《Choices》 1: The First Choice You listen to the principal at the head of the gymnasium as he continues to drone on about the importance of education, college, and other oft repeated things. Today is the day that the senior year graduates from high school. To many it is a joyous occasion, to others it isn¡¯t anything special. But for you it is the day that marks the beginning of your new and (hopefully) exciting life. You haven¡¯t really done anything interesting so far, but you know that life has more to offer you than what you''ve already seen. It is as you are daydreaming of your mundane life finally changing for the better that the gymnasium around you begins to shake. The world shakes. Everyone stumbles slightly as the ground rumbles beneath their feet and the building itself begins to vibrate and pulse. Then the walls and ceiling, as if they were simply too fragile to exist, begin to crumble away. Behind them lies a vast and empty white space. It is at this point that people begin to react, first some of the students, then the teachers. One after another sounds of shock fill the air. People yell and scream, demanding to know what is going on. You can¡¯t help but think that their words are useless. Who is there to answer their questions? Who could possibly explain what is going on? Clearly whatever is happening is beyond comprehension.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. But as you look around at the crumbling of reality, you realize it is nothing in comparison to what comes next. With an earth shattering roar a presence comes into existence in the white space above. The pressure it exerts is enough to bring everyone to their knees. You are no exception, falling to the ground with your peers. ¡°Greetings mortals.¡± A Voice resounds in your head. There is no definable gender to the Voice and no way to discern where it comes from but you know at once that this Voice belongs to the Being floating above you. A Being you can only think of as God. "It seems that what is happening has confused many of you but do not worry, the bewilderment you feel will soon vanish. For the moment all you need to know is that you have been called forth to populate the world of Celtair. You must now choose whether you are willing to accept my calling.¡± As the words finished a Box appears in front of your eyes and you have a choice to make. The first of many.
Accept Summons to the World of Celtair?
1) Yes
2) No
2: The Second Choice As you stare at the box, your mind trying to process what is happening, you make your decision. This is the exciting life you always wanted. This is your chance. Of course you¡¯re going to pick yes! As you begin to act, your arm half raised towards the button, you see a number appear on the top right corner of the box and begin to count backwards: 30 ¨C 29 ¨C 28. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot,¡± the Voice adds as an afterthought, ¡°those that do not choose will die.¡± As if those words were a signal the pressure the Voice exerts increases and you feel yourself forced to the ground on all fours. You try to fight against the pressure, to raise yourself up. You struggle to press the button, to live. Looking at the countdown you feel as if your heart is going to burst open from the strain. 14 ¨C 13 ¨C 12. You know instinctively that whatever this Voice is, its words are true. It can squish you like a bug if you don¡¯t choose. But more than that you need to choose right. This is your chance, your chance to be more. With fear and hope in your heart, you reach forward with one arm, intent on pressing yes. The struggle to move grows more intense as your finger gets closer to the box, but you¡¯re almost there. 8 ¨C 7 ¨C 6. Beads of sweat dot your forehead as you move a little closer, ever so slowly inching your way forward. 5 ¨C 4. One inch. Two inches. Three. Just a bit more and you¡¯ll have it.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. 3 ¨C 2. With one last tremendous push you press the button. 1. You can feel it against your fingers, the box cool to the touch as your face is flushed with success. You¡¯ve done it, you¡¯ve survived. Now your life is going to be one of interest, full of excitement and purpose! ¡°Congratulations,¡± you hear the Voice say mockingly, ¡°to all those who have accomplished the simple feat of pressing a button. To those who have chosen not to accept my offer, goodbye.¡± You watch in shock as a bright light shoots down from above, engulfing several people who cry out in horror and pain. The stench of burning flesh quickly fills the air and you begin to gag. Soon enough the screams die out and the squeezing pressure disappears. Just in time for you to retch up your lunch and shudder in relief at having chosen yes. ¡°Now that the uninteresting mortals have disappeared,¡± the Voice above continues, ¡°it is time for each of you to receive a gift." Looking around the room you can see that a lot of people have died. What had to be well over a hundred people have been killed in an instant. People you were close to and had known for years are gone. To your right lies the charred remains of one of your best friends, their face now unrecognizable as they remain still forever. ¡°You must learn to rely on your gifts," says the Voice, "as they will be instrumental to your survival.¡± You shudder at the words. You can tell that whatever the Voice intends to have you do will most definitely involve another brush with death. A Box appears in front of you.
Congratulations! You may now pick one of the following abilities to accompany you on your journey:
1) A Magical Education; Learn to be the wizard you¡¯ve always dreamed of!
2) The Perfect Body; Faster, Stronger, Better!
3) Appraisal; What is it and what is it worth? You know.
4) No ability; You don¡¯t believe in a free lunch.
3: The Third Choice You stare at the words for a few moments hesitating on which one you should choose. Magic would be awesome, you could shoot fireballs, fly, and teleport. On the other hand they say might makes right and it would be pretty cool to be super strong. Then there was the third option. A little vague, but knowledge is always important and that¡¯s what it seems to be promising. It takes you a few more moments before you come to a decision; Perfect Body. Your future looks uncertain and at least this way you¡¯ll be able to rely on your own body. You press the button and you feel ¡­ nothing. You don¡¯t feel any different than you usually do. It¡¯s like nothings change. You let out a depressed sigh at your non-existent power as you take a look around the auditorium and see people begin shouting in joy after pressing buttons of their own. As you watch them you begin to notice that the charred bodies around you have begun to fade, disappearing as if they were never there. You stare in shock as the boy in front of you vanishes. You look to your right and take in the sight of your best friend as they too vanish. They are both dead. Gone. Yet even as you watch people you¡¯ve known for years vanish out of existence, you notice that none of the other people around you seem concerned. It is as if you are the only one that has noticed their disappearance. Your classmates are thrilled, acting as if Christmas has come early. Is it that they do not care about the deaths of the people they had known? People they had spent years with? Are the powers they¡¯ve received from the Voice so enticing they¡¯re able to ignore what had just occurred? Is your lack of such an ability the very reason you aren¡¯t? Your thoughts are interrupted by the Voice¡¯s words. ¡°You will now be transported to Celtair. Do try to enjoy your new lives.¡± With that you can sense the Voice disappear and you feel a tugging sensation in your stomach as everything around you spins wildly. After a few moments the world finally rights itself and you find yourself lying face first on the ground. You sit up and spit out a mouthful of dirt as you look at your new surroundings. You''re alone in some kind of underground cavern. The walls around you are the dull gray-brown of earth covered rocks. The only illumination in the room is the light from a single flickering torch and you see it shine down the lone tunnel that leads deeper into the underground. While you¡¯re apprehensive of your current situation, you manage to shrug it off and pick up the torch. This seems like as good a start for a typical adventure as any other and you might as well get on with it. Your first step down the tunnel, however, gives you pause as another blue box appears and obscures your vision.
Mainline Scenario Initiated. Tutorial: Find the exit and survive.
Mainline Scenario? Tutorial? The box disappears and you shake your head. You¡¯ll puzzle that one out later. The most important thing was the ending of that box. Find the exit and survive. That sounds rather ominous. You now start to doubt the simplicity of the task and immediately raise your guard. Whatever the box was talking about, you¡¯ll be ready.
Or at least that¡¯s what you¡¯ve told yourself for the first few hours. Now? Now you¡¯re just sick of the twisting and turning of the tunnel, paths branching off often enough that you wouldn¡¯t be able to find your way back even if you tried. Your mouth is dry from thirst and the torch in your hands is on the verge of going out and yet you still have no idea how long you have left to go.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. The alertness you felt at the beginning is gone now, replaced by an ever growing sense of dread and tiredness. You¡¯re actually surprised you¡¯ve made it this far without needing to take a break, but your body seems to be reaching its limits and you really hope that being able to walk longer than normal without feeling tired isn¡¯t all your power gave you. You take a quick rest before you start walking again. You have no other choice but to continue if you want to get out of here. Step by step, bend after bend, you move forward down the tunnel, hoping for something, anything to change. And finally you hear something. It¡¯s faint at first, barely recognizable from your own footsteps, but it gets louder as you get closer. The noise sounds like a mix between a guttural barking laughter and a high pitched whine. For a moment you feel a bit of hope. The noise is something different. Yet your apprehension returns as you remember the box at the beginning of your trek. Still, despite your hesitation, you¡¯re tired of the endless tunnels. At the very least you owe it to yourself to take a look at the source of the noise before deciding what to do next. The only problem is your torch. It¡¯s faint, flickering light is the only reason you haven''t been engulfed in utter darkness and yet you know it is on the verge of dying out at any moment. You¡¯re not so much afraid of the darkness itself as you are of being lost in the dark. Especially if whatever is making that noise comes across you when you''re unable to see. The torch continues to burn brightly for another few minutes, but you watch as the flickering light grows brighter for just a second before it finally goes out and all your left holding is a rather hot stick. Now that the light is gone you realize that you were wrong. The darkness is so encompassing that you''re scared of just being in it, never mind getting lost. Your panic grows stronger as you start to hyperventilate before you forcefully calm yourself. There¡¯s nothing you can do about it now, and moving forward is really your only option. You take a deep breathe to steady yourself before slowly making your way forward. You place your left hand on the tunnel wall, dragging it along the rough surface to ensure that you don¡¯t get turned around in the darkness. As you walk, the guttural, barking whine gets louder and begins to sends chills down your spine. Your parched lips and tiring feet push you forward regardless as you know now that there is no going back. It seems like you spend hours walking towards the sound in complete darkness, but you know it is probably only a few minutes as you silently make your forward. As you go, you eventually begin to see a light ahead, dim at first, but becoming stronger with every step. Your pace becomes quicker and more assured as you approach the light and it is only moments before you reach a bend in the tunnel where the light is bright enough for you to know that the its source lies just around the corner. Taking another deep breath, you cautiously peak your head around and freeze at the sight before you. You blink as you look at the two creatures standing in the middle of the tunnel as they converse in a strange guttural language. Standing on two legs, only a slightly smaller than you are, are two dog-like creatures dressed in little more than rags. Where their faces should be are long snouts with sharp teeth that look more than capable of biting through bone with ease. Whatever they are, they¡¯re definitely not human. Held in one of the creature¡¯s hands is some kind of small object, the source of the light that currently illuminates the tunnel, but what really draws your attention is the person lying at their feet as a pool of blood spreads out on the ground around him. You know immediately that these creatures are the cause as you observe the small, curved knives they hold. You want to leave before they spot you until a soft moan of pain draws your attention to the fact that the person on the ground is still alive. Unfortunately the sound also draws the creatures¡¯ attention. They look down as the person raises his head and you give a start as you recognize him as Derrick Vayne, one of your fellow classmates. While the two of you aren¡¯t close, you¡¯ve still known each other for a several years. You watch in shock as Derrick¡¯s eyes meet your own and he lets out a strangled ¡°Help!¡± You want to take a step forward to help, but before you can one of the dog-like creatures gives Derrick a kick strong enough to send him flying several feet further down the tunnel. You watch horrified as the creature begins to approach Derrick, its knife raised for a final blow and you know that if you¡¯re ever going to act now is the time.
What do you do?
1) You have to save Derrick! Draw attention to yourself so they leave him alone.
2) You¡¯re not sure what you can possibly do. Wait and see what happens.
3) They¡¯re too strong for you. Take advantage of their inattention to run away.
4: The Fourth Choice Even as you ask yourself the question you already know the answer. You move quickly, fully rounding the corner as you begin to shout, your words only meant to draw their attention away from Derrick. You have no real plan, no course of action. You only know that if you want to save him you need to act. It works and the two creatures stop their advance to turn and stare at you in confusion. It is only for a moment however as they then begin heading in your direction. You take that as your signal to get out of there. You turn around to run, trying to put as much distance between yourself and the creatures as possible, yet as you start to move you feel something slam into one of your legs and a hot, burning sensation explodes forth. You look down in pain and see blood beginning to soak through your pants from the knife embedded in your leg. The noise of pounding feet causes you to look up only to see the two creatures barreling towards you, their fangs bared. You try to take a step backwards, but stumble from the pain. You grit your teeth as you reach down and grab the knife before giving it a yank, pulling it out as a painful moan escapes your lips. The dagger comes free just in time for you to bring it up as one of the dog-like creatures reaches you. You slash at it in a frenzied manner, hoping to fend it off, but unfortunately you''ve had little experience wielding a knife in combat. Your swing goes wide and gives the creature the opportunity to duck underneath your arm and tackle you to the ground. Your head hits the stone ground hard and your vision swims as the creature bites into your shoulder, its teeth easily piercing your flesh and digging into the bone. You stab at it blindly and are rewarded with a whine of pain as its jaw loosens. You push the creature off with your uninjured arm and roll to the side as you see the other creature slashing towards you with its own knife. Its strike misses and you can¡¯t help but think how incredibly sharp it must be as the knife effortlessly sink into the stone floor. You scramble to your feet as the creature pulls its arm back for another stab and you take a step backwards, evading the creatures lunge. You somehow continue dodging it until you feel the rough tunnel wall against your back and you know you¡¯ve run out of room. In a desperate attempt you bring your own knife up towards it in a block only for the collision to painfully numb your arm and send your knife skittering across the floor. The creature''s jaw widens into a cruel smile, knowing it has you, only to stop as an ear-piercing scream resounds through the tunnel. The two of you turn to look at the noise and you see the other dog-like creature on the ground, its body smoking as it twitches. Off in the distance you see Derrick, still lying on the floor, his hand raised up weakly, his open palm pointed in the direction of the creature you¡¯re fighting. You watch as he grimaces again and ball of sparkling electricity appears in his palm, slowly growing to the size of a baseball before it rockets away from him heading towards the creature in front of you as he slumps to the ground. The dog-like creature reacts immediately to the oncoming threat and jumps to the side, rolling gracefully to its feet. You follow clumsily, rolling out of the way of the ball of energy. It takes you a moment longer to come to your feet, but your hasty roll brings you close enough to grab the knife on the ground. Standing up, you notice that you¡¯re only inches away from the creature whose attention is not on you, but Derrick. It growls angrily at him as it bares its fangs and you notice its body tense as it prepares to charge. Realizing this may be your only chance, you thrust the knife forward and watch as it sinks into the creature''s back with almost no resistance. You can feel the creature spasm as the knife enters and you feel horrified as its warm, red blood runs down the knife¡¯s handle and coats your hand. You take a shocked step backwards, letting go of the knife as you stare horrified at the creature as it turns to you. It takes a step forward, reaching out with its knife arm, only to collapse to the ground as blood continues to gush from the wound. You don¡¯t know how long you stand there watching as the creature slowly bleeds to death. Eventually it stills and you come back to your senses. You pick up the knife that¡¯s fallen from its hand, having no desire to retrieve the one still stuck in its back, before you limp over to Derrick''s prone form.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Arriving next to him, you can see the slow rise and fall of his chest signaling that he¡¯s simply fallen unconscious. You let out a sigh of relief that he¡¯s still breathing before looking around for the light source and picking it up. It turns out to be a small, marble-like stone that pulses warmly in your hand. You have no idea what it is, but as the only light source in the tunnel you know you¡¯ll be bringing it with you regardless. Bracing yourself for what comes next, you grab one of Derrick¡¯s arms and begin dragging him away from the messy tunnel, your only thought to get out of here as soon as possible.
Your fatigue builds up as time seems to drag on. Each step forward takes a tremendous effort, but your desire to leave this place is pushes you on. You occasionally glance behind you at the unconscious form of Derrick, incredibly tempted to just leave him there, but you don¡¯t. You can¡¯t. Not after what you did to save him. So you move on. Eventually the tunnel begins sloping upwards, and you can¡¯t help but hope you¡¯re heading towards the exit. Your hope increases as the air around you becomes fresher, dispelling the stale taste in your mouth that you hadn¡¯t noticed until now. The tunnel finally levels out and as it does you see ahead of you, some distance away, the exit. You can see natural sunlight shining into the mouth of the tunnel and your pace increases in your excitement. You ignore the burning pain of your injuries as you quickly approach. Squinting at the bright light, you make it to the tunnel¡¯s exit, blinking your eyes as they begin to adjust. Slowly you make out the sight outside and you can¡¯t help but gasp at the beauty you see. Before you lies a forest, its trees vibrant and lush, the grass a healthy shade of green you¡¯d never have thought possible. You can hear the sounds of wildlife echo around you and the noise of a calm, babbling brook somewhere off in the distance. A squirrel looks up at you from where it sits perched on a nearby branch, watching as you enter its domain, before skittering away, a nut held in its small paws. The entire scene seems so peaceful and serene, such a stark contrast to the dull brown-gray walls of the tunnel below. You take the final step out of the cave, breathing in the crisp, clean air of the forest, feeling more refreshed than you thought possible. Then a light engulfs you, brighter than even the sun, and you feel yourself start to shine. You can feel your wounds begin to knit themselves closed and as you look out at the forest wondering what is happening to you, a flurry of blue boxes flash by your vision.
Tutorial Completed! Find the exit and survive. Reward; Status unlocked.
Chapter 1: The First Steps. Reach Level 10.
STATUS
Level: 1 (0%) Title(s): NA
Health: 150/150 Mana: 100/100
Attributes
Strength: 15 Agility: 15
Vitality: 15 Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 10 Perception: 10
Charisma: 10 Luck: 10
Skills
The Perfect Body: Increase in Strength, Agility, and Vitality by 50%. Cannot be upgraded
You stare for a moment, dumfounded at the box in front of you. Levels? Status? Attributes? Skills? Your thoughts are interrupted as another box appears and you are forced to make an unexpected decision.
Congratulations on surviving the tutorial! Please choose your starting ability!
1) Power Strike: Delivers a blow that deals 150% physical damage, costs 10 Mana.
2) Force Ball: Release a sphere of magic energy that deals 150% magic damage, costs 10 Mana.
3) Stealth: Increases chance to remain undetected by 10%.
5: The Fifth Choice You thought about it and, while the other two choices were interesting, you know Power Strike is better suited for you. After clicking on the button the box goes away and you¡¯re left standing at the entrance to the tunnel. You look behind you at Derrick who is lying unconscious on the ground. His injuries are still there and you wonder why he didn¡¯t also experience the bright light for finishing the tutorial. However that¡¯s not important right now. You need to figure things out. What was it the box said? Deliver a blow that does a hundred and fifty percent physical damage? You should probably figure out how that works. Walking next to a tree, you experimentally swing your knife. It hits the tree and digs into the bark easily but you¡¯re pretty sure that¡¯s just the knife¡¯s natural sharpness. The box was also saying something about the ability costing mana, but you have no idea what that entails. Maybe you need to say the ability out loud like a superhero from a cartoon? You laugh at the thought and go back to trying to get it to work. All your efforts are in vain however as you¡¯ve only left a similar score of markings across the tree¡¯s surface. You look over surreptitiously at the unconscious form of Derrick before shrugging to yourself. Nobody¡¯s here to see you, so why not? Despite that thought, you still mumble the words out of the corner of your mouth. ¡°Power Strike.¡± As soon as you do, you feel a rush of energy surge from somewhere inside your chest and move into the hand holding the knife. You stare down at it for a moment before giving it an experimental swing and are surprised by the speed in which your arm moves. With a blur of motion you feel the blade penetrate the tree all the way up to the hilt. You pull the knife out of the tree with surprising ease and smile to yourself. ¡°Power Strike!¡± You call out again, a little more confidently this time. You repeat the process several more times, excited by the speed in which you can move your hand before deciding to experiment with it a bit. You try several things to test the extent of your ability and come away with a few limitations. The first is that you can hold that rush of energy for a maximum of ten seconds, after which it disappears. Secondly, swinging the knife and not hitting anything wastes the charge. You¡¯ll have to make each swing count. Third, you can¡¯t stack the effects of ¡®Power Strike¡¯. If you use it two times in close succession, all you¡¯ll do is refresh the amount of time the ability will last, it won¡¯t hit harder. There were a few other things you wanted to test out, but on your eleventh attempt the ability doesn¡¯t work. You panic for a moment, before you start kicking yourself as you realize that the energy that was being directed towards your hand came from inside of you and that it¡¯s probably the mana that the box mentioned. You remember the big box saying you had one hundred mana, and the last box saying Power Strike cost ten mana, so with ten uses it makes sense that you''ve run out. You only hope that your mana refills somehow. As much as you want to ponder over the information the boxes gave you, you realize you have more pressing concerns to attend to. That bright light might have fixed up all of your wounds, but it did nothing for your thirst or hunger. Deciding that water should be your first priority, you listen for the sound of the brook in the distance before grabbing Derrick and heading off in that direction. You¡¯re surprised as you begin to drag him. He seems lighter than you remember. So much so that you¡¯re hesitant to just attribute it to your now healed injuries. Perhaps it was those numbers on the big box that said Status. Regardless of what it is, you¡¯re thankful for it as it makes moving through the forest with a body in tow that much easier. As you go, you can¡¯t help but think that the foliage that looked so beautiful from the tunnel entrance is anything but. Traveling through bushes thick with thorns is incredibly painful experience, and more than once you find yourself forced to backtrack and look for a way around a particularly dense cluster trees and thickets. Everything is made all the more aggravating as you try to navigate this with the unconscious Derrick. The babbling of running water grows louder as you get closer and finally, after a little over an hour of walking, the trees open up to the view of a small stream of clear water, no wider than a foot, running through the forest. Dropping Derrick unceremoniously, you rush to the edge of the stream and squat down before gulping up large handfuls of cold, fresh water. Halfway through you¡¯re hit by the realization that drinking from a random source of water without boiling or testing it is probably a bad idea. It¡¯s too late now though, so hopefully it¡¯s safe to drink.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Several mouthfuls later you sit back at the edge of the brook, resting on your hands as you look up at the treetops. You stare at the beautiful leaves that are a bright green with spots of neon purple ¨C You do a double take before jumping to your feet and staring intensely at the foliage above. What should have been a crisp, clear green screen of leaves above your head is broken by small spots of bright, neon purple. A neon purple that, despite the complete lack of wind, is moving. You blink your eyes as several of the spots move back and forth before your eyes are drawn to one particular spot that seem to be getting larger. You watch it for a moment longer only to begin to regret satiating your curiosity as it grows big enough for you to make out. That small, no longer insignificant dot in the trees is, in fact, a purple spider the size of your head. Shivers run down your spine as it descends straight towards you and you take a step backwards. You¡¯re just in time as the spider suddenly picks up speed and drops to the ground, landing with a thud right where you stood only seconds before. Moments pass in slow motion as you stare down at it in shock. Its body seems to be made of some kind of thick glass-like shell covered in purple fur. It peers back up at you with vibrant green eyes, almost as if it¡¯s asking what you¡¯re doing here. Then it jumps at you, leaping straight towards your face, its mouth open and its fangs ready. You swing your knife, more out of reflex than from any rational thought to protect yourself, and hit the spider. A metallic clanging sound resounds and you feel a numbness in your hand from the shock. The spider bounces away, landing with a splash in the stream. It emerges from the water unharmed, giving you little time to gather your thoughts as it angrily leaps at you once more, faster than before. ¡°Power Strike!¡± You yell, not sure if you can use it again but knowing that you need to do something. You swing your knife again, the increased speed from your ability allowing you to match its speed and you manage to hit the spider once more. This time your blow is much stronger and the spider is sent flying further away with a satisfying snapping noise as one of its legs breaks off from its body. However at the same time the extra strength put into the blow intensifies the jolt you receive as the numbness moves up your arm. The spider begins to move towards you again, its pace barely slowed by the loss of a limb. ¡°Power Strike!¡± You move forward this time to engage it. It tries to leap at you, but you strike it first, sending it away again even as the numbness spreads. You rush at it, giving it no chance to recover. ¡°Power Strike!¡± This time you swing with a vertical strike, smashing the spider into the ground. It¡¯s like smashing metal. You hear another cracking noise and a blue box appears in front of you causing you to smile as you briefly read it in between swings.
Power Strike (Level 2, 0%): Deliver a blow that deals 165% physical damage. Costs 10 Mana.
¡°Power Strike!¡± Crack. You can see its shell cracking, but your grip on your knife is beginning to loosen. You force yourself to clench your fist tighter. ¡°Power Strike!¡± Crack. The fractures on its body are growing bigger. The numbness has spread to your shoulder. It¡¯s a race against who¡¯ll last longer. ¡°Power Strike!¡± Crack. The shell looks like it¡¯s on the verge of breaking. You can no longer feel your arm but you swing the knife regardless. ¡°Power Strike!¡± Crack. The carapace of the spider splits open in several spots and a yellow pus explodes forth. You aren¡¯t ready for the sudden eruption of fluids and it lands on your face. You cry out in pain, dropping your knife as you stumble backwards, falling to the ground as you clutch your burning face. Tears come to your eyes and your vision blurs. The smell of your flesh burning fills your nose as the acid-like pus begins corroding your skin. You hear a skittering noise again, and blearily look around only to see the spider still alive and slowly moving towards you. You crawl backwards in panic, barely able to focus on it as the yellow acid seems to eat further into your face and now your hands. Somehow you manage to get to your feet as you continue stumbling backwards, trying not to take your eyes off the spider. You step in something wet and look down to see the stream beneath your feet. You quickly reach down and begin splashing water on your face. Your hands are burning, but you don¡¯t care, you only know you need to get it off your face. The pain finally begins to lessen as you wash away the pus, but you¡¯re still having trouble seeing out of your right eye. You can see your reflection in the water below you. A horrid, grotesque form looks back at you, the flesh half melted and pockmarked with acid burns. You have no more time to process your horrific figure as your attention is turned back to the approaching spider. As you look at the spider you spot your knife on the ground behind it. You slowly walk around the injured spider as it continues to crawl forward and make your way to the knife. However as you approach it you see a faint trail of acrid, yellow smoke rising from it and realize that the knife is covered in the yellow fluids and the metal is almost entirely corroded. You look back at the spider and notice that it¡¯s decided to ignore you and cross the stream in the favor of the unconscious body on the other side. Derrick. However with your knife gone you have no weapon and a quick look around shows a lack of large rocks or other things to attack it with. You already know the yellow pus is corrosive, so touching it directly is a bad idea, however the spider is at this point covered in the yellow fluid. You¡¯ve already used your ¡®Power Strike¡¯ seven times. Going from what you know, you¡¯ll only have three more chances. It¡¯s getting closer to Derrick and you know you need to do something quickly.
What do you do?
1) Rush forward and attack it without a weapon! You¡¯ll smash it into the ground with your body!
2) Play it safe. Keep looking around for something to fight with.
3) Run away! There are more spiders above you and you don¡¯t know when they¡¯ll attack.
6: The Sixth Choice Despite the urgency of your situation, the burns on your face are a painful reminder that you can¡¯t deal with the spider without a weapon. A quick scan of the surrounding forest shows it to be surprising empty of anything big enough to use; the sticks nearby little more than twigs. You need something large and heavy. Without hesitation you begin to search the brook, hoping to find a rock large enough to deal with the spider. Time is of the essence. It takes you only moments before you manage to find something that fits your needs. Despite requiring two hands to grip the large rock, you pull it out of the river and lift it over your head with surprising ease. However those few moments were too precious as you look up to see the spider standing over Derrick¡¯s unconscious form. You¡¯re too late as the spider bites down into Derrick neck, sinking its fangs deep inside. Even unconscious Derrick lets out a cry of pain and you can see the veins in his neck bulge an ugly green as the spider injects its poison into him. You rush over and awkwardly swing the rock. ¡°Power Strike!¡± The rock is heavy enough that you manage to knock the spider away from Derrick. It skitters angrily at you before it slowly makes its way back. You ready the rock, waiting for it to get close enough. ¡°Power Strike!¡± You cry out as you swing the rock downwards in an overhand smash. The slow moving spider is an easy target, and you feel a sickening crunch as the spider¡¯s shell shatters underneath the strength of your blow. A few drops of yellow fluid land on your skin, and you hiss as it burns, but the pain is nothing compared to the face full of acid you had experienced earlier. The spider twitches briefly as you lift the rock again. ¡°Power Strike!¡± You bring it down once more. With a final crunch the spider stops moving and as it does a bright light engulfs you, the same one you felt when you left the tunnel. A warmth runs through your body, and you feel the pain in your face and hands fade away, turning into nothing more than a lingering memory. You reach a hand up nervously and are shocked to feel smooth, unblemished skin where the acid had melted away your features. A blue box pops into your vision, but you wave it away without reading it as you turn to Derrick. The green veins in his neck have spread to his face, and you stare in horror at the sight, not sure what to do. As the veins move higher and higher, finally reach Derrick¡¯s temple, his eyes shoot open and he lets out a horrific, pain-filled yell, louder than any of the sounds you or the spider made during your brief fight. He focuses on you for a moment, his eyes pleading for help, before his head falls to the ground and his eyes roll back until only the whites are visible before he passes out. A skittering noise from above draws your attention and you look up to see several purple spots slowly growing bigger. Your face pales in horror as you realize that Derrick¡¯s scream of pain was loud enough to attract their attention as more and more of the creatures begin to descend. You can¡¯t stay here any longer, you need to leave. You grab Derrick and sling him over your shoulder before you take off at a run into the thick foliage. As you barrel through the underbrush, you can feel it catch and scrape against your skin. You feel your clothes tearing and shredding as they snag on thorns and branches, numerous cuts appearing on your arms and legs. But you don¡¯t care. Your only goal now is to get out of there before any more of the spiders descend. Eventually you stumble into a small clearing, panting and gasping for breath. You look around quickly for any threats, having no idea how far your legs took you, nor how long you¡¯ve run, but you know you¡¯ve hit your limit. There is only so far you can push your tired body after all the events of the past day. You see nothing evidently dangerous and you can no longer hear the skittering noise of the spiders following in your wake. It¡¯s all you can do to gently set Derrick down on the ground before you collapse next to him. You lie there for several minutes, your heart pounding in your chest. You know you¡¯ll have to get up soon, the seriousness of Derrick¡¯s condition, if nothing else, demands it. But not just yet. Just for a moment or two, you¡¯ll rest your tired body.
You wake up to the lonely hooting of an owl. Above you is the night sky, barely visible through the leaves. Your breath comes out in a frosty mist and you rub your arms with your hands as you try to put some warmth back into your frozen limbs. A moment later you bolt upright and look next to you only to see Derrick, still as stone. Your heart freezes in your chest as you watch his unmoving form. You tried to save him, you really did. Maybe if you hadn¡¯t searched for a weapon and instead acted immediately he would still be alive. Maybe if you had chosen magic power over physical might you would have been quicker to deal with the spider when you lost your weapon. But you didn¡¯t. You made your choice and now it¡¯s too late. Derrick is already dead. You bow your head, giving him a moment of silence, but that¡¯s all you can afford. You¡¯re in a strange place with strange abilities and even stranger creatures. You¡¯re cold, tired and hungry. You need to make some kind of shelter and you¡¯re already surprised that no creature has come along and taken a bite out of you. It¡¯s not safe here. You wish you could afford more time to grieve, perhaps even long enough to bury his body, but you don¡¯t have that luxury. You have no idea what could be lurking in the darkness of the forest, but whatever is out there, you¡¯re positive it¡¯s not friendly. What you do seem to have, is a brief moment to get your bearings. You need to figure out what all these boxes are. They keep popping up and you haven¡¯t had time to go over them. They clearly hold important information; without your new ability you never would have been able to handle that spider.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. If you¡¯ve been safe in the small clearing for this long, spending a few more minutes while you figure things out shouldn¡¯t make a difference. Remembering how your ability was voice activated, you hope the boxes are the same. ¡°Tutorial.¡± You say out loud remembering what the first box you read when you came out of the tunnel said. Nothing happens and, as silly as you¡¯d feel from talking to yourself like that, Derrick¡¯s body next to you keeps your mood somber as you continue. ¡°Chapter One.¡± Apparently that works as a box you¡¯ve seen before pops into your vision.
Chapter 1: The First Steps. Reach Level 10.
You try touching it, but your hand simply goes through it. You read the words out loud, hoping for some change, but still nothing. Shrugging to yourself, you continue on. ¡°Status.¡± Another, bigger box appears in your vision, again one you remember.
STATUS
Level: 3 (46%) Title(s): NA
Health: 150/150 Mana: 100/100
Attributes
Strength: 15 (+) Agility: 15 (+)
Vitality: 15 (+) Intelligence: 10 (+)
Wisdom: 10 (+) Perception: 10 (+)
Charisma: 10 (+) Luck: 10 (+)
Free Points: 2
Skills
The Perfect Body: Increase Strength, Agility, and Vitality by 50%. Cannot be upgraded
Power Strike Level 2 (41.66%): Delivers a blow that deals 165% physical damage, costs 10 Mana.
The first thing that catches your attention are the changes. You remember where it previously read level the numbers were only one and zero percent. There are now also several plus signs next to the numbers under the Attributes section, as well as another row reading Free Points. You can also see your new ability, or rather skill, Power Strike. Experimentally you try touching the box only to have your hand go through it once more. Reading it out loud, however, produces a different result. Even as the first word leaves your mouth a new box appears in front of you.
Level: A numeric representation of your experiences as well as a rough estimate of your power.
You read it over, unable to help but think how game like the whole thing sounds, before continuing to explore the box. As you go through each word a new box appears telling you some basic information about what the word means.
Title(s): Accomplishments and achievements of note.
Health: A numeric representation of your physical well-being derived from your Vitality Attribute.
Mana: A numeric representation of your ability to cast skills and various abilities derived from your Intelligence Attribute.
Attributes: A list of the various aspects that make up your life represented in a numeric form.
Strength: A numeric representation of your body¡¯s physical strength equally distributed throughout your body.
Agility: A numeric representation of your body¡¯s speed, flexibility, and reflexes.
Vitality: A numeric representation of your body¡¯s hardiness, health, and the ability to recover from physical damage and exhaustion
Intelligence: A numeric representation of your Mana and your magical abilities.
Wisdom: A numeric representation of your ability to recover Mana and your ability to recover from mental affects and mental exhaustion.
Perception: A numeric representation of your ability to perceive the world around you as well as the strength of your sixth sense.
Charisma: A numeric representation of your force of presence.
Luck: A numeric representation of how the world around you works in your favor.
Free Points: One of the few ways to increase your Attributes. A single point is rewarded on each Level Up.
Skills: A list of the various abilities you possess.
There was a lot to take in, but after thinking about it you could only conclude that your life now appeared to be a video game. That or you were bat-shit crazy. Delusion or not, it looks like you''re stuck here. Your best guess is that your level increased because of the spider you killed, and doing so rewarded you with a way to increase your Attributes which would determine how powerful you were. Unfortunately you had no idea what you should do with your Free Points. You think about it for a bit, and finally came to the conclusion that you should try and make the best of the abilities you have. And you just so happened to have a skill that does that. The Perfect Body. An extra fifty percent increase to your physical Attributes was not something to sneeze at. After all, looking at the numbers and doing the math, you probably only started at ten in strength, agility, and vitality just like all your other attributes. With the bonus from the skill that would make the fifteen you currently have. You glance over at Derrick¡¯s cold corpse. You don¡¯t know what kind of ability he received, something magical you think, but you know you definitely don¡¯t want to end up like him. You will survive! If you want to get the most out of your skill, you need to maximize your chances. That narrows your choices down quite a bit, but the question now is; which of the three Attributes should you raise?
Where will you put your Free Points?
1) Strength.
2) Agility.
3) Vitality.
7: The Seventh Choice After thinking about it for a bit you decide to put your Free Points into your Agility Attribute raising it to eighteen. Perhaps if you¡¯d been just a bit faster you would have been able to save Derrick, but it¡¯s too late for regrets now. The only thing you can do at this point is to move forward and try to find your way out of the forest. Although it¡¯s late in the night, you don¡¯t feel too tired. Your stomach, on the other hand, is a different matter altogether. It¡¯s been some time since you¡¯ve eaten anything and if you want to find the energy to get out of here, you¡¯re going to need something to eat. The problem is trying to find it. Forgetting about your non-existent wilderness skills, the darkness alone is going to make finding anything near impossible. Add to that your utter lack of weapons and you¡¯re more likely to become something else¡¯s midnight snack than you are of finding anything to eat. Not seeing any other choice, you decide to wait until morning. Still, staying in the forest at night is dangerous, however with no other options you need to make the best of it. Scanning your surroundings and only seeing trees, you figure the only thing you can do is to get yourself off the forest floor. At the very least you''ll be safe from most wildlife ... unless they can climb. It''s still safer than being on the ground. Spotting a suitable tree, you walk over to it and start to climb. You''re surprised at how easy it is and you find yourself much more nimble than you expected as you scurry up the tree as if you¡¯ve done the same thing hundreds of times before. It seems your improved Agility is already paying dividends. You perch yourself on a decent sized branch, high enough that you should be safe from anything looking to eat you ... so long as it can''t climb. You rest your back against the trunk, shifting to get as comfortable as possible before bracing yourself for a long night. Odd noises resound throughout the forest keeping you on high alert, every snap of a branch rustle of a bush in the wind startling you. After some time you finally begin to relax as you start to get use to the noises. You begin to drift off until you''re jerked awake by a large crashing noise. You listen closely, eyes wide as you peer in the direction of the noise as something large makes its way through the dense forest headed in your direction. Whatever it is, it''s large enough that it''s forced to push its way through dense bushes. Eventually it breaks through the foliage and you peer down cautiously from your branch, trying to make out what it is. However the night is darker than ever, the moon having disappeared behind the clouds, and you can''t make out anything other than its size being larger than that of a horse. You have no idea what it could be, a bear maybe? You really hope it can''t climb. You watch as it roams the small clearing, sniffing sounds coming from the creature before it suddenly leaps onto the spot where Derrick¡¯s body is. You watch as it begins to dig into Derrick''s corpse, the sounds of tearing flesh echoing through the forest. The moon comes out from behind the clouds and you finally get a look at it. As you do, you unintentionally let out a loud gasp. You freeze as the creature pauses in its feeding and turns its head towards you. You look on in horror at the monstrosity. Standing on all fours, the eyeless creature sniffs the air through two small holes that rest just above its circular maw. Its skin is a fleshy-grey and its powerful muscles ripple as the creature arcs its shoulders under the moonlight. It opens its mouth and you can see row after row of spiraling teeth, drool and flesh falling from it in equal measures as it lets out a horrendous roar. The trees shake at the noise and you feel your head spin dizzyingly. Your vision flickers as you teeter on the edge of fainting and you know its only moments before your body succumbs to the creature''s roar. Eventually the creature stops and you struggle to keep hold of the tree as much as you do your consciousness. It turns away from you and back to the mangled body of Derrick, now mutilated beyond all recognition.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. You watch as its sharp claws easily gouge into Derrick''s flesh before bringing it to its face. You wish you could do something, anything, feeling like you somehow owe it to Derrick to at least protect the dignity of his death, but you know there is nothing you can do. Whatever this creature is, the chances are it could tear you limb from limb with ease. Eventually it tires of its feeding and you hear it give out a satisfied growl as it begins to lumber away. You remain quiet in the tree, content to stay there until morning, any spark of adventure that had once burned inside you now well and truly quelled by the beast. You can only hope that you''ll never meet its like again.
The bright light of morning finally arrives, bringing with it not peace and tranquility, but a gruesome, horrific scene as bits and pieces of Derrick litter the clearing. You close your eyes and swallow dryly, trying to banish the images from your mind. You had known it would be bad, but nothing had prepared you for the sight of the clearing in the day. Deciding it''s high time to get out of there, you quickly climb down the tree and head off in the opposite direction of the creature. The more distance between you and it the better. You walk aimlessly for some time as you make your way through the forest, your stomach too unsettled to think about food, but eventually your body''s needs win out over your terror. You keep an eye out for anything edible, but at the same time your hopes are not high. After all, you have no idea what in the forest is safe to eat in the first place. As you keep walking you eventually come across a bush with several berries. They¡¯re small and red, looking a little like mini cherries. Despite your hunger, you¡¯re cautious. This forest is strange and you can¡¯t afford to eat something that will make you ill. Still, you know you won''t always have a choice. You pick as many of them as you can, stuffing your pockets with them. If you really can''t find anything else to eat they¡¯ll have to do. After another hour or so of walking your only other successful attempt at foraging is a handful of bizarre looking mushrooms that have joined the berries in your pocket. You¡¯re getting tired again, the lack of food beginning to truly take its toll. Finally you''ve had enough, you need to eat. You sit down on a rock and pull out the berries and mushrooms, trying to decide between the two of them. Your decision is interrupted, however, by a chittering above you. You head snaps up, fear on your face as you remember the spiders, only for you to let out a sigh of relief as you take in a lone squirrel on the branch above. Your relief, however, is only temporary as the squirrel jumps down at you, heading straight for your face. You jump out of the way, dropping your handful of food as you barely dodge its claws thanks to your improved Agility. You stare down at the squirrel in mild disbelief as it turns to you, its teeth bared. It looks savage. Rabid perhaps? It doesn¡¯t matter as it leaps at you again, but this time you swing your hand and activate your ability, swatting the critter hard. It hits the ground and bounces, the strength from your blow too much for the small animal. It lies on the ground twitching and you realize you must have broken its spine. You feel a tinge of regret over having injured the animal, despite it attacking you first, before you decide that you should put the creature out of its misery. Hesitantly you put your foot over its head and shut your eyes tightly as you step down. You wince at the following crunch, but know it¡¯s for the best. The creature would have only suffered worse otherwise. As the squirrel dies, a blue box appears in front of your vision.
Small Gicko Squirrel defeated; 37 experience acquired.
The box disappears as you finish reading it. Apparently the animal was called a Gicko Squirrel, whatever that is. You sit back on the rock and stare down at the mess on the ground, the berries and mushrooms scattered from when you dropped them. The choice still remains on what you should eat, although as you look at the dead squirrel you suppose there¡¯s now another option on the table.
What do you eat?
1)The red berries?
2)The bizarre looking mushrooms?
3)The Gicko Squirrel?
4)Eat everything?
8: The Eighth Choice You hesitate for a while, unsure what to eat. You go over your options, listing to yourself why you should or should not eat them, but you can''t decide. You keep staring at the food on the ground, almost as if you¡¯re waiting for a sign. One that never comes. Letting out a sigh, you gather up the spilt berries and mushrooms, stacking them in two separate piles, before grabbing the squirrel as well and placing it next to them. If you want to eat the squirrel, you would definitely need to cook it. You think you could probably get a fire started but you¡¯re already starving and you have no idea how long it would take too long to get one going. Deciding that you can cook it once you''ve satiated your immediate hunger, you pick up a handful of berries and tentatively pop one into your mouth. You shut your eyes and bite into it expecting the worst. As the berry bursts your eyes open wide in surprise. It tastes great! Much better than you were expecting. Kind of like a raspberry, but sweeter. You slowly begin eating the rest of the berries, savoring every bite. Too soon you¡¯ve popped the last of the berries in your mouth and you can¡¯t help but feel remorseful that you weren''t able to take more as your stomach growls hungrily. Reluctantly you forget about the berries and pick up one of the mushrooms. It¡¯s spongey and looks unappetizing in comparison to the berries, but maybe its looks are deceiving. You brace yourself before taking a small bite out of it, only to grimace at the bitterness that coats your tongue. You force yourself to chew the spongy mushroom and swallow. You don¡¯t want to continue, but the growling of your stomach urges you on. Somehow you force yourself to pick up another one. And another, and another, until you¡¯ve finally, at last, finished. You really should have picked up more of those berries.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. To your relief, your stomach has finally seemed to settle. You stare down at the squirrel as its dead eyes meet yours. Now that you¡¯re not as hungry, you think you could probably spend the time to try to cook it. Although you don¡¯t have any modern means to start a fire with you, you have some general knowledge about using friction to produce a fire. All you need are some sticks and basic kindling. You get up and head into the forest to get some for the fire.
You spin the wood between your fingers quickly as you squat in the middle of the clearing, grimacing as you accidently press too hard and drive the thorn deeper into your hand. You stop for a second and stare at it in confusion A thorn? How did that get there? And where did you get the sticks from?
The small fire flickers as you slowly turn the squirrel. You want to make sure it''s cooked right. You stop and look around. What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s happening?
A moan of pleasure escapes you as you bite into the meat, the squirrel only slightly burnt but nonetheless delicious.
You lie down contentedly, your stomach full. You just need a small nap after that meal.
You pant as you stumble through the dark forest, your hands clutching your stomach as a severe pain racks your body. Something is wrong. You retch the remaining contents of your stomach which unfortunately land on your shirt. Why is it dark out? You heave again, however this time the bile is flecked with dark specks of blood. You feel a burning pain in your throat and you fall to your knees. Something is very wrong. You heave again, your stomach empty as you spit out more and more blood. You don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening but you want it to stop. You need it to stop. The pain is too much, you can¡¯t handle it. It needs to end. You fall face first to the ground, landing in a pool of you own vomit. You twitch helplessly as the pain wracks your body, unable to move. Slowly, ever so slowly, the pain begins to fade, replaced by a cold numbness. Finally, it¡¯s over.
You have died. Please choose again.
1) The red berries?
2) The bizarre looking mushrooms?
3) The Gicko Squirrel?
9: The Ninth Choice You look at your options. You¡¯ve heard one too many stories about people who got lost in the forest only to end up dying by eating poisonous berries to try your chances with them and, while you have no idea what exactly a ¡®Gicko¡¯ squirrel is, it looked like it might have had rabies or something. That only leaves you with the mushrooms. Having come to a decision, you pick up one of the mushrooms. It¡¯s spongey and looks unappetizing compared to the berries, but maybe its looks are deceiving. You brace yourself before taking a small bite out of it, only to grimace at the bitterness that coats your tongue. You force yourself to chew the spongy mushroom and swallow. You don¡¯t want to continue, but your growling stomach urges you on. Somehow you force yourself to pick up another one. And another, and another, until you¡¯ve finally, at last, finished. The taste lingers unpleasantly on your tongue. While you can¡¯t say you¡¯re full, at the very least your stomach has stopped growling painfully. You remain seated for a moment before getting to your feet. If you ever want to get out of the forest you better start moving. Putting some berries in your pocket just in case, you leave the clearing and head into the trees.
Your hand throbs painfully as you try and pull out the thorn. You stop for a second. A thorn? How? You look around, finding yourself standing in an unfamiliar patch of forest with no idea how you got there.
Your breath comes in ragged pants as you run forward. The sounds of your pursuers hot on your heels. You stumble on a root. And manage to catch yourself on a tree. What¡¯s chasing you? You don¡¯t remember, but you know that, whatever it is, you can¡¯t let it catch you. Something is wrong with you. You can''t remember. You just know you need to keep running.
Your head spins and throbs as you feel yourself being dragged through the forest. You try to look up, only to see a small blurry child pulling you behind them, your head swimming as you try to focus. It stops as it notices your movement and looks down at you before it turns to another child and makes a chittering sound. You only have a moment to ponder over the children¡¯s strangely green coloration before one of them lashes out with something in its hands and your vision goes dark again.
You wake up with the world spinning around you. You resist the urge to throw up, somehow keeping down the contents of your stomach. You cautiously try to move only to find your arms bound by a crude rope made of green vines. The sound of movement catch your attention and you look up to see the two child-like figures squawking at one another as they occasionally gesture at you. You blink a couple of times to clear the tears from your eyes before they go wide. Whatever these creatures are, they¡¯re not children. Sitting atop their shoulders is a head way too large for their body, and their fingers are more claws than hands, their yellow nails looking particularly long and sharp. One of the creatures notices you''re awake and you flinch back as it bares a row of long, pointed teeth at you and snarls. It grunts something at the other creature and they both look at you before one of them walks over to you, its head bouncing up and down as it approaches. Its movement reminds you strangely of a bobble head. You brace yourself for whatever¡¯s coming, but you''re shocked when the creature grabs you with both hands and begins dragging you forward with surprising ease for a creature of its size. You¡¯re shock turns to horror as you recognize the look in the creature¡¯s eyes as it stares down at you and licks its lips. Hunger. You begin to struggle as it brings you towards the fire, its intention to eat you all too clear as your legs flail uselessly in the air. The creature¡¯s feral grin widens and you hear its companion chitter excitedly.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Wait!¡± You shout. ¡°Stop! Please!¡± You don¡¯t know if the creature understands you, but if it does, it ignore your pleas. You realize the creatures could have thrown you in the fire while you were unconscious, it would have been easier, but they¡¯re clearly enjoying your struggle. You pull against your bindings trying to break them, but whatever vine they''re using it''s too strong. Despite your best efforts, the creature unceremoniously tosses you into the fire. You let out a horrendous scream as the flames engulf you. Your clothes catch on fire as you try to roll away from the burning fire, but the creatures seem ready for you as it pushes you back into the flames with a long stick. You¡¯re cries get louder as your body is wracked with pain, the flames eating away at you skin. You strain against the vine and feel them beginning to give way. The fire seems to be weakening them. You pull as hard as you can, desperate to get out of the searing heat. The flames continue to lick at you as your skin begins to boil and crack. Finally, the vines snap and your arms come free. You reach out, surprising the creature as you grab the stick in its hands and yank forward. The creature, taken off guard, gets pulled towards you, joining you in the fire. Its screams of pain echo your own and it lets go of the stick to clutch at its face. You slash out with the stick towards the other creature, yelling as you try to use your ability. Only a garbled sound of pain escapes your mouth, but it seems as though your intention is enough as even through the flames you can see a blue glow wrap around the stick in your hands. You swing and catch the other green child upside the head, snapping it in half and sending the creature sprawling to the ground. Rushing out of the fire, you begin rolling on the ground, trying to douse the flames that still painfully burn your skin. Moments later the flames die out and you try to stand, feeling your burnt skin crackling as you manage to get to your feet. Your clothing pulls painfully where it and your flesh have melted together. Somehow you ignore the pain and look around. You see the creature you pulled into the fire running around in circles, screeching as it pats at its burning rags. The other creature glares at you as it gets to its feet and charges forward, lunging towards your torso, too small to reach anything higher. You pull back a fist and croak out ¡°Power Strike.¡± Your voice hoarse and raw. You''re faster than the creature and your punch connects solidly with the its jaw, knocking it to the ground. Not letting the opportunity pass, you pounce on it before its companion has time to recover, letting your fists wail down on it wildly as you let loose with your ability. You wince as your fist crunches into its face and it lets out cries of pain as tries to cower beneath you. You feel disgusted as red blood flows like water from the creature, you want to stop, but that small moment of hesitation gives the creature time enough to lash out with its clawed hands. It scrapes across your face leaving you with several deep, painful gouges. The newfound pain clears your hesitation and you continue to hit the creature, its resistance lessening as the damage from your repeated blows builds up even as you''ve run out of the necessary mana to keep using your ability. Eventually its movements cease and you stop hitting it. You get to your feet and look around for the other creature only to see it scrambling out from beneath a bush. You start forward, intent on finishing off the creature, only to jump backwards as it spins towards you, swinging a crude looking spear in its hands. Despite your quick reaction, the creature manages to graze you and break your skin, causing you to inhale sharply. The creature seems to gain some form of confidence from its weapon as its grin returns. It charges forward and you twist to the side, avoiding the blow only for another one to come. Little by little you get pushed back as you try to think of a way to close the distance. Your eyes dart around the clearing, but you don¡¯t see anything that could help. You know you can¡¯t let the situation continue as each time the creature thrusts forward it deals a little more damage to your already injured body. Gritting your teeth, you brace yourself as it attacks again and you step forward, allowing the spear to graze your side. The wound is deeper than those before, but your actions have allowed you to get close enough that it can no longer use the spear effectively. You swing forward, your fist making contact with the creatures shoulder, sending it spinning to the ground. You lash out with a foot, catching the creature under the chin and it lets go of its weapon as it cries out in pain. Your fight turns into an unskilled brawl as the creature begins to bite and claw at you. Without the mana to us your ability you lack the power necessary to overwhelm the creature, but the damage you inflict from each punch brings you closer to victory. Eventually you manage to land another proper blow that sends the creature sprawling to the ground again. You quickly grab the discarded spear and point it at the creature. Seemingly uncaring of the threat the weapon represents, it scrambles to its feet and charges at you. You thrust with the spear and are surprised when the creature continues its charge, not even attempting to dodge, only for the spear to pierce its chest. The creature¡¯s assault comes to an abrupt stop as it looks down at the spear sticking out of its chest with surprise before it slumps over. You let go of the spear as a familiar flash of light engulfs you and you feel your injuries heal instantly. A blue screen pops into your vision and you look at the downed creatures before reading it.
Gicko Goblin defeated; 670 experience acquired.
You have leveled up!
You quickly open your Status screen and put your free point in Agility. It was only your improved speed that let you deal with the ¡­ Gicko Goblins. Dismissing the screens, you approach the other Gicko Goblin and look down on it. Its breathing is heavy and labored. And as you stare at it, you become strangely conscious of the creature''s blood on your hands. You feel like you shouldn¡¯t take any chances and end things immediately, but again you hesitate. Despite having already killed one of the creatures, that was in the heat of the moment. You¡¯re not sure you have it in you to take its life in cold blood, even if it is a monster.
What do you do?
1) Kill it.
2) Leave without killing it.
3) Feed it some berries to see if they¡¯re safe to eat.
10: The Tenth Choice You hesitate for a moment before you mercilessly thrust the spear into the creature''s head. It twitches for a moment before it stills and a box appears in your vision.
Gicko Goblin defeated; 670 experience acquired.
If it was a person, you probably would have hesitated a bit more, but it wasn¡¯t. It was a monster, one that would kill you without the slightest bit of remorse. You let out a breath as you sit down on the ground next to the fire. It¡¯s still going despite the fight and you¡¯re thankful for the warmth its letting off in the chilly air. You shudder a bit as you think back over the battle. It was only thanks to the Gicko Goblins wanting to cook you while you were alive that you¡¯re still breathing. You need to get stronger. Strong enough that you no longer have to worry about being some creature¡¯s meal. But to do that you¡¯ll have to kill things. Like the Gicko Goblin. You can do it. You have to do it. ¡°Chapter 1.¡± You call out and the box appears in front of you. You look it over, planning what you need to survive.
Chapter 1: The First Steps. Reach Level 10.
You try touching it, but your hand simply goes through it. You read the words out loud, hoping for some change, but still nothing. Shrugging to yourself, you continue on. ¡°Status.¡± Another, bigger box appears in your vision, this one slightl different than you remember.
STATUS
Level: 4 (89%) Title(s): NA
Health: 150/150 Mana: 100/100
Attributes
Strength: 15 Agility: 19
Vitality: 15 Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 10 Perception: 10
Charisma: 10 Luck: 10
Skills
The Perfect Body: Increase Strength, Agility, and Vitality by 50%. Cannot be upgraded
Power Strike (Level 2, 70.83%): Deliver a blow that deals 165% physical damage. Costs 10 Mana.
Your first priority should be to find a stable supply of food. Definitely not mushrooms. They were probably the source of the blank spots in your memory. You pull out a single berry and look at it. It seems harmless enough, but there¡¯s no way to know for sure. Perhaps you should have kept the Goblin alive long enough to feed it one and see if it was safe? Too late now though. And besides, you¡¯re not sure if you could be that cruel, even to a monster that was trying to eat you. Hesitantly you put the berry in your mouth. No time like the present, right? You bite down and are surprised at how delicious it is. As hungry as you are, you¡¯re tempted to have more, but your reason wins out in the end. It¡¯s best to wait a couple of hours or so and see if it¡¯s safe for consumption. Your second priority is to level up. The increase of a single level might not seem like much, but you¡¯re pretty sure that without your increased speed you would have never been able to fight off the goblins. You¡¯re still determined to increase your Agility, after all, being too fast for your opponents to hit is going to be a major help in surviving future fights. The problem is your strength. You might not have enough power to kill some of the creatures you come across.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Like those spiders. But then again you might have a solution to that; Power strike. While you¡¯ll be limited in the number of times you can use it, you¡¯re pretty sure that it¡¯s the only way you¡¯re going to be able to fight without compromising on increasing your Agility. And the higher level the ability gets, the more damage it appears to do. The only problem is how to increase it? Do you need to hit a creature for the skill''s level to increase or do you simply need to use the ability? ¡°Power Strike.¡± You call out as you experimentally swing the spear. You bring up your skill to check its progress.
Power Strike (Level 2, 70.83%): Deliver a blow that deals 165% physical damage. Costs 10 Mana.
No change. Right, you realize. The ability doesn¡¯t discharge unless you hit something. You hit the ground, and this time your ability activates as the spear sinks deep into the earth. You look at your skill but frown as it again shows no progress, but this time the ability has expended itself. Maybe if you hit the creature? You swing with your ability at the creature, but are disappointed to see your skill progression remaining the same. Apparently it only counts if you hit something living. You sit back down dejectedly. It looks like it¡¯s the type of skill that can only be increased in combat. You let out a sigh. That¡¯s troublesome. A tweeting sound draws your attention high up to a nearby tree and you watch as a small bird cocks its head curiously. As it begins to prune its feathers with its beak, you wonder if you could hit it if you threw the spear. Probably not, but you shrug to yourself. You can always climb the tree to retrieve it if you miss and the chance of something to eat isn''t easy to pass up. Standing up, you quietly whisper the name of your ability as you cock your arm back. You let the spear fly and are awed by how fast it leaves your hand as it whizzes through the air. You¡¯re disappointed however as your shot goes wide and the spear sinks deeply into the tree causing the bird to take off in a fright. Sighing you climb the tree and recover the spear before making your way back to the ground. Sitting near the fire, you begin idly going through your Status once more to pass the time when something catches your eye.
Power Strike (Level 2, 75%): Deliver a blow that deals 165% physical damage. Costs 10 Mana.
The skills progression went up! But how? You didn¡¯t hit anything ¡­ unless? You quickly jump to your feet and test your ability as you swing at the tree with your spear. Checking your skill again you can¡¯t help but feel an immense joy as it increases once again!
Power Strike (Level 2, 79.16%): Deliver a blow that deals 165% physical damage. Costs 10 Mana.
You were right in your assumption that you need to hit something living. You just didn''t expect that a tree would count. You can use this! Smiling for the first time in days, you begin swinging the spear at the tree and, after using your ability five more times, you¡¯re rewarded as it increases by a level.
Power Strike (Level 3, 0%): Deliver a blow that deals 180% physical damage. Costs 10 Mana.
You still have enough Mana for three more swings and you notice that it¡¯s enough to bring the skill progression up to 8.33%. You sit down and let out a laugh as you look at your status. Your Mana seems to recover over time as you now have four out of a hundred. After watching it for a while, you come to the conclusion that it recovers at about one mana a minute. You can definitely abuse this. You let your mana recover a bit before you use your ability and you can¡¯t help but grin as the progress goes up. Several hours later you¡¯re greeted by another increase in the skills power.
Power Strike (Level 4, 0%): Deliver a blow that deals 195% physical damage. Costs 10 Mana.
You¡¯re determined to keep this pace going even if the skills progression seems to be getting slower with each level it gains. Unfortunately it seems there are other plans for you as a sudden pain wells up from your stomach. You grab your stomach with both hands and curl up in a ball on the forest floor as the pain assaults you. You begin to throw up and your body spazzes violently. You have no idea how long the pain continues, but you¡¯re sure that it must be the berry. It was the only thing you¡¯ve eaten since you woke up. Eventually you pass out as the blissful darkness takes you.
You wake to the early morning sun making its way through the trees, the fire from the night before little more than embers now. You shakily get to your feet, your stomach hollow and empty. Your clothes that are little more than burnt rags from the fire are now covered in dried vomit and you wrinkle your nose in disgust as you vow never to eat another one of those berries. You need to eat something though as you¡¯re starving. You get yourself ready to set out in search of food, but decide to first look around and see if the goblins have stashed anything you can use in the surrounding area. Your diligence pays off as you¡¯re rewarded for your efforts. Underneath the same bush that one of the Goblins had pulled the spear from is another crude looking spear and a small knife, similar in size to the one you had when you entered the forest. The real treasure, however, is the small stash of semi-cooked animals. Several squirrels and poultry are stacked in a pile and, more importantly, several small pouches of water! They appear to be made out of some kind of animal''s stomach, but that doesn¡¯t matter to you as you drink heavily from them, emptying several in one go and finally managing to quench the thirst that had been with you for the past few days. Several of the animals carcasses look like they¡¯ve been half eaten as you notice several bite marks taken out of them, but that¡¯s good news for you as it means they¡¯re probably safe to eat. Unable to hold back anymore, you dig into one of the squirrels and, despite it being cold and rather tough, you find it¡¯s not half bad. Finally finished enough to sate your stomach, you sit back and consider your options. You have enough food to last you for a couple of days, so that problem is settled. Water might be a bit of an issue, so you¡¯ll have to set out at some point and you need to gain some levels if you want survive. The real question is if you¡¯re ready? Do you leave right away, or raise your ability for a bit?
What do you do?
1) You can train Power Strike as you go. Set out immediately.
2) Train Power Strike for a bit before leaving. Everything in moderation.
3) Train Power Strike as much as possible before leaving. There¡¯s no such thing as too much preparation.
11. The Eleventh Choice The following days pass by at an excruciatingly slow pace. You spend more time waiting to replenish your mana than you actually do using it. You''ve found a river nearby with water that is safe enough to drink and have managed to fill up several of the animal pouches so you''re ready to leave at any time. After using Power Strike a couple of thousands of times you¡¯ve finally managed to reach level eight.
Power Strike (Level 8, 0%): Deliver a blow that deals 255% physical damage. Costs 10 Mana.
Your Power Strike is now strong enough to put a significant mark in any surface you strike and you¡¯re feeling much more confident in your abilities. It¡¯s time to set out. You give the goblin campsite one last look in case you¡¯ve forgotten anything before you set off. You travel through the forest with only a vague plan of finding civilization. Every night you spend in the forest is one fraught with peril and danger, forcing you to sleep with one eye open lest you be taken by surprise. You¡¯ve encountered several animals and creatures over the past few days, some hostile like the Gicko Squirrels and others not. Any that have attacked you, you''ve put down with ease, your speed and reflex completely supressing any of the beasts. You can''t help but thank your ever increasing Agility for that. However raising the level of your Power Strike has proven troublesome ever since it increased to level ten.
STATUS
Level: 7 (34%) Title(s): NA
Health: 150/150 Mana: 100/100
Attributes
Strength: 15 Agility: 24
Vitality: 15 Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 10 Perception: 10
Charisma: 10 Luck: 10
Skills
The Perfect Body: Increase Strength, Agility, and Vitality by 50%. Cannot be upgraded
Power Strike (Level 10, 22.91%): Deliver a blow that deals 300% physical damage. Costs 15 Mana.
While Power Strike did provide you with an extra thirty percent increase to damage instead of the regular fifteen at level ten, it also seems to have reached some kind of milestone as each use now costs fifteen Mana instead of ten. It also feels as if its rate of progression has slowed significantly, requiring at least four times the amount of effort to raise it than the last level. Still, that¡¯s not enough to deter you from using it as you walk. You¡¯ll need any extra strength you can get if you run into something with a shell as hard as those spiders. The forest begins to darken as the sun sets and you once again begin to look for a safe place for the night. You can still feel a cold shiver run through you whenever you remember the sight of the eyeless beast that ate Derrick. You have no desire to run into it again.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. You finally spot a safe place, a tree with several large branches close enough together to ensure you won''t accidentally fall in your sleep. You climb up and make yourself as comfortable as possible, resting your spear on an adjacent branch before you begin to drift off. The creepy echoing of animals in the night registers in your ears, but somehow you¡¯ve become used to it and you¡¯re able to ignore it, much the same way you ignore the rough tree bark digging uncomfortably into your back. Humans are nothing if not adaptable. You wake to the sound of squawking coming from below you. Opening your eyes and peering down, you see three Gicko Goblins bickering over something. On each of their backs is a crude spear much like your own. You watch them for a moment as they crowd around something on the forest floor before you slide a hand into one of your pockets, realizing you¡¯re missing one of your water pouches. It must have fallen out in the night. The three goblins continue to squawk, seemingly about where the pouch came from. You hesitate for a moment, thinking that they might head off in search of the culprit, but then you realize that line of thought is na?ve. If the creatures look up and manage to spot you in the tree, they¡¯ll be on guard. If you act now, however, you can take them by surprise. You¡¯re faster than your last encounter with the goblins and this time you won''t be at the disadvantage of being tied up. You can do this. Slowly you stand up and reach your hand to the right, picking up your spear as you move carefully, not daring to make a sound and waste your opportunity at an ambush. You tense your legs before you jump towards the goblins, your spear at the ready. You land with a thud as you use your skill, your shout catching the goblins unaware. ¡°Power Strike!¡± The spear makes a whistling noise as it pierces through the air before it goes straight through one of the goblin''s head. You already know it will take you too long to pull it out, so you let go, turning to your next target as the first goblin collapses. ¡°Power Strike!¡± You throw out a punch towards the second goblin, striking it in the chest and you feel its sternum cave underneath your hand as blood begins to gurgle out of its mouth. The last goblin finally begins to react, scrambling for its own spear, but you¡¯re faster. One more strike is all it takes before it too crumples to the ground. You¡¯re surprised. The fight was much easier than you expected, but you¡¯re still happy to see that you earned a little over two thousand experience from the goblins. You dismiss the notifications that appeared in front of you and are just about to check your Status to see how far you are from the next level up when the bushes ahead of you part and a creature emerges. It seems as startled to see you as you are to see it and the two of you stare at each other for a moment. The creature has dark grey-green skin, sharp ears, and a messy head of short black hair above a narrow face. Unlike the goblins, this creature is clothed in a leather shirt and pants, both of which appear to have seen better days. Strapped to its waist is a sword, fastened to the creature¡¯s belt with a few vines. It looks from you to the three goblins on the ground before it bares its fangs and lets out a hiss of anger. Its hand goes to its waist and it draws its sword with a wild ferocity, breaking the vines holding it in place, before it charges towards you. The creature is fast, almost as fast as you, and it¡¯s all you can do to spin to the side as it slashes at you. Missing you with its swing, the creature howls in anger and continues to press you with its sword, its swings are wild and dangerous. You dodge left and right, the sword only a hair¡¯s breadth from your skin. With no weapon of your own you have no way to overcome the creatures reach. Any misstep here can cost you dearly. The game of tag continues, you have no idea for how long, but slowly you¡¯re getting worn out. The creature is as well, but despite its rapidly tiring swings, you can see that you¡¯ll be the first to wear yourself out. Sweat drips down your face, soaking into your tattered shirt. It¡¯s only a matter of time until you make a fatal error. You need to do something, and fast, but the creature is giving you no chance. It¡¯s relentless in its pursuit, giving you no opportunity to grab your weapon. Finally one of its slashes connects with your side and you let out a sharp gasp as the blade leaves a long, clean gash. The creature grins triumphantly and attacks with a renewed fervor. You suffer several more wounds across your body as you try desperately to think of a way to overcome the creature. But again you come up empty. There¡¯s no way you can get close enough to it without being run through on the end of its sword. You barely dodge once more when an idea strikes you. It¡¯s crazy, even insane, but it might be the only chance you have. You need to do it. You have no choice. The creature swings at you again, but this time you don¡¯t attempt to dodge. Instead you take a step forward, towards the creature raising your fist as you meet the blade head on with your flesh. You cry out in pain as it bites into your side, cutting several inches deep as the creature lets out a guttural roar of satisfaction. You let out a choked scream as you swing your fist at the creature. Despite the vagueness of your scream, your skill activates and your fist connects cleanly with the creatures head. It reels backwards in a daze from the heavy blow, letting go of its sword which remains embedded deeply in your side. You begin to feel woozy from blood loss and a red flashing bar appears in the top left corner of your vision. You ignore it as you swing your fist again, determined to end the creature. You can only hope that killing it will give you enough experience to level up and that, by doing so, you¡¯ll be able to heal the wounds its given you. You fist connects once more with the creature¡¯s head before it falls to the ground with a pained screech. You mount on top of the creature and let loose a flurry of punches. No longer having enough Mana to use your ability, you¡¯re only able to hit the creature with your regular attacks, but your first two blows were effective enough that the creature is only able to put up a meager resistance before it soon goes still. A familiar light engulfs you and you begin to smile, your plan worked. Your smile fades, however, as the light disappears. You still feel an intense pain in your side and, looking down, you are shocked to see the creatures sword still embedded in you. The light, while seemingly possessing healing properties, was unable to eject the foreign material in your body and simply healed around the blade. You get to your feet with a ragged pant. The blade shifts and you let out a cry of pain as blood begins to flow from the wound. The flashing blue box in front of your eyes is distracting and you hastily dismiss the notification telling you of your level up as you try to figure out what to do now.
What do you do?
1) Pull the sword out quickly. You can¡¯t very well walk around with a sword in you.
2) Pull the sword out slowly. You don¡¯t want to cause any more damage than necessary.
3) Leave the sword in there. You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing.
12. The Twelfth Choice Bracing yourself, you grip the sword with both hands and pull. A horrifying scream leaves your mouth as the sword exits your body, cutting away at your flesh before it falls to the ground. Your hand goes to your side as your breath comes in ragged gasps, blood pouring out rapidly from between your fingers. You can feel yourself starting to get light-headed from the blood loss and you realize that maybe pulling out the sword without anything to stem the blood wasn¡¯t the best idea. If you don¡¯t do something to stop it quickly you very well might die. You reach out for the corpse of the larger goblin, ripping off its shirt as you press it against your side hoping to stop the blood. The rough cloth is quickly died red and you can¡¯t help but feel that it just isn''t enough. You open up your Status and stare at your health as the number slowly ticks downwards.
STATUS
Level: 7 (54%) Title(s): NA
Health: 42/150 Mana: 100/100
Attributes
Strength: 15 Agility: 22
Vitality: 15 Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 10 Perception: 10
Charisma: 10Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Luck: 10
Free Point: 1
Skills
The Perfect Body: Increase Strength, Agility, and Vitality by 50%. Cannot be upgraded
Power Strike (Level 10, 32.08%): Deliver a blow that deals 300% physical damage. Costs 15 Mana.
The number decreases to forty one and continues going lower, showing no signs of stopping and you can¡¯t help but let out a curse. You try to stand, but woozily fall back to the ground. You can barely muster any strength. You collapse onto your back as you stare upwards, looking at the foliage above you. The blue screen fills most of your vision as you watch the ominously decreasing number. Your health falls below thirty and your vision begins to fade as you start to pass out. The cloth in your hands is red and wet with blood and you know you¡¯re about to pass out. In one last desperate attempt to survive you add your Free Point into your Vitality, hoping that it will do something, anything, to keep you alive. And then you pass out. You wake up after what must have been several hours. The forest is dark now, and yet your vision is filled by the blue screen above you. It doesn¡¯t give off any light, but nonetheless you are still somehow able to read it. Your health now sits at a dismal seven out of a hundred and sixty, but it doesn¡¯t appear to be dropping anymore. Your body still feels heavy, and you can feel what blood is left in your body pounding slowly and painfully in your ears. You try to move, but the action causes your head to spin nauseously. You rest on the ground a while longer, the night air cool against your burning skin. The pounding begins to fade, but as it does you become aware of a shuffling sound coming from somewhere to your left followed by a loud crunch. It sounds close. Slowly you turn your head in the direction of the noise and you feel a shiver run down your spine as you¡¯re met with the sight of the eyeless monstrosity as it chows down on one of the dead goblins. It tears off one of the goblins arms and begins to chew, saliva dripping down from its mouth. A similar crunching sound comes from your right and, to your horror, you realize that there is another one of the beasts. Your heart pounds in your chest loudly, almost too loudly as you fear the creatures can hear it. If they do, however, they seem unconcerned as they continue their meal. You know that as soon as they finish with the goblins they¡¯ll turn to you. You¡¯ll be just another meal to them, just like Derrick was. You need to move, you only have one chance and very little time. With a sudden burst of energy you didn¡¯t know you had, you jump to your feet and dash off. You need to make it to the treeline, these creatures don¡¯t look like they can climb. You make it three steps before you feel a hot searing pain in your back as one of the creatures claws dig into you. And then you know no more.
You have died. Please choose again.
1) Pull the sword out slowly. You don¡¯t want to cause any more damage than necessary.
2) Leave the sword in there. You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing.
13. The Thirteenth Choice Despite the pain of having a sword embedded into your side, you know that its better if you leave it be. Pulling it out will just cause the wound to bleed uncontrollably and you might cause even more damage if it¡¯s not taken out carefully. You take a step forward, wincing as the sword jolts painfully with the movement. You try and grab it with your left hand as you continue to walk, hoping to keep it as steady as possible. Moving towards one of your fallen water pouches, you pick it up and take a swig before bracing yourself and pouring it over the wound in an attempt to clean it. You grit your teeth and let out a hiss of pain as the cold water burns into your side, but it accomplishes your task as it washes away most of the blood. Hopefully the smell won¡¯t be enough to attract any predators. Still, it would be best if you put some distance between yourself and the corpses of the goblins before something comes along. You go about picking through the corpses of the goblins for anything of value, taking several water pouches, a new spear, and a knife from your fallen enemies, all of which you somehow manage to tie to your waist in a crude imitation of the larger ¡­ goblin. You¡¯re actually not sure if that¡¯s what it really is, but decide that in the end it doesn¡¯t matter. You start walking, keeping an eye on your Status as you watch your health occasionally decrease significantly as the sword shifts ever so slightly. You¡¯re going to have to move carefully, but even then the sword needs to come out. You¡¯re just going to have to figure out a way to do so without injuring yourself further. Your mind searches desperately for a solution as you continue walking at a steady pace. A familiar sound comes from above you, and almost on reflex you thrust out and up with the spear in your right hand, wincing as it causes the sword to move sharply in your side. There¡¯s a squeaking noise and you look in surprise at the Gicko squirrel embedded on the tip of the spear. A blue box appears in front of your face announcing your kill and you begin to dismiss is before you stop and break out in a smile as you realize what you need to do. Level up. If you can manage to pull out the sword just before you reach the next level, you should be able to heal from the wound it caused. It¡¯s only a question of whether you can last that long. You continue walking at a slow pace, taking care not to jostle the sword too much. Occasionally you come across the odd Gicko squirrel or other creature, each of which you mercilessly slay. You don¡¯t have the luxury of sympathy. Progress is slow, but you know you can¡¯t move faster than you already are. You rest whenever you¡¯re health drops below half and, from your observations, you realize that your health recovers at about one point every forty seconds or so. It¡¯s faster than the recovery rate of your Mana, and after reading over your Status a bit more and doing some mental math, you figure it¡¯s based on your Vitality. You¡¯re tempted to spend your Free Point to raise your health in the hopes that it will allow you to recover faster, but you resist the temptation. You¡¯ve already set your course of action and, unless you have no other choice, you¡¯re determined to stick to it. Still, you¡¯ll save the Free Point for now just in case. You continue moving throughout the day, killing anything that comes across your path and you can¡¯t help but feel a bit like a psychopath. Like one of those people who enjoys torturing animals. You know you¡¯re only doing it for your survival, but it just strikes you as something gruesome, something ugly. You can¡¯t help but be a little disillusioned with a world that encourages you to kill to get stronger. That doesn¡¯t stop you though as the pain in your side is a constant reminder of your dire circumstances. A few days pass and you¡¯re finally on the brink of reaching the next level. You¡¯re progress has been too slow for your liking but there was no helping it. You spot movement coming from beneath one of the bushes and you stop moving and crouch low to the ground, ignoring the sharp pain from the sword in your side. You¡¯re used to it by now. You wait patiently for the creature under the bush to come out. A patience that, back in your old world, you would have been incapable of. But circumstances changes people and you¡¯ve learned that you can¡¯t always rush things. You lift the spear up over your shoulder and ready yourself to throw it at the creature, even as your other hand grips the sword tightly, ready to pull it out. You need to time this properly, you can¡¯t afford to make a careless mistake. Minutes pass and a bead of sweat trickles down the side of your face, but you remain steady as you wait for your chance.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. It comes suddenly, with no warning, as a small Gicko rabbit darts out from the bush. At that instance you act, pulling the sword out of your side with a might heave even as you release the spear. You let out a sharp cry and your vision blurs for a moment, but practice has made your throw true as with a thud the spear pierces the Gicko rabbit and embeds itself in the ground. You feel as if you¡¯re about to collapse, but then in the next moment two boxes appear in your vision and a white light engulfs you. You feel the pain in your side fade away as your skin knits itself anew and you let out a relieved breath. You fall to the forest floor, your body finally relaxing for the first time in days as it¡¯s finally free of pain. When you¡¯ve rested enough, you get to your feet with a smile on your face. You¡¯ve done it! Still smiling, you make your way over to the Gicko rabbit and you begin to inexpertly skin it and drain it of blood. The past few days have given you enough experience to know how to handle the small critters, a bit of experimentation allowing you to successfully remove its pelt almost intact. You rest your spear over a shoulder, the Gicko rabbit tied crudely to your belt with a few vines, as you look down at the sword. It¡¯s stained a dark red from your own blood, and you¡¯re tempted to leave the cursed thing where it is. Your proficiency with the spear, meager as it is, is sure to be much better than your ability to wield a sword. Still, you decide otherwise. It might be worth something in the future and you clumsily strap it to your waist. You add your two points to your Agility, watching with satisfaction as the number ticks up to twenty-five before you head off in search of some water to clean off yourself and your spoils. Without a sword in your side, your pace increases and you find yourself moving through the forest with the practiced ease of a seasoned hunter. Not that all your abilities are quite there yet, but you know it¡¯s only a matter of time ¡­ as long as you survive. Weeks pass and you lose track of the individual days. You¡¯re no longer sure how long you¡¯ve been in this world. Your progress, both with your level and with your ability have slowed to a crawl. The small critters don¡¯t seem to be giving you as much experience as they once were. You¡¯re power strike has reached level twenty and hits a new milestone, costing more than before. You¡¯re worried that eventually its cost will become too much for you to bear and you¡¯ll no longer be able to use it, but that¡¯s a worry for the far distant future. For now you can still use it five time at full Mana capacity. You continue your relentless journey through the forest, mindlessly passing the days as you kill your way through the dangerous woods. Long gone is the you that once hesitated to shed blood. The wilderness knows no mercy, only survival of the fittest, and you intend to survive. Your daily grind continues. You¡¯ve learned to spot small game trails and can now see the telltale signs of predators marking their territory. You¡¯re not an expert, but you wouldn¡¯t be ashamed to say you¡¯re rather experienced. You¡¯ve exchanged your tattered clothes for some hastily stitched together fur. It requires constant maintenance, but it¡¯s better than nothing at all ¡­ or wearing one of the goblin¡¯s loincloths. You shudder at the thought. Level nine comes and goes uneventfully, the slight increase in Agility not seeming as apparent as it once did. Finally level ten is upon you and you can¡¯t contain the feeling of excitement and fear that war inside you. You¡¯re finally reaching a different milestone in this new world. The goal the blue boxes gave you was to reach level ten, and you¡¯re about to do just that. You¡¯re afraid achieving the goal will be accompanied by a harder, more dangerous task, but you¡¯ve been in the forest for so long now, with little hope of leaving it, that you¡¯re just ready for something different. Something new. You thrust your spear into the chest of a Gicko badger as it emerges from its burrow, killing it instantly, and you¡¯re delighted as a blue box pops up.
You have leveled up!
Another box appears and your smile grows wider.
Chapter 1: The First Steps. Reach Level 10 (Complete)
A moment later, just as expected, a third box appears. This one, however, is different then the rest. It gives you a choice. One that you suspect might have everlasting consequences on your future development.
Chapter 2: Deciding your future. Pick one of the following:
1) Leave the Gicko Forest.
2) Reach Level 20.
3) Master Power Strike.
14. The Fourteenth Choice While getting stronger will help you survive, you¡¯ve had enough of this forest and you decide you need to leave it. You do wonder how you¡¯re going to get out of here, but even as the question comes to mind, a blue box appears in front of you and answers your question.
Chapter 2: A New Future. Follow the arrow and leave the Gicko Forest.
The box disappears after you read it and you can see a faint, red arrow hovering in the air in front of you and pointing to your left. You turn to face the direction the arrow is pointing and watch as the arrow disconcertingly stays in the center of your vision as it slowly rotates until it¡¯s pointing forward. You feel like you should be more surprised, but after coming to this world a floating arrow is no longer in the top ten of the strangest things you¡¯ve seen. You begin heading in the direction the arrow indicates, occasionally forced to move around various obstacles as the arrow seems to guide you forward, ignorant of the obstructions in your way. Several days pass by and, just as you begin to think the forest will never end, the treeline comes to an abrupt halt. Ahead of you is a large, empty grass field, stretching farther than you can see. You let out a sigh of relief, finally, no more trees! You head out of the forest with a bounce in your step, eager to not only at leaving the forest, but at the prospect of finding some kind of civilization. As you step onto the soft grass, another box appears in front of you.
Chapter 2: A New Future. Find the road and follow it to the next town.
The instructions on the box are simple enough, and you¡¯re more than happy to follow it if will mean you can find civilization. In fact, now that you think about it, you have yet to even speak to another person since coming to this world. The only other person you met was Derrick, and he was from Earth, not to mention he was unconscious the entire time. The thought of having been unable to save Derrick causes the joy from escaping the forest to fade somewhat, but you push on.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. As you do, you glance down at your appearance and cringe. Your clothes are little more than rags, bits and pieces of tattered animal hide that you¡¯ve barely managed to piece together in some semblance of modesty. Not having taken a proper shower since you were transported to this world, your skin is cover in grime and muck, several scabs from wandering through the foliage running across your exposed skin. There¡¯s not much you can do about your hygiene at this point but keep moving forward. It takes you a bit of traveling across the clear plains, but finally you stumble across a dirt road. It¡¯s unkempt with weeds popping up all over the place, but it¡¯s at least signs of civilization. Looking both ways down the dirt road, you see nothing to indicate which way you should go. Looking up at the sky, you shield your eyes against the glare of the sun as it slowly descends and you decide to walk with it to your back. At the very least you won¡¯t be blinded by it. You continue walking forward at a relaxed pace, the travel easier than both your time in the forest and your jaunt over the open plains. The day continues to pass by as the sun continues its descent, the heat comfortable and warm on your back, when you hear a rumbling sound coming from behind you. You turn and see a shape in the distance that you can vaguely make out as a wagon pulled by a horse heading towards you and you step to the side of the road as it approaches. While wagons are outdated in the modern world, perhaps they are more common in this one. You watch as it gets closer and you raise a hand in greeting. Maybe you¡¯ll be able to get a lift to the next town? It would beat walking. You finally make out the driver, a middle-aged man in a brown tunic and grey workpants. He looks at you with a frown on his face as the wagon continues down the road and you slowly lower your hand as you see the look of disdain and disgust in his eyes. The wagon shows no signs of stopping as it finally reaches you and you can only watch helplessly as it barrels down the road. You let out a sigh and continue walking, the wagon quickly putting distance between you before it eventually disappears. The rest of the day passes by and the sun begins to sink behind the horizon before you finally see a blurry shape come into view. Excited, your feet move faster as you walk down the road, your energy momentarily renewed as you get closer. The fading light makes it hard to see, but you¡¯re sure you see the shape of buildings in the distance. Suddenly a flickering light appears, followed by several more, and your pace quickens as you become sure of it. You¡¯ve reached the town. Night truly descends as you finally reach the wooden walls of the town. ¡°Halt!¡± Comes a voice from behind the gate, and you stop. You let out a sigh of relief at the fact that the people here wouldn¡¯t speak the same language and a hidden worry is lifted from your chest. Eventually the gate opens slightly and out steps a young man with curly black hair, one hand on the sword at his waist as he looks you up and down in an accessing manner. ¡°What business have you here stranger?¡± He asks, his voice is rough but still contains a trace of youth. Despite that he speaks with the assuredness of someone that knows what he¡¯s doing. You stumble a bit over your words as you try to answer him. What can you say? You never really gave any thought as to what you would tell people. The man eyes you suspiciously as your brain races for something to say.
What do you say?
1) "I¡¯m lost and looking for a place to stay."
2) "None of your business!"
3) "I was brought here from another world and followed these blue boxes that told me to come to this town ¡­"
4) *You can''t think of anything to say, stare at him dumbly.*
15. The Fifteenth Choice ¡°I¡¯m lost,¡± you say, your voice hoarse from disuse, ¡°and looking for a place to stay.¡± The man stares at you suspiciously for a moment before letting out a sigh and sheathing his sword. ¡°I suppose you look harmless enough.¡± He says. ¡°The name¡¯s Tyrin. Tyrin Hearthflag. Welcome to Hartpool.¡± You smile at his words and introduce yourself as Tyrin opens the gate and gestures for you to enter. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have any money to pay for a room for the night?¡± You shake your head and Tyrin let¡¯s out another sigh. ¡°My mother won¡¯t be pleased.¡± He says. Upon seeing your questioning look he elaborates. ¡°She owns the inn. She¡¯s also the town¡¯s mayor.¡± You give a nod as you follow Tyrin as he leads into the town and you give a start as a blue box appears in front of you.
Chapter 2: A New Future. Rest at the inn for the night.
You don¡¯t think you¡¯ll ever be able to get used to the abruptness of these boxes. You continue following Tyrin through the two, trying to look around despite the darkness. The buildings seem to be primarily made of wood, the largest of which is only three stories high and the buildings eventually break away to the sight of a large lake that glimmers in the moonlight. Eventually you come to a stop in front of a two story building and Tyrin gives you a once over. ¡°Wait here,¡± he says, ¡°my mother definitely won¡¯t be happy if you track dirt through her inn.¡± You listen to his words and wait outside as Tyrin enters the building. A few minutes later he re-emerges with a woman in tow. The woman¡¯s fiery red hair makes her skin seem paler than it actually is and you can¡¯t help but notice a commanding presence about her. The woman gives you a once over, taking in your disheveled appearance before she speaks. ¡°I¡¯m a little less trusting than my son,¡± she begins, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind if I cast some precautionary spells on you?¡± Curious at what she means by spell, you give her a hesitant nod, not seeing many options before you. ¡°Magia Deprehensio.¡± She says as she waves one of her hands about in a practiced, but complicated motion. Seconds awkwardly tick away as she stares at you with nothing seeming to happen before she gives a nod and begins waving her hands again. ¡°Personam Leporem.¡± ¡°Mother!¡± You hear Tyrin say as he gasps. You don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but it should be okay. This woman is someone you can trust after all. ¡°I¡¯m Olsa Hearthflag.¡± She says, and you can¡¯t help but feel like you¡¯re good friends who¡¯ve known each other for a long time. ¡°You look like you¡¯ve had a difficult journey, why don¡¯t you get yourself cleaned up a bit before coming inside. You can tell me all about your journey over a hot bowl of stew?¡± Her words are quite reasonable and you find yourself agreeing to them almost immediately. After listening to some brief instructions from Tyrin, who gives you a wry shake of his head and mouths sorry, you go around the building and into the little shack in the back to wash up. The soap is rough, but it feels good to wash off the grime of your travels, even despite the cold water. You stare reluctantly at your tattered rags before resignedly putting them back on and heading into the inn. Upon entering you see several tables spaced throughout the room. Coupled with the fire crackling at the back of the room, the building has an almost rustic, antique vibe to it. Olsa and Tyrin are seated at one of the tables, a bowl of steaming stew sitting in front of the empty seats and you head over to join them.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Sliding into the seat, Olsa smiles at you and gestures for you to eat and you relax in the warm atmosphere, more at ease than you¡¯ve been in weeks. You pick up a spoon and begin to eat, the broth wonderfully warm on your tongue and soon you¡¯re lost in the wonderful taste of the first proper meal you¡¯ve had since coming to this world. It feels like only moments later that you¡¯re done and you lick your lips as you stare longingly at the bowl. You know it¡¯s impolite to ask for seconds, but then again, it should be fine since you¡¯re friends. As you open your mouth to speak Olsa lets out a laugh. ¡°Tyrin,¡± she says with a smile, ¡°be a dear and fetch another bowl? Our guest looks particularly starved.¡± Tyrin grumbles under his breath as he gets to his feet and picks up your bowl before leaving the room. ¡°So tell me,¡± says Olsa as she leans forward on the table, ¡°what brings you to Hartpool?¡± A part of you says you shouldn¡¯t tell her everything. After all, it¡¯s almost too unbelievable, but then again, she¡¯s your friend, right? You shouldn¡¯t lie to her. You hear yourself begin to speak, finding yourself telling her more than you thought you would. About the Voice, about Derrick, and about the blue boxes that seem to be guiding you along. At some point Tyrin walks back in with another bowl of stew and you finish your story between mouthfuls of the creamy broth. ¡°Well,¡± says Olsa some while after you¡¯ve finished, ¡°that¡¯s quite the story.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that just like¨C¡± Begins Tyrin, and Olsa nods. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± She says. ¡°It¡¯s similar to them. It even sounds like he arrived in the same cavern as them.¡± ¡°As who?¡± You ask curious. Olsa smiles softly at you before speaking. ¡°You¡¯re not the first person from another world to come through here.¡± She says. ¡°There was a group of six that arrived in the village a few years ago. But they¡¯ve long since left.¡± ¡°But nobody recently?¡± You ask disappointedly. You were hoping you¡¯d be able to find somebody else you knew that was summoned to this world. ¡°There was.¡± Says Olsa and you perk up at her words. ¡°A girl by the name of Alice McKay I believe. She claimed to have also been summoned to this world, although instead of ending up in a cave she said she arrived on the beach to the north.¡± ¡°And where is she now?¡± You ask eagerly despite not recognizing the name. Somehow you feel the need to find someone else from your own world. ¡°She headed south,¡± says Tyrin, speaking up for the first time in a while, ¡°a few days ago. She said she was headed to a city to the south. Something about seeing what the world has to offer.¡± He shakes his head. ¡°Foolishness if you ask me.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Says Olsa as she raises an eyebrow at her son. ¡°And just who was it that set off on an equally foolish journey five years ago?¡± You watch as Tyrin looks down at the table abashed before Olsa returns her attention to you. ¡°You can go after her of course.¡± Says Olsa as she reads the desire on your face. ¡°But it might be best if you leave such things until the morning. The roads can be dangerous at night. You nod in agreement. You still have no idea how you survived in the forest for all those weeks. ¡°You can have a bed here for the night,¡± she continues, ¡°but if you wish to stay any longer I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to earn your keep. Tyrin, if you¡¯d show our guest to an empty room?¡± Tyrin gets to his feet and you follow suit. You wish Olsa a goodnight and part with a smile on your face as you head upstairs. As you reach the second floor and Tyrin leads you to one of the doors, he stops and turns to you, a serious expression on his face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± You ask as you notice the intensity of his gaze. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He says, lowering his head in apology. ¡°For what?¡± You ask quizzically. You can¡¯t think of anything he¡¯s done that needs apologizing for. The two of them have been more than kind enough to you and you already know you have no real way to repay them. ¡°For my mother.¡± Says Tyrin as he shakes his head. ¡°She doesn¡¯t mean any harm, she just wants to protect the town.¡± Seeing your confused look, Tyrin shakes his head again. ¡°You¡¯ll see in the morning.¡± He says as he begins walking back towards the stairs. ¡°I¡¯ve got to get back to the wall. Have a good night.¡± You echo his sentiment, still a bit baffled at his attitude, but tired enough to put it off until tomorrow. You enter the room, navigating to the bed against the far wall under the moonlight that flutters in through the window. Laying down, you let out a sigh as your head sinks into the pillow and you quickly drift off into a dreamless sleep, feeling safe for the first time in this new world.
Blinking your eyes open as you stare at the blue box above you, you feel disoriented as the queerness of the previous night¡¯s conversation hits you. Just why did you tell Olsa everything? Where you came from, your powers, the blue boxes? Why did you feel like you could trust her? You don¡¯t know her, she¡¯s a stranger. Why did you feel safe enough to divulge everything? What did she do? You stare up at the blue box, absently reading it over as you try to figure out just what happened to you. Suddenly you bolt upright as you process the words on the box.
Chapter 2: A New Future. Arrive at the Capital. Reward: Second Skill unlocked.
What do you do now?
1) Confront Olsa about what happened last night.
2) Ask Tyrin to clarify what happened.
3) Leave Hartpool and chase after Alice McKay.
4) Leave for the Capital to get your second skill.
16. The Sixteenth Choice Go to the capitol? You just arrived at the village and it already wants you to leave? You shake your head. As tempting as having a new skill would be, you¡¯ve just barely survived your journey through the forest. Giant spiders, green monsters, and horrendous beasts aside, you know little of the dangers of this world. You¡¯d be better off if you could get some more information. And besides, you still want to know just what happened to you to make you so trusting of Olsa. You recall Tyrin¡¯s words last night. He seems to know what¡¯s going on. You get up and head downstairs, intent on finding out exactly what he meant when you¡¯re suddenly assaulted by the delicious smell of food wafting in the air. Stepping off the last step, you look around the inn for its source only to see a large bald man with a grizzled beard walk out of the back room carrying a pitcher in one hand and a plate that¡¯s overflowing with food in the other. His eyes meet yours and the man breaks out into a smile just as huge as he is. ¡°Mornin¡¯.¡± He says, his voice a deep rumble. ¡°Are ya hungry?¡± You give the man a nod that somehow causes his grin to widen even further as he places the plate and mug on the nearby table next to some utensils. ¡°Was goin ta be eating that myself, but I can just whip up a second plate in the kitchen. Help yerself.¡± And with those words the man turns around and re-enters what you assume is the kitchen. The clanging of pots and pans tells you you¡¯re right as you take a seat at the table and stare hesitantly down at the heaping pile of food in front of you. By the time the man returns you¡¯ve already begun to put a significant dent into the delicious meal. You¡¯d expected some kind of weird, otherworldly cuisine, or perhaps something rustic and wild, but what you got instead was something surprisingly close to the kind of breakfast you would have eaten back on Earth. The man sits down and looks at you with a satisfied grin on his face as you savor each bite. ¡°Like it?¡± He asks. ¡°Learned ta make that from another otherworlder like yerself a few years back. Figured ye¡¯d be up for something familiar.¡± You look up at the man¡¯s expression and find yourself moved by the sincerity in his eyes. ¡°Thank you Mr. ¨C ?¡± ¡°Thomus,¡± laughs the man, ¡°Thomus Hearthflag. But ye can just call meh Tom.¡± ¡°Thank you Tom.¡± ¡°No worries. Breakfast is tha least I can do.¡± You give Thomus a questioning look and the man shrugs. ¡°Look, my wife¡¯s a good person, and she does what she does ta protect the town. I can¡¯t say it¡¯s always right, but I stand by her decisions. It¡¯s what¡¯s kept us alive this long.¡± ¡°But what did she do?¡± You ask as you lean forward in your chair. ¡°S¡¯not my place to say.¡± Says the man as he takes a swig from his drink (you¡¯d had a bit of your own and it was some kind of strong cider) before digging into his food. ¡°Not that I really know much about it all anyways.¡± The rest of the meal is spent in idle chatter as the two of you make small talk until you finish. It¡¯s clear he doesn¡¯t want to talk about the subject anymore and you¡¯re getting the sense that it wouldn¡¯t do you any good to push for more. Once done, and after Thomus waves away your offer to help with the dishes, you set off towards the town¡¯s gatehouse where Thomus tells you Tyrin should be. Whether he wants to tell you what happened or not, you¡¯re going to get your answers out of him. Walking through town in the day gets you curious stares from the villagers. You look back at them just as curiously as you take in the rustic garments they wear, warily eyeing the weapons some of them seem to carry as you¡¯re hand subconsciously goes to the sword on your waist. Suddenly, you can¡¯t help but freeze in your tracks as your eyes catch sight of three individuals that seem to belong to a movie. The first is a thick, stout bare-chested man with a long beard and a bulbous noise. He¡¯s around four feet tall with thick, well-defined muscles and a large hammer strapped to his waist. Your mind in its dazed state helpfully supplies you with the word dwarf. Next to him, is a small woman, even shorter than the ¡­ dwarf. Her hair is cut into a neat bob and she¡¯s dressed in what appeared to be some kind of white religious attire. Again your mind supplies the only word that fits her description ¨C hobbit. Looking at the third of the trio, your eyes are drawn to the woman¡¯s face. Her straight dark hair and sharp eyes seem to gracefully accentuate her high cheekbones and full lips perfectly. An elf. You¡¯re eyes flicker to her ears in confirmation and you¡¯re rewarded with the sight of her long ears ending in a pointed tip. The woman glances over at you from the corner of her eyes as she continues to speak to her companions and you can see her lips curve slightly as she smirks at you.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. You stare dumbly as the trio continues to walk down the road before they round a corner and are out of sight. You knew you were in a different world for a while now. You¡¯d fought goblins and wild animals, giant spiders and who knows what else, but it never truly sunk in until now. You¡¯re not on earth anymore. You¡¯re in some kind of Tolkien-esque world, with who knows what other kinds of creatures. You look down at your waist and stare at the sword at your hip. A sword. You¡¯re wearing a sword. You begin to chuckle, slowly at first, before you break out into a loud, hearty laugh. You¡¯re wearing a goddamn sword in a world with Elves and Dwarves and Hobbits where you get stronger like a character in some kind of game! You¡¯re laughter continues for some time, empty and hollow and crazed even to your own ears, but you don¡¯t care. You don¡¯t care that people are staring at you as walk past, giving you a wide birth as you laugh insanely in the middle of the road. You don¡¯t care that you¡¯re making a scene, making a fool of yourself, it doesn¡¯t really matter, everything is too surreal. You don¡¯t know how long you continue to stand there laughing, but eventually your crazed outburst subsides. You shake your head to clear your thoughts of elves and dwarves and hobbits and swords and you continue walking again with a goal in mind. Tyrin. He should be able to explain. He¡¯ll be able to tell you just what the hell happened last night. Just what the hell you''re supposed to do now. Reaching the gate, you see a man standing on a raised platform next to the wall peering out into the distance as he absently munches on an apple. He¡¯s wearing a brown leather cap and a gray tunic over an off-white shirt. Hearing your approach, he looks back at you and waves with the hand holding the apple. ¡°Heading out?¡± He asks. ¡°No,¡± you say, ¡°I¡¯m looking for Tyrin.¡± ¡°Mmmm, well,¡± says the man as he takes another bite of his apple and licks his lips before gesturing to a building to the left of the gate, ¡°if he hasn¡¯t left already he should be in the gatehouse there.¡± You thank the man as you turn towards the gatehouse ¨C really it¡¯s nothing more than a small shack ¨C and you approach it with determination. You¡¯re going to get some answers. Just as you¡¯re about to knock on the door, it opens to reveal Tyrin who blinks at you in surprise. ¡°Oh, hey,¡± he says, shifting awkwardly on his feet, ¡°hope you had a good rest.¡± You raise an eyebrow at him, you¡¯re expression saying more than any words could.¡± He laughs awkwardly. ¡°I guess you want to know what happened last night, huh?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± You say, nodding. ¡°And I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re willing to just let it go?¡± ¡°No.¡± And at your response Tyrin let¡¯s out a tired sigh. ¡°I figured as much. Well, come in then,¡± he says, gesturing for you to enter. Walking into the gatehouse, you see that it¡¯s little more than a small room with a rustic wooden desk and two chairs. The papers on the dark brown desk seem coarse and thick, not at all like the paper you¡¯re used to back on earth, and instead of seeing any pens or pencils, you¡¯re greeted with the sight of a quill and what you assume is a bottle of ink. It all looks old fashioned and if you didn¡¯t know any better you¡¯d think everything in the room belonged at a renaissance fair. Tyrin walks past you and takes a seat behind the desk, gesturing for you to do the same. ¡°Well, I guess I should explain.¡± He says as he leans back. ¡°The short answer is magic. It¡¯s a spell called Charm. It makes whoever can¡¯t overcome it act like a close friend to the caster. But you need to know that she only did it to protect the town. She had to know if you¡¯d be a danger to us, to the villagers. We had to know what kind of person you were.¡± You stare down at your lap as you think over his answer. Is that really an acceptable reason to use magic that messes with peoples¡¯ minds? ¡°I apologize for what my mother did, but in our defense, you did look a bit crazed.¡± You look up and see Tyrin smiling to take the edge off his words. ¡°In the end it could actually be a good thing she cast the magic.¡± You give him a sharp look. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°From the crude look of those animal skins you were wearing, I¡¯m going to assume you made them yourself?¡± You nod in confirmation and Tyrin lets out a laugh. ¡°Then I¡¯m going to go out on a limb here and assume you don¡¯t have any money?¡± You shake your head. ¡°No, but what does that have to do with the spell?¡± Tyrin gives you a deadpan look. ¡°Well, the clothes you¡¯re wearing cost money to make. You didn¡¯t honestly expect us to give it to you for free did you?¡± You¡¯re surprised, it hadn¡¯t really occurred to you to think about it, but you¡¯d assumed the clothes were just given to you out of kindness. ¡°The same with the bed at the inn and the food you ate. It¡¯s a business. If we just gave those things to people for free we couldn¡¯t very well make a living now could we? Think of them as my mother¡¯s apology to you for having to cast the spell on you.¡± His words make sense, but at the same time ¨C ¡°That still doesn¡¯t give you the right to mess with my mind.¡± ¡°No,¡± he says, ¡°it doesn¡¯t. But that¡¯s why I¡¯m apologizing. Besides, if we couldn¡¯t be sure you wouldn¡¯t be a danger to the village we would have had to ask you to leave.¡± Seeing your look of surprise Tyrin continues. ¡°You¡¯re not the first person to arrive here from another world and from what I know about the kind of place you come from it¡¯s understandable for you to think we wouldn¡¯t turn you out. But this world is dangerous. Never mind the monsters and wild animals out there, even just a stranger on the road can turn out to be a danger. You can¡¯t judge someone¡¯s strength here just by their appearance.¡± You think over his words for a moment before you speak. ¡°But then, didn¡¯t you take a chance? If I turned out to be someone dangerous, then couldn¡¯t I have reacted poorly to the magic you cast on me?¡± ¡°Perhaps, but the first spell she cast was to check if you had any dangerous artifacts on your person. If you did, things would have been different. And if you had tried something regardless, well, my mother would have been enough to take you down.¡± Tyrin pats the sword on his hip. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m no slouch in a fight either.¡± He leans forward, resting an elbow on the table and propping his chin up tiredly in one hand. ¡°Now,¡± he says, ¡°what is it you want to do? You¡¯re free to rest here at our inn for a few more days, but after that you¡¯re going to have to start paying. If you want to head out for the capital I can give you some supplies and point you in the right direction. Or, if you want to earn some coin I can always find some work for you. There¡¯s always too much to do around here and never enough manpower.¡±
What do you do?
1) Rest at the inn for a few days and figure out things later.
2) Leave for the Capital
3) Find some work.