. I climbed high in the sky, but I am sure that some of the eagle eyed inhabitants of the Emerald Sea could make out if they happened to look in the right direction at the right time. *** I caught the team in Eastern Tear as they worked on their class upgrades. They were shaken by the news. First because the sinister and calculated nature of what was a brutal ambush cast their former instructors in a new light and even more unfavorable light. Of course, most of their former instructors were now dead along with half a dozen hirelings. That was the second reason the team was shaken, the instructors had died, but I could have very easily been killed in their place or any one of us for that matter. Third, this event dramatically increased the likelihood, in all of our estimations, that we¡¯d need to fight our friends and that the stakes of those fights would be much higher than we expected. The news of the Unseelie Court assault didn¡¯t shake the team, but it did galvanize everyone to action. With a clear goal in sight, everyone on the team had their own plan to make the most of their time to prepare. We needed to leave Eastern Tear six days before the army arrived at the Emerald Sea to ensure that we were there in time. That gave me a short, but achievable window to head to the Aerodrome, put any additional plans into motion and return to Eastern Tear to head out with my friends. I was going to be their force protection and would need to work on strategies to protect the whole team in light of the ambush that was just about guaranteed to occur as we returned to the Emerald Sea to finish this tutorial once and for all. *** Leirin was shocked by the attack on Harris in the middle of fae controlled territory. Clearly there were those in the Emerald Ses that did not consider the long term consequences of starting a conflict with the Seelie Court to be an important consideration. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t appear that the draconid decendants or the human kingdoms were involved. Arrenth and Hamilton Day had both been cooperative regarding her inquiries and we''re taking reasonable steps to support the mutual defense of the outpost. Tethru, representative of the Great Council of the beastkin, was less helpful, especially with respect to the lupine assassins that were among those Harris had fought and killed.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Leirin didn¡¯t trust Tethru and after this additional wedge being driven into their relations, Tethru probably wasn¡¯t planning on that changing. Leirin requested that Tethru have any combat capable beastkin prepare to help repel the horde, but Tethru declined after learning that the only payment would be in the spoils of war. Although the humans, draconic decendants and beastkin would all like to knock the face down a peg, a goblin horde was no trifling matter and no time for playing games. Leirin, Hamilton and Arrenth subsequently agreed that following the conflict they would prepare an appropriate sanction for the beastkin if they truly didn¡¯t participate in the outpost¡¯s defense. Of course for Tethru, working with Lierin was both a personal and professional issue. The tutorial elves had hired her beastkin for a number of jobs in the Emerald Sea. Tethru¡¯s main goal was commercial and though the jobs had paid well, they had put her at odds with the fae leader. Tethru had never expected for the participation of her people in these activities to come to light because it was unthinkable that assassins from her clan could fail to dispatch a few newly trained tutorial participants. Leirin had been asking some pointed questions and she was holding the bodies of Tethru¡¯s kinsmen as evidence. It was a significant loss of face for the beastkin and in particular the lupine clan. Not to mention that Tethru had lost six highly trained assassins in the course of their work. Those kinds of losses were not insignificant to the fighting strength of her merchant and craftsman focused group. Tethru would need to figure out how to do something about that insufferable little brownie before the beastkin ended up the laughing stocks of the Emerald Sea. *** The remaining tutorial instructors and participants moved to new lodgings shortly after learning that their compatriots were dead. Elen said that it was so that they could focus completely on their mission and prepare together for the task at hand. They all understood that she was scared. They were all in different places relative to their friends and their mission, but they were all scared at this point. It was one thing to consider fighting and subduing their friends. You could almost think of it as a friendly competition, but not if people were getting killed. The remaining instructors were shocked. They had planned a surefire hit to take what seemed a wildcard out of play. Each of them had a healthy, more accurately inflated, sense of their own superiority, but none of them thought that they could survive that sort of attack, let alone kill all of the assailants. It made no sense With no survivors, information on what exactly occurred was frustratingly lacking. What was clear was that all of their allies that participated in the attack were dead. The fae had put the corpses, or what was left of them, on display for a full day in front of the bookstore with a sign that read ¡®Ambushers & Assassins.¡¯ The fae were really old school like that, but then they went back to playing chess and board games about birds. They were hard to understand sometimes. Karl, Erin, Lyle and Lando each had their own reaction to the situation. Lyle felt guilt and fear. He wondered how he had ended up on this team. Lando felt ashamed and was sick to his stomach at the idea of confronting his friends. Karl and Erin felt fear and envy in equal proportions. They both felt that they deserved to be the strongest, but still had enough self-awareness to be concerned about how they¡¯d fare in a conflict that their instructors could not easily handle. None of them had known about the ambush in advance, but it was now clear that their instructors had set them on a collision course with their friends and former teammates. None of them wanted to fight their friends and none of them wanted to lose. *** There was an exponential component to the kind of activity that I had left running in the Aerodrome. That was really the ideal in the kind of outbuild strategy that I had been working up to all this time. I had played many video games where a well managed build strategy could make up for many other deficiencies, especially if you could get a head start before folks figured out that it was a race to critical mass. Of course there was no way for me to know all of the players in the current game, but looking at the valley before me I was thinking that this was going to be a pretty big head start for anyone to catch up. I know that I said that I had a healthy fear of a Skynet type scenario, which I do, but nothing that I was dealing with at this stage was truly autonomous or intelligent. The sweet spot for our current level of technology was in making small loops of standardized activity very efficient. The error handling was poor. I lost a lot of devices to unexpected scenarios and I didn¡¯t necessarily learn from those losses systematically, but what I was attempting was on a scale where those losses didn¡¯t matter. They were a rounding error. Controlling complex processes with pre-established and static intents and visualizations had its limitations. When finer control was needed, I was it, but, with the scale and efficiency of this current generation, I thought that I would probably be enough. I was the Tactician afterall. Chapter 48: Ambush x Ambush! All warfare is based on deception. - Sun Tzu, The Art of War With my plans made and executed relatively quickly, I made good time returning to Eastern Tear and was there before the team had completed their preparations. As a result I was able to spend a little time relaxing, getting centered and dialing in my game plan. With a little help from my magical device minions, I made some adjustments to the airship. I simplified the craft to excel in the kind of low altitude operations I expected to be important over the next few weeks. I could no longer fly extremely high, but the craft was more extremely stable, could carry a larger payload and could navigate autonomously to a beacon. I could have opened up plenty of possibilities if I could have made it completely stealth, but I wasn¡¯t quite there yet. About the closest I could come would be painting it light blue and I didn¡¯t think that was really going to fool anyone. My plan was to be on the ground with my party and to be able to use the beacon to summon the airship if necessary. I had created some new goggles with a bunch of lenses that I could switch on and off. They looked completely ridiculous, but they allowed me to target and range find in a number of conditions and through a range of covers. Besides, you don¡¯t need to look good if your stealth is good. I also had long distance weaponry, including an upgraded buster rifle version of the magic particle gun and a large bore rifle. I wasn¡¯t planning on using any explosive ammunition, but the extremely dense rounds that I had prepared could punch through plenty. I was planning on following behind my party as they advanced and picking of any tails, ambushes or other shenanigans that Elen and her compatriots had up their sleeves. We had some short range communications devices that were basically like the setup that Leirin had mixed with a walkie talkie and an earbud. This allowed us to coordinate as needed in real time, which I though of as a huge upgrade for us. The team had decided that I was going to focus on the elves and that they were going to focus on everyone else. Based on the intelligence that we had at the time, we felt that there was a good chance that we¡¯d run into an ambush as we got within about twenty miles of the Emerald Sea. We weren¡¯t exactly trying to avoid this unwanted attention, as it seemed better to have this behind us before we were pulled into the defense of the outpost. The airship was hovering just behind the team, following a beacon that Karen was carrying in her pack. This made us easy to follow, but also created the impression that I was high above, rather than sneaking around the woods with my stealth on max. There were risks to using my full stealth skill in this scenario, but we all thought that they were vastly outweighed by the potential benefits. Just about a day¡¯s hike from the outpost, we passed through a large clearing with a dry creek bed running through the middle. I could see plenty of activity in the trees to either side and in front of the team as we approached. I listened to the open channel on the communication device and was happy to hear Kelly report signs of a concealed force, which Queakers and the large bear that Sarah was riding at the party¡¯s rear corroborated. The team began to prepare themselves for a fight without letting on that they had detected the ambush. As soon as the party stepped into the dry creek bed most of the hidden force broke cover. Our friends and former instructors were still concealed beyond the treeline at the edge of clearing, but approximately two dozen individuals of all stripes rushed from the trees on three sides of us. In front of us was a row of four armored melee fighters that were apparently there to protect two support casters and two offensive mages. On either side there was a mix of melee fighters and rangers. It seemed like overkill until the field exploded with roots to harry the attackers and a small army of plant monsters burst forth from the foliage and started attacking. The ambushing forces were largely tangled up and were momentarily unable to advance. I had given each human party member a cylinder of my shield disks powered by the blue magic crystals that I harvested from the Giantspire Mountains. The cylinders briefly hovered in the air as they broke into individual shield discs that set about deflecting any ranged attacks launched at our party. These devices pulled some of my focus during the fight, but with all of the practice that I had with these tools and heightened awareness it was something I hardly noticed. The team organized around collapsing one side of the trap while preventing the enemy from fully encircling us. As Jim and Karen waded into the line of physical fighters that they had targeted, working to protect each other as they dished out the damage. When Kelly got close enough to the shade of the forest, she disappeared completely and slipped over to the ranged fighters that had blocked our initial path behind their armored escort. Kelly quickly dealt several crippling injuries to the support casters, which threw that side of the trap into chaos. The combatants on the western side of the trap advanced on the party, but, between Sarah, her bear and Queakers fighting defensively and the near nullification of ranged attacks by the shield discs, they weren¡¯t making fast progress. I snuck around behind the western side of the trap and work to get into a good position to provide any support needed.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Elen and company likely planned to soften up the party with the ranged attacks, push in with their fighters and then kill or capture whomever was left standing after the fighting was over. Used in a situation like this my shield discs weren¡¯t nearly as effective as they were when I was just protecting myself, but they were still soaking up or deflecting the vast majority of the ranged attacks directed at my teammates. The hired muscle for this mission was unable to fight on equal terms with my party and Queakers had prevented them from all hitting the team simultaneously, so their strategy had effectively collapsed at this point. They still had a large numerical advantage, so I could see why they didn¡¯t pack it in, but if I were Elen or Karl I would have tried to sneak away. They hadn¡¯t given any hint that they knew that I was in the area and with things going relatively well I just kept focused and waited for things to develop further. If they were going to strike, the right time to do it would be when the team turned to face the brigands that were regrouping on the western side of the original box. There was a chance to draw the team into a pincer attack with the hirelings in the front while the concealed elites attacked from behind. Since Karen and company knew that their friends and former instructors were concealed further to the south, they could have drawn them out by appearing to fall into this trap. However, my party had no interest in taking a chance like this and we very much preferred not having to fight our friends. Kelly rejoined Jim, Karen, Queakers, Sarah and her bear as they all pulled back to the north. They managed to put both the regrouped hirelings and the concealed elites in front of them in this way. The shield discs moved with my party and they deployed another cylinder of shield discs to shore up their defensive formation as they paused to see what their assailants would do. After what looked like a quick discussion. Karl, Lando and Lyle revealed themselves and began to move directly toward my teammates. At the same time, Elen, Ruven and Phraan began to circle behind the rest of my party while Erin stayed hidden to the south. I guess it wasn¡¯t a terrible plan based on how I gathered that they saw the situation, but again I think that I would have already retreated at this point. As the elves worked their way through the trees they passed very close to my position and I got a good look at their equipment. They had some pretty nice energy armor, but nothing that was going to be an obstacle for either the large bore rifle or the upgraded magic particle buster rifle. Phraan was equipped with a leather Brigandine and two swords. Elen had two hunting knives, but currently had her shortbow prepared for a shot. Ruven had a rather handsome shepherd''s crook style staff with several large gems embedded that I expected were magical foci. I was planning on keeping that one. We all agreed not to attack our friends if we could avoid it, but I wasn¡¯t friends with Elen, Ruven and Phraan. They tried to kill me, my dog and my actual friends. It wasn¡¯t going to be over until they were out of the picture and I didn¡¯t think that there was going to be a better time. I was half worried that it was some kind of trap. They were right there full of hostility, probably about to try to kill my dog again, but you aren¡¯t the good guy if you don¡¯t give them a chance to surrender, right? I dropped my stealth skill when they were twenty yards ahead of my position and said, ¡°Disarm and surrender. I will make a citizen¡¯s arrest and turn you¨C¡± I couldn¡¯t even get the whole thing out before all three of them attacked. No surprises there, but there was no hesitation. I suppressed my shield discs and took it all with my energy armor, which at this point was almost three inches thick. Phraan¡¯s swords were both stuck to my armor as were a half dozen of Elen¡¯s arrows. I had also weathered fireballs, electrical discharges, wind blades, water jets and rock javelins courtesy of Ruven. I started again, ¡°Just for clarity¡¯s sake, that was me turning the other cheek. So again. Disarm and surrender. I will¨C¡± Ruven turned the ground around me to quicksand. That was actually a pretty good idea. The hole just kept going down and as I slipped down into the slurry of dirt and water I could hear Elen say, ¡°Finally. Let¡¯s seal this fool in. He can rot down there until he suffocates. Now let¡¯s go kill the rest of them. We need to get back to town. I am not sleeping out here another night and we need to get the rest of the plan into motion or the safe zone will still be active when the goblins arrive.¡± Well, I¡¯ll give them that they weren¡¯t as dumb as I thought. It was a good lesson in overconfidence, for everyone really. Chapter 49: Region Eleven: Final Conflict I Based on the gear I had with me, I would have probably starved to death before I ran out of air, but it wasn¡¯t going to come to that. If they had refilled the entire hole with stone or pumped in a bunch of lava, I would have had to get creative, but as it was I still had my full range of motion. The sides of the newly formed well that I was in had hardened and were very smooth, but that didn¡¯t present a problem as I wasn¡¯t going to try to climb up the now sealed shaft. A quick flip of the lenses on my goggles allowed me to see through the ground to the elves as they resumed their sneak around to my team. Since we were so close and I was below them, I also had a pretty good angle for a shot. There are a number of thorny moral and ethical issues involved here. What I was dealing with and the solutions I was running through had no place in the world in which I had grown up. In either world avoiding violence was unequivocally the right path, as it was more efficient, more productive and morally the supportable option. Unfortunately, the environment of our new world was most certainly less forgiving than the old with respect to physical threats. The culture and laws were different as well, so conflict was to be expected. In the end you can just seek the best solution in the moment and try not to judge others as we all make mistakes. The upgraded buster rifle version of the magic particle gun could use a fuel pack made of Giantspire blue crystal to fire a sustained beam at max discharge for perhaps forty-five seconds. A small fraction of that time was plenty to punch a tunnel to the surface, evaporate three elves, fell a couple of trees and blow away a couple more tree tops. Knowing what I do now, I can¡¯t really say that the threat from the tutorial elves was completely over then and there, but the elves themselves definitely were. The staff I had my eye on was gone too, but on the brightside I had a convenient exit from my watery grave. I was back above ground less than thirty seconds later, so I partially reactivated my stealth skill and slipped through the forest to rejoin my team. I did have choices other than violence, but I couldn¡¯t protect what I wanted to without it at this point. I know, it is a total super villain talk track, but I decided to ensure that they gathered the power to have better options next time. I found my team facing down our old party mates and what remained of their crew of goons. Erin had joined her brothers and Lyle at the front of their group and I dropped out of stealth at the rear of my party. My full skill had been deactivated long enough ago that no one was confused about who I was or what side I was on. I announced, ¡°Phraan, Elen and Ruven won¡¯t be coming. You can bide your time and hold out hope as long as you like, but it is just you and us now. I also like to point out that you couldn¡¯t win in an ambush with over thirty people, so you aren¡¯t likely to do better in a straight fight with less than half that. You should probably surrender or retreat if Sarah, Karen and Jim will let you.¡± I don¡¯t think that Erin, Lyle, Lando and Karl had a way to communicate with the elven instructors at range, so I don¡¯t know if they tried to reach them and couldn¡¯t, but we all gave them plenty of time. I had the airship descend until it was hovering just above the clearing in which we were still standing. In my mind it was time to wrap this up and get back to the Emerald Sea, but it wasn¡¯t my call. Karen addressed our former party mates, ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened with you all and what hardships you faced, but I think that the only solution is for you to surrender yourselves to the authorities in the Emerald Sea and face up to the consequences. We are still your friends and we can all move forward together once you have put this behind you.¡± Erin responded immediately, ¡°I don¡¯t think that you are in any position to tell us what to do. We still have superior numbers and even if what Harris said about Elen, Phraan and Ruven were true, which I doubt, I believe that we still have the advantage.¡± Jim jumped in with an interesting idea that I wouldn¡¯t have thought of myself, ¡°Let¡¯s have a duel. You, Karl, Lando and Lyle versus Me, Karen, Sarah and Kelly. If you win you can go free. If we win you turn yourselves in. Either way, we agree that this conflict ends here and we walk away friends. No killing blows. First to yield loses. Agreed?¡± ¡°Absolutely,¡± agreed Lando. ¡°Wait a minute,¡± said Karl. ¡°We have the advantage in numbers. We should use it.¡± I got the feeling that Karl would be much more comfortable leveraging the elves, who were definitely not coming, and their minions over his own personal skill. Either way, it seemed like Erin and Lyle were considering Karl¡¯s suggestion.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Lando, who would no doubt have been critical to any action by their party, put his foot down, ¡°We do the duel or I surrender. Decide now. This madness has gone on long enough.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more,¡± said Leirin as she glided out of the woods at the head of a defense force unit from the Emerald Sea. The group was primarily fae, but it included a few representatives from the human kingdoms and the draconic descendants. Everyone had matching cream colored armbands with a stylized green wave sewed on them. I thought it was a nice touch. Before I could even ask, Leirin continued, ¡°We came to explore the source of a massive magic particle spike in the area and when we spotted your airship, I guessed what might have caused it, Harris.¡± ¡°Great timing, Leirin. We were ambushed out here and were looking for a way to resolve things peacefully, but earlier I overheard the tutorial elves discussing a plan to bring down the safe zone before the goblin horde arrived at the Emerald Sea.¡± I figured that Leirin would want this vital information as soon as possible, but she just smirked. ¡°The plot is old news Harris. I would like to question these elves though. They may have valuable evidence about other conspirators that we haven¡¯t yet unearthed. Plus, you never can be too careful when dealing with a plot like this against public safety. If the safe zone were deactivated before the Unseelie Court attacked the civilian casualties would be exceptional and we may even lose the outpost,¡± Leirin continued. ¡°Oh. Sorry Leirin. None of them survived the ¡®massive magic particle spike¡¯ that you picked up. I think that these guys want to turn themselves in. They might know something. Please make sure that our friends are treated fairly though, where we come from everyone is entitled to a fair trial,¡± I answered plainly. No one looked like they were crazy enough to try to fight Leirin and her defense forces. A duel would have probably been cathartic for my party, but Leirin was right that we had some public safety issues that should take precedence given the large enemy army approaching. In the end, that is how things worked out. Our former party mates and the remaining goons were escorted back to the Emerald Sea and put into a stockade. They wouldn¡¯t be doing any fighting until after their trial unless the safe zone fell, which I was expecting Leirin wasn¡¯t going to let happen. Leirin¡¯s patrol had apparently been making a last minute sweep and inspection of the surroundings of the Emerald Sea before the goblin horde made it to the plateau. We joined them and were back in town by the late evening. My party was assigned to work with a defense force unit that would be on the frontlines of the outpost¡¯s defense. They requested the assignment and I had planned to go with them, but I was assigned to a position on the southwest corner of the temporary rampart that had been assembled to defend the town. I would be a ranged fighter for this conflict, which honestly was probably a better use of my time. I had confidence in my team and they were loaded down with defensive gear, so I expected that they would stay safe during this conflict. *** I had a late dinner that night with Galan and Leirin in a private room at our board game cafe. The food was good and so was the company. Galan was alternatively fired up about the conflict and wistful that he would not be participating directly. Leirin would for all intents and purposes be the commander of the allied forces. The beastkin had not answered the call for the town¡¯s and were in line for the combined retribution of the other three powers, especially in light of the participation of a number of beastkin in the plot to sabotage the safe zone. It was hard for me to understand their exact game plan, but it seems like they were going to humiliate Leirin and the fae while curtailing their own losses and then expanding their presence in town. Apparently, Leirin and the others had already received approval for the sanction from the administrator for the district and the remaining powers were working on how to distribute the areas claimed by the beastkin after their effective ouster from the Emerald Sea. That is where my role on the battlefield really came into play, as the human kingdom, draconic defendants and fae had agreed to apportion the resources and territory confiscated from the beastkin based on the relative performances of a designated individual from each faction. Each faction would choose a champion whose performance in the conflict would be tallied and compared against the other champions. The beastkin¡¯s territories and resources would be divided in proportion to the contribution of each faction¡¯s champion in the conflict. The fae had chosen me to represent them in the fight. I was flattered at the time, but Leirin wasn¡¯t being sentimental and that little brownie knew exactly what she was doing. Chapter 50: Region Eleven: Final Conflict II For the duration of the conflict with the goblin army each champion would be shadowed by a representative of each faction participating in the wager. These representatives would document and record the actions of the champions and their impact on the conflict for the purpose of determining contribution. If there was any dispute among the factions with respect to the assessments of contribution, the matter would be handed over to the region¡¯s administrator. It was a bit of a convoluted system, but it had its own logic that made sense. The draconic descendant champion was a mountain of a knight called Ezenirth and the champion from the human kingdoms was a powerful mage named Larune. They each sallied forth with our main forces as the goblin army finally reached the base of the plateau. My friends and I had been in Region Eleven for almost a year and it had all led to this. I was sitting on a wall watching everyone fight while I waited for my orders to attack. I most certainly heard some snickering from the human and draconic representatives as I simply sat as our strongest defenders battled the advanced contingent of the Unseelie Court forces. The attackers broke off their exploratory engagement about noon and perhaps an hour later arrived in force with fresh troops. There were no easy ways to circumvent the climb up the south side of the mesa if you were heading to the Emerald Sea from the grasslands. Leirin and the rest of the leadership of the Emerald Sea had had ample time to prepare for the goblin¡¯s advance and were well dug in and defended. Taking the outpost itself was a tall task. I expect that their strategy might have changed with time or other circumstances, but it was clear that the goblin army was looking to simply overwhelm our defensive position with sheer numbers. If they overran our position now with their full strength, this would be a relatively short conflict and the outpost itself could be easily surrounded. No one sallied forth this time. Everyone manned the stone walls and related fortifications as we prepared to defend the wall at all costs. Leirin did issue a call for the enemy army to lay down their arms and surrender, but they didn¡¯t respond with more than snickers and rude gestures. Goblins are monsters¡ªsmart monsters, but monsters none-the-less. They delight in setting vicious traps and take perverse pleasure in torturing their victims before killing them. There would be no negotiated peace in this conflict and no quarter for those taken prisoner in the fight. I was momentarily overwhelmed by the scale of this conflict and the impersonal, yet intimate nature of what was unfolding. I could disappear, but my friends couldn¡¯t. I felt an obligation to the fae that I cared about mixed together with a sort of quiet terror as the goblins started to move. I wanted to do whatever I could to end it quickly and slip away back into a quiet and less populated place to think. This year had been a lot. When Aquilian arrived with my orders a few minutes later, I put my faith in Leirin and I got to work. First, I launched the airship, without me aboard, and it sent it speeding over the enemy force. It was far too high for arrows or other projectiles to reach it, but some of the orcs tried anyway, apparently not too concerned about where their arrows may land among their confederates. It wouldn¡¯t have really mattered if they shot it down, but doing so would have reduced the effectiveness of what we had planned. Once the airship had cleared the enemy force, it dropped a magical beacon and its payload of devices. There was a second beacon with me on the wall and none of the devices would move past either beacon. The devices also had a horizontal range limited by the capacity of each beacon to generate a field of magic particles, but the beacons were powered by massive blue crystals harvested from the Giantspire Mountains, so that field was huge. The devices themselves looked like tops with sharp points at the bottom and a large sharpened disc around the middle with integrated hooked blades. They were made of a mix of materials from the Giantspires and were a good balance of durability and weight. You could stop the devices by destroying one of the beacons, incapacitating me or by smashing the devices themselves to bits. They operated in groups of ten and there were 20 groups. As the goblins pushed forward, these battle tops pushed forward right behind them. The goblins were focused forward and we were holed up in fortifications at the top of the climb, so it took their leadership some time to realize that they were being attacked from the rear. Even then, they were slow to recognize the true level of the threat. The new devices and I had enough juice that each one had some respectable energy armor, which made them even harder to put down than one would expect from their simple construction from very robust materials. They spun, slashed, smashed, darted and pierced in a cloud of destruction and they completely cleared an area before they advanced to the next. They weren¡¯t indestructible and powerful fighters like orc champions or hobgoblins with big mauls or similar weapons could definitely take them out if they got close.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. As soon as the battle tops gained enough of an open field between them and the control beacon dropped by the airship, I was able to pull focus away from their advance and concentrate my attention on threats to the beacon or the battle tops. It was a little clinical, but those were my orders from Leirin and the strategy was a good one. The enemy army was now between the hammer and the anvil and we were going to keep them stuck there for as long as we could. I had a magic particle rifle at the ready with a store of energy packs, but initially I used a large bore sniper¡¯s rifle, my goggles and my Heightened Awareness skill. I don¡¯t know how long the fight lasted, but it went on like that for some time. I targeted anything that could threaten the advance of the battle tops and the battle tops targeted everything else. Eventually, the goblins started to panic. Their army was large and they still had an advantage in numbers, but as the fight against the battle tops grew more urgent and their losses mounted. They had to pull more resources, especially elite resources away from the wall. Their push against our defenses grew weaker over time and my allies valiantly held the wall despite their numerical disadvantage. The strategy that the defenders of the Emerald Sea had put together was simple and so was the plan that Leirin and I had assembled when I revealed to her the changes that I had made to the airship and the devices that it carried. Simplicity can be an advantage under these types of circumstances and in our case it allowed us to focus on the battle. The enemy eventually started targeting me, though I think more for the high powered ranged fire than the battle top attack. I took some hits, but my defensive items were able to shrug most of them off. The goblins eventually destroyed the control beacon, though almost all of the battle tops were down at that point along with over half of the goblin army and a majority of their elite fighters. The attack had been disastrous for the Unseelie Court force. They were still more than combat capable and with the threat behind them neutralized, the path of their retreat was open, so they had a wide range of options, However, our forces had fared extremely well fighting from behind our walls and the strength of the goblin assault had steadily diminished as they struggled with the unexpectedly potent rear forces. We didn¡¯t have another load of combat devices and most of what was left on the field was not repairable, so that trick wasn¡¯t something that we could repeat. Even if we had been able, its effectiveness would also be significantly lower against an enemy that was prepared. As the goblins moved to retreat, recover and regroup for a new assault, we had to press our advantage. Leirin again issued a magically amplified if perfunctory call for surrender which the goblins ignored, but this time they lacked the flair of their first rebuke. The goblins were a little panicked, but they were still an effective fighting force. It would take our forces some time to make progress against the measured retreat of the goblin forces, which gave me plenty of time to switch to the magic particle rifle and do what damage I could by targeting their commanders and units leading their retreat. I had plenty of energy packs, I burned through every one of them in rapid succession. The goblins had powerful shamans and other casters who were capable of creating shields and other protections from magic based attacks, but their technology sucked. I hadn¡¯t met anyone in Region Eleven with a great answer for the fully upgraded version of the magic particle gun I was currently using, especially when blue crystals were available to supply a dense source of magic particles to draw from during firing. There were reasons for this that would become apparent later, but the goblins were typically not able to mount an effective defense. It was a complete rout. I ran out of power packs shortly before I would have had to stop firing for fear of hitting our own forces and took a short rest after what must have been hours of intense continuous focus with Heightened Awareness. My head swam for a moment as I finally relaxed. I turned to look at my observers and no one was laughing. The human kingdom representative looked at me with poorly disguised fear and the draconic representative had a look of what I think was reverence. The fae representative just looked smug, which I expect was pretty normal for him either way. I wanted to find my friends, but I was resolved to manning my post as long as needed. About thirty minutes later, Leirin¡¯s voice echoed across the battlefield in a declaration of victory. A massive cheer arose from our forces and as I turned to find my friends my head began to swim again. Everything around me went completely silent as it froze. The color began to drain away from the scene in front of me until everything went dark as I collapsed onto the ground. I couldn¡¯t feel the cold stones below me. I couldn¡¯t feel anything at all as I blacked out. Chapter 51: 4% I don¡¯t know how much time had passed, but when I came to I was sitting in an office chair at a desk in a large, featureless room. Aside from the desk, the room was empty, just an open floor with a one meter by one meter grid. Before me stood a tall, lanky and largely featureless figure. His face was human and he wore a wide smile as he introduced himself, ¡°Hi Harris. Great to finally meet in person. Well mostly in person at least. I am Geeq and I am here to discuss the results of your evaluation.¡± I was shocked and sat in stunned silence as Geeq continued, ¡°There is a pad of paper and a pen available to you if you¡¯d like to take some notes. I can add them to your file once the evaluation is over if you like. Well, first off Harris, I have been doing this for awhile and I have never seen anything like that. Just like wow. Unfortunately, based on the official rubric you only scored a 4%. It¡¯s not a good score Harris. I know everything is probably a little wonky in your head right now, but to put it in terms that might resonate: that is a looooow F-. We¡¯ve never tried, but I think that a pudding or someone who is in an actual coma could probably beat at 4%. Again to put it in terms that might resonate for you, you basically get 10% for signing your name on the test ¡­ you get what I am saying?. ¡°Getting into the details. You finished zero quests and did not complete a single segment of the tutorial class. Your 4% score breaks out as follows: you received 1% for the achievement Create a Unique Skill, you received 1% for the achievement Create a Unique Item, your received 1% for the achievement Complete an Advanced Class Trial and you got 1% for amassing the most faction in the final exam. That is it. Though I will say I like your style Harris. ¡°Usually this part takes a little longer, but I think that we may as well just just move along to the next part, your final character sheet. I know that you aren¡¯t a big fan of our system, but I need to share it with you either way. Plus yours is kind of interesting.
Category Value Notes
Name Harris Telmer
Race Human Origin: Earth
Class Tactician* ERROR: Value not found
HP 1000
MP 1000
Spirit ##### ERROR: SPILL
Strength 150
Intelligence 200
Agility 150
Dexterity 100
Wisdom 200
Charisma 80
DisciplineDid you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. 200
Ingenuity 250
¡°Your card is totally borked. Even I am not sure how it got that messed up, though I can share a few things. Even though you did a quest that could upgrade any class, your class didn¡¯t upgrade. It has been errored out for the whole tutorial. It isn¡¯t on our list of classes from Oberous. Also, your spirit didn¡¯t grow huge or something. The system failed when evaluating it during the initial process. We don¡¯t even really have an error protocol for something like that, so mostly your tutorial was broken from there and we just had to kind of wing it. ¡°You did have really good stat growth. To have stats like those and get a 4% completion rate really puts the minus in F-. The rest of your party did super well, but even the members of the original party that stuck with the elves got completions in the upper 60¡¯s and lower 70%. Queakers got a 97%, which might make this next part tough or not, I don¡¯t really know/care. The dog will definitely be part of the executive leadership team for the rest of the voyage and the other members of your party, except you of curse, will be officers. They¡¯ll take some of the spots vacated by Erin and the other tutorial elves. ¡°This tutorial was built to prepare magic capable individuals from unaligned worlds for immigration to Oberous. The awakening is real. Where you come from the density of magic particles is extremely low, in Earth¡¯s case it is actually suspiciously, extremely low. All of the people in your initial group are actual people that you actually knew on Earth. When we find a cluster of magic capable people in a world like yours, we find that it is better to keep them together for a tutorial because it is less traumatic and fewer of them end up going insane. ¡°In any event, we are on a large transport ship, the Esperanto, that also does a bit of mining, trading and looting in this region of space. Our primary mission is to scoop up magic capable people on worlds with lower magic density and move them to Oberous where their talents can be used and their lives can be improved. It isn¡¯t strictly voluntary, but it is definitely win-win because, as powerful as Oberous is, the population is actually in decline and they need people with the ability to use magic. The planet where you were living was a magic deprived dump, so everyone ends better off. ¡°Enough about Oberous though. You¡¯ll be there soon enough and you already know quite a bit about it. Region Eleven is a real place that was copied in every detail for the tutorial program that you just completed. The people that you encountered were real people and acted largely like they really would during the time, about five hundred years ago, when the tutorial program was developed. We have variations for all of the major races. It is uncommon for humans like you to be more compatible with the fae tutorial, but somehow that is what worked out for your team. ¡°The only other individuals that you met during the tutorial that were actually on our ship participating in the tutorial were the elves assigned to train you all. It was their second runthrough. They had done well on the first runthrough and were looking to see if they could build on their gains to rank up. Some of them were cheating, but it sure didn¡¯t help them too much, what with the way that you gunned them all down. They actually ranked down, mostly on account of you. You might want to avoid them on the ship and on Oberous, and pretty much everywhere really. They really don¡¯t like you.¡± I had recovered my wits by this point and had a moment to think. This seemed like it could be plausible. It could explain some anomalies from my year in Region Eleven. From experience, I know that it is important to get your complaints out early, so I interrupted Geeq there, ¡°Well Geeq. That all sounds like total bullshit. Not that I don¡¯t believe you, I am not decided one way or another as that is a lot to work through. If what you say your tutorial is broken and you let a bunch of cheaters run around and create a bunch of trouble. Not to mention that you are admittedly some kind of mass kidnapper. Seems pretty shady.¡± Geeq just kept on trucking, ¡°Harris. I have watched you for over a year and have an IQ over 6,000. Do you think that I couldn¡¯t guess what you were going to say? Your last complaint is already in your file. Let me finish doing my thing and we can have a little chat. ¡°Anyway, Oberous is big on merit, so everyone is actually ranked based on the tutorial results and allowed to choose their post on the ship based on that ranking. If you had any doubt, your rank is dead last. The automated drones that maintain the hallways actually outrank you. Your tutorial completion score will also be used in the emigration process on Oberous, so this isn¡¯t like a one and done,¡± explained Geeq. ¡°So, basically I am now going to get press ganged into service on your ship and I¡¯ll get the worst job here and for my time on Oberous because I wasn¡¯t part of your system. Doesn¡¯t seem fair or appropriate or even very smart,¡± I groused. ¡°You aren¡¯t wrong Harris. Your stat gains were really about the potential to improve and the classes and skills were like a trial run so that you can adjust and hit the ground running in Oberous. The knowledge that you gained is accurate and you¡¯ll still be able to do what you learned how to do without the system. The magic particle density of the space we are in is low, but I¡¯d venture a guess that with what I expect your Spirit to be you could gather enough magic particles to instantly disappear, steal control of some of the devices on board and/or go murder hobo on most of the crew. None of that sounds all that good to me, but neither does keeping you here. ¡°Fortunately, I have a better solution for your time on the ship. In fact, I already gave it to you. You¡¯ll most certainly be getting the lowest ranking job, Technician. With your skills you are already over qualified. It is mostly fixing non-essential equipment, like vending machines, and doing odd maintenance jobs on the ship. You¡¯ll be the only Technician we have and we have plenty of bots to do all that work anyway. I know that you wouldn¡¯t really start killing people, but I have the ultimate authority to deal with threats to the ship and crew at my discretion. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone else, they all think that they are in charge, but it is just another silly game. Anyhow, I¡¯ll assign you to maintenance in the forward barracks. Once you are out there, you can do whatever you want. No one is going to wander out there on their own and I won¡¯t send anyone that way. I¡¯ll lock your records to prevent anyone from accessing them without my authorization and I am betting that you can make everyone forget about yourself anyway. You can explore down there all that you want and maybe even have a few adventures. It is mostly storage for objects that we ¡°liberate¡± on our travels and for the mining operation. ¡°Might be kind of lonely, but it could be fun. We¡¯ll be at Oberous in another ten months real time and ten jumps to get there. We¡¯ll be picking up a few more ¡°passengers¡± along the way and you can plead your case to the authorities when you get there or build your own robot army, whatever you decide. I will say that magical artifice has come aways in the 500 years since the snapshot of Oberous that you lived in was taken, so you may find some interesting things to study now that you are back in the future. I¡¯ll throw library access into the deal. What do you say?¡± asked Geeq. Chapter 52: Back to Reality ¡°That sounds like a pretty terrible way to run a ship, but I¡¯ll take you up on your offer,¡± I informed the computer projection before me. ¡°Very good,¡± said Geeq. ¡°This is going to be fun. I knew that you¡¯d take the offer. IQ of 6,000, remember? I¡¯ve had this planned since you made your skill on the way to Ghostlight Falls. If you¡¯ll recall, I sent you a dream of the same. Kind of a show of good faith.¡± Geeq seemed like he had many screws loose, but I kind of liked him. I am sure that he had other options at his disposal, but this seemed like it was maybe more fair than most. It was a lot of information to absorb, but as I sifted through it, some things fell into place. It kind of made sense. ¡°Any other questions, Harris?¡± Geeq asked. ¡°So when did our experience cut over to the tutorial?¡± I replied. ¡°The chime while you were camping was the break point. I don¡¯t know why people from Earth like camping so much, but it is just so easy to snag you campers. Slap a quick camping bridge program onto the standard tutorial and you all take to it like ducks to water. Your ducks, not ours. Anyhow, I blame all of the cartoons, but grabbing camping humans is by far the easiest abuct¨C rescue in the galaxy,¡± answered the computer. ¡°So are you ready? I notice that you wrote nothing on your notepad. While at least nothing fit to print in your file. Really Harris. I am doing what I can for you here,¡± said Geeq. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s do it,¡± I answered. The room disappeared before me and the interior of some kind of pod greeted me as I got back to reality proper. I was, of course, naked. The process was pretty simple from there. Exit the pod. Have a quick shower and change into my new Technician¡¯s uniform, which was just some comfortable clothes underneath a gray jumpsuit. There was some kind of silly, pillbox type military hat, but I decided to opt out of the hat. Then there was the Incoming Technicians Celebration. When officers get their commissions, there is an elaborate ceremony with a party following. Everyone wears their dress uniform and enjoys cocktails and hors d¡¯oeuvres. Since Technicians are the lowest of the low, we had a brief meeting in a breakroom. The attendees were all cleaning and service robots. I mean I am calling them robots. They were definitely driven by magic artifice, but Geeq wasn¡¯t lying when he said that technology had come a long way. Maybe they were actually golems, I had plenty of time to figure it out over the coming months. For now they were there to celebrate my becoming a Technician, essentially their junior, and they did so completely silently. The items in the vending machines were free for a few minutes as a sort of celebratory ¡°hurrah for Harris¡± type of gesture and then we all got going. I was confident that I¡¯d find a time to reconnect with my friends, but this wasn¡¯t it. Geeq did let me record a brief message for them and agreed to play it for them at an appropriate time. They were no doubt being commissioned and would also be settling into their new positions and routines, so they would need time to adjust for themselves as well. Included with my uniform was a device that could project a sort of heads up display in my vision. I expected that it functioned much like the Unified System UI in some way, though of course that was a topic I knew precious little about. Interestingly, under these circumstances I didn¡¯t have any real objection to using it. It was just a tool at this point. I hadn¡¯t changed my stance or anything, but the change in context made all the difference for me. It is weird how those things can happen. I followed the navigation guidance provided by the heads up display and it played out almost exactly like it did in the dream of the ship that I had experienced in Ghostlight Falls. It was familiar in an empty sort of a way. *** Fortunately, Queakers was still able to use her text boxes to communicate on board the Esperanto. There were other options enabled by the technology of the, especially with the diversity of races that it had ferried to Oberous over the years, but she was comfortable with the text boxes. Some races, like the elves, were still pretty stuck up about the pecking order, but really the only thing that mattered was the ability to generate and control magical particles. If a being had the spirit to do this and they weren¡¯t totally corrupted in the process, like monsters were, then they had equal footing in Oberous¡¯ society. That is not to say that Oberous didn¡¯t have factions, there most certainly are powerful factions on the planet and there had been for thousands of years. The politics of these factions could be dizzying and complex, but even they typically had a meritocratic bent that reflected that of their society as a whole.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Queakers, easily slipping into her new role as first officer of the Esperanto, commanded Geeq, ¡°Give me Harris¡¯ position. I need to see him.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, First Queakers I cannot provide information on any such crew member,¡± responded Geeq¡¯s disembodied voice. However, one of Geeq¡¯s projection units breezed into the party following the commissioning of the new officers shortly after and collected Queakers, Jim, Karen, Kelly and Sarah. Geeq led the team into a private lounge and simply said, ¡°I think that you¡¯ll agree that it is best that this stays between you.¡± He then played my video. An image of me in my Technican¡¯s uniform appeared before the team, ¡°Hi guys. Turns out that I failed the tutorial at 4% completion. Geeq tells me that it is a record. Anyhow, I was working up to another really epic complaint on this whole thing, but instead Geeq and I made a deal. I will be discharging my very important Technician¡¯s duties in the forward section of the ship. I am fine with it and should have plenty of free time to work on a few things. ¡°When we get to Oberous I am going to try to find the real Galan and Leirin in Loramen. It sounds like Elen, Ruven and Phraan were cheating in the tutorial program to try to game their rank en route to Oberous and that they probably would like to repay me for ruining their plans. I am going to be hiding out in a spot where I am almost certainly assured to be safe from my admiring public, but sadly it means we won¡¯t be able to spend much time together during the journey. ¡°Let¡¯s meet-up on Oberous in Loramen if not before. I hear that it is hard to get to Loramen, but I think that it will be a good place for us. Anyway, stay safe. Geeq can get me a message if you need anything from me, but it is for the best if no one knows where I am at right now. I think that we should meet up from time-to-time, I¡¯ll handle the invitations when the time comes.¡± My recording winked out and Geeq reappeared in front of the group. The Geeq¡¯s computer projection followed up, ¡°If you have any questions, ask them now. Harris and I are of the same mind that it would be best if everyone forgot about him for a while. I didn¡¯t go into too much detail with him, but Elen and her group of elves aren¡¯t just random acquisitions like you all. They are from a branch of an existing elven faction who is moving into the interior of their faction organization. ¡°The details of the tutorials aren¡¯t public, but they all know what happened and they are absolutely livid. Falling in the reranking is going to leave them gunning for you all, but they are going to do their utmost to make sure that Harris doesn¡¯t make it to Oberous in one piece. Though Harris is uniquely suited to eliminate that threat at least as long as he is by himself.¡± Sarah, who had ranked nearly as high as Queakers, responded first, ¡°I don¡¯t understand how you think that Harris is going to use his max stealth skill across the voyage Geeq. I thought that you said that we would have to relearn our skills on Oberous and it would be extremely difficult to use skills out here anyway because of the extremely low density of magic particles in most of the space that we¡¯ll be passing through?¡± Geeq answered with a sly smile, ¡°I think that it is best if Harris explains that to you the next time you see him Sarah, but I think that it is safe to say that he won¡¯t have an issue.¡± ¡°Who is Harris?¡± Sarah asked. ¡°Well I guess that is that," said Geeq. ¡°Everyone back to the party. It is time I showed you my dance moves. Prepare to weep at your own inadequacy.¡± Yeah, Geeq never really suffered from a lack of confidence, even if he didn¡¯t have things as well in hand as it initially seemed. *** ¡°Well captain, what do you think of the new recruits?¡± asked Geeq. Captain Aenorin, replied with some earnest frustration, ¡°I think that you need to share a little bit more about how we got here Geeq. A successful party goes in for a rerank and wipes in a tutorial where a dog from a backwater planet gets a 97% and a bunch of newly awakened humans aren¡¯t far behind. Doesn¡¯t really seem possible outside of an asteroid strike or some kind of glitch. The elves affected have already lodged a complaint and you know that with their affiliations that is going to blow up to be a huge pain in the neck.¡± Geeq projected himself into Captain Aenorin¡¯s quarters and looked her directly in the eye when he said, ¡°You know that I can¡¯t and won¡¯t give you any more specifics about the tutorial. I will tell you that it is interesting, probably the most interesting one that I have seen. Deal with the elves yourself. That is why you are here afterall, to keep all of these fools in order en route. I have a ship to run. Don¡¯t ask me about this again.¡± The captain shot right back, ¡°Geeq. You are the one who asked me about the new recruits in the first place. Are you going a little computer senile?¡± ¡°Oh yeah. You¡¯re right. Sorry about that Sana. Have a good night,¡± Geeq responded. He was absolutely going a little computer senile, but his job was actually quite demanding. Even during the voyage the awakened passengers, who were also the crew, would be tested, trained and evaluated. It wasn¡¯t a simulation this time and Geeq took this responsibility very serio Chapter 53: Solitude vs Fortitude I don¡¯t know that I¡¯d call our awakening apocalyptic. It certainly had enough elements that you could make the argument, at least from our perspective. We didn¡¯t have enough information at that time to evaluate anything beyond that in a rational way. Now all of that had changed. The world that we were experiencing now had always been out there, but the feeling of isolation that we had experienced, admittedly in different ways and to different degrees had started to shift. At least it did for those that were part of the crew proper. Our context was shifting quickly after leaving the tutorial and what once seemed uniquely traumatic was being normalized. Maybe we didn¡¯t make the choice to be there, but nonetheless most of us had begun to settle into our assigned roles. Admittedly, I was settling into my assigned role in my own way. You could call me an independent researcher or an on call technician or anything else you wanted, but I was a space bum. It took me awhile to process things and I think that it is fair to say that I fell into a bit of a depression in the process. Geeq stopped by to talk a couple of times of day, but I barely left my room. The living environment in the forward barracks was perfectly comfortable, if generally pointless. I claimed one of the double rooms for myself. It had its own attached bathroom, a built-in rack of two bunks, a sitting area and a small table. I had the equivalent of a tablet that I could use to access the library. Apparently my skill didn¡¯t affect Geeq because he used his observations from the tutorial to build himself a shielded area to keep processes related to me, so he made sure that the maintenance units in my area brought me my meals when I wasn¡¯t feeling up to going to the unmanned and fully automated mess hall maybe 100 yards from my room. I spent most of my time watching what I called ¡°in-ship entertainment,¡± but what anyone else would likely refer to as pirated CCTV footage. Geeq had hooked me up with this perk and, although it probably wasn¡¯t healthy long term, it did give me a way to keep an eye on what was going on in the more populous areas of the ship. I had an area in my room with a grow light. I think that the idea was to grow herbs and maybe some other plants with positive benefits. One of the maintenance units had dropped off some pots, soil, basic gardening tools, soil and some seeds. I am not sure exactly where they came from as Geeq feigned ignorance when I asked about them. They were a nice hobby though. I really found myself missing nature now that I was living in the relatively sterile environment of the Esperanto. I had always enjoyed being outdoors and been fascinated with nature, but I didn¡¯t realize how far I had progressed down that road during the tutorial until I was suddenly in a fully artificial environment. I wasn¡¯t a wild elf, but I spent about half of my first six months in Region Eleven hunting through the woods with Deldes and Delirin. I slept under the stars every night during my adventures with the elves and I traded in my apartment for what was essentially a cave under a tree when I moved to Eastern Tear. I didn¡¯t really have a house in the Aerodrome either. I could always duck into the hanager if need be, but I mostly slept outside, or at least in the open air of one of my workshops, while I was there. My connection with the nature and the natural world was much deeper than it had ever been, following the tutorial, but I was essentially estranged from it living in the forward barracks of the Esperanto. I wasn¡¯t sure what the plants were, but they were growing extremely quickly, like a couple feet a day. It felt like a pretty extraordinary pace for some seeds, but I appreciated the green space and fresh air that they were adding to my quarters. I would have to ask them about it the next time we chatted. I had often heard that talking plants helped them grow.At the time I wasn¡¯t sure if it was the result of my relatively solitary confinement, but when I gave it a try with these plants they started talking back. *** ¡°Well that was certainly interesting. Elen is typically organized and everything that she touches typically turns to gold, but that was not gold. That was chaos,¡± said Wythander. ¡°Well I thought it was great fun. When that dog beat Elyon, I saw the start of an epic ballad in the making,¡± responded Ayre. ¡°Unfortunately, Elen and Ruven are mad that I didn¡¯t help more and I don¡¯t think that Phraan is going to be able to calm them down. I may need to think about some new options when we reach Oberous. ¡°I wasn¡¯t ever going to be able to make that moron into a bard, so I wasn¡¯t going to be able to make the princess happy no matter what, but I fared the best of the team in the evaluations. Feels like I did something right and that those three are going to have some explaining to do when we get to Elamore. Unfortunately, they don¡¯t see it that way.¡± ¡°I wish someone would explain it to me, " said Wythander. ¡°I still have some blank spots, but how did everyone manage to get killed before the final test? How did they have negative faction with the fae. I didn¡¯t even know that was possible for an elf. I mean we are the fae and you know that those three weren¡¯t exactly on the level.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Probably best not to mention that here,¡± whispered Ayre. The two elves sat in a large communal dining facility at the aft of the Esperanto. It had a transparent wall that allowed diners to marvel at the vastness of space as they dined. These two were not part of the Elamore faction, but they had been recruited to accompany them to Oberous. They had spent over two years on board to this point and had become friends as the only outsiders in the group of elves Elen, Ruven and Phraan are leading. Just then Ruven slid up to the table. His expression was a mix of rage, frustration and shame as he cleared their dishes and quickly left the two without even a greeting. Say what you might about Ruven, he was exacting in his work even if he felt it was beneath him. That mess hall was spotless. Communications operator Ayre and aquaculture specialist Wythander would have to be getting back to work shortly themselves. Neither Ayre nor Wythander had lost enough rank in the recent tutorial evaluation to lose their positions, but they both had lost their shift preferences. They had fared the best of all of the tutorial trainers in the reranking that they had received, as they had both managed to accomplish some of their objectives and had avoided the stiff penalty for dying within the simulated environment of Region Eleven. They were even further on the outside of their group as a result of their lack of support for some of the elven party''s more questionable decisions. However, the remainder of the party¡¯s abject failure and the devastating reduction in rank that flowed from it made it difficult for the group to complain too loudly about Wythander and Ayre at this point. *** Ezenirth sat at the large conference table in the meeting hall that he had reserved. He was only meeting a single human, Larune, another strong performer from the recently concluded tutorial simulation. However, he liked to stretch out and saw no reason not to ensure that he had ample space and options to do so. He had been awarded an executive position in charge of the Esperanto¡¯s defense as a result of his performance in the simulation and reserving such a room was well with his purview. It wasn¡¯t often that the final challenge of the tutorial could be completed as quickly and effectively as his had been, but his faction rewards had been extremely modest. He and Larune weren¡¯t previously acquainted, but he had done the research that he could on the recent tutorial and it was easy enough to put together that she too had participated in the tutorial and performed admirably. All of the other strong performers in the tutorial had declined his invitation, but he was hoping that his discussion with Larune would bear fruit as he continued to try to piece together the mystery of exactly what had transpired in what was most certainly the most lopsided ranking exercise aboard the Esperanto during this five year recruitment drive. Larune arrived on time and greeted the Ezenirth warmly. Even in this empty region of space, with its incredibly low density of magic particles, Larune¡¯s eyes sparkled with magic. After a few pleasantries with the human magical systems officer, Ezenirth got down to business. It was time to fill in some of the persistent gaps in his understanding, and frankly, his recollection of the tutorial. *** Mental health is not a joke. It is something that we all need to commit the time, energy, honest and space to support. I was in a low place, but I was working through my issues. It would have been better to share how I was feeling with my friends, but that wasn¡¯t possible under the circumstances and, even if it were, it wasn¡¯t what I wanted to do at the time. I needed to evaluate all of my relationships and that meant my relationships with my friends as well. I knew that they would be there for me, but what I really needed was someone with a fresh perspective. Seek and ye shall find. Talking to my plants because it may be positive for their growth, quickly became sharing my thoughts with my plants. I was sure that Geeq could hear what I said aloud, so I was cautious not to over share, but I enjoyed the opportunity to externalize my thoughts as I processed everything that had happened. It can be hard to externalize your thoughts when alone, so I was concerned, but a little relieved when I started to hear the voices of my plants in response .Don¡¯t worry the plants weren¡¯t actually talking to me, the voices were in my head. The voices were a jumble of discordant thoughts and ideas at first, but over the course of a couple of days they began to align until they were one, aggressively chipper, fiercely loyal and charmingly amoral personality that went by the handle Springlit. I think that Geeq started to get really concerned when I casually asked ¡°did you hear that¡± at odd intervals and recording and playing back apparently random moments of silence in my quarters, but I managed to confirm that all of Springlet¡¯s communication was completely telepathic. Geeq really thought that I had lost it when I asked him to test the air in my quarters for foreign contaminants, but that eliminated the possibility that there was something in the air making me hallucinate. I was convinced that Springlit was real. With a little effort and coaching from her, I got the hang of communicating back with Springlit without speaking, allowing us to have much more in-depth conversations without any nosy computers listening in. I could smell a new skill brewing and I was starting to get a little more interested in the universe of opportunities that was waiting for me when I finally got to a place to, you know, leave my quarters. Chapter 54: Springlit ¡°So Springlit, where did you come from anyway,¡± I asked the voice in my head I was pretty sure was coming from my potted plants. ¡°Harris, I have been around for a long time. I think that my seeds had been dormant for centuries at least. It is hard to say exactly, but I was SO HAPPY when you came! Before you, I didn¡¯t have what I needed to grow, but now look at me go. I am growing so fast.¡± ¡°What exactly do I give you that lets you grow?¡± I responded. This was an odd development and I wanted to understand Springlit¡¯s situation and intentions. I understood previously that some of the fae could read minds in a limited way. That seemed more akin to picking up on impressions than what Springlit was doing. ¡°Love maybe?¡± Springlit teased. ¡°Just kidding, Harris. Probably. It is for sure magic. I don¡¯t think that the others can feel it, but you are generating some magic particles at a specific ¡­ a particular frequency in enough volume to help me grow. They felt really good to me when I felt them and I convinced one of those golems to drop me off at the source and I got to growing.¡± ¡°So you can control the ship¡¯s service units?¡± I asked with some trepidation. It seemed like a foothold type situation maybe. I didn¡¯t actually have any training as the sole Technician aboard the Esperanto. In general that suited me just fine, but I wasn¡¯t really sure what my responsibilities in this type of situation really were. Geeq and I had only ever talked about work related guidelines once. When he and I were first talking about the plan he said, ¡°The vending machines are your province aboard the Esperanto. This is actually a big responsibility. People depend on them for snacks and those vending machines aren¡¯t going to fix themselves, are they? Well most of them actually can fix themselves. The only ones that can¡¯t are older models and pretty fiddly, so I would leave those to the service units. Anyway, I am counting on your Harris.¡± It wasn¡¯t really a comprehensive job description, but I had been diligently sticking to it thus far. Anyhow, it didn¡¯t help me with Springlit. The answer that the voice gave me didn¡¯t allay my fears much either, ¡°At the time I first visited you I was very weak, so I could only control one golem and only when it was relatively close. Now I can control many of the golems and many other parts of the ship. My spiritual roots grew so much thanks to you Harris. The only ones that I can talk directly to right now are you and big sis Queakers. I think that she understands plants better than you, so we get along great, but you help me grow the MOST. I love it here Harris! Let¡¯s go on some adventures soon!¡± ¡°So what type of adventures did you want to have, Springlit? Also, when you say that you can control other parts of the ship, what do you mean?¡± I asked my new friend. I figured there was probably no reason to panic. Then all of the lights went out and the gravity-like force holding me to the floor disappeared. The lights flashed back on the gravity was restored an instant later. Geeq came over the loudspeaker and informed the crew of the Esperanto, ¡°We suffered a momentary disruption in our environmental and life support system. All systems are functioning normally. We are performing a full diagnostic, but there is no cause for alarm. Thank you.¡± ¡°You saw what I did there, didn¡¯t you Harris? Impressed? I can control all of the systems attached to the main computer or the water lines, but right now Geeq can take control back very quickly. I wonder how that will work after I have grown some more. As for adventures, I woke up when you entered the tutorial and I watched every minute of your adventure there. I would love to have some adventures like those sometime. We could go with big sis once we get to Oberous. That seems like a fun planet,¡± responded the voice in my head. ¡°You watched all of my adventures. Like every single minute? Can you read my mind, Springlit? I think that some adventures sound fun, but I need some boundaries and I also need to know that we can trust each other. Also, are you a ghost in the machine or are you really a plant?¡± I said in a panicked voice that I pushed to sound as calm as possible. This was going down a bad road quickly. ¡°Me read your mind Harris? That is funny. I am probably a thousand years too early for something like that. It is more likely that you can read my mind. Can you read my mind Harris? If you could, you would know that you can always trust your good friend Springlit. I might be a ghost in your machine and I am definitely a real plant. I am super real. Just look,¡± said Springlit as pale green glowing plant matter began to pour out of my shower floor. It didn¡¯t go down the drain. Instead, it rapidly coalesced into the form of a woman with extremely pale skin with an extremely slight green glow. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Check me out Harris. The plants in your room are like my antennae, but most of me lives in the water system. It''s like algae, but I don¡¯t need any light. You are my sun Harris!¡± Springlit explained enthusiastically as moved to open the shower door. ¡°Springlit, if you want me to ¡®check you out,¡¯ you better have made some magic algae clothes to go with that magic algae body. Also, can other people see you? Does Geeq know that you are living in the water system? Is it even safe for everyone to have you growing in there?¡± I was a little scared and a little exhausted at this point. I hadn¡¯t talked much over the past two weeks on the Esperanto and this Springlit had me working overtime. As she stepped out of the shower stall, I could see that she had her very own Technician¡¯s jumpsuit, complete with the silly hat. Her skin and hair had a greenish tinge, but she looked pretty well like a normal woman perhaps a few years my junior. ¡°Can other people see you Harris? Not unless you want them too, right? It is the same with me. Geeq doesn¡¯t know that I am on the ship at all. I fine tuned the water system to keep my areas separate from those needed for life support, so it is totally safe. If my water were to mingle with the crew¡¯s water they would be completely safe. The only difference would be a very slight minty fresh scent. Don¡¯t I smell good Harris?¡± Springlit said chipper enthusiasm. She did smell good. Minty fresh even, but I had another much more pressing question, ¡°How did you pick what you¡¯d look like Springlit? ¡°I carefully observed all of your physiological reactions and speech patterns during the tutorial and while you watched the CCTV system after you left the tutorial. I correlated all of the results and designed the best vessel for us to go adventuring. Why? Is there a problem Harris?¡± answered Springlit. ¡°You should look however you want Springlit. You shouldn¡¯t change yourself to make anyone else happy. That isn¡¯t right and I wouldn¡¯t ask a friend to do that for me. I do notice that you look a fair amount like some people I know, like Kelly and Delirin for example. That could create some ¡­ awkward questions for me, but the important thing is that you are happy. Be yourself,¡± I replied to the sentient plant standing in the sitting area of my room. It was a very after school special response, but I believed it then and I still feel that way now. I was also rolling the dice on Springlit actually wanting to make some changes that would make her look less like people in my life and perhaps blend in a bit better. The assumptions that my friends would make ¡­ even just the embarrassment if she explained how she came up with her look ¡­ I could see the looks on their faces and hear the questions. I was not looking forward to Springlit meeting the my friends as things stood. ¡°Thanks Harris. I appreciate what you just said. I think that I would like to make some changes,¡± replied Springlit. Thank goodness. Springlit briefly flashed with green light. My eyes refocused and it was a ¡­ critical failure! Springlit¡¯s lustrous hair was now a beautiful shade of emerald green and her deep green eyes sparkled to match. The cut of her jumpsuit was also more tailored and a bit more revealing. She had a striking appearance that would attract attention anywhere and everywhere that she went. Just peachy. I did not comment on the changes. Like I said it wasn¡¯t really my place. I simply stated, ¡°When I said we need some boundaries, I meant it. You can¡¯t constantly observe me, Springlit. I need a measure of privacy and I don¡¯t want to feel like I''m constantly being watched.¡± ¡°I understand. Thank you for telling me how you feel. I will stop watching you while you sleep. Is that a good start Harris?¡± Springlit responded. ¡°Sure. That sounds like a good start. Like a really important and good start. In fact, I was going to turn in now. Let¡¯s talk some more tomorrow, Springlit,¡± I told the sentient plant before starting my nightly routine. This had been a weird day. Things with Springlit had been unexpected, but I very much got a feeling from her that she was genuine and she was certainly different. Springlit was able to communicate with me and remember me while my full stealth skill was running, which was novel in my experience to that point. After two weeks in largely self-imposed solitary, I had realized that ten months alone with only the occasional visit from Geeq wasn¡¯t going to work. Not if I wanted to stay sane. As I started to drift off to sleep I heard Springlit¡¯s voice in my mind, ¡°Good Night Harris. I have a few errands to run. I will be back tomorrow morning and I will bring you a FUN surprise.¡± Great. Probably no way that was going to go wrong. I made sure that I had my energy armor, including my gear for low oxygen and noxious gasses, running before I drifted off to sleep. You know, just in case Springlit¡¯s fun surprise was oxygen related. Oxygen is key. Chapter 55: I Always Figured Those Guys Were Aliens When I woke up the next day Springlit actually did bring me a good surprise. She had scoured the forward area of the Esperanto for materials that I could use to create a magic compass. Galan had trained me to build his signature device within the tutorial and I was interested to see how those skills translated to the same work outside of the tutorial. It seems Springlit¡¯s intense observation of the tutorial allowed her to identify what was needed for the construction of a compass, but not how to build one herself. In a way it was a comfort to find some limits to Springlit¡¯s skillset, though locating the materials for the compass so quickly in the massive forward area of the Esperanto was impressive on its own. As she deposited the materials and some tools on the table in the sitting area of my quarters, Springlit shared her plans for adventure with me, ¡°After you construct your magic compass, we can go on a journey across the forward decks looking for treasures and rare materials and all the other interesting things hidden out there. The mining decks have samples from at least every world that the ship has visited during the most recent five year cycle, but I¡¯d guess it has more like a millennium of samples and the storage lockers are probably full of treasures many times older than that. We could find anything. We could find anyone. With its current assignment, no one comes down to this part of the ship anymore and it doesn¡¯t seem like anyone cares about what is down here. It will be like our own treasure hunt.¡± ¡°If and when I can actually really make the compass based on what I learned in the tutorial and if it actually works, I will ask Geeq about the ownership of the items in the area and if there are any restrictions on where we can explore. I like your idea though Springlit. I need a project and this does sound like fun. How big would you say the ship is and how long were you hoping our first trip would take?¡± I telepathically asked the plant. ¡°The ship is about eight miles long, four miles high and four miles wide. The forward area is more than half of the volume of the ship. I think that we should plan to be gone for about a month, so we could prepare for our expedition and leave just after the jump coming up in just about two weeks. We could travel out for a couple of weeks and then turn around and head back via a different path to make it back here before the Esperanto jumps again. You want to be somewhere secure during the jumps in case something goes wrong,¡± explained Springlit. Springlit had really put some thought into this plan and it definitely sounded better than sitting around my quarters all day. If it worked well we could do a few exploratory runs between jumps and I could spend the off time learning more about advancements in magic artifice and on any projects that we came up with as we were exploring. ¡°I am in Springlit. Let me see if I can put together a compass that works in low magic particle density space with what we have here,¡± I said to my plucky new plant friend. Springlit was elated and I got to work. Turns out I could make a magic compass that worked on the Esperanto without much difficulty. The range of the compass was more modest that the later models that I put together during the tutorial, but that was fine since we were in a confined, if quite large space. I had to work through a few preliminary lessons in ¡°modern¡± magic artifice to get the most of some of the parts that Springlit scavenged for me the night before, but it was nothing too terribly difficult. It was harder to complete some of the work in the low magic particle density of this region of space, but it was easy to compensate for that after I understood the trouble spots. It was something that deserved additional investigation, but following that project I had every reason to believe the tutorial had been true to life on topics like magic particle behavior and magic artifice. I had produced a working version of the magic compass before I turned in that night, but it was a hideous contraption. I had used part of the casing of a talking toaster that Springlit had found smashed into dozens of pieces in a garbage hold off the diesel deck to make the body of the compass. It ended up being best to repurpose some existing circuits to get the compass working with what we had, but Springlit had found me some primary metals somewhere, including gold, silver and antimony, which made the process much easier. According to Geeq, the purpose and mission of the Esperanto had changed over the years and the items in the forward deck were largely abandoned. I could use what I found for my project as part of compensation for my ¡°work¡± as a technician to make it all legal. If there was anything valuable that might have an owner, I could ask Geeq about it using the interface of my heads up display or an emergency watch that he provided in case I got cut off from the normal communication channel. I spent the rest of the two weeks before the jump preparing for the trip with Springlet¡¯s assistance. We¡¯d be walking for the trip and had enlisted a couple of service units to help us on the mission. Springlet named one Leaf and the other Twig. Leaf was green and Twig was brownish, so I guess I got it. They were there to support in any way that they could, but primarily they were there to carry our stuff. I also managed to put together some basic and capable energy armor for me and Springlet as well as some upgraded adventuring models of my shield discs with things like hooks and ropes. I didn¡¯t really have the resources to craft the kind of ceramic alloys that I was used to using when I had crafted similar devices in the tutorial,, but I was flush with lightweight and durable metal scraps that worked almost as well. I was interested to see how everything would work in space.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. *** Ships like the Esperanto traveled at high speeds, but to cross the truly vast interstellar distances that the ship¡¯s mission required something other than speed was required. The Esperanto and other interstellar craft like her used shortcuts in space to cross these mind boggling distances in nearly the blink of an eye. In fact, most of the transit time of the trip was simply the Esperanto moving from one shortcut exit to another shortcut entrance. The process of entering and exiting a shortcut was called a jump and it was a weird experience. Each jump took just a few minutes as the jump engines were charged. When the engines were at their maximum it felt like space was ever so slightly bent and then, with a pop, you were simply somewhere entirely different in space. Geeq had sounded general quarters ahead of the jump and, following his post jump safety checks, had again allowed everyone to return to their normal tasks after a successful transit. That was Springlit and my cue to get underway. We hiked out to the diesel decks with Leaf and Twig and stopped for the night before a bulkhead that separated the area that I had been inhabiting for the past month from the mining decks on the ship. The Esperanto was a huge ship, but it wasn¡¯t so huge that you couldn¡¯t have walked across its length in a straight line in a few hours. Unfortunately, there were very few straight lines on the ship. It was a maze and vertical and horizontal distance had to be taken into account when planning each move that we made. It was slow going, but that was fine as we were exploring and there was plenty to check out and examine in each of the spaces that we worked through. We entered the mining decks proper the next morning and immediately on the other side of the bulkhead was a huge transparent window that opened into a large bay that was physically open to space. The hangar had a number of smaller vessels that looked like they might be used for drilling, blasting and collecting mineral samples and materials from comets, asteroids, moons and planets encountered by the Esperanto. The hangar also had what looked like ground equipment, portable drilling rigs and a myriad of samples that had been extracted by the ship during its travels. However, what really captured my attention as I looked through that window into the hangar were the large black space squid that were drifting into the hangar from the exterior of the ship. I call the space squid black as that was their base color, but they had an iridescent purple sheen over the exterior of their bodies and huge faintly glowing violet eyes. Watching these cosmic cephalopods float into the mining bay against the background of the distant stars was an impressive sight, but Springlet and I weren¡¯t here to study space squid. We pushed forward through what looked like a large laboratory space, likely for testing samples harvested by the vehicles in the hangar. Some of the equipment seemed interesting, but it was very close to our home base and we wanted to push deeper toward some of the stronger hits on the magic compass while we still had plenty of time ahead of the next jump. The next space we explored seemed like a large storage area for supplies for operational mining missions. The space was generally disused but there were thousands of crates and we explored a few that at least provided a result from the magic compass, but we didn¡¯t find anything that useful or interesting. As we pushed through to the next room, which was a control room of some sort based on all of the terminals and computer-like equipment mounted in the space. It was a relatively small space, but it had a restroom and doors at either end that could be secured from the inside, making it a perfect place to rest for the night. We obviously didn¡¯t have a campfire, but it felt like camping as we setup our sleeping rolls after a light dinner and prepared to get some rest. Springlit was clearly enjoying our adventure thus far and, before rolling over to sleep or whatever plants did at night, she thought to me softly, ¡°Thanks Harris. This is so much fun. I saw you camp so many times in the tutorial and I always wanted to try it.¡± I was awakened with a start as an alarm blared from the emergency watch that Geeq had given me. ¡°I finally managed to boost the signal enough to get through to you Harris. There are relays down all over the ship. When we made the exit during our last jump, we picked up some kind of mana eating monsters. They have forced their way into the ship in at least a dozen spots. We have kept them from the populated areas of the ship thus far, the forward section isn¡¯t safe. Instead of exploring, you should retreat as quickly as possible to the main crew decks in the aft of the ship. Don¡¯t engage the monsters, they are extremely dangerous. We are working on a plan, but right now you need to focus on your own safety,¡± reported the computer. ¡°Got it Geeq. I will take care of myself and see what I can do to get to the aft crew decks. Good luck,¡± I responded. Yeah. Chalk another one up for camping.