《Black Sheep [dropped]》


 1 - Transfer

    A thousand miles under earth¡¯s surface, and right on schedule, Donovan waited for his world to end.


    Apart from the gentle rhythm of her breathing, mother lay unmoving. Donovan¡¯s bloodshot eyes stood out in stark contrast to the soft blue light suffusing the room and painting his features. His pale face seemed to glow with the dim light, throwing the deepening furrows between his brows into sharp relief. His stomach was a steel vice, slowly ratcheting tighter as he waited for ¡­ well, anything except what he knew would come in the next few minutes. Mother¡¯s chest began it¡¯s rhythmic descent once again but this time it didn¡¯t stop. It seemed like her lungs were emptying completely and her body sank deeper into her bed even as her chest deflated. It was as if some part of her which was lighter than air had finally broken free and drifted away.


    As her chest shrank Donovan''s eyes grew. The thought ¡°No, She can¡¯t go, It¡¯s not time yet¡± ran panicked and screaming through Donovan''s head.


    ¡°Mom!¡± Donovan choked on the word while lurching clumsily across the cramped room to his Mother¡¯s side.


    She didn¡¯t turn her head. Her eyes still pointed towards the display stretching across the entire back wall but her chest heaved fractionally higher than he had seen it reach today and deflated again with an exasperated sigh.


    ¡°Be quiet child¡± Her voice carried the breathy, peaceful quality of someone who hardly has any energy left to devote to earthly concerns ¡°I¡¯ve worked towards this moment my whole life. I¡¯ve still got three minutes and twenty-seven seconds left. I have given you twenty years. Let me spend these last minutes in peace.¡±


    The finality of her words pierced his gut like jagged steel. The pressure behind his eyes finally spilled over and burning tears began to tumble down his glowing face. They traced the newly formed creases from either side of his nose around his mouth. The hot, salty water paused for a moment, trembling at the end of his chin before falling like shining blue stars. His tears met the floor with a soft tapping, hardly distinguishable over the everpresent, comforting hum of mothers pod before they were be quickly absorbed and recycled. ¡°I don¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°The core doesn¡¯t care what you don¡¯t want or don¡¯t like. I deserve this and it¡¯s time for you to grow up. Let me pass on with some dignity.¡± Her chest was rising and falling more rapidly now but the rest of her body remained slack as she continued her vigil over the chronometer which dominated her screen wall.


    Donovan¡¯s eyes were drawn to the personal chronometer embedded in his forearm, watching the suddenly blurry numbers march downwards in lock step with his mother''s for a few beats. His readout was an exact replica of Mother¡¯s except for one significant difference. Mother¡¯s chronometer displayed a large digital zero for decades of service remaining. On Donovan''s chronometer, a small line bisecting that same zero indicated a separation of eighty years. A feeling of helpless inevitability washed over Donovan like runny cement mix. Something cold scooped something warm out of his chest leaving an empty hollow for him to crumple into under this new pressure.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to go¡± was what he meant to say but it came out as ¡°I domp an u ta go¡± and was followed by a wet and undignified noise. Mother looked directly at Donovan for the first time in years. It wasn¡¯t the kind regard Donovan had been hoping for when he made the trip to her pod.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s not up to you.¡± Mother snapped ¡°The core is going to transfer me in another two minutes and 58 seconds and it does not require the permission of some hysterical child.¡± Donovan shriveled under the heat in her voice. He felt suddenly brittle. His hand twitched with the repressed urge to seek comfort in physical contact. Nearly a decade had passed since the last time Mother met his touch with anything short of reproach. She was right, it¡¯s time for him to grow up. Coming here was a mistake, something a child would do.


    Donovan, unable to meet Mother¡¯s scorching look missed the moment when her eyes, wide with shock and anger wavered for a moment before she snapped her head back around to face the display. Her formerly relaxed posture was replaced by one of rigid tension. Her knuckles lost what little color they had as she clutched at the ends of her armrests.


    As Donovan was busy compacting his soul into a tiny ball and burying it deep underground where it might survive the coming shockwave, Mother continued her lecture. ¡°Just keep your head down, put in your years and you will join me before you know it¡± Her tense musclesbegan to relax as she found the familiar words. ¡°I¡¯ve done my eighty years of service and now it¡¯s time to claim my eternal reward alongside our ancestors.¡±


    She was weeping now but Donovan knew her tears didn¡¯t stem from any kind of regret. Her eyes were brimming with the tears of a zealot who has finally reached the gates of her promised land after a lifetime of struggling through harsh wilderness. ¡°Soon I can do my final service, leaving this body¡¯s resources to the city as I achieve transcendence.¡±


    She took a deep shuddering breath, reclaiming some of her composure before reciting our clan¡¯s affirmation.


    We who are born of the city


    We who tend to its needs


    once we serve short mortal years


    shall be released from mortal fears


    After her recitation, we lapsed into silence contemplating the poem which adorns the Shepard clans coat of arms. She was no doubt exultant at the prospect of finally taking her place among our ancestors. Donovan, however, did not take comfort in the cycle. He resented it. He resented the idea that Mother¡¯s first priority was to the city. He wanted to be important to his mother but she only saw him as a replacement, nothing more than hardware commissioned for the sole purpose of carrying on the duties she will leave behind. Donovan would have to prove himself through a lifetime of service before he could hope to see her again. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    During the silence Mother¡¯s timer finally reached two minutes. The light strips illuminating her room shifted deeper into the spectrum passing through orange hues and settling on a golden light that seemed to gather in the air like a physical thing. The City Anthem began to play. Donovan forgot his surroundings as he was swept up in rapture. Though it was his first time hearing the legendary song there was no mistaking it. The flowing melody was completely different from the standard marches designed to improve productivity and focus. The anthem is only played twice in a citizen''s life. Once when they gain citizenship and again when they transcend. This lends it an incredible weight which pinned Donovan to the floor even though a small fragment of himself insisted that he should not linger for this part. Goosebumps sprouted from Donovan as tingling electricity ran up his spine and itched at his scalp in an overwhelmingly pleasant way.


    In front of Mother, golden filaments flowed inward from the borders of the wall and began swirling. The lines thickened and resolved themselves into the form of an enchantingly beautiful woman spinning in time with the anthem, a golden dress flaring about her as the last of the filaments took their place in her hem. She spun for several more measures before coming to rest facing us. Her dress continued to sway as she favored Mother with a smile so luminous it could have melted the core.


    ¡°Hello Martha. I would like to be the first to thank you for your dedicated service to our noble city. You are an exemplary citizen. Congratulations, your transcendence is fast approaching.¡±


    A shrieking klaxxon exploded in donovan''s ear, snapping him painfully out of his awe induced stupor. He winced away from the offending noise and clapped his hand over his ear. This didn¡¯t help of course. The siren was coming from an implant deep in his ear canal. The alarm cut out abruptly, replaced by the instantly recognizable voice of authority in the city. A priest was calling.


    ¡°Child SH-836, report to your workstation at once. Failure to present yourself will result in summary resource divestment.¡±


    Hearing the unmistakable authority in the creamy baritone shared by all priests, Donovan''s training kicked in, turning him around and carrying him halfway out the portal before he remembered what was happening behind him. With one hand gripping the rungs circling the entrance to mothers capsule and the other on the ladder outside, he looked back over his shoulder.


    Mother was reaching out towards the apparition in gold, tears streaking freely down her face. Donovan opened his mouth to say a final goodbye. The words got stuck behind a lump in his throat. Another painful chirp in his ear reminded him of the summons so he closed his mouth without saying anything.


    Fresh tears welled in his eyes as he turned back to the ladder. He found the other handle through his tears by it¡¯s flashing yellow led¡¯s. As soon as his feet found their place on the steel grate the lights turned green. He twisted the handles and the ladder shot downward in freefall.


    It only took a couple of seconds of air whistling past him in the close confines of the access shaft before an angry red light strobing from the inside of his pod came into view. his stomach twisted in a way that had nothing to do with his mother or his rapid descent. Donovan throttled back on the ladder slowing his descent while using the motion to check his chronometer. He was late but not irredeemably so.


    He reached out for the handles ringing the hatch to his capsule intending to swing neatly onto his recliner as he had done a hundred times before. His body betrayed him. The tears blurring his vision caused him to half miss one of the handles. His hands were oddly weak and Donovan was sent spinning in an unexpected direction. He landed in a painful heap on top of a bank of controls with an undignified grunt. At least he would have a good excuse for his tears. Donovan clawed his way upright and got onto his recliner, all under the scrutiny of a thoroughly unamused priest.


    The face on the screen could have belonged to any of the order of keepers. A polished iron shell encased the majority of its head and wrapped around its neck in an unbending collar. The dark iron was particularly imposing when compared to the delicate lips and chin which peeked out from under its rim. The normally pale lips were robbed of all color as they pressed into a thin disapproving line. A spray of wires radiated from the back of its helmet. Donovan knew from his education that this departure from biological imperfection and the attempts to become one with the city were a point of pride for the keepers. Unfortunately, the more donovan learned about this clan which wields ultimate authority in the city, the less he could stand to be in their presence. The alterations allowing keepers to interface with the city and the extensive amputations meant to lower the organic resources they require never failed to make Donovan shiver involuntarily.The recyclers kicked on as Donovan began to sweat profusely. It didn¡¯t help that Donovan knew the exact contents of his recycling stream were being reviewed by the priest looming over him.


    ¡°P-Praise be unto the city which provides the gifts of life, sustenance, and purpose. Thanks be unto the keepers who serve most devoutly in this life so we may enjoy the next. Blessings upon the citizens, so they may complete their service dutifully. I, the child now take up the burdens of my forebears so they may transcend with peace of mind.¡±


    Donovan was worried the lump in his throat would keep him from completing the ritual of transference but after an initial stutter, the words came as naturally as they did in his practice. The keeper¡¯s lips relaxed fractionally and the strobing alarm light switched off.


    ¡°You, the child, are late. Luckily for you, your sins¡± The keeper made a pause of several seconds ¡°as extensive as they may be, will not follow you into citizenship.¡±


    Donovan bowed his head. He didn¡¯t trust his voice and it was always safer to let the keepers assume what they want. It was all too easy to say the wrong thing and Donovan took the keepers words as the warning they were. Citizens are held to a much higher standard than children and blaspheming in front of a keeper is a good way to earn a one-way ticket to the recycling level.


    The priest¡¯s lips twisted into an unsettling approximation of a smile. This keeper seemed like one who has read a manual on smiles because his job requires their use but has never seen a natural one before. ¡°Do your best to uphold the honor of clan Shepard as you take up your civic duties. Don the mantle of citizen with pride and serve the city well Citizen SH-836.¡±


    With that, the screenwall switched to a view of the city emblem. A simple shining point at the center of a trio of grey concentric circles. After a few seconds, The inner ring flashed and the city anthem began for what should have been the first time in Donovan''s life.


    A sudden jolt ran through Donovan as the song which held him pinned just minutes ago reminded him of Mother. He looked to his chronometer and his insides fell away. The chronometer read out 7 decades, 9 years, 364 days, 23 hours and 57 minutes. Mother was gone.


    All of the tension and fear of the last five minutes left him feeling wrung out. He knew this day was coming for years but deep down, he believed Mother was the one constant he could rely on, the one person who cared about him. The rest of the anthem fell on deaf ears as Donovan curled up and sobbed, all alone. After a time the music faded and the only noises were the recyclers trying to handle the unexpected spill and Donovan''s quiet attempts to breathe normally.

 2 - Citizen

    Don came to with less than an hour to spare before his first shift. He was in total darkness until he began straightening out his stiff limbs. The pressure sensors in his recliner activated his POD light-strips on a low red setting.


    He pressed his face into his palms trying to rub away the grogginess. When that didn¡¯t work he laid back and activated the cleaning cycle.


    His recliner slid into the compartment in the wall where Don usually slept. One auto wash cycle later, the crust from the night before was cleaned from his face and his uniform was smooth and fresh.


    Back in the main section of the POD, Don reached out and unhooked the feeding tube from its mount. One practiced twist secured it to the valve jutting from his abdomen. He flipped the safety cover and squeezed the stubby needle underneath.


    A chime let him know enough blood had been taken for a nutritional analysis and he flipped the needle covering shut. Don absently sucked his index finger until blood stopped welling out of it.


    It didn¡¯t take long before the feeding tube started vibrating as his breakfast was dumped directly into his stomach. The uncomfortable bloating sensation lasted longer than usual as he was pumped full of water to bring him back to optimal hydration levels.


    Don didn¡¯t wait for the nutrient paste injection to finish before preparing for his shift. He thumbed a rocker switch on the back of his headrest bringing his wall to life. It displayed the city logo for a moment before switching over to Don¡¯s presets.


    Don scanned the system overview making sure everything was still up to specs. RAM-10 was a little behind schedule but everything else was ticking along smoothly. He spent a few seconds watching the wayward mover¡¯s trajectory update. Sam was taking to her first shift well.


    The stimulants in his breakfast mix started taking effect and Don¡¯s fingers started picking up speed as he typed in commands on the consoles which swung into reach.


    A minute later, a second chime let him know the feeding was complete. As if the shaking and gurgling tube attached to his gut wasn¡¯t enough of a signal. With a bit more difficulty now that he was full, Don replaced the tube onto its mount.


    Don laid back in his recliner and checked his chronometer. Just over ten minutes remained until the shift change. He closed his eyes enjoying the feeling of his body coming back to full wakefulness. The image of his mothers scowling face flashed across his closed lids and he snapped his eyes open while jolting upright.


    Don began cycling through the status reports again but this time he was haunted by the previous day¡¯s conversation. ¡°The core doesn¡¯t care what you don¡¯t want or don¡¯t like¡± drifted through his head and he flipped on a motivational beat. The loudest one he had.


    It only laid down a baseline for ¡°be quiet child¡± and ¡°I deserve this¡±. He knew it was pointless but Don typed in the command to open a chat window with his mother. His screen only returned the error message ¡°You do not have clearance to communicate with Eternals¡±.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Don felt an uncomfortable tightness creep back into his chest. Without waiting for his consoles to retract, he pulled himself out of his recliner by the rungs along the ceiling of the POD. The hatch irised open at his approach and Don clambered out of it.


    The ladder was still outside his door. It was rare to use the access shaft at all so this wasn¡¯t a surprise but Don was glad he didn¡¯t have to wait before starting the short ascent to Sam¡¯s POD.


    Unlocking the left handle and sliding it up before locking it in place and repeating the process with the right handle let him climb through the access shaft at a decent clip. Donovan quickly made it to his sister¡¯s POD. Her entry hatch was locked and would remain that way until her shift ended.


    ¡°Rust it!¡± Don cursed under his breath. He should have remembered this most basic operating procedure. What was wrong with him today?


    ¡°Hysterical child¡± floated through his head.


    Don gritted his teeth and depressed the com switch next to the hatch.


    ¡°Samantha? This is Don. Can I come in?¡±


    That was stupid, why did he do that? He was going to get in trouble just for making that request. He was about to release the locks on the ladder to descend back to his POD when the hatch in front of him irised open.


    ¡°What are you doing here Donovan?¡± Samantha asked from her recliner.


    Her fingers were flying across her console at a speed that made them blur as she made more course corrections to RAM-10.


    Don ignored the question as he clambered into her POD. ¡°Are you doing okay?¡± he asked instead.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m doing alright. Drive 14 is a little sticky. It¡¯s probably a mechanical failure.¡±


    Don leaned forward to get a better look at her screen. A field of stars slid by as the roving camera maneuvered around the RAM inspecting one of the massive drive couplings.


    The trajectory map superimposed over the corner of the image showed the Rapid Asteroid Mover was repeatedly drifting off of the pre-programmed flight path.


    ¡°Hmm¡± Don rubbed his chin. ¡°It looks like we might have to take it into luna station on manual for repairs¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡± Sam griped ¡°I¡¯ve got the farmers on my ass waiting for these incoming shipments. They¡¯re not going to like this delay.¡±


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re going to like the delay more than a crater. Is there anything else going on?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Everything else is green¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll focus on getting this sheep into drydocks so we can get its hoof patched up pronto¡±


    Sam cast a raised eyebrow over her shoulder and Don grinned back at her. Sam was kind of weird. Not many people decided to keep any hair but she insisted that eyebrows were essential.


    Don had to admit, they made it more fun to tease expressions out of her. It had prompted him to come up with a slang only shared by the two of them. Well, Don was the only one who used it but he hated the stuffy acronyms.


    ¡°I thought you would drop that habit after¡± Sam stopped short, catching herself.


    An uncomfortable pause stretched between the two of them.


    Don coughed. ¡°I should get back. Gotta get ready for the shift change.¡±


    ¡°Right¡± Sam agreed in a subdued voice.


    ¡°Good flying Citizen Donovan¡± she called with a half-hearted smile.


    ¡°See you on the screen¡± Don called as he retreated back out of the hatch.


    He stood on the ladder for a few beats after the hatch closed up again. While he hung there he heard a muffled sniffle come from inside the POD. He quickly cranked the ladder handles and slipped into free fall.

 3 - Shepard (Don)

    Don lurched to a stop as he missed his hatch. He had to climb back up a few steps before he could slip back into his POD. He took a moment to close the hatch and retract the consoles surrounding his recliner.


    Gripping the ceiling rungs, he swung back into his recliner, flopping down on the comfortable material. His chronometer showed roughly two minutes remaining until the shift change.


    The consoles crowded back around him like concerned maintenance bots worrying over a busted pipe. A few quick commands later and he was back to reviewing the flight logs. Today was mostly going to be a babysitting job. The autopilots did a lot of the heavy lifting. Don was primarily a monitor who stepped in when something went wrong. There was one pickup on the agenda which would require his supervision but the rest of his flock were safely on route. Gliding languorously to and from the belt. That would give him plenty of time to coax RAM-10 towards Luna.


    The red lighting scheme in his pod shifted to yellow as the one-minute threshold came and went. Don double checked his console configuration and pulled the manual controls into a more prominent position.


    A chat window popped open in the top left corner of his screen and Sam¡¯s face appeared. All of the familiarity of a minute ago was gone, replaced with a calm professional demeanor.


    ¡°Citizen SH-835 reporting for shift change¡±


    Don knew the steps to this dance ¡°Citizen SH-836 acknowledges. Initiating shift change now.¡±


    He toggled the proper switch and the POD lighting shifted from yellow to green and pulsed with every second elapsed.


    ¡°Initiation confirmed. Serve well Citizen¡± With that, the window containing Sam¡¯s face winked out of existence.


    Don commanded his screen to mirror Sam¡¯s. She was still fiddling with RAM-10. Don started the program which would alert him if any RAM¡¯s deviated from their course and excluded RAM-10. He then gripped the manual controls and waited for his shift.


    The lights flipped over to blue and Donovan was in control. He began by killing the power to the ring of ion drives leaving the RAM in freefall. A freefall which covered over a hundred miles per second but the acceleration would just be a hindrance for what he had planned. He put the drives through a standard checklist, confirming their range of motion and they all checked out except for drive 14. Don switched his main screen to the view from the free camera, affectionately dubbed Rover.


    Don quickly checked it¡¯s charge before piloting it out of the protective housing. The bay door swung open and revealed a field of stars, pinwheeling lazily.


    ¡°Rust¡± Donovan mumbled. He didn¡¯t check if the RAM was spinning before shutting the drives down. Sam must have been trying to spin the entire thing to compensate for the busted drive. It was a good idea but it would make it harder to keep Rover in place long enough to get a good look at drive 14. He piloted Rover out a few dozen meters before turning it back to face the RAM. The only sign that something was there, besides the IR proximity readings from Rover, was the stars which temporarily winked out as they were eclipsed.


    Don typed in the command to switch on the RAM¡¯s external lights and the ring flared into existence. The light glared off of steel and ice alike. The RAM was an ugly thing. All function and no form but it did get the job done. It was a collection of girders, pistons, and drives. A bulbous lump slid past Dons screen as the mover continued rotating. It was one of the twin fission reactors powering the behemoth. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The RAM was cinched around an oblong chunk of dirty ice nearly a kilometer long and roughly half that in width. This delivery will provide vital resources to the city, resources needed to produce food and atmosphere. Recycling can conserve almost all of our current supply but without the influx of materials provided by the Shepherds, the population would slowly dwindle away to nothing. Donovan took a moment to feel proud.


    The feeling faded quickly. He hadn¡¯t delivered anything yet. After pulling up a schematic overlay he waited for drive 14 to come into view. As it did, he activated the recording function and piloted Rover around the drive getting as close in as 10 meters constantly adjusting to keep the drive in view as it spun around the asteroid. The drive was massive. Several times the size of Donovans POD, it was one of 20 identical drives, evenly spaced along the ring. Each one was fitted into a housing designed to reorient the drives or even swivel a full 180 degrees for braking maneuvers. The housing was a tangled nest of components, and the cause of almost every pain in the butt problem Donovan was trained to deal with.


    When he was satisfied with the survey he flew the camera back to its housing and let the autopilot make the final approach and docking maneuver. He was sure Sam had already done a similar survey but it paid to be thorough. He didn¡¯t want an inquisitor paying him a visit anytime soon, or anytime at all for that matter.


    Don relaxed a bit and reviewed the other RAMs. Nothing new there. He reoriented the drives to counter the spin and started them up at a low setting. It would take hours to stop the spin Sam had imparted to the asteroid. The mover had enough power to do it faster but it wouldn¡¯t do to rip his payload in half. It was good to impart some spin to the payloads to add stability but it made the manual calculations much harder. No reason to take risks on his first day anyhow.


    Don started reviewing the recorded footage of drive 14. He paused and rewound the tape inspecting every support and actuator until he found the problem.


    A span had been bent out of place. That wasn¡¯t catastrophic on its own but it bent in just the right way to jam one of the actuators open. Probably a micro-asteroid collision.


    ¡°Perfect¡± Donovan complained to no one ¡°I hate it when I¡¯m right.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t something he could fix with the limited repair capacity on the RAM. He would have to take it into luna like he thought. Just to be sure he hadn¡¯t missed anything, Don reviewed the logs from Sam¡¯s shift and found the same conclusion.


    Don began working on a flight plan to take his busted mover in. It would be faster to leave the asteroid behind but that would be a good way to get chewed out so he made a plan to insert it into lunar orbit and pick it up again on his way out. In seven hours he could stop the engines from decelerating the spin on the asteroid and begin his burn in a large arcing path towards the moon. He didn¡¯t like how much extra time the curve would expend but it was worth taking it nice and easy when moving something so large into a high-traffic zone. Don punched his new plan into the queue and set an alarm to remind him to check in on it before the end of his shift.


    Don added a full diagnostic of RAM-10 to his and Sam¡¯s shared to do list. May as well get an overhaul while we''re patching up that component.


    Roughly ten hours and three stim tabs later Don was thoroughly worn out. The pickup went terribly. He cracked the asteroid as he was drilling anchor-wells and had to leave 20% of it behind or risk having it come apart mid-transit.


    It would be a massive understatement to say he was relieved when the lights in his POD shifted back to green indicating the upcoming shift change. He gladly flipped the comm switch dedicated to his partner.


    ¡°This is Citizen SH-836 reporting for shift change¡±


    ¡°Citizen SH-835 acknowledges. Initiating shift change now.¡±


    The green lighting in Don¡¯s POD began flashing yellow.


    ¡°Initiation confirmed. Were running about 20% light on RAM-3 and you might want to double check my nav-plan on RAM-10. I¡¯ve got it running on 18 drives, slow burn to Luna. Good flying Sam.¡±


    I gave her a little salute before logging out of the com channel. The lights faded back into red and Don sagged into this seat.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t too bad.¡± he said to himself. It wasn¡¯t. In truth, the day was easier than most of the simulator trials he faced in the last few years. The stress of knowing it was real took something out of him nonetheless. He reached for his feeding tube and had a quick dinner. He lay back, letting his recliner retract into the wall as the sedatives took him in their cottony embrace.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t too bad at all.¡±

 4 - Farmer (Beth)

    Beth watched with wide eyes, and jaw hanging forgotten, as her ancestor told their clan¡¯s story. The ancestor, Jones was standing on a raised dais at the center of the community hub. Three concentric rings of benches surrounded the dais in an imitation of the city emblem.


    Her siblings crowded around her on the bench in spite of their smug superiority at having heard the story before. Beth was required to be here but the hub was open to anyone who is of age.


    ¡°There was a time when people lived on the surface¡± Jones began ¡°and we weren¡¯t alone. We shared the planet with a multitude of living beings.¡±


    His hands rose and a globe of blue and green sprang into existence above him.


    ¡°It was the farmers who nurtured this life. The life, in turn, provided sustenance to humanity and for a time, this balance was maintained.¡±


    The orb shifted to a uniform brown color.


    ¡°Now our job is even more important. At the advent of the cataclysm, we harvested all the organic material we had space for. Continuing to nurture and maintain the species of the old world proved too difficult. We took genetic samples in the hopes that someday, we will walk among them again. For our own survival, we left them to the surface and adapted new methods of producing nutrients for humanity.¡±


    The orb elongated and became semi-transparent, revealing the easily recognizable diagram of GRAINS complete with the colorfully labeled organelles.


    ¡°Our work resulted in the Genetically Restructured Artificially Induced Nutrition Source. The miraculous artificial life-form which converts waste material back into vital nutrients. This led directly to the first population boom in the City¡¯s history and the enshrinement of the Farmers among the permanent clans.¡±


    The spectating Farmers burst into applause at this statement. The cavernous amphitheater rebounded the sounds until it sounded like a thousand people were cheering.


    Jones smiled but raised his hands for silence. When the noise died down, he continued.


    ¡°It is your duty to maintain the flow of waste into useful material. Without the Farmers, there is no food. Without food, there are no citizens. Without citizens, there is no city!¡±


    The hologram above Jones pulled back into a sphere and displayed the city logo. The outermost ring flashed as he finished his speech.


    ¡°Make your ancestors proud, support the city and join us in Arcadia where your true life awaits!¡±


    With that Jones turned on the spot. The glowing point at the center of the city expanded forming a portal. Beth gasped at the undulating golden carpet that extended on the other side of the portal. She had never seen so much open space. A green wall sprouted from the edge of the golden field at what must have been a hundred meters and above that, A sheer blue seemed to go on forever.


    Jones stepped through the portal which collapsed behind him into the city emblem again.


    An excited murmur rose from the crowd. It was loudest at the outer edges of the hub where the youngest members of the clan sat and tapered out towards the center. Now that the hologram was gone, Beth saw aunt Tabitha on the other side of the dais. She sat in reverent silence among her excited relatives. She would be moving on in less than a week. Her husband and siblings had already entered Arcadia.


    Beth waved excitedly and caught her eye. Tabitha smiled and rose from her seat, working her way across the cavernous room. Beth met her halfway and they exchanged an extended hug.


    ¡°Hi Tabby.¡± Beth said.


    ¡°How did you get to be so old so fast Elizabeth? It feels like only a month has passed since you were delivered.¡±


    Beth pushed Tabitha away, crossed her arms and huffed.


    ¡°When are you going to stop treating me like a baby Tabby? I¡¯ve already been a citizen for three years.¡±


    Tabitha wrapped Beth in her arms again, foiling Beth''s attempts to wriggle free.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Only when you stop being so cute¡± she teased.


    Beth¡¯s older siblings came to her rescue. She could always count on Theodore and Madeline. They really stepped up when their parents had crossed over to Arcadia and she was glad to have them even if they could get a little overprotective at times.


    ¡°Hi Aunt Tabitha,¡± Theodore said, ¡°care to join us for some lunch?¡±


    ¡°That would be lovely Teddy, thank you for asking.¡±


    The distraction was enough for Beth to slip free and she quickly danced out of reach. The hub was emptying out so she had room to vault over the nearest bench before sticking her tongue out at Tabitha.


    Maddie shook her head saying ¡°and you wonder why she treats you like a child?¡±


    Beth just stuck her tongue out farther and waggled it at Maddie.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you come to our place?¡± Theodore suggested.


    It wasn¡¯t really a question. Tabitha ate with us most days now. Beth and her siblings agreed to have Tabby over for meals whenever they could. None of them liked the idea of her being alone all the time. It was no secret that Tabby and her husband didn¡¯t get clearance to raise children. Beth didn¡¯t know why but she knew better than to ask and in the end, she didn¡¯t care. Tabby was a great aunt and that was enough.


    The four of them walked up the aisle between the benches, following the flow of traffic into the corridor outside of the community hub.


    If you could somehow look through rock and view a Farmer community from above it would look like a massive wheel with the community hub at the center. Corridors radiate out from the hub like spokes and the spaces between these spokes are hollowed out for living space. Beyond the outer rim sprawls the recycling level where the Farmers tend to vats of waste, turning them into viable foodstuffs and potable water.


    When Beth¡¯s parents passed on and her family shrank from five to three, they moved closer to the hub where the living spaces were smaller. As a result, they didn¡¯t have far to walk before Theodore palmed their door open. There wasn¡¯t much to their home but they would never have all fit into Tabitha¡¯s.


    A screen wall was fitted into the wall opposite the doorway. Four sleeping nooks were embedded in the walls with two per side.


    Each of the little group palmed their way into the small hab unit and took seats on the ledges jutting from the lower sleeping nooks. ¡°What will it be today girls?¡± Theodore asked, hand hovering over the control panel.


    ¡°I want strawberry!¡± Beth exclaimed


    ¡°How can you eat that stuff?¡± Maddie asked, making a face. ¡°It¡¯s gross, get me a kiwi Ted.¡±


    ¡°You think strawberry is gross but you like kiwi?¡± beth asked incredulously. ¡°You¡¯ve got no taste.¡±


    ¡°Original is fine, thank you Teddy¡± Tabby added.


    After a quick command from teddy, a rattling sound announced the arrival of their lunch. Beth slid open the covering to the pneumatic tube, removed the canister and distributed its contents to her family.


    ¡°Can we call mom and dad?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Theodore said he paused to type in another command and the screen wall flashed to life. The city logo pulsed, outer ring most prominent as always while they waited for a response to the call. Beth took the time to pop open her nutri-tube and started squeezing the cloyingly sweet strawberry flavoring into her mouth. She wondered absently what strawberries were while the rest of the family sucked down their respective flavorings.


    The center point on the emblem flashed and expanded in a portal similar to the one Jones exited from. Beth couldn¡¯t make out any details on the other side of this portal. Everything besides her parents faces were distorted beyond recognition. The result was pretty regardless. Her parents smiled out from a pool of swirling colors.


    ¡°Hi Kids!¡± they exclaimed


    ¡°Oh, and hi Tabs¡± added Beth¡¯s mom, waving at her sister. ¡°How nice to see you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been too long Margret¡± Tabitha agreed ¡°how is Herb holding up?¡±


    ¡°Oh you know him, he¡¯s useless without you. He spends his days pining away. Hurry up and finish up your duty. If I have to hear his moaning for much longer I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do¡± Margret winked at Tabitha ¡°You really should see this place, you¡¯re going to love it. Just yesterday we shhshshshsh and then shshshhshhssh. It was spectacular!¡±


    ¡°Moom, we can¡¯t hear you¡± Madeline said rolling her eyes.


    ¡°I saw it today!¡± Beth exclaimed. ¡°It was yellow and green and blue and so big! What was that yellow stuff? It looked soft. How big are the rooms there? What was that blue stuff?¡±


    ¡°Woah, slow down Beth. You know we can¡¯t answer that.¡± Her dad interjected.


    ¡°Can you at least try?¡±


    ¡°Okay, but remember this next time you ask questions about Arcadia. That yellow stuff you saw is probably shhsh, it is soft and shhshshhs, the rooms shhhshshshhs and the blue stuff is actually shshhssshs.¡±


    ¡°Yes! I knew it was soft!¡± Beth pumped her fist in victory forgetting the nutri-tube and squirting some of her lunch on Madeline by mistake.


    ¡°Ugh! Beth!¡± Madeline squealed.


    After a few stern words from her parents about wasting food and a few shrill ones from her sister about how big of a pain she was, Beth finished her meal and excused herself. She hurried down the corridor toward the vats, eager to get back to work. She would have to be a good citizen if she wanted to get to Arcadia and touch that yellow stuff after all.

 5 - Builder (Clint)

    ¡°Seeping shit!¡± Another status symbol blinked from yellow to red. Clint dispatched a mole to the source of the signal.


    ¡°Who¡¯s rusting idea was it to separate the levels by so much bleeding space?¡±


    This may as well have been Clint¡¯s personal motto. He said it at least 4 times a day now.


    He finished insulating the exposed wire causing a ground fault because some blasted idiot left enough slack during the installation for the original insulation to rub off thanks to the vibrating pneumatic tube it sagged against. It was a quick fix but there was no way to detect it until something went wrong and there were almost more components breaking than Clint could keep up with. He had to leave it loose for now. He added another item to his ever-growing task queue before handling the latest emergency.


    Switching over to the Mole descending towards the newest critical failure, he unfolded the camera arms and pulled up it¡¯s feed to his main view screen, shunting his status list into a secondary screen. He had important crap to deal with and it wouldn¡¯t do to get distracted by other emergencies piling on his already frayed nerves. A stream of pipes and wires of all sizes and levels of disrepair streamed past Clint¡¯s screen at 20 meters per second. He pointed the camera down and spotted the issue. A brown mist was billowing up from below the mole and it was soon enveloped. He switched over to the IR spectrum and regained a grainy semblance of visibility. The different tubes and wires glowing at temperatures, easily distinguished by his practiced eye.


    He understood why these shafts were kept at near vacuum pressures. It would take a ton of atmo to fill them and there¡¯s no one around to breathe it. That didn¡¯t make it any easier on the pressurized vessels spanning the miles between levels. The rupture came into view. It was the waste line, as always. It took a good deal of pressure to pump waste up to the recycling level even with the weigh stations on the way up. That pressure inevitably ruptured the pipes somewhere along the line with too much regularity for Clint¡¯s taste. It made sense he supposed, It¡¯s better to risk losing waste by pumping it upstream and let useful material flow coreward. Unfortunately, his understanding didn¡¯t make ruptures any more pleasant to deal with.


    He spotted the heat plume which indicated a rent in the pipe. The pumps would have automatically shut off by now but that didn¡¯t stop the waste from vaporizing and blasting out into the low-pressure environment. Clint wasted no time in clamping a patch around the vent and welding it in place. A few more patches on this line and it would qualify for a complete replacement, just another job that would take way too much time. Next, he focused on the crystallizing shit and piss freezing to the walls, pipes, wires and to Clint¡¯s mole itself.


    He rolled the Mole down its tracks till he was out of the cloud, marking his depth and stretching out a tarp to catch the filthy snow which was starting to fall. He rolled the mole back upwards to mark where the cloud ended in that direction. By that time it was mostly a film on the walls, splattering out of the way of his mole as it rolled back up its track. He would have to leave that mole where it was until a swarm of cleaning bots could sanitize the area and reclaim as much of the spilled organic matter as possible.


    With no time to waste Clint brought up his list of failing systems. Wishing he could do a routine systems check for once. He soon re-entered the trance that came on from tackling one task after the next, knocking items off of his list as more components fell into the danger zone adding themselves as yellow icons. It was an endless treadmill with no way off. A hand fell on Clint''s shoulder.


    ¡°Ho Clint.¡± said a gruff voice from behind him. Clint looked over his shoulder.


    ¡°It¡¯s that time already?¡± he asked


    ¡°Ayup¡± Cranston responded, ¡°Now quit hoggin'' the hot seat, I¡¯ve got a task list about a mile long.¡±


    Clint¡¯s back popped as he pushed himself out of the chair. ¡°Have fun in there. The city¡¯s coming apart at the seams today.¡±


    ¡°You know I will¡± responded his cousin who leaned back into the chair, causing it to groan in protest. He laced his fingers together and stretched them, palms outward, knuckles cracking.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s maintain this bitch!¡± With that final comment, he palmed into the workstation and picked up the frantic pace to try and meet the city¡¯s demands.


    Clint put his hands on his lower-back and leaned into them, trying to rub some of the stiffness out while looking around the control room. It was a circular room with a dozen workstations ringing the perimeter, facing outward. The air hummed with the familiar chorus of cursing and griping as Builders shouted out priorities and who needed to get the hell over where to fix some rusting component or other. Each station was on a staggered schedule. The shift changes were two hours apart so the whole clan got a chance to see each other. Clint heard there was a time when the shifts changed all at once. That ended a few generations back when ShiftA blamed ShiftB for everything that went wrong and ShiftB blamed ShiftA for the same problems. The crew eventually had to be separated into two separate task groups.


    Clint turned his back on his workstation and climbed the ladder set into the middle of the control room to get into the Barrax. It was a different kind of loud in the main cavern of the barracks. Where the control room was filled with the sharp staccato of commands and curses, the living quarters of his crew was filled with the rumbling of a half a dozen men engrossed with their favorite pastime. Complaining about work.


    Clint lumbered over to the feed chute and palmed the adjacent pad. An unflavored nutri-paste slid into the chute a moment later. He didn¡¯t particularly dislike the flavored varieties but it wasn¡¯t worth the heckling of his crewmates to order anything different. He took his paste, folded a stool down from the wall and settled in to enjoy the conversation. It sounded like Jared was pretty wound up today and he considered griping to be high art. This should be good.


    ¡°Every day it¡¯s the same I tell you, and not a lick of difference. Sure we keep the place from imploding most of the time but where¡¯s the satisfaction? We were trained to build great big things. Boring out new tunnels and caverns, building nice, spacious digs, top-o-the line mind you. Not a spot of rust or a faulty system. Did you know I even had aspirations to build a server bay in the springtime of my youth? High aspirations I had. Now look at us, glorified janitors we are.¡±


    This was met with the low rumble from his audience which indicated unanimous agreement.


    ¡°I went and had me a little chat with our glorious under-lords today. Told them we don¡¯t have the manpower to keep up. Let them know how were barely holding on. You know what they had to say about that? They say barely is good enough. Good enough! Can you believe that? They have no appreciation for preventative maintenance. What if something big pops while we''re barely holding on? Hmm? What then? So next I tell ¡®em all ¡®bout my plan to replace the old pneumatics with mag lifts. Showed ¡®em how those rustin¡¯ pipes eat up 27% of our time. They were mighty impressed with my initiative I tell you, mighty impressed indeed. Anyhow when I got around to the material costs they got real cold real fast. ¡®We can¡¯t divert those resources¡¯ they says. So I try and show ¡®em how we save in the long run but they weren¡¯t interested. ¡®The core takes priority¡¯ they says. I try and explain that the core needs its water like everyone else and it carts it¡¯s waste even farther than anyone else so the lifts are for the core. They wasn¡¯t havin¡¯ none of it. They logged off without so much as a thanks but no thanks.¡±


    The rumble that resonated in the room this time expressed irritation.


    ¡°Typical,¡± Cal said ¡°those bucket heads can¡¯t see past their precious servers, they forget they still need air and food and someone to wipe their asses for them¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you start blaspheming Cal¡± interjected the oldest Builder in the room after Clint ¡°If I¡¯ve told you once I¡¯ve told you a hundred times. That sort of attitude is what landed us with the shit shafts in the first place. If you showed a little respect we might even get a decent commission or two¡±


    Jerry¡¯s voice was reedy but held substantial sway in the crew. He was the main reason their tongues stayed as civil as they were.


    ¡°And I¡¯ve told you that you sound like a rustin¡¯ A Shifter. Where do you get off tellin¡¯ us how to talk. It¡¯s one thing in the command room but a builder¡¯s supposed to be able to cut loose in his own barracks.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Clint stopped the argument before it could get out of hand


    ¡°Were a crew. Were in this together and if you start snapping at each other, this hole we''re stuck in is gonna start feeling a lot smaller. Let the keepers fuss over their servers. So long as there¡¯s room for us in Arcadia when our tour is up, I¡¯ll do any dumbass job they care to dish out.¡±


    The crew rumbled their agreement, well, most of them did. Cal glared in silence from his stool. Clint let him have his defiant moment. So long as he kept his mouth under control he could glare all he liked. Clint heaved up from his stool securing it back against the wall.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna get some rack time.¡±


    He was getting tired. The shifts were taking more out of him and he wasn¡¯t getting any younger. He palmed open the only door in the Barrax, walked past the hygiene station and into the row of sleeping blisters. He pulled himself up into a vacant one and slid the soundproofing lid shut. He rubbed his eyes and murmured to himself.


    ¡°Just three more years.¡±

 6 - Architect (Optional/ Gore Warning)

    The conclave was gathered. A rare occurrence which hadn¡¯t happened in generations. The cathedral was molded from a seamless, creamy marble. The subtle whorls of pink were complemented by artistic inlays of gold and platinum. Motes of light drifted aimlessly throughout the cavernous space but tended to congregate around the towering columns carved to depict the city¡¯s history.


    The keepers milled about the ostentatious chamber. Each one resplendent in impractical robes layered with intricate patterns displaying their station and accomplishments to those who could interpret them. Some ambled in a circuit, appreciating the monuments to the city, others gathered in clusters to share whispered conversations. A hushed air of excitement permeated the room. Each of the keepers seemed to be trying to outdo the others in an act of nonchalance. They all knew the truth of their companions anticipation but no one was willing to drop their calm facade. None of them knew why they were gathered but the gravity of the situation was clear.


    A soft tinkling broke the air prompting the keepers to look up from their conversations. A ripple passed through the motes of light and each one chimed softly as it was disturbed. When the ripple passed keepers, they were suddenly blown away in streams of colorful light as if they had been made from vapor all along. The swirling colors intertwined in a prismatic river which wound around the pillars. Trails of light peeled off from the river, coalescing back into human shapes. Once all the keepers had reformed in line with the columns, they knelt as one, prostrating themselves before their god.


    The black disk in the center of the ceiling, the only dark spot in the entire chamber ballooned outwards. When it had swollen to the point where it resembled the bottom half of a sphere it came loose from the ceiling with a crack. A perfect sphere of matte black iron drifted downwards revealing a hole in the ceiling¡¯s center and an abyss beyond. The orb took up nearly all of the space between the columns and came to a rest, hovering just a couple of meters off the marble floor.


    ¡°The human population has exceeded the point of equilibrium.¡± A monotone voice pulsed out from the orb. Speaking quickly and without emotion.


    One of the keepers unraveled again reforming beneath the orb a moment later.


    ¡°The Minister of Balance shall be punished with one year of pain followed by banishment¡±


    The quivering heap of robes under the orb burst into flames. A wretched howling filled the chamber as the robes burned away revealing a thrashing man. The flames put the dim light generated by the floating specks to shame and they seemed to fade in the face of this dancing column of orange which consumed the man.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Mute¡±


    The man continued his convulsions in silence, the flames streaming off of him to caress the base of the orb.


    ¡°A pruning is required. Which of my keepers is willing to serve?¡±


    A pile of green robes, its back emblazoned with the city emblem stitched in golden and purple thread, three long loops of silver chain draped down it¡¯s front and a copper plate hanging from each shoulder rose to the challenge.


    ¡°I will complete this task¡±


    Though the keepers did everything they could to show proper deference, wasting the controllers time was a capital offense. It was best to keep any statements brief.


    ¡°Take the name Richard, perform your duty and the rewards will be great.¡±


    Richard eyed the burning form crying soundlessly underneath his god. Skin blackened, cracked and flaked away, fat seeped from the cracks running into a smoking puddle. Ash surrounded the burning figure, a cloud of it swirling in the air, pulled inwards by the air rushing to feed the flame and swept upwards by the conflagration only to spread outwards again under the iron god. Richard could see new skin and muscle growing, rapidly recovering the damage only to be burned away in turn.


    ¡°Your will be done¡±


    He resumed his supplication before he could make a misstep. The torch which used to be a keeper drifted upwards. A flailing heel caught the floor, crumbling but imparting enough force to send him spinning through the air. The man passed through the orb as if it wasn¡¯t there, somehow remaining in view until the flaming horror spun helplessly above the god, forming a perverse caricature of a crown.


    The god ponderously rose back into its original position following the tortured soul and sealing it in the void outside of the cathedral. A dirty smear on the floor and a haze of ash were all that remained of the man who minutes ago held one of the highest offices in the order of keepers.


    Richard puffed into vapor, logging out of the cathedral. Back in his private space, without any of the distractions of a simulated body, he got to work. He was taking an awful risk, but it was a calculated one. If the punishment for causing this crisis was so terrible. The compensation for resolving it should result in a reward of equal magnitude.


    Now, how could he effectively reduce the population, keep it from growing, and preserve the faith of the masses? Glowing tablets materialized before him, and he began drafting his plan, symbols printing themselves on the tablets at the speed of thought.


    ¡®This is going to be fun¡¯ appeared on one before it was rubbed away, Richard chiding himself for the momentary lapse in concentration.

 7 - Catastrophe

    RAM-6 slid perfectly into its designated Lagrange point. Don spent five minutes monitoring his readouts, making sure the asteroid would stay balanced between the pull of the moon and earth before retracting the anchors. He gave one good push with all twenty drives and the RAM drifted away from the asteroid. A half-dozen pod sized drones pounced on the icy mass, cutting it into manageable pieces. A MULE waited patiently for chunks of ice to ferry down to the surface. The Multi Use Lift Equipment would deposit the ice in a freight elevator which would bring the valuable Hydrogen and Oxygen into the city proper.


    Freshly refueled and satisfied that he had achieved a safe distance from the activity, Don activated the autopilot and the RAM blasted off towards its next rendezvous in the belt. A quick cycle through his flock assured him that the autopilots had everything well in hand and he turned his attention back to RAM-10.


    Sam altered the course Don came up with in his previous shift and managed to shave 13 hours off of the transit time. She even got the rock spinning again. The new course passed closer to earth than Don had allowed for. The trick was in the way she brought drive-14 and it¡¯s partner back into the game, taking it in turns to gently push back against the planet as they spun. The trajectory had a slight wobble as a result but it was stable enough.


    Don shook his head marveling at Sams skills. She really was a cut above. He checked the traffic logs again. Making sure their path to Luna station was still clear. It was starting to get crowded but the RAM wouldn¡¯t come within 500 kilometers of any other crafts. He decided to take Rover out to finish the survey. It would be easier to do once the RAM was docked at the station but he wanted to keep it¡¯s downtime to a minimum.


    An hour later an alert flashed onto his screen. The RAM was about to start its deceleration. Don backed the roving camera away so it wouldn¡¯t get crushed by accident. The drives spooled down and began to reorient. The maneuver struck Donovan as oddly graceful. With a jolt, he realized why. The giant object spinning through the void, drives flaring outwards, was vaguely reminiscent of the golden apparition who came for Mother just two days ago. Everything he had buried under an avalanche of work came rushing back to the surface. He punched at his console and the screen displayed the status list for his flock.


    Several shuddering breaths later, Donovan began to regain control of himself. He couldn''t¡¯ afford to break down while he was on duty. An alarm brought his attention back to the status list. The icon for RAM-10 was flashing and he brought up the detailed view. Half of the structural alarms were in the red and the others were quickly deteriorating. A chill stole over Don and he flipped back to Rover¡¯s feed. Don¡¯s bladder let go.


    Five of the drives had activated, blasting at full acceleration when they were only halfway through their reorientation. The asteroid was cut nearly in half. It wasn¡¯t a neat break and the RAM was pulled apart by its anchors embedded in the rapidly separating icebergs.


    To his credit, Donovan only froze for a moment before springing into action. The ice was spreading out due to the spin it maintained before the split. The five drives were clustered on the same side of the RAM and thrust the ice in the direction of Don¡¯s home before the payload crumbled.


    Don shut them back off before they could shred the massive ice block any further. In the next moment, he activated the private emergency channel.


    ¡°Sam I need you!¡± He yelled.


    It would take a minute for her to get online and Don checked the RAM to see if anything was functioning. One of the reactors had been torn completely free and was unresponsive. The other was in the center of the growing icefield with about a quarter of the ring and only three functioning drives remaining. He wouldn¡¯t get much use out of them. In the next moment, a plume of radioactive steam blasted out of the reactor. He would need to find another solution.


    He remembered RAM-6. It had already gotten pretty far away from earth but it was the closest equipment he had and without any freight, it could get to the scene faster than anything else he had access to. He just finished cutting the drives, stopping the RAM¡¯s headlong sprint to the belt and was about to flip it and send it back towards earth when Sam¡¯s face popped onto Don¡¯s screen.


    ¡°What the hell happened?¡± Her pupils were dilated from the stimulants administered by the emergency protocol. Wide and arched eyebrows betraying her panic.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Don shouted back. It was the first time it occurred to him to wonder what had happened. An icy hand squeezed his heart as he realized he could have activated the drives in his haste to escape the reminder of his mother. Now wasn¡¯t the time to worry about that. He had to try and stop these rocks from causing too much damage. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Surface impacts weren¡¯t that big a deal but some of the pieces spinning towards the ground were massive enough to cause serious earthquakes.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got to do something about the pieces. A lot of them are headed for the planet. Bring RAM-6 around. I¡¯ll get the word out and see if anyone else can help.¡±


    Don immediately surrendered control of RAM-6 to SAM. The last few days proved that she was the superior navigator and they needed that RAM here as fast as possible. Sam removed the limiters and redlined the drives, blasting the rig towards earth. The RAM was still moving away but it was slowing rapidly and would soon be headed back in the right direction.


    Don got on the radio and started broadcasting a mayday signal, petitioning craft in the area for help and submitting the trajectories of the pieces into the traffic log. He was hailed by a few small craft in the area but there wasn¡¯t anything that could match the size and power of a RAM.


    ¡°What the hell did you do?¡± someone demanded.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have any ideas on how to stop this ice stay the hell off my frequency¡± Don snapped back.


    Blessedly, one MULE submitted a plan to get to the site in time to push one of the medium-sized chunks out of the way of the planet. It wouldn¡¯t save the day but Don took a second to thank the MULE¡¯s operator. More ships followed suit. Cutters submitted a plan to cut another piece and separate it enough to mitigate the worst of its impact. They would sacrifice their crafts, riding the ice down past the point where they will be able to escape the gravity well.


    It was way too little. Hours remained before the ice would reach the planet but with earth¡¯s low number of crafts and the vast distances they were scattered through, too few could arrive in time to help.


    Three pieces tumbling towards the earth were far too large for the smaller craft to handle.


    ¡°How¡¯s it coming Sam?¡± Don asked.


    ¡°Pretty fucking shitty Don.¡± She snapped back. ¡°I¡¯m coming in fast but I don¡¯t see any way to handle all those separate pieces even with a RAM.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea.¡± Don replied ¡°get to this piece and anchor it if you can¡± Don highlighted the smallest of the three large pieces.


    ¡°We should stop that big fucker if we''re going to take the time to anchor anything¡± Sam objected.


    Don responded by sharing the simulation he threw together while calling for aid.


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy¡± she responded. More importantly, she shifted her flight path to match up with Don¡¯s plan. Don submitted their flight path to the traffic logs and sat back. There was nothing left to do now except watch. He nervously flipped through his list of rams, confirming they were too far away to be of use.


    With only two hours left until the shards would start impacting the planet, Sam jockeyed into position around one of the remaining large chunks of ice, matched it¡¯s rotation and completed a rushed anchor-job. They didn¡¯t have to secure this piece nearly as well as normal due to its size. Sam reoriented the drives and cranked them up, stopping the wild spinning of the ice. Next, she shuttled it as fast as she could in a trajectory that would intersect with another of the large pieces. Two-thirds of the way there Sam released the chunk she was ferrying and blasted the rig off in pursuit of the remaining piece.


    Don watched as the ice Sam released pulverized its target. Both splitting into much smaller shards which would pose a greatly reduced threat to the underground communities.


    Now with only an hour left until impact, Sam reached the largest of the ice chunks. Once her RAM matched the tumbling of the meteor she wasted no time in activating the laser drills at full power. Don was thankful for once at the unreasonable power of the drills used to bore out deep wells for the anchors. Steam blasted out from the focus points, leaving a cloud of snow in the meteor''s wake. In moments the stress was too much and the large meteor split in half. Don took control of the drills, keeping them focused on the piece which was falling away as long as he could, melting it down. It made very little difference. The drills were designed for close-in work and lost their effectiveness as their target drifted away.


    Anchoring to the remaining piece. Sam activated the drives at full thrust. It was too late to push it out of the way of the planet and even without the meteor, the RAM wasn¡¯t designed to enter a planet¡¯s gravity well. All they could do now was try and slow it down before the impact.


    Don was hunched forward. He hadn¡¯t blinked in what felt like hours. There was nothing else he could do, so he watched as his little armageddon rained down on the planet. He drank in the continental plateaus and great salt-lined basins which were about to be changed forever. Scarred by his momentary lapse.


    Minutes before impact, he was suddenly seized from behind. Cold metal clamps closed around his shoulders and a metal cap was slammed down over his head blocking his vision. He was dazed but quickly came back to full alertness as screws dug into his skull. Screaming and trying to reach his head, Donovan was uploaded.


    ¡°Zrrt-¡±


    His body fell limp.

 8 - Sentencing

    The entire world was made of blinding, searing, unrelenting light. Don tried to close his eyes only to realize he didn¡¯t have any. He tried to scream but had no voice. All he could do was burn until other sensations began to emerge. Starting with his feet, cool sweet relief swept upwards. Pins and needles announced the return of his calves, soon followed by the rest of his legs. The ripple continued returning his body to him an inch at a time. His eyes returned in time to see the glowing stumps of his arms grow into functioning limbs.


    He collapsed, only to stop a moment later with a wrenching jerk, swinging from the chains attached to his wrists. He tried to get his feet back under him but they were numb and clumsy. A whimper escaped his parched throat.


    ¡°Wha-¡±


    Light flashed to his left. Donovan flinched, worried that his ordeal was about to restart. When nothing hurt and he realized the light had a source he relaxed enough to be curious. Looking over, he saw a column of light sprouting from the ground.


    What was that on the ground? Don had never seen anything like it. It was loose. It shifted like water but didn¡¯t flow. Don pushed some of it with his foot and the mound of white stuff settled a bit, loose granules cascading down the miniature slope before stabilizing. The bottom of the column lifted to reveal feet. Slowly, Sam emerged.


    She wasn¡¯t the Sam he remembered. This one was wrapped in white cloth rather than their clan¡¯s customary jumpsuit. As her mouth appeared, a scream split the air. Don wanted to comfort her, to help her, to let her know the pain would end. He lunged towards her only managing to pile the white stuff up behind himself as the shackles held him in place.


    ¡°Sam¡± He croaked


    She turned her newly formed head towards him. Tears wet her face. Sam, who had always been confident and cool. She was terrified.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± she asked.


    Don didn¡¯t have an answer for her. His jaw turned to stone and his tongue seemed to weigh a thousand tons. The realization slammed into him. He did this to her. This was his fault.


    ¡°Shepards,¡± a booming voice proclaimed ¡°You have failed in your duty, bringing calamity upon our city.¡±


    Don finally thought to look up. He was in a vast ring of the white substance. Tan walls crowned by iron spikes rose imposingly at its border. Beyond the wall, hundreds of people in robes similar to his were glaring down at him from terraced benches. Directly in front of Don, a single man sat on a raised platform. The platform bore the city emblem. Most importantly, Don knew that voice and he knew it wasn¡¯t going to have good news.


    ¡°It was agreed that the usual punishment is not sufficient due to the breadth of your transgressions. Death is too easy, too final for you two.¡±


    Don looked at Sam. She was shaking, tears darkening the soft ground beneath her. He couldn¡¯t let her be punished with him.


    ¡°I did it!¡± he exclaimed ¡°I broke the asteroid. Punish me but let Sam go¡±


    The figure paused. Seemingly shocked that someone would dare interrupt him. He leaned forward to inspect Don as if seeing him for the first time.


    ¡°We do not make mistakes young citizen¡± He sneered at the last word. ¡°Your partner submitted the navigation plan and you caused the catastrophic mechanical failure. You are both at fault and your input is not required here, mute¡±


    Donovan opened his mouth to object again but no sound came. He shouted harder and though he could feel his throat tear with the attempt, there was still no sound. His sentencing continued as if Don wasn¡¯t there.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°For the unprecedented crime of causing the evacuation of 237 citizens who had yet to complete their service, an unprecedented punishment is required. You will live forever in Arcadia¡±


    Don¡¯s attempts to shout down his accuser fell short as his mouth hung agape. That wasn¡¯t a punishment. That was the dream of all citizens. An image of his mother flashed in front of his eyes. Was he going to get to see her again so soon?


    ¡°You will be hated and hunted by all who call that land home. You will serve as a lasting example of what happens to those who are careless in their duties. You will be known for your transgressions by your monstrous visage.¡±


    He raised a finger, pointing it at Don. A beam of crimson light pierced Don through the heart. A heat spread outwards from the point of impact and soon he was engulfed in red flames. The flames didn¡¯t hurt like Don expected. They were warm and somehow soft. They seeped into his skin turning it red. His fingernails blackened and grew harder. With a mild discomfort, two small horns pushed up from just above his temples. The horns were little more than nubs of bone but they were distinct. As the flames seeped in the changes affected more than just his skin. His muscles swelled a fraction, stretching his red skin as his bones grew in density. His white robe burned away leaving a dirty loincloth.


    A second flash of red drew Don¡¯s attention to Sam. Her transformation was similar but Instead of growing from her head, nubs protruded from her shoulder-blades and she shrank slightly. Her nails grew to sharp points and her robes burned into a skimpy set of black straps which barely covered her.


    ¡°You will be sent to a village in the unclaimed lands. There, you will be at the mercy of those whose future you stole.¡±


    Dismissing the two Shepherds he turned to the glowering crowds. Many of them were shouting down into the arena, calling out curses, threats, and promises in equal measure.


    ¡°As for you, the poor victims of these demons. I am sorry to say that without completing your service, ascension into your ancestral homes is forbidden.¡±


    Some of the crowd faltered at that but others grew even more incensed.


    ¡°I had thirteen minutes left you little twats!¡± Broke through the general rabble.


    The keeper continued speaking, his voice carrying over even the loudest of the victims.


    ¡°There is a contingency, however. You will be allowed into Arcadia in weak bodies with none of the advantages you can buy with years of service. These bodies are not immortal but your soul will be. You can choose to be reborn as many times as you wish and your bodies will have the ability to grow in strength. You will find Arcadia to be full of dangers as well as wonders. You will be sent to a town filled with Arcadian locals. They will know the lands and guide you in your progress. Heed their advice well and in time you can come to live as your ancestors do. This is all the city can offer. I am sorry¡±


    It did seem like the keeper was genuinely empathetic.


    ¡°Good luck¡± he said, making a sweeping gesture. The crowd unraveled, becoming ribbons of white light which were sucked into the city emblem. He turned back to the prisoners chained in the center of the arena.


    ¡°I will not let your transition be so easy.¡±


    He pointed his finger at Donovan once again.


    ¡°Holy bolt!¡±


    This time the light struck Donovan in the head, caving it in and killing him instantly.


    System message:


    You have died.


    Respawn locked


    Respawning in 5...


    Don felt strange. Well as someone who had just been killed it was strange that he felt at all.


    Respawning in 4¡­


    What was this weird message?


    Respawning in 3¡­


    What¡¯s a respawn?


    Respawning in 2¡­


    Whatever, I''m dead now so it probably doesn¡¯t matter.


    Respawning in 1¡­


    Donovan woke up on his back. Rain fell from a grey sky, softly impacting his exposed skin and splashing into puddles all around him. He hardly had time to be surprised before someone shouted.


    ¡°There he is!¡±


    Feet began raining down along with the water, and they weren¡¯t nearly as soft.

 9 - Retribution

    Boots hammered down on and around Donovan, churning the wet dirt into mud in short order. Two of them slammed down on his stomach knocking the air out of him in an explosion of pain. The fingers of his left hand were crushed in the next second but he managed to get his arms over his head as he curled up trying to shield himself the only way he could. One boot found a kidney while another stomped on his knee. There was no reprieve, the aching in his back matched with the burning in his lungs.


    A terrifying howl filled the air. It was the unnatural scream of a mob, hundreds of voices transformed into a roiling wave of hatred.


    ¡°You killed us¡± A woman shrieked.


    ¡°Sixty years!¡± rang out from over Don before a particularly heavy boot slammed into his head tearing an ear. The mob was replaced by ringing as one ear bled and the other was forced deep into the thickening mud. Another kick in his shoulder knocked him free in time to hear.


    ¡°-my children you demon!¡±


    The kicks finally, abruptly ceased. They kept falling but Don no longer felt them. With a gasp, he began to breathe again and found that his cracked ribs seemed fine.


    System message:


    You have died.


    Respawn locked


    Respawning in 5¡­


    ¡°No¡±


    His body dissipated into glowing motes of crimson. The people nearest to Don stepped back, unsure of what to make of that newest development.


    Respawning in 4¡­


    ¡°Fucking¡±


    The ring of confusion expanded as the people rushing forward to get revenge suddenly backpedaled.


    Respawning in 3¡­


    ¡°Way¡±


    The crimson motes streaked off like comets to land in another part of the town. Those in the mob who were unsure howled with fresh rage as their prey escaped.


    Respawning in 2¡­


    Donovan gritted his teeth. The motes came together rebuilding him from the feet up.


    Respawning in 1¡­


    He finally understood his punishment as he woke up again. He looked around from his back. The rain no longer fell on his face. He was in some sort of cave. He laid on a cold hard surface and light filtered in from a crack in the wall. Don scrambled to his feet, afraid of being caught on the ground again. He promptly fell on his face. His body was larger than he was used to.


    More carefully this time, he pushed himself into a kneeling position before standing upright. He cracked his head on the ceiling. It seemed that his head was a bit harder than it used to be because that didn¡¯t hurt as much as it should have. Stooping now, Donovan made his way to the crack of light, holding a hand out wardingly to make sure he didn¡¯t run into anything else. When he came to the chink in the wall he found it to be the center of a pair of double doors. He peered through.


    Outside was a wet field. Polished stones stood in neat rows and most importantly, there wasn¡¯t anyone in sight. He pushed one of the doors open, wincing at the shriek of rusty metal. Hoping that no one had heard, he dashed across the field. Still clumsy, he slowed his pace after nearly slipping and falling headfirst into one of the stones. The stone seemed to be marked but Don wasn¡¯t interested in stopping to read anything right now.


    Now outside of the crypt, Donovan could hear the not so distant howl of a predator who had been robbed. Naturally, he didn¡¯t want anything to do with them right now. Don turned and slipped as fast as he could in the other direction. There was a large building the same grey as the stones in the ground. It looked strong with sturdy doors but Don didn¡¯t fancy his chances at hiding from so many people. He had to get as far away as possible. Then-. He would deal with whatever else happened when it came but first he had to get away. Don tumbled over a low wall intending to run right past the large building when his legs gave out.


    He was suddenly weak and smoke rose from his stinging skin. Was this part of his punishment? He kept dragging himself away from the mob. They were growing louder and he found another reserve of strength.


    ¡°Why is a demon trying so hard to get into my sanctuary? ¡° asked a curious voice.


    An elderly man, older than anyone Don had ever seen stood at the steps of the large building eyeing him suspiciously. Don met his eyes and looked back towards the approaching sounds in panic.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°Ohh, I see. You must be the cause of all this commotion. Now, let¡¯s have a look at you. Hand of God¡±


    A giant disembodied palm slammed into Don. Translucent fingers wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his sides. He was lifted off the ground and pulled in front of the elder who fixed him with eyes the color of cold steel.


    ¡°Level 1 and already up to no good? You demons really do try hard to uphold your reputation don¡¯t you¡±


    A waterfall of a beard cascaded down the front of his simple brown robes. The foam-white beard ran up the sides of his chin and wrapped around the back of his head marking the edges of a prodigious bald spot. Ruddy cheeks and an overlarge nose dominated his face. His mouth was barely visible through a part in his mustache. One palm thrust skyward, folds of his robe falling back to reveal a surprisingly muscled arm.


    ¡°Guiding Beacon¡±


    An orb of golden light flew from his hand whistling into the sky. It grew as it rose and left a tether of light trailing behind it. It stopped a hundred feet up, clearly marking Donovan¡¯s location.


    ¡°Time to see what has everyone so upset.¡±


    The sides of his mustache hitched up and his cheeks bulged out. The elder strode confidently to the wall. Don drifted along in front of him, helpless. Recovering from his surprise, Don began trying to wriggle free. The fingers didn¡¯t budge and the stinging was becoming worse.


    ¡°You have to let me go!¡± Don explained, ¡°they¡¯re going to kill me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t take orders from demons. As far as that mob you made goes, maybe they¡¯ll kill you and maybe they won¡¯t. I¡¯ll want to hear what you did to them before I decide if I¡¯ll let them.¡±


    Don¡¯s chest caved in as he remembered. The panic and the pain had driven it from his mind but it all came rushing back in this lull when he couldn¡¯t run. He killed all those people. The stinging faded as he was carried out of the churchyard but Don barely noticed. He turned, numb, to watch the first of the angry faces cresting the hill. The shouting intensified as they stampeded up the lane. The mob seemed unstoppable.


    ¡°Barrier¡±


    They stopped. The first rank of Don¡¯s victims slammed against an invisible wall. They fell back only to be rammed forwards again by their compatriots. The yelling took on a whole new tone as the ones who had just led the charge were crushed by those who hadn¡¯t recognized the obstacle yet. The mob slowly ground to a halt as confusion took the place of anger.


    ¡°Voice of God¡± The elder finished his incantation at a volume which shook the stones of the low wall behind him.


    ¡°I will NOT have a mindless rabble tearing my town apart!¡± he barked. ¡°If you will not behave in a civilized manner I will personally escort you out of town.¡±


    To add emphasis to his claim the translucent hand keeping Don off the ground tossed him at least twenty feet in the air. Don pinwheeled his arms trying to keep track of the ground. It didn¡¯t matter, the hand caught him deftly before he could land, locking his arms into new immovable positions.


    ¡°This Demon seems to have wronged you. Lay forth your grievances so I may judge them.¡±


    His newest statement reignited the mob. Once given license to vent their fury by the man with this inexplicable power they didn¡¯t hold anything back. Donovan listened to their accusations and found himself agreeing with them. He hung his head, every word cutting him to his core in the way only truths can. This was worse than the beating he had just endured.


    The elder combed his beard with his fingers listening intently. His face grew more serious as the accusations mounted. After a minute he interrupted the flow of vitriol.


    ¡°Do you mean to tell me that this demon killed you and in doing so transported you from another realm to Arcadia?¡±


    ¡°He just as good as!¡± a lone grieving voice called ¡°He smashed our homes leaving us no choice but to evacuate here!¡±


    ¡°I find it hard to believe that such a weak demon could do so much damage but there is no reasonable explanation for how so many fully grown new-b¡¯s appeared at once. I won¡¯t stand in the way of your vengeance but I will NOT tolerate mobs in my town.¡±


    With that, the elder threw Don to the ground at his victims'' feet. Two of the largest men at the front descended on him. They took his arms and hauled on them, bringing Don up to his knees. He didn¡¯t fight them. He looked up at the crowd assembled before him, tears masked by the rain. Someone stepped forward.


    ¡°I¡¯m sor-¡±


    A fist slammed into his open mouth.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it¡± was screamed into his face before another fist hit him, knocking his nose to the side in a spray of blood. Don tried to apologize again but had no more success. His broken nose making any attempt to speak sound like a pained groan. After a few more hits the figure stepped aside shaking its hand. Another one stepped forward and really leaned into its first punch. This one caught Don in the jaw, breaking it cleanly and making it even less likely he could be understood. After the fifth person in line stepped forward. He resigned himself to this grisly parade. After the eighth, he died again.


    Don respawned in the same cave he had appeared in before. This time, however, the crowd of victims could clearly see where the red motes went and were waiting for him at the entrance. The two strong men hauled him outside into the rain and the beating continued. Some of his victims brought sticks, some held stones, but the vast majority were content to pummel him with their bare hands. later in the day, after Don lost count of the number of times he had died one brought a knife. Digging it deeply into Don and introducing him to a new kind of pain. He didn¡¯t fight them. He knew he couldn¡¯t and more than that he knew he shouldn¡¯t. He looked each one in the eyes as well as he could, committing their faces to memory and accepting their hate. He wronged these people and it was only right for them to have their revenge. As the grey sky blackened and the already dim light leached from the graveyard the elder finally came back out from his church.


    Foregoing any displays, he marched straight up to the two holding Don in place. A fresh pair, the original two had tired out long ago.


    ¡°That is quite enough for one day,¡± he said ¡°The demon will keep until the morning but you won¡¯t if you don¡¯t find someplace to rest. If you need to do some forgetting you can get some decent mead at Sue¡¯s Place. She¡¯ll be glad for the customers so long as you have the coin.¡±


    Grumbling, the people who had waited hours to hurt Don turned away. Word about the elder¡¯s display spread fast and no one wanted to anger someone who stopped an entire mob single-handedly.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably best to keep that thing in its spawn point for now.¡± the elder pointed at Don


    The two brutes holding Don¡¯s arms nodded. They weren¡¯t dressed in the same white robes as the rest of the victims. They wore cloth jerkins under chain shirts. Round shields hung from slings on their backs. A leather skirt protected their thighs, leaving the knees exposed before leather boots covered the rest of their legs. A spear and sturdy leather cap completed the uniform of the town¡¯s guard.


    They tossed him unceremoniously onto the stone floor of the crypt and slammed the doors shut behind him. The rattling of a chain was followed by the click of a lock. Don was alone again. He lay in a crumpled heap, despondent. Unable to process the events of the day. A flickering orange light swept across the floor from the crack in the wall, evidence of the guards patrolling outside Donovan¡¯s makeshift prison.

 10 - Family

    Cold, lonely hours passed. Don shivered on the floor as he recovered from his latest beating in a puddle seeping in from under the doors. Once he numbed enough to ignore the worst of his injuries, he passed into a fitful sleep. He dreamt of a brown, dry plain of rocks and cracked earth. His mother was there.


    ¡°You were supposed to uphold the clan¡¯s honor.¡± she shouted. Her golden dress flapped wildly in a strong wind which threatened to steal the words and carry them away. ¡°I left my work to you and you destroyed everything in less than a week.¡±


    ¡°Mother! I¡¯m so sorry¡± Donovan replied, but the wind kicked up and there was no sign his mother heard him.


    ¡°You will never join me in our ancestral home. You created this wasteland, now you have to live in it.¡±


    ¡°How can I make this right? What can I do? They hurt me.¡± He was crying again ¡°They hurt me so much and I don¡¯t know what to do.¡± She snorted at his sincerity.


    ¡°You killed those people. You can¡¯t make it right because there''s nowhere for them to go back to. You cracked their homes, let out their atmosphere, crushed their workstations. You cursed them with this half-death and now you will be whatever they want you to be.¡±


    ¡°They only want to kill me. They already did it so many times but I won¡¯t stay dead! There has to be something else I can do!¡± he pleaded, certain that his life couldn¡¯t be just an endless cycle of beatings, there had to be something more he could do. Something that wasn¡¯t so pointless, or painful.


    ¡°This is the result of your negligence. The city will not let such a huge mistake go unpunished and the people need someone to hate. That person is you. This is your job now. Can you do this one without screwing everything up again?¡± Her words struck Don like a whip.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that. I¡¯ll find something better. I¡¯ll-¡± He was cut off by a blinding flash in the distance. He cringed down shielding his eyes. A few seconds later, blinking the residual impression out of his eyes, he saw the shockwave. A huge wall of air, visible from the rocks and dust pulverized and tossed by it¡¯s passing rushed towards him. It was eerily silent. It looked almost slow, then it got closer.


    ¡°You ruined our clan and the city. It¡¯s time for you to live with the consequences¡± His mother said before they were both swallowed by the shockwave.


    Don woke with a start. He was back in his crypt. Adrenaline coursed through his veins and he knew he couldn¡¯t get back to sleep even if he wanted to risk it. He sat up and tried to find a relatively dry spot. As he neared the doors he heard whispering. It was the kind of loud whispering someone uses when they are too excited or offended to be quiet but still want to make a token effort at secrecy.


    ¡°We could get drawn and quartered for that. You want me to abandon a direct order for such a pittance?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so dramatic, it comes back here every time it dies. This is free coin. We don¡¯t have to do anything. These newcomers don¡¯t know what gold is worth, lets milk them for all we can before they wise up.¡±


    ¡°I ¡­ don¡¯t know, It¡¯s not a good idea to cross the Pere ... But I have been needing a new pair of boots and the garrison won¡¯t give me a new set until these ones rot off my feet. Okay, but let¡¯s try and make this worth it.¡±


    The feet belonging to the two voices tramped away. Shortly after, blustering, raised voices could be heard but Don couldn¡¯t make out what was being said. The feet tramped back and were accompanied by an odd creaking. They rattled at the chain to his doors and Don scrambled back. He had a feeling they wouldn¡¯t like it if they knew Don had been eavesdropping. The doors squealed as always when they were opened and the silhouette of a guard with his spear leveled into the darkness stepped into view.


    ¡°You¡¯re going on a little trip imp, and you¡¯re going to go real quiet like. If you make any noise I¡¯ll just gut you with this pointy stick here and tell the Pere you were trying to escape.¡±


    Don nodded to show he understood and stood slowly, trying to look as non-escapey as possible. The guard backed away and let Don outside. It had stopped raining but the sky was still overcast. The only light came from the lantern held by the other guard, the one not pointing a spear at Don.


    ¡°Kneel and put your hands behind your back.¡± The guard with the spear instructed.


    Don was all too happy to comply. This was way better than the beatings and he didn¡¯t want to learn what it felt like to be stabbed by that spear. Once he was on his knees, the other guard, the one with the lantern, circled around behind Don. Deepening shadows on the spear-guards face and a clink told Don the lantern was set down. His hands were grappled roughly and pulled together. Scratchy cord was wound around his arms, pinning his wrists together. The same was done to his ankles.


    The spear guard finally relaxed, his shoulders dropping as his spear-tip rose ¡°Okay, you can take him now¡±


    Figures Don hadn¡¯t noticed until now stepped forward. They wore hooded black cloaks which effectively hid them until they stepped into the lantern light.


    ¡°Took you long enough¡± the largest of the hooded figures said. He pulled two fat golden coins out of thin air and tossed one to each guard. Spear guard caught his nimbly but a curse and a splash told Don that lantern guard wasn¡¯t as successful.


    ¡°Dammit, you don¡¯t just throw gold around like that you new-b¡±


    ¡°Whatever. We''re done here¡± The big guy motioned and a few of his hooded friends came forward and lifted Don up, carrying him away.


    ¡°Just remember to keep him out of sight and kill him before dawn or we¡¯ll let the Pere think you helped to bust him out.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Don thought ¡°maybe I should let spear guard stab me now¡±


    His hooded transportation carried him over to a worn out looking wagon topped with a wooden box. They dropped him, more forcefully than was required into the box and shut its lid.


    ¡°Quiet¡± Hissed one of the guards. ¡°Remember to take the east gate. If Frank¡¯s awake, tell him Henry sent you and give him a gold coin. He¡¯ll let you through without questions.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve told us three times now, said one of the hoodies, East gate, Find Frank, Gold coin. Got it.¡±


    With a lurch and a creak, Don began to move. It was uncomfortable and dark in the coffin but Don found that preferable to being in the open where people could find and hit him. That was his thought process until the wagon started downhill and Don slid up the coffin getting his head wedged into a corner.


    ¡°Quiet down Shepard¡± sneered a voice from outside the coffin ¡°We just paid good coin to get you to ourselves for the night. We¡¯re not going to let some local just send us off to bed without teaching you a few lessons first.¡±


    ¡°Shut it¡± Growled a deeper voice ¡°Do you want the whole town to know what we¡¯re doing? You can taunt him all night if we manage to get him out.¡± The creaking wheels and the huffing of the people pulling him through the muddy streets were the only noises for a time. Occasionally light shone in from the boundaries of the coffin lid as they passed a rare source of illumination. During one of these times, the cart came to a stop.


    ¡°Where are you suspicious folk off to with a coffin at this time-o-night?¡±


    ¡°Are you Frank¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it to ya?


    ¡°If you¡¯re Frank I¡¯d be willing to trade a gold coin for your curiosity to stop.¡±


    ¡°A gold coin?¡± Frank snorted ¡°like new-b¡¯s like you would have a silver between the lot of you. I don¡¯t care what you¡¯re up to but¡­¡± Frank trailed off ¡°Well sirs, have a pleasant stroll.¡±


    The creaking resumed as Don was pulled out of the town. The road became much rougher outside of the town and Don was tossed around the coffin as the wagon rolled over increasingly unstable ground. After what felt like hours the wagon came to a halt. Don¡¯s coffin was rolled off the side of the wagon. He rolled with it and landed hard on his side.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get started¡± The lid of the coffin had come off during the fall and Don looked up at his victims. They stood on the side of a hill, the glow from the town peeking over it provided just enough illumination to see their outlines. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°I¡¯m Don,¡± He said ¡°I¡¯m also sorry and I won¡¯t stop you from doing what you¡¯re about to but-¡± He was cut off when a boot slammed into his stomach. Don curled in on himself instinctively.


    ¡°Hello Don¡± The largest of the figures stooped down, getting close and speaking softly. ¡°I¡¯m Grant and this is my family. You killed us yesterday. Tonight we¡¯re going to make you pay, at least a little.¡± He held his hand out and a knife was placed in it. Don¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Oh, so you know what this is?¡± he asked waving the metal spike in Don¡¯s face, light sliding off its edge like ice ¡°That¡¯s not too surprising with all the people clamoring to get a few licks in yesterday. We took one look at that line and decided to find a better way. We took the time to learn a little bit about this world. You see there¡¯s a lot that¡¯s different. For one thing, any citizens you killed were paid for their service¡± He proffered his other hand and a few round discs of metal materialized. ¡°It¡¯s not much compared to the promised afterlife.¡± He ran the knife across Don¡¯s chest drawing a line of fire where it touched. Acrid smoke rose from the wound and Don screamed. ¡°We can use these to get all sorts of items and information. Inspect. Hmm, You¡¯re weaker than you look.¡± He drew the knife across Don¡¯s bicep, adding a new burning sensation to the last one. Another puff of smoke rose into the air with Don¡¯s scream. Next he stabbed Don in the leg, right above the knee. The other wounds were painful but Don could tell right away that this one was crippling. ¡°You took away much more than just our lives Don, you took away our dreams, our future, my daughters future¡± He pointed the knife over his shoulder at the shortest in their group. She was standing at the back and seemed afraid, looking from side to side with quick jerky movements. Grant got Don¡¯s attention back by slashing another burning cut across Don¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Inspect. Okay, That is all he can take. Any more and he will go back to that crypt.¡± He held out his hand again. This time a small vial was placed in it. Grant took Don¡¯s head, forcing it back and poured the red contents of the vial into his mouth. He held Don¡¯s mouth shut and holding his nose. Don was forced to swallow but a good amount went down the wrong tube causing him to sputter and cough. The discomfort wasn¡¯t enough to distract him from the fact that his wounds closed. The burning stopped and he felt fine except for the fluid stuck in his lungs. A new figure stepped forward holding the knife. He wasted no time in burying the knife in Don¡¯s gut. He pulled it out and plunged it in again, twisting it. ¡°That¡¯s for my sister¡± he hissed into Don¡¯s ear before he was roughly pulled away, slashing the dagger at the same time. Grant pushed this smaller one away, taking the knife from him. The pain was excruciating but this time the burning was accompanied by a spreading warmth. He was bleeding from the jagged hole in his stomach. Grant forced another potion down Don¡¯s throat before he could bleed out but the bleeding continued.


    ¡°Damnit Jack, we only have so many of these potions. What if he doesn¡¯t stop bleeding? Honey, quickly¡± Grant held the knife out to the figure who must have been his wife. She gave two shallow cuts across Don¡¯s chest. This time they didn¡¯t burn but the pain was still more than Don had ever endured before yesterday.


    ¡°Inspect¡± Grant said again. He looked tired for someone who hadn¡¯t done much ¡°He¡¯s good for another two hits¡± His wife stabbed Don in each leg for good measure before Grant gave Don another potion.


    ¡°Grace, It¡¯s your turn¡± Grant took the knife and proffered it to his daughter. Her hood slipped as she stumbled back. Her eyes were full of shock. She clearly had gone as far as she wanted to and Grant didn¡¯t press the matter. He turned to his son who eagerly took the knife. Grant held onto it for a second ¡°Don¡¯t kill him yet¡± he warned.


    Jack jumped towards Don without replying and slashed at Don twice before Grant pulled him away again. ¡°Inspect¡± he said and took the knife back from his son. He turned back to Don.


    ¡°This was lesson one¡± There are plenty of ways to inflict pain in this world. We could only afford one and it looked like the special effect wore off pretty quickly. You are going to experience horrors here. That brings us to lesson two¡± He kicked Don over so he looked in the other direction. In the darkness, shining eyes peered out at the small group.


    ¡°There are monsters in this world other than just you. I hear they eat people, slowly¡± He drew out the last word ¡°Were going to leave you with them tonight.¡± The boot lifted from his shoulder and Don heard the creaking of the wagon and the tramping of feet fade into the distance.


    Everything had been quiet for minutes. Don didn¡¯t take his eyes from the glowing orbs slowly inching closer.


    ¡°Stay away!¡± he shouted at them straining against his bonds. Apparently, that made him look helpless enough for his stalkers. They pounced on him. Tiny hands pulling at his feet dragged him away. The soft vegetation under Don soon gave way to stones and scratching branches. This was nothing compared to the beating he had taken during the day but the pure horror of being dragged foot-first through the dark, expecting to be eaten by little monsters had his imagination working overtime. The gibbering squeaks must have been an argument on who got to eat which parts. Every pattering step in the darkness, another phantom tormentor. He was pulled for most of the night. He had become a messy conglomeration of mud and leaves. The covering worked to soften the bumps and smooth his passage a bit more than when he started. A dim light began to illuminate his surroundings. The sun was rising but the dense canopy blocked out most of the weak, early morning light. It was enough for him to get a look at his tormentors for the first time.


    His first impression was that their heads were way too large and way too triangular. Their heads were mostly flattened on top and tapered down into their torso. His second impression was that their bodies were way too small. He couldn¡¯t get any details but he thought he¡¯d be able to get free if only he wasn¡¯t tied up. He got a small bit of happiness thinking about the guard who would have a hard time explaining why Don was missing to all the people who wanted to beat him to death today. It was short lived and ended when he got to the monster¡¯s obvious destination.


    A hole in the darkness opened up before Don and he was pulled down into the monster''s lair. He rolled most of the way down a steep ramp of loose rock and dirt, coming to a rest on a stone floor. He was surprised to find light in the cave, and dozens of squat, ugly people looking at him. The heads weren¡¯t triangular, their disproportionate ears gave him that impression in the darkness. Their olive-green mottled skin which made them hard to make out in the low light of the forest was visible wherever they weren¡¯t caked in mud. Their squat form and stubby legs and arms ending in three clawed fingers confirmed Don¡¯s impression that they were weak, but Don was still tied, and on the ground, and there were easily over twenty of the things. One of the monsters who dragged him through the woods stood on Don. One foot on his head and another on his back. He started gibbering and squeaking impressively and the other monsters got very excited jumping around and a couple descended into rolling, scratching and biting quarrels when they bumped into each other. The others swarmed Don, lifted him up and carried him deeper into the cave.


    Don couldn¡¯t see much as he was still face-down but he could tell the source of light was getting closer, or more to the point he was being brought to it. The orange dancing light gave Don his first close-up look at his captors. They had bulging yellow eyes with slit pupils and long noses, each broken into a unique shape. Their mouths were full of disorganized teeth ranging from yellow to black. A few were even fuzzy and green. They smelled of wet earth and crushed leaves, probably because they were all smeared with them like Don was at this point. They tossed him to the ground a little too close to a popping fire. He looked up, half expecting to see a giant iron cauldron prepared for him but what he saw made his mouth water. He wiped the drool from his chin as his stomach made its dissatisfaction known. He hadn¡¯t eaten for a day and a night and the aroma coming off of the roasting rabbits was too much to bear. Don looked around and saw a similar expression on many of the monsters faces.


    Three sharp cracks split the air and three of the monsters fell back holding their hands. They were reaching for some of the tender morsels when a clearly old monster swatted them away with a large wooden spoon. It was notably clean of grime but had leaves draped around itself in an approximation of clothes. Where it wasn¡¯t covered the olive skin was mottled with grey rather than the forest-green he saw in the others. It¡¯s back was bent and it used the spoon to support itself. It screeched at the crowd of excited monsters then called over its shoulder. A normal looking monster jogged up to her. She gibbered a short command and the little monster ran up to Don.


    ¡°You speak humie?¡± it asked


    ¡°What¡± Don responded


    ¡°Me speak humie, this grey¡± it said puffing out its chest and pointing to the old monster ¡°Me is Kat¡± it explained pointing at itself before pointing to Don ¡°You is?¡±


    ¡°Umm,¡± don started, not sure he believed this turn of events ¡°I¡¯m Don¡± his stomach chose that time to grumble loudly. Grey gave Don a glance before going back to guarding the dinner.


    ¡°Gat say he save you from bad humies.¡± Kat said expectantly.


    ¡°Uh, he did, I guess, sorta.¡± Don admitted, squirming to try and face Kat more directly. Kat translated this into gibbering and the crowd of monsters started excitedly running around and fighting each other again.


    ¡°Why humies hurt you?¡± Kat asked


    ¡°Well, I killed a lot of them and they want revenge¡­¡± Don trailed off somehow feeling worse than when he was being dragged through the dark by unknown monsters. Kat translated again and the excitement grew, a few tussles grew to the point that Grey shrieked at them again. It gave another command to Kat who jumped onto Don. He prepared to be bitten to death and go back to his crypt when he felt a tugging at the ropes binding his arms. It took a while but he managed to get the ropes loose enough for Don to slide one hand free and then another. After that, he used his freed hands to untie his feet. He rubbed his ankles, restoring their circulation while he watched the crowd of monsters.


    ¡°You is good killer. We make you gob¡± Kat proclaimed


    ¡°What¡¯s gob?¡± Don asked


    ¡°We gobs¡± Kat replied, sweeping his stubby arms across the room indicating the equally stubby monsters. They all looked eagerly at him. ¡°Only, you need to keep gob rule¡± he warned


    ¡°What¡¯s the rule?¡± Don asked with trepidation. He was going to have to make a break for it if they were going to tell him he needed to kill people. He got his sore legs under him just in case.


    ¡°Gobs work, Gobs eat!¡± Kat said with a grin wider than would be possible on a human face. Grey took that as a queue to start tossing bits of roasted rabbit into the crowd of diminutive Gobs. Don grinned back at Kat. This sounded like a good deal to him.


    ¡°Okay, I agree¡± he said before a hunk of greasy rabbit hit him in the face. The smell of it ignited a primal instinct he hadn¡¯t ever experienced before. As someone who had only ever injected nutrients directly into his stomach, the hot, greasy meat was irresistible. He inhaled it and looked around greedily for more. He didn¡¯t find any but Grey hobbled up to him and offered another piece. Don took it and scarfed it down but more slowly than the last piece. The warm food made his stomach purr and activated parts of his brain that had never been used before as he tasted something cooked for the first time. Completely satisfied, Don lay back against a wall, the fire warming him as he drifted off to sleep. It had been a long first day in Arcadia.

 11 - Student

    Don woke in near darkness. He was on something hard, too hard to be his recliner. It smelled worse than it should have too. Was that smoke? Did something break in his pod? What were theses warm squishy things all around him? He poked one and it squeaked, bolted upright and caused a chain reaction. Don was suddenly surrounded by startled Gobs. They had crowded around him in the night, including him in their customary sleeping pile.


    The squeaking rose in volume as the Gobs disentangled themselves and a few of the more energetic ones started wrestling, tripping nearby gobs and getting tangled again. Don took a few light scratches but didn¡¯t react. The memories of the previous days flooded back to him. He clutched his head trying to make sense of the jumble of images and impressions while his new tribe woke up around him. A small hand with too few fingers pulled one of Don¡¯s hands away. Kat stood in front of him.


    ¡°Come Don, we work now.¡± He pulled on Don¡¯s arm and Don had no choice but to go with him or be pulled onto his face. ¡°I show you, we find food and things.¡±


    Don let himself get pulled up by the tiny Gob. He then promptly fell onto one of the wrestling pairs as his right leg buckled under him. The fighting Gobs were dazed and Don tried to get off them only to fall again. The squashed Gobs pushed him away and kicked him a couple of times, squeaking angrily before joining the stream of Gobs heading for the cave entrance.


    ¡°Sorry¡± he called after them and tried to get to his feet a third time. The same leg buckled. Don began to panic, something was definitely wrong. A soft hooting came from behind Don and small fingers prodded his legs. Don jumped but relaxed when he saw Grey leaning over his leg, one hand on her spoon, the other poking at Don¡¯s leg. She was making the soothing noises but stopped when she reached Don¡¯s knee. A look of concentration stole over Grey¡¯s face and Don was just about to thank her for the food last night when She jabbed a finger into a wound which was mostly filled in with mud. She dug out the majority of the mud and the wound started seeping blood.


    ¡°Agh¡± Don yelled out grabbing at his leg. Grey turned to Kat and squeaked a short message before hobbling off deeper into the cave.


    ¡°You go with Grey. She fix you. You work here. When fixed, I show how to find foods¡± Kat explained. He shouted half the words over his shoulder, speeding towards the cave entrance, following the rest of the Gob¡¯s who had already gone.


    Don twisted to look for Grey. She was tottering along, visible in the faint glow of a few lingering embers. The steady tok-tok-tok of her spoon made her easy to find. Feeling a little foolish, Don crawled after her, half dragging his injured leg. Grey was slow enough so that he caught up with her soon enough. She led him around a corner and into a recessed nook. It was barely large enough for Don to sit inside of even with his legs sticking out into the main cavern. The space was filled with an overwhelming number of aromas and Don looked around, trying to make out his surroundings in the dim light. Grey pulled a rotting cloth. It uncovered an alcove of glass jars filled with various glowing substances. Small pinpricks of light bobbed in one, a flower with a luminous bulb in another, one was filled with moss, another with grubs. Individually they barely made an impact but the collection managed to illuminate the space enough for Don¡¯s eyes to start picking out details. There were a few rudimentary tools tucked away on a natural shelf, little more than a long hole in the wall. Every other square inch of wall space was occupied by clumps, strands and knots of plants, In one corner a small stream of water flowed from a crack in the wall and into a shallow pool before running across the floor a short distance to disappear under another wall. The ceiling was hung with dozens of gourds, dangling like bats over Grey''s head but coming dangerously close to Don¡¯s even while he was sitting.


    Grey took two stones off the shelf. One was a rough approximation of a shallow, lopsided bowl and the other was fairly rod-like with one bulbous end. She dipped her hand into the pool and sprinkled some water into the base of the bowl. Without looking, she reached over her head, pinching off small bits of three different plants. She tossed the clippings into the bowl which she held in place with her feet. With both hands gripping the long stone, she began to mash the plants into a paste, adding small amounts of water to the mixture regularly as she went. Don watched in fascination as the crushed plants released new, fresh odors into the room. Without warning, Grey scooped the paste out of the bowl and slapped it onto Don¡¯s injured knee. It burned and Don moved to scrape it away but a sharp crack from Grey¡¯s spoon kept his fingers away. Grey then took a long flat vine from the wall and wrapped it around Don¡¯s leg, sealing the paste into the wound. Don didn¡¯t fully understand what was going on but he figured this must be related to the ¡®fix¡¯ Kat mentioned earlier.


    Grey then slid the stone bowl and rod towards Don. She pinched off a few leaves of a dry plant which rattled at her touch. She held it in front of Don and squeaked. After waiting for a few seconds she hit Don on the head with her spoon and repeated the same squeak. Don took a guess and tried to imitate her squeak. Grey didn¡¯t hit him again but shook her head, her drooping ears flapping before she squeaked again. This repeated until Don had come close enough for Grey¡¯s satisfaction. She tossed the leaves into the bowl and pressed the rod into Don¡¯s hand. She pointed at the bowl and made a pantomime of grinding. She taught Don another squeak. Don got the picture and got to work.


    His first attempt was pretty embarrassing. He quickly tipped the bowl over and spilled the nearly untouched leaves onto the floor. He collected the leaves and tried to hold the bowl with his feet like he saw Grey do but the binding around his knee pulled tight and prevented him from pressing his feet together. He settled on placing the bowl in the crook of his uninjured knee, holding it with his left hand as he ground with his right. He didn¡¯t spill anything this time but it seemed to take forever for the plants to grind down. Grey snatched various plants and combined them while this was happening but Don focused on his task, ignoring her. Eventually, she peered into his bowl. She shook her head, took the rod and showed Don how to scrape the plants against the sides of the bowl rather than just smashing them. She handed the bowl back making the squeaks for ¡°grind¡± and ¡°plant¡± as far as Don could guess so Don continued grinding his leaves. When they were powder Don got Grey''s attention. She looked into the bowl and nodded.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    She poured the powder into a deeper bowl and handed Don more leaves to grind, testing him on his squeaks first. This continued until Don had produced a handful of leaf powder. At the end of this exercise, Grey taught him the squeak for the powder he had produced. Next, she made a quick sequence of squeaks. Don could make out the ones he knew now but the greater meaning was still lost on him. He simply watched Grey expectantly.


    Grey scooped some water out of the pool, gulping it down and wiping her mouth with her forearm before refilling her cup and offering it to Don. She didn¡¯t miss the opportunity to educate Don again.


    Don only needed a few tries this time to get the squeak right. He was getting better at telling the noises apart. He took the makeshift cup and took a few greedy gulps. His throat was incredibly dry and he choked a little. He wasn¡¯t used to drinking and it would take some practice.


    Grey took the cup back and used it to pour some water into the powder Don had prepared, swirling the container to mix it as she went. The mixture slowly turned yellow and she nodded, satisfied. She poured the yellow mixture into an empty gourd she pulled from a clattering pile and hung it from the ceiling. Don had no Idea how Grey planned on finding that particular gourd again. This process repeated for hours. Eventually, Don was allowed to mix the water with the powders he prepared. It got a bit easier each time Don went through the steps.


    When large swaths of the walls were cleared of plants, Don heard the noises of Gobs returning to the cave entrance. The gabbling, squeaking, and pattering echoed slightly as the Gobs passed the threshold and clattered down the loose slope. Grey stood shakily, pulled several gourds down from the ceiling and motioned for Don to follow her. Don set down his bowl and crawled after her, still not trusting his legs. Don still couldn¡¯t understand what the Gobs said to each other but their noises sounded more like a language now that he had learned a few of the words.


    The Gobs came into view around the bend covered in fresh mud and leaves, as quarrelsome as always, scratching at each other with their squeaks as much as their claws. Somehow, Don could understand the general tone behind their squeaking. A pair who were scratching at each other were exasperated. They were empty-handed which aided their fight. Others were weighed down by rabbits and much more content.


    Don looked for Kat, desperate to talk about anything more thrilling than ¡°grind plant¡± or ¡°mix powder water¡±. He was also curious what he would bring back. As Don scanned the crowd he realized he didn¡¯t know what Kat looked like. He could only tell him apart so far because he was the only one who could speak. Don thought maybe he could tell them apart by their distinct noses. One of the gobs held a swollen nose dripping with green blood. That strategy probably wouldn¡¯t work. It looked like their noses would change shape too often for that to be reliable. Their teeth were an option but Don didn¡¯t like the idea of getting any closer to their foul-smelling mouths than he had to. Don settled on learning the patterns on the skin around the gobs eyes. They were distinct enough for him to figure something out eventually.


    As the Gobs filed in they all passed Grey who poked at them, stopping one from time to time and giving them a drink from one of her gourds before letting them pass. The one with a bleeding nose perked up noticeably after his draft and wasted no time getting into an argument with one of his companions.


    The gobs who were let past Grey spread out into the cave, leaving their prizes in three distinct piles. One pile of rabbits grew near the dead fire from the night before. A larger pile of sticks grew on the ashes. By the alcove where Don worked, a small green pile grew, more plants Don guessed.


    A late arrival came sliding down from the cave mouth with a sack, just as mud-caked as the Gob, slung over its shoulder. Kat jogged up to Don with his recognizable smile.


    ¡°I get lots of good stuff, look¡± He said opening up the sack to show Don it contents. A tangle of plants filled the bottom of the sack, easily matching the amount in the pile next to the alcove.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Don said, not having to feign surprise ¡°Lots of plants.¡± he used the Gob squeak for plants and Kat¡¯s large eyes lit up.


    ¡°Kat is the best finder, best sneaker too¡± He bragged with pride ¡°You is smart to learn Gob words so soon. Did Grey hit you lots?¡± He asked with his grin widening even further.


    ¡°Not too much¡± Don said rubbing at a couple of lumps which rivaled his budding horns.


    ¡°You is really smart then. Grey say stupid heads need more hitting. What your INT?¡± Kat asked the last part conspiratorially, leaning in even though none of the other Gobs could understand their conversation. Unfortunately, Don didn¡¯t understand it either.


    ¡°What¡¯s INT?¡± he asked.


    Kat¡¯s eyes widened so much Don was afraid they would fall out of his head.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know stats? I thought you would because you speak humie.¡± Kat narrowed his eyes and looked from side to side, confirming that there were no more than six gobs around who could overhear them. He continued in a whisper.


    ¡°Kat teach you magic spell, humie spell let you see stats. It show how strong, how smart, how fast. Is good spell.¡±


    Don wasn¡¯t sure what a spell was but he liked the idea of getting more information. As it was he was hopelessly confused most of the time.


    ¡°Say magic word to use spell, Status¡± Kat ended with a flourish, puffing out his chest, clearly feeling more impressive than he looked.


    ¡°Status?¡± Don asked. A blue panel appeared in the air before don. He recognized the layout and font from his wall screen.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Accessing your STATUS screen will end immersion mode.


    Immersion mode can be reactivated at any time from the options menu.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Are you sure you want to view your stats? Y/N</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 Interlude - Farmer II (Beth)

    Beth lounged in the dirt. She wiggled her fingers in the loose soil, enjoying the softness. She had never been able to sink her fingers into anything in the city besides her food and her parents quashed that habit before it could take root. She hummed tunelessly as she watched the landscape. Rolling hills, green and brown folded the land on one side. Before her, a patchwork quilt of vegetables, grain, and wild grasses blanketed the valley floor. A shadowy forest opposite the rolling hills made an overgrown carpet of bumpy, leafy green. The forest was bordered by a stubble of stumps where wood had been taken to build the town. It looked so small from here, quietly puffing smoke into the sky. The sky was Beth¡¯s favorite. It was even better than the waving fields and the sweet rolls. It went on forever and never looked the same twice. Every time she looked up from her work there was a different pattern of clouds or a different tint to the blue. Now it was a deep navy, almost dark enough for stars to make their appearance. One moon hung low over the town. It was a sharp orange crescent. Another, looking like pale blue dot in the darker background shone faintly from higher up. Her mind wandered as she sat and she found herself reliving the events of the last days again.


    She was among the recycling vats again. Walking from one to the next, checking their levels and adjusting the influx of waste as needed. Her breath rasped through her mask, a cumbersome thing which every farmer wore as naturally as their own nose. She slowly made the rounds of the five vats she had been assigned for that shift. Then the alarms began.


    A wailing siren echoed and overlapped itself in the massive open caverns of the recycling level. All the farmers stopped but none knew what to do. They weren¡¯t trained for this. The sirens were replaced by the voice of a priest.


    ¡°A mandatory evacuation is now in progress. Proceed along the marked paths and follow all posted instructions.¡± the voice echoed through the caverns and repeated soon making a mess of the instructions. At least the path markers were clear.


    Red and white stripes flared into existence along the ceiling and began flowing in one direction. The farmers followed it and Beth followed them. She had no idea what was going on. She¡¯d never heard of an evacuation before but when the priests called, you answered.


    The path brought her to the end of a queue. She waited patiently as one farmer at a time entered a room she had never seen before. When she made it to the front of the line and the door slid shut in her face, she read the instructions posted on the door. They were simple.


    Evacuation chamber instructions


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Enter the evacuation chamber</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Sit in the evacuation recliner</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Do not move until the evacuation is complete</li>


    </ol>


    The door slid open seconds later revealing a small room with a single chair. Beth took a moment to wonder where all the people before her had gone but not wanting to hold up the line stepped into the room and gave the chair a try.


    ¡°Remain seated¡± piped through the room, so Beth didn¡¯t move while a helmet slid over her head, obscuring her vision. There was an odd ticklish sensation at the base of her neck and she was suddenly somewhere entirely different.


    She was on pale stone steps on the edge of some massive arena. It was easily the largest room she had ever been in and it was filled with people. She couldn¡¯t see much. She was small for her age and couldn¡¯t quite see above the shoulders of the people on the steps below her. There was a lot of shouting and Beth couldn¡¯t figure out what was happening. Why would the priests bring so many people here? She¡¯d never heard of anything like this happening before.


    Just as she was working up the courage to elbow her way to the front of the crowd the priest''s voice resumed. Even though many people around here were still yelling at something in the center of the arena she could hear the low voice clearly.


    It said something about being victims which she didn¡¯t understand but she latched onto the next sentences and didn¡¯t let them go. She was going to be let into Arcadia. Apparently, it was some lesser form but that didn¡¯t matter. This was what she was raised to dream about. She had time to wish her siblings were with her before she dissipated and came back to herself in a rainy square.


    The angry shouting from the crowd quickly intensified, loudest at a point off to her left. After a few seconds there was a brief pause before the roaring continued and the crowd pelted off after some red flash. Beth was confused but as soon as the crowd filtered away her confusion was forgotten. She was in the open, and it was raining. Raining! Fresh, sweet water was streaming down from the sky! It flowed down the streets, splashed in puddles and cascaded off of buildings. There was so much of it. More than any citizen could clean in their lives! She whooped and jumped, finding the biggest puddles and splashing in them. She then took off at a run, laughing like a mad woman and reveling in the freedom to run in a straight line without the confines or crowds she was used to. She slipped and fell onto the street but that did nothing to dampen her mood, if anything she was even more elated.


    She ran until she couldn¡¯t run anymore and for once she was stopped by herself rather than the end of a corridor. She doubled over, hands on her knees as she blew out heavy breaths. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°What has you in such a rush?¡±


    Beth looked up. A woman stood under a canvas protecting both her and her merchandise from the rain. She had run straight to the market. Her eyes landed on the colorful wares she had on offer.


    ¡°What is that?¡± She asked, pointing at a basket of red orbs.


    ¡°Are you making fun little missy?¡± the merchant responded, eyes narrowing.


    ¡°No,¡± Beth answered honestly ¡°I¡¯ve never seen those before¡±


    The merchant sighed ¡°What rock do you have to live under to not know apples when you see them?¡±


    Beth¡¯s eyes popped ¡°Those are apples? Like the food?¡±


    ¡°Of course they are, what did you expect? Painted turds?¡±


    Beth reached for one, still doubting that the little red balls could be food. The merchant woman grabbed her wrist before she could pull one away.


    ¡°Do you have the money to pay for that or have you never seen a copper before either?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s money?¡± Beth asked innocently.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough of your stupid questions. Get away from my stall before I call the guards you little urchin.¡± The merchant used her grip to cast Beth back out into the street where she stumbled right into someone. She was about to fall into the mud for a second time when a calloused hand steadied her.


    ¡°Woah there, sorry to have bumped you.¡±


    ¡°Careful Grant, that muddy little urchin just tried to steal an apple from me.¡± The merchant warned.


    ¡°Is this true?¡± Grant asked, looking down on Beth with soft hazel eyes from under the wide dripping brim of his hat.


    ¡°I just wanted to look at it.¡± Beth said


    The merchant spat into the gutter ¡°You couldn¡¯t think up a better lie?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true¡± Beth huffed ¡°I just came from the city and I¡¯ve never seen real food before.


    ¡°What kind of city doesn¡¯t have food?¡± the merchant scoffed ¡°Your lies are getting worse and worse.¡±


    ¡°Did she take anything?¡± Grant asked


    After a second of chewing on the word the merchant spat it out ¡°no¡±


    ¡°Then no harm has been done.¡± Grant said before turning to Beth ¡°If you¡¯d like to see different kinds of produce I can show you mine. I¡¯ll even let you have a piece if you help me get this cart the rest of the way up this blasted hill.¡±


    Grant thumbed over his shoulder at a wooden cart covered with a tarp.


    ¡°I¡¯m late to my delivery because of this blasted rain.¡±


    Beth eagerly agreed and pushed at the back of the cart while Grant pulled from the front. Before long they stopped at one of the larger buildings Beth had seen so far. It towered over the road and water gushed from its gutters in a roiling stream almost as thick as the stream of boisterous laughter that spilled from the shuttered windows. They had pulled the cart around to the side and were in the shelter of a slanted roof jutting from the main structure.


    ¡°Wait here for a moment¡± Grant told Beth before disappearing inside. Beth was sorely tempted to peek under the tarp at the produce but she trusted Grant and decided to wait for him to come back. As she waited she began to shiver. Running through the street and pushing the cart let her ignore the cold but now with soaked clothes she began to feel the nip of the wind. Just as she was losing her patience Grant returned. He took a look at the still covered wagon and the shivering girl and grinned.


    ¡°Well done!¡± he said, taking a step forward and slapping her back ¡°I had a hunch you were more honest than that old bag made you out to be.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I just gave you a little test. I know most of the little thieves in this town and you aren¡¯t one of them. I just thought I¡¯d give you the perfect chance to steal a little food and see how you acted. Come in, let me introduce you to Sue.¡±


    Still confused, Beth was ushered in through the door.


    ¡°Stop!¡± shouted a domineering voice ¡°What do you think you¡¯re tracking all over my clean floors?¡± An impossibly round woman stood at the other end of the hallway. She wore a powder blue dress under an over-stretched apron. Her arms were crossed and one ham-sized fist held onto a rolling pin. A few wisps of auburn hair had escaped her hairnet.


    Before Beth knew what had happened she was washed, changed into fresh clothes and set in front of a steaming bowl of stew.


    ¡°Well eat up¡± Sue commanded.


    Beth poked at the stew. Sue took her hand and placed a spoon in it. Looking down the crowded bar Beth got the general idea. She dipped her spoon into the simmering gravy and brought it up to her nose, sniffing it. It was unlike anything she had smelled before and a deep growl in her stomach convinced her it was edible, even if it didn¡¯t come in a tube. She tried her first bite. It was glorious. She was convinced that she never took a second and the soup just disappeared of its own accord. Sue gave her a knowing look and placed another bowl in front of Beth.


    ¡°The poor thing, she must be starved.¡± She commented tutting


    Grant agreed ¡°She does seem to like food. I found her admiring apples in the market. Mrs. Smithe nearly had her hands off.¡±


    He turned to Beth ¡°Do you have any family in town?¡±


    Beth shook her head and gulped down her latest mouthful.


    ¡°I think my brother and sister are still in the city and my parents left years ago. I don¡¯t know where they are now.¡±


    Sue turned away and dabbed at her eyes with a corner of her apron. A grim expression stole over Grant¡¯s face. ¡°So you¡¯re all alone out here?¡±


    Beth nodded.


    Sue and Grant exchanged a glance. Grant sighed and said ¡°It just so happens I could use a capable helper on my farm. I can¡¯t pay much but there¡¯s a spare room you can use and while it¡¯s not as good as Sue¡¯s there¡¯s plenty of food for hard workers.¡±


    Sue surprised them both by squealing ¡°That would be great! I was a farmer in my last life too!¡±

 Interlude - Builder II (Clint)

    Clint watched as the last of his crew entered the escape capsule. The door slid shut and reopened seconds later. Clint climbed down into the compartment. He sat in the chair and was uploaded, leaving his barracks for the first time.


    He materialized on the white stone seating of a gigantic cavern. His crew was worked up about something. Clint had to shout to be heard.


    ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on?¡±


    Cranston looked over his shoulder. A scowl was on his face and he uncrossed his arms to point at the two bound figures in the center of the arena ¡°Those little shits dropped rocks on us¡±.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Clint tried to make sense of the sudden change to what had been a normal day up until a few hours ago.


    ¡°Those two shepherds dropped an entire payload. It¡¯s about to crush big parts of the city.¡± Cranston swept his hand ¡°all these people got the evacuation call too so far as we can tell¡±


    Clint looked over the angry crowd, noting their strange clothing while Cranston continued. ¡°I didn¡¯t see it all but the first few here say that we''re not going to get to our ancestral home.¡±


    Clint was distracted when a priest up on his high seat began speaking.


    ¡°It was agreed that the usual punishment is not sufficient due to the breadth of your transgressions. Death is too easy, too final for you two.¡±


    One of the figures was clearly shouting something up at the priest but Clint couldn¡¯t hear his words. Clint narrowed his eyes as the priest continued the sentencing with unmatchable arrogance. He watched as the helpless people were transformed into monsters and a sour taste rose from the back of his throat.


    When the priest turned to address the crowds relief flooded over Clint. He wasn¡¯t sure what would happen with his crew¡¯s incomplete service but now he saw a chance. They would go to Arcadia after all.


    ¡°Good luck¡± with a sweep of his arm the priest sent the crowd on.


    Clint had just enough time to shout ¡°Stick together!¡± before he was transformed into swirling mist.


    His boots landed in soft earth. He put a hand on Cranston¡¯s shoulder and shouted again ¡°Sound off¡±. One by one his crew checked in. All except for Cal. Clint craned his neck, looking for his last crewmate but he must have moved off into the churning crowd. The crew stood like a rock in a stream as the angry crowd parted around them, streaming off to chase that red flash. A few of Clint¡¯s crew looked like they wanted to join in the chase.


    ¡°Are we just going to let that fucker get away? He killed us! All of us!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not going anywhere.¡± Clint reasoned ¡°It looks like we¡¯re all stuck here forever, there will be plenty of time for revenge later but for now we need to get our bearings.¡±


    A good half of the crew looked like they didn¡¯t like this plan at all but years of taking Clint¡¯s lead taught them to trust his judgment so they grudgingly stayed.


    ¡°Now,¡± Clint said grinning as he looked around the mostly empty square ¡°First things first, Congratulations on your transcendence boys!¡±


    They looked at Clint stupidly before mirroring Clint¡¯s grin as realization dawned on them.


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡±


    ¡°We skipped straight outta those shit shafts and into Arcadia didn¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll never see the mountain city of the builder clan though¡±


    That last comment brought the mood crashing back down.


    ¡°What of it?¡± Clint asked ¡°Do you really want to go to that place? We¡¯d be the lowest of the low and most of the mountain is probably built out by now. We might have wound up back on maintenance duty for all we know.¡±


    A thoughtful look stole over the crew.


    ¡°What we have here is a golden chance.¡± Clint continued ¡°Look around you, this is some kind of above ground city.¡±


    The crew looked this way and that, peering through the curtain of rain at the blurry outlines of walls, streets, and houses. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°We just came with a wave of new residents without warning too. Where do you think they will sleep? In this wet street? In the open? They will need someone to build places for them. I say we get a jump on the competition.¡±


    ¡°That sounds fine and dandy,¡± replied one of the men ¡°but how can we build anything without our control room?¡±


    ¡°Use your damned eyes,¡± Clint said gesturing to a nearby house. It was a small, squat affair. Grey, rounded stones cobbled together around the base of the house. A wooden timber frame sprouted from this foundation and was spanned with a white plaster. A few holes in the plaster were boarded up against the wet and the cold. The slanted roof cast a sheet of water out into the street.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t a rock. Someone built it. I suggest we find out who and we learn from them. That priest did say one smart thing. We should learn from the locals.¡±


    Clint could tell he was winning over the crew. The prospect of building something was clearly tempting to this group of builders who had been relegated to literal shit work.


    ¡°Lets split up¡± Jerry said. His voice was stronger than it had been yesterday. ¡°We each look around, see what we can learn and meet back here in two hours.¡±


    The crew agreed and split off into four groups, each one taking a different road out of the square. They kept splitting at crossroads until they were each alone.


    Clint found himself walking alone under the eave of a particularly long house. He bent down to get a closer look at the construction. There was a loose, crumbly substance between the stones of the foundation. The pillars supporting the roof were coming apart into small threads and shards. Clint touched it and found it surprisingly rough. He slid his hand up the post and pulled it away sharply as he got a splinter. He shook his head at the shoddy craftsmanship. Structures should only be rough where grip was important, and they shouldn¡¯t come apart at the lightest touch. Next, he ran his hand along the plaster, finding it hard and passably smooth but again pieces flecked off at his touch. Don knocked on the plaster and a bit more fell away.


    ¡°Hey!¡± an irritated voice called ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing¡±


    Clint looked up to see a man hanging out from a nearby window.


    ¡°Hey¡± Clint responded ¡°I¡¯m trying to figure out how this structure was built¡±


    ¡°Well don¡¯t, it¡¯s annoying. I don¡¯t know you and I don¡¯t want you lurking around my house.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, do you know where I could find some builders?¡±


    ¡°What do you think I am a map? Find the construction guild on your own¡± The angry homeowner slammed the shutters.


    Not wanting to piss off the locals more than he had to, Clint continued searching. If he had ever seen a hammer or a saw before he might have recognized the construction guild when he passed under its sign. As it was, he kept searching until he found the largest building he had seen yet. He stopped outside the inn. His neck bent back as he took in all three stories.


    ¡°Not bad¡± he mumbled to himself. The materials were as crude as the house he inspected earlier but that just increased his opinion of whoever put this place together. If they could manage such a big house with such primitive materials Clint wanted to learn from them.


    He strode confidently into the inn. He tried to anyways. The door didn¡¯t open at his approach. He tried pushing it and pulling at the knob but the door wouldn¡¯t budge. Clint was scratching at his chin when the knob twisted and an unsteady patron wobbled outside. Clint took the chance to enter the inn. It was a different world entirely. A roaring fire warmed one side of the room and sent shadows dancing on the other. The room was pleasantly crowded and reminded Clint instantly of the common space in his barracks. For Clint, fire was not a good thing. He reacted instantly shouting ¡°Fire¡± and pointing at the blazing hearth. Every head in the room turned to him.


    ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s a warm one too¡± One of the patrons nearest to the fire raised a mug at Clint ¡°Come and warm your backside, there''s no need to scare folks with shouting.¡±


    A little confused yet again, Clint took the locals lead. It seemed the fire wasn¡¯t anything to be alarmed about. He inched over to the hearth. As he got close, steam rose from his wet clothes and the chill began to lift. He turned to the man who spoke before. Most of the other patrons had gone back to their private conversations with occasional glances at Clint.


    ¡°Grant¡± the stranger introduced himself ¡°Who might you be?¡±


    ¡°Clint¡± he eyed the fire suspiciously ¡°Thanks for smoothing that over, we don¡¯t keep fires where I¡¯m from.¡±


    ¡°From down south are you?¡± Grant asked


    ¡°I just came from the city¡± Clint answered earning a look from Grant


    ¡°You don¡¯t say¡­ you¡¯re the second person I¡¯ve run into today saying that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised,¡± Clint said ¡°there are easily hundreds of us¡±


    Grant looked slightly troubled at that


    ¡°What made you all come to this little town?¡± he asked with creasing brows.


    Grant shrugged ¡°It wasn¡¯t really our choice. There was an accident or something and we were evacuated here. I¡¯m pretty new to this place though and could use a bit of information.¡±


    ¡°Information is free around here, ask away.¡± Grant said waving his mug in the air.


    ¡°Do you know who built this place?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, This place goes way back. Sue¡¯s grandfather put up these walls when the town was founded¡±


    ¡°Could he teach me and my crew how to build houses like this?¡±


    Grant gave Clint a queer look.


    ¡°Not unless you¡¯re a powerful necromancer. He¡¯s been dead for nearly thirty years now. No, if you want to learn to build you should go to the Construction guild. They won¡¯t take on apprentices without payment though.¡±


    A clattering came down the stairs and a young girl came into the room.


    ¡°Looks like our time''s up¡± Grant said. He gave Clint quick instructions to the construction guild before wishing him luck and guiding the girl to a long wooden bar.


    Clint ducked out of the inn and made his way back to the meeting place.

 Bonus Scene - Pere

    After stopping the mob, the town¡¯s Pere watched with tired eyes as the little demon was beaten to within an inch of its life, and then beaten an inch further. Resigned to return to his studies, he turned back to his chapel before a red glint caught his eye. The red motes flitted into a dilapidated crypt and seconds later, the crowd hauled the same demon out and repeated the grisly execution.


    The Pere watched with morbid fascination as the scene repeated itself. He was stuck to the spot until the guard captain jogged up to him.


    ¡°What in the hells is going on here?¡± Asked the captain


    The Pere blinked.


    The captain tried again ¡°Why did you send up the beacon?¡±


    The pere shook his head. ¡°I¡­ believe these people have captured a demon.¡± He watched as the demon dissipated only to be pulled back out of the crypt again. ¡°One that can¡¯t be killed.¡±


    The guard followed the Pere¡¯s gaze and was transfixed as well. ¡°You don¡¯t think¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t finish his thought. It was all wrong. The legends spoke of great immortal heroes but for a demon to have the ability to respawn, what could it mean? He looked back to the Pere.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± The Pere stroked his beard considering the implications ¡°Let''s keep this quiet for now. The demon is weak and a panic could cause more harm than this single monster. I¡¯ll write the citadel and have a contingent of paladins sent over for the time being. Can your men keep him in town until then?¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The guard turned back to the Pere. ¡° I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going anywhere with that mob on his heels but I¡¯ll post a guard detail to be sure.¡±


    The Pere nodded ¡°Good, try and keep that crowd from rioting again while you¡¯re at it. ¡± He turned on his heels and plodded back up the steps to his chapel. His pace increased with each step until he was practically flying up the steps and he burst into his office. The old, cobweb-draped wheels in his head were grinding, sparking from turning so fast. This was his chance! He could finally get out of this dingy backwater.


    He clenched his fists. Those overstuffed politicians who never smote so much as a goblin in their lives relegated him to this post. ¡°The frontier needs a strong guardian¡± they said.


    It wasn¡¯t hard to see past their thin veneer of protocol. Some didn¡¯t even bother to hide their smirks as they carted him off to this far away town where he couldn¡¯t cause trouble. They were scared of the sway he held with the army of light. He spent all his time hunting the enemies of the church and what was his reward? The stewardship of some ramshackle little town pressed up against the wilds but this¡­ This demon was his ticket back to the citadel, back to the seat of power, back to the light.


    The Pere sat at his old, abused wooden desk and flipped his beard over his shoulder to protect it from stray ink. He began his letter.


    Outside, past the thick shutters and the patter of rain, he could still faintly hear the sporadic cries of a demon in pain.

 12 - Status

    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Accessing your STATUS screen will end immersion mode. Immersion mode can be reactivated at any time from the options menu.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Are you sure you want to view your stats? Y/N</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don was surprised by the prompt. He was more surprised by the spoon that sailed through it and hit him before cracking Kat over the head too. Don decided the mysteries of status would have to wait until Grey was done with him. The prompt disappeared as if it read his mind. Grey was squeaking at Kat who hurried over to add his haul to the plant pile. Don followed the two over and found a third gob crouched over the pile, rummaging through it. This new gob was small even for the tribe. Its skin hung loose and pale. Its eyes were bordered by dark skin. He wore a vine slung over his shoulder like a sash. Kat introduced him.


    ¡°This Sik¡± he said, poking the gob to be sure Don understood. ¡°We put plants away¡±


    Sik slapped absently at the offending finger without looking up from the plants. Don sat and got as comfortable as he could next to the pile. Kat coached Don through identifying the different useful plants and sorting them out. He paid special attention to the poisonous ones. A good amount of the plants were useless and were thrown onto the fire. Grey must¡¯ve started a new one while Don wasn¡¯t looking.


    Don was able to sort out a surprising number of the plants compared to the other two. His advantage of two fingers over the gobs probably made up for his lacking knowledge. A lot of the work was untangling the plants without shredding them after all.


    At one point Don grabbed a plant which immediately made his hand itch, quickly followed by burning. He dropped the plant with a gasp and before he knew it, Sik was there. He pulled a leaf from his vine and stroked Don¡¯s palm with it before throwing the leaf onto the fire. The burning quickly settled back to a tingling itch. Sik squeaked at Don before settling back into a crouch by what remained of the pile.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Don asked


    ¡°Fire root¡± Kat answered as he used his sack to move the root into its own pile. Don made a note of the small orange hairs sticking up from the plant. He didn¡¯t want to be caught by surprise like that again.


    ¡°I mean what did he say?¡±


    Kat gave a mocking grin ¡°He say you stupid¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid¡± Don said louder than he meant to.


    ¡°You no hunt, you no speak, you not know fire root. You stupid¡± Kat laid this out like it was the simplest thing in the world.


    Don grumbled ¡°Let''s see any of you plot interplanetary vectors¡± and it made him feel a bit better until he realized all his skills weren¡¯t useful anymore. He was starting from nothing here. With that sobering realization, he went back to sorting the plants.


    Next, Sik and Kat hung the plants on the wall inside the alcove where Don spent the day. He didn¡¯t help partly because of his injury and partly because his large frame would get in the way of the two quick gobs.


    He glanced over at the fire. Grey was busy cooking and guarding dinner so Don took the chance to investigate his status.


    ¡°Status¡± he commanded and a familiar prompt appeared before him again. He thought ¡®yes¡¯ before anything could interrupt him again and was greeted with a page of personal information. He also noticed a few colored bars appear on the edge of his vision. When he moved his head to get a clear look at them the bars and the status window moved too. He decided to read his status screen before investigating the bars.


    <hr>


    Basic Information


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Name</td>


    <td>Donovan</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Race</td>


    <td>Demon</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Sex</td>


    <td>Male</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Age</td>


    <td>ageless (current apparent age 20)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Level</td>


    <td>0</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>EXP</td>


    <td>0/50</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Vitals:


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>HP</td>


    <td>97/105</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>STA</td>


    <td>40/40</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>MANA</td>


    <td>55/55</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Active effects:


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Crippled (43 hours)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Hungry</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Stats:


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>STR</td>


    <td>10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>AGI</td>


    <td>10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>DEX</td>


    <td>12</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>INT</td>


    <td>11</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>WIS</td>


    <td>11</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>CON</td>


    <td>21</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>END</td>


    <td>8 (10)</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Traits:


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Demonic</td>


    <td>You have a demonic body. Every level, your demonic traits will increase.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td></td>


    <td>On level: +1 STR +1 WIS</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td></td>


    <td>Demonic skill tree available</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Death¡¯s roommate</td>


    <td>You have spent so much time at death''s door, He¡¯s let you in</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td></td>


    <td>Chance to sense lethal attacks</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Skills:


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Punching bag:</td>


    <td>Apprentice 6</td>


    <td>16% decrease to damage taken from unarmed attacks</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Training Dummy</td>


    <td>Apprentice 4</td>


    <td>So long as you don¡¯t resist, skills used on you will progress 14% faster</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Alchemy</td>


    <td>Apprentice 2</td>


    <td>You can create weak potions, 2% increased effects for potions you administer personally.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Goblin Language</td>


    <td>Apprentice 1</td>


    <td>Can communicate on a rudimentary level with goblins</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <hr>


    Don hardly understood anything on the screen. He focused on his name. At least he could understand that. As he was focusing another prompt popped up.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">That¡¯s your name. It means you.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The prompt faded after he read it. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a little insulted. He tried focusing on the next entry, his race. He was greeted with a more helpful prompt.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Naturally gifted with strength of arms as well as talent in the arcane arts, Demons are hated and feared in equal measure by all the civilized races of Arcadia. Their talent for destruction is only matched by their desire to sow seeds of misery across the land. They revel in causing torment and take particular pleasure in causing their victims to be the source of their own anguish. If you meet one,avoid conversation at all costs and pray for a swift death.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don reread the passage to be sure he wasn¡¯t imagining things. The priests either had a sick sense of humor in giving Don such an appropriate race or they were counting on the citizens of Arcadia to kill him on sight for all eternity. Fortunately, it seemed the blind animosity of the ¡®civilized races¡¯ didn¡¯t extend to all the races. He didn¡¯t know how lucky he was to be kidnapped by the gobs until now.


    He continued scanning down the information. Sex was pretty self-explanatory but he caught on his age, or more to the point, his lack thereof.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">You are ageless. You will never die from old age and can adjust your apparent age once per year from the options menu.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Well, that was interesting. He wouldn¡¯t be able to disguise himself as an old geezer because of his race but that might come in handy later, much later. He had no intention of changing his age right now. He checked his level next.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Level: 0</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.That wasn¡¯t helpful. What about exp


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Experience until next level 0/50</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don sighed and resigned himself to waiting for Kat before he could figure out what levels and experience are for. He moved on to his vitals.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: left">HP is a measure of your overall health. It will decrease with injury. If completely depleted, you will die.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: left">STA is your stamina. It is used to power certain skills and actions. Having a low stamina will make tasks more difficult.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: left">MANA is a gauge of your ability to draw on arcane forces. Performing spells will decrease your mana. As your mana depletes it will become more difficult to focus.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Making a mental note to keep an eye on his HP and another to ask Kat more about spells he examined the next entry.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Crippled</td>


    <td>Your right leg will not bear weight for 43 hours (crudely bandaged) or 129 hours (untreated)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Hungry</td>


    <td>Your endurance is reduced 20% until you eat. This condition will worsen over time.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    So that was why he couldn¡¯t stand. It looked like Grey really did help him out. He would be mobile again in a third the time it would take him to heal on his own. He finally got to the real prize, his stats.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>STR</td>


    <td>


    STR is a measure of your physical strength. Among other things, it affects


    - Physical defense


    - Melee damage


    - Carrying capacity


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    AGI


    </td>


    <td>


    AGI is a measure of your overall speed. Among other things, it affects


    - Attack speed


    - Dodge


    - Stealth


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>DEX</td>


    <td>


    DEX is a measure of your dexterity. Among other things, it affects


    - Block


    - Weapon accuracy


    - Crafting Skill


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>WIS</td>


    <td>


    WIS is a measure of your accumulated knowledge. Among other things, it affects


    - Mana recovery


    - Spell control


    - Perception


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>INT</td>


    <td>


    INT is a measure of your mental capacity. Among other things, it affects


    - Maximum Mana


    - Spell strength


    - Memory


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>CON</td>


    <td>


    CON is a measure of your overall health. Among other things, it affects


    - Maximum HP


    - Stamina regen


    - disease and poison resistance


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>END</td>


    <td>


    END is a measure of your physical fitness. Among other things, it affects


    - Maximum stamina


    - Reduced strain from low pools


    - Reduced sleep and food requirements


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don was happy to see such a high value for his constitution. It looked like each point was worth another 5HP. He would have to ask Kat why some stats were so much higher than others. He moved on to his traits.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Demonic:</td>


    <td>As a male demon you will gain an additional point in STR and WIS every level. You also have access to demonic skills. Warning, you start with a reputation of -1000 with every civilized settlement due to your demonic nature.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Death''s Roommate:</td>


    <td>You have died 25 times during your first day in Arcadia without initiating combat once. Death is fed up with your frequent visits and grants you a chance to foresee lethal attacks.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don assumed more points was a good thing but he was getting irritated at all the references to levels without any explanation. He cringed at being reminded how many times he had died yesterday but he welcomed the odd second trait. Anything that could keep him from dying again was welcome. He didnot want to go back to that crypt. He finally came to the last section, his skills.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Punching bag:</td>


    <td>take over 1000 unarmed attacks in one day without fighting back. You have been toughened by the fists of your enemies. Unarmed attacks will have less of an effect on you.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Training Dummy:</td>


    <td>50 players have learned combat skills by attacking you while you didn¡¯t defend yourself. It is now easier for others to learn skills by practicing them on you.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Alchemy:</td>


    <td>You have been taught the rudiments of alchemy. With the proper tools and ingredients, you can cure a wide range of ailments, or cause them.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Goblin Language:</td>


    <td>Why you would bother to learn this language is beyond even the greatest scholars. That is why they never have. Learn to speak with these little monsters and all their secrets can be yours. Secrets like, which bug is most tasty, or which mud puddle is best.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don cringed again at the reminders of his torture. He looked furtively at the brawling gobs. It was probably a good idea to keep his training dummy skill to himself. He didn¡¯t want every gob in the tribe lining up to hit him, or more likely mobbing him all at once. The alchemy skill was more interesting. It looked like his time helping Grey paid off. He would have to try hard to learn more and he would probably have plenty of chances judging by the timer on his crippled status. Don got a little angry reading the Goblin language prompt. He figured it referred to the gobs because he hadn¡¯t been learning any other languages. It seemed like whoever was writing these prompts had a pretty low opinion of his new tribe. He resolved to learn the language to the point of fluency just out of spite. He already learned alchemy without knowing the language. He was sure he could learn more if he could talk with them.


    Kat finished storing the last of the plants and came to join Don.


    ¡°Hey Kat, this status spell is really something else¡±


    ¡°Kat tell you, is good spell¡± He beamed at the simple praise.


    ¡°I¡¯m confused about some of the information. Can I ask you some questions?¡± Don asked hesitantly. He shouldn¡¯t have been worried. Kat nodded his head so hard his ears flapped back and forth. ¡°Great, first of all, what are levels?¡±


    Kat opened his wide mouth to answer but was interrupted by a loud scuffling and squeaking. Dinner had begun. Kat left the question unanswered and hurried over to the fire to get a piece of meat. Don sighed and crawled after him.


    He got to the fire and waited for a bit but Grey clearly wasn¡¯t going to give him special treatment again. Don shouldered his way into the scrum of gobs dancing around the fire. He reached out and pulled a small but juicy leg from over the fire. He sat back to eat but a gob knocked it out of his hand and scuttled off before Don realized it was there. His rabbit haunch lost to the crowd he pulled another piece from the fire. He kept a tighter grip on this one but as soon as he began to eat another gob was at his elbow trying to steal his food. Don yanked the morsel away from that gob only for another one on his other side to snatch his dinner again.


    ¡°Hey¡± Don shouted but too late. The rabbit was already gone again. Don reached up for the third time and took one of the last pieces of rabbit. Wasting no time he stuffed the meat into his mouth so no one else could steal it. He looked around savagely at the little gobs but being on his hands and knees this was less intimidating than he intended. Cheeks bulging, he crawled out of the small scale battle and relaxed against a wall to chew in peace. Kat re-appeared next to him like nothing had happened.


    ¡°Level is how strong you are. If you low level, don¡¯t fight high level.¡± Kat explained


    ¡°Okay, what about exp?¡±


    ¡°EXP comes from rabbits. You kill rabbit, you get EXP. get enough EXP and level goes up.¡± Don was following so far. He still wasn¡¯t totally clear on levels but he knew he wanted a higher level than 0.


    ¡°Do you know why some of my stats are higher than others?¡± Don asked


    Kat made a noncommittal grunt ¡°Maybe training. When I sneak lots, I get AGI¡±


    Don looked back at the stat descriptions. It looked like AGI helped sneaking so doing the actions associated with a stat might increase that stat.


    ¡°What about END, how do you train that?¡±


    ¡°Get hit lots¡± Kat answered simply. Well, that was one mystery solved. The mob was training his END all day yesterday.


    ¡°Do you know any more spells? The Mana description says something about them.¡±


    ¡°No spells, Kat sneaker not caster¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a caster¡±


    ¡°Gob who uses spells¡± Kat picked absently at his teeth looking for any extra bits of meat.


    ¡°Are any of the other gobs casters?¡± Don asked. Kat pointed at Grey. Don should have known. At least he would have time to ask her about spells. He facepalmed. How was he supposed to ask Grey about spells when they could barely speak to each other?


    ¡°Kat, can you teach me gob-squeak?¡±


    Kat gave Don a sidelong look. ¡°Why you want gob-squeak when I speak humie?¡±


    Don gestured to the tussling tribe. ¡°They can¡¯t speak humie¡± Don caught himself using Kat¡¯s word and paused for a second before shrugging and going with it ¡°I want to talk with them too. Why do they always fight anyways?¡±


    ¡°That other status, tribe status¡± Kat answered ¡°Strongest gob is best, gobs fight to prove who strongest¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you fight then?¡± Don asked


    ¡°I am best finder, they see and leave me alone, same with Sik¡± Kat pointed across the cave. Sik was sitting in a corner. He wasn¡¯t being attacked by the other gobs but they weren¡¯t paying him any other kind of attention either.


    ¡°What¡¯s special about Sik?¡±


    ¡°Sik ¡®prentice to Grey, he make good potions. Other gobs not best, so they fight to prove they strong.¡±


    Don pondered this for a while before asking ¡°If they¡¯re trying to prove they¡¯re strong, why don¡¯t any of them attack me?¡± Don didn¡¯t expect Kat to laugh but he did, long and hard before wiping a tear from his eye.


    ¡°You too weak. You newest gob so lowest. Only get status for fighting stronger gobs¡± Don didn¡¯t think he was that much weaker than the puny monsters but he was glad. It meant so long as he didn¡¯t challenge any of the other gobs he wouldn¡¯t be a target.


    ¡°Okay, so I¡¯m weak. Will you teach me anyway?¡±


    Kat shrugged as if to say ¡®what else am I going to do around here?¡¯ and started teaching Don more goblin words.

 13 - Challenge

    Don¡¯s next day was very similar to his first full day in the cave. Now that Don had come to grips with his very short list of useful skills he devoted himself to mastering them. He practiced gob-squeak with Kat and to a lesser extent with Grey. He got the feeling that Grey was watching him but never caught her at it. She stolidly prepared her potions and treated the gobs as they returned. Don was able to tease some words out of her but only ones related to alchemy. His skill in alchemy rose another point shortly after Grey let him prepare a new potion. This one turned into a goopy green sludge. The first few batches he made were emptied into the fire pit. After his skill rose, the next batches came out less chunky and were added to the hanging collection of potions. His DEX also rose a point during the day of grinding and mixing. It looked like making potions was a good way to train that stat.


    When the gobs returned Don made sure to watch Grey closely and even poked some of the gobs in the same places she poked. He knew Grey was looking for something but he wasn¡¯t able to tease out what it was yet.


    That night Don was able to follow bits and pieces of the gobs conversations in the cave. They mostly boiled down to ¡°My food¡±, ¡°no take¡± and ¡°You weak¡± before the communication devolved into that universal language, violence. Don was now able to tell them apart a bit better. He noticed one gob which had gathered a small gang and asked Kat about him. He used gob-squeak as much as he could.


    ¡°Who that?¡± he asked


    ¡°He Gat, gob who find you¡± Kat said slowly making sure Don could follow.


    ¡°Why¡­¡± Don paused, not sure how to say what he wanted to in gob-squeak, he switched back to humie ¡°Why does he have other gobs bringing him food? Ididn''t think gobs would do that.¡±


    Kat repeated Don¡¯s question in gob-squeak, it was a system they worked out on Don¡¯s first night and it was helping a lot based on Don¡¯s skill progression. It slowed down the conversations now but it would definitely pay off.


    ¡°Most gobs bring rabbit or plant, Gat bring whole demon. He get lots of status and Tak start serve him. Tak fight for Gat and they strongest now. More gobs serve Gat and he in charge now.¡± Don looked back and saw that a trio of gobs were standing around Gat looking menacing while Gat lounged and ate his dinner. Gat caught Don¡¯s eye and pushed himself to his feet. As he sauntered over his followers flanked him, staying a step behind their new leader. He bent in close to Don¡¯s face which was roughly on the same level as Gat¡¯s because Don was sitting. Gat gave Don a look up and down, lingering on his bandage before screaming in his face. Spittle, chunks of meat and rancid breath sprayed along with his words.


    ¡°You want Gat¡¯s meat?¡± He waved his half-eaten rabbit-leg in the air ¡°You take from Gat¡±


    At that moment a popup appeared with a ping.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Congratulations! Your goblin language skill has risen from Apprentice 3 to Apprentice 4!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">You can understand short sentences and basic concepts.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don smiled at the prompt before dismissing it mentally. It faded to reveal an even more irate Gat. He was not expecting Don to smile at his posturing. He leapt at Don.


    ¡°Me show you, dumb demon not take Gat¡¯s food¡± Don had been bumped and scratched by other gobs accidentally but he had never been attacked directly by one, especially not one as angry as Gat was now. He was fast. Whirling claws raked at Don¡¯s arms which were flung up to protect his face. He expected more pain than there was. The little gob was intimidating and his fast movements were disorienting but the individual attacks were less painful than Grey¡¯s spoon. In a sudden lunge, Don grabbed for gat. He missed the flailing arm he aimed for but he managed to get ahold of a shoulder. He then used his grip as an anchor to clamp his other hand onto the squirming, screeching and scratching gob and lifted him into the air. Don paused there, unsure what to do next when the three lackeys jumped at him. Their claws forced Don back onto defense. He didn¡¯t get badly injured but he didn¡¯t want them to get to his eyes. The four gobs scratched, bit and spat at him. After a minute without any resistance, they left him alone, taking the victory back to their place by the fire. Don sat up, covered in scratches and foul-smelling spittle. Kat was nowhere to be seen but another prompt came up during the scuffle. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Congratulations! Your Punching Bag skill has risen from Apprentice 6 to Apprentice 7.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">17% decrease in damage taken from unarmed attacks</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    That probably had something to do with why the gobs attacks were so ineffective. None of them used weapons so all their attacks counted as unarmed. He unfocused his eyes momentarily to check his health bar. It was impossible to see the bars clearly unless he relaxed his eyes, a trick Kat had taught him. A sizeable chunk of the red bar was missing, black taking its place. He checked his stats to get more information. ¡°Status¡±


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">HP: 79/105</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    So the four gobs only managed to do 26 damage to him. That would be a lot if he had a gob¡¯s starting health pool which Kat confirmed was only around 40. If it wasn¡¯t for his resistance, he would have taken roughly 30 damage. Apparently, those gobs really wanted to put Don in his place. He decided not to mess with them again and crawled over to the alchemy alcove. He learned that Grey told the gourds apart by the smell of their contents. Don pulled them down one by one, sniffing at their open tops until he found one which had the coppery smell of the healing potion. He downed half the gourd¡¯s contents and watched as his health bar slowly refilled and the scratches on his arms zipped shut. His health stopped a little short of full and a few scratches remained on Don¡¯s skin but he decided to let the rest heal overnight and replaced the gourd.


    HP would recover on its own but it did so very slowly. A meal and a nights rest would take care of these minor injuries and there was no need to waste the tribes potions. He crawled back to his corner to find Kat waiting for him.


    ¡°A lot of help you were¡± He accused, too angry to try using gob-squeak.


    ¡°Not my fight, you challenge Gat, you stupid¡± Kat didn¡¯t meet Don¡¯s eyes, he rubbed his claws, cleaning them of dirt and revealing their natural shining black coloration. He was speaking in gob-squeak and so Don responded in kind.


    ¡°I no challenge, I look¡± Don argued


    ¡°Same thing¡± Kat said


    Don fumed at the injustice. He couldn¡¯t look at another gob without challenging them?


    ¡°I look at other gobs, this first challenge¡±


    ¡°Can look at gob, don¡¯t look at gob with food, that challenge¡±


    Don replayed the last days in his head. It was true, whenever the food came out Don was too focused on getting his share until all the food was gone. This was the first time he looked at a gob who was eating.


    ¡°Okay, I understand¡± he admitted. He didn¡¯t like the rule or the struggle over food but he didn¡¯t see any way around it. Being hungry was pretty crappy and rabbit was by far his favorite thing about Arcadia so far. It was worth a little trouble to get some. Don and Kat spent the rest of the night talking and Don earned another point in INT and a skill up in goblin language making their conversation go more smoothly.

 14 - manifestation

    Don woke once again to the alarm clock of squeaking gobs. A quick check of his status confirmed less than a day remained before his crippled status effect would wear off. He didn¡¯t move around much in the City but he¡¯d found there was a huge difference between not moving and not being able to move. He itched with the desire to follow the gobs out of the cave, or maybe the itch was from gob spit and dried mud. He missed his recliner and it¡¯s nightly auto-wash. Dragging his leg behind him, he set off for Grey''s alcove.


    Grey was already grinding away. The accident-prone gobs made sure their stock of ingredients never ran out but they also depleted the stores of finished potions almost as fast as Grey and Don could produce them. Don got comfortable and pulled bits of plants down to produce more of the antidote potion he learned to make the day before. Hours later he received another skill up in Alchemy. He was waiting for a point of DEX next when something entirely unexpected happened.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Living in near-darkness for days on end has manifested a skill!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center"></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">You have unlocked Night Vision basic 1</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">5% increased ambient light when in a low light environment.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The alcove was instantly just the slightest bit brighter. He was able to see the plants and gourds more clearly and some shadows seemed less deep. The skill leveled twice more before the gobs returned increasing the effect by 1% each time. None of his other skills had leveled that quickly before and he was thrilled with the helpful skills rapid progress.


    In the last hour before his crippled effect wore off Don couldn¡¯t help but check his status page after every potion he made. The information was useful but it wasn¡¯t exact. It only gave the hour when the effect would disappear. When it finally was gone from his status page Don whooped. Grey looked over at Don and watched as he scooted out of the alcove to test his newly restored mobility.


    Don tested his leg gingerly. The status page had been accurate when it came to his hunger but he wasn¡¯t in a rush to fall over again. His leg was stiff, hardly reacting when he tried to use it but it held his weight. He took a few tentative steps around the cave and could have run outside right then if Grey didn¡¯t call him back.


    ¡°Make healing potion¡± she commanded. Don thought about ignoring her for a moment but the moment passed quickly. Grey had been feeding and teaching him for the last two days and Don wasn''t about to just run off on her. Don removed the bandage and tossed it into the fire pit, glad to be rid of the itching vines. He settled back into the alcove and took a few glorious seconds to scratch at his healed knee.


    ¡°Thank you¡± He squeaked to Grey.


    ¡°Kat say you know spells,¡± he continued ¡°Can teach me?¡± He had learned this phrase from Kat the previous night and was waiting for the right time to broach the subject.


    ¡°No¡± Grey responded flatly as she scooped powder into a mixing bowl.


    Don was taken aback by the quick negative. He had seen how Grey started the fire now and was determined to learn some spells. She took a clawful of grasses, leaves, and twigs. After saying a word which wasn¡¯t gob-squeak or humie she blew into the vegetation. It immediately started smoking. After another breath, the grass curled and the leaves were consumed by embers. A third breath set a small flame dancing in herpalm which she used to ignite the fire-pit. Maybe he should have waited for a better time to ask but he was excited by his renewed mobility.


    ¡°Why¡± Don wasn¡¯t about to give up so easily.


    ¡°I not want to¡± Grey responded swirling the mixing bowl and paying more attention to its contents than the conversation. Don was surprised by the simple and honest answer. He tried to think of ways to continue the conversation. He was limited by his basic language skills however and settled on a direct approach.


    ¡°What you want?¡± He asked. Grey finally seemed interested in Don. She gave him a considering look, her mixing bowl lying forgotten.


    ¡°I want -skree-¡± The last squeak was one Don didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°What -skree-¡± Grey pointed at her leaf coverings and then at Don¡¯s loincloth. Don hoped she was referring to clothing in general. Don wasn¡¯t willing to part with his only article of clothing. He would rather add to his collection. It wasn¡¯t a huge deal because he was surrounded by gobs with nothing more than a covering of mud most of the time but he would love to have his old jumpsuit. It just felt wrong to be going around in nothing but a loincloth.


    ¡°I find clothes, you teach spells?¡± don asked


    Grey considered for a moment, picking a scab on her nose before agreeing to Don¡¯s terms.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Quest Alert!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center"></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">You have received the quest Warlocks Wardrobe.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">For every piece of clothing you provide to Grey, you will be taught a magic spell.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don didn''t expect a prompt confirming their deal. He had no idea where he would find more clothes but anything that could fit Grey would be too small for him so there was no downside as far as he could see. He would just have to keep the quest in the back of his mind.


    With the deal struck, they both went back to brewing potions until the gobs returned. Don took more pleasure than he thought he could by walking to the entrance of the cave. His new night vision skill made it easier to appreciate the looks of shock on the gobs faces too. This was their first time seeing him upright and he towered over his small tribesmen. The skill also made it easier to watch whatever it was that let Grey determine which gobs needed potions.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    <table>


    <thead>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Through continuous observation, a skill has manifested!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center"></td>


    </tr>


    </thead>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">You have learned Diagnose basic 1</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">You can now detect ailments in target creature</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Cost: 1 mana</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Range: touch</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">+1 WIS</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Another basic skill! Don tried it out immediately, touching a gob and saying ¡°diagnose¡±. He was rewarded with a prompt.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Nothing appears to be wrong.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don tried the skill a few more times earning a skill up before he got a meaningful result.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">This patient is suffering from ¡°scratches¡±</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don was a little letdown. The scratches were obvious just from looking at the gob. He was still too excited about his new skill though and kept using it. He even used it multiple times on each gob to see if the results would change. Many of the gobs he didn¡¯t detect issues in were stopped by Grey and given a potion. She was clearly better at this than Don was. Before long, Don got light headed and it felt like he was trying to see through a fog. He summoned his status screen and checked his mana levels. ¡°Status¡±


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">MANA: 22/60</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    He hoped that the negative effects of low pools wouldn¡¯t kick in so soon. He used ¡°diagnose¡± a few more times but as soon as his mana dipped below 30% a headache began pressing at his temples. Don decided to leave the rest of the gobs to Grey and waited for his mana to recover. It took five whole minutes for his mana to increase by a point and for his headache to fade. Don expected his MANA regeneration to be much faster, he would have to be careful in the future. Hestruggled through some basic math. It was surprisingly difficult with his strained mana pool. He eventually found that each point of WIS granted one point of mana per hour. He hoped CON had a better effect on stamina regeneration but he would have to wait to find out for sure.


    Kat soon joined the stream of gobs and the pair went back to the alcove to sort plants with Sik. The ill-looking gob had warmed up to Don over the last two days. It seemed like he was happy to be outside, exploring the forest, finding useful plants instead of being stuck inside under the iron rule of Grey''s spoon. Once Don could talk with him he proved to be a veritable fountain of knowledge. Don learned the names for ironbark, knotweed, bloodmoss, and silver frond as well as where they tended to grow. The picture Kat and Sik painted of the forest outside made Don want to jump out of the cave and start exploring right up until the gobs told stories about the dangerous animals that came out while the gobs hid in their cave. From the way they told it, the forest was filled with hidden, teeth, fangs and claws just waiting for a careless gob to shred into bloody gobbets.


    Don was justifiably worried. His number one priority was to stay alive. He wanted to avoid being sent back to that crypt at all costs but sorting the plants gave him time to think. What kind of life would he have if he stayed inside the cave, making potions for the clan, avoiding eye contact in case it sparked another challenge? No, if Don wanted to stay alive he had to get stronger and the best way to do so was to get some levels. He would have to go outside to find rabbits and take their exp. He also wouldn''t find any clothes for Grey and he really wanted to learn some magic. If Don was being totally honest he might have admitted how his newfound love of barbeque fed into his decision-making process. Regardless of the reasoning, Don was resolved to leave the cave the next day.


    Sik was not happy to hear the news. His short vacation was over and he would be back at the mercy of the tribe¡¯s matriarch for the foreseeable future. Don¡¯s marginally improved DEX allowed him to separate the plants faster than before and they finished their sorting with some time to spare before dinner. Don listened to their stories of the forest, the smells and the colors, the dangerous beasts, and close calls. It seemed like a common theme was running away heroically. To the gobs, just getting away was treated as a victory. Thinking about all the immortal people who wanted Don¡¯s blood, he agreed with this philosophy. An increase in the volume of squeaking by the fire signaled the start of dinner and they moved to get their share before it was all gone.


    Don found it much easier to secure some of the food now that he could stand. He plucked a piece of rabbit from the fire and held it out of reach of the gobs. They couldn¡¯t even reach his elbows to jostle them. One brave gob started climbing Don only to be pushed back to the ground. Emboldened by his success, Don reached for a second piece. When he started eating it, he noticed Gat and his gang, now one gob larger moving aggressively towards him.


    Not wanting another fight with the little spitfire and his cronies, he tossed the meat to one of Gat¡¯s minions who was quickly set upon by his jealous leader. Before they could remember whatever reason they had to hate Don, he retreated back to his customary spot by the wall. He was soon joined by Kat and Sik. They passed the time giving Don advice for his excursion the next day until they fell asleep.


    Spoiler: Don''s stats and skills to date<input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">


    <table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="100"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>STR</td>


    <td>10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>AGI</td>


    <td>10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>DEX</td>


    <td>13</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>INT</td>


    <td>12</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>WIS</td>


    <td>12</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>CON</td>


    <td>21</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>END</td>


    <td>10</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="255"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>skill</td>


    <td>Rank</td>


    <td>Level</td>


    <td>Effect</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Punching Bag</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>7</td>


    <td>17% unarmed resistance</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Training Dummy</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>14% training increase (when not resisting)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Alchemy</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>3</td>


    <td>3% potion effectiveness (when administered personally)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Goblin Language</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>5</td>


    <td>Basic concepts and short sentences</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Night Vision</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>3</td>


    <td>7% increased light</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Diagnose</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>assess the targets visible injuries</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 15 - Forest

    Don stood at the threshold to his new life. He dipped into a crouch, testing his legs. It was as if the crippling injury had never happened. He rolled his neck and shrugged his shoulders. He bounced on the balls of his bare feet and ran out of ways to stall. Light shone down through the uneven cave entrance in a beam. It wasn¡¯t overly bright but when compared to the gloom of the cave, it was a spotlight. Don leaned forward and pulled himself up the loose slope of dirt and fist-sized rocks. it crumbled a little at each step, sending puffs of dust swirling through the shaft of light. Even with the sliding, Don made steady progress towards the top. It was a tight fit, squeezing through the entrance. Don had to drop to his knees and turn his torso sideways in order to get his shoulders through. A few grunts and scrapes later, Don was outside.


    He put a hand on the lichen speckled boulder concealing the entrance and stood. It was the most beautiful and tranquil scene Don had ever seen. A gurgling brook sliced it¡¯s way down the hillock behind don and curved to pass close to the entrance before winding back away into the trees. Ferns coming up to don¡¯s chest lined the waterway, partially concealing it and advertising its presence at the same time. Away from the water, smaller tangles of bushes covered the ground in clumps. The unclaimed land was littered with the abandoned limbs of trees and carpeted in their leaves. Don craned his neck taking in one of the old sentinels of the forest.


    Gnarled roots cradled stones and gripped the fertile, black soil. The tree¡¯s iron colored skin was wrinkled and rough. He followed the body of the tree up into the air with his eyes and took in the graceful sweep of its branches. The air was permeated with the gentle applause of thousands of leaves, joined in approval of the forest wind. Beyond the leaves, an orange sky bleed through, piercing the darkness under the canopy with slanting beams of twilight which appeared and vanished with the movement of the leaves. Don took a deep breath, his chest inflating and eyes closed. A sense of, correctness, washed over him as the fresh cold smells of nature infiltrated his nose. The slightly sweet smell of tree sap. The earthy aroma of decomposing leaves. It was invigorating after so many days in the stale cave.


    He was in his element here. It was an element he had never seen before but like a fish doesn¡¯t need to understand the ocean to KNOW it belongs, Don knew. This forest was right. A missing piece of him had returned.


    Everything under the shifting leaves was still, right up until Kat smacked Don in the back of the head. Kat was standing on the boulder next to Don and had an irritated expression on his face.


    ¡°Stupid! Don¡¯t close eyes. animals will eat you. You hear them with tiny ears? You smell them with stubby nose?¡± Kat pointed to each body part as he mentioned them. Don¡¯s skill with the language was still growing but they used a cobbled together sign language to assist with communication. It was still more pantomime than anything.


    ¡°Now jump in stream¡± Kat commanded with another point.


    ¡°Why jump in stream¡± Don asked, partly out of curiosity and partly to try out the new word for water.


    ¡°You spend too long in cave, animals will smell you. Water will wash off smell.¡±


    Don never expected to get a lesson in hygiene from the mud-spattered gobs. He sniffed under his arm and decided his little guide was right. He needed a bath. He followed Kat to the edge of the stream and was surprised when the little gob jumped into the water. Kat quickly scraped the caked mud and leaves off his body before splashing out of the stream. He immediately dropped to the ground and rolled in the dirt, coating himself with mud and leaves again.


    ¡°Hurry up¡± Kat called from the other side of the water.


    Don looked at the moving water skeptically. Crystal clear water only distorted the rocky bottom. Occasional stones broke the surface and trailed wakes of foaming turbulence. He lowered himself into the stream carefully, standing on one of the rocks which broke the surface. He slipped and fell in with a splash. The stream wasn¡¯t very deep and he hit the rocky bottom but that was only a secondary concern at the moment.


    ¡°Cold!¡± he exclaimed, bursting from the water. He never expected water could get so cold. If it wasn¡¯t moving it might be frozen. Don climbed out of the steep channel as fast as he could. Kat stood on the bank above him with his arms crossed.


    ¡°I say wash. You wash or I leave you¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s way too cold¡± Don protested


    ¡°Yes it cold, it come from mountain where everything cold. You so stinky I can¡¯t smell danger, wash¡± Kat wrinkled his nose and glared at Don who returned to the icy water grumbling. The little tyrant had made Don promise to follow all his orders while they were in the forest. That was the price for Kat¡¯s lessons. It seemed like a good deal at the time but Don was beginning to suspect he had made a huge mistake.


    He took a deep breath and plunged back into the icy torrent. He only got halfway under the water. He had to squirm and roll, banging his elbows on the rocks before he had rinsed off his entire body.


    ¡°Good, now roll¡± Kat demanded, pointing at a messy patch of dirty leaves on the ground. Don didn¡¯t bother arguing this time. He got onto the ground and rolled, leaves and dirt caking onto his wet skin. He sat up, eye level with Kat and glared.


    ¡°What was the point of washing off if you were just going to have me roll around in the dirt!¡± He couldn¡¯t help but shout by the end of his complaint. It earned him another smack.


    ¡°What is rule one¡± Kat admonished holding up a single claw inches from don¡¯s face.


    ¡°Be quiet¡± Don replied in a subdued voice almost as loud as his grinding teeth.


    ¡°Yes, be quiet, always¡± Kat didn¡¯t bother to acknowledge Don¡¯s anger


    ¡°You stupid, I smart, you listen, I teach¡± He continued ¡°Roll for same reason as wash¡± He sniffed ¡°we smell like forest now, nothing can eat forest, if we are the forest, we are safe¡±


    Don didn¡¯t believe a little dirt was going to keep him safe but he had watched Kat bring back more plants than the other gobs every day. Those results were proof enough that Kat knew what he was doing out here. Don nodded to himself as much as to Kat.


    Kat seemed pleased by this ¡°Good, forest no speak, forest is safe. Now we find plants¡± The gob turned and hopped to a nearby stone, next, he leaped to an exposed root which springboarded him another step along his crazily nonlinear path. The gob continued hopping from one solid foothold to the next, keeping off of the open ground.


    Don started following him. A rustling sound caused Kat to look back and he caught Don kicking happily through the piled leaves. ¡°Stop¡± he squeaked ¡°Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, too stupid to breathe¡± Kat stomped with each insult as if to drive them home. Don stopped in his tracks. That was rule two after all. Kat hopped back to him before pointing behind don.


    ¡°Look¡±


    Don followed his command, looking behind himself


    ¡°What?¡± He had no idea what had the gob so irate this time. There was nothing behind him but the stream.


    ¡°You leave tracks¡±


    ¡°What are tracks?¡±


    Kat smacked Don¡¯s leg, being unable to reach his head this time. ¡°Stupid! Tracks is moved leaves, broken branches. Tracks is sign of where you were¡±


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Congratulations! Your Goblin Language skill has risen from Apprentice 5 to Apprentice 6!


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You can understand moderately complex ideas


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Finally, Don¡¯s goblin language skill had been stuck at level 5 for a long time. Each time a skill rose, it took longer for him to reach the next level.


    Kat continued his lesson, unaware of the increase ¡°Tracks let dangerous animals find you, maybe even follow you home.¡± He was instantly more eloquent. With a shock, Don realized the stilted language Kat and the other gobs used was a result of his low skill, not their inherent stupidity. He looked behind himself again, inspecting the ground more closely. He had left dark gouges in the dirt where he had disturbed the top layer of leaves and revealed the rich soil beneath. Kat showed him how to cover up his tracks. It wasn¡¯t perfect. Even in the fading light under the canopy, he could make out traces but it was no longer the obvious sign pointing back to the cave that it was.


    The next time they began to move Don tried to follow Kat¡¯s example, bounding from one solid foothold to the next. It went well at first. Don planted a foot on a large rock which let him reach the base of a nearby tree. He clung to the tree before making another move towards a rock but it shifted as he landed. The rock which could hold steady against Kat¡¯s small body was shoved roughly aside by Don¡¯s efforts. This was worse than the tracks he left before. He tipped the rock back into the depression it had started in and did his best to replace the soil which was pried loose around it.


    To Don¡¯s dismay, Kat directed them back to the stream and told Don to walk along the streambed.


    ¡°You are too clumsy to move right, we need to get far from the cave before you can practice.¡±


    Kat showed Don how to step slowly, distributing his weight evenly and shifting from one foot to the other without scraping them. This allowed Don to move across the soft earth while keeping traces of his path to a minimum. Kat followed behind, concealing the markings as best he could. There was still a path leading from the disturbed dirt by the river, into the woods and back but it was hard to spot unless you knew where to look.


    Kat hopped down to a stone poking out of the river.


    ¡°Hurry up¡± he said again before turning and hopping from one exposed stone to the next, occasionally running along the steep bank where there was a span without any footholds. Don tried to imitate him again but had a hard enough time keeping his balance on a single stone. There was no way he could hop from one to the next like Kat. The memory of the water was enough to make him try anyway.


    He remembered how slick the stone was last time and instead of relying on traction, he angled his foot so pushing straight towards the rock would propel him forwards. It worked but his aim was off and he landed to the left of the stone he was aiming for. There was no way to catch himself so he splashed back into the frigid stream.


    ¡°Stop playing, you are too slow, just walk in the water¡± Kat chided from further downstream. Seeing no other way, Don resigned himself to trudging along through the water. His feet felt like they were being stabbed, then they felt like they were on fire, then they didn¡¯t feel at all. He could still tell when a stone shifted under him but the cold only affected him where the water met the air and his legs hadn¡¯t numbed yet. This went on too long for Don¡¯s liking but he was rewarded with a stat point.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">+ END</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Finally, Kat decided they had gone far enough and they both climbed out of the riverbed. Don was hidden by the ferns along the stream as they walked and didn¡¯t notice how the trees were getting smaller and growing closer together. He was more focused on his footing and the cold. Now he saw a forest which looked completely different. Many more plants grew on the ground here and Don was excited to pick them. Everything was painted in shades of grey. The sun had set during their walk and if it wasn¡¯t for Don¡¯s night vision skill and the large moon peeking from behind the trees, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to see anything.


    Kat led him through the trees, away from the stream. As they left the noisy water behind, other sounds emerged. Kat stopped, crouched low and closed his eyes. His large ears twitching from time to time and nostrils flaring.


    ¡°You said don¡¯t close eyes¡± Don reminded him


    ¡°I remember telling you to be quiet¡± He replied in a hushed voice. He continued to sit still and don decided to imitate him. Keeping his eyes open he focused on his ears. The stream was still audible but it had backed off to be a whisper in the distance. The air had stilled during their walk and the leaves hung motionless and silent. Other noises caught his attention. A short scratching, A soft hoot in the distance, His own breathing. He really was loud, He tried to quiet his breath and heard more of the forest. It was as if the wood was holding its breath and any sound stood out as well as a shout. Something scampered across a branch overhead. Footfalls and a snuffling were barely audible off to his left.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Congratulations, continuous effort has manifested a skill


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You have learned Focus Senses basic 1


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    5% increase to one sense 5% decrease to other senses


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Cost 1 STA / minute


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Kat led them away from the snuffling and deeper into the forest. Don tried his best not to leave tracks and followed Kat as he crept along, keeping low and sniffing the ground occasionally. Don paused from time to time, using Focus Senses to increase his sensitivity to smells. He was able to smell things other than the dirt from time to time but they meant nothing to him yet. He had to stop when he smelled or used the ability to boost his hearing because when he did, the shadows expanded, creeping back out of their corners to cover the ghostly plants and trees. It must have been the side effect of decreasing the senses he didn¡¯t focus on.


    Kat stopped. He straightened up and turned to Don. Don focused on his sight and the gobs face came into view while the smells and sounds of the forest faded.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Silver frond is here, try to find it¡± he whispered


    Don knew what silver frond looked like from his lessons with Sik. It was an unassuming small leaf, green on top like most of the others he had seen in the forest, but when seen from below, it reflected the light from the fire. The reflective waxy substance on the bottom of the leaf was used in some of the potions he had seen Grey preparing. The problem was, the scant light only came from above in the forest and he would have to find it in this near darkness.


    Don crept forward and started taking leaves and flipping them over, checking their undersides. While he searched, two of his skills increased.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Focus Senses has increased to basic 2


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    6% increase to one sense 6% decrease to all others


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Night Vision has increased to basic 4


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    8% increase in ambient light


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    With the cumulative boost of 14% to his vision, he was able to spot the telltale glimmer of faint moonlight reflecting from the underside of a leaf. He checked the other leaves on the same plant confirming he had the right one. He turned to gloat at Kat but didn¡¯t see him anywhere. A soft whump in front of him exposed Kat. As far as Don could tell, he had appeared out of nowhere.


    ¡°Now take one¡± he said


    ¡°Why not take them all?¡± Don asked


    ¡°Try it¡± Kat replied


    Don reached out and pinched the stem where the leaf sprouted from a larger stalk. He knew to take it from there from all the sorting he had done over the last few days. He plucked the leaf.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Congratulations! Your actions have manifested a skill


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You have learned Forage basic 1


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    5% increased ease of locating resources in the wilderness


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    5% increased effectiveness of resources you procure


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You have found 1 silver frond leaf


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Would you like to place it in your inventory? Y/N


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Out of curiosity, don thought ¡®yes¡¯. The leaf dissolved into motes of green light which flowed into his hand. A small area was momentarily illuminated by the light making the look of surprise on the pair''s faces obvious.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Kat asked


    ¡°I think the plant went into something called my inventory¡± He had to use humie for the new word and as he finished his statement, a new prompt appeared. It looked like a row of boxes. They were all empty except for one which had a tiny picture of a shiny leaf occupying it. He examined it with the thought that he really wanted that leaf back and the motes returned. They flowed from his hand and formed into the same leaf he had just harvested. Kat¡¯s eyes were wide.


    ¡°When did you learn more spells?¡± he demanded, his voice rising with excitement


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it just sorta happened.¡± Don replied lamely ¡°It looks like I can store some items though.¡± He thought about the leaf going back into the box it had just vacated and it dissolved into light again. The picture of the leaf returned and Don dismissed his inventory screen.


    ¡°I taught you status, you should teach me this spell¡± Kat demanded


    ¡°Okay, all I did was say inventory¡± the screen appeared again and Don dismissed it.


    ¡°Inventory¡± Kat tried. He scowled and tried again. Apparently, there was something more to it than just the words. While Kat was chanting the spell without success, Don tried to take another leaf. It came away easily enough but dried up and crumbled into dust. It looked like there was a limit to the leaves that could be taken from the bush.


    Now even more irritable than he had been before, Kat led Don deeper into the forest. The hours passed as Kat spotted more herbs for Don to search for and harvest personally. It was much easier now with the forage skill. Don didn¡¯t have high hopes for the skill but it turned out to be invaluable. The plants he looked for glowed ever so faintly. Activating his focus senses didn¡¯t affect the intensity of the glow but in the darkness of the forest, it was as good as a beacon. Don¡¯s inventory filled with useful plants. Each new type occupying its own box. Anytime he added a plant he already had collected, a small number in the corner of the box would increase.


    Kat stopped on occasion to listen to the forest and change their course accordingly. They hadn¡¯t run into any of the dangerous animals yet and Don was enjoying himself thoroughly. His new skills grew quickly. And a few old ones benefitted from sneaking around the forest at night.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Night Vision has increased to basic 5


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    9% increase in ambient light


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Focus Senses has increased to basic 4


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    8% increase to one sense 8% decrease to all others


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Forage has increased to basic 3


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    7% increased ease of locating resources in the wilderness


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    7% increased effectiveness of resources you procure


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don''s constant use of his focus skill eventually drained his stamina. The yellow bar had been reduced to about half its original size and Don stopped using the skill to let his stamina recover. His arms and legs were feeling heavier than normal and he didn¡¯t want to find out what the more extreme side effects of low stamina were in the middle of the forest. He took the chance to gauge his recovery speed. It took nearly a minute and twenty seconds for him to recover a point of stamina. It looked like every point of CON provided 2 points every hour. The math was much easier this time with a full mana pool.


    At one point Kat led Don to a bush of sweet red berries. They paused to strip the bush and fill their bellies. Rabbits were satisfying in a way the berries couldn''t¡¯ match but Don was captivated by the sweetness, the way they popped into slightly tart juice that made his gums tingle. He could have screamed when the eleventh berry he pulled from the bush crumbled into dust. He reactivated his Focus Senses ability and smelled the berries, doing his best to memorize the faint scent so he could find more later on. When the stars began disappearing from the gaps in the foliage and the sky took on the steely grey color of pre-dawn Kat pointed out a small path in the undergrowth. Don would have never seen it on his own. It was low, winding under bushes and only visible as a small tunnel of depressed leaves, torn grasses, and nibbled bushes.


    Careful not to disturb the path, they backed away. Kat turned to Don, breaking the silence for the first time in hours.


    ¡°That is a rabbit path¡± he whispered ¡°You are bad at hiding, You need to be far away¡±


    Don agreed. The little gob had impressed Don throughout the night by moving like a ghost appearing and disappearing without warning. In comparison, Don crashed through bushes and might as well have been singing.


    ¡°Rabbits are stupid, they don¡¯t look up. We surprise them from trees¡± Kat pointed up and Don followed his gaze. He gulped. The branches suddenly looked much farther away. A trill of birdsong filtered through the trees from far away.


    ¡°Quickly, birds wake up the rabbits¡± Kat said before gripping the bark with his sharp little claws and scampering up the side of the tree. Don shielded his eyes from the bits of bark that rained down on him. Kat was already at the crook between the trunk and a low branch.


    Don looked at his hands. There was no way he could climb the same way as the nimble gob. Instead, he circled the tree until he found a low hanging branch. He still couldn¡¯t reach it easily but he spotted a jutting knot low in the trunk. He backed away a couple of steps and charged the tree. He hopped at the last second, placing his foot on the knot and shoving for all he was worth. He flew upwards and just managed to get his fingers around the stout branch. It bent under his weight and swayed with Don¡¯s swinging but came to rest soon enough. From there it wasn¡¯t too different from climbing around using the rungs in his pod.


    He walked his feet up the trunk and hooked a leg around the branch. A short struggle later had him on top of the branch and settled into a crook like Kat.


    As soon as he saw Don looking he wiped the look of interested amusement off his face, replacing it with his scowl. ¡°Too noisy, stay here and watch, and be quiet¡±


    Kat scampered down the length of his branch and hopped to the branch of another tree. He continued like this until he was crouched directly over the rabbit trail. Then they waited. Don¡¯s stamina had regenerated and with the sun coming up he didn¡¯t need to boost his vision. He activated focus senses and strained his hearing. The light seemed to dim immediately and the treebark seemed less rough. He could however, make out sounds that were at the edge of his ability to hear them before, chief among them, his breathing. Don did his best to slow and smooth his breath. Another shrill bird call broke the morning silence, then another. Before long the trees were filled with birdsong and an occasional bird would flit down from the sky to alight in a nearby tree. Don watched the forest wake and forgot about Kat until a whump brought his attention back to his lesson. The gob had dropped right onto the back of an unsuspecting rabbit. The rabbit screamed in a high pitched way Don wasn''t expecting. Don was stunned. It hadn¡¯t occurred to him that the rabbits were actually alive until this point. The sudden barbarism of his meals until now struck him. Kat grappled and scratched the screaming animal until it fell still. It didn¡¯t take long.


    While he was contemplating the philosophical ramifications of killing in order to eat a light rustle in the bushes beneath him caught his enhanced attention. He looked down. An animal with a sharp, angular face crept out of the thicket. It was much larger than the rabbits Don had seen. Its black nose twitched as an equally black paw moved forward. Black tipped ears and beady eyes shone from an otherwise red body streaked with occasional patches of white. Don recognized its description from some of the stories Kat shared with him.


    The fox growled. Kat jumped, dropping the rabbit and spinning to face the fox. The look of terror in the gobs eyes was clear. Something came alive inside Don. Something he hadn¡¯t felt before. He would not let this fox hurt his friend. He leaned out over thin air, keeping one hand on the trunk of the tree for balance, and let go.


    Don didn¡¯t land with a soft whump, he landed with a sharp crack and a keening yelp. He crushed the fox beneath his bulk which had been nothing but a nuisance until now. The fox scratched at Don and clamped its teeth around his left wrist with a wild snarl. Its hind legs lay misshapen and crooked, bending in the wrong direction but it continued trying to savage Don as best it could. It drew bright red lines wherever its claws landed. A glance at his health bar told Don that this fox was doing a lot more damage than Gat and his small gang ever did. If he didn¡¯t do something this fox would kill him. Panic gripped him as he thought of what awaited him back in the town.


    He tried to pull away but the fox kept it¡¯s firm grip on Don¡¯s wrist and continued to maul every part of don¡¯s skin he could reach. All his retreat accomplished was to drag the fox along the forest floor, sweeping a small section free of leaves. Left with no other option, Don balled his free hand in the same way he had seen so many of his victims do and pounded the fox with all his strength.


    The brutal exchange didn¡¯t last long and when the fox fell to the ground, limp and glassy-eyed, Don kneeled over it. Chest heaving, small rivulets of blood running down his front and pat-pat-patting softly on the ground as he pried the foxes jaws from his wrist. The pain was bad but Don was accustomed to pain at this point. He checked his stats and found himself with slightly more than half of his stamina and slightly less than half of his health missing. Then he looked to Kat. He was gone again. The little bastard sure liked to run away when the cards were down. A small figure collided with Don. He got ready to fight again when he realized Kat had jumped from a nearby tree and was wrapped around him in a hug.


    ¡°You killed a fox!¡± he exclaimed ¡°No one ever kills foxes, I¡¯m sorry I called you stupid and noisy and useless¡±


    Taken aback by the sudden show of gratitude don latched onto the last part of Kat¡¯s apology ¡°When did you call me useless?¡±


    Kat immediately stopped trying to smother Don and hopped to the ground. He turned around and kicked at a root. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t say it to you¡±


    Before Don could take offense Kat whirled around with one finger raised to explain. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, daytime is coming. We have to go back to the cave.¡± He trotted over to his rabbit. Don wasn¡¯t about to let this go but he also wanted to get back to the cave. His wounds stung and he was in no shape to meet another animal like the fox. His focus sense skill timed out and the stinging intensified slightly. He decided his questions could wait and bent to scoop up the fox when a sequence of prompts obscured his vision.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Exiting combat, calculating results


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    For attacking from concealment you have manifested a skill


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Stealth basic 1


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    5% more difficult to detect


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    5% increase to sneak attack damage


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You have killed ¡°Young Fox¡±


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You gain 15 exp


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Would you like to claim the loot? Y/N


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don felt like skipping! He finally got some EXP! He was still pretty far away from the 50 he needed to level up but it was a start. He agreed to the question about loot hoping for something as good as the inventory he got during the night. The fox dissolved into red motes, pale in the growing light, before disappearing into Don¡¯s chest.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You gain ¡°fox pelt¡±


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don opened his inventory and sure enough, he had a new item. Kat caught his eye and motioned for him to follow. He hopped off with the rabbit slung over his shoulders. Don followed, trying not to leave obvious tracks. It didn¡¯t take long before Don heard the familiar sound of moving water. His heightened spirits sank. They had traveled in a loop during the night, bringing them back to the stream and Kat mercilessly commanded Don back into the water for a long and cold walk upstream.


    <hr>


    Spoiler: Don''s stats and skills <input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">


    <table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="100"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1">Stats:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>STR</td>


    <td>10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>AGI</td>


    <td>10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>DEX</td>


    <td>13</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>INT</td>


    <td>12</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>WIS</td>


    <td>12</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>CON</td>


    <td>21</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>END</td>


    <td>11</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="100"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1">Vitals:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>HP</td>


    <td>58/105</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>STA</td>


    <td>26/55</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>MANA</td>


    <td>55/55</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>EXP</td>


    <td>15/50</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="255"><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>skill</td>


    <td>Rank</td>


    <td>Level</td>


    <td>Effect</td>


    <td>cost</td>


    <td>range</td>


    <td>duration</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Punching Bag</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>7</td>


    <td>17% unarmed resistance</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Training Dummy</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>14% training increase</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Alchemy</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>3</td>


    <td>3% potion effectiveness</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Goblin Language</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>6</td>


    <td>Moderate complexity</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Night Vision</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>5</td>


    <td>9% increased light</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Diagnose</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>assess the targets visible injuries</td>


    <td>1 mana</td>


    <td>touch</td>


    <td>instant</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Focus Senses</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>8% increase and derease</td>


    <td>1 stamina</td>


    <td>self</td>


    <td>1 minute</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Forage</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>3</td>


    <td>7% ease and effectivness of resources</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Stealth</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>1</td>


    <td>5% sneak and sneak attack</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 16 - Return

    Don slipped no less than 5 times on his way back upstream. Each time he hit the rocky streambed he lost 2 or 3 HP but his effort didn¡¯t go unrewarded.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    + END


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    He had finally gotten numb enough so the water didn¡¯t bother him when Kat called out from overhead.


    ¡°You took so long my rabbit has probably gone bad.¡±


    Don wordlessly climbed up the steep slope and pushed past the walls of vegetation running parallel to the stream. He was totally out of breath and his arms and legs felt like lead. His head felt like a bowling ball and he struggled to get his breath back. ¡°Status¡±


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="2">


    Stats:


    </td>


    <td colspan="2">


    Vitals:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    STR


    </td>


    <td>


    10


    </td>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    HP


    </td>


    <td>


    46/105


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    AGI


    </td>


    <td>


    10


    </td>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    STA


    </td>


    <td>


    12/45(60)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    DEX


    </td>


    <td>


    13


    </td>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    MANA


    </td>


    <td>


    60/60


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    INT


    </td>


    <td>


    12


    </td>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    EXP


    </td>


    <td>


    15/50


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    WIS


    </td>


    <td>


    12


    </td>


    <td style="text-align: center" colspan="2">


    Status Effects:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    CON


    </td>


    <td>


    21


    </td>


    <td style="text-align: center" colspan="2">


    Hungry (-20% end)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    END


    </td>


    <td>


    9(12)


    </td>


    <td colspan="2"></td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Instead of regenerating, his stamina fell as Don climbed back upstream. He was also hit with a hungry effect. Don¡¯s stomach growled loudly. The berries delayed the onset of his hunger but he would need to find more food in the coming days if he wanted to avoid getting hungry at inopportune moments. His stamina dropped below thirty percent too, causing him to feel fatigued. He hoped his increased END would stave off the side effects of exertion but his hunger sapped him of that advantage.


    His HP had also taken a big hit. If he didn¡¯t have such an inflated CON he might have died on the way back from his fight, if he could have moved at all.


    His STA rose a point making it a bit easier to breathe. He moved towards the boulder hiding the entrance to the gob¡¯s cave. He could rest after he was treated by Grey. Kat frowned, and ran along the tree branches before dropping down just before the cave and slipping into the crevice between boulder and hill. Don followed him, less gracefully. He let himself half-roll and half-slide down the slope just past the cave mouth. Gat and six of his followers were there standing just a few feet away. Gat stepped forward, arms crossed and head cocked back, a self-assured smile displaying his rotten teeth.


    ¡°We wanted to see how badly you would do but we didn¡¯t expect you to come back empty-handed. You really are dumber than dirt.¡±


    Don noticed the three rabbits and the small collection of plants held by Gat¡¯s cronies. He grinned and pushed himself into a sitting position.


    ¡°Look how weak and tired you are. You should just give me your food tonight. We don¡¯t need our dinner going to such a useless weakling.¡± Gat held his arms up to his sides, head cocked, talking more to the gobs assembled behind him than Don. As a result, he didn¡¯t see what Don did that made his minions gape and glow green. Gat snapped his eyes back to Don in time to see him holding a single leaf of Silver Frond. He snorted.


    ¡°Did you hide that down your pants? That¡¯s still hardly anyth-¡± He cut off as he saw green motes flow from Don¡¯s hand and form another silver frond, and then another, followed by a petal from a Silkbell flower, and a strip of ironbark. In the shocked silence Don emptied his inventory, one item at a time, until he had a small pile, easily containing three times the gang¡¯s haul.


    Red motes flowed from Don¡¯s hand and a fox pelt formed in the air. Gat shrieked and stumbled backward as the skin fell towards him. He bumped into his gang and kept going. The followers darted after him but a few lingered, looking at Don for a few seconds before running deeper into the cave. Don laughed but it was brief. He was still fighting for breath and he couldn¡¯t handle more than a short chuckle. The look on his face, priceless.


    A finger prodded his side. Grey was there and offered him a gourd. Don thanked her and downed the contents. His HP quickly rose and the open wounds on his body scabbed over before his eyes. Grey offered him another gourd and Don took it with gratitude. This one replenished his STA. It wasn¡¯t long before Don was back to normal. He had to hand it to Grey, her potions were great. He would have been wheezing for minutes still if not for that stamina potion and it would have taken at least a day of rest for his wounds to heal on their own.


    ¡°It looks like you found something interesting.¡± Grey said examining the fox pelt, poking it with her spoon as if she didn¡¯t trust it was totally dead.


    ¡°Yeah, it was going to attack Kat so I jumped on it. I don¡¯t know what to do with this pelt though. It looks nice but can it be used for anything?¡± He asked


    Satisfied with her investigation, Grey picked the fur up in her free claw.


    ¡°It can be used for looking nice¡± She said and wrapped it around her neck. The predominant red color of the fox covered her from neck to elbows, after that streaks of white and black hung in what used to be legs but were now a set of large tassels. She flipped the fox¡¯s head over her own. Teeth hung down from her makeshift hood and the ears stood upright. Empty sockets stared back at Don.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You have completed the repeatable quest: Warlock¡¯s Wardrobe


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Grey will teach you one spell


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    It wasn¡¯t exactly what you would call clothing but it was a definite step up from the leaves she had worn before. It did have a certain wild quality to it that suited Grey. It made her look more fierce than she had a moment ago.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would find clothes so quickly, or that they would be so red. I haven¡¯t worn this color in years¡± She rubbed the soft fur fondly ¡°What spell do you want to learn?¡±


    Don hadn¡¯t given this much thought. He didn¡¯t expect the small fur to be accepted as clothing and had actually forgotten about the quest entirely after his struggle with the fox. He didn¡¯t really know much about magic yet. Thinking back on his night in the forest he was most frustrated by his slow and clumsy movements when compared to Kat.


    He asked, ¡°Is there a magic that can make me faster and better at moving in the forest?¡±


    Grey kept patting her new cloak absently as she replied ¡°probably, but I don¡¯t know it.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°What about something to make me better at sneaking?¡± It was obvious that after general mobility in the forest, his biggest weakness was his sneaking. When Kat gave the signal to hunker down and be still, The gob looked like a stone in the woods. Don looked more like a boulder, a big red obvious boulder with arms, legs, and horns.


    Grey thought for a moment before saying ¡°It won¡¯t help with all sneaking but I know something that could help you hide or confuse pursuers.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by Confuse pursuers?¡±


    ¡°If something is chasing you, you can make it chase you in the wrong direction so it actually is running away¡± She said. That sounded perfect! Something like that could have let Don save Kat today without fighting the fox. That thought gave him pause. The only reason he was getting to learn magic was because he killed the fox. Should he go with some magic to help him kill more easily? He looked at Kat and remembered the look of fear when the fox snuck up on him. He decided to go with his instincts. He would defend first and attack when he had to.


    ¡°What is the spell called?¡± he asked


    "The spell I can teach you is called manipulation. Its the most basic illusion spell. It starts out as a fairly useless party trick but you can make almost any illusion you can imagine if you have the wisdom needed to control the spell. It isn''t any good for attacking and starts out fairly weak but it''s the most flexible spell I know."


    Don liked the idea of having a skill with flexibility and besides, he had all the time in the world if his ageless attribute was to be believed.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, I want to learn it, what do I need to do?¡±


    ¡°Just take a seat¡± Don obeyed her command and sat. She pressed a palm to each of Don¡¯s temples. Her hands grew hot and one anticlimactic second later, it was over.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Congratulations!


    You have learned Illusion Magic


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    The Illusion skill tree is now unlocked


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center"></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    You have learned: Manipulation basic 1


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Cost: 1 Mana / 10 Seconds


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don balked at the mana cost. He would only be able to use the skill for ten minutes before his MANA was completely exhausted. He would only be able to get in five minutes before the side effects started in.


    ¡°Thank you, how does it work?¡± Don must have done a poor job of keeping the disappointment out of his voice because Grey laughed.


    ¡°Like this.¡± She extended a hand and the stone before her rose from the ground forming a rough copy of the old alchemist. The stone turned it¡¯s blank face towards Don and lunged at him. Don protected his face but there was no need to. The stone goblin passed right through Don.


    ¡°Illusions can be seen but not touched. This magic lets you make illusions¡±


    Don was suddenly more interested. If he could make fake copies of himself attack an animal, he could confuse it long enough to get away. He wanted to practice right away but Grey reminded him of his sorting duty with a sharp crack of her spoon. He enjoyed telling Sik about his day but Kat was sullen and didn¡¯t join in the telling except to add details concerning how hopeless Don was in the forest.


    When the dinner was ready, Don walked over and didn¡¯t have to fight for a piece of food for once. Some of the gobs moved out of his way and Don plucked a rabbit from the fire, taking it back to a corner to eat. When he was about to chow down, he remembered the pained screams of the rabbit Kat had pounced on. His stomach rumbled, making a strong argument in its own way. In the end, pragmaticism won out. The hunger effect would only get worse over time and he might not get another chance to eat for another day. They might run across another berry bush but there was no guarantee of that and if Don was weakened enough by hunger, he might be killed by a fox or something worse. An almost reverential feeling overtook Don and he appreciated his meal more than ever before because of his new understanding of the sacrifice which was a part of it.


    After dinner, Don went into the alcove, foregoing his usual discussions with Kat. He set to work immediately. He made a health potion quickly and set it aside. Next, he tried to make a stamina potion. He had seen Grey make several and knew the steps but he still failed three times before making a passable potion. He took the two potions and placed them in his inventory.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Health Potion


    Strength: trash


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    1 dose Heals 5 hp over ten seconds


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Quantity: 5 doses


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Stamina Potion


    Strength: trash


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    1 dose restores 5 STA over ten seconds


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Quantity: 5 doses


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    + DEX


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Alchemy Apprentice 3 ¡ú 4


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    14% increased effects of potions


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don had never seen the information for his potions before. He didn¡¯t like that they were classified as ¡®trash¡¯ but they would work fine. He would be able to heal almost all the wounds he got from the fox with the potion so he felt much better prepared for tomorrow.


    He then moved back into the entrance chamber and settled down to test his new magic.


    ¡°Manipulate¡±


    Nothing happened. Don¡¯s MANA dropped by a point after ten seconds and the spell ended. He was clearly missing something. He thought back to Grey¡¯s demonstration. She said he could make anything. It would make sense that he would have to have something in mind then. He had activated the skill expecting something to happen like when he used FocusSenses or Diagnose. Don decided to try and make a copy of himself like Grey had. He held his hand out and gave it a try.


    ¡°Manipulate¡±


    A grey lump of clay was drawn from the floor. Before Don could shape it into something resembling a copy, his skill timed out and the illusion vanished like a bad dream. Getting the feeling that he was onto something he tried again.


    ¡°Manipulate¡± This time he kept the skill active after ten seconds and shaped the clay into a vague doll shape before a headache set in.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Manipulate Basic 1 ¡ú 2


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Cost: 1 MANA / 15 seconds


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    + WIS


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    He pushed for another twelve seconds and lost his concentration. The spell failed and it felt like he was hit in the head with a rock. ¡°Status¡±


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center" colspan="2">


    Vitals:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    HP


    </td>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    95/105


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    MANA


    </td>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    19/60


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    His health had gone down. It looked like there was some danger to casting spells. Don spent the rest of the night switching from one heightened sense to the next, observing as much as he could in the enclosed space. He listened to gobs on the other side of the cave. Some were still talking about the pelt he had given to Grey and how he made plants out of light. He heard the whine of steam forcing its way out of the branches in the fire pit. He saw and smelled more than he wanted to. He also found that he could increase his sensitivity to touch. He felt when the slightest breeze passed, bending the small hairs he never noticed he had.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Focus senses Basic 4 ¡ú 5


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    9% increase to target sense


    9% decrease to all others


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Speaking of hairs, his head was covered in a dark, rough shadow. A few days unattended was enough for Don¡¯s hair to start growing in. In the city, his auto wash kept his scalp clear but without anything to cut his hair with, he would just have to get used to it. He rubbed the short bristles, producing a rasping sound.


    When his stamina dropped below half he started getting tired. When it dropped a few more points, so did Don.


    <hr>


    Spoiler: Don''s Stats and skills<input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">


    <table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="255"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center" colspan="2" rowspan="1">Stats:</td>


    <td style="text-align: center" colspan="2" rowspan="1">Vitals:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">STR</td>


    <td>10</td>


    <td style="text-align: center">HP</td>


    <td>95/105</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">AGI</td>


    <td>10</td>


    <td style="text-align: center">STA</td>


    <td>27/60</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">DEX</td>


    <td>14</td>


    <td style="text-align: center">MANA</td>


    <td>24/60</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">INT</td>


    <td>12</td>


    <td style="text-align: center">EXP</td>


    <td>15/50</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">WIS</td>


    <td>13</td>


    <td style="text-align: center" colspan="2" rowspan="1">Status Effects:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">CON</td>


    <td>21</td>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1"></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">END</td>


    <td>12</td>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1"></td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="255"><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>skill</td>


    <td>Rank</td>


    <td>Level</td>


    <td>Effect</td>


    <td>cost</td>


    <td>range</td>


    <td>duration</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Punching Bag</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>7</td>


    <td>16% unarmed resistance</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Training Dummy</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>13% training increase</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Alchemy</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>13% potion effectiveness</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Goblin Language</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>6</td>


    <td>Moderate complexity</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Night Vision</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>5</td>


    <td>9% increased light</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Diagnose</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>assess the targets visible injuries</td>


    <td>1 mana</td>


    <td>touch</td>


    <td>instant</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Focus Senses</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>5</td>


    <td>9% increase and derease</td>


    <td>1 stamina</td>


    <td>self</td>


    <td>1 minute</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Forage</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>3</td>


    <td>7% ease and effectivness of resources</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Stealth</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>1</td>


    <td>5% sneak and sneak attack</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1">Illusion Magic</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Manipulation</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>2</td>


    <td>Manipulate light to form intangible constructs</td>


    <td>1 mana</td>


    <td>2 yards</td>


    <td>15 seconds</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 17 - SpellCraft

    Fading daylight streamed into the cave when Don woke. He rose with the clarity that came from a full mana pool and quickly came up with a new plan. ¡°Manipulate¡±


    A fist-sized stone came free from the cave floor. He nearly had it shaped into a smooth sphere when he reached the 15 second limit for the spell. That was much easier than trying to make a huge replica of himself. Don left his practice for the moment. There was no point in exhausting his mana again. Don shielded his eyes against the daylight as he climbed to the exit. The canopy was saturated with the warm green of backlit leaves. Don took a few minutes to absorb the sounds of the forest while using focus senses on his hearing.


    After his mana refilled he created another nearly spherical rock illusion. If he just could remember to cast the spell whenever he had full mana he would figure out something to do with it. Or at least his manipulation skill would increase.


    He wasn¡¯t looking forward to the next part of the plan. Don turned with an anticipatory shiver and jumped down into the stream. He landed with a splash. Sitting on the chilled rocks at the bed of the stream, he was submerged up to his waist in the water. It surged around him as it tried to find a way around this new obstruction. The sound of the stream made his enhanced hearing pointless so he switched over to smell. It would keep his sense of touch muted in the freezing stream. It also made him aware of how much he smelled like woodsmoke and BO. He took the chance to wash away the smells. Before long his mana regenerated again and he summoned an illusion.


    This time he used water for the base. He was surprised when a gout of water poured upwards and splashed into an invisible vessel rolling, then rippling, then smoothing into a perfect sphere in only eight seconds. Don marveled at how much easier it was to work with watery illusions. He would have to experiment with different types of illusions. He started moving the water-ball around before it vanished at the end of the spell duration. His heightened CON gave him respectable stamina recovery. When set against the upkeep of his focus senses he only lost one point every couple of minutes. He kept this up for a little over half an hour before he got what he was after.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    + END


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    He had to drink one of his stamina potion doses but it had been worth it. He smelled what he wanted to minutes ago and was just waiting for the boost to endurance before he could have breakfast.


    He climbed out of the stream. His legs were completely numb and they made the trip a bit clumsy but he moved slowly, Doing his best to make his way to the smell without leaving tracks. He pushed past a screen of underbrush and passed through a small stand of younger trees.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Focus Senses Basic 5 --> 6</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    10% increase to target sense


    10% decrease to all other senses


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    He broke into a grin as he found what he had smelled from the stream. A low leafy bush covered with Heavy red berries. He limited himself to eating only three before putting seven more into his inventory. He might need some food to take the edge off his hunger in an emergency.


    He made his way back to the cave entrance to see a flood of goblins pouring out of the hidden cave like ants out of the side of their hill. They were all incredibly nimble. Even the more clumsy ones left no tracks Don could make out. The normally noisy and quarrelsome gobs moved as silent as a whisper and dispersed into the forest. Kat was waiting by the stream, staring at Don.


    ¡°I found-¡± Don began but was cut short by a curt signal to be silent by Kat before he motioned for Don to follow.


    They began their commute down the stream. Don periodically summoned a globe of illusory water and made it zip around in tight curves or blast straight down the streambed. The water distorted with the motion. Behaving like real water might if it could suddenly be talked into flying. It was as if the illusions fed off of Don¡¯s imagination. He had imagined the rock to be solid so it was hard to manipulate. Water is fluid and much more amenable to being told where to go.


    Kat grew more tense as they hiked. He was even more prickly than he was the previous night. Don figured it had something to do with being caught off guard by the fox. Kat eventually decided Don had suffered enough and hopped up the wall of the streambed and into the everpresent ferns. Don followed and after a quick dirt-bath, they spent hours sneaking through the trees foraging whatever they could find. Kat had an unnatural knack for honing in on useful herbs. After a time they came to a darker section of the forest filled with brambles and gnarled, twisted trees.


    Kat stopped to criticise every part of Don¡¯s approach to tree climbing and made Don climb up and down trees for an hour straight. The little tyrant would let Don rest for one minute out of every ten but he had to hang from a branch while he did. He had to use another stamina potion when Kat immediately set Don to the task of following the leader. This was unlike anything they had done before. They ran headlong through the forest, not caring about noise or footprints. Kat ducked under or weaved around the thorny obstacles and gnarled roots.


    Don had to either go over, or failing that, through any obstacles, he came to. Many of them rose to his waist. He could vault them but not as fast as his guide could skip across the path, rebounding from one island in the sea of brambles to the next. They ended up in the crown of a tree, tired from the extended run. Don was happy with the gains.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    + STR


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    + 2 AGI


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    While Don was climbing he tried to make a few illusory wood spheres. They were about as hard to work with as the stone. During the run, he was unable to spare the concentration needed to cast his spell. He had his senses focused on seeing all the different roots that could trip him or stones that could suddenly shift. He still missed a couple low hanging branches which taught him a lesson each. Canceling his Focused Senses he watched the shadows deepen from shallow ponds to deep lakes.


    Struck with an Idea he cast ¡°manipulate¡±. The shadows didn¡¯t lift into the air to form a sphere like he imagined. Instead, they formed a circle while remaining firmly stuck to the branch. Shadows slid from the underside of the branch across the bark to pool in front of Don.


    Testing the shadows, he found that they would move very quickly across any surface but were reluctant to leave and take on their own shape.


    Wanting to test this new illusion, he spent a few more mana and bought himself a minute to play with. He moved the shadows. They were incredibly easy to manipulate. He imagined a breeze and the shadows from under a handful of leaves shook and blew away. He twisted the shadows of branches and leaves in on themselves until he had a swarm of shadowy ribbons twisting around in a vortex. He gave a devilish grin and directed the shadows to himself. They glided up his legs as easily as any other surface. Once Don was coated in the shadows His grin took on a frightening aspect, flashing out intermittently from behind his new disguise.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Manipulation 2 --> 3


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Manipulate light to form intangible constructs


    Cost 1 mana


    Duration 20 seconds


    Range 3 yards


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Congratulations!


    Through experimentation, you have created a spell!


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Shadow Cloak Basic 1


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Cost 10 mana


    Duration 1 minute


    Range touch


    Effect 15% increased visual concealment in darkness


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    + Wis


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    His glee was interrupted when Kat hit him between the eyes with an acorn. Kat dropped from his branch and skipped off through the dark tangles of vegetation as easily as if it was a meadow of flowers. Don downed another dose of Stamina potion and crashed to the ground. He tore off in pursuit, taking small scratches as he charged through the brambles he was unable to avoid. He drank down a couple of his health doses to keep his HP pool close to its maximum.


    The potions were going faster than he expected. He only had 2 doses of stamina potion and 3 doses of Health potion left and he hadn¡¯t even gotten into a fight yet. After another wild chase to the edge of the brambles, Kat made Don climb around the trees again, this time trying to bridge the gap from one tree to another. He snapped more than one rotten branch which looked sturdy enough and came plummeting to the ground before Kat relented. The training was effective even though it burnt the last of Don¡¯s stamina potions and another health potion.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    + STR


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    + AGI


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The sun began sending it¡¯s light over the horizon, dimming the stars. Thankfully, that was the time limit for Don¡¯s torture session. He had never worked so hard physically in his life. He had eaten his berries throughout the night to stave off the hungry effect. He felt the familiar pangs starting up and popped his second to last berry into his mouth as he followed Kat in searching for a game trail. He angled towards the stream and before long found a trail. He instructed Don to sit over it and try to catch any rabbits he saw before hurrying off into the waking forest, presumably to find his own trail.


    Don pulled himself up into the tree much more gracefully than he could have that morning and settled down to wait. He wanted to use his new skill but The mana cost was expensive and it would only last a minute. He decided to wait for the right moment to use it. That didn¡¯t stop him from practicing with his manipulation skill. He found the shadows moved more sluggishly in the growing light. Anytime they passed through brighter patches, it was as if they became heavier but they slipped across surfaces coated in shadow as easily as Don slipped off the rocks in the river. Between casting and waiting for his mana to regenerate, he watched the ground below him with enhanced vision. Even so, he almost missed it when a rabbit poked its head out from its hiding space and took a tentative step down the game trail.


    Don silently activated his shadow cloak spell for the first time. Streamers of shadow flowed out from the underside of branches, the ridges in bark and from under Don¡¯s feet and hands. They wrapped around him until he was covered in what looked like a tattered cloak sewn from the night sky itself. In the early dawn, crouched high in a tree, Don melded into the darkness. Hopefully, it would be enough to obscure his large frame crouching above the game trail. He waited for the rabbit to nibble and hop slowly down its path until it was directly under Don. His traitorous heart pounded so loudly he was worried the rabbit would hear him and it seemed like the rabbit did sense something when it came close to don¡¯s tree. It stopped moving and held perfectly still. Its ears swiveled towards Don. Don had to recast Shadow cloak to keep it from expiring and was preparing to cast it again when, without any visible threat, the rabbit dismissed the sound and moved under his hiding place to nibble at some dewy grass.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Stealth Basic 1 --> 2


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    6% bonus to sneak and sneak attack


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don stepped out into thin air and dropped. He landed with both feet on the rabbit, killing it instantly. He felt a stab of guilt. That had hardly seemed fair. After the fight with the fox, it was too easy. Remembering the fox, he quickly looted the rabbit and climbed back into his tree.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You have killed ¡®Rabbit¡¯


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You gain 5 experience


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You gain ¡°rabbit foot¡± x1


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don double-checked his spoils. He didn¡¯t get any meat from the rabbit! What the hell was he supposed to do with a little rabbit¡¯s foot? The rabbit had dissipated into light when he looted it and he mourned the loss of food. He looked down at the trail below him. The body was gone but there was a clear sign that something bad had happened here. He didn¡¯t think another rabbit would come along. He sulked in his tree, waiting for his pools to regen and for Kat to return.


    <hr>


    Spoiler: Don''s stat and skills<input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">


    <table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="255"><col width="100"><col width="116"><col width="100"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1">Stats:</td>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1">Vitals:</td>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1">regen</td>


    <td>


    <div>


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>STR</td>


    <td>12</td>


    <td>HP</td>


    <td>58/105</td>


    <td>mana</td>


    <td>wis per hour</td>


    <td>4.29</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>AGI</td>


    <td>13</td>


    <td>STA</td>


    <td>65/65</td>


    <td>stamina</td>


    <td>(Con * 2) per hour</td>


    <td>1.43</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>DEX</td>


    <td>14</td>


    <td>MANA</td>


    <td>60/60</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>INT</td>


    <td>12</td>


    <td>EXP</td>


    <td>20/50</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>WIS</td>


    <td>14</td>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1">Status Effects:</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>CON</td>


    <td>21</td>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1"></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>END</td>


    <td>13</td>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1"></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="255"><col width="100"><col width="116"><col width="100"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>skill</td>


    <td>Rank</td>


    <td>Level</td>


    <td>Effect</td>


    <td>cost</td>


    <td>range</td>


    <td>duration</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Punching Bag</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>7</td>


    <td>16% unarmed resistance</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Training Dummy</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>13% training increase</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Alchemy</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>13% potion effectiveness</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Goblin Language</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>6</td>


    <td>Moderate complexity</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Night Vision</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>5</td>


    <td>9% increased light</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Diagnose</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>assess the targets visible injuries</td>


    <td>1 mana</td>


    <td>touch</td>


    <td>instant</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Focus Senses</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>6</td>


    <td>10% increase and derease</td>


    <td>1 stamina</td>


    <td>self</td>


    <td>1 minute</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Forage</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>3</td>


    <td>7% ease and effectivness of resources</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Stealth</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>2</td>


    <td>6% sneak and sneak attack</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1">Illusion Magic</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Manipulation</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>3</td>


    <td>Manipulate light to form intangible constructs</td>


    <td>1 mana</td>


    <td>3 yards</td>


    <td>20 seconds</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Shadow Cloak</td>


    <td>Basic</td>


    <td>1</td>


    <td>15% increased visual concealment in darkness</td>


    <td>10 mana</td>


    <td>touch</td>


    <td>1 minute</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 18 - Alone

    Don sat in the tree¡¯s upper branches. Then he sat some more. His pools were fully restored and the sky peeking from behind the leaves had taken on a shade of light blue Don hadn¡¯t seen before. He savored the last of his berries as his worry grew. Kat was ether late or he wasn¡¯t coming back. Both possibilities held their own set of problems to worry about.


    Either way, Don was out of food and he had to head back or risk being stuck in the forest, weakened and alone. He was sure the little scout could handle himself. He focused on his hearing with the idea of listening for the stream. He knew it was nearby. Wind ruffled the leaves of his tree and its neighbors. The soft sound surrounded Don well enough to effectively block out the similar sounds of rushing water. As he strained his ears he picked up on something else. A scrape, then a pause, followed by another. the short rasp of dry leaves standing out from the cascade of soft sounds from overhead. He continued listening for a time as the sounds drew closer, and more distinct. Eventually, a tiny black nose poked out from under a bush only feet from Don¡¯s perch. Something was following the game trail. The nose was followed by a thin snout, widening to fit two black beads of eyes. It came fully into view. It was small and roughly the same shape as a rabbit but it lacked the large ears of Don¡¯s prey of choice.


    Shadows crept, reluctantly from under Don¡¯s feet and leaked from a hollow in the tree. they moved more slowly, resisting his commands in the increased light but they found their place soon enough. The small animal paused to investigate the disturbed earth from Don¡¯s last ambush but didn¡¯t exude fear and alertness like the rabbit did. It moved under Don in seconds and seeing a lucky second chance at bringing food to his tribe, he pounced.


    Falling through the air, time seemed to slow. Don angled one of his feet to land directly in the center of the animals back and moved the other so it would land on a open patch of earth. Time sped back up and Don came to regret his actions. Don¡¯s vision was hampered from the side effect of focus senses. What looked like long hairs covering the animal bristled at the last second and many pierced his foot. He yelped and pulled back instinctively. He couldn¡¯t stop his momentum completely but it took a lot out of his attack and the little critter survived. He tried to take a step back and cried out in pain when the quills stuck in his foot were forced even deeper. He fell to the ground and watched as the clearly injured animal scurried away.


    A small flame bloomed into existence inside of Don. He was angry. Partly at the animal who looked so weak, partly at himself for getting so embarrassed by it. With the practice of three days of immobility, he crawled after the small animal. It was a pretty even race, if entirely undignified but the little rodent was more suited to navigating the brambles of the forest. It was going to get away. Don couldn¡¯t have that. ¡°Manipulate¡±


    Behind Don, dead leaves swirled as if caught in a wind, they collected into a ball and a fox head pushed out from it¡¯s center, teeth bared and eyes glaring in an expression Don wasn¡¯t likely to forget. When the rodent dove into another bush, Don sent his construct in through the opposite side. The animals terrified state coupled with the gloom under the bush made the rough duplicate look real enough. When it came face to face with the glaring predator, it squeaked and bolted back towards Don. He was waiting for it and brought a stone down on it¡¯s head.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You have defeated ¡®Hedgehog¡¯


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You gain 5 exp


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Would you like to collect the loot?


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Dismissing the chance to loot the animal this time, he pulled his injured foot into his lap and inspected it¡¯s bottom. Four striped quills pierced deep into the flesh. A quick check of his status told him that it didn¡¯t take much of his HP but it did impart a ¡®hobbled¡¯ status. He blew out a relieved breath. He didn¡¯t want to go through being crippled again. After using diagnose he pulled the quills out one by one. Each time he did there was a jolt of pain and he lost another HP but when he was done the hobbled effect faded from his status.


    Cradling his bloody foot, he once again wished for shoes. Running all but naked through the forest was bad enough but his short fight with the fox and now this tiny rodent had made it clear that he was going to need more protection.


    If his hearing wasn¡¯t still enhanced he may have missed the pronounced rustling of leaves Don only heard when he made a clumsy move through the trees. It was the sound of a branch bending under a heavy burden and flapping all of it¡¯s leaves at once. Something big was coming. Fear spiked in Don. He was in the open and had just made one hell of a track. He jumped to his feet, ignoring the fresh pain and sprinted out of the path of the unknown animal. He vaulted over low bushes, rebounded from trunks and swung from the stout branches which could support his weight to get past the larger obstacles. His mad dash only lasted seconds but he got a dozen yards away from the scene of his latest struggle and lay prone under a bush with particularly broad leaves. He got as far as he dared before hiding and could only hope that he was quiet enough.


    His heart hammered in the still forest but he could still hear a heavy animal approaching through the trees. His first visual sign was a disturbance in the canopy. Great bunches of leaves dipped as one, revealing wide swatches of baby blue, letting columns of Blazing light momentarily infiltrate the shadowy forest. The sounds of movement came to a halt uncomfortably close to Don. He preemptively cast his shadow cloak spell. The shadows responded more quickly this time, washing over him like a wave in his dark hiding place. A set of heavy impacts later, and Don could see his new neighbor.


    Vaguely humanoid, the beast stood on two stubby legs, it¡¯s broad back extended upwards at a forward slant and ended in a hunch, along with shoulders as large as Don¡¯s head. Pendulous, too long arms sprouted from the shoulders and reached all the way to the ground where wrinkled knuckles pushed at the hedgehog. Don had forgotten all about the corpse in his mad dash. The monster¡¯s rich black fur rippled as it bent forward and sniffed the rodent. It found the discarded quills, still wet with Don¡¯s blood and started following the trail Don had left. Don¡¯s blood turned to ice. If this monster could smell as well as Kat, he would never be safe behind shadows. He had to do something soon. He watched as the new threat kept its broad, flat red nose inches off of the ground, pausing at each spot Don touched with his bleeding foot. A single tusk protruded from the left side of its jaw, lifting it¡¯s upper lip slightly and showcasing even more dangerous looking teeth. Ridges ran across the bridge of its snout and ended under deep set eyes rimmed with bright blue skin, contrasting the unhealthy yellow of its eyes. The pupils were as black as coal and filled with a cunning that told Don he couldn¡¯t just scare it off with a simple trick like the one he used on the hedgehog. He thought of leading it off with an illusion but with his range limited to three meters he would only draw the monster closer.


    He was out of options. He took a dose of healing potion, moving as slowly and quietly as he could. It healed most of the damage he took from the hedgehog but more importantly, it closed the wounds on his feet. If he kept bleeding, there was no chance he could get away.


    While Don treated his wounds, the monster moved ever closer. It stopped at each foothold Don used on the way to sniff at his blood-trail. The thing was huge. It loomed even when bent close to the ground, its blood-red muzzle jutting from its dark face. This was the first time Don had to face something larger than himself and he didn¡¯t like the change. It was much nicer when he could pounce on a small and unaware enemy. Being hunted wasn¡¯t nearly as enjoyable.


    A flash of light snuck past the layers of plant life and struck Don in the eye. He winced away from the light and blinked until the small afterimage faded. The beast was nearly on top of him now but Don¡¯s mouth stretched into a grin. He had a dumb idea.


    He cast manipulate and drew light from every source he could reach within his measly range. Dapples of light shifting on a nearby tree distorted, then paused, then rushed like a school of glittering fish towards Don¡¯s hiding place. He had given up any hope of hiding. His shadows only worked on vision and this thing clearly had his scent. Without any retreat available, it was time to go on the attack.


    A three-meter section of the woods around Don darkened as he drew in all the light he could manage. The light strained against Don¡¯s control. It wanted to be free, to illuminate, to spread until there was nowhere left to go. He gritted his teeth and imposed his will on the illusion.


    The monster zeroed in on his hiding place immediately, nostrils flaring and pupils smoldering. Don burst from the darkened underbrush with a shout. The monster responded in kind. Its bellow sent a shower of birds into the air, their wings slapping frantically, adding their alarmed voices to the sudden racket. Don and the monster charged, the short distance between them evaporating. It ran on all fours, pounding its knuckles into the forest floor, scattering the ever-present debris and swinging its body forward, covering the equivalent of three of Don¡¯s steps in a single loping stride. Just before he stepped within reach of the monsters clublike arms, Don thrust his fist forward and opened his hand. All the light concentrated in Don¡¯s palm flashed out at once. Even with his hand blocking the worst of the blast, don was partially blinded. He had a brief impression of his hand becoming partially translucent before his vision swam with spots.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Manipulation beginner 3 --> 4


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Manipulate light to make intangible constructs


    Cost: 1 mana / duration: 25 seconds / range: 4 meters


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    + WIS


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The monster had an entirely different experience. It howled in a mixture of rage and pain. One hand covered its eyes while the other swung out in retaliation. Don tried to back away but the monster¡¯s arms reached even farther than he anticipated and the fist drove into his shoulder knocking him to the ground.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The thing hit hard. Don¡¯s HP dropped by more than a fifth. His more immediate concern was that the thing, having touched him, had a general idea of where Don was. It lifted both it¡¯s massive leathery fists into the air preparing to bring them down on Don. He decided the time for attack was over and he rolled to the side just before the fists smashed into the ground. Leaves and dust blasted out from the impact site. If Don stuck around he might have had time to appreciate the neat little craters the blow made. As it was, he was trying to get as far away from the thing as possible before its vision returned. He ended up running back towards the scene of his fight with the hedgehog and spent the half a second it took to loot the small critter.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You gain ''Hedgehog Hide'' x1


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    He wasn¡¯t about to leave empty-handed after all the trouble it caused and he didn¡¯t want to try and run with it. It was hard enough with both his hands free. He didn¡¯t need to cradle a ball of spikes as he ran through the forest. After a solid minute of running, the monsters pained howls receded into the forest, after a few more, he couldn¡¯t hear the monster anymore and Don took stock.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="2">


    Vitals:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    HP


    </td>


    <td>


    77/105


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    STA


    </td>


    <td>


    52/65


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    MANA


    </td>


    <td>


    37/60


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    EXP


    </td>


    <td>


    25/50


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center" colspan="2">


    Status Effects:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center" colspan="2">


    Tired (-20% WIS)


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    He wasn¡¯t in good shape. He downed his last dose of healing potion. It hardly made a difference. When the cards were down, his potions really were trash. He wasn¡¯t hungry yet but he had a new negative effect. He looked up, past the canopy at the bright sky. He had to get back to the cave but he still didn¡¯t know which way to go. He opened his senses, listening for the stream. Nothing. He shifted to smell and caught a whiff of something he recognized.


    Moving stealthily again, Don wound his way around the underbrush, taking his time as he tracked his quarry. He found them, sitting in a clearing made by a collapsed tree. The tree was burnt and twisted. The bottom half ended in a charred spear and the top half lay dry as a bone next to a bush, heavy with berries. He recognized it from his first day in the forest. He refilled his inventory with berries before striking off towards where he thought the stream would be. He shifted his senses back to hearing to hone in on his target. The smells of the forest shrank into the background as birdsong and rustling filled his ears. As he walked, he finally heard rushing water. He angled toward the stream and broke into an easy jog. He broke through the ferns lining the stream, taken by surprise, and fell down into the water. He splashed around for a bit before regaining his bearings. The cool water washed over him and for once, Don was grateful. He started his slog back towards his cave when his enhanced hearing picked up a telltale creaking sound, barely audible over the noise of the stream.


    Goosebumps broke out over Don as he recognized that creaking. He scrambled out of the small valley carved by the stream, slipping into the dirt and getting caked in a fresh layer of leaves. He rolled to his feet and moved quickly into the shadow of a tree, putting himself on the opposite side from the sound. As the creaking drew close he cast Shadow Cloak. The creaking drew closer until the tree Don was sheltering under groaned under the large monster''s weight. Don didn¡¯t look up, he tried not to breathe. He could hear the monster¡¯s sniffing and the tree¡¯s protests as it tried to pick up the trail again. He had to recast his shadow cloak and a headache set in. It wasn¡¯t too much to bear but it did remind Don that he couldn¡¯t keep hiding in the shadows forever. The large animal swung into another tree, it¡¯s long arms easily bridging the gap. The new tree bent and creaked as it came to terms with this new weight. It sniffed around again briefly before dropping to the ground. As it inspected the far bank of the stream and then the disturbed patch of dirt on Don¡¯s side, its sniffs became more like huffs and Don was forced to cast his concealment spell again. The pressure at his temples ratcheted up and his vision went a little blurry.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Shadow Cloak beginner 1 --> 2


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    17% increased concealment in darkness


    cost: 10 mana / duration 2 minutes


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    He was still able to see it when the monster tilted it¡¯s head back, howled in fury and ripped a limb from the nearest tree. The popping, tearing sound transmitted clearly through Don¡¯s enhanced hearing and he knew the monster was imagining that branch was one of Don¡¯s own appendages. His throat was suddenly dry. The monster smashed the branch into the tree he took it from before hurling it into the air, screaming all the while.


    Don recast his shadow cloak. Down to just seven mana, his vision narrowed, growing black around the edges. He squeezed his eyes shut. His head felt like a grape someone was trying to turn into wine. He held onto the tree behind him for physical support, clinging to a single thought for mental support ¡®stay still, stay quiet, be the forest¡¯. He repeated it in his head like a mantra.


    He heard when the monster swung off through the trees. It had apparently wasted enough time chasing the slippery demon. The shadows sloughed off of his skin like oil shortly after and Don followed them to the ground.


    Don had no Idea how it found him again and the troop of drummers inside his pounding head wasn¡¯t helping him puzzle it out.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Congratulations!


    Becoming one with the forest has unlocked a skill!


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Forest Walk beginner 1


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    5% increase to movement speed and concealment in forests


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Stealth 2 --> 3


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    7% bonus to sneak and sneak attack


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Training Dummy Apprentice 1 --> 2


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    19% increased chance of a skill being aquired when used on you


    19% increased progression of skillsused on you


    condition: you must not resist the skill being trained


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    He didn¡¯t care about the skills now and dismissed the prompts with a grimace. Even that small effort sent a fresh spike of pain through his head. He had to get to safety. He continued on, squinting against the light. Every small sunbeam was a spotlight, colliding directly with his brain like a punch. He shielded his sensitive eyes as best he could and tumbled back down the bank, unable to keep his balance. The frigid water sluicing over him brought him a fraction closer to alertness but the reflected sunlight playing off the water jabbed at his poor eyes. He looked away from the water, stumbling from time to time but a stubbed toe didn¡¯t come close to the pain in his head.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    + END


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    He eventually spotted the tree Kat had taunted him from the previous day. It felt like so long ago. He clawed his way up the bank, staggered to the familiar boulder, slid inside the cave, and fell asleep right then and there.


    <hr>


    Spoiler: Don''s stats and skills<input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">


    <table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="255"><col width="100"><col width="116"><col width="100"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center" colspan="2" rowspan="1">Stats:</td>


    <td style="text-align: center" colspan="2" rowspan="1">Vitals:</td>


    <td style="text-align: center" colspan="2" rowspan="1">regen:</td>


    <td>


    <div>


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">STR</td>


    <td>12</td>


    <td style="text-align: center">HP</td>


    <td>70/105</td>


    <td style="text-align: center">mana</td>


    <td>wis per hour</td>


    <td>5.00</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">AGI</td>


    <td>13</td>


    <td style="text-align: center">STA</td>


    <td>43/70</td>


    <td style="text-align: center">stamina</td>


    <td>(Con * 2) per hour</td>


    <td>1.43</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">DEX</td>


    <td>14</td>


    <td style="text-align: center">MANA</td>


    <td>9/60</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">INT</td>


    <td>12</td>


    <td style="text-align: center">EXP</td>


    <td>25/50</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">WIS</td>


    <td>12 (15)</td>


    <td style="text-align: center" colspan="2" rowspan="1">Status Effects:</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">CON</td>


    <td>21</td>


    <td style="text-align: center" colspan="2" rowspan="1">Tired (-20% WIS)</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">END</td>


    <td>14</td>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1"></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="255"><col width="100"><col width="116"><col width="100"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>skill</td>


    <td>Rank</td>


    <td>Level</td>


    <td>Effect</td>


    <td>cost</td>


    <td>range</td>


    <td>duration</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Punching Bag</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>1</td>


    <td>17% unarmed resistance</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Training Dummy</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>2</td>


    <td>19% training increase</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Alchemy</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>13% potion effectiveness</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Goblin Language</td>


    <td>Special</td>


    <td>6</td>


    <td>Moderate complexity</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Night Vision</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>5</td>


    <td>9% increased light</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Diagnose</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>assess the targets visible injuries</td>


    <td>1 mana</td>


    <td>touch</td>


    <td>instant</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Focus Senses</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>6</td>


    <td>10% increase and derease</td>


    <td>1 stamina</td>


    <td>self</td>


    <td>1 minute</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Forage</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>3</td>


    <td>7% ease and effectivness of resources</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Stealth</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>3</td>


    <td>7% sneak and sneak attack</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Forest Walk</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>1</td>


    <td>5% movement and concealment in forests</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1">Illusion Magic</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Manipulation</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>Manipulate light to form intangible constructs</td>


    <td>1 mana</td>


    <td>4 meters</td>


    <td>25 seconds</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Shadow Cloak</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>2</td>


    <td>17% increased visual concealment in darkness</td>


    <td>10 mana</td>


    <td>touch</td>


    <td>2 minutes</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 19 - History

    A light nudge rocked Don. He settled back onto his warm patch of dirt, trying to ignore it. Another came, then another.


    ¡°Look at this lazy waste of food.¡± The high-pitched sound came from slightly above him. Don could practically hear the sneer on the gob¡¯s face.


    ¡°He still hasn¡¯t brought back a single rabbit.¡±


    Another voice chimed in ¡°Did you see that fox pelt he gave to Grey? What happened to all that meat?¡±


    ¡°He probably ate it all in secret. Look at how fat he is¡± Another foot poked him.


    ¡°Hmph, you actually believe this weakling killed a fox? He probably found a dead one and brought back its fur to show off.¡± said the first voice


    This insult pricked at Don enough to bring his focus around from going back to sleep.


    ¡°I killed it¡± he grumbled into the dirty cave floor.


    ¡°What was that?¡± asked the instigator. ¡°Did this red giant just speak or fart? I couldn¡¯t tell.¡± A somewhat forced round of laughter broke out around Don.


    Don gave up on sleep for the time being and pushed himself into a sitting position drawing level with his tormentors'' height. Locking bloodshot eyes with Gat¡¯s yellow ones, he planted a hand on his knee and heaved to his feet. Towering over the gobs, he repeated himself.


    ¡°I killed the fox¡±


    A few of Gat¡¯s followers were cowed by Don¡¯s imposing stature but their diminutive leader just puffed out his chest and managed to hold his indifferent expression.


    ¡°If you killed the fox, where is the meat?¡±


    Don rubbed the crust out of his eyes and sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I looted the fox after killing it and then everything but the pelt disappeared. The same thing happened with the rabbit and hedgehog I killed.¡±


    Gat snorted, the closest Don had ever heard him coming to genuine laughter ¡°Meat doesn¡¯t just disappear. You must be hiding it somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Look Gat, I¡¯m not in the mood. If you don¡¯t trust me, ask Kat¡±


    ¡°Like I would trust that sneaky little bug. You both probably have a secret stash of food hidden somewhere don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°This is all the food I have¡± Don replied, holding out a palm and summoning his store of berries.¡±


    ¡°He was hiding food!¡± squeaked one of the gobs pointing an accusing finger at him.


    ¡°No, I just showed you all my food, that¡¯s the opposite of hiding it.¡± Don was getting exasperated.


    ¡°How do we know you don¡¯t have more food hidden that weird storage magic you use?¡±


    Don opened his mouth to retort but paused. The gob made a good point. How could he prove to them that he didn¡¯t have anything in his inventory? To them, it just looked like he made items out of light. There was no way for them to see the contents of his inventory. He frowned.


    ¡°You don¡¯t, I guess,¡± he said more to himself than the gang.


    Looking like he had just captured two rabbits in one ambush, Gat stretched his lips into a gloating smile. Before Don knew what was happening, the berries vanished from his hand, leaving it empty.


    ¡°Seeing as you have been eating our food every night and don¡¯t want to share your rabbits with the tribe, we¡¯ll take these berries. It¡¯s only fair after all.¡±


    Don stood in shock for a moment, looking at his empty palm, and then at the noisily chewing gobs. His stomach growled in indignation.


    ¡°Do you think someone who has been eating in secret would have the hungry effect?¡± he asked, rubbing his gurgling stomach in an attempt to placate it.


    ¡°Someone as fat as you?¡± Gat asked around a mouthful of berries


    He pretended to think for a few seconds before answering his own question ¡°Yes¡±


    That small flame of anger bloomed once again in Don. He clenched his fists and glared down at Gat. Gat must have sensed the shift because he elbowed his snickering cronies.


    ¡°Let''s go before the fat idiot sits on us¡±


    The gang followed Gat up the slope and out of the cave, calling down insults until they got to the cave mouth where they vanished into the forest.


    Lamenting the loss of his breakfast, Don stood there. The cave was quiet and empty, the other gobs must already be out for the night. Don gave an extended yawn and looked back at the patch of dirt where he had been sleeping. He could probably go back to sleep, he was still dead tired. His stomach growled again and convinced him that a midnight snack was the better idea. Don left the cave and made the short trip to the berry bush he found the night before. After eating half of what he could pick, his hungry debuff faded and he pocketed the rest before descending back into the cave. Now that he wasn¡¯t preoccupied with Gat or his needy stomach he started to worry about Kat. Not only did he disappear yesterday, Don didn¡¯t see him near the cave. This was the first morning when Kat didn¡¯t have something for him to do right away. Don decided to visit Grey.


    He crossed the cave to the alcove where he could hear a slow, rhythmic grinding. As he came around the corner, Sik and then Grey came into view. They were working on a potion Don had never seen before and he waited for them to finish before clearing his throat to get their attention.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Did Kat come back from the hunt last night?¡± he asked, ¡°He just disappeared at one point.¡±


    Grey turned to examine Don from under a row of fox teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that boy, He¡¯s performing some reconnaissance, you¡¯ll have to get along without him tonight.


    The tension Don hadn¡¯t noticed building in his shoulders unwound partially. His worry drained out of him and was replaced with memories of his harrowing experience in the forest. He was still irritated from his confrontation with Gat and his lack of sleep didn¡¯t do anything to improve his mood.


    ¡°Is that why he left me alone in the forest to get attacked by a giant?¡± Don snapped.


    ¡°No¡± Grey stated flatly, putting aside her potion making tools. ¡°He left you because I told him to.¡±


    Don wasn¡¯t expecting that. ¡°Why? I could have died!¡± he shouted. His voice rang off the walls of the enclosed space. Sik flinched at the sudden noise but grey maintained her composure.


    ¡°From what I can see, you survived. Tell me what happened¡± She said in a quiet voice which carried authority disproportionate to its volume.


    Don ground his teeth for a few seconds before launching into an outpouring of complaints against Kat.


    ¡°First that runt tells me I¡¯m bad at climbing and running so he runs me ragged through the forest all night. I¡¯m pretty sure he led me into the place with the thickest brambles on purpose. After that, he leaves me in a tree to wait for rabbits and disappears! He could have told me if he wasn¡¯t going to come back! I waited for him until well into the morning. I could have left before the sun was all the way up! Instead, I sat there until some giant found me. I barely got away but it found me again. I managed to hide but it came way too close to finding me again!¡±


    Don was expecting shock or at least a little concern from his audience. Sik looked a little nervous at the mention of the giant but Grey simply nodded along as if she already knew the story.


    Don was left breathing as heavily as if he just ran through the forest again.


    ¡°I told Kat to lead you to that part of the forest last night. I told him to make you sweat and leave obvious signs of your presence so the Mankeys would track you down. I also told him to leave you in the forest with instructions to stay put while he watched from nearby.¡±


    Don¡¯s mouth hung slack as he gaped at the old gob. He had trusted her and she sent him out specifically to get chased by that huge monster! The anger sparked inside him.


    ¡°This was your final test. We had to know that you could survive our worst enemy before letting you fully into the tribe.¡±


    ¡°I thought I was already in the tribe,¡± Don said, the sudden realization snuffing out his anger before it could build. Was he an outsider all along? With a few notable exceptions, he had come to care about these little monsters. Apparently, they were still keeping him at arm''s length and treating him like a passing guest.


    ¡°No, we took you in and cared for your wounds but to join our tribe, you must make our struggles your struggles. Last night, you proved yourself capable of at least surviving against our enemies. Now we will see if you are truly one of us or if you are just hiding in our cave.¡±


    Don was struck by the accusation. He was trapped in the cave for his first few days so he hadn¡¯t thought about his motivations for staying there but she was right. He really was just hiding from the people who would kill him on sight. All he really had done so far was eat the gob¡¯s food and use their potions. He did bring back some herbs and make some potions but Kat could easily double the number of herbs Don brought back if he didn¡¯t have to babysit the demon. Grey and Sik were also clearly better at alchemy than Don so his contributions to the gobs potion stores were still a burden. The ingredients were basically wasted on him as he ground them up to produce trash quality potions at best.


    Grey continued ¡°We didn¡¯t always live in this cave. We weren¡¯t always such a small tribe. We lived in a goblin village for generations, thriving in this ancient forest. We had craftsmen who built sturdy homes and elders to share wisdom. It was a good life.¡±


    A faraway look came over Grey as she was lost in memories for a moment before pain flashed across her eyes.


    ¡°Not long after the humans built their town, the Mankeys came. They came during the day when most of us were asleep. It was a massacre¡±


    Don wasn¡¯t adept at reading the goblins yet but there was no mistaking the heart-wrenching misery on Grey¡¯s face.


    ¡°I escaped with the youngest gobs and led them to this cave. It¡¯s was prepared for emergencies long ago. I thought we would be safe until the fighting was over. We have been here ever since. For some reason, the Mankeys moved into our village, taking our home for their own.¡±


    Grey looked up from the stone floor and locked eyes with Don. The normally carefree and in-control gob looked to him with equal parts grim resolve and a mother''s sorrow.


    ¡°Will you help us reclaim our ancestral home?¡±


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Hidden Quest Completed


    Goblin Trials


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You have learned to live like a goblin.


    After impressing the matriarch, she decided to put you to the test. By surviving pursuit by a Mankey you have been deemed worthy of formally joining their tribe.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Reward: The option to join the Whispering Claws tribe


    Will you join the Whispering Claws tribe and share in their successes as well as their trials? Y/N


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don didn¡¯t have to consider the question. The phrasing she used struck a chord in him. He denied so many citizens of their ancestral homes. He couldn¡¯t do anything for them, at least not yet. Here though, here were some people he could help. He nodded solemnly.


    ¡°I will help you take your home back.¡±


    A feeling of warmth spread through Don''s chest. He may have made irredeemable mistakes in his past life but he was determined to do better this time. These little gobs were the only reason he was free from the torture of his victims. More than that though, they needed him. He was resolved to do everything he could to help this tribe.


    Grey stood slowly, joints popping and shaking. A hand lifted and came to rest on Don¡¯s forehead. She closed her eyes.


    ¡°I, Grey, Matriarch of the Whispering Claws induct Donovan into our clan.¡± She spoke as if she was addressing the cave, or the forest instead of Don or Sik as she Scratched down his forehead, leaving three distinct claw marks. Grey took her other hand and spread a salve on the thin lines. Don couldn¡¯t see what was happening but his brow tingled where the claws passed and a dim green glow lit up the alcove.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Congratulations!


    You have been formally inducted into the Whispering Claws tribe


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Rewards:


    Access to tribe-chat


    Access to tribe-map


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Tribal Quest Accepted


    Home Sweet Home


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    A group of Mankeys have forced your tribe out of their homes and into this hidden sanctuary. Reclaim your home from these invaders.


    Success: A suitable home for your tribe


    Failure: The tribe will never progress past a subsistence existence


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 20 - Preparations

    Don didn¡¯t expect to feel any different. He assumed being in the tribe wouldn¡¯t be anything more than a formal title. He was proven wrong instantly.


    He was suddenly bombarded with a new pair of senses he didn¡¯t know how to process. Don reeled, losing his balance momentarily before the new senses oriented themselves. It was as if a blindfold he wore for his entire life was suddenly ripped away. He felt something like a pull in several directions at once. It was like a gentle stretching, like parts of his soul were reaching outwards towards something. He felt the sensation most strongly in the two patches which pulled towards Grey and Sik. When he concentrated on the sensation, a translucent panel appeared. It was littered with green dots. The center was occupied by a blue dot and had a pair of green dots next to it. The rest of the panel was sprinkled with icons marking notable locations. Around the forest.


    Don experimentally took a couple of steps away from Sik and Grey. The blue dot denoting his location moved away from the green marks showing the position of his tribemates and the pulling sensation lessened. He watched in awe as the roving green markers searched the forest. Everything his tribe saw was represented in real time and the map updated as they searched. Don watched the map as the images from the previous night were revised. Mushrooms on a rotting log swelled from a day¡¯s growth. New shoots poked out of previously barren soil. Twigs were snapped. A track wound across the soil.


    Previously insignificant details were made simple to interpret. As if this wasn¡¯t enough, a goblin started to squeak.


    ¡°All clear on the northern slope.¡±


    Don snapped his head around looking for the speaker.


    ¡°Signs of a Forest Ape passing through the eastern valley.¡±


    This time Don noticed a resonance in one of the new forces pulling at his attention.


    ¡°I smell a fox in the southern wood¡± squeaked another gob. Don was ready for it now and caught the sensation. A memory of one of the gobs flickered through Don¡¯s mind. He recalled an event days ago when this unfortunate gob managed to offend Gat and his young gang. He somehow knew the speaker was Tag. A red glow superimposed itself on the previously realistic vegetation a good distance to the south of Don¡¯s location.


    Don cleared his throat, suddenly aware of Grey and Kat patiently waiting for him.


    ¡°Thank you for including me in your tribe.¡± He meant it too. He suddenly felt so much more a part of the tribe than he did before. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to help you reclaim your home.¡±


    Grey smiled, it was the first time Don could remember seeing the wizened gob make the expression. He was struck by the almost complete lack of teeth. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re eager but you¡¯ll need to be a good deal stronger to drive away our enemies. Don¡¯t go running off after making such bold claims just to die.¡±


    At this point she became serious again ¡°Also, Don¡¯t forget, you are one of us now. You won¡¯t be fighting to reclaim just our home, but yours as well.¡±


    Don nodded, taking the sentiment to heart and said ¡°Well, I better get started then.¡±


    He left the two alchemists to their work, retreating into the otherwise empty cavern. He sank down into a cross-legged position and began to formulate his plan.


    The first thing he did was to take stock of his supplies. Don had forgotten to add his herbs to the pile last night so his inventory was still two-thirds filled. Every point of strength he earned increased his inventory slots by one but his increasing forage skill kept a steady stream of new types of plants to fill up his inventory. He also had the pelts from the rabbit and hedgehog he killed. He was completely out of potion but the empty gourds still took up space. He would have to replenish his supply before heading out again. He also made a note to find out why his potions were categorized as trash. For now, he would just have to make more of the potions.


    Potions and items aside. Don needed a way to level up. Grey was right, he was too weak to drive away even a single of the apes as he was now. If he relied on rabbits for exp however, he would only be able to get 5 exp a day, unless he lucked out and found two rabbits.


    He thought back to his fight with the fox. The animal gave three times as much experience as the smaller animals but it was also a lot more dangerous. At the very least he would have to run through a lot of healing potions. All the same, two foxes would provide enough exp for Don to get to the next level. It would take five rabbits. He could do the work of a week in a single night if he could find the red bastards. His eyes wandered over the tribe-map and the glowing zone denoting where a fox might be.


    Don absently rubbed his arm where the last fox bit him. If he was going to fight more foxes he was going to need some protection. He took the rabbit skin out of his inventory and wrapped it around his forearm. He frowned. It would stop thorns but a fox would still sink its teeth right through it. He scanned his inventory until he spotted an ingredient. Ironbark, it was a pain to grind down into powder but it was a vital component for stamina potions. He took out a few strips of ironbark and used a 6 ft long vine to secure them over the rabbit skin. The result was ugly and poorly made but the medicinal properties of the vine gave it an interesting effect.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You have crafted: Makeshift bracer of minor healing


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Warning: Due to lacking the required crafting skill, the durability of this item is halved


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Defence: 3


    Durability: 5/5


    Effect: heals wielder 3hp for each durability lost.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don wasn¡¯t too confident about his armor. The notification was basically telling him he made a crappy item and would probably fall apart quickly. On the other hand, he would heal as it fell apart. It was better than going into a fight with nothing he supposed.


    He eyed his hedgehog hide next. He tried to wrap it around his other arm but it was way too small. Next, he wrapped it around his knuckles. The spikes might be useful but it was hard to keep in place. He grabbed a stick off of the ground and placed it over the spikes on the inside of his hand. Now he was able to grip the skin and keep it in place. It made his fist feel a bit more solid too.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    You have crafted: makeshift spiked gauntlet


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Warning: Due to lacking the required crafting skill, the durability of this item is halved


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Attack: 1-3


    Durability: 4/4


    Effect: Chance to leave quills embedded in target.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Even though they weren¡¯t very durable Don felt better having some increase to his defence and attack. He focused experimentally and his new items dissipated into golden motes of light. Don¡¯s inventory showed each in its own slot. He summoned them back just to confirm he could. He was definitely feeling better about his chances.


    Don stored his gauntlet but kept the bracer on for the time being. He went back to the alcove and took a mortar and pestle and a mixing bowl. He prepared a stamina potion with his last piece of ironbark and was mildly surprised at the results.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    You have crafted: Stamina Potion


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Strength: Trash


    Quantity: 5


    Effect: restores 6 stamina over 10 seconds


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The strength was still trash but it restored one more stamina than the last potions he made. Checking his skills he realized using the plants he picked personally, his foraging bonus of 7% added to the 13% boost from his alchemy skill. The combined 20% just gave him enough to see an effect from his skill bonuses. Feeling as if his work was finally paying off he made three separate doses of health potion gaining a skill level in alchemy.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    You have crafted: Health Potion x3


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Strength: Trash


    Quantity: 5


    Effect: Restores 6 health over 10 seconds


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The increase in potency for his potions seemed small but he was ultimately getting the equivalent of an extra dose with every batch he made. Now with his potion stores restocked and some basic gear, Don stood and moved towards the exit of the cave. He had some hunting to do.


    Nearly an hour later Don was near the area where the fox was spotted. Thinking of Tag he felt a resonance in what he was coming to think of as his tribe-chat.


    ¡°Tag, Where did you smell the fox?¡±


    Tag responded almost immediately ¡°Why do you want to know baby demon?¡±


    Don grinned ¡°I¡¯m going hunting. I could use some help tracking my prey though.¡±


    ¡°Well find your own game trail, I don¡¯t have to babysit you. I don¡¯t know how Kat can stand such a clumsy stomper.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hunting foxes.¡± Don clarified


    ¡°Beetle dung¡± the gob expressed his disbelief


    ¡°How about this, You help me find the fox and if I don¡¯t go through with the hunt, I¡¯ll owe you a favor.¡±


    ¡°What kind of favor could you do for me?¡± the gob asked sounding amused now instead of irritated.


    ¡°I could make you some potions for personal use¡± Don offered


    ¡°I can get all the potions I need from Grey, no thanks¡±


    Without potions, Don didn¡¯t have much else to offer. His mind spun trying to think of something else to offer the gob. He would be able to find foxes on his own, maybe, eventually. His plan to get stronger would fall apart if he couldn¡¯t find the foxes to hunt.


    ¡°Well think of what you stand to gain if I pull it off.¡± He tried desperately. There was a silence on the other end of his connection so he continued ¡°I¡¯ll let you take partial credit for killing the fox. Think of all that food, you can have as much as you can eat.¡±


    Don struck gold. The fastest way to convincing any goblin it turns out, is to offer them food. Now with his eager guide streaking across the forest to join him, Don edged towards the last place where the fox was scented. Once there, he tried to smell out the trail by focusing his senses but couldn¡¯t pick up anything useful. He switched back to a sight focus when Tag arrived.


    ¡°This better not be some stupid joke.¡± Tag said warily


    ¡°I¡¯m totally serious¡± Don replied, pointing at his makeshift bracer to get his point across.


    Tag rolled his eyes upon seeing the tangle of vines, bark, and animal hide Don was passing off as armor. ¡°Well, this should be entertaining at least¡± he said while shrugging.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan oh fearless leader?¡± he asked with a mocking bow, bending low at the waist until his nose brushed the ground.


    Don wasn¡¯t sure he liked this treatment but so long as he was helping, Don didn¡¯t care if the gob was doing it sarcastically.


    ¡°You smelled a fox here earlier. If you can track it for me, I can kill it for you.¡±


    Tag snapped to attention and popped off a crisp salute before setting to his task single-mindedly. Don had to respect how much the gob committed to his bits.


    It wasn¡¯t long before Tag was leading Don into the red-zone of the map. Comparing the recording of the last gob to pass this way with the forest as it was now made the fox¡¯s passing easy to spot. The rare paw print or disturbed patch of dirt, or a bent twig in a bush the fox dashed through all told their part in a story of the fox¡¯s passing.


    In less time than Don expected, Tag signaled for him to stop before springing into the trees and scouting ahead. Straining his ears, Don could just make out the scratching of Tag¡¯s claws and the sniffing of a predator on the hunt. He summoned his new weapon and cast shadow cloak, sliding quietly into the shadows pooled under the nearest tree. It wasn¡¯t long before a yellow dot appeared on his map and Tag reported back through the tribe-chat.


    ¡°I¡¯ve spotted the target boss! Bring in the artillery whenever you¡¯re feeling up to it¡±


    The prankster couldn¡¯t keep the laughter out of his voice this time.


    ¡°Well done Lieutenant¡± Don barked through the mental link ¡°keep the target in sight and wait for further orders!¡± He was starting to enjoy this. Messing around with this random gob, no, with a member of his new tribe, was just what Don needed to get over the mounting barrier of fear as the yellow dot approached. Don traced the fox¡¯s route and found a tree in line with its course to hide in. He was up the tree and hidden among the leaves in seconds.


    He watched his map as the fox continued to approach. His heart beating loudly in his ears caused to change his focus over to vision. The sounds of the forest and the blood rushing past his ears faded, becoming considerably less distinct as the scene before him sharpened.

 21 - Hunter

    Recasting shadow cloak just before the Fox arrived, he adjusted his grip on his new gauntlet. The fox arrived just where the map said it would, poking its nose through the undergrowth. It prowled closer in short bursts, checking the ground for the scent of whatever it was hunting. Just ten feet away from Don¡¯s tree the fox¡¯s trail turned sharply away. Before the fox could get too far away, Don cast Manipulate.


    The fox heard the murmured spell and looked back towards Don. The fox hunkered down immediately. Eyes wide and fixed. At the base of Don¡¯s Tree, a small brown rabbit was digging its way out of the ground. The fox practically vibrated with excitement when Don made his construct clean it¡¯s dirty ears. The whole rabbit was made of dirt of course but the familiar movements of the fox¡¯s prey in the dark were more noticeable than the slight discoloration. The fox crept closer, low to the ground covering half the distance left to Don.


    Don dropped from his tree when he saw the fox¡¯s hind legs tense. The fox¡¯s jaws passed through its illusory prey just as Don connected with a savage stomp to its hind legs. When he landed he was stooped over the keening animal and he didn¡¯t waste time in burying his spiked fist in the fox¡¯s side twice before it lunged with a snarl. Don fell back, surprised by how fast those snapping teeth closed with his face. He knocked the fox aside and ducked past its teeth.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">+ DEX</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    When the fox came again Don was prepared and held his left arm out wardingly. The enraged animal took the invitation to sink its teeth into his ambusher. It clamped onto the arm and snarled viciously while swiping at Don with its unbroken claws.


    Don winced as a couple of teeth got past the strips of ironbark but there was instant relief as the fox shredded the vines holding his armor together. It reminded him the poorly built item wouldn¡¯t hold out long. He lashed out with his spiked fist striking the fox right in the nose. He couldn¡¯t put much power into the attack because of the odd angle but the fox yelped and released Don¡¯s arm all the same.


    The fox frantically pawed at its nose trying to remove the quills embedded in its face. Don used his opponent''s distraction to rush in and land a few more jabs. Just like that, the fox fell over dead.


    He dismissed the option to loot the fox and looked up to where he knew Tag was hiding. Even with the help of the map, he couldn¡¯t spot the gobs when they didn¡¯t want to be seen. He smiled anyway and called up to him. ¡°Excellent work soldier!¡±


    He was greeted with silence until he started paying attention to his tribe-chat again.


    ¡°You mean he actually killed one?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it was awesome, you should have seen it.¡±


    ¡°Damn, I only saw the last few seconds but it looked intense¡±


    It sounded like the entire tribe was talking about his fight. The lucky few who saw it started supplying details to the others.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget,¡± Don said and the general clamor died down ¡° Tag tracked it down. He gets first pick of the meat.¡± He hefted the dead animal across his shoulders and started back towards the stream.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">+ WIS</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The tribe-chat erupted again and red patches bloomed all across his map. Don was going to have a busy night. Tag chose that moment to jump directly onto Don¡¯s head.


    ¡°You¡¯re really giving me first pick?¡± he asked while leaning precariously over don¡¯s face and looking him directly in the eyes. This was the most serious he had seen the gob yet.


    ¡°Yeah, I couldn¡¯t have even found this fella if it wasn¡¯t for you,¡± Don explained, pointing at the fox on his shoulders to indicate the fella in question. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m after the exp, not the meat.¡±


    Tag disappeared from view and Don felt a new weight settling on his shoulder. Tag was sitting comfortably on the fox giving Don an appraising look, focusing on his forehead and seeming to come to a decision he said ¡°Welcome to the tribe big red¡±


    They lapsed into a companionable silence.


    After a little while, Don remembered to check on his health and was happy to see how little damage he took during the short fight. A couple of doses of healing potion had him back up to full health.


    In the end, his gear took more damage than he did.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Makeshift bracer of minor healing


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Defence: 3


    Durability: 3/5


    Effect: heals wielder 3hp for each durability lost.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    makeshift spiked gauntlet


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Attack: 1-2


    Durability: 2/4


    Effect: Chance to leave quills embedded in target.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The strips of ironbark were barely scratched and there were only a few small holes in the rabbit skin. The vines took the majority of the damage and it would be easy enough to replace them. He only had enough vines to fix his armor a couple of times but he could always find more.


    He couldn¡¯t do anything for his bracer and it looked like it would be less effective due to the damage it sustained. He just hoped it would hold out for another fight.


    Tag stayed with him the entire time to make sure Grey knew who would get first pick of the meat. Once he was back in the cave, Don took the time to repair his bracer and plan his next move. He really wanted to get to level one and he was only ten exp away now. A brief rest and dose of potion restored his stamina and it looked like the walk back with a heavy load and through freezing water had some positive effects as well.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    + STR


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    + END


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    By the time Don got to the nearest fox sighting, his mana had regenerated and he was ready to rumble. Unfortunately, so was his stomach and his sudden hungry effect alerted the fox to his position. Don jumped down and roared a challenge, expecting things to go the same violent way they did when he challenged the Ape. A red flash of tail disappearing into the underbrush proved him wrong.


    It took awhile for the ridicule to stop spouting from the tribe-chat.


    ¡°How can we eat it if you scare it away!¡±


    ¡°Big dumb stomper can¡¯t even stay quiet when he¡¯s still¡±


    By the time he tracked down some berries with the help of the tribe-map, the sky was growing light enough to obscure the stars. He had time for one more attempt.


    This time the fox walked directly under Don. He waited for several heartbeats then leaped after the fox to attack it from behind rather than above. He must¡¯ve made some noise because the fox whirled around and Don¡¯s usual targets, the hind legs, swept out of reach. It was too far away to hit with his feet anymore so he seized on a recent memory and imitated the ape, bringing his fists up over his shoulders and smashing them down onto the fox¡¯s head and back at the same time his feet struck the ground. Each fist landed solidly and the fox was flattened to the ground with front legs splayed.


    Momentarily dazed and squashed, the fox was unable to prevent Don from grabbing it by the scruff of the neck and throwing it against the nearest tree. He kneeled on its throat, pinning it in place before it could recover and began pummeling it with his spiked gauntlet. After only five hits, the gauntlet tore and became totally useless. He was getting scratched constantly by the fox now but with its teeth out of play, Don was content to trade hits. He lost nearly a third of his health before the fox finally fell dead to the ground.


    Then Don exploded.


    He cringed in fear as a bright nova burst out from him and a fanfare of trumpets blared.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Congratulations!


    You have reached: Level 1


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr style="text-align: center">


    <td>


    From now on, death will carry weight.


    You will lose 10% of your total accumulated exp upon death.


    Any stat points trained since the previous level up will be lost upon death.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr style="text-align: center">


    <td>


    As a Demon, you gain STR and WIS, you also gain 5 free points.


    Your free points must be assigned within 24 hours or they will be permanently lost.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You have one trait point available


    Choose from one of the unlocked traits.


    <hr>


    Horns - 1


    Default male demonic trait


    Demon horns aren¡¯t mere bone or chitin, They are pure obsidian from the infernal plains and are a representation of the demons connection to them.


    Effect: Plus one damage per level per horn


    <hr>


    Thick Skinned - 1


    Demons are tough bastards. Their skin can harden with age.


    There is a legend of an ancient demon who walked through a raging battlefield ignoring the swords shattering on his back, the maces crumbling and the halberds snapping around him as if the battle was nothing mor than a quarrelsome rainstorm.


    Effect: Plus one natural armor per level


    <hr>


    Dread Armorer - 2


    Using the remains of your fallen victims to create weapons or armor, you can tap into their residual life force, strengthening your creations.


    Effect: Boosts to items made out of fallen enemies


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Your actions have manifested a skill:


    Brawling beginner lv 1


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    So long as you are unarmed, +5% attack, +5% dodge


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Before he could even read the notifications, a wave of relief washed over him as his wounds closed and his stamina and mana were completely restored. When he looked back at the notification he felt alert and fresh. The penalty for dying didn¡¯t matter much to him. He already faced much worse repercussions. He expected the strength and wisdom increases but he didn¡¯t know what the free points were. The trait point was interesting too. Apparently, he had unlocked a few demonic traits and he could purchase one now.


    He put that all aside for the moment. Everything would wait till he got back to the cave and he was looking forward to rubbing a certain dead fox in a certain pissant goblin¡¯s face.

 22 - Allocation

    After the flush of victory wore off and his latest fox-tracker stopped jabbering about different parts of the fight Don paled slightly. He won against these foxes because he had size and strength. The apes were much bigger and stronger than him. He gulped. He was going to need more than brute strength and a couple of shoddy weapons to fight those monsters.


    He worried about his real opponents as the tribe chat bubbled with excitement. Thinking back to the way the ape had torn a limb from a tree when it lost Don¡¯s trail he shivered involuntarily. If he tried to fight on their terms, using brute strength, he would lose. Another thought butted into his morose trek across the woods, the image of a tail flashing away into the brush. Each time the foxes got the better of Don, it was because of their superior speed. Each time he got the better of a fox, it was because he either crippled or pinned them so they couldn¡¯t make use of their speed. That was the answer. So long as he could keep out of reach, the giants couldn¡¯t crush him like he crushed rabbits. Without the element of surprise, Don would probably still have not killed anything in the forest. They could have turned tail and outpaced him, probably before he even knew they were around. He pulled up his stats, relying on his passenger to keep an eye out for danger.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center" colspan="2">


    Stats:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    STR


    </td>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    14


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    AGI


    </td>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    13


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    DEX


    </td>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    15


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    INT


    </td>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    12


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    WIS


    </td>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    17


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    CON


    </td>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    21


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    END


    </td>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    15


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    His stats were coming along nicely. They had all grown a lot since the first time he saw them. All except for his constitution. Why hadn¡¯t it increased at all? Frowning, he took a look at what each stat did again before deciding which stat to invest his free points into.


    Spoiler: Stat effects<input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    STR


    </td>


    <td>


    STR is a measure of your physical strength. Among other things, it affects


    - Physical defense


    - Melee damage


    - Carrying capacity


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    AGI


    </td>


    <td>


    AGI is a measure of your overall speed. Among other things, it affects


    - Attack speed


    - Dodge


    - Stealth


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    DEX


    </td>


    <td>


    DEX is a measure of your dexterity. Among other things, it affects


    - Block


    - Weapon accuracy


    - Crafting Skill


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    WIS


    </td>


    <td>


    WIS is a measure of your accumulated knowledge. Among other things, it affects


    - Mana recovery


    - Spell control


    - Perception


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    INT


    </td>


    <td>


    INT is a measure of your mental capacity. Among other things, it affects


    - Maximum Mana


    - Spell strength


    - Memory


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    CON


    </td>


    <td>


    CON is a measure of your overall health. Among other things, it affects


    - Maximum HP


    - Stamina regen


    - disease and poison resistance


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    END


    </td>


    <td>


    END is a measure of your physical fitness. Among other things, it affects


    - Maximum stamina


    - Reduced strain from low pools


    - Reduced sleep and food requirements


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    He dismissed strength right away. The extra carrying capacity would be nice but brute force wasn¡¯t going to help him with his problems.


    Agility definitely caught his eye and he nearly dumped all his points into it right then and there. The increases to his dodge and stealth would be perfect for the kind of fight he was beginning to expect. He decided to at least review the other stats first.


    Dexterity wasn¡¯t very appealing in the short term but maybe later, when things weren¡¯t so violent he could put some points into it to boost his crafting.


    Intelligence was tempting. Running out of mana was a big worry of Don¡¯s. However, the increase to spell power was largely useless with his illusions. Besides that, even if he put all his free points in intelligence, he¡¯d only get one more cast of shadow cloak in before the side effects of mana deprivation would set in.


    Wisdom was also tempting. His spell control was largely what determined what he could do with his illusions. More regeneration also meant he would be able to practice more, increasing his skills faster.


    He already had plenty of constitution so he skipped that stat.


    Finally, Endurance was only a little tempting. It would be nice to reduce the strain from having low mana and stamina. Needing less food and sleep would also be convenient but endurance would do little to help him in his upcoming fight.


    Agility was the clear choice. He was going to need to get in close to hit the apes and he was going to have to avoid the monster¡¯s ludicrously powerful blows when he did. He paused again just before committing his points to agility.


    He was compelled to take a closer look at constitution. The increased health might be useful against the apes but with how hard they hit, it was going to be a matter of not getting hit rather than enduring their hits. He would lose a straight up dogfight like the one he had with the fox he now carried, back to his cave, to eat. Don shivered again at the brutality of this world. The disease and poison resistance didn¡¯t matter much to Don when he had Grey around to heal him. The stamina regeneration wasn¡¯t appealing either. He hardly ever had to use his stamina potions as it was.


    He decided on agility again before pausing. He gritted his teeth and growled, startling his companion. Why couldn¡¯t he decide? He glanced back at his stats and finally noticed the problem. Agility was his second lowest stat. When his stats were all low he gained new stat points quickly. Now that they were higher their growth had slowed down. Constitution, his highest stat, hadn¡¯t increased once. If he was right, it got harder to increase stats as they grew. He nearly wasted his free points on a stat he could just train.


    Don came to a decision. He would train his stats as much as he could before assigning free points to them. Looking at constitution again, it didn¡¯t seem so bad this time. He could always use some extra health. It was all that stood between him and a respawn in the middle of an angry town. The increased stamina regeneration would also help with the training he had in mind. He had to get his agility as high as he could before he leveled up again.


    With his stats out of the way, Don pulled up information on the traits. It looked like the first one was the default trait any male demon could choose. It added damage values to his horns based on his level. It would be pretty weak right now and Don couldn¡¯t imagine headbutting one of the apes would end well. Next, he looked at the thick skinned trait. It gave him armor based on his level. It would also be weak but Don wanted this trait badly. He had dealt with scratching thorns and scraping bark for long enough. He was still just shy of completely naked and the forest wasn¡¯t a very soft place to stumble through at night. Still, he decided to consider all his options. He was glad he did. The last one was really interesting. He could apparently make stronger items so long as he used materials from animals he killed personally. His simple makeshift weapon and armor made a huge difference so Don was definitely interested in making better items.


    He decided on the dread armorer trait.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Error: the ¡°Dread Armorer¡± trait costs two trait points to acquire


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Well in that case


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Congratulations!


    You have acquired the ¡°Thick Skinned¡± trait


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Legend tells of an ancient demon went out for his daily stroll. On this day, he found a great battle between warring kingdoms on his path. He didn''t turn back. He kept his pace and didn''t pay the armies any attention. The men in the opposing armies hated demons equally and joined forces to slay this evil. Swords shattered, Maces crumbled, lances splintered. They attacked the demon until their weapons were reduced to dust. The demon did not react. It continued its stroll, leaving a silent battlefield behind him.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don immediately felt his skin tighten fractionally. It was like he suddenly developed callouses everywhere at once. Don gave a few experimental stretches and found that he could still move normally and his sense of touch wasn¡¯t deadened. He was just ... tougher. Don gave a relaxed sigh, he didn¡¯t realize how exposed he felt until now.


    With the thick skinned trait, Don was feeling better about his decision to increase his constitution but he was going to try something first. Dismissing his stats and taking a refreshing breath of air, Don said ¡°Hold on Mag¡± and leaned into a jog and didn¡¯t slow his pace until he returned to the cave netting himself a point in agility.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    + AGI


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don had to stop at the entrance because he couldn¡¯t fit himself and the fox in at the same time. He let Mag drag the animal through the entrance before sliding in after her. He was greeted by a shrill screaming.


    ¡°Kyaaa! There he is!¡± Four of the goblins waiting just inside the cave rushed Don.


    ¡°Ooh, Here''s that cool armor he used. Look at these teeth marks!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch him, he must be hurt¡± one of the goblins snapped, roughly shoving the goblin fawning over Don¡¯s bracer away. In a flash, the two gobs were a tangled mess of flying claws and biting teeth. Don was taken aback by this. Even more horrifying, the other two gobs closed in on him with predatory looks. He took a half step back and held up his hands defensively. He had a bad feeling about this.


    Don spotted Kat watching from the other side of the cave. One hand over his mouth another over his stomach. His body shook with silent laughter. Don looked back to his current problem. ¡°Uh, hi. I¡¯ve got to talk with Kat now so¡­ bye¡±


    As he was walking away two weights settled softly onto his shoulders. The gobs started whispering, one into each ear. Don¡¯s cheeks turned even more red than usual, then they turned green. He looked to Kat with pleading eyes but his supposed friend was now on the ground, totally incapacitated by laughter. Salvation came from a totally unexpected source.


    ¡°So you killed a fox¡± a grudging voice piped up from behind Don. He turned around and the two hangers-on eyed Gat from their vantage point.


    ¡°I killed three foxes¡± Don corrected him ¡°and a rabbit and a hedgehog¡± He was trying to glare back at Gat but the gobs hanging on to him chose that moment to whisper more distracting things in his ears. Apparently, they were sisters, and they like to share. Don was a lonely guy, but he wasn¡¯t that lonely.


    Gat doubled down on his glare. ¡°There are two foxes here tonight but I only saw you kill one. I¡¯m not giving you credit for Tag¡¯s kill¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you feel the need to be such an insufferable prick but you¡¯re a part of my tribe and I owe the tribe my life. You can have as much of the fox as you want.¡±


    The whispering finally, thankfully stopped. The whole cave went silent. Even Kat stopped laughing.


    ¡°You would feed me?¡± Gat asked


    ¡°Well, sure. I wish you would stop finding reasons to mess with me but I meant what I said.¡± Don answered, not sure why the atmosphere in the room changed so fast. His passengers shrank away as Gat¡¯s face flushed a darker shade. His green blood rising as his rage built.


    ¡°I am Gat¡± he screamed ¡°You do not feed me, I feed you! Do you think I¡¯m so weak I need help finding food? You are the newcomer, the outsider, I brought you here and everything you accomplish is thanks to me.¡± Gat worked himself up into a frenzy. He was starting to foam at the mouth when Grey stepped between them.


    ¡°That is enough. If you don¡¯t want to taste fox, no one will make you¡± She admonished Gat ¡°As for you¡± she addressed Don ¡°You impressed me today. Two foxes in one night. I haven¡¯t had such good entertainment in years¡± She was beaming at him. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken you have come back stronger than you were when you left?¡±


    Don smiled back at Grey ¡°Yeah, I did get a bit stronger. I have a long way to go before I can go up against those apes though.¡±


    Grey nodded ¡°It¡¯s good you realize this but have some pride for what you accomplished today.¡± She patted his knee before heading back towards the fire pit to prepare and defend the meal.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Goblin language 6 ¡ú 7


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You are now able to understand advanced concepts


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Finally free, Don moved over to where Kat was waiting with his trademark grin. Don wasn¡¯t very amused. ¡°So you think it¡¯s funny to lead your friend into a trap to be hunted by a giant, fucking, monster?¡± he asked


    A look of uncertainty flashed across his face before he reasserted his usual calm command. ¡°Of course. Especially when that friend decides to jump,¡± he paused for effect ¡°On a hedgehog!¡± he burst out laughing again and Don felt his face flush again.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you got a kick out of it at least.¡± Don grumbled


    ¡°Oh, when you chased it, Ha!¡±


    Don waited for Kat to chuckle himself out. Eventually, Kat managed to adopt a serious look without cracking up. ¡°All things considered, you did pretty well against the forest ape. I thought you were a goner when it had that blood trail. I have to talk with you about something though¡± His grin returned and he put on his conspiratorial act again. He had Don¡¯s attention now, the last time Kat acted like this he taught him about his status screen.


    ¡°I got a skill that night.¡± Kat revealed, ¡°It is called ¡®Scout Master¡¯ and it lets me train people in a bunch of skills.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so special about that?¡± Don asked, ¡°Can¡¯t people just train the skills by themselves?¡±


    Kat looked at Don like he just asked why eating dirt was a bad idea. ¡°Anyone can train a skill, having a teacher lets them learn faster, why do you think I¡¯ve been showing you how to sneak and find plants? This skill lets me teach skills even faster!¡±


    Don was reminded of a skill that increased on that same night. A skill that had a similar effect. His training dummy skill. It allowed people to learn skills more easily by practicing them on him. Could Kat have learned this teaching skill because he spent so much time teaching Don? He took a close look at that skill for the first time. Normally people could only practice combat skills on him but when it reached the apprentice rank, the skill began to apply to non-combat skills as well. Don shared his theory with Kat.


    Once he learned about Don¡¯s training dummy skill Kat¡¯s grin returned ¡°I am going to train you into the best damn scout, after me, in the whole tribe¡± he said ¡°You, are going to be the perfect practice student¡± His grin took on a distinctly unfriendly look.


    Don held up his hands ¡°That sounds good, but before you do, I have something I want to try.¡±


    An hour later Don was bent over his potion equipment, trying to ignore the constant jostling and itching. He finished another potion and immediately downed it, regenerating most of his health. He wiped his mouth and called over his shoulder ¡°Keep up the good work¡±


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Punching Bag Apprentice 2 ¡ú 3


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    19% unarmed resistance


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Kat and Tag were clawing at Don¡¯s back as well as they could. Scoring the skin but doing little real damage. They had already burnt through all the health potions Don prepared earlier and another four since then. He put the last of his healing potion ingredients into the mortar and began to grind. He asked Mag and Sik to help with the experiment too but mag didn¡¯t even look away from a roasting fox leg and Sik flatly refused. Don finally got an idea of why his potions were all trash. Sik told him the techniques, equipment and ingredients used affect the strength of a potion. The best we can hope to make with the stone implements are trash and weak quality potions. We could use advanced techniques to increase the potency of the potions but most of those techniques required specialized equipment of their own.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    + CON


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Finally ¡°Okay, you can stop¡±


    Kat and Tag kept hitting Don


    ¡°I said stop¡± He turned to the gobs who were gleefully scratching at Don.


    He went to sweep them away with his arm. Tag hopped back out of reach before charging in again and Kat merely vaulted over Don¡¯s arm like it was the easiest thing in the world. ¡°That¡¯s enough¡± Don said more forcefully, getting to his feet. The gobs climbed onto him and continued scratching him. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t hurt much.


    With his new trait and the already weak attacks of the gobs, Don could endure the strikes. Add on his resistance to unarmed attacks and his focus senses dulling the pain and the death by a thousand papercuts was downgraded to an urgent itch. After a few unsuccessful minutes trying to catch the slippery monsters, they suddenly broke off and ran to the other side of the cave, calling insults across to him. It looked like beating on Don brought the two gobs together. They now joked and laughed like old friends.


    Don turned back to his equipment, finishing his potion and restoring his health. Don thought back to all the damage he took after coming to the forest. There were three separate fights with foxes, the one heavy blow from the ape and the countless small scratches and bruises he picked up running around the forest at night. Even with all that it took more than 200 additional damage for his CON to increase. It was all the proof he needed that higher stats were harder to increase. Committed to his new course and feeling a sense of satisfaction, Don added all five of his free points to his constitution.


    He never gained so many points so quickly before. Don felt somehow healthier. Like he just got over a bad cold. His health bar stretched across the corner of his vision. Checking his stats he was glad to see the increase from 105 hp to 110 with his training, then all the way to 135 with the free points. His stamina regeneration also increased significantly. He was suddenly bursting with an energy he had never felt before. It was as if his inner workings were cast iron, stoked boilers, and whirring turbines. He was ready to take on the world. A frenzy of jibbering broke out from near the fire and Don decided to conquer some dinner first.


    <hr>


    Spoiler: Don''s stats and skills


    <input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">


    Note: I changed ''Forest Walk'' to from a passive skill to a more powerful active skill with stamina and mana requirements.


    The following skills also increased without mention in the last few chapters:


    Night Vision 5 --> 7


    Focus Senses 6 --> 8


    Stealth 3 --> 4


    Alchemy 8 --> 9


    Forage 3 --> 4


    Manipulation 4 --> 5


    Shadow Cloak 2 --> 3


    <table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="255"><col width="100"><col width="116"><col width="100"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1">Stats:</td>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1">Vitals:</td>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1">regen</td>


    <td>


    <div>


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>STR</td>


    <td>14</td>


    <td>HP</td>


    <td>135/135</td>


    <td>mana</td>


    <td>wis per hour</td>


    <td>3.53</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>AGI</td>


    <td>14</td>


    <td>STA</td>


    <td>71/75</td>


    <td>stamina</td>


    <td>(Con * 2) per hour</td>


    <td>1.11</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>DEX</td>


    <td>15</td>


    <td>MANA</td>


    <td>57/60</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>INT</td>


    <td>12</td>


    <td>EXP</td>


    <td>5/100</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>WIS</td>


    <td>17</td>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1">Status Effects:</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>CON</td>


    <td>27</td>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1"></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>END</td>


    <td>15</td>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1"></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="255"><col width="100"><col width="116"><col width="100"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>skill</td>


    <td>Rank</td>


    <td>Level</td>


    <td>Effect</td>


    <td>cost</td>


    <td>range</td>


    <td>duration</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1">Combat</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Punching Bag</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>2</td>


    <td>17% unarmed resistance</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Brawling</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>1</td>


    <td>5% increase to unarmed attack and dodge</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1">Utility</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Training Dummy</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>2</td>


    <td>17% training increase</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Goblin Language</td>


    <td>Special</td>


    <td>7</td>


    <td>Advanced complexity</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Night Vision</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>7</td>


    <td>11% increased light</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Focus Senses</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>8</td>


    <td>12% increase and derease</td>


    <td>1 stamina</td>


    <td>self</td>


    <td>1 minute</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Stealth</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>8% sneak and sneak attack</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Forest Walk</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>1</td>


    <td>15% movement and concealment in forests</td>


    <td>2 mana + 3 stamina</td>


    <td>self</td>


    <td>1 minute</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1">Support</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Diagnose</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>assess the targets visible injuries</td>


    <td>1 mana</td>


    <td>touch</td>


    <td>instant</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1">Crafting</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Alchemy</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>9</td>


    <td>13% potion effectiveness</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Forage</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>8% ease and effectivness of resources</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1">Illusion Magic</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Manipulation</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>5</td>


    <td>Manipulate light to form intangible constructs</td>


    <td>1 mana</td>


    <td>5 meters</td>


    <td>30 seconds</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Shadow Cloak</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>3</td>


    <td>19% increased visual concealment in darkness</td>


    <td>10 mana</td>


    <td>touch</td>


    <td>3 minutes</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 Bonus - Missing info from CH-22

    Stat Effects:


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    STR


    </td>


    <td>


    STR is a measure of your physical strength. Among other things, it affects


    - Physical defense


    - Melee damage


    - Carrying capacity


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    AGI


    </td>


    <td>


    AGI is a measure of your overall speed. Among other things, it affects


    - Attack speed


    - Dodge


    - Stealth


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    DEX


    </td>


    <td>


    DEX is a measure of your dexterity. Among other things, it affects


    - Block


    - Weapon accuracy


    - Crafting Skill


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    WIS


    </td>


    <td>


    WIS is a measure of your accumulated knowledge. Among other things, it affects


    - Mana recovery


    - Spell control


    - Perception


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    INT


    </td>


    <td>


    INT is a measure of your mental capacity. Among other things, it affects


    - Maximum Mana


    - Spell strength


    - Memory


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    CONDid you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    </td>


    <td>


    CON is a measure of your overall health. Among other things, it affects


    - Maximum HP


    - Stamina regen


    - disease and poison resistance


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    END


    </td>


    <td>


    END is a measure of your physical fitness. Among other things, it affects


    - Maximum stamina


    - Reduced strain from low pools


    - Reduced sleep and food requirements


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <hr>


    Don''s Stats and Skills:


    Note: I changed ''Forest Walk'' from a passive skill to a more powerful active skill with stamina and mana requirements.


    The following skills also increased without mention in the last few chapters:


    Night Vision 5 --> 7


    Focus Senses 6 --> 8


    Stealth 3 --> 4


    Alchemy 8 --> 9


    Forage 3 --> 4


    Manipulation 4 --> 5


    Shadow Cloak 2 --> 3


    <table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="255"><col width="100"><col width="116"><col width="100"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1">Stats:</td>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1">Vitals:</td>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1">regen</td>


    <td>


    <div>


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>STR</td>


    <td>14</td>


    <td>HP</td>


    <td>135/135</td>


    <td>mana</td>


    <td>wis per hour</td>


    <td>3.53</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>AGI</td>


    <td>14</td>


    <td>STA</td>


    <td>71/75</td>


    <td>stamina</td>


    <td>(Con * 2) per hour</td>


    <td>1.11</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>DEX</td>


    <td>15</td>


    <td>MANA</td>


    <td>57/60</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>INT</td>


    <td>12</td>


    <td>EXP</td>


    <td>5/100</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>WIS</td>


    <td>17</td>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1">Status Effects:</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>CON</td>


    <td>27</td>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1"> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>END</td>


    <td>15</td>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1"> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="255"><col width="100"><col width="116"><col width="100"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>skill</td>


    <td>Rank</td>


    <td>Level</td>


    <td>Effect</td>


    <td>cost</td>


    <td>range</td>


    <td>duration</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1">Combat</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Punching Bag</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>2</td>


    <td>17% unarmed resistance</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Brawling</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>1</td>


    <td>5% increase to unarmed attack and dodge</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1">Utility</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Training Dummy</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>2</td>


    <td>17% training increase</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Goblin Language</td>


    <td>Special</td>


    <td>7</td>


    <td>Advanced complexity</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Night Vision</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>7</td>


    <td>11% increased light</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Focus Senses</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>8</td>


    <td>12% increase and derease</td>


    <td>1 stamina</td>


    <td>self</td>


    <td>1 minute</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Stealth</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>8% sneak and sneak attack</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Forest Walk</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>1</td>


    <td>15% movement and concealment in forests</td>


    <td>2 mana + 3 stamina</td>


    <td>self</td>


    <td>1 minute</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1">Support</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Diagnose</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>assess the targets visible injuries</td>


    <td>1 mana</td>


    <td>touch</td>


    <td>instant</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1">Crafting</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Alchemy</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>9</td>


    <td>13% potion effectiveness</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Forage</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>8% ease and effectivness of resources</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1">Illusion Magic</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Manipulation</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>5</td>


    <td>Manipulate light to form intangible constructs</td>


    <td>1 mana</td>


    <td>5 meters</td>


    <td>30 seconds</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Shadow Cloak</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>3</td>


    <td>19% increased visual concealment in darkness</td>


    <td>10 mana</td>


    <td>touch</td>


    <td>3 minutes</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 23 - Trespassers

    The nextnights were the longest of Don''s life. Kat made good on his promise to whip Don into shape. Each evening was spent dodging flying green missiles as Kat¡¯s eager recruits launched themselves at him in the cave. With the promise of an extra share of fox meat for the gob who landed the most hits, there was a steady stream of volunteers, literally. The first night Don was jumped and struggled for breath under an avalanche of bodies. He lost half his health before Grey broke up the scrum. Kat decided to limit the volunteers to only those who helped track down the foxes from then on. With three gobs launching themselves at Don, he had to rely on his hearing to catch the telltale sound of a leap from outside his vision. The unfair part was that Kat instructed him not to strike back. All Don could do was shuffle out of the way a half step too late to avoid getting a new scratch as the rest of the tribe hooted and applauded at their new entertainment.


    The numbers of gobs only increased as Don started tracking more foxes each day. Kat compounded his problems by spouting useless advice at every opportunity.


    ¡°You need to move faster¡± he tutored as Don failed to avoid an enthusiastic attacker.


    ¡°Stop letting them hit you¡± he scowled when Don¡¯s legs were streaked with blood seeping from countless scratches. Grey even got involved with the torture, making sure Don had all the health potions he needed. Though she didn¡¯t seem too eager to get them to him. He hovered at around a fifth of his health as Grey rationed the potions.


    The early hours of each night were filled with river-sprints as Kat named them. They were simple but almost as cruel as the nightly ¡®sparring¡¯. All Don had to do was run down river, doing his best to stay out of the water, then run back upriver, carrying the heaviest stone he could grip.


    In practice, he would make it two, maybe three steps before slipping off a stone and, if he was lucky, splashing into the frigid water but more likely falling onto something harder and just as cold. The trudge upriver was safer but the slimy algae covering the rocks Kat selected and his numb fingers made him drop his rock fairly often.


    For the first two days, this torture was only interrupted when a fox was spotted. Now with an enforcer to call in, the gobs didn¡¯t stop at painting a general area to avoid in the tribe-map. Instead, they tracked the foxes down and kept tabs on them so all Don had to do was run straight to the animal, skipping the time-consuming tracking process. Even with double the exp requirement, bagging three foxes a night had Don knocking on the threshold of level 2 in no time. He probably could have made it in a single night if that was his goal.


    As brutal as the training was, Don had to admit it was worth it as he checked his stats, picking at the layer of dried blood on his legs after another prolonged morning of trying to avoid the sharp claws of his tribemates.


    Being set upon by at least three gobs each morning netted him a point in agility, a level in brawling and a new skill, aptly named ¡®dodge¡¯ which reached level three.


    The river sprints boosted his agility, strength, and endurance each by a point a day. He didn¡¯t gain any skill levels but he was happy with gaining the equivalent of nearly a level worth of stat points for a relatively safe activity.


    Finally, hunting foxes only gained him a single point in agility but it was by far the best for his skill progression. He gained two levels in both brawling and stealth. He even increased his shadow cloak by another level.


    Unrelated to the training menu, Don kept up his practice with ¡®manipulation¡¯ whenever he had full mana bringing the skill up three levels and increasing his stagnating wisdom by a point. Don didn¡¯t have the stamina to keep up his near-constant use of ¡®focus senses¡¯ during the river-sprints but he kept it up the rest of the time bringing him all the way to level ten in that skill. The side effect was steadily becoming worse but the enhancement was too good to pass up. He took the rare chance to forage plants on his way to a fox-sighting and increased that skill by a level. Finally, his training dummy increased a level and Kat reported that his ¡®scoutmaster¡¯ skill reached level 3.


    On the third night, Don was finishing his eighty somethingth river sprint, having gained another two points in strength, a point in endurance, and one in agility when the tribe chat vibrated with activity. Don ignored it most of the time but was attuned to it enough to sense when something had his tribe¡¯s attention. He opened himself up to the communication channel.


    ¡°-on the eastern slope¡±


    ¡°How many are there?¡±


    ¡°Four¡±


    ¡°What are they doing in our forest?¡±


    ¡°Does it matter? Just stay out of sight and they will blunder off eventually.¡±


    With Don¡¯s concentration split, he missed a step and took another plunge into the icy water. Kat didn¡¯t even insult him this time, paying attention to the new development too. The tribe-map popped open with a thought and Don watched as a tight knot of humans slowly made their way through the forest. The leader used a long blade to hack through brambles and he stomped the remains into the dirt with thick boots, clearing a path for those behind him. They wore mismatched clothes but Don couldn¡¯t really fault them for that. He still hadn¡¯t found a proper pair of pants, not that it mattered as much with his thickened skin.


    The troop clutched to a variety of weapons. There were a couple of daggers, a club, and the leader kept swinging his long blade at the bushes like they had insulted his mother. Without any hunting on the menu today, Kat was working him to the bone and Don seized on the excuse to take a rest, even if it was dangerous.


    ¡°It might,¡± he thought to the tribe ¡°What if they¡¯re looking for the cave?¡±


    ¡°They shouldn¡¯t even know there is a cave¡± retorted Gat, He was right but admitting that wouldn¡¯t get him out of the damn river.


    ¡°The point is, we don¡¯t know why they are here. We need to find out what they want before we let them go wandering around our territory.¡± As don made his point the group hacked through a berry bush and ground it into mash under their boots. ¡°Are they talking to each other?¡±


    ¡°Constantly, they won¡¯t shut up. The noise is going to scare away all the rabbits for a mile¡± complained the gob watching their movements.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll come by to see what they have to say¡± he said into the chat before meeting Kat¡¯s eyes. His trainer nodded thoughtfully.


    ¡°This is a good chance to see how far you¡¯ve come with your stealth. If it¡¯s not good enough, you¡¯ll get to practice running away¡± he said the second half with a lilting cadence, almost songlike as his face split into a grin. ¡°Watching you fall over and over is getting boring anyway.¡±


    The pair made their waythrough the forest. They set an easy pace to allow Don¡¯s stamina to regenerate as they neared the trespassers. By the time their path intercepted with their targets, the steely light of predawn was creeping into the sky. Don¡¯s stomach tied itself in knots as the group moved closer. He hadn¡¯t seen any humans since entering the forest and he was wondering what could have possessed him to leave the safety of the river. He was here now though and he couldn¡¯t run without even trying to listen to them. He had a new reputation to maintain after all. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Don checked his skills to make sure he was as hidden as possible. His stealth was always active as long as he was trying to be sneaky. He was saving his shadow cloak until they came within sight but his eyes fell on a skill he hadn¡¯t used yet. The high stamina cost of ¡®forest walk¡¯ kept him from using it during his exhausting training but the 5% bonus to concealment might just make all the difference here. He settled into a particularly large and leafy tree and waited.


    He didn¡¯t have to wait long. He heard the intruders well before he saw them. He focused on his hearing and parts of sentences began to make their way to his ears, filtering their way through the tramp of ten booted feet and a sword thrashing their obstacles.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t get why we had to set out so damn early¡± a gravelly voice softened by a yawn complained.


    ¡°Damnit Stanley, If you complain again I¡¯m going to send you back to town.¡± Growled a second speaker. The claim was followed by a loud thunk.


    ¡°Shit, look what you made me do. I lost another durability on this damn sword. This better be worth it. Are you sure he went this way kid?¡±


    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you?¡± this voice dripped with venom. ¡°He is somewhere in this forest. Everyone I¡¯ve asked agrees this is the only place around where a new-b could possibly survive.¡± Don recognized that voice as a feeling crept up his spine like spiders made from ice. ¡°Besides, I have it on good authority that he was spotted at the edge of this forest.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯d be a lot more inclined to believe you if you¡¯d share who your mysterious source is.¡±


    ¡°And I told you that¡¯s not going to happen.¡±


    The group was nearly in sight and Don cast shadow cloak and forest walk, doing his best to stay silent and blend into his surroundings. The shadows slid over his body as usual but a new feeling came over him as well. He could almost feel a pulse from the tree beneath him. A subtle life force emanated from everything around him and he felt momentarily at peace, the knots in his stomach relaxing a bit. The feeling only lasted until a sword crashed into view below, the group stumbling along in its wake.


    ¡°Will the two of you please quiet down? There¡¯s no way we¡¯ll ever find him if he hears us coming from a mile off.¡± a lithe woman clutching a bronze dagger tried to quell the budding argument before it could get off the ground. The leader stopped his tireless hacking and turned back to face the group, pointing his blade at the woman. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it from you, Celia, I thought you had a tracking skill. Why are we just wandering randomly through the forest?¡±


    The woman looked lazily at the man, dismissing the threat by gently pushing the blade aside with a finger. ¡°Because I can¡¯t follow a track until I find one and you are doing your best to destroy any path I might find.¡± She thumbed over her shoulder indicating the hacked and trampled vegetation behind them.


    The leader bristled ¡°How the hell else are we supposed to get past all these damn plants?¡± he complained, sinking his sword in a nearby bush out of frustration.


    ¡°By not being a giant fucking pussy¡± replied the sandy-haired youth clutching a black dagger. Don knew that dagger and it confirmed his earlier suspicion. This was grant¡¯s kid, the same asshole who was so eager to hurt Don on the night he was smuggled out of town. He demonstrated how not to be a giant pussy by launching himself at a tree, rebounding off of it and landing on the other side of the tangle of brambles with the sword embedded in it.


    ¡°And you expect Stanley to pull off acrobatics like that? He¡¯s only got 12 agility.¡±


    ¡°I expect you to cope, quit complaining about some fucking bushes and get a move on. What will you do if an actual monster appears?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll use this,¡± the leader said, pulling his sword out of the ground and giving it another swing for emphasis.


    ¡°Quit playing with that before you go blind¡± quipped the dagger-lass with a smirk.


    ¡°You¡¯re just jealous you don¡¯t have a big long sword to play with.¡± The leader said waggling the blade in front of his companion.


    With a condescending look, she replied ¡°You need my skills to pull this off and I expect to be paid handsomely for putting up with your shit Harry.¡±


    ¡°So long as Jack¡¯s information is as good as you claim to be, we¡¯ll be rolling in the coins as soon as we kill that Shepard fucker¡±


    Don paled. They were out here searching for him. It was a mistake coming to investigate.


    ¡°Do you really think it¡¯s going to be worth it?¡± asked Stanley ¡°With the other one at the church, why would people pay to get a turn with the one who got away?¡±


    Don was frozen now. Stanley¡¯s words sent a spike of horror deep into his chest where it constricted his breathing. He said ¡®the other one¡¯ and that could only mean one thing. His hands began to shake as the implications came crashing down on him like a waterfall of guilt.


    ¡°Because¡± sneered Jack ¡°he is the one who got us stuck here. Haven¡¯t you been in any of the alleys in town? They¡¯re stuffed with pricks who do nothing but stew about how bad things are here. All they talk about is what they would do if they get their hands on that fucker. The girl is just a consolation prize.¡± His hands flexed as he no doubt was seeing a happy fantasy which involved torturing Don.


    Jack¡¯s response removed all doubt, they had Sam.


    Don was so shaken by the revelation, he let his forest walk lapse. Celia¡¯s head snapped up immediately, looking Don directly in the eyes.


    <hr>


    Spoiler: stat changes<input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="2">


    Stats:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    STR


    </td>


    <td>


    14 --> 18


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    AGI


    </td>


    <td>


    14 --> 18


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    DEX


    </td>


    <td>


    15


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    INT


    </td>


    <td>


    12


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    WIS


    </td>


    <td>


    17 --> 18


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    CON


    </td>


    <td>


    27


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    END


    </td>


    <td>


    15 --> 18


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <hr>


    Spoiler: Skills<input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">


    <table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="255"><col width="100"><col width="116"><col width="100"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>skill</td>


    <td>Rank</td>


    <td>Level</td>


    <td>Effect</td>


    <td>cost</td>


    <td>range</td>


    <td>duration</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1">Combat</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Punching Bag</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>2</td>


    <td>17% unarmed resistance</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Brawling</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>8% increase to unarmed attack and dodge</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Dodge</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>3</td>


    <td>7% increase to speed when dodging</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1">Utility</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Training Dummy</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>3</td>


    <td>19% training increase</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Goblin Language</td>


    <td>Special</td>


    <td>7</td>


    <td>Advanced complexity</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Night Vision</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>9</td>


    <td>13% increased light</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Focus Senses</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>10</td>


    <td>14% increase and decrease</td>


    <td>1 stamina</td>


    <td>self</td>


    <td>1 minute</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Stealth</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>6</td>


    <td>10% sneak and sneak attack</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Forest Walk</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>1</td>


    <td>10% movement and 5% concealment in forests</td>


    <td>1 mana + 5 stamina</td>


    <td>self</td>


    <td>1 minute</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1">Support</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Diagnose</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>assess the targets visible injuries</td>


    <td>1 mana</td>


    <td>touch</td>


    <td>instant</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1">Crafting</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Alchemy</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>9</td>


    <td>13% potion effectiveness</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Forage</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>5</td>


    <td>9% ease and effectivness of resources</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1">Illusion Magic</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Manipulation</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>8</td>


    <td>Manipulate light to form intangible constructs</td>


    <td>1 mana</td>


    <td>8 meters</td>


    <td>45 seconds</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Shadow Cloak</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>21% increased visual concealment in darkness</td>


    <td>10 mana</td>


    <td>touch</td>


    <td>4 minutes</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 24 - Contact

    ¡°Give ¡®em some time,¡± Stanley continued, oblivious to Celia¡¯s hand lashing out like a snake ¡°they¡¯ll come arou-.¡±


    ¡°Uagh¡± Don interrupted him as he threw himself backwards to avoid the bronze daggerspinning towards his face. The daggerclanged off of a branch and went spinning away. Don lost his balance. Falling off of his perch, his mind seemed to shut off as he surrendered to instincts he didn¡¯t know he had. He felt himself twist in the air and watched his hand snap out as something blurred in the corner of his eye and he swung just far enough to avoidbeing impaled on the jagged stump of a branch. He released his handhold with a shove which oriented him just right to get both his hands on the lowermost branch and with a groan of bending wood, helaunched straight into a flat out run.


    His mind reasserted itself and he glanced back as his skin prickled with adrenaline. He took in the scene in an instant. Stanley and Harry were just noticing his sudden appearance. Their surprised expressions would have been funny if they weren''t hunting Don. but Jack was dashing towards him with a manic grin plastered on his face. A shadow of stubble, verging on actual hair darkened his scalp. He wore the same black cloak from the night they met but it was now caked in mud, it sported dozens of small holes and cuts and even a sizeable burn on one side. It flared out behind him as he leapt again, easily clearing the obstacles separating them. He charged headlong at Don while Celia followed a bit further behind as if she was waiting to see what happened next.


    Don faced forward again and reactivated his Forest walk. That feeling of being one with the forest overcame Don. Even with enemies close on his heels he felt safe. He knew the rock he wasabout to land on wasn¡¯t stable but he could still skip off of it if he kept moving straight to that root...


    Pathways opened up to Don where before there was only a cluttered field of obstacles and dangers. He put on a spurt of speed before a searing pain tore into his side. Don lost a full 17 healthand had to slow down until he could wrench the blood-smeared dagger out of his hip. It grated against his bone as he pulled, hurting worse than when the dagger went in. he lost a few more health and glared back at Celia who was smirking as she pulled another dagger from a pouch strapped to her thigh. Don could see a few more brass handles sticking from the pouch.


    ¡°I¡¯m keeping this!¡± He shouted before dissolving the dagger into light and slipped out of the way when the next daggerwhistled past him. On firm ground and expecting knives to come his way, they weren''t too difficult to sidestep. That might change if she got closer though and the rest of the party was charging at him by this point. He turned and booked it, taking a more erratic path,winding between every tree he could put between himself and the dagger collector. This was also perfect cover for escape plan A.


    Running up and down a river for two days gave Don plenty of time to think of what he would do if he ever met something strong like the forest ape again.


    With all the time he spent practicing ¡®manipulation¡¯ and all the time he spent bleeding over the last few days, it was only natural that he tried to manipulate his own blood. His constant testing let him get a basic idea of the limits of the spell. He couldn¡¯t do anything unless he had access to the substance he wanted to manipulate and he couldn¡¯t make any more than there was in the area already. His blood was always present but without an open wound, it couldn''t pass his skin. On the plus side however, it wasvery easy to shape and move, even easier than shadows. Now with the cut in his side, he was ready.


    Blood gushed from the wound andflowed around Don. It gathered in a thin layer covering his body. Once he had taken all the illusory blood his body could provide, he dodged behind a tree and stopped. The blood continued running on Don¡¯s path, dodging silently through the trees. There was a second when the back was open before it reformed and the illusion wasn''t a perfect duplicate but hopefully, his pursuers were only catching glimpses of him in the gloomyforest. This couldn¡¯t go on for long. His manipulation range wasstill capped at eight meters and his blood-double vanished after dodging behind a tree right at the edge of his range.


    Bare moments later, Jack tore past Don¡¯s hiding place, fury evident on his face and murder in his eyes. ¡®Maybe this would work¡¯ Don hoped. Two almond-shaped eyes dashed his hopes a second later.


    Celia passed Don''s hiding place, auburn hair whirling around her head like a red halo as her eyes focused on her target. Don instinctively lashed out with his fist at head height, attempting to closeline her with a backhanded swipe. She bent impossibly at the waist and Don''s passing fistonly brushed her nose. She didn¡¯t see the other attack coming however and took a fist low in her side, knocking her a step back.


    ¡°So youwant to play?¡± she asked in a mocking tone.Shepulled a much larger and stronger looking dagger from a sheath behind her hip. She was clearly used to fighting with knives and settled into a familiar stance. The smaller bronze dagger was extended towards Don and she held the larger onebehind the first in a reverse grip. She bounced lightly on the balls of her feet. ¡°Don¡¯t bore me now.¡± She said with an eager glint in her eye.


    Don wanted no part of this but if he turned to run with Celia so close, he would get cut down. Without the option to retreat, he planted his feet wide and bellowed at his challenger. Shewinced momentarily at the display but when nothing else happened she actually sighed.


    ¡°Men¡± she shook her head and before Don realized what was happening the bronze dagger flashed towards his neck.


    Don raised his left arm summoning his bracer. It didn''t appear and the dagger meant for his neck slashed a deep cut in Don''s forearm shaving off another 19 points of health. After that first lightning fast attack, Celia slowed considerably. Don turned and a stab meant for his shoulder cut nothing but air. He stepped back and a swipe aimed at this thigh missed its target. The aggressive swipe overbalanced Celia and Donstepped back in with a hard right punch towards her face. Celia sped up alarmingly. She knocked his arm roughly aside with herlarger blade. It cut deeply into Don¡¯suninjured arm shaving off a solid 23 points of health this time. Don pulled away in shock as herbronze dagger flashed upwards past his chin. She fell back into her almost lazy assault as Don continued to dodge all of her strikes with surprising ease. Don narrowed his eyes,was she toying with him?This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    He looked at her face and noticed a furious snarl which seemed to tell a different story. Just then he heard a scrape from behind him. Days of training honed his response and hespun to the side in timeavoid Jack¡¯s leaping attack. He continued sailing past Don and got tangled in a nasty patch of briars.


    His ineffective attack gave Celia an opening. Don heard "Flurry" called out loudly and turned just in time to take three impossibly fast slashes. Don''s health plummeted to 44 HP as new lines of pain flared into existence across his chest.


    Celia smirked, she clearly thought Don was at his limits but the demons unnaturally high Constitution meant he still had HP to burn. Don took advantage of her lowered guard and locked her in a bearhug.For the first time in the fight, Celia wore an expression besides smug assurance. Withthe energy of a panicked animal, sheraked one of her daggers down Don''s side. Don dropped to31 health. He snapped his head back howling in pain as a long strip of his skin fell away and brought his forehead crashing back down into Celia''s face.


    The crunch of cartilage joined with the wet spray of blood to make a truly nauseating cocktail. He pushed Celia away. Her eyes were slightly crossed. She seemed incapable of chasing him for the moment and Jack was still tugging at his cloak which was beginning to rip. Stanley chose that moment to come stomping around a tree, dragging tangles of vegetation behind him. Harry was shouting from just behind the charging giant and Don decided it was time to say goodbye.


    ¡°The forest has taken me in,¡± Don shouted at his hunters before castingmanipulate.


    A wave of movement pulsed outwards from his feet as all the leaves within eight meters began to stir, the brown carpet of mostly decomposed plantlife surged.


    With a tearing rip, Jack freed himself from the brambles and leapt towards Don. He was too late.


    ¡°You will never find me again¡± he said looking Jack directly in the manic eyes as the carpet of dead leaves burst into the air and the living leaves tore themselvesfrom their branches to plummet like verdant rain. The air was soon a whirling maelstrom of vibrant green, burnt orange, and dirt brown. Focusing on his hearing, it was easy to dodge out of the way of Jack¡¯s charge. Don heard him trip over a root and go sliding across the dirt. He also heard him spit the dirt out of his mouth and start screaming into the confusing storm of leaves.


    "I''ll fucking get you, Shepard! I''ll never stop hunting you until I can grind you to paste under my boot! Keep running, we''ve got your sister. I''ll make her pay every day you''re hiding out here!"


    Don wanted to tune him out. When he started screaming about hurting Sam, he couldn''t help but turn back. This punk was about to learn a lesson. He took the time to guzzle down two full gourds of health potion. Itwas enough to restore sixty health over 100 seconds. He found a large stone using his tribe map and lifted it up high. Closing his eyes to the confusing maelstrom, Don focused on Jack''s continued screaming and dropped the stone as hard as he could on top of the source of the insults.


    Don was rewarded with a sharp crack followed by silence. The other hunters didn''t let the silence last long. They called out to each other, gatheringdespite the illusion.


    Using the tribe map again, Don found a tree through the illusion and climbed carefully upwards. Once he was settled, he refreshed his shadow cloak and forest walk He cast manipulate for hopefully the last time. The maelstrom faded from existence as Don used a new illusion to cover up the blood-trail leading to his tree with loose soil. The health potions still hadn''t finished their work and he was still covered in wounds, each one seeping blood.


    The trespassers were on guard, standing back to back, looking for Don. They spotted Jack and hurried over. He was lying face down in the dirt with a nasty red gash on the side of his head. A rivulet of blood ran down the side of his face. Stanley knelt down and turned Jack onto his back. He held a hand over his fallen comrade and said "mend". A white glow flowed from his fingers into the bleeding man. The wound closed but Jack remained senseless.


    "How is it?" asked Harry


    "He''ll pull through but he''s unconscious. Ican''t do anything about that yet. We''ll have to wait for him to recover naturally" Stanley continued to examine Jack.


    "Forget that twerp," Celia said from a short distance away "the demon can''t have gone far" She was scanning left and right, trying to catch sight Don again.


    "What do you want us to do? Leave Jack here, alone in the woods?" Stanley shot back at the mercenary.


    "Why not? You''re all immortal, aren''t you? He was a fool for giving away his position. He was basically begging to get attacked taunting the demon like that. I''m surprised he''s alive at all." Celia never stopped scanning her surroundings.


    "That''s cold Celia. I don''t like the kid but I''m not about to leave him to get eaten by whatever comes along next."


    Harry cut in "We weren''t ready to deal with that demon today. We were expecting him to be half dead already. He''s clearly doing a lot better than we thought. We will head back to town for now, get Jack patched up and come up with an actual plan."


    "You want to leave just after we found him?" Celia asked incredulously.


    "What are you complaining about? You''ll still get paid" Harry pointed out.


    "Hmph" Celia clearly itched to continue the hunt. "And what will you do if I kill this demon and take all the money for my own?"


    "I''ll kill you" There was no menace or threat in Harry''s voice. He was simply stating facts.


    Celia''s eyes narrowed "You can''t even touch me." She said, all the playfulness drained from her voice.


    "Not today, maybe not even in a week or a month, but you know we are immortal. Even if you canbeat me ninety-nine times out of a hundred right now, I''ll keep getting stronger and coming back until you are dead." Harry''s dispassionate speech got through to Celia and she aggressively sheathed her daggers.


    "Fine, if he dies today I want fifty percent. None of you were any help. I spotted him, injured him, and poisoned him. All you did was shout a lot" Whatever she said she was clearly not ''fine'' with leaving the hunt unfinished.


    Stanley slung Jack over his shoulder and the foursome started backtracking through the woods, arguing about Celia''s share.

 25 - Poison

    Don listened to the group stomp away and didn¡¯t relax until they were out of earshot again. An end of battle prompt flashed but Don waved it away. He wanted to get away from here in case Celia doubled back. He wasn¡¯t about to trust their words, especially when they knew he was nearby. Don made his way back to the stream and downed his last for doses of health potion. Once he got far enough away he checked the results of the battle.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">AGI +</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Dodge (beginner) has increased from level 3 to level 5, 9% increase to speed when dodging.


    Brawling (beginner) has increased from level 4 to level 5, 9% increase to unarmed attack and reaction speed


    Stealth (beginner) has increased from level 6 to level 8, 12% increase to sneak and sneak attack


    Forest Walk (beginner) has increased from level 1 to level 2, 12% increased movement speed and 6% increased concealment in forests, duration increased to 2 minutes


    Manipulation (beginner) has increased from level 8 to level 10, range increased to 10 meters and duration increased to 55 seconds


    Shadow Cloak (beginner) has increased from level 4 to level 5, 23% increased visual concealment in darkness, duration increased to 5 minutes


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">You have created the illusion spell Bloody Simulacrum by misleading a pursuer</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Due to your red skin, it is possible to make a convincing decoy from your own blood</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Cost: 5 HP and 5 mana


    Cast Time: 3 seconds


    Duration: 1 minute


    Range: Range of Manipulation x2 (20 meters)


    Effect: Double is 5% more convincing


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    His eyes grew wider and wider as he reviewed his skill increases. In just a few minutes he increased his skills dramatically. He knew fights were good for skill growth from his fox hunts but this was way more than he got from foxes. Maybe it had to do with the fact that Don was outclassed and outnumbered but he wasn¡¯t going to dive into another battle like that to test his hypothesis.


    The new spell would definitely come in handy too. The health cost was unfortunate, Don would have to be careful not to use the spell too often or he would end up wasting all his health potions.


    Next, he checked his status and found the poisoned status effect Celia talked about. He was also bleeding.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Status Effects:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Poisoned: 3 HP every 7 seconds</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center"> Bleeding: 2 HP every 5 seconds</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    As he watched, the bleeding effect lessened but the poison remained unchanged. His health was still rising slowly but the potions would soon wear off and his health would start dropping again. Don picked up the pace after a quick calculation showed that he only had a few minutes before his health would empty out again. To Don¡¯s dismay, when he sped up the poison effect changed from draining 3 hp every 7 seconds to taking the same amount of health every 6 seconds.


    Don slowed again and the poison effect reverted back to its previous damage rate. He called out to Kat through the tribe-chat in a panic.


    ¡°Kat, where are you?¡±


    Kat responded from overhead ¡°You need to be more sneaky. They almost got you there¡±


    Without any time to waste, Don plowed ahead ¡°They did get me, I¡¯m poisoned. I¡¯ll die in just a few minutes. Help me.¡± Don shook the little scoutmaster in his panic.


    ¡°Poison?¡± Kat asked, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    Don¡¯s stomach sank. He was doomed.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we ask Sik?¡± Kat asked after he was released.


    That¡¯s right! Sik and Grey knew a lot more about status effects than the other gobs.


    ¡°Sik!¡± Don shouted through the tribe-chat ¡°I¡¯m poisoned! Help!¡±


    Sik replied immediately. ¡°I¡¯m on my way. If you have any silkweed start chewing on it.


    Don opened up his inventory and quickly found a slot containing a few clumps of silkweed. He summoned one in a green flare and shoved it into his mouth. He gagged at the bitter juice which was released but kept chewing as the poison effect changed. It now only damaged Don every 17 seconds. The roots had bought him another five minutes of life. He put another clump of silkweed in his mouth and kept chewing. His cheeks bulged but the extra root didn¡¯t decrease the damage any further.


    He was losing health too quickly to make it all the way back to the cave still but a little green dot was speeding toward Don¡¯s position on the tribe-map. Don hustled towards Sik as fast as he could without making the poison worse. Kat seemed entirely unconcerned as he rattled off all the things Don did wrong during the encounter.


    Don ignored his tutor, watching his health bar dip a few times a minute and imagining what Jack would do to him if he died from the poison and returned to the crypt. Sik caught up with Don when he had only 18 health remaining. The pale gob tossed him a gourd.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">You have found: Antidote</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Quality: Trash


    Effects: reduces damage factor of health poisons by 1 point


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don downed three doses and the poison effect faded from his status. The bleeding effect ended early during Don¡¯s run towards Sik. Now that he was no longer dying, Don sank to the ground. He was overwhelmed by the frantic fight followed by the creeping fear brought on by the poison.


    ¡°Thanks Sik¡± Don said with a weak smile ¡°I owe you one¡±


    ¡°You owe me more than one¡± Sik replied while holding out a gourd of healing potion.


    Don took it gratefully. His entire body ached and burned from the poison. The potion barely helped, only bringing Don up to 43 health but the worst of the pain faded. His large health pool saved him today but it was beginning to require more and more potions to restore his health after fights. Those daggers were no joke. Each attack did far more damage than the foxes could. He examined the dagger he took from Celia.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Bronze Throwing Dagger</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Quality: average


    Damage: 14-17


    Durability: 23/27


    Effect: +5% accuracy when thrownThe tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don expected a higher damage value. Celia must have some skills which boosted her damage with the daggers. A sense of accomplishment flooded through Don. He finally got a real weapon. He escaped the trespassers and he found out why they were in his territory. His fists clenched. He would get Sam away from them. Then he would keep getting stronger until he didn¡¯t need to be afraid of Jack and whoever else he brought with him. With a new goal in mind, Don rose and headed towards the cave with Kat and Sik in tow as he laid out his plan to his friends.


    Once he made it to the cave, Grey fussed over him and brought him back to full health before beating him around the head with her spoon for doing something so stupid. Don set to work immediately after. The kills from the night were piled in their usual spot and a few gobs were scraping and tearing away the skin with rocks and claws. Don sat and pulled a mostly intact rabbit from the pile. He then took out his new knife and set to work. He used the general shape of the pelts he looted as a guide and after a few tries, he managed to get a usable rabbit skin.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Rabbit Pelt</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    quality: trash


    Durability: 3


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Congratulations!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">You have learned skinning beginner 1</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    5% faster skinning


    5% increased durability to items crafted from animal pelts


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don kept skinning the animals until there were none left, gathering a small pile of trash rabbit skins. By the end of the session, Don started getting more familiar with the knife and he managed to make a few pelts of crude quality with 5 durability each. He also gained a level in his new skill. Now he wouldn¡¯t have to choose between the meat and skin when he killed an animal.


    Next, he pulled apart his bracer. It was pretty chewed up and the rabbit skin layer was tattered. He set to putting together more bracers with the trash quality rabbit skins before taking them apart and starting over. After his twelfth bracer, he managed to get the other skill he wanted.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Congratulations!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">You have learned Natural Crafting beginner 1</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center"> The natural world is filled with materials just waiting to be combined in useful ways</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center"> 5% increased durability of creations</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don pulled apart his latest trash bracer and created a pair out of his crude quality pelts. He took his time, trying to make the armor as sturdy as he could. He was rewarded with much better defense than he had managed to achieve without the skill.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">You have crafted: Ironbark Bracers of Minor Healing</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Quality: crude


    Defense: 6


    Durability: 10/10


    Effect: heals 3 hp for each durability lost


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    With his new armor, Don felt better prepared but he now knew that the defense value of his armor was pitiful compared to to the damage of even the average dagger he picked up. Ideally, he wouldn¡¯t need to use them but Don was determined to do all he could to prepare for the next night.


    Don headed over to the alchemy alcove next. It was empty and he set to making a new batch of healing potions.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">You have crafted: Healing Potion x5</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: left">Quality: trash


    Doses: 5


    Effect: Heals 6 HP over ten seconds


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don really needed to get better alchemy equipment. The trash potions weren¡¯t going to cut it for much longer. He then carefully pulled a fire-root from his inventory. He used his new dagger to scrape the orange hairs off of the root. They stuck to the dagger and Don scraped them into a gourd. He then filled the gourd with water and examined the result.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Congratulations!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You have created the potion Firewater</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td> Quality: Dilute


    Effect: Causes an intense burning sensation on contact without damaging the target


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Don was happy that the results ended up like he expected. Apparently, the dagger was considered a higher quality tool than the stone implements he had been using until now because potion wasn¡¯t trash quality. His alchemy skill even improved from the experiment.


    Alchemy (beginner) has increased from level 9 to level 10, 14% increase to potion effectiveness.


    Don noticed that his dagger also gained an unexpected effect of causing extra pain for the next ten minutes. He logged that bit of information away for later. He was sure it would come in handy later on. Don stopped his work after preparing two more gourds of firewater to eat a quick dinner. He didn¡¯t have an appetite but he couldn¡¯t afford to get hungry in the middle of the town so he choked down a greasy piece of rabbit, barely tasting it.


    His last task for the night was to fix a problem he wasn¡¯t aware of until his fight with Celia. His items wouldn¡¯t come out of his inventory in the middle of a fight. He looked around the cave floor until he found the discarded remains of the rope he was tied up with on his first night in the forest. It was stamped into the dirt but Don managed to find a few pieces long enough to knot around his waist. It didn¡¯t register as an item but he was able to hang a couple of gourds off of it. It started sliding down his hips when he walked so he slung one end over his shoulder. He couldn¡¯t put more than one on the rope now, any more and the gourds would knock against each other. He made another makeshift bandolier and now had a gourd of firewater hanging at each hip.


    Don spent the rest of the night going over the plan with Sik and Kat. They didn¡¯t have as much endurance as Don and started drifting off. Don couldn¡¯t sleep. He knew he needed to but all he saw when he closed his eyes was Jack torturing Sam.


    Grey wobbled up to Don with a gourd and an understanding look.


    ¡°You have set yourself a dangerous task. I won¡¯t stop you. It¡¯s clearly too important to you. If I¡¯m being honest I¡¯m glad to see how much you care for your family. I hope that devotion will extend to your tribe. Take this with you. It might be helpful tomorrow night but it will definitely be of use tonight.¡±


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">You have received: Sleeping Potion</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Quality: Dilute


    Doses: 5


    Effect: Causes target to fall asleep


    Restriction: only effective if ingested


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Thank you, Grey. I don¡¯t even want to think about what would have happened to me if it wasn¡¯t for all the help you¡¯ve given me. I swear I¡¯ll repay you. Those apes won¡¯t know what hit them.¡±


    Grey smiled in response as Don took a dose of the potion. Before the potion did its work, he had time to hear ¡°I know you will. But don¡¯t try to do everything yourself. We are the forest, only together are we strong. Take care of the tribe and the tribe will take care of you.¡±


    <hr>


    Spoiler: Don''s Stats<input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">


    <table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="100"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1">Stats:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>STR</td>


    <td>18</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>AGI</td>


    <td>19</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>DEX</td>


    <td>15</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>INT</td>


    <td>12</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>WIS</td>


    <td>18</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>CON</td>


    <td>27</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>END</td>


    <td>18</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="255"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="2" rowspan="1">Vitals:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>HP</td>


    <td>133/135</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>STA</td>


    <td>90/90</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>MANA</td>


    <td>53/60</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>EXP</td>


    <td>95/100</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <hr>


    Spoiler: Don''s Skills<input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">


    <table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="255"><col width="100"><col width="116"><col width="100"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Category</td>


    <td>skill</td>


    <td>Rank</td>


    <td>Level</td>


    <td>Effect</td>


    <td>cost</td>


    <td>range</td>


    <td>duration</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td> </td>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1"> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="1" rowspan="3">


    </td>


    <td>Punching Bag</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>2</td>


    <td>17% unarmed resistance</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Brawling</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>5</td>


    <td>9% increase to unarmed attack and dodge</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Dodge</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>5</td>


    <td>9% increase to speed when dodging</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td> </td>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1"> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="1" rowspan="6">


    </td>


    <td>Training Dummy</td>


    <td>Apprentice</td>


    <td>3</td>


    <td>19% training increase</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Goblin Language</td>


    <td>Special</td>


    <td>7</td>


    <td>Advanced complexity</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Night Vision</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>9</td>


    <td>13% increased light</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Focus Senses</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>10</td>


    <td>14% increase and decrease</td>


    <td>1 stamina</td>


    <td>self</td>


    <td>1 minute</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Stealth</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>8</td>


    <td>12% sneak and sneak attack</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Forest Walk</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>2</td>


    <td>12% movement and 6% concealment in forests</td>


    <td>1 mana + 5 stamina</td>


    <td>self</td>


    <td>2 minute</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td> </td>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1"> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Support</td>


    <td>Diagnose</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>assess the targets visible injuries</td>


    <td>1 mana</td>


    <td>touch</td>


    <td>instant</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td> </td>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1"> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="1" rowspan="2">


    </td>


    <td>Alchemy</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>10</td>


    <td>14% potion effectiveness</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Forage</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>5</td>


    <td>9% ease and effectivness of resources</td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td> </td>


    <td colspan="7" rowspan="1"> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="1" rowspan="3">


    </td>


    <td>Manipulation</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>10</td>


    <td>Manipulate light to form intangible constructs</td>


    <td>1 mana</td>


    <td>10 meters</td>


    <td>55 seconds</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Shadow Cloak</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>5</td>


    <td>23% increased visual concealment in darkness</td>


    <td>10 mana</td>


    <td>touch</td>


    <td>5 minutes</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Bloody Simulacrum</td>


    <td>Beginner</td>


    <td>1</td>


    <td>5% more convincing</td>


    <td>5 HP and 5 mana</td>


    <td>20 meters</td>


    <td>1 minute</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 26 - A Night on the Town

    Don, Kat, and Sik hid at the edge of the forest. They woke up before night had truly fallen and the three made the trek through the woods in time to see night settle over the town. The open field outside the walls was dotted with the softly glowing windows of scattered farmhouses. Fluffy looking smoke issued from chimneys and dissipated in the darkening maroon sky. The walls themselves were a dark purple shadow. More light spilled out from the open gate and the distant speck of a guard could be seen in the illumination. Behind the wall, a hill caused the buildings to rise in terraces, each roof a few feet higher than the previous one. A familiar stone building stood proudly at the top of this hill.  The church was almost at the direct center of the town and it wouldn¡¯t be easy to get there. It would be even harder to get Sam back out.


    Don checked his bracers and firewater slings one last time. The plan was to avoid being noticed but that was the plan when he went to investigate the hunters as well. He knew it was more than likely he wouldn¡¯t come back out of the town again. He squeezed his hands into fists in an attempt to stop them from shaking.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± asked Sik


    Don looked down at the gob ¡°I have to. I can¡¯t leave Sam in there¡± Saying his reason for heading back into town out loud calmed Don a bit. He relaxed his fingers and took a deep breath. Some dried mud flaked away from his face. Don took extra care to cover himself tonight. Concealing his skin color and looking like a dirty human was probably his best chance at avoiding detection.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no point in delaying any more. This is your last chance to back out. I can probably find a way in on my own.¡±


    ¡°Were not about to let you get caught. I¡¯ve gotten used to eating foxes. Besides, they¡¯ll never see us until we want them to.¡± Kat said with confidence. Don knew him well enough to recognize the forced bravado and he appreciated it. He looked at Sik who nodded in agreement.


    ¡°We are a tribe. Your problems are our problems.¡±


    Don¡¯s eyes burned with repressed tears. It was ironic and wonderful at the same time. He died and was dragged away by monsters but he finally found what he craved his entire life in the city. He nodded, solemnly accepting his friends commitment to helping him despite the danger.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get started then.¡± Don said and the two gobs slipped quietly into the tall grasses, each one striking out in different directions. After they passed from Don¡¯s vision, he followed their progress on the tribe-map. The farmland and town were displayed but the detail was lacking. There were patches of darkness on the map where no gob had been before. The two green dots slowed as they approached the wall and Don watched the wall on his map deteriorate as the old information was updated. The wall was made from raw trees, stripped of their limbs and driven into the ground. There were small gaps between the logs which shone with a dim light. Don kept watching as Kat scampered up the wall and peered over it¡¯s top. Guards only watched the gates so Kat shouldn¡¯t have any trouble staying out of sight. That was the assumption anyways.


    The dark shadows representing parts of town that hadn¡¯t been seen yet retreated. In its place, muddy streets, ramshackle dwellings and over a dozen yellow dots appeared. Looking closely, Don saw a group of people, some still wearing the white togas they began with, others wearing rags, all of them huddling around a low, sputtering fire. They were sitting in an empty lot in a row of squat huts. Jagged beams and low crumbling walls seemed to indicate that a house used to stand there. The image froze as Kat ducked back down and moved further along the wall before repeating the process.


    Kat and Sik methodically added the outer streets of the town to Don¡¯s map. He began to see that there was little to no order to the streets. There were a few notable exceptions. One road ran around the outside of the town, making sure that no buildings came too close to the wall. Another road seemed to run straight through the town from the gate to the other side. Besides that, huts, homes, and stores were strewn around as if a giant had scattered them at random. It made for a confusing maze of winding narrow streets occupied by pockets of vagrants.


    As this was going on, a bright light flared at the churchyard. Don focused on his eyesight but the church was too far away to make out anything other than the glaring light. Someone had started a fire larger than Don had ever seen on top of the hill. Don tried not to think about what that meant and kept watching the progress of his scouts.


    It was Sik who found what they were looking for. A patch of deep, sucking mud at the wall¡¯s base let the posts shift and there was a gap just large enough for Don to squeeze through. Don let out a relieved breath. If they couldn¡¯t find an opening like this, Kat would have had to act as a distraction, luring the gate-guard away. He took one last look at the beacon on top of the hill and left the safety of the trees.


    Don kept low to the ground as he hurried through the open fields in a half crouch. He was relying on his stealth combined with darkness and distance to keep him concealed from the gate-guard and any other prying eyes that may be watching the fields tonight. He had to save his shadow cloak spell for emergencies. He could only use his spell for 15 minutes before mana-deprivation would become a problem and this was likely to be a long night. Don looked at the ring of yellow dots speckled around the town. There were a lot more than he expected and the gobs only saw the outer edge of town. Don¡¯s throat dried out as he came to grips with the task ahead of him. He would get by them. There was no other choice.


    Sik continued along the edge of the wall, mapping out more of the town so he wouldn¡¯t be at the opening when Don got there. The two gobs would finish their reconnaissance and then watch for any commotion from the edges of town while Don went inside. They would tell him if there were any large crowds on the move and continue to provide as much information as they could from the safety of the wall.


    In a rare show of courage, Kat wanted to go into the town with Don. He would be much more helpful keeping an eye out for Don though and it would be easier for Don to go unnoticed if he was alone. His frame was roughly human-shaped but Gat would be recognized as a non-human immediately by anyone who saw him.


    Don soon discovered why the mud on this side of town was soft enough to cause the logs of the palisade to sag out of position. He wrinkled his nose against the foul musk of urine and tried to ignore the fetid mud squeezing up between his toes. It was a lot even with his senses other than sight deadened.


    He changed his sense-focus to hearing and listened for movement on the other side of the wall. There was a soft murmuring somewhere off to the left but he didn¡¯t hear anyone nearby and his map showed the street on the other side of the wall to be empty. There was a group about thirty feet away down a side street but they shouldn¡¯t see Don wiggling through the wall.


    He quickly pulled himself to between the logs of the wall and with a glance to each side, he was about to hurry into the shadows of a nearby alley when a pile of mud next to the opening shifted. Don froze, thinking he had already failed in his mission. An emaciated child, so filthy don mistook it for a refuse, looked up at him from under a rat¡¯s nest of matted hair with her hollow eyes.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    All thoughts of his purpose were washed away by the intense ache Don suddenly felt in his chest. How could a person look so wretched? He wanted to take her out of the town, clean her up and feed her. He was only torn for a handful of seconds. Don summoned a few berries in a flare of green, not caring if anyone saw him and held them out to the girl. She tried to scramble back. Don Caught her wrist and forced the berries into her palm.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t help more,¡± he said and let her go. The girl scampered away. Don watched her go until she disappeared into an alley. Don followed her lead and slipped into the shadows of another nearby alley, taking a closer look at his surroundings.


    The huts here were made of what looked like mud slapped over crude wooden frames. The thatch roofs were rotting and patchy. Even with his sense of smell deadened, the reek of feces and body-odor were overwhelming. Don had never imagined people living in conditions like this. He shook his head hard, trying to clear it. This was no time to get caught up in the lives of the town¡¯s people. He was the only one who would even think of saving his sister. He had a job to do.


    Don crept forward along the alley, pausing at each intersection to listen for movement. There wasn¡¯t much in this part of the town. He wound slowly through the labyrinth of alleys using his hearing to navigate around the small groups of slum-dwellers. He had to backtrack from dead-ends a few times but his tribe-map let him keep his sense of direction and he slowly got closer to the church. Once or twice he passed a lone figure, slumped against the wall, looking more like a discarded pile of urine-soaked rags than a person. None of them seemed to care who was passing by in the night.


    Things continued to go smoothly until Don made his way closer to the center of the town. The streets grew wider and the buildings taller. The crude dwellings slowly changed. The frames looked more sturdy and the muddy exteriors were replaced with white plaster. Unfortunately, windows started appearing as well. The shutters were mostly closed against the night but they still allowed more light into the alleys.


    Before long, Don started hearing more foot traffic. The center of town had much more activity and motion than the squalid groups he had passed so far. Don was well past the boundaries of what Kat and Sik revealed on the map and made sure to stay out of sight as he listened for his chances to dart across the open sections. He hugged walls and stayed to the shadows as best as he could. It was getting harder as the buildings had more windows and even with them mostly shuttered, they spilled light into don¡¯s hiding places.


    Even with all the precautions he took, Don couldn¡¯t predict every movement and a pair of stumbling people turned down the alley he was hiding in. One slurred his words heavily as they complained loudly to each other.


    The alley was moderately clean and with nowhere to hide, Don hunkered down against a wall, adopting the slouched shoulders of the most despondent slum dwellers. A quiet cast of manipulate drew more muck onto his skin.


    ¡°Zeesh advenshurers hash no reshpec -hic- for us townshfolks.¡± The speaker leaned heavily on his companion''s shoulder and waved a hand in the air as they weaved their way down the alley ¡°No respecksh at all¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± His friend placated, slumped under the drunk¡¯s weight ¡°That¡¯s right Stu, but telling them so is a good way to wind up with a blade in your gut.¡±


    ¡°Zhey think zhey are shooooo cool, I could fight monshters too you know, I¡¯m jusht shmart ¡®nough not to.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, If we were adventurers, those monsters would be cleared out in a month. Who wants to deal with all that trouble though, much more comfortable in town no? Besides, there''s no booze out across the river right?¡±


    ¡°Thash right! The only reason thesh monsters schtay over the river is ¡®cause they know we¡¯re here right Philip? Better to schtay here and keep the town schafe. Thoshe advenshurersh need schomewhere to schleep after all. Now if we chould only do schomething about thoshe travellers.¡±


    Philip finally responded with a little sincerity, no longer just playing along in an attempt to keep the drunk agreeable.


    ¡°Hard to imagine all the trouble a bunch of new-b¡¯s could cause. I would never have believed it unless I saw it myself.¡±


    ¡°Yesh! Zhey are the worsht.¡± Exclaimed Stu ¡°Coming into town all at onche, schrowing gold around like itsh noshing. It¡¯sh scheaper to drink than to buy food thesh days! Zhey get all exchited to burn zhat demonesh at the schteak every night. Ohhh I want Schteak! I¡¯ll prolboly never tashte schteak again.¡± Stu looked like he had just realized the greatest tragedy and he sagged even further, pulling Phillip¡¯s shoulder down with him.


    ¡°Come on Stu, We¡¯ve gotten through worse, no point in giving up now. Let''s get you home. You¡¯ll feel better after a good night¡¯s sleep.¡±


    The pair didn¡¯t even glance in Don¡¯s direction. They were preoccupied with complaints and a drunk baby respectively. They weaved down the alley, passing don and bumping into a wall from time to time. Phillip was more carrying Stu than walking with him. They made it nearly to the end of the alley when a dark cloaked figure blocked their path. The cold glint of polished metal shone from its hand.


    ¡°Give me your coin¡± it demanded, waving the blade at the pair threateningly. Phillip stopped short but Stu kept ranting like he didn¡¯t even notice the interruption.


    ¡°Does it look like this guy would have a copper on him? He emptied his pockets at the tavern tonight. Now step aside before you hurt yourself. That knife is sharp you know.¡± Phillip warned. Stu slumped a bit further but finally clued into the conversation.


    ¡°Who are you calling broke? I¡¯ll broke your noshe!¡± Stu took a weak swing at his friend and missed even though he was hanging from his target¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°What about your pockets? Are they empty too?¡±


    ¡°No, but they are staying just as full as they are now, unless that is, you decide to keep threatening me. In that case, they will become a bit more full.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m playing around?¡± The mugger hissed before lunging forward.


    Phillip half pushed, half dropped his friend to the ground as he sidestepped the slow stab. He grabbed the would-be mugger¡¯s outstretched wrist and gave a sharp tug. Don heard a sharp crack and the mugger went flying through the air with a cry of pain to land in a heap behind the pair. Phillip stooped to retrieve the dropped knife, ignoring Stu¡¯s attempts to regain his feet on his own power before stalking towards the downed mugger. The hood had slipped off to reveal a nearly bald head and a round face twisted in pain. He cradled his wrist which bent in a direction which made Don¡¯s stomach do a flip.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t very smart.¡± Phillip said as he crouched down in front of his would-be attacker. ¡°Let me teach you something.¡± He fixed the man with a glare as cold as ice ¡°Stealing Is bad, and you¡¯re weak. Don¡¯t fuck with the natives.¡± Without any change in his expression, he tore the mugger''s throat open with his own dagger. The man gagged on his own blood, eyes bulging until he died seconds later. The man dissipated into golden motes of light which streaked away, into the sky. A small pile of coins was left in his place. Philip scooped them up and addressed Stu who had finally regained his feet with the help of a wall.


    ¡°Looks like we have our drinking money for the next week sorted out¡± he said with a grin, showing off the handful of copper and silver coins. ¡°Let¡¯s get outta here before anyone comes to investigate that light.¡±


    Stu gave a victorious grin, ¡°I told you this would work out.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I still think your acting sucks.¡±


    ¡°Practice makes perfect my friend¡± Stu said and slapped his friend on the back ¡°Is that knife any good?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good enough to cut a steak¡± Phillip grinned then he looked straight at Don.


    Don was too engrossed in the exchange to remember to look like a defeated mound of dirt and was caught staring at the men.


    ¡°Hey there friend¡± Philip said with a toothy smile ¡°You saw that we were attacked first right? We acted in self-defence.¡± He flipped a copper coin at Don with his thumb. Don caught it automatically and looked at it in confusion. ¡°Be a dear and tell the guards that when they arrive will you?¡± Phillip called as the two sauntered out of the alley with none of the unsteadiness they had before.

 New version is coming

    If anyone is still subscribed, or currently finishing this. I stopped writing because the story was getting away from me. After a long hiatus, I''ve got much better ideas about the characters, conflicts, and pacing that I want. I''m going to start fresh with "Sheep in Wolf''s Clothing"and try to stick to the outline that has been forming up for the last couple of years. You can expect survival, grinding, and eventually base/civ building. I completely overhauled the RPG/class system. A major problem before was that ''learning anything'' just gave me too many skills to keep track of and they all had to be weak. I''ve got a (maybe unique) system I''ve thought of. Borrows a lot from the familiar but I think there''s just enough strange to keep it interesting.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.