《Power, Game, System, Player》 Prologue Whose dream isn''t to enroll in the most prestigious superpower training school in the entire world? No one, that''s who. It was one of the rare institutions that lived up to its name. And what a name too, Orton Price, the very first superhuman. Price''s Academy of the Enhanced.The biggest dream of every small child. Superhuman, enhanced, supernatural, mystical. The Academy, as it was known, would hone your skills for better or for worse. No matter your background, financial situation, or religion. So long as you came you would be given a chance. Even so, there were many who failed the entrance exam that it in itself became as notorious as the school was prestigious. Understandably, many people protest the Academy''s credo "To enrich the individual''s knowledge of power." There are a number of problems that stem from that principle, the main hangup being the graduates going on to become some of the worst villains the world has ever known. No matter the caliber of hero that the school produces. Although other cities have their fair share of villains and heroes there are few that compare to the home of Price''s Academy of the Enhanced. Wildrest, if you aren''t so lucky to live in its affluent neighborhoods, is probably one of the most dangerous cities to live in. As home to the Academy, there is little help for it. Many a dejected student turns to the criminal life. Crime has always been rampant and largely falls through the fingers of regular law enforcement. Villains and the newly originated disrupt the natural routine that most other cities would find on their weekdays. But, Wildrest is as large a city as it is chaotic. Where the wealthier sections of the city might be patrolled by heroes the poorer side might be protected by villains. Despite the dense population, if one wished it, they could find a place completely abandoned and live their life out there, while still maintaining their basic needs. This is because Wildrest, in more ways than one, is wild. It has never been the perfect city thathewanted it to be. Wild, sure, but never perfect. Orton Price is a name as ubiquitous as a child''s most favorite cartoon. If one cared even slightly about the history of their city, they''d know why Wildrest surrounded or ratherwassurrounded by dense woods. So dense in fact, that the manpower needed toexcavate these forests was unviable, they didn''t just encapsulate the city they became the terrain. At the time, it wasn''t immediately clear that the forests would become something vital, at first, they were seen as they were intended, a hindrance. The history behind them, however, had to do with Orton Price''s villainous counterpart. His name was simply Root, only that, and his goal was thus; to hide Wildrest and isolate it from the rest of the world. To hide Orton Price''s one and only pride. Little was known about Root, his motives and even his name remains unearthed. It was said he did little in the way of violence though, only causing absolute nightmares in logistics and city planning. In the end, Root failed in isolating Wildrest but his failure was perhaps almost as lauded, if not more, than Price''s own success. The Woods, which referred to simply any area Root''s power took hold, bent space around them. They occupied little, but the space they filled were acres apiece. They were, undoubtedly, Wildrest''s shining gem and treasure. The Woods provided food and space. Everything a growing city might need. It was because of this that Wildrest was popularly thought of as a city born by both Price and Root. It was because of this that Wildrest was so rich in natural resources. And what of when Root''s power runs out? It is commonly known that the nature of a superhuman''s power persisting after they die is up in the air, a coin toss. Wildrest as a whole has generally accepted that Root''s powers must be that which persists, that latter of the two. There are a number of reasons this is generally posited one of which being the age of the city itself. In short, Root, unless aided, should be just as dead as Orton Price. Between the two I lean more towards Root for the simple reason being that I live in the Woods. Call us strange but my parents, funnily enough, given that we live in the city, were far more woodsy than any normal couple. With only an axe and his hands, my dad managed to make his very own house right at the edge of the Woods. It was surrounded by that carpentry and woodsmanship that I grew up in. It wasn''t surprising to say that I moved out fairly quickly, beginning to build my own home at 14 years old, although this time deeper in the forest. My parents were excited, more for the fact of a new house to visit and a neighbor, than me actually leaving. The process was strenuous and long but I worked days at a time. My muscles developed at the age where puberty only just hit me and my work ethic perhaps is what convinced my dad to come help. He was a madman of a craftsman, complaining all the while that my house was too big for me, too ambitious, but relishing the challenge all the same. Within two years I could match his skill, if not his speed. Then, the following four years my dad and I always had a project to work on together. We only sped up as we worked together. My house was only one story with a generous bedroom, kitchen, shower, and bathroom. I had something of a garage attached to the side. Everything was made of lacquered and smooth wood, crafted by hand, blood, sweat, and tears. I had made multiple trips to the library to fill in woodworking knowledge as needed. The result was a home more than lavish for a single 21-year-old. It was the result of a father''s love and hard work. And in my honest opinion? It was beautiful. I took in the scent of wood as I came to leave. I shouldered my backpack, empty for now, before grabbing the worn bow and quiver which were always hung up by the front door. I slung them across my back and set out into the forest. I took in the loamy scent, the brush of the wind on the leaves, the crunch of dirt below my feet, even the noises and the birds I could make out. Just as much as inside, I felt at home. We''ve lived off the Woods for our entire lives. The animals here are both healthier and stronger but occasionally a trip into the city is necessary for luxury foods. Money is no issue, the meat and game found here pay enough for everything I might need and more. It was why despite our isolation and location so far away from the dense population of the city I had access to the internet, and thus, my favorite video games. Electricity and water were trickier but I managed that too. And despite it all, I could manage impressive savings. Though, that would be spent by the end of the day. The thought made a spark of excitement shoot down into my spine. I smiled. I was 21 now and aside from living on my own for a whole year there was a whole other type of freedom in the Woods. There were things to watch out for, of course, but I had learned the signs early. Early morning sunlight drifted through the boughs of the trees above like the finest sand. Glittering light sprinkled over the dewy grass to form a scene I would never get tired of. At this time, even the animals were tired and drowsy and so the forest was quiet, peaceful. Within the hour, I had reached my parents'' house. I cupped my hands to my mouth and yelled. "Anyone home?" I smiled, walking up to the house I grew up in. Neatly against the door, the words "Silva Family" on a brass plaque hammered into the wood. The door turned and my dad was there, beard and smile. "Ludus!" He grabbed me, tousled my hair and let me go all in the same instant. "Mom''s got deer on the pot. Come in, son!" He said turning. "Oh god." I complained, detaching with a suppressed grin. "Never change Dad." He only laughed some more. I followed him into the kitchen. I had one myself, but I preferred eating with my parents when possible. Especially breakfast. I unslung my bow and quiver and placed them on the empty seat next to me. "Whatcha got for me Mom?" My stomach grumbled. "Deer stew. Minced garlic, oregano, bay leaf, chopped onions, chopped carrots. Oh and some rootleaf from the Woods." She served me a bowl and returned to stirring the pot, tasting the spoon. "And stop buying all that junkfood Ludus. Don''t think I don''t see your fridge when I''m over. Better to eat meat and veggies." I groaned. "I''ve eaten meat and veggies my entire life." Besides, I needed variety. "The rootleaf is nice though." "Yeah, and look at those muscles, honey. It did you good. You look just like your dad." She responded almost too perfectly. I stared at the man in question as he walked into the kitchen. In terms of body, we might''ve shared the same form. But the muscles that made it were much larger on my dad. My dad sat with a heavy thump across from me. "Well Ludus? Plans for the day?" He asked but didn''t wait for my answer and instead dug into the stew as soon as it appeared in front of him. "You''ve outdone yourself, love!" "Going into the city. Shopping. I''ve saved a lot of money selling meat. I''m gonna buy that new game I''ve been talking about." I said, already excited at the prospect. "You know the one." My dad shook his head good-naturedly. "If there''s any bad habit you developed it''s your love for video games. The Price of Power or something equally cringey, right?" "Price of Power... Dad that was three years ago." I chuckled. "Besides this one''s not based on the enhanced. It''s just pure sci-fi and fantasy. Really open-world. You can do whatever you want. Basically another world I can live in outside of Wildrest." "Oh? What''s it called honey? Sounds fun." My mom seemed interested, she actually found video games intriguing rather than a bad habit. Although in this case, she was only letting me talk about my interests if her attention to her stew was any indication. "Sometimes I can still see the little 14-year-old boy lugging logs around in you." My dad laughed, his smile doing little to help the bits of stew already in his beard. "You never did grow up too much. Still a kid and loving video games. You''d think living in the Woods would make you more of a caveman like your father!" He bellowedsomething between laugh and yell. "Alright, alright. Dear, you''re going to scare away every living thing around us. We''ll starve if you stay this loud." She turned to me smiling. "Take some food before you go, honey." She took my now empty bowl.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Thanks, Mom." I said. "Bye Dad. Clean your beard." I was out the door as soon as his eyes darted down to find extra food. The transition from the Woods to the city was decidedly abrupt. There''d be armed patrols more often than not that liked to check comers and goers, but that was easily avoided. They would''ve taken my bow if they saw me with it. There was enough danger on the streets as it was, but no one ever stopped me if they saw me walking with it anywhere else. Thus, avoiding the check was a must. I climbed the tree easily, finding my way across a branch and onto the nearest building. A short slide down a fire escape and I was walking along one of the middle-class neighborhoods. The streets were usually safe to walk on when there were a lot of people around but I didn''t like to take risks. There was a lot of cash in my pocket. But first I had to find a building to start with as the one I climbed up onto from the forest was isolated. I kept to the roofs, often hearing people through the ceiling and eavesdropping on conversations as I leaped by. There was some talk of villainous activity on my route but luckily not my destination. It was risky, but I always loved to watch the powers of the enhanced. It was a pipe dream for me though. I would''ve loved to attend the Academy, but my life in the Woods was certainly one to be envied. Alas, originating was a dream for everyone. I had no powers. I took the appropriate buildings I had memorized and found myself atop a three-story grocery store. It was the best vantage point I could afford without putting myself in unnecessary danger. Here, I could entertain myself by watching the powers of the enhanced. Ones that I could only dream of attaining. "What had they said?" I asked myself. "Some type of animal-control." I took out my notebook and pencil. I kept a small notebook of all the supers I ever had the pleasure of seeing. It was fairly thick and nearly half full. And today, there''d be another entry. I saw a wave of gray down below and a person in a mask walking among it. There were flashes of pink lines before the squeaking became noticeable. Tails. I stared dumbfounded at the veritable mass of the creatures. I had never seen such large scale control. "Rats?" I muttered, shivering at the swarm. "Animal, swarm, rats." I wrote, then took a better look below. "Holy fuck, that''s a lot of rats." They swarmed over the entire street and passerby were summarily overtaken screaming as they crawled over them. People were people, sometimes they left passerby other times they didn''t care. Crime in Wildrest was rampant, which meant death was common. It also meant that a lot of people knew this. As it turned out, the ones being overrun were not so lucky. They came away from the tide of rats bleeding all over. Fatal blood loss if I''d ever seen it. I had hunted enough animals to know it. I watched a man take one look at the swarm and immediately begin running the other direction. It wasn''t an ordinary run either, it was one made for his life. These scenes, that of supernatural villains, ranged from negative infinity to infinity. No power was ever exactly the same, but if anything that unpredictability is the one thing that citizens here expect. That man knew his life was in danger as soon as he saw it. Glass broke and drew my gaze. Rats swarmed specialty shops and electronic stores and other valuable goods. TVs, speakers, computers, and generally all the expensive items began to float on the sea of rats. People screamed and I heard muffled yells and furniture breaking from the shops down below. It looked like this particular street was his target. When I saw rats enter the grocery store I happened to be standing on, I got a move on. A hero would be here soon enough to deal with this level of theft. Hopefully, they''d help the writhing still living people on the street below too. And not a second after my transition to the next building someone appropriate arrived. I had seen him before but didn''t know his name, he was already in my notebook. His power would do fine to counteract the rats. I left. As much as I wanted to see that turn out I couldn''t risk too much time idle. Again, I was carrying a lot of money on me. I had really no need for a bank since I lived in the middle of nowhere. That meant no card to pay with. The rest of my trip was uneventful but highlighted the reason I spent my time on the rooftops. It was safer, at least, for someone used to swinging through trees and jumping from branch to branch all day in the Woods. Especially with what I just saw. When I dropped to street level I was already nearby my destination and far from the powered. It was a small specialized shop called Real Gaming. Real Gaming was one the few gaming shops that actually had all the most recent big-name games as soon as they came out. It was also one of the only gaming shops near my neck of the Woods. Though, that was largely due to the disparity in wealth. Aringing chime accompanied my entrance and I was greeted by the employee at the register. As it happened, I found the game almost immediately. Being the hottest game on the market its display wasn''t hard to find. The items were paired together and I flinched at the price tag even though I had prepared myself for it. The system which the game necessitated was the more expensive of the two, although both were hellishly so and was the reason why I never mentioned it to my parents. "Ten thousand spec." The cashier said ruefully. "The whole deal, huh? Damn, I''ve been wanting to try this thing the second it came out. You''re one of the first ones to get it here though." "Really? I thought these would sell out fast. Thisisthe first day on shelves right?" "Yeah. Keep in mind, not many people around here have that much cash lying around. There are other stores too. Plus you''re here first thing. I barely just opened, man." He stared over my shoulder, noticing my bow. "Going for an archer or something? I heard people have been training outside the game." "I''m from the Woods. The bow is a necessity." I said, reaching into my pocket and pulling out the spec. Glittering silver notes wadded and still crisp. He whistled. "All physical, huh?" He raised an eye. "Rob a bank or something?" He shook his head before recalling my answer. "The Woods, huh? Not many city people you find out there." "Never been to a bank. Don''t have a card." I replied shrugging. I handed him the spec. "Call my family odd." The cashier only nodded, not letting the conversation get in the way of his job. "You''re insane dude, walking around with ten thousand spec. There''s a lot of enhanced out there this morning. Receipt?" "No thanks." I waved. I opened my pack and shoved my delicate things in. My pack was lined with bubble wrap and foam for this moment. "Maybe I''ll see you in the game one day." I said amiably. "Hah, with this salary? I''ll be lucky in a few years." He responded. And suddenly my empty pack was a little heavier and a little less empty. I left out the door accompanied by a ringing chime. The noise reflected my mood, upbeat and excited as I headed home. I kept to the roofs again, this time not detouring to see any more supers. When I came home I checked my solar panels, cleaned the dust and made sure the mechanism that controlled their tilt was operating correctly. That done, I checked the water pump at the back of the house. The clear pipe showed crystal clear water running fine. I brought my new system and video game to my room and began setting everything up. The system itself was called the PrismScape. It was state of the art, nine thousand spec was no small amount. That was a year of saving my admittedly large salary from selling meats at the meat market. I make a hundred seventy-five selling deer and other game every week with some variance. No small number for someone my age. I unwrapped the other thousand spec package. The game the PrismScape was to run. It was perhaps the most technologically advanced game to date. State of the art and the culmination of two decades of work, using an agile development method the entire process. They called it World Online, a tacky yet encompassing name. Because itwasan entirely different world with a myriad of options, paths, and even lives to live. Races, classes, dungeons, etc. The whole shebang and more. Diverse skill trees, hidden achievements, titles, equipment, a rarity system, the list goes on. Everything ever imagined to be critical to video games, World Online had it. And not only that, they excelled at it. It was the reason that for the past decade I had been preparing for this game even through the release of others. The company that created it, Real Technologies, was something of a pariah in the gaming industry. For all the good reasons. Real Tech was untouchable, having left competitors long in the dust in terms of advancement. The PrismScape, for example, was said to be centuries ahead of its time. Quinton Real, the CEO, has consequently been suspected to have some type of inventor power for these constant advancements. While the rooms in my house were limited, they were generous. And when I said generous I meant my bed took only a fifth of my room. And my bed was quite large. That was why a section of my room was dedicated to computer monitors a whirring desktop and a pair of cooling fans. The monitors took up the entire wall and the transition between them was seamless. Here, when I wasn''t hunting or in the Woods, was where I spent my time online. Bue computer lights lit up my face in a glow. The power draw was not insignificant. Luckily, my network of solar panels was actually much larger than it seemed. Additionally, I had industrial-grade batteries that stored energy in the case of a cloudy month. If my house was at its maximum power draw. I was eternally grateful for my dad for not only helping me set up but paying for a large portion of it. Of course, I was paying him in power as well. I plugged the PrismScape in and it immediately began dynamically shifting in place, turning about into multiple different prisms. A rectangular prism one second, a triangular prism the next, then a pentangular prism and more. Static through the dynamics was a single slot I knew World Online would initally inhabit. Once verified the cartridge became irrelevant, the game would permanently exist on the PrismScape. I unwrapped the cartridge that despite being so temporary was decorated with colorful, exciting depictions of epic battles across its entire surface. The art was something of a masterpiece. Somehow making the fantasy that was its subject into something real. I held it up semi-reverently feeling slightly ridiculous at the care I took. And inserted the cartridge with a satisfying chink that signified the last piece concluding the mechanism. Then I took a seat on my chair, sinking into its plushness and waited for the PrismScape to complete the rest of the process. Suddenly, the PrismScape settled into a flowing methodic shift between abstract shapes. A small beep and green glow indicated completion. I smiled, feeling the culmination of all my hard work finally coalescing. Ten thousand spec. Ten thousand. Saved up ever since I first got wind of World Online, ever since I was 14. I breathed deeply. There was no telling what the game held, nothing had ever been leaked, everything had been under extremely strict lock and key. No one ever talked, but everyone knew. The possibilities, the mysteries, everything I had been anticipating was about to be unlocked. I was about to play the best game of the century. Who cared about being super when I had the ultimate escape? Who cared about joining Price''s Academy of the Enhanced when I could do more than anyone could in World Online? So long as I had this one escape I would never have to look at the things I could never dream of becoming possible to me. So long as I had this, I could be just as amazing and awe-inspiring as the real thing. When I reached forward to initialize the PrismScape, something went wrong. A deafening boom exploded from outside. My monitors flickered on and off, something that shouldn''t have been possible given the batteries that powered my house. They drew my attention. They were glowing oddly, their wiring doused in visible arcs of energy. I traced them idly, as if in a trance, to the PrismScape. It shifted uncontrollably, nearly liquid as sparks of energy crackled throughout it. Another explosion outside. I ripped my eyes away and realized I wasn''t safe here. My electronics were overloading. A blinding spark jumped between my monitors buzzing in connectivity for a single second before another one sprouted. Monitor to monitor, computer to PrismScape, system to monitor. The blinding electricity was hard to track and somewhere deep in my psyche I wondered what I was doing standing here. A loud crackle of electricity drew my eye. Lightning shot out of every monitor and raced for me within the span of a second only to freeze. Arcs of energy floated around me as if stuck in jello. Blinding searing spots of light. Tendrils of power reaching towards me. Then everything came to fruition all at once. Half of my room exploded and all I saw was the PrismScape crackling with energy, all my years of effort wasted before my vision faded to black. My final escape, ruined. Chapter 1 - Tutorial I woke up blearily and grumpy, thanks in part due to the flashing blue in my vision. I groaned, turning around to find the wreckage of my room. My monitors were utterly destroyed, cracked and smoking. Then my heart dropped. "No. No, no, no! Of all the days!" I cursed. The PrismScape was a smoking wreck. The system I had spent so long saving for utterly destroyed. Ten thousand spec, wasted. My heart felt heavy and I sat there in sadness for as long as I could before the flashing demanded my attention. "What the hell is that?" I said turning only to find nothing there. The flashing shifted with my eyes. "Ugh. That got me worse than I thought." I went out of my room, holding a hand to my eye. Blinking it away didn''t help. The rest of my house was untouched. Save for anything electronic. Lightbulbs blackened the fire retardant wood surrounding their sockets. Every wall socket was fried. And it even looked like the fridge was broken. The TV was ruined too. "Great." I shook my head, gritting my teeth. The flashing was getting on my nerves. Blue light flashed and I looked around. Must''ve been some residual electricity from one of the appliances. If not that, something was wrong with my eye. "Ludus!" A voice called muffled through my walls. I recognized it and made my way to the front door. "Dad!" I called groaning. "Something just overloaded my house''s battery." I explained still trying to wipe away that goddamn flashing blue. My eye then. My dad was slightly out of breath as he came to a stop and took in my house. "Any fires?" He said immediately. "You didn''t get to see the news did you?" He said checking my house. "Are you okay, son?" "No fires. That fire retardant coating worked, thank god." I replied. "News? Something super-related I''m guessing? Yeah, fine. Knocked out but kicking. I just got up." I answered immediately. "Luminaire. New guy, bright as a solar flare." He grimaced. "Flew right over us. I swear I couldn''t find a shadow in the Woods when he did. Our power just shut off and I had a bad feeling." He shifted his gaze to me. "Knocked out? What happened, how''s your head feeling?" "Something''s wrong with my vision. I keep seeing this blue flashing." I said trying to roll my eyes in a way that might help. "Body''s fine." He gave me a once over. Venneth Silva had never been a man to let something as small as a head injury stop his son. "Come on then you should be fine for some physical labor. Let''s check those solar panels. Let''s hope to God they weren''t fried. Let''s hope your head isn''t too." That incessant blue flashing never left my eyes as I followed my dad to the back of my house. I tracked the flashing to the bottom of my vision and wondered what the hell it was.
Welcome to Character Creation, Player! This process will take you through the initial steps in order to get you prepared for the world. This procedure will include choosing your Race, Perk, allocating your starting attributes and even choosing your starting gear! There is also an included Tutorial that you may take that will cover things such as Gear, Quests, and Combat, Any questions you may have will be answered at this time but only the most basic of answers will be given on certain satellite topics. Please use this time to your advantage!
I froze, my footsteps going silent wasn''t something my dad would miss. He turned around. "Ludus? You feeling okay. You don''t have to come, you can sit inside if you need to get your bearings." My mind froze as my body did, multiple possible explanations crossed my conscious. I tested the first one. "I''m seeing things, Dad. We''re not in a game, are we?" I stared at him. "This isn''t World Online, is it?" He looked at me funny. "No son. I just came from the house. Everything''s real. In the flesh." He replied slowly. "Too much time on your games? Did you have one of those headsets on when the power overloaded?" He said concerned. At a thought, the screen went away. Origination. The experience a supered goes through when they gain their powers for the very first time. It was often life-threatening and traumatic. Or altogether surreal and unbelievable. The emotions present varied but always shared one thing; the sheer intensity. These events ranged from so many triggers that nothing can be reliably cataloged. Fear, culminating from the threat of one''s life, manifesting into super strength to save oneself. Anger, manifesting into lashing flames. Kindness and gratitude, the overwhelming feeling that became a power based on benefiting others. There were peaceful origins, yes, but they were the minority. The circumstances of one''s Origin also mattered. Surrounded by water, one might get something suitably related to the element. It wasn''t always, but the connection was there. There have also been theories that the thoughts of the person during the whole event would influence their supernaturality. If one thing could be said of a super''s Origin, it was that the circumstances always had a hand. There have been supers that explained their powers came from solely their intense desire for them, that feeling and dreaming was enough to be gifted with them. One can imagine the ramifications of those statements. I think I just might''ve had one. "Dad, I think I''ve Originated." I said dumbly. "I think you need to get Mom. We need to have a family meeting." His eyes went wide. "What? How do you know? What is it?" He shot quickly, immediately scanning me. He slowed down and really looked at me. "What exactly happened in there?" "Dad." I said. "Get Mom." He stared at me, before running towards their house. I was sitting in my living room when I heard the footsteps of my parents. "Honey!" Mom immediately hugged me. "Are you hurt? Ven said you were seeing things? I don''t trust him to diagnose a dummy. Let alone our son." She said worriedly. "I''m right here, Cura." Dad frowned, he still wasn''t breathing too hard despite all the running. He turned to me only slightly miffed. "Son? Are you sure?" He cut straight to the chase. I had been staring at the screen the entire time they were away. "I''m sure." My living room was designed to comfortably sit the whole family and a handful of more guests. And comfortably too. The couch was plush and each of the individual chairs off to the sides were similarly so. "You''re sure you''re not hurt, honey? You know how these things are. People are always hurt when they Originate. It''s always damaging. Are you okay?" "I''m perfectly fine, Mom." I said hurriedly, placating her. "I''m not injured in the slightest. That blue flashing was part of all this." My dad adjusted himself, leaning forward in the comfy chair rather than back onto it like he normally situated himself. My mom was much the same. "So, son, what exactly is it? I hate to say it, but you don''t seem so supernatural. Can you throw us a bone? Do you have any proof? I mean, how are you so sure already?" "It... it''s some type of video game power." They stared at me disbelieving. "I''m serious. I see a screen telling me the things you''d normally see at the very start of a video game." "Were you playing something when the super overloaded everything?" My dad asked. "I was about to. I had everything set up too. The surge fried everything in my room. My monitors are all ruined, not to mention the PrismScape." I explained, sighing the last words. "I got shocked. I can picture it, the exact moment when all the tendrils of electricity reached for me. It knocked me out." "Honey, the PrismScape?" She exclaimed. "Haven''t I seen that on TV? That''s nine-thousand spec!" She gasped. "Oh no, honey! You had that much saved up?" "Dear, you''re getting sidetracked. He has a video game power now, he can play all he wants." Dad looked at me. "What does the screen say?" "It''s character creation and maybe a tutorial." I responded, reading it. It was a point in their favor that no matter their animosity towards video games or rather, indifference ranging to interest, in my mom''s case, they both made an effort to at least be somewhat familiar with them. They did it just so they could talk about them with me. It was only one of the reasons I held my parents in such high regard. "Well have you started?" Mom said impatiently. I blinked at that. She only rose an eyebrow at my expression. "Dear, it''s a power you can''t just have him testing things will-nilly." Dad tried to sway her. "Ven, it''s character creation and a tutorial. It''s completely harmless. When did you become such a worry wort?" She shot back. "Besides, he''s not unsupervised." My dad sighed, but I found the rueful smile in his expression, before he turned to me. "Go ahead, son. I know you didn''t even have to tell us you Originated. I hear a lot of kids keep that stuff to themselves, no matter how life-changing. I appreciate you let us know first thing. If something happens we''ll be right here." "Thanks guys." I nodded. "It might look like I''m zoning out for a bit, but it''ll be me reading the screens." "We get it, honey. Go ahead."
To begin we will allocate your starting attributes. These will be determined through a series of tests specific to each attribute. The function of each attribute will be revealed at the end of all testing. Keep in mind hidden attributes that are not tested are still to be discovered. You will be teleported to a secure location to carry out these tests and the rest of character creation. Are you ready to be relocated?
"It says I''m going to be teleported somewhere to determine my starting attributes." I said, surprised. There weren''t many powers that could teleport a person. Or even create private spaces. My parents looked at each other. "A possible pocket-dimension power?" My mom asked. "The nature of his power is surely odd. This might be a one-time thing. It''s too early to tell. Powers evolve after all." My dad got up and moved to the front door before handing me my bow and quiver. "Go on, son. Hopefully, you turn up back here. I''ll go check on the solar panels in the meantime." I took them. "Thanks Dad." I said. "Be careful, honey. I can''t watch you there." "I know, Mom." I replied knowing the worry wasn''t necessary. Powers never hurt their owners. Usually. "I''m ready." And suddenly, I was in a perfectly blank white room. I stared around, but nothing. An endless expanse of white. Not a single speck of dust or dirt or anything. My bow and arrow had disappeared. Despite that, a rush of excitement flowed through me. I had just teleported!
Welcome to the Testing Room! The Testing Room will ascertain the level of all your basic attributes. A series of trials, tasks, and challenges will arise in accordance with each attribute and will determine your final results. For now, do as instructed by the Testing Room.
At first, I didn''t make out what it meant by "do as instructed" until I saw the text appear like a roadway sign above me. The instructions were glaringly obvious. Strength Test commencing. Lift your maximum weight at each station. Odd contraptions, workout equipment of the like I had never seen before, littered the room. I only paused for a second before beginning at the first one. This one was obvious in its target; the bicep, and I was able to curl a good weight. There were too many weights to count, but it didn''t look like I got tired. It took me an hour to find my maximum on every single piece of equipment. This was in part by the fact I needed to understand the technique of some of the more odd exercises. In the end, I felt I made a good showing. Strength Test concluded. Constitution Test commencing. Subject yourself to each station as you see fit. As the nature of this test is harmful to both body and mind please do not push yourself. Various scenes replaced the weights. All some type of torture. The first was a small needle. If the nature of the test wasn''t so obvious I''d be confused. I pricked my finger and drew blood with the needle. Looking around, I shrugged. All I could do was move on. A knife to the palm. I gritted my teeth at the pain, prior knowledge assured me the damage wouldn''t be repaired. But I felt that it was an aspect of this test. What followed was a number of tortures that I subjected myself to, trusting this Testing Room to not leave any lasting injuries. This was about testing my limits, not maiming me. Eventually, I came to a station with a giant rock, the instructions were simply to hold it as long as you could. I lasted ten minutes. One was to strike a stone wall as long and as much as I could. My calloused hands allowed me to do this a small number of times until I had to pull my back my punches as to not seriously injure myself. I stood under a waterfall for one of the tests. Managing a longer time than I did holding the rock. Another station to get shot by rubber bullets, I managed to stay for close to a hundred of those. Constitution Test concluded. Dexterity Test commencing. Complete the obstacle course. A small pathway over a pool of water greeted me. I instantly began running, feeling at ease on my feet. My injuries had left me and my hand gripped the first handhold, climbing up the rock wall and dropping down the other side. I crawled under barbed wire and jumped over hurdles. I balanced over an even thinner path, before darting between circular hoops. "A bow. Let me show off. I can shoot on the move too." Targets littered the obstacle course and I felt my bow in my hand. "That''s more like it." I grinned. I reached behind me and nailed three targets in the span of three seconds, all while on the move. The obstacle course was just about to reach its end, but then the path extended. I was running again, dashing through various more convoluted paths, aiming at moving targets and stashing my bow when necessary. There were points where I was hanging oddly that a target appeared. My time in the trees gave me a good foundation to act upon, and I was able to shoot that target as well. Dexterity Test concluded. Intelligence Test commencing. Answer all questions directed towards you. Again, the room wiped itself and I was left refreshed and without bow. A single desk appeared with a pen and paper. I sat down and looked at it. Various logical questions and puzzles. They ranged from picture puzzles to word problems to finding which didn''t fit based on a set of images. It was your typical IQ test. Then the questions became weird. "What is one possible reagent you use in the summoning of a Greater Demon?" I blinked. "Is this a real question? If there''s an answer... then that means." I left the question blank. There were high-level math questions that I wasn''t able to answer, but some practical technological questions I did answer. There were some particularly about electronics and engineering that didn''t have any written component to them that I felt confident on. Intelligence Test concluded. Wisdom Test commencing. Simply talk with the old man. "Hello there, player." A voice to my right spoke, slowly and frail. I was in a park, facing a pond. Sitting. The scenery was startingly peaceful. I got my bearings instantly. "Hello. Your name is?" I asked. "My name is Pien." He answered. "Ludus." I responded. "Would you mind if I began?" Pien asked. "Would you mind if we rested a moment? None of the spots in the Woods that look like this are anywhere near me." I spoke sincerely. I almost forgot where I was, taking a test, and was about to take back my question. "Ah. Sometimes it''s wise to take in the beauty of the world. It is healthy for the soul, you know." Pien spoke before I could. "People sometimes move too fast, they miss the joyous things in the world of the slow." I nodded, understanding where he came from. The people in the city don''t often get to see the beauty of nature of which I''m so familiar with. All they ever see are the streets of Wildrest, and they''re not always the cleanest thing. "I do this sometimes, in the Woods. In the mornings when I start my day I look at the sunlight refracting off the dew of the morning grass." I said softly. "It sparkles just like that pond, you''d think you were looking at a puddle." "What would you do with all the power in the world, Ludus?" He asked me. "I''d make myself comfortable. I''d have fun. Make sure my family and friends are safe and they have everything they could ever want." The reply was honest. Daydreaming about ultimate power was something I did often. "Oh? And what about the rest of the people?" "I''ll help them where I can, but they aren''t my problem are they? If I had an obligation, a duty, then I would." "An honest man is a happy man. But can any of us truly know ourselves until the time actually comes that our principles are tested?" "No. But that is where I stand." I said. "I have enjoyed our talk, Ludus." "Goodbye, Pien." Wisdom Test concluded. Charisma Test commencing. Have a conversation. I was in a coffee shop sitting alone. There were other people sitting by themselves either in nice armchairs or small tables like I was. The scent of fresh coffee filled the air pleasantly. It seems I was on my phone, minding my own business. The charger of which was plugged into the wall beside me. I spotted an empty armchair between two guys. Well, I was supposed to talk, wasn''t I? I got up from my nice table to sit between them. Their looks were skeptical at first so I took out my charger. "Sorry." I chuckled. "Needed a socket." I plugged in the cable to the wall socket nearby. "Ah, no worries. Was wondering why you left the table. It''d be nice to have a table to work on." The man to my right said. "I never get one here." It was small talk, but it was talk. "I only got here thirty minutes after opening and it was the last spot." I said. "I come here to study all the time. It''s such a nice atmosphere don''t you think?" I looked into his bag. A laptop with a marble case. "It is." He replied with a knowing look. "The smell''s a plus too." "I think I''ve seen you around before. Do you always come today?" I said with recognition, looking busy as I situated myself. "Almost every day, actually." He said. "I don''t recognize you." He laughed. "No offense." "None taken. Marble laptop, right?" I said with certainty. "I could swear you always have a marble case on your laptop." He took his laptop. "Well look at that. You''re right." He laughed. "I''m Marcus, you?" "Ludus." Charisma Test concluded. All Tests completed assigning basic attributes.
Assigning basic attributes. For being able to achieve impressive results in the strength test for your weight class you have been determined to have 8 STR. For subjecting yourself to various pain levels and endurance tests, you have been determined to have 7 CON. For an impressive showing of on-the-move accuracy, speed, balance, and coordination while running the obstacle course you have been assigned 10 DEX. For understanding a wide breadth of advanced principles to at least some degree and nearly all basic and intermediate puzzles and logic questions you have been assigned 8 INT. For demonstrating a deep understanding of the present as well as yourself you have been assigned 7 WIS. For being able to engage in a small inconsequential conversation with a stranger you have been assigned 6 CHA.
The room was now blank again and all I had to interact with were the screens floating in my vision. I decided voicing my desire would be the simplest method of communicating. "Can I get a description of each stat and some perspective for what these numbers mean?" I said aloud, somehow trusting the blue screen to understand. My testing seemed to have gone well. Nothing was drastically low, in fact, most of my statistics were what I''d call high. It all depended on what exactly the numbers meant. I needed a reference point.
Attributes Strength (STR) determines the physical power you can muster. The force you can apply. It is the quality or state of being physically strong. Constitution (CON) refers to the body. It is the physical state with regard to health, vitality, and endurance. It measures stamina and the body''s ability to last. Dexterity (DEX) measures agility, balance, coordination, and reflex. It is the mastery of the body by the one who controls it. It is nimbleness and agility, speed and control. Intelligence (INT) encompasses deductive reasoning, knowledge, memory, logic, and rationality. It is the magical power one can muster. The quality or state of being magically strong. It is one''s mental strength. Wisdom (WIS) measures self-awareness, common sense, restraint, perception, and insight. It is the rationale that directs a person''s effort. It is not only experience and knowledge, but the good judgment that comes as consequence. It is the control and mastery over magic. It is one''s mental prowess. Charisma (CHA) measures force of personality, persuasiveness, leadership, and successful planning. It is the inexplicable magnetism that gathers attention. It is the ability to interact with others. For reference, peak human in any attribute is 10. Anything above is considered to be superhuman. While these attributes are assigned here in accordance with your performance these may be increased through a variety of methods.
That meant my dexterity was at peak performance. My hand-eye coordination, agility, reflex, and balance was above any non-super. That also meant my other stats weren''t half bad, at the least, they were above average if we assumed average was 5. I flexed my hand. I had never thought to quantify myself into numbers despite my love for games. I had a moment of disconnect feeling as if suddenly I had become an avatar of myself. Somehow the numbers were flattering, was I truly that much above average? It made sense that if I were to implant myself into a game my physical stats would be above most. I''ve spent my whole life doing physical work, and not the typical kind either. Hunting, gathering, building my house, even getting to the city was a decent workout. I doubted anyone my age had a similar routine. I did stare at intelligence and wisdom in particular though. "Magic." I said dumbly, repeating what I had read. Their descriptions had them written right there. That meant only one thing. It was undeniably superhuman to control forces arcane. Mystical and mysterious. And these attribute descriptions meant it was possible for me. I nearly froze at the implications. World Online left my memories, dust to the wind, forgotten. This was real. Why escape when I had it all before me? When the possibilities blossomed like a delicate rose in every direction? Suddenly, everything became less disorienting. My resolution was firm. I knew what I wanted, even if it didn''t make sense given my attributes. I could pull it off. I wanted to do magic. I wanted it to be real.
Now we shall move on to Race selection. There are near-infinite Races to choose from and your choice here may very well affect your entire experience continuing forward. This choice is permanent. Although Race changes exist they are extremely rare so do not rely on them. Your Race has the potential to determine an entire playstyle or specialization. It may provide blanket boosts or specific bonuses. This all depends on which you choose. They may have crippling drawbacks but powerful advantages. You may decide to simply have your Race supplement your weaknesses, or enhance your strengths. The possibilities are endless and careful planning is encouraged. This is not a choice to make lightly. A number of Races conducive to popular playstyles that align with your attributes have been initially provided. You may narrow or broaden this selection as you see fit. Please select your Race.
Immediately my vision lit up with choices. They were each tailored specifically to some of the standard classes in most RPGs. In front of me, where once there was blank white, a variety of people stood. They were statues, representations of the choices I had before me. Frozen in beautiful motion. "Amazing." I breathed, approaching. The first was a man larger than my dad. Two battle axes in each hand he was frozen in a ferocious leap. Teeth were replaced with fangs and his eyes were filled with bloodlust. Stripes ran down smooth fur.
[Beastborn] The Beastborn are a tribal people that inherit the traits of their partner spirit. They are a physically hardy Race and thrive in combat and skirmish. Weapon mastery and combat rituals are common in their culture, their young learning battle at a young age. Effects: +10% combat effectiveness +7 STR +7 CON +7 DEX
"For the warrior." I said, in awe. This one was obviously a Race tailored for physical combat. The increase in combat effectiveness was a powerful thing if I thought about how encompassing the word "combat" truly was. Any time there would be a battle you were 10% more effective. I admired the statue for longer than I cared to admit but ultimately moved on. There were many more to see. The second was a smaller figure. He was impossibly low to the ground. Somehow his feet were kept under him as the knives to either side fanned outward. The cloak he wore just barely covered ashen skin and the floor was littered with gold coins.
[Shan] The [Shan] are a Race shunned from cities. Their propensity for stealing shiny things and retaliating violently to opposition make them a nightmare to deal with. Their general slipperiness makes this even more so. It is said their ashen skin is their eternal punishment for trying to steal the very fire from the Earth. Effects: +Skill: [Stealth] +Trait: [Mottled Shadowskin] +5 DEX
"For the thief or rogue." I said, humming. I filed the small hints at both Traits and Skills. It wouldn''t do to look drastically different. I still wanted to keep my own appearance, as much of it as was reasonable of course. Often, people that come into their powers are significantly altered cosmetically. Glowing eyes, some alteration to the skin, hair was a popular change, and in some of the more rarer cases, the very air surrounding someone or new limbs or altered limbs. And, truthfully, those weren''t even the start of it. I had the potential for all of that it seemed. But I didn''t want to be identified as a super. If there was a possibility I could blend in with the masses, I wanted it. My curiosity got the better of me and I still read through the initial choices admiring each statue but I wiped them away and left only the suggestion for the spellcaster. I took in every detail of him. He was a robed man frozen in the act of gathering energy into his palm. In his other hand, a heavy tome shifting with arcane symbols. His mouth was still, but the ferocity in his chant, the anger, and the focus in his crystal clear eyes was striking. He was calling upon forces larger than I. Despite this, he looked more than human, taller, regal, refined. And to some extent, arrogant.
[Aharad] A Race of an untainted bloodline close to the elements. The [Aharad] command the power of the elements with a natural mastery cultivated through generations of mastery. The mysteries of the elemental magics are little mystery to them. Effects: +Skill : [Elemental Magics] +7 INT +7 WIS
My heart raced at the description. "[Elemental Magics] being specifically categorized as such means there are more types." I said to myself, excited. Then, I remembered what I wanted. "Broaden selection to all humanoid Races with some type of bonus to magic." I watched as the entire white room populated with statues. Then paused at the endless ocean of them. "I''m never going to get anything done with this many choices." Nonetheless, I moved. My curiosity, endless as the ocean before me. I came up to the first one and could immediately tell I wasn''t looking at anything human. He had green scales covering his entire body. He''d be immediately recognizable as something more than human. I shook my head. "Narrow selection to Races specializing in some type of magical aspect that are indistinguishable or nearly indistinguishable from a human." My selection became much more manageable. "Include the [Human] Race too." Another statue appeared in front of me. This one was simply me. I was running in front of myself, a still statue given life. I recognized the moment too. It was the dexterity test. The bow in my hand and arrow nocked, it was somewhat eerie to look at but a good representation of what someone was capable of. There was an intense focus in my eyes, a burning point where my target was.
[Human] [Humans] are people capable of great adaptability. They are a people that change drastically depending on circumstance. While they are capable of great kindness so too are they of great cruelty.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Effects: +3 to All Attributes +15% increase in all Skill progression
"Pretty safe option then. Flat bonuses to attributes are generally not as good though." I said to myself. "Though that Skill progression increase is nice. A jack of all trades type of choice." I moved on. The next statue was clad in robes, a recurring theme, but he held a scepter in his hands as tall as he was. He looked no different from anyone regular person I met, but in those robes and with that stance I would''ve thought him something more. Power was hidden in his eyes, ready to be released. He didn''t look shy to do so either. I read the screen that popped up and was uninterested. This one had a focus on fire-based magic in particular and it wasn''t immediately apparent, but the temperature surrounding them was always uncomfortably hot. And I lived in a wooden house. I moved through my selection in this way bookmarking potential candidates and removing those that didn''t interest me or that I didn''t think was viable. I wanted something tangible and unique. There were any number of supers who could conjure fire, control water, and so many more that could reproduce what in video games we''d consider magic. I wanted something that was at a level of mysticality above even that. I paused at one, tilting my head at it. "Well, I don''t think I know any that can do that. This might work." I paused looking at him. At the very least, it was a good start. "If I had to label myself, I''d be an archer or a warrior. This might make sense in the typical RPG fashion. I''d either need something to keep things off of me, or have something watching my back." It was a person with a smile on his face. Of all the ones I''d looked at so far, the smile of this man was so genuine I could do nothing but become drawn to him. It was genuine joy, one of those rare smiles that crinkled the eyes. His was a face wrinkled with happiness every crease in his face when folded could only ever result in the kindest of smiles. Around him, little puppets were dancing, simple creations. But behind him, a mannequin as animated and happy as he, stood beside him like an old friend.
[Vivalef] The [Vivalef] are a Race talented in rare magic. Once lifeless, they were given the breath of new life and the opportunity to bestow it to others. The [Vivalef] seek to experience life for what it is, all the ups and all the downs, and in doing so make their creations all the more lively. Effects: +Skill: [Animation] +Ability: [Animate] +5 INT +5 CHA
The bonuses caught my eye and gave me a few hints to think about. Given the [Vivalef''s] propensity for animating I''d guess charisma had some role to play in the process while intelligence was simply a staple. As it happened, charisma was my lowest stat, but it still wasn''t terrible. I didn''t care too much for the lack of it though, I was assured stats could be raised after all. As for the first two bonuses. "Can I ask what the difference between a Skill and Ability is?"
Skills encompass a certain expertise, mastery, or profession. They signify your competence in them and offer bonuses to actions that fall within them. From them, Abilities are manifested. Abilities are derived from Skills. They are generally active actions you can take. It is a specific effect, attack, or spell you can instantiate. Abilities can also take the form of passive effects that its Skill does not specifically benefit. For example, while [Fire Mastery] covers your control of fire. The Ability [Fire Blade] might be derived from it and thus have a more specialized effect. It might be unlocked by repetitively coating your sword in fire, or creating a sword from fire. Thus an ability would form. Skills and Abilities are both difficult to unlock and thus beginning with a Skill is highly valued. Skills represent a certain level of intimacy with an expertise, mastery, or profession and are only awarded when such is recognizable. Abilities follow Skills and can encompass even more specific circumstances such as [Fire Blade]. You may not discover any further details of any Skills or Abilities in character creation.
So a Skill was the umbrella, though specialized, and an Ability was something of an active power to be used. Like using a [Fireball] or something of the sort. And I was already starting with two! "I choose the [Vivalef]." I said with sureness. My next questions were how [Animation] and [Animate] worked but that last line of the message dashed away all hope of that. An electric sensation ran through me, and I realized after all this initiation I probably wouldn''t miss the PrismScape too much.
Next, you may choose a single Perk to round out your initial character. A Perk is solely beneficial to the player and is rarely given out save for character creation. You are allowed to choose among a large variety of Perks some of which may change your very way of living. Treat this Perk choice as you would choosing your Race. An initial selection of Perks has been provided. Please select a Perk.
I took my time reading the screen, understanding that the warnings that it gives aren''t without weight. It seemed like Perks were a powerful thing, and I''d be stupid not to treat them as such. I looked at my choices.
[Lifegiver] You are one who understands the complexities of living beings. The question of what makes something alive is no large secret for you. The beings you bless with the breath of life take the deepest of inhales. Effects: +20% to animated intelligence +20% to animated vividness
It seemed this one would affect the things I brought to life through [Animate]. "So they have Perks this specific huh?" I filed away that knowledge. This one seemed interesting but I wasn''t immediately certain of what exactly those percentages meant. I didn''t know if the given percentages were a significant amount in the context of animated things. I put it on hold.
[Powershot] You have trained with the bow your entire life. The intricacies of its form are easy for your fingers to find. When your arrow lands true, it does so with an undeniable impact. Effects: +30% damage with the bow
This one was simply boring to me. I barely gave it a glance. The fact it sensed my proficiency with the bow was very intriguing, however. "So there are Perks for specifics weapons then." I noted to myself.
[Magical Aptitude] Understanding the secrets of the universe has always been your dream. The mysteries of the arcane are what any young scholar dreams of unlocking. You, more than others, have the tendency to glimpse through the haze and witness the arcane for what it is. Effects: +15% to the learning of magic
I nearly decided then and there. But something stopped me. Call it a sixth sense, but usually, the best benefits came from things that were more specialized. A 15% bonus to learning all magic was indeed impressive, but was there something better than even that? "Include all Perks relating to magic." I said. And then an endless list appeared before me. I wanted to get my bearings before I narrowed my search so I browsed through them at my leisure. We had [Dark Sense] which allowed me to sense shadows, interesting. [Calm Mind] let me regenerate mana at a faster rate. I read that again. "Of course, mana. I almost forgot. With spells and magic there''d have to be mana." I smacked my head. It looked like mana and health weren''t explicitly stated to be affected by any particular stat though. I scratched my chin. "Let''s see then what else do we have here." [Augmented Flames], [Frostborn], [Ambidextrous], the list went on. Most of them were left field of what I wanted. A lot of them were focused on particular magic or magical effect and since I didn''t really know what I was looking for, I just kept looking. I browsed while my mind thought on supers. There were too many powers to count but I thought I might as well try my best. What would be best to counteract most powers? Certain protections were already crossed out, there were too many powers and too much variety to reliably shield against. Physical attacks were the most common but there were more mundane ways to protect oneself from that. The real problems were the energies, some of which scientists can''t even classify, that supers produce. Barring those, I knew some supers used poison or acid, others had their own control over more exotic elements. More than that, some even attacked the mind. Others were centuries ahead in the way of technological advancement. "Yeah, protections shouldn''t be a priority. There''d be too much to worry about that way." I needed to stay hidden. An upfront fight was in the enemy''s favor the majority of the time. At least for the early game. That was why avoiding most fights would probably be my best bet. I smiled. "Early game? I really am treating this like a game." To my credit, I didn''t lose myself in the excitement I was so obviously feeling. I gave it actual thought. "Still makes sense." I shrugged. Later on, I might be able to face more powerful supers if it ever comes to it. But before then, and truthfully, even when I could take them I''d probably want some way to avoid detection. Yes, I was fully planning on exploring my new world. That meant this character creation process was all the more important. Besides, I didn''t need to protect myself against something I didn''t even fight. "Show me all the Perks related to hiding my presence."
[Fogblood] The Mists of Mexi are imbued within your blood. The famous Mists of Mexi delusion and disorient but bound to your blood they serve only one purpose. You are able to excite these mists causing your body to become invisible and undetectable. Effects: +Become invisible and undetectable for 10 MP/Sec
[Hider] Standing completely still allows you to blend in with your environment at a level unprecedented. In this way, you are able to avoid detection seamlessly. While in this state, only the most powerful and targeted forms of detection will reveal you. Effects: +Stand still to become undetectable
[Low Profile] You are immune to unwarranted magical and technological scrying. Enemy abilities, spells, or equipment that reveal your location are negated. Your presence can only be detected by the physical eye. Effects: +Immune to unwarranted means of impersonal detection
These were the three that stood out to me. Immediately, [Fogblood] caught my eye as it would be the equivalent of literally erasing myself from someone''s view, but thinking on it, I felt [Hider] and [Low Profile] might''ve had more merit. With [Hider] all I would have to do would be breaking initial sight and then finding a hiding spot. Additionally, it''d be the perfect Perk for a spellcaster, one who''d likely want to stay in one position and let the things I animate do the work. Looking at [Low Profile] intrigued me though. It was a powerful form of blanket stealth. While it did nothing for me in the heat of battle, it gave me advantages outside of it. And isn''t that what I wanted? To keep a low profile? While I didn''t really know whether or not supers constituted "magic" dodging the technological aspect of detection was enough for me to decide. "I choose [Low Profile]."
Finally, you have the choice of your starting equipment. While generally this equipment is not expected to last you very long, it is an important springboard. Several sets are available to you in accordance with your choices and performances through this process so far. Please select your starting equipment.
They appeared before me and I was most piqued by the mannequin which held a staff. Apparently, it was the [Animator''s Set] and conferred a bonus to the things I animated. The only other of note was the [Hunter''s Set] which was exactly what is sounded like. The rest were very basic equipment sets that had no particular focus though were strong in themselves. I leaned towards the focused sets, however. "This one." I said. "Honey? So quick? Your father just left." Mom''s voice suddenly broke my solitude. She was sitting almost exactly as she was when I left. "Your clothes!" She exclaimed. I looked down. They weren''t robes, actually. It was a baggy outfit, hanging perhaps in a way reminiscent of robes, but the sleeves and pants were their own thing. Despite this, it was snug and airy. Very comfortable. They were dark green like the color of moss, but somehow that only made it more vibrant than the brightest of its shade. The staff I held was carved of wood like none I had ever seen. It was entirely magnificent to me, smooth, sturdy, and again, filled with life. Where a grip might be, soft grass grew right there on the wood, affording me friction to hold it steady. On my finger, a small sparkling ring. "Should we call him back?" I asked. "He might want to see this." "Let him check the solar panels, honey. Those things were expensive, you know. We can''t just leave them unattended if they''re broken." My vision flashed blue again and I realized finally what it was. A notification. With a thought, I was able to open it. "I have a notification." She nodded.
The Tutorial will cover the basics of your Status, Equipment, Skills, Abilities, Quests, and Combat. You may opt-out of taking the Tutorial. The Tutorial will take place at your current location. Would you like to take the Tutorial?
Yes. I mentally affirmed.
Begin by opening your Character Sheet or Status. You may do this by saying or thinking Status. Here, all of your details will be listed neatly for you to see. Your Name, Race, Level, Attributes, Titles, Perks, Traits, Skills, and Abilities will all be contained within. In addition, here is where you allocate stat points upon level up.
I did so and immediately a wealth of information appeared before me. Everything I had been doing so far was listed succinctly for me to see. I could immediately see the effects that my Race [Vivalef] had on my stats or attributes, I felt the terms were interchangeable. Not only that, I was able to see the current effects I had on my person such as what [Low Profile] afforded me. It turned out that Titles and Traits existed as well. Moreso, it looked like I actually had some.
Name: Ludus Silva Race: [VIvalef] Level: 1 (0/100)
Titles: [Basebuilder] Traits: [Woods Man] Perks: [Low Profile]
STR: 8 CON: 7 DEX: 10
INT: 13 WIS: 7 CHA: 11
Skill: [Animation] 1 Abilities: [Animate] 1 Skill: [Bow Mastery] 1 Abilities: [Cleanshot] 1 Skill: [Construction] 1 Abilities: [Woodcarve] 1
Character Effects: [Vivalef]: +5 INT, +5 CHA [Basebuilder]: +20% increase in function to [Home''s] facilities [Woods Man]: +10% increase in movement while in [The Woods] , +25% increase in food harvested from [The Woods] , +10% increase in combat effectiveness in [The Woods] [Low Profile]: +Immune to unwarranted means of impersonal detection [Animation]: +1 to Max Number of [Animated] , +1% increase in quality of [Animated] [Bow Mastery]: +1% damage with the bow , +1% accuracy with the bow [Robes of the Animator]: +3% increase in [Animated] vivacity , +2% increase in [Animated] intelligence [Ring of the Animator]: +2% in [Animated] strength , +2% in [Animated] dexterity , +2% in [Animated] constitution [Staff of the Animator]: +7% effectiveness in [Animate] , +5% in animated intelligence [Bow of Silva]: +10% damage ,+10% increase in resources from kills made in [The Woods] [Animator''s Set Bonus]: +1 to all [Animated] attributes
My eyes roamed across my entire character sheet. The Skills and Abilities surprised me. It happened that my proficiency with the bow was actually recognized. As well as my skills in construction. They took the forms of [Bow Mastery] and [Construction] and I even got a few Abilities to go with them. From the looks of it though, aside from that initial recognition I wasn''t freely given any levels in either. It looked like living my entire life in the Woods allowed me to move around here much easier. I was apparently a [Woods Man] which made some kind of sense. It was a boon to move around this expanse so fast. Not to mention I''d be able to hunt for meat much easier, and the fact that doing so should theoretically be faster thanks to that combat effectiveness. Plus the fact that I was down a lot of spec. [Basebuilder] seemed to come from having built my house myself. It conferred some bonus to the facilities of my house which I guessed encompassed any function that my house provided. I stored away the information for later, specifically the fact that my house was considered a Base. I''d have to look into what exactly that meant for me at another time. And then, neatly, were all the effects that they had on me. Character effects I assumed were from my Race, Titles, Perks, and, Traits. It looked like even my equipment, Skills, and Abilities appeared there too. My guess was something like negative statuses or buffs would also show up there. The [Animator''s Set Bonus] must''ve come from what I was wearing, which made sense considering all the bonuses and effects I was reading relating to [Animation]. I decided to look them through, seeing as some of these effects came directly from them.
[Animation] 1 The breath of life exists within you. The fundamental understanding of living beings fill your magic and with it, you can breathe life where there is not. Effects: +1 to Max Number of [Animated] +1% increase in quality of [Animated]
[Animate] 1 Breathe life into an object. Of all the nuance and capability of the animator, perhaps the most enjoyable and cherished moment is the obvious one, the simplicity of welcoming existence. Effects: +Maximum volume of [Animated]: .1m
[Bow Mastery] 1 You are proficient with the bow. Years of constant use allow you to feel the familiar intricacies of the bow, sharpening your focus to the point of an arrow. A thread of certainty connects your arrow to your target, you need only to send it. Effects: +1% damage with the bow +1% accuracy with the bow
[Cleanshot] 1 A hunter''s most powerful tool is the ability to kill cleanly. Hunting your whole life you''re able to sense lethal, critical points through which you can effectively execute your prey. Loose an arrow whose sole purpose is the hunt. Effects: +1% damage while hunting +1% more meat from kills +1% accuracy of shot
[Construction] 1 Constant experience building a living space and structure have honed your mind to the planning and forethought required for the foundations of the craft. The ability to create something real with the honest work of your own hands. Your tools feel your determination, your drive, and work harder for it. Effects: +1% to construction speed +1% to structure efficiency
[Woodcarve] 1 Specifically working with wood has allowed you the ability to understand the easiest ways to carve it. Instantly whittle, carve, peel or shave a section of wood. Create a spitting image of your mind''s design. Effects: +Maximum carvable volume: .1m
I hummed understanding that I''d be able to create a small animated thing of 10 cubic centimeters. For now, only one. The power of my bow, as well as accuracy, was buffed. And again, it turned out that I''d be getting more resources using [Cleanshot]. [Construction] was interesting as a Skill, I was unsure how I would put it to use but [Woodcarve] at least was immediately apparent in its use. I could easily make a small statue to [Animate].
You should be able to see many aspects of your character from your character sheet. Next, begin by inspecting your Equipment or Gear, this can be done by focusing on those that you already have equipped and willing the information to appear before you.
I did as told and first examined my oddly comfortable robish clothes. The dark green attire that was soft to the touch and came with the [Animator''s Set].
[Robes of the Animator] (Common) These atypical robes are a set that is imbued with lifegiving energy. They aid in the bestowment of life while offering protection to the wearer. Their dark green color represent the vastness of all things living and the energy within them. Effects: +3% increase in [Animated] vivacity +2% increase in [Animated] intelligence
Small bonuses, nothing compared to the Perks I had seen browsing. That was understandable though, Perks were supposed to be lifechanging bonuses to a playstyle. These were within my expectations for starting equipment. I held up my free hand and stared at the sparkling ring upon it.
[Ring of the Animator] (Common) This sparkling gem contains a simple enchantment that holds the freely given moments of a person''s life. With it, the Animator can more powerfully [Animate] his creations. Effects: +2% in [Animated] strength +2% in [Animated] dexterity +2% in [Animated] constitution
I smiled at the ring. For some odd reason, I felt like I was looking at something just a little alive. Like I was wearing a flower, or a small animal. It was comforting on my finger and I spent a small moment just examining it a little closer. Next, I held up my staff.
[Staff of the Animator] (Common) The lifegiving [Staff of the Animator]. A tool more than weapon, blooming with life and home to many exotic plants and grasses. The Animator takes energy from these vital lifeforms aiding in the genesis of something new. Effects: +7% effectiveness in [Animate] +5% in animated intelligence
True to form, the staff was alive in the sense that there was indeed greenery growing on it. It was a flowing and twisty knot of a branch wherein the creases small flowers bloomed with color. A little more than halfway up its length was where the grass grew that acted simultaneously as my grip. A general effectiveness increase in an Ability was interesting. I wondered if that meant I could exceed at giving something life. If I [Animated] something at 107% efficiency what exactly did that entail? Was it stronger? I regarded my equipment briefly as a whole. In fact, there was actually nothing in the way of personal improvement, all these bonuses had to do with my [Animated]. That was probably just a result of the set of equipment I chose to go with though. Of note, however, was that Common tag. It seemed there was some type of Rarity system. I didn''t feel particularly different wearing these clothes but my mind felt sharper and I felt confident. It was something I attributed to the increase in both my intelligence and charisma stats. There was, however, one thing that was still with me left to check. I took my bow off my back, holding the familiar wood between my hands. My bow, once upon a time it had been much too large for me, now it was perfect and had been so for the last few years. I stared at it intently.
[Bow of Silva](Uncommon) A bow crafted over the course of a month to absolute perfection. With it, the trust of a father that his son would put it to good use. A bow that encompasses the very essence of a hunter''s weapon. Effects: +10% damage +10% increase in resources from kills made in [The Woods]
"Woah." I said aloud. "Uncommon." "What is it, honey?" My mom asked. She had actually moved to the kitchen and had something cooking on the stove. Despite the distance, she heard my small utterance. "The bow Dad made me. It''s like an item in a game now." I said holding it up. It felt no different than it normally did. It was the same familiar bow I had carried with me all these years. "I have a lot of bonuses to hunting around the Woods. Actually, I think it''s [The Woods] now, like an actual zone. A location in a video game." "Hmm." My mom paused in her cooking. She muttered something about the scope of powers. My vision flashed blue once again. The telltale sign that I had a notification. Two, in fact.
Rarity reflects the difficulty of obtaining. It is representative of a thing''s particular value and adeptness of function. Rarity is based on a number of factors. These include natural occurrence, existing amount, interest of said thing, value, quality, uniqueness, and a number of additional factors. The levels of Rarity are denoted with a color code. Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Exotic, Mythic, Legendary.
I noted the color-coding, understanding that my [Bow Of Silva] was no ordinary item, but far from being especially powerful or interesting. It was nice that things were rated in such a way, and idly, I wondered if my Skills and Abilities could be as well. They did not display any such information though so I''d assume it either didn''t necessarily apply or was currently hidden from me.
New Quest: To Create Life and to Take it (Common) This Tutorial''s purpose is to familiarize yourself with your initial Skills and Abilities. The first step for any animator is to bring to life one of their creations. The first step for any hunter is to take the life of someone else''s. Your first step will be both. Objectives: +Use [Woodcarve] to create something to [Animate] 0/1 +Successfully hunt any creature using [Cleanshot] 0/1
"I''m stepping outside for a bit, Mom." I told her. "I''ll be off hunting for lunch." It was that time after all. Small game would go well with whatever she was cooking on the stove. I could barely stave off my excitement. Everything I saw was in a different lens of possibility. She looked worriedly at me, no doubt weighing the risks associated with someone with new powers. Ultimately, though she gave a short sigh. "Try for something small. I could use more meat in the stew." She didn''t see the small smile of appreciation I wore while I stepped out. I headed to the side of my house. The attached garage, as any other home would call it, was, in fact, a workshop. There was little need for automobiles so deep in the forest, doubly so when there were no roads. None of that was pertinent, however. What was, was the fact that this was where I kept any and all wood I harvested. I threw up the garage door, hearing the metallic clang as it slid up into place. Dust motes greeted me and they swirled briefly as the sun touched my tools. The table was dusty but that was to be expected. I hadn''t been in here for a few days. Rather than my normal routine I placed my tools aside and cleared the table. In a moment, I had a sizeable piece of wood in front of me. I was surprised at how easy moving around was in my new robes. I held it in my hand, already picturing a perfectly blank mannequin. The wooden man in my mind was a blank slate, he had perceptible features, but only for the reason that they were there. Fingers and toes, there was little details left out save for anything truly defining. He was perfectly blank but undoubtedly inspired by the human form. And then, I knew exactly what to do. "[Woodcarve]." Wood whittled, peeled itself away from the block of wood I had. Swaths of it were carved away in thin wooden spirals. A fine dust of imperceptibly tiny wood chips covered the table. It was nearly instant, the type of work that would''ve taken me a day of dedication. It was precise, fast, and unobtrusive. Like the wood itself had just decided to take its clothes off. "Wow, just as I envisioned him." I couldn''t help but utter. I was so entranced by it that I didn''t realize what I did. Here, holding a staff and dressed in robes, I had just performed magic. And not just in a video game. The look on my face would''ve said it all. It was the first time I thought of it as such, but I had a power. I was something more, a super. An enhanced. The revelation shook me to my core, and somewhere deep down I realized my life would never be the same. I stared at my creation. He was exactly as I imagined. The whole block of wood wasn''t consumed. The little wooden man was actually inside. Taller than my finger, he did seem larger than 10 centimeters, but then I recalled it was specifically volume that was the limit. He was lightly dusted with wood, standing perfectly still. I could picture him moving for some reason, muscles flexing and working to create something alive. Features, though blank, filling with character. Gestures, expressions, and emotions. I could see this wooden man, no larger than my finger, becoming something alive. "[Animate]." I breathed. Wisps of soft green energy escaped my mouth. They swirled towards the man, entering his body. I witnessed a small shudder as the last of the gentle wisps disappeared. When he emerged he was in the process of dusting off his entire body. It was like I was looking at what I designed him to be, a miniature man. His eyes, where before there was nothing but a small indentation, were undeniably taking in his surroundings. His face was near featureless, and yet, curiosity. Then he focused on me. "Hey there." I gave a small wave. The little man copied my movement. His little hand came up and he waved at me silently.
Quest: To Create Life and to Take it (Common) This Tutorial''s purpose is to familiarize yourself with your initial Skills and Abilities. The first step for any animator is to bring to life one of their creations. The first step for any hunter is to take the life of someone else''s. Your first step will be both. Objectives: +Use [Woodcarve] to create something to [Animate] 1/1 +Successfully hunt any creature using [Cleanshot] 0/1
Bringing up the Quest it looked like I completed the first part of it. My attention turned back to my creation. "It''s nice to meet you, little man." I said to him. "Want to come hunting with me?" I held out my free hand. The wooden man responded by climbing up onto my shoulder. I placed my staff on my work table, taking my bow and quiver from their place and setting off. The aim would be for something small so I angled my path towards where I knew would be a warren. The rabbit population there was healthy and had been a constant source of food for me. As I walked through the woods there was a spring in my step. I would never have noticed if I wasn''t intimately familiar with this environment. It wasn''t until a few seconds later that I realized the peculiarity for what it was. I was moving faster. The [Woods Man] Trait was actually making me more speedy while I was here. And testing it, 10% seemed about right. The thought of the other effects I had on me from my Trait as well as my Skills and Abilities intrigued me. Not to mention the effects of my bow too. These thoughts came to mind, but one was simply more pressing, everyone needed a name. I couldn''t very well keep someone from theirs. "How''s Parvus?" I said over my shoulder, where the little man was holding onto me. He held on to my robes finding a decent grip on the dark green colors. "It means small." He gave me a fitting thumbs up. "Well then Parvus, it looks like we''ve found our hunting range." I pointed quietly. "The rabbits will come out of their tunnels every now and then to snack." Parvus gazed through the greenery. I stood beside a tree and my form was covered by thick shrubbery and close branches. Nevertheless, I had a perfect vantage point of the good amount of rabbits that were darting about. They loved to snack on the grass around the area and came out of their tunnels for just that. A rabbit hopped into my targeting range. "Careful there, Parvus." I warned him as I settled into my aim. My shoulders would be moving and it wouldn''t do to have my new friend fall to the floor in lieu of a first impression. Shooting a bow was something I had lived with all my life. It was like washing your hands, or using the bathroom. An essential in the life I lived. It was putting on clothes and fixing my hair. But it was also something else entirely. My bow came down in front of me at the same time the arrow in my other hand pulled back the drawstring. In one fluid motion, both slow and sudden, the fletching was at my cheek. It was survival, in a way. This was second nature, bordering on first nature, actually. My trajectory sought out its head, right behind the eye. But more than that, I could see something else. A better way, cleaner, succinct. A kill that was straight to the point, painless and simply business. The arrowhead I had ready seemed to be spotless, too perfectly glinting to be one that I pulled from my old quiver. "[Cleanshot]." I said briefly, just as my arrow released with a deep thwip. There wasn''t even so much as a squeal. The rabbit, which had been hopping predictably to some long grass, simply went limp, it''s momentum causing it to roll forward. "And that''s how it''s done Parvus." The little wooden man seemed wowed. Checking my status, there should''ve been a 36% increase in meat from this rabbit. When I approached, removing my arrow and picking up my kill there was nothing to discern there was that much extra meat. The rabbit didn''t seem particularly large, in fact, I''d go so far as to say it was extraordinarily average. =====Bunnoy Loot==== When I returned to my house and moved to the outdoor butchering table that changed. Removing the fur, skinning the creature, and harvesting the meat in the appropriate fashion yielded interesting results. At some point during the whole process, extra meat had appeared. Whether it was during the harvesting, or when I finished, I was unsure and couldn''t for the life of me pinpoint exactly when it happened. It was clear though. I had much more meat from this rabbit, much more pelt, than I should have. I did the appropriate cleaning and headed inside with the fresh meat and laid it on the kitchen island which was generally used to prepare raw foods. "Caught lunch mom. More than I thought I did too." "Thank you, honey." She replied, turning around. "How was the Tutorial, anything new you learned?" "It was a small overview of my power basically. Equipment, Rarity, Quests, and I guess hunting the rabbit counted as Combat. It also went over some of the more supernatural skills. Meet Parvus." I said, placing the little man on the counter. He began to walk around, inspecting the cuts of meat I procured. "I animated him." "My, my." She responded immediately shifting her attention. She raised a surprised eyebrow at me. "Animation? That''s fairly uncommon. I can''t think of a super that''s made a career of it. Maybe in the past." She replied, staring. "I suppose that is a consequence of a video game ability, however." Sometimes it slipped my mind. Wildrest was so large and expansive it was easy to forget that the amount of effort needed for an expansion of that caliber could only be paid for in the most precious of currency. Time. Wildrest was centuries old. Certain sections of the poorly planned city made it obvious while others made their inhabitants scoff at the idea. "Hello, Parvus." She smiled, looking at the small man. "Would you like to watch me cook?" In response, Pavus simply sat at the end of the table, feet dangling. "Good. Lunch will be ready soon, honey. We''ll discuss more when your father is here." She seemed relaxed as if Originating was something so casual. The Origin of a super was said to always be life-changing. Families splinter, daily routines change, power dynamics shift, and life as they know it? Turned upside down. Except for me, I had just hunted lunch as I always had. My parents were visiting my mom was preparing the food I had just brought in. It was like any other weekend. It seemed too normal, and I was too busy having too much fun to really put in the effort to care. "Thanks, Mom." I said, vision flashing.
Quest Complete: To Create Life and to Take it (Common) This Tutorial''s purpose is to familiarize yourself with your initial Skills and Abilities. The first step for any animator is to bring to life one of their creations. The first step for any hunter is to take the life of someone else''s. Your first step will be both. Objectives: +Use [Woodcarve] to create something to [Animate] 1/1 +Successfully hunt any creature using [Cleanshot] 1/1 Rewards: +10 EXP
A part of me smiled at the small increase in EXP. It was only a tenth of the way to level 2 but my love of games bubbled to the surface and I couldn''t help but become excited. It was a suitable reward for a task that was basically using my own Skills and Abilities. I could only wonder at what other Rewards might come from something harder. Dad walked in announcing himself by immediately updating us on the issue with the solar panels. "Good news, folks. Whatever that super hit us with, the damage to the panels was only temporary. It might''ve been something akin to an EMP. " He swung the door open and set aside his tools, before coming into the kitchen. He blinked before he sat. "Cura, are you aware there is a small wooden man watching you cook?" "I am, honey. His name is Parvus. He''s Ludus'' little friend." She said, not even taking the time to look over from her cooking. "He animated him. A wonderful power isn''t it? Maybe we can have little helpers around the house." "Sorry, Mom. I can only have one for now." I said quickly, before my power became a slave to them. Dad looked baffled but regained composure when the Parvus waved at him. He waved back. "Well... what''s for lunch? Is that rabbit?" "Freshly caught." I said striding up. "I finished up going through all the introductory aspects of my power. I can [Animate] things now. Parvus is the direct result." "That falls under video gaming?" He scratched his head. "You couldn''t have gotten a less confusing power?" "Sorry." I grinned, unashamed. "Yes, honey." Mom replied. "Don''t you remember all that reading we did? Those fantasy games have everything in it." "It''s gonna be a pain keeping track of that power, son." Dad replied, defeated. "Don''t get too drunk on it. I suppose there are worse ones to Originate." With that, we had lunch. Finally, we spoke about the ramifications of my Origination. A video game power was a novelty, and I expressed my concerns at its potential compared to other powers. My parents reminded me of the truly powerful supers that existed. I nodded, understanding that becoming something like those supers would be akin to having numerous levels and being decked out in equipment, not to mention having to sport any accompanying buffs. In short, those levels of power were far beyond me, and the effects of their powers were evident as soon as they Originated. The rabbit paired nicely with whatever concoction of herbs and spices my mom had put into it. As usual, it was like eating a completely different rabbit. She had a knack for creating unique dishes and tastes, something I always attributed to her having lived here for so long. It seemed that after we restarted the power of the house, and fixed some problems with the electronics governing the solar panels, we were able to siphon good old AC power from our grid, like usual. The fridge was finally losing temperature again rather than gaining it. And that was ideal since there was too much rabbit stew for us to finish in one lunch. My parents were both equally shaken by the destruction of my room. Half of it had been lost in what looked like an explosion of electronics. Metals and plastics were strewn about blackened wood flooring, wall, and ceiling. The only reason nothing caught fire was the fact the wood was coated in fire retardant. "You''ll be fine while we check on the house?" They asked me. "I''ll be fine." I replied. "You guys don''t have to come back either. I''m only a call away." Parvus, standing on my shoulder waved at them, in what was quickly becoming his signature move. "Alright, then it''s settled." Dad replied. "We''ll head home and call you." "Have some of the stew for dinner, honey. We won''t be able to join you tonight. Your father and I might potentially have some things to take care of in the city later today." "I will, Mom." I inwardly groaned. "Can I ask you two something, though?" "Of course, son." Dad replied. "Why are you two taking this so well?" I said, gauging their reactions. My focus was on their faces and posture. I had never imagined my parents the type to hide anything from me, but they were taking this whole ordeal in stride. For my efforts, all I gleaned was a single glance between each other. Pulling away from their shared glance, it was my mom who replied for them. "Suffice to say we''ve had first row seats to our fair share of Originations." She said with a meaningful glance to my Dad. "Compared to those? Yours was laughably mundane." Dad picked up. "That''s enough, honey. You know what we''ve always said." He said sideways to Mom before turning to me, all seriousness. "Son, I know you''re going to want to explore your powers. I''m fairly certain that''s almost second nature to every super. I won''t tell you not to. And maybe I could come up with a bunch of rules that you''ll just break anyway. I don''t want to do that though, and neither does your Mom. So we''ll just sum it up like so. Don''t do anything stupid." "Eloquent, dear." Mom added, looking me up and down. "Thank you." Dad did the same before nodding. "We''ll call you later, son." Then they turned and started walking. My Mom turned abruptly. "I almost forgot! Bye to you too, Parvus!" She waved and my dad followed suit. And then they were gone. And I was left alone for the first time, with a brand new set of powers. And a little wooden man on my shoulder waving goodbye to my parents. Well, perhaps, not truly alone. Chapter 2 - New in The Woods It was still the middle of the day despite all the happenings previously. That meant there was still a lot of daylight to burn. Which meant I had a lot of time on my hands to relax and test my power. Before anything though, I wanted to assess the extent of that super''s damage. He did send a power surge through my house after all. My phone of all things survived. Recent news was always up-to-date in Wildrest, any city innervated with supers had to be. There was always some new destruction to be reported on, some new heist defused, or some new super inducted as hero. It was the reason I wasn''t surprised to have reports coming in as early as this morning. Point in fact, early this morning there was an entire street broken into and robbed. My mind flashed to the rats. The extent of the robbery was too large to report on with any credibility. It seemed before the hero could get to the villain the culprit shifted into a rat and scurried away in the tide of things. There was little to do at that point but attempt to stop the rats, who had already begun slipping into every nook and cranny, dragging away anything they could and abandoning the larger thefts if approached. Needless to say, the exact paths the stolen merchandise took were random at best. I read through the article, Parvus peering over my shoulder. We were sitting on my porch, relaxing after all the chaos of this morning. A full stomach had something of an effect on my mood. I was calm, coming to terms with the destruction of my house, and the Origination of my new power. "I was there, you know." I told the small man. "But judging from these pictures, I was long gone by the time any cameras could show up. The guy was in the process of retreating, he must have gotten away with a huge haul already." Parvus nodded curiously, watching the phone. He blinked as I scrolled through the recent news. "Here. Luminaire." I said, finally spotting him. "The Bright Spot." I read through it. He had the ability to soar through the sky like a shooting star, bright as the sun. He was a super with a less than ideal physical trait. He was always faintly glowing. The life of a hero was a tough one for him. He would never have a civilian life after the fact, he''d always be recognized. It was the type of situation I''d made sure to avoid, though noble as it was. "Various reports of technological damage. An official statement from Luminaire, the damage is only temporary. He''s claiming he never got close enough to warrant permanent damage at the level of brightness he was displaying." I shook my head. "Yeah, save it for the city. You flew right over my house." There wasn''t much else on his powers. Obviously, the majority was kept close to the vest, otherwise, criminals might have the advantage of dealing with a particular hero. Truthfully though, anyone paying enough attention could glean most super''s functions. I could''ve filed a complaint. The practice of the Enhanced Protection Organization was to compensate for any damages that their agents cause. I wasn''t comfortable with the EPO knowing the location of my house, however. The EPO was a powerful organization and the things they could do with a small amount of information was disheartening. I''d rather they not know about my power, which they''d no doubt find out if they were sent here. Just the sheer amount of paperwork involved for that particular venture might''ve been enough alone to deter me in any case. "Let''s go Parvus. I need to get my mind off things." The Woods, despite all the change to myself, was exactly as I knew it. Save for perhaps the speed at which it flew by me. I was much faster traveling here now. An effect of [Woods Man]. The spot in mind was a ways away from my house. It was the single oldest tree in the area. You could see the entire area of my section of forest from there. The unreal aspect of Root''s power was also apparent in the distance you could make out between the edges of the city. It simply didn''t make sense. Looking outside in, this section of forest was much smaller. Leaves crunched under my feet, at this time of the year, moving silently was hard to do unless you were in the trees themselves. My senses extended outwards as I listened to the sound of the forest. Animals in the distance, a flock of birds taking off west. I smiled content. When I arrived at the old tree it was much the same as I had always seen it. The familiar sight was a comforting one. The gnarled tree was wide at the base, sturdier than anything I''d try myself on and more. Its trunk was in width, the length of a large van. It tapered upward, but shot into the sky as if it was reaching for the stars themselves. It''s branches extended over the clearing and further, greedily soaking in sunlight and rain. I always compared its height to man-made structures, but I could never get a sense of it. It was forest for miles, buildings and even trees didn''t compare to this ancient behemoth. I stared upward at its magnificence and took an appreciative look. From the movement on my shoulder, so did Parvus. I moved forward with a spring in my step, anticipating the climb. Parvus pulled at my ear and I looked at him. He was pointing to the tree and distantly I could make out my friends there. They were nearly lost in the fog of distance. But I could make out the figures. "Monkeys, Parvus." I laughed, finally hearing them hoot and call as they spotted me. "They''ve been climbing this thing much longer than I have. I''ll introduce you."The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. I placed my hand on the tree as I always did before climbing. It was easy to forget how large of a lifeform it was. I tried to remember every time I climbed it. My gentle hand became a hard grip, and soon I was steadily rising the trunk. Feet found purchase the moment my hands left their holds. My muscles burned lightly with the effort. Usually, as I passed a branch thick enough to support me I would take a small break. But today was anything but usual, and suffice to say there was a little wooden man who was in such awe that I just had to impress him. Suddenly, we were surrounded by hoots and hollers and I looked around realizing we had just reached the altitude my monkey friends like to hang out at. They were climbing above, below, and to my sides, making it for all the world look easy. They were curious black primates that I met long ago. They were very familiar with my family and knew we meant no harm, so neither did they. Although, their curiosity often led them astray, as they were now poking Parvus. "Meet my friend everyone." I gestured, laughing. Parvus was holding on firmly but enduring their stares. I motioned upward with my hand, and the monkey above me hooted and swung himself up climbing onto a branch above to watch me. I made my way to the same one and took a seat, feet hanging over the edge. Parvus slid down my arm and stared downward himself, no doubt realizing the height we were at. It was easily enough height to die from, but I never had such fears. Our little moment became one wild and loud as I was prodded curiously and fingers pointed towards Parvus. A yellow banana appeared in front of me and I blinked. Laughing, I thanked the monkey and unslung my pack. By now, they were familiar enough with me not to touch my things, they knew I would get mad. But that familiarity also meant they knew I brought gifts. "Here you go, sour candy straight from Wildrest." I opened the box and gave it to them. I nearly choked when the first candy was popped into one of the monkey''s mouths. The smaller monkey puckered up so much I thought he was gonna suck his own face in. I laughed as the other monkeys did, eager to try it themselves. Even the smaller one came back after sulking. Parvus somehow managed to approach, the monkeys were deftly avoiding knocking him over or stepping on him. Though they did poke him generously, it wasn''t enough to throw him off balance. We sat for long enough that Parvus made a few friends and I made the move to get up. The monkeys were familiar with my visit and so they knew I was heading upward. It also meant they were playfully pulling me back, tugging on my clothes or flicking my bowstring. The last one was the most annoying, but the scolding I''d give would only make me stay longer, thus fulfilling their objective. I learned that one months ago. It wouldn''t work this time. I swatted the flicking hand away. "Stop that." The monkey chuffed, smiling. "Maybe Parvus wants to stick around?" I said looking at the small man. Parvus was busy trying to form some communication with two small baby monkeys. It looked like they inevitably released their children upon him. At the very least, they were equal in size. Those things were a handful. He looked at me and gave me a thumbs-up, but tilted his head and pointed upward. "Exactly. I''ll go up for a bit and take the same way down. I''ll get you on my down." I affirmed. The wooden man nodded. And then I was climbing again, this time though less than half the monkeys accompanied me. Half of the rest looked like puckered buttholes and the other half were all curious about Parvus. The ones with me would eventually return but as was normal, it was the older monkeys climbing with me. Most wouldn''t go all the way, but there were a few who sometimes sat with me at the top. The view was amazing. My arms and legs burned but I was in no danger, there were enough branches around me to reach out and rest. The trees at this height seemed like saplings. At times, it seems like I could jump off and land in the canopy. And then I was at the top, finding my regular perch. One monkey climbed with me the entire way. It was Scar, as usual. The oldest of them, we thought. He was a branch below me but all the same, we sat together. My vision flashed blue and I found the timing suspicious.
Achievement: [Highest Climber] You''ve conquered one of the highest points in your area with nothing but your own will and steadfast resolve! Only the most determined, those striving for higher heights, ever risk themselves so. Effects: +Unlocks [Treetop Heights]
Suddenly, I felt something, or rather, sensed it. There was a transparent portal before me. It shimmered brightly but looking at Scar below me, he didn''t seem to notice its presence at all. Was it an effect of my power, that only I could see this? Something connected me to the portal without me having reached out, and I pulled on the feeling. To my surprise, another notification.
New Dungeon: [Treetop Heights](Epic) A dungeon located at the highest point of the oldest tree in the region. At this altitude, various aggressive wildlife and are not shy to attack visitors. Birds of prey, dangerous large insects, and hostile plant-life, make traversing [Treetop Heights] dangerous. Note: As a First Entry, all enemies and foes within will be enhanced and variable. Rewards, including equipments, exp, and items, will be enhanced in Rarity or otherwise affected.
My heart raced, realizing what I was experiencing. I was seeing a dungeon, an opportunity for rewards and training. Of course, it wouldn''t be without danger. That was the caveat to my powers, it seemed. There was no respawning, I wouldn''t trust my life to my power. There have only ever been a few supers who could boast such an ability as respawning. I doubted I was one of them. There was risk to this. Especially so considering theEpicRarity of the dungeon. I wasn''t a fool, what I had just come across was stupidly lucky for a beginner. In a game, this would''ve been a highly contested location, hidden, or otherwise hard to get to. And considering where I was sitting, it was honestly fitting. If this hadn''t been a routine of mine, who could truly say they would ever climb the tallest tree here? Not to mention the fact that no one even lived around here except me and family. Would anyone be so foolish to do so for fun? This was an opportunity to become stronger. A dangerous one that I came across by luck alone. There were very real risks to my wellbeing. Death wasn''t out of the picture, realistically speaking. I knew more than most the dangers wildlife could bring to bear, how dangerous The Woods were alone. Nonetheless, I unslung my bow. Then, carefully, pulled on that feeling. No one knew the dangers better than I did. I''d just have to be extra careful. Chapter 3 - Treetop Heights It was sun I felt, before all else. The sunlight made blinking it away necessary, the brightness too sudden for me to take all at once. But it was gentle, a caress. It was all the more pleasant by the easy breeze that rustled the leaves around me. I realized I was looking out upon a branch, thicker than any tree had the right to have. Larger in girth than I was tall. The place was enormous, and with a whirling sense of vertigo, I dared to look down and past. The ground was lost due to the sheer distance, and I cautioned myself, keeping my center of gravity carefully controlled. This was a dungeon after all. I took in my surroundings. The invisible portal lay just behind me, I could feel its presence as sure as I could feel my own hand unsling my bow from my back. I held an arrow ready at the string, crouched low and wary. Peering out from my cover. There was an aspect of The Woods, that kept me constantly aware. Humans were most definitely not at the top of the food chain, they were challenged all the time. So was my experience. The predators of The Woods weren''t any to take lightly, and they would poke and prod and stalk until they got your measure. It was precisely the reason I learned early to be constantly aware. I was nearest the base of the branch. Turning, it seemed the entrance was in fact, the trunk. As if we were exiting a woodpecker''s hollow. It was there I found myself, perfectly concealed and protected. I heard the screeching of birds above, peeked out of my hollow, and found the leaves of the tree instead. Lush and green, soaking in the sunlight happily, they were easily as large as I was. The cawing of birds again caught my ear and I craned my head towards the noise. It was easy to feel small, I certainly did, but somehow the feeling remained that everything was instead just large. Because when I looked towards those birds, I couldn''t shake the sense of their magnitude. They took flight as easily as any bird I''ve thus far seen, but if my eyes weren''t lying, they were easily the size of an ostrich. One landed on my branch which encompassed the size of a regular road. It had a bug, fatter than anything I''d seen, in its mouth, no doubt intent on choking it down. I shuddered when the bug screamed, something I wouldn''t have thought audible. "Aggressive wildlife." I reminded myself under my breath. The bird itself was feathered in dark red plumage, its features were no less sharp than its beak. Its eyes definitely had the look of a predator. Like any other bird of prey, this one had talons digging into the branch. Unlike any other bird of prey, this one''s implements were razor-sharp and looked like knives. Despite my attempts to bring up some kind of information on the bird, my vision was leftnot flashing blue. I noted the fact my power wouldn''t be giving me any free information. I took aim, understanding that these birds were not little in number. If anything, they seemed to dominate the huge tree I found myself in. If I were to start moving, traversing across the branch would be a death sentence if any of them took an interest in me. Too exposed to my liking. No, I was safest here, despite my desire to explore. The forester in me spoke out against needless killing but that wasn''t what this was.[Treetop Heights]as I understood was a hostile region where every bit of fauna would try and kill you. Here, I had as much a right to kill as any other creature. This was an aspect of my power I would have to accept. But thinking about that came later. Needless killing though? If not for self-defense, then for resources. My stomach was rumbling. Lunch hadn''t been too long ago, but moving through The Woods was taxing no matter who you were. If it were a particularly active day, I''d have had more than three meals already. Climbing the highest tree in the region was by no meansnot an energy-intensive task. Besides that, this was largely an opportunity to explore my powers more than anything. I leveled my bow as I always did. The arrow came perfectly aimed. The tip was honed to perfection, and again, the arrowhead was glinting in its shine, clean. Too clean than what was strictly normal for an arrow pulled out of my quiver. "[Cleanshot]." I whispered, barely a breath.My aim was drawn to the bird''s heart. A critical point I wouldn''t have found easily given the difference in size compared to my usual quarry. This kill wasn''t ordinarily a single arrow''s worth. My arrow flew true and the bird squawked through a burst of feathers. That sound, aside from the impact of the arrow itself, was the only noise the bird made before it fell over. A burst of flame erupted from its plumage in a blast of warmth I felt from all the way here. I stared wide-eyed and trained my arrow again. The bird barely twitched, but I sent another arrow right to its chest again. It planted firmly, without a response as the second arrow thudded beside the first. "Some type of flame defense? Or attack?" I thought to myself. It was the first time I''d seen a supernatural creature, but not the first time I''d seen the supernatural. And there were many augmented creatures as a result of an enhanced''s powers. That being said, the nature of the creature was not impossible, just out of the ordinary. "Although," I spoke to myself. "An entire dungeon of them." I said, peering out of my hollow. That was much more extraordinary. My power didn''t seem to award me anything by killing the creature, but then I pulled up myStatus and checked my progress.
Name: Ludus Silva Race: [VIvalef] Level: 3 (0/100)
Titles: [Basebuilder] Traits: [Woods Man] Perks: [Low Profile]
STR: 8 CON: 9 DEX: 10
INT: 13 WIS: 7 CHA: 11
Skill: [Animation] 1 Abilities: [Animate] 1 Skill: [Bow Mastery] 1 Abilities: [Cleanshot] 1 Skill: [Construction] 1 Abilities: [Woodcarve] 1
Character Effects: [Vivalef]:+5 INT, +5 CHA [Basebuilder]:+20% increase in function to[Home''s]facilities [Woods Man]:+10% increase in movement while in[The Woods], +25% increase in food harvested from[The Woods], +10% increase in combat effectiveness in[The Woods] [Low Profile]:+Immune to unwarranted means of impersonal detection [Animation]:+1 to Max Number of [Animated] ,+1% increase in quality of [Animated] [Bow Mastery]:+1% damage with the bow, +1% accuracy with the bow [Robes of the Animator]:+3% increase in [Animated] vivacity , +2% increase in [Animated] intelligence [Ring of the Animator]:+2% in [Animated] strength , +2% in [Animated] dexterity , +2% in [Animated] constitution [Staff of the Animator]:+7% effectiveness in [Animate] , +5% in animated intelligence [Bow of Silva]:+10% damage,+10% increase in resources from kills made in [The Woods] [Animator''s Set Bonus]:+1 to all[Animated]attributes
"Woah, two whole levels." Though the first levels meant little, it was still a jump considering how muchEXPmy firstQuestgave me. I also noticed theEXPrequired for the next level was still 100. Which had to mean that rather than increasing the number, everything scaled accordingly. Another one of those birds wouldn''t net me two levels. As it turned out none of mySkillsorAbilitiesrose in level, which was understandable, I had barely used them. Although, I had the choice of it with myStats. The twoStat Points I received due to my level up, I immediately applied toCONwhich would help my survivability. That brought my total CONfrom 7 to 9. In a world of supers, I felt that most prudent. And following that application, I felt myself become more durable. There was nothing more to say than just that, I felt like I could get a completely different result in theconstitution test. My plan was to bring everything up to 10 first. This would bring me to peak human, and theoretically, in a fair fight, I could hold my own against most anyone non-super. And that was more than some supers could say, truthfully. That might not be too long from now either if these birds kept giving as muchEXPas I thought they were. In all honesty, if I didn''t have my bow I couldn''t fathom another way to take down such a large fowl safely. Anything within melee range would''ve resulted in severe burns or outright death depending on how physical the bird wanted to be. Those talons weren''t for just grabbing branches, they could shear my entire arm off. Not an easy foe at all. Perhaps with uppedSTRorCONas well as a good weapon, it might''ve been doable, but then that leads to the earlier problem of exposure. That wasn''t even factoring in any meleeSkillsorAbilities that might aid in the fight.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. And above all, I didn''t have a level to go off of. There was no metric to gauge the strength or overall power of these birds. Not compared to me at least. Maybe I needed to examine the bird more closely to reveal something about it. Come to that, the notion of loot wasn''t necessarily taken off the table. If I wanted to find that out for myself, I needed to check the body. I watched the movements of the flocks above carefully. They were of various colors and it wasn''t until I saw a flash of lightning erupt from a flock of yellow birds that I gave their plumage any significance. "Were they elemental?" I spoke to myself. "No, there are too many colors." I reasoned, still unsure. But my eyes were drawn to the corpse of the red bird, one which the birds flying above didn''t find interesting at all. Red meant fire, didn''t it? I watched a pair of black birds fly between branches, far enough to seem normal size. Shadows? Blue might be ice. But other colors were up to interpretation. Some were colored grey, others green. It could''ve meant a number of things but I was confident of my classification. Through my observations, I realized that for a while, my branch had been ignored by every other bird but the red ones, which occasionally flew by. If one of those red birds did land, they pecked at the bird I slew, but flew off just as fine. Other colors craned their heads, but none ever landed as the red ones did. That only made me more suspicious so I watched the branch now. There was nothing immediately telling. And then, after a long moment, there still was nothing telling. And then the bug crawled out of the bird''s mouth. It crawled onto the branch and avoided the red-feathered plumage that had been struck from the bird''s chest and onto the branch. Avoided was less correct than recoiled. And then it crawled off the branch, but I could only assume it continued onto the underside. When the yellow bird landed I was surprised. None had done so before. Interestingly, I found that the color wasn''t the only thing that differed between the birds. This one was wider-beaked, it''s feathers, physically, were much longer and narrow. And they sparked. Soon, it became clear why this one landed where none other dared. It was breathing heavily, and I could only assume it was resting from flying so much. The second its talons had thumped against the branch, however, a small tide of bugs seemed to crawl up from nowhere. The bird squawked, a flash of lightning followed, destroying a number of the bugs. But the tide was too thick. The bird jumped, taking to the air shortly, and landing a ways away. One bug latched onto its leg, and from there it was only moments before it was overwhelmed, no branch close enough to retreat to and too tired for extended flight. It was inevitable. The bugs crawled over the yellow bird and left nothing. A rumble of sparking electricity showed from under the blanket of bugs, but it did little to stop their weight. It was picked clean in minutes, and all this while, the corpse of the red bird was still left untouched. I shuddered. "The bugs can''t handle fire. That''s why they stay away from the reds." I watched this process a total of five times before I became confident that the bugs were sensing the birds as they landed. The heavy thump as they did so always triggered their appearance. I doubted their sense was magical or technological so I assumed[Low Profile]to be little help here. Instead, I assumed it was evolutionary, which meant vibrations. It didn''t explain the fact that they ignored the red ones, but it was all I had in the way of guesses. That meant I might be able to sneak across. But doing so quickly was necessary, I doubted the birds wouldn''t swoop onto me if they saw me. Unfortunately, quickly might mean loudly, and loudly meant vibration. The birds weren''t aware these particular bugs occupied this branch, and it was all too clear that they knew they were a threat. If I wanted to buy the time I needed the bugs to come out. That might stop the birds from approaching long enough for me to check the body. I used[Woodcarve]on the trunk, creating a very thick arrow. More blunt than piercing. It came off the hollowed wall heavily, more so than the wood I was used to, in a spray of wooden spirals and chips. It had heft, and only using my bow for years allowed me the intuition that my bow could shoot it. Albeit, nowhere as far as normal, but still more than enough. The limitations of[Woodcarve] made for a muchsmaller arrow, but the density of the wood made up for the lost volume. I brought it to my cheek, crouched low, aimed high and far. I launched the arrow far past the red bird''s body and closer to the end of the branch. The resounding thump sounded loud in the distance, and instantly the bugs swarmed the area. That, at least, confirmed their sense of motion. They tripped over each other in confusion as they found nothing at the spot of impact. My arrow had succesfully drawn their attention, and better yet, they continued to mingle over the spot as if expecting some kind of mistake. My feet darted across the wood and I found myself moving faster than what was strictly normal for me. It looked like this was still considered[The Woods]and all my bonuses were kept. I reached the body and knelt, inspecting the bird. It was larger than I thought, prehistoric in feature, nothing like what modern big birds looked like. I approached cautiously, aware of the birds'' hectic squawking above, but wary of the red feathers as the bugs were. I watched its plumage, remembering the bursts of flame produced from them, but the pressure of the birds above was urging me faster. It was only the threat of the lethal bugs that were keeping them from me. I reached to pluck a handful of the red bird''s feathers. Unfortunately, I had no butchering tools nor the time to do so. A few feathers were acceptable.
[Red Feather of Flame] (Uncommon) A red feather of an [Elemental Raptor] imbued with the element of fire. The single most potent feather of the [Elemental Raptor]lucky enough to contain its magic as it passed from life. It offers enhanced flames and the protection thereof. Effects: +5% power of Fire-baseddamage +5% resistance to Fire-baseddamage
The feather immediately appeared in my hand. Having no time to really marvel at it, I tucked it into my robe and darted away. The bugs hadn''t sensed me but judging from the loud birds above I had been spotted by more than one of them. One yellow and one blue raptor. I noted the fact that they were indeed elemental, their feathers would give away their attunement if it ever came to blows. Though, it seemed their squabbling was keeping me momentarily safe, that and the bugs. They were circling too fast for me to get a bead on them. They were racing for me, the closer I got to the hollow the further I was from the bugs after all. My aim wasn''t good enough to track them at their speed while running at my best, so rather than try to shoot them down I kept running. Not to mention the angle I would''ve been shooting either. My feet pumped and I dived into the hollow, safe. With trunk surrounding me, I turned quickly ignoring the bruises of my landing. The birds dived for the spot I was just at, crashing into each other. Talons came up to swipe at each other, ignoring me completely, and red blood was drawn. A frosty mist appeared and icicles formed, sharp and deadly on the blue bird''s plumage. They shot out from his feathers and embedded themselves into the yellow bird. It''s wing stabbed with icicles, the yellow of the two roared like thunder and jolts of lightning zapped the blue raptor, causing it to fall down in paralysis. All the while, I was watching from the sidelines, bow and arrow trained on them from the edge of the hollow''s opening. Ready to shoot, retreat, or react. The bugs were closing in on them, and neither were in any condition to fly. I took the moment of reprieve to check the feather in my robe. Ducking to the side and out of sight, I could feel the heat radiating from the brilliant feather, more scarlet than the bird was red in life. It was more vibrant, hot if not warm. It was a little burning spot of fire in my hand that did me no harm. I kept it in my robe, internally whooping at theUncommonitem. It was more an accessory than anything, so long as I held it I felt the effects. That so, I tucked it back into my robes, there was nothing really to attach it to. And I had bigger things to attend to than a feather in my pocket. The battle of the raptors was going poorly for both. While it seems the blue was disadvantaged due to his ice being conductive from the start, it seemed the yellow was equally immobilized, which meant both were fodder for the feasting bugs approaching their movement. I''d have to stop their thrashing about before their movements attracted too many of those things. "A single arrow for each then." I said, pulling two from my quiver. I held one against my string and pulled it taut, holding the other securely in the same hand. They were both too clean, too spotless to have been pulled from my quiver. All of my arrows had seen gore and death, and while I washed them, that didn''t mean they were kept pristine. That wasn''t their function. And yet, all the same, they were. "[Cleanshot]." Both[Elemental Raptors]fell to the branch. Two arrows, shot in rapid succession, lodged into each of their chests. They twitched and squawked, fighting each other even in their death throes. None aware of their prey being their true death. When the bugs came I didn''t waste my good arrows on them. I began using [Woodcarve]to createarrows right out of the trunk. They were all wood which normally would''ve been a problem but absolute control of their form gave me more than enough leeway. They were as sharp as wood could be, and their fletching was as thin as I could make it, while their shaft was as any regular arrow. Add to that, the wood from this trunk was a tad denser than normal, which gave it some stopping power. Perhaps the only difference was that these arrows were much smaller than normal, as the one I had made earlier was. Nonetheless, they were enough to punch through chitin. I released arrow after arrow into the bugs as they began to crawl over the[Elemental Raptors]. Some didn''t pierce, some didn''t even stop the bugs when they did. But more than those both actually killed. More stunned. I knew my arrows and my strength. I didn''t know the bugs, but I was certain some of these arrows shouldn''t have gotten through. Something told me it was the increase in damage I was getting from[Woods Man]and[Bow Mastery]. That was what was allowing me this small advantage. Not that it mattered. The bugs were ignoring me or were completely unaware of my presence. I hadn''t been making any noise or moves. But then again, maybe there weren''t sensing that. Maybe they were sensing the magic of the[Elemental Raptors]? If that were the case then the only thing of magic that I had on me was the[Red Feather of Flame]and if you could argue my[Staff of the Animator]was such an item, then it was a good thing I left it in my workshop. If it was a magical sense they were using then[Low Profile]was blocking them out completely. This was the first taste of myPerk serving me well. It meant they could only see me physically, and if at this range they hadn''t noticed me then they didn''t have that good of eyesight. Still, it was best I kept out of sight as much as possible. Although that didn''t mean I wouldn''t deign to thin the herd. They were the size of my arm, and in numbers, obviously, they could take me down. As easily as if I were one of those raptors. It was the reason I didn''t mind killing off a chunk of however many resided on this branch. If ever I wanted to cross it, I''d hope that the birds were the only problem. It wouldn''t do to have to look above as well as below. Soon the raptors were nothing but their skeleton and the bugs had long gone save for their dead. As before with the previous yellow raptor, nary a thing was left, not even a feather. Climbing out and checking their skeletons was low risk, they were positioned close enough to my woodpecker hollow that I was comfortably within retreating distance should anything happen. Despite being skeletons I could feel some magic from them as I knelt to examine each. The yellow one seemed to be electrifying the air, while the blue one frosted it, in much the same way that red feather I had heated my robe. Though it seemed their bones were less potent, it was noticeable. Nothing prompted me. No items appeared in my hand or anything. So I approached the corpses of the bugs next, pulling the wooden arrows from them when they weren''t shattered on impact. Eventually, coming to a corpse prompted something.
[Chitin Fingerless Gloves](Uncommon) An armor crafted from the hard carapace of multiple[Hunter Termites]. Unlike regular chitin armor, this piece is made flexible on the hand with multiple moving pieces all interconnected. The breath and flexibility of such a piece is a rare commodity. Effects: +1 DEX +10% grip strength
Rather than appearing in my hand, as the[Red Feather of Flame]did. This simply appeared on it. Like what I assumed now were[Hunter Termites]the fingerless gloves were a dark brown to match the wood I stood on. There was a perceptible change when they appeared. I felt surer of my body. It was the first item I had attained that gave a direct increase to myStats. The grip strength was an odd thing to boost, but given the context, I assumed it had to do with how these termites clung to the tree. I retreated to my hollow, feeling that I had pushed my luck enough. Immediately as I entered, I could feel that connection to the portal. As if it wasn''t even there unless I was looking for it. I pulled on it. Chapter 4 - [Home] When I exited the portal I came right out as I was before, except a branch lower. Instead, Scar, my old monkey friend was at my usual perch looking around confused. I tapped his shoulder, and he turned to me with his usual curious eyes. This time though, he looked bewildered. Climbing down was much more dangerous than climbing up. That much was worth mentioning, which was all the more surprising that I found it much more fun to do so. There was a very particular grip about the tree that allowed someone to easily slide down its length - if they were careful and knew the right pressure to apply. I reached Parvus'' altitude and plucked him from the monkeys. They didn''t fight me on it as I placed him on my shoulder and began to descend. Though some of the monkeys that were initially closer to Parvus did follow us down. "Have fun?" I looked at him. Noting some of his apparent fans following us. The little wooden man gave a thumbs-up. I shook my head. When we finally reached the roots of the large tree, I took a moment to rest. The forest was rarely so peaceful. The difference between peaceful and quiet was a particular one to note. I could see the signs, the telltale happenings that meant something was being hunted or chased or scared off. Not today, the birdsong rang out into the forest peacefully. It was later in the afternoon now, I didn''t spend too long up in the tree, or in the dungeon. It was getting dark, however, and no one wanted to be in The Woods at night, or rather now[The Woods]. It was time to hightail it home. At a careful pace, it was an hour trek back home. The shadows of the forest became longer. This was nothing new to me, although I kept to the trees. The larger predators had a tendency to stalk from above, the least of which could easily match me in size. Staying on the same level as them was a prudent countermeasure. I was nearly home when I paused. Hidden by shadow, branch, and absolute stillness I spotted one such predator. If I wasn''t looking for just this type of animal, I would''ve thought it another shadow among shadows. Problem was, this one moved. It moved among the trees like it was born for it. An ambush predator with keen senses. There was a chance it would recognize me, all the large predators that frequented my area were familiar with me. We left each other alone. I never risked an encounter, and their nature kept them from attacking when their prey was so obviously aware of them. But in the dark, there was no telling what its instincts would tell it. Root''s power enhanced the vitality of both plants and animals. It was one of the reasons[The Woods]thrived. It was why they were rich in resources. But that also meant they were abundant in danger. This was predominantly the reason why no sane people settled in[The Woods]if you were caught off guard, you were dead. Because the animals were affected by Root''s power, they were enhanced, better, faster, stronger. All the things you''d rather not encounter in excess in a predator that was already dangerous. I eyed the shadow and nocked an arrow, tracing its silhouette. I blinked, staring at shadow too long before I realized it was a swaying branch caught in the breeze of a late afternoon. I''d lost sight of the feline. Parvus pulled at my ear and I turned just in time, wide-eyed, to dodge the pouncing feline. The rough sound of claws against bark, the roar of a large cat. My momentum carried me off the branch and I rolled on my back, feeling some bruises already forming. My reaction speed was something else, it felt faster. There was no time to dwell on that, though. I lost Parvus in the scuffle but he was the least of my worries. My bow came up, tracing the shadows. There was enough light that I should be safe enough if I strained my vision. My eyes scanned the treeline. Calm was a state that was hard to come by in situations like these, but I''d be lying if I said I hadn''t found myself in them before. It was always the eyes you saw first. I dodged again, feeling the impact behind me, before quickly turning around and getting bead on the already retreating figure. I heard a yowl as an arrow struck true. I didn''t have time to use anAbility. Running away wouldn''t help me. It would only tire me out until the cat found my easier prey. Besides, Parvus was around here, I couldn''t leave the small man. My best stand was reacting to the cat, or taking it down before it could strike. My instincts prickled at my neck and I turned around to find its retreating figure once again. It was darting between too many trees, too many branches and leaves for me to track it. All the same, the arrow pulled up to my cheek was cleaner than usual. My aim pulled slightly ahead, further than I would normally shoot. My arm pulled back more too, the distance was too great to rely on timing, I wanted my arrow there fast. I was aiming for the heart. My arrow loosed. Two heartbeats. A painful yowl. A crashing thump. "Damn, I actually got him." I whispered, jogging to my kill. When I arrived I corrected myself. She was a dark green, matte. A coat that was fully meant for the shadows of a forest. The feline was longer than I was and then some. It was easy to forget just how large these things were. Her blood painted the floor, she was already dead. It was better that way. A clean kill meant no pain. I looked around briefly and found Parvus walking up to me. He was unscathed but dusting himself off. Must''ve fallen in the aftermath. It was a shame she had to die this way. The predators here were important in keeping all the smaller animals in check. No prompt came as I approached the body, but all the same, I dragged her the rest of the way home. The feline was deceptively light, despite the size of her body, so it was quick work given how close Parvus and I already were. Meat shouldn''t go to waste, after all. Arriving home was no different than usual. I placed my things in their places, setting Parvus on the kitchen island. He watched me as I examined the burst bulbs and set about replacing them. The meat I had butchered went into my generous freezer which was thankfully working again. I checked my things again, giddy at theirRarity. While[Treetop Heights]was anEpicDungeon, I wasn''t impatient. It would''ve been greedy to explore further than I did. I considered myself lucky I got what I got without even moving far from the entrance.
[Red Feather of Flame](Uncommon) A red feather of an [Elemental Raptor] imbued with the element of fire. The single most potent feather of the [Elemental Raptor]lucky enough to contain its magic as it passed from life. It offers enhanced flames and the protection thereof. Effects: +5% power of Fire-baseddamage +5% resistance to Fire-baseddamage
[Chitin Fingerless Gloves](Uncommon) An armor crafted from the hard carapace of multiple[Hunter Termites]. Unlike regular chitin armor, this piece is made flexible on the hand with multiple moving pieces all interconnected. The breath and flexibility of such a piece is a rare commodity. Effects: +1 DEX +10% grip strength
I held the[Red Feather of Flame] up in my palm, simultaneously showcasing my[Chitin Fingerless Gloves].They were interesting, distinct items. Results of my powers. I wonder what classification my power fell into then? This aspect alone qualified me for many categories. A conjurer-type from the things I''m instantiating? Perhaps an aura-type for the effect I''m having on the environment? Or did a reality-bender fit the bill more? I couldn''t decide. But perhaps the most interesting was the fact that I could fit any traditional super-category. A strongman, energy-wielder, speedster, probably even a greater mind. All attainable given the right direction. What did the Academy call them? "A growth-type super. That''s probably the closest eh, Parvus?" I nudged him, setting the feather beside him to examine. "Careful wooden guy, it''s hot." Instinctually, Parvus slowed his approach, feeling out the temperature rather than recklessly picking it up. I leaned against the granite counter and recalled[Basebuilder]aTitle which I presumably earned from constructing my own house. Or rather, what my power refers to as[Home]. It seemed pertinent to understand anything that''s changed with my own living space as a result of my power. And I just now had the time to do so. "I wonder." I said thoughtfully, testing various mental muscles. At some point, Parvus had noticed my mental exercises given the little waving he was doing to snap me out of it.
Base: [Home](Rare) A generous one-storied living space built and improved upon during its years spent under construction. Many of the details are tended to by hand, showing careful craftsmanship and the tellings of the patience necessary for perfection. Location aside, this [Home] offers many luxuries and facilities, some of which more conventional housing lack. These include a[Workshop], [Storage], [Solar Power Supply], [Crystal Water Supply], [Reinforced Walls], [Kitchen], [Bedroom], [Living Room], [Butcher Table] and [Internet Connection].The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Effects: + 20% increase in facility effectiveness from [Basebuilder]
I smiled at the apparentRarity. To think, I''d get so excited about a fewUncommonbaubles, when the rarest thing so far was something I''d built myself. I could find humor in the irony, but all the same, it stung just a little bit how idiotic I must have seemed. Reading the notification made me curious. I knew my house like the back of my hand. And I had seen both (that being my hand and my house) thousands of times over the construction period. It wasn''t an exaggeration that I knew every nook and cranny of this place. So I was surprised to find that there were indeed qualitative differences in the workings of the structure. The wood looked stronger, for one. The kitchen and living room seemed more bright, the former cleaner, the latter more comfortable. These types of changes were all over now that I had the sense and the eye to look for them. It was a wonder I missed them at all. But admittedly I had just Originated, so perhaps I was owed a little slack. I wondered idly if that had something to do with how easily my parents took the news. I still hadn''t received their call. Although it had only just darkened outside. I flexed an increasingly familiar mental muscle summoning forth information I was convinced would be there.
[Living Room] (Common) A small space for gatherings and socialization. Whether one wants to relax in quiet peace or sit forward in rapt conversation this space accommodates all and aims to please. Effects: + 6% increase in positive mood modifiers
My living room was large, able to comfortably sit my entire family and maybe another two duplicates of us. This was, naturally, where I spent most of my time in the morning staring out into The Woods waiting for the day to catch up to me. It was often my place of peace before the day began. That being said, it really was nothing special. And so I moved on. I noted the effects of my[Kitchen] which gave a small bonus to the nutritional value of foods cooked there. The[Bedroom]was nice as it gave 6% to the ease of sleep and recovery. I focused on another aspect of my[Home].One less currently tangible, unless I wanted to climb up the roof.
[Internet Connection](Rare) The bridge that allows data to travel between your [Home] and the worldwide web. It is the thing that connects this single point in space to every other computer globally. A powerful antenna allows you this luxury in an otherwise isolated zone. Effects: + 12% ease of information transfer
I balked at the idea that an[Internet Connection]was so rare, all the while giddy with excitement at seeing my secondRare classification. I calmed myself and pondered the revelation. Well, that begged the question of what thatRaritymeant in this context. Perhaps the fact that I constructed this place with a powerful antenna was pertinent. Maybe otherBase candidates often lacked such a facility. Either way, I found it amusing. As I understood it, technology wasn''t an easy thing to manipulate for supers or the mundane, not to mention so generally as to "ease information transfer." Scarce were the supers that manipulated technology to their whims. I opened my fridge, seeking a drink. Parvus, still on the kitchen counter was waving the[Red Feather of Flame]around, seemingly having found a new toy. He waved at me, I waved back.
[Storage] (Common) Spaces kept within the[Home] in order to store an assortment of items. From food, to clothes, to tools and equipment so long as they are yours, they need a place to be stored. A fridge, a closet, a drawer, or a medicine cabinet, all are storage. Effects: +6% increase in space for stored items +6% decrease in degradation of perishables
"Powerful." I thought. I pictured myself hoarding all manners of things I might find due to my power and grinned. The ability to control resources, especially ones valued by supers, are often what make businesses powerful. Other supers who specialize in those sorts of things fly off the market like doughnuts in a police station. Generally, this is due to some item or other that an enhanced might require for their power, for there do exist conditional powers, though it still befuddles me how an enhanced could ever figure their power out under those circumstances. A super, for example, would become stronger the more sugar he ingested. Obviously, sugar doesn''t go bad, at least when handled properly. But say, for example, that super who relies on vegetables for his power. They exist, yes, and for many, if holding onto a vegetable made you stronger in a world full of people doing the extraordinary, then you bet you''d be holding thatpotato as tight as the next guy. Taking a fizzy sip of my soda, I looked out the kitchen window, tracing the path of the pipes and wires as I knew them, following their underground paths. I let out a content sigh and examined them further.
[Solar Supply Storage] (Rare) A vast array of unobstructed solar panels tilted to absorb the maximum amounts of solar energy at any time of day. They feed directly into a unit of industrial-grade batteries able to sustain the maximum energy draw of the Base for an entire month if fully charged. These solar panels are able to self-sustain the house on any given sunny day. Effects: +12% increase in energy absorbed +12% increase in energy efficiency
[Crystal Water Supply] (Rare) A pipeline siphoning water from a naturally occurring spring untainted by pollution. The crystal clear water goes through substantial purification before being circulated through the Base. This water supply is able to sustain the house indefinitely. Effects: +12% increase in refreshment +12% increase in water purity
It occurred to me that perhaps theRarity did little to signify how often other establishments might have a certain facility, and perhaps more closely related the quality and particularity of the facility in question. That was to say, I spared no spec in the construction of my solar grid, water supply, and antenna, understanding that they would all be used one way or another on a daily basis. All three of which were consideredRaremeanwhile, my[Living Room],[Kitchen], and[Bedroom]all were classified asCommon. I suppose it made a certain kind of sense. As night came upon the forest I held on to a certain anticipation. An aspect of gaming that was a somewhat general staple across games. It was more an accepted theme than any expected rule. The fact that the dark was usually more dangerous. I settled by the window, watching. Parvus, surprisingly mobile, found his way to my shoulder. The window was against my living room. It had a nice view of the forest, and in turn, was what I was watching. The curtains were pulled closed to keep the heat out of the house as I left, but now I had pulled them open to stare into the rapidly darkening forest. In truth, it wasn''t any different than a regular night. There were dangers to be had without my powers, but I had this nagging feeling. That my power might actually be affecting the environment. This remained to be seen though, everything I had acquired was through a dungeon or instance, and that had the neat little trick to be completely independent of reality. But... I was in[The Woods]and if that didn''t hint at an area that might spawn monsters, I didn''t know what would. The phone rang. "How is everything out there? Didn''t break anything did you, honey?" It was Mom. "Not yet. You guys still busy in the city?" "You know how it is. Wildrest never rests." Came my Dad''s response. I chuckled. "I should be fine for the night. I''m on watch though,I think I might classify as a reality-bender. Actually, I think I already do." I corrected, noticing the sturdiness of my walls. "Honey, a reality-bender?" She exclaimed into the phone. "You know how those powers are. You have to be careful Ludus, those supers hurt themselves more often than not." "It''s okay, Mom. For now, it looks like I''m affecting the house, for the better that is." Parvus was tugging on me. The shadows had become longer and he was pointing into the trees with the [Red Feather of Flame], something was moving. I explained further, distracted at what I was seeing. I snatched the feather from him, keeping it below the window. "I''m staying inside the house for now, but I don''t think it''s safe around here." Parvus was waving frantically, and my eyes traced a silhouette. All too fast, multiple shadows became a congruent shape. My eyes darted about the shape until I finally realized something. It was looking this way. I could make out the glint of its eyes, only just. It must''ve been the size of a small horse. It held completely still, watching, but that didn''t fool me. I had seen it move. My eyes strained, nearly losing their lock on it. It had to be as black as the shadows it hid in. There was no naturally occurring animal in The Woods that ever behaved like this. "It''d definitely not safe here." I whispered, glad I had never turned on the lights as the evening settled in. "Son?" My Dad said, immediately concerned. To his credit, he didn''t break down with worry as parents often did. He had taught me early how to be capable. "Can you handle it?" "You''re only a call away if I can''t." I replied carefully, quietly. "I think it''ll be fine." "Dear, they''re calling you over again." I heard my Mom''s faint comment in the background. My father replied, grunting. "Don''t do anything stupid, son. I mean it. Stay safe, Ludus. We have to go but I''ll try to make it over later tonight. You shouldn''t be too alone right after Originating." "Dad, it''s dangerous near the house. You can''t-" I blinked at the dial-tone, my furious whisper cut off abruptly. Parvus looked up at me. "He hung up on me." I murmured befuddled. "They must be really busy over there." I handed the phone to Parvus, showing him quickly the apps he could distract himself with. The little wooden man wasn''t going to be much help here. My bow and quiver had found themselves more work for the day it seemed. If I expected they would be attacking, they''d get an arrow to the face. It was important to note that my house was raised above the ground. This, primarily, was to keep as many small critters and bugs from getting inside, but it also helped in the sense that it raised the windows higher than they''d normally be on a regular house. Sliding the window open was easy. I sat with an arrow nocked, watching the dark as it watched me. Suddenly, something changed, and what I thought were static shadows became dynamic movement. My count was sloppy. That was the first hint I was in trouble. I locked onto two of them but the rest were so fickle I couldn''t keep track of them. There was no telling how many were out there. And they were all heading to me.
Event: [Rat Wolf] Attack(Uncommon) Establishing a Base in an uncharted and unoccupied Zone always carries the risk of retaliation. However, as a [Woods Man] you belong in [The Woods] so no such retaliation will occur. A Zone will always work to keep itself in balance, however. A [Rat Wolf] presence has recently disrupted that natural balance. This pack of [Rat Wolves] has found your Base. Objectives: +Defend your Base 0/1 +Survive the night 0/1 Optional Objectives: +Eliminate the entire [Rat Wolf] pack 0/1
I was flattered. Apparently, I was onZone balancing duty. It made sense, I had lived here all my life and knew the land as much as any animal inhabitant. Did that mean the[The Woods]somehow sent these [Rat Wolves]to me? That implied sentience. No, I doubted it. I figured that whatever governed theseZones was structured in a way that disruptions minor enough would fix themselves. Today, it seemed, that was me. [Rat Wolves]implied a cross between the two, so I could expect a few things. Pack hunters and numbers. I grimaced, silently watching their forms sprint towards me. My hands were faster than I ever remembered, in the span of a second, having a bead on the first in line. I loosed the first arrow. Chapter 5 - Defense The window, in hindsight, was a terrible vantage given the shooting arc it made available. Too quickly the rat things found their way up against the wall, such that I''d have to stick my torso out for a clear shot. I pulled back through the window, wincing at the sound of them gnawing at wood.
[Reinforced Walls] (Uncommon) The section of the house most exposed to the elements. These walls were built sturdy, by the hand of someone fully intending them to last. Powerful wood, harvested from [The Woods] themselves constitutes these walls and offers durable protection from the elements. Effects: +12% structural integrity +1% self-repair rate
I sighed in small relief. They were, in fact, made of rootwood, that is, any type of enhanced wood harvested from the areas affected by Root''s power. To say the stuff was sturdy was slightly insulting, it would take an experienced lumberjack three times as long to chop down one of Root''s trees. For these[Rat Wolfs] it might be easier to ruin my walls than cut through them completely. I was surprised by that self-repair rate, but that made sense. Root''s power tended to regenerate and repopulate the forest where damage was done. It was that reason that rootwood was so expensive, not many had the right tools to harvest it. Fully clearing it was nigh impossible. It was a strongman lumberjack that I was referring to, by the way, a lumberjack with enhanced strength would actually take time to cut down a tree. That statement alone should be evidence enough of its structural integrity. I headed to my attic. In the direction of my bedroom, past the kitchen from the living room, there was a hatch above. I pulled it down, allowing the ladder to unfold. My attic was dusty, rarely did I ever need to put things in here, but it was where access to my antenna came from. Which meant it had access to the roof through the means of a small window and skylight. I popped out bow first, feeling the nightly chill against my skin. Below me, over the edge of the roof, something between a bark and chitter. "Creepy." I murmured to myself. I glided to the edge. The height of the drop was less perilous than what waited below should I slip. Fortunately, my DEX was in the superhuman range already. That included my balance and bodily control. I toed the very edge of the roof, comfortable despite the stiff breeze of the night. Here, catching them unaware, I had now a perfect vantage point. Slowly, ever so slowly, I trained my bow on the rat bastard that dared to gnaw at my house. Two quick arrows, only further quickened by my power found fatal points as I used [Cleanshot]. Two dropped dead in helpless yelps. Panicked yelping, a sudden bark, then silence followed. The pack leader getting them in order, presumably. I paced the roof, creating a patrolling circuit. My ears strained against the night, drowning out the rustling leaves and the sound of the nightbirds calling out to the stars. I focused on the sounds between, not where there were quiet murmurings of nature, but where there was unnatural silence. My ear twitched. I turned on a dime. One had gotten on the roof. It abandoned its stalk and sprinted at me, galloped towards me. The sight of it, my first clear view, threatened to freeze me. It was like no animal I had seen before, midnight black with the face and posture of a rat, but all the ferocity and speed of a wolf. Instinct kicked in and time resumed. Dodging to the middle of the roof I avoided a snarling mouth fulling intending to rend flesh. I rolled forward coming up to my knee with an arrow knocked. "Crap, how''d you get up here?" I frowned, tracking him briefly. It did well to redirect its momentum, but too slow. "[Cleanshot]." The shot went wide, striking its shoulder rather than its heart. The pain didn''t stop it and it barreled into me, forcing me near the edge with a bruised grunt. I caught the thing''s snarling, chittering head on my arm, forcing its vicious maw upwards. My left arm abandoned my bow, reaching its shoulder and ripping the arrow out from it. I stabbed the creature multiple times before I realized it was planning to just push me off completely. Its claws bore into me as it positioned its mass to shove me harder. Before I could completely get sent off the edge, in what perhaps was my first taste of real superhumanity, I leaned backward, teetering on the edge, caught the [Rat Wolf''s] stomach with my legs, and launched it off the roof. A confused whimper escaped its mouth as it found all its leverage gone, and all its momentum redirected towards the stars. Bow back in hand and bloody arrow in the other, turning around I had just enough time to see it realize it was sailing through the night sky. Fairly confident that it would survive, I made sure to replant the arrow in its eye right at the apex of its launch. It landed in a limp heap, colliding with the ground in a cloud of dust. I turned around wondering how it got up to the roof only to find another one of its kin scrabbling up. An arrow sprouted from its eye and I heard its body scrape against the house as it fell. I approached the edge carefully, not anticipating any more of them, but being prudent nonetheless. It had used the porch as a lower platform before leaping up here. I watched for a few moments until I was confident no more were coming. I surveyed the surroundings from my roof until I was certain nothing was left. When I ducked back into the attic I made sure the window to the roof was shut tightly and moved a few things to block it for good measure. When I made to make my way down the attic''s ladder I heard the pattering of feet. "That''s not Parvus." I whispered to myself, slowing at the noise. I cautioned myself to a crouch and tried peering through the hatch. Unfortunately, nothing was directly below or at the necessary angle for me to see them. I kept my bow ready, however, as I stayed quiet sentinel. Parvus was down there, I could only hope he avoided the creature somehow. What did I have up here? I quickly rummaged around finding everything less than useful. Old glassware I never got around to using, a flimsy curtain rod, and an old axe I knew would fall apart immediately being used for what I intended to do. I frowned, giving up the search. Pulling the ladder up was loud and conspicuous but that didn''t matter too much anyway, I had only one way out either way. Shooting upside-down wasn''t a particularly necessary skill, but it did come in handy when the angle for a kill, or a shot between the trees was uncomfortably awkward otherwise. I dropped upside-down arrow nocked, poking out from the hatch opening. My sudden movement garnered no attention, no reaction. I was on edge, however, since at such close quarters reaction time could only go so far. A bow too, for that matter. The room was clear, nothing in sight. Slowly, I lowered myself to the floor, dropping down silently. I held an arrow in my left and right hands, ready to use them as piercing daggers if the draw time was unrealistic. Or ammo if not. Rounding the corner, I heard something chuffing, moving through kitchenware if the clattering of utensils was any indication. The sounds of a scavenger.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Another sound, like something dense falling, and the chuffing stopped. Immediately, chittering snarls broke out and I heard things breaking. A pained yelp exploded helped with the scrambling of claws on tile. Darting out from the hallway I found Parvus with one of the larger kitchen knives, taller than he was. The[Rat Wolf]had him backed into a corner of the kitchen, but brandishing the knife kept the wolf''s face away. Parvus swung valiantly, I could see the rage and fear on his face. Right then, I learnedsomething new about Parvus. He was a fighter at heart, whether he knew it or not. A quick pull on my bowstring and the thing died.[Cleanshot]left minimal blood as the creature keeled over, slainand collapsing in a heap right at Parvus'' feet.
Event Completed: [Rat Wolf] Attack(Uncommon) Establishing a Base in an uncharted and unoccupied Zone always carries the risk of retaliation. However, as a [Woods Man] you belong in [The Woods] so no such retaliation will occur. A Zone will always work to keep itself in balance, however. A [Rat Wolf] presence has recently disrupted that natural balance. This pack of [Rat Wolves] has found your Base. Objectives: +Defend your Base 1/1 +Survive the night 1/1 Optional Objectives: +Eliminate the entire [Rat Wolf] pack 1/1 Rewards: +40 EXP +[Ring of the Rat Wolf] +[Fang of the Alpha Rat Wolf]
Immediately, I felt the items settle on me. Inexplicably finding their positions on my person without my input, yet resting comfortably all the same. I ignored them. "Parvus, you okay buddy?" I stepped surreptitiously in front of the carcass, blocking his view. The little wooden man was trembling in fear, staring at me guarded. I held my hand out to him. "Parvus?" I waved at him. He snapped out of it, looking up at me again, then the corpse behind me. He waved at me in that way he did, the motion was shaky and unsure. "Come on. You haven''t seen the worst of it, trust me." I told him, conscious of his trauma but refusing to coddle. It was a method typical of my father. He climbed onto my shoulder, looking questionably at my torn[Robes of the Animator]. I shrugged. Dragging the body out was easy. I opted to carry the thing less blood smeared across the floor. I was lucky it died on the kitchen tile than the living room carpet. When the number of bodies became apparent, I felt Parvus'' eyes on me. I left him to his own thoughts, however, as I dragged the last one to a pile. I noticed the new ring on my finger when I finally gathered the[Rat Wolf]bodies all up. Come to that, I became conscious of the new weight on my hip as well.
[Ring of the Rat Wolf] (Uncommon) A ring carved of [Rat Wolf] bone, detailed with intricacies much too small to appreciate. A scavenging fierceness radiates from it. Effects: +1 STR +1 DEX
[Fangs of the Alpha Rat Wolf](Rare) A two-pronged dagger crafted with the twin fangs of an [Alpha Rat Wolf]. It imbues the user with the command that only an alpha of a species knows. Ferocity and confidence radiate from it. Effects: +2 STR +1 DEX +1 Max Number of Companions
I marveled at my loot and wondered just how lucky I was to attain all of this in one day. Then I paused, I realized exactly what was happening. It must have been it. Something lesser-known, that I only had the pleasure of being privy to through vested research. Who didn''t love to fantasize about supers, after all? It was, of course. the Origin Effect. The phenomenon following a super''s Origin wherein the individual''s power becomes fully explored and extremely responsive. There were a number of reasons people believed this to happen. One being so that the super themselves would have a deeper understanding of their power. The noted extreme responsivity supports that claim. When super''s have very subtle powers the Origin Effect functions as training wheels. It was the initial taste of your power and what more it could be. For some more destructive powers, this meant entire city blocks or homes destroyed. Others resulted in the violent tearing of mortal minds, opening themselves to their new psychic pathways. Some experienced hour-long trances, in tune with their new brand of energy. Some attracted animals, others elicited wild growth. This wasn''t to say the Origin Effect demonstrated the entire breadth of your power, but it tried to. There were many case studies wherein supers discover entirely new aspects of their power. For example, a telekinetic might realize they were, in fact, not manipulating things with their mind, but a fundamental force of the world instead; gravity. That was the hero Presence, the famous hero who could subdue entire city blocks with a thought. Or perhaps, a strongman who''s initial power might seem like regular super strength when in fact it grew proportional to his regular strength. There were cases too many to count which made many super-related theories and phenomena hard to prove or support in any real measure. The Origin Effect, however, has been witnessed enough times and without fail that it is generally accepted. It turned out, mine seemed to be exposure. I had already come across so many systems, for lack of a better term.Equipment, Quests, Events, Dungeons, Achievements, Zones, Bases. Whatever might follow would be news to me. That wasn''t to mention anything already covered in the Tutorial. Plainly speaking, for the first day, it was a lot to encounter. I shook my head. "Inside Parvus, I''ll barricade the door and windows." The wooden man complied, sitting quietly in thought on my shoulder. During this time, I looked at my loot more closely. The[Ring of the Rat Wolf]was a simple stat boost, one that I enjoyed. The[Fangs of the Alpha Rat Wolf]was much more interesting. A two-pronged dagger by itself was eye-catching, but this one curved upward and looked downright deadly in my hands. What more, those effects were interesting. I decided to look into some things while my body went on autopilot securing my house.
Companions Companions are a general term that refers to any entity that accompanies you in your adventures. Such entities are limited to the individual by type. For [Summoners] they may have a Max Number of Summons of three. For [Beast Wardens] they might have a Max Number of Animal Companions of three. An increase in the Max Number of Companions can count toward either one.
I nodded, this brought my Max Number of Animated to two. I''d have to think of something interesting to[Animate]. It was a pertinent question given the effect of my loot. That piece ofRareequipment certainly lived up to its name. I''d definitely be the alpha of my own pack. I looked at Parvus and his diminutive height. Although, that pack would, admittedly, be very small. I brought my attention to my next curiosity; what just happened.
Events Events are random encounters that offer a variety of Rewards if completed. Events can range from any number of things given that their impact upon the environment is notable enough to warrant one. Events are optional, often dangerous, and usually, must be reacted to in the spur of the moment.
Again, I nodded. It was basically what happened, although I wholeheartedly disagreed that this particular one was optional. They had attacked my goddamn house. While I was at it, another curiosity netted me additional information.[Treetop Heights], after all, was a very lucrative first dungeon dive. Except, truthfully, I wasn''t entirely sure what constituted a dungeon in the context of my power.
Dungeons A dungeon is an entire territory accessible by a single point in space. They are filled with danger as well as riches. Often, these dungeons garner a particular characteristic or theme throughout them. Naturally occurring dungeons enrich the environment they are found in and function separate from regular space. However, they may have notable effects on their location depending on the dungeon''s influence. They form in places of importance, grandeur, secrecy, meaning, glory or otherwise.
[Treetop Heights]happened to fit all of that. Especially that last line, all except glory really fit the location of it. The snippets of information cleared things up for me, contextually. I had a neat understanding of everything I''ve encountered so far. Nearly done with barricading and there was a knock on the door and a familiar voice. "Ludus? What the hell are these things, man?" Chapter 6 - Chocolate "Yeah, your parents let my dad know. Told me to head over. Made it through the woods easily enough, right up until I saw all that." He gestured questioningly. It had to have been a few weeks since I last saw Fil. To this day, I still wasn''t sure exactly how we were such fast friends. Him a super, me a mundane. Sure we grew up together, but I always thought supers thought themselves fundamentally different than mundanes. Fil, if anything, changed my mind. "They told you everything? Geez Fil, going through the Woods at this hour?" I was more concerned about him than the potential breach of privacy. "All they said was that you might need a hand. Your dad said something about the Woods being potentially a little more dangerous than usual." Fil had made himself comfortable in the living room like he had done countless times before. "Besides, you know I''d be fine either way." He had a point, I conceded. Fil was one of the most laid back people I knew, but a perk of being his best friend was thus; I knew he was one of the most driven people I''d ever, or will ever meet. The man was a machine. It was just something no one would ever guess. Messy brown hair and brown eyes, Fil was my best friend, but damn if he didn''t look the picture of lazy. "Uncle Optim was fine with it?" We weren''t related by blood, but our parents always considered each other family. We were related by stronger bonds than mere blood. Besides, we didn''t look the same. "I''m surprised, normally your mom''s got a tighter leash on you, if Optim''s not the one tugging it." I chuckled. Fil looked at me flatly. "With the Academy''s entrance exam coming up Dad''s been letting me loose a little. A taste of independence and all that. He''s convinced Mom too somehow. And Lud, you know he doesn''t like you calling him that." I put my hands up. "Alright, alright. But all the more reason to keep calling him it, besides your parents love me." I looked for my chocolate powder, pausing. "The Academy? Makes sense. Mr. Optim''s crazy about you going isn''t he?" He sighed. "Not gonna argue on any of those accounts. Even without him pushing it, I''d be going to Price''s." There was a beat of silence before I spoke again. "So I''m guessing my parents were too busy to come themselves? Luminaire damaged that much of the city?" Fil shrugged his shoulders and looked mock offended. "What, your best friend''s not enough? You haven''t seen me in weeks man. All your parents told me was you might be in trouble, and my dad seemed pretty eager to get me out here. What better excuse to finally see my hermit of a friend?" It was delivered jokingly, but I knew Fil. I sighed, walking over and handing him some of the hot chocolate I had made. "Thanks." He said, accepting my small token of apology. "Sorry Fil. Truth is, I''ve been hunting every chance I could get trying to save up for the eventual release. You know meat from the Woods sells. It was the fastest way to save up. Time-consuming though." I hinted, looking at him intently. "Thought we could play once I got it."The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "You didn''t." He sat up, immediately on the edge of his seat. "Oh, I did." I smiled. "What, where? Show me, man! We could meet up online!" He said suddenly, forgetting completely of those two weeks of silence. "What the hell am I doing here? I need to get home." "Well, that ties into why my parent''s probably sent you here. And why your dad was probably eager you come by too." I replied. "The thing blew up, Fil." "Huh?" He blinked. "That can''t be right. The PrismScape is top of the line, it''s built, presumably, by a super! There haven''t been any complaints about it!" I stared at him, conspicuously looking up at my lights. "Takes a super to break super, eh?" Lights which, very obviously, were surrounded by black scorch marks. The type one might assume came from electrical burns. He followed my gaze, confused and latching onto my only giving tell. "Luminaire?" He said. "Did he fly over the Woods?" He asked himself. Then he looked thoughtful until finally, he made a face. "He flew right over your goddamn house, didn''t he?" I nodded. "He did. Blew out everything. My solar grid went out, everything electrical either overloaded or overloaded and exploded. The PrismScape was the latter, along with my entire gaming setup." I said. "I can''t blame him though. Who''d think there''d evenbe people living in the Woods and that they''d have electricity running?" "Fuck man, those things are expensive. That''s about ten thousand spec, isn''t it? Not to mention the damages to your house and your setup. Sorry Lud, that''s the saddest thing I think I''ve ever heard." He took a moment feeling sorry for me. "I mean, if Luminaire caused the damages you could petition EPO. They''d reimburse your PrismScape easily. They''ve got the money for it. All the rest you could just make up and they''d be forced to pay it." "I''d rather not have the Enhanced Protection Organization knowing where I live. With me and my parents being the only people who live out here, we''d definitely at least be on their radar. Don''t entirely know what that would mean, but still. Big organization and big power, I''d rather not." "Fair enough." Fil said. "So? None of this tells me exactly why our parents wanted me to come out. My power doesn''t exactly lend itself to emotional or financial support." "You''re enough emotional support as it is. And hey, I might be able to sell you on the corner." I shrugged, catching his gaze. "But no, your power really doesn''t." I said, staring at the bloodstains on the kitchen tile. Fil was trained to notice such things, but he had seen the corpses outside, the temporary barricades and my ripped and odd clothing too. He was being the perfect angel, not letting anyone but me lead the conversation. There was, however, only so much of that patience. "Enough jokes, Lud. What''s up?" His brown eyes were piercing, taking everything in. A focus that transcended his appearance and gave a glimpse to the man below it all. "What''s going on here? Why''d your parents want me out here and what were those things outside? Is a super after you?" The combination of his genuine concern and confidence he could help was what would ultimately make him a perfect candidate for the Academy. In this particular situation, however, it silenced me and forced me to respond. I stared at him and opened my mouth, ready to explain everything, when my mouth shut. An easier way came to mind, a way to explain away everything he had seen. There was a moment I relished, as I''m sure all other supers did. It was an enhanced''s moment to announce what they were. Whether it was to anyone''s surprise or simple affirmation. The words that poured out of me were perhaps the most validating of the day. I was no longer normal, I was something else. "I''m super, Fil." The words slipping from my heart before my mouth could even intone them. "I Originated."