《The Chance of a Lifetime》 Chapter 1: An Idiot and Luck I awoke, still tied to the chair that had been my companion for the last few hours. My hands still felt raw from the rope binding them, tied way too tightly I might add. I kept my eyes closed, trying to fool any guards that might have been watching. A few minutes went by as I listened carefully for any signs of breathing or other sounds of life. It seemed clear, so I relaxed a little and opened my eyes. The first thing to draw my eye was a table. More precisely, the beautiful woman sitting on it. She seemed to be intently watching me; maybe she could help me out! "Hey there, beautiful. Mind lending a helping hand to a man in need? The owners of this place seem to have kidnapped me. I''m Tom, by the way." "Lying even in death. Cute, if foolish." What? Dead? But... I''m alive. The smile she made at seeing my confused look made my skin crawl. "Oh. You haven''t even realized it yet. That will make this much. More. Fun." I think that the smile would be less disturbing if it could reach her eyes. She stood up from the table and walked over, with surprisingly heavy steps for a woman of her size. "Decided to free me?", a hint of hope in my voice. Leaning over me, she replaced her smile with a more fitting frown. "Lying and cheating won''t work where you''re going." Her face slowly transformed into a mass of twisted, rotting flesh filled with insects. The smell alone almost made me vomit, but vomiting in this things face seemed like a poor choice to me. The pure terror rushing through me also helped."And what those little thugs did to you? You''ll be begging for them to come back." A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.At that moment, a spindly man threw open the door. "Serath, fuck off." Her.. it... Serath, I guessed, reared it''s head back angrily. "Fuck yourself, Jaren!" Jaren''s face contorted into a mocking grin. "As much as you''d like to see that, neither of us gets what we want. The Boss has an interest in this one." "Uggghhhh. Again? Really? Why this one? He''s no different than the last few!" "The boss says he is. So, Tom Stevens, today is your lucky day. Betcha wish you had more of those in your life, eh?" An awkward silence occurred for the few seconds it took me to realize he was waiting for a response. "Uh, well, yeah? Definitely would have come in handy earlier tonight. Or... yesterday? How long has it been anyway?" "Unimportant. The Boss has chosen you to be sent down to another world. In this world, Erlandia or some such nonsense, you''ll be given a special power. Normally we''d let you choose, but I feel that one in particular would be fitting for someone of your... caliber." "Okay, okay. This some great joke, but now''s about the time you untie me and give up this ''other world'' bullshit. Seriously, I don''t know how you made her face do that, or who this ''Boss'' is, but I''m done playing around." Finishing my perfectly justified tirade, I stood up from the chair. While those two idiots were talking, I had untied my hands. But neither of them look all that surprised, and Jaren even chuckled a bit to himself. "Ah well, it doesn''t matter if you believe us or not. Serath, mind doing the honors?" "My pleasure." Her creepy smile made a comeback. "This will only hurt forever!" She laughed out, grabbing me by the face. I tried to struggle, but I couldn''t move my head, and her arm didn''t move an inch as I tried to push it away with my own. A numbness spread from where she touched me, enveloping my entire body. And then came the pain. Chapter 2: The Woods My whole body felt like it was enveloped in an inferno; every centimeter of my being on fire. No, it felt likes nails that were made of fire were jabbing into and out of every inch of my skin one hundred times a second. No, it felt like I was being ripped apart into tiny shreds, and each shred was subject to a different kind of torture. No, it felt like I was dropped into a vat of acid designed to maximize pain on wherever it touched. No, actually, it felt like all of those combined times one hundred. But I awoke, feeling nothing at all. Well, that wasn¡¯t true. I felt the snot and tears running down my face. It felt like it lasted forever, or for no time at all? Oh. I may have pissed myself. It was hard to tell because it felt like sweat was pouring out of every possible hole it could. I don¡¯t know how long I stayed curled up and bawling for but forever wouldn¡¯t have been enough. The pain still felt fresh in my mind, even if it also felt disconnected. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was a coping mechanism so I didn¡¯t go crazy, or if that was all fake. Real or fake, it hurt like hell. But eventually, the tears stopped. Probably because I was running out of body fluids. I guess time heals all wounds. Probably not, that shit REALLY hurt. However, the feeling of grass beneath me made me finally actually open my eyes and look around. Well, fuck. I¡¯m not in the middle of some town or village, because that would be convenient. I guess Serath decided that the middle of the fucking woods was a perfect place to put me. I don¡¯t even know why I¡¯m down here! I guess their ¡®Boss¡¯ just wanted to see me suffer in the woods like some fucking country bumpkin. Assholes. Thick woods, thicker foliage, and little light greet me as I check all around. I¡¯m probably lucky that nothing came and tried to eat me while I was suffering on the ground. Ha. Yeah, totally lucky. I¡¯m just stuck in the middle of fucking nowhere. Fuck. Seriously. Fuck. Well, I wasn¡¯t the best boy scout in the troupe. Or even a boy scout at all. Maybe that would have been helpful now. You know, if I had the foresight to prepare for being thrown into the middle of the woods without anything. To be fair though, I doubt the boy scouts would train you to be dropped off in the middle of the woods on another planet. In another universe? How the fuck should I know, I doubt I¡¯m in any position to check, let alone make use of that knowledge. Maybe I have other problems. When was the last time I ate? Speaking of, that growling sound means probably not recently. And is it just me, or is it oddly hot and dry? I have a very dry mouth; I should probably find something to drink too. Maybe I should worry about finding fresh water. I do remember that there were four things when trying to survive in the woods; I probably read it somewhere on the internet. What you want ¨C in order- is air, water, food, and shelter. Well, it seems like I can breathe here. That¡¯s a good sign. Unless I drop dead in about five minutes, but I guess I¡¯ll burn that bridge when I get to it. So- water. I guess I could wander around looking and listening for a river or lake or something. But, who knows if I¡¯ll really find anything soon¡­ and I think it has been a while since me ¨C or this body ¨C has had a drink. Am I in my body? Did I take over some random Joe¡¯s body? I¡¯ll have to check when I find water, or a mirror, or something. I seem fairly similar. Same skin color, same arms, same legs, same d- you get the picture.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Well, everything is pointing towards trying to survive. In the middle of the woods. For who knows how long. This world could be massive; who knows if I¡¯ll ever see another living human ¨C hopefully I¡¯m still human ¨C in this world. Even if I just walk in one direction forever¡­ though I¡¯d probably die in less than a day. Speaking of, if I don¡¯t get to work soon I¡¯ll probably die no matter what I do. I guess I could try and climb a hill or mountain to get high, heh, and look for clearings or something. Uh¡­ I could also try and climb a tree. Yeah, sure, I¡¯ll give it go. I¡¯m a semi-muscular man. I¡¯ve got this. Thirty minutes, a few bruises from falling later, and I¡¯m high enough in the tree to see slightly above the tree-line. Huh, it must be my lucky day; there seems to be a lake not too far from me; the thick trees and hills must have blocked it from view from ground level. A few loud curses later, and I¡¯m back on sweet, sweet ground. I may be slightly afraid of heights. Actually, scratch that. I¡¯m afraid of falling. Yeah, that¡¯s it, I have a fear of long falls that could possibly lead to my death. There seems to be a lot of things trying to kill me in my short time of being here. Thirst, hunger, trees. What a terrible place. At least there aren¡¯t wolves trying to gut me or something. Wait. What¡¯s that sound? I can clearly hear some wolf howls. Maybe it¡¯s just some hunting dogs? Hopefully? The growling snaps me out of my optimistic thoughts, as a trio of hungry-looking, foaming wolf-like creatures jump out of a nearby bush. I say wolf-like because normal wolves aren¡¯t this big, and most certainly don¡¯t have an extra set of arms and eyes. Shit. Fuck. Shit shit shit shit. My mind grinds to a halt as the creatures pace towards me, and all I can think to do is slowly back away. Fuck. I¡¯m actually going to die. Again, I guess. This time seems like it will be much more gruesome; I think I¡¯d rather have the goons back. Or be in the sweet embrace of Serath. I don¡¯t wanna get eaten alive by alien wolves! Wait! I remembered something from some nature documentary that you should just yell and try to look big as possible if wolves attack you ¨C something about trying to be an alpha or something. I yell as loud as I can, screaming random swear words and about how I¡¯m not tasty. Might as well hedge my bets. But I seem to have been mistaken, or these aren¡¯t like Earth wolves, because they stand up on their back legs and howl in response, quickening their pace. I¡¯m not sure how far these things can pounce, but as I watch the lead one bend down for a lunge, I dodge behind a tree. Fuck. Shit. This isn¡¯t working. Still screaming out my lungs I duck and dodge behind trees and brush as the wolf-beasts get closer and closer with each leap. Well, it was a good few hours being here, I guess. Maybe Serath and Jaren will send me back? Chapter 3: Saved Right as the lead Arm-Wolf is about to eviscerate me (I¡¯ve decided to call them Arm-Wolves because I might as well name my would be killers) an arrow embeds itself in its head. Two more arrows quickly follow, and before the first one is even on the ground the other arm-wolves are slain. I hope. You know, you become surprisingly calm after accepting your death. I¡¯m barely even phased by being saved an inch from death. Or¡­. shit. I¡¯m crying on the ground. I may have pissed myself again. Nope, come on Tom, you¡¯re better than this. The wolves are dead now, you can get up. I hope that whoever killed those arm wolves doesn¡¯t want me dead, I think as I pull myself to my feet and together. ¡°Hey, you okay?¡± I head a shout to my back and right. ¡°Uh¡­ y-yeah. I think so.¡± God, I can barely keep my voice from shaking. Deep breaths. ¡°We¡¯re gonna come closer now, gonna get the arrows and look over the Brandarks. Don¡¯t worry, just a village hunting party.¡± I can hear brush and sticks being stepped on as the group moves towards me. Quickly trying to clear my face of the tears and snot, and doing my best to hold back sobs, I try and straighten myself. First impressions are important, and maybe these guys, or at least one guy, can get me somewhere I can use my real talents. A lean and short man brushes aside some branches, and I give him a quick glance over. A happy smile missing half of the teeth needed for one, tan skin, short brown hair, with what looks like cloth clothes covered in leather armor. The biggest things about the man was his bow, going from his head to his knees. Two other people, men, very similar looking to, I assume, their leader approach, appraising their kills. ¡°Name¡¯s Greg, by the way. These are me mates, Simon and John.¡± ¡°Ello.¡± ¡°Hi there.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a p-pleasure to meet you. Thanks for the save there, I almost died.¡± Greg snorts a little, before responding. ¡°It was no trouble, funny to think a few Brendarks would trouble anyone voluntarily walking through these woods. Are you a merchant or something? Lost your guards?¡± ¡°I ¨C no. I was¡­¡± Fuck, what am I gonna tell them? ¡°Kidnapped. By some bandits. I was just wandering out with my family, going on a trip when a group of bandits took us. They sold the rest of my family into slavery but kept me to do chores and set up camp. They thought it would be funny to leave me in the woods, I guess, and I haven¡¯t seen them since.¡± Haha! Nice one. Score one for Tom. Quick thinking, witty Tom! ¡°Bandits? Around here? And what city? Why would they be stupid enough to keep you, I bet at least one of them has some decent [Build] and [Clean] skills, if not [Cook]. But don¡¯t worry, I understand not wanting to talk about your past.¡± Greg instantly saw through my lie. Fuck, guess I¡¯m not as good as I thought. Wait, did he say skills? ¡°In fact, that¡¯s what the town of Ensart is all about. A fresh start. And freedom! From the Empire, from the Enclave, and anyone in between. If you¡¯re looking to hide from your past, it¡¯s the best place to go. ¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.Ensart? The Empire? The Enclave? The fuck? Okay. I wish I had some pen and paper, right now. Or something to help keep everything in order. I guess I should try and weasel out as much information about this ''Ensart'' as I can since it seems to be where I am going. "Ah. Thanks for your understanding. But tell me more about Ensart, sounds like a lovely place." "Well," Greg started, "Ensart is a farming town, the best this side of Callis. Forged under the watchful eye of a few Classed, and a safe haven for anyone willing to put in hard work. Even the skill-less are welcome here." Greg looked at me with a watchful eye, with that last sentence. "The more you tell me, the better it sounds. But I''m not much of a farmer, and I''m not sure how long I''d be there. If you''re inviting me, that is." With a booming laugh and an arm-wolf (Brendark?) over his shoulder, Greg motioned for me to follow him. "Of course I''m inviting you. You don''t seem to have anywhere else to go. We have other things to do in town other than farming, there''s always room for extra hands. Chopping trees, spinning cloth, tanning hides. Hell, I even think the Chester is looking for another apprentice." "Chester?" "Sorry, Chester is the town blacksmith. Oh, we''ve actually been looking for someone to help Ms. Jenson. She''s been having trouble getting all of her chores down around her farm ever since her husband passed, may he rest in peace." "Oh? What would that entail? Pardon my directness, but I am one for helping people." Putting me in a position to rob an old lady? Is it really gonna be that easy? I bet the people from this ''town'', probably some stupid village, are gonna be real easy work over. "The basics. Chopping wood, cleaning, cooking, preparing the killed animals. She''s a very nice woman, so she won''t work you too hard. As long as you don''t piss her off." Greg gave a bit of a chuckle saying that and nudged my arm. Wiping off where he touched me, and trying to hide it, I gave a little chuckle of my own. "Sounds like something I can handle. How far away is Ensart, anyway?" We''d been walking for a few minutes as our little chat was underway. "Only an hour or two away from here. Just a normal stroll, really." An hour or two???? Fuck, that''s a long ''stroll''. I''m still starving and thirsty! Maybe they brought a snack or something, and are feeling generous? I mean, they are practically offering me a new life. What''s a bit of bread and water while I''m at it? "Ah. Well, I''m quite famished and very thirsty. The bandits must have taken my waterskin and meager supplies. Do you happen to have anything I could eat or drink?" Greg pulled out a hunk of cheese and passed it to me, along with a waterskin that was on his side. "I don''t know why we even take supplies with us normally, but I''m glad we did this time. I''ve only eaten what we''ve brought twice, and both times I was just bored. Good cheese though, innit?" The cheese was awful. I barely choked it down, thanks to the water he gave me. It definitely helped with my hunger, though. I may never eat again now... Chapter 4: System Introduction To hopefully forget about this awful cheese taste, I should go over everything I''ve gleaned from my conversation with Greg. First, we''re heading towards a town called Ensart. Definitely a fantasy name and these guys look like dwarves to me. But they''re hunters, from a farming village? Doesn''t sound very dwarfy. Besides that, the mentioned skills? There was an odd weight to the way Greg was talking about building and such when referring to a bandit group. Then, he mentioned skill-less, as if that was some subset of people. So there are skills, but some people don''t have any? Sounds pretty much like home, honestly. Wait, didn''t Jaren say I would be given some special ability or something? After getting more than a few odd looks from Greg and his ''mates'', it became clear that I didn''t have any special magic powers. At least, not ones triggered by fancy hand gestures. If only there was some easy way to know. Maybe I hallucinated that whole thing? But then how in the hell did I end up here? I can still feel that pain... Sigh. It couldn''t have been easy, could it? I couldn''t just say, like, Skills, and a sheet would pop up. Or... think like, Status. That''s when the blue screen appeared in front of me. I almost fell down face first, and by that I mean I only smashed my forehead into a tree. After assuring my traveling ''companions'' I was fine and trying to hide my indignation at their laughter I studied the display in front of me.
Name: Tom Stevens Title: Otherworlder Class: N/A
Health: 4/5 Stamina: 2/10 Mana: 1/1
Skills: Lucky [Unique]
Wow... I suck. Like, those are some really low numbers. I think. I have nothing to compare it to. Wait, did I take one damage from hitting my head on the tree? Would hitting my head on four more trees just kill me? Am I that fragile? Oh gods, how much damage could one of those arm-wolves do with one scratch or tackle? I think I''ll watch my footing more from now on. But, I guess I figured out my ''special ability''. Lucky, huh? I sure don''t feel lucky. I wonder what it does?
Lucky [Unique]:Improved chance of things going well. (This skill cannot level. This skill cannot evolve.)
Well, that''s useful. If I ever get any more skills, at least. ''Improved chance of things going well'', huh? I guess things are going okay for now, I think. As long as these nice hunters don''t murder me. Actually, maybe I shouldn''t go with these random men I found in the woods? Ah, but they probably would have already killed me by now. I''m pretty weak. I think. Although, maybe this ''skill'' means that they have okay intentions. I haven''t noticed anything shifty about them yet, and they are bringing back these arm-wolves so they probably really are who they say they are. Maybe I can get one of them to tell me some of their skills, and I can get an idea of what kinds there are. Also, maybe I could figure out what the class is, or maybe what my title means?If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Otherworlder: Brought here through unknown means, the holder of this title experiences faster growth and can understand the language of any that they meet.
Oh. That was easy. But it didn''t tell me anything about the class box?
N/A: The user lacks a class.
... I don''t know what I expected. Maybe I should use my font of knowledge hidden in Greg here. "So, Greg. If you don''t mind me asking, what skills do you have?" "Got some balls on you at least. Might help if you do end up working for Ms. Jenson, though she might cut them off." "I''m sorry, what?" "Nope, he''sjust stupid.", Simon joined in for the first time and responded to my obvious confusion. "Asking someone their skills is like asking how to kill them." "Oh! No, no, sorry, I was just curious. Ha! Where I come from it''s not like that. People like to brag about their skills, honestly. You know, to show off." I quickly back-tracked and tried to hide my lack of knowledge. "Definitely sounds stupid. But I don''t think there''s much harm in telling you a few things. Skill-less are usually interested, anyway." Simon gave a ''go on'' motion to Greg. "Fine. Not the first time I''ve told others, anyways. And I get to show off to these two fucks. All right, I''ve got a few skills floating around. No class, clearly, but that just leaves me like most average folk, if a bit more handsome." "As handsome as a horses ass!" John showed off his comedic timing. "Fuck off, John. And stop your sniggering there Simon, you''re nothing pretty to look at either. Now, where was I? Ah yes, well recently I''ve gotten [Shoot], that''s my archery skill, up to level six. Not feeling so funny now, eh John?" Simon and John went silent at that, looking at Greg in seeming awe. I guess that meant level six was high. "I uh, actually have you to thank there. Got it from that shot that saved you. That mayhaps have been why I was so nice to ya." Greg blushed a little and kicked his leg out. An odd thing to see, on a man probably twice my age and could kill me very easily. "Anyway, I''ve also got [Cook], level two, [Sight], level three, and [Track], level one. I have more, mind you, but those are the ones that I''m comfortable sharing. Those two also have those, it''s up to them if they want to tell you their levels. But I meant it when I said average, earlier. These are just some of the basics, as I''m sure you know. Any two-bit hunter can pick up a bow and get [Shoot], but it takes a lot of work to get to level six. My wife, bless her soul, has level six [Cook]. The things she can make - ohhh, makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Speaking of, we should be getting back to the town any minute now. See the smoke in the trees?" I definitely couldn''t see through the thick branches above us, but I nodded along. Thank goodness we''re almost there, my feet are killing me.