《How To Wear A Crown》 How to Leave A World Behind Force, pure and brutal. That was how they died. Even now, their empty eyes gazed lifelessly upon the river of blood that trailed away from their bodies, adorning metal, grass, asphalt, and brick with its crimson lustre. But it was not darkness that greeted them. When his eyes opened again, Jules found himself on his back, staring up at a blue sky between strange¡­ crystal branches? He shifted his gaze, finding that the branches emerged from the tall trunk of some kind of iridescent tree. His eyes widened in confusion. Jules racked his brains, trying to remember what had happened. It had been a pretty bad day for them both, he remembered. He¡¯d had just finished a grueling engineering exam, and Nia¡¯d just survived a full day of classes. He¡¯d propped her up as they meandered down the sidewalk towards their house. The setting sun beat down on them as they struggled to claw their way through their door. And then he remembered the horn, blaring a warning which had gone unheeded. His breath caught in his throat as he remembered it, a flicker of terror rising as if he was facing his death all over again. Nia¡¯s panicked screaming indicated that he wasn¡¯t the only one remembering it. ¡°HOLY FUCK. WE DIED. THAT WAS US. WE JUST FUCKIN¡¯ DIED,¡± Nia screamed, ¡°THAT TRUCK J-JUST RAN US OVER.¡± She stared, wide-eyed at the ground, before deflating as her emotions turned to numbness. ¡°... I never got to say goodbye to mom,¡± she whispered, ¡°or dad.¡± Jules nodded along, his face blank. He knew he had to simply be there for her. It was what he¡¯d always done in times like these. Of course, though not as expressive of it as Nia was, he too was in shock and turmoil. Regrets swarmed him, gnawing at his insides. There had been so much left unfinished. He¡¯d wanted to finish that mechanical engineering degree. Jules bitterly remembered a half-finished suit of armor he¡¯d left in his family¡¯s garage, now never to be completed. But he didn¡¯t let it show. He examined his own regretful thoughts, in the same detached fashion a mortician examines a corpse. Waste, he realized, and chaff. There was no time to worry about those sorts of things, he realized. Time was precious, every second spent wishing for some different past was a second wasted in the here and now. Jules threw away his regrets, sweeping them away into a corner of his mind. He turned his mind towards the fact that they were lost. He forced himself to focus on figuring out where they were. Jules stood, looking up towards the sky. His jaw dropped as he realized the sky.. had no sun. It was a vivid blue, with not a single cloud in sight. Jules lowered his gaze and saw that the earth was dry and cracked with thirst. Strange grey ruins dotted the landscape, stretching out to the horizon. There was no way, he thought, any of this could exist. There was no way a place like this could have such bright light without a sun. Nor, as far as he knew, could any land feature a song-without-sound. He turned towards the source, and saw that it emanated from strange, twinkling, jagged crystals off in the distance. ¡°Wait,¡± he realized, as this anomaly caught his eye, ¡°what the fuck?¡± He shook Nia gently. ¡°Sis, do you feel, or rather, hear, or ... whatever, do you notice that thing too?¡± ¡°What? What do you m-¡± Her eyes widened, as she registered the melodies reaching out to her. She looked up, gazing on the twinkling crystals in the distance. ¡°... Y¡¯know, this is a pretty weird afterlife. Empty. Weird Music. Like a big elevator for the soul, for all eternity.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to go look at it,¡± Jules said, ¡°maybe we can get out of this place and find peace or whatever this place wants us to do after we die.¡± His eyes glimmered with interest, betraying his true motivations, of base curiosity. ¡°Oh god, you die and the first thing you want to do is poke what you see with a stick.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a stick,¡± Jules said solemnly, ¡°I''ll have to use my hands instead.¡± He got up from his spot amongst the tree-roots and walked over to the crystals. After crouching down to examine them closely, he found that they formed a rough circle, about a foot high, around a smooth, fist-sized, multi-colored orb. Jules noticed that the crystals flashed in alternating colors, and was about to touch them when Nia arrived at his side. ¡°So we¡¯ve got weird crystals. You¡¯re the nerd here,¡± she snorted as Jules rolled his eyes, ¡°tell me what you¡¯re seeing.¡± ¡°Well,¡± he replied, ¡°If they are crystals, they¡¯re fucky crystals.¡± He pointed to several out-growths, before continuing with his explanation. ¡°Different crystalline structures. That¡¯s a hexagonal crystal, that one is cubic. Either they''re different similar-looking materials put together in one piece, or it¡¯s one material with weird properties.¡± ¡°It¡¯s found in the afterlife around a glowing sphere, of course it¡¯s going to be weird,¡± she snorted. ¡°Now let¡¯s see here¡­¡± Jules pulled a tissue out of his coat pocket, before slowly reaching out with it towards the crystal. The orb suddenly started moving, rising up into the air before stopping about two feet off the ground. He kept going, and there was a sudden spark between his hand and the crystals. Out of shock, he dropped the tissue, and watched as the spark somehow ignited a chain of purple lightning that spread up his arm quickly. It fanned out across his entire body, leaping across every inch. Rather than fear it, Jules¡¯ expression was one of wondrous amazement as he stared at the discharges. Jules¡¯s mind raced, trying to understand what he was seeing. He was far more fascinated by the exotic properties of the lightning, than he was concerned about its possible effects.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Holy shit.¡± Nia reached out to grab him instinctively, before stopping as she realized what it could do to her. ¡°Jules, you alright?¡± ¡°Yeah. It feels kinda¡­ tingly. But that¡¯s i-¡± The orb, unnoticed, had begun to split. It began to flow into two streams of light that circled around one another at a frantic pace, one regal purple and one burning green. Suddenly, Jules wasn¡¯t the only one receiving the strange lightning. A fork of emerald fulmination reached out to Nia, causing her to crackle with power as well. ¡°... I may have fucked us a little,¡± Jules admitted, as he looked at Nia¡¯s predicament. ¡°You think?¡± Nia muttered, as she stared with wide eyes at the sparks dancing across her palm. Both of them turned their attention back to the dance of light in the crystal circle, just in time to watch the streams of light merge back into a single whole. Instead of an orb, they seemed to coalesce into a single point, only visible by the bright glow it emitted. And then it exploded. It wasn¡¯t a very fast explosion either, even as it filled their vision with light, they had the time to react. Nia reached out to block it helplessly with her hands, while Jules extended his arm to grab her and run- And then they were somewhere new yet again. There was a sun in the sky above his head once again, warm and inviting. The light filtered through the green leaves of the gnarled oak trees, revealing a picturesque forest. It was as though they¡¯d stepped into a century-old masterpiece of a painting. Jules could hear the twittering of birds, and when he stepped forward, the crunch of leaves and dirt underneath his shoes. It was... normal, for the first time since he¡¯d died. Something he recognized, something he could make sense of. Jules breathed a sigh of relief, taking stock of himself. Nothing felt painful, broken, or missing. He counted that as a win. He slightly regretted not being able to see more of that strange lightning. ¡°You alright sis?¡± Nia smacked him on the head lightly, just to prove how alright she was. ¡°Yeah, all in one piece, no thanks to you and your reckless bullshit.¡± Jules shrugged. ¡°Well we¡¯re somewhere normal-ish now, so it¡¯s fine. Or at least, it looks normal.¡± His sister rolled her eyes as she started walking forwards, quickly finding a trail through the woods and following it. Jules stepped into place behind her, lagging behind slightly, content to follow her lead. She¡¯d been the most devoted to their Scout meetings, after all. ¡°No doubt there¡¯s some wacky bullshit going on here still,¡± she muttered. Jules watched her take stock of her surroundings as she walked, a careful eye examining every leaf and tree. ¡°This looks like a rather well-managed temperate forest. A very old one, though. Not much underbrush and clear trails. A lot of these plants I¡¯ve absolutely never seen before, but I¡¯ve only really hiked around the Bay, so we could just be in some Earth forest.¡± She didn¡¯t very hopeful about it, Jules noted. Nia glanced over her shoulder at her brother. ¡°You remember the essentials, right?¡± ¡°For wilderness survival? Yeah, water, warmth, food, in that order.¡± Her head turns to send him a withering glare over her shoulder. ¡°Shelter, Signalling, Water and Food. You really didn¡¯t pay attention, did you? Oh, right, that scout meeting you were too busy flirting with Isabelle.¡± He scowled, his expression souring at the mention of the name. Isabelle. It tasted like ash on his tongue. ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree not to bring her up after the breakup?¡± ¡°Yeah, but we also agreed not to have to deal with your bullcrap again, and look where we are! Stuck in the woods, god knows where.¡± ¡°... Okay, fair enough.¡± Jules scoffed, sullen for a moment. He¡¯d never liked it when people brought up his love life. Nia stopped for a moment, realization dawning across her face. ¡°Crap, I forgot. What do you have on you? I¡¯ve got a pocket knife, some tissues, a phone¡­ Oh I really am stupid. Should have checked the phone first.¡± She searched her pockets only to find her various items missing, vanished, as if they¡¯d never been. ¡°... Alright then. Never mind.¡± Jules checked his own pockets, and swore. His tissues were also missing,along with the lighter he was supposed to return to their roommate, that would¡¯ve really helped for a fire. He supposed they''d gone missing in the explosion. ¡°Let¡¯s just¡­ find a nice place to rest for the night,¡± Nia sighed, ¡°no one¡¯s going to be looking for us so we¡¯ll have to hoof it to civilization on our own.¡± And so, they continued along the trail. It wasn¡¯t long before he heard the sound of bubbling, splashing water, behind a tall hedge. It filled him with a quiet satisfaction that one of their needs would soon be met. They pressed through with difficulty, earning scratches all across their faces from the thorns for their troubles. But they eventually made it to the other side, earning them a clear view of a beautiful, bubbling waterfall. It poured into a still pool that fed into a stream, which lazily trailed off into the distance. But rather than be at ease, Jules¡¯ heart pounded and his blood screamed adrenaline. For at the banks of the pool, were a pack of wolves. Or rather, wolf-like creatures. They had horns, curling like those of rams, emerging from their heads. They were facing the source of the disturbance, eyeing the newcomers warily. Jules counted almost a dozen of them, staring down the siblings with wide eyes and bared teeth. ¡°Toto, we¡¯re not in Kansas anymore,¡± Jules said under his breath. ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± Nia hissed, as she tried desperately to figure out their next move. How To Find A Home Damn it. I¡¯d hoped we¡¯d have more time. They weren¡¯t ready. We hadn¡¯t even told them... Look, we knew this might happen. They have enough knowledge that they can handle themselves for a while. We¡¯ll find them soon, honey I just hope they don¡¯t get into too much trouble. It¡¯s a good thing they went together, at least...
¡°Don¡¯t stare at them in the eyes. Animals see it as a threat,¡± Nia barked, ¡°and the last thing we need is for them to think we¡¯re hostile.¡± Jules complied, his eyes wandering away from the wolves and alighting instead on what was behind them. Or more specifically, behind their legs. He spotted signs of movement, causing his pupils to dilate as he realized something new about their situation. ¡°... Hypothetically speaking, would we be more fucked or less fucked if this was their den.¡± Nia was about to begin her explanation of exactly how bad it would be, but was cut off by the sudden emergence of a small, fluffy head in the midst of the pack. It poked out through the legs of the older wolves, tilting as it regarded them. She noted that the head clearly belonged to a wolf-pup, its horns having barely emerged from its smaller head, though she was rather busy internally panicking over the fact that the wolves had their children with them. Unlike its kin, the pup had strange liquid glowing eyes, as if its eye-sockets were filled with some kind of luminescent tar. Despite the best attempts of the older wolves to block its passage with their feet, Nia saw the pup wriggle through and run towards the pair until it was only a few feet in front of them. It stared up at them brightly, and barked as if trying to communicate. ¡°Oh god it¡¯s adorable. We¡¯re definitely screwed, but oh god is that adorable,¡± she whispered. The little bundle of fur kept barking, and the strange glow in its eyes began to spread across its body, tracing the path of surface veins and arteries. Nia saw the light reach down through the pup¡¯s legs into the earth, before spreading out across the surface of the soil. It reminded Nia of satellite maps she¡¯d seen of rivers, and how they branched off into deltas. The soft blue light remained on the earth for a few seconds... And then the forest moved. Nia could feel the earth shifting and the trees bending their branches. She turned her head to see the thorny hedge behind them reforming into an archway, through which lay the forest beyond. Nia turned back, and saw that a copse of trees by the far side of the waterfall¡¯s glen had laced their branches and leaves together into a sort of makeshift hut. The wolf pup then sat down expectantly, watching them curiously. ¡°... I think it¡¯s asking us whether we want to stay here or leave.¡± ¡°You know what? It¡¯s been a long day,¡± Jules said, ¡°A puppy with magic forest-control powers is offering us a place to stay. Let¡¯s just¡­ take this at face value.¡± She had no idea how he was so calm all the time. He¡¯d always been like this. When their cat had died, Jules had just¡­ gone to the garage and picked up a shovel, while she bawled her eyes out. Even here he was still tranquil. She noted with annoyance that he was also still as reckless as ever. She watched Jules walk forward, barely making it five steps past the pup when the rest of the pack suddenly growled. They advanced, eyeing Jules with their hackles raised. Nia realized then that the wolves were afraid of Jules. Why, she didn¡¯t know, but all the signs were there. They approached slowly, with caution, and she noticed one of the smallest wolves flinching when Jules stopped and raised his hands suddenly in a peaceful gesture. The wolf-pup, though, seemed unconcerned, trotting back back to its pack to yip at the largest, oldest wolf, who replied with a series of chuffs. This went on for several minutes, as Jules tapped his feet. ¡®My god,¡¯ she realized, ¡®they¡¯re sapient. They have a language.¡¯ There weren¡¯t many other explanations for the exchange she was seeing. The wolf-pup directed his barking towards other wolves, who seemed to acknowledge the pup¡¯s words before visibly shrinking under the withering gaze of the eldest wolf. Jules, thankfully, seemed to have decided to back off, retreating to the shade of the tree-hut the pup had fashioned. He rested his head against a handy tree and closed his eyes, apparently deciding to just¡­ rest. Nia quashed the desire to join him. Eventually the pack ceased their various noises, and the wolf pup trotted out to meet them once again. Its eyes glowed and the forest shifted once more, before a line of stones emerged from the ground. It split off a portion of the glen, and she realized they were marking off the space in which the siblings could stay. Thankfully, Nia noted, the portion included a stretch of land next to the waterfall. She sped into the siblings'' side of the glen as quickly as possible, before moving over to drink from the waterfall. She cupped her hands to catch a handful, noting how it appeared crystal-clear before having a sip. It was cold and refreshing. She idly realized that it was likely melt-off from mountain snows. Though, she thought, in a world of horned wolves and glowing forest magic, it could be from anywhere el- Something inside her clicked, with her questioning. She could feel invisible gears spinning in a space-without-space inside her, responding to her thoughts. The emerald lightning burst from her hands once again, coursing into the remaining water, before leaping back to her body. As they returned, the lightning brought with it sudden visions and knowledge, so much knowledge her mind felt like it was boiling. She saw snowy cliffs above a craggy valley, where volcanic smoke emerged from a crater. Nia somehow knew the exact moment of the snowfall that produced the water in her hands, its source from oceans and lakes and rivers so far away. She felt every dissolved particulate in every drop. It was an incredible awareness, but incredible pain. Her mind just couldn¡¯t handle the sheer magnitude of information frothing in her consciousness.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Distantly, she realized, she was screaming at the top of her lungs. She wasn¡¯t standing anymore either. Lost in a deluge of information, she didn¡¯t notice Jules dash up behind her, before feeling his arms pull up her body and drag her back to the relative safety of the hut. There was a sudden spark of purple lightning in her vision, as Jules began his own discharges as well whilst he held her, before hearing the thud of her brother falling to his own knees. Then she heard his voice, strained and groaning. ¡°Compress it¡­ Filter it¡­¡± Jules gasped like a man drowning, ¡°Reduce¡­¡± And so she tried. Spiralling weaves of data were flensed into nothing, endless vistas and landscapes shriveled into words. Nia could feel her brother¡¯s mind suddenly entering her consciousness, aiding her, helping her turn the vast sea into a single drop. The boiling fog in her mind cleared, revealing the glen once again. In front of her was a holographic box, floating in the air.
Analysis: Water of the Pack¡¯s Glen Waterfall Originates from Snowfalls originating from [COMPRESSED DATA]. Slight Holy Attribute! Slight Nature Attribute!
Nia¡¯s body slowly relaxed, tension in her muscles she hadn¡¯t known was there releasing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jules, similarly exhausted, lying against a tree. In front of him was a similar strange box. She saw him flick a finger at it, causing it to disappear, before he closed his eyes and began to snore. With the fatigue in her bones, Nia decided to join him in slumber.
Jules¡¯s eyes fluttered awake. The first thing he felt was a strange, soft, warm stroking at his cheek. He glanced over to see the pup from earlier licking at his face. Once it saw that he was awake, it scampered off into a burrow on the other side of the glen. Jules groggily shook his head, trying to remember what had just happened. He¡¯d been trying to nap¡­ Then¡­ He¡¯d heard Nia screaming. His eyes widened as he remembered his sheer panic at the sound. Nia, his sister, screaming. He remembered getting up and dashing over, grabbing her anddragging her to their shelter, before trying to figure out what was wrong with her. And then the lightning¡­ The lightning had responded to his heart. He remembered the lightning telling him that she was obtaining information from the water that had been in her hands, and that it was too much for her. Jules felt as though it had told him something more than that, something that he¡¯d forgotten. He couldn¡¯t quite make it out, so he shrugged it off and continued poring over his recollections. Jules remembered that he¡¯d been affected by the overload of data too, as it told him every single aspect of her condition. He didn¡¯t remember much of what it¡¯d told him now, and considering that the problem had been data-overload¡­ that probably explained why he couldn¡¯t remember all of what he¡¯d received. He¡¯d realized that to manage the information they were receiving, they had to reduce it, make it easier to comprehend without the¡­ pain of having it all shoved in their heads. And the system he¡¯d come up with in the span of seconds¡­ ¡®Well,¡¯ Jules supposed, ¡®I should give it a test run.¡¯ Jules thought a single word, trying to remember that initial feeling that had triggered the lightning within him. ¡®Status.¡¯ It was a strange feeling, like reaching out to something within arm¡¯s reach and yet wasn''t there at all. Something that reached back.
STATUS WINDOW
UserID: Jules Parin LEVEL: 10
Main Class: ???
Lesser Classes Scholar, Artificier, Champion
Health: 100% Mana: 30
Status Effects:
ATTRIBUTES
Might: 13 Agility: 17
Intellect: 20 Perception: 13
Dominion: 13 Reign: 16
Willpower: 17 Vigor: 9
CLASS SKILLS
???: Analyze Rearrange Store
Yes, he¡¯d decided on an RPG-system. It was on impulse. It was the best he could come up with in such conditions. ¡®...Okay, maybeI''d just liked the idea,¡¯ Jules admitted to himself. He examined the status screen, studying it. It was intriguing how all of the information the lightning could collect had been converted into such a simple form. But as he read, the more his confusion grew. It was supposed to utilize the information the strange lightning collected and translate it into a form he could understand, but what he was seeing made nosense. Somehow, he had a class? He had mana? What the hell were these Dominion and Reign stats? He knew he''d applied an RPG-system to ''filter'' the information, but that didn''t explain this! Jules was about to get up, and starttrying to learn moreabout how all thisworked, when the weight on his lap reminded him of something much more important. He looked down at his sister, panic replacing curiosity. Had he been in time to help her? He¡¯d tried to¡­ interface, that was the best word he could use to describe it, with her lightning, but he wasn¡¯t certain that it took. Jules couldn''t be sure that he''d conferred the same kind of ''filter'' of information to his sister in time. With the amount of information she¡¯d been fed before he¡¯d intervened, he had no idea if she was still alive, much less sane. Jules held out a hand over Nia¡¯s mouth, and felt the warmth of her breath brushing his palm. Thank god, she was still alive. He poked her in the nose to see if she woke up, smiling a little as he remembered old childhood mischiefs. The sound of a mighty punch echoed through the glen, followed by a quiet murmur of apologies. She was still about as coherent as she normally was, as far as Jules could tell. Her punch definitely hadn¡¯t gotten worse. How To Hone Your Skills Jules¡¯ brow was crowned with sweat, and the droplets sparkled in the noontime sun like jewels. His eyes were closed, scrunched up in focus. His body sat cross-legged in front of a flat rock. On the rock lay a few twigs, some grass, and a few berries. He¡¯d used his [analyze] ability to identify the best possible materials for this monumental task. Jules¡¯ previous failures haunted him, but he pushed past them. Carefully, he called upon the thunder and reached out to touch the materials in front of him.
Skill Activated: Rearrange
He felt the wood being lifted up and bent into shape. The twigs shifted and warped, the plant material flowing like honey as he tried to bend matter with mind and impossible lightning. His thoughts weaved a schematic for them to fill, and they complied with all the discipline of a well-drilled army. After five minutes, the lightning ceased sparking, and he opened his eyes¡­ Only to curse like a sailor at the misshapen lump in front of him. Jules, for the last 3 hours, had been trying to make rabbit traps using his Rearrange skill. As far as he could tell, it allowed incredible control over matter down to the molecular level, but his dreams of creating hyper-advanced materials from natural materials with ease were quashed by the sheer difficulty of controlling the skill. He collected more twigs and winced at the sound of his growling stomach. It¡¯d been a full day since he¡¯d actually eaten something. Idly, he wondered if Nia was having any better luck with whatever she was doing...
Nia, unaware of her brother¡¯s difficulties, was having the time of her life. Adorable animals! She could talk to them!!! Okay, maybe she couldn¡¯t talk to them yet, but she was rapidly figuring out some of the words, and the intriguing grammar structure. Thankfully, rather than rely on memory alone, she¡¯d been able to use the¡­ status-window¡­ thingy¡­ Nia was still at a bit of a loss on how to term it. Well, whatever it was, Nia had figured out she could open, edit, and save ¡®text documents¡¯, using her thoughts to cause floating screens to appear. Custom characters seemed to be supported too since when she came up with a new symbol for some different guttural wolf-language inflection, it simply appeared within the document without any issues. Figuring out the vocabulary had also gone much faster than she¡¯d expected; the wolf-pup had been very helpful. It seemed to understand what she was trying to do, and answered a lot of her questions about the words for various things. These questions were, essentially, rough gestures mixed with broken Wolf-Tongue, but they¡¯d managed despite this. She¡¯d hit a bit of a wall with some objects, apparently the Wolf-Pup was, well, a pup, and thus didn¡¯t know all the words. The pup, whose name she¡¯d found translated into something akin to ¡®Time-of-Seed¡¯, ended up dragging the older wolf she¡¯d seen earlier over. She¡¯d managed to get a few words out of him, before she asked him his name, at which point the old wolf merely glared at her, before stalking off. Seed, as she started calling him, answered her in the older wolf¡¯s stead, and she dutifully noted it down as ¡°Hundred-Year Claw¡±. Her studies into the wolves¡¯ language were interrupted when Jules finally returned from his day-long sojourn into the wild, walking into the glen with head held high. Nia glanced up at the sky, noting that sunset was upon them, before looking back at her brother. ¡°So. You actually get anything?¡± Nia asked, in a bemused tone. Jules held out a hand, from which dangled a bundle of fur. He smiled in the same self-satisfied way she¡¯d seen when he¡¯d gotten an A on one of his exams. ¡°It took me 7 fucking hours, but I did it. I caught a rabbit!¡± Nia blinked. ¡°Huh. You actually managed to do it.¡± Jules smirked. ¡°And what have you been up to?¡± ¡°Figuring out how to speak the language.Do you even know how to handle that rabbit? You don¡¯t have a knife, right?¡± Her brother shrugged. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought that far yet. But, I did figure out some things¡­¡± Jules laid the rabbit on the ground before he dashed out of the clearing. When he returned, he was carrying a large flat rock like a tray. There were sticks and stones and¡­ mud? ¡°... The hell are you going to do with that?¡± He grinned. ¡°I figured out some of the functions of the System.¡± ¡°The what?¡± ¡°The fucky lightning-thing, with the pop-up boxes.¡± ¡°Ah. What about it?¡± ¡°Well, aside from being the platonic concept of TMI, it also lets me do something like this¡­¡± With a clunk, he laid the rock on the ground, before he kneeled and stretched his hand out over it. The System crackled out of his hand into the materials, seemingly melting them away. Over the next half-minute, Nia watched as the lightning remained on top of the rock, twisting into a new shape, before vanishing to reveal a makeshift knife. She recognized the handle as being one of the sticks that had been on the rock, now adorned with a dull brown ceramic blade. It looked as though the clay had been baked around the stick somehow. She noticed a small sphere of frozen ice appear as well, sitting next to the knife and forming a thin layer of frost around the base. Jules picked up his creation and looked at it proudly, dismissing a status message that popped up with a flick of his free hand. ¡°It lets us¡­ reorganize matter and energy, I guess? The ¡®skills¡¯ seem to be like¡­ functions. the [Rearrange] Function lets me do the whole reorganize thing, but the [Storage] skill lets me store matter in my body. Somehow. Anyway, the trick here was that the dirt was clay, from the stream. The System let me¡­ remove the water and transfer heat into it? Shaping it around the stick. All the heat came from the water, which is why I had to move the water out into a frozen ball. Which, by the way, is really cold, don¡¯t touch it.¡± ¡°... Thermodynamics doesn¡¯t play nice with it, then.¡± ¡°Well¡­ no,¡± Jules answered, ¡°it still does obey physics since I had to freeze the water to balance out the heating of the clay¡­¡± ¡°You broke entropy.¡± ¡°In that sense,¡± her brother admitted, reluctantly ceding the argument, ¡°yes, Thermodynamics does not play nice with it.¡± ¡°... Can you use it to start a fire?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°How?¡± Jules attempted to explain, trying to use similes, metaphors, and all manner of things to describe what the experience of utilizing the System in this way felt like. And he failed miserably. What the hell did ¡®like stroking a river with iron¡¯ mean? ¡°Use English,¡± she said irritably. ¡°I¡¯m doing my best, alright?¡± ¡°There¡¯s gotta be a better way to do this¡­¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Nia and Jules were both taken aback by the sudden and convenient appearance of the box. They flicked it away, and found that using the ability wasn¡¯t even a point of confusion, it was as if the instinctual knowledge of how to do so had been implanted into their heads. The experience of discovering a new instinct was rather¡­ strange, and it was with great hesitation that the sister walked up to Jules and put a finger on his forehead. They barely glimpsed the box, before they found themselves in a flow of information. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t nearly as overwhelming as when they had used the [Analyze] skill. Instead of raw physical data, they were experiencing each other¡¯s¡­ memories. They witnessed through each other¡¯s memories, their various efforts over the course of the day. When the siblings¡¯ vision cleared, they were briefly disoriented. It took them a few moments to realize that despite the hours they¡¯d experienced, it was as if no time had passed at all. The Sun was in the same position in the sky, and the frozen orb of water still lay on the rock. ¡°Okay, that is very handy,¡± Jules remarked. ¡°Good thing it only shows what you want it to show, or-¡± Nia gave him a stern look, before getting straight to business. ¡°Hand me the knife and I¡¯ll take care of the skinning and deboning and stuff. You just make a fire, I¡¯m pretty hungry.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Jules marched off into the woods, searching for dry leaves, twigs, small sticks, and adequately sized logs, while Nia sat down and gingerly picked up the rabbit¡¯s carcass. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get you and that rock washed in the waterfall first. Jules got both of you absolutely filthy.¡± The rabbit was washed, and... mangled into something akin several bite-sized chunks of lean meat, which they roasted on washed sticks over a roaring campfire, which Jules nearly burnt himself lighting. The pup, with absolutely no shame, nuzzled into Nia¡¯s side, forcing her with sheer might of adorableness to yield several chunks into his waiting maw. From the pup¡¯s mutterings, the wolves assigned to the dinner-hunt were running rather late. The reason why was quickly revealed, when the party returned panting and exhausted, one of their number limping with a large wound. Nia and Jules both turned their heads in alarm when the returning hunters barked out warnings in panicked voices. They didn¡¯t recognize the word, as far as they could tell it translated to ¡®The Brown Beast¡¯, which was entirely unhelpful. The pack gathered, leaping out of their burrows and moving forward to confront the intruder. It turned out to be a massive, massive bear, who spoke in what they could best describe as a thickly accented-form of the wolf-tongue. ¡°You have failed the Forest,¡± the bear roared, prowling forward. Its scarred features were revealed by the light of the campfire, as it continued. ¡°The Waterfall-Pack must yield the Voice to me, or face my fury.¡± ¡°How have we failed, ¡± snapped Hundred-Year-Claw, ¡°The old pacts are still held true by all parties.¡± The bear looked at the siblings vengefully, before turning back to the pack. ¡°Humans in the forest, who keep not the pact! You harbor them!¡± As the bear advanced, the fire¡¯s glow revealed arrows studding his hide. ¡°Those two assaulted me!¡± ¡°Impossible,¡± Claw retorted, ¡°I have had them watched whilst they were our guests. Every step they took, I know, and they walked nowhere close to your territories, Red-Claw! They didn¡¯t even have bows or spears.¡± Jules¡¯ face paled as he realized that he¡¯d been followed during his entire outing. He¡¯d gone to the bathroom out there¡­ He hadn¡¯t even noticed. ¡°Then explain these arrows! Attacking one of my kind, without provocation, without the ancient rites, this breaks the pacts! Hand the Voice over to one who will uphold the old oaths, or there will be blood shed between the Ironhide Tribe and the Waterfall Pack!¡± Time-of-Seed had remained silent, content to watch at Nia¡¯s side, but at this they trotted forward. Their eyes glowed brighter than before, and the trees around the clearing bent inwards as if to listen. ¡°The forest knows your falsehoods. I am the Voice of the Wood, and not something to be bartered for your ambitions.¡± The winds whipped through the glen as if a storm had appeared out of the blue, and Red-Claw shrank back. Time-of-Seed no longer sounded like a pup, or indeed, a wolf at all, their voice having become far older and louder. ¡°The trees see that you overstepped your territories and attempted to clear men out of the hunting grounds allotted to them, for otherwise, you could reap their bounties. They resisted, and wounded you. These are the fruits of your breaches of the pact, and adequate punishment. But now you scent men in the Waterfall Pack¡¯s glen, and pounced on it as...¡± At this, the Voice of the Wood actually snarled. ¡°Pretext for seizing the power of the Voice for your own. You demand the Waterfall Pack turn over their guests so you could maul them out of spite, for the wounds other men inflicted upon you rightfully, when the Voice itself has taken them as the Forest¡¯s guests. Such flagrant breaches against the old laws will not stand!¡± The ground around Red-Claw shuddered, and roots rose up to tie themselves around the bear. Red-Claw¡¯s hide shuddered, and glowing red veins appeared all across it, like precious metals in a mine. The roots began to burn, with the flames themselves somehow shaped like despairing faces. ¡°The Voice will be mine,¡± Red Claw snarled, ¡°the Forest belongs to the Ironhides by right of strength!¡± The young pup was actually taken aback by the moment, and hesitated for a moment. A single moment, that was all the bear needed to snap the burning roots, and rush forward towards the siblings. His eyes were locked on the young pup. The pack rushed to stop him, but the bear moved impossibly fast, apparently enhanced by the red light in his body. The pup backed up in panic, before being stopping when he felt the heat of the fire at his back. He might not escape. Nia scooped up Time-of-Seed in her arms and attempted to make a run for it, though the hope of outrunning the beast was slim. Not very clever, but very sensible. Jules, however, had never been sensible, and concocted in that split second a plan that was very clever, but also profoundly idiotic. Time slowed to acrawlas he stood up, watching from the corner of his eye as Nia broke into a sprint. He saw the bear begin to close the distance, and looked for the right timing. He knew the bear was focused on the pup, from the look in its gaze, so he knew he could catch it off guard. It had to be just before the bear was in the right spot¡­ yes, now! Jules plunged one hand into the fire, ignoring the pain. With the other hand, he grabbed the bear¡¯s foot, before closing his eyes.
Skill Activated: Rearrange
He didn¡¯t have the time for some complex creation, but that was never his intention. It was a rather wild gamble, but he channeled all the heat of the fire that he could in that instant into the bear¡¯s leg. He had no idea if the System¡¯s function would work on a living thing, but without hampering the bear in some way, Jules figured they didn¡¯t have a chance of survival. There was a flash, and the bear screamed in rage, toppling to the ground as his leg was seared by the burst of heat. The fire was completely extinguished, the ashes and wood frosted with the amount of energy lost. His hand was covered in ugly burns, but he¡¯d done it! Though,Jules would have to congratulate himself later, because the bear was getting back up. ¡°Your sorceries are nothing before the might of an Ironhide. Your trick will not work a second time.¡± Red-Claw¡¯s attention was now fully turned to Jules, its eyes filled with a primeval hate. ¡°All you have done is made your death much more painful.¡± Spoiler: Jules Stats
STATUS WINDOW
UserID: Jules Parin LEVEL: 10
Main Class: ???
Lesser Classes Scholar, Artificier, Champion
Health: 100% Mana: 30
Status Effects:
ATTRIBUTES
Might: 13 Agility: 17
Intellect: 20 Perception: 13
Dominion: 13 Reign: 16
Willpower: 17 Vigor: 9
CLASS SKILLS
???: Analyze Rearrange Store
???(cont.): Memory Transfer - -
Spoiler: Nia Stats
STATUS WINDOW
UserID: Nia Parin LEVEL: 10
Main Class: ???
Lesser Classes Naturalist, Healer, Speaker
Health: 100% Mana: 30
Status Effects:
ATTRIBUTES
Might: 12 Agility: 14
Intellect: 18 Perception: 16
Dominion: 21 Reign: 18
Willpower: 14 Vigor: 14
CLASS SKILLS
???: Analyze Rearrange Store
???(cont.): Memory Transfer - -