《Blood Drinker》 Ch 1. My first day? - Edited I was nodding and answering the question, I felt like I was at an interview for the first time in years. Oh, that''s right I haven''t introduced myself yet, how rude. The name''s Alex Madredi, or rather it was since I died. "Ok, Mr. Madredi, I reviewed all your questions and it seems you lied on a couple of these, so I''m going to have to ask you again for the honest answer, please it makes the process a lot faster if you just answer truthfully." Said the angel no devil mmm I''m not too sure what he is but I''m sure he fills that purpose for most races. The humanoid had a halo coming out of his head, it was spinning into his head from one side and out the other, it was probably made from something like bone but had this iridescent glow to it like oil on water. "Ahem, Mr. Madredi do you think we can focus on your application for rebirth. As I was saying you didn''t answer truthfully to some questions and we will have to review them again." I was visibly embarrassed, even I never stared at a girl''s chest for long enough for any of them to correct myself. I''m not saying they never noticed but when it did happen it was never verbal but more body language. "Sorry, I''m ready now." "Welcome back, now the first question is about your sexual orientation." "What about it?" "You said that you were straight but my file says that you have had relationships with other men before." "Look, I know my preference I like to have my dick sucked and I like to do the fucking. And what does this have to do with rebirth?" "Before I answer your question, just confirming that you''re saying your preference is heterosexual." "Yes, now my answer." "Well in the world that you are going into there is a race that while they aren''t men, they aren''t women either, the way they reproduce is more of a gene exchange in which either partner can choose to be the mother." "Oh, and the other questions?" ¡­ Yes, that''s right. ¡­ No, I''m sure it only happened once and I regretted it immensely. I also made sure to work towards forgiveness instead of just apologizing about it. ¡­ Oh, actually I think the reason I didn''t answer that was that the way it was worded. Mmmm in that case yes.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡­ Wait, what? Hmm, I must''ve remembered that differently. Ugh in that case yes. "Ok, final question Mr, Madredi, in your request it says here that you would like to keep your memory, and after considering the world that you will be heading into the company has given the ok, are you sure this is what you would like to take into your next life. You could choose something else vaguer like a happy life or having good luck." "No, I''m sure I would like to keep my memories." ¡®Ok then, that''s great Mr Madredi, I''ll have this filed right away, just for clarity sake you won''t remember everything but you will remember things over time since it wouldn''t make sense for a child to know a completely alien language not that they would understand it but by the time you become 10 the information will have settled into your brain. Please head out the door and down the stairs and before you know it you will be on course towards your new life." I did as I was told and just as she said ¡­ "Wah waaaah" a baby boy was crying. "Inform the lord he has a healthy child for an heir and that our lady has safely passed the trial of childbirth!" The Midwife exclaimed with an exceptional smile on her face. Before anybody could walk out the door to inform him, the lord of the manor had already busted inside. He''d been pacing back and forth the past hour and a half. Now he had the biggest smile on face, and why wouldn''t he, a son and more importantly the safe passage for his wife. No complications had occurred thankfully. "Let me see my boy and my wife." "My lord they are resting on the best." With tears in his eyes, he paced towards them. He noticed all the sweat on his wife to which he placed his hands on the side of her face and kissed her forehead. "Darling you worked so hard these last months and especially today." "Eh heh." All she had managed was a small laugh and sweet smile, the childbirth had been taxing on her. "I understand darling." He kissed her once more. "Now let''s see our child." Hearing the lord, the midwife walked towards them with their bundle of joy. "My Lord, my Lady, your child." She lightly placed the child into their arms. A glowing smile spread once again on their face. The lord looked towards her, his love and wife. "Should we name him? Or should we wait?" He asked pleading for her to answer. "I want to name him now." She said. "B-but what if he dies, we''ve both heard and seen babes die before their first year." "The best way to decide is to check his status and tell me if you think he''ll make it." "Ok then, Status." Name Drinker Race: Human Age: Newborn Status: Healthy Class: None Job: None Strength: 1 Constitution: 3 Dexterity: 1 Intelligence: 1 Wisdom: 1 Charisma: 1 Traits: None Titles: None The baby in their hands starts to cry, most likely from the mana that inspected his body. "Ah, shush-shush my child I am here." The man said lightly rocky the child back and forth before he fell back to his sleep. "I think it will be safe to name him, he has an unusually high constitution for a newborn baby." The man''s wife smiles and says. "See, I told you I wanted to name him. I''ve already thought of a name for our babe." The man laughs. "And what shall we name him my dear." "Adam." "Hmm, ¡­ what a marvelous name my love. Ahahaha you hear that child your name starting today is Adam Drinker." ¡­ And that was my first day, not that I could remember it. Ch 2. The first memories - Edited The first memories were quite a unique experience. Imagine as a child playing with your rattle in one hand and dragging your plush bear doll in the other, only to stop suddenly and silently staring into the sky. It caused quite the fright to maids watching me who was until that time a rowdy, and selfish child that causes no small amount of grief to the ones'' tasked to watch over me. It felt like a zip file suddenly uncompressing into my mind, 15 years of knowledge assimilated in a matter of a few seconds. It felt incredibly uncomfortable like an itch that I couldn''t reach no matter how hard I tried. With the face, I was making the disturbed maids came to me to ask what was wrong. "Poopie," I said making a small grunt and with a stinky swoosh, it was undeniable that I had soiled my underwear and possibly the pants I was wearing. It was quickly followed by maids changing me into new clothes as I continued playing with my toys. A child with a teenager''s memories couldn''t suddenly change. I mean I get to eat sweets and laze around without going to school, it was practically going on vacation or holiday. ¡­ In another part of the manor, my father Christopher was staring at the pile papers yet to be reviewed and signed, in his consternation at the amount of work yet to be done. My father was unequivocally a procrastinator and a bad example of what a noble leader of a household should be. And much to his joy of a possible distraction from work or quite a possible dread of more papers to do, came a knock on the door. He quickly rustled some papers to stare at in his act of pretending to be busy. With the swooshing of the door to his dismay, it was my mother glaring at him. "Oh my, aren''t you the busy one." My mother stated in a sarcastic tone as she walked towards the pile of papers. Licking her fingers, she roughly counted the amount left to do. Only to be left with an even more dissatisfied scowl. "Ah my love, don''t make that face you''ll get wrinkles." My father said in a voice that got weaker as he continued towards the end of his sentence. An exasperated sigh came from my mother. "And who do you think is the cause hmmm. It seems like you barely touched the forms at all." She grabbed more than half the stack before pulling a chair to sit next to my father. "Darling you need to focus as much as when you were trying to court me. Otherwise, you''ll die sitting at this very table." She stated as she went through the papers. ¡­ "Sign this, and this, and this make sure to look at this before you sign, send this back to be revised." By the time they were done, it was late into the afternoon. "Darling, our Adam is coming to the age where he should start his studies or he''ll fall behind his peers." "You''re right dear, but you know there''s barely enough time between work, I don''t even get to see him enough when he lives with us, what will happen when we send him to the academy, we won''t even recognize our babe when he returns. Or worst he won''t recognize us. ¡­" my father was stopped by a finger on his lips. "I''m sure you mean you, I make time to see our child. We can keep him with us for another year, 2 at most before we need to send him, but in that case, we''re getting him a tutor. A good one at that." "Of course, darling, only the best for our child." "Children." "Children? But we only have Adam." My father gave my mother a quizzical look. "Not anymore Chris, I''ve stopped bleeding once again, and it''s been 2 months already since the last." Stolen novel; please report. "Oh! That''s great news, my love." My father said as he wrapped his arms around her. "Ugh, that means there won''t be any sex until after and then after you finished healing." My mother placed his face between her hands. "I think we can share our love for another month, but after it will be as you say since my stomach will start to bulge." "Then can I have you here." Softly kissing her on the lips, Before my father could continue my mother moved his lips away with her finger. "Have some decency, this is a place of work, and more importantly its almost dinner time with our darling babe." She chuckled Cough cough "Right you are my love, we can''t keep our child waiting on us." My father said with slightly slumped shoulders at his failed attempt. They headed toward the dining hall as my maids dressed me in new clothes again for dinner. ¡­ The hushed tones of maids gossiping could barely be heard as the others dressed the boy. "What do you think happened to the young lord, since the afternoon nap he''s been strangely docile." "Mmmm mmm I know exactly what you mean, normally I think he acts like a "monifer", stakes his claims on whatever he can climb, loudly yelling and hollering, and largely a nuisance to farmers to close to their territory or in our case having to deal with the little tyke." As they were finishing their gossip, the young lord in question wasn''t even making a fuss about the uncomfortable clothing he left with just a pout due to the itchy clothes at the seams while holding the hand of the maid who would lead him to the dining hall. ¡­ Just as he entered into the dining room, he was picked up from behind. "Awww, hey my little soldier, muah muah muah." Slap* "I can''t believe you just slapped me." My appalled father said. "And why wouldn''t he, you''re practically a stranger keeping yourself locked in the study with work to be done." My mother said taking me from him. "Momma." I was nuzzling her on the nose. "Aigh, what is it honey drop." My mother was surprised at this new form of affection that I gave her. "I hungwee." "Oh, don''t you worry baby, just give it another minute and the food will be out." A few minutes later as my father was trying to work on lost time playing with me, the food was finally brought out. A classic dish of meat vegetables in season that was lightly salted to the taste of my parents. The dish consisted of a type of baked potatoes mixed with some leafy greens similar to baby bok-choy, and rounding with steaks for my parents and mines being cut up cubes of meat. The potato and bok-choy look-a-like tasted a bit plain and the meat on the dry side, considering the type of food I had access to before death but I savored the feeling of eating with family again. "Adam, honey drop." I turned to see what it was my mother was calling attention for. "Soon your days of playing will end, and your studies with start. I don''t want you to be saddened, dearie. Your teacher will be strict and they will tell you of our people''s history, etiquette, and most importantly you will start you practice combat. " I was just nodding after listening to what she said. What my mother said would normally be lost on a 3-year-old, with them throwing a tantrum on the fact that they loss their time to play. But after receiving the first part of my memories I was more than ready, a days'' worth just to see that there wasn''t anything worthwhile to waste my time on particularly with the internet gone, it made the day feel duller than it should''ve been for a child, to say the least. Ch 3. Sisters to be. - Edited To my joy, I didn''t have to wait long to find good tutors. The first wasn''t some old wizened man, no he looked more like a na?ve graduate that landed his first big break, a chance to teach a child, most likely an easy gig. I was made to sit in the room with my mother and father as they reviewed the last potentiates. The final 3 were a group that consisted of 1 other man and a woman, the young man from before, the second man was what I assumed my tutor would look like, graying at the sides, a strict looking man with a monocle and a ridiculous handlebar mustache, and the last a woman more mature looking than the na?ve gent, she looked like a secretary with her hair in the bun and with her glasses. The first one dismissed was the woman, my mother must''ve felt threatened a primal emotion known as envy, at which parts I could take an easy guess. The next was the wizened man, to my surprise, since he had proven credentials at teaching other children of nobles. The na?ve looking man to my surprise was actually a prodigy as a child and already a named scholar. "Hello there Adam, it seems like I will be your main tutor during this next year, I will be teaching you about History and Etiquette. You will address me as Scholar Zenon, understood?" "Kay Scholar Zenon, the others teach me too?" I said looking up to my new tutor. Possibly taken aback at my understanding his mouth was slightly ajar. I could hear him muttering under his breath. "I look forward to teach you." "Ahem, that is correct young master, I will let them introduce themselves to you." After finishing what he had to say, he exited the room. "Please call in Lady Erin." To my surprise my mother was in fact not envious of her, well maybe she was but I definitely didn''t know. Lady Erin entered the room and introduced herself and her role to me as well. "Pleased to meet you, young master, as you''ve heard I''m Lady Erin. I will be teaching you about magic more specifically alchemy and monsters of our world." She smiled at me and departed as well. The man with the ridiculous mustache came in last, I must''ve missed it the first time since I just noticed the cane he was using. It turns out he was a knighted man due to results in war but suffered an injury to his knee that debilitated him from applying to much stress on it for long periods of time which war would do. "Young master, you may call Sir Henry, I will be your teacher in tactics and swordsmanship." He gave me a bow and strutted out. My mother gave me a smile and asked me what I thought of my tutors. "Scholar Xenon dumb, Lady Erin pretty, Sir Henry strict." My mother stifled her laughter while my father could care less. "And is that all you think about them?" "We have to play first." "Honey drop, you won''t be playing, they will be teaching you new things." "New things not fun?" "I supposed that depends on the person. Your father didn''t enjoy learning new things." I just nodded and looked up at her. "Honey drop you okay?" "Hungwee, tired." "Oh, of course, you been here for more than an hour, we might''ve missed lunch due to the interview, and you surely missed your afternoon name as well."This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The day was quiet I assumed, my nap was serene. The day would continue even in my sleep and before I knew it was already time to eat dinner. After eating the maids made me play with my letter blocks which I didn''t mind since it would help me in the coming days or rather years. Even with a teenage brain, there was only so much I could articulate in my speech due to my limited vocabulary and ultimately growing body of a child. ¡­ The next day my tutor Xenon taught me some history and made me practice more of my writing as he wanted me to read aloud but more importantly understand what I was reading. Lady Erin went through the monster encyclopedia with me, the one I recognized off the bat were main monster tropes, slimes without faces, goblins that rape woman as an alternative means for reproduction, pig-headed orcs, one and 2 headed ogres, along with the other classic slew of training monster. The few that were new to me were the Monifer, it was a prickly lemur due to its stranger thorn like fur, the Androgen basically the mule of dragons, due to its unique scramble of monster it created genetic makeup wasn''t viable long-term, but the short term it was alive wasn''t pleasant, to say the least for those unfortunate enough to encounter them. I learned of variants which I was expecting, all manners of elemental or environmentally adapted monster, the most adaptable being dragons and their offshoots. I learned bigfoot is real in this world, it''s some primate with white fur and subsists mainly on mana and snow, it seems that they are treated as a sacred creature since they often lead the lost back to civilization. I also learned of a few plants with their beneficial abilities. And lastly, I practiced my swordsmanship with a toy sword that Sir Henry had carved from wood with a cloth wrapped at the handle. It was exceptionally fun learning martial arts since I never aspired for it in my past life, well at least my teenage self didn''t experience anything like that. The day went by quickly and again it was already time to sleep. ¡­ It''d been a month since my studying began, it was fairly simple, I mean the course was created for a child. Again, I reviewed history, etiquette and learned the alphabet with Scholar Xenon, the alphabet was quite nice, the language was similar to English made it especially easy to pick, well that''s not right too since the writing looked like geometric shapes, rhomboids and swirls. The way they were similar was the sound each shape connotated, and the small amount they used to create all manners of "words". After scholar''s Xenon, I had a short break between lesson today since Lady Erin was out gathering some herbs for me to see. When lady Erin did come, she showed me Prickle Pine, Moon Clove, and Sun Flower. From my studies I recognize Moon Clove and Sun Flower since they equated to me as Mana and Health potions'' main ingredient, the prickle pine was used as a needle and in some cases, they were hallowed out to be used as a syringe. Since I recognized the plants, she was satisfied and made me "play" matching monsters it was simple enough, mainly teaching me to recognize which monster was which and their vulnerabilities. The harshest was probably Sir Henry, at this point, we were passed the basics much to his delight. Now we were learning how to block and fight bigger opponents I assumed with his towering form looming overhead, he taught me some "techniques" that while wouldn''t be suitable for dueling would help me in a real fight and the like. We finished the lesson practicing the basic stances of the sword like every day, and these days would continue until my second memory fragment unzipped, this file felt significantly smaller, it focused mainly on math such as algebra and geometry. It felt easier to grasp these memories and it would seem I had lost the bad habit of stuffing my brain only to dump the knowledge after a test. It was likely due to the pace of this world, learning a subject was slower more understanding and it not being a race against time. These days were "peaceful" I''d noticed the bulge on my mother''s stomach long ago, childbirth seemed more arduous in this world since she had been caring the child since before my first memory and that being a year ago. I practiced with my tutors as usual until one of my butlers burst into the room, he looked a bit frantic. He and scholar Xenon had a small conversation and I was told that I would have the remainder of the day off. The butler leads me to the room I was delivered, it seems my mother was finally going into labor. My father again pacing back and forth in the hall, and once I was in his sights there was no escape. Currently, I was being rocked between my fathers'' arms, most likely to comfort himself in the anxiety of waiting. "Papa, are you ok?" "Yes, mmm no honey-drop I''m worried about your mommy." "We go inside?" "Hmm, maybe that''s for the best, it¡¯s better than waiting, not knowing. My mother''s rough breathing could be heard as soon as we entered. My father shuffled quickly to grasp my mother''s hand with me in tow. We waited silently together, my mother pushing all the while. The baby was delivered successfully but that wasn''t the end since there was another on the way. The first was a girl, as well as the second. I was a brother again, and I hoped it would continue to be so. This time, my father and mother had to hold out on naming their children immediately. Ch 4. Capital - Edited My mother held out on naming the girls as long as she could which turned out to be a month, and while the girls weren''t safe from the danger of diseases my mother said she would still cry even if they didn''t name them, and by not naming them she would feel worse. My father caved and agreed to her selfish choice of naming them. The first being Abigail, and the second, Brianne. In between my breaks from the training sessions I would go and see the girls and they would make the standard baby noise of goo-goo and ga-ga but I couldn''t help smiling at how adorable they were. But the peace wasn''t meant to last in the coming weeks the contract that my tutors had signed with my parents would come to an end. Although it wouldn''t end my relationship with my tutors as they were heading to the same place I was, the Imperial Academy. My parents weren''t to keen on sending me to the capital which was full of strangers but that was where the best education was found. My tutors would be employed at capital as well, and in the case of Sir Henry and Scholar Xenon, they would become teachers at my parent''s recommendation, while Lady Erin was to relieve the current doctor after training under him for the year to come. It struck me as strange with how much pull my parents had in the capital but I decided it was just better not to pry, as if it was important, they would''ve told me beforehand. ¡­ We had breakfast just like every other day but today was the day I would be leaving for the capital. After today''s breakfast, I''d be eating rations, whatever wild game we caught on the way to the capital along with whatever the cooks would buy from towns we passed. I could see servants running back and forth in haste of loading the carriage with my clothes, what assumed was our food rations, money, and whatever munitions they thought we needed for safety. Reaching the entrance of our manor I saw the servants alongside my tutors and the other side being our escorts to the capital a squad of 30 men. The squad consisted of 2 knights, 18 spearmen, and 10 archers, they all wore gambeson and chainmail, not wearing more than needed for travel safety. My gaze was interrupted when my mother came to my side. "Oh Honeydrop, you''ll miss Mama, right?" My mother squatted down and gave me a hard embrace. I swear I could see the tears welling in her eyes but she just gave me a radiant smile. "Mmmm miss mama already." That was followed by another hug with my father joining in on the fun. "Do your best, my little soldier." My father gave a hardy laugh along with a pat on the back as he stood up. I just smiled and told my father that I would. Oh, wow was all I could think when I saw it. This was the first time it really struck me I was in a different world, I know I read about magical beasts and what not but seeing truly was believing, as what stood before me were black-scaled horses which I hadn''t seen before. I mean there were regular horses here too so I just never thought about it, but it would make sense that a magical world would have a magical version of a regular thing. I walked up to the scaled horse and felt its scales. Whoosh I could feel a warm breeze overhead, it was the horse looking at me. I dipped my hand into one of my shirt pockets and handed one of my favorite honeyed sweets to the lizard horse to lick from my hand. It happily accepted my gesture and I got to keep rubbing its head as it savored my honeyed sweets. Unbeknownst to me, the people around me just stared into disbelief. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it."When did Adam get to Bjorn''s side, I could''ve sworn he was just in your arms." "He saw the horse and he just slipped between my arms." Ahem "Adam, come to papa, I''ve something to give you before you''re on your journey." I gave the horse one last pat, after all, he''d be my traveling partner so I could always see him again. "Kay, Papa." I walked back into their embrace. My father squatted again as he unstrapped the knife at his side, to hand it to me. I inspected the knife as I unsheathed it. It looked like an Italian stiletto one side being sharpened more than its false edge, that would be the side facing its user. I smiled looking at my father''s face. "Papa I practice hard with sword? Why a knife?" My mother practically burst out laughing which was uncharacteristic of her when she was in public. I could also see the rising blush in my father''s face. Ahem "You''ll have to wait until you''re old enough, just keep practicing with the wooden one until then." Papa seemed a little more than irate from my joke. "Kay Adam listen to papa, strong men protect me. Still want one. You, pinky promise me." "Pinky promise, and what might that be?" "Promise never broken." "But what happens if its¡¯ broken?" "Lose finger, Papa." "What! Who told you such a foul promise?" "Secret papa, don¡¯t want lose finger?" "Mmmm very well, but don''t make those promise lightly it would look bad for noble to go back on his word but if this pinky promise is as serious as you say then it should never be broken." My father got down on a knee and said. "I, Christopher Von Drinker, do solemnly swear that when Adam Drinker becomes of age, he shall have a sword to bear. There, happy Honeydrop?" I gave my father a kiss on the cheek "Yes, papa is the best after Abigail, Brianne, and Mama." "What why? I understand your sisters but why am I after Mama?" "Papa always busy, and mama be sad if last." "But what if I''m sad?" "Papa be strong for Abigail, Brianne, and Mama." He slumped his shoulders from defeat. "Papa will be strong. Can I get a kissy on the other cheek?" "Hey, you two I want some kisses too." My mother said as she brought the girls with her. I gave everyone a kiss on each cheek and another for my father. My father had a pout on his face but the daylight was burning and he didn''t want to delay my journey any longer. "Vesemir." My father shouted. An older gentleman in chainmail and gambeson got off his horse to walk upon my father''s orders. "Sir, you called." "The capital''s a fortnight away make sure you keep a steady pace that keeps everyone fit for any dangers that comes your way. You should have ample time to ensure there''s no issue with registration and quarters, I want Adam to board so he can mingle with his potential classmates." "Sir what about the manor, it isn''t too far from the Academy. Surely." "No Vesemir, the character of a person shows truly when there is no one to keep them in check. He will learn, or he will be taught a lesson in discipline when he comes back. Do make sure to send me a report on what he does and how he deals with problems that come his way." ¡­ I left my home of 4 years about an hour ago, I waved towards my parents the whole time until the manor went out of view due to the foliage. I felt a bit sick in my stomach, it was mainly the carriage rocking back and forth on the road but I would be lying if I wasn''t wary of the unknown and away from the comfort of home. But I know my parents wanted what''s best for me so I''ll follow the path set before me. To the capital here I come. Ch 5. Town A - Edited My home was about 4 days away if I turned back now but the journey starts with the first step. So far it has been peaceful, I didn''t it would be until we reached the Imperial highway but it seems my family keeps this road protected as they sweep the roads for any bandits or monster that makes its way to close to the road. We passed by a couple of squads that were resting on their way back to the manor. The patrols would inform captain Vesimir of anything strange they came across but so far it seemed none, in particular, caught his attention. I couldn''t tell how far we were traveling each day but It was a leisurely pace that couldn''t have been more than 7-8 miles an hour not to mention every 2 hours we would take a break along with rations. My days were filled with reviewing tests, reading new books in my carriage. and some exercise in the form of walking. I thought it would serve to motivate the soldiers to know that they weren''t struggling on their own. Vesimir and my tutors were against me walking but I explained that I had been bored of the repetitive studying and that sitting for so long was hurting my bottom. I said that walking wouldn''t be bad for my health and that I wasn''t going to walk until the Capital which was still more than a week away, they finally ceded to my request to walk among the soldiers. Although I had to walk in the front of the formation to set the pace, I walked twice as fast than normal to keep the pace that had been set from the beginning to make sure we wouldn''t fall behind schedule. While I did have to walk twice as fast as normal it was fine by me, at least I wasn''t encumbered by the gambeson which was sure to be brewing a storm in some of the soldiers. My legs felt a bit numb when we finally got to the first break which I happily ate with the soldiers. I would do the same thing the next day, but by the time the fourth day came I couldn''t do it anymore I had blisters on the soles of my feet and my legs were more than sore. Lady Erin reprimanded me on being stubborn and not seeking her out sooner, while she made a poultice for me. After she washed the blister and applied some of the balm to my feet she continued to make more presumably for the soldiers. When she finished her last batch, she told me not to walk for the next 2-3 days and that if I wanted fresh air, to sit in front of the carriage along with the coachman. During dinner time I could see her hand it to the squadron of soldiers which thanked her for medicine as some of them had been bearing it to make sure they could keep in pace. The next day was much slower about half of what we originally did with more breaks in between much to the relief of the footmen. The whole next day would be a break for the men since we would arrive at our first town. As we arrived on to the royal highway, I gazed back the second time towards the path that we came from, my home was down that path, would I remember when this fork in the road came again? The path was strangely secluded considering I didn''t see any villages during the 9 days of traveling just the occasional river to refill our water skins, meadows of grass for the horses to graze on and the soldiers on their way back to the manor. Today''s pace was by far the fastest, I guess seeing a prize for your hard work would motivate anyone. We arrived in town early afternoon after Vesimir sent some to make accommodations for everyone, the others went to acquire provisions until our next town which would be about 2 days. When they gathered again late afternoon, they were dismissed for liberty until tomorrow afternoon and it was met with hurrahs. Some ran towards the taverns for ale and food, some brothels for obvious reasons, and a select few went shopping for gifts. I was asked by Lady Erin to accompany her along with Captain Vesimir as our bodyguard, the shopping ended quickly since there was only one alchemist shop in town. Lady Erin ended up bartering some herbs that she had pick along the way for the ones she would be using for my next lesson. Captain Vesimir and I sent Lady Erin back to the inn that was rented out by us. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon."Young master, did you want to do anything else?" "Can we go to the tavern, everybody looks happy to go there." "Ah, those alcoholics. Truthfully, I''d rather not, I had an unhealthy addiction in the pass until my wife quite literally beat it out of me." "She hit you, mmm alcol bad then. We don''t have to go then, but I want tasty food, everyday meat, biscuit, water." "Ahem, thank you for being so understanding, if that''s all you want, I know just the places in town." The first place we headed was a small restaurant, it had wood worked furniture with a lumpy pillow to make the chair more comfortable. He ordered for the both of us since I''d obviously never eaten here before. The food was a creamy and meaty stew with bread to dip in. After dinner, we headed towards a closing marketplace and stopped at a busy stall. I could hear whatever was cooking sizzle on the grill but I was too short to see what was being cooked. "What''s the food? It doesn''t smell much." "Oh, don''t worry laddie you''re in for a treat, I''m sure you''ll like it, especially with your sweet tooth." "Oh, a dessert then? I hope it isn''t just sweet." Our wait wasn''t long even with the line. He ordered something called brambleberry and talon melon crepe. Brambleberry was apparently you guess the fruit of bramble vine or shrub grows, them having different taste, while talon melon was named due to its unique shape. It was sweet and succulent, the brambleberries, when cooked, turned syrup tasting like peach and cherries while the melon might as well be watermelon shaped to a talon, I mean I could think of one country that grew them in cubes. We ate the crepe on our way back to the inn but before we made it to the inn, it started to rain lightly so Vesimir picked me up as he jogged the rest of the way. "Sorry about that young master, normally I wouldn''t do that but your parents wouldn''t be happy with me if you got sick before you made it to the capital." "It just rain Vesimir, I can walk." "I know, ¡­ I''d just rather not." I gave Vesimir a pat and smile then we walked inside, Vesimir checked us in and one of the innkeepers lead us to the rooms we would be staying in. I already had a guard posted, at my door, so I asked him if he''d been here the whole time which he replied he did so I gave him one of my candy for the hard work, it wasn''t much but that''s what I had on hand. He had a happy expression from my gesture not that I would know since I made way inside my room, I was tired from the day so I just slept. I woke up to the steady drip that could be heard from the rain hitting the tiled roof. I walked out to be greeted by a new guard so I asked him if Vesimir was busy and I got something along the lines of he might still be sleeping so I went and knocked on his door. "Yes, who is it?'' He did sound like he was sleeping. "Vesimir it me, are we leaving today?" "Oh! Young master just a second, let me get dressed." So, he was definitely sleeping until just now. As soon as he was dressed, he was out. "What''s on your mind Young master." "Can we go with rain?" "The rain shouldn''t affect us since the whole of the imperial highway is paved for the most part. Only in some areas will we have to wait out but that will depend on how long the rain last." "Not my question." "Uhh, truthfully I would like to wait the rain out." "Okay, tell soldiers we wait out rain to be safe, don¡¯t want to dirty Bjorn and carriage." The captain looked a bit embarrassed, but that wasn''t my intention. Ch 6. Damian Stein - Edited The rain passed after a day, another would pass before we would head out. While we were still in town, I decided to make the most of it I would enjoy another of the brambleberry and talon melon crepes. I also had a chance to practice with Sir Henry again, it was rougher than usual, it could''ve been my mind as it had been a week since I properly trained with him or he could''ve been bored either way it felt harder than usual. Scholar Xenon gave me an open book test, which I aced, and then he gave me another test without help and while I did well enough it wasn''t what I did before. He ended giving me more study material to shore up what he saw as my weakness. Lady Erin was satisfied with where I was at during my time under her so she had me get some firsthand experience by helping her with some poultices, more of what was applied to my feet. I ended up crushing freshly steamed Nermal, a plant that looks similar to purple corn. Its main use was as a numbing agent and its extract was mainly used as a paralyzing poison. We would be using this for the numbing, to make it easier for the soldiers when we started marching again. The day went by slowly but it was close to sunset when we finished. Lady Erin bought me some food and we were headed back to the inn to sleep. When I got to the inn, I had Vesimir send someone to buy fruits so I would have something sweet to eat besides my candies. The next day everything was packed and ready by the time Captain Vesimir woke me up. Some parts were still muddy but the breeze felt nice through the window in the carriage. I tried to enjoy the view when I noticed one of our scouts pulling back towards us, I could see him talking to the Captain but he just shook it off and sent the scout away, after which he pulled towards me. "Young master, our scouts spotted what they believe to be bandits in the area." "Make sure we ready to fight if they come." We come onto an intersection where we are met by another noble. To which they sent a messenger to us to let them and their company pass first. I tell Vesimir to let them go ahead since we did see possible bandits and it would be safer to be at the back since we would be able to pull away. The messenger is sent back with the warning of the possible bandit sighting. The noble and the entourage pass through, to which we give them wide berth, the noble sends us a bottle of fine wine as thanks not that I could drink it. I told the servants to keep it safe, so that they could send it back home once I was settled in the Capital. The bandits never did show up but between the noble and our armed guards, I think we were safe from most things. Turns out that the noble was headed towards the capital not that the road lead to much else with it at the end of the road and you know what they say, safety in numbers. We would stay in each other''s company for the remainder of our trip although we still camped far enough away from each other for safety precautions. Another day''s journey done and back to the tranquility of sleep. The next day was the same, but after today we would be back on track if the rain never came. But currently we were behind 2 days our assumed schedule but it seemed that we had left early enough that we didn''t have to rush to our destination. It seemed our pace was also slowed by those in front of us since we should''ve arrived in town but that night. We camped at the base of the forested hill. That evening I finally saw the noble or rather his wife and children. The girl looked older than me just from how big she was but the boy must''ve been close to my age if not younger. When the noble found out I was traveling on my own her maternal instincts must''ve kicked in as she invited me and my teachers along with the captain to their camp for dinner. It was cooked with the collaboration of both sides'' chefs. They brought out some wine for the older group and we had the fruit salad much to the enjoyment of the siblings, the main course ended up being jerky soup, pickled vegetables, and a poached egg. While we were eating the boy worked up his courage and walked to me.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. "Hi, m-my name¡¯s Damian Stein, what''s your name?" "Hi Damian, my name is Adam Drinker." I go for a handshake which is met with a confused stare. "Ah, you put your hand here and we shake." "Oh, ok then." After successfully doing our handshake he asks me if I like my trip so far. "It''s ok but a bit boring." Although I can tell he wasn''t really interested in my answer as he is staring at Bjorn. "Want to touch him?" "Can I?" He gives me an intense stare of excitement. "You can, but you should ask your mother first." As if on cue, his sister and mother come up to me. "And what secret talk are we having here boys?" "Yeah Damian, why aren''t you introducing me to your new friend?" "He said his name was ¡­" he gives me a flustered look as he forgot my name likely because he was focused on his introduction and the handshake bit. "I''m Adam, I saw Damian like Bjorn my father''s Shadowscale Horse, he wants to touch." "That''s quite the dangerous idea there Adam, I hear that Shadowscale horses are an aggressive breed of horses." "Maybe the race but Bjorn never hurt me." To make my point I walk towards Bjorn who kneels down to receive one of my candies as I brush his mane with my hand. "Oh my, he looks quite well trained isn''t he." Noticing the interest of the group Captain Vesimir walk up and washes away their enthusiasm. "That horse is usually more hard-headed unless it''s towards Adam." "Truly that''s a bit disappointing, I was looking forward to brushing its mane. It''s a beautiful stallion." "Mom, can I go? Adam said it was ok to me earlier." "Mom, if Damian gets to touch the horse I want to too." "Captian Vesimir can you escort my children." "Of course. Let''s go children." As I''m brushing Bjorn, he abruptly stands back up. It would seem that he wouldn''t allow just anybody to touch him. He was obviously not happy about the idea of strangers touching him but I give the two siblings some of my honeyed sweets which do change the horse''s mind. After petting Bjorn, the two runs back to their mother and excitedly tell her about their experience even though she was in sight of them the whole time. That night was a happy occasion for the siblings as it would seem that this was their first time traveling away from home like me but their father wanted one of the parents to be there and obviously, he couldn''t go as he needed to manage the land. After talking to Damian and his sister some more it seems that the reason, they are going to the capital is for the same reason as me, to enroll in the imperial academy. The next day we made it to the town in about an hour and the reason we couldn''t see it was due to the trees around the town and its higher vantage point obscuring it from the bottom of the road. The day was another break for the soldiers while Stein family wanted me to accompany their shopping along with lunch and dinner as well. Captain Vesimir along with some soldiers from both families made sure to escort our company, to which they stayed at distance to give users the idea that we were traveling in town by ourselves. The day was passed by nicely, now we only had roughly 3 more days until we reached the capital. Ch 6.5 Arrival - Edited Today I had breakfast with the Stein family today and what I presumed would be for the rest of the trip, Lady Stein was a kind person at least that was what she''d shown me, I''m not saying she was putting on an act but you never know. "Say, Adam, you never mentioned which family you''re from." "Oh, my full name is Adam Drinker." Cough, cough ¡­ "Did you just say you''re a part of the Drinker family?" "Yes, something wrong." "No, I''m sorry child, it''s just that a close friend of mines married into that family." "My father''s name is Christopher Von Drinker and my mother''s name is Claire Drinker." "Truly? This is a joyous occasion, I wished you mentioned it sooner, your mother rarely comes out to play anymore since she got married." "Is my mother the one you were talking about?" "Yes, your mother and I used to go to all sorts of balls, but your father would attend everyone just to get a glance at her. I thought it was creepy but she thought it was endearing being the target of his affection. Haha oh how I miss those days, we were quite the dynamic duo, all the little boys fawning at our feet. I''m sorry I just felt a bit nostalgic."Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "No, it¡¯s interesting, mama papa always lovey-dovey, but never say how they met." "Hehe, I remember those boys trying to challenge your mother to leave her alone but he put them in their place." "My father can fight?" "He''s a great warrior, as a person he''s a bit awkward at times but I now know he meant well." Knock knock "Young master, we''re preparing to take a break if you would like to get some fresh air and stretch your legs." "Thank you, Vesimir." "By you leave." "Granted." Once the carriage stopped, we were placed by some trees for shade as the soldiers lead the horses to graze on the grass growing nearby. The next few days would continue this way until we reached the capital. The capital was what I expected, a large caste in the center of a raised hill that rose above the rest of the buildings surrounding it. The city was split into 3 main sectors, business, residential, resource department, the center of the ring being the castle expanded into residential, to business with the resources department. Granted there was a part of the capital that was substantially poorer compared to the rest of the city but they weren''t what I could call impoverished if anything it seemed devoid of a criminal underbelly. Once we reached the gate the Steins family separated from us for inspection. The inspection didn''t take long considering the only thing we brought was approved arms with a signed permit from a high-level legislative body, our perishables, and my clothing from home. Ch 7. Furnishing Edited The proceedings went smoothly and we entered the gate. Once we reached the academy my teachers bid me farewell until the semester started. Vesimir took care of all the paperwork for my education, it was completed around noon. Pleasantries aside a guide showed us around the campus. Tonight, would be my first day in the academy but the start of the semester was still a ways off. As we walked an aura of rich history and culture, palpable. The smooth white granite stone was the main base for all the buildings, all the pillars were delicately carved into thick twisting spires. The roof being a type of reddish ceramic tiles that were maintained throughout the year to keep up with wear and tear. I would be boarding along with other students most of which were nobles or commoners adopted into noble families. The dormitories were a series of apartment-like buildings to contain more than 10,000 students attending the school. They were separated into male and female buildings facing each other across the campus although I felt it wouldn''t stop any of the more promiscuous students that wanted to pursue bodily satisfaction. I was assigned a single bedroom apartment on the second floor, it was about 300 square feet which was enough for a single sized bed, a wardrobe, a table, and a chair for furniture. My furniture wouldn''t be provided from the academy as requested in my entrant form but I would be able to furnish my apartment fitting my aesthetic criteria. My room was largely rectangular with a glass pane window that could be opened for a breeze along with empty a curtain bar across the door. Once our tour of the campus was done, I had Captain Vesimir send us back to the family manor. The servants came out to welcome me to my parent''s city manor, the dinner was specially prepared for what my mother noted to be my favorite meals. With the meal finish, I went to rest for the night. As I ate breakfast the next morning, I planned what I would be doing for the day since school wouldn''t start for another 2-3 weeks. I asked Vesimir if he knew enough about the Capital to look for furniture along with other essential, to which he gave a clear no, but he had an idea of who would, Mrs. Stein. I had a messenger sent to the Stein family manor to see if they could help me in this predicament. Although Mrs. Stein stated it was a shame, they couldn''t accompany me on my shopping she did give me a list of shops to look into, well-respected tailors, cobblers, restaurants, and of course furniture stores of which was the reason I sent my messenger there for. Vesimir set up a coachman to take us to visit the stores listed. The first store I went to was the tailor, the academy was uninformed based. The uniform consisted of dress trousers, a white dress shirt with sleeves and collar, jacket, vest, tie and outerwear for winter. The most articles of clothing being navy blue with the exception of white socks, the aforementioned collared dress shirt, red tie. All students were also to have the coat of arms of the royal family emblazoned on the jacket, vest, and outerwear, above their own family coat of arms. The royal family''s coat being a white shield, a red cross with an azure dragon in the fashion similar to a 3 point Celtic knot''s triangular shape with it biting its tail. At the shop Vesimir ordered me 5 sets of the school uniforms fitted to my body and another 5 sets of formal wear along with extra socks and undergarments, we also got me some nightwear like pajamas. Next, we headed to the cobbler next door to order my new shoes as well as repair the ones we were wearing. Before we got on the carriage again to head to the next destination, we headed towards a restaurant to grab a small lunch. Once we finished our meal we headed towards the lot where the department store was located, as we got closer, I could hear the rustling of water from the river we would be crossing over from a bridge. The building had 2 entries, 1 for the customers and the 2nd for new incoming furniture and outgoing sold furniture. From what it seemed was that at most they had 2-3 sets of each type of furniture on hand at the same time. We were stopped at the front door because the soldiers had weapons on hand, they were given the choice of waiting outside or handing the attendants their weapon to which they would be given a form of assurance to be kept safely. We choose both options some of the soldiers wait outside and Vesimir along with another 3 turned in the swords as a show of respect. I was allowed to keep my stiletto, and the soldiers their knife but nothing more than that. I was told we would have to wait before we could go try the furnishings, they then handed me a detailed pamphlet with checkboxes, the style of furniture, specific manufacturer, or if I wanted something original. It took about 15 minutes before the first available attendant came to serve us. I asked him what the wait was for and he respectfully replied it was for the safety of the customers and as well ask to give the best service they could by meeting each customers'' criteria. He asked if we had already checked the pamphlet so that he would know where to start. He looked at it briefly before asking our budget, as it was one of the first boxes that we should''ve seen. I looked at Vesimir, as I''d never even thought about expenses during our journey. Vesimir stated 50 Rupee bills. I could hear the attendant choke on his saliva as he tried to swallow. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "R-really?" "Yes, these bills are backed by the Midas Banking Firm, is that good enough." "M-MBF, give me just a second." He takes off running, presumably to get someone above his pay grade. ****** Just a quick break to explain money before we continue. Copper = lowest denomination, equals to 10 cents Iron = Second lowest denomination equals $1 Silver = most commonly used denomination equals $10 Gold = high tiered denomination equals $100 Rupee = Highest denomination equals $1000 ****** I see a girthier Asian looking gentleman run to us, once he does, he stops to gasp some much-needed air. He takes a deep breath. "Friends, I apologize that you had to wait, had I known I would''ve personally come to your service earlier." "It''s not a matter, my master is a patient person." "Master?" Only now does he realize that the party of 4 is actually 5, a child in the middle overshadowed by the ones at his side. "Oh, how rude of me. My apologies again. I am Wilham Chao, the proprietor of Mu-Jin." After his introduction, he reviews the pamphlet to see what we are in need of. "I''m sure we can find what it is you desire, and what we can''t we will make." Mr. Chao proceeds to show me a selection of furniture they have in stock as well as designer works. The ones that pick out my eyes are classic looking woods, like Ash, Oak, Mahogany, Pine, but to me, it all looks like a variation of dark brown wood to pale yellowish wood. The designer wood being Rosewood, Snakewood, and the most expensive being Sandalwood of which they had a small supply of. The rosewood went from a deep brown to a vibrant red, while snakewood was patterned splotches, and sandalwood again being similar in color differences of being smooth brown to reddish orange color. I ended up choosing mahogany much to the owner''s disappointment. I ended up buying a bed of horse hair with the mahogany bedframe the had curtains to block things like mosquitos and fly from getting in, a wardrobe, a chair with a depression in its seat for pillows, and I ended up ordering something original, a table that doubles as a bookshelf. The order ended up amounting to a grand total of 15 Rupees, the most expensive being the horsehair bed costing 8 Rupees. Once the orders were placed, we headed back to the manor as they would deliver the next day. It was a tiresome day so after dinner, I went to sleep. Ch 8. Moving in and more. The night went by fast considering I was sleeping. I had a light breakfast of eggs and toast with some brambleberry jam, the cherry one. We left soon after and when we arrive at the academy, I could see 4 burly men shooting shit to kill time standing next to what I assume was my furniture. They point at us and read some papers before their boss comes jogging towards us. He stops at a safe distance considering my armed guards. "Ahem, are you Master Drinker." "I am." "Great just let us know where you want your things unpacked and placed, we''ll do everything." Captain Vesimir goes to inspect the goods for quality assurance. He immediately noticed an item that wasn''t on our order list. "What''s with this desk, we didn''t order this." "Sir that was Mr. Chao''s doing he didn''t want the young master not having a desk while we got his order prepared." "Very well then, what if its damaged when he gets it back." "Don''t worry Sir, Mr. Chao is more excited to make the acquaintance with the Drinker family than to care for some possible damage to a desk. Vesimir deems everything fit to the order aside from the additional rented desk. I get them to place everything where I wanted, the desk facing the wall next to the window, the wardrobe on its left, and my bed along with its frame towards the entrance away from the window. A short break to give you a visual of the room. ____W__________ 1T C 1 W = window, T = Table, C = Chair 1T 1 B = Bed, / = Door 1WD bbb1 1WD bbb1 1WD bbb1 ______/__________ Once I was satisfied with where everything was placed, I sent the men on their way. I had to sign that that the delivery was satisfactory and that none of the furniture was damaged which didn''t take more than a minute to read along with Vesimir over my shoulder to make sure everything was good and they weren''t trying to pull a fast one on me. It made me glad that he was so careful but it also made me feel like I dumb. Granted from his perspective I was a child, not someone with more years of experience of avoiding scams and the like. The rest of the day was spent unloading my clothes from home and choosing my favorites into my wardrobe with the occasional visit from messengers sent to pick up or check on orders. The next week was mind numbly boring since everything I needed was set in order, the extra work given to me done, rechecked and done again. I started making flashcards to test my memory which some of my tutors'' thought was an interesting idea but questioned if I was learning and understanding the subject. That next day Mrs. Stein sent a messenger to see if I wanted to go to a picnic with them, a much need distraction from the repetitive and monotonous last week. I told the messenger that I was eager to join them on their picnic. Captain Vesimir and the 4 soldiers came again as I enjoyed the I view on the Capital hillside overlooking the river. "So, Adam have you settled in?" "Yes Mrs. Stein, the places you told me helped a lot." "I''m glad, how are your studies going then?" "Mmm it''s boring, I learned all of it already." "Really could you watch over Damian then? He doesn''t have many friends as I''m guessing you as well. You two could look after each other." I just gave her a nod as I was munching on a peanut and jelly sandwich. It was a peaceful day we spent much of it looking at boutiques and eating at restaurants. As we walked Damian had his eyes glued on an opaque window showcasing plate-mail with chain mail underneath. "You like swords and armor?" Damian gave me a nod. "I like it a lot, Papa always looks so cool when he wears his, so I want one too, but Papa said I''m too small for one." "Maybe if you''re lucky you Papa will get you your own when we get older." Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site."Mmm Mmm." We go inside to sate Damian''s curiosity, I can''t say I''m not excited at the idea of being the knight in shining armor but there certainly wasn''t some damsel in distress that I need to save. Mrs. Stein decided to take her daughter to visit the cloth stores next door. Vesimir goes to the counter and asks the attendant to get him some oil since he was running low as he did it at least once a day. "So, Damian which type of sword do you like?" "I don''t really like swords, spears look cooler, specially lances. One time my Papa let me see him fight at the tournament and he blew the other guy straight of his horse. The other guy was really strong too he got back up and he knocked my papa off that next time. But they were both so strong and cool ramming right back into the fight. You know what I mean?" Damian looked so excited he was basically frothing at the mouth. Afraid to get rabies I readily agree that spears and lances are cool. "Mmm I know what you mean spears are cool but I like swords more." "Why do you like the sword when you carry a dagger?" "Oh, this one? My Dad gave it to me when I left home, plus its'' kind of like a short sword when I use it." "Hahaha if my dad gave me a spear if would be a sharpened stick." We continued to goof off as we went around the store, I gazed at some of the armor showcased like the plate-mail from earlier. But what caught my eye a green colored brigandine, it looked like scaly leather studded with navy blue metal rivets. It was warm to the touch, and the inside was a strangely fluffy textured wool of some sort. "That''s Kelpie leather¡­ " "Ahh!! Vesimir you scared me." I slap his thigh as hard as I could. "Huahaha, I''m sorry young master that wasn''t my intention." He was laughing so hard he had to wipe his eyes for tears. "You that this is kelpie? Like the water horse?" "That very one. This one seems to use an older kelpie considering the color and suppleness of the leather." "What about the mesh inside?" "That''s wool from Cloudmist Sheep." "What''s Cloudmist sheep?" Damian said after hearing my scream. "Young Damian, Cloudmist sheep are a variety of sheep valued for their wool that makes them float ever so gently." "What if they get blown away by the wind." "I won''t say that''s never happened but its uncommon as the magical quality only comes about after a certain age from the sheep and it would take more than a mere gust to sweep them off their hooves." "Wow balloon sheep wool." "Ball- What young master." "Oh, don''t worry about Vesimir." "They aren''t flying merely floating." After our discussion on the difference between floating and flying Damian''s mother has a servant to fetch us as we had been browsing for quite a while already. We stop by the Stein family''s estate for a small dinner, after which I head back to my room at the academy. The rest of the week after Damian was settled into his room, on the first floor by the stairs we would end up talking more often as the other students started to flood back from their vacations. Damian and I ended up studying together as he wasn''t sure against some topics like mathematics and vocabulary. We also wanted to spar against each other because Sir Henry''s advice, since we were close in build and height. Mrs. Stein wasn''t happy about the suggestion but seeing as how vehemently Damian wanted to participate in the sport she agreed along the lines that we needed supervision and adequate protection as she didn''t want us to hurt each other and miss the first week of the semester. My tutors finally had free time again as they finished their background checks along with their required paperwork on their credentials besides the recommendation from my parents. Sir Henry focused on reinforcing my footwork and stances while he enjoyed at teaching Damian spearmen basics with and without a shield. He even taught some forms from staves should Damian lose his spearhead. Damian was excited to learn soon realized how much hard work he would need if he wanted to use something as big as what his father used, which only served to motivate him. So much so that Sir Henry had to tell him to slow down as he could''ve hurt himself from his rush. Ch 9. Sarah Cousteau The first day at the academy was fairly short, it started with a mandatory opening ceremony since the king attended to give a small speech for the next generation. But from what I heard after, it was much the same as last year. The next part of the day was splitting up the students for what their parents wanted them to go to school for. The classes splitting into surprisingly 2 main classes, Warriors and Mages. Every other class like priest, shaman, thief, ranger, etc. was basically a build deviating from the norm, there were even hybrid classes like monks, and paladins that required both to work correctly. Damian and I decided since we had already started training as a Warrior that''s what we would continue as, it was unfortunate that we wouldn''t get chances to hang out in class but at least there was the mixed academics class that was required for noble children to take in order to qualify to graduate, so I tried to coordinate my schedule so that we would at least meet each other at least every other day. The classes that my parents required were math, language, equestrian, war, and etiquette, there was also the required class training into being a warrior. The optional classes I choose were alchemy and, bestiary. The classes ended early afternoon, they gave everyone a personal ring that had your house''s name engraved on it and the syllabus for the books we needed. I caught Damian at the gate after class since that''s what we agreed on, plus we had to wait for his sister as well since she would finish after and unlike us, she would be there for some time more. "Hey Damian, you choose any extra classes?" "No, we have so many, why would I want more." "You know there are classes for jousting and equestrian." "Ac-quest- train?" "Horse riding." "Is that what it is!? Oh, I''m glad my Papa and Mama choose that one then, wait what jaws-ting?" "It might be what your Dad did at the competition." "Yes! Oh, that''s awesome." "So are excited." "I don''t know, what if I don''t like it." "Hey, before we continue let''s grab some food." "Shouldn''t we wait for Vanessa?" "Is Vanessa, your sister?" "Yeah." "Mmm, ok you wait here I''ll go grab us some food since we don''t know when Vanessa will get here." "Ok then." "What did you want to eat?" "Something sweet." "Ok." I took off jogging waving at Damian While I headed towards the mess hall, once there I was surprised at the number of people eating or waiting to order in line already. I decided to wait in line as well since the line moved at an acceptable pace. While I was waiting, some of the staff started handing out menus to those of us waiting in line. A brief look at the menu and I found many items I''d never eaten before or wasn''t aware that I had eaten before. As the line keep moving forward, I was still stuck on my decision on what to order. "Young sir, are you ready to order?" "Huh!" Belatedly realizing I was standing at the front of the line already and truthfully, I wasn''t aware how long I had been standing there before the staff called out to me.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Uh, I guess I''ll get 3 orders of chocolate fudge pudding." Ok, that will be 1 silver. Please stamp your ring so we can start the tab?" I looked and saw the inkpad, along with the denomination for pricing. So, I inked and stamped my ring on 1 silver. "Perfect now, please just wait until we call your number." She hands me a small carved wooden token with a 15 on it. So, I stood with everyone else while I waited for my order, and when it came time for my turn, I grabbed it with the tray. I asked a staff member if it was possible to take out the tray to which I got the obvious no, so I asked if there was a messenger so that I could send a message to my friend to meet up with me. He referred a messenger at the cost of 1 Iron for him and another to the messenger that would take my message to Damian. The messenger came back and informed me Damian was still waiting for his sister Vanessa, and to just eat first. I gave the messenger another Iron to send him the chocolate pudding before I started to eat my own. "Are you saving that?" As I looked up, I saw a little girl with bluish eyes and her red hair split into pigtails that dangled down on her shoulders. "No, you can have it if you want." "Yipee, I mean thank you." She gave me a small curtsey. "No problem, I was waiting for a friend but he still waiting for his sister so I had a messenger to send him one. My names Adam Drinker." "My name is Sarah Cousteau." She said before she took her first bite before she squealed. "Are you ok?" "Yes, I''m great, daddy usually never lets me eat things like this, says it''ll rot my teeth. Thanks again, Adam." "Don''t worry I hope you enjoy the treat." I called a messenger over to get me a menu so I could place an order. "I''m sorry sir, I can''t order for you, not only would I need your ring but it would go against the king''s policy." "And that it?" "Humility, young sir, it means being humble." "If that''s the rules then, I apologize for wasting your time." "It''s no problem, sir." I look back at Sarah. "Did you want anything I''m about to go order again." "You know that''s very nice of you, I''ll stand in line with you while I make my decision." So, as I looked over the menu again, I could hear Sarah''s indecisive muttering over which type of dessert she should eat. I decided to get the pasta cheese pie, while Sarah got the a no-bake cheesecake, to match my order. I also ordered some venison soup for Damian and another chocolate pudding for Vanessa should they ever reach the mess hall. The price this time ended up being 2 silvers and 7 iron coins. When we got our food, I had the staff bring the food to my table for 1 iron as I waited for the Stein siblings. I decided to talk to Sarah some more while I waited. I learned that her father was a Marquis that doted on her constantly which she was happy about but no matter what he was adamant about her eating habits, and from the context it seemed the reason she was alone was because others distanced themselves from her naturally because of status and those that wanted to use her were stealthily threatened by her father to stay away from her not that she understood why her "friends" suddenly stopped talking to her. "Hey, that''s Adam over there." I could see Damian pointing and waving in my direction with his sister in tow. So, I waved back and once they reached our table, I introduced everyone, after they politely greeted each other I told them what I had gotten for everyone to eat. "Thank you, Adam, I was craving something sweet, but I''ll be right back I want something more filling before I get my dessert." I could see Sarah make the face of "Wow she''s so mature" which I thought was funny. "Right, thanks Adam I wanted something meaty. Mmm, this taste like White-horn Deer." When I started to eat my pasta cheese pie, I realized it was basically Mac and cheese after I stirred it around a bit, it was a stretchy yellow cheese that clung onto the little noodles'' small crevices. I could also see Sarah relish her slice of cheesecake with a big smile on it. It didn''t take long before Vanessa was back with some type of fried legs, they were gangly and white in color so it could''ve been a type of chicken or maybe it was a frog leg or their equivalent. "Uh, Vanessa what type of meat is that?" "It''s Swirl Cheek Frog, they aren''t appealing to look at but what''s important is how they taste. Want to try some?" "I''ll give it a try. Mmmh it doesn''t taste bad, it''s kind of fluffy, could use some sauce though." After we finished eating everyone thanked me for the food but seems like the Stein siblings had things that they needed to do so they said goodbye after eating. So, I was left alone with Sarah once more. "Did you want me to walk you to your dorm?" "No thanks, I appreciate the offer though. I still need to go to the library to buy the books that aren''t normally loaned out." "Yeah me too, want to go together then?" "Hehe, yes would you so kindly escort me, sir." "Why are you talking like that suddenly?" "No reason, I just thought it was funny." The library or in this case the bookstore inside the library our next destination. Ch 10. Anerauce Clementine We reached an enormous courtyard garden (1500-meter or about a football field) with the Library at its border. Before we reached the building, my attention was pulled to the great white marble statue of a mage with an obsidian staff and red gemstones that gave off a glow for his eyes at the gardens'' center. "Do you know the story behind that statue?" "No, I don''t recognize him." "Hehe, that''s the Mage Legend Anerauce Clementine," I swear could see Sarah''s nose increasing in sharpness as she held her head high. "Did we really have such a great mage?" "We did, but he never had any children." "Did he like men?" "Boys can like boys?" Sarah was wide-eyed at the thought. "Ahem, no, he had many wives, but from what my Papa said it is the curse of the strong." I just quietly and patiently stared at her waiting for an explanation. "Do you read?" "I read, I''ve been learning alchemy, I just haven''t found anything too interesting." "Well, this man was history in the making." "Ok, I get it, what''s the curse." "From what my Papa said the higher in level you go the less of a chance you can pass on children. The first happens at level 25, the second at 50, the third at 100 and the highest curse sets in at 101." "I can see, 25 to 50, but why 100 to 101?" "Papa said that 101 you become more than human, every race has their own level caps but most people never even reach level 25 let alone 101 but Mage Lord Anerauce claimed he reached 200." "Seems like he was tooting his horn." "That''s what others think too since one of the spells he propagated was call contraceptive. They said using the spell has side effects but it makes it so you can''t have children during the duration." "How exactly do you know this?" "Well learning everything about a master of magic is what an aspiring mage should do." "Ok, I get that he didn''t have kids but how did he become a mage legend?" "He saved the kingdom just like every other legend. The capital city of our budding kingdom was suffering severe drought, it had been months, at the time magically conjured water was tiding the kingdom from toppling over. The enemy force had dammed the at a point in time a riverside capital, leading to near drought. The king worried that the ailment wouldn''t subside requested young mages to investigate to see if the problem was magical in nature only to turn out in failure. But the young mage Anerauce decided to seek the source of the ailment magical or otherwise. The cause as we know now as the planned damming of the Aldamari River that fed into the capital. He trekked through monster-infested forest hills and mountains following the caked-up river to its source and he found patrol after patrol of unknown troops surveying the area and keeping monster and would be curious people away. The source of the drought a dam that had been slowly constructed to make the drought look more natural, so much water had been dammed that an artificial lake had formed. When he came to warn the then king, the king was hesitant to believe him but ultimately ordering the evacuation of his people but not before the enemy destroyed the dam. The flood minutes away from washing away hundreds of thousands of lives away before the young mage convinced the other mages to use an altered spell circle, basically reversing the spell that they had been using to conjure water to push the water away. The spell worked that it saved many lives but those unlucky on the outskirts of the city were washed away, the soiled practically smoothed over creating the Great Aldamari Plain surrounding the capital. The forces of the enemy came after, and as weak as the people were, they thirsted for revenge that could only be washed down with the blood of those who cause the tragedy." "That quite the long-winded tale." "Hmmph can''t you appreciate the fact the man saved the capital and reversed engineered a spell in a matter of minutes to save the life of hundreds of thousands?" "No, I can appreciate it but why didn''t the king send people earlier." "It was the will of the gods." If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation."Seems like a cruel fate." "Shhh, don''t speak so openly about that, even if you come from a strong family, they can''t protect you from the priests whose gods you are profaning." "Ok, I get it. But why did the king wait so long." "The prophet at the time foretold their answer would come to them in time of dire needs." I didn''t say it but seemed more like bullshit to feed someone while you stalled gathering what resources you had left to run. With the end of our conversation we finally reached the library. It looked more like a cathedral than a library but at this point, it seemed I needed to review my history more in-depth and less I step into a landmine like I could''ve done today. We were granted admission upon the gatekeepers imprinting our rings with some magic, as soon as I passed the doors the ring on my hand pricked into my finger drawing blood to light the insignia it held. With the yelp that came next to me, I could assume that I wasn''t the only one to receive this treatment. To which we heard a hush from an older gentleman sitting at the counter pointing to the rules of the library, which wasn''t much, but to be considerate of those around you, return books you read back to where you found them, that if you wished to check out books that the older gentleman would help you and finally to buy copies you need only past the door next to said gentleman, so common courtesy. We walked pass the old gentleman and headed into the bookstore to buy the required textbooks. The wait wasn''t longer than a few minutes to receive the books we needed. Likely due to the influx of new students every year they set a large number of extra tables. After Sarah got her books she asked if I wanted to talk more about Anerauce, I rejected the offer since I wanted to see more of what the library had to offer, so she bid me goodbye. But being reminded by Sarah, I started searching for more books on magic besides alchemy. I found some about an introductory magic theory on priest, monster tamers, druids, and of course mages, I also bought some books on fighting techniques and basic skill knowledge. I had some workers help me carry my things back to my dorm, but I couldn''t help think that it would''ve been nice to have Captain Vesimir lug these books instead of having to pay but I guess this would have to do for now. Once back at the dormitory I skimmed the introduction which basically boiled to "So you want to be an X, well worry not follow the rules stated in here and you will be able to do what it is your heart''s desire, with a caveat of practice makes perfect." After getting pass the spiel and actually learning what it had to offer, they all talked about mana nodes in the body, but the way which to invoke them were all different. Priest connected themselves to one of the 5 known gods Goddess Julia, I couldn''t know for sure if they really had gods here but it seemed plausible with magic here. Anyways it seemed that many "classes" here that used magic were attached to a specific god if not the main 5 besides actual mages and beast tamers. Mages studied the elements but even then, they felt the pull of what they could only call god''s intervention. Beast Tamers, on the other hand, split a portion of their mana into the core of their contracted beast, this intermingling of mana allowed magical beast to further improve themselves by actively absorbing mana as would their beast tamer, as for the tamer it allowed them to have a strong partner and to borrow traits and skills that were inherent to the monster. The more I read the more intrigued I was when I got to skills usage and basic knowledge, I learned something important. There was a soft cap on the numbers of skills you could have was 5, and any more than that would determine your skill. Skills in this setting were to help you become accustomed to them, a training wheels if you would before you attempted them without it. But those "skills" would almost always be weaker for everyone else and only a few could use it to match what they had when the skill was something they actively used, another important note was that skills could only be learned once and that passives skills weren''t limited to this Rule of Five, and whether the fact it was connected to the gods were unknown. Ch 11. Alluring Flower Sword Dance, Animal Companion and Combined Skills As I read more about the differences between what was a mage class and what was a warrior, the commonality I found was that a warrior''s "mana" was focused inwardly and in the aspect of muscle and nervous systems, whereas mages ejected mana outwardly with the associated chant/runes to get the desired effect. I also learned some "job classes" were locked into guilds, temples or could only be taught by specific trainers. The night felt long reading the many introductions into "X" class but I felt satisfied with what I had learned for now. The next day was the unofficial start school year for newcomers. We had a counselor come and talk to us about being willing to talk to them about any problems that weren''t academic in nature whether they felt it was important or not. After that was the start of the day, largely the same as any other class I''ve been too, the teacher lectured about said topic, gave us examples, and we did work to show if we understood said topic, the only difference was that those that pulled ahead weren''t slowed down by others as for those that can''t keep up they were demoted down a class to meet their understanding, and those that excelled had a chance to advance in classes. I won''t lie it seemed a bit cutthroat as it felt like they were letting the students weed themselves out, but I also felt conflicted as it wouldn''t be bad to ensure proper learning and understanding of said topic. The day went much the same, it felt dull as I was reviewing information I already learned before I came here or in my previous life. The first bit of excitement I felt was the Warrior Class. We would showcase what we knew about our perspective martial arts with the teacher to grade us on our performance. Many of us passed, with only a few exceptions that were lacking in form or understanding. Those towards the top were paired with some sharing their martial arts, to get a chance of either learning or teaching experience. Every pair went one by one with the teacher yet again grading everyone. When it was my turn, I was paired with one of the few that failed, a girl who was practically shaking in her boots. Upon getting to the stage I greet her. "Hi my name''s Adam, let''s both do our best." "¡­" She just gives me a nod. Once again, she shows me her swordsmanship, to which I am to critique. She starts hesitantly, the shaking of her training sword even more profound. Her sword dance started with flourish slicing her sword behind her head towards the ground before she did a pirouette to slice the imaginary foes behind her, she then tucked her sword in her bosom she took a wide step forward to perform a stab. Her dance continued until she finished with what could be called a run into a backwards strike midair. Her dance largely reminded me of theatrical Chinese sword dance, I didn''t doubt that many of these moves started with the essence to kill but seemed to be watered down from what used to be concise and concentrated energy. I replayed her dance again and again in my head as she just idly fidgeting her fingers. "I''m ready." "Well then what are you waiting for Adam, teach Emilia." I start by showing the example of her dance. A take a pounding stride leading into the overhead strike towards the ground which causes a thud as it hits the ground, a take another step forward before I do a semicircular twist whipping my sword from the ground to the sky, I take a breath as to slowly collect the sword. I face the would-be enemy and take a leaping strike forward to stab it, I end her dance with the same backwards sweeping slice in the air. "That''s great Adam but you haven''t explained anything, it looked largely the same if not for more oomph in every move." "The difference is footwork. A step here to generate more power, a step gone to sweep back the enemies into an opportune range." "Is that all that was wrong with it?" "¡­ No, I don''t believe this dance is supposed to kill anyone." "Huahaha, Emilia no word of this to your mother." He gives the girl a stern look before she nods, to which he turns back to me. "Normally you would be correct, but Viscountess Natasha Barnes'' Alluring Flower Sword Dance is supposed to be used in conjunction with a combined skill. The end result is that these seemingly superfluous moves end up drawing the victim deeper into a mirage before their life ends." The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation."What''s a Combined Skill?" I asked. "You don''t have to worry about that but I suppose it doesn''t hurt to have something to aspire for. Alright, we''re going to take a break from our peer teaching session. A combined skill requires the mastery of multiple martial arts or mage arts in an attempt to create something new. This process is usually met with more backlash than not but, when a new skill is created it depends on the ingenuity of the creator to explore the possibilities of this new skill. One of the first combined skills, shared hearts, created the Beast Tamer class as we know it now today. Many people have tried to coexist with monster, respect their boundaries, make offerings to appease them but this skill was the start of a true bond, the combined skill Animal Companion consisting of Keen Sense, Tranquil Mind, Mind Blast, and Spirit Tether. Just knowing the combination doesn''t guarantee success but the message you receive from the voice of God is different to a complete failure. The superiority of Combined Skills doesn''t have many if any penalties and can be taught outside the skill systems unfortunately if they are active skills, they still fall under the Rule of Six. Anyways that concludes our short deviation from the course. Right, Adam, you pass, and Emelia take heart to the advice you''ve been given." "Yes, teacher." "Alright you guys are done, John, Kimberly, you''re up next." As I headed down, I could feel Emilia''s stare bore into my skull. She tucked on my collar. "Can we talk more?" "Sure." I went back to rejoin the other students sitting down, as did Emilia, I was half expecting her to talk to me immediately but this was fine too. The class finished with some more passing and some failing to properly analyze or give accurate ideas on how to improve. Once the class was finished, the teacher left. Math was next, Language, then the class was split into genders for Etiquette. Class went by fairly fast and before I knew it, it was time for lunch. I invited Damian, Vanessa, and Sarah to eat our late afternoon lunch, while we were eating and chatting about our day so far, I see Emilia walk towards us and insert herself in between the Stein siblings. "Ahem excuse me, can''t you see that the seat is taken?" "I already set an appointment to talk to Adam." The Stein siblings shuffle away albeit giving Emilia the stink eye." "You realize that was quite rude." "But I already talked to you about this talk during class." "Eh, that''s true but still quite rude for the one accompanying me." She quickly turns to the two and gives a curt apology before she turns back to me. "Can we talk about advice from earlier?" "Suppose, now is a good time." "Why should I remove or add steps into my dance." "As Teacher Donovan pointed out, your extra moves only work if you are able to initiate your mother''s skill, otherwise the extra moves actually pose a threat to your safety as it delays you from killing the enemy." "Do you think if my mother added or subtracted these moves it would improve her form?" "I can''t know for sure since it''s your mother''s skill but surely trying can''t hurt, at least then you would know the answer for sure." "¡­" Emilia got up just as quickly as she sat down, and walked off muttering under her breath, most likely deep in thought. "Who was that?" everyone asked at almost the same time. "Uh, I believe her name is Emilia Barnes, I just met her today for Warrior training." "Wow the Barnes'' family, I hear that they''re a bunch of martial arts junkies." "Damian, there''s nothing wrong with having a passion towards an art, just like Papa liking horseback combat." "I suppose that''s true." "More importantly Adam you gave advice to what is practically a genius family in regards to fighting. You should be careful they might even try to pair you up with her, they are always desperate for finding another genius to continue their bloodline." Not a Chapter I''m experiencing writer''s block, sorry for the delay every. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Ch 12 Level Up Tomorrow marked the end of our first month at the academy, and it was all everyone had been talking about was the Baptism. The Baptism would be for many of their first level up, while every race''s status peaked at a certain age, humans peaked earliest. The Baptism was a ritual, it was supposed to teach us it was necessary to kill. I wasn''t excited, it wouldn''t have been my first time killing for food but this clearly wasn''t killing for food. Everyone seemed squeamish some more than others, but a few of the boys were puffing their chest saying that they got their first kill "hunting". The rest of the day had a somber feeling attached to it. I didn''t feel like eating so I went to my room to lie down and calm my mind. After an unknown amount of time passed, I heard the knocking on my door. "Yes? Who is it?" "Sir, Captain Vesimir sent me to make sure you had some food to eat." "Oh really, thank you then." I went to open the door. The servant was carrying a tray, it had a porcelain bowl of porridge along with some chopped up jerky and juice. It didn''t look too appetizing, it felt like some field ration. "Thank you, any reason Captain sent these?" "He said to make something easy on the stomach since you skipped lunch and dinner." I ate in silence as he waited quietly before taking back the dishes. Since I had a nap earlier, I decided to make the most of my time by reading more about the history of the world and those that inhabit it. The four races recognized by humans being what you expected in every generic fantasy Humans, Dwarves, Elves, and Dragons. Most races looked like what you would think about them, humans are self-explanatory, dwarves the short and stocky kind, no magical height change, that''s not to say they didn''t try. Elves are beautiful, nature-loving race, and to my surprise, they weren''t the exclusive vegetarian type. Dragons, well dragons were split into two groups European and Asian dragons, the thing that split them apart was what aspect they tended towards, European Dragons were all about physical prowess with their massive stature, and the Asian Dragons were almost exclusively found in mana dense areas or found traveling from one to another. As far as I could tell this was what the Curse of the Strong was based on, humans commonly starting with no level, dwarven baby at least at the start at level 20, elves at 45, and dragons at 95. My hypothesis was that the reduction of level was a deliberate action by the gods, to give each race a chance to breed offspring by lowering their threshold. The morning bell was ringing as I lifted my head off the desk, I must''ve fallen asleep at some point during the night. I dressed myself before I went to grab some breakfast. When I got there, I noticed Damian was already eating eggs with meat on his plate. He was completely absorbed into eating his meal, but Vanessa was waving for me to join them after I got my food. "What happened to you? You''re never this late for food." "I wasn''t feeling well so I took a nap, and I woke around sunset to a servant sent to deliver me food." "Do you need to see a priest or alchemist?" "No, its nothing that serious, the baptism just has me feeling a bit sick in the stomach." "Oh, yeah I remember my first time as well, I fainted after seeing the blood." "I''m not worried about the blood it''s just I''m not looking forward to killing a creature." "It gets better Adam, it''s the best way we can survive. Otherwise, we would be slaves to the other races like some lower lifeform." "You really think so?" "I know so, m-my father was captured in the war while he was defending the western border. Those elves treated nobles and commoners alike and worked them to the bone with them having to scavenge food for themselves. If it wasn''t for my father having good ties to many nobles, it''s possible that he could''ve died digging ditches for those knife-ears." Damian just gave Vanessa a cold glare. "Father said he loss fair in square, and he volunteered so that the elderly could take more breaks." "You call being ambushed fair and square?!" "Hmmph, mom said all is fair in love and war." "Ahaha guys no need to be so heated on the topic, isn''t your father safe and isn''t that what matters the most?" Vanessa just gave me a slight nod before she went back to eating her food, she wasn''t in the mood to talk more about the sensitive subject. After breakfast, I headed to my classroom. Stolen story; please report.*Hey guys a quick break from the story, it might get a bit descriptive in the killing of an animal, so if you''re disinclined please skip to the next bolded words. * The warrior teacher Mr. Michaels took us along with the other warrior classes to the courtyard. Before we even finished walking to the courtyard, I could smell the blood in the air. Everyone shoulder started to get tense and others were trying their best to hide the nervous tremble. We were line upped next to the other classes. There was a large platform with teachers instructing students on how to dispose of the monsters the quickest. The monster looked like some type of chicken, it had a red and blue plumage, from what I saw it was a knife to the brain. Damian''s turn came first and he took the least amount of time out of everyone so far, he seemed a bit conflicted but, in the end, he still plunged the knife. When my turn arrived, I listened and did what was expected. "What happens to these animals after we''re done?" The instructor seemed taken off-guard but smile at me and replied. "These animals will be the only dish available today no matter where you go today to honor their sacrifice for us, the excess will be donated to churches to feed the people in need." I bowed to him and left the platform. Before I briefly walked back up and asked for the chicken that I killed. He handed it to me while the chicken was still spasming and kicking about. Again, there would be no classes today since the teachers would have their hands full at the baptism. I carried the decapitated chicken with me back to the mess hall I had just eaten at. I asked to see one of the chefs, to which I was met with much reluctance but them ultimately giving ground. They prepared me an apron even though my clothes were already covered in blood from carrying it here. "Sir please wash your hands while we prepare the water to de-feather the bird." I did as I was told and waited, one of the cooks was a mage since he used magic to start the fire. It was entertaining to see magic used in such a way, it seemed like it would''ve been easier to control the temperature than any regular gas or electric stovetops. When it was ready, he asked if I wanted to do it myself or if I would rather watch? I went and plucked the feathers after I dipped it in the scalding water. After that, I started by gutting it being careful of its intestines. *Ok that''s its guys'' more gruesome meat eaters'' part is done. * I ended up using simple ingredients to roast the chicken look-a-like, black pepper, and salt. The kitchen staff nervously around circled me as I watched the chicken slowly roasted over the fire. It wasn''t long after that Damian and Vanessa found out that I was cooking, Vanessa was nervously peeking from the corner while Damian walked up and stood next to me. "You know we have to kill things to get stronger." "I know ¡­ but we shouldn''t be happy getting stronger from killing." "Do you think it''ll taste good?" "The bird?" "Mmm." "I don''t know, I never had it before." "Father said it''s a cheap bird because they grow quickly and can thrive almost anywhere." Damian, just because a bird is easy to grow doesn''t mean it will taste bad? For a farmer, this bird could feed his family, even for us this bird was our first level." I took the chicken off the stick and placed it on a plate. I asked for some sour type of fruit, and what they gave me was a lemon through and through, yellow, acidic and sour. I cut in in half to squeeze some to taste, it tasted better than I remember, obviously, it couldn''t be the same as I remembered the seeds were enormous but it still produced a great amount of juice. I just squeezed it over the roasted chicken, before I dug in on the chicken. Damian decided to join me as well as Vanessa and even Sarah came, but for a different reason. I ate the chicken in silence thinking it was a little drier than I liked but still satisfying. Vanessa who had some of the breasts said it was a great first attempt, Damian and Sarah had the thigh and wanted more, still, they both ended up fighting for the wings. After sharing the meal, I decided to head back first. "Adam, are you ok?" Vanessa called out to me. "I think so. Thank you." Vanessa just stared at me as I headed into the distance. As I was lying down, I did the one thing that reminded me of the world I was in was not the same as the one before. "status." back to the drawing board Why did I stop writing? Flaws in the story, e.g. reincarnation, his past life did almost nothing besides give him maturity, I had plans to make it into a progression skill like 1/x since he asked to remember his past life but didn''t specify, but I feel like "heaven" shouldn''t make that type of mistake. Another thing I focused on to heavily was world building and in my opinion, I''m really bad at coming up with names. I feel like when I get back to rewriting I''ll start with Adam as a teenager. For those that read that and was curious where the story was heading. Adam and they graduate the royal academy with high honors. As a celebration, they go hunting in the Stein family territory, it goes astray when they fight a combined skill gone wrong. An aspiring spellcaster creates a polymorph + transformation spell that makes him a half bat/man hybrid, intelligent but feral. It attacks the group, kills some of their guards before it targets Adam. Adam gets his forearm crushed from this bite, this was the cause in his vampire thrall transformation. And the cause of his disappearance soon after. Damian trails rumors of Adam''s fleeting shadow eventual getting caught up elvish territory creating a Romeo/Juliet type romance splitting them by race at war, plus Vanessa still holds a grudge on the elven ambush all those years ago. I originally planned for the continuous growing soul to be what awoke Adam from his thrall status. Adams memories are fleeting at this time but he remembers bits and pieces, people he loved like his family and friends, and more primal things like hunting people for food and to create more thralls. Adam starts to hunt down the thralls he created since he has an innate connection to them, but soon realize that he can''t hunt them all since spawned more. The difference between him and the "thralls" he created was that with them being a second generation the thirst for blood while it was still there it wasn''t as severe as it was for him, and more importantly, they didn''t become mindless slaves like him. He eventually starts to find clues from his previous haunts and thralls collecting information that a "progenitor" is out there. I haven''t figured out the motive for the big bad, but of course, Adam eventually kills it. Damian helps end the war with elves and start prepping for war with other races, races not recognized by the five gods.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Sorry for the long time wasted. but when I was writing the story these other ideas kept coming to my head distracting me. The 2 that kept coming back the most was a weapon specialist/scientist set in a cultivator world. the cultivators in this world are the type that can sweep mountains to ash and the sort since if they could do that, I would never see the mc passing the first cultivator realistically. But he starts off as a blacksmith apprentice, where he creates his first gunpowder cannon. a weak quil demon attacks the village it kills some people and he kills it and starts to mess with the new resources he finds and starts creating new things that he could never create on earth due to the monsters unique properties. The other was basically about the "fattie" sidekick friend every wuxia/xanxia story seems to have. The mc gets put in the fattie via reincarnation. the fattie is a silkpants(spendthrift), that indulged in a variety of things like food and women for comfort. The reason being he was born with broken meridians so his body can''t hold onto that energy that he cultivates through his dantian. But he starts to cultivate a different way by constantly expanding his dantian and condensing energy. Of course the other characters cultivate their dantian as well but the mc depends on it more so his control is more fine-tuned and explosive in energy.