《Jump Start》 Chapter One Chapter 1 Bump Bump He scratches at the unfamiliar headband the is seemly locked around his head, it was not bothering the man but it felt to him it was not supposed to be there either. It was dark nearly everywhere but, in the distance, there was a light that made him feel safe How did I get here? Walking slowly toward the light the man had trouble thinking about anything else to do, was there any other sounds he heard besides the buzzing? The constant buzzing that focused him to keep walking forward. I-am-a-good-person The man was somewhat startled at this own thought but kept walking towards the ever-glowing light. Why did he think that? That thought felt different, it was starting to confuse them but remembering the thought made him feel good. Turning his attention to the now clear light he could make out what was in front of him. Three men dressed in armor next to torches staring straight at him, two flanked either side of the open gate with spears while the third a sword at this waist. He had short mostly brown hair with some gray mixed in. ¡°Halt, what is your business here?¡± the guard to the left of the door spoke out while moving from where he was and in front of the man ¡°Ugh¡± The man was having a hard time speaking, the buzzing was louder in his head now making it harder to answer ¡°Ugh? Your going to have come up with something better than that or else we are going to have an issue, now tell me who you are!¡± Now the questioning guard stepped back slightly and pointed the spear at the confused man. The other guard who was standing on the opposite side of the door moved from his position to surround the confused man. The man crouched and brought his arms up to shield to head ¡°GET AWAY. GET AWAY. GET AWAY¡± The man screamed while closing his eyes, he was now extremely stressed out about not being able to answer the scary man questions. He could no longer even think, all he heard in his mind was the buzzing. The guard was had been questing the man was about to speak again but the guard with the sword placed his hand on the other guard¡¯s shoulder ¡°We talked about this Gorn¡± He said while looking down at him Gorn¡¯s face immediately was splashed with a mix of guilt of anger ¡°I am sorry Watch Captain¡± Gorn immediately returned to his original stance and shortly after the other guard did also After that the Watch Captain did nothing but stand and wait while he watched the confused man slowly calm himself down. The two other guards after a wave from the Captain walked away leaving just the two of them there. The man was not sure how much time had passed but eventually the buzzing went back to its original level. ¡°Feeling better?¡± the Watch Captain asked while still not trying to get closer ¡°¡­Yes¡± Words now became more easily to say to the man ¡°Glad to hear that, may I ask who the letter is for?¡± The Watch Captain¡¯s asked while pointing at the man¡¯s right hand Confused the man looked at his hand to just now realize something was actually in it. The letter was as plain as could be, complexly white with no writing what so ever on it, the top of it not even sealed. The man could see another folded paper inside. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ know¡± The man tried to reach in his mind for something about the letter that he held in his hand but nothing came up The Watch Captain seemed puzzled at this turn of events; he made a face as if thinking how best to proceed. After a moment his eyes widened after he seemed to notice something. ¡°Do you know who you are?¡± almost seemly worried about the answer he expected to get Opening his mouth as if the man was about to say his name but nothing came out, just like with the letter the spot in his mind was blank, it was all blank. He started to get worried again about what was happening. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ why don¡¯t I know?¡± Seeing the man starting to lose control the Watch Captain finally moved, he moved next to the confused man and put his hands on his shoulders. ¡°That¡¯s alright, hey how about we look at that letter in your hand. It could be just what you need¡± The Watch Captain said with a small smileReading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. The man nodded his head in agreement, he slowly and with a slightly shaking hand gave the letter up. The Watch Captain thanked the man and took out the folded letter from the pristinely white envelope. He unfolded it and started to read. The man watched him read it, his eyes at one point becoming huge but never saying anything. When he was finally done reading the Watch Captain the shook his head and put the letter back in the envelope. ¡°What¡­ did it say?¡± The man asked worried about the answer ¡°You don¡¯t¡­ well I suppose that is not unexpected. Well it said a number of things but there is something that I am sure you would really like to know¡± He said while taking a step back and reaching out with his free hand ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± The man asked questionably ¡°Your name is James, and mine is Rick, its nice to meet you¡± Rick said with a grin James slowly reached out his hand and shook Ricks ¡°Am I¡­ A good person?¡± The thought James had? From before bubbling up to the surface, the thought becoming very important to hear the answer to Rick put his other hand over James ¡°Of course you are James, how about the two of us head inside. There is a place where you can sleep I know about with a friend of mine. Does that sound like something you would like to do?¡± When James look at Rick he felt a warmth that calmed him ¡°I trust you Rick¡± To James even if speaking was becoming easier, he felt that was all that needed to be said Rick let go of James hand and laughed while patting his back ¡°Wow what a guy! Haha making me tear up. You know I am supposed to be the tough guy right now but you remind me of my kid so I can¡¯t help it. Come with me, Mick and Gorn you both stay here. I will be bringing him To the Monk¡± The two Guards raised their spears in salute and resumed their duties while Rick and James went inside the Wooden walled town. ¡°Gorn you need to cool it, you remember why you had this bottom of the barrel shift anyway right?¡± Mick pointed out in an ¡®I told you so¡¯ way Gorn just clicked his tongue and waved him off That was the last James heard of the two before he was to far away while also thinking over what just happened My name is James? It did not feel right or wrong but since it seemed to come from the letter he had been carrying it had to be right¡­right? As the two of them walked down the street a few people were looking outside their windows, clearly what had happened outside the gates had woken them up. Rick when he noticed someone who simply smile and wave or say ¡°everything¡¯s fine¡± to get the people back to bed. Within minutes they seemed to be at the intended location The building appeared to be around three stories, it was a mix of gothic and just a normal building that had been converted. With only the front of the building with a slopping stone leading to a stained-glass window in the shape of as circle ¡°James let me do the talking okay?¡± Rick quietly asked as the stood in front of the double wooden doors James nodded so Rick nocked on the doors. The waited¡­ and waited and still there was no response to no surprise of Rick. Next he started slamming his fist into the door, and yet the only response was the wind. ¡°You made me do this¡± Rick said to himself as he seemed to be focusing on his fist for a moment then spoke out in a firm voice ¡°[Bash]!¡± Ricks fist lightly glowed and this time when his fist connected to the door not only did it by far make the loudest noise yet it actually left a dent A scream came from the top level of the building scaring James but to Rick he had a small smile on his face. Soon enough heavy footsteps come be heard on the other side of the door and with a quick pull the two of them were introduced to the Monk. He seemed to be in plain robes that could not hide is fairly large belly. ¡°Do you know how long it has been since I have not had anything or anyone to take care of during the night, why do you rob this holy man of his sleep!¡± He said fuming and face becoming red ¡°Yes that is a sad tale indeed, but here is the thing. Last time you started going on about this and that I had to listen to 17 tales before I told you to stop so let¡¯s save some time and stop at one. Besides a holy man like yourself surely was not the person I keep seeing hunting out in the woods Because, and correct me if I am wrong, holy men are not allowed to do that¡± That had the intended effect on the Monk, his mouth shutting tightly and quickly found himself in a tight spot. ¡°well yes.. I mean NO! no that was not me at all! Please come in my dear Watch Captain what seems to be the issue?¡± The Monk quickly showed the two of them in and closed the door but not before shaking his head at the new indent in his door ¡°This man is named James but besides that he does not know anything else about himself. I would like to speak with you privately if you don¡¯t mind¡± Rick presented James to the Monk before pointing to an open door leading to another room ¡°Not at all please¡± The Monk leas Rick into the room and partly closed the door James not sat alone with only the buzzing to keep him company. He wanted to know what they were saying but he was just to tried to make any serious effort to find out. James reached up and once again belt the Band on his head. IT was mid-way on his forehead and about an inch wide, he tried to peel it off but it seemed like it was fused to his skin. Next he looked down at what he was wearing, he wore simple brown plants, shirt, and even shoes, nothing that really seemed to give him any clues about himself. Eventually The Monk and Rick exited the back room, it seemed Rick had handed over the letter to him ¡°I know who to send this too, as for him I will look after for now¡± ¡°Thank you, I will arrange the payment. Be sure to update me in the next few days on his condition¡± Rick responded then sat next to James ¡°James you will be staying here for now. Brother Francis will look after you and hopefully help you remember. I know you confused right now so just take it one step at a time okay?¡± ¡°I will try, Thank you¡­ for everything you done for me¡± James managed to get out to say and just looked down at the floor Rick got up from the table said his thanks to The Monk again and walked out. Now Brother Francis walked over to James. ¡°Come Child, it is time for you to rest, this night has been far too long already¡± The two of them went over to the other side of the room where a series of beds were lined up. Upon Brother Francis direction James laid down. The lights were blown out and Brother Francis went back upstairs. Now the only light came through the window from the moonlight, James could now tell the blood that had long since dried on the side of the frame. He stared at the stain until he feel asleep, he just wanted to rest and get away from the things had happened to him tonight, he wanted to get away from everything.
Jump Start Acquired
Chapter 2 The buzzing never left; it was the only constant thing it his life so far. Even in his sleep he tried to feel for anything about himself, some memory to find out who he was and in response: the harder he pushed the louder the buzzing got. The thing that quieted the buzzing was another sound that suddenly started to ripe into his mind, it was the sound of screams. ¡°FIX IT¡± ¡°DON¡¯T SPEAK TO ME IN SUCH A MATTER OR THE CUT WILL NOT KILL YOU, I WILL!¡± Being Jerked awake James looked to his right to the source of the noise¡­ but really, they were so loud it was coming from all around him. On the thin bed next to him laid a man in torn armor, cuts that bleed all along the side of his body. What was seemly the biggest was an arrow that was being pulled out, the arrowhead had corroded green veins in it. It scared James to see someone like that so he in what little way he could get away while still staying on the bed. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why your party pressed you to keep the arrow in, clearly it was the source of the poison¡± Brother Francis shook his head and dropped the poison arrow into a metal bucket beside the bed and motioned to one of the women who was also standing beside the man bed. ¡°Sister Mary take that thing out back and burn it. A thing such as that does not belong in my home¡± ¡°You mean a place of healing, At once Brother Francis¡± Brother Francis gave with a questing look as Mary quickly made her way to the back but the sound of the man screaming once again quickly pulled his focus back. ¡°How bad is it? Am I going to lose my leg?¡± The man pleaded for an answer while sitting up, the sweat dripping off his face. Brother Francis forcefully pushing him back down in response. ¡°The question you should ask is not if you will lose your leg but your life. After that, question how you treat others because your actions have put you in this condition and pray to Phelous¡± Brother Francis held his left hand over the now exposed and multicolored wound, a light appeared in his palm. While James watched he started to notice something else so he learned closer to them and focused harder. What are those lines?
Skill Observation Acquired
Seeing that somewhat transparent scroll appeared before him with those words made James jerk backwards but the message stayed for a few more seconds before burning away. Looking around it appeared no one else saw it. One of the other women at the other side of the room seemed to notice his reaction. James froze for a moment then put his hand in the thumbs up position and awkwardly smiled I don¡¯t know what my hand symbol means but it feels like the right thing to do, also don¡¯t want her to think I have issues Thinking about James suddenly realized he could now think much clear. The buzzing never left but now things felt¡­normal? Maybe that¡¯s to strong of a word but much better than last night. James turned his attention back to Brother Francis and the wounded man. It had only been moments but now Brother Francis was starting to sweat. Another thing he noticed was he could see better what was happening the healing. The lines coming from the ball of light coming from Brother Francis palm seemed more defined if only slightly. He could now tell there seemed to be a strange color that traveled from the wound, up the lines and into the palm where they just disappeared. ¡°Sister Mary are you back yet?¡± Brother Francis said annoyed but still not taking his eyes off what he was doing with the man¡¯s leg. ¡°I am here¡± She answered while speeding up her walk to come back, grabbing a small piece of cloth and started to dab and Brother Francis forehead ¡°Stop that, I need you to get the guard outside for¡­ what your name?¡± Brother Francis asked while looking directly at the man he was treating. ¡°Joshua¡± he said worried about the outcome of the questions being asked ¡°Yes yes Joshua, tell the guard there has been an attempted murder¡± he said matter of fact way and stood up straight trying to stretch his back stopping his healing ¡°What are you talking about? Me and my party were fighting goblins you crazy old man. Getting hurt is natural!¡± Sister Mary came back in with the guard that had been standing right outside the doors, the guard seemed tense and was looking around. ¡°Not here, the people who tried to kill him where this man own party¡± With Brother Francis statement not just, the guard was speechless but everybody around who could hear. ¡°That is crazy, the would never do that like I explained before, a goblin¡­¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I know, a goblin shot you but why did you not take out the arrow so your healer could treat it, your party does have a healer or was I informed wrongly¡± ¡°Well yes that¡¯s true bu..¡± ¡°And even if that was not true, which it is, you must have immensely noticed how this was not any ordinarily arrow wound with the way the color of your skin was changing?¡± ¡°I did¡­¡± ¡°Which leads to the next question, why did you keep it in¡± Brother Francis asked while throwing his arms forward toward Joshua Joshua at first said nothing, then slowly spoke, as if each word carried a massive weight ¡°Daniel our healer said so¡± Brother Francis walked over and sat down next to him ¡°Was he the only one who said so?¡± he asked but he did so in a way as if he already knew the answer ¡°No¡­ they are agreed right after Daniel told me to keep it in¡± At this point Joshua spoke seemly stunned Apparently, the guard connected a few more things in his mind and without speaking to anyone else inside quickly walked out to find the rest of Joshua¡¯s partly ¡°From the way you look Joshua you know I am right. Before you ever came in here, I knew about you, and you know who told me? Those people you beat who needed healing from me. You¡¯re a mean drunk, actually you¡¯re just a mean person. Your own party tried to kill you because of now bad of a person you are and you were too stupid to figure it out¡± Joshua as if all the strength left this body weakly tried to push Father Francis away but instead Father Francis grabbed his wrist and held him ¡°There not going to jail because in the end even with what I pointed out it comes down to their word or yours and no one will believe you. You will be safe for tonight but tomorrow you will leave and If I was you, I would leave the town¡± Without waiting for an answer Brother Francis left the stunned Joshua where he was and walked over to James ¡°Sorry about all of that, can you come with me? I know a better place to talk without people like him around¡± Brother Francis motioned for James to get up Is he safe to be around? Not knowing the answer to his own question but thinking he was not in a position to question the hunting Brother James followed him to the backroom. The room itself was both a kitchen and storage area for medical supplies, there was even a table with chairs to sit at. ¡°sit down James, we should talk¡± Brother Francis spoke while closing the door James sat down then Brother Francis did shortly after while picking at some leftover food that seemed to be left over from this morning ¡°Today started early for me so I never got to finish, I always like to have some rabbit for breakfast. Now you when¡¯s the last time you have eaten?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, the only thing I remember is waiting and seeing the light of the gate in the distance¡± ¡°Anything else, anything you can think of that could us figure this all out?¡± Should I tell him of the voice? Rick trusted me with him and Rick is a good person ¡°Well this is something, a¡­¡± You-remember-nothing ¡°James what do you remember?¡± ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know, I am sorry Brother Francis I thought there was something but I forgot¡± James was puzzled, he swore he was going to say something but he could not remember what it was. Brother Francis was not fully satisfied with that answer so he started to reach forward towards James heads. ¡°I think I can help you remember, now just hold still¡± Before James could answer Brother Francis had already started. With his only an ich away from James face a bright light once again appeared from his palm. Due to how bright it was James closed his eyes for¡­ something to happen. Would it hurt? Feel good? IS the buzzing louder? Truly it was hard to tell but besides for that he felt nothing, the least of which any memories. ¡°Anything?¡± ¡°No¡± ¡°How odd¡± Brother Francis pulled away his hand with a disappointed expression ¡°What did the letter say?¡± James did want to wait any longer to get an answer about this now that Brother Francis failed, leaving the letter the only object that could do so. ¡°It said what your name was and that you wanted a good life, essentially¡± ¡°Can I see it?¡± ¡°Sadly no, I sent it to a friend in the capital this morning¡± James put his face in his hands in frustration, again with the dead ends. ¡°If the letter said nothing why send it away?¡± ¡°Well when Rick showed me the letter it was the letter itself that piqued my interest not the contents written on it. I have never felt magic quite like that, so the idea is to send it to my friend to see if they do and if they do it should give us at the very least of who your connected to¡± Brother Francis leaned forward and looked James dead in the eye ¡°So what do you want to do in the meantime?¡± ¡°What¡± The question genuinely confused James, first they point about the truth of his entire life and then what to do with his free time? ¡°We don¡¯t know if that letter will ever lead us to something, in fact it may very well not. That means you can¡¯t put your new life on hold, you have to live it! Because there will come a day where you will live no more days and at that point do you want to regret time wasted?¡± Feeling that just made James confused, he knows what the words meant but what he was struggling with was realizing all the options he had and frozen to pick what to do. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about what to do due to ¡®endless¡¯ choices because actually you have far less then you think¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°Your poor¡± For a moment the both of them just sat there in silence then James started to chuckle to himself, soon after Brother Francis joined him and soon after that they could be heard roaring in laughter even beyond the door. ¡°How about this: since you will be staying here anyway (Thank Rick for that) why don¡¯t you help me treating patients? We can see if you can use healing magic and if not, well you can still pick up some things like banging, or horse riding or who knows what else¡± ¡°Horse riding?¡± ¡°¡­.Haha lets keep that to ourselves¡± ¡°Deal¡±
Axe Equip Acquired
Skill Woodcutting Acquired
Skill Swing Acquired
Strength Risen 5 Points
Three more ¡®abilities¡¯ he got after cutting wood along with a boost to his strength, still James did not feel he should tell others about what was happening, to much of a risk, things were looking up for him I should start writing down these scroll messages Indeed, he felt that he would forget if he did not have it written down somewhere, also by the end of the day he stopped being scared when they randomly appeared. That night he laid down on ¡®his¡¯ bed getting ready to finish the day. It did bother him a great deal hearing those noises and James was worried it was going to get worse but for now that was a worry for another day. ¡°Cant be¡­¡± James heard Joshua mumbling to himself as he tossed and turned, after being mostly healed guards did come and did what Bother Francis proclaimed: nothing. IT did come down to his word or his party and it seemed to James the guards believed the party. ¡°Am I a bad person?¡± James turned to his right to see Joshua turned and faced him directly. No longer did he seemed like the powerful adventure that James was worried was going to hurt Brother Francis, instead he seemed like his life had fallen a part, a broken man. James could not hold his stare so he closed his eyes and turned himself over to face the other way even covering his ears. Am I a bad person? Chapter 3 ¡°You can do it¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can¡± ¡°I believe in you¡± ¡°Stop distracting us and go back to what you were doing¡± ¡°Will the both of you stop I have to focus¡± The man on the bed looks on in worry at James, Brother Francis and Sister Mary. This was the first day James was trying to heal someone and it had not worked yet. ¡°Am I going to die? I really feel the medical facilities at this location are not adequate for my medical needs causing a loss of life, specifically my life. Really should get the newly formed inspection ward (created in part with my father masterful guidance) to look this over, there is dried blood and a host of other issues¡­¡± The man looked to be no older than 20, if not younger, he wore very fancy metal armor in James opinion. Flanking his bed were two guards that had come in with him but besides for requesting medical treatment they were silent. They had on a thick sliver color plate armor that covered nearly their entire body, both of them standing well over 6 feet tall. The symbol on there chest seemed to be a type of bird with four wings James did not recognize. ¡°¡±¡­Noble¡±¡± Brother Francis and Sister Mary said in unison while she gave a wide smile and he tilted his head back and groaned. To be fair they both suspected that but Sister Mary had made the bet he was in fact a noble while Brother Francis was on side of just very wealthy ¡°That¡¯s good enough for now James, we will keep working at it. It was not expected for you to do this the first day and it may not happen ever. Sister Mary please help him get those things off Watch Captain Rick is here to pick up James¡± ¡°He is here?¡± James almost worriedly asked while sitting up and glancing at the door while Sister Mary starts to pull the white robe off of him. Rick stood just inside the door and slightly waved with a reassuring smile. The reason for his visit was to take James to the Adventures Guild to sign up. The issue was James was told he should go days ago but he was to scared to go alone. James only felt safe inside these walls and now that it had been a week since staying here Brother Francis decided to get help getting him to sign up. ¡°You will be just fine! Now hurry up and become famous so you can support me. That way I can quit and live by the water¡± Sister Mary said jokingly while taking the robe and giving him a little push forward in the direction of Rick. ¡°You know Rick I thi¡­¡± ¡°No buts, from what I hear your talented and we can¡¯t have talent going to waste with the hunter over here¡± ¡°Watch Captain Rick you are once again putting false charges on me, show me your proof or drop the subject at once!¡± Brother Francis called out after stopping the healing of an adventure and thrusted his finger directly at Rick ¡°Please don¡¯t stop healing me, I think the bleeding is getting bad again¡­¡± Pleaded the woman as she pressed her hand to her gut ¡°Do you really want me to provide proof?¡± ¡­They both ignored they adventures pleas causing Sister Mary to quickly make her way over to resume the healing Brother Francis at first made a good show of not being affected by what Rick threatened with both his fist at his sides but they did not last ¡°I really must get back to my patient¡± ¡°Yes, that is what I figured, let¡¯s go James¡± With one hand on James shoulder and the other waving goodbye to the staff inside the two of them left. Immediately James had started to panic, the feeling in his body started to grow numb. This had been the first time since that night that he had walked outside I can¡¯t be ready, can I?
Name: James
Level: 1
Strength: 120
Agility: 90
Constitution: 110
Intelligence 105
Wisdom: 95
Skills:
Jump Start lv. MAX
Axe Equip 1
Woodcutting lv.3
Swing lv. 2
Observation lv 5
The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Possible Jobs Woodcutter After three days of staying at the temple James discovers how to look at his abilities, the reason for this looking in the first place was to understand how this skills and abilities actually affected him. He could still hold an Axe before he got the ¡®Axe Equip¡¯ Ability but after he did it somehow felt¡­ sturdier? Easier? ¡°I can see how being out here could be hard, when I first moved here 12 years ago it was a big shock and had taken quick a while to get use to everything since I was not use to so many people¡± Rick tried to talk about himself in order to take James mind off of his fear ¡°You did not always live here, why did you move?¡± ¡°Well let¡¯s just say the place I use to live was just not a good fit for me, that¡¯s why I came here, to the kingdom of Aupeanid or more specifically this town of Rerenth. Look at me now, I now have a family, my son is around 10 years old and his names Kenley¡± Rick seemed very happy with himself upon utterly his sons¡¯ names and James was happy to see that. He really is a good guy ¡°Well here we are¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Guild, see?¡± Rick pointed to the building that had somehow appeared in front of the two of them. The building was four stories tall, it had double doors reinforced with iron bars that spreads across them. A constant stream of people was making their way in and out of the building. Two children with staff, a group of archers, a man with armor so thick it was a wonder how he moved. More and more types of people all left James quick speechless. ¡°We can¡¯t stop now let¡¯s go¡± Rick pushed him onward and they made there way inside to the spacious hall. Directly in front were three women that served as the receptionist that were left, right, and center. On the left were people who had mostly the cheapest looking armor and gear. The center had the longest line, not just single people put groups in parties with someone always having a piece of people torn from the wall to the left. Finally, to the right had a massive table were dead creatures were places. Dead bodies, so many dead bodies! No! IT was a horrible sight for James even if they were not human. Lizard-people-creatures with blow off arms or legs, heads that seemed to be sliced off. A number of those bodies were brought in by a party that were congratulating themselves and even the receptionist seemed pleased with the results. ¡°The Lovers, The Dreamers, and me¡± A man sung while standing on one of the tables with a small crowed around him listening to the end of the song. They clapped and he pulled off the stylish hat off his hand and passed it around, he had short blonde hair with a bow strapped to his back. He had a charm about him that even James had to admit to, with his hat back and the money pocketed the man left after an exaggerated bow and skipped away out the doors. ¡°Since your new we go left, don¡¯t worry the process is quite easy and Blaize is a nice woman¡± Once again without waiting for a response James is pulled along into the line, but just like Rick said it seemed to move fast and sure enough in less then 20 minutes they two of them stood in front. ¡°Welcome to the Adventures Guild Branch in Rerenth, I assume you¡¯re here to become a new Adventure if you came with Watch Captain Rick? ¡°¡­Yes¡± The buzzing grew louder causing James to scratch at the headband he normally can¡¯t feel. Blaize acted like nothing was out of the ordinary like a true professional, she pulled out a piece of people with a thin metal circle embedded in the center. ¡°Great! So, what skills do you have¡± ¡°¡­I can read and write¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite impressive, most people can¡¯t do both and some can do neither, can you tell me what this says?¡± Blaize quickly pulled a small piece of people form under the desk and wrote on it, she then turned it to face James ¡°You Pass¡± ¡°Yes! That is correct, I am sorry for the test but those skills are valuable and people have tried to lie in the past¡± ¡°I understand¡± ¡°Now I am getting excited, what other skills do you possess? Why do you rise me up just to bring me down? ¡°I can cut wood¡± ¡°You mean metal trees? Or have you taken part in cutting down a mile tree?¡± ¡°No¡­ wait, what¡¯s a mile tree?¡± ¡°You must know, those are trees that 1 mile wide¡± ¡°¡­Your lying¡± There was no way James believed what Blaize said, it had to be sort of newbie training ¡°No I assure you they are quite real¡± ¡°You won¡¯t get me, mile trees? Ha! Just crazy talk¡± ¡°James there real¡± Rick told him with a flat voice, when James heard that he wanted to go die in the hole. This left the three of them in awkward silence. ¡°¡­So no experience with either type of tree then¡­¡± ¡°Yes that¡¯s correct, in fact I have never cut down a tree before. I have only cut wood before¡± The woods spilled out of James with great effort on his part so he can wrap this up and go back to his bed. ¡°Then in that case I will put down your use of Axes, and now we are finished¡± Blaize touched the metal circle on the center of the page, a light pulsed from where her light touched then like a wave spread to the edges of the paper. As the wave came back to the center so did the paper itself until it formed into the small metal rectangle. The letter ¡®A¡¯ appeared to burn in on one side with his name on the other. ¡°You are now officially A rank, if you wish to rank up complete assignments listed on the board over there or grow your skills. If you have any other questions you may ask me or another other person working here at the counter. As for the bill¡­¡± ¡°I will pay it¡± Before James could respond Rick pushed over 5 sliver coins which you took and place under the desk. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, if you feel really bad about it you can pay be back later. In fact, I know just the assignment to start you off with. Since it¡¯s a basic one and always in demand it should be¡­here!¡± Rick gave James the paper to look at it, it talked about collecting herbs and it paid 1 copper per herb ¡°We are going now?¡± ¡°Well that demands on you James, do you feel up to it?¡± Am I up to it? The paper has a drawing of what these looks like but I have never done this before. Well if Rick paid for me to become an Adventure then I have to pay him back and if he¡¯s here I won¡¯t end up like those people I see everyday Staying with Brother Francis Truly was a double edge sword for James: while being inside with a place he knew felt safe he also felt constantly on edge from the screams and pain around him. This had caused him to struggle to sleep but Sister Mary or another one of the sisters were there. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡± ¡°Great to hear that, after about an hour of walking outside the gates we should be able to get there¡± Thus the party of two made there way out