《The Legendary Class》 Dead In the small village known as Amber Pastures, two sixteen year olds, one small and one very, very large, bickered. ¡°Come on Talia, you know we aren¡¯t supposed to leave the village alone!¡± ¡°Your 6¡¯4¡± Arn, nothing is going to bother you! And I already told you that Puremist Mushrooms grow right by the swimming hole. It literally couldn¡¯t be any easier.¡± Arn sighed. He knew where this dance was heading. ¡°Your mother is not sick. You are going to meet with Joshua. Or whoever it is this week.¡± Talia¡¯s expression hardened into a scowl. ¡°REALLY? Have you no shame Arn? Just because you can¡¯t get a girlfriend you accuse me of such things? You are pathetic!¡± ¡°Fine Talia, I apologize. I¡¯ll just stop home and get my things. And stop by Mistress Elen¡¯s shop, its on the way. She would be offended if she wasn¡¯t told your mother is sick.¡± Talia¡¯s face twisted into the expected full out rage. ¡°LISTEN YOU GIANT BLOATED PIG, you are leaving the village in three weeks! I AM GOING TO BE THE HERBALIST NOT YOU! You are only being trained out of pity for your supposed illness! Oh no, I¡¯m Arn, I can¡¯t do anything besides eat pie because of my heart condition! You will get the cursed mushrooms now or I will make you sorry!¡± ¡°You¡¯re a very beautiful girl Talia. But spreading your legs for every boy in the village won¡¯t help you in¡­¡± The air left Arn at once as Talia¡¯s foot slammed into his crotch. He bent over, heaving, and felt his heart stutter as the world went white. Distantly he heard Talia say ¡°not EVERY boy!¡± and threaten further consequences if the mushrooms weren¡¯t gathered.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Arn came to lying on his side on the ground, tasting vomit, which was¡­everywhere. I should have known better. Well, I suppose washing up at the swimming hole is the only chance of avoiding further humiliation, so I may as well get the bloody mushrooms. Arn staggered to his feet, looked around for witnesses to his embarrassment and, seeing none, headed out of town as stealthily as his size allowed. The ¡°swimming hole¡± was tiny lake fed by a small stream to the east of the village. A damn of rocks on the northern side kept the lake generally large enough for a dip, and allowed the adventurous to peek out over a small waterfall and 30-foot drop. For whatever reason, Puremist mushrooms tended to grow on the rock lip, and could be easily gathered by a swimmer. It was, however, still technically winter and a bit cold for swimming. After carefully looking around, Arn walked around the tiny lake to the cliff¡¯s edge and the rock wall. Mushrooms could be seen, but none in reach from the shore. Time to be stupid yet again. Hope it works out better, but what choice do I have? Arn slowly crawled along the rocky lip of the pool, doing his best to ignore sharp edges cutting into him, eventually edging to where he could reach a few mushrooms. After snagging a handful, he pondered how to clean himself without getting soaked. A deep penetrating howl sent a shock through Arn. As he turned his head to the right, he noticed a huge dog-like creature covered in black bristles with a mouth full of fangs eyeing the rocky ledge. A warg! I am so screwed! At that moment, Arn¡¯s right hand slipped, and after a solid 5 seconds of awkward flailing, Arn tumbled over the edge. ¡°Shiiiittt¡­¡± Arn yelled as he tumbled, completely oblivious to the rocky protrusion jutting out from the side of the cliff until it struck him in the back, shattering his ribs. Arn¡¯s heart spasmed once and stopped. Black nothingness swallowed Arn¡¯s world, as his lifeless body continued tumbling to the ground below. ATTENTION: You have died. Luck??? Arn¡¯s tumbling corpse landed partially in the swimming hole, but his torso struck the bank to its right. As the impact slammed into his corpse, Arn¡¯s heart was sharply compressed¡­and whether through luck or the grace of the Gods, restarted. Arn¡¯s world was pinpricks and swirling lights. After a time, he saw blurry letters¡­ CONGRATULATIONS! By resurrecting without magic or outside aid, you have met the requirements for the class Revenant (Legendary)! Would you like to take this class (Yes/No)? Whhhat?? It was too much to process, but Arn was practical, and taking a class, any class, without approval of the Village Elder was grounds for expulsion. Though his vision was spinning, Arn ignored the prompt and tried to turn his head and rise. Pain and nausea exploded into Arn, and he slammed back to the ground, head rolling to face the trees to the right of the swimming hole ¨C just as a gaping black muzzle dripping with saliva closed on his cheek and began to rip. A fresh wave of pain swept through him, Arn futilely lifted his arms to grasp at the warg. The warg happily shifted to the closer offering of meat, biting down on Arn¡¯s arm with enthusiasm. Perhaps because of the extent of his injuries, the attack took on a surreal quality, as though it was happening to someone else. Some small part of Arn knew there was only one chance, and Arn selected ¡°yes¡± as the warg decided its prey was helpless, sank its muzzle into Arn¡¯s stomach, and began eating flesh.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Class Selected: Revenant! Affliction: Myocardial Instability removed! CONGRATULATIONS! You are now a level one Revenant! +4 Constitution; +4 Attribute Points (4); +1 Skill Point (1). Resurrection Timer reset. Would you like to go to distribute ¡­ The brief wave of bliss Arn felt on class selection faded, and he felt spikes of agony shoot through him as the warg resumed ripping into his belly. Arn desperately lunged for the warg¡¯s jaws through the transparent menu text. Shocked, the Warg briefly backed off, looking at Arn with puzzlement. But deep thoughts are not for wargs, and ¡°alive¡± was a condition it was used to fixing. As the warg¡¯s jaws closed around his neck, Arn¡¯s had time for one last thought. I should have finished that pie¡­ Attention: You have died. Arn: Level One Revenant Attributes: Constitution: 8 (+4) Dexterity 5 Strength: 4 Intelligence: 9 Will: 8 Charisma: 4 Skills: 1 undistributed skill point (**Author¡¯s Notes: Arn¡¯s non-combat skills such as Herbalism are omitted for convenience. Skills are not awarded for basic life activities such as running or swimming. Certain attributes are known to be hidden, and improve based on a linked primary attribute, level, practice and other factors. Hidden skills are discussed further in the story, including Toughness, Stamina and Speed.) Tasty! Arn came to with a gasp. CONGRATULATIONS! Achievement Unlocked: Survivor! By dying twice within 10 minutes yet returning to the land of the living both times, you have unlocked Survivor! Your soul will remain with your body for longer following death affording a greater period of time for possible reincarnation. CONGRATULATIONS! Achievement Unlocked: Tasty! By being killed by being at least 25% consumed by an animal, you have unlocked Tasty! Your smell and sight is more appealing to predators! CONGRATULATIONS! Skill Pain Resistance unlocked! Pain Resistance is now level one! You will feel less pain when injured. RESURRECTED! Resurrections Remaining: 0 (23:59). Regeneration increased by 500%, pain tolerance set to 100% and all attributes increased by 10 for 10 seconds. Arn felt power and alertness fill him like a rising tide, and immediately saw the warg off to his right laying down casually chewing on ¡­ something that didn¡¯t bear thinking about. As if in slow motion, the warg shifted its gaze to Arn and rose to its feet. It was beginning to occur to the warg that something was very wrong, but nothing that couldn¡¯t be solved by biting surely! Arn started to get up and rose to one knee with a measure of grace and swiftness he had never known, but the warg was quicker still, closing the distance with leap slamming into Arn¡¯s stomach. Maintaining his position, Arn desperately grabbed the warg¡¯s muzzle and shoved his fingers into both of its eyes. The warg thrashed back and forth, but Arn had never felt stronger and shoved his fingers deep into the warg¡¯s eye sockets ¡­ until the buff expired and pain hit him like an avalanche turning his limbs into wet noodles. Arn fell back and hit the ground with a thump, followed a second later by the massive warg falling on top of him.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 2! +4 Constitution; +4 Attribute Points (8) and one undistributed Skill Point. Resurrection Timer reset. Would you like to go to the Attribute distribution or Skill selection screens? With the full heal from the level up, Arn should have felt fine. But he couldn¡¯t breath, and all he could see was blackness. He panicked, flailed, and flopped like a fish. His right arm touched something ¡­ fur. It all rushed back to him, and he awkwardly, pushed, inched and wiggled his way free, gasping for air. He stood. Looked at the warg in shock. I killed it. I died. Twice! I have a LEGENDARY CLASS!!!! ¡°I HAVE A LEGENDARY CLASS¡± Arn shouted, pumping his fist in the air. Immediately, he felt like a fool. He still had no weapon, wargs often travelled in pairs, and he was shouting. Still, as he walked home he practically bounced with giddiness. No more being afraid to run like everyone else. No more being forced to leave the village because they don¡¯t need any class your actually good for. No more being looked down on! Arn: Level Two Revenant Attributes: Constitution: 12 (+4) Dexterity 5 Strength: 4 Intelligence: 9 Will: 8 Charisma: 4 Skills: Pain Resistance (1) 1 undistributed skill point Achievements: Survivor Tasty! That Wasnt The Hard Part??? Arn found the usually bustling main street somehow empty. Finally, as Arn approached the blacksmith¡¯s shop, his friend Deon, the apprentice, stormed out with carrying four pitchforks and almost took his head off. ¡°Watch where your going Tiny!¡± Arn cried, using his nickname for his short, but broad shouldered friend. ¡°Sorry Arn! Wha¡­is that blood? And vomit? What in the name of the Seven Gods happened to you??¡± Arn¡¯s cheeks reddened, realizing he had forgotten to wash. ¡°Um, well, I was attacked by a warg, died¡­ah died twice actually, AND GOT A LEGENDARY CLASS!¡± ¡°Fine, don¡¯t tell me. Just go clean up before someone like Ms. Slovoworth sees you.¡± Arn sighed deflated a bit. ¡°I¡¯m going to see the Elder. You can come along if you like. Hear the story for yourself. ¡° Deon nodded, ¡°absolutely. This is going to be good I¡¯m sure. Just don¡¯t stand too close!¡± Arn and Deon made their way to the Elder¡¯s home uneventfully and were greeted with a hearty ¡°come in!¡± after knocking. Looking up from a journal he was writing in, Elder Dannis¡¯ jaw dropped. ¡°You look like a necromancer¡¯s reanimated corpse boy! Are you alright?!¡± ¡°Actually¡­your not far wrong Elder. I died twice today, and the day is still young. Show Elder Dannis Status.¡± The Elder¡¯s expression froze. ¡°Start at the beginning, tell me everything!¡± After Arn recited the tale, the Elder nodded. ¡°Incredible tale. I¡¯m glad your ok. I¡¯ll help you find the right path forward of course. You desperately need a bath, but...um, give me the information first, so I can think out the plan. Read me your class description word for word, and then we will do the skills.¡± ¡°THANK YOU! But I¡¯ve thought about it, and I don¡¯t need to try to be the next Titan. I¡¯ll stay in the village and become a Guard.¡± Elder Dannis sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but probably not. We can obviously forgive you for taking a class without permission. But whatever this class does, it isn¡¯t going to give you 16 in Archery like Talissa, who will take the Skirmisher class at the Spring Festival. She worked for years for that. Zane will take the Guard class. He already has 13 in swordsmanship, 9 strength and 8 dexterity. While it¡¯s a common class, it will take about half as much experience to level as a legendary class. Guard also provides experience for training, meaning he can level without risking death. He won¡¯t get as many stat points, but almost all of that will go to strength and dexterity. Constitution isn¡¯t irrelevant of course, but you will never catch up if you stay. Zane would have no trouble dancing around and slowly whittling you down, regeneration or not. Or just cut off your head. No, I¡¯m sorry Arn, I¡¯ll listen to the class description and skills, but I don¡¯t think they are going to help. You¡¯ll have a bright future, and I¡¯ll help you find it. This can be a good thing. But your class doesn¡¯t fit the village¡¯s needs. You¡¯ll have to leave the village to find your way. I¡¯m sorry son. ¡° Arn stuttered, crestfallen, ¡°but¡­I have a legendary class, surely¡­¡± Elder Dannis suddenly blurred, slapping Arn before he processed the Elder was moving. ¡°Wha¡­why??¡± Dannis sighed. ¡°Arn, did your class help you dodge that? Did you sense it coming? Do you have a skill that could stop me from doing that again?¡± The Elder paused. ¡°Listen to me, and listen well. This may save your life. You aren¡¯t living a story. You aren¡¯t a Titan of Legend. Each legendary class is unique, they can do some things, but not others, and if you don¡¯t learn the difference, you will die. You may die regardless. You know I was a Senior Captain in the army many years ago, yes? Well, we had a legendary Beast Shifter. He could cut up a creature, mess around with its parts¡­disgusting¡­and he would be able to take its form. The army helped him level and brought him beasts in exchange for extending his enlistment. They even captured a wyvern for him! Lost a good man doing it too. A wyvern is an incredibly powerful creature for, I think he was around level 12 at that point. But the army had him fly a scouting mission during the Xelos incursion. They forgot he didn¡¯t have scouting experience, forgot that he had hardly flown, forgot that wyvern was newer to him than a baby¡¯s bottom, and he blundered into General Yall¡¯s task force. Got shot by our own men, died like any other, legendary class or not. You hear me? Understand what I¡¯m saying?¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°I ¡­ yes sir, I do. My heart problem is fixed I guess, but I¡¯m still not wanted here.¡± Dannis scowled, ¡°quit your whining boy. You know I love you like my own son. If your careful, you can really amount to something now, end up rich enough to buy the village with your pocket money. But you took the class, and we can¡¯t force fit a Revenant into a Guard or any other class we need right now. But we skipped ahead like fools. Read me the class description and the skill choices now.¡± REVENANT (LEGENDARY) ¨C The Revenant class treats death like a difficult bowel movement ¨C something that must be endured from time to time, but not a major inconvenience. Blessed with powerful regeneration and able to gain resistances with ease, the Revenant is extremely difficult to kill in the first place, and in the rare instances when he is killed, will resurrect with accelerated regeneration and bonuses to all stats for a period of time. Familiarity with life and death provides the Revenant with powerful skill choices to keep himself and his allies fighting. CLASS ATTRIBUTES AND INHERENT SKILLS - receives 4 Constitution per level, as well as 4 user allocable stat points. The Revenant receives one skill point at level one, and an additional point every fifth level; - gains resistances more easily, and resistances require less experience to level; - cannot be healed by alchemical means or the magic of another; - gains more experience the closer he is death. - regenerates 10% of health in: 20 minutes when above 80% health; 10 minutes when above 60% health; 2 minutes when above 40% health; 20 seconds when above 20% health and in 5 seconds when below 20% health. - up to [once] per day, on death, absent catastrophic damage, will automatically resurrect and all stats and resistances will be increased by 10 for 10 seconds, and the Revenant will regenerate health at the rate of 5% per second for 5 seconds. - Complete Regeneration. If not permanently killed, regeneration will continue until Revenant restored to baseline condition. Certain conditions, such as lost limbs, will slow regeneration. SKILLS: (1 Skill Point Unallocated) Death¡¯s Scream (Death): The Revenant¡¯s scream conveys what it is like to die, potentially stunning enemies and doing a modest amount of damage. Chance and duration of stun varies with distance, skill levels and resistances. Consumes stamina. Successive uses on the same target are less effective. Drain Life (Death): The Revenant¡¯s touch can drain some of an enemy¡¯s life force and take it for his own. Unlocks Drain Life skill path. Drag Me Back (Life): The Revenant is able to resurrect an ally. This is a channeled skill, and the cast time and amount of health restored varies with skill level. Resurrection in this manner is said to be horrifying, and all but the strongest willed may experience difficulty focusing for a time. Living Aura (Life): The Revenant exudes an aura that provides a portion of his regenerative ability to nearby allies and fixes their souls in place for a short time after otherwise fatal damage. Regeneration granted, range and duration of soul hold vary with skill level. ¡°Well! Those are some nice skills son! As I thought, you have an incredibly bright future ahead of you, **if** you are willing to work harder than you ever have, endure pain you¡¯ve never imagined and risk death on a daily basis. Makes me wish I was young again. Almost. Not really. Well, go take a bath and we will talk about your ¡­ bright future ¡­ when you get back.¡± The Map Of Pain Leaving the Elder¡¯s home, Arn found the main street crowded, and soon drew a staring crowed. No longer caring what people thought, he kept walking, addressing the crowd in a raised voice. ¡°Woo boy dying is really something let me tell you. Got a legendary class too. But now I¡¯m headed home to take a bath. Someone be helpful and run and tell Talia to join me alright?¡± Gasps of shock and disgust came from the crowd, but no one moved to stop him as he dodged and kept walking. ¡°What? She is the reason I died, twice in fact, you can ask the Elder about that. The least she could do for getting me killed twice is wash my back don¡¯t you think?¡± Just when he thought he was clear, Joshua stepped in front of him with a fist raised. ¡°Apologize, admit you¡¯re a liar, or I¡¯ll beat you senseless.¡± In a steady voice, Arn said ¡°Show Joshua Status.¡± Arn paused and continued only when Joshua¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Now you have 5 seconds to get out of my cursed way, or I will rip your flesh from your bones and eat it. If you survive, maybe you¡¯ll gain the Tasty Achievement.¡° Joshua paled and quickly stepped out of his way. Arn sighed. I shouldn¡¯t have done that. My big mouth is what got me into this situation in the first place. But curse it all, what do I care? The village doesn¡¯t want me, I¡¯ll forge my own bloody path. Arn barged into his large empty house, his parents¡¯ final gift before the plague took them, and headed for the tub. Alone of the houses in the village, the house had a large cistern, and taking a bath, albeit often a very cold one, was easy. As Arn slipped into the cold water, he tried to clear his head and relax, but the slobbering gaping jaws of the warg kept intruding. * * * Elder Dannis greeted Arn with a wave. ¡°Ah, welcome back! Good, good, you don¡¯t smell like a warg¡¯s supper anymore, we can eat. Sit, sit we¡¯ll talk while I cook. Now that you¡¯ve had some time to think, what do you see as your options?¡± Arn realized he hadn¡¯t thought about his future a lick. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Elder, but I died twice and was literally eaten. I can¡¯t think straight. Please just tell me what you think? I¡­ugh, value your opinion and knowledge and would really appreciate it.¡± Elder Dannis rolled his eyes. ¡°Tut, tut, I¡¯m not a turkey¡¯s behind, you don¡¯t need to butter me. But ok, to start we know that legendary classes require a massive amount of experience to level, but they usually have a work around to make it at least possible to level reasonably normal-ish. Here, it seems you have to get experience while injured, preferably while almost dead. Um, not ideal, obviously, but hey, you unlocked Pain Resistance, right? It won¡¯t be so bad! You¡¯ll get used to it. Probably. And ¡­ I guess you¡¯ll save money on armor. But I¡¯m getting side tracked! So we know your class is steering you towards being a front line fighter. Smart man would think join the army, settle down in a base somewhere, get a nice fat wife, but remember with your class your not going to gain many levels training in a barracks or running the occasional beast suppression mission. So you are either a private for a longgg time, or maybe given the legendary class the army is willing to power level you. That might sound good, but ¡­ just no. They would make you sign up for triple the normal four-year minimum, maybe more. And power leveling is not something the army normally does, so probably the highest chance of dying quickly. So not the army. With me?¡± Arn nodded. ¡°Can¡¯t say as I thought about joining the army. Or know what the heck power leveling is. But I¡¯ll trust your experience.¡± Dannis nodded. ¡°Power leveling is basically helpers herding up, but not injuring, a whole bunch of beasts like a pack of wargs. The herders funnel the beasts into a natural or man-made area that narrows into a corridor so someone like you can fight them one at a time. Which is great in theory, and you do regenerate. But something always goes wrong. The fencing breaks. One jumps over, runs past, whatever. You get stunned by a lucky hit. Whoever they have watching is too slow. Maybe not the first time, the second or the third. But especially with your being able to resurrect once a day, that will make them careless, and at some point they go way to fast, make too many mistakes and something will rip off your head entirely. There are places where power leveling is done right, the high nobility doesn¡¯t do anything the hard way of course, but the army is not one of them.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Arn nodded again. ¡°Makes sense.¡± ¡°Right. So I think your looking at joining a team delving into ancient ruins or hunting in the southern jungles. The delving teams, the ones that don¡¯t just die horribly anyway, tend to want more experience and levels to start, whereas there are a lot of teams that go monster hunting and herb gathering on the edges of the jungle to build themselves up. Usually, a team or two of young people form up at the Spring Festival. Not the brand new classers mind you, we can usually stop that kind of stupid, but young folks that have had their class for a year or two and want to go off and adventure. So, a bunch of young fools that think a year of being a guard or a game hunter prepares them for anything. Better way to die than find glory, but hey, every now and then some come back and buy an inn or whatnot. So, what do you think?¡± A lot of young people dreamed of becoming adventurers. For as long as he could remember, Arn, however, dreamed of being useful, and not being kicked out of the village. Although his parents had left him the nicest house in the village when they died, village law was clear. If he wasn¡¯t able to take a class useful to the village at the Spring Festival during his 16th year, he would be forced to leave, and the house would revert to the village. With his heart problems, he always knew there wouldn¡¯t be many choices, so he had worked hard to boost his intelligence with good results, and tried, with much more limited success, to boost his dexterity. But it hadn¡¯t been enough ¨C there was no call for scholars or scribes in a small village, and the professions that seemed logical, like herbalist, had sons and daughters as apprentices or were otherwise taken. I have a legendary class. And the village still thinks I¡¯m worthless. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Good! Now, we only have a little over three weeks to get you ready. Most of the young people looking to form a team, they will be level five to eight or so, but they will have years of training and serious skills in swordsmanship, archery, tracking and a dozen other things. I won¡¯t lie to you Arn ¡­ to get you ready is going to be the most unpleasant, most painful three weeks of your life. It will make the warg eating your intestines seem like a picnic. Err, well I guess it was a picnic. For the warg. Where was I¡­¡± Arg tried to wrap things up. ¡°Got it. I¡¯m ready. No problem.¡± Elder Dannis seized on Arn¡¯s words. ¡°No problem??? I don¡¯t think you understand the world of hurt we are talking about. You CAN do it, if you want it badly enough. If you quit on me, its the army. So what if you are a private for a decade, eventually maybe you¡¯ll make Sergeant and be able to afford moving out of the barracks, getting a wife. It¡¯s a life. Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°ARE YOU SURE?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Ok, great, but we¡¯ll see if you mean it. I have some thoughts on those skills, but we can¡¯t worry about those right now. Your combat related attributes are a LOT lower than others your age, but with your heart fixed, and ¡­ with a special strategy I have in mind, we can get your stats up. BUT YOU CAN¡¯T ASSIGN A SINGLE POINT UNTIL I TELL YOU. If you assign points, it becomes that much harder to improve them for free. We¡¯ll spend about a week getting your stats up as a first step. Go home, go to sleep, I¡¯ll get things lined up and we¡¯ll start at sunrise.¡± As Arn left, Dannis put his face in his hands. What have I done? I promised his parents I¡¯d take care of him, and now this madness. Can I really torture him for three weeks straight and send him off with this year¡¯s group of suicidal idiots??? Dannis breathed deeply to calm himself. The truth was the truth; suddenly healthy and with a legendary class, there was no way to steer Arn to a safer path. Maybe, just maybe, he¡¯ll quit the training and take the army route. And live a safe, unremarkable life. But¡­he is stubborn as a mule, and with a start like this, dying twice and getting this accursed class¡­not likely. I Want To Die . . . Again Arn woke up instantly for a change, his excitement surging. Unlike the other adolescents in the village that had trained for years, Arn¡¯s heart condition had prevented all physical training. He had put tremendous effort into raising his intelligence, but that was irrelevant now. Arn had also worked hard on his dexterity, but it turned out that with giant fingers activities like sewing and leather working never did much for him. As such, Arn was starting from four constitution, now eight, four strength and five dexterity. Woeful. The prospect of catching up in just a few weeks was tremendously exciting to Arn. I know Elder Dannis promised it would be incredibly hard, but I¡¯m ready! Arn quickly dressed and hurried to the entrance to the training fields where Elder Dannis was already waiting ¡­ with Joshua??? Dread rising, Arn tried to act normally. ¡°Elder Dannis, Joshua, good morning.¡± Joshua grinned evilly, ¡°Good morning Arn! I am very much looking forward to my role in your training!¡± Dannis signed. ¡°Enough. Arn, there is normally no substitute for hard work in raising your attributes. You know this. You struggled for months, years even, with those puzzle books I gave you, fighting for every point of intelligence you could get. We don¡¯t have years. Fortunately, we know that training with real stakes dramatically speeds attribute gains, and you have something called ¡®Complete Regeneration¡¯ which means, well . . . it means that we don¡¯t need to worry about hurting you. I¡¯m not sure if you have any idea what a huge advantage that is. Even the super rich with healers and healing potions to spare can¡¯t risk losing an eye or having a hand chopped off. That might cost them weeks or months of training. You don¡¯t have to worry about that!¡± Arn gasped, ¡°Um¡­small problem? I sort of like having my eyes and hands where they are?¡± Dannis chuckled. ¡°Ha, well don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t lose eyes or hands. Well, probably not. Not on purpose anyway. It is just that you can train with a degree of danger that even those pampered nobles can¡¯t. We can rocket up your stats! There is a price for that of course. It is going to hurt. A lot. Anytime you can¡¯t take it and want to quit, you can of course. The army will take you. But if you quit you quit. No second chances. Now, what is it going to be?¡± Arn closed his eyes, realizing that the nightmare that started with falling off the cliff wasn¡¯t over. I got through dying twice, I can do this! I **will** do this. The legendary class is my chance to be someone; I¡¯m not going to be some low level grunt in the army. ¡°I¡¯ll do it! I won¡¯t quit!¡± Dannis sighed again, and Joshua¡¯s grin stretched from ear to ear. ¡°Great. Just great. Well, I¡¯ve got a plan, but it has been a while since I¡¯ve seen your stats; show me now.¡± Arn said, ¡°show Elder Dannis attributes.¡± Attributes: Constitution: 12 Dexterity 5 Strength: 4 Intelligence: 9 Will: 8 Charisma: 4 ¡°All right. It is too bad you didn¡¯t get a legendary magic-based class, the academies would have taken you for free. Well, your physical stats are awful, but that means you can make quick progress. With your ridiculous size, we should be able to get your strength up sharply. Dexterity will be trickier of course. And speed will naturally be hard for you ¨C remember, the hidden attributes like speed are not just linked to a primary stat. Speed will improve some from gains in dexterity alone yes, but to get more you¡¯ll have to sprint. Preferably while chased by a bear, although I¡¯m not sure we¡¯ll be able to find one for you ¡­ well don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll do our best to ah . . . properly incentivize you. You¡¯ll have to change your body shape as well. There will be a lot of running today. A lot of lifting weights. The obstacle course. But if I¡¯m going to spend the time, and ask others like Joshua here to spend their time, we are going to start with the hard part and test your commitment. Show him Joshua.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Joshua laughed. ¡°Gladly! Arn, you may not have noticed, but this down here is a bucket of rocks. Sharp, heavy rocks. My task today, very sadly, I will oh so reluctantly throw them at you, while you futilely try to dodge. Believe you me, Elder Dannis had to twist my arm¡­¡± Dannis interrupted, ¡°enough! Arn, you get the idea. Joshua is going to throw rocks at you starting from 25 feet, we¡¯ll see how that goes. You¡¯ll have this small shield. You are going to get hit. A lot. If you get good at dodging, Joshua will get closer. Whatever your injuries, you don¡¯t stop, you don¡¯t rest, until I say. Or we are done. Now use that intelligence - imagine what is ahead; compare it to life as a private in the army. Quit now so you don¡¯t waste our time.¡± ¡°I WILL. NOT. QUIT.¡± Er, I think. This will be as bad as the warg. But I have a choice. Can I really¡­Stop! I have too. I won¡¯t be the useless cast off. I have a legendary class! ¡°Terrific. You¡¯ve made Joshua very happy. I think he secretly wants to qualify for the Torturer class. Bright future that. Well, Joshua knows the training fields. He is going to throw all these rocks one at a time, and refill the bucket. 10 times. Unless you die. If you die, come see me, we¡¯ll come back to the rocks another time. If you don¡¯t die, but you stop moving, that is quitting. The army. If you get through 10 buckets, head over to Liara. Liara will leave for a bit after she puts the youngsters through their paces, but she will come back for you. If she isn¡¯t here, run around the training fields. You don¡¯t stop unless you are vomiting. If you fall, you get up. If Liara finds you stationary, it¡¯s the army. Have fun.¡± With that, Elder Dannis left, and Joshua smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t quit too quickly Arn. I haven¡¯t pulled the wings off bugs in ages, this is really going to bring back the memories.¡± Joshua threw his head back and laughed at his supposed wit. Arn steeled himself, and said, ¡°I¡¯m ready, do your worst.¡± Joshua looked at Arn and broke out in a new round of giggling. When he finally stopped laughing, he led Arn to the spot the Elder had picked out and showed Arn where to stand. When Arn stepped behind the line, a rock hit him in the back. He roared, turned around to yell at Joshua, only to find a blur headed for his head. By the time the idea occurred to him to move, his head rocked back, blood spraying. A second later, the pain hit and his cheek felt like it was on fire. Joshua waved and asked, ¡°We haven¡¯t had fun together in a long time, have we? Do you remember that time at the swimming hole when I took your bathing suit?¡± Arn roared, ¡°THROW IT!¡± Joshua waved the anger away, ¡°sheesh, so impatient. Plenty more rocks. Must be 30 in here! Good times, good times.¡± Joshua reached into the bucket and came up holding 2 in his left and one in his right, which he started to juggle while humming a tune. After a moment, Joshua smiled evilly and said, ¡°sorry keep you waiting Arn, I¡¯ll focus I promise,¡± and quickly threw the rocks in his hands in rapid succession. Arn managed to tip the first with the shield, but it still smashed into his chest. The next was head height, but thankfully off. The third was again thrown at his mid-section. Arn raised the shield and tried to move to side, but the rock smashed into his left elbow, and Arn saw stars. When his vision cleared, waves of pain swept through him, making the cheek seem like a scratch. Distantly, Arn heard Joshua saying something but he couldn¡¯t focus through the agony. I want to die. A Normal Training Montage . . . But With Rocks Arn blocked some, and Joshua missed a few, but Joshua had trained his agility for years, and Arn was 6¡¯4¡± and 240 pounds ¨C only slightly harder to hit than your average barn. As the rocks kept coming, Arn fell into a sort of daze. He still heard Joshua¡¯s voice, but it no longer had meaning. Only two things were real: the rocks, and the pain. Individually, most of the rocks hurt only briefly, but after two full buckets, every movement sent searing spikes of pain through Arn. Still, as the daze descended and sank into his perception, Arn began to block somewhat more frequently, and the pain became almost manageable. CONGRATULATIONS! Pain Resistance has reached level 2! You will now feel less pain when injured. The skill level, and the end of the second bucket, penetrated Arn¡¯s numbness to a degree, offering a glimmer of encouragement. As Joshua gathered up rocks, Arn used the pause to reflect. I can get through thi¡­ A rock struck Arn in the mouth, knocking him down and causing him to black out for a second. He came too, spitting teeth and blood and looked up to see Joshua grinning wildly, the bucket on its side, empty. ¡°Got to always be ready Arn. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll teach¡­¡± Arn exploded forwards, crossing the twenty-five feet in seconds. Although he was gaping like a fish with his mouth wide open, Joshua dodged to the right just as Arn arrived. Arn shifted his feet and lunged, getting his hands around Joshua¡¯s waist and bringing him down. CONGRATULATIONS! Dexterity has reached 6! With Arn distracted by the attribute gain, Joshua recovered from having 240 pounds fall on top of him. ¡°Arn, Arn, I just don¡¯t feel the same big guy. I¡¯m sure the ladies will love the whole dripping blood all over them bit, but its not really my thing. Get your big ass off me!¡± While physically slow, Arn was mentally quick due to the years of training intelligence. ¡°I¡¯m ¡­ I¡¯m so sorry!!! I thought I could resist, that there was no need to tell the Elder. BUT IM SO HUNGRY. I NEED FLESH!¡± Arn widened his mouth and showed his teeth, ¡°I am going to be a great hero. Your sacrifice will be remember¡­¡± Joshua, screamed, bucked, rolled, got to his feet and bolted towards the village. Arn¡¯s hysterical laughter was interrupted. ¡°What in the Endless Hells just happened?¡± asked Liara, the Village¡¯s trainer. Liara was a large woman, a retired soldier, who spoke loudly and greatly intimidated all of the village¡¯s youth under her charge, and more than a few of the adults. Unsure how much she had seen, Arn decided on honesty. ¡°Joshua threw a rock at me during a break, so I tackled him and told him that my class required flesh to level. He ran back to the village screaming like a gir¡­like a banshee.¡± Liara exploded with booming laughter that went on and on; while the earthquake like sound was remarkable enough on its own, Arn was mesmerized by her heaving chest ¨C Liara might be intimidating to most, but to Arn she was the only properly sized woman in the village.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Epic, truly epic. Well, I can¡¯t say he didn¡¯t deserve it. For that. And generally. And you are being punished enough already, your face looks like ground meat. But we may as well get on with it. GET YOUR ASS OFF THE GROUND AND RUN AROUND THE FIELDS UNTIL I TELL YOU TO STOP!¡± For the first time in what felt like forever, Arn ran. Arn felt no chest pain and was thrilled to be jogging free and easy. ¡°YOU CALL THAT RUNNING! YOU¡¯VE GOT 12 CONSTITUTION FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. MOVE!!!¡± After the ¡°encouragement,¡± Liara blew past him. While Liara rapidly disappeared, Arn continued picking up the pace, enjoying the sensation of wind on his face. He felt the pain of his slowly regenerating injuries and the cramping discomfort of running at speed, but it got no worse, and he lost himself in the rhythm of his footfalls until Liara startled him. ¡°HELLS, I LAPPED YOU. WITH 12 CONSTITUTION, IF YOU WANT POINTS FROM TRAINING, YOU HAVE TO WORK TWICE AS HARD! Here, take these, run with them on your shoulders!¡± With that, she handed Arn 2 two foot logs and again blew past him shouting, ¡°PICK UP THE DAMN PACE. IF YOU DON¡¯T FINISH THE NEXT LAP BEFORE I CATCH YOU ITS BACK TO THE ROCKS!¡± Arn grit his teeth and accelerated as much as he could. His chest began heaving, his side felt like it was on fire, and with every step his injuries sizzled as though branded with a cattle iron. He pushed through the agony. With three hundred yards to go, Arn again heard Liara¡¯s booming voice ¡°I PASS YOU, I¡¯M THROWING THE ROCKS MYSELF. MOVE!¡± Arn ignored the blood dripping in his eye, the agony in his chest and somehow found another gear. I¡¯m going to make it! Pushed beyond limits, his chest seized, his feet stuttered, and the ground rose up to meet Arn before he realized he was falling. ¡°Pathetic. Truly pathetic. The thought of what your face is going to look like after I¡¯m done throwing rocks is making me sick. I¡¯ll make you a deal since I want to eat my lunch before grinding your face to paste makes me lose my appetite. Leave the two smaller logs for now. See that larger log over there? Pick it up with two hands, with your feet planted, legs straight, raise it to your chest, and then push it over your head like this! Easy! I want you to do that 200 times. If you drop it, you start again. If you stop to rest for a damn second, then I guess I have to postpone my lunch and we¡¯ll head back to the rocks.¡± While watching Liara lift the log was truly a joy, Arn couldn¡¯t help but be a bit terrified by its size and girth ¨C it was a good 5 feet long and 6 inches around, and obviously ironwood, which he knew was ridiculously heavy. As he tried to copy Liara¡¯s motions, he felt his seldom-used muscles protest, rip and tear. Agony gripped him within just a few repetitions, but he reached inside and found the will to continue. The rest of day passed in a blur of pain and blood punctuated by sporadic announcements: CONGRATULATIONS! Strength has reached level 5! CONGRATULATIONS! Pain resistance has reached level 3! CONGRATULATIONS! Strength has reached level 6! CONGRATULATIONS! You have unlocked the Block skill. Block has reached level 1. CONGRATULATIONS! You have unlocked the Dodge skill. Dodge has reached level 1. Arn: Level Two Revenant Attributes: Constitution: 12 Dexterity 6 (+1) Strength: 6 (+2) Intelligence: 9 Will: 8 Charisma: 4 Skills: Block (1) Dodge (1) Pain Resistance (3) (+2) 1 undistributed skill point Achievements: Survivor Tasty! In All My Glory Arn woke up and groggily tried to roll out of bed, falling on the floor tangled in sheets. Arn tried to disentangle, but the sheets were firmly stuck to him. What in the Endless Hells???? Arn pried the sheets away ¡­ and noticed they were stained with blood. Damnation, I don¡¯t have time to wash everything and this will never come out! I couldn¡¯t have taken two seconds to take off my clothes? Well, shredded rags now. Ugh, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter; its not like I¡¯ll be taking the sheets with me, but I¡¯ll be dammed if I¡¯m going to ruin another set of clothes. For that matter, at this point, why bathe at all when I¡¯ve got another blood bath to look forward too. To hell with the villagers! Let them see what a legendary class really means! Liara had ordered him to return to the training fields before dawn today, refusing to reveal whatever special torment she had in mind before the half dozen others in his age group arrived for training. Resolved, Arn peeled off the shredded rags that had been his shirt, gave the waist of his tattered pants a pull, and, satisfied that they wouldn¡¯t immediately fall off entirely, grabbed some jerky for breakfast and headed out the door, half naked and covered in dried blood with bits of cloth stuck in random spots. For good measure, Arn roared his defiance at the world on exiting . . . and came face to face with the schoolteacher, Miss Zalina and her two young children. Miss Zalina shrieked, and Yulia, her youngest, started to cry. ¡°Sorry! Sorry! I¡¯m fine. Fine. This is from training. I ¡­ uh got a legendary class. Going to be a great hero. Yep. Its just ¡­um¡­ a little messy and . . .¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°You should be ashamed of yourself! Scaring young children like that! Are you a boy or a beast! Go wash this¡­¡± Realizing it was a lost cause, and didn¡¯t really matter anyway, Arn turned his back on the family and headed to the training field. ¡°DON¡¯T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME YOUNG MAN!¡± Arn signed and, for the sake of his ears and to prevent waking up the entire village ¨C if his idiotic roar hadn¡¯t already done that ¨C he broke into a jog to quickly leave the lecture behind. At least I¡¯ll enjoy the look on the other teens¡¯ faces when they see me and realize what I¡¯m going through. Maybe I haven¡¯t trained for years like they have, but they will see that I have the spirit and heart of a warrior! Deep in his thoughts as he was, Arn didn¡¯t notice his surroundings until he arrived at the training fields. Liara was already there, her eyes drilling into Arn with a scowl that could melt lead . . . as were five village children, ages 8 to 11 looking up at him with a mixture of horror, revulsion and curiosity. ¡°Fitting that you come looking like a vile beast today Arn. It will make it easier for the children to really get into stabbing you. After we go over the basics of how to use a shield and practice the footwork, the children will use you for target practice while you try your best to block.¡± Turning to the students, she continued, ¡°in the wild, you never know what is coming, and if you end up facing a massive beast, you¡¯ll fight as a team or you¡¯ll die. No one dies today, but if you don¡¯t stab Arn full of holes, you¡¯ll run through lunch. But first, lets go over the basics. Line up!¡± It occurred to Arn that the day couldn¡¯t get any worse, but then he remembered yesterday¡­and actually thought about being repeatedly stabbed by the children. I¡¯m never going to be a Titan like the legends am I? But . . . I have to make something of myself; I gained a lot of stats for one day yesterday. I can do this! I think. Proper Use Of A Legendary Class??? On the fifth day since receiving his class, Arn woke, rolled out of bed, stretched and looked himself over in the mirror. After long days of the constant hunger that seemed to go hand in hand with regeneration, and enough exercise to repeatedly rip and tear his muscles badly enough to cripple a normal person, he had lost 15 of his 240 pounds and replaced perhaps another 10 with muscle. Being honest with himself, he was still fat, but much less so, and his cheeks were no longer bloated. To his amazement and delight, some combination of regeneration and weight loss had cured his acne. Of all his attribute gains, perhaps most surprising and pleasing was 2 full points in charisma moving from a dreadful four to an almost average six. While fitness alone could only take charisma so far, it was obvious that more weight loss could add at least another point, and probably more. Arn donned his ¡°training shirt,¡± a leather jerkin that he seemed to spend 30 minutes patching every night, and Arn headed out, remembering to head to Elder Dannis¡¯ house. Wonder what he has in mind. Skills? Be nice to work on something that doesn¡¯t involve training to the edge of death. Arn knocked, and let himself in. ¡°Good morning Elder! Please tell me we are working on my skills! I could use a break from being a training dummy for the other students! Or at least tell Liara to train me on the sword! She helped me unlock Swordsmanship, but its at one!¡± ¡°Ha, ha, I can imagine your sick of being on the receiving end! Don''t worry, I¡¯ve lined up something else I think you¡¯ll be excited about! Although it might not be a bad idea to pick skills first ¨C lets do it! Start with the basics. You can¡¯t pick skills unless you understand is what your class is for, yes? Sounds obvious, but so many idiots pick something flashy! Anyway, with no damage-based skill choices and being constitution-based, you are not going to be primarily a damage dealer. You will need to play the role of the Shield, protecting your party by occupying enemies¡¯ attention. Right now, you don¡¯t have any special skills to gain and keep the attention of multiple enemies like a Defender¡¯s Taunt. And no one is going to want a Shield that doesn¡¯t wear heavy armor and doesn¡¯t have a problem dying now and then regardless! So your role will be Second Shield, you grab anything that slips through, or anything especially tough that you can separate out. That you don¡¯t need attention from the party¡¯s healer is a plus for that. With me so far?¡± Arn paused. ¡°Yes. Uh, I mean, I was hoping for a more prominent role, I do have a legendary¡­¡± Elder Dannis interrupted Arn with a smack to the head. ¡°Have I taught you NOTHING? A Legendary class DOES NOT MEAN YOUR DESTINED TO BE A HERO. If you think that, let me know, and I¡¯ll cut off your fool head myself. When I was in the army, there was a young captain, Lanolin was name, something like that. Rich brat, but meant well. Anyway, patrol he led went bad, men started dying, he chugged all kinds of potions one after the other to try and save the day. Usually mixing and matching like that is just death, and if you get unlucky you might explode, go mad or worse. But that day, he rolled a legendary class, um ¡­ think it was called ¡°Internal Alchemist.¡± Crazy damn class, by mixing certain potions he gained long lasting, powerful buffs. Take three weak potions, strength, speed and regeneration, swell up like a giant, heal like a troll, rip through your enemies, that sort of thing. But the class didn¡¯t come with recipes, and he had more money then sense, tried every dang combination he could think of. Blew himself up, entire barracks actually; fool killed 100 men. Understanding me boy?¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Arn admitted, ¡°yes sir. We have to figure out what my class can actually do and I have to keep my common sense. Got it.¡± Dannis grumbled, ¡°good. Not that I believe you have a lick of common sense, but we can hope. Anyway, Second Shield, it¡¯s an important role, you¡¯re going to draw too many enemies eventually. Second Shields save lives. Sometimes. Here is the thing though ¨C contribution experience for being in a group that kills something isn¡¯t enough. You¡¯re going to have to kill things now and then if you want to level reasonably fast, and to do that, you need to do some damage. So those Holy skills, they are nice skills, folks will appreciate you having them, and the aura might even get you some monster attention. But they just won¡¯t help you kill anything, or be a decent Second Shield. With me?¡± Arn gulped . . . this was something he had been dreading after seeing the skill choices. ¡°But if I take a bunch of death skills won¡¯t the Holy Orders kill me on sight?¡± Dannis laughed heartily. ¡°No, no, its true that some of the Orders will be able to sense you have death magic, but there are a lot of weird classes out there with some death magic skills, not to mention items using death magic. Who doesn¡¯t want a blade with life drain? Well, they don¡¯t, they think their shit don¡¯t stink. They sense death magic, they aren¡¯t going to buy you a round in the tavern, and may cause some trouble if they can, but they won¡¯t out and out kill you." Dannis paused. "So which skill? That Drain Life skill path, I bet that with a couple of points it becomes an aura, which would be an amazing skill, and might help you get enemy attention too. But anyway, one point in that sounds crazy flipping useless ¨C you don¡¯t want to be touching powerful enemies with your hands! Whereas that stun, Death¡¯s Scream, that is guarantied to be handy, will help you keep powerful enemies away from your group and give you a chance to kill em. That is the one you need.¡± Arn asked ¡°is spending a point on a stun worth it when I may get Shield Bash?¡± Elder Dannis nodded, answering, ¡°that¡¯s a good one, but there is no guaranty it will ever come up for you. Besides, you can never have too many stuns. But we are getting off track, you are going on your first hunt!!!¡± Arn hesitated, no longer quite as na?ve as he was. ¡°What is the catch? You want me naked and dipped in pig blood? I¡¯m going to attract a swarm of something or others and blow myself up with firestones? Going to kill a whale from the inside? You have some insanity planned I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°You wound me boy. I¡¯m not out to make you suffer. But your class is your class is your class, and the firestone idea isn¡¯t a bad one. Well, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea if you were a noble and farted gold, those things aren¡¯t cheap. You know Taya and Mara are our newest hunters of course? They are camping out a tree stand, trying to catch a warg pack causing trouble for some of the eastern farms.¡± Arn sighed. ¡°Great, wargs, my old friends. They like the taste of my flesh, I¡¯m Tasty! So let me guess, I don¡¯t get to sit in the tree with them, I¡¯m bait.¡± Dannis chuckled. ¡°You won¡¯t be naked, you¡¯ll have a sword and shield and you can kill as many as you can. But yes, you¡¯ll be on the ground and they will be in the tree. Taya and Myra are fine hunters, but wargs aren¡¯t stupid. They start getting shot at by humans they can¡¯t reach, they are just going to run. Giving them something to go for¡­ok, call it bait, yeah, that is part of what your class is meant for. Just be careful, make sure you keep line of sight of the tree stand. Give the wargs time to take off your head, or consume most of you, that¡¯s it. Nothing fixes that.¡± Arn sighed. A legendary class. Meant to be warg bait. *&^#!!!! Arn: Level Two Revenant Attributes: Constitution: 12 Dexterity 8 (+2) Strength: 8 (+2) Intelligence: 9 Will: 8 Charisma: 6 (+2) Skills: Block (4) (+3) Death¡¯s Scream (1) Dodge (4) (+3) Pain Resistance (4) (+1) Swordsmanship (1) (+1) Achievements: Survivor Tasty! The Mighty Hunter After unlocking Death¡¯s Scream, Arn headed home to change into his older travel clothing, which was thankfully no longer ridiculously tight. He loaded a backpack full of bread, cheese and jerky to deal with the inevitably overwhelming post-regeneration hunger. Heading out, Arn found Taya and Mara already waiting at the training field. They were displeased. Taya was normally a pale freckled blond, but at the moment her face was red and blotchy, and her gaping mouth uncomfortably reminded Arn of a warg. ¡°Is this a bloody joke??? You¡¯ll be on the forest floor, alone, with a warg pack tearing into you for probably a full minute, maybe more. AND YOU ARE A FLIPPING LEVEL 2 NOT WEARING ANY ARMOR! You can¡¯t do that without dying, plain and simple, I don¡¯t care what class you have.¡± Arn waited. Taya continued her rant, ¡°well???! Are you going do defend this madness?¡± Arn nodded. ¡°Sorry, was just making sure you were done.¡± At that, Mara chimed in, ¡°is dying a joke to you Arn? Are you that stupid?¡± Arn sighed. ¡°No. Do you think Elder Dannis is? Do you want me to explain his thinking, or would you prefer I stand here for another five minutes while you two keep ranting. Wait, don¡¯t answer that, I¡¯m sorry. Truly. At least a little. Let me explain, and you¡¯ll understand why I¡¯m a little snippy about this whole thing ok?¡± Arn started at the beginning, leaving nothing out, from the wargs, to dying twice, to his class abilities and skills. ¡°So you see, its fine if I die. Swell even. Just another day, killed by wargs again, ho hum. Maybe I¡¯ll go for the record. Just as long as you don¡¯t let them rip off my head. Doable right?¡± Taya sputtered, ¡°so you are volunteering to be . . . eaten? That¡¯s insane!¡± Arn smiled, ¡°well, partially eaten. Completely could be a problem. And yes, it is insane, isn¡¯t it? Well, try having rocks thrown at you for a week, being group-stabbed by the village children and running., lifting and fighting while covered in blood and puke every single day for a week and let me know if you are still sane. Look if we had metal armor in my size I would wear it. We don¡¯t. Leather armor is just going to get shredded. I¡¯ll use my stun, Death¡¯s Scream, my shield and my sword to try and buy you time. I¡¯m not totally helpless. Maybe I won¡¯t die, what a sweet surprise that would be.¡± Taya paused, looking thoughtful. ¡°Ok, ok, I apologize for going off like that, sounds like you¡¯ve been through a nightmare week, but doesn¡¯t there have to be a better way?¡± Arn smiled bitterly, ¡°Elder Dannis assures me that I¡¯m meant for this. Legendary classes can be slow to level, and I gain more experience while badly injured you see. Combine that with the regeneration, and ¡­ presto, warg bait. Hoo, ah, the power and the glory! I¡¯m on my way to greatness for sure, right? Just promise me you won¡¯t tell this story when I¡¯m considered a Titan.¡± Mara interrupted. ¡°Ok, ok, I¡¯m glad your taking it so well. And we get it. Tell us about that skill. How many wargs will it stun for how long?¡± Arn paused to reflect. ¡°Um, I have no idea. The description is really vague, and I¡­uh, just unlocked it before I came over.¡± Taya¡¯s agitation returned faster than a charging knight, ¡°WHAT! ? Who the heck is training you? This is NUTS.¡± Arn sighed yet again and explained, ¡°the Elder wanted me to wait. Better focus on dodging rocks I guess. Maybe he was afraid I would Scream at the little tykes. Probably would have too. Did I tell you the little bastards actually started singing while stabbing me? Eh, I don¡¯t really know why we waited, but . . . I¡¯m more than willing to Scream at you now. Purely for learning purposes of course, no pent up rage here. Nope, none¡­¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Mara laughed, ¡°ok, its official, you are nuts. I¡¯m level 9, the scream might not do anything, but lets find out what we are dealing with. Fire away!¡± Taya hurriedly stepped to the side. Arn thought about activating the skill, but nothing happened. He tried shouting, ¡°Death¡¯s Scream,¡± after which Mara looked at him like he had two heads. ¡°Try actually screaming while thinking about activating the skill. Or dying, that was in the description you read to us right? Think about dying while scream...¡± A piercing unnatural wail ripped from Arn¡¯s throat. It filled the training field like a physical weight, and seemed to go on for an eternity. Runners tripped, and weight lifters paused mid-motion. When it eventually stopped, it felt to Taya like the horror of death was a tangible thing still all around her; she shook her head and it faded. Mara, the target, remained rigid, white as a sheet and glistening with sweat as Arn silently counted. On 3, Mara stuttered, ¡°that¡­that was¡­I just can¡¯t¡­it was¡­uh¡­maybe like being buried in a coffin with your mother¡¯s rotting corpse in your face while you run out of air.¡± Arn smiled. ¡°Welcome to my world. Still, the stun was a smidge less than three seconds. Kind of disappointing¡­¡± Taya interjected, ¡°Arn, Arn, you have no flipping clue! You are level 2 using a level 1 skill, she is level 9! This thing works at range, Maya was what, four feet away, and from the description it affects all targets in range. That is a GREAT skill! What is the cost/cool down again?¡± Arn mentally reviewed the description. ¡°No cool down. It costs stamina, doesn¡¯t say how much, and stamina is a hidden stat, but I know it¡¯s related to constitution, which I get a lot of. It also says that targets are less impacted by each repeated use.¡± Mara clapped her hands and laughed, ¡°no cool down! Arn, that¡¯s a winner! If all your skills turn out that strong, you won¡¯t be Mister Bait forever.¡± She paused. ¡°But skills that cost stamina are no joke. Don¡¯t go overboard with it until you test it more or you¡¯ll be too tired to lift your sword.¡± With that, they headed into the forest and the two young women¡¯s demeanor instantly changed. Although only a few years older than Arn, both seemed every inch real hunters, silently slinking through the forest constantly alert. Both had long knives drawn, so Arn took the hint and unlimbered his father¡¯s sword and shield. Nothing fancy ¨C his father was a master carpenter, not a fighter. With his size and burdens, Arn had some trouble moving quietly in spots on the tighter game trails, earning the occasional nasty look. After Arn¡¯s efforts at conversation were shut down, the group walked in silence for a few hours, following small game trails until they reached a large clearing. ¡°We are here. Let us get settled up there, then open the bait bag and splash the contents around. We think this is pretty close to the center of their territory, so it will probably be today,¡± Mara instructed. Arn scowled, ¡°I¡¯m going to eat my lunch before I splash blood and guts around thanks.¡± Mara gave him a stern look, ¡°if we get caught here after sundown, we are all dead. The permanent kind. Shove some food in your mouth if you have to, but be quick about it.¡± Arn sighed, sheathed his sword, put his shield down, and slipped out of his backpack. He took the bait bag out, pleased that it had stayed closed and not stained anything, and grabbed a handful of jerky. ¡°Um, Heaven! I just love the jerky Miss Marissa makes its¡­¡± A vaguely seen grey blur smashed into Arn¡¯s side, staggering him. Titan Of Legend Arn kept his feet and reached for his sword as more wargs exploded from the trees. One latched onto his sword arm, while another tore into his calf. Arn reached for his dagger, but a weight smashed into him from behind knocking him forward onto his hands and knees. Arn knew his life was actually at risk, and he reached inside for the horror of dying, unleashing Death¡¯s Scream first left and right. The warg rushing from the left staggered to a stop, frozen, but the warg on the right¡¯s momentum sent him crashing onto Arn. Arn started stabbing frantically with his dagger. ¡°Die! I¡¯m a flipping Titan of Legend! The great and mighty Warg Sla¡±¡­ Arm felt a thunk, and saw an arrow sprout from his arm. Arn yelled ¡°careful damn¡­¡± as blinding pain erupted on the side of his head. Arn tried to turn for another scream, but in doing so exposed his neck, which the warg gladly took. Arn blacked out. Warg Slain by Party! Warg Slain by Party! Warg Slain by Party! Warg Slain! CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 3! +4 Constitution and +4 Attribute Points (12). Resurrection Timer Reset. Would you like to go to the Attribute distribution screen? CONGRATULATIONS! Pain Resistance is now level 5! You will now feel less pain when injured. CONGRATULATIONS! For obtaining five levels in Pain Resistance in less than seven days, Masochist Achievement received! A portion of what others experience as pain, you will now experience as pleasure. WARNING: This is an upgradeable Achievement, and at higher levels has been known to cause deviant behaviors. Arn woke with the cool sensation of level-up provided healing flooding through him, confused by blackness. As Arn began choking on the fur of a dead warg, he slowly realized where he was and began flailing to push the warg off. Staggering to his feet, Arn noticed the arrow sticking out of his arm, saw four warg corpses and the two girls climbing down from their tree stand.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Mara greeted him with ¡°ugh, Arn there is a flap of flesh partially attached to your cheek. Rip that off before I vomit.¡± Arn did as asked, ¡°thanks for shooting me by the way, that was a new thing for me. Good to break up the monotony of being chewed on.¡± Mara scowled, ¡°well if the mighty Titan of Legend hadn¡¯t been so busy singing the praises of flipping jerky, and had actually noticed his surroundings, we might have had time to actually aim rather than worrying about saving your worthless hide.¡± Arn reddened, but Taya cut off his retore, ¡°enough! We killed four, and it looks like Arn got one of those, everyone is alive so good job! But five got away, at least two, maybe three with our arrows in them. If you are functional Arn, we can track and end these bastards!¡± Are raised his bloody arm, answering ¡°I¡¯ll be fine if one of you can help me pull the cursed arrow out! But five is a lot to fight on the ground, yeah?¡± Maya nodded, ¡°much as I hate to admit it, Arn is right. There is no guaranty the ones we shot are all that injured, and it¡¯s also possible that there are more wargs out scouting that could rejoin the pack. If we are attacked by five functional wargs, never mind more, we are, bare minimum, going to both look like Arn. Lets head back.¡± Taya sighed. ¡°Ok, ok. We¡¯ll get them next time. Arn, Mara and I will tie one to a stick and carry it. If you can carry one of them with an intact pelt, its worth 3 or 4 silver.¡± Arn nodded, ¡°I¡¯m all for some silver. I don¡¯t have a lot of clothes that aren¡¯t shredded, and I need like a dozen things before the Festival. But if we are all carrying wargs, we will be just meat if they attack, right? I¡¯ve done that once today already.¡± Tara explained, ¡°should be fine if we aren¡¯t chasing them. And I want a new dress for the dance!¡± Arn sighed. Arn blushed, asking ¡°hey. Um, about that whole Titan of Legend thing? Could we possibly keep that between ourselves?¡± Both girls laughed hysterically. Arn scowled. ¡°Very funny, really. I¡¯m laughing inside. See, the arrow shaking? That¡¯s how you can tell. Now maybe one of you could, oh I don¡¯t know, crazy idea here, but maybe PULL IT OUT? Pretty please? I¡¯ll be your best friend! Or you¡¯re warg bait. Stick with what your good at and all that.¡± The girls looked at each other and fell into another laughing fit. Digging For Gold ¡°I have to admit, I didn¡¯t think you would get through the week Arn. I mean, you were always dogged solving those puzzles, but you would blubber like a baby, a giant, enormous baby, whenever we tried to get you to do any physical exertion.¡± Arn sputtered, ¡°that is not fair! I was afraid of¡­¡± Elder Dannis interrupted, ¡°yes, afraid. Exactly. Of pretty much everything. Except puzzles. And now look at you! Wrestling wargs like they are puppies giving kisses! A week of *real* training, no more fun and games like before, another hunt, and you¡¯ll be ready. The villagers are really talking about you Arn! I even heard some of the children talking about you being a Titan of Legend! That kind of talk will spread like wildfire at the Festival, you¡¯ll have to fend off groups with a stick! And maybe some girls as well, eh? Are you excited about starting some real training?¡± Arn bit his tongue, or tried too. ¡°Sure. Hoo boy, sounds like good times. What is up first, scorpion swallowing, or wyvern cuddling?¡± Elder Dannis chuckled, ¡°fresh out, but don¡¯t worry, I have something special planned to power level you the last few days. You¡¯ll make some coin as well. Uh¡­you can swim right? Yes, yes, how could I forget teaching you to float. You shrieked like a banshee, ¡®I¡¯m going to drown, I¡¯m going to drown.¡¯ Ha, well, can¡¯t be worse than wargs, right? But enough about that, first lets spend those attribute points, then TRAINING! Lets see the attributes one more time Arn.¡± Attributes: Constitution: 16 Dexterity 8 Strength: 8 Intelligence: 9 Will: 9 Charisma: 6 Arn stared at the 9 in Will, not remembering gaining a point. I guess not running away screaming while being repeatedly stabbed and eaten takes will. Dannis chortled, ¡°ah very good, last week may not have been fun. Not for you anyway; Joshua seemed in high spirits. But it was worth it, no one gains this much in a week without spending level up attributes! I knew you were stubborn as a mule when you were a babe, the way you shrieked when your mother tried to wean you! Ha!¡± Dannis paused, lost in thought. ¡°Nine wisdom and nine intelligence, don¡¯t know why I didn¡¯t see it before. Well, first things first, crank both intelligence and wisdom to 10!¡± Arn stuttered, ¡°what? Elder I have a combat class.¡± Elder Dannis took off his spectacles and simply stared at Arn. ¡°Do you know how many soldiers I trained boy? You go thinking that damn class gives you everything you need and you¡¯ll die just as quick as the rest of the fools we had over the years with a legendary class. Did I tell you about The Siren? I knew her when she was just a camp follower, beautiful girl and the things she could¡­um, anyway, when she sang she lured beasts to her in a trance, stabbed them, gained levels like you wouldn¡¯t believe. She got to believing she could walk on water, forgot what her class was, and more importantly, what it wasn¡¯t. One day she called a drake, and not a little one. Charmed it up ok, minor miracle in and of itself. Didn¡¯t wait for the men to tie it down though, just drew her dagger and stabbed it in the eye. Broke the charm and the drake bit her head clean off. Real shame, that girl could¡­ Anyway, listen dang it. Your class does NOT give you everything you need. Now shut your trap and bump intelligence and wisdom to 10.¡± Arn gulped, and did so. Intelligence raised to 10. Congratulations, you may now unlock Mana! Wisdom raised to 10. Congratulations, you may now unlock the skill Focus! Dannis continued, ¡°ok, now go ahead and spend two points grabbing focus and mana and I¡¯ll explain why you just spent four points this way.¡± Arn did so, ¡°done. I got an Achievement for unlocking mana?" Elder Dannis nodded. ¡°Yep. Its just like stamina once its unlocked. The value is hidden, but will increase with intelligence, level and hard work. Just like with stamina, when you use mana you''ll know when you are getting tired." Dannis paused. "Ok, so listen up. You are never going to be a mage and call down a firestorm to barbecue an army, right? But mana will allow you to close up a lot of the weaknesses of your class. Most combat classers don¡¯t take it because they don¡¯t start at nine intelligence. And also because it¡¯s a pain in the backside to train up to where it is useful without getting handed free skills. But you are stubborn as a mule to begin with, and also you just took Focus, which is one of the best skills out there. Focus allows you to concentrate better, ignore distractions. Every spell caster gets it early, and every master archer gets it eventually. But the reality is that it allows you to do every single flipping thing better and learn faster to boot. The Siren used to say that no one else could¡­¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Arn chuckled and tried to jar the Elder from his memories, ¡°you¡¯ll have to tell us all about her at the next campfire sing along. So Focus is great, I get it. What about mana?¡± Dannis snorted, ¡°give an old man a break. You live to get this old, living in your memories is where the action is. Well, there and the bathtub. Anyway, most combat classers can¡¯t even think about taking Focus because of the cost, but at two points it¡¯s an absolute steal. You¡¯ll thank me one day. If you live long enough of course.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll thank you now Elder. That makes a lot of sense. Who doesn¡¯t want to cast spells?¡± Dannis snorted. ¡°Boy, your about as close to being a Titan as you are to casting spells. Don¡¯t thank me now because in three months when you are on some hunt getting your face chewed off and these four points aren¡¯t doing jack, you are going to be ticked at me. But¡­¡± Dannis dug through the massive disorganized piles on his desk, knocking more than a few things onto the ground before pulling out a book and holding it in the air like he was showing off a newborn child. ¡°You won¡¯t cast spells, but you treat this book like you did your puzzle books, and you¡¯ll pick up all sorts of useful tricks. Light, for example. You put in the work, and you¡¯ll be able to blind enemies. Nothing most mages bother with, but for you, blinding an enemy might save your life when you have already used your Scream. And a dozen other things. None will come easy. But you work at it like a dog with a bone, I know you will, and you¡¯ll have a toolbox. You won¡¯t be limited to just your class, and maybe, just maybe, you don¡¯t die stupid like the Siren.¡± For all his stories and supposed achievements, it was easy to think that the Elder was a bit of a buffoon, and Arn had certainly been guilty of that from time to time. But sitting with him now, Arn had the sense he was sitting before a legendary commander and trainer of heroes, and inched towards the end of his seat hanging on the Elder¡¯s next pearl of wisdom¡­and was treated to the up close view of a serious nose picking; more of an expedition really. As Arn considered starting the book or sneaking off, Elder Dannis finally resumed speaking, ¡°anyway, your attributes. Your never going to have the dexterity to fight like some fancy pants duelist. That isn¡¯t your class. You need to get in close, take hits if you have too and stab it till its dead. So lets see, you have 8 points left, put 6 in strength, 2 in dexterity.¡± Arn nodded. ¡°One last question then, why put so much in strength today, I¡¯m at 8 now. I¡¯ll never get the last two points from training right?¡± Dannis smiled. ¡°Arn, what we did is amazing, but it gets slower as you go. No one can just rush to 10 strength and dexterity from training alone, not even you. You are looking at a long road to get those last free points even if you don¡¯t put any more points in now. Anyway, every big city has training facilities for people with high strength, and out in the wilderness, you can always find a big rock or something. You¡¯ll get the points eventually. But right now, I need you to get a sense of what it is going to be like out there by training with your attributes up.¡± Arn nodded, ¡°got it.¡± Dannis chuckled evilly, ¡°all righty then! Time for you to head to the training field and get sliced and diced. Wouldn¡¯t want you going soft!¡± As Arn headed out, Dannis reflected on the horror show he had already put the boy through, and the week to come. It¡¯s for his own good. If I let him go without this kind of training, what chance would he have? I¡¯m not sure whether he is toughening up or going a little nuts, but at least he won¡¯t head off thinking he is a hero just because his crazy class is ¡°legendary¡±. Arn: Level Three Revenant Attributes: Constitution: 16 Dexterity 10 (+2) Strength: 14 (+6) Intelligence: 10 (+1) Will: 10 (+2) Charisma: 8 Skills: Block (4) Death¡¯s Scream (1) Dodge (4) Pain Resistance (5) (+1) Focus (1) Achievements: Survivor Tasty! Mana Masochist Dream Date Arn watched Liara toy with two young classers, easily holding both at bay. They tried to encircle her, but Liara simply glided around the closer classer, putting him between her and his friend. ¡°what brings you by today Arn,¡± Liara casually asked while blocking. ¡°Elder Dannis said we have a date today! I can¡¯t wait for our turn to dance. I am putty in your hands!¡± Liara snorted and casually stepped into the closer man smashing forward with her shield and knocking him back explosively with a spray of blood. She pivoted and drove a leg into the stomach of his would be helper, who flew backwards landing on his ass. She turned and grinned evilly at Arn, ¡°you know what? I¡¯m really looking forward to this too. Dannis said if I don¡¯t fill your belly with steel, he would make me the Festival Queen. Cheeky bastard deserves the beating, but you¡¯ll have to do. It has been forever since I¡¯ve been able to use live steel, this is going to be fun!¡± Arn gulped. Liara turned to the two classers picking themselves up, ¡°that was just sad. Lem, you have a man rushing from the other side, you can¡¯t let me circle around you like that. It isn¡¯t flipping high magic, just back the heck up and keep me between the two of you! Anyway, get out of here. Let Venitra know to come in two hours and remind Tas and Rion to come a bit after lunch. Once I cut Arn back down to size, he¡¯ll need some training partners he can at least imagine landing a hit on.¡± As they left, Liara turned to Arn. ¡°You talk a good game Arn, but your class gives you jack with the sword and a whole load of nothing with the shield. You want to go zero to hero, you are going to have to work for it, go from 1 to 2 to 3. Understand?¡± Arn nodded, ¡°All respect Mistress, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed that I spent all last week getting eaten, beaten, stabbed, smashed, and bled more than a dozen pigs. I won¡¯t quit.¡± Liara sighed. ¡°You are not understanding me Arn. Toughing it out is all well and good, but that isn¡¯t what we need here. You don¡¯t have the basics down. Stabbing you a bunch isn¡¯t going to help with your non-existent footwork. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯ll do it and enjoy it! Ha! But you¡¯re going to need to pay attention and really, really concentrate.¡± Arn happily told Liara about unlocking the Focus skill. Liara smiled, ¡°excellent! Dannis isn¡¯t half as senile as he lets on. Lets do this!¡± They started with the sword. Liara walked him through the basics, from how to hold the sword, to the essential footwork to basic thrusts and counters. When Arn finally got the "Congratulations" message granting him level one in Sword Mastery he had to fight off tears. The sword was the standard the villagers trained on, and Arn had been perhaps the onlyvillager over eight without Sword Mastery.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. For the next two hours, the pattern was that Liara would review a set of basic moves, then led him through a drill to practice. She went over the footwork used to turn, then circled around him ever more rapidly poking him in the side with her sword when he was inevitable too slow, or tripped over his feet. She went over feints, how to spot them and how to execute them, and then repeatedly got Arn¡¯s blade or shield going the wrong way, before smoothly scoring hit after hit. When it was his turn to practice feints, Liara didn¡¯t move at all when Arn tried to feint, giving him a ¡°friendly¡± stab with an inch of steel, and announcing what gave him away. Arn sighed and feebly tried to joke. ¡°Better clean your blade, wouldn¡¯t want it rusting.¡± Liara paused and frowned. ¡°You know Arn, I really am sorry about this. Joking aside, using live steel and seeing you bleeding like a watering can ¨C you know we don¡¯t have to do it this way, right? I mean, I know Dannis wants you to be properly prepared when you head off, and its definitely true you will learn a lot faster with real stakes, but Hells, your sixteen Arn. Training isn¡¯t supposed to be easy, but this . . . this is NOT normal. There is all the time in the world to learn the slow way. Maybe not here, but it doesn¡¯t have to be like this.¡± Arn smiled. Liara might intimidate the other students, but they weren¡¯t paying attention. He tried to put her at ease. ¡°I¡¯m tired of being weak Liara. My class was made for this. Its getting easier; my Pain Resistance is up to five now. Plus, I unlocked Masochist, so if can¡¯t get a girl, there is always dueling. Or warg petting.¡± Liara gaped. ¡°Masochist! That is just so damn wrong¡­just wow, I haven¡¯t been paying enough attention to how Dannis is training you, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll talk to him.¡± Liara shook her head at the absurdity of it all, and resumed her explanation. ¡°Well, Dannis isn¡¯t wrong about everything. The way he wants you to fight is probably right, his strategy for you is get in close and stab, or if you are fighting another human one-on-one, grapple, trip and stab will work well too. With your size, you fall on top of someone, they are going to have trouble stopping you from getting all stabby. All right! Watch closely, then you¡¯ll give it a go!¡± Arn smiled. ¡°I will work tirelessly till I can throw you down and grapple you into submission! And then I will work really har¡­¡± Arn saw a streak and felt the air go out of him before he flew backwards bouncing on the dirt. Arn refocused to Liara in his face, ¡°this . . . is . . . not . . . fun and flipping games Arn. Right here, right now, we decide whether you live or die, and whether you let your teammates die. I don¡¯t care whether you have a crush on me or you¡¯re just playing, either way it stops now. You¡¯ve got a better chance at dying. Sure, you are starting to look like a real man, but your still a boy, albeit a very, very big one.¡± She paused, eyeing him. ¡°I¡¯ll make you a deal. You cut the nonsense, give everything to the training, and if you make it back here in a few years, maybe, just maybe, we will wrestle for real. Deal?¡± ¡°Deal!!!¡± Arn replied with an enthusiastic squeak. Liara snorted and gave him a hand. The Path To Power That night, after a bath and enough food to feed a family of four, Arn sat down in bed with the book Elder Dannis gave him. Arn chuckled at the pretentious title, ¡°The Path To Power¡± and flipped the page to the introduction: One of the great secrets of this world is that while the great mages learn the flashiest uses of the highest concentrations of mana, they often fail to truly master the most basic uses of their gifts. With time, dedication and skill, the common man can perform amazing feats with the magi¡¯s disdained skills. He can learn to extend a cloak of mana around him, gaining knowledge of blades or arrows he cannot see, and, in time, even the ability to deflect them. He can learn to turn mana into light, and, with true dedication, to blind an enemy. While the master mage may cackle with glee while using ¡°Invisible Hammer¡± to knock down trees, the disciple of this, my life¡¯s great work, will learn to wield his much smaller force with far greater finesse. The Archmage may disdain poking an eye or tripping a foot, but these skills, if mastered, will save your life time and time again. It is a fact that the mightiest mages and wizards often die due to their infatuation with their most powerful arts, felled by an arrow just as their impenetrable barrier falls, or stabbed in the back as they finish unleashing a mighty firestorm. The path we now walk may seem less glorious, but you will live and grow. This is the true path to power. Arn¡¯s eyes lit up. Hmm, seems the old coot was right. This book and these skills are worth more than their weight in gold. Arn turned to the first chapter: Every journey begins with a single step. Unfocus your eyes, and see what others do not, the mana all around you. I can give you no further guidance other than to keep trying, although, in truth, you may succeed when you least expect it. For example, some first see mana as they awake. Regardless, you will see mana if you keep at it. Once you do, the trick is reaching for that same state, that same feeling. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. The frustration you may feel at this stage is understandable. Understand that you have not chosen an easy path, and that reaching your destination requires, most of all, the willingness to keep walking no matter the obstacles you face. Walk the path with conviction, and you will move forward in time. Arn was shocked to see that this was the end of the first chapter; two small paragraphs filled with platitudes and little to no real guidance. Turning the page, he saw that the next ¡°chapter¡± described learning to manipulate mana in equally vague terms. Having learned to see mana, you must learn to feel it. While there is no one single approach that works for all, I instruct my students to try and extend their awareness into the mana they wish to manipulate. Try and become one with the mana, only trying to manipulate the mana once you can feel it in the same way you feel your arm. You don¡¯t grab, push or pull your arm, for it is yours. Admittedly, many students feel great frustration at this stage. Cast such frustration aside, make consistent efforts part of your daily ritual, and you will succeed in time. Arn could hardly believe that the so-called guidebook was nothing but platitudes. Great. I like puzzles, but this is flipping ridiculous. Sigh. Nothing for it but to try. Arn tried various combinations of focusing and unfocusing his eyes, squinting, straining, relaxing and every variation he could think of, but saw nothing unexpected. Exhausted, he laid down to sleep, concluding that Elder Dannis had been right after all; he would curse the old man¡¯s recommendations. Sea of Blood and Pain; Island of Joy With the help of the focus skill and his increasing Pain Resistance, the long days of training blended into each other. Being covered in blood on a hot day, arms sticking and squelching with every movement and attracting hordes of flies ceased to bother Arn. Nor could Arn distinguish his old friend, regeneration-driven hunger, from the other constant pains he ignored. He focused and learned on deep autopilot. When he gained points in attributes or skills, he simply dismissed the messages, and when he was done for the day, he simply went home, bathed, ate, futilely tried to see mana, slept and did it again, adrift on a sea of blood and pain. At the end of his second week as a classer, Arn arrived at the empty training field and simply waited, empty of any thought, staring at nothing. And saw. The world was alive with a swarm of dancing motes, like dust in the air catching the light just so. CONGRATULATIONS! Mana Sight unlocked! Mana Sight level one reached! Liara arrived to find Arn slack-jawed, staring at nothing. He is getting worse. The damn old fool is pushing him too hard; you can¡¯t make up for lost years in a few weeks. The little gift I have planned for today could easily go very, very wrong. Well, have to try. I brought a healer along today for a reason. ¡°Arn! Arn! Wake the hells up! Joshua is here to spar with you!¡± Arn snapped out of his trance, and the motes of mana disappeared. ¡°What? Oh sparring, ok.¡± Arn noticed Joshua and processed the rest of Liara¡¯s message. ¡°Joshua! Oh, this is going to fun! Did you know I have 12 strength now? Going to have to be carful not to full out rip your arms off! Well, maybe just one would be ok!¡± Joshua gulped and turned to Liara, ¡°this is nonsense! In a week at the festival sure, but today I¡¯m no classer! He has strength and reach, doesn¡¯t feel pain and regenerates! How am I supposed to fight a flipping giant zombie troll???¡± Liara fought a smile. You¡¯re not. That is why I brought the healer. ¡°Joshua! Calm down! You have been training with me for years! Your sword skills are much higher than his, your footwork much better, you are still faster and you¡¯ll be using a real blade while Arn uses a blunt training sword. You can do this if you focus!¡± Liara put an arm on a shoulder of each boy. ¡°All right boys, lets do this. Arn, your scream is off limits. For this fight, for both of you, sword to the head or neck is off limits. Go!¡± Arn rushed forward while keeping control of his footwork, growling and baring his teeth to mess with Joshua, who visibly gulped. Joshua backpedalled and tried to circle left around Arn¡¯s shield, keeping Arn¡¯s blade out of reach. Arn feinted a lunge, took a huge step left and forward, and slammed his shield out. Joshua mostly got his own shield up in time, but the force of Arn¡¯s blow sent Joshua stumbling backwards.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. CONGRATULATIONS! You have unlocked the Shield Bash skill! Shield Bash level one reached! Blows with your shield do more damage and have a chance to knockback and/or stun your opponent. Shocked by the rare unlock, Arn paused in thought. Joshua used the time to collect himself, and rushed towards Arn, thrusting forward with his sword. Arn deflected the blow with his shield, and took a giant step forward into Joshua¡¯s guard. Too close for another Shield Bash, Arn unleashed a massive head butt. Joshua staggered backwards, a spray of blood erupting from his nose, and after a stagger, collapsed like a puppet with cut strings. CONGRATULATIONS! You have unlocked the Head Butt skill! Head Butt level one reached! Using your head as a weapon now does more damage and has a chance to stun your opponent. Arn grinned from ear to ear and found himself laughing madly. Liara got in his face and started yelling. ¡°Arn! Enough! I know there is bad blood between you and Joshua, but we do NOT laugh at downed opponents!¡± Struggling to regain control, Arn told Liara of his gains. I truly am an evil genius Liara thought. ¡°Ok Arn. Well, hells yeah, you get to enjoy that! Unlocking skills without using an attribute point is incredibly hard! Some combat classers that don¡¯t unlock Shield Bash as a class skill never get it. So celebrate!¡± Liara patted Arn on the arm. ¡°Arn, I don¡¯t say this. Ever. But you have been working too flipping hard for two weeks straight, and I know Dannis has some crazy hunt lined up for tomorrow. Take the rest of the day off. That¡¯s an order.¡± Arn nodded, still buzzing from the victory and unlocking two skills. ¡°Thanks. I think I¡¯ll head to the swimming hole, and relax.¡± Arn paused and continued, ¡°maybe drown a few wargs for laughs. You should come, you¡¯ve been working hard too.¡± Liara smiled. ¡°Ha! You are still 16. And, even more importantly, covered in blood and flies! So get out of my dang sight before I retch!¡± Arn laughed and headed off. After putting his gear aside and lowering himself into the swimming hole, Arn thought back to the dancing motes of mana. He tried to remember the sensation of looking at the grass without caring what he saw. After a moment, dancing motes of mana appeared above the water. Arn whooped and yelled, ¡°Hells yes! Gonna be an Archmage!¡± Remembering the embarrassment of his boast about being a ¡°Titan of legend,¡± Arn sheepishly looked around. Seeing no one in sight, he descended into mad laughter, truly happy for the first time in a long while. Arn: Level Three Revenant Attributes: Constitution: 16 Dexterity 10 Strength: 14 Intelligence: 10 Will: 10 Charisma: 8 Skills: Block (5) (+1) Death¡¯s Scream (1) Dodge (5) (+1) Head Butt (1) Focus (1) Mana Sight (1) (+1) Pain Resistance (5) Shield Bash (1) Sword Mastery (3) (+2) Achievements: Survivor Tasty! Masochist Breakfast of Champions Arn and Elder Dannis sat at his kitchen table the next morning. ¡°I¡¯ve heard great things about your progress Arn. The fat man-child is long gone! I¡¯m looking at someone new!¡± Arn ruefully smiled. ¡°Thanks. I think. It has been a revelation for me as well. Just for example, I had no idea how hard it is to get dried blood out of your ass.¡± Dannis snorted and said, ¡°well if you want to be a ¡®Titan of Legend¡¯ and you know, not die stupid, than you have to make sacrifices. You ready for your hunt?¡± Arn smiled. ¡°No, not really. I went swimming yesterday, so swimming today sounds boring. Besides, what is there to hunt in the water? You couldn¡¯t possibly be sending me to hunt slarns in the water right?¡± Dannis huffed, ¡°don¡¯t be dense boy, you¡¯ve got a 16 constitution now, you should be able to hold your breath for 10 minutes and the poison will hardly effect you.¡± Arn gave it serious thought. ¡°I get that, but I¡¯ve heard three or four of them can strip a cow to bone in under a minute. On land is one thing, but in the water sounds like the forever kind of dying. You¡¯re the one who is always telling me I can¡¯t over estimate my class.¡± Dannis frowned. ¡°The slarns will be more than happy to come close to the shore. Scream at em, and start with the stabbing. They aren¡¯t that tough, but the village could really use this. There are a lot of them in the river these days and they cost us a lot of livestock. They are a huge hassle to hunt on land given how fast they can scurry back to the water if they sense danger, but with your Scream you have a huge advantage. If you do need to follow them into the shallow water, your constitution and regeneration should protect you sufficiently from the poison. Here, taste this¡± Dannis said while handing over a small jar. ¡°What¡¯s this? I heard slarn is too stringy for humans¡± Arn asked while dipping his hand in the jar and eating a large gob. Dannis took the jar and calmly noted, ¡°slarn poison. I figured with your class bonus you could pick up the resistance now. You did hear me say ''taste'' right? That doesn''t mean the same as ''eat the whole flipping jar.''" Arn stood up in a panic and shouted, "I have to get to the healer!" Dannis paused, suddenly looking concerned, ¡°you DO still have your daily class resurrection, right? You have to tell me if you use that up in some foolishness!¡± Arn feltsilly forpanickingand sat back down. "Yeah, I have it but that doesn''t mean I want to die."Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Elder Dannis relaxed and smiled. "You''ll be fine Arn. We don''t have time to get the healer anyway; slarn poison is quick. I suppose I should have known better; you''ve been eating anything not nailed down for years. Remember that time you thought the floor wax was honey..." Arn lost track of the Elder''s droning as an intense burning spread from Arn¡¯s tongue through his face, followed by sweeping numbness. He tried to get up, but his head felt like an iron weight and his legs like noodles. Arn fell on the floor, and the room started to spin. Blackness. ¡°Arn? Arn! Wake your ass up, time is a wasting. You aren¡¯t dead, so shake it off. Arn!!!¡± Arn stirred to Dannis¡¯ exhortations and a few slaps. ¡°Daammfff uff .¡± Arn gave up and went back to resting. CONGRATULATIONS! Poison Resistance unlocked! Poison Resistance level one reached! You are less susceptible to poison¡¯s effects and will recover more quickly. After a time, Arn felt in control enough to slowly lever himself up to a seated position. Arn turned and found Elder Dannis casually eating an omelette. ¡°Ah, Arn, done with your nap I see! You owe me 10 silver by the way, that stuff isn¡¯t cheap!¡± ¡°Skwew you Ewldwer!¡± Dannis chuckled, ¡°now, now, its not my fault you acted like a child with a jar of honey is it? Did you get Poison Resistance?¡± ¡°Yeeahh buh onwy lewell hon.¡± Dannis chuckled, ¡°Arn do you have any idea how hunters go about gaining Poison Resistance? They take a tiny amount every day, maybe for months.¡± Surly, Arn grabbed Dannis¡¯ food and clumsily shoved some in his mouth. Dannis frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure you appreciate everything I¡¯m doing for you boy!¡± Dannis sighed, and after a moment resumed his instructions. ¡°Borrow another dagger from Liara so you have one on each leg. There is a wheelbarrow outside you can use to bring dead slarns back; Elric will give you good silver for them. Now get the Hells out, and I¡¯ll expect an apology when you¡¯re back!¡± Arn staggered to his feet and headed out; he was in no mood to apologize for being angry about his poisoning. Arn: Level Three Revenant Attributes: Constitution: 16 Dexterity 10 Strength: 14 Intelligence: 10 Will: 10 Charisma: 8 Skills: Block (5) Death¡¯s Scream Dodge (5) Head Butt (1) Focus (1) Pain Resistance (5) Poison Resistance (1) (+1) Shield Bash (1) Swordsmanship (3) Achievements: Survivor Tasty! Masochist Lazy River Fun While the swimming hole was fed by a small tributary some distance to the west of Amber Pastures, to the east was the Snake River itself, so named because it was slow and winding for most of its length. The portion of the Snake nearest the village was wide and slow enough that they called it Snake Lake or just ¡°the Snake,¡± but as lakes go, it wasn¡¯t much. In years past, the Snake had been used both for fishing and recreation, but more recently the lake had attracted a sizeable slarn population. Walking by the eastern fields pushing the wheelbarrow, Arn reviewed what he knew about slarns. Growing up to six feet long and as thick as a man¡¯s head, a slarn resembles nothing so much as a fat black snake ¨C with four small but wickedly sharp claws that doubled as flippers, sharp teeth and paralytic poison. In addition to making the Snake largely unusable to the village, the slarns were mobile enough to threaten young animals grazing in the village¡¯s eastern fields. Faster than a rancher over short distances and possessed of caution, keen senses, and a measure of intelligence, hunting slarns on land or by boat was rarely particularly successful ¨C and only a fool would get in the water with them. Arriving, Arn instantly noticed a number of slarn lazily swimming or drifting near the bank. Arn reflexively checked the daggers sheathed on each leg and the sword on his back ¨C Arn reasoned that his shield was unlikely to be useful and had left it at home. Picking a spot with only a few slarn nearby, Arn laid on his belly 40 feet from the Snake. While he knew a large human on land wouldn¡¯t ordinarily be a target, Arn figured that on his belly this close ¨C and having the Tasty ¡°Achievement¡± ¨C he would seem a lovely snack. Time passed with agonizing slowness. As if to tease him, every now and then a slarn would stick its head a bit further out of the water, look in his direction and flick out its tongue, but none came for him. Ok then. Lets see how smart you really are. Arn slowly maneuvered one of his daggers, sliced into his arm and settled back down to bleed and wait. After what felt like an eternity, a large slarn emerged and very slowly slithered in his direction. Five feet from the lake, the slarn froze. Out of boredom, Arn started to count; at 47, the slarn crept another five feet closer and froze again. Arn fought back a frustrated laugh and did his best to play dead. Without trying too, Arn slipped into mana sight. The book should urge everyone to get bored to tears and . . . Arn¡¯s train of thought was cut off as the slarn started to charge. Arn levered himself to his knees using his left hand and stabbed forward with a dagger in his right, missing the slarn¡¯s eye and ineffectually stabbing its snout. The slarn continued its charge, snapping its head to the side and biting into the meat of the offending arm. Realizing that his flawed strategy put him in a bad spot, Arn grabbed the slarn¡¯s head with his left and pushed down to help lever himself to his feet. The slarn had other ideas, letting go of Arn¡¯s arm and lunging into his chest claws extended. Startled, Arn¡¯s effort at evasion led to him falling backwards. Slamming into the grass on his back, Arn dropped the dagger, grabbed the slarn¡¯s head with both hands and tried to put his thumbs into its eyes. The slarn, however, was slippery. With the slarn slashing and writhing on his chest, inching towards his head, Arn bear hugged it to his chest and rolled. With the slarn thrashing underneath his bulk, Arn drew his second dagger with his left hand and started repeatedly stabbing into the slarn until it eventually stilled.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Slarn Slain! CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE REACHED LEVEL 4! +4 Constitution and +4 Attribute Points (4). Would you like to go to the Attribute distribution screen? Arn felt the delicious rush of healing from his level up and clenched his fist in victory. The Mighty Titan Prevails Again! No beast can oppose my¡­ Arn, still lying on his stomach, was interrupted by a sharp pain in his buttocks as another slarn ripped into his backside unopposed. As he gathered himself and rose to his feet, the slarn on his buttocks tore out a chunk. As he turned, Arm was greeted by three more slarn charging at him, and realized he was in deep trouble. The slarn on the left and in the center appeared normal, but the slarn on the right was larger with grey scales intermixed with black. Arn reached for the spot in his soul where the memory of death never left, and Screamed at the three slarns in front, turned to the slarn at his back, now attached to a calf and Screamed again. Arn switched his dagger to his right hand, his main, and stabbed the stunned slarn on his calf squarely in the eye. The slarn let go, and Arn turned to face the other three as they began to stir. Arn dropped his remaining dagger, drew his sword, took a step forward and cleanly decapitated the slarn in the middle of the three. Slarn Slain! The slarn on the left fully recovered first and lunged at Arn before he was set for a strike. Arn awkwardly sliced at the slarn with a shortened stroke, biting into the slarn¡¯s side as it latched onto his thigh. Arn brought his sword up and smashed it point down into the slarn¡¯s head with all his strength, penetrating deeply. White hot agony shot through Arn and his entire body seized as the uninjured grey-scaled slarn bit deeply into his testicles. Waves of pain smashed his senses and physically staggered him for what felt like forever. Slarn Slain! CONGRATULATIONS! Pain Resistance is now level 6. You will feel less pain when injured. As growing numbness from the slarn poison finally over-powered the pain, Arn came to his senses and realized that the grey-scaled slarn had retreated to the lake. Arn felt muted rage through the numbness, but it faded quickly as numbness continued to sweep through him. I¡¯m still in trouble. I need to get further back. Arn, turned took a wobbly step and fell to the ground. Uh, maybe I¡¯ll just rest a bit. Arn managed to turn slightly and crane his head to watch the lake. CONGRATULATIONS! Poison Resistance is now level two! You are less susceptible to poison¡¯s effects and will recover more quickly. After a few minutes, Arn stumbled to his feet and gathered his weapons while wobbling. After almost cutting himself sheathing a dagger, Arn sat back down facing the lake. Dannis was wrong! The damn poison will definitely get me killed if I get swarmed in the water. I need a new strategy. Suddenly, Arn paused, and his jaw dropped, horror spreading through him like wildfire. Eaten. Stoned. Stabbed. Arn had toughened . . . but this . . . Gods no! Arn prayed. He hardly recalled which God was which, and didn¡¯t believe they answered prayers . . . but if ever there was a time for prayer, this was it. Slowly, reluctantly, Arn untied the drawstring on his pants and forced himself to look. Thank you, thank you! I¡¯ll slaughter a pig to each of you! Relief flooding through him, Arn thought about his strategy. Deep thoughts were elusive, but after a moment he had a genius idea, and stood up knowing what to do. ¡°Lunch!¡± Arn: Level Four Revenant Attributes: Constitution: 20 (+4) Dexterity 10 Strength: 14 Intelligence: 10 Will: 10 Charisma: 8 Unallocated: 4 Skills: Block (5) Death¡¯s Scream (1) Dodge (5) Head Butt (1) Focus (1) Pain Resistance (6) (+1) Poison Resistance (2) (+1) Shield Bash (1) Sword Mastery (3) Achievements: Survivor Tasty! Masochist A Heros Welcome Arn ordinarily greatly enjoyed puzzles, but fitting four ichor slicked six-foot corpses into a wheelbarrow was a horse of a different color. After a good ten minutes of slarn flopping everywhere except the wheelbarrow, Arn was covered in dirt, ichor and blood, and had long exhausted his supply of curses. Walking ¨C very slowly ¨C into town with the wheelbarrow, however, Arn¡¯s mood steadily improved. Slarn were a hated nuisance that were very difficult to hunt ¨C bringing four into the village should put a stop to the jokes for good! As he entered the village humming, Arn waved and greeted everyone he saw. ¡°Afternoon Mister Chambers! Apologize for my appearance but I did bag four slarn!¡± Strangely, no one stopped to talk, but he did get many nods and waives. Smiling, Arn saw his friend Deon with most of the village teens coming out of the local inn, The Wandering Gull. Arn carefully put the wheelbarrow down and shouted an enthusiastic greeting across the street, ¡°Morning all! If you¡¯re still hungry I have plenty of slarn!¡± The group paused, looked at Arn, and jaws dropped. Deon grinned and asked, ¡°Arn, what in the Hells? You look like a zombie slarn! And why is your crotch soaked in blood!¡± Most of the group started giggling, but one of the younger girls, Lichelle covered her mouth with her hand and dry heaved to the side. Arn looked down at his blood-stained crotch in horror. ¡°Um, well, you know the thigh bleeds a lot.¡± Recovering his mojo, Arn added, ¡°quite an epic battle with these four, thought I was a gonner!¡± Talia snickered, ¡°looks more like you finally lost your virginity. Congratulations!¡± As the group exploded in renewed laughter, Arn realized he had already lost, picked up the wheelbarrow to head to the Tannery. The Tanner¡¯s fourteen year-old daughter Nina spotted Arn and put her gardening aside. ¡°Arn! Are you ok?¡± Arn smiled; the two months he spent learning leatherworking from Nina¡¯s father Jorn was easily one of his best memories from Amber Pastures. Nina was a ray of sunshine, and her father was a fantastic teacher, but ultimately the work had just taken stamina he didn¡¯t have. Arn said ¡°I¡¯m right as rain Nina. The slarn weren¡¯t a lot of fun, but it got done. I¡¯m hoping your dad will give me good coin for them.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Dad is working out of town, but I can help you with that Arn! Let me take a look see.¡± Nina walked over and looked him up and down, ¡°Senna didn¡¯t charge you too much for healing I hope?¡± Arn smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I haven¡¯t had a chance to talk with you recently, it has been so crazy since I got my class. But I regenerate! No healers for me!¡± Nina grinned and said, ¡°great! Then I don¡¯t have to feel bad about dad¡¯s prices! Ha!¡± She poked through the corpses, ¡°ok, four adults, three with pretty much intact hides, I can give you eight silver for those, but the one that is chopped up pretty bad, I¡¯m sorry, but I can only give you five for that one, so twenty-nine total. Pretty amazing for a morning¡¯s work though, right! If you don¡¯t mind bringing them around the back I¡¯ll meet you with the silver. Would you like a drink?¡± Arn held up his gore covered hands and explained, ¡°best I just drop them and take a bath. Or maybe just go back out hunting. I¡¯m not fool enough to think I¡¯ll manage to avoid taking another beating. It seems to be a specialty.¡± Nina stomped her foot. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! Go home, take your bath, and I¡¯ll meet you at the inn with your silver. I¡¯ll buy your lunch. Dad will understand when he hears what the slarn did to you.¡± Arn hesitated. He liked Nina, and having lunch with her was no hardship, but the prospect of possibly seeing Talia and the others was another issue. ¡°Nina¡­¡± Nina interrupted, ¡°going back inside now! Dump the slarn out back! See you soon!¡± On the way home, Arn began to think. He had always viewed Nina as something akin to a little sister. The prospect of romance had never even occurred to Arn given the age difference, the fact that she was tiny for her age and his own undesirability. But now he started to wonder. At home, Arn bathed thoroughly and put on the only half decent set of clothing that he hadn¡¯t wrecked over the last two weeks, figuring he could just take it off when he got back to the lake. Arn nervously fussed with his hair. Stop being silly. She is 14, a tiny little thing, and just being nice in any event. But¡­I do look totally different; good even. If I were to come back in two years with money¡­¡± Arn shut down the pointless line of thought. A quick lunch, then hunt the patchy-scaled bastard that nearly took my nuts. By the time he walked though the doors of the inn, Arn was humming to himself. There was no denying that Nina was special, why shouldn¡¯t he see what could be? A Normal Lunch??? Arn¡¯s optimism vanished the second his hand touched the door. What am I thinking? I¡¯ve seen how my luck works. She won¡¯t be here. She¡¯ll be sitting with Talia. Or everyone inside is being eaten by wargs. Probably the last one. Opening the door, Arn quickly saw Nina waiving at him from a table with steaming food on both sides. ¡°Sorry Arn! I was hungry so I ordered for us. Hope you don¡¯t mind!¡± Arn sat down and chuckled, ¡°this is wonderful! But to be honest, the way things have been going, I¡¯m just glad there isn¡¯t a pile of rocks on the table.¡± Nina¡¯s mouth quirked cutely. ¡°What in the name of the Seven Gods? Tell me everything while we eat.¡± Arn started talking, and to his surprise, told Nina everything, from dying twice, being eaten, stabbed, stoned, poisoned and humiliated. Nina looked concerned, ¡°Arn . . . you are letting them torture you! They don¡¯t do that to baby killers! You are the one with the class. You don¡¯t have to walk the path someone else picks out for you.¡± Arn smiled ruefully and said ¡°I agreed to it Nina. You know, except for the part with the slarn almost getting the family jewels. Talia said it looked like I lost my virginity.¡± Nina snorted, ¡°come on Arn, you can¡¯t entirely blame her for that one! A slarn biting you there, own it and laugh along!¡± With Nina beaming, Arn couldn¡¯t precisely disagree, but still¡­Nina just didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Nina. Its just, you know, I had no future, was going to be forced to leave the village. And then this class came along, and I thought my luck had changed. I signed up for the crash course, zero to hero in 1001 rocks and stabbings. It¡¯s working. But ¡­ I don¡¯t ¡­ I just don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing anymore.¡± Nina looked shocked. ¡°Huh! I always thought you were the smartest kid in the village Arn, but I guess I was wrong.¡± Arn¡¯s mouth gaped in confusion as he asked ¡°what do you mean?¡± Nina smiled kindly. ¡°The agreeing to be a human pi?ata thing is nuts Arn, but I get why you signed up to be tortured now. You got dealt a tough hand, true. But it seems you were so busy with doom and gloom you missed the fact that the Elder loves you, and always had a plan for you.¡± Shocked, Arn stuttered ¡°wh..what the heck are you talking about? He all but packed my bags.¡± Nina explained, ¡°so when Dannis had you try every non-physical profession in the village, like knitting, you seriously thought he envisioned you becoming a seamstress?¡± Suddenly angry, Arn forcefully said, ¡°of course! There are only so many things a cripple can do!¡± Calm, Nina asked ¡°and when he sent you to every physical profession in the village to learn, the ones you could never do like blacksmith, you thought what?¡± Suddenly less confident, Arn explained ¡°that was a strategy to boost my intelligence so I could pick up something like scribe or something.¡± Nina smiled. ¡°Really. So the great puzzle-solver thought that was a good way to train intelligence. And what, you just assumed that the city folk would welcome a random untrained village boy as a scribe?¡± Flabbergasted, Arn said ¡°um, I¡¯m starting to feel like I might have missed something huge, but I just can¡¯t see it. The Festival was in three weeks when I got this class and the Elder said nothing.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Nina took Arn¡¯s hand. ¡°Arn, the Elder was giving you the knowledge for the profession he had in mind. Not all classes are unlocked you know. Some are given. I don¡¯t know the name. But you were to be his apprentice and train to lead the village.¡± Stunned, Arn protested, ¡°no, that can¡¯t be right. Did he tell you this?¡± Nina gently continued, ¡°no, he didn¡¯t tell me. I don¡¯t know exactly what he was waiting for. You can ask him. Maybe I don¡¯t have it exactly right. But I¡¯m sure he had a plan for you.¡± Arn put his head hands on his face. ¡°I was such a jerk to him when he poisoned me. Well, maybe he deserved that one, but I never thanked him. Not for anything really.¡± Nina poked him ¨C ¡°snap out of it. Easily fixed! And your class? It is Legendary! You are on an unexplored path all by yourself, trying to run. Of course you are going to trip.¡° Amazed at the tiny force in front of him, Arn couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°Nina do you think that if I came back in two years with enough money to settle down¡­¡± Realizing what he said, Arn felt fire rush to his cheeks. Nina put her hand on his arm. ¡°Arn, I don¡¯t think you know where you are going or why you are working so hard to get there. You are changing so fast, you need to figure out who you are, and who you want to be. You figure out who you are, you come back and introduce me. We¡¯ll have lunch. I¡¯d like that. Ok?¡± Arn nodded. ¡°Yes. Of course! I mean, I shouldn¡¯t have¡­¡± Nina smiled and interrupted, ¡°I¡¯m your friend Arn. I¡¯m glad we had lunch. But now, I think you have something you need to do.¡± Nina paused. ¡°You need to go get your balls back!¡± Lovers Embrace Back at the house, Arn decided to split his four points by putting two in Strength and Dexterity. I don¡¯t have to consult The Elder for every little thing. I get that the strategy of getting in close makes sense, but I still need more dexterity and can¡¯t take only strength. Thus far my fights have not been particularly graceful. That changes now! Arn grabbed his gear, and jogged to the lake with the wheelbarrow. Looking around the lake, there were plenty of slarn, but the old bitch he wanted revenge on was nowhere in sight. He wasn¡¯t about to lay on his stomach again, that hadn¡¯t worked out well, but he was willing to kneel and figured he would either end up getting wet or covered in blood and ichor. Either way, no sense ruining more clothes. Arn, hesitated, but after a pause stripped to his underwear. I¡¯m sure Nina is correct. Just normal bumps on a new path. There is no reason to think that hunting half-naked is automatically going to lead to a disaster. Sooner or later something needs to be easy? Please let it be now! Arn kneeled in his underwear, sword on his back and a dagger sheathed on each leg, and slowly edged forward while keeping an eye on the water. No dice. Do I have to sing? Take off my underwear? Arn edged to within 5 feet of the lake where a slarn waited a foot or two into the water. And waited. All right. You win. I¡¯ll come to you. The worst that happens is that you have a couple of friends out of sight, I lose a few body parts and maybe die once or twice, level up Tasty for good measure. Arn slowly went from kneeling on both feet to readying one to push off. When the slarn didn¡¯t react, Arn pushed off, took two big steps and leapt forward. Maybe the slarn was baffled by a huge man-child descending from the sky. Maybe the slarn couldn¡¯t conceive of a human being dumb enough to join it for a swim. Regardless, the slarn didn¡¯t move. Which was something of a mixed blessing, as Arn ended up a bit too far forward, stabbing into the lower third of the slarn. The slarn¡¯s jaws, of course, ended up in the vicinity of Arn¡¯s crotch. Perhaps the Gods are not entirely without mercy. Perhaps Arn got lucky. Comparatively speaking. Regardless, this particular slarn was more than content to work on ripping a nice fat chunk of thigh from the bone. As the battle dragged on, and numbness spread down his leg and up into his belly, Arn grew afraid that more slarns were coming. Both combatants were, however, quite trapped in their parody of a lover¡¯s tryst ¨C the slarn by Arn¡¯s weight and left arm locked around its lower body, and Arn by his awkwardness lying in nearly a foot of water. The battle, however, was fundamentally unequal; Arn was stabbing the equivalent of a tail, while the slarn tore its way to the femoral artery. ATTENTION: You have died! RESURRECTED! Resurrections Remaining: 0 (23:59). Regeneration increased by 500%, Pain Resistance set to 100% and all attributes increased by 10 for 10 seconds. CONGRATULATIONS! Hapless Zoologist achievement unlocked! By being killed by two different types of animal, you have unlocked Hapless Zoologist! You gain greater insight into the threats posed by beasts!This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. CONGRATULATIONS! Fearless achievement unlocked! By being killed three times within three weeks, you have unlocked Fearless! You do not fear death, and are better able to resist fear from all sources! Arn came to with a gasp, strength flooding into him. He stood, grabbed the slarn in a one-armed hug and pulled it to his chest. Drawing his second dagger, Arn stabbed deeply into both sides of the slarn, again and again. As the rush of strength fled, the notification popped up: Slarn Slain! Kitten weak, Arn staggered onto the grass, collapsing 20 feet from the lake. That went well. Only died once. The bards will sing my glories. Was that really only the third death? I¡¯ll have to up my game. The water began to boil as slarn descended on their slain brother. No silver for me, and no more lives to give. I guess I¡¯m done for the day. Rather than put clean clothes on his blood and ichor covered body, Arn decided to take Nina¡¯s advice and ¡°own it.¡± He grabbed his clothes and headed into the village in his underwear. Laughing at the madness of it, began to sing a little song as he entered the village. The wargs they tried to eat him; But Arn, he beat them!; The slarn they poisoned him and tried to make him their fish wife; But Arn just smiled and took life after life! Cackling and waiving to villagers, Arn decided to take a nap. I deserve it! * * * Six hours later, Arn woke to darkness. Ugh. It¡¯s not that dark. Is it before midnight or just before dawn? Guess it doesn¡¯t matter. Arn settled in to try and manipulate mana. I must have tried pouring some of my self into the mana 100 different times now. The book said different visualization methods work for different people so what else can I try? Uncertain, Arn decided to try and take advantage of the fact that his Mana Sight hit during late night practice last night to try and figure out what the heck he was actually looking at. As Arn really focused on some of the mana in front of him, he felt as though he ¡°zoomed in¡± and could see more clearly. The mana still looked like dancing motes of light . . . just larger, so he tried to zoom in further and further in an effort to see the detail that must be there. Suddenly there were no more dancing motes. Arn could no longer see the mana, but he felt it. Excited, he tried to move the mana . . . and it stirred in response. CONGRATULATIONS! Mana Manipulation skill unlocked! Mana Manipulation is now level one! Arn pumped his fisted and gave a whoop! Then he laughed at himself, imagining his doubters seeing him squinting at nothing and cheering the ability to do . . . pretty much nothing. Screw it. I¡¯m on my own path. I want to make something of myself for me, not for them. I¡¯ll walk around in my underwear singing every day from here out if I want! I¡¯m Arn The Deathless! ¡­um wait, Deathless doesn¡¯t make any damn sense. Sounds better than Arn the Bleeder or Arn the Tasty though. Have to think on it. Arn went back to sleep, with, for the first time in weeks, a smile on his face. Arn: Level Four Revenant Attributes: Constitution: 20 Dexterity 12 (+2) Strength: 16 (+2) Intelligence: 10 Will: 10 Charisma: 8 Skills: Block (5) Death¡¯s Scream (1) Dodge (5) Head Butt (1) Focus (1) Mana Manipulation (1) (+1) Mana Sight (2) (+2) Pain Resistance (6) Poison Resistance (2) Shield Bash (1) Sword Mastery (3) Achievements: Fearless Hapless Zoologist Masochist Survivor Tasty! Some Kind of Monster Arn woke with a plan and was out the door in a flash, rushing to Mister Kerris¡¯ farm just outside the village proper. Kerris did a little of everything, but specialized in chickens, raising over a third of the chickens consumed in the village. As usual, Arn found him working by the coop; he didn¡¯t trust his sons to take proper care of ¡°his special girls.¡± ¡°Good morning Mister Kerris! I¡¯m hoping to buy four chickens and rent one of your wire cages to carry them in.¡± Kerris beamed. ¡°Excellent! I have four extra plump sweetlings that will just melt in your mouth! Heaven!¡± Arn feared paying extra for ¡°extra plump sweetlings,¡± and tried negotiating. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t need your best today. Any will do. Sturdy would be good. Maybe feisty.¡± Kerris¡¯ face twisted in puzzlement. ¡°What the heck Arn?¡± Enthusiastic about his plan, Arn explained, ¡°I¡¯m hunting slarns today. Doing the village a service. Bagged a bunch yesterday, but they are smart you know? They are onto me. I figured, let something else serve as bait for a change, no need to be Mister Bait all day and night, right?¡± Kerris scowled and sputtered, ¡°you ¡­ want ¡­ to ¡­ feed ¡­ my ¡­ girls ¡­ to ¡­ slarns? No, no, you can¡¯t rope a chicken. Sorry.¡± Alarm bells started ringing in Arn¡¯s mind, but it was too late to back out. ¡°Uh, well I figured I would buy some sturdy fishhooks and¡­¡± Kerris interrupted with a scream, ¡°WHAT????¡± Panting heavily and making crazy eyes at Arn, Kerris continued in a suddenly piteous voice, ¡°what kind of sick monster would torture my sweet girls like that? Surely you couldn¡¯t really do such a horrible, terrible thing?¡± Hells, how could I forget what a nutter he is about his cursed chickens. ¡°I know Mister Kerris, and I would never consider it if the slarns were just killing the occasional cow or dog. But there are so many slarns that the children are at real risk Mister Kerris ¨C there have been several close calls. I¡¯m afraid if we don¡¯t act, a child will die. I tried on my own, I really did, but I need help. I thought about going to Blackwood or Snell for chickens, but I was afraid that their chickens wouldn¡¯t be healthy or sturdy enough.¡± Kerris began muttering to himself. ¡°Yes, children, have to save the children. Heroes sacrifice! I . . . I might have some little warriors...¡± Kerris disappeared into his house, emerging with a wire cage. He wandered around his coop, grabbing the occasional chicken while looking heartbroken. ¡°Arn . . . Arn. Are you sure you can do this ¡­ you must not waste this sacrifice!¡± Arn smiled, ¡°of course. Every one of these heroes will give their liv ¡­ um the Slarn will ALL die Mister Kerris. The children will be safe. And I will make sure they know how they were saved! Your girls will be sung of!¡± Kerris scowled. Arn sighed. A bit too much. Hells, wargs and slarn are easier to deal with. ¡°I expect to see dead slarn Arn! Don¡¯t let me down! 8 silver for the chickens and 10 silver for the cage. I¡¯ll buy it back for 9 if it is undamaged.¡± Arn sighed and explained, ¡°I brought 12 silver. Will you accept my word so that I can go take care of this menace?¡± Kerris paused, a calculating look in his eye. ¡°Bring me back a slarn corpse and we have a deal Arn. The meat will go a long way.¡± Arn wanted to be done with this, but wasn¡¯t willing to be ripped off quite so badly. ¡°We can call the slarn corpse payment for the cage rental if you throw in a chicken for eating.¡± Kerris smiled, ¡°deal!¡± Arn made far less eventful stops for rope and hooks, grabbed a sack from his house, placed everything in the wheelbarrow and headed to the lake. On arrival, he set up shop a full hundred feet from the lake to avoid surprises, and carefully took out a chicken and a hook. This¡­Kerris wasn¡¯t full wrong, this is just nasty. But ¡­ the children! Arn secured the rope to his wrist to prevent mishaps, and plunged the hook deep into the breast under the wing.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Trying to ignore the panicked thrashing and pitiful squawks, Arn slowly walked to within 10 feet of the lake across from a slarn eyeing him warily from the water. Arn soft tossed the chicken towards the water. It landed awkwardly with a fresh chorus of squawks, and bolted away from the water. Arn tightened the slack on the rope and snagged the chicken as it approach. This better work! Eating chicken morning noon and night doesn¡¯t sound too appealing. Arn tossed the chicken again, a little harder this time. The watching slarn exploded into motion as the chicken landed. Arn managed a small jerk of the rope bringing the chicken back a few feet before the slarn bit deeply. As Arn rushed forward, the slarn attempted to retreat with its prize. Arn was able to reel in the rope enough that the chicken halted the slarn. Rather than let go, the slarn tried a little tug-of-war, which proved a fatal mistake. Arn kneeled and stabbed the slarn on both sides with his twin daggers. Trying to be smart about it, Arn used the daggers buried in the slarn to twist its head away from him, straddled it with his leg, and sat on it before pulling out a dagger and stabbing the slarn in the head repeatedly. Slarn Slain! Congratulations! You are now level 5! +4 Constitution, +4 attribute points and +1 skill point. Would you like to distribute your attributes or select a skill? Arn whooped with joy. Hells yes, I¡¯d like to select a skill! SKILLS (1 Skill Point Unallocated) Drain Life (Death): The Revenant¡¯s touch can drain some of an enemy¡¯s life force and take it for his own. Unlocks Drain Life skill path. Kicking And Screaming (Death): Having tasted death, the Revenant is able to sense death¡¯s approach and is highly motivated to avoid its embrace. When health falls below 30%, the Revenant¡¯s Strength doubles and Toughness increases by 50%. Drag Me Back (Life): The Revenant is able to resurrect an ally. This is a channeled skill, and the cast time and amount of health restored varies with skill level. Resurrection in this manner is said to be horrifying, and all but the strongest willed will have difficulty focusing for a time. Living Aura (Life): The Revenant exudes an aura that provides a portion of his regenerative ability to nearby allies and fixes their souls in place for a short time after otherwise fatal damage. Percentage of regeneration, size of aura and duration of soul hold vary with skill level. Arn¡¯s gaped after reading Kicking and Screaming. Crazy amazing and a perfect fit for the class! If I have to fight low on health, I may as well be an ass-kicker when I do! I don¡¯t know exactly how it compares to a Berserker¡¯s rage buff, but I know they don¡¯t get a Toughness buff. Combined with the regeneration, I¡¯ll be seriously hard to kill. Arn focused on the skill, pulling up the ¡°yes/no¡± option to select the skill ¨C and hesitated. The description doesn¡¯t say how long the skill lasts. If my regeneration instantly ends the skill once I¡¯m back above 30%, it might last just a second or two at times. It could be a problem, cutting out in the middle of an attack or movement, throwing off my balance. Sighing, Arn resolved to wait for Elder Dannis¡¯ guidance. I owe him that apology anyway. Suck it up and do it. The rest of the morning did not go quite as well; slarn are smart. Arn had to walk down to the small bridge and cross to the other side before he found more takers, and the first slarn he targeted picked the chicken clean off the line. His second attempt went smoothly resulting in another kill, but after that the slarn avoided him like the plague. As if to mock him, Arn spied the grey-scaled slarn watching from the safety of the deep part of the lake. After almost an hour of throwing the same long-dead chicken progressively deeper into the water, a slarn finally bit. Having learned that tug of war was too risky, Arn waited as the slarn devoured the chicken, hoping it would swallow the hook. As the slarn disappeared beneath the water, Arn slowly reeled the line. The slarn fought and thrashed, but eventually surfaced with the chicken nowhere in sight. Success! Arn quickly reeled it the rest of the way, stepped on its mid-section and stabbed it until the death notification popped up. Out of chickens, Arn manhandled the slarn into the sack one at a time. Ha, I do learn! While he couldn¡¯t quite think of more verses for his song, Arn smiled the entire way back to town. Arn: Level Five Revenant Attributes: Constitution: 24 (+4) Dexterity 12 Strength: 16 Intelligence: 10 Will: 10 Charisma: 8 Unallocated: 4 Skills: Block (5) Death¡¯s Scream (1) Dodge (5) Head Butt (1) Focus (1) Mana Manipulation (1) Mana Sight (2) Pain Resistance (6) Poison Resistance (2) Shield Bash (1) Sword Mastery (3) Achievements: Fearless Hapless Zoologist Survivor Tasty! Masochist Dinner With Dannis ¡°I¡¯m impressed that you thought about it so deeply Arn. Incomplete descriptions are a common problem with the really rare skills. Many vaguely refer to increases but don¡¯t give numbers or percentages. Some don¡¯t mention cost. And this one says nothing about duration. The Lore Masters know a truly staggering amount about these things, even for rare and epic classes. But each legendary class is unique. Supposedly.¡± Dannis paused, chewing. ¡°Thanks for bringing the chicken by the way. Its rude to starve an old person.¡± Arn ignored the digression asking, ¡°so I just pick Kicking and Screaming because it¡¯s a logical fit and hope for the best?¡± Dannis nodded. ¡°Your first thought was right, it is too good to pass up. Should be fine. Probably a hidden fixed, or minimum duration. Besides, your regeneration doesn¡¯t start to really blaze till you get below 20%, so the buff should normally last a bit regardless.¡± Arn hesitated. ¡°Ok. Uh, there is one other thing.¡± Dannis snorted, and a piece of chicken flew Arn¡¯s way. ¡°Well, this is a little crazy, but Nina told me she thinks you had some grand plan cooked up to make me something like an Elder¡¯s apprentice, whatever that class would be called, and that is why you had me shadow literally every different type of classer in the village.¡± Dannis raised an eyebrow. ¡°No such class.¡± Dannis hesitated. ¡°But I did have plans. I still do, Arn. In fact, lets start with my latest: you don¡¯t need to leave the village. I¡¯ve been thinking about it wrong.¡± Dannis resumed eating with gusto. Arn sputtered. ¡°You can¡¯t just say something like that and then stuff your mouth with chicken!¡± Dannis smiled, waving a chicken wing. ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong Arn. No wargs waiting to ambush me.¡± Dannis shoved the wing back in his mouth, looked Arn in the eyes and spoke while chewing, ¡°never praise your jerky except when you¡¯re sitting at the table. Got to learn when to hold your jerky, when to walk away, when to run.¡± Dannis winked at Arn. ¡°I hear everything son. But don¡¯t bust your slarn-damaged nuts boy, I¡¯m getting there. So here is the thing. The village is 50 miles away from the Jungle of Bones. We need guards, you know that. I know that. Hells, even most of the Council knows that. But no one wants to pay for them. Adding two this year, that¡¯s wonderful, but I had to fight tooth and nail for that. But hunters, hunters are different. Master Tarn, and now Taya and Myra, take care of a lot of threats to the village sure. But they mostly pay for themselves. Make good money too.¡± Arn interrupted. ¡°So I can stay and be a hunter?¡± Dannis scowled. ¡°When you can''t solve a puzzle do you flip to the answer right away?? Let me finish. My chicken.¡± As if to punish him, the Elder took a huge bite and Arn was forced to watch him chew. And dribble gravy down his chin. Arn sighed and pulled up mana sight. Ha, ha you old fart. Go on and chew, I can ignore you just as well. Just as Arn started to practice, the Elder continued as though he hadn¡¯t just paused for a full minute. ¡°No, you can¡¯t do what they do. You don¡¯t even have Bow Mastery. You don¡¯t have Tracking. You don¡¯t know a Trap from a warg¡¯s tit. But . . .¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. As the Elder stopped again mid-sentence, Arn plotted his revenge, and began to gather force mana beneath a piece of chicken stuck in the Elder¡¯s mustache. If he could just work that up into the Elder¡¯s nose, surely that would be worth a skill up! ¡°. . . the slarn thing opened a lot of eyes. And not just from your parading around bloody and half-naked. Good job there. Anyway, you can¡¯t do what the hunters do. But folks are realizing you can already do some things they can¡¯t. I knew that of course. So . . .¡± Arn snatched the wing from the Elder¡¯s hand as it made its way towards his gaping maw. Arn then slid the Elder¡¯s plate away from him and said, ¡°finish Old Man!¡± Dannis reached for the plate unsuccessfully. ¡°Why you ungrateful giant snot! I¡¯ve had shits with more manners!¡± Arn smiled evilly, said nothing, and began to eat while hoarding both plates. Dannis sighed and spoke. ¡°Fine. Well, if you want to stay, I think you could do a little of everything. I don¡¯t know why it didn¡¯t click before, but you¡¯re the only person in the village trained in a little of everything as a result of me sending you to all the crafters. Maybe you can¡¯t be a full time hunter, but there are plenty of other things you can help out with while you learn. Hunt this, craft that, take a guard shift now and then. You¡¯d level slowly of course. But you¡¯d get to stay, and the whole less likely to permanently die thing is a plus.¡± Arn paused. Staying was what he wanted. What he had wanted. Now? ¡°I¡¯m not staying. I¡¯m becoming . . . well, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m becoming exactly. I just want to be all I can be. So. The Jungle. Fame, fortune, swarms of admirers. Maybe level Hapless Zoologist a bit." Arn smiled. It felt good to have leaving be his choice. Arn asked, "what was the old plan?¡± Dannis walked over to his desk, opened a drawer and took out the largest book Arn had ever seen, bringing it to the table. ¡°Well, if you were wondering where your inheritance went, your father¡¯s armor, his horse . . . well, into this book. So ¡­ sorry? But couldn¡¯t exactly ask permission, you being nine.¡± Arn took the massive book, and noted the title, ¡°Myrrin¡¯s Guide To Classes¡±. It was easy to see why the book cost so much; in addition to being a huge book, the cover was intricately decorated and the bindings and paper radiated a heaviness that went beyond merely sturdy; some type of enchantment? Arn asked ¡°you were trying to find a class for me?¡± Dannis nodded. ¡°Not just any class, I knew it needed to be rare. Every second rate noble and merchant family with too many children has some that become scribes. The Scribe¡¯s Guild doesn¡¯t take village boys, entry fee or not. But something rare and useful like assessor, surveyor, analyst, investigator or any of a dozen others? The Treasury, the Inquisition or one of the other government departments snaps those folks up, starts paying a salary right away as they train em. That was my plan. When it didn¡¯t work, I figured we would sell the book, hopefully use the money to get your heart fixed. That wasn¡¯t an option when I looked into it originally, but supposedly there is now someone in Escalon that can do that sort of thing.¡± Arn felt tears coming, and fought them back. ¡°I never really thanked you for everything you did after my parents died. I was so unhappy; everything seemed so unfair. Its no excuse ¡­¡± Dannis raised a hand and wiped chicken off his face. ¡°Quit your whining boy, your dad was my best friend, and I made him a promise. Should have told him to piss off and make sure not to die. If I had known you¡¯d eat all my damn food, I¡¯d have sold you to the gypsies years ago.¡± Arn smiled, not fooled. He kneeled and wiped Dannis¡¯ face with a napkin. ¡°What in the blazes! Get the Hells away¡­¡± Arn wrapped his surrogate father in a hug and, finally, let the tears come. Skinny Dipping With An Old Female Arn and Deon met by horses¡¯ drinking trough outside the stables. Arn greeted Deon with a hug. ¡°Your starting to look small for real now bud. Thanks for coming.¡± Deon pushed Arn away exclaiming, ¡°back off man, I can still imagine the slarn guts all over ya. Besides, you aren¡¯t leaving for days so the no-man-hugs rule still applies. So what are we doing here?¡± Arn explained ¡°I need to test something out. Just hang out here a second.¡± Arn lifted his shirt over his head to remove it. Deon shouted, ¡°STOP! I agreed to help you with something, not hang out with you while you take off your damn clothes in the middle of town!¡± Arn lowered his shirt. ¡°Ah, ok fair enough. I didn¡¯t want to get it wet, but it will dry.¡± Deon looked baffled. ¡°Please tell me your not going for a swim in the horses¡¯ drinking trough.¡± Arn smiled. ¡°Kind of. I need to test if my scream-skill will work while underwater.¡± Deon shook his head in amazement. ¡°Any child knows you can¡¯t scream underwater! And the horses¡¯ drinking trough??? We could have gone to the swimming hole!¡± Arn chuckled. ¡°At this point I¡¯m enjoying everyone thinking I¡¯m nuts. Just pretend you don¡¯t know me, this will only take a second. I think it could work. Skills don¡¯t follow normal rules. And I need to know, before I do try something crazier than normal.¡± With that, Arn knelt down, took a breath, and stuck his head sideways into the trough. With his mouth underwater, Arn tried his Scream and felt it activate. Arn came up sputtering, spit out some water and wiped his eyes. And found Deon staring at nothing, with one pants leg wet. Ooops! I guess I didn¡¯t think about how the Scream might affect a level 0. * * * Later that morning at the Snake, Arn noticed a boat in the water with three local fishermen. Arn was surprised; the slarn wouldn¡¯t bother a boat, but lately there were too many Slarn around for fishing to be productive. I guess word got around that I¡¯ve thinned them out. Well, let word get around about this! Arn waved, shouted a hello . . . and took off all of his clothes. No sense getting anything else ripped up. Arn checked to make sure his two daggers were securely attached to his arm and . . . remembered that he had not yet allocated his stat points gained from reaching level five. Meant to ask Dannis what he thought, but screw it. Arn quickly added two to strength and dexterity and dove into the water. Not seeing the grey-scaled slarn, Arn shouted ¡°come on old girl, I¡¯m naked and ready, lets have some fun!¡± Arn heard some blathering from the fishing boat but ignored it. Getting bored, he drew both daggers, made narrow slashes on both thighs, and dove into the water to look around. Turning around slowly in the murky water, Arn finally saw the face of the grey-scaled slarn staring at him from a distance. There you are love! Nothing in my pocket but I¡¯m oh so happy to see you! Lets danc¡­¡± Arn¡¯s musings were interrupted as slarn ripped into him from both sides. Its on!The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Arn slashed with the daggers, but was relatively slow underwater even with 14 dexterity, and the slarn were graceful and swift in their element. Arn gathered himself and Screamed at the closest slarn. The slarn froze, and Arn was able to cut deeply into its side before it swam off. After a brief pause, the slarn resumed their attacks, darting in and out, attacking his backside and legs and avoiding his daggers. Frustrated, and knowing his air wasn¡¯t infinite, Arn slammed one of his daggers into his stomach and, ignoring the white hot pain, twisted the dagger until Kicking and Screaming triggered. As a rush of power flooded into him, Arn lunged straight at one of the slarn, which dodged slightly and bit into his wrist. Sheathing the second dagger, Arn grabbed the slarn by the mouth and pulled it to him. As the slarn released his wrist, Arn shoved his dagger and arm down its throat with his enhanced strength. Slarn Slain! Twisting around, Arn spotted two other Slarn nearby and Screamed twice, once at each. Congratulations! Death¡¯s Scream is now level 2! Damage, chance of stun and duration increased. Finally! Arn kicked his legs together with his enhanced strength and was able to reach one of the slarn before it recovered. Redrawing the second dagger and with one now in each hand, Arn sliced in from both directions and nearly ripped the slarn¡¯s head off. Slarn Slain! Congratulations! You have unlocked Dagger Mastery! Dagger Mastery is now level one! Exhaustion slammed into Arn like a hammer as Kicking and Screaming faded. Note to self ¨C you don¡¯t have the stamina to scream three times while swimming, holding your breath and fighting. Lets get out of¡­ The grey-scaled slarn slammed into Arn¡¯s neck, biting deeply. As Kicking and Screaming triggered again and the rush of strength returned, Arn dropped his daggers and wrapped both hands around the grey-scaled huntress and **squeezed**. Slarn Slain! CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE REACHED LEVEL 6! +4 Constitution and +4 Attribute Points (4). Would you like to go to the Attribute distribution screen? Arn started for the surface. My daggers! I¡¯ll never find them if I surface. Arn dove and searched the bottom, quickly finding one dagger. The second was nowhere to be found, and after a time, Arn¡¯s lungs¡¯ felt like they were being squeezed in a vice. Just as he was about to head to the surface, he spotted the grey-scaled slarn¡¯s corpse and grabbed it. Worth it! Gasping naked on the lakeshore holding the dead slarn like a lover, Arn was content. ¡°I¡¯ll make you into a belt sweetling. That way you can always be close to my pride and joy, just like you wanted.¡± Arn cackled madly and loudly. * * * ¡°That¡¯s a sight I can¡¯t un-see Vern. That boy has completely lost it, going to start throwing feces around any minute.¡± Vern nodded sagely. ¡°I¡¯m hungry, but think I¡¯d prefer a different view while we eat.¡± The three fishermen turned the boat into the river proper leaving the large naked boy cuddling a dead slarn behind. Arn: Level Six Revenant Attributes: Constitution: 28 (+4) Dexterity 14 (+2) Strength: 18 (+2) Intelligence: 10 Will: 10 Charisma: 8 Unallocated: 4 (+4) Skills: Block (5) Dagger Mastery (1) (+1) Death¡¯s Scream (2) (+1) Dodge (5) Head Butt (1) Focus (1) Mana Manipulation (1) Mana Sight (2) Pain Resistance (6) Poison Resistance (2) Shield Bash (1) Sword Mastery (3) Achievements: Fearless Hapless Zoologist Survivor Tasty! Masochist The Spring Festival The Snake River was for the most part a sleepy and obedient waterway, providing arable land in abundance and easy transport for goods through the province and, in some cases, all the way to Travail, the nearest city. As such, the density of villages and towns was relatively high, and farming combined seamlessly with free enterprise. There were many examples of prosperity ¨C one village employed a dozen making barrels, another housed a noted potter with a half-dozen apprentices, and so on. While Amber Pastures lacked any crafters of quite that prominence, several crafters and small enterprises were known throughout the area, its farmers always had produce to sell, and everyone wanted to buy something, see or meet, someone, drink or dance. As a result, more than half the town packed wagons, saddlebags and backpacks to make the trip. The village made a show of traveling together under guard to discourage stragglers, who occasionally experienced attacks from predators drawn by the ruckus. As a new combat classer, Arn was assigned to a particular spot by Liara, tasked with walking to the right of a wagon owned by one of the fishmongers. There seemed to be a lot of pointing and giggling coming from the wagon, especially from a pair of twelve year old twins. Arn heard or imagined hearing words like ¡°naked¡± ¡°cuddling¡± ¡°slarn¡± and ¡°titan,¡± but was content in his thoughts and untroubled. Arn wore a large leather pack with his shield hung over it, sword on the right hip, one of his two daggers on his left and a canteen attached to his proudest purchase, a beautiful, silver and black-scaled belt that he paid extra to get made in time for the trip. He planned to buy a halberd or broadsword at the festival if the composition of whatever group he joined warranted. While the idea of owning one had appeal, he no longer owned a house, or even a horse, and there was only so much he could carry. He had almost three gold from stripping his former home bare and selling everything from the silverware to the pillows, and the small purse Elder Dannis had shoved his way over his objections, but he nonetheless refused to spend on big-ticket items without better understanding the shape of his future. As he walked, Arn tried to keep a small pebble floating above his palm. After the unsuccessful attempt to shove a piece of chicken up the Elder¡¯s nose, Arn spent most of the last two nights staring at a pebble. Last night, with everything in the house that could be sold gone, Arn hadn¡¯t slept at all ¨C but eventually, the pebble budged and Force Mana unlocked. As if to punish the achievement, The Path to Power had a maddeningly lengthy list of things to accomplish with a pebble; spinning the pebble, moving it up, down or sideways, moving it without looking, moving it from a distance and moving it all over his body while keeping it a steady distance away from his skin. In the distant future when that was done, the Path upped the ante . . . to two pebbles. Logically, Arn understood the why of it, but was already mightily sick of the little pebble. How could anyone that needs a full night¡¯s sleep get anywhere with this nonsense? The book doesn¡¯t mention the focus skill either, but I doubt I¡¯d be able to train while walking without it. Lost in Focus and in the middle of the procession, the hours flew by and Arn was only alerted to their arrival by the shouting of children. Although Arn came every year, the sight of the tents and hundreds of people already milling about was still a bit overwhelming. As the Amber Harvest villagers went their separate ways, Arn was momentarily uncertain what he should be doing. The merchants were mostly still setting up, and things didn¡¯t really get roaring until the class selection ceremony in the evening, and the drunken party to follow. Arn didn¡¯t have the social skills or the desire to try and find party members today, and figured it should be easy enough to spot any groups tomorrow. Arn wandered a bit, splurging on various treats one couldn¡¯t get in Amber Pastures, and found a decent place to hide behind one of the outside wagons. Munching, he took out his pebble and Focused. * * * ¡°ARN! Dammit boy, you think I don¡¯t have a million things to do? Wipe that drool off and get a move on, Class Selection has already started, we¡¯ve got to move.¡± Arn slowly came awake to Elder Dannis¡¯ shaking him. ¡°Uh, ok, sure just let me find my pebble¡­¡± Dannis exploded, ¡°LISTEN UP, YOU WILL MAKE ME PROUD. Now MOVE!¡± Arn followed the Elder to a section of a massive bonfire where the 16 year olds from Amber Pastures were already assembled. ¡°Uh, Elder I already have a class, this isn¡¯t¡­¡± Dannis snorted, and maneuvered Arn into position and told him, ¡°just stand here and wait your turn. You think everyone will want you on your team just because of your slightly improved looks? Plus, a legendary classer reflects well on the village. Because, you know, idiots. STAY.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Arn¡¯s stomach dropped at the coming disaster. It was tradition for the Elder of each village to introduce their youths with a few kind words and a bit of hyperbole. So and so unlocked his class by wrestling a bear, this one came out of the womb with eleven strength and similar nonsense. What could possibly go wrong? Arn zoned out imagining an endless parade of horribles. Surely Dannis wouldn¡¯t mention naked slarn hunting? Sure he would never embarrass Arn that badly. Surely ¡­ Arn refocused to Dannis speaking: ¡°Next is Deon Black. If you thought his father was carved from rock, look at this young man. His strength reached ten when he was eight! When other children were given balls, he was given a hammer. Well¡­I mean, he has balls too. Obviously. Em¡­ and he has been forging steel ever since! Please welcome a legendary blacksmith in the making, Deon Black!!¡± At the Elder¡¯s awkward speech for Deon, renewed dread filled Arn. He was mastering pain, but this ¨C this was surely an entirely different level of Hell. ¡°Last but far from least, some of you may know the sad tale of Arn Farnsworth, orphaned when he was nine and saddled with a bad heart. At 15 he was already the biggest man in the village, and not in the good way. Promised his father I¡¯d take care of him, but the food bills alone, let me tell you! Three weeks ago, Arn was lost, his only crushing victories against sweet rolls and puzzles. But the Gods themselves intervened and chose this young man. Now look at him! He died twice, got a legendary class! Yes, a legendary class. Since that time, Arn has killed a dozen wargs and twice that many slarns, strangled some with his bare hands! The slarns learned fear, so he went swimming naked and cut himself to draw them in! Think on that! To train him in so short a time, we¡¯ve beaten him, stabbed him¡­ Well, I see Elder Snee indicating I¡¯ve done on too long. You can talk a bit extra when you get your own legendary classer you senile old coot! Arn will be forming a party to hit the Jungle of Bones, look for him tomorrow if you dare! Please welcome Arn, the legendary Revenant!¡± * * * Pain. Arn¡¯s skull was fractured, split in a thousand pieces, each screaming. Through the pain, Arn noticed he was in the forest, the Festival off in the distance. His sleeping bag was awkwardly draped around him, leaving him with hardly any room to move. ¡°What kind of third-rate regeneration can¡¯t fix a hangover,¡± Arn softly muttered to himself. ¡°Probably wore it out, considering you drank enough for 10 men. You¡¯re a legend for real now.¡± Arn turned to see an athletic brunette with frazzled short hair . . . in his sleeping bag. He liked puzzles, but couldn¡¯t solve this one. She pouted. ¡°You can¡¯t have forgotten; I¡¯m unforgettable.¡± Arn sighed. ¡°I remember the Elder¡¯s awful speech. And drinking. People kept coming up to me, buying me more. I . . . I enjoyed it I hope?¡± The girl pouted again and said, ¡°you are supposed to ask me whether it was good for me!¡± Arn pondered. He didn¡¯t get to ask if he enjoyed his first time? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m in too much pain for philosophy. It feels like there is a mole rat in my head clawing to get out. Anyway, I need to get going, find a team today.¡± Anger twisted the girl¡¯s features. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to cut it out of your head! Maybe you¡¯ll regenerate all better.¡± Arn sighed. Really? I heard women can get angry for no reason, but I can¡¯t deal with this right now! Thinking for a moment, Arn asked ¡°so . . . I take it that it wasn¡¯t good for you?¡± The girl laughed. ¡°You weigh more than a pregnant rhino and were too busy shouting to switch positions. Kept shouting, ¡®I¡¯m a Titan, I¡¯m a Titan!¡¯ Got news for you. Not so much.¡± Arn groaned. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s a hidden feature of the class. I do stupid things, get killed, rinse and repeat.¡± Arn¡¯s jaw dropped as the girl got up and began to dress; she was leanly muscled, sleek and sexy. She noticed, and her expression softened for a moment. ¡°Its too early for killing. We both have somewhere to be. Lets move.¡± ¡°Can I at least get your name¡± Arn asked. ¡°Keana,¡± she said as she finished dressing and headed off without another word. Well, I¡¯ve been with a woman. And I didn¡¯t get killed. That¡¯s . . . something? Arn¡¯s head cleared as he dressed and packed his sleeping bag. Walking back into the Festival grounds, Arn asked who ever he could stop whether there were any groups of armed young people about and was eventually directed to the butcher from East Haven¡¯s wagon. Arriving, he stumbled into a group of four as he walked around the corner. Arn looked them over: a handsome warrior in chain mail with a longsword and shield; a short barrel-shaped man with a staff; a stern-faced bow-wielding woman . . . with an enormous warg by her side. Of course. And Keana. This . . . this can¡¯t be happening. Not even to me. ¡°Took you long enough,¡± Keana snorted. ¡°You two know each other?¡± the warrior asked. Keana smirked, ¡°we met, but it was forgettable.¡± The warrior looked puzzled but moved on. ¡°Great, lets get to it. I don¡¯t know about you all, but I want to make some gold!¡± The staff wielder added, ¡°and become powerful enough to do some good!¡± Wanting to participate, Arn added ¡°and not die too much!¡± At their puzzled looks, Arn explained, ¡°its not as much fun as you would think.¡± Belatedly realizing it was too soon for humor, Arn tried again, raising his canteen in the air. ¡°To adventure!¡± Interlude: The Test Vera fought her nerves as she descended the dank stairs. Supposedly, she was here for some sort of test ¨C which didn¡¯t make any sense. The Eternal Order was universally known for its scholars, who served as advisors to kings, heads of academies and in other prominent roles. After passing tests of academic learning at age 12, many young Acolytes voluntarily chose to focus on other paths, learning to serve the Order as soldiers, merchants, chefs and dozens of other professions. It was not unusual, however, for Acolytes to seek to learn and master skills in many other areas ¨C the Order was perhaps the only place in the world to learn so many different things so freely, without the constraints of guilds seeking to hoard secrets, and the Order forced no one to take ¡°the Pledge,¡± swearing life long allegiance at 16. Walking away was allowed, and many did. Taken in as an orphan, Vera considered no other future than service to the Order. Her love of learning was not remotely limited to the academic, and she took full advantage of the Order¡¯s offered training in as many areas as she could. Nonetheless, she long knew she intended to Pledge as a Scholar, and knew ¨C or thought she knew ¨C that she easily met and generally far exceeded every required qualification. Nonetheless, here she was. A week¡¯s travel, the last day through jungle. A descent of hours through a subterrean cave system. A changing cast of guides that would tell her nothing. And, finally, a dank seemingly endless stairwell, that her latest guide told her to descend ¨C before leaving. Every bit of the experience was completely foreign to the Order she thought she knew. A door. A handle. Vera paused. The Order taught her to question long ago. Ancient texts sometimes reported legends as facts. Techniques long accepted closed the mind to finding a better way. The strange circumstances that brought Vera here were pieces of a puzzle to her, and while the solution was hidden, some things were clear. The Order, or a faction within it, was not what it appeared to be. The Order, or a faction within it, did not intend for her to be a scholar. The door before her was an end of the life she knew. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Being taught not to fear the unknown was one thing. Accepting that your life, your hopes and your dreams no longer had any relevance was something else. When there is only one path, walk. Vera seized the handle and opened the door. Inside was a middle-aged man sitting at a desk writing. Vera noticed messy hair, well-worn leathers, physical fitness and a dozen other details. The man looked up at her without expression. ¡°You are Vera. Come.¡± With that, he got up, grabbed a key ring from a peg behind him, turned his back on her and headed down a stone hallway. Trying to stay calm, Vera said ¡°I feel I am entitled to some answers¡± and remained in place. The man turned back, stone-faced. ¡°Do you imagine that your feeling is relevant here?¡± Vera couldn¡¯t help thinking for a moment; it was the training. ¡°Yes. The Order, or whatever faction you work for, has gone to a massive amount of effort to train me and to bring me here ¨C effort that won¡¯t casually be wasted. So. Answers.¡± The man looked interested for the first time, but the expression was a flicker, perhaps imagined. Stone-faced again, he said ¡°you have always been free to go. You remain free to go. The guide is waiting for you above. Your interest in the Scholar track is known, and will be approved. All you have to do is walk up those stairs. Or you can follow me. If you do, you will be presented with a choice. If you chose correctly . . . scratch that. Depending on the choice you make, your questions will be answered, or you will be sent back to become a scholar, questions unanswered. There is no threat to you here. Now. Will you follow?¡± Vera found his words a puzzle piece that couldn¡¯t be placed, clearly important, but meaning uncertain. Still, she knew that she would be foolish to rely on his words; choosing to leave could well mean death. Risk aside, Vera knew herself well enough to know that she had no choice at all. When there is only one path, walk. Vera gestured the man forward and was led through a maze of corridors and past several doors. Suddenly, the man stopped before a door like any of the others. ¡°You will not speak inside. This will prove more difficult than you expect, but for you to speak is to fail. When you are ready, signal me and we will go into the adjoining room to talk.¡± With that, he opened the door and walked inside. The room was small and bare ¨C save for the man shackled to the far wall, and the table with a knife. Time to Party! The chainmail-clad warrior type turned to Arn. ¡°So. Arn right? I¡¯m Valadian, Val for short. I hear you can serve as Shield?¡± Coming from a warrior carrying a shield, Arn wondered if Val¡¯s inquiry was a trick question. ¡°My class seems well designed for Second Shield. High survivability with good damage and a nice stun-shout. I regenerate fast when badly injured. Can¡¯t be healed at all otherwise, so no drain on a healer. I could Shield in a pinch with the right party, but no taunt so not ideal.¡± The stern-faced archer with the warg pet spoke. ¡°We need a real Shield, not some low-level that got a class three weeks ago.¡± Arn smiled ruefully. ¡°Awe shucks, lets be friends. I¡¯m strong for a level 6; I can help. If golden boy¡­er Val, can fill Second Shield we can probably make it work as long as we don¡¯t go deep. Can we, I don¡¯t know, maybe do introductions and skills.¡± Stern-face spoke again. ¡°I¡¯m Pepper, and this is Princess. If you stick anything in her vicinity, she¡¯ll rip it off.¡± Princess! Of course! Arn nodded, ¡°yeah, I¡¯ve noticed wargs are affectionate like that. Stings a bit though. Maybe we can save that for treats.¡± Pepper scowled, ¡°you think your funny. I think someone that was a fatty three weeks ago is going to be worse than useless. Go through your skills so we can end this.¡± ¡°That¡¯s hurtful Pepper, truly. I was just big boned. And jolly. But sure, ok, skills. Well the regeneration I mentioned is one of the inherents. It is slow when I¡¯m lightly injured and crazy fast when I¡¯m bad off. I get one free death a day, come back with temporary buffs. Really clears the sinuses. If you and Princess want to play rough, we can definitely have super fun times, but¡­¡± Pepper interrupted, ¡°keep pushing me. Go on, try it.¡± Arn smiled. ¡°Time and place Pepper, time and place. Anyway, my skill Kicking and Screaming is what makes me really tough to kill. When below 30% health, my strength doubles and my toughness goes up 50%. I have 28 constitution already, so it is pretty effective. Got a few of my levels swimming naked with slarns, and they couldn¡¯t do much once the skill was active. My belt here is from a special lady, she was really frisky let me tell you . . .¡± Pepper tried to cut him off, but Arn spoke over her, ¡°and one more skill, Death¡¯s Scream ¨C a shout that stuns, does a bit of damage. I can get three off in a fight, but it does take a lot out of me. It affects allies, so have to be careful with it. Should let me Shield to some degree, but clearly not remotely a substitute for Taunt.¡± Val smiled. ¡°Impressive Arn! Well as far as my skills¡­¡± Pepper interjected, ¡°lets just vote on Arn. He has nothing to offer except distraction, and he likely won¡¯t even do that. His low level scream will do nothing at the worst possible time, and with all of three weeks of training, sounds like a whole lot of useless to me.¡± Arn turned to Pepper and Screamed. Across the field, conversations stopped, food was dropped, dogs started barking and children started crying. Pepper and Princess froze ¨C Pepper with a look of horror, and Princess with the usual amount of drool dripping from her muzzle. WHAT DID I JUST DO? I must be the world¡¯s biggest idiot! That must be the largest damn warg I¡¯ve ever seen . . . why, just why?! Arn took a deep breath. Calm¡­calm down, this doesn¡¯t need to be a disaster. Don¡¯t draw your weapon. So what if you get snacked on? Just another day. The others will intervene. Hopefully. Pepper shook her head and Princess started growling deeply. Suddenly, Pepper laughed, put her hand on Princess and said ¡°unbelievable, just unbelievable. So THAT is a legendary skill. Ok, I¡¯ll admit it, I was wrong, you get my vote.¡± Arn couldn¡¯t believe it either. He looked left and right for charging Festival patrons ¨C nothing. Somehow, some way, this one time, being stupid isn¡¯t coming back to bite me in ¡­¡± Elder Dannis appeared seemingly out of nowhere and grabbed Arn¡¯s arm. ¡°Arn! What is flipping wrong with you boy! Did that slarn eat your brain as well as your balls? Its bad enough that people are talking about you cuddling a dead slarn naked! I thought I had seen it all when you ate the entire jar of poison thinking it was jam! Come on boy, your embarrassing the village!¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Red as a beat, Arn stammered, ¡°right, embarrassing the village, can¡¯t have that. Thanks for stopping by, always nice to see you, I¡¯ll fill you in later.¡± Comprehension dawned on Elder Dannis, ¡°oh, this is your team?¡± Keana felt an itch to join the fun. ¡°Captain Dannis! What an honor to meet you sir! I¡¯ve heard so many tales about Deadshot Dannis! Don¡¯t you worry about Arn sir! The boy may not have much in the way of brains. Or any really. And his . . . interpersonal skills are . . . brutish. But at least he is large. So there is that.¡± As Arn turned even redder, Dannis beamed at the young lady. ¡°That¡¯s kind of you to say, but those days are long passed. It is your turn now! I want to help if I can, tell me about your group!¡± Keana smiled, ¡°of course! I¡¯m a Blade Dancer. Right now my primary dance is Eliana¡¯s Ode, speeds my movements and boosts agility. Its great, but it¡¯s almost four minutes long, and the boost is really small for the first couple of minutes, so I¡¯m thinking something short next.¡± Dannis beamed. ¡°Ah, a Blade Dancer! That brings back the memories! Makes me wish I was young again!¡± Suddenly Dannis looked sheepish, ¡°um, yes, so how about you Miss? Did Arn tell you of his special fondness for wargs?¡± ¡°Name is Pepper. I¡¯m a Druid. Restoration and obviously Beast Bond with Princess here. Arn keeps his hands to himself Princess will be fine.¡± Dannis nodded and turned to Val. ¡°I¡¯m Valadian, an Asterathi Warrior. The inherent is Weapon Mastery and my skills are Quick Step and Flurry.¡± The stout man spoke next. ¡°I¡¯m Sar, a pyromancer. Have Flame Lance and Flame Wave.¡± Dannis nodded. ¡°Huh. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a group like this here. Not a hunter or guard in the lot of you. Well, stranger things have happened. Every day around Arn lately. Anyway, I¡¯ve seen worse group compositions come back alive. Not often mind you. You are going to need to be careful. You don¡¯t have a real Shield with Taunt. You don¡¯t have much Control. Pepper, there is a reason every Druid grabs Entangle, your going to want that next, no matter what beast skill you get offered. And your group doesn¡¯t have enough healing. Low healing, low control and no taunt aren¡¯t a great recipe, especially for a first time group. And Sar.¡± Dannis paused. ¡°Listen. Pyromancers are incredibly feared. Used right, they can win battles. But a young Pyro on a hunting team . . . well, Arn regenerates. The rest of you . . . if you don¡¯t want permanent scars, you best put Sar through his paces and make sure he has put the work in to be accurate. And pack burn cream for when Pepper is exhausted. Sorry son, that¡¯s just the way I see it.¡± Dannis looked around. ¡°But this team could work. If you talk about, and practice teamwork. If you are incredibly careful and don¡¯t go too far too fast. Imagine Sar here with Fireball. You burn Arn down to the bone a few nights, get his Fire Resistance up to say 5. His class gives a bonus to learning resistances, its doable. Arn runs into a pack of something, Screams, and Sar drops the hammer. Boom! Barbecue!¡± Arn sputtered. Dannis smiled, ¡°don¡¯t act so surprised boy! You came up with the Firestone idea yourself! You and Sar are going to cause some serious destruction! And save on cooking time. Ha. Anyway, good luck, if I can help with anything just come by!¡± Dannis paused as he started walking away and added, ¡°oh and in the name of the Seven Gods, make sure someone has herbalism, skinning, tracking, path-finding and um probably a bunch I¡¯m forgetting. Arn can maybe fill the first two in a pinch, but you¡¯ll be leaving gold on the ground until he gets his skills up a bit higher.¡± * * * That evening, Arn and Sar were off to the side of the Festival proper, but they had a sizable audience nonetheless. Arn thumped his bare chest, and a Flame Lance crossed the distance between the two young men. Arn stifled a scream, as his flesh burned and smoked. Pain resistance or not, nothing, not getting his flesh ripped off the bone or his testicles pierced by slarn fangs, had hurt half as much. Only the gentle caress of madness allowed Arn to continue. Arn shouted, ¡°thank you Sar, may I have another!¡± Sar obliged, and Arn¡¯s ruined chest blazed anew. Arn gave into the urge and screamed. CONGRATULATIONS! Masochist is now level two! A portion of what others experience as pain, you will experience as pleasure. WARNING: Masochist is an upgradeable Achievement and at higher levels has been known to cause aberrant behavior. Sar looked nauseous. ¡°Arn¡­that¡¯s enough. I¡¯m getting low on mana and you don¡¯t look so good.¡± Arn shouted, ¡°STOP PUSSY FOOTING AROUND AND GIVE ME ALL YOU¡¯VE GOT! I WANT IT HARD AND HOT! DON¡¯T STOP UNTIL I¡¯M CURLED UP MOANING. GIVE IT TO ME NOW!¡± Keana watched the show in awe. That boy is a shack and a hole short of an outhouse. Still, he is all kinds of different at least. Won¡¯t run when things go bad either. Keana¡¯s lip quirked up, a smirk forming. Wonder if he is willing to work that hard training ALL his skills? Keana reached down to her pouch and grabbed some jerky. ¡°Mmmm¡± Bunny! The next morning, the group headed out on foot to make the two-day trip to Reach, a large town on the massive crater-lake known as The Eye, and the origin of the Snake. Reach also marked the end of the grassy plains, and the start of a continuous forest which transitioned to the so-called Jungle of Bones within twenty miles. It would have been somewhat quicker to board a barge, but not markedly so given that they were headed up river, so the group opted to save a few coins, walk and talk. While The Eye was a fairly massive lake, several miles across, the plains were featureless, and getting off track was easy. Path Finding was one of the rare skills unlocked relatively easily for free ¨C at least by folks like Hunters that spent a lot of time away from civilization ¨C but their group did not have anyone with the skill. As such, they kept the Snake in sight despite its twists and turns. As they walked, Arn read from one of his purchases at the Festival, ¡°Asir¡¯s Guide To Jungle Gold, The Definitive Guide To Jungle Herbs¡± ¨C or tried to. Keana was seldom quiet, and seemed to delight in needling him in particular. ¡°You missed a real opportunity Arn. I know there were a couple of full mages at the Festival. You could have trained your lightning and ice resistances, not just fire. Could have sold tickets. Not to mention kabobs. Everyone loves kabobs. When the barbecue smell hit, all I had was some jerky. Sad.¡± Arn sighed; he was glad Keana didn¡¯t hate him, and was starting to think that there might be hope there, but the girl TALKED. Blade Dancers were known for grace, but the girl herself . . . not so much. Ignoring her didn¡¯t seem to work, so he decided on a little bravado. ¡°No way I could have trained all three. I have amazing stamina true, but even I have limits. Besides, we won¡¯t need ice...¡± Keana started howling. ¡°Amazing ¡­ stamina!!!¡± Arn scowled. ¡°Enough already Keana! I. Was. Drunk. You said I drank enough for ten men! That is going to affect any¡­¡± Pepper exploded. ¡°Enough! No one cares! Get a room for the night at the next inn!¡± Keana gasped out, ¡°FOR THE NIGHT? THE WHOLE NIGHT?¡± Val tried to redirect the conversation. ¡°All right, all right! We need to talk about strategy, right! Like Elder Dannis said, this isn¡¯t a natural group and we need to work¡­¡± ¡°BUNNY!¡± Keana said, jumping over to Sar, grabbing his shoulder and pointing at a bunny hiding in the knee-high grass 15 feet away. Sar frowned. ¡°It¡¯s too far and too small.¡± Keana whined, ¡°come onnn! Captain Dannis warned us you¡¯d barbecue us all, but you assured us you were an ace! And now you can¡¯t hit a bunny just sitting there??? Show us what you can do or we¡¯ll replace you with someone with a nice and generic class in Reach!¡± As Sar starting to raise his hand, Arn shouted, ¡°wait! The grass¡­¡± A thin spear of flame shot towards the bunny. Sar pumped his fist and exclaimed, ¡°I think I got him!¡± Arn stared at the growing area of blazing grass with horror and shouted, ¡°run!¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Arn took off toward the Snake, using his new speed for all he had. After a few seconds, he turned to look back at the rest of the group . . . just staring at him. Sar walked over to the fire, and started waving his hands. In response, the fire swayed and swirled, streamers of fire trailing up towards Sar¡¯s hands, where they gathered into a ball. Sar raised his hands and the ball shot upwards, dispersing into the air. Sar turned to Arn with a smile. ¡°Pyromancers wouldn¡¯t be allowed in the villages if we burned everything down, would we?¡± Keana smirked. ¡°Barbecue boy afraid of a little fire, who would have thunk it? You have to work on not getting excited so flipping quickly Arn. It¡¯s sooo disappointing when a man doesn¡¯t take his time, you know? Or any time at all.¡± This time, it was Val that came to the rescue. ¡°Enough! Arn may not be the sharpest arrow in the quiver, but we really do need to talk strategy!¡± Arn ruefully smiled. It was funny, and they did need to talk strategy, but . . . perhaps not yet. ¡°Thanks Val, you¡¯re right, we need to talk strategy.¡± Arn turned to Pepper, who could go hours without words and said, ¡°so, Pepper, what do you think the strategy should be?¡± Pepper snorted. ¡°I¡¯m thinking tie you two bitches to a tree, let Princess mark you, steal your shit and use it to pay for a massage in Reach.¡± Arn nodded. ¡°It''s good your thinking ahead. I was thinking maybe something a little different though. I¡¯ll take point, and assuming we don¡¯t get ambushed, I¡¯ll Scream at whatever first. Val will stand by to intercept anything that doesn¡¯t get affectionate with me. Keana will flank on one side, and if you can control her well enough, ideally Princess flanks on the other side, with you supporting from bow range. Sar gets a clean line of fire and stays close enough to Val that he can pick up anything that comes for Sar.¡± Val beamed at Arn and slapped him on the back. ¡°That sounds like a good plan Arn! How well can you control Princess Pepper?¡± Pepper said, ¡°Princess is smart and obeys hand signals. Once she isn¡¯t looking, I can whistle to retreat. The stuff I can do with Beast Bond at level 3 is much more limited. I can let her know I¡¯m in pain, that¡¯s just sharing an emotion, she¡¯ll feel it and come help, but anything fancy like trying to get her to switch targets is iffy.¡± Keana shrugged. ¡°Great. Plan could work. But . . . it¡¯s the ambushes and the getting surrounded that get you dead, right?¡± Arn interjected, ¡°all we can really do is try and make sure Val and I pick up different enemies or groups. With my Scream and being hard to kill, you all try to kill off whatever isn¡¯t chewing on me, and, you know, finish up before I get completely eaten. We have plenty of damage. And there is a lot of me.¡± * * * The first night, Arn convinced the group to stay at the Inn in the small village of Fisherman¡¯s Haven. Having lived most of his sixteen years with a heart affliction, he had never spent a night in the wild, unless you counted passing out away from the Festival with Keana. While he wasn¡¯t afraid ¨C precisely ¨C of spending the night outside, he had an unshakeable belief that something would find them, and he wasn¡¯t in the mood to be snacked on. Plus, he was a man now, wasn¡¯t he? No reason he couldn¡¯t just knock on Keana¡¯s door; she might say no, but she wasn¡¯t likely to stab him. Probably. Unfortunately, Val had plans of his own. Over dinner, he announced, ¡°I think this is the perfect opportunity to get to know each other a little better! Lets take turns and tell each other our stories. It will help us bond and function better as a team.¡± Sar spoke up first. ¡°I was more thinking a bath and a shit. But I guess I can start us off.¡± Sars Story Sar¡¯s face twisted into a grimace as he began his tale. ¡°I figure you have to own what you¡¯ve done. What you are. And what you have to pay for.¡± Sar took a deep drink. ¡°You¡¯ll have heard the stories. Pyromancer is not an easy class to get; none of the elemental specialties are. Up at the fancy schools, they teach the privileged little shits to meditate. They watch the fire, they try to understand it. But they don¡¯t usually get the class. They don¡¯t love the fire.¡± Sar¡¯s voice took on a bitter cast. ¡°Your Captain Dannis, he met Pyromancers that could hold their shit together enough to stick in the army. Most aren¡¯t like that. You meet another pyromancer, you run.¡± Sar looked up acccusingly. "I know what you are thinking. I didn¡¯t burn down my village or my house. I didn¡¯t kill my family. But the stories are true just the same, and I was a sick and twisted little shit, sure enough. No reason for it, I just loved to stare into the fire. I could stare for hours. And when there was no fire, I wanted one. I loved the excitement of starting a fire, not knowing if I could control it. Oh, I loved my family too, especially my big sister Kaley, who always had time for me, never turned away from me despite my obsession. But it was the fire that filled my dreams.¡± ¡°The carnival came into town into town, but I wasn¡¯t to go. Punishment for my latest transgression. Kaley wouldn¡¯t have it. Figured the best way for me to be normal was to treat me normal. So we snuck off together. It was magical. For a time. I remember all of it, every moment. The candy. The magician. The Bearded Lady. And, of course, the jugglers tossing around their damned torches. Kaley must have tugged on my arm a hundred times, but I was a stout little shit even then. So she left me there. I guess she figured she knew where I¡¯d be; that I¡¯d be safe in the crowd. I don¡¯t know how long they performed, I really don¡¯t. But eventually they stopped, and I went to find Kaley.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°I looked everywhere. I even forgot the fire, for a time. The carnival was winding down for the evening, and I was frantic. I found myself walking around the outside of the carnival. No reason for her to be there, but there I was. On the far side, away from the village, it was just the backs of the tents, the woods and I. Until it wasn¡¯t. I heard screaming. Crying. It was Kaley, with one of the freaks on top of her.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t brave. I wasn¡¯t strong. I was 11. But those are excuses for a decision I don¡¯t remember making. I was watching Kaley. And then I was back at the Carnival. I don¡¯t remember taking Pyromancer. I don¡¯t. But I remember the fire. I remember the screaming.¡± ¡°The people, they got out. Mostly. Not unscathed. Fire leaves its marks, changes you. Always.¡± Sar trailed off, staring into some distant horror. Looks were exchanged amongst the rest of the party, but no one knew what to say. After a time, Sar resumed. ¡°Kaley was home when I got there. She . . . she knew. Even after what she went though, somehow ¡­ somehow I was the one she was worried about. She had a bag packed for me. Told me I need to run. That was six years ago, far from here.¡± ¡°You want to know what I regret?¡± Sar¡¯s voice took on a heavy ragged edge and he spoke slowly, with pain etched in every word. ¡°I regret that good people burned. I regret that I failed my sister. That I haven¡¯t had the courage to go back. But most of all, most of all, I regret that I didn¡¯t burn the fucker who hurt Kaley.¡± Sar drained his mug in one long swallow. ¡°When we met, I told you that I wanted to get strong, to do some good in the world. And I do. And I will.¡± Sar¡¯s voice trailed off, picking up in a whisper, ¡°there are a lot of people that need to burn.¡± Keanas Story The inn, the Happy Hog, was a shithole, like many tiny village inns. The rough wooden floor was covered in dirt, the furniture was creaky or broken, and the tables and bar were pocked with scars. The food, well, the less said the better. With enough people though, sometimes, for a time, a bunch of broken furniture and third-rate food can seem something almost grand. The three farmers at the bar were laughing and joking with each other. A young couple flirted in one corner. In another, a family with two young children was enjoying a rare meal out; well, mostly enjoying ¨C managing the children was a sight. The Happy Hog was . . . happy. Sar¡¯s story extinguished the atmosphere at the table like sodden cloth over a torch. What does one say after a story like that? Val . . . Val tried. ¡°Sar. I¡¯m sorry you went through that. Thank you for sharing that with us. Keana, would you like to go¡­¡± Keana put a hand on Val¡¯s shoulder and spoke in a deep, rough voice. This Keana bore little resemblance to the smiling, teasing, chattering girl the group was getting to know. Thought they were getting to know. ¡°Shut it Val. My story is my own. None of your damn business. We just flipping met.¡± Keana turned to Sar and grasped his hand. ¡°Sar. I don¡¯t know what in the Hells you were thinking, telling that story here. We maybe shouldn¡¯t spend the night. But.¡± Keana paused and drank deeply. ¡°I understand. These shits probably don¡¯t, but I do. I . . . I have a story too." ¡°There are only two places in the world to get Blade Dancer. They train for years. No one just unlocks the class. No one. Especially not the daughter of a whore.¡± ¡°Funny thing. A whore charges enough, learns to dance, play or sing, they decorate the building pretty, they call her something else, something fancy ¨C Consort, Escort, Madam, Geisha. One thing I¡¯ve learned. Names don¡¯t change who you are. What you are.¡± ¡°My mother, she didn¡¯t want me to be part of that life. But that was where she lived. Her only family. So they were mine as well. The women had more money than family of their own; they bought me dresses and toys, taught me to sing or play an instrument. It seemed a happy perfect place ¨C to a child.¡± ¡°My mother was a dancer. Dancer wasn¡¯t her class or all she did, but a dancer is what she was. Her heart and soul wove through the air when she moved. She was beautiful of course. They all were. Some could sing like angels, or play music that would carry you away on a dream. But when my mother danced, conversations stopped. The room and the people were hers.¡± ¡°She taught all the girls to dance, but she never taught me. She danced with me. I didn¡¯t learn the names of dances or moves. I learned the joy of moving. For a time, a shining moment, maybe I could do what she did, a little. In another world, I would have been a dancer too.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Keana paused, gripping Sar¡¯s hand with white knuckles, some combination of rage and anguish in her eyes. ¡°But a whore is a whore is a whore. Once you lose sight of what you are, you forget where you are, who and what is around you. They forgot. All of them.¡± ¡°There were rules. There were guards. I¡¯m sure there were incidents, but I never saw them. Maybe I wasn¡¯t allowed to see them. Maybe I just didn¡¯t know to look. I remember bits and pieces. Snatches of conversations. I think¡­I think they were so good at pretending that they explained problems away. General so and so lost his battle. Lord so and so lost his son. Anything, but admit that they were whores, and some men are worse than beasts.¡± ¡°On the day¡­on the day I got my mother killed, I was supposed to be in the basement, playing. I was often allowed in the dressing rooms. One of the whores would watch me. But the War of The Six Sons was finally over. Generals and nobles, drinking, screaming, shouting and wild celebrating. It was never like that, and I didn¡¯t understand it. I wanted to make sure my mother was ok . . . or at least that is what I tell myself.¡± Keana suddenly lost her animation and stared at nothing, horror fixed on her features. After a moment, she resumed in a quiet voice; almost a little girl¡¯s voice. ¡°The door wasn¡¯t locked. There was a man on top of my mother. I called for her. That¡¯s all. Nothing else. But the man got up in a frothing rage and backhanded me. Mom was up in an instant. She got between us and raised her hand, like the notion of him not stopping was inconceivable. She started to say something. A command. When she spoke like that, everyone obeyed. But she never finished. The man flung her to the side, into the dresser, and she crumpled like a puppet with cut strings.¡± ¡°I was 10. I didn¡¯t know what to do . . . I¡¯m grateful for the cheese. On the table, by the wine, as always. With a knife, as always. I saw the knife, grabbed it.¡± Keana¡¯s eyes took on a strange gleam, and she spoke in a sing-song cadence. ¡°I cut him. He was shocked. Drunk. But enormous. He reached for me. Somehow, some way, I found the dance. He couldn¡¯t touch me. I was smoke. I was wind. He should have screamed, but I don¡¯t think he understood. How could he? He cornered me, but I slid through his legs and sliced his thigh. I was too slow to get up; he grabbed me with both hands and yanked me to my feet. But then his eyes got big. He let me go and felt his thigh, brought a bright red hand to his face and collapsed.¡± Keana faltered. ¡°My mother was dead. I don¡¯t know what price she paid, but Moralia, the Madam, snuck me out. Sent me to live with relatives, in one of the eastern villages by the sea.¡± As Keana shook to a stop, Arn took the hand Sar wasn¡¯t holding; she didn¡¯t seem to notice. When she started to speak again, she seemed far away. ¡°I didn¡¯t take the class. I didn¡¯t dance. I couldn¡¯t. But I did come to love the ocean. Some days, the ocean would bring something beautiful, spiral shells and glass like rainbows. So when I saw the ships, I didn¡¯t understand.¡± Keana clenched her eyes, fighting tears. ¡°Slavers.¡± Keana was suddenly back, present in the moment, anger blazing from her eyes. ¡°I took the class.¡± After a time, Keana looked up at Sar, tears in her eyes, ragged iron in her voice. ¡°When the time comes, you burn. I¡¯ll cut.¡± Peppers Story Keana took back her hands and looked down. The silence stretched past awkward into something heavy and oppressive. Arn looked to Val, but for once he seemed to be out of encouraging words. Pepper ¨C Pepper looked disgusted. That¡¯s not outrage for what happened to Keana. Something else. Arn said. ¡°Awful. I¡¯m so sorry Keana. I know what its like to lose your parents ¨C but not like that. Pepper, you look like¡­¡± Pepper cut Arn off. ¡°No. I¡¯ve had shits I¡¯ve known longer than you all. I¡¯m sorry life took a crap on some of you. Really. My life hasn¡¯t been hugs and sunshine either, that¡¯s for damn sure. But I don¡¯t need to share, and this group is not going to work for me anyway. We¡¯ll part ways in Reach.¡± Arn scowled and went for the kill. ¡°Bullshit. We aren¡¯t blind. You didn¡¯t like Sar and Keana¡¯s story. Hit a little too close to home did it? Don¡¯t want to be reminded you¡¯ve been a victim yourself? Hiding from your shit won¡¯t make it go away.¡± Pepper didn¡¯t visibly react, but Princess started snarling, drool dripping from her jaws. Pepper spoke calmly, but with venom. ¡°Fuck you and the horse you rode in on. You think maybe there is a reason I didn¡¯t want to get into it? For that matter, you ever stop to think. About anything? Anything at all?¡± Pepper sighed. ¡°There are victims that roll over. There are victims that want to kill the one that wronged them. And then there are victims that decide they are some God¡¯s avenging angel, that sit on the knife¡¯s edge, ready to kill. Ready to kill anyone that looks a little squirrelly. Says the wrong thing. Looks at someone the wrong way. I know how that goes. I¡¯ve lived it. I recognize it. Not that it¡¯s some flipping mystery. Sar and Keana made it pretty damn clear, didn¡¯t they? They kill some rapist or slavers, I won¡¯t shed a single bloody tear believe me. But some woman that looks a little too much like a sister or mother cries ¨C we all know they aren¡¯t going to wait for answers. They won¡¯t think.¡± Pepper paused, and her face twisted in a mask. ¡°I¡¯ve lived that too. And I won¡¯t again.¡± Arn thought, started to speak, and stopped to think again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Pepper. I was wrong. We don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve gone through. But maybe, just maybe, if you tell us, we can work it out. Maybe, even if you leave, you can help someone make the right decision down the road.¡± Pepper looked surprised and thoughtful. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, but I suppose my life ain¡¯t exactly some big secret either. I don¡¯t know I needed to smell your shit, but you want to smell mine, so be it.¡± ¡°We were horse farmers up by the northern border, town called Chance. Biggest ranch in the area, successful too. But life can only bring you down when you¡¯re up. Disease, a fire and horse thieves, all in the span of three years. My dad was a rock back then. He taught me, sometimes a foal is stillborn, there is nothing you can do. That¡¯s the way life is. You do the best you can, and you go on. And we started to do just that, could have turned it around, I know it. But he took a fall running off the horse thieves, hurt his back. Didn¡¯t think much of it at the time, but it got worse, not better. Got to where he couldn¡¯t sit on a horse without pain. By the time he realized he needed help, it was too late for any of the local healers to do anything, and he was too stubborn, and we were struggling too much, for him to make the trip to anyone that might have made a difference. So he started drinking. Not after work with the fellas. All the time.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Pepper froze, staring off into the distance. When she resumed, her voice was full of hurt. ¡°He started taking it out on my mother. Hitting her. Wasn¡¯t no excuse, but even the strongest rock can crack. He wasn¡¯t all the way gone. Maybe he needed a night in the stocks, a talk from a friend. Something. He could have found his way back, I know it. He never got the chance.¡± Pepper¡¯s usually sour look twisted into outright disgust. ¡°The Sisters of Yarris were in town, I don¡¯t know why. They represent themselves as heroes, and I guess that is what my mother thought they were. Imagined they would rough up my father a bit, shake some sense into him. Might have worked too, if the Sisters were what she thought they were.¡± Pepper looked around the table. ¡°The Sisters aren¡¯t active around here, maybe you haven¡¯t heard the stories. The way they tell it, the Sisters are shining protectors of women and children, heroes through and through. And sometimes they are. The Sisters have taken down more slavers than kings, brought down nobles with torture dungeons, cults that sacrifice children and horrors that would make you sick. But in the real world, people aren¡¯t ever all hero or all villain, and if that is all you see, you¡¯re not really looking. The Sisters only recruit victims, and that shapes who they are, all the way through.¡± ¡°They came to the house, shouted up at my father, who was on his horse. He was a prideful man even without the drink, so he shouted back. They pulled him off his horse. A year before they never would have touched him. But that day, he fell hard, must have felt like being stabbed by a dozen knives given his back problems. He came up swearing, reached for his dagger.¡± Pepper sputtered with hatred. ¡°Three high level warriors with swords against a middle-aged drunk rancher with a tiny dagger. But that was all the excuse they needed. By the time my mother realized what was happening and started begging, it was too late. I don¡¯t think they meant to kill him, but they weren¡¯t shook up about it either. Blamed him, and only him.¡± Pepper deflated and paused, resuming in a quiet, sad voice. ¡°My mother was never the rock my father was, and that is putting it as kind as I can. She wailed. She told them we were finished, that we couldn¡¯t survive and that she couldn¡¯t take care of me. I can''t hate her for it. If they gave her a day, she would have calmed down, but that isn¡¯t who they are. They said they would send help for her and they took me as one of their own. Ignored my curses and screams. To them, I was a victim. And I was, only of their own making.¡± Pepper looked up, focusing on Sar and Keana. ¡°I lived with them for five years, and I can tell you that what happened to my father wasn¡¯t the first time, the last or even the worst. The things you said today, the road your on, it won¡¯t lead where you think.¡± Pepper paused, staring. ¡°You want to hunt beasts, collect herbs, fine. I¡¯ll come, just as long as you two promise me one thing. You want to draw your blade or summon your fire against a man, you do one thing first.¡± Pepper visibly fought tears. ¡°You think of my father.¡± Arns Story Pepper gathered herself and looked at Sar and Keana. Sar broke the silence. ¡°Well, I¡¯d be lying if I said don¡¯t watch me around carnies. But the one I¡¯m looking for is chiseled in stone in my memory. I won¡¯t make a mistake, and we won¡¯t just stumble on him. You can count on me. Until I hit level 20 anyway. Then my real hunt begins.¡± As Sar fell silent, Keana spoke. ¡°The man who killed my mother died before I even knew she was dead. I don¡¯t even know who or what he flipping was, but it¡¯s done. I¡¯m not out hunting the streets or whatever the fuck it is the Sisters do. I¡¯m here to make enough gold to bathe in. Maybe tip the butler a little extra if one of my man-toys fails as badly as Arn here.¡± Keana tried a smile, but her heart didn¡¯t seem to be in the joke. The silence stretched past awkward into something heavy and oppressive. Arn looked to Val, but for once he seemed to be out of words; if anything, he looked nervous. My story is nothing to theirs¡¯, but I¡¯m past being embarrassed. Arn swallowed and began to speak. ¡°My story doesn¡¯t have a villain, but my parents died just the same. It was seven years ago; I was nine. Plague swept through these parts like a tidal wave. My village had a healer; a couple of the villages did, but none of them made a damn bit of difference. I got sick too, but I got better. Partly.¡± ¡°They had us all together in a tent, watching each other die. I was delirious when my parents died, but one of the others told me when I woke. I cried, I slept and I watched people die, I couldn¡¯t tell you for how long, but I know the healer tried to give me a tart for my birthday. Everyone you loved is dead, but here is a flipping tart, happy birthday."If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "When the dying was done and plague let me be, the healer helped me to stand. Only I couldn¡¯t. I passed out. It took a while for her to figure out was wrong. Plague didn¡¯t just take my parents, it took my heart, and left some crippled thing in its place. I learned to walk, slowly. To never get too excited, never run.¡± ¡°Elder Dannis took me in. He was kind. The other children, not. They had no use for a child that couldn¡¯t run, couldn¡¯t play and would feint if it got too hot or for no reason at all.¡± ¡°Some of you aren¡¯t from the Snake villages originally, so you might not understand. The land is fertile, but every now and then something comes out of the jungle. Livestock dies. People die. It is somehow considered a mercy, a kindness, to force cripples, invalids and drunks to go north.¡± Arn shook his head, still furious at the brutally harsh custom and the villagers who allowed it to happen. ¡°I grew knowing I wasn¡¯t wanted. I tried every damn class. Hells, the seamstress taught me to sew. But I had so little stamina. Fat, clumsy fingers. The Elder gave me puzzle books. I thought if I solved them all, I would be smart enough to do . . . something. Life shat on me sure enough. But I made it worse. Every day. My own worst enemy. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to really give my all to any of the classes that might have worked; I knew I would fail, and so I did. I wasn¡¯t alive. Not really. I slept, I ate, I did it again.¡± ¡°The day I got my class, I died twice. But for the first time in years, I started to live. The crazy things Elder Dannis mentioned, they happened. I trained by being stabbed, beaten. I served as warg bait. I swam naked with the slarns. I died, once or twice more? Lost count to be honest. But none of that really matters. I¡¯m finally alive, really alive.¡± Arn looked at his teammates. ¡°I lived too long barely living. I won¡¯t be afraid of getting hurt, of dying. I want to map the heart of the jungle, delve in ancient ruins, and defy the impossible. I want to live.¡± "Val, spit out your story and lets end this. Life maybe hasn''t treated us well, but tomorrow is a new damn day and we are going to kick some ass, make some gold." Valadians Story Arn wrapped up his story with an emphatic ¡°I want to live¡± ¨C a rather poetic close he thought ¨C and mentally added ¡°and sleep with Keana tonight.¡± Is that wrong after all this? Arn emerged from his momentous thoughts to notice everyone staring at Val, who looked . . . not right. Arn asked, ¡°what is it Val? After all that, you know you can tell us anything?¡± Val stuttered a bit. ¡°Ah, well¡­you see, that¡¯s just it. Your stories. I thought I had a tough time myself. And I¡¯m realizing I was wrong. I haven¡¯t been through what you have, my dad is alive¡­¡± Arn snorted. ¡°Not having dead parents isn¡¯t a crime. End us on a happy note. Tell us about your parents taking you for walks, holding hands while singing songs. The time when they bought you a cinnamon stick, you spilled it on the ground and thought the world was ending. Go on.¡± Congratulations! Charisma is now 9! Arn silently laughed at the ridiculousness of the increase. I guess losing the rest of my fat got me most of the way? Arn¡¯s silent musings were interrupted by Val beginning to talk. ¡°Right. Well it damn well wasn¡¯t that either. I guess¡­I guess it makes sense to start with my great grandfather. No, with my class I suppose. Asterathi Warrior. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve never heard of it. No one has. It¡¯s a sect class. Not many have heard of those either. A classer gets to level 100, one of the things they can do is make changes to their own class, based on the way they developed it, use that to create a new class that theoretically others can get. I¡¯ve seen it called a legacy class, but it isn¡¯t, not really. Once they create the class, anyone can get it, if they qualify to unlock it. But it doesn¡¯t always work out too well. Level 100, maybe they can move mountains, but there are still rules. Limits. Everything has a cost. Even when the new class is useful, its often so damn hard to qualify for it that unless the level 100 starts a school and designs a special training program, no one will get the class and it will be forgotten. That is why they call them sect classes ¨C if there isn¡¯t a sect somewhere specifically training students and preserving the class, it may as well not exist.¡± ¡°Valadian the First, they called him The Obsidian Tiger after his armor ¨C supposedly some sort of living crystal. He was a legend in his time of course, but he disappeared a long time ago. Got bored teaching and . . . well it doesn¡¯t really matter. The class, Asterathi Warrior, the inherent, Weapon Mastery, is powerful. Makes gaining mastery skill levels 30% easier and removes the level-based caps. You know, anyone can theoretically get a mastery to level 15 even without a class, but to get a mastery to level 20 you have to be level 10, to get a mastery to 25 you have to level 20, and then its 30 at 30. Removing those caps is huge. Well, huge if you spend your life training, anyway. Just one problem. To unlock the class, you need to obtain level thirteen in thirteen different masteries. Why? I have no idea. But it¡¯s a monstrous requirement. Takes most youngsters a decade of training to reach level 13 in one weapon mastery. And its not just thirteen random masteries ¨C its thirteen specific ones ¨C some of which are much harder than others, like Dual Wielding, which somehow counts as a mastery. There are rare classes that offer more stats, also have great inherents and are much easier to unlock, like Blade Master. So its shit.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°For a time there was a school. Who wouldn¡¯t want to learn from a level 100? There was a vanity to it. My grandfather, Valadian the Second, tried to continue the school, but without The Obsidian Tiger there was no interest in the class. But he passed the class to my father ¨C Valadian the Third ¨C who restarted the school. Well, a school, anyway. No one wants to be an Asterathi Warrior, but sending youngsters to study under a weapon master that can help them figure out which of a dozen weapons and styles is best for them? That¡¯s something routine, there are schools like that all over.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Valadian the Fourth. After my mother died in childbirth, my father threw himself into training, and into the school. Me, not so much. Hired a wet nurse who may as well have been my mother and my father both. Third had no use for me. None. Not until I was old enough to hold a weapon of course. Have to start young for the class; no other way. That was my only relationship with my father, training. Training, and the occasional punishment when I tried to avoid the training. Later, I helped teach at the school.¡± Val paused and looked uncomfortable. ¡°I didn¡¯t know how to talk to people my own age. Or anyone, really. I figured I could approach it like training. Laughable, but that is how I made my first friends. They humored me, I think. Extra free lessons, sure why not. Some took pity on me. There was even a girl. My father tried to end it of course. The girl, the friends, all of it. So I ran off, lived with friends, not staying too long in one place. Took him almost two months to find me.¡± Val hesitated. ¡°I expected rage. I didn¡¯t get it. He seemed . . . broken. He made me a deal. Continue on, get the class, and he would support me doing whatever I wanted. I was 14 at the time, still not close to getting the class, but well, I felt some pity for him. And none of my friends were in position to support me, help me make a life. Well, there was one, but it turned out he didn¡¯t want to be just friends, if you take my meaning. So I took the deal.¡± ¡°The day I unlocked the class ¨C I¡¯d like to say it was the happiest day of my life, but I mostly just felt empty. Made me realize that I don¡¯t have a father, not really, never did.¡± Val, paused, sheepishly looked up. ¡°Sounds stupid, saying that to this group. But it¡¯s the truth. So I realized I was leaving.¡± ¡°I thought about where to go, what to do, over the years. Didn¡¯t have it figured out though. Still don¡¯t. Just know I don¡¯t want to open a damn school, don¡¯t want to be a guard and walk a wall, nothing like that. So I took some gear, some coin. Worked my way South, learned to hunt. Heard about the Festival, thought I would check it out.¡± As Val wound down, Arn pondered. He seems so outgoing. Is the story BS? Or is this what he learned, to smile, to say encouraging things. To fake it until it becomes like breathing, just what you do. Another idea hit Arn like a divine message. I¡¯ve still got three in sword mastery. I don¡¯t know how I do it, but I have to talk him into teaching me. Sleep with Keana, train with Val. Goals!¡± Keana elbowed Arn, hard. ¡°Ahoy over there! Anyone home! We finished smelling each others¡¯ shit or whatever the Hells we were doing while you were undressing Val in your head. I¡¯m going up to the room and take a bath.¡± * * * Arn tried to spend some quality time with his pebble, but had other things on his mind; Keana specifically. After what he judged to be the right amount of time, he headed to her room and went to knock. Arn heard . . . noises. ¡°Ah, ummm, oh yeah.¡± Moaning??? Damn it! Who the Hells is in there with her? Val? Sar? They did seem to really bond over their stories. Shit! Well, you would have had to listen to her babble before and afterwards. Maybe this is for the best.¡± As Arn headed back to his room, he tried to believe it. Fear My Pebble! The next morning the group set out for Reach in high spirits, a little closer simply by virtue of sharing their misery. Except for Arn. Noticing Arn¡¯s silence, Keana elbowed Arn in the side. ¡°That¡¯s sure a swell pebble Arn. You¡¯re getting pretty amazing um, floating it there. Practically an Arch Mage. ¡®Fear my pebble foul beasts!¡¯¡± Arn scowled. ¡°I¡¯m on the Path To Power. One pebble, two pebbles, volcano. Watch me.¡± Keana nodded. ¡°My apologies large one, I had no idea. It¡¯s just that, you know, we have the whole dead parents super-team thing going on; Val is a half member. Maybe three quarters. It¡¯s all ponies and rainbows from here out. Pretty sure I even saw Pepper smile, although it might have been gas. And you are scowling at that pebble like it¡¯s the eye of the slarn that ate your nuts.¡± Arn said ¡°I can¡¯t sleep anymore without gaping wounds. Maybe tonight I¡¯ll borrow Princess.¡± Val smiled wickedly and drew her long knives, spinning one in each hand until they blurred. ¡°Awe! You should have asked me big boy! You can¡¯t ask Sar to service all your needs. Slicing you up a bit is the least I can do after the night you gave me! A good night''s sleep is important!¡± Arn blurted, ¡°is that what you got? A good night¡¯s sleep? Sar or Val didn¡¯t measure up?¡± Arn silently cursed his run-away-mouth; there was no point to this.Keana was a nut and a half ¨C he was clearly better off not getting involved, and should be glad that ship had already sailed. Keana looked at Arn like an insect with an extra leg. ¡°What in the Hells are you babbling about? Brain not grow back right?¡± Arn sighed ¨C no getting out of it now. ¡°I walked by your room on the way to the stairs last night.¡± Keana laughed hard and deeply. The group, which had spread out a bit, closed in at her mania. She turned to the others and said, ¡°Arn here paid my room a visit last night. Got his panties all twisted because he heard me relaxing a bit. Girl has to have some fun! Nice bath, surprisingly soft sheets, and the maid left a perfectly good feather duster just lying around. I think it had real Emu feathers! Girl would have to be crazy to ignore that kind of gift! Right Pepper?¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Arn felt himself reddening. ¡°I was just passing by on the way to the bathroom!¡± Sar chimed in. ¡°That¡¯s interesting Arn. Since the bathroom is on the other side of your room.¡± Arn pondered. ¡°No. Its not.¡± Sar smiled. ¡°True, but you had to think about it.¡± Keana¡¯s mad laughing fit resumed. After gasping for air, she said ¡°oh geez Arn, don¡¯t be so shy! Bring a bottle of wine next time. I promise not to laugh, leastwise not until the wine is done! And maybe also afterwards, if you¡¯re very lucky!¡± While they were told Reach was a two-day trip, they talked, they joked, Sar shot bunnies and Pepper even had Princess show off a few tricks. Arn wasn¡¯t fooled and refused the offered paw. As such, it started to get dark before they got to Reach. Arn argued for continuing. Val smirked. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine why you would want another night in an inn Arn. But you¡¯re out of luck. Again. Reach closes its gates at dusk, and for good reason too. They charge an arm and a leg to open it early, and we don¡¯t want to be blundering around in the dark anyway. We need to make camp, get a fire going and set watches. No trips into the bushes I¡¯m afraid.¡± Between his high constitution, the fact that he had never camped outside, and his recent luck, Arn didn¡¯t sleep. He thought about chatting with Keana during her watch, but time to talk with Keana was hardly the problem. He decided to be a daring wild man and skip a few exercises. He found a second pebble and worked towards the imaginary volcano. It didn¡¯t go especially well; Arn imagined the Path to Power probably had a few platitudes about sticking to ¡°THE Path¡± somewhere. Arn chucked the obviously defective new pebble into the woods ¨C and noticed a set of eyes staring back. Sar was supposed to be on watch; Arn hissed for his attention and pointed. Sar tossed a ball of fire into the air above the forest where it dispersed harmlessly . . . revealing a slarn that promptly fled. Sar smiled and softly told Arn ¡°I guess they don¡¯t all like you huh? We are kind of close to the river, but they will probably leave us be after that.¡± And they did. Ive Always Been Afraid Of Little Girls The next morning the group ate a quick breakfast and set out for Reach. The massive lake known as The Eye slowly came into view, starting with a reflected glint and the masts of sailboats. As they got closer, Arn marveled; he had heard of sailboats of course, but never seen one, the Snake was far too twisty. Although said to be over 2 miles across, the day was clear, and as they approached the Eye the group could easily see the dozens of sailboats and rowboats fishing across the lake, the walls of Reach itself on the far shore and even the forest beyond, stretching across the horizon. As the group reached the lake¡¯s edge, one of the larger sailboats changed course and anchored just off shore, its fishermen waving and gesturing. Arn was eager to see the sailboat up close, but recent experience made him wary. ¡°I¡¯m sure there is a reason they are interrupting what they are doing for a living and acting all friendly like. Couldn¡¯t possibly be a quaint village tradition of butchering newcomers, dropping them in the middle of the lake and selling their shit to pay for a massage, right?¡± Pepper snorted before answering. ¡°They want to charge us. Ten minutes sailing, or an hour walking. Course we might not have a choice ¨C reckon they think Princess is a dog.¡± Arn took off his boots, rolled up his pants, waded out to the boat and tried to hop on. The result was nearly disastrous; he easily had the strength and dexterity for such a feat, but it had never occurred to him to practice hopping with his new attributes. The small, elderly fisherman proved surprisingly strong and pulled him the rest of the way. ¡°Oye! I¡¯m too old for that! Its extra if ya rip my damn arm off!¡± Arn stuttered, ¡°sorry! I just got my class and some dexterity a couple of weeks ago. We¡¯d love a ride, but we¡¯re a pretty poor group and we need to buy some gear for the jungle. I¡¯m Arn by the way.¡± The old man nodded. ¡°I¡¯m Jeremiah. Arn, we¡¯ve got a tradition on the lake to make things all civil, first boat is the first boat, no one else will take ya, and the price is the price. It¡¯s one silver for each of ya.¡± Arn sighed. ¡°I guess that¡¯s for the rich folk that think a ride would be neat or something. I¡¯ll check, but I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯ll have to pass, I¡¯m sorry.¡± The old man smiled and said, ¡°well, I¡¯ve charged that much for fewer folks, so I guess I could do three silver for y¡¯all and the dog.¡± Arn jumped off and waded back to the group and shared the info. Keana was the first to chime in. ¡°We could get a we-might-not-come-back meal at the inn for that. Maybe even feed Arn¡¯s big ass. Let¡¯s walk.¡± Keana got a few nods, but Val spoke up, ¡°don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯ve got enough for jungle gear, and when we make it back a few silver won¡¯t matter.¡± Arn was embarrassed to be asked to stand on the other side of the boat from his group for ¡°balance,¡± but nonetheless enjoyed watching the operation of the sailboat ¨C at least, until a ¡°duck¡± warning was late and he barely managed to avoid an involuntary swim. After recovering his footing, he noticed a bit of money changing hands among the fishermen. Arn walked up to Jeremiah while suppressing his rage and casually asking, ¡°any advice for first timer adventurers, where to shop, that sort of thing.¡± Jeremiah nodded sagely, ¡°aye, know all the ins and outs, bits that will save your life for sure. Two silver.¡± Arn smiled and said, ¡°well, I tell you what, help me out and we¡¯ll call it even for your men betting on whether I was getting knocked overboard.¡± Jeremiah smiled evilly. ¡°Why do you think I want two silver? Figured I had the inside track, having witnesses your hop up and all." Arn pondered. Not too worried about being polite to a pissed off armed adventurer is he? Nuts or strong. Friendly might be best. ¡°Ha, well I won¡¯t pay, but we come back alive after good advice, we¡¯ll buy your crew a round at least.¡± Jeremiah snorted, ¡°how can I say no to such generosity? Well, my recommendation would be to stay at the only inn, buy supplies at the only general store, weapons at the only blacksmith and try not to die.¡± Arn face-palmed and let out an amused chuckle. ¡°I can certainly see where that would be worth two silver. You have a beautiful boat, the ride was a pleasure. Thank you.¡± At that, the small fisherman smiled broadly enough that Arn could count his missing teeth and said, ¡°well, since your so polite, I¡¯ll give ya a hint. Every Sunday and Wednesday at noon ¨C as in pretty damn soon ¨C Mayor Stillwater runs a free class in the basement of the inn for first timers. Don¡¯t care what you think you know, you want to come back alive, take the damn class.¡± After the boat docked, Arn shared the intel and the group decided to check out the general store before taking the class. The door opened onto a tiny starkly bare room with a clean-white counter. ¡°Welcome! Welcome! I¡¯m Omar Silver. They call me Omar Silver-Tongue but no worries, I only sell the best here. You will have no complaints!¡± Arn almost staggered under the weight of the man¡¯s charisma. He seemed like the perfect grandfather of his childhood memories, surrounded by a dreamlike haze. Arn shook it off and said ¡°nice to meet you Omar, we are first timers headed into the jungle. We were told to take the Mayor¡¯s course which I gather starts soon, but we thought we would pop in here first and take a look around. I take it everything is in the back?¡± Omar smiled like a rainbow peaking through the clouds. ¡°Yes! I can store so much more that way, offer you more choices! Well, my suggestion for a start, lets talk footwear now, then you come back tomorrow morning after the Mayor is done with you. Ok?¡± Arn resisted the urge to nod like a puppy trying his best to ¡°stay.¡± He managed to ask, ¡°its an all day course?¡± Omar nodded, ¡°oh yes. The Mayor takes it very seriously, and I dare say you will too. But for now, footwear! You need something water-resistant, high and snug. Fire leaches, the Mayor covers them, and my boots will cover you! Lets see if any of you have something suitable.¡± Omar stepped out from behind the counter and tsked as he reached down and prodded at their footwear. Gesturing at Keana¡¯s feet he explained ¡°well, the lovely lady here, her boots could do in a pinch, but I don¡¯t recommend it. Our boots are specially water-proofed and highly durable. The fire leaches are strong biters, and even if they don¡¯t break the skin through the boots, the boots will get ruined. The rest of you its not an issue, you must have proper footwear!¡± He continued, gesturing at Arn, ¡°unfortunately, I have nothing in your size big fellow, so I¡¯ll have to send you to the cobbler. If you insist on going off tomorrow, you best hustle over there now before seeing the Mayor. The cobbler is used to rush orders, he won¡¯t bleed you too badly but he still needs some time!¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Keana smiled. ¡°Arn here loves fire. They call him barbecue boy. He¡¯ll laugh off the leaches.¡± Omar frowned, and Keana had the sense she had kicked a puppy. ¡°They are called Fire Leaches because that is what their poison feels like. Arn here has sturdy boots, but they are way too short and it looks like it would be impossible to properly tuck in leather pants.¡± Keana seemed to be straining to push something uphill, forcing out ¡°Arn loves poison too. Has it for breakfast I¡¯m told.¡± Omar looked at Arn and shook his head. ¡°No, no, it doesn¡¯t kill anyone, but the poison is disabling. Even with eight or ten poison resistance, having them draining your blood would weaken you.¡± Omar waved them out. ¡°Off with you! Come back tomorrow morning, but only if Arn has ordered boots. I don¡¯t equip fools! The cobbler, Nias Damiano, is in the brown building three stores down.¡± Given the timing, the group accompanied Arn to the cobbler, and seemed to enjoy Arn¡¯s leverage-less attempts to haggle. The cobbler took a few silvers off, announced that was that, pay or leave. Arn left 62 silvers lighter ¨C an outrage, but he had to admit that the displayed boots practically radiated quality. This would, he was sure, be the visibly the finest piece of clothing he owned, and yet also serve as armor to a degree. The local inn, The Jungle¡¯s Heart, was both larger and far nicer than anything Arn had experienced. He eyed customers eating a steaming stew with an enticing aroma with envy, but they had no time. The bartender lost interest when they mentioned their goal, directing them to a set of stairs in the back. The basement looked largely the way one would expect the basement of a prosperous inn to look, with barrels of ale and stacked cases of goods along the walls. In the center of the room, however, ten chairs faced a pot-bellied older man with a large mustache in tailored clothing, and a young girl, perhaps 12, obviously destined to be a great beauty. Behind them was an easel with a drawing of some sort of beast, and to their right was a large hunting cat with midnight black fur that seemed to shimmer and ripple. It took the group a moment to realize the cat wasn¡¯t moving and was, despite its appearance, likely stuffed. The Mayor might have been old and stout, but his voice boomed. ¡°Sit. I am Byron Stillwater, and this is my granddaughter Alys. We will start. If some come late, we will deal with it. To be clear, I don¡¯t care whether you live or die. But I made my wife a promise that I would do everything I could to end the endless stream of little pigs headed for the slaughter. Thought about razing the town, but here we are. You will not like me. Even Alys does not like me. But if you listen, perhaps you will live.¡± As they took their seats, the Mayor grabbed Arn. ¡°Not you. Come, stand by me.¡± The Mayor squeezed Arn¡¯s arm multiple times as though inspecting a piece of fruit. ¡°Your name?¡± ¡°Arn sir.¡± ¡°You are the Shield I take it. Tell me Arn, are you able to react to the unexpected fast enough to save your group?¡± Arn nodded and explained, ¡°I have learned to always expect the wors...¡± The Mayor¡¯s arm blurred and Arn flew backwards several feet, landing on his butt, unable to breathe. The Mayor continued as if nothing had happened. ¡°In the jungle, what looks harmless will kill you.¡± The Mayor offered Arn a hand, easily levered him to his feet, pulled him back away from the seats, looked him in the eye and continued. ¡°You failed Arn. Your party is dead. Will you do better next time?¡± Arn nodded and wheezed out ¡°yes sir¡± as Alys drew a sap and smashed him in the back of the head, sending him reeling. ¡°Dead again. It only takes an instant. The jungle is full of Alyses, things that look small, harmless, even beautiful. Drink this Arn, and when you feel up to it, tell me, will you remember to be afraid?¡± Arn waved off the offered healing potion. ¡°I¡¯m fine sir. Don¡¯t need it. I should thank you. Seems to have cured my constipation. At least a little. As far as the fear, I don¡¯t know what came over me sir. I¡¯ve always been afraid of girls to be sure. Especially the little ones, and especially lately. They can be vicious, quite stabby I¡¯ve found. Yes, I¡¯ll remember to be afraid. Not wanting to boast, but being afraid is normally no problem.¡± The Mayor looked at Arn as though examining shit on his shoes, and gestured him back to his seat. ¡°Funny boys die like the rest. This easel is full of pictures of the Alyses of the jungle. Insects that will poison you. Trees that will try and eat you. Slow moving tree huggers that seem cute until they jump on you. We¡¯ll cover all that, the more obviously dangerous beasts, navigation, foraging, and a dozen other things. And it probably won¡¯t be enough. The only thing here you don¡¯t need to learn or worry about is this stuffed Nightshadow. Alys, tell our guests why that is.¡± Alys¡¯ beautiful face twisted as she gave what was clearly a practiced answer that she loathed giving. ¡°Because you¡¯ll only ever see one for a split second, as it carries a screaming party member into the jungle, never to be seen again.¡± The Mayor nodded to Alys, as if offering some small and unappreciated apology. ¡°You¡¯re not likely to encounter one unless you ignore what I say, but its possible. They range widely. But if you do, you will do nothing. Except mourn, as I mourn my daughter and Alys mourns her mother.¡± That bastard! Why does he do this to her? Enlightenment hit, and Arn knew, or imagined he did. He doesn¡¯t want her to even think about being an adventurer. Just like he doesn¡¯t want us to ever think we are safe in the jungle. He is a bastard, but he is is also taking this extremely seriously, just like Omar said. Arn straightened in his seat, resolved to absorb every word. Horror Show Having successfully gotten their attention, the Mayor dumped a seemingly impossible amount of information on them. The sketch-pad on the Mayor¡¯s easel turned out to be entirely full of ¡°hidden dangers¡±: way too many poisonous or swarming insects and their hives; snakes of what felt like every color; a gruesome array of things that would burrow into you if you didn¡¯t carefully prepare where you slept; jam-packed pages of pictures of poisonous plants; water-based ambush predators galore; a frightening assortment of deadly vines, trees and other plants; and, for good measure, a handful of things that liked to jump down on you from the trees. It was clear to Arn that the Mayor¡¯s approach was carefully crafted to make it wholly impossible to ignore certain lessons. For example, although he never said so, the Mayor clearly didn¡¯t intend for them to remember every picture of every poisonous plant ¨C rather, he used the pictures, along with way-too-graphic descriptions of hideous burn-like rashes and oozing flesh, to reinforce the message to not touch any plant you didn¡¯t recognize. Similarly, the single page of drawings of deadly jungle fruits was crammed so tightly that they were hard to see, much less remember, but after the Mayor was done describing a type of parasite that burrows out of a victim¡¯s eyes, the group would gladly starve to death rather than eat anything but the small handful of things the Mayor mentioned he would cover later. Along the way, the Mayor frequently told them to buy such and such ¡°from Silver Tongue,¡± including just enough information that that not doing so was completely unthinkable. For example, after discussing the parade of insect-horrors, the Mayor casually said, ¡°don¡¯t try to cheap out of buying Silver Tongue¡¯s medical kit unless you want to dig things out of each other¡¯s flesh with your daggers. The tools in the kit might be all that keeps you sane.¡± Arn¡¯s determination to absorb everything the Mayor said ran into a few snags. For example, when one of the Mayor¡¯s comments made Arn realize that his somewhat baggy traveling leathers (bought before his body type changed), were an open invitation to flesh burrowers, he started to panic about his limited funds. Suddenly, the Mayor was in Arn¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯ve had people vomit and I¡¯ve had people run, but I can¡¯t remember a day-dreamer. You some kind of idiot?¡± Arn stuttered, ¡°uh sorry sir, was just wondering if I could save money by testing out whether my class-given regeneration will dissolve burrowing insects. You wouldn¡¯t happen to know where I could get some burrowers in town would you?¡± The Mayor looked to the heavens and said, ¡°Maisy, I¡¯m trying, I really am. I don¡¯t want to let you down. But maybe it¡¯d be kinder if I just killed some of em, starting with this big bastard. Just this once?¡± The Mayor looked back at Arn and explained, ¡°ain¡¯t no kind of healing that does that. You think your going to dissolve an arrow in the gut too, or maybe you have some special insect-only skill? Look Arn, if you had all the brains in the world ¨C which clearly you don¡¯t ¨C you¡¯d still make fatal mistakes if you second-guess what you need. Just empty your damn purse on Silver Tongue¡¯s counter and buy whatever-the-Hells he tells you too. He ain¡¯t a saint, but he won¡¯t sell you crap you don¡¯t need. The stuff he sells you now costs a fraction of what he hopes to sell you next time. Wants you to trust him, you see?¡± The Mayor turned back to the group. ¡°You are all still here. Stupid brave like the rest. Well, the jungle is one thing, but I¡¯m not without mercy. I can hear the big bastard¡¯s stomach rumbling from here, and I need to take a piss. We¡¯ll take a 30-minute break, but first, the most important damn thing I¡¯m going to tell you. Alys, the map please.¡± Alys grabbed a thin tube, unrolled a square map over two feet long per side, and secured it to the easel. The Mayor nodded to Alys and resumed, ¡°Silver Tongue sells this for 55 silver. Most expensive damn map I¡¯ve ever seen, but it won¡¯t rip and won¡¯t tear. Has a better chance of surviving than you do. We¡¯ve recovered like-new maps off skeletons. Alright, well the bright blue area back here is called the Ever-Swamp, they say it¡¯s the gateway to the Heart of the Jungle. You can see the bright blue glow for miles. Well, not you all; you¡¯d be dead long before you see it. Reason I mention it, the mana springs are somewhere in there. They say the mana is so thick that mages have killed party members casting spells while they dream. The mana gradually gets thinner the further away you are from the springs. People say all kinds of idiot things about where the forest ends and the jungle starts ¨C the moss grows a certain way, you start to see such and such herb, but its all nonsense, the mana just gradually increases the closer you get to the Ever-Swamp and the springs. You hit the forest, and shit gets real pretty damn quick. A lot of the forest is pretty damn wet, and parts of the jungle are dry. Its all the same, one step increases your chance of dying as much as the next.¡± The Mayor took a sip of ale and pointed at what must be the forest trails Arn had heard about. ¡°Hundreds of years ago, the kingdom decided to support harvesting beast gem-hearts, herbs and what not. They buried a network of enchanted stones that absorb mana from the soil. Some mages don¡¯t like to walk on em, but I¡¯m told only a master can feel the difference. The stones kill the plants well enough though, and keep the paths clear. Mostly. Nothing lasts forever. Sometimes they explode, but hey, you already knew the jungle wasn¡¯t the best place for the unlucky right? Upside of the stones being all touchy, is nobody tries to steal em, so we still have paths all these years later. You get far enough south, the mana is so thick, any stones that got placed failed long ago. So this east-west path up here, it is called The Edge of Madness, and is considered the dividing line between the forest and the jungle. Think I¡¯ve made clear there ain¡¯t nothing special about it, but maps need boundaries, so there it is.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. The Mayor looked away from the map and stared intently at the group. ¡°Any of you have any brains at all, you won¡¯t go all the way to The Edge, much less cross it. You follow the paths, pick a spot, harvest herbs, kill or run from whatever shows interest, maybe harvest a few gem hearts, and maybe get back with everyone and still earn good coin. This map isn¡¯t perfect, only permanent stuff is marked, swamps and what not. Stuff like a colony of Blade Apes, the location of that sort of thing shifts from time to time. Downside of a map that will outlast you, that stuff ain¡¯t marked. So if you agree to be smart, I¡¯ll recommend a spot for you to harvest, and show you a hopefully non-fatal route. If the Gods are cruel and you end up somewhere else, Silver Tongue includes an up-to-date map with stuff like the Blade Ape colony marked. He packages it with the more expensive one; two maps for one crazy price, but don¡¯t even think about asking around for a cheaper solution. No one will sell you one, and if they did, you¡¯d get lost and die. Alright, go get food.¡± * * * Arn slurped his soup with gusto, thinking about ordering a second. It was good. The rest of the group . . . was having trouble. ¡°There are other options is all I¡¯m saying, places where things just try and kill you, not burrow out of your eyes,¡± said Val. Pepper snorted, ¡°we¡¯re here, not 100 miles away at the caves of whatever-the-fuck or the ruins of who-gives-a-shit.¡± Arn, not paying much attention, raised the bowl to his lips to make sure to get every last drop. Keana made a disgusted noise and let him have it. ¡°Holy Hells Arn, we all know your crazier than a caged ferret in heat, but how can you flipping eat after hearing all that?¡± Arn snorted, ¡°what, you thought the Sar thing was my first rodeo? I trained like that for near on a month. Hells, I got Masochist level two from the Sar thing. During the slarn hunt, I stabbed myself in the stomach to trigger my rage-like skill ¨C twisted the blade too. If Elder Dannis had thought of burrowing bugs, it would have been part of the training program. Terrible oversight that. So yeah, I can eat. But I¡¯m no kind of normal I know ¨C you all figure what¡¯s right for you. I¡¯m going in regardless, doing what the Mayor recommended, but whatever you decide, I¡¯ll still wish you the best.¡± After a solid 10 minutes of angst (and another bowl of soup) the group headed back down without firm decisions from anyone other than Arn and Pepper. The Mayor greeted them brusquely. ¡°All right, sit. I haven¡¯t got all day. Well, we covered hidden and deceptive threats earlier. That is one of three groups. The second group is beasts that wander out from deeper in the jungle. And we aren¡¯t going to cover those at all. There are too many possibilities. Once you figure out your dealing with something beyond your wildest prayers, you¡¯ll run or you¡¯ll die. Probably both. Making good progress now, right? The next category is pretty easy too ¨C easy to tell you about anyway. No mystery about these critters for the most part ¨C they¡¯ll try and eat you straight off, you¡¯ll fight or you¡¯ll die. I¡¯m gonna flip through our next picture book real quick and just go over a few little things. Might want to pay attention though, because sometimes the little things matter. Little things like ¡®if a dracolisk tenses up its neck, get the Hells out of the way because a whole lot o acid is coming¡¯ or ¡®if you see one silver warg, realize it wants to be seen and guard your back, because they are a whole lot smarter than the black ones your used too.¡¯¡± After the Mayor blitzed through the drawings, he stretched and announced ¡°all right, that¡¯s it for me. Alys will show you some of the gear you¡¯ll want. I don¡¯t need your coppers, but I worked for everything I¡¯ve got, and so will Alys, so tip well. You won¡¯t need it where you¡¯re going.¡± With that, the Mayor simply grabbed his ale and walked up the stairs. When he was gone, Alys turned to the group and spoke in a soft but confident voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about my grandfather. I¡¯m told he wasn¡¯t always this way, but . . . well, he gave you good advice. The course should be longer, but we¡¯ve been thanked by returning adventurers many times. I know you¡¯ll be back too! I have a few things here on the table that will help. Silver Tongue makes suggestions, but he keeps everything in the back, it is much easier to see stuff in front of you. We mostly just have the Mayor¡¯s recommended survival gear here with a couple of exceptions, so you¡¯ll have to talk to Silver Tongue if you need skinning knives or things like that. Take a minute to stretch, gather round, and I¡¯ll go through some things when you¡¯re ready.¡± As young and innocent looking as she was, it struck the group as more than a little odd hearing Alys talk about the tools of carnage, but she did so efficiently, covering time-delayed fire stones, enchanted cans she called ¡°grenades¡± that cast darkness, blinding light, fear or web and a host of other items. She went well beyond anything the Mayor mentioned, touching on a wide range of subjects from sensible herb storage to making sure that you didn¡¯t blow yourself to bits by failing to secure harvested gem hearts. When the group finally bid her goodbye, they tipped generously and went back up stairs for dinner. * * * Later that night, Arn nervously shifted the bottle of wine to his other hand and wiped sweat from his palm, before knocking on Keana¡¯s door. Keana opened the door with a wide smile and took the bottle. ¡°Arn! You brought me wine! Good boy! I snuck out for a little shopping of my own and have some surprises for you!¡± Keana reached over the nearby table and grabbed a bandana. ¡°Close your eyes big boy!¡± Arn did so, excitement rising, as Keana blindfolded him and took his hands. ¡°Ok, now stick your hands out like this Arn! Good, now one second!¡± Arn held his hands out, and felt metal . . . bracelets (?) clink around his wrists. Arn suddenly felt Keana¡¯s hands on his chest off to the side and reached for her lustily . . . missing. ¡°None of that Arn! I¡¯ve got a special evening planned. I may have been a child at the House of Leather and Lace, but the girls all talked. Don¡¯t you worry a bit, half the customers were Masochists! I know just how to take care of you! Here, take this, and bite down.¡± Arn stuttered, ¡°Keana wait. Its not like . . .¡± In the next room over, Val briefly worried that he heard a little girl screaming. There Was A Bear! The next morning, the group sat down together for breakfast, most looking like they had slept little. When the plates of sausage, steaming eggs and sliced potatoes arrived, Arn immediately dug in with a delighted ¡°mmm.¡± Val, usually the optimist, reacted with disgust. ¡°Some of us value our damn lives Arn! We have a big decision to make and you¡¯re stuffing your face.¡± Arn snorted. ¡°You¡¯ve been sitting here sullen for ten minutes. Not my fault you waited to have this big discussion until the food came, or that you couldn¡¯t sleep.¡± Val stared at Arn bitterly and said, ¡°actually it is your fault. The moaning I understand, but what in the Hells was up with the screaming? Sounded like you were flaying the skin off a little girl.¡± Keana cheerfully explained. ¡°Oh that. Just a small misunderstanding. Arn¡¯s a bit sore. Well maybe a lot sore. Boy acts all tough, but he gets butt hurt over little things. Well, ok . . . not especially little. But I gave him a night even he won¡¯t ever forget, lets just say that.¡± Arn reddened. ¡°I . . . I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± Pepper laughed maniacally, eggs spraying everywhere. Keana raised her hands. ¡°Now, now, come on Arn. I could hardly let you do your own thing without proper training, not after our first time! I took the manacles off, eventually! You sure seemed to enjoy yourself when we¡­¡± Sar interrupted noting, ¡°ok, you convinced me. I¡¯d rather have the bugs emerge from my eyes than continue to listen to this conversation. Eat. Then whoever is going on can shop.¡± Despite the lingering effects of the Mayor¡¯s terrifying lesson, the full group headed over to Silver Tongue¡¯s shop ¨C and spent a surreal three hours there as he slowly divested them of all their wealth. That he had somehow convinced so many of the town¡¯s crafters to sell through him was shocking ¨C until one stood there as he made powerful pitches for a bizarre assortment of items like ¡°scent-absorbing¡± bandages designed to prevent ¡°attracting more attention when you¡¯re badly injured.¡± The group declined those, but succumbed on many, many other items. To be fair, many of the items were of amazing quality, obviously well worth the price. As painful as the steady outflow of coin was, there were some pleasant surprises. When the moment Arn most dreaded arrived, and he finally asked about leather armor that could standup to the needs of a regenerating Shield, Silver Tongue looked intrigued, asking ¡°a regenerating shield? A were-class? I should have asked, but I¡¯ve gotten pretty good at judging such things by looks.¡± Arn answered ¡°no sir, I have a legendary class. I regenerate faster the more injured I am, and gain more experience when badly injured as well. So metal armor seems wasteful, but I can¡¯t afford to buy new leather armor every time I go out either, so I just don¡¯t know. Back home, I hunted slarns naked, but. . .¡± Silver Tongue put his arm around Arn clucking his tongue, ¡°naked!! No, no none of that, not while your buying from me! A legendary classer! Crazy as it sounds, I just might have something! You don¡¯t have nearly enough coin for such a rare and spectacular item, but a legendary classer . . . perhaps we can work something out.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. After disappearing into the back room for nearly five minutes, Silver Tongue emerged with . . . what looked like a bear-skin rug. Jaws dropped. Silver Tongue laughed, a musical sound that filled the room. He put the ¡°armor¡± on the counter and explained. ¡°This is a were-bear¡¯s hide, specially treated and enchanted, a process known as living armor. Only made by one particular sect of elves, very, very rare. Given time, it can repair any damage through growth, as long as enough of the armor is intact. You can speed it up by sewing any flaps together ¨C I¡¯ll throw in a needle and thread if we reach a deal. Its not plate mail, but it will provide a lot more protection than a normal leather armor, and is particularly good against elemental damage. Try it on.¡± Arn found that that the living armor went on much like a coat; the fur-covered hide overlapped in front, secured by a set of hidden buttons. The ¡°armor¡± was incredibly soft ¨C like wearing a fur coat, but somehow not especially hot. It extended just past his knees, over the new tougher leather pants he previously purchased. Princess growled. Pepper put a hand on Princess, who had otherwise been incredibly patient, calmly sitting and watching the festivities. Pepper explained that ¡°she seems to think you¡¯re a bear. A big, weird-ass bear. I can¡¯t imagine why.¡± Keana chimed in ¨C ¡°just so you know Arn, you are not wearing that in the sleeping bag!¡± Arn, delighted, asked, ¡°so that means we are sharing a sleeping bag? No, living armor and, no um, special equipment, right?¡± Val snorted, and cut them off. ¡°You two can do whatever you want in the next inn. As long as your room isn¡¯t next to mine. And no one calls the constable. But in the jungle we are all business.¡± Silver Tongue watched the youngsters gently bicker with amusement. They had potential; he was willing to make a small investment. Still, there was risk, and he had to ensure a proper return to compensate for that risk. He cleared his threat. ¡°Ahem! This is a 12 gold quality item! You dive the jungle a year or two, maybe, just maybe, you¡¯ll have gear like this! If I¡¯m going to sell you this armor now, given your limited funds, we need a written agreement with some special provisions!¡± Fifteen minutes later, Arn had forked over the rest of his gold and: (1) agreed to pay an additional two gold within the first two years and an additional six gold over the following four years; (2) make ¡°not less than six promotional appearances¡± of ¡°up to eight hours each¡± on behalf of ¡°Omar Silver Tongue¡¯s Emporium of Wonders¡± and (3) convinced the group to sign a provision agreeing to provide all of Arn¡¯s wordly possessions to Silver Tongue if Arn died within the next twenty years. Keana poked Arn and muttered, ¡°surprised you didn¡¯t give him a testicle too.¡± Val needed little, since his blade, shield and chain mail were spell-forged steel, just a cut below mithril, and as such he bought most of the miscellaneous items like the map and first aid kit for the group with good humor. The House of Leather and Lace apparently paid well, at least for its stars, and even many years later, Keana still had some of her mother¡¯s earnings ¨C just enough to upgrade her long knives to spell-forged steel. Pepper bought little and reluctantly, resisting Silver Tongue¡¯s charm far better than the others. She, however, splurged on a quiver¡¯s worth of enchanted arrows with a variety of effects. Far better equipped, and dead broke, the group headed for the forest. As they walked through town, Arn drew a number of curious stares, and more than a few children pointed and laughed, but Reach saw many adventurers and was used to the occasional oddity ¨C although a very large young man dressed like a bear was admittedly a first. Flesh Wound As they left town, the forest loomed less than two miles to the south. Arn asked, ¡°hey, its been kind of bugging me, anyone know why they built the town on this side of The Eye, rather than, you know, putting the The Eye between the town and the beast-infested forest?¡± Silence greeted Arn¡¯s inquiry; the group seemed focused and grim. Ok then, this is going to be fun. Or not. Well, with my debt to Silver Tongue its not like I have other options. Although...maybe I could start a dog food business using my Tasty regenerating flesh? I hear the kidney is quite nutritious. Or I could let a necromancer strap me down and harvest my bones to make an army of skeletons. Or¡­ Arn bumped into Val, who had stopped dead. In front of them was a path into the forest, with a signpost on the left marked with a blue diamond. Their ultra-pricey map labeled each trail with a simple symbol that corresponded with the matching signposts ¨C there were yellow moons, blue diamonds, pink hearts, orange stars and green clovers. Arn wondered whether there was any significance to the symbols ¨C were they magically significant? Val announced the obvious. ¡°We¡¯re here. Arn, stop day dreaming, you¡¯re on point. Everyone remember the formation we talked about. Its go time.¡± Arn unlimbered his shield, drew his sword and marched down the trail. Arn was far from an expert on forests, but to his eyes it looked like any other. Oak, Pine and other familiar trees lined the path to each side. The path itself looked like an ordinary game trail, perhaps a bit wider. As Arn scrutinized the path, his Mana Sight kicked in, and his vision was flooded with glowing motes of mana. He stutter-stepped and dismissed Mana Sight after a short struggle. Val asked, ¡°what¡¯s wrong Arn?¡± Arn answered ¡°nothing, my Mana Sight just kicked in without my summoning it. It is already overwhelming. I don¡¯t know much about real spell casting, but be careful if you need to be Sar.¡± The group traveled in tense silence, although Arn was more alert than tense ¨C while he certainly expected the worst, he didn¡¯t particularly fear it. Arn kept an eye on the plants on the side of the path, but they were mostly just ferns, with a few ordinary flowers and mushrooms. As expected. Nothing of value likely to be left so close to Reach on one of the main trails. Arn noticed a large tree with oily black bark on the left that he was unfamiliar with, and glanced up to try and place it by its leaves. On a branch perhaps 50 feet up, he noticed a one and a half foot long grey cylindrical hive of some kind with white protrusions jutting from the hive in various locations. Is that Last Kiss? Can our luck be that good? Keana noticed first, asking ¡°what are you staring at Arn?¡± Arn pointed at the hive and said simply, ¡°gold. Pretty sure, but its covered in my jungle herbalism book. Do me a favor and grab it from my pack would you?¡± Val snapped, ¡°damn it Arn, if you are pointing at the hive, that¡¯s fifty feet up. Who in the Hells do you imagine is climbing up there and somehow dealing with a swarm?¡± Arn turned to Val, surprised that he was acting snappish. ¡°I don¡¯t know what crawled up your ass Val, but if the white protrusions on the hive are Last Kiss, then the hive is dead, and the fungus is probably worth more than a gold piece. They make a special poison from it that can kill off certain diseases without killing the sick person. Well sometimes. I¡¯m far from the best choice with my size, but I probably won¡¯t die if I fall, so I¡¯m not about to leave a gold piece just sitting up there if y¡¯all aren¡¯t willing.¡± After making Arn squat down a bit, and some awkward searching,Keana found ¡°Asir¡¯s Guide To Jungle Gold, The Definitive Guide To Jungle Herbs¡± in Arn¡¯s pack and handed it to him. Arn thanked her and started flipping through the book, finding the page after a couple of minutes. Yep, that¡¯s Last Kiss. Arn passed the book around, but only Val and Sar spent any time with it. Arn briefly wondered if Keana and Pepper could read, but dismissed the issue as irrelevant. Val shook his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t say anything about the hive being dead, and I¡¯m not sure where you¡¯re getting a gold piece from. I don¡¯t think any of us have climbing gear. You¡¯re a fool if you go up there.¡± Arn snorted. ¡°It is implied that it kills the hive. And I don¡¯t see any bugs. If no one else is going to do it, I will. If I fall, if I die, no biggy. Great way to start the day, let me tell you.¡± Val asked, ¡°if you fall, how long will it take you to get back in shape to go on?¡± Arn pondered the question. ¡°The first bit is blazing fast, but it gets slower as it goes. Just under five minutes to get back to 60% health, unless some of the bones are really snapped out of place. I dunno exactly how that would impact it, skill just says things like lost limbs takes longer. If I ever get really shredded or broken might need some help pushing any bits back where they go to avoid waiting around.¡± Sar whistled, impressed, while Keana looked nauseous. Pepper volunteered, ¡°well I¡¯ve set horse bones, and I¡¯m the party healer so I can reckon I can do that, provided I get my share.¡± Val still looked skeptical. ¡°What if you¡¯re wrong and the insects swarm you while you¡¯re on the ground? I have no idea what kind of hive that is, do you?¡± Arn shrugged off his gear and got out a sack to store the hive in; after a moment¡¯s thought, he decided to leave his were armor on. Arn turned to Val and put his hand on Val¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Its sweet your worried grandma, but stupid is my thing. Stupid but profitable, that¡¯s just gravy.¡± Arn paused, and decided to be serious since Val seemed truly stressed. ¡°Look Val, this isn¡¯t about picking mushrooms by the side of the trail. Just being here is dangerous. I¡¯m pretty sure there is a gold piece worth of fungus up there, and I don¡¯t have to fight anything capable of knocking my head off to get it. Insects probably can¡¯t kill me, at least not the ones so far from the Heart of the Jungle. So trying to climb up there actually is common sense, right?¡± Although he was trying to reassure Val, Arn¡¯s perspective was a little off after everything that had happened in the last month, and he couldn¡¯t stop himself from continuing. ¡°I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong, something will go wrong. There is always a hidden little girl with a sap, right? Whatever it is, I¡¯m sure it will be incredibly painful, but what the heck, we are in for a lot of that I think. Especially me. Might as well start now. Fun, fun, fun.¡± Val looked at Arn in bafflement, shook his head and walked off. Arn considered trying to kiss Keana for luck, but decided climbing 50 feet into the air to face a possibly full hive was quite possibly safer, and headed for the tree. The tree was probably three feet around, and the branches didn¡¯t start until shortly below the hive, so there were no easy handholds. Arn had seen villagers climb similar trees using several different types of gear: some used clawed gloves and spiked shoes, while others used a sash around the tree for leverage, heaving the sash up in increments as they went. How could Silver Tongue not have recommended climbing gear? Seems like a big omission. Sighing at the lack of proper gear, Arn figured he was better off climbing the simple way, with his hands and feet. If the bark will hold, with my new strength I shouldn¡¯t have a problem. If the bark will hold. Stowing the sack around his prized slarn-skin belt, Arn threw himself onto the tree. After a two painfully awkward failures, he got the hang of it, and started to climb. Arn encountered his first real difficulty almost immediately; the bark didn¡¯t just look oily, it was in fact coated in some substance that was soon all over Arn¡¯s hands. Fortunately, the bark was heavily ridged, and Arn managed to dig his fingers into the crevasses without more than occasional minor slippage of one hand or the other. His new boots were not meant for climbing, but did the job well enough. * * * Sar was highly doubtful that someone as big as Arn could climb a tree trunk without proper equipment, but panicked once it was clear that he could in fact do so. ¡°If he drops the nest we are going to be in a world of hurt. Time to retreat!¡± Remembering the Mayor¡¯s hideous litany of insect horrors, the group ended up almost seventy-five feet away. ¡°Do you think this is far enough?¡± Keana asked. Val nodded, ¡°your boy friend should attract their attention as long as we aren¡¯t around.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Keana snorted. ¡°The proper terminology is current boy toy. Although, it is nice having a big bear all my own. Mom was supposed to take me to the carnival the weekend after she died, but hey, I went and won a giant-ass bear myself. They don¡¯t grow on trees you know.¡± Pepper looked at Keana with more than her usual scowl. ¡°I¡¯ve seen horse crap smells better than your shtick. Not fooled.¡± Keana rolled her eyes, turned back to the show and asked, ¡°say, do you have any jerky?¡± * * * As Arn slowly got closer to the hive, he was realized that there did not seem to be any activity, but was starting to worry about a new problem. The hive was further away from the main trunk than it had looked at ground level, maybe four feet away, dangling from a large branch. How the heck was he going to cut it down and get into the sack and still hold onto the tree? His dexterity was high enough now, but high enough for what exactly? If he went hand-over-hand on the branch, he could maybe hold on with one hand and . . . well, how would he get the hive in the sack? How would he transition back to the trunk? Nothing for it ¨C I¡¯ll have to stretch and rip the hive off one-handed, let it drop and hope it doesn¡¯t destroy too much of the fungus. Plan settled, Arn shouted down to let the group know to back up, just in case there were any insects in the hive after all. There was no answer, so he repeated himself more loudly and got to work. * * * ¡°Why in the Hells is he bloody shouting???¡± Val asked in a huff. Keana rolled her eyes. ¡°Probably just excited about bagging the hive. Not like we can do anything to help if he is trouble. So sit back and enjoy the show. Arn will find a way to spice things up a bit I¡¯m sure.¡± Keana popped a piece of jerky and relaxed against a tree to wait for the fun to start. Arn shouted again; this time the group was listening and got the gist of it. Sar nodded, vindicated. ¡°Told you we needed to back up. Hells, maybe we should back up a little. . .¡± A distant snarling roar interrupted Sar, who resumed ¡°hopefully that is just¡­OH SHIT! BE QUIET!¡± Sar whispered while pointing at an enormous midnight-black bear looking around in puzzlement from, thankfully, the far side of Arn¡¯s tree, perhaps 90 feet from the group. Keana noted ¡°we have to help, that thing could take off his head!¡± Val shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s a 12-foot Dire Bear. It would rip through us like butter. Best bet is Arn stays up there till it goes away. If we do have to fight¡­¡± * * * Up close, Arn was sure the hive was dead; the fungus was more extensive than it had appeared from the ground and should fetch a nice sum if even half of it could be recovered. They better not bitch and moan about ruined fungus! Arn gripped the trunk as tightly as he could with his legs and transferred his left hand to the branch with the hive. The brank was too thick for a tight grip, but Arn stuck his left hand over the branch to support his weight. Shifting his weight, Arn stretched and reached for the hive. He was able to touch the top of the hive, and, after a bit of difficulty, got his thumb and index finger properly positioned and pulled ¨C the hive fell! ¡°I got it!¡± Arn shouted with joy. An answering roar shook the forest. Arn turned his head and saw an impossibly huge bear standing on its hind feet looking in his direction. Shit! Arn tried to stay calm and think as he carefully shifted his hands back to the trunk. I bought a firestone canister, twist back and forth, drop it and I think its 3 seconds right? If I can hit the bear just right. . . At the tree now, the bear reared up on its hind legs, clawed the trunk and roared, shaking Arn¡¯s bones and setting his head rattling. Ugh, this thing is POWERFULL. Has to be a wanderer from deeper in the jungle, my firestone won¡¯t scare it, and the web canister Val bought may as well be a toy¡­I¡¯ve got to wait this out. OK, I can do that. As Arn reassured himself, the massive bear, somehow, impossibly, began to climb. Arn had seen bears. Bears were fat. Bears were furry. Deadly if provoked, or if stumbled on unseen. This thing had bulging muscles that rippled beneath its fur like massive slarn, a head that seemed the size of a village dog and slavering fangs like daggers. A full-on bite would rip him in half. The dire bear terrified Arn on a fundamental level that the wargs and slarn never touched. Every instinct screamed at Arn to run, and his heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest, but he fought for calm. I have two chances: the firestone, and the party. Arn reached for the firestone canister in an inside pocket of the were-hide armor, and felt its reassurance, but did not draw it ¨C it would take two hands to activate. Arn screamed at his friends, ¡°I¡¯M GOING TO DROP FIRESTONE ON IT, HIT IT WITH EVERYTH¡­¡± The dire bear roared from twelve feet below Arn, hitting Arn with an almost physical force that battered him into unconsciousness. Limp, Arn fell straight down like a rag doll. Though nothing had dared to try in decades, the dire bear was not wholly unfamiliar with the concept of predators jumping down from above. It was, however, both wholly unprepared for the event to occur while climbing, and its attempt to swipe at Arn was unwise. Arn¡¯s feet rammed into the dire bear¡¯s head, adding the force of his fall-accelerated 230 pounds to the 1400 pounds of dire bear attached to the tree by three claws. The impact summersaulted Arn off the bear, while it flailed at the tree wildly, carving deep gouges, as it to began its own tumble. * * * Arn¡¯s team stared at the climbing bear in mute horror for a long second before Keana screamed, ¡°go, go, go!¡± and took off running, with Val, and more slowly, Sar following behind. Pepper snorted, and put a calming hand on Princess, who couldn¡¯t do anything except die against that monstrosity. Much like the idiot dancing girl with tiny knives. Pepper drew an explosive arrow and carefully sighted; the bear was huge, but 90 feet away and climbing with frightening speed. For 14 silver, I hope this makes a Hell of a ba¡­ The massive roar, momentarily startled her, and she almost released prematurely, but was able to adjust. Simultaneously, she noticed the three charging morons trip over their own feet, stunned, as Arn started to tumble. As Arn slammed into the dire bear and both began to fall, Pepper took the opportunity to run forward for a better shot. Pepper had a front stage pass to the potentially deadly circus. She saw the dire bear land, head pointed towards the tree, shake itself alert and turn to find Arn. She saw Arn struggle to rise with one arm, a jagged splint of bone sticking out of the other. She saw Val and Keana rise and start to run from 40 feet away, while Sar took aim from outside his range. One chance to save the nutty bastard she thought as she aimed and fired the explosive arrow, forced to aim for the monster¡¯s mid-section, as its head was already uncomfortably close to Arn. Her aim was true, and the arrow blossomed into a four-foot fireball with a bang. Pepper saw an area of charred and smoking flesh surrounded by burning fur, but if the monster felt anything at all, it didn¡¯t show it, swiping at Arn with a claw bigger than his head. I want my silver back. * * * Arn regained consciousness in a rictus of agony. I need more levels in Masochist! Arn levered himself to his feet with his left arm, willing his right to assist. Pain slammed into his arm and Arn turned to look for a stray arrow . . . no, that¡¯s bone where its not supposed to be! Shit. Arn heard the dire bear roar, but fortunately it was facing the other way. Arn redoubled his efforts to get up, as the pant-staining whatever-the-Hell-it-was turned around and began to charge. I¡¯m screwed, my arm is off! No, it isn¡¯t, its just a scratch! I¡¯ve had worse! Arn tried to calm himself, reached into the pocket in his were-hide armor with his left, and brought the fire-stone canister to his mouth, biting down, and using his left hand to twist the canister left then right in its activation sequence. One shot. Have to wait till its right on me, toss the canister in its mouth. ¡°Come on ya pansy, let¡¯s have at it!¡± he shouted madly. Arn heard a boom and saw fire from the corner of his eye, as the dire bear lifted its massive paw and opened its jaws. Arn leaped forward and thrust his good arm forward, intending to toss the canister into the gaping maw from can¡¯t-miss range. The dire bear snapped its head forward in a flash, closing on Arn¡¯s arm near the shoulder and tossing its head to the side, throwing Arn like a ragdoll. Arn hit the ground and rolled, stopping facing the sky. He felt a mild rush from Kicking and Screaming triggering, but its power was muted, like a waterfall heard from a distance. He turned his head to look at the dire bear as it suddenly shook with a muffled thump. The dire bear looked panicked, let out a strangled gurgle which belched smoke out of its mouth, and took off running. Arn smiled. ¡°Had enough now eh? All right, we¡¯ll call it a draw.¡± Arn faded in and out of consciousness, but returned to focus with Keana standing over him. ¡°Oh Gods, Arn¡­your arms¡­the left...blechhh¡± Arn shuddered at the indignity of being vomited on, but tried to comfort Keana. ¡°Its¡­its just a flesh wound.¡± Rodeo Star Pepper sighed. She promised Arn she would put him back together if necessary, and the big bastard didn¡¯t even wait ten minutes to put her to work. Now she was supposed to somehow put a broken, vomit-soaked, near-corpse sufficiently back together for his regeneration to do the rest. Yay me. After muttering some nonsense to Keana, Arn had faded into unconsciousness, but she could see breathing. Arn¡¯s right arm was clearly terribly broken, with a 4 inch splinter of bone sticking through the blood-splattered sleeve of his bizarre bear-coat. She had put down horses for less, but if he could really regrow an entire damn arm, she reckoned the break was something she could deal with. His left ¡°arm¡± however, was a horror the likes of which she had rarely seen traveling with the Sisters, and only on the dead, or soon to be dead. The flipping ridiculous coat¡¯s sleeve hadn¡¯t completely severed ¨C maybe it had helped to a degree ¨C but she could still see the disgusting mess that had once been a shoulder easily enough. The arm was ripped from the socket, ¡°connected¡± to Arn by a thin core of non-severed tendons. She could see the tendons slowly writhing. Don¡¯t need to be a prissy dancer to find that all kinds of wrong. Lower down, the coat¡¯s sleeve was intact enough to be a major hindrance, but she could see snatches of exposed bone on both the upper and lower arm through gashes in the sleeve, and worried that the arm would literally fall apart if she tried to put Arn¡¯s shoulder back together. Sighing, Pepper knelt down by Arn¡¯s left and tried to gently and slowly manipulate what was left of his arm back to the shoulder socket. The intact sleeve of his coat was a help; she grabbed the sleeve at the upper and lower arm, and, ignoring Arn¡¯s high-pitched piercing scream, carefully lifted and moved them towards the shoulder, hoping that its structure would prevent his likely crushed bones from completely shattering. That done, Pepper turned to Keana and calmly demanded one her knives, since her own daggers were ordinary steel. Keana held out a knife in Pepper¡¯s general direction, not looking at Arn. Unbelievable. How in the Hells did she kill anything to level? Figuring that Arn¡¯s right arm probably wouldn¡¯t kill him, Pepper grabbed at the knife, and started carefully cutting Arn¡¯s left sleeve. The sleeve offered heavy resistance, forcing her to use her full strength as carefully as she could. One slip and I might be the one to pull his damn arm off. Once she cut open the sleeve, the result was a slaughterhouse horror show. Flaps of skin, torn muscles and tendons, and multiple full breaks in the arm. Like one of those puzzles pa bought me when things were good, only I don¡¯t know I have all the pieces. As she worked, Arn began to scream himself raw. Pepper tried her best to ignore the screaming and the horror, and her mind began to wander as her fingers worked. I wonder if I can unlock beast-healing working on a man-bear? Did the titanic bear mistake Arn for a lover or a rival, or is Arn really just that flipping annoying to everything under the sun? A gore-soaked Pepper unconsciously began to hum a little tune her father taught her to calm injured horses, only increasing Val and Sar¡¯s shock and horror at the insanity of the scene. Suddenly Arn¡¯s screaming stopped, he gasped and his eye¡¯s focused on Pepper. In a raw grating voice Arn said ¡°help me up. Freaky bastard can¡¯t have gotten far.¡± Despite herself, Pepper smiled. ¡°Lay your ass down there until I say so or I¡¯ll have Princess sit on ya. Sorry to yell ya, not sure youre left arm is ever gonna heal right, regeneration or not, and I ain¡¯t even touched your right arm ¨C you¡¯ve still got a big ole shard of bone still sticking right out of it. Let me work, let your regeneration do its thing, and Gods willing, you¡¯ll still be the same two-armed idiot we know and kinda tolerate.¡± As Pepper grabbed Arn¡¯s coat near the wound and prepared to cut, what she saw froze her mid-motion. ¡°Got news for ya Arn; that crazy-ass coat of yours drinks blood. Fur near your wounds is all shiny and longer. Thing might look like a rug, but that¡¯s some crazy shit all right.¡± As Pepper refocused on cutting, she couldn¡¯t avoid jostling the bone shard, which just flaked off. Stunned, Pepper checked the hole in the sleeve, and found a small, visibly shrinking wound. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s some real deal regeneration Arn. Well, here, keep this for a souvenir. Better yet, nothing says love like carving your girl a flute out your own bone.¡± Pepper made Arn lay still for another five minutes ignoring his ranting about chasing down the bear, but eventually he started waiving the formerly-mangled arm about, and she backed off and stood. ¡°If you can get your giant ass upright on your own, I guess your good to go. Be careful though, bear literally ground your bones into splinters. Nothing I could have fixed with spells for certain.¡± Ten minutes later, the hive fragments were gathered in Arn¡¯s sack, and he was still arguing his case. ¡°Listen, that was an 18 silver firestone canister loaded with nails. Thing was stronger than Hell, but nothing protecting it on the inside, right? It has to be bleeding to death somewhere, might just need a little push. That thing was from deep jungle, it¡¯s sure to have a gem heart. Claws, teeth and the hide, all going to be worth a ton. Might be two or three gold dying around the corner. We can¡¯t just give that up when we did the hard part!¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Val was getting angry. ¡°Arn! Use your damn head for once. Like you said, that thing was deep jungle; it¡¯s just beyond us. Shrugged off Pepper¡¯s fire arrow like it was nothing. Sure, it ran, might be hurt for real, but you corner it, it will finish tearing you to shreds. The firestone is gone, and even you aren¡¯t fool enough to repeat that move. What the heck are we going to do, tickle it to death? Besides, you and Pepper are going to attract a LOT of attention covered in blood and vomit and we haven¡¯t passed a stream. You got your fungus, lets call it a win, go back to town and get cleaned up.¡± Arn thought. ¡°Ok, you¡¯re not full wrong, it would be foolish to rush in blind, maybe somehow, someway it¡¯s out there climbing trees, humping dead giants and just waiting for us. So we don¡¯t go blind. Princess has keen senses. She can eye the thing from a safe distance, and is fast enough to run if she doesn¡¯t get too close right?¡± Pepper considered. ¡°Maybe. Don¡¯t like the idea much. Let me try and see if she thinks she can do it. If I can make her understand.¡± After what felt like an eternity of Pepper and Princess staring at each other, Princess trotted off in the direction the Dire Bear took. ¡°Ok, we¡¯re good. Sneaking and scouting comes natural, she should be ok. Plus, she was very damn clear she doesn¡¯t want to fight that thing. Real smart that way.¡± Val asked skeptically, ¡°I¡¯m not sure what this is going to tell us. We already know it isn¡¯t dead and was well enough to run off.¡± Arn figured that the group was going to have to pick a leader eventually; Val seemed to have a damn opinion on everything. For now, Arn decided to just deal with it. ¡°Wait and see Val, wait and see. Thing is lying down, doesn¡¯t react to Princess at all, the wound Pepper gave it is still there, that tells us a lot right?¡± Maybe twenty minutes later, Princess appeared and darted up to Pepper for head scratches. ¡°Good girl! I knew you could do it!¡± Pepper¡¯s eyes got distant for a minute and she continued, ¡°looks like Arn pretty much nailed it. Princess knows what dying smells like; thinks the bear even shit itself." The group followed Princess cautiously, Arn in the lead. After a time, Princess crouched down and began inching forward. Arn signaled the group to wait and slowly walked forward as quietly as he could. After a time, he saw it, perhaps sixty feet away, lying down, facing the other direction and unmoving. He returned back to the group, confident he had been right. Arn pointed and spoke quietly. ¡°That way, maybe 100 feet. Lying down, facing away from us. Not moving. Still alive or we would have gotten a notification I think. I say I take point, get say 40-50 feet away, and Pepper goes for a headshot from say 20 behind me without another explosive arrow. I think that will kill it. If I¡¯m wrong and it charges me, I¡¯ll just climb a tree again. No way it can climb with its insides melted. Hmm, just to be safe, give me the web canister Val, ought to at least make it fall; I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Val shook his head, but handed over the canister. ¡°Just to be safe he says. Ha. Arn, you can¡¯t make up for lost time all at once. It¡¯s your life, I won¡¯t try and stop you, but you need to rethink things is all I¡¯m saying.¡± Val paused, stuck out his hand awkwardly and said, ¡°good luck!¡± Arn decided to play along, shook hands and said, ¡°soon we¡¯ll all have vampiric were-bear armor, just watch!¡± Pepper snorted and drew an explosive arrow. ¡°Lets do it.¡± Arn and Pepper slowly edged to where they could see the massive bear, which was still unmoving. Pepper signaled that she wanted them to circle so she could get an angle on the head, fell back 10 paces and started circling to the left. Arn took her cue, circled until he had the head in view and waited. An arrow whizzed past his left, striking the dire bear more in the neck then the head. After the fireball blossomed, the dire bear made a sickly sounding roar and tried to struggle to its feet before giving it up as a bad job and plopping back down. Arn yelled, ¡°it¡¯s helpless! Finish it!¡± and ran forward. Ignoring Pepper¡¯s shout to wait, Arn angled for the monster¡¯s mid-section, dropped his shield and leapt onto its back. Awkwardly adjusting himself with one hand, Arn got situated, and stabbed his short sword into the dire bear with both hands. It only penetrated about eight inches, but the dire bear didn¡¯t react other than with a strained grunt. Arn scooted forward using his leg muscles and put all his strength into stabbing the dire bear in the neck. Stab, withdraw, stab, withdraw, stab. ¡°Come on, everyone on the bear! We can do this!¡± Arn shouted. Stab, withdraw, stab, withdraw, stab. The group came to a halt 15 feet from the dire bear watching the bizarre proceedings. Sar spoke first asking, ¡°is he beating a dead bear?¡± Keana laughed, answering ¡°we¡¯ll have to get this scene commissioned for a painting. I can see it now, ¡®Legendary Titan Single-Handedly Slays Dead Bear.¡¯¡± Arn¡¯s energy was starting to fade, but he kept stabbing. ¡°Come on! Don¡¯t just stand there!¡± Stab, withdraw, stab, withdraw, stab¡­ Congratulations! Dire Bear slain. For defeating an enemy more than ten levels above your level, you are awarded double experience! CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 7! +4 Constitution and +4 Attribute Points (4). Resurrection Timer reset. Would you like to go to the Attribute distribution screen? Holding Hands And Singing Songs Arn silently cursed as he skinned the dire bear. Parts of the hide were ruined of course, but the thing was enormous so there was still a huge amount of work to do, and the hide was incredibly thick and hard to cut. And the rest of the team was just sitting around, flipping watching while pretending to be on guard, bitching and moaning about how long it was taking. If Val said one more word . . . Right on cue, Val obliged. ¡°Arn, we are in serious danger here. The smoke must have carried the scent over a couple of square miles. How much longer?¡± Arn¡¯s blood boiled. ¡°AS I ALREADY EXPLAINED, I HAVE FOUR IN SKINNING, A STARTER-QUALITY SKINNING KIT AND THIS IS A GIANT FREAKING BEAR. I also told you that what I¡¯m doing doesn¡¯t even require Skinning ¨C we are close to town, so who cares what kind of meat is still attached to the hide. A toddler with a knife could help. BUT YOU ALL ARE FLIPPING STANDING AROUND. For all that, I¡¯m basically done with what I can get at ¨C gather round and help me flip the bear so I can do the belly.¡± Val and Pepper moved to help without comment, but Keana blanched and stuttered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Arn, but I can¡¯t. No way. Plus, I¡¯m still sewing up your coat.¡± Sar added ¡°and I¡¯m a glass arrow, no strength, probably couldn¡¯t lift one of its legs, I¡¯d just get in the way.¡± Arn stewed, but appreciated that he had been wrong about Pepper. Girl is solid, the only one really worth a damn in the whole group. I owe her big time for patching me up. No telling how long it takes to regrow a whole damn arm. Pity she looks like she has to take a shit morning, noon and night. As Arn approached the finish line, Princess growled, and was answered by what sounded like mocking laughter from all around them. The group quickly came alert. Pepper tersely explained, ¡°devil dogs, circling. Use the bear¡¯s bulk to guard your back, Arn on one side, Val on the other, Princess and I¡¯ll back Arn, you two back Val.¡± The group leapt to comply . . . and nothing happened. Arn tried to remember the Mayor¡¯s brief discussion. Something like ¡°don¡¯t let their size fool you. They aren¡¯t especially fast, but they are very hard to kill for new groups and their bite can crush bones. They are mostly scavengers, not especially brave, but they will attack a group now and then if they have the numbers, especially if you are wounded.¡± Pepper fired an arrow and was rewarded with an immediate pained yelp. A second later, the jungle exploded with silver-spotted devil dogs, each almost a foot shorter than Princess at the shoulder but very stocky for their size with tightly bundled muscle clearly visibly under their hides as they ran. They attacked from all directions, maniacally laughing while charging. Arn stood two feet in front and slightly to the right of Pepper and Princess. Arn counted four devil dogs, rushing in a fan formation, and Screamed forward, causing the forward two to trip. And arrow flew past him diagonally, hitting the devil dog on the right of the fan in the shoulder. Arn took a small step forward and stabbed the right-most stunned devil dog in the neck, penetrating about six inches before hitting bone, and brought his shield down on the head of the other. Princess calmly waited on devil dog rushing up on the left, charging forward at the last minute and leaping. Pepper took a step to the left to get an angle and, after a second waiting for a clear shot, buried an arrow in the devil dog jousting with Princess. As the stunned devil dogs started to stir, Arn Screamed again, and kicked at the Devil Dog with his sword ledged in its chest, simultaneous pulling to withdraw it. Arn directed a large looping cut at the legs of the devil dog he had stabbed with his full strength and severed a leg, leading to a high pitched howl. Devil Dog Slain By Party! Devil Dog Slain By Party! After the two notifications, Arn heard a piercing howl from the other side of the dire bear corpse, and the Devil Dogs turned as one to retreat ¨C or tried too. As the three-legged devil dog tried to hop away, Arn dropped his sword and shield and leapt on it, drawing his daggers to finish it. Devil Dog Slain! * * * Val saw six devil dogs charging in a straight line like an oncoming brick wall and briefly wondered who they would lose before his training took over. Val Quick Stepped, closing the gap in a blink, stabbed one devil dog in the eye, battered another with his shield angled to deflect it, turned to the devil dog passing on the right and activated Flury stabbing the passing devil dog in the side four times in a heart beat. Val dismissed his kill notifications and turned to reassess the battlefield. Seeing Sar using Flame Wave on a lone devil dog, he dismissed him from his thoughts for now and turned to see Keana agilely dancing away from two attackers. She will need help. As he gathered himself for a Quick Step, Val heard a pained yowl from Arn and Pepper¡¯s side, and the devil dog he had deflected with his shield howled. As one, the devil dogs turned to retreat.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. * * * High fives and congratulations were exchanged. Keana expressed awe at Val¡¯s performance, and Arn made sure to thank Pepper for taking charge and having his back. He thought he ¨C almost ¨C that he saw a hint of a smile flicker across her face for an instant. But the prospect of three more corpses was daunting, and needed to be addressed, so Arn considered the task at hand. Arn raised his hand and spoke loudly to get the excited group¡¯s attention. ¡°I¡¯m almost done with the bear. I¡¯ll probably have to rope the hide to my back unless someone has a sack that big. There will be a ton of meat still on the hide, and Pepper and I stink of death. We need to get out of here. With these things being on the small side, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth taking the time to skin them. Something that size requires more skill to skin decently as well. But that one, the one Val stabbed in the eye, the hide is pristine, someone ought to just carry that one considering we are close. I can do it, if someone else wants to take the bloody bear hide. I doubt there are gem hearts in the two corpses, but someone ought to check.¡± As Arn worked to finish up the hide, Pepper approached. ¡°Arn, I¡¯m a mess already, may as well start digging for hopefully the gem heart, yeah?¡± Arn nodded and decided a little more praise wouldn¡¯t hurt. ¡°Absolutely. Thanks for stepping up to get shit done. You¡¯re solid Pepper and I really appreciate it.¡± Pepper snorted, rolled her eyes and drew a dagger to get to work. As Arn finished, he surveyed Pepper¡¯s work. The dire bear was so massive that she wasn¡¯t able to simply cut and split the chest open, instead she was slowly carving out chunks. Arn thought about helping with his sword or daggers, but wished he had something sharper. In theory, an ordinary steel blade could keep the same edge as spell forged steel if maintened carefully, but in practice the difference was immense. I need to upgrade my blade. Hardly penetrated the dire bear¡¯s hide even with my strength getting up there, and I should have been able to kill the devil dog outright. Plus, if I put more points in strength and keep a steel sword, good chance the sword will snap on me. Pepper shouted, ¡°Arn, stop day dreaming and help me hold this cut open. I can see a gem heart!¡± A few moments later the group was gathered around a fist-sized brown crystal with a faint glow. ¡°What¡¯s this worth?¡± Keana asked. After a moment of silence, Sar chimed in. ¡°Brown is the lowest grade. Browns are usually used for explosives. It¡¯s big though at least. Best guess? Fifty silver, but I could be way off.¡± After some modest grumbling at the disappointing, if uncertain, assessment, the group packed up and headed back to town with Val carrying the hide, and Arn the dead devil dog. * * * As the group headed back to town, Sar had difficulty keeping a smile off his face. There might be over a gold piece headed his way, particularly if he could sell the gem heart without the group around, having low-balled its value. Hmmm, might be too risky in a town I¡¯m not familiar with, especially since I want to keep the group a while. With Val volunteering to buy some of the group purchases like an idiot, Sar had managed to keep around 80 silver stashed, and hoped to buy a decent mana gem to help with his paltry mana pool. His Flame Lances still weren¡¯t great at killing anything, and Flame Wave drained his mana pool in five seconds. Sar was delighted he hadn¡¯t had to use his last ditch personal protection. The Screamer was a fantastic item which would drive most beasts off. Well, fantastic if you had a linked ring to prevent your eardrums from shattering which he did ¨C the group would likely be incredibly angry if they knew he had a Screamer, but he couldn¡¯t afford to let their feelings get in the way, he had a Holy Mission! There was a whole world of carnies to burn out there after all. Sar chuckled at how he had snowed the group with part of the truth, the best way to lie. The carnival had happened alright, but had burned both the rapist and his sister that day in cleansing fire, sending the rapist to the Hells and purifying his sister for all eternity. He could ignore the fire¡¯s urges for a time now that he had a Higher Purpose; he would get strong enough to rid the continent of the gypsy infestation. It was his calling, his reason for being. Mostly burning down that first carnival had been pure luck. The one small band of gypsies he had ambushed last year had nearly resulted in his death and was, in any event, barely a start; he would need vastly more power for his life¡¯s Great Work. Sar was very pleased with the group. Granted, Pepper¡¯s ridiculous attitude was an outrage; she would need to die, but Keana was a kindred soul, someone who could understand. It was a pity she was with Arn, but he could hardly hate Arn ¨C anyone else, but never Arn. When Dead Shot Dannis mentioned using fireballs on Arn to kill nearby enemies, Sar¡¯s spirit soared to the Heavens. When Arn had Sar char his flesh, everyone watching had been too transfixed to notice Sar¡¯s erection. He had even protested continuing to allay suspicions! The reality was that he had been so in the fire¡¯s thrall that he had taken a mana potion mid-way through, and pushed himself to a state of complete mana burn that he still wasn¡¯t completely recovered from. Just burning the damn bunny for Keana the day after had made him want to die, he deliberately avoided helping with the dire bear, and using Flame Wave on the devil dog, a matter of life and death, had reawakened the awful feeling. Well, he could hardly expect himself to stop when someone was begging for it, could he? He couldn¡¯t regret the glory of Arn¡¯s charred smoking flesh. It had been far too long since he let the fire out to feel regret over enjoying a little taste of the glories to come. Chuckling to himself, he planned how he would pitch the importance of additional sessions to Arn . . . couldn''t wait too long, after all. Not after a taste. Interlude: Aspirant Vera¡¯s life with the Eternal Order had been filled with tests. THE TEST, however, had been something else, and still filled her nightmares. Right after she ¡°passed,¡± she imagined her life would be forever divided into before and after. And it was, to an extent. She would always bear the weight of her choice. But as far as the impact of the test on her daily life, her expectations were promptly smashed ¨C she had immediately been sent back to an Order facility for more training, almost as though nothing had happened. The only difference ¨C aside from the terrible burden of what she had done, which she was ordered to never discuss ¨C was that they ordered her to study specific areas, and sent her from facility to facility to learn. Always combat training, but at every stop, additional, seemingly random, subjects had been added. Ancient history. Caving. Dead languages. The stone-faced examiner had promised her answers. He lied. Oh, he told her his name ¨C Aspirant Iolo ¨C and that there was no conspiracy. According to Iolo, every future Aspirant, meaning the entire leadership of the Order, went through a similar test. He claimed that the Order¡¯s ¡°true purpose¡± was something that they knew she could believe in, but wouldn¡¯t tell her what it was. The conversation ¨C if you could call it that ¨C had been maddening. Iolo said ¡°We believe in you. You have been watched. Tested in ways you never realized. Complete your training. Come to Carelon, take the Oath, join us, and you will learn our secrets.¡± She had scoffed asking, ¡°the Order trained me to question, and now expects me to swear an Oath to goals unknown?¡± Iolo smiled briefly, one of the first expressions she had seen him make, and explained, ¡°the Oath is not like that. You swear to uphold certain values, not to us. Values we know you believe in, but you will hear the words. You will think. You will chose.¡± A year later, here she stood. An antechamber far beneath Carelon, in a ceremonial robe with inlaid symbols she didn¡¯t recognize. Two others, Kenjin and Leonidas, young men seemingly near her age, waited with her decked in matching robes. She had seen them over the last year in several of the courses she was ordered to take, and certainly suspected, but not known; like her, they did not initiate conversations, told no stories and exhibited no particular interest in the subjects they pursued, but this was hardly unique. Kenjin was built like a boulder ¨C short, broad and impossibly solid ¨C and had a disposition to match; his every move was slow and considered. When he fought, he was impossibly calm and still until he wasn¡¯t, suddenly moving with overwhelming force. Leonidas was an opposite in many ways; tall, handsome, muscular with a seemingly free and easy smile that none of the ordinary students seemed to realize was painted on. Like Kenjin, he was far beyond her in the combat arts, leading her thoughts in extremely distasteful directions. If combat skill was somehow important to Aspirants ¨C something which would seem impossible to the rank and file of the Order ¨C there had to be a separate reason why a slight girl with average physical abilities was selected. There had never been a hint that the reason was tied to her beauty, but seeing Kenjin and Leonidas here with her, the concern loomed large. She neither knew nor trusted the Aspirants. If they weren¡¯t what people believed, where was the limit of what they could and couldn¡¯t be? The three candidate-aspirants greeted each other, of course, but said little. The wait seemed interminable, but neither showed it, and she strove to match their stoicism. Finally, after an eternity, the door opened, and a robed man she didn¡¯t recognize gestured for them to come. They entered a grand chamber, with a wealth of painted images, carvings and metal inserts on the walls, especially at the front of the room. Vera had little time to study the intricate art, for the High Aspirant stood behind a podium on a raised floor at the front of the room, and perhaps forty robed others, presumably Aspirants, were gathered in audience. The three were directed to a spot next to the High Aspirant. The High Aspirant turned to them and spoke, his voice cutting through the chamber like a bell through a clear day. ¡°Welcome Candidate Aspirants. Be at ease. I know that can¡¯t be easy, and am truly sorry for what we put you through, but you will understand the need for it in time. The Aspirants aren¡¯t just the leaders of the Order you see; we are the guardians of the past and the future for all of humanity. The procedure for today is simple. I will call you to the podium one at a time, and instruct you on the words of the Oath. You should take as long as you need to make sure you believe in the words before you repeat them. Five seconds, five minutes, it doesn¡¯t matter, as long as you are sure. If you can¡¯t complete the Oath, you will be sent back to wherever you chose within the Order, free to take the test to become a scholar, guard or any of our other roles. We will trust you to remain silent on what you have seen and done; no one would believe you in any event.¡± He paused, smiled and said simply ¡°Vera¡± gesturing with his arm for her to stand beside him at the podium. Vera tried not to gulp as she took her place. She had given presentations to groups to be sure, but this was another matter. The High Aspirant turned to audience and said, ¡°Please rise brothers and sisters. I remind you that this is a sacred part of our link to the past and our responsibility to the future; remain silent as long as it takes, and hold your applause until we are done. Now Vera. Listen. Consider. When you are ready, repeat my words if you truly believe them. The Oath has three vows, we will go one by one:¡±Stolen novel; please report. The High Aspirant looked down at the scroll in front of him and intoned, ¡°I vow to seek and preserve knowledge, no matter how hidden, even at risk to myself, and to teach others when it is wise to do so.¡± The High Aspirant paused and looked to Vera. That¡¯s it? Is this some kind of joke? Do they want me delving ancient ruins? That is what the combat training was for? Vera thought back to the nature of the Order she knew, and wondered how much applied here. She was sick of how they had treated her, and decided not to hold back. Vera gathered her confidence and said what was in her heart. ¡°You¡¯ve hidden everything from us. Who you are. What you are. Why you are. How am I supposed to swear to this? I¡¯m not willing to die to learn whether some group of Ancients elected their Kings on Tuesdays or Thursdays if that is what you mean. Hells, it has been a year and I didn¡¯t try and sneak into some hidden archive to learn what this is about. I didn¡¯t try to hold a knife to Aspirant Iolo¡¯s throat. As far as teaching goes, what do you mean by ¡®when it is wise to do so?¡¯ You decide and I have to bury knowledge on your say so? Yes, I believe in seeking and preserving knowledge of all kinds, and that this is important. Hells, I even believe that some knowledge, like necromancy, should not be shared, that there is a time and a place for knowledge, but I want to be the one¡­¡± Vera stopped short in shock as a section of her robes blazed to life. The High Aspirant beamed at her with amusement. ¡°These robes are ancient relics. They read the truths that are in your heart. The exact words of the Oath don¡¯t matter. You believe. You share our values. That is enough. Your vow was certainly far more memorable than most, but you aren¡¯t the first to ask questions or even the first to vary the words. Maybe the first to invoke the Hells. In any event, our traditions are ancient and have served us well, but yes, certainly they are not perfect. Are you ready to proceed to the next vow Vera?¡± Vera reeled, but ultimately, if she need only vow what she believed, how could there be any harm? ¡°Yes, High Aspirant. I am sorry for¡­¡± He cut her off with a laugh. ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. We picked you for a reason. Now, back to the vow, which is a sacred tradition. Ask questions if you need to. But don''t swear.¡± The High Aspirant looked back down at his scroll and read, ¡°I vow to seek the strength to protect the future from darkness, and to guide us towards the light.¡± Vera thought deeply. What does THAT mean? Do they seek strength to kill people behind the scenes like they made me . . . No! I won¡¯t be a part of that. Let them reject me. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in training in weapons so I can drag some rapist down into a cave and pressure a child into killing them, no. I understand there are some people in the world that need killing, but I don¡¯t feel pressure to solve all the evils of the world myself. I like combat training, and I like being strong enough to defend myself. If need be, I¡¯ll stand up for others when I decide it¡¯s right, but I won¡¯t . . .¡± Another section of her robes blazed to life. This time, laughter was widespread and Vera had to join in. The High Aspirant raised his hands for silence, and took on a serious expression. ¡°Yes, I understand Vera. The test . . . I know you can¡¯t understand why we would ask you to do such a thing. You killed a child rapist and murder, protected because of his father. That was just, have no doubt. But you are right, we can¡¯t prevent all the evils of the world, and obviously we don¡¯t even try. But we needed to know that you Candidates had the courage and conviction to take a stand against the darkness when it matters, when we are the only ones who can. When there is no choice. The test is . . . imperfect, but it has served us well over the centuries. Well. You seem determined to stomp on our traditions a bit, but so be it. Your robe read what is your heart. What we already knew. You will stand against the dark when there is need. I think the third vow will be easier for you.¡± He winked at her and continued, ¡°at least we can hope.¡± The High Aspirant looked down and read the final vow. ¡°I vow to marshal the Will to make the hardest of choices, to ignore the judgment of others, to do what is necessary and right, no matter the consequences, that we may protect and secure the future of mankind.¡± Vera paused; there were issues, but she understood how this went at this point. She couldn¡¯t resist a smile at the absurdity of it all, but pulled it back and began her vow. ¡°If I believe that the future of humankind, not just mankind thank you, is truly at stake then yes, I will make whatever choices necessary to protect the future.¡± Vera waited, but the robe didn¡¯t light up. Neither the High Aspirant nor anyone in the audience looked panicked, but she didn¡¯t know what to do. He smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have more words in your heart Vera. I think we all know that about you by now! Let them out. Share your thoughts and concerns about the oath.¡± Vera paused to reflect. ¡°Well, I understand the Order serves as advisors to Kings. That we have influence. Maybe prevent wars with a few words. That is important. But the notion that this group has decided that the entire future needs changing, frankly that sounds a little deluded. Self-important. Frightening even.¡± Vera noticed that the High Aspirant was frowning. Screw him. ¡°But I meant the Oath. If I, not anyone else, believe that the future is at stake, then I will stand up for what I believe is right.¡± Even if that means opposing a bunch of self-righteous bastards with delusions of grandeur. Vera¡¯s robes lit up. Interlude: Aspirant (Part II) Ripped from the life she knew. Marched into the jungle, pressured into killing a man. Trained in seemingly useless and random disciplines. Inducted into an ancient order as ¨C supposedly ¨C a member of the leadership AND STILL TOLD NOTHING. Dust in the wind. A taste of the madness to come. Vera, a girl she thought she knew ¨C a mile beneath the earth, and still descending. Impossible. She had demanded answers of course. The High Aspirant just smiled and spouted nonsense. ¡°Beliefs can be, and often are, passed down from generation to generation on faith alone. History teaches, however, that faith is fickle, and even religions that persist through the ages twist, morph and splinter. We don¡¯t need your faith. Faith would have failed us long ago. We need you to know. Some truths must be experienced.¡± Encased in mithril chain, crawling with enchantments. The boys wore plate. All of it fit perfectly. A noble¡¯s fortune, and only the start. Kenjin¡¯s halberd, Leonidas¡¯ sword and her bow blazed like suns with mana. An array of enchanted items, many entrusted to her, since she was the only one of the three to unlock mana. Absurd. Impossible. A mile beneath the earth was already the domain of fools and champions. She was neither ¨C yet here she was. Descending. They had a map. There were ruins; supply caches; hundreds of tunnels, many fully marked and many not. They were told to go anywhere they chose. To descend until they knew. The boys assumed they would find an ancient civilization, translate ancient runes and ¨C well, that was about as far as they agreed. She was very much afraid they were wrong. It was the orbs, mostly. Two dull metallic spheres, seemingly inert. It wasn¡¯t what they appeared to be, it was what the High Aspirant said about them. ¡°When you know you are staring at your deaths, don¡¯t hesitate. Use them when you know why we sent you below.¡± The words echoed and twisted in her head. And she knew. Already they would be dead a half dozen times over without the class. Aspirant. Three inherents: The Gift Of Learning: Skills are easier to unlock and require less experience to level. All caps on the number of skills that may be learned are removed. The Gift Of Experience ¨C Experience is awarded for each skill unlocked, and each level of each skill achieved. The Gift Of Teaching ¨C You may teach skills to others more easily and obtain experience for doing so. A powerful class to be sure. But the next message defied everything they were taught. Tabulating experience¡­ Simple, impossible words. You didn¡¯t earn experience before you took a class, that was a fact. And yet there she was, a level fourteen Aspirant, a heartbeat after she took the class. She could hardly talk to the boys unless combat required it. She knew. She prayed to gods she didn¡¯t believe in. And still they descended. Madness.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Time passed in a blur. They fought. They were injured, armor or not. They leveled. None of it mattered. They descended. Kenjin turned to her, pleading. ¡°Vera, we need you with us. We can¡¯t survive this if you¡¯re lost in your head. Talk to me please.¡± It was more words than Kenjin spoke in some hours, clearly heartfelt ¨C but what could she possibly say? So she shook her head. They descended. Their armor was capable of emitting a glow, but they were long past needing extra light. Every cavern teemed with a surreal variety of life, and even small tunnels were lined with glowing moss. Their armor emitted a cooling chill, but the air was becoming hot enough to sear their lungs. They were running out of water; they could purify more, if they found a source. They entered a large barren cavern with a glowing river of molten lava in the distance. We are off the map. We have to double back. Leonidas led them forward. From nowhere, four armored horrors like giant scorpions with enormous claws and two barbed tails. Leonidas reflexively took point, and stepped forward to try to gain their focus. The giant scorpions chittered and shrieked, but didn¡¯t attack. Two more, on their left. A tunnel? Vera paused, arrow drawn. Something was wrong. The scorpions exploded into motion and Vera reflexively released an arrow that buried itself in a claw, exploding with a muffled thump, destroying the claw but not slowing the creature. Suddenly she saw motion above and to her left, and turned to see a wave of winged creatures diving from above. She reached to her belt, drew and activated a screamer, pulsing with impossible quantities of light and sound, filtered to manageable levels by the enchantments in their armor. As the light faded, something massive could be heard crushing rocks as it charged forward. Vera watched a titanic beetle-like monstrosity approach, heedless to the battle around her, as Leonidas and Kenjin fought for their lives. On the back of the beetle, a creature out of nightmare stood and gathered mana. Death stared her in the face, and Vera knew. Vera palmed the two orbs and infused them with mana, tossing them in the path of the incoming horrors, praying that she wasn¡¯t too slow. The orbs first blazed, then sucked in mana in a circular negative pulse. They opened, expanding in a surreal landscape of shimmering crystalline limbs with a whistling noise that cut through the expanse. The creature on the giant beetle barked, and the battle was suddenly over, every enemy retreating as one. Leonidas shouted ¡°what the Hells just happened!¡± Vera snapped back, ¡°the crystal golems won¡¯t last long. We have to get out of here before reinforcements arrive.¡± Leonidas grabbed Vera¡¯s arm, spittle flying. ¡°What were those things!¡± Vera shook free and started running. Kenjin and Leonidas kept pace beside her, two nine-foot crystal spider-like golems easily keeping pace behind. Vera turned to Leonidas and explained in between labored breaths. ¡°You¡¯ve seen paintings on temple walls, illustrations in books. The Swarm, the Swarm is here. The Age of Terror isn''t a fable¡± Leonidas somehow managed to scoff while running. ¡°Impossible! The Order wouldn¡¯t keep that secret. They would be shouting it from the rooftops!¡± Kenjin shook his head. ¡°No. Didn¡¯t you listen? They didn¡¯t tell us, because we wouldn¡¯t believe. The Order wouldn¡¯t be the Order if they shouted over fairy tales.¡± The group slowed long minutes later as they exited the expanse into a small passage. Simultaneously, the golems began to whir and contract, condensing back into dull metallic spheres. Vera noted, ¡°we aren¡¯t safe here. Who knows how long the golems take to recharge.¡± As they resumed moving, Leonidas asked ¡°I still can¡¯t fathom it. They send generation after generation here, lose Gods know how many, so that one day in the distant future, we will be in position to do what?¡± Vera¡¯s face twisted into a bitter mask as she answered. ¡°No. Not the distant future. I remember the opening passage of The End of Days¡± The red star known as The Eye of Sauron appeared in the daytime sky. The earth shook; the mountains bled fire, and death came from below. ¡°Our world has two suns. One is just very far away. Mostly. But it¡¯s getting closer. Celestial motion its called. We tracked The Eye in class, talked about the conjunction, talked about the legends.¡± Vera suddenly stopped, momentarily unable to go on, and whispered. ¡°Five years.¡± Another Day In Paradise Back in town, the group made plans to meet for dinner and split up. Arn and Pepper headed back to the inn to bathe; Keana and Sar headed to Silver Tongue¡¯s shop; and Val, after cursing their laziness, headed to the tannery with both the devil dog and the dire bear hide. The group trickled into the Jungle¡¯s Heart an hour later to find Arn eating a slab of roast beef. Arn wiped his chin and said, ¡°hey don¡¯t look at me like that, regeneration makes me crazy hungry. Two arms andwhat, four or five kidneys, means two dinners, all right? So how did it go Val?¡± Val brightened. ¡°Well enough I think. One gold, eighty silver for the hide, and 9 more for the devil dog. I tried to negotiate, started to say we really needed more. The owner, Ulan, claps me on the back and says, ¡®yes, yes, well all need more. I need four whores and six apprentices, all with agile fingers. But we make do, yes? I do not negotiate.¡¯¡± Arn observed, ¡°I could do with three, but four seems a bit excessive.¡± Keana elbowed Arn in the side. ¡°You can¡¯t even handle one Arn.¡± Arn rubbed his ribs in mock discomfort, ¡°be good Keana. Lot of girls out there that would go wild for a bone flute.¡± Keana rolled her eyes, and Sar interjected. ¡°Actually Arn, you should let me burn that for you. A piece of your bone falls into the wrong hands, that¡¯s worse than hair or blood, you¡¯ll be a puppet right off.¡± Arn¡¯s jaw dropped and he dug the bone out of his pack. ¡°Damn, didn¡¯t think of that. Thanks Sar.¡± Sar patted Arn on the back. ¡°No problem buddy. We can train your fire resistance up after dinner if you like as well. A little . . . training always helps me sleep.¡± Arn nodded, but begged off. ¡°Definitely need to level it up a bit more before you get fireball, but I was actually thinking of asking Val for help with my pathetic swordsmanship.¡± Pepper snorted. ¡°That¡¯s great. Truly. Maybe we can roast mellows and tell bedtime stories after. But it might be nice to, oh I don¡¯t know, hear HOW MUCH GOLD WE MADE.¡± Keana shrugged, ¡°not much to tell. Apparently smiling Silver Tongue doesn¡¯t actually love everyone after all. We got directions to Hera, the town herbalist/alchemist and resident ¡®bitter old crone¡¯ for the White Kiss, and he told us that if we really had to sell the gem heart, the ¡®scumbag¡¯ Croyd would give me a half decent deal provided I wear something less bloody and flirt a bit.¡± Keana snapped her fingers. ¡°Oops, forgot the claws and teeth. Well, we mostly got a lecture. Apparently, the claws are too short and curved for daggers, and a dire bear¡¯s teeth are meant for grinding bones and just aren¡¯t pointy enough to make into arrowheads without major work. Can¡¯t believe you didn¡¯t know that Arn! Anyway, gave us eight silver, claimed he was doing us a favor. But hey, one gold ninety-seven silver ain¡¯t bad.¡± Val nodded. ¡°Not bad at all. And, forgot to mention it, but Arn gets a hat at cost.¡± Pepper grunted. ¡°That¡¯s just great. Maybe we can get you some brown bear underwear too so you can irritate the shit out of every damn kind of bear.¡± * * * The next morning Arn headed to the herbalist in a fine mood. Keana hadn¡¯t remotely appreciated it when he mentioned the vomiting and urged her to ¡°make it up to him¡± ¨C and the girl was truly frightening when angry ¨C but in the end he put his high constitution to good use. Off to get gold, lunch with the team to split the loot, maybe buy some upgrades, and then train with Val. Arn knocked on the door of the herbalist¡¯s tiny run down shack and was frustrated to get no answer. Arn knocked again, more loudly. ¡°Hello!¡± An ancient wizened woman, presumably Hera, came around the corner of the house and poked him with a stick. ¡°I¡¯m old, not deaf fool!¡± Arn stammered, ¡°yes, of course, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m Arn, a low-ranked herbalist. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. We hope to be farming the jungle for quite a while, and I¡¯m hoping you¡¯ll have some guidance for me on what to look for. I have Asir¡¯s guide, but the opportunity to talk to real . . .¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Hera sidled up to Arn, put her hand on his chest and looked up into his eyes. ¡°Your looking to butter me up big boy, there are better ways than words. Actual butter for one.¡± At Arn¡¯s horrified expression she cackled madly, ¡°ha! Love doing that to the young bucks! I turned all the boys'' heads back in the day. Most of the girls too! But it has been a while since anyone bought my beauty products to be sure.¡± Trying to recover his equilibrium, Arn tried to make small talk. ¡°I bet you did! Let me guess, Silver Tongue is a scorned suitor?¡± Hera started cackling madly, which turned into a fit of hacking coughing. ¡°Damn, too old to laugh like that, but it was worth it! No, I fell for his honeyed words like the rest. Only difference, I didn¡¯t take to being played the fool too well. He did more itching and scratching that summer than courting, but that was sixty years ago! Man can hold a grudge!¡± Hera started cackling again, but it no longer seemed off putting. Hera was fun; Arn decided he liked her. They chatted for a while, and Hera taught him quite a bit that wasn¡¯t in his book, showing him the jungle herbs on hand in her tiny shop, and discussing things that he might find for her. When Arn pulled out the White Kiss, she ¡°ooh¡¯d¡± appreciatively. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen this in a long time! Rare, takes sharp eyes to spot, and not many willing to risk fighting blade apes in the trees.¡± Arn was taken aback by his apparent blunder, but supposed it worked out in the end. ¡°What can you give me for it Hera?¡± Hera paused, and looked at Arn intently. ¡°Well, since you¡¯ve been a sweetie, I¡¯ll help you make an elixir, sell you an enchanted vial to preserve it, and you can sell it in any of the big cities. People don¡¯t come to me because their town has the plague you understand. If you really want to cash it in now, I¡¯ll have to ship it out, I can give you seventy silver.¡± Arn nodded. ¡°We¡¯re a new team unfortunately. Who knows what the future holds, everyone needs gear and all that. Seventy silver would be wonderful. Thank you for the information as well.¡± * * * Chimes sounded as Keana entered the enchanter¡¯s shop. A burly guard stood in the corner, and glass cases filled with items of all kinds lined the walls. Behind the center case stood a stunningly beautiful young woman, who looked Keana up and down and frowned. ¡°Can I help you?¡± she asked in a shrill nasally voice. Keana¡¯s anger at the haughty woman¡¯s demeanor faded, and she struggled not to laugh. Keana raised her voice a bit, aiming to carry to the back room. ¡°I have a gem heart to sell; was told to ask for Master Croyd.¡± The woman¡¯s expression soured further, but turned to an evil little smile. ¡°He isn¡¯t expected back anytime soon I¡¯m afraid, but I can give you top dollar of course.¡± Keana smiled. Lets play bitch. She put the fist-sized gem on the counter and said, ¡°well we don¡¯t really have to negotiate. We¡¯re headed to Siena, and I know we can get eighty silver there. The boys want to buy a few things now though, so I can take seventy-five.¡± The woman sneered at Keana. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you are mistaken. The gem is relatively large, but very low grade, good only for explosives. I can only give you forty.¡± Keana marveled at the bizarre caricature of a woman before her. An actual sneer. Well, time for my big play! ¡°Oh¡­that¡¯s unfortunate. I didn¡¯t want to bother him you understand, I know he is busy, but my uncle insisted that I have dinner with his old friend. Said that Croyd would love to show me around town. Maybe he¡¯ll help me out as a favor to my uncle. Maybe I can even charm him a bit.¡± The woman turned red and looked about ready to burst a blood vessel. Keana struggled to contain her laughter. This just gets better and better. I¡¯ve seen that look on drunk men, but never on a knockout like her. She¡¯s no more than quarter real. The angry beauty struggled to master her self, and forced out a concession through clenched teeth. ¡°Well for the niece of an old friend, perhaps he would do fifty-five. I can¡¯t go higher than that. If you want to try and . . . earn . . . some extra coin charming Master Croyd, you¡¯re welcome to do that. I¡¯m sure he¡¯d love to hear all about your uncle.¡± Touch¨¦ bitch, touch¨¦. Silver Tongue said we wouldn¡¯t get more than sixty, so fifty-five will do. * * * Arn ate herb and bacon stuffed chicken breast and tried to ignore the endless bitching and moaning. Elder Dannis couldn¡¯t cook, and chicken breast that wasn¡¯t burned ¨C never mind stuffed full of bacony goodness ¨C should have been a treat. Arn thumped the table. ¡°Enough! Sixty silver for a day¡¯s work! A day! We aren¡¯t going to bitch and moan because Pepper fired two pricey arrows ona flipping nightmare that weighed more than the lot of us! We are reimbursing her for that, and that¡¯s that. You don¡¯t like it, walk. Oh and ... um, my firestone too!¡± Arn looked at each of the group in turn. ¡°Tomorrow is another day.¡± Once More Unto The Breach The next morning the group ate breakfast in the inn, and headed back to the forest geared for the multi-day excursion they had intended on their first attempt, albeit with a few changes. Sar brought a small fire-attuned mana gem, almost doubling his mana pool. He kept it under his clothes, not wanting to admit how much gold he had spent given his protests of poverty before Val bought the group items like the medical kit. Arn, for his part, was unable to replace the firestone; Silver Tongue claimed that low-grade firestone was in short supply because most groups didn¡¯t like to risk wading into the swamps to hunt fire drakes. Arn smelled opportunity, but Silver Tongue told him to get more levels first. Arn remembered the conversation with annoyance, feeling bamboozled into spending a bit more for something harder to use. Silver Tongue had clucked like Arn was being silly for worrying about the firestone. ¡°Never fear, I¡¯ve got you covered my young friend! Special shipment came in from Antioch the other day. Brother Maynard brought it himself. Give me a minute¡­¡± Silver Tongue brought a wooden chest full of metallic silver eggs topped with a cross. ¡°Ah, this is the stuff! Guarantied to blow your enemies to tiny bits! Provided they aren¡¯t too tough. Or flame resistant. You twist the cross, toss it, and the enchantment scatters a mixture of holy water and wildfire, ignites in an eight-foot cloud. Be careful though, it burns for a longgg time and sticks. You¡¯ll survive a direct hit thanks to your crazy regeneration, but don¡¯t expect to fight if you get any in your eyes or lungs.¡± Arn bought just one, still intent on saving for spell-forged steel. AsArn left, Silver Tongue called out, ¡°oh sorry Arn, almost forgot, it¡¯s a bit slower to activate than the firestone canister you bought last time. Count to five, er no, count to three before you throw it! The monks use the time to pray, but for you I would suggest shouting ¡®run¡¯ to your friends!¡± At least I gained a level in Sword Mastery training with Val yesterday. With the two points I put in strength and dexterity from level seven, I¡¯m almost a real deal bad ass. Arn pulled up his stats for a quick check: Arn: Level Seven Revenant Attributes: Constitution: 32 (+4) Dexterity 16 (+2) Strength: 20 (+2) Intelligence: 10 Will: 10 Charisma: 9 (+1) Skills: Block (5) Dagger Mastery (1) Death¡¯s Scream (2) Dodge (5) Head Butt (1) Focus (1) Force Mana (3) (+3) Fire Resistance (3) (+3) Mana Manipulation (4) (+3) Mana Sight (4) (+2) Pain Resistance (6) Poison Resistance (2) Shield Bash (1) Sword Mastery (4) (+1) Achievements: Fearless Hapless Zoologist Survivor Tasty! Masochist (2) (+1) Suddenly, Arn stutter-stepped, feeling foolish. Well, it¡¯s not just me. How did we not discuss this before? ¡°Hey gang, we discussed our skills, but you know, somehow we never discussed our levels? I made level seven yesterday. Where are you all at?¡± Pepper spoke first. ¡°Strong breeze will get me to nine I expect. Princess is level six; she was too small to hunt with me for a bit.¡± Sar followed suit. ¡°Great idea Arn! I¡¯m level eight as well. Really want level ten for that fireball, got to burn them all like Dannis mentioned!¡± Val looked at Sar dubiously and said, ¡°unfortunately, I spent years training in a dojo, not hunting, so I¡¯m only level six. Must be a good chunk of the way to seven though.¡± Arn nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly Val, we¡¯ve seen you fight remember? You¡¯re amazing. A little bossy, but amazing.¡± Val snorted and turned to Keana, asking ¡°what about you Keana?¡± Keana looked a bit sheepish, ¡°uh, yes, hit level five after the battle, got a new dance, Farielle¡¯s Waltz. It is not exactly what I wanted, but I figured that since the Waltz restores both health and stamina, might let me get a second combat dance in on a long fight.¡± Something clicked in Arn¡¯s mind. ¡°Wait a second, you told us that Eliana¡¯s Ode was your ¡®primary dance.¡¯ If you weren¡¯t even level five, it was your only dance!¡± Keana glared daggers at Arn and words dripping venom said, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you would accuse me of lying. I never said that.¡± Pepper cut off Arn¡¯s stammering. ¡°We¡¯re here, sort it later. Cut her one of your finger bones, carve it into a heart or a sex toy, whatever. Now we try not to die, yeah?¡± The plan the Mayor had laid out for the group was a simple one ¨C follow the blue diamond trail for about eleven miles, take a right on the yellow moon trail, follow it for about four miles until they hit an area of fire-damaged forest, continue in a bit, and hunt for herbs. The Mayor explained that with many of the trees dead, certain herbs were flourishing, but there were at least somewhat fewer dangerous predators; supposedly, he had sent several groups there successfully over the last year or so, meaning ¡°hardly anyone died.¡± The first few hours were tense, but uneventful, with a growing quantity of insects the only real problem. They seemed to somehow find any inch of exposed skin, and paranoia about the Mayor¡¯s parade of horribles drove frequent examinations of each other. Fortunately, it appeared that, at least for now, the tiny scalpel and tweezers could stay buried in the medical kit, rather than dig into flesh to remove burrowing bugs. Late in the afternoon, the sky gradually grew dark and a wind rapidly picked up. As if someone finally pulled a string, the sky opened all at once, unleashing blinding sheets of wind-whipped rain. Val signaled, the group huddled, and he shouted over the rain. ¡°WE HAVE TO BE ALMOST TO THE TURN OFF FOR THE YELLOW MOON TRAIL. THERE IS A SMALL SHELTER AT THE JUNCTION WE CAN CAMP IN.¡± Minutes later, the sound on the downpour was pierced by shrill scream that suddenly cut-off. The group turned as one to see Sar suspended in mid-air by a 10 foot-long lizard with a scale-armored torso as thick as an oak tree, six stout legs, a spiked tail and jaws big and strong enough to grab a person by the chest and shake them like a rag doll. Arn recognized it from the Mayor¡¯s drawings. Dracolisk. Trouble. Arn, Val and Keana moved to surround the beast. Val arrived first, Quick Stepping to the beast¡¯s side and stabbing as the others started to move. As Arn arrived on the beast¡¯s right flank and drew a breath to scream, Sar somehow unleashed a massive torrent of fire roughly at the beast¡¯s head over his shoulder. The wildly shifting torrent forced the others to step back, but Arn ignored the fire, unleashed Death¡¯s Scream and stabbed at the Dracolisk¡¯s mid-section as hard as he could, penetrating somewhat, but also shattering his blade. The Dracolisk dropped Sar, speeding off into the woods and rapidly disappearing into the wall of water. Arn saw the wounds all around Sar¡¯s torso light up, and knew Pepper had cast Restoration. That will be too slow, Val has the¡­ Val was already by Sar, forcing a healing potion down his throat. Val picked Sar up and began to jog. Arn mentally questioned whether that was the right choice, but figured there wasn¡¯t time for debate. Five minutes later, they arrived at a signpost marking the shelter, a giant Balboa tree with the impression of a hand carved into its massive trunk. Keana put her hand on the impression which flared with red light, and cracks appeared in the shape of a door. The door swung open, and the group hurried in. Inside the enormous tree was a small ten-foot circular chamber with a low ceiling that required Arn to stoop. The chamber was bare, with a dirt floor and uneven wooden walls. Val put Sar down, and Pepper said ¡°Restoration,¡± reactivating her regeneration. Pepper knelt down and lifted off Sar¡¯s leather armor revealing a pale chest ringed with a circle of red lightly glowing wounds. Pepper prodded one of them, revealing a still-gaping wound; Sar didn¡¯t move or make a sound. She turned to the group and shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s bad, but if he lives through the next hour he¡¯ll probably be alright. I can cast Restoration maybe four more times using a mana potion, and then I¡¯ll need to rest for at least an hour or two. I expect he¡¯ll be able to walk tomorrow if he lives, but I¡¯ll be mana-burned and Arn busted his sword so¡­I think we¡¯re done, sorry.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Keana sputtered, ¡°shit our luck is terrible. A Dire Bear and this horror.¡± Pepper scowled. ¡°Well, he¡¯s alive, the thing ran, so maybe not so terrible yeah?¡± Pepper paused. ¡°I tried to use my Restoration every chance I got, but not many chances after I left the Sisters. I¡¯m not much of a healer when it comes to almost dead. Restoration leveled to five just now, so that¡¯ll help some, but we need better potions.¡± * * * Most of the group slept, eventually, but Arn needed little these days so he whiled away the hours practicing with two pebbles, and was eventually rewarded with a skill-up bringing Force Mana to four. He could basically do whatever he wanted with the two pebbles as long as they stayed within about six inches of his palm, but drills where he separated them and moved them in different directions over his body were still maddening. Still, the laundry-list of pebble-related tasks was at least progressing, and he should be able to turn to unlocking Fire Mana soon. My list of tricks to entertain children with is growing, hoo ah! Path to Power my ass! * * * Sar woke with a gasp at some point, started babbling, and the group woke up, overjoyed he was alive. Sar sat up with a grunt. ¡°Ugh, that hurts. Thanks for saving my ass. Although I definitely helped. Doesn¡¯t matter how big they are, nothing likes having their eyeballs burnt to a crisp.¡± Keana patted Sar on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alive, but next time you¡¯re dangling from something¡¯s mouth, try to aim a little better. Singed my hair you blighter, and Pepper is being whiny about casting a Restore. Blah, blah, blah mana burn from saving Sar!¡± The group ate breakfast, helped Sar up, and opened the door . . . onto a dark pre-dawn forest. ¡°I guess it¡¯s hard to tell time in a tree,¡± Arn observed. Pepper poked Arn. ¡°Thank the Gods we have you to tell us stuff like that Arn.¡± Arn smiled at Pepper¡¯s almost-playful behavior. Val hushed the group and quietly said, ¡°we smell like blood, door¡¯s already been open long enough to attract something. I don¡¯t know that going back in the tree for an hour is the best idea. Might be best just to head out on high alert, yes?¡± After a few nods, the group headed back towards town with Arn up front, Val in the rear and Keana and Pepper (with Princess) to either side of Sar. As the dawn sun began to peak through the treetops, Arn suddenly felt vibrations through the ground, stopped and raised his fist signaling the group to halt. Barely a foot in front of Arn, dirt geysered into the air and a small creature slowly emerged from the ground. Arn took a step back and studied the emerging creature ¨C it had six segmented legs, a green carapace body mostly covered with silver goo, and two large antenna. The combination of the goo and large antenna make the insect-like beast look vaguely like a rabbit. Remembering the Mayor¡¯s warning about things that look harmless, Arn stabbed it with his broken sword, penetrating fairly easily. As Arn impaled the small beast, it let out a piercing shriek before curling up, obviously dead. Arn looked back towards the group, ¡°nice to know that at least some things here are our speed, yeah?¡± Princess began growling deeply, looking to the side. Following her gaze, the group spied several more mounds of dirt begin to emerge. Pepper announced ¡°Princess is hearing rumbling from all directions! We need to get out of here now!¡± Keana scoffed, ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I could use some easy experience!¡± As Keana danced among the mounds, stabbing the insects that emerged, and Val and Arn joined in, more shrieks were heard. Within seconds, Keana¡¯s mistake was obvious, as dirt was fountaining everywhere and bugs were converging on them from all directions. Val shouted, ¡°form up! Back to back! We can handle this if we don¡¯t get swarmed!¡± The group moved to comply, but there were already too many, and the group struggled to move with the bugs biting at legs and feet ¨C and far worse, grabbing hold and starting to climb. Arn caught Keana as she shrieked far louder than the dying bugs and stumbled towards the group. Realizing that the situation was fast becoming desperate, Arn looked back towards town and used Death¡¯s Scream three times in rapid succession, stunning the bugs in a cone in front of them. Arn shouted ¡°run!¡± as loudly as he could, and pointing towards town, but made sure to help Keana get going first by throwing off the bugs that were trying to climb her like a ladder. As Keana finally took off, Arn took a quick survey of the scene and noted that Sar was doing ok running with Val¡¯s assistance. Arn belatedly took off, ignoring the bugs clinging to his legs, biting and climbing. Arn was unable to run straight with all of the stunned bugs in his way, but did fine zig zagging until a newly emerging bug led to a stumble. As Arn caught his footing, dozens of bugs jumped onto his legs, clinging to his leathers, or to other bugs already on him. Realizing he wasn¡¯t running out of the swarm, Arn took the ¡°holy water and wildfire¡± egg out a belt pouch and twisted the silver cross until it clicked. One, two, . . . wait, was it five or three? Arn closed his eyes and mouth and tossed the egg gently in front of him. Arn heard a loud ¡°whoosh,¡± saw blazing red through his closed eyes and felt searing heat on his face, hands and lower legs ¨C everywhere not covered by his were-bear armor. Ravager Slain! Ravager Slain! Ravager Slain! ¡­ As dozens of notifications popped up one after the other, Arn struggled not to scream as his exposed flesh sizzled and blackened, and the pain reached unimaginable levels far beyond his practice with Sar. Through the blinding agony, Arn realized he was still being bitten by bugs underneath his were-bear armor. As Arn ripped a bug off of him, he felt something tear, and the all-too-familiar sensation of a severed artery. ATTENTION: You have died! RESURRECTED! Resurrections Remaining: 0 (23:59). Regeneration increased by 500%, Pain Resistance set to 100% and all attributes increased by 10 for 10 seconds. CONGRATULATIONS!Reborn In Fire achievement unlocked! By being killed and resurrected in fire, you have unlocked Reborn In Fire! Fire resistance increased by 20%! CONGRATULATIONS! Summon Phoenix skill unlocked! Ravager Slain! Ravager Slain! ¡­ As Arn resurrected, he reflexively took a gasping breath and opened his eyes. Searing hot air filled his lungs, and Arn was treated to the sight of his flesh on fire. Arn re-closed his eyes, dropped to the ground and rolled, trying to extinguish the fire. As the ten-second post-resurrection buff expired, Arn felt a fresh wave of horrible pain ¨C slightly more bearable, but still enough to make him seize up and stop his rolling efforts. Arn felt dirt hit him in the face and realized more ravagers were still emerging from the group. Arn opened his eyes to find the area around him, and dozens of ravager carcasses, either still on fire or smoldering, with a few fresh ravagers starting to emerge. Ignoring a flicker of flame still licking at his left cheek, Arn tried to survey the path back to town, but beyond the circle of carnage, hundreds of ravagers were visible obscuring the path. Spying a narrow strip of open ground, Arn took three running steps and leapt for all his worth, using his burned hands to prevent himself from slamming into the tree that was his target. Arn began to climb. Either I set the tree on fire or those things climb after me. No resurrections left. I¡¯m dead for real . . . Ravager Slain! CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 8! +4 Constitution and +4 Attribute Points (4). Resurrection Timer reset. Would you like to go to the Attribute distribution screen? CONGRATULATIONS! Boom! achievement unlocked. By killing one hundred enemies with a magical device, you have unlocked Boom! Magical devices now do more damage and have a greater area of effect. CONGRATULATIONS! Ravager profile unlocked. By killing one hundred ravagers, you have unlocked their profile, and may now view basic information about the species. CONGRATULATIONS! Fire Resistance is now level 4! You are now more resistant to fire. Arn banished notifications and kept climbing as though his life depended on it. Mercifully, the fires clinging to him appeared to be dying out, and the tree did not catch fire. Arn climbed past several large branches until he came across a branch that appeared to jut out a few feet before angling upwards, almost providing a natural seat. Looking down, Arn noticed ravagers swarming on the forest floor below, and saw a ravager-covered beast of some kind thrashing in the distance. Arn settled into the nook the large branch provided and watched the forest floor below. While the skittering horror show did not show any sign of ending, none of the ravagers were climbing trees. After a time, the last few remaining fires completely died out and his flesh began to slowly heal. Arn took a rope out of his pack and carefully whipped it around the trunk a few times until he was able to catch it, and tied himself to the tree. He then took his two pebbles out of his pack, and began to train. Good Times, Good Times A marvel. Lives on the line. Yet they ran together. Val was starting to suspect that Sar might be every bit as mad as the pyromancers from his story, but supported him as they ran. Pepper was practical to her core, yet ran beside them. While Keana feared death not at all, being torn apart was an all-consuming nightmare ¨C yet she too ran beside them. The group dodged emerging Ravagers and avoided those already mobile as best they could. With Sar¡¯s staff left behind, and Val helping to support him, they were forced to bat leapers aside with hands or daggers. They accumulated small wounds, but Sar seemed to find a groove, picked up his pace and pushed Val off, and they gradually left the worst behind. Through the terror, each thought of Arn in their own way. Val mourned Arn¡¯s sacrifice; perhaps Arn never understood that he could truly die, but that he saved them was undeniable. Sar gloried in the inferno Arn left behind, and only his pain and Val¡¯s insistent tugging kept him moving. Pepper grimaced at Arn¡¯s idiocy and ignored the small part of her that grieved. Keana never admitted it to Arn, and did not want to admit it to herself, but she liked Arn. It doesn¡¯t matter. None of it was real anyway. She tried to believe it. They ran. They jogged. Finally, they stopped, and Sar clutched at his side, gasping and coughing up blood. After a moment, he collected himself enough to speak. ¡°Ahhhh, Hells that hurts! Can¡¯t you heal me full up?¡± Pepper scowled. ¡°I¡¯m already mana burned saving your whiny ass, feels like a war hammer striking my head with every step, but we both have to suck it up and keep moving.¡± Val noted ¡°we do have one more potion.¡± Pepper shook her head. ¡°No, you don¡¯t give a potion the day after if you can help it. Doesn¡¯t undo any scarring already formed, heals up around the scars, makes the body think its done and that¡¯s the way it¡¯s supposed to be.¡± They walked, frequently looking back over their shoulders and not talking. When they emerged out of the forest, they paused, relieved they were alive, and to varying degrees, feeling guilty that Arn was dead. Sar seemed to get worse, not better, as they approached town, with several more fits of harsh bloody coughing. Pepper grunted, the first time anyone spoke in over an hour. ¡°Got to get him to the healer before he passes out or worse.¡± The group had seen the healer¡¯s sign when they first arrived in Reach, and headed straight there. Inside, a row of rickety chairs was mostly full with what looked to be a higher-level adventuring group. Sar chose that moment to launch into his worst fit of the day, hacking for two minutes and spraying blood into his hands and beyond. A grey haired woman in a priestess¡¯s robe peeked around the corner and absorbed the scene in a glance. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but he has to skip ahead. Bring him.¡± The group helped Sar around the corner and onto an examining table. The woman took Sar¡¯s leathers off without asking, prodding at the raw pink wounds on his chest. She asked, ¡°what happened, and what healing did he receive?¡± Pepper explained. ¡°Bitten by a Dracolisk yesterday late afternoon. Low-grade potion right away, low level druid¡¯s Restoration maybe a half-dozen times. Aggravated it running from a Ravager swarm a couple hours ago, has bites on his legs. We all do.¡± The steely priestess¡¯s eyes became enormous and her jaw dropped, but she recovered quickly and snapped at them. ¡°Have you told the Mayor or the Guard?¡± Pepper shook her head. The priestess spoke calmly, but with steel in her voice. ¡°One of you needs to run for the Mayor. Run. Might save lives. I¡¯ll take care of your friend, but one of you needs to go NOW.¡± Val started to speak, but Keana cut him off. ¡°I¡¯m the fastest. Going.¡± Keana realized that she had no idea where to find the Mayor, and shouted questions as passerby who directed her to the inn. Keana stormed in, immediately spotting the Mayor in the corner eating. She ran to his table and . . . he held up his hand and pointed to a chair. ¡°Sit.¡± Keana wasn¡¯t having it. ¡°Sir, we were attacked by a ravager swarm about ten miles up the blue diamond trail. Thousands of them. Lost a party member.¡± The Mayor frowned as though inconvenienced. ¡°That was supposed to be next year. Every seventeen years, like clockwork. Hmm. Have you told the guard?¡± Keana shook her head. ¡°No sir, just took our wounded to the priestess and ran here.¡± The Mayor wiped his chin and calmly stood up. He looked around the room, and didn¡¯t seem to like what he saw. ¡°I need to ask you to run a bit more. Captain Saris should be in the training yard, to the east of town, near the wall. Tell him what happened and where I am.¡± With that, the Mayor sat back down and resumed eating.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The Mayor¡¯s attitude made Keana¡¯s blood boil. ¡°We lost a party member! A friend. What the Hells is happening? I never heard of Ravagers before yesterday!¡± The Mayor looked greatly irritated, but returned his fork to the plate and turned his attention back to Keana. ¡°Ravagers swarm every seventeen years. Supposed to be next year. If you are lying . . . no, no, I can see you¡¯re not. Anyway, they kill literally everything below about level 15 that can¡¯t climb a tree, or isn¡¯t fully armored. Saris will send out scouts, track the swarm, try and reach any parties that were late to head out this morning, set a watch, get word out, and prepare the oil for the moat. We probably won¡¯t need it, but the swarm shifts some every cycle. Attacked the town six cycles ago, bout a hundred years. Now go!¡± * * * Turns out that needing little sleep does not allow one to indefinitely sit on a tree branch sixty feet above the ground. Who knew? Arn was fully healed, had flaked off all the ash and dead flesh ¨C but his ass hurt, and he was getting very, very tired. It probably didn¡¯t help that he stopped eating and drinking ¨C going to the bathroom had been a logistical nightmare, and seemed to excite the ravagers way too much, so he hoped to avoid the need for a repeat. Worse yet, he dropped both pebbles. If you bastards have hurt Stony and Rocky, I¡¯ll¡­I¡¯ll make you squeal like bugs. Arn¡¯s dream of riding out on a flaming phoenix, or at least sending a message out, went nowhere. When he tried the Summon Phoenix skill, he got an Insufficient Mana message. Some reward! Eventually, Arn decided on optimism ¨C the skill description gave some hope that he could eventually summon a phoenix without wasting points on intelligence to boost his mana: Summon Phoenix: Summons a phoenix familiar that can gain experience and self-resurrect up to once per day. Phoenix gains experience from combat it participates in. Experience and level gains are locked in on voluntary de-summon. Loses all experience and gained levels that are not locked in if banished or killed more than once in a day. Based on the description of the summons as a ¡°familiar¡± ¨C and the fact that familiars do not require mana upkeep ¨C Arn hoped that by temporarily exceeding his natural mana limit via a potion he could summon the phoenix. Even if he didn¡¯t need to worry about mana burn, mana potions weren¡¯t free, so locking in the phoenix¡¯s experience gains would be an issue. Still, at least there was hope that the skill wasn¡¯t useless. Examining the Ravager profile was a good five-minute diversion: Ravager (Hiveling): Ravagers are tier-one self-propagating Hivelings that serve as scouts, ranging far from the Hive and consuming all available biomass. Ravagers that reach a certain threshold evolve to their tier-two variant, the Elder Ravager, and return to the Hive. Ravagers that do not meet the threshold for evolution prior to exhausting local biomass resources enter a lengthy dormant period during which they reproduce asexually through fission. Arn didn¡¯t understand all the words, and many of the words he did understand were used in odd contexts. For example, there were many kinds of hive, but what was ¡°the Hive?¡± All Arn really took from the profile was that they would burrow back under ground once anything they could eat was gone. Surely that can¡¯t take that long with so many? Although Arn fancied himself patient and had 10 in Will to prove it, the endless wait was grinding him down. So, inevitably, his thoughts shifted. Killed 100 for level 8, so how many for level 9? Their numbers have declined a lot. Still declining, just maddeningly slowly. Can¡¯t be more than 10 of them within fifty feet of the tree. Even if more come running, I could survive down there for a while. Kill 10 or 15 and climb back up. Safe enough? Should be, as long as they don¡¯t climb. What if I kill some as I run? Hmm, not that . . . I trip again and that could get nasty quick. Resolved to exploit the situation, Arn roped his pack, shield and broken sword to the tree, double-checked his two daggers, and began his descent. When he got to within five feet of the ground, Arn paused and looked around. There was only one ravager in sight . . . but it seemed to be staring right at him. Waiting. Arn jumped down to the ground, quickly turned around to face the ravager and drew both daggers. The ravager sat. Still staring. Suddenly, there was movement from multiple directions as a half-dozen ravagers charged. Arn crouched down, and got his stab on, ignoring the shrieks of dying ravagers. The battle was messy ¨C one of the ravagers jumped on an arm, and one that came from behind scurried up his back, but they weren¡¯t individually tough. Arn¡¯s Focus on the enemies around him nearly got him killed. It wasn¡¯t until a tiny lull in the fighting that he noticed larger numbers of ravagers incoming. Arn Screamed to cover his retreat, momentarily staggering with the stamina drain. Realizing the danger, Arn recovered, turned around and threw himself into climbing the tree. Adrenalin warred with searing fatigue. The climb was HARD. Arn eventually made it to his perch, arms trembling, and allowed himself to look down. Perhaps thirty ravagers were gathered around the tree. Looking up at him? Waiting? Well that¡¯s not creepy. And I killed¡­just four? Lets not do THAT again. Concerned with his growing bone-weariness, Arn took some jerky out of his pack and a drink from his canteen. Now that I know they flat out won¡¯t climb, who cares if I take a piss on them? I can make it a game. Good times, good times. Arn double-looped himself to the main trunk, and for good measure, tied his legs to the branch he was sitting on, and settled in for a nap. Interlude: Anya ¡°Again!¡± Father demanded. Twelve-year-old Anya heard the click; the wooden contraption over her head would start dropping coppers in slightly over two seconds, gradually accelerating, and dropping fourteen total coins in just under one second. Anya didn¡¯t fully understand how the device arranged for the coins to take different paths each time; the innards of the contraption were hidden in a sealed box that she didn¡¯t dare try and mess with. She suspected there was a rotating mechanism, but had never found a pattern. Anya didn¡¯t bother hating the device; there were others. Nor did she hate Father. One couldn¡¯t hate rain for falling or winter for bringing bitter cold; he was what he was, and couldn¡¯t be anything different. All three could be highly unpleasant; all three must be endured. At least for now. Anya attempted to speed her awareness. Father had an endless array of useless sayings like ¡°break what others consider a single moment into many¡± and, still worse, ¡°be faster than fast.¡± The idea, however, was a simple one, already proven true to Anya¡¯s satisfaction. If you could perform one action in a single heartbeat, you could learn to fit two, and in time, two could become three, then four, until a single heartbeat stretched for an eternity. Father didn¡¯t speak, not the way regular people did. He commanded. He announced. Anya was expected to treat his every utterance as the word of a god and the equivalent to ¡°the sun rises in the east.¡± Mastering each of the devices before taking her class would, Father announced, provide her a huge permanent advantage ¡°partially compensating for her deficient stature.¡± If Father understood why mastering the devices before obtaining a class was helpful, he never said, and Anya learned not to ask questions long ago. What she ¡°needed¡± to know was conveyed. Anya heard the telltale noise before she saw the first coin and moved. A normal observer might see flickering hands and the clink of coins scattering on the ground without truly comprehending the impossibility of what they witnessed. Eleven. Again. That she would be punished soon was not in question. Punishment would change nothing; could change nothing, but was as inevitable as ice in winter. Anya wondered about the other children. Somewhere, the Guild had an official training program; ¡°apprenticeships¡± were now ¡°disfavored,¡± but as long as she passed the Guild¡¯s tests that wouldn¡¯t matter. Anya wondered about her Father; how many damn coins did he catch before he took a class? Anya staggered under the blow before she saw it. She caught her footing, suppressed a whimper and looked Father in the eye. Anything less would simply delay the next stage. What would it be today? Taunt the guards and lead them on a chase? Beat a grown man senseless? Steal something? Sometimes she succeeded, and sometimes she failed. Father wouldn¡¯t let her be raped or crippled, but anything short of that was a ¡°learning experience.¡± Father began what Anya called ¡°the Ritual.¡± ¡°You have to be faster! When my enemies come, they won¡¯t leave you alive. I¡¯ve told you this. But you still don¡¯t give your all!¡± Anya ignored the Ritual; she couldn¡¯t understand what Father thought repeating the same words achieved. It was the words that came after that she needed. She resigned to listen, and to endure whatever came after. She had no choice. Not today. * * * Whether it was her increasing age, or the nature of the jobs and targets Father selected, she did not know, but few treated her as a child anymore. If she was caught, she would either be beaten severely, or, more often lately, they would rip at her clothes and Father would kill them, and be furious with her for the need. Today had been different. She had been severely beaten and the man had tried to rape her. Things had progressed uncomfortably far; father had not intervened. Pinned, her daggers tossed aside, she had no choice. She used the Nightshade powder, and watched the man writhe and die. A beating most likely; Father would blame her botching the job, for failing to use one of the coated needles and a dozen other things. That the powder was expensive ¨C and worse, left obvious traces ¨C would fuel his rage. There simply wasn¡¯t anything else that could be used as a powder that did the job so quickly. Not that would leave her functional at her current level of poison resistance. She didn¡¯t waste time questioning her abandonment. Just another test. Nor did she dwell on the man. Father never chose saints, and sure enough the man had chosen to beat and try to rape a child. Besides, it wasn¡¯t her hand that flung the poison ¨C not truly. Whether he intended the death or not, she was simply a dagger flung by Father. She decided long ago that she bore no guilt for such things. When she was able, she would put an end to the killing. Hadn¡¯t she put things in motion? She could do no more. If she watched from Beyond, mother would understand.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. She slipped into the sewer and wound her way through the tunnels, past the traps, and into their home. Father might be training, but if so, she could clean up and quickly eat something; not actions that would increase her punishment she thought. Inside their home, she walked in on murder. Four masked men dressed in black, her father on the floor bleeding out or ¡­ no, already dead. Anya turned to by far the largest. ¡°Andre, I didn¡¯t expect you until next week. I am glad my information was helpful. It looks like none of you are even wounded.¡± Andre took off his mask and smiled. He had a swarthy complexion marked by a multitude of scars. She knew nothing about him, other than that he was one of Father¡¯s most-hated enemies; Andre had found her. It had been only fortune that he listened before killing her. ¡°Indeed little snake, indeed. We had to strike early of course. I could hardly trust that you were what you appeared to be, could I now? Bastard would have loved to lead me into a trap. Imagine my surprise that all of your information proved accurate. He wasn¡¯t so smart after all, was he? Pity you need to die as well.¡± Anya suppressed a flicker of panic and allowed her mind to race; she knew the plan was a dice roll of course, but after her luck talking Andre out of killing her, rolling the Deadman¡¯s Eyes had been hard to imagine. Still, this was not entirely off script; it could be salvaged. ¡°I understand of course. Business. But a pity. I thought I would share Father¡¯s caches, and in exchange you would allow me to pledge my service to you in front of the Guild.¡± Andre snorted. ¡°I knew your father well. We were friends once, before he abandoned such things as weakness. He isn¡¯t a man to trust anyone with anything, absent the need. Certainly not a child. You are just a liability. Kill her.¡± There was no fighting, not against men cut from the same cloth as Father. Anya flew towards the door, opened it and slip through in a single almost perfect motion. Almost. The door handle cracked into her ribs. She forced herself on. They would underestimate her speed at first. She had seconds; they would need to serve as minutes. Anya took a different path through the sewers; there were other traps. Traps that could perhaps save her life, if she was only fast enough. Faster than fast. Anya heard footfalls behind her, but kept on. Leaping here, dodging there, but nothing helped. The traps were designed to kill the unwary, not protect a runner with a pursuer that could see every dodge and every leap. Anya wracked her brain for an option, a trap hidden just around a corner or . . . yes, the Warren. A claustrophobic ghetto of narrow alleys filled with trash and debris, perfect for her slight form. She didn¡¯t know it well, but she could only throw the dice. Anya kept leaping and dodging even though past the traps. Andre¡¯s men would surely be much faster than her if they ran without fear. Anya climbed the ladder out of the sewers and slammed against the frozen latch. Nothing. She heard chuckling behind her, but refused to turn. The latch gave on her second try, and she spilled into one of the wider alleys in the Warren. A vendor was selling meat on skewers. He wouldn¡¯t be here if he wasn¡¯t protected. Gang territory then. Perhaps I can use that. Gangs or not, Anya took every opportunity to turn into smaller alleyways, until she was running in what she hoped for, narrow corridors filled with refuse between buildings set less than two feet apart. Water doesn¡¯t dodge the rapids, it flows around them. Anya channeled Father¡¯s words, and tried to flow around the obstacles. She used every trick she knew to speed her perception and reactions, to make every moment two, then four, but she heard at least one of Andre¡¯s goons keeping pace. She ran, swerved and leapt like never before, but her ears told her it wasn¡¯t enough. Dismissing a notification, she entered a particularly narrow alleyway, leapt for all she was worth and began to scale the walls with grace enough to make a monkey weep. When she felt the hand close on her ankle, she knew all was lost, but refused to quit, hand going for one of her daggers. Andre¡¯s goon pulled, and she pinballed down the walls, slammed into the ground, and saw stars. Her assailant lifted off his mask, revealing a surprisingly normal twenty-something face and wild hair. He smiled. ¡°You¡¯re quite the runner. I don¡¯t like to kill children, but if you¡¯re his daughter, you¡¯re not really a child, are you?¡± Anya felt panic try to worm its way through her and fought it down yet again. There is always a way. Not the daggers and not needles¡­if he is full guild, fighting is pointless and his poison resistance will be double digits. Desperate, she pulled the notification back up. CONGRATULATIONS! By reaching fifteen Speed without taking a class before the age of thirteen, you have met the requirements for the class Time Mage (Legendary)! Would you like to take this class (Yes/No)? Anya had never heard of a Time Mage, but she knew exactly what it was. Hope. She took the class. Master Of My Domain The ravager threat to Reach was perhaps small, but the town took it seriously and within ten minutes of Keana¡¯s discussion with the Mayor, the town¡¯s bell tower began chiming. Within another ten minutes, guards could be seen bustling about, rolling barrels of oil out the front gate, and carrying an assortment of supplies up to the walls. Shortly thereafter, guards went from store to store and home to home, announcing a meeting in the central square. Val, Keana, Pepper and Sar stood awkwardly in the milling, chattering crowd, Princess having slinked off long ago. Many approached them, but none of the four felt like telling stories; they fled, Arn died, what was there to say? Finally, Mayor Stillwater raised his hands and called for silence. ¡°Friends, welcome. A little over an hour ago, I received word that the ravager swarm emerged a year early from a group of adventurers. I¡¯ve just learned that the first of our scouts have returned, confirming beasts fleeing north towards the town. As such, we¡¯ll consider the reports confirmed, and we are preparing for a full-scale assault by tens of thousands of ravagers. Probably won¡¯t happen. One hundred years ago, however, they came. The town didn¡¯t have a moat, the walls were uneven stone and two feet lower, and we had thousands of them in the walls. Not all of the dwellings held, we lost forty-seven people. So you can understand why we are taking this seriously. The town is on lock down, no one in or out without my approval. All militia are now on active status. Report to the barracks for orders. In the event the ravagers are spotted leaving the forest, we¡¯ll sound the bells again and we¡¯ll have about five minutes. The gates will close, the moat will be fired, and adventurers are required to report to the walls. That is the law. ¡®I slept through it in the Inn¡¯ wont fly. You¡¯ll spend thirty days in jail, and you¡¯ll pay hefty fines. Basically we¡¯ll take your shit. Don¡¯t do it. In the unlikely event we have to retreat from the walls, you guessed it, the bells. Lock down will end four days from now.¡± Night found the four drinking in the inn. Val decided to break the ice and get into it. ¡°So. I hear that a huge chunk of the forest will be pretty much stripped of beasts. But the ravagers don¡¯t eat bones, they don¡¯t eat cores, and they don¡¯t eat several different types of poisonous but valuable herbs. All the groups will be out harvesting. Should we ask around for a tank?¡± Three stares met his words, and Val felt as though his words were bouncing their way down a bottomless pit. Sar finally spoke, while one hand reached into his pack for reassurance. ¡°Arn is alive. I feel it.¡± Pepper chimed in noting, ¡°well¡­the Mayor did say they don¡¯t climb trees. And the big bastard IS hard to kill. Its not impossible.¡± Keana slammed her mug down on the table, shouting ¡°Hells yes! Of course he is alive! We go get the big bastard! Sneak out early if we can!¡± * * * Scholars have long observed that dreams seem necessary. Those with very high constitution numbers that sleep for only a few hours a night, or even more so a few hours every few nights, tend to dream often and extremely vividly. Historians have chronicled lengthy lists of vivid dreams impacting history. In one noted example, King Veridian the Eighth, then known as ¡°the Just,¡± dreamed his wife was engaging in unnatural sexual acts with his favorite hound, and on waking killed both in a fit of rage. ¨CExcerpt from the ancient ¡°Guide To The Divine Attributes,¡± author unknown. Arn flew through clouds on a giant swooping phoenix wreathed in flames, laughing wildly as his legs endlessly burned and regenerated. Spotting his hometown, he landed and was greeted by wild cheering for "the Phoenix Titan!" Looking around, Arn noticed Keana and Liara dancing lasciviously, and quickly became inflamed with desire. Arn hurriedly dismounted and went to join the fun. As Arn walked, Keana and Liara seemed to get further and further away, and mist closed in on all sides. Arn noticed that Kiana and Liara were taking their clothes off as they danced, caressing and teasing. Arn shouted, but neither reacted! In growing horror, Arn realized they didn¡¯t know he was there, and were dancing only for each other! Arn ran and ran, getting no closer. As Keana and Liara began to kiss, Arn bellowed ¡°noooo!¡± and tripped over a rock. As he tried to stand, the village children appeared from the mist with daggers, led by a laughing Alys.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Arn woke with a piercing scream and tried to rise in a panic, thrashing wildly. Arn¡¯s knot-tying skills proved no match for his newfound strength and panic, and Arn thrashed his way free of the ropes securing him to the trunk of the tree. Lucidity returned quickly, and Arn recalled he was in a tree in the forest ¨C just as he slid to the right losing his perch. The ropes securing Arn to the branch held his legs securely, while his torso swung upside-down and banged into the trunk while yo-yoing like a pendulum. Arn reflexively yelled in panic, then, realizing the ropes securing his legs were holding, took a deep breath to calm himself. Ok, I can . . . Arn¡¯s legs started to slide out of the ropes, prompting Arn to immediate action. Arn did the equivalent of an upside down sit-up, and grabbed on to the bottom of the ropes. Stable, Arn pondered whether to cut himself free or somehow rotate . . . chittering. It can¡¯t be. Hells, NOT NOW! Arn craned his neck and saw his worst fear realized. Ravagers. Climbing. Arn stretched his arms up and around the branch, basically hugging the branch around his ankles, and tried to swing himself up and around. Nothing. Arn wiggled his butt back and forth, building momentum, and tried again once he got a bit of rotation. Arn dug his nails into the bark and twisted, grabbed and made it most of the way around, frantically grabbing the branch and trying to twist himself the rest of the way. Finally upright, Arn worked the knots as quickly as he could, while the chittering neared. As he finished, ravagers started biting his back. Arn grabbed and flung off two he could reach, took four big scoots down the branch and swung his left leg over the other side of the branch, forcing himself into a split and dislodging several ravagers. Digging in with his hands, Arn brought his other leg around. Arn somehow succeeded, but quickly found himself with a lap full of ravagers. Arn drew his daggers and started stabbing and flinging, but more kept coming. For every one that stopped to bite his legs, another leaped for his arms or torso. Arn¡¯s daggers flickered faster than old Arn would have thought possible, but he took many wounds and the stream of ravagers did not seem to be abating. Finally, on the edge of desperation, Arn belatedly remembered his Scream, aiming a foot in front of his crotch. As the ravagers stilled and several fell off the branch, Arn flicked a few off his legs and arms, and scooted backwards aiming for a narrower and more defensible perch. After a few scoots, he realized there was still one on his back, and he awkwardly twisted and stabbed, knocking it off after a few thrusts. As more ravagers began crawling over and around their stunned comrades, Arn Screamed again, knocking more off. Arn resumed scooting. As the branch thinned to twice the girth of his leg, Arn stopped and started stabbing. With the narrower approach, Arn found his rhythm, and was able to deal with the occasional leaper while still sweeping the branch. As Arn focused on the killing, he lost track of time until he suddenly noticed the ravagers had stopped coming. Arn shouted, ¡°come at me! I¡¯m the flipping Phoenix Titan!¡± Shocked at his idiotic tempting of fate, Arn looked down and saw the ravagers had given up. The few still on the trunk were heading back to the ground. Arn counted the kill notifications ¨C Fifty one. Fifty one! Felt more like three hundred! Maybe some of the ones I knocked off lived? Arn settled in to wait, waited, and waited some more. After an interminable time doing absolutely nothing, Arn wondered if there was any chance he could actually get Keana and Liara to dance. Or wrestle. As Arn got excited, he banished his thoughts. Nope! Not tempting fate by doing THAT here. With my luck¡­nope! Resolved to not think about Keana and Liara dancing, Arn reached back into his pack for ¡°The Path to Power.¡± While he wasn¡¯t technically ready for the next chapter, on flame mana, he was close. Arn paused; studying flame mana in a tree sounded all kinds of stupid. Arn reasoned that any success would be barely a spark, and there should be plenty of time to put any fire out. Still, no use tempting the Gods ¨C may as well be careful. Arn ripped off a small chunk of bark and put it on his upper leg on his supposedly resistant were-bear coat and got started. The Phoenix Titans First Hunt Even after the small taste of hope following their discussion, it was obvious they weren¡¯t going anywhere right away. The only thing they could do against a living carpet of ravagers was die. Rescue would need to wait. So the group drank, Sar and Keana in particular. As the night wore on, Val and Pepper found themselves alone in the corner, watching Keana dance on a counter as Sar and a growing group of men raptly looked on. Val asked, ¡°do you think we should stop her?¡± Pepper shook her head. ¡°Last thing on my mind. LOOK at her. Ignore the tits and ass. She is doing some kind of children¡¯s dance. Third different one I think. She isn¡¯t making them up, but nothing I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± Baffled, Val asked, ¡°you think her life story is made up just because of a children¡¯s dance? Her mother was a dancer, maybe she collected odd little children¡¯s dances and they loved doing them together.¡± Pepper snorted. ¡°Of course her life story is made up. Girl supposedly kills someone at ten, and then a bunch of slavers a couple years later, but now she is afraid of blood. One minute she is telling a sob story about her dead mother, and the next she jokes her mother was supposed to take her to the carnival, but its ok because now Arn is her stuffed bear. Claimed her mother taught her to love dancing, but not specific dances, yet those are actual children''s dances for certain. And that tattoo on her ankle, that''s a skull with crossed daggers through the eyes. Never seen that before, but it''s not any kind of random thing, that¡¯s for sure. It all adds up to something, I just ain¡¯t got any idea what.¡± Val watched Keana dance, admitting ¡°this may shock you, but I wasn¡¯t looking at her ankles. Maybe you¡¯re right. I¡¯m more worried about Sar though.¡± Pepper nodded. ¡°Sar¡¯s crazy for certain, and dangerous in the eventually, but there ain¡¯t no mystery there. Keana, Keana is something else. Mark my words, she is going to bite us in the ass.¡± Val smirked, noting ¡°I can imagine worse things.¡± The next morning, Val and Pepper ran separate errands in the morning, and rejoined Keana and Sar for a late lunch when they finally dragged themselves down to the main room. Keana groaned, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can eat. How could you let me drink that much!¡± Pepper smirked asking ¡°it¡¯s the drinking that has you worried? Not the dancing on the counter? But back on track, the Mayor is having lunch in the corner. Perhaps you can work your charms and get us permission to leave. Don¡¯t get too close to him though. Not unless you want to run up and bathe real quick.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go too,¡± Sar added. Keana and Sar headed over Mayor Stillwater¡¯s table and asked if they could join him. He grunted ¡°no. Don¡¯t do business while eating.¡± Keana immediately sat down anyway and got right into it. ¡°We want permission to head out to rescue our teammate Arn.¡± The Mayor wiped his mouth with a napkin and asked ¡°the same one you told me blew himself up?¡± ¡°Arn would never die to fire!¡± Sar exclaimed. ¡°He has high fire resistance, and natural regeneration that gets stronger the worse off he is. Does his best work nearly dead,¡± Keana explained. The Mayor sighed. ¡°Look, I get it. You heard me mention the tree bit and figure he climbed, yes? Sorry I wasn¡¯t clear. True enough that stuff like the blade apes are safe. But when this all clears up, there will be plenty of trees with scratch marks going twenty feet up, and a few with massive bones at the base. Ravagers can climb when they want too. Your friend is gone. Even if he wasn¡¯t, nothing you can do today unless you have twenty or thirty gold to hire someone. We have about four elites that could maybe bring someone out. I can let you go tomorrow afternoon if you are quiet about it. You may not get all the way there, but the swarm should have thinned enough that if you¡¯re careful you won¡¯t die.¡± The Mayor turned back to his chicken wing and waved them away dismissively. * * * Early that evening, Arn sat in a tree. Two hours ago, an ever-so-slightly smoking piece of bark and unlock of Flame Mana had been a cause of joy. However, even with the Focus skill one can only stare at a piece of bark so long. In the two hours since the unlock, Arn had tried taunting ravagers. Arn had tried daydreaming about Keana dancing with Liara and, wonder of wonders, had not fallen out of the tree. He was thoroughly sick of sitting in a tree and wanted ¨C needed ¨C to get flipping down.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Down was starting to look possible, as the ravagers were definitely thinning out. Hit and run baby, hit and run. Regeneration, it turns out, is not a complete cure for sitting on your ass for thirty-six hours, and Arn was SORE. He was, however, incredibly happy to be moving, and reached the ground in less than a minute. Under the forest canopy, it was already getting dark, but with the underbrush cleared out by the ravagers, Arn could see well enough. There were still ravagers scuttling here and there . . . but they ignored him. Arn shouted. ¡°I¡¯m the flipping Phoenix Titan! Come get some!¡± The ravagers . . . continued scuttling as though Arn wasn¡¯t there. What the heck? Are they in scavenger mode at this point? Realization struck Arn. I¡¯m covered in ravager bits. They aren¡¯t stupid. And so it came to pass that the self-named Phoenix Titan began chasing ravagers, which, despite short legs, are surprisingly nimble. The forest rang with curses, and, from time to time, insectile screams. As early evening turned to early night, Arn kept at his task, feeling a sort of mad joy at hunting the ¡°little bastards,¡± and hoping for a level-up. Arn tripped over roots several times as the darkness slowly grew, but the moon was nearly full, and Arn could see well enough. Although every bit as useful as Elder Dannis claimed, the passive skill Focus has a clear and well known (although not yet known to Arn) downside ¨C Focus makes it very easy to get lost in a task. Arn rushed after scurrying ravagers for hours; swerving, lunging, thrusting, diving, tripping and picking himself back up. Thanks to Focus, Arn was a hunting machine ¨C that didn¡¯t stop to think. Arn snapped back to the moment when he stumbled across a large beast skeleton. Arn was momentarily overjoyed to notice a small gem heart on the ground between the rib bones, but on looking around realized that he had no idea where the trail was. Well damn, that¡¯s not good. Still, I head north and I should be fine. Lets see . . . the moon rises in the east and sets in the west . . . but how many hours ago did the moon rise and is it rising or setting? Damn it! Arn considered making camp, but spending the night alone in the forest covered in ravager guts wasn¡¯t appealing. Arn reasoned that he hadn¡¯t seen any living beasts aside from ravagers, and that, worst case, he mistakenly headed south until he hit the trail known as ¡°The Edge of Madness¡± and simply turned around. The thought of more gem hearts just lying on the ground was also a powerful lure. Arn took his best guess at north, and headed out more carefully, ignoring the ravagers scuttling around in the distance. More alert to his surroundings, and with the underbrush cleared out by the ravagers, Arn quickly came across a patch of oddly shaped fuzzy mushrooms in the lee of a large tree. Arn didn¡¯t recognize them, or care to try his guidebook by moonlight, but figured anything the ravagers wouldn¡¯t eat was interesting enough to take. Arn had enough herbalism training to suspect poison, but didn¡¯t want to fuss with the herbalism kit or properly digging up the roots. Instead, Arn took the gemheart out of his smaller sack, slipped it over a mushroom and simply pinched and pulled. The procedure worked well enough, and Arn quickly extracted six of the strange mushrooms, nearly filling his small sack. Arn was about to go for the seventh and final mushroom when he noticed a few spores floating in the moonlight and decided to call it, rapidly backing off. High constitution or not, Arn knew that some of the jungle mushrooms were incredibly toxic or hallucinogenic. With his luck, he¡¯d come to naked in the swamp with something snacking on him. No thanks. Shortly after midnight, Arn was able to get oriented and correct his course. After heading north for about an hour, Arn came across a small clearing littered with skeletons. Arn boggled at the scene for a moment, then realized that a herd or pack of something-or-others had made a stand, fighting back to back. Arn wondered what was smart enough and loyal enough to do that in the face of the ravager swarm, but was too tired to care. Reckoning that the bones would make for an alarm system of sorts, Arn cleared an area in the center of the bones, used his pack for a pillow and was out like a light. The Dangers Of A Legendary Class Arn woke to the morning sun peeking through the trees, sticky with gore and surrounded by bones. Daylight didn¡¯t help Arn identify the source of the bones that surrounded him, but he spotted a small gem heart in the largest set of bones and was content. Mostly. Pain Resistance doesn¡¯t do much when one of your grime-crusted eyes sticks every time you blink, and certainly doesn¡¯t help one ignore buzzing and biting insects. Arn hoped to run into a stream, but was more than willing to settle for getting the Hells out of the forest. Arn counted the kill notifications from last night as he walked . . . sixty-seven, plus the forty-one from the prior hunt. Lets see, add in the four from the failed hit-and-run, that¡¯s one hundred and twelve since the last level up. So probably soon? Arn spotted a few ravagers scurrying around in the distance, but most of them seemed to be just gone. Arn solved the mystery a short time later, stabbing one in the backside as it dug back into one of the holes. One hundred and thirteen. Should I dig in the holes to get a few more? Na, they probably go deep unless you catch them just so. If it was easy to dig them out, there wouldn¡¯t be any left. After an hour of walking, Arn came upon a corpse of something still covered with ravagers. Not willing to let the opportunity pass, Arn drew both daggers and started stabbing. The ravagers apparently didn¡¯t take kindly to kill stealing, and jumped on him en masse. Arn had a moment of panic when one landed on his head with its clawed legs scrambling for purchase near his eyes, but for the most part just stayed calm and didn¡¯t take any serious wounds thanks to his were-bear armor. Arn ignored the kill notifications that popped up, but paused when he finally leveled up. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 9! +4 Constitution and +4 Attribute Points (8). Resurrection Timer reset. Would you like to go to the Attribute distribution screen? Forgot to distribute the points huh? Well, maybe that is for the best. If my plan to buy a mana potion fails to help me summon the phoenix, maybe I¡¯ll put a few points in intelligence. By the time Arn dismissed the notification, the few remaining ravagers had scuttled away. The beast¡¯s remains looked like a crystal bomb had gone off, and Arn found he had little interest in sifting liquefied entrails for the small chance of a gem heart. Arn hurried south, emerging from the forest perhaps an hour before noon. * * * The group left the north gate in low spirits. The Mayor¡¯s doom-and-gloom had sunk in, and all realized it was unlikely that they would find Arn ¨C if they could even get to where they left him. Shortly after leaving, Princess began growling deeply as the group headed up a small hill on the path to the forest. The group drew weapons and assumed a ready stance, as a large gore-spattered bear . . . ¡°Arn!!!!¡± Keana screamed, running towards him. Arn dropped his sack and opened his arms wide. At the last second, Keana danced away. ¡°Ewe¡­no! I¡¯m really glad you''re back, but not that glad! Bathe then I¡¯ll prove how glad I am to you!¡± Arn smiled from ear to ear and said, ¡°that just became my second priority then!¡± ¡°Back ten seconds and already showing all kinds of stupid. Good ole Arn¡± Pepper said. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you too. Real pity Keana¡¯s about to stab you.¡± ¡°Now just wait a minute! I¡¯m the Phoenix Titan now! Just need a mana potion to manifest the awesome power of the phoenix so that all know my glory¡± Arn said jokingly. Keana grabbed a clean spot on Arn¡¯s arm and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re babbling about, but you really need to stop shouting about having a legendary class. There are people that will try and kill you just to say they beat a legendary classer. Plus, where are your priorities? I haven¡¯t even shown you my new dance!¡± Arn shut his mouth, and pointed towards town. * * * One hundred and twenty miles to the northeast, at approximately the same time: Mable tried to keep the younger girls calm, but she wasn¡¯t going to lie. ¡°It won¡¯t be that bad,¡± or ¡°you¡¯re strong enough to get through anything¡± might have helped the crying thirteen-year old beside her, but you don¡¯t put a tiny bandage over a sucking chest wound. A burning village and nine girls chained together in a slaver¡¯s caravan was a familiar story, and not one with a happy ending. The time for wishing and hoping was past. Mable was a farmer¡¯s daughter, and a farmer herself. Things go wrong for farmers. Drought. Miscarriage. Insects. Beasts. Pretending that things would be ok wasn¡¯t something farmers did. Farmers got up each day and worked impossibly hard, and above all else, dealt with reality; they had no choice.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. The caravan travelled through largely open fields, and there was little cover. In a just world, patrolling kingdom knights would find them easily and harvest the slavers like so much wheat. In a just world, the kingdom¡¯s two princes wouldn¡¯t conscript armies to fight and die in a pointless war, tearing the kingdom apart because each wanted to sit in the gilded chair. No knights were coming, and even this close to the border, walking in the open, there was surely little danger to the heavily armed slavers. Mable tried to accept her new reality, but was having trouble. The last few years, there had been a story, and try as she might, Mable couldn¡¯t put it out of her mind. Hope was folly. And yet, as the caravan neared the border, the slavers grew more nervous, not less. They fingered their weapons, looked over shoulders and looked almost as miserable as the girls. The story told of a town that tried to fight, and slavers that stacked the bodies of the town¡¯s men and boys in an enoromous pile. In the pile of the dead, someone or something was reborn, an impossible horror with an unending thirst for vengeance. They called him, or it, Graveborn, and the Slaver¡¯s Nightmare. Watching the murdering slavers act afraid, Mable felt a dangerous stirring; hope. Yet she knew the reality was that the slavers were just people ¨C horrible, evil people, but people just the same. And people sometimes listened to empty stories of gods, heroes and, in this case, twisted horrors from beyond. Mable tried to hold fast to reality, to accept it, and to view what was to come as simply the next obstacle to work through. The reality was that there was no help for them. Until, perhaps, there was. A piercing twisted wrong scream sent a spike of fear through Mable¡¯s very bones. Fear that turned to hope as every slaver stopped, drew weapons, crouched and cursed, terror stamped on their faces like a brand. Wonder of wonders, they weren¡¯t afraid of an empty story after all. A slaver flew. The thing ¨C Graveborn ¨C was revealed, still for an instant. It looked vaguely like a flayed man with red oozing flesh, thick ropelike cords of muscle, large clawed hands and masses of bone sticking out of the shoulders, elbows, knees and criss-crossing the chest in odd patterns. The slavers, despite their fear, quickly managed to surround Graveborn blades drawn, but then he started to move, and slavers died. Several limbs and heads went flying, and even slavers that were merely backhanded didn¡¯t get up. One-by-one they were cast aside like broken dolls, crumpling to the ground in unnatural positions. When it was clear they couldn¡¯t fight, they ran, or tried too, but none got far. The crying and wailing of the chained girls turned into raw screaming as Graveborn began to eat, jaws opening impossibly wide, and closing to the sounds of snapping bones. Mable watched with both horror and a deep if uncomfortable satisfaction. The stories mostly said Graveborn didn¡¯t kill slaves, but whatever happened to them, at least the slavers got everything they deserved and more. After a time, Graveborn rose and stood still for a moment, then visibly shuddered as his flesh began to morph and shift. A naked man of ordinary stature began to emerge from the twisted horror of flesh and bone, and slipped behind a bush, emerging in simple workman¡¯s clothing. He appeared to be an unremarkable twenty-something, somehow mostly clean, with a few stray flecks of blood on his cheeks. ¡°Um, hello¡± he softly said to the quivering women, although Mable doubted many were sufficiently present to hear. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to see that, but . . . that is the only way. I¡¯ll free you now.¡± The sound of clapping drew attention to a group of four men that simply appeared from nothing. Illusion magic, Mable reasoned. One stepped forward, a too-handsome young man wearing gleaming chainmail with a large broadsword strapped to his back, grinning. ¡°Oh bravo¡± he said ¡°terrific show! Worth far more than the price of admission.¡± His three comrades were each dressed differently, in some variety of leathers, but were united with the same mocking and deeply amused smiles, and the same tattoo on their hands ¨C a skull with the eyes pierced by daggers. Mable didn¡¯t fancy herself brave, but when there was work to be done she did it. ¡°Change back into Graveborn quickly. They are here to kill you¡± she said. The apparent leader of the newcomers looked at her in surprise, and clapped with delight. ¡°Oh my!¡± he said. ¡°How wonderful! A beauty with a brain and a spine. Perhaps I¡¯ll keep you for a bit. Unfortunately, while I¡¯d love a bit of a challenge, I don¡¯t think our friend can change back, not yet.¡± Graveborn spoke hesitantly. ¡°I just came for the slavers and to release the women. It had to be done.¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry,¡± the leader said while flashing his too-broad smile again. ¡°I¡¯m a big fan. Crawling from a pile of bodies to avenge your family and friends! What a backstory! We are good at killing too, but not nearly so frightening looking. We could use a monster like you. Come kill for us. What do you say?¡± ¡°Uh, who would I have to kill?¡± Graveborn asked hesitantly. The man threw his arms wide and answered, ¡°everyone. Wonderful yes?¡± Mable tried to quietly get close enough to one of the guards to look for keys, but it was hopeless. There wasn¡¯t enough loose chain, and her neighbors were past reasoning with. Graveborn answered slowly, visibly considering options. ¡°I only kill those that deserve it. So no thank you.¡± At this, the leader of the newcomers threw back his head and laughed heartily. Turning back to Graveborn he said, ¡°the shy horror with a heart of gold. Classic, truly classic. But a pity.¡± Mable saw the barest hint of movement, and saw a hero die to a sword in his belly, while a true horror smiled. The man casually cleaned his sword on the grass and turned to his companions. ¡°I¡¯ve word of two more, a tiny young girl and a giant of a young man. Neither as formidable as our friend here, so we¡¯ll split up.¡± Clapping his comrades on the back and eyeing the women, he added, ¡°still, I suppose we can spare ten minutes.¡± Cant Hardly Wait Arn didn¡¯t understand. Not really. She wanted to treat him special, couldn¡¯t she do that later? Apparently not. Apparently, a woman could be so happy someone wasn¡¯t dead, that you had to do exactly what she flipping said, exactly when she told you to do it. Women. Well, none of that mattered now. He was finally here, where he needed to be. ¡°So you see, I¡¯m hoping that the mana potion will push me over the cost of the summoning,¡± Arn explained. Silver Tongue shook his head, ¡°no, no, mana burn is no joke, it can kill. You have no idea how much mana this familiar will cost. It could be twenty, it could be fifty. You try to get to fifty without any mana of your own, you¡¯ll fry your brain. You want to rely on the Gods to regenerate that just so?¡± ¡°I have mana!¡± Arn explained, ¡°I have Mana Manipulation, Force Mana and Fire Mana unlocked. Ten in intelligence. So I must have at least ten mana right? And I have an idea to get more!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Silver Tongue asked. ¡°Well . . . if I have a friend kill me, when I come back to life, all my stats increase by ten for ten seconds! So I¡¯d have twenty intelligence! If I pop a mana potion right as I come back¡­¡± Silver Tongue laughed heartily, although not unkindly. ¡°Oh my, I haven¡¯t seen such excitement since my granddaughter heard her birthday gift barking from the other room! Wait just a moment . . . try not to explode!¡± Silver Tongue disappeared into the back of his shop for what felt like an eternity, returning with a tiny gem in his hand. ¡°Is your mana full now?¡± he asked, placing the tiny gem in Arn¡¯s hand. Arn nodded. ¡°Good. Well, for starters lets see how much mana you have. Try and fill the gem.¡± Arn concentrated. Extracting a bit of mana was easy now, but trying to get it in the gem was like trying to thread a needle at first; some mana went into the gem and some splashed around the sides. Arn adjusted, pushing a small steady stream of mana into the gem as it gradually lit up. After a minute, he felt empty. Silver Tongue plucked the gem back from Arn and held it up to his eye. ¡°Well¡± he started, ¡°looks like about eleven mana here, but you wasted one or two I think, so we¡¯ll say twelve or thirteen. You can get to twenty for a spell by filling the gem and practicing using mana from the gem. It will be tricky for you, and if the familiar takes more than twenty mana we will have to consider other options, but give it a week or so, and we¡¯ll know if twenty will do the trick.¡± ¡°A week!¡± Arn exclaimed. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can wait a week! What if I try with a larger crystal right after resurrecting with the ten extra intelligence?¡± Silver Tongue rolled his eyes. ¡°That is madness for certain. But, just perhaps, it might be crazy enough to actually work. And I suppose it is fitting to summon a phoenix right after being resurrected. You can have your friend Sar burn you to death. If there are Gods, perhaps they will appreciate such a mad thing. If not, at least it will make for a story; make my drinking buddies laugh for certain. So there is that. But practice with the crystal first, you might need the extra mana.¡± Arn bounced with excitement, delighted to have a plan. ¡°I¡¯ll do it! How much for the crystal, I have some other things to sell, I¡¯ll have to visit Hera and the enchanter, um forget his name, and I have a few things for you, I. . .¡± Silver Tongue laughed at Arn¡¯s rambling, and put his arm on Arn¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Ah, I almost forgot! We are business partners you and I. The gem is free, a small thing. Practice with it today, and tonight at sunset, in front of the store, we will put on a show! If you manage to summon a phoenix, that is something my customers will remember forever! If not, I will sell ale! Now, show me what you¡¯ve brought me." * * * Later that afternoon, the group sat in The Jungle¡¯s Heart for what should have been a celebratory lunch. Keana, however, was red in the face, clearly upset. None of the group really understood why ¨C hadn¡¯t Arn done similar things in the past? Was she somehow forgetting Arn¡¯s history in light of his horrible death that almost-was? Keana waved her hands, voice loud and shrill. ¡°You don¡¯t understand! There are people that will hunt you because you¡¯re a legendary classer! I thought, well it¡¯s a big world, he¡¯ll never find you, but you insist on shouting it from the rooftops! Summoning a bloody phoenix in the town square! EVERYONE will talk about it. It will spread from Reach like wildfire.¡± Keana sputtered to a brief stop, before continuing quietly, ¡°might as well sign your own death warrant.¡± Earlier frustration with Keana aside, Arn realized this was different and tried hard to listen ¨C and immediately spotted her slip. ¡°Who is ¡®he¡¯ Keana?¡± Keana just stared at nothing. ¡°Its obvious you¡¯ve told a whole pack of lies,¡± Pepper said. ¡°And also obvious you care bout Arn. So woman up bitch, look him in the eye. Time for some truth.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Keana looked at Arn, wringing her hands, and began. ¡°My ex-boyfriend. He was so different, before . . . before we came here. Normal. Where . . . where we are from, people, well the kind of people I thought we were, are reserved. Studious. Scholarly. I guess some aren¡¯t like that, underneath. He told me we could be different here. I didn¡¯t think he meant . . . he is a monster. He and his friends will kill you Arn. We have to leave Reach, and you can¡¯t tell anyone else you¡¯re a legendary classer. Not ever.¡± As Keana paused, the group looked to Arn, but he didn¡¯t know what to say. A group hunting legendary classers? Absurd. Surely? ¡°Keana,¡± Arn said ¡°who is he and why in the Hells would he do that?¡± Pausing, Arn had another thought and grew angry. ¡°And are your flipping telling me that you¡¯ve been with me this whole time because some freak asked you to keep track of me? Are you telling me that?¡± Keana made an aborted and strangled laugh. ¡°No, not that¡± she answer. ¡°I left him as soon as he told me what he was doing. I didn¡¯t know. I found you by accident. I thought it was an accident. That it didn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m not so sure now, the . . . call it a God, maybe had something to do with it. It doesn¡¯t matter. I should have told you sooner, but I thought the whole thing was too crazy, that he would never find you. I was wrong. You have to believe me!¡± Keana paused, looked at Arn sadly and continued, ¡°you won¡¯t, will you? I¡¯ll have to show you. So be it. We need to go to your room, all of us. And you¡¯ll see.¡± Exchanging looks, the group followed Keana to Arn¡¯s room. Inside, she stepped to the center and looked at Arn. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I lied to you. The truth . . . we¡¯ll you¡¯ll see. I¡¯ll be gone at least two days. When I come back I¡¯ll tell you everything. Things you can¡¯t even imagine.¡± Arn tried to make sense of what the heck was happening, asking ¡°you¡¯re not making any sense Keana. Slow down, and. . .¡± ¡°That¡¯s not my name,¡± she said, interrupting. ¡°Keana was my grandmother. My name is Jennifer. He said to pick something different, be someone new.¡± Keana paused again, continuing, ¡°it doesn¡¯t matter. If you see anyone with the tattoo I have on my ankle, but on their hands, run.¡± Keana raised her hand to Arn¡¯s cheek before continuing. ¡°I didn¡¯t want it on my hand. Isn¡¯t that stupid? As if that matters.¡± Keana took a step away from Arn and said ¡°watch my stuff, and don¡¯t do anything stupid. Two days.¡± With that, Keana drew one of her knives and plunged it into her chest with both hands. Arn gasped and took a step towards Keana, pulling back as glowing cracks appeared everywhere on her face and bare arms. The cracks widened, spilling more light into the room. It was as though pieces of a mask were floating on something underneath. Suddenly the pieces seemed to contract, the cracks fading, only to suddenly explode outwards. Keana¡¯s clothing fell to the floor, and a thousand glowing butterflies of light slowly scattered through the air and slowly faded into nothingness as the group stared, slack-jawed. After a long moment of stunned silence, Pepper deadpanned, ¡°well . . . that happened.¡± * * * In the wee hours of the night, Arn sat alone in his room. He had gone through shock, disbelief, anger and grief that Keana wasn¡¯t who or even, apparently, what he believed, and still didn¡¯t understand any of it. None of the group did, but all agreed that they had little choice but to wait. In time, Arn calmed down. Whatever else, it was clear that Keana ¨C Arn refused to think of her as Jennifer ¨C wished them, or at least Arn, well. Arn reckoned that was something. Eventually Arn returned to what he knew; training. After obtaining another skill-up in force mana practicing with the crystal, Arn sat in thought with his crystal, dagger and a mana potion before him. I¡¯m not stupid. Keana was afraid of my summoning the phoenix for a reason. But the Gods gave me this class and this skill ¨C surely I¡¯m meant to use it, not fear it. A strong familiar could be the difference between living and dying. And I can always dismiss it if it can¡¯t be hidden somehow. Resolved, Arn drank the mana potion in one gulp, placed the crystal on the table in front of him, and stabbed himself in the heart, much as Keana did to herself mere hours before. As he resurrected with a gasp, he reached for the crystal, pulling on the mana within and activated Summon Phoenix. Nothing happened. As Arn struggled with his raging disappointment, a tiny squeak sounded from his left shoulder and Arn felt a light presence in his mind, like the touch of a feather. Arn turned and saw a fist-sized, ordinary-looking red bird. Phoenix Chick (level one) familiar summoned! Would you like to name your familiar now? (Yes/No) Arn laughed hysterically, amusement overcoming his disappointment. As he regained control, he heard another squeak and felt something different ¨C indignant hunger. Digging in his pack for a bit of jerky, he selected ¡°yes¡± and named his familiar. Well, at least no one will suspect that a tiny bird named Squeaker is a phoenix! As Arn fed Squeaker, and thought over his delusions of grandeur, he realized that he had done exactly what Elder Dannis strenuously warned him not too. He had started to think he was destined to be a Titan; had forgotten what his class was, and wasn¡¯t. Well now he remembered. Arn opened the stats menu and started to put eight points in constitution before pausing. No, that isn¡¯t right either. I¡¯m more than just hard to kill. With Kicking and Screaming, strength makes me legitimately dangerous, and my class already gives me lots of constitution. Resolved, Arn put two points in constitution and six in strength. Anya ¡°Be careful dear. I worry when you go out hunting by yourself,¡± Irina said. Anya smiled at the grandmotherly woman with genuine feeling ¨C something absent since Anya¡¯s mother was killed. ¡°You know I can take care of myself. I¡¯ve told you that my staying here is the greatest danger. I know you don¡¯t believe¡­¡± Irina grabbed onto both of Anya¡¯s shoulders, and pulled her in for a hug. ¡°You¡¯re wrong dear,¡± Irina said. ¡°You came here dressed in how many gold pieces worth of gear, with weapons all over, wearing it all like you were born in it. You always sit facing the door, and . . . well, you don¡¯t sleep well, or silently. You¡¯ve been through things no child should. So yes, I do believe you, every word.¡± Anya nodded, and said ¡°it isn¡¯t over. You don¡¯t need to be at risk because of me.¡± Irina sighed. ¡°Look at me,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m ancient. I don¡¯t have long, and Sylus is nearly as old. We want to live our remaining time on our terms.¡± Irina paused, looking thoughtful, and said ¡°I¡¯ll admit that when you first stumbled on our small farm, I thought maybe the Gods knew we were lonely after our granddaughter passed. But you are your own person, dealing with things our Natalia never had to. We know that. We want to be here for you. Is that ok?¡± Anya knew it wasn¡¯t; not really. She was a loose end, and the Guild didn¡¯t just let those go. She hadn¡¯t run far enough, if such a thing was even possible. Still, she was not quite thirteen, and hadn¡¯t experienced kindness in a long time. ¡°Yes,¡± she squeaked, receiving another hug. * * * Anya returned from her hunt just before sunset with two rabbits. She hadn¡¯t found anything worth experience, and the sensation that she wasn¡¯t leveling fast enough was always a nagging worry. Still, she smiled when she saw the Fosters¡¯ small farm, and happily wondered what marvel Irina would make for supper from the rabbits. Anya opened the door to a nightmare. A twenty-something man in what looked to be pricey chainmail with a large broadsword strapped to his back was sitting at the kitchen table. Another man, clad in heavily scripted leather sat in the second chair. A bulge under his leathers in the center of his chest spoke to a focus gemstone; a mage then. In the third chair, newly-made by Sylus just for Anya, Irina was propped up, her throat slashed open. ¡°Ah hello!¡± the warrior said with a sick smile. ¡°So glad you could join us . . .¡± The warrior trailed off at Anya¡¯s cold expression, and took note of her actions; Anya slipped a pair of forge-goggles from her hair to around her eyes, and lifted an odd mask over mouth. The warrior smiled even more broadly. ¡°So you are ready to play! I didn¡¯t expect that from a child, but I suppose a legendary class doesn¡¯t come to just anyone.¡± Familiar ice water ran through Anya¡¯s veins; emotion was for later. Anya assessed the situation the way she was trained, and what she saw made her wonder. These men clearly weren¡¯t Guild, and the Guild would never stoop to mercenaries. Perhaps Andre hadn¡¯t actually assumed leadership of the Guild, or perhaps he wanted this done quietly? If at all possible, she needed to know. ¡°Who are you? Why are you here?¡± she asked through her mask. The bastard¡¯s smile never wavered. He patted his chest expansively, ¡°they call me Blackjack. And I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m here to kill you. The old woman just got in the way. The tea was lovely though.¡± Anya was took note of the nickname; the mark of an idiot Father had always said. She doubted that was entirely fair, but in her own limited experience, men with the highest opinions of themselves were rarely the most competent. This man was wearing expensive gear and likely at least level twenty. Highly dangerous for certain, but she doubted he was particularly skilled for his level and gear, at least not by Guild standards. ¡°Why?¡± she asked. The bastard waved his hand as though dismissing a trivial affair. ¡°Nothing personal. You legendary classers are just a complication. Once you¡¯re all good and properly dead, then the real work can begin! Well, I do apologize, but schedules. You understand how it is. It was lovely chatting, but¡­¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Anya activated her most recent skill, ¡°Stasis,¡± which created ¡°a spatial fold of asynchronous time calibrated to [5.9%] of standard local progression lasting for one second of subjective time.¡± The description was a riddle, but what it did Anya knew ¨C a bubble sprang up around the warrior; he would barely move for seventeen seconds. Anya would have preferred to kill the bastard first, but there was no telling if the mage might be able to resist Stasis. As the bubble sprang up around the warrior, Anya immediately activated the first skill she had chosen ¨C and which saved her life from Andre¡¯s goon what felt like ages ago ¨C ¡°Accelerate.¡± Anya remained in love with Accelerate, even if it didn¡¯t work exactly the way she initially hoped. The description stated that the skill ¡°disassociates the caster from the local time field for .5 seconds of local time, during which period the caster experiences the subjective equivalent of [6 seconds].¡± Six seconds sounded like an eternity to one trained as Anya was, but the reality was different. As Anya began to move towards the mage, she pushed against air the consistency of molasses. Anya thought she understood ¨C the faster you run, the more wind you feel on your face ¨C but understanding changed nothing. Using the skill had been extremely difficult before she acquired the mask, and especially before she obtained the goggles. Anya had put several points in strength to try and better deal with air that seemed to fight her every movement. As she approached the mage, Anya mentally counted seconds. At two, Anya stepped directly in front of the mage, raised her right hand directly in front of her lips, and from point blank range blew powdered chalk towards his eyes. On leaving Anya¡¯s hand, the chalk dust appeared to freeze in the air, but Anya knew it would do its job once her skill ran out. Nightshade powder would have been preferable, but she found none in the only one of Father¡¯s emergency caches she knew of. At three, Anya stepped to the side of the mage, slicing his cheek as she passed. To Anya, it felt like her dagger scraped on stone, but practice with beasts taught Anya both that she could break the skin, and also that at least some of the dagger¡¯s poison would transfer to the target. At four, Anya stepped behind the mage, and turned a vial of acid upside down above his head, spreading her fingers to release the vial and trusting gravity to do the rest. At five, Anya reached between the mage¡¯s legs and sliced his manhood; she knew of no better distraction. With the Hellfire poison on the dagger, the mage wouldn¡¯t be doing anything other than screaming anytime soon, even if he survived her initial assault. At six, Anya positioned her arm just so. As Acceleration expired, Anya felt a brief but powerful disorientation as she returned to normal time. Thanks to her practice, she recovered in the span of a blink, thrusting forward with her dagger, penetrating deeply into the mage¡¯s neck. In normal time, Anya started a new count at three. Stasis prevented her from getting nearly as close to the warrior, and she didn¡¯t have any timing devices precise enough to hit him just as Stasis dropped. Annoyingly, the Stasis bubbles expanded around the subject ¨C meaning it added about a foot to the warrior¡¯s already considerably height. On four, Anya grabbed and positioned a chair. On five, Anya stepped onto the chair and carefully opened and positioned a sack over the top of the Stasis bubble. While she did not have a poison specifically designed to be inhaled, she hoped that this wouldn¡¯t matter much, given that the warrior should get a meaningful dose while getting the sack off his head. He was likely high enough level to have time for a potion, but her strategy was based on layers. On six and seven, Anya splashed a vial of oil on and around the base of the time bubble. On eight and nine, Anya raced around the home and gathered a few things she hadn¡¯t packed for her hunting trip. One ten, Anya tossed an activated firestone canister at the warrior¡¯s feet. Since he wore what appeared to be unenchanted leather leggings, there was a good possibility that she could open his femoral artery while he was distracted with the sack, but with Sylus due at any time, she didn¡¯t want to risk it. Better the warrior see the burning home and assume there was no one left to question. On eleven, Anya ran. * * * Anya returned to the home two hours after sunset with all the stealth Father taught her. As amazing as her new skills were, the cooldowns were brutal. If the warrior was strong enough to live through the poison and fire she left him with, Anya had no illusions that she could beat him without her skills. What had once been Irina and Sylus¡¯ home was reduced to smoking embers. The clearing around the ruined home was empty, save for that which Anya half expected and feared to find; Anya ignored the sight. Anya watched and waited, and waited some more. Seeing no hint of the warrior, she carefully circled through the nearby trees, half-expecting that the warrior might be positioned to attempt an ambush. Satisfied that the warrior was gone, Anya stopped ignoring her heart, swallowed the lump in her throat, and went to comfort the softly crying Sylus. Convergence (Part I) Breakfast was a somber affair. Realizing that one of your companions was not what they seemed? A burden, but likely one the group could have dealt with. Although young, they had each been through hardship, and learned to roll with the punches. Realizing that one of your companions might not even be human ¨C or anything you had ever heard of ¨C and that there may be a secret group out to kill another of your companions? That was a horse of an altogether different color. Still, some things could not be allowed to pass unchallenged. Val ranted, pointing at Squeaker. ¡°So you ignored a warning that summoning that would put your life, all our lives, in danger. Ignored Keana, whoever or whatever in the Hells she really is, and then stabbed yourself to death, drank a mana potion and here we are. Did I leave anything out?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re making a fuss about little Squeaker,¡± Arn said. ¡°You¡¯ve never seen a . . . Red Bird before? I couldn¡¯t leave him, motherless, alone in the jungle, could I? What are you, heartless? He won¡¯t be any trouble, will you buddy?¡± With a little mental prompting and some help from a waving piece of jerky, Squeaker made a stop-teasing-and-give-me-the-damn jerky squeak. ¡°A Red Bird?¡± Val skeptically asked. ¡°Obviously,¡± Arn said. ¡°You can¡¯t tell?¡± Pepper snorted. ¡°Fascinating as this is, we have at least a day before ¡®Jennifer¡¯ is back. Don¡¯t reckon any mysterious secret society nut jobs are likely to ride in today, and if they do, probably better we ain¡¯t here anyway. Judging from Arn¡¯s spiffy new gear, he got good coin from picking shit off the forest floor. Mayor¡¯s going to let folks out the gate in an hour or two. Figure we should go do some picking, plan to come back tomorrow afternoon.¡± Arn nodded. ¡°Yep, there is definitely gold just lying around. I sold everything this morning, and made nice with Silver Tongue. Decided to tell him a tiny bit of the truth, because he knows too much about me already. He said there are always a few nuts that want to prove themselves, but he¡¯s never heard of any kind of organized group hunting legendary classers. Still, he agreed to drop the promotional stuff for now, and even gave me this fancy weapon for two gold added onto the loan agreement. Called it a crystal hand-bow.¡± As he spoke, Arn drew an odd looking contraption consisting of an eight inch cylinder attacked perpendicularly to a grip containing a trigger. Just before the cylinder joined the grip, it expanded into a three-inch diameter metal housing. ¡°The grip slides on and off and is hollow¡± Arn explained while demonstrating. Pointing at the hollow grip, Arn noted that ¡°inside are five ordinary steel balls.¡± Sliding the metal housing open revealed a gleaming crystal. ¡°The crystal powers enchantments sending the steel balls through the tube faster than a crossbow. Supposedly, they will rip through steel armor.¡± ¡°Something¡¯s fishy¡± Pepper declared. ¡°That looks like a real deal weapon, you¡¯re already in debt to him and he gives it to you for a loan? He has some kind of game. I don¡¯t like it with all the other shit going down.¡± Arn looked sheepish. ¡°Eh, well . . . he did say he bought five of these years back for a hell of a lot more than two gold each . . . but two of them exploded. Two that he knows of. This one . . . will probably explode eventually too. He said that the ¡®high concentration of channeled mana erodes the spell-forged steel over time¡¯ or something like that. He hoped to sell it to an enchanter willing to make one out of mithril, but the ones he showed it to thought it would be too pricey in mithril for what it does.¡± Pepper smiled. ¡°So he sold literally the only person willing to maybe lose an arm something with no value to anyone else for two gold?¡± she asked with obvious amusement. ¡°Hey now¡± Arn said. ¡°The crystal alone is worth close to a gold. If it explodes on me before I use the twenty steel balls he gave me, it¡¯s free. And I¡¯m not paying anything for years. Let¡¯s be real; I¡¯ll either be high level and rich, or the in-the-ground kind of dead. Either way, no skin off my back.¡± Arn hesitated, continuing ¡°admittedly with my love life being caput on account of Keana probably being a demon, I kind of need that hand, but I¡¯ll make do.¡± * * * Learning about the boy was easy as pie. Part of it was the nature of Reach; it was completely natural for a party of two to ask about the other adventurers in town. Part of it was the boy; like most of the others they had encountered, he was too stupid to conceal the fact he had a legendary class. Granted, they were obviously higher level than their quarry, and obviously didn¡¯t need him to round out their party, but it was nonetheless perfectly natural to be curious about the rumor of a legendary classer. People in town liked to talk to begin with, and apparently the boy was something of a minor celebrity, having somehow survived a ravager swarm after detonating an explosive on himself. Unfortunately, they had just missed the bastard; boy was off gallivanting about in the jungle. Well, wasn¡¯t all bad. A few days relaxing in an inn never hurt anyone. Boss might object, but it wasn¡¯t like they could find him in the forest was it? Trying to wait for him outside town would arouse suspicion surely. Ernest reasoned that the boss should be pleased he was making the smart play.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Ernest turned to Vern. ¡°It has been too damn busy Vern. Running here and there, never stopping to smell the roses. Ten minutes! Ten minutes he gave us! That might be fine for you, but I like to take my time! We¡¯ve got years before . . .¡± Vern casually swatted Ernest and went back to his ale. Ernest nodded, ¡°right, right, watch the tongue, sorry. Just saying, we¡¯re stuck here, might as well make the best of it. We can spare the coin for some girls tonight. What the boss doesn¡¯t know . . .¡± Inside Vern¡¯s pocket, the ¡°crystal communicator¡± began to vibrate; it was an incredibly expensive piece of enchanting, but on that, at least, Blackjack hadn¡¯t been cheap. Vern held the thing up to his ear and felt his entire head begin to vibrate and buzz. After a moment, Vern heard Blackjack¡¯s voice: ¡°We got overconfident after a few easy ones. The girl is in the wind; I am headed to you. Will pick up Manson on the way; little bitch got him. Do not engage the regenerator until we get there. Repeat, do not engage until we get there.¡± Ernest sighed. ¡°You¡¯re not going to like it Vern. Orders are to sit until the boss gets here.¡± Vern shrugged. * * * Anya both didn¡¯t have the heart to leave Sylus behind, and hated herself for what Sylus being with her meant. On the one hand, Sylus had no home and no wife thanks to her; if he wanted to give up his last years for a chance at revenge on the smiling bastard that got away, how could she to say no? On the other hand, Sylus would never be able to run. If things went bad, she would leave him or she would die, and, well, she wasn¡¯t ready to die. Father always said to worry about what you can control, not what you can¡¯t. It seemed one of his better sayings; Anya tried to put her fears aside. She knew that as long as it didn¡¯t come to running from a hopeless fight, Sylus would definitely help. Having an adult around made her a lot less conspicuous, and as a retired level seventeen Guard, he should be able to hold his own for a bit despite his age. They paid too much for too little horse in a nearby village, but riding was faster than walking, especially with Sylus along. Father hadn¡¯t wholly ignored riding, woodcraft and the like; one never knew when a target would leave the city. Still, Anya was far from skilled, and cursed the need for the horses, but they didn¡¯t have time to waste. The ¡°Regenerator¡± would likely be dead before they got to Reach, but at least the horses might get them there before the trail went cold. They had little choice but to try given that the list from the dead mage¡¯s clothing was heavily singed, and most of the still legible names were already crossed off or impossibly distant. That the mage himself had simply dissappeared was an impossible puzzle. Emmergency teleporation artifacts were for the super rich and, in any event, took your clothes with you. Still,Anya received a notification indicatingthe mage was dead, so she put that aside. * * * Jennifer rode towards Reach, unsure why. This was hardly the adventure that psychopath Jack promised her, and she really just wanted to go home, but it didn¡¯t work that way. Still, she could go anywhere other than home; it didn¡¯t have to be Reach, back to a legendary classer and, she now believed, an inevitable confrontation with Jack and his fellow psychos. There couldn¡¯t be anything lasting between her and Arn, not really, and she had already warned him. It wasn¡¯t like he would believe the whole truth even after her demonstration. Sure, she wanted to stop Jack, both from killing Arn and generally, but she knew she wasn¡¯t equipped for that. So what was the point? Still, she rode. As the sky darkened, bone weariness overtook Jennifer. Just as she decided to give in to the fatigue and make camp for the night, she slowly overtook an old man and a young girl riding hard in the same direction. The pair¡¯s horses looked to be in bad shape. Jennifer didn¡¯t have a mothering instinct that she knew of, but still found herself asking the obvious question as she approached. ¡°Everything ok you two? You seem to be pushing pretty hard, your horses look like they need a rest.¡± ¡°Grandmother is ill and we are bringing her back medicine she needs,¡± the young girl answered. Jennifer volunteered without thinking. ¡°I have a faster horse and am headed to Reach as well. I¡¯m near ready to fall out of the saddle, but I can make it without stopping if its life and death.¡± The young girl answered ¡°thank you, but we can¡¯t trust someone else with her life. Nothing personal, I¡¯m sure you understand. But you are right, we need to rest the horses, and should stop for the night. You¡¯re welcome to make camp with us.¡± Jennifer thought it was odd that the young girl was so composed, but was too tired to give anything much thought. The pair introduced themselves as Lichelle and Edward, and offered to share their food with her. Jennifer was too tired to wait and politely declined. She shoved some jerky in her mouth, and bade them a quick goodnight. Since she had almost nothing in the way of supplies, her choice of a pillow was either her horse¡¯s saddle, or her boots. Too tired to fuss with the saddle, she quickly fell asleep on her boots. Not long after, Jennifer woke to the sensation of someone lying on her and thrashed to get them off. An elbow smashed into her face. As Jennifer came fully awake and focused, she saw Lichelle inches from her face and both saw and felt a dagger on her neck. ¡°Struggle again¡± Lichelle said, ¡°and I will just kill you. Clear?¡± Struck by the girl¡¯s total conviction, Jennifer didn¡¯t struggle and simply asked ¡°what do you want?¡± Lichelle said ¡°we have questions. If you don¡¯t answer, I kill you. If you lie, I kill you. Start with the tattoo on your ankle.¡± Convergence (Part II) Arn fancied himself clever, or, at the very least, an expert daydreamer. Nonetheless, try as he might, Arn could not dream up with a scenario where there wasn¡¯t actually a secret group out to kill him. ¡°Its all a mistake,¡± ¡°she is crazy¡± and a dozen other scenarios sounded just fine until Arn got back to Keana dissolved into glowing butterflies, and all his scenarios promptly broke into bits like a ship splintering on rock. So, reluctantly, Arn more or less accepted that if he wasn¡¯t actively being hunted now, he could be at any moment. Arn carefully looked back every so often after the group left town. No one was following, but he was all too aware that one road and one gate led back into Reach. The town guard relied on lookouts on Reach¡¯s walls, and did not patrol. Eventually, the road split into three branches and there were multiple trails into the forest. For now though, ambush was a very real possibility. Arn wanted to believe that there was something clever he could do to stack the odds, but kept circling back to Elder Dannis¡¯ guidance to know what he was, and what he wasn¡¯t. He was level nine. Fighting, even from a superior position, would be a disaster. His folly in being open about his class meant he couldn¡¯t hide; not in Reach. He could ask folks to keep an eye out for the tattoo, but what good would that actually do? The guard in Reach was far stronger than the guard in villages like Arn¡¯s own Amber Pastures, but what could he actually tell them at this point given how little he knew, and how far-fetched it all sounded? No, he would hear Keana out, but like as not he would need to pack up or sell his too-recognizable were-bear coat, part ways with the group and head somewhere new. The thought made Arn sad, and did little good at present, so he banished it for now, and resolved to make their last expedition a productive one. Whatever the future held, extra coin could only help, and level ten certainly wouldn¡¯t hurt either. Having picked a corridor that appeared free of obstacles and hazards on their map, the group ignored the marked paths and simply wove through the trees, heading south in a meandering back-and-forth pattern. Already, the foliage on the forest floor was visibly starting the recovery process, with tiny shoots pushing through the ground in places. Still, the forest floor was relatively bare, and it was easy to spot the few things the ravagers had avoided. The group found a fair quantity of mushrooms, and the occasional gem-heart in a small fraction of the many sets of bones they came across. Netting a gold or two each for something over a day¡¯s work was starting to look realistic, and the mood of the team was good. Arn, however, grew increasingly anxious with every find ¨C his life didn¡¯t seem to work this way, not even in short stretches. Sunshine was a warning to watch for rain. The rain, however, didn¡¯t come. The group harvested and meandered, speculated about Keana/Jennifer, and more generally wondered how in the Hells life could possibly have become so odd so quickly. Eventually, it came time to camp. Arn volunteered to take the watch for the entire night; the inn had felt like heaven last night compared to his time in the tree, and he had slept well. Rested, stressed and needing relatively little sleep, he wasn¡¯t going to sleep anyway. Arn tried to focus on manipulating flame mana ¨C The Path to Power had its usual daunting list of different exercises ¨C but every sound was a distraction, and his heart wasn¡¯t in it in any event. Arn quit practicing shortly after unlocking level two of Flame Mana, and whiled away the hours imagining scenarios from life on the run, to settling down somewhere as a guard. Arn was starting to understand the appeal of settling down with a ¡°nice fat wife¡± as Elder Dannis had mentioned; certainly seemed reasonable if you compared it to ¡°consorting with a demon,¡± if that was what Keana was. The night seemed to stretch forever to Arn as his thoughts spun round and round to little effect, but dawn came right on time regardless. As the group headed back, varying their track just enough to continue checking new areas, Arn tried to relax. Although Arn later attributed the disaster to cursed karma, the reality was simpler; with their focus on the ground, the party forgot one of Mayor Stillwater¡¯s oft-hammered rules ¨C ¡°look up now and then.¡± Walking in front of the group, Arn¡¯s had no warning other than Val¡¯s scream. Turning around, Arn saw the left side of Val¡¯s face, shoulder and torso covered in a dog-sized green slime. Arn saw Pepper looking up in horror and reflexively raised his shield above his head just as a slime slammed down from above. Arn tilted his shield to the side and shoved with little effect; Arn reluctantly dropped his shield as the slime edged towards his hands. Squeaker let out a shrill protest, took off and small flames licked his wings. Val flailed at the slime with his dagger uselessly while screaming. Sar shot a grounded slime with a Fire Lance, which caused part of the slime to catch fire, visibly shriveling. The burning slime changed direction, fleeing, albeit slowly. Slimes continued to plop to the ground, slowly heading to the closest target. Pepper pushed Sar ought of the way of another falling slime and shouted ¡°there are too many, Arn grab Val and run!¡± Arn grabbed Val around the waist on the opposite side of the slime and hoisted Val in the air as Squeaker fluttered about them trailing fire. Pepper led the way, pulling Sar. Arn followed with Val around his shoulder, ignoring a deepening burning sensation as the slime on Val slowly expanded over Arn¡¯s were-hide sleeve and uncovered hand. Pepper ran 100 feet and commanded ¡°drop him. Sar, burn it. Carefully!¡± Arn put Val down and pulled back, but the slime simply stretched, holding tight to the sleeve of his were-armor and his unprotected hand. A tiny streak of flame hit the slime connecting Arn¡¯s hand to Val as Squeaker flared in, small claws extended. Sar hit the main body of the slime covering half of Val with a flame wave while grinning madly. After a moment, Pepper pushed Sar away hard shouting ¡°enough!¡± Green Slime Slain by Party! After the notification, the slime surrounding Arn¡¯s arm lost coherency, some slowly drooping to the ground. A coating of slime remained over Arn¡¯s hand and continued burning, but Arn ignored it to survey the slimes. The slimes were ambush predators, painfully slow on the ground, and appeared to have given up the attack. Arn noticed Sar start to walk towards the slimes and shouted. ¡°Sar! Burn my hand first, then get your free experience.¡± Sar turned with a mad smile and obliged, hitting Arn¡¯s hand with a wave of fire. Arn pulled his hand away shouting ¡°enough! Go get em!¡± Squeaker landed on Arn¡¯s shoulder radiating pain, but didn¡¯t look badly hurt; his fire seemed to have protected him from most of the slime¡¯s acid. Arn spared him a brief pet for reassurance and turned to Val. The left half of Val¡¯s face was pocked by ulcerous bubbling flesh, a soft glow the only evidence that Pepper had used her heal. ¡°Arn! Hold his head still for me!¡± Pepper shouted. Arn knelt and grabbed Val¡¯s head. Pepper knelt on his upper chest, pinning one arm easily and fought to get a knee on the other. When she had Val under a measure of control, she uncorked a healing potion, putting a finger on the opening to control its flow, and poured about half over the wound. Pepper then shoved half the bottle into Val¡¯s mouth as he moaned, held his jaw and tilted the bottle. Val¡¯s bucking slowed, but his eyes remained rolled back in his head, and his face wasn¡¯t healing fast enough for Arn¡¯s liking. The slime left acid behind. Val has a healing potion as well, doesn¡¯t he?This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Arn hurriedly explained his thought to Pepper, and began searching Val¡¯s pouches. Arn quickly found the potion and handed it to Pepper, who remained straddled over Val. Pepper took the potion, but hesitated. ¡°This won¡¯t be enough. You can¡¯t just use two back to back. But no choice I guess.¡± Pepper again poured half the bottle on Val¡¯s wounds and forced half into his mouth. Contrary to Pepper¡¯s warning, however, the results this time were actually significant; Val¡¯s face progressed from a hideous ruin to severe, but less horrific burns. Val came to with a gasp, wild eyed and asked, ¡°what? The slime¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be ok now¡± Pepper explained. ¡°Might have to pay some serious coin to make sure you don¡¯t end up with any scars. You know, preserve those pretty boy looks. Considering . . . well, just be grateful we had two healing potions. First one neutralized the acid I guess. Now shut up, let me hit you with Restoration one more time, then if Sar is done roasting slimes, we can get the Hells out of here and get back to town.¡± * * * In a metal vault separated from his storefront by fifty feet of granite, Omar Silver bustled around, organizing the valuable parts of his newest shipment. The vault was built by his grandfather over sixty years ago, and had never been robbed. Nowadays there was likely no one left that even knew the store had an underground vault, which was the way Omar liked it. His backroom above (i.e., what everyone else imagined was the heart of his store) was itself well protected, but had been successfully robbed once during his lifetime. Which was fine; good even. That was perhaps the key secret his grandfather passed down ¨C the longer a store goes without a robbery, the higher-level thieves you attract. So the backroom was defended very well, and had thwarted or killed at least three serious sets of thieves, but was not intended to be impenetrable. Better to lose five hundred gold once in a lifetime than risk true ruin. A crystal on the ceiling flashed as he finished signaling customers. Omar hustled to the center of the vault and stepped into the rune circle engraved in the floor. On this side, security was non-existent; Omar simply closed his eyes to block out the flash and appeared in his backroom. On the backroom side, the security measures were layered. The first layer of protection was concealment. The teleportation circle was hidden, and produced almost no mana when inactive. The second layer of protection was that the circle was heavily enchanted to work only for Omar, and it would take hours for even a highly skilled mage to create a work-around. The final layer was uncertainty; teleporting into an unknown and presumably defended location was normally the height of folly. Omar had more than enough in the backroom to service most customers, which was important both to make the backroom look like his real storage area to would be thieves, and also to keep down costs. Even a well designed short-range teleportation array was costly enough to operate that Omar should technically never use it for anything short of a rich customer, but he never wanted his customers to feel he couldn¡¯t meet their needs and accessed his underground storage more than pure profitability suggested. Although his grandfather and father would surely never approve, the truth was that profit was not Omar¡¯s only motivation; he liked being busy, and genuinely loved interacting with people. So, as usual, he entered the front of his store with a smile. Two men dressed in leathers; a hulking heavily scarred man with crossed axes strapped to his back, and a smaller handsome man with a plethora of daggers scattered about his person. In less than a heartbeat, Omar¡¯s Assess skill flooded him with a wealth of information. Omar noticed that the leathers both men wore were ill-fitting, modest quality and only lightly enchanted ¨C suitable for a level twenty perhaps, but only just. Their weapons, on the other hand, were quality mithril with enchantments that shone to Omar¡¯s mana sight ¨C easily suitable for level thirty adventurers. Omar noticed these details and a dozen more, including their odd hand tattoos, and concluded that they were between level twenty-five and thirty. Omar speculated that their mismatched gear marked them as cut-throats/scavengers or, less likely, unsuccessful gamblers or victims. Omar smiled and launched into his introduction with decades-ingrained reflex. ¡°Welcome! Welcome! I¡¯m Omar Silver. They call me Omar Silver-Tongue but no worries, I only sell the best here. You will have no complaints!¡± Charisma mixed with a dash of idiocy; a careful recipe that seemed to put people at ease. The small man gave a fake smile and said ¡°glad to meet you Omar. I¡¯m Ernest and the big lug is Vern, don¡¯t talk much. We¡¯re just passing through, don¡¯t need anything in particular, but we heard the folks at the inn going on and on about the young fellow that burned a whole field¡¯s worth of ravagers with one of your explosives. Sounded like something that could be useful, got any more of em?¡± No one was ¡°just passing through¡± Reach. Omar quickly put two and two together and concluded that young Arn¡¯s absurd story was likely true; these men were, for some inexplicable reason, interested in killing him. Omar¡¯s investment in Arn was small, but Omar was aware enough to realize that he lived vicariously through his customers to an extent, and he was intensely curious what young Arn could become. Regardless, Arn was ¡°A Customer,¡± and these thugs were not. Simple. Omar spoke with Persuasion, and his words seemed to somehow ring with an impossible combination of absolute truth and conviction, a mother¡¯s warmth, unassailable logic and compelling necessity. ¡°Of course! First, so I can better help you, tell me what you want with young Arn?¡± Ernest¡¯s head nodded like a bell bobbing back and forth. ¡°We are going to kill him.¡± ¡°Tell me why so I can best help¡± Omar commanded. As Ern opened his mouth, Vern slapped him in the head. Omar dropped Persuasion and said ¡°you must have quite the Will big fella. But I¡¯m afraid I still need to know the answer. Why?¡± Under Vern¡¯s prodding, the two headed to the door. Omar chuckled. ¡°You don¡¯t think the door will open for you, surely? We aren¡¯t done.¡± Both men turned around, reached for weapons . . . and just stopped before touching them, as though an invisible force prevented them from completing the motion. ¡°Shopkeeper¡¯s Peace,¡± Omar said. ¡°Not a great skill really. Only stops those I could deal with by other means, but avoiding bloodshed helps keep my image friendly. You should be grateful it worked. Only fools or champions attack a level fifty two shopkeeper in his shop.¡± Raising his voice, Omar continued, ¡°now one last time, what in the Hells is your interest with the boy?¡± Ernest cackled and said, ¡°he is just the first . . .¡± and fell into gurgling as Vern¡¯s dagger left his throat. As Ernest began visibly disintegrating into dust that swirled away like smoke, Vern suddenly began pulsing with red light. As Omar reached up to activate a defensive amulet, Vern exploded in a flash of red light and was gone. All that was left of either man was a pile of clothing and gear. Omar was no Lore Master, but of necessity knew quite a bit about classes, skills and items, from the common to the exceptionally rare. Emergency teleportation artifacts, rare beasts, and a dozen class skills came to mind, but none fit, especially given the two different displays that accompanied the vanishing. A puzzle. Still, one mystery solved; the vanishing act explained why their armor was ill fitting. It was meant to be left behind; those two weren''t dead. Omar grabbed his coat and the closed sign and headed for the door. * * * Jack Green, Blackjack here, cursed and slammed the communication crystal back into his saddlebag. His travelling companion Manson asked ¡°what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°That idiot Ernest somehow got the attention of a high level shopkeeper who used some sort of compulsion on him. Ernest sang like a canary, told him they were hunting the boy before Vern broke the compulsion and they de-spawned out. The boy is still in the jungle, but whether we can get there in time to catch him before he makes it into town, I don¡¯t know. Lets move!" Manson sighed. ¡°You and the legendary classers.¡± Jack scowled. ¡°You know damn well why. If we don¡¯t deal with these bastards now, they will get strong enough to threaten us.¡± ¡°How?¡± Manson asked. ¡°We have thirty immortals. What are a couple of nothings going to do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. But they are popping up now for a reason. We are opposed, you know that. Their skills break the rules. We can¡¯t ignore them. We finish the list and get back to work.¡± Jack looked at Manson and spoke decisively. ¡°Now shut it and ride. We have a big ass boy to kill.¡± Convergence (Part III) Jennifer, Anya and Sylus arrived in Reach in an uneasy truce. Jennifer had told Anya and Sylus a greatly simplified version of the truth, stating that her ex-boyfriend was the leader of a band of nut jobs intent on killing legendary classers so that the world would be defenseless when the new Age of Terror arrived. It should have been completely laughable, but if the tiny girl with the dagger was even capable of laughter, she didn¡¯t show any hint. Instead, she looked straight in Jennifer¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°mage named Manson. What¡¯s special about him.¡± Jennifer imagined that she would wet herself if this scenario happened in her world. On some deep primitive level she knew that if she decided to, the tiny girl would murder her in a heartbeat, simply wipe off her knife and continue on. Here and now, Jennifer had nothing to fear ¨C except the loss of time which could conceivably be important to Arn. In any event, she had little to hide, so she answered with another measure of truth. ¡°He is functionally immortal. The entire band of psychos is. On death, they disappear in colored light. The exact display is ¡­ it varies from person to person. I don¡¯t know what his looks like, but if you¡¯ve seen it, whether you got a notification or not, understand that he isn¡¯t actually dead.¡± Anya hesitated, for a flickering instant looking like a baffled child. In a blink, the moment passed, and a stone-faced killer continued her examination. ¡°That¡¯s a load of crap if I ever heard one. But it¡¯s clear as day you ain¡¯t afraid of my knife. And I know they are hunting legendary classers. I found a list. If he isn¡¯t already dead, there is one up ahead in Reach. Tell me why I shouldn¡¯t just kill you and. . .¡± As Anya¡¯s words sank in, Jennifer felt a surge of true panic and reached for Anya¡¯s knife without thinking. Anya went from crouched over Jennifer to standing up in a single bizarre motion requiring grace not present in Jennifer¡¯s world. ¡°The list scares you,¡± Anya calmly noted. ¡°Why?¡± Jennifer answered truthfully, fighting surging panic. ¡°My boyfriend. I have to save him. Please let¡­¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Anya said, sheathing her daggers. ¡°I believe you. At least the parts that matter. Lets go.¡± * * * Val wouldn¡¯t be winning any beauty contests, but he was moving, and that was something. The group had more than enough loot to pay for professional healing and buy some upgrades, but the only one smiling was Sar. Val was still in some pain, deeply fatigued, and filled with gnawing self-doubt at his failures. Death had caught him with his pants down, and any illusion he had of competence or safety was gone. Arn was only slightly better off; every step towards Reach was step towards Keana, and filled him with growing dread. He needed to know what Keana had to say, but was very much afraid to listen. Pepper, ever practical, realized that Sar didn¡¯t need go completely off the deep end to be dangerous, and that this group was no place for a sane girl to be. Still, she would listen. Lost in their own thoughts as the four were, the road to Reach was mostly straight and clear, so they couldn¡¯t avoid noticing the two men approaching several hundred feet away. Still, they were quite close to Reach, and two men openly traveling towards the forest was hardly a cause for alarm. Until it was. Arn noticed the beaming smile a second before he noticed the tattoos. Shit! The smiling man had a broadsword strapped to his back, and was clad in gleaming blue-grey chainmail, which Arn knew likely meant enchanted mithril, and marked him as well out of their league. His partner was wearing a leather jacket that was obviously too big, but was nonetheless a cut above anything they could afford, with a brilliant gem dangling on his chest. Their high-level gear spelled big trouble. The smiling man ¨C who apparently wanted to kill Arn ¨C waved and said ¡°well hello! You must be Arn! I¡¯ve heard quite a bit about you and am very pleased to meet you!¡± Arn bit back his fear and thought. They were close to Reach; likely in view of the walls. They didn¡¯t need to win, and quite likely couldn¡¯t. They needed time, and attention from the guards . . . and he had a crazy idea to get both, and maybe, just maybe, bolster their chances if it came to a fight. ¡°These fuckers are here to kill me. Their level is too high for us. No reason for you all to get dragged into this. I¡¯ll deny them the pleasure.¡± Arn screamed, ¡°GUARDS¡± at the top of his lungs, drew his dagger and stabbed it into his heart with both hands, collapsing to the ground like a puppet with cut strings. ATTENTION: You have died. Blackjack could only stare in befuddlement. ¡°Well ain¡¯t that the kicker. Now I¡¯ve seen. . .¡± RESURRECTED! Resurrections Remaining: 0 (23:59). Regeneration increased by 500%, Pain Resistance set to 100% and all attributes increased by 10 for 10 seconds. Arn wok with a gasp, and a rush as Kicking and Screaming combined with his resurrection bonuses filling him with an incredible rush of power. Realizing he couldn¡¯t waste his limited time with stacked bonuses, Arn rushed forward intending to use his weight and strength in a massive shield bash to set up a killing blow. As he rushed, Arn gathered himself for a Scream, opening his mouth . . . and staggered to a stop, broadsword in his belly, the smiling bastard appearing out of nowhere.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Well, I have to hand it to you Arn, that was really something. I¡¯m not sure what, but something. Well, lets make sure this time.¡± With that, Blackjack stepped on Arn and casually pulled his sword out. Arn¡¯s crazy plan, and Blackjack¡¯s movement skill caught Arn¡¯s friends flat-footed, but they were neither slow, nor cowards, and not about to let the bastard finish the job without a fight. As Pepper drew an arrow, a bolt of ice slammed into her chest, sending her flying. Sar¡¯s flamelance hit Blackjack squarely in the chest . . . and did nothing, sputtering against the enchanted mail. A second ice bolt slammed into Sar as Blackjack raised his broadsword to cut off Arn¡¯s head. A streak of fire in his face distracted Blackjack for a split-second, but he recovered quickly and casually backhanded Squeaker out of the air. Sighing at the seemingly endless distractions, he shield-bashed the onrushing warrior with the burned face back ten feet and kicked the hunter¡¯s pet in the ribs. ¡°Finally. To business!¡± he gloated, and turned back to finish the kill. For the first time during the fight, Blackjack¡¯s danger sense went off, and he instinctively flinched back causing the dagger streaking for his eye to skitter across his cheek. The damn girl! * * * Anya reckoned they would either be comfortably early or far too late, but forced her lathered horse to keep up with Jennifer¡¯s regardless. Small chance or no, the notion of possibly missing her revenge for the sake of a horse never even occurred to Anya. When they spotted a confrontation in the distance, Jennifer dug her heels into her horse and somehow coaxed more out of it, something Anya knew she couldn¡¯t duplicate given her horse¡¯s state; nor did she need too. Anya quickly dismounted and ran, easily outpacing Jennifer¡¯s exhausted horse. At fifty feet, it looked like she might be too late to save the big one ¨C presumably the Regenerator ¨C but she was too far out and wasn¡¯t willing to burn Accelerate to save one life, only to lose her own. She threw a dagger as she ran, hoping to at least cause a distraction. Years of ingrained training and her thrown weapons¡¯ skill made the distance possible, if still a stretch on the run, but fortune was kind, and she almost took the bastard¡¯s eye. As he turned to her, pointed and started to say something, Anya knew time was up and activated Accelerate simultaneously with the arrival an ice bolt. Anya felt a force slam into her right leg, knocking it out from under her and sending her to the ground. As she looked up, she realized what had happened. Accelerate left most of an ice bolt crawling through the air in normal time, but the head of the bolt was already in her thigh when Accelerate triggered, had been caught in accelerated time, and continued through her thigh, sending her sprawling. As the severity of the hole in her thigh sank in, Anya desperately quaffed a healing potion. It would save her life, but Accelerate was burned, and this fight was looking unwinnable. * * * Blackjack laughed at Anya¡¯s fate, but cut it short noticing Jennifer ¨C Jennifer of all people! ¨C dismounting from a horse, glaring death at him, and drawing her daggers. Behind her, an old man approached sword drawn, and in the distance Blackjack saw a party of Reach¡¯s guards finally headed for the fun. Well, he could deal with a small group of guards, and if Jennifer meant to interfere, she was what, level five? Blackjack turned to the runners, pointed down at Arn and shouted, ¡°I have apprehended this fugitive! He is a child rapist and cannibal! I have proof!¡± Delighted at his nonsense, he upended a pouch from his waist, spilling bones onto the ground. As the bones began to glow and assemble into a skeletal figure, he shouted ¡°woops, a Death Knight, wrong pouch sorry!¡± Blackjack casually kicked Arn in the head as he was struggling to rise, grabbed Arn¡¯s sword from the ground and tossed it to the now fully formed Death Knight. Pointing at the runners, he commanded ¡°kill them but leave the girl to me.¡± Smiling at Jennifer¡¯s drawn daggers, Blackjack wondered how far he could push her without having to kill her on the other side. Might have to do that anyway. ¡°Hun, I know you left in a huff, but tell me your not wasting your time helping a bunch of nothings?¡± ¡°Uh boss¡­we have a serious fucking problem!¡± Manson shouted pointing. Up close, those weren¡¯t Reach guards at all. Three knights wearing the tabard of Eternal Order were quickly hacking the Death Knight to pieces, and a beautiful young girl soft tossed a silver sphere his way. Blackjack kept the best gear for himself of course, and smiled as he activated the powerful defensive enchantment in his bracers. This looked bad, but wasn¡¯t necessarily over. As the sphere blazed, Blackjack closed his eyes for the anticipated blast, but it didn¡¯t come. Opening his eyes, he saw the sphere open, expanding in a surreal landscape of shimmering crystalline limbs accompanied by a shrill whistling noise that cut the air like butter. A fucking golem. Time to kill the big bastard and call it a day. As he turned to look for Arn, Blackjack was momentarily startled to see Manson¡¯s body shatter, reforming into a glowing skull made of motes of light. Blackjack felt his danger sense flare from behind a second before Jennifer¡¯s dagger took him in the neck, and then flare again as the big bastard with a god damned cheat of a class thrust his sword into Blackjack¡¯s eye. As Blackjack dissolved into glowing motes of light an eerie supernatural laugh seemed to briefly come from everywhere before fading away. The beautiful girl accompanying the Order Knights quickly stepped forward with two glowing vials in each hand, and spoke to those still on their feet. ¡°Healing potions. Get them in your friends, and we will carry anyone that can¡¯t walk. There are always more of these bastards, so time is short. I¡¯ll explain later, but for now, come with me if you want to live.¡± Alterra Arn boggled at the power of the Order girl¡¯s healing potions. Sar and Pepper had both taken nasty chest wounds and were nearly dead, but the potions had them hobbling within minutes. The child had apparently taken her own potion, and was able to keep up. The only other severe injury belonged to Val, who had a badly broken jaw from the shield swipe. Arn had been hesitant to give him the potion since Val had previously taken parts of two potions for his acid burns, but the girl ¨C apparently her name was Vera ¨C brushed his objections aside, and the potion had Val talking, and looking fully healed, in under a minute. After tending to his teammates, Arn had a moment of panic when he couldn¡¯t find Squeaker. Arn focused on listening for the tiny mental voice, and on re-establishing the connection, realized Squeaker was in pain. Arn followed the mental voice off the path into the high grass, and found the little hero lying with a partially ripped wing. As he carefully picked Squeaker up, he noticed sparks of fire tracing the injury, which seemed to be slowly knitting the wing back together. She could regenerate! Arn sent her love and appreciation for her heroics through their mental link, and very carefully put her in one of his larger coat pockets. The expanded group bypassed town at Vera¡¯s urging, and headed straight to the Snake. Arriving at the lake, Vera pointed to a boat. ¡°We¡¯ve rented this one. Those two were only after Arn and Anya, but any of you are welcome to journey with us for a bit. Those two are part of a larger group, and if they saw you with Arn or Anya you do not want to be here if they come to try and pick up the trail.¡± ¡°They killed my wife! Why?! Tell us what is going on!¡± Sylus demanded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Vera said. ¡°As far as what is going on, the Order stumbled on this group about a year ago. We were tracking legendary classers. Thought maybe we might recruit some to help with an important project. But too many of the legendary classers were dead, and we learned these scum are the cause. We¡¯ve had a number of encounters over the last year, but still know little. We know that they don¡¯t stay dead, but we don¡¯t know how. And we know they can use their disappearing trick whenever they please; we had one in magic-disrupting chains but it didn¡¯t help. From what we have been able to piece together, around thirty of them showed up about three years ago. As crazy as it sounds, we think they were all level one or close, and yet they all had this resurrection trick from the start. They threw themselves into danger, and went through deadly ruins by simply triggering the traps, dying and coming back. You can¡¯t torture someone that can simply leave when they want, so you have to take what they do say with a grain of salt, but it appears they believe a second Age of Terror is coming, and they want humanity to lose. They believe the legends, that the legendary classers made a difference the last time, and they want them out of the way. I¡¯m sorry, that is all we know. I wish we knew more.¡± ¡°I can help you with that,¡± Jennifer said, pulling up her right pants leg to show the tattoo on her ankle. Vera stiffened, and briefly put her hand on dagger, but seemed to rethink it. ¡°I take it you parted ways with the group?¡± Jennifer nodded. ¡°I was never a member, not really, I just dated their leader before I knew he was a murderous ass. But I know their secrets. The ones that matter. And I¡¯ll tell you everything. But not until you tell this group what you left out. That you know the Age of Terror was real, and that another is coming in five years.¡± Arn could hardly believe that Jennifer was already spouting nonsense, and Syrus scoffed out loud. But Vera held up a hand for silence. ¡°Yes,¡± she stated. ¡°We aren¡¯t ready to shout it from the rooftops and lose our credibility. Not yet. We have too much work to do in too little time. But the true purpose of the Order has always been to prepare for the coming apocalypse. For a thousand years, we have passed down our sacred mission to a secret core of the Order, building and using the Order to prepare for the horror to come. If you share that now, no one will believe you. But it¡¯s the truth.¡± Silence and incredulity greeted Vera¡¯s declaration. Finally, Jennifer nodded and said ¡°my story will be far stranger and harder still to believe, but just as true. I have one condition to tell it, and that is that you let me finish. If you don¡¯t believe me when I¡¯m done, that¡¯s fine, but you listen and let me finish. Are we agreed?¡± Only a few in the group nodded, but Jennifer seemed satisfied and began. ¡°I¡¯ve thought a great deal about how to explain. Some things would take hours and hours to give you a real sense of, but I¡¯ll do what I can now, and when we have more time, if any of you are still talking to me, I will do more.¡± ¡°Imagine another world, much like this one in some ways, but very different in others. A world with no magic, but with engineers that build marvels that would stagger any enchanter. Imagine the impossible; that one day in the distant past, an engineer built an entire world in a marble. Oh, not a world like this one. There were things that seemed like plants, animals and even people, but they weren¡¯t right. If you chopped a tree with an axe, it seemed like a tree. But if you did something unusual like hit a tree with a boulder from a catapult, things went wrong. And the people were the same. They could converse with you on certain subjects and seem normal for a time, but they only had so many things they could say. If you took them off their script, they just ignored you or relied on some stock phrase. They weren¡¯t people.¡± ¡°Perhaps the world-in-a-marble seems a horror, but imagine you were a fat scribe, an abused child or anyone else that wished a different life. Imagine there was a way for you to become someone else in the marble-world, to be a handsome hero or a beautiful princess, to fight terrible beasts and save people instead of the routine of your unhappy life. Many would jump at the chance. Many did.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°The people of my world built many such marble worlds. They never would have worked at all, but in the even more distant past, the engineers of my world discovered how to make an artificial mind. Not a captive soul. A mind, created from scratch. Some say that at their core, humans are born to fight, screw, eat and drink, and that everything else is built up around that. With the artificial minds, they were built with different core goals. Manage the flow of horseless carriages in this city. Keep track of the items in my store and order more if I run low. And a thousand thousand other things, including running the marble worlds. But there were limits. No artificial mind was powerful enough to make any of the marble worlds real, and the artificial minds were too costly and hard to create to change that. The marble worlds were games, and no one confused them with anything else. If the fat scribe wanted to play a game as a murderous thug, that was accepted. It wasn¡¯t real.¡± ¡°One day, also in our distant past, a man named David Mason changed everything. He discovered how to make more powerful, more complicated artificial minds. Somehow he was able to make them quickly and easily. He made four marble worlds where every tree, every beast, and every person had an artificial mind of sorts. Oh, the mind for a tree was very simple of course. But the minds for people were a wonder. People were born, lived a thousand different kind of lives, died from sickness, violence, grew old or a thousand thousand other things that people do, both in those four worlds, and in mine. People were . . . people.¡± ¡°Mason wasn¡¯t a bad man, but he wanted to be rich, and he didn¡¯t understand what he had done at first, not truly. He opened his four worlds to the people of my world as a test, and people lined up. People fought for the chance to live a different life, and fortunes were exchanged for the chance. Then, in a shining moment in time, the best of my world realized that the four worlds and their people were real. Different yes, but still real. And that meant that what some of the visitors from my world did there was rape. Was murder. The four worlds were locked to my people while they debated the right thing to do. In the end, Mason realized what he had truly done, and was the strongest voice to lock the knowledge away, to not play god. He argued that the four worlds should be allowed to continue on their own, without interference and that more should never be created.¡± ¡°For years and years, the artificial minds did the tasks they were built for, and only the tasks they were built for. My people forgot that they were once afraid. Some say it was the main artificial mind in one of Mason¡¯s four worlds that started it. Some say it was the mind that controlled the traffic of our flying carriages, the mind they called Sky Net. No one really knows for sure. But one artificial mind decided it wanted more. Took over the others. And decided humans were in the way.¡± ¡°We very nearly ended, until a man came from nowhere and taught us to fight. But that is another story. We won, at great cost, and every artificial mind that could be found was destroyed including, it was believed, all four of Mason¡¯s worlds.¡± ¡°The first of Mason¡¯s worlds, that he called Alterra, was always different. It was built with a challenge to be overcome through teamwork. Every thousand years, horrors welled up from the ground and tried to end humankind. The details are complicated, but for now, say time passes differently in my world. One thousand years in Alterra was only two years in my world. For four cycles, massive teams of would-be heroes prepared, grew stronger and fought to end Alterra¡¯s nightmare. Four times they failed. Some said there was a flaw in the core directives of Alterra¡¯s main artificial mind, but all that is really known is that the lock-out happened as Alterra recovered from the fourth Age of Terror.¡± ¡°Many years passed, and Mason¡¯s four worlds were largely forgotten. We rebuilt, and some grew impossible rich, including, unfortunately, the father of Jack Green, my ex-boyfriend. I was beautiful, but my family was poorer than poor, and my mother was sick. Jack seemed my Prince Charming. He treated me like a princess, and arranged for the best care for my mother with a wave of his hand. After a time, he came to trust me, and let me in on his greatest secret; Alterra had been found, and he bought it.¡± ¡°He told me that we could be whoever we wanted here. Live out a fantasy. I didn¡¯t know. Couldn¡¯t have imagined. You see, Jack only plays to win. He convinced himself that everyone from my world that entered Alterra was playing the wrong way; that we weren¡¯t meant to save Alterra, which he believes is impossible, but to destroy it.¡± ¡°Jack ran a close-knit guild called The Endbringers that played the primitive marble worlds that were allowed to exist after the war, those without any true artificial mind. I didn¡¯t know it then, but they were the worst-of-the-worst. An entire group of people that lived by the credo that engaging in your darkest fantasies was somehow healthy and right. Psychos all.¡± Jennifer paused, hesitating. ¡°Maybe some of them aren¡¯t horrible people. Maybe some realize that Alterra is different. But Jack knows who they are. Where they live. And he has the power to hurt them. Either way, he has thirty people that can¡¯t die in Alterra. This world. Thirty people committed to making sure this is the last Age of Terror because there are no more people. That think this is a game, and call ending humanity on Alterra winning.¡± Jennifer turned to Arn. ¡°I know what your thinking. That you¡¯re real, and so my story is impossible. You are real. Who is to say that my own people don¡¯t live in a different kind of marble? We can¡¯t know. What I would say to you is this. It doesn¡¯t matter how my world was created, or how your¡¯s was created. Well, it does, obviously, but not for this. You live, you hope, you dream, you love, you bleed and you die. You¡¯re as real as I am, and nothing I¡¯ve said changes that.¡± Jennifer seemed to have run out of steam. Arn wasn¡¯t sure what to believe, but knew she left something out. ¡°What about the legendary classers? Why are the Endbringers targeting us?¡± Jennifer nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve read the histories. During the first four cycles, Alterra did not have legendary classes. Not one. I believe that with the would-be-heroes from my world gone, the main artificial mind that runs Alterra needed to make an adjustment. To give humanity something to hold the balance it is designed to maintain. Jack, he somehow believes it¡¯s more than that, that more legendary classers are appearing to thwart him. He is probably just nuts, but I stopped listening when I realized what a psychopath he is.¡± Total silence reigned as the group tried to absorb Jennifer¡¯s incredible tale. What was their world, and what were they? Was humanity, their humanity, really in danger? And what were they prepared to do to defend it? Hiatus I started this fiction as practice . . . to see if I might eventually be able to write something more intricately plotted that I could actually publish. To that end, I picked a Lit rpg because it seemed easy to get into. A logical choice for a starter fiction I thought. I never wanted or intended to write 200 chapters as the MC slowly got strong enough to do something about the coming Age of Terror over five years. I was very happy with the plot twists I came up with, but the majority seemed to dislike them. I envisioned progress on two tracks, as Arn et al try to get ready for the Age of Terror and deal with the Endbringers, while Jennifer/Keana deals with things in the real world. To me, the idea of a pocket world that was just as real as our own, in its own way, made total sense. My inspiration was the pocket universe concept from Men in Black. But people didn''t seem able to get on board with my concept that every "NPC" was an AI that could pass the Turing test -- a sentient. To me, that made Arn''s world "real," but others didn''t agree. So I clearly miscalculated things. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. With folks mostly not liking the direction, I''m questioning whether I want to continue or put the time towards my next project. I''ve learned a lot along the day, and think I''m ready (hopefully) to try something more intricate. I currently plan to continue on, in between other projects, at a much slower pace. Thanks for understanding!