《Frostpyre: A GameLit Adventure》 Chapter 1 - The High Cliffs (POV: Edward) Chapter 1 - The High Cliffs (POV: Edward) I choked back tears as my little brother tried in vain to wriggle free from the bindings that ensnared his limbs. The heavy iron chains gnawed into his skin, leaving his bloody flesh exposed to the cold winds of the winter monsoon. ¡°Help me!¡± My cousin Kate wailed. ¡°Someone please help me!¡± I turned my head away from my brother, only to glimpse the final moments of her short life. My uncle Ned glared down at her mud drenched body and scowled. Carefully placing his boot on her rump, with a single shove, he sent her tumbling into the choppy waters below. She screamed for what seemed like an eternity, letting out one final whimper as her body clapped against the waves. ¡°That¡¯s six,¡± uncle Ned stoically declaimed, ¡°four more to go.¡± ¡°I get to pick lots next,¡± I could hear my older brother Emrick excitedly volunteer himself for the task. In that moment, I was happy that I could not see the twisted look on his face. All I could see were my friends, relatives, and neighbors lined up and down the high cliffs, covered in filth and bound in iron. I numbered among them. ¡°Driftwood, driftwood! I pulled driftwood!¡± My brother exclaimed loudly. My heart sank. ¡°The Gods have spoken!¡± My uncle¡¯s voice echoed loudly as the crowd clapped and cheered behind him. ¡°Go forth and provide a member of your blood to appease their hunger.¡± Emrick wasted no time digging his foot into my backside, rubbing his heel into the tail of my spine. I clenched down hard on the shoulder of my tunic to stop myself from screaming. I had to bear my fate, no matter how painful it was. My death would be the only way to save Roddy. ¡°I change my mind,¡± my older brother released the pressure from my spine, ¡°I choose Roddy.¡± ¡°No!¡± I shouted in horror, ¡°pick me! Pick me!¡± I pleaded. I turned my head to see Emrick pushing his weight into my younger brother¡¯s back. He squealed in pain as he dug his heel in deeper and deeper, convulsing and seizing as his spine was crushed. A horrific pop resounded through the air as he went limp from the waist down. ¡°No, stop it!¡± I screamed. ¡°I love you,¡± Roddy weakly mumbled to me as Emrick picked him up and dangled his body over the cliff. "I love you too, Em", he smiled at our older brother, his assailant. ¡°See you later, brother,¡± Emrick chuckled as he heaved him over the edge. In that instant, my vision went black. Then it happened. A cold fury erupted from within me. ¡°Screw you and screw this island!¡± I roared to my feet, temporarily overcoming my bindings. "I will not let Roddy die alone!" ¡°What are you doing?¡± My uncle ran to catch my leg as I inched towards the edge of the cliff. But he was too late. I would be with my brother, and there was nothing he could do to stop me. I plowed headfirst after Roddy, who stared at me, mouth agape as he limply hit the water. My body felt unusually light and airy as I moved to join him in death. Memories of my life flashed before my eyes as I inched ever closer to impact ¨C visions of my mother, my father, and our home gave me peace as I went to comfort the little boy that I had raised from infancy. Roddy deserved better ¨C as did all the children of Mossy Rock. Perhaps in death, we would finally be set free. Then I came face to face with it, the gray liquid that had incarcerated our people for generations, its victims numbering in the tens of thousands. How many families had it broken? How many lives had it rended apart? Would it hurt? Does death hurt? This was my last thought as my neck cracked against the waves. Then there was darkness. ******************* Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Edward! Edward! Wake up, brother.¡± Familiar hands desperately pounded against my chest, resuscitating me to life. In that one fleeting moment, I could have mistaken my brother for an angel ¨C or our mother. How had I never noticed how much he had grown to look like her? His soft blue eyes and curly blonde hair were something that I thought I would never see again. Yet, there they were, staring me in the face. ¡°Roddy!¡± I flung forward and immediately clutched him in my arms. ¡°You¡¯re alive! You¡¯re actually alive!¡± His tears flowed like a river down my shoulder, as mine did down his. ¡°I told you he¡¯d survive,¡± an unfamiliar voice cackled from behind us, ¡°it was ordained.¡± I released my brother, still holding his hand tightly in mine, and spun around. We were with company. A woman, well advanced in age, grinned a toothless smile at us from across the room. Strange trophies made of beasts and precious metals lined the walls between us. I had never seen anything like them. Nor had I ever seen anyone like her. She wore plated armor, cloaked in linen and dressed in sapphire adornment. She was like something out of a story book, too old to be anything short of a crone, yet too chivalrous to be anything less than a knight. A walking, talking, contradiction. ¡°Who are you?¡± I questioned her. ¡°The woman who saved your life,¡± her joints creaked and cracked as she used her staff to stand upright, ¡°and maybe the world,¡± she added with another cackle. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for this day to come for far too long,¡± she slowly hobbled towards us, ¡°and now it finally has.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± I shook my head, ¡°how are we alive? Who are you? What is this place?¡± ¡°You¡¯d make a good lawyer with all those questions,¡± she came to sit on a stump in front of us. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll have that opportunity one day, if you can escape from this hellish reality, that is.¡± ¡°I¡¯m confused, h ¨C ¡°, she carefully pressed her finger against my lip, stopping me mid-question. ¡°All will be revealed in time,¡± she said, ¡°but for now you need time to rest and recuperate, as do I. It took most of my mana reserves to bring you two back from the brink of death. You both were effectively paralyzed.¡± She stood up once more and limped towards the leeward exit. ¡°Dinner will be ready in an hour,¡± she waved, as the door closed behind her, ¡°don¡¯t be late, I¡¯m not making seconds.¡± ******************* Supper that evening consisted of casings of meat slurry called ¡°hot dogs¡±, served with a nauseatingly sweet beverage called ¡°root beer¡±. Nana claimed they were delicacies from her homeland, but I found it hard to believe that anyone would consider that combination to be a delicacy. Even worse, the mealtime conversation had not satiated my hunger for answers. I knew nothing, save that Nana had saved our lives and taken us to her private island to heal. Everything else about her and our recovery remained shrouded in secrecy. ¡°Care if I join you?¡± Roddy emerged from Nana¡¯s hovel and sat beside me on the bench where I had been pondering our situation after supper. ¡°I¡¯d be honored,¡± I patted the spot next to me, urging him to move closer. I still couldn¡¯t believe that he was alive. I wanted to hug him again and never let go, but I didn¡¯t want to embarrass him, even if the only other person within an eyeshot was likely going blind. Roddy was entering adolescence, a self-conscious time in every young person¡¯s life. I was only just outgrowing my teenage years myself, so I understood his situation well. ¡°You can see the stars so clearly here,¡± he pointed up at the sky, ¡°look, there¡¯s the constellation of the dragon!¡± He carefully drew an outline of a dragon with his finger. ¡°There¡¯s the storm,¡± he pointed to its left. ¡°Who taught you about the stars?¡± I questioned him, surprised by his knowledge of a spectacle that rarely could be observed in the overcast skies of our home. ¡°You did,¡± he nudged me with his fist, ¡°don¡¯t tell me you forgot.¡± I thought about it for a moment. It was true that I had taught my brother most of the things that he knew about the world. I had raised him since the day he was born after all. Somehow though, I had no recollection of telling him about the stars and the great void beyond. ¡°Edward,¡± Roddy scolded me, ¡°don¡¯t tell me that you already forgot about what happened on the day I turned ten?¡± What happened on the day that Roddy turned ten? I had thrown him a massive party that year. Did I? I did. "The time we snuck into the observatory on top of the high cliffs!¡± I blurted out loud, ¡°that was the first time I ever drank adult spirits. I can¡¯t believe that I was that irresponsible.¡± I laughed. ¡°It was fun,¡± Roddy beamed, ¡°but Emrick was not very happy that he had to clean up after you the next morning, you hurled up a whole keg on the bedroom rug.¡± Emrick. Both of us suddenly grew quiet. He sacrificed Roddy without care, as though he were some insignificant pebble. My relationship with him had long been strained, but Roddy had never done wrong by him. Had he punished Roddy just to get back at me? ¡°Your brother is not a bad man,¡± Nana emerged from indoors and lit a smoke, taking a puff, ¡°this world twists people to do cruel things and behave inhumanely. We should pity him; he is even more a prisoner of it then us.¡± Roddy and I both stared at her in disbelief. Just who was she, and how much did she know about us and our family? ¡°For some eight hundred years I have watched from afar as my grandchildren, and their grandchildren, and their grandchildren¡¯s grandchildren sacrificed our young to sea gods that do not exist,¡± she took a long drag on her cigarette. ¡°In that time, I have brought many bodies back here and buried them, one by one, until I ran out of space. Then I simply burned them, giving the corpses at least some modicum of respect beyond what they were originally afforded. I became hardened to it and began to believe that the mission I received was a lie. It wasn¡¯t. You and your brother are proof of that.¡± She turned back to the cabin, squashing her cigarette underfoot, ¡°Get some rest, your training begins tomorrow.¡± Chapter 2 - Questions and Answers (POV: Edward) Chapter 2 - Questions and Answers (POV: Edward) As hard as I tried, I couldn¡¯t sleep that night. My thoughts turned to my late friends and relatives, and Nana. She looked old, but eight hundred years old? There¡¯s no way that could be right. How did she know about Emrick though? Had she been watching us this whole time? Was this some kind of a test? Questions swirled around in my mind, begging for answers. ¡°You¡¯re doing it again,¡± she said to me, as the first rays of morning light crept into the cabin. ¡°Doing what?¡± I growled. ¡°Go to sleep,¡± she laughed softly. ¡°You really would make a fine lawyer.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is,¡± I snapped back. ¡°Just get some sleep kid,¡± she tapped my forehead, ¡°we¡¯ll postpone your training until noon.¡± With my mind eased, I allowed myself to drift off, waking up to a warm day and the savory aroma of cooked meat. ¡°Nana calls it a cheeseburger,¡± a big strand of gooey orange cheese rolled down Roddy¡¯s mouth as I entered the kitchen, ¡°it¡¯s good. It¡¯s really good!¡± ¡°I made one for you as well,¡± Nana plopped a platter of food down in front of me, ¡°you¡¯d better eat up, we have quite a busy day ahead of us.¡± ¡°What are we¡­¡±, I stopped myself mid-question. I had to trust that Nana would tell us the truth eventually. She had gone to all the work to save us after all. ¡°Never mind,¡± I said as I stared down the hulking sandwich before me. It looked delicious, as did the roasted tubers at its side. ¡°These are wonderful!¡± My tongue delighted at their crisp and salty goodness. ¡°Those are called French fries,¡± Nana heaved another scoop onto my plate, ¡°try them with some ketchup.¡± She pushed a tangy red sauce towards me that brought the whole dish together. Maybe there is hope for the culinary traditions of Nana¡¯s people, after all, I thought to myself. After polishing off the juicy cheeseburger and downing fistfuls of French fries, Roddy and I helped Nana cleanup before making our way to her wardrobe. ¡°I spent the whole night on these,¡± she smiled, pulling out two padded training suits cut from a strange lightweight fabric. ¡°Hopefully they fit.¡± As eccentric and stretchy as they were, I had to admit that I liked the idea of getting out of the tattered clothing that I had been wearing since the ritual. I imagined that Roddy felt the same way. ¡°While we are at,¡± Nana smiled, ¡°you should take a bath before we begin your training. I used my mana to freshen the two of you up when I healed you, but you both still stink.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it make more sense to freshen up after our training?¡± Roddy asked the question that was also on my mind. ¡°There¡¯s nothing physically exerting about the training we are going to do today,¡± Nana answered, ¡°but being unclean may make it harder to concentrate.¡± ¡°Thanks Nana,¡± I said, ¡°can you draw us up a warm bath?¡± ¡°Sure, I can,¡± she grinned, ¡°for Roddy.¡± Her grin turned sinister, ¡°I have something different in mind for you.¡± ***************** Roddy exhaled and leaned back into his warm bathwater, ¡°this feels amazing," he said. ¡°Lucky you,¡± I snarled back. I was starting to think that Nana favored my brother. While Roddy was sitting back and relaxing in a lavender-scented mineral bath, the crazy old coot had set me up in a freezing metal tub of ice water. I protested at first, but after she claimed that it would help me with my training, I relented. I didn¡¯t know what her training entailed, or why we were training in the first place, but it had to be for something important. As I shook and shivered, I noticed for the first time that my wounds had not only healed but that there were no signs that they were ever there in the first place. Nana had said that she healed us, but I hadn¡¯t considered that she had completely healed us. Just how powerful was she? I glanced over at Roddy, and saw that his wounds had also healed fully, leaving not even a scar behind. ¡°I don¡¯t know who this lady is,¡± Roddy suddenly became somber, ¡°but I¡¯m so happy that she saved you. When I saw you falling after me,¡± he paused, ¡°I was devastated.¡± ¡°A world without you is not a world worth living in,¡± I responded. ¡°What about Kate, and Tommy, and everyone else?¡± He shook his head, ¡°why didn¡¯t you jump after them?¡± The question caught me off guard. ¡°Because,¡± I reflected on my actions, ¡°I¡¯m selfish.¡± He probed me with his mild blue eyes, making me feel very uneasy about myself and my actions. I cared for all of our people, and I wished that I had mustered the courage to save them, but Roddy was different. From the moment that he said his first words, I recognized that there was something special about my little brother. At the time I was too young myself to understand what that was, but as I grew older, his talents became clearer. Roddy was intelligent, much smarter than me in every way, and he was only twelve. In fact, he was probably the smartest person on the whole of Mossy Rock. Yet, somehow, he remained humble and remarkably good-natured. I questioned if I would be able to do the same in his situation. ¡°I guess I¡¯m lucky to have a brother like you then,¡± he relented and relaxed back into his bath, ¡°your selfishness may have saved me.¡± ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± I said. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t jumped after me, then Nana wouldn¡¯t have saved us,¡± he responded, ¡°Nana clearly sees something in you that she does not see in me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s only partially true,¡± Nana appeared out of the blue with a pair of towels. ¡°Give us some privacy please!¡± I sunk into the freezing water and glared at her. Roddy followed suit. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in seeing you two naked, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about.¡± The old woman set the towels at the foot of our baths. ¡°I just came to tell you that we need to get started before the day gets away from us. Please get dressed, and then meet me on the other side of the hill.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± I huffed. Maybe we would finally get some answers during this training session. After drying off and slipping into our new training outfits, Roddy and I rounded the hill. Nana¡¯s island was much smaller than our home, but it was still plenty big enough. Besides her hovel, Nana also had multiple animal pens, a garden, a root cellar, and a pumphouse. She also had a large rectangular proving ground. Why does an old woman like her have this? I gawked openly at the site of the well-maintained skirmishing area as we rounded the hill. It was twice the size of the one used by the holy militia of Mossy Rock. ¡°I¡¯m glad you made it,¡± she stood in the middle of the training grounds, fully clad in blue and gold plate armor. ¡°We can finally get started.¡± Roddy and I approached her with cautious hesitation, eventually coming to a stop at a chalked white line in front of her. ¡°Okay Mr. Questions,¡± she turned to me, ¡°it¡¯s time for me to provide you with your answers.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I curtseyed with a hint of sarcasm, but it was lost on our half-blind guardian, who suddenly looked more sullen. ¡°Listen up and listen well you two.¡± She plunged her walking cane into the ground with authority and got right to the point, ¡°you are unwitting players in a video game called Six Kingdoms. I don¡¯t expect you to know what that is, nor do you need to. All you need to know is that this world around you is a fake, an artificial construct that has entangled you and millions of other people inside it.¡± I stared at her side-eyed, unsure of what she was talking about. ¡°I am a player who joined this game from a place called New Jersey almost 860 years ago to this day. At first, myself and others like me had fun adventuring and prancing about, pretending to be royalty and slaying magical creatures, but then the game trapped us in here and slowly killed us off one by one until only our ignorant offspring remained.¡± She paused, and then pointed at Roddy and me, ¡°you are my 28th great-grandsons, both in here and in the world outside of here.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°What?¡± I looked at her like she had grown a set of horns. ¡°I see,¡± Roddy responded to her in a much less surprised tone. ¡°The people of Mossy Rock are all my distant kin,¡± she dropped her head, ¡°but none of them have been fit to unite the world and beat this game.¡± ¡°You believe we are fit, don¡¯t you?¡± Roddy asked. ¡°I do.¡± She answered. ¡°You and your brother are the first of our people to unlock the power of mana since we moved to Mossy Rock eight-hundred years ago. I do not know how, or why our people¡¯s mana has indwelled itself in you, but it has.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very confused,¡± I said. ¡°Okay, here¡¯s the bottom line. I am the only person left in this world who knows the truth, and the only person who knows how to end this game and return everyone back to reality. Now I¡¯m passing that burden along to you. If you want to see your cousin Kate again, or your friend Tommy, or even your mom and dad, then you need to beat this game so that we can all go home and be freed from this place. You are the only ones who can do it.¡± ¡°I can see my mom and dad again?¡± My heartbeat jumped. ¡°Yes, even though they were pushed from the high cliffs after your brother was born, they are likely still alive in the outside world. Sadly, they are probably also trapped within an augmented reality suit. If you don¡¯t beat this game sooner or later, they will die of old age.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great Edward!¡± Roddy nudged me with his fist, just as I was welling up at the news. ¡°If we do this, then I will get to meet mom and dad for the first time.¡± ¡°Heck yeah, we¡¯re doing it,¡± I squeezed his arm tightly, ¡°I never thought I¡¯d get to see them again. What do we have to do?¡± I relinquished him and turned back to Nana, feeling renewed and with purpose. ¡°You have to unite the Continent of Tangeia, defeat the Great Evil across the waves, collect all ten elemental stones and then use them to unlock the Portal in the Sky.¡± ¡°That sounds difficult,¡± I responded. ¡°Extremely,¡± she nodded, ¡°shall we get started?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I replied without hesitation. ¡°Roddy,¡± she turned to my brother. ¡°If Edward is ready, then I¡¯m ready too.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it then.¡± Nana clutched the handle of her staff firmly in hand, and then pulled it hard to the right. The faux wood top sheared straight off, revealing a luminescent blue gemstone engraved with gold lettering. ¡°Come forward young Roddy,¡± the gemstone began to glow as he approached it, reflecting pools of sapphire in his eyes. Nana gently tapped it against his head as he stared at her with awe, ¡°I, CrazEgirl2002, the Guildmaster of House Frostpyre hereby appoint you as Crown Prince Roddy Frostpyre, heir to the Kingdom of Winter Tempest. From hence forth, you are entitled to access all the mana abilities to which you are suited.¡± A flood of bright white light exploded around Roddy as Nana lifted the staff away from him, shooting miles into the sky like a massive beacon. ¡°Roddy!¡± I screamed. ¡°Nana, what have you done to my brother?¡± Nana stuck her hand out and shook her head at me as I tried to run towards him. ¡°Patience,¡± she said. Not a moment later, he emerged. I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. Roddy looked like a man, no, a king. A silver and gold crown encrusted with sky blue and white gemstones conformed perfectly to his curly locks, giving him an air of authority well beyond his years. Something else had changed too. His padded training uniform had bolstered itself, featuring an added layer of durable chainmail for protection and a decorative half-cape emblazoned with the image of a ferocious dragon riding a storm cloud. ¡°What¡¯s going on Nana,¡± he waved his hands around in a random pattern, ¡°what do all these words mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out in a minute,¡± she wagged her finger and told him to sit down, ¡°we have to deal with your brother first.¡± I approached Nana, still confused by what had just happened. The gemstone radiated and glowed warm energy as she pressed it against my forehead. ¡°I, CrazEgirl2002, the Guildmaster of House Frostpyre, relinquish my regency and appoint you King Edward Frostpyre of Winter Tempest. Long may you reign.¡± The gemstone instantly turned bitter and cold against my forehead, sending shivers down my spine. Then it happened. A massive storm of snow and ice wrapped around my body like a cyclone, cloaking every inch of my skin in frost. Strange text and symbols darted through my vision as the storm around me grew stronger. Then everything came to a standstill, before slowly evaporating back to normalcy. ¡°Edward,¡± Roddy stared at me, his mouth agape. ¡°You¡¯re,¡± he stuttered, ¡°you¡¯re flying.¡± What was he talking about? I looked over at Nana, who only smiled back at me. She does look a little bit smaller than usual. Then I looked down and nearly had a heart attack. I was riding on top of a cloud. More specifically, an ice cloud. A bright gold message popped up in my vision. [End Passive Ability: Stray Cumulus (Y/N)] Yes. I reflexively thought, which might not have been such a good idea. ¡°Ouch,¡± I bellowed, as my bum crashed back against the dirt. ¡°Congratulations,¡± Nana clapped. ¡°You are now officially the two newest players of the hardest game in the universe.¡± I touched my head, and sure enough, there was a crown just like Roddy. [Examine Item? Y/N] a prompt appeared in my vision. Yes, I willed it.
Name: Banquet Crown of House Frostpyre Rarity: Legendary Head Defense: 0 (x1) Description: Beautiful to look at, and demanding of respect, this crown was crafted by the great goldsmiths of the ?? Early Age of Arrival to be worn by the head of House Frostpyre. Special Abilities ¨C None. Class ¨C Casual Wear (Royalty Mode).
Sure enough, I was also wearing a set of chainmail over my training uniform. It was lightweight yet appeared ?durable. Another prompt appeared as I desired to learn more about my new armor.
Name: Frost Chilled Chainmail Rarity: Ultra Rare Body Defense: 250 (x1) Description: Made of frost cooled steel, this light armor is extremely durable and lightweight. Special Abilities ¨C Piercing Resistant, Frost Resistant. Class ¨C Light Armor (Royalty Mode).
¡°Don¡¯t get too excited,¡± Nana¡¯s voice brought me back to reality. ¡°You¡¯ll see why in, three. two. one.¡± A puff of ice exploded around my body, taking my armor and crown with it. A few seconds later, Roddy returned to his normal form in a flash of white light. ¡°That was your royalty mode,¡± Nana replaced the false wooden top over the gemstone. ¡°The length that you can use it is dependent upon your mana reserves. When that mode is active, you are able to use special skills, spells, items, and abilities that you would not normally be able to use otherwise.¡± ¡°This is a lot to take in,¡± I said to her. ¡°Nana,¡± Roddy interjected, ¡°how do we know how much mana we have?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good question,¡± she pointed at her eyes, ¡°now that I have officially added you to our guild, you should have access to our optical interface. All you have to do is think about it, and it will show you what you want to know. Show me my mana. I thought to myself, and sure enough, a nearly empty indigo colored bar appeared in the bottom of my vision. To the right of the bar, a fraction indicated that I had 6 out of 100 points. ¡°It looks like you both found it,¡± Nana said. ¡°As an unspecialized level one royalty, you should have 100 mana points.¡± ¡°I do.¡± I responded. ¡°Me too,¡± Roddy said. ¡°Ok, good.¡± Nana tapped her cane against the ground, ¡°now you each need to open your personal data sheet and read what it says to me.¡± Personal data sheet. I thought to myself, causing a box of text to appear.
Player Name: Edward Frostpyre Age: 18 Class: Human Royalty (Unspecialized) Level: 1 Mana Type(s): Elemental (Ice), Elemental (Frost) Abilities: Royalty Mode
I read my sheet aloud to Nana, who didn¡¯t seem at all surprised by what I was telling her. Then Roddy read his. ¡°I¡¯m Roddy Frostpyre. I¡¯m 12 years old, an unspecialized level 1 human royal, and my mana type is support. My special ability is Royalty Mode.¡± ¡°Does it say what kind of support mana you have?¡± Nana asked him. ¡°It just says ¡®Buff¡¯.¡± Roddy responded, ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means.¡± ¡°It means that you can temporarily improve objects and party members with your mana. I was hoping that you would have more than that, but that¡¯s ok. Hopefully, you will unlock other mana types later on.¡± Roddy slumped his head slightly. ¡°How come I have ice and frost mana and he doesn¡¯t?¡± I asked her in a near accusatory tone. ¡°As messed up as it sounds, it all comes down to his looks.¡± ¡°What do you mean, his looks? He looks fine to me.¡± ¡°Among our people, blonde hair is a recessive trait. Your red hair is far more typical. It¡¯s hair like yours that got our family its name in the first place. Roddy will never be able to use elemental mana, that¡¯s just the way this game was designed. He is essentially a walking easter egg.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t more people from our island also have elemental mana then? What makes me so special?¡± ¡°Long ago, our people were one of the six great houses in this world, and all of us had mana to some degree or another. In time, as the player pool dwindled, the next generation of players who were born within this world began to lose sight of the endgame. They fought among each other in the most tribal and animalistic of ways. Only a few thousand members of our house and a handful of people from the other houses remained sane. I evacuated them to Mossy Rock so that we could regroup and develop a game plan, but that plan did not go as I had planned.¡± ¡°I take it our people lost their ability to use mana?¡± Roddy engaged Nana. ¡°Precisely,¡± she nodded, ¡°I returned to the mainland to find more allies, but when I arrived, I found that our house had been slaughtered. On her last breath, our queen named me regent until a suitable replacement could be chosen. Things only got worse when a storm blew me off course and stranded me in the lands of House Silverwind. I was forced to make a deal with a demon in order to escape.¡± ¡°Is that why you live on this island?¡± Roddy sat back on the dirt and stared at her longingly, eager for the next part of her story. ¡°Nothing gets by you, does it?¡± She nodded, ¡°I agreed to wait here until a suitable successor could be found, and I was bound to do so by the game itself. I didn¡¯t think it would take long, but it did. As each generation passed, our people¡¯s ability to use mana decreased. After a couple hundred years, no one knew how to use mana anymore, and then they started that horrible ritual. Without anything to remind them about our past, the story I had told them generations earlier got muddied and they began to think that the sea had trapped them, and not the game.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get back to training,¡± I interrupted the story, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear anymore.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± She questioned me, ¡°Normally you love to ask questions.¡± ¡°We need to train. Questions can wait.¡± ¡°I like your attitude,¡± Nana cackled, ¡°let¡¯s get started.¡± Chapter 3 - Buffing Aint Easy (POV: Roddy) Chapter 3 - Buffing Ain''t Easy (POV: Roddy) ¡°Good, good!¡± Nana recoiled against Edward¡¯s attack, ¡°now roar like a dragon!¡± ¡°Raaaaaaawwwwwwrrrrrr,¡± he growled, spitting a stream of ice into the sky with great velocity. The small white pellets fell back to the earth as a cloud of shimmering dust, blanketing everything in sight. ¡°Not at the sun,¡± Nana crowed, ¡°at me, dummy.¡± ¡°Can we take a break,¡± my brother collapsed, ¡°I¡¯m out of stamina.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not,¡± Nana poked him with her staff, ¡°you still have 54 points left.¡± ¡°Uhhhhhhh¡­Nana¡­,¡± Edward groaned, ¡°I need a break.¡± ¡°No breaks until supper time,¡± the toothless old crone badgered him, ¡°did I mention that we¡¯re having hot dogs?¡± ¡°Noooo! Anything but that!¡± The two chuckled as Edward picked himself up and prepared to attack again, ¡°if I land this next thrust, then you¡¯ll agree to make pizza instead.¡± ¡°Deal,¡± the old-timer readied her staff in defense as my brother circled her with his newly acquired rapier, ¡°here I come¡±. He thrust his blade right at her. ¡°Dummy, don¡¯t tell me when you are going to attack,¡± she said, as she nimbly evaded his strike, whacking him with the butt end of her staff as he stumbled past. I watched from underneath a nearby tree as the student and his instructor laughed and squabbled with each other. They had grown close over the past few days, and my brother was already looking like a whole new person. I, on the other hand, had done nothing of any significance. I picked up the Trainees Guide to Being a Support Mage and chucked it into the sea, storming off in a huff. I couldn¡¯t quite understand what I was feeling. Was it jealousy? Jealousy at my own brother, my best friend and guardian who had raised me from infancy. No, it''s not that, I thought as I kicked a small rounded pebble down the beach, I just don¡¯t want to be left behind. I struggled to hold my tears back at the thought. I wanted to be helpful, but I sucked at swordplay, and my ability to control mana was not much better. Nana was an elementalist like my brother, not a supporter like me, how in the world was I supposed to get better simply by reading books? I needed a trainer of my own. I needed help. ¡°Buff Item¡±, I held my palm towards the pebble in front of me, focusing my mana directly at its center. [Error: Improper Cast], a message popped into my vision. ¡°Buff Item!¡±, I practically screamed.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. [Error: Improper Cast] ¡°Uaaahhh, this is impossible¡±, I kicked it into the sea. A puffy cloud drifted overhead, obscuring the sunlight, and conforming the world to my dark gray mood. I reached into my pack and pulled out another book, Magister Brindley¡¯s Guide to Buffing and Debuffing. I had already read it cover to cover, twice. It explained the three primary types of buffs ¨C item buffs, stat buffs, and health buffs. As a level 1 Buffer, I was supposed to be able to use all three of them, albeit weakly, but after three days of practice I had yet to even use one. Same with the debuffs. ¡°Is there anything I missed in here,¡± I fought my urge to chuck the book into the sea and began flipping through its pages yet again. A ridiculous illustration of a sea turtle wearing a scholar¡¯s cap provided helpful tips at the bottom of each page. ¡°If you have trouble focusing your mana,¡± it said, ¡°make direct contact with the object you are trying to buff.¡± I grabbed for another pebble and rolled it around in the palm of my hand. ¡°Buff item,¡± I said. [Error: Improper Cast] ¡°Looks like it''s into the sea with you,¡± I said as I flicked the pebble into its watery grave. I flipped the book onto the next page. Brindley the Magical Turtle had some more sage advice for me, ¡°Do you have a unique ability? Try combining it with your buffs.¡± ¡°Guess its worth a shot,¡± I sighed, clutching another pebble in hand. I breathed in a deep breath of salty air and calmed myself. ¡°Activate Royalty Mode¡±, I breathed out as my mana transformed me. Please work. I squeezed the pebble in hand. ¡°Buff Item!¡± [Error: Improper Cast] ¡°Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh,¡± I flung Brindley the Turtle, and his crappy wisdom into the choppy surf. Why was I so worthless? Why couldn¡¯t I do anything? ¡°Buff my worthless body,¡± I held my hand against my chest. [Buff Applied: Self] What!? I couldn¡¯t stop a wide smile from overtaking my face. Had I actually used a buff? On ¨C myself? The books didn¡¯t mention anything about that. I opened up my skill sheet to figure out what had happened:
Skills (Royalty Mode) Buff Magic (Support, LV 1): - Self Buff [Passive] Life Magic (Class Unknown, LV ?) - Absorb [Active]
¡°Life magic?¡± What in the world is that?¡± Trying not to get distracted by what I was seeing, I focused my vision on my newfound self buff skill.
Self Buff [Passive] For as long as it remains active, this buff provides the spellcaster with a random ability from another class of magic.
¡°Wow, that¡¯s so cool!¡± I did a happy dance. ¡°So absorb must be my new random ability." I eyeballed over it:
Absorb [Active] Playing with the fabric of time and space itself. This one-use spell, allows the spellcaster to absorb an object or element, incorporating it into their very DNA. Drains all mana upon use.
Yikes, that sounds kind of scary. I thought to myself, as I approached the final limits of my royal mode. But I should try it anyway. It might be my only shot. My heart began to pound. I scanned the horizon for an object that I could absorb. There were plenty of pebbles around, but I was tired of those. I could absorb water, but would that turn me into water? The short description that went along with absorb, was rather ambiguous. If I was going to absorb something into my very DNA, then I had to make sure I absorbed the right thing. It had to feel right. That''s when I remembered the storm brewing overhead. It was a perfect metaphor for my life. My parents had been slaughtered because of me. My brother had his childhood stolen from him, because of me. And because of me, my family and I were now part of some kind of a bizarre game. I was like a storm. No, I am a storm, I thought to myself as I reached my palm towards the sky, it¡¯s time to embrace who I am. ¡°Absorb¡± I said. Chapter 4 - The Storm (POV: Samirah) Chapter 4 - The Storm (POV: Samirah) The twisted stump clung desperately to the ground as the wind howled around us. The massive piece of woody debris was easily the size of a small boulder, and likely just as heavy. ¡°We need to get down!¡± I screamed at my traveling party, but the gale stole my message, sending it flying away. ¡°What did you say?¡± Shareem yelled at me. ¡°Get down!¡± The stump was desperate. Its last rooted tendril barely clutched on to the dirt. There were only seconds left to act, and my mentor and I were powerless against it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Habib plopped his shield down in front of us. ¡°I can handle this.¡± With a rip and a crash, the stump pelted our tank of a bodyguard straight on, but he did not budge. ¡°Impenetrable Fortress¡± he shouted, causing a puff of green light to envelop his bulky steel shield. With a heave, he redirected the massive projectile off to the side, and out of harm''s ways. It tumbled off into the distance, scouring the ground as it went. ¡°Don¡¯t look now,¡± Shareem pointed, ¡°but we¡¯ve got bigger problems.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± An entire tree now clung for life in front of us. The massive oak was ancient and towering. Not even Habib would be able to deflect it. We would be crushed in an instant. ¡°By The Circle, Samirah! Didn¡¯t you say that this valley is supposed to be cloaked in perpetual sunlight,¡± Shareem yelled. ¡°It is supposed to be!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this,¡± Habib yelled as another piece of debris slammed into his shield, ¡°find us a way out of here. Quickly!¡± Without thinking, I called out one of my favorite spells. A spell that had gotten us out of many other sticky situations. ¡°Pathfinder¡±. ¡°There are no caves in this valley,¡± Shareem rejected my decision, ¡°the soil here is pure clay, there is no karst topography that could support a cave.¡± [Path Found], a prompt appeared in my vision. ¡°Don¡¯t speak so soon,¡± a sense of relief flooded through my veins, ¡°there is apparently a cave 50 feet to our rear. Hurry, follow me.¡± The red pathfinder markers appeared as splotches of red in my vision, somewhat resembling blood splatter. I did my best to follow them as wind and rain pelted me in the face. Habib stood at our flank, keeping the bigger debris off of me. ¡°There,¡± I pointed to a small opening in the ground. It was partially obscured by an overgrown thicket of briars, but it was definitely a cave. I was sure of it. ¡°That?¡± Shareem sneered, ¡°that little dirt hole is a cave?¡± ¡°Just shut up and get down there,¡± Habib reared Shareem in the ass with his heavy steel boot, sending him cascading down the hole. ¡°My mana is almost at 0, do you need a push also? I''ll do it.¡± Covering my rear end, I dove straight through the painful thorns and into the muddy clay hole without a second thought. The hole was tight, but big enough to fit a grown human. It smelled of earthworms, mildew, and mold and seemed to angle down at a 45-degree incline. ¡°Watch out below,¡± I shouted as I felt the sides begin to widen. Shareem failed to head my warning. ¡°Watch it you foolish girl,¡± he scolded me as I plopped down in the mud, spraying him with a layer of muck. ¡°Get out of the way,¡± I said, rolling him to the side, just in time to save us both from being crushed. Not an instant later, a massive explosion of muddy filth splattered us in the face. Our tank had landed. ¡°Whoa, that was a close one,¡± I heard Habib say, ¡°is everyone alright?¡± ¡°We need light,¡± I said, ¡°I can¡¯t see anything.¡± ¡°Orb of Light,¡± Habib¡¯s voice echoed in the fetid air. From the palm of his hand, a round orb of pure energy emerged. The small speck of light grew quickly, casting its aura off the hard-packed earthen walls that surrounded us. ¡°Incredible,¡± Habib said as he wiped the mud from his face, ¡°what is this place?¡± Awed and shocked, I pulled myself to my feet. Though partially covered in lichen, what stood before us was an impossibility ¨C a golden building, encrusted with sapphires and adorned with rubies, sitting perfectly upright in the middle of a hole. ¡°This is incredible,¡± Shareem scraped some slime from his eyeglasses before putting them back on. ¡°From what I can see of it, we are looking at a discovery that may very well upend the classical record as we know it. Is that your assessment as well?¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Indeed,¡± I continued to stare in doe-eyed disbelief at what we had stumbled into. Though I was only an apprentice archaeologist, even my untrained eyes could tell that we were looking at something unbelievably special. ¡°What is this place, Habib said?¡± ¡°An impossibility,¡± Shareem said as he began to fight his way forward against the muck. ¡°Girl,¡± he commanded me, ¡°open up my satchel and check the chronicle for this valley, I want times and dates of every major event to have occurred here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m on it,¡± I ripped open the hard leather pack that I had been carrying on my hip and pulled out the Silverwind Chronicle, the definitive guide to the history of House Silverwind and its holdings. As any good apprentice would have done, I had already bookmarked the page on the valley before we departed from the capital. Being careful not to get mud on the chronicle¡¯s delicate hand-copied pages, I opened it, and began reading. ¡°The Summerset Valley is nestled between the Black Ridge Mountains to the north and west, and the Red River Hills to the south. Its unseasonably mild climate is perfect for growing a multitude of different fruiting flowers and grain crops. It is said that trees within the valley are as sturdy as iron.¡± ¡°Apparently not,¡± Habib said, as he plucked a piece of a branch from his helm, ¡°apparently not.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt her,¡± Shareem hissed, ¡°this is important.¡± Habib bit his lip and motioned me to continue. I could tell he wanted to smash Shareem in the head. I often felt the same way, but like him, I had to keep myself in check. If I was to ever become a full member of the academy, I had to stay on Shareem¡¯s good side. ¡°In 820 AP, the lands of the valley were transferred to the mayor of Summerset Village by the Merchant¡¯s Guild,¡± I continued, ¡°who previously controlled the region since at least 400 AP. Prior to that, there is a report that the valley was part of the royal hunting grounds of Sultan Amir the Second and his son, Amir the Third, but that is only speculation. There are no reports of any special events or battles taking place in this valley before that period, and there are no records of prior ownership.¡± Shareem scratched at his bald head while we walked at a snail¡¯s pace towards the hulking structure. ¡°Perhaps it''s an early temple of The Circle,¡± he mused aloud, ¡°or a private temple of some forgotten noble.¡± ¡°May I share an idea?¡± I asked. ¡°Fine, but it better not have anything to do with those damn red-headed devils that you love so much.¡± ¡°Hear me out,¡± I said, clutching my chest tightly. ¡°What if it¡¯s a Frostpyre temple?¡± Just saying the word Frostpyre gave me goosebumps. The thought was too exciting for words. ¡°Oh brother,¡± Shareem sighed. ¡°No seriously,¡± my pace began to pick up as thoughts flooded through my mind, ¡°the Black Ridge Mountains were part of the Kingdom of Winter Tempest during the Decades of Death, were they not? What if Frostpyre territory actually extended into this valley, that would explain a lot, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°And this is why nobody at the academy takes you seriously,¡± Shareem smacked his wrinkly forehead in disgust, shooting daggers at my idea. ¡°You know as well as I do that everything from that twisted society of devils was wiped off the face of Tangeia 800 years ago, don¡¯t you? We don¡¯t even have pottery fragments left from that era, and you think that a massive temple like this would have been left untouched?¡± ¡°Well, it is buried in a hole,¡± Habib said. ¡°I pay you to guard us, not to talk,¡± Shareem spat at the ground. This time Habib looked like he wanted to rip out Shareem¡¯s entrails. I understood the sentiment. ¡°Enough nonsense,¡± my master said as we approached a gilded gold staircase, ¡°its time to do some serious archaeological work. I will lead this expedition. Girl, you will take sketches and notes. Big oaf, you will provide us with protection ¨C and keep your mouth shut. Understood?¡± ¡°Yes honored master,¡± we both responded in dejected unison. ¡°Excellent,¡± he said. With our roles now defined, we began making our way up the staircase, fighting hard against the layers of mud that were caked to our clothes and bodies. At the top of the golden staircase sat a large colonnade, featuring a muck filled pool, surrounded by two large sapphire encrusted altars on each side of it. Though the structures were impressive in their scale and durability, they was rather lacking in decoration. There were no etchings or markings to be seen, even on the large golden support columns. ¡°Fascinating,¡± Shareem ran his finger along the surface of one of the altars, ¡°it is made of perfectly sculpted gold. The amount of capital that would have been required to create a structure like this is almost unthinkable.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sketching it all down,¡± I reassured him. ¡°Good, get as much detail as you can,¡± he lectured me, ¡°I am going to upend the academy with this discovery. These sketches are going to become a museum piece one day.¡± ¡°Hopefully I get some mention in of all this,¡± I worried aloud. ¡°A footnote,¡± he replied. I bit my tongue at his response. I had to play it cool, no matter how insufferable he was. I was only 18 after all. I still had decades left to make a splash, for an old-timer like Shareem, time was fleeting. Soon, I would be the master, while he would be senile. The thought was like pure ecstasy. ¡°Bodyguard,¡± Shareem motioned for Habib to move forward, ¡°push open the main door to this temple. We¡¯re going inside.¡± ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s a good idea,¡± Habib asked. ¡°Ah ah ah,¡± Shareem wagged his finger in the air, ¡°What did I say about talking?¡± Habib channeled his anger into his muscular shoulder, smacking into the door and pushing it open with ease. If Shareem wasn¡¯t careful, then his bodyguard might actually lose it. Habib sure seemed to be trending that direction. ¡°Go on you two, lead the way.¡± Habib and I stepped into the ancient ruin, with our floating orb of light drifting between us. What was inside was remarkable, almost indescribable. ¡°It can¡¯t be,¡± I gasped. Before us was the grandest of sights, a massive circle edged by 5 thrones, each bearing its own unique design. One throne was made of polished glass, another of black volcanic obsidian, and a third of blemish-free pearl. Two more thrones made of silver and gold stared forward at a throne that was three times the size of the others, positioned on a swivel in the middle circle. My heart pounded anew at the sight of this grand chair, and what it was made of ¨C pure, unadulterated, ice. ¡°Impossible,¡± Shareem nearly fell off his feet, ¡°this is a near mock replica of The Circle of the 5 Houses, but what is that in the middle?¡± Like a magnet, the throne pulled me towards it. ¡°Samirah! Girl, what are you doing? Get back here.¡± Shareem growled, but I ignored him. The room came to life with bursts of color as I inched ever closer to the stately chair, step by step growing closer to the object that had haunted my dreams since I was a little girl. The throne chair of House Frostpyre. The ultimate proof that I was not crazy. I reached my hand out to touch it, to feel it. I yearned to caress its chilly curves. I could tell that it yearned to be caressed. For too long it had sat vacant, and alone. With the Frostpyres¡¯ destroyed, it had nobody. It had¡­ [Error: Guild Access Required, Contact Guildmaster CrazEGirl2002 for Access]. Chapter 5 - The Circle (POV: Lana) Chapter 5 - The Circle (POV: Lana) ¡°My word, what is going on outside? It sounds like someone is pelting the building with stones.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject Hakim,¡± the gruff older statesman pounded his fist against the obsidian armrest, ¡°you and your prudish people need to get your heads out of the sand long enough to see what is happening here. You can¡¯t stay neutral in this war forever. If you join our side, I will personally see to it that you are richly compensated. If you don¡¯t ¨C well, let¡¯s just say that it would be an unwise decision.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate your tone, ambassador,¡± the lanky Hakim rose from his silver throne, his fine drake skin boots punctuating echoes as he walked. Taking to the center of the room he swirled his alcohol in its glass before finishing it in a sip. ¡°More wine,¡± he beckoned to me. Carefully, I pulled a flagon of spirits from the reception table and puttered into the center of the lofty hall. ¡°That¡¯s a dessert wine,¡± he slapped the flagon from my hand, spilling dark red liquid all over the mosaic tile floor, ¡°I was drinking ros¨¦.¡± ¡°Forgive me, honored guest,¡± I bowed, before retreating back to the reception area. Like mice, a group of children, clad in white, scurried in behind me to mop up the spill. They worked swiftly and were completely gone by the time I approached Ambassador Hakim once again. ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± he poured his glass full and shoved the flagon back into my hand. As I was trained, I disappeared, lying in wait for my next request. ¡°So, what will it be,¡± Ambassador Onoda pounded his fist against the obsidian once again, ¡°are you going to join us, or are you going to cower away in your precious academy?¡± ¡°House Silverwind will not be threatened by the likes of brutes,¡± Hakim twirled his glass as he talked, ¡°we will make no decision until Sultan Khalid arrives for the Solstice in the Circle, I¡¯m assuming your army can hold out one more week, can it not?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare mock our proud armies,¡± Onoda slammed both of his fists against his chair, stammering to his feet. ¡°This Circle is close to rending itself apart Hakim, you can either join us and save this world, or you can stand idle and watch it crumble. The choice is yours.¡± The bulky chunk of a man clapped twice, signaling two attendants to rush to his side. Carefully, they supported his massive body weight and led him from the room, leaving Hakim to brood in the empty circle. ¡°Maidservant,¡± he beckoned me to his side. ¡°Yes, honored guest,¡± I knelt down on one knee. ¡°More wine.¡± ¡°As you will it.¡± ******************* ¡°Lana, you¡¯re home early!¡± My stick of a foster sister, Kaila, poked her head out at me. ¡°Did you earn any sustenance for us?¡± ¡°I made a mistake at work today, I only got one ration.¡± ¡°We can split it,¡± she dolefully tugged on my white roughhewn sleeve, sending pangs of guilt coursing through my core. I hunched myself down to her level and stared straight into her soft brown eyes. Hers were not the eyes of a normal little girl, no, they were the eyes of someone who had been shell shocked and traumatized. I imagined that mine looked the same. ¡°Here,¡± I shoved my bag of potatoes and supplements into her chest, ¡°it¡¯s for you and Auntie.¡± ¡°But what will you eat?¡± ¡°Tell Auntie that I''m going to see Loki,¡± I carefully placed my white beret back on my head and retreated through the door, ¡°I¡¯ll be back by curfew.¡± Slamming the door shut I emerged into the chilly late afternoon air. All around the Slum District, defrocked peasant folk and white-clad workers alike were picking up pieces of their hovels and putting them back together. While I had been at work, a terrible and unseasonable thunderstorm had ripped through Circle City causing inordinate levels of destruction. Though the situation was sad, I supposed it was what it was. People die, and buildings collapse, that is just the way the world works. I was fortunate that my home was untouched. ¡°Madam worker,¡± an old man covered in debris wagged his cane at me as I cut through a back alley. ¡°Will you please help me? I can¡¯t find my wife.¡± ¡°Contact the Guardians of the Circle, I cannot help,¡± I shrugged him off and kept walking. His wife was probably dead. Me helping him would just be a waste of his time and mine. Emotions were a waste of productivity, and a foolish use of calories. I would have thought that a Circle elder would have already learned that lesson well. ¡°If emotions are for fools, why did you give your rations away?¡± Loki popped down from a white shingle roof, landing at my side. ¡°Have you been watching me this whole time?¡± ¡°But of course,¡± he tipped his beret to me, ¡°I am your dearly betrothed, am I not?¡± Loki and I were only 13 years old, but despite our youth, the Circle Priesthood had matched us up with each other anyway. To be married was a gift in Circle City, and a fast track for promotion. We still had a few years to go before we would be husband and wife, but it was all but ordained to happen. ¡°Is that all I am to you? A promotion?¡± He pouted at me with his soft boyish charms. ¡°Yes,¡± I told him matter-of-factly, ¡°and please stay out of my thoughts, it''s uncomfortable.¡± ¡°I need to know what my future wife is thinking,¡± he slung his arm around me as we rounded the corner to his house. ¡°It sounds like you had a pretty wild day, I can¡¯t wait to hear all about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you if you feed me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll cook you a gourmet feast, my beautiful princess.¡± Listening to him speak made me want to vomit. ¡°But your stomach is empty, what is it that you will heave up?¡± I tried to ignore my fianc¨¦ and his uncomfortable use of mind mana as we entered his residence. He lived simply, but well off, in a two-room loft right at the meeting of the Slum and Worker¡¯s Districts ¨C and for a boy, he kept his bachelor pad pretty clean and well maintained too. If the storm had damaged it, then it had patched it up quickly. ¡°Make yourself at home,¡± he said as he wrapped an imported red apron around his white work uniform and clutched a wooden spatula in hand. ¡°Dinner will be ready in a jiff.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. I had to admit, for a pain in the neck, Loki had his charms. He was a hard worker, a top student, and a gentle soul. I could imagine worse people to have to spend an eternity with. While he cooked for me, I paced around his common room and examined some of the weird stuff that he had collected over the years. ¡°Examine item,¡± I said while looking at a small glass orb that rested comfortably on his nightstand. Flecks of white fell like snow on a landscape of green as I turned the item over in my hand.
Name: Snow Globe Version 23A Rarity: Uncommon Description: Handcrafted by Black Sun artisans, this decorative snow globe is said to portray the mystical land of Hokkaido. Class: Decoration
As a worker in the Foreign District, it didn¡¯t really surprise me that Loki would have such a strange trinket. Though I had never been there, I had heard that the foreign district was replete with crazy characters and colorful odds and ends. Based on my limited interactions with the ambassadors, and their distasteful personalities, I was not to keen to ever go near any foreign folk - but Loki didn''t seem to mind his role. In fact, he seemed to relish it. A sweet mellow scent began to flood into the room as I spied another item that I had never noticed before. It was an etching like nothing I had ever seen. The colorful image featured two cheery adults holding a baby. The woman was clearly of Black Sun stock, with narrow eyes and hair as black as volcanic rock, but the man was of curious complexion ¨C very fair, and with hair the color of a worker''s uniform. Was the child they were holding their son? The baby sure didn¡¯t look like either of them. A tuft of brown hair popped out of his newborn head. His freckled face instantly reminded me of someone ¨C someone I knew very well. ¡°Do you like my baby picture,¡± Loki popped up over my shoulder scaring the daylight out of me. ¡°By The Circle,¡± I elbowed him in his stomach, ¡°don¡¯t sneak up on me like that.¡± ¡°Owwwww.¡± He peeled over in feigned pain, quickly popping back up with a smile. ¡°Looks like someone is hangry,¡± he beamed at me with one of his cheeky looks, ¡°Dinner is ready. Bon app¨¦tit.¡± ¡°Wow, this actually looks pretty good,¡± I said as Loki pulled back my wooden chair for me. A delectable cauldron of soup sat in the middle of the table, with two large loaves of bread flanking it on each side. ¡°There¡¯s enough here to take some back home,¡± he rocked happily in his chair, ¡°I hope your family likes it.¡± ¡°I think they will, it looks very good,¡± I ladled a massive helping into my bowl. It was a chicken-based soup, filled with noodles, vegetables and grilled pieces of meat. A rare treat for any worker. ¡°It¡¯s my mother''s recipe, I found it in her journal,¡± Loki slurped down a noodle as he talked, ¡°I got a monetary tip from one of my patrons, so I figured I should do something special with it. Especially after the day that you had.¡± Loki was right, I had had an awful day. Maybe his soup would ease my mind. I blew on the rich golden liquid, waiting for it to cool to the perfect temperature. Then I took a sip. It was pure umami-laden ecstasy. ¡°You¡¯re smiling,¡± Loki giggled, ¡°so much for not showing any emotion.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this though,¡± I pulled a strand of something from my teeth. It was too thin to be a noodle ¨C and kind of tough. Loki¡¯s freckled face turned red as I plucked his wavy brown hair from my tooth. ¡°Eh, it¡¯s still better than supplement capsules and potatoes,¡± I shrugged it off and tossed it aside, ¡°but try to wear a hair net next time.¡± Loki exhaled a relieved breath. ¡°So ¨C you did promise me you would tell me about your day. What happened?¡± He conveniently changed the subject. ¡°There aren¡¯t any listening devices in here, are there?¡± I questioned him. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know if there are,¡± he responded. ¡°Good point,¡± I sighed, ¡°oh well ¨C I guess it''s safe to tell you.¡± Loki put down his spoon and focused fully on me, his mood growing stoic and serious in an instant. ¡°As you know, it was my first time working in The Circle of the Five Houses, and just as the Overseers have always taught us, I completely killed my emotions, and I mean completely. I thought things were going well, but then Ambassador Hakim asked me to bring him some wine ¨C and I royally messed up, and I mean royally.¡± ¡°Did you spill it all over him?¡± ¡°No! Well, he spilled it, but that¡¯s not the issue. I brought him a fortified wine instead of his ros¨¦. ¡°What was your fine?¡± ¡°I was assessed a fine of meager rations for the next month.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not so bad,¡± Loki eased back into his chair, ¡°but this is what I have been trying to tell you for a while now, Lana. You don¡¯t need to hide your emotions. It¡¯s okay to be upset, and it''s okay to cry. We are humans, we all make mistakes. I make them too." ¡°If I make a mistake like that again, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do. My family counts on me.¡± ¡°Your family is my family now,¡± Loki comforted me, ¡°even if you get tossed out of The Circle, I will be there for you.¡± ¡°We are only together because of The Circle, though.¡± A sudden bout of fear took hold of me, ¡°The priesthood could call off our betrothal in an instant.¡± ¡°Ah-ha!¡± Loki practically jumped in his seat, ¡°so you do like me after all. I knew it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± I stammered and looked away from him, ¡°I would just hate to lose your support, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°One day you¡¯ll learn to embrace your emotions,¡± Loki eased back into his chair, ¡°but I don¡¯t want to break them out of you all at once ¨C that simply wouldn¡¯t be fun at all. So let''s change the subject for now. What else shall we talk about?¡± I happily took him up on his offer, quickly thinking of something else to talk about. ¡°How are preparations going in Foreign District, are you seeing an influx of travelers for the Solstice in the Circle?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, we are. You wouldn¡¯t believe how many dignitaries are arriving, the Guardians of the Circle are having to work overtime to keep them all from killing each other. It¡¯s especially bad when the Black Rocks and Cephaloshians bump into each other. It takes a small armada of troops just to break them apart.¡± ¡°Do you think that everything is going to be okay? Ambassador Onoda of House Black Rock claimed that The Circle is close to collapsing,¡± I said. ¡°Well, you know, I¡¯ve been thinking a lot about that lately,¡± Loki stared directly at me, his expression suddenly dark and his tone deeply serious, ¡°maybe we should get out of here, just in case things go south.¡± ******************* Loki''s words haunted my sleep that night. No one escaped The Circle ¨C NO ONE. Once a member always a member, even in defrockment or death. I had never seen him act that seriously. Had he learned of some kind of a threat while he was working? Were we in danger? Was there even a way to escape? As an institution, The Circle was the moral and governmental authority that regulated the world, but it had always teetered precariously on the edge. One wrong move could destroy the balance of the world. That is why our people existed to be its keepers and caretakers, that is why Circle City was an independent state in a world ruled by kings. At least, that is what we had always been taught. Calm down, and let your fears and worries be buried. The words of Overseer Hesston flowed through my troubled mind. Should I listen to him, or should I listen to Loki? My carefully crafted personality was beginning to break. "Lana," my Auntie called to me as I was putting on my hat, "you look troubled. Remember dear, that you must rid yourself of that angst in order to keep balance in the world. That is the life of a worker." "Of course Auntie," I bowed to her on my way out the door, "I will be back by supper." The streets were still a mess from the freak storm the day before, but life had a way of resuming to normalcy quickly in Circle City. I stared up to the Grand Temple, its bulky stone mass looming high above the city. The ancient building was undamaged and resolute, at least on the outside, inside was another story. As I entered the worker''s entrance and slid into my uniform, the bickering, and tussling of diplomats played like a disharmonious melody in the halls around me. If things were already this bad in the warm-up chambers, then they would likely be worse in the main galley. I entered into the Circle of the Five Kingdoms and took my place in the shadows just as the fireworks were beginning. A caramel toned woman with luscious braids and a lengthy gold dress marched proudly into the room as Hakim and Onoda picked off where they had left off the day before. "Honestly," she said as she took her place at the golden throne, "I can see why my predecessor had a heart attack in this chamber, you people are insufferable." "You''re new to this place Mbali," Onoda bit back, "you should keep your mouth shut while your betters are having a discussion, that''s lesson number one of being a successful ambassador." "I''d hardly call any of you successful," a white-clad attendant poured Mbali a drink as she spoke, "House Lyon sent me here specifically to see to it that you fools don''t tear this sacred place apart." "The only thing that is going to tear this place apart is House Cephaloshia and their warmongering ways," Onoda smacked his ancient chair with his fist, "Unless your house has finally decided to join our cause, I don''t want to hear a peep from you." Hakim yawned at the discussion taking place, sitting back in the throne chair with a dismissive posture. "Attendant," he motioned for me, "I''m hungry." Being careful to grab the proper bowl, I made my way to Hakim''s side. With cautious care, I plopped a wrinkly date into Hakim''s equally wrinkly mouth. He chewed it for a second, and then spat a pit into my hand. "Summerset Valley Dates, my favorite," he smiled. "How I long to be there right now," he sighed. "Have you ever been?" "No, honored ambassador," I bowed, "I am tied to The Circle, this is the only place that I will ever see." "That''s a shame, my homeland really is quite beautiful this time of year." Chapter 6 - The Other Circle (POV: Samirah) Chapter 6 - The Other Circle (POV: Samirah) ¡°I never should have come to this stupid valley, and I never should have made you my apprentice!¡± Shareem pounded his fists against the newly erected gold barrier blocking our escape. In an instant it had sprung up, trapping us like animals in a cage. [ATTENTION] A warning message appeared in our vision.
[ATTENTION] You have trespassed on holy ground. In accordance with Law 403b of the Sunset Valley Concordat, you are hereby sentenced to a trial by combat. Choose your champion, or choose to starve, the choice is yours: [A.] Samirah Bashar Level 1 Illusionist [B.] Shareem Bidwallah Level 5 Elementalist [C.] Habib Axum Level 5 Support Mage
¡°I was right,¡± I bounced my feet up and down against the golden floor, ¡°I was, so, so right. This is a Frostpyre ruin.¡± ¡°Do you want me to gag her, boss? Or are the restraints enough?¡± Habib ripped another piece of cord off with his bare teeth, spitting the excess rope to the side. ¡°Go ahead and quiet that insufferable girl. I need time to think.¡± I rocked back and forth in place as Habib wrapped the gag around my mouth. I had come so close to touching it. To feeling it. A chair that a Frostpyre artisan had built. I could practically smell the hulky red-headed craftsman who had poured his heart into making it. If only I could have met him. If only I could have felt him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± Habib cringed at me. ¡°She gets like this when it comes to those damn Frostpyres. When she¡¯s medicated, she¡¯s as normal as any other apprentice, but once she gets excited,¡± Shareem looked at me with disgust, ¡°she gets difficult to control.¡± ¡°Did you not bring her medication?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t exactly expect us to fall into a ruin with a Frostpyre relic in it today,¡± Shareem yelled. ¡°So, no. I didn¡¯t.¡± I kicked up and down as Shareem circled the room and stared at each of the throne chairs. ¡°This truly is an exact replica of The Circle of the Five Houses,¡± he studied each chair closely, ¡°but I can¡¯t imagine why this frozen chair is in the middle of them.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. I knew why. I wanted to tell him, but I couldn''t. It¡¯s because the Frostpyres are superior to all the other houses. That is the only thing that it could be. ¡°And this name that keeps appearing in my vision, CrazEGirl2002, it follows the naming conventions of a portal emerger ¨C could this person have been one of the original colonizers of our world? How is their name still attached to this place after so many years?¡± I wanted to scream. Maybe the Frostpyres aren''t dead. Maybe they are on a rock somewhere, plotting their return. The thought was too beautiful for words. ¡°Even my evaluation skill claims that this is a Frostpyre throne, but that cannot be, The Circle was created after the Decades of Death, after House Frostpyre was wiped into oblivion. This does not conform to written records at all.¡± ¡°History is written by the victors,¡± Habib interjected, ¡°perhaps the history that we know today is not what we think it is.¡± I liked Habib¡¯s idea a lot. The Frostpyre¡¯s may very well have been the creators of The Circle. That would explain a lot. They were a fierce and noble race, the best race. I was sure of it. They must have ruled above the others as their Overlords. Shareem yelled and stomped his foot, "didn''t I tell you to quit interrupting me." A glass vile of liquid flung out of his pocket in his rage. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Habib asked. ¡°The girl¡¯s medicine. It looks like I had it after all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to give it to her.¡± ¡°Do as you please,¡± Shareem exhaled and continued to poke around the room while Habib forced my medicine down my throat. I hated the taste of my medicine, it was yucky and bitter, but it made me feel ¨C better. A cool sensation worked its way through my mana channels, cleansing my soul. With a deep breath, I looked up at Habib and nodded, letting him know that I was ok. He nodded back, cutting me free from my restraints. ¡°Sorry master,¡± I marched over to Shareem, who was poking away at the House Silverwind throne and prostrated myself before him. ¡°Because of me, we are now trapped in here.¡± ¡°Indeed we are,¡± Shareem shook his head, ¡°but since I have my apprentice back, I¡¯d at the very least like you to make a sketch of this place.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I grabbed my sketchbook and began to color in all the details. The room was large, with vaulted ceilings and open skylights, which had since been shut with golden shutters. In a different time and place, this temple probably sat atop a ridge somewhere, offering breathtaking views of the valley below. Of course, the most striking feature of the room was its resemblance to The Circle. The Circle was the great meetinghouse of our world, a sacred place where violence was forbidden, and where the great powers of the world could meet in peace. Was this what this space was also used for? ¡°What do you make of the message that appeared in our visions?¡± I asked Shareem. ¡°Have you ever heard of the Sunset Valley Concordat?¡± ¡°No,¡± Shareem shook his head, ¡°but as you noted earlier, there is no written history of this place from before the reign of Sultan Amir II. It very likely is from that period.¡± ¡°If we are going to get out of here, it looks like we will need to respond to the message,¡± Habib said. ¡°No shit.¡± Shareem growled. ¡°Well? Who¡¯s going to be our Champion?¡± "You, of course." Shareem pointed at Habib. "I am a defender," Habib protested, "you are the one trained in elemental mana. You should go." "You have a point," Shareem shook his head, "my skill with wind mana is pretty good, but as you know, my body doesn''t replenish mana as it used to. If it had, I would have redirected that tempest earlier today. That''s how strong I am." "Sure, sure," Habib said, "here take my mana potion, I''m sure a master like you will pass this trial." "I''m sure I will too." With our decision made, I went into my vision and chose Shareem''s name from the list. Once our entire party plugged in our choice, a new prompt appeared.
You have made your selection. Preparing a portal in 3...2...1...
In a flash of light, Shareem was gone. "Thank The Circle," Habib said. "Good riddance." Chapter 7 - Whirlwind Barrage (POV: Edward) Chapter 7 - Whirlwind Barrage (POV: Edward) ¡°Roddy!¡± I shouted, the world spinning around me in a daze. Where had he gone? Where was my little brother? He had been sitting under a tree, just outside the proving grounds. I was sure of it. I saw him. ¡°I¡¯ve never experienced anything like this,¡± Nana hovered above me on a cloud of ice. ¡°That electrical storm was bad enough to knock out my optical interface. I¡¯m literally flying blind here, and I don¡¯t feel like myself at all. I feel old.¡± Crackling thunder boomed in the distance as we regained our bearings. In every direction, towering cumulonimbi climbed high into the sky. The massive clouds seemed to ring our island, leaving us in the middle of a swirling eye. ¡°I¡¯m going back to the house,¡± Nana flew off in a panic. ¡°Find Roddy.¡± She didn¡¯t have to tell me. Taking care of my baby brother was my number one priority. It always had been. Ever since the night our parents died. ¡°Roddy! Roddy, where are you?¡± I limped towards the shattered root cellar, desperately calling his name. I kept replaying the events that had happened over and over again. Nana and I had been sword fighting, and then BOOM. Everything around us lit up in a flash of blinding white light, followed by a gust of wind that even Nana could not resist. I rounded a small ledge and worked my way along the island¡¯s rocky shoreline. A familiar object caught my eye, toiling listlessly in the choppy surf. ¡°Oh my gods,¡± I pulled the soggy volume from the water. Magister Brindley¡¯s Guide to Buffing and Debuffing, it was a book that Nana had given Roddy to study. I had seen him reading it only hours earlier. ¡°Edward,¡± Nana came floating towards me, a look of shear panic gripping her face. ¡°Our house is gone. Everything is gone.¡± She plopped down from her ice cloud and met me face to face. ¡°Roddy. He¡¯s gone too.¡± ¡°Hold on a second,¡± Nana held her finger against her temple, ¡°my optical interface is coming back online. I should be able to track your brother¡­No. No. This is bad.¡± ¡°What? What is bad?¡± ¡°Your brother ¨C how do I put this? He¡¯s not with us anymore.¡± ¡°He¡¯s dead!?¡± ¡°No. I mean he is literally not with us. He¡¯s flying over Tangeia, hundreds of leagues away from here. I have no idea how this happened.¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say. What was there to say? My brother was soaring across the world and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Even Nana was powerless to help him. But there was more to the story then I knew, something way bigger. ¡°Edward, listen up and listen close,¡± Nana gripped me tightly, ¡°the tethers binding me to this place are breaking down quickly. If Roddy is gone ¨C I don¡¯t have much time left. You need to take this.¡± ¡°What!? Nana, I¡¯m so confused.¡± ¡°Just take this! Nana pulled her staff from her back and pushed it into my arms. ¡°You¡¯re Guildmaster now. If you want to save your brother and your family, you need to survive. Conquer Tangeia, defeat the Great Evil across the sea and collect all 10 elemental stones. It¡¯s the only way to end this madness.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Be strong. Be fierce. Be true to yourself.¡± Nana¡¯s skin began to wilt, turning a desiccated olive color. ¡°Train your mana and train your skills as a Guildmaster. Find followers, and delegate responsibilities.¡± Nana¡¯s snow-white hair fell out in clumps, flying away in the tumultuous breeze, ¡°and no matter what you do ¨C never make a deal with a demon.¡± ¡°Nana, what¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°My deal has expired. Your brother''s departure from this place broke the game mechanic keeping me on this island. This is the end. My end.¡± I watched helplessly as Nana withered to dust. It was like losing my parents a second time. It had only been days, but Nana had become irreplaceable to me. She was my family. ¡°The solstice is coming. It will all begin on the solstice.¡± ¡°Goodbye Nana,¡± I saluted my mentor, ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°Hehe,¡± she cackled one last time, ¡°I love you too.¡± Like that she was gone ¨C literal dust in the wind. Leaving me alone on a windswept island. No brother, no family, nothing. Life had changed in a matter of seconds. [Personal Data Sheet Updated. View: Y/N?] ¡°Sure, I guess,¡± I plopped down in the sand, ¡°at this point I have nothing to lose.¡±
Player Name: Edward Frostpyre Age: 18 Class: Human Royalty (Unspecialized), Guildmaster Level: 1 Mana Type(s): Elemental (Ice), Elemental (Frost) Abilities: Royalty Mode, Guild Management Mode
A new class and ability had been added to my stat sheet, but I had no desire to examine them. My soul was hollow. I brushed myself off and walked back to the courtyard. There was next to nothing left of the place. The garden was waterlogged, the baths were flipped over, and Nana¡¯s house was gone. With careful footing I entered into the rubble, sifting around for anything useful. [ALERT]. A message appeared in my optical interface. ¡°Oh no, what now.¡± I wanted to cry.
[ALERT] The Circle has been violated. Status report incoming.
¡°What the heck is any of this supposed to mean.¡± I felt like collapsing. Too much was happening. Way too much. Dismissing the message, I returned to salvaging what I could from Nana¡¯s trophy room. From beneath the rubble, I pulled a few helpful items out ¨C a silver dagger, a bulky satchel of potions, and a small circlet of simple design. It was amazing how little was left. Dusting my tattered training uniform off I returned to the proving grounds where only 50 minutes earlier I had been living a different life. Everything had been as it was at the moment of the explosion. The sky was clear, the temperature was warm, and my rapier was begging to be used. Except, I had no one to practice with, and nobody to talk to. [ALERT] Two blinking messages appeared in the bottom left of my vision, urging me to open them. ¡°Open messages¡±, I said.
[Error] Space-time distortion detected. You have been moved forward 4 hours in time. Contact the gamemaster for more information.
[Alert] Shareem Bidwallah of House Silverwind has been charged with trespassing on holy ground. In accordance with Law 403b of the Summerset Concordat, you are hereby appointed as judge, jury and executioner of the accused.
¡°I SERIOUSLY can NOT deal with this anymore,¡± I dismissed the messages from my vision. This was all too much for one person to handle. I needed a break, I needed to rest my tired mind so that I could think. That¡¯s when I remembered another one of Nana¡¯s strange traditions ¨C meditation. It was worth a try. I sat down in the middle of the proving grounds, my arms and legs crossed but slack, and steadied myself. I inhaled a deep breath and tried to calm my mind. According to Nana, many people from her homeland meditated. Some did it seeking enlightenment, others did it to maintain good health, and a few people did it to show off ¨C but no matter their reasons for doing it, it was supposed to be universally calming. But, did I feel calm? No, I felt like someone was watching me. Likely the very someone who had stolen my brother from me and instigated Nana''s premature demise.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°By The Circle,¡± a scraggly voice woke me from my meditation, ¡°am I in the nether?¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± I numbly asked, feeling completely incredulous and fatigued at everything that was happening. As I suspected, I had company ¨C an older man, covered in muck and bearing a wicked grin. He stood before me, a red bar hovering over his head. Nana hadn¡¯t been able to teach me much, but she had taught me one very important lesson, if you see red then you should be prepared to fight. ¡°Hair as red as fire, eyes as cold as ice.¡± He backed away from me, his age-spot ridden forehead erupting in sweat. ¡°This is true hell. I have breached the gates of oblivion and entered Frostpyre hell.¡± ¡°What did you do to my brother?¡± I rose to my feet and stared him down. I am sure that I must have looked quite intimidating, with my ragged clothes and muffled gaze, but the truth is that I was exhausted ¨C barely holding on by a thread. ¡°This must be some kind of a trick ¨C an illusion. Maybe that damn girl cast it on me.¡± The man talked to himself, ignoring my line of questioning. ¡°I am no illusion,¡± I pulled Nana¡¯s staff from my back, and contorted my head to the side. ¡°My name is Edward, King of House Frostpyre and Master of our Guild. Now tell me, who are you? What have you done to my brother?¡± ¡°A King, no, that does not conform to the written records at all, House Frostpyre followed a matrilineal inheritance system. This cannot be real. This must be a fabrication.¡± He pulled a string at his neck, causing his muddy gray robe to fall from his back. His tanned skin was old and wrinkly like Nana, but he was not even a fraction as muscular as her. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you and pass this test!¡± He laughed, ¡°I am not going to die fighting a phantom. I will live, and I will become famous for finding this place! Then I can get a real apprentice, and a lab of my own at the academy.¡± [Evaluate Target? Y/N], a prompt appeared. Yes, I thought.
Name: Shareem Bidwallah Age: 68 Class: Human (Scholar) Level: 5 Elementalist
Level 5. Nana had warned me to be wary of anyone above level 3. As a person climbed mana levels, their skills, item stat multipliers, and stamina all multiplied proportionally. To be at level 5, halfway to the rarely attained maximum of 10, meant that this man had to be something special. ¡°Royalty Mode,¡± I channeled my mana into my core, causing a cloud of ice to envelop my person. Though its duration was short, royalty mode was my only option for this fight. I would have 3 minutes to finish my adversary off, and that was assuming I was able to find time to replenish my mana with potions. Looking into my skill sheet I prepared a strategy.
Skills (Royalty Mode): Frost Magic (Elemental, LV 1): - Chill Air [Passive] Ice Magic (Elemental, LV 1): - Stray Cumulus [Passive] - Ice breath [Active] - Ice blade [Active] Stamina (LV 1): - Double Team [Active] - Flicker [Active]
In only a few days I had amassed a decent arsenal of skills within my royalty mode. I had two passive skills, Chill Air and Stray Cumulus, and four active skills. Nana had taught me that passive skills remain in use continuously, so long as you feed them mana, while active skills require an input of mana every time they are used. The exact amount of mana used by a skill is dependent upon a player¡¯s level and is hidden from them, requiring careful and self-reflective estimation. Stamina skills, she taught me, used stamina points rather than mana. In addition to my skills, I had a rapier which dealt 100 points of piercing damage and 50 points of slashing damage, and my newly obtained staff.
Name: Guildmaster¡¯s Staff Rarity: Rare Blunt Damage: 50 (x1) Magic Amplification: x2 Description: Designed in the earliest of days, these staffs were distributed to the leader of guilds as a sign of their status. Special Abilities ¨C Hidden Gem. Class ¨C Staff.
I emerged from my icy cocoon clad in my royalty mode armor. With my Guildmaster¡¯s Staff at the ready, I set my footing and prepared my defense. ¡°Ready to dance?¡± The crazed old man yelled at me, before taking on a fighting stance, balling up his fists and putting them sternly in front of his body. [Battle Mode Activated]. A prompt appeared in my vision. A red number appeared above my enemy¡¯s head, 5250 HP. ¡°Whirlwind Barrage!¡± He darted forward at a pace well exceeding that of a normal man, punching the air in front of him. The fight had begun. A barrage of stiff air pounded my body, cracking against armor. ¡°Flicker.¡± My body phased to the side, but I was too slow, the enemy was already on top of me. ¡°Concentrated Breath,¡± my attacker lept above me. With a belch, he concentrated a blast of wind outward from his lungs, crushing me against the ground. I felt my vertebrae crack and my joints ache as the attack pressed me against the dirt. Under pressure I used another flicker, and then another, desperately attempting to get away from him. ¡°Whirlwind Barrage,¡± he came at me again. Pounding fists of air at my already weakened body. That¡¯s when I remembered that I had a height advantage. ¡°Stray Cumulus¡±, an ice cloud erupted at my feet, carefully pulling me out of the range of his attacks. I didn¡¯t know who this guy was, but he was fierce, especially for a scholar. ¡°You can¡¯t escape me that easy, you devil.¡± He planted his feet into the ground and began a new assault on my position. Like a boxer, he punched the air above him, creating blasts of friction in every direction. I did my best to dodge his attacks, but a few of them clipped my cloud anyways, requiring me to pour extra mana into my stray cumulus. With my mana draining quickly, I knew I had to make a move, and it had to be a big move. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you too afraid to fight?¡± He puffed up his chest. Flicker. Ice Blade. I darted behind him in a flash, my cloud evaporating to vapor behind me. [Critical Hit] [-1000]. My rapier pierced through his exposed flesh, rending through his vital organs, and scoring a 10x critical hit. ¡°Blasted devil,¡± he slashed at my with his hand, causing a razor blade of wind to dissect the proving grounds down the middle. With a flicker I darted out of sight, giving myself a moment to rest. ¡°Where are you devil?¡± He stammered around the proving grounds looking for me, but I had hidden myself deep within the husk of the destroyed root cellar. I struggled hard not to scream as I pulled my satchel of potions off my mid-waist. I was experiencing a searing pain, especially in my back. Once my adrenaline petered out, I would probably be paralyzed from the waist down. I needed to replenish myself. I pried a bright blue mana potion open and chugged it down, allowing my royalty mode to be maintained. Unfortunately, I had no stamina potions and only a single health potion. I had to fight on, even with my injuries and fatigue. ¡°You can survive this,¡± I took a deep breath and allowed my ice cloud to carry me back to the surface. ¡°There you are,¡± the old man wasted no time resuming his attack, but this time I was prepared. ¡°Rawwwwwwrrrr,¡± I roared straight at him, with my mouth agape and my staff in hand. Amplified to level 2 strength, my attack hit him straight on, a full-powered Ice Breath. This was an attack Nana had taught me. And it was a strong one. It was the only attack spell that I knew outside of royalty mode, and within royalty mode, it seemed even stronger. ¡°Aaaaaahhhh,¡± he staggered backward, ¡°my skin. My skin is hardening.¡± I allowed my attack to continue, constantly pumping more mana into it. Ice Breath was not a passive spell, but I didn''t care. I pushed all the mana I could into it, activating the spell over and over again. As each second passed, prompt after prompt let me know that I was winning. [-200] [-200] [Critical Hit -400] [-200] They kept appearing, until my attack finally ran out of juice. My stray cumulus cloud collapsed as my mana depleted to 0. With my mana depleted, my royalty mode disappeared in a flash, leaving me completely vulnerable. Unable to brace myself for the next attack, I laid on the dirt, helpless. Any moment my assailant would charge at me with his fists of air, dealing untold damage to my listless body. Any moment. Any moment. Why is nothing happening? I pulled my head up. The old man was still there, but he was lifeless ¨C completely frozen in ice. [Battle Mode Deactivated]
[Alert] You have learned a new royalty mode skill, Ice Prison [Active].
I had won. By some miracle, I had defeated a level 5 enemy. "Owwwww," I howled painfully as I rolled on to my side. I needed that health potion, or else I would be in trouble. I took the corked flask between my teeth and pulled it open, chugging down the red liquid. In an instant, I felt my vitality replenish itself. I wasn''t 100%, but I was good enough. Using my staff as a crutch, I pulled myself to my feet. If it hadn''t been for my royalty mode and its advantages, I would have been screwed - like a Mossy Rocker at the edge of the High Cliffs. I looked at the bald-headed man, his body trapped deep in a mound of ice. He was strong, but I doubted that he was strong enough to send Roddy flying into the horizon. He was likely just as much a victim of all this as I was. [Alert] a message pinged into my vision.
[Alert] The trial by combat of Shareem Bidwallah and his party has been decided. Shareem Bidwallah has been found guilty by way of combat. The Chief Justice will now render a verdict on two points: [1]. The fate of Shareem Bidwallah. [2]. The fate of Shareem Bidwallah''s party.
"Am I the Chief Justice?" [Open Guild Management Interface? Y/N]. A prompt appeared. "Yes, I guess,"
Guild Management Interface Number of Guild Members: 2 Guildmaster: Edward Frostpyre I Monarch: Edward Frostpyre I Royal Heir: Roddy Frospyre Chief Justice: Edward Frostpyre I Head Priest: Edward Frostpyre I Marshal: Edward Frostpyre I Other Royals: 0 Other Justices: 0 Tradespeople: 0 Chaplains: 0 Officers: 0 Soldiers: 0 Civilians: 0 Slaves: 0 [Change Roles] [Find Members] [View Holdings]
I really need to find some more guild members, I thought to myself, at the realization that I had far too many roles. I was the Guildmaster, a King, a Chief Justice, a religious leader ¨C I controlled every facet of government and then some. "I guess that means I''m supposed to judge you then," I said to my frozen prisoner. What a day I was having.